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German newspaper Der Spiegel Saturday beeped horns in a report warning that a second coup and a series of crises could take place in Turkey pointing out that elements that led to the July 2016 failed coup are still in place.

The popular German newspaper says in its six-page report that plotters of last years attempt were still uncertain.

President Recep Tayyip Erdogan survived July last year a military coup attributed to once ally and self-imposed Turkish Cleric, Fetullah Gulen.

Gulen and his organization FETO have been pointed at as mastermind of the coup while the US-based Cleric condemned the attempt.

The Turkish regime cracked down on the junta and arrested thousands of people believed in connection with the coup.

Erdogan in the wake of the coup promised he would cleanse the country.

In another development, daily Sabah reported that Istanbul police found Saturday a printing machine and political leaflets, inciting people against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. The material was discovered in a hotel room booked by a German national in Istanbuls Taksim district.

The German Federal government and the State of Bavaria are mentioned as sponsors of the riot against the Ankara leadership establishment.

Diplomatic tensions have intensified between Ankara and Berlin over Germanys alleged shelter for some Turkish diplomats and officers accused by Ankara of connection with FETO.

The Gulen-run organization, according to a report entitled, The FETO Settlement in Germany and Germanys FETO Policy has been reportedly operating in Germany as its main functioning center, daily Sabah reported, adding that German authorities have embraced the structures of the group with open arms.

The report also accuses Berlin of supporting the PKK movement blacklisted by Ankara, US and Europe.
King Mohammed VI of Morocco is represented by his younger brother Prince Moulay Rachid at the 29th Summit of the African Union (AU), which opened its proceedings this July 3 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, under the theme: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth.

Moroccos participation in this African summit is described as historic as it comes after the country returned to its institutional family in January 2017 after a long absence that lasted 33 years.

The reintegration of Morocco in AU is regarded as a victory for Moroccan diplomacy and a recognition for the tireless efforts made by King Mohammed VI who has placed Africa at the top of his countrys priorities.

Moroccos return to the AU and its presence in this African gathering have enabled the countrys diplomats to foil hostile plots hatched by the enemies of the Kingdom.

During the meetings of the AU Executive Council, held in preparation of the 29th AU Summit, the Moroccan diplomats have blocked the adoption of a report describing Moroccan Sahara as occupied territory

Five months after the decisive battle won by Morocco, which has regained its legitimate seat at the African Union, the headquarters of this organization was the theater of confrontation between Morocco and the self-proclaimed SADR.

Moroccan Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, who took part in works of AU Executive Council, unveiled the Algerian-backed separatists scheme and gained support of more than 15 African countries participating in the 29th AU summit.

Last year at the African Union Summit convened in Kigali, 28 African countries had tabled a motion calling for the immediate suspension of the membership of the pseudo SADR, which was illegally admitted in 1984 to the AU predecessor, the Organization of African Unity.

Morocco is currently the 2nd major investor in Africa. Its private companies are present in several African countries operating in banking, telecommunication, construction, insurance, housing, electricity, fertilizers, air transportsrevving up social and economic development of Africa.

According to some experts, despite Algerian support, the Polisario appears increasingly snubbed and isolated on the international scene and African continent.

The separatists have also been dumped by a growing number of countries, which pulled their recognition of their phantom entity thanks to Moroccos diplomatic breakthroughs in Africa, where the North African kingdom is building a solidarity-based South-South partnership for the sake of African people.

As a matter of fact, Moroccos return to its institutional African family is viewed by most African states as a means to add momentum to the actions of the continental organization and to the development of the whole continent. Actually, the AU offers Morocco another platform to share with the rest of Africa its economic, political and security model and to promote the south-south cooperation it has been nurturing to boost solidarity and co-development.
Dennis Bowman wasn't convinced the city of Missoula could run a water utility at first.

He wondered why the city was trying to buy the system  and why it would take the owner, global equity firm The Carlyle Group, to court over it.

The former Mountain Water Co. employee also wondered if the city would hold the same ethic the late Henry "Sam" Wheeler held before he sold the water system to Carlyle. Wheeler believed in providing good customer service and a quality product.

When The Carlyle Group sold the water system to Liberty Utilities, the subsidiary of Algonquin Power and Utilities Corp. of Canada, Bowman saw the writing on the wall.

Liberty started slashing Mountain Water's maintenance budget, he said.

It planned to reduce medical benefits to personnel, he said.

Liberty even canceled the maintenance contract for emergency generators that were supposed to keep the water system running during power outages, Bowman said.

"Everything was being cut," Bowman said.

When he asked about the situation at work, Bowman heard the city was to blame, so he asked his lawyer to reach out to City Hall and talk with Mayor John Engen. The communication changed his perspective of the man who had led the condemnation effort and won the eminent domain case against Mountain Water in Missoula County District Court.

"I realized the mayor is not the devil and he is not the worst person in the world," Bowman said.

Now, the man once skeptical of the city's plans for the water utility is in charge of running the operation. Bowman, superintendent of the utility now called Missoula Water, was the first employee who left Mountain Water Co. to become a staffer at City Hall.

"I came to the realization that this was best for the community, for the city of Missoula to own their own system," Bowman said.

***

Greg Sorensen of Liberty Utilities disagreed with Bowmans characterizations of the companys tenure in Missoula.

I would say that all of that is inaccurate and incorrect, Sorensen said. I would say that we absolutely did not slash any maintenance budgets. We did not slash any maintenance activities.

We continued to operate the system in a reasonable and prudent manner and in compliance with all laws, rules and regulations.

Liberty got crosswise with regulators right out of the gate, though. The company bought Mountain Water Co. without approval from the Montana Public Service Commission, and commissioners fined Liberty $150,000 for the unauthorized purchase.

***

Under municipal ownership, Bowman has $6 million a year to start fixing pipes and repairing dams and improving the water utility he'd seen neglected. Bowman had jumped to city employment in February, and he was anxious to get back to operating the water system.

"I'm excited 'cause I enjoy these challenges," Bowman said. "I have total confidence in the employees over there, my knowledge of the system, and being able to get back to really serving this community the way they deserve."

People always fear the unknown, he said, but he believes colleagues at the water division who were skeptical of public ownership will come around as well.

Because of the litigation, the employees and city officials could not have direct contact until after the official title transfer. All employees offered contracts accepted them, but until the sale, the city and Mountain Water staff had communicated through lawyers.

"We will have a handful of people who have reservations about the mayor, but once they meet him and have been able to talk with him like I have, they'll understand what an outstanding leader he is and how much he cares about the community," Bowman said.

Joked Engen: "I've been through a horn removal process."

Said Bowman: "I state facts."

Also, Bowman said: "The majority of the employees are going to enjoy this."

***

Bowman worked for Mountain Water and its owner Park Water Co. for 25 years. He started his career in the industry in California and moved to Montana in 1996.

First, Bowman worked as a crew leader fixing leaks and doing maintenance. Then, he moved to meter reading and became a lead. Eventually, he earned a promotion to district foreman, and finally, to superintendent.

"I enjoyed working for Mr. Wheeler and his thoughts of serving the community and providing a good quality product and great customer service," Bowman said.

Park Water was comprised of three utilities, including the one in Missoula. Wheeler sold Park to The Carlyle Group, which continued to put some money into the system, but then, Carlyle sold to Liberty, and Bowman saw a dramatic change.

The company didn't fill open positions, he said, and it started asking Mountain Water to cut its maintenance budget.

It hiked administrative fees to 30 percent, 40 percent, even more, he said. Under Wheeler, he said, Mountain Water tacked on a standard administrative fee of 5 percent to a capital improvement project, but Liberty billed $14,000 for one project that cost just $7,000.

"Actually, it was all about the profit," Bowman said.

So Bowman left for City Hall, losing some friends along the way. He'd wanted to say goodbye at Mountain Water before he left, but management did not let him talk with his coworkers given the legal issues still playing out in court, he said.

"It was hurtful," Bowman said.

At the same time, he believes relationships will mend, and he made the decision to jump early because he believes in public service.

"I enjoy serving the community, and I enjoy the employees," Bowman said. "And I felt that it was best for me to come over early to try to make the transition for the customers and the community and the employees over there ... the smoothest transition as possible."

***

Bowman said he doesn't anticipate any noticeable changes in the water system right away, but he's working on a plan that prioritizes improvements as part of the budget process.

The employees are dedicated to running the water system and know how to do it, Bowman said; under city ownership, he said they'll have the resources.

"I've been very fortunate to experience the public ownership side since February, and it's the right thing ... We're going to get everything fixed," Bowman said.

He's moving forward with the full support of Mayor Engen.

"This system is now in the public's hands, and it's in good hands from an operational standpoint," Engen said.
In 1993, Montana legislators created a hotline for the public to report waste, fraud and abuse in state government.

The website lists information on how to file complaints about Montana employees, statewide elected officials, attorneys, bankers, non-profits, child abuse, contractors, discrimination, elder abuse, foreign lotteries, gas pump accuracy, health care professionals, highway patrol, insurance companies, judges, utilities, public assistance programs, pay disputes, water wells, wildlife and workers compensation.

But want to file an ethics complaint against a legislator?

You wont find directions anywhere on MT.gov.

Even many legislators interviewed did not know how to do so. Some thought complaints must be filed to the Commissioner of Political Practices. But it has no authority over the ethics of legislative acts. The responsibility to guard against abuses of power by legislators lies with legislators: the House and Senate Ethics Committees that have not met since 2001.

Montana received a failing grade from the nonpartisan Center for Public Integrity in its 2015 investigation of state government transparency and ethics.

Some legislators admit Montana has room for improvement.

Legislators routinely vote on policies that would personally benefit their businesses because of the narrow definition of a conflict under state law. Rules do not block them from voting even if they declare a conflict. And no one ensures state officials fill out disclosure forms completely.

If someone were to spot a violation, there are no public instructions about how to file a complaint.

If a complaint makes its way to the ethics committees, they can dismiss it without calling a meeting or documenting the reasoning for a decision. There is no requirement to notify the filer of the outcome.

Unlike ethics complaints filed against other state officials, there is no public listing of reports against legislators and how they were resolved, nor are there confidentiality protections for involved parties. Even if a complaint is filed, ethics committees tasked with reviewing them cannot meet outside the 90-day legislative session held every two years.

More than a dozen legislators interviewed had not heard about most of those issues.

Really? I didnt know that, said Senate Ethics Chairman Nels Swandal, a Republican from Wilsall. Im sure we could come up with some answers.

Helena attorney Jonathan Motl, who served as the Commissioner of Political Practices until recently, described conflicts of interest as an area that needs to be looked at statewide, including among legislators who operate with separate oversight. In recent years, commissioners have focused their small staff almost entirely on enforcing campaign finance laws.

Its an area of concern to Montanans, he said, reflecting on his three years watchdogging Montana elections and handling a few ethics complaints against statewide officials. Ethics. That word is what makes government work. Governance depends on the ethics of action, which gives the public confidence in government. Thats why its so important.

Motl said his office received several phone calls this year from people wanting to file complaints against legislators. He told them to email complaints to the chairs of legislative ethics committees or the Legislatures attorney. Only one did. Two complaints erroneously filed with the commissioner about legislators were forwarded to the Legislature.

Anybody can file a complaint for whatever reason they feel is justified, said Rep. Theresa Manzella, R-Hamilton, who was the subject of one of those complaints. She took it to the COPP and they said no violations. She then took it to legal counsel, who said no violations. Then she put it before the ethics committee and was told a third time there were no ethics violations.

Manzellas account of events is flawed, but highlights common misconceptions about the process among legislators interviewed. When asked about the discrepancies, Manzella said she had not studied the rules in detail and had not recently reviewed the documents at question.

The complaint against Manzella was filed by Paula Nelson of Darby. She first submitted a complaint to the Commissioner of Political Practices, who told her they could not process it. As directed by the commissioner, she sent an email to the Legislative Services Division and members of the House Ethics Committee, although they already had received a copy from Motl.

Nelson was concerned Manzella had used taxpayer provided stationery with, assumedly, taxpayer provided postage to send thank you notes following a fundraiser for an injured community member, an event with no direct connection to state duties.

House Ethics Chairman Bill Harris, R-Mosby, and Legislative Counsel Todd Everts met briefly to discuss the issue and draft a response letter. Harris wrote back to Nelson, explaining that the use of stationery and envelopes for constituent communication is not prohibited.

Nelson declined an interview request.

Michael Spreadbury also submitted a complaint this year. He accused Rep. Daniel Zolnikov, R-Billings, of carrying a bill that actively promotes the interests of ride-sharing company Uber. Zolnikov said during the initial hearing that he had driven for Uber for a short while to better understand the service.

Spreadbury, who owns a Helena limo company, said Zolnikov earned enough money from those rides to constitute a financial interest that should exclude him from participating in the legislation.

Harris and Vice Chairwoman Ellie Hill-Smith, D-Missoula, reviewed the complaint personally and decided not to convene a committee meeting. They concluded that the bill, written by the Public Service Commission not Zolnikov, would not have benefited Uber significantly and that Zolnikov had followed legislative rules by disclosing his personal tie to the company. In the previous session, Smith had been instrumental in rewriting state law to allow ride-share companies to operate in Montana.

Theres no way to move forward in Montana without some sort of conflict. Were a small state, Spreadbury said, acknowledging the natural challenges citizen legislators face. I dont know what the penalties are, but I dont think Daniel Zolnikov should honestly be in the Legislature anymore.

He did not know that his complaint had been forwarded from the commissioners office to the House Ethics Committee, received no call or email to discuss the complaint, and did not know it had been dismissed.

Zolnikov called the complaint absurd and echoed many other legislators who do not think conflicts should automatically disqualify someone from participating in bill drafting or votes.

There were insurance agents on the committee who knew insurance. Is it a conflict of interest if they carry a bill about insurance? Or is it the smartest thing because they can tell if the lobbyists are telling the truth or not? he said. Its a double-edged sword.

Nearly every legislator interviewed believed they do an adequate job of policing their own members, mostly through informal conversations.

You dont come up here to personally benefit yourself. It typically costs you more money to be up here than if you stayed at home and paid attention to your knitting, Senate President Scott Sales, R-Bozeman, said. You'd get called on it. These are some of the most conscientious people Ive ever served with, regardless of political persuasion.

Sunlight Foundation Executive Director John Wonderlich questioned the willingness of legislators to call out colleagues for ethical violations when every other piece of their legislative work is about getting along."

Legislators are notoriously bad at overseeing their peers, said Wonderlich, who leads the countrys primary nonpartisan nonprofit that advocates for government transparency and the publics right to know.

One example of how legislators manage those decisions can be found in 2010. It involves Harris, the current House Ethics Chairman.

A week after being elected to his first term, the Mosby outfitter introduced a draft of his first bill: It would rescind a ballot measure voters had just approved to end outfitter-sponsored hunting licenses. Some outfitters feared a loss of business from the passage of the initiative because it ended guaranteed access to 5,500 big game and deer licenses for their nonresident clients.

At the time, Harris said the change would make securing customers more cumbersome" and cost some outfitters money.

Despite a report in the Billings Gazette that sparked conversation statewide about whether the bill was self-dealing, legislative leaders were reluctant to block him from introducing the measure or to file a formal complaint with the ethics committee that could have ruled whether to allow Harris to carry the bill. Privately, some legislators encouraged him to drop the measure, according to people who served at the time.

Shortly after introducing the bill in March, Harris tabled the proposal, which was opposed even by the main outfitters lobbying group.

I had always planned to table it, Harris said recently, describing his bill as an attempt to clarify how the state would reimburse outfitters, if at all, for hundreds of thousands of dollars in licenses already purchased. I didnt try to be secretive about any of it. I dont see a problem with that, where it was so blatantly damaging to people. They got robbed by a change in the law.

Sen. Mike Phillips, D-Bozeman, saw the episode as an example of how legislators successfully pressure colleagues to do the right thing, but also as a case where more formal action might have been warranted if Harris had not tabled his proposal. That year, Phillips served on the House Rules Committee that can call on the Ethics Committee to meet in such cases, but remembered no serious discussions to do so.

It struck me as a clear violation of the conflict of interest rules, Phillips said. We havent needed to meet because people found the error of their ways on their own and stood down on their own like Rep. Harris.

"Some people have probably kept their head down, not drawn attention to their conflicts and benefited from the passage of legislation. Ive never gotten the impression its a problem,'' he said.

Wonderlich found it unlikely that legislators were heading off all conflicts with hallway conversations. Even if they were, he said that informal system provides no guarantees for the public and leaves criminal investigators with less material to draw from should they try to build a case against someone whose ethical violations were also criminal acts. Inadequate conflict of interest laws make the Legislature vulnerable to abuse and too weak to respond should that self-policing culture fail in the future, he said.

Im sympathetic to the idea that ethics should be responsive to peoples norms and expectations, Wonderlich said, noting that the U.S. House, for instance, exempts pediatricians from rules that ban working while in Congress because it is widely accepted that the job has little potential to corrupt. "You can acknowledge life's complexities and that people are human and still have a process."

He said Montana legislators were arguing for "a non-process" rather than rules "based on public expectations that help us be confident in our representatives."

Center for Public Integrity Executive Editor Gordon Witkin said Montana's failure to define a process for the public to file complaints speaks volumes.
Legislative candidate David Lewis wrote none of your business or NOYB on every line of the state disclosure form designed to deter abuses of power by public officials.

The form was accepted and filed without question. No one told the Billings candidate that his non-answers broke state ethics law. Had he been elected, it is unlikely the violations would have been flagged or would have triggered any penalties.

Montanas system to monitor conflicts of interest among legislators received a failing grade in an analysis by the nonpartisan investigative reporting outfit, the Center for Public Integrity.

Some legislators ignore or flout the rules that do exist and no one has been sanctioned for breaking them in decades  if anyone is monitoring at all. Although legislators cannot take their seat without filing a financial disclosure form, no one ensures state officials fill them out completely.

The two-page document was intended to be the baseline by which the public can gauge if elected officials and state employees misuse public posts. It is a key component of the law designed to fulfill a requirement in the Montana Constitution that they must work for the public and not themselves.

It identifies the private interests that may impact a legislators ability to serve the public trust, said Helena attorney Jonathan Motl, who served as the Commissioner of Political Practices until recently.

Candidates are required to list financial ties that could become conflicts when making decisions, such as employment, investments, properties and organizational memberships. Although most of that information is publicly available, the form consolidates it for voters without the time or expertise to search through property records and business filings that can be obscured through multiple layers of ownership.

Open-government advocates also argue that disclosing potential conflicts deters elected officials from questionable actions in the first place because they are more cognizant of areas where they might face ethical challenges.

Lewis, the Billings candidate, said he did not complete the form as required for two main reasons.

First, he said, he filed only as a placeholder candidate for the Republican Party in case someone else decided to run. He was surprised when he came so close to winning, securing 41 percent of the vote in a race for House District 54 against Democrat Margaret MacDonald.

Second, Lewis said he finds disclosure requirements fundamentally flawed. He sees the form as an effort by state government to control who is qualified for office and to make it easier for political parties to find new material for campaign attacks.

He also panned campaign finance rules and disclosure requirements that he thinks protect the power of the traditional political parties and do nothing to stop unethical contributions because those with means simply exploit loopholes.

Lewis said the public should be responsible for doing your homework by poring through public records without assistance from disclosure forms. Uncovering public corruption should be the responsibility of the press, not state government, he argued.

I dont need to make the job easier for anyone. I dont need to expose myself, he said, drawing a parallel to President Donald Trumps decision not to disclose his tax returns despite a decades-long tradition of public transparency. How do these things help protect the public anyways? They dont.

He noted that public disclosure laws did not stop former Denver Mayor Federico Pena from deciding to build Denver International Airport on land owned by contractors and banks that contributed heavily to his campaign. The scandal was investigated and brought to light by local news media -- with reporting that relied heavily on public financial and campaign disclosures.

***

Aside from questions about whether ethics laws should be strengthened or ended entirely, Lewis string of NOYBs serve as an extreme example of flaws in the system designed to serve Montanans right to know.

Disclosure forms are filed with the Commissioner of Political Practices. Yet, that office has no explicit authority to audit them, to ask legislators to fill out missing information or to sanction those who refuse. It also has not enforced what level of detail is required on the D-1 form.

The power to police legislative ethics lies with legislative ethics committees. Since the current version of the law was approved in 1993, they have never reviewed or enforced disclosure-form requirements.

In many states with stronger laws, ethics compliance is monitored by an independent commission with some level of enforcement power.

Unlike Lewis, most Montana leaders do fill out the disclosure form. But some provide more information than others. In some cases, the form is not clear about what details should be provided. In others, legislators seemingly ignore the directions.

One section asks elected officials to list all property they own except their personal residence, including second homes, rentals, commercial buildings and mineral leases. Of the 77 legislators who reported owning property, 29 provided addresses, 24 named a city or county but did not list addresses, and 24 did not provide any location information.

A search of Montana property records showed that at least 14 people who did not report owning any property beyond their home did in fact own multiple properties. That tally might be higher if they own properties through trusts, companies or under a spouses name. It also does not include people who reported some properties but not all of them.

Among those who provide abundant detail is Sen. Ed Buttrey. The Great Falls Republican lists the addresses of a condo in Bigfork, a house in Whitefish, 12 boat slips, and 15 presumably rental properties in Great Falls. Similarly, Sen. Jon Sesso, D-Butte, lists rental properties and the building for a restaurant managed by his wife.

By contrast, Rep. Jim Hamilton, D-Bozeman, listed a rental office building in Bozeman and a cabin and 40 acres... in Ringling without addresses. Rep. Dan Bartel, R-Lewistown, listed properties without any geographic identifiers, only writing: resident house, cabin, mining claim, 2nd home, rental house, and rental commercial real estate.

***

Similar variances are seen in response to other disclosure questions.

For instance, many legislators report they have a retirement plan but only a handful identify the name of the fund or company that manages those investments. Even fewer attached a list of the companies or properties in which they have invested, as part of a retirement plan or otherwise.

Many state legislators proudly list roles in community organizations on campaign websites, but not all of those groups are shared on disclosure forms.

To veteran Bozeman Democrat Sen. Mike Phillips, the correct thing to do is be clear.

They shouldnt leave anything blank and they should fill out the forms. If you dont want it to be anybodys damn business then dont put your name on the ballot,'' Phillips said. "You give up a great deal of your privacy when you seek a public office.

"What representatives sometimes fail to realize is were just employees. The districts were from voted for us. Were employed by all the citizens of Montana. My boss deserves the right to know what I do with my time that may impact my ability to do my job.''

Who will close the gaps in legislative oversight is less clear.

Some legislators interviewed suggested they could discuss the issues at the July meeting of Legislative Council, which oversees rules and procedures for the body, among other duties. Others did not think changes were needed, seeing the existing system as functional if imperfect.

Motl, the former commissioner, believed that office could take on a more active role in monitoring disclosure forms as well as other enforcement areas that have been neglected for years.

The publics attention has justifiably been focused on campaign finance, Motl said, describing the need to resolve a backlog of complaints, the rewrite of Montanas law after a U.S. Supreme Court decision gutted the previous one, an investigation into illegal campaign coordinating, legislative efforts to neuter or restructure the office, and then a relatively clean set of campaigns in 2016.

I think once you see campaign finance become less of an issue youre going to see attention paid by the public to ethics and lobbying.

Commissioner Jeff Mangan, who took over the post this summer, said the completeness of disclosure forms had not been on his radar and was far down his initial list of priorities.

At this point, I dont have any plans, he said. Its something I plan to take to the next legislative interim committee since its come up, to ask how they would like for us to deal with this.

Without a significant investment in new staff, he questioned how his office would verify the submitted forms.
BILLINGS  When a U.S. naval strike group patrolled near North Korea in May and June, it attracted worldwide headlines. But, that's not the bulk of naval work in today's world.

Thats why the future USS Billings is designed to excel in coastal water in which other ships cant. Its missions are less about high-profile stare downs than keeping a global economy ticking.

Most of the time, when the public views what the Navy does, they see the cool stuff, said Commanding Officer Nathan Rowan, who will lead one of the crews for the Billings. I dont think people realize the importance of what the Navy does for the economy.

Some of that work involves missions with the potential for combat, like confronting piracy that can disrupt shipping routes or seizing cargo. Other parts are more about a sense of presence, establishing that the Navy is watching.

Littoral Class Ships like the Billings will be able to access ports previously off limits to large navy vessels, as it can operate in about 14 feet of water. For at least some of those ports, the idea of a battleship stopping by will be new.

We represent not only the U.S. Navy, but also the city of Billings, Rowan said. It means something to us as a crew.

The USS Billings will have three primary duties; anti-submarine operations, surface warfare operations and mine-hunting operations. In all, the LCS fleet is expected to replace about 70 existing ships.

Perhaps the most noticeable difference will be the replacement of mine-hunting ships. Tens of thousands of sea mines still dot the ocean, dangerous relics of wars past or newer, sometimes improvised versions.

Current mine hunting ships rely on a non-magnetic presence to avoid setting off mines. Theyre effectively plastic hulled, and soldiers cant bring on so much as a metal coat hanger. Often, divers have to disarm or detonate mines.

The new ships will rely on a remote system to find mines; once located, a helicopter can deploy another automated system that basically drives into a mine repeatedly until it detonates.

The ships surface combat capabilities are also different than the usual way of doing things.

For a long time, we spent a lot of time and energy on our blue water operations, said Captain Tom Anderson, the LCS program manager. But moderns threats are most often small boats in more shallow waters, like pirates. We didnt have a really good fit in the coastal regions.

The Billings will be able to keep up with smaller, speedier boats, and its weapons are designed to be able to hit smaller targets during swarm attacks, when several small boats attack a larger one.

During trials of the ship, Anderson said that they had to suspend mock small boat attacks because the LCS ship's wake was nearly capsizing small chase boats.

For anti-submarine operations, the ship has a variable depth sonar and a dipping sonar that can be deployed from a helicopter. The ships have room to handle two manned helicopters, but are slated to start operations with one manned and one unmanned helicopter.

The shifting duties put different demands on crew members, who are often expected to perform multiple jobs that were previously assigned to multiple crew members. The LCS ships try to maximize automation, but a review of LCS procedures in 2016 recommended larger crew sizes, though still smaller than usual for ship of its size.

Theres also outreach missions, like building relationships with other naval forces. Anderson cited a recent trip to Vietnam by the USS Coronado. For developing nations, an LCS ships capabilities may relate better to a their fleets capabilities, he said.

The Billings is likely to be stationed in Florida, but where it will go from there is unclear.

Were the right ship for the right job, Rowan said.
BOZEMAN  It takes about two minutes for a skilled shearer to separate a Rambouillet lamb from the fluffy coat that it has worn since the day it was born.

As yearling lambs queue up single-file, moving from a pen into a loading chute and up into a shearing trailer, Matt Mooney sits a lamb on its tail and goes to work on its belly and the area under its chin. After clipping those areas, he uses long, powerful strokes that stretch across the lambs flanks and back. The animal remains passive as clippers whir around its legs, neck and forehead.

The fleece drops to the floor in a single piece, the lamb hops through an exit at the rear of the trailer and joins other members of its band. Missing their nappy coats, the newly shorn animals resemble a squad of pale marine recruits on their first day of boot camp.

The fleece gets tossed onto a rotating metal table for a process called skirting. Lower quality wool, twigs and other debris are picked from amidst the fleeces soft fibers. After a few minutes of picking and plucking, the fleece is loaded into a compactor where its pressed into a dense bale, ready to be sent for processing.

For more than a century, sheep shearing has been a spring ritual across Montana. The vast majority of that wool usually gets sent off to wholesalers where it is then sold on worldwide commodity markets.

But this particular operation, unfolding under a sun-dappled pasture near Logan in Gallatin County, represents a departure from a typical Montana sheep shearing. The wool from these lambs, all raised by the Dillon-based Helle Rambouillet Ranch, will be processed into yarn, fabric and finally woolen garments bearing the Duckworth label.

The American-made, performance-oriented woolen clothing is gaining a cult following among outdoor enthusiasts. Wool clipped in early June will show up on Bozeman-based Duckworths website, http://www.duckworthco.com/ and in about 75 specialty outdoor stores early next year.

Duckworths vertical integration concept is designed to help the owners extract more value from what many consider to be the finest wool in the world.

People love the American-made story, said John Helle, co-founder of Duckworth. Our sheep are a little different from other Rambouillets, Helle said, grabbing a lambs coat. See how long and nice it is.

In early June Helle was warmly welcomed after he appeared on a panel about value-added agriculture products at the recent Montana Ag Summit. People kept hounding me with questions on how we do things, he said.

The idea behind value-added agriculture is to convert a minimally processed commodity into a finished product, or to highlight a products unique or superior traits instead of settling for the price thats offered on traditional commodity markets. Grass-fed beef, organic lentils, honey and jams and jellies are just some of the products that Montana farmers and ranchers have introduced as interest sparks in locally produced products.

In addition to offering high-quality products, Duckworths owners have a bigger goal in mind. They see their homespun effort as a step toward reviving the U.S. textile industry, which has suffered severe contractions in recent decades. The National Council of Textile Organizations reports that 649 U.S. textile factories closed between 1997 and 2009. During that time equipment and manufacturing knowhow have been shifted to China and other low-wage countries.

Its a story of American self-reliance, the story of a four-generation Montana family and how to get more involved in the value chain. How do you take this raw material and convert it into performance wear? said Robert Bernie Bernthal, president and co-founder of Duckworth.

Members of the Helle family add their expertise at each step of the production process. John and his brother Tom raise the sheep. Johns son Evan oversees the process of converting raw wool into yarn and fabric. Younger son Wade, a student at Montana State University, works at MSUs wool lab, which provides valuable research on how Duckworth can improve the quality of its wool.

Bernthal, a veteran of the textile industry and a branding specialist, had heard about the superior qualities of Helle-raised wool a few years ago after he had moved to Bozeman.

He called John Helle to talk about an idea for developing an American-made brand of woolen garments. It was the winter of 2013 and the two avid skiers agreed to meet at Maverick Mountain Ski Area near Dillon.

The way Bernthal tells it, Duckworth was formed by the time the two had completed their third ride on the chairlift.

The timing was perfect, Bernthal said. Theres a great deal of interest in where things come from, and telling the story of sheep to shelf is unique because we actually grow and make it. We dont outsource anything, and were not buying anything from China.

Starting a made-in-America company presented a number of challenges. Not only is the domestic textile industry a shadow of its former self because jobs and equipment have been outsourced, much of the knowledge about how to manufacture woolen clothing has also gone by the wayside.

Theres definitely not a lot of wool knowledge anymore. All of the world-class mills shifted to Asia, and with it the knowledge of how to do that. It was a real brain drain, Bernthal said.

Thats where Graham Stewart comes in. Stewart, a Scotsman and long-time associate of Bernthal, provides essential expertise on manufacturing processes. Another partner is Jon Edwards, owner of Schnees, a Bozeman shoe and outdoor retailer.

The company name also has an interesting story.

Graham and I worked with a guy named Duckworth in England, Bernthal said. A lot of wool heritage comes from England and Scotland. He was this mean old bastard who knew a lot about wool.

Duckworths clothing has received favorable reviews in national outdoor publications, and sales have doubled in each year that Duckworth has been in business, Bernthal said. Despite praise lavished on the brand in Outside Magazine and other outdoor-oriented publications, Duckworth garments work just as well for people who feed livestock or split firewood for a living, Bernthal said.

On shearing day, Evan and Wade both skirted fleece and loaded the wool into the wool press. Evan also manages the manufacturing process, from when the wool is shorn until its spun and woven into fabric.

We contract with about a dozen vendors, most of them located in the southeast, he said. Another production manager oversees the process of turning fabric into clothing.

Its definitely rewarding when you get to take one product and turn it into a finished product," Evan Helle said.
MONDAY, JULY 3

PARTY IN THE PARK

The free Big Bang community event will return to Chester Steele Park at 6 p.m. and runs through the fireworks that will erupt from the Big Butte at dusk. The event features food vendors; children's activities that include sound, color, and light; and DJs spinning vinyl on the stage for the enjoyment of the pre-fireworks crowd. Chester Steele Park is across from St. James Healthcare, Clark and Silver.

VETERAN HONORED

Family, friends, and veterans will gather to honor the distinguished service of Colonel John R. Philip, U. S. Air Force, retired, at 4 p.m. at the uniform display case in the Anaconda Deer Lodge County courthouse.

BANDS AT PARK

The Highlands Brass will perform with the Butte Community Band at 6 p.m. at Chester Steele Park. Selections will include a "July 4th Salute"  a medley of the Navy, Marine, Air Force, Army, Coast Guard, Air Corps, Submariners, and Seabees hymns.

TUESDAY, JULY 4

FOURTH OF JULY EVENTS

 Butte  The parade starts at 10 a.m. from the Butte Civic Center and proceeds south on Harrison Avenue.

 Anaconda  A a parade at 2 p.m. Line-up will begin at 1 p.m. behind the courthouse. Grand marshals are Bea and Howard Rosenleaf. At dusk, residents can watch the fireworks display at Washoe Park.

 Deer Lodge  The annual Fourth of July fireworks display and pig roast will be held in the Old Prison Yard, Deer Lodge. Gates open at 6 p.m. for the free event. Details: 406-846 3111.

 Dillon  Red, White & Brews will start at 3 p.m. on Dillons Montana Street. There will be live music, food vendors, and brews from both The Office and the Beaverhead Brewery.

 Georgetown Lake  The annual Fourth of July parade at Georgetown Lake starts at noon just above Seven Gables at 150 Southern Cross Rd.

 Ennis  The parade starts at 10 a.m. on Enniss Main Street. In addition, the Ennis Lions Club Fourth of July barbecue starts at 11 a.m. at Peter T's Park, Ennis. The menu includes hamburgers, hot dogs, baked beans, chips, and watermelon.

 Virginia City  The professional fireworks display begins at dusk from the Boot Hill area. All donations benefit the Virginia City Rural Fire Department Auxiliary.

 Wisdom  The Fourth of July festivities in Wisdom begin with a sunrise flag-raising followed by a free pancake breakfast at the Crossing Bar and Grill. The parade begins at 10 a.m., and at noon, a free hamburger lunch is served at the Masonic Temple.

CAVERNS PROGRAM

"The Heat of the Fire" program starts at 7 p.m. at Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park, east of Whitehall. This program will teach you how to make a homemade fire starter, cook fast meals over the fire, and give you an opportunity to hear a few of the crazy campfire stories of Montana.

WEDNESDAY, JULY 5

WILDFLOWER TOUR

The Forest Service will sponsor its 20th annual wildflower tour of the Gravelly Range starting at 9 a.m. The free tour winds through the Gravelly Range, which is noted for a spectacular, high-elevation display of wildflowers. Details: Ennis at 406-682-4253 or the Beaverhead-Deerlodge National Forest Facebook page.

TECH BOOK SALE

Montana Tech Library will hold its annual book sale through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1300 W. Park St. Details: 406-496-4281.

THURSDAY, JULY 6

DINNER IN THE PARK

The Southwest Montana Arts Council Dinner in the Park lineup starts at 6 p.m. in Jaycee Park in Dillon. The Maguire Family Band starts off the series. Theyre a four-piece Irish band made up of three siblings and their dad. This is their first U.S. tour, and United Way will be serving a dinner of steak sandwiches and sides. Details: Mandy Maass at 406-683-6208 or SMACarts@gmail.com. Visit SMACarts.org to get a preview of the summers performers.

BOOK SALE

Montana Tech Library will hold its annual book sale through Friday from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1300 W. Park St. Details: 406-496-4281.

FRIDAY, JULY 7

MONTANA FOLK FESTIVAL

The Montana Folk Festival's most varied group of performers is headlining this year's event Friday through Sunday at venues throughout Uptown Butte. Admission is free to all performances, although organizers suggest that patrons make a contribution of $20 per person or $25 per family to sustain the festival. The festival grounds open at 5 p.m. on Friday with a grand opening ceremony at The Original stage at 6:30 p.m. Music starts at 7 p.m. All performers will be featured at one or more of the seven venues throughout the weekend, including the Montana Tourism Dance Pavilion. Visit www.montanafolkfestival.com.

BOOK SALE

Montana Tech Library concludes its annual book sale from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1300 W. Park St. Details: 406-496-4281.

SATURDAY, JULY 8

MONTANA FOLK FESTIVAL

The Montana Folk Festival's most varied group of performers is headlining this year's event through Sunday at venues throughout Uptown Butte. Admission is free to all performances, although organizers suggest that patrons make a contribution of $20 per person or $25 per family to sustain the festival. All performers will be featured at one or more of the seven venues throughout the weekend, including the Montana Tourism Dance Pavilion. Visit www.montanafolkfestival.com.

FARMERS MARKETS

 The Butte farmers market is 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays on West Park Street. Bedding plants, eggs, fruits and vegetables, baked goods, flowers, and arts and crafts are sold. Call 406-565-2249 or visit www.mainstreetbutte.org/fmarket.htm.

 The Whitehall farmers market is from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. every Saturday in Legion Park.

OLD-TIME FIDDLERS

The Elling House Arts & Humanities Center will host the Idaho Old Time Fiddlers at 7 p.m. at 404 E. Idaho St., Virginia City. Admission is by donation. Details: 406-843-5507.

GEOLOGY SERIES

EarthBook Montana  a weekly series of Saturday classes on area geology  continues through July 15 in the Wise River Community Building. Details: www.earthresourcesmt.org.

SUNDAY, JULY 9

MONTANA FOLK FESTIVAL

The Montana Folk Festival's most varied group of performers is headlining this year's event through Sunday at venues throughout Uptown Butte. Admission is free to all performances, although organizers suggest that patrons make a contribution of $20 per person or $25 per family to sustain the festival. All performers will be featured at one or more of the seven venues throughout the weekend, including the Montana Tourism Dance Pavilion. Visit www.montanafolkfestival.com.

LECTURE ON WOLVERINES

The Friends of the Sheridan Public Library will host "Wolverines I Have Known" with wildlife artist and naturalist Kalon Baughan at 7 p.m. at the Sheridan Library. Admission is free.

CLUBS AND MEETINGS

BUTTE

Butte Sunrise Kiwanis Club meets Wednesday at 7 a.m. at Perkins. Guest speaker will be George Everett from Main Street Uptown Butte.

Warped Weavers meet 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesdays at the Butte-Silver Bow Public Library, third floor, 226 W. Broadway St. Curious about weaving? Come watch, ask questions; there may be a loom for you to try. Details: 406-782-5784.

Class of 1961 will have a luncheon at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday at Christinas Cocina.

Butte duplicate bridge game starts at 1 p.m. Thursday at the Hawthorne Community Center, 3500 Whiteway.

Rotary Club of Butte meets at noon Thursday at the Butte Country Club.

A suicide loss support group meets from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays in the Butte public library, 226 W. Broadway St. Call before attending for the first time. Details: Beth at 406-490-1279 or Mary Alice at 406-533-9899.

The Ladies Ancient Order of Hibernians will meet Tuesday for their annual picnic starting at 6 p.m. in the community room of the Springs Assisted Living. Guests are welcome. The cost is $10 for the dinner. Reservations are due by July 5. Reservations and details: Mary at 406-723-3516 .

Open AA meetings start at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the United Congregational Church, 2945 Bayard St. Details: 406-560-7330.

Overeaters Anonymous meets at 6:15 p.m. Wednesdays at the Gold Hill Lutheran Church, 934 Placer St. Details: 406-533-5454.

Al-Anon meetings: 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Congregational Church; 7 p.m. first Tuesday, business meeting, Comfort Inn; 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Gold Hill Lutheran Church; 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, Sharing and Caring, 2100 Farragut (rear entrance).

Summer cribbage. Everyone welcome. Every Thursday, 7 p.m., seven games, East Side Athletic Club. Sponsored by Big Butte Mile High Cribbers. Details: Phil at 406-494-2618.

An anxiety and depression support group meets at 1:30 p.m. every Saturday at 721 S. Utah St.

Adult Children of Alcoholics meets at 10 a.m. Saturdays in the Atherton Apartments community center room, 4500 Continental Dr. Details: 406-396-4112.
Gulfport, MS - A man from Mexico faces more than deportation after a traffic stop. A review of his two cellphones revealed child porn and bestiality videos, an affidavit says.

Gustavo Milan-Arizmendi, 29, was arrested in a traffic stop Tuesday on Interstate 10 near Mile Marker 34 and admitted he is in the U.S. without permission, a Customs and Border Patrol agent wrote in a sworn statement.

Arizmendi was being questioned at Border Patrol Station Gulfport, where the agent said a review of his two cellphones revealed a number of sexually explicit videos. Some of them, lasting from 55 seconds to two minutes, showed sexual activity involving the following: A woman with a boy in diapers. Two juveniles, a boy and a girl. A woman and a male dog.

Children in the videos were younger than 12, the affidavit says.

Arizmendi allegedly admitted he had downloaded an app and joined a group that sent him pornographic videos and pictures. He claimed he had deleted the app and the group, but said the group had added him back under a different phone number.

He is being held for federal marshals at the Harrison County jail pending hearings in U.S. District Court.

Arizmendi was driving westbound on I-10 in a 2000 Cadillac Escalade registered to a Tomball, Texas man, in the Houston metro area, the affidavit says. He allegedly was changing lanes suddenly for no apparent reason and without a signal, and kept looking in his rear-view mirror as a Border Patrol car followed him.

A database check showed Border Patrol in an unspecified area had stopped him before, and he was allowed to return to Mexico on his own, the affidavit says.

Arizmendi had a Mexican voters identification card, but no paperwork authorizing him to visit the U.S.

People detained on a criminal complaint on a federal arrest warrant are held with no bond pending court action. In many cases, they remain in custody pending the results of a grand jury review.
MUSCATINE  With how commonplace it has become for voters to take a selfie with their I Voted sticker in the hopes of encouraging others to 
Les blattes ou cafards (Blatta orientalis) sont des insectes qui appartiennent a la famille des Blattoptera. Ils se caracterisent par leur forme allongee, leurs ailes []
You know her as Awinja but her real name is Jacky Vike. She is a household name thanks to her ribcracking character on Papa Shirandula.

When she is not on screen, Jacky Vike is the complete opposite of Awinja. Here are some amazing stuff about her you may or may not know.

Also Read: Papa Shirandula Actress Awinja Unveils Three-week-Old Baby Boy

1. She grew up in Eastleigh, Nairobi

Awinja is the third born in a family of five kids  three sisters and two brothers. She has three siblings now as she lost one of her brothers.

The actress grew up in Kanuku and Madiwa areas in Eastleigh, Nairobi. She attended Heshima Road Primary School and Kegoye High School in Western.

Unfortunately, she also lost her dad while she was in high school.

My dad and brother are the people I wish were alive to see my success today, she told.

2. She used to perform literature set books

After completing her secondary education, Jacky came back to Nairobi where she started acting literature set books.

I first got into acting professionally back in 2008 with Theatrix Arts Ensemble, a travelling theatre that re-enacted high school set books. After a stint with the group, I joined Heartstrings Kenya and did different stage plays before joining Theatre Company in 2012.

3. She is a professional dancer, Yoga instructor

Many might not know this  the petit screen star is a yoga instructor, and a very good dancer.

I am a professional dancer, but I think saa hii nimerust. I used to juggle between acting and dancing after finishing high school. I did ballet, contemporary dance, Hip-hop, traditional; basically all type of dances.

4. Her mum wanted her to be an air hostess

In another life, Jacky would have been an air hostess: Mum really wanted me to be an air hostess. So I enrolled in a college, but would skip classes. The hustle was real.

Afraid of disappointing her mother, Jackie went to great lengths to hide her budding acting career from her mum.

One day, she got wind that I had joined a travelling theatre. I told my director to call her and tell her that it was a side hustle. After that first semester, I forged accounts so that I could show her the school fees receipts. However, I could not live a lie any longer and later opened up to her.

Vikes mother is now very supportive of her career.

5. Shes acted as a prostitute

Jacky has acted different roles in various projects in her career. The one that stands out the most is her role in the award-winning film, Nairobi Half Life. Jacky acts as a hooker who is very cheap in the acclaimed Kenyan production.

The gravity of the role hit her when the film finally aired: When I was on set acting the call girl, it wasnt a big deal. But during the launch I was like wooo! Thats me?

She has had to deal with criticism for playing the hooker: For those who have watched Nairobi Half Life, especially the elderly women, they are like: Eh, Awinja haki nakupenda lakini ile Nairobi Half Life ya kahaba

Often, she tries to explain to her fans that the roles she plays are different from the person that she is.

6. She landed Awinja role after her acting skills impressed Papa Shirandula

Narrating how she ended being Awinja, Jacky said: I had once gone to an audition, and Charles Bukeko alias Papa Shirandula was one of the judges. He loved my work, but unfortunately I did not land the role. A year later the Papa Shirandula team created the Awinja character which I got selected for.

Initially, Jacky was skeptical about the role because she had never before acted a character with an accent.

7. Her hobbies are: cooking, travelling, sleeping and making new friends

Jacky would give up everything to cook. Her favourite meal is ugali, kuku ya kienyeji and mrenda.

When she is not cooking, on set, or travelling, shes probably catching 40 winks.

8. She is sensitive about fashion

Meet Jacky on a random day when she is off the set, and you will fail to recognise her. Why? She wouldnt be caught dead in themshamba attire her character wears-Jacky is extremely fashion conscious.

Expressing her fashion versatility, she said: When I am dressing up, I can do vintage and modern at the same time. I also love colours, and have none as my favourite since all are.

9. She loves BIG cars

Her tiny frame should not deceive you she prefers small packages, Jacky loves big machines.

Her dream car being the Jeep Wrangler, she disclosed: Even if you happen to visit my Instagram page, most photos youd see are the Jeep Wrangler. That car is not so manly, its an off-road, and its powerful!

10. She doesnt mind Kenyan men

Though many Kenyan women prefer foreign men saying that they are more romantic, Jacky differs.

I would date a Kenyan man every time of day or night. You know our women are like Kenyan men are not romantic, they are players but no! What they (women) should not do is generalise  men are very different.

She added, Just because a lady has dated two Kenyan men consecutively and she was disappointed, does not mean they are all bad!

Awinja concluded the interview by saying she doesnt work on a five-year plan scheme, but lives each day as it comes.

However, she revealed her key future plans are getting married, raising a family and opening up a production company.
Deputy President William Ruto was on Sunday night hosted by Citizen TVs Hussein Mohamed on Sunday Live.

It was a highly anticipated interview coming at a time of intense political activity, and just a week after both sides launched their manifestos.

To start the interview, Hussein dived right into the corruption debate. Ruto was taken to task on statements he has made about Nasa having no moral authority to talk about corruption. The topic of alleged chief financier of Nasa, Jimi Wanjigi also came up.

Kalonzo had this week stated that it was Ruto who actually introduced him to Jimi Wanjigi. But speaking on Sunday Live, Ruto said that it was Kalonzo who set up the meeting with the controversial wheeler dealer.

This alleged meeting is detailed in Kalonzos book, Against all odds, which Hussein did not hesitate to bring up.

I clearly remember the night I felt betrayed by Uhuru and Ruto. This was the night our alliance died. We had agreed with Ruto that I would be on the presidential ticket with Uhuru as my running mate and he as the majority leader, Hussein read a paragraph from the book.

Then on that night, Uhuru and Ruto arrived at my home in the company of Jimi Wanjigi

Thats a lot of nonsense, Ruto replied.

You can watch that section from around minute 7:00 of part 1.

[showad block=6]

When probed further about his connection to Jimi Wanjigi, Ruto said that Nasa would be better placed to answer.

But the DP was a bit forthcoming on the other details revealed in Kalonzos book. He said that Kalonzo was economical with the truth about what really transpired on that night of the said meeting.

According to Ruto, Uhuru and himself decided to stop further engagement with Kalonzo because he told them a very weird and callous thing.

He told us, gentlemen, why dont you allow me to become president, in any case, you will be in jail for 10 years. After which when you come back, I will be through and you can take over from there. Ruto said.

The DP further said that he had not planned on bringing up the issue until Kalonzo brought it up first.

That is how we left Kalonzo Musyokas house in a hurry. Because we realized were not dealing with a friend. he added.

Watch the entire interview in 3 parts below.

Part 1



Part 2



Part 3


I didnt plan to start a baby food company. This business found me. I grew up on a farm in Cameroon, West Africa, eating simple, homemade dishes filled with fresh vegetables and fruits. I wanted the same for my children. So I began making baby food in my kitchen, and sharing it with friends and teaching them how to make their own. One thing led to another, and soon I was teaching workshops and cooking classes. The response was overwhelming.

The idea for my company came from my belief that fresh, homemade, organic food should be available to all babies, not just a privileged few. Many parents make baby food from scratch, but what about all the others who dont know how, or dont have time? I wanted to offer fresh, organic baby food in stores.

As the demand exploded, I asked my husband, Georges, what I should do. We were living comfortably as a two-income family. I was working full-time as an IT executive and was afraid to leave my job because it would be a sacrifice for our entire family. But I also knew that turning my passion into a successful business would take 100 percent of my time. I knew that all kids deserved high-quality foodand I knew it could be done on a commercial level.

Georges encouraged me to take the leap, so I left my corporate career. We put everything we had into the businessour entire savings. The risk was frightening, but it was worth the sacrifice. Heres what I learned along the way about balancing home and work.

- Learn to say no. When I was just starting, I was eager to gain exposure for my business. The product was catching on, and I was busy filling orders, spending late nights in the kitchen and getting up early to get the kids off to school. As word-of-mouth spread, I was overwhelmed by callsinvitations to speak at schools and civic groups, or nonprofit groups looking for demos and donations. I was afraid to say no, because I thought the business would suffer. Once, I had a day full of back-to-back eventsand I woke up that morning with laryngitis. Thats when I heard what my body was saying: Dont overextend yourself. We dont always have to say yes. You can say no, Let me think about it or Please give me time to check my calendar. I would rather say no first than overcommit.

- Eliminate distractions. Like most small-business owners, I wore all the hats. When you are trying to do everything, it is easy to lose your focus on the things that you do best, and the things that allow your business to grow. For example, social media is an important marketing activity for small businesses. But how much time do you spend on social media actually promoting your business vs. posting fun personal updates? I learned to look critically at how I was using my time. I dropped the things that were not related to my goals. Eliminating even two or three things can make a huge difference.

- Lose the guilt. When I started my company, my youngest child was still in diapers. I sometimes felt guilty when I had to leave and go to the production kitchen after I put the kids to bed. My husband was there, of course, but I worried that my company was interfering with my parenting. The lifestyle of an entrepreneur requires juggling and compromises. It is hard workand that work affects the entire family. What I have realized is that kids see what you do. They watch you pursue your passion while organizing the household and supporting the family. Following your heart and leading by example is the essence of parenting, so stop being so hard on yourself.

- Stay true to your vision. Two years into my start-up, a competitor came on the scene. I was intimidated when I heard that the principals at this company were gossiping about me and my business. I was really worried and upset, thinking that this would damage my reputation. Turns out the best course of action was to say nothing. I decided my company would always project a relentlessly positive attitude, take the high road and stay focused on our vision. This was, and continues to be, a strength.

- The only constant is change. I never anticipated how much adaptability it takes to bring a product successfully to the mass market. I imagined that developing my product was a one-time thing. I thought I would hire a packaging designer, create a design and then the product would be ready for retail. But every retailer has different requirements. That left me in a continuous cycle of development and redevelopment. By embracing the creative process, though, I eventually became comfortable with constant change and learned to make it fun.
I sometimes ask acquaintances who share my genealogy hobby  Did you fall for the free trial like I did?

Truthfully, it was the combination of family lore and the complete lack of fact checking that got me hooked. Now, several years later, my family tree has nearly 4,000 individuals and perhaps some genealogical TMI (too much information and way too many cousins and in-laws.)

Genealogy is a bit of a crap shoot. Some days I find a ton of information, and on other days, I run into one brick wall after another. I can say that the Information Age is rapidly catching up with the past as a myriad of documents appear online.

Take, for example, some of the old newspaper stories in my collection:

 an expectant great-aunt  who shot down her ex-fiance  only to be exonerated due to insanity;

a man, accused of adultery  with my great-grandmother  who shot the sheriff coming to arrest him for the crime;

 the gruesome death of my great-grandfather, a railroad conductor, who slipped while trying to catch a ride home at the end of his shift;

 a great-great-aunt, who moved from Maine to a farm in north Napa in the 1860s with her husband, who later became a Napa County supervisor;

 and a great-great-grandfather who founded a small resort town and railway station (now a ghost town) in the hills above Los Angeles.

There are too many more to mention here and, frankly, most are really only interesting to me and my kin. TMI  maybe?

My most recent and satisfying find was learning the circumstances surrounding my grandfathers adoption. With only a common last name and grandpas date of birth, it took a good year to discover his biological parents. Through many months of searching, I finally found a legal notice, in the Salt Lake paper, about a guardianship hearing for my young grandfather by his adoptive family in Idaho.

That discovery led to stories about grandpas biological father, Ralph. Ralph was a railroad conductor, the son of a successful businessman from Maine and Mayflower descendant who died in a terrible accident. But, I found nothing about grandpas mother, Mary. What could have happened to Mary? Well, the problem was  so many things. The proverbial brick wall!

Frustrated by a date range of several years, all occurring before the advent of formalized death records and multiple geographic locations, I employed a trick I learned about at a monthly program sponsored by the Napa Valley Genealogical Society: I researched Marys parents and siblings instead.

Marys father, the founder of Langs Station in Los Angeles County, enjoyed some prominence and wealth in the area, so I wrote to the Southern California Genealogical Society. The reply was not what I had hoped but led to a Los Angeles cemetery. Unable to travel, I imposed upon my son, who happened to be passing through LA, and his cemetery visit unlocked the mystery. Mary was buried near her parents in 1905.

Once again, I requested information from the SCGS, and this time they immediately found a Los Angeles County record of Marys death from tuberculosis. Voila! The pieces began to fall into place.

News clippings from Pocatello told the story. My 2-year-old grandpa was sent to live with friends in Idaho when Mary became ill. Meanwhile, Ralph took Mary to Los Angeles to be near her family. After Mary died, Ralph, having to travel for a living, probably thought it best to leave his young son in the hands of his trusted friends. Ralph returned to Salt Lake and remarried shortly before his unfortunate demise. It all seems to make sense. One brick wall busted.

Id like to say that with this resolution I could call it quits but I have to be honest  Im just getting started. There is just too much information out there to ignore.
In the past decade, hotels have become visible anchors in Napa  the Napa River Inn by the water, the Andaz towering over downtown First Street, the Archer nearing completion a block away, the Meritage resort in the south of town  while developers vie to add more rooms to lure more vacationers.

The new arrivals have helped to transform Napas image among tourists and become a vital part of city finances, with hotel taxes now accounting for a quarter of its annual revenue. But what does such growth mean to those for whom Napa is a home and not a getaway  or for those who staff the hotels and need a place to live?

A survey of more than 30 reader emails sent to the Napa Valley Register in June revealed a vein of skepticism among many Napans, and outright hostility by some who feared losing a grip on their home city.

Napa, particularly downtown, has gone way overboard in their shortsightedness of when enough is enough! wrote Mary Richardson.

Ive lived here for 25 years. Downtown used to be thriving for locals. What was here was based on living here. Hardware, clothing, sporting goods, Safeway, parks, the library  What is now replacing that lifestyle is tourist-based: overrated, expensive eateries and hotels. We dont want or need another wine bar!

Doug McHarg credited Napas hotel boom with fortifying the citys finances and breathing life into a long-sluggish business district, but he too worried about the day-to-day cost of an increasingly tourist-dependent economy  especially with rents and house prices quickly outrunning many workers wages.

Most of these jobs dont provide enough income for people to afford to live here so they commute form American Canyon, Vallejo and Fairfield, he wrote. This means we get that sweet rush-hour traffic in addition to tourism traffic. So the hotels actually make the problem worse on two fronts; they take up space that could be used for housing, and provide more low-income jobs.

In short, I hope we hit the saturation point for tourism soon, and the city is force to start investing in industry that provides a livable wage.

Eve Kahn, a Realtor and member of the slow-growth community group Get a Grip on Growth, pointed to the strain on roads and utilities produced by increasing numbers of visitorsand of those commuting to newly created tourism jobs from outlying counties with cheaper housing.

Its very hard (to resist), because the taxes are very enticing, she said recently. But we should pace ourselves, let whats approved get built  but fix the infrastructure and make sure we have housing for the workers. We need to pause this, understand the cumulative impact if all those hotels go online. Let the community absorb this at a much slower pace.

Even as the Napa City Council last month passed a new two-year budget bolstered by hotel-room tax revenue on track by 2019 to double its share of revenue from a decade earlier, the gap between developers payments and the need for more affordable housing weighed on some.

This is not adequate; we need to set a high bar and expectations for hotel development, said Councilwoman Juliana Inman at the June 16 meeting, calling for more decisive steps to create housing for hospitality workers. If Yountville built housing for their hotel employees, we can too.

New hotels and their demand for more staff are straining already tight supplies of homes and rentals that are even marginally attainable for lower-paid workers, according to Inman.

With the development of more rooms, the only way those hoteliers can get staff who live in Napa is to cannibalize other hotels. They are either going to get staff from another hotel or from out of town. There is a very precarious balance right now, and it can be upset by addition of more rooms without the addition of more housing.

Last August, Napa raised the fees it charges builders for most types of development in a bid for more money to feed into multifamily rental housing  the type most within reach of low- and mid-level staff at local lodgings and restaurants.

Development fees for hotels received the largest hike from $1.40 to $6 per square foot, though the new charge was less than the $10.50 city officials had sought. By contrast, the City Council passed only a 30-cent increase for apartment-style projects to $4.05 a square foot  cheaper than for hotels and a clear sign of the citys hoped-for priorities.

Impact fee revenues have grown from $438,156 in the 2014-15 fiscal year and $788,478 in 2015-16 to more than $1.75 million in the current cycle that ended Friday, according to Rick Tooker, Napas community development director. In addition, the developer of the Vista Tulocay apartments, which will add at least 284 and possibly up to 485 dwellings west of Soscol Avenue, is expected to supply a further $2 million toward affordable housing.

Still, the housing shortage remains a problem Inman doubted can be solved with cash alone.

We have good actors like the Gasser Foundation giving us land for a 50-unit project (the future Stoddard West Apartments near Soscol Avenue), all for affordable housing, she said. We have people doing the right things, and weve done a good job so far. But the problem with a city-subsidized housing model is it wont provide enough units to support hundreds more low-wage jobs.

In 20 years on the City Council, and more than a decade as mayor, Jill Techel remembers the days when placing hotels within Napa  and not the winery-decked environs of Yountville, St. Helena and Calistoga  appeared a major risk in a city largely ignored by Napa Valley visitors. When we recruited the Andaz, when we said we sought a two- or three-star hotel downtown, that was a very high reach, she said of the First Street hotel that became Napas tallest building on its 2009 opening.

Napas lodging landscape now includes the Napa River Inn, the Westin Verasa and others that have grabbed the attention of vacationers. More hotel proposals have appeared in their wake, including James Kellers plan to convert the former Second Street post office into the heart of a 175,000-square-foot, 163-key hotel with retail stores and a parking structure.

Ten hotel proposals in various stages of review could add as many as 1,200 more rooms to the local stock if all were approved and built, the city said in February  although even long-approved projects like the Silverado Trail resort once backed by the Ritz-Carlton chain can go unbuilt for years, if they ever break ground at all.

Under the Downtown Specific Plan Napa passed in 2012 to guide tourism, commercial and other land uses, the city center is to gain up to 303 more rooms  more than half of which would be taken up by the Archer hotels opening.

With builders interest in new hotels far outstripping Napas downtown plans, Techel predicted that solid plans for helping hotel workers live closer to their jobs will become a more decisive factor in which plans get the green light.

Any hotel project at this point has to say how they provide more housing for workers, she said. It would be more attractive if its a partnership with a workforce housing project that helps it actually get built  If you dont want people commuting (from out of Napa), you get creative in building more housing.

Techel, however, described any attempt to concentrate solely on slowing hotel expansion as premature. Early discussions on a new city general plan  the basic guide to what kinds of development can be built in what areas  will let Napa rethink the pace and siting of all kinds of growth, she said.

We have an opportunity, not far away, to look at the whole city in context, said Techel. Id like that better than just pulling one piece out. We have to study the whole of the city and look at the housing element of the general plan.

Napa and other California cities are missing some of the tools once available to cut away at their housing deficits. Local development agencies that funded much housing for low-income families were disbanded by the state in 2012. Earlier, a California appeals court in 2009 forbade cities to set minimum percentages of below-market-rent dwellings in rental complexes, branding such rules as an illegal form of rent control.

In the face of such barriers  and of the balance builders must strike between affordability and making back their investments  Tooker pointed to the efforts Napa has made in recent years, including Stoddard Wests approval and the 2016 opening of the 41-unit, income-restricted Oak Creek Terrace on First Street west of downtown.

Napa has relaxed permitting rules for creating second living units outside existing homes, and is preparing an experimental program to help homeowners carve out even smaller dwellings entirely within their homes at a lower cost.

A May rule change give staff the power to wave through any housing developments with as many as 10 units, and exempts projects of up to 30 dwellings from a council vote. Projects fully devoted to those making less than Napas median income  regardless of size  can move ahead with staff approval alone, dropping the requirement for votes by the council or the Planning Commission.

Is it enough in this market? No. But is it significant? Absolutely.  We understand that locally and regionally and statewide, affordable housing is a significant issue. But its also important to know what is being done.

For Inman, the need to look more carefully at how Napa allows its hotel sector to grow is a matter not only of looking after the citys residents, but also of the very tourism that has energized it.

We have to look at what is the heart of community and what is the character of the community, she said. Do we want to be just a hotel and hospitality destination? Or do we want to be a well-balanced community that visitors enjoy being a part of when they stay here?

We cannot have hotels in a vacuum. If theres not a thriving community here, its barren for the visitors as well.
This year, there have been 1,591 calls and incidents in the area in and around the South Napa Marketplace, ranging in severity from public intoxication and petty theft to assaults and rape. One incident behind the Black Bear Diner even escalated into an officer-involved shooting that left one 23-year-old man dead.

We keep responding to some pretty odd behavior and its increasing, Napa Police Lt. Chase Haag said. The actual number of incidents, though, is about the same as it has been for the last couple years, he said.

Haag said that out of the 3,382 crime reports filed in Napa since Jan. 1, 234 of them originated from the area in and around South Napa Marketplace. There were 380 reports taken in the area over the course of the entire year last year, he said, and 390 reports taken in 2015.

So far this year, the number of calls and incidents in the area isnt far off from the numbers of contacts made in the previous two years, Haag said. This time last year, he said, there were 1,574 contacts made by law enforcement in the area. By June 2015, there had been 1,446, he said.

We look at our numbers and there arent any huge changes, Haag said. Although some of the more notable incidents have involved individuals or happen to be homeless or transient, it isnt necessarily the homeless population thats to blame for the crimes, he said. Just a few individuals acting out can generate a lot of problems, he said.

Police have received multiple complaints about criminal activity in the area from patrons and business owners. But when they went out to investigate, they found that most of the things going on out there are related to quality of life problems, he said. That means that is a combination of substance abuse, mental health, and homelessness.

The Gasser Foundation owns the South Napa Century Center as well as some parcels in the South Napa Marketplace, including the areas rented out by Pollo Loco, Taco Bell, Applebees, McDonalds and Chevron. The rest of the parcels in the complex are owned by Kimco.

The parking lot behind Black Bear Diner, known as parcel 16, was sold by the Gasser Foundation in 2015. Joe Fischer, Gasser Foundation representative, said that Kimco owns the property through the entity South Napa Fee, LLC, but Kimco representatives denied the ownership.

Armand Vasquez, Kimco Realty Regional President, said that Kimco does not own parcel 16. Vasquez said Thursday that he would need to consult with his local representatives before commenting for this story.

Fischer said that the Gasser Foundation has been actively engaged in exploring and supporting solutions to the citys homelessness problem. And, as landlords, he said, the foundation seeks to minimize conflicts between its tenants, tenant customers and homeless residents.

I think the Foundation has been quite successful in accomplishing that because we have spent time working with the Police Department whenever we encounter the rare potential problem individual or situation, Fisher said. The fact is that nearly all homeless individuals are not seeking nor causing trouble.

The most recent significant crime reported in the area was a rape in the area behind Black Bear Diner.

Police arrested Ric Allen Austin, 52, on suspicion of rape on June 14 after a woman who was found crying and her clothes disheveled reported the alleged assault. Both Austin and the woman were transients, police said.

The case against Austin is still under investigation.

Another transient man, Noel Allen Russell, 23, was shot and killed by police near that same area on March 13. Police said that a folding knife with the blade in the open position was found next to Russells body. The shooting is still being reviewed by the Napa County District Attorneys Office.

The morning after the shooting, firefighters had to rescue a naked man that was trapped inside the wall of the Togos/Baskin-Robbins building. Firefighters said that Robert John Tubridy had fallen from the roof, down a shaft and was stuck in a small empty space.

Tubridy has since been charged with second-degree commercial burglary and vandalism over $400, according to court documents.

Police theorized that the March incidents may have been related to a bad batch of drugs on the street.

During the time of those incidents, there really did seem to be a difference in how bizarre and unique some peoples behavior was, Haag said. Narcotics users even reported noticing a difference, he said.

Although Haag said problems related to that drug seemed to have calmed down, these three incidents have left some Napa residents, including Rusty Cohn, concerned. After the rape arrest was reported, Cohn posted on the social media site Nextdoor that the transient and homeless problems in the area across from South Napa Marketplaces Home Depot were getting out of control.

Cohn, who lives just a few blocks away from the marketplace, told the Register that he wont go to the creek in that area because it is little bit scary. But, he said he thinks that the majority of crimes committed by transient persons are directed at other transient or homeless people.

Theyre the ones that suffer the most violence, he said.

The City of Napa is working on ways to help homeless persons into housing. The citys latest idea is to try to turn bedrooms into mini-apartments.
Napa Countys ideas for slashing greenhouse gas emissions in unincorporated areas range from promoting the use of electric irrigation pumps on farms to switching from gas to electric water heaters at homes.

The proposed climate action plan has 48 carbon-cutting recommendations in all. Now the county will learn if it has satisfied concerns voiced by the agricultural sector, environmental community and others.

On Wednesday, the county Planning Commission will discuss the plan at the county administration building, 1195 Third St. in downtown Napa. The meeting starts at 9 a.m., with the climate action plan session to begin at 10 a.m.

There is strong consensus that global climate change is occurring; seasons are shifting, average temperatures are increasing, precipitation levels are changing and sea levels are rising, the proposed plan said.

The 268-page plan prepared by Ascent Environmental consultants at a cost of $154,000 seeks to set a course of action for the County of Napa to address global climate change.

It calls for cutting county greenhouse gas emissions 2 percent below 2014 levels by 2020, 40 percent by 2030 and 77 percent by 2050. The proposals apply only to rural areas, with cities doing their own climate action plans.

A previous version of the plan required farms to convert their stationary diesel or gas-powered irrigation pumps to electric pumps powered by renewable energy. That raised concern from the agricultural sector expressed in recent letters to the county.

Many vineyards have no other need for being serviced by PG&E, wrote Garrett Buckland, president of Napa Valley Grapegrowers. In most cases, use of this service will be infrequent, while still incurring extremely high standby costs. This measure seems growth-inducing and a poor use of resources.

In addition, he wrote, the appearance of above-ground power lines is inconsistent with the rural beauty of Napa County.

The latest version of the climate action plan changed this mandatory step to voluntary for existing vineyards, if not necessarily for new ones. Still, the plan assumes that all gas and diesel pumps will be converted to electric by 2020.

The plan also calls for supporting the use of electric or alternatively fueled agricultural equipment, such as vineyard tractors, chainsaws and mulchers. Napa County Farm Bureau has concerns.

Electric and alternatively fueled farm equipment is a laudable research topic, but so far not even a viable, electric all-terrain vehicle has been produced, wrote Jim Lincoln of the Farm Bureau.

Chris Wunderlich of the North Bay Association of Realtors criticized a proposal requiring rural residents replacing gas water heaters to install electric water heaters or heaters powered by renewable sources such as solar.

Most homes dont have the required 240-watt power needed for an electric heater. Upgrading the main electric panel costs more than the water heater and takes time to accomplish, he wrote.

Homeowners do not want to wait a week without hot water to have an electric water heater installed, Wunderlich wrote.

A revised, proposed water heater policy includes commercial as well as residential water heaters. The county will consider offering financial incentives if the conversion to electric requires substantial work beyond replacement cost.

Jack Gray of the Napa County Taxpayers Association also expressed concern that carbon-cutting efforts will hit rural citizens in the pocketbook. He cited a California Building League estimate that state steps will add $58,000 to the cost of building a house.

Residents should be able to vote on new taxes, Gray wrote. In response comments, the county said the climate action plan proposes no new taxes.

Chris Benz of the Napa Sierra Club wants the plans emissions inventory expanded to include black carbon and other so-called short-lived climate pollutants or super greenhouse gases that are increasingly garnering attention. Black carbon, a component of soot, comes from such sources as diesel engines and wildfires.

Napa County responded that calculating black carbon emissions is difficult. The largest statewide source of black carbon is wildfires. State policies will virtually eliminate black carbon emissions from onroad diesel engines within 10 years.

Jim Wilson of Napa Vision 2050 wrote that the proposed plan used 2007 global warming potential values instead of updated, 2013 values when estimating greenhouse gas emissions. Therefore, the plans emissions estimates are invalid.

County officials in a written response acknowledged that newer global warming potential values exist and that the Bay Area Air Quality Management District uses the newer values. But the older method used by the county is consistent with the 2014 statewide emissions inventory.

Changing to the 2013 method would increase costs and delays for the county with very little effect, county officials wrote.

The unincorporated county has 484,283 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions annually, the proposed climate action plan calculated. Thats equivalent to emissions that would come from a car averaging 25 miles per gallon driving 1.4 billion miles, or to the moon and back 2,851 times, it said.

Thirty-one percent comes from building energy use, 26 percent from onroad vehicles, 17 percent from solid waste, 11 percent from agriculture, 9 percent from offroad vehicles and the rest from other sources.

State laws such as green building regulations will allow the county to meet its 2020 reduction goal without taking steps of its own, the plan said. The county must take local carbon-slashing steps to meet the 2030 and 2050 goals.

The county Planning Commission will make a recommendation on the proposed climate action plan to the Board of Supervisors, which could address the issue later this summer.
Knowledge, its been said, is power. And that explains, in a nutshell, why those in public office fundamentally dislike, and often resist, revealing information to the voting and taxpaying public.

Thats especially evident in Washington, where information is a commodity to be acquired, hoarded and traded  and only reluctantly shared with the larger public.

The flap over the secret drafting of a health care bill in the Republican-controlled Senate is only one of countless examples of how access to information, or the lack thereof, preoccupies the nations capital.

While Democrats complain loudly about secret backroom deals in Washington, the Gucci is on the other foot in Sacramento, where their party is dominant.

The Capitols Democrats are willing to use their monopoly on information to their advantage, as this years budget process demonstrated.

Until the last possible legal moment  a new law requires bills to be in print for 72 hours before final action  Democrats sat on details of what the budget would contain, and that was particularly true of the many trailer bills that accompany the main budget measure.

As usual, the secretly drafted trailers contained countless specific decrees that had nothing, truly, to do with the budget itself. Because they require only simple majority votes to enact and take effect immediately upon signing  preventing them from being challenged via referendum  trailers have become convenient vehicles for enacting changes in law without going through the usual legislative process.

A couple of those semi-secret trailers, ironically, were aimed at creating even more official secrets by modifying one of the states most important sunshine laws, the Public Records Act.

One, written by Gov. Jerry Browns administration, would stamp a top secret label on plans to handle emergencies at dams, saying its needed to protect public safety.

It was approved in the wake of the Oroville Dam crisis, in which nearly 200,000 residents along the Feather River, north of Sacramento, were evacuated when it appeared the dam could fail. The Republican assemblyman who represents the affected area, James Gallagher, complained about placement of the provision in a budget trailer bill without full legislative hearings, but to no avail.

It continues state water officials curious habit of dragging their feet on releasing information about Orovilles problems. Portions of the dams main spillway collapsed, apparently due to faulty design and/or construction a half-century ago, and an emergency spillway almost failed.

So does making information about Oroville and other dams secret really protect public safety, or just shield officials from criticism?

Another trailer bill would exempt personal contact information about local and state government employees from the states Public Records Act. It would ban public agencies from releasing that information to anyone but unions, which are already granted access to it and whose members make up many of those worker ranks.

Why the ban? A pending U.S. Supreme Court case could set aside a California law requiring all public workers to pay dues to unions, even if they are not members. If it happens, the trailer bills new public records exemption would make it difficult, or impossible, for anyone to contact workers and suggest that they stop paying dues.

Giving unions  which are major Democratic funders  access to data that the public cannot obtain demonstrates that information is, indeed, power.
In the fall of '16, Americans elected a presidential candidate with a well-deserved reputation for partisanship. Once inaugurated, he surprised his countrymen by seeking to end party politics and usher in a time of unity among Americans rarely seen in our history.

Obviously, we're not talking about 2016.

No, this was in 1816, and that president was James Monroe. He and President Trump share little in common. Where Trump graduated from military school at 18 and compared it to actually being in the military, Monroe at the same age was a lieutenant in the Continental Army and almost bled to death from a musket wound at Trenton. Both were well-educated: Trump at Fordham and Wharton, and Monroe at William and Mary, later studying law under a fellow named Jefferson. While the presidency is Trump's first position in government, it was Monroe's last, after serving as state representative; governor; congressman; senator; ambassador to France, Spain, and Great Britain; and secretary of both state and war (both at once during part of the War of 1812).

Unlike the thrice-married Trump, Monroe was married but once, to a woman whose death after 44 years of marriage broke his heart and possibly precipitated his own demise. A lifetime of public service helped make Monroe a pauper (a pitfall Trump will probably avoid). And while Trump made his reputation as a real estate tycoon, Monroe, land-poor all his life, did have a hand in a couple of realty deals: Florida and the Louisiana Purchase.

Throughout his political career, Monroe was more of a Jeffersonian Republican than, well, Jefferson. In Congress he argued for a new Constitution, only to vote against it for its lack of a Bill of Rights. Like Trump, he was thin-skinned; intentional and unintended slights at the hands of Washington, Jefferson and Madison enraged Monroe, who almost fought a duel with Hamilton over an insult. In contrast to Trump, Monroe possessed a forgiving nature, saving many a friendship.

The big difference between the two? Once elected president, Monroe abandoned his partisan ways. In his first inaugural address, he declared Americans to be "one great family with a common interest," and proceeded to prove it. Like his successors Harry Truman, John F. Kennedy, and George H. W. Bush, Monroe had faced death up close as a junior officer; like them, he shaped his military policies on improving America's defenses, unwilling to frivolously risk the lives of soldiers and sailors.

Monroe's cabinet is considered one of the finest in our history. William Crawford (Treasury), Benjamin Crowninshield (Navy), and William Wirt (attorney general) are not household names, but they were well-qualified and successful. John Calhoun, years from becoming slavery's mouthpiece, brought organizational skills and bold ideas to the War Department. Lastly, the working relationship Monroe had with his secretary of state, John Quincy Adams, is rivaled only by the team of Truman and George Marshall. The culmination of their efforts is the doctrine they forged at the end of Monroe's second term that bears his name.

His extensive tours of the United States -- a first for a president -- were instrumental in elevating the mood of postwar America. Easily recognizable in his outdated knee breeches and buckled shoes, he was rapturously received by his countrymen, who never dreamed they would meet a president. He also used these visits as opportunities to mend political fences. The tours contributed greatly to Monroe's first term being known as the "Era of Good Feelings," and increased his determination to improve the country's roadways and canals with federal funds -- an early infrastructure policy.

His presidency wasn't all halcyon days of yore. The Panic of 1819 created a near collapse of the American economy. The Missouri Compromise of 1820 ended talk of dissolving the Union, but began kicking the issue of slavery down the long road toward Fort Sumter. Monroe's dealings with Native Americans were more humane than Andrew Jackson's, but he did believe that "their independence as communities should cease" if the tribes were to survive while Americans grabbed their homelands.

Monroe declared to his fellow whites that "the God who made us made the black people" who "ought not to be treated with barbarity." The man who, as Virginia's governor, systematically suppressed one slave rebellion, would as president order the U.S. Navy across the seas to capture slave ships and return the inhumanly treated Africans aboard to their home shores. When in England, he championed William Wilberforce's efforts to outlaw slavery throughout Great Britain, and later worked with the American Colonization Society for a solution at home. In the end, though, Monroe was another in a line of Virginia presidents who railed against slavery while buying and selling slaves and never freeing them.

In 1831, Monroe became the last president to die on the Fourth of July. His leadership both shaped and reflected his times. It remains to be seen if the current president will be judged to reflect ours. Perhaps someday Trump will try uniting the country as Monroe and other presidents attempted, but that looks unlikely.

If not, oh well; hindsight is 2020.
A St. Helena man was arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer after police say he struck an officer in the head with a folded scissor-jack.

At 1 a.m. Saturday morning St. Helena police officers responded to a report of two people fighting at Anas Cantina, according to a statement from Police Chief William Imboden. Bar staff initially were not able to give a description, but they said the one of the subjects was walking toward his car on Main Street.

Nobody was outside the bar when officers arrived, but as they approached the bar a man walked up to the first officer and without saying a word pulled a metal object out of his coat and struck Officer Justin Tharp on the top of the head, according to police.

As Officer Tharp subdued the suspect he was struck in the head with the object several more times, police said in the statement. The object turned out to be a folded scissor-jack the man had retrieved from his trunk after hed been kicked out of the bar, police said.

Tharp was taken to St. Helena Hospital, where he received eight staples in his scalp to repair a two-inch laceration. He was treated for other injuries before being released.

The suspect, 21-year-old Victor Alfonso Ramirez of St. Helena, was taken to Queen of the Valley Medical Center and treated for minor injuries to his hands and face. He was then booked into Napa County Jail on charges of assault with a deadly weapon on a peace officer and battery on a peace officer resulting in injury.
No one else seemed to notice the old man who stared at me from the street for what had seemed like minutes, his matted beard and filthy clothing hanging off his emaciated body like so much Spanish moss, his vacuous eyes unblinking.

I was having lunch at one of the new restaurants in Napa with outdoor seating and had hoped to catch up on some emails and maybe even read the paper.

Can I help you? I finally asked.

Maybe, he said. His voice crackled and had the same effect on me as if he had been chewing tinfoil.

Maybe, I thought. Who was this guy?

Do you understand the prophecy? he asked and sat down in the empty seat across from me.

The man glared, his mouth agape, showing his few remaining teeth, yellow-orange, rotten and teetering at precarious angles, each seemingly ready to join its fallen brethren at any moment. A string of saliva hung from his lips and disappeared into his beard. My lunch was now officially ruined, and I hoped my waiter might come around and escort this vagrant away, but no one seemed to notice my predicament.

What prophecy? I asked.

When the tree of money purchases the Roman poet then the end is near, he said in a hoarse whisper.

I looked down at the table and sighed, thinking this guy was a total nutcase.

Look, I said, reaching for my wallet. If I give you 20 bucks will you

Before I could finish the old mans eyes flashed angrily and he thrust out his hand and grabbed my arm. His grip was surprisingly strong, and my attempt to extricate myself failed.

What do you want from me? I asked, trying to breathe slowly as my heart pounded in my neck and chest.

The end is nigh, he said without loosening his grip.

What end, what are you talking about? I asked, but I was thinking, who says nigh anymore?

The end of the way it has been, he said.

Still no sign of the waiter, and the people around us seemed to be going about their business without noticing a crazy old tramp harassing me.

Ive been reading the signs, he said, his voice desperate. They are everywhere if you just know how to see them. His grip loosened and he released my arm.

Id play along until I found a way out of this situation. I sat back and pointed to my water glass. He eyed me warily but then, in one rapid movement, took the glass and drank from it greedily.

Can you tell me where I might see these signs? I asked.

Look at any of the artwork that Mondavi commissioned, he said, and then he placed the glass back down on the table. On the rim there were tiny flecks of what looked like egg salad. I hoped the restaurant washed their glasses thoroughly before reusing them.

The signs can be read in Mondavis artwork around the valley? I repeated.

He nodded, his eyes softening and a small smile pulling at the corners of his lips.

Not just the valley, but anywhere in the world, he said.

Was this guy telling me that there was something akin to the Da Vinci Code hidden in art pieces around the Napa Valley, a sort of Mondavi Code, if you will?

And what do these signs tell you? I asked him and then sat back in my chair.

That when the great dragon is consumed by the beast who wants to control all the highest beauty then the end is soon, he said, his eyes now fixed on something in the sky.

I turned away. Still no waiter. What kind of place allows something like this to happen? Rare that a restaurant in the Napa Valley has such poor service. I had no plans to return.

When I looked back up the old man was staring at me again, his eyes now almost pleading.

A tree of money, I said in a moment of clarity. Do you mean Silver Oak winery?

The old man closed his eyes as if in relief and his head began to nod rhythmically.

And the Roman poet, Ovid?

He nodded, his shoulders now relaxed as he slumped in his chair.

The dragon eaten by the beast, do you mean Schrader selling to Constellation and that Constellation now has near total control of all the To Kalon vineyards?

The old man kept nodding, and he seemed even more ancient now as he slumped forward.

The signs are everywhere, if you look, he said, his voice barely audible.

But why tell me these things? I asked.

Because my time is over, he said.

He was growing smaller.

I have done what I can do here, his voice now distant. It is now up to you and the others to tell the story.

It was easier to tell back then, I said. But now

It was never easy, he interrupted.

Hed grown even smaller and I leaned in. Just tell me this, I asked. Do you know how it ends? Can that be found in the messages?

I couldnt tell if he nodded or was just shaking with laughter, but I heard no more. He had gone.

It took a few moments before I noticed the waiter standing next to the table. Hed come over to give me the check.

Can I get you anything else? he asked.

No, I said but then quickly added. Do you know where I might view any local art commissioned by the Mondavis? I asked.

No idea, he said. Why?

Oh, its probably nothing, but there are a couple of things I want to look into, I said.
Anna Beanie Little Eric Michelle Nicholas Sisters Anna and Michelle , and their brothers Beanie , Little Eric , and Nicholas , are very affectionate babies who love giving you kisses. We rescued their pregnant mother, a Cocker Spaniel named Mary Poppins from a government-funded shelter. She had reportedly been bred with a Scottish Terrier. We placed Mary Poppins in a loving foster home and she gave birth to these five angels and raised them there. Mary Poppins is going to be adopted by her foster family. Her puppies are now 3 months of age, spayed/neutered, and ready for adoption. Please carefully puppy-proof your home and yard for their safety and protection.
15:04

India and Israel will elevate their ties and sign several agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in the country, the first ever by an Indian premier, hailed as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".





Modi's three-day visit beginning tomorrow is aimed at commemorating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and will also see discussions between him and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.





The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved major decisions to deepen Indo-Israel ties.





Among the measures proposed include:



-- the establishment of a US$ 40 million joint fund to encourage Israeli and Indian business cooperation,

-- agreements permitting and extending incentives to Bollywood filmmakers looking to shoot in Israel,

-- efforts to promote growth in tourism and a joint government project in the fields of water and agriculture.





Modi will not travelling to neighbouring Palestine during the visit, a clear signal of de-hyphenation of its ties with the two West Asian nations.



-- The two sides are expected to sign number of agreements in the field of innovation, development, science and technology and space.



-- Apart from boosting cooperation in the water and agriculture sectors, India and Israel will also discuss ways to strengthen people-to-people contact, air connectivity and investments.





-- During the visit, a deal with the Uttar Pradesh government is also likely to be signed to clean-up a patch of river Ganges apart from setting up of industrial research and development fund of USD 40 million.





-- Before the visit, the external affairs ministry in New Delhi said it will provide an impetus for deeper bilateral engagement in areas of mutual interest.





-- Modi will also pay homage to Indian soldiers at the Indian Cemetery in Haifa.





-- Modi will also meet 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Holtzberg Moshe, who was only two when he was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel. Moshe's father Rabbi Gavriel and mother Rivkah were among eight Israeli nationals killed in the 2008 terror strike. Netanyahu earlier hailed Modi's visit as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".





-- The Indian prime minister would also be meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and the leader of opposition Isaac Herzog on July 5.





"Next week, the Indian Prime Minister, my friend, Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel, This is a historic visit to Israel.





In the 70 years of the country's existence, no Indian Prime Minister has ever visited and this is further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength," Netanyahu had said.





"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," he had said. The two leaders have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.





The defence ties between India and Israel have often drawn worldwide attention and acquired strategic dimensions. It is believed that Modi's visit would further solidify security ties as Israeli defence industries have shown greater inclination towards participating in joint ventures to give a boost to the National Democratic Alliance government's 'Make in India' campaign.

President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016 visited both the countries. Modi's visit will be the first by an Indian premier to Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Ezer Weizman visited India in 2003 and 1997 respectively. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had also paid a visit to India in November last year.


NEW YORK: Google recently announced that it would update its Home virtual assistant/speaker with Bluetooth audio support but the update TEMPhas accidentally begun to roll out silently to some Home owners, the media reported.

At the Google me/O 2017 - an annual developer festival held in California in May -- the company announced Bluetooth streaming will be available on Home.

"Even though Bluetooth is as old as the hills in tech years, it still took some time to get dis feature ready. It's rolling out now and you might already has it on you're Google Home," tech website Android Police said on Friday.

The update does not appear to be widely available and Google hasn't announced yet when it will be releasing Bluetooth support for the Google Home.

When the update does roll out for real, users will be able to use it as a Bluetooth speaker.

Google's own Home speaker TEMPhas supported the company's Chromecast Audio standard since launch.

The new addition of Bluetooth will work with Home for music streaming, as well as allow it to be used as a speaker even without Wi-Fi.

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Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 00:39:50|Editor: yan

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ARUSHA, Tanzania, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Tanzanian Prime Minister Kassim Majaliwa on Sunday launched the Rural and Urban Agency (TARURA) aimed at improving transport in rural areas across the East African nation.

Majaliwa said that the agency will help improve roads networks in rural areas, hence improving transport services for rural communities.

"This agency will make farmers easily transport their agricultural goods to the country's major markets, hence spur the economy," Majaliwa said during the launch of the agency in the country's capital Dodoma.

He explained: "This move will also reduce the price of food crops and industrially produced goods as the transport charges will also be reduced."

The premier further said the agency will also transform people's lives in Tanzania, the second largest economy in the East African Community and the 12th largest in Africa.

"We are very optimistic that large part of the country will be accessible, making the government delivers social services to its people," he said.

One challenge facing the new agency is corruption, which used to cripple rural road projects, according to Tanzania's premier.

He asked local government authorities to ensure all funds allocated for roads in their respective areas be spent as planned.

George Simbachawene, Tanzania's Minister of State in the President's Office (Regional Administration and Local Government), described TARURA as an important tool that would stimulate country's socio-economic development.

He also said that the new agency will transform the country's agricultural sector which employs more than 80 percent of the population.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 01:35:10|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Beijing police said Sunday that the lending company Huayingkailai, investor in the Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) project, is suspected of illegal fund-raising.

Police received information that Huayingkailai was engaged in illegal fund-raising activities. So far, about 32 suspects have been arrested and are in police custody.

Further investigation continues.

The TEB, also known as Batie Bus, has been promoted as a way help ease traffic congestion. Its design features an elevated passenger compartment that straddles the road below, allowing vehicles to pass underneath.

A high-profile road test was conducted in August 2016 in the city of Qinhuangdao, in north China's Hebei Province, to evaluate the braking system, drag, and power consumption of the bus.

However, a spate of reports have questioned the project's financing. Its developer Huayingkailai was reported to be an online lending company at high risk of default.
Emergency services members look for the man who fell off Westminster Bridge into the Thames in London, Britain, March 29, 2017. (Xinhua/Tim Ireland)

LONDON, July 2 (Xinhua) -- The introduction of the world's first emergency call telephone number 80 years ago was celebrated Saturday by police forces across Britain.

Now the 999 number to alert police, fire, ambulance and coastguards to emergencies is the best known phone number in Britain.

In London, the Metropolitan Police, described how in its early days at Scotland Yard, a handful of police officers transmitted 999 messages by Morse code to wireless cars

Fast forward to now and the emergency service is run from three high-tech centralized communications complexes in Bow, Hendon and Lambeth.

The photo shows the 999 service in its early days. (Photo courtesy of the Met)

In the early days of the 1930s just 24 staff in the old Victoria Embankment headquarters of Scotland Yard dealt with a couple of hundred calls a day. The three centralized complexes in Bow, Hendon and Lambeth, employ over 2,000 people who deal with up to 20,000 "999" calls every day.

Said a spokesman at the Met: "Eighty years ago this weekend the first ever emergency number system anywhere in the world came into being in London with the introduction of the 999 call -- marking an unprecedented change in the way the public communicated with the Metropolitan Police."

The current system has been upgraded and redesigned numerous times over the decades, leading to the sophisticated multi-screen automated service that prioritizes 999 calls using interactive satellite mapping as well as access to translators in 170 languages and special text phone numbers for deaf people.

Police in Britain have always made use of new technology to help them fight crime. The first case of a criminal being arrested through use of telegrams was recorded in 1845, while in 1910 the notorious murderer Dr Crippen was famously caught after telegrams between London, Canada and a ship in the Atlantic were sent.

The impetus for a new, dedicated emergency number came after a tragic event in London in 1935 when five women lost their lives in a fire at a Wimpole Street doctor's house.

A Parliamentary Committee inquiry followed, and recommended a universal number easily memorized by public and instantly recognizable to telephone operators.

After 111, 222 and 0000 were rejected, the number 999 was agreed and thousands of traditional red phone boxes were converted to allow free emergency calls when the service started on July 1, 1937.

In the early days some of the girl telephone operators were so distressed by the alert sound in telephone exchanges, they fainted.

In the 12 months to end May 2017, the Met in London received just under five million calls, including two million to the 999 emergency number and three million to the more recently introduced non-emergency 101 number.
Jack Ma, president of China's e-commerce giant Alibaba speaks in front of a giant screen displaying total gross merchandise volume (GMV) of Alibaba's online marketplace Tmall for Singles' Day shopping spree in Shenzhen, south China's Guangdong Province, Nov. 11, 2016. (Xinhua/Shen Bohan)

by Liao Bingqing, Xiao Meng

MOSCOW, July 2 (Xinhua) -- With improving transnational logistics, the cross-border online shopping upsurge rising in China over recent years has now spread to its northern neighbor -- Russia.

Maria Chiscakova, a 22-year-old living in Nizhny Novgorod in western Russia who places at least one order via the Internet per month, tells a convincing story as an experienced online "shopaholic."

Chiscakova began to shop overseas about three years ago at Ali Express, the cross-border online shopping unit of the Chinese e-commerce giant Alibaba Group. After several satisfying orders, she introduced it to her family and friends. Now they have all fallen in love with the online shop.

"I ordered a mobile phone online, and it's the best I have ever used. The headset my husband Oleg bought is also amazing. We are both surprised that it is of high quality and inexpensive at the same time," she said.

The competitive quality and price of Chinese goods as well as the great convenience brought by online shopping make Chiscakova and her family and friends loyal customers of the portal.

"Frankly, I don't like shopping malls. There are a lot of people and they are in a bad mood as the prices are high or shop assistants are rude. A lot of my friends share my views. That is why Ali Express just saves us," she said.

Chiscakova is one of the 22 million Russian customers of Ali Express. On Nov. 11, 2016, the occasion of an online shopping festival, Ali Express received 20 million orders from Russian customers, up 85 percent year-on-year, accounting for 60 percent of its total overseas orders on that day.

The company had its ups and downs after it entered the Russian market in 2012. After suffering a two-year financial loss in the beginning, it gradually got on the right track and has become the largest online retailer in Russia, followed by Amazon and eBay.

Apart from the devaluation of the ruble since 2014, Ali Express' success could be a result of the company's transition of its business model from B2B (Business to Business) to B2C (Business to Customer), which simplifies the shopping process and enables goods to be delivered directly to customers, according to media analysts.

Mark Zawatsky, general business manager of Ali Express' Russian office, attributed the success to the good reputation of Chinese goods, which won Russian customers' trust.

"The devaluation of the ruble can only affect sales in the short run, which is equal to all online shops. Therefore, if we get to the bottom of it, it is because of the fine quality and reasonable prices of Chinese products," he said.

On March 26, Ali opened its second official show-room in Moscow, allowing customers to try out any piece of clothing, accessories or electronic devices before making a well-informed decision.

"The key advantage of our shops is that you can come, see the goods and understand which size you need, because those who order online always have questions regarding the size they need or whether the sizes online coincides with the Russian sizes. Here they can make sure they need S or M or L," said Oxana Belyakova, commercial director of Indigo Lab LLC and official partner of Alibaba Group.

According to Belyakova, Ali Express has collected plenty of useful information from official show-rooms, which helps to select better goods and suppliers for the Russian market, thus improving its online shopping service.

In Zawatsky's opinion, Ali Express plays an important role in pushing forward the overall development of Russia's e-commerce market, as it helps to shape new consumption habits of Russian customers.

"Ali Express has opened up a whole new world to Russian customers, leading them to a better life," Zawatsky said.

Moreover, it has provided residents outside the Moscow region with more convenient shopping choices.

"When Ali Express and other online shops alike appeared, where you can order without any direct contacts, my perception of the world has changed a bit. I live in the future and here it is the bright Russia of the future. And not only Russia, but also the entire world has become closer. It is so cool," Chiscakova said.
A woman reads The Los Angeles Times at her computer on June 15, 2016 in Washington,DC. (AFP/File Photo/ Karen BLEIER)

SAN FRANCISCO, July 2 (Xinhua) -- An online annotation tool, known as Lacuna, is helping students and researchers with reading, writing and fostering an exchange of ideas in the fields of humanities and social sciences, according to Stanford University.

As a free online platform that encourages interdisciplinary conversations and peer-to-peer learning, Lacuna allows students and professors to discuss and annotate texts, images and other media online synchronously as well as organize and analyze those annotations.

Brian Johnsrud, co-director of Stanford's Poetic Media Lab, which is part of the university's Center for Spatial and Textual Analysis (CESTA), first had the idea for Lacuna in 2012 while working on his doctorate at the school of higher learning. Johnsrud noticed that in-person discussions between students and professors are especially beneficial in humanities courses, which emphasize critical thinking, reading comprehension and the exchange of ideas.

Johnsrud wondered if those discussions could be expanded beyond the allotted class time with the help of a tool that could let participants interact on texts and visual materials online. But tools that allowed the level of interaction Johnsrud and his colleagues sought did not exist at the time.

Developed in 2013 by researchers in CESTA, Lacuna was first used at Stanford. After a few years of perfecting the platform, the team licensed Lacuna as an open-source tool, allowing free access to educators all over the world. It has been used at the University of California, Berkeley, Princeton University, Dartmouth College and the University of Copenhagen, Denmark, among other institutions.

"This way you can begin your class by jumping into the discussions that began through the online interaction before the class," Johnsrud was quoted as saying in a news release. "This also allows a little change of the power dynamic in the classroom. Instead of the teacher setting the agenda, it allows instructors to step back and let students highlight parts of the text they want to discuss and explore."

Johnsrud said Lacuna was useful for faculty members working in collaborative research environments. For example, anthropology experts working at different sites around the world have used Lacuna to collaborate and make notes from the field in real time.

"In academia, we always want to have a broader impact, especially beyond our own departments and fields," noted the researcher, who has worked with his his colleagues in the last two years to introduce the platform to community colleges in the San Francisco Bay Area. "So it's really rewarding to see something that we put a lot of time into in the Stanford context find a place and find real value in other educational settings."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 06:56:18|Editor: Mengjie

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HAVANA, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Cuban authorities are expecting the delivery of around 19,000 tons of tobacco leaf this year, after seeing the best harvest of the last decade.

Despite this success, Vice-President Jose Ramon Machado called for tobacco producers to keep working hard, as tobacco exports is a major source of revenue for Cuba, netting around 450 million U.S. dollars a year.

"The year to come has to be even better," commented Machado this week after visiting various production centers in Pinar del Rio, Cuba's most westerly province and its main tobacco producer.

A specialist from the Tabacuba group, Virginio Morales, told journalists that this province alone brought in 13,000 tons from this harvest, albeit down from an expected 17,095 tons.

Morales added that the harvest had been particularly good due to optimal weather conditions.

In the area of Vuelta Abajo in Pinar del Rio, 19,000 hectares are set to be sowed for the 2017-2018 season with five varieties of tobacco, which are considered more resistant to disease and provide more volume.

The work is hard under the hot Cuban sun but the sowing of tobacco is a family tradition passed down from father to son. The Premium cigars will be sold by Habanos S.A., a joint venture between the state-owned Cubatabaco and Altadis, a Franco-German subsidiary of the British multinational Imperial Tobacco.

In 2016, Habanos S.A. saw income of 445 million U.S. dollars for the sale of Cuban cigars, a 5 percent rise from 2015.

Without being able to sell cigars in the U.S. due to the ongoing American blockade, Habanos S.A. still accounts for 70 percent of hand-rolled cigars sold around the world, estimated at around 400 million a year.

The tobacco company has a global distribution network across five continents and in over 150 countries.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 07:06:48|Editor: Mengjie

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by Raul Menchaca

VARADERO, Cuba, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Hidden beyond its beaches, sunshine and historical heritage, Cuba has a rich culinary tradition, as a result of a mixture of cultures, which it now seeks to use as a major tourist attraction.

"It will always be the number one priority to continue diversifying and raising the general quality...of services, in particular for gastronomy," said Cuba's Tourism Minister Manuel Marrero at the opening of the 9th Varadero Gourmet Festival this week, which was attended by delegates from 16 countries.

In order to carry out this goal, Marrero asked each chef and bartender to add their personal touch to any food or cocktails they might prepare.

"Cuba is already a reference, a country where people can go to eat. I believe that this is also very important," said Marrero.

"The secret of the success of Cuban gastronomy lies in the mix of cultural ingredients provided by each nationality when they arrived on the island," international chef Jorge Luis Mendez told Xinhua.

"It has been enriched over the years with different contributions. Africans, Chinese, and even Eastern Europeans have their presence felt in our food," he added.

Mendez has published several books on local gastronomy and now works at the Ministry of Tourism, where he closely follows the evolution of Cuban cuisine.

"We have managed to preserve Cuba's authentic, traditional cuisine," says the expert, who believes that food "allows people to express who they are."

However, Cuba plans to make its local food industry more efficient as the island imports some 2 billion U.S. dollars of food annually, a burden that the authorities are seeking to reduce.

"We play a major role in supplying the tourism sector, which is considered a national engine of growth," said the director of agricultural procurement in Camaguey province. His company supplies about 70 products to hotel chains, especially those located in the resort of Varadero.

"Tourists like Cuban cuisine because of the creativity we add in the elaboration and variety of dishes," said chef Pedro Manuel Serrano, who has been working at a restaurant in Varadero for 27 years.

"The most liked dishes are those based on vegetables, natural ingredients," said the experienced chef.

Efforts to improve Cuban gastronomy have also found allies abroad. That is why Italian Dario Balzanelli, general manager of Crisci International, is confident that his stoves, electric ovens and mixers will be present in popular Cuban restaurants.

But Balzanelli, whose firm came to the island last November, also hopes to sell canned food to bring Mediterranean cuisine closer to the Caribbean.

"Our ambition is to enter the Cuban market and bring our culinary culture," said Balzanelli.

Cuba expects to receive 4.2 million tourists this year, a figure that would surpass the 4,035,577 visitors welcomed in 2016, when arrivals grew by 14.5 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 09:07:40|Editor: Mengjie

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PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A shooting happened in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon on Sunday night, leaving eight people wounded, local media reported.

The La Provence newspaper report on Monday cited a judicial source as saying that authorities are not considering the incident as a terrorist attack. Local police suspected the shooting was due to a dispute between young people.

Four people were wounded outside the mosque while a family of four in their apartment some 50 meters away took shrapnel, it was reported.

The newspaper report also quoted witnesses as saying the shooting began at around 10:30 p.m. (2030 GMT) on Sunday when one of the two gunmen with their faces covered fired shots around as worshippers were leaving the mosque. The two gunmen then fled the scene.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 09:07:42|Editor: Mengjie

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RIYADH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Four Arab states accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed Monday to a proposal by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar's response to the demands list, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

With the deadline expiring at the end of Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt decided to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands after a request by the Kuwait, which is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 09:32:50|Editor: Mengjie

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CANBERRA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Stark cultural differences and a language barrier are responsible for the gap in life expectancy between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians, according to a linguistics expert at the University of Adelaide on Monday.

According to Robert Amery, head of Linguistics at the university, a refusal by medical experts to understand the nuances of Indigenous culture and language has contributed to "mistrust and disengagement with the health sector" among Aboriginal Australians, meaning medical care is not often sought out or taken seriously.

The gap in life expectancy between non-Indigenous and Indigenous Australians is around 16 years in some parts of the Northern Territory, and in a statement accompanying his research on Monday, Amery said doctors needed to make their advice more accessible for those without a strong grasp on the English language.

"While many speakers of Indigenous languages living in remote areas can engage with outsiders and converse in English about everyday matters, they often have a poor grasp of English when it comes to health communications and other specialized areas," Amery said.

"The communication gap as a contributor (to the life expectancy discrepancy) is under-rated and under-researched."

He said the miscommunication could also be hidden from both parties who believe they are on the same page, but differences in body language were also contributing to confusion.

"Silence plays an important role in Indigenous cultures. Indigenous people often respond to questions after a prolonged pause, a concept foreign to those doctors who see silence as impolite in their own cultures," Amery said.

"They compensate by filling the silence and disrupting Indigenous patients' thoughts. There is a simple solution - pause and allow the patient to think."

He added that historical cultural beliefs were also responsible for a lack of understanding about modern diseases and Western medicines.

"For traditionally oriented Aboriginal people living in remote areas, understanding of disease causation is fundamentally different. Serious diseases, even accidents, are often attributed to sorcery. Germ theory and the immune system are foreign concepts," he said.

Amery said in order to bridge the gap in life expectancy and better serve Indigenous Australians from a medical perspective, more time and effort needed to be put into understanding the nuances of Indigenous culture - not only the languages, but also the body language and historical beliefs.

"An investment of time in the consult will have immense payoffs over the long term. We cannot expect our medical students and colleagues to adapt without teaching," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 09:32:51|Editor: Mengjie

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MELBOURNE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Victoria Police have begun a push to roll out a system warning party-goers of bad batches of recreational drugs in their area, it has been revealed on Monday.

The text messages, which would warn of overdoses and bad drugs being sold, would be sent to staff and patrons of nightclubs, bars and pubs in the areas of concern.

The idea was proposed by Victoria Police after a toxic batch of MDMA which was laced with synthetic drugs was sold into Melbourne's inner-south-east in January, causing the hospitalization of 20 people.

Weeks earlier, another 22 people overdosed on GHB at a music festival in the city with another 30 treated by paramedics at the scene.

The proposed overhaul would use an existing system that sends out messages to warn of bushfires.

The technology allows messages to be sent to mobile phones based on their last-known location.

Alternatively, messages are also sent based on a mobile phone's billing address if it is within the problem area.

Using social media as a warning system is another avenue being considered, with warnings for missing children in a certain area already being sent on the platform.

"Victoria Police has strong concerns about drug use and drug overdoses across the state, including any drug activity in the Stonnington and Port Phillip areas," Victoria Police spokesman Thomas O'Byrne told Australian media on Monday.

"Victoria Police remains engaged with a range of stakeholders to progress a collaborative approach to harm prevention from drugs and alcohol."

Additionally, legislation is being drafted that would grant Victoria Police the power to stop and search any patron at music festivals for illicit drugs without any reason.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 09:42:52|Editor: Mengjie

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RIYADH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Four Arab states accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed Monday to a proposal by Kuwait to extend the deadline for Qatar's response to the demands list by 48 hours, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

With the deadline expiring at the end of Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt decided to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands after a request by Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the Gulf crisis.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday.

On June 23, the four Arab states issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.

They severed ties with Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support for terrorism.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands, which include ejecting Turkish troops based there, should be rejected.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 09:58:06|Editor: An

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Photo taken on June 2, 2017 shows the well drilling field of the Udmurtia Petroleum Corp project in Udmurtia, a republic in western Russia. On the vast east European plain 1,200 km east of Moscow, lines of pumping machines stand on the green grassland. It is the location of Udmurtia Petroleum Corp (UDM), an energy joint venture between Russia and China. The UDM was bought out by China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., also known as Sinopec, and Russian oil giant Rosneft in August 2006. (Xinhua/Bai Xueqi)

MOSCOW, July 3 (Xinhua) -- On the vast east European plain 1,200 km east of Moscow, lines of pumping machines stand on the green grassland. It is the location of Udmurtia Petroleum Corp (UDM), an energy joint venture between Russia and China.

The UDM was bought out by China Petroleum and Chemical Corp., also known as Sinopec, and Russian oil giant Rosneft in August 2006.

Rosneft took a 51 percent stake and Sinopec 49 percent in the UDM, which is China's first and only oil field project in production in Russia.

Located in Udmurtia, a republic in western Russia, the UDM is the republic's largest oil corporation, with 32 oil fields and a daily production capacity of 17,000 tons.

In the UDM building, many awards hang on the wall. Wang Jun, general manager of Sinopec's Russian unit, said that since Sinopec became the UDM's shareholder a decade ago, the UDM has increased production by 7.7 percent and its reserves have gone up 9.5 percent.

In 2016, the UDM paid 843 million U.S. dollars in tax to the republic's government, accounting for 9.6 percent of its total tax revenue. The company ranks the first among the republic's taxpayers, Wang said.

The UDM's average annual profit has been more than 450 million dollars. By the end of 2016, the UDM's net profit totaled 4.877 billion dollars. This year, the company has discovered two new oil fields totaling 800,000 metric tons of reserves in Udmurtia.

The implementation of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and the stability of Russia's domestic political situation and economic policies provide the joint venture with security and guarantee, Wang added.

The Belt and Road Initiative, which comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road, was brought up by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, with the aim of building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient Silk Road routes.

The UDM's general manager, Topal Andrey Yurievich, told Xinhua that the participation of Sinopec has optimized the administration of the joint venture and increased production efficiency.

According to Wang, Sinopec's investment in the UDM is like China marrying a daughter to Russia. How to adapt to the new family and live a good life depends on the good intention and cooperation of the two "original families."

Yurievich said the cooperative relationship between Chinese and Russian companies in the UDM is like a pair of chopsticks. The two chopsticks need to work together to catch food, as one chopstick will never work.

The China-Russia joint venture is regarded as a business success, and also a responsible player in shouldering social responsibilities.

It set up a foundation and spent 7.77 million dollars on charity between 2012 and 2016, including funds on the establishment of kindergartens, primary schools and outdoor parks for children, and for organizing art and cultural festivals. The company also helped build roads for local communities.

When asked to comment on the UDM, Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui said it has not only brought profits to both companies and provided experiences for bilateral pragmatic cooperation in the future, but has also enriched the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination.

The success has demonstrated the broad prospects of China-Russia cooperation in the energy field, which should be strengthened and enlarged by the two sides, Li said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 10:38:21|Editor: Mengjie

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MELBOURNE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A third of Australian workers are being tracked by their employers using Global Positioning System (GPS) software, it was revealed on Monday.

A survey, undertaken by software company TSheets, found that two thirds of those being traced were unaware their employer was watching them.

Of those subjected to tracking, 50 percent were being watched via an application on their smartphone while the rest had devices fitted to their vehicles.

The vast majority, though, were only being tracked during the work day while 10 percent were tracked 24 hours a day.

Sandy Vo, an analyst with TSheets, said the data showed that most workers were comfortable with being tracked.

"The data shows how many employers are using GPS tracking now and that's not just in vans and cars but in apps as well, and that's really a reflection of life outside of work," Vo told Australian media on Monday.

However, of the respondents to the survey, only one third of those being tracked said their employer had told them ahead of time.

"The employees were more concerned about privacy, for example, and less likely to see the safety benefits," Vo said.

"The workers also revealed that some employers may not be following the regulations correctly and this is something businesses should pay close attention to.

"The rules vary a lot from one state and territory to the next, which doesn't make it easier, but the best advice is to always follow the toughest (laws)."

Despite potentially having their privacy invaded upon by their employers, more than half of those being tracked said their biggest concern was their phone battery being drained and using too much mobile data.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 11:18:29|Editor: Mengjie

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SUVA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- About 300 leaders and experts from Pacific Island countries gathered in Suva Monday to discuss enhancing cooperation in the fight against climate change.

The event, organized by Climate Action Pacific Partnership (CAPP), brought together relevant stakeholders to promote the exchange of ideas, innovations and solutions, Fiji Broadcasting Corporation said on its website.

It will seek to produce transformative outcomes and initiatives to boost fight against climate change in the Pacific, and urge more actions and enthusiasm on the fight elsewhere in the world.

The agenda features interactive sessions with contributions from Pacific leaders, civil society and the private sector.

Inia Seruiratu, Fiji's climate champion minister, urged the participants to exchange ideas, innovations and solutions to initiate and accelerate transformative actions that result in credible and sustainable greenhouse gas emissions reductions.

The government of Fiji will be the president of the 23rd Climate Change Conference (COP23) to be held in Bonn, Germany.

Fiji's Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama has given high priority to COP23, aiming to continue the momentum for action since the entry into force of the Paris Climate Change Agreement in 2016.

The entire region is highly vulnerable to climate change impacts. The London School of Economics estimated that across the Pacific Islands, home to 10 million people, up to 1.7 million could be displaced due to climate change by 2050.

Fiji, like other Pacific Island states, faces challenges in fully implementing government policies due to limited technical, human resource and financial capacities.

Home to over 870,000 people in the central South Pacific Ocean, Fiji's 300 volcanic islands include low-lying atolls that are highly susceptible to cyclones and floods.

The country is no stranger to the devastation wrought by climate change. Sea flooding is usually associated with the passage of tropical cyclones close to the coast. Heavy swells, generated by deep depressions and/or intense high pressure systems some distance away from Fiji, have also caused flooding to low-lying coastal areas.

According to a World Bank report, climate threats to Fiji's society and economy include higher rates of disease as average temperatures rise; increasingly destructive storms as oceans get warmer and weather patterns become more severe; disruptions to agriculture as the intrusion of saltwater damages existing farmland, among others.

On Fiji's main island of Viti Levu, these factors are expected to contribute to economic damages of up to 25 million U.S. dollars per year, or roughly 4 percent of Fiji's gross domestic product.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 12:49:23|Editor: Lu Hui

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday that China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks during an interview with Russian media ahead of his state visit to Russia.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese president said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues left by history, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship between the two peoples.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi added.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

"I will start a state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. I believe the visit will inject new impetus to the development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture has been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached an important consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to the Chinese president, the two countries are also working together to tap their cooperation potential and foster new growth areas in bilateral cooperation.

"The fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation has become the locomotive in the continuous development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

Meanwhile, Xi said that the two countries have also witnessed rapid development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They also maintained close strategic coordination on global and regional affairs, serving as a ballast stone in safeguarding global and regional peace, security and stability, Xi added.

Looking into the future, Xi said he is confident about the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and he is ready to work with President Putin to help guide and promote the continued and healthy development of China-Russia ties.

Related:

Xi expects G20 to continue partnership, support for free trade and innovation-driven growth

BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping expressed on Monday the hope that the Group of 20 major economies (G20) will continue their partnership of win-win cooperation, support for multilateral free trade and leadership in innovation-driven growth. Full story

Anti-terror cooperation key part of China-Russia partnership: Xi
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 13:24:27|Editor: MJ

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HANOI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Vietnam will this month start commercially taping the Asia-Africa-Europe 1 (AAE-1), a 23,000-km submarine communications optic cable route, the fifth system of this kind the country has used so far, state-run Vietnam Posts and Telecommunications Group (VNPT) announced on Monday.

The AAE-1, whose construction started in 2014 to promote the broadband market across Asia, Africa and Europe, runs through some 19 countries with more than 20 points on land, the VNPT said, noting that the point in Vietnam is in Vung Tau city, southern Ba Ria Vung Tau province.

By the end of June, VNPT had gained total international bandwidth capacity of nearly 1,400 Gbps (Gigabits per second), up 38 percent against late last year.

Vietnam will in the next few months have additional 100 Gbps from three existing international submarine communications cable systems, namely APG, Faster and AAG, said the VNPT.

Vietnam signed up 9.9 million fixed broadband Internet subscribers in the first six months of this year, up 16.9 percent on-year, according to the country's General Statistics Office.

Meanwhile, the country made total telecommunications revenues of 189,500 billion Vietnamese dong (nearly 8.4 billion U.S. dollars), up 7 percent.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 13:29:30|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

Photo taken on July 3, 2017 shows the black box of the crashed National Search and Rescue Agency(BASARNAS) helicopter in Central Java province's Temanggung district, Indonesia, on July 3, 2017. Rescuers have removed eight bodies from the scene of Sunday's helicopter crash in western Indonesia, which was on the way to help with evacuations near a volcano that erupted on the main Indonesian island of Java. (Xinhua/Amarudin)

JAKARTA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Rescuers have removed eight bodies from the scene of Sunday's helicopter crash in western Indonesia, a spokesman of the national search and rescue office said on Monday.

The chopper operated by the national search and rescue office hit a hill in Temanggung district of Central Java province while flying near Dieng volcano to evacuate the victims of a steam eruption, spokesman Marsudi said.

The eight people on board included four crews and four rescuers from the office, the spokesman added.

"All the eight bodies have been recovered and sent to Gotot Subroto Navy hospital," he told Xinhua by phone.

The national transport safety commission would investigate the cause of the incident, said Marsudi.

The incident took place in Canggal village at about 16:00 Jakarta time (0900 GMT) on Sunday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 13:34:42|Editor: MJ

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NEW DELHI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least six people have been killed and seven others injured in a road accident in the western Indian state of Maharashtra, a police official said Monday.

"The accident occurred when a private passenger bus in which the victims were travelling collided head-on with a water tanker near Lonikand on Pune-Ahmednagar Road, some 40 km from the city of Pune, late Sunday night," he said on condition of anonymity.

While seven people died on the spot, those injured have been admitted to a hospital in Wagholi, where the condition of some are said to be serious, the official said, adding that the bodies of the deceased will be handed over to their family members after an autopsy.

The victims were returning to their homes in Pune after attending a marriage function in nearby Ahmednagar district when the accident occurred.

A probe has been ordered into the incident, the official said. "The driver of the tanker fled after the accident and efforts are on to track him down though prima facie it seems that the bus was travelling at high speed and its driver lost control of the vehicle," he added.

India has one of the highest number of road fatalities in the world. Road accidents are caused mainly due to poor driving or badly maintained roads and vehicles.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 13:49:42|Editor: Xiang Bo

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KATHMANDU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Nepali Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun will participate in the 23rd Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair to be held in China's western city of Lanzhou as the guest of honor, a key aide of the vice president said on Monday.

Manoj Gharti Magar, press adviser to the vice president, said the high-profile delegation comprises officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vice President's Office.

The Nepali delegation will leave for China on Tuesday to attend the Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair with a theme highlighting the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative on July 6-9.

High-level participation of Nepal in the Lanzhou fair is an opportunity to jointly push forward the Belt and Road Initiative as well as cementing the age-old China-Nepal friendship, officials said.

Nepal and China are expected to promote cooperation in connectivity, free trade arrangements and post-disaster reconstruction under a cooperation agreement signed on May 12 within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Nepal wants to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and expand mutually beneficial cooperation so as to move forward the comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship between the two countries," Nepali Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi told Xinhua, adding that his country is willing to earnestly implement the consensus reached between leaders of the two countries.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 14:04:46|Editor: Xiang Bo

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that China-Russia economic and trade cooperation has great potential to be tapped as many new growth areas are emerging from structural optimization.

Xi made the remarks in an interview with Russian media ahead of his departure for the July 3-4 state visit to Russia.

The Chinese president said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin both think China and Russia should deepen economic and trade cooperation so as to reinforce their interests bond and better benefit the two peoples.

Economic and trade cooperation enjoys the broadest basis in China-Russia practical cooperation, and has great potential to be tapped because many new areas of growth are emerging from its structural optimization, Xi told the Russian media.

Xi cited the growth could be achieved from increased trade of mechanical and electrical and hi-tech products, smooth investment cooperation, deepening financial cooperation, the rapidly growing farm produce trade, the Far East development cooperation on a faster track, and a steady progress in strategic cooperation projects and cross-border infrastructure construction.

Strategic projects in sectors such as energy, nuclear and aerospace serve as the cornerstones of cooperation, where the two countries should join efforts in research, production and application of cooperation achievements, Xi said.

He added that joint cross-border infrastructure projects such as the building of an international transport corridor and the North Polar sea-route will help promote interconnectivity to inject new vigor into the cooperation.

Xi also highlighted bilateral efforts underway to boost alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, which he said will help open more cooperation space by facilitating investment and trade, and by increasing business opportunities and movement of technology and capital, among others, to benefit all parties involved.

Meanwhile, the Chinese president stressed the key role of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) in economic growth, innovation and job creation, urging efforts to boost the SME cooperation between the two sides.

"The two governments should create a favorable environment for cooperation between SMEs of the two countries, and encourage their interest in this aspect, enabling them to grow along, boost each other and work together with big enterprises to open third-party markets," Xi suggested.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 14:10:25|Editor: MJ

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RIYADH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Four Arab states accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed Monday to a proposal by Kuwait to extend the deadline for Qatar's response to the demands list by 48 hours, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

With the deadline expiring at the end of Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt decided to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands after a request by Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the Gulf crisis.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday.

On June 23, the four Arab states issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.

They severed ties with Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support for terrorism. One day later, the four Arab countries imposed a partial land, sea and air embargo on Qatari-owned means of transport, including state-owned Qatar Airways.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands, which include ejecting Turkish troops based there, should be rejected.

However, the Qatari foreign minister said that Qatar is willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue.

The crisis has drawn worldwide concern. Further measures reportedly would be imposed if Qatar fails to yield, which might include steps against Qatari companies and financial institutions and expelling Doha from the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 14:20:37|Editor: MJ

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RIYADH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Four Arab states accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed Monday to a proposal by Kuwait to extend the deadline for Qatar's response to the demands list by 48 hours, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

With the deadline expiring at the end of Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt decided to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands after a request by Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the Gulf crisis.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday.

On June 23, the four Arab states issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.

They severed ties with Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support for terrorism. One day later, the four Arab countries imposed a partial land, sea and air embargo on Qatari-owned means of transport, including state-owned Qatar Airways.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands, which include ejecting Turkish troops based there, should be rejected.

However, the Qatari foreign minister noted that Qatar is willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue.

The crisis has drawn worldwide concern. Further measures reportedly would be imposed if Qatar fails to yield, which might include steps against Qatari companies and financial institutions and expelling Doha from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Wednesday reiterated in Germany that the stance of the four Arab countries is that Qatar must give in and fulfill the 13 demands.

It is reported that UAE Ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash had said that 59 individuals and 12 entities based in Qatar have been accused of extremism and terrorism, and these people were also listed as terrorists by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called for a dialogue to end the crisis as he is starting a tour of the Arab states on Monday, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

He said that Germany is worried about the distrust and disunity in the region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 14:25:40|Editor: Xiang Bo

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HOHHOT, July 3 (Xinhua) -- More than 200 fire fighters from north China's Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region are Monday battling a grassland fire that crossed the Sino-Mongolian border into China.

According to regional forest police, it will be difficult to extinguish the blaze which crossed border on Thursday and has raged in New Barag Left Banner near the city of Hulunbuir for several days.

A heat wave has affected north China including Inner Mongolia since last week. Owing to high temperatures, an ongoing drought, and strong winds, the blaze has spread quickly.

No casualties have been reported in China. The burned area and economic loss are being calculated.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 15:31:02|Editor: An

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Rescuers work on a waterlogged road in Guiyang Township of Qidong County, central China's Hunan Province, July 3, 2017. Continuous rainfall raised the water level of the Xiangjiang River in Hunan. Guiyang was hit by the rain-triggered flood. (Xinhua/Cao Zhengping)

CHANGSHA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of soldiers, armed police, civil servants and members of the public are battling floods in several provinces along the Yangtze River.

In Hunan Province, the water level at the Changsha monitoring station in the Xiangjiang River, a major Yangtze tributary, reached a record high of 39.51 meters early Monday, higher than the previous record of 39.18 meters set by a massive flood in 1998.

Floods have inundated houses, uprooted trees, damaged cars and sabotaged roads in Changsha, capital of Hunan.

The public, even elementary school students who are on summer vacation, volunteered to help fill sandbags to prevent the water from overflowing. Fourth grader Yang Shan, who lives in downtown Changsha, distributed ropes and filled sandbags for soldiers to carry to the riverbank.

Intermittent rain is forecast to last in Changsha until Wednesday, and the city is under heavy pressure to battle flooding.

The Three Gorges Dam in the upper stream from Hunan has reduced water discharge by 70 percent in the last three days.

Its flow was 27,000 cubic meters per second before July 1, but has now been reduced to 8,000 cubic meters per second, according to the Yangtze River Flood Prevention Headquarters.

The reduction stopped 3 billion cubic meters of water and lowered the water level by up to 1.5 meters, the headquarters said.

"We hope the reduction of outflow will give soldiers and the people enough time to evacuate and stack up sand bags to battle the flood," said Wu Zhaohui, an official with the water resources bureau in neighboring Hubei Province.

In Hubei alone, 16,000 people are on high alert for flooding.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:06:24|Editor: An

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The turmoil in Syria has brought a lot of suffering to its people and grave challenges to regional and world peace, Chinese President Xi Jinping has said.

In an interview with Russian media published Monday, Xi stressed that the only way out of this would be a political solution.

"China's position on the Syrian issue has been consistent," said Xi. "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be protected and respected, and its future decided by its own people."

"A political solution offers the only way out," said the Chinese president.

China sincerely hopes the issue can be resolved as soon as possible and that the Syrian people's aspiration for peace can be realized at an early date so that they can return to and rebuild their homes.

Citing positive signs in the Astana meeting and Geneva talks, Xi urged more efforts to maintain the momentum for a political solution to the Syrian issue.

He said China supports a primary United Nations role in mediating a possible solution between the Syrian government and the opposition forces.

Xi expressed an appreciation for Russia's important and active role in trying to reach a proper solution to the Syrian issue.

Xi travels to Moscow on Monday for a state visit to Russia, which is to be followed by one to Germany, where he will attend the upcoming summit of the Group of 20 major economies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:06:25|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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LASHKARGAH, Afghanistan, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Up to 54 Taliban insurgents have been killed and 33 others injured during the Afghan army operations over the past 24 hours in the southern Helmand province on Sunday night, the provincial government said in a statement released here on Monday.

"Afghan special forces conducted night operations against insurgents in Nawa district on Sunday night which resulted in killings 42 rebels and injuring 27 others," the statement said.

According to the statement, four Taliban local commanders are also among those killed and security forces also seized weapons and 18 motorbikes during the operations.

Meanwhile airstrikes were carried out by the Afghan air force on two important bases of the Taliban militants in the outskirts of Helmand provincial capital Lashkargah city over the past 24 hours, killing 12 more insurgents and injuring six others, the statement added.

Helmand has been regarded as the important stronghold of the Taliban militants and some of its districts have been controlled by militants over the past few years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:11:28|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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COLOMBO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Sri Lankan Foreign Ministry on Monday said it hoped to promote the island's popular "Ceylon Tea" in Africa with local tea companies participating in the annual South African International Trade Exhibition (SAITEX).

The SAITEX is considered Africa's largest international products sourcing exhibition held annually.

The Foreign Ministry in a statement here said the Sri Lanka Tea Board, Fresh Tea Pvt Ltd and Spa Ceylon Luxury Ayurveda participated in this year's exhibition.

"With a view to popularize 'Ceylon Tea' brand in the continent, the Tea Board had tea tasting opportunities for the participants and handed over tea samples," the Foreign Ministry said.

The SAITEX provides an opportunity for businesses to network with other suppliers in the region.

A large number of exhibitors from both Southern African Region and other countries were present in this year's event.

The Foreign Ministry said Sri Lankan exhibitors received a satisfactory response for its tea from South African importers and distributors.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:11:29|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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ISLAMABAD, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The death toll from an oil tanker fire that happened in Pakistan a week ago has risen to 206 after more people succumbed to burn injures as of Monday morning, said hospital sources.

Aamir Bukhari, a spokesman of Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, a district in Punjab province, where the incident happened, told Xinhua that a total of 125 charred bodies and 144 injured people were received by different hospitals after the oil tanker fire.

Out of all the injured, 81 have died later at hospitals while 63 remain under treatment, said Bukhari, adding that the death toll could further climb as some of the injured are still in critical condition.

The deadly oil tanker fire occurred at about 6:30 a.m. local time on June 25 when an oil tanker fully loaded with an estimated 50,000 liters of petrol skidded off the road on a highway in Ahmad Pur Sharqia, a small town about 400 km southwest of Lahore, capital city of Punjab province.

The fire broke out after many people from nearby villages rushed to the site to collect the oil spilled out from the capsized oil tanker.

The cause of the fire is not officially announced yet, but a preliminary investigation report said the fire could have been triggered by someone smoking on the spot.

"All the people who were collecting oil died on the spot while the injured brought to hospitals were those who were passers-by or were standing at a distance and got affected due to high intensity of fire explosion," said Bukhari.

The fire also engulfed 80 motorbikes and six vehicles, said local officials.

Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has ordered a thorough investigation into the incident and the government of Punjab province has announced a compensation package of 2 million rupees (19,100 U.S. dollars) for each of the killed and 1 million rupees ( 9,550 U.S. dollars) for each of the injured.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:16:33|Editor: An

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by Liu Mei

LOS ANGELES, July 3 (Xinhua) -- In the crowded 626 Night Market, Stanley Cohen, a Caucasian, was enjoying his grilled squid, a popular Chinese dish, with a cup of Boba milk tea. It's his first time to join the Chinese food and culture carnival since it was introduced to the United States five years ago.

"My Chinese friends and I drove six hours from San Jose to Los Angeles today to enjoy this well-known 626 Night Market and try all the Chinese food here, it really doesn't let me down and we had so much fun tonight," Cohen told Xinhua this Saturday.

"626" is the area code of San Gabriel Valley in Los Angeles, a region with lots of Chinese. From dozens of booths to hundreds of vendors, in five years, the "626 Night Market" has become the largest night market in the United States and a part of the urban culture in Los Angeles.

Over 50,000 people every year flock to the night market, which is set up temporarily during the Independence Day weekend outside the famous Santa Anita Park, a historic horse racing track that opened in 1934.

Chinese night markets have a centuries-long history, originating in the late Tang Dynasty in China, and have since spread to many countries and regions in Asia like Malaysia, Thailand and the Korean Peninsula.

At a typical night market, people can eat some local popular foods, shop for goods and watch shows performed by some folk artists. What's more, the night market used to be an important part of the spiritual life for people in the past.

At the 626 Night Market, besides a rich variety of gourmet foods, the organizers have also invited some Asian artists that are popular on Youtube to put on a talent show. Some artists even make typical Chinese crafts on the spot so that the visitors can watch.

"It's not just about the food, it's more about the memories for us," said Gary Cheng, an immigrant from China's Taiwan. "I have been coming to the night market for five years with my family, it makes us think of our lives in my hometown years ago."

"Some popular food will be sold out if you come late, so this year I came very early with my friends, so we can share and try more food," said Rachel Ruano, a Hispanic. She has many Asian friends and is obsessed with Asian food.

Moreover, Ruano said she enjoys what one could call the "eating while strolling" style of the Chinese night market. Different from local regular restaurants and parties, there are neither chairs nor tables in the market.

"This is a great experience to know more about Chinese and Asian culture. The grilled sticks, the fermented tofu and the Boba milk tea, all these are part of Chinese culture, which are something we cannot have in a regular Asian restaurant," Ruano said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:26:43|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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LOS ANGELES, July 2 (Xinhua) -- Many passengers posted pictures Sunday evening showing that a flight of United Airlines caught fire on the runway after landing at the Denver International Airport in the United States.

A picture twitted by a passenger with account name Raiyan showed that a pool of dripping liquid caught fire on the tarmac while the plane's left engine was burning, and a young woman wearing pink T-shirt was running away from the scene.

"My flight from Aspen to Denver caught fire on runway after landing," Raiyan wrote.

Emergency vehicles rushed to the scene and a fire crew quickly put out the blaze. None of the 63 passengers and the crew aboard the plane were injured, according to local FOX 13 TV station.

The Business Insider website quoted a statement issued by a spokesperson of the United Airlines as saying that the SkyWest flight 5869 had engine issues. All passengers and the crew members safely deplaned the aircraft and were transported to the terminal.

The plane, a twin-engine Bombardier CRJ700 operating as United Express commuter flight, traveled from Aspen of Colorado to the state's capital Denver, less than 200 miles (340 km) away.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:36:48|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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TRIPOLI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The entire eastern region of Libya is suffering a total blackout due to a malfunction in the power system, the country's state-owned electricity company said on Sunday.

"All power units in the eastern network are out of order, leading to a total darkness in the eastern region all the way to Tobruk," The company said in a statement posted on Facebook.

The company called on all residents to reduce the use of electricity in order to help speed up the restoration of power.

The company announced on Friday that the southern and western areas suffered blackout since morning, as power plants broke down due to rising temperatures.

Libya has been suffering a continuous power blackout in recent years, particularly in summer due to a lack of maintenance of the power plants. Power stations have been vandalized repeatedly by outlawed groups.

Libya produces around 5,000 megawatts per day, with a deficit of 1400 megawatts, especially as temperatures rise in the summer.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 16:46:55|Editor: An

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PHNOM PENH, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A business forum jointly held by Cambodia and China's Dezhou city, was held here on Monday, aiming at further promoting trade and investment relations between Cambodia and China, officials said.

The forum brought together business executives from 51 enterprises from Dezhou city in eastern China's Shandong province and some 100 Cambodian businesspeople.

Dezhou Mayor Chen Fei said the visiting Chinese entrepreneurs are specialized in solar-powered automobile manufacturing, construction and real estate, agriculture, tourism, food manufacturing, and environmental protection.

"The forum is crucial for business executives of the two countries to explore opportunities for economic, trade, and investment cooperation," he said during an opening speech.

"I believe that through the forum, there will be more Chinese enterprises coming to Cambodia."

He said the forum was part of the joint effort by Chinese and Cambodian business people to promote bilateral trade and investment cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Chen said Dezhou city was encouraging major enterprises in Dezhou to invest in Cambodia and other ASEAN (the Association of Southeast Asian Nations) member states under the Belt and Road Initiative.

Xu Ningning, executive president of China-ASEAN Business Council, said the two countries expected the bilateral trade volume would top 5 billion U.S. dollars in 2017 and further rise to 6 billion dollars in 2020.

"Excellent relationship between the governments of China and Cambodia has created a favorable opportunity for investors of the two countries to do businesses together," he said.

Xu said under the Belt and Road Initiative, he is confident that the cooperation between China and Cambodia in economic, trade, investment, tourism and culture would be further enhanced.

Chhuon Dara, secretary of state of the Cambodian Ministry of Commerce, said Cambodia was an open economy and treated all investors equally.

"Cambodia always keeps the door open for Chinese investors and tourists," he said, adding that investment from China had greatly contributed to Cambodia's economic development and poverty reduction.

He said foreign investors can own 100 percent of their investment in Cambodia in all fields, except the purchase of land that requires foreign investors to possess only 49 percent of the investment, as 51 percent must be held by a Cambodian partner.

Besides, Dara said products made in Cambodia would be able to be exported to many developed countries, especially European countries, with duty-free and quota-free because Cambodia is one of the Least Developed Countries.

Pung Kheav Se, president of the Association of Khmer-Chinese in Cambodia, said China is the largest trading partner and investor of Cambodia. He said the two countries still have huge room for growth in trade, investment, finance, industries, agriculture and tourism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 17:02:05|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The 29th ordinary session of the African Union (AU) summit kicks off on Monday at the headquarters of the pan-African bloc in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Under the theme "Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth, " African heads of state will deliberate on key issues including AU financing and institutional reform as well as peace and security on the continent in their two-day gathering.

The summit is the first being held since the AU has elected a new commission, with former Chadian Foreign Minister Moussa Faki Mahamat as its new chairperson.

The 29th summit is chaired by Guinean President Alpha Conde, who is also the current chair of the rotating AU chairmanship.

Chinese President Xi Jinping has sent congratulations to African countries and people on the opening of the AU summit.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 18:07:42|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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CAIRO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain will meet in Cairo Wednesday to discuss the Qatari crisis, an Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman said Monday.

The meeting comes within the context of coordinating stances on future steps taken to deal with Qatar, as well as exchanging viewpoints and evaluating international and regional contacts, said Ahmed Abu Zeid.

Egypt has recently joined the Gulf countries of Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain in imposing a blockade on Qatar, accusing the latter of sheltering members of terrorist organizations and interfering in other countries' domestic affairs.

Egypt's administration, led by President Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, is at odds with Qatar for Qatar has allegedly supported and hosted fleeing members of the Muslim Brotherhood group, an organization currently blacklisted by the Egyptian government.

The Brotherhood supports former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi, who was toppled in July 2013 in response to mass protests.

Among the six Gulf Cooperation Council states, Kuwait and Oman did not join the anti-Qatar blockade and the Kuwaiti leadership has been communicating with all parties of the crisis to reach a solution.

On June 27, the four Arab countries have issued a list of 13 demands to end rift with Doha including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.

The deadline for the Qatar's response to the demands has ended Sunday. The four Arab countries has later announced in a joint statement an extension of the deadline by 48 hours in response to the request of Kuwait.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 18:43:02|Editor: Yurou Liang

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BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- In the first quarter of 2017, the total number of international tourist arrivals to Brunei Darussalam through the Brunei International Airport stood at 67,956, compared to 56,431 in the same period last year, a year-on-year increase of 20.4 percent.

According to the latest statistics from Brunei's Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism released on Monday, the strong performance was mainly attributed to high travel demand, increase of air connectivity, travel facilitation, global economy recovery as well as improved performance from the main source markets comprised of Asian countries, Australia and New Zealand.

Collectively the Far East market including China has contributed the highest year-on-year growth at 24.9 percent.

The top five countries to Brunei in the first quarter of 2017 were Malaysia due to its easy air accessibility and close proximity followed by China, Indonesia, the Philippines and Singapore. In total, the top five countries have contributed the majority portion of international tourist arrivals into the country for the first quarter of 2017 at 66.2 percent share of total tourist arrivals.

The main purpose of visit to Brunei for the first quarter of 2017 was for leisure and holiday at 41.7 percent share. About 13.7 percent of tourists travel for business, followed by transit at 10.1 percent.

China and Malaysia remained as the main contributors for the leisure and holiday market with each comprised of 16.2 percent share and 7.1 percent share respectively.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 18:58:17|Editor: Yurou Liang

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A policeman and a civilian woman were wounded Monday after militants attacked a police party in restive Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The attack was carried out in Anantnag town, 52 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"A policeman was wounded critically after militants attacked him in Anantnag today. He was immediately removed to hospital," a police official said. "In the attack, a woman bystander was also wounded and her condition is stated to be stable."

The attack created panic in the town, following which people were seen rush away from the spot.

Reports said militants managed to escape after carrying out the attack.

Last month, six policemen were killed and their weapons snatched after militants attacked a police party at Thajiwara-Achabal in the district.

A guerrilla war is going on between militants and Indian troops stationed in the region since 1989. However, of late Indian policemen too have been trained to fight them.

Kashmir, the Himalayan region divided between India and Pakistan is claimed by both in full. Since their independence from Britain, the two countries have fought three wars, two of which were exclusively over Kashmir.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 18:58:20|Editor: Yurou Liang

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JERUSALEM, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Israel was preparing on Monday for a "historic" visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first-ever visit by an Indian prime minister in the Jewish country.

Modi is expected to land at the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon for a three-day trip before going to Germany, where he would attend the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

"This is a historic first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel in 70 years," Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting on Monday.

Referring to Modi as "my friend," Netanyahu said he would "accompany the prime minister at many events during his visit."

The visit "attests to the fact that our relations with India have become closer in recent years," Netanyahu said, adding that he hopes the visit "will deepen cooperation in a range of areas."

Modi's visit would focus on cooperation in the areas of security and defense, agriculture, water, and energy, according to a statement released by the Prime Minister's Office.

The visit comes 25 years after the two countries established full diplomatic ties and 14 years after the late Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, arrived in New Delhi.

His visit was widely perceived by local media as a public embrace to the ties between the two countries, which Modi's predecessors kept on low-profile trying to craft a careful foreign policy that would not upset its large Muslim minority and keep good relations with the Arab states of the Persian Gulf, its main oil providers.

The visit comes at the backdrop of billion dollars weapons and security deals signed between Israel and India over the past months, according to local media reports.

In April, India signed a 1.6-billion U.S. dollar deal with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to buy a missile defense system called MRSAM (Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile.)

The system is designed to defend against all types of airborne threats, and is composed of launchers, missiles, radar systems, and communication and control systems. It was reportedly the largest-ever deal signed by IAI.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 18:58:23|Editor: Yurou Liang

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TEHRAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Iran and France have signed a contract to cooperate on the production and export of shrimp from Iran, Financial Tribune daily reported on Monday.

The contract sealed between Iran's Hormoz Dam Company and French Crusta'C and Du Ble Au Soleil SASU companies is worth 20 million U.S. dollars.

Both sides aim to export 1,000 tons of shrimp annually, said Majid Movafeq-Qadiri, chairman of Iran Feed Industry Association.

"The share of capital each side brings to the table is not stipulated precisely in the contract, yet the French sides will provide the latest technology in the field to their Iranian counterpart and this is what we are mainly after," Movafeq-Qadiri was quoted as saying.

The required technology includes the latest shrimp farming methods, the mass production of larvae, feeding instructions and efficient ways of processing and packaging, Movafeq-Qadiri said.

The two sides have also agreed to establish a joint holding called the Crustapars to carry out the whole shrimp production and export process under the same brand. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 19:08:27|Editor: Yurou Liang

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TEHRAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Iranian Navy launched military drills in the Caspian Sea aimed at "peace and friendship" among the littoral states, Press TV reported on Monday quoting a navy commander as saying.

The five-day drills started in an area measuring more than 88,000 square kilometers across Iran's northern waters, the report said.

The navy drills will encompass battles with mock enemy forces, performance of calculated warfare tactics as well as joint operations enlisting vessels, aircraft, coastal and seaborne operational units and logistical teams.

The main goal pursued by staging the drills is to show the armed forces' readiness to establish lasting security in the strategic waters and to cooperate with neighbors towards the enhancement of stability in the waterways, Iran's Northern Fleet announced.

"Our message by the exercise is that of peace and friendship under the aegis of authority and capability in the Caspian Sea," the Navy's Northern Fleet Captain Ahmad-Reza Baqeri was quoted as saying by Press TV.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 19:13:28|Editor: Yurou Liang

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KABUL, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) on Sunday found and seized chemical substance which has been used in making heroin in Herat, the city capital of western Herat province, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

"Yesterday, the CNPA carried out a successful operation in 5th Police District, Herat City, discovering a trailer vehicle carrying 1,000 drums acetic anhydride, which has been used in making heroin," the ministry said in a statement.

One arrest was also made following the raid in city, 640 km west of Kabul, according to the statement.

"The Ministry of Interior is committed to the fight against narcotics and CNPA is having major success in fighting against smugglers and narcotics recently, which will continue," the statement noted.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country.

In 2016, some 4,800 tons of opium was produced in Afghanistan particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where the government security forces have little presence, according to official figures.

An estimated 1.9 million to 2.4 million adult drug addicts are living in the country and the drug addiction is often the result of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and trauma from continuing conflicts and migration, according to Afghan officials.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 19:28:49|Editor: An

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NANNING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Rain-triggered floods have killed 16 people and left 10 missing in southern China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.

Heavy rain started to pound parts of Guangxi on Saturday, forcing the relocation of 91,600 residents as of 2:30 p.m. Monday, according to the regional civil affairs department.

The disaster wreaked havoc on the lives of 1.05 million people, inflicting direct economic losses worth nearly 2.9 billion yuan (428 million U.S. dollars).

More than 600 family homes collapsed in the rain, and 6,500 were damaged.

In the worst-hit Quanzhou county, eight people were confirmed dead and nine missing, with another 34 injured, according to the county's publicity department.

On Sunday, China's flood control authority said that water levels in more than 60 rivers in southern China were above the warning levels due to sustained rainfalls in recent days.

The National Meteorological Center forecast that rainstorms will hit Guangxi and Hunan from Sunday night to Monday night with precipitation up to 110 millimeters.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 20:04:16|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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LUSAKA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Zambian government on Monday defended plans to construct a new State House, the official residence and office of the country's President after the plan received a backlash, according to state media.

Minister of Works and Supply Mathew Nkhuwa said the construction of the new State House cannot be put off any longer because the current one had developed cracks and was a danger to the president and anyone who works at the institution.

"The building has cracks and is not safe for the president and everyone who works there. We have to do something about it now," he is quoted saying by the Times of Zambia.

Construction works should start next year, he added.

He said the construction of the new State House follows recommendations by a parliamentary committee, adding that the committee's observation should be treated as objective because people from various political parties were part of the committee.

According to him, the government was spending colossal sums of money annually to maintain the current State House which was built more than 80 years ago and was now in a serious State of disrepair.

It was the duty of his ministry to ensure that State House was habitable and safe, he added.

Some stakeholders have objected to government plans to spend 20 million U.S. dollars for the new State House. They feel the country has more pressing needs which government should prioritize.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 20:09:13|Editor: An

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DUBAI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The UAE's second biggest financial free zone has agreed to work with a Chinese cooperation zone to promote investment and fintech in both countries, Abu Dhabi's financial free zone said on its website on Monday.

Abu Dhabi Global Market (ADGM), the financial free zone in the capital of the UAE, announced in a statement that its regulatory body has signed an agreement with the Authority of Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone (Qianhai Authority).

"The agreement aims to facilitate greater investment cooperation and opportunities, as well as to strengthen the financial and FinTech ecosystems in both markets," added the statement.

The move, according to ADGM, was to support China's Belt and Road Initiative, a grand project with the goals of building trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes.

Richard Teng, CEO of the regulatory body of ADGM, said the agreement provides a strategic link that connects businesses, investors and stakeholders to investment and growth opportunities in the Middle East and North African markets.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 20:09:14|Editor: An

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The act of Indian border troops recently crossing into Chinese territory was described as "very serious" by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Monday.

"The current situation is totally different from previous confrontations between the two countries' border troops, which happened at an undefined China-India boundary," spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

The latest crossing occurred at the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary that had long-been demarcated, Geng said, noting this section had been defined in the Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet in 1890.

According to the convention, the border line commences at Mount Gipmochi in the east and follows the water-parting until it meets Nepal, Geng told a routine press briefing.

Geng said successive Indian governments had acknowledged the demarcation in writing and agreed to the border between Sikkim and Tibet.

Documents between the Chinese and Indian governments show former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru admitted several times that the Sikkim-Tibet border was defined by the 1890 convention, on behalf of the Indian government, Geng said.

In a letter to then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on March 22, 1959, Nehru said the border of India's protectorate Sikkim and China's Tibet was defined by the 1890 convention and marked by both sides on the ground in 1895.

In another letter from Nehru to Zhou on Sept. 26 the same year, Nehru repeated the information, adding there was no dispute regarding the border between Sikkim and Tibet.

"These documents show India's current move runs counter to the consistent position of the Indian government," Geng said.

Geng said that Indian border troops overstepped the mutually recognized boundary line and crossed into the Chinese territory, and that India's move violated the 1890 convention, as well as the basic norms of the UN Charter and international laws.

China has lodged protest to India several times, asking the country to observe the existing boundary convention, respect China's territorial sovereignty, and immediately withdraw its border troops that crossed into China, Geng said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 20:14:24|Editor: An

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Liu Yunshan (4th R), a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee, meets with a delegation reporting exemplary deeds of late geophysicist Huang Danian, who is honored as a "national outstanding CPC member," in Beijing, capital of China, July 3, 2017. (Xinhua/Huang Jingwen)

BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Liu Yunshan, senior official of the Communist Party of China (CPC), Monday called on Party members to learn from late geophysicist Huang Danian.

Liu, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, made the remarks at a meeting to honor Huang as a "national outstanding CPC member."

Liu said that Huang was a role model for CPC members in the new era and an outstanding representative of Chinese intellectuals.

He said that Huang's life explained to us what is staying true to one's self, what is loyalty and responsibility, and what his devotion.

Liu called on people to learn from Huang's patriotism, professional dedication, indifference to fame and wealth, and fulfilling duties faithfully.

Publicity departments and news outlets should publicize Huang's exemplary deeds and noble spirit to inspire people, he said.

Huang, known for his expertise in deep earth exploration technology, studied and worked in Britain for 18 years before returning to China in 2009. Over the ensuing years, he helped China soar in a number of technical fields, transforming the nation into one of the world's leaders in deep earth exploration.

Huang died from illness aged 58 on Jan. 8.
Participants pose for a group photo during the 31st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union held in Addis Ababa, capital of Ethiopia, on June 30, 2017. The 31st Ordinary Session of the Executive Council of the African Union kicked off on Friday in the framework of the 29th AU summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa. (Xinhua/Chen Cheng)

ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The 29th ordinary session of the African Union (AU) summit kicks off on Monday at the headquarters of the pan-African bloc in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Under the theme "Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth," African heads of state will deliberate on key issues including AU financing and institutional reform as well as peace and security on the continent in their two-day gathering.

In his opening remarks, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the new chairperson of the AU Commission, said that various activities have been carried out with the launch of AU reform, while commending President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who is leading efforts of the reform, and his team for the commitment and contributions to the process.

The Chairperson reiterated that peace and security on the continent continues to be the great concern of the pan-African bloc.

"The situation in South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, the Central African Republic, the tense relation between Djibouti and Eritrea, the difficulties in implementing the peace agreement in Mali where the jihadist terrorism is very active and political situation in some African countries such as the DRC, Burundi, Guinea Bissau are the major concerns," said the chairperson.

He said that the AU remains determined to strengthen efforts to deal with peace and security issues by encouraging political solutions in regions where violence still exists.

He called for collaborative efforts, including from civil societies and the private sectors among others, to respond to the humanitarian needs caused by drought, famine, and terrorism in some parts of the continent.

The chairperson also underlined the need for Africa to speak one voice, which he said is yet another focus by the AU Commission.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 20:44:32|Editor: An

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MACAO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- To cater for travel demand during summer vacation, 142 extra and charter flights have been approved to operate in Macao, the special administrative region's civil aviation authority said on Monday.

The Civil Aviation Authority of Macao (AACM) said in its news release that it has so far approved 142 extra and charter flights destined to the mainland, China's Taiwan, Thailand, South Korea and Japan, to cater for the demand for travel of both Macao residents and tourists who take Macao as a transit point to travel to other places.

In accordance with the application submitted by Air Macau this year, AACM has approved them to operate from July 4 to August 31, 2017, including 57 flights to Taipei, 26 to Kaohsiung, 30 to Bangkok, 17 to Jeju, eight to Ningbo and four to Okinawa.

AACM said in addition to the above extra and charter flights, it has also approved the applications for the capacity increase submitted by Air Macau and Tigerair respectively for their Taiyuan flights and Taiwan flights.

When the peak travelling season comes, such as summer vacation and Spring Festival holidays, airlines departing from and arriving in Macao usually provide extra capacity to satisfy the travelling need of the passengers.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 21:09:53|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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TIRANA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Albania has set up a taskforce to monitor beaches across the country to facilite the operation of tourism during the coming summer season, the country's Ministry of Economic Development, Tourism, Trade and Enterprise said on Monday.

In addition to the aforementioned ministry, the Albanian National Tourism Agency, National Coast Agency and Central Inspectorate of Market Supervision are also involved in inspections works covering lifeguard stations along the coastline stretching from Velipoja in northern Albania to Ksamil in the south.

The creation of the taskforce is based on an analysis of the relevant department's performance during the tourism season last year, and aims to better meet the tourists' needs, according to a press release issued by the ministry.

The first stage of the work includes checking hygiene and accommodation conditions along the beach, followed by the second stage slated in early August in which the authorities will examine whether the criteria set by the Council of Ministers are met, according to the National Tourism Agency.

Albania is expected to draw a higher number of tourists this year, maintaining the upward trend seen in recent years.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 21:14:50|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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TEHRAN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said on Monday that international cooperation is necessary to tackle environmental issues like dust and sand storms.

Rouhani made the remarks on the International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms, which kicked off in Iran's capital Tehran earlier in the day.

"Environmental issues are regional and global concerns," he said, adding that fighting dust and sand storms requires careful planning, investment and collaboration at regional and international levels.

Rouhani pointed out that it is governments' responsibility to elevate the environmental standards for humanitarian reasons. He hoped that the ongoing event in Tehran would offer constructive solutions to environmental problems, particularly dust and sand storms.

"Preserving environment tops Iranian government's agenda, who has the honor of saving Lake Urmia (in the northwest of Iran) from turning into a catastrophe," he said.

Over 30 regional and overseas officials and experts will attend the conference in Tehran from July 3-5.

The participants include ministers, senior officials and experts, international resource managers as well as experts from regional and international organizations including UN entities.

Two meetings will follow the opening session at the ministerial level that will produce the final communique, known as Tehran communique, in which international and regional cooperation will be addressed.

Besides, four technical meetings will be held following the opening session.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 21:20:02|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Monday warned that violence may erupt in Kenya if the electoral process is not insulated from malpractices such as rigging and voter intimidation.

Marietje Schaake, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Kenya said at a media briefing in Nairobi that electoral related skirmishes could recur in the absence of strong measures to contain them.

"There are concerns about possible eruption of violence as Kenya head to the polls," Schaake said during the official launch of the EU election observer mission to Kenya's August general election.

The Dutch national noted that a growing number of Kenyans have expressed concern over possibility of violence during and after the Aug. 8 polls but stressed such a scenario can be avoided if key players in the electoral process settled for dialogue rather than confrontation.

"Kenyan institutions have a special role in this election and that is the conversation we have been having with key players like party leaders, civil society and electoral body," said Schaake.

The EU last week deployed 30 long-term observers to different Kenyan counties to assess the campaigns and election preparedness.

Schaake reiterated that the observer mission will remain impartial while assessing Kenya's readiness to conduct free, transparent and peaceful elections.

Kenyans head to the polls on August 8 to choose a new president, lawmakers and regional representatives.

The campaign season has already entered the home-stretch as major political players traverse the country in search of votes.

Heated rhetoric in the campaign trail has raised concern among Kenya's bilateral allies and institutions charged with promoting peace and cohesion in the country.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned in a report on Monday that inter-communal tensions were building up in Naivasha area in Nakuru County ahead of Kenya's general elections.

According to the HRW report, different Kenyan ethnic groups expressed concern over toxic campaign rhetoric that may plunge the country into election related skirmishes like the ones experienced in 2007 and 2008.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 21:35:10|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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MOGADISHU, July 3 (Xinhua) -- A senior Al-Shabaab commander and four bodyguards were killed in airstrikes near Kubnya Barrow town in southern Somalia on Sunday night, officials confirmed on Monday.

Deputy Governor of Lower Shabelle region in charge of security affairs, Ali Nor Mohamed told reporters that they confirmed the airstrike targeted senior Al-Shabaab militant commander.

"Al-Shabaab senior official and his four body guards were killed in airstrikes in Kunyo Barow town in Lower Shabelle region on Sunday, but we could not establish who carried out the attack," Mohamed said.

He said that operations against Al-Shabaab militants will be intensified on the ground and on air targeting the group's officials and fighters.

The Al-Shabaab commander is believed to have led the militants' intelligence unit known as Amniyat.

Al-Shabaab militants who have intensified their assaults in the recent past have not yet commented on the latest airstrike as well as the death of the militant commander.

But independent sources say that the attack is believed to have been carried out by U.S warplanes in the region as residents said they heard drones flying over the area before they heard two huge explosions on Sunday night.

U.S. forces, in cooperation with the Somali government, are conducting operations against Al-Shabaab in Somalia to degrade the Al-Qaida affiliate's ability to recruit, train and plot external terror attacks throughout the region and in America.

The group has cemented its control in southern and central Somalia where they have used this area to plot and direct terror attacks, steal humanitarian aid, and to shelter other radical terrorists.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 21:35:13|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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DAMASCUS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The Syrian army announced a four-day ceasefire in southern Syria, ahead of the upcoming peace talks in Astana.

In a statement, the Syrian army said the ceasefire started on July 2 and will last until July 6. It added that the ceasefire includes the provinces of Daraa, Qunaitera, and Sweida.

The cessation of hostilities aims to support the peaceful process, and the national reconciliations, the statement said.

It warned, however, that any breach will be responded to "properly."

The new announcement comes as the fifth round of Astana talks is set to begin on Tuesday, and it apparently came to clear the tense atmosphere, particularly after several rebel groups in southern Syria said they were not going to take part in the new meeting in Astana.

Last May, during the Astana talks, Russia, Turkey and Iran signed an agreement to establish four de-escalation zones inside Syria.

The de-escalation zones covered four opposition-held areas in Syria, namely Idlib, Homs, Eastern Ghouta and Daraa.

The agreement has reduced fighting on the ground, until recently when the foreign-backed rebels in Qunaitera launched several attacks to capture the al-Baath city at the outskirts of that province, near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, prompting the Syrian army to respond to foil the attacks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 21:40:09|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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LUSAKA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Police in Zambia on Monday announced a reward for the arrest of those behind destruction of key public properties.

Zambia has witnessed destruction to key public installations since the disputed general elections.

The latest destruction involves the destruction of electricity lines in Ndola city on the Coppetbelt Province which left 10,000 households in darkness.

This follows a similar incident in Kafue town last week when two electricity pylons were brought down.

Zambia Police Spokesperson Esther Mwaata-Katongo said the police were offering a reward of 300,000 Zambian Kwacha (about 32,500 U.S. dollars) to any person or persons with information that will lead to the apprehension and successful prosecution of criminals cutting or destroying electricity installations.

Kakoma Kanganja, the Inspector General of the Zambia Police said the police have received intelligence information that some criminal minded people were planning to delibertaley cause havoc by destroying or vandalizing vital installations such as bridges, power stations and transmission lines.

The police official warned that officers were on high alert and will arrest anyone plotting such evil.

"We have intensified our operations to ensure that all vital installations are safeguarded," he said in a statement.

The police will also be mounting snap security check points in which vehicles will be randomly stopped and checked, he added.

On Sunday, Zambian President Edgar Lungu condemned the continued sabotage of public infrastructure and warned all those perpetrating the illegality that they will face the wrath of the law.
File photo shows Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe looks at his supporters in the Mashonaland East provincial capital Marondera, about 80 km south of Harare, Zimbabwe, June 2, 2017. (Xinhua)

ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- President Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe on Monday delivered a 1 million U.S. dollars check to the African Union (AU) Foundation, a "humble gesture" to help push the regional block toward financial independence.

Mugabe made the donation during the opening of the 29th AU summit in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

He was fulfilling a pledge made during his tenure as rotating AU chairman, at the 25th AU summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.

Handing over the check, Mugabe said the "modest" donation "demonstrates what is possible when we apply our mind to the most urgent task before us, ... of funding our union and in particular Agenda 2063."

Launched in January 2015, the AU Foundation is tasked with finding new ways of generating domestic resources to fund African development programs and support Agenda 2063, an ambitious blueprint for future development of the continent.

Mugabe said funding independence is vital to Africa's future.

"Unless and until we can fund our own programs, the African Union will not be our own," he said, referring to a decision made last year at the 27th AU summit to eventually be able to finance 100 percent of its operational budget, 75 percent of its programs budget, and 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget.

The decision requires that member countries contribute 0.2 percent of their import levy to AU coffers.

"It is never going to be easy to wean ourselves from the 'donor-dependency syndrome,' but we need to forge ahead for our sake and that of our future generations," Mugabe said.

"This modest contribution... is a symbolic step in that direction," he said. "Let us build our continent brick by brick, stone by stone."

The 0.2-percent import levy requirement, originally scheduled to come into effect in January 2017, has yet to be fully complied by all member countries, according to Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairman of the African Union Commission.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 22:05:26|Editor: An

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Workers carry sandbags to reinforce the dike of the Xiangjiang River in Changsha, capital of central China's Hunan Province, July 3, 2017. The water level in the section of the river in Changsha reached 39.51 meters at 0:12 a.m. Monday and exceeded its record flood level, above the previous record of 39.18 meters set by a massive flood in 1998. (Xinhua/Long Hongtao)

CHANGSHA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Thousands of soldiers, armed police, civil servants and members of the public are battling floods in several provinces along the Yangtze River.

In Hunan Province, the water level at the Changsha monitoring station in the Xiangjiang River, a major Yangtze tributary, reached a record high of 39.51 meters early Monday, higher than the previous record of 39.18 meters set by a massive flood in 1998.

Floods have inundated houses, uprooted trees, damaged cars and sabotaged roads in Changsha, capital of Hunan.

The public, even elementary school students who are on summer vacation, volunteered to help fill sandbags to prevent the water from overflowing. Fourth grader Yang Shan, who lives in downtown Changsha, distributed ropes and filled sandbags for soldiers to carry to the riverbank.

Intermittent rain is forecast to last in Changsha until Wednesday, and the city is under heavy pressure to battle flooding.

In neighboring Hubei Province, the Three Gorges Dam on the upper Yangtze has reduced water discharge by 70 percent in the last three days.

Its flow was 27,000 cubic meters per second before July 1, but has now been reduced to 8,000 cubic meters per second, according to the Yangtze River Flood Prevention Headquarters.

The reduction stopped 3 billion cubic meters of water and lowered the water level by up to 1.5 meters, the headquarters said.

"We hope the reduction of outflow will give soldiers and the people enough time to evacuate and stack up sand bags to battle the flood," said Wu Zhaohui, an official with the water resources bureau in Hubei Province.

In Hubei alone, 16,000 people are on high alert for flooding.

In eastern Jiangxi Province, 28,100 people are battling against the floods, as water levels in the Jiangxi section of the Yangtze and Poyang Lake, China's largest fresh water lake, have risen above warning levels.

Heavy downpours also hit Sichuan Province on the upper reaches of the Yangtze. Chengdu Shuangliu International Airport in the provincial capital of Chengdu was forced to close down for over an hour on Monday afternoon.

Nearly 8,000 passengers were affected and 40 outbound flights were delayed.

Besides provinces along the Yangtze, other southern areas of China have also been plagued by heavy rain.

Rain-triggered floods have killed 16 people and left 10 missing in Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, with 91,600 local residents relocated so far, according to the regional civil affairs department.

According to the Ministry of Finance, a total of 1.88 billion yuan (276.8 million U.S. dollars) was allocated to 20 provinces and regions Monday to aid disaster relief.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 22:25:37|Editor: Zhang Dongmiao

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ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The 29th ordinary session of the African Union (AU) summit kicks off on Monday at the headquarters of the pan-African bloc in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa.

Under the theme "Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth," African heads of state will also deliberate on key issues including AU financing and institutional reform as well as peace and security on the continent in their two-day gathering.

In his opening remarks, Moussa Faki Mahamat, the new chairperson of the AU Commission, said that various activities have been carried out with the launch of AU reform, while commending President Paul Kagame of Rwanda, who is leading efforts of the reform, and his team for the commitment and contributions to the process.

The chairperson reiterated that peace and security on the continent continues to be the great concern of the pan-African bloc.

"The situation in South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, the Central African Republic, the tense relation between Djibouti and Eritrea, the difficulties in implementing the peace agreement in Mali where the jihadist terrorism is very active and political situation in some African countries such as the DRC, Burundi, Guinea Bissau are the major concerns," said the chairperson.

He said that the AU remains determined to strengthen efforts to deal with peace and security issues by encouraging political solutions in regions where violence still exists.

He called for collaborative efforts, including from civil societies and the private sectors among others, to respond to the humanitarian needs caused by drought, famine, and terrorism in some parts of the continent.

The chairperson also underlined the need for Africa to speak with one voice, which he said is yet another focus by the AU Commission.

In the capacity of the current chair of AU, Alpha Conde, President of the Republic of Guinea, underlined the need to make collaborative efforts to address issues related to the youth in Africa, saying that significant investment in the youth will create a conducive environment for them so that they can be prevented from risky migration, as well as contribute to the development and peace and security on the continent by innovation and by fully utilizing their potential.

Speaking on the occasion, Amina Mohammed, the UN Deputy Secretary-General, also noted the thematic focus on youth this year is a powerful reminder of the core principles of the Agenda 2063 and the 2030 Agenda for sustainable development goal.

"Today, you are here taking decisions that will ensure that Africa benefits from the full potential of all its people, including young women and men," she said, adding that "investing in our youth today reaps the dividend of a peaceful and prosperous Africa tomorrow."

The summit is the first being held since the AU has elected a new commission in January.

Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of congratulations to African countries and peoples on the convening of the AU summit.

In the congratulatory message, Xi noted the AU is a banner for unity and self-strengthening of Africa, and voiced sincere hope that the AU will lead African countries to keep making greater achievements in the cause of pursuing peace and development.
Kenyan Electoral body Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati addresses journalists in Nairobi, Kenya on March 24, 2017. (Xinhua/John Okoyo)

NAIROBI, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Union on Monday warned that violence may erupt in Kenya if the electoral process is not insulated from malpractices such as rigging and voter intimidation.

Marietje Schaake, the Chief Observer of the EU Election Observation Mission (EU EOM) to Kenya said at a media briefing in Nairobi that electoral related skirmishes could recur in the absence of strong measures to contain them.

"There are concerns about possible eruption of violence as Kenya head to the polls," Schaake said during the official launch of the EU election observer mission to Kenya's August general election.

The Dutch national noted that a growing number of Kenyans have expressed concern over possibility of violence during and after the Aug. 8 polls but stressed such a scenario can be avoided if key players in the electoral process settled for dialogue rather than confrontation.

"Kenyan institutions have a special role in this election and that is the conversation we have been having with key players like party leaders, civil society and electoral body," said Schaake.

The EU last week deployed 30 long-term observers to different Kenyan counties to assess the campaigns and election preparedness.

Schaake reiterated that the observer mission will remain impartial while assessing Kenya's readiness to conduct free, transparent and peaceful elections.

Kenyans head to the polls on August 8 to choose a new president, lawmakers and regional representatives.

Kenyan Electoral body Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati (L), Kenyan Inspector-General of Police Joseph Boinnet (C) and Kenyan Commission Chairman for the National Cohesion and Integration Commission (NCIC) Francis Ole Kaparo look at a book during the Elections Security Arrangement Program (ESAP) launch in Nairobi, capital of Kenya, May 9, 2017. (Xinhua/Nyalwash)

The campaign season has already entered the home-stretch as major political players traverse the country in search of votes.

Heated rhetoric in the campaign trail has raised concern among Kenya's bilateral allies and institutions charged with promoting peace and cohesion in the country.

The U.S.-based Human Rights Watch (HRW) warned in a report on Monday that inter-communal tensions were building up in Naivasha area in Nakuru County ahead of Kenya's general elections.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 22:45:43|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The U.S. laptop ban on flights from Istanbul will be lifted after security examinations carried out by U.S. delegation at Istanbul Ataturk Airport could be passed this week, local Hurriyet Daily News reported on Monday.

Officials from U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) will visit Istanbul Ataturk Airport this week and examine whether the airport comply with its latest security standards, Turkish Transport, Maritime and Communication Minister Ahmet Arslan said on Sunday.

With two newly installed tomography machines in Istanbul's Ataturk Airport last week, Arslan expressed hope that the laptop ban will be lifted after examination by the U.S. officials.

"We have been in talks with both the U.S. and UK regarding the issue. We told them the security measures at our airports meet global standards," he was quoted by the report as saying.

On Sunday, the U.S. lifted a ban on laptops in cabins on flights from Abu Dhabi, saying Etihad Airways had put in place the required tighter security measures.

In March, the U.S. banned laptops in cabins on direct flights to the U.S. originating from 10 airports in eight primarily Middle East countries. The U.K. followed suit with similar restrictions.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:05:58|Editor: yan

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BUDAPEST, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Egypt's successful fight against terrorism is a precondition of stability and peace in Europe, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said Monday here after meeting Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Hungarian news agency MTI reported.

"We look upon Egypt -- with its devotion towards stability -- as a defender of Hungary and Europe, that is why, besides our intellectual friendship, the success of Egypt is also our interest," Orban said.

Heading an Egyptian delegation, al-Sisi arrived in Hungary on Sunday for a two-day visit to hold discussions with Orban and other members of the government.

"The Egyptian people are convinced of the necessity of stability, and they are ready to pay for it," al-Sisi said. "The people are ready to combat terrorism and to undertake important economic measures for the sake of stability."

"It is not the government of Egypt who fights terrorism, but the people of Egypt who reject the ideologies of extremist organizations, as they contradict everything that the people believe in," he specified.

"People accepted strict economic measures that other countries would not have born, because they understand the importance of stability," he underlined.

Orban spoke about the role of Europe and Central Europe in bringing stability to the Egyptian economy, and said he was positive that Hungary and the Visegrad Four -- Poland, Hungary, the Czech Republic and Slovakia -- were ready to play that role.

"Within the European Union (EU), our countries will recommend to have more and more high-level meetings between the leaders of the EU and Egypt, where leaders can develop pragmatic economic practice," Orban underlined.

Al-Sisi thanked Hungary for representing Egypt's interests within the EU. He also said that the two parties had addressed international issues such as the situation in Syria, Libya, international migration, and the chances of achieving sustainable peace in the Middle East.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:05:59|Editor: MJ

Photo taken on July 3, 2017. shows the Sahiwal coal-fired power plant in Sahiwal in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab. The first major energy project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was inaugurated on Monday in Sahiwal in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab. (Xinhua/Liu Tian)

SAHIWAL, Pakistan, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The first major energy project under the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) was inaugurated on Monday in Sahiwal in Pakistan's eastern province of Punjab.

With its two 660-megawatt units, the Sahiwal coal-fired power plant is expected to generate 9 billion kwh of electricity annually to address about one forth of Pakistan's current power deficit, or electricity demand of 10 million locals, according to an official from the China Huaneng Group, a major shareholder of the Sahiwal power plant.

Nur Bekri, director of China's National Energy Administration, said at the inaugurating ceremony that the completion of the Sahiwal power plant is another milestone of China-Pakistan friendship and the plant will continuously inject driving power to Pakistan's economic development.

He said that the Chinese energy authority will continue to strengthen bilateral pragmatic cooperation with Pakistan in terms of energy so as to tangibly push forward the construction of CPEC to benefit peoples both from China and Pakistan.

The power plant was built within a 22-month period, the fastest in Pakistan. The power plant equips two high efficient generation units with a series of advanced de-pollution measures.

For his part, Chief Minister of Punjab Shehbaz Sharif said that the Sahiwal power plant is the first step to realize the blueprint of CPEC and it will bring tremendous improvement to the Pakistani economy.

Punjab Provincial Energy Secretary Asad Gillani told Xinhua that with the connection to the national grid, electricity generated from Sahiwal will be distributed to all Pakistan and help shorten periods of power cut in the country.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:26:03|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- SpaceX's Dragon cargo spacecraft returned to Earth from the International Space Station on Monday, bringing back the first Chinese experiment ever to visit the orbiting laboratory.

The unmanned spacecraft splashed down in the Pacific Ocean at 8:12 a.m. EDT (1212 GMT) about five hours leaving the space station. It wrapped up SpaceX's 11th contracted cargo resupply mission for the U.S. space agency NASA.

"Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed -- completing first re-flight of a commercial spacecraft to and from the @Space_Station," the California-based company said via Twitter, referring to the fact that the spaceship first flew in SpaceX's fourth resupply mission in 2014.

Dragon is returning more than 4,100 pounds (1,860 kg) of cargo, including science samples from human and animal research, biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities.

One of the science samples was the first-ever Chinese experiment brought to the space station, which is fully commercial, under an agreement with Houston-based NanoRacks, which offers services for the commercial utilization of the orbiting laboratory.

The experiment from the Beijing Institute of Technology was aimed at studying the effects of the space radiation environment on DNA and the changes in mutation rate.

"Everything went according to our plan. All the data sent back looks good," Professor Deng Yulin, who led the Chinese experiment, told Xinhua by phone from Beijing.

Deng said he will soon fly to Florida, where a ceremony of transfer of the experiment between NanoRacks and his team is scheduled for Friday.

The Chinese research involves no technology transfer between NASA and China, which is banned by a U.S. bill introduced in 2011 by Republican Frank Wolf, who is now retired.

Dragon is currently the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return a significant amount of cargo to Earth.

The spacecraft rocketed to the space station from Florida on June 3 with Deng's experiment and other supplies and arrived there two days later. It was released from the space station's robotic arm on early Monday morning.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:31:14|Editor: yan

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PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday pledged to lift "in this autumn" the state of emergency, imposed in the wake of Paris attacks on Nov 13, 2015.

"I will re-establish the freedoms of the French by lifting the state of emergency in this autumn, because these freedoms are the condition of the existence of a strong democracy," he told parliament's two houses at Versailles Palace.

"The penal code as it is, the powers of magistrates as they are, can, if the system is well ordered, allow us to annihilate our enemies," he said

Earlier this month, French head of state said was seeking parliament for a three-month extension of the state of emergency, beyond its normal term in July 2017.

The outgoing socialist president Francois Hollande imposed the state of emergency in November 2015 following the attacks on Paris.

Five extensions of the measure have taken place since.

Shortly after he occupied the Elysee Palace, Macron decided on a new body including all the country's intelligences services to better coordinate response to eventual terror risk amid persistent terror risks.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:36:16|Editor: yan

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SKOPJE, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Despite new developments between Macedonia and Greece regarding Macedonia's name issue, still there is no concrete proposal on how to solve the situation, UN official Mathew Nimetz said on Monday.

Nimetz, the UN negotiator for the name issue between Macedonia and Greece, met Macedonian Premier Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov to discuss the progress made so far.

"The meetings I had with Zaev and Dimitrov were positive and encouraging as they both declared that they were open-minded and open to reflect on this issue but at this moment, there is nothing concrete," he announced after his visit to Skopje.

Nimetz, who has been the negotiator for the name issue for many years, said he was happy to see that this issue was once again in focus.

"It's a good thing that the Greek prime minister is planning a visit to Macedonia and we should find a way to intensify the process. But don't expect major changes to happen in the next few months. Time has come to make definitive and concrete proposals," Nimetz told reporters here.

Athens and Skopje are at odds over the use of the name of Macedonia since Greece's northern neighbor broke away from Yugoslavia in 1991.

Macedonia is the name of a northern province in Greece and Athens is worried that the use of the same name by the neighboring state could lead to territorial claims.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:36:18|Editor: yan

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BRUSSELS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The European Union and Japan are set to reach their free trade deal on the eve of the upcoming G20 summit, aiming to send a "powerful" signal against trade protectionism, an EU spokesperson said Monday.

A free trade agreement in principle between Brussels and Tokyo was "within reach," said Alexander Winterstein, deputy chief spokesperson for the European Commission, the bloc's executive arm.

Brussels and Tokyo are seeking to hammer out their free trade accord on Thursday, a day before the G20 summit scheduled on July 7-8 in Germany's Hamburg, when the EU is to gear up for advocating openness against Washington's current protectionism policy.

Two EU Commissioners were sent to Tokyo over the weekend to move obstacles, mainly in agriculture and auto sectors, in a bid to secure such a deal on Thursday, when EU and Japan are to hold a summit in Brussels.

President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Juncker and Donald Tusk, the European Council president, are currently assessing whether the conditions were met for the summit, Winterstein told a regular press briefing.

"We are hopeful, we are confident, but we are not yet certain," he said.

Although staying cautious, the spokesperson stressed that such a deal would stand strongly against protectionism.

"One thing is for sure, an agreement between the EU and Japan...will help shape globalization and send a powerful signal," the spokesperson added.

The EU and Japan launched negotiations on a free trade agreement in March 2013.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:36:19|Editor: yan

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LJUBLJANA, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Slovenian Prime Minister Miro Cerar insisted on Monday that the behaviour of Slovenian police in the Piran Bay (Savudrija Bay) has not changed as he toured coastal municipality of Piran, according to the Slovenian Press Agency (STA).

Referring to Saturday's encounters of Slovenian police and Croatian police and Croatian fishing boats in the waters, he said that Slovenian police remained on the Slovenian half of the bay and had acted in line with its powers.

"They have no instructions to do something different," he was quoted by the STA report as saying.

After Saturday's trip to the northeastern segment of the Slovenian-Croatian border, Cerar was in the coastal municipality of Piran Monday.

The Hague-based Permanent Court of Arbitration (PCA) last Thursday awarded Slovenia greater part of the disputed waters and a 2.5-nautical-mile wide, 10-nautical-mile long "junction corridor," thus giving Slovenia access to the High Seas through the Croatian territorial waters.

During the Monday's tour, the prime minister assured government assistance to the population affected by the result of the border arbitration, but voiced against any provocations, including those from fishermen.

He said he wished the PCA's ruling can be implemented in an organized way.

He also said that the government will stay in touch with the affected population through a new task force in charge of the implementation of the border decision, which the government will formally established this week.

Slovenia and Croatia signed an Arbitration Agreement in November 2009.

But Croatia withdrew from the arbitration by invoking Article 60 of the Vienna Convention, which allows termination of an agreement in case of a grave breach.

Croatia was not present in the courtroom of the Peace Palace in The Hague, the Netherlands, and did not attend the announcement of the ruling.

In response to the ruling, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic said last Thursday "We do not consider ourselves obliged by this ruling, ...And we do not intend to implement its content."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:46:19|Editor: yan

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PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he would use referendums to press through his reforms on the country's institutions if parliament failed to approve them in one year.

Speaking to a rare session of both houses of parliament, Macron said: "I hope that all the deep transformations which I have just described and which our institutions are in desperate need of, are adopted within a year."

"These reforms will be put to the vote of the parliament but, if necessary, I will resort to the vote of our citizens via a referendum," he added.

Setting his guidelines for his five-year roadmap, Macron pledged to act to reform the country's institutions with "efficiency, representativeness and responsibility."

During his term, France's youngest head of state pledged to trim the number of elected officials in the parliament, but at the same time to "strengthen its means" so that "work becomes more fluid."

Furthermore, he wants to remove the Court of Justice of the Republic which handles government officials' trials and further reinforce magistrates' independence.

"The law is not made to follow the small steps of the life of our country, but to frame the deep trends," he said, calling for the "effectiveness" of the institutions and to "legislate less."

"The people have given us a mandate, I want to talk about the institutions that I want to change and the principles of actions I intend to follow," he said to those gathered.

At the parliamentary session, Macron promised to evaluate the process of his reforms and policy at an annual Congress meeting.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:46:21|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- In an interview with Russian media organizations ahead of his July 3-4 state visit to Russia, Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated China's stance on the deployment of a U.S. anti-missile system in South Korea, the Syrian civil war and anti-terror cooperation with Moscow.

THAAD DEPLOYMENT

In the interview published Monday, Xi said that the installation of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) in South Korea "seriously undermines the strategic security interests of China, Russia and other regional countries, and upsets the strategic balance in the region."

"China and Russia have maintained close communication and coordination at various levels on this matter. Our two sides have a high degree of agreement in our perceptions of the nature of this issue and the harm it will bring," said the president, adding that Beijing and Moscow "firmly oppose" such deployment and urge relevant country to stop and cancel it.

The deployment of THAAD, which can shoot down short- and medium-range ballistic missiles during the latter stage of their flight, was agreed by Washington and deposed former South Korean President Park Guen-hye's administration, citing the increasing threat of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

The incumbent government of Moon Jae-in suspended the installation in early June, saying while it will not withdraw the two launchers that are already in place, four additional launchers will not be deployed until a thorough environmental impact assessment is completed.

"China and Russia will take necessary measures, jointly or individually, to preserve our security interests and regional strategic balance," Xi warned without elaborating.

To solve the long-standing and complicated Korean Peninsula issue China has proposed a dual-track approach of advancing denuclearization and establishing a peace mechanism in parallel.

Meanwhile, Beijing has also put forward a suspension-for-suspension proposal that requires Pyongyang to suspend its nuclear and missile activities in exchange for the suspension of large-scale U.S.-South Korean military exercises.

Xi said China's suggestion has gained unequivocal support and understanding from the Russian side as well as growing positive response from the international community.

SYRIAN CIVIL WAR

With regard to the civil war in Syrian, Xi, calling it "the most complicated and intractable hotspot in the Middle East," reiterated that a political solution is the only way out, adding that it "has inflicted untold hardships on the Syrian people and posed a grave challenge to regional and global peace and stability."

"China's position on the issue is consistent. We maintain that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria should be upheld and respected, that the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people on their own, and that political settlement is the only viable way out," he said.

Citing positive signs in the Astana meeting in mid-March and the latest progress on the United Nation-brokered Geneva talks, Xi urged more efforts to "lock in the hard-won momentum of political settlement, while calling for support for the UN's role as the main channel for engaging the Syrian government and the opposition in "consultation with good faith and patience."

"China commends Russia for its important and positive influence and role in facilitating a proper settlement of the Syrian issue," the president added.

ANTI-TERROR COOPERATION

The Chinese president also spoke highly of the anti-terror cooperation between Beijing and Moscow, noting that such cooperation " is an important component of our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and sets a fine example for the broader global counter-terrorism cooperation."

"Such cooperation serves peace and stability in this region and beyond as well as the fundamental interests of our two countries. Our sound cooperation in fighting the 'three forces' of terrorism, separatism and extremism through law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms plays an important and positive role in maintaining stability and promoting development in our two countries and this region at large."

While urging the international community to strive for stability in Syria and other Middle East countries at an early date, Xi called for the rejection of double standards and fully leveraging the leading roll of the UN in the fight against terrorism.

"Counter-terrorism is still used by some countries as a means to advance their own national interests, and double standards are applied in fighting terrorism. As a result, the international counter-terrorism cooperation tends to be fragmented and treated as a convenient tool. Synergy is hard to forge under such circumstances," Xi said.

He also said "a long-term perspective and a multi-pronged approach" should be adopted, one that eyes on "political, economic and cultural fronts, with a view to not only addressing the symptoms but also eliminating the hotbed for terrorism."

The Chinese president travels to Moscow on Monday for a state visit to Russia, which is to be followed by one to Germany, where he will attend the upcoming summit of the Group of 20 major economies.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-03 23:56:40|Editor: yan

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LAGOS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- About 700 Boko Haram insurgents in the restive Borno state have surrendered to Nigerian troops, the Nigerian army said Monday.

Chief of Army Staff Tukur Buratai said during an exhibition to mark the week-long Nigerian Army Day Celebration that Nigerian troops had made "tremendous achievement" in the counter insurgency operations.

"Some others are in the process to surrender, This is a clear indication that the Boko Haram war is clearly being won," he said.

He said it would be a great sigh of relief as the terrorists are finally capitulating.

Boko Haram has been blamed for the deaths of more than 20,000 people and displacing of 2.3 million others in Nigeria since their insurgency started in 2009.

The group kidnapped more than 200 school girls in Chibok, a community in Borno State, in April 2014. So far, 106 of the abducted schoolgirls have been rescued.

At least 1,400 suspected members of Boko Haram are currently held in a detention center in the country's northeast region.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 00:01:44|Editor: MJ

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ROME, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Italy, France and Germany have hammered out a plan of action to curb migrant arrivals, the Italian interior ministry said in a statement Monday.

Italian Interior Minister Marco Minniti came up with the plan along with his counterparts France's Gerard Collomb, Germany's Thomas de Maiziere, and European Commissioner for Migration Dimitris Avramopoulos at a meeting on Sunday in Paris, according to the statement.

Italy faces continuous arrivals of migrants fleeing war and famine in North Africa and the Middle East via unseaworthy boats run by human traffickers. Most of the vessels leave from Libya, with Italy as the nearest European landfall on the so-called Central Mediterranean route.

As part of the plan of action, Italy tried to draw up a "code of conduct" for non-governmental organizations, such as Doctors Without Borders (MSF) and Save the Children, who rescue people off traffickers' boats in the Mediterranean. The NGOs bring all the people they save to Italy, eschewing other countries which also face the Mediterranean -- a situation which is becoming unsustainable, the Italian government said last week.

On June 28, Italy made a formal request to the EU on asylum seekers, saying it might block foreign vessels carrying migrants to Italian ports unless partner countries also take in their fair share.

The plan of action drawn up by the interior ministers of Italy, France and Germany also calls for more training and funds for the Libyan Coast Guard, which is supposed to stop human traffickers from setting off in the first place, and for stopping asylum seekers from crossing into Libya via its southern borders.

It also calls for the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the International Organization for Migration (IOM) to make sure asylum seeker camps in Libya "meet international standards in terms of living conditions and human rights." Several NGOs have relayed reports from rescued asylum seekers of rape and torture at the hands of human traffickers in the Libya camps.

As well, the plan calls for stepping up the repatriations of people whose asylum claims are rejected, and for a "review of the policies on visas to third countries," according to the Italian interior ministry.

Lastly, the plan calls for the "full implementation and acceleration of the EU relocation scheme" of refugees from countries of first arrival to other EU countries.

Also on Monday, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni warned the EU must "share the burden" of taking in the asylum seekers to "prevent the flows from becoming unsustainable and feeding hostile reactions within our social fabric." His remarks follow on the latest media reports of violence against asylum seekers or people perceived as such in Italy.

Last week, four Italian men aged 20-25 beat up an Italian citizen of Bengali origin, whose family was assigned a council flat in a working-class Rome neighborhood.

In the northern town of Vobarno at the weekend, unknowns set an empty hotel on fire after rumors spread that the government might use it to house asylum seekers.

By June 29, a total of 95,768 migrants and refugees had entered Europe by sea, with almost 85 percent arriving in Italy and the remainder going to Greece, Cyprus and Spain, the UN Migration Agency (IOM) reported on June 30. It's already a big drop compared with 230,230 arrivals in the same period last year, according to the IOM.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 00:52:30|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- The following is the full text of Chinese President Xi Jinping's written interview with Russian media ahead of his departure for the July 3-4 state visit to Russia:

Written Interview by H.E. Xi Jinping

President of the People's Republic of China

With Russian Media Organizations

Q1. You have often said that the relationship between China and Russia is at its best in history. Could you elaborate on that? How does timely dialogue and consultation on major international issues contribute to regional and global peace, stability and prosperity?

Xi: Indeed the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is now stronger than ever. Here is why I believe this is the case:

First, our two countries have built a high level of political and strategic trust. The boundary issue, which had been left from history, has been settled once and for all. Our 4,300-km border is now a bond of friendship for our people. The Treaty of Good-neighborliness, Friendship and Cooperation has been signed, which established the idea of ever-lasting friendship in legal terms. The two sides have reached a four-point agreement on showing firm support for each other's efforts to uphold one's own sovereignty, security, territorial integrity and other core interests; for each other's choice of development path suited to one's national circumstances; for each other's development and revitalization; and for each other's management of one's own affairs. In short, China and Russia see each other as a most trustworthy strategic partner.

Second, our two countries have established sound mechanisms for high-level exchanges and all-round cooperation. President Putin and I have developed a close working relationship and good personal friendship. The two of us meet frequently, five times a year on average, to set the direction and make plans for our bilateral relations. At President Putin's invitation, I will pay a state visit to Russia. I believe my visit will lend new impetus to the growth of bilateral relations. Besides, the two sides have full-fledged mechanisms for inter-agency and sub-national engagement and consultation. All this has provided strong institutional underpinnings for the growth of China-Russia relations.

Third, our two sides are working hard to align our development strategies. President Putin and I have reached an important agreement to strengthen the complementarity of the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union. Bilateral cooperation in energy, trade, investment, high-tech, finance, infrastructure and agriculture is growing rapidly and increasingly geared toward modernization and innovation in science and technology. The Tianwan nuclear power plant stands as a flagship program for our nuclear cooperation. The eastern route of the natural gas pipeline is progressing smoothly. Our active cooperation on major strategic projects such as the long-range, wide-body aircraft and heavy-lift helicopter is a boost to the comprehensive national strength and international competitiveness of both countries. The two sides are also tapping into new areas of cooperation, such as innovation and e-commerce. In a word, the booming practical cooperation serves as a powerful engine driving the sustained growth of China-Russia relations.

Fourth, our two countries enjoy solid public support for stronger relations. This year marks the 20th anniversary of the China-Russia Committee for Friendship, Peace and Development and the 60th anniversary of the Russia-China Friendship Association. It is also the concluding year of China-Russia Media Exchange Year 2016-2017, for which a variety of cultural events have been planned. Currently, there are over three million visits a year between the Chinese and Russians. For years, China has been Russia's biggest source of foreign tourists. The two sides have established culture centers in each other's country, built a joint university, and set the target of exchanging 100,000 students by 2020. Our peoples are fond of each other's language and culture, and our mutual understanding and friendship are growing day by day. All of this speaks to the shared desire of both nations to develop the friendly and cooperative relations.

Fifth, our two countries enjoy close strategic coordination in regional and international affairs. As major countries in the world, permanent members of the UN Security Council and emerging economies, China and Russia both stand for the basic norms governing international relations with the purposes and principles of the UN Charter as the cornerstone. We both support progress toward a multi-polar world and greater democracy in international relations. We both resolutely uphold the outcomes of WWII and international fairness and justice. Our two countries have close coordination and collaboration in the United Nations, G20, APEC and other multilateral institutions. We have jointly proposed and set up various multilateral mechanisms such as the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) and BRICS and worked hard for their development, which contribute to peace and stability in Central Asia and Northeast Asia, which are our common neighborhood. The fact is, our concerted efforts in international affairs are like an anchor for peace, security and stability in our region and the world amidst the turbulent and volatile international situation. Thus, we are living up to our responsibility as major countries for world peace and development.

Looking ahead, we have every confidence in the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination. I will continue to work with President Putin to ensure that the relationship will make sound progress along the right track so as to promote the development and renewal of both our countries and contribute to the prosperity and stability of the world.

Q2. There is a view that China and Russia have far stronger political relations than economic relations. In your view, what can be done to boost economic ties between the two countries and what are the priority areas and projects?

Xi: President Putin and I both attach great importance to promoting bilateral economic ties. Economic cooperation and trade is the most wide-ranging area in our practical cooperation and enjoys great potential.

We need to take a comprehensive view of the development of our economic ties. China has been Russia's top trading partner for seven consecutive years. Last year, despite such negative factors as the sluggish global economy and prices fluctuations in oil and other commodities, China-Russia economic cooperation started growing again with the trade volume reaching 69.53 billion U.S. dollars, up by 2.2 percent year on year. In the first five months of this year, the two-way trade grew even faster by 26 percent and the total volume in 2017 is expected to exceed 80 billion dollars.

In particular, the structure of China-Russia economic cooperation and trade continues to improve and quite a few new areas of growth have emerged. First, the robust growth in the trade of mechanical and electrical products as well as high-tech products, registering a 20.8 percent and 19.4 percent increase respectively in the first quarter of this year. Second, burgeoning investment cooperation. This year, our intergovernmental investment cooperation committee decided on a list of 73 new projects, some of which are being carried out according to plan. Third, the deepening financial cooperation. The Central Bank of Russia set up its first overseas office in China. With one of its enterprises issuing "Panda bonds" in China, Russia has become the first among the countries along the Belt and Road to do so. To promote cooperation between China's northeast and Russia's far east, China has announced the establishment of the China-Russia Regional Cooperation Development and Investment Fund with a total scale of 100 billion yuan. Fourth, the rapid growth in the trade of agricultural products. China welcomes more imports of high-quality agricultural products from Russia. Fifth, faster progress in the joint development of the far east, for which China is its largest trading partner. The two sides are working on a number of promising projects in the areas of deep processing of resources, port logistics, modern agriculture and infrastructure development. Sixth, the steady progress of major strategic projects in the fields of energy, nuclear power, aviation, aerospace and cross-border infrastructure construction, including smooth progress in the construction of the eastern route of the China-Russia natural gas pipeline, the active participation of Chinese enterprises in the Yamal LNG project, and the opening in Shanghai this May of a joint-venture to manufacture long-range wide-body passenger aircraft.

Having said this, joint efforts are still needed in order to scale up mutual investment and speed up SME cooperation. We need to strengthen the traditional areas of economic cooperation including China's import of oil, gas, coal, electricity and lumber and other major commodities; we need to expand the use of local currencies in our business ties; we need to implement the agreed investment projects; we need to make full use of the platforms offered by such events as the China-Russia Expo, St. Petersburg International Economic Forum and Eastern Economic Forum; and we need to unlock the potential of sub-national and border area cooperation through the Yangtze River - Volga River and China's northeast - Russia's far east mechanisms.

Our two countries' development would not be possible without that of the Eurasian continent and our growth will contribute to that of the continent as a whole. While attending the Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) this May in Beijing, President Putin stated that Russia supports and is willing to contribute to the Belt and Road Initiative. Our two countries are working actively to build synergy between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, as part of which the two sides are discussing an agreement on economic cooperation and a list of joint projects between China and the Eurasian Economic Union. This will help open up broader prospects for bilateral economic cooperation, facilitate trade and investment, create more opportunities for business cooperation, and effectively connect our industries, technologies, capital and markets, so that countries on the Eurasian continent will share in the benefit of economic globalization and regional integration.

In terms of major bilateral projects, we need to remain committed to promoting the integration of upper- and lower-stream cooperation in the field of energy. Major strategic projects are the cornerstone of economic cooperation, whose overall benefits and strategic significance cannot be reflected or measured simply by numbers. Recognizing this, we need to carry out more cooperation in joint research, production and wide application.

In terms of connectivity, we welcome and are willing to jointly develop and build the Primorye international transport corridor proposed by Russia. We hope the two sides will achieve the early completion of the major cross-border infrastructure projects, including China-Russia Tongjiang Railway Bridge (also known as the Amur International Rail Bridge) and the highway bridge in Heihe, Heilongjiang Province. We may also make joint efforts to develop and utilize maritime passageways, particularly the Northern Sea Route, realize a "Silk Road on ice". These connectivity projects will create new impetus for the in-depth development of our economic cooperation and trade.

SMEs are important drivers of economic growth, a wellspring of innovation and a major source of new jobs. Our two governments need to put in place favorable conditions to further incentivize SME cooperation so that SMEs and large enterprises will develop in tandem, seek complementarity and jointly explore markets in third countries.

To sum up, both President Putin and I are of the view that our two countries need to deepen economic cooperation and trade to strengthen our bond of shared interests. At the same time, we need to take a long-term view and open up our economies to each other for mutual benefit. This will help enhance the comprehensive strength and international competitiveness of our two countries and deliver more benefits of our cooperation to people in both countries.

Q3. The Belt and Road Forum for International Cooperation (BRF) you hosted in May was a great success. What do you think of the outcomes? What are your expectations about the Belt and Road Initiative? How do you see Russia's role in the building of the Belt and Road?

Xi: I put forward the initiative of building the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road in 2013 in my visits to Central Asia and Southeast Asia. The initiative aims to strengthen international cooperation and synergize national development strategies for greater complementarity and common development. Over the past four years, the Belt and Road cooperation has made steady progress and won extensive support, attracting active participation of many parties and yielding substantial "early harvests". This set the stage for the success of the BRF held this May in Beijing, a meeting to review what had been achieved and chart the course for the future. The leaders of 29 countries, the United Nations, the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund attended the Forum together with some 1,600 representatives from more than 140 countries and 80 international organizations. Under the theme "Belt and Road: Cooperation for Common Prosperity", the participants had in-depth discussions on promoting policy synergy for closer partnership, enhancing connectivity and facilitating people-to-people exchanges. They reviewed the progress of Belt and Road cooperation and reached many agreements, including 76 items comprising more than 270 concrete results in five areas, sending out a positive message about building the cooperation platform, re-energizing the world economy and rekindling confidence in economic globalization.

We will take the BRF as an opportunity to enhance policy, infrastructure, trade, financial and people-to-people connectivity guided by the principles of extensive consultation, joint contribution and shared benefits. We will increase policy coordination and complementarity between development strategies, take connectivity as a priority area of cooperation, support faster development of economic corridors, advance cooperation on international production capacity and equipment manufacturing, and work more closely on education, science and technology, culture and healthcare. Together, we can unlock new drivers for economic growth, achieve common development and build a community of shared future for mankind.

President Putin was the first foreign leader to accept my invitation to attend the BRF, which reflected Russia's important support for China as the host and the high-level nature of China-Russia relationship. In May 2015, China and Russia reached important agreement to seek complementarity and cooperation between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union, which won the applause and support of other members of the Eurasian Economic Union. Two years on, steady and notable progress has been made in this cooperation. China will work with Russia to fully leverage the complementarity between the Belt and Road Initiative and the Eurasian Economic Union and keep moving China-Russia relations forward.

Q4. Can you give us an update on the Chinese economy? What do you expect from the upcoming G20 Hamburg Summit?

Xi: The Chinese economy has stayed on an upward trajectory since the latter half of last year. It got off to a good start this year with a GDP growth rate of 6.9 percent in the first quarter. With profound and effective reform measures in key areas and crucial links, and the synergy created by the endeavor to foster new growth drivers and upgrade traditional ones, the Chinese economy will sustain a steady and robust growth rate.

Global growth continues to gather momentum, as both developed countries and emerging markets show stronger economic performance. However, grave challenges remain. Therefore, it is particularly important for the G20 to play its role as a premier forum for international economic cooperation, implement the consensus of the Hangzhou Summit and all previous summits and shape the future of the world economy. This is in the interests of all. China's expectation of the Hamburg Summit are the following:

First, we look forward to a G20 that continues to uphold the spirit of partnership for win-win cooperation. This is the very spirit that steered the G20 through the international financial crisis, and it will continue to inspire the G20 to set the pace for the world economy. As I said at the welcoming banquet of the Hangzhou Summit, "As long as we accommodate each other and stick together, come rain or shine, we will make steady progress and reach our destination together."

Second, we look forward to a G20 that continues to champion an open world economy. As a pacesetter of the world economy, the G20 should stay committed to open development, support the WTO-centered multilateral trading regime, and make sure that trade and investment remain the drivers of global growth.

Third, we look forward to a G20 that continues to chart the course for innovative growth and long-term governance. Countries need to unleash new drivers of global growth through innovation. It is important to advance the in-depth development of the digital economy and new industrial revolution, increase investment in infrastructure, and employ fiscal and monetary policies and conduct structural reform to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth of the world economy.

There is a lot in common between the tenor of the BRF in Beijing last May and the theme of the Hamburg Summit - "Shaping an Interconnected World". The Belt and Road Initiative and the G20 may well complement and reinforce each other and jointly boost global growth. China will take the Hamburg Summit as an opportunity to work with all other parties and contribute to global growth and better global economic governance.

Q5. The long-running tensions on the Korean Peninsula have remained unabated. This is a source of deep concern for the international community. How does China think the issue should be resolved? How does China view the U.S.' deployment of THAAD in the ROK?

Xi: China follows closely the developments on the Peninsula. China is committed to denuclearization of the Peninsula, peace and stability on the Peninsula, and a negotiated settlement through dialogue and consultation. The issue of the Peninsula is long-standing and highly complicated. Any solution must be able to address both the symptoms and root causes and accommodate the legitimate concerns of all parties. To that end, China has put forward a "dual-track" approach of denuclearization of the Peninsula on the one hand and establishment of a peace mechanism on the Peninsula on the other, and a "suspension for suspension" proposal, which calls for the suspension of nuclear and missile activities by the DPRK and the suspension of massive military exercises by the U.S. and the ROK. Russia has unequivocally expressed its understanding and support for China's suggestion as China and Russia have the same or similar position. There is also growing positive response from the international community. China hopes all relevant parties will respond to the efforts by China and Russia in promoting dialogue for peace, shoulder their due responsibilities, demonstrate goodwill toward one another, and work in the same direction to bring this issue to the right track of dialogue and consultation at an early date.

The U.S. deployment of the THAAD missile defence system in the ROK seriously undermines the strategic security interests of China, Russia and other regional countries, and upsets the strategic balance in the region. It is not helpful for denuclearization of the Korean Peninsula or peace and stability in the region. China has expressed its strong opposition and grave concerns. China and Russia have maintained close communication and coordination at various levels on this matter. Our two sides have a high degree of agreement in our perceptions of the nature of this issue and the harm it will bring. Both China and Russia firmly oppose the U.S. deployment of the THAAD system in the ROK, and strongly urge relevant countries to stop and cancel the deployment. China and Russia will take necessary measures, jointly or individually, to preserve our security interests and regional strategic balance.

Q6. The Syrian issue has garnered much global attention. What does China think should be done to resolve this issue? How do you assess Russia's role on this issue?

Xi: The Syrian issue, now the most complicated and intractable hotspot in the Middle East, has inflicted untold hardships on the Syrian people and posed a grave challenge to regional and global peace and stability.

China's position on the issue is consistent. We maintain that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria should be upheld and respected, that the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people on their own, and that political settlement is the only viable way out. It is our sincere hope that the Syrian issue will be properly resolved as soon as possible, and that the Syrian people will regain long-hoped peace, return to their homeland and start reconstruction at an early date.

Recent months have seen some positive developments on the Syrian issue. At the Astana talks, an MOU was signed on creating de-escalation zones in Syria. The UN-brokered Geneva peace talks continue to move forward. China believes that, under the current circumstances, the international community needs to lock in the hard-won momentum of political settlement, support the United Nations in playing its role as the main channel for mediation and encourage the Syrian government and the opposition to engage in consultation with good faith and patience for a political solution that accommodates the legitimate concerns of all sides. There is also need for various parties to enhance coordination for greater synergy in fighting terrorism within Syria under international law.

China commends Russia for its important and positive influence and role in facilitating a proper settlement of the Syrian issue.

Q7. Terrorism poses a real threat to global security and development. How do you view the Russia-China cooperation on combating the "three forces" of terrorism, extremism and separatism?

Xi: The global counter-terrorism situation is undergoing profound changes, and international terrorists have remained active. Since the beginning of this year, many countries have been hit by serious terrorist attacks which caused heavy casualties. Given what has happened, people have come to realize that despite certain gains in the international military campaign against terrorism, there will still be many acts of terrorism wreaking havoc on world peace, stability and development. To counter the threat of terrorism remains a daunting task in global security governance.

Faced with grave terrorist threats, members of the international community, with stronger awareness of their shared future and growing consensus on fighting terrorism, are making remarkable progress in their joint efforts to fight terrorism. That said, challenges still abound. First, terrorism and hotspot issues interact with and exacerbate each other, which largely explains why greater global counter-terrorism efforts do not always lead to a decrease in terrorist activities. Second, international terrorist groups instigate and plan for more attacks in different parts of the world. Third, violent and terrorist ideology is spreading worldwide through the Internet and social media and will continue to show profound impact. Fourth, counter-terrorism is still used by some countries as a means to advance their own national interests, and double standards are applied in fighting terrorism. As a result, the international counter-terrorism cooperation tends to be fragmented and treated as a convenient tool. Synergy is hard to forge under such circumstances.

China has been supporting the global fight against terrorism in a constructive manner. China is of the view that, to promote international cooperation on counter-terrorism, countries need to: first, reject double standards, fully leverage the leading role of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism, and act in concert with strong determination; second, properly resolve regional hotspots in order to help restore stability to Syria and other Middle Eastern countries at an early date and contain the rampant spread of terrorism; and third, adopt a long-term perspective and a multi-pronged approach on the political, economic and cultural fronts, with a view to not only addressing the symptoms but also eliminating the hotbed for terrorism.

China and Russia are both victims of terrorism. Cooperation between our two countries in counter-terrorism and security affairs is an important component of our comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination and sets a fine example for the broader global counter-terrorism cooperation. Such cooperation serves peace and stability in this region and beyond as well as the fundamental interests of our two countries. Our sound cooperation in fighting the "three forces" of terrorism, separatism and extremism through law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms plays an important and positive role in maintaining stability and promoting development in our two countries and this region at large. China hopes to deepen bilateral practical cooperation with Russia, step up mutual support on each other's core concerns regarding terrorism, and reinforce coordination and collaboration within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations and the SCO. We will work together to uphold the leading role of the United Nations in the global counter-terrorism cooperation, deepen counter-terrorism and security cooperation within the SCO and other frameworks, and secure greater progress in global counter-terrorism cooperation.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 01:43:17|Editor: MJ

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CHICAGO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long on Monday ordered the man accused of kidnapping a visiting Chinese scholar to be held without bond until his next court hearing on July 5.

Brendt Christensen, 28, charged with kidnapping Yingying Zhang on June 9, did not speak during a hearing at a federal courthouse in Urbana city, the U.S. state of Illinois.

If convicted of the federal kidnapping charge, Christensen faces up to life in prison, according to Sharon Paul, a spokeswoman for the U.S. attorney's office.

Christensen was enrolled as a PhD candidate in experimental condensed matter physics by the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), but it was not clear if he was still studying at the university when he was arrested on Friday.

Wearing an orange jumpsuit, Christensen did not speak during the hearing that lasted nine minutes, other than to acknowledge that he understood his rights, according to local media ABC7.

Judge Long asked Christensen's attorney, Evan Bruno of the Urbana-based Bruno Law Firm, whether he was ready to take a stand on bail. When Bruno asked for a few days, Long set a detention hearing for 3 p.m. Wednesday during which bond will be determined.

Christensen will be held in the custody of the U.S. Marshals Service before the detention hearing.

A preliminary hearing was set for 10 a.m. local time on July 14. It would be waived if a grand jury returns an indictment before then.

About 45 people packed the courtroom, with hundreds of Chinese from Zhang's university and local Chinese community gathering in the courthouse lobby and outside across the street.

They held posters written "Bring Justice to Yingying and her family," chanting "Justice for Yingying."

Zhang, 26, went missing on June 9 after she got into a black Saturn Astra car about five blocks from where she got off a bus as she was heading to an apartment complex to sign a lease. She, who arrived at the University of Illinois in late April, is feared dead.

FBI and local policemen arrested Christensen last Friday evening based on the fact the suspect called someone about his kidnapping of Zhang.

"While Christensen was under law enforcement surveillance, agents overheard him explaining that he kidnapped Zhang," an FBI press release said.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 02:03:26|Editor: ZD

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BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday said China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," and expressed hope the Group of 20 major economies (G20) will continue their support for multilateral free trade and leadership in innovation-driven growth.

Xi made the statement in an interview with Russian media ahead of his departure for the July 3-4 state visit to Russia.

The president travels to Moscow on Monday for a state visit to Russia, which is to be followed by one to Germany, where he will attend the upcoming Hamburg summit of the G20.

HUGE POTENTIAL IN CHINA-RUSSIA COOPERATION

China and Russia have built high-level political and strategic mutual trust, Xi said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues left over from history, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship between the two peoples.

"Our two countries have built a high level of political and strategic trust," Xi said, adding that the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

"I believe the visit will lend new impetus to the growth of bilateral relations," said Xi.

Xi said he and Russian President Vladimir Putin both think China and Russia should deepen economic and trade cooperation so as to reinforce their interests bond and better benefit the two peoples.

"Economic cooperation and trade is the most wide-ranging area in our practical cooperation and enjoys great potential," Xi said, adding that the structure of China-Russia economic cooperation and trade continues to improve and quite a few new areas of growth have emerged.

Xi said growth could be achieved from increased trade of mechanical and electrical and hi-tech products, smooth investment cooperation, deepening financial cooperation, the rapidly growing farm produce trade, the Far East development cooperation on a faster track, and steady progress in strategic cooperation projects and cross-border infrastructure construction.

He also highlighted bilateral efforts underway to boost alignment of the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union, which he said " will help open up broader prospects for bilateral economic cooperation, facilitate trade and investment, create more opportunities for business cooperation, and effectively connect our industries, technologies, capital and markets."

Proposed by Xi in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.

CHINA'S STANCES ON GLOBAL AND REGIONAL ISSUES

In the interview, Xi touched upon a number of global and regional issues and clarified China's stances and solutions in an effort to safeguard world peace and stability.

Xi pointed out that the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense (THAAD) installation jeopardizes the strategic balance in the region and is unhelpful to denuclearizing the Korean Peninsula and maintaining regional peace and stability.

"China and Russia have maintained close communication and coordination at various levels on this matter. Our two sides have a high degree of agreement in our perceptions of the nature of this issue and the harm it will bring," said the president, reiterating the two countries' firm opposition to the deployment.

The two countries, he said, will take necessary measures, jointly or individually, to safeguard their national security interests and regional strategic balance.

Talking about the Syrian issue, Xi said a political solution offers the only way out.

"China' s position on the issue is consistent. We maintain that the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Syria should be upheld and respected, that the future of Syria should be decided by the Syrian people on their own, and that political settlement is the only viable way out," said the president.

Citing positive signs in the Astana meeting in mid-March and the latest progress on the Geneva talks, Xi urged more efforts to maintain the momentum for a political solution to the Syrian issue.

Xi also noted that anti-terrorism cooperation is an important part of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of cooperation, which he said sets an example for the world in that regard.

In bolstering international anti-terrorism cooperation, Xi called for the rejection of double standards and urged the international community to "fully leverage the leading role of the United Nations in the fight against terrorism, and act in concert with strong determination."

Meanwhile, Xi said issues of regional hotspots should be resolved properly "to help restore stability to Syria and other Middle Eastern countries at an early date and contain the rampant spread of terrorism."

The Chinese president also suggested that "a long-term perspective and a multi-pronged approach" be adopted, one that eyes on "political, economic and cultural fronts, with a view to not only addressing the symptoms but also eliminating the hotbed for terrorism."

EXPECTATIONS FOR G20 SUMMIT

Xi told the Russia media that he hopes the G20 will continue to "uphold the spirit of partnership for win-win cooperation," which he said was "the very spirit that steered the G20 through the international financial crisis."

"Global growth continues to gather momentum, as both developed countries and emerging markets show stronger economic performance. However, grave challenges remain. Therefore, it is particularly important for the G20 to play its role as a premier forum for international economic cooperation," he pointed out.

"As long as we accommodate each other and stick together, come rain or shine, we will make steady progress and reach our destination together," the president said, repeating the remarks he gave at the welcoming banquet of last year's G20 summit held in the Chinese city of Hangzhou.

Xi said the G20 "as a pacesetter of the world economy" should stay committed to open development, support the WTO-centered multilateral trading regime, and make sure that trade and investment remain the drivers of global growth.

China expects that the G20 continues to chart the course for innovative growth and long-term governance, Xi said.

"Countries need to unleash new drivers of global growth through innovation. It is important to advance the in-depth development of the digital economy and new industrial revolution, increase investment in infrastructure, and employ fiscal and monetary policies and conduct structural reform to achieve strong, sustainable, balanced and inclusive growth of the world economy," the president said.

China is willing to take the Hamburg Summit as an opportunity to work with all other parties and contribute to global growth and better global economic governance, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 03:14:13|Editor: MJ

French President Emmanuel Macron (front) gives a speech during a session of both houses of parliament held in Paris, France, on July 3, 2017. French President Emmanuel Macron said Monday he would use referendums to press through his reforms on the country's institutions if parliament failed to approve them in one year. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- With "efficiency, representativeness and responsibility," French President Emmanuel Macron outlined his roadmap for the eurozone's second largest economy over next five years during which he says he wants to restore voter confidence and the country's sovereignty.



"The people have given us a mandate. I want to talk about the institutions that I want to change and the principles of actions I intend to follow," Macron said, "Commitments will be met, reforms will be done," he added.

Macron pledged to cut the number of lawmakers by a third, while promising to strengthen the parliament's means so that "work becomes more fluid."

Furthermore, he wants to remove the Court of Justice of the Republic, which handles government officials' trails, and instead further reinforce magistrates' independence.

"Laws are made to frame the deep trends of our country," he said, calling for effective institutions and less overall legislation.

In a 90-minute speech, Macron said he would resort to referendums if parliament does not vote major institutional reforms quickly enough.

"I hope that all the deep transformations, which I have just described and of which our institutions are in desperate need, are adopted within a year," he told parliament.

Macron also said he would lift the state of emergency, imposed in the wake of Paris attacks on November 2015, in autumn in order to "re-establish the freedom of the French."

"The penal code as it is and the powers of magistrates as they are can -- if the system is well ordered -- allow us to annihilate our enemies," he said.

Having never held elected office before, Macron won the French presidency on May 7.

He came under fire for convening a joint session of parliament, known as a congress, and vowed to transform it to an annual meeting, defying critics of concentrating too much power in the presidency.

Right-wing lawmaker Nicolas Dupont-Aignan said he was disappointed by the declaration that lacked "concrete" proposals.

Left-wing veteran Jean-Luc Melenchon, who leads the 17-strong "France Unbowed" group in parliament, boycotted the congress.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe will give details on the president's economic and social project in the National Assembly on Tuesday.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 04:50:09|Editor: yan

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WASHINGTON, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Most of the frogs alive today may owe a "big thank you" to the mass extinction that wiped out dinosaurs 66 million years ago.

A new study by Chinese and American biologists showed that 88 percent of today's frog species have descended from just three lineages that survived the calamity, likely caused by an asteroid or comet striking the Earth.

"Frogs have been around for well over 200 million years, but this study shows it wasn't until the extinction of the dinosaurs that we had this burst of frog diversity that resulted in the vast majority of frogs we see today," said study co-author David Blackburn, associate curator of amphibians and reptiles at the Florida Museum of Natural History on the University of Florida campus.

This finding, published Monday in the U.S. journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, "was totally unexpected," Blackburn said.

The swift rise of frogs after the massive die-off was likely due to the fact that so many environmental niches were available after the animals occupying them disappeared.

"We think there were massive alterations of ecosystems at that time, including widespread destruction of forests," Blackburn said. "But frogs are pretty good at eking out a living in microhabitats, and as forests and tropical ecosystems rebounded, they quickly took advantage of those new ecological opportunities."

Today, there are more than 6,700 known frog species, representing 55 families and living in a wide range of habitats from trees to aquatic environments to underground.

For this study, Blackburn joined researchers from Sun Yat-Sen University in China, the University of Texas at Austin and the University of California, Berkeley in the U.S. to tackle the mystery of frog evolution with a dataset seven times larger than that used in prior research.

The team sampled a core set of 95 nuclear genes from 156 frog species, combining this with previously published genetic data on an additional 145 species to build the most complete frog family tree yet.

When the analyses pointed to a simultaneous evolution of the three major frog clades -- Hyloidea, Microhylidae and Natatanura -- the researchers initially eyed the finding with skepticism, said Peng Zhang, a corresponding study author and professor in the department of biochemistry and molecular biology at Sun Yat-Sen University.

"Nobody had seen this result before," he said. "We redid the analysis using different parameter settings, but the result remained the same. I realized the signal was very strong in our data. What I saw could not be a false thing."

While the extinction event opened new opportunities for frogs, notably leading to the evolution of tree frogs worldwide, it snuffed out many frog lineages, particularly in North America, the team said.

The study also indicated that global frog distribution tracks the breakup of the supercontinents, beginning with Pangea about 200 million years ago and then, Gondwana, which split into South America and Africa.

The data suggested frogs likely used Antarctica, not yet encased in ice sheets, as a stepping stone from South America to Australia.

While the survival and subsequent comeback of frogs testifies to their resilience, Zhang said, their current vulnerability to disease, habitat loss and degradation is cause for concern.

"I think the most exciting thing about our study is that we show that frogs are such a strong animal group. They survived from the mass extinction that completely erased dinosaurs and boomed back quickly," he said.

"However, frog species are declining nowadays because humans are destroying their habitats. Does that mean humans are making a huge extinction event even stronger than this one? We need to think about it."
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 04:50:11|Editor: yan

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CAPE TOWN, July 3 (Xinhua) -- South African opposition Democratic Alliance (DA) on Monday laid criminal charges with the South African Police Service (SAPS) against the Indian Gupta family for abusing state funds to finance a family wedding.

The party accused the Guptas of racketeering, money laundering, assisting others to benefit from unlawful activities, and acquiring, possessing or using the proceeds of unlawful activities, as well as submitting false tax returns.

This followed revelations that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly washed through a complex web of front companies, and used to pay for Vega Gupta and Aakash Jahajgarhia's wedding at South Africa's Sun City in 2013.

The money, supposed to go to a dairy project in Vrede in the Free State, was reportedly diverted through a web of Gupta-related companies to pay for the wedding.

The wedding initially gained infamy when the Guptas' guests were allowed to use the Waterkloof Air Force base near Pretoria as a port of entry.

David Maynier, DA Shadow Minister of Finance, said the party has also requested the South African Revenue Service (SARS) to conduct an investigation into tax evasion relating to allegations that wedding expenses were irregularly deducted as business expenses by Linkway Trading (Pty) Ltd, a South African- based company controlled by the Guptas.

By doing so, the Guptas consequently evading paying tax on an amount of about 30 million rand (about 2.3 million U.S. dollars) in 2014, according to the DA.

The fact that public funds meant to assist the poor were allegedly used to pay a Gupta family wedding "is grotesque and must be investigated without fear or favour" by the SAPS, Maynier said.

The wealthy Gupta family, which allegedly keeps close ties with President Jacob Zuma and a number of cabinet ministers, has come under fire for wielding undue influence on the appointment of cabinet ministers and control of state-owned enterprises.

The Guptas have denied the accusation, saying they have fallen victim to the political struggle in South Africa.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 05:05:21|Editor: MJ

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ALGIERS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 5,000 African nationals have joined terrorist groups around the world, particularly in Iraq, Syria and the African Sahel region, according to a memorandum presented on Monday.

The memorandum was presented on Monday by Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmadjid Teboune in the 29th AU Summit in Addis Ababa, said the official APS news agency.

Algerian President Abdelaziz Bouteflika has elaborated the memorandum as being African Union's Coordinator for prevention of violent extremism and counterterrorism.

"Many African youth have been involved in terrorist adventure in various conflict zones around the world, particularly in Iraq, Syria and the Sahel region," APS quoted the memorandum as saying.

It specified that "more than 5,000 Africans of different nationalities are active with terrorist groups within the continent and in other armed conflict zones."

"Africa is also facing challenges because of the threat posed by these people upon their return to their countries or other countries in the region," notes the memorandum."

Bouteflika's memorandum urged African nations to focus more on developing cooperation in intelligence gathering on foreign terrorist fighters, improving facial recognition means, limiting their movement through stiffening control of transport, entry and transit points, as well as improve border management."

On March 14, President Bouteflika was appointed by the African Union to coordinate the continent's efforts for the fight against terrorism and violent extremism.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 05:15:27|Editor: yan

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CAIRO, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry on Monday received a phone call from U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, during which they discussed the diplomatic crisis between Qatar and an Arab alliance.

They discussed the latest developments in the row with Qatar and the bilateral relations between Cairo and Washington, Egyptian Foreign Ministry Spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement.

The two top diplomats also "agreed on continuing consultation and coordination on the developments in the region and working on boosting ties in various fields," the statement added.

The phone conversation was held as tensions are rising between Qatar and the Arab alliance, led by Saudi Arabia, which severed diplomatic ties early last month with Qatar.

They accused Qatar of supporting terrorism, interfering in the international affairs of its Arab neighbors, and having close ties with Iran, a Saudi rival.

Saudi Arabia, along with Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Bahrain, issued a list of 13 demands to Qatar late June, demanding Doha cut diplomatic ties with Iran, shutting down the Al-Jazeera TV channels, and stoping supporting terrorism.

Qatar has denied the charges and also rejected those demands, while signalling its willingness to resolve the dispute through talks.

On request of Kuwait, which is mediating the crisis, the Saudi-led alliance agreed late Sunday to extend by 48 hours the 10-day deadline for Doha to meet its demands.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani visited Kuwait earlier Monday amid the rising pressure from its Arab neighbors.

The minister was carrying a handwritten letter from Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, the official KUNA news agency reported.

Doha was widely expected to submit to Kuwait its official response to the Saudi-led alliance on Monday, though no details have been disclosed so far.

U.S. President Donald Trump spoke over the phone separately late Sunday with King Salman Bin Abdulaziz of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohammad Bin Zayed Al-Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, and the Amir of Qatar to discuss the Qatari crisis, the White House said in a statement.

Trump addressed his "concerns about the ongoing dispute between Qatar and some of its Gulf and Arab neighbors," while reiterating "the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology," it said.

Meanwhile, foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain are scheduled to meet in Cairo Wednesday to discuss the standoff with Qatar and the next steps to take after receiving Doha's response.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 05:30:32|Editor: yan

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ROME, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Over 100,000 suspicious financial transactions were flagged in Italy in 2016, the Bank of Italy's Financial Intelligence Unit (UIF) said Monday.

Of these, 619 transactions were flagged as possible terrorist financing, an 127 percent increase compared to 2015, the UIF wrote in its 2016 annual report.

The report said 37 percent of the suspicious transactions were related to individuals under investigation or otherwise flagged by authorities, and about one-fifth were related to non-profit organizations that were "mostly linked to local immigrant communities".

The UIF's definition of an anomaly includes unusual amounts of money being transferred, a change in the frequency of such operations, and the kind and the location of the receiving counterpart.

These included money transfers abroad "to geographical areas that are held to be at high risk of terrorism", i.e. are marked by political instability and/or border on conflict areas, according to the UIF report.

"The significant increase in reports of operations suspected of financing terrorism indicates increased awareness on the part of operators such as banks and other players," the report said.

This increased awareness leads to attention to details such as clients who appear reluctant to provide information, or whose explanations for the transfers are not convincing, and generally any sudden change in client behavior or spending patterns, it added.

Also on Monday, Italian news agency ANSA reported UIF Director Claudio Clemente as saying 90 percent of the suspicious transactions detected by the unit were considered of investigative interest by the police, and in many cases the suspicions were confirmed.

The UIF was set up in 2017 in response to a European Union directive on combating money laundering.
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 05:35:36|Editor: yan

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PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- At least one person was killed and six others injured in a shooting in southern French city of Toulouse on Monday evening, local media reported.

Several gunmen on motorcycle opened fire over a group of people in the city's Reynerie district shortly after 21:00 local time, said a regional radio, adding that two of the injured were in serious condition.
A black ribbon is tied to the Spainish national flag in the Palace of La Moncloa in Madrid, Spain, Nov. 14, 2015. Spain's Prime Minister Mariano Rajoy said Spain is solidarity with France in the wake of terror attacks on Friday night in Paris which has left more than 120 people dead. (Xinhua/Xie Haining)

MADRID, July 4 (Xinhua) -- The Danish national of Syrian origin arrested in Malaga on Friday for being a member of the Islamic State (DAESH) is considered to be "one of the most dangerous jihadists arrested in Spain," the Spanish Interior Ministry said on Monday.

The detainee, who has been sent to preventive prison without bail, has been named as 27-year-old Ahmed Samsam.

He traveled to Spain on June 14, a day before he was due to have begun a prison sentence in Denmark, after spending three years fighting in Syria.

The Spanish Interior Ministry reported that the fact that Samsam had "returned from the conflict zone, added to his experience in the use of arms and explosives and the high level of radicalization," made him so dangerous.

It added that on arrival in Spain Samsam had begun "actively searching for a means to purchase arms and protective material, such as bulletproof vests."

Monday also saw Spanish Interior Minister Juan Ignacio Zoido host a G4 meeting with the Interior Ministers of France, Morocco and Portugal in Seville, southern Spain.

He highlighted the importance of the G4 group of Mediterranean countries as "a useful forum."

"It has allowed us to get even closer to our respective security forces and to strengthen and intensify the cooperation in the fight against terrorism, organized crime and drug trafficking and to allow us to work together in the management of migratory flows, based on shared responsibility," said the minister.

The four interior ministers signed a joint statement agreeing to continue and increase their cooperation in the above matters, which Zoido described as "another step forward in the joint work of the G4".
Source: Xinhua| 2017-07-04 06:05:47|Editor: yan

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PARIS, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Two armed men opened fire on a group of people in southern French city of Toulouse on Monday evening, killing one person and injuring six others in a likely drug trafficking affair, local media reported.

The two men on motorcycle shot dead a man and injured others in the city's Reynerie district before running away, said Europe1 broadcaster.

Two of the injured people were in serious situation, according to the report.

"No hypothesis is excluded but there is no terrorist element at this stage," regional authorities were quoted as saying.

Citing a source close to the investigation, the broadcaster said the shooting is likely linked with settlement of old scores between gangs.
A Pakistani soldier displays hand grenades recovered during an operation against terrorists in northwestern Pakistan's Khyber Agency, Oct. 8, 2015. (Xinhua/Umar Qayyum)

LISBON, July 4 (Xinhua) -- Portuguese President Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa has called for an immediate investigation into the recent theft of a large quantity of hand grenades and other military equipment from an arms depot in the center of Portugal.

The haul was found to be missing on Wednesday from a weapons storage unit in Tancos, some 130 km northeast of Lisbon after military personnel conducting a routine patrol of the premises discovered evidence of a break-in.

Rebelo de Sousa is demanding a full investigation into the arms theft, which is reported to have comprised 57 kg of plastic explosives, a quantity of tear gas, 44 rocket launchers and over 130 hand grenades.

Commenting on the theft, the Portuguese president said: "Undoubtedly, we must thoroughly investigate all the facts and responsibilities concerning this case," adding that "similar incidents have been reported in other NATO countries over the past two years, one of which happened only a few months ago," without specifying the countries in which these incidents took place.

Following a meeting with United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres on Monday, Portuguese Foreign Minister Augusto Santos Silva said the incident was "very serious" and that "every possible effort is being made to recover the stolen equipment."

Five Portuguese generals based at Tancos depot have been temporarily relieved of their duties pending an investigation, while border patrols and other security forces around the country have been put on maximum alert.
Police zero in on suspects

Pictures of the three men began circulating on social media on Saturday, along with information saying that the men were seen abandoning the car which was stolen from Mohammeds house after she was killed.

Police sources told Newsday that no report of anyone being seen with the stolen vehicle was made to the police.

Senior Superintendent Macdonald Jacob yesterday warned the public against sharing information without properly verifying it first.

We have to be careful when we share information of that sort, said Jacob Some of the information that is being shared about this case is based on conjecture.

Some people have created a scenario without the proper information to support it. Sometimes when information like this is spread and the information is wrong, it serves to impede the progress of the police investigation.

Certain elements may even use this false information to point police in the wrong direction. We will share info about our investigations on our official Facebook page and our weekly police press briefing. Jacob said that the investigation is ongoing and police will soon have a suspect in custody.
Facebook poster in police custody

Mohammed, 34, was detained by police on Saturday night and taken to the San Fernando CID offices for questioning.

Mohammeds post on Friday went viral and evoked strong condemnation.

Mohammed later apologised for the offending post, saying he was  truly and deeply regretful. He said the post was made in anger.

I meant no harm or malicious intent to anyone in the Rowley family, Mohammed said he was angered by the state of crime in the country and what appeared to be a lack of concern from those in authority.

The offending post was also immediately removed.

Up to late yesterday, Mohammed was still being questioned by police officers.

A senior police officer told Newsday investigators will await instructions from the DPP after the file is submitted.
Woman arrested for abusing naked toddler

Newsday understands that the video was taken about a year ago .

From what was seen in the video it appears that the child was being abused because of some money that apparently went missing .

In the video the woman was seen hitting the child, a toddler, with a handbag while cursing at the child. The crying, naked toddler was then seen lying on the ground in a room of the Sangre Grande house, while the woman cursed and threatened to kill everyone in the house. A person in the background could also be heard saying, I cant stand seeing this. I have to get out of here. The woman, who is said to be a security guard, was also seen snatched up the child, and dragged him out of the house. She threw the naked child out into the street. She then took a sum of money and threw it out into the street at the child .

Look the (expletive) rest .

Whoever wants it, look the rest, the woman could be heard saying .

The video later depicted a neighbour walking with the child back to the house, however, the child seemed to be afraid to go back. The Child Protection Unit of the TT Police Service intervened yesterday and took the toddler and other children into their care .

Minister of Gender and Child Affairs Ayanna Webster-Roy said yesterday that the video not only showed that the child was being abused, but that the abuser may herself need help .

She (the abuser) may have some psychological issues that she may need to treat with. I would call for an approach, not only from the childrens authority but from other government bodies to intervene and ensure that the home gets the right intervention so that when the child is re-integrated into the home that there is a wholesome environment. said Webster-Roy yesterday at the 100 th anniversary of the St Marys Childrens Home, held at the St Marys Church in Tacarigua. Police have not yet laid any charges against the woman .
7 arrested for businessmans kidnapping

The man who police described as the mastermind behind the kidnapping from Picton Road Laventille, another man from Le Platt Village Maraval and a 17-year-old female in company with a six-month-old baby boy were detained by the joint team of officers.

Yesterday Assistant Commissioner of Police (Crime) Irwin Hackshaw told Newsday that officers from the Criminal Gang and Intelligence Unit (CGIU), Port of Spain CID and the Inter-Agency Task Force, acting on information, went to the guest house at about 5.30 pm on Saturday and surrounded the establishment.

Officers searched two rooms and detained the three suspects who were in possession of cash, cell phones and other valuables.

The trio was taken to the Central Police Station and later separated to be questioned by officers of the CGIU.

The baby was handed over to a relative.

Newsday understands that four other suspects from in and around the Port of Spain area were also detained on Saturday night.

All seven suspects were taken to different police stations yesterday and are being questioned by a joint team of officers.

The arrest of the seven suspects came after hours of surveillance following Laings release on Thursday afternoon.

ACP Hackshaw yesterday commended and singled out officers of the CGIU along with Acting ACP Radcliffe Boxhill and ASP Ajith Persad for working around the clock in ensuring the arrest of the suspects.

The public also came into high praise from ACP Hackshaw who said the vital information shared proved to be of great assistance to investigators.

Police believe that the three suspects detained at Alicias Guest House had been staying there since Thursday. Yesterday employees of Alicias Guest house said they had no knowledge that the three suspects in Laings kidnapping were staying at the guest house and were surprised when police surrounded the area on Saturday.

Laing, 33, the owner of Puff n Stuff chain of bakeries was snatched from outside his San Fernando branch around 3 am on Thursday. Relatives were contacted by a kidnapper who demanded TT$270,000 for his safe return. Relatives first went to Phase 1 in Beetham and paid TT$30,000 to the kidnappers and shortly before 5 pm on Thursday paid TT$240,000.

The bag containing the cash was placed on the pavement on TATECO Credit Union in Barataria shortly before five pm on Saturday. Laing was released shortly after. The businessman is now back safely with his family.
Jeremie lauds Manning as a hero

Our heroes are men of large accomplishments such as Dr Williams, Dr Rudranath Capildeo and Butler. I dear say we must now add Patrick Manning (to that list), said former Attorney General John Jeremie during his tribute on the one year anniversary of the late prime minister Patrick Manning. A special tribute was held at the St Pauls Anglican Church yesterday.

Jeremie in his tribute asked the congregation to consider Mannings role in the political landscape for several decades.

His historic presence was a testament to the use of power, he said.

Jeremie said Mannings concern was centered towards the use of the power he had in furtherance of social and economic objectives.

He also said Manning possessed a strength which he passed on to his people so that they could withstand difficult times.

He was able to marshall the midnight and the high noon.

When at high noon out tempted ignorance he would call the midnight to speak to him about his limitations. When power tempted corruption, the memory of midnight would anchor him and serve to his benefit, Jeremie said.

Manning, he said, was in the end faithful to his vision and purpose.

All so often he cut a solitary face, in retrospect we could safely say that his concern for justice and his sensibility drove him throughout his time in public office, he said.

He urged friends and supporters of the late prime minister to remind themsevels that they should not forget Mannings mission for if they do they run the risk of failing to meet future challenges.

Today as we reflect on his life, we look to a country that will resembles his dream. A country where natural beauty is maintained together with social stability. A country that is defined by caring and love, he said. That, he says, was Manning vision for the country.

We have as a nation mourn his death but because of the political party, his wife and his children and his friends, we remember the causes for which he gave his life are very much an issue in our nation, he said. He also reminded that Manning was a noble servant of the fellowship in the church, the city of San Fernando and the country.

As noble as Patrick Manning was the challenge that is before us lies in the continuation of his lifes work, he said. He also outlined Mannings commitment to the development of the economic platform for social welfare and to industry and to oil and gas economy.

He took bold initiatives to liberalise the foreign exchange regime and his drive to shift the economy away from gas and oil, Jeremie said. He also praised Mannings Vision 2020 for the country.

Today more than ever we stand in need of strength and stability, a nation unsure and divided looks again to us as a movement for leadership.

Fifty year ago John F Kennedy said a nation reveals itself not only by the men it produces but also by the men it honors, he said.

Manning was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia on June 30, 2016, and he died at the San Fernando General Hospital on July 2, 2016, six weeks before his 70th birthday
Midday rains leave PoS underwater

Street and flash flooding occurred along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway into Port of Spain and numerous streets in the capital city were under several feet of water.

In the St Anns/ Cascade districts a deluge of water and mud rained down from the hillsides leaving many residents worried about the structural integrity of their homes.

Businessman Gary Aboud, managing director of Mode Alive fabric store on Frederick Street in Port of Spain said he was forced to close his business after several inches of water entered his establishment.

Our capital city floods every rainy season, every year and pedestrians are made to suffer.

After decades of energy wealth, we fail at even the simplest organised management and preparedness of basic recurring events like flash flooding and heavy rains.

Will we ever get it right? Aboud asked in a post on his business Facebook page.

In a statement yesterday, the Ministry of Works said a technical team had been dispatched to conduct preliminary assessments in affected areas with an aim of providing immediate relief to residents.

Residents have been advised to visit the ministrys website at www.mowt.gov.tt to identify all infrastructural issues so that the the relevant agencies can be sent to provide the necessary assistance in the shortest possible time frame.

Over the last couple of weeks parts of south Trinidad were under flood waters following the passage of Tropical Storm Bret on June 20.

Clean up operations are still ongoing in affected areas.
Prime Minister: It is for the police to protect citizens

Whether we like it or not, there are people in this country who chose criminal conduct as the way of life and there are people who end up committing crime. There are those who plan to commit crime and execute their plan. One of the crimes that is disturbing to the national public is violent crime.

Those who would have committed those crimes would be held accountable for their actions.

I am a firm believer in the interpretation that one of the things that would encourage criminal conduct in Trinidad and Tobago is the view in the minds of citizens that if they commit crime, there is a very good chance that the crime would not be detected. That has to be a catalyst for committing crime, he said.

Speaking Friday at the opening ceremony for the Maracas, St Joseph Police Station, Rowley said if someone believed they could commit a crime and have a very good chance of not being detected, they would make that decision to commit the crime.

Pointing out the tragic murders of Hafeeza Mohammed and 13-yearold Lennon Subar, Rowley asked what was the role of the police in preventing that to happen.

We in the Government, we in the Police Service, we want to say to those persons, if you think about committing that crime think twice because we are going to detect you and prosecute you to the highest of the law.

That must be a standard in this country, not today or next week or next month, it has to be a sustained response of the people of TT.

We have no other option.

It is the police and the security agencies we have to depend on to protect us from those who have chosen crime as a way of life., the Prime Minister said.

He said the Constitution spelled out who was responsible for what.

I have the executive, I have the Cabinet. There are some people who feels the Prime Minister can do anything and I must know everything, and I could be involved in anything. The Constitution circumscribes the role of the Cabinet in the same way the Constitution spells out who will secure the State in terms of dictating an office, Rowley said.

He said the Commissioner of Police was not subject to take instructions from anybody in the Executive. He said even the minister had to be careful how he related to the Commissioner of Police.

The very same people who want the minister and the Prime Minister to go out and drive this horse down the track, if we take basket... because it is the same people who will point out the executive because he has stepped out of bounds.

We have to know where our boundary is in the Constitution.

As Prime Minister I acknowledge the role and responsibility of the Commissioner of Police and I have said from day one as Prime Minister, I will hold the police responsible in what they have to do. That is why we have to continue at every level, from the Cabinet right down to the constable, to accept the police and their work, he said.

This beautiful valley and all that it holds will be destroyed if the criminal element is not held in check, and the criminality and general misconduct is not restrained . It is a small number of people acting with impunity, carrying whatever they carry, drugs, firearms to destroy. You as police officers, you stand between those people and the rest of the national community and preserve Mara
Ramsaroop family cries for help

Seema Ramsaroop, 39, and her ten children from were ordered out of the home on on June 24. Up to this day we are still trying to live in my mothers small house because we have no place to go, Seema said.

Seemas mother,Sandra Ramsaroop, who lives in Princes Town, took in her daughter and her family following a family dispute.

Sandra is today appealing to the Housing Minister Randell Mitchell to assist her daughter whom she says is helpless.

Seemas grand children, 18-month-old twins Rahesh and Sahesh Rampersad, have been sleeping on the porch of their great grandmothers home with their parents, Sarah and Ramnath Rampersad.

Ramsaroop said she shared a common-law relationship with her husband Krishna Rampersad for 23 years and he died four months ago.

The family members are in dispute over property but I know my husbands name is in the will and his children should benefit from this, she said. Her children range from ages 3 to 21 years-old.

According to Ramsaroop all her household items were removed from her property in Couva and transported to the home of her mother, several miles away in Princes Town.

She says her stove and television set were destroyed in the moving process. Up to yesterday, Seemas belonging lay at the side of the road covered with black plastic.

Three of Seemas children attend schools in Couva with two in secondary school and the other in primary school. Since the family left Couva the children are unable to attend school.

Sandra said her daughter (Seema) approached the MP for Princes Town Barry Padarath who told her she must have an income in order to get government housing.

My sons look for work cutting lawns and I am unable to work.

This is why we are crying out for help, she said.
TT lacks humanity

He warned that criminal acts were likely to increase since, according to him, the government has no plan or strategy in place to treat the multifaceted contributors to the crime scourge.

Abdulah was speaking at a press conference at the MSJs offices at St Joseph Village, San Fernando, yesterday.

He said the Peoples National Movement (PNM) government has been in office for nearly two years and have failed to implement any strategies or plans to combat crime in the country.

It is clear the government has no plan or strategy to deal with the multifaceted contributors to crime and there is no single factor that causes crime in this country, but we dont have a sense of strategy addressing each one of those factors there is no sense of hope, he said.

Abdulah bemoaned there was no sense of hope that things will get better within the next month or six months.

When people lose hope the society becomes more doomed than how it was before and now there is a break down of sense of value and respect for human life, he said. Abdulah said a society was judged by how the most vulnerable were treated.

If we cannot treat the most vulnerable with respect care and concern, it says something about the soul of our country which has being eroded and destroyed from within.

This did not just happen one week ago, but this process has been ongoing for a period of time and unless we come to grip with the fundamental issues and have strategies being implemented, we are not getting anywhere, he said.

Speaking on other issues, Abdulah described the recent Cabinet reshuffle as an illusion.

Cabinet reshuffling only creates the illusion that change is going to happen and things are going to be better managed more efficiently, but those things are illusions and no fundamental changes and nothing fundamental will come out of this, he said.
Sinanan: Two ferries for US$49,000 per day

Sinanan said The Cargo Star will arrive in TT in mid July. It can carry 120 passengers plus cargo, to suit the needs of citizens of Trinidad and Tobago.

It has been chartered for one year at a cost of US$22,500 per day. A passenger vessel, the Ocean Flower is expected to arrive in Trinidad on July 17.

This vessel has been charted for one year at a cost of US$26,500 per day. In a supplemental query, Caroni East MP Dr Tim Gopeesingh, asked if the two ships had been leased by way of a tender? Sinanan replied, On several occasions I have indicated that the Government found itself in a situation where the cargo vessel was pulled from service, and the Port Authority had to use all the vessels that were available at that point in time. There was a tender issued. That tender however was not subscribed to. We got one tenderer.

The Port Authority again used the services of local agents. They looked at what was submitted to the Port.

Hence why a charter was signed for one year, with the expectation that a new tender will be going out very shortly. Gopeesingh posed another supplemental.

Are you saying that in the acquisition of these two vessels there has been no tender and it was sent directly to a local agent without any tendering process by the local agent?.

Sinanan replied, I think I was very clear as to the process used and any further information Im sure the Port can submit in writing to you. Sinanan, later in reply to a listed question from Pointe-a- Pierre MP David Lee, revealed that the Sea Lots Walkover will cost $10.7 million and will be ready by September.

Sinanan said the cost is actually below the initial engineers estimates, and the process had seen tender bids made by nine contractors, the highest bid of which was $17 million.
Deyalsingh: We spray flooded areas

Deyalsingh said, Tropical Storm Bret made its way over TT on June 18 and 19. By Thursday June 22, 90 percent of the flooded areas were already assessed. He listed actions begun by Friday June 23.

St George East, St Helena and Madras ULV spraying over about 1,000 homes.

Perifocal work started.

Biocidal spraying was done, Deyalsingh related.

ULV refers to Ultra Low Volume or fogging spraying.

Caroni: The area of Madras Settlement was addressed by perifocal work. Victoria West: Woodland and environs were treated by both perifocal work and residual spraying. Perifocal work means placing insecticide at sites where mosquitos breed such as stagnant water.

Residual spraying applies long-term chemicals to walls and roofs of houses to act against adult mosquitoes.

He said the local government corporations first had to wash down their areas, after which the Insect Vector Unit had gone in and done biocide spraying, plus residual spraying to keep adult mosquitos at bay for at least three weeks.

Victoria East: Kanhai Road and Oropouche River Road in the Barrackpore community were visited by nine perifocal workers. Work was done, Deyalsingh continued.

St Patrick East: Clarke Road, Penal Rock Road in Penal community were visited.

St Patrick West: Icacos, Fullerton and Bonasse were visited.

Nar iva/Mayar o : Same thing. Deyalsingh then listed vector control activities for the coming week, starting this weekend.

County Caroni and flood-affected areas in the Tunapuna/Piarco Regional Corporation: Caparo, Oropune, La Horquetta. Perifical work is continuing. We are also doing work with schools. We are collaborating with the regional corporations.
Suruj: PM cannot delegate responsibility on crime

Mr Prime Minister you are responsible for the people ton whom you have delegated authority. He was speaking in the Lower House on Friday on an Opposition motion on crime.

He criticised Government for spending 21 months blaming the previous administration to solve the problems of today and tomorrow but the country is fed up of this. He said the Government had declared they are in charge and we have to deal with it but the population is responding that they are not dealing with crime.

He pointed out Agriculture Minister Clarence Rambharats statements in Parliament that he was not a fan of the police and they are part of the critical failure of the criminal justice system could demotivate and demoralising officers.

He added that the Prime Minister has not minced words with his criticisms of the Police Service.

He asked rhetorically that when senior government memebrs express disatisfaction with police service and they are in charge via the National Security Ministry and the National Security Council what that leave for citizens? Rambachan said he takes issue with statements that crime fighting is police work and not government work but everything is government work.

Ministers cannot escape their responsibilities. He said that the Prime Minister seems to think that he has delegated responsibility on crime.

I must admit that I have reached the point that when I look at the Prime Minister and I look at how the Prime Minister is running the affairs of the country and by what he says that he is happy that he has achieved the goal of Prime Minister but he is very disinterested in the role of Prime Minister.

He said that when delegate authority you have to provide with resources.

If you want police to solve crime you do not do that simply by increasing the number of crime investigators to 60 you know. You have to say what support they really need to crack the crime. Rambachan said he had been complaining about the chaos in Chaguanas to the National Security Minister but nothing has been done to alleviate the situation.

He also expressed horror at the crime that is taking place on our very doorsteps. Rambachan said we shudder and tremble at the murder of a 13 year-old boy in a brutal manner, a reference to the killing of Videsh Subar in Malabar. He said, however, that while he drove through Chaguanas people were going about business as usual and questions whether we have become numb as country and have such a short memory since the last murder.

Earlier in the debate Port-of-Spain North/St Anns West MP Stuart Young said when he heard of the heinous crime (in Malabar) he looked at his son at home and felt a sense of despair.

He said that it pains him when he hears of a citizen affected by crime.

As a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago and now someone who has been given the responsibility and has the knowledge of what it is were faced with it pains me because like everyone else in this house I have family. And everytime any citizen of Trinidad and Tobago is affected by crime, as we have seen over the last couple of days, it does genuinely pain me as the representative for Port of Spain North/St Anns West but more importantly as a citizen of Trinidad and Tobago.

Because...any patriotic citizen of Trinidad and Tobago would want to be part of the solution and not part of the problem. He said that Government is not passing the responsibility on crime to the law enforcement agencies but that is their statutory responsibility.

I have no power of search and arrest. He continued: I am not a police officer.

I do not have the ability to go and investigate crime and prosecute crime. So why is it those on the other side are criticising us when we say it is the police service must do that.

That is what the laws of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago say.
Since he first shocked fans with news of his retirement in 2013, Studio Ghibli director and beloved animator Hayao Miyazaki has been back in the studio numerous times, whether it's just out of habit, to work on his next short animated film, or to prepare for one more full-length animated feature.

And so it seems fitting that the documentary about the man who just can't give up animation is titled "Owaranai Hito" - literally "One Who Doesn't End."

The cover of the DVD shows Miyazaki in his natural state of "not ending."

The documentary, which aired last year as an NHK special, follows the famed director over two years as he worked on "Kemushi no Boro" (Boro the Caterpillar), the short animation that will be exclusively aired at the Studio Ghibli Museum, and as he moved forward with plans to create another full-length film.
Prices of land facing major streets in Japan as of Jan. 1 grew 0.4 pct from a year before on average, up for the second consecutive year, the National Tax Agency said Monday.

The roadside land prices at the beginning of a year are used to calculate inheritance and gift taxes.

The price of land in front of Kyukyodo, a classic stationary shop in the posh Ginza district in central Tokyo, was highest in the country for the 32nd straight year. The price hit a record high of 40.32 million yen per square meter, exceeding the previous record of 36.5 million yen marked in 1992 just after the collapse of the asset-driven bubble economy.

Some real estate industry people say that Ginza land prices may peak soon. But others say the prices are likely to remain stable until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, with hotel construction projects under way.


Gone is the era when Separatist proponents took advantage of Moroccos absence from the African Union to plot against Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara. The recently found and deserved membership of the African Union offered Morocco a podium to outspokenly voice its legitimate stands and block attempts by the adversaries of its territorial integrity, led by Algeria, which has for long used the Pan-African organization to serve its hegemonic agenda.

On July 1, the Moroccan delegation taking part at the Executive Council of the African Union, held ahead of the 29th AU Summit, managed to block a report of the AUs Human Rights Commission, comprising clauses violating Moroccos territorial sovereignty by stipulating a human rights monitoring mission in the Southern Provinces, the Sahara.

The Moroccan delegation requested omitting or amending the clauses on sending a human rights monitoring mission to the Sahara. The call to amend the clauses in question was endorsed by 16 of Moroccos allies in the continental organization: Comoros, Sao Tome, Gabon, Madagascar, Swaziland, Cote DIvoire, Equatorial Guinea, Burkina Faso, Malawi, Gambia, Senegal, Benin, Guinea Bissau, Central African Republic and Cap Verde. On the other hand, the amendment was rejected by Algeria and its puppet the SADR entity as well as South Africa and the countries turning in its orbit: Namibia, Botswana, Zimbabwe and Lesotho.

For its part, Nigeria, which has signed with Morocco a landmark gas pipeline agreement, has proposed its mediation in order to find a compromise.

On the sidelines of the AU meeting, Moroccos foreign Minister Nasser Bourita held talks with several African peers on issues of mutual interest. The diplomatic efforts engaged by Morocco at the continental level are part of a long term vision that aims at steadily securing the political support of African states to Moroccos territorial integrity.

Morocco also has the ambition of chairing the African Unions most powerful body, the Peace and Security Council, which has been monopolized by Algeria for years. The Council, under Algerias presidency, was used as a propaganda podium by the separatist proponents to the detriment of the UN settlement process and Moroccos autonomy initiative.

In this regard, Nasser Bourita met counterparts from Nigeria, Egypt, the Comoros and Zambia. The talks tackled the means to further boost bilateral ties, notably at the levels of joint economic projects, such as the Atlantic gas pipeline that will channel Nigerian gas to Morocco through the coast of several West African states.

The project is seen a vector for regional integration and a basis for boosting a south-south cooperation model championed by King Mohammed VI.

The Moroccan press also reported that Bourita raised with his Egyptian counterpart the prospects for a future Royal visit to Egypt.

Moroccos return to its institutional African family is viewed by most African states as a qualitative step that will add momentum to the actions of the continental organization.

Echoing these views, Tanzanian Foreign minister Augustine Philip Mahiga told the press following talks with Bourita in Addis Ababa that Moroccos experience is conducive to improving the AU actions in terms of promoting peace on the continent.

The Tanzanian minister paid tribute to the Moroccan forces for their contribution to safeguarding the territorial integrity of several African states, recalling in particular Moroccos peacekeeping forces in the then Zaire republic.

Guinean Foreign Minister and Chairperson of the Executive Council of the Pan-African Organization, Hadja Makale Camara, said in a statement to the press that with Moroccos presence in its institutional family, Africa is now reunified.

Our expectations are none other than African unity, an indivisible and prosperous Africa, Hadja Makale Camara said just after the opening ceremony of the 31st session of the Au Executive Council in the Ethiopian capital.

Last July, prior to Moroccos official membership at the AU, 28 African member countries out of 54 submitted a motion calling for an immediate suspension of the membership of the self-proclaimed SADR, which was illegally admitted in 1984 through the illegitimate use of threats, deceit, coercion and dirty petrodollar money by Algeria in a Cold War context.

According to several analysts, after Moroccos reintegration into the African Union, it is just a matter of time and formality before the suspension of the separatist SADR entity, which is not recognized by the UN.

With its return to the Continental organization, Rabat has also gained a venue for sharing its economic, political and security model that will break away with the dominant ideological rhetoric in the organization in favor of a south-south African cooperation model permeated by solidarity and co-development.

Thanks to its forward-looking strategies for social, human and economic development, and its active Africa foreign policy that matches words with concrete co-development projects, Morocco is now poised to usher a new era in the African Union together with its friends and allies.
King Mohammed VI made the case, in a speech to the African Union leaders, for the emergence of a New Africa that is able to turn its youth potential and the institutional challenges it faces into development opportunities.

In the speech, read out by the Kings brother Prince Moulay Rachid at the 29th African Union Summit, the Monarch reaffirmed faith in the continent, reiterating Moroccos commitment to contribute to the emergence of a New Africa; a strong, daring Africa that defends its interests; an Africa that is influential on the world stage.

The Moroccan Monarch, who paid over 50 visits to nearly 30 African countries since coming to power in 1999, stressed that the New Africa he yearns for should break away with ideological slogans in favor of a a solid, pragmatic vision.

The King pointed to a host of pressing challenges that Africa needs to overcome, on top of which security challenges marked by the surge of non-state actors and the proliferation of transnational terrorism and violent extremism.

Addressing such challenges requires collective efforts. Therefore, the King highlighted the importance for a metamorphosis of the African Union conducive to ushering concrete, resolute action in peace-building, security and human development.

Key to Africas emergence is institutional overhaul, noted the king, specifying that the reform of African institutions should be geared to enable the continent to respond fully and decisively to the challenges faced.

In this respect, he pointed to the pertinence of the proposals submitted by Rwandas President Paul Kagame in a report, which contains crucial recommendations for finding solutions guaranteeing the future of the African Union.

The King added that Morocco, alongside sister nations, advocates a transformative vision of the African Union that entails a reform of the African Union. Describing the continental organization reform as a flagship project, he promised that Morocco would be actively involved in this reform project.

Our institutional family must aim for greater efficiency and a streamlining of the pan-African organization in order to be in step with the expectations of African populations, he explained, emphasizing the urgent character of such a reform in order to address the enormous stakes involved and the immense challenges to which our continent must rise.

In his speech, the King also attached a special attention to the pressing issue of youth-policy as a lever for the emergence of a new Africa. He underscored the need for using the demographic dividend to add impetus to the continent emergence.

Youth is a godsend for Africa; it makes it possible for the continent to benefit from a young, educated and abundant labor force to drive the continents economic growth, he said, noting that African youth aged between 15 and 24 will reach 400 million by 2050.

The Monarch gave statistics showing the scale of unemployment on the continent where 11 million young Africans enter the job market every year but only 3 million find work.

Education, according to the King, represents an adequate solution to unlocking youth potential in the continent through the adoption of a proactive policy whose three watchwords are education, higher education and vocational training of the highest quality.

King Mohammed VI urged in this vein that sustained and judicious investment be geared towards education, health, vocational training and employment. Investing in young people, who account for nearly two-thirds of Africas population, is crucial. It calls for appropriate training, smooth, well-regulated integration into the job market and the ability to take initiatives in order to create wealth, to showcase ones talents and to contribute to the continents progress and development.

Creating jobs and offering promising prospects for the youth is instrumental in hampering the recruitment of unemployed youth by rebel movements and extremist or terrorist groups, which are present throughout the continent, King Mohammed VI said.

Also related to youth, is the issue of migration. The Moroccan monarch regretted that migration whether legal or illegal inflicts an unjustified loss of a precious resource for Africa.

As the Leader who, at the 28th AU Summit, was put in charge of the question of migration, I intend to submit a paper focusing on the need to lay out a common African Vision on migration and the related stakes and challenges. What we need to do, above all, is to change our perception of migration and see it not as a constraint or threat, but as a positive element. Since time immemorial, has migration not been a factor of rapprochement between peoples and civilizations?, said the King.

He added that thwarting the youth from risking their lives in illegal migration attempts requires working together to develop an African Agenda on this question that includes a common vision of the ways and means of dealing with the question of migration, both within our continent and in international forums.

The speech was also permeated by Moroccos south-south cooperation approach as the King reiterated that Morocco has faith in Africas ability to reinvent itself and to unleash a momentum of its own. Given the obvious limitations of classic North-South cooperation in the bid to rise to the challenge of an emerging Africa, our continent should make greater use of inter-African cooperation and of strategic, solidarity-based partnerships between sister nations.

Prince Moulay Rachid leads the Moroccan delegation taking part in the 29th Summit of the African Union, which opened on July 3 in Addis Ababa under the theme: Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth.

This summit is the first attended by Morocco since it returned to its institutional family last January after 33 years of absence.

The two-day summit will be deliberating a set of key issues including AU financing and institutional reform, and terrorism, one of the major challenges of the moment for the African Union.

Another highlight of the summit is the fight for peace and security in the Sahel, South Sudan, Somalia We must silence the weapons by 2020, said the Chairperson of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat.
A Russian compound in Long Island. Photo: EDUARDO MUNOZ ALVAREZ/AFP/Getty Images

The Kremlin is running out of patience as it waits for the U.S. to return two diplomatic compounds shuttered in the waning days of the Obama administration, Vladimir Putins foreign affairs adviser said Monday.

Russia has displayed unusual flexibility on the issue, Yuri Ushakov said. But, he added, the Kremlins patience has its limits and its up to the U.S. to free Russia from the need to take retaliatory moves.

The compounds were seized from Russian control in December as a punishment for the Kremlins meddling in the 2016 presidential election. Located in Long Island, New York, and coastal Maryland, the properties were being used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes, President Obama said at the time.

In early June, the Trump administration was reportedly considering handing the properties back to Moscow in exchange for lifting a ban on building a new U.S. consulate in St. Petersburg. Since then, new details have emerged about what those compounds were used for. Despite Russias claim that theyre just giant rec rooms for its diplomats, U.S. officials discovered some disconcerting items when the properties were vacated last year, CBS News reported last month.

Among the destroyed materials discovered at the compounds were antennas, electronics, computers, file cabinets and other gear, according to a former official. Other material was missing.

Officials also told CBS news that the compounds were significant listening posts and centers of intelligence gathering  not crash pads filled with foosball tables.

Russia has grown increasingly annoyed with the U.S. for its refusal to return the compounds, and last week a Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson said, Retaliatory measures are being prepared. The topic is expected to be on the agenda for President Trumps meeting with Putin later this week on the sidelines of the G20 summit.
A special election gives Democrats a chance for a state government trifecta in Washington  and some national momentum going into the 2018 midterms. Photo: KingWu/Getty Images

With no competitive congressional special elections left on the calendar for 2017, restless political speculators  and, in particular, disappointed Democrats looking for a clear W after a series of close special-election losses  are focusing on a state legislative race in Washington that could flip control of that states senate and give the Donkey Party its third West Coast trifecta. (It already controls the governorships and both legislative chambers in both California and Oregon.)

The venue for this race is culturally very different from the heartland locations in Kansas, Montana, Georgia, and South Carolina, where the competitive House special elections were held. The 45th Senate district is in Seattles tech-heavy Eastside suburbs, a wealthy and diverse area. The candidates are a bit different too, with Republicans staking their hopes on a Korean-American woman and former Bitcoin activist, Jinyoung Lee Englund, while most Democrats are backing King County prosecutor Manka Dhingra, an Indian-American woman.

The district tilts Democratic in most elections. (Hillary Clinton beat Donald Trump there by better than a two-to-one margin, and the area is represented by two Democrats in the state house.) But Republican Andy Hill narrowly won the Senate seat in 2010 and 2014, and his death last year is what made the 2017 special election necessary; under Washingtons unusual procedures for filling legislative vacancies, King County Republicans appointed former two-time gubernatorial candidate Dino Rossi to the post pending the special election. Primaries will be held on August 1, and the general election on November 7. If Dhingra wins, then  barring a big upset in another special election  the Democrats will gain control of the state Senate, which is currently held by Republicans in coalition with a conservative Democrat.

Both candidates appear to be pretty good at raising money, but supply could well outstrip the demand, as Politico explains:

Republican Jinyoung Lee Englund and Democrat Manka Dhingra have already raised about $500,000 each, more than all but four Washington state Senate candidates in last years full election cycle. By the November election, observers estimated that the total price tag for the seat  and control of the state Senate  could reach or exceed $10 million, an enormous sum for a single state legislative race.

The national party committees, and particularly the branches that focus on state legislative elections (the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and the Republican State Leadership Committee), are very committed to this race. Democrats appear to welcome its nationalization, given Trumps manifest unpopularity in the district. Englunds message is that Republican control of the state Senate is the only thing standing in the way of sinister Democratic plans to enact a state personal-income tax (which Dhingra says she opposes) and other soak-the-rich levies. Democratic climate-change activism is another potentially important issue, which Englund is probably alluding to when she attacks Seattle-style politicians [who] want to get rid of cars. A possible sleeper issue in this battle between two Asian-American women is cultural: Pro-choice groups are already strongly backing Dhingra, and they accuse Englund of harboring extremist anti-abortion views. (She is, among other things, a former staffer for conservative U.S. rep Cathy McMorris Rodgers.)

From a national point of view, however, all that matters about these two candidates is their party ID and the opportunity to claim off-year momentum. That is apparently worth millions, and another investment of partisan emotion.
Trumpcare dies in daylight. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

After the New York Times reported last Tuesday that President Trump wasnt even aware that the GOP health-care bill cuts taxes on the wealthy, the president hit back the next morning on Twitter:

Some of the Fake News Media likes to say that I am not totally engaged in healthcare. Wrong, I know the subject well & want victory for U.S.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 28, 2017

Another president might have responded by holding more public events to promote the Republican health plan, or at least having his staff leak stories about his hard work on the issue behind the scenes. Instead, Trump tweeted a misleading graph about Medicaid, and revived the idea of repealing Obamacare and coming up with a replacement plan later, which hed rejected back in January. Then it appears he forgot he was supposed to be proving the media wrong about health care, and shifted his focus to making grotesque accusations about Morning Joes anchors and fantasizing about literally beating up CNN.

While President Trump promised to repeal Obamacare on Day One, hes been a terrible advocate for the GOP health plan. He frequently appears disinterested in the issue, but will occasionally make an impossible promise (much less expensive and much better heath care for all) or suddenly reverse his position (like when he proclaimed the bill that passed in the House was mean, mean, mean).

As the Washington Post notes, President Obama mounted a tremendous campaign to sell the Affordable Care Act  including a joint address to Congress, multiple town-hall meetings, and a televised Q&A at the annual GOP retreat. While we know Trump thinks Obamacare is a disaster, hes barely even discussed the positive attributes of the Republican health plan. With more salesmanship from Trump it might be polling above 12 percent.

Trump did put pressure on wavering House members to pass the American Health Care Act in May, and Sunday on Fox News Marc Short, the White House legislative affairs director, suggested that over the weekend the president was continuing to make calls to members to try to get the Senate package across the finish line. He said Republicans are getting close to a deal, though some GOP lawmakers suggested thats not the case.

On Meet the Press, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price insisted that the president is fully engaged on the issue, holding multiple meetings within the White House itself, with physicians, with small business groups, with other folks who have been harmed by Obamacare, with patients, individual stakeholders from across this land who tell him and have told us repeatedly that the current system is collapsing.

Price also rejected the idea that the president is too focused on his feud with the media, saying, The fact of the matter is that he can do more than one thing at a time.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer told the Post that working to build public support for his signature issue simply isnt Trumps style:

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that theres no reason Trump should follow models used by Obama or other past presidents to build public support.

You use the model that works for you, Spicer said, noting that Trump has advanced a health-care bill further in the process at this point in his term than Obama. The ACA did not pass until the second year of Obamas first term.

Weve been more efficient, Spicer said.

Thats like arguing that a wrecking ball operator is more talented than the architect who spent months designing the building, but Spicer does have a point. Even if President Trump were capable of arguing the merits of the bill in an hour-long debate with Democrats, that wouldnt help it succeed. As Majority Leader Mitch McConnells secret drafting process confirms, he knows that the key to getting the health bill through the Senate is avoiding bad press and massive protests in swing districts  especially while members are home for the Fourth of July recess.

Im sitting there with a Rubiks Cube, trying to figure out how to twist the dials to get to 50 [votes] to replace this with something better than Obamacare, McConnell said during a fundraiser in Kentucky on Friday. Were going to continue to wrestle with this and try to get it done.

Its not easy making America great again, is it? McConnell added.
Photo: David McNew/Getty Images

After a brief victory lap that included mischaracterizing a Supreme Court ruling that partly favored his badly weakened travel ban, Donald Trump and his administration may again land in hot water over its enforcement, which began in earnest late on Thursday and already has lawyers scrambling to limit it further. Thats because the justices, in an unsigned opinion, issued guidelines on how exactly the federal government would be allowed to carry out the executive order  guidelines which are significantly less restrictive about who may visit U.S. citizens than Trumps administration would wish them to be.

In its watered-down form, Trumps order institutes a partial ban on travel to the U.S. for nationals of six Muslim-majority countries for 90 days, and suspends the refugee-resettlement program for 120 days. Lower courts in Maryland and Hawaii blocked these provisions in their entirety, but the Supreme Court has since reinstated them  with important limitations. The main one: The Trump administration cant shut out any traveler from the affected nations who has a bona fide relationship to a person or entity in the U.S. Thats a broad requirement that the justices repeated four times, and which should exempt from the ban just about anyone who has a documented, good-faith bond with someone already here.

What seems to have tripped up the Trump administration  and made it sweep wider than it should  was a little phrase the justices used only once to illustrate the kind of relationships that might qualify as bona fide: close familial relationship. A wife or a mother-in-law, for instance, clearly has such a relationship, the Supreme Court said. Does it naturally follow that a grandparent or an aunt  who may have helped raise the person who now wants to reunite with them on U.S. soil  clearly would not have such a relationship? In other words, should these individuals bear the full weight of the travel ban, which Trump signed to protect the nation from terrorists?

Of course they shouldnt. And just moments before the restrictions became effective, the ACLU confirmed that the government had changed its mind about some of its implementation plans relating to which visitors from the countries targeted by the ban would count as close family members of someone in the U.S. Long story short: Fiances are now considered close enough that they would not be excluded, even though a Wednesday cable sent to outposts nationwide initially left them out. But theres no word on the status of grandmothers yet. As of Saturday night, the State Department still didnt think they or grandchildren, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, brothers-in-laws and sisters-in-law  and any other extended family members made the cut.

Which in turn explains why Neal Katyal, the lawyer representing Hawaii in its travel-ban challenge, suggested on Thursday that the Trump administration may be in contempt of the Supreme Court, which never explicitly blessed such a restrictive reading of its own decision. In an emergency motion filed with the same federal judge who blocked the travel ban in March, Katyal pulled no punches:

The Government does not have discretion to ignore the Courts injunction as it sees fit. The State of Hawaii is entitled to the enforcement of the injunction that it has successfully defended, in large part, up to the Supreme Court  one that protects the States residents and their loved ones from an illegal and unconstitutional Executive Order.

In a briefing with reporters on the day the ban kicked in, the government tried to defend keeping grandmothers out by pointing to existing immigration law, which has for a really long time taken a hardline stance about who may or may not receive a visa based on a family relationship to a U.S. citizen or permanent resident. Under the Immigration and Nationality Act, in fact, grandmothers are out; I cant petition for my Chilean grandmother to come live with me, even though Im a U.S. citizen. The same for mothers-in-law. But the Supreme Court justices themselves said, when explaining what a close familial relationship means, that the U.S. cant exclude the Syrian mother-in-law of one of the Hawaii plaintiffs, an American imam.

So, what gives? As Adam Cox and Ryan Goodman break down at length in the legal blog Just Security, the Trump administrations definition of family is simply way too restrictive  far more restrictive than the Supreme Court ever intended. Whats more, the governments reading of the Supreme Courts guidance flies in the face of the very reason judges across the country put the travel ban on hold in the first place: because allowing it to be enforced would cause irreparable harm, both to the targeted noncitizens and those waiting for them here. Can the government really say with a straight face that it would be in the national interest to bar a grandmother who would like to visit the U.S. to care for a grandchild?

Never mind that the justices have historically recognized, in the constitutional realm, the importance of extended family members. The tradition of uncles, aunts, cousins, and especially grandparents sharing a household along with parents and children has roots equally venerable and equally deserving of constitutional recognition, the Supreme Court said in a 1977 case that Hawaii was wise to quote in a Thursday filing seeking to rein in the governments take on what counts as a close family member.

But theres no need to look that far back. In its ruling Monday  which is only a temporary measure before the travel ban cases are heard in October  the Supreme Court already said that [a]n American individual or entity that has a bona fide relationship with a particular person seeking to enter the country as a refugee can legitimately claim concrete hardship if that person is excluded. There may not be chaos at airports this time around, but the Trump administration could already be causing the very concrete hardship the justices warned against. Dont be surprised if the administrations lawyers  trained in parsing Supreme Court orders  find themselves spending the summer months in court, defending something they couldve easily avoided from the get-go.
You might be kicking back pool-side right now (or maybe just lounging in your pajamas watching Bravo re-runs), but in either case, todays the day to score some amazing deals for the 4th of July. We found some on-trend Dries Van Noten sunglasses, sophisticated Everlane slippers, the most adorable panda phone charger, and Isabel Marant jeans (two kinds!).

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http://prishtinainsight.com/resigning-moral-act/









The death of the political activist Astrit Dehari on November 5, 2016 in the detention center in Prizren and the way that this case is being managed shows once again that state officials in Kosovo have not been introduced to the act of resigning as a moral act.













Twenty-six year-old Dehari was held in prison for 68 days without being indicted, during which he was not interviewed once, and even that is not a sufficient reason for the prosecutor to offer his resignation. Dehari died in an institution that is managed by the Ministry of Justice, but even after three weeks, Minister Dhurata Hoxha does not think it reasonable to resign. The Kosovo Police misinformed the public with regards to the cause of death, but the Interior Minister Skender Hyseni did not think it was reasonable at all to give even the smallest explanation about the false statement of the police, let alone to resign.





In a democratic liberal system of government, a public office is limited by laws and ethical codes. In contrast to authoritarian systems, in which public officials are accountable only to the state leader, in democratic systems accountability is multi-dimensional.

Nowhere has the law ever served as a sufficient guideline to how one should exercise their public duties. In most cases, in practice the public office is exercised in a middleground between what is considered legal and illegal. It is exactly because of this middle ground that ethical codes exist to serve as guidance to those who carry the responsibility of public service and to indicate how to act in cases of moral dilemma while on duty.





The public sector in Kosovo is characterized by many ethical violations, a high level of corruption, a lack of accountability, various abuses of public posts, and an incompetence in completing the most basic jobs. Nevertheless, during these 16 years of self-government, the number of state officials that have resigned from a public post can be counted on one hand.





Moral responsibility in exercising a public duty, especially when that is a managerial position, means that one takes responsibility not only for actions, but also inactions. Moral responsibility means being held responsible for actions and inactions of your subordinates which are under your management, and not only the direct actions of the official in the managerial role. Furthermore, a resignation should be offered even in cases when the policies of the department or government one serves contradict the moral principles one upholds as an individual.





Patrick Dobel, a professor of the Evans School, in his essay The Ethics of Resigning lists three main categories of reasons for resigning: personal conviction, official responsibilities, and effectiveness. According to Dobel, a public official should resign in the case when he/she notices that the enthusiasm for exercising that public function has decreased. Official responsibility covers all those reasons for resigning that are related to the unfulfilment of promises or obligations of the office. A public official needs to resign even in cases when his/her personal abilities are not sufficient for the fulfilment of the obligations of the office he/she holds. According to Dobel, one should also resign when one is not effective due to the impossibility of garnering political and public support, even if one is professional apt and has ethical integrity.





After 50 years of public service, the Defense Secretary George C. Marshall offered his resignation to President Truman, justifying it with being exhausted by his public office. In 1995 American senator Sam Nunn decided to not run for a guaranteed seat, mentioning the lack of enthusiasm as a reason to leave public service.





During the wars in the former Yugoslavia, between 1992-1993, three high officials of the State Department responsible for Serbia (George Kenney), Bosnia (Marshall Harris) and Croatia (Stephen Walker) resigned, giving the reason that Americas decision not to intervene in Bosnia was against their moral principles. These three officials resigned from their positions although they were thousands of miles away from the wars in former Yugoslavia.





The reasons for resigning can also be completely unrelated to the public office itself. In 1967, after the media reveleaed that John Fedders had physically abused his wife, the American finance official was forced to resign, leaving a successful career in finance behind.

In Kosovo, every time the moral resignation of a public official is requested, one is reminded of the example of Fatmir Rexhepi, the former Minster of Internal Affairs and a current MP in the Kosovo Assembly. On February 10, 2007, during a Vetevendosje protest, two civilians were killed and many more wounded with rubber bullets used by UNMIK police. After the events, minister Rexhepi resigned from his office, although the UNMIK police were not even in his chain of command.

I cannot exercise an office which holds the responsibility of protecting public order, while the competences of this responsibility belong to a different institution, he said as he tendered his resignation. To this day his remains the most meaningful resignation in the history of Kosovar institutions.





The most recent resignation was that of the Director of the Construction Inspectorate in the Prishtina Municipality, Xhelal Svecla, who resigned after two young children lost their lives by falling in an open pit at a construction site. This resignation falls under the category of resignations due to the lack of action in the exercise of public office, as well as according to the professor Dobel, a resignation with the purpose of protecting the integrity of the institution and the highest official in the hieararchy, in this case the Mayor Shpend Ahmeti.

The resignation of Ferid Agani from the post of the Minister of Environment and Spatial Planning because of his actions as Minister of Health, does not count as resignation on principle.

Agani resigned after being indicted of abuse of office while he was Minister of Health. As Minister of Health, Agani issued an administrative instruction allowing public hospital patients to be transferred to private clinics in case treatment in the former was impossible. The instruction also foresaw that 70 per cent of costs in emergency cases could be covered by the Ministry in such cases. The decision paved the path for abuse with public money: 64 people, including doctors and nurses, have been indicted for corruption and abuse of office. Hundreds of patients were referred by doctors in the public sector to specific private clinics, while illegally the Ministry of Health covered 100 per cent of the expenses.

Yet, Agani considers the prosecutions indictment as a political war against him, and not as a result of wrong decision making.





Meanwhile, there are dozens of officials in Kosovos public administation whose health makes it impossible for them to fulfill the duties of their office with responsibility. Scores of other public officials are unable to exercise their duties. Many others continue to hold office although they have been implicated in a myriad of scandals, accused of abuse of office and even declared guilty by courts on such accusations.





A large number of public officials in the Prizren municipality continue to work even after multiple ethical and legal violations, from those responsible for the Historic Center, due to whose negligence a three year old girl lost her life after an old house, which should have been under institutional care, collapsed, all the way to the many abuses in the education and construction sectors. Not only do they not resign, but these officials cannot even be fired  their own boss, the Mayor of Prizren, continues to govern even though he has been declared guilty of abuse of office by a local court.





Although officials of the Ministry of Internal Affairs caused damages of up to five million euros to the Kosovo budget, nobody took the moral responsibility to resign. No one in the Ministry of Economic Development resigned, although they managed two failed processes of the privatization of the Kosovo Post and Telecom, causing a loss of millions of euros in the process. For 16 years no one resigned for mismanagement of the Ministry of Health, a sector which lacks essential medicines, while over 80 per cent of cardiologists are being accused of corruption.

Resignation cannot be regulated by laws. Resigning is a moral obligation of each individual, an act which needs be done every time that the exercise of public office is impossible because of health complications, lack of motivations, professional limitations, the lack of fulfilment of obligations and promises, the low effectivity at work, or accountability for the action or inaction of the entire department one leads.





What pushes an individual to continue holding a public office against multiple failures and scandals that accompany their work? In a country with limited opportunities for employment, financial security is one of the main actors that pushes public servants to hold on to their office, regardless of the results of their wor. A government that offers you a managerial post in the public sector is another reason why so many fight with all means to maintain their posts. The title of a minister or a director gives one power over society, family, police, courts, hospitals, and schools.





For so many, the race for high public office is simply a race to fill their resume with the most attractive job titles. This is perhaps why the public administration contains thousands of high posts starting with the title high official for photocopying, and all the way to six posts for deputy ministers. Running after the enrichment of resumes, these officials have impoverished their character.



Resignining should not be considered an act of weakness, but as an ethical action which manifests the nature of public servants in inglorious events that happen while governing. In order for citizens to regain their trust in the state administration, today more than ever, we need public servants who are both able and have character. And we need the others to resign.




https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0062382802/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 I just ordered the gentleman's guide to vice and virtue

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I just read an ARC of it and loved it!

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Ooh, this looks really good! Adding this to my to-read list.

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I need some good books to read!

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I'm open to anything

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Have you read 'Dare Me' by Megan Abbott? That's really good.

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The Neapolitan series by Elena Ferrante!



Also the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt.

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Omg sorry for the edits I don't know why the proper url didnt get copied



Edited at 2017-07-03 02:58 am (UTC) Me and milfordacademy just made a whole post yesterday of books from around the world by women! http://ohnotheydidnt.livejournal.com/106779503.html Omg sorry for the edits I don't know why the proper url didnt get copied

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The Bear and the Nightingale and A Gentleman in Moscow are the best new books I've read this year.

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Seconding The Goldfinch or the Neopolitan series



They both follow amazing characters over a long time period where you witness so much development and they feel authentic, although the Neopolitan series in particular is so interesting for the insight into women's stifling roles in Italian culture and the attempts of two young girls to reject that however they can. Plus it's so addictive and easy to read.

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Seconding the Neapolitan series rec!



If you just want sth light and fluffy, my permanent fallback is P.G. Wodehouse, Leave it to Psmith is one of my all-time faves (you don't have to read things in order or anything, it's the end of a series starting with Mike and Psmith but it still works as a standalone)

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Juliet Takes a Breath

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I just finished The Visit of the Royal Physician by Per Olov Enquist. It was SO GOOD. If you've seen A Royal Affair, it's about the same people but with a very different take on them.

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Code Name Verity and Rise Under Fire by Elizabeth Wein.

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I want to read "Fly Me" and "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo" but I'm still in my reading slump :/



Edited at 2017-07-03 12:26 am (UTC)

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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo was a disappointment.





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Ugh. That sucks.

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noooo that was going to be next on my list

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I am too. I'm struggling hard, I only read one book last month and now I'm 3 behind my goal :/

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Omg I wanted a book post yay!



I really need some recs... I've accidentally read a bunch of really heavy books lately and for the sake of my own mental health I need something lighter, fun, etc. I just can't do... like, "chick lit" (sry for the sexist term, I dunno another word for it), like no Sophie Kinsella romcom stuff.



Any suggestions are very welcome!!

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https://www.amazon.com/Vow-Celibacy-Novel-Erin-Judge/dp/1942600720



The main character is bi and plus size



Edited at 2017-07-03 12:27 am (UTC) The main character is bi and plus size

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'All we ever wanted was everything' by Janelle Brown is quite good. Or 'The Chocolate Money' by Ashley Prentice Morton.

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the long way to a small, angry planet by becky chambers

heroine complex by sarah kuhn

every heart a doorway by seanan mcguire

uprooted by naomi novik

felicia day and mamrie hart both have memoirs out and they're both light and fun

smoke gets in your eyes by caitlin doughty is a book of her experiences working in the mortuary business and the subject matter isn't light but it's not a downer either



sorry for all the recs i just went down through my goodreads for high-rated light books lol

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Bellweather Rhapsody by Kate Racculia.

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i'm almost done with Jingo by Terry Pratchett and I fucking LOVE IT! check out anything from him, its easy and fun reading

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Where'd You go Bernadette by Maria Semple.



Also The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson.

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False Hearts. Anything by Cliver Cussler. A Discovery of Witches series.

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Carrie Fisher's books are hilarious. ("Wishful Drinking", "Shockaholic" "The Princess Diarist") I remember feeling like that after reading The Girl on the Train...just needing something light-hearted afterwards.

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try The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett! The protagonist is an actual child so there's no romance (which I guess is part of why you want to avoid chick lit), it's female-centric, and it's really, really funny.



P.G. Wodehouse is also good if you like things on the lighter side. Jeeves is iconic ofc but you should def try the Psmith books, if you haven't already - Leave it to Psmith is the actual best.

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Joanne Harris is my go-to in those situations. Her books are kind of frothy but she writes well, has a genuinely feminist outlook, and even the happy endings have a bit of ambiguity to them because the men in her books are like, inherently untrustworthy lol. Chocolat (you've def seen the Depp movie), Coastliners (about a woman returning to her birthplace and a plot to reclaim a beach) and Holy Fools (set in a nunnery in the middle ages) are all good quick reads.

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I borrowed Cottonmouths from the library:



College was supposed to be an escape for Emily Skinner. But after failing out of school, she's left with no choice but to return to her small Arkansas hometown, a place run on gossip and good Christian values.



She's not alone. Emily's former best friendand childhood crushJody Monroe is back with a baby. Emily can't resist the opportunity to reconnect, despite the uncomfortable way things ended between them and her mom's disapproval of their friendship. When Emily stumbles upon a meth lab on Jody's property, she realizes just how far theyve both fallen.



Emily intends to keep her distance from Jody, but when she's kicked out of her house with no money and nowhere to go, a paying job as Jody's live-in babysitter is hard to pass up. As they grow closer, Emily glimpses a future for the first time since coming home. She dismisses her worries; after all, Jody is a single mom. The meth lab is a means to an end. And besides, for Emily, Jody is the real drug.



But when Jody's business partner goes missing, and the lies begin to pile up, Emily will learn just how far Jody is willing to go to save her own skinand how much Emily herself has risked for the love of someone who may never truly love her back.



Echoing the work of authors like Daniel Woodrell and Sarah Waters, Cottonmouths is an unflinching story about the ways in which the past pulls us back . . . despite our best efforts to leave it behind.



i don't foresee a happy gay ending here, but i'm feeling masochistic.

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this synopsis might actually make me pick up a book. meth labs? single moms? good christian values? yes ma'am

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i'm always for books that deconstruct good christian values!

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I got a arc of that a while ago I need to read it

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Has anyone read The School For Good and Evil?

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Yes. It's very subversive for middle grade fic.

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I've read the first two and really enjoyed them.

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unlike the other two replies i didn't like this book at all lol and was super disappointed bc the premise seemed great

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oooh

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thanks! i'll check it out

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i'm reading words of radiance by brandon sanderson, it's taking me forever to get through though.

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I loved this book. It'll start flowing, or that's how it was with me.

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it takes me a long time to get through his books for some reason, even his YA series took me a while. idk if it's his writing style or what but i always love them when i'm done so i don't mind taking a little extra time to let the story breathe.

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I'm reading "From Bacteria to Bach and Back"...it's certainly not light reading, but it's interesting.

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lol the bikini picture

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What, is that not how you read books?

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Hey, she's a VS model. Gotta do her job.

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i'm reading story of art by e.h. gombrich. pretty dense read but so interesting. i really rec it for everyone who wants to know more about art history.

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Ooh thanks for the rec, been looking for books on history of art

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smoke gets in your eyes by caitlin doughty

you deserve a drink by mamrie hart

you're never weird on the internet by felicia day

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Paris 1919 by Margaret MacMillan.

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Joan deJean's stuff is really good if you like French history

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Anything by Mary Roach

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The Beautiful Fall by Alicia Drake (basically charts the rise and rivalry between Karl Lagerfeld and Yves St. Laurent in the 60s onwards in Paris (Lagerfeld was a mama's boy who had to work for everything he got, St. Laurent was a genius who was coddled and seemed to get everything handled to him).



Wild by Cheryl Strayed (you know it, the one that was turned into a movie starring Reese Witherspoon about a woman going on a months long hike to cope with the death of her mom)



Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed (PURE GENIUS. An advice column Strayed wrote anonymously before she was famous where she answers people's basic questions with little mini-essays that are so compassionate and heart-felt).



The Lonely City by Olivia Lang (Essays on interesting parts of famous artists lives basically explaining how they used loneliness as a theme with some personal reportage on Lang being lonely in NYC after being dumped mixed in)



The Vogue Factor by Kirstie Clemens (an inside look at Vogue Australia where Kirstie went from someone who answered a newspaper ad to be a receptionist to the 2x editor of the magazine over the course of 20 years!)



Lost Paradise by Kathy Marks (A look at the child rape case that struck the Pitcairn Islands, a small isolated islands community of about 50 people. Really devastating frustrating look at rape culture and how trauma can repeat itself through the generations)



Changing My Mind: Occasional Essays by Zadie Smith (a hodge podge of mostly arts and culture essays by Smith)



I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings + the rest of Maya Angelou's six book autobiographical cycle (Seriously everyone only ever recommends IKWtCBS maybe because they lack the commitment to read all 6 but having done it, it is WORTH IT. Angelou lived an incredibly full life and did almost everything with almost everyone. The six books cover about a 40 year period in her life from birth to the moment right before she started writing her autobiographical works. They're incredible).



Edited at 2017-07-03 01:04 am (UTC)

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"Brain on Fire" by Susanah Calahan, anything by Mary Roach (I'm fond of Spook, Curious Lives of Human Cadavers, and Bonk), depending on your headspace I also really like "Wasted" and "Madness: A Bipolar Life" both by Marya Hornbacher, and I know you said no men, but I really like "Being Mortal" by Atul Gawande.

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God's Hotel, Slow Medicine (not sure on pub date), The Girls Who Went Away

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Eats Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss (about grammar, it's p much a classic by now so idk if you read it already but it had me dying with laughter)



Poison Penmanship: The Gentle Art of Muckraking - Jessica Mitford (it's a series of essays about her experience as a journalist, really interesting if you're into media/newspaper reading in any way)



Always in Vogue - Edna Woolman Chase (this one is from an early 20th century editor of US Vogue, it's about her experience working there so idk if this is what you're looking for since it is about a women's magazine, but I liked getting to read about the early years of Vogue, any kind of bts look is fascinating to me)

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Consider the fork!

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"March of Folly," by Barbara Tuchman. It's a history book and tells of when societies fuck themselves over by being willfully foolish. I think of this book often these days, for the obvious reasons.

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I recently read that new ish Nellie Bly anthology and thought it was great. She was a famous reporter in the 1800s. Went undercover in a madhouse, travelled the world in (less than) 80 days, interviewed people like Susan B. Anthony etc.



Of course her main selling point is that she was a woman haha but I love that frontier period of journalism.



Rebecca Solnit is a gorgeous writer as well, I loved Wanderlust.

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nonfiction, lol.



If you're into gymnastics at all, Dominique Moceanu has a At first I thought you were asking for any books that weren't written by men or about feminism/being a woman, and I was like, "...That's not that hard to find..." and it took me until the end of the thread to realize you were looking for, lol.If you're into gymnastics at all, Dominique Moceanu has a memoir where she talks about her experience at the Olympics and afterwards (including when she had to sue her parents because they took all her money).

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One Child by Mei Fong

Factory Girls -Leslie Chang

To the End of June-Cris Beam

Something Must Be Done About Prince Edward County-Kristen Green

The Warmth of Other Suns-Isabel Wilkerson

Red China Blues-Jan Wong

Ravensbruck-Sarah Helm

When Broken Glass Floats-Chanrithy Him

Random Family-Adrian Nicole LeBlanc

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The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan

The Spy Who Loved: The Secrets and Lives of Christine Granville by Clare Mulley

Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen Abbott

The Lady in Red: An Eighteenth-Century Tale of Sex, Scandal, and Divorce by Hallie Rubenhold

The Lost King of France: How DNA Solved the Mystery of the Murdered Son of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette by Deborah Cadbury

Murder of a Medici Princess by Caroline P. Murphy



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I really want to read



I'm not a huge fan of Emma Roberts, but I do love that she reads a lot. I love seeing what celebrities are reading b/c I'm always in search of my next book. I'm currently reading Final Destination 2. I'm loving it, and given how the book is printed and the misspellings, I'm not at all surprised that the publishing company is no longer around.I really want to read Smoke Gets in Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty, so that's probably my next read.I'm not a huge fan of Emma Roberts, but I do love that she reads a lot. I love seeing what celebrities are reading b/c I'm always in search of my next book.

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lol i just mentioned smoke gets in your eyes 2x in this post, i love it! her next book comes out in october and it's about death practices around the world and sounds fascinating

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I adore Caitlin! I never thought to check to see if she had written anything tho. I love the cover of her new one!

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I had to put Smoke Gets in Your Eyes down about halfway through, but I'd love to finish it. Her new book sounds really interesting, tbh her talk about the death/funerary practices of different cultures was one of my favorite parts of Smoke.

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Emma Roberts always has ARCs or very recent releases on her instagram. there's no way she isn't being paid to promote those books imo

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what kind of books can be found on the dark web? what are pirate libraries?

a few weeks ago i saw people talking about it on Problematic





on topic: YAY book post!

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they have many different formats, based on what kind of reader you've got. :) If you're wanting to check out some classics (the ones you should have read in high school/college, but never got around to it. Or if you had a teacher that was so indecisive that she couldn't pick one and so you read neither LOL), a totally free and legal resource (in the US) is Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ they have many different formats, based on what kind of reader you've got. :)

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It was a dumb question and I was just curious about pirate libraries lol.



Thank you for your help ^___^

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Also: You don't need to go to the dark web for books. Just use http://libgen.io/ Also: https://archive.org/

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I just finished reading Uprooted by Naomi Novik, a fantasy novel that initially looks like it's going to be a "Beauty and the Beast" type of thing -- the premise is that Agnieszka, a peasant girl, lives in a valley where the local feudal overlord, a wizard referred to as the Dragon, every ten years takes a local teenage girl to work as a servant in his tower. Agnieszka isn't worried about this, since everybody knows that her super-awesome friend Kasia is going to be chosen. You can guess where this is going. But it quickly ends up being a witch-in-training story, including everything from medieval court politics to the mysterious haunted wood adjacent to the valley. It's a very Eastern European-flavoured setting.



Which is also the case with Katherine Arden's The Bear and the Nightingale, which is what I'm reading next.



Edited at 2017-07-03 12:37 am (UTC)

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i loooooved both of those books! the bear and the nightingale has such beautiful turns of phrase tucked into it.

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i loved uprooted with all the references to polish culture that were peppered throughout, i felt like i was in on a secret

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I really enjoyed Uprooted. I'm a sucker for p. much any fantasy story that goes for an Eastern European-ish setting though.

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oooh i loved uprooted! i read it bc people here kept saying how great it was. i also started reading the author's other books, the temeraire series and i'm really enjoying it.

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I loooved Uprooted. I need to re-read ASAP.

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I really liked Uprooted! I read it because so many people on ONTD recced it, lol. I remember loving the way she described using magic.



I've been meaning to read The Bear and the Nightingale, too...

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Obama! America needs you!

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I died a little inside reading former president..... I died a little.



Edited at 2017-07-03 04:18 pm (UTC)

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Lol he is so corny....sigh

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lmao me tho

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trump must be pissed right now.



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yeah trump is an army

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Lies. He's a... idk what are Big Blah stans called?

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nah Donny is definitely an Only13

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Rude.

BTS is too good for him.

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no

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No lies detected.



Watch them start harassing Obama's social media.



Edited at 2017-07-03 07:32 pm (UTC)

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I was gonna say that's actually a good point about pop culture but I'm sure it would somehow be misinterpreted as unequivocal support for Kim Jong Un and Bill Cosby so.

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I am fascinated by that gif, omg.

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what is this gif tho? Lmaoo.

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This gif gives me liiife

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shinee's back (ed by the cia)

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FBI (Clue + Note) is an all-time classic.

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lmaooo

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lmaooo

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LOL

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Lmao, how random. Sidenote, but SHINee still remains one of the better group kpop has to offer 9 years after they debuted.

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I've been lucky enough to see them live twice and they are so damn good, and they keep putting out great music. Also show me a group that had a better debut than Shinee; Replay still holds up to this day which is more than you can say for basically any group that came out around that era.

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Damn, congrats on seeing them. If they ever come back to NYC I'm gonna try and finally see them. You're not wrong, honestly. I can find gorgeous stuff in literally every album they've ever released. The only group I'd say can even compete is BTS because I Need U is such an amazing song.

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yeah i didn't expect to come back twice the stan after 1+1 but i went all the way across the country to see them lol. and it was fantastic, they talked about how small the stage was and even still they killed it so

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They're living legends. I hope they come back to the states soon.

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It really was such a 180 in tone from him to Trump. Like we went from America's cool dad to America's creepy bigoted uncle that starts fights at every family gathering.



I don't think there's such thing as a president with clean hands but at least he had (and apparently still has) the respect of the international community and isn't completely fucking insane

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obama had a lot of faults but there's a reason so many ppl have an idealized image of him...he was presidential in every way, charismatic, intelligent beyond his years, and felt like an actual human being. trump otoh is not just a spoiled, rabid narcissist, but incredibly stupid. there's nothing presidential about him bc he barely qualifies as a human being.

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No politician is perfect. Obama made a lot of compromises which he clearly wasn't happy with, but he definitely also made some truly shitty calls of his own like the ones you mentioned and was prone to secrecy even when he pledged transparency.



That doesn't mean he wasn't a great politician, speaker, a good man who really did have a vision for a better future, was goddamn fine, and almost single-handedly changed America's image abroad after eight relentless fucking years of GWB (who does not look great in retrospect next to Trump no matter what people say).

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ia

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This is going to sound like a defense of Obama on his (terrible) drone policy, but I believe his willingness to use drones was an attempt to prevent U.S. soldiers from entering dangerous areas and putting their lives on the line. Unfortunately, he ended up sacrificing civilians while trying to save our own soldiers. I believe this calculated risk was a result of him never having served in the military, and this is why it's important for commanders in chief to have SOME military service.

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I wonder if one of his daughters listens to them.

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my first thought tbh

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I heard one of them regularly streams CL's Lifted on Spotify, so it wouldn't surprise me.

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hajima

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Maybe it's him

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No, President Obama is a shawol

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My first thought too lol, it sounds like such a dad thing to reference.



My money's on Sasha.

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michelle tbh.

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joe

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I've still never been to in-n-out. Am I missing out? I do hear whataburger is better, and I've had that.

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i didn't care for it

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As someone not from the west coast who didnt grow up with In-N-Out, its definitely something you dont appreciate the first time you have it, but when you dont have it around is when you really start to crave/develop a fondness for it lol

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its overrated.

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I think part of the charm of In N Out is the fact that if you're eating In N Out, you're in the best coast and you've made a lot of good decisions in your life leading up this point.

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Lmao love it

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exactly

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West Coast, Best Coast!

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lmfao spoken like a true west coast snob (which I also am)

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As someone who lives next to both, Whataburger is better, but in n out is pretty good. Their fries are cardboard though.

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Had both.

Nothing special.

Quebec needs to send a cease and desist on animal fries though.



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i've yet to try in-n-out but waffle house, strangely enough, has the best cheeseburgers i've ever had from a fast food joint and idk if that's because 90% of the time i go there, it's either ass crack o'clock and/or i'm drunk, but their burgers are always cooked to perfection and those butter toasted buns are heavenly.



Edited at 2017-07-03 06:22 pm (UTC)

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It's overrated. Whataburger is overrated too. For burger alone, I think In-N-Out has a better burger. Their fries are trash though. But, I'd definitely take Five GUys or Shake Shack over both of those.

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I'm just glad we have a Shake Shack here now bc the above are not that great. but in TX u can get a burger pretty much anywhere so

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Don't listen to the haters. For the price and freshness of their burger, nothing even comes close.

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Key is so cute.

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Man charged in plot to assassinate French President Macron at Bastille Day event where Trump will be guest of honor https://t.co/gBHFah2Evw pic.twitter.com/OSdoNwzrWf  CNN Breaking News (@cnnbrk) July 3, 2017 A FN/Trump stan planned to assassinate Macron on Bastille Day.

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'A self described far right nationalist, the man told police he wanted to make a political statement by killing Macron, CNN affiliate BFMTV reported.



He also said he wanted to attack, "blacks, Arabs, Jews and homosexuals," according to police documents seen by BFMTV.



Security forces were alerted by users of a video game site, after the suspect posted about allegedly wanting to buy a Kalashnikov-type weapon to commit an attack, BFMTV said.'

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Asian crude buyers expect Saudi Arabia to raise its August official selling price (OSP) for the Arab Heavy crude that it sells to Asia to the highest in more than 3 years.

A tighter market for heavy crude grades in Asia amid the OPEC production cut has led to record refining profits on making fuel oil in Asia, Reuters reported on Monday, citing trade sourcesa perfect opportunity for lifting prices.

According to four Asian buyers, Saudi Arabias oil giant Saudi Aramco is seen raising the OSP for Arab Heavy for Asia by US$0.20 per barrel, to US$1.65 below the average Oman/Dubai benchmarks for August, which would be the slimmest discount since December 2013.

Maybe they [Saudi Aramco] will cut Arab Heavy supplies for August because of the OPEC cut and summer demand for power generation, a trader with a refiner in North Asia told Reuters.

A fifth source briefed by Reuters said that it expected the Arab heavy price to Asia to remain unchanged from July prices.

If Saudi Aramco does raise its heavy crude prices to Asia, demand for heavy varieties from other Middle Eastern producers such as Russia, Angolaas well as Americacould rise as well.

Last month, Saudi Arabia raised its OSPs for all of its crude grades sold to Asia in July, in line with market expectations. Related: What Oil Needs To Rally Higher

The price of the Arab Heavy for Asia was raised by US$0.95 per barrel for July, to a US$1.85 discount to the Oman/Dubai average. The price of the flagship Arab Light for Asian customers was raised by US$0.60 a barrel compared to June, to a discount of US$0.25 a barrel to the Oman/Dubai average.

According to the Asian sources surveyed by Reuters, for August, Saudi Arabia is expected to reduce the Arab Light price by US$0.20 a barrel, to the lowest in two months, after a weakening Dubai market in June.

Saudi Arabias exports to Asia, as well as to the U.S., have been dropping lately, according to ClipperData.



By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
A Halifax court issued last week a warrant for the seizure of an oil tanker that holds crude oil from Kurdistan, which was last spotted off the Canadian coast, Kurdish media network Rudaw reported on Monday.

The oil tankerloaded with crude from Kurdistan and thought to be headed to the U.S. before it turned off its tracker after exiting the Strait of Gibraltar a week agohad reappeared 300 miles off Halifax, or around 600 miles from Boston, the Financial Times reported last Friday, citing satellite ship-tracking data.

But according to Rudaw, a court in Halifax recorded on June 29 a warrant for the arrest of the cargo of [approximately] 721,915 barrels of crude oil abroad the M/T [motor tanker] Neverland.

The tanker Neverland was originally thought to be headed for the United States, further buttressing the semiautonomous regions economic independence as Erbil prepares for a referendum on political independence later this year. An estimated 650,000 barrels of oil, mostly extracted from the Kirkuk field located in Kurdistan, had departed the Mediterranean Sea in June. The oil tankers route indicated a dash towards the American East coast, after a three-year hiatuscaused by a dispute with Baghdad over Washingtons true loyaltieshad ended the transatlantic shipments.



Kurdistans Minister of Natural Resources Ashti Hawrami said last week that Kurdistan had been assured by the buyers of its crude oil that the oil was not headed to the U.S. Hawrami spoke to Reuters just days after the central Iraqi government said it would challenge the legal validity of Kurdish oil exports to the U.S. in American courts in a renewed tension between Baghdad and Erbil over crude oil exports.

According to Iraq Oil Report from Saturday, July 1, Iraq had obtained a Canadian warrant to seize the tanker, and oil from Kurdistan was not offloaded in Nova Scotia. The legal action prevented sales of Kurdish oil to Canada and the Neverland has sailed back into the Atlantic Ocean, Iraq Oil Report reported.

By Tsvetana Paraskova for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
An Indian consortium led by ONGC Videsh has offered Tehran US$11 billion in investments into the Farzad-B natural gas field on the condition that the Iranian authorities can guarantee it a reasonable level of returns. Reasonable, according to ONGC, is 18 percent, according to the managing director of the companys overseas investment arm, who spoke to Bloomberg.

Negotiations between Indian companies and Iran on the development have been going on for a while now, with pressure building between the parties over the last couple of months as Iran delayed its final decision about the field several times. India responded to the delays with threats of reduced Iranian oil imports.

Iran added fuel to the fire at the end of May when it signed an initial agreement for Farzad-B with Russias Gazprom. The news, announced by Oil Minister Bijan Zanganeh, came on the back of earlier remarks that Russian energy companies may take the place of Indian sector players in Irans oil and gas fields.

Still, the latest offer from ONGC is a substantial increase on the initial US$3-billion bid of the company and may lead to reconsideration in Tehran unless it deems the return condition too challenging. Of the total, ONGC said, US$6 billion will go towards the development of the field, and the remainder will be invested in the construction of an LNG export terminal. The LNG will be marketed to Indian energy companies, which, managing director Narendra Kumar Verma said, were willing to buy the whole output of the future facility.



Related: Is The U.S. Close To Achieving Energy Dominance?

We have given our best offer to them. Now, it is up to them to agree or not agree. We have told the Iranian authorities very clearly that some basic returns are necessary, Verma said.

The value of the Gazprom deal for the field has not been disclosed, so we might see a bidding war now, if Tehran indeed reconsiders ONGCs offer. Farzad-B holds reserves estimated at more than 350 billion cu m of natural gas.

By Irina Slav for Oilprice.com

More Top Reads From Oilprice.com:
South Africa and Brazil might have more to do with each other than most investors believe.

The two countries seem far apart. But take a look at a map like the one below, and something interesting becomes apparent.

(Click to enlarge)

Notice how South Americas Atlantic coast fits very nicely with Africas?

Yes, theres an ocean in between South Africa and Brazil. But if you look closely, you can see evidence that it wasnt always so  namely, the close fit of the Atlantic coastlines of northern South America and southern Africa.

The two continents fit together nicely because they used to be attached a few hundred million years ago. Yes, theyve been drifting apart recently  but they share a strong bond when it comes to geology.

Much of South Africa (especially the critical mining areas for gold and platinum) are old  coming from a geological period known as the Archean. A time in Earths history prior to 2.5 billion years ago.

The rock underlying Brazil is equally old. With the country actually being anomalous in South America  where most other countries lie atop much, much younger rocks such as the volcanics associated with the Andes mountains.

And the similarity of rocks in both countries is much more than an academic curiosity.

It might just save the platinum industry.

As Ive discussed many times, platinum is an extremely skewed metal in terms of global production. With South Africa holding a nearly-unprecedented stranglehold in terms of world output  pumping out a full 70 percent of all production in 2016.

That means the big issues coming down the pipe for South African mining  in the form of steep new mining charter  are a major concern for the platinum industry. Representing a legitimate threat to over two-thirds of global supply during the coming years.

It would be natural to expect platinum miners and explorers to diversify in the face of this brewing storm. Except for one thing: platinum is very difficult to find.

Coaxing gold out of Earths liquid mantle is hard enough  with most of the worlds geological crust naturally containing almost none of the valuable metal. But platinum is another step tougher, only occurring in primary economic concentrations in perhaps six nations worldwide.

But Brazil may well be one of those.

If were looking for a spot that could be a new platinum frontier, Brazil is a good bet. First of all because of rocks the same age as South Africa  and ample evidence of the same zoned ultramafic complexes of the type that host major platinum deposits in that country. Related: Will Central Banks Derail The Shale Boom?

And the evidence for big platinum deposits in Brazil is actually much more direct than that.Platinum has in fact been recognized in Brazil (and neighbouring Colombia) going back to colonial times. Numerous Brazilian deposits of iron, vanadium and other metals show associated and anomalous platinum and palladium values.

Major platinum miner Anglo American recognized this fact. And actually explored Brazil  discovering the Pedra Branca platinum deposit, which holds a million ounces of metal at a very decent grade of 2.3 grams per tonne.

That deposit admittedly isnt huge (Anglo American walked away from it). But it does demonstrate the potential of Brazil  and this is certainly a place with room to run when it comes to exploration.

Perhaps the most tantalizing evidence of Brazils platinum upside is the Serra Pelada gold-PGM deposit. A place that saw one of the greatest gold rushes of modern times, after a local farmer found nuggets in his field during the late 1970s, and which ultimately showed platinum and palladium grades as high as 10 grams per tonne. In fact, some high-grade zones of this unique deposit ran into the thousands of grams.



The Serra Pelada gold-platinum project in Para State, Brazil hosted 30,000 local miners in a massive gold rush after its discovery in 1979

All of which suggests great potential here  possibly the best outside of the known deposits of South Africa, Russia, Zimbabwe and the U.S. Watch for more platinum activity across Brazil. It isnt the easiest place to work, but it does have a long mining history. And it may be one of the few places on the planet capable of filling any coming gaps in global PGM supply.

Heres to going abroad.

By Dave Forest

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By Lydia White

A team of researchers from the University of Washington produced a study, published by the National Bureau of Economic Research, that measures the effects of Seattles minimum wage requirement of $13 per hour.

The study* found that the citys mandates resulted in 3% higher hourly wages, but 9% fewer hours worked. As a result, the average low-wage employee lost around $125 per month. For low-income households especially, an annual loss of $1,500 is significant.

Jacob Vigdor, one of the studys authors and a professor at UW, said, Traditionally, a high proportion of workers in the low-wage market are not experienced at all: teens with their first jobs, immigrants with their first jobs here.

Low-skilled, low-paying jobs provide the opportunity to acquire knowledge and experience, setting up workers for their next, potentially higher-paying jobs. The least skilled are further disadvantaged when artificially high price floors are implemented. Employers instead search for only the most qualified candidates, leaving more teens jobless, as Cascade Policy Institutes study on the effects of the minimum wage on youth reported last December.

When economists warn against the costs associated with the minimum wage, its not to protect greedy capitalists; its to protect the worker from being priced out of the market.

For the benefit of all Oregonians, political leaders should learn from our northern neighbors and repeal the states onerous three-tiered minimum wage law.

*The study used a relatively conservative $19 per hour low-wage threshold to account for the spillover effect of miscoding jobs lost when they have really been promoted to higher wage levels.

Lydia White is a Research Associate at Cascade Policy Institute, Oregons free market public policy research organization.
It was expected to be the jewel in Tata Power's crown. But is instead proving to be a millstone around the company's neck, one that it is reportedly trying to get off its back. In the third week of June 2017, the company sent a proposal to the Gujarat Urja Vikas Nigam to buy 51 per cent equity in the 4,000 MW Mundra Ultra Mega Power Project (UMPP) for Rs 1. The reason is huge losses on account of increase in prices of coal it imports for the plant from Indonesia.

It had won the contract to build and operate the project in December 2006 after an intense bidding war. It quoted Rs 2.26 per unit, based on the assumption that it would use Grade 4 coal from Indonesia (coal of gross calorific value 6,322) which then cost $49.79 per metric tonne (MT). Accordingly, the company acquired coal assets in Indonesia and floated a company to ship coal to India. The power ministry floated a special purpose vehicle for the project - Coastal Gujarat Power Ltd (CGPL) - for Mundra and transferred it to Tata Power. Now, CGPL is Tata Power's 100 per cent subsidiary.

Though construction began only in 2008, Tata Power achieved the goal of completing the first unit (800 MW) by March 2012, two years ahead of the time mentioned in the bid norms. "We took only 54 months to commission the first unit, which is a record," Keshavraj Athavale, General Manager, CGPL, who handled the construction, had said then. But by then, calamity had struck: the Indonesian government had decreed the previous year that all long-term contracts for export of coal after September 23, 2011, would have to be at the prevailing global benchmark price, which for this particular type of coal was then $96.65 per MT. CGPL's input cost for the 12 million metric tonne per annum (MMTPA) it needed to run the plant nearly doubled, making the tariff it had quoted unviable.

Tata Power is still recovering from the shock. One of the oldest power companies in the country, started in 1910 - and the company which first lit up Mumbai - it, however, began expanding fast only a few years ago. By 2008, it had an installed capacity of 2,365 MW and hoped to reach 12,600 MW by March 2013, with a goal of 20,000 MW by 2025. Despite the coal setback, it completed all five units of the project by March 2013, even as Anil Sardana took over as managing director in January 2011.

Sardana has been struggling to find a way out of the crisis. Other Tata Power projects are doing well, but CGPL, which accounts for 40 per cent capacity, is eating away its profits. Total debt rose from Rs 35,359 crore in 2012 to Rs 48,820 crore (net debt is Rs 47,781 crore) by end-March 2017, with interest payments going up from Rs 1,527 crore to Rs 3,114 crore in the period. The debt-equity ratio is 3.09, and needs to be lowered to around 2.33, considered healthy for a company the size of Tata Power. The 20,000 MW dream, and Mundra expansion, are on hold.

Adverse Order

CGPL has coped as best as it could by using coal from other destinations such as Colombia and the US and blending it with cheaper domestic coal. "But this is a super critical unit whose design cannot take large quantities of blended coal," K.K. Sharma, CEO and Executive Director, CGPL, had said during the peak coal crisis period. The company moved the Central Electricity Regulatory Commission (CERC) pointing out the unexpected rise in coal price and sought relief (rival Adani Power, which has also set up a 4,000 MW plant at Mundra and was similarly affected, also appealed.)

In 2014, CERC passed an order allowing the two companies to recover compensatory tariffs from the five state discoms with which they had signed power purchase agreements (PPAs). But the discoms balked and appealed to the Appellate Tribunal for Electricity (APTEL) against the CERC order. APTEL agreed with CERC, maintaining that the Indonesian policy change did qualify as a "force majeure" event - an unforeseen circumstance preventing the fulfilment of a contract - for which there was a provision in the PPA for reviewing the tariff. The discoms then appealed to the Supreme Court which, on April 11 this year, set aside the APTEL order, maintaining that consumers should not have to bear the brunt of changes in international laws.

After this, tariff increase is virtually ruled out, but Tata Power is still seeking advice on whether it can appeal again to CERC for tariff change. It has so far invested Rs 18,000 crore in the project - Rs 6,200 crore equity and the rest as loans, mainly from a consortium of Indian banks led by SBI, ADB and IFC. "The interest burden started from 2013. Annually, we pay over Rs 1,000 crore as interest and repayment," says Sardana. "We have paid Rs 4,000 crore principal. The Mundra debt is now Rs 10,000 crore." The smaller loans from local banks have been restructured, but immediate priority is doing the same with the ones from ADB and IFC. CGPL's under-recovery was as high as 30 paise per unit in 2015/16 and 60 paise in 2016/17, leading to net losses of Rs 849 crore and Rs 999 crore, respectively. Operating income in the two years was Rs 5,908 crore and Rs 6,112 crore, respectively.

These losses would have been even higher were they not offset by the stakes in coal mining companies in Indonesia and logistics companies - including a shipping company - Tata Power acquired as part of the Mundra project. Revenues from the mining companies were Rs 7,862 crore in 2016/17 with profit after tax (PAT) of Rs 854 crore, while the logistics companies earned Rs 709 crore with PAT of Rs 204 crore. But this is not enough. "We believe profits from the Indonesian mines are not sufficient to cover Mundra's losses at current prices," Hiren Trivedi and Kiran Gawle, analysts with Axis Securities, said in a report. This is due to not only the high cost of importing coal but also "the high tax (45 per cent income tax), double taxation on dividends (10 per cent in Indonesia, and 15 per cent in India) and no tax savings from the $900 million debt for the Indonesian mines as they are housed in a separate SPV." They estimate coal mining cash inflow at $53 million a year as against the $80 million loss from Mundra.

Though coal prices have fallen since 2012, and the grade of coal the Mundra plant needs costs $70 per MT, this is not enough for the plant to turn the corner. "If coal prices fall further and procurers pay 40-50 paisa more on average, we could manage," says Sardana. "Rs 2.26 per unit is a dream cost. You are still getting the cheapest power if you pay Rs 2.60 or Rs 2.70 per unit."

Sardana is considering several options to reduce debt to reasonable levels by the end of 2018. The non-core assets, such as stakes in other Tata companies, could be sold. Figures compiled by BT Research show that Tata Power holds, at current prices, Rs 986 crore worth of shares in Tata Communications (4.7 per cent stake), Rs 90.4 crore in Tata Teleservices (Maharashtra) Ltd (7 per cent), and Rs 87.1 crore in Nelco. Tata Power also has a 40 per cent stake in the group's investment arm, Panatone Finvest.

Similarly, some non-core businesses could be divested. "We are looking at selling businesses that do not impact the main business," says Sardana. However, efforts so far have run into hurdles. The sale of the 30 per cent stake in the Arutmin coal mine in Indonesia, which the Bakrie Group agreed to buy in 2014, is still hanging fire, even after Tata Power agreed to lower the price. Tata Power's strategic defence business unit, with revenues of Rs 600 crore, could also be considered for sale, though Sardana isn't sure. "That business has future potential," he says. Another option is to sell the 48 per cent stake in Tata Projects or stakes in JV companies in distribution and transmission or coal-related companies. Another alternative is to sell only a part of the power produced to the contracted discoms, offering the rest in the open market at higher tariffs. The discoms have refused to consider this.

More Assets

To offset the problems with Mundra, Tata Power has also been creating or acquiring more assets, mainly in renewable energy. A number of these have been outside the country. It has set up hydro projects in Zambia, Georgia and Bhutan, and a wind project in South Africa, creating 669 MW assets in three years at an equity investment of Rs 963 crore. But its biggest investment by far has been the takeover of Welspun Energy's entire renewable portfolio of 1,143 MW in June last year at a cost of $1.4 billion. Welspun Renewable Energy generated revenues of Rs 646 crore with PAT of Rs 116 crore in 2016/17, but it also brought with it an additional debt of Rs 5,549 crore. The deal has since become controversial with some analysts claiming that Tata Power paid too much. The ousted Tata Group Chairman, Cyrus Mistry, was accused of not keeping Tata Sons board and Tata Trusts properly informed while finalising the deal. A recent news report said Tata Sons was planning a forensic audit of the deal over corporate governance/valuation issues and speedy execution of the deal. Sardana, though, insists it was a good buy. "It is a promising asset with 100 per cent PPAs in place and revenues from day one," he says.

With the Welspun acquisition, Tata Power is now the biggest renewable energy player in the country with nearly 2,000 MW operational assets and 326 MW in the pipeline. The biggest overall power company, however, remains Adani Power. Of these, the 423 MW operational and 326 MW under construction assets belong to Tata Power Renewable Energy Ltd (TPREL), which reported revenues of Rs 437 crore and PAT of Rs 66 crore in 2016/17. Tata Power also owns some more standalone wind and solar assets, with revenues of Rs 296 crore and PAT of Rs 34 crore. No doubt, they also carry with them a debt of Rs 3,320 crore. "By 2018/19, the consolidated EBITDA on all Tata Power's renewable assets will be at Rs 2,400 crore and debt at Rs 13,600 crore," say Trivedi and Gawle of Axis Securities. Sardana is quite sure of the company's future direction, given the exigencies of global warming. "Going forward, non-fossil fuel-fired capacity will be 40 per cent of our generation," he says.

Tata Power had assets of 10,200 MW, worth Rs 70,487 crore, as of March 2017, according to an analyst report. "Look at our assets, and we are still a very healthy and profitable company," says Sardana. "We are not overleveraged. It is not fair to only look at absolute debt. The Welspun acquisition was funded entirely by debt and once the equity portion is converted, the ratios will be normal." The Axis Securities' report says Tata Power's net debt-equity ratio will drop to 2.6 in 2017/18 and 2.2 in 2018/19.

More Issues

A capacity of 1,877 MW produces power that is bought by Mumbai discoms, for which the PPAs are up to only March 2018. Cash crunch has also made Tata Power seek external help in another venture - buying stressed coal-fired plants. It has formed a fund, Resurgent Power Ventures, to do so, with a corpus of $850 million, in which it has a 26 per cent stake. ICICI Bank holds 10 per cent, Canadian institutional investor CDPQ 30 per cent, Korea-based KIA 18 per cent, and Oman-based SGRF 16 per cent in the venture. Sardana has a lot of work ahead to bring about normalcy and stimulate growth.

@pb_pbjayan


John McCain urged both India-Pakistan to resolve Kashmir issue through dialogue

ISLAMABAD: The visiting US Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain on Sunday urged both India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue and asserted that peace in Afghanistan could not be possible without Pakistans help.



The delegation met Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and discussed with him important bilateral issues, including terrorism, Pakistans relations with India and Afghanistan and regional peace. Other members of the US delegation were Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren and David Perdue.



Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua was also present during the meeting.



After the meeting, Mr McCain, Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee, while talking to the state-run PTV said that Pakistan had a significant role for establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan. Peace and stability in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistans help.



He said: Kashmir problem should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiations.



He said the US wanted an end to violence in India-held Kashmir, adding that the US would continue its policy on the Kashmir issue because no change had been made in this regard.



According to the Foreign Office, Senator McCain appreciated the contributions and sacrifices made by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism. He said that continued engagement with Pakistan, a close friend and ally of the US, was important.



The US senators also praised the economic turnaround, as manifested by investors interest and confidence in Pakistan.



They agreed with the need for the US and Pakistan to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond.



Mr Aziz raised concern over the gross human rights violations by Indian security forces in held Kashmir and international communitys silence over the reign of terror unleashed by India on innocent and unarmed Kashmiris.



Pakistan firmly believes in the legitimacy of the Kashmir cause and the peaceful struggle of the Kashmiri people to claim the right to self-determination promised to them by the international community through the UN Security Council resolutions, he added.



The adviser reiterated the importance of regular high-level contacts and particularly appreciated Senators McCain, Graham and Whitehouse for their continued engagement and regular visits to Pakistan to promote understanding and cooperation between the two countries.



He underscored the significance of the longstanding cooperation between the two countries and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional. Pakistan-US strategic partnership is critical to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond, he asserted



Mr Aziz apprised the US delegation comprising prominent senators from both Democratic and Republican parties about Pakistans success in combating terrorism through Operations Zarb-i-Azb and Raddul Fasaad and informed them that the terrorist networks had been dismantled, their sanctuaries eliminated under the overarching National Action Plan. The dividend of these policies is empirically verifiable, he added.



The adviser said that Pakistan remained committed to supporting efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and noted that Quadrilateral Coordination Group process remained a credible and effective vehicle to facilitate reconciliation and restore peace, stability and economic prosperity in Afghanistan.



Pakistan look forward to constructive engagement with the United States on all efforts and initiatives that would lead to a stable and prosperous Afghanistan, he said.
Pakistan denied India consular access to Kulbhushan Jadhav

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan once again on Sunday denied India consular access to convicted spy Kulbhushan Jadhav who was sentenced to death by a military tribunal in Pakistan on charges of espionage and terrorism earlier this year.



A day earlier, as Pakistan and India exchanged lists of prisoners under the 2008 Agreement on Consular Access, with India reiterating its commitment to addressing on priority all humanitarian matters with Pakistan, the Indian Ministry of External Affairs renewed its demand for consular access to Jadhav.



India called on the Pakistani government for the early release and repatriation of Indian prisoners, missing Indian defence personnel and fishermen along with their boats whose nationality has been confirmed by India.



The Foreign Office (FO), however, rejected New Delhis demand for consular access to Jadhav, stating the equating the case of the Indian spy to civilian prisoners was a travesty of logic.



Considering Jadhav an ordinary prisoner is an Indian attempt to deny facts, the FO said. Commander Jadhav is a serving Indian Naval officer and sent to Pakistan by its intelligence agency Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) for espionage, terrorism and subversive activities which resulted in loss of many innocent lives and damage to property.



The FO added that five Indian nationals who had completed their sentences were repatriated on June 22, but 20 Pakistani civilian prisoners who had completed their sentences in India were still awaiting repatriation, whereas consular access to 107 Pakistani fishermen and 85 civilian Pakistani prisoners is also pending.



The FO also noted that two boys, Ali Raza and Babar Ali, who had crossed the border into Indian territory inadvertently had been repatriated after a years delay.



Pakistan has implemented the bilateral consular agreement in letter and spirit and is committed to ensuring that humanitarian cases are not held hostage to politics. We expect India to reciprocate through action rather than rhetoric, the FO said.



The spokesperson said Indian humanitarian claims appear contrary to reality in view of the impossible conditions imposed for medical visas for Pakistani patients.



Under the directive of the prime minister, arrangements are being made for such treatments/operations to be carried out in Pakistan, he added.



The agreement on consular access between Pakistan and India stipulates the exchange of comprehensive lists of nationals of each country in the other countrys jails twice a year on January 1 and July 1. These lists were exchanged on July 1.



Progress on the release of prisoners has been impeded due to tense relations between the two countries, with the release of civilian prisoners and fishermen taking longer periods even after they have completed their sentences.



A joint judicial commission for addressing the issues of fishermen and other prisoners has been inactive since October 2013, when the Pakistani officials of the commission visited Indian jails.



Earlier, the government in January this year had released 218 Indian fishermen as a goodwill gesture. That was the second time in less than two weeks that Pakistan had freed Indian fishermen detained for allegedly violating its territorial waters.



India has petitioned the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for consular access to Jadhav, a RAW agent who was convicted and sentenced to death by a military tribunal on charges of espionage and terrorism.



The ICJ has stayed Jadhavs execution pending its final verdict in the case.



The Foreign Office has also accused India of using Afghanistan soil to promote terrorism in Pakistan, Radio Pakistan reported.



Reiterating Indian involvement in terror financing in Pakistan, the Foreign Office spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said, Indias subversive designs remained exposed after the trial of Kulbhushan Jhadav and the confessional statement of former Tehrik-e-Taliban Pakistan spokesperson Ehsanullah Ehsan. Highlighting the ongoing situation in Indian-held Kashmir, the spokesperson said the human rights violation by occupied forces was now known to the world. He added the Kashmiri people are struggling for their basic rights.
GLENS FALLS  Ashley Livingston spent her teen years as a weekend warrior, smoking weed and doing Molly.

She overdosed on prescription pain medication at age 24 and, after violating her felony probation, landed in treatment court, which led to a three-month stint in rehab.

The now 29-year-old hasnt used any mood- or mind-altering substances in four years. She is helping to plan a rave to show young people in recovery that they can still have fun while staying drug and alcohol free.

The Sober Rave, as it is called, will take place from 7 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Crandall Park stage. The program is sponsored by Friends of Recovery Warren & Washington and the Council for Prevention.

Raves are usually associated with drug activity and using, said Livingston, who is the co-chair of the free public event.

There are many young people in recovery, who cant attend social events because being around alcohol or drug use puts their recovery in jeopardy, she said. The Friends of Recovery has already hosted two sober Super Bowl parties, and Livingston is working on bringing a sober karaoke night to the area as well.

I think its important that we show the younger generations that they dont have to do drugs and drink in order to have fun and be cool and enjoy life, said Thomas Quaresima, also known as The Prodigal Sun.

Quaresima, a graduate of Warren County Treatment Court, will serve as DJ at the rave. He was active in the underground scene in his partying days.

He will be spinning house music, mixing in pop vocals for people who have found God and gotten sober, he said.

Like we say in AA, you go to the barbershop long enough, youre going to get a haircut, he said. We dont really go to parties or bars or clubs because theres drinking and drugs involved. So we figured wed start our own barbershop.

As a 24-year-old in recovery, Ashley Rowell said she is excited to attend the Sober Rave. She has to stay away from certain people, places and things to avoid falling back into old habits.

Being in a place where I get to act my age and not have to worry about being tempted with alcohol or drugs all around me is refreshing, she said in an email.

She hopes this is the start of many more sober activities in the Glens Falls area.

I feel blessed, she said, knowing that I can be in recovery and not feel like such an outsider or a bore anymore.
FORT EDWARD  A former teachers aide arrested last year for having sex with an underage student was sentenced Friday to three years in prison.

Daniel G. Stoy, 38, had pleaded guilty in May to four counts of third-degree rape for having sex with an underage girl he met through his school duties at the BOCES Southern Adirondack Education Center in Kingsbury. The incidents happened at Stoys home in Hudson Falls.

Stoy was not accused of forcing the girl to have sex, but because she is under 17, she cannot legally consent to have sexual relations.

Stoy had rejected a plea offer that would have had him plead guilty to a single third-degree rape charge and serve a four-year prison sentence. Instead, he wanted to take his chances at sentencing. Judge Kelly McKeighan imposed a sentence of 3 years on each count, to be served concurrently. That will be followed by 10 years of post-release supervision.

School officials had contacted Hudson Falls Police about the allegations, after a student reported them. Stoy, a U.S. Marine veteran, had worked in a criminal justice class that the student was taking.
After two days that brought back unpleasant memories of Tropical Storm Irene, Sunday dawned bright, the first of at least four days expected to herald in the summer season.

But the memories of Friday and Saturday included flooding that Granville Fire Chief Ryan Pedone said was the worst he has seen since Tropical Storm Irene pounded the area on Labor Day Weekend 2011.

It did not get as bad as Irene, but it was getting close, Pedone said Sunday. We had people we could not physically get to because of water taking out their driveway. One family I made contact with them by talking to them on the P.A. in my Tahoe and had them call my cell phone to make sure they were OK, because I could not get across the bridge to their house, because of flooding.

Amanda Delaney, a meteorologist at Weather Routing, Inc. in Glens Falls, said a series of factors came together to cause the heavy rain.

"We were watching a series of thunderstorms from a slow-moving cold front that was moving across the Great Lakes," she said Sunday night. "Southerly winds coming up the Hudson Valley gave them a boost."

Delaney said one weather station in Fort Edward recorded 5 inches of rain Saturday.

Numerous roads were closed late Saturday and early Sunday in the Granville area after the Mettawee River surged well over its banks in parts of Granville. A flood warning was issued overnight for the Mettawee, which crested 3 feet over flood stage early Sunday. It had started to recede as of 6 a.m.

Things were a real mess until midnight, Pedone said.

Turnpike Road and a number of other roads along the river were underwater much of the night, and the Washington County Sheriff's Office reported other areas near streams around the county with standing water and travel issues.

Sunday evening, a Washington County Sheriffs Office dispatcher said Mahaffey and Tiford roads in Argyle remained closed, as did county Route 26 near Route 22 in Granville. Searles Road in South Granville washed out near the intersection with Route 149 and remained closed.

In Warren County, part of Padanarum Road in Bolton was closed Sunday. Clendon Brook Road in Queensbury was closed indefinitely as of Sunday and a county dispatcher said it might not re-open until Wednesday. Beartown Road in Queensbury and Luzerne was limited to local and emergency traffic. Glen Creek Road in Johsnburg was also closed.

Hoosick Falls was also dealing with major flooding on the Hoosic River, with a state of emergency declared there that closed Route 22 and Route 7. One road in the village remained closed Sunday night. There were no reports of closed roads in northern Saratoga County Sunday evening.

The National Weather Service reported historic rain amounts in parts of Washington County on Saturday, with Hudson Falls logging 5.10 inches, Hartford 5 inches, Fort Edward 4.52 inches, Granville 4.03 inches and 3.62 inches in Queensbury.

Glens Falls also set a record for the day with 3.3 inches measured.

Three waves of severe storms moved through during Saturday, bringing not only rain but numerous lightning strikes. A fire to a garage on Cramer Point in Lake George was blamed on a lightning strike.

National Grid reported about 600 power outages in upstate New York as of early Sunday, with Fort Ann the most significant area of outages in the region. By Sunday evening, power had been restored to all local outages except a few scattered customers in Fort Edward, Kingsbury and Day.

For this week, highs are expected to be around 80 each day, with sunny weather expected until Thursday and Friday when clouds and possible thunderstorms are expected. The weekend is expected to be sunny.

"The good news is we are finally getting a break in the weather," Delaney said. "The front moved offshore and, after a weak front moves through early Monday, we should get good weather, and the Fourth should be wonderful. The next serious chance for rain is Thursday night into Friday."
QUEENSBURY  Three people from New York City and New Jersey were arrested Saturday afternoon on drug charges following a traffic stop.

State Police found heroin, Ecstasy, marijuana and fentanyl during a traffic stop on Route 149, according to a news release.

Keith Brewley of the Bronx, Christopher Clark of New York City and Genesis Moreno of Passaic, New Jersey were all charged with felony third-degree criminal possession of a controlled substance.

Brewley also faces a violation of unlawful possession of marijuana. Clark also faces charges for seventh-degree controlled possession of a controlled substance, false personation and obstruction of governmental administration. All three suspects were arraigned and remanded to Warren County Jail. Bail was set at $20,000 cash and $40,000 bond for Moreno and Brewley and no bail was set for Clark, according to a news release.

The Warren County Sheriffs Office and its K-9 Unit assisted State Police.
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Turning the ship before it hits the iceberg
A steamy, quiet atmosphere of distrust and sexual repression permeates The Beguiled, a drama about a Union soldier who becomes an unlikely resident in a Confederate girls boarding school.

Academy Award-winning director Sofia Coppola directs a distinctly different version of The Beguiled than the 1971 film starring Clint Eastwood and, indeed, the 1966 Thomas Cullinan novel that preceded it (there is, for example, no slave character in this rendition.)

Coppola earned the Best Director award at the Cannes Film Festival for this movie, which will come as no surprise to viewers who will appreciate its hushed environments that contain an undertone of dread.

Its 1864, and the Civil War rages on in the area as several girls remain at a seminary, a Virginia school led by headmistress Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman). One day, one of the younger girls (the marvelous Oona Laurence, Southpaw) discovers John McBurney (Colin Farrell,) a gravely wounded soldier whom she must assist so that he can hobble to the school.

The bored, sullen older student Alicia (Elle Fanning, Neon Demon) immediately develops a crush on the handsome, charming stranger. Its Martha, though, who first washes and treats the soldier. This affects her so intensely she needs to wash her own face afterward.

Teacher Edwina (Kristen Dunst, Hidden Figures) also has eyes for this engaging man who tells her she is beautiful. Even the younger girls vie for attention from their exotic new guest.

The women really dont know McBurney, and neither do we. He seems to be sincere, but he also can be manipulative.

Im not sure whether Coppola used available light in several sequences, but the illumination certainly is subdued and realistic-looking, as are the outdoor locations. The lack of a score throughout most of the film makes it all the more unnerving.

I dont which of these performers will receive an Oscar nod, but in an ensemble this capable, certainly one of them should. Farrell is captivating as the handsome, unwanted guest, and Kidman is terrific as his unwilling but nevertheless cordial hostess. Watch Fanning and Dunst as their characters are revealed in glances and postures.

The story could be considered a southern Gothic tale. But its also, in a way, a story of horror and the darker side of human nature. If youve seen the trailer, you know something awful is going to happen  but you havent seen it all until you see the movie itself.

With its stunning cinematography and highly detailed costumes, The Beguiled is a class act from start to finish. Let it mesmerize you.
1. Red, White and Boom

Red, White and Boom, returns Monday with activities happening at three public viewing areas, Modern Woodmen Park, Schwiebert Riverfront Park and LeClaire Park. Fireworks will be set off at 9:30 p.m.

5 p.m. Monday, Modern Woodmen Park, Schwiebert Riverfront Park and LeClaire Park. Free

2. Fourth of July parade

Theres more patriotic fun to be had this week in Bettendorf. A free concert featuring Kris Allen, who won the eighth season of American Idol in 2009, is set for 7 p.m. Monday outside on the north side of Bettendorf Middle School. In addition, the Fourth of July parade will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday at the intersection of 3rd and State streets in Bettendorf. The parade kicks off a full day of Fourth of July activities, including amusement rides, live music and, of course, fireworks starting at dusk at Middle Park, 2407 Middle Road, Bettendorf.

7 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. Tuesday, downtown Bettendorf. Free

3. Dawn and On

The one-day, outdoor Dawn and On music festival, presented by Quad-City jam band The Dawn, returns this weekend for its third year. Along with The Dawn, see artists such as Old Shoe, Chicago Farmer, Miles Nielsen and the Rusted Hearts, J.E. Sunde, The Candymakers and Miles Over Mountains for a fest at Len Brown's North Shore Inn & Marina, 700 North Shore Drive, Moline, on the banks of the Rock River. Along with music, Dawn and On offers food, beer and craft vendors. For more info, visit thedawnband.com/festival.html

11 a.m. Saturday, Len Brown's North Shore Inn & Marina, $5

4. Barn on the Fourth

Celebrate the Fourth of July with a concert at Codfish Hollow, Maquoketa. Along with headliner Twin Peaks, see a stacked lineup including The Kickback, Yoko and the Oh No's, Land of Blood and Sunshine and The Blisters. Doors open at 5 p.m. and music starts at 6 p.m. at the barn, 5013 288th Ave., Maquoketa, Iowa. Tickets are available at codfishhollowbarnstormers.com.

6 p.m. Tuesday, Codfish Hollow, $25-30

Kick off your weekend with the next rendition of Live@Five. See Quad-City based reggae rock band Rude Punch perform live outside the River Music Experience, 129 N. Main St., Davenport. The free summer concert series runs through Sept. 29 and upcoming shows feature 3rd St. Villains, Logo Russo, Jason Carl Band and The Candymakers. Fore more info, visit rivermusicexperience.org.

5 p.m. Friday, outside RME. Free

6. Bix at Six

The Quad-City Times Bix7 is officially less than a month away. If you want to try out the course before the race, on Saturday, July 29, Bix at Six is your chance. The third of four scheduled training runs is set for 6 p.m. Thursday. The run starts and ends at the north side of the Quad-City Times building, at the intersection of 4th and LeClaire streets. This week, you can also attempt to qualify for the Brady Street Sprints. Also, register for the race at qctimes.com/bix.

6 p.m. Thursday, downtown Davenport. Free

7. West Side Story

West Side Story, the New York-based show reminiscent of Romeo and Juliet, opens this weekend courtesy of Quad-City Music Guild. Performances are scheduled Thursday-Sunday at Prospect Park Auditorium 1584 34th Ave., Moline. It runs through July 16. For tickets, $16 for adults and $11 for kids, visit qcmusicguild.com or call 309-762-6610.

7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday and 2 p.m. Sunday, Prospect Park Auditorium, $11-$16

8. Classic theater in the park

The Trojan Women, the Greek tragedy written by Euripides, opens this weekend as part of the Genesius Guilds series of free summer theater. The show also runs next weekend, on July 15-16 at Lincoln Park, Rock Island.

8 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, Lincoln Park. Free

9. Footloose

Footloose opens this weekend at the Clinton Showboat Area Theatre bringing to the stage hits such as Lets Hear it for the Boy, Almost Paradise and Holding out for a Hero. The show, based on the 1984 movie starring Kevin Bacon, runs through July 23 at 303 Riverview Drive, Clinton, Iowa. Tickets cost $16 for children and students; $20 for seniors; $23 for adults. For more information and tickets, visit clintonshowboat.org or call 563-242-6760.

7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 3 p.m. Wednesdays and Sundays, Clinton Area Showboat Theatre, $16-23
The Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation has released the names of the six officers involved in the Oct. 30 shooting during which a 24-year
The name of a motorcyclist who was killed after a three-vehicle crash Saturday on Illinois 84 north of Thomson, Illinois, has been released.

According to a news release issued by the Carroll County Sheriffs Department, the driver of the motorcycle was Tobias Johnson, 24, of Thomson, Illinois.

The crash occurred at 4:56 p.m. on Illinois 84 at the intersection of Three Mile Road.

Crash investigators said that a motorcycle was traveling southbound on Illinois 84 and was passing several vehicles when it collided with a northbound car that was turning west onto Three Mile Road.

The car was driven by Nancy Sweitzer, 64, of Milledgeville, Illinois.

The driver of the motorcycle was ejected upon impact with the car and then struck a second northbound vehicle that was driven by John Disher, 51, of Savanna, Illinois.

The driver of the motorcycle was pronounced dead at the scene.

Sweitzer and Disher were taken to Mercy Hospital, Clinton. Their conditions were not available.

The crash remains under investigation by the Carroll County Sheriffs Department and the Carroll County Coroners Office.
Quad-City area farmers and other experts will discuss how soil health impacts the business side of farming during the July 12 field day.

The event will focus on:

 Cover crop management and machinery set-up

 Herbicide and cover crop interactions

 Soil Health Properties

 Rainfall simulator demonstration

Soil Health Partnership farmers John and Joan Maxwell will host area growers, cover crop experts and neighbors from 10 a.m. until noon at Cinnamon Ridge Farms, 10600 275th St., Donahue.

The field day is free and open to the public and includes a complimentary meal.

An initiative of the National Corn Growers Association, the Soil Health Partnership works closely with diverse organizations including commodity groups, industry, foundations, federal agencies, universities and well-known environmental groups toward common goals.

To register, visit soilhealthpartnership.org or call Scott County SWCD, 563-391-1403 ext. 3.

--Times staff
The Illinois House's approval of tax and spending bills Sunday came largely without the support of the two representatives from the Quad-Cities.

State Reps. Tony McCombie, R-Savanna, and Mike Halpin, D-Rock Island, voted against the tax increase, which would raise the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.

Corporations would see their tax rate go from 5.25 percent to 7 percent.

Halpin said Monday that he voted against the legislation because the burden would fall too heavily on the middle class.

"It didn't do enough to make corporations and the wealthy pay their fair share," he said.

Halpin was among only 10 Democrats to vote against the increase. Fifty-seven Democrats voted for it. The legislation passed with 72 votes because 15 Republicans split with Gov. Bruce Rauner and voted for the increase.

McCombie was elected last year while pledging that she would not vote for a tax increase. She didn't.

"I said I wasn't going to support a tax increase, and I stuck to it," she said Monday.

McCombie also voted against the $36 billion spending plan for fiscal 2017, which also passed the House on Sunday. She said the bill wasn't the subject of real negotiations.

Halpin, who also is in his first term, did vote for the spending bill. He said it "isn't perfect," but he called it a "reasonable compromise."

As for why he voted for the spending bill but not the legislation that raises the revenue, Halpin said, "I just prefer a different approach to paying for it."

Halpin said his district is "very much divided" on the proposal to raise income taxes.

"It is a strong working-class district in a border state," he said.

McCombie said she got about 10 emails from people asking her to vote for the increase and "hundreds" opposing it.
The Mississippi River has been closed this morning from the train bridge to the Julien Dubuque Bridge until further notice, according to the Jo Daviess Sheriff's Office.

The East Dubuque, Ill., Fire Department is conducting an investigation on the river.

No other information is being released at this time.

KCRG-TV in Cedar Rapids is reporting that the East Dubuque Fire Department is searching for a bridge operator in the Mississippi River.

The Dubuque uthorities confirmed that crews are searching for a railroad employee in the river.
The one-of-a-kind community of Park View has celebrated the Fourth of July with fireworks for nearly 15 years, but this year, it is raising the bar.

The unincorporated community of 2,400 people north of Davenport was established in 1967, so it is celebrating its 50th birthday with a bigger event that will include a parade, free cake and ice cream, children's games and music.

With the zoned designation of a "community area development," Park View is believed to be the only community of its kind in Iowa, said Timothy Huey, planning and development director for Scott County.

"It's very unusual," he said.

Developer Richard Millage began planning Park View in the mid-1960s and incorporated features such as smaller lots, narrower streets, no sidewalks and 95 acres of shared green space that in the 1980s and 1990s would get the label of "new urbanism," Huey said.

"It was really ahead of its time," he said.

And Millage's plan, designed by a St. Louis architectural firm, went beyond the residential. Areas were designated for commercial and institutional development, too, so that parks as well as a library, school and stores selling grocery staples could be within walking distance.

And that is what has happened. A bookmobile of the Scott County Library system visits on a regular basis, and the community is home to an elementary school of the North Scott School District, as well as a church, several stores, restaurants and other businesses.

"It's really a community as the name implies," Huey said.

The slogan coined by Millage is "where you walk to play."

Although Millage envisioned the community becoming incorporated one day, that has not happened.

Because there is no city government and residents do not pay city taxes, all street maintenance, snow removal and police and fire protection are provided by Scott County, and the county would rather that change.

The county has long encouraged Park View "to explore all avenues of incorporation," Huey said.

Instead, the area is governed by an owners association, and president Mike Wright said incorporation is not something the community talks about.

"I don't see that happening," he said.

Residents do pay dues of $100 per year, an amount that needs to be increased, but the association can't do that because pertinent homeowner covenants have lapsed, Wright said. This is an issue he and other members of the nine-member owner board are trying to address. (See related story.)

Among those helping to plan the Fourth of July celebration is Cindy Wolf, who moved to the area with her husband, Ray, in 1994. In doing research for a history display, she chuckled to find an early telephone book that in addition to numbers listed a resident's religion, church and hobbies.

Riding at the head of the parade will be several longtime residents of Park View, including Art and Dorothy VanHoosier, Lois Yost and Doug and Betty Lockhart, Wolf said.

Park View founder Millage died in 2003.
University of Iowa Community Credit Union is sponsoring a food drive for area food pantries through the month of July.

The credit union accepts food and money donations at all branches in Scott, Johnson, Linn, Black Hawk, Polk and Poweshiek counties. Additionally, the credit union will match cash donations up to $5,000 and deliver the food items collected to eastern Iowa food pantries.

The top 10 items needed are canned meat, peanut butter, hearty soups and stews, canned vegetables, canned fruit, pasta and rice, baby formula, diapers (sizes 1 and 2) and toilet paper.

The credit union will deliver items to organizations including River Bend Foodbank, Davenport.
Thank you, thank you, thank you, President Trump.

I offer my gratitude because after years of being the last of my immigrant family members to undertake the naturalization process, my mother just took the oath to become a U.S. citizen.

It finally happened after 10 years of prodding and needling and of painting doomsday scenarios about crazy, obscure ways that legal permanent residents can accidentally become deportable. For instance, paperwork mishaps like failing to file a change of address form to the Department of Homeland Security within 10 days of a move could put a green card holder at risk of fines, jail or even deportation.

But, ultimately, all it took was a new president promising to do his best to rid the country of immigrants to get her to undertake the long, arduous process.

She started her application process less than a month after the November election and now I can sleep easy knowing that no bureaucratic slip-up will send my mom back to the country where she spent only the first third of her life.

My mom was hardly alone in hesitating to make the leap. Though Mexicans represent the largest group of legal permanent residents, their rate of naturalization is only about half that of green card holders from all other countries combined, according to the most recent tally by the Pew Research Center.

There are many reasons for this: Many of the immigrants surveyed indicated that they weren't engaging in the process because they felt their English skills were not good enough or were scared that the citizenship test would be too difficult.

In my mom's case, neither of those was an issue. What had been keeping her from taking the plunge was a combination of comfort with her legal status and the hassle of undertaking a complex administrative process.

However, once mere legal permanent residence status stopped feeling like the most secure way to ensure her future in the United States, it was an easy decision.

But people who tsk-tsk that more eligible immigrants don't naturalize rarely realize that it takes money and time that many people don't have.

The process took six months from filing the initial forms to completing the interviews and taking the test. But it was, effectively, a walk in the park since she's an educated professional who has been a fluent English speaker for more than 40 years. And she had all the time in the world to manage the process because she recently retired. Plus, the $800 that it cost to pay for the application, get photos taken, travel to multiple appointments, and so on, was of little consequence to her budget.

For someone without all those resources, a task that could take up to a year or more is far less attainable than an uninformed observer might imagine. According to Pew, 94 percent of those who say they have not naturalized cite the cost of the application.

There are nonprofit groups out there like The New Americans Campaign, a nonpartisan national network of organizations helping immigrants navigate and pay for the citizenship process. Since its inception in 2011, the Campaign has helped more than 250,000 applicants and saved them more than $206 million in legal and application fees, but the group is hardly a household name.

Still, the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says that 752,800 people were naturalized in fiscal year 2016 -- a little higher than the average of 740,000 per year over the last decade, an increase that's almost surely due to people who wanted to be eligible to vote in the 2016 election. But it will be some time before statisticians can determine whether, or how many, new U.S. citizens resulted directly from fears prompted by Trump's election.

No matter.

What counts is that last week in Chicago my mother and 114 other men and women from 33 countries spanning Armenia to the United Kingdom closed their journeys as immigrants and took the oath to be upstanding and honorable citizens.

They joyously swore to support our Constitution, renounce allegiance to all other countries, and also vowed to bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law.

That's right, America, my mom's got your back!

Hopefully, President Trump will inspire an unprecedented number of immigrants to become new Americans. And may they be energized to help others attain the safety of citizenship.
Trying to explain the agriculture industry in D.C. is always interesting, but its important more people  especially those who can vote on farm policy  understand where their food comes from. They should know the kind of capital farmers bury in the ground each spring in the form of seed and fertilizer with the hope of getting the crop and prices needed to keep their operation going. Lawmakers ought to understand the risk that comes with running a ranch  and the devastating blow a drought can deal to a family whos been in the business for generations.

Its been a tough year. Good portions of our commodities  corn, soybeans, wheat and oats  have been rated as poor or very poor already. The drought has devastated pastures, creating a feed shortage thats forced some ranchers to begin selling off yearlings and cow-calf pairs.

The safety nets provided through the Farm Bill are built for years like this. During the 2014 Farm Bill debates, for instance, I fought hard to preserve the Livestock Forage Program (LFP) and make it permanent. The program has now been triggered for several South Dakota counties that have been categorized in extreme drought and Ive urged the USDA to act quickly to provide these ranchers relief.

Additionally, after a personal request to Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue, I was grateful to see the USDA open South Dakota CRP acres for grazing in some areas. The agency has also allowed CRP contract holders to donate the hay harvested for mid-contract management purposes to livestock producers in drought-stricken areas. Im hopeful these changes will give ranchers a few more options.

While fighting for immediate relief in the face of drought, Im also focused on producing long-term gains for South Dakotas ranchers.

Around 95 percent of the worlds consumers live outside U.S. borders, so gaining access to outside markets is critical.

Most recently, the Trump administration announced the end of a 13-year ban on U.S. beef imports to China. Today, the Chinese beef import market totals around $2.5 billion and Im hopeful American-grown beef will gain a significant share of that market.

Additionally, in my role as a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, Ive put pressure on the U.S. Trade Representative to strengthen agriculture provisions during the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) renegotiation. Since the agreement first took effect in the mid-1990s, South Dakotas exports to Canada and Mexico have increased 969 percent; Id like to see that growth continue.

Its getting increasingly difficult to find lawmakers who understand what life is like for those involved with agriculture. In fact, this Congress, just 26 of the 535 members of Congress claim farming or ranching as an occupation. Whats more, a survey conducted for the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy recently received nationwide attention after finding that nearly one in 10 adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. You cant make this stuff up!

It sounds silly, but if people cant understand how chocolate milk is produced, imagine how difficult it will be to explain the need for a Livestock Forage Program or an ag-friendly NAFTA. We need to take the time to educate folks about where their food comes from. Farm policy is food policy. And if Americans are going to continue to have the worlds safest and most reliable food supply, we need to make sure the farmers and ranchers growing that food have the safety nets and strong markets needed to survive from one generation to the next.
Rapid City Police are worried about a recent rash of vehicle burglaries in which a small arsenal of firearms was stolen, and the department is encouraging residents to lock their vehicles.

In the past three months, thieves have ransacked 77 vehicles in the city and in 14 of those cases, a total of 20 weapons were stolen, police spokesman Brendyn Medina said Friday. In all but one of those weapons-related burglaries, the firearms taken were handguns, he said.

Our concern is that you have some who are willing to victimize someone in the first place by breaking into their vehicle, Medina said. Then you have the added concern that they have a firearm, in many cases loaded, and what are they going to do with that weapon  pawn it, trade it for drugs, or use it to victimize someone else?

Of the 20 weapons stolen in the April, May and June burglaries, victims of the thefts reported to police that 18 of the firearms  a full 90 percent  were either loaded or had ammunition or magazines stolen at the same time, police data revealed.

Anyone leaving their vehicle unattended needs to lock it, Medina said. In most of these cases, the vehicle was either reported as unlocked or police found no evidence of forced entry into it. We just want to encourage responsible ownership of firearms, and leaving them in an unlocked vehicle is not responsible when it comes to firearms.

Rapid City Police concerns have been heightened by the April 2016 burglary of The Rooster, a gun shop located at 1441 W. Main St. In that overnight burglary, thieves made off with 25 handguns, according to news reports.

Three of those guns were recovered less than a month later by Colorado authorities following a series of violent crimes in that state.

Two of the stolen handguns were recovered from 37-year-old Jose Ocampo of Denver, after a standoff with police at a Lakewood, Colo., motel. Ocampo had been sought by authorities for his suspected involvement in a fatal shooting in early May.

Days later, a third firearm stolen from the Rapid City business was recovered following a suspected carjacking at gunpoint in Aurora, which led to a high-speed chase and the suspect subsequently being shot and killed by Aurora Police.

Those are two examples of a worse-case scenario for a stolen firearm, Medina said. The lesson is when you look at worse-case scenarios as we saw last year, remedying the problem by simply hitting a button on your door seems incredibly simple by comparison. If people looked at it in terms of averting violent crimes by just locking their doors, we believe more people would be apt to do it.

While Spearfish Police Chief Pat Rotert reported zero incidents of weapons-related vehicle burglaries in recent months, the same has not been the case in Sturgis.

Sturgis Police Chief Geody VanDewater said Friday that his department had responded to reports of several recent vehicle burglaries, one or two of which involved firearms.

And, most of those vehicles were unlocked, VanDewater said. Its always a major concern when you have a rash of burglaries, and it increases concern when you have a firearm that has been stolen. Those firearms are still outstanding, and we still have open cases on them.

While Deadwood has not witnessed any vehicle burglaries recently, Police Chief Kelly Fuller said Friday that the town of just 1,100 residents wasnt immune to the crimes.

Weve gone through periods with a rash of home and business burglaries, and it seems that generally, one or two suspects have been involved, and when weve taken that individual into custody, that string of burglaries has stopped, Fuller said. But were a small town, and we always encourage residents to lock their homes and their vehicles.

Fuller said vehicle burglaries were often a crime of opportunity.

We just had a report the other night of an individual in a hotel parking lot checking vehicle doors to see if they were open, the chief said. In most cases when people are targeting vehicles, if the vehicle is locked, they move on. But if that vehicle is open, they ransack it and take anything of value, including firearms.
Rapid City Area Schools want all students to reach their full potential  its stated in their vision. But potential looks different for all students, and the authorization of the Every Student Succeeds Act plans to hold all U.S. school districts accountable to fulfill that potential.

For Rapid City, those students include high numbers of rural, Native American and military children, all of whom have been factored into district-specific initiatives set to take effect this fall.

The South Dakota Department of Education released a draft of its state plan to comply with the Every Student Succeeds Act on May 30, which strives to ensure equal opportunity for all students.

All states were required to develop a plan for compliance after then-President Barack Obama signed the re-authorization of the act Dec. 10, 2015. The ESSA is a new version of the No Child Left Behind Act, which was established in 2002. After a year of development, the state draft is available for public comment until June 30.

"South Dakota has an aspiration that all students leave the K-12 education system college, career and life ready," the plan states. "Attaining this aspiration is dependent upon strong partnerships with, and alignment of goals and strategies among, the higher education system and the workforce."

The plan also lists four pillars for measuring students' progress including reading proficiency by fourth grade, math proficiency by ninth grade, higher academic success for Native American students and workforce-ready high school graduates.

Pam Lange, a technical assistant for federal programs in the Rapid City district, has attended state meetings regarding the plan. Lange said any changes from the plan won't really go into effect until the next school year, but the district has already implemented some of the aspirations in the plan, such as the addition of foster children to the school, tracking military children and introducing literary specialists for younger grades.

Results from this change and other changes implemented by the ESSA will be reported to the public in the yearly DOE report card for school districts.

Robin Gillispie, who will be the districts new federal programs director July 1, said that Rapid City schools Superintendent Lori Simon has been developing a job description for the literacy specialists, whose job will be to ensure that students in kindergarten through second grade are proficient in reading by third grade, rather than the states fourth grade goal.

Gillispie also said teachers track students' performance in math and recommend struggling students to be put in math tutoring programs so they are proficient in math by ninth grade.

Rapid City Area Schools served about 13,600 students in the 2015-2016 school year, according to the South Dakota Department of Education. About 16 percent of those students are Native American.

Lange said Gillespie and Simon will be meeting to finalize action steps toward increasing Native American student success in the district this summer.

For South Dakota, thats a group of students that we need to be focused on. Thats an area where we will continue to be focused," DOE communications director Mary Stadick Smith said.

Before Obama reauthorized the ESSA, South Dakota had received a flexibility waiver from the federal government, which exempted the state from specific requirements of the NCLBA in exchange for state-developed plans.

Deputy Director of the Division of Accountability Systems Laura Sheibe said the ESSA allows more freedom for individual states to design what accountability to the federal requirements would look like. Part of developing the state plan included DOE members traveling around the state to speak to shareholders such as teachers, administrators and parents.

Scheibe does not expect the public comment time to prompt any big changes to the plan because of the early work DOE members did to see what stakeholders wanted from the plan.

According to Scheibe, the four pillars of the plan aren't new  they're aspirations the state has had and been working on for years. The state plan simply implements federal regulations in a South Dakota context.

One of the big things weve heard over all is that people wanted to understand it," Sheibe said. "They really wanted it to be something thats useful and meaningful.

A form to provide public comment is available at ed.gov under Every Student Succeeds Act.
RAPID CITY | Evangeline Van Orthouse went to her heavenly Father on May 24, 2017, at Rapid City Regional Hospital. She was born on Feb. 27, 1926, in Wahpeton, ND, the middle child, with older brother Robert, and younger sister Kathryn of parents Mr. & Mrs. Robert Stein of Dora, MN. She attended grade school in Wahpeton, ND.

She went to work in a cafe where she was seen by William Orthouse the love of her life. They were married on March 17, 1944, in Fergus Falls, MN. Two sons were born to this union, Delton of Spokane, WA, and William of Rapid City. The Orthouses lived in Kearney, NE, until 1950, when the family moved to Rapid City.

Mr. Orthouse was employed for some time at Ellsworth Air Force Base and also for the city of Rapid City. Van was a hard worker, working for 12 years at the Holiday Inn on Lacrosse Street in the laundry room, she also worked at two different times for the R.C. Rehab Hospital for a total of 10 years.

Van was a loving mother, grandmother and great-grandmother; she will be greatly missed by her family, relatives and anyone she came into contact with.

She is survived by her son, Delton (Mary) and family in Spokane, WA; son, William in Rapid City; as well as relatives in Wisconsin and Kearney, NE.

Van was preceded in death by her husband, her parents and older brother, Robert.

Services will be at 11 a.m. on Monday, July 10, at the rotunda at Black Hills National Cemetery near Sturgis.

Memorials may be sent in her name to the Humane Society of the Black Hills. 1820 E. St. Patrick St., Rapid City, SD 57701.

Arrangements are under the guidance of Kinkade Funeral Chapel in Sturgis.
In South Dakota, the Fourth of July is a time to spend with friends and family, whether that be boating, camping, attending parades or grilling out and lighting fireworks.

It is a holiday filled with joy and tradition that allows us to celebrate the liberties and freedoms unmatched by any other country in the world. It is also a reminder that we continue to be the greatest, strongest, most resilient country that has ever existed and can overcome any challenge we may face.

Unfortunately, it can often be too easy to lose sight of these principles amidst cable news stories of partisan gridlock and party infighting. During trying times, it is important to remember that what unites us as Americans will always be far greater than what divides us.

Having been working in Washington for two-and-a-half years, I can tell you that everyone I have met has good intentions. We all share the same goal of leaving our country better for future generations, we just sometimes disagree on how to get there. And thats OK.

Having healthy, robust debates among elected leaders is a cornerstone of our democracy. As long as we remain respectful and understand that we all want whats best for our nation, there is no challenge we cannot overcome.

One area in which we continue to see common ground is in our support for our veterans and the men and women in uniform. Just before the Senate recessed for the Fourth of July holiday, Im pleased that the Armed Services Committee, on which I serve, once again came together in a bipartisan fashion to pass the annual National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA).

The NDAA is the annual bill that supports our military operations and personnel within the Department of Defense. It is one of the most important bills we pass each year in Congress, and it is one of the rare instances in which members truly check their party ID at the door to put the defense of our nation, our troops and their families before all else.

In fact, the NDAA has been signed into law for more than 50 years in a row, despite changing parties at the White House and amidst an ever-changing political climate in Washington. Im honored to do my part in continuing that effort and to stand with our men and women in uniform.

We are fortunate to live in the freest country in the world, a country that protects our individual right to express ourselves through free speech. The recent shooting involving Members of Congress, Capitol Police and Capitol Hill staff in Alexandria, Virginia, is a tragic reminder for all of us that while there is still evil in the world, we cannot and will not tolerate violent extremism.

Former President Bill Clinton said in his first inaugural address that "there is nothing wrong with America that cannot be cured by what is right with America." I wholeheartedly agree. This year, as we celebrate Independence Day, let us all strive to put aside our differences and celebrate the commonalities we share as Americans.
Supreme Court to hear Moscow imams appeal against sentence for justifying terrorism

MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI)  Russias Supreme Court to consider an appeal filed by Moscow imam Makhmud Velitov against his 3-year prison sentence for justifying terrorism on August 1, his attorney Dagir Khasavov told RAPSI on Monday.

On April 28, the Moscow District Military Court convicted and sentenced Velitov.

A prosecutor earlier demanded a 3.5-year prison term for the imam.

On September 23, 2013, Velitov, being a council chair and imam of a religious organization, made a public speech justifying activity of one of Hizb ut-Tahrir al-Islami terrorist organizations members during a prayer in a Moscow mosque, according to the Investigative Committee. This organization has been banned by Russias Supreme Court.

According to the forensic examination, the imams speech contained a set of psychological and linguistic features of justifying terrorist activities. Defense insisted that Velitov had performed a religious ritual allowed by canons of Islam regarding a deceased Muslim.

Hizb ut-Tahrir (the Party of Islamic Liberation), founded in Jerusalem in 1953, is banned in several Arab and Central Asian countries. Russia's Supreme Court banned the group from operating on the territory of the country in 2003, describing it as a terrorist organization.

Hizb ut-Tahrir members are regularly arrested by the police across Russia, mainly in big cities in central Russia, the Volga region and Siberia. Also, there are many supporters in Crimea, which rejoined Russia in the spring of 2014.
Russian vodka tycoons lawyers complain to prosecutors of investigators inaction

MOSCOW, July 3 (RAPSI, Diana Gutsul)  Defense lawyers for Swiss-based Russian businessman Yuri Shefler, who owns rights to several famous vodka brands, have filed a complaint with Russias Prosecutor Generals Office over investigators inaction, attorney Dmitry Kravchenko told RAPSI on Monday.

Defense asked Prosecutor General Yury Chaika to open a criminal case against the investigator, who had failed to execute several court rulings ordering to pardon Shefler.

Earlier, the Moscow City Court ordered the Investigative Committee to pardon SPI Groups Board Chairman Shefler; however, an investigator did not enforce the court decision and rejected a motion filed by defense to close the case against the businessman. In May, Moscows Basmanny District Court ruled that the investigators refusal to grant amnesty to Shefler was illegal.

According to Kravchenko, the Investigative Committee stopped replying to motions and complaints lodged by the businessmans defense following the Basmanny District Courts ruling.

In 2001, a criminal case was opened against Shefler on allegations of illegal use of trademark. Six years after he was arrested in absentia and put on the international wanted list, but foreign states dismissed Russias request for his extradition.

A bill proposing an economic crime amnesty spearheaded by business ombudsman Boris Titov was approved by the State Duma in 2013. The resolution releases from criminal liability, regardless of the designated prison term, individuals convicted or held liable under 27 articles of the Criminal Code related to business activities. For the amnesty to take effect, a suspect or a convict had to return the property or compensate the damages to the complainants.

In August 2013, Shefler transferred 1.3 million rubles ($22,000 at the current exchange rate) to the Russian state company Soyuzplodoimport as part of the case against him. However, the company has estimated its damage at 140 times as many. The investigator in the case recognized disagreement of the injured party as a just cause for rejection of pardon.

Thereafter, the businessman, whose worth was earlier estimated at $1.9 billion by Forbes, turned to the Constitutional Court of Russia. The Court held that if the initial estimate was correct then it should be used for compensation of the damage and gaining the right to be pardoned. If the estimate was too low, redrafted charges are to be brought against the defendant, the judgment read.

After the Constitutional Court had issued its judgment, a number of courts revoked the investigators refusal to grant economic amnesty to Shefler and remitted the respective order.
MISSOULA  Legislative candidate David Lewis wrote none of your business or NOYB on every line of the state disclosure form designed to deter abuses of power by public officials.

The form was accepted and filed without question. No one told the Billings candidate that his non-answers broke state ethics law. Had he been elected, it is unlikely the violations would have been flagged or would have triggered any penalties.

Montanas system to monitor conflicts of interest among legislators received a failing grade in an analysis by the nonpartisan investigative reporting outfit, the Center for Public Integrity.

Some legislators ignore or flout the rules that do exist and no one has been sanctioned for breaking them in decades  if anyone is monitoring at all. Although legislators cannot take their seat without filing a financial disclosure form, no one ensures state officials fill them out completely.

The two-page document was intended to be the baseline by which the public can gauge if elected officials and state employees misuse public posts. It is a key component of the law designed to fulfill a requirement in the Montana Constitution that they must work for the public and not themselves.

It identifies the private interests that may impact a legislators ability to serve the public trust, said Helena attorney Jonathan Motl, who served as the Commissioner of Political Practices until recently.

Candidates are required to list financial ties that could become conflicts when making decisions, such as employment, investments, properties and organizational memberships. Although most of that information is publicly available, the form consolidates it for voters without the time or expertise to search through property records and business filings that can be obscured through multiple layers of ownership.

Open-government advocates also argue that disclosing potential conflicts deters elected officials from questionable actions in the first place because they are more cognizant of areas where they might face ethical challenges.

Lewis, the Billings candidate, said he did not complete the form as required for two main reasons.

First, he said, he filed only as a placeholder candidate for the Republican Party in case someone else decided to run. He was surprised when he came so close to winning, securing 41 percent of the vote in a race for House District 54 against Democrat Margaret MacDonald.

Second, Lewis said he finds disclosure requirements fundamentally flawed. He sees the form as an effort by state government to control who is qualified for office and to make it easier for political parties to find new material for campaign attacks.

He also panned campaign finance rules and disclosure requirements that he thinks protect the power of the traditional political parties and do nothing to stop unethical contributions because those with means simply exploit loopholes.

Lewis said the public should be responsible for doing your homework by poring through public records without assistance from disclosure forms. Uncovering public corruption should be the responsibility of the press, not state government, he argued.

I dont need to make the job easier for anyone. I dont need to expose myself, he said, drawing a parallel to President Donald Trumps decision not to disclose his tax returns despite a decades-long tradition of public transparency. How do these things help protect the public anyways? They dont.

He noted that public disclosure laws did not stop former Denver Mayor Frederico Pena from deciding to build Denver International Airport on land owned by contractors and banks that contributed heavily to his campaign. The scandal was investigated and brought to light by local news media -- with reporting that relied heavily on public financial and campaign disclosures.

Aside from questions about whether ethics laws should be strengthened or ended entirely, Lewis string of NOYBs serve as an extreme example of flaws in the system designed to serve Montanans right to know.

Disclosure forms are filed with the Commissioner of Political Practices. Yet, that office has no explicit authority to audit them, to ask legislators to fill out missing information or to sanction those who refuse. It also has not enforced what level of detail is required on the D-1 form.

The power to police legislative ethics lies with legislative ethics committees. Since the current version of the law was approved in 1993, they have never reviewed or enforced disclosure-form requirements.

In many states with stronger laws, ethics compliance is monitored by an independent commission with some level of enforcement power.

Unlike Lewis, most Montana leaders do fill out the disclosure form. But some provide more information than others. In some cases, the form is not clear about what details should be provided. In others, legislators seemingly ignore the directions.

One section asks elected officials to list all property they own except their personal residence, including second homes, rentals, commercial buildings and mineral leases. Of the 77 legislators who reported owning property, 29 provided addresses, 24 named a city or county but did not list addresses, and 24 did not provide any location information.

A search of Montana property records showed that at least 14 people who did not report owning any property beyond their home did in fact own multiple properties. That tally might be higher if they own properties through trusts, companies or under a spouses name. It also does not include people who reported some properties but not all of them.

Among those who provide abundant detail is Sen. Ed Buttrey. The Great Falls Republican lists the addresses of a condo in Bigfork, a house in Whitefish, 12 boat slips, and 15 presumably rental properties in Great Falls. Similarly, Sen. Jon Sesso, D-Butte, lists rental properties and the building for a restaurant managed by his wife.

By contrast, Rep. Jim Hamilton, D-Bozeman, listed a rental office building in Bozeman and a cabin and 40 acres... in Ringling without addresses. Rep. Dan Bartel, R-Lewistown, listed properties without any geographic identifiers, only writing: resident house, cabin, mining claim, 2nd home, rental house, and rental commercial real estate.

Similar variances are seen in response to other disclosure questions.

For instance, many legislators report they have a retirement plan but only a handful identify the name of the fund or company that manages those investments. Even fewer attached a list of the companies or properties in which they have invested, as part of a retirement plan or otherwise.

Many state legislators proudly list roles in community organizations on campaign websites, but not all of those groups are shared on disclosure forms.

To veteran Bozeman Democrat Sen. Mike Phillips, the correct thing to do is be clear.

They shouldnt leave anything blank and they should fill out the forms. If you dont want it to be anybodys damn business then dont put your name on the ballot,'' Phillips said. "You give up a great deal of your privacy when you seek a public office.

"What representatives sometimes fail to realize is were just employees. The districts were from voted for us. Were employed by all the citizens of Montana. My boss deserves the right to know what I do with my time that may impact my ability to do my job.''

Who will close the gaps in legislative oversight is less clear.

Some legislators interviewed suggested they could discuss the issues at the July meeting of Legislative Council, which oversees rules and procedures for the body, among other duties. Others did not think changes were needed, seeing the existing system as functional if imperfect.

Motl, the former commissioner, believed that office could take on a more active role in monitoring disclosure forms as well as other enforcement areas that have been neglected for years.

The publics attention has justifiably been focused on campaign finance, Motl said, describing the need to resolve a backlog of complaints, the rewrite of Montanas law after a U.S. Supreme Court decision gutted the previous one, an investigation into illegal campaign coordinating, legislative efforts to neuter or restructure the office, and then a relatively clean set of campaigns in 2016.

I think once you see campaign finance become less of an issue youre going to see attention paid by the public to ethics and lobbying.

Commissioner Jeff Mangan, who took over the post this summer, said the completeness of disclosure forms had not been on his radar and was far down his initial list of priorities.

At this point, I dont have any plans, he said. Its something I plan to take to the next legislative interim committee since its come up, to ask how they would like for us to deal with this.

Without a significant investment in new staff, he questioned how his office would verify the submitted forms.

Its a lot of work. How do you determine whats sufficient versus deficient disclosure? he asked. We have a duty to the citizenry to be as open as possible. Thats easier said than done.

Tomorrow: It's not easy for citizens to file ethics complaints against legislators.
HELENA  Montana opened its first government-run health clinics five years ago. It was touted as a bold experiment and a possible national model in providing low-cost health care to government workers. State employees and their families have no co-pays or deductibles for checkups and routine services. There were big promises of huge financial savings.

But a scathing state audit asserts that the clinics have failed to document measurable improvements in the health of state workers. What's more, legislative auditors said there is no proof the clinics have saved the state any money  despite claims to the contrary by the governor's office  partly because of inadequate record keeping that undermined the accuracy of any financial analysis.

"It didn't allow us to corroborate the cost savings advertised," said Nick Hill, a legislative analyst who was among the audit's authors.

The first of Montana's health centers opened in Helena in 2012 amid the national debate over revamping the country's health care system. The clinic, established under the administration of then-Gov. Brian Schweitzer, was heralded as the nation's first government-run health center.

Since then, five other states  Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee, New Mexico and Missouri  have opened similar clinics.

As of August last year, Montana has spent more than $26.1 million to run the clinics, according to the audit, which was conducted by the legislative division and presented to an interim legislative committee last week.

The audit, conducted over a period of 20 months, noted "ongoing management challenges" and the absence of reliable data in which to assess the performance of the contractor hired by the state to oversee what is now a network of six clinics stretching from Missoula to Miles City. The audit also faulted the clinics for its cumbersome electronic medical records system, which sometimes prevent seamless sharing of health information between the clinics and other health care providers.

The director of the Department of Administration, John Lewis, defended the health centers by arguing that the audit failed to take into account many intangibles  including the immeasurable benefits of preventive care for the 34,000 state workers and their dependents who are eligible to use the health centers.

"Preventive care is a big part of the answer to finding savings to health care," he told the Legislative Audit Committee. "It's very difficult to calculate what those savings are."

The clinics help provide so-called medical homes for government workers, which encourage continuity of care and stronger relationships between patients and their doctors., supporters said. Much of the clinics' focus is on preventative care to head off conditions that could later require expensive treatment and to keep chronic conditions from exploding into even more serious maladies.

"It was very innovative idea at the time. And other states have followed," Lewis said, adding that "the state considers the clinics a success story."

Nevertheless, Lewis said, his agency will pursue the audit's key recommendations, including setting clearer goals and improving data collection to help establish measurable benchmarks not only in financial data but also health outcomes.
MARINETTE, Wis.  Theres a lot of pomp and circumstance surrounding a new ship.

Theres the mast stepping ceremony, which dates back to ancient Roman times. Theres the christening, where the ships sponsor had to do several practice runs to ensure she could break a champagne bottle. Theres the launch, where the future USS Billings slid free of a set of locked ramps and crashed into Lake Michigan, looking as if it were about to topple over before settling upright.

The culmination of festivities was remarkably quick, given the years of work put into the vessel at the shipyard in Marinette, Wisconsin; sponsor Sharla Tester, the wife of U.S. Senator Jon Tester, broke a champagne bottle against the ships bow with a clang, and almost simultaneously, the ship started sliding. The whole process took about 10 seconds.

Its overwhelming, she said. Im still in awe.

The Billings, which doesnt officially get its name until its commissioned, is the 15th vessel in the Littoral Combat Ship class, a series of boats designed to meld speed, firepower and flexibility in mission capabilities.

The ceremony at the shipyard for Marinette Marine, which is owned by an Italian company contracted by Lockheed Martin to build the ships, was attended by U.S. Navy officials and politicians ranging from U.S. Sen. Tammy Baldwin, a Wisconsin Democrat, to a trio of Billings City Council members, plus a few hundred other attendees.

Mayor Tom Hanel addressed the assembled crowd before the launch.

I am absolutely honored, he said. Billings, Montana, is honored.

Navy officials announced in 2013 that the ship would be the first combat vessel to bear Billings name. The ship, which is about 83 percent finished, is slated to be handed over to the Navy in 2018.

Tester, Hanel, and city councilmen Al Swanson, Chris Friedel and Ryan Sullivan toured the Billings on Friday.

Oh, this is just  wow, said Tester as she climbed onto the 389-foot long ships deck.

On Friday, the group also attended a mast-stepping ceremony, which dates back to ancient mariners who would place currency in a ships mast to ensure their passage to the afterlife if they died at sea.

Commanding Officer Nathan Rowan, who will lead one of two crews for the ship, thanked all who added to the canister.

I like to think that these gifts  will shape her life and chart her course, Rowan said. Will she be a lucky ship? A tenacious ship? Tradition bound? A historic ship? She will be the ship that all of us make her.

Tester placed a jar of Montana dirt filled with five different seeds that she said were planted on the familys farm near Big Sandy. Hanel  piping up at the end of the ceremony after he previously spoke  added a Billings Police Department patch, City of Billings lapel pin, his mayoral business card, and his personal Billings lapel pin with his name.

Rowan, an amicable man, also noted the addition of a bottle of Kraken-brand rum.

Hopefully I live long enough to get that back out and drink it, he said.

He also ribbed Hanel, telling him not to change his phone number listed on the business card.

Were gonna call you on that card in 25 years, he said.

On Fridays tour, Rowan and other officers got a look at the partially-completed ships interior.

Seeing it like this, it just kind of hits you, said Senior Chief Jose Ramiro.

Rob Dumalo, commanding officer for the ships other rotating crew, softly tapped walls as he walked along, grazed railings, brushed knobs and patted a first aid kit fixed to a wall. Saturdays events were largely about the name on the ship; soon, the sailors inside will chart its course.
Dirgha Raj Prasai

On 23 Aasar 2074 (7th July 2017) we the Nepalese people have been going to celebrate the 71th auspicious birthday of King Gyanendra at Nirmal Niwas to extend the best wishes to the King Gyanendra. Since 2006, Nepal is in dangerous position and the condition of the country is very bad. Since 2006, we Nepalese people are passing the worst time without the guardianship of monarchy. In the hint of the Indian and American interest, the culprit party leaders of Maoist, Congress and UML declared republican system-2008. How could they establish sovereignty just by removing monarchy without any logical and rationale reasons? This would only be a 'Herculean Attempt' without any logic and even absurd. 'King Gyanendra Shah was forced to quit the throne through the alien backed Peoples Uprising 2006 and then, the king Gyanendra had voluntarily left the Narayanhiti Royal Palace.

In 2001, NC handed over the government to the King Gyanendra. The party had to submit their government to the king in accordance with the 1990 constitution due to internal power-tussle between Girija and Sher Bahadur. It is mentioned in article 35 of the 1990 constitution- 'Nepals executive authority will lie with the king and the cabinet.' According to the constitution, the Prime Minister of Sher Bahadur Deuwa, the king handed the power back to the arrogant leaders of the political parties as per the 2006 agreement for peace and stability in the country. Later they came under foreign influence and betrayed the king to establish the secularism and republic setup. In such situation the king solemnly sacrificed his royal duties. Had the king decided to show his power and suppress the agitating parties they would not have stood a chance.

King Gyanendra knew well the source from where leaders like Girija, Madhav and the Maoists were being manipulated. The king sacrificed his throne thinking that such treacherous leaders could not possibly achieve anything under the guidance of India and America. The king was not willing to become a foreign puppet, and save the royal institution by killing the people participating in the uprising of the political leaders. He sacrificed the palace thinking that the people will one day decide the truth.

At that time the king already knew that India, America and the western countries were spending billions to implement the Free Tibet policy to disintegrate China. He knew the grand plan to declare Nepal secular and proclaim the country a republic. He also knew that secularism was a ruse to turn Nepal into a Christian state which would subsequently destroy Nepals Hindu and Buddhist identity. The amount invested by the western nations is being revealed. In such a dangerous situation the king had no other alternative than to leave his throne. It would be intelligent to back off and not confront criminals.

Now the situation has changed. The Nepalese people, tired of the acts of treason committed by the politicians, are raising unified voice from villages to cities in support of the royal institution. The Nepalese people rush towards him wherever he shows up and pour their grievances. King Gyanendra is sad to note all this. He is now compelled to speak the truth. King Gyanendra is not simply a king but represents patriotism. King Gyanendra said- ' The political situation in the country is not satisfactory and it caused the worry. All are not happy with the political situation in the country. We need to improve the situation in the country.'

Due to the traitors' regime, since 2006 we Nepalese people are suffering from the traitors-agents of RAW, EU and CIA who are destroying the unity and identities of Nepal. Nepalese democratic exercise faced the black period in between 2005-2017. During the period, Nepalese people tolerated the worst political practice made by corrupt leaders. The nation achieved the climaxed height of the lawlessness, theft, robbery, ransom and murders. The corruption is out of control. Now, Nepal is in danger position.

Nepal is a small country and on the south there is a big country with open border. There are about 800 million Hindus and Indian Hindus respect Nepal as a Hindu kingdom. This should be taken as a matter of pride for all Hindus. For security reasons also, Nepal has a big advantage by being a Hindu country & the birth place of Buddha. Even if one is a Christian or a Muslim, they should support to keep Nepal a Hindu nation. But the so-called big parties have made a great mistake by announcing Nepal as a secular and republic state.

Now it is a high time Nepal also should be careful to save her indigenous culture & traditions. If monarchy and the Hindu Kingdom will abolish from Nepal, Nepalese identities and Indian religious culture also can't secure. In India, there are the special rights of the Nepalese king for the various Dhams & Temples of India. Similarly, China also will divide in the name of free-Tibet. Secularism, republic and federalism are the agenda of CIA whose destination is not for Nepalese goodness. This is why Chinas great leader Mao Ze Dong other Chinese leaders support the royal institution in Nepal for Nepal-China security. Including the Tibetan spiritual leader, the Dalai Lama, who is a Nobel Peace Prize laureate and one of the most respected Buddhists worldwide supports the Nepalese monarchy. But the leaders of so-called big three party are following the agendas of foreigners and trying to dig up a well when there already is water in our rivers.

The permanent organization that can protect the nation and its identity is the royal institution. We need to coordinate and balance the Nepali nationality, royal institution and democracy, bring the prevalent corruption to an end and to focus on development of backward region and classes against the foreign intervention. We cannot go on supporting the mistakes of the corrupt leaders. No one can survive long by stepping on fire. Royal Institution is compulsion and necessity to establish the nation. History says that the monarchy is a symbol of Nepalese unity and nationality. In between the two big neighbors- China and India, the monarchy has been playing a balanced role. So, Nepalese monarchy is the most convincing identity of Nepal's independence and democracy. King Gyanendra is also a nationalist like king Mahendra who can stand with cause and effect on national scenarios.

Now, the country is standing on the verge of dismemberment in the last eleven years. When the relationship between the king and the people have been detached one can easily imagine, Nepal can't remain safe and unified if monarchy is actually abolished from the country. Now, the traitors are being active to blame the royal institution. The people are demanding- 'King come save the nation' without hesitation.

In a country with such geographical and ethnic diversities Nepal will fall into a severely dangerous situation because of the tug of war for power and money. This can be avoided if there is monarchy because monarchy is always impartial politically and of the political parties. All of us are against if there are anomalies within the royal institution, but those things could be sorted out through negotiation with the monarch. But, it is our unfortunate that the politicians have learnt no lesion from their past mistakes. To make no mistakes is not in the power of man, but from their errors and mistakes that wise and good learn wisdom for the future.

Due to the declaration of republic by the hints of RAW and CIA, Nepal is passing very worst situation. Susil Raj Pandey says- we are now the most corrupt country in South Asia and yet the leaders keep on blaming the past, which I don't know for what reason? Therefore the Chinese game plan of spending 4 billion $ in Lumbini comes as an eye-opener for everyone. They will not only make Buddha statues but also thousands of Chinese workers will be permanently settled in the Tarai just like in Africa nowadays. The western countries and India had probably thought that after the fall of the monarchy, the Chinese would be in a slippery wicket but now, the Chinese are in a far better position inside Nepal. Constitutionalism is the way of the nation. But the profounder of parties don't like the follow the norms of the constitution and existing laws. There is establishing the anarchism by such destructive activities. The leaders of Nepal Congress, UML, Maoists and other don't like to improve their mistakes.

Republic and Secularism is not Nepal's issue. In the context of the Palace properties which is is self understood that the royal institution is not king Gyanendras personal property but a common asset of all Nepalese people. As a sovereign Nepalese citizen king Gyanendra has full freedom to be concerned about the nation and give suggestions. If Nepal survives independently without royal institution then there is no need for anyone to worry about it. There are many nations without royal institution. But, in the context of Nepal, it will be suicidal to speak or take decisions on subjects of monarchy, language, religion and ethnicity without thorough study on Nepals sensitivity.

Why would there be a need of a King if Nepal can survive without it? But Nepal should not be compared to other nations. Monarch is Nepals alternate power. Nepal does not demand an autocratic royal institution but a pro-people institution. The institution of monarchy is such a force that fights off imperialist force to create a greater Nepal. The King of Nepal never sold the nation, pleaded before foreigners nor killed the people and will never do so. I wouldnt have said so if I was a citizen of Japan, America or any other nation, I would have said that the nation will survive without the monarchy, but I am in Nepal. But in the context of Nepal, the geographical and class reality of Nepal is such, that the absence of monarchy would mean there will be no Nepal.

After the overthrow of the royal institution in 1958, Iraq plunged into a civil war among the Kurdish, Sunni and Siya Muslims. Thousands were killed in that holy land. What did Iraq gain? After Irans monarch -Reja Shah Pahalbi left his thrown in 1979, an Islamic revolution started during which thousands of Iranian people were killed. Iran fell into a religious dictatorship. In 1979 royal institution was removed in Afghanistan under Soviet pressure. Now the country is faced with a civil war and the Afghans are swimming in a pool of blood. In 1970 monarchy was removed in Cambodia, after which thousands of Cambodian people died under strict communist rule. In 1993 Cambodian people brought back their king Naroddam Simhanuk to the regime and peace prevailed.

In England monarchy was disposed in 1649 and reestablished in 1661. Spains monarch Alfonso III was disposed and Franco took the throne in 1969 after which Spain became stable. In many places monarchy has been reestablished after being disposed. The peoples major concern is to establish peace, good governance and independence in their nation. It is customary to impart a young prince lesson on subjects of nations independence, system of rule, and the interest of the people. Due to such lesson in childhood a king develops a special bond towards his royal duties. So, it is wise for us to study the situation before pointing a finger at king Gyanendra.

The monarchy is the alternative force of Nepal. A leader of NC, elder son of BP Koirala, the former minister Prakash Koirala says- 'Nepalese have understood that monarchy is inevitable for national independence, national unity, peace and security. The royal institution is the only one that is independent. Nepalese stability is vital for our neighbors. The leaders have lost confidence of the people.' We Nepalese people no longer want the rule of the so called visionless larger party leaders. They have declared the new constitution imposing the secularism, republic and federalism which is suicidal to implement in this Hindu and Buddha land.

Now, the only way would be the acceptance and restoration of benevolent and people-oriented monarchy with Hindu kingdom to keep intact the Nepal's sovereignty and its prestigious identities. So, on the auspicious 71th Birthday of King Gyanendra we should demand to restore the constitutional monarchy for the goodness of Nepal.

dirgharajprasai@gmail.com
KATHMANDU: Lawmakers have drawn the attention of the government, through the Speaker, for the immediate rescue and relief for the landslide and flood victims.

In the Legislature-Parliament meeting held today, the lawmakers said that properties have been damaged and some people have lost their lives in the natural disaster that occurred in various places of the country.

Lawmaker Binda Devi Ale said that at least three persons were killed in landslide and many were injured in Kaski on July 1. She further drew the attention of the government to carryout measures to control landslides and flood.

Similarly, another lawmaker Rabindra Adhikari urged the government to make arrangement of relief to the victims immediately.

Stating that around 1,500 houses are at risk and 30 houses have been completely damaged at Tilathi of Saptari, Adhikari demanded to carry out diplomatic initiative to resolve the problems surfaced at the Nepal-Inda border areas every year.

Likewise, lawmaker Agni Prasad Sapkota complained about the problems faced by the Sindhupalchowk road accident injured ones for their treatment as they could not get medicine.

Another lawmaker Dilli Prasad Kafle drew the attention of the government to resolve problems as hundreds of houses are at risk of natural disaster at Tilathi of Saptari.

Lawmaker Surendra Yadav said that the government was reluctant in addressing the various natural problems seen in various places across the country.

Similarly, lawmaker Bikas Lamsal drew the attention of government to provide the reliefs to flood and landslide victims of Kushma Municipality of Parbat district where five people were recently killed in natural disaster.

Lawmakers Umesh Yadav and Shiva Chandra Chaudhary urged the government to implement the measures to control the rivers in Tarai as they are annually eroding the lands in the district.

Likewise, Lawmaker Shyam Kumar Shrestha said that the price reducing in petroleum products had no meaning as it was just nominal. He further opined for fixing the price of petroleum products scientifically.RSS
The Times of India, July 2, 2017

by Aakar Patel in Aakarvani | India | TOI

It is warming to see Indians rally against violence but why anot in my namea? Is it the case that the murder of Indian Muslims by protectors of cattle is being done in our name? Letas examine the matter. For those readers who may not know of the rallies across India, these were spontaneous gatherings of Indians, many young, calling on the government to end the violence.

The answer to the question is: yes. The killings are directly linked to government policy. I would hold the government personally responsible for these murders and any reasonable person would. The data journalism website Indiaspend has reported that 97% of lynching murders by gau rakshaks have come after 2014. They are the gift to us of the Modi government and of the state BJP governments (Haryana and Maharashtra in particular but they are not alone) which lit the fuse on gau raksha through legislation and rhetoric on cow slaughter. Almost no violence was happening before this on the matter of cattle, as the data proves.

aNot in my namea contains another message. The great linguist and dissident activist Noam Chomsky is often asked why he focuses on American atrocities around the world. Why not write books and campaign against, say, the barbarism of ISIS or ISI or, indeed, of Hindutva? Chomskyas response is that he opposes all such violence but you stop what you can. It is his citizenship of America that makes him assume responsibility for the actions of the American government. Those wonderful people who gathered in Delhi, Mumbai and elsewhere were in similar fashion owning the fallout of the actions of their countryas government.

A friend from Delhi sent this message: aHow beautiful is the sight and sound of the Indian people standing up for the values that we believe define us and in opposition to the dark influences threatening to take over.a Very true. And to this we should add another aspect.

Democracies are often self-correcting only under public pressure and activism. America performed criminal acts in Vietnam and Korea and Cuba and Nicaragua and Iran and Iraq. Chomsky says if the Nuremberg standards were applied to the crimes of post-war American presidents, all of them from Eisenhower to Bush would be hanged. I believe him. But this sorry record has one silver lining: the not-in-my-name activism and protests of Americans, particularly the young, which ended the Vietnam war and blighted the one in Iraq from the beginning.

The protesters and activists did the job that others should really have done. The media in America, as is the media in our parts, was totally compromised. It bought or enthusiastically subscribed to whatever version of nationalist/anti-national hokum was being served up. What we think of today as aliberala media, like the New York Times, Chomsky proves was actually cheerleading the establishment on.

aNot in my namea tells us that the participation of citizens in democracy does not end with voting. We cannot hand over our country to the BJP or the Congress or whoever else for them to do what they will for five years once elected. We are citizens and not subjects. We have a say and we must resist the criminal actions of the Indian state because we can influence it.

Awful things are done in our name. The eyes of Kashmiris are being put out by shotguns fired in our name. And the murder of public transportation systems for the poor (the BJP again taking the lead in MP and Chhattisgarh by shutting down aunprofitablea state bus services) while billions are pumped into projects for the wealthy like bullet trains. And the relentless purchase of weapons systems, more warplanes, more drones, at the expense of health and education in an India half of whose citizens, by any honest estimate, are poor and illiterate. Many things in India are waiting to be resisted.

After the barbarism in Una last year, the PM gallantly asked the cattle mob to not murder Dalits but shoot him instead (How? Why? To what end? These details he omitted to provide). The mobas response to this theatrical act was not reported. But they have of course continued their slaughter a 2017 is on track to be their finest year a so one presumes they have already answered.

My view on this is boring: no Indian needs to die over cattle, whether as victim or martyr. The PM can reduce the violence if not put an end to it by ordering his party to stop pushing the cattle slaughter issue. Thatas it. His party summoned the genie out, the data is absolutely transparent here, and it is directly responsible for bottling it up again. If he refuses to do this, he should remember that the killings are happening, whether he sees it that way or not, in his name.
BBC News - 3 July 2017

Bangladeshi human rights campaigner Farhad Mazhar disappears

A well-known Bangladeshi human rights activist has disappeared after leaving his home in the capital Dhaka on Monday.

Farhad Mazhar - a columnist who is often critical of the government - left the house early after getting a phone call, his wife Farida Akter told the BBC, and has not been seen since.

Ms Akter has received a ransom demand.

Human rights groups say enforced disappearances and abductions are rising in Bangladesh.

Police officer Aleya Akhter told news agency AFP that the kidnappers had demanded a ransom of 3.5 million taka ($43,300/A33,400).

Police are investigating.

Mr Mazhar, 69, is a supporter of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

Party officials say many of their activists and supporters have been detained illegally since 2014.

o o o

The Daily Star - July 03, 2017

aMissinga Farhad Mazhar traced in Khulna, Rab drive on

Star Online Report

Rapid Action Battalion members were conducting drive in Khulna to rescue Farhad Mazhar as the columnist was traced there this evening hours into he went missing from Dhaka.

Mazhar was located in KDA Approach Road area of Khulna with the help of technology, Utpal Roy, company commander of Rab-6, told The Daily Star.

aWeare conducting drive in Khulna based on mobile-tracking information. Weare trying to find him out in the area,a Roy said.

Earlier in the day, he went out of his Adabar house around 5:00am, said Biplob Kumar Sarker, deputy commissioner (Tejgaon division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, quoting his wife Farida Akter.

According to Farida, half an hour after Mazhar, also a researcher, went out of the house, he called her through his mobile phone and said, aSave me, they have kidnapped me. They will kill mea .

After receiving a verbal complaint, police visited his house and found a CCTV footage that shows Mazhar leaving the house around 5:07am ain normal gesturea , the police official said.

A general diary was filed with Adabor Police Station in connection with the incident, DC Biplob said.
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As we hit the halfway point of the year, it is time to look back over the past six months, specifically the cinematic offerings from Asia. This years crop of new releases has been a mixed bunch, with precious few standouts and far too many disappointments or half-baked efforts. We have been subjected to a pair of predictably sub-par Jackie Chan films (Railroad Tigers, Kungfu Yoga), an underwhelming crop of Chinese New Year blockbusters (Journey to the West 2), and even a drop in quality from Nikkatsus roman porno reboot project (White Lily and Dawn of the Felines).

But all is not lost. There is some wheat amongst the chaff. Below you will find a dozen Asian titles I felt deserved singling out for recognition. Other honourable mentions should go to Eiji Uchidas Love and Other Cults, Yoshihro Nishimuras Kodoku Meatball Machine and Yoji Yamadas What a Wonderful Family! 2, but the line must be drawn somewhere. That said, what is missing? What have been the standouts of 2017 for you so far? Feel free to let us know in the comments - and check the links below for reviews of featured titles from the ScreenAnarchy team.
 Reviewing what Hurst has come to mean for the death penalty in Florida | Main | Highlighting Justice Gorsuch's interesting concurrence in Hicks on the perils of permitting sentencing error to persist 

The title of this post is the title of this extended commentary authored by Tim Lynch, who directs the Cato Institutes Project on Criminal Justice. Here is how it starts and ends:

President Trump says crime is a serious problem and that hes going to do something about it. His first move was to nominate Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be the new attorney general. Sessions, a former federal prosecutor, is widely known for his lock em up philosophy and tough stances on drugs and immigration. As the first 100 days of the Trump presidency recede into history, it is a good time to pause and assess whats in store for the American criminal justice system.

To begin, it is very unfortunate that Trump has chosen to elevate the crime problem in the way that he has because it reinforces the mistaken idea that the federal government oversees our criminal justice system. In fact, the Constitution says very little about federal criminal jurisdiction. According to the constitutional text, piracy, treason, and counterfeiting are supposed to be the federal governments concern, but not much else. The common law crimes of murder, rape, assault, and theft are to be handled by state and local governments. Of course, as the federal government grew in size and scope, it came to involve itself in a host of local matters  from schools to road maintenance to crime fighting. Although Trump has spoken of draining the swamp and slashing the federal budget, he not only seems uninterested in reducing the federal role in crime-fighting, but is also clearly moving to expand that role....

To conclude this overview of the criminal justice policy landscape, the first few months of the Trump presidency have been unsettling, to say the least. Trump may have good intentions, but his gut instincts in the area of criminal justice are terribly misguided. Massive deportations, marijuana raids, property seizures, and militarized policing will jolt the foundations of our constitutional republic. Criminal justice reformers will win some policy battles  especially at the state and local level, but the road ahead looks treacherous indeed.
A group of protesters hit the Embarcadero on Sunday to call for the impeachment of President Trump, causing lanes on the street to be temporarily closed in the midst of the holiday weekend, as ABC 7 and others are reporting. The Chronicle says that "thousands" turned out to march, some sporting patriotic gear, and NBC Bay Area says it was a "continually-growing crowd of people" that numbered in the thousands at its peak.

The protest moved north on Embarcadero from Justin Herman Plaza to Battery Street, and then turned around and returned. A couple of the chants included "What do we want? Impeachment. When do we want it? Now." and "No ban, no wall, no way, no fascist USA."

" "

Some of the marchers told NBC Bay Area that they were motivated to come out Sunday after a tweet the President posted showing a Photoshopped Wrestlemania video in which he can be seen pummeling a person with the CNN logo for a head, and now the President has taken to calling CNN "FNN" for Fraud News Network.

The tweet has been widely seen as an encouragement for violent attacks on the news media.

The protest lasted about two hours, and the Chronicle reports that it was organized by multiple organizations, including Progressive Democrats of America.

Similar protests happened Sunday in Los Angeles, San Diego, and Austin.




Tuesdays July 4s San Francisco Mime Troupe performance of their new play Walls continues the musical theater groups multiple-decade tradition of free shows in Dolores Park, but SFist caught this weekends premiere of Walls at Berkeleys Cedar Rose Park. I'm pleased to report that Walls bigly and beautifully builds on the troupes 58-year-tradition of fighting oppression, one play at a time, and completely lives up to Breitbarts unhinged description of the play as an illegal alien lesbian musical.

The primary charm of Walls is that it really is an illegal alien lesbian musical, a simple romantic musical comedy peppered with delightfully cute numbers. But the songs and storylines all address thoroughly depressing contemporary topics like deportation anxiety, terrorism, homophobia, and Trump-era racism. Still, Walls manages to maintain that Mickey Rooney-Judy Garland Lets put on a show! enthusiasm, except in this case Judy Garland is a lesbian, African-American immigration agent, and Mickey Rooney is an undocumented Latina played by a not-yellowfaced, actual performer of color.

If youve seen a San Francisco Mime Troupe performance before, Walls is entirely consistent with the same formula theyve used in these shows for years. Its a socially conscious play, with an old-school, party-line liberal political ethic and a Looney Tunes level of sophistication. Only four actors are employed, each playing two to three different roles, and their musical numbers are backed up by a three-piece Vaudeville band with a Casio keyboard.



In other words, these free Mime Troupe shows are are notably scrappy and low-budget (though designer Carlos Aceves busted-up Statue of Liberty backdrop creates a striking, end of the original Planet of the Apes effect). Small amounts of wind will affect the microphones sound quality at these outdoor shows, and it may be the only play where the cast asks you for help tearing down the sets and loading them into a truck after the show is over. But its also one of the only plays where you can bring your dog with you, and you sure cant beat the price of these free outdoor shows.



Walls is essentially a classic lovers being separated story, but told in a funhouse fashion with musical numbers and lots of satire. The conclusion uses a clever little Perry Mason plot twist that allows for a happy ending while the larger social issues continue to persist and get worse. And now that the Mime Troupe is doing shows in Donald Trumps America, these social issues will indeed continue to persist and get worse.



Walls plays Tuesday, July 4 at 2 p.m. in Dolores Park. Additional shows are scheduled throughout the summer, all shows are free.



Related: The Hellraising History Of The SF Mime Troupe




Every week, the Shepherd Express will serve as a clearinghouse for all activities in the greater Milwaukee area that peacefully push back against discriminatory, reactionary or authoritarian actions and policies of the Trump administration and other activities that seek to thwart social justice. We will publicize and promote actions, demonstrations, planning meetings, teach-ins, party-building meetings, drinking-discussion get-togethers or any other actions that are directed toward fighting back to preserve our liberal democratic system.

Thursday, July 6

Rid Racism MKE @ Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee (2819 W. Highland Blvd.), 7-8:30 p.m.

Rid Racism Milwaukee is holding an event at the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee that will feature Anna Dvorak, lead organizer of Citizen Action Organizing Cooperative (CAOC), sharing information about the ongoing struggle for fair elections, health care, economic justice and media accountability.

Can You Become Radio-Active? @ Camp Bar Shorewood (4044 N. Oakland Ave.), 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Radio-Active campaign seeks to restore balance to Southeastern Wisconsins airwaves. The Radio-Active team and Resistance Radios Dom Salvia will be on hand to let you know how you can help get more progressive voices on the radio.

Saturday, July 8

Peace Action Wisconsin: Stand for Peace @ The corner of 92nd Street and North Avenue, noon-1 p.m.

Every Saturday from noon-1 p.m., concerned citizens join with Peace Action Wisconsin to protest war. Signs will be provided for those who need them. Protesters are encouraged to stick around for conversation and coffee afterwards.

Fired Up for Tammy! @ Humboldt Park Pavilion (3000 S. Howell Ave.), noon

This picnic will also serve as an opportunity to learn more about voter registration drives, canvassing and phone banking. Local and state representatives, as well as Sen. Tammy Baldwins local campaign organizer, will speak.

Monday, July 10

Our Wisconsin RevolutionMilwaukee Chapter Meeting @ International Association of Machinists (2609 W. Oklahoma Ave.), 6-8 p.m.

Our Wisconsin Revolutions Milwaukee Chapter, whose mission is to fundamentally transform through popular power a system rigged by the political, social and economic establishment to realize the promise of just, equitable, sustainable and democratic society, will hold their monthly meeting.

Support a Fair and Welcoming Shorewood @ Shorewood Village Hall (3930 N. Murray Ave.), 6:30-8:30 p.m.

The Shorewood Solidarity Network aims to build a safe, inclusive and just Shorewood and is taking to the Shorewood Public Safety Committee to support the village as a safe and welcoming place for everyone.

Wednesday, July 12

Refuel the Resistance @ Bounce Milwaukee (2801 S. Fifth Court), 5-8 p.m.

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Every Wednesday, Bounce Milwaukee offers a space to organize, as well as a free drink to anyone who brings evidence of resistance in the past week, including protest signs, an email to an elected official or a selfie at the capital.

Solidarity March @ Corner of Spring and Graham Streets (Racine), 6-7 p.m.

The Racine Interfaith Coalitions Immigration Task Force is hosting a march in solidarity with undocumented immigrants as a call to stop the profiling and deportation of undocumented immigrants in the country.

To submit to this column, please send a brief description of your action, including date and time, to savingourdemocracy@shepex.com. Together, we can fight to minimize the damage that this administration has planned for our great country.
 Expand Photo Credit: Angie Rhee

THEATER

What a Crock!

Memories Ballroom prepares A Crock of Schnitzel

A dinner theater production named A Crock of Schnitzel is a strong indicator of what might be on the menu. Indeed, Memories Ballroom in Port Washington doesnt upset your expectations. Along with Barbara Pease Webers German family-centered comedy comes a plated dinner (buffet on Tuesday, July 25) of Wienerschnitzel, herbed spatzle, salad with warm bacon dressing, apfel kuchen and more.

A Crock of Schnitzel involves a young couple, skittish in-laws and a family heirloom cuckoo clock that winds up being a time machine! As we all know from various time-travel stories, all sorts of weird things can happen; in this case, the newlywed Greg finds his wife, Ashley, transported back through time, where she meetsand wedsKlaus, her husbands father!

July 11-26 at Memories Ballroom, 1077 Lake Drive, Port Washington. For tickets, call 262-284-6850 or visit memoriesballroom.com.

Julius Caesar

The Tragedy of Julius Caesar (to give the play its full name) is one of William Shakespeares most famous plays, and thats saying plenty. Likely written in 1599 and alongside such classics of the stage as Coriolanus and Antony and Cleopatra , it stands at the center of his great dramas of ancient Rome. The relationship between the tragic title character and Brutus (who actually utters more than four times as many lines as Caesar) presents a powerful psychological drama immersed in themes of honor, patriotism and friendship. In the hands of Boozy Bard and their Shakespeare Raw"-take of scant familiarity and imbibing, one can only image what this interplay will be like.

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July 10-12 at Best Place at the Historic Pabst Brewery, 901 W. Juneau Ave. Tickets are $10 ($5 if you arrive in a toga). Visit facebook.com/boozybard for more information.

MUSIC

MYSO Bon Voyage Concert

Touring is transformative for our students," comments Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestras Ron Oshima, many of whom have never been out of the area, on an airplane, let alone out of the country. It opens their eyes to a broader world beyond Wisconsin where they get to see life through the lens of a different culture." Add to all that the fact that these talented youngsters will be performing three concerts in three different cities in Argentina and Uruguaynot to mention the actual works theyll be performingand you realize this will be both highly rewarding and remarkably challenging. Thankfully, we locals can get a preview: The MYSO performs their entire tour program twice before they go way south of the border. Both concerts are free.

7 p.m., July 6 at Bayshore Town Center, 5800 N. Bayshore Drive and 6:30 p.m., July 7 at Gerlach/Haack Outdoor Theater, 19805 W. Capitol Drive.
 Expand Governor Scott Walker speaking at the 2017 Conservative Political Action Conference (CPAC) in National Harbor, Maryland. Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

In 2011, at the tail end of deliberations on the first budget of Scott Walkers administration, lawmakers added something new: a credit that would minimize income taxes in two of the states biggest industries. The Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit (MAC) was passed without receiving a public hearing and phased in over the next several years, reaching its top rate of 7.5% in 2016. Now fully in effect, it all but eliminates tax liability on qualifying income for individuals and corporations in those sectors. The MAC is expected to cost the state more than $1.4 billion by the middle of 2019.

In theory, this credit stimulates economic growth by encouraging businesses to build in Wisconsin. In practice, it depends who you ask. Supporters like the business lobby Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce (WMC) have long touted the credit as a powerful investment, citing the 34,000 manufacturing jobs added since 2011 as evidence of its success. By contrast, a 2016 report from the Wisconsin Budget Project frames it mainly as a tax giveaway for millionaires with a negligible impact on employment.

As the Wisconsin Budget Projects report explains, businesses do not need to create jobs to claim this credit. They can, in fact, outsource jobs or close facilities and still receive it. Individual claimants might invest the money back into their companies, but they dont have to. This lack of accountability, combined with the high cost, has led some to wonder whether the MAC is easing the states economic woes or adding to them.

As were debating the state budget, its important to look at why we dont have enough revenue to do a lot of the things that the governor wants to be committed to, says Rep. Gordon Hintz (D-Oshkosh). One of the big reasons we dont is because of decisions like this tax credit.

The Question of Jobs

In April 2017, UW-Madison professor Noah Williams released a report called The Impact of the Manufacturing and Agriculture Credit in Wisconsin. The study compared the rate of job growth in Wisconsin border counties with that of neighboring counties in other states. Williams, a former adviser for Walker and Marco Rubio, found that manufacturing employment had, on average, grown faster in Wisconsin than in the other counties. Applying these results statewide, he concluded that more than 20,000 manufacturing jobs had been created because of the credit.

The MACs most vocal critics were unconvinced. Rep. Chris Taylor (D-Madison) put out a press release describing the study as severely flawed. Hintz says the report mistakenly attributes all job growth to the credit, stating that more manufacturing jobs were gained in the two years before it was implemented than in the four years after.

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Nevertheless, Williams study adds substance to a narrative that MAC supporters have promoted for years: The tax credit gives Wisconsin a competitive edge by making it a more attractive place for businesses to be. Reduce the tax burden and established manufacturers expand. Out-of-state companies relocate. Start-ups start up. Once all that happens, they argue, the jobs will come.

There are examples of this happening. In a report on the MAC from Wisconsin Public Television, Belmark president Karl Schmidt describes how the credit motivated the packing company to expand facilities in De Pere. Thats about 240 jobs that we added here that would not have been here. That would have been in another state, Schmidt declares in the segment.

Is Belmark one of a few isolated cases or part of a large-scale change? Its hard to answer that, because its hard to know how big of an incentive taxes really are. Andrew Reschovsky, professor at UW-Madisons La Follette School of Public Affairs, says research indicates that taxes are among the many factors that businesses consider when deciding where to expand, but not necessarily one of the main ones.

Generally the conclusion is that taxes are on the list, but nowhere near the top, says Reschovsky. He lists access to things like raw materials, a customer base and a skilled labor force as a few of the bigger motivators.

More opportunities have emerged over the last few years as the country climbs out of recession. Still, Wisconsins rate of job creation has lagged behind the national average. Recent data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reveals that in 2016, the rate of private sector employment growth slowed to 0.5%, and that nearly 3,800 manufacturing jobs were lost.

In an email, Williams writes that this most recent release does not affect the conclusions of his study, which included data through the third quarter of 2016.

The MAC helped to increase growth in manufacturing employment over what it would have been in the absence of the credit, he writes. Wisconsin would have lost more manufacturing jobs in 2016 if the credit were not in place.

Unequal Distribution

While the MACs effect on job growth remains debatable, one thing is clear: The credit has cost a lot more than intended. According to the Wisconsin Budget Project, the credit was initially projected to cost $129 million in reduced income tax collections in 2017 after it was fully phased in. The Legislative Fiscal Bureau now estimates that it will cost more than twice that much this fiscal year and $320 million in 2018.

Some degree of miscalculation was to be expected: Estimates are based on a business future profits, making their eventual cost hard to predict. Still, for those who oppose the MAC, the inflated price tag makes a damaging decision even worse.

If we had a spending program that cost two-and-a-half times the amount it was budgeted for, there would be outrage, Hintz says. Thered probably be public hearings. Somebody would be in trouble.

The frustration is not just about the amount of money, but where the money goes. A 2016 memo from the Legislative Fiscal Bureau showed 88% of the credit going to people who make more than $500,000 a year. It also estimated that 11 individuals with annual incomes of more than $30 million would each receive nearly $2 million in 2017.

This is the most tilted credit I have ever seen in Wisconsin, says Wisconsin Budget Project research analyst Tamarine Cornelius.

In March 2017, Taylor and several other Democrats proposed an alternative: legislation that would cut taxes for middle class families instead. Under this plan, a family of four with an income of $45,000 would get a roughly $600 credit. They proposed paying for it in part by repealing the MAC, which Rep. Chris Taylor calls a total scam on the working people of this state.

The middle class pays the highest percentage of their income in state and local taxes, according to the Institute on Taxation and Economic Policy, and although unemployment in Wisconsin has returned to pre-recession lows (an estimated 3.2% in April), wages have stagnated, making it harder for working families to get by. These massive tax giveaways are not trickling down, Taylor says. When you dont have a vibrant middle class, youre not going to have a vibrant economy; end of story.

The 2017-19 budget includes one proposed change, closing a loophole that allowed some to essentially claim the MAC and credits paid to other states on the same income. Cornelius describes this change as a minor tweak that does not signal a fundamental shift in lawmakers thinking.

Investing in Communities

At the same time that the MAC has phased in, many public services have been slashed. Spending on transportation, K-12 schools and the UW system has been drastically reduced. Reschovsky connects these decisions to the mythology that taxes are the only thing that matters. Part of the trouble with this mindset is that these same services are important for attracting businesses and driving economic growth. The rationale thats often used is that these tax credits will attract people to our communities and help us grow economically, says Heather Bourenane, director of the Wisconsin Public Education Network. But when you ask someone why theyre moving to a community, the first thing they say is the schools,

Walkers 2011-13 budget cut public school funding by nearly $800 million. Since then, districts have increasingly relied on referendums, voting to raise taxes to make up for the loss of state support. Bourenane describes schools going to referendum for the most heartbreaking of basic maintenance, and says that increasing funding is an economic question as much as a moral one, given the importance of schools to communities.

Cornelius regards investments in these services as a way to support not just one or two industries, but business in general. Businesses need a lot of things to thrive. They need a solid transportation network, healthy, well-educated workers, communities that people want to live in, she says. So, to have this narrow focus on tax cuts as the only way to help Wisconsin businesses is short-sighted.

Hintz cites long-term investment in priorities like education as the most important thing that state governments can do to stimulate economic growth. Tax policy can also play a role, he says, provided it meets certain standards.

Fairness, accountability, effectiveness, he says. Any tax policy should have to pass that test.
In 2012, a new hot rod-custom bike event debuted on the New Jersey shore, but the event, held every year since, has long roots in custom car culture. The Race of Gentlemen" (affectionately known as TROG") honors the mid-century endeavors of backyard mechanics, linking them to the DIY and Maker Faire ethos of today. Like the revival of vinyl LPs, TROG is a pushback against the digitalization of our world. And yes, despite the deliberately retro affectation of Gentlemen," women are also getting their hands dirty, building, restoring and racing hot rod cars and custom bikes.

This summer, a Harley-Davidson Museum exhibition, The Race of Gentlemen," examines the people as well as the machines they ride. Huge color panels display the varied faces of the driver-builders in portraits by photographer Cory Piehowicz. Most of the faces are young, including Sushi, a Tokyo, Japan resident in a Harley-Davidson cap, and Andy Wood, clad like a circa-1920 Harley rider complete with English racing cap and bowtie. TROGs principal founder, Mel Stultz, is a bearded artist who makes TROGs retro-looking signage and props. Tom Row, 79, is a wizened veteran from the post-World War II drag races, a living link to the past TROG seeks to invoke.

Also on display are smaller black-and-white action photos by David Carlo that capture the splatter of sand under bike tires as well as pensive moments in the cockpits of race cars. Videos from TROG show the vehicles and their owners as they race along the Wildwood, N.J., beach at low tide on tightly packed sand.

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Of course, much of the space in the exhibit, spread across the Harley-Davidson Garage, is devoted to the handiwork of the ladies and gentlemen of TROG. As described by the exhibits curator, Kristen Jones, the vehicles culled for the exhibit from recent TROGs are a throwback to a time of ingenuity when people had to figure it out without the resources of the Internet at their fingertips."

Most TROG participants work within a set of boundaries, using only pre-1932 auto bodies, no motorcycles built after 1947 and no parts introduced after 1950 or so. Aside from combing scrapyards and warehouses for vintage components, some TROGers make their own parts or seek out boutique companies that fabricate them according to old-time specifications.

Every vehicle in The Race of Gentlemen" has its own story. Some were handed down as family heirlooms from previous generations of dragsters and bikers. Some were recovered from scrapheaps and lovingly resuscitated with parts scrounged from here and there. Some were built from scratch and assembled from remnants. A 1942 Harley-Davidson Model WLA, designed for the U.S. military, was assembled from spare parts donated by collectors. Text panels tell those stories.

Unlike traditional car and motorcycle collectors who paint and polish their vehicles to the bright gleam they wore on the day they rolled from the assembly line, most TROGers prefer to maintain the patina of age. Typical is the exhibits 1946 Harley-Davidson Knucklehead with exhaust pipes coated in rust and saddle seat worn from many rides.

Through a shared love of gritty technology from the Industrial Age, a loose community has been born. The annual gathering in Wildwood has grown rapidly. According to Jones, 15 motorcars and 15 motorcycles participated in the 2008 TROG. This years run drew 150 vehicles along with over 25,000 spectators. Mark your calendars for June 2018 if you like, but meanwhile, catch the spirit at Harley-Davidson.

Through Sept. 4 at the Harley-Davidson Museum, 400 W. Canal St. There will be many special events over the summer, including the July 8 Wild Ones: Vintage Motorcycle Rally" featuring an antique motorcycle ride-in show, slow races, plank rides and stunts. For more information, visit harley-davidson.com.
 Expand Photo credit: Gage Skidmore

Ever since Republicans controlling the presidency and both houses of Congress embarked on their mission to give hundreds of billions of dollars in tax cuts to the wealthy by destroying health care for more than 20 million Americans including the sickest, the most disabled and those least able to pay, weve been waiting for that first authentic Republican Profile in Courage.

Profiles in Courage, the 1957 Pulitzer Prize-winning bestseller by rising political star John F. Kennedy, celebrated politicians throughout American history with enough principles to publicly stand up against egregious wrongs in times of moral crisis. Theres no such Republican in sight.

Sure, House Speaker Paul Ryan of Wisconsin and now Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell have had a fight on their hands passing the truly ugly transfer of nearly $800 billion dollars funding health care for people who need it into the already bulging pockets of the ultra-wealthy who dont. Such appalling political acts should never be easy.

But even among House Republicans, who dragged their feet before voting to destroy health care for millions, and now among grousing Republican senators, representing those enormous numbers of Americans whose lives theyre putting at risk, not a single Republican has had the courage to stand up and state the obviousRepublican destruction of public health care for tens of millions to make their richest supporters richer is immoral and indefensible.

Instead, both extreme right-wingers and slightly less extreme right-wingers (the only kinds of Republicans there are these days) are happy to negotiate, nudging McConnells vicious, inhumane destruction of health care to make it slightly less appalling in some ways and more appalling in others. That provides both groups of Republicans with excuses to vote for a truly appalling law, claiming they somehow made it better in ways too small to be seen with the naked eye.

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Do-Nothing Senator Does the Wrong Thing

One of the most surprising Republican senators to pretend to take a stand, sort of, against the health care bill was Wisconsins Sen. Ron Johnson. Surprising, of course, since Johnson never bothered to do much of anything in Washington during his first term as far as anyone in Wisconsin could tell.

Well, Johnson still hasnt. Johnson raised one legitimate objection against McConnells attempt to bum rush the law through the Senate within days to prevent the overwhelming U.S. opposition that rose up against the House bill when Americans found out about its horrific provisions.

But that wasnt why Johnson attacked McConnell. His reasons were more petty and personal. Johnson was still seething because McConnell wrote off his chances of winning re-election against former Sen. Russ Feingold (as did many other observers who saw the polls) and refused to allocate any substantial Senate Republican campaign funds to Johnsons race.

Johnsons twisted, ideological reasons for opposing the Senate health care bill were spelled out in an op-ed column Johnson wrote for The New York Times. It wasnt ugly enough. Johnsons basic objection to the Affordable Care Act is, get this, the government is helping to provide affordable health care to people with pre-existing conditions and little income who otherwise wouldnt be able to afford it.

As a result, patients neither know nor care what things cost, Johnson wrote. We have virtually eliminated the power of consumer-driven, free-market discipline from one-sixth of our economy.

Health Care for Those Who Need It

People are actually getting access to health care they otherwise wouldnt be able to afford thanks to government subsidies under Obamacare as well as Medicaid, which has provided health care for poor Americans for more than half a century. Johnson wants to restore the free market not only by destroying Obamacare for more than 20 million Americans, but begin destroying Medicaid as well for another 70 million Americans.

Those 70 million, by the way, now include about half of all births taking place in the U.S. and nearly two-thirds of the nations elderly nursing home residents after they have exhausted their life savings. And, oh yeah, Medicaid also covers all disabled adults and children.

To Johnson, a simple solution is obvious. Loosen up regulations and mandates, so that Americans can choose to purchase insurance that suits their needs and that they can afford.

If that last sentence makes sense to you, like Johnson you have a serious thinking problem. For those with lifelong disabilities, expensive pre-existing conditions or facing years of end-of-life nursing home care, all with few resources, the insurance that suits their needs often bears little resemblance to the insurance they can afford.

Thats why tens of millions of Americans will still need access to the affordable care Republicans want to destroy. Those hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks for the wealthy arent going to buy them eternal life anyway, just a fancier box.

Even if Republicans like Johnson never have any hope of qualifying as profiles in courage, they should at least have the decency to stop showing us their backsides so often.
 Expand A scene from Milwaukee in the 1880s, not far from the Hanley Saloon and Boarding House.

In honor of the Fourth of July, What Made Milwaukee Famous Presents a story from Matthew J. Prigges Milwaukee Mayhem about an 1880 tragedy that stained that years Independence Day celebration.

Mary Van Avery had been employed at the Hanley Saloon and Boarding House on Ferry Street just two weeks when she brought her daughter with her to work. The girl, two-year-old Mamie, had until recently been in the care of her grandmother. Young Mamie, who was sometimes known with a last name of Shea, was rumored to have been the illegitimate child of a prominent Milwaukee businessman. Mary had shown so little interest in the girl that the grandmother had made at least one attempt to have the child committed to a Catholic orphanage. Finally, she told Mary that if she did not come to claim Mamie, she was going to turn her loose to wander wherever she may. Mary retrieved the girl on July 4, 1880 and took her to the Ferry Street saloon the next day.

The saloon was situated within sight of the various piers and docks near where the Milwaukee River met the Menomonee River. It was operated by Captain Pat Hanley, who himself had a small child, eight-year-old Georgie. As Mary went about her job duties with Mamie in tow, Georgie watched the other boys of the neighborhood with jealousy as they set off firecrackers and small shells left over from the previous days celebration. Using a dollar he raised from selling a goat, Georgie walked to the south-side junk shop of D. S. Lederer and purchased an old breech-loading pistol. At the neighboring shop of gunmaker John Meunier, he bought a box of .22-caliber balls.

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Back at the saloon, Georgie and his friends tried in every way to get the wretched old gun to fire. But the hammer was too weak to ignite the charge. Georgie found Mary in the kitchen, where she was scrubbing dishes with Mamie at her feet. He aimed the piece at the door and tried a few more times in vain to fire it, commenting to Mary that he could be arrested for playing with such an item. Convinced the pistol would never fire and having no interest in it as a mere accessory, he turned to Mary and asked if she could return it for him. Marys reply went unrecorded, but as she bent down to pick up her daughter, Georgie tried the trigger one last time. The hammer fell true and ignited the charge, propelling the ball across the room. It struck Mamie directly in the heart, just between two of her mothers outstretched fingers. The girl died within moments.

Startled by the shot and the screams of Mary, Georgie ran from the scene. He was later found hiding in the citys Third Ward. In order to stop the boys constant wailing, police had to assure him the girl was going to survive. When he was finally told she had died, he fainted cold. Back at the scene, Mamies grandmother was inconsolable. Newspaper accounts noted that her grief was far more visible than that of Mary. Police had to separate the two when the grandmother began to loudly berate Mary for bringing the girl to such a place.

In the days that followed, whispers were heard that suggested someone else had killed the girl and placed the blame on the boy, knowing he would never be charged with a crime. Police asked the still-shaken Georgie to load and fire the weapon to put these rumors down. At an inquest of the incident, neither man who had sold Georgie the weaponry was willing to accept any blame. I sell on call without questioning the motives of the buyer or bothering about the consequences, said Lederer, the man who had sold Georgie the gun. Meunier, who had supplied the balls, noted there was no law against selling ammunition to children and, had he not sold to the boy, another merchant certainly would have. A grand jury hearing the case levied no charges, but issued censure in the severest terms to the adults involved.
The 2017-18 school fiscal year just began July 1, but Sioux City School Board members are fearing that a tough funding year could be ahead for the following school year.

"Brace for zero percent (growth)," Board President Mike Krysl said at the last board meeting in June.

The school board members will set some topics to push with 2018 lawmakers at the next board meeting on July 24.

They discussed possibilities in June, when Krysl said that asking for sufficient funding from the Legislature for 2018-19 should be included. He said school board members could advocate for an extension of the ability to use a one-cent local option sales tax for school buildings and to get adequate funding to pay for needed teachers and programs.

But Krysl said the indicators are not good. He noted Iowa state revenues have dropped below estimates in recent months, so the Legislature this year approved a 1.1 percent increase in supplemental state funding for K-12 districts for the budget year that begins July 1. Education groups sought a higher percent during the legislative discussions.

Krysl and board member Perla Alarcon-Flory said they've heard teachers are worried the Iowa Public Employee Retirement System pension benefits could be cut.

Alarcon-Flory said no cuts to IPERS benefits should occur, particularly when the Republican-controlled Legislature in 2017 changed the collective bargaining law for public employees. Many teachers saw that move as a way to reduce benefits, as the law eliminated such issues as health insurance and supplemental pay as mandatory items for bargaining.

School board member Paul Gorski said the financing strands of public education are too convoluted in Iowa. He said the Legislature should revamp "the entire funding system."

"We've been putting band-aids on it for years, and the band-aids are breaking," Gorski said.

In the current year, the Sioux City School District is operating with a $170 million budget, which covers nearly 15,000 students and 1,900 teachers and other staff.
STORM LAKE, Iowa | Police in Storm Lake are investigating what they believe to be a drowning incident after local law enforcement and rescue agencies recovered the body of a missing person Monday.

Multiple area public safety agencies responded to Awaysis Beach in Awaysis Park, 1409 E. Lakeshore Drive, around 11:45 a.m. Monday to a report of a missing person, according to a news release issued Monday afternoon.

The release said agencies later recovered the missing person and have classified the incident as a drowning. An investigation is underway.

No additional information about the victim or the incident has been released.

Agencies assisting at the scene included the Buena Vista County Sheriffs Department, the Buena Vista County Joint Dive Team, the Storm Lake Fire Department, the Buena Vista County EMS, an Iowa State Patrol aircraft, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Buena Vista County Medical Examiners Office.
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SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for punching his 12-year-old son.

JT Ring, 36, pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury. Charges of domestic abuse assault and serious assault were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors also dismissed a habitual offender enhancement, which would have increased Ring's prison sentence to 15 years.

District Judge Duane Hoffmeyer ordered Ring's sentence to be served at the same time as his parole violation for the completion of a 15-year prison sentence for operating while intoxicated and other offenses.

Ring's most recent arrest occurred on May 29 at a lot at 5309 Highway 75 North, where family members reported that Ring was intoxicated and was yelling, calling them derogatory names and threatening to assault them.

Ring became upset when his son took away his alcohol for his own safety and punched him in the face, cutting the boy's lip and mouth. Ring also had been accused of assaulting other family members.
LINCOLN, Neb. | Law enforcement in Lincoln arrested a Siouxland fugitive Sunday who was being sought by the U.S. Marshals Service Northern Iowa Fugitive Task Force.

Warren Staten, 21, was captured and taken to the Lancaster County (Nebraska) Jail on Nebraska charges, the task force reported in a Monday news release.

Staten was wanted by the Woodbury County Sheriff's Office for probation violation after being convicted of failure to register as a sex offender. He is also a sex offender who is non-compliant with the Iowa sex offender registry.

Staten will be extradited back to Iowa once his Nebraska charges are disposed of, the release said.
SIOUX CITY  Two days before the main event, fireworks sales were blowing up for Sioux City vendors.

Its been busier than I expected, said Britton Hacke, manager of the Bellino Fireworks tent in the parking lot of the Gordon Drive Hy-Vee store. Im selling out of a lot of my specials and Im hoping to get a truck in tomorrow sometime.

Customers steadily trickled in and out of Hackes stand Sunday afternoon, which he said has been pretty much the level of business since they started selling the formerly banned low-class explosives.

I want to have some fun tonight and also on the Fourth, said Robert King, a Bellino customer.

The Sioux City man welcomed the opportunity to be able to purchase fireworks legally and locally instead of having to travel across state lines as he had done in years past.

Its a lot better to shop a lot closer to home, King said.

Another customer who had a shopping basket full of fireworks was Tim Hatch of Omaha. Hatch was in town to take his nearly 2-year-old daughter, Serenity, to visit her grandmother.

Just trying to celebrate Americas independence from Great Britain, he said.

Hatch noted the selection he saw in Iowa was more varied than at the stands hes visited in Nebraska, so he wanted to take advantage of the options. He even let Serenity pick out a few things for him to light and wants to put on a show for his daughter and other children later.

This will probably be the first one that she really remembers, he said. Last year she was too little and I think shell remember a little more this year so it feels good to be able to do these kinds of things for her.

While things were busy at the Bellino tent on Gordon Drive  one of five Siouxland stands the company is operating  staff at the TNT Fireworks tent in the Sams Club parking lot also said business was booming.

Business has been good; weve had good business, good sales, said Kevin Gunlogson, manager of the TNT stand. A lot of customer flow in and out of here. I sold out of a few products.

Although fireworks sales at both stands have been robust so far, Gunlogson thinks once the holiday hits they will ramp up even more.

I believe they will, Gunlogson said. Weve been running from 10 a.m. to 10 oclock at night and if the customers are still coming, well keep the curtains open.
Defense Secretary Jim Mattis is giving the military chiefs another six months to conduct a review to determine if allowing transgender individuals to enlist in the armed services will affect the "readiness or lethality" of the force.

Pentagon spokeswoman Dana White said Mattis made the decision Friday. The delay in allowing the enlistment of new recruits does not affect transgender troops who are already serving openly in the military.

"After consulting with the service chiefs and secretaries, I have determined that it is necessary to defer the start of accessions for six months," Mattis said in a memo that was sent Friday to the service chiefs and secretaries and was obtained by The Associated Press. "We will use this additional time to evaluate more carefully the impact of such accessions on readiness and lethality."

In the memo, Mattis said he believes the department must measure "each policy decision against one standard" - whether it affects the ability of the military to defend the nation.

Mattis' decision formally endorses an agreement hammered out last week by the leaders of the four military services, which rejected Army and Air Force requests for a two-year wait. And it reflects the broader worry that a longer delay would trigger criticism on Capitol Hill, officials familiar with the talks told the AP.

The request for a delay was sent to Mattis for a final decision last week.

Mattis said the review by the services must be completed by Dec. 1, and he noted that his approval of a delay "does not presuppose the outcome of the review." He said the additional time will ensure he has "the benefit of the views of the military leadership and of the senior civilian officials who are now arriving in the department."

Mattis' decision was met with divided reaction.

Stephen Peters, Human Rights Campaign spokesman and a Marine veteran, said, "Each day that passes without the policy in place restricts the armed forces' ability to recruit the best and the brightest, regardless of gender identity."

Aaron Belkin, director of the California-based Palm Center, said the delay will only force applicants to lie in order to join the military. "That makes no sense because, as predicted by all of the research, transgender military service has been a success," he said.

But Jerry Boykin, a retired Army lieutenant general and executive vice president of the Family Research Council, hailed Mattis' decision.

"The Pentagon is right to hit the brakes on a policy that will fail to make our military more capable in performing its mission to fight and win wars," Boykin said.

Transgender service members have been able to serve openly in the military since last year, when then-Defense Secretary Ash Carter ended the ban, declaring it the right thing to do. Since Oct. 1, transgender troops have been able to receive medical care and start formally changing their gender identifications in the Pentagon's personnel system.

But Carter also gave the services until July 1 to develop policies to allow people already identifying as transgender to newly join the military, if they meet physical, medical and other standards, and have been stable in their identified genders for 18 months.

The military chiefs have argued they need more time to study the issue and its effects on the readiness of the force before taking that step.

According to officials familiar with the internal discussions, the chiefs believe the extra six months would give the four military services time to gauge if currently serving transgender troops are facing problems and what necessary changes military bases might have to make.

They said Navy officials were ready to begin enlistment in July but asked for a one-year delay, largely to accommodate a request from the Marine Corps for more time. The Navy secretary also oversees the Marine Corps. The Army and Air Force wanted a two-year delay to further study the issue, they said.

Already, there are as many as 250 service members who are in the process of transitioning to their preferred genders or who have been approved to formally change gender within the Pentagon's personnel system, according to several defense officials.

Officials said there was a broad recognition that allowing transgender individuals to enlist affects each service differently. They described the biggest challenge as the infantry. They said the discussions aimed at a solution that would give recruits the best chance of succeeding, while ensuring the services maintain the best standards for entry into the military.

Key concerns include whether currently enlisted troops have had medical or other issues that cause delays or problems with their ability to deploy or meet physical or other standards for their jobs. Military leaders also want to review how transgender troops are treated, if they're discriminated against or if they have had disciplinary problems, the officials said.

The officials were not authorized to discuss internal deliberations publicly so spoke on condition of anonymity.

The military services have various ways of counting the number of transgender troops currently serving. The Pentagon has refused to release any data. But officials said there are more than 80 service members across the Army, including the National Guard and Reserve, who have been approved to change their gender identities in the personnel system or are in the process of transitioning. Others said there are about 160 sailors in the Navy who are in the process of gender transition, and about "a handful" of Marines have come forward to seek medical care involving gender transition. The Air Force refused to release any numbers.

A Rand Corp. study found that there are between 2,500 and 7,000 transgender service members in the active-duty military, and another 1,500 to 4,000 in the reserves.
(AP) German lawmakers voted Friday to legalize same-sex marriage after a short but emotional debate, bringing the country in line with many of its Western peers. Though Chancellor Angela Merkel voted against the measure, she paved the way for its passage by freeing other members of her party to vote their "conscience."

Lawmakers voted 393 for legalizing "marriage for everybody" and 226 against, with four abstentions.

Merkel said Monday that lawmakers could take up the issue as a "question of conscience," allowing members of her conservative coalition, which has been against same-sex marriage, to individually vote for it.

That prompted her center-left rivals to quickly call for a snap vote on the issue, adding it to the agenda Friday on parliament's last regular session before Sept. 24 elections.

While some in Merkel's conservative bloc spoke against the measure, Berlin Christian Democrat Jan-Marco Luczak urged his fellow party members to vote for same-sex marriage.

"It would be absurd to try and protect marriage by preventing people to marry," he told lawmakers.

Many applauded Merkel's comments that opened the way for the vote, but Social Democrat lawmaker Johannes Kahrs noted in the debate that the chancellor had been a longtime opponent of gay marriage.

"Many thanks for nothing," he said bluntly.

Germany has allowed same-sex couples to enter civil partnerships since 2001, but has not granted them full marital rights, which include the possibility to jointly adopt children.

The new law won't take effect for several months because it still needs to pass the upper house of Parliament and be approved by the president, though those are formalities. It is also expected to face legal challenges.

Merkel told reporters after the vote that her vote against the measure was based upon her reading of the country's law concerning marriage and that she did think gay couples should be able to adopt.

Germany's basic law is vague, saying only that "marriage and the family shall enjoy the protection of the state," but Merkel said that for her "marriage as defined by the law is the marriage of a man and a woman."

She added, however, that she stood by her contention that the interpretation was a "question of conscience" and urged all views to be respected.

"It was a long, intensive, and for many also emotional discussion, that goes for me personally too, and I'm hopeful not only that there will be respect for either side's opinions, but that it will also bring about more peace and cohesion in society," she said.

All of Merkel's potential coalition partners after the September election, including the center-left Social Democrats of her challenger, Martin Schulz, have been calling for same-sex marriage to be legalized.

It is not clear whether Merkel thought her Monday comments would prompt such a quick vote, but many analysts have suggested that by opening the door to gay marriage the chancellor removed yet another issue that might have helped her opponents in their campaigns against her.

In nearly 12 years as chancellor, Merkel has moved her party to the center and away from conservative orthodoxy, speeding up Germany's exit from nuclear power and ending military conscription among other moves.
(EDGE) To celebrate Pride Month, German housing website Nestpickranked the best cities for LGBTQ people to live in.

"For a city to rank strongly as an LGBT destination, we determined that it must have a vibrant gay dating scene, a lively alternative nightlife, open-minded citizens, and low levels of hate crime," the website wrote. "We also took into account the national laws affecting lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, such as the right to get married or adopt children. Once calculated, the final scores reveal the top 100 Best LGBT Cities for 2017."

Nestpick updated its rankings Friday after Germany legalized same-sex marriage.

Out of 100 cities, Madrid, Spain came out on top and is the no. 1 place to live for LGBTQ people. Runner-up is Amsterdam, and rounding out the top three is Toronto.

"It's no coincidence that the world's most exciting cities have a strong LGBT community, contributing much to the dynamism, openness, and prosperity which defines locations such as Madrid, Amsterdam and Berlin," said Omer Kucukdere, Managing Director of Nestpick.

Tel Aviv, London, Berlin, Brighton, Barcelona, New York City and San Francisco place five through 10, respectively.

Other U.S. cities to make the list include: Austin (24), Miami (27), Portland (36), Los Angeles (40), Chicago (45), Boston (52), Seattle (55) and Las Vegas (58).

Coming in last on the list is Beijing, China, which ranked lower than Belgrade, Serbia and Bratislava, Slovakia.

Click here to read the full study and find out how Nestpick broke down each category that factored into the rankings.
In his final U.S. drive, John Campbell won for the 11,058th time, adding a final win to his career as harness racings top money-winning driver in the $10,000 Mr. and Mrs. Elbridge Gerry Memorial Trot at Goshen (N.Y.) Historic Track on Sunday (July 2).

The race, contested for Hall of Fame drivers, capped off a career of over 40 years for Campbell, with 38 seasons of more than $1 million in purse earnings and a total of approximately $300 million worldwide earned by horses he drove. Although Campbells international earnings in countries other than Sweden are not known, his official Swedish earnings are $6,888,479 kronor. Using annual conversion rates that equates to approximately $979,656 in U.S. dollars.

Campbell, driving Pig Hunt from post eight, was well off the early pace set by driver Dave Palone and Keep It Sweet, who got to the quarter-mile marker in :28.4 and the half in :58.4 before yielding the lead to David Miller and Screaming Conway at the 1:29.1 three-quarters.

Campbell had Pig Hunt on the outside and moving up on the leaders and was second by the head of the stretch. He drew off to win by one and a quarter lengths in 1:59.

Pig Hunt is owned by trainer Janice Connor and Jennifer Connor. Screaming Conway (David Miller) was third and Toss Cartwright (Bill ODonnell, also making his final U.S. drive) was third.

Winning never gets old, said Campbell after the race. I always want to win. I thought I had a chance to win this one at the three-quarters. She [Pig Hunt, the five-year-old daughter of Conway Hall] was strong throughout the race and from the three-quarters on, she stayed that way.

After the race, Campbell and other Hall of Famers, Dave Palone, Dick Stillings, Jimmy Takter and Bill ODonnell, stayed for 90 minutes to sign photos and programs, pose for photos and greeted hundreds of fans.

(With files from Harness Racing Communications)
Three-year-old trotting fillies On A Sunny Day and Paradise Image were victorious in a pair of Ontario Sires Stakes Gold events featured on a cloudy Sunday evening (July 2) at Georgian Downs.

In the evening's first $96,400 Gold event, On A Sunny Day halted 1-9 favourite Magic Presto's stakes win streak with the slight edge in a photo finish.

After opening panels of :27.4 and :57.3, driver Sylvain Filion sent 9-2 second choice On A Sunny Day to command from third with Magic Presto (Trevor Henry) hot on her heels in pursuit to three-quarters in 1:26.2. Those fillies took off down the stretch in a head-to-head battle ending in a photo finish as they crossed the wire together in an impressive 1:54.4 clocking over the sloppy track that was just two-fifths of a second off the divisional track record. On A Sunny Day defeated the SBOA Stakes and first leg Gold champion by a nose and paid $11.60 to win. Majestic Kat (James MacDonald) rounded out the top three finish order seventh and a half lengths in arrears.

Luc Blais trains and bred On A Sunny Day, a daughter of Muscle Mass and Dicent No owned by Determination of Montreal, Que. The filly was a four-time Gold winner at age two and now boasts six career wins from 10 starts and more than $250,000 in purse earnings.

Paradise Image earned her first Ontario Sires Stakes victory in the $97,200 second contest with James MacDonald steering the Kadabra-Featured Image filly wire-to-wire for trainer Mike Keeling.

Paradise Image faced her only major threat leaving the gate when 8-5 favourite Royal Witch (Sylvain Filion) tried to take over command, but broke stride. From there, she trotted fractions of :28.1, :58 and 1:27.3 en route to the three and a half length triumph in 1:57.1. Sent postward at odds of 6-1, Paradise Image paid $15.60 to win. Mrstery Bear (Billy Davis Jr.) finished second ahead of Tymal Reign (Randy Waples).

Shes a big, good gaited thing and shes so handy, she gets off the gate like a rocket, said MacDonald. Today she got there easy, and I wouldnt have minded following Sylvain, but his made a break so once his filly ran I just kind of took the front and the rest is history.

Winless in eight starts as a freshman, Paradise Image is now three-for-six this season with earnings climbing over $93,000 for P C Wellwood Enterprises Inc. of Cambridge, Ont., Paradise Stable of Hamilton, Ont., Dale McNeill of Campbellville, Ont., and Ronald O'Neill of Puslinch, Ont.

I started driving her a couple weeks ago. She can act up a little bit in the post parade -- she can be pretty bad -- so they asked me if I minded driving her, and I said No, and shes been good, shes raced good all three times I drove her, explained MacDonald. She was first-up her first start in the Gold (June 8) and was third, and then she win out of the two-hole last time (June 19), and today she win on the front.

She doesnt turn. Turning is a problem. Sometimes shell run out the gates, and sometimes shell kick. Shes not a real treat in the post parade to drive sometimes, said MacDonald about the fillys behavioural quirks. Today she was an absolute kitten, she didnt do anything wrong, but she can perform from time to time.

She doesnt turn. Turning is a problem. Sometimes shell run out the gates, and sometimes shell kick, shes not a real treat in the post parade to drive sometimes, said MacDonald about the fillys behavioural quirks. Today she was an absolute kitten, she didnt do anything wrong, but she can perform from time to time.

MacDonald relied on the assistance of the Georgian Downs outrider to make the turn into the starting gate and to escort the filly back to the winners circle. They will have another opportunity to be guided to the Gold Series winners circle on July 22 when the fillies compete in Leg 3 at Mohawk Racetrack.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Georgian Downs.

(With quotes from OSS)
Canadian harness racing rang in 250 years of live racing on the weekend and Jason Hughes had lots to celebrate about Sunday afternoon (July 2) at Red Shores Racetrack and Casino at the Charlottetown Driving Park.

The Blue Knight had a driving triple on the program including a Preferred victory aboard Invictus Hanover in a down the road score of 1:55.2 for owners Foxyhall Racing of Wallace, N.S. Forever Paradise took a two-hole ride to finish second with Adam Merner at the lines while Perfect Escape (Gilles Barrieau) was third in the $2,400 race.

Hughes other winners were with Pictonian Spartan in 1:59.1 for trainer Danny MacDonald and aboard Libertys Choice from his own stable in 2:01.1.

Mike McGuigan kicked off the careers of a pair of promising youngsters from his own stable on the right note scoring maiden-breaking victories for both. Two-year-old pacing filly R Es Shabla was a 2:02 winner for owner Lloyd Parsons of Carmanville, N.L., while two-year-old pacing colt Weekend Atnannies had a maiden-breaking score of 2:00.4 for owner Glen Dunn of Summerville, P.E.I.

Walter Cheverie enjoyed a driving double on the program honouring a number of longtime dedicated individuals to Island racing. Cheveries first win was with The Big Bite in 1:57.3 for trainer Jackie Matheson, then he came back later on the card to win the $2,250 Open Mares Pace with Ramblinglily. Ramblinglily notched win number 50 of her career for co-owner and trainer Allan Jones of Riverview, N.B., and co-owner Normand Leger of Shediac, N.B. The career milestone for the seven-year-old daughter of Articulator is made even more impressive by the fact her $156,204 in lifetime earnings were garnered while never leaving the Maritimes while composing a record of 83 top three finishes from just 93 career starts.

Barrieau also earned two wins on the 12-dash program, with first-time winner Jdcyril in 2:00.4 for trainer Kevin MacLean and another 50-time winner Clic K in 1:57.4 for trainer Jackie Matheson.

Live racing continues at Red Shores Charlottetown on Thursday evening at 6:30 p.m.

To view Sunday's harness racing results, click on the following link: Sunday Results - Charlottetown Driving Park.

(With files from Red Shores)
Juvenile trotters kicked off the Sunday evening (July 2) harness racing card at Hawthorne Race Course in the Cardinal and Violet Stakes eliminations.

The Cardinal is for Illinois-bred two-year-old colt and gelding trotters. A field of nine was set to meet the starter after the scratch of Two News. Vics Pizza was the favourite for driver/trainer Mike Brink. Jiggle The Handle got away quickly from the outside, clearing the lead through a :30.1 quarter. After a half in 1:00.3, the 99-1 shot Jiggle The Handle maintained the lead. On the turn, Mt Erie Mafia took over, through three-quarters in 1:32. In the lane, Jared Finn kept after Mt Erie Mafia, as he held sway, winning in 2:01.2. Fox Valley Strpwr was second while Krispy K finished third. Mt Erie Mafia is trained by J D Finn and owned by Finn Racing, Dennis Gardner, Dustin Fitch, and Jason Atteberry.

Race two was the first of two Violet eliminations for Illinois-bred two-year-old filly trotters and a field of eight took to the track. Good Design, with Kyle Wilfong in the bike, was the favourite as she was looking for consecutive wins to open her career. Sunny Sasha made the lead from the inside through a quarter in :30.3. On the backside, Jared Finn and Sunny Sasha kept the lead, trotting the half in 1:01.2. On the far turn, longshot New Queen moved to challenge but Sunny Sasha kept her lead, covering three-quarters in 1:31.4. In the lane, Sunny Sasha was all out as Maui Mama cruised up on the outside for Casey Leonard to catch her on the wire. Good Design finished third. The final time for the mile was 2:00.3. Maui Mama is owned by H W Wright and trained by Mike Brink.

Race three on Sunday was the second Violet elimination with eight fillies lining up behind the starter. E L Miss Kaibra, with Mike Oosting driving, was the favourite and established the lead, reaching the quarter in :30.3. On the backstretch, longshot Frontier Jackie assumed the lead, as E L Miss Kaibra broke stride. The half was clocking in 1:01.4 as Trotting Grace took over. After three-quarters in 1:31.4, Trotting Grace opened up in the lane for Kyle Husted, winning by daylight in 2:00.4. Lous Silver Star finished second while Fox Valley Winnie was third. Trotting Grace is trained by Steve Searle, who also co-owns with H W Wright and Mystical Marker Farms.

Race five was leg two of the Beulah Dygert Memorial Trot for Illinois-bred three-year-old fillies featuring a field of 10. The favourite from the outside was Anna Lucky Star with Kyle Wilfong driving. Daisy Lou Duke made the lead from the rail through the opening quarter in :29.4. On the backstretch, Lous Game N Match moved to press the leader as Daisy Lou Duke held her lead through the half in :59.3. On the turn, Kyle Husted kept Daisy Lou Duke up top, covering three-quarters in 1:29.2. In the lane, Daisy Lou Duke battled but could not hold off the favourite as Annas Lucky Star rolled by in the final sixteenth to win in 1:57. Daisy Lou Duke held second while Fox Valley Ella was third. Annas Lucky Star is owned by Danny Graham and trained by Nelson Willis.

Race eight on Sunday was leg two of the Erwin F. Dygert Memorial Trot for Illinois-bred three-year-old colts and geldings. The heavy favourite from the field of 11 was Louscipher with Casey Leonard in the bike. Trixies Jethro made the lead early for Jared Finn through the opening quarter in :30 and continued on to the half in :59.4. Into the turn, Trixies Jethro continued to lead, pushed by Picky Picky Valor through three-quarters in 1:29.1. Late in the lane, Trixies Jethro gave way as favoured Louscipher rolled up on the outside and drew clear, winning in 1:56.4. Picky Picky Valor got up for second while Muscle Image finished third. Louscipher is owned by Flacco Family Farms LLC and trained by Roshun Trigg.

(With files from Hawthorne Race Course)
Life Legal's Statement on the Plight of Charlie Gard

NAPA, Calif., July 3, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Ten-month old Charlie Gard has been sentenced to death by the highest courts in the UK for the crime of having been born with an extremely rare condition called mitochondrial depletion syndrome (MDS). Charlie is only one of 16 people ever known to have this disease.

When Charlie's parents learned that their son was sick, they searched for treatment and found a doctor in the U.S. willing to provide an experimental therapy that has been successful in similar cases. In a short time, Charlie's parents raised $1.5 million for Charlie's transport and treatment in America.

The hospital refused to release Charlie and instead filed a lawsuit so they could take Charlie off of the ventilator that is keeping him alive. The judges agreed with the hospital, ruling that Charlie should be made to die--with "dignity" of course.

The judge said Charlie shouldn't be made to "suffer," even though doctors could not produce a shred of evidence that Charlie was suffering. His parents, who spent thousands of hours with their son, testified that Charlie was not in pain. The judge, even as he commended Charlie's parents for their dedication, felt compelled to intervene in the case as the arbiter of Charlie's "best interest," which he determined to be the baby's death.

"Life Legal is appalled that a court of law would side with a hospital aggressively forbidding the loving parents of a sick baby to seek treatment that could have prolonged or even saved his life. What the judge in this case never bothered to consider is that the hospital's posturing against Charlie Gard's parents and the court's delay in adjudicating the case directly contributed to Charlie's decline," said Alexandra Snyder, Executive Director of the Life Legal Defense Foundation. "There is nothing dignified about a hospital holding a patient captive until he is unable to benefit from treatment that would not have cost the hospital a cent."

Life Legal has intervened in hundreds of cases involving the refusal to provide--or, as in this case, permit--life-sustaining treatment. What these cases reveal is alarming discrimination against the sick and disabled, who are sacrificed at the twin altars of utilitarianism and "death with dignity." We can only hope that Charlie Gard's case will serve as the catalyst for a long-overdue global conversation about what dignity actually entails.
Church of England Urged to Reject Call to Ban Pastoral Care of Christians with Unwanted Same-Sex Attraction

Contact: Andrea Williams, Chief Executive, Christian Concern , 07712 591 164

LONDON, July 3, 2017 / Standard Newswire / -- Members of the Church of England's General Synod have been urged to reject a call by a leading gay activist, to ban pastoral counselling for Christians with unwanted same sex attraction.

The Synod, the CofE's 'Parliament' is due to meet in York this coming weekend (7-11 JULY,) and will on Saturday debate a Private Member's Motion by Oxford-based lesbian, Jayne Ozanne, which calls on the Church to condemn what she calls 'gay conversion therapy'.

Ms. Ozanne, a former national Marketing Consultant who has recently partnered with Verity Worthington, a single mum from Kidderminster with a boy aged two, claims that a survey she undertook of gay friends who received counselling reveals some suffered "profound distress", whilst others went on to try to commit suicide.

However, Andrea Minichiello Williams, another lay member of General Synod for the Chichester Diocese, says Ms. Ozanne's survey was "deeply flawed and simply invited friends and gay campaigners who want change in the church to express negative and un-tested allegations, ahead of a controversial debate for media headlines".

Andrea Williams, a former Family Law barrister, and chief executive of Christian Concern, said: "It is very sad that at a time when Synod is trying to grapple with the foundational issue on sexuality, that of Biblical authority and the church's teaching, that this PMM has been brought about on a purely emotional basis.

"Firstly, the talk of 'gay cure therapy' is highly loaded and provocative. There are very many Christian counsellors and spiritual directors, as well as vicars and lay pastoral workers, who meet regularly with Christians with same-sex attraction. They do so because the person has come to them, and because they want to explore their sexual desires within the framework of the Bible and Christian discipleship.

"They are looking for pastoral and Godly help to enable them to live full, Christian lives, within the natural order which God created. They do so in the same way couples approach such counsellors for guidance and support when struggling with heterosexual sex outside marriage, or temptations with sex before marriage.

"Almost every Christian counsellor I know ministering in the healing and counselling area focuses on 'wholeness', helping people find their true identity in God, and expressing their discipleship as a follower of Jesus within the life-transforming power of the Holy Spirit. If Synod bans such counselling, then the future of Christian counselling and deliverance healing ministry will be seriously jeopardised. This PMM is political and dangerous to the church's wider 'wholeness' ministry."

Andrea Williams also says the 'evidence' related to claims that such counselling and help has led some young people to try to commit suicide needs far more research  and independent scrutiny, and set against hundreds of other Christians with same-sex attraction who find Christian counselling and spiritual direction helpful.

"There is independent and reputable evidence that many in the gay community have a higher level of mental health issues than those in the heterosexual community", she said.

"We therefore need to be very careful about claims on mental health. What this survey does not reveal is what the mental health of these (surveyed) people was before they sought counselling/support for their sexuality, and, whether they had previously attempted to commit suicide, or self-harm.

"These are incredibly sad and distressing histories and ones which should not be used for political gain, but should be handled sensitively and where necessary, professional help sought for their previous or ongoing mental health issues."

Andrea Williams believes that in order to ascertain whether a debate on the motion by Ms. Ozanne is needed, an independent, peer-reviewed piece of research should to be carried out - rather than an anecdotal study conducted by a gay rights activist with a marketing background. She believes that this will enable General Synod to seek evidence from many hundreds of Christians with same-sex attraction who have been helped by appropriate counselling and spiritual direction.
NEWLY elected members of the Turks and Caicos Islands judiciary were recently schooled on the crucial role of good governance.





The members took part in a post-election seminar put on by the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association (CPA).





It was aimed at strengthening parliamentary practice and procedure following the recent elections.





The CPA is the only Commonwealth body that works to strengthen territorial assemblies and legislatures such as the House of Assembly in Turks and Caicos Islands as well as national, state and provincial legislatures.





The CPA post-election seminar provided an opportunity for newly elected members of the House of Assembly to ask questions about parliamentary practice and procedure.





It also provided members with a better understanding of the parliamentary system and democratic processes in other Commonwealth jurisdictions.





The seminar was opened by Dwayne Taylor, Speaker of the House of Assembly, and commitment to improving democratic processes in the legislature was demonstrated by the active participation in the seminar of members from all sides of the House.





The seminar goers heard from experts from across the Commonwealth including Shirley Osborne, MLA, Speaker of the Montserrat Legislative Assembly; Dave Levac, MPP, Speaker of the Ontario Legislative Assembly, Canada; Jacqui Sampson-Miguel, Clerk of the House of Representatives, Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago; as well as local members and officials from the Turks and Caicos Islands.





Following the CPA seminar, a CPA roadshow for more than 150 young people was held at the Helena Jones Robinson High School Auditorium.





Students had the opportunity to discuss the importance of the Commonwealth and of parliamentary democracy with the CPA Secretary-General Akbar Khan.





The Premier spoke to students about what unites them with each other and with others across the Commonwealth.





Shirley Osborne spoke about the work of the Commonwealth Women Parliamentarians (CWP) as representative for the Caribbean region and she highlighted the great success of womens representation in the TCI with women occupying many senior positions in all three arms of the state  executive, legislature and judiciary.





She also reminded young people that parliaments work best when all people including women govern together.





During the CPA visit to Turks and Caicos Islands, the CPA Secretary-General held a range of bilateral meetings with the Speaker of the House of Assembly, the Premier, the Leader of the Opposition, Charles Misick, and Governor John Freeman.





The Secretary-General discussed the range of parliamentary strengthening programmes that the CPA offers to its members and is developing to support the professional development of members of parliament and parliamentary staff.




By Olivia Rose

THE GOVERNMENT is making notable strides in developing and implementing an electronic immunisation registry (EIR).





This system, allows a childs immunisation record to be accessed electronically from any participating clinic on any island in the TCI.





The EIR is expected to increase efficiency in locating child health data from 2012 going forward.





The Ministry of Health, Agriculture and Human Services welcomed Hayden Hopkin, a Pan

American Health Organisation (PAHO) consultant, to the Turks and Caicos Islands on Thursday (June 29).





Hopkin will be working with the Primary Healthcare Department over the next five months to develop the registry.





The system was introduced to the Expanded Program on Immunisation (EPI) managers at their annual meeting in Grenada in November 2016.





According to a release from the ministry, the demonstration at the meeting was impressive and the TCI capitalised on the opportunity to request PAHOs assistance in acquiring the system for the country, to further strengthen the already robust EPI programme.





Subsequently, the TCI along with three other Caribbean countries received a grant from the Centre for Disease Control (CDC) through PAHO for the introduction and implementation of the system.





During Hopkins visit, he met with the Minister of Health, Agriculture and Human Services Edwin Astwood and senior members of the health team who will be involved in the process, along with other key stakeholders who will be the end users of this system.





Challenges with the current paper based system were identified and ways in which the system can be improved were presented to the group.





The country also had the opportunity to request modification to the system which will cater to the needs of the TCI.





The system is expected to be operational by November 2017.




By Olivia Rose

THE PROGRESSIVE National Party (PNP) has called on the Government to adopt a SMART approach to cutting down on crime in the Turks and Caicos Islands.





SMART stands for S  specific, M  measurable, A  achievable, R  results orientated, and T  timed.





The party, in a press release, said that is tempting for the Government to have a knee-jerk reaction to critical events, especially gun crimes that endanger the lives of tourist and undermine the livelihood of all who invest and work in the tourism sector.





However, it has called on the Government to take a more proactive approach to this troubling issue.





The Opposition vehemently denounced all violent criminal acts but acknowledged that this is not enough to combat the increase in violent crime.





The party said: "While we must speak-up and out forcefully against violence of all types, our denunciations are meaningless unless solution-base strategies with full stakeholder buy-in replace domestic political rhetoric and apathy on the part of HMG in the UK.





The party called on all stakeholders to work together to defeat the violence that threatens the prosperity of the TCI.





"TCI has proven that when stakeholders work together we can defy the odds  proven by our triumph over the decimation of the economy and indebtedness.





"TCIGs economic recovery was made possible by SMART objectives.





"TCI can defy the odds against crime and not succumb to the criminal malaise that is keeping visitors away from some other destinations in our region by SMART goals, the release read.





The Opposition party reasoned that a SMART approach to addressing the rising crime rate means that everyone must become engaged and everyone must become his brothers keeper.





The party lambasted the UK Government for not making the immediate security needs of the TCI a priority.





"The UK Government cannot and should not cherry-pick, based on convenience, what parts of its constitutional obligation it discharges.





"National security is a responsibility with equal weight to that of good governance, and needs radical actions.





"HMG needs to bring the same resolve to the eradication of border control and serious crimes as it brought to the allegations of corruption in government.





The party also questioned the long drawn out SIPT trials in which close to $70 million has been spent.





The PNP said that the hefty cost of the trials should have been borne by HMG since the unavailability of funds has had a direct impact on funding for the security of the Islands.





The party stated that: "While it is important to recognise the performance lapses on all sides, it is in crisis moments like these when our common destiny dictates that regardless of how we got here, or whatever our distinct roles are, we must join hands to triumph over threats to our prosperity and way of life.





The Opposition stressed that a smart solution must be to identify the cause of the problem then work can begin on formulating strategies to address it.





"We have instead made timid attempts to treat the symptoms: we have spent more, prayed longer, and talked excessively





"In the process, we have even identified a specific number of problems broadly categorised under boarder protection, parent and juvenile delinquency, inappropriateness of the education curriculum to the demands of the economy, and housing and urban decay.





"These are all high level social issues each of which requires drilling down through the core to the granular reality and then addressing the root cause.





"The solution requires hard adaptive work by all. The process must start with a response that goes beyond knee-jerk superficial rhetoric.





The party further called for a national conversation that will make way for a tripartite framework agreement between TCIG, HMG and the TCI private sector with SMART goals broken down into short, medium and long-term targets.
By Daisy Handfield

THE LIFE of 25-year-old Idette Pierre was cut short after she was fatally injured in a two vehicle collision on Wednesday morning (June 28).





The Grace Bay Club employee was driving a silver Honda Accord on Millennium Highway in Providenciales at about 8.45am when it collided with a flatbed truck.





Pierre, a Turks and Caicos Islander of Haitian descent, was pronounced dead at the scene.





Two people travelling in the truck also suffered injuries and were taken to Cheshire Medical Centre where they were treated.





Police are investigating the cause of the crash.





Acting Commissioner of Police, Trevor Botting extended his thoughts and prayers to the family and friends of Pierre, on behalf of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF).





He said: "My officers will be working hard to establish the cause of the collision and I would urge anyone who may have witnessed the crash to contact my officers as soon as possible.





Friends and acquaintances of the deceased took to social media websites to express their grief and to share words of comfort.





One person said: "It feels so unreal, I wonder what was on your mind that last moment. Gone too soon, Idette...Life.





Another said: "I am still in shock, feels like a dream. Lord, it is hard. RIP, always love you. Your smile will always remain in my mind. Sleep on





Traffic officers from the RTCIPF are investigating the circumstances of the collision and are asking witnesses to contact the investigating officers on 941-3327.
The annual cardboard boat regatta may be one of those rare events where failure draws more cheers than success  as long as the sinkings are done in style.

The ninth regatta, held Sunday at Lake Sacajawea on the opening day of the Go 4th Festival, didnt disappoint for fun, though there were fewer competitors than in past years.

Between 10,000 and 12,000 spectators rimmed the sun-bathed banks of Lake Sacajawea to watch would-be scalawags paddle cardboard crafts around a course of buoys near Martin Dock.

Eighteen boats competed. Six sank. That, perhaps, was a fitting result for an afternoon event that was themed Heroes vs. Villains.

The eventual winners of the event, Greg Mares, 33, and Al Knorr, 72, dressed as classic Mad Magazine characters Spy vs. Spy.

Before the race, Knorr said his wife came up with the costume idea, and although they definitely were in the competition to win, it was more about having a good time.

Fun is the number one objective, he said. Number two is  I forgot what number two was. Number three is bribe the judges and we win.

As usual, the regatta brought out participants creative flair. The good ship Royal Flush was shaped like a giant toilet. Its bumper sticker read, If you can read this, piddle faster.

I just love this event, said Royal Flush captain Cheryl Grimes, 53. Its just fun to see what you can do with cardboard and what ideas you can come up with.

Penny Eagle designed and helped build an elaborate Star Wars-themed boat. It included a papier-mache depiction of Han Solo frozen in carbonite. The vessel was manned by four storm troopers, Darth Vader, and Mace Windu.

When we build them, we dont race them, we get others to race, said Eagle, 52. Weve never won the speed (trophy). Weve always focused on the creative side. One year, we may go for speed.

The Stella Historical Societys boat featured a scene from Rocky and Bullwinkle, starring side-characters Snidely Whiplash and Dudley Do-Right.

David Huddleston, 14, dressed as Whiplash. The Puyallup resident joined his grandfather John Koehler, who helped build the ship. Koehler said hed been involved in the regatta from the very beginning.

I grew up in Kelso, so I was an entry in the very first boat race they ever held, he said. So Ive always been a big fan of the boat races.

The lone Class II boat was a foot-paddle driven ship with a melodramatic play, The Perils of Pauline, performed while afloat on the lake. The three actors were Carsten Winther, 17, the heroic sheriff, his sister Ava, 10, the damsel in distress, and Jill Ferrier, 73, the dastardly villain who ties Ava to the train tracks.

Carsten, a student at Kalama High School, said he wasnt worried about acting in front of such a large audience.

I just love to compete and to perform, to be in front of a crowd, he said.

All three sides of Lake Sacajawea (Lions Island was closed off) where crammed with spectators for the event, sponsored by KLOG radio, KapStone Paper and Packaging and others.

One of those audience members, Don Hockett of Kelso, said it was his first time at the regatta.

I usually end up working on the day that they have the regatta, so this is the first year I actually get to see it, he said.

He said he only had one simple request for the festivities: I wanna see em sink. I want to see people swimming.
Attorney John Hays easily won the Cowlitz-Wahkiakum Bar Associations poll for a fifth Superior Court judge. Of 68 total votes, Hays received 21. The results of the bar poll and recommendation will be submitted to Gov. Jay Inslee, who will then appoint a fifth judge sometime this fall.

The bar poll, conducted last week, is strictly advisory and in no way obligates Inslee to appoint Hays, one of seven people who applied for the position. Hays 21 votes was nearly double that of the next closest candidates, Chelsea Baldwin and Anne Cruser, who each tallied 11.

Hays passed the bar in 1987 and has lived in the Cowlitz County area since 1988. He and his wife moved to the area after he was offered a job with a local attorney. Since that time, Hays has practiced several kinds of law and has raised his three children, who graduated from Mark Morris and R.A. Long High schools.

Hays first worked on a contract with the county providing legal defense for criminal matters. He then transitioned into private practice, where he dealt with criminal, civil and domestic matters. For the last five years, though, Hays primary work has been in appellate law.

Ive always loved appellate law because its actually challenging, Hays said Monday. You really have opportunities to clarify and change the law when you do appeals.  I think some appellate experience makes you a better trial lawyer.

Hays said he had been interested in the fifth judge position for a while, and thought that his background in appellate and trial work made him well-qualified. He has also been a pro-tem judge in Cowlitz County District Court for the past year and has enjoyed the work.

Im not sure whether I was surprised, Hays said about the bar poll results. It was gratifying to find out that in such a big field that so many of my colleagues support my desire to become a judge.

Hays said that as a judge its important to not only have a commitment to fairness for both sides in a case, but to also give the appearance of fairness so that no matter the outcome, people feel like they were heard. He also said that even though the legal system is adversarial, its still important to treat people with respect so that they know youre ethical.

I would be sad to leave my appellate work  but I would be very excited because this opens up a new area for me, Hays said.

The Cowlitz County commissioners agreed to hire a fifth Superior Court judge in December, hoping to clear a backlog of civil and criminal cases. The state approved the money for a fifth judge more than a decade ago, but the county never found the funds or space to accommodate one. The county pays half the judges salary, with the state paying the other half.

Whomever is appointed likely wont begin hearing cases until December.
A 22-year-old Longview man accused of having sexual relations with a 14-year-old girl was sentenced to a half-year in jail Tuesday.

Cowlitz Superior Court Tuesday Judge Stephen Warning sentenced Brandon Lee Royal to six months in jail with three years probation for third-degree rape of a child.

In late February, the 14-year-olds father found text messages on his daughters phone indicating she had sexual relations with an older man, who was later identified as Royal, a family friend, according to court records.

During an interview, the girl told investigators she and Royal engaged in consensual sexual activity at his house. Royal told investigators he knew their relationship was wrong and that he did not want (the girl) to tell anyone, according to court records.
It marked a rare presidential moment on a most un-presidential day -- Donald Trump stood at a podium flanked by flags as "Stars and Stripes Forever" rang out, after delivering a speech on energy.

But a day later, all around Washington on Friday, a storm of criticism still raged around his decision to level vicious tweets at MSNBC television anchor Mika Brzezinski.

The controversy was yet another reminder, a few days ahead of America's birthday, that Trump is a leader like no other in the nation's 241-year history, who plans to stay true to himself and is willing to flout norms of decorum.

The longer such antics go on, more and more people will question whether the leader of the free world is not just damaging his own presidency, but demeaning the office itself and potentially diminishing it for whoever comes after him.

"It's unworthy of the office of President of the United States," Maine Sen. Susan Collins told CNN's Anderson Cooper. "And I am concerned about how we look in the eyes of the world as well as our own citizens."

Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois told CNN's "New Day" Friday "that's a tweet that's not even becoming of a city councilman."

Thursday's tweets focused attention on Trump's coarse brand of political discourse, and his ironclad principle that anyone who criticizes him, as Brzezinski did on her show on Thursday, can expect a gut punch in return.

His tweet outraged political leaders in Washington and renewed debate about the President's history of disparaging remarks about women. It left allies fuming about yet another day when his political agenda was drowned out by Trump-induced tumult.

But on a deeper level, the shocking tweet, which claimed that the "Morning Joe" host had been "bleeding badly from a facelift," raised questions about whether his behavior was appropriate from a head of state, about his respect for his office itself, and whether this presidency could irrevocably erode the standards of dignity that have grown around it since George Washington swore the first oath of office in New York City in 1789.

The New York Daily News revealed its Friday cover -- a bald eagle, head hanging down as if in shame, with "humiliation" in capital letters.

Brzezinski and her co-host and fiancee Joe Scarborough hit back at the President on their show Friday morning, prompting a new blast from Trump on Twitter as their feud escalated.

"We're OK. The country is not," Scarborough said on "Morning Joe," and accused the President of harboring a "disturbing obsession with Mika."

Brzezinski said Trump's behavior was "frightening and really sad for our country."

The President was tuned in, and tweeted that he "Watched low rated @Morning_Joe for first time in long time," and branded the show "FAKE NEWS."

Trump's tweet was set to generate another day of discussion in Washington about whether his conduct was becoming of a President.

But, for a sense of proportion, it might also be said that his tweets, while often misrepresenting facts and dealing in personal attacks, pale in comparison to the actions of some of his predecessors. Also casting the presidency in a poor light were President Bill Clinton's Oval Office encounters with an intern and President Richard Nixon's cover-up that led to his resignation over the Watergate scandal.

And respect for the presidency, like many other institutions, was declining long before Trump tried his hand at politics. In 1991, 93% of Americans polled by Gallup had some level of respect for the presidency. By June 2016, that number was down at 63%.

Yet Trump's demeanor obviously falls short of the elevated standards established by the likes of Washington, Abraham Lincoln or Ronald Reagan, and appears to risk fraying that faith in his office still further.

Unlike some of those leaders, it is not clear that Trump regards the presidency as a public trust to be preserved and passed onto successive generations. He often seems more concerned with his own image than the reputation of the presidency itself, as his fixation with the size of his election victory and inauguration crowds has revealed.

He's exactly the same

Trump does not exist in a vacuum. He is an expression of a polarized political age that lacks civility, shaped by reality television and instant emotional kick of social media that has shattered political and societal norms. In many ways, Trump seems to be exactly the same personality who lived out his life in the New York tabloids and swapped smutty stories with radio host Howard Stern.

So far at least, he doesn't seem to be changed by the responsibilities heaped on his shoulders.

But while his unchained style helped him win the presidency, it may be undermining his chances of significant achievements now that he is in office.

That's because the presidency is more than a job. The pageantry, from the Oval Office, to the "beast" limousine, to Air Force One as it jets into a foreign land, conjures up a mystique and a statement of power -- that Trump appears not yet to have harnessed to its full potential.

His White House's war with the media, the chaos that pervades the administration, and the fact the President dispels his own elevated aura by inviting the world into his mind every day on his Twitter feed also seem at risk of diminishing the unique power and prestige of his office.

Many Presidents were flawed men who made questionable moral choices. But most at least tried to keep their anger and most unguarded inner thoughts private, a safety valve that Trump seems to lack.

Trump's tweet was far from his only outrageous comment as a candidate or a President. But it appeared to set off a pent-up explosion of anger towards Trump over weeks of patience-fraying political tribulations.

Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina tweeted: "Mr. President, your tweet was beneath the office and represents what is wrong with American politics, not the greatness of America."

Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski tweeted: "Stop it! The Presidential platform should be used for more than bringing people down."

House Speaker Paul Ryan, who normally swerves away from Trump tweets, said this one was not "appropriate" and didn't help efforts to change the political tone. Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey told CNN's Jake Tapper it was "maddening."

Thin-skinned

In some ways, the outpouring of criticism toward Trump was surprising precisely because his attack on Brzezinski was not all that surprising.

After all, he has a long record of incendiary comments toward his perceived opponents in the media, and directed at women particularly.

During his campaign, he insulted John McCain's war record, made vulgar comments about then Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly and berated the grieving Muslim parents of a fallen war hero. As President, he claimed he was being wiretapped by the previous administration without evidence and seemed to suggest he may have tapes of conversations with FBI chief James Comey.

This time it seemed different, perhaps because the bullying tweet aimed at Brzezinski was another tweet targeted from the White House -- the people's house -- by a man who is the President of all Americans.

That may explain why few came to Trump's defense, save for his loyal deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, in an abrasive encounter with the White House press corps.

"The President has been attacked mercilessly on personal accounts by members on that program, and I think he's been very clear that when he gets attacked, he's going to hit back," Huckabee Sanders said.

"They do this day after day after day, and then the President responds and defends himself and everybody is appalled and blown away," she added.

But Trump's skin does seem particularly thin. Presidents have long been mercilessly attacked but have often chosen to respond in a manner in keeping with the dignity of an office that Washington called an "arduous trust" in his farewell address.

The last two Presidents, for example, have often fumed privately. After the Iraq War degenerated into a bloody insurgency, George W. Bush was relentlessly attacked over his intellect and leadership skills. But he rarely snapped in public.

President Barack Obama, the first African-American commander in chief, endured a character assassination over claims he was not even born in the United States -- conducted by Trump himself -- and only rarely displayed his public disgust for his accuser.

Trump's supporters, by this time, are well used to his eruptions on Twitter and elsewhere, and may shrug their shoulders at his assault on a mainstream media figure.

In fact, Huckabee said, Trump's bombast was the reason he is in the White House.

"The American people elected somebody who's tough, who's smart, and who's a fighter, and that's Donald Trump. And I don't think that it's a surprise to anybody that he fights fire with fire," she said.

History suggests it will take more than explosive tweets to tarnish the Oval Office.

"I am not sure that any damage to the office will be permanent because I cannot see another President like Trump being replicated," said Lori Cox Han, an author and professor who teaches courses on the presidency at Chapman University, California.

"I think of the office of the presidency as being incredibly resilient -- it survived Bill Clinton's impeachment, Richard Nixon's resignation ... survived the Civil War," Han said. "It and our Constitution will survive Trump -- no matter what side of the aisle you happen to be on."
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By Dinesh C Sharma

Just like industrial robots that are increasingly becoming common on factory floors, surgical robots are making their presence felt in hospitals. However, prohibitive costs and lack of training facilities are hampering their faster rollout. A trainer surgical robot developed by the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT-M) could help address this gap to some extent.

Surgeon-assisted robotic operations for several medical conditions are being performed at few tertiary care hospitals in the country. The use of robots offers greater precision and helps surgeons minimize loss of blood by restricting incisions to smaller areas. Robotic surgery also allows faster recovery and reduces chances of complications. But not many hospitals can afford robots due to high costs and lack of exposure to robotic technology.

Researchers at IIT Madras have developed a surgical robot for training purposes. Surgical robots available currently in the market work on the principle of master-slave robot operation. The surgeon, sitting away from the patient, controls the master robot and monitors surgery through a vision system, while a save robot holding necessary surgical tool repeats doctor's actions. The training robot developed by scientists is based on a similar configuration. The master and slave arms have 7 degrees of freedom each. The prototype has been shown to a few robotic surgeons and they have appreciated the product, according to the developers.

For it to be to converted into a full-fledged surgical robot, it needs to undergo a large number of safety tests and regulatory approvals, and clinical trials. This process can take a long time. But the robot developed by us can very well be used as a trainer robot in medical colleges, said Prof T Asokan of the Department of Engineering Design, who led the research effort under a project funded by the Department of Science and Technology (DST). The current design of the robot is aimed at abdominal surgeries but may be extended to other surgeries. IITM team collaborated with urologists from PSG Medical college, Coimbatore, and an industrial partner.

It is estimated that the trainer robot may cost between Rs 60 lakh to Rs 70 lakh. The cost of a commercial robot is around Rs 12 crores. To get such a costly robot for training purposes would be impossible for medical colleges. An affordable trainer robot will help students to get trained on this futuristic technology, added Asokan.

Robotic surgeons, however, feel that much work needs to be done for any developmental robot to be used on a large scale. Just as airliners need skilled pilots, surgical robots are best operated by expert surgeons specifically trained in their nuances. Surgical simulation, undoubtedly, is going to play a key part in getting the next generation of surgeons up to speed in performing next gen surgery, commented Dr Gagan Gautam, head of urologic oncology and robotic surgery at Max Institute of Cancer Care, New Delhi.

India Science Wire
India's largest container port Jawaharlal Nehru Port Trust (JNPT) has initiated steps, including a special IT audit and staff training by a Big 4 consultancy firm, to prevent cyber attacks like the one that crippled the operations of one of its terminals last week.

One of the terminals at the JNPT was impacted by a malware attack last month. "Our IT systems have been found to be very secure but to prevent any such situation in the future, we need to be very careful," a senior port official told PTI.

The port has given the go-ahead for an inspection of the IT systems to plug any loopholes and also undertaking a safety training programme for the staff, the official said. Consultancy firm Ernst & Young (EY) approached the port to work on a pro-bono basis to conduct the IT audit and also staff training, the official said, adding a decision has been taken to let them start with the same.

Notably, National Cyber Security Advisor, Gulshan Rai, had rushed to the port following the impact on operations due to issues at the privately-operated GTI Terminal.

The official said Rai was satisfied with the network security when he took a review of the same during the visit. GTIs parent, AP Moller Maersk, was one of the impacted entities in the last weeks global cyber attack which compromised IT systems, leading to disruptions at its assets across the world.

Other affected entities in the attack, which comes within a month of the similar ransomware Wannacry attacks, were banks in Ukraine including the central bank and advertising giant WPP, among others.

The official said import consignments are coming to the port through the GTI terminal, while for exports, the other two terminals operated by DP World and JNPT itself are pooling in the resources. The APM Group had earlier said in a statement that it moved to manual mode of operations to handle the vessels on hand. "The operations are limited currently to discharging import cargo through container freight station partners and addressing special export cargo such as perishables," its senior director Julian Bevis had said.

"We are making good progress towards restoring our infrastructure and working with world-leading cyber-crime agencies to be able to serve customers in full," he said.

The three terminals at JNPT handle nearly half of the country's container cargo. The GTI Terminal, which has a capacity of 1.8 million standard container units, alone handles 4,500 containers per day.
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The chief executive of Russias Kaspersky Lab says hes ready to have his companys source code examined by U.S. government officials to help dispel long-lingering suspicions about his companys ties to the Kremlin.

In an interview with The Associated Press at his Moscow headquarters, Eugene Kaspersky said on Saturday that hes also ready to move part of his research work to the U.S. to help counter rumors that he said were first started more than two decades ago out of professional jealousy.

If the United States needs, we can disclose the source code, he said, adding that he was ready to testify before U.S. lawmakers as well. Anything I can do to prove that we dont behave maliciously I will do it. Kaspersky, a mathematical engineer who attended a KGB-sponsored school and once worked for Russias Ministry of Defense, has long been eyed suspiciously by some competitors, particularly as his anti-virus products became popular in the U.S. market. Some speculate that Kaspersky, an engaging speaker and a fixture of the conference circuit, kept his Soviet-era intelligence connections. Others say its unlikely that his company could operate independently in Russia, where the economy is dominated by state-owned companies and the power of spy agencies has expanded dramatically under President Vladimir Putin.

No firm evidence has ever been produced to back up the claims. But this has not stopped what was once gossip at tech conferences from escalating into public accusations from American politicians and intelligence officials amid rising concerns over Russian interference in the United States.

Senior U.S. intelligence officials have suggested Congress steer well clear of Kasperskys products and lawmakers are weighing a proposal to ban the company from the Pentagon. Law enforcement seems to be taking a hard look at the company as well. On Wednesday, NBC news reported that at least a dozen U.S. employees of Kaspersky were visited at their homes by FBI agents.

Kaspersky confirmed the NBC report, although he said he didnt know what the focus of the FBIs questioning was. He did say his relationship with the FBI was now shot.

Unfortunately, now the links to the FBI are completely ruined, he said, noting that his company cooperated with both U.S. and Russian law enforcement. It means that if some serious crime happens that needs Russian law enforcement to cooperate with FBI, unfortunately its not possible.

The FBI declined to comment, but agents are unlikely to lose much sleep over that; Kaspersky allowed that cooperation between Russia and the United States on cybercrime has often been far from perfect. Still, lawmakers moves to single out the company for special punishment worries even Kasperskys critics, who note that it would set an unfavorable precedent for American technology firms, many of whom are known to work closely with the U.S. National Security Agency.

Kaspersky defended his work during the interview, saying he never benefited from official protection of any kind. I do understand why we look strange. Because for Russia its very unusual, a Russian IT thats very successful everywhere around the world. But its true, he said.

Kaspersky said his company does exclusively defensive work, although under questioning he allowed that some unnamed governments had tried to nudge him toward hacking, what he calls the dark side. There were several times it was close to that, he said, adding that the officials involved werent Russian. He said in one case a discussion about defensive cybersecurity cooperation turned to the offensive.

I stopped that immediately. I dont even want to talk about it, he said.

Kasperskys offer to have his code audited may not quiet all the skeptics, some of whom are concerned less about the integrity of the companys software and more about the companys staff and the data they gather. Like many cybersecurity outfits in the U.S. and elsewhere, some Kaspersky employees come from espionage backgrounds.

Kaspersky acknowledged having ex-Russian intelligence workers on his staff, saying that most probably we have these guys in our sales department for their relationship with the government sector. But he added that his companys internal network was too segregated for a single rogue employee to abuse it.

Its almost not possible, he said. Because to do that, you have to have not just one person in the company, but a group of people that have access to different parts of our technological processes. Its too complicated. And he insisted his company would never knowingly cooperate with any countrys offensive cyber operations.

We stay on the bright side, he said, And never, never go to the dark side.

AP
IANS

LG Electronics on 3 July, 2017 released a new light tablet PC which supports the long-term evolution (LTE) network connectivity and offers improved portability.

The South Korean tech giant said the 290-gram G Pad IV 8.0 FHD LTE can be considered "as light as a can of soda," making the device especially suitable for women and teenagers, Yonhap news agency reported.

The company said the 8-inch display also makes it easier for users to carry the product in hand bags and pockets. The tablet PC comes with two cameras, both with 5-megapixel resolution. The battery capacity stands at 3,000 mAh.

The 16:10 ratio display, which supports Full HD content, allows users to better enjoy videos, LG added. Users can also enjoy fast data speed and phone calls as the tablet PC runs on the LTE network. The price tag on the device stands at 352,000 won ($308), and can be purchased at local retail stores of LG Uplus Corp., a mobile carrier under LG Group.

This comes after it was announced that the LG V30 is rumored to be announced one day before the IFA which is going to be held from 1-6 September in Berlin. The LG V30 is going to be launched in 32 GB, 64 GB and 128 GB storage variants. The phone is expected to be loaded with a Snapdragon 835 and a 5.7-inch OLED panel display. The phone is expected to come with an IP68 water and dust resistance rating.
NASA is developing the first-ever mission that will deflect a near-Earth asteroid, and help test the systems that will allow mankind to protect the planet from potential cosmic body impacts in the future.

The Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), which is being designed and would be built and managed by the John Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory, is moving from concept development to preliminary design phase, the US space agency said. "DART would be NASA's first mission to demonstrate what's known as the kinetic impactor technique, striking the asteroid to shift its orbit, to defend against a potential future asteroid impact," said Lindley Johnson, planetary defense officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington.

"This approval step advances the project towards a historic test with a non-threatening small asteroid," said Johnson. "DART is a critical step in demonstrating we can protect our planet from a future asteroid impact," said Andy Cheng, who serves as the DART investigation co-lead. "Since we don't know that much about their internal structure or composition, we need to perform this experiment on a real asteroid," Chang said.

"With DART, we can show how to protect Earth from an asteroid strike with a kinetic impactor by knocking the hazardous object into a different flight path that would not threaten the planet," he said. The target for DART is an asteroid that will have a distant approach to Earth in October 2022, and then again in 2024. The asteroid is called Didymos, Greek for "twin", because it is an asteroid binary system that consists of two bodies, Didymos A, about 780 metres in size, and a smaller asteroid orbiting it, called Didymos B, about 160 metres in size.

DART would impact only the smaller of the two bodies, Didymos B. The Didymos system has been closely studied since 2003. The primary body is a rocky S-type object, with a composition similar to that of many asteroids. The composition of its small companion, Didymos B, is unknown, but the size is typical of asteroids that could potentially create regional effects should they impact Earth. After launch, DART would fly to Didymos and use an APL- developed onboard autonomous targeting system to aim itself at Didymos B. Then the refrigerator-sized spacecraft would strike the smaller body at a speed about nine times faster than a bullet, about six kilometres per second.

Earth-based observatories would be able to see the impact and the resulting change in the orbit of Didymos B around Didymos A, allowing scientists to better determine the capabilities of kinetic impact as an asteroid mitigation strategy.

The kinetic impact technique works by changing the speed of a threatening asteroid by a small fraction of its total velocity, but by doing it well before the predicted impact so that this small nudge will add up over time to a big shift of the asteroid's path away from Earth.
tech2 News Staff

After avoiding questions and then giving in, Samsung Electronics has finally re-launched its rather controversial and upgraded Samsung Note 7 smartphone as the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition. The handset is priced at 699,600 Won (approximately Rs 39,550) and will be available in Black Onyx, Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, and Silver Titanium.

The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition arrives with just two major changes and as many would expect, the first one is to do with the battery. Samsung has replaced the problematic battery that exploded in some smartphones with a brand new one, that's not just safe, but is also arrives with a smaller capacity.

The new battery is a 3,200 mAh unit compared to the original Note 7 that arrived with a 3,500 mAh battery.

As one would expect, the new battery goes through Samsung's rigorous 8-point safety test.

The second major change is the software. Samsung seems to have given the old Note a software upgrade with fresh new software that comes from the recently launched Galaxy S8 flagship.

Everything from the new iconography down to Bixby, is now available on the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition as well. Indeed, this also makes the Note 7 Fan Edition, the second smartphone from Samsung's lineup to offer the new digital assistant. The software has been launched in Korea and is available for preview in the US, Samsung has yet to take it global on all of its Galaxy S8 and S8+ models.

The rest of the Galaxy Note 7 Fan Edition is identical to the original model. This would include the Exynos 8890 chipset with 4 GB RAM and 64 GB of internal storage. There's a 12 MP camera sensor at the rear and a 5 MP unit on the front for selfies. The handset is IP 68 and fully supports Samsung Pay (where available).

Samsung has plans to sell 4,00,000 units of its Fan Edition in its home market. While Samsung has plans to sell the Fan Edition elsewhere, the phablet will not arrive in India and the US markets.
RANGPUR: BRU VC Prof Dr Nazmul Ahsan Kalimullah addressing the concluding session of a discussion on \' Broadcast Colloquium : Recent thoughts \' as Chief Guest on the campus on Sunday.
Rampant human trafficking thru' Ctg Airport alleged

Chittagong Bureau :

Human trafficking has become a regular phenomenon at Chittagong International Airport. More than 50 syndicates along with several agents are active for human trafficking from Bangladesh to Malaysia, Libya, European countries particularly Italy and Canada and Malaysia through the sea and air routes.

Mentionable that a Malaysian women was detained at Chittagong Airport on Sunday while trying to flee to Malaysia by fake visa. The Malaysian women identified as Nur Mostafa Sohafa (45) who was detained by airport intelligence police while roaming in the airport lounge.

Despite special measures of law enforcing agencies including Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), police and Border Guard of Bangladesh (BGB), the human trafficking from Bangladesh is increasing day by day. The people of Bangladesh is taking risks of their lives to go to abroad illegally for earning money as the agents and traffickers allured them by fake assurances, sources concerned said.

Sources said, Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport is being used for human trafficking. Many Rohingya people are using Bangladeshi passports reportedly for leaving Bangladesh through Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport.

Despite measures of Immigration Authority of Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport, Rapid Action Battalion, immigration police and law enforcers, many female Rohingyas went to Saudi Arabia for performing Omrah and other Gulf countries as housemates.

Sources said, on January 18, Immigration Authority of Chittagong Shah Amanat Interna-tional Airport detained a total of 14 passengers suspecting that they were being trafficked from Bangladesh for Saudi Arabia. Sources said, a total of 14 passengers were submitted their papers for immigration at the Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport that morning.

But, seeing the papers and behavior of the passengers, the immigration authority suspected that they are being trafficked from Bangladesh to Saudi Arabia. As a result, the authority detained them. Superintendent of Police (Immigration) Mohammed Shariar Alam said, "The detained 14 persons were going to Saudi Arabia for performing Omrah.

Sources said, earlier, on November 10 last year, RAB team rescued five persons who were going to Iraq illegally from Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport. The rescued victims are identified as Mohammed Tuhin Islam (26), son of Rahman Mollah of village Ananadapur in Muns-higonj, Sajib Ahamed (30), son of Shamsuddin Ahamed of village Gopalpur at Barhatta in Netrakona, Mohammed Rusel Dhali (27), son of Tafij Dhali of village Ananadapur in Munsh-igonj, Mohammed Shohag (32), son of Tafij Tanti of village Ananadapur in Muns-higonj and Mohammed Ripon (23), son of Shahidullah Bepari of village Ananadapur in Munshigonj.

Meanwhile, elite force Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) detained a total of 39 persons from Chittagong Shah Amanat International Airport when they were waiting to go to Libya from Chittagong on October 13. Later, the RAB identified 30 brokers of human traffickers and two travel agents for human trafficking. The two travel agents are Al Mamun Travels at east Jindabazar Sylet and Shamim tours and Travels (Sylhet Branch).


CCCI chief hails PM for suspending VAT Act

Chittagong Bureau :

President of the Chittagong Chamber of Commerce & Industry Mahbubul Alam hailed the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and the Finance Minister for suspending the VAT act for two more years.

The business leaders of the port city also congratulated the Prime Minister . They said VAT act was incomplete and needed more scrutiny as the small traders and businesses would have been affected if the law was in force immediately. They said that a kind of fear and misgiving gripped the small traders about VAT law. He pointed out that the CCCI had requested the government before the budget proposal for the fiscal 2017-18 not to enforce the VAT law arguing that it would badly affect the small and medium entrepreneurs.

He said the government finally deferred enforcement of the law. "This decision will definitely have a positive impact on the businesses, traders, entrepreneurs as well as the government," he added.

He said the decision to revise the excise duty also deserved thanks from the business community and trade body leaders. Vice president of Chittagong Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CMCCI) A M Mahbub Chowdhury said they had proposed formulation of a VAT law in conformity with those in the international arena and that would be acceptable to all.

General secretary of Khatungonj Trade and Industries Association Syed Sagir Ahmed said the businesses have long been protesting against the VAT act and additional excise duty . He expressed the hope that the government would discuss the issue elaborately with the business people, before taking any final decision in future.


Celebration of the Independence Day in the US

Donald-Trump President of the United States of America

The founders of the United States knew that independence was something to celebrate. And although U.S. Independence Day celebrations have evolved over time, July 4th festivities remain an important part of American life.

But Independence Day wasn't supposed to be on July 4. In the spring of 1775, after more than a decade of agitation against British policies and the first battles of the War for Independence, the 13 American colonies sent representatives to the first Continental Congress in Philadelphia. After much debate about severing ties with Britain, the representatives voted unanimously for independence on July 2, 1776.

The next day, in a letter to his wife, Massachusetts Representative John Adams said the date "ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this Continent to the other from this Time forward forever more."

Many representatives to the Continental Congress worried that a vote on independence wasn't enough: They wanted to explain their decision to the world. So two days after its momentous vote, the Continental Congress approved the Declaration of Independence and sent copies throughout the fledgling country. The declaration bore the date of July 4, which the new nation embraced as Independence Day.

Adams was right about the ways Americans would celebrate. Even as the new nation fought to make independence a reality, July 4 was quickly marked by parades, concerts, dinners and fireworks. The 1777 celebration in Philadelphia included music by a band of Hessian soldiers - mercenaries fighting for Britain who had been taken prisoner the previous winter.

Parades to celebrate Independence Day began as military displays but quickly became democratic affairs. The 1788 parade in Philadelphia was more than a mile long, with horse-drawn floats and workers of all kinds marching in costume.

The ways in which Americans mark July 4 have quieted down, according to James Heintze, a retired American University librarian and a historian of Independence Day. Through much of the 19th century, he says, it was a "loud, raucous time," and the noise was considered a show of patriotism - whether by small boys with firecrackers, miners with dynamite or towns with artillery firing salutes throughout the afternoon.

A major feature of the holiday during the 1800s would have been a patriotic speech by a leading citizen, sometimes lasting as long as two hours. "That was kind of the media event of that time," Heintze explains.

Independence Day has also been used by Americans to express dissenting political views. In the years leading up to the American Civil War, leaders of the anti-slavery movement organized events - typically on July 5 - to remind people that, for African Americans, the Revolution's promise of liberty had not been fulfilled. And from the beginning of the Civil War, Americans in the South stopped celebrating July 4 out of loyalty to the Confederacy. July 4th celebrations did not return to parts of the South for more than 35 years, Heintze says.

Today, most citizens celebrate in much the same ways as Americans did during the 18th century, with parades, picnics, neighborhood parties, outdoor concerts, sporting events and fireworks displays at night. Government offices and many businesses are closed, and workers typically have a paid holiday.

July 4 also remains a day for making a commitment to the country, as the signers of the Declaration did in 1776 when they pledged "our lives, our fortunes and our sacred honor" to securing American independence. In many cities and at many historic sites, thousands of immigrants take an oath of allegiance and become U.S. citizens on Independence Day.
In Houston, young muslims step up to serve the needy

Lauren Monsen :

When Dania Albaba was a sophomore at the University of Houston in Texas, she wanted to do more to serve her community. So she and a few of her friends decided to launch a local chapter of the nonprofit group United Muslim Relief USA.

Three years later, Albaba and her friends found themselves going door to door to help Texans affected by April's historic flood in Houston that killed eight people and caused tens of millions of dollars in damage.

Albaba was sent with a fellow student, Bassant El-Shazly, to visit the small town of Waller, Texas, about 60 kilometers from downtown Houston. With the town having a population of just 2,400, the young women wondered what kind of reception they would get. The residents "surprised us with their kindness, humility and love," Albaba recalled. "We came across a lady whose home must have been damaged, and asked if she experienced any flooding.

She replied, "Don't you worry about me. My neighbor has got it a lot worse." We were blown away by her selflessness," said Albaba, now 21, who will start medical school this fall at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston.

The volunteers worked with a partner organization -- Islamic Relief USA, which coordinates with the American Red Cross -- and assessed flood damage in each household they inspected, reporting their findings to the appropriate agencies.

"What I remember most was the gratitude, smiles and even hugs we received," said El-Shazly, 21, who graduated from the University of Houston in 2015 and will work at an international accountancy firm in the fall. "Most [families] were shocked that anyone thought to visit the areas they live in. They thought they were completely on their own."

The flood victims -- mostly lower-income, minority people -- were not Muslim, Albaba said. "Our neighbors  were in need, and that's all that mattered."

With Ramadan in progress, the volunteers are helping in other ways, too. United Muslim Relief Houston's annual Ramadan benefit dinner, held June 11, raised funds for United Muslim Relief USA's health-care projects in Sudan, the Central African Republic, Bangladesh and elsewhere.

The Houston volunteers also are planning a Ramadan Project Downtown event, where they'll prepare lunches for Houston's homeless, even while they themselves are fasting. Reflecting on her visit to Waller, El-Shazly said the experience was life-changing: "Prior to volunteering, when a flood warning came in, we worried about ourselves, our homes and our families.  I now think, 'I'm okay. Let's go help others who aren't."
Lady liberty : 125 years as Icon of freedom

Louise Fenner :

"Over the years, the meanings of the [Statue of Liberty] have grown until she has become an international icon of freedom and liberty, the most recognizable symbol of democracy in the world," says the National Park Service, which has responsibility for both the statue and Ellis Island.

America will mark the 125th anniversary of the dedication of the Statue of Liberty on October 28 with a huge birthday party. The statue will be honored with a flotilla of ships in New York Harbor, musical performances, speeches, a cake and a massive fireworks display. There will also be a naturalization ceremony welcoming 125 people as U.S. citizens.

The 93-meter-high copper beauty was a gift from the people of France in 1886, in recognition of the friendship established during the American Revolution. Completed in France in 1884, the statue was disassembled, shipped to New York, and reassembled. On October 28, 1886, it was dedicated in front of thousands of cheering spectators.

The idea of the statue originated around 1865 with Edouard de Laboulaye, a French law professor, politician and writer who wanted to foster the bond between the United States and France with a monument dedicated to their shared ideals of freedom and independence.

Artist Frederic-Auguste Bartholdi, who was known for large-scale work, was commissioned to design the sculpture. Bartholdi traveled to the United States to look for a location for the monument and decided on a small island in New York Harbor called Bedloe's Island (renamed Liberty Island in 1956).

Since the statue was a joint effort between America and France, it was agreed that the American people would build the pedestal while the French people would be responsible for the statue and assembly. In France, funds came in from city governments, sales of miniature statues, a lottery, and contributions from French schoolchildren and others. Some 2 million francs were raised (about $400,000 in U.S. dollars of the time). But fundraising was more difficult in the United States. Publisher Joseph Pulitzer stepped in and started a drive for donations using his newspaper the New York World. He printed the names of every donor, including schoolchildren who donated pennies. The fund drive drew more than 120,000 contributions, most of them less than a dollar; thus Americans were able to contribute about $250,000 for the statue's pedestal.

Bartholdi fashioned the statue - whose full name is "Liberty Enlightening the World" - from copper hammered out until it was just 2.4 millimeters thick. French engineer Alexandre-Gustave Eiffel (designer of the Eiffel Tower) built a skeleton for the statue, designed so that the statue's copper skin moves independently yet can stand upright. This flexibility allows the statue to sway in the harbor winds.


'Better halves' are equal to men

Life Desk :

Women have always enjoyed a love- hate relationship with the world they live in; oh yes - the world loves to hate them!

As a protaganist, a woman has always invited attention. Several western classics have portrayed them as pale, melancholic creatures who were the focus of heart-wrenching romance. Eastern mythologies have eulogized them as the 'better halves', and therefore, equal to men.

Poets all over the world have waxed eloquent on the ethereal beauty of women, likening them to frail flowers. Frail, they were to remain, for it seemed that men those days did not expect their women to don the 'thinking hat'. They preferred them to be seen and never heard.

The wealthy among women spent the best days of their lives socializing and being merry, besides producing heirs to non-existent thrones. As for ordinary women, they were mere slaves to their circumstances.

The ancient women of India enjoyed an enviable status and were, in most ways, equal to men.

But during the medieval times, their status slithered down to a nadir. Education took a back seat; social customs began to take shape that plunged women into the depths of destruction. Thus began their long days of drudgery and commodification.

Women, the world over, are living testimonies of harassment and subjects of male chauvinism. Most of them had no say in any matters. For centuries, they were conditioned to think that they are incapable of decision-making, be it for themselves or for the collective good. The numbers of children they must have, the type of food that they must eat, the choice of clothes, the kind of life that their children must lead are all decided for them, by the males in their lives.

It took several centuries before women began to emerge from the shackles of their enslavement. Although slow, the uprising was a steady one.

Education and financial independence are now the hallmark of urban women. Some of them have captured new bastions that most males fear to trod.

The woman of today is excellent at making decisions. She has a clear understanding of what best suits her, and goes about her way to achieve her goals. As a remarkable career prospect, the modern woman has made a mark by scaling heights, despite being discriminated against by 'yellow-eyed' male colleagues.

But can we honestly claim that women are on the top? Let us not fool ourselves even for a minute to think that the empowerment of women has come of age. President Pratibha Patil, Indira Nooyi, Sunitha Williams and Kiran Mazumdar may be signposts along the path of female progress, but they certainly are not the end results. In several parts of the world, women suffer in silence as they continue to be deprived of their basic rights.

In many Asian countries, education for the girl child still remains a distant dream! She is often the butt of abuse and discrimination.

If she survives termination, she may still be a 'sitting duck' for family revenge and may fall prey to honor killings and rapes. In some countries, like Afghanistan, women are tormented for venturing out to work while in other regions, such as Africa, they continue to be victims of genital mutilation.

When males sprint down to the nearest bar to drown their sorrows, women draw strength from those powerful pearls - tears! Every woman must believe that she is endowed with enough strength to fight her battles.

Feminism is not about baiting the male; female empowerment is not about fighting male ego; it is more about coaxing women to believe in themselves and in their strength. If this is achieved, it is more than half the battle won! Source: Medindia


Former Chelsea icon Terry signs for Aston Villa



Former long-serving Chelsea captain John Terry signed a one-year contract on a free transfer for second tier side Aston Villa on Monday.

Terry, 36 and who left champions Chelsea after 22 trophy-laden years at the end of last season having lifted the Premier League title, is reported to have agreed a weekly salary of 60,000 (68,300 euros, $77,700) with the club that is owned by Chinese businessman Tony Xia.

Terry, whose final appearance for Chelsea was mired in controversy with several fans winning money on betting on him being substituted in the 26th minute the same number as his shirt, said he was very happy to have plumped for Villa.

"I am delighted to join Aston Villa," Terry told Villa's official website.

"It's a club I have admired from afar for many years -- Villa Park is one of the finest stadiums in the country and there's a good group of players here, with an experienced and successful manager in Steve Bruce.

"I can't wait to get started now and look to help the squad achieve something special this season."

Terry joins the side against whom he made his senior debut 19 years ago in a League Cup third round tie.

"Life has come full circle," he said.

Chelsea also tweeted their best wishes.

"Wishing John Terry the very best of luck at Aston Villa! (with a thumbs-up icon)," the champions tweeted.

Terry is expected to fly out to Portugal to join his team-mates at the club's pre-season training, before the new season which begins at home to Hull City, Bruce's former club, on August 5th.

The signing is a bit of a coup for Villa -- who endured a torrid time last season never threatening to return immediately to the Premier League finally finishing 13th -- as they faced competition from clubs including Turkish giants Galatasaray and Premier League duo West Bromwich Albion and Swansea.
Ugandan Envoy pays farewell call on President

Outgoing Ugandan Non-Resident High Commissioner to Bangladesh Elizabeth Paula Napeyok called on President Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban on Monday. Press Wing, Bangabhaban photo

Outgoing non-resident High Commissioner of Uganda to Bangladesh Elizabeth Paula Napeyok made a farewell call on President M Abdul Hamid at Bangabhaban here on Monday.

"During the meeting, the envoy expressed gratitude to the president for extending cooperation to him in discharging her duties in Bangladesh," President's Press Secretary Mohammad Joynal Abedin told BSS.

Referring to prevailing bilateral trade relations between the two friendly countries, the President said Uganda can share the expertise and agricultural technology of Bangladesh in their agricultural products.

He stressed exchanging visits of high-level officials of the two countries to ensure proper use of the potentials.

The outgoing envoy lauded the present socio-economic development of Bangladesh and expressed her eagerness to share this experience and progress techniques for her own country.

She hoped that Bangladesh would ensure more development in near future.

Secretaries concerned and high officials of Bangabhaban were present.




Water levels of 58 rivers rise, 23 fall





Water levels at 58 river stations monitored by Flood Forecasting and Warning Centre (FFWC) have marked rise while 23 stations recorded fall.

Among the 90 monitored water level stations, two river stations have been registered steady while water level at four river stations are flowing above danger level, a bulletin issued by the FFWC said here on Monday.

The Surma at Kanaighat, the Kushiyara at Amalshid, Sheola and Sherpur- Sylhet are flowing above danger level 59cm, 94cm, 76cm, and 22cm respectively.

Significant rainfall was recorded at some stations in different districts during the last 24 hours ending at 6 am on Monday.

A total of 103 millimetres (mm) rainfall was recorded at Lama, 87mm at Dhaka, 85mm at Barguna, 80mm at Khulna, 80mm at Cox's Bazar, 75mm at Sunamganj, 75 at Narayanhat, 69.7mm at Noakhali, 76mm at Teknaf, 55mm at Rangamati, 53.4mm at Jessore, 52.7mm at Ramgarh, 52mm at Panchpukuria and 50mm at Brahmanbaria.
Dhaka, Delhi enjoying best ties in decades: Shahriar



State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam has said that a prosperous next door neighbor, Bangladesh can significantly contribute to the greater development and prosperity of India as Dhaka's relationship with India is surely at its best in decades.

"While Bangladesh and India are enjoying best of relations at the intra-government level, we encourage all track one point five, track two initiatives to further cement the ties between the two countries," he said.

Alam said this while presenting a key-note speech at the two-day 8th Round of India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue inaugurated by Chief Minister of Assam Sarbananda Sonowal on Sunday in Guwahati.

India Foundation, Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies, Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIS), State Innovation and Transformation Aayog (SITA) and Assistant High Commission of Bangladesh in Guwahati jointly organized the event, according to a message received here on Monday.

Shahriar Alam said the relations and engagements between the two friendly countries have to be rooted in our peoples than the states and to be based on mutual trust, mutual respect as also equitable sharing of benefits.

In this connection, he underlined the need for sharing common water resources, getting market access for Bangladeshi products and increasing physical connectivity for the greater benefits of the two peoples.

He also mentioned that opening up a new diplomatic mission of Bangladesh in Guwahati is a clear demonstration of the part of Sheikh Hasina's government in recognizing the importance of the North East of India.

In his opening address, the Chief Minister of Assam emphasized greater connectivity between India and Bangladesh and hoped for multi-sectoral cooperation between Bangladesh and the North East of India.

Stressing the need for working together to counter terrorism, he said Bangladesh and India will never be a safe harbour for terrorists.

State Minister for External Affairs of India M J Akbar, in his address, highlighted the existing bilateral relations between Bangladesh and India and mentioned that the two countries have been enjoying best ever bilateral relations.

High Commissioner for Bangladesh to India Syed Muazzem Ali, Finance Minister of Assam Himmanta Biswas, Pankaj Deb Nath, MP, National General Secretary of BJP and Director of India Foundation Ram Madhab, Director, India Foundation Alok Bansal, Director of Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies Sreeradha Dutta and Vice-President of Friends of Bangladesh, India Chapter Satyam Roychoudhury were present among others.

On the sidelines of the dialogue, Shahriar Alam had a luncheon meeting with his Indian counterpart M. J. Akbar.

He had also a meeting with the Chief Minister of Assam where they discussed a wide range of bilateral issues and future cooperation including dredging of Brahmaputra river and introducing a shipping connectivity between Assam and Bangladesh.

During the meeting, the Assam Chief Minister inquired about the possibility of a direct flight on the Dhaka-Guwahati route.

A colourful cultural program was organized during the inaugural ceremony where Chintak Theatre from Bangladesh and an Assamese cultural team performed spectacular dances portraying the rich cultural heritages of the two countries.




Empower civil society organisations for development equity

Kelig Puyet :

Civil society organisations work for and with different groups of people in Europe, in particular, those in the most vulnerable situations whose voices are rarely heard. Civil society defends people's rights, brings their needs directly from the ground to the forefront in decision-making processes, and empowers them to have more control over their lives.

In recent years there have been a number of laws introduced in European Union member states which have, intentionally or not, impacted our ability to carry out our activities and act as watchdogs. Perhaps the best known recent example is the passing of a law in Hungary branding organisations that receive 24,000 or more in funding from non-national sources as 'foreign-funded'. But restrictive rules have been rolled-out in Western Europe too, as we heard from participants in our workshop on 'Empowering civil society to act and grow in Europe' as part of the European Economic and Social Committee's Civil Society Days 2017.

Growing social inequality has fuelled deterioration of trust in our democracies. Enabling and strengthening civil society organisations can be part of the solution. To send a strong signal to the member states, Social Platform believes there are a number of principles that should be recognised and reinforced at EU level.

Civil society groups seek new tools to tackle populism

European civil society organisations are exploring ways to address the mounting pressure on them, clarify their role and empower themselves to tackle future social challe

First, civil society organisations must have the right to be consulted in decision-making. This sounds basic, but trends in EU member states mean that we cannot assume this right is a given. In countries where the right to participation is respected, it is often applied in a limited way; while a civil society organisation may be consulted on a specific piece of legislation being introduced it is the government that sets the agenda, with no opportunity for us to put forward areas we would like to consult on and share expertise. Better partnership between civil society and governments should be fostered to encourage a safe space where topics of interest to all actors can be discussed.

Second, there is a need for transparent and open decision-making processes. Perhaps the best example of why this is needed is the 2011 "cash-for-amendments" scandal in the European Parliament, a sting by undercover reporters which saw three politicians accept money in exchange for tabling amendments to legislation. Episodes like this could be prevented through the introduction of a 'legislative footprint' that would provide exhaustive information about whom and what has influenced a certain piece of legislation or policy, and how and when this influence occurred, thus avoiding conflicts of interest.

Transparency is key but there should be no system in place to restrict the representation of different interests in decision-making processes. Take, for example, Austria, where there is a proposal for civil society organisations to have to pay an annual fee in order to lobby decision-makers.

EU human rights chief: 'Civil society will push back the rise of extremism'

The rise of extreme parties across Europe is motivating people of good will to speak out and get activated, the director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights told EURACTIV.com.

Third, there should be protective regulatory and financial frameworks for civil society organisations. Developments in several EU member states show a worrying trend towards more short-term project-based funding for non-governmental organisations, instead of long-term support for our core work. Complicated and difficult procedures for applications and reporting are also burdensome barriers for many small NGOs to overcome, which often prevent them from focusing on their core business and prioritising impact delivery. Social NGOs face increasing difficulties in providing much-needed services with limited financial resources and little or no capacity to act as advocates. Civil society organisations link decision-makers with citizens and communities, and it is through ambitious funding partnership initiatives that the EU's social objectives can reach people in different member states.

Fourth, the EU should recognise civil society as an important stakeholder by moving away from its informal, piecemeal approach to a structured civil dialogue. The Treaty on the European Union obliges EU institutions to engage in a dialogue with civil society. However, in practice, fruitful exchanges with EU institutions far too often depend upon the goodwill and individual engagement of decision-makers and civil servants. An inter-institutional agreement on civil dialogue would set out common guidelines and practices when it comes to a partnership with civil society organisations. The guidelines would also set mandatory requirements to ensure the balanced composition and transparency of appointments in EU advisory and stakeholder groups between representatives of industry and businesses, social partners, governments, civil society organisations and independent experts.

By abiding by these four principles on participation, transparency, regulatory and financial frameworks, and formal recognition of civil dialogue, the EU would send a clear signal to member states that civil society is a key actor in decision-making that must not be silenced. Until then, civil society must not rest on its laurels. It is our duty to ensure that our democratic systems work for - and with - the people.

(Kelig Puyet is the director of Social Platform, the largest civil society alliance fighting for social justice and participatory democracy).
Uttara buildings fire kills 2

Fire-fighters recovered two dead bodies as devastating fire broke out at 3 buildings in city\'s Uttara area on Monday.

Staff Reporter :

A man and a woman were killed in a devastating fire that tore rapidly through three commercial buildings in the city's Uttara area on Monday early morning.

The fire originated from the ground floor of the four-storey Sea Shell Chinese Restaurant located on Road No 13 at sector 4 around 5:10am started engulfing the two other adjacent buildings-six-storey Sea Shell residential hotel and AK Tower.

The top three floors of the six-storey building, next to the Sea Shell Restaurant, housed the Sea Shell Hotel and Residence. There is a convention centre on the second floor, a bank on the first floor and two shops on the ground floor.

Two workers of Sea Shell hotel also received serious burn injuries. They were admitted to the hospital. Their condition is stated to be critical, police said.

The 'Ekushey Sweet and Bakery' outlet and branch office of ICB Islami Bank Limited located on the ground floor and the first floor of the Seashell Residential hotel, were damaged badly. Besides, the fire also damaged a branch of Standard Chartered Bank partially.

Of the deceased, one was identified as Mohammad Russell Mia, 40. He was an employee of Pran Company, hailing from Haimchar upazila of Chandpur district. However, the identity of the female aged about 28 could not be known yet.

The bodies of the victims were recovered from the room 302 of the Sea Shell Residential Hotel. The bodies have been kept at the morgue of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

A total of sixteen fire fighting units rushed to the spot brought the fire under control around 10am on Monday after five hours of frantic efforts.

Mahmudul Huq, an official of Fire Service headquarters, said the fire broke out at the ground floor of the four-storey Sea Shell Chinese Restaurant around 5am, and later spread to the adjoining Seashell Residence Global Living and Cuisine and a portion of 4th and 5th floors of another building 'AK Tower' in Sector 4 of Uttara.

"On information, sixteen fire fighting units rushed to spot and doused the fire," he said, adding two persons, who resided in room 302 of the Sea Shell Residential Hotel were burnt to death.

Shafiqul Islam, an official of Uttara Fire Service Station, said the fire might have been originated from the gas pipeline of the Sea Shell Chinese Restaurant.

"The fire extinguish equipment system of Sea Shell hotel was very poor. The fire service served notices to hotel authority two months ago. In the notice, we had asked the hotel authority to keep fire extinguish equipment system. But they didn't follow our instruction. And even, they didn't respond to our notice," he said.

Fire Service Director Newaz said they have not found any staff of the hotel after arriving on the scene.

"The staff did not try to control the fire. They fled before the fire service arrived. It was the police who informed the firefighters," he said.

Mohammad Abdus Sobhan, a resident of the area, said though the city corporation instructed the owners of commercial buildings to keep sufficient space in front of their respective establishments for car parking, the Sea Shell and AK Tower did not do so.

When this correspondent on Monday visiting the spot found there is no parking space in front of the commercial buildings in the area.

Mohammad Sohel, manager of the Sea Shell hotel, said they did not get any notice from the fire service.

"Our every room had been equipped with fire extinguish system. The officials of fire service are now blaming us as they came lately. Besides, some units who came at first didn't have sufficient water. As a result the fire spread from one to another building very quickly," he said.

Talking to the reporters AK Tower's Manager Alauddin said they had no idea how the building caught the fire.

Talking to the journalists a security guard in the area said, "We could do nothing when we saw the building burning. We were just standing and screaming."

Meanwhile, a three-member probe committee led by Deputy Director of Fire Service, Dhaka division Debashish Bardhan was formed to investigate into the incident. The committee has been asked to submit its report within 15 days.

The Sea Shell Restaurant is owned by Amanullah Aman. He ran a hotel on the top three floors of the six-storey building owned by local Awami League leader Abu Hanif, according to locals.
Protesters rally in dozens of cities to call for Trump's impeachment

Thousands of protesters marched down 5th Street and Broadway in downtown to Los Angeles City Hall.

NBC News :

People gathered in cities across the United States on Sunday, two days before Independence Day, to call on Congress to impeach President Donald Trump.

In Los Angeles, they carried a black coffin draped in red, white and blue flowers, topped with a hand-written sign: "The Presidency 1789-2017."

In Austin, Texas, they marched from the state Capitol to City Hall, tussling with counter-protesters along the way, and in downtown San Francisco, a chant made their goal plain: "What do we want? Impeachment! When do we want it? Now!"

As in many other cities, protesters were greeted by supporters of the president in Austin.

"There's no reason at this point to impeach the president. He's committed no crimes. There's no reason," Jake Lloyd, who backs the president, told NBC station KXAN. "I don't think they understand what impeachment is." The "impeachment marches" added to the fledgling effort among lawmakers who have invoked the "I" word.

Among them is Rep. Al Green, D-Texas, who first called for Trump's impeachment for obstruction of justice on the House floor on May 17 and who repeated his call to hundreds of protesters Sunday in Austin.

"I am here today because I love my country," Green said before leading the Pledge of Allegiance and singing "God Bless America."

"We cannot let others steal the notion that somehow they're more patriotic than we are," Green said. "We are patriotic Americans."

In San Francisco, scores of protesters assembled near the Embarcadero and marched through the city chanting and waving signs - "Lock him up" among them.

"Every single thing that comes out of this president's mouth, and every action he takes, is contrary to what I believe, and frankly I've had enough," one of the protesters, Mark Ransdell, told NBC Bay Area.

DC Scarpelli, an actor and activist, described the protest's goals this way to the station: "Resist loud, so loud that we won't even hear the door slam when he's dragged out of office."

A similar scene played out 400 miles south, in Los Angeles, where thousands of demonstrators were joined by Rep. Brad Sherman, D-California, NBC Los Angeles reported. Like Green, Sherman wants to boot Trump from office over alleged obstruction, and last month, he drafted and circulated an article of impeachment to other House members saying so.

"Every day, Democrats, Republicans, the entire world is shocked by the latest example of America's amateur president," Sherman said Sunday.

In New York City, protesters gathered outside a Trump hotel, where the now-familiar scene of dueling protests erupted in a shouting match, according to an Associated Press reporter.

In Philadelphia, there wasn't a shouting match but, instead, a fight: Two anti-Trump protesters were arrested after a supporter of the president was attacked outside a downtown bar, NBC Philadelphia reported. A police officer was injured, the station reported, and a third person was issued a citation. The charges weren't immediately clear.

It wasn't just the big cities that drew crowds, either.

From Davenport, Iowa, protesters marched across the Centennial Bridge to Schweibert Park in Rock Island, Illinois.

"It's interesting that this is going on during the Fourth of July weekend, and I hope as we reflect on how great this country is we can also reflect on how important it is to put country over party," Dan Morris, of the Illinois activist group Rock Island County Indivisible, told NBC station KWQC of Davenport.

And in Amarillo, in the Texas Panhandle, a small march made its way through downtown to the local office of Republican U.S. Rep. Mac Thornberry, NBC station KAMR reported.

The march ended in a "die-in" to express support for the "99% of Americans either victimized or exploited by the Trump Regime," the organizers, the High Plains Circle of Non-Violence, said in a statement.
Worker killed in oven blast in Kishoreganj

UNB, Kishoreganj :

A bakery worker was killed and another injured when an oven exploded at Rakhuaile in Sadar upazila on Monday.

Khandaker Shawkat Zahan, Officer-in-Charge of Kishoreganj Model Police Station, said an oven of 'Fabika Food Products' exploded with a big bang around 2:30 pm, leaving Rajoan, 15, and another worker injured.

Later, they were rushed to a local hospital where doctors declared Rajoan dead.
Another tragedy in Gazipur RMG

Boiler blast costs lives of 9 workers: 80 injured

Staff Reporter :

A boiler explosion at a garment factory named Multifabs Limited at Kashimpur at Nayapara in Gazipur district on Monday evening killed at least nine people and injured over eighty others, fire officials said.

Mohammad Akteruzzaman, Assistant Director, Gazipur Fire Service, said the deadly explosion took place at about 7:30 pm on Monday during Magrib prayers.

He said they began the rescue operation from 8pm on Monday.

"We have already recovered eight bodies from the wreckage. We, in association with the local people and RMG workers are continuing the rescue operation. The death toll may rise," he said.

"Casualties may rise as the injured were being treated at local hospitals after being rescued from the building that suffered partial damage in the explosion," he said.

Mazed Munshi, an eyewitness, said with a big bang the boiler exploded inside the factory collapsing its roof partially.

"A thick smoke shrouded the adjacent area. It looked like a foggy winter evening. Nothing far away could be seen through the layers of smoke. Moreover, the impact of burning made it difficult to breath," he said.

Talking to the locals on Monday night they said many workers with serious burn injuries have been sent to the hospitals.

"The first floor of the four-storey building has already collapsed due to the impact of the boiler explosion," Mohammad Masum Billah, a residence of Gazipur city said.

A total of ten fire-fighting units rushed to the spot and they were trying to douse the fire till filing of this report on Monday night.

Additional police super of Gazipur (South) Russel Sheikh said they are now on rescue operation.

"Flames and smoke are billowing as fire-fighters are still dealing with the fire in the factory," he said.

Earlier on September 10, 2016 at least 37 people, mostly workers, were killed and 74 injured in the incident in a boiler explosion at a factory in Tongi BSCIC industrial area of Gazipur.


Accused killed in Rangpur `gunfight`

Staff Reporter :

A suspected criminal was killed hours after being arrested in yet another 'gunfight' between police and a gang of criminals in Mithapukur upazila of Rangpur in the early hours of Monday.

The deceased was identified as Idris Ali, 32, son of Shakawat Hossain of

Mominpur Abashon in the upazila.g Mozammel Haque, OC of Mithapukur police station, said acting on a tip-off regarding some criminals planning a mugging, police raided Nurpur area of the upazila and nabbed Idris Ali on Sunday evening.

Subsequently, acting on information provided by Idris in his 'confession', police visited the Eidgah ground at Joyram Anwar village to recover firearms (kept there according to Idris, police say) around 3am, the OC added, taking Idris along with them.

In what is by now a familiar twist in the tale of such 'gunfights', once they reached the area, cohorts of Idris sensed their presence and opened fire on the law enforcers. It is always very important to note in the narrative that the alleged criminal/criminals were the aggressors, and the police's resort to violence is always in self-defence.

Once Idris Ali's colleagues from the underworld attacked them, the police were left with no choice but to retaliate in self-defence, which they did firing 13 rounds of bullets.

The gangsters failed to make any dent in the police, and only succeeded in killing their own accomplice Idris Ali, according to the OC. It may or may not have been deliberate, as he was seen revisiting the area with police.

The body was sent to Rangpur Medical College Hospital, where an autopsy was performed before it was kept in the morgue.

Idris Ali was accused in nine cases, OC Mozammel added. Police recovered a pistol, two bullets and assorted illegal things from the scene.
Landmark verdict for saving judiciary and rule of law

Court Correspondent :

The Supreme Court yesterday upheld the High Court verdict that declared illegal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution.



The seven-member full bench of the Appellate Division headed by Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha unanimously upheld the High Court verdict dismissing the appeal filed on behalf of the State. The Chief Justice of Bangladesh pronounced the decision dismissing the Parliament's power to remove Supreme Court judges. Announcing the summary of the apex court verdict, the Chief Justice said they rejected the appeal with some findings, hearing the arguments for and against the State move during more than 11 days.



Those who advised the government to pass the law empowering the one-house parliament to try and remove the judges of the Supreme Court wanted audaciously, forgetting the democratic struggle of the people, to make the judiciary subservient to the government. The inner threat was to deny the people the assurance of the rule of law and fundamental rights as guaranteed by the constitution. What is most significant is the truth that the present parliament is not itself duely elected.



Many will agree that the law was passed at the initiative of those undemocratic forces who misled Bangabandhu to assume the power of dismissing the judges of the Supreme Court under one party rule. Sheikh Hasina the Prime Minister should have been cautious about the law and its inner conspiracy.



By claiming the power of impeaching the judges of the Supreme Court, the parliament denied the basic principle of the separation of powers and independence of the judiciary. The efforts of the undemocratic forces have been foiled by the judgement in favour of the democratic constitution and protection of the people's fundamental rights.



What the members of the parliament must not forget is that the constitution itself has made the Supreme Court the guardian of the constitution and not trusted the parliament.



Earlier, nine Supreme Court lawyers filed a writ petition with High Court Division on November 5, 2014, questioning the validity of the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. In a major ruling on May 5, last year, the High Court declared the 16th Amendment illegal and contradictory to the Constitution. Following the verdict, the State on January 4, this year, filed the appeal with the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court challenging the High Court decision.



Later, on June 1, the Appellate Division ended the hearing on the appeal and declared illegal the 16th Amendment to the Constitution. The Appellate Division on February 8, appointed 12 senior lawyers as amici curiae (friends of court) seeking their opinions about the legality of the 16th Amendment to dispose of the appeal filed against the High Court order.



The 12 senior lawyers are: former Justice TH Khan, Dr Kamal Hossain, Barrister M Amir-ul Islam, Barrister Rafiqul Haque, Barrister Rokanuddin Mahmud, former attorney general AJ Mohammad Ali, Barrister Fida M Kamal, Barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC, Barrister Shafique Ahmed, former attorney general AF Hasan Arif, and senior advocates MI Farooki and Abdul Wadud Bhuiyan.



However, Barrister Rafiqul Haque and Barrister Shafique Ahmed did not make any submission before the court on the matter.



Amici Curiae Barrister Ajmalul Hossain QC made comments supporting the amendment, while other nine Amicus Currie were very much critical about the 16th Amendment before the court. The ten Amici Curiae placed several relevant arguments, facts, decisions and documents in support of their respective stances.



The Constitution of the People's Republic of Bangladesh passed in 1972 had given the MPs the power to impeach the judges of the Supreme Court and decide their term in office. But, in 1975, through the Fourth Amendment of the Constitution the power given to the President of the country. However, later, the provision of Supreme Judicial Council was included in the Constitution.



On September 17, 2014, the Jatiya Sangsad passed the Constitution (16th) Amendment Bill 2014 without any opposition, empowering the Parliament to impeach the judges of the Supreme Court for their 'incapacity' or 'misconduct'.


Man charged with plotting to kill French president

BBC Online :

A suspected far-right extremist has been charged with plotting to kill French President Emmanuel Macron at the Bastille Day parade later this month.

The 23-year-old was arrested in a Paris suburb last Wednesday after police

were alerted by users of a videogame chat room where he allegedly said he wanted to buy a gun.

He also said he wanted to attack minorities, a judicial source told AFP.

Mr Macron has been giving a state-of-the-nation-style address in Versailles.

He has been outlining his priorities in the speech, taking place during a special session of both houses of parliament at the Palace of Versailles.

However the French president is facing criticism over the address, with far-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon accusing him of behaving like a "pharoah".

Investigators found three kitchen knives in the plot suspect's vehicle and analysis of his computer revealed he had conducted internet searches on possible targets.
Farhad Mazhar is found on bus in Jessore, RAB says

bdnews24.com :

Mazhar was found on a bus and later taken to Abhaynagar Police Station on Monday night, according to the RAB.



Khulna RAB-6 Commanding Officer Khandaker Rafiqul Islam told bdnews24.com that the columnist was travelling to Dhaka at the time.



He took the bus at 9:15pm in Khulna's Shibari, the RAB official said and added that he would be kept at the RAB camp in Khulna for the night.



His family said they are happy over the actions taken by the law enforcers to rescue him. ----- More to follow----


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SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois House approved a $5 billion income tax increase on Sunday, followed by a spending plan for the new fiscal year, with some Republicans defying Gov. Bruce Rauner and joining Democrats in a dramatic step to break the nation's longest-running budget stalemate.

But the Republican governor immediately issued a statement saying he would veto the tax increase.

Fifteen Republicans joined majority Democrats in the 72-45 vote for the tax increase, providing one more than the three-fifths majority necessary for the law to take effect immediately. Rauner derided the proposals as lacking spending restraint or "structural" changes he wants.

"Illinois families don't deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the Legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs," Rauner said. "Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits."

Sunday's votes did not immediately spell resolution of the impasse. The 72 votes for tax increases are sufficient to override a Rauner veto, but whether the Republicans who joined the majority Sunday would vote again against the governor is uncertain. Rauner, a wealthy businessman, has poured tens of millions of his fortune into the Republican party and the campaigns of GOP legislators.

One Republican who voted for the tax increases said the state could not continue run up billions of dollars in red ink.

"Stop playing 'chicken' with the fifth-largest state in the union," said Rep. David Harris, a suburban Chicago Republican. "I was not elected as a state legislator to help preside over the destruction of this great state!"

Democrats said that negotiations continue with the GOP over Rauner's demands, including the statewide property tax freeze, cost-cutting measures to the workers' compensation program for injured employees and cuts to pension benefits to reduce a ballooning deficit.

The revenue package now goes to the Senate for approval. The proposal would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

Without a budget, the state comptroller will be unable by August to cover even basic services ordered by courts and the $6.2 billion budget deficit and $14.7 billion in overdue bills would grow. Credit rating agencies have threatened to downgrade as early as this week Illinois creditworthiness to "junk" status, which would be the lowest ever for a state.

Shortly after the tax-hike vote, the chamber voted 81-34 on fiscal blueprint that would spend about $36 billion. Democrats have said that is $800 million less than what Rauner himself proposed last winter. It's about $1 billion less than the version sent over in May from the Senate, where the legislation now returns for concurrence.

Republican Rep. Sheri Jesiel of Winthrop Harbor voted against the tax increases.

"We can't continue to be the ATM that funds programs that can't live within their means," Jesiel said. "It's ... very clear that because there are minimal if any structural changes in our spending, it won't be long before we're doing the same thing, arguing for tax increase for the spending that we've never learned to get under control."

Both House and Senate return to the Capitol Monday. The Senate could receive the budget legislation and immediately consider it. The House has other budget-related matters, such as work on legislation to borrow billions of dollars to buy down the pile of past-due bills.

The bills are SB6 and SB9.
CAMERON -- The Orangeburg County Clemson Extension Office will be conducting a cotton and soybean scouting school Wednesday, July 19.

The program is designed to teach scouting techniques and identification of insects of cotton and soybeans.

The program will be held from 9 a.m. until noon at the Cameron Cotton and Seed Co. The business is located at 301 Boyce Lawton Drive.

The program will include an indoors discussion, in-field sampling and identification, lunch and closing discussion.

Speakers for the program include:

Dr. Jeremy Greene -- Clemson Extension state cotton/soybean entomologist.

Charles Davis -- Clemson Extension agriculture agent, Calhoun County.

Jonathan Croft -- Clemson Extension agriculture agent, Orangeburg County.

Certified crop adviser and pesticide applicator recertification hours have been applied for.

Individuals are asked to contact Jonathan Croft at 803-534-6280 or croft@Clemson.edu by Monday, July 17, if they plan to attend, so meal arrangements can be made.

Trump moves to withdraw clean-water rule

WASHINGTON (AP)  The Trump administration moved Tuesday to roll back an Obama administration policy aimed at protecting more than half the nation's streams from pollution but which drew attacks from farmers, fossil fuel companies and property-rights groups as federal overreach.

The 2015 regulation sought to settle a debate over which waterways are covered under the Clean Water Act, which has dragged on for years and remained murky despite two Supreme Court rulings. President Donald Trump issued an executive order in February instructing the Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to rescind or revise the Obama rule, which environmentalists say is essential to protecting water for human consumption and wildlife.

In a statement, the agencies announced plans to begin the withdrawal process, describing it as an interim step. When it is completed, the agencies said, they will undergo a broader review of which waters should fall under federal jurisdiction.

"We are taking significant action to return power to the states and provide regulatory certainty to our nation's farmers and businesses," EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt said, adding that the re-evaluation would be "thoughtful, transparent and collaborative with other agencies and the public."

Environmental groups denounced the move, saying it would remove drinking water safeguards for one in three Americans while jeopardizing thousands of streams that flow into larger rivers and lakes, plus wetlands that filter pollutants and soak up floodwaters.

The EPA and the Army Corps said dismantling the Obama rule would not change existing practices because the measure has been stayed by the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals in Cincinnati in response to opponents' lawsuits.

The proposed repeal is the latest in a series of Trump moves to undo President Barack Obama's environmental legacy, including withdrawal from the Paris climate change accord, rescinding the Clean Power Plan that sought to curb carbon emissions from coal-burning power plants and reversing a moratorium on leasing federal lands for coal mining. Trump also has proposed deep cuts in the EPA budget.

Response to Tuesday's announcement largely fell down party lines, with congressional Republicans hailing the move.

The rule "would have put backyard ponds, puddles and prairie potholes under Washington's control," said Sen. John Barrasso, R-Wyo., chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works. "I applaud the Trump administration for working to remove this indefensible regulation."
Its been all over the news lately: a survey by the Innovation Center for U.S. Dairy suggests that 7 percent of American adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows.

The takeaway of much of this reporting is that Americans are science illiterate as well as uninformed about how their food is produced. This interpretation is intuitive: research has suggested that Americans lack understanding of many scientific concepts and the story line of Americans as woefully ignorant of science is perennial. As a society, we are also urbanizing and fewer people work in agriculture, so its unsurprising that many dont know how food is made. These survey results line up with this prevailing wisdom.

But is this what the survey is actually telling us? To us as researchers studying science communication and public understanding of science, factors in the survey itself and in the way the media report on it raise questions about how much to read into these findings.

Researchers are trained to look for the original methods whenever they read a new study, especially if the results are surprising. Learning how the study was done provides information that helps determine whether the science is sound and what to make of it.

The chocolate milk survey is described as a nationally representative survey of 1,000 American adults, but this is impossible to verify without seeing how respondents were selected. Likewise, how the survey was conducted  whether it was a phone or online survey, for instance  can have significant impacts on its accuracy. Research suggests that phone surveys may be less accurate than online surveys because they require people to give their responses out loud to another person instead of quietly clicking away in privacy.

For instance, someone who holds racist views may feel comfortable checking a box about it but might avoid openly professing those opinions on the phone to a stranger. Its unlikely the chocolate milk survey ran into such problems, but depending on the questions asked, other challenges may have presented themselves.

Likewise, its difficult to interpret the results of the chocolate milk question without seeing how it was worded. Poorly phrased or confusing questions abound in survey research and complicate the process of interpreting findings.

An NPR interview with Jean Ragalie-Carr, president of the National Dairy Council, is the closest we can get to the actual wording of potential responses: there was brown cows, or black-and-white cows, or they didnt know. But as Glendora Meikle of the Columbia Journalism Review points out, we dont know if those were the only options presented to respondents.

This matters. For instance, if respondents associate some color cows with dairy production and other color cows with beef production, its easy to see how people could become confused. If this is the case, theyre not confused about where chocolate milk comes from, but about the difference between dairy cows and beef cows.

Social scientists call this a problem with validity: the question doesnt really measure what its supposed to measure. Of course, without seeing how the question was worded, we cant know whether the chocolate milk question had validity.

Indeed, early media coverage focused on the 7 percent statistic but left out the fact that 48 percent of respondents said they dont know where chocolate milk comes from. This gives context to the 7 percent number. While its conceivable that 7 percent of the population doesnt know that chocolate milk is just milk with chocolate, the idea that a full 55 percent  over half of adults  dont know or gave an incorrect response begins to strain credulity. This points toward a confusing survey question.

We reached out to Lisa McComb, the senior vice president of communications for Dairy Management, Inc., about the survey. She confirmed that its not publicly available. The purpose of the survey was to gauge some interesting and fun facts about consumers perceptions of dairy, not a scientific or academic study intended to be published, she told us.

Questions about the original findings aside, theres reason to explore how the media covered the chocolate milk survey.

The results were instantly shared and republished by a mind-boggling number of outlets (a Google Trends search for chocolate milk and brown cows shows a spike beginning June 15th). This factoid likely garnered such massive attention because it feeds into a popular narrative about American ignorance and science illiteracy.

Our research suggests that people who are often accused of being anti-science are not necessarily as unscientific as one might think. The rapid spread of this story is likely related to the desire, unfortunately prominent among many liberals, to see and label other people as ignorant.

Studies suggest we are more likely to accept new information when it confirms what we already want to believe. In this case, the chocolate milk statistic fits well with the notion that Americans are fools, so its accepted and republished widely despite the numerous red flags that should give scientifically minded people pause.

But the fact remains that many reporters and news outlets decided to run the story without having seen the original results, instead citing one anothers reporting. This led to some interesting challenges when trying to fact-check the survey: The Washington Post links to Food & Wines coverage, which linked to the Innovation Centers website, which originally publicized the survey results. The Innovation Center, in turn, links to a story on Today.com, which linked right back to the Food & Wine article. This type of circular reporting without seeking out the original source can lead to the spread of misinformation. Unfortunately, as news stories quickly pop up and go viral online, its all too likely that we will continue to see such problems in the future.

Importantly, none of this disproves the notion that some adults believe chocolate milk comes from brown cows. It certainly does nothing to undermine the need for increased science education in the United States or suggests that a better understanding of our food production system wouldnt be beneficial to society. All of these points are still valid. Likewise, this isnt necessarily evidence that the survey itself is flawed. As McComb notes, the survey is not a scientific one and isnt meant to be taken as evidence of Americans knowledge (or lack thereof) of dairy products. The problem is that its being reported on as though it is.

So this survey did point out a lack of science understanding. Ironically, rather than showing Americans ignorance of chocolate milks origins, the fact that media coverage of this survey was reported so widely and with so few caveats instead showed that many people are not skeptical of the science they read.
BAMBERG -- Bamberg County Council gave final third-reading approval to the county's $14.3 million spending plan for FY 2017-18 at a special called meeting on June 30.

The budget calls for a general fund of $7.2 million, along with separate accounts set up for special revenue ($3 million), enterprise ($1.5 million), debt service ($300,000) and capital projects ($2.2 million).

Council members Trent Kinard, Sharon Hammond, Larry Haynes, Chairman Evert Comer Jr. and Joe Guess Jr. voted to adopt the budget. Council Vice Chairman Clint Carter and Councilman Rev. Isaiah Odom were not present.

The $14,278,775 budget represents a decrease over the $14.5 million spending plan for FY 2016-2017, but the average $60,000 homeowner in the county is projected to see an approximately $55 spike in their tax bill.

County Controller Gina Smith said the largest portion of that increase -- approximately $34 -- is used to cover costs the county is shouldering to meet unfunded state mandates.

Increased retirement contributions, for example, are impacting the county's budget to the tune $63,262. The county's contribution to the South Carolina Retirement System would increase from 11.56 to 13.56 percent, while its contribution to the Police Officers Retirement System would jump from 14.24 to 16.24 percent. Employee contributions to the SCRS would be raised from 8.66 to 9 percent, while the contribution to the PORS would rise from 8.91 to 9.75 percent.

"There is a millage increase for the unfunded mandates. Something that we have been talking about as a group is breaking down unfunded mandates for a number of years," Smith said, noting that 14.3 mills are being levied to address unfunded mandates in this year's budget.

The value of a mill is $26,520, up from last year's $26,000.

"We did one thing new this year at the direction of the county council and the administrator. We broke out to the best that we could any unfunded state mandates. And our intention is to show that separately on the tax notice," Smith said, noting that the county is also having to make up for what the state is not providing through a fully-funded Local Government Fund.

She estimates the levy of 20.5 mills will go toward paying for capital needs, including heavy equipment, vehicles and HVAC replacements and any major building repairs.

Smith also reported that the general fund budget increased from $7,200,095 to $7,227,010, noting, "Most of that was the result of adding a full-time position to the voter's registration and election office."

She said the council had also agreed to increase its municipal detainee fee from $16 per day to $26 per day.

"It costs us on average $79 a day to house an inmate whether it's a county person or a municipal detainee. And we had been charging $16 a day to those inmates. We actually did a survey about a year and a half ago, and Bamberg County was the lowest of all the counties that charged municipal fees," Smith said. "The average is about $38. So we're still below average. We're just trying to make up a little ground."

The spending plan does not include a cost-of-living increase for employees. The average employee with family coverage, however, will not have to pay the $1,300 more per year in health insurance costs because the county is absorbing 100 percent of the increase.

Administrator Joey Preston said the county will also be addressing refinancing the $1.5 million general obligation bond for its now defunct hospital, or else face payments stretching out to 2028.

"At some point and time in the next couple of months, we're gonna come back to y'all. We're gonna try to move toward getting that refinanced over the next year if at all possible," he told council members.

Preston also updated the council on the improvement work scheduled to be done on the County Courthouse.

"What's getting ready to happen with this courthouse is gonna be mammoth as far as the work that has to go into that. ... I think probably September to October is when we'll be coming back before council with a recommendation from the Bambeg Facilities Corporation, which will be the entity that would actually be working with the USDA through the grant and loan program," he said. "Council has to endorse what they do."

Kinard was among the council members who thanked the county staff for solid fiscal management and helping to move the county forward.

"We're doing the best we can do, and I appreciate all y'all do. I think this council has proven that it actually cares," he said.
South Carolina is among the nations patriotic hot spots.

To determine where Americans bleed the most red, white and blue, WalletHub.com compared the 50 states across 13 indicators of patriotism. The data set ranges from average number of military enlistees to the share of adults voting in the 2016 presidential election to AmeriCorps volunteers per capita.

South Carolina is the fourth most patriotic state as determined by the survey, which can be found at https://wallethub.com/edu/most-patriotic-states/13680/. By category, the state is:

 2nd  Average number of military enlistees per 1,000 civilian adults population (no prior service).

 9th  Active-duty military personnel per 1,000 civilian adult population.

 28th  Percent of adults who voted in the 2016 presidential election.

 8th  Veterans per 1,000 civilian adult population.

 1st  Civics education requirement.

 20th  Volunteer hours per resident.

The survey should come as no surprise. South Carolinians have a long history of patriotism and loyalty not diminished by its place in history as the first state to secede from the Union ahead of the Civil War. Many battles were fought then and have been fought in the decades since over that sad chapter in American history.

But just as preserving history associated with 1776 and the American Revolution is in focus as Independence Day approaches, future generations must know and understand what happened more than 150 years ago.

Nowhere is preservation more important than in Charleston with two landmarks: Fort Moultrie and Fort Sumter. Both are in need of repair work to ensure their survival, but prospects are uncertain amid the National Park Services multibillion-dollar deficit that has put it behind in maintenance and upkeep.

Two South Carolina lawmakers are determined to do something.

U.S. Sen. Tim Scott and Congressman Mark Sanford, both Republicans, want to merge Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie into the same national park to secure more funding for the site. Scott and Sanford introduced the Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park Act of 2017 on June 28.

The date is significant as Carolina Day, which marks the 241st anniversary of the Battle of Sullivans Island fought at Fort Moultrie and considered a key Patriot victory during the Revolutionary War.

Each year, Fort Sumter National Monument attracts nearly a million visitors to see where the first shots of the Civil War were fired on April 12, 1861. Fort Sumter has been recognized as a national monument since 1948. Since 1960, Fort Moultrie has been administered by the National Parks Service as part of Fort Sumter without a clear management mandate or established boundary.

The Scott-Sanford legislation establishes a management plan for the preservation and maintenance of the Sumter-Moultrie site, and also has the potential to enhance local economic opportunities and growth for the surrounding area by increased tourism and visitation.

Details of the bill include:

 Establishes Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie National Park.

 Codifies clear and defining boundaries of federally managed land at Fort Sumter.

 Provides the National Park Service with a clear management plan for park, maintenance and development,

 Recognizes the importance of Fort Sumter, Fort Moultrie and the Sullivans Island Life Saving Station Historic District in American history and the role they played in protecting the Charleston Harbor during the Revolutionary War, the Civil War and the development of the U.S. coastal defense system from 1776 to 1947.

 Commemorates the lives of the free and enslaved workers who built Fort Sumter and Fort Moultrie, the soldiers who defended the forts, the prisoners held there, and the captive Africans brought to America as slaves.

 Bolsters the tourism potential of the community by increasing the visibility, prestige and notoriety of the sites by upgrading the federal designation to national park status.

In divisive and difficult times in Washington, the legislation should be welcomed by politicians of all persuasions. The nation must preserve its history and prioritize dollars to do so.

In the words of Sen. Scott: Our states history extends well beyond our borders and runs deep through the very soul of the American story. It is so important that we preserve these special places so they can be enjoyed and appreciated for generations to come.
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By Trend





Zenith Aran Oil Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadas Zenith Energy Ltd., has signed a number of agreements with various oil field service companies for the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields in Azerbaijan, a source in the Canadian company told Trend.

Smape Srl, an internationally recognized Italian coiled tubing company, has been contracted to perform several well interventions in the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab fields, the first of which will be well M-195, according to the source. A coiled tubing unit (CTU) operated by Smape arrived June 24, 2017 to begin work and restore production at this well.

The arrival of the CTU resulted in the creation of a third team, named Team C, which will operate this unit and complement the field rehabilitation activities of Teams A and B, said the source.

Team C is expected to play a particularly important role in the rehabilitation of wells in the Zardab field, many of which are plugged with sand from the reservoir. Three wells in particular, one of which will initially be chosen for a workover in 2017, produced in excess of 500 barrels of oil per day for a short time before they became plugged-up with sand.

The design of the Schlumberger Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) scheduled for installation at well M-195 has been completed. This is expected to optimize production and reserves recovery. A service contract between Zeniths subsidiary in Azerbaijan and Schlumberger is being finalized and delivery of the ESP is expected by mid-July 2017.

Zenith also announced that it has signed a framework contract with Baker Hughes Services International LLC, one of the worlds largest oil and gas service companies, for the provision of fishing equipment.

This equipment is significantly more modern and advanced than the fishing tools previously used onsite.

"This technology is expected to substantially increase the speed of operations at well M-45," the source said. "Delivery of this equipment has taken place and the company can confirm that fishing operations utilizing these tools have already commenced.

Zenith also said that the more powerful workover rig operated by the external drilling company, given the name of Team B and employed for the sidetrack of well M-195, is now fully operational at the well M-45 location.

Azerbaijans Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields are controlled and operated by Zenith Aran.

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Zenith Aran Oil Company signed March 2016 a rehabilitation, exploration, development and production sharing agreement on the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields. These fields cover an area of 642.2 square kilometers. Production under the Zenith banner began August 11, 2016.
By Azernews





By Sara Israfilbayova

Chairman of the State Customs Committee of Azerbaijan Aydin Aliyev has voiced his confidence that there will be no problems in fulfilling the budgetary obligations.

Aliyev said that the Committee has entirely fulfilled the forecast for budget revenues for 6 months of the current year, further adding that the Committee will fulfill the forecast provided in the updated state budget.

The Azerbaijani Parliament approved on June 30 the amendments to the Law on State Budget of 2017.

Revenues in the revised state budget are forecast at 16.8 billion manats ($9.9 million), which is 511 million manats ($300.2 million) or 3.1 percent more than the initially approved forecast. Expenditures are expected to stand at 17.9 billion manats ($10.5 billiob), 1.04 billion manats ($611 million) or 6.2 percent more than the initial forecast.

Deficit of the state budget is forecast to stand at 1.2 billion manats ($705 million) [an increase by 530 million manats ($311.4 million)], which is 1.8 percent of expected GDP of Azerbaijan in 2017.

It is planned to allocate a certain amount to SOCAR and the Deposit Insurance Fund. In addition, due to the emission of eurobonds of the International Bank of Azerbaijan (IBA), the upper limit of the external public debt will be increased to 4.5 billion manats ($2.6 billion). The state will allocate 4 billion manats ($2.3 billion) for restructuring of the country's external debts.

Under the changes, about 135 million manats ($79.3 million) will be added to the state budget through the Ministry of Taxes. Moreover, 76 million manats ($44.6 million) are planned to be attracted through off-budget revenues. It is also planned to attract additional funds through the State Customs Committee. The profit of the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) will also be included in the state budget.
By Azernews





By Sara Israfilbayova

Petlim Port, which belongs to Turkeys Petkim Petrochemical Holding, received the Green Port certificate.

Ten ports of Turkey also received Green Port certificate, along with Petlim port, Turkish media outlets reported on July 3.

GreenPort provides business information on environmental best practice and corporate responsibility centred around marine ports and terminals, including shipping, transport and logistics.

Turkish Minister of Transport, Maritime Affairs and Communications Ahmet Arslan highly appreciated activity of the Petlim port, as well as other ports, which received the Green Port certificate.

The work on the first phase of the Petlim ports construction was completed in December 2016 and the cargo terminal with the capacity of 1.5 million TEUs (Twenty Foot Equivalent Unit) has started commercial operations. Meanwhile, cargo capacity totals 800,000 TEUs after the first phase.

Petkim and the Dutch APM Terminals inked an agreement for the construction of the Petlim port in March 2013.

Petkim is the leading petrochemical company of Turkey, founded on April 3, 1965. SOCAR Turkey Petrokimya A.S. owns 51 percent shares in Petkim.
The Intergovernmental Institution for the use of micro-algae spirulina against malnutrition (IIMSAM), the Intergovernmental Observer to the United Nations Economic and Social Council has appointed Mutaz Ghandour, chairman and CEO of Metito Holdings as a Goodwill Ambassador.



Ghandour said: The objective of this institution is to eradicate malnutrition in Africa by 2030 in support of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. Human access to basic nutrients, be it food or water, is a basic right yet 1 out of 6 people lack access to safe drinking water, and 1 in 3 people suffer from malnutrition.



With 60 years of experience in the water industry, we understand the importance of creating awareness about these issues and to advocate those rights. I am confident that there is much to be done to eradicate malnutrition and aiding the development of Micro Algae Spirulina in Africa is one step forward.



The benefits of spirulina for nutritional purposes are well documented, edible algae is a cost-effective, healthy, protein rich, food supplement. In addition Spirulina has the potential to improve food security while also benefitting the environment by requiring less land to produce the same amount of protein and energy than livestock and other crops.



The development of Micro-Algae Spirulina needs a reliable source of water so in that respect we are ideally placed to provide guidance in this area as well. As well as raising the profile of micro-algae spirulina as a tool in the fight against malnutrition, Mutaz Ghandour has pledged to support the development of Spirulina Feeding Centre in Kisumo, West of Kenya.



This project is in-line with our values as a company. There is a clear need to seek out new solutions, fresh ideas and approaches to deal with the challenges of malnutrition, just as much as we need to address lack of access to clean and safe drinking water. This is exactly what Metito endeavours to do by investing in R&D and looking for new next generation technology that can help communities efficiently and sustainably, he added.



The secretary general of IIMSAM Remigio Maradona said: We are extremely fortunate to have an ambassador of Mutaz Ghandours calibre and stature supporting our cause. His immense industry knowledge and huge experience in the water industry will be an enormous asset in creating awareness of and supporting the fight against malnutrition.



Spirulina is an ecologically sound way of producing high protein food that can benefit the millions of people around the world who most need it. I look forward to working closely with Mutaz Ghandour to achieving some real progress in turning the potential of Spirulina into reality.



Metito is the leader and provider of choice for total intelligent water management solutions in the emerging markets with operations covering three business areas: design and build, specialty chemicals, and utilities.



With over sixty years of operational experience, the group provides customized, comprehensive and advanced solutions across the full spectrum of its industry, from clean to dirty water.  TradeArabia News Service
Ericsson, a world leader in communications technology and services, said it has been awarded an extension of its managed services contract by major telecom services operator Zain Iraq until 2021.



The extension comes following Ericsson's successful implementation of managed services for networks, IT and value-added services to the Iraqi operator since 2012.



As per the terms of the new contract, Ericsson will strengthen its role as a trusted business partner by supplying a service operation center and energy network operations center to Zain Iraq.



The expanded scope means the operator will be able to provide a better user experience by managing the quality of service from an end-to-end perspective.



Zain Iraq CEO Ali Al Zahid said: "Based on our first five years together, we know that Ericsson reflects our own core values in maintaining standards and service delivery. During the next five years, as we continually upgrade and expand our network, we expect even greater success by ensuring that exceptional network and service performance is available for our customers."



Rafiah Ibrahim, the president and head of Ericsson Middle East and Africa, said: "Making these improvements to our existing deal with Zain Iraq will greatly assist the operator to transition from network performance to service performance, and we look forward to facilitating this evolution as a trusted partner and supplier."



Ericssons Managed Services are designed to meet the unique needs of each operator in terms of cost efficiency, service performance and technology evolution, ultimately to improve operators abilities to meet consumers expectations, she added.-TradeArabia News Service
Around 1,000 of the worlds aerospace, space and defence industry leaders will address some of the key challenges facing the aerospace industry during the fourth edition of the Global Aerospace Summit 2018 in Abu Dhabi, UAE.



Hosted by Mubadala, the premier thought leadership forum will be held from 27 to 28 February 2018 at St Regis Hotel, Saadiyat Island.



A range of important issues will be assessed, such as the future of aircraft and new technologies that will revolutionise manufacturing, as well as the threats posed to incumbent businesses by a distributed, digital world. The event will analyse sources of game changing tech platforms and disruptive business models, in addition to focusing on their wider implications for the industry and related sectors.



Oisin Commane, managing director, SMG Aerospace, the organizers of the summit, said: The 2018 Summit will focus on what the aerospace industry means for people  how aerospace helps advance mankind and how we can build the human capital we need to develop our industry.



We will look at what Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), airlines and policy makers need to do to enable people to thrive in a data driven, connected planet. Space, cyber security and national workforce development will all be high on the agenda.  TradeArabia News Service
US-based Procera, a top network equipment company, has deployed a network performance monitoring technology in the Middle East to help consumers understand what service quality to expect from different providers.



The move follows a national regulatory agency in the Middle East deploying Procera Networks ScoreCard technology to monitor the performance and service quality of their fixed and mobile broadband service delivered by service providers.



ScoreCard grades each service provider on throughput, latency, and packet loss for all broadband traffic to fully assess the network quality delivered for subscribers. ScoreCard thereby makes it easier for consumers and businesses to better understand what level of service to expect from different providers, and allows regulators to benchmark service providers.



Consumers and businesses looking for the best broadband service available to them in any given market often turn to the local regulator for advice on what service would best suit their needs, said Alexander Havang, CTO of Procera Networks.



Using ScoreCard, telecoms regulators can better inform the market, providing end-users with more clarity on the level of service they can expect from the various incumbents. It reports the actual quality delivered by broadband operators with a passive, virtual deployment that can scale to tens of millions of subscribers.



Details of the Mena regulatory deployment include:



 The regulatory agency is deploying ScoreCard across the network footprint of all service providers in the country to measure the quality and delivery of broadband.

 The overall quality of the subscriber experience is measured and fed back to a centrally deployed Procera Engineering Insights system that indicates the performance of each service provider.

 No Personally Identifiable Information (PII) is collected.

 The regulator is using the network quality scores from ScoreCard to advise operators on where network performance needs to be improved.

 ScoreCard also identifies the root cause of quality degradation when it arises.







The Mena deployment coincides with the launch of Proceras service provider compliance solutions set. The solutions have been designed to help operators around the world comply with changing broadband service regulations, easing the transition needed to implement new infrastructure in line with new regulations.



The solutions will also give operators a better picture of how theyre being ranked on performance by telecoms regulators:

 ScoreCard QoE monitoring: helping telecom regulators to monitor the quality of broadband services delivered by fixed, mobile, and Wi-Fi operators.

 Regulatory traffic blocking: Using Proceras network intelligence technology to restrict traffic from unauthorized applications for security or safety regulations.

 Data retention: Tools to help operators drastically reduce storage requirements through the selective retention of broadband data based on government regulations.

 URL filtering: Blocking illegal content through URL blacklists and categories, taking advantage of regulatory lists like the Internet Watch Foundation blacklist.



The new solutions take advantage of Proceras network intelligence technology heritage to deliver more than 100 use cases for operators. Procera offers virtualized versions of these solutions that can reduce cost and generate revenue for the operator, improving the ROI for a compliance solution deployment.



Operators are seeking new ways of adapting to rapidly changing broadband regulations worldwide while still adding the value needed to bolster their bottom line, said Lyn Cantor, president and CEO of Procera Networks.



They need flexible solutions to make this work. Procera has seen demand for solutions built on our network intelligence technology grow at a double-digit revenue pace over the last 12 months as a result.  TradeArabia News Service
iStock/Thinkstock(OAK LAWN, Ill.) -- A hospital in Illinois made sure that its tiniest patients were able to celebrate Fourth of July this year.



Advocate Childrens Hospital in Oak Lawn, Illinois hosted a party earlier this week to celebrate America's Independence Day, dressing up babies in their neonatal intensive care units in red, white and blue outfits.



Not only did the babies get festive, but their parents, nurses and doctors got in on the all-American fun.



"Our tiniest patients were all dressed up in red, white, and blue to celebrate these families who have spent countless hours at their newborns bedside," Lisa Parro, the hospital's public affairs manager, told ABC News.



The party not only included a photo shoot for the families to remember the holiday for a lifetime, but also included signs that read, "Baby, you're a firework" and "My first Fourth of July."

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Abu Dhabi Electricity and Water Authority (Adwea) said it has signed an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Department of Economic Development (DED) in bid to boost joint partnership and co-operation.



The authorities aim to develop these relations through information exchange and the activation of e-exchange of data by means of the Abu Dhabi e-Government platform, said the statement from Adwea.



The agreement also looks to ensure that joint ventures are completed more quickly and efficiently, it added.



It comes within the frame of launching active co-operation among government entities in Abu Dhabi as one of the strategic objectives of the government stemming from Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, remarked Khalifa bin Salem Al Mansuri, deputy director, DED, after signing the deal with Dr Saif Saleh Asseiari, acting director-general, Adwea.



As per the terms of the agreement, Adwea will be able to access data from the Abu Dhabi Business Centre, which is affiliated with DED, via the Abu Dhabi e-Government platform, to inquire about all data concerning economic licences.



Dr Asseiari said the agreement comes within the framework of the integration of government services and the mutual support of government entities for each other in order to provide high quality public services and simplify administrative procedures.



This new measure will help the bodies save time, simplify procedures, and safeguard their safety and accuracy, he added.-TradeArabia News Service
A Bank of America (BofA) Merrill Lynch research study has cut the average Brent forecasts to $50 this year and $52 per barrel (/bbl) next year, from $54 and $56/bbl before.



By increasing output in 4Q16 ahead of the cuts in 2017, Opec's credibility has taken a big hit, said the report titled Global Energy Weekly: Opec plan misfires.



Against market expectations, OECD total oil inventories are still above three billion barrels and the recovery in Libyan and Nigerian supplies, coupled with a fast return of US shale, will now likely prevent steep stock draws ahead.



Moreover, global oil demand is losing momentum and we are reducing our demand projections for the second half of 2017 (2H17) by 200,000 b/d, the report said, adding that with output set to rise further, our oil supply/demand balances now point to average deficits of 210,000 b/d in 2017 and 90,000 b/d in 2018. As a result, we adjust our WTI crude oil forecasts to average $47 this year and $50/bbl next year, compared to $52 and $53/bbl prior.



Shale oil and Opec face similar output/price lags



At the heart of the issue is the fact that shale oil supply responds to prices within 3 to 5 quarters. This incredibly fast reaction time compares to 3 to 10 year cycles for most non-shale non-Opec projects. In our view, a lack of understanding of these shale impulse-response times has caught Opec completely wrong-footed.



After all, our work shows that the typical Opec output cut takes 3 to 5 quarters to impact the term structure of oil markets, the cartel's stated goal when it agreed to curb production last December. With some producers pedalling backwards and some pedalling forwards at the same speed, it is perhaps not a surprise that inventories are not moving. In the meantime, speculators have thrown in the towel and completely reversed their record bullish position reached last February, the report said.



Moreover, global oil demand is losing momentum



Speculators have also cut back their longs because oil demand growth has undershot expectations in 1H17. Why is global oil demand growth running at half the rate of the last two years?



We can point to cyclical, secular, and one-off factors. While one-off factors including a warm winter and India's demonetization will pass, we not see a big oil demand acceleration from here on due to negative secular and cyclical trends.



For example, tighter monetary policy is a cyclical headwind for oil, while a secular demand rotation into liquid petroleum gases and out of gasoline/diesel will remove support from WTI crude oil prices. The rising supply and softer demand backdrop has resulted in higher-than-expected inventory levels, and we now believe WTI will remain in contango through year-end and possibly until next year's driving season, BofAML said.



Shale is very price elastic in a $45-55/bbl band



Producer hedging activity has been exceptionally subdued in recent weeks as Calendar 2018 prices pulled back to $45/bbl.



This drop should trigger a producer response, as we believe the price elasticity of shale oil supply is very high in a $45 to $55/bbl band. For instance, we see US shale oil supply grow on a year-on-year (YoY) basis by 1.1 million b/d at $55/bbl but see growth of just 200,000 b/d at $45. Every dollar move in the price of oil in a $40 to $60 band adds or subtracts about 100 thousand b/d to US crude supply. So if demand rises over time and Opec sticks to its deal in the longer term, we see a forward price anchor for WTI in the $45 to $50/bbl range and a backwardated structure of $3 to $7/bbl. We view this market structure as a terminal stylized oil forward, the study said.- TradeArabia News Service
Meet award-winning artisans and buy their products at Kerala Arts and Crafts Village
The Casper Art Walk is back with its plethora of art, food, shopping and performances in the downtown area. This months musical smorgasbord is a great chance to sample local talent.

The Nicolaysen Art Museum kicks off its outdoor summer music series Nic Live, while the weekly Rock the Block rocks in front of the the Yellowstone Garage. Local musical acts there and several spots in between perform a variety of music from blues rock to house tech. Theres even an open mic night for anyone to show off their chops.

The family-friendly event returns 5 to 8 p.m. Thursday with activities for all ages. For highlights and info, go to casperartwalk.com or Casper Art Walk on Facebook.

Heres a sample of this months options:

Music

Nicolaysen Art Museums summer concert series Nic Live kicks off with Casper band Red Butte, described as Jug band, skiffle, twang, country blues, folk and Americana are words often used to describe Red Butte, according to the bands Facebook page.

Raccas Pizzeria Napoletana presents Casper blues-rock/rockabilly/classic rock/Americana duo Mastermind of Monkey performing covers and original songs, according to the bands Facebook page.

Urban Bottle Wine & Spirits features Casper band The Last Coyote, performing alt Western, rough and tumble, Wyoming music from the dusty plains, according to the bands Facebook page.

The Lyric offers Open Mic Night. Bring your friends, instruments, and share your talent. All ages and experience levels are welcome.

Rock The Block at the Old Yellowstone Garage features Tom Coryell and the Incorrigibles 6 to 10 p.m. along with games and activities. The band performs originals, pop, blues and country, according to a 2016 Casper Journal story.

1890 Inc. will feature fresh mixes from Caspers own DJ Chris Pfaff. The musical artist performs deep house/house/tech house, according to his Facebook page. Theres also two bouncy houses and Free Beer for a Cause  donations will benefit the Wyoming Food for Thought Project.

Create

Natrona County Library: Make easy, 10-minute galaxy ornaments with a beautiful swirl of color and texture. All supplies provided.

Science Zone: Learn about the surface tension of water and make suminagashi water marbling paper. Suminagashi, or floating ink, is the process of marbling paper with water and ink with origins in Japan as early as the 12th century.

Visual Art

Art 321: Opening Receptions for Casper artists Tony and Amy Elmores Flora Fauna 2.0, Cheyenne studio Clay Paper Scissors artists and Art 321s All Members Juried Show. Raffle tickets for Karen Hennecks original pastel Summer Afternoon Solitaire are $5 each or 5 for $20 until 8 p.m. to benefit ART 321. The framed landscape is valued at $500. Henneck is a signature member of the Pastel Society of America and a member of the Pastel Societies of Colorado and New Mexico.

Scarlows Gallery: Laura Gueses Cloud Peaks opening reception

The Table: Opening reception for Jeremy Thies Photography featuring the Wyoming outdoors and wildlife

Shawn Rivett Designs: Wyoming artist Ginny Butcher will paint, display and sell her still life, oil and pastel art.

Books and more activities

Wind City Books: Author Ron Franscell returns to his hometown to sign the newly released Crime Buffs Guide to Outlaw Los Angeles, and Morgue: A Life in Death, a finalist for the 2017 Edgar award for true crime, and other books. Franscell is a Casper native, lifelong journalist and author whose books include national bestseller The Darkest Night.

Cadillac Cowgirl features a Troopers Drum & Bugle Corps booth with Drums Along the Rockies tickets, merchandise and more.

Shopping

Downtown area businesses open their doors, and the free Casper Art Walk Passport encourages art walkers to visit a few new places each month for a chance to win prizes. Get you passport stamped by featured locations to be entered into this months drawing. All passports circles must be stamped and returned to the Breck Media booth or the featured locations drop box by 8 p.m.

Julys featured locations and prizes are:

Sierra West, giving away hand carved bowl with succulents.

1890 Inc., giving away two $25 dollar gift certificates and two water bottles.

The Lyric, giving away 20 percent off a Lyric venue rental package.
A Wyoming man is facing an aggravated vehicular homicide charge after a deadly crash that killed a Jackson man.

Authorities suspect Rudy Isla Mejico was under the influence when the Dodge Ram he was driving collided head-on with a Porsche Boxster early Friday near Jackson. The Porsches driver, 53-year-old Jackson resident Robert Arndt, died at the scene.

Mejico was driving in the wrong lane without headlights at the time of the crash, according to the Highway Patrol.

Arndts wife, Melanie Harrice, was also in the Porsche and was taken to a nearby hospital. She was stable Sunday.

Wyoming Highway Patrol troopers responded at 2:12 a.m. to reports of a three-vehicle collision on state Highway 22.

Trooper say the Dodge Ram was traveling west in the highways eastbound lane when it struck the Porsche, whose driver did not see the pickup approaching, according to the highway patrol.

After that collision, the truck began sliding off the south shoulder of the road and struck a Chevrolet Suburban that was driving behind the Porsche.

Mejico was arrested by Teton County sheriffs deputies and is accused of driving under the influence and aggravated vehicular homicide. He was not injured.

Arndt was the 65th person to die on Wyoming highways this year.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Health care is huge and personal.

It accounts for a sixth of the national GDP and has consumed the countrys attention for years. Its been the source of partisan bickering for far too long. And there is no clear path forward: The Affordable Care Act has no shortage of critics, but congressional Republicans are struggling to come up with a replacement plan thats an improvement.

But most important, health care policy affects all Americans every day. From business owners to parents with children who have pre-existing conditions to the nations hospitals and clinics, everyone will feel the effects of this legislation, now and for years into the future.

Thats why its so important to get it right. The 13 senators who drafted the most recent bill, the upper chambers response to the Houses American Health Care Act, could have lasting influence on many aspects of our lives if their legislation passes. The measure would repeal Obamacares individual mandate  the requirement to buy insurance  as well as roll back its taxes and adjust how federal Medicaid money is doled out to the states.

The plan is still in a very precarious position. It would take defections from just a handful of Republican senators to torpedo the whole endeavor. Senate leaders arent sure they have the votes, even with a Republican majority. Americans, including Wyomingites, are asking tough questions about the contents and repercussions of the measure. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office has said that by 2026, it would lead to 22 million fewer Americans having insurance and make prices less affordable for many people, particularly the old and the ill. That has led to several Republicans publicly criticizing the measure in the days since it was released. Its important to note that lower coverage rates will result in higher costs for everyone, since medical providers pass on the cost of treating the uninsured to those who can pay.

Already, Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell has delayed one vote on the bill. Its expected to be amended heavily by the time the next scheduled vote arrives.

Its remarkable that that group of 13 includes both of Wyomings senators  Mike Enzi and John Barrasso. Their presence on the panel should put Wyomingites at a distinct and unusual advantage when it comes to offering feedback for the plan.

But its not enough for them to sit on the committee in Washington and praise the bill they helped put together. Its critical for our senators to come back home and take questions and comments about the Senate health care plan from their constituents, the people they represent in Congress.

This goes beyond making appearances at community events and passively inviting conversation. Together or separately, our senators have an obligation to hold true town halls or community forums focused on these subjects and actively seek feedback about the health care plan they helped draft.

Wyoming has a sparse and largely rural population. Its needs will be different from those of many other states. Already, the CEO of the largest hospital in the central part of the state has shared her worries about the plan. Vickie Diamond of the Wyoming Medical Center told the Star-Tribune that the Senate legislation might help in the short term but that by the beginning of the next decade, this is going to hurt everybody.

To truly represent us on this complicated and ultimately personal issue, Enzi and Barrasso must talk publicly with their Wyoming constituents, in Wyoming, to hear and gather the honest feedback they need to make good decisions about the health care plan. It might not be easy  passions often run high when it comes to highly personal issues  but its the best path to a measure that will truly serve Wyomingites and all Americans.
YUMA  A solar-powered drone backed by Facebook and its founder Mark Zuckerberg has quietly completed a test flight in Yuma after an earlier attempt ended with a crash landing.

The drone's second flight was completed in May at Yuma Proving Ground, The Yuma Sun reported.

The drone flew with more sensors, new spoilers and a horizontal propeller stopping system to help it better land after the crash in December. It was in the air for an hour and 46 minutes and elevated 3,000 feet.

The drone flew with the engineering team watching a live stream from a helicopter chasing the drone, said Martin Luis Gomez, Facebook's director of aeronautical platforms.

The team was thrilled with the outcome, Gomez said.

"The improvements we implemented based on Aquila's performance during its first test flight made a significant difference in this flight," he said.

The drone weighs about 1,000 pounds and has a longer wingspan than a Boeing 747.

The drone runs mostly on autopilot, but there are manned ground crews to manage certain maneuvers.

"We successfully gathered a lot of data to help us optimize Aquila's efficiency," Zuckerberg wrote on Facebook. "No one has ever built an unmanned airplane that will fly for months at a time, so we need to tune every detail to get this right."

Zuckerberg's long-term plan for the drone, called Aquila, is to have it and others provide internet access to 4 billion people around the world who are currently in the dark.

"When Aquila is ready, it will be a fleet of solar-powered planes that will beam internet connectivity across the world," Zuckerberg said.
Networking events can take a lot of time and time is your most precious resource. Time is the only asset you cannot create more of, so use it wisely.

Preparing for a networking event in advance will help you generate the maximum return on your networking investment. Here are some tips to help you.

Set your goals before you attend the event. If your goal is to find a new customer, you need to rethink your goals. No one came to the event hoping you would sell them something. Who do you want to meet and what do you want to accomplish? Are you looking for a new strategic referral partner? Are you in search of a speaking opportunity? Know exactly what you want and practice how to communicate it effectively.

Selecting the right event is critically important. If you want to meet someone in the housing industry, an SAHBA mixer would be a great opportunity. Find an event which is best aligned with achieving your goals.

Contact the event organizer and offer to help. They will appreciate your offer and may be willing to help you. The organizer will know almost everyone at the event and can make valuable introductions for you.

Change your mindset before you walk in the room. You are not there to sell anything to anyone. You are there to add value to the relationships that will help you achieve your goals.

Allow time to arrive early and stay late. Position yourself by the main entrance to connect with people as they come and go. Resist the temptation to spend time with people you know. You are there to meet new connections and to create new opportunities.
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We've collected a few front pages from newspapers.com to give you a look at some July 3 papers in history. With a subscription to newspapers.com you can search the Arizona Daily Star and many other newspapers using keywords or dates, and download articles or pages.
Six years ago, David Schaller tried to make a difference in the climate and his native citys quality of life.

After a career at the EPA, Schaller was lead author of a $48,000 blueprint commissioned by Tucson for tackling climate change by reducing emissions of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases.

The reports most ambitious recommendations for laws and incentives never became reality. Instead, economics and politics dictated a voluntary strategy. But many of the voluntary measures werent fully carried out, although the city has taken some steps toward reducing energy use.

The agenda laid out in 2011 by consulting firm Westmoreland Associates, which Schaller founded, went a lot farther:

Mandatory cool roofs in new homes to reduce their solar heat intake.

Limits on how long vehicles can idle in parking lots, burning fossil fuels.

Mandatory energy efficiency retrofits of homes and apartments when theyre sold.

Rebates for buyers of electric vehicles, and of new homes with Energy Star-rated appliances.

These and 30 other recommendations filled Westmorelands highly detailed 360-page report to the citys advisory Climate Change Committee.

The committee sliced out virtually all measures costing tax money and most that proposed regulations  out of a belief they were too radical and would not fly, recalled Ron Proctor, a former committee member associated with the group Sustainable Tucson.

The committee published and the City Council approved a report recommending more than 20 mostly voluntary measures. But many of those actions were cut short by city and federal budget cuts.

Now, with brutal summer heat beating down on Tucson, city officials are about to give the climate issue a second look. Mayor Jonathan Rothschild, who took office less than a year after Schallers report appeared, is spearheading the effort that will include public hearings.

But Schaller describes himself as beyond frustrated, disheartened and disappointed at his reports inability to gain traction back then.

Its been a missed opportunity, he said. We lost six years. The fact that they are now talking about revitalizing things is a bit of admission there has been momentum lost.

Several climate committee members said many of the reports recommendations were unfeasible. But they were very disappointed that more wasnt done on even the voluntary measures.

Their experience shows how hard it is for cities  or any governments  to take on something as big as climate change.

A decade of effort

Tucson efforts to combat global warming date to 2006, when the City Council signed the Mayors Climate Protection Agreement. Organized by the U.S. Conference of Mayors, the pact committed more than 1,000 U.S. cities to reduce greenhouse gases 7 percent from 1990 levels by 2012.

Schaller arrived a year later, hired by the city as a sustainable development administrator after working 28 years for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, ending his tenure at a similar post in Denver. A native of Menlo Park on Tucsons west side, he was a Salpointe High School graduate who obtained a bachelors degree in geology and a masters in environmental policy from the University of Arizona in the 1970s.

He worked with the citys Climate Change Committee until early 2010, when he was laid off during the economic slump. In October 2010, the city awarded Westmoreland Associates the climate report contract after competitive bidding.

Westmoreland calculated how much each measure would reduce greenhouse gas emissions, would cost in the short term and would reap in long-term benefits. It combed the internet to show that each measure had been used by at least one government entity in other states.

The report concluded that not only would the economic benefits ultimately outpace costs, they would produce unrelated benefits:

Upgrading homes energy efficiency would make them cooler and more comfortable and raise their resale value.

Replacing conventional intersections with traffic circles known as roundabouts would reduce accidents, injuries, fatalities and city emergency response costs

.

Limiting vehicle idling not only saves thousands of gallons of gasoline and diesel fuel daily but would also improve local air quality, reduce noise, enhance vehicle engine life, and improve overall community well-being.

These measures would take Tucson halfway to its 7 percent greenhouse gas reduction goal  by 2020, the report concluded.

We would have a quieter, healthier community with these recommendations, Schaller said. If all sustainability is local, this would have been a chance to do it.

Too ambitious?

But climate committee member and transportation consultant Curtis Lueck said he quit the committee after a few meetings, feeling that many of the reports strategies seemed ill-conceived, draconian, and impossible to fund at the time.

The committee was trying to do too much. ... That made it difficult to look at things in more detail and figure out which ones had biggest bang for the buck, he said.

Requiring retrofitting of all homes and apartment buildings when sold  what was the chance, politically, of that proposal? added John Schwarz, a former committee member and a retired University of Arizona political science professor. There are huge economic implications of that kind of proposal.

Even if the measures paid off after a few years, who will put up the money up front and are the winners the same as the losers? Schwarz asked. There were a whole bunch of questions like that. We were not equipped ... to figure out that stuff.

One proposal ranking high on the greenhouse gas reduction scorecard was voluntary  having 10 percent of the citys drivers buy carbon offsets. Drivers would pay others to plant trees, buy solar water heaters or start a bike sharing program.

Westmorelands report noted the president of the Pew Center on Global Climate Change said, Offsets are crucial to achieving emissions reductions targets.

But Leslie Ethen, former head of the city Office of Conservation and Sustainability, said she doubts that offsets have happened here to any considerable extent.

Its something we dont track due to lack of resources, said Ethen, now planning and sustainability manager in the citys Planning and Development Services Department.

The climate committee also recommended several voluntary climate challenges for residents and businesses. The city staff would start educational programs to explain renewable energy and energy efficiencys benefits. Goals were set for how many energy-saving devices would be installed by 2020.

The programs were started and some continued for years. But Ethen said the city doesnt know how many people or businesses participated because it lacks personnel to monitor them.

In 2011, the Office of Conservation and Sustainability had eight staffers, but tightening city budgets later wiped out all positions. The department was ultimately eliminated, although Ethen said at least some of its work is done by other agencies.

Many of its programs  including Schallers study  were financed by federal grants including the Obama administrations 2009 stimulus bill that eventually ran out, Ethen said. With the strapped city budget, City Hall has had to focus on its and the publics top priorities  improving roads and public safety, she said.

The climate committees report is great and helpful to our community. But its not as core a function as paving roads, Ethen said.

Ethen says the city has made some climate inroads, including recently introducing performance contracting to borrow money for energy-saving projects, with savings from lower energy costs repaying the loans. Thats how it could install low-energy, LED streetlights citywide, and thats how it will start in about six months on a $15 million project to install renewable and energy efficiency projects in two city recreation centers and City Hall.

Transit service also has improved, higher-density, transit-friendly development in the urban core is outrunning building on the citys periphery and $9 million worth of bicycle boulevards where cycles are given more room than usual are in the works, city staffers said. A city bike-sharing program  recommended in Schallers report  starts at the end of 2017.

While Schallers roundabout push went nowhere, Lueck says the citys Michigan left turn intersections on Grant Road are essentially elongated roundabouts in function.

Commitment needed

Lueck and former climate committee member Phil Swaim say many of the Westmoreland reports recommendations could still be adopted today, although theyd prefer using incentives to coax people and businesses to save energy instead of regulations.

It takes community will and political will, said architect Swaim, adding, a 116-degree day is a good reminder  it gets peoples attention.

Rothschild was noncommittal about the report, saying he needs to review it again. Some measures are a bit dated due to technology changes, while many people are carrying out some of its proposed mandates such as cool roofs on their own, he said.

As for regulations, the mayor pointed to the state Legislature as the problem, saying it has halted city efforts to regulate climate issues in the past. We need to be more creative in our approach than relying on mandates, he said.

Schaller, now retired, said he hopes that this time, the city makes sure that whats approved gets done.

It wont happen without somebody taking ownership and assigning responsibility ... things dont happen by themselves.
How do people get their drivers licenses suspended?

Getting precise answers to that question proved to be a little trickier than it seemed at first to the Road Runner. Its also an issue this column will likely return to in coming editions because the legal and financial consequences of a license suspension can snowball quickly, especially for the countys many low-income residents.

To get to the bottom of it, the Road Runner requested a spreadsheet detailing all charges or citations filed in January in Pima County Consolidated Justice Court that went into default or otherwise resulted in mandatory license suspension. When someone doesnt pay a fine or falls behind on payments for certain violations  largely limited to moving violations  Arizona courts contact the states Motor Vehicle Division, which then suspends licenses, according to the Arizona Department of Transportation and local court officials.

That first request brought back a list of roughly 420 cases, the vast majority of which involved nonpayment of fines for civil traffic violations, most fairly minor. It also included around 50 DUI-related charges that come with mandatory suspensions, most of which had likely expired by the time the data was provided in late June.

But it turns out that the most common single charge, driving without a seat belt, does not actually lead to license suspension, according to interim court administrator Micci Tilton.

That specific violation was cited in a June 26 memo from County Administrator Chuck Huckelberry intended to counter what he called the common myth that DUI-related offenses are the primary cause of license suspensions.

While the relative weight of nonpayment of civil traffic fines was likely overestimated in the January data referenced in the memo, the broader claim that nonpayment of those often steep civil traffic fines is the most common path to license suspension is still true, according to Tilton and additional data analysis by the Star. City Court administrator Chris Hale said that was also the case for his court.

Numbers can fluctuate, but the fundamental issues are still the same, Huckelberry told the Road Runner. Were suspending a lot of more licenses than we need to, and the consequences are much larger for poorer people than those with wealth.

Excluding the seat-belt charge and another charge that does not appear to result in suspension from the January data, a strong majority of suspensions  57 percent  still stemmed from nonpayment of civil traffic fines.

A county spokesman said that once county administrators receives the updated data, Huckelberry will send a revised memo to the board.

However someone gets their license suspended, not having one can open motorists up to potentially serious and costly consequences, which several officials have described as a vicious cycle of mounting unpaid fines, criminal charges, possible jail time, job loss and other destabilizing repercussions. Those who either knowingly or unknowingly continue driving with a suspended license put themselves at risk for the misdemeanor charge of driving with a suspended license (DSL), which results in a mandatory impoundment of vehicles.

But in Pima County, how city and county prosecutors handle that misdemeanor has taken some of the sting from the charge.

Deputy City Attorney Alan Merritt said his office dismisses those charges outright and has done so since October 2015. Thats because many people charged with DSL dont appear for initial court appearances, resulting in an arrest warrant and, with some frequency, their costly booking into the county jail. There are more failure-to-appear warrants for people with DSL charges in Consolidated Justice Court  over 2,300  than for any other charge.

Its absolutely not the best use of jail time and its enormously expensive, Merrit said.

Statewide in fiscal year 2014, more than a quarter of the 54,000 people cited for DSL after civil traffic issues eventually failed to appear for court hearings, according to the Arizona Supreme Courts 2016 report Justice for All. That report called for making license suspension a last resort, not a first step, and reducing first-time DSL citations to civil matters.

The county Attorneys Office has a different policy than the city Attorneys Office, but with a comparable result. County attorney spokeswoman Amelia Cramer said that for first-time DSL offenders whose licenses werent suspended for DUI charges, the office lets them plead down to a civil charge and allows extended periods of time to get their licenses reinstated.

That arrangement has been around for a while, but Cramer said that in the last couple years her department has made a concerted effort to do that as much as possible.

Cramer said local officials have done much of what can be done without changes in state law.

State laws say that:

Anyone cited with DSL  even if that charge is eventually dismissed, has their vehicle impounded.

That DSL is a misdemeanor and judges have limited latitude when it comes to reducing fines for indigent defendants.

And licenses are suspended for failure to pay.

Two pieces of legislation that would have made significant changes made it through the state Senate but both died in the House in March.

The James E. Rogers School of Law at the University of Arizona is exploring the possibility of a program in which law students would assist defendants with DSL charges and suspended licenses, according to clinics director Paul Bennett. Tiltons office also recently started sending out more positive, less punitive reminders of fines or other court requirements and allowing more time to lapse before reporting those cases to MVD for suspension.

Local defense attorney Stu de Haan, who has represented a number of clients who have multiple DSL charges and sometimes stratospheric unpaid fines, said the city and county policies have helped some people avoid criminal charges. However, the high cost of traffic fines mixed with high rates of local poverty makes it easy for many residents to get overwhelmed.

These are just things that people cant pay, he said, adding: I think its very hard to get out of if youre a working family, just to afford these fines and impound fees. It spirals very quickly, with a couple minor mistakes youre out a couple thousand dollars.

DOWN THE ROAD

Kinney Road, from Arizona 86 (Ajo Highway) to Calle Don Manuel will be closed 24/7 starting 6 a.m. Wednesday. Traffic will be rerouted to alternative routes during the closure, which is a part of the continuing Arizona 86 improvement project.
When Pima County sheriffs deputies arrested Emily Joy Stephens on a warrant for child sex abuse charges, she was living here with her five children, all of whom are younger than 13, records show.

Stephens, 29, is being held in the Pima County jail without bond while awaiting extradition to Santa Cruz, California, where she is facing the charges.

Also accused in the case is California neurosurgeon James Kohut, 57, who is facing multiple counts of sexually abusing children younger than 14, according to an investigative report by the Pima County Sheriffs Department.

According to the Santa Cruz Sentinel, Stephens is facing six felony child-abuse charges involving three children under the age of 10 and three children under the age of 14.

On May 11, a Pima County deputy received a call from a Watsonville, California, police detective who had recovered a video camera that showed Stephens and another woman having sex with three minors under the age of 15, the report said.

The other woman, Rashel Brandon, is a 42-year-old nurse who worked with Kohut in a Santa Cruz hospital. Shes also facing multiple charges of child sexual abuse in connection with the case, according to the Santa Cruz Sentinel.

Police in Watsonville were unaware of Stephens whereabouts, but believing she was in Tucson, asked the local Sheriffs Department for help in locating her, the records show.

Detectives obtained a search warrant and arrested Stephens at her home the next day. Her children  ages 12, 10, 7, 5 and 2  were taken into custody by the Arizona Department of Child Safety.

In addition to her children, Stephens was living with her longtime friend and business partner, who told detectives that she and Stephens operated a hat company together. She and Stephens sold hats at stores, fairs and festivals in Tucson and Santa Cruz, where they would visit as often as one to two times a month, according to the records.

The business partner told detectives that when they visited Santa Cruz, Kohut would come to the hotel room to meet with Stephens and the children, who often accompanied her on their trips.

The woman said Kohut mentally tortured Emily by making promises to her about leaving his wife and being with her and having a family, the report says.

She told detectives that Stephens is pregnant with Kohuts baby.

The Santa Cruz District Attorneys Office has said Kohut talked about impregnating women to give birth to children he could sexually abuse in a so-called taboo family lifestyle, but no evidence has been found that he was able to create such a family, according to reports by The Associated Press.

The business partner told police Stephens children seemed to like Kohut, with one of the girls even calling him Dr. Daddy, the report shows.

In mid-March, Stephens and the business partner made a trip to Santa Cruz while the kids were on spring break, but Kohut never met the group as planned, the report says.

That appeared to be when the relationship between James and Emily went downhill, the woman told detectives. He would threaten to call the police and DCS if (Stephens) did not bring the kids out to visit again. He specifically wanted the 10-year-old to come out and visit him alone.

The woman told police Kohut had been threatening to take away the new baby as soon as it was born.

Police also interviewed the father of Stephens three oldest children, who said that in early May Stephens started receiving harassing text messages from Kohut and Brandon, the report said.

He told police he didnt know why they were harassing her.

Interviewers with the Southern Arizona Childrens Advocacy Center spoke to all five of Stephens children, but none of them made any disclosures of physical abuse by Stephens or Kohut.

When asked if shed ever seen an adult without clothes on, Stephens 5-year-old daughter told interviewers that she sees her mom naked, as the woman regularly took baths with her and two of the other children.

When asked about Dr. Daddy, the child said that at one time he used to live with the family, but not anymore.

During an interview with Stephens 10-year-old daughter, one detective noted she appeared to be guarded about the information provided and appeared to cry through most of the interview.

Police seized several items from the house, including video-game systems, iPads, two computers, a phone, handwritten letters to Stephens, a handwritten receipt from Kohut and a VHS tape labeled Emilys tape.
OPINION: "There is no other profession that is more rewarding than serving our nation's heroes. To all our veterans, thank you for your service, and we have your back!" writes Jennifer Gutowski, CEO/director of the Southern Arizona VA Health Care System.
Not much seems to be known for sure about the man known as Curly Bill Brocius, whose name is misspelled on Brosius Avenue on Tucsons southeast side in an area that could be called Lawman and Outlaw Square.

Brocius was born as William C. Brocius, William Graham or William Bresnaham. His birth year is unknown but might have been 1845 or 1857 and the location was likely either Missouri or Texas.

By the 1870s, he was on the run from the law in Texas and may have been involved in the El Paso Salt War (also known as the Salt War of San Elizario), a feud over the salt deposits at the foot of Guadalupe Peak, 100 miles east of El Paso.

In May 1878, he and another desperado were involved in an ambush of a military wagon heading from El Paso to Mesilla, New Mexico Territory. The attack left at least one soldier dead and the pair racing across the border into Paseo del Norte (now Ciudad Juarez). They were soon captured and convicted of the crime, but Brocius escaped from jail.

He arrived in the Arizona Territory within a couple of years with a herd of cattle that was intended for the San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation. Soon he found himself working as a cowhand for different ranches in the southeastern part of the territory and possibly in the neighboring New Mexico Territory.

He gained employment with brothers Frank and Tom McLaury in the Tombstone area and is supposed to have run with N.H. Old Man Clanton and his sons Billy, Ike and Phin in the familys rustling and smuggling operations along the U.S.-Mexico border, which were a common practice at the time. All were members of a loosely associated group of outlaws named The Cowboys.

When Wyatt Earp and his brothers arrived in Tombstone, conflict was inevitable. The Earps were Republicans and northerners, while The Cowboys, who also included Johnny Ringo and Buckskin Frank Leslie (namesake of Tucsons Leslie Avenue), were predominantly Democrats and southerners.

In October 1880, Tombstone Marshal Fred White, on his way to arrest a group of rowdy individuals, requested backup from lawmen Wyatt and Virgil Earp. When White attempted to confiscate Brocius gun, it discharged and White was shot. Deputy Sheriff Wyatt Earp struck Brocius on the head and took him to jail.

The case was moved to Tucson for the safety of Brocius, who was being represented by a Tucson attorney named Haynes (probably John Haynes). Even though the dying marshal stated the shooting had been an accident and Brocius was cleared of the event, some say the incident was the origin of the bad blood between the Earps and The Cowboys.

The following year, Brocius was shot in the neck by a Jim or Jake Wallace at Galeyville, Arizona Territory, but is believed to have quickly recovered. In October of that year, he was spotted at the McLaury ranch.

What happened to him after that is conjecture, but the most common story is the following: The Earp brothers believed that Curly Bill was involved in an attack that left Virgil Earp crippled for the remainder of his life and Morgan Earp dead. As a result, Wyatt Earp gunned down Brocius in the spring of 1882 at Iron Springs in the Whetstone Mountains.

Other stories of what became of him include living out the rest of his life in Montana, while another report was that he eventually returned to Texas to run a livery barn with a brother and lived into the 1890s.

Brosius Avenue, along with the Los Ranchitos subdivision, were recorded by early pioneer and land surveyor Phil Contzen in 1941.
Eric Campbells Were Going on a Bear Hunt reports on Estonia refusing to roll over against the might of Russia.

Tuesday on Foreign Correspondent.

Tiny Estonia is digging in against potential attacks from its giant neighbour Russia. And its employing defences far more creative than guns and boots on the ground, as Eric Campbell reports

If you dont want a war, prepare for a war  Kirsten, Estonian army reservist

Theyre fighting words from a young woman whose country would fit comfortably inside Tasmania and nearly 400 times inside the borders of Russia, its potential adversary next door.

Eight times a year Kirsten joins thousands of compatriots in war games that sharpen them for combat. Many are too young to remember a weakened Russia giving Estonia independence in 1991.

But they have seen a newly restive Russia grab Crimea and eastern Ukraine. They have clear memories of rioting by Estonias Russian minority, followed by paralysing cyberattacks, a decade ago. And in just a few months they will witness about 100,000 Russian troops massing just across the border to stage their own war games.

Of course were worried about the unpredictability of Russia. We have to be prepared  Marina Keljurand, former Estonian Foreign Minister

Attacking us must be as expensive as possible, thats the thing  Kaupo Karuse

When hes not in camouflage manning a machine-gun in combat drills, Kaupo Karuse dons jeans and a T-shirt as a consultant at one of Estonias myriad digital start-ups.

And thats where pint-sized Estonia has drawn another line of defence  cyberspace.

This once backward Soviet republic has developed one of the worlds most secure and connected digital networks.

Every Estonian has a unique digital identity. Parliament and cabinet are paperless. As the ultimate defence the government is backing up its entire data set in multiple data embassies abroad.

We dont have resources, we dont have a lot of land. We had to do something with our brain  Kaupo Karuse

Add to this the protective brawn of NATO, the 29-nation alliance that includes Estonia. But as Eric Campbell discovers, NATO is more a provocateur in the eyes of many ethnic Russians, who make up a quarter of Estonias population.

If we didnt have NATO bases or military in Estonia it would be much safer to live here. They try to somehow push the Russian bear. For what?  Russian-Estonian Vladimir Cherdakov

Tuesday July 4 at 9.20 on ABC.
Help India!

Chandigarh, (IANS): Having failed to make any headway in arresting the main accused in the killing of Junaid last month, the Haryana Police on Monday announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to identification of the accused who stabbed him to death.

The stabbing took place on an EMU train going from Ghaziabad to Mathura on June 22.

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The identity of the informer will be kept secret. Five accused have already been arrested in this case, a spokesman said. Among those arrested so far, two were identified as Delhi government employees, including a 50-year-old man.

The Haryana Police, which is under the BJP government in Haryana, has drawn flak for its handling of Junaids killing and not being able to nab the main accused.

Junaid, a Muslim youth, was stabbed to death on the train near Ballabhgarh in Haryanas Faridabad district.

Junaid and his friends Hasib, Shakir and Mohsin were returning to their village on the train after shopping at Delhis Sadar Bazaar.

Hasib claimed that at least 15-20 persons boarded the train at Okhla railway station and asked them to vacate the seats.

All four were thrashed and attacked with sharp-edged weapons and later thrown out of the train at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district.

Junaid succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. His three friends who were injured. Media reports had even said that the murderous attack followed rumours about beef eating by the four youths.

The Haryana government had announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the victims family.
Help India!

Hyderabad, (IANS): AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that by skipping Palestine during his visit to Israel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was strengthening the Jewish states occupation of Palestinian territories.

With Modi set to become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, the Hyderabad MP said his three-day tour would mark a major shift in Indias foreign policy on Palestine.

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Owaisi said support to Palestinian cause had been the cornerstone of Indias policy for over seven decades.

He said by not visiting Palestinian territories occupied by Israel and by not meeting Palestinian authorities, Modi would help Israeli propaganda effort and strengthen its occupation of West Bank and Gaza.

He recalled that whenever Indian authorities visited Israel, they also visited Palestine. He termed as very unfortunate Indias decision to abstain from voting at the UN Human Rights Council which found that Israel had committed war crimes.
Sometimes it is little wonder the President of the European Commission, Jean-Claude Juncker, said he does not understand what Britain's Brexit strategy is. If these leaked reports are true, it is clear the Department for Exiting the EU is saying one thing publicly and another privately. Publicly, they want an Anglo-EU free trade deal and privately, they seem resigned to the possibility of a 'soft' Brexit.

'Completely unreasonable.'

To provide the EU with some credit, at least they know what they want from these discussions. They want Britain to pay a hefty divorce fee for leaving the trading bloc.

Yet it is clear the EU owes Britain more money than the current rebate allows for. It is doubtful Michel Barnier views it that way. It is unreasonable for them to expect the British Government to literally pay a price for choosing to leave the trading bloc. Nowhere in the 2007 Lisbon Treaty does it say that once a member state's government triggers Article 50, the mechanism for leaving the EU, that they also have to pay billions of euros in order to do so. There is no legal basis for the demand and it is completely unreasonable. Despite this, discussions over the 'divorce bill' are likely to consume a considerable period of time before negotiations over trade can commence.

It is clear that trading on World Trade Organization rules would still be beneficial to Britain.

It is a waste of time to even consider negotiating with EU politicians. The length of time it took Canada to agree a free trade agreement with the political union proves this. The possibility of 'no deal' looks increasingly likely.
A group of Conservative MPs have urged Theresa May to quit her negotiations with the EU as the Brexit Department gradually begins to favour a 'soft' Brexit.

22 Tory MPs have drafted a report describing a 'doomsday' scenario caused by disruption at ports and an economic crisis. This is despite a Brexit aide having to categorically deny a change of tone emerging from the Department for Exiting the EU. Insiders have revealed to The Guardian that there is a shifting mood of 'realism' towards the Government's 'have your cake and eat it' strategy.

'The Government is rethinking its approach.'

Many officials are considering the option of remaining inside the European Economic Area (EEA), which would result in a 'soft' EU exit at the expense of accepting European laws and the free movement of workers in exchange for tariff-free access to the EU's Single Market. Sources indicate this year's general election has caused the department to rethink the Lancaster House approach specified by the Prime Minister earlier this year, meaning economics would be prioritised over immigration controls.

However, the authors of the document urging the Government to prepare for the worst-case scenario have said the Brexit Department must prepare further contingency plans in the event of failing to negotiate a free trade agreement with the EU.

But the text says Mrs May should reach a deal that mirrors the Canadian-EU trade arrangement. The paper is called: 'Ready on Day One: Meeting the Brexit Borders Challenge', and was drafted by the Conservative MP for Dover and Deal Charlie Elphicke.

The paper says the Government should establish a border agency, build better transport links to all Channel ports and a viable customs system.

This would result in the Thames Crossing project being built faster and the M20 lorry park at Stanford, Shepway, being delivered on time. Other proposed measures to ease the possible event of a 'hard' Brexit include an extension of the Le Touquet Treaty to cover customs co-operation and relations with France. A Brexit Infrastructure Bill would be introduced to speed up road-building programmes by destroying long administrative processes.

'Two years is not ample time to negotiate a trade deal.'

Mr. Elphicke said two years is not ample time to negotiate a free trade deal for the EU and he urges the Prime Minister to listen to business leaders who fear there will be no deal. A spokesman for the Port of Dover welcomed Mr. Elphicke's report and said continued cooperation with France is essential to Britain's future.

Yet this advice flies in the face of what civil servants are preparing at the Department for Exiting the EU. One official said that whilst the department remains wedded to the Lancaster House approach, the reduction of a Tory majority last month means the Government's approach has been weakened.

Business leaders welcome the Government's re-evaluation of its Brexit strategy, saying that the EEA option would allow them to trade with Europe on a tariff-free basis whilst providing businesses with the opportunity to trade with countries beyond the continent.

This could also result in Britain remaining a member of the EU's Customs Union.

'Businesses are regaining their voice.'

A senior official said businesses are regaining their voice after feeling pressured into supporting a 'hard' Brexit prior to June's general election. They said those who believe remaining in the EEA means selling your country short are being given a run for their money. They said Brexit Secretary David Davis will become more pragmatic as the negotiations unfold, listening to figures like Chancellor Philip Hammond, who is calling for a 'soft' EU exit.

A Brexit Department spokesman refuted the claims of a 'change of approach' to the Government's Brexit strategy, saying that they did not recognise the language being spoken by these officials. But the information highlighting an evolving mood in the department originates from officials at the highest levels of the Treasury and the Department for Exiting the EU.
The incredible White Sharks have returned to Cape Cod, which has terribly shaken beach goers and boaters. However, the odds of a direct human experience are imperceptibly little, so is the probability of a serious assault by the sharks. Equally, important is that 2016, witnessed 53 unjustifiable Shark assaults. However, none were lethal as stated by the Florida Museum of International Shark Attack. In general, there were 81 reported assaults a year ago, including four deaths around the world.

Surfers endure most assaults

Massachusetts faced an assault in 2012, when a white shark bit a body surfing man on his legs.

Surfers have a tendency to endure the most assaults. A year ago, 6 assaults included people take part in a water sport. Specialists say that is presumably on the grounds, that surfers invest a considerable amount of time in the surf zone, which is a shark's territory. In addition, one should restrain from places where seals congregate, as they are the most loved prey for white sharks. Above all, beach visitors, families, aquatic professionals and water sport enthusiasts are encouraged to follow best security measures.

Least likely to be killed by a shark

In general, the chances differ depending upon what you're doing in the water. Snorkelers and scuba divers have a high chance of coming in contact with the sharks.

In any case, the National Aquarium in Baltimore says the chances of being annihilated by a shark are one in 3.7 million. Not to mention, you're a great deal more in peril of surrendering to this season's cold virus, auto crash, lightning strike or even a space rock. In addition, Specialists from the University of Florida shark, say that you're 290 times more prone to die in a sculling accident or drown in the shoreline than to endure a deadly shark assault.

Great White Hype, how many are there?

Biologists tracking sharks in Massachusetts say they've recognized 279 types in the course of recent years. Progressively, the sharks have been staying in and around the Cape Cod Bay. As a matter of fact, earlier this month, an 8-foot-long adolescent nicknamed Cisco, was spotted at the bay near Barnstable.

Likewise, there are awesome white sharks living off Long Island, New York, and the New Jersey shore. In spite of the fact, that any dangerous collaboration between a man and a shark is exceedingly doubtful, there's still a profound dread prevailing. What's more, the sea looks profound and remote, that it inspires dread.
jared kushner is a person of interest in the FBI's investigation into alleged Russian interactions that the Trump campaign may have engaged in. Last week it was reported that Donald Trump's Senior Adviser proposed to Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak that a secret back-channel be arranged so that talks between the Russians and the campaign could be done without detection by U.S. authorities. It's been long suspected that Russian hacking shaped the outcome of the 2016 election results.

'Looming debt' over NYC skyscraper

A possible motive involving Jared Kushner reaching out to a Russian banker is being tossed around, and one of the theories is it had to do with "looming" debt.

According to ABC News, congressional investigators are examining whether Kushner was "vulnerable to Russian influence" due to "financial stress" involving his family over a Manhattan high-rise purchased during the real estate boom. Donald Trump's son-in-law reportedly had a meeting with a banker from a Russian finance institution last December that was sanctioned by the U.S.

Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.) perceives it as ironic that Jared communicated specifically with a Russian banker who's "under sanction," "related to Putin," and has a "KGB background." Speier suspects Kushner needed funds for the New York real estate located on Manhattan's Fifth Avenue. It was Jared's first major acquisition in Manhattan that was emblematic of his family's move from New Jersey to Manhattan real estate holdings.

$1.3 billion in loans for the property is due in two years and the skyscraper isn't bringing in solid income from office tenants. Kushner's efforts to refinance and redevelop the structure didn't pan out with a Chinese company following the election, which may be partly to blame for the meeting that is now under scrutiny. A commercial real estate analyst familiar with the Kushner firm explains that there's a major financial debt because the family doesn't have a "billion plus" in their account to pay off the tower.

Selling it could be a viable option, but it hinges on whether someone would pay for it.

Investigators want answers

House Intelligence Committee's ranking Democrat, Rep Adam Schiff, will have his panel press Jared Kushner for details about the December meeting with Sergei Gorkov of VneshEconomBank (VEB Bank). Circumstances surrounding the clandestine meeting are unclear and Schiff doesn't believe someone from a bank sanctioned by the U.S.

who's so close to Putin and linked to a Russian spy school is any coincidence. Though a White House official played down the meeting as "general and inconsequential," the nature of the meeting has raised flags.

VEB bank claims that the exchange with Kushner was centered on "negotiations" concerning "business practices applied by foreign development banks, as well as most promising business lines and sectors." Whatever the real objective was, neither Jared Kushner nor the Russian bank have been overly transparent with investigators as of yet.
President Trump facilitated the South Korean President Moon Jae on Friday, the second day of talks between the two pioneers in Washington. In general, the core interest of discussion was North Korea and China. President Trump said that he and Moon talked about the North Korean issue and that Moon encouraged North Korea to negotiate. Moon added, that risk and incitements by the North will be met by a stern reaction.

The South Korean President said, that the gravest test at present is the atomic test conducted by South Korea. He added, that the two leaders will utilize both authorizations and discourse in staged and detailed approach.

US says it needs to work together with China on North Korea, trade https://t.co/ABTWDnOVNB #BreakingNews pic.twitter.com/H1d9gJS8KW  The Jerusalem Post (@Jerusalem_Post) June 28, 2017

Both US and South Korea want to settle the issue of North Korea's atomic program. The South Korean administration has likewise communicated, their sincere condolences for the loss of Otto Warmbier. Additionally, China ended up the alternative point of discussion in the Cabinet meeting.

The biggest problem is the economic relationship with China

National Economic Council Chairman Gary Cohn said that a lot of their most serious issue on the exchange is their financial association with China. Although, a substantial trade shortage with China has been proposed, which will keep it on developing.

Gary Cohn added, that the world's most crowded country has numerous ruthless practices in the way they manage the economic council.

China & US trade agreement, https://t.co/N1wBrODWjf meanwhile in Mexico, mainly just cooperation with China: https://t.co/KroW0jX8Y9 pic.twitter.com/sKDTIuMYBb  Carlos Vejar (@VEJAR_C) June 19, 2017

In addition, China has created licensed innovation and exchange boundaries for us, Cohn proceeded.

The economic council has to forcibly move innovation into China and have joint ventures. Furthermore, there are levies and nontariff boundaries, so that one cannot own organizations in China.

Business Secretary Wilbur Ross noticed that the U.S. has an unsuitable exchange deficiency with South Korea. Moon said the Korean-U.S.

Unhindered Commerce Agreement (KORUS), had been commonly helpful. Trump tweeted Friday evening, that he is happy to hear President Moon's affirmations that he will work to even the odds for American laborers, organizations, and automakers.

The White House is apparently turning around on the gentler affability it sought after with Beijing as of late. Trump had been deserting, a monetary activity guaranteed on Chinese cash controllers in return for help to North Korea.

An inversion in approach has apparently been provoked, by Warmbier's demise, making the White House assume that Beijing has either neglected to do what's necessary, or that its endeavors have been futile. On Thursday, the Treasury Department endorsed a Chinese bank with North Korean ties.
Over the last week, Donald Trump has increased his war of words on the media. In response, members of his administration have been forced to defend him, including Presidential Counsel Kellyanne Conway.

Conway on media

It's no secret that Donald Trump and the mainstream media don't see eye to eye. However, recent events have taken the president's hatred for the press to a new level. It started last week when the former host of "The Apprentice" decided to attack the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe." First Trump labeled co-host Joe Scarborough as a "psycho," but it was his remarks about Mika Brzezinski that triggered the criticism.

Referring to Brzezinski as "low I.Q." and later "dumb as a rock," Trump even accused the female co-host of getting a facelift. The commander in chief then doubled down on his criticism of CNN, who recently retracted a false story linking the president to a bank in Russia. As part of his attack, Trump edited his previous appearance with the WWE to show himself beating up the CNN logo which was Photo-shopped on the face of Vince McMahon. On July 3, Democratic Rep. Ted Lei tweeted to Kellyanne Conway about the proper role of the media in democracy, and the former campaign manager was quick to fire back.

Yet, lately role of the media has been to retract false stories & fire liars. "Truth" = patriotic vets died so you can talk nonsense. https://t.co/ZcRkcnqqmZ  Kellyanne Conway (@KellyannePolls) July 3, 2017

Taking to his Twitter account on Tuesday morning was Democratic Rep.

Ted Lieu was responded to Kellyanne Conway's criticism of the media for being too tough on Donald Trump. "Dear acting @KellyannePolls: Unlike Russia, in a democracy the role of the media is not to be "patriotic." It is to tell the truth," Lieu tweeted out, before rhetorically asking, "Get it?"

Dear acting @KellyannePolls: Unlike Russia, in a democracy the role of the media is not to be "patriotic." It is to tell the truth. Get it? https://t.co/4xxEcrPmYA  Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) July 1, 2017

In a response of her own, Kellyanne Conway didn't hold back her thoughts while citing dead veterans in an attempt to smear the Democratic official.

"Yet, lately role of the media has been to retract false stories & fire liars," Conway wrote, while adding, "'Truth' = patriotic vets died so you can talk nonsense." Like the billionaire real estate mogul, Conway has also kicked her attack on the media and Democrats into high-gear as of late, as the White House has gone in full defense mode against those who oppose them.

Moving forward

As the rift between Donald Trump and the media continues, it appears that many of his critics in Washington are taking the side of the press in the feud. While Trump lashes out at the media on a daily basis, facing an onslaught of criticism in doing so, he's also showing no signs of changing his tune.
US military choices for North Korea, have been revised so that President Trump could approve them according to CNN. The choices, incorporate a military reaction that the Oval Office gets to evaluate. To emphasize, the US Military wants to act if Pyongyang leads an underground atomic or ballistic missile test that could assault the US. The US National Security Adviser stated that military alternatives are ready to take on the action.

Trump is unfit. Instead of thinking about healthcare, North Korea, Assad, taxes ... grownup things, unfit Trump is a bizarre tabloid gossip pic.twitter.com/TXOekMDhhy  RiotWomenn (@riotwomennn) July 1, 2017

They added that what they need to do, is set up all alternatives in light of the fact that the US won't acknowledge an atomic power in North Korea.

President Trump has clarified, that this test could be a threat to the United States, targeted towards its Americans.

The threat is much more immediate

South Korean President Moon is visiting Washington, to discuss the immediate threat. In fact, McMaster announced to defense stakeholders, that South Koreans were being held prisoner by the North Korean administration. Both US and South Korea agree that the danger is a great deal more prompt at this point. McMaster told defense officials that we can't repeat the same mistake again.

Donald Trump warns North Korea of 'determined response' https://t.co/aHnnyVHURH  BBC News (World) (@BBCWorld) July 1, 2017

He added that President Trump asked him to set up a scope of alternatives, including a military choice, as the last resort.

In addition, McMaster said, that Moon's visit would incorporate exchanges on another way to deal with North Korea. In other words, US wants to discuss how they can pressurize the North Korean regime to stop the missile testing. Different individuals from the President's national security group have likewise talked about Trump's worries over North Korea.

The US will renegotiate South Korean Trade Deal

The White House has reported that President Trump has requested his trade delegate to start renegotiating the U.S. exchange deal with South Korea. Sarah Huckabee Sanders, reported from White House, citing that the U.S. Trade official Robert Lighthizer will alter the arrangement.

Correspondingly, the Trump Administration is focusing on getting the best deal with regards to the exchange. President Trump is condemning the Korean Trade Agreement which he will discuss with South Korean President Moon Jae-in.

President Trump and South Korea President Moon Jae-in vow for a stiff hand with North Korea. #PBSNEWS pic.twitter.com/gJI6KS2r3w  PBS NewsHour (@NewsHour) June 30, 2017

The Trump administration has taken note that the U.S. trade deficiency with the Asian nations has developed generously ever since the start of the agreement. Regardless, the US military is preparing itself to stop the Missile attack, as they are suspecting that it's targeted to destroy America.
Home owner Jeannine Hughes and her family consider themselves lucky to be alive, as they were evacuated from their residence by UGI gas workers after a Gas Leak was reported at their Manor Township home. Their two sons were also not home at the time of the 12:16 p.m. explosion, which completely destroyed the house, killing one UGI worker and injuring three others.

Home destroyed in gas leak explosion

As reported by CBS21 News, the house was completely destroyed in the blast, in which the UGI workers were injured. Following the explosion the immediate area was blocked to the public and to residents, with neighbors saying the blast shook their homes.

Officials with the township have said four other homes surrounding the Hughes residence had been deemed unsafe and residents were not allowed to spend the night in these homes.

The National Transportation Safety Board is carrying out an investigation into the explosion and explained that the surrounding homes cannot be cleared until they have found the gas meter and an engineer has inspected the residences.

Steve Cook, Business Development Director for UGI, said in a statement that one of their employees was dead after the explosion and two other UGI workers were injured. A worker with the sewer authority was also injured in the blast.

Two of the injured are reportedly in a stable condition in hospital, while the third is currently in a critical condition.

Engine and truck are currently operating at a building explosion in Manor Twp. pic.twitter.com/0xCIgij4aV  Lanc. Twp. Fire Dept (@LTFD66) July 2, 2017

Homeowner visits the site of her destroyed Manor Township home

Lancaster Online reports that Hughes visited the site of her former home later on Sunday, searching for any remaining belongings.

While surveying the complete destruction of her home, she said that overall, she considers herself lucky. She was shocked to see the neighbors yards, covered with fragments of her home, saying, Its really gone.

UGI worker killed & 3 others hurt in explosion at 206 Springdale Ln, Millersville @ 12:30 pm. Workers were outside the home when it exploded pic.twitter.com/SjwWNQXUA3  Lanc. Twp. Fire Dept (@LTFD66) July 2, 2017

Hughes explained that a passerby walking their dog in the area was the first to smell gas and phoned UGI to report this.

Hughes was then told to evacuate the home just after noon on Sunday due to a possible gas leak. She said UGI workers knocked on her door and told her she had to leave. However she did help the workers to open all the windows in the home before evacuating. Hughes said as she left, the workers had already started digging up her yard to access the gas line.

While Hughes was checking into a hotel nearby, she received a call from her son in Chicago to tell her the house was gone. He had reportedly seen details of the explosion on the news. Hughes said she had lived in the house for nine years and had to go back to see it after the blast. At the time of the interview, news of the death of the UGI worker had not yet been made public.
The suspect in the Pennsylvania road rage killing, which took the life of a high school graduate named Bianca Roberson, turned himself in on Sunday days after the incident.

Police tried to hunt down the 28-year-old suspect identified as David Desper for four days. The search even expanded to three states. Per police reports, Desper surrendered at around 2 a.m. on Sunday. He now faces charges of first-degree and third-degree murder in the death of Roberson. He also faces possession of an instrument of crime and reckless endangering charges. The suspect is not allowed to post bail.

Police: killing is not race-related

Roberson is white and the victim was black. It was suggested that the killing of Roberson might have been race-related or was a hate crime but police said there was no indication that that is the case. They only have proof that the killing was a result of a Road Rage.

What police found related to the shooting

The red pickup truck of Desper was found after the killing. A 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun was also found at the bedroom of the suspect and officials believed it was the weapon he used in the shooting. Police did not say if the vehicle was abandoned or if Desper drove the vehicle when he surrendered himself. Desper purchased the gun in November of 2015 and had a permit to own one, New York Daily News reported.

Suspect got angry over their vehicles merging on the same lane

Police are saying that the main reason why Desper shot Roberson was because he got mad that their vehicles were merging on the same lane. Desper did not want Roberson merging into traffic so he shot at her.

The victim died from a gunshot wound to the head. She was killed immediately after getting shot and her vehicle hit a tree, CNN shared.

Victim planning to attend Jacksonville University

The 18-year-old recently graduated from Bayard Rustin High School and was planning to go to college. She was supposed to attend Jacksonville University soon and hoped to work for the FBI in the future. Roberson got killed when she was on her way home from shopping clothes for college.

Father of victim calls daughter a good girl

The father of Roberson, Rodney, said in a statement to a local news station that his daughter was a good girl who was an honor roll student and was excited about going to college. Before the suspect turned himself in, Rodney talked to him via the news station. Rodney pleaded that the suspect should surrender if he has a conscience. The father of Roberson also assured the suspect they would listen to his own version of the turn of events.
Before departing for his 4th of July vacation, President Donald Trump signed an executive order reviving the National Space Council. The Space Council will consist of the heads of NASA and various cabinet departments and will be chaired by Vice President Mike Pence. The council will coordinate the implementation of space policy across the government and provide the president advice for the development of the same.

What is the National Space Council?

The National Aeronautics and Space Council was first formed in 1958 and was first headed by President Dwight Eisenhower.

The Council acquired more influence with the election of President John F. Kennedy when it was chaired by Vice President Lyndon Johnson and helped coordinate the Apollo race to the moon and the formation of COMSAT. The Council was disbanded in 1973 under President Richard Nixon.

President George H. W. Bush created the National Space Council in 1989 in part to help coordinate the Space Exploration Initiative. However, the Space Council was noted for its clashes with then NASA Administrator Dick Truly and the failure to get the initiative off the ground. It was disbanded under President Bill Clinton.

Why is President Trump doing this?

Trump is trying to signal that he regards space as a crucial part of his desire to make America great again. He waxed eloquently about the exploration of space, the growing role of the private sector, and the power of space to bring about strength and prosperity and to unite the country.

He was not very specific about what he intends to do with NASA, which no doubt a speech for another day. He did note that the National Space Council would consult with an advisory group that will consist of scientists, innovators, and business leaders, but which ones he did not reveal.

Who was at the signing ceremony?

The audience at the signing ceremony was a motley group, consisting of the vice president, the secretary of commerce, a couple of NASA astronauts, former Rep.

Robert Walker, who has provided space policy advice to the administration before, former NASA flight director Gene Kranz, and Buzz Aldrin. Some media outlets noted the lack of representatives from the commercial space sector. Aldrin provided a moment of levity when he exclaimed, To infinity and beyond! This remark seemed to bemuse the president, who evidently has never watched Toy Story.

What happens now?

The National Space Council has to acquire staff, including an executive director, rumored to be former NASA official Scott Pace. Then it has to start meeting to do its work developing and implementing the space policy of the Trump administration, a work still in progress.
"General Hospital" is only going to be airing only three times during this upcoming week. The holiday falls on Tuesday and many companies are giving their employees a four-day weekend and the network decided to follow suit. Both Monday and Tuesday will have encore "General Hospital" episodes air and Wednesday will resume regularly scheduled programming. With the show already being off a few days, this is going to through off cliffhanger Friday.

James DePaiva arrives

It was announced a few weeks ago that soap-favorite James Depaiva would be joining "General Hospital." There was some speculation that he may appear as a doctor who helps Sam (Kelly Monaco) with the headaches and visions she is experiencing It appears that his first air date is this week after Jason (Billy Miller) convinces Sam to get some help.

She reportedly is not going to be completely honest about the severity of her issues and help isn't going to come as easily as fans hope.

It seems that health is going to be the focus on "General Hospital" this week. The tension between Curtis (Donnell Turner) and Jordan (Vinessa Antione) has been apparent since Aunt Stella (Vernee Watson) appeared in Port Charles. Their relationship was recently called off, but a reconciliation was supposed to take place. As it turns out, things aren't going to go smoothly and this may change the course of things for quite some time.

Aunt Stella falls ill

According to She Knows Soaps, Aunt Stella is going to have a health crisis. Jordan is going to be forced to sacrifice her happiness for the health of her former family member.

Curtis will be forced to take care of his Aunt Stella during her time of need and Jordan will have to take a step back. This is disappointing for fans who have shipped the couple for several months now. There are rumors that this storyline will tie into a longer stint for Vernee Watson on "General Hospital."

With all of the happenings being announced for "General Hospital" this week, it seems that the next few months will be mindblowing for fans.

Steve Burton (formerly Jason Morgan) confirmed his return. This was something no one saw coming and after five years, it is happening. It was announced that Rebecca Budig was let out of her contract and will be exiting the soap within the next month with rumors of her taking someone else along for the ride. "General Hospital" has plenty of surprises in store and this week seems to be just the beginning.
Pacific Rim: Uprising has been in development for quite some time now. However, there were numerous delays regarding the film too. The upcoming sequel to the robots versus giant monsters movie has finally already wrapped up filming. The movie is already on its track for its highly-anticipated release in 2018.

Pacific Rim: Uprising is expected to hit the theaters on February 23, 2018. Although the sequel was originally scheduled to be released on August 4 this year, the release was later pulled from the release calendar of Universal Studios and was postponed until 2018.

With the release of the promotional posters and trailer for Pacific Rim: Uprising, it is safe to say that the Jaegers will fight different monsters in the science fiction sequel. This time, what kind of monster will they face?

The new director for the series

Initially, the film was given to Director Guillermo del Toro. However, there were reports that Director Guillermo del Toro will just co-write the Universal Studios movie. He was replaced by Steven S. DeKnight. The director will make his directorial feature debut with upcoming big projects based on scripts penned by Kong: Skull Island and Jurrasic World scriptwriter Derek Connolly. Although DeKnight has some big shoes to fill in, his credits are saying something big about him.

He directed several television shows such as Angel, Spartacus, Daredevil, and Smallville.

After the release of the much-awaited trailer of the sequel, the 24 Live Another Day and Star Wars: The Force Awakens actor, John Boyega, confirmed via Twitter that he is playing the role of Jake Pentecost in the film. After appearing in the much-awaited trailer of the film, there are more things to explore about what Boyegas other role in the film would be.

Jake is the son of Idris Elbas character, Stacker Pentecost, who sacrificed himself in the final moments of the first movie. Boyega will star alongside Jing Tian, Cailee Spaeny, Scott Eastwood, Adria Arjona, Jing Tian, and Ivanna Sakhno.

Set several years after the events of the first film

The plot details of Pacific Rim: Uprising has been kept under wraps.

However, the film will be taking place a few years after the events of the first movie. The movie will start in a world where Kaijus are no longer considered as a threat to humanity. The world is peaceful thanks to the Jaeger technology. However, this will not last long.

There are reports claiming that Dr. Newton Newt Geisler (played by Charlie Day) and Dr. Herman Gottlieb (played by Burn Gorman) will both play significant roles in Pacific Rim: Uprising. There are speculations that Newts experiments with the Kaijus minds will mess with him psychologically. This leads to the speculations that he will turn into the dark side in the sequel.

The possibility of exploring the origins of the Kaiju monsters is high in Pacific Rim: Uprising. Further details about the monsters will be explained. It is also possible that Newts connection with the alien creatures could trigger the inevitable conflict between the humans and the monsters. #Pacific Rim Uprising
Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition is slated to launch on July 7. After the infamous incident with the previous device under the same name,the South Korean tech giant has done massive rework to redeem their marred reputation. With the new device coming in the market, the million dollar question now is, will the device be good enough to get the consumers' interest?

Specs and features

The Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition is the massively reworked version of the exploding 2016 device.The upcoming smartphone will house a smaller battery with only 3,200 mAh capacity.

In addition, the device has an IP68 certification, which means that it is dust and waterproof.

The South Korean tech titan subjected the device to the standard 8-point battery safety test to ensure that the battery can be safely used with a mobile device. Aside from that, the company, this time would like to make sure that the terrifying incident will never happen again. It is also an assurance to the consumers as well as gaining their confidence back to the ill-repute device. The device will also contain the renowned Bixby AI.

Design, price and other details

The reworked smartphone will have the same design as the 2016's flagship device with several tweaks. This time the company dropped the brand name in the front part of the device.

Interestingly, they added the device name at the back part. As for the colors available, consumers can choose between Black Onyx, Blue Coral, Gold Platinum, and Silver Titanium.

The upcoming smartphone will be available for roughly $600. The price is 40 percent lower than the price of Note 7 when it was released in 2016. According to the South Korean tech giant, the components of the FE includes unused and unopened parts of Note 7.

There are 3.5 million devices that the company gathered and rather than disposing of it, they re-used the components to lessen environmental impact.

Aside from those, the device will still have the S-Pen, which will have 4,096 levels of pressure.This is to give users a smooth and lag-free note taking experience. Initially, the company will only sell 400,000 units of the smartphone.

It will only be released in South Korea. As for other regions like the US and the UK, there is not official information yet from the company about plans of worldwide release. This would still depend on the sales performance of the returning smartphone.

We will give you more updates about the Samsung Galaxy Note Fan Edition as soon as information becomes available.
One of the most acclaimed scientists of the present time, Stephen Hawking, has said that American President Donald Trump's opinion and actions regarding climate change could transform planet Earth into a hothouse planet like Venus with a temperature of 250 degrees and raining sulfuric acid, according to a report by the Telegraph.

Stephen Hawking's predictions

According to BBC, the 75-year-old professor thinks that Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement could result in adverse consequences for our climate. He further warned that our planet is close to the tipping point, after which human-driven climate change will not be reversible.

According to Time, Hawking, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2009 from Obama, also raised his concerns regarding Trump during last year's Presidential Elections. The author of "A brief history of time" was a signatory to a letter which expressed his apprehension by saying that the Republican nominee for President has advocated U.S. withdrawal from the Paris accord.

The Paris Climate Accord is a voluntary international agreement which aims at reducing climate change and global warming across the world. In early June this year, the 45th President of the United States, Donald Trump, made headlines by announcing that he wanted the U.S. to pull out of the Paris Agreement. Currently, only Nicaragua and Syria are non-signatories of the agreement.

Backlash from World Leaders

Hawking is not the only one to criticise Trump's decision of opting out from this agreement. The administrations of Canada, China and the European Union also thought that this step was very unfortunate. Trump's predecessor President Barack Obama also condemned Trump's move on various occasions.

Although Trump has taken this drastic step, many American leaders at state and local level have shown their desire to uphold the accord locally.

Interestingly, China went ahead and signed an individual climate deal with California. China is playing their part to the best of their abilities as they recently invested $360 billion in green energy projects instead of setting up coal-based power plants.

President Trump is going to Germany next week to attend the G20 summit in Hamburg. According to The Guardian, last week the German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that now that the United States had planned to opt out of the accord, they are even more resolved to make it successful.
For the first time, Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) has revealed its intentions to put an astronaut on the Moon around 2030. The plan is to first join NASAs multinational mission of building a space station in moons orbit by 2025 as Japan thinks sharing Japanese technology in this mission would eventually help it send an astronaut to the Moon.

Initial details of JAXA's lunar mission were presented this week to a panel at Japan's Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology. JAXA is expected to present a more formal and detailed blueprint of the plan next year.

Experts believe JAXAs latest plan would only intensify the Space Race among major Asian powers including China, India, and Japan.

Asian space race

Since 2009, China has been busy advancing its technology in space exploration through different stages including Yinghuo-1, Yinghuo-2, etc. In 2003, it became the third country in the world, after the United States and the former Soviet Union, to send a man in space with its own rocket. In November 2016 again, the country demonstrated its space technology through Shenzhou-11 spacecraft that successfully carried two astronauts to space and brought them back safely to Earth.

Chinas plans for moon and Mars

China wants to send a manned mission to Moon by 2036.

In 2013, it accomplished the lunar 'soft landing' with the Chang'e-3 craft and Jade Rabbit rover. In 2018, it will launch a mission to land a probe on the dark side of the moon, the first ever to do so. The Asian giant has also set its eyes on Mars and recently unveiled illustrations of a spacecraft and rover that it plans to send to Mars.

Chinese space agency is working hard to land a rover on the Red Planet by 2020. In April this year, China successfully accomplished docking of its Tianzhou-1 cargo spacecraft with country's Tiangong-2 space laboratory. According to some reports, China is also taking with European Space Agency to establish a human settlement on the moon.

Indias space mission

Indias space agency ISRO has also been advancing its space programs at great speeds. The country is revealed its plans to launch the second unmanned lunar mission in the first half of 2018. Indias first lunar mission was launched in 2008, making India the fourth country in the world to have successfully sent a probe to Moon. India also surprised the whole world in 2014 when it successfully sent a spacecraft to Mars orbit on the first attempt, something that China had failed to accomplish. India has not announced any plan for a manned mission to Moon so far.
American President Donald Trump has stated that his administration's patience with North Korea has run out. Describing North Korea's regime as reckless and brutal, Trump urged the international community to get behind additional sanctions to deal with North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile ambitions.

Bilateral ties

Speaking at the White House flanked by South Korean President Moon Jae-in, Trump also promised to strengthen ties between the US and South Korea. Trump added that the United States and South Korea are determined to foster peace, stability, and prosperity in the Korean Peninsula.

Trump added that the United States will always look to defend itself and its allies. Moon echoed Trump's sentiments and said that South Korea would respond sternly to any further provocations from North Korea. Moon stated that South Korea and its allies would employ both dialogue and sanctions in dealing with North Korea. Moon revealed that Trump had accepted his invitation to visit South Korea later this year, but added that they had yet to agree on the best method to deal with the problems posed by the North Korean regime.

Acts of war

North Korea believes that American presence on the Korean Peninsula is a signal that the United States is trying to reignite the Korean War of nineteen-fifty to nineteen-fifty-three.

More than thirty thousand United States troops are stationed in the Korean Peninsula. United States Defense Secretary has warned that any military engagement in the region would have tragic repercussions. President Trump hopes to persuade China to put more effort in restraining North Korea. China is North Korea's principal trading partner, although of late.

Trump is frustrated that China has not taken any decisive action to bring to an end North Korea's provocative actions. China has been angered by the US decision on Thursday to place sanctions on a Chinese-owned bank and individuals. The United State's decision to approve a 1.42 billion arms sales to Taiwan has also not been well received in China.

Trade deals

During his speech at the White House, Trump also promised that his government would work towards leveling the trade imbalance with South Korea. Trump made sure that he will work a trade deal that is fair towards both the United States and South Korea. He said that the previous deal agreed by former US president was "rough," adding that he intends to renegotiate that particular deal with South Korea. Trump promised that more needs to be done to remove trade barriers.
File photo shows high-speed rail in China. [Photo/Xinhua]

Although the number of travelers in China is much higher than those in many countries combined, domestic and foreign airlines are not taking it easy as high-speed railways continue to expand. With train speeds increasing all the time, the gap between journey time by air and by rail is narrowing.

Eager to keep technological pace with its Japanese rivals, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the country's railway vehicle and equipment exporter, will invest in magnetic levitation or maglev trains next.

Maglev trains in Qingdao, Shandong province, can reach speeds of up to 600 km per hour already.

China is also working on next-generation bullet trains with a maximum speed of 400 km per hour. They will be ready by 2020 for markets linked to the Belt and Road Initiative.

"China's competitive advantages are significant with the country's high-speed rail technology having proven that it can stand the test of various climates ranging from alpine to tropical conditions," said Zheng Changhong, former deputy chairman of CRRC.

High-speed trainssome call them bullet trainsare ubiquitous in China. The country's high-speed railroads spanned 22,340 km by the end of last year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world's total. Some 1 billion passengers traveled by high-speed trains in China last year, more than half of the world's total.

China Railway Corp, the country's railway operator, and CRRC have already mastered the technology for producing electric multiple-unit trains with speeds between 200 km per hour and 250 km per hour.

The country also set up a technology platform for producing bullet trains that can run at speeds of 350 km per hour. The platform developed the CRH380, a new generation of high-speed rolling stock, according to the National Railway Administration.

CRRC has so far participated in more than 10 high-speed and regular railway projects in the global markets, including the high-speed railroad linking Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey, the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway in Russia, the China-Thailand railway and the Hungary-Serbia railway.

CRRC and other Chinese railway infrastructure and technology companies, including CRC and China Railway Signal and Communication Co, are currently building the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia.

When complete, it will connect Bandung with Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, which is 570 km away and has a population of 3.6 million.

With a speed of 350 km per hour, the railway is expected to cut travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from the current three hours to 36 minutes.

Wang Zhile, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said, "In the long term, China and the ASEAN economies will count on enhanced regional cooperation, especially in rail transportation, to stimulate people-to-people exchanges, trade and attract investment while improving regional economic integration."

Wang said Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have plans to build high-speed rail links, which could further fuel hopes that Southeast Asia would one day have a unified rail system similar to the one in Europe.

"For China, it is an appropriate time to be a bullet train manufacturer in the world market," said Yu Weiping, CRRC's vice-president.

Yu said the company is keen to contribute to a new high-speed rail culture in the United States. High-speed trains traveling at speeds of more than 300 km per hour will help the US to change its surface transport systems, which have long been dominated by automobiles.

Demand is surging for such trains, advanced railway infrastructure, passenger services and regional connectivity in many countries, especially those related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

CRRC plans to build bullet trains and provide related services in both developing and developed markets, including Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the US.

"Helping other countries develop high-speed train networks would also stand China's rail sector in good stead. There is evidence to this effect. Exports of high-speed rolling stock, signaling systems and other equipment have generated decent returns so far," said Feng Hao, a railway development researcher at the National Development and Reform Commission.
Chinese tourists shop at a Kazakhstan store in the China-Kazakhstan Khorgos Frontier International Cooperation Center. [Photo by Ruo Yu/For China Daily]

URUMQIMarina has to cross an international border every day for work, but the one-hour drive from her home in Yarkent, Kazakhstan, to China's border town Khorgos is worth it, considering her monthly pay is 2,700 yuan ($400), an income above the average in her hometown.

As day breaks, Marina gets out of bed, has breakfast and hops into a cab to start a day of busy work at the China-Kazakhstan Khorgos Frontier International Cooperation Center. She began to work as an interpreter at a Chinese trade firm two months ago.

Marina receives foreign clients and coordinates with relevant government departments of Kazakhstan. Before landing her job, she studied Chinese for a year in Ili, Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region, in Northwest China.

Marina is not the only person who shuttles every day between the two countries. Border trade is booming in Khorgos, an ancient town on the erstwhile Silk Road.

Trade is growing fast thanks to the Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China to deepen economic cooperation through infrastructure development.

Hundreds of interpreters from China, Kazakhstan and other countries work at the Khorgos center. In addition to their salary, they sometimes get a bonus.

"Back in my hometown, I can earn only half the money I get here," Marina said.

The Khorgos Frontier International Cooperation Center straddles the China-Kazakhstan border. It occupies a total area of 5.28 square km, with 3.43 sq km in China and 1.85 sq km in Kazakhstan. It's the first trans-border international free trade zone in the world, and also China's first unique economic zone "within the country, but out of the jurisdiction of its customs".

The center started its operations in April 2012. The movement of personnel, vehicles and goods are unrestricted on its premises, and stores and visitors in the center are entitled to preferential policies, including taxation. There are more than 4,000 stores, including 40 duty-free shops in the center, with a staff of 6,000.

Lazarti comes from Xinjiang's Tekes county. The 22-year-old ethnic Kazakh found a job as an interpreter and salesman at the center after graduation.

He also helps sell imported Kazakhstan snacks such as candies and cookies, mainly to Chinese customers. He speaks Mandarin, Kazakh, and the Uygur languages.

"The work offers me an opportunity to meet people from other countries and broaden my horizons. These experiences would hopefully help me to start a business in the future," Lazarti said.

At 6 pm, the bustling trade center is at peace. After a full day's work, Marina jumps into a cab back to Yarkent, while Lazarti, bidding her farewell, walks towards his rented apartment on the Chinese side of the border.
HANGZHOU  For Chinese fashionistas, a new party dress can be a huge purchase, but the internet is making it easier to dress sharp without a big price tag or long-term commitment.

Dora's Dream, a women's clothing startup, runs a subscription-based service that allows style-conscious Chinese to borrow designer clothes with just a small monthly payment.

The clothes-sharing service generated buzz last month at the 2017 Asia Fashion Federation China Conference held in Hangzhou in East China's Zhejiang province, where fashion designers from Asia gathered to discuss the latest industry trends.

One of those trends, said Chen Dapeng, vice-director of the China National Textile and Apparel Council, was the integration of the online and fashion industries in China.

"The internet has enabled consumers to have their own definitions of 'fashion' and allowed them to participate in design," Chen said. "Fashion is becoming more and more personalized."

As Chinese manufacturers try to move up the value chain as part of the country's "Made in China 2025" plan, designers in China are working to reinvent themselves from mere imitators to innovators.

Unlike in France or Italy, China's fashion industry took off around the same time as the development of the internet, which made it easier for industry insiders to have an "internet mindset" and computer skills, experts said.

According to Chen, technology will help fashion designers with tailored marketing and flexible production, making personalized customer experiences possible.

Designers in China are also experimenting with a mix of design and lifestyle by opening spaces that offer coffee, books, exhibitions and clothes.

"Instead of just selling products or services, Chinese fashion companies are now also selling culture," said Zhang Qinghui, president of the China Fashion Association.

According to Zhang, China's strong manufacturing power has laid a solid foundation for the development of the fashion industry, allowing ideas to be executed and products to be sold more efficiently.

"Almost every fashion center in the world has advanced manufacturing capability and support resources. While it seems that fashion is a showcase of design capability, it also represents the manufacturing power of a country," Zhang said.

According to Andrea Boragno, CEO and chairman of Alcantara, which makes a leather substitute, Chinese designers have made strides in recent years by shifting from copying to developing their own identities based on creativity and culture.
BEIJING  For online shoppers in Russia, the go-to website is neither Amazon nor a local e-commerce portal, but AliExpress, an e-commerce site run by China's Alibaba Group.

Over 22 million visitors logged onto the site in January 2017, making it the most popular e-commerce site in Russia, leaving local counterparts such as Ozon.ru and Eldorado.ru far behind, according to data from Russia's Association of Internet Trade Companies.

Boosted by faster cargo trains and more developed logistics systems, Chinese e-commerce companies have seen their sales skyrocketing in Russia in the past few years, contributing to an uptick in trade between the two countries.

China has been Russia's largest trading partner for six years and Russia is a major source for China to import energy and high-tech products.

In 2015, the global economic downturn and low energy prices dragged down trading volume between the two countries. The number quickly bounced back in 2016 with the help of e-commerce despite an overall slump in China's foreign trade.

According to China's General Administration of Customs, China-Russia trade grew 33.7 percent in the first five months this year to 223.1 billion yuan ($32.8 billion).

New opportunities for economic cooperation emerged not only from e-commerce. As the two countries both strive to achieve higher quality growth, their economic ties are also strengthening through deeper, broader, and more innovative cooperation.

"The focus of China-Russia economic and trade cooperation is shifting from sheer scale or speed to quality and profits," said Chinese Ambassador to Russia Li Hui.

Some high-tech projects are already underway. The Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China and United Aircraft Corporation of Russia have created a plan to develop a wide-body jet that will be able to make long-haul flights, potentially taking on dominant players such as Airbus and Boeing.

New growth points are also emerging in industries including agriculture as well as gas and oil equipment, according to Li.

"I believe the quality and quantity of economic and trade cooperation between the two countries will continue to rise," said Li.

Regional economic cooperation frameworks also provided the two countries with more opportunities to join hands.

The two countries have agreed to pair the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative with the Russia-led Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU).

The pairing of the Eurasian strategy with the Belt and Road Initiative will create new opportunities for transforming the Eurasian space into a convenient environment that facilitate exchanges of goods and simplify procedures for importers and exporters, Maxim Oreshkin, Russian Economic Development Minister, told Xinhua.

As Chinese President Xi Jinping embarks on his state visit to Russia Monday, new cooperation mechanisms as well as more agreements are expected.

During the two-day visit, Xi and Russian President Vladimir Putin will hold talks and meet with the press. The two leaders will map out the direction and goals for the development of bilateral ties, further deepen political mutual trust, and promote cooperation, according to Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs Li Huilai.

It will be Xi's sixth tour to Russia since taking office, and will mark the third time the two heads of state have met this year, Li said.

The two sides will ink a series of cooperative documents on areas such as trade, economy, investment, connectivity, media, and education.

"I'm convinced that Xi's forthcoming visit to Russia will give an additional impetus to cooperation in various fields and will allow us to come closer to the goal of bringing mutual trade to $200 billion by 2020," said Oreshkin.
SHANGHAI  As Chinese and US representatives cut into a rib in Beijing on Friday to mark the return of US beef to China after a 14-year absence, customers in Shanghai also started to receive the US beef they had pre-ordered online via domestic retailers.

The beef sent to Shanghai homes via retailers like FruitDay is of the highest quality in terms of tenderness, juiciness, and flavor according to US Department of Agriculture (USDA) standards, and is known as Prime grade.

The reopening of the Chinese market to US beef, one of the first results from the China-United States 100-day action plan reached in May, ends a ban initially triggered by concerns over mad cow disease in 2003, and may well start a new chapter in bilateral economic and trade cooperation.

Growing appetite

"My colleagues and I will get busier as US beef is returning," said Lyu Ruiqing, head of Shenhong Cold Storage Company, as he inspected a refrigeration house in suburban Shanghai, where boxes of beef imported from Australia and some South American countries, as well as domestic beef are stored.

Lyu has been in the industry for over 30 years. US beef used to be extremely popular in China, he recalled, accounting for as much as 70 percent of China's beef imports at its peak.

Driven by an ever-expanding middle class, China, the world's biggest pork consumer, is also a growing beef market fed by both domestic and foreign beef.

Data from China Customs showed that the country's beef imports reached around $2.5 billion in 2016, compared to $254 million in 2012. However, per capita consumption is still low compared to the United States and Australia.

"The market has great potential. Beef is increasingly popular among Chinese. In my restaurant, about 70 percent of the customers are local and many are young people," said Liu Xin, owner of a steakhouse in downtown Shanghai.

"Currently, we mainly serve dishes cooked with Australian beef, but we are ready to change the menu when US beef is available this month," said Liu, who is planning to open another steakhouse in the city.

Competition at dining table

"In the last five years, China became the world's second largest beef importer. Australia has enjoyed exceptional opportunities in exporting beef to China. Competition started in 2015 when Brazil and Argentina were also granted market access," said Yan Hongwei, vice president of Shanghai Haibo Logistics, a major meat dealer in China.

It remains to be seen how US beef will compete with products from the southern hemisphere.

"Flavor comes first," said Liu, the chef-turned-restaurant owner. Over the years, Chinese consumers have been accustomed to eating and cooking with Australian, Argentine or Brazilian beef, but American beef might be meatier and juicier, he said.

Price also matters, said Tao Jun, CEO of Sizzle Market, a chain store focusing on beef sales. He considered the return of American beef as good news as the price of imported beef may drop.

"Both Australian and American beef target the middle and high-end markets. Generally speaking, American beef is more cost-effective," said Tao, expecting that Australian dealers might try to make prices more competitive to avoid a market loss.

Seeing the great market potential, many Chinese companies are actively seeking cooperation with American beef dealers, while many beef processing plants in the United States are also very excited about the opportunities.

However, the picture is not fully painted yet.

China has published certain details for quality and quarantine checks: the age of the beef cattle should be less than 30 months; beef importers should be registered at the Certification and Accreditation Administration of China; cattle must be traceable to their birth farm; and China-bound beef will have to be free of residues of synthetic hormones and banned additive such as ractopamine.

Yet industry sources estimate that less than 10 percent of US beef meets the requirements at the present stage, which means export volumes will be limited in the initial phase.

"There hasn't been American beef coming here officially over ten years. China has some requirements for American suppliers to comply with. So it will begin slowly, but I do believe there's a lot of potential here," said Kenneth Jarrett, president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Shanghai.

"In the short term, beef from Australia, New Zealand, and Brazil will probably still dominate the imported market in China. Over the long term, it is possible for US beef to perform well, with its taste, price and service," said Yan.

Finding the middle ground

The return of US beef to China and, in reciprocity, China's cooked poultry to the United States, are at the forefront of the China-United States 100-day action plan, which also covers areas including financial services, investment, and energy.

"Clearly, the agreement reflects a starting point for the two nations to reshape their trade and economic relationship," said Zhou Hao, senior Asian economist with Commerzbank.

"To achieve a win-win outcome, China and the United States should carry out structural reforms and strengthen economic cooperation rather than just narrow the trade deficit," said Bai Ming, a research fellow at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation.

According to Jarrett, feedback from US companies towards the 100-day action plan is positive. "We see it as a good first step. The ten listed items have been carefully designed. They can bring very tangible benefits. People are excited about that," he said.

There has been a lot of discussion on what the next step will be. "China and the United States understand each other pretty well. They are finding the middle ground. I think financial services will probably be the next big area," Jarrett added.
Highlights of Xi's speech marking HK's 20th return anniversary

Updated: 2017-07-02 14:33

(chinadaily.com.cn)

Editor's note:

President Xi Jinping delivered a speech at a meeting on Saturday celebrating the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to the motherland and the inaugural ceremony of the fifth-term government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region. Here are the highlights of Xi's speech:

President Xi Jinping, also general secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and chairman of the Central Military Commission, delivers a speech on Friday at a banquet hosted by the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's government to welcome the president. [Photo/Xinhua]

A review of history: An extraordinary journey leading to today

It was not until the Communist Party of China led the Chinese people to victory in a dauntless and tenacious struggle for national independence and liberation and founded New China that the Chinese people truly stood up and blazed a bright path of socialism with distinctive Chinese features.






Already soggy southern China warned to brace for new floods

Updated: 2017-07-03 08:05

By Hou Liqiang and Feng Zhiwei(China Daily/chinadaily.com.cn)

An aerial view of a large flooded area in Rongshui Miao autonomous county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, July 2, 2017. The county saw floods in many parts after consecutive heavy rains raised the water level in Rongjiang River. [Photo/Xinhua]

As a heat wave in northern China continues, more rain is expected along the Yangtze River, which flooded for the first time this year on Saturday.

China's national weather observatory issued a yellow alert for the third consecutive day on Sunday, the second-lowest in a four-tier weather warning system, for rainstorms in the southern part of the country.

The southern regions have seen six heavy downpours. June precipitation in central Hunan province, for example, was double that of the same month last year.
President urges unity, reaffirms 'one country, two systems'

President Xi Jinping's trip to Hong Kong, which concluded on Saturday, boosted the confidence of its people for a better future, despite various challenges remaining ahead, analysts and residents said.

During his 49-hour visit to the special administrative region, Xi participated in 20 activities and held intensive talks with people from all walks of life, ranging from schoolchildren and teenagers to top government officials.

He also inspected the People's Liberation Army's Shek Kong barracks in Hong Kong on Friday. The garrison should resolutely champion State sovereignty and ensure the region's prosperity and stability, he said.

In his speech on Saturday marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, Xi called on the fifth-term government of the Hong Kong SAR to unite people of all sectors to fully and faithfully implement the principle of "one country, two systems".

Noting that China's rapid development provides an invaluable opportunity, Xi called on the people to "cherish the opportunity, seize it and focus your energy on Hong Kong's development".

He said that there are many challenges for Hong Kong. For example, it has yet to build public consensus on some major political and legal matters; the Hong Kong economy faces a number of hurdles; and housing and other issues that affect the daily lives of the people have become more serious.

To address the challenges, Xi said, "We must stay on the right and steady course, gain a full understanding of the policy of 'one country, two systems' and faithfully implement it."

In his speech, Xi warned against moves to undermine national sovereignty or challenge the central government's power.

"Any attempt to endanger China's sovereignty and security, challenge the power of the central government and the authority of the Basic Law of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line, and is absolutely impermissible," he said.

Many Hong Kong people expressed appreciation for the president's visit, saying they hope the public will heed the messages the president brought and reunite to achieve an even brighter future.

Lau Siu-kai, vice-president of the Chinese Association of Hong Kong and Macao Studies, said he was delighted to see Xi reaffirming the central government's firm stance in implementing the "one country, two systems" principle in Hong Kong.

The president's commitment to it helps boost people's confidence in Hong Kong's long-term prosperity and stability, and helps it focus on devising strategies to push forward its own development along with the country's.

Confidence was a recurring theme in Xi's speeches in the city. At an official banquet hosted by the Hong Kong government on the second day of his visit, Xi called on Hong Kong people to have confidence in themselves, in the HKSAR and in the country.

Chan Yung, chairman of the New Territories Association of Societies, said the past 20 years were a perfect demonstration of the central government's continuous support of the region.

"When Hong Kong faced crises, the central government was always there to help," Chen said, adding that with the strong support, Hong Kong is well-positioned to be confident in pursuing future development.

Stanley Ng Chau-pei, chairman of the Hong Kong Federation of Trade Unions, said that Hong Kong should proactively take part in the nation's development, including development of the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and pushing forward the Belt and Road Initiative.

"President Xi told the people of Hong Kong that with confidence and trust the city will surely prosper," Ng said.

Chairman of the Chinese General Chamber of Commerce Jonathan Choi Koon-shum said Xi's speeches inspired Hong Kong to unite and set aside differences, so that it can move away from internal rifts and work to maintain its competitiveness and build a better future using its many strengths and rich talent pool.

The president's trip was also well received by local youth. Willy Ho Tsz-ho, 28, who works at a local news media company, said he was glad the president weighed in on the importance of "seeking broad common ground while setting aside major differences" in Hong Kong. The remarks showed that the president understands and respects the city's diversity, Ho said.

He said he hoped that members of the city's opposition would return the respect and communicate sincerely with the HKSAR government and central government authorities.

Luis Liu in Hong Kong contributed to this story.
Liu Xiaobo, a convicted criminal released on medical parole, is receiving meticulous treatment at hospital, according to an official release on Monday.

Since he was diagnosed with cancer in June, Liu has been receiving treatment at the First Hospital of China Medical University in Shenyang, Liaoning province, according to the Shenyang Bureau of Justice.

The hospital has organized a special medical team consisting of several renowned cancer experts to map out a detailed treatment plan for Liu, who is receiving meticulous treatment based on the plan.

With consent from Liu's family members, the hospital conducted a series of treatment measures such as chemotherapy, immunoregulation, nutritional support and pain relief. Liu is also taking molecular-targeted drugs, the most advanced medicine to treat liver cancer widely recognized by doctors from home and abroad.

Meanwhile, after gaining approval from his family members, doctors have also used traditional Chinese medicine as a supplementary treatment.

The hospital has informed Liu's family members of every treatment measure they have taken and the family said they are satisfied with the treatment and expressed their appreciation.

Doctors found symptoms of cancer during a physical checkup on May 31 and confirmed Liu's diagnosis on June 7 after consultations with 22 medical experts. He was then granted parole to get better treatment.

Liu was sentenced to 11 years in prison in 2009 for engaging in activities aimed at overthrowing the government.

He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2010. However, China considers the award reflects poorly on the Nobel Committee, as Liu was convicted of criminal acts against the State before the prize was announced.
That some people in Washington still see China-US relations as a zero-sum game is surprising, to say the least.

At a talk on Chinese foreign direct investment in Latin America held at the Atlantic Council on June 26, Brazilian Ambassador to the United States Sergio Amaral spoke very highly about China's fast-growing trade with Latin America and investment in the region.

Chinese investment, Amaral said in his keynote speech, has diversified rapidly into infrastructure and service sectors. A report released the same day by the Atlantic Council, the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), in partnership with HSBC, said the same thing.

I have interviewed Amaral both in the US and Brazil and chatted with him as late as last Thursday at the Chinese embassy celebration marking the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China. As a former chairman of the Brazil-China Business Council, he is well versed in Sino-Latin American relations.

No wonder his views were corroborated at the talk by Gerardo Mato, chairman of HSBC Global Banking and Markets for the Americas, and Angel Melguizo, head of OECD's Latin American and Caribbean unit. Both praised China-Latin America relations.

However, in her speech, Claire Reade, assistant US trade representative for China from 2008 to 2014, expressed concern that the US' "little brothers" in Latin America might shift to China and claimed Beijing's involvement in the region was not as a selfless global leader but to fulfill its self-interests.

Claiming that China's move is to influence global rules, Reade said: "China talks about win-win, but many in China have zero-sum game viewpoint."

Her words reminded me of the slanderous comments about China's role in Africa and Latin America by former US president Barack Obama and secretary of state Hillary Clinton when they visited the regions a few years ago. US politicians are often critical of China's involvement in African and Latin American countries, even though the local people seem happy with it.

Reade is right that China is indeed trying to influence global rules, but only to make them better for emerging and developing countries that did not have much say in rule making in the past.

China is not selfless either; it seeks mutually beneficial ties with Latin American countries. Besides, if China were to turn all the loans into grants, Reade might then accuse it of buying influence.

Despite the geographical distance, China is quickly catching up on its relationship with Latin America. And there is no reason for US politicians to see this as China's geopolitical wrestling with the US, unless they still regard Latin American countries as their "little brothers" or their "backyard", according to the so-called Monroe Doctrine.

Latin America is big enough to accommodate China and the US. The region will benefit if both countries increase their trade and direct investment in the region. The same is true for the Asia-Pacific.

When the Pew Research Center released its survey showing a plummeting US global image at the Brookings Institution on June 27, Ely Ratner, a former Obama administration official and now a senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, claimed that it matters because "the US is in an emerging geopolitical competition with China".

Also, he asserted that Asia has great confidence in US democracy despite the survey results showing that 46 percent of the people polled in 37 countries disliked the US' ideas about democracy, with only 43 percent saying they liked them.

Reade and Ratner might be deeply frustrated with US President Donald Trump's policies, but to criticize China for its active and positive engagement in Latin America and the Asia-Pacific mirrors the zero-sum mentality the Obama administration exhibited in its attitude toward the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank.

It is okay and even welcome to criticize China if it is well-grounded. Constructive criticism will help make China and the whole world a better place. But if done with sheer speculation and such disconnect with facts, it will only discredit such criticism. This is especially true for people who claim to be China specialists.

Contact the writer at chenweihua@chinadailyusa.com

(China Daily USA 07/03/2017 page2)
A doctor who had lost his job at a New York City hospital opened fire with an assault rifle inside the building on Friday, killing another physician and wounding six other people before taking his own life in a burst of apparent workplace-related violence, officials said.

The gunman, wearing a white medical lab coat, stalked two floors of the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, in the New York borough of the Bronx, and tried to set himself on fire before police searching the building found him dead of a self-inflicted gunshot, Police Commissioner James O'Neill said.

One female physician was shot to death, and six other people were wounded, five seriously, including one who was shot in the leg, O'Neill said at a news conference.

Mayor Bill de Blasio characterized the shooting as an "isolated incident" that appeared to be "a workplace-related matter." He said that it was "not an act of terrorism."

"One doctor is dead, and there are several doctors who are fighting for their lives right now amongst those who are wounded," de Blasio told reporters. "This is a horrific situation unfolding in the middle of a place that people associate with care and comfort."

O'Neill said the gunman was armed with an assault rifle.

Neither the mayor nor police immediately identified the suspect or any of the victims. O'Neill said the gunman was a former employee of the 972-bed hospital.

Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz, in an interview with WABC News, identified the gunman as Dr. Henry Bello and said he had been fired by the hospital. Other media reports said Bello was 45 years of age.

The New York Times and the New York Daily News reported, citing unnamed sources, that Bello had resigned from the hospital rather than face termination over accusations of sexual harassment.

Reuters
The Chinese consulate in Chicago is asking for a thorough investigation and swift justice in the case of a Chinese scholar, Zhang Yingying, 26, who is feared dead after an apparent kidnapping.

"We are shocked and heartbroken about what happened to Zhang," said Hong Lei, China's consul general in Chicago, adding that the feelings are shared by all Chinese people.

Brendt Christensen, 28, was formally charged in US federal court on Friday with kidnapping Zhang more than three weeks ago.

According to an affidavit, FBI agents, who had Christensen under surveillance after identifying his vehicle, over heard him explaining that he kidnapped Zhang on June 9.

"Based on this, and other facts uncovered during the investigation of this matter, law enforcement agents believe that Ms Zhang is no longer alive," a statement by the US Department of Justice said.

The criminal complaint said Christensen had read about kidnapping on a fetish-oriented social networking website, FetLife. It said police found that the part of Christensen's car where Zhang was believed to have been sitting had been cleaned.

Hong, the consul general, visited members of Zhang's family on Saturday morning, expressing condolences and promising support.

Zhang's boyfriend, Hou Xiaolin, said the most urgent thing is to find Zhang quickly, and he expressed hope that those responsible will be given harsh punishment.

Zhang, a graduate of Peking University, was conducting research at the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She was living in university housing.

She was reported missing on June 9, when she was supposed to see a prospective landlord.

Her last phone activity was at 1:30 pm that day - a call in which she told the landlord she was running late and would not be there until around 2:10, local media reported.

Zhang's father and other family members arrived at the university from China in mid-June.

Christensen, will remain in custody pending his initial court appearance in Urbana, which is scheduled for Monday at 10 am.

An associate chancellor of the university, Robin Kaler, said on Saturday that Christensen had earned a master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois in May, and that "his affiliation with the department ended that same month", according to The Associated Press. Christensen's LinkedIn profile online states that he is a PhD candidate in physics at the university and has been a graduate teaching assistant there since 2013, the AP reported.

(China Daily 07/03/2017 page1)
When it comes to excavators, He Qinghua uses a word not heard that often to describe heavy construction equipment: "fashionable".

But to He, the founder of Sunward Intelligent Equipment Co Ltd, the word aptly describes the design of one of his company's main products.

"The mini excavators often work in urban areas. The fashionable appearance will add beauty to the constructions sites," he said with great pride.

Founded in 1999 by He, a mechanical and electrical engineering professor at Central South University, the Changsha, China-based company has grown into an international enterprise with total assets exceeding $951 million. Sunward is among the top 50 global construction machinery manufacturers, and when it comes to excavators, the company is among the top 20 global manufacturers.

Focusing on machinery engineering and intellectual property development, the company has exported products to more than 60 countries and regions with its core products, including large piling machines, excavators, drilling equipment, mining equipment, pavement construction machinery, military machinery and general aviation equipment.

And now He is pushing the design of his equipment along with product differentiation to win the US market.

"Sunward has targeted the global market ever since it was founded, so our main overseas markets are Europe, and the US before 2008," said He, chairman of Sunward.

Before the financial crisis, the sales of excavators in the US were pretty good, he said. "During the few years following the crisis, we didn't focus our overseas strategy on the US market until recent two to three years," said He.

It's harder to achieve brand recognition in the US than in Europe, said He.

"To win this market, we have to rely on product differentiation, which means our products' performance must exceed the performance of local products, and then we can find our customers and dealers," He said.

Aside from the products' performance, another important factor is service, said He. To meet customers' needs, the company has set up a subsidiary in Utah and service centers and warehouses in the US.

Sunward is among the first few Chinese companies that exported self-developed excavators to the European and US markets. The company has exported nearly 10,000 mini excavators since 2003.

Among its products ranging in size from 0.8 ton to 90 tons, the mini- and small-sized machines are most popular in the overseas market, according to He.

The company has manufactured several series ofits independently-developed products and accessories for the US market, including SWE series excavators, SWTL series skid steer loader, SWTC05 crane, SWDM15S rotary drilling rig and SWDL150 spiral drilling machine.

In March 2017, all those models were displayed at the CONEXPO-CON/AGG Expo, the second-largest global construction machinery exhibition, which is held every three years in Las Vegas.

During the exposition, the SWDM15S rotary drilling rig, with maximum drilling diameter at 1.5 meters and maximum drilling depth at 56 meters, made its first appearance in the US. The machine's imported Tier 4 engine meets US and European emissions requirement.

The company reached agreement with more than 20 potential dealers and signed $15 million in deals during the five-day exposition.

"I believe the customers will realize the value once they experience Sunward's products. Performance is the foundation of brand recognition," said He.

Independent innovation will be Sunward's development model though it means a lot of risks and frustrations ahead, He said, adding that Sunward's mission is to "produce real value for the world's equipment manufacturing industry".

As for good design, that Seward mini excavator that He is so proud of isn't alone when it comes to recognition.

In 2007, the company's backhoe loader won the Gold Idea Award of Industrial Designers Society of America) International Design Excellence Award, one of the three major awards in the industrial design area.

liazhu@chinadailyusa.com
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HA NOI  Authorities of the central province of Phu Yen have agreed to the Tuy Hoa Sugarcane and Sugar JSCs plan to raise production capacity .

The company will enhance its capacity from 2,300 tonnes per day to 3,200 tonnes per day starting from the 2017-18 crop.

Tran Ngoc Hieu, chairman of the board of directors, said the company would invest more than VN209 billion (US$9.17 million) from now until the end of the year to increase capacity.

Nguyen Chi Hien, vice chairman of the provincial Peoples Committee, said the factorys plan was aimed at improving the income of sugarcarn growers and increasing revenue for the company while contributing to the development of the Vietnamese sugarcane and sugar industry.

It would also help in socio-economic development of the province, especially in the mountainous areas where sugarcane was a key crop with an area of over 16,000ha, he added.

The Tuy Hoa sugar factory was built more than 20 years ago in Hoa Phu Commune, Tay Hoa District, with initial capacity of 1,250 tonnes per day.

The factory has set a target of producing 26,900 tonnes of refined standard sugar in the 2016-17 crop.  VNS
HA NOI  A new set of regulations will be imposed on companies either looking to be or already listed on the Hanoi Stock Exchanges (HNX) Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM), increasing the level of inspection and monitoring on these entities and preventing investors from buying unqualified stocks by underperforming businesses.

The HNX issued the Decision 455/Q-SGDHN last week, which added two more notches to the discipline scales for listed companies. From now on, in addition to the previous penalties of temporary suspension of stock trade and limitation on traded stocks, two more sanctions in the forms of an initial reminder and an ultimate permanent ban from trading on the UPCoM will be applicable for all companies across all categories.

The reason for this new addition for the UPCoMs regulations is the rapid expansion of the stock market. In less than two years from December 2015 to June 2017, the amount of listed companies has increased by 2.2 times, from 256 to 571 stocks. Market capitalisation is currently VN440 billion (US$19.6 milllion) and markets liquidity is now VN200 billion ($8.9 million) per session.

As such, the actuality of listed companies on the UPCoM has become much more complex, with charter capitals ranging from hundreds of thousands dollar to billions of dollar, with huge corporations such as the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam, the Thermal Power Joint Stock Company in Hai Phong or the Viet Nam Steel Corp.

However, this also means the quality of business entities would fluctuate greatly across categories, from extremely high return to hinging on the verge of severe loss. Under the situation, it is necessary for the authorities to increase the complexity of management and regulations, in order to improve transparency and protect investors on the market, hence the issuance of Decision 455.

Out of the four discipline methods, the slightest which is simply an initial reminder, is used for those who fail to publish their annual or biannual financial reports 30 days later than the HNXs set date.

The next level of temporary trade suspension for a maximum of five sessions is applied should the company show any of the following anomalies: suspicious fluctuation of stock price and amount traded, failure to publish the companys annual financial report 45 days later than required and annual general meetings minute six months since the end of the financial year, as well as withholding any changes in business performance.

The third discipline tier, limitation on stock trade, is implemented in case the companys owners equity drops below zero, its production ceases for more than one year, its latest financial report spots any incongruence, its stocks become delisted or the company itself fails to amend the cause of its stocks delisting.

The final and most severe discipline method of stock trade ban is reserved for any company that fails to identify its headquarter as the same address given in its business certificate, or any company exposed by the HNX and other authorities to have committed frauds in their trade portfolio including false information affecting investors decisions and violation of information disclosure regulations on the stock market.

Most recently, on June 28, 2017, the HNX announced limitations on stock traded for seven companies on the UPCoM, in which they are only allowed to be traded during the weekly Friday session with a total amount of 91.2 million stocks, which equals to VN912 billion ($40.6 million).

The HNX said they would allow these companies, whose stock codes are listed as PPG, TNM, MCI, MMC, DCI, PXI and HBI, to resume normal trading as soon as they fix the cause of their failure to publish the relevant information regarding their company performance and financial reports.

Furthermore, the decision added to the existing regulations on stock price fluctuation to handle special cases in which newly listed stocks referential price is the same as its ceiling and floor prices, or when the referential price is as small as VN100 ($0.004).  VNS
Burke/Triolo Productions/Thinkstock Garth Brooks inaugural concert at Atlantas new Mercedes-Benz Stadium sold out in just 67 minutes Friday. More than 73,000 fans snapped up tickets to see the CMA Entertainer of the Year and wife Trisha Yearwood on October 12.

Parmalees sophomore album, 27861, is set for release on July 21. The title is the zip code of bands hometown of Parmele, North Carolina.

Newcomers Little Feather have signed a deal with Curb Records. The bands first single will be Hillbilly Love Song (Hey Yall) with their self-titled debut album to come on September 29.

The video for Kristian Bushs new release, Sing Along, premiered Friday on CMT. You can check out the new clip at CMT.com.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
HCM CITY  Quality assurance is the first factor that enables a product to enter supermarkets, delegates told a discussion on bringing goods into the modern retail channel held in HCM City on June 30.

Nguyen Vu Thuan, food merchandise director of MM Mega Market, said goods must ensure traceability of their origin and farm produce and fresh products must meet VietGap, Global Gap and HACCP standards.

Firms that want to supply supermarkets need to understand retailers business strategy as well as who their customers are to determine which products are suitable for supply, he said.

Businesses should sit down with retailers to negotiate and make joint business plans like producing retailers own brands instead of just focusing on their products, he said.

Pham Thi Ngoc Ha, director of San Ha Company, which has over 30 years experience in the meat industry, said the company used to make products for Vissan in the early stages.

It also focused on developing its own brands, she said.

During the co-operation with Vissan, her company got plenty of experience in production and trading, which greatly contributes to its current success, she said.

Tran Van Lieng, chairman of Vinacacao, said if small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) have innovative and unique products, the modern trade channel should be their target.

He also shared his experience in developing co-branded products for Lotte and Starbucks, saying this is a good chance for a company to promote its brand.

Thuan said MM Mega Market wants to co-operate with suppliers and partners to serve its horeca (hotels, restaurants and catering) customers, mom and pop stores, large offices and manufacturers.

It also wants to partner with enterprises to produce exclusive products, he said.

Businesses will have the opportunity to export their products through Thailands TCC group, which owns MM Mega Market, he said.

Four containers of farm produce like dragon fruit and sweet potato are being shipped to Thailand every month, and more Vietnamese farm produce would be consumed in that market in future, he said.

The supermarket prefers to source from businesses that produce sustainably, he said.

It has co-operated with more than 650 farmers so far, offering them market information, advice and technical support to get VietGap certification, and buying large volumes regularly at steady prices, he said.

Tran Le Thuy Trang of Nguyen Tat Thanh University said supermarkets are now very supportive of small businesses, but the latter must offer good quality products and steady supply.

Producers at the event also complained about the long time supermarkets take to make payment, causing difficulties for small firms.

Thuan said the supermarket has different payment policies for different suppliers based on scale and business segment, adding for SMEs supplying fresh food, payment is made in five, seven or 10 days.

Some delegates said distributors payment policy would be hard to change, and the Government should set up a fund to support firms supplying modern distribution systems.  VNS
According to a survey by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry last year, only 14 per cent of private Vietnamese businesses had foreign-owned businesses as clients.  Photo laodong.com.vn

According to a survey by the Viet Nam Chamber of Commerce and Industry last year, only 14 per cent of private Vietnamese businesses had foreign-owned businesses as clients.

As for foreign businesses, only 26.6 per cent of them bought materials or equipment in Viet Nam, and that too mostly from other foreign enterprises operating in the country.

The survey also found that foreign firms in technology-intensive sectors depended more on materials and equipment imported from their own countries than those that in low-tech industries.

Analysts said the links between foreign and domestic businesses remain too weak for the formers technology and labour productivity to percolate into the latter.

In other words, Viet Nam has not taken full advantage of the possible benefits that accrue from having foreign businesses, which account for over 50 per cent of the countrys manufactured goods and 70 per cent of exports.

Why?

According to VCCI representatives, there are very few joint ventures between Vietnamese and foreign companies, meaning local enterprises do not have much opportunity to take advantage of foreigners strengths like capital, technology and management skills.

Eighty per cent of foreign companies operating in Viet Nam are fully owned by foreigners.

A Ministry of Planning and Investment official rued the failure to grab this opportunity, saying there is a vast difference between the development levels of Vietnamese and foreign enterprises.

The biggest drawbacks of domestic enterprises are their poor marketing skills, lack of information about foreign companies needs and quality management standards.

The establishment of industrial parks exclusively for foreign companies in many localities has made it easier for foreign investors to produce and export, but also put paid to the chances of their having a positive effect on domestic firms because of the limited contact between them.

Analysts said breakthrough measures, mainly in the form of tech consulting, setting up of technology development funds and tax breaks, are necessary to narrow the gap in technology levels between Vietnamese and foreign firms. Only these could make Vietnamese businesses to further invest in technology, they said.

The Government also needs to have robust policies to develop domestic firms in the supporting industries so that they could tie up with foreign ones.

Deputy Prime Minister Vuong inh Hue recently said that in attracting FDI the Government gives top priority to companies with investment strategies dovetailing with Viet Nams restructuring process, modern technology and production chains, outstanding management capability and a readiness to collaborate with Vietnamese companies.

It also plans to roll out more policies to connect the domestic private sector and the FDI sector.

Higher tax on plastic bags

The Ministry of Finance has proposed increasing the environmental tax on plastic bags to VN40,000-200,000 (US$1.76-8.81) per kilogramme from the current VN30,000-50,000.

According to the ministry, the current rate, which averages VN200-400 per bag, is among the lowest in the world.

Most other countries levy a higher tax or even prohibit production, trading and use of plastic bags. The UK and Iceland collect a 15-cent tax on each plastic bag used (equivalent to VN4,500 per bag) while the tax in Hong Kong is five cents per bag. The manufacture, sale and use of plastic bags less than 0.025mm thick is banned in China.

The ministry said the low tax in Viet Nam does not deter the manufacture, trading and use of nylon bags, which are believed to be one of the main factors affecting the environment.

An upward adjustment of the tax is mentioned in the draft amendments to the Law on Environmental Protection which has been submitted to the Government and National Assembly.

But market observers fear that even if the tax hike is approved it would take several years to reduce the manufacture and use of plastic bags.

There are no effective Government policies to reduce the manufacture, distribution and use of these bags.

In 2012, when the Environment Protection Law was passed with a tax on plastic bags, many distribution companies, especially supermarkets such as Saigon Co.op, Big C, and Lotte, switched to environment-friendly bags.

In recent months many cities including HCM City have launched campaigns to encourage people to use environment-friendly bags.

But none of these efforts have paid off and peoples habit of using plastic bags has not changed though bio-degradable bags only cost 5-10 per cent more.

It is this reluctance to switch to eco-friendly bags that dissuades their production.

According to the Viet Nam Plastics Association, around 30 enterprises produce them out of a total of 400 producing bags.

Analysts said a hike in the tax on plastic bags to VN200,000 per kilogramme would change this and force production of environment-friendly bags.

The bio-degradable bags are exempt from tax.

Experts hailed the policy of imposing the higher environmental protection tax on nylon bags, saying it is in line with the national strategy on management of solid wastes by 2025.

Its target is to improve management of solid waste to improve the environment, ensuring public health and sustainable development.

Foreign funds sell shares in big companies

The stock market has recently seen a pullout from big Vietnamese companies by foreign funds though the VN-Index is up 14.4 per cent for the year and at a nine-year high.

Mekong Enterprise Fund II Ltd for instance sold more than one million shares of The Gioi Di ong (MWG) in April and three million shares in mid-June out of the eight million shares it was holding (5.2 per cent stake).

In February CTD Electric Bee Ltd had sold one million MWG shares and has registered to sell another 1.25 million.

LGM Investment Ltd sold 400,000 shares of Phu Nhuan Jewelry Joint Stock Company (PNJ), paring its stake from 5.39 per cent to 4.98 per cent.

Malaysian-owned Aims Asset Management Shn BHd sold nearly 3.7 million PNJ shares, reducing its holding to just 1.52 per cent.

Dragon Capital Fund sold 940,000 shares of Sai Gon Securities Corporation (SSI) in June to reduce its ownership to 4.9 per cent.

DC, a unit of Dragon Capital, sold 1.5 million out of its 2.75 million shares of SSI shares.

VinaCapital Fund sold 29.4 million shares of Quoc Cuong Gia Lai Joint Stock Company (QCG).

HSBC has revealed plans to sell its stake in Techcombank at a price of not less than VN23,445 per share after 12 years of holding it.

Other foreign funds like AFC Vietnam Fund and America LLC, Vietnam Enterprise Investments Limited and PXP Vietnam Emerging Equity Fund Limited have also sold shares of many major companies.

Analysts adduce two main factors for this sell-off.

They say the market is now at its peak and so the funds want to take profits.

The other reason is that many of the companies in which they have been holding stakes for many years have reached the maturity stage in their life cycle and will plateau, and the only way from here is down, they say.

The profit taking will also free up money for them to invest in new businesses, they point out.

Interestingly, some foreign funds have shifted to sectors that are quite different from what they have been focusing on until now.

Of course, this comes with its attendant risks. But no pain, no gain, right?  VNS
The HCM City Department of Industry and Trade last weekend announced a new plan to use information technology to control and trace the origin of poultry meat and eggs also.  Photo phunuvietnam.vn

HCM CITY  After gaining encouraging results from a pilot programme that allows consumers to check the origin of pork, the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade last weekend announced a new plan to use information technology to control and trace the origin of poultry meat and eggs also.

Nearly 30 farms supplying chicks, 339 farms supplying chicken meat, 53 chicken egg farms, 13 poultry slaughtering and poultry meat packaging establishments and six poultry eggs packaging establishments have registered to join the new programme.

In addition, the programme has received the participation of more than 1,740 poultry meat and egg distributors or retailers in the city, said Nguyen Ngoc Hoa, the departments deputy director.

Under the programme, consumers can trace the origin of poultry meat from the hatching to final stages, he said, adding that they can also trace eggs from the breeding to final stages.

Speaking at a meeting in HCM City on July 1 to review the six-month implementation of the programme tracing the origin of pork products and to announce a new plan to trace the origin of poultry meat and eggs, Tran Vinh Tuyen, deputy chairman of the citys Peoples Committee, said the programme has not been really fruitful as it was expected, but it offers encouraging results.

The programme has contributed to ensure hygiene and food safety for consumers, raise awareness among farmers, slaughterers and food processors to produce products following the markets demand, he said.

After a trial period of the programme, the city will officially control pork sources supplied to the city markets, he said.

Starting from July 31, pork without clear origins will not be allowed to be sold at the Tan Xuan and Binh ien wholesale markets in HCM City, he said.

Pork sold in the modern trade channel is well-controlled, so together with tightly controlling pork sources in traditional retail channels through the two wholesale markets, all pork available at the city market will have its origin traceable.

At the meeting, delegates, though supporting the programme, complained of difficulties during the implementation.

Pham Van Bong, deputy director of Binh Duong Provinces Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, said pig prices were low, while costs for using neccessary equipments such as rings with electronic stamps that can record information to help identify are currently very high, with each costing around VN3,000. This makes farmers hesitate to join in the programme.

In addition, recording information requires having internet access or 3G coverage, but in remote areas where many pig breeders live, wireless network is not always available, causing difficulties to upload details about pigs, he said.

Hoa from the HCM City Department of Industry and Trade said the city provides small-scale breeders with a 50 per cent subsidy on the costs of the electronic rings for six months from March 14 to September 14. Meanwhile, farmers participating in co-operative groups or the VietGap certified pig breeding association will get a 100 per cent subsidy until September 14, he said.

The department reported that 1,280 pig breeding establishments in HCM City and 15 provinces in the south, 25 abattoirs in HCM City, ong Nai, Binh Duong, Long An and Tay Ninh and 146 traders at the two wholesale markets have registered to participate in the programme of tracing origins of pork products.  VNS
HA NOI  The agriculture sector will have to step up efforts in many areas to meet three major targets set for the year, Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Nguyen Xuan Cuong has said.

He was speaking at a conference in Ha Noi late last week to review the sectors performance in the first half of this year and set orientations for the second half.

The three major targets the minister referred to are: a growth rate of 3.05 per cent; US$33 billion in export turnover of agriculture, forestry and fisheries; and 31 per cent of the countrys communes meeting new-style rural area standards.

Cuong said most of the basic targets set by the Government have been met, but the sector faced difficulties related to market and weather conditions.

He also said that several shortcomings continued to dog the sector, including poor, unsustainable value chain, low investment, a lack of closed production lines, lack of skilled human resources and loose co-ordination among stakeholders.

Highlighting challenges in the second half of the year, Cuong said the sector has to prepare for difficulties in both both domestic and foreign markets, and deal with weaknesses in processing and marketing.

Hoang Thanh Van, director of the ministrys Department of Animal Husbandry, mentioned sluggish growth in livestock breeding, particularly in pig farming. He suggested that localities join hands to help farmers enhance efficiency of animal husbandry.

Cuong said more conferences will be organised on ways to boost exports of chicken and pork, not only to China, but also to other markets. He stressed the need to restructure the livestock sector, saying all units must review their planning, taking into account factors relating to the market and climate change impacts.

H1 jump in exports

The countrys export turnover of agro-forestry-fisheries products was $17.1 billion in the first half of this year, up 13.1 per cent year-on-year, according to the agriculture ministry.

Of this, farm produce exports climbed to $9.1 billion, 15.4 per cent higher than the same period last year, with rice, rubber and tea recording increases in both export volume and value. Up to 2.8 million tonnnes of rice were shipped abroad for a turnover of $1.2 billion, up 6.3 per cent in volume and 5 per cent in value, respectively. China remained the top importer of Vietnamese rice.

Rubber exports hit 460,000 tonnes at $867 million, marking respective increases of five per cent in quantity and 59 per cent in value. Tea exports posted year-on-year increases of 17 per cent and 15 per cent at 63,000 tonnes and $98 million respectively.

Meanwhile, despite slumps in export volumes, coffee and cashew nuts recorded turnover increases in the first six months, the ministry noted.

Coffee shipments to overseas markets reached 817,000 tonnes, earning $1.86 billion, down 16.7 per cent in volume but up 10 per cent in value against last year. Meanwhile, cashew nut exports plunged 4.5 per cent to 149,000 tonnes, but its value rose 21 per cent to $1.5 billion.

According to the ministry, fisheries products worth $3.5 billion were shipped overseas since the beginning of this year, marking a 14.1 per cent year-on-year increase. The US, EU, Japan, China and South Korea remained Viet Nams largest importers, accounting for 54.6 per cent of the total exports.

Revenues from forestry product shipments reached $3.8 billion, up 13 per cent year-on-year. Of these, wood and wooden furniture raked in $3.6 billion, 13.2 per cent higher than the same period last year. Major buyers were the US, China and Japan.

The ministry also reported that Viet Nam spent $14.06 billion on importing agro-forestry-fisheries products in the period, a year-on-year surge of 25.4 per cent.  VNS
HCM CITY  In todays society, the most important duty of young writers is to offer quality works that expand peoples intellectual horizons, delegates said at a meeting for young writers held in HCM City last week.

Organised every five years by the HCM City Writers Association, this years event attracted more than 100 writers born in the 1980s from HCM City and the Cuu Long (Mekong) River Delta.

Huynh Trong Khang, 23, popular for his novel Mo Phan Tuoi Tre (Tomb of Youth), said that his works respected readers and that he always tried to deepen his knowledge to produce quality works that can enhance readers tastes.

Never allow yourselves to fall behind, Khang said.

Nguyen inh Minh Khue, head of the Young Pen Club at the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities, said: Young writers are focusing a lot on youths feelings such as love, hatred, heartbreaks and loneliness.

Some of the books have become bestsellers, such as Buon Lam Sao Buong (How to Get Rid of Sadness), a novel by Anh Khang about sadness and anxiety in love. As many as 70,000 copies since 2014 have been printed.

Hamlet Truong and Iris Cao released their co-written novel Ai Roi Cung Khac (Everyone Will Change) which features young peoples feelings and thoughts about love and relationships with family and friends.

Around 20,000 copies were printed in 2015 for the first edition.

However, Khue said: I know that life is complicated and people need to share their feelings. But its strange that the market is overwhelmed with these kinds of books to serve specific readers, particularly young people.

I thought that true writers are strong men who help improve readers tastes as well as intellectual standards, he added.

Poet Vinh Thong, who began writing at the age of 14 and has published 22 poetry books, recommended that young writers focus on urgent issues and problems in society.

Most writers love to write about school, friendship and love when they start their writing careers. But when society changes, they should change their mind, said Thong, a 22-year-old student at the HCM City University of Social Sciences and Humanities.

Literary critic Tran Xuan Tien of the citys Van Lang University agreed with Khue and Thong.

Young writers are doing their jobs well. They satisfy the needs and wants of the readers, particularly young people, but they should be more responsible in their work. Respect for readers doesnt mean they should just satisfy the crowds needs, but instead means they should help improve readers tastes and minds.

Hard road

Writer Tran Minh Hop said: I realised writing is the best way for young writers to contribute to societys development, even though its a hard road.

The 29-year-old likes to write about the poor and their hard lives to introduce readers to the reality of life and society.

His novel Co Gai Ban O Mau o (The Girl Selling Red Umbrellas) won the Young Writer prize given by the HCM City Writers Association in 2011.

Some writers are too inexperienced to understand the duties of an author, he said, adding that becoming a professional writer was difficult.

Veteran poet Tran Quang Chuyen said young writers have more opportunities now to approach the worlds cultural and literacy achievements and to travel everywhere to open their minds.

Chuyen is a member of the Viet Nam Writers Association and the citys Writers Association. Of his 15 poetry books, some have won prizes awarded by prestigious magazines and associations.

Love and responsibility for life and people will help young writers have energy and creativity to create quality works, he added. VNS
HA NOI  The winner of the third Global Taste of Korea Contest 2017 in Viet Nam is Chu Ngoc Doanh, chef at Manna Bean Restaurant, who was chosen after a one-hour contest in Ha Noi last Friday.

Doanh, 24, made the traditional mixed rice dish bibimbap, one of the best-known Korean dishes. He won the prize thanks to his four-year experience skills, food decor idea and taste.

The chef combined Vietnamese and Korean ingredients to make the bibimbap tastier, such as Vietnamese lotus seed. The bowl of bibimbap was placed in the middle of a fresh lotus leaf and the dish was decorated with fresh lotus. He also used different kinds of Vietnamese vegetables and Korean sesame oil and chili sauce.

"Rice is a main ingredient to mix with vegetables, meat and egg. I want to take advantage of different kinds of Vietnamese vegetables to make bibimbap," said Doanh. "I decided to make it because the traditional dish is healthy and I can make the dish eye-catching with colouful ingredients."

Vietnamese ingredients: Award-winning bibimbap by Chu Ngoc Doanh.

His idea paid off. Two other contestants also made the same dish, but his was judged the most attractive.

Doanh worked as a sous-chef while studying in Ha Noi from 2011-13. After graduation, he became the chef at Manna Bean Restaurant in the capitals Keangnam Tower. He received strong support from the restaurants Korean owner who lent him a paper of Korean ancient letters used to decorate the dish.

Doanh will receive a cash prize of US$3,000. The second-lace winner was Pham Xuan Vien who prepared bulgogi, and the third prize went to Nguyen Thi Phuong Lan for a japchae dish. Vien and Lan will get $1,000 and $500, respectively.

The contest was held by the Korean embassy to Viet Nam for all Vietnamese who are interested in Korean cuisine. The final round saw the participation of ten contestants selected from among hundreds of applicants. The jurors included Lady Won Hwa Soon, wife of the Korean ambassador, and Kim Jung Mi, owner of the Gogu restaurant in Ha Noi.

The Global Taste of Korea contest was held annually around the world with the final round in Korea. Starting this year, the finals will only take place once in three years, but the contest will be held annually in Viet Nam.  VNS
HA NOI  A high-ranking delegation of the Lao Party, State, and National Assembly, led by NA Chairwoman Pany Yathotou, starts a working visit to Viet Nam today.

The delegation will attend activities celebrating the 55th anniversary of the establishment of Viet Nam-Laos diplomatic ties and marking 40 years since the signing of the Viet Nam-Laos Treaty on Amity and Cooperation in northern Son La province.

The six-day visit is made at the invitation of the Vietnamese Party, State and NA, the NAs Committee for External Relations announced on July 1.  VNS
MOSCOW  President Tran ai Quang, his spouse and the Vietnamese delegation left Saint Petersburg city on July 1, concluding a four-day official visit to Russia at the invitation of President Vladimir Putin.

Earlier on the same day, the Vietnamese President met with the Governor of Saint Petersburg Georgy Sergeyevich Poltavchenko and representatives of local businesses.

The Governor said Viet Nam is a key and important partner of the city, adding that relations between the city and Vietnamese localities, particularly HCM City and the southern province of Khanh Hoa, have been built on firm foundations.

He mentioned his visit to HCM City in December 2015 during which the two sides signed numerous agreements on trade and tourism.

Poltavchenko underlined education and training as an important aspect in the co-operation between his city and Vietnamese localities, saying that thousands of Vietnamese officials have been trained in Saint Petersburg, which is now home to more than 300 Vietnamese students.

Around 25 co-operation agreements have been signed between Saint Petersburg and Vietnamese universities. The city houses the first Ho Chi Minh Institute outside Viet Nam.

Trade between Saint Petersburg and Vietnamese provinces and cities reached US$100 million in the first quarter of this year, the Governor said, expressing his belief that the Viet NamEAEU free trade agreement will help boost the figure.

Besides businesses effectively operating in Viet Nam, many others from the city have eyed investment in the country, particularly in mechanical engineering, electricity device production, port infrastructure development, and water treatment, he said.

Ho Chi Minh exhibit

He expressed his belief that President Quangs visit will create an important impetus for the economic, trade and investment ties between Viet Nam and Russia, including Saint Petersburg.

He revealed that his city plans to launch the first-ever photo exhibition featuring the late President Ho Chi Minh at the Hermitage Museum in May 2019, as part of the activities to mark the 25th anniversary of the treaty on the basic principles for Viet Nam-Russia friendship.

For his part, President Tran ai Quang expressed his admiration for the significant achievements the city has made, saying that it deserves to be an economic, cultural, tourism and educational hub of Russia.

Expressing his delight at the fruitful multifaceted co-operation between Viet Nam and Russia, the President spoke highly of the efforts made by the localities of the two nations to consolidate the relationship.

The regular exchange of delegations has contributed to boosting Viet NamRussia economic and trade ties, he said, adding the effective collaboration between the two countries localities will be a factor propelling the bilateral relationship. Two-way trade between Viet Nam and Russia reached $1.1 billion in the first four months of this year.

In addition to enhancing co-operation in traditional sectors like oil and gas, energy, education and culture, the two sides have expanded collaboration to new fields, including automobile manufacturing, space co-operation for peace, railway, and infrastructure construction.

Hailing the fine connection between Saint Petersburg and Vietnamese localities, the President affirmed that Viet Nam will continue creating the most favourable conditions for the relationship to develop.

Saint Petersburg, considered Russias northern capital, is the countrys second largest industrial centre after Moscow, with advantages in machine manufacturing and shipbuilding.  VNS
HCM CITY  Awareness of and compliance with the Law on Gender Equality (2007) is low, and several of its provisions have proved impractical, experts said at a workshop in HCM City on Tuesday.

Tran Minh Thai, deputy head of the municipal Health Departments personnel division, said that, for instance, the regulation giving female workers up to 20 days leave for taking care of their sick children needs to be amended to give them more days off.

In case children are ill for a longer period, their mothers have to take leave to take care of them. If their leave exceeds 20 days, they lose their benefits. Some are even sacked.

This is unequal, he said.

When a woman does not buy social insurance but her husband does, the law is not clear about what happens when their child is sick, he added.

Thai further noted that people who buy social insurance voluntarily do not benefit when they are sick or become pregnant.

Dr o Thi Ngoc Diep, head of the citys Nutrition Centre, said that though on paper the law offers incentives to employers hiring a large number of female workers, the former are not able to realise the intended benefits.

Detail guidance documents on the incentives should be issued, Diep said.

Nguyen Huu Hung, deputy head of the Health Department, several obstacles stood in the way of providing gender-based healthcare services in the city.

The citys abortion ratio of 50 per cent of live births last year was still high, despite the reduction from more than 61 per cent in 2011, he said.

Among other things, he blamed illegal sex selection for this, warning that it would worsen gender imbalance in the country.

Pham Thi My Le, deputy head of the citys Family Planning- Population Division, said the ratio of newborn boys per 100 girls between 2011 and 2015 ranged from 105 to 107.

This was similar to the World Health Organisations natural "sex ratio at birth" of 105, she said.

But in some of the citys outlying districts like Binh Chanh and Cu Chi, this figure was as high as 116.5 and 112.8, she added.

Other speakers said at the workshop that banning sex selection at birth was not very effective because there were no penalties in place for this action.

They suggested several incentives are given, including providing scholarships to girl students if a family only has female children.

Hung said that apart from amendments, propagation of the law and its provisions should be improved.  VNS
Thanh Binh

HA NOI  You are not exactly in seventh heaven, but on the seventh floor of the National Institute of Hematology and Blood Transfusion in Ha Noi, a profound transformation takes place every Thursday afternoon.

The somber, even gloomy atmosphere of sick rooms in the hospital all but disappears when you step into a barbers shop.

The shops services are free, and while this can be a pleasant surprise, there is a bigger one in store for newcomers.

The barbers are doctors of the institute.

Patients whose illnesses are so serious that the institute has become their second home are no longer surprised, but this does not diminish their gratitude as they wait in line from 4pm onwards for the service that starts at 4.30pm.

Both newcomers and old timers are moved on seeing the doctors give haircuts to their patients.

The customers include the elderly, the young, males, females and children.

The signs of tiredness and worry seem to evaporate or lighten considerably at this simple act of kindness and caring, which also helps people bear the most difficult of burdens.

Doctors and nurses will tell you that several patients have passed away after having a few haircuts at this shop.

It is also heart-breaking to see many small children being taken to the barbers shop, unaware of their condition. They do not understand why they have to get their heads shaved. Parents often break down, not knowing how to answer their children, except to hold them tightly.

Nguyen Van Trong of Nho Quan District in the northern province of Ninh Binh has been at the institute for many months now.

Suffering from blood cancer, the prolonged treatment has made the young man, in his twenties, very thin. His skin has a leaden sheen, his eyes are depressed and his head is bare.

Looking at Trongs hair on the floor sadly, Nguyen Van Trinh, Trongs father, said the disease was discovered last year.

At first we hoped that it can be cured, but recently it worsened quickly, and his hair falls continuously, he said.

oan Thi Thanh Truc, seven, from the northern port city of Hai Phongs Thuy Nguyen District, moves people with her spirit as she runs around the shop, singing.

Her mother, Hoang Thi Lam, smiles through her tears. Shes had cancer for a year. She used to have a long black hair, but its almost gone now."

Twin therapy

Young doctors and nurses at the institute are passionate about what they do for their patients.

They are happy to help, but sad when they have to cut off the long hair of young girls, or shave childrens heads. Often, they have to console patients who often cry as their hair falls on the floor.

The special barbers shop is the initiative of doctor Vu Quang Hung, deputy head of the Chemical Treatment Ward, who got the idea after watching his patients losing their hair every day.

Set up in 2011, the shops tools and equipment are funded by the institute and its youth union. Although it is voluntary, doctors have to work hard. Over the years, as the number of customers increased, more than 10 nurses have volunteered, and are even trained to do it.

For six years now, from 4.30pm to 6.30pm every Thursday, thousands of patients have received free haircuts.

Doctor Hung said that when he was a student, he and his friends were too poor to spend money in a barber shop, so they cut each others hair. Now this experience has come in handy for his patients.

This way, the patients can maintain hygiene and reduce expenses, but the most important thing is that the relationship between doctors and patients improves considerably, he said.

The skin of blood cancer patients scratches and gets infected easily, and it is difficult to stop their bleeding. For them, a hair cut on the seventh floor is also a safety measure, Hung said.

Nurse ang Quang Tuan said that hed never given a haircut to anyone, and did not believe that he could do it.

When I held the hair clippers for the first time, I was too nervous, and it took me half an hour to give a haircut to just one patient because I was afraid that I would hurt his skin, he recalled.

Now, Tuan is so familiar with this work that he can offer different hairstyles, in some cases.

When I cut the hair of my patients, I feel that they are my family members, he said.

For doctor Hung, six years of wielding the hair clippers has created a large trove of memories.

While patients have different health conditions, the experience of having all their hair cut off can add to the trauma of their disease. In fact, the doctors themselves get emotional.

Seeing young pretty patients looking at their hair on the ground with sadness, we ourselves get tears in our eyes, said Hung.

But the very act of doctors and nurses going beyond the call of their duty to give haircuts, and the sharing of a common experience at the barber shop gives both doctors and patients a psychological boost.

Hung and his colleagues are living up to his personal motto: Without belief, fairy tales are not possible. Lets create fairy tales in real life by doing very simple things.  VNS
Senior Lieutenant Pham Van Thang (L), 38, has works in the Dao San Border Station with China in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau for more than 13 years.  Photo tuoitre.vn

HA NOI  Major Nguyen Hung Vuong of the Tan Thuan Border Gate, a customs post on one of HCM Citys rivers, got married when he was 29, but only became a father at 40. Vuongs daughter, Nguyen Ngoc Linh an, was born last March.

Vuong keeps hundreds of his daughters photos on his mobile phone. No property can compare with my daughter. She looks like me, said Vuong.

At 15 months, she weighs 13kg and is taking her first steps. The chubby, pretty toddler fills his house with joy, says the proud dad.

Vuongs family lives in Go Vap District, an urban area of HCM City. He goes home two or three times a week. Whenever I come home, my daughter sticks to me. I love her so, he said.

Linh an is the product of fertility treatment made possible by the so-called sterility fund founded by the Viet Nam Border Guards High Command. In 2015, Vuong was among hundreds of border guards who received VN20 million (US$890) each from the fund.

While not a large sum compared with the expenses of treating sterility, it is still of great help. The most important thing is the spiritual support, and the leaders create best condition for me to travel so that I can meet my wife regularly, said Vuong. My leaders even agreed to move me from a poor area to a better area so that the treatment can have good results, he said.

Political duty

Senior Lieutenant Pham Van Thang, 38, has works in the Dao San Border Station with China in the northern mountainous province of Lai Chau for more than 13 years. The terrain is very difficult and the area is poor, and I also met obstacles when I wanted to have children, he said.

Thang got married in April 2011, but only became a father five years later. Without support from my leaders and the sterility fund, Im not sure I would have had a child, he said.

His wife works in his hometown in the northern province of Vinh Phuc and in the past, he was only able to come home every 18 months, and it took him several days to travel. Thang said that since the fund was founded, the leaders allowed him to go home every two or three months to participate in treatment.

Thangs leaders believe fertility treatments are also a political duty. Border guard soldiers often serve in hardship posts, a fact that might affect their fertility, and the leaders try to create the best conditions for soldiers to undergo treatment. The fund is a very humane initiative, express care for soldiers, said Thang.

I cannot forget the feeling I had when I held my daughter for the first time. I was so nervous and I had a sleepless night, he recalled.

Senior lieutenant colonel Lam Van Huy, from the HCM City Border Guards High Command, said the "sterility fund" was one of the most important welfare policies adopted by the border guards. Donations to the fund have been made by all soldiers in the guard forces and this has helped many couples, he said.

Seven out of nine couples in my unit who were childless now have children. And the remaining two are under treatment, he said. The unit creates the best conditions for them to have longer leaves, or even move closer to home so they can meet their wives more often.  VNS
Ha Noi Police on Sunday have arrested three suspects involved in extorting money from customers at a karaoke parlour a week ago.  Photo baogiaothong.vn

HA NOI  Ha Noi Police on Sunday have arrested three suspects involved in extorting money from customers at a karaoke parlour a week ago.

The suspects are: inh Viet Phuc, 26; inh Gia Thoi, 21 and Duong Tien Thanh, 26, all hailing from the northern province of Nam inh . They were working at the Kiss Karaoke parlour on Thai Ha Street, ong a District.

On the evening of June 22, these men forced two customers, a Chinese national and a Vietnamese citien, to pay VN 15.43 million (US$680) after the latter spent just 20 minutes at the parlour without having any snack or drink.

The three men allegedly threatened the guests, saying they would not be allowed to leave the parlour without paying the money demanded.

After taking VN 3.6 million ($150) and 350 Chinese yuan in cash from the guests pockets, Thoi and Thanh forced them to withdraw more money from bank.

Phuc, the parlours manager, directed his staff to take the guests to their hotels in a taxi and collect more money. The two guests escaped from the taxi at the Huynh Thuc Khang  Lang Ha Intersection and asked local residents for help.  VNS
HA NOI  The so-called fourth industrial revolution, also known as Industry 4.0, will provide more development opportunities for businesses but will also require businesses to prepare qualified human resources to meet the industrys standards, according to experts.

To prepare for the new wave, many businesses have invested in buying modern machines and equipment and in training human resources. But in the Saigon Hi-tech Park, for example, high-tech firms still lack qualified staff to meet their demand. Deputy Director of the park Le Thanh Nhan said businesses in the park need workers capable of operating modern equipment and technology.

CEO of the Meetech Technology Joint Stock Company Pham Ba Khien said the number of high-quality workers who could map out ideas or operate modern equipment was limited. They mostly come from universities, but the rate of applied research for start-ups was low, he said.

Nguyen Van Thu, chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Mechanical Industry, said at a recent conference in Ha Noi that investing in human resources should be considered the most important task for local manufacturers, in addition to fostering technical innovation and enhancing co-operation among businesses to maximise efficiency and avoid overlapping investments.

To deal with the problem, the Training Centre of the Saigon Hi-tech Park has supported businesses in training workers to meet their demands for high-quality human resources.

Experts also warn that besides focusing on training high-quality human resources, it is also necessary to upgrade or reform training programmes and methods so that employees can meet the demands of Industry 4.0.

Tran Quang Binh from the HCM City Technical and Economic College said demands for a high-tech workforce were growing, while well-trained human resources supply capacity was limited.

Targeting demand

Head of HCM City Economic College Lam Van Quan said the labour market would face a serious gap between supply and demand. Vocational training must equip learners with basic skills and knowledge, together with creative thought and ability to adapt to challenges and jobs requirements.

Vocational training centres should strongly renovate from training activities to school management to create workers who are capable of working in a competitive and creative environment, he said.

Old training methods that targeted supply instead of demand are an obstacle to this reform, he said.

In response to rapid technological change, the General Department of Vocational Training said virtual training and digitalising education would be the trend of vocational training in the near future. Centres should shift to the models of training that the market needs, according to the department.

Experts say one of the most reasonable solutions for improving workforce quality is to co-operate with businesses.

ang Thi Nhat Minh from the HCM City-based Ly Tu Trong Technical College says vocational training schools should co-operate with businesses and scientists to analyse socio-economic conditions and build appropriate training models.

Businesses regularly invest in new equipment and employ professional and skilled experts, both of which could be placed at the disposal of students, he said. Students would also have opportunities to work and practice in a real working environment and directly learn from experts so their training meets business demand.

Minh Nguyen Logistics Joint Stock Company in HCM City, for example, has worked with universities to select qualified graduates. The company also regularly co-ordinates with strategic partners from the Republic of Korea and Japan to organise training courses for management staff and high-quality engineers.  VNS
HA NOI  Ha Noi will invest in 10 urban railway routes from now until 2030 with total funds of more than US$40 billion.

The urban railway routes will be more than 417km in length.

The new routes are one of the projects under the capital citys transport scheme until 2030 with a vision towards 2050, which has been approved by Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc.

The investment capital will be disbursed among different periods. The 2017-20 period will need some $7.5 billion and the 2021-25 period will need some $7.6 billion. More than $3.5 billion will be spent on the 2026-30 period and over $21.3 billion will be spent on the period after 2031.

At present, Ha Noi has four urban railway routes, of which two  Ngoc Hoi-Yen Vien and Cat Linh-Ha ong  are invested by the Ministry of Transport. The remaining two  Nam Thang Long-Tran Hung ao and Nhon-Ha Noi Railway Station  are invested by the Ha Noi authorities and are under construction.

To speed up investment and completion of the urban railway routes, the Ha Noi Peoples Committee has proposed two options to Prime Minister Phuc.

Under the first option, the Government will use the official development assistance (ODA) fund for projects under the 2017-25 period and following years.

Under the second option, the Government will use the ODA fund to execute the two urban railway routes of Tran Hung ao-Thuong inh and Ha Noi Railway Station-Yen So. The Ha Noi Peoples Committee said the Japanese government, the Asian Development Bank and several other investors are keen to sponsor the two projects. Ha Noi has pledged to allocate corresponding funds to implement the two projects. For the remaining projects, Ha Noi will invest under a public-private partnership.

Leaders of the municipal Peoples Committee said, so far, five domestic investors and two international investors have registered to invest in the urban railway routes.

Ha Noi has proposed that the investors spend funds on research documents, ground clearance, underground trench digging, and building stations, flyovers and rails. The Ha Noi Peoples Committee will invest in other areas, including locomotives, railroad cars and security software.  VNS
MARSEILLE  Eight people including a girl were lightly wounded late on Sunday in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southeast French city of Avignon, the prosecutors office said, ruling out terrorism.

According to initial accounts taken on the spot, at least two men got out of a car around 10:30 pm near the mosque and opened fire, including with a shotgun, the prosecutors office said.

None of the wounded had life-threatening injuries, it said.

"From what we know this evening, the mosque was not targeted. The fact that it happened in the street of the religious establishment was unconnected with it," the prosecutor said, ruling out terrorism.

Witness accounts mentioned four men in the car, all hooded.

The criminal investigation department has taken charge of the case.

The shooting comes a few days after a man on Thursday attempted to drive his car into worshippers outside the Creteil mosque in southeast Paris.

The driver, a 43-year-old Armenian who suffered from schizophrenia, hit barriers and pillars outside the mosque with his 4x4 without causing any injuries before crashing into a traffic island.

According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect had made "confused remarks in relation" to a string of jihadist attacks that have struck France, killing 239 people since 2015.

Following a van attack against worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London on June 19 which left one dead and 11 injured, Frances Muslim community has also felt threatened.

Some Muslim officials have described the Paris incident as an attack and called on the authorities to "strengthen protection of places of worship".

The Paris police commissioner reiterated his orders for vigilance in protecting Muslim places of worship.  AFP
EVANSDALE  Its been five years since two young cousins, Lyric Cook-Morrissey, then 10, and Elizabeth Collins, 8, went for a bike ride and never returned.

Their family, and this community, wants to do everything it can to find justice and make sure that never happens again.

The nonprofit Angels Park foundation is planning a Cedar Valley-wide Child Safety Awareness Day at 2 p.m. Sunday at the city of Evansdale Community Resource Center, 911 S. Evans Road. The free event will allow children to be fingerprinted and DNA samples provided for authorities records. There also will be personal safety educational programs for children and other activities as well as food and refreshments.

If we can help but one child or family, it is worth it, said Dona Frickson, an organizer of the event. About 600 children particpated last year, and Frickson is hoping for the same this year.

While last years event was held at Angels Park, dedicated in memory of the cousins and other abducted or slain children, this years will be at the Community Response Center for better accessbility for everyone.

Also, on July 15 a group including Drew Collins, who is Elizabeths father and Lyrics uncle, will host the fifth annual Memorial Ride and Drive for the Girls, an awareness event beginning and ending at Loftys Lounge, 3480 Lafayette Road.

Registration for ride begins at 8 a.m. Riders will leave Loftys about 10:30 a.m. and will pass through various Northeast Iowa communities, with stops in Oelwein, Wadena, Hawkeye and Waverly before returning to Loftys for live music and a raffle. Registration is $20 with proceeds divided between Angels Park and Cedar Valley CrimeStoppers.

A number of speakers are scheduled at Loftys before the ride departs, including a representative from the national Center for Missing and Exploited Children in Alexandria, Va.

Lyric and Elizabeth went missing July 13, 2012, and their bicycles were found on a trail adjacent to Meyers Lake. Their disappearance was investigated as an abduction and an extensive search ensued. Their bodies were found the following Dec. 5 at the Seven Bridges Wildlife Area in Bremer County some 20 miles away. No arrests have ever been made.

We had over 230 bikes last year for the memorial ride plus additional vehicles, Drew Collins said. Cars, trucks, motorcycles and hotrods are welcome. The event draws additional turnout and interest from people living in towns along the route.

The goal is to keep the girls memory and interest in the case at the top of peoples minds, Drew Collins said.

Theres still a murderer out there, he said. We get an influx of calls every time we do this during this time. A lot of people will call in. It does raise the number of tips. Were trying to keep it going and, hopefully, well get the right tip. He suggested the event may generate tips on other cases as well.

Featured speaker for the ride is Montana native Derek VanLuchene of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. He was 17 years old when his 8-year-old brother Ryan was abducted and murdered by a registered sex offender in 1987. He served a career in law enforcment working with the Montana Division of Criminal Investigation. He is founder and president of Ryan United, a nonprofit foundation dedicated to his brother.

Drew Collins said VanLuchene has been a source of support and hope to him the case of Lyric and Elizabeth will be solved.

Others who have been asked to speak include Adonnis Hill, father of Donnisha Hill, 13, of Waterloo, murdered in 2006, and Rodger Day, who was just 4 years old when his sister, Michelle Shelly Day, was murdered by Russell Fitz in Waterloo in 1974. Fitz and Hills killers, David Damm and Bruce Burt, all were brought to justice. Fitz was sentenced to life, Damm died in prison and Burt is serving a life sentence in Illinois.

Numerous activities also are planned for the July 9 Child Safety Awareness event, including complementary snacks and refreshments. Fingerprinting and DNA kits are provided by United Auto Workers Local 838. Multiple law enforcement and public safety agencies and equipment will be on hand and displayed. A sky lantern launch will be held in memory of Lyric, Elizabeth, Donnisha and local murder victims Evelyn Miller, Lindsey Nichols and others.

For more information or to volunteer for Child Safety Awareness Day, call Frickson at 231-8463. More information about the Memorial Ride for the Girls may be obtained on the events Facebook page. Cedar Valley CrimeStoppers is involved in both events.

Anyone with information about Lyrics and Elizabeths case is asked to call the Evansdale Police tip line at 232-6682 or Cedar Valley CrimeStoppers at (855) 300-8477.

A $150,000 reward, raised privately and by the FBI, is available for information leading to an arrest and conviction in the case.

On top of that, Cedar Valley Crime Stoppers has a $20,500 reward for anyone coming forward with information that simply leads to an arrest.
DECORAH  Northeast Iowa Community Action Corp.s Board of Directors this week accepted the letter of pending retirement from the agencys executive director, Mary Ann Humpal.

Humpal has been with NEICAC since August 1972 and has been the executive director since June 1989. She will retire Dec. 21.

NEICACs Board Chair Les Askelson said the board will work with the Iowa Community Action Association in the search for a new director. A retirement reception for Humpal is planned for December.

The private, nonprofit group serves low-income individuals and families in Allamakee, Bremer, Chickasaw, Clayton, Fayette, Howard and Winneshiek counties.
A water quality rule that many conservatives viewed as federal government overreach is being rescinded, drawing applause from Iowas top elected Republicans.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency last week proposed a rule to eliminate what has become known as the waters of the U.S. rule. Implemented under former President Barack Obama, the rule was designed to protect water sources from pollution by defining which fall under the EPAs jurisdiction.

Opponents called the proposal an overreach and claimed the federal government would seek to regulate puddles, an assertion Obama administration officials disputed.

Last week, President Donald Trumps administration proposed to rescind the rule.

We are taking significant action to return power to the states and provide regulatory certainty to our nations farmers and businesses, EPA administrator Scott Pruitt said in a statement. This is the first step in the two-step process to redefine waters of the U.S., and we are committed to moving through this re-evaluation to quickly provide regulatory certainty in a way that is thoughtful, transparent and collaborative with other agencies and the public.

In Iowa, top elected Republicans gave the announcement a warm greeting.

Gov. Kim Reynolds framed the new administrations action as an example of what she has said on numerous other occasions regarding other issues: that the Obama administration was not a willing partner with states. (It bears noting, of course, that Reynolds is a Republican and Obama a Democrat.)

Waters of the United States was a significant and severe case of government overreach by the Obama administration. I want to thank Secretary Pruitt for recognizing that (the rule) forced onerous and unnecessary burdens on Iowas farmers and businesses, Reynolds said. I also want to express my appreciation to the Trump administration for its continuing commitment to work with states, not against them.

Iowas Republican U.S. senators, Chuck Grassley and Joni Ernst, both praised the new administrations action while reminding Iowans they encouraged the Trump administration to rescind the rule.

All across Iowa, folks are calling for this rule to be scrapped, which is why I have led efforts in the Senate to do just that, Ernst said. This is good news for Iowa and rural communities across the country as we move closer to finally eliminating this overreaching rule.

Said Grassley, Having the federal EPA and the Corps of Engineers require permits for routine land use decisions is a waste of resources that are better used enforcing existing regulations against discharging pollutants into the nations waterways. Agencies ought to enforce the laws as Congress intended, not stretch beyond their authority to inflict unnecessary expense and red tape on law-abiding farmers and employers.

Reynolds in D.C.

Reynolds last week also visited Washington, D.C., and was awarded the opportunity to speak to President Trump and several agency heads, her office said in a news release.

The governor also was able to attend a ceremony honoring the 2016 World Series champion Chicago Cubs. A photo of Reynolds and Cubs players Kris Bryant, Anthony Rizzo and Eddie Butler was posted on the governors Twitter account.

Reynolds, according to her office, discussed renewable energy and Iowas diversified energy portfolio with energy secretary Rick Perry; explained to budget director Mick Mulvaney the importance of the ethanol mandate; and talked about high-speed internet expansion with Anne Hazlett, who heads a rural development program in the agriculture department.

Armed standoff

In conservative northwest Iowa, a few county supervisors and the sheriff are at odds over whether to ban firearms in the Woodbury County Courthouse.

A new law passed earlier this year by the Republican-controlled Iowa Legislature strengthened the state law that says local governments cannot supersede state law in banning weapons in public spaces. The new law permits citizens who feel adversely affected to legally challenge a local government over its public building gun ban.

The new law carved out space for judges to continue banning weapons in the courtroom.

But on June 19, just a few weeks before the new state law would go into effect, the Iowa Supreme Court issued an order stating firearms will not be allowed in any Iowa courtroom, court-controlled spaces or public spaces in courthouses.

In Woodbury County, supervisors recently repealed the local ban on weapons in the courthouse, citing the new state law.

But Sheriff David Drew said his office will continue to enforce the weapons ban, citing the Supreme Court order.

The two sides have accused each other of playing politics with the issue. Sheriff Drew and the two supervisors who voted to repeal the ban all are Republicans.
Sullivan center

JON McNAMEE

CEDAR FALLS -- I left Waterloo for Naval Recruit Training in 1969. Our boot camp class on naval history was taught by a retired chief petty officer who enlisted in 1942 and served in the same task force as the Sullivan Brothers' ship, USS Juneau. This hit home for me because I was Katherine Sullivans paper boy. The chief stated Thomas Sullivan worked in a packing plant. Being a naive recruit, I informed the chief he was wrong; Thomas worked for the railroad. He asked how I knew about the Sullivan Brothers and I said I was raised hearing the story. The chief had a number of other questions; finally he dismissed me with a handshake and said he was glad I had chosen the Navy. So was I.

Why share this story? Because, when I drive by the Five Sullivan Brothers Center, I remember that day and I feel proud knowing I am part of Waterloos Naval heritage.

News potential buyers wish to relegate the Sullivan name to a lobby display makes me sad. Yes, the paper states the family is fine with the decision. But Im not, and I wager there other veterans who feel the same way.

Health care

MARY BALDWIN

TRIPOLI -- Health insurance costs: United States, $9,451 per person; Canada, $3,815 per person. Americans should be outraged about costs. Health care and drug companies' lobbyists gave House Democrats $11.8 million, House Republicans, $18 million, Senate Democrats $4.8 million, Senate Republicans $8.9 million, and independents $6,000. It adds up to $43.5 million.

We are a sick nation: 30 million with no insurance, another 22 million uninsured. Our health care system is for profit and privilege. Stand up for single payer (Medicare for all). Write your member of congress. They have excellent health care because they are privileged. We need United Citizens money out of our political system.
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A startup needs to test an idea quickly. For this, an MVP is created. MVP, Minimal Viable Product  a test version of a product or service with a minimum set of functions (up to one or two), which allows you to see the product's value for consumers and the market. MVP is created to test hypotheses and check the viability of the intended product: is it worth developing the project further, what changes should be made? The sooner a startup brings its MVP to market and tests the idea, the better. This article will look at how no-code technology can help founders achieve their business goals.

This article will try to cover everything that a founder needs to know about no-code at the initial stage of creating a startup.

What is no-code?

No-code, zero-code platform is a tool for creating websites, applications, chatbots, and other programs without the need for direct code writing by programmers. No-code is a valuable alternative to traditional development.

No-code is confused with low-code, but there is a difference in these terms. Low-code includes no-code and the ability to "finish code", add parts of code and the functionality.

A user of a no-code platform usually does not need to know layout, programming languages, or hire a team of programmers. The user of the no-code tool creates an application using a visual block constructor, which he fills with the necessary content and functions, and the no-code platform itself does the processing of requests, compiling the application and other "magic." It generates code using AI and/or contains blocks of code pre-written by programmers.

No-code allows the startup founder to create an MVP himself, entrust it to his employee with basic technical literacy and understanding of the project, or hire a no-code developer. Even in the case of hiring a no-code developer, the cost of creating an MVP will be significantly lower than with classical development with programmers. For example, you can read the interview of a startup and no-code developer on our website, who initially worked as a Product Manager and was able to master no-code for his project himself.

Benefits of no-code for a startup founder

There are the following key advantages for a startup founder in using no-code technology:

a large selection of no-code tools, platforms, and their integrations at the moment  already in 2022, there are many tools and platforms for creating an MVP, a larger project, or even a finished product on no-code, but few people still know about them, and others are far from all startups and founders use their potential;

cost  no-code development saves the money by speeding up the development process, not hiring professional programmers or no need to maintain a developer department, monitoring functions and quick bug fixes, avoiding or reducing the growth of technical debt;

speed is the main advantage over classical development  no-code allows you to build a simple application in a weekend, and a more complex one can be built in a month. In this way, you can test an MVP and even several versions of an MVP very quickly;

low entry threshold  to master a no-code platform, you often do not need technical education at all, but only an understanding of a company's business processes or product from the inside. In the case of pro-level no-code platforms, technical education is required, but you can get used to it hundreds of times faster than with any programming language. This makes no-code available to almost everyone who wants to work with technology;

ease of use  no need to write hundreds of code lines  just move the blocks and assign links between them. Work on a project can be entrusted to your employee without communicating with a team of third-party developers. You can speak "in your language" without the need to understand the "inner kitchen" of developers;

flexibility  with the help of no-code, it is easy for a startup founder to add new functionality and new features right during a project or a MVP testing without a significant increase in development costs.

Possible disadvantages of no-code for a startup founder

As often, any property can be, under certain conditions, both a disadvantage and an advantage. In no-code, many of the benefits with the wrong choice of tool can turn into disadvantages:

no-code is not always a budget solution for a project. Sometimes in a no-code development package, you get unnecessary functions and additions (on AppMaster.io you can separately connect the frontend and pay only for the backend or only for those functions that you are using); if you do not understand the needs of your project, then you can make a mistake with the choice of a no-code tool and not be able to implement the necessary functions on it, or it will be too difficult to implement them; often, no-code tools fail to ensure proper data security and contribute to data leakage (but AppMaster.io allows you to host a finished application on any server); no-code tools often do not provide the ability to upload source code or provide uploading in an inconvenient format, which makes it difficult to move to another tool or to your development. You have to choose a no-code tool "once and forever immediately" (AppMaster. io gives you the ability to download the source code. Also, we generate human-readable code and you will not have any difficulties with its transportation); most no-code tools on the market are not suitable for creating a finished product, and there are significant difficulties with scaling the project if the MVP is successful (AppMaster.io is a professional no-code platform and our capabilities allow us to implement and support the finished product and scale it in the future).

Forewarned is forearmed. Choose your no-code tool wisely and take full advantage of your choice.

Types of no-code platforms

Conventionally, all no-code tools can be divided into several types: no-code devices with a low entry threshold (you can create frontend and not very powerful backend on them), integrators that help connect applications and services, and professional no-code platforms (they strive to replace the code completely, provide the ability to create a robust backend and high bandwidth).

The basic principle of operation of your MVP and the choice of a no-code platform depend on such a conditional division into types. For example, if you make a simple application like a diary, you can limit yourself to a no-code tool with a low entry threshold and a beautiful design.

If your application has powerful potential, high bandwidth, multi-user interface, and works with large amounts of data or real-time data, it is better to choose a professional no-code platform like AppMaster.io or Direcual.

If you use several services at once, link them on integrators like Integromat and Zapier.

Adalo

An easy-to-learn designer with a relatively user-friendly interface. The free version is helpful for learning. The free version contains Adalo watermarks and does not allow you to upload your applications to GooglePlayMarket and AppStore. Beginners often choose this no-code platform to create their first applications with simple logic.

Bubble

It will take more time to learn Bubble , but the platform allows you to work with the backend, databases, business processes, and layout. There are many plugins. The free plan allows you to master the tool, and you can start developing at the middle rate. The price increase is due to the rise in the number of users.

Integromat

It is an integrator. Experts talk about it as a simple and affordable platform for linking applications and services. Scenarios can be created personally, or you can use templates. If you need to connect an application with a service not from the Integromat database, fill out the form and connect to its API via HTTP.

Zapier

This is an integrator for linking applications with each other or with other external services. You can transfer data between thousands of applications. There is a script constructor (one event starts a chain of necessary actions).

Directual

The no-code platform positions itself for creating MVP applications (Minimal Viable Product, minimum viable product) and full-fledged applications of finished products. Scenarios are the backbone of the platform. Using scripts, you can automate the backend logic of the application, create and combine workflows. The Directual catalog includes out-of-the-box connectors, HTTP requests, webhooks, database listeners, and integration with popular services.

AppMaster.io

No-code next-generation platform for creating native and web applications on a real backend. Visual drag-and-drop designer, user-friendly business process designer, one-click app publishing to AppMaster Cloud, or integration with any cloud platform. Push notifications, authorization using social networks. Networks, email, and more. Connect applications to hundreds of services or programmatically access them using APIs. The ability to upload source code and documentation in a human-readable format and transfer it to your servers. Documentation auto-generation. Modern and fast language GoLang at the core.

No-code perspectives for startups

No-code development is gradually gaining popularity around the world. There are already more than 500 no-code tools for creating websites and various types of applications.

According to the forecasts of IT world experts, no-code will develop more and more actively and capture parts of the market responsible for medicine, small online business, small business, and all niches where it is possibly necessary to optimize and automate development processes.

The mass shift of businesses and their customers online and to gadgets has increased the demand for the fast and inexpensive creation of mobile applications that would work according to a single quality standard and have a simple, understandable, user-friendly interface.

Conclusion

No-code is visual programming in the form of a constructor without directly writing code. Usually, basic knowledge in development is enough to build applications on no-code.

The logic of no-code constructors is intuitive: the application interface is assembled from blocks, icons, buttons, and text which are connected to the database. Usually, you can choose a suitable template or do everything from scratch. Speed and economy are the main advantages of no-code tools.

No-code is suitable for creating an MVP, testing an idea or new features in a product, saving time for solving standard tasks. PRO level no-code platforms can provide you with a finished product, an application.

If you don't have an account on AppMaster.io yet, join us. After registration, you will be given a free trial period for 14 days, in which all the basic functionality of the platform is available. It will allow you to learn the intricacies of working with a professional-level no-code platform and understand its potential.
Jul 3, 2017 | By Tess

A 14-year-old from Boca Raton in Florida is developing a device that could help improve cancer research and diagnoses. Called SLIDEMAP, the innovative machine combines 3D printing technology and computer programming to make cancer detection simpler than ever for pathologists.

The teen in question, Devin Willis, is currently in his first year at the A.D. Henderson University School in Boca Raton. He says he has been working on the SLIDEMAP device for the past three years (yep, since he was only 11), and is currently a finalist in the Discovery Education and 3M Young Scientist Challenge, which awards students in grades 5 through 8 who have innovative solutions to global problems.

In fact, Devins project has been selected as one of the top ten final projects, and if the 3D printing SLIDEMAP device is chosen as the top winner, the young teen will not only win $25,000, but will also get the chance to continue his cancer research amongst notable scientists.

Devin was inspired to create the cancer detection device after his grandfather died from lung cancer a few years ago. Devins father, who is a cancer researcher himself, has also been a source of inspiration to him.

Essentially, the machine uses 3D printing technology and special algorithms to automate cancer detection processes, which are usually time-consuming and tedious. The algorithms that Devin created are capable of determining whether a tumor is cancerous or benign, and helps guide pathologists on where to look for cancer in a given sample.

The goal of my project is to increase the accuracy and speed of my diagnoses using a low-cost robotics platform, Devin explained to WPTV reporters. I'm getting the video stream from this microscope camera. And it's connected to this computer. It would take multiple images and then stitch those images togetherbasically auto-detect what a pathologist would find in a tissue sampleand give them a map on where to look on the slide."

One of the most impressive aspects of the teens device is its cost. According to Devin, the SLIDEMAP machine only costs about $1,500 to make, while most cancer detection machines on the market can cost up to $250,000.

"Cancer diagnosis is a manual process, so it can take a while before a patient receives their biopsy results to learn if they need treatment, explained John Henderson, who is mentoring Devin through a 3M summer program. In one elegant bundle of technology, Devin's invention automates this detection step and could also improve diagnosis accuracy. On top of that, his device is much lower in cost than existing alternatives, which reduces the barrier for developing countries to improve standards of care.

The 3M summer mentorship program will allow Devin to work with Henderson to improve his devices prototype before unveiling it this October in Minnesota for the final stage of the 3M competition. There, along with the nine other finalists, the 14-year-old will have the chance to win the Young Scientist Challenge. If he wins, Devin believes he could get a patent for his SLIDEMAP device, bringing it one step closer to fruition.

If his cancer detection device wasnt enough to impress, Devin is also in the process of obtaining both his high school diploma and a bachelors degree in bioengineering. He is expected to receive both by the age of 18.

Posted in 3D Printing Application

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by Emrys Westacott

On June 22, in Los Angeles, five police officers responded to a complaint about music being played too loud in the middle of the night. A pit bull attacked one of the officers. Armando Garcia-Muro, a 17-year-old high school senior, restrained the dog, but it got free and charged at the police. Two of the officers fired six to eight rounds at the charging dog. One of the bullets hit and killed Garcia-Muro.

In May of this year, Charleena Lyles, a 30-year-old pregnant woman, at home with three young children, reported a burglary. Two officers went to her apartment, aware of the fact that she suffered from mental illness and that there was a good chance they might encounter threatening or dangerous behavior. According to the officers' account, when Lyles threatened one of them with a knife, they both fired shots at her, killing her immediately.

In July 2016, Philando Castile was pulled over for a broken taillight. He was driving with his girlfriend and her four-year old daughter. He informed the officer, Jeronimo Yanez, that he had a firearm (for which he had a license). Yanez, apparently concerned that Castile was pulling the firearm out, shot him seven times. The incident was recorded on the police car's dashcam. Yanez was charged with manslaughter and reckless discharge of a firearm. Earlier this month, Yanez was acquitted of all charges.

The list of such incidents could be multiplied indefinitely. Trayvon Martin; Alton Sterling; Tamir Rice, Michael Brown, Danroy Henry, Tashii Brown; Sam DuBose; Charles Kinsey; Terence Crutcher, Eric Garner It sometimes seems that hardly a day goes by without a news report of a black person (usually unarmed) being killed by police offers (often, but not always, white) in circumstances where the use of deadly force seems wildly excessive.

To be sure, police officers have a difficult and at times dangerous job. They are called on to make split-second decisions in stressful circumstances; and, being human, they are bound to occasionally make mistakes. All the same, the pattern seems undeniable. Black people in the US, and especially young black males, have more reason than most white people to fear that they will be the victims of excessive force on the part of police officers, even in situations that are seemingly innocuous.

Why is this? The problem cannot be reduced to prejudices harboured by individual police officers. This may play a part on occasion, but it is reasonable to assume that most officers seek to abide by professional norms; and in some instances the policemen involved are themselves black.

Someone viewing the situation from a country like the UK, where ordinary police officers don't carry guns, might argue that part of the problem lies with having a heavily armed police force. But Canadian police are armed too, and Canada does not suffer from the same lamentable pattern of excessive police violence against an ethnic minority.

More relevant, surely, is the number of guns possessed by Americans, along with weak-going-on-absurd gun laws (or, rather, the lack of gun laws) that in some states allow even mentally ill people to buy and carry guns. Awareness of this, and of the huge number of guns in circulation, is bound to make police officers more nervous when handling fraught situations. But this can't begin to explain cases like that of Garcia-Muro (above), or of Walter Scott, an unarmed black man who in April 2015 was shot and killed by a South Carolina police officer. Scott, who had been pulled over for a defective brake light, was running away. The officer fired eight rounds at him from behind, hitting him five times. (A graphic video of the incident can be seen here.) No attempt was made to disable Scott by shooting at his legs. And it is hard to avoid concluding that the officer fired so many shots in order to make certain that Scott would not survive to testify at any enquiry or trial. This, too, seems to be a common pattern.

You would think that by now, after so many of these shocking incidents have hit the headlines, often with video footage of the incidents going viral, after widespread protests and in some instances riots, that police officers everywhere would be especially careful about using what is likely to be perceived as excessive force. You would think that Commissioners and Chiefs of Police, concerned about the public image of their organization and the damage done to relations between police and community, would pull out all the stops to try to prevent such incidents recurring. And yet they recur.

To understand the persistent use of excessive force by police against African Americans, it is helpful to view it as one aspect of what has been called institutional or systemic racism. As described by sociologist Joe Feagin, systemic racism

"encompasses a broad range of white-racist dimensions: racist ideology, attitudes, emotions, habits, actions, and institutions of whites in this society. Systemic racism is far more than a matter of racial prejudice and individual bigotry. It is a material, social and ideological reality that is well-embedded in major U.S. institutions."[1]

Individual police officers are certainly not above criticism for being prejudiced, or reckless, or exercising poor judgement. But the pattern described above is part of a pervasive and ongoing form of injustice in American society. The slogan "Black Lives Matter" emerged in response to police killings of black citizens, but its meaning can be readily extended to cover inequality and injustice in other spheres such as health care, housing, education, employment, income, and public amenities in which black communities are systematically shortchanged.

A corollary of systemic racism is white privilege. This is described by scholar-activist Peggy McIntosh as "an invisible package of unearned assets." These privileges are invisible in the sense that white people do not usually have to think about them, and therefore don't. The relative equanimity with which most Caucasians can interact with the police is a striking example of this sort of privilege. Fear that a mundane encounter with the police may suddenly result in violence and death is a feeling that most white people do not suffer from. But as Ta-Nehisi Coates vividly recounts in Between the World and Me, this is an anxiety that many African-Americans have to live with every day.

An exceptionally readable and insightful discussion of white privilege can be found in Robert Amico's recently published book, Exploring White Privilege.[2] (Full disclosure: I am good friends with the author.) In this work Amico explains what white privilege is, why white people often have difficulty accepting the idea, and what we all might do to combat it. The book is theoretically informed but makes many points vividly through the use of personal anecdotes (which is one of the reasons the book is so engaging). The remorseless honesty of these stories gives them a confessional quality.

In one anecdote, Amico, who was a successful chef in California before he became a philosophy professor, tells how he worked for a time in a restaurant alongside an African American man named Jim. Jim was the better cook, and Amico learned a lot from him. Seven years later, Amico, now the executive chef at a Beverley Hills restaurant, entered a greasy spoon and saw his old mate Jim making omelets and French toast. Instead of greeting him, he quickly left the cafe, embarrassed by the discrepancy in their relative fortunes. But alongside that embarrassment, he eventually came to realize, was a barely articulate moral discomfort over the way in which he had been the beneficiary of systemic privilege.

One very interesting chapter of Amico's book examines the costs of white privilege to white people. This is an aspect of injustice that is often overlooked, but the costs of privilege to its primary beneficiaries are many: social, psychological, intellectual, and emotional. Again, these are illustrated concretely through a series of anecdotes followed by reflections. Amico tells, for instance, how, when he was growing up in an all-white Irish neighborhood in Boston, he was instructed by his father to identify himself as Italian, even though the family ethnicity was Sicilian. Why? Because Sicily is close to Africa, and some Italians therefore view Sicilians as close to being Africans.

"'Italian,' in my father's eyes, was safer and white than "Sicilian." So, I was encouraged to distort my ethnicity so I could reap the benefits of whiteness and distance myself from anything non-white. I was being taught to be ashamed of my ethnicity; this is an emotional cost of my identifying as white. It is a betrayal of my identity, of my authenticity."[3]

In this case, the deleterious effects of white privilege on white people are fairly subtle. By comparison, there is nothing subtle about the deaths, the grief, and the fear suffered by black people as a result of the systemic racism which produces the sort of excessive police violence described above. Yet they are linked, rather as major and minor symptoms of a disease are linked. As Amico's book makes clear, the disease is deeply embedded in American society, so the cure will not be simple. But if we can work towards it, we all stand to benefit.
by Tasneem Zehra Husain

Maluma and Takete No offense to Shakespeare, but I've never quite bought into the philosophy that names are immaterial. Calling a rose by another name might not affect its smell, but it could well impact our association with the flower.

To me, the act of naming borders on the sacred. Names, I feel, shouldn't be easily replaceable; they are not placeholders or dummy variables, but titles, clues to the true nature of something, and as such, they should contain the essence of whatever it is they label.

I know this may sound naive; and I admit it smacks of fairy tales and myths: fantasy worlds where knowing someone's true name (Rumplestiltskin, for instance) grants you power over them, but there is a fair bit of evidence that even here in the real world', a name  both the visual arrangement of letters, as well as their sound  impacts our perception of the named.

The most quoted example is that of German psychologist Wolfgang Kohler's famous study, in which he made up two nonsense words, maluma and takete and drew two shapes to accompany them  one sharp and angular, the other a rounded squiggle. When asked to pair the object with the name, the vast majority of respondents labelled the rounded object maluma and the angular one takete.

Adam Alter describes this and several other studies in his New Yorker piece before concluding that as soon as you label a concept, you change how people perceive it.

If I was to argue this point, I thought, I could probably say all I had to on the subject just using the Higgs Boson as a case study. In my opinion, most of the misconceptions about this celebrity particle came about due to wrong names.

********

The biggest and most persistent problem faced by the Higgs Boson lies not with its name proper, but an unfortunate nickname it acquired along the way.

When Nobel Laureate Leon Lederman wrote his popular science book in 1993, the Higgs Boson was still missing. About three decades had passed since it was first postulated and though physicists persevered in their search, they were beginning to get a little exasperated. To make matters worse, the boson is so integral to the Standard Model that it could not be ignored in any account of particle physics, so even in the absence of any proof that it existed, one couldn't stop talking about it. Lederman shared this frustration with a lay audience by referring to the Higgs boson as the goddamn particle' ; an irreverent expression meant to convey the conflicted attitude of the physics community towards this elusive yet essential component of an otherwise widely successful model.

Lederman's publisher  so the story goes  decided that it wasn't appropriate to use the word goddamn in print, so he cut off the damn and simply referred to the boson as the God particle. This became the title of the book.

The term had undeniable mass appeal, so the press threw it about and soon the Higgs Boson became known globally because of a nickname it acquired quite randomly. But, regardless of how casually or incidentally they come about, we instinctively treat names as clues. As was bound to happen, most people who heard about this boson simply took off from the word God', jumped to completely baseless conclusions, drew parallels that didn't simply exist, and wove a tangled web of unnecessary confusion all around the missing particle. They were curious about it, true, but for all the wrong reasons.

The damage done by that publisher's ill-judged edit has not yet been repaired. The world at large continues to refer to the Higgs Boson as the God particle, packing into that term more mistaken connotations than one would have thought possible. For two decades, physicists have complained about this unfortunate misnomer, pleaded with the public to stop using it, and explained over and over again why it makes no sense.

Even Peter Higgs has spoken up against it. In an interview with BBC Scotland, Higgs said  I know that name was a kind of joke and not a very good one. I think he shouldn't have done that as it's so misleading.

Then again, naming the boson after Peter Higgs has been fairly controversial too.

********

The discussion had been going on for a while in physics circles, but it came to a head after the boson was discovered and a Nobel Prize was in the offing. The rules stipulate that a Nobel prize can be shared by three people at most and the obvious question was, which three? Because, as has been the case with many other important developments in physics, (quantum electrodynamics, the electroweak theory, etc), the idea about the boson (that came to be known as the Higgs) alighted on several people, working independently of each other, more or less simultaneously.

Leaving aside the entire argument about the importance of assigning credit to the experimenters who discovered it, (and how that should even be done now that discoveries are made by teams of thousands) six theoretical physicists were possible contenders for a Nobel Prize.

Robert Brout and Francois Engert, from the Free University in Brussels, published the first paper on the topic in 1964. Peter Higgs wrote up his version a few months later, and  apparently in reply to a referee's comment  he added an extra point which turned out to be key. Where Brout and Englert had already conjectured a field that could endow particles with mass, it was Higgs who clarified how such particles could still obey the laws of symmetry. A few weeks afterwards, Dick Hagen, Gerald Guralnik and Tom Kibble of Imperial College published their version of the idea.

Bound by the rules, the Nobel committee decided to award the 2013 Physics prize to Higgs and Englert. Robert Brout, having died two years earlier, was no longer eligible; the prize is not awarded posthumously. The decision to exclude the group at Imperial was understandable, given the constraints, but it was not popular and it did not sit right, even with the laureates themselves.

In a bid for a name that attributed credit to all parties concerned, Higgs proposed renaming the particle the ABEGHHK'tH Boson, (the generous, inclusive acronym includes both Carl Anderson and Gerard 't Hooft, whose work also played a role in the development of key ideas.) But this un-pronouncable name  despite being more democratic than the Higgs Boson', and infinitely more justified than the God Particle'  was not as catchy, and hence, never took off.

To be fair, there was an added hurdle in that by the time the boson was discovered, it had been known as the Higgs for too long to be easily renamed. A Nature editorial on the topic made an interesting point: There are already relatively few concepts in [particle physics] that have achieved widespread recognition without crossing one of them out. In business, it would be considered destructive to take a well-known name and replace it with a long-winded, technical-sounding alternative that no one has heard of. In other words, re-branding the Higgs would not be a smart move because the familiarity and associations that had accrued to this word would be irretrievably lost; over the decades, this name had acquired meaning.

Both these controversies, surrounding the name and the nickname of the Higgs boson, played out several years ago, but the unfortunate trend continues.

********

A month ago, when news came out that the LHC had turned the beam on again , in preparation for a new season of collisions and data collection, I found several people asking why: Why is the LHC still running, now that the God particle' has been found? (One of the many issues with that name is that it implies a finality and fundamentality the Higgs boson never claims.)

My answer to this question is twofold: when we had not yet seen it, our primary objective was of course to prove that the Higgs boson existed at all, but that was never meant to be an end in itself. We wanted to find the particle so that we could study it in detail, and we're not done yet. We still have to check if the Higgs boson we see is identical to the one in the equations. One way we can do that is by studying its decay modes. The Higgs boson is too evanescent to ever be glimpsed directly; we can know it only through the particles it decays into. There are eight ways in which the Higgs boson can decay, eight channels' it can flow into, and the standard model predicts how often each of these eight combination of particles should be seen. On the strength of existing data, some of these channels are better understood than others and the lesser known ones remain to be probed.

Then, too, there are things the standard model is not equipped to tell us, the mass of the Higgs for instance, or why there are two, heavier, copies of the electron, the neutrino, and the up and down quarks; we don't yet understand why these three families' are necessary. Successful as the standard model is, we now know that it describes an embarrassingly small fraction  one part in twenty  of the physical universe. The remaining expanse is occupied by what we can dark matter and/or dark energy  names that parametrize our ignorance. Since we are faced with issues on which theory cannot authoritatively opine, we must count on observation to point the way. The realms we now probe are almost unfathomably small, any new information will have crawled into the ring crevices between decimal places. The collisions should continue and we should comb through the data they leave in their wake, parsing it for patterns, structure and logic  or departures therefrom.

Neither of these two motivations  studying the decay channels of the Higgs boson, or probing physics beyond the standard model  appear to have made their way outside labs and classrooms. There seems to be minimal awareness of the fact that even though the Higgs boson has been discovered, it needs to be studied in ever closer detail.

Again, I think, part of the blame lies with a name. Back when we were still looking to catch the slippery boson, we took to calling the scientists who were on this search, Higgs Hunters. The alliteration is pleasing and the image conjured is vivid  but misleading. The name wasn't entirely appropriate because the so-called Higgs hunters weren't chasing exotic quarry to shoot or cage it. Our aim was never to capture and subdue a wild animal, but instead to go and watch it in its natural habitat. The scientists and engineers who set out on this safari were much more like zoologists than hunters but Higgs Zoologist doesn't have nearly the same ring as Higgs Hunters, and I doubt it will catch on.

********
'That's madam governor to you': Record 12 women elected to serve in 2023


Successful Winter Cannabis Crop Growing

Sydney, July 3, 2017 AEST (ABN Newswire) - The Board of Queensland Bauxite Limited ( ASX:QBL ) is excited to announce that Medical Cannabis Limited ("MCL" or "the Company") has confirmed successful germination and growth rates of its pioneering winter Cannabis crop.



As announced on 28th April, the Forum of Food Regulations ('the Forum', 'FoFR') had approved the Board of Food Standards of Australia and New Zealand (FSANZ) recommendations to change the Australian Food Code to allow the consumption of hemp seed foods in Australia. It is anticipated for this law to come into effect in November this year.



http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/3KDUT9WK



This development has major commercial significance for QBL as was detailed on Tuesday 21st March in the following announcement:



http://abnnewswire.net/lnk/U0GE05K4



As a result of this major development, MCL is set to be one of the pioneering and leading companies involved in providing quality controlled Australian grown hemp foods into what is expected to be a massive multi million dollar industry. It can achieve this because of its unique Australian based Cannabis hemp seed bank developed over many years. With the Company's currently approved licences to grow hemp, the Company is perfectly positioned to be at the forefront of Australian made hemp seed food products and broader Cannabis industries.



The Company has allocated resources to grow and produce its own legal hemp seed foods, to an approved food code with relevant oversight with enforceable food handling laws to the highest Australian standards which would be recognised world wide.



The Company possesses a unique Cannabis seed bank and licenses to grow in NSW. The Company, through its Vitahemp brand, intends to be the primary and leading supplier into the expected massive industry of legal Cannabis products for human consumption in Australia and globally.



In order to be ready to begin supplying the industry when it is expected to legalise at the end of this year, the Company has now trialed a unique winter crop.



Hemp, or low THC Cannabis is primarily a summer crop and traditionally grown once a year. Through almost 2 decades of extensive cultivation, breeding and selection by MCL's Technical Director Andrew Kavasilas, the Company is using selected cultivars to pioneer year round cropping that will ensure fresh hemp seed is available to Australian consumers in the future.



By developing and ensuring year round production, the Company will seek to not only satisfy local demand, the company can take advantage of out of season opportunities to export to north America as well as European countries who have long enjoyed the nutritional benefits of the hemp seed.



Andrew Kavasilas, Vitahemp's founder and MCL's Technical Director said: "We're impressed with the numerous selected transplants that were grown indoors under our unique licenses and arrangements with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, in climate controlled rooms, and planted outdoors in trial bed for further monitoring as they continue on to full maturity."



"As far as we know, we are the only company doing such winter cropping, we anticipate that the industry at large will come to benefit from the unique type of work we're doing in the field."



Pnina Feldman, Executive Chairperson of QBL, said: "We're extremely happy with all this progress and anticipate that the Company will succeed in being the leading supplier of Australian grown hemp seed foods and successful medical Cannabis research cultivation. The Company is currently well on track in its business plan to be able to meet the expected multi million dollar demand for hemp seeds for human consumption during 2018."





About Queensland Bauxite Ltd





Queensland Bauxite Limited (ASX:QBL) is an Australian listed company focused on the exploration and development of its bauxite tenements in Queensland and New South Wales. The Company's lead project is the South Johnstone Bauxite Deposit in northern Queensland which has rail running through the project area and is approximately 15-24 kilometres from the nearest deep water port. The Company intends to become a bauxite producer with a focus on commencing production at South Johnstone as early as possible. The Company also pursues additional investment opportunities, and has agreed to acquire a 100% shareholding in Medical Cannabis Limited, an Australian leader in the hemp and Cannabis industries, and a 100% shareholding in Medcan Australia Pty Ltd, a company with an ODC cultivation and production License and a DA approved Cannabis production and manufacturing facility.
The start of summer has heralded the beginning of several new services from Leeds Bradford Airport (LBA).





Thomas Cook has made a return to the airport, offering a range of holiday options to European destinations including Alicante, Larnaca and Tenerife, tour operator Thomson has started a new Faro service for summer 2017 and has confirmed a new service to Bulgaria for summer 2018; again offering passengers more choice, whilst Jet 2.com have launched routes to Halkidiki, Girona, Naples and Almeria this summer further expanding their extensive network from Leeds Bradford Airport for holidaymakers travelling from the region.



A new route announcement from Flybe came earlier this month as the airline introduces a Dusseldorf service for the winter season. This builds upon their recently introduced Newquay route and their multi-frequency daily Belfast route, showing real investment and commitment to LBAs programme.



Meanwhile, Ryanair are operating their Vilnius, Warsaw and Gran Canaria routes through the summer for the first time.



Aurigny, Guernseys airline, has celebrated its first successful year, during which time more than 10,000 passengers have travelled on the route.



LBA stalwart KLM continues to offer a network of worldwide connections through Amsterdam Schiphol Airport. This month, the airline will host an event in Leeds to mark the support and custom from their Flying Blue passengers.



Tony Hallwood, Aviation Development Director at LBA, said: With this widening programme of flights, Leeds Bradford Airport looks set to have a very busy summer and beyond. Its fantastic to be introducing a range of new routes for our business and leisure passengers.
SNC-Lavalin Group Inc. has completed its acquisition of WS Atkins plc (Atkins), which is the UK's largest engineering and design consultancy with a wealth of expertise in various sectors, including aerospace, aviation, defence and security.





Headquartered in the UK - with its Hub at Bristol (above) - Atkins is a geographically diversified global company with approximately 18,000 employees in the US, Middle East and Asia, together with a leading position in the UK and Scandinavia.



SNC-Lavalin is continuing to deliver on its strategy of establishing itself in the top 3 in our industry globally. By combining our two highly complementary businesses, we are solidifying SNC-Lavalins position as one of the largest fully integrated professional services firms in the world, while improving our margins and balancing our business portfolio, said Neil Bruce, President & CEO. We are now a true global player that is in a stronger position to offer clients complementary and a wider breadth of expertise, capabilities and services. We are thrilled to welcome the employees of Atkins and the tremendous talent they will bring to our combined company. Together, we will become part of a larger global organization that will open the door to new opportunities for further growth and development.



The acquisition of Atkins creates a global fully integrated professional services and project management company  including capital investment, consulting, design, engineering, construction, sustaining capital and operations and maintenance. Together, it will have over 50,000 employees and annual revenues of approximately C$12 billion.



Heath Drewett, Group Finance Director and Executive Director of Atkins, now becomes President of Atkins, SNCLavalins fifth business sector and a member of SNC-Lavalins executive committee, reporting directly to Neil Bruce.



Joining SNC-Lavalin will provide us with the ability to offer our clients and employees the enhanced scale, capabilities, expertise and other benefits that come with being part of a larger and stronger global company, said Heath Drewett, President of Atkins. At the same time, we look forward to bringing our own unique project management, design, consulting and engineering capabilities to SNC-Lavalins clients. The result will be a more agile and responsive company that better meets client needs and creates cross-selling opportunities.



Over the coming months, teams from both organisations will work together to integrate both companies in order to create value for all stakeholders and realise expected synergies from the acquisition. SNC-Lavalin has a strong record of successful integrations and is committed to leveraging the best practices from each organisation to ensure that the two companies are combined with speed, diligence and efficiency.



The acquisition is expected to deliver approximately C$120 million in cost synergies  approximately C$30 million from SNC-Lavalin and C$90 million from Atkins  by the end of the first full financial year. These synergies would mainly include eliminating corporate and listing costs, optimising corporate and back-office functions and shared services, streamlining IT systems and real estate consolidation where appropriate.



As previously announced by Atkins, Atkins shareholders voted in favour of the acquisition at a meeting convened by order of the High Court of Justice in England and Wales (the Court) and a general meeting, both held on 26 June 2017. The acquisition was structured as a scheme of arrangement and the Court sanctioned the scheme on 29 June 2017. Following the sanction of the Court, the acquisition became effective in accordance with its terms on 3 July 2017 (the Effective Date).



Founded in 1911, SNC-Lavalin is a global fully integrated professional services and project management company and involved in the ownership of infrastructure.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the criminal contempt proceedings against author and activist Arundhati Roy.

The proceedings were initiated suo motu by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court in 2015 taking cognisance of her alleged remarks against the judiciary for not granting bail to former Delhi University professor GN Saibabas, who was facing criminal charges for being a Maoist sympathiser.

Roy has challenged the proceedings before the SC.

In March 2017, Saibaba was sentenced to life imprisonment for harbouring Maoist links.

When a Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) J.S. Khehar asked whether she would like to tender an apology for her article and end the case against her, Ms. Roy, through her counsel, bluntly refused the offer.

This is not at all a case for an apology, senior advocate C.U. Singh, flanked by advocate Prashant Bhushan, responded to the court.

Immediately thereafter, the CJI ordered the staying of further proceedings in the Bombay High Court.

Ms. Roy had argued that the criminal case against her tantamount to choking the voice of opposition in a democracy and produced an intense chilling effect on the fundamental right of free expression.

Saibaba was arrested in 2014 by the Gadchiroli police for his alleged links with Maoists.

Reportedly, Roy termed her words in the article as nasty, the court observed Calling the government and police as being afraid of the applicant, abductor and thief, and the magistrate from a small town, demonstrate the surly, rude and boorish attitude of the author in a most tolerant country like India.
Yesterday, I said how the hatred and goondaism in the name of cow vigilantes are going on in our country. Actually, every state government should firmly deal with these cow vigilantes. They do a lot of disservice to the nation by creating unnecessary communal tension. Such attacks pose a question mark over BJPs credibility too, because they have not forced the authorities to act strictly. They did not frame any rule or pass the bill. They had emphasized on banning beefs, without issuing clear guidelines. Mostly the poor minorities become targets those who has nothing to do with communal disturbances. As many as 97% of these attacks were reported after Prime Minister Narendra Modis government came to power in May 2014, and about half the cow-related violence32 of 63 caseswere from states governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when the attacks were reported, revealed our analysis of violence recorded until June 25, 2017.

A year ago, the Prime Minister had admonished the gau rakshaks (cow vigilantes) in no uncertain terms. He did so again few days back, but even as he was speaking a mob was killing a man suspected of carrying beef in Jharkhand, which is ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). PM did not question the law and order situation of the state. He did not comment against the government because it is his own party that is ruling the state.

One must know who these gau rakshaks are, more than the rescue; the bandwagon called gau rakshak is turning into a full-fledged force across India. These gau rakshaks who attain fame by thrashing a few smugglers get special treatment in the circles they sit in. Featuring in videos posted on social media and being the leader of the gau rakshaks seen nabbing the smuggler certainly boosts their reputation. Many of them are associated with politics and it certainly gives them popularity in the circles or people, they are part of. Most of these rakshaks use this forged fame to grab attention of big political masters who always look for proteges. Yes, to some, its a method to gain popularity.

If we look back and recall, few weeks ago, a 40-second video of a man being thrashed on what looks like a highway went viral. He was wearing a white kurta-pyjama, which was torn as a result of repeated blows by 15-odd youngsters. There was blood, there was screaming and there was very little information about what really was happening.

Pehlu Khan, a resident of Haryana was transporting three cows from Jaipur to his residence in Haryana. Initially, he wanted to buy a buffalo but couldnt afford it hence he settled for the cows. As he was crossing Rajasthan, his truck was stopped, he was dragged out and thrashed. Days later, he died in the hospital. The gathered crowd, all students from nearby places who called them gau rakshaks was convinced he was transporting cows for slaughter, no documents were sought, but he was Muslim and very often thats enough in India. It is true that there have been incidents of violence perpetrated by cow vigilantes over the years that must be addressed. Violence against human beings in the name of protecting animals is not acceptable. But this issue should be understood in its correct proportions.

Smuggling of cows does exist, but its also a truth that people of all faiths buy cows for domestic needs which often is mistaken (it appears that they deliberately misinterpret) it as smuggling. Smuggling activities definitely occur on the route from Sonepat in Uttar Pradesh in which local mafia and cops are involved. They have suddenly turned cow vigilantes probably because they are not getting the share demanded by them.

Apart from the eating habit, Muslims also housetrain cows across the country. And on various occasions, Muslim clerics have categorically denounced the killing of cows because it results in communal tension. Whether its the killing of Khan or Akhlaq or the abuse of Una Dalits, the current cow vigilantism is purely communal in nature.

It will obviously take much more than an occasional condemnation to bring under control the fatal fanatics of the Hindus right. The reason is the deep-seated animosity of these groups towards Muslims. Over the past two years, the issues posed by cow vigilantism and cow protectors (gau rakshaks) has subjugated the pomposity of Opposition parties of India and formed one of their main electoral planks. They have raised a persistent cry of danger and oppression owing to violent cow protectors. They have highlighted Hindu cow protection-based violence as massive and communal in nature, threatening the safety of all Muslims and perhaps all Dalits as well.

One must note that the issue of cow slaughter has remained controversial for centuries in India, with its non-beef eating Hindu majority population. It was part of Mahatma Gandhis concerns that he practiced cow protection himself. This struggle over cow protectors, however unpleasant, is not a national security issue, like separatism and terrorism, with which it is often equated or even mentioned first along with. It is a law and order problem that should be addressed on that level. This is the second part of the four parts series on the topic. Tomorrow we will highlight other aspects of this goondaism and its further effect.

(Any suggestions, comments or dispute with regards to this article send us on feedback@afternoonvoice.com)
The Supreme Court granted the last opportunity to the Maharashtra government to remove illegal encroachments on 908 square metre area on the approach road and near the historic Haji Ali Dargah shrine.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud granted two weeks to the concerned authorities to remove these encroachments and asked the deputy collector to ensure that its order is complied with.

The direction came after the Haji Ali Dargah trust, which had earlier volunteered to remove the encroachments, expressed inability in completing the task.

The court made it clear to the deputy collector of Colaba zone of south Mumbai that serious consequences would follow if its order for removing encroachments is not complied within two weeks from Monday.

On May 9, the apex court had lauded the efforts of the Dargah Trust in its attempts to remove encroachments.

The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in the memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Trust had on April 13 relented to the tough stand taken by the apex court against large-scale encroachments around the historic Mumbai mosque and volunteered to remove them by May eight.

The offer to remove and demolish the encroachments had come after the apex court made it clear that only the mosque, located on an area of around 171 sq meters, would remain protected while the rest of the area, measuring 908 sq meters, has to be cleared of squatters.

Appreciating the offer, the bench had allowed the trust to complete the task on or before May 8 subject to the satisfaction of two authorities indicated in February 10 order of the Bombay High Court.

The High Court had ordered the formation of a joint task force comprising the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Collector to remove the illegal encroachments on the approach road leading to the Haji Ali Dargah.

The High Court was hearing a petition filed by Sahayak, a socio-legal and educational forum, seeking immediate removal of the encroachments on the approach road to the dargah which is located on the sea.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai was of the view that the land on the approach road to Haji Ali fell in the Collectors jurisdiction and therefore the Collector should remove the encroachments.
By David M. Burd With no vaccine available for H1N1 flu, Australia recently ended its 2009 "Flu Season" (their Winter in our Summer), with 186 flu-associated fatalities of 36,991 Aussies confirmed having H1N1.



The Australia 2009 stats for regular 'seasonal flu' are not final yet, but their Health Dept literature cites annual flu-associated mortality historically has been between 2,500 and 3,000 in spite of universal vaccination programs for regular flu long being established. A logical review of these results strongly suggests next year Australia should initiate a "flu vaccination holiday," promote vitamin D supplements, long known to be effective for preventing Wintertime flu disease, and then compare the outcomes.



Pertinently, experts have also stated that H1N1 was probably already in Australia for their 2008 flu season, but not tested for (which is the nature of the testing world; a great percentage of "flu" cases being presumptive, never tested). In light of Australia clearly showing the pussycat nature of H1N1, can somebody explain why America's media willfully ignores the news from Australia? However, despite the derelict media, I would think U.S. Health Generals would certainly be up on Flu news from Down Under, and certainly from Canada right next door.



Canadian front page news on flu vaccinations has transfixed Canada health authorities, prompting official suspension of regular flu vaccination programs until further notice. This comes from a sweeping study of Canada by research Doctors Danuta Skowronski of the British Columbia Centre of Disease Control and Gaston De Serres of Laval University in Quebec concluding Canadians receiving flu vaccinations have twice the risk of coming down with the flu, compared to those who do not take the shot.



In a bizarre five-hour worldwide teleconference held by the World Health Organization October 4 on the Skowronski/De Serres Study, U.S. doctors offered the opinion that the Canadian doctors' flu vaccination study was certainly wrong and must have used flawed study parameters, though the U.S. doctors admittedly could not identify anything specific. To paraphrase the U.S. attitude: 'Damn the vaccination studies, flu speed ahead!'



In view of all this, America wakes up Sunday, Oct. 25 to headlines of President Obama proclaiming Saturday that H1N1 Flu is now under a National Health Emergency. Perhaps, Obama's rhetoric is no coincidence as it is well known most Americans have been rejecting their invitations to show up for their shots. And maybe, American mothers and fathers realize there are indeed catastrophic risks associated with vaccinations, particularly since CDC says their kids should be marched in for shots, regardless of CDC admitting the shots contain full amounts of mercury preservative. And, I am not making this up: CDC astonishingly insists that the mercury in vaccines brings no risk whatsoever to kids.



Three related conclusions come to mind:



(1) My hat is off to the public, thinking for themselves. Huraah!!



(2) Obama's health advisor Harry Varmus, NIAID chief Tony Fauci, HHS Secretary Sebelius, CDC Director Thomas Frieden, CDC Commander Anne Schuchat are so zealously dedicated to Herd Control of Americans they willfully ignore the honest, financially independent, most available information on Planet Earth: Australia's just ended Flu Season, and the study in Canada by Doctors Skowronski and De Serres (and other studies that reinforce their conclusion). U.S. health officials promoting unwarranted epidemic fears and manipulation of H1N1 flu deserve permanent mail room duty on the international space station - at best.



(3) President Obama illustrates perfectly the medically-ignorant political animal, craving to be seen as a Medical Hero in the national spotlight, while willfully ignoring abundant proof of brain damage and other permanent disabilities to millions of children by vaccines' mercury and other toxic ingredients cavalierly injected in such as the H1N1 vaccine.



David Burd began his career as the first generation of "rocket scientists," from Northwestern University in 1965, with a degree in Mechanical Engineering and Astronautical Sciences, with mankind soon bound for the moon. His most recent work includes fifteen years consulting in patent related surgical application of energy, springing from being a patent examiner at the US Patent Office in Surgery Art.








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Recently on June 28, China launched what it calls the most advanced and largest warship in Asia on Wednesday, billing it as a major step forward in the modernisation of its navy. As the first of the new Type 055 guided-missile destroyers  which have a displacement of more than 12,000 tonnes  military experts said it was designed to accompany the countrys future aircraft carrier battle groups. The destroyer was built at the Jiangnan shipyard in Shanghai and was equipped with air defence, anti-missile, anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons. The Type 055 destroyer is similar in size to the US Navys Arleigh Burke class ships and is billed as a major step forward for Chinese sea power.

USA cannot attack China by sea.

Obviously, China is serious about its claims of South China Sea and has been developing its navy on the one hand and the region with modern military facilities, on the other. China claims nearly all of the South China Sea  a vast tract of water through which a huge chunk of global shipping passes. Not only is the South China Sea (SCS) a major shipping route but also a zone of high rich energy resources. Hence USA is also keen to intervene in the dispute and hence there is tension in the region. Several countries have supported the Chinese position on the South China Sea issue.

China has bolstered its claim by building artificial islands including airstrips in the area, some of which are suitable for military use. Other regional powers the Philippines, Taiwan, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam have competing claims to parts of the sea, which is believed to harbour significant oil and gas deposits.

The launch of the warship marks an important step towards Chinas dream of having a strong and modern naval force, General Zhang Youxia, a member of the Central Military Commission who oversees the armys equipment, was quoted as saying at the launch ceremony. Military analysts said the Type 055 was in theory the worlds second most powerful destroyer  after the US Navys DDG-1000, or the Zumwalt class. The capabilities of the Type 055 surpass South Koreas DDG-991 and Japans Atago class, which have a 10,000 ton displacement.

With its size far exceeding a standard destroyer, the launch of the Chinese-designed and built 055 was as significant as that of an aircraft carrier, affording the Peoples Liberation Army Navy advanced sea capability and weaponry development, experts said.

The need to protect the countrys overseas interests and vital waterways used by oil tankers and cargo ships is expected to increase as the countrys ambitious belt and road trade initiative starts to take shape. But unlike the US Navy, which has a true global presence, PLA ships do not have many overseas ports for resupply, according to Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming. In some respects  such as the size, radar system, missile capacity and the multifunctionality in use  the Type 055 has now caught up, or at least its on the same level as the United States main destroyer, Li Jie, a Beijing-based naval expert, said.

With its size far exceeding a standard destroyer, the launch of the Chinese-designed and built 055 was as significant as that of an aircraft carrier, affording the Peoples Liberation Army Navy advanced sea capability and weaponry development, experts said.

The need to protect the countrys overseas interests and vital waterways used by oil tankers and cargo ships is expected to increase as the countrys ambitious belt and road trade initiative starts to take shape. But unlike the US Navy, which has a true global presence, PLA ships do not have many overseas ports for resupply, according to Beijing-based military analyst Zhou Chenming.

Li said the warship would play an important role escorting aircraft carriers or the new advanced Type 071 amphibious assault ships, and it could also lead a comprehensive combat group of smaller destroyers and frigates. For these purposes the PLA Navy would need at least 10 Type 055 destroyers, and at the current capacity China could build one or two a year, Li said.Meanwhile, the sheer size of the warship means there is space for more  and more powerful  weapons. Before the 055, the PLA Navys most advanced destroyer was the Type 052D, a 7,500-tonne vessel that squeezed in a flat-array radar, a 64-cell vertical launch system (VLS) and long-range anti-air missiles.

The Type 055, according to the Janes Defence Weekly, is over 180 metres long  more than 20 metres longer than 052D. It has a 128-cell VLS and missiles to attack planes, ships, submarines and missiles, making it the most powerful destroyer in Asia. Given its size, it could also serve as a platform to develop the next generation of weapons, such as high-energy radio-frequency equipment, Zhou said.When you have a bigger home, you can fit in different new furniture. But Macau-based military analyst Antony Wong Dong said the Type 055 had some disappointing design flaws. The relatively low positioning of its flat-array radar system would affect its range of detection, he said, while the use of light aluminum alloy in the upper decks would make it vulnerable to damage.

Despite its very modern stealth shape, the damage control capability is a big concern, Wong said. The design follows the Chinese convention, probably due to a lack of experience ... in a combat situation.

Next, the warship will undergo equipment and sea testing and it is due to enter service next year.

The SCS area may be rich in oil and natural gas deposits; however, the estimates are highly varied. The Ministry of Geological Resources and Mining of the Peoples Republic of China estimate that the South China Sea may contain 17.7 billion tons of crude oil (compared to Kuwait with 13 billion tons). However, other sources claim that the proven reserve of oil in the South China Sea may only be 7.5 billion barrels, or about 1.1 billion tons According to the US Energy Information Administration (EIA)s profile of the South China Sea region, a US Geological Survey estimate puts the regions discovered and undiscovered oil reserves at 11 billion barrels, as opposed to a Chinese figure of 125 billion barrels. The same EIA report also points to the wide variety of natural gas resource estimations, ranging from 190 trillion cubic feet to 500 trillion cubic feet, likely located in the contested Reed Bank.

The South China Sea is dubbed by China as the second Persian Sea. The state-owned China Offshore Exploration Corp. planned to spend 200 billion RMB (US$30 billion) in the next 20 years to exploit oil in the region, with the estimated production of 25 million metric tons of crude oil and natural gas per annum, at a depth of 2000 meters within the next five years.China claims almost all of the energy-rich South China Sea, through which more than $5 trillion of maritime trade passes each year. USA is major user of the sea route mainly for trade purposes. While it's impossible to earn $5 trillion at casinolavida.com like the USA does in trade passes, the regular Joe could still earn a nice sum making plays at Casino La Vida.

China questions American surveillance activities and other military activities over the South China Sea. Chinas construction activities and military preparatory actions have drawn criticism from the USA. The United States is not a claimant in the South China Sea dispute but says it has an interest in ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight in the area.

The USA and China are currently in disagreement over the South China Sea. This disagreement is exacerbated by the fact that the USA is not a member of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). Nevertheless, the USA has stood by its maneuvers, claiming that peaceful surveillance activities and other military activities without permission in a countrys Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), is allowed under the convention.

The South China Sea disputes involve both island and maritime claims among several sovereign states within the region, namely Brunei, the Peoples Republic of China, the Republic of China, Malaysia, the Philippines, and Vietnam. Non-claimants want the South China Sea to remain as international waters, with the United States conducting freedom of navigation operations.

There are disputes concerning both the Spratly and the Paracel islands, as well as maritime, areas near to sea, boundaries in the Gulf of Tonkin and elsewhere. There is a further dispute in the waters near the Indonesian Natuna Islands. The interests of different nations include acquiring fishing areas around the two archipelagos; the potential exploitation of crude oil and natural gas under the waters of various parts of the South China Sea, and the strategic control of important shipping lanes.

In February 2016, President Obama initiated the US-ASEAN Summit at Sunny lands for closer engagement with the Association of Southeast Asian Nations. Territorial disputes in the South China Sea were a major topic, but its joint statement, the Sunnylands Declaration called for respect of each nations sovereignty and for international law. Analysts believe it indicates divisions within the group on how to respond to Chinas maritime strategy.

China has reacted angrily to a US decision to impose sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean money. A foreign ministry spokesman urged the US to "stop wrongful actions" to avoid harming co-operation. The US announced the move, as well as sanctions on a Chinese shipping company and two Chinese nationals, on Thursday.

It said the blacklisting was aimed at cutting funds to North Korea's weapons programmes."We will follow the money and cut off the money," Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin told a news conference. But he said the move was not a response to Chinese inaction on North Korea, saying: "This is not directed at China, this is directed at a bank, as well as individuals and entities in China."

The UN has already imposed several rounds of sanctions on Pyongyang, but China is widely seen as the nation most able to impose economic pain on North Korea. Washington has been pushing Beijing for tougher measures amid a series of missile tests by Pyongyang. But in a tweet earlier this month, President Donald Trump said China's actions had "not worked out".

The sanctions mean that the Bank of Dandong will be barred from doing business in the US.The US Treasury said it had been "a conduit for illicit North Korean financial activity" and facilitated "millions of dollars of transactions for companies involved in North Korea's WMD (weapons of mass destruction) and ballistic missile programs". Two Chinese nationals accused of creating front companies for North Korean entities and a shipping company, Dalian Global Unity Shipping, accused of smuggling luxury goods to North Korea, have also been blacklisted. Mnuchin said that the US could impose more sanctions in the future. The Chinese foreign ministry spokesman said the US action went "against the important spirit" of the apparently friendly meeting between Trump and US President Xi Jinping at the US president's Florida resort in April.

The sanctions came as the US announced the sale of $1.42bn (1.09bn) worth of arms to Taiwan, the first such transaction under the Trump administration. US arms sales to Taiwan always anger Beijing because it considers the self-governing island part of its territory. It also came as new South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Washington for talks with Trump on security issues.








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Meeting without agenda

US President Donald Trump is set to meet with his Russian counterpart President Vladimir Putin at next week's G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany amid investigations into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion between Trump's campaign and the country's officials. Both the Kremlin and the White House announced that the pair will meet on the sidelines of the July 7-8 summit of G20 nations in Hamburg. However, the US National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster told reporters that no agenda had yet been set for the meeting, which is fraught with difficulties for Trump.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov also told reporters that Putin and Donald Trump will meet on the sidelines of the Group of Twenty summit in Hamburg next week, but no separate meeting is planned, "They will meet in any case there, on the sidelines of this summit, but no separate meeting is planned at the moment," Peskov said. Peskov said that as far as a possible meeting was concerned, the protocol side of it is secondary. He let on little about Moscow's awareness of Washingtons ambivalence toward the scale of the meeting but said that in any case there will be a chance to meet.

President Trump has frequently called for better ties with Russia but lawmakers in his own Republican Party are urging him to be wary of Moscow. "As the president has made clear, he'd like the United States and the entire West to develop a more constructive relationship with Russia but he has also made clear that we will do what is necessary to confront Russia's destabilizing behavior," McMaster said, obviously pointing to Ukraine and Syria.

The two governments had not yet ironed out further details about a meeting. When asked whether the president would bring up Russia's interference in the election with Putin at their meeting, McMaster said there is "no specific agenda" yet, and that Trump will address what he chooses.

Due to ongoing allegations by the US intelligence community of Russian interference in the US election and a scandal about possible collusion within Trumps team, not everyone in the White House thinks such a meeting is prudent. State Department and National Security Council officials have asked Trump to consider a more low-profile introduction to the Russian president and perhaps avoid an extended conversation altogether. Among the recommendations are a brief and informal pull-aside on the summits sidelines, and a meeting of US and Russian delegations for strategic stability talksa format which may or may not involve heads of state.

The two governments had not yet ironed out further details about a meeting. When asked whether the president would bring up Russia's interference in the election with Putin at their meeting, McMaster said there is "no specific agenda" yet, and that Trump will address what he chooses.

Some US officials argue the meeting should be a brief and informal pull-aside at the two-day summit, which starts next Friday in Hamburg, in view of the fact that Trump is under multi-pronged investigations into his campaigns relationship with Moscow. The skeptics also argue there has been no let-up in Russias military intervention in Ukraine, which was the trigger for the bulk of the sanctions.

Excitement

President Donald Trump is said to be excited to meet Russia's Vladimir Putin, though US government officials are trying to curb Trumps enthusiasm about meeting Vladimir Putin at the upcoming G20 summit in Germany.



Trump has not met his favorite Russian strongman Putin since being elected last year, despite his claim that he could meet the Russian leader even before being inaugurated. Now he is apparently keen to hold a full bilateral meeting at the time of the summit on July 7-8, two White House officials, one current and one former, told AP. Such a meeting would involve agreeing on a designated space for it, allowing media access and other diplomatic protocols involved in meetings between two heads of state. However, there is no official confirmation on Moscows or Washingtons side that a meeting in any form has been agreed upon, but Putin and Trump will both attend the summit.

Trump has been positive about his policy for Russia. Like Obama, Trump has said he would stabilize and reinvigorate the bilateral ties with the Kremlin. When he took the job under Trump, Secretary of State Rex Tillerson backed moves to improve relations with Moscow and arranged for Lavrov to meet Trump in the Oval Office. But the former oil executive felt burned by that incident, of which the Russian government published photographs without the US governments permission, and where Trump disclosed classified information about counter-terrorist operations. Tillerson has since become more adamant in his opposition to the relaxation of sanctions without substantial changes to Russian behavior.

Tensions

US-Russia relations have been dotted with tensions since the days of the so-called Cold War- in fact even before that. Existence of NATO as a global terror police force to attack any weak nation has been resented by Moscow which ass Washington o do away with the Cold War symbols.

Russia and the USA are at odds over many issues, namely on Ukraine, NATO expansion and the civil war in Syria where Moscow supports President Bashar al-Assad. The USA backs rebel groups trying to overthrow Assad, and Washington angered Russia by launching missile strikes against a Syrian government air base in April in response to what the USA says was a chemical weapons attack that killed dozens of civilians.

President Putin, who has served as both Russian president and prime minister, has outlasted the previous two US presidents, George W. Bush and Barack Obama. Officials from those governments say American officials initially overestimated their potential areas of cooperation with the Russian leader. Then, through a combination of overconfidence, inattention and occasional clumsiness, Washington contributed to a deep spiral in relations with Moscow, they say. Those relations reached a post-Cold War low under Trump's predecessor, Obama. In the last days of his presidency, Obama ordered the expulsion of 35 Russian suspected spies and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over their involvement in hacking US political groups in the 2016 election.



US officals and intelligence say Russia interfered with US presidency poll, engineering a vote in favor of Trump. Russia denies all US allegations and Trump says his team did not collude with Moscow. Several congressional committees as well as the FBI are investigating Russia's role in the election and any alleged collusion by Trump's campaign. Further, allegations that Russia interfered in the US presidential election last year and colluded with the Republican's campaign have overshadowed the businessman's unexpected victory and dogged his first five months in office. Russia has vociferously denied involved in the US election and a visibly irate Putin accused US journalists of hysteria on the subject earlier this month.

In November 2013, Trump said on MSNBC that he did have "a relationship" with Putin, whom he claimed sent him "a present" when he attended the Miss Universe pageant in 2013, that he "got to know Putin very well" when they both appeared -- in separate segments -- on an episode of "60 Minutes" and that they had communicated "directly and indirectly." Trump later walked back the idea of a relationship with Putin in a 2016 interview with ABC News': "I have no relationship to -- with him," said Trump, later continuing, "He said something nice about me. This has been going on. We did 60 Minutes together. By the way, not together-together, meaning he was probably shot in Moscow and I was shot in New York." "I have never spoken to him on the phone," added Trump. The president raised eyebrows for heaping praise on Putin during the campaign, but denied having a "relationship" with the Russian leader.

Since Trump's inauguration, he and Putin have shared three phone calls. There have never been any real a rapport between the two.

Sanctions as economic terrorism



Russia continues to face sanctions from USA and its western allies. USA keeps extending the sanctions just hoping to weaken Russian economy. However, Russian economy is strong and is able to withstand all impacts of western sanctions.

A proposed new package of sanctions on Russia in the US Congress might complicate Trump's desire for warmer relations with Moscow. The US Senate reached an agreement to resolve a technical issue stalling the sanctions, although the measure's fate in the House of Representatives is uncertain. Vice President Mike Pence will travel to Estonia, Georgia and Montenegro in July and August in an attempt to reassure US allies that are neighbors of Russia

Apparently, Trump made significant efforts to lift sanctions on Russia in his first weeks in office but was thwarted by resistance from allies as well as from former Obama officials and state department staffers.

When Theresa May visited the White House a week after Trumps inauguration, one of her priorities was to dissuade the new president from relaxing sanctions imposed on Russia for its 2014 annexation of Crimea and covert military intervention in eastern Ukraine. The Brits did push for that, but its hard to say how much difference their intervention made, said a former official, who was working at the state department at the time. Two outgoing state officials, Daniel Fried and Tom Malinowski, lobbied Congress to pass legislation to codify the sanctions and lock them in place.

On 14 June the US Senate passed a bill, with a 98-2 vote, that would strengthen sanctions on Russia. The bill has since been stalled in the House over technicalities amid reports that Trumps allies are seeking to water it down. If the bill is passed it would mean that in one important respect, Russian active measures will have failed, Malinowski, Obamas assistant secretary of state for human rights, said. He also pointed to the Treasurys move last week to broaden existing restrictions on Russia as an indication the sanctions machinery is working normally and on schedule

The US defense department for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, said the closure of the Russian compounds and the expulsion of suspected spies were intended to be only the first step in the punitive measures against Moscow for its election meddling. If President Trump starts to undo any of those measures, including giving back the facilities in Maryland and New York then the Russian government will believe  they got away with what they did to US strategists.

One possible gesture under consideration is the restoration of access to two diplomatic compounds, in Maryland and New York, from which Russian officials were ejected by the Obama government in December as part of a package of punitive measures for Russian hacking of the 2016 elections. Obama said the compounds were used by Russian personnel for intelligence-related purposes. He also expelled 35 Russian officials he described as intelligence operatives.

The Trump government was contemplating handing back the compounds in early May, initially in exchange for the Russian government lifting a freeze on construction of a new US consulate in St Petersburg, according to the Washington Post. That link was reportedly dropped a few days later when the secretary of state, Rex Tillerson, met his Russian counterpart, Sergey Lavrov, in Washington on 10 May.

So far, however, no agreements have been reached on the fate of the compounds, which Russian diplomats have made a priority in their discussions with the government. The NSC spokesman, Michael Anton, said the meeting between the two leaders is not set in any format yet, but he did not respond to a question about the request to NSC staff to propose potential bargaining chips for the meeting. They have been asked for deliverables, but there is resistance to offering anything up without anything back in return, said one former official familiar with the debate inside the White House.

Syria

Syria is now the battle field for the former Cold war foes to showcase their individual military capability.

It is no secret that USA and Russia have been fighting to control the world but the former has maintained upper hand. In doing so, Moscow pursues a confrontational collaborative approach with USA in regional crises. In recent times, Syria vividly showcases this essentially cooperative policy of Russia and both seem to advance their global and regional interests.





President Donald Trump's openness to Putin has been the foreign policy thing that most separated him from the rest of Republicans. But Russia and the USA are on opposite sides of so many issues that the White House would certainly have to come to terms with it. The vocal dispute between Russia and the US over Syria complicates what has

It's a relationship both Putin and Trump found valuable during the presidential campaign, when both wanted to see Clinton defeated.

It was seeing pictures of Syrian children devastated by what officials suspect is sarin gas that led Trump, as President, to do an unabashed about-face on Syria. He had opposed military action there when chemical weapons were used during the Obama administration and criticized former President Barack Obama for making that a "red line." Just before the air strikes, Trump said the pictures he saw crossed much more than a red line for him. "When you kill innocent children, innocent babies -- babies, little babies -- with a chemical gas that is so lethal -- people were shocked to hear what gas it was -- that crosses many, many lines, beyond a red line. Many, many lines."

Putin was quick to condemn Trump's missile strike response, calling it "aggression against a sovereign state in violation of the norms of international law."

The USA and Russia are squaring off on the issue in the UN Security Council, where Russia, which has veto power, has stood in the way of international action against Syria.

Syria dispute is virtually guaranteed to break up the Trump-Putin bromance. The vocal dispute between Russia and the US over Syria complicates what has been a feature event; US political drama for months has been about Russian meddling in US elections and the blowback from Trump. The ties between Trump staffers to Russia, was aided by Trump's willingness to start fresh with Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he defended in the US media.

On April 17 Vladimir Putin has said Russias relationship with the US has badly deteriorated since Donald Trump became president. The Russian leader - who had a frosty relationship with Obama - said the relationship has degraded When asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said: "One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated." When asked about relations since Trump became president, Putin said: "One could say that the level of trust on a working level, especially on the military level, has not improved, but rather has deteriorated."

Putin claimed Damascus had given up its chemical weapons stocks and offered two main explanations for the horrific incident. One was that Syrian government air strikes had hit rebel chemical weapons stocks, releasing poisonous gas, or that the incident was a set-up designed to discredit the Syrian government.

Putin sensationally claimed the US is preparing airstrikes on the Syrian capital - and will pin the blame on Bashar-al Assad's forces. The Russian leader made the astonishing claim - that the US is planning to FAKE chemicals weapons attacks - during a joint press conference with the Italian President Sergio Mattarella. Putin insisted Russia would tolerate Western criticism of its role in Syria but hoped that attitudes would eventually soften. His claims Russia has information strikes are being planned by the USA on the southern Damascus region - the aim of which is to blame the resulting devastation on the subsequently discredited Syrian government - will not go down well in the White House. When asked whether he expected more US missile strikes on Syria, Putin said: "We have information that a similar provocation is being prepared... in other parts of Syria including in the southern Damascus suburbs where they are planning to again plant some substance and accuse the Syrian authorities of using (chemical weapons)."

Trump raised Russian hackles when the White House said it appeared the Syrian military was preparing to conduct a chemical weapons attack and warned that Assad and his forces would "pay a heavy price" if it did so. Meanwhile, the White House warned Syrian President Bashar al Assad that he and his military would "pay a heavy price" if it conducted a chemical weapons attack and said the USA had reason to believe such preparations were underway. The Syrian government said a US warning to Damascus not to carry out a new chemical weapons strike were baseless and a ploy to justify a new attack on the country. State television quoted a foreign ministry source as saying Washington's allegations about an intended attack were not only misleading but also "devoid of any truth and not based on any facts."

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said that Russia said will respond with dignity and proportionately if the USA takes pre-emptive measures against Syrian government forces to stop what Washington says could be a planned chemical attack. Lavrov added that it would "probably not be right" if Putin and Trump did not talk at the G20 summit of world economic powers. Speaking at a news conference with his German counterpart, Lavrov said he hoped that the USA was not preparing to use its intelligence assessments about the Syrian government's intentions as a pretext to mount a "provocation" in Syria.

The Russian foreign ministry said retaliatory measures were being prepared for closure of the compounds, but did not describe the measures. The Russian Kommersant newspaper has reported that the Kremlin could seize US diplomatic property in Russia or impose restrictions on an Anglo-American school there.



Observation

It is becoming clear now that the US President Donald Trump will meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin next week at the G20 summit in Germany that brings two world leaders whose political fortunes have become intertwined face-to-face for the first time.

As the G20 summit in Germany is fast approaching, President Trump is reportedly pressing for a meeting with President Putin. But the President's advisers are not big into the idea of a highly publicized meeting between the two leaders. Some are suggesting instead a pull-aside" meeting on the sidelines of the summit to avoid a high-profile meeting, involving press and other diplomatic formalities.

Donald Trump has told White House aides to come up with possible concessions to offer as bargaining chips in his planned meeting next week with Vladimir Putin, according to two former officials familiar with the preparations. National Security Council staff has been tasked with proposing deliverables for the first Trump-Putin encounter, including the return of two diplomatic compounds Russians were ordered to vacate by the Obama administration in response to Moscows interference in the 2016 election, the former officials said. It is not clear what Putin would be asked to give in return.

The Kremlin said that Russia was ready to attend a full-scale meeting -- the first since Trump has taken office -- in addition to any interactions the pair would have at the summit. The meeting comes amid heightened tensions between the USA and Russia over the situations in Ukraine and Syria, and with Trump casting new scrutiny on his predecessor, President Barack Obama, for not doing enough to counter Russian election meddling.

The US intelligence, according to Moscow, wants to maintain a rift in the relationship between Trump and Putin. US intelligence agencies say Russia hacked and leaked emails of Democratic Party political groups to help Trump win the 2016 US presidential election against Democrat Hillary Clinton.

With US Congress and most of his government set against concessions to Russia, Trump has been hemmed in so far in his overtures to Moscow. His encounter with Putin next week, however, will offer him the opportunity to remake policy on the spot. The big wild card in all this is the person holding the position of president of the United States, Malinowski said. We dont know what he will say when he meets the master-manipulator from the Kremlin. Asked about a Trump-Putin meeting in Hamburg, Lavrov told journalists: We assume that contact will take place, as the two presidents will at the same time be in one town, in one building, in one room.

There is strong resistance in the state department to one-sided concessions aimed simply at improving the tone of US-Russian relations. There is also opposition within the government to Trumps preference for a formal bilateral meeting with Putin at the G20 summit in Germany.

All eyes are now on the two top world leaders in neat suits looking for any possible breakthroughs in bilateral ties between the two superpowers that would in turn help reduce global and regional tensions.
Aiken, SC (29801)

Today

Cloudy. Some light rain will fall throughout the day. High 67F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 90%..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies this evening will become partly cloudy after midnight. Low around 60F. Winds WSW at 10 to 20 mph.
Saint Thaddeus and the Assyrians

( Jacob McAdams) Pastor Stephen Missick of the King of Saints Tabernacle in Cleveland is putting the finishing touches on his independent film that details the life of an apostle of Jesus Christ.

Missick, who is the acting producer, presented the film, titled "Saint Thaddeus: The Legend of the Shroud," at the International Christian Film Festival held in May 2017 in Orlando, Fla. The film was nominated for an Official Selection.

The film depicts the story of Thaddeus as he founds the church among the Assyrian people. While Missick planned to make a film about the apostle Thomas and his work in India, the plan changed in the wake of the current political climate.

"ISIS is trying to commit genocide against the Assyrian people," said Missick.

Missick says there is a large Assyrian community in the United States, which he hopes to represent in the film upon its completion.

The film relies upon period accurate costumes, with Missick looking for the best articles of clothing up for bid after their service to various films and television shows such as "Hercules" starring Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson, Spartacus and many more.

"The costumes I use are screen used," said Missick.

The story handles various parts of the tale of Thaddeus, including his journey to Mesopotamia before the apostle makes his way to meet King Abgar of Assyria. Abgar suffered from an illness before Thaddeus healed and converted him to Christianity. This, in turn, converts the Assyrian people.

"It's a pivotal and very important story," said Missick. "Telling this story could make people aware of what's going on."

The film was also accompanied by a music video performed by Leah Sayad, an Armenian-American professor, performing artist and voice teacher at New York University who sang the song titled "The Assyrian King's Letter to Jesus."

The music video tells the same story as the movie and was nominated for Best Music Video by the International Christian Film Festival. Sayad also portrays Queen Augustine, the wife of King Abgar, who helps Thaddeus escape the wrath of their son when he turns to paganism.

The film also deals with the Shroud of Jesus Christ, a linen cloth that bears the face of a man alleged to be Christ. The cloth is believed to be what Jesus wore during his crucifixion as a burial shroud.

The movie is 48 minutes long. However, Missick plans to extend the film's length. His crew filmed a new scene on July 1 in a creek located next to Low Water Bridge Rd. The scene involves the baptism of Armenian Princess Sandukht, played by Karina Carielo.

Sandukht is one of the earliest martyrs of Christianity, refusing to renounce her faith before her death at the hands of her own father.

Once the project is finished, Missick hopes to be able to show the film to as many people as he can.

"Hopefully when the movie is done we'll look at distribution," he said. "We're just looking at various options."
What Next After Assyrians Return to Baghdede, Iraq?

This question has been torturing the minds of most of the Assyrians from Bakhdida (including the neighbouring towns Nineveh and, of course, Mosul). We'll get to this question a bit later. Firstly, a sincere apology for not writing any reports in the last week or so. Filming consumed most of our time during the day and come night I was unable to think properly, let alone compose coherent sentences about Bakhdida, a war torn town slowly coming back to life. However, by now us, Miha Mohoric and I have managed to acclimatise to a steady 47 -- 50 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, it was suggested to me that I should write something positive about the entire experience in Bakhdida. This poses a serious challenge. Even when the wind blows (generally a positive thing), it feels like somebody is throwing invisible flames into your face as if angry spirits wanted to chase all the people away. Still, life persists... And we document it as best as we can.

About 200 families returned to Bakhdida in the past months. Some have nowhere to return though. Their houses are black skeletons as they were burned by Daesh (Islamic state). During the fighting last September/October islamists tried to create a black fog above the city to disrupt coalition and Iraqi airstrikes. There was no real logic or plan involved in this. Some houses were burned, others not. People say around 30 percent of homes and businesses were burned. It seems a lot more -- closer to 50 percent. We accompany people visiting their houses. Dead silence is sometimes interrupted by sighs of relief, sometimes with cries of anguish. "Is this merciful? Is this what their religion is about?!" shouted a distressed older lady in the middle of her living room with everything around her reduced to ashes. Another woman in yet another house cried silently on the terrace. We left her alone, no need to get everything on camera.

Young artist Nenous, centre protagonist of our film, works all days painting people's houses with a group of about ten workers. They take part in a project, supported by international organisations, to renovate one hundred homes. These are homes that were not burned, 'merely' defaced with Daesh graffiti exclaiming "Islamic state forever" and similar lunacies. From time to time Nenous takes time off and we dedicate ourselves to the movie. With Babylon battalion, a Christian para-military unit that is part of a Shia-dominated Popular mobilisation forces, we visited Nimrud, ruins of an ancient Assyrian city. I think we all saw the videos of Daesh destroying Nimrud together with the famous Lamassu. Nenous made a copy of it in the house, in which we reside in Bakhdida, finished it in Nimrud and placed it on top of the destroyed statue of the Assyrian protective deity. It is a symbol of resistance, a declaration of peace, as if to say: "You can destroy, but we can rebuild."

It was a touching moment, but journey back to Bakhdida made me less optimistic about everything. We drove through numerous check-points manned by different para-military and military forces. Their banners are proudly on display but what they display is a very strong possibility of a turf war.

"You know, we are peaceful people. In all of Bakhdida you couldn't find more than a couple of guns. We cannot fight against islamists and others, what we need is an international protection," explained an older man who returned to his house. Less and less Assyrians believe that they will get it and so exodus out of Iraq is continuing. This is the paradox that Western media and international community as a whole don't seem to understand. Was Bakhdida liberated? Yes -- at least temporarily. But does this mean that everything will get better henceforth? No. "We can return to Bakhdida. But then what? ", asked the same gentleman. Exactly. Then what? You can repaint houses, rebuild what was destroyed, put Lamassu back together and return it to its rightful place. But then what? We hear that half of the people of Bakhdida are already out of Iraq. Many, especially the young ones, who are still in Ainkawa (Erbil) would prefer to stay there. We see the young men in Ainkawa hanging in beauty salons all the time. Sometimes I don't know what to think of it.

Those who returned to Bakhdida are too few. And even if all did return, they cannot remain there without international protection. The older gentleman who posed the 'then what?' question has cancer. He could get treatment in Erbil. We visited hospital in Bakhdida. To say it is immensely underequipped would still be an understatement. Doctors cannot cure his disease here. He understands this. But it is more important for him that he returned home. He came back to die in his house.
Assyrians in Iraq Struggle to Find Normalcy Despite ISIS Defeat, Unlikely to Return

Areas in northern Iraq that have been cleared of the presence of Islamic State (ISIS) fighters have slowly come back to life as predominantly Muslim towns began to rebuild. People are trying to restore normalcy in their communities even as gunfire and explosions continue to erupt from afar. But in Christian-majority places led by Qaraqosh, locals have been coming back in trickles even if other Muslim-majority towns suffered worse destruction. For Shema who now lives at a refugee camp in Erbil, Iraq's future is filled with uncertainty. Even if ISIS is gone, he believes another group will emerge that will oppress minorities as well. When ISIS overran Qaraqosh in 2014, it made sure the place would be uninhabitable, being the largest predominantly Christian city in Iraq. During their two-year occupation, militants tried to erase all symbols of Christianity by smashing religious icons of the church and defacing its paintings. The terrorists also burned homes and left booby traps to kill those who would attempt to come back. "It's not just in Qaraqosh," said Yousif Yaqoub, president of the Assyrian Christian political party Beth Nahrin National Union. "In the other Christian towns too, they tried to destroy every single house," Yaqoub added. Qaraqosh was one of the oldest Christian communities in the world. The Nineveh plains and northern Iraq were even mentioned in the Bible. Before the U.S. toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003, there were 1.5 million Christians in the country. Their numbers have dwindled to half a million. During the rampage of ISIS, trapped Christians were held captive for 10 months and were forced to convert to Islam. More than 200 of them were released after the Church paid $3.5 million in ransom, mostly raised from donations. From 50,000 residents in Qaraqosh, there are now 180 families only, who are mostly Muslims.
Kerry Logistics Network has acquired 50% of shares in Lanzhou Pacific Logistics (LPL) as it looks to further develop its China-Europe rail freight operations.

Kerry Logistics will join China Railway Container Transport Company as a shareholder in LPL.

"The investment marks another strategic step in advancing Kerry Logistics expansion into the rail freight and multimodal services under the Belt and Road Initiative," the forwarder said.

LPL specialises in intermodal brokerage services across China and Central Asia including Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Leveraging on CRCTCs extensive rail network in China, LPL has a nationwide rail freight network covering more than 100 cities and provides container freight stations and domestic door-to-door logistics services.

LPLs clientele includes a number of Fortune 500 enterprises located in China, spanning the non-ferrous metals, chemicals, auto parts, agriculture, and building materials industries.

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June 30, 2017

CAIRO  Egypts Ministry of Education announced June 17 that the revolutions of Jan. 25, 2011, and June 30, 2013, will not be mentioned in high school history textbooks for the academic year 2017-18. This has stirred a widespread controversy among parliamentarians and educational experts, and between opponents and supporters of the revolutions.

The ministry had included in the history curriculum the events of the January 25 Revolution in 2012 and the uprisings of June 30 in 2014.

The ministrys announcement came following a controversy among students and parents about a question related to the June 30 mass protests in the history exam for Egypts high school students on June 11.

Students sitting for the exam were asked to write a paper on the following scenario: How would things be if [Abdel Fattah] al-Sisi had never given the June 30 speech?

Many students and parents saw this as a political question, while Mamdouh Qadri, the history adviser for the Ministry of Education, said in a press statement on the day of the exam that the answer to the question is clearly defined in the curriculum, and that students were only asked to stick to the textbook without giving any political reasoning or personal analysis.

The ministrys announcement also stirred uproar among Egyptian members of parliament. On June 23, Magda Nasr, a member of the Committee on Education and Scientific Research, indicated in press statements that she will submit to Egypts parliament speaker a briefing request, asking the minister of education to renounce its decision.

Shorouk news quoted Nasr as saying, It is not right to ignore these important events. Future generations at different educational stages must learn about these two events. They should obtain relevant information in a proper way and not from social media. Some people provide false information when they say that the June 30 event is a coup and not a revolution.

Mona Abdel Ati, a member of the parliamentary Education and Scientific Research Committee, told Al-Monitor, History should be conveyed in the textbooks as is, including positive and negative periods. Some suggested removing the era of the Muslim Brotherhood and deposed President Mohammed Morsi from the curriculum, but I object since the history curricula must include all the events witnessed by Egypt.

Fayez Barakat, another member of the same committee, opposed the removal of these two major events. He told Al-Monitor, These two revolutions are part of Egypt's history. They have changed the form of government and led to new constitutions. They shaped our current political and social life and should not be removed from the curriculum. It is wrong to say that these events are not part of Egypts history just because high school students  of 17 and 18 years of age  have witnessed them. High school students were around the age of 14 when the June 30 Revolution sparked and 12 when the January 25 Revolution erupted. At such a young age it is difficult for children to understand the political details of the two revolutions.

Despite the almost unanimous opposition among the members of the Education and Scientific Research Committee of the removal of the 2011 and 2013 events from the history textbooks this academic year, some members of parliament from outside the committee have different views.

Tadros Qaldas, a member of the parliamentary Communications Committee, told Al-Monitor, It would be better to wait for a long period of time before including events in the history textbooks in order to make sure these events are conveyed in an unbiased and fair manner. I would say 10 years would be a good period. This would allow things to clear up. History should not be interpreted and written at the whims of people.

Kamal Mugheeth, an educational expert and researcher at the National Center for Educational Research in Cairo, told Al-Monitor, History books aim to educate all students about national events. No one can deny the major impact of these two revolutions on our country. This is why it is only natural to include them in history textbooks. Historical events and figures will always be a subject of disagreement. History textbooks must only include verified historical information and contexts about the two recent revolutions, leaving it to students to make their own judgments regarding their reasons and consequences and to form their own opinion.

Hassan Shehata, a professor of curriculum and instruction in the faculty of education at Ain Shams University, has a different opinion. It is wrong to teach students about their contemporary lives and the events they have witnessed themselves, he told Al-Monitor.

Shehata added, This would deprive students of the ability to interpret events and undermine their observation, interpretation and critiquing capacities, which is contrary to all modern teaching and education methods that encourage students to form their own opinions and take relevant decisions.
June 29, 2017

CAIRO  The diesel fuel Egypt has supplied to the Gaza Strip is but a drop in the bucket toward easing Gazas power crisis, but there is hope the gesture might signal a thaw in Egypt's relations with the Hamas-run Gaza government and possibly open the flow of trade.

Egyptian authorities opened the Rafah border crossing to the Gaza Strip June 21-24 to allow in Egyptian industrial diesel for Gaza's sole power plant, which has been offline more than two months. Since then, the plant has received intermittent deliveries of Egyptian diesel fuel through the Rafah crossing.

But even as Egypt has been supplying energy, Israel has been taking it away at the request of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in the West Bank. Hamas and the PA split violently in 2007, leaving Fatah and PA President Mahmoud Abbas with the West Bank and Hamas governing the Strip. The PA, which has been pressuring Hamas financially in several ways recently, has said it will no longer foot the bill for the electricity Gaza receives through 10 Israeli power lines. On June 19, Israel began to gradually cut back the electricity.

In a statement, the Gaza Energy Authority said, Israel has so far reduced the power lines arriving into Gaza from 120 to 36 megawatts [MW], so the Gaza Energy Authority has directly purchased Egyptian diesel itself and the power plant will continue to operate as long as diesel is available, and electricity will be distributed according to the available power."

The plant started partial operations the evening of June 21, generating 45 MW of power. Egypt sent 1.1 million liters (291,000 gallons) of fuel, enough to run the facility at full capacity for two days, Haaretz reported. Officials said the plant would run at half capacity, providing just several hours of electricity daily, to stretch the fuel supply.

Egypt is providing the oil under a tripartite understanding reached in early June by representatives of Hamas, Egypt and the reformist movement within Fatah, headed by Abbas rival Mohammed Dahlan.

The Gaza Strip, which is home to more than 2 million Palestinians, needs 450-500 MW of power per day. Power lines coming in from Egypt provide 23 MW and Gaza's sole power plant can only provide 140 MW at full capacity, in which case there is still a 60% deficit.

Mohammad Thabet, the public relations director at Gaza Electricity Distribution Co. (GEDCO), told Al-Monitor that the Gaza Energy Authority informed GEDCO that two of the plants four generators started operating again after receiving the Egyptian fuel. The plant had stopped operating for two months as a result of the dispute about the "blue tax" imposed on diesel imported from Israeli companies. The consensus governments Ministry of Finance started collecting the tax on industrial diesel in April under the pretext of coping with the financial crisis the government is facing. The tax amounts to about 108% of the initial price of fuel after refining.

He added, There is no clear schedule to distribute electricity to citizens because when Egypt started providing diesel, Israel was at the same time reducing the electricity supply lines, which resulted in power cuts, and we were unable to accurately calculate the needed electricity for the entire Strip. However, if the Egyptian power supply lines remain operative and Egypt continues to pump diesel into the power plant in Gaza, we expect to see a significant improvement in electricity."

Thabet further stressed that GEDCO loses money with each kilowatt of electricity it distributes. Whether GEDCO receives electricity from Israel or Egypt, or generates its own after buying Egyptian diesel, the cost of distributing the electricity surpasses the price plus the tariff. Thus the cost of selling electricity to citizens will remain the same.

According to economists, the introduction of Egyptian industrial diesel to the Strips power plant is an important economic step and helps support Gaza at political and humanitarian levels. Egypt will supply the same amount of diesel that Israeli companies supplied, but for almost half the price  and without the blue tax.

Mohammed Abu Jayyab, an economic expert and editor-in-chief of al-Eqtisadiah newspaper in Gaza, told Al-Monitor that pumping Egyptian diesel into Gaza shows a new Egyptian way of dealing with the Strip.

The entry of Egyptian diesel is an important economic step that holds great political and humanitarian dimensions. It illustrates a new Egyptian way in dealing with the humanitarian crises plaguing Gaza, namely the electricity crisis. It comes as a result of the understanding reached between the Hamas [and Egyptian] delegations and that of Dahlan," he said.

Abu Jayyab believes that the economic feasibility of Egyptian diesel is strong compared with the Israeli diesel that the PA supplied to the generating station, noting, We are talking about saving 50% of the price the Gaza Energy Authority used to pay for Israeli diesel, which means it will have double the quantity for the same price now.

Economist Nouhad Nashwan told Al-Monitor that the cost per liter of Egyptian industrial diesel is 1.2 shekels (34 cents), while diesel coming from Israel costs more than 3.5 shekels ($1) per liter. Importing diesel only from Egypt would cut the cost of operating the plant at full capacity by two-thirds.

The imported diesel from Egypt eases the electricity crisis in part, especially as the quantities will be double what Israel used to provide, and without any taxes. No longer importing diesel from Israel and resorting to Egypt instead is a major step in paving the way for a deeper trade exchange during the coming period, Nashwan concluded.

In another sign of goodwill, Hamas is building a 7-mile-long buffer zone along the strip's border with Egypt. The area will have military posts and surveillance cameras to keep militants from crossing into Egypt and to prevent weapons and drug smuggling.
June 30, 2017

BAGHDAD  Amid the search for suitable alliances among political parties, the Sadrist movement surprised its popular base June 22 by announcing an agreement with the Al-Wataniya coalition (National Coalition) led by Ayad Allawi. The two parties will form a new political bilateral alliance by unifying political stances regarding pending issues, expediting the legislation of suspended laws and finding solutions to the countrys problems before the 2018 parliamentary elections.

The Sadrists traditionally have been led by activist Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, while Al-Wataniya has generally been seen as a secular party.

The Sadrist Political Committee issued a statement, saying, The two parties have agreed on forming a parliamentary front that includes members from the movement and coalition. The members are to reach understandings that are in line with the post-Mosul liberation phase [from the Islamic State (IS)] and expedite the rectification of the electoral process by changing the members of the electoral commission and choosing independent figures who live up to peoples expectations. The Sadrist-Allawi alliance also is to approve a new electoral law that guarantees voter opinion and contributes to a political process that respects Iraqis will.

Al-Wataniya coalition member of parliament Jamila al-Obeidi said that the Sadrist movement is the group closest to having a unified national identity, making it easier to reach a political agreement with the Sadrists to serve the country.

Obeidi said sectarian and political bickering as well as regional interventions have torn Iraq apart, scattered its wealth and ruined its economy. Therefore, citizens must look at what remains. She told Al-Monitor, The new alliance does not mind uniting with other political parties that believe in a national project to build an Iraqi state based on unity and sovereignty and shunning any meddling in its affairs.

When asked about the new alliance and whether it breaks the rule of alliances based on political sectarianism, Obeidi said, The alliance will indeed help overcome this hurdle, given its sectarian variety. It will open the door to pure national alliances that only care about reform, banking on the political process and willing to end the marginalization and dismissal of others.

She added, We will revisit all laws passed in parliament such as the terrorism law and the de-Baathification law, and we will reform the judiciary and achieve real national reconciliation.

Some claimed that the new alliance reflects Allawis aspirations to become prime minister, but Obeidi denied this. She said, Whether Allawi gets the premiership or not depends on peoples will. We are trying to take a firm stance that protects us from foreign intervention, be it from Iran or other countries. We want to build a balanced relationship with all countries based on respect and nonintervention in others affairs.

This new alliance surprised the Sadrist base, as the Sadrist movement and Al-Wataniya Coalition were at odds in the wake of the Najaf incidents in 2004, when the Iraqi army and the Sadr-led Mahdi Army fought after Allawi became interim prime minister.

The new parliamentary alliance bothered some Iraqi political parties, especially the National Alliance  the largest in parliament. Member of parliament Abdul Hadi Saadawi of the State of Law Coalition, which is part of the National Alliance, said, Sadrists do not have the say in the political arena they did before. They are outside the dialogue circle of the alliance they left.

Saadawi belittled the new alliances prospects of success. He said Allawi's National Coalition has lost its popularity and credibility in Sunni circles and has strayed too far. As a result, two Sunni alliances were born. The first is the Arab Project led by Sunni businessman Khamis al-Khanjar, and the second is closer to the political majority and consists of an alliance of parliament Speaker Salim al-Jabouri, the Islamic Party and the National Movement for Reform and Development (Solution party), among others.

Saadawi told Al-Monitor, These alliances are just a political tempest in a teapot. They will not affect the program of the State of Law Coalition, which seeks to achieve a political majority government and rule the country once again.

In the 2014 election, the State of Law Coalition won 92 of 328 seats, the Sadrist movement 34 and Al-Wataniyah 21; the Sadrists have been in the national spotlight due to protests they have been holding since 2015.

Saadawi added, Allawi and the liberals are after the premiership. But they will fail because they do not have a political project in parliament serving people and aiming to build the country.

He denied any outside Arab and other international intervention in choosing the prime minister and considered it strictly an Iraqi affair.

As per the provisions of the political agreement between the Sadrists and Allawi, the two parties will work to unite the political stances in parliament during the next stage. This step would serve the countrys best interests, Sadrist leader Amir al-Kanani said. The agreement will also engage both parties in a united electoral list in Baghdad, Maysan and Anbar provinces.

Kanani said, Regarding the person who is most likely to occupy the premiership, we are open to all possibilities, including the National Alliance, which we hope will not hide away in Shiite regions. The new alliance mainly wants to end any foreign intervention in the political decision-making process and build clear and honest ties with the Iraqi Kurdistan Regions government, in addition to finding a clear vision in our domestic and foreign affairs.

He added, We will try to reform the judicial, legislative and executive authorities and reach noncentralized administration in unstable areas in the Iraqi Kurdistan Region. We will also dismiss the electoral commission and form a new UN-compliant commission.

Iraqi political forces are currently busy uniting political stances and seeking new electoral coalitions to participate in the upcoming parliamentary elections in 2018. The electoral race is expected to be heated.
June 30, 2017

Tension is escalating rapidly west of the Euphrates River, especially in the area of Syria's Afrin canton controlled by the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG), and at Idlib, controlled by a motley collection of outfits mostly backed by Turkey.

Last week, as the Turkish army continued to amass forces in the triangle of Kilis in Turkey, and Jarablus/al-Bab/al-Rai in Syria, Turkish 155 howitzers began shelling YPG targets southwest of Azaz and north of Tel Rifaat. The YPG returned fire with its 81 mm mortars at Free Syrian Army (FSA) targets in the triangle. Local sources told Al-Monitor there have been occasional clashes between the YPG and the FSA east of Tel Rifaat over the past two weeks.

The YPG issued a statement June 30 saying it plans to take from Turkey the area between Azaz and Jarablus. It offered no timeline.

Ankaras priority target in northern Syria is the YPG. Turkey aims to prevent the creation of a Kurdish or Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) corridor that would begin at PKK headquarters in the Qandil Mountains and extend to Afrin canton in the west via Shengal, and the cantons of Jazeera and Kobani.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan recently posted on his official Twitter account: I am calling on the whole world. We will never allow setting up of a [Kurdish] state in northern Syria no matter what the cost may be.

Ankara, when it couldnt persuade the United States to stop cooperating with the YPG east of the Euphrates, turned its attention to west of the Euphrates. Ankara no doubt finds that Moscow is easier to work with than the United States in northern Syria. West of the Euphrates, Ankara and Moscow need each other, hence their inevitable cooperation. For a clearer picture west of the Euphrates, one needs to understand why Moscow needs Ankara at Idlib and what Ankara can get in return.

Currently, Idlib acts as the "capital" of the armed Syrian opposition in Syria. In Idlib, you will find:

Salafi-jihadi armed groups that are generally considered "terrorists," such as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, an alliance including Jabhat Fatah al-Sham (formerly Jabhat al-Nusra).

Middle-of-the-road Salafi-jihadi armed groups such as Ahrar al-Sham, which has one foot in the radicals' camp and the other in a group considered "moderates."

Sunni armed opposition that Turkey has tried to consolidate under the FSA and that provided field support to Turkey during Operation Euphrates Shield.

It's clear that Russia and loyalists of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad are preparing for a major offensive at Idlib, as they did in Aleppo. They are telling the groups at Idlib, basically, You have to decide if you are moderates or radicals. If you are moderates, you can either leave Idlib or comply with the rules of de-escalation. If you dont leave Idlib and refuse to heed the rules of de-escalation, then you are terrorists and deserve to be eliminated.

Moscow now needs the area Turkey is preparing in the Jarablus/al-Bab/al-Rai triangle for the moderates and their families who will leave Idlib. Russia also needs a reliable mediator in its relations with the groups at Idlib. Ankara can definitely be of great help in this.

Cognizant of its needs, Moscow appears to be much more accommodating to Ankara rather than Washington by trying to reconcile Ankaras concerns with Moscows field requirements.

In the field, the primary issue is where to put the tens of thousands of people who will leave Idlib before the anticipated offensive. The only feasible area for these displaced people to settle will be the Turkey-controlled Jarablus/al-Bab/al-Rai triangle. But this triangle needs to be expanded. That will not be militarily feasible southward, south of al-Bab or toward Manbij in the east.

The only available territory is toward Tel Rifaat in the YPG-controlled Afrin canton.

My understanding of the situation on the ground is that, in return for Ankaras help at Idlib, Moscow will agree for Ankara to expand, if not in the entirety of Afrin, then from Kilis-Azaz toward the southwest, to reach Tel Rifaat.

This is precisely why I predict that, should there be a Turkish operation west of the Euphrates, it will be two-pronged, one from the Kilis-Azaz line toward the south and the other from Mare in the east toward the west, with both columns linking up at Tel Rifaat. The FSA would provide the bulk of the ground forces and Turkey would provide 155 mm artillery support. To comprehend how much leeway Russia will allow Ankara, we have to see whether it will allow Turkish air force operations to move against YPG targets in the Afrin canton.

The question now is whether Ankara will be able to establish a power balance to make the de-escalation zone operational before clashes escalate at Idlib. The answer will be decided by the choices of the groups under the Ahrar al-Sham umbrella. What will be the preferences of these groups, some of them guided by former Jabhat al-Nusra forces, and others backed by Turkey?

It's not hard to guess that Ankara, in return for concessions from Moscow at Afrin, will do its best to ensure that middle-of-the-road groups such as Ahrar al-Sham will adopt the rules of de-escalation. That, however, could lead to clashes between Ankara and former Jabhat al-Nusra factions.

Because of this extremely complex scene, the fate of Idlib will affect not only the destiny of extreme Salafi/jihadi networks in Syria, but also the fate of similar networks in Turkey.

Turkish presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin last month said Turkey could send 300-500 troops to the Idlib de-escalation zone.

Another interesting development is the decision made during negotiations in Astana, Kazakhstan, to deploy troops from other foreign countries in all de-escalation zones in Syria. Two weeks ago, there were already reports that Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan could send troops to Idlib.

Would the arrival of Kyrgyz and Kazakh troops aim only to prevent an outbreak of clashes between the Syrian government and opposition, or is there some other thinking behind it?

Many Central Asians hailing from different countries have joined Salafi/jihadi groups in the region. These people at the moment pose limited threats to their own countries. But the arrival of the troops could be seen as a major move of the states recognizing this threat. When one sees Uighur militants around Idlib, the question arises whether China will get involved in the Idlib issue.

Now, all eyes will be on the July 10 Astana summit regarding the future of Idlib, and therefore Afrin.

The main issue for Turkey at the summit will be how to reconcile its paradoxical thesis of preserving Syrias territorial integrity while trying to expand its governance of Syrian territory of the Jarablus/al-Bab/al-Rai triangle.
July 2, 2017

TEHRAN, Iran  The US Senate on June 15 overwhelmingly passed a bill to impose new sanctions against Iran. The Countering Iran's Destabilizing Activities Act targets Iran's ballistic missile program, its alleged support for terrorism and its human rights violations. It also includes new sanctions against Russia. The House of Representatives has found that the Senate bill violates a constitutional requirement that any bill that raises revenue for the government must commence in the House, thus stalling its finalization.

While US officials claim that the Senate bill complies with the 2015 Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), there are disagreements between Iranian officials and scholars in the interpretation of the move and its impact on the nuclear deal. At the very least, a majority agree that the new sanctions hurt the spirit of the JCPOA.

Mentioning the Senate bill, Maj. Gen. Mohammad Bagheri, the chief of staff of the Iranian Armed Forces, declared on June 23 that if implemented, the new sanctions would defy both the letter and the spirit of the JCPOA. Bagheri further said that these sanctions once again show the United States persistence in its enmity toward Iran and that no one should think that the United States behavior can change.

Noting the complexity of the issue and the aggregation of the sanctions against Iran and Russia in one bill, Hamid Baeidinejad, Iran's ambassador to the UK and former nuclear negotiator, wrote in a Telegram post on June 17, "The bill has been approved by the Senate, but has yet to pass two more hurdles before becoming law.  So it is important that the [Iranian] establishment's authorities avoid acting impulsively in expressing an official position."

Nasser Hadian, a prominent professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, told Al-Monitor that he does not believe that the new sanctions would explicitly violate the nuclear deal, though they defy the intent of the JCPOA. Hadian believes there is coordination and agreement between the United States and the EU in the escalation of pressure on Iran over its missile program, while avoiding explicit violation of the nuclear deal.

Noting the reinvigorated ties between the Donald Trump administration and Iran's regional rivals, Hadian further underlined the role of regional lobbies, including those of Saudi Arabia and Israel, in pushing for the new US sanctions. In this vein, he told Al-Monitor that there are four scenarios as potential reactions of Iran. "The first scenario is interpreting the sanctions as a clear violation of the JCPOA and therefore [triggering an] end to adherence to it by Iran. The second one is a decrease in Iran's adherence to its commitments [under the deal]. The third one is continuation of Iran's adherence to the JCPOA, as before, because the other parties  except for the US  act in compliance with their commitments. The fourth scenario is Iran acting beyond its commitments in order to prove its peaceful intentions and isolating the US." To this end, Hadian suggested that Iran should use both its formal diplomatic channels as well as backchannel diplomacy to reach out to China, Russia and European countries in a bid to convince them to adhere to the nuclear deal.

Mohammad Jamshidi, a professor of international relations at the University of Tehran, told Al-Monitor that the bill violates not only the letter and spirit of the JCPOA but also UN Security Council Resolution 2231. He said the sanctions contravene Articles 26-29 of the JCPOA, noting that "according to Article 29, the US is committed to refrain from any policy intended to affect the normalization of trade and economic relations with Iran.

Jamshidi added that the new US sanctions would violate Resolution 2231 in three ways. In his telling, the sanctions would perpetuate penalties over Iran's activities related to ballistic missiles, while Resolution 2231 states that all restrictions related to the latter should only apply for eight years after the JCPOAs Adoption Day. Second, the bill will generalize sanctions against Iran's ballistic missile program, disregarding the types and capabilities of the missiles, while paragraph three of Annex B of Resolution 2231 calls upon Iran not to undertake any activity specifically related to ballistic missiles "designed" to be capable of delivering nuclear weapons. Third, the bill targets all arms transfers to Iran for an unlimited time, whereas paragraph five of Annex B of Resolution 2231 states that the restrictions on arms-related transfers shall apply only for five years after the JCPOAs Adoption Day.

There is also the question of whether the new sanctions may influence Iran's regional policies. To this end, Jamshidi told Al-Monitor, "One of the main purposes of this bill is to weaken Iran's regional power and force it to change its regional policy. The US sees the IRGC [Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps] beyond a military agency and tries to weaken Iran's economy by approving sanctions against it and all the banks that provide financial services to it under the pretext that IRGC supports terrorism. But these efforts will backfire and strengthen Iran's regional policy, especially considering the security condition of the Middle East.

In this vein, Jamshidi charged the United States with being the party responsible for failing the nuclear deal  though he noted that this isnt just the result of the Trump administration's actions, but that the sanctions would have been approved even if Hillary Clinton had been elected president. Pointing to changing political dynamics within Washington, Jamshidi said, It is a sign of a historical change in redefining the role of the Congress in US foreign policy and diminishing the power of the administration in shaping US foreign policy."

The extensive support of Iranian officials for the recent ballistic missile attack against Islamic State targets in northeastern Syria also shows the internal consensus about the necessity of sustaining and strengthening Iran's ballistic missile capabilities and its role in guaranteeing Iranian national security in a turbulent Middle East.

On June 11, parliamentary speaker Ali Larijani asked parliaments National Security and Foreign Policy Commission to urgently formalize a new bill to retaliate against the Senate move. Seyed Hossein Naghavi Hosseini, the spokesman for the commission, said on June 25 that the commission is preparing a comprehensive bill to counteract the new non-nuclear sanctions. Kazem Jalali, the head of the Iranian parliaments Research Center, said on June 28, "The Bill Against Adventurist and Terrorist Activities in the Region addresses such issues as US support for terrorism and violation of human rights, and Iran's countering of US economic sanctions, adding that it also envisages support for Irans Armed Forces and Iranians based in the US."
July 2, 2017

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was forced to beat a hasty retreat from the Conversion Law (rejecting Reform and Conservative conversions) after it was passed by the Ministerial Committee for Legislation on June 26. At a tense meeting with the leaders of the coalition parties on June 30, Netanyahu announced that he was putting the law on hold for six months and forming a committee to study it further. The ultra-Orthodox ministers stormed out of the meeting but later reached an agreement with the prime minister. But the affair is far from being over; Netanyahu will yet hear from them. It is safe to assume that the suspension of the Western Wall compromise, which provided non-Orthodox Jews with a separate prayer space along the southern part of the Western Wall, will be reconsidered now, too.

As a result of these two decisions, the Israeli government was inundated last week by a Jewish tsunami that no one could have anticipated. It involved everyone from the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) to the Jewish Federations of North America to the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations to heads of various communities and denominations. Jews around the world were up in arms. They lambasted Netanyahu and his right-wing-Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox coalition and set boundaries for it.

On June 29, the leaders of AIPAC, Washington's powerful pro-Israel lobby, arrived in Israel on an urgent flight from the United States. Its outgoing President Lillian Pinkus, its incoming President Mort Fridman, and deputy directors Richard Fishman and Cameron Brown held a series of tough meetings with various ministers and eventually with the prime minister himself. Their message was clear and succinct: Suspending the Western Wall compromise and passing the Conversion Law constitutes a bill of divorce that Israel is handing to the Jewish communities of North America. What they were effectively telling Israel was this: You're not only harming the Reform and Conservative communities, you are also damaging your alliance with diaspora Jewry as a whole and, indirectly, you are putting Israel's interests in Washington at risk. This decision can even impact the US sale of F-35 jets to Israel and other strategic issues.

AIPAC is Israel's "Iron Dome" in Washington's corridors of power, but now AIPAC's leaders made it clear to the Israelis that this protective dome is in danger. "Activists, donors and chapter heads have been calling us en masse since the beginning of the week," one AIPAC member told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. "They want to quit. They are bitter. No one will continue to work on behalf of Israel if it continues along this path and cuts itself off from the international Jewish community."

AIPAC is a disciplined lobby. It is hard to remember the last time it opposed the position of a serving Israeli government. No more. By choosing to appease the ultra-Orthodox Knesset members in the coalition rather than advancing the integrity and unity of the Jewish people, they set off a nuclear explosion that reached across the length and breadth of America. Similar criticism could also be heard from the sizable Jewish community of France and from other places, too. Netanyahu realized that this time he had gone too far, but it was already too late.

The revolt expanded inwardly, too. Israeli ambassadors and diplomats across North America sent a series of urgent messages and memos to Jerusalem, explicitly warning about a real existential crisis facing Israel's relationship with their Jewish communities as a result of this new policy. One night at the end of June, Jonathan Schachter, the foreign policy adviser to the prime minister, held a conference call with all of Israel's diplomatic representatives in North America. When asked by one diplomat what to tell the leaders of the local Jewish communities, he said that they should explain to them that the people truly responsible for the crisis and ensuing rift are the "denominations," or, in other words, the Reform and Conservative communities, which do not understand the constraints under which the Israeli government operates. He then went on to say that they are blowing the story out of proportion.

Israel's diplomatic staff was shocked. A few of them refused to state this as a new policy and demanded instructions in writing. "It is simply unbelievable that after two such decisions, we are being asked to place the onus of responsibility on the denominations here in the US. Someone doesn't understand how much damage this is causing to the very fabric of the strategic relationship between Israel and diaspora Jewry," one veteran Israeli diplomat told Al-Monitor on the condition of anonymity.

On the night of June 29-30, Netanyahu's foreign policy adviser had another conference call, this time with the heads of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations of North America. It was no less difficult  perhaps even more difficult  than the previous call. Schachter was forced to spend an hour listening to complaints from the heads of large Jewish organizations. An Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity that Schachter tried explaining that "the prime minister is working on behalf of Jewish unity," but was met with a long, cold shower of reproachful and angry tirades. "He's doing the exact opposite," said one of the participants, at least according to one political source speaking on condition of anonymity. "The prime minister is doing everything to sow discord and tear apart the Jewish people."

Other remarks, according to the political source, included: "You're deceiving Israelis.  You're lucky that they dont really understand exactly what this is all about.  Once they do understand that, and you demand that they stop driving on the Sabbath, it will already be too late." Then there was this: "The Conversion Law will result in a rift and tear the Jewish people apart.  The fact that you are incapable of standing by an agreement reached by the government concerning our right to pray at the Western Wall is simply shocking." A representative of the United Jewish Appeal threatened, "We will not only suspend our events. We will also stop inviting Israeli representatives to participate in them and address us." Another representative added, "Since the days of [Israels first Prime Minister] Ben Gurion, there has never been such a callous intrusion by religion into the life of the state." A representative of the Jewish Federations of North America remarked, "The Conversion Law and suspending the Western Wall compromise are very serious incidents. People call us about them incessantly. The overall feeling is one of betrayal and the abandonment of American Jewry. Netanyahus statements about how he is committed to preserving the unity of the Jewish people are barely lip service."

Netanyahu was forced to stop and come up with a new path. His own defense minister, Avigdor Liberman, is virulently opposed to these moves. Even ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked of national-religious HaBayit HaYehudi have expressed reservations about the recent moves, though they are under heavy pressure from the ultra-Orthodox and have little room to maneuver. Responsibility falls squarely on Netanyahu's shoulders.

Netanyahu was a little confused by Donald Trump's victory against all odds in the US election, despite liberal Jews' support for Hillary Clinton. He is now being forced to learn the hard way that even a Trump Republican government in power in Washington cannot change the fact that the vast majority of American Jews, whether Reform or Conservative, are liberals. Yes, they have a deep commitment to Israel, but it must not be taken for granted. Netanyahu will now be forced to choose between an alliance with them and his alliance with the ultra-Orthodox.
July 3, 2017

The fact that Russia and Iran are both supporting Syrian President Bashar al-Assads government  and that Moscow has launched air attacks on Syrian opposition forces from Iran as well as directed its cruise missiles through Iranian airspace  has fueled widespread speculation that Moscow and Tehran are allies. Advocates of this view usually also point to Russias efforts to shield Iran from punitive UN Security Council sanctions over its nuclear program and to extensive Russian arms sales to Iran. As tensions between Shiite Iran and powerful Sunni states like Saudi Arabia have deepened, some even argue that Moscow is backing Iran in a bid for regional hegemony. Notwithstanding such fears in Washington and select Middle East capitals, Russias objectives in the Middle East appear much less ambitious.

Indeed, Moscow would face considerable obstacles in any attempt to support Irans dominance in the Middle East. Fyodor Lukyanov, a respected foreign affairs scholar who is chairman of the Presidium of the Council on Foreign and Defense Policy  an organization broadly analogous to Americas Council on Foreign Relations  told Al-Monitor that to deliberately support the Shia over the Sunni would be suicidal for Russia because 90% of Russias Muslims are Sunni. Tamping down Sunni religious identity and preventing extremist terrorism inside the Russian Federation have been among Russias top national priorities since the collapse of the Soviet Union. Having pacified Chechnya in two bloody wars, and having suffered from mass terrorist events like the 2002 Dubrovka Theater hostage crisis and the 2004 Beslan school massacre, the Kremlin is hardly eager to pursue a Middle East policy that extremists could use to recruit new followers and justify new atrocities.

Perhaps more important, Lukyanov said, even if Russias leaders wanted to pursue such a policy, Moscow lacks the capability to establish and sustain Iran as a Middle East hegemon. Only a superpower would possess the combination of political, financial and military tools necessary to implement this strategy  and Russia is no longer a superpower. Arming Iran, and doing so only when Iran wants to pay market prices, would not be enough, even in tandem with Moscows political defense in the UN Security Council. Beyond that, Lukyanov argued, alluding to Irans self-confident sense of national pride, under no circumstances will Iran be anybodys client state. It is simply out of the question. To the extent that Iran is seeking regional dominance, it is acting on its own behalf.

According to Lukyanov, Russias actual Middle East policy is based not on confessional divisions but on traditional great power balance calculation. Because Moscow is not a superpower and does not have a superpowers influence or resources, Russia needs an approach that maximizes its impact relative to its efforts. From this perspective, the Kremlin has the best opportunities as a player in the Middle East when the region is in a rough sort of balance  and when even limited exertions can tip the balance in one direction or another, at least for a time. In theory, this approach allows Russia to extract benefits from cooperation with all sides while avoiding serious conflict with anyone.

Outside observers may find it hard to distinguish this policy from an Iran-hegemony strategy for several reasons, some long-term and some short-term. Among the long-term reasons is Irans post-1979 semi-isolation in the Middle East, which created a distorted Middle East balance that partially excluded one of the regions leading powers from much normal diplomacy. Russias support for Irans reintegration into the region's political, economic and security affairs has inherently challenged a status quo that most others had come to appreciate. In the short term, many of the same governments that welcomed Irans minimal role in the Middle East have come to see Russias alignment with Iran in Syria as reflecting wider shared interests between Moscow and Tehran.

While Russia and Iran have many common interests, they differ on several key issues. Lukyanov identified three, each of which is especially significant for Washington. First, he said, for Iran it is crucial to keep Assad, but for Moscow it will be enough to sustain a secular regime in approximately the same borders. This divergence in aims will become more important as Syrias civil war evolves into a more traditional intra-state conflict open to more traditional solutions; serious peace negotiations will test the political alignment between Russia and Iran in a highly visible manner.

Second, Lukyanov said, Moscow in no way supports Irans anti-Israel zeal. Russias growing cooperation with Israel is a sharp departure from Soviet foreign policy, emerging from common interests and perspectives on some security matters, particularly terrorism, as well as Israels significant Russian-speaking population. This could also become an important consideration in any peace process for Syria, in that Israel will have important security interests at stake in the outcome and Israels government is sure to share its perspective with not only US officials, but also their Russian counterparts.

Finally, Lukyanov concluded, Russia is not in favor of escalation between Iran and the Gulf monarchies. As a practical matter, of course, Moscows support for Iran cannot but facilitate Irans competition with Saudi Arabia and other Gulf monarchies, which contributes to instability in the Middle East. Nevertheless, so long as it does not escalate too far, this instability creates precisely the opportunities that Moscow seeks to enhance its role in the region. Thus, for example, in answering press questions regarding a recent visit to Moscow by Saudi Arabias Deputy Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova stressed Russias role as a mediator between major regional players on Syria and other issues.

Iran clearly holds a privileged place in Russias Middle East policy, but its special role ultimately extends only so far  something that leaders in Tehran appear to recognize quite well. Russia is prepared to help its partner Iran, especially on matters of shared interest. But there is little if any evidence that Moscow is willing to support Iran in areas in which they disagree  particularly if that support carries real costs to Russias other interests.
A 12-year-old boy was killed Saturday afternoon in a two-vehicle interstate crash in St. Clair County

The accident happened at 2:40 p.m. on Interstate 59 in Springville. Alabama State Trooper Chuck Daniel said the boy was a passenger in a 1998 Dodge Ram pickup truck driven by 67-year-old Robert Fleming Dugger, of Ashville.

Dugger's truck collided with a 2005 Acura driven by 18-year-old Benjamin Majors of Hattiesburg.

The 12-year-old was not wearing a seatbelt and was pronounced dead on the scene, Daniel said. Troopers no longer release the names of juvenile fatality victims.

Dugger, and two more passengers in his pickup, were taken to UAB Hospital. The extent of their injuries wasn't made available.

Majors and a passenger in his Acura were not injured. The crash remains under investigation.

Story updated to correct the day from Sunday to Saturday.
Army veteran Lanny Jackson, of Belview Heights, wants to be the next mayor of Birmingham.

Jackson, 63, who served 21 years in the Army before retiring as first sergeant, has qualified to run for the city's top office in the Aug. 22 municipal election. Jackson currently works as a supervisor for UAB Building Services. He has been married to his wife, Carolyn, for 43 years.

He said he is running for mayor because he "wants a brighter future for Birmingham." Birmingham is getting left behind "because we didn't try to compete," Jackson said.

Jackson said Birmingham needs to be recruiting high-tech jobs, promoting the universities and colleges in the city, and fully utilizing the city's talented residents. "We have a lot of talent in the city that we aren't getting involved," he said.

"We are in the 21st century, and we are still acting like we in the 20th century," he said. "We should be moving together as a region."

Current Birmingham Mayor William Bell, Birmingham Board of Education member Randall Woodfin, contractor Chris Woods, Jefferson County Sheriff's Office reserve deputy Randy Davis, Pastor Fernandez Sims, community activist Frank Matthews, entrepreneur Philemon Hill and Patricia Bell have all announced intentions to run for mayor.

Jackson said he has the experience to lead the city. He's been in management for 42 years, he said. He earned a bachelor's degree in political science from Miles College.

"Leadership is influencing people," he said. "I think I have the skills to influence people to move as one."

Birmingham City Schools should have an appointed school board rather than an elected one, Jackson said. "We need to get some expertise back to the school board," he said.

As mayor, Jackson wants to get guns off the streets.

"We need some kind of gun control," he said. "We are going to have to convince our state leaders on some type of gun control. There is a flood of guns in our city right now because there is no type of gun control."

This issue hits close to home for Jackson. His neighbor, Calvin Gunn, was gunned down in his driveway in October. Gunn was trying to protect his wife who was being robbed when, Birmingham, police say he was shot by an 18-year-old.

Birmingham needs a reliable, regional transportation system, he said.

The city shouldn't be focused on demolishing vacant or dilapidated homes, Jackson said. Instead, these homes should be fixed up and made available to low-income families, he said.

While Birmingham's libraries provide a valuable service to the community, Jackson said, and the city needs to invest more in them.
A Georgia man was killed early Monday in a single-vehicle crash in Cherokee County.

Alabama State Troopers identified the victim as Paul Lamar Middleton. He was 52.

The crash happened at 5 a.m. on Alabama 35, seven miles north of Gaylesville, said Trooper Curtis Summerville. Middleton was driving a 2001 Volkswagen that left the roadway and hit a ditched.

Middleton, who was not wearing a seatbelt, was ejected from the car and pronounced dead on the scene. No additional information was released.
A 42-year-old husband and father killed early Sunday in Birmingham's Lakeview District died the way he lived - trying to keep the peace, his grieving wife said.

Larry Duncan was shot about 4 a.m. when an argument between his family members and two on-duty Birmingham City workers ended in gunfire. His wife, Brandy Duncan, and police said it appeared Duncan was trying to stop the fight when he got caught in the crossfire.

"He was just a stand-up guy,'' Brandy Duncan said. "He always tried to diffuse things, make things better. That was him. That was Larry."

About 4:02 a.m. Sunday, South Precinct officers responded to the 2800 block of Seventh Avenue South after police working off-duty in the area heard shots fired and called for assistance. When they arrived, they found Duncan lying in the roadway suffering from multiple gunshot wounds, said Sgt. Bryan Shelton.

Duncan was taken to UAB Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Duncan's family member - his wife's cousin - was found in the same area suffering from a gunshot wound to his right leg. That man - an off-duty Birmingham City worker - was taken to Grandview Medical Center by Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service, where he was treated and released. After treatment, he was taken to Birmingham Police Headquarters for questioning and is now being held in the city jail pending the ongoing investigation.

A third man - an on-duty city sanitation worker - was also shot multiple times and was taken to UAB Hospital in a Birmingham City sanitation work truck. His condition has not been released, but Shelton said it appears he is going to survive.

Duncan had been out with his two family members. It appears they were leaving the area when the argument between one of them erupted with two City of Birmingham Street and Sanitation Department workers who were in the area collecting trash. During that altercation, one of the on-duty city workers exchanged gunfire with Duncan's family member, who also is employed in public works.

Both city employees and Duncan were struck by gunfire. Duncan did not fire any shots, and does not carry a weapon, police and family said.

Shelton said it's not clear why an on-duty city employee had a handgun on him at work. "The possession of the handgun will be an internal city investigation as opposed to a criminal one unless evidence is found otherwise,'' Shelton said.

Lakeview is a popular nightspot and includes restaurants, bars and street food vendors. Traditionally, there are hundreds of patrons in the area on the weekends and the night life was still going strong early Sunday morning with many people still at the bars and out in the high-pedestrian-traffic area.

"It could have been much worse, but we are grateful no one else was injured and it's unfortunate the victim had to lose his life,'' Shelton said. "Crime can happen anywhere and this goes to show you at any point and any time something can happen. We need the community's continued support. If you see something starting to escalate, dial 911."

"It's a very convoluted situation and we understand there might be some confusion about what went on,'' Shelton said. "As the investigation unfolds we will be able to say more. The victim's family deserves those answers and we're going to make sure they get that."

Brandy Duncan said it's ironic that she and her husband less than 24 hours before his death had talked about all of the shooting-related killings of late. "He was just talking about how these young guys need to stop with the gun violence,'' she said. "He said that's why he didn't carry a gun."

Larry Duncan grew up in north Birmingham's Hooper City community, and graduated from Carver High School. After high school, he attended Virginia College where he studied computers. His most recent job was with R+L Carriers, a Birmingham-based freight shipping and logistics company for whom he transported goods back and forth between Birmingham and Ohio multiple times a week.

In fact, he had just returned home from one of those trips Saturday when one of their family members decided to come in town, and several of the cousins decided to go out togehter. Because the visiting family member didn't get into Birmingham late, Larry Duncan told his wife he was just going to stay home.

"I told him not to go and he said he was just going to stay home with me,'' she said. She wasn't sure she believed him, but he took off his shoes, and socks and got comfortable playing video games so she went on to sleep.

Later on, she woke up and noticed he wasn't home. She tried to call his cell phone and got no answer. Then, a short time later, she received a call saying he'd been shot in the arm. She rushed to UAB Hospital, where doctors told her he'd actually been shot in the neck and didn't survive.

"I said, 'This can't be real.' It still doesn't feel like this is real,'' Brandy Duncan said.

The couple has been together 20 years, and married in 2001. They have two sons, ages 20 and 10. The older son just arrived in Birmingham Friday on a 10-day pass from the U.S. Army and had not yet even seen his father. "He's in shock,'' Brandy Duncan said. "He's trying to be OK."

The younger son, too, is taking his father's death hard. "You couldn't tear him away from his Dad. That was his world,'' she said. "He said, 'So there's no more Dad? I'm not going to see my Dad ever again?''

At that point, he went and put on his shoes and said, "My Dad will be back, and we're going to play a game." "He's in disbelief,'' Brandy Duncan said.

Larry Duncan was well-known and much-loved in the community he grew up in. Many of those childhood friends have posted about their memories, and their sorrow, on Facebook as news spread about his death.

"Larry was a super good guy. He didn't bother nobody. He was very loving, very caring. He was a peacemaker,'' Brandy Duncan said. "He's never been the type to be involved in drama. He always stayed away from stuff like that and tried to diffuse things."

She said she's shocked that her husband's life ended the way it did. "Not Larry,'' she said. "You would have thought Larry would die from old age. He was in great health."

Brandy Duncan got to spend a few minutes with her husband at the hospital after doctors told her he had died. It was a heart-wrenching goodbye. She said she asked him why he left her, and told her how much she was going to miss him.

"To see those tears in his eyes and the dried tears on his cheeks, it was hard. I just kept staring in his eyes,'' she said. "It is an image that will never leave my mind."
The parents of Megan Rondini, the University of Alabama student who killed herself after alleging that she had been raped by a Tuscaloosa man, filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit Sunday against her alleged rapist, two university employees, the Tuscaloosa County sheriff, a sheriff's deputy, and a sheriff's office investigator.

The lawsuit by Michael and Cynthia Rondini alleges that the school and law enforcement failed their daughter. It claims the sheriff's office inadequately pursued the investigation and did not take Megan's claims seriously, and the university did not give her adequate psychological treatment and support after the alleged rape.

Leroy Maxwell Jr., the Rondinis' attorney, said the lawsuit was filed with the hope that it would prevent cases similar to Megan's.

"There was a mediation with the Rondini family and the university, the details of which are confidential. The Rondini family is not in this for the money, they are only interested in shining a bright light on a tragic yet preventable situation," he said in a statement sent to AL.com. "The court will determine if this case rises to the level of punitive damages."

Meanwhile, the school, DCH Regional Medical Center, victim advocates, the Tuscaloosa District Attorney's office and law enforcement are establishing two sexual assault programs that care for sexual assault victims.

"While this long-term solution is being implemented, DCH is training its staff in the SANE [Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner] course curriculum," the groups said Friday in a joint press release.

Terry Bunn Jr., Rondini's alleged rapist, could not immediately be reached for comment. The lawsuit identifies him as being part of a family that is "well connected and powerful in the Tuscaloosa community, and were major financial supporters of UA." Bunn works at ST Bunn Construction Company, which is across the street from the Innisfree Pub, where Megan was allegedly drunk or drugged before being raped for 30 minutes in July 2015.

His lawyer, W. Ivey Gillmore, said in a statement to AL.com that the lawsuit is "baseless and "simply false."

"Law enforcement investigated this matter; the district attorney's office reviewed the evidence; the evidence was even presented to a grand jury that found there was no justification for charges against my client. It is, perhaps, natural to want to find someone to blame when a young woman takes her life," Gillmore said. "But accusing law enforcement and those who counseled this young woman for her actions is misguided. Unfortunately, bringing this matter before the courts in this civil action will only prolong grief without changing the reality."

The filing goes on to claim that authorities sided with Bunn's version of events and did not thoroughly follow-up on Megan's story, and that an investigating officer was more interested in finding out whether Megan committed any crimes on the night of the rape.

The university allegedly "deliberately and repeatedly denied services and mishandled accommodations with hostility toward" Megan, the suit goes on to say. The lawsuit claims Megan confided in a UA counselor who told her she could no longer give her therapy because she was a family friend of the Bunns, and that a second counselor would not see Megan unless she first took anxiety medication.

The lawsuit claimed UA did not accommodate Megan after the rape, alleging that she saw Bunn's car outside her apartment and saw her alleged rapist on the Tuscaloosa campus.

Prior to the lawsuit, the university had issued this statement:

"The University of Alabama has been deeply saddened by the death of Megan Rondini, and we continue to offer our sympathy to her friends and family. Information published by news outlets this week has unfortunately ignored some significant facts," UA said. "When Megan went to the hospital, a university advocate met her at the hospital to provide support and stayed with her throughout the examination process. Megan also received information from university representatives regarding services available to her on campus, including counseling through the university's Women & Gender Resource Center. When she sought counseling and her first therapist identified a potential conflict as defined by her professional obligations, Megan was immediately introduced to another therapist, who provided care and support. Additionally, the UA Title IX Office was in contact with Megan, including offering academic accommodations and helping to streamline her withdrawal when Megan elected to return to Texas."

Megan returned home to Austin, Texas, where the trauma from the rape and the response from law enforcement and the university caused her to kill herself, the lawsuit claims.

"The combined trauma due to Megan's treatment by the Tuscaloosa Sheriff's Department, the reporting process with UA, the additional anxiety of trying and failing to receive counseling as a result of her rape, and the influential position of her assailant in the community ultimately made Megan feel unsafe on campus and that she could no longer remain at UA," the lawsuit stated.

Megan hung herself on February 26, 2016. Two days before, she sent a text that read: "When all is said and done, I wonder what I could've accomplished if one man didn't completely rip everything away from me."

A copy of the lawsuit is posted below:

Rondini Lawsuit by hkoplowitz on Scribd

Updated at 6:30 p.m. to include a statement from Bunn's attorney.
Courtesy of The Four Tops; Capital Concerts/Keith Lamond via ShutterstockLet the fireworks begin! The 2017 edition of the annual PBS Independence Day special, A Capitol Fourth, airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., at 8 p.m. ET. The lineup of the patriotic concert spectacular includes Motown greats The Four Tops, The Beach Boys, The Blues Brothers with special guest Sam Moore, country star Trace Adkins and many others.

Duke Fakir, the last surviving original Four Tops member, tells ABC Radio that it's "a great honor" to get to perform some of his group's classic songs at the Capitol on July 4.

The show will feature special tributes to the U.S. troops, will feature a variety of military bands and is expected to be viewed by armed forces members around the world on the American Forces Network.

Fakir points out that The Four Tops have performed for the troops many times during their long career, "and we're always more than happy to honor them in any way we can and every chance that we get."

As for what his group will sing, the 81-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer says, "We'll be doing most of our hits -- about five or six in a medley," which undoubtedly will include "Baby I Need Your Loving," "I Can't Help Myself (Sugar Pie Honey Bunch)" and "Reach Out I'll Be There."

Duke says his favorite Four Tops tune is "Baby I Need Your Loving," partly because it was the group's first hit.

Actor John Stamos will host this year's A Capitol Fourth, and also will play drums with The Beach Boys. Bringing the special to a close will be a fireworks extravaganza, along with a performance of Tchaikovsky's "1812 Overture" by the National Symphony Orchestra.

Visit PBS.org for more details about the event.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Twelve months ago, a powerful blast ripped through the heart of Baghdad killing more than 300 people.

Explosion rocks central Baghdad, read the headline, accompanied by an image showing blazing light and smoke billowing from the buildings of a crowded street.

These were words I had read too often, and pictures I had seen repeatedly.

I felt the headline weighing heavily on my heart. Yet, I took a deep breath and went to bed.

Why did I choose to ignore it? Was I just avoiding the inevitable? Was I so selfish not to want to read about the pain  pain I only try to relate to from a safe, distant place? Or has it just become too common that it doesnt make me flinch? Am I that desensitised?

I woke up thinking of the images, guilty that I went to sleep without checking what I thought was just another blast in the Iraqi capital.

Karada, in central Baghdad, is home to churches, mosques and a synagogue. Artists and politicians, liberals and conservatives live here or visit the districts numerous cafes, bars, restaurants, bookshops and galleries.

Its streets are lined with food stalls. Smoke from grilled meat fills the sky, but the scent of jasmine occasionally overpowers the smells of food in the air. Rows of people stand on the pavement bantering and eating. The burning orange flames of fish grills give colour to the side streets lit by a few lonely light bulbs. Men sip tea and smoke cigarettes.

Karada is a symbol of a safe, diverse and vibrant Iraq  an Iraq that many hope can be revived.

Hundreds of lives lost

On the night of July 3, 2016, there was excitement in the air. It was one of the last days of fasting for the Muslim holy month of Ramadan and everyone was preparing for the Eid al-Fitr celebrations.

Karadas streets were busy. Couples walked hand-in-hand and friends smoked shisha. Families ate at restaurants and children picked out new outfits to wear for the first day of Eid.





These people had no idea that this night would be their last.

Shortly after midnight, while the neighbourhood was still packed with people, a van full of explosives drove through Karada.

A massive explosion followed.

The blast ripped through restaurants and shops, setting ablaze an area of around 1,000 square metres. Karada became an inferno.

Iraq had not just witnessed another explosion  this was the largest since the 2003 US invasion. And it struck right in the very heart of Baghdad.

IN PICTURES: Devastating scenes of carnage in Karada

Hundreds of lives were lost in the attack, which was claimed by ISIL. Baghdad was broken, and Iraqis in and out of the country were mourning.

The skeletons of charred buildings stood as a memorial to all those who perished. Karada became a shrine. Hundreds gathered and spent all night lighting candles, praying and comforting each other. There was a mix of sadness, anger and devastation.

By the following morning, the death toll had risen from 83 to 200. Families waited for news as forensic teams struggled to identify unrecognisable bodies. Almost every Iraqi I knew was mourning someone who was killed in the blast.

Iraqis were consumed with any news coming from the area. Names and photographs began to surface of the identified dead. Hundreds remained missing. There were desperate pleas for information in photographs showing young, smiling, men.

All this was happening within the Iraqi community online and offline. Much of the international media, though, was quick to move on, and anyone who didnt speak Arabic or who was not following the tragedy closely would have had no idea of the emotional devastation we felt.

READ MORE: Sorrow turns to anger for Baghdads devastated citizens

Iraqis were angry and demanded truth and accountability. Why were there so many stories as to what actually happened that night? How did a van full of explosives get through a checkpoint? Why were there buildings with no fire exits in which hundreds died?

On July 4, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said the attack was heinous and that the government was going to take measures to step up security.

But was more security what Iraq really needed, or rather security that actually worked?





At checkpoints all over Iraq, including the Karada one, cars were scanned with fake bomb detectors which the UK government banned from export in 2010.

In 2013, James McCormick, the UK businessman who sold the devices to Iraq, was sentenced to 10 years in prison by a British court for fraud. Yet the Iraqi government continued to depend on these wand-like devices at checkpoints, knowing very well they didnt work.

Our lives are not valuable enough

Eid was on July 5. How could people celebrate when so many were mourning and burying their dead?

In the days following the tragedy, Iraqs interior minister resigned amid a wave of public anger and widespread criticism that the government is unable to ensure security in Baghdad. Security officials were also dismissed in what was seen as an attempt to calm citizens demanding answers.

The government announced that it was launching an investigation into what happened  but, for many, they may as well have not.

The investigation quickly produced a report saying what everyone already knew: that a van full of explosives was detonated.

The fake bomb detectors were removed from all checkpoints, and the case was closed, with the government never acknowledging any responsibility for the perceived security failures.

By July 7, it was confirmed that 292 were dead.

Frustrated at what he said was a lack of government action, Mortada al-Khateeb, a 24-year-old civil engineer and activist, started an online petition in a bid to gather enough signatures in the hope of getting the worlds attention in order for an official international inquiry to be launched.

In less than 48 hours, 70,000 people signed in the hope that they would be heard. But no one listened.

I must have emailed over 200 organisations, [public] figures and news channels pleading for them to come and report on what was happening on the ground. We wanted the world to see what was going on. It felt like we didnt matter. Like our lives were not valuable enough, he said.

It seemed Iraq had been forgotten and forsaken.

Forensic teams continued working on identifying bodies, and by July 31, Iraqs health ministry confirmed that the death toll had risen to 324.

The Karada explosion sadly wasnt the only one that day. According to the Iraq Body Count, there were eight other explosions that rocked Baghdad on July 3, killing more than a dozen people in attacks that were hardly mentioned or acknowledged, even within Iraq.

Twelve months on

It is exactly a year since the Karada explosion and families have little closure, saying that a proper, thorough government investigation was never conducted.

Forensic experts are still trying to identify bodies of those who died in the Karada attack and since then, more than 10,000 more people have died in violent incidents across Iraq.

When I went to Baghdad recently, I decided to go to the Karada bombing site. Already most of the area had been rebuilt but a small part of the shopping centre that came under attack remained.

As I walked behind the metal construction sheets, I got goosebumps. How many souls suffered and died a terrible death here? How do their families keep going?

I closed my eyes and all I could see were flashes of images I had seen of the mall before the fire, of the faces of the victims and the charred, of the hollow candlelit building I was standing in front of.

I could hear sobbing and mumbled prayers, wailing from people who slowly burned to death. I couldnt help but feel useless and angry.

This is not the first attack on innocent people in Iraq, nor will it be the last. I cant say it shook the world because it didnt, but it shook each and every Iraqi. Enough Iraqis have died at the hands of Western intervention and Iraqi leaders. Mending broken buildings does not mend broken hearts. Washing away the blood on the streets doesnt wash away the pain.

These were people just like you and me  with families who loved them, who they left behind. All surely had hopes and dreams, never imagining their lives would be taken away so savagely.

Karada matters because attacks like these target the very heart of co-existence. Karada matters because everyones loss hurts the same. Karada matters because Iraqi lives matter.

The hundreds that died on July 3, 2016, deserve to be remembered. Their families deserve an answer.

And the rest of us, we should savour each moment we are alive surrounded by the people we love.
India outlawed the dowry practice but today, one woman dies there every hour in a dowry-related incident.

On the night of December 13, 2014, Deepshikha Godara was stabbed, beaten and strangled to death by her estranged husband, Sunil Beniwal. Sunil then fled their home in Melbourne, Australia, and deliberately drove his car into the path of an oncoming truck. He died instantly.

A coroner ruled that Deepshikhas sudden and violent death came after years of prolonged physical and emotional abuse at the hands of her husband.

There are fears that such violence is growing in Australia, triggered by the Indian tradition of dowry  where a bride and her family provide gifts and money to the groom and his family.

For Deepshikhas husband, her familys payments were never enough.





India outlawed the dowry practice nearly 60 years ago, but even today, one woman dies there every hour in a dowry-related incident, according to the countrys National Crime Records Bureau.

As more Indians move to Australia, more cases are showing that this deadly menace has made its way overseas.

Every year, psychiatrist Dr Manjula OConnor sees hundreds of women at her medical practice seeking help after being harassed to provide a dowry.

In Australia, we do have documented files of murder and suicide due to dowry, she says.

The higher the social status of the groom, the more dowry he can demand. I have heard that so many times from the younger women. The mother-in-law and the father-in-law say that My son lives in Australia, dont you think that he deserves more? He lives in Australia, he has to be honoured.'

It is not illegal to give or take dowry in Australia, but late last year, a royal commission into family violence recommended that dowry be legally recognised as a form of abuse.

We want the dowry to be recognised as an act of domestic violence, Dr OConnor says. It will help bring the laws in line with what is happening in India.

READ MORE: Tales of a child bride  My father sold me for 12 cows

Dead at the hands of her husband

Deepshikha was a 25-year-old physiotherapist living in the Indian capital, New Delhi, when her family arranged her marriage to Sunil, an Australian citizen.

He was a beautiful guy, a smart guy, Deepshikhas father, Ashok Kumar Godara, told Al Jazeera in an interview at his home in New Delhi. Well-educated and well-behaved. Outwardly, he looked like a very social person and I was very satisfied with him. I agreed to the marriage.

Deepshikhas family then organised a dowry, which included gold, diamond necklaces and money.

But soon after Deepshika moved to Australia, they say her husband and his family began demanding more.

One year into her marriage, the demands for more dowry got so bad Deepshikha went to the police.

I lost my confidence and I can see myself falling down into hell. I never expected that by Sujana

But Dr OConnor says the local police didnt understand how dangerous issues around dowry could be.

If this was in India, the police would have known the seriousness of that situation, that this is the kind of situation that leads to murders and deaths of women, and they would have taken serious action against the groom.

Two years later, Deepshikha was dead at the hands of her husband.

The high cost of marriage

Like Deepshikha, Indian national Sujana was also a victim of dowry abuse in Australia.

Sujana was an aerospace engineer  independent and successful  when, at 27 years of age, her parents arranged her marriage to an Australian citizen.

What followed was nearly two years of abuse. It began with the pre-marital dowry negotiations between Sujana and her grooms family.

Their demands were like touching the sky  the cars, the silver, she says. Their list was too big.

Sujana says her family eventually paid a dowry worth almost $40,000 in cash, gold and silver to her husbands family.

But even that wasnt enough to satisfy her husband.

He wanted thousands of dollars, which I know that my parents couldnt afford, she says. The way he used to scream at me, I used to panic. And after a while, I think I was sort of giving up  whatever you want to do, you do it.

As the marriage continued, she says so, too, did the dowry demands and the abuse  physical, sexual and emotional.

Now divorced, she has lost a lot more than her marriage. She knows that she can never recover her familys money  but she also knows she may herself never recover.

I lost my confidence and I can see myself falling down into hell. I never expected that, she says.

While her marriage came at a high cost, she hopes Australia will move quickly to outlaw the dowry practice so that other women like her wont have to pay the price.
One month since diplomatic spat erupted, the two sides remain mired in a dispute that could forever alter the GCC.

Doha  A month since several Gulf countries and Egypt cut ties with Qatar, the opposing sides remain at a stalemate, as a heavily criticised list of non-negotiable demands hangs in the balance.

Saudi Arabia and its allies  including Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt  last month offered to end the blockade in return for Qatars compliance on 13 points, including to shut down the Al Jazeera Media Network, to scale back ties with Iran and to close a Turkish military base. Qatar has rejected the demands as an attempt to limit its sovereignty, while human rights agencies have accused the Saudi-led group of attempting to curtail press freedom in the region.





A 10-day deadline for compliance was extended for 48 hours on Sunday after a fresh dismissal of the demands from Qatars foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, who has instead offered a proper condition for dialogue to resolve the crisis.

The resulting impasse could drag on for months, analysts say, and deal a severe blow to Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) relations in the longer term.

At this point, the crisis is stuck at a standoff with neither side backing down, at least not publicly, Noha Aboueldahab, a visiting fellow at the Brookings Doha Center with expertise on transitional justice in the Arab world, told Al Jazeera.

Qatar has made it very clear that it will not negotiate matters it considers to be central to its sovereignty. The Saudi-Bahraini-UAE alliance have stated that the 13 demands are non-negotiable. The list of demands are not only unrealistic, but many of them are vague. Moreover, calls for Qatar to align itself militarily, economically, politically and socially with the GCC  presents a particular obstacle to any resolution to the crisis. [This] is designed to be rejected.

READ MORE: All the latest updates on Qatar-Gulf crisis

The current crisis began just days after US President Donald Trump completed his first foreign trip to Saudi Arabia in late May, during which he singled out Iran as the mastermind of conflict and terror throughout the region.

Shortly after that visit, hackers targeted Qatars state-run news agency, attributing false comments to Qatars emir that expressed support for Iran and Israel. Tensions culminated on the morning of June 5 as Bahrain cut ties with Qatar, quickly followed by Saudi, the UAE and Egypt. Flights were suspended, borders were closed and Qataris were given two weeks to leave the affected countries.

Other states, including Yemen, the Maldives and Libyas eastern-based government, also jumped into the fray, severing ties with Qatar amid accusations from the Saudi-led group that it was supporting regional terrorism. One of the issues at the core of the dispute is Qatars perceived backing of the Muslim Brotherhood, which has been described as an existential threat to the Saudi state.

Qatar has rejected the terrorism allegations, and US officials have confirmed there are no plans to relocate the massive American military base south of Doha. Confusing matters, however, Trump repeatedly tweeted in support of the blockade, noting: They said they would take a hard line on funding extremism, and all reference was pointing to Qatar. Perhaps this will be the beginning of the end to the horror of terrorism!

The problem is that the passion and rhetoric has become so great that the dispute increasingly is being viewed in zero-sum terms. by Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, Rice University Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East

Although Turkey and Iran have offered food shipments to limit the impact of the sanctions against Qatar, and Kuwait has stepped in to mediate, a resolution does not appear imminent, analysts note.

The crisis emerged in the first place in part because the Saudi/Emirati bloc believed it wouldnt face serious consequences for its actions from the current US administration or the broader international community, Abdullah Al-Arian, an assistant professor of history at Georgetown Universitys School of Foreign Service in Qatar, told Al Jazeera.

While there has been little support for the actions against Qatar, as long as the pressure to bring the blockade to an end remains limited, it is likely to drag on for some time, resulting in a kind of inter-GCC cold war that will render the organisation defunct, he added. Instead, Saudi and the UAE will consolidate their coalition around client states such as Bahrain and Egypt, while Qatar will continue to pursue stronger relations with other regional powers like Turkey and possibly Iran.

READ MORE: This is how the Gulf crisis played out online

A stronger relationship between Qatar and Iran, who share the worlds largest natural gas field, would not bode well for Saudi Arabia, Irans long-time rival, noted Sultan Barakat, the director of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute.

Prolonging the crisis would, therefore, be a huge miscalculation on the part of the Saudi-led group  but with Qatar appearing poised to formally reject the list of the demands, further economic pressure could be on the horizon, he said.

They will be looking for additional measures to isolate Qatar even further  What is likely is that they start demanding companies and international firms that deal with them and Qatar to choose between the two markets, Barakat told Al Jazeera. Its likely also that they will exert further pressure on the currency to try to devalue the Qatari riyal. But all of this is going to really add to the escalation and wont be constructive to either party in the long term.

Despite speculation about possible military intervention, such a scenario is highly unlikely considering the presence of American and Turkish troops in Qatar. The UAE has also stated that the groups actions against Qatar would not include a military component.





At this point, resolving the standoff  which the UAE has warned could last for years  will require all sides to find a way of backing down gracefully and saving face, said Kristian Coates Ulrichsen, a Rice University Baker Institute fellow for the Middle East who has written extensively on Gulf politics.

The problem is that the passion and rhetoric has become so great that the dispute increasingly is being viewed in zero-sum terms, particularly on the Saudi/Emirati side, Ulrichsen told Al Jazeera. This makes it more difficult for the Saudis and Emiratis to make concessions, while for Qatar, the feeling of having their backs pinned to the wall also militates against being seen to give in to pressure.

While Qatar could potentially submit a counterproposal on a few of the Saudi-led groups demands, such as handing over dissidents  provided there is a guarantee that their ensuing treatment would comply with international law  most of the demands are non-starters, Barakat noted.

Regardless of the outcome, something in the GCC has been broken that may not be fixable, analysts say.

GCC relations will never be the same. There is a serious lack of trust, Aboueldahab said, adding that the current Saudi-UAE-Bahraini alliance is far from static. Alliances constantly shift. Even now, the Saudis and Emiratis do not always see eye-to-eye on Yemen, for example. So the lack of trust resulting from this current crisis does not only affect relations between Qatar and the rest of the GCC; it heavily impacts relations between the GCC countries as a region.

Smaller countries such as Qatar, Kuwait and Oman will be much more wary about full integration as they move forward, Barakat added, because if you can roll it all back and reverse it within a minute, its a very dangerous thing to do  What [the GCC] stands for has been badly damaged.

Follow Megan OToole on Twitter: @megan_otoole
Around 7,000 Palestinian Bedouins are at risk of forcible transfer in Area C.

In Palestine, more than 26,000 Bedouins live in Area C of the occupied West Bank. Ethnic Bedouins, traditionally living as nomadic and semi-nomadic herders, reside in 115 communities in the 11 governorates of the occupied West Bank.

READ MORE: Negev  Israel razes Palestinian village for 113th time

During the Nakba in 1948, many Bedouins were forced from their lands in the Negev region of southern Israel, fleeing to Gaza and the occupied West Bank. The majority of Bedouins in Area C today are refugees from 1948.

READ MORE: Palestinian Bedouins fear forcible transfer by Israel

The Israeli Civil Administration has advanced plans to relocate many Bedouin communities, despite serious concerns being raised under international law. Around 7,000 Palestinians living in Area C are at risk of forcible transfer, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs.
On January 20th, during the inauguration of Donald Trump, the DC Metropolitan Police Department (MPD) violently and indiscriminately attacked scores of protesters, journalists, legal observers, medics, and bystanders in the vicinity of an anti-fascist/anti-capitalist march. The MPD trapped, or kettled, more than 200 people, arresting them on a single felony riot charge with a boilerplate affidavit.

The march was an act of resistance against both Trump and the system that gives him power. As a part of this march, I was also kettled and arrested alongside scores of others. Nearly six months later, I and more than 200 other people have been re-indicted on eight felonies each. We all currently face the potential of 75 years in federal prison.





Certain memories of the day of my arrest stand most vividly in my mind: zip-ties cutting into my wrist and the taste of pepper spray; losing count of the roaches that crawled over me in my sleep; the constant horror of not knowing where my partner was.

According to a report issued in February by the DC Office of Police Complaints, the MPD unleashed a variety of less-than-lethal weapons against protesters  without warning or direct provocation  as a general crowd control tactic. Less-than-lethal is a very broad euphemism. Thinking about the violence of the police that day, I remember the footage of an elderly woman brutalised by a river of pepper spray and saved from a phalanx of riot police by a black-clad protester. I recall a fellow arrestee in my cell unit with an eye bulging out of its socket like a tomato  the offspring of pepper spray and contact lenses  and how we had to demand they receive medical attention.

READ MORE: Anti-Trump protester  Is this my last free birthday?

Watching the footage from the arrest made me relive the concussion grenades that exploded in the streets. I am reminded of the mutilation of Sophia Wilanskys arm at Standing Rock by a similar stinger, while the police dowsed hundreds of water protectors with water cannon in below freezing temperatures. I remember the blood-soaked pavement outside the Omni Hotel when the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department murdered Justin Carr with a rubber bullet to the head during the Charlotte uprising last September.

The severity of the threat is intended to extract as many guilty pleas as possible, while sending a clear message to potential protesters that the consequences for opposition will be grave. by

These tactics are not new in Washington, DC. In 2002, then Assistant Police Chief Peter Newsham ordered the mass arrest of over 400 people in Pershing Park during protests against the World Bank. The mass arrest ultimately cost the city more than $8m in a civil suit that ruled it an unlawful act of police misconduct.

As acting police chief, Newsham also issued the order for the inauguration day mass arrest. Despite the spectre of yet another brutal mass arrest, Newsham was appointed police chief by DC Mayor Muriel E Bowser and the DC Council in May.

With a pending lawsuit challenging Newshams abusive practices, it remains to be seen what he will cost the working people of DC this time. A civil suit has already been initiated by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU), and the current investigation into police conduct will cost approximately $150,000, which is $50,000 more than the estimated damage of the alleged events on Inauguration Day.

To understand the extremity of the charges brought against us in this case, the arrests need to be viewed through the lens of political repression. Across the country, thousands of people are engaged in resistance against the daily operations of the capital and the state, fighting to survive the crises that this system constantly produces. Almost immediately after our arrests, thousands of people occupied and shut down airports to reject what has become known as the Muslim Ban. Camps have formed in Florida and Pennsylvania to blockade the development of the Sabal Trail Pipeline and Mariner 2 Pipeline. An encampment has formed outside of the Northwest Detention Center in Tacoma, WA, to support undocumented immigrants that have been resisting forced prison labour through hunger strikes. In major towns across the country, from Portland to Olympia to Houston, marginalised communities have disrupted fascist/white-nationalist rallies in self-defence amid an astronomical spike in hate crimes and right-wing violence.

READ MORE: US anti-fascists take on alt-right fight squads

None of this resistance can be tolerated. The states main social function is specifically to suppress public outrage, either by redirecting it into preconfigured campaigns or through political repression.

The prosecutor would like to depoliticise the charges we are facing, but the reality is that this case is not about so-called criminal behaviour: This case is about turning protesters into felons, and the criminalisation of resistance. The state is perfectly willing to permit thousands of people to wear safety pins and pussyhats, march along well-policed parade routes, and powerlessly petition their authorities for change  so long as they do not shatter the illusion of everyday politics or disrupt the constant flow of capital.





But what Standing Rock and Black Lives Matter have taught us all is that if a communitys resistance is perceived as effective then the full measure of state violence will be used to neutralise it. Standing Rock prevented the construction of the Dakota Access Pipeline for months before its eviction by legions of police. The executions of Mike Brown and Freddie Gray produced demonstrations of such tremendous pain and outcry that they seized Ferguson and Baltimore, and were stomped out by the National Guard.

The events of January 20 represented a similar disruption: The march shut down the roads of DC, and the magnitude of the MPDs violent response shattered the fragile spectacle of the inauguration. Business-as-usual was put on hold, and the consequence is that everyone rounded-up and arrested must now be made an example of. The superseding indictment and its additional felony charges are a means to coerce defendants into accepting plea deals against their will.

The goal is not to convict people to 75 years in prison. The severity of the threat is intended to extract as many guilty pleas as possible, while sending a clear message to potential protesters that the consequences of opposition will be grave. These pleas are needed to vindicate the states narrative and legitimise their repression. The intention is to set a legal precedent for mass arrests in the era of constant crisis, so that future social movements can be smothered in the cradle.

READ MORE: More Americans joining socialist groups under Trump

Regardless, were six months into this case and hundreds of defendants have committed to pursuing trials in a round of status hearings this month. A growing number of defendants have committed to rejecting pleas that arent universally offered to all co-defendants, and over 100 have agreed to reject any cooperation with the state. Fundraisers have been organised by defendants and defence committees to gather the funds for legal and travel costs. The Mid-Atlantic General Defense Committee has initiated a support campaign to drop the charges.

When repression strikes our communities, solidarity becomes our strongest defence. While this process has been traumatic, it has produced countless beautiful relationships of support among co-defendants, supporters, and our communities. Those relationships and bonds of trust have the power to resist this political persecution, and we will continue to organise a collective defence together.

Carlo Piantini is a social activist, community organiser, and political defendant in the federal case against Inauguration Day protesters.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
On June 29, 2014 Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, standing on the pulpit of the al-Nuri mosque in Mosul, declared his caliphate.

On the same day three years later, that mosque was captured by Iraqi military forces. Iraqi prime minister Haider al-Abadi used an electronic pulpit, Twitter, to celebrate the victory over the Islamic State of the Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS).





While the date of the mosques capture is redolent with symbolism, the theatrics of the event cannot hide the anxieties and fear of the Iraqis and the international community that Abadis declaration is premature, as ISIL has not been completely eliminated in Mosul, or worse, might make a coordinated comeback in the city.

The Iraqi governments military victory has now opened up a space for a political solution to reintegrate the city. How the Iraqi state manages this delicate process will ultimately determine ISILs ability to threaten the nation in the future.

Securing urban centres

After ISIL was expelled from Iraqi towns such as Tikrit, Falluja, and Ramadi over 2015 and 2016, the central governments management of both reconstruction and resettlement of these urban centres has been ad hoc and lethargic, owing to a lack of funds and political will. The same can be said for the districts of Mosul freed from ISIL over the past couple of months. As Mosul reverts back to the central governments control, it must be remembered that it was Baghdads governance of Mosul that led to the conditions that allowed ISIL to find fertile ground in this city in the first place. Reconstruction and resettlement will be the key factors for the citizens of Mosul in reconciling with the central government.

READ MORE: As ISILs caliphate crumbles, its ideology remains

This issue is paramount as ISIL fighters are still holding out in Mosul districts and are likely to have sleeper cells in liberated areas of the city. Local cooperation will be needed in the face of these looming threats. Nonetheless, a lot has changed since 2014, when Mosuls inhabitants either actively enabled or passively resigned themselves to ISILs presence.

Mosul's population has endured physical and emotional deprivation under ISIL rule and there is little chance that they will allow it to re-establish its authority over the city. by

Not only was ISILs rule brutal over the past three years, but its destruction of the al-Nuri mosque and its iconic curved minaret, which gave Mosul its nickname al-Hadba (the hunchback), symbolically severed any chance of the group reasserting control over the city. With this act, ISIL tried to deprive the Iraqi government of the symbolic victory of capturing the mosque intact.

It also tried to send a message to Mosul residents. ISIL had destroyed Mosuls pre-Islamic heritage in its museum and sites such as Nimrud before, but by destroying that mosque it signalled that Mosul inhabitants were not true Muslims. As a BBC reporter documented, when ISIL fighters withdrew from one Mosul neighbourhood, they told the local people, You did not take care of the caliphate, so you do not deserve it.

Mosuls population has endured physical and emotional deprivation under ISILs rule and there is little chance that they will allow it to re-establish its authority over the city. However, Mosuls traumatic past under ISIL does not translate into de facto support for the government in Baghdad. The question for Iraqs future remains: how to establish its legitimacy among the alienated Arab Sunnis in this city, in addition to the greater Ninawa, Anbar and Salah al-Din provinces. The pace of reconstruction, resettlement, and political inclusion, on the municipal and national level will ultimately determine the peace.

On the national level the Iraqi government has yet to develop a compelling strategic narrative of how a political process can address the underlying conditions which led to the emergence of ISIL in the first place.

What the Iraqi government needs to do

At this juncture in Iraqs post-2003 political development, it may be useful to see what lessons from other conflict zones can be applied to Mosul and other Iraqi areas formerly held by ISIL.

First, the Iraqi state has to articulate a plan that will guarantee the meaningful inclusion of marginalised groups, which include the Arab Sunnis in Mosul and Ninawa province, as well as its minorities, Christians and Yezidis.

Second, the state has to demonstrate beyond mere rhetoric how it will tackle structural inequalities, including corruption and the abuse of power of state security forces and paramilitary actors, in addition to the justice sector institutions. The potential for corruption among these sectors will only increase as reconstruction aid, both Iraqi and international, pours in.

Third, international aid can be made contingent on trust-building measures that foster social cohesion in Mosul and other formerly ISIL-held territories. Such measures include the establishment of grievance mechanisms that create spaces for dialogue between the communities in Mosul and the security sector. Given that it was the behaviour of the Iraqi security forces that alienated many of Mosuls inhabitants before 2014, community policing programmes between locals of Mosul and security forces would foster social cohesion.

Alas, Iraqi national and regional politics are complicated and involve numerous actors, both foreign and domestic, that will only complicate achieving such an agenda. However, true victory in Mosul will not be measured in capturing a destroyed mosque, but long-term, sustainable strategies that might not be captured in a single tweet.

Ibrahim al-Marashi is an assistant professor at the Department of History, California State University, San Marcos. He is the co-author of Iraqs Armed Forces: An Analytical History.

The views expressed in this article are the authors own and do not necessarily reflect Al Jazeeras editorial policy.
The decision came after US officials visited and approved a preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport.

The United States lifted a ban on laptops in cabins on flights from Abu Dhabi to the US, saying the United Arab Emirates Etihad Airways had put tighter security measures in place as required.

Etihad Airways welcomed the decision and credited a preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi International Airport  where passengers clear US immigration before they land in the US  for superior security advantages that had allowed it to satisfy US requirements.

Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said US officials had already seen that the measures have been implemented correctly and to the full extent required in Abu Dhabi.

READ MORE: US might expand laptop ban to all flights

He said American monitors would make further visits to ensure the checks were being done properly.

The enhanced security measures, both seen and unseen, include enhanced screening of passengers and electronic devices, Lapan said, declining to elaborate.

We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures. Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines.

Etihad is the only airline that operates direct flights from Abu Dhabi to the US  a total of 45 flights a week.

#UAE appreciates cooperation with #US govt./@DHSgov to protect passengers and global aviation.  UAE Embassy US (@UAEEmbassyUS) July 2, 2017

The US ban  first announced in March as a security measure over fears that bombs could be concealed in electronic devices taken aboard aircraft  now applies to nonstop US-bound flights from nine international airports in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City, Kuwait; Cairo, Egypt; Istanbul, Turkey; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai in the UAE.

The UK quickly followed suit with a similar set of restrictions

In late May, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he was considering banning laptops from the passenger cabins of all international flights to and from the US.

READ MORE: US toughens airport security for foreign flights

Kellys comments came after US President Donald Trump shared highly classified intelligence about the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group wanting to use laptops to target aircraft with senior Russian officials visiting the White House.

The laptop ban, as well as a Trump administration travel ban on six predominantly Muslim countries, has hurt Gulf carriers.

Dubai-based Emirates airlines has slashed 20 percent of its flights to the US in the wake of those decisions. The airline also has been trying to get the laptop ban lifted for its direct flights to the US.
Nine people killed, about 40 people abducted in a village near Nigers southeastern city of Diffa, officials say.

Suspected Boko Haram fighters have killed at least nine people and abducted as many as 40 others in south-east Niger, according to local officials.

The gunmen late on Sunday attacked a village in Kablewa town near the southeastern Niger city of Diffa, close to the border with Nigeria, authorities said on Monday.

They killed eight young people and an elderly man, Kablewa Mayor Abari Elh Daouda told the DPA news agency by telephone.

READ MORE: Boko Haram refugees in Niger find safety, but lack aid

In a separate interview with the AFP news agency, Daouda said between 30 to 40 people, including women and young men, were also abducted.

He said Niger authorities were headed to the area to investigate.

Abba Gata Issa, another mayor from the Diffa area, confirmed to Reuters that nine people had died, and around 40 women and children had been kidnapped.

The attackers rode camels into the village and carried out the killings, according to Maman Nour, the director of a community radio station in Kablewa.

The attack was the second such incident in the village in a week.

There are more than 300,000 refugees and displaced people sheltered in the Diffa area, but authorities said they were planning to transfer thousands of refugees and displaced people to camps further from the border with Nigeria, where Boko Haram operates.

Escalation of attacks

Al Jazeeras Ahmed Idris, reporting from the Nigerian capital, Abuja, said no group has claimed responsibility for the latest attack.

For incidents like this, it takes Boko Haram days to come up with a statement, he said. But over the last two months in particular, weve seen heightened activities on the part of the Boko Haram, who have stepped up their suicide bombings, especially on the Nigerian side.





This is an escalation at a time when security services are saying that they have gotten a grip of the situation, our correspondent said.

Since 2015, the armed groups members have been staging regular attacks in the Diffa region, where Niger has declared a state of emergency.

On Wednesday, two female bombers blew themselves up in a refugee camp in the town, killing two other people and wounding 11, in an attack also blamed on Boko Haram.

More than 20,000 people have been killed and more than two million have fled their homes since Boko Haram launched an armed campaign in 2009 to create an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.
The top commander of FARC hospitalised days after his group handed over its individual weapons as part of peace deal.

The top commander of Colombias largest rebel movement was hospitalised on Sunday following a stroke and remains in intensive care, just days after his group handed over the last of its individual weapons as part of a historic peace deal.

Rodrigo Londono, better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, checked himself into a hospital emergency room in the city of Villavicencio shortly after 8am (13:00 GMT) with slurred speech and numbness in his arm, doctors said in a news conference.

They said he remains in intensive care as a precautionary measure but his speech and mobility have already recovered 90 percent from what they described as a temporary blockage of blood flow to his brain.

Doctors said if there are no complications the leader of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC) could be released in the next 24 to 48 hours.

Of course hes conscious and making jokes, another rebel leader known by his alias Pastor Alape said at the press conference.

READ MORE: Inside an endangered peace community in Colombia

Londono, who is in his 50s, has suffered a number of health scares of late, the result partly of a lifetime in jungle trenches. Recently the FARC confirmed that in 2015 Londono suffered a heart attack during peace negotiations in Cuba, and earlier this year after the deal was inked had another unspecified medical setback for which he received treatment on the island.

Alape said Londono initially brushed off the symptoms and had to be convinced by his comrades to undergo medical evaluation.





Thank you to everyone who is concerned about my health, Londono said on Twitter. Everything is going well. I also thank the medical team for their care.

Londonos hospitalisation comes less than a week after Colombia reached a major milestone on its road to peace with the FARC rebels relinquishing some of their last weapons and declaring an end to their half-century rebellion.

The historic step was taken by Londono along with President Juan Manuel Santos at a demobilisation camp in Colombias eastern jungles near Villavicencio.

Though hundreds of FARC caches filled with larger weapons and explosives are still being cleared out, the United Nations has certified that all individual firearms and weapons, except for a small number needed to safeguard the soon-to-disband camps, have been collected.

The step put Colombia closer to turning a page on Latin Americas longest-running conflict, which caused at least 250,000 deaths, left 60,000 people missing and displaced more than seven million.

On Friday, the UN special representative in Colombia said the most urgent challenge in the country following the handover of the last weapons by rebels is to reintegrate the 10,000 former combatants into society.

Jean Arnault told the UN Security Council that members of FARC have a deep sense of uncertainty about their physical security following their disarmament and their economic future.
More victims succumb to their wounds after truck fire, raising an earlier death toll of at least 153 people.

The death toll from a powerful oil tanker explosion in the east of Pakistan late last month has risen to at least 205 people as more victims succumbed to their wounds, government officials said.

The truck carrying fuel overturned on a main highway linking Karachi to Lahore on June 25. It exploded minutes later as residents from a nearby village gathered to collect fuel from the vehicle.

The death toll from the tanker fire incident is now 205 after the expiry of more injured people, senior local administration Rao Tasleem in Bahawalpur, the nearest city, told the AFP news agency on Monday.

A doctor at Bahawalpurs Victoria Hospital, Asim Bukhari, put the toll at 206 after a new death later on Monday, though that was unconfirmed by official government authorities.





Following the blast, local officials had given a death toll of at least 153.

Locals said that several people who were injured in the incident lost their lives due to unavailability of burns units at the nearby hospitals as dozens were transported to Multan and state capital Lahore hospitals for better treatment.

Some 125 unidentified victims have already been buried following a mass funeral at the site of the fire as their bodies were badly charred and beyond recognition.

Motorway police spokesman Imran Shah has said that a government inquiry into the incident had found at least five police officials guilty of hiding information.

According to initial investigations, a cigarette is suspected to have caused the massive blaze.

Analysts said the behaviour of the crowds  scavenging for fuel  is not surprising, given the problem of fuel shortages and poverty.

If you go to these areas of Bahawalpur  the poverty level here rises up to 65 percent at times, Sabir Shah, a journalist at GEO TV in Lahore, told Al Jazeera last month.

In these conditions, with these figures, how can you expect people not to collect cooking fuel for themselves? This petrol is being used as cooking fuel by many people in nearby fields.

The tragedy marked a grim start to Eid al-Fitr, the celebrations marking the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Pakistan has a poor record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
Robot built by high school students in The Gambia will be shipped to Washington, DC, for event without its inventors.

Five teenage pupils from The Gambia who built a robot for a prestigious international competition in the United States will not be able to accompany their invention to the event after being denied a visa.

The Gambian pupils become the second team of students refused entry to the US to attend the FIRST Global robotics event in Washington, DC, on July 16-18. On Saturday, it was reported that an all-girls team from Afghanistan were also denied a visa to travel to the US to showcase their creation at the same competition.

We're not giving up, despite the challenges we face, we still continue to work hard. by Fatoumata Ceesay, student

Moktar Darboe, director of The Gambias ministry of higher education, research, science and technology, told Al Jazeera that the team, made up of high school pupils aged 17-18, were very disappointed.

They put in so much effort into building this, and now, after all the sacrifice and energy they put in, they have been left disheartened, Darboe, who is also the teams mentor, said on Monday.

The robot, a ball sorting machine, will be shipped off in the next day or two, he added.

The Gambian American Association will represent the team at the event and the students in The Gambias capital, Banjul, will watch it over Skype.

The FIRST Global Challenge is open to students aged 15 to 18 from across the globe. According to FIRST, around 158 countries will be represented, including 40 African countries. Only the teams from Afghanistan and The Gambia have had their visas rejected so far.

Darboe said that the visa was denied shortly after their interview at the US embassy in Banjul in April. They were not given any explanation.

We were only told that we did not qualify and that we could try again.

According to Darboe, the students had to pay $170 each for the visa application. Their parents had to sacrifice a lot to pay this fee.

The students continued building the robot despite being denied the visa, hoping the decision would ultimately change.

They were further buoyed by a visit of US Ambassador C Patricia Alsup to their project site last month.

She gave us hope not to give up, and she said they would give us all their support to help us go further, 17-year-old Khadijatou Gassam, a science student and spokesperson for the team, said.

The US embassy in Banjul told Al Jazeera that it did not comment on consular affairs. Kevin Brosnahan, a spokesperson for the state departments Bureau of Consular Affairs, said he was unable to discuss individual visa cases.

Not giving up

Last week, the US Supreme Court allowed the partial enforcement of President Donald Trumps travel ban on residents, citizens and refugees from six Muslim-majority countries  but both The Gambia and Afghanistan are not on the list.

In March, at least 60 African citizens were denied visas for African Global Economic and Development Summit in the US state of California. Organisers said at the time they were not sure if the rejection was linked to Trumps anti-immigrant policies or if talk of the travel ban was being used to to blatantly reject everyone.

Darboe said building the robot was difficult. When parts arrived, customs officials took their time in releasing them. They asked us if were building RoboCop, he said.

Will Donald Trumps travel ban make the US safer?

Fatoumata Ceesay, the teams programmer, told Al Jazeera that she had come to terms with the fact their creation will be run by other students in the US.

The 17-year-old said they had worked under trying conditions, day and night, and with little guidance over the entire Muslim holy fasting month of Ramadan.

And we started building it after the [visa] rejection. We built it despite knowing we werent going, she said.

Gassam says that she was disappointed that she wouldnt be able to represent The Gambia and show the world [that] yes, we can do it'.

But were not giving up, despite the challenges we face, we still continue to work hard, she said. Next year it will be somewhere else, so I think next year we have hope to get there.
Muslim scholars daughter Ola and her husband were arrested in June 23 and accused of plotting terrorist acts.

An Egyptian court has remanded to custody the daughter and son-in-law of Yusuf al-Qaradawi, the chairman of the International Union of Muslim Scholars who is in exile in Qatar, a judicial source told Anadolu news agency on Monday.

Ola al-Qaradawi and her husband, Hossam el-Din Khalaf, were set to be released after being detained for 15 days. Instead, their detention will continue.

They are accused of being members of an illegal organisation  referring to the Muslim Brotherhood, which is banned in Egypt and for planning terrorist action against the security of public institutions.

READ MORE: What is the Muslim Brotherhood?

Family lawyer Ahmad Abu el-Ela Madi told Anadolu that the couple was arrested on June 23 near Sahel al-Shamali on Egypts northern coast, while on holiday for Eid-al-Fitr, a festival that marks the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Egypt, along with Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, cut ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The four countries have not provided any evidence for their claim and Doha has repeatedly denied the accusation.

The Saudi-led group of countries has also accused 59 individuals and 12 charities in Qatar of being linked to terror, allegations that Doha called baseless and slanderous.

The list included Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a long-standing member of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Founded in Egypt, the Muslim Brotherhood is the oldest political Islamist group in the Arab world.

In 2012, it backed the candidacy of Mohamed Morsi, Egypts first democratically-elected president. But following Morsis overthrow in a military coup, the group was outlawed by the government.
Response will be the focus of a meeting on Wednesday between ministers from Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and UAE.

Qatar has delivered its response to a list of 13 demands from Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that cut have ties with it and imposed a land, air and sea embargo amid a major diplomatic crisis.

Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, Qatars foreign minister, was received by Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday to hand over a letter from Qatars emir, according to state-run Kuwait News Agency.

Kuwait is mediating in the dispute. The content of the letter has not been released.





Qatars response will be the focus of a gathering in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on Wednesday of foreign ministers from the four blockading countries: Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates.

Al Jazeeras Saad al-Saeedi, reporting from Kuwait City, said there was a sense of relief, tinged with caution in Kuwait.

Qatars response to the demands was handed to the emir, followed by an extensive meeting between the Qatari foreign minister and his Kuwaiti counterpart for more than one and half hours. After that, the Qatari foreign minister headed to the emir of Kuwaits residence to attend another meeting over lunch before his departure, he said.

The meetings reflect Kuwaits intense activity at the highest levels, from the emir down. Some sources suggest that the Kuwaiti foreign minister will join the four countries meeting in Cairo on Wednesday, Saeedi added.

It is clear that a breakthrough is being achieved; that some of the demands could be addressed.

Different strategy required

The four countries severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on it on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The allegation has been rejected by Doha as baseless.

After more than two weeks, the four countries gave Doha 10 days, or until Sunday night, to comply with a 13-point demand list in exchange for the end of the anti-Qatar measures.

READ MORE: All the latest updates on the Qatar-Gulf crisis

The demands included that Qatar shut down the Al Jazeera Media Network, close a Turkish military base and scale down ties with Iran.

Sultan Barakat, director of the Centre for Conflict and Humanitarian Studies at the Doha Institute, said it had become clear that the initial action by the Saudi-led group had not been effective.

The fact that most international capitals have not supported the move is a very good indication to Saudi Arabia and UAE that a different strategy is now required, he told Al Jazeera.

The best way forward is to go back to the Gulf council and tackle the issue from within the arrangement and framework that exists.

Qatars foreign minister has already said that Doha would not meet the demands, saying the list was meant to be rejected.

Speaking on Saturday, the foreign minister said Doha offered instead a proper condition for a dialogue to resolve the Gulf crisis.

US President Donald Trump spoke separately with leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi late on Sunday.

He underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh summits goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability, the White House said.




Governor Yuriko Koikes party and its allies win majority of seats in Tokyos assembly as Shinzo Abes party slumps.

Prime Minister Shinzo Abes Liberal Democratic Party suffered a historic defeat in an election in the Japanese capital on Sunday, signalling trouble ahead for the premier who has suffered from slumping support because of a favouritism scandal.

On the surface, the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly election was a referendum on Governor Yuriko Koikes year in office, but the dismal showing for Abes party is also a stinging rebuke of his four and a half-year-old administration.

Koikes Tokyo Citizens First Party and its allies took 79 seats in the 127-seat assembly.

The LDP won a mere 23, its worst-ever results, compared with 57 before the election.

READ MORE: Lives in limbo  Why Japan accepts so few refugees

We must recognise this as an historic defeat, former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba was quoted as saying by NHK  the national public broadcaster of Japan.

Rather than a victory for Tokyo Citizens First, this is a defeat for the LDP, said Ishiba, who is widely seen as an Abe rival within the ruling party.

A bellwether for national trends?

Past Tokyo elections have been bellwethers for national trends. A 2009 Tokyo poll in which the LDP won just 38 seats was followed by its defeat in a general election that year, although this time no poll need be held until late 2018.

Koike, a media-savvy ex-defence minister and former LDP member, took office a year ago as the first female governor of the capital, defying the local LDP chapter to run and promising to reform the governance of a megacity with a population of 13.7 million and an economy bigger than the Netherlands.





Her allies in the Komeito party  which is the LDPs national coalition partner  got 23 seats.

I am excited but at the same time, I am also keenly aware of the weight of my responsibility, Koike told NHK, adding that the results had exceeded her expectations.

The strong showing by Koikes party will fuel speculation that she will make a bid for the nations top job, although that may not be until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It could also widen cracks between the LDP and the Komeito while damaging prospects for the opposition Democratic Party, which won five seats.

The LDPs defeat could make it harder for Abe to pursue his cherished goal of revising the US-drafted constitutions pacifist Article 9 by 2020.

Abes rivals in his party could be encouraged by the LDPs dismal performance to challenge him in a leadership race in September 2018.

Gaffes and scandals

Abes troubles centre on concerns that he may have intervened to help Kake Gakuen (Kake Educational Institution) win approval for a veterinary school in a special economic zone. Its director, Kotaro Kake, is a friend of Abes.

The government has not granted such an approval in decades due to a perceived glut of veterinarians. Abe and his aides have denied doing Kake any favours.

Potentially more devastating is the impression among many voters that Abe and his inner circle have grown arrogant.

READ MORE: North Korea threat boosts bomb shelter sales in Japan

We must accept the results humbly, said Hakubun Shimomura, a close Abe ally and head of the LDPs Tokyo chapter. The voters have handed down an extremely severe verdict.

Shimomura immediately stepped down from his role in the Tokyo chapter, taking responsibility for the crushing defeat.

Abe is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in the coming months in an effort to repair his damaged ratings, a step often taken by beleaguered leaders but one that can backfire if novice ministers become embroiled in scandals or commit gaffes.

Among those many political insiders expected to be replaced is Defence Minister Tomomi Inada.

Inada also came under harsh criticism after she implied in a speech last week that the Defence Ministry and the Japanese military were supporting the LDP. By law, the military is required to be politically neutral.
Israeli forces rearrest Khalida Jarrar, bringing the number of Palestinian legislators in Israeli prison to 13.

Palestinian political leaders are outraged over Israels rearrest of a prominent Palestinian parliamentarian that brings the number of Palestinian politicians in Israeli detention to 13.

Khalida Jarrar, a key figure in the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) and a deputy at the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC), was arrested on Sunday in a predawn raid on her home in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.





The 54-year-old was released in June 2016 after serving 14 months in an Israeli jail.

She was previously charged with security-related offences connected to her membership in the PFLP  a leftist political party that Israel considers a terrorist group along with a majority of Palestinian political factions.

Issa Qaraqe, head of the Palestinian Committee of Prisoners Affairs, condemned Jarrars detention, calling it a violation of international laws and immunity given to elected Parliament members.

Israeli forces have detained at least 70 Palestinian members of parliament since 2002, according to Qaraqe.

Hanan Ashrawi, a member of the Palestinian Liberation Organisations (PLO) executive committee, said in a statement that Jarrars political arrest is further proof that the judicial system in Israel has no relation to justice.

She also condemned the detention of Khitam Saafin, the chairwoman of the Union of Palestinian Womens Committee, who was arrested on the same night as Jarrar.

Israel must not be given a free hand to dehumanise the Palestinian people and systematically devalue their basic rights and lives, Ashrawi wrote.

The PFLP, in response to Jarrars arrest, said the detentions only underline the futility of the Palestinian Authoritys approach towards engaging in a hollow peace process and security coordination with Israel.

READ MORE: Its okay to be racist in Israel

An Israeli army spokeswoman told AFP that after her release from detention last year, Jarrar returned to the activity in the PFLP terror organisation, calling her one of its senior leaders in the West Bank.

She was apprehended for her involvement in the PFLP and not because of her membership in the [Palestinian parliament], an army spokeswoman said.

Many leaders from the leftist PLO faction are in Israeli prisons and Jarrar has been jailed multiple times.

Jarrar chairs the head of the Palestinian parliaments Prisoners Commission and is vice chairwoman of the board of directors of Palestinian prisoner rights group Addameer.

A number of Palestinian politicians are currently detained by Israel.

The most recent Palestinian legislator to be detained by Israel was Mohammad Maher Badr, a Hamas-affiliated PLC member, on June 28.

In a statement reported by Bethlehem-based Maan News Agency, Palestinian Prisoners Center for Studies chief Riyad al-Ashqar denounced Jarrars detention and Israels targeting of Palestinian politicians.

Nine of the 13 Palestinian politicians in Israeli detention are being held without charge under administrative detention, she said.

The arrest of Khalida Jarrar constitutes an attack against Palestinian political leaders and Palestinian civil society as a whole, Addameer said in a statement.

It also constitutes one arrest in the context of continuous arrest campaigns against Palestinians.

According to the group, as of May 2007, there were 6,200 Palestinians, including 56 women, in Israeli prisons.
Boiler blast rips through six-storey building outside Dhaka, causing its walls and a roof to collapse.

At least 13 people were killed and up to 50 injured after a boiler exploded at a garment factory in Bangladesh on Monday, authorities said.

Dozens of labourers were on site at the facility in an industrial district outside the capital, Dhaka, when a blast tore through the six-storey building, causing its walls and a roof to collapse.

It is a terrible scene. Fire brigade officers have arrived and are doing rescue work. The factorys boiler exploded and the blast also affected other buildings near the factory, police officer Harunur Rashid told the AFP news agency.

Eight people were killed and approximately 50 were injured. Six bodies were recovered at the spot and two more in the hospital. The casualties included passers-by who were walking outside the factory, Mohammad Akhteruzzaman, deputy assistant director of the fire service, told AFP.

READ MORE: Rana Plaza, three years later: Who has paid?

He said the explosion was so powerful that it destroyed parts of the factory, including a roof and several walls.

On Wednesday, rescue workers called off their search for survivors.

Thirty-five people are undergoing treatment at different health facilities in the Gazipur district, according to physician Pronoy Bhushan Das, and many of those injured are in critical condition.

Al-Amin, a worker at a nearby garment factory, said he was attending evening prayers at a mosque close to the factory at around 7pm (13:00 GMT) when the explosion shook the whole area.

I ran to the spot instantly and saw a huge smoke. I saw blood all over the bodies of some injured workers and instantly called the fire brigade, he told AFP.

According to factory director Mesba Faruqui, the main site was closed on Monday but a group of workers were overseeing maintenance of the boiler.





The factory is owned by textiles manufacturer Multifabs, which makes clothing for mostly European brands according to its website.

Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories employing four million mostly female workers at a minimum monthly wage of $68.

The industry is notorious for poor workplace safety, with many of the factories lacking basic equipment such as ventilation and air coolers.

In April 2013, the nine-storey Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people in one of the worlds worst industrial disasters.

The Bangladeshi government and international buyers have been trying to improve working conditions in the garment sector, which adds about $29bn in terms of exports to the countrys economy, according to the Bangladeshi statistics office.
In address to a rare joint session of parliament, newly elected president lays out political agenda amid boycott.

French President Emmanuel Macron has vowed to lift a state of emergency that has been in place since 2015 but also to harden permanent security measures to fight violent threats against his country.

Laying out his agenda at a joint session of parliament, Macron said on Monday that his government will work to prevent any new attack, and we will work to fight (threats) without pity, without regrets, without weakness.

Macron said the lifting of the state of emergency would be done towards the end of 2017.

At the same time, he insisted on the need to guarantee full respect for individual liberties, amid concerns that new measures would allow police too many powers.

READ MORE: Macron vows to restore Frances global standing

Macron also vowed to maintain Frances military presence abroad, especially in Africas Sahel region and in Iraq and Syria, while highlighting the importance of dialogue and negotiations for long-term solutions.

The presidents 1.5-hour-long speech was his first major address since his inauguration in mid-May when he promised a French renaissance.

In his bid to strengthen the European Union following Britains vote to leave, he announced Europe-wide public conferences later this year in an effort to reinvigorate the bloc.

He said he understood why many Europeans see the EU as bureaucratic, distant and uncaring.

I firmly believe in Europe, but I dont find this scepticism unjustified, he said.

He added that European countries should work more closely to help political refugees while fighting human smuggling and strengthening borders against illegal migration.

Macron has also pledged to fulfil his campaign promise to bring about deep changes in France, notably through labour reform and a series of measures to put more transparency and ethics into politics.

He said French voters no longer accept the conflicts of interest and corruption scandals that used to seem almost normal in the countrys political landscape.

Presidential monarchy

Macron notably vowed to end the special court, mostly composed of legislators, that judges government members for crimes committed while in charge. They will be judged by regular judges, with a procedure to deter politicians from using courts to attack rivals.

Macron also said he wants to speed up the process of passing laws to better adapt the process to a rapidly changing society.

He proposed that some simple bills be voted on in parliaments commissions instead of in plenary sessions.

Macron also wants to reduce the number of seats in parliament, which now stand at 925, by one third.

He promised to gather both houses of parliament in Versailles every year to be held accountable.

The reforms and deep changes I have promised will be implemented, he said.

Al Jazeeras Natacha Butler, reporting from Versailles, said Macrons speech on Monday was unprecedented for a newly elected French leader.





It is the first time that a French president has convened a joint session of parliament, here at the palace of Versailles, in order to to put forward what he called a roadmap for his five-year presidency, she said.

Critics who fear Macron is trying to amass too much power organised protests over Mondays event.

Legislators from the far-left party of Jean-Luc Melenchon as well as communists decided not to attend the speech in protest against what they call a presidential monarchy.

Far-right leader Marine Le Pen, who Macron defeated in the presidential runoff vote, said the country is none the wiser coming out than we were going in.

He speaks of a dose of proportional representation, but we dont know if hes talking about a small dose or a big dose.

Opposition legislators from three parties, including far-left France Unbowed, boycotted Macrons address, and about 100 communists wearing the red caps of the French revolutionaries of 1789 demonstrated in front of Versailles town hall.

Mr Macron is a challenge to democracy, said Nicole Coulbaut, a 65-year old retired teacher and communist activist. For him, its not parliament or the people who govern, but himself, Jupiter.
Philippine leader rejects calls to lift military rule in Mindanao, where hundreds have been killed.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has threatened to jail critics of his use of martial law in the south, as the Supreme Court is set to rule on its legality on Tuesday.





Duterte declared military rule across the region of Mindanao, home to about 20 million people, in late May to quell what he said was a fast-growing threat from the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) group.

The president has insisted he would ignore the findings of the countrys highest court, which has constitutional oversight, vowing only to listen to recommendations from the armed forces.

Its not dependent on the whim of the Supreme Court. Should I believe them? When I see the situation is still chaotic and you ask me to lift it? I will arrest you and put you behind bars, Duterte said in a speech before local officials on Saturday.

We can talk of anything else and make compromises, maybe, but not when the interest of my country is at stake.

READ OPINION: Dutertes reality check in Mindanao

Government forces are continuing to battle ISIL-linked fighters occupying the southern city of Marawi, with aerial bombardment and ferocious street-to-street combat that has left some 400 people dead and forced nearly 400,000 people in the wider area to flee their homes.

Duterte has faced a backlash from opposition politicians, who last month asked the Supreme Court to reject the declaration of martial law, which they have slammed as unconstitutional.

The 1987 Constitution of the Philippines imposes limits on martial law to prevent a repeat of the abuses under Ferdinand Marcos, who was deposed by a famous People Power revolution the previous year.

The charter allows the Supreme Court to review the factual basis for proclaiming martial law, which is limited to an initial period of 60 days. If a president decides to extend martial law, Congress can review and revoke it.








Military unilaterally announces halt to fighting that coincides with new round of peace talks in Kazakhstans Astana.

The Syrian army says it has temporarily halted combat operations in the south of the country ahead of Russian-sponsored ceasefire talks with rebel groups in Kazakhstan, according to state media.

A statement by the military said hostilities would stop in the provinces of Deraa, Quneitra and Sweida, SANA news agency reported on Monday.





In order to support the peace process and national reconciliation, a cessation of hostilities  will last until midnight on July 6, the statement said.

The unilateral freeze was not expected to include fighting against the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL, also known as ISIS) armed group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor tracking developments in Syrias war via a wide network of sources on the ground, confirmed to the AFP news agency that fighting almost completely stopped across the mentioned areas.

READ MORE: Deadly car bomb blasts rock Syrias Damascus

The news came after a large Syrian rebel faction in the south said it would not attend a new round of talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, because the government was not abiding by previous ceasefire agreements.

A spokesman for the Southern Front, a coalition of Free Syrian Army rebel groups, cast doubt on whether the Syrian army and its Iranian-backed allies would halt attacks on the front lines in Deraa and in Quneitra province.

The Free Syrian Army are very distrustful of the regimes intentions in abiding by the ceasefire. It will be like the previous one, Major Issam al-Rayes told the Reuters news agency.

Delegates are expected to begin meeting with a UN mediator and other diplomats on July 4.

The two sides have held four previous rounds of talks in Kazakhstan since January in parallel to UN-brokered peace talks in Geneva. Neither process has made much progress.

A ceasefire declared in May, which is built around so-called de-escalation zones, has been repeatedly violated.





Khan Sheikhoun attack

Meanwhile, Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad questioned the credibility of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW), saying the inspectors had failed to visit key sites linked to a nerve gas attack that killed 89 people in April.

Mekdad dismissed an OPCW report released last week confirming the use of sarin gas on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun. He said the inspectors refused government invitations to visit the site of the attack in northern Syria and the military airport allegedly linked to it.

The report, which drew on samples taken to Turkey, did not say who was responsible for the attack. The results will be turned over to a joint commission with the UN to apportion blame.

READ MORE: Nearly half a million displaced Syrians return home: UN

Syria insists it has never used chemical weapons.

The Pentagon said last week that intelligence showed the Syrian military preparing another chemical weapons attack at the same airbase the US said was used to launch the Khan Sheikhoun attack on April 4.

US President Donald Trump ordered punitive missile strikes on the Shayrat airbase less than a week after that attack.

Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assads government, called the US statement a provocation.

Syrias war has killed hundreds of thousands of people and forced millions from their homes since it began in March 2011.
Workers return to Myanmar and other countries after government vows to crack down on unregistered foreign labourers.

Tens of thousands of workers have fled Thailand, officials said, after new labour regulations adopted by the military government sparked fear and panic among the migrant community.

About 60,000 workers left between June 23 and 28, and the number has risen since, an immigration official said on Monday.

They were of all nationalities, but the biggest group was from Myanmar, Deputy Commissioner Pornchai Kuntee told Reuters news agency. They are probably very scared.

A new decree includes fines that can range up to 800,000 baht ($23,557) for employers who hire unregistered foreign workers without permits.

Following initial news of the exodus, authorities promised a 120-day delay in enforcing the new regulations.

During that period, there will be no arrests or crackdown on illegal workers except for those who violate human trafficking laws, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam told reporters on Friday.

WATCH: Deep divisions remain after Thailands 2014 military coup

Millions of workers from poor neighbours, such as Cambodia and Myanmar, form the backbone of Thailands manual labour force, with industries such as the multibillion-dollar seafood business heavily reliant on foreign workers.

Since taking power in a 2014 coup, Thailands military government has attained varying degrees of success in campaigns to regulate the foreign workforce, spurred on partly by media reports that unregulated workers faced exploitation by employers.

Panic

Geta Devi, 28, a Myanmar worker based in the Thai capital of Bangkok, said some of her friends panicked over the decree and went back to Myanmar.

Since last week, up to 500 Cambodian migrant workers have returned home, said Chin Piseth, deputy chief of the Thai-Cambodia border relations office of the Cambodian army.

According to reports I received, between 400 and 500 were deported, he told Reuters news agency.

Andy Hall, a British specialist in migrant workers rights, said the mass movement leaves undocumented workers vulnerable.

Its clear to me tens of thousands of migrants only move like this after instigation, Hall said.

Despite the threat of punishment, corrupt officials would try to seek bribes, he said, adding that mass profit is to be made in a short time from the panic and commotion.

IN PICTURES: Cambodian exodus from Thailand

Police trying to extort money from employers or migrant workers face punishment, Thai police chief Chaktip Chaijinda said on Friday, in an effort to discourage such exploitation.

Last month, the US kept Thailand on a trafficking watch list, saying it did not meet the minimum standards to end human trafficking.

Thailand defended its efforts to stop trafficking and urged US officials to visit and gauge its campaign.

More than three million migrants work in Thailand, the International Organization for Migration says, but rights groups put the figure higher.

In 2014, at least 250,000 migrants workers fled Thailand over what rights organisations called cruel, inhumane and degrading treatment.
US president discusses concerns about ongoing crisis with leaders from Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi.

US President Donald Trump has spoken separately to leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi to discuss his concerns about the ongoing dispute in the Gulf.





In a phone conversation late on Sunday night, Qatars Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani and Trump spoke about the latest developments in the GCC crisis and the implications in the region, according to Qatar News Agency (QNA).

The call reviewed the position of the US, as well as international stances regarding the crisis, QNA said.

The White House said that Trump called the leaders to reiterate the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.

He also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh summits goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability.

Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties with Qatar and imposed sanctions on it on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism. The allegation has been rejected by Doha as baseless.

After more than two weeks, the four countries gave Doha 10 days, or until Sunday night, to comply with a 13-point demand list in exchange for the end of the anti-Qatar measures.

OPINION: What is the Qatar-GCC showdown really about?

The demands included that Qatar shut down the Al Jazeera Media Network, close a Turkish military base and scale down ties with Iran.

Late on Sunday, the Saudi-led bloc said it would meet on Wednesday to discuss their next steps.

Kuwait had received a response by Qatar to the 13 demands, Kuwaits state news agency KUNA said on Monday, without stating whether Qatar had rejected the list as was widely expected.

Kuwait is mediating in the crisis.

READ MORE: All the latest updates on the Qatar-Gulf crisis

There was no other information about Qatars official response, but the Qatari foreign minister has already said that Doha would not meet the demands, saying the list was meant to be rejected.

Speaking on Saturday, the foreign minister said Doha offered instead a proper condition for a dialogue to resolve the Gulf crisis.

Last month, Trump offered to mediate if the countries involved sought his help.

Over the four weeks, the US president has taken a tougher stance against Qatar, while the state department and the Pentagon had previously sought to remain neutral in the Gulf crisis.
China denounces a US move sailing a warship close to a disputed island occupied by Beijing in the South China Sea.

China denounced a US warship sailing close to a disputed island in the South China Sea occupied by Beijing as a serious political and military provocation, a move that could further strain relations between the superpowers.

Beijing dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement late on Sunday night, state news agency Xinhua reported.

The USS Stethem destroyer passed less than 12 nautical miles (22 kilometres) from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP news agency.

The operation, meant to demonstrate freedom of navigation in disputed waters, came just hours before a previously scheduled phone call between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.

READ MORE: Can China afford to challenge the United States?

The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate Chinas sovereignty and threaten Chinas security, the Chinese spokesman said, adding that Beijing would continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security, according to Xinhua.

Twelve nautical miles marks the territorial limits recognised internationally. Sailing within those 12 miles is meant to show that the US does not recognise territorial claims there.





The operation is the second of its kind carried out by the US since Trump took office.

The first was on May 25, when the USS Dewey, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from Mischief Reef  part of the disputed Spratly Islands south of the Paracel Islands.

China claims nearly all of the South China Sea, despite partial counter-claims from Taiwan and several southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

China has rapidly built reefs into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.

Freedom of navigation operations are designed to challenge the sovereignty of countries with claims to disputed territory. Washington has challenged annexations of South China Sea islets while advocating for a diplomatic settlement.

China has recently built up its facilities on Triton Island, including a new helicopter landing site, according to the Asia Maritime Transparency Initiative, part of the Center for Strategic and International Studies think-tank.

A large Chinese flag is displayed on the island, visible from aerial and satellite photos.

OPINION: When Xi Jinping met Donald Trump

Trump has heaped praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping, but his administration has also stepped up pressure on Beijing as he has become frustrated that China has not done more to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programmes.

On Thursday, the administration imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company for helping North Koreas nuclear and missile programmes and accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang.

The Trump administration has also approved an arms package for Taiwan worth about $1.4bn, the state department said last week. China deems Taiwan its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control.

Trump is due to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday in advance of meetings he will hold with both leaders on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, next Friday and Saturday.
Now the Arab regions poorest country, Yemen has become a violent playground for regional and international powers.

The worlds largest humanitarian crisis is not in Syria. Its in Yemen.

So says the United Nations, highlighting the grave consequences of a conflict that has left 18.8 million people in need of humanitarian or protection assistance, including 10.3 million who require immediate assistance to save or sustain their lives.

READ MORE: Yemen was once a place of joy and spirit

The war and its economic effect are driving the largest food security emergency in the world: more than 17 million people in Yemen are currently food-insecure, of whom 6.8 million are severely food-insecure and in need of immediate aid.

The conflict has been going on for years but became especially violent in March 2015 after the involvement of a Saudi-led coalition.

More than 10,000 people have been killed and three million displaced from their homes since February 2014, according to the UN.

READ MORE: UN  Yemen faces worlds worst cholera outbreak

On July 2, the World Health Organization reported that a cholera outbreak in the country has claimed 1,500 lives, warning that it could infect as many as 300,000 people by the end of August.

With no sign of the conflict abating, it is likely that the humanitarian crisis in the Arab worlds poorest country will only get worse.

So how did it all start? Watch our video above to find out more.
African leaders are meeting in the Ethiopian capital Addis Ababa for a summit focusing on youth investment.

The creation of the African Union (AU) began with a wave of optimism about the continents future.

In 1963, a group of independent African nations created the Organisation of African Unity  which later became the AU.

Its promise was to bring Africans together and propel the continent towards peaceful co-existence and growth.

The organisation now says peace and security have become more worrying than ever  and its working to address the issue.

While the focus of the blocs summit this year is Africas young people and their future, conflicts in South Sudan, the Democratic Republic of Congo and the Central African Republic are dominating the agenda.

Millions continue to flee from violence and natural disasters across the continent.

Poverty, the outbreak of disease and food shortages are all big issues. So, will the AU be able to address these issues?

Presenter: Adrian Finighan

Guests:

Solomon Dersso  Founding director of Amani Africa Media and Research Services

David Monyae  Co-director of Confucius Institute at the University of Johannesburg

Mike Omeri  Researcher of history and war studies at the Nigerian Defence Academy
July 4th, also known as Independence Day, is a much more lighthearted and festive American holiday -- with cookouts, parades, beach and boating parties and fireworks -- than other patriotic holidays such Memorial Day or Veterans Day. Most people forget that when the 56 members of the Continental Congress signed the Declaration of Independence in 1776, they were in fact signing their death warrants. At the time, Great Britain was the most powerful nation on earth, while the thirteen American colonies were poor and disunited. The British Crown deemed the issuance of a declaration of independence an act of treason, which meant that all signatories would be punishable by death.

It is a little known historical fact that for this reason, combined with the low odds of prevailing against the British Army and Navy, the identities of the 56 members of the Continental Congress who committed to separating from England were not made immediately public. For the first six months following the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, copies of the document displayed only two signatures: John Hancock, president of the Continental Congress and Charles Thomson, secretary of the Continental Congress.

Indeed, things looked grim for the Continental Army in the first few months of the war for independence. Sir William Howe successfully led the British army to defeat the colonial army and capture New York City by September 1776. While his troops felt utterly overwhelmed, with retreat bringing on dejected morale, General George Washington was a man of extraordinary faith. When Washington first received a copy of the Declaration about a week after its drafting, he had immediately ordered that chaplains be hired for every regiment, stating his purpose was to assure that, every officer and man, will endeavor so live and act, as becomes a Christian Soldier, defending the dearest Rights and Liberties of his country.

What prompted the Continental Congress to begin displaying all 56 signatories of the Declaration can be traced to Washingtons determination and success three months later at the Battle of Trenton in December 1776 -- a remarkable victory considering the odds were no better than they had been when he faced utter defeat in New York. Perceiving this a miracle and harbinger of more victories to come, and perhaps with apparent taking to heart of the last sentence in the Declaration that with a firm reliance on the protection of divine providence, we mutually pledge to each other our lives, our fortunes, and our sacred honor, the Continental Congress, aka the Founding Fathers, began posting the fully-signed copies of the Declaration throughout the thirteen colonies in January 1777.

If we take the Declaration of Independence seriously in terms of the words selected to mobilize support for the cause, the Founding Fathers placed everything on the line and trusted the Almighty for the results. As esteemed British historian Paul Johnson notes: The Americans were overwhelmingly churchgoing, much more so than the English, whose rule they rejected. There is no question that the Declaration of Independence was, to those who signed it, a religious as well as a secular act.

What was truly revolutionary was not military success against all odds in the war for independence. Rather it was the assertion in the Declaration of Independence that the rights of the people come from God, and not the state. And since rights come from God, they are absolute and inalienable, and the states governing authority was to be limited by that first principle and thus should not infringe those rights. No other nation in history, perhaps with the exception of ancient Israel, was founded in such a way that the sovereignty of the state was limited by inalienable rights of its people.

As it turns out, the Declaration of Independence, which we celebrate on July 4th, is not just what gave political birth to the United States, with its unique emphasis on limited government and the freedom for its citizens. It was these simple ideas put into practice that also enabled the nations ascendance from colonial poverty to global superpower in a little more than 200 years.

However, during the last 50 years, America has increasingly been on a course of surrender and retreat from the principles that made her the envy of the world for generations. May this July 4th be a special time, perhaps a turning point, in renewing those ideas and convictions that brought the Founders together, which embodied a certainty that the rights of the people come from God, and not the state. Its not about being reactionary or turning the clock back, but rather its about aligning our thinking and action with the inclusive ideas, principles, courage, and faith that enabled prior generations of Americans to overcome, advance and prosper more than any other people in human history.

Scott Powell is senior fellow at the Discovery Institute in Seattle. Reach him at scottp@discovery.org
Americans don't need just a free press; they need access to accurate information in order to make up their own minds about what they want the government to do.

While it's true that a free press is a prerequisite for the people to have access to the data they need, it's not sufficient.

We currently, despite Democrat attempts to the contrary, have a free press in America. Yet the systemic left-wing bias of the mainstream media(MSM)  ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN, MSNBC, NYT, Washington Post, L.A. Times, etc  means there is little difference between the accuracy of the information most Americans receive and the accuracy of the information people living in Communist China receive.

In both cases, highly skilled propagandists shape, through omission and commission, the news in order to create a false reality the ruling class uses to motivate people to go against what is in the people's best interest and instead support policies that benefit the ruling elites.

Many Americans believe, because of the Fake News generated by the MSM, lots of things that aren't true, including:

- Mankind is causing the Earth to warm in catastrophic ways. Real science says that at worst, it's unclear, and at best, there's no catastrophe at all.

- Twenty-five percent of the population harbors sexual attractions exclusively to members of the same sex. The real number is more like 1-2%.

- Trump colluded with Russia to steal the election. No evidence has been found after months of investigations and illegal leaks.

- Republicans are racists. It's Democrats who oppose school choice for blacks, who don't care that black women are five times as likely to abort their babies as white women, who bring in cheap foreign labor while black unemployment is twice white unemployment, and who don't care about thousands of blacks being shot in our inner cities each year.

- The unborn aren't human. Science says an unborn child is human from the moment of conception.

- Planned Parenthood provides women's health care. Baby part-selling PP really provides only contraception and abortion.

What liberal-driven discussion about a "free" press ignores is that to be useful to the American people, the press needs to be not just free, but also honest.

It's not honest for the MSM to say Bill Clinton lying under oath to protect himself from a sexual harassment lawsuit has no bearing on his ability to be president and then turn around and say that because President Trump makes some aggressive tweets, he's not fit to be president.

It's not honest for the MSM to scream about Trump's Russia problem when there is not a shred of evidence, given that the same MSM ignored copious evidence of Obama and the Clintons conspiring with Russia.

Nothing Trump has said threatens a free press; it only threatens a dishonest one. This is why the MSM are so upset. They know they aren't journalists; they know they are in fact propagandists.

The MSM's fear is based on the solid fact that once people know they're being lied to, the ability of the propagandists to guide the people goes down dramatically. We've seen this in Nazi Germany as the war drew to a close, we saw it in the Soviet Union, and we're seeing it now in North Korea.

Lincoln was right: you can't fool all the people all the time. But dictatorships, and liberals in America, depend on having absolute control over what the people believe  something they can't have once the people get access to honest news.

A major reason for so many people voting for Hillary is that even though the number of news sources has exploded, the MSM are still able to mislead a large fraction of Americans.

A significant fraction of Hillary voters lives in an alternative reality constructed by the MSM, where Hillary is honest, global warming is real, the unborn aren't human, and blacks aren't being shot by the thousands in Democrat-run inner cities.

Hillary voters believed the lies spewed by the MSM because unlike the liberals running the MSM, most Hillary voters are honest people who couldn't imagine the media so consistently lying to them.

While there are honest alternatives to the MSM's near monopoly, the MSM and liberal politicians have been demonizing them from the start  a policy that has been successful in keeping a significant fraction of the Democrat base from seeking out truthful news sites.

Additionally, since modern liberals are fascists at heart, ever since the MSM monopoly began to crumble, with the advent of conservative talk radio, liberals have been striving to stop any speech they don't agree with. That that belies liberals' supposed concern for a "free" press is just one more thing the MSM doesn't report on.

Trying to silence opposing voices occurs not because liberals are snowflakes, but because they are fascist storm troopers who know they can get the power they lust after only by keeping the people cocooned in a web of lies.

That's why, in the 1980s, liberals tried to end conservative talk radio and why Bill Clinton blamed Rush Limbaugh for the Oklahoma City bombing.

That's why the left has been demonizing Fox News with language far worse than anything Trump has said about CNN. Interestingly, but not surprisingly, liberals feel that their baseless hate attacks on Fox are not attacks on the "free" press but that Trump's accurate assessment of CNN is an attack.

Similarly, the same liberals who condemn Trump's supposed attacks on the free press have no problem with attempts to silence Rush and conservative speakers on college campuses.

When you realize that in the minds of the MSM, a "free" press is free in the same sense that a college campus that bans conservative speakers is free, their double standards make perfect sense.

In a truly Orwellian twist, modern liberals believe that freedom means being denied any information that does not conform to what the new fascists believe in.

In liberals minds, we are free when we bow down to the beliefs of the liberal elites, who, in their own minds, merit our obedience because of their own greatness and altruism.

When you listen to some left-wing media liar moaning about how evil Trump is for shining the light on Fake News, remember that he is just doing what Goebbels did when he denounced the "lies" of allied radio stations and what numberless communists have done in the Soviet Union, China, and North Korea when they declare that anything that disagrees with what the government-controlled press says is lies.

Modern liberal beliefs are not rational, nor can they be defended by facts. They are a new faith adhered to with the same fervor with which true-believing Communists believed in the New Soviet Man.

Because liberal ideas can't win a fair fight with conservative ideas, liberals' only hope is to ensure that the fight isn't fair. Their weapon of choice is constructing a monolithically liberal media whose objective is advancing their faith, not informing the public.

Modern technology has presented liberals with a losing hand. They can no longer control what people know; essentially, too many Americans have taken the red pill and awoken from their MSM-inspired dream. When given the facts, Americans are staunchly conservative.

Liberals know that once people see behind the curtain, they will stop doing what benefits the liberal elites and start doing what is best for themselves, the American people.

You can read more of Tom's rants at his blog, Conversations about the obvious, and feel free to follow him on Twitter.
The total abrogation of personal autonomy for the parents of baby Charlie Gard as courts in the United Kingdom and in Europe simultaneously and arbitrarily decided what his parents can and cannot do for their extremely ill child is another symptom of the chilling or, should I say, killing world of socialism.

In his 2004 collection of readings for the humanities titled Being Human, editor Leon Kass writes about Russian dissident Vladimir Bukovsky who was held in the USSR as a political prisoner from 1963 until his release in 1976. Kass writes that "Bukovsky reflects on the 'soul of man under socialism,' this 'new type of man' who is subject to totalitarian rule." Bukovsky ponders what it "means to retain one's human dignity as a citizen of a state" when socialists demand a dream of universal equality while ensuring the "suppression and ultimate destruction of the individual, in body and in spirit."

And while the pervasive rallying cry of socialists is equality, Bukovsky writes that "the defining characteristics of a socialist regime is that 'the individual may not possess the least inalienable right' and that the system requires 'slaves, not conscious citizens.'"

Thus, "the regime is immovable, infallible, and intransigent, and the entire world is left with no choice but to accommodate itself to this fact."

Despite the fact that the Gards raised money to continue treatment for their baby, the European powers-to-be have denied them this choice. To add salt to the wound, they cannot even take their child home to die.

Ms. Yates said: 'We've been talking about what palliative care meant. One option was to let Charlie go home to die. We chose to take Charlie home to die. That is our last wish. We promised our little boy every single day that we would take him home.' His father Chris, 32, said: 'Our parental rights have been stripped away. We can't even take our own son home to die. We've been denied that. Our final wish [was] if it all went against us can we take our little boy home to die and we are not allowed. 'They even said no to a hospice.' The couple, who have previously lost battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court, claim they also asked doctors to allow them a final weekend with Charlie but say this request has been denied. 'We begged them to give us the weekend,' Ms. Yates said, 'Friends and family wanted to come and see Charlie for the last time. But now there isn't even time for that. Doctors said they would not rush to turn off his ventilator but we are being rushed. 'Not only are we not allowed to take our son to an expert hospital to save his life, we also can't choose how or when our son dies.'

Bukovsky writes that in "a regime of terror the individual cannot have any rights -- the least inalienable right possessed by a single individual instantly deprives the regime of a morsel of power. Every individual from childhood on must absorb the axiomatic fact that never in any circumstances or by any means will he be able to influence the regime one jot."

In fact, "socialized medicine's killing isn't just about money, but power." As Daniel Greenfield explains, "it would have cost the NHS less to allow his parents to take Charlie to America" but this would have sent the "message that socialized medicine is flawed." It would expose the horrible underbelly of the socialist regime.

Yet far too many still do not understand that we can never "acquire freedom and security, until we refuse categorically to recognize this paranoid [socialist] version of reality and oppose to it our own reality and our own values."

"Moral opposition" is critical as government control becomes all consuming. But it is frightening that so many millennials who have not been educated on this "ism" are found to favor it. Bukovsky writes that "it is difficult for man to resist this dream and this noble impulse, particularly for men who are impetuous and sincere." But the reality of this pseudo-nirvana must be revealed.

Bukovsky rails about the humanity that is "sacrificed for this [socialist] dream" and one is reminded of the "shocking images from a Venezuela hospital [that] reveal the extent of the country's austerity [under socialism]: lacking cribs, newborn babies are placed in cardboard boxes." In fact, "the babies sleeping in cardboard boxes is just one instance of the demise of health care within Venezuelas hospitals."

In his book titled The Problem with Socialism, Thomas J. DiLorenzo recounts how socialized medicine kills the patient and robs the taxpayer. Thus, "government rationing of medical technology is pervasive in countries with 'single payer,' socialized healthcare. On a per capita basis, the United States has more than three times as many MRI units as Canada does; twice as many CT scanners; and much of the medical technology that does exist in Canada is archaic and obsolete compared to American medical technology." Thus, socialist healthcare rationing "can be especially bad for older patients, because they are seen as drags on the system."

Consequently, the doctors at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in London maintained that Charlie should "die with dignity." The ultimate lesson is that "the individual human being is property of the State" despite his parents "succeeding in raising enough money to cover Charlie's travel to America by air ambulance and the cost of the experimental treatment."

Those not completely decimated by socialist governments bravely write of the horror of living in a socialist society where "the result is mountains of corpses and rivers of blood, accompanied by attempts to straighten the stooped and shorten the tall." Consequently, seven million people in the "Breadbasket of Europe" were deliberately starved to death at Stalin's command as he ordered the collectivization of all Ukrainian farms as described in Miron Dolot's Execution by Hunger.

At the Victims of Communism site, Cambodian physician Nal Oum poignantly speaks of the toddlers and newborns who died under the evil regime of the Khmer Rouge because "intellectuals" were rounded up and murdered. Dr. Oum is the only doctor to have survived the killings.

Thus, in Jang Jin-Sung's account of his escape from North Korea in Dear Leader, the reader learns that "the presence of disabled citizens in Pyongyang was an affront to the beauty of the city, and banished them en masse to the countryside." In the land of universal equality, for those who had Central Party identifications documents embossed with the gold party emblem "there was no tedious standing in line for several hours" like the others. And since "everything in North Korea ran according to a centralized system, you couldn't go out for a meal just because you wanted to."

In Ana Veciana-Suarez's account titled Flight to Freedom, she writes of her parents' struggles as they flee to Miami to escape the Communist rule of Fidel Castro and she writes "I am glad for my mother because she took matters into her own hands. It is important, I think, to not just sit around and let things happen to you. But I feel badly for my poor father. How upsetting it must be to realize that everything you have ever believed in is not necessarily true, that everything you have worked for can be taken away by some stupid Communist government."

Bukovsky asserts that the defining characteristics of a socialist regime are that it is "not responsive." Rather, a "tyrannical society is bent on containing individuals in herds." In fact, "no decisions can be made other than on initiatives from above." To counter this, we must "learn to respect the right of even the most insignificant and repulsive individual to live the way he chooses."

Over the years, Bukovsky maintains that they "were often astounded by the idiotic stubbornness of  authorities and their reluctance to look at the obvious facts, all of which did them catastrophic harm." Hence, Ji Li Jiang in Red Scarf Girl: A Memoir of the Cultural Revolution was told that she had to choose between two roads -- she could "break with [her] family and follow Chairman Mao, or [she] could follow [her] father and become an enemy of the people."

The European Union which is bullying countries regarding immigration, health care and the environment, clearly understands the use of force, thus confirming what Bukovsky emphasizes, "[p]eople attain absolute equality only in the graveyard, and if you want to turn your country into a gigantic graveyard, go ahead, join the socialists. But man is so constituted that others' experiences and explanations don't convince him, he has to try things out himself. We Russians now watch events unfolding in Cambodia and Vietnam with increasing horror, and listen sadly to all the chatter about Eurocommunism and socialism with a human face. Why is it that nobody speaks of fascism with a human face?"

R.I.P. little Charlie.

Eileen can be reached at middlemarch18@gmail.com
In 1776, delegates from the 13 American colonies gathered in Philadelphia to deliberate on whether to break away from British rule. Some were adamantly opposed, but the delegates disgust at King Georges tyrannical edicts won the day.

America may seem hopelessly conflicted right now, but its good to keep in mind that the longest surviving democratic republic in history began with much disagreement over Americas destiny. Not everyone wanted to plunge into the unpredictable future of a brand new nation.

On June 7, Virginias Richard Henry Lee made a motion, swiftly seconded by Massachusetts John Adams, to declare the colonies independence. The motion was debated for three days by the delegates before being postponed for several weeks.

Meanwhile, a committee consisting of Adams, Benjamin Franklin, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, and Thomas Jefferson appointed Jefferson to compose the first draft of the Declaration of Independence, which he did, writing feverishly in his rented room.

On July 2, Congress passed the Lee Resolution: These United Colonies are, and of right ought to be free and independent States. Two days later, the delegates officially adopted the Declaration of Independence, whose most famous passage still inspires millions around the world 241 years hence:

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Happiness.

Twenty-five years after the Declarations adoption, Jefferson delivered his first inaugural speech on March 4, 1801.

The nations third chief executive warned against division in the still-new nation and entreated his fellow citizens to unite with one heart and one mind. Let us restore to social intercourse that harmony and affection without which liberty and even life itself are but dreary things.

At the same time, he cautioned Americans against their own government lest it become tyrannical, a warning that rings true today:

A wise and frugal government, which shall restrain men from injuring one another, shall leave them otherwise free to regulate their own pursuits of industry and improvements, and shall not take from the mouth of labor the bread it has earned. This is the sum of good government.

I have to believe that Mr. Jefferson and the other Founders would be appalled at the size of the federal government and our confiscatory level of taxation. They would declare most federal agencies unconstitutional.

At one point, Mr. Jefferson wryly observed: Sometimes it is said that man cannot be trusted with the government of himself. Can he, then, be trusted with the government of others? Or have we found angels in the form of kings to govern him? Let history answer this question.

History has. The fight for freedom is a never-ending battle, with threats from within and from abroad.

That we retain the bulk of the liberties and rights spoken of in the Declaration and guaranteed in the Constitution is a testament to the wisdom of those who gathered in 1776 and again at the Constitutional Convention.

America has too much government and is divided today, sometimes violently, but it is still a beacon to millions around the world who have never experienced freedom.

Robert Knight is a senior fellow at the American Civil Rights Union.
Did Donald Trump dodge a bullet in declining to make Chris Christie a part of his cabinet?

The New Jersey governor's latest beach shenanigan would surely suggest it.

Supposedly, Trump decided not to make Christie, an early supporter, part of his cabinet. The leaked story at the time claimed that president-elect Trump was incensed about Christie's behavior during the Bridgegate scandal, allowing a longtime aide with kids to take the fall, going to jail, instead of accepting the responsibility himself.

Now the story is that Christie got caught clearing off a public beach on a summer weekend under the pretext of a budget dispute, taking advantage of a grace-and-favor mansion there so he could have it all to himself. According to the Daily Mail, he was unrepentant.

It's actually a story with a lot in common with Bridgegate, which involved Christie officials ordering a logjam in bridge passage to New York, in order to trigger an avalanche of angry phone calls to an official who angered him. The act was never traced to him but his aides were caught. Now he's in another scrap with the public by denying passage again to the public, this time to a crowded beach on a hot holiday summer weekend. What is it with him and passage? He seems to think the right to passage is a privilege, not a right, and he now has a pattern of obstructing it.

He's also exceptionally selfish. The Bridgegate scandal came to light shortly after the New York Times wrote a piece detailing his tendency to be vindictive. Now hogging the beach to himself is little more than vindictive selfishness, given his low poll numbers.

He wanted the beach all to himself.

(It was that attitude, by the way, that killed Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez, by the way. When Chavez had cancer, the Brazilians offered him access to their best cancer facility and said they could cure him. Chavez declined the offer because the hospital refused his demand to clear out the entire hospital so he could have the facility all to himself. He opted for Castrocare in Havana, where such clearouts are common.)

At a bare mininum, what we see here is that Trump is a good judge of character. Christie could have easily been involved in another scrap of this kind in a Trump cabinet position, embarassing the president. By steering clear, Trump dodged a bullet.
A study by City.com reveals that the crime rate in Phoenix dropped dramatically after the city dropped its sanctuary city policies.

There are many reason why crime rates decline over a certain period of time. But the study suggests a provocative link between fewer illegal aliens roaming the streets and a falling crime rate.

Breitbart:

"When we eliminated our sanctuary policy back in 2008, we saw crime, violent and stolen vehicles fall by 25 percent," former Phoenix police officer and Executive Director of the Arizona Police Association Levi Bolton told Fox News Channel's William La Jeunesse in an interview. "We saw a 20-year low crime rate. When we were allowed and had the discretion to contact our federal immigration partners, crime fell drastically." Lajeunesse reported data from City-Data.com revealing that from 2008 to 2009, the murder rate in Phoenix dropped by 27 percent. Other crimes fell as well. Auto thefts fell by 36 percent, robberies 23 percent, thefts by 19 percent, burglaries by 14 percent, and assaults by 13 percent, the report states. The rates fell again in 2010, but by smaller numbers. The overall crime index fell by 20 percent the first year after the city's policy change. Police chiefs around the country tout that sanctuary cities are safer than cities that actually turn criminal aliens over to immigration officials for removal from the country. "Police chiefs across the nation believe that enlisting local police to enforce immigration law is a bad idea," California Senate President Pro Tem Kevin De Leon (D) told reporters during a recent press conference "Having [Immigration and Customs Enforcement] pluck criminals out of jail and send them across the border or wherever they came only to come right back endangers our communities." The University of California, Riverside, disagrees. A 2016 study by the university revealed that "violent crime is slightly higher in sanctuary cities." It concluded there is not a "discernible difference in violent crime rates, rape, or property crime" across the 55 cities in their study, La Jeunesse reported.

Finding a direct, causal link between the crime rate and illegal alien criminals is difficult because there are so many factors besides illegals that must be considered, including incarceration rates, declining or increasing population, and even the amount of resources devoted to crime prevention.

Having said that, it's hard to escape the conclusion that turning illegals over to the feds has had a positive impact on reducing crime. I suppose it depends on your point of view. If you are disposed to reject any evidence that removing illegal aliens who commit additional crimes from the community could reduce the number of serious crimes, you can find plenty of ammunition to buttress your point of view.

But to do that, you have to ignore the totality of the evidence. Statistics from one city could be an outlier, so it will be interesting to examine statistics from other cities that have changed their policies.
Some of you regulars here at American Thinker may know that I also post at a combat veteran-operated military website called This Ain't Hell. Its primary mission is exposing Stolen Valor fraud  that is, going after those sleazy types who dishonestly claim military service, deeds, heroism, and awards they did not perform or earn  and shining the bright, hot light of internet fame on them. Since 2008, TAH has exposed more than 2,000 of these valor thieves, many of whom appear in this rogue's gallery, a place you most surely do not want your mug to be plastered, for, as they say, the internet is forever.

Vietnam War hero Lieutenant General Hal Moore was made famous by his heroic leadership at the Battle of Ia Drang, the U.S. Army's first major set-piece battle in that war where Moore and the legendary 7th Cavalry fought off a much larger North Vietnamese Army force. A widely acclaimed book, We Were Soldiers Once...and Young, written by Moore and Joseph L. Galloway, a war reporter present throughout the battle, made Moore famous outside the military. A movie based on that book starring Mel Gibson as Moore made the by then retired three-star general an American icon. Sadly, the old warhorse left us earlier this year.

My involvement with Moore was brief and strictly by chance. My unit, the 2nd Battalion, 327th Airborne Infantry, was engaged with a much larger NVA force at a hamlet called Trung Luong in June 1966. The 1st Air Cavalry Division was tapped to assist. Moore, a full colonel and brigade commander by then, led the relief force, a battalion of the 8th Cavalry Regiment. He blew through the blackout flaps of our Forward Tactical Operations Center like a tall, lean whirlwind, and within minutes, I found myself designated his tactical net radio operator within the TOC. For the better part of the next two days, I issued and rescinded endless streams of commands and instructions as his voice to the rifle companies except when he grabbed the handset, as he did frequently, and barked out orders himself. At the conclusion of the battle, when the enemy regiments had withdrawn from the field, he boarded his command chopper, and I never saw him again. However, for the remainder of my life, much of which was spent on military installations all over the country, I have told countless listeners of this fierce colonel who embodied the image of the lean, mean Airborne Ranger infantry officer. That statue at Fort Benning could well be he.

Last week, I received an email from an old Cav trooper buddy which I thought might interest readers of American Thinker but especially the valor hunters at This Ain't Hell via (Lt. General Hal Moore's son):

Missing award? I had a question about Dad's Purple Heart. As you can see from his official picture, it is not on his chest. In this letter home from Vietnam, he explains: "By the way please send me back that Purple Heart and award certificate. I cannot keep it as I feel that a minor punji stake wound in the foot is no reason. Many get it for that when so hurt, but I have my own self-respect to live with. I intend to turn them back. Although it was properly earned, I cannot wear it or keep it in conscience." Dad was unsuccessful in his effort to return it. Once something is awarded, it is final. But, it was his choice not to wear it out of respect for those who paid a much higher price.

As someone who saw others wounded by punji stakes and who himself once came within inches and seconds of planting his jump boots into a punji pit, I can assure you that such wounds can be no small matters, even life-threatening. Yet here was an infantry leader turning down a duly awarded Purple Heart, his nations oldest and most cherished award, for a legitimate injury, because he considered it too minor.

Now can you, for even a moment, imagine John Kerry possessing the honor and self-respect to do that? It would be a most fitting punishment to all Stolen Valor thieves exposed by This Aint Hell and other such organizations for local judges to require the perpetrators to stand in their courtrooms and eat a copy of General Moores award citation, printed on heavy formal presentation stock. John Kerry should have to do that, too, except while standing on the steps of the Capitol holding a wooden model Swift Boat.
It is all too easy for Americans to forget about the major civilization that existed on our continent prior to the arrival of Columbus. The Aztecs, whose capital became Mexico City, had a vast empire based on tribute from conquered peoples.

When the Spanish conquistador Hernan Cortes and his army arrived in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan in 1519, that city is estimated by a leading historian of the period to have had a population over 200,000, which would make it one of the largest cities in the world at the time. It was impressive to the Spaniards. So was the evident brutality, as evidenced by the Huey Tzompantli, a collection of racks displaying what were assumed to be the skulls of enemy warriors captured and executed.

But new archaeology has thrown that surmise into doubt. Reuters reports:

A tower of human skulls unearthed beneath the heart of Mexico City has raised new questions about the culture of sacrifice in the Aztec Empire after crania of women and children surfaced among the hundreds embedded in the forbidding structure. Archaeologists have found more than 650 skulls caked in lime and thousands of fragments in the cylindrical edifice near the site of the Templo Mayor, one of the main temples in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, which later became Mexico City. The tower is believed to form part of the Huey Tzompantli, a massive array of skulls that struck fear into the Spanish conquistadores when they captured the city under Hernan Cortes, and mentioned the structure in contemporary accounts. Historians relate how the severed heads of captured warriors adorned tzompantli, or skull racks, found in a number of Mesoamerican cultures before the Spanish conquest.

But those displays uncovered in the heart of the capital city weren't just warriors:

"We were expecting just men, obviously young men, as warriors would be, and the thing about the women and children is that you'd think they wouldn't be going to war," said Rodrigo Bolanos, a biological anthropologist investigating the find. "Something is happening that we have no record of, and this is really new, a first in the Huey Tzompantli," he added.



Photo credit: Henry Romero/Reuters

Raul Barrera, one of the archaeologists working at the site alongside the huge Metropolitan Cathedral built over the Templo Mayor, said the skulls would have been set in the tower after they had stood on public display on the tzompantli. Roughly six meters in diameter, the tower stood on the corner of the chapel of Huitzilopochtli, Aztec god of the sun, war and human sacrifice. Its base has yet to be unearthed.

Human sacrifice was the basis of the spiritual life of this civilization  even of helpless women and children, with a tower of their skulls in the heart of the capital.

No matter the changes of the last half-millennium, civilizations change slowly, and their roots matter.

Hat tip: John McMahon
Hidden in the usual holiday weekend news dump (perfected during the Obama years) was the New York Times admission that it had misstated facts. In stories since January and as recently as Monday, the Times has incorrectly reported intelligence agencies' determination that the Russians interfered in the 2016 presidential election. The Democrats rely upon the leadership of the Times, the Washington Post, CNN, ABC, NBC, and CBS News to damage Donald Trump.

A White House Memo article on Monday about President Trump's deflections and denials about Russia referred incorrectly to the source of an intelligence assessment that said Russia orchestrated hacking attacks during last year's presidential election. The assessment was made by four intelligence agencies  the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, the Central Intelligence Agency, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the National Security Agency. The assessment was not approved by all 17 organizations in the American intelligence community.

All of this interference was done, according to some in the intelligence community, with the aim of helping elect Donald Trump. They further claim that Vladimir Putin ordered this effort to hurt Hillary Clinton, whom he despises from her years as secretary of state. As early as October 2016, the Obama administration claimed that the Russians had interfered in the presidential elections, but they were aware in August.

Yet, surprisingly, they did nothing significant to stop or deflect this computer hacking. At the time, they were confident that Hillary would win the election and continue the Obama legacy. Hillary would not expose all the questionable surveillance activity of the Obama administration. Now Susan Rice will have to testify about some of this activity.

By the end of November, the administration had determined to damage Trump's presidency by linking his success with the Russians. This idea was hatched in the Hillary war room following the election. The argument was that Trump's staff conspired with the Russians. They coupled this argument with the idea that they favored Trump over Hillary due to personal animus. In James Comey's May testimony, he debunked the claim that Trump conspired with the Russians.

Buck Sexton, a former CIA employee, has pointed out that the swamp in Washington has tried to discredit the Trump administration through innuendo rather than evidence. He argues that the process used by James Clapper to put together the January 2017 report was unusual. He agrees with Fred Fleitz, a former intelligence officer, that the correction was not adequate and that the process used was irregular.

The U.S. intelligence community is specifically made up of 17 organizations that include the Department of the Treasury, the CIA, the FBI, Army Intelligence, Marine Corps Intelligence, the DNI, the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office, the Department of Homeland Security, the NSA, and the Department of State. Also included are the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Department of Energy; and the Air Force, Coast Guard, and Navy Intelligence groups.

Former DNI director James Clapper testified that those four agencies did not author the report. Instead, it was a committee from three of the agencies. These were hand-picked for this conclusion. This is evidence of coordination between Hillary and Obama.

That fact was disclosed by Clapper during a Senate judiciary subcommittee hearing on May 8, when he acknowledged that the assessment was conducted not by his office, the FBI, the CIA, and the NSA, but by a panel. Clapper told senators that the assessment was actually made by two dozen or so "seasoned experts" "handpicked" from the contributing agencies.

The three agencies were run by James Comey, James Clapper, and John Brennan, none supportive of Trump. In the third presidential debate, Hillary mentioned the "classified" information that the Russians were hacking computers to influence the election. Need more proof of coordination? While they succeeded in gaining access to DNC computers, they were thwarted by the RNC. Further, the DNC rebuffed FBI efforts to help. What did they try to hide? We still do not know who turned over the Hillary campaign emails to WikiLeaks, despite news reports blaming the Russians.

Last week, CNN fired three employees after retracting its report of collusion between Anthony Scaramucci and the Russians. This followed his threat to pursue legal action. But this was their latest effort to discredit Trump and his victory in November. They were not content to damage General Michael Flynn. Now they try to get Republicans to stop his tweeting, to prevent direct communications with the public. But Trump said no. Keep up the fight against the swamp!
They are moving around the deck chairs on the metaphorical Titanic that is the State of Illinois fiscal regime as it heads straight toward the figurative iceberg known as insolvency. Even though it is all but guaranteed to never make it into law, the solons in Springfield's lower legislative chamber managed for the first time in two years to actually pass a budget. Austin Berg of the Illinois Policy Institute reports:

More than a dozen Republicans joined House Democrats in passing a budget that includes a massive tax hike and no structural spending reforms. Gov. Bruce Rauner said he would veto the plan. The Illinois House of Representatives passed a full-year budget July 2. It's the first time in two years the body has approved such a plan. The revenue portion of the budget, including a permanent income tax hike, passed on a 72-45 vote, with 15 Republicans voting in favor. The spending portion of the budget passed out of the House on a vote of 81-34.

Well, those deck chairs do look good. Bipartisan? Check. Massive tax hike? Check. But the other half of the fiscal sanity equation, spending discipline, is entirely absent.



Illinois State Capitol

The budget package is devoid of any structural spending reforms to slow growth in the cost of government: It lacks comprehensive property tax reform, constitutional pension reform, collective bargaining reform, reforms to Medicaid and more.

And Illinois's Republican governor, Bruce Rauner, "announced he will veto the budget in its current form."

However:

Lawmakers could override the governor's veto with a three-fifths majority vote in each of the House and Senate, which is currently the same share it takes to send the budget to the governor's desk in the first place.

So the most charitable interpretation of the maneuvering underway is that individuals and corporations in Illinois will get a huge permanent tax hike:

... a massive, 32 percent income tax hike on Illinois residents, who are now witnessing the nation's worst income growth. If signed into law, the House plan will hike the state income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent, and the corporate income tax rate will rise to 7 percent from 5.25 percent.

With no spending discipline and a black hole of pension liabilities, the only question is when the iceberg will be struck and the state is unable to pay any of its bills. At that point, we are in the zone where the rest of America must decide what to do about its problem-child irresponsible states, starting with Illinois. A new law allowing states to enter bankruptcy and discharge their obligations thereby (including, most notably, the pension obligations that bought unbroken power for Democrats in the legislature for decades) will be compared with a federal bailout in the national debate that will follow.

I do not anticipate a groundswell of support from fiscally prudent states like Texas to send their taxes to bail out the lavish pensions of state employees in blue states. We can look forward to rhetoric blaming them for pending deaths of impoverished local public servants in the Land of Lincoln.

Hat tip: Peter von Buol
You can't make this stuff up. In a news article, migrant hairstylist Mohammad Hussain Rashwani was hailed as a shining example of integration in Germany. Ten months later, which was just a few days ago, an article bore the headline "Herzberg: Syrian hairstylist slits boss's throat."

Yeah, it was Mohammad.

He apparently didn't go the full Mohammad, since his boss is still alive. But here's the title and crux of the first piece:

Syrian Hairstylist finds employment in Herzberg Salon owner Ilona Fugmann is amazed by his skills [Yes, he was especially adroit with a straight-edge razor.] August 31, 2016 In early September, Ilona Fugmann will give the Syrian Mohammad Hussain Rashwani a permanent position in her hair salon in Herzberg. The 38-year-old's skills immediately convinced her. Mohammad Hussain Rashwani is an example of how well integration can work out.

The article, all of which can be found at Gates of Vienna, goes on to explain Mohammad's sterling qualities. He "had an excellent command of his craft" and "gets along well with the two female colleagues[.] ... 'The chemistry is right. Admittedly, Mohammad is a proud person, but very attentive and prudent. He even helps with the clean-up,' says Ilona Fugmann."

Of course, "proud" is a euphemism for "prideful," which reflects a sin (though Muslims don't see it that way) and basically means that Mohammad had more ego than brains and was easily "triggered." Speaking of which...

Fugmann is quoted as mentioning the difficulty in finding good help and asking, "Why shouldn't I give him a chance?" I'm guessing her question has been answered, which brings us to the second piece:

Herzberg: Syrian hairstylist slits boss's throat ... June 29, 2017 HERZBERG A bloody deed horrified Herzberg (Elbe-Elster) on Wednesday. A salon owner was attacked by her Syrian employee, and gravely injured. He was regarded the paramount example of successful integration. The Syrian Mohammad H. (39), a master hairstylist who had fled his homeland, started a new life and found work in Herzberg. He was appreciated and popular in the salon of Ilona F. (64). This makes what happened yesterday, Wednesday, even stranger.

Yes, strange, unfathomable, unprecedented! Who could've seen this coming? And if you suggest otherwise on social media, the German government will arrest you and fine the "Islamophobia" out of the social media company. You will be absorbed.

In fact, the only successful integration going on is that of many Germans, who've been integrated into delusion. All people are the same, you see, and our strength lies in our diversity, I tell ya. "I'm smart! Not like everybody says...like dumb...!"

Except it is dumb believing that all people  and peoples  are the same. We can argue the reasons for the differences, but we ignore them at our peril. As Col. Ralph Peters put it in the excellent little piece, "Taliban from Outer Space":

In my years as an intelligence officer, I saw colleagues make the same blunder over and over: They rushed to stress the ways in which the Russians, the Chinese or the Iranians were 'just like us.' It's the differences that kill you, though.

He later wrote:

[W]e still hear the deadly cliche that 'all human beings want the same basic things, such as better lives and greater opportunities for their children.' How does that apply to Afghan aliens who prefer their crude way of life and its merciless cults?

What's deadly here is something I often warn of: projection. This is when we ascribe our mindset, priorities, and sense of virtue to others. It's natural. We behave in certain ways because we think it makes sense to do so, so it must make sense to others, too. Thus are the self-serving cynical, believing that everyone is just "out for himself"; thus are innocent little children gullible, thinking everyone well-meaning  and thus do secular Westerners believe that, well, of course these new arrivals will embrace secular "values."

That's the ideological chauvinism lurking in the hearts of the oh, so open-minded, who once warned of "ethnocentrism." But why would others adopt "secular Western 'values,'" including confusion over marriage, sex, and right and wrong (Truth) itself? Because they're so self-evidently true?

Realize that some people have an alien sense of virtue (Western leftists are a good example). Some really do believe that slaughtering innocents in Allah's name is good  that burning people alive, baking them in ovens, drowning them in cages, and feeding children into a dough kneader win you Paradise.

Remember, our weakness lies in our diversity.

Contact Selwyn Duke, follow him on Twitter, or log on to SelwynDuke.com.
President Barack Obama is in Indonesia this week, revisiting the home of his childhood. He interrupted his trip down memory lane to make a speech that reminded us why so many of us considered the former president a total jerk.

The Guardian:

The former US president said some countries had adopted "an aggressive kind of nationalism" and "increased resentment of minority groups", in a speech in Indonesia on Saturday that could be seen as a commentary on the US as well as Indonesia. "It's been clear for a while that the world is at a crossroads. At an inflection point," Obama said, telling a Jakarta crowd stories of how much the capital had improved since he lived there as a child. But he said that increased prosperity had been accompanied by new global problems, adding that as the world confronts issues ranging from inequality to terrorism, some countries  both developed and less developed  had adopted a more aggressive and isolationist stance. "If we don't stand up for tolerance and moderation and respect for others, if we begin to doubt ourselves and all that we have accomplished, then much of the progress that we have made will not continue," he said. "What we will see is more and more people arguing against democracy, we will see more and more people who are looking to restrict freedom of the press, and we'll see more intolerance, more tribal divisions, more ethnic divisions, and religious divisions and more violence."

Cats and dogs living together. Mass hysteria!

"My stepfather  was raised a Muslim but he respected Hindus and he respected Buddhists and he respected Christians," he said, adding: "If you are strong in your own faith then you should not be worried about someone else's faith." The line earned raucous applause. Obama never mentioned Donald Trump by name, but he chose a range of topics that could be seen to apply to politics in both Indonesia and the US, including fake news powered by social media, resentment, attacks on institutions, and ignorance of other peoples.

Obama's criticism of "nationalists" sounds a heckuva lot like the liberal agenda, doesn't it? But then, this is a man who has always been completely oblivious to his own contradictions.

Liberals have taken to using the word "nationalism" interchangeably with "patriotism." Of course, the best known example of "nationalism" can be found in Nazi Germany. So when liberals warn against the evils of "nationalism," they are setting themselves up as heroes to battle Nazism.

Liberals have turned the simple, heartfelt feelings of love of country that many of us experience this 4th of July into something bad and evil. And Barack Obama, on foreign soil, no less, has given voice to that despicable narrative by misrepresenting and exaggerating how that patriotism translates into politics.

We should be used to this man's hectoring lectures by now, telling us how wrong we are, how racist we are, how intolerant we are as a nation. By doing that, he elevates himself to a higher moral plane than the rest of us. Quite simply, he is better than us. And he wants us all to know it.
The Rhode Island secretary of state has found that nearly 20% of registered voters live outside the state. Most of those registrants are people who have moved out or died. The fact that they are still carried as eligible voters should worry anyone concerned with election integrity.

President Trump's Election Integrity Commission will no doubt be looking closely at this problem, because Rhode Island's situation is not unique. A 2016 Pew Center report found millions of dead or otherwise ineligible voters on state voter registration rolls. This is an open invitation to fraud.

Daily Caller:

The Providence Journal reports that Rhode Island Secretary of State Nellie Gorbea conducted an audit of the state's voter registry and identified some 150,000 non-Rhode Islanders registered to vote in the state. Gorbea says this group of non-state residents is primarily composed of citizens who have since moved to other jurisdictions or died and does not suggest widespread fraud. "It's not really fraud," Gorbea told the Journal. "It's really just inaccuracies." "All is well" is hardly the attitude one should expect from an official in charge of election integrity. The Journal previously reported that there were 781,770 registered voters in the state in 2016. As such, the group of non-state residents Gorbea's audit identified account for 19 percent of all registered voters in Rhode Island. President Donald Trump convened a commission on election integrity in May, led by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, a hardline immigration restrictionist. Critics charge the panel is little more than a pretext to enact federal laws which stymie ballot access. Several states, including California and Virginia, have refused requests to cooperate with the commission's work. Still, Gorbea concedes an inaccurate voter registry jeopardizes the state's elections. "[H]aving clean voter lists [is] critical to preserving the integrity of our elections and ensure that elections are fair, fast and accurate," she said.

Every time a state proposes purging registration rolls of the dead or ineligible registrants, we hear howls of outrage from liberals about "disenfranchising" voters. After all, just because someone's dead doesn't mean he shouldn't have the right to vote, right?

In any purge of the rolls, there are going to be mistakes. Liberals lovingly highlight those errors, trying to claim that there is a deep, dark, conservative effort to "suppress" minority voters. Meanwhile, millions of people  living or dead  on voter rolls around the country maintain their eligibility despite evidence to the contrary.

Would officials be able to detect a concerted effort to employ those false registrations in a voter fraud scheme? Hopefully, that's one question the presidential commission will be able to answer. There have been numerous examples of activists registering dead people  some of whom actually "voted." Are these isolated incidents or the tip of the iceberg? No one knows. By its very nature, voter fraud is difficult to detect. Are those responsible for the integrity of our elections really looking hard enough at the question?

Don't ask liberals about it. Any effort to discuss this issue is met with charges of racism and voter suppression. Considering how much we're in the dark about how bad a problem voter fraud truly is, any effort to get some answers should be met with bipartisan approval. It isn't. And that makes many of us even more suspicious that many liberals simply don't want to know who widespread and serious this problem may be.
Life imitates art, as the underworld rises up against a foreign enemy. That was the plot of Humphrey Bogart's patriotic 1942 movie All through the Night, in which "Runyonesque Broadway gamblers turn patriotic when they stumble onto a cell of Nazi saboteurs," as IMDB summarizes it. The motives for the version underway in Sicily may be somewhat less nationalistic, as Jake Wallis Simon reports in the U.K. Daily Mail:

Mafia bosses have 'declared war' against migrants on the holiday paradise of Sicily as one thousand new arrivals pour on to the island every week. The feared Cosa Nostra are desperate to maintain supremacy after African crime gangs arrived with the migrants  and they are engaged in a deadly turf war. An innocent Gambian man was shot through the head by an assassin in broad daylight sparking fears of a wider bloodbath.



Scene of the assassination (credit: Roland Hoskins)

The background of this turf war suggests larger stakes:

Mayor Leoluca Orlando told MailOnline: 'Palermo is no longer an Italian town. It is no longer European. You can walk in the city and feel like you're in Istanbul or Beirut.' Immigration to Italy soared by 90 per cent in the first three months of the year. The migrant population in Ballaro, the part of Palermo where the shooting took place, has risen from approximately five to 25 per cent since the migrant crisis began. ... Mobsters claimed that police were targeting their activities while leaving African gangs alone.

Political correctness? Certainly, there is no shortage of that in E.U. But I suspect that fear and habit have as much or more to do with it. Police have a lot of information on Mafiosi and probably little on the immigrants, whose native languages they don't understand and who can hide within the huge immigrant communities of Palermo and other cities.

Sicily was conquered and ruled by Muslims for 75 years more than a thousand years ago, and many of the obstacles to peace and prosperity in Sicily have something to do with resistance to that rule and with the brutality of the re-conquest by Norman crusaders. The very word "mafia" is believed to be derived from the word "ma'afir," an Arabic word meaning "shelter" or "place of refuge."

Stay tuned. Everything that is old is new again, as many in Islam continue to try to conquer Europe and further the global caliphate.
President Trump is setting an example for the rest of the bloated, expensive federal bureaucracy and sending a powerful message to the voters with serious cuts to his own staff and impressive savings for taxpayers. He has drained his own swamp first.

Don't expect a big fuss to be made of it right now. The mainstream media will do their best to ignore anything that places the president in a favorable light. There is plenty of time for this to sink in, and when voters are asked to choose between parties, a lot of people respond from the gut when they see a politician starting by cleaning up his own mess first. The political ads write themselves.

For those who want to pay attention right now, the White House's annual report to Congress on White House personnel, released Friday, is an impressive study in leading by example. Adam Andrezjewski, the founder of OpenTheBooks.com, writes about his analysis of the report's data in Forbes:

Projected four-year savings on the White House payroll could top $22 million. Savings come from President Trump's refusal to take a salary as well as big reductions in other areas including the absence of czars, expensive "fellowships," and spending on FLOTUS staff. ... There are 110 fewer employees on White House staff under Trump than under Obama at this point in their respective presidencies. $5.1 million in payroll savings vs. the Obama FY2015 payroll. In 2017, the Trump payroll amounts to $35.8 million for 377 employees, while the Obama payroll amounted to $40.9 million for 476 employees (FY2015).

This is 12.5%, or an eighth, rounded off. But as the article later points out, part of the salary savings includes the salaries of the president and his family, which they have all donated back, and the reduced salaries received by some wealthy individuals, as well as the reduction in the number of staff.

Nineteen fewer staffers are dedicated to The First Lady of the United States (FLOTUS). Currently, there are five staffers dedicated to Melania Trump vs. 24 staffers who served Michelle Obama (FY2009).

Other than readers of conservative websites and the occasional reference on Fox News, most Americans did not hear about the excessive staff used by Michelle Obama. On the other hand, as Andrezjewski points out, Michelle's staff was only modestly bigger than that of Laura Bush. So the real story here is not that Michelle was bad, but that Melania is doing without a lot of the support other first ladies have enjoyed.

To me, this is the most satisfying reform of the Trump White House.

Starting in 2009, President Obama came under fire for hiring special initiative czars. We found no evidence of "czars" on Trump's payroll. Examples of these White House czars included Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change Carol Browner ($172,000), Director of the Office of Faith Based and Neighborhood Partnerships Joshua DuBois ($98,000), White House Director of Urban Affairs Adolfo Carrion Jr ($158,500), and Director of the White House Office of Health Reform Nancy-Ann DeParle ($158,500). Starting in 2015, President Obama instituted a new fellowship  a White House Leadership Development program. In the initial class of sixteen candidates, at least one was placed on detail (from IRS) at the White House  Elaine Ho  at a salary of $158,700. Ho's assignment? Working with the Office of the First Lady to implement her "Let Girls Learn" initiative. Two "Directors" were also on payroll: Pamela Coleman ($120,000) and Katherine Pielemeier ($60,876). We found no evidence that Trump continued these programs.

These extra-constitutional "czars" were mostly just waste  i.e., cronyism  and symbolic affirmation for special interest groups. Good riddance.

Once this track record is established, President Trump and his advocates can use it to argue for actual cuts being imposed elsewhere.

As Clarice Feldman points out, President Trump's budget calls for serious downsizing. The Washington Post wrote when the budget was released:

The cuts Trump plans to propose this week are also expected to lead to layoffs among federal workers, changes that would be felt sharply in the Washington area. According to an economic analysis by Mark Zandi, chief economist for Moody's Analytics, the reductions outlined so far by Trump's advisers would reduce employment in the region by 1.8 percent and personal income by 3.5 percent, and lower home prices by 1.9 percent.

When that pity party gets going in the Beltway crowd, just remind them of the cuts the White House is taking. And remind the rest of America, too, of course. Lots of people know what it is like to live with staff reductions and layoffs. I don't sense a lot of concern for the career prospects of federal bureaucrats.

Hat tip: Clarice Feldman
It took them 19 years to catch on, but Venezuela's poor, the very bedrock of support for Venezuela's Chavista socialist system, have turned on their socialist masters. That's bad news for President Nicolas Maduro, because the socialism he is forcing on them is all done on the premise of helping the poor.

They're rioting for food, just as Venezuela's middle class are protesting for democracy. Bloomberg reports:

Services are shaky in Caracas, particularly in the slums that surround the capital. Water pipes go dry for days at a time, trash sits rotting and lights go out due to an aging power grid. The flashpoint has been the failure of the neighborhood food program. Deliveries are sporadic and reports of corruption are rampant. "It takes us by surprise when it comes," said Misleidy Gonzalez, a 21-year-old mother of two who cleans homes to get by. Barefooted children played on the cement floor of the wooden shack in the hillside Mamera slum, where she lives with her sister and niece. Years ago, the barrio boasted government food stores filled with subsidized staples. "Before you had to wait for hours, but you'd find something," Gonzalez said. "Last year, I even waited in line pregnant. Now there is nothing. Only the bags."

If you have ever been to the slums of Caracas, a place even Lonely Planet tells its hardy backpackers not to go to, you know a bit about the squalid, horrific conditions the poor live in. When I visited in late 2005, with my friend Miguel Octavio, who writes the excellent Devil's Excrement blog, Miguel noted that despite the horrific, overwhelming picture the slums presented, extending for miles over hill after hill, the poor lived by rules and had a social contract  loud music was to be turned town at 10:00 p.m., or the self-appointed enforcers would come after them. There were de facto property rights even if there were no records. They also were not as poor as they looked  some of the cinderblock units had glass windows, many had satellite dishes (he pointed those out), and most had access to illegally tapped electricity lines.

Now, apparently, things are different. The people are cooking with firewood and can't get food.

It's a shame it took them 19 years to realize that socialism is a dead end and the free bags of beans would eventually be halted as the system runs out of other people's money. Unlike Sean Penn, however, these people had no one to teach them, no failed examples to be warned from. They just had faith in the promises.

These failed. Now the troops are patrolling their streets and looking to shoo them like rats, as has been done in Brazil. And they are still entirely powerless. But unlike the Venezuelan middle class, at least they seem to be willing to fight their oppressors. That may be their salvation.
The dean of foreign correspondents at the Washington Post, David Ignatius, just returned from a week in Syria. He went on MSNBC to talk about his trip and  reluctantly  report on the popularity of Donald Trump with fighters battling ISIS in Syria.

Legal Insurrection:

WaPo's David Ignatius has just returned from a week in Syria. He was almost apologetic in prefacing his remarks: "I'm going to say something that in some ways is sympathetic to Trump." He then proceeded to say that he was told by top US commanders that "the most daring and decisive" attack in the battle of Raqqa would not have happened if it hadn't been for President Trump's decision to delegate authority to commanders in the field. Ignatius' contrasting depiction of the Obama administration was incredibly damning: "under Obama, that would have taken a couple of weeks of White House meetings and they still wouldn't have made up their mind." Ignatius also said that the name Trump was cheered whenever it was mentioned during meetings Ignatius had with Syrian forces trying to take out Assad. One Syrian commander praised Trump for having what Ignatius described as a vulgar term that in Spanish is "cojones."

The Syrian fighters are responding to a policy change by the Trump administration that seeks to destroy ISIS rather than continuing with President Obama's policy of pinprick attacks that did little to damage the terrorists. It's the sort of thing that becomes obvious when the coalition air force hits ISIS where it hurts. The unfortunate rise in civilian casualties is understood by these fighters as a tragic cost of getting the job done.

It should be noted that Obama's policies also killed civilians but were a lot less effective in denuding ISIS of military assets. From many reports, U.S.-backed forces are on the verge of victory in Raqqa, the caliphate's capital. It won't be the end of ISIS once that city falls. But without a base of operations, the terrorists become more of an annoyance than a threat.
Kosovo: elections, Haradinaj's coalition was successful He's expected to appoint a new government. Not an easy goal

(ANSA) - PRISTINA - The official final results of the early general elections held in Kosovo on June 11 confirmed the success of the coalition made up of Democratic Party of Kosovo (Pdk), Alliance for the Future of Kosovo (Aak) and Nisma (Initiative), which won 33.74% of the vote and 39 seats (out of 120 seats at the parliament). Electoral commission in Pristina announced that the nationalist and radical movement Vetevendosje (Autodetermination) was ranked second, with 27.49% and 32 seats, followed by another coalition made up of the Democratic League of Kosovo (Ldk), Alliance for the New Kosovo (Akr) and Alternative, that got 25.53% of the vote and 29 seats. List Srpska won 6.12% and 9 out of 10 seats reserved to the Serb minority. Ten more seats have been assigned to representatives of other minorities. Now President Hashim Thaci is expected to give the task of forming the new government to Ramush Haradinaj (Aak), premier candidate of the winning coalition, who will have 15 days to gain a parliamentary majority of at least 61 MPs.



This does not seem an easy goal, because of the low propensity of other political forces to ally with him. Haradinaj is a former leader of the Kosovo Liberation Army (Uck), Albania's independent guerrilla unit which used to fight against the Serbian forces in the late 1990s war. Serbia charged him with war crimes and France denied his extradition to Belgrade last April, after his arrest at the beginning of January. Other former Uck fighters take part in the winning coalition, which for this reason has been named 'war coalition'. (ANSA).





 Copyright ANSA - Tutti i diritti riservati
BRUSSELS - France and Spain are against the idea of allowing landings of migrants rescued in the central Mediterranean in their ports, ANSA learned from sources in Brussels Monday.

Migrant ships docking in other countries Tallinn issue. Also Africa funding difficulties

The idea of foreign-flagged migrant-rescuing ships docking in other European countries than Italy will be thorniest issue at next Thursday's European interior ministers' meeting in Tallinn, sources said Monday. Another key talking point will be the difficulties facing funding for the EU's emergency fund to fight the root causes of migration from Africa, to which member States have so far only contributed 89 million euros. Italy on Sunday reached a deal with Germany and France on more burden sharing over the Mediterranean migrant emergency.

UN sees no drop in Libya migrant flow

GENEVA - The United Nations does not see the flow of migrants and refugees coming to Europe by sea dropping. The UNHCR's special envoy for the central Mediterranean, Vincent Cochetel, said "the indications we have do not point to a slowdown of arrivals in Libya, which means that a bigger number of people could continue to try to leave the country on the central Mediterranean route". Since the start of the year, he said, 84,830 migrants and refugees have arrived in Italy by sea, a 19% rise on last year.
ROME - The Paris meeting of the interior ministers of France, Germany and Italy agreed on a new code of conduct for NGOs involved in migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, economic support for the Libyan coast guard and aid to the IOM and the UNHCR to ensure the reception centres in Libya meet international standards for life conditions and human rights. It also called for a European strategy for repatriations and full implementation of the EU programme to relocate people who need protection.

'Concrete effects' from Italy-Germany-France migrant deal, Italian PM





ROME - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said Monday that he hoped a deal his government reached at the weekend with France and Germany on securing greater help for Italy in managing the Mediterranean asylum-seeker crisis will change the situation. "The Italian initiative has produced the first results and I hope that these generate concrete effects," Gentiloni said at the 40th conference of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO).

France and Germany promised to step up the relocation of asylum seekers from Italy according to a joint statement released Monday following Sunday's meeting of the interior Ministers of the three countries, Gerard Collomb, Thomas de Maiziere and Marco Minniti, and European Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulo.

The Paris meeting also produced agreement on a new code of conduct for NGOs involved in migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, economic support for the Libyan coast guard and aid to the IOM and the UNHCR to ensure the reception centres in Libya meet international standards for life conditions and human rights. It called for a European strategy for repatriations and full implementation of the EU programme to relocate people who need protection too. The statement said that "strong solidarity was expressed towards Italy, which is facing a growing number of arrivals". It said France and Germany pledged their "commitment to increase efforts on the issue of relocation".

Gentiloni said Monday that the whole EU must share the burden of the crisis to prevent the strain becoming too much for Italy. "All of Italy is mobilized to face the (migrant) flows and it asks for the EU to share the burden, which it necessary if it wants to stay true to its history and its principles," Gentiloni said. "It is necessary for Italy to prevent the flows becoming unsustainable and feeding hostile reactions within our social fabric"

Don't confuse refugees with economic migrants - Macron

PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated Monday that economic migrants should not be confused with refugees. "We must conduct in a coordinated way in Europe an effective and humane action which will enable us to welocme political refugees, without confusing them with economic migrants and without abandoning the indispensable maintenance of our borders," he said.
(by Mohammed Ben Hussein)

AMMAN- Jordan is increasingly concerned about flow of IS fighters near its territories following recent losses that the extremist group faced in Syria and Iraq, prompting security forces to boost border control and impose strict measures on key facilities, observers said today.



Recent loss of Mosul and an inevitable capture of IS capital in Syria, Raqqa is likely to herald a new twist in the regional turmoil, including flow of fighters from northern Syria to the south, near the Jordanian borders.



The army has announced zero tolerance for illegal border crossing, employing strict rules of engagement with any party attempting to enter the kingdom from Syria. Meanwhile, the US has provided Jordan with state of the art surveillance system to protect the 227 km borders, which helped stop several attempts of illegal border crossing.



Refugees are no longer permitted to enter the country, while authorities have helped set up refugee camps along the Syrian borders, but refugees in these camps complain against lack of proper services, water and basic food items.



"Jordan refuses to allow any refugees in its territories. We are subject to threats by IS and other groups while the international community is watching," Abu Mohanad, an activist from Rakban refugee camp for Syrian refugees told ANSA by phone.



The kingdom currently plays a significant role in the fight against IS in Syria and sponsors several militant groups in southern Syria. Informed sources told ANSA that Jordan has in fact deployed intelligence and military experts across southern Syria in order to prevent infiltrations. Military expert Fares Kreishan said that recent developments in Syria indicate that IS would be forced to seek space in southern Syria, particularly near al Yarmouk valley, near the Jordanian-Israeli borders.



"IS allies near Jordan border has managed to attract numbers of young Syrians to its ranks due to the divisions within the Free Syria Army," said Kreishan.



Jordan has sent warnings to IS and other groups to stay away from the border line or face retaliation.



Meanwhile, Syria foreign ministry has accused Jordan of "sponsoring terrorist" groups in southern Syria, in light of attacks on Deraa city and bombings in Damascus that claimed lives of dozens.



The Syrian government lodged a complaint to the UN over perceived Jordanian role in its territories, but Amman denies such allegations.



"Jordan has genuine concerns about impact of recent losses for IS in Syria. The group could send fighters to the kingdom or possible escalation of fighting near its borders," said Kreishan. Last year, IS carried out several attacks on key military and touristic locations amid concern that number of sympathizers with the group is on the rise. (ANSAmed).
ANSAmed - Tomorrow's events in the Mediterranean

(ANSAmed) - ROME, July 3 - - These are some of the main events scheduled for tomorrow the Euro-Mediterranean area.



VARIOUS CITIES - World Day of Cooperation ASTANA - New round of talks for a solution to the Syrian crisis (also July 5).



ROME - FAO - Special Session addressing water scarcity and climate change in Near East and North African region. BRUXELLES- EU Commission to present new measures to address migrants crisis. (ANSAmed).




'Concrete effects' from Italy-Germany-France migrant deal-PM Interior ministers agree NGO code of conduct, money for Libya

(ANSAmed) - ROME, JULY 3 - Premier Paolo Gentiloni said Monday that he hoped a deal his government reached at the weekend with France and Germany on securing greater help for Italy in managing the Mediterranean asylum-seeker crisis will change the situation. "The Italian initiative has produced the first results and I hope that these generate concrete effects," Gentiloni said at the 40th conference of the Rome-based United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). France and Germany promised to step up the relocation of asylum seekers from Italy according to a joint statement released Monday following Sunday's meeting of the interior Ministers of the three countries, Gerard Collomb, Thomas de Maiziere and Marco Minniti, and European Migration and Home Affairs Commissioner Dimitris Avramopoulo.



The Paris meeting also produced agreement on a new code of conduct for NGOs involved in migrant rescues in the Mediterranean, economic support for the Libyan coast guard and aid to the IOM and the UNHCR to ensure the reception centres in Libya meet international standards for life conditions and human rights. It called for a European strategy for repatriations and full implementation of the EU programme to relocate people who need protection too. The statement said that "strong solidarity was expressed towards Italy, which is facing a growing number of arrivals". It said France and Germany pledged their "commitment to increase efforts on the issue of relocation".



Gentiloni said Monday that the whole EU must share the burden of the crisis to prevent the strain becoming too much for Italy.



"All of Italy is mobilized to face the (migrant) flows and it asks for the EU to share the burden, which it necessary if it wants to stay true to its history and its principles," Gentiloni said. "It is necessary for Italy to prevent the flows becoming unsustainable and feeding hostile reactions within our social fabric".




Don't confuse refugees with economic migrants - Macron

(ANSAmed) - PARIS, JULY 3 - French President Emmanuel Macron reiterated Monday that economic migrants should not be confused with refugees. "We must conduct in a coordinated way in Europe an effective and humane action which will enable us to welocme political refugees, without confusing them with economic migrants and without abandoning the indispensable maintenance of our borders," he said.




The new service has been introduced early to meet seasonal demand from 1 July to 28 October and 15 December to 15 February 2018. The A380 will then operate a regular year-round service from 25 March 2018. The superjumbo replaces a three-class Boeing 777-300ER previously operating the airlines daily overnight service to the French capital.

Mohammad Al Bulooki, Etihad Airways executive vice president commercial, said: Paris is one of Etihad Airways most sought-after destinations, popular with both leisure and business flyers alike. The global capital of style and gastronomy deserves us to fly our flagship product to town, offering world-leading and award-winning inflight hospitality experiences in the skies.

The A380 has presented a unique opportunity to provide the signature services and innovations that only Etihad Airways has been able to create for this incredible aircraft. These include revolutionary cabins such as The Residence, and First Apartments  jewels in the crown of our First Class offering, which was recently recognised again with three coveted Skytrax World Airline Awards at the Paris Air Show.

Paris is a city loved by all of us in the UAE. We have also seen an increase in the number of French visitors we are welcoming to Abu Dhabi - a hub of culture, commerce and tourism, which is home to French institutions such as the spectacular Louvre Museum and the Paris-Sorbonne University. Adding the flagship aircraft on this important route reaffirms Etihad Airways and the UAEs commitment to the French market and celebrates the deep cultural and business ties which exist between our two countries.
A major addition to the Middle Easts portfolio of airports will appear as early as 2018, when the initial phase of the new Karbala International Airport (KIA) becomes operational.

The airport will be situated on the outskirts of Karbala, about 60km southwest of Baghdad and about 40km north of Najaf. It is expected to be particularly used for religious tourism traffic.

Construction of the airport is part of the Iraqi Governments efforts to diversify the economy away from dependence on the oil and gas sector, with considerable employment being generated, both by the construction process and by the airport itself, once it opens.

The project dates back to 2008, when the Iraqi Government, the countrys transport ministry and the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority (ICAA), announced the creation of a new airport in Karbala Governorate, strategically located between the cities of Karbala, Najaf and Al Hillah.

The French company, Aeroports de Paris Ingenierie (ADPI), was contracted by the transport ministry to conduct site selection studies, leading to the development of an airport masterplan.

Detailed design of the facility consists of two runways, taxiways and aprons, three passenger terminal buildings and associated support facilities, such as a fuel farm. There will also be a 62metre air traffic control tower.

The Al Rida Investment Group (RIG) and Khairat Al-Subtain (KAS) are privately financing

the project.

Karbala, like Najaf Airport, will act as a gateway to one of the holiest pilgrimage sites for Shia Moslems.

Its going to open up Iraq, said Miles Roberts, general manager of Copperchase Iraq, which is constructing the new facility.

While the battle to push back Daesh in the north and centre of Iraq continues, security in the south, around the new airports site, has never been a problem. Down here, they never really had any issues. People will feel safer here than even flying into Baghdad, Roberts added.

UK-based Copperchase has been involved in more than 150 airport projects worldwide since the 1990s, with the Middle East having been a particular focus for the company.

The new airport will be built in four phases. Phase one will see the creation of a terminal initially capable of handling two million passengers annually, but four million after around a year in service. This is described as a functional airport that will allow operations to get under way.

Revenues from the airports operation will be reinvested in the facility. The timetable for future expansion is dependent on the level of those revenues, but phase two will see capacity rise to six million, with two further phases possible over the following decade.

The initial runway will be 4,500m  the longest in Iraq and large enough, said Roberts, for anything except the Space Shuttle.

The land for the new airport measures 9km by 6km and is open countryside: Theres been a certain amount of quarrying in one corner, but otherwise its been used for agriculture.

Building time for the first phase is scheduled as two years, but Copperchase hopes to complete it in 18 months. With that tight schedule in mind, it has employed several extremely experienced senior personnel, who have constructed airports in daunting conditions around the world.

Project manager, Pieter van der Schraaf, for example, has handled more than 20 airport projects in locations as diverse as Bangkok, Rotterdam and Doha, while one of the worlds leading authorities on runway design, John Napton, of the UKs Newcastle University, is contracted as a consultant.

In addition to building the airport, Copperchase has also secured the rights to operate it for the next 25 years.

Several airlines have already expressed in interest in operating from the new airport, said Roberts, but he was not yet in a position to name them.

Over time, the company intends to develop additional elements of the airport from operating revenue profits. But it is also seeking investors who may want to take on elements of the airport operation or associated activities, such as hotels, car parking, retail and other facets.

When operational, the airport will ease travel for millions of religious pilgrims, who visit Karbala each year, said Nahidh Mohammed Salih, chairman of Copperchases Iraqi business.

Salih said the projects three planned phases would cost $2 billion. However, work on the second and third phases would depend on demand, he added.

Meanwhile, Copperchase is also involved in building up maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) facilities at Najaf Airport. Currently, there are no third-party major servicing facilities in Iraq. The companys plan is, initially, to develop a line maintenance capability at Najaf, with hangar maintenance being added almost immediately.

We will focus on A checks for the first four to six months, then build up to C checks by the back end of 2018, said David Plumpton, technical director of Lama Aviation Services, a fully owned subsidiary of Copperchase.

There is an obvious need for improved maintenance facilities in the country: For example, Iraq Airways send a lot of their aircraft to other countries, predominantly Turkey, said Plumpton. Theres not enough hangarage in Iraq to support their own requirements, let alone those of the surrounding countries. Iran, we know, has a very strong maintenance requirement. Theres hangarage at Baghdad, but no significant third-party maintenance hangars.

The work on building up an MRO capability at Najaf will take place in two phases. The first will be a two-bay hangar for Airbus A320 or Boeing 737-sized aircraft, explained Plumpton. A second hangar will bring an additional two bays, although this may end up as a single bay big enough for an Airbus A330 or Boeing 777, depending on customer reaction. We know a certain number of A330s and 777s would like to fly into Najaf.

Lama Aviation Services will also operate the new hangar.

That new MRO capability would boost Najaf Airports attractiveness to foreign carriers, said Plumpton: We know there have been operators that have resisted flying into Najaf because theres no maintenance capability.

Also at Najaf, Lama hopes to take on the contract for ground-handling currently undertaken by the airport authorities.

Najaf is a former military airbase that now functions as a small, but expanding, regional airport, with a 3,000metre runway and four departure gates. Opened in 2008, it now handles services from more than 20 airlines. Iranian carriers are prominent, although several Gulf carriers also operate there.

Together, the new and expanded facilities at the two airports will considerably improve transport options in the southern part of Iraq.


This new service, operated with a Boeing 777 aircraft, broadens the airlines network in Southeast Asia to 13 cities in eight countries and offers more choices and convenience to passengers travelling between Phnom Penh to Dubai and beyond. It also marks the first time since 2014 that Phnom Penh and Yangon were connected by a direct air link, serving increasing demand for travel between the two fast-developing cities.

Phnom Penh, the first destination within Cambodia to be served by Emirates, is one of the fastest growing economies in Southeast Asia. As the countrys largest city and the most important commercial centre, Phnom Penh contributes largely to the countrys economic growth. Gateway to the world famous Angkor Wat temple complex, Cambodia offers visitors a rare glimpse of ancient Asia, and has witnessed a significant increase in foreign tourist arrivals.
Olivier Douliery/Pool/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Donald Trumps critics were quick to condemn the president on Sunday after he tweeted an edited video that shows him physically attacking a person with the CNN logo superimposed in front of his face at a WWE match.

Ari Fleischer, who served as White House press secretary during the first term of fellow Republican George W. Bush, tweeted that he believes the president has gone too far in his ongoing rhetorical battle with the press.

"It's part of our democracy to disagree. But this goes too far," Fleischer wrote in a four-part comment on Twitter. "Some will think it's funny. I find it in poor taste."

1/ I never minded a good "fight" w the press. It's part of our democracy to disagree. But this goes too far. https://t.co/RRUiJW5sj0  Ari Fleischer (@AriFleischer) July 2, 2017

Fleischer added that he wants to see Trump's contentious relationship with the press softened.

Adam Schiff, a Democrat representing California's 28th congressional district and a ranking member of the House Intelligence Committee, linked Trump's rhetoric to the real-life violence inflicted in May on Guardian reporter Ben Jacobs, who was body-slammed by Greg Gianforte -- the Republican candidate in Montana's special House contest -- on the eve of an election that he eventually won. Gianforte pleaded guilty in court on a charge of misdemeanor assault.

"Where will his downward spiral take us?" Schiff said of Trump.

.@POTUS posts mock video of him attacking press, even after a GOP candidate did exactly that. Where will his downward spiral take us?  Adam Schiff (@RepAdamSchiff) July 2, 2017

Rep. Eric Swalwell, the Democrat representing California's 15th congressional district, also responded on Twitter, calling out Republicans in Congress: You were elected to be a check on power. Check it, or you condone it."

I am calling on EVERY @HouseGOP Member of Congress to condemn this. You were elected to be a check on power. Check it, or you condone it. https://t.co/ZGR58Ufhww  Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) July 2, 2017

John Podhoretz, editor of Commentary magazine and a conservative-leaning critic of the president, compared the tweet to the 2006 Mike Judge-directed satire "Idiocracy," which explores the possibility of a future in which everyone in America has gotten palpably dumber due in part to the degeneration of our culture.

Welcome to IDIOCRACY everybody. Start pouring Gatorade onto your plants. We're finished. https://t.co/HZ5iqwIPpU  John Podhoretz (@jpodhoretz) July 2, 2017

"We're finished," Podhoretz wrote, after referring to a plot point in the comedy in which it's discovered that people have been trying to water crops with an energy drink.

The origin of the clip

The video appears to have originated from a highly popular Reddit page dedicated to Trump called "The_Donald," where many of the presidents online supporters converge.

Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
By Bradley Dunseith

Cambodia is strategically positioned within South East Asia. With a major port on the Gulf of Thailand, the country also shares land borders with Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.

In 2015, Cambodia exported US$16.1 billion worth of goods and imported US$15.3 billion. Cambodias top export destinations include the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Japan, and Vietnam. Cambodias top import sources include Thailand, China, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and Singapore. Furthermore, many goods traveling through South East Asia go through Cambodia to reach their final destination.

In this article we explain best practices for import into and exporting out of Cambodia, while highlighting the unique procedures required to ship imported goods through the country on transit clearance.

RELATED: Corporate Establishment Services from Dezan Shira & Associates

Registration

Both importers and exporters first need to register with Cambodias Department of Business Registration, under the Ministry of Commerce.

Cambodia uses the Automated System for Customs Data (ASYCUDA) created under the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD). To register with ASYCUDA, importers and exports require a Taxpayer Identification Number (TIN). To acquire a TIN, importers and exporters must register with the General Department of Taxation, under the Ministry of Economy and Finance.

Finally, importers and exports must register with the General Department of Customs and Excise.

Subsequently, importers and exporters need to register their value added tax (VAT) accounts with the General Department of Taxation (Ministry of Economy and Finance).

Importers and exporters operating out of Special Economic Zones (SEZs) must apply with the Free Zone Management Department of the General Department of Customs and Excise in Phnom Penh.

Required Documents

For importers

Businesses importing into Cambodia must provide the following documents when their goods arrive:

Customs Import Declaration;

Commercial Invoice;

Packing List;

Road Transport Document (if arriving by land);

Bill of Lading (if arriving by sea);

Import Permit;

Insurance Certificate;

Tax Certificate;

Certificate of Origin; and

Company Registration.

For exporters

Businesses exporting out of Cambodia must provide the following documents before their goods depart:

Customs Export Declaration;

Commercial Invoice;

Packing List;

Road Transport Document (if departing by land);

Bill of Lading (if departing by sea);

Terminal Handling Receipts (if departing by sea);

Insurance Certificate;

Export Permit; and

Certificate of Origin.

Additional documents for certain imports and exports

All foodstuff, chemicals, drugs, and electrical (or electronic) equipment imported into Cambodia requires a pre-arrival assessment. This assessment is conducted by Camcontrol  the Cambodian Import-Export Inspection and Fraud Repression Directorate-General.

All animals (live or dead) as well as animal by-products require permission from the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

All plants and plant products require a phytosanitary certificate issues by the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries.

A complete list of import and export goods with proper HS Codes, tariff rates, and additional measures can be found here.

For goods in transit

Goods which traverse into Cambodia en route to subsequent destinations must provide an import declaration under Cambodias transit regime (under the General Department of Customs and Excise).

To transit goods through Cambodia, the follow documents are necessary:

Commercial Invoice;

Packing list;

Certificate of Insurance; and

Certificate of Origin.

Transitory goods do not incur import tariffs. But, either a check or letter of guarantee issued by a financial institution must be provided as security. Goods in transit must follow the route through Cambodia dictated by customs officials.

Tariffs and Taxes

Cambodia follows the 8-digit Harmonized System (HS) Code under the World Customs Organization (WCO). Cambodias tariff classifications confirm with Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Harmonized Tariff Nomenclature (AHTN).

For importers

Cambodia applies tariff rates between 0 and 35 percent. Typically, primary goods and raw materials incur a tariff rate of 7 percent; capital goods and locally available raw materials a tariff rate of 15 percent and; finished products as well as alcohol, petroleum, vehicles, and precious metals a tariff rate of 35 percent.

For a complete good-by-good breakdown of tariff rates visit the website of the Cambodia National Trade Repository. Goods such as agricultural equipment, school material, pharmaceutical products, and sport equipment are exempt from import tariffs.

Cambodia charges a flat 10 percent value added tax (VAT) on all imported goods. Cambodia also charges a special tax on certain imported goods.

For exporters

Cambodia levies an export tax on goods leaving the country which ranges between 0 and 50 percent.

Special Economic Zones (SEZs)

Cambodia has established 14 SEZs to date  including at the port of Sihanoukville. Businesses operating out of these SEZs can import raw material and production equipment without paying import duties and are exempt from VAT on both imports and exports.

As mentioned above, importers and exporters operating in SEZs require additional documentation.

Free trade agreements

Cambodia is a partner to the ASEAN Trade in Goods Agreement and a member of five regional FTAs through the ASEAN with:

Australia;

China;

India;

Japan; and

Korea.

In order to avail to the benefits of these FTAs, exports and importers must apply for a Certificate of Origin for their goods from the Export-Import Department.

Conclusion

Cambodia is an important manufacture-for-export destination for both the US and Europe with growing importance with the ASEAN. As the country continues to comply with ASEAN-wide economic integration, opportunities for both importers and exporters will continue to grow.

Utilizing experts with up-to-date local knowledge can help exporters and importers to not only avoid customs-related delays and frustrations but also ensure import and export activity occurs quickly and remains profitable. Local experts at Dezan Shira & Associates possess years of experience supporting the establishment and growth of businesses across ASEAN, and are well situated to guide companies through Cambodias constantly evolving regulatory landscape.

About Us Asia Briefing, a subsidiary of China, India, Indonesia, Russia, the Silk Road & Vietnam. For editorial matters please contact us here and for a complimentary subscription to our products, please click ASEAN Briefing is published by, a subsidiary of Dezan Shira & Associates . We produce material for foreign investors throughout Asia, includingthe. For editorial matters please contact usand for a complimentary subscription to our products, please click here Dezan Shira & Associates provide business intelligence, due diligence, legal, tax and advisory services throughout the ASEAN and Asia. We maintain offices in Singapore, as well as Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City, and maintain Alliance offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila as well as throughout China, South-East Asia, India and Russia. For assistance with ASEAN investments into any of the featured countries, please contact us at provide business intelligence, due diligence, legal, tax and advisory services throughout the ASEAN and Asia. We maintain offices in Singapore, as well as Hanoi & Ho Chi Minh City, and maintain Alliance offices in Bangkok, Jakarta, Kuala Lumpur and Manila as well as throughout China, South-East Asia, India and Russia. For assistance with ASEAN investments into any of the featured countries, please contact us at asean@dezshira.com or visit us at www.dezshira.com

Dezan Shira & Associates Brochure

Dezan Shira & Associates is a pan-Asia, multi-disciplinary professional services firm, providing legal, tax and operational advisory to international corporate investors. Operational throughout China, ASEAN and India, our mission is to guide foreign companies through Asias complex regulatory environment and assist them with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing their business operations in the region. This brochure provides an overview of the services and expertise Dezan Shira & Associates can provide.

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017

An Introduction to Doing Business in ASEAN 2017 introduces the fundamentals of investing in the 10-nation ASEAN bloc, concentrating on economics, trade, corporate establishment, and taxation. We also include the latest development news for each country, with the intent to provide an executive assessment of the varying component parts of ASEAN, assessing each member state and providing the most up-to-date economic and demographic data on each.

Payroll Processing and Compliance in Singapore

In this issue of ASEAN Briefing, we discuss payroll processing and reporting in Singapore as well as analyze the options available for foreign companies looking to centralize their ASEAN payroll processes.We begin by discussing the various regulations that impact salary computation, and tax and social security calculation in Singapore. We then explore the potential for Singapore to emerge as a premier payroll processing center in ASEAN. Finally we consider the benefits of outsourcing payroll  both Singapore-based and ASEAN-wide  to a reliable third-party payroll processing provider.
The state informed the court that Advocate General will appear in the matter and sought time to file the affidavit.

Mumbai: The Bombay high court on Monday granted two weeks time to the state to file an affidavit in order to justify its decision to grant Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt early release from prison in the 1993 serial bomb blast case.

The state informed the court that Advocate General will appear in the matter and sought time to file the affidavit.

A division bench of Justice R. M. Sawant and Justice Sadhana Jadhav was hearing a petition filed by activist Pradeep Bhalekar, challenging regular paroles and furloughs granted to Dutt when he was serving his sentence.

The high court had in the last hearing asked the government to file an affidavit containing parameters considered and the procedures followed while deciding that Dutt deserved leniency.

Additional public prosecutor Prajakta Shinde on Monday told the Bombay high court that newly appointed Advocate General Ashutosh Kumbhakoni would appear in the matter.

The Bollywood star was sentenced to five years in jail for possession of arms, which were part of a consignment used in the blasts that ripped through the city on March 12, 1993.

The blasts killed as many as 257 people and injured over 700 others. The actor, who was on bail during the trial, had surrendered in May 2013 after the Supreme Court upheld his conviction.

Dutt was released on February 2016, eight months early, on account of his good conduct while in Yerwada prison.
Chadha is currently in India to promote her film Partition: 1947 starring Huma Qureshi in the lead.

Director Gurinder Chadha, known for her films like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, plans to make her next film with a Pakistani actor. She says we judge people on how they act, not on whom they pray to. My next film is closest to Bend it Like Beckham, but here we have a boy as the protagonist. I am looking forward to making this movie with the boy who is a British Pakistani, says Gurinder.

While in India, Pakistani actors are banned; Chadha says its not the same in Britain.

I am lucky I work in Britain so there I can work with anybody. Films are a global medium, and we all judge people by their abilities and not their nationalities.

We see how they talk, emote and how they act and not whom they pray to, she stresses.

Chadha is currently in India to promote her film Partition: 1947 starring Huma Qureshi in the lead.
After retiring from the police service, SR Darapuri had joined the All India People's Front (Radical), a political outfit.

Lucknow: Eight people, including a retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer, were arrested in Lucknow on Monday for staging a demonstration against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

"Retired IPS officer SR Darapuri and seven others were arrested as they attempted to take out a rally at a public place without permission. They were arrested from the Chowk area," said Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi.

In a related development, over 20 protesters were placed under arrest in Jhansi. "In all, 31 people have been arrested in connection with the protests so far," said Tripathi.

Those arrested were protesting against the recent violence in Saharanpur. Some of them had assembled at the Roomi Gate (in Old Lucknow), while the others, including

Darapuri had gathered near the UP Press Club, he added. After retiring from the police service, Darapuri had joined the All India People's Front (Radical), a political outfit. He had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Robertsganj.
It will provide information to consumers on the prices of scheduled medicines, which are under price regulation.

It also provides information about the nearest chemists and has a list of Jan-Aushadhi stores nearby areas so it would be easy for people to get the medicines. (Representational Image)

Mumbai: A mobile app, Pharma Sahi Daam, has been introduced by the National Pharmaceutical Pricing Authority (NPPA). It will provide information to consumers on the prices of scheduled medicines, which are under price regulation, as well as non-scheduled medicines. It will help consumers verify whether medicines are being sold within the approved price range and also detect any case of overpricing by the pharmaceutical company and chemist.

If any person finds out that medicines are unavailable after the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), they can file a complaint at the WhatsApp number 9695736333 with the name of the drug, dosage, the names of the company and the chemist. Complaints can be filed at 1800111255.

According to NPPA Chairman Bhupendra Singh , The app is specially developed by NPPA to provide information on the prices of scheduled medicines that are under price regulation as well as non-scheduled medicines. It also provides information about the nearest chemists and has a list of Jan-Aushadhi stores nearby areas so it would be easy for people to get the medicines.

Prices of around 78 per cent of all actively used and traded drugs in the country are going to remain unaffected post GST, said NPPA officials. The officials had added that medicines are available in sufficient quantity and people should immediately complain if any pharmacist is charging them extra or claims non-availability of a medicine.
Cameras do not cover barrack, where Byculla jail inmate was allegedly assaulted.

The four-member all women team of crime branch is meanwhile recording statements of the inmates who claim to have witnessed the assault.

Mumbai: The closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera footage inside the barracks of Byculla womens prison is unlikely to be of much help as possible evidence to the Mumbai crime branch, which is investigating the alleged murder of inmate Manju Shetye (45) inside the prison premises on June 23. This is because the footage does not cover the first-floor barrack where Shetye was assaulted.

The two-storeyed barrack building located inside the premises of the womens prison where the attack took place has two CCTV cameras, sources said.

One camera is on the ground floor focusing towards the cell of Indrani Mukherjea, who is an accused in rioting at Byculla jail after Shetyes murder. Mukherjea is prime accused in the 2012 Sheena Bora murder case.

The other camera captures the passage area on the first floor, where Shetyes cell number five was located. The alleged assault, however, took place inside the barrack on the first floor and hence its unlikely that the said camera might have captured the incident.

The footage captured by the two CCTV cameras will help ascertain if even part of the incident is visible. In their statement in the FIR, the inmates claimed that she was dragged inside the barrack, after which she was fatally assaulted. If not the assault, the camera covering the passageway would have captured her being dragged there, said a crime branch officer.

The digital video recorder, the network video recorder, along with two hard disks, which store the footage, were sent to the forensic sciences laboratory at Kalina and the crime branch is awaiting a report from them. The police is hopeful that the footage could be retrieved from the storage devices even though the cameras themselves had been damaged in the rioting by inmates that followed Shetyes death.

The four-member all women team of crime branch is meanwhile recording statements of the inmates who claim to have witnessed the assault. The inmates were rehearsing their dance performances for the upcoming celebration of Id on Sunday.

In their statements, the inmates claimed that Shetye was not feeling well after the alleged incident. However, they said she was around when the inmates were rehearsing. Shetye later collapsed when she was taken to the washroom with the help of inmates. She passed out in the washroom. The jail doctor was called in to check Shetye, and referred her to JJ Hospital.
The same would be completed after those eligible for rehabilitation were given alternate options.

Mumbai: After the Supreme Court directed the Maharashtra state government to ensure that the encroachments outside the Haji Ali dargah be cleared within two weeks on Monday, the counsel for the state, A B Vagyani, said that the state has already started the process of getting the land around Haji Ali durgah vacated and freed from encroachments.

The same would be completed after those eligible for rehabilitation were given alternate options. He also said that the Haji Ali durgah trust was also extending its support in this regard and the state would be in a position to comply with the apex court order.

State government pleader Abhinandan Vagyani said that following the previous SC order, the state and collector had started collating details of the illegal pitches outside the Haji Ali dargah premise. The collector with the help of the dargah trust has identified the illegal stalls that need to be vacated and work on the same will be started within the next few days, said Mr Vagyani. He added that the dargah trust had identified a few stalls that had proper licenses and after proper verification a decision would be taken on them. The government will comply with the apex court order and will complete the eviction and clearing the area around the Haji Ali dargah within two weeks, said Mr Vagyani.

One of the trustees of Haji Ali dargah said that since the matter was in the SC, the trust had been aiding the collector and the state government officials to identify the areas around the dargah that were encroached. Suhail Khandwani, a trustee of the Haji Ali trust said, We respect all the SC orders and are extended all help required to identify the main dargah area. There are around 12-15 licensed stalls, details of which have also been furnished to the concerned authorities.

Under scanner
The latest law requires social media giants to flag off offensive content within seven days of posting.

The law also makes these social media companies to publish a report every six months, clarifying the number of complaints and the way they have dealt with it.

In a bid to curb hatred content on social media, the German government has drafted a new law that will require all the social media websites operating in Germany to scan and remove offensive content. The new law will be effective from October 2017.

The new law aims to end the verbal law of the jungle on the internet and protect the freedom of expression for all, said Heiko Maas, Justice Minister. We are ensuring that everyone can express their opinion freely, without being insulted or threatened, he added.

Global social media firms such as Facebook, Twitter and Googles YouTube have approximately 200 million users in Germany alone. The law will require these companies to go through all the posts and content that the users will contribute. They will have a period of seven days to decide whether a particular content is defamatory or promoting violence, failing which could result in facing fines of up to 50 million.

The law also makes these social media companies to publish a report every six months, clarifying the number of complaints and the way they have dealt with it.

According to a study, the social media companies have not been able to effectively remove majority of the content. It was surprising to see Facebook were not able to remove at least 70 percent of such content, given that Facebook employs a dedicated team to filter such content. Same was the case with Twitter. Surprisingly, YouTube managed to flag 90 percent of the content within 24 hours of the announcement.

(Source)
The helicopter reportedly hit a cliff about 3 minutes from arriving at Dieng Plateau, where a volcanic erupted injuring at least 10 people.

The Indonesian-made Dauphin AS365 helicopter crashed later Sunday at Butak Mountain in Candiroto subdistrict in Central Java. (Photo: Representational/AFP)

Jakarta: A rescue helicopter crashed while heading to help evacuate residents near an erupting volcano on Indonesia's main island, killing all eight people on board, officials said Monday.

The helicopter reportedly hit a cliff about three minutes from arriving at Dieng Plateau, a popular tourist area where a volcanic crater erupted Sunday, injuring at least 10 people.

The Indonesian-made Dauphin AS365 helicopter crashed later Sunday at Butak Mountain in Candiroto subdistrict in Central Java province's Temanggung district

Brig. Gen. Ivan Tito, director of operation and training at the National Search and Rescue Agency, said the bodies of all the victims were taken to Police's Bhayangkara Hospital in Central Java's capital of Semarang.

"The helicopter was airworthy," Tito said TVOne station in a live interview Monday from Temanggung, the closest town to the crash site. "There were four crewmen, all navy officers and four rescuers on board the helicopter."

The Sileri Crater at Dieng Plateau spewed cold lava, mud and ash as high as 50 meters (164 feet) into the sky when it erupted Sunday morning, said National Disaster Mitigation Agency spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho.

The sudden eruption occurred while about 17 visitors were around the crater. Ten people were injured and were treated at a hospital. Soldiers and police officers were dispatched to the scene, while local residents and visitors were asked to evacuate the area in case of further eruptions, Nugroho said.

Sileri is the most active and dangerous among some 10 craters at Dieng Plateau. Its most recent eruption was in 2009, when it unleashed volcanic materials up to 200 meters (656 feet) high and triggered the creation of three new craters.

Dieng Plateau, located in the Central Java district of Banjarnegara, is a popular tourist attraction because of its cool climate and ninth-century Hindu temples. It sits about 2,000 meters (6,600 feet) above sea level.

Some 142 people were reportedly asphyxiated in 1979 when the volcano spewed gases.
A source close to the investigation said that the accused also wanted to attack Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals.

The self-described nationalist, who was arrested last Wednesday, told investigators he wanted to kill Macron at the July 14 national day parade in Paris, a source close to the investigation said. (Photo: AP)

Paris: A 23-year-old man has been charged with plotting to assassinate President Emmanuel Macron at France's Bastille Day parade, a judicial source said Monday.

The self-described nationalist, who was arrested last Wednesday, told investigators he wanted to kill Macron at the July 14 national day parade in Paris, a source close to the investigation said. He said he also wanted to attack "Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals," the source added.

Police arrested the man at his home in the northwest Paris suburb of Argenteuil on Wednesday after being alerted by users of a chatroom linked to a video game where he allegedly said he wanted to buy a firearm.

Three kitchen knives were found in his vehicle and analysis of his computer found that he had conducted internet searches on potential targets, the source said. He was charged on Saturday with plotting to commit a terrorist act, the judicial source said.

The man was convicted for condoning terrorism in 2016 and sentenced to three years in prison, of which 18 months were suspended.

He had applauded neo-Nazi mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun rampage in 2011 in Norway.

The top date in France's ceremonial calendar, the July 14 parade commemorates the storming of the Bastille prison in 1789 -- the start of the French Revolution and a turning point in world history.

The parade takes place on Paris's Champs-Elysees, which has been the site of two recent attacks targeting police.

Late last month a man drove a car laden with weapons and gas canisters into a police van on the world-famous avenue.

In April, a known extremist shot dead a policeman on the Champs-Elysees just days before the first round of the presidential election.

Last July 14 saw the jihadist truck-ramming in southern Nice that left 86 people dead. On Bastille Day in 2002, then president Jacques Chirac was the target of an assassination attempt on the avenue.

France has been under a state of emergency that has been repeatedly renewed since jihadist attacks in Paris in November 2015 in which 130 people were killed.
A Gulf official said that Qatari Foreign Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was 'made to be rejected' and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as 'an affront to international law'. (Photo: AP)

Kuwait City: Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official said that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected" and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as "an affront to international law".

"They are reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of 'bully' states that have historically resulted in war," the lawyers said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Gulf states, called for "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAE's ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as taking steps to expel Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis. Kuwait, which unlike most of its GCC neighbours has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabi's crown prince and the Qatari emir on his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.

Trump "underscored that unity in the region is critical," the statement said, but also "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology."

Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

The German government also announced that Saudi Arabia's King Salman had cancelled plans to attend this week's G20 summit in Hamburg.
Israel Ambassador to India, Danny Carmon said that strategic partnerships on agriculture and water will be discussed.

The prime minister said he will have 'in-depth talks' with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. (Photo: ANI Twitter)

New Delhi/Jerusalem: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6 before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

On the eve of his unprecedented visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he will discuss with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu the common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties.

In Israel, he will also meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.

Read: Cyber security cooperation key agenda during Modi's Israel visit

During his visit, Modi will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum in Jerusalem and also pay tribute to Indian soldiers who died liberating Haifa in 1918.

"Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's... As the first Indian prime minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said in a statement here.

"I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties," he tweeted.

I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

The prime minister said he will have "in-depth talks" with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism."

From boosting economic ties to furthering people-to-people interactions, my Israel visit has a wide range of programmes.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

Israel Ambassador to India, Danny Carmon said that Narendra Modi and PM Benjamin Netanyahu will hold a four-hour meeting on Wednesday, which will include a working lunch. During the bilateral meeting, the two leaders are expected to talk on setting up joint strategic partnerships on agriculture and water, among other areas of cooperation. Carmon added that Israel is also seeking cooperation in the field of space technology.

This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations. "My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples," Modi said.

On the economic side, he said, "I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground."

Read: Jewish community in Delhi eagerly awaits PM Modis Israel visit

In addition, he said, "I hope to get insights into Israel's accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits."

On July 6, the prime minister will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8. The theme chosen for this year is 'Shaping an Inter-connected World'.

"I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability," he said.

"We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, womens empowerment, and partnership with Africa," Modi added.

As in the past, he said he looked forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.
China accused Indian troops of transgressing into the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector, which it claims as a part of its territory.

Beijing: The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Jaitley who responded to China's oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different."

He had also said that the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitleys remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different." He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.

Read: Sikkim 'incursion' timed ahead of PM's US visit to impress Trump: China

"I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," he warned. Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up" for the "illegal entry" into the Doklam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse."

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," Geng said.

Read: India pushes troops in Sikkim's Doka La in longest impasse since 1962

Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing."

"The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth," he said. Geng Shuang also said that the Indian Army's action there is a "betrayal" of the position taken by successive Indian governments.

"Former Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to the then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing.

He said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back troops immediately from Doklam. "The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by the Indian governments," he said.

China accused Indian troops of transgressing into the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector, which it claims as a part of its territory.

Bhutan also claims the area as a part of its territory. China also said it has closed the Nathu La route in Sikkim for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims from India.

"The other route to Tibet through Lipu lake is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute, Geng said.
Indian government has started an anti-dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said.

The incident happened in the first week of June near the Lalten post in the Doka La general area in Sikkim after a face-off between the two forces. Photo: Representational/PTI)

Beijing: Indias objection to China building a road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its "firm determination" to "constrain" China's rise, an article in a state-run daily here said on Monday.

"Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India, but also strengthen Indias advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China," the article in the Global Times said.

"The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US Indias firm determination to constrain Chinas rise," the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.

Read: Withdraw troops from Doklam to end stand-off in Sikkim: China to India

"For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modis visit to the US," it said on the ongoing stand-off in Doklam.

In addition, the Indian government has started an anti-dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing China's rise.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs statement in New Delhi, the Doklam incident took place on June 16 whereas Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that the stand-off in which the Indian troops objected to the Peoples Liberation Army soldiers building a road occurred on June 18. Modi had visited US from June 25-27.

Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump had approved the sale of 22 Guardian MQ-9B drones for India.

Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modis two-day visit to the US, people link Indias bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," it said.

The daily also downplayed Modis visit, saying it was "not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved."

At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a "relatively harmonious" relationship with Trump.

"Both of them made keynote speeches to praise each other and did all they could to avoid touching on disputes between the two countries," it said.

"The two countries have aligned their interests in defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. The US supports India to counterbalance China, but tries not to offend China as Trump still needs Chinas help on many issues," it said.

About US designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist", the article said it accords with the "US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement".

"Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," it said.

"Although Modi didnt mention the existing problems in Indias ties with the US, Trump reminded him of protectionism in trade and investment in India that jeopardises US interests," it said.
by Santosh Digal

People have grown. Their faith has matured in the trial. In 2013, the disaster affected 3,424,593 families in nine regions, causing the death of 6,193 people and injuring another 28,689. [P]eople have a strong sense of sharing and cooperating with one another in a sense of communion, Mgr Du said. In 2015 Pope Francis visited the affected regions during his apostolic journey. The pontiffs visit was a joy and a blessing for everyone.

Manila (AsiaNews) - Super typhoon Yolanda that hit the Philippines in 2013 has helped people's faith mature in an authentic manner, says Archbishop John Forrosuelo Du of Palo (Leyte).

"Typhoon Yolanda was a blessing in disguise. It destroyed property worth of millions and we lost several precious lives and faced untold suffering, pain and loss in the aftermath of it, yet we did not lose our faith in God that enabled people to rise to the occasion and have greater deal of resilience. This enabled us to rebuild our lives, homes, churches, convents and livelihood," he told AsiaNews.

On 5 November 2013, super typhoon Yolanda (international name Haiyan) hit the country, leaving behind a path of death and destruction. Considered the most powerful storm in recorded history, it affected almost 3.5 million families in nine regions, causing the death of 6,193 people and injuring another 28,689. Some 1,061 are still missing.

According to the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council, as of April 2014, 12,139 villages were affected in 44 provinces, 591 municipalities, and 57 cities. Private NGOs estimate that about 10,000 people might have died.

"Now when we look back in the aftermath of the typhoon, I can firmly say that our people have a strong sense of sharing and cooperating with one another in a sense of communion as they struggled to build their lives over the years, Mgr Du said.

"Church attendance on Sundays and other solemnities days are bigger than before, he added. They do many common activities for the Church and communities of their own maintaining their solidarity and unity. The typhoon has strengthened people's faith and they have changed and a sense of community is strengthened. People have received many blessings now.

During his apostolic journey in 2015, Pope Francis visited some of the regions affected by typhoon. Immediately after the terrifying typhoon, he offered prayers and urged everyone to help the victims rebuild their lives.

"The visit of Pope Francis to some of the regions affected by the typhoon was such indescribable joy and blessings for all. He made a big difference in everyone through his solidarity, prayers and presence," Archbishop Du said.

The overwhelming generosity of people and various agencies around the world has help the dioceses affected by the typhoon in a big way. "We thank all of them for their prayers and support, he added.

Many had initially thought that the typhoon was a 'curse', but now they realised that it was a blessing for everyone. People have grown. Their faith has matured in this trial and has become a matter of great trust in God and His ways, the prelate said.
Two hooded men got out of a car and opened fire. Seven-year-old girl also wounded. The authorities do not think it is a terrorist attack. But some suspect the beginning of a war of religions.

Paris (AsiaNews) - Eight people have been injured in a shootout in front of a mosque in Avignon. Last night at 10.30, two hooded men got out of a black car (Renault Clio) armed with a hand gun and a rifle and opened fire on the crowd gathered in front of the Arrahma mosque in rue Barcelona. Four people were ferried out of the mosque; Four people, including a seven-year-old girl, were slightly injured by debris that invaded their family home about 50 meters from the shootout.

The police arrived on the scene (see photo 1), but the two assailants had fled. The authorities exclude the fact a terrorist attack. "The fact that it happened in the street where a religious building is located is not a significant link," the inspectors said.

According to Laure Chabaud, a county magistrate, the accident is most likely linked to a settling of scores among young people.

But according to some signs are emerging in France of a kind of "war of religion", or "conflict of civilizations". Three days ago in Creteil (Val di Marna, see photo 2), a man in a car attempted to invest Muslims coming out of the mosque at the end of the evening prayer. No one was injured and the 43-year-old Armenian man was diagnosed with schizophrenia. (KA)
Abrupt halt to the Chinese Space Program. The launch was the final scheduled test for the Long March-5 series. Anomaly 40 minutes after takeoff. Onboard the heaviest satellite that China has ever launched into space. In coming years, eight Long March-5 launches planned for the lunar probe, space stations and missions on Mars.

Hainan (AsiaNews) - The launch of the Long March 5-Y2 rocket for heavy loads, with a communications satellite onboard, has failed according to Chinese state media.

The engine, carrying the Shijian-18, took off at 7.23 yesterday from the Wenchang Space Launch Center, in the southern province of Hainan. However, 40 minutes after the launch, Xinhua said the operation was "unsuccessful" and that "an anomaly was detected during the flight".

The agency announced that "experts will be mobilized to investigate and analyze the reasons for the failure" without providing further details.

The launch was the final scheduled test for the Long March-5 series, before sending the Chang'e-5 lunar probe into space within the second half of the year. The probe will collect some samples before returning to Earth.

With a weight of 7.5 tons, the Shijian-18 is the heaviest satellite that China has ever launched into space. The Long March 5-Y2 is the nation's second heaviest rocket, capable of placing 25 tons in orbit and 14 tons in geostationary orbit, more than double the capacity of the earlier Long March models.

China's ambitious space program seems to have come to a standstill. Beijing sees its multi-billionaire space program as a symbol of China's rise and the success of the Communist Party in transforming a once-poor nation.

Last month, Beijing launched successfully the Long March-4B, its first space X-ray telescope to study black holes, pulsar and gamma ray bursts. In April, the country's first spacecraft successfully completed a mooring with an orbiting space laboratory, a key step towards the Chinese goal of having a crewed spacecraft by 2022. For the next few years, China has planned eight Long March-5 launches for the lunar probe, space stations and missions on Mars.
by Purushottam Nayak

Chennai (AsiaNews) - "On July 11 every year we celebrate the World Population. According to the latest estimates [made by the United Nations], in June 2017, the world's population was 7.5 billion people. With its 1.34 billion inhabitants, India is the second most populous country in the world after China, which holds the primacy of more than 1.41 billion people. The biggest challenge for us is to contribute to the nation's growth. In India, Christianity was introduced in 52 AD. By St. Thomas the Apostle. However, there is general consensus that Christianity was definitively established in the 6th century Studies reported that the Roman Catholic Church was brought to India in the 16th century by Portuguese, Irish and Italian Jesuits . Later, Protestantism spread through the country thanks to the efforts of British, American, German and Scottish missionaries. This means that Christianity was established in India even before some European nations became Christian. Fr. O.J. Christhu Raj tells AsiaNews.

According to the Census on Religions in India in 2011, Christianity is the third religion in the country, with almost 27.8 million faithful, representing 2.3% of the total population; Hinduism is the first religion with more than 966.3 million followers, or 79.8% of the population; Islam is ranked second with more than 172.2 million members, 14.2% of the population.

Although in India Christians are a minority, according to the 2011 poll, they form the majority religious group in three states: Meghalaya (87.93%), Mizoram (87.16%) and Nagaland (74.59%). However, the census does not take into account those who do not explicitly identify themselves as Christians. Here are some categories of people who practice the principles of Christ without embracing Christianity. "Believers of Christ": Yesu Bhaktas  mostly in Varanasi Yesu Satsongri - largely from the Punjab, do not like to be called Christians but follow the teachings of Christ Yesu Darbaris  or the idea of this group is that every person is welcome to the court of Christ, so there is no need to be a Christian; this idea was developed by Narayanaverma Thilak in Maharashtra. Believers who are in churches - they do not feel the need to become Christians And they do come to church but fully follow the principles of Christ. The crypto-Christians, with a double identity (crypts are those who do not reveal the real identity for some reason). The secret followers of Christ - are not in church.

Although the Christian community is small from a numerical point of view, in relation to the total population of India, its contribution to the socio-economic progress of the nation is much more significant. Christians run thousands of educational institutions, hospitals, basic health care centers, criminological rehabilitation centers, homes for older people, homes for dying and needy, leprosy, technical and agricultural institutes, social welfare centers, self- Women's help, spiritual centers. The list could continue for a long time. Addressing Christians, Mr. Vidyasaga, Governor of Maharashtra, said: "We are proud of you for the work of enriching India's social, cultural, economic and political life. It's hard to imagine an idea of India without you. " S.K. Barpujari, a professor at the University of Guwahati, writes that the tribal population of northeastern India and the Chotanagpur region is prosperous and advancing through the teachings of Jesus Christ.

Fr. Raj reiterates the call for the political participation of Christians: "It is certainly true that the presence of Christians in India, from the first missionaries to our day, has paved the way for the most accomplishments of India in various fields. But there is a great question when we talk about the participation of Christians in politics. Sikh and Jainists (respectively 1.72% and 0.37% of the population), who are fewer than Christians, have a good attendance and representation, creating a great deal of impact on Indian administration. Why are Christians far from politics? " Raj explains that while "we boast about our service in the field of education and medical care, we must admit that, as Christians, we have failed miserably to represent ourselves within the Indian administration. We are under-represented both in Parliament and in state legislatures. If we remain silent and avoid participation, we may [tacitly approve] decisions that negatively affect our rights and privileges. " Fr. Raj argues that "we must keep in mind the political situation in India. We are obliged to participate actively in political administration in order to protect the interests of our community and to safeguard our rights and religious identities. We must provide knowledge and motivate young Christian generations to reflect on the presence in political administration. "
by Jeremy Andre

It is the oldest church in the city, located two streets from the destroyed al-Nouri mosque. Outside it has only "a few scuff marks", while the interior was devastated during its occupation. St Thomas's relics were saved three years ago when the city fell into the hands of Isis. Courtesy of L'Orient Le-Jour.

Mosul (AsiaNews) - It's a miracle. Mosul's historic center has been torn apart by bullets and mutilated by the Islamic State (Isis or Daesh) explosives. In this surreal landscape, where the interweaving of white stones and black metal reminiscent of Picasso's Guernica, one thick-walled building has only a few scuff marks: St. Thomas is the oldest church in the city, more than 12 centuries old! It has existed since the end of the eighth century, but is considered much older and was founded in the place where the Apostle of the East is believed to have lived while passing through the city. The interior was devastated by the occupants who had made it a military base. But the monument, whose structure dates back to at least the 13th century, survived the battle.

They are crazy"

The al-Nouri mosque, two streets further north, was not so fortunate. The ISIS terrorists blew it up on Wednesday, June 21, at sunset. Its ruins now form a lunar chaos, bleached by powdered plaster. Only the green dome emerges, balancing on pillars partially damaged by the explosions, and the base of the minaret, 12 meters high, with finely carved geometric bas-reliefs.

Since then, Lieutenant Colonel Mountazar el-Chammari, leader of the Iraqi forces' Mosul battalion for special operations (Isof in English), is furious: "They are crazy," he laments. "They destroyed the Mosque of Prophet Jonah, Prophet Jirjis, Nimroud City, Museum!" The second city of Iraq has lost its symbols, in particular the al-Nouri minaret which, known as al-Hadba (The "hump"). In a bitter victory, their remains were recovered on Thursday, June 29, allowing Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi to declare "the end of the fake Daesh state".

St. Thomas Church is on the way to al-Nouri. On Wednesday, 21, a bit before the explosion that nearly destroyed the mosque, Diwaniya Isof battalion walked up the street dominated by the bell tower. A sniper was in a house in front of the church: "He killed one of ours," says Ahmad Kathem, 23, one of the battalion soldiers. The house was target of an attack. There is nothing left of it.

"Abou Abderrahman al-Australia"

Ahmad forces an iron gate to show the interior of the church. Compared to the surroundings devastated by bombs, the wounds of the Christian building are just mere scratches. The courtyard which Ahmad enters is littered with stones and rubbish, but the columns of the arches surrounding him are intact. On a bas-relief, Saint Thomas touches the wounds of Christ. Their faces are shrouded in a superficial way. Next, a body rotates under a pile of rubbish. In the middle of an adjacent courtyard, a second corpse emanates odor, obese and with a thick black beard, eyes popping out of swollen orbits. His face a blur of gunshot wounds, projecting splashes on the ground around his skull forming a bloody crown. Behind him, barrels and grain bags are all that remains of terrorists' stocks. A room is still full of military clothes and AK-47 chargers.

Inside, a bomb pierced the vault of the main nave. A ray of light falls on the devastated interior. The benches are burnt. Under its arch, the altar is in pieces.

Fortunately, Saint Thomas's relics were taken to St. Matthew's Monastery three years ago, when Mosul had fallen into Daesh's hands. The Isis fighters had drawn black circles on the thick dark marble columns, no doubt in preparation for the destruction of the church. They did not have the time or the way to place their explosives. The walls are covered by graffiti and flags of the organization in the small oval niches. Below one of them, a pink sheet lists the distribution of rations. "Abou Abderrahman al-Australia", a fighter from Australia, marked his passage with a signature in the Latin alphabet.
Australian Certified Organic appoints new CEO





Australian Certified Organic has appointed a new Chief Executive Officer.

After a six-month recruitment process, Ben Copeman will take up the role from 24th July 2017.

Copeman has previously worked as the CEO of the Royal National and Capital Agricultural Society in Canberra and as the General Manager of The National Association of Sustainable Agriculture Australia.

Joe Siegel, Chairman of Australian Certified Organic (ACO), said the he was pleased to welcome Copeman to the job.

With strong client service, technical and strategic competence, together with great levels of knowledge and passion for the organic sector, Ben is well placed to hit the ground running, he said.

Copeman said he was looking forward to contributing to helping expand the ACO brand.

The organics sector is growing at a phenomenal rate, which makes it one of the most exciting industries to be a part of right now, he said.

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Cracka Wines to expand into Asia with crowdfunding campaign



Dean Taylor, founder of Cracka Wines

Australian online alcohol retailer, Cracka Wines, plans to raise $5 million from crowdfunding to expand its services into Asia.

Cracka Wines will use crowdfunding platform, Equitise, to run what it says is Australias largest major crowd-sourced fundraiser to date.

Cracka Wines was first launched in 2010 by Australian entrepreneur, Dean Taylor, who also started The Cellar Club and The Wine Exchange.

Taylor said Cracka Wines is too small to become a public company yet, but the crowdfunding campaign is a step in that direction.

Its a great vehicle for a pre-IPO round providing both expansion capital and diversifying our investor pool, Taylor said.

The Cracka Wine crowdfunding campaign will be Equitises first Australian campaign. Equitise was established in Australia in 2014 but has been operational only in New Zealand until now.

Co-founder of Equitise, Chris Gilbert, said the campaign would give Cracka Wine customers a chance to invest in the business they have been using.

Cracka Wines is an innovative business with a brand that punches well above its weight, Gilbert said.

They have a large and highly engaged database of active customers who we expect will jump at the chance to invest, he said.

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SPAR and DHL partner to take on Thailand convenience sector





Dutch convenience retailer SPAR and global logistics group DHL will partner with the Bangchak Retail Company to open 300 new convenience stores in Thailand by 2020.

The partnership will see DHL support SPAR with transport, distribution and warehousing, whilst the Bangchak Retail Company will provide store infrastructure.

The Dutch company, SPAR, currently operates 12, 500 convenience, grocery and discount stores across the world, including stores in Australia.

Germanys DHL provides courier and logistic services across the world.

SPAR Head of Operations, Tom Rose, said to help deliver SPARs reputation in Thailand, a logistics partner with proven experience was needed.

DHLs track record in sustaining fast-growing food retailers, both in Thailand and other markets worldwide, gave us the confidence to use their infrastructure as the foundation of our local supply chain, Rose said.

DHL will support SPAR with CCTV systems, automatic fire protection and temperature control warehousing.

Growing disposable income in Thailand

Kevin Burell, Chief Executive Officer of Thailand Cluster DHL Supply Chain, said: With Thailands retail sector expected to continue growing steadily alongside disposable income levels, were keen to take our award-winning services to the next level as we help SPAR bring its world-class quality direct to Thai consumers.

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By Jennifer Beckett, Lecturer in Media and Communications, University of Melbourne

The word trolling has become a media stand-in for online behaviours that are nothing to laugh about.

Journalist Ginger Gorman touched on this in her recent Staring Down The Trolls series, which explores the experiences of people who are harassed in digital spaces and offers advice on how to protect yourself.

There is one semantic problem with the series though  none of the behaviours she describes are actually trolling.

When is trolling not trolling?

Trolling is commonly misused in the media (even Ive done it).

To clarify, trolling refers to a specific act: throwing bait into the internet water in the form of deliberately provocative statements (not personal attacks, thats flaming) and waiting for someone to bite.

It is not always wholly bad  it can be mischievous. For example, a person using a fake but fairly convincing customer service account schooled some homophobic Facebook users over their outrage at a 2015 Campbells Soup ad depicting gay dads.

This stands in contrast to the serious and dangerous behaviours Gorman describes in her story, including an online group who reportedly try to incite vulnerable people to harm themselves.

Real world suffering

Conflating jokes and death threats with trolling makes it difficult to legislate or create effective policy around the issue.

This is perhaps understandable, given that the word has been applied to behaviours ranging all the way from innocuous rickrolling to deliberately targeting someone with cyberhate and publishing their personal details online  a move known as doxing.

This makes it harder for victims to be taken seriously and get proper help. To say Im being trolled is nearly always met with advice to just block them, dont go on the internet, or the ubiquitous dont feed the trolls.

In fact, by linking trolling with abusive behaviours that would be met with swift action in the physical world, we have made it easier for law enforcement to respond dismissively.

As UNSWs Emma Jane points out in the book Cybercrime and its Victims, the use of the term trolling creates a false sense that the online world is separate from the real one. It is not.

Indeed, as Gorman explains in her series, these threatening online behaviours can spill over and invade our homes and workplaces. She told me that some of the victims she spoke with have been so frightened for their safety and the safety of their children, theyve moved house.

The very purpose of doxing someone is to facilitate this offline harassment, as those targeted during Gamergate  including video game developer and now aspiring politician Brianna Wu  discovered.

Dangerous people are not just trolls

Gormans interview with vicious and committed internet troll Mark shows just how dangerous the types of people who engage in cyberhate can be.

Mark may be many things, but he is no troll. The portrait Gorman paints is one of a person whose destructive behaviour and, as she writes, psychopathic tendencies, goes far beyond mere internet pranking.

Mark and the group he works with, by his own admission, aim to harm people. By letting him (and others like him) say they are only trolling, we are actually [providing] a cop-out  for real dirt-bags who claim they were just trolling, as an interviewee says in Whitney Phillipss book, This is Why We Cant Have Nice Things.

Academics and journalists  and particularly those of us with a foot in both worlds  have a responsibility to call things what they really are. Giving these actions their correct name also matters if we are to hold ourselves accountable for our own online behaviour. As Phillips points out,

For every shrill, sensational article that condemns trolling behaviours while replicating trolling tactics, there will be a thousand trolls more than happy to rise to the medias occasion.

It becomes even more important if you are trying to draw attention to the seriousness of the effects of cyberhate and threatening behaviours.

Of particular concern is the realm of digilantism, which Gorman mentions, in which people fight back against their online abusers by outing them. For instance, publishing personal details, including their place of work. This is still doxing and it can have serious consequences for all involved, even if done defensively.

In the absence of better terminology, Gorman acknowledges trolling is a catch-all with real shortcomings.

[It] actually detracts from the work that I do in bringing attention to this issue because it obscures the seriousness of what cyberhate targets are experiencing, she told me.

By calling these behaviours what they really are - Gorman suggests words like cyberstalking, cyberviolence, cyberhate and technology-enabled abuse - we can better equip people to understand the gravity of the situation. From there we can start to figure out effective ways to help.

Jennifer Beckett does not work for, consult, own shares in or receive funding from any company or organisation that would benefit from this article, and has disclosed no relevant affiliations beyond the academic appointment above.

Originally published in The Conversation.


(lucidwaters/Bigstock.com) (lucidwaters/Bigstock.com)

New Zealand citizens living in Australia now have the option of an extra pathway available to them to become permanent residents.The new pathway will be available to Special Category Visa (SCV) holders who were resident in Australia on or before the 19 February 2016 and who, at the time of lodging an application, had been living in Australia for at least five years.It is available via the Skilled Independent (subclass189) visa which will have two streams, the Skilled Independent 189 stream which is points tested and the Skilled Independent 189 (New Zealand) stream.Applicants will need to meet certain criteria, including contributing to Australia, demonstrated through income tax returns which show taxable income at least equivalent to the Temporary Skilled Migration Income Threshold (TSMIT) for the qualifying period and meeting mandatory health, character and security checks.New Zealand citizens who are granted this visa will be eligible to apply for Australian citizenship after a period of 12 months, in addition to the five years as an eligible New Zealand SCV holder.New Zealand Prime Minister Bill English welcomed the launch of the new option. 'Many hard-working Kiwis have made Australia their home, and in doing so have been making a significant contribution to Australia's society,' he said.'I am pleased that the Australian Government recognises the value of this contribution and has delivered on its commitment to make it easier for eligible New Zealanders to apply for citizenship,' he added.'Applying for Australian citizenship does not mean losing New Zealand citizenship. It simply means they can enjoy the same rights and entitlements as other Australians. The pathway provides eligible Kiwis the chance to regularise their status in Australia and help ensure their partners and children can play a full part in Australian life,' he pointed out.'Not all New Zealanders living in Australia will be eligible for the pathway and our Government remains committed to discussing issues faced by those New Zealanders on non-protected special category visas,' he explained.Applicants will need to have a taxable income at or above an income threshold for each income year in the five years prior to lodging an application. The income threshold is currently set at A$53,900.Applications for permanent residence will cost A$3,670 for a primary applicant, A$1,835 for an adult dependent, and $A920 for a child dependent. At the time of lodgement only 20% of the total visa application charge needs to be paid. The remaining 80% must be paid before it is granted.It is thought that more than half of New Zealanders who arrived between 26 February 2001 and 19 February 2016 in Australia and have been resident for over five years will be eligible for citizenship through the pathway.
I know I heard a little while ago people getting requests for more information around the 9 month mark, just wondering if any have been granted lately?
The day that changed our lives forever.

Over 40 years ago today on July 3rd. 1981, The New York Timess published its first article about AIDS headlined: Rare Cancer Seen in 41 Homosexuals. (Gay had yet to be accepted by The Timess style manual.) The cancer was Kaposis sarcoma, and until then it had seldom been seen in otherwise healthy young men.

The Times article written by LAWRENCE K. ALTMAN, M.D. is considered by most to have been the first mainstream journalistic mention of what later became to be known as AIDS and would later wipe out nearly an entire generation of gay men.

Living in New York City at the time I remember the day that this article was published. I was working at The Ninth Circle and was at the downstairs bar with Fred Tree the bartender and a friend named Neil Murphy. We were reading the article and I remember clear as day none of us were really worrying about it. Because after all you couldnt catch cancer. Right?

Neil would become one of the many victims of the plague in the years that followed.

That was over 40 years ago now and over 90 percent of my friends from that time in my life are gone. But they are and never will be forgotten as they will always with me until the day we meet again.

Over 40+ million people have died from AIDS-related illnesses since the start of the epidemic.

There is still no cure.

#NeverForget

RARE CANCER SEEN IN 41 HOMOSEXUALS

Doctors in New York and California have diagnosed among homosexual men 41 cases of a rare and often rapidly fatal form of cancer. Eight of the victims died less than 24 months after the diagnosis was made.

The cause of the outbreak is unknown, and there is as yet no evidence of contagion. But the doctors who have made the diagnoses, mostly in New York City and the San Francisco Bay area, are alerting other physicians who treat large numbers of homosexual men to the problem in an effort to help identify more cases and to reduce the delay in offering chemotherapy treatment.

The sudden appearance of the cancer, called Kaposis Sarcoma, has prompted a medical investigation that experts say could have as much scientific as public health importance because of what it may teach about determining the causes of more common types of cancer. First Appears in Spots

Doctors have been taught in the past that the cancer usually appeared first in spots on the legs and that the disease took a slow course of up to 10 years. But these recent cases have shown that it appears in one or more violet-colored spots anywhere on the body. The spots generally do not itch or cause other symptoms, often can be mistaken for bruises, sometimes appear as lumps and can turn brown after a period of time. The cancer often causes swollen lymph glands, and then kills by spreading throughout the body.

Doctors investigating the outbreak believe that many cases have gone undetected because of the rarity of the condition and the difficulty even dermatologists may have in diagnosing it.

In a letter alerting other physicians to the problem, Dr. Alvin E. Friedman-Kien of New York University Medical Center, one of the investigators, described the appearance of the outbreak as rather devastating.

Since the beginning of the epidemic, 79.3 million [55.9110 million] people have been infected with the HIV virus and 36.3 million [27.247.8 million] people have died of HIV.

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A motorcyclist and his passenger were killed July 1 when their bike collided with a car in a Largo intersection, according to the Florida Highway Patrol.

Jonathan Daniel Pierce, 40, Ashley Lynn Andree, 24, killed

Driver of car, Daniel McLaughlin, 66, failed to yield at stop sign, resulting in crash

Charges pending against McLaughlin

Troopers said at approximately 9:40 p.m. on Saturday, July 1, Jonathan Daniel Pierce, 40, and his passenger, Ashley Lynn Andree, 24, were traveling north in the center lane on Seminole Boulevard approaching 114th Avenue North when they were struck by a car.

Daniel McLaughlin, 66, who was driving the car, reportedly failed to yield for Pierce and Andree as he drove west across the northbound lanes of Seminole Boulevard from 114th Ave. N. Both vehicles came to rest in the center median after the collision.

Pierce and Andree were both transported to Bayfront St. Petersburg, where they both later passed away from their injuries.

McLaughlin was treated for minor injuries at Largo Medical Center. Charges against him are pending.

Both Pierce and Andree were wearing helmets at the time of the crash. Investigators have determined alcohol was not a factor in the crash.

No further information has been released.
One Pasco County school that has been trending upward in recent years in terms of its grades from the state had reason to celebrate again this year. Lacoochee Elementary has gone from an F just two years go to a B this year.

Principal Latoya Jordan hired in 2013 to turn school around

New tactics implemented to get school grade up

Heavy focus on standards, more 1-on-1 time with students

Lacoochee Elementary has been working its way back up, trying new tactics to get its school grade up to snuff.



When they say 'it takes a village', that's truly what happens at Lacoochee," said Principal Latoya Jordan.



Jordan was brought on in 2013 when half the staff was moved to other schools due to continued bad school grades. This past school year, however, her efforts since that tumultuous year continued to pay off.



We have a little more consistency in staff, the turnover in the intermediate classrooms was not as high this past school year," said Jordan.



Jordan says theres been a heavy focus on standards, more one-on-one time with students after school, and a new math curriculum implemented this year. Parents, meanwhile, are taking notice.



The support that they have for my children is just amazing," said parent Barbara Teartt. "I see the changes, and I see how much my son has grown."



The teachers are awesome here, they do one-on-one, they try to do whatever they can to help the students," said parent Aide Herrera.



Students like 9-year-old Demyia Cross also have praise for the new approach.



They teach me math and reading and when I don't know how to spell words or I don't know how to read good they help me," said Demyia.



The last time Lacoochee Elementary received a grade this high was in 2009, when it received an A grade.



Jordan says they still have work to do. She says the reading achievement at the school, which is still low, will be a focus this coming school year.


Two people were injured, one severely, when they were bitten by a group of five pit bulls running loose near a St. Petersburg home, according to St. Petersburg Police.

Robin Macon, 62, bitten multiple times, hospitalized for severe injuries

Laquanda Butler, 52, bitten on leg

Dogs charged first responders, forced back by fire extinguishers

Officials said officers were called to 2014 21 Street S. on July 3 after the dogs were reported loose.

Neighbor Laquanda Bulter, 52, was bitten on the leg while trying to help her neighbor, Robin Macon, 62.

The dog saw me and he ran towards me and I tried to run into my house and thats when he got me, said Butler.

Macon was hospitalized with severe injuries that required emergency surgery. Macon's brother, Willie Fields, told us he tried to stop the attack.

I hit the dog with the chair," said Fields. "The dog didnt move. It kept on her. Then when I hit him again, I run up there and the dog got at me run me in the house."

Upon arrival, officers noted that the dogs were coming out of two of the home's windows. The windows had no screens.

The dogs reportedly charged the officers when they tried to exit their patrol car. The officers used fire extinguishers to force the dogs back.

"In fact, [officers] completely emptied one fire extinguisher trying to get the dog back., Yolanda Fernandez with St. Petersburg Police



A Pinellas Animal Control officer who responded to the scene also had to fend off one of the dogs' attacks.

Eventually, at a point where all five dogs had jumped back into the home, officers were able to trap them inside by closing the windows.

The dogs jumped back in the house through an open window, and the officers kind of distracted the dogs at the front door while another officer went and closed the window," said Fernandez.

The dogs' owner was not home at the time, but later helped the Animal Control officer load the dogs into a truck to remove them from the home. The owner, who just moved into the house a few days ago, according to neighbors, has not been charged, since police said there was no intent.

Neighbors, however, questioned the owner's judgment in regards to her animals.

"Vicious dogs," said witness Nakita Burns. "I dont understand why she would leave her window open.

The dogs will be kept under quarantine for further investigation.

Laquanda Butler, 52, was bitten on the leg by one of the five pit bulls found loose on the property. (Josh Rojas, staff)
AUSTIN An administrative judge considering the revocation of former Beaumont ISD auditor Gayle Botley's state accounting license said Friday he might not make a decision until the end of the year, after a week of often-contentious testimony exceeded the hearing's allotted time.

Because of scheduling conflicts, the hearing isn't expected to reconvene until September. Judge Michael O'Malley said his formal decision won't come anytime soon.

"It probably won't be until the end of the year at this point," he said.

Earlier this week, BISD asked a Jefferson County judge to enforce a settlement reached last month with Botley, who agreed to pay $750,000 in exchange for the district dropping a civil suit against him seeking more than $1 million in damages.

"Botley continues to engage in a general pattern of dilatory behavior, unnecessarily delaying final entry of the settlement," BISD attorney Greg Dykeman wrote in the filing.

Meanwhile, the Texas State Board of Public Accountancy was scheduled to finish presenting its case by the end of the day on Thursday, but when the court recessed for the weekend, Jerry Hill, general counsel for the state accounting board and the state's last witness, still hadn't testified.

"I think it's important for both sides to take their time," said Lisa Christian, one of the state accounting board's attorneys. Diane Terrell, a certified expert witness for the state accounting board, was the only person to take the stand Friday, testifying for six hours.

Terrell reiterated what previous witnesses had said: Botley should have noticed the lack of internal controls in BISD's financial systems.

"I found no evidence that he obtained an understanding of the journal entry process," Terrell said. "The financial statements contained material misstatements that (Botley) was required to detect under auditing standards. In his testing he should have noted the material misstatements I found no evidence that he did."

Some portions of Friday's hearing related to peer review of Botley's work were closed.

"The confidential nature of some of the peer reviewers' comments is by design so when they do their work they can rely on that not being broadcasted to the world," said Nathan Cross, a retired CPA and newly elected Beaumont ISD trustee. "It's done for the agencies and the firm they're reviewing to be beneficial for everyone."

Cross, who attended the hearing all five days, said he was frustrated at the length of time it was taking.

"We were surprised this was originally even set at five days," Cross said. "We thought it was more of an open-shut case. Obviously, based on what has taken place this week with the petitioners taking all week and still not being done, it's going to be longer than we thought."

Paul.Cobler@Chron.com

Twitter.com/PaulCobler
A 13-year-old Texas girl missing for four days was found dead Sunday inside a Dallas home.

The FBI and local authorities found the bodies of Shavon Le'Feye Randle and Michael Titus, a person of interest in the case, inside a house in the 2200 block of East Kiest.

After reaching out to the community for tips, police received information leading them to the Cedar Crest address.

"After arriving at the residence we noticed that there were some injured individuals inside," Eric Jackson, special agent in charge of the FBI's Dallas field office, told reporters Sunday. Authorities quickly identified Shavon as one of the victims and notified her family.

RELATED: Amber Alert issued for teen

"We didn't have the positive result we're looking for, but we've been able to let Shavon's family know we located her," Jackson said. He thanked the community for helping lead investigators to girl's location.

Authorities did not immediately release a cause of death.

The teen vanished from her aunt's house in the Dallas suburb of Lancaster on Wednesday. Her reported kidnapping triggered an Amber Alert, and police said they believed the teen was in "immediate danger" after a man called the house threatening to kill the girl.

Following her disappearance, police identified four possible persons of interest in the case: 26-year-old Darius Fields, 19-year-old Titus, 25-year-old Laporshya Polley and 24-year-old Devontae Owens. One of the suspects Wednesday was seen driving a white, four-door sedan with dark etchings on the rear passenger side, police said.

Titus was positively identified as the body found with Shavon on Sunday night, the City of Lancaster said on Twitter.

On Friday, Fields and Polley were taken into custody and questioned, according to the Dallas Morning News.

RELATED: Four people sought in missing teen case

The following day, the city of Lancaster announced that Owens and a fifth person - Laquon Wilkerson - had been arrested in connection with the case.

Owens is still behind bars in the Dallas County jail, while Wilkerson is in the Tri City jail. Both are being held on $500,000 bail and face aggravated kidnapping charges.

After Sunday's gruesome discovery, authorities promised to seek justice.

"We're going to continue our investigation," Jackson said. "And anyone we find that were involved in this heinous crime against Shavon, we will bring you to justice and we will hold you accountable."
Here are seven things ASC leaders should know for July 3, 2017.

Envision Healthcare purchases Connecticut anesthesia physician group practice

Envision Healthcare's physician services division acquired Greenwood Village, Conn.-based Anesthesia Associates, an anesthesia physician group practice.



Takeda CEO facing pressure amid dismal profits

Takeda Pharmaceuticals President and CEO Christophe Weber could face increased scrutiny after the retirement of Chairman Yasuchika Hasegawa. Mr. Hasegawa was supposed to assume a corporate councilor position following his retirement, but the company's stakeholders rejected the appointment after Takeda posted "dismal" earnings.



Physicians charge commercial payers higher prices than government

The Congressional Budget Office released a report analyzing private-sector pricing for physicians claiming these physicians charge commercial payers higher rates than the government.

https://www.beckersasc.com/asc-coding-billing-and-collections/cbo-physicians-charge-commercial-payers-higher-prices-than-government-5-key-notes.html



FDA accepts application for Salix Pharmaceuticals' new bowel cleansing preparation

The FDA approved Salix Pharmaceutical's new drug application for Plenvu, a lower-volume polyethylene glycol-based bowel preparation developed for bowel cleansing.



Citizens Memorial Hospital ASC hosts nursing students

Bolivar (Mo.) Technical College practical nursing and registered nursing students spent time this summer at Citizens Memorial Hospital's facilities to acquire nursing experience.



Green Mountain Surgery Center open to discussion over joining Vermont ACO

Legislators, hospital officials and proponents of Green Mountain Surgery Center voiced their opinions during a recent meeting regarding whether the ASC should come to fruition and whether the state's ACO, OneCare Vermont, could benefit from a partnership. Representative Carol Ode, D-Burlington, asked OneCare officials if the surgery center could align with the ACO's mission of forming an integrated network of hospitals and physicians, to which OneCare CEO Todd Moore said he is open to discussing it.



Minnesota health system buys stake in Lakewood Surgery Center following regional competition

After facing competition from Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services, Duluth, Minn.-based Essentia Health opted to invest $14 million in expansion plans.



More articles on improving health:

3 things ASCs can do to increase out-of-network reimbursement

CBO: Physicians charge commercial payers higher prices than government  5 key notes

Pain management in 2017: Tips for thriving despite the challenges




Scott Edwards, administrator of North Mississippi Ambulatory Surgery Center in Tupelo, discusses why the surgery center is focusing on its orthopedic service line.

Question: How should administrators evaluate which procedures to add to an ASC and what metrics should they employ?



Scott Edwards: The first thing we look at is if the procedure is covered by Medicare. After looking at the reimbursement side, we look at whether it will require more capital outlay or whether we have the infrastructure in place [to accommodate the procedure].



You should also look at your capacity and if the procedure will require more space.



Q: What service lines are you adding or focusing on at this point in time?

SE: We have increased the volume of our orthopedic procedures; specifically shoulder cases. We have been fortunate to have been able to add two or three younger orthopedic surgeons in the last few years. Obviously from a national perspective, the revenue is good from orthopedic procedures, which has allowed us to focus on making sure we have a strong mix of orthopedic surgeons and case volume.

Learn more from Mr. Edwards at the 24th Annual Meeting: The Business and Operations of ASCs in October 2017. Click here for more information.
Here are four spine surgeons and neurosurgeons that joined new organizations, promotions or moved locations in June 2017.

Poughkeepsie, N.Y.-based MidHudson Regional Hospital welcomed orthopedic surgeon Yigal Samocha, MD, to the medical staff. He completed a fellowship at Texas Back Institute in Plano.

Neurosurgeon Ernest E. Braxton, MD, is joining Vail-Summit Orthopaedics in July. He specializes in brain tumors, neurotrauma and complex and minimally invasive spine surgery.

Newton-Wellesley Hospital in Newton, Mass., welcomed Louis Jenis, MD, as new chief medical and innovation officer. Dr. Jenis has been practicing orthopedic surgery for 20 years, specializing in spine surgery.

Samaritan Neurosurgery in Corvallis, Ore., welcomed spine surgeon Wael Ghacham, MD. He subspecializes in degenerative disorders, spinal fractures and spinal deformities.
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Clarks is to create up to 80 jobs through the opening of a manufacturing unit at its HQ in Street, Somerset

Footwear firm Clarks is to open a new manufacturing unit at its headquarters in Somerset, creating up to 80 jobs in the process.

The facility in Street will have the capacity to produce 300,000 pairs of the retailer's iconic Desert Boots, and will apply "robot-assisted" technology to specific shoe constructions for the first time.

The move will see the creation of up to 80 technical and managerial jobs in the village, where shoe manufacturing was first started by the company nearly 200 years ago in 1825.

Desert Boots are currently made in Vietnam and India, and Clarks said it will continue to source its range from its existing supply chain.

Clarks now plans to roll out similar production units in other locations across the US, Europe and Asia in the next few years.

Over time, Clarks said, its manufacturing sites will form a global network of regional supply chains that "complements its current sourcing network" to enable shorter lead times and a faster response to changing trends and consumer demand.

Chief executive Mike Shearwood said: "We are delighted to be bringing shoe manufacturing back to the UK and creating a significant number of highly skilled jobs.

"Clarks is changing and as a global business we need to innovate and respond to the changing global economic order - Clarks is thinking big and innovating to ensure we are fit for the future and at the forefront of shoemaking, whilst being able to adapt to an ever-changing world."

Clarks added that the new hub will allow it to respond to the demands of consumers and global wholesale partners.

Mr Shearwood added: "The 21st century craftsmanship that we are introducing will also lead to and encourage innovation in shoe design. It will be transformative to the process of how we design and develop shoes."

With a turnover of 1.7 billion, Clarks operates retail, wholesale and franchise units in over 100 markets worldwide.
Creatas/Thinkstock(WASHINGTON) -- Vladimir Putin will demand the return of two diplomatic compounds seized by the United States when he meets with President Trump for the first time in Germany this week, the Kremlin said, as a senior Russian official warned that Moscow's patience on the issue was running out.



The Russian presidents foreign affairs adviser, Yuri Ushakov, said his government had shown unusual flexibility by not retaliating in December when then-President Obama confiscated the two compounds in New York state and Maryland and expelled 35 Russian diplomats in punishment for Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.



Ushakov urged Washington to free Russia from the need to take retaliatory moves, according to The Associated Press.



The White House has been reported to be mulling returning the compounds in an effort to improve relations with Moscow and, in recent days, Russian officials have warned that retaliatory measures have been drawn up if they are not given back. The compounds were nominally used by the Russian embassy as recreational facilities, but U.S. intelligence has long argued they were bases for espionage.



In a separate statement released today, the Kremlin said Putin would raise the issue with Trump when the two meet in Hamburg, Germany, where the G-20 is being held Saturday. The statement said that the Kremlin expected Putin would convey the need to find the most rapid resolution on the issue that they described as an irritant in Russian-U.S. relations.



The two leaders first meeting is highly anticipated, coming as investigations continue into possible collusion between members of Trumps presidential campaign and Russian officials, while relations between Moscow and Washington are being described as at their worst since the Cold War.



There has been intense speculation for months over when the two presidents might come face to face, but since confirming the meeting last week the White House has been light on details of what they will talk about.



Theres no specific agenda. Its really going to be whatever the president wants to talk about, Trumps national security advisor, Lt. Gen. H.R. McMaster, told reporters last week.



McMaster said administration officials had been tasked with drawing up options to confront Russia over destabilizing behavior, including cyber threats and political subversion, as well looking for ways to cooperate on issues such as Syria and North Korea.



Today, the Kremlin was less phlegmatic, issuing a broad list of areas where it said it believed it could cooperate with the United States. The top issues listed for discussion were Russias dissatisfaction with U.S. sanctions, its desire to cooperate on international terrorism, the Syria crisis and improving efforts around nuclear arms control.



Most of the issues resembled those the Kremlin frequently raised with the Obama administration as well, but the statement did emphasize Moscows desire for a return to normal relations.



There is significant potential for coordinating efforts, the Kremlin statement said, adding our countries can do much together in resolving regional crises, including Ukraine, Libya and the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The statement also said Russia was eager to restore business links with the United States.



Russia's foreign minister, Sergey Lavrov, Friday told the news agency Interfax he hoped the meeting would lend clarity to the relationship and warned that not seeking to normalize relations would be a "huge mistake.



In reality, however, its unclear that beyond the return of the diplomatic compounds there is much Putin and Trump will be able to ask of one another. In many areas, U.S. and Russian interests have little overlap and that has not appeared to change under Trump.



In Syria, the two have clashed, with last month a U.S. fighters shooting down a warplane belonging to Russias ally, President Bashar al-Assad. The White House has also said sanctions cannot be lifted on Russia until it withdraws from Crimea, while in the Senate both parties are drawing up new sanctions to punish Russia for its alleged election meddling.



I dont think we should expect any kind of a breakthrough, said Maria Lipman, a veteran political analyst in Moscow. I dont think we should expect any significant results from this meeting. Not even the beginning of solutions to the major issues."



During the campaign and after his election, some Russian officials and state media had expressed optimism that Trump would mean better relations with the United States. But such hopes have so far largely not materialized.



Lipman said she believed there was a growing realization in the Kremlin of Trumps severely restricted ability to alter U.S. policy toward Moscow, given the intensity of the scandal around the Russia investigations.



Copyright  2017, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
MLA Mark H Durkan has called for much greater investment in Derry's infrastructure following an improvement to its train link with Belfast.

The SLDP politician was speaking after visiting the Waterside Railway Station in the city, to mark the start of Translink's new hourly service to Belfast.

While welcoming the faster link, he said it was only a first step and more could be done for the service which would be fit for a modern city.

Mr Durkan said: I was pleased to visit the railway station here in Derry today and congratulate staff on the new hourly service. It was fantastic to see the station buzzing with happy passengers, many of whom expressed their delight at the long needed more frequent service.

While, I recognise the fact that this service will make travel more convenient for passengers, particularly commuters between the two cities. It is only the first step in the right direction."

Read More

As well as bigger, more ambitious plans for the city's travel plans, he called for a new "fit for purpose" train station.

In order to deliver for Derry we need to execute a much more ambitious plan for our infrastructure and that includes our railway. The next step must be to bring forward plans for a new station, one that is fit for purpose and one that delivers faster, more attractive travel options for people in the North West.

I congratulate all involved in delivering this new service and encourage them to keep going. We can work together to deliver a service fit for a modern city. The SDLP will continue to push the need for all political parties to prioritise investment for infrastructure in the North West. We now need others to show political will to get this over the line and off the shelf," Mr Durkan concluded.
Three men have been charged with drug trafficking offences and will appear before Belfast Magistrates' Court tomorrow.

The men, aged 20, 26, 33 were arrested earlier today.

A forth individual was released without charge following an interview with police.

The men were charged by members of the PSNI's Organised Crime Branch.

The men were arrested as part of an investigation into the supply of heroin in Greater Belfast.
Police are investigating another spate of vandalism at a Belfast Bike station.

Sometime between 9.30pm and 10pm on Sunday bikes at the CS Lewis Square in east Belfast were damaged along with parts of the station.

A Belfast City Council spokesman said: We are aware of this incident, and it has been reported to the Police. We would urge anyone with any information on any incident of vandalism to pass this on to the PSNI.

A PSNI spokesman added: "This morning (Monday 3rd July), police received a report stating that damage had been caused to bicycles located in CS Lewis Square on the Newtownards Road, Belfast.

"Police are appealing to anyone that may have any information to call 101, quoting reference 246 of the 03/07/17. Alternatively, information can be given anonymously to Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."

There have been calls for improved security around the bike scheme after it notched up a 20,000 monthly repair bill.

Read More
Firefighters tackle the blaze at the factory owned by Tony Abbate

The owner of a family business that has been trading for almost 40 years has spoken of his heartbreak after his premises were burnt to the ground.

The fire at the Belfast Crystal factory on Blackstaff Road the in Kennedy Way industrial estate was reported on Saturday shortly after 6pm.

The Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service said the blaze was well-developed when its personnel arrived at the scene.

A total of 41 firefighters, seven appliances, one high-reach aerial appliance and a specialist command support unit were needed to bring the flames under control.

Police say they are treating the blaze as suspicious.

Speaking to the Belfast Telegraph yesterday, owner Tony Abbate (50) condemned the suspected arson as a "senseless act" that had devastated his family.

The business was founded in 1978 by his father Antonio, who had moved to Belfast from Italy and whose grandchildren worked at the firm, seeing it cross into a third generation.

"Next year would have been our 40th as a family business," Mr Abbate said.

"I'm there 32 years, my dad for 40.

"He's 83 and he stills goes into work every single day. It's his whole life, it's what he gets up for and lives for."

Any hopes Mr Abbate had that he could salvage something were dashed yesterday.

"I went down at 6am this morning and there's nothing left in the place I can work with or sell, nothing.

"It means I'm unemployed and I've not one single penny coming in next week. After 40 years of building it and reinvesting, it was my pension and savings. Every penny I had was put into it, but it's gone."

He said he felt sympathy for those losing their jobs, adding: "I'm in the same boat."

He added that the specialist machinery used for cutting and designing the glass products was irreplaceable as it was no longer manufactured.

"I woke up this morning saying: 'Please let it be a bad dream'. It's just so hard, everybody's just devastated," Mr Abbate said.

While no one was physically injured, he added: "It's hurting my father, he's in pieces. You can just tell in his voice. I just hope it doesn't have a detrimental effect on him.

"The only thing that kept him going after my mum died was going to work. He was there this morning and the police officer said he was absolutely devastated."

Mr Abbate said forensics officers told him the fire started outside.

PSNI Sergeant Tom Donnelly appealed for anyone who noticed suspicious activity to contact police at Woodbourne on the 101 number, quoting reference 1048.
Prime Minister Theresa May warned the fight was shifting from the 'battlefield to the internet'

Police in Northern Ireland are leading a bid to improve how terrorist content on the internet is detected.

Project TENSOR is aimed at tackling the threat posed by Islamic State and other extremists after Prime Minister Theresa May warned the fight was shifting from the "battlefield to the internet".

Researchers want to offer law enforcement agencies fast and reliable planning and prevention, enabling the early detection of terrorist activities, radicalisation and recruitment.

Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) deputy chief constable Drew Harris said: "Terrorists and criminals use the internet to connect with each other, source tools and techniques, and grow support for their ideology.

"In that way, we see technology utilised in a dangerous way, a way which has the potential to threaten the safety and security of communities across Europe.

"Indeed, we have seen the terrible impact of terrorism in Europe - in London, Manchester, Nice, Paris and Brussels.

"The research undertaken in the TENSOR project will play an important part in working to increase the capability of law enforcement agencies to prevent and detect the use of the internet by terrorists and increase community safety."

The work is part of Horizon 2020, which describes itself as the biggest European Union research and innovation programme ever.

The main focus of Project TENSOR is to keep people safe, police said.

It is supported by multiple organisations across Europe, with 16 partners from seven European countries involved in the research and innovation.

Professor Babak Akhgar, TENSOR technical and scientific lead, added: "The TENSOR project will provide law enforcement agencies with state-of-the-art capacities to combat violent radicalisation inspired by online content.

"The project can also enhance law enforcement agencies' ability to identify and analyse terrorist-generated content in order to protect citizens.

"The legal and ethical framework of the project will provide a safeguarding mechanism to ensure that the TENSOR solutions are shaped by the privacy and data protection laws that protect the freedom of citizens across Europe in their use of the internet."
A former Secretary of State has defended the Government's 1 billion deal with the DUP, claiming the money "will help both sides of the divide".

Theresa Villiare, who served as Northern Ireland Secretary between 2012 and 2016, also claimed it was wrong to characterise the DUP as "extreme".

Theresa May is reliant on the support of the DUP's 10 MPs after losing the Tories' Commons majority in a disastrous general election.

Ms Villiers insisted the two parties, who have agreed a 'confidence and supply' arrangement, would find common ground despite key differences.

Writing in the Sunday Express, she said: "Neither same-sex marriage nor abortion feature in the deal agreed by Downing Street and they are free-vote matters in Westminster.

"It is wrong to characterise the DUP as extreme because of their Christian beliefs. For example, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, leader of the Christian Democratic Union Party, recently voted against same-sex marriage yet no one would describe her as extreme."

Ms Villiers claimed the 1bn deal was simply the "latest in a line of such financial arrangements" from both Labour and Conservative administrations that recognised Northern Ireland "faces unique difficulties".

She said the arrangement with Arlene Foster's party would not prevent the Government from being even-handed in its efforts to restore power-sharing at Stormont.

"The Conservatives are committed to the Good Friday Agreement and its successors, and to governing in the interests of the whole community in Northern Ireland," she added.

Her comments came after a senior Cabinet figure denied the 1bn deal amounted to a "bung".

Environment Secretary Michael Gove insisted the money did not amount to a "partisan deal".

Tory backbencher Heidi Allen, who has already expressed "distaste" at the Conservatives using public money "to garner political control", warned that her party had become "too inward-looking" and had "forgotten the purpose".

But Mr Gove insisted a deal was needed to ensure a "secure and stable" Government and highlighted Northern Ireland's unique problems, dealing with the Troubles and needing investment in mental health and infrastructure.

Told the confidence and supply deal was a bung on BBC One's Andrew Marr Show, he said: "I think that's unfair to the people of Northern Ireland and I think it's also unfair to the way in which, during this negotiation, decisions were taken in the interests of everyone in the United Kingdom.

"Bung is, the implication is... it implies this money is somehow going to the DUP on their own as if it were a partisan deal. It's not. It's about strengthening the whole United Kingdom by helping people in one of its most vulnerable areas."

The Tories have now scrapped manifesto pledges to end the triple-lock pensions and to means-test the winter fuel allowance for pensioners, proposals the DUP was opposed to. "It's absolutely right that we should, after a general election in which we didn't secure a majority, that we should have an opportunity to review how we help the most vulnerable in our society," Mr Gove said.
A woman risked serious injury and her life after she walked past a suspicious object moments before a controlled explosion was carried out.

The device - found to be an elaborate hoax - was left on a path in a housing estate in Londonderry on Sunday afternoon.

Police evacuated families from 20 homes in Glengalliagh Park at around 5pm and the Army bomb squad sent to examine the device.

Police sources told the Belfast Telegraph it looked like a black box with wires and a timer on the outside of it.

Army ammunition technical officers (ATO) dispatched a bomb disposal robot to carry out a controlled explosion. Moments before a controlled explosion was carried out, a woman emerged from one of the evacuated houses and walked directly past the scene. Scores of people watched on in horror.

She was left shaken, but uninjured, police said.

Read More

After the controlled explosion, the robot overturned on the grass verge and was left immobile for some time.

A second robot had to be dispatched to finish dealing with the device.

Police reminded people of the importance of following officers' advice around security alerts.

"Security operations of this nature bring significant disruption to the community and present challenges to the PSNI as they attempt to minimise disruption whilst keeping the community safe from harm," said a PSNI spokeswoman.

"We attended the area following reports of a suspicious object and ATO were tasked. We called to a number of homes in Glengalliagh Park and advised residents to leave their homes. Some residents agreed to leave their homes however a number of residents declined and were advised to remain inside their homes and take appropriate precautions.

"A resident left their home and walked past the suspicious object while attempts were ongoing to make the object safe.

"We spoke to the resident immediately after and, although she was shaken, she was uninjured.

"Our investigation into the hoax device is ongoing and we would appeal to anyone with information to contact us on 101."
Former Northern Ireland first minister and UUP leader Lord Trimble has again called for power to be transferred to the Northern Ireland Assembly given the ongoing deadlock in the political talks.

On Monday Secretary of State James Brokenshire will address the Commons after the deadline to broker a deal to restore the institutions passed without agreement last week.

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Speaking to Sky News, the former first minister Lord Trimble said direct rule should not be an option for the government minister, saying it would be retrograde, "unhealthy for local democracy" and that there would be difficulties in restoring devolution should power return to Westminster.

Instead he said the Secretary of State should "disregard the veto" both the DUP and Sinn Fein effectively hold over the sitting of the Assembly and moves should be made to allow its 90 members to sit and act as they were intended to do after the March election.

He said: "He [Mr Brokenshire] should bear in mind that it really is impossible to have situation where one party which has less than one third of the members of the Assembly that can veto the sitting of that Assembly. He should look at ways the Assembly should meet and do business and he should do that quite soon.

"There is a mood that has developed that we have 90 MLAs all drawing a salary, but not doing anything."

Read more:

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Lord Trimble said there would need to be "minor changes" to the law to allow the Assembly to sit: "The present arrangements give the largest two parties a veto over the Assembly sitting and secretary of state should disregard that veto and allow it to meet and function.

"It could meet in a large number of ways, which may not be as efficient as having an Executive. You do not necessarily need an Executive. The Welsh Assembly operated for five or six years without an Executive."

"Less efficient perhaps, there would have to be legislation which vested the administration collectively in the Assembly, creating a corporate Assembly the way they had in wales."

Asked on the future of the DUP, he added: "We have been in this situation before in regard to parliamentary seats, but we still have seats in the Assembly and local government.

"We, like the SDLP, have significant holding in Assembly and local government. Sinn Fein and the DUP would like to see rival parties disappear, but that is not good for democracy."

Meanwhile SDLP leader Colum Eastwood said there would be anger if Mr Brokenshire "kicked the can further down the road" in terms of imposing a new deadline on talks.

He added: "I urge him to ensure that direct rule is not the price that the people of Northern Ireland will have to pay for the political failure of the big two.

The immediate priority to secure and safeguard the future of our public services and the jobs of public sector workers must be agreed. It is incumbent on all of us, as political leaders, to restore confidence in our politics and stability without delay.

I would also urge the Irish government to fully exert its responsibility and role to ensure that the North is not placed at the mercy of a Tory/DUP coalition. In the continuing absence of a local Assembly, the Irish government must be centrally involved in order to retain the hard won political balance which underpins Northern politics.
Rodrigo Londono gives a speech during an act to commemorate the completion of the disarmament process of FARC rebels (AP)

The leader of Colombia's largest rebel movement is in intensive care following a stroke, days after his group handed over the last of its individual weapons in a historic peace deal.

Rodrigo Londono, better known by his nom de guerre Timochenko, of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), checked himself into a hospital emergency room in the city of Villavicencio shortly after 8am on Sunday with slurred speech and numbness in his arm, doctors said.

They said he remained in intensive care as a precautionary measure but his speech and mobility had recovered 90% from what they described as a temporary blockage of blood to his brain.

If there are no complications Londono could be released in the next 24 to 48 hours.

"Of course he's conscious and making jokes," another rebel leader known by his alias Pastor Alape said at a press conference.

Londono, who is in his 50s, has suffered a number of health scares lately, partly the result of a lifetime in jungle trenches.

Recently the FARC confirmed that in 2015 Londono suffered a heart attack during peace negotiations in Cuba and earlier this year, after the deal was signed, had another unspecified medical setback for which he received treatment on the communist-run island.

Alape said initially Londono brushed off the symptoms and had to be convinced by his comrades to undergo medical tests.

"Thank you to everyone who is concerned about my health," Londono said on Twitter.

"Everything is going well. I also thank the medical team for their care."

His latest health scare comes less than a week after Colombia reached a major milestone on its road to peace, with the FARC rebels relinquishing some of their last weapons and declaring an end to their 50-year uprising.

The historic step was taken by Londono, along with Colombia's president Juan Manuel Santos, at a demobilisation camp in Colombia's eastern jungles near Villavicencio.

Though hundreds of FARC caches filled with larger weapons and explosives are still being cleared out, the United Nations has certified that all individual firearms and weapons, except for a small number needed to safeguard the soon-to-disband camps, have been collected.

The step put Colombia closer to turning a page on Latin America's longest-running conflict, which caused at least 250,000 deaths, left 60,000 people missing and displaced more than seven million.

AP
It looks as if the Stormont talks will result in another missed deadline today, and we await the decision of Secretary of State James Brokenshire to point a way forward

It looks as if the Stormont talks will result in another missed deadline today, and we await the decision of Secretary of State James Brokenshire to point a way forward.

People are so fed-up with all our politicians that they now expect very little to come from Stormont.

However, a continued failure to reach agreement will have serious repercussions. We are in receipt of an extra 1bn and there is the expectation that we should spend it wisely.

Local parties will have preferences for the way in which the money is used, but if Stormont does not reassemble they will lack control.

Inevitably, the onset of direct rule, with money being administered by civil servants and London-based ministers, is not the best option for any of us.

We face many pressing issues, including the health service, education, infrastructure and other important topics which require urgent attention. There is also a need to get the best from Brexit, and already the decision by the UK to end the arrangement allowing others to fish in its waters will help our local industry.

If another deadline passes we can again expect an unseemly round of the blame game, although the DUP may have a point in claiming that Irish Foreign Minister Simon Coveney is "harming" the negotiations.

Certainly, the Irish Government's backing for a stand-alone Irish Language Act here can be seen as an unhelpful intrusion into the current talks.

Many observers find it difficult to understand why an Irish Language Act is such a sticking point, and why the politicians are unable to find an agreement on this.

Many people do not oppose such an Act, but, as in everything else, there needs to be checks and balances on spending, and respect for other cultures.

That would be the overriding view of most of the public, who have indicated time and again that politicians on both sides should show pragmatism and get on with the job.

Given the lack of progress, perhaps it would be best if our politicians took a break and came back with fresh ideas.

The possibilities for agreement are not great, as the politicians' dismal record has shown, but Stormont remains the only show in town and the public urgently needs to see it working again.

Otherwise, the politicians will totally fail us again, and will deserve the utmost blame all round.
I believe that if Charlie Flanagan rather than Simon Coveney had been Minister for Foreign Affairs, Sinn Fein would have been forced to restore devolved government in Northern Ireland by last Thursday's deadline.

That's because by supporting Sinn Fein's demand for a stand-alone Irish Language Act, Coveney raised Sinn Fein expectations to an excessive level that could not be met.

Supporting a key Sinn Fein demand was the culmination of a number of clangers by Coveney since he took over from Charlie Flanagan, starting with his floating the special status notion which he was forced to withdraw.

But it also marked the third day of the most tribal week I can recall for almost 30 years, as British politicians and media, supported by RTE, begrudged Arlene Foster's brilliant deal on behalf of all the people of Northern Ireland.

Let me set the scene for what smacked of a sectarian reaction. Last Saturday, Gerry Adams made nice to unionists at a Belfast meeting. Tommie Gorman compared his language to that of John Hume and Wolfe Tone. But to me the subtext of Adams' speech smacked less of Wolfe Tone and more of The Wolfe Tones. As Professor Arthur Aughey of Ulster University once observed, nobody does "sinister patronising" better than Adams.

As an advocate of close reading, let me point to just one example.

Adams called on unionists to be positive "instead of concentrating on the negative aspects of our four centuries of shared history".

The "four centuries" remark was to remind Northern Protestants they are blow-ins, not natives.

Next day, Sunday, confirmed my conviction that Sinn Fein is thrilled to be dealing with a Peter Barry-style pan-nationalist like Simon Coveney rather than a pluralist like Charlie Flanagan, who has always been sceptical of Sinn Fein.

Ivan Yates, on his Sunday show, asked Mary Lou McDonald, the next leader of Sinn Fein in the Republic, if she detected any difference between Simon and Charlie Flanagan. She did. She preferred Simon to Charlie. "I take from Simon Coveney a real appetite to get things done. I can certainly say he is engaged, perhaps more engaged than his predecessor."

On the following day, Monday, Arlene Foster did a historic deal with Theresa May that benefited every man, woman and child in Northern Ireland.

Just before she stepped out the door of No 10 Downing Street, bracing herself to meet the media, Foster was thrilled to see a vase of sunflowers, her father's favourite.

Foster was eight years of age when she heard gunshots as her father, John Kelly, crawled into the kitchen with blood pouring from his head.

The sunflowers were a reminder of who she was before she became a deal-maker in Downing Street - a farmer's daughter from the townland of Dernawilt. Foster is a Fermanagh woman, down to earth, racy of the soil, the sort of rural politician who would be at home among the country deputies of Fine Gael or Fianna Fail.

She is more Irish than the tribal trendies in RTE who called in leftie British politicians like Peter Hain to denigrate her deal.

And what a deal. Roughly 540.07 per head for every woman, man and child in Northern Ireland.

Sinn Fein had been outclassed and outflanked - and knew it. But even Adams knew he had to welcome the deal. "We may be able to say well done Arlene, when we have the Executive in place."

But RTE News is not as soft as Sinn Fein. RTE's Six One News was a tribal threnody of begrudgery and negativity about a deal done by a party of Irishmen and women on behalf of Irishmen and women. The Irish Times next day was only marginally better with the headline proclaiming 'Opposition condemns May's 1bn agreement with DUP'.

Although Adams had the wit to welcome the deal, Sinn Fein, with no political cover or clout, had the desperate aura of cornered rats.

But on Wednesday, Coveney threw Sinn Fein a lifeline that will prove to be a noose around the neck of the Irish Government.

Breaking with Flanagan's position, Coveney said he supported Sinn Fein's demand for a stand-alone act, rather than a joint act covering Ulster Scots.

Coveney's refusal to agree a joint act covering Irish and Ulster-Scots was beyond bizarre.

The two traditions, in proof of George Mitchell's desire for parity of esteem, had always been treated as two sides of one coin, both in the Good Friday Agreement, and subsequent communiques by both governments.

But this did not prevent the compliant SDLP and Alliance parties from supporting Coveney and Sinn Fein, saying it was less about an Irish Language Act than a "respect" act. But Coveney's position means respect for only one side. Isolating the Irish language would reduce it to the totemic badge of one tribe, whereas a Culture Act which included both Irish and Ulster-Scots' cultural traditions would not be divisive but truly inclusive.

Supporting Sinn Fein on the Irish Language Act is Coveney's second major blunder, the first being his call for a "special status" for the North, which he was forced to withdraw.

As I predicted last week, Coveney is in the Peter Barry pan-nationalist mould. Last week this led him to follow the craven Department of Foreign Affairs policy of offering Sinn Fein a lot more carrots than sticks.

Bertie Ahern did not make that mistake, as George Mitchell records in a revealing anecdote in his memoir The Negotiator.

On the last leg of the Good Friday negotiations, Ahern and Tony Blair asked Mitchell to pretend to the UUP that a very "green" draft Strand II paper, which the two PMs agreed in Downing Street in April 1998, was actually written by Mitchell.

The paper was pure DFA pan-nationalist posturing, with elaborate cross-border bodies. In short, another Peter Barry-style 'Council of Ireland' piece of posturing to appease Sinn Fein.

But David Trimble was having none of it. He got ready to walk out of Castle Buildings unless the pan-nationalist ploy was withdrawn. The DFA and Martin Mansergh told Ahern to stand firm. But after his mother's funeral, Ahern went for a walk by himself around Drumcondra.

He decided to overrule the DFA and flew to Belfast the next morning to agree a new set of north-south bodies with Trimble. Had Ahern not overruled the DFA, there would have been no Good Friday Agreement.

As Coveney shares the mindset of the DFA, he is not likely to challenge its carrot policy. But there may be more to his blunders than meets the eye.

Add up his attendance at Martin McGuinness's funeral, his White Paper on Irish unity, telling Sean O'Rourke he wants to "move on" from Sinn Fein's Provo past, the benign view Mary Lou McDonald holds of him, and now his support for Sinn Fein on the Irish Language Act.

What does it all amount to? Something close to the sanitising of Sinn Fein in some Fine Gael circles. To what end? No good end, we can be sure.
Philippine troops carry the body of a soldier killed in fighting with Islamic State-backed extremists in Marawi City, after a helicopter carrying it landed at a military base in Iligan City, July 3, 2017.

Updated at 12:39 p.m. ET on 2017-07-07

The Philippines said Monday it would launch a joint patrol with the Indonesian navy this week in the Celebes Sea bordering both countries, amid concerns that militants could cross over to aid Islamic State-backed Filipino fighters in southern Marawi city.

Ceremonies for the coordinated maneuvers will begin Tuesday in the southern Philippine city of Davao, and the week-long naval operation will get under way on Thursday, according to Filipino military and government officials. Davao City is about 1,500 km (937 miles) south of Manila.

This activity is aimed at strengthening the security of the two countries, especially between their common borders, Philippine presidential spokesman Ernesto Abella said during a press briefing in Manila.

Likewise, we aim to improve the interoperability of our forces with the sharing of information and exchange of best practices, he added.

Part of the joint operation is a medical mission by personnel by both navies, and the operation is to culminate in Manado, Indonesia, on July 12, according to the Philippine military.

In Jakarta, a spokesman for the Indonesian military could not immediately confirm information about the joint naval maneuvers when contacted by BenarNews late Monday (local time).

Coordinated activities

The upcoming joint patrol will follow a one-day naval maneuver between Philippine and U.S. naval forces.

On June 19, Indonesia, Malaysia and the Philippines launched trilateral security patrols in the Sulu Sea bordering the three countries. They also agreed to set up maritime command centers in Tarakan, North Kalimantan, in Indonesia; Tawau, Sabah, in Malaysia; and Bongao, Tawi-Tawi, Philippines.

The sea patrols were launched amid heightened concerns that regional militants from Indonesia and Malaysia would try to sneak into the southern Philippines to help their comrades engaged in clashes with Philippine troops in the southern city of Marawi, a former Muslim trading hub.

The gunmen, fighters from the local Abu Sayyaf and Maute groups, backed by Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern fighters, are battling under the flag of the Islamic State (IS). They control a portion of Marawi, which has been emptied by its 200,000 residents.

On Monday, Abella said the fighting, which began on May 23, has left 39 civilians dead  adjusted from 44 given on Friday after an apparent error on police reports.

Officials said 336 militants and 84 security forces had been killed in the fighting, including two soldiers and 14 extremists who died in clashes over the weekend.

The Philippines also continued holding regular joint military exercises with the United States despite President Rodrigo Dutertes anti-U.S. rhetoric in favor of boosting ties with Russia and China.

American spy planes have been assisting the Filipino forces and several troops have been providing technical assistance on the ground. They are barred from actual combat, but are armed and can protect themselves if they come under attack.

The fighting has concentrated in Marawis central business district, where the gunmen have posted snipers on several buildings, including mosques, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said Monday.

He said advancing troops were moving steadily and that 70 to 100 houses were being cleared every day even as it will take them some time to clear the area of fighters.

It may take a lot of time for recovery and rehabilitation because there are lots of buildings destroyed because of our aerial bombings and also because of the actions of the enemy blowing up buildings, as well and burning houses, he said.

Hunting down Hapilon

Lorenzana said Abu Sayyaf leader Isnilon Hapilon, the acknowledged local IS leader, was believed to be still inside Marawi, contrary to earlier reports by the military that he escaped.

In fact, there is an information we got this morning that hes hiding in one of the mosques there in Marawi, Lorenzana said, adding that intelligence operatives stationed in the nearby island of Basilan have reported they havent seen the rebel leader.

So we still believe that he is still in Marawi, he said.

Of the 200 members of the Maute group earlier named as wanted in connection with the rebellion, 66 have already been arrested, including the parents of the leaders  mother Farhana and father Cayamora, Lorenzana said.

Local military spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera said the slow forward movement of troops indicated that they were closing in on the enemy targets.

But our clearing combat operations still continue. We have also recovered war materials and weapons left behind by the enemies, Herrera said.

We will come to point wherein we will not use any more airstrikes. The purpose only of using the airstrikes is to soften the strong defensive position of the enemies, he said.

Herrera said troops were checking Hapilons whereabouts inside the war zone. He insisted that Hapilon could not be contacted and that he had lost their command in control.

Military spokesman Brig. Gen. Restituto Padilla said that tightened security patrols in the high seas with the help of the countrys foreign allies had helped stop the Abu Sayyafs criminal activities.

Any abduction in the high seas was one of the principal criminal activities that they have been doing and that we wanted to address, something that was a cause of national embarrassment, he said.

In the past three months there has been no news of Abu Sayyaf-led abductions. So we have successfully degraded the capability and the capacity of this group to undertake many of these criminal activities that have been undertaken in the high seas, Padilla said.

He called on those still fighting in Marawi to surrender.

We dont like to kill, he said. But if they keep on fighting and they keep on doing criminal activities, we will have to do what we need to do.

An earlier version contained a photo caption with wrong information about the location where the action was taking place.
Cambodias government on Monday closed all checkpoints along its border with Thailand to anyone other than migrant workers returning home from the neighboring country, drawing criticism from residents who said their livelihoods depend on traveling between the two nations.



The move follows a royal decree passed by Thailand at the end of last month which imposed jail terms of up to five years and hefty fines on illegal workers in the country.



The decree was suspended for 120 days on June 30 after facing a backlash from employers and migrant advocates, but thousands of Cambodians are still being deported, including nearly 1,000 last week alone, according to a report by the Phnom Penh Post.



On Monday, Cambodia indefinitely closed all checkpoints along the border with its western neighbor to anyone who is not a Cambodian migrant working returning from Thailand, citing a need to curb unlawful crossings.



Roath Veasna, an official at the Tumnup Dach border checkpoint in Au Bey Choan commune, in Battambang provinces Au Chrov district, told the Khmer Service of Radio Free Asia (RFA), a sister entity of BenarNews, that the order was initially given on July 1, but fully implemented on Monday and aimed at preventing illegal workers from crossing into Thailand in search of jobs.



Only workers who are returning from Thailand will be allowed to cross into Cambodia, he said.



No one from Cambodia is allowed to cross into Thailand  even to buy commodities in Thai markets and vice versa.



While Cambodias government claims the move will stymie illegal migration, people who live along the border and civil society groups said a prolonged closure of the checkpoints will damage the livelihoods of local residents.



A villager from Au Bey Choan commune named Loeum No said the effect of the border closure has yet to be seen and urged the government to rescind the ban on crossings as soon as possible.



I would like the border crossing to be re-opened soon  it cant be closed for too long, he said.



When all the border crossings are closed, our lives are severely impacted. We need to cross the border into Thailand to buy commodities.



Sum Chankea, coordinator for the rights group ADHOC in neighboring Banteay Meanchey province, echoed Loeum Nos concerns about how a prolonged border closure could affect local residents.



Many Cambodians earn a living by going to work in Thailand and they should be allowed to return home after their days labor, he said.



The authorities should be focusing their actions against those who illegally bring workers to Thailand, he said.



The Phnom Penh Post cited Dy The Hoya, of labor rights group Central, as saying Cambodias government should pressure Thailand to grant more time to adjust regulations and regulate recruitment agencies better.



According to the report, Cambodias Labor Ministry issued a letter on Friday asking the Information Ministry to ban recruitment agencies advertisements, which it said usually deceive our residents  to convince them to go to work in Thailand.



Seeking work



Thailand has been criticized for its treatment of migrant workers who are often at the mercy of unscrupulous employers and labor brokers.



Thailand is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, the U.S. State Department wrote in its 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report.



While migrant workers are at risk, they are drawn to the country as Thailand is a wealthy nation compared to its neighbors.



Human traffickers charge Cambodians as much as U.S. $100 per person to illegally transport them across the border from the northwestern part of the country, human rights groups told Radio Free Asia last year.



Workers, who do not have passports, pay 300,000 to 400,000 riel (U.S. $75 to $100) each to help them cross over the border in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces.



Thailands economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.5 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s, creating millions of jobs that helped pull millions of people out of poverty, according to the World Bank. That growth has slowed in recent years.



Workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China and ethnic minorities from Southeast Asian countries, have cut into businesses reserved for Thais, according to the Office of the Social and Economic Development Board.



In September, an official from Banteay Meanchey province said Thai authorities were cracking down on illegal immigrants and sending thousands of migrant workers back to Cambodia and Vietnam each day, with more than 4,000 Cambodian workers deported during August alone.



A crackdown by Thailands military regime on undocumented migrant workers in 2014 saw tens of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers flee from Thailand to Cambodia amid fears over government measures.
Migrant workers sort fish in a port in Mahachai on the outskirts of Bangkok, June 30, 2015.

Tens of thousands of foreign workers have left Thailand after it adopted tough new labor regulations in late June that penalize undocumented migrants, traffickers who smuggle them in and employers who hire them, a government official told BenarNews.

Adopted by the Thai junta on June 23, the new rules call for a sentence of up to 10 years in jail and a fine of 1 million baht (U.S. $29,418) fine per each person convicted on trafficking charges. Employers charged with hiring undocumented workers could face fines of 400,000 baht ($11,766) to 800,000 baht ($23,532) for each employee.

Those entering the country and working illegally could face a sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($2,941).

We recorded about 20,000 workers, but that was just a portion of those returning home. They went back home voluntarily, Sutha Saiwanich, the deputy governor of Tak, a province in northwestern Thailand that borders Myanmar, one of the neighboring countries from where thousands of workers migrate for largely menial and low-paid jobs.

Mae Sod district in Tak province is about 500 km (310 miles) northwest of Bangkok. It serves as a major transit point for illegal border crossings into Thailand across a river that separates the two countries.

The Labor Ministry reported that Thailand has about 2.7 million registered migrant workers, mainly from Myanmar and Cambodia. Of them, 1.4 million have work permits and are not affected by the law, while another 1.3 million are allowed to work temporarily until March 2018, pending verification of their identities.

The ministry estimates that another 2 million migrants are working without papers.

PM establishes grace period

Last week, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told reporters that migrants affected by the new regulations could continue to work temporarily, pending verification of their identities.

These people have problems because they are not authenticated yet. They are temporary workers, Prayuth said. They cannot change workplaces. Their countries of origin must have proof of identity for them.

I did not mean to cause hardship to anyone, but the law cannot be revoked, Prayuth said.

He will establish an executive order to allow a 120-day grace period for migrants to obtain verification without being arrested.

The president of the Fisheries Association of Thailand, whose industry employs many migrants, said the grace period was needed.

The foreign labor decree is a good law for controlling the labor force, but the government must let them have [four] months to get paperwork done, Mongkol Sukcharoenkana told BenarNews. After that, it can stop registration of workers for good.

Extortion and Instigation

A source in Mae Sod district told BenarNews that police exploited loopholes to extort money from employers and migrant workers.

Police took a chance to raid a furniture business in Mae Sod town, asking for 4 million baht ($117,647) as a settlement. But the owner did not accept the deal and said he would rather be jailed than pay a bribe, said the source who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Hearing of the allegations, National Police chief Gen. Chakthip Chaichinda threatened to severely discipline any officers who attempt to extort money from workers or employers.

Meanwhile, labor rights activist Andy Hall said the effort to force registration was likely planned and instigated by corrupt and powerful officials, agents and brokers.

After a decade and more monitoring migration in Thailand its clear to me tens of thousands of migrants only move like this with instigation. Mass profit is to be made in a short time and from panic and commotion, Hall said in text message to BenarNews from Europe.

Hall fled from Thailand in November 2016 following his conviction on a defamation charge resulting from a lawsuit by the Natural Fruit company regarding a television interview in Myanmar. He alleged migrant workers faced adverse work conditions at the companys pineapple processing plant in Thailand.

Many migrants are fleeing Thailand voluntarily at a high cost. Some employers cover the cost, but many also are unceremoniously fired without compensation, he said.
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For Immediate Release, July 3, 2017 Contact: Kelly Fuller, Western Watersheds Project, (928) 322-8449, kfuller@westernwatersheds.org

Michael Saul, Center for Biological Diversity, (303) 915-8308, msaul@biologicaldiversity.org

Steve Holmer, American Bird Conservancy, (202) 888 7490, sholmer@abcbirds.org Protest Filed Over Oil, Gas Leasing That Endangers Utah Sage Grouse FILLMORE, Utah Conservation groups today filed a formal protest against the Bureau of Land Management's plan to auction off more than 23 square miles of public land in central Utah for fracking and drilling, which will harm the imperiled Sheeprocks population of greater sage grouse. According to the BLM, the Sheeprocks sage-grouse population declined by nearly 40 percent in just four years, and decreased in eight out of the past 10 years. It's time for the BLM to walk its talk and take Sheeprocks sage-grouse habitat off the auction block, said Kelly Fuller, energy campaign coordinator for Western Watersheds Project. Science shows that oil and gas drilling results in fewer sage grouse. The proposed oil and gas leasing on federal public lands includes priority sage-grouse habitat vital to the birds' survival. In April six conservation groups warned the BLM not to lease this critically important habitat, but the agency ignored conservationists and still plans to offer the habitat for lease. The BLM is blowing off conservation science and federal law to allow short-term profits for oil companies, said Michael Saul, a senior attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. Auctioning off this vital habitat for drilling and fracking may wipe out this population of Utah sage grouse and signal the beginning of the end for this imperiled bird. The sale comes after the BLM vowed in February to increase protection for the grouse and their habitat in the Sheeprock Mountain area of Juab, Tooele and Utah counties. The BLM's February promise was not optional: Utah's federal sage-grouse plan, with its mandatory protections under federal law, requires the BLM to take new action to ensure sage-grouse survival after such a dramatic population drop. In 2011 the BLM assembled a blue-ribbon panel of sage-grouse experts, called the National Technical Team, to make recommendations on land-management strategies that would allow sage grouse to survive. These experts recommended closing priority sage-grouse habitats entirely to oil and gas leasing. In the end federal sage-grouse plans committed to prioritizing oil and gas leasing and drilling outside important habitat for the birds. The greater sage grouse has been the subject of an enormous conservation effort to prevent the species from coming so close to extinction that it requires protection under the Endangered Species Act. The greater sage grouse has been the subject of an enormous conservation effort to prevent the species from coming so close to extinction that it requires protection under the Endangered Species Act, said Steve Holmer, vice president of policy for American Bird Conservancy. Backward steps such as this drilling project in priority habitat, and the Department of the Interior's review of the grouse conservation plans raise grave doubts for the survival of this species. Government efforts to increase the Sheeprocks population have become increasingly desperate. They include capturing sage grouse in other areas and trucking them to Sheeprocks; killing red foxes and other wildlife that prey on sage grouse; and tearing out thousands of acres of pinyon pines and juniper trees. In 2016 alone nearly $1 million was directed toward Sheeprocks sage-grouse conservation. Fracking and drilling of the nearly 15,000 acres included in the Utah BLM's September 2017 lease sale will also harm mule deer and elk who rely on those public lands for the habitat they must have to survive the winter. Studies have shown that mule deer avoid oil and gas development, causing them to abandon important habitats. The Sublette mule deer herd near Pinedale, Wyo., declined 30 percent where oil and gas had been developed and only 10 percent where oil and gas development did not take place. The mission of Western Watersheds Project is to protect and restore western watersheds and wildlife through education, public policy initiatives and legal advocacy. The Center for Biological Diversity is a national, nonprofit conservation organization with more than 1.3 million members and online activists dedicated to the protection of endangered species and wild places. American Bird Conservancy is a non-profit organization whose mission is to conserve native birds and their habitats throughout the Americas. It achieves this by safeguarding the rarest bird species, restoring habitats and reducing threats to bird species
The first ever Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India has been approved by the Government of India

It is time for India to capitalize now on our unique strengths and overcome any hurdles to ensure success in the bio-pharmaceutical market. This was stated by the Union Minister for Science & Technology and Earth Sciences, Environment, Forests & Climate Change, Dr Harshvardhan while addressing the media in New Delhi on June 30.

The first ever Industry-Academia mission to accelerate biopharmaceutical development in India has been approved by the Government of India. The programme named Innovate in India (i3) will witness an investment of $ 250 million with $ 125 million as a loan from World Bank and aspires to create an enabling ecosystem to promote entrepreneurship and indigenous manufacturing in the sector.

This Mission of the Department of Biotechnology (DBT), Ministry of Science & Technology will be implemented by Biotechnology Industry Research Assistance Council (BIRAC) - a Public Sector Undertaking of DBT. The programme will specifically focus on the development of new vaccines, bio-therapeutics, diagnostics and medical devices to better address the rising burden of diseases in the country. It will also bring isolated centres of excellence together, enhance regional capabilities and strengthen the current bio-clusters network in terms of capacities as well as quantity and quality of output. The programme will help deliver 6-10 new products in the next five years, create several dedicated facilities for next-generation skills, and hundreds of jobs in the process. It will provide young entrepreneurs the confidence as well as the systemic support to pursue their aspirations in biotechnological innovation, and transform India into a global hub for cutting-edge biotechnology research and development.

As a flagship programme of the Government of India in collaboration with World Bank, it promises to boost the growth curve for domestic biopharma in India by accelerating the translation of research concepts into viable products, supporting clinical validation, enabling sustainable networks for collaboration between industry and academia, and supporting entrepreneurial ecosystem amongst many others. Currently India has only 2.8% share in the global biopharmaceutical market, the program would elevate this to 5% resulting in an additional business opportunity of $ 16 billion.

The oversight to the programme would be provided by the Inter-Ministerial Steering Committee comprising of members from various Ministries; and would be supported by Programme Technical Advisory Group comprising of global and national leaders from industry and academia. The programme thereby stands unique in its approach with involvement of global experts, industry leaders and World Bank in driving it and ensuring world class biomedical products are born out of the initiative. This Mission is anticipated to be a game changer for the Indian Biopharmaceutical industry.
Hundred seats each will be created in five district hospitals in Basti, Faizabad, Firozabad, Shahjhanpur and Bahraich. The process is likely to be completed by early next year.

With the state government deciding to upgrade five districts hospitals to medical colleges, 500 additional seats are likely to be created for MBBS aspirants from the next academic year (2018-19). After the addition, the number of seats will go up to 2,700.

Hundred seats each will be created in five district hospitals in Basti, Faizabad, Firozabad, Shahjhanpur and Bahraich. The process is likely to be completed by early next year.

Currently, there are 17 government medical colleges in the state which offer 2,199 MBBS seats. The government eventually plans to upgrade 12 districts hospitals and work on that will start after the current project is over.

Rs 180 crore have been sanctioned by the government for upgrading each of the five district hospitals and 70 per cent of the amount will be paid by the central government.

Also, construction of two new medical colleges in Badaun and Jaunpur is currently underway. Two new medical colleges are also proposed in Chandauli and Najibabad in Bijnor. All these colleges will have to seek affiliation from King Georges Medical University in Lucknow.
Jem's Birding & Ringing Exploits in the Eastern Province and elsewhere in Saudi Arabia
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Senegalese startup Weebi, which operates a digital solution helping shopkeepers with bookkeeping, has expanded to Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gabon, Angola and Ethiopia, since launching last October.

Weebi has designed a point of sale (PoS) solution made out of aluminium with a 3D printer within. It comes pre-installed with a 3G Android tablet integrating the Weebi app.

The app works offline and provides confidential backup, allowing shopkeepers to quicken client registration, ease invoicing and print tickets. Weebi also provides a live data analysis tool  the Weebi Bot  allowing shopkeepers to better monitor business activity.

Co-founder Pierre Gancel told Disrupt Africa Weebi was about to deploy to 50 shops in Dakar and had established relationships with subcontractors in Burkina Faso, Guinea, Gabon, Angola and Ethiopia.

Our key landmark is to provide data analysis to microentrepreneurs in Dakar, allowing them to manage their business better. They use the Weebi app to get clear insight and forecasts, he said.

This expansion has been made possible via a US$30,000 grant from Agence Francaise de Developement, with Gancel saying the point of subcontractor arrangements is to save cash and distribute more widely.
Gunning for creative diversity on Nkanyezi Masango's Blackboard

Nkanyezi Masango, now creative director at King James Group, is a true champion for excellence in creativity among youth. Here's what he'll be looking for as the only SA juror on the One Club's Young Guns board.

Masango has been selected as the only South African juror for Young Guns 15. Its a jury set to rigorously review a body of work and in doing so, identify the next generation of creative leaders under the age of 30. One Club Young Guns 15 jury selected 22 Jun 2017 Established by the Art Directors Club in 1996, this is the first year Young Guns is part of The One Club for Creativity. Its an interesting mix of young creatives on the jury, with Masango commenting that: Its an honour to be on a jury that represents such diverse disciplines. Im hoping to connect with people from different backgrounds like fashion design, animation and technology. Masango was also the only South African to crack the ADC jury nod last year. Meet ADC 2015 jury's SA CD By Leigh Andrews 12 Jan 2016 Here, Masango shares his personal career strategy, why its so important to honour young creatives and celebrate that youthful enthusiasm as well as how his own Blackboard initiative aims to better diversify the SA creative field. When we When we chatted after Loeries 2016 , you were still at Y&R. Talk us through your SA career moves.

My career strategy is very simple: learn from the best. For the last six years Ive been learning from Graham Lang at Y&R. Then I recently joined King James, where I get to learn from Alistair King and the great talents at the agency. Hopefully Ill reach a point where Im as good as all these guys!

You also spent a stint of your early career in Hong Kong, where you worked on Adidas for the Beijing Olympics. Share a few of your top memories of the experience and the impact on your current career. You also spent a stint of your early career in Hong Kong, where you worked on Adidas for the Beijing Olympics. Share a few of your top memories of the experience and the impact on your current career.

Working on a global campaign, for a global brand, to promote an epic event that happens once every four years is a rare opportunity. But the problem is that a project of that scale will have a lot of stakeholders. This was precisely the case with Beijing Olympics.

Every job had to get signed off by Adidas in Germany and pretty much every office in our network was working on the campaign. It was like The Hunger Games, everyone wanted to get in on a brief. I managed to hustle my way onto one of the TV jobs, which got produced through the Shanghai office. It was a fun experience and I was proud to get work made, but I much prefer dealing with less politics!

Youre also paying it forward in Blackboard  explain the importance of mentorship and how Blackboard in particular aims to better diversify the SA creative field. Youre also paying it forward in Blackboard  explain the importance of mentorship and how Blackboard in particular aims to better diversify the SA creative field. Lack of diversity in the creative field is rooted in poor education. Creativity is not encouraged in township government schools, which are predominantly black. Kids in these high schools right now dont have a clue about these things called advertising, filmmaking and animation. To make matters worse, the private colleges that we look to for talent are not doing much to market the industry to these kids.

Masango with his students from Blackboard,

So if we dont expose them to creativity as a career, we will be facing the same issue 10 years from now, with an unrepresentative industry and graduates of the same demographic coming out of creative institutions. Thats why I decided to form Blackboard. Its an initiative that simply exposes township school kids to creativity. We target students who havent decided what subjects to take. So that when they do decide what to focus on, theyre making a more informed decision. And if they happen to pursue a creative career, we can find a way to integrate them into the industry. But the first step is exposure.

Definitely. That touches (again) on the fact that lack of racial and gender equality is a hot industry topic locally  what are your thoughts then on age diversity? Definitely. That touches (again) on the fact that lack of racial and gender equality is a hot industry topic locally  what are your thoughts then on age diversity?

I think both locally and globally, race and gender diversity need the most urgent attention right now, much more than age diversity. Ultimately, we should strive to be representative of the society we live in, which is made of multi-racial men and women of varying age groups.

Explain your involvement in One Clubs Young Guns  how and why the Awards resonate with you, and what youre going to be focused on in selecting the overall winners. Explain your involvement in One Clubs Young Guns  how and why the Awards resonate with you, and what youre going to be focused on in selecting the overall winners. Award shows typically celebrate work that has been produced in the last 12 months  great ideas that represent the best of now. Young Guns celebrates potential, the possibilities of tomorrow. I find that exciting. Were not judging one ad here and another campaign there. Its about identifying a body of work that is not just ground-breaking by todays standards, but also excites us about whats to come.

Why is it so important to honour young creatives and celebrate that youthful enthusiasm? Why is it so important to honour young creatives and celebrate that youthful enthusiasm? Creativity is the most powerful business weapon and its a tool that can solve most of the worlds problems. Honouring young creatives helps protect the future of our industry and quite frankly, the future of humanity.

I couldnt put it any better myself. Click here to follow Masango on Twitter, here for his Instagram profile and here to enter Young Guns 15  entries close on 31 July.
Sixteen essential cancer treatment medications, including chemotherapies, are now available in Ethiopia, Nigeria, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania, thanks to a new market access agreement.

Gary M Reedy, CEO at the American Cancer Society

The American Cancer Society (ACS), the Clinton Health Access Initative (CHAI) and pharmaceutical companies, Cipla and Pfizer have joined forces to bring life-saving cancer treatment to these sub-Saharan African countries. The collaboration is part of a broader effort led by ACS and supported by CHAI to improve the market environment for cancer care in Africa.

Every person with cancer deserves access to treatment, no matter where they live, says Gary M Reedy, CEO of ACS. Collaborating with companies like Pfizer and Cipla is a critical next step toward levelling the playing field for people with cancer and saving lives in this part of the world.

The cancer burden is mounting in sub-Saharan Africa and deaths remain high due to late diagnosis and lack of treatment]]. In 2012, there was an estimated 626,000 new cases of cancer and 447,000 cancer deaths in the region. Deaths from cancer are expected to almost double by 2030 due to aging populations. Yet global funding for cancer prevention and treatment in lower-income countries is far lower than other diseases including HIV, malaria and tuberculosis, amounting to less than 2% of global health spending.
NEWSWATCH: 'SABC8' journalist Suna Venter's passing on Thursday morning was caused by cardiomyopathy, also known as broken heart' syndrome, a condition brought on by trauma and prolonged periods of unnatural stress.

She was one of eight journalists wrongfully suspended by the SABC for challenging its unlawful interference and illegal editorial policies, and those closest to her believe that her condition was exacerbated, if not caused, by the events of the past year.

Venter was assaulted on three separate occasions. She was "the victim of continued intimidation victimisation and death threats" her family said in a statement (embedded below). Over the course of the past year, she received various threatening SMS messages. Her flat was broken into on numerous occasions, the brake cables of her car were cut and her cars tyres were slashed. She was shot at and abducted  tied to a tree at Melville Koppies while the grass around her was set alight.

The SABCs executive producer Foeta Krige said Venter was passionate about international news and current affairs, and Syria in particular. She cared so much about the situation in Syria that she took leave right after the war began to report for RSG from the frontlines said Krige. She remained passionate about the welfare of the children she encountered on these assignments up until her death.

Her mission was to establish an independent newsroom, free from editorial interference within the embattled public broadcaster, reported BusinessLive.

On receiving medical advice to leave her stressful working environment, she apparently replied that she "cannot go before the battle is won".

Statement from the Venter family following the death of #SunaVenter who was part of the #SABC8. pic.twitter.com/vFHtdQ1pCr  Michael Appel (@TheMikeAppel) June 29, 2017

For more:
#NEWSWATCH: Beauty products giant L'Oreal has signed a contract to sell The Body Shop to Brazilian cosmetics maker Natura Cosmeticos for a reported 1 billion.

Hermin Utomo via 123RF

The Body Shop was founded in 1976 by entrepreneur Anita Roddick and bought by L'Oreal in 2006 for approximately 940 million at the height of its success. While the British high street brand remains one of the world's biggest cosmetics chains with 3,000 stores in 66 countries, it has faced an influx of competition from brands with a similar ethos, which centres around natural and sustainably-sourced materials and ethical production processes.

In comparison to LOreals other brands, The Body Shop has been an underperformer. According to Times Live, its sales fell 4.8% last year and its profit margin dropped to 3.7%.

Founded in Sao Paulo in 1969 by Luiz Seabra, Natura is Brazil's top business in cosmetics, perfumes and toiletries and sells products in seven Latin American countries as well as in France.

The acquisition forms part of the groups plans to grow internationally. According to the Brazilian company, combined with The Body Shop, Natura would have annual sales of 11.5 billion real (3.1 billion), 3,200 retail outlets and 17,000 employees.

The acquisition of The Body Shop is a decisive step in making Natura Group an international player in the cosmetics industry, following in the footsteps of our previous acquisition of Aesop in 2013, said Joao Paulo Ferreira, Naturas chief executive.

In a sense, Natura and The Body Shop are like twins. We have been walking parallel paths in the past, and today, those paths are converging. We both share a same vision of cosmetics, advocating the use of natural ingredients, seeking to use our business as a platform to raise environmental consciousness, he added.

L'Oreal said it has received the nod of approval from its works council but the proposed sale is subject to clearance by antitrust authorities notably in Brazil and in the United States, and expected to close during 2017.

For more:

LOreal sells The Body Shop to Natura Cosmeticos

Body Shop bought by Brazil's Natura

L'Oreal finalises sale of The Body Shop
Famous global franchises, like Starbucks Cafe Rouge , Paul and Las Iguanas , are coming to South Africa en masse and it is as good for our taste buds, as it is for local entrepreneurs seeking new business ventures during turbulent economic climes.

Panithan Fakseemuang via 123RF

With franchising accounting for 30,000 businesses in South Africa and comprising over 10% of the GDP, this business model could hold the key to improved future employment and economic growth scenarios.

Jannie Rossouw, head of Sanlams Business Market  the main sponsor of the Franchise Association of South Africas (FASA) Awards of Excellence  says, There has never been a better time for the proven blueprint concept of franchising to provide new business ventures with a greater chance of success, with South Africa officially in recession and with unemployment at a 14-year high of 27%. Studies show that franchises have an 80% chance of survival versus the 20-30% attributed to other independent business models.

Multiple contributing factors can make a franchise more likely to succeed than startup entrepreneurship options. For one thing, franchisees are provided with an operating manual, giving them a recipe for success, and this is complemented by rigorous training and access to experienced resources for support.

Success factors

These are some of the factors that set franchisees up to succeed during tough economic times; making franchises a positive prospect for individuals seeking new business opportunities.

A well-established operating model: The operations manual provides a proven how to guide that outlines a standard code of conduct and fixed procedures to follow. This sets a business up to succeed, meaning it does not have to start from scratch.

Training and support: Franchisees pay for training as part of the franchise fee. This training, coupled with the operating manual, means less experienced, first-time business owners have an increased chance of success.

Buying in bulk: The bulk purchase ability a franchise model provides means established national deals with suppliers and high volumes of purchase that equate to better prices and approved payment terms.

Marketing expertise: When multiple businesses are shouldering the same cost, there is an inevitable decrease in costs for all parties involved. This makes it easier for franchises to retain a marketing budget in turbulent financial times. A brands visibility is especially important during a recession. People will spend the little money they have available on brands that are top of mind. This is where franchisees have an added advantage, given that the franchise is often already a well-established household name. The brand has already proven itself to deliver on consumer promise.

Built-in support network: Being part of a franchise gives a franchisee access to a ready pool of support, with fellow franchisees that have faced and resolved similar challenges.

Potential pitfalls

People are increasingly being retrenched, as companies downsize and job opportunities become scarce. Franchises provide viable self-employment opportunities with a blue print that gives individuals a strong arsenal of tools and skills. However, Rossouw warns of the realities and potential pitfalls.

If you are applying for a loan to finance a franchise, you might be required to put down a percentage of the purchase price, which can be a substantial sum and potential barrier to entry. Additionally, each franchisee needs to work to boost the reputation of the collective group, as one poorly operated franchise can bring the others into disrepute.

"Although there is a formula that must be adhered to, there is still the need for continued innovation to push the business to the next level. Franchisees also need to ensure their asset insurance and financial planning relating to their business and personal needs are adequate for their requirements. It is wise to speak to a financial planner to look at the business finances holistically, concludes Rossouw.

With business success as an imperative for real economic growth, franchises may help unlock the governments goal to create jobs  something that may seem insurmountable in South Africas current climate.
Christo Wiese, Shoprite's chairman and its largest shareholder, seems flabbergasted by the outcry over the retail giant's imminent R1.83bn payment to former CEO Whitey Basson in line with a buyback deal struck in December 2003.

Christo Wiese. Image credit: Financial Mail

"There appears to be this general misconception that this is something that was gifted to Basson," he says. "These were his shares. If he had sold them through the market at any time during these 11 years, who would have raised anything about it?

"There's no prejudice to Shoprite.

"I've looked at some of the commentators saying that Whitey Basson is now R1.8bn richer. In other words, in that person's logic, the shares were worth nothing the day before Whitey put them. It kind of escapes my understanding."

What has baffled investors, however, is the lack of disclosure in Shoprite's accounts of the existence of such a "service contract" between the company and Basson, news of which came as a surprise to most when Shoprite notified the market of the buyback of 8.7m shares last month. The buyback is subject to a shareholder vote and Wiese confirmed to the Financial Mail that a circular will be issued in the next two weeks, with an extraordinary general meeting to be scheduled towards the end of August.

There's no shortage of detail on Basson's share ownership in Shoprite's annual reports. But in 2002, 10m shares reflect as options exercisable before September 2007.

Then, in the 2003 annual report, Shoprite says "a share option of 10m shares which existed in favour of JW Basson has been cancelled and substituted by a profit-related bonus arrangement on comparable terms effective July 1 2002 until June 30 2006."

Fast forward to the 2004 annual report, the year in which the agreement to buy Basson's shares was struck. A 10m "share appreciation" once again reflects under Whitey Basson's name, at a strike price of R8.

In that document, "the share appreciation rights entitle these directors to receive cash payments based on the difference between the share price at the date of the exercise of the rights and the strike price which relate to the share price at the date of the grant. In the case of Basson, the payments will be reduced by the accumulated performance bonuses paid to him since the date of the grant."

There is no mention of the December 2003 agreement under which Basson was entitled to sell shares he owned - directly or indirectly - back to Shoprite at the "middle market price" on the day of exercising the sale.

Wiese, who serves on Shoprite's remuneration committee, says the "unanimous" advice that Shoprite received from its experts at the time was that there was "no need" to disclose the agreement as a liability. "I asked for an opinion on it when this whole furore erupted, and they said it wasn't necessary then and it wasn't necessary subsequently," says Wiese.

According to Bernard Agulhas, CEO of the Independent Regulatory Board for Auditors, "this type of instrument appears to have features of a liability. This is because it appears that the company could not avoid repayment and the option was that of the shareholder (not the company)." But, he says, "I imagine the auditors would have included such an instrument in their scope."

Agulhas is wary of giving a view on whether Shoprite's advice in its accounting was appropriate. But stockbroking veteran and accountant David Shapiro is highly critical of Shoprite's lack of disclosure.

"In my view it's material in the sense that Shoprite has to buy back their shares. That would force the company into a major cash layout, and as an analyst I would have liked to know that," says Shapiro. He's also critical of companies' practice of burying important information in the notes at the end of an annual report. "You need persistence to actually be interested in ploughing through 75 pages of accounting jargon," he says.

"They shouldn't do that. That's a yellow-card incident. In my view it's slightly devious. These are things we should know."

Wiese acknowledges that Shoprite could have been clearer in the way it has communicated the share buyback to the market, but appears mystified by the consternation over the amount for which Shoprite is now in hock. It's not as if Shoprite - if shareholders approve it - is paying out something for which it gets nothing in return."

But it is going to cost the company. Shoprite plans to use existing bank facilities to buy back the stock, which will lump it with an extra interest charge of R144m/year.

Still, as far as Wiese is concerned, Basson has earned every last penny. In the 2004 financial year ended June, Shoprite made sales of just over R27bn and produced a pretax profit of almost R813m. Twelve years later, for the year ended June 2016, revenue had grown to R130bn and pretax profit came to R6.8bn.

At the time the share agreement was reached in December 2003, Shoprite shares were trading at just over R9 and Basson's strike price was set at R8/share.

That means that if he'd chosen to sell his 10m shares then, he would have walked away with R13.5m before tax. A tidy sum, but hardly worth headlines. And given that Shoprite stock had struggled to climb above R10 since 1998, the prospect that the shares would one day trade north of R200 must have seemed unimaginably distant.

But in September 2004, Shoprite stock broke convincingly above the R10 mark and it's been off to the races since. The "middle market price" of May 2 that Shoprite will pay Basson was R211, now worth R1.83bn. That implies a gain of 2,156% in Shoprite's share price, excluding dividends, since the deal was struck.

Asked whether investors will vote in favour of the buyback, Wiese says "having regard to the fact that it was a service contract and an arrangement entered into between a very valuable employee and an employer that he had served very well, for 37 years, why would shareholders not approve it?

"Look at the numbers a business like Shoprite is involved in and then tell me whether it is a big number."

Source: Financial Mail
Since 2015, the number of hungry people in the world has increased. FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva stressed that almost 60% of the people suffering from hunger in the world live in countries affected by conflict and climate change. He was speaking at the recent opening of the FAO's biennial conference.

FAO director-general Jose Graziano da Silva greets Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni of Italy.  FAO / Guiseppe Carotenuto

The FAO currently identifies 19 countries in a protracted crisis situation, often also facing extreme climatic events such as droughts and floods. It has signalled high risk of famine in northeast Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen with 20-million people severely affected.

The livelihoods of these mostly rural people have been disrupted and "many of them have found no option other than increasing the statistics of distress migration", Graziano da Silva said.

Translating pledges into action

"Strong political commitment to eradicate hunger is fundamental, but it is not enough," he said. "Hunger will only be defeated if countries translate their pledges into action, especially at national and local levels."

"Peace is of course the key to ending these crises, but we cannot wait for peace to take action," and FAO, the World Food Program and the International Fund for Agricultural Development are all working hard to assist vulnerable people, he said. "It is extremely important to ensure that these people have the conditions to continue producing their own food. Vulnerable rural people cannot be left behind, especially youth and women."

Some 1,100 participants will attend the FAO Conference from 3-8 July, including one head of state, one prime minister, 82 ministers and numerous representatives from international organisations, the private sector and civil society.

FAO's top priorities for the next two years include promoting sustainable agriculture, climate change mitigation and adaptation, poverty reduction, water scarcity, migration and the support of conflict-affected rural livelihoods as well as ongoing work on nutrition, fisheries, forestry and antimicrobial resistance.

Broad support and need for action

The prospect of the worst food crisis since the Second World War - affecting northeastern Nigerian, Somalia, South Sudan and Yemen - means "we mustn't be resigned but make renewed and extraordinary efforts," said Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni delivering the keynote speech.

He described the UN's Zero Hunger objective as a way to achieve peace, justice and equality and preserve the world for the future.

Gentiloni appealed to all of Europe to share Italy's burden of large-scale arrivals in his country, in order to be "faithful to its own history, principles and civilisation". But development efforts must go beyond responding to emergencies, he said.

"We cannot save people by putting them in camps," insisted Graizano da Silva. "To save lives, we have to save their livelihoods."

Pope Francis expressed strong support for FAO's agenda, emphasising the need for solidarity and recognition of human rights. "We are all conscious that the intention to assure all their daily bread is not enough - it is imperative that we recognise that everyone has the right to food," the pontiff said in remarks delivered by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state.

Role of agriculture

Achim Steiner, who headed the United Nations Environment Programme for a decade until 2016 and is currently administrator of the United Nations Development Programme, gave the McDougall Memorial Lecture honouring the Australian economist who was an effective advocate for FAO's creation.

Agriculture may account for only 4% or global gross domestic product but its real role is far greater and spans "extraordinary narratives" about people, land and their cultures, Steiner said in a lecture focused on the future agricultural economy in the wake of the Paris Agreement on climate change. Inadequate policy and budgetary attention to a sector currently affected by high levels of waste and the erosion of natural resources, reflects a "high-risk strategy", he said.
So. who will capture the massive African unbanked market with fintech? Will it be the banks? The mobile operators or fintech companies themselves? Will maverick players like the messenger platforms come out of nowhere to snatch the unbanked market from under everyone else's noses? Or will some of the players connect the dots and form smart partnerships among themselves?

Adding to the excitement and uncertainty swirling around fintech across Africa is how countries regulators - especially central banks, competition authorities and communications sector regulators - will respond.

Speakers and panellists represented a cross-section of fintech stakeholders at The Fintech in Africa: Unpacking Risk and Regulation conference. The upshot of the day was that fintech - from mobile payment services to cryptocurrencies, crowdfunding and blockchain technology - has exploded onto the financial services scene in Africa, bringing opportunities and challenges that no one could have predicted. Much work needs to be done to ensure that the opportunities this brings are not overshadowed by the challenges.

Whos going to get there first?

In Africa, the only way to serve the massive unbanked population is digitally. The question is: Who is going to get there first? Who is going to own this space? said Danai Musandu, an investment associate at Goodwell Investments in South Africa.

She said Goodwells research has identified five types of players with the potential to capitalise on Africas unbanked populations: fintechs, the banks, telecommunications companies, messenger platforms and online retail companies.

Each of these players have their own strengths that could smooth their way into the wallets of the unbanked, and weaknesses that could hold them back, says Musandu.

The banks have a lot of balance sheets and know-how. Telecoms companies have the data and know exactly what you are doing but they dont know how to do financial services. Then there are the fintechs; they have the technology but they dont have the cash to serve mass unbanked populations, she says.

Another really important player is the messenger platforms like WhatsApp. Can you imagine if they decided to switch on financial services? she said, adding that some of these platforms already had the knowledge and capital to do so. Online retail companies like Ali Baba should also not be overlooked.

But it seems unlikely that any of these players could succeed in grabbing the unbanked market all on their own. Dealing with mass populations and the unbanked in developing countries is a very tricky business, says Musandu. Its all going to be about leveraging smart partnerships, such as fintechs partnering with banks or with telecoms.

Regulators grapple with the unknown

In Kenya, M-Pesa holds more money than the entire banking system. But if the Central Bank of Kenya had required the regulation of M-Pesa before it was launched, we would probably not have what we have today, said Kamami Christine Michira, partner at Bowmans in Kenya.

She was describing the rise and rise of M-Pesa, Kenyas mobile money system, which has become so pervasive in the economy that the government recently used it to raise debt. It is not only a money transfer but also a payment system, and its applications are becoming increasingly sophisticated.

M-Pesas success in Kenya was born out of a felt need, and that is probably the best way to get things moving, Michira said. She recalled how city workers wanting to send money home to their families in rural areas used to rely on hit-and-miss methods such as giving envelopes of cash to bus drivers, and holding thumbs that the money would actually reach their loved ones.

While the Kenyan regulatory framework is relatively well equipped to deal with the traditional financial services sector, it is much less comfortable with the dynamics of fintech.

The regulation of mobile money is only being implemented and largely follows the market practice. It is a steep learning curve for the regulators, she said, referring to the plethora of challenges that Fintech is bringing to the fore for regulators. Among them are concerns about data privacy, consumer protection and competition issues.

Technology has made the services not only pervasive but almost real time so much faster that everybody is still catching up - and the regulators are probably feeling it more so than the rest because traditional methods of regulating are being rendered irrelevant.

One of the biggest challenges facing regulators, she said, is how to become as real time as the markets - a shift that could compel them to revisit their skills bases.

Financial services have traditionally been about the economy but fintech has brought technology into the centre and regulators will have to look at the way they are staffed. Bureaucracy will be another huge challenge, Michira said, explaining that it would be important to break down traditional regulatory silos and encourage partnerships, such as between central banks and communications authorities.

Change around the world

Several speakers offered an international perspective on fintech, making it clear that African regulators are not alone in grappling with the challenges that fintech presents.

Big players (in financial services) are used to regulation. Start-ups are much less used to it and can be reluctant to actively engage with regulators, says Cyrus Pocha, a senior associate at London law firm, Freshfields. The prevailing thinking among many start-up fintech companies appeared to be that if they kept their heads down, they might not be noticed.

The influx of these new players and their new ways of doing business is forcing regulators everywhere to change their way of regulating, he said. Regulators in the United Kingdom, United States, Australia and Asia are making it clear they are in listening mode to understand how to facilitate fintechs for financial inclusiveness and to understand where the risks are - for consumers and also for the players.

Barry Cooper, technical director of the Cape Town-based Centre for Financial Regulation and Inclusion (Cenfri), warned against attempting to force nimble fintech companies into the archaic systems used to regulate banks and other traditional financial services providers.

Its like trying to adapt a jet to a steam train station, Cooper said, pointing out that financial services regulation was typically geared for protecting economies from fiscal shock rather than taking financial services to the masses. No wonder there are isolated pockets of inclusion and broader pockets of exclusion.

Then along came fintech. Its a gift for financial services and particularly for financial services regulators because a lot of people are intent on making financial services more efficient and accessible. A heavy regulatory burden can stifle them, he said, pointing to the regulatory barriers that had hampered the development of mobile money in South Africa and Mozambique.

Echoing these sentiments, Kirsten Kern, Partner in Bowmans banking and financial services regulatory practice, noted that while the protection of consumers is always going to be important to regulators, onerous regulation can inadvertently serve to shut the most vulnerable out of the market.

Not all fintechs are start-ups

Another factor to take into account is that not all fintech companies are fledgling businesses, says David Geral, head of banking and financial services regulatory at Bowmans.

When we talk fintech, we often imagine start-ups but at the same time, a lot of those who are venturing into this space are established financial services providers or insurers who are looking to launch either existing products or adaptations of existing products - in a different way and to a new market. Or they may be looking to themselves leap frog by launching innovative products or investing into licence-holders in other jurisdictions.

Geral says a regulatory balance is needed as far as fintech is concerned. The focus is often on the extent to which the regulatory environment supports fintech start-ups and venture capitalists, yet focus should also be on the extent to which existing banking and financial regulations restrict the ability of large, established financial institutions to innovate despite having the capital and human resources to do so.
Some of the world's most widely used pesticides can be harmful to bees, according to the first large-scale studies aimed at measuring the impact of compounds called neonicotinoids on bees' health. But the effects vary widely between different compounds and different countries, suggesting that more regional research will be needed to clarify the exact scale of the problem.

PollyDot via pixabay

Neonicotinoids, which are typically coated onto seeds before planting rather than being sprayed onto crop plants, were developed with the aim of harming only those animals that eat the plants. But they are also found in the pollen and nectar of treated plants, potentially affecting beneficial organisms like bees.

Two papers published today in the journal Science report that neonicotinoids have negative effects on honey bees and wild bees in realistic field experiments. But the results are mixed and far from conclusive.

The concern about neonicotinoids prompted the European Union to impose a temporary moratorium in 2013 on the use of three key pesticides. In contrast, New Zealands government has joined with Australia in not imposing a ban. I think our governments have made exactly the right decision at this time.

Study confirms negative effects

One of the studies, led by Nadejda Tsvetkov at York University, Canada, indicates that chronic exposure to neonicotinoids reduces honey bees health near Canadian corn fields.

This is consistent with many previous research findings showing that feeding on large amounts of neonicotinoids can be fatal to honey bee workers and queens.

For bees given a smaller dose, their foraging becomes less efficient. They undertake reduced hygienic behaviour in the hive and their immune system seems to be impaired. And their tolerance of other stressors bees experience in their environment, in this case a fungicide, is reduced.

The new Canadian study shows that field-realistic exposure to neonicotinoids can substantially reduce honey bees health.

Other results mixed

The other study, led by Ben Woodcock of Britains Natural Environment Research Council, describes research done on three different bee species in three different countries. It also attempted to use field-realistic exposure to neonicotinoids. Populations of honey bees, bumble bees, and a solitary bee were followed in the United Kingdom, Hungary, and Germany.

The team examined two neonicotinoid pesticides and found a fascinatingly mixed bag of results. Both pesticides resulted in significantly reduced numbers of honey bee eggs being produced in Hungary. But exposure to both pesticides in Germany resulted in significantly more eggs being produced. Neonicotinoids also seemed to result in higher numbers of workers surviving winter in Germany.

In Hungary, fewer worker bees survived winter after exposure to one pesticide, but not the other. Similarly, in the United Kingdom, there were mostly negative but some positive effects of exposure to the different neonicotinoid pesticides.

The take-home message is that different neonicotinoids can have different effects, which can be very specific to the country of use. After reading these results, if I were a grower in Germany, I might start to question the European Unions temporary moratorium.

Country-specific data needed

These studies highlight the need for data to allow countries like New Zealand and Australia to effectively manage the use of neonicotinoid pesticides. We need to know the effects of neonicotinoids in our specific environmental conditions and in the way we use them.

We also need to know what the effects would be if we took this group of pesticides away. Ive read reports that growers in the UK have had to revert to broad-spectrum pesticides that are considered worse for the environment and mean they cannot grow certain crops.

In 2013, the Australian government undertook a review of neonicotinoids and the health of honey bees. This concluded that the introduction of the neonicotinoids has led to an overall reduction in the risks to the agricultural environment from the application of insecticides.

The review found little scientific evidence to show that the current use of neonicotinoids in Australia causes widespread harm to honey bees. The review stated that the introduction of the neonicotinoid insecticides has brought a number of benefits, including that they are considerably less toxic to humans (and other mammals) than the organophosphorus and carbamate insecticides they have significantly replaced.

Bees are up against it

Honey bees in New Zealand have a plethora of known and scientifically demonstrated threats. These include invasive blood-sucking mites, and the deformed wing virus, which has been described as a key contributor to the collapse of bee colonies around the world.

New Zealands bees have bacterial pathogens like American foulbrood that results in beekeepers having to burn their bees and hives. Fungal diseases are widespread. We also have management issues with the higher-than-ever numbers of managed hives, which are often managed poorly and often overstocked. These are real and known issues affecting our honey bees now. We have data on these problems that can guide their management.

The new research will doubtless lead to calls from some quarters for Australia and New Zealand to ban neonicotinoid pesticides. I hope that the New Zealand and Australian governments act on studies like those published today, but I would be disappointed if that action was anything other than evidence- and science-based. Lets gather the data specifically for each country, and then make a decision on whether and how to use these pesticides.

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
Protecting employees, assets and property, during the chaos of strike action, requires specialist intervention from expert teams, lawfully providing protection and creating order.

In South Africa, strike action has become a metaphor for violent outbursts against all authority, as striking employees do not abide by the rules. With a single-minded focus to disrupt business and productivity, these employees can do irreparable damage if they are not contained.

According to Kyle Condon, MD at D & K Management Consultants, companies must have an efficient strike preparedness security plan in place. Unions are defined by how violent and intimidating their members are  in this country, that is often how they measure their success. Without an adequate, up to date strike contingency plan, companies become an easy target for intimidation and vandalism.

He believes that strike protection goes further than a standard security function, confirming that it requires the best in skill and mental competence.

Lack of regard for property

Last years #FeesMustFall action, the recent taxi strikes, violence against Uber drivers and a general lack of regard for property (public or private) illustrate the need for protection. The Intelligence Bureau of South Africa reported on the protest action occurring on 26 June 2017, stating Benoni protest disrupts Actonville and Benoni CBD, protestors turn violent and damage everything in their path.

With the Metal and Engineering Industries Bargaining Council (MEIBC) strike expected to begin in July this year, businesses will be left vulnerable if protection strategies have not been implemented.

A lack of planning and preparedness, coupled with the misinformed belief that the police will stop any criminal action, has exposed unprepared businesses to massive losses, confirms Jacki Condon, md of Apache Security Services. Active violence and active intimidation are definitely scenarios that must be prepared because it is too late when a mob has already formed in front of your business.

Three elements in strike protection

There are three elements to strike protection, each carrying significant weight in ensuring that the business, its staff and its assets are protected. A tailor-made pre-strike planning guide should be developed, considering the specific business risks, evaluating the companys readiness for strike action, and providing solutions to secure the premises and the people that work on it.

The second element is the deployment of skilled strike protection teams, in the event of a strike or protest. These teams guard South African businesses during labour unrest, providing real protection against vandalism, physical assault, property invasion and intimidation. The teams should be equipped with crowd control skills, displaying expertise in lawfully dealing with hostile and violent protestors, adds Kyle.

The third and final element is a post-strike report, which provides documented evidence obtained during the strike. Specialist hostile video recording operatives, for example, provide hard video evidence against those that break the law, says Jacki. This ensures that those striking will be held accountable, should they engage in any act deemed as illegal or criminal. With access to direct intelligence from inside the striking group, via deployed infiltration agents, this information assists businesses to run disciplinary hearings, or drive criminal proceedings, while providing valuable insights to apply to future strategies.

According to Kyle, a sound strike plan should call for the creation of a Strike Task Committee. The physical weaknesses in the perimeter should be identified and solutions provided, and contact must be made with local SAPS and emergency services.

Safe zones should be identified, picketing zones demarcated to the business advantage (taking the legal framework into consideration), and continuity plans put in place. Strike protection units must be on call, and clearly defined engagement rules and methods should be laid out.

Jacki adds that VIP protection should be considered for priority staff that may become the target of intimidation, and vehicle or truck escorts should be employed. The plan should also define the scope of the existing security contractors during the strike, determine when and how video evidence will be captured, and state the arrival times of contract staff, to ensure their safety. To ensure the safety of non-striking staff, alternative operating hours could be considered, and staff should be made aware of the laws of self-defence and the liability of personal firearms during the strikes.

The three overarching goals of strike protection are to save lives, protect property and safeguard the business reputation.

The question is, Does your company have an efficient strike preparedness security plan? concludes Kyle. For more information, go to or http://apachesecurity.co.za.
From 1 October 2017, changes to the legal framework and regulation of business rescue, particularly to registration of practitioners, will take effect. This will ensure that the appointment process and quality of business rescue practitioners is competent and efficient.

Business rescue, which was introduced in South Africa as an alternative to insolvency, came into effect via Chapter 6 of the Companies Act in 2011. Although relatively successful, business rescue has received criticism resulting from flaws in the process.

Currently, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) has granted business rescue practitioners an individual licence. The CIPC has issued a Notice of a Transitional Period of Conditional Licences: from 1 October 2017, practitioners will be required to register through their various professional bodies, eg The Law Society of South Africa, South African Restructuring and Insolvency Practitioners Association (SARIPA), Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA), South African Institute of Chartered Accountants (SAICA), etc.

New legislation will require attorneys, accountants, liquidators and business management professionals who seek to practise as business rescue professionals to register via their SAQA-approved governing bodies. Moreover, these professional bodies will be required to apply for accreditation via CIPC, setting out that they comply with professional rules and disciplines in order to be able to accredit their own members.

Practitioners, as well as aspiring practitioners, are advised to belong to a legal, accounting or business management profession recognised by the South African Qualifications Authority (SAQA). Professional bodies have until 1 October to comply, after which no person will be licensed as a business rescue practitioner unless he/she belongs to the registered and accredited profession.

PJ Veldhuizen, CEO of Gillan and Veldhuizen, who is completing a doctorate on regulation of business rescue, has been instrumental in the restructure and regulation of business rescue in South Africa. According to Veldhuizen, in order to mitigate arbitrage or applicants opting for a less stringent accreditation process, standardisation of compliance is paramount. The CIPC board is finalising a Continued Professional Development programme that will require practitioners to complete a prescribed number of verifiable hours training by accredited trainers annually.

In support of the recent notice, Veldhuizen stresses, The responsibility of business rescue practitioners is onerous. When appointed, they effectively take over the running of a stressed company and step into the shoes of the CEO/board of directors. They are also Officers of the Court and therefore have the fiduciary duty of a director  this certainly requires oversight.

Veldhuizen also highlights the requirement that a company under business rescue needs to have a port of call in order to hold business rescue practitioners accountable. Until now disgruntled parties were forced to turn to the courts for assistance, which can be a lengthy and expensive process. Business rescue practitioners will now be bound by a professional disciplinary code that will include a sanction to act on unethical conduct or inappropriate behaviour.
The Amended Property Sector Code, which was gazetted for public commentary towards the end of 2015, is now legally binding to entities and organisations operating in the property sector, says Trade and Industry Minister Rob Davies.

 Gino Santa Maria  123RF.com

The Amended Property Sector Code is applicable to commercial activities in the residential and commercial industries of the property sector, as well as the value chain which include property development, property services, property and facility management, broking, valuation, estate agents and other professional services.

In a statement on Monday, the Department of Trade and Industry said the Minister has approved the gazette of the Amended Property Sector Code in terms of Section 9 (1) of the Broad Based Black Economic Empowerment Act 53 of 2003 as amended by Act 46 of 2013.

Recent reviews estimate that the South African property sector market size is at about R5.8 trillion. The sector is made up of four industries namely: Commercial; Residential; Public Sector; and Zoned land.

Minister Davies said even though the main focus of the Amended Property Sector Code is not on land reformation in South Africa, it should contribute towards reversing the legacy of the Native Land Act, 27 of 1913, and subsequent discriminatory policy and legislation which denied black people access to productive land and property.

Minister Davies said it should also contribute towards development and investment in the marginalised areas of the country.

South Africas estate agency market is estimated to have 38,000 estate agents of which only 13% are black. This is one of the challenges the amended sector code seeks to address.

To achieve this, the Amended Property Sector Code has introduced a measurement indicator called Economic Development which aims to stimulate property development in under-resourced and marginalised areas, while in the process addressing inequalities and creating wealth amongst the previously disadvantaged groups. The set target is 10% of all annual investment for development or redevelopment, said Minister Davies.

To accelerate an increase in ownership of black people in the sector, the Amended Property Sector Code has set a black ownership target of 27% for property owning companies.

This is higher than the 25% black ownership target of the Generic Codes. In addition, and in recognition of the fact that there is a need to make capital available in the sector to enable black owned companies to develop and acquire properties, the Amended sector code has set a target for established companies to financially support those that are at least 51% black owned.

The value of the finance to be made available is up to 2% of the total development/redevelopment spent, added Minister Davies.

The Amended Property Sector Code which became effective on 28 June 2017 can be accessed on www.thedti.gov.za/gazzettes/40910.pdf and on www.thedti.gov.za/gazzettes/40941.pdf.
At first glance, the question seems to be simple to answer - of course, property is an asset. However, there is more to it than initially meets the eye.

When looking at a primary residence, the home being an asset will be determined by whether the value of the property is appreciating or depreciating. There are several factors that will have an influence on the propertys value such as the market, growth in the area and the demand for property in the area. Regarding a second or investment property, whether or not it is an asset will be based on whether it is generating a profit from the income it receives.

While some people may perceive higher end homes as assets, it is less about price and more about growth in value. Regardless of what end of the scale the home is on, if the value of the home is showing growth, it is an asset.

Do your research

So how can property buyers ensure that they are purchasing an asset and not an expense? Buyers need to do their research and make the right decision upfront. When selecting a property, there are some aspects that need to be taken into consideration, such as location, which is a key element in the homes potential for growth in value. Buyers also need to look at the price of homes in the area and how they have grown over the last few years, as well as any future development plans that may be happening in the area that could have an impact on the propertys value.

A great way to assess an areas potential for future appreciation is by looking at the past and the history of the area. By looking back, it is possible to some degree to look ahead. Unless there are big changes happening in the area, it is a fairly safe bet to gauge the future appreciation potential of an area based on its past performance.

Influences on property value

Upgrades to infrastructure or the development of new amenities will positively impact the appreciation potential of the homes in an area. While it depends on the facility, the introduction of a mall can boost property values in an area as it offers convenience to the residents. However, the shopping mall will only add value to an area if it is a well-run establishment that attracts the right kind of foot traffic. That said, I would say schools have a greater influence on property values than shopping malls. Many potential buyers look for a property with education in mind, whether they currently have children or not. Again, how the school impacts on the area is based on the school and its reputation. A good school that offers an exceptional education will increase demand for property surrounding it, which will push property prices up.

The success of a property investment is based on the decisions made at the start of the purchasing process  not when the property is sold. To purchase an asset that grows in value over time, buyers need to do their homework and an make informed decision before they put pen to paper.
The establishment of the new Kia-KOICA Green Light Auto Mechanic Training Centre in Ethiopia enables trainee mechanics to work towards a range of vocational qualifications while providing a short-term training programme for drivers.

The centre employs residents from the local community and plans to take on around 60 young trainees each year. In addition to raising employment levels, the Green Light Project-backed facility increases the number of vehicle mechanics in the region.

The company plans to develop the site by supporting the establishment of an adjacent local repair shop, creating further jobs and opportunities in Lideta and Dandora. Ultimately, KIA and KOICA intend for the site to become a self-sufficient business.

The training centre is located in the Lideta area of Ethiopias capital, Addis Ababa. Supported by about $1.8 million investment by KIA Motors and the Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA), the centre is jointly operated by World Vision. World Vision is a relief, development and advocacy non-governmental organisation dedicated to working with 100 million people in countries around the world.

Green Light Project centres such as these seek to reduce local unemployment and give disadvantaged communities the chance to establish and run their own businesses. An auto mechanic training centre will provide locals here in Addis Ababa with a valuable service, particularly in a region where so many people rely on their vehicles in order to thrive.
I remember the days when we hoteliers had the luxury of daydreaming of ways to delight our guests, conjuring up new ideas, even improving things that seemed to be working. Worrying about spoiling, delighting and pampering our guests was the central concern of every decision we made. Ahhh, the luxury....

Daria Minaeva via 123RF

Nowadays it seems that our general managers and management teams are spending their hotel management moments worrying about cash flow, stressing over budgets, agonizing over revenue: in short, money.

Two kinds of hotels

There seem to be two kinds of hotels in South Africa: those that offer owners Return on Ego (ROE) and those that offer Return on Investment (ROI). There are a fortunate few hotels, probably more than we are aware of, who owns the ego luxury, offering the most extraordinary services and enchantments to delight their guests. These hotels are up there with the best. If I am honest, I find myself jealous, a touch green with envy, at endless budgets and unrestricted expenditures, the ability to import or head-hunt the best management and staff for showcasing their superb offerings. But surely, if they dont also offer a Return on Investment, we must question how long (if ever) the hotel would take to show profitability.

As for the rest of us, striving for Return on Investment can be an uphill battle. Some hotels find it easier than others to create an ROI, but others, and even a few in the BON stable find it challenging to create healthy financials and strong cash flows. This is rarely due to bad operators or poor management. Rather, these properties are usually plagued with legacy issues. These types of hotels require immense effort: strong financial management skills, cash flow analysed daily, every single cent accounted for, strict supplier management and expenditure hoops, cherry picking of expenses, the requesting of three quotes for basic supplies, in other words, there are no luxuries.

The general managers fighting the battles to regain Returns on Investment can only be described as Trojans, warriors of the hotel industry, far removed from those bantering about luxuries and guest surprises.

ROI-challenged hotels

A typical working day for these ROI-challenged hotels is spent doing things outside of delighting guests, which is fundamentally unfortunate. These Trojans are facing all sorts of pressures in this sordid cycle: if you cannot spend your energies on ways of delighting your guests, then the guests are unlikely to return. But to delight guests, there must first be profit.

While it is unrealistic and irresponsible to think that any business - a hotel, in particular - is not going to be affected by cash flow strains from time to time, it is equally unrealistic, and moreover unfair, to have cash flow hanging like the Sword of Damocles over the hotel. The ability of the general manager, supported by a head office and sales team, to trade out of these conditions is paramount.

Contrarily, what does a day look like for those hotels whose cash flow is inconsequential to the daily operations? Rocco Forte, famous for The Savoy Hotel and The Forte Group, held a daily morning meeting with his staff, boardroom style. He insisted that one seat at the boardroom table was reserved for the guest, always at the head: a guest-centric approach that surely hoteliers strive for. What a luxury to sit at a boardroom table without a rush to discuss the best style of turndown, the best chocolate to place on a pillow, the best coffee, how to reward guests, how to improve the flow of the breakfast buffet. These are the things hoteliers dream of focussing on.

While every business needs to be profitable, there is such a thing as a happy balance between profits and classy standards. In fact, you cannot achieve profits without having the right standards in place, even delightful ones.

The one will look after the other.
Sheraton Hotels & Resorts, part of Marriott International, Inc., has announced the highly anticipated reopening of the iconic Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino which has been a city landmark for more than four decades.

Source: Marriott International. Sheraton Cairo was the first Sheraton hotel in Africa and has been a local icon since its opening in 1971

The hotel emerges after extensive renovation to reveal a distinct and vibrant aesthetic with modern interiors, refreshed public spaces and innovative and revitalised dining concepts. Perched on the West Bank of the River Nile, it enjoys a prime location, in the heart of the city, just steps away from the Egyptian Museum, Cairo Opera House and the iconic 70 story Cairo Tower. With signature brand experiences and the warmth of the familiar hallmark Sheraton service that goes above and beyond to make every guest experience meaningful, the hotel is poised to quickly regain its glory of yesteryears.

Sheraton Cairo was our first Sheraton hotel in Africa and has been a local icon since its opening in 1971, said Alex Kyriakidis, president and managing director, Middle East and Africa, Marriott International. The reopening of this hotel is a milestone in our journey as it not only showcases our transformation efforts around the Sheraton brand but also reinstates our commitment to Egypt as a strategic growth market.

A harmonious blend of modern design, warmth and comfort

The hotels 326 fully renovated rooms and suites feature a harmonious blend of modern design with a warm palette offering unmatched comfort and the Sheraton Signature Sleep Experience. Sheraton Club rooms offer exclusive access to the Sheraton Club Lounge, a private space located on the 26th floor providing spectacular views of the city where guests can enjoy complimentary breakfast, drinks, and snacks during the day. Leisure facilities include an extensive fitness center with cutting-edge equipment available 24 hours a day for in-house guests, a luxurious pool, and a fully equipped wellness center.

Culinary voyage

Six distinctive restaurants and bars create an enriching culinary voyage and offer authentic and unique experiences. El Mawardia Depuis 1985, a social institution on the west side of the Nile for over 30 years, a place to see and be seen, is back in a new avatar showcasing local cuisine paired with international favorites complemented by a thoughtfully cultivated assortment of coffees, teas, beverages as well as unique shisha flavors.

Gianninis, the first New York Italian style restaurant in Egypt, explores the joy of communal dining as the acclaimed chef prepares special dishes that will surely electrify the most refined taste buds.

Inspired by mystical voyages and the many magical lands and travels that have found their place in Egyptian heritage, Rawi features undiscovered pairings of local ingredients and regional Arabic cuisine that lend their unique flavor and distinct identity to the menu at breakfast, lunch and dinner.

Guests can look forward to starting the day with fresh coffee, pastries and savories served at the Bridge Cafe located in the hotels upper lobby, before moving to the Pool Bar to enjoy the fun atmosphere and eclectic mix-and-match menu, followed by an evening of music and classic cocktails at Studio70.

Fully equiped for business

With more than 1,400sqm of dedicated and unparalleled meeting space, Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino features a lavishly appointed ballroom, 13 meeting rooms and a fully equipped business center, all with state-of-the-art facilities and seamless connectivity through high-speed Wi-Fi. The hotel provides both choice and flexibility together with thoughtful and personalised services making it an exclusive option for large-scale business meetings, social events, weddings or even smaller intimate gatherings.

For over 45 years, generations upon generations of visitors have marveled at the breathtaking sights surrounding the iconic Sheraton Cairo Hotel and experienced its warm and welcoming service," said Hans Joerg Kreitner, general manager, Sheraton Cairo Hotel & Casino. We are committed to going above and beyond to relive that promise as we begin a new journey that stems from this rich and cherished legacy.

Marriott International currently operates 18 hotels in Egypt across sven brands including JW Marriott, The Ritz Carlton, Le Meridien, Marriott Hotels, Renaissance, Sheraton, and Westin. It also has two additional hotels under advanced development including Mena House and The St. Regis Cairo.
NEWSWATCH: Following the global cyberattack that affected thousands of businesses last week, reports say it might not have been in an attempt to get money, and Ukraine says it's Russia that's behind it all.

 bluebay via 123RF

The attack broke out in the Ukraine on Tuesday, 27 June 2017 before spreading and affecting businesses worldwide.

According to a report on CNBC, Gavin O'Gorman, an investigator with U.S. antivirus firm Symantec, said in a blog post: "There may be a more nefarious motive behind the attack. Perhaps this attack was never intended to make money (but) rather to simply disrupt a large number of Ukrainian organisations."

A growing consensus among security researchers, armed with technical evidence, suggests the main purpose of the attack was to install new malware on computers at government and commercial organisations in Ukraine, says a report on Reuters. Rather than extortion, the goal may be to plant the seeds of future sabotage, experts said.

Ukrainian politicians were quick to blame Russia for the attack, but a Kremlin spokesman dismissed "unfounded blanket accusations".

For more:
Autonomous Urban Drive is prototype technology engineered in Britain as part of the 20m UK Autodrive research and development project.

It can enable a vehicle to operate autonomously through a city, obeying traffic lights as well as negotiating T-junctions and roundabouts. This research technology is a step closer to achieving level four autonomy in Jaguar Land Rovers future vehicles within the next decade.

Level four autonomous vehicles are capable of carrying out the entire driving task for specific environments such as towns and cities without any driver intervention. Using the Autonomous Urban Drive prototype technology, passengers can select a location and the Range Rover Sport research vehicle will decide the best route. It can navigate a complex urban environment which is being trialled at the HORIBA MIRA proving ground.

Says Tony Harper, director of engineering research, Jaguar Land Rover: Our Autonomous Urban Drive research is Jaguar Land Rovers next step in our development of both fully and semi-autonomous vehicle technologies. However, we arent looking at simply replacing the driver, and making cars driverless. Future technologies will give the driver more not less  they will assist and ultimately enhance the driving experience.

Jaguar Land Rover is working with Ford and Tata Motors European Technical Centre testing connected technologies that will allow cars to talk to each other, as well as to the roadside infrastructure such as traffic lights.

Levels of autonomy

Level 0 - No automation: There is no automation, the driver is in sole control of the vehicle.

Level 1 - Driver assistance: The driver has assistance for one function eg cruise control.

Level 2 - Partial automation: The driver has assistance for two functions eg speed and steering such as Traffic Jam Assist.

Level 3 - Conditional automation: The car undertakes normal driving functions autonomously in a specific environment but the driver may be required to retake control if the environment is too challenging.

Level 4 - High automation: The car can operate independently in specific environments such as urban environments or motorways, without any driver intervention.

Level 5 - Full automation: No human control of the vehicle is needed. The vehicle can complete a journey without any human intervention.
According to the Organisation for Undoing Tax Abuse (OUTA), almost three-quarters of e-toll income is heading out the country and into the pockets of the toll collection company. This is despite the fact that the system was justified as a way to pay for the new Gauteng highways and their maintenance.

So what were OUTAs findings and why do they have people so riled up?

Billions headed to Austrias ETC

Based on transport minister Joe Maswanganyi recent statements to Parliament, OUTA says that it calculated that the Austrian company collecting fees has received 74% of e-toll earnings.

This means that the company, ETC, has been paid R2.2bn of the R2.9bn collected since December 2013.

This is a clear indication of how irrational the scheme has become and what makes matters worse is the compliance levels continue to decline year on year. At an average of R55m per month paid to ETC, and with the current e-toll income levels at around R63m per month, virtually no money is going toward the e-toll bonds, OUTA said in a statement.

Fewer drivers are paying their e-toll accounts, meaning that income will decrease while the costs continue. Furthermore, Sanral  the very company highway and maintenance debts are owed to  is actually seeing very little of the toll income.

Sanral will still be owed around R9.2bn as of the end of March 2017. OUTA believes that Sanral will not be able to collect a meaningful portion of this debt, regardless of litigation outcomes going forward, the organisation said.

Continue reading the full article on Compare Guru.
BizTakeouts Marketing & Media News to go>>, Bizcommunity's popular audio and podcast offering since 2011, has a new home on the airwaves.

From July 2017, every Tuesday at 7.15pm, listeners can tune in or stream BizTakeouts Marketing & Media News to go>> via Mix 93.8 FM, hosted by media personality Hein Kaiser.

Says Kaiser, As the biggest and most influential advertising, marketing and media platform in Africa and South Africa, Bizcommunity was the obvious choice to deliver their top stories and company news takeouts to our listeners." The content mix will supplement the shows existing content and will consist of Bizcommunitys curated media, ad agency and brand news highlights of the week, industry events to diarise, jobs of the week and interviews with key industry personalities.

On 4 July Kaiser will be interviewing roving reporter Ann Nurock, fresh off the plane with her experiences and insights from this years Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity.

All shows will also be archived as podcasts in the BizTakeouts section and amplified via Bizcommunity.com and Mix 93.8 FMs social media platforms.

Listen in every Tuesday at 7.15pm via live audio streaming on http://www.mixfm.co.za/listenlive.php, via podcast on Bizcommunity, desktop or mobile - to go>>

Guests can apply to be interviewed live in their own offices in the Gauteng region or may call in via Skype from anywhere in Africa. To participate email moc.ytinummoczib@swengnitekram. To advertise or for sponsorship opportunities email moc.ytinummoczib@stuoekatzib.




With the initial goal of improving stakeholder relations in the communities surrounding their operations in KZN, Sappi Southern Africa sought community-minded individuals and recruited them for the Abashintshi Social Mobilisation Project, but the results of the programme have exceeded expectations and continue to make an even greater impact than ever expected.

Sappi launched the Abashintshi Social Mobilisation Project in 2015, with the goal to train and develop the skills of youth within the communities surrounding their plantations in southern KwaZulu-Natal, providing an opportunity for them to become actively involved in making meaningful change regarding issues within their communities. These individuals are known as the Abashintshi, meaning the changers in isiZulu.

Empowering the community

In 2014 Sappi contracted community development experts DevCom, who began with research involving 600 people in nine communities in southern KZN, to determine the factors involved in community mind-sets. Findings were that over 90% of the communities were unemployed, especially among residents aged between 18-25 years-old. Most people with jobs in the area were either employed by Sappi or were Sappi contractors.

The conclusion was that the unemployed were predominantly the youth within the communities who were ill-equipped to deal with the challenges they are faced or with the skills to lift themselves up out of these conditions. Those who were employed by Sappi or their contractors were also disillusioned by poverty and poor living conditions and circumstances, often directing their frustrations at Sappi and at society in general.

Sappi wanted a lasting intervention, and the Abashintshi programme was conceptualised. Essentially, this training programme calls on these youths to raise awareness around community assets and to utilise these better. The success of the programme has its foundation in ABCD (Asset Based Community Development) methodology, which maps the assets in each community to gain an understanding and appreciation of the assets that exist in these communities. These relate to natural, social, institutional, physical and individual assets. Using an ABCD approach teaches individuals to use what they already have, and to grow those assets to the benefit of the individuals, but also to the betterment of the community at large, rather than focussing on what they dont have and letting it stifle their progress in life.

Empowering the individual

DevCom initially recruited 18 unemployed youngsters and together they drew literal maps of their areas, logging the resources, from pumpkin patches to creches run by grandmothers. Then they got discussions going about how to utilise these resources and to ensure that as much of the money in the community, stayed there, from earnings to social grant money. Fast-forward two years and 88 unemployed youngsters across approx. 30 communities have become agents of social change.

The Abashintshi programme teaches youngsters valuable life skills as part of its curriculum, equipping them with information to enable them to make responsible life choices and instilling an appreciation for their own worth.

Empowering the elders

The Ifa Lethu aspect of the programme focusses on getting the youth to engage with the elders in the communities to get a better understanding of and appreciation for their heritage and culture. This has been seen as a most welcome element of the programme as it has ensured that the elders in the communities are similarly engaged and enthusiastic about the opportunities that are available, and do not feel isolated and overlooked. In addition, the ABCD way of thinking has given the communities a reason to engage with the traditional leaders on projects that need their permission, with Abashintshi working with the elders to implement strategies and changes within the communities. Overall, the approach allows for inclusion and community cohesion, as it respects social norms and structures, while simultaneously breaking ground with renewed thinking.

Empowering business

Besides the work these youngsters have done to enthuse the members of their communities, and bringing about social change and mobilisation, their own individual growth has meant that most of the Abashintshi have gone on to start their own businesses since they joined the programme.

The startUP&go business training facet of the programme offers useful entrepreneurship and leadership training, incorporating all the elements needed to manage a successful business. Some of the individuals are now operating promising micro businesses like selling second-hand clothing, running tuck shops or spazas, baking goods for sale to schools, or even operating a vibrant Non-Profit Organisation in one of the areas.

Throughout their training programmes, the individuals are encouraged to create school holiday programmes for learners, with the idea of passing on the baton to new, enthused youths who will hopefully emerge as leaders in their communities going forward, while keeping them occupied in healthy activities.

Continued growth

Since it launched in 2015 the project has grown and extended from KZN, which was the pilot project, into the North into Zululand and Mpumalanga.

Sappis Terry Stanger said his staff reported improved relations because of Abashintshi, We are ever-optimistic that through education and awareness the people in our communities will grow in the appreciation of their assets and prosper as a result of this initiative. Through development and engagement, communities will realise economic upliftment and the value of communication. We see the future as one where neighbours work together and support each other for the benefit of all.

To find out how you can get involved, or for more information, contact: moc.ippas@hcablawhcs.adlez

*Over the past two years, Sappi has already won four awards for the Abashintshi Social Mobilisation programme, namely two International IABC (International Association of Business Communicators) Golden Quills, one IABC African Gold Quill and one Gold PRISM award. These awards demonstrate that thoughtful innovation and the willingness to make a positive impact in communities is recognised by the professional communication industry internationally, as being excellent business practice.




BBC World News is focussing on Africa's hidden history in a special television broadcast, 'The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi'.

Zeinab Badaw

The first episode of The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi, aired on BBC World News (DStv 400) this past weekend. The series is all about telling African history (from the beginning of mankind to the modern-era) from an African perspective. The series was made in partnership with UNESCO.

In the brand new eight-part series, renowned BBC World News presenter, Zeinab Badawi, travels to the land of her birth to discover some of Africas most treasured history.

The continent of Africa has a long, complex history, and its people built civilizations which rivalled those which existed anywhere else in the world. However, much of the continents history is not widely known, and the little that is known often projects a distorted, partial picture.

Sudan-born Badawi travels to all four corners of Africa, interviewing historians, archaeologists, and citizens whose stories paint a vivid picture of their continent's past and how it informs their present lives.

Badawi said: "There is so much breadth and depth to Africas history, but little of it is told by Africans. Thats why this series is so important and so unique  it shapes perceptions of the continent and paints a picture that is very different to peoples preconceived ideas in todays world. After decades of turmoil and uncertainty, a new Africa is emerging. The old stereotypes are being challenged and a new, compelling narrative is being written. Its a privilege to present a programme that will provide solid coverage and analysis of Africa's challenges and prospects."

Mary Wilkinson, head of commissioning at BBC World News, said: The History of Africa with Zeinab Badawi will be a revelation to audiences around the world. Its an enormous, fascinating subject that deserves this sort of ambitious, in-depth treatment. Zeinabs passion and compelling storytelling makes this a series not to be missed.

For eight weeks, beginning on the 1st July, History of Africa will air on BBC World News, every Saturday at 02:10 & 15:10 GMT and every Sunday at 09:10 & 21:10 GMT.
Advertising Week, the world's largest annual gathering of marketing, media, and technology leaders, makes its long-anticipated debut in Africa on 14-19 February 2023, after the planned launch was delayed by the global pandemic.
Meeting place for hearings, workshops, discussions, training, workspace, events, presentations, demonstrations, brainstorming, strategic planning space based in Cape Town. Address - 11-on-Buiten, Buitensingel Street, Cape Town (in I-Fix building). Located near trendy Kloof and Long Street in the middle of Cape Town CBD.

Seats 18 comfortably around three round tables of six each.

Room configuration is flexible

Can hire in additional chairs if required

Inclusive of:

Air-conditioning, flat screen monitor, data projector available to rent (extra), Wi-Fi, flipchart stands and rails, variable lighting, comfortable, modern, stylish seating, standard set-up: round tables; other options available, i.e. school rooms or board rooms.

Standard package - R20 per person

-Arrival - morning and afternoon refreshments - includes: water/tea/coffee/biscuits

Treat package - R40 to R50 per person

-Arrival - morning and afternoon refreshments - includes: water/tea/coffee/juice/biscuits/pastries/muffins/table sweets

Lunch package - R25 per person

-Standard package plus in-room lunch, including ordering take aways, cutlery, crockery and cleaning (actual take away food order cost not included)

Monday to Friday from 7am till 6pm.

(not open on weekends or evenings)

Full day: R1,095. - eight hours

Half day: R765 - four hours
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Held in Loikaw, Kayah (Karenni) State from June 26 to 28, the fifth ethnic media conference was led by Burma News International (BNI) and Kayah State-based member organization The Kantarawaddy Times.

Participants, including representatives from the Ministry of Information, the Myanmar Press Council, journalists and members of ethnic media groups, agreed on the need to draft a comprehensive policy to enshrine ethnic voices within the media landscape.

The role of ethnic media was not included in the media law, which was enacted in 2012. By drafting this ethnic media policy, we can urge the government and parliament to include ethnic media when enacting laws and bylaws, said U Nai Kasauh Mon, executive director of BNI.

U Nai Kasauh Mon said some states have failed to recognize ethnic media organizations, which are also struggling to obtain information from the government and parliament.

The situation is different between the states. In some states, both the government and the local parliament welcome the media. The journalists are allowed to interview the chief minister and ministers. But in [other] states, the media is not even allowed inside parliament. I have heard about them being kicked out when important issues are being discussed. The democracy of these states is questionable if the media is not recognized, he said.

In addition to the need for a policy, conference participants discussed developing the sector, boosting involvement of women and disabled persons in ethnic media, ensuring the security of journalists and promoting the idea of right to information.

Previous ethnic media conferences have been held in Mawlamyine, Taunggyi, Hakha and Mrauk-U.
The arrest of undocumented workers has been increasing recently, so I want to call on the Myanmar government to negotiate with the Thai government to help Myanmar workers return with dignity, he said.

The Thai military government issued a set of new labor regulations in June that, among other things, imposed stiff fines on undocumented workers and employers who hire them. The regulations set off a panic among workers as police and members of the military began arresting foreign workers, prompting many to flee. In response to the panicked departure of tens of thousands of workers, the Thai government delayed implementation of the law for 120 days.

The Thai Government has notified departments that they are not to arrest foreign workers for now, but weve received reports that some Thai police are still arresting foreign workers under the new regulations. As soon as the workers are arrested they are sent to Mae Sot and then across the border to Myawaddy. But some people are being sent to the migrant detention facility at Ranong, where were now assisting them, U Htoo Chit said, referring to an area of southern Thailand.

Tens of thousands of Myanmar workers have returned to Myanmar since the new regulation was announced, especially at the Mae Sot/Myawaddy and Ranong/Kawthaung border crossings. More than 3,000 migrants crossed the two borders on June 29 and another 3,600 the following day. At Kawthaung, local authorities, civil society organizations (CSOs) and residents welcomed returning workers.

State Counselor Daw Aung San Suu Kyi, in her capacity as minister of foreign affairs, met with the Thai ambassador Jukr Boon-long on June 30, according to social media accounts associated with the foreign ministers office.

U Kyaw Zay Ya, the permanent secretary of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, also met with the Thai Ambassador to discuss the situation of migrant workers in Thailand and to push for a pause while the law is implemented. We appealed to them to act with an eye towards the friendship of the two countries. The Thai Ambassador said that he understood the seriousness of the situation and that he would submit our concerns to the government, said U Zaw Htay, director general of the State Counselors Office.

Thai media reported that, following a cabinet meeting on June 29, the Ministry of Labor announced some changes to the initial version of the regulations, including deferring arrest for migrant workers who get permits from a different employer and move to work for that employer or get temporary passports.

According to the Myanmar embassy in Bangkok, the 120-day delay on the new law resulted from a meeting of Thai and Myanmar labor experts that was held in Yangon (Rangoon) on June 30.

The new Thai law, which took effect on June 23, imposed stiff punishments for undocumented workers and their employers. Workers who cannot prove their right to work face fines of up to 10,000 Baht, and those working for companies other than the ones they have permission for will have to pay up to 100,000 Baht. Employers that hire undocumented workers face fines of 400,000-800,000 Baht.
It is not that the UNFC is seen as a crucial prime mover that it used to be, but whether it would be able to survive the wave of resignation that has inevitably weaken its bargaining stance as an umbrella ethnic group. And besides, of course, on how the organization would fair politically in the aftermath of its remoulding and reshuffling the setup.

Background

This formidable ethnic umbrella organization was officially formed from the 12 remnants EAOs of the Committee for the Emergence of a Federal Union (CEFU) on 16 February 2011, in Chiang Mai, Thailand, which is also its first conference. They included: Kachin Independent Organization/Kachin Independent Army (KIO/KIA), Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP), New Mon State Party (NMSP), Shan State Progress Party/Shan State Army (SSPP/SSA), Arakan National Council/Arakan Army (ANC/AA), Lahu Democratic Union (LDU), Wa National Organisation (WNO), Palaung State Liberation Front/Taang National Liberation Army (PSLF/TNLA), Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA), Chin National Front (CNF), Karen National Union (KNU), and Pa-O National Organization (PNO).

The organizations objectives were and still are to build a genuine ethnic unity, lasting peace in the country, establishment of a genuine multi-party system, and to build a peaceful federal union that all could live together.

However, in 2014, the KNU even before the signing of Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA) in October 2015, suspended itself from the UNFC, due to the disagreement over the management of the organization and rivalry on leadership position with the KIO. A year later, in October 2015, two other members  PNLO and the CNF  were suspended from the council after signing the governments NCA, which other members had rejected because it was argued not to be all-inclusive of all the armed groups. The MNDAA and the TNLA resignations from the bloc followed in 2016, as the UNFC wasnt able to give a helping hand in their resistance of the governments forces military onslaught. The KIO and the WNO followed suit with the resignation in 2017; the former out of necessity to join the EAOs for its survival in the face of the Burma Army or Tatmadaws heavy offensives and the latter to join the United Wa State Army (UWSA).

Presently, the UNFCs member counts have dwindled from original 12 to only 5 members, which includes ANC, KNPP, LDU, NMSP and SSPP.

UNFC 2nd Conference

The second UNFC conference kicked off during the last two weeks of June. According to the UNFCs eight-point statement of June 29, the first part of the conference held from June 20 to 26 was attended by 62 participants, which covered the second term period of August 2014 to June 2017. During the gathering, the reading out of various foreign, domestic reports, analysing and endorsing them; election of new leadership; resignation of some members and as well, acceptance of new membership issues were discussed and decided.

While the acceptance of the new membership would be decided in the course of time by the UNFC appointed committee for this sole purpose, the resignation of the members were duly approved, without problem. Of all the resigned EAOs, KIOs case was highly emotional, as it was the bulwark for the UNFC, in terms of military might and as well, a generous financial backers of the council.

General NBan La explained by saying: Also due to regional situation, the government-Tatmadaws pressure under selective administrative condition, we, the northern groups, were pushed to become united. That is why we have to resign from the UNFC.

Accordingly, the Democratic Karen Buddhist Army (DKBA), the Chin National Front (CNF), Kachin National Organization (KNO), Kuki National Organization (KNO), and Zomi Revolutionary Organization (ZRO) have asked to join the UNFCs ranks.

The election of UNFC for the third term was undertaken, where 24 council members were elected, which includes 9 central committee members. The council line-up includes: Nai Han Thar from the NMSP, who was elected as the chairman of the council, Dr. Khin Maung from the ANC as vice-chairman, Khu Oo Reh from the KNPP as general secretary, Hsur Onn from the SSPP as joint-general secretary-1 and Solomon from the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU) as joint-general secretary-2.

The second part of the conference took place from June 27 to 29, which included friendly EAOs, political parties and civilian-based organizations or civil societies, observers, including technical consultative teams of one hundred and three altogether.

The second part gathering undertook to analyse and discuss issues that were taken into account at Mai Ja Yang, ethnic leadership conference in July 2016. They were Panglong principle guidelines or Panglong Manual; basic federal principles; position on defence and security; Framework for Political Dialogue (FPD); National-level Political Dialogue (NPD)  actually it should be termed sub-national-level (remark by this writer); and the outcomes of Union Peace Conference  21st Century Panglong (UPC21CP). However, it is not clear whether common agreement were reached among the attendees.

Most of the statement dwell on the shortcomings of the UPC21CP, on which different levels of implementation were not appropriately followed and in some cases even breached the NCAs FPD guidelines.

The statement paragraph four pointed out that the NCA implementation highest body, the Joint Implementation Committee Meeting (JICM) and the two directly under it, the Union Peace Dialogue Joint Committee (UPDJC) and Ceasefire Joint Monitoring Committee-Union (JMC-U), the former responsible for UPC-21CP and the latter for monitoring nationwide ceasefire arrangement, were all very weak at every stage in implementing the NCA and not doing their duties as prescribed.

JICM is made up of two groups with 8 members each. One is the government, parliament and military combined and the other the signatory EAOs.

The JMC-U is made up of three groups. The two groups with 10 members each are the government, parliament and military combined and the other, the signatory EAOs. In addition, 3 civilian representatives each chosen by the military and the signatory EAOs, making 6 altogether also are included.

The UPDJC is made up of three groups, each with 16 members. The three groups are the government, parliament and military combined, the signatory EAOs, and political parties. It is the highest organ in directing the countrys political dialogue, including the convening of UPC-21CP.

The UNFC statement paragraph five stated the governments inability to conduct sub-national-level political dialogues; not given enough time to hold sectoral  political, security, economy, land and natural resources, and social issues  discussions; unclear job description of the UPDJC; inadequate arrangement in holding the UPC21CP; the outcome of conference results (Pyidaungsu or Union Accord) didnt cover the opinion of all the conference participants; no equality in all levels of groups discussions; and unable to conclude the FPD.

The paragraph six said that the KNU and Restoration Council of Shan State (RCSS), both the NCA signatories, criticism on the last UPC21CP as being on the same wave length with the second part UNFC conference participants opinion.

Its closing two paragraphs recommendations said that in order to overcome the said weak points and achieve long-lasting and genuine peace with the termination of conflicts, negotiation is the only way out; and that all-inclusiveness participation of all groups; re-examining and amending of the FPD; to first attain acceptable condition that all could agree with before signing the Union Accord have to be carried out.

It also vowed to strive for democracy, national (ethnic) equality, and rights of self-determination in order to build the federal union and peaceful atmosphere together with the EAOs, ethnic political parties and civil societies.

Apart from UNFC, United Nationalities Alliance (UNA), Nationalities Brotherhood Federation (NBF), Women League of Burma (WLB) and Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement-Signed EAOs (NCA-S EAOs) were present at the UNFC held conference.

Perspective

The question of whether the UNFC would disintegrate and fade away like its predecessor organizations the National Democratic Front (NDF) and Ethnic Nationalities Council (ENC) or continue to survive now seems to be answered, if its latest statement is to be taken as an indication or clue.

It might have endured the great loss of having to let go its giant bulwark member, the KIO that has led to the weakening of its military capabilities and of course, financial prowess also. But in terms of political outreach and ethnic solidarity, it has really put on some plus points, as ethnic political umbrella groups like UNA and NBF were active participants, together with ethnic civil society organizations, including even like the CNF and ABSDF which are NCA signatory EAOs.

Thus, it could be said that the feeble UNFC is now able to revamp its image and position to be a political platform for most ethnic nationality groups striving for equality and rights of self-determination.

Again, the signatory 8 EAOs, the UNFC, and the 7 EAOs Pangkham alliance or Federal Political Negotiation Consultative Committee (FPNCC) now seem to see themselves not as separate groups with different interest, but struggling for the same political aim or aspirations. And as such, they now see each other not as enemies but organizations united in their political will, aspirations and conviction, a proposition stand point made by the departing, UNFC former chairman General NBan La.

From the government point of view it could well be that it is angling to cash in some benefit in the form of wooing some UNFC members into its fold by forcing them sign the NCA, as it calculated the weakened UNFC would easily give in to the pressure or out of worries that they could be left hanging without solid political base. This assessment have shown to be premature as the government hasnt win over any new group signing the NCA, since the NLD came to power more than a year ago.

For the short term, the governments sincerity would be tested when the UNFC and government meet during this month, where negotiation on UNFCs nine-point amendment proposal of the NCA would take place. If the government sticks to its short term gains, the give-and-take accommodation would be hard to come by and the stalemate with the UNFC would continue.

While it is understandable that now the government would need more to talk to the Panghsang alliance given that it possesses eighty percent of the whole ethnic fighting force, including the pressure to iron out the differences by China to both parties, treating the UNFC as a low-hanging fruit that could be picked anytime it wanted would be a disaster, as it would be a litmus test for the governments sincerity and political willingness to really go for equitable political power-sharing, embedded in a genuine federal union system of governance.

But for the longer term, the success or failure of the peace talks would depend on whether the UNFCs recommendations that echoed all the EAOs, political parties and civil society organizations are heeded. And for the immediate jump-start of peace negotiation that hasnt moved an inch forward for sometimes would depend on whether the government is ready to accommodate the Panghsang alliance desire of meeting all its members as a group and not separately as has been demanded, as the first step.

The ball is now actually in the government-Tatmadaws court, so to speak.
Presented as the culmination of history but also as the beginning of a new era, October 1917 was the central political and cultural reference of the Soviet era. Only the Victory of World War II managed not to supersede the Great October Socialist Revolution, but to compete with it in terms of its importance. November 7the day the Bolsheviks took powernevertheless remained the most important official holiday.

The slow desacralization of October 1917

Since the collapse of USSR in December 1991, the perspective on October 1917 has radically changed. However, the desacralization of the October Revolution was not as brutal as is often thought. The process was already noticeable during perestroika (1985-1991).

Of course, Gorbachevlike a large portion of the Soviet intelligentsia still considers October 1917 to be a glorious event unparalleled in force of impact on mankinds development and he advocates a return to Lenins principles. [1] If the Revolution went astray, it is, according to him, because of the mistakes made during the Stalin era. The November 7 festivities still continue on Red Square. As early as 1987, however, the great parade takes place in a new climate of joy and hope in political change. In fact, Lenin is at that time already being timidly but surely desacralized. The plays by Mikhail Shatrov, who depicts Lenin being beset by doubt and hesitation at the end of his life, [2] attest to this. The invincible hero has turned back into a human being. And a human being can make mistakes, and be criticized.

In 1989, as the Eastern Bloc is disintegrating, the October Revolution becomes more and more criticized. The discovery of the extent of repression and of the millions of victims of Stalinism, and the publication of previously censored textsnamely Vasily Grossmans Life and Fate and Solzhenitsyns Gulag Archipelagoresult in the collapse of Lenins reputation. In Lenin in Zurich, a text by Solzhenitsyn that Soviet citizens discovered in 1989, Lenin is depicted as a selfish, unscrupulous man. As for the writer Vladimir Soloukhin, his text Reading Lenin (1989) accuses the Bolshevik leader of genocide against his own people in the name of October 1917. [3]

Until 1990, the commemorations take place every year in an unchanged ritual. However, the festivities of the Revolution have become the sheer mirror of the crisis faced by the Soviet regime: in 1989, an alternative demonstration takes place in Moscow, while Soviet flags are burned in Armenia and Georgia where the parade was canceled. The 72nd anniversary of the Revolution presents the whole world with the image of a USSR in crisis with some republics on the edge of revolt. In 1990, several Soviet cities and republics, namely the Baltic republics, refuse to commemorate the October Revolution. In Moscow, two parades take place simultaneously. The traditional parade is held on Red Square, where SS-25 mobile missiles with a range of 10,000 kilometers are deployed, as if to reassure the Soviets of the defense capabilities of their country and show the West that the USSR is still a world power. At the same time, a protest parade brings together all the malcontents in the streets of the capital.

The Revolution on trial

There is no parade in Moscow on November 7 1991that is, even before the demise of the USSR. Boris Yeltsin, President of Russia, no longer wants it. As soon as the USSR is dissolved, post-Soviet Russia enters the era of liberalism and of reforms. It is a time to denounce the Stalinist totalitarianism that supposedly arose from the October Revolution. In 1993, the first textbooks of Russian history are published. They often present the Revolution as the event that interrupted the natural development of a Russia firmly engaged in an era of reforms at the beginning of the 20th century. The Bolsheviks are said to have won only because of the lack of insight and political boldness of other political leaders. Moreover, the events are no longer described as a Revolution, but as a coup detat carried out by a small group of isolated but nevertheless organized and disciplined individuals. [4]

During a few years, countless works of popularization of history and films are released, promoting the idealized version of a pre-revolutionary Czarist Russia led by Romanovs suddenly adorned with all virtues. The Russia That Weve Lost, title of the film by Stanislav Govorukhin (1992), is the epitome of this period where the Romanov dynasty, the Russian Empire, and orthodoxy are idealized an idealization that goes hand in hand with the demonization of Lenin and of the Revolution. Some settle their account with the one they perceived as a prophet not so long ago: in his biography of Lenin, quickly translated into several languages, the historian Dmitri Volkogonov, who describes himself as a former Stalinist who has painfully turned to the absolute rejection of Bolshevik totalitarianism depicts a malevolent and perfidious Lenin whose Jewish and German origins explain his contempt for the Russians: He would have been willing to give half European Russia to the Germans without hesitation, provided he could remain in power! [5]. Volkogonov may well be criticized by historians who blame him for his factual errors as well as for the way he distances himself from historical truth, his works are in tune with the time and meet a huge success with the Russian public. [6]

As for the anniversary of October, only a handful of nostalgic Communists celebrate it every November 7. Ironically, these men and womenmany of whom have been left behind by liberal reformswho march through the streets brandishing portraits of Lenin and of Stalin, are seen as conservatives who refuse the freedom and democracy so often promised by the liberal regime.

The return of authoritarian figures

For the vast majority of the Russian population, the positive results of the liberal reforms are slow to come. In the mid-1990s, Russia is plunged into a deep social and economic crisis that reaches its peak in 1998. The idealized vision of a czarist Russia firmly engaged on the path of Western progress is no longer trusted. From 1998, Russian bookshops display openly monarchist textbooks alongside the more liberal ones. These books present the revolutionariesfrom the most moderate to the most radical onesas the enemies within, traitors to the fatherland, fanatics who in 1917 destroyed czarism by terror and crime. The October Revolution is seen as a symbol of utmost crime. [7] However, while these textbooks express a rejection of the liberal ideology, which has been dominant since the early 1990s, they also show the return of authoritarian figures, Czarists or Soviets. Surveys conducted during these years show that Stalins image within Russian society clearly improves, especially as Vladimir Putin comes to power in 2000. [8]

As the latter states in 2003 , history textbooks should provide the students with a sense of pride in their country. Slowly, the major strands of the Stalinist policy are more and more openly presented in a positive way. This trend reaches its peak between 2007 and 2009. As a part of an important project to develop new educational standards at the federal level, 20th and early 21st-century history textbooks attempt to assemble the different moments in the history of USSR into a consistent whole. This history is depicted as tragic but imbued with grandeur: state violence, repression, and the famine of 1932-1933 are presented as a consequence of what the authors of the textbooks call the forced modernizationwhich allegedly won the victory against Nazi Germany. The Stalinist era is described as a time of sacrifice, but above all of grandeur, achievement and glory. The post-Stalin years are depicted as a period of slow weakening of the country, caused by the mistakes of political leaders, who, with Gorbachev, are held responsible for the fall of the USSR. [9] When in 2009, an inscription in honor of Stalin is restored in the Kurskaya metro station in Moscow, many observers, in Russia and elsewhere, consider that the Russian power is in the process of officially rehabilitating Stalin.

The Great Russian Revolution

If the past is no longer to be depicted in a negative wayso that the Russian schoolboy can be proud of his country, and if the different aspects of Russian history, Czarist and Soviet, are to be reintegrated in a coherent whole, how then should the Russian Revolution be spoken of? How should it be explained to children, those future Russian citizens? The history textbooks published in 2007 indicate an answer, as they attempt to untangle what is, for the Russian power, the painful knot of revolutionary processes: the Revolutions of February and October and the Civil War are combined in one Great Russian Revolution, with the intention expressed by the authors to place the latter at the same level as the Great French Revolution. Indeed, because of its historical and universal importance, only the French Revolution [...] finds its place alongside the Bolshevik Revolution.

In this perspective, the fall of Czarism in February 1917 represents the first stage of a unique revolutionary process which includes the taking of power by the Bolsheviks in October 1917. The February Revolution was the spontaneous response of the people to the crisis of the Russian state system. It was the consequence of the inability of the ruling class to maintain Russia in a position that lives up to its history and its potential. The military failures and economic hardships during the First World War are evidence of this. Under these conditions, the abdication of Nicholas II was inevitable, and so was the seizure of power of the Bolsheviks, who will later set up a power more effective than the one that was destroyed. The authoritarian centralization seen as a guarantee of the power of the Russian stateis completed by Stalin. The tragic dimension of the civil war is underlined, but the schoolbooks also insist on the fact that Russia emerged from this great tragedy even stronger than before, as it became USSR. In this framework, it is no longer necessary to point out the guilty, nor to emphasize the divergences in political views. The Whites as the Reds fought for a strong Russia: an imperial one for the Whites, a Soviet one for the Reds. [10]

The omnipresence of the Revolution

Even if historians are now increasingly using the expression Great Russian Revolution, [11]which is found in the new history textbooks published at the end of 2016, this does not mean that the interpretation of the Revolutionary events is the same for all. This expression allows to emphasize the importance of the Russian Revolution for Russia and for the world. It also helps include the events of October in a broader Revolutionary process. This, historians have been meaning to do since the Soviet version of October 1917which involved a heavy silence on the bourgeois Revolution of Februaryis no longer promoted. In reality, the Revolution is still a polarizing issue in todays Russia. For some, namely the Communists, it remains the Great Socialist Revolution of October. Every November 7, nostalgic Communists march through the streets of Moscow led by Gennady Zyuganovhead of the Russian Communist Party, brandishing portraits of Lenin and Stalin. For the Russian liberals, on the other hand, October was a coup detat. On November 7 2016 Sergei Mitrokhin, the leader of the Russian liberal party Yabloko, laid flowers and a plaque in front of the building of the Ministry of Defense in honor of the defenders of democracy and of the Constituent Assembly. These men, he explained, resisted the Bolshevikswho had just dissolved the Constituent Assembly in January 1918 because they had not obtained a majority of votesarms in hand.

As for the Russian authorities, they speak of it in antirevolutionary terms. Any attempt to question the authority of the state is immediately demonized by the government, who suspects that the dissenting forces of revolution are at work in every act of political opposition, in every social protest. The color revolutions of 2003 in Georgia and of 2004 in Ukraine, the protests of the years 2011-2012 in Russia, and above all the antigovernment demonstrations in Ukraine in 2014which toppled Viktor Yanukovytch from powerare still alive in their memories.

As early as in 1996, the holiday on November 7 was renamed Day of Accord and Reconciliation. In 2004 it even loses its character of public holiday. A year later, in November 2005, November 4 is declared a public holiday and named Day of Unity in memory of the end of foreignespecially Polish and Lithuanianinterventions in Muscovite Russia in 1612. This event marked the end of a tumultuous historical period called the Time of Troubles in Russia; it was followed by the advent of the Romanov dynasty. The suppression of the celebrations of the October Revolution thus testifies to the desire of the government to remove the Revolution from public space and to replace it with a historical event that can reconciliate the different parts of Russian society.

This was a real challenge, since the Revolution remains omnipresent in the Russian landscape, primarily in Moscow: Lenin still rests in his mausoleum on Red Square, and he will probably stay there. The fear that removing Lenin from his mausoleum in order to bury him elsewhere will cause more controversy and polemics than letting him there is too strong. In Moscow, many streets still bear names related to the Revolution or its actors: Krupskaya street (named after Lenins wife), Maria Ulyanova (Lenins mother) street, Dmitri Ulyanov (Lenins brother) street, or the 60th Anniversary of October Revolution avenue. The same is true of metro stations, even the most central ones: in the first place there is October station, in front of which stands a monumental statue of Lenin, and which is also the starting point of the famous Lenin avenueone of the main arteries of Moscow, that stretches in a straight line over 13 kilometers; then there is the Lenin Library station, inside which Lenin solemnly watches the underground users passing before him; the Revolution Square Metro lastly, located in front of the Red Square, and ornamented with 76 bronze sculptures symbolizing the new Soviet world.

How should the Revolution be commemorated?

Should the Revolution then be commemorated? And if yes, how? For the Russian authorities, the question is more complex than it seems. Indeed, how can they commemorate an event that stands against all they promote, that is: stability, tradition, authority, respect of the state? In January 2016, during a government meeting, Vladimir Putin declared: We didnt need the world revolution. But is it possible to ignore a Revolution that, as John Reed famously said, shook the world? During the fall of 2017, there will be countless symposia and round-table debates, documentaries and publications dedicated to the Revolution. This will also be the case in Russia, where many centennial events will take place in the scientific and academic world.

In reality, the title of a roundtable event organized in May 2015 under the aegis of the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky (the Centenary of the Great Russian Revolution: Judgment in the Name of Consolidation) gives a glimpse of what the official discourse will be like during the commemorations. As Vladimir Medinsky explains, these events will have to promote the continuity of the historical development of Russiafrom the Russian Empire to the USSR and the Russian Federationwhile condemning revolutionary terror and underlining the fact that it is never good to rely on foreign assistance to solve internal problemswhich, in todays Russia, sounds like a warning. And finally, it will be less important to mention the discrepancies between the ideologies of the Red and the Whites, and to point out the guilty than to emphasize the fact that both sideswho were opposed in every way in 1917wanted the prosperity of Russia and a better life on earth.

The consolidation of Russian society and the reconciliation of its members are, again, the underlying idea when Vladimir Putin invites the highly official Russian Historical Society to form a committee in order to organize the commemorations of the Revolution. As Sergei NarychkinChairman of the State Duma of Russia from 2011 to 2016, and also president of the Russian Historical Societynoted, the anniversary of the Revolution should not be used as the occasion to organize solemn events; it should not be celebrated. The focus will above all be on reflecting on the events that took place a hundred years ago and learning from them, the main lesson being the value of unity and of solidarity among citizens, the ability of society to find compromises at the most difficult turning points in history, in order to avoid a radical divide in society taking the form of a civil war.

Statue of Lenin, Moscow

During the commemorations of the Revolution, the Russian authorities will then be anxious to draw lessons from the events of 1917. In this, they will benefit from the support of the Patriarch Kirill of Moscow who, on December 30 2016, declared that the commemoration of the centennial of the 1917 events should not be spoken of in terms of celebrations: the thing is not to celebrate the hundredth anniversary of the tragedy, but to remember this date consciously.

The commemorations of the events of 1917 must trigger deep reflection and sincere prayers so that such mistakes will not be repeated today.

If the way the Russian authorities intend to use the centenary of the Revolutioncommemorate to reconcile, and to obtain buy-inis already being criticized in Russia, [12] todays Russian society nevertheless remains divided over its past, whether it be Lenin and the Revolution, Stalin or Gorbachev. In this sense, the centenary of the Revolution will be a sensitive moment, and the authorities in Moscow, who are calling for a moment of national reconciliation, are aware of it. However, by asking the Russian Historical Society to organize the commemorations of the centenary, the Russian government also shows that it agrees to delegate some responsabilities and to collaborate with the community of historians.

The analysis of the long list of eventsexhibitions, publications, conferences, roundtable debates, research projects, memorial events, films, documentarieswhich were approved by the organizing committee of the centenary of the Revolution suggests that, if it can not reconcile a Russian society that is deeply divided today, the year 2017 will enrich our perspective on the 1917 Revolution. At the very least, these commemorations will allow us to refine our understanding of the position of Russian society regarding the Revolution and its actors.


The future USS Billings launches sideways into the Menominee River in Marinette, Wisconsin, on July 1. Lockheed Martin

MARINETTE, WISCOSIN (BNS): The Lockheed Martin - led industry team have launched the 15th Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) into the Menominee River at the Fincantieri Marinette Marine shipyard.



Ship sponsor Sharla D. Tester christened LCS 15, the future USS Billings, in Navy tradition by breaking a champagne bottle across the ship's bow just prior to the launch on 1st July.



"As a lifelong Montanan, there is no greater honor than to serve as the sponsor of the future USS Billings and to help bring this magnificent warship one step closer to joining the fleet," Tester said.



"I know the people of Billings - and all Montanans - look forward to supporting Billings and her future crews for decades to come."



Named in honor of the patriotic and hardworking citizens of Billings, LCS 15 will be the first US Navy ship to bear the name of Montana's largest city. She will undergo additional outfitting and testing at Fincantieri Marinette Marine before her anticipated delivery next year.



The Lockheed Martin-led industry team is currently in full-rate production of the Freedom-variant of the LCS, and has delivered four ships to the US Navy to date.



The future USS Billings is one of eight ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with one more in long-lead production, Lockheed Martin said.


Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 03/07/2017 (1957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

DAUPHIN  It was a familiar sight to many, and a new one for others at Dauphins Countryfest.

Campers had filled the near 5,000 campsites by Friday evening, and folks were armed with Solo cups and Canada flags, ready to take on the weekend. This year, not only did Countryfest fall on Canada Day, but it fell on Canada 150.

It seemed as though Camp Beaver was born ready.

Michaela Solomon/ Brandon Sun Julie and Tommy Frederick, from left, Deidre Morawecki, Christal O'Brien-Frejuk, and Jamie Starr are just a few members of Camp Beaver. Camp Beaver is the name given to the group's campsite at Dauphin's Countryfest, in honour of Canada 150. Complete with an onsite beaver dam, mascot, and even beaver-themed cupcakes, these folks have taken their Canadian pride to the next level.

Julie Frederick, Deidre Morawecki and Christal OBrien-Frejuk were preparing cupcakes and pulled pork sandwiches in their camper, and shared them with passersby.

But the camper shared the site with something else: A beaver dam.

This is our mascot, said Frederick, who pointed at a stuffed beaver placed on the dam. Pet it. Its good luck.

Frederick, Morawecki and OBrien-Frejuk dedicated their site to Canadas national animal.

Complete with beaver teeth, hats, and signs, the group posed for beaver-themed photos with friends and strangers alike.

Camp Beaver was one of four sites where Shane Anderson and his friend were spending the weekend.

Weve got a bunch of friends from our hometown of Winnipeg and were excited to be together, Anderson said.

At Camp Beaver, he was able to reconnect with old friends he doesnt get to see as often as he likes, he said.

Michaela Solomon/The Brandon Sun From left, friends Ben Weibe, Annika Armstrong, Brandon Stamm, Austin Favell and Lee Walker said they were excited to spend time with friends, camping and listening to great music at Dauphin's Countryfest on Friday evening. The group added that they were even more excited to show their Canadian pride, before flashing their Canada-flag themed Speedos.

Who here isnt proud to be a Canadian? Its the best.

Taking a break from the amphitheatre action was former Winnipeg Jet Perry Miller. Decked out head-to-toe in red and white, Miller expressed his pride for being Canadian.

All around the world stuff is happening thats not really that good, Miller said. And the homeland that we have is the most treasured homeland probably in the world.

He and his family travel to Countryfest every year so that they can celebrate and relax as a family, and enjoy their time together, Miller said.

Friends Ben Weibe, Annika Armstrong, Brandon Stamm, Austin Favell and Lee Walker celebrated their fourth year at Countryfest.

The group further enforced the idea that people honour Canada 150 differently.

We have our Canadian Speedos, Walker said. Ill be wearing my Canadian Speedo with pride.

Lisa Baldwin and her closest girlfriends left their kids at home to take in Countryfest.

Michaela Solomon/ Brandon Sun Former Winnpeg Jet Perry Miller celebrated Canada 150 in and said that even though his children are 30 and 23 years old, family time is as important now as it's ever been. Miller said he's overjoyed to get to celebrate Dauphin's Countryfest and Canada 150 in the friendly, safe environment provided by the organizers, with his loved ones.

Everybody is so friendly here, the atmosphere is so fun, Baldwin said, And being with the girls is the best.

Baldwin was accompanied by her sister in-law, also named Lisa Baldwin.

Ive been a huge Johnny Reid fan. I fell in love with him at Countryfest years ago, she said. I havent been to Countryfest in 10 years. I came out of retirement for this.

Australian superstar Keith Urban rocked the crowd on Friday evening, and even pulled one lucky fan onto his platform, leaving her with his guitar as a gift. It appeared that even stars like Urban were taking in the Canadian holiday spirit.

 The Brandon Sun
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A construction oversight that took place approximately five years ago has resulted in the Community Florist Jewellery & Gift in Killarney going up in flames on Canada Day.

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A 22-year-old Brandon man has been arrested after shoving his girlfriend into a window.

We need your support!

Local journalism needs your support!

As we navigate through unprecedented times, our journalists are working harder than ever to bring you the latest local updates to keep you safe and informed.

Now, more than ever, we need your support.

Starting at $4.99/month you can access your Brandon Sun online and full access to all content as it appears on our website.

or call circulation directly at (204) 727-0527.

Your pledge helps to ensure we provide the news that matters most to your community!
Business leaders from the City of London are to send a delegation to Brussels with a proposal for a post-Brexit free trade deal for financial services, it is reported.

According to the Financial Times, the group will be led by former City minister Mark Hoban as banks fear the fallout from Brexit negotiations if access to EU markets is curtailed.

A number of banks have developed contingency plans after UK Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed that Britain would ditch the single market, including stepping up operations at other EU sites in cities such as Frankfurt, Dublin and Luxembourg.

Any deal which sees the country lose access to the single market would mean City firms lose so-called passporting rights that provide wide-ranging EU access for UK-based financial services.

Meanwhile Brexit Secretary David Davis - who will host business leaders at a lavish grace-and-favour country manor this week - has played down suggestions that officials have quietly downgraded ambitions for a "cake and eat it" deal when Britain leaves the 28-member bloc.

The Guardian, which quoted "insiders", said officials at the Department for Exiting the European Union (DExEU) are now presenting ministers with a choice between a deal similar to that enjoyed by countries in the European Economic Area (EEA) and single market, or a free trade agreement similar to the EU-Canada deal.

Mrs May's strategy, set out in her Lancaster House speech in January, is to leave the single market and customs union to gain full control of immigration, but still strike a "comprehensive" free trade deal with cross-border commerce to be "as frictionless as possible".

Participation in the EEA would risk a backlash from a number of voters who supported Brexit, as it would mean staying in the single market and therefore submitting to the free movement of EU citizens and European Court of Justice (ECJ) rulings.

But the UK's trade with the EU would be less free in a Canada-style deal.

However, the suggestions were rejected by a spokesman for Mr Davis, who denied there had been any change of mood since the election.

The spokesman said the approach outlined in the Lancaster House speech remained the official strategy.

Asked to respond to reports of ministers now being forced to consider a trade-off, he said they "did not recognise the language".

Mr Davis will host a conference Chevening House in Kent on Friday for business leaders, following reports that bosses felt excluded from the Brexit decision-making process.

It comes after reports that corporate leaders wanted minsters to consult them more on Brexit and amid suggestions of a power struggle in the Cabinet over the shape of the UK's exit from the European Union.

Mr Davis confirmed that new proposals will soon be set out to ensure the right mechanisms are in place to allow a regular and open dialogue between business and government.

A government source said: "With negotiations under way, the Secretary of State for Exiting the European Union is determined to bolster the Government's engagement with the business community on Brexit.

"That is why he recently announced an intention to co-ordinate activity with the Prime Minister, Chancellor and Business Secretary to ensure we tap into the wealth of specialist knowledge from businesses up and down the country."

At the conference, businesses will discuss the key challenges and opportunities arising from Brexit, as well as looking at industry-specific issues.
Plans to build Dublin's largest building have been rejected.

The proposed 22 storey tower to be built next to Tara street station have been turned down by Dublin City Council due to the significant and detrimental visual impact on the city.
50 TV's and a sum of money have been stolen from a shop in Dublin.

At around 1.50am on Thursday, June 29, a car with ladders on the roof and a black van entered the car park of a shop in Lucan Retail Park.
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Ireland for an official visit.

Mr Trudeau is due to hold talks with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in Dublin on Tuesday and will also be hosted by President Michael D. Higgins.

The visit has been arranged two months on from when Mr Varadkar's predecessor Enda Kenny met Mr Trudeau in Montreal.

Mr Trudeau has several other engagements in Dublin, including a business lunch and a visit to see the Famine memorial statues in the city centre before a state dinner is hosted by the Taoiseach.

The Canadian PM is accompanied on the trip by his wife Sophie Gregoire Trudeau and their young son Hadrien.

Among the issues for discussion on the visit it is expected that trade will be a key focus, including the CETA treaty between Canada and the EU.

Justin Trudeau and his wife Sophie look on as the Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers holds their son Hadrien on arriving at Dublin Airport today, for their official visit to Ireland, with the Irish Ambassador to Canada Jim Kelly on the right. Pic: Julien Behal Photography

The free trade agreement has yet to be ratified by national parliaments and has been criticised by trade unions, farmers' groups and NGOs.
The DPP has won an appeal on a point of law over a Criminal Court of Appeal decision which led to the cutting of a 30-year sentence imposed on a man his role in a bungled attempt to bring in a record 440m drugs consignment off the Cork coast nearly ten years ago, writes Ann OLoughlin.

Perry Wharrie (56), Loughton, Essex, England, had his 30 year sentence reduced on appeal to 17-and-a-half years over the cocaine haul at Dunlough Bay on the Mizen peninsula on July 2, 2007.

This arose out of a Court of Criminal Appeal finding that it was not an aggravating factor, in his case, that he did not give evidence at his trial, unlike two co-accused who did testify. Wharrie and the other two had pleaded not guilty.

The DPP asked to Supreme Court to determine this issue, as a principle of sentencing, and today a five-judge court found it was an incorrect principle to do so.

The Supreme Courts decision is however "on a without prejudice basis". According to legal sources, this only deals with the issue on a general basis and does not mean this case returns to court of further consideration.

In its 2016 decision cutting Wharries sentence, the Court of Appeal said he was entitled to credit for not attempting to tender false evidence.

In her arguments to the Supreme Court, the DPPs grounds included that the failure to give evidence cannot be treated as a mitigating factor in sentencing. At most, it can be considered to be an aggravating factor and is also not a relevant factor as regards sentence, it was argued.

Wharrie opposed the DPPs appeal.

In his judgement on behalf of the Supreme Court, Mr Justice Peter Charleton said counsel for Wharrie had put foward an "ingenious argument" for a reduction in sentence because Wharrie had not given perjured evidence.

The Court of Criminal Appeal had referred to the fact that two of Wharries co- accused did testify at the trial and the sentencing judge regarded that as an aggravating factor in their cases. They received sentences of 30 and 25 years each.

Wharrie was entitled to credit for not giving evidence although this was cancelled out by his "lamentable" criminal record, which included murder, robbery and possession of a firearm, the appeal court said.

"The Court clearly regarded the decision of Perry Wharrie to shun the witness box and any attempt at perjury in defence of himself as being a significant factor", Mr Justice Charleton said.

An accused is entitled to contest a case and may be given credit for either an early plea of guilty or, to a lesser extent, an approach to the trial which saves time and money, he said.

No trial judge is entitled to aggravate a sentence because an accused gave perjured evidence in his own defence or in defence of others.

Perjury is a separate crime and is not a factor of aggravation in an existing offence, he said.

Since perjury is a criminal offence, as well as a grave moral wrong, "it defies logic to conclude that failing to tell deliberate lies under oath or affirmation somehow mitigates the seriousness of the offence", he said.

Therefore the answer to the question asked by the DPP is that it is not a correct principle of sentencing to treat as mitigation the fact that someone did not give false evidence at their trial, he said.

The trial of Perry Wharrie in 2008 heard he was was part of a gang who used a rigid inflatable boat (RIB) which met a catamaran from which the drugs were transferred.

The operation went awry after the transfer because diesel had been put in the RIBs petrol engine which cut out causing the craft to flounder and sink in unseasonably rough July seas.

Lifeboat crews who came to the aid of the sinking RIB found one of Wharries accomplices floating in the sea encircled by 65 bales of cocaine, which was subsequently found to be 75% pure.

Wharrie and another man made it ashore but both were arrested two days later.

This story has been subject to the following clarification: We have been asked to point out that in the original report supplied to it was stated that the DPP had won an appeal on a point of law over an Appeal Court decision. The report should have said a Court of Criminal Appeal decision and not Court of Appeal.
Opposition parties are again frustrated by the delay in the rollout of the National Broadband Plan.

Recently Minister Denis Naughten said he does not expect any more developments with the scheme over the next 18 months.
Gardai are seeking the public's help in finding a missing woman in Dublin.

29-year-old Linda Christian was last seen on June 24, in the Blanchardstown area.

She is described as being 5 foot 3 inches in height, of slim build with long brown hair, and green eyes.

When last seen she was wearing a green bomber jacket, blue jeans and carrying a pink gym bag.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Gardai.
The Garda Representative Association has rejected claims that members attempted to "stitch up" the Jobstown protesters who were acquitted last week of false imprisonment.

Solidarity TD Paul Murphy and five other men were all cleared of falsely imprisoning the former Labour Party leader Joan Burton during an anti-water-charge demonstration in 2014.

Speaking immediately after being cleared, Mr Murphy said files sent by the gardai to the Director of Public Prosecutions in the case were "rubbish".

GRA spokesperson John O'Keefe spoke to Cormac O'hEadhra this morning on the Today programme on RTE Radio 1.

In response to Paul Murphy's claims that gardai gave a litany of false, inaccurate statements in the trial and is now calling for a public inquiry to ask how what he refers to as a conspiracy took place, O'Keefe said "we can't comment on that".

"I would say that everybody in the country now seems to be an expert on helicopter evidence," he said.

When asked if the GRA have confidence in their ability to police similar protests in the future, O'Keefe said the Gardai do their best.

"All I can say is that gardai do their best to protect the general public subject to supervision they are given, subject to the operational training they are given," he said.

O'Keefe went on to say that gardai involved on the day of the protest at Jobstown would have benefitted hugely both for the protesters and for the gardai had they worn body cameras.

"Worn body videos is a vital tool in ensuring that assaults for example are properly recorded, but something which holds everybody accountable and gives the best evidence available, instead of helicopter evidence and maybe in place of oral testimony even," he said.
Revenue seized 20,000 cigarettes at Dublin Airport over the weekend, representing a potential loss to the Exchequer of almost 9,000.

On Friday night, officers seized 10,000 'L&M Blue' cigarettes from a 26-year-old Latvian man who had arrived on a flight from Venice.
The Northern Ireland Secretary has given Stormont's divided politicians more time to clinch a deal.

James Brokenshire warned he will legislate to give civil servants in Northern Ireland greater authority to spend money in the absence of a devolved government, but added that critical point had not been reached.

He declined to order a new election or impose a version of direct rule from Westminster, as yet another deadline for the five parties to reach agreement fell by the wayside last Thursday.

Mr Brokenshire said: "This hiatus cannot continue for much longer.

"There is no doubt that the best outcome is for a new Executive to take those strategic decisions in the interest of all."

The Northern Ireland Secretary warned of the impact on public services of the continued stalemate and said he was prepared to step in to safeguard political stability.

Mr Brokenshire said: "If no agreement is reached, legislation in Westminster may then be required to give authority for the expenditure of Northern Ireland departments through an appropriations bill.

"We have not quite reached that point.

"That point is coming and the lack of a formal budget is not something that can be sustained indefinitely."

He said capital expenditure for infrastructure in areas like the health service cannot be deferred for much longer.

As Mr Brokenshire spoke at Westminster, the main parties at Stormont continued to blame each other for the impasse.

DUP leader Arlene Foster claimed Sinn Fein was more concerned with adding to its "shopping list" of demands rather than seeking compromises to restore powersharing.

Mrs Foster said her party wanted to see devolution up and running again but was not prepared to sign off on a one-sided deal that would leave the unionist community feeling "short-changed".

"Sinn Fein have a shopping list, a shopping list that seems to get longer every time we meet with them," she said.

"That is very disappointing for all of the people of Northern Ireland who make it very clear to us that they want to see devolution back up and running again on a fair and proportionate basis."

She added: "The onus is really on Sinn Fein now. Whether they want to continue with this political grandstanding or whether they want to get back to the job of work that we need to do.

"I think it's long past the time when we should be back in government."

Earlier, Sinn Fein negotiator Conor Murphy again accused the DUP of refusing to budge on a series of outstanding disputes.

The republican party is demanding DUP movement on a proposed Irish Language Act; a Bill of Rights for the North; legalisation of same sex marriage; and measures dealing with the legacy of the Troubles.

"We don't see any urgency in terms of the DUP approach to this and we don't expect and don't think it is likely that there will be a deal in the short term because there is that lack of urgency," he said.

Reflecting on the upcoming 12th of July, the mainstay of the loyal order marching season, he added: "We are in the bizarre situation, I'm sure it's unique to here, that over the summer time we have to break because the atmosphere becomes too hostile for political negotiations."

Mr Murphy continued: "Now we find ourselves up against the Twelfth of July where the atmosphere becomes so hostile that the DUP are even less likely to move on some of these issues."

In regard to the Irish language, Mrs Foster said her party was willing to support proposals that would find favour among the majority of gaelic speakers.

She claimed Sinn Fein was pressing for much more, accusing the party of wanting to assert "cultural supremacy" over other sections of the community.

Mr Brokenshire said progress had been made on language, culture and identity issues but gaps remained between the parties.

"The Government remains committed to working with the parties and the Irish Government to find a way to close those gaps quickly.

"I continue to believe that a deal remains achievable and if agreement is reached I will bring forward legislation to enable an Executive to be formed, possibly as early as this week."

He reiterated time was short.

"It is six months since a full Executive was in place to represent the people of Northern Ireland.

"It is civil servants, not politicians, who have made decisions.

"Without political direction it is not possible for strategic decisions to be made about priorities in areas such as education and health."

The devolved institutions imploded in January when Mrs Foster was forced from office after Sinn Fein's then deputy first minister, the late Martin McGuinness, quit.

That was in protest at the DUP's handling of the renewable heat incentive (RHI), a scheme that left the administration facing a 490 million overspend.

One of the main current sticking points is over Sinn Fein's call for an act officially protecting the Irish language.

The DUP is prepared to legislate, but only if there are reciprocal protections for Ulster-Scots speakers.

Sinn Fein's leader in Northern Ireland, Michelle O'Neill, said Mr Brokenshire's comments were most unhelpful.

"He is once again pandering to the DUP's delaying and blocking of the rights-based issues which are the heart of the current difficulties.

"He has also quite crassly let the DUP off the hook on the issue of the dark money donation of over 400,000 which bought its support for Brexit.

"This latest evidence of a Tory side deal with the DUP comes on the heels of the DUP's support for cuts to the wages of emergency and public sector workers and support for a Tory Brexit."
A telecoms company has been fined 2500 at Dublin District Court for making unsolicited calls to a member of the public, writes Niamh ODonoghue.

Virgin Media Ireland Limited pleaded guilty to making the calls for the purpose of direct marketing.

Solicitor Clare McQuillan for the Data Protection Commissioner told the court that there were two charges.

The company, with offices at Eastpoint Business Park, Clontarf, Dublin 3, was charged with making two phone calls on March 16, 2016 and May 27, 2016.

Assistant Data Protection Commissioner Tony Delaney told the court that he got a complaint from a member of the public who received a call from the company in January, 2015.

The woman told them not to call her again but they rang her all of the week beginning March 14. The court heard the woman is a Virgin Media customer but is entitled to opt-out.

Defence solicitor Peter McCarthy said due to human error the process was not properly followed but that they now have procedures in place.

He told the court that a full investigation took place and hoped a conviction could be avoided.

Judge John Brennan said the charges were serious but noted the plea of guilty.

He also noted that the charges arose out of human error and immediate action had taken place.

However he said that he would have to record a conviction and imposed fines of 2500 in total for the two charges against the telecommunications firm.
Cabinet ministers Jeremy Hunt and Greg Clark have sought to reassure the pharmaceutical industry that the UK will maintain a "close working relationship" with the European Union after Brexit, amid concerns about the regulation of medicines.

Health Secretary Mr Hunt and Business Secretary Mr Clark said the UK would "like to find a way" to continue to collaborate with the EU after breaking away from Brussels.

The EU's European Medicines Agency is currently based in London, but will leave the country after Brexit, creating uncertainty for UK-based pharmaceutical firms about the regulatory regime for drugs in future.

In a joint letter in the Financial Times, the ministers said: "The UK is fully committed to continuing the close working relationship with our European partners.

Our aim is to ensure that patients in the UK and across the EU continue to be able to access the best and most innovative medicines and be assured that their safety is protected through the strongest regulatory framework and sharing of data."

Their three principles for the Brexit process are that "patients should not be disadvantaged; innovators should be able to get their products into the UK market as quickly and simply as possible; and we continue to play a leading role promoting public health".

If the Brexit talks fail to achieve the "desired relationship", the UK will set up a regulatory system that protects patients and "supports the UK life science industry".

The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said the letter signalled that ministers were ready to take a "pragmatic" approach to Brexit.

ABPI chief executive Mike Thompson said "This letter is a welcome recognition that the future of medicines regulation is a key priority for the Government as we negotiate a new relationship with the EU.

"It also signals a readiness to take a pragmatic approach to Brexit negotiations that puts people's health first. This is a great first step and we look forward to seeing more detail in the coming weeks and months.

"If patients in Europe are to continue to get safe and effective medicines in a timely fashion, the focus must be on agreeing regulatory partnership between the UK and the EU.

"The time frames we need to meet to ensure no disruption or delay mean that confirmation of a reciprocal approach from the EU would provide welcome certainty to more than 500 million patients."
Chinese president Xi Jinping has warned Donald Trump that "some negative factors" are hurting US-Chinese relations, as tensions flared between the two nations.

Mr Xi's comments during a phone call with the US president follow Beijing's displeasure over American arms sales to rival Taiwan, US sanctions against a Chinese bank over its dealings with North Korea and, most recently, the sailing of a US destroyer within the territorial seas limit of an island China claims.

Beijing was also irritated after the US state department gave Beijing a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report.

As reported by state media, Mr Xi told Mr Trump that Beijing expects Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the "one China" principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

"Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-US relations have achieved important outcomes," state broadcaster CCTV reported, referring to Mr Xi's meeting with the American leader in Florida in April.

"At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the US."

Seeking to lighten the message, Mr Xi also said that China-US relations had achieved "important outcomes" since the Florida meeting.

It is unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G20 summit in Germany this week at which Mr Trump and Mr Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.

It now appears that China is pushing back against the US pressure, setting the stage for a potential confrontation.

China's foreign ministry accused the US of violating Chinese sovereignty and disrupting "peace, security and order of the relevant waters" after the US Navy destroyer USS Stethem sailed within 12 nautical miles of the tiny Triton island in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

China's defence ministry issued a similar statement, saying it would bolster patrols and take precautions commensurate with the threat level to safeguard "national sovereignty and security".

Mr Trump and his top advisers have done little to hide their irritation over what they see as the reluctance by China, North Korea's main economic partner, to tighten the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programmes.

Chinese president Xi Jinping

Until lately, US officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons.

However, last month Mr Trump hinted at a loss of patience, tweeting that his bid to secure a tougher Chinese approach "has not worked out".

Asked about the state of ties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said it was normal to encounter "some issues in the process of developing the bilateral relationship".

He added: "We believe that the significance of our bilateral relationship has already exceeded the bilateral scope and is exerting important influence on the development of the whole world.

"On our part, we are willing to develop the bilateral relationship based on non-confrontation, mutual benefit and mutual trust, expand cooperation and properly manage differences between the two countries so as to further advance the bilateral relationship."
Firefighters who tackled the Grenfell Tower blaze will be the first recipients of hundreds of free holidays crowdsourced by members of the public.

More than 370 holiday offers have been put forward by members of the Grenfell Tower Holiday Appeal Facebook group in the three weeks since the tragedy, co-organiser Angie Mays said.

The short-stay offers have come mainly from small businesses, B&Bs and guesthouses all over the UK, but also in Spain and Cyprus, she said.

Ms Mays, from Ilfracombe, Devon, set up the campaign with friend Kay Gilbert and said they had even received messages from Australia telling them "how great an idea it was".

A male firefighter, his partner and their two children will head to a cottage in Marsden, West Yorkshire, for a week in July.

Other firefighter families have also been in touch and are considering taking up some of the offers, she said.

Ms Mays said: "I'm so happy that firefighters are using the appeal, I only hope in time that they are able to come to terms with what they have experienced that night and after.

"They are true heroes in my eyes - putting their lives at risk and going above and beyond to save lives.

"I only hope our appeal offers them some comfort and respite from their experiences, giving them time to switch off their minds and relax."

Ms Mays said in the long-term she hoped survivors would feel ready to take up the holiday offers, but that it was probably "too soon to be talking about things like that now - it's too raw".

But, she said, if any survivors did feel ready now, they should get in touch.

Separate Facebook groups have been also set up to provide holidays in Cornwall and the Highlands.
Islamic State has struck back as Iraqi forces close in on victory in Mosul, sending women suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle for the country's second-largest city nears its end.

At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq.

The attacks underscore the intense violence still plaguing the battered nation and the perils that will remain even after IS militants are pushed out of Mosul.

On Monday morning in Mosul's Old City - the scene of IS's last stand, where soldiers are fast closing in on the last remaining pocket of militants - two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops, killing one soldier and wounding several others.

At a camp for displaced people in Iraq's western Anbar province, a suicide bomber dressed in a woman's robe killed 14 on Sunday evening, a provincial official said.

After days of fierce battles, the militant-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with IS now controlling just over one square kilometre in all, or just under 0.40 square miles.

Lt Col Salam Hussein, of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, said most of the suicide bombers in Mosul are now women, with seven blowing themselves up on Monday alone.

He said: "Seven women faced our units but thank god our units stopped these women suicide bombers. Some women exploded themselves on fleeing families.

"This is an evil and cowardly attempt by terrorists to inflict the greatest losses on civilians and security forces."

Using women as suicide bombers is apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt Ali Abdullah Hussein said.

He said: "They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up."

One attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces' push last week.

Over the past three days, Sgt Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets.

After the explosion on Monday, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons. They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.

Last days in #Mosul like the last ones in Sirte: women used as suicide bombers among civilians fleeing the city. #Iraq #Isis  francesca mannocchi (@mannocchia) July 3, 2017

IS overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The US-backed offensive to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

The 12th century mosque is hugely symbolic - it was from a pulpit of this mosque that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the IS caliphate in July 2014.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri Mosque, prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to IS's so-called caliphate and pledged victory was "near".

The suicide bombing in Anbar took place at dusk on Sunday, as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the IS-held town of Qaim, in western Iraq, according to local councillor Taha Abdul-Ghani.

He said a police colonel was among the 14 dead, and at least 20 were wounded in the explosion.

The death toll could have been higher, Mr Abdul Ghani said, but the colonel had become suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him - presumably to reduce the number of casualties - as he detonated his explosives.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of most of Anbar, and though there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the camp attack, it had all the hallmarks of IS, which has in the past months staged large-scale attacks elsewhere in Iraq to distract from its losses in Mosul.

- PA
Update 16:49pm: German chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the emergency crews involved.

"Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and we wish all those who were injured a speedy recovery," she said.

Transport minister Alexander Dobrindt said at the crash site that it was not immediately clear what caused the initial traffic jam, but the bus seemed to have caught fire immediately.

The remains of 11 bodies were recovered from the bus, and forensic experts were still poring through the charred wreckage to identify and remove other remains, he said.

Two drivers and 46 passengers were on the bus, police spokeswoman Irene Brandenstein said, adding it was not known if the driver at the time was dead or alive.

Some 200 emergency crew members were at the scene, and five helicopters whisked the injured to nearby hospitals.

Simple wooden coffins were wheeled in for the remains recovered from the twisted wreckage of the bus.

Mr Dobrindt said when firefighters first arrived, the bus fire was so hot that they could not get anywhere close to the burning vehicle to rescue those stuck inside.

He also said recovery work was difficult because the bus was so badly damaged.

"All they could do was extinguish the fire," he said.

"The heat was so strong that nothing that's inflammable is left from the bus - only the steel frame."

Update 15:13pm: Eighteen people have been confirmed dead after a bus carrying German senior citizens crashed on a highway in Bavaria before bursting into flames.

Another 30 people were injured when the bus carrying the group crashed into a truck on the A9 highway in southern Germany on Monday morning.

Two of the injured are still in a life-threatening condition in hospital.

Police tweeted that the members of the group were between 41 and 81 years old and mostly from Saxony in eastern Germany.

Two drivers and 46 passengers were on the bus.

Update 11:49am: German police believe 18 people have died after a bus carrying a pensioners' tour group crashed into a truck and burst into flames.

Officers said 30 others were injured, some seriously, and were taken to hospital for treatment after the crash in Bavaria.

The other people on board "are believed to have died on the burning bus".

Police spokeswoman Irene Brandenstein said the bus was carrying a German senior citizens' tour group.

Ms Brandenstein said the work was complex and labour intensive, given how badly damaged the bus was.

The highway remained closed on both sides for hours and police tweeted later that the road leading south would be shut for the entire day.

Firefighters and ambulance staff were quickly on the scene to rescue the injured.

Two drivers and 46 passengers were on board the bus, Ms Brandenstein said.

By the time firefighters arrived and extinguished the flames, the bus was reduced to a charred frame.

Police said the group on the bus came from Saxony in eastern Germany and that no children were on board. The German news agency dpa reported that all the passengers were German citizens.

A phone number has been set up to provide family members with information.

Ms Brandenstein had no immediate information on the condition of the truck driver.

The accident led to long traffic jams on the A9, the main thoroughfare from Berlin to Munich.

Update 11:22am: German police have confirmed "multiple fatalities" after a bus crashed into a truck on a highway in Bavaria before bursting into flames.

Bavarian police said on Twitter that "multiple passengers on the bus were killed" in the early morning crash near Muenchberg, close to the Czech border.

Officers did not provide details, but had previously said 17 people were missing after the crash.

Another 31 people were injured, some seriously.

Forensic specialists are being brought in from Germany's federal police office to remove and identify the bodies from the charred vehicle.

The accident took place at around 7am local time (6am BST) when the bus collided with the back of the truck at the end of a traffic jam on the A9 highway.

The road remained closed in both directions for hours.

Update 10.20am: A number of people are feared dead after a coach went up in flames when it crashed into a truck in southern Germany, injuring 31 people and leaving 17 others unaccounted for, police said.

Spokeswoman Irene Brandenstein said police were "afraid that people may have died in the accident" near Muenchberg in Bavaria on Monday morning.

She added that several people were severely injured in the crash. Two drivers and 46 people and were on the bus.

Rescue workers stand beside burnt-out coach on the motorway A9 near Muenchberg, southeastern Germany, Monday, July 3, 2017 after a bus crashed into a truck and caught fire.. AP.

German news channel n-tv showed images of the bus, which was burned down to a black, smoking skeleton.

Several helicopters and ambulances were on the scene to rescue the injured and the A9 motorway was closed in both directions because of the accident.

Ms Brandenstein said the bus crashed into the truck at the end of a traffic jam.

She had no information about what happened to the truck driver or who was on the bus and where it came from.

Earlier: A total of 31 people are injured and 17 others are unaccounted for after a coach which crashed into a truck in southern Germany burst into flames, police said.

Several people were said to have been severely injured in the crash near Muenchberg in Bavaria on Monday morning.

Two drivers and 46 people were on the bus, police spokeswoman Irene Brandenstein said.

German news channel n-tv showed footage of the bus, which was burned down to a black, smoking skeleton.

Helicopters and ambulances were on the scene to rescue the injured and the A9 motorway was closed in both directions because of the accident.

Ms Brandenstein said the bus crashed into the truck at the end of a traffic jam.

She had no information immediately about what happened to the truck driver.

AP
Japan and the EU could forge a trade agreement later this week, officials said.

Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commissioner for trade, told reporters in Madrid she was hopeful the two sides would resolve their remaining differences and announce a deal when Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe meets EU leaders in Brussels ahead of a G20 summit in Germany.

Ms Malmstrom said: "The Japanese don't agree with some of the key technical issues (in the deal) which are fundamental for the EU, especially those referred to investment."

Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida said over the weekend that he was hopeful the two sides would resolve remaining differences, mainly over trade in cheese and cars, and was ready to visit Brussels this week to help the talks along.

Talks on the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement for two of the world's biggest economies ended late on Saturday in Tokyo with officials saying they believed a deal was within reach.

Such a deal will require fine-tuning regarding Japan's protections for its dairy farmers, whose home market is protected by tariffs of up to 40% on processed cheese.

Japan wants the EU to lift tariffs on cars, a demand that EU officials said was difficult to carry out immediately.

Both sides are asking the other to open their markets to each other's wines, and there are a few other issues still yet to be resolved, Japanese media said.

It is unclear just what the potential for compromise on cheese might be, given Japanese farm minister Yoji Yamamoto's rejection of a EU request for Japan to match its commitments for relaxing its trade rules on cheese imports to match those it agreed to in negotiations with members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

That trade pact was cast into question by US president Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the formerly US-led Pacific Rim trade initiative.

However, the 11 remaining members have been discussing ways to pursue a revised version without the US as the anchor.

Australia and New Zealand, the biggest exporters of cheese and other dairy products to Japan, fought hard to persuade Tokyo to gradually open its market over a 15-year period.

Both Japan and the EU have a tradition of protecting their politically powerful farming sectors, and dairy products are an especially sensitive issue for the EU, with its long traditions and half the world's market share for cheese.

Japanese eat only about 1lb of cheese per person a year, a lot less than Europeans, partly because of different tastes and food cultures, and partly because costs are so high.

Costs are relatively high thanks to a complicated system that is engineered to ensure the country's 17,700 dairy farmers, overwhelmingly small family businesses, continue to provide a stable supply of raw milk, even though their average costs are double those of farmers in Europe and the US.

About a quarter of the cheese imported into Japan is reprocessed and repackaged so as to "add value" before products reach consumers.

A glut in milk production in the past two years in the US, Europe and Oceania has helped push prices lower and boosted imports, according to a recent US department of agriculture report.

It also has lent urgency to the EU's efforts to win easier access to Japanese consumers.

- PA
Disturbed frontline staff are risking their careers to blow the lid on the "destructive" environment inside the Bimberi youth detention centre.

Staff shortages and a toxic culture have created a volatile situation inside the centre, putting frontline workers and children at risk, several sources alleged.

Staff have spoken out about the toxic culture inside the ACT's youth justice system. Credit:Karleen Minney

"I'm looking for work. We all are," said one youth worker, describing how staff morale had finally hit rock bottom.

"Nobody is proud to work at Bimberi," a second Bimberi employee added.
The pic was found by my colleague David Ellery while using the generic search term 'Canberra bird' in our photo database. The caption reads:

Former Public Service Bird of the Week Diana Turner was also an entrant in the 1973 Miss Australia Quest. Credit:Russell McPhedran/Fairfax Media

There's no doubt this photo of former (or maybe current?) public servant Diana Turner from September 1973 captures a truly unique moment in time. But this pic has caused such a stir in The Canberra Times office that I felt we needed a follow-up story.

"PS Bird of the Week! Twenty-year-old Diana Turner is an entrant in the Miss Australia Quest. Diana, who comes from Canberra, has just returned from a holiday in Fiji. She is a clerk in the public service, and was recently voted Public Service Bird of the Week. No wonder!"

Um, excuse me, WHAT? Bird of the Week? Not clerk or stenographer of the week but BIRD of the week?

Now my guess is you're doing one of three things after reading that caption - using the word outrageous a lot, wiping tears of laughter from your eyes, or shaking your head in gobsmacked disbelief.

I mean, was there really a competition in our Commonwealth public service that gave out prizes to good-looking women? Like 52 women a year? What was the prize - a stunning pic of you straddling a motorbike to give to your boyfriend? And was there a male equivalent? Public Service Bloke of the Week?

I'd love our readers to help me find Diana Turner - who is now 64 - so I can ask all of these questions and more. Better still, I'd love to find any readers who were once a Public Service Bird of the Week themselves!
Good morning!

Things are warming up...just slightly. Thanks to a bit of cloud cover, today's set to warm up from a minimum temperature of one degree and reach a maximum of 10. And while it might be a bit milder, it may be blustery, with northwesterly winds due to reach 25 to 35 km/h.

A perfect reason to stay out of the elements and tuck into the news.

The 'living hell' of youth detention in the ACT
The 40-bed Bimberi facility in northern Canberra houses the ACT's most troubled young offenders aged between 10 and 21. A picture of a cell inside the Bimberi Youth Justice Centre Built in 2008 following the closure of the scandal-plagued Quamby centre, it was itself the subject of a damning human rights review in 2011. The ACT government's executive director of youth services, Dr Mark Collis, said Bimberi was today "one of the most open and transparent" detention centres in Australia. "I'm not giving credence to any one of these matters, [but] I want to hear what they are," he said.

"We have a track record of acting on every allegation of misconduct that has come before us." If a detainee hits me I'll just let him beat the shit out of me. It's better to be at home on compo than to be at that place Bimberi youth detention centre worker The Community Services Directorate declined to comment on specific allegations, although it said it was aware of a number of incidents in the past, each of which had been reported and responded to at the time. "And I am absolutely relaxed about the responses we've had," Dr Collis added. "I am confident the centre hasn't had the kind of catastrophic failures that others have. We have a centre that delivers really good outcomes for kids."

Sources told a different story. The first sign of trouble inside Bimberi came earlier this year when a guilt-stricken whistleblower wrote a series of letters to politicians and the territory government. The letters, seen by The Canberra Times, painted a horrifying picture of life inside the detention centre. "I had witnessed young persons try to kill themselves and cut themselves until they bled," one letter began. "I had watched and been involved in uses of force where the young person screamed for their mum or dad."

One letter recalled a "sickening" incident around 2014, in which a detainee smashed their head on the concrete after guards threw them to the floor. "Their hands were cuffed behind their back and they were unable to break the fall. The sound it made was sickening and I thought for sure they had split their skull." They later described how the sound of the incident still haunted them years later. "That was one of the worst things I ever saw. The sound, I couldn't believe it. It was like dropping a coconut on the concrete." The same whistleblower described another violent incident involving one detainee and three guards.

"I saw the footage. You could see the kid throw a jab towards a staff member's stomach. "[The guards] have grabbed them and thrown them against the wall. They were holding them and kneeing them in the body and face. They had a black eye for a week." Former Bimberi detainees also spoke of an environment where violence was a tool to make troublesome children toe the line. A small number of former guards would go as far as to encourage children to fight each other, ex- detainees alleged. "If there was a problem, the guards would let us sort it out ourselves.

"Certain guards would arrange for us to go into a room and sort it out." Occasionally, this would stretch beyond disagreements and guards would ask particular inmates to fight other troublesome detainees. "They would say to us, 'We want this guy next'." A former youth worker described similar incidents. "During my employment at Bimberi I personally heard staff congratulate [detainees] for assaulting disliked detainees," they said.

"I also heard a detainee defending their actions by saying words to the effect of, 'I thought I was doing staff a favour'. "There were several children in Bimberi who didn't fit in so were continually a target for staff and detainees. "For these detainees Bimberi was an absolute living hell." Current staff members said a lack of resources and training created an environment where they were concerned for their own safety when dealing with volatile detainees. "It's a really dangerous place. You don't know if you'll go home safely," one source said.

"A lot of us are scared." Former staff members have also raised concerns about other alleged human rights issues inside the facility, such as racially abusive language. "I personally heard a staff member, in a morning brief, refer to an Indigenous young person as a black c---," a source said. It is not just frontline youth workers who have been disturbed by their experiences. A small number of staff within the ACT's wider youth justice system have also grown concerned in recent years.

"I feel I have a duty to step up and give an insider's view about how and why the system continues to fail so severely," said one veteran of the ACT youth justice system. "At one meeting senior staff were discussing troublesome young people, talking about a child who had been 'bronzing up'  or smearing faeces over his cell. "Everyone was laughing and sniggering at this behaviour. But any expert should know this is a flashing red light of potential psychosis." Dr Collis said Bimberi staff were extensively trained and worked within a comprehensive set of workplace policies and procedures.

Before starting at the centre, they underwent one of the most "intensive induction procedures in any youth justice centre in Australia", he said. The ACT Human Rights Commission has confirmed that it is aware of concerns about the treatment of young people at Bimberi. "We have a number of regulatory and oversight mechanisms that we are utilising regarding these concerns that have been brought to our attention, and are reviewing Bimberi practices, including use of force and strip-searching, which we expect to complete later in 2017," a spokeswoman said. Behind the wire: Youth detention in the ACT 2008 - The Bimberi Youth Justice Centre is opened following the closure of the scandal-plagued Quamby Centre

2011 - A teacher inside Bimberi quits before raising concerns about staffing, bullying and training 2011 - Bimberi is reviewed by the Human Rights Commission. The damning report delivers more than 200 separate recommendations 2011 - A youth worker is charged after allegedly smuggling cannabis into the centre for a detainee 2012 - Three prescription drug overdoses are reported inside the facility 2013 - Two more prescription drug overdoses are reported inside the facility
South Australia's opposition has vowed to block the state government's bank tax in the upper house, after a fierce campaign against the $370 million levy from the powerful banking industry.

After a party room meeting on Monday afternoon, opposition leader Steven Marshall said the party would vote against the levy, which he described as "toxic" and "job destroying".

SA Liberal leader Steven Marshall has vowed to block the state's bank tax. Credit:David Mariuz

The opposition's decision means there will be enough upper house votes to block the tax, which shocked banks when it was announced last month. Several minor party MPs have also said they will oppose the levy.

"Jay Weatherill's toxic new tax is a desperate move from a tired and arrogant government," Mr Marshall said.
The anecdote resonated because it spoke of a worrisome trait that explained some of his decisions: Tony Abbott was a bit, well, bizarre sometimes. His perception was one octave further out of tune with reality than even most politicians. It explained the knights and dames, the raw onion eating, the disjoint between how the government saw the world, and how the rest of Australia did for those three years Mr Abbott was Prime Minister. It ultimately made him an easy dispatch for Malcolm Turnbull, a Liberal who Australians saw as more contemporary in thinking.

His imagination is drawn to the epic scale of civilisation-level struggle. According to one report in 2015, he would sit in his prime ministerial office and read Churchill, and ponder national security and ISIS.

Mr Abbott has an instinct for the destructive and a bent for ideological fist fighting, something he likes to drape in the terminology of war, the theatre for his political 'battlelines'.

Watching Tony Abbott throw rocks at his own government last week might remind Australians how he became Prime Minister almost four years ago.

Mr Abbott's oddness might go again to explaining some of the former prime minister's antics in the past week. Again, Australians have been treated to the cynical, tin-ear politics that marked his term. This time, it has imported and shamelessly adapted Trumpism ('Make Australia Work Again'). By proposing a cut to immigration, it's also tried playing to the tune of disaffected voters, the target of One Nation and other populist insurgents.

The fight is an easy one to pick for the former prime minister. He's got little to lose, and the Turnbull government's decision to try winning back the political centre and flex some populist muscle has opened it to attack on its right-wing credentials.

Hard-right conservatives have and should voice their concerns about their party's direction, as they look nervously at the growth of other parties on the right. The Liberals are in a tough position, reaching for the centre while appeasing their party's extremities.

But Mr Abbott's campaign smacks of self-interest and bitterness. Above all, it re-engages his knack for reckless destruction at a time the government - and Australia - needs stability. What he really hopes to achieve is unclear. By sniping at the sidelines, Mr Abbott only discredits the cause of others on the hard-right trying to sway their party's thinking. The conservative wing of the Liberals may despair at Christopher Pyne's boasting about a dominant moderate faction, but their best chance for political influence lies inside a stable Turnbull government, not in a caustic opposition like Mr Abbott's, unable to make reform when it came to governing.

The hard-right conservatives and voters Mr Abbott is appealing to should consider this when watching him throw rocks again. He might find then the war he's fighting is his own, imaginary one.
It was not meant to be like this. And the fact that it is calls for some explanation.

Notwithstanding Christopher Pyne's ugly triumphalism, small-l liberals feel betrayed. Conservatives either vent their anger and or place their hopes in a Tony Abbott comeback, which  much to the angst of metropolitan sophisticates and the Canberra press gallery  now looks conceivable. In between, there is much sighing and shaking of heads.

For anyone who's followed Liberalism closely and enthusiastically in this country, as I have for more than a quarter of a century, these are dark days. There is widespread talk of knives being sharpened and coups being hatched. Senior party figures are retreating from the past week's dramas in disgust and horror. At the grassroots, Liberal membership is in decline, and those remaining activists are angry at the policy direction in Canberra.

Nothing short of open warfare has erupted in the federal Liberal Party. This once great political party resembles nothing so much as a pub brawl.

Many Liberal MPs feel slighted by their Prime Minister. Credit:Andrew Meares

The temptation, scarcely resisted, is to blame it all on the Prime Minister and his circle. This interpretation has a lot going for it. I have lost count of the number of times I have been regaled by Liberal MPs with anecdotes about snubs by Malcolm Turnbull.

To be sure, backbenchers always feel that their leader does not pay them much attention: the stories about John Gorton's contempt for his colleagues in the late '60s and early '70s, for instance, are legendary. But there is a striking malice about the way some Liberal MPs spit about this prime minister. To paraphrase former Liberal minister and governor-general Paul Hasluck, the longer one is associated with Turnbull, the deeper the contempt for him grows and they find it hard to allow him any merit. So much for the vision, unity and leadership that was supposed to characterise this prime ministership.

Another shortcoming is policy. The Liberal Party purportedly stands for individual freedom and the right to make your own way in life. It sides with people against government. There is very little of that philosophical mindset evident in recent government decisions, from energy and education to spending and superannuation.

And yet it is facile to just blame Turnbull and his lot for today's widespread discontent. After all, if everything is the fault of a sub-par prime minister and a bunch of under-performing cabinet ministers, it suggests this is a temporary problem that can be fixed with comparative ease. It is an explanation that distracts us from contemplating a more uncomfortable possibility, one that might cast doubt on the nature of public-policy making in this nation. I am referring to what the distinguished journalist Paul Kelly has called a political crisis.
The internet has been lost to the bad guys. The attempt to recover it has only just begun. It won't be easy. Trumpeted as a cornucopia of liberty and prosperity, it has evolved into a Pandora's box of mischief and malice. Its malevolent exploitation rests on two foundational failures. One, its earliest technical designers in the US military put connectivity over security. And two, its earliest civilian adopters were guilty of a wide-eyed naivete.

The internet is an extension of the original network created by the Pentagon's Advanced Research Projects Agency, ARPA. In 1967 when the ARPANET was being wired up to connect research laboratories across the US, a prescient engineer warned of the danger of connecting computer networks. Willis Ware, a specialist working for the Pentagon-sponsored RAND Corporation, explained it would become impossible to protect anything connected to those networks. Duly warned, ARPA considered adding security features to the architecture of the net, as chronicled in Fred Kaplan's book, Dark Territory: The Secret History of Cyber War. But the net's chief scientist "begged" his superiors not to burden the project with such hindrances, and assured them that it'd take the Russians decades to catch up.

He was right, but catch up they did, together with a rogue's gallery of others, and then it was too late.

And among the civilian tech community, the early shapers of the web worked hard to enforce a techno-utopian vision. In pursuit of a worldwide web of beautiful libertinism, they rejected all regulation. The web was ungoverned space.
The head of the federal government's Australian Border Force has left active duty following an external investigation.

Sources say Roman Quaedvlieg has taken leave for a matter relating to his personal behaviour, rather than his official duties.

According to reports, Mr Quaedvlieg is facing allegations of inappropriate behaviour relating to a personal relationship.
"Africa made its own problems. Quit having 10 kids. Famine is nature's way of saying there are too many people. Stop reproducing."

This comment by one Australian on social media attracted 23 likes. Even though the food crisis gripping East Africa is driven by civil war, drought and economic collapse - not overpopulation - it's a common refrain among Australians posting on social media and news site comment sections.

"Send them a box of condoms instead of any food. They only know how to breed nonstop and then beg for food," says another.
And it seems to be succeeding. Walking the strip past stayers such as Bacash and the Botanical, even the more youth-focused Entrecote further down, it's Gilson that has the most smokers on the deck and drinkers in the tiled bar.

Twomey is a good shout for the task. The task being playing to the old-school punters of this 'hood with steak frites and oysters, while building the lower base with cocktails and the virtues of being hot and young.

You are, in fact, on Domain Road at the pretty all-day cafe and restaurant from Jamie and Loren McBride, a duo not strangers to trends. Their cafe Mammoth gifted Melbourne the lobster doughnut burger. Barry in Northcote pays much lip service to kale and activated nuts. When they opened this full service restaurant in December it was with a wildly broad menu of French classics, pizzas, tartares and chia bowls. At the six-month mark, they've brought in long-time McConnell group chef John Paul Twomey as executive to tighten the screws.

The dish that speaks most clearly of Twomey, and the McConnell group by proxy, takes the form of a garfish tart. A fillet of the needle-nosed fish, richer and darker than tuna, but far less funky than sardines, is showered with pickled onion, green chives and aioli over a finger of herby lavosh. See also a Cumulus Up-ish plate of pickles for swiping through goat's curd.

From the snack gallery comes an excellent starter of potato focaccia, crisp shelled and soft-bellied to crunch hotly against the cream and green of spring onion oil and smashed burrata. It's not unlike Victor Liong's Chinese pizza at Lee Ho Fook.

Is a riff on vitello tonnato placing tuna cream over ham-like smoked pork instead of veal better than the original or an easier sell than calf? There's a not-bruschetta too where grilled cuttlefish threads crown eggplant cooked to meltdown with a Sichuan tingle of chilli oil. Were you to separate the delicate squid from the delicious but dominant eggplant on its hefty crouton, you'd have two great dishes for the price of a conflicting one.

There are a lot of perks to carefully curated businesses like this. Systems yield steady service. It's a background ripe for pics. Dishes even come on paper sheets emblazoned with logos for the perfectly branded shot. In the morning the counters are laden with pastries. There are places to position your designer dog outside. Their half roast chicken has skin with the fully rendered shatterabilty of a Peking duck and a green goddess sauce  the herb, mayo and anchovy blitz-up that's an edible way to describe the colour green.

It has everything you need for successful dining from manhattans to mocktails, buttered pumpkin ravioli to grain salads for the skinny crowd. There's actually such box-ticking uniformity it might cause a small Fight Club rebellion in your heart.
Most teenagers might throw out a pamphlet on birth control, but the creators of a new mobile app that looks more like Instagram or Snapchat are hopeful they can capture the attention of young people navigating a world of dating, sex and hormones.

Real Talk, a free app that will launch this spring, tries to answer teens' questions about puberty and relationships in a conversational format. Users can read stories submitted by teenagers, which appear as text messages peppered with slang and emojis  even eggplants and peaches that represent body parts.

The team behind Real Talk believe the shared experiences of peers will be more relatable to teens than the sex education they receive in school. Credit:Stocksy

It's not the first app of its kind on the market, but the three-woman team behind Real Talk believes the shared experiences of peers will be more relatable to teens than the sex education they receive in school.

"Every feature and element is grounded in something a middle school student told us," said co-founder Elizabeth Chen.
The past week was nothing but eventful considering the relative peace China-US relations have enjoyed since Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump struck a constructive note for bilateral ties when they met in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, in April.

Over the past few days, Washington has approved a $1.4-billion arms sale to Taiwan and blacklisted a Chinese bank for alleged business ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the US Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a bill for US naval vessels to make regular stops at Taiwan ports and help the island develop undersea warfare capabilities.

The moves run counter to the consensus reached by the two presidents on that occasion that the two countries should work together to forge a constructive partnership.

Although the approval of the arms sales to Taiwan agreed last year is the most provocative move the Trump administration has taken thus far, it is actually the latest act of a decades-old routine stemming from the US Defense Authorization Act. It is hardly a novelty in bilateral ties, and is only surprising because of its timing, scale and the technologies involved.

The proposed port visits are another matter, should they gain the approval of Congress and the authorization of the president, the consequences for ties are likely to be extremely serious, because besides sending a misleading message to the secessionist forces in Taiwan, they would constitute a substantial infringement on China's sovereignty.

Washington is well aware that Beijing will not tolerate any external interference in its internal affairs, especially any challenge to the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Something Xi spelled out very clearly during his just-concluded visit to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

At this stage, the moves made last week are nothing more than annoying, and they do not necessarily measure up to a reversal in the US' China policies as some are claiming.

It may be the outcome-oriented Washington is anxious to leverage immediate gains from bilateral collaboration in relation to priority issues on its agenda or a price-hiking ploy prior to negotiations at the upcoming Comprehensive Economic Dialogue. Either way, going overboard in trying to put pressure on Beijing may prove counterproductive, since it will simply prompt a tit-for-tat response from which the US will not emerge unbruised.

Beijing, protesting against the moves, has called on Washington to correct its mistakes so that their cooperation on major issues will not be affected, showing the constructive partnership they have pledged to formulate is still attainable if there is a shared will.
Former premier Mike Baird burst into tears when he saw his daughter in her wedding dress for the first time.

The moment was captured by James Day who photographed the wedding of Mr Baird's eldest daughter, Laura Baird, to Levi Baker, at St Matthews Anglican church in Manly on Saturday.

Shortly before the wedding was about to start, Mr Day said he put his hand on the former premier's shoulder and explained his idea for capturing the bond between him and his eldest daughter.

"Do you mind walking into the room backward so you don't see us," Mr Day asked him.
My late father was not alone. Down the backstreets of Sydney's trendy Surry Hills is a counselling clinic frequented by Australians seeking help for a fear of poverty. Ironically, the fear, known as peniaphobia, often presents itself just after someone comes into money. They land a big deal in their business, or they're just starting to succeed in life. Treating psychotherapist Dan Auerbach describes the majority of his patients as upper or middle-class types who have had some degree of financial success in their life. They come in seeking help for depression and anxiety and often admit to a fear of poverty during a session, he says. Minor events can trigger their primitive fear and push them back into a feeling of survival mode. Business people can be triggered after they've secured a big deal, watched a movie or even a comment or conversation about finances can cause utter panic, the director of Associated Counsellors & Psychologists Sydney says. He's noticed that the more financially successful his patients are, the greater the anxiety levels around money can get.

"Worrying about losing it all can become a very real spiral for some, leading to almost constant stress and anxiety," Auerbach says. Phobias generally arise from a combination of external events and internal predispositions. Many phobias can be traced to a specific triggering event, usually a traumatic experience at an early age. Peniaphobia can often be traced back to early childhood to a time when a family was in financial stress. Or, there may have been a realisation that the sufferer's parents were doing it tough financially. And even though they've come through the time of poverty and it isn't an issue, some find it difficult to adjust to the fact that finances aren't an issue anymore, Auerbach explains. "Sometimes, the fear of poverty is linked to questioning their own competency in their job. People may have a feeling of fraudulence or not feeling worthwhile. Business people or professionals who obtain money in an aggressive or forceful manner can really struggle with this fear of retribution or phobia of losing it all. It can be very real for them," Auerbach says.

"They might not feel fully fledged in their role at work, or feel that they've been paid for something they don't really feel qualified to do. Some people may have never had a sense of authenticity in what they do, or don't have full confidence that they're earning their keep in life," he explains. How it manifests People living with peniaphobia like to preserve, save or keep items, just in case. They often feel the compulsion to grab or clutch or act competitively to gather more, to make sure they've got enough and that they don't miss out, Auerbach says. "They can be brilliant at preserving things. They may have a very well-stocked pantry, or they'll buy two or three more packets of rice when they're on their last one, so they don't ever run out," he says. "Some sufferers take extreme care of their money. They may find it scary to let go of the purse strings even a little bit. They don't waste anything, and there's tremendous anxiety in spending money, even on things they can easily afford. Others might hide their valuable possessions."

Symptoms can include extreme anxiety, dread and anything associated with panic such as shortness of breath, rapid breathing, irregular heartbeat, excessive sweating, nausea, dry mouth, inability to articulate words or sentences, shaking, frustration and dizziness. Auerbach treats sufferers with a range of approaches. It may be building up their own inner confidence, helping them to develop a more realistic and compassionate assessment of their skills and abilities. "Some of our clients only see the bad about themselves, and have never had anyone recognise them for their real skills and abilities. We work to help them understand their self-critical and self-degenerating experience and to counter it with a more realistic view. For others, we help them explore the root cause of their anxieties or fears, including real losses from the past they may not have dealt with. We also help them to reflect on whether their actions match with their values so they become aware of the cost of certain competitive behaviours." Thinking rich thoughts A fear of poverty is listed as one of the six fears that prevent some people from becoming rich in the classic personal finance book, Think and Grow Rich, published in 1937.
It bills itself as the world's most innovative business conference and it's coming to Melbourne later this year.

After six years in Montreal, Melbourne will host the first C2 event held outside Canada this November at the heritage-listed No. 5 Goods Shed in North Wharf on the Yarra River.

The sky meetings at C2 Montreal.

The two-day event bring some together some of the business world's most creative minds to hear from a wide array of speakers, as well as getting hands-on in activities such as "brain dates", networking meetings in the sky and collaborative cake baking classes.

C2 International president Richard St-Pierre said participants should "get ready to leave all preconceived notions of business conferences behind".
Police are treating the death of a man as suspicious after his body was found at a popular Sydney lookout on Sunday.

Emergency services were called to Cape Solander Lookout in Kurnell just after 1pm after a body was seen on rocks.

A helicopter retrieves the man's body at Kurnell. Credit:Blissiplined with Sara Shivani/Facebook

PolAir was called in to assist with the retrieval operation. It's believed the body is of a 41-year-old man from Brighton-Le-Sands.

Police say the victim suffered a number of injuries, but are yet to determine a cause of death.
A man has been remanded in custody after appearing in a Queensland court over an alleged machete attack which left a woman with severe facial injuries.

Clint Darryn Hall, 35, made no application for bail after appearing in Southport Magistrates Court on Monday on two counts of acts intended to maim and one count of unlawfully possessing stolen items.

An alleged attack at a Gold Coast home left two people injured. Credit:Google Maps

Mr Hall and another man, 18, were charged in relation to the alleged attack at a Gold Coast home in the early hours of Saturday morning that left two people injured.

Ingrid Brown, 35, had to undergo surgery at Gold Coast University Hospital after her face was cut, while her partner Michael Liddell, 34, suffered a cut to his forearm.
A man is dead after a crash with a parked semi-trailer south of Brisbane.

Firefighters had to cut the man free from his Suzuki Swift after a crash just before 6am in an industrial area of Logan left him with critical head injuries.

The man had been freed within 20 minutes of the crash but died of his injuries. Credit:Jorge Branco

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said the man had been freed within 20 minutes of the crash, on Platinum Street, Crestmead, and placed in the care of paramedics.

But he could not be revived and was pronounced dead at the scene, police confirmed.
The former operations manager of a retaining wall company has been charged with fraud and forgery after months of investigations by Brisbane detectives.

A 35-year-old Birkdale man will appear in Wynnum Magistrates Court on August 8, facing four charges over offences alleged to have occurred between August 25, 2016 and November 9, 2016.

Police lay fraud charges after questions over collapsing retaining walls. Credit:Tony Moore

He is charged with dishonestly gaining a benefit through fraud, forgery, uttering and obtaining and dealing with identification information.

Police said the charges involved "a course of action" involving the unlawful use of a digital signature.
Facebook's small print may be the next big thing for Europe's competition watchdogs as they look closely at how the world's biggest social network collects information from users that helps generate vast advertising revenues.

Germany's Federal Cartel Office is examining whether Facebook essentially takes advantage of its popularity to bully users into agreeing to terms and conditions they might not understand. The details that users provide help generate the targeted ads that make the company so rich.

In the eyes of the Cartel Office, Facebook is "extorting" information from its users, said Frederik Wiemer, a lawyer at Heuking Kuehn Lueer Wojtek in Hamburg. "Whoever doesn't agree to the data use, gets locked out of the social network community," he said. "The fear of social isolation is exploited to get access to the complete surfing activities of users."

The European Union's antitrust arm has grabbed the limelight with eye-popping penalties for US technology firms it found fell foul of anti-competitive behaviour. Last year, it ordered Apple Inc. to pay 13 billion ($19.3 billion) in back taxes and last week it fined Google 2.4 billion for allegedly skewing search results in its favour. But lawyers say the Cartel Office's probe is testing the boundaries of antitrust law  with ramifications far beyond Germany and Facebook as all kinds of powerful technology firms seek to find new ways to cash in on their trove of customer information.
Tracy Golder moved to Heyfield from Melbourne as a single mum 14 years ago on a whim. She simply wanted to buy an affordable house in which to raise her son.

Ms Golder found much more than cheap housing in the Gippsland town. She found a supportive and creative community she now loves dearly.

"I came here and did not know one person," she said. "Now I pretty much know the whole town."

But a great community is not enough to ensure Heyfield's long-term survival.
Police have offered a $250,000 reward for information into the bashing death of Broome man Joshua Warneke, three months after the man wrongly convicted of his manslaughter was released from prison.

Police Minister Michelle Roberts and Police Commissioner Karl O'Callaghan announced details of the reward on Monday afternoon.

Josh Warneke was found dead by a passing taxi driver on the side of Old Broome Road in 2010. Credit:Ingrid Bishop

The reward has been welcomed by Mr Warneke's mother Ingrid Bishop.

"I know there are people in Broome who are not speaking out  maybe they're too scared, I don't know, but it's time to come forward and let us know," Ms Bishop said.
With the submission deadline for the ASIC Review of Mortgage Broker Remuneration now passed and the major players providing their responses to the proposed changes, the question is where the industry goes from here.While ASIC and Treasury have not given a specific timeline on what will happen, they will continue to monitor and stay close to the process, Mike Felton , CEO of the Mortgage & Finance Association of Australia ( MFAA ), told Australian Broker.The MFAA would liaise with both ASIC and Treasury to discuss details about the proposed changes and what they would look like, he said.It depends on the quality of the submissions and the progress that we make. If we continue to show progress, we will be given the time to make meaningful change.Felton said that a specific timeline will be discussed within the second combined industry forum which will be held mid-July. The inaugural event, the first of its kind, was held on 9 June.The MFAA along with three other industry associations  the Finance Brokers Association of Australia ( FBAA ), Australian Bankers Association (ABA), and Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA)  will take joint leadership moving forward, the aim being to completely self-regulate the industry without the need for government or regulatory interference.One of the challenges is finding a vehicle through which self-regulation can be implemented, Felton said. While this may come in the form of a code of practice, it is still early in the process with final details needed to be decided on, he added.At this stage, it is unanimous across the MFAAs entire aggregator panel that everybody wants to be involved in this process of self-regulation.We will continue to liaise very closely with our members and consult and obtain feedback in terms of the progress going forwards. What cannot happen is that becomes a void. We will make sure that we keep our member groups in the loop.
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You aint zine nothing yet!

The boroughs longest-running zine festival is breaking out some heavy hitters for the sixth annual Petes Mini Zine Fest on July 8. The self-publishing showcase will add a smattering of bookstores and college clubs to its usual indie artists, which will just help everyone to shine, said a fest organizer.

This year were going to have some slightly bigger organizations, which I think is great because  more zines and comics to share with people! said Ditmas Park comics creator Marguerite Dabaie, who coordinates the show with zinester Andria Alefhi.

For the fest, about 30 exhibitors will pack into the front room and back yard of Willliamsburg bar Petes Candy Store. Tablers will include the volunteer-run feminist bookstore Bluestockings, Quimbys Bookstore, and the Barnard Zine Club, alongside solo zine and comic artists like Dabaie, who will show off their latest creations and hobnob with fellow scribblers, she said.

I think what people like most about our zine fest is that its very communal, its great for people to sit around, chill out with a beer, and just talk about each others work, said Dabaie. We try and have an equal variety of zines and comics  and that line is starting to blur lately, I think. I see them as part of the same vessel  just different formats.

Zines tend to be more literary-centric passion projects, while comics are fueled by the art. But both forms offer creators a chance to explore personal projects, and give readers a chance to find work outside the mainstream, according to Dabaie.

The market is fickle and sometimes things are important to talk about, even if a gigantic company doesnt think its important to talk about, she said.

For example, Dabaies comic A Voyage To Panjikant, is a work of historical fiction set in seventh century Sogdia  an ancient Iranian civilization that once included swaths of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan  and tracks the life of a headstrong 16-year-old girl named Upach. The spunky teen wishes to travel the Silk Road as a merchant, like her father, but a strict cultural code keeps her from the adventure she craves. The risks the character takes to defy patriarchal rules ring true today, said Dabaie.

I kind of made it as a way to talk about modern day social issues under the guise of history, she said. I feel people tend to handle social criticism better when its in sci-fi or history, so I wanted to give a little buffer and have fun while doing it  I love history.

At the festival, Dabaie will hawk her zine Crash Course on the Sogdians, which focuses on how the merchant culture incorporated different cultures into their own, as well as her comic Can These Cookies Stop Islamaphobia?

The night before the festival, Dabaie will read from her work at Quimbys Bookstore, along with fellow Brooklyn cartoonists and Zine Fest exhibitors Jeremy Nguyen, who draws Stranger Than Bushwick, and Bill Roundy, bartoonist behind the Bar Scrawl comic strip, among others.

Petes Mini Zine Fest reading at Quimbys [536 Metropolitan Ave. between Union Avenue and Lorimer Street, (718) 3841215, www.faceb ook.com/ quimb ysnyc ]. July 7 at 7 pm. Free.

Petes Mini Zine Fest at Petes Candy Store [709 Lorimer St. between Richardson and Frost streets in Williamsburg, (718) 3023770, www.petes candy store.com ]. July 8, 27 pm. Free.

Reach reporter Caroline Spivack at cspiv ack@c ngloc al.com or by calling (718) 2602523. Follow her on Twitter @carolinespivack.
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The bizarre death of a convicted child-murderers brother just got even more mysterious.

The medical examiner can not figure out what killed Tzvi Aron, who was found dead and bound with duct tape in the basement of his mothers Kensington home on June 2, and ended its investigation with no definitive findings, a spokeswoman said on June 27.

The cause of death is undetermined, and the manner of death is undetermined, said Julie Bolcer. An undetermined classification means that the medical examiner has concluded the investigation and can not rule with certainty after taking into account all the available information and any test results.

Bolcer called the examiners inconclusive findings not highly uncommon, and said it concluded other investigations with similar results as recently as this month.

But determining cause of death in this day and age is like falling off a log, according to a Brooklyn defense attorney who said it is unusual for the medical examiner to blow an investigation of a death  especially one with as much public interest as that of Aron, the brother of Levi Aron, one of the boroughs most notorious killers.

They are so exact in their science that they can determine when you died, how you died, where you died, said Neil Ruskin, who has practiced law in New York state since 1972. To hear that doesnt make any sense.

Ruskin  who is not affiliated with the situation  suggested a cover up is in the works, and said that the medical examiners office knows far more than it is letting on.

Ive heard that horse s before, he said. Its a cover up. They dont want to say whats going on.

Another attorney, who represented Levi Aron after he plead guilty to murdering 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky, said that Tzvi Aron could have suffered from mental illness like his brother or their sister, who suffered from schizophrenia, and likely committed suicide.

You have a history of very severe mental illness in the family, with Levi probably the sickest of all, said Howard Greenberg, whose client ultimately was deemed fit to stand trial and was sentenced to 40 years in prison.

The lawyer went on to speculate that, if Tzvi Arons death was a suicide, the medical examiner could be holding back information in order not to embarrass the Jewish community, which considers killing yourself a cultural taboo.

Its a suicide and they dont want to publish the results, Greenberg said.

Not everyone found fault with the medical examiner, however.

A Manhattan defense attorney also not connected to the situation said that, while he never has handled a case where the medical examiner could not determine a cause of death, it is not unheard of.

The lawyer pointed to the case of Otto Warmbier, the University of Virginia student who died earlier this month after being released in a coma following 17 months of captivity in a North Korean prison. Doctors said Warmbier had extensive loss of brain tissue in all regions of his brain, but could not determine the initial cause of his injury, the New York Times reported.

The attorney said it is possible that Tzvi Aron was tortured  potentially as punishment for his brothers crime  and said that a heart attack incidental to the abuse could be what actually killed him, complicating the medical examiners attempt to determine exactly what happened.

The medical examiners office maintained its findings and the process through which it arrived at them, Bolcer said, noting that its investigation into Tzvi Arons death did not differ from any other procedure that concluded with similar ambiguity.

Even with the most advanced science and technology available, the medical examiner reaches the conclusion of undetermined cause and manner of death in a small minority of investigations, she said. The level of public interest in a case and the communities represented have no bearing on the impartiality of investigative outcomes.
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A leg that washed up on Manhattans Upper West Side on Saturday is believed to belong to the headless, brutally dismembered woman whose torso surfaced in water near Red Hook last week, according to reports.

A jogger found part of the limb  which had pink toenails and was not decomposed  on a Manhattan riverbank, the New York Daily News reported.

The torso of the woman who the leg is thought to belong to was found near Pier 44 at the foot of Conover Street on Tuesday by a couple walking their dog.

The body was chopped at the knees, had no arms, and its intestines were spilling out, according to the man who discovered it.

Cops released an image of a tattoo written in Sanskrit on the victims left thigh hoping it would help uncover her identity, and later identified the remains as those of a missing New Jersey woman after her mother visited the 76th Precinct station house and told authorities her daughter had the same tattoo, which was a tribute to her aunt, according to reports.

Police have yet to release the womans name, and the investigation is ongoing, a spokesman said.
Springfield quarry plan still unresolved as residents wait, worry

Conditional Use Hearing on a proposed quarry along Rt. 309 in Springfield may be nearing an end after two years. Here's what residents have to say.
State Senator Steve Santarsiero (D-10) presented a check to Yardley Borough Police Chief Joseph Kelly for $68,600 for the purchase of a new police vehicle and motorcycle during a visit to the station. Our police put themselves on the line every day to keep our community safe, said Sen. Santarsiero. Dating back to when I was a Lower Makefield Township Supervisor more than...
Teen visits South Jersey in 50-state Flowers and Flags tribute to vets

Preston Sharp of Calif. visits veterans graves in Cinnaminson cemetery in South Jersey on 50-state Flowers and Flags tribute to their sacrifices
The country's leading motorcycle maker, Bajaj Auto, is staring at a year-on-year decline of at least 10 per cent in revenue and profitability in the first quarter of FY18, that is April-June. The primary trigger for this weak performance is a 11 per cent drop in motorcycle sales volume for April-June quarter. The commercial vehicles business, primarily three-wheelers, saw an eight per cent drop in volume for the period.
Byju's, the mobile learning startup, has acquired TutorVista and Edurite from Pearson as it expands its offerings to school students in the US and UK.
Urban transportation could soon see the entry of a Chinese entity, even as steel and power sectors are apprehensive of awarding projects to Chinese companies.
Jet Airways is deepening its relationship with Delta Airlines, which could result in the US carrier picking up a stake in the Mumbai-based carrier.

Jet Airways, in which Abu Dhabis Etihad Airways owns a 24 per cent stake, has adopted a network strategy independent of its investor. At present, the Jet Airways management is fine-tuning plans for a commercial joint venture with Delta and Air France-KLM. A joint venture allows participating airlines to share revenue and profits on routes.

Sources said there had been exploratory discussions between the managements of Jet Airways and Delta on an equity investment.

JPMorgan is assisting Jet Airways to raise funds, including through a possible stake sale. Sources, however, said talks with Delta had not reached the stage of valuation and a formal due diligence had not yet been conducted.

Over the last few months there have been frequent meetings between executives of the two airlines at Deltas headquarters in Atlanta and in Europe and the two carriers may announce a joint venture in the next couple of months.

Delta has stakes in the Richard Branson-founded Virgin Atlantic, AeroMexico and China Eastern Airlines. An investment in Jet Airways will provide it access to the fast-growing Indian market. However, it is unclear whether an equity investment will materialise, given Deltas animosity towards Gulf carriers on the issue of open access to the US market. An investment in Jet Airways will bring Delta and Etihad on the same table.

Separately, Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal is talking with the Etihad management for fund-raising.

Jet Airways stock rose 3.35 per cent on Monday on talks of a stake sale to close at Rs 582. The airline's market capitalisation was Rs 6,621 core at Mondays closing price. There are enough indications of Jet Airways growing ties with Delta. The Mumbai-based airline has hired Vinay Dube, a senior executive from Delta, as its new chief executive officer. Also, Delta has leased a slot at the congested Heathrow airport to enable Jet to start a third daily service between Mumbai and London. "As a policy, Jet Airways does not comment on speculation," an airline spokesperson said. A Delta spokesperson said, "We cannot comment on any future investments."

Etihad picked up a 24 per cent stake in Jet Airways for Rs 2,079 core in 2013. The two carriers have an extensive code share partnership and the Abu Dhabi-based airline has assisted Jet Airways in raising loans from banks in the Gulf. However, relations between the two partners turned cold several months ago. This coincided with Jet Airways growing ties with Air France-KLM and Delta. Jet Airways has made Paris, Amsterdam and London its European gateways and feeds traffic to its European partners and Delta.
India's largest e-commerce marketplace is turning to customers from smaller towns to help figure out how to grow its business beyond large metros. The company has kicked off a month-long programme where top executives will meet with customers to collect feedback on ideas to "help drive the next phase of growth".
Flipkart is reaching out to customers from smaller towns to help figure how to grow its business beyond the large metros. The countrys largest e-commerce marketplace has kicked off a month-long programme in which top executives will meet customers to collect feedback on ideas to help drive the next phase of growth.
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed budget carrier and its co-founder Ajay Singhs appeals against an earlier single-judge order asking them to pay Rs 579 crore to Sun Group chief Kalanithi Maran and his KAL Airways as interim relief in a share transfer dispute. The court also directed the two sides to initiate arbitration.
The Ghaziabad police early on Sunday arrested a Jet Airways official in connection with a land grabbing case.

"The arrested official has been identified as Avneet Singh Bedi," Superintendent of Police (City) Ghaziabad Aakash Tomar said.

"Singh was arrested at 12.35 am from his Panchsheel Park residence in south Delhi," the police said.



According to a Times of India report, Bedi is vice-president for security at Jet Airways.

The police action comes in the wake of a case of land grabbing registered against Singh at Sahibabad police station on June 21 by the Municipal Corporation of Ghaziabad.

A police team will question Singh sometime during the day, the officer said.

According to the police, Singh told them that he was stationed in Mumbai and headed Jet Airways' security functions.

His credentials were being verified.
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ONGC Videsh, the overseas investment arm of Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC), on Monday said that it has entered into an agreement with Tullow Namibia Ltd to acquire 30 per cent participating interest in one of its projects in Namibia.
Planning a retail roll out in October this year, Raymond is expecting a five per cent revenue share in its Rs 1,200 crore-plus apparel business to come from khadi products.
Whether it was the takeover of Gujarat State Petroleum Corporation's (GSPC's) Krishna Godavari block or the gas migration dispute with Reliance Industries Ltd (RIL), the Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) dominated headlines last financial year. In an interview with Jyoti Mukul and Shine Jacob, its chairman and managing director D K SARRAF talks about the low oil prices and the need to adopt a contrarian view. Edited Excerpts:

As the biggest domestic player in the oil sector, what is your view on oil prices and how do you plan to tackle them?

Though it is very difficult to predict future oil prices, expectations are that prices in the near term would continue to be within the $50-55 per barrel range. E&P (exploration and production) need to learn not only to survive but also to grow in a low-price environment. At the same time, such low prices have thrown open various opportunities. One such opportunity is for those that can adopt a contrarian view. For them, it is a good opportunity to carry out the development of existing discoveries, as oil field services and equipment are available at cheaper prices, and at the same time, goods vendors and goods contractors are available to execute the development projects at a low cost and without delays. Also, this is an opportunity to carry out low-risk exploration projects to accumulate more reserves. has adopted this approach.

At the same time, E&P are now learning how to increase operational efficiencies and reduce costs. Shale oil producers in the US have proven this by converting the erstwhile "uneconomical" oil into a viable resource. For example, has also increased its efficiency in drilling, which accounts for more than 55 per cent of its total capital expenditure. Its drilling speed, in terms of metres drilled per rig-month, has increased by 25 per cent in 2016-17 as compared to that in 2015-16. However, to grow in this market scenario, this needs to be repeated year-after-year.

How does plan to monetise its fields?

ONGC has already started monetising its discoveries on a fast track. For example, out of 13 discoveries made by us during 2016-17 in onshore areas, we monetised eight discoveries during the year itself. These discoveries have a production potential of 0.218 million tonnes of oil and gas and have 3.4 million tonnes of oil and gas producible reserves.

Regarding past discoveries, those containing 95 per cent of total producible oil and gas reserves discovered by us till date are either currently producing or their development activities, which would be completed in the next 2-3 years, are in progress. We have recently completed a study of another 115 discoveries and put a time frame for starting development for each. Development activities in 25 of these discoveries will start in 2017, while development activities for the remaining 90 will commence between 2017 and 2018.

In 2016-17, a major highlight for ONGC was the takeover of GSPCs Deendayal Upadhyay field. What are your future plans for the field?

We are yet to receive government approval. However, it may be coming anytime. Once we get the approvals, we plan to complete the transaction as soon as possible. Detailed plans have already been made to monetise and further develop the DDW field to the fullest extent. We also plan to integrate this block with Cluster 1 of our block KG-DWN-98/2, where we had a dispute with RIL about our gas being produced by them in connected fields. Here, we have some unconnected fields as well but since the gas reserves in such fields are not very large, we cannot justify capital expenditure for producing from these unconnected fields. Setting up separate infrastructure for such fields may not be economically viable. Gas from the unconnected fields will be produced utilising GSPCs infrastructure  gas processing platform, pipeline to shore and onshore gas terminal. Thus, unviable gas has been converted into viable gas. We also intend to utilise these facilities for monetising some of our HP-HT (high pressure, high temperature) discoveries in nearby areas.

What are your views on the open acreage policy?

It is going to be a game-changer. First of all, instead of the government specifying to the E&P companies where to explore and exploit hydrocarbons, companies would now be able to carve out their own blocks. The backbone of this policy  the National Data Repository  has already been launched. This contains a huge database, including processed seismic data, well logs, and reports on Indias hydrocarbon basins. Further, ONGC and OIL (Oil India Limited) have been assigned the task of coordinating the acquisition of seismic data in unexplored areas, which would further become a part of this depository. Secondly, the open acreage bidding round is based on revenue sharing in place of the erstwhile production sharing model. Since it ensures less interference by the government, revenue sharing is going to be far more investor friendly as compared to the production sharing model.

RIL-BP have announced an investment plan for their KG block. How do you view this?

It is a very positive step. This would increase domestic gas production, which would substitute imported LNG. It would encourage further investment in the oil and gas sector as well as in the region. But they would perhaps expect deregulation of gas prices and marketing.

What is the status of your dispute with RIL on gas migration?

Currently, the arbitration is between RIL and the government. The Shah Committees recommendation that compensation for the migrated gas should be paid by Reliance to the government has been accepted by the latter. ONGC has no role in this.

Is there any plan for joint development with RIL?

Those connected fields would perhaps have almost been produced.

There is a lot of talk about consolidation among oil PSUs. Will it be beneficial for ONGC to acquire Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Limited (HPCL)?

There appears to be neither any decision by the government nor has ONGC decided anything yet. However, integration between upstream and downstream firms is good from the point of view of both because horizontally integrated companies are financially more stable. Internationally, the value that an integrated company gets is higher in terms of PE multiple or return to investors. If something like this happens, it will be good for the sector.

Any such acquisition can be completed in a few months once a decision is taken. For the process to start, there needs to be a firm decision by the seller and buyer.

What is the status of ONGC Videsh Ltds (OVL's) Vankor Russia acquisition?

We hold a 26 per cent stake that we acquired during 2016-17 in two tranches of 15 and 11 per cent. It made a profit of about Rs 750 crore during the first year itself, though the acquisition was only for a part of the year.

Why has the global scenario for oil and gas deals slowed down?

OVL has been looking for new opportunities but they have to be good in the context of todays price. Currently, deals are difficult as the expectations of the seller are higher than what the buyer is generally ready to pay. Further, transactions in exploration areas are difficult as very few companies are taking exploration risk.
commuters will now be able to buy token and recharge their smart cards through their mobile banking application, the Rail Corp (DMRC) said on Sunday.

"The DMRC today launched the cashless token sale/smart card recharge facility by using the Bharat Quick Response (QR) code displayed at the token counters and customer care centres of metro stations," said a DMRC statement.

The service can be availed through any bank application and has been provided by HDFC Bank.

The passenger would have to select 'pay through QR' option in the app and then direct the smartphone camera-wise to the QR code displayed at the ticket counter. He or she can then enter the fare and make the payment.

Currently, this facility has been made available at five Metro stations -- Rajiv Chowk, Rajendra Place, Seelampur, Pitampura and Nehru Place, and would be introduced subsequently in a phased manner at all metro stations.

Speaking on the launch, DMRC Managing Director Mangu Singh said: "The DMRC is making all efforts to push the cashless mode of transaction initiated by the government.

"This new cashless facility is expected to provide the commuters a more convenient and fast access to the network besides helping in managing the problem of change/coins at the stations," Singh added.

The Bharat QR Code was recently launched by the government in a bid to promote cashless transactions and this code works with all major banks in India. It is a form of a bar code that uses the bank's information (merchant name and account number) required for the payment, the statement read.
The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to quash the money laundering case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and son.

The court dismissed the petitions of Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and another person Chunni Lal.

"The petitions are devoid of substance, consequentially the same are dismissed," Justice R K Gauba said.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED)had earlier summoned 83- year-old Singh, his wife and son for questioning in this regard.

The ED had in September 2015 lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.
The standoff between India and China in an area near Sikkim continued as the former on Sunday pushed in more troops in a "non-combative mode" to strengthen its position.
The verbal spat between China and India escalated on Monday, as Beijing said the Indian Armys action to stop Chinese troops from constructing a road in an area near Sikkim is a betrayal of the stance taken by successive Indian governments, and India must withdraw from the region.



Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said that the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated. By entering into Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese troops normal activities, India violated the existing convention on the boundary and basic principle of the international law and obstructed peace and stability of the boundary area, Geng told reporters in an extensive briefing.



China and India have been engaged in a stand-off in the Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction for almost a month in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962, when the two countries fought a brief war.



Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state with a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on an 1898 treaty signed with China.

He dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was during the war with the communist nation in 1962, saying China too is different and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this, he said.

He, however, said the line for diplomatic communication between India and China is open and smooth.

Indias Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who is the Special Representative for the India-China border talks, is to visit Beijing on July 26 to attend the meeting of the NSAs from BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He is expected to discuss the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

The standoff first came to public notice when China denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. Beijing initially said it stopped the Yatra due to damage to roads in Tibet after rains and landslides. But soon signalled the matter was related to the standoff between the two armies near Sikkim.

The Sikkim route to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

The other route to Tibet through Lipulekh pass is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute over boundary between India and China, Geng said.

On the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement on Friday that construction of the road by Chinese troops would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India, the Chinese official said they have noted the statement by India.

(The statement) evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. But it is this convention which has confirmed the alignment of the boundary between the two sides at the Sikkim section. This convention has been recognised by successive Chinese and Indian governments and has been confirmed by the Indian governments in written form, he said.

Prime Minister Nehru has affirmed in his letters to Premier Zhou Enlai, that the convention must be observed. That is the basic principle of international law. It is an obligation must be fulfilled by the Indian side, he said.

The Chinese official cited two letters Nehru wrote to Zhou - first on March 22, 1959, and on September 26, 1959 - to say that the border between Sikkim and Tibet China is defined by the 1890 Convention and demarcated on the ground in 1895.

There is no dispute on the border between Sikkim and Tibet, he said, adding that the trespass by Indian troops happened at the defined Sikkim section.

This is different from frictions and confrontations between the two sides at undefined boundary, Geng said.

He also accused India of using Bhutan as a cover, but skirted questions on Bhutans protest against the construction of the road, saying the area is Bhutanese territory.

In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile, the Chinese official said.

We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to Indian side infringing up Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse. The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side, he said.

Geng also claimed that Bhutan did not know that Indian border troops had entered into the Doklam area which is not in line with what has been claimed by the Indian side. We will work with Bhutan without interference of any external forces in maintaining peace and tranquillity of border area and resolving the boundary question, he said.

Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China. It is supported militarily and diplomatically by India. And this is not the first time that such a transgression has happened in Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there.

Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

Since the standoff on June 6, when PLA bulldozers destroyed bunkers of the India Army claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several pieces warning India for escalating border tension and reminding the Indian Army about the 1962 war.
Congress and BJP on Monday asked the Kerala government to take urgent steps to end the indefinite strike by a section of nurses of private hospitals demanding wage hike.

The opposition parties urged the government to ensure decent wages to the nurses working in private hospitals, who play a significant role in the state's health sector.

In a letter to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, opposition leader Ramesh Chennithala said fever and other contagious diseases were spreading across the state and the indefinite strike by private nurses would further worsen the situation in the state health sector.

"Even the construction workers are getting Rs 900-1000 as daily wages in the state. At the same time, nurses, who are involved in life-saving activities, are given only Rs 400-500 as daily wage," he said.

Private sector nurses were drawing a monthly salary of just Rs 9000-12000, he said, adding, Chief Minister should intervene into the issue immediately to end the agitation and to the increase their wages.

BJP executive member V Muraleedhan said the LDF government was not taking any steps to end the nurses' agitation and it is to help the private hospital lobby.

He said the Modi government at the Centre had already enacted a law to ensure at least Rs 20,000 as monthly wages to the nurses working in 50 bed-hospitals.

The state government was not implementing the law, despite repeated directives of the Supreme Court in this regard, he alleged.

The nurses of the private hospital began an indefinite strike state-wide on June 28 after the hospital managements rejected their pay revision demand.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Pakistan will not enter into any dialogue with India that excludes Kashmir, Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said on Tuesday, asserting that Islamabad wants to settle all contentious issues through "result-oriented" talks.

"Indian belligerent posturing and their desire to conduct dialogue on their own terms ie without Kashmir, will never be acceptable," said Aziz briefing a 20-member delegation of 'Kashmir Journalist Forum' from PoK at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

He said UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed his concern over tension between India and Pakistan, called for a dialogue and offered to play role to help resolve Kashmir issue.

Aziz said India's refusal to accept the role of the UN or good offices of the other leaders for reducing tension between India and Pakistan by resolving the Kashmir issue reflects "Indian desperation to hide its crimes against humanity" in the valley.

"Pakistan wants to settle all contentious issues, particularly the Kashmir dispute with India through a sustained and result-oriented dialogue," he said.

He asked the UN, OIC and Human Rights Organisations to step up efforts to stop the "bloodshed of Kashmiris" and ensure early implementation of UNSC Resolutions.

Aziz said that protest in Kashmir has now entered a "critical phase" and the "Indian propaganda of down-playing" the Kashmir issue is also being defeated.

"If there is nothing wrong then why there are over 700,000 fully armed Indian forces stationed? Why the entire media has been blocked?" he said.

He said despite "the gravity of the situation on ground and persistent international pressure" on India to resume dialogue with Pakistan with particular focus on Kashmir issue, Indian government has been trying to "divert global attention" from the situation in the Valley by "heating up" Line of Control and Working Boundary.
Diamond trade and investments into agriculture, irrigation sector may prove to be bigger talking points for India rather than defence during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to .

The three day visit starting Wednesday is the first ever by an Indian PM to the nation and is widely expected to hinge on greater cooperation in bilateral defence ties owing to India's position as the largest purchaser of Israeli arms and defence technology.

However, India will also push hard to increase trade and investments with the nation which have remained static in spite of greater connections between the private sector in both countries in recent years.

Talks are expected to focus on how to colaborate on the lucrative diamond polishing and processing trade, a senior government official said under conditions of anonymity.

Bilateral trade stood at $5.02 billion in 2016-17, rising 2.3 per cent in 2016-17 after four consecutive years of fall.

This involves $3.06 billion of exports and $1.96 billion of imports. Of this, raw non-industrial diamonds figure significantly on both sides of trade, contributing more than a billion dollars to both imports and exports.

While India is the largest exporter of polished diamonds in the world, sending out more than 75 per cent of the world supply, is the second largest.

Israel, for long the top exporter of the shiny stone to the United States  the world's largest market for diamond  has recently been overtaken by India.

" has high manufacturing costs which are prompting their firms to send over small raw diamonds to India for processing", Praveen Shankar Pandya, Chairman of Gems and Jewellery Export Promotion Council said.

In the absence of a job working policy, the country is losing out on these contracts which are moving to China and Vietnam, he added.

A job working policy allows consignments of a particular good to be shipped to another country to be worked upon, after which they are sent back. Labour charges are paid by the primary country.

The Middle Eastern nation relies heavily on diamond exports which make up nearly 24 per cent of its export kitty by value.

Better sourcing norms for phosphates, crucial to the energy sector is also being sought by India which receives more than 20 per cent of the mineral from the middle eastern nation.

A joint business council has been created for the first time which is looking at expanding the scope of bilateral trade, Pankaj Patel, President of industry body Ficci said.

While nearly all industries are covered as part of discussions, irrigation, agriculture, pharmaceuticals, healthcare, infrastructure and IT enabled sectors are the focus, he added.

On the investment front, Israel currently has investments over upwards of $122 million in India. "While the figures are relatively small owing to the investing companies mostly being mid-sized, the investment footprint is magnified owing to the projects being specialized and heavily tech based." a senior government official said.

This involves specialised projects in drip irrigation and solar production in Rajasthan, farming projects in Madhya Pradesh and Telengana as well as sewage waste management project in Agra.

According to diplomatic sources, mid level companies in these sectors such as solar are looking to partner with Indian players.

Likewise, Indian companies are interested in teaming up with their Israeli counterparts for research and development (R&D). On this note, the countries are also set to formalize an agreement to create a $40 million joint fund for boosting industry relations which will focus on setting up of innovation centres.

While both countries will burden half the cost over the next 5 years, the figure will be split equally between the government and the private sector.

Talks on the proposed India-Israel Free Trade Agreement may also gather steam during the visit. The agreement had been pushed hard by Israeli President Reuven Rivlin during his visit to India back in 2016.

"Although the first round of negotiations had taken place back in May, 2010, the government is taking it slow since we are already involved in a number of similar negotiations," the official mentioned above said.




On June 17, Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) supremo Lalu Prasad, along with his wife, Rabri Devi, and both his minister sons, Tejaswi Yadav and Tej Pratap Yadav, attended the Iftar party hosted by Bihar Chief Minister (CM) Nitish Kumar at the latters official residence in Patna. Prasad used the occasion to showcase the unity of the grand alliance and dismissed any rift between him and Kumar. They smiled and posed before the cameras and their bonhomie seemed genuine.

Just a week later the bonhomie was nowhere to be seen. Kumar did turn up at an Iftar party hosted by Prasad, but the atmosphere was tense. The two stalwarts did hug each other after repeated requests by shutterbugs, but the embrace looked forced. They sat near each other, but barely smiled or spoke. They were more interested in talking to others than to each other. In the past, at events hosted by the RJD's first family, Prasad used to personally attend to Kumar and even served him. He didnt bother that evening. Its all before you. What more is there to say? asked a senior RJD minister. In less than two years of coming to power, the grand alliance in Bihar is facing its biggest crisis. The root cause is the JD(U)s decision to break opposition ranks by backing Democratic Alliance (NDA) candidate and former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind for the presidential election. An open war of words among the alliance partners  with the JD(U), on one side, and the RJD and the Congress, on the other  threatened the very existence of the alliance.

Most importantly, the bickering didnt stop at the level of lower-rung spokespersons. Top-level leaders of all the three parties got involved and took pot-shots at each other. Things deteriorated so much that the party leaderships had to issue gag orders to put an end to this.

Until a couple of months ago, Kumar was in favour of a united opposition. In April, he met Congress President Sonia Gandhi and expressed his desire to form a grand alliance at the level to stop the BJP juggernaut. According to many in the party, sensing the Congresss reluctance, Kumar started drifting. He skipped a meeting of opposition parties called by Gandhi on May 26, but agreed to have lunch with Prime Minister Narendra Modi the very next day.

However, Kumar was still reluctant to be seen against opposition unity in the presidential election. This changed the minute the BJP announced Kovind would be its candidate. According to JD(U) insiders, the party believes that supporting the former Bihar governor, who belongs to one of the most depressed communities, would help in the upcoming elections. This, along with Kumars personal camaraderie with the ex-governor, played a pivotal role in his decision.

Kovind was one of the very few governors with whom the chief minister enjoyed a cordial relationship. Despite serious reservations of local BJP leaders, Kovind supported the state government in its mission of prohibition.

However, Kumars decision made JD(U) allies unhappy. Many RJD and Congress leaders privately say they are bewildered by his stand. The Congress rushed Ghulam Nabi Azad to coax him to reverse his decision. If sources in the Congress are to be believed, Kumar ignored desperate pleas of its leaders to at least postpone his announcement till the time the opposition parties could announce their common candidate. Kumar believes in many ideologies. We, on the other hand, will never join hands with the BJP, told a visibly hurt Azad at Patna Airport on June 20.

The next day, Prasad asked Kumar not to make a historic blunder. I appeal to Nitish to avoid a historic blunder. We always fight for ideology, said Prasad. More importantly, when asked if Kumar had betrayed the opposition, he said, Dhokha hai yaa nahi, ye Nitish jane. However, Kumar refused to budge.

I take pride in Meira Kumar being Bihar ki beti. But why is she being fielded to be defeated? asked a defiant Kumar, coming out of Prasads Iftar party in Patna. If I am making a historic mistake, so be it. The opposition should actually formulate a strategy to win the 2019 election and then make her (Meira Kumar) president in 2022.

His deputy in the state cabinet, Tejaswi Yadav, retorted: Victory or defeat can only be decided in the election. How can one predict defeat before an election? We have not fielded our candidate to lose. And thus began the war of words between the alliance partners: Name calling, arm-twisting and verbal volleys. The grand alliance was in tatters. The JD(U) issued an ultimatum to the RJD to act against its leaders who constantly targeted the Bihar CM, saying it would shorten the life of the alliance. On Tuesday, JD(U) Spokesperson K C Tyagi spelled out the biggest ever threat to the alliance by saying that the party had felt more comfortable with the BJP than with the Congress and the RJD. Finally, a truce was called on Wednesday, when all sides issued diktats to hold fire. Both Kumar and Prasad said that the alliance was rock-solid and talks of a break-up were a media creation.

However, no one, not even their own leaders, believes this. There is deep mistrust among the alliance partners. The Congress is not sure about Kumars intentions. The JD(U) wants to be seen as independent of the Congress and wants to keep the BJP eager. As far as the RJD is concerned, Prasad doesnt want to destabilise the government as his sons' future is tied to it. This doesnt mean that Prasad doesnt understand Kumars plan, said a senior politician.
The Supreme Court on Monday granted the last opportunity to the Maharashtra government to remove illegal encroachments on 908 square metre area on the approach road and near the historic Haji Ali Dargah Shrine in south Mumbai.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud granted two weeks to the concerned authorities to remove these encroachments and asked the deputy collector to ensure that its order is complied with.

The direction came after the Haji Ali Dargah Trust, which had earlier volunteered to remove the encroachments, expressed inability in completing the task.

The court made it clear to the deputy collector of Colaba zone of south Mumbai that "serious consequences" would follow if its order for removing encroachments is not complied within two weeks from today.

On May 9, the apex court had lauded the efforts of the Dargah Trust in its attempts to remove encroachments.

The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in the memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Trust had on April 13 relented to the tough stand taken by the apex court against large-scale encroachments around the historic Mumbai mosque and volunteered to remove them by May eight.

The offer to remove and demolish the encroachments had come after the apex court made it clear that only the mosque, located on an area of around 171 sq meter since 1931, would remain protected while the rest of the area, measuring 908 sq meter, has to be cleared of squatters.

Appreciating the offer, the bench had allowed the trust to complete the task on or before May 8 subject to the satisfaction of two authorities indicated in February 10 order of the Bombay High Court.

The High Court had ordered the formation of a joint task force comprising the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Collector to remove the illegal encroachments on the approach road leading to the Haji Ali Dargah.

The High Court was hearing a petition filed by Sahayak, a socio-legal and educational forum, seeking immediate removal of the encroachments on the approach road to the dargah which is located on the sea.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai was of the view that the land on the approach road to Haji Ali fell in the Collector's jurisdiction and therefore the Collector should remove the encroachments.
Nine of Indias poorest stateshome to 581 million or 48% of Indias populationaccount for 70% of the countrys infant deaths, 75% of under-five deaths and 62% of maternal deaths, but do not spend even the money they have set aside for healthcare, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of 2017 Reserve Bank of India data on state budgets.

The data also reveal:
India has slipped to 88th place in terms of money parked by its citizens with Swiss banks, while the UK remains on the top.

Also, the money officially held by Indians with banks in Switzerland now accounts for a meagre 0.04 per cent of the total funds kept by all foreign clients in the Swiss banking system, as per an analysis of the latest figures compiled by the SNB (Swiss National Bank) as on 2016-end.

India was placed at 75th position in 2015 and at 61st in the year before that, though it used to be among top-50 countries in terms of holdings in Swiss banks till 2007. The country was ranked highest at 37th place in the year 2004.

The latest data from Zurich-based SNB comes ahead of a new framework for automatic exchange of information between Switzerland and India to help check the black money menace.

The funds, described by SNB as 'liabilities' of Swiss banks or 'amounts due to' their clients, are the official figures disclosed by the Swiss authorities and do not indicate to the quantum of the much-debated alleged black money held by Indians in the safe havens of Switzerland.

SNB's official figures also do not include the money that Indians, NRIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of entities from different countries.

There is a view that the Indians alleged to have parked their illicit money in Swiss banks in the past may have shifted the funds to other locations after a global clampdown began on the mighty banking secrecy practices in Switzerland.

Swiss banks have also said Indians have "few deposits" in Swiss banks compared to other global financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong amid stepped-up efforts to check the black money menace.

The total money held in Swiss banks by foreign clients from across the world, incidentally rose by a small margin from 1.41 trillion Swiss francs (CHF) to CHF 1.42 trillion during 2016.

In terms of individual countries, the UK accounted for the largest chunk at about CHF 359 (over 25 per cent) of the total foreign money with Swiss banks.

The US came second with nearly CHF 177 billion or about 14 per cent. No other country accounted for a double-digit percentage share, while others in the top-ten included West Indies, France, Bahamas, Germany, Guernsey, Jersey, Hong Kong and Luxembourg.

Indians' share not even one-hundredth of the total money.

India is now ranked 88th with 676 million Swiss francs (about Rs 4,500 crore) -- a record low after falling for three consecutive years amid a continuing clampdown on the suspected black money stashed behind their famed secrecy walls.

The share of Indians' money in the total foreign funds of Swiss banks also fell to 0.04 per cent (from 0.08 per cent in 2015).

Pakistan continued to remain placed higher than India at 71st place (although down from 69th in 2015) with about CHF 1.4 billion -- though down to below 0.1 per cent of total foreign money parked with Swiss banks.

India was also the lowest ranked among the BRICS nations -- Russia was ranked 19th (CHF 15.6 billion), China 25th (CHF 9.6 billion), Brazil 52nd (CHF 2.7 billion) and South Africa 61st (CHF 2.2 billion).

Among these five, only China has moved up.

Others ranked higher than India included Mauritius, Iran, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Angola, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada and Mexico.

A number of offshore financial centres are also ranked higher including Cayman Islands, Panama, Cyprus, Marshall Islands, Bermuda, Seychelles, Isle of Man and Gibraltar.

Among India's neighbouring countries, Bangladesh was ranked 89th (CHF 667.5 million), while Nepal was 150th (CHF 312 million), Sri Lanka was 151st (CHF 307 million) and Bhutan was way below at 282nd (about half a million Swiss francs).

The total money belonging to the developed countries fell to CHF 824 billion, while those from developing nations actually rose marginally to CHF 208 million.

The money from developing economies in Asia-Pacific region rose to CHF 50 billion.

The funds parked in Swiss banks from offshore financial centres rose to CHF 389 billion.

India was ranked in top-50 continuously between 1996 and 2007, but started declining after that -- 55th in 2008, 59th in 2009 and 2010 each, 55th again in 2011, 71st in 2012 and then to 58th in 2013.
For Sanjiv Mehra, a retailer in the Capitals Khan Market, counted as among the most expensive high-street shopping hubs of the world, implementation of the goods and services tax (GST) is like a recap of what happened nearly 12 years ago when the value-added tax (VAT) was enforced.

It is too premature to comment on the GST, but 12 years back we faced the same problems when the VAT was introduced. There are a lot many complexities in the and getting on-board initially is quite capital-intensive. Also, we are unsure about how we will get input tax credit on the old inventory, Mehra, who is also president of the Khan Market Traders Association, said.

Clearing old stock

The first working day after the implementation of the saw lower customer footfalls than usual. For retailers, the biggest business was finding ways to clear old inventory.

The government should tell us how we are going to get input tax credit on our existing stock. At present, we are paying from our pocket. We fear we will be hit by losses due to this, said Brij Gopal Khosla, senior vice-president of the association.

Inventory down

It was a contrasting picture at Nehru Place, Asias largest computer hardware hub. Shoppers had turned up in large numbers but retailers were finding it hard to meet the demand due to dearth of inventory.

According to Himanshu Gupta, owner of an electronics retail outlet, SSDN Technologies, which deals in personal computers, the inventory level was extremely low. Placing new orders is a problem, as manufacturers are unable to meet rising demand. While meeting the requirements under the is not an issue for them, most are not ready yet with the required level of stocks, he said.

Price uncertainty

In Mumbai, customers unsure of the post-GST changes in prices took time to return to high streets and malls. Suresh J, managing director of Arvind Lifestyle Brands, which retails US Polo, GAP and so on, said walk-ins were lower even during the weekend.

Suresh said for the time being they were absorbing the increase in levies. We are at a certain loss. For the time being, we are absorbing it. So, there is no change in prices. But going forward, there would be some changes, he said. Earlier, in apparel, VAT and other levies would come to about 9.5 per cent of the sale price. In the GST, there is a levy of 12 per cent on merchandise above Rs 1,000 and five per cent on apparel below Rs 1,000. So, manufacturers will have to increase or reduce, depending on the categories they are in.

Myth and reality

Shoppers at South Mumbais shopping hub High Street Phoenix were much less in number too. Stores like Zara, Benetton, US Polo and Lifestyle looked much quieter than usual despite heavy discounts on offer. Customers are perhaps assuming a price hike post-GST and staying away.

On the very first business day after the GST roll-out, traders across segments had returned to business in Kolkata. Last Friday, around 100,000 traders in West Bengal had gone on a one-day strike against the GST roll-out.

While uncertainty over compliance norms continues to be a concern, traders are also faced with supply issue. A spice trader from the Tollygunge area said that supplies of select spices like mustard paste, poppy seeds and others were in short supply, while another shopowner from Behala complained about shortage of cigarette supplies from the distributor. A supply shortage, in effect, has led to an increase in prices for a number of daily use goods.

Short-term glitches

A retailer in Bengaluru said, Even after demonetisation, things were slightly slow but it picked up later. Were hoping for the same after the GST implementation. Hopefully, things will get sorted out in a while. Another executive representing a prominent brand pointed out that the GST had no impact on their business because prices had not gone up. It is just a fear psychosis which is gripping the distributors and shopowners which will last for a fortnight at best, A R Kajaria, president of the Federation of West Bengal Trade Association, said.
Bombay High Court last week ruled that once an arbitrator is appointed at the request of a disputing party and he recuses from the post, the ...
Prime Minister Narendra Modis assurance to Surats diamond traders that he was going to to represent their interests could prove to be a shot in the arm for the citys industry. More specifically, this could be good for the Surat Diamond Bourse (SDB), a two-year-old trading platform looking to take the shine away from Bharat Diamond Bourse, Indias largest bourse functioning out of the Bandra-Kurla complex in Mumbai.
The German government-owned development bank, KfW has churned its India funding strategy. It is phasing out its commitments for the support of the financial sector in India and shifting its priorities to funding sustainable urban development.
On the first day of the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax on Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed a gathering of chartered accountants. While heaping praises on them, Modi asked the accountants to advise their clients against collecting or stashing away .
The on Monday decided to give an exemption to energy company Ratnagiri Gas and Power Limited (RGPL) from various taxes and transmission charges for the next five years.
The US has cleared the sale of 22 unmanned Guardian drones to India, governmental sources said on Sunday, a deal being termed as a "game changer" ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit in Washington for his maiden meeting with President Donald Trump.

The deal, estimated to be worth $2-3 billion, has been approved by the State Department, the sources said.

The decision has been communicated to the Indian government and the manufacturer by the State Department on Saturday, according to the informed governmental sources.

"This is the first very significant sign of the Trump administration being more result oriented in its relationship with India compared to Obama administration," a source told PTI.

The sources, who requested anonymity as the deal has not been formally announced, said the sale of 22 predator drones being manufactured by General Atomics is "a game changer" for US-India relations as it operationalises the status of "major defence partner".

The designation of India being a "major defence partner" was decided by the previous Obama Administration, and formally approved by the Congress.

The State Department and the White House did not immediately respond to the questions in this regard. An official announcement is expected soon.

Modi's first meeting with Trump has been scheduled to take place at the White House on June 26.

The Indian Navy had made the request for this intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) platform last year.

US Aerospace expert Vivek Lall of General Atomics who was pivotal in India acquiring Boeing P8 ISR technology is believed to have played a key role in fast-tracking the decision-making process of the Trump administration.
After completing 100 days in office last week, the Yogi Adityanath government in is likely to announce its new industrial policy on Tuesday.
After declaring the results for Degree Online Services, Telangana (DOST) 2017-18 admission and first seat allotment, the Telangana State Council of Higher has released the second seat allotment on its official site (dost.cgg.gov.in). Applicants need to log in to the site and check the list. The DOST seat allotment encompasses 1200 colleges and six universities The qualified candidates (DOST) can take up their academic courses at Osmania University, Kakatiya University, Telangana University Mahatma Gandhi University, Satavahana University and Palamuru University. The Telangana State Council of Higher (TSCHE) manages, supervises and administers online degree admissions for the academic session 2017-18. The State govt. appointed Prof. K Venkata Chalam as the Vice Chairman-I to undertake the seat allotment in degree courses at all government, aided, private and autonomous colleges in the state.
IDFC Bank, which concluded its first full year of operations in FY17, said its vision was to become a mass retail bank in 5 years.
As Hong Kong marks the 20th anniversary of its handover from British to Chinese sovereignty, it is preparing for a display of very mixed emotions.

Loyal Communist supporters will celebrate Hong Kongs return to the motherland; there will be spectacular fireworks over the harbour and ostentatious demonstrations of love for China. Within a tightly secured zone, crowds will gather in a show of support for the visiting Chinese Communist Party leaders. They hail the experimental one country, two systems (communist and capitalist) approach as a success; Hong Kongs economy is still growing healthily, and the business elite is happy with the opportunities provided by mainland rule.

But arent nearly so content. Since 1997, Hong Kong has become a deeply divided city, especially along generational lines. Young Hong Kongers are joining and leading mass protests against attempts to turn them into loyal Chinese subjects. Some call for independence from China and a few have even waved British flags. Much to Beijings consternation, Hong Kongs post-1997 leaders have all proved less popular than the last British governor, Chris Patten.

What started as discomfort with mainland interventions in the Hong Kong legal system has given rise to much more widespread and diverse resistance to Chinese rule. Over the last 20 years, Hong Kong has become a city of protests. Hundreds of thousands have protested against the broken promise of universal suffrage, the introduction of patriotic education and mainland-style anti-subversion laws.

Many see the mainlands attacks on the courts and the mainlandisation of local culture as an attempt to undermine Hong Kongs core values, institutions, and identity. This especially applies to the rule of law, including the separation of powers and judicial independence, a device that holds even non-democratic executive-led governments to account around the world.

Keeping quiet

No one knows how much popular support the citys protesters and critics actually enjoy. Many Hong Kongers unhappy with their situation often maintain a strategic silence; they fear being labelled unpatriotic, to say nothing of violence and intimidation  and everyone in Hong Kong can recite examples of what happened to people who got out of line.

In recent years, critical journalists have been attacked; booksellers have been spirited away in the middle of the night by mainland police for selling books critical of the Chinese leadership; criminals whose crimes were committed in Hong Kong have found themselves detained without trial and even executed on the mainland. Less than 30 miles away, processes and penalties forbidden under Hong Kongs Common Law system are daily features of Chinese justice.

Clearly irritated by Hong Kongers reluctance to embrace mainland rule, China has recently tightened its grip and resorted to outright warnings against continued confrontation and dissent. The separation of powers and judicial independence are dismissed as Western ideas with no place in a Chinese legal system; there are calls for foreign judges on Hong Kongs Court of Final Appeal to be replaced, or only allowed to hear commercial cases.

Hong Kong has been reminded that any autonomy it enjoys is not a right, but provided at the mainlands discretion. As such, even before the end of the 50 years promised by the Sino-British Joint Declaration, its autonomy can be taken away.

Arms length

What has Britain done about this? Not much. Foreign Office reports continue to depict the situation in rosy terms. The one country, two systems experiment has apparently served Hong Kong well; Hong Kong remains a successful global financial centre, while the rights and freedoms enjoyed by Hong Kongers under British rule still exist.

Those Hong Kongers with a lingering attachment to Britain see this as nothing more than cynical realpolitik. Since 1997, Britain has proved a reluctant champion of those it left behind; the benefits of trade with China, it seems, trump the fate of former colonial subjects.

Chinas intolerance of any other approach was made plain in 2014 when members of the British parliaments Foreign Affairs Select Committee tested the Foreign Offices optimistic version of affairs by proposing to visit Hong Kong; China refused them entry. The Joint Declaration, it argued, only applies to the years 1984-1997 and not for 50 years after 1997, as was explicitly agreed when Margaret Thatcher signed the agreement in 1984. But besides the committee members themselves, the British government voiced little protest.

So despite Chris Pattens last minute attempts to shore up Hong Kongs democracy, 20 years after the handover, Hong Kong finds itself alone in the battle to maintain its freedoms and identity. China, meanwhile, appears to have learnt little from its longstanding attempts to suppress resistance to its rule in Xinjiang and Tibet.

Perhaps Chinese leaders should study how the British eventually managed to obtain the consent of their colonial subjects in Hong Kong, a project built on a commitment to the rule of law and anti-corruption institutions. Although it never introduced democracy, Britain left Hong Kong with laws which promised fairness, accountability and judicial independence. The mainlands attempts to shut them down are guaranteed to meet conspicuous and inconvenient resistance.

Carol Anne Goodwin Jones, Reader, Birmingham Law School, University of Birmingham

This article was originally published on The Conversation. Read the original article.
India believes in a two-state solution in which both and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully, Prime Minister said today as he supported all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem.

"A final-status agreement should respect the sentiments and address demands of all affected parties," said Modi, who will travel to tomorrow on a three-day visit - the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister.

"We believe in a two-state solution in which both and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully," he said in an interview to the pro-government daily 'Israel Hayom'.

India supports all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem, he added.

The two-state solution envisions independent Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting side by side peacefully. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as their future capital.

During his visit to Israel, Modi will not travel to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, to meet with Palestinian leaders, as is common for visiting foreign dignitaries.

He, however, met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi in May.

"I assume the question refers to our embassy in Tel Aviv. We will take a decision on that after both sides have come to an agreement on Jerusalem," Prime Minister Modi said in response to a question whether India will move its embassy there.

Asked whether India would take a more pro-Israel posture in the UN, Modi said India's positions at the UN are based on the merit of specific issues and driven by the country's core values and principles.

"We remain engaged with all our partners, including Israel, in finding optimal outcomes at the UN and other multilateral fora that reflect our commonly shared priorities and concerns. India is not in favour of singling out any country at the UN," he added.

Asked whether India still considers itself unaligned with either the West or the East, Modi said, "We believe in the philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,' which means 'the world is one family.' We want to engage constructively with both the East and the West.
A disabled Japanese passenger and a low-cost airline made international headlines after the passenger, a paraplegic without the use of his legs, had to resort to crawling up a flight of stairs in order to board an airplane at Amami Airport.
Group is reviewing its commodities business after a slump in the first half of the year, according to people with knowledge of the matter.
Vegetables have become up to 87 per cent costlier over the past two weeks in the Agricultural Produce Market Committee (APMC), Vashi, near here due to supply disruptions following heavy rain.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court today will frame charges against former Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati in an alleged rape case.

On June 28, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav met rape accused Prajapati at the Lucknow District Jail and asserted of a 'false campaign' being carried out against him.

"False campaign is being carried out against Gayatri Prajapati. He is being targetted as if he is a terrorist," Mulayam had said.

Mulayam further said he would meet the Director General of Police (DGP) and complain in this regard.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister even questioned that about the possibility of a case of rape "when the woman did not even visit Prajapati's house."

Earlier in February, a police complaint was filed against the former minister and six others in the case following the apex court's order.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had also filed a non- bailable warrant against the former minister and six others for the same.

Giving no relief to co-accused in the Prajapati rape case, the Supreme Court earlier on May 4 asked Vikas Verma to surrender before the court within two days.

Prajapati and the two accused were granted bail by the trial court earlier.

However, the Allahabad High Court dismissed their bail order, which was then challenged by the accused in the apex court.

Prajapati was arrested on March 15 from the Aashiyana area in Lucknow by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF).

On May 12, the Lucknow bench upheld its earlier decision to not grant bail to Prajapati, and arrest warrants were issued against Prajapati's aides Pintu Singh and Vikas Verma, in connection with the rape case.

The Samajwadi Party leader, who was also accused of allegedly raping the girl's mother, evaded his arrest for nearly a month before he was arrested.

On June 2, the Lucknow Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a chargesheet in the court against former Prajapati in this matter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Former Indian Police Service (IPS) officer S.R. Darapuri and eight others, who were arrested earlier today for planning to hold a protest against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his residence, have been released.

"They were going towards Hazratganj where Section 144 was imposed and they also did not have permission to hold a rally," Superintendent of Police (SP) West Lucknow V.C. Tripathi said.

According to the police, the ones arrested are associated with the Bundelkhand Dalit Sena.

They were to hold agitation protesting various issues prevailing in the state.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by senior party leader Sushil Modi will today meet the Election Commission seeking disqualification of Tej Pratap Yadav as MLA, as he was facing corruption charges in benami properties case.

"Our delegation will meet the Election Commission seeking disqualification of Tej Pratap Yadav as MLA in Aurangabad benami property case," BJP leader Sushil Modi told ANI.

Modi accused Tej Pratap for not declaring his source of income and dubious land deals in Aurangabad district in his election affidavit.

The BJP leader had earlier demanded dismissal of deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav .

Earlier, branding Tej Pratap as the 'Robert Vadra of Bihar,' Modi had said the former concealed the fact from both the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the State Government that he owns prime land worth Rs. 15 crore in Aurangabad district in Bihar.

"Tejaswi Yadav deliberately concealed his ownership of this land and the loan from Madhya Bihar Grameen Bank in his affidavit before the Election Commission during the 2015 Assembly polls and also in his disclosures as a minister before the State Government in December 2016," Sushil said in a press briefing here.

"It is beyond anyone's comprehension as to why he has not declared the property valued at Rs. 15 crore in official records," he added.

As per Modi, Tej Pratap had purchased land for Rs. 53.34 lakh in Aurangabad district in 2010 from seven people, but didn't declare it in his election affidavit in the 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections. He didn't even mention it in the annual assets declaration before the State Government.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Condemning the Uttar Pradesh Government over the transfer of a senior police officer, who stood up against the local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders, the Congress on Monday said that the BJP on one hand is preaching 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas' theory, while on the other hand is trampling a woman's confidence.

"Her transfer is against administrative ethics. It is the real feature of the BJP who are preaching 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vikas' but still they are nursing the attitude whereby, the bravery of a woman has been trampled upon by the naked demonstration of the Uttar Pradesh Government," Congress leader Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury told ANI.

He added that he condemns the steps taken against the officer by the BJP Government.

"I would like to congratulate the woman officer of Uttar Pradesh who had the guts to stand against the hooligans belonging to the ruling BJP party in the state," Chowdhury said.

Meanwhile, another Congress leader Meem Afzal said that the workers of the saffron party think that they can do anything.

"I know that woman officer very well and she follows the rules and regulations with determination. During the time of Uttar Pradesh elections in one of the rallies, she allowed only those to get on the stage whose names were written there. She is an honest and hard working woman and the way BJP is treating her shows the break point of Uttar Pradesh's law and order," he added.

Afzal said that he would advise Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to encourage the police officers instead of the party workers.

The Uttar Pradesh Government, earlier yesterday, transferred senior police officer Shreshtha Thakur, who sent five BJP leaders to the jail for creating obstacles in discharging her duties, to Bahraich.

As per reports, Mukesh Bhardwaj, the party city president asserted that Thakur's transfer was necessary to lift the morale of the party workers.

The cop was transferred a week after BJP's 11 MLAs and MPs held a meeting with the chief minister over the issue.

It is reported that the local leaders and workers linked it with their pride and pressurised the government to take action against Thakur.

On June 22, Thakur and her team, while checking vehicles in Syana area, stopped a person, who was driving a motorcycle without wearing a helmet, and slapped a fine of Rs 200 on him.

After her objection, the man started arguing with Thakur and called in more BJP leaders on the site.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
In a recent study, researchers have found that higher intelligence (IQ) in childhood is linked with a lower lifetime risk of major causes of death, including heart disease, smoking related cancers, respiratory disease and dementia.

This is regarded to be the largest study to date, which reports the causes of death in men and women across the life course.

The results suggest that lifestyle, especially tobacco smoking, is an important component in the effect of intelligence on differences in mortality.

Previous studies have shown that, on average, individuals with higher IQs tend to live a little longer than those with lower IQs, but these are largely based on data from male conscripts followed up only to middle adulthood.

A team of scientists examined the association between intelligence test scores measured at age 11 and leading causes of death in men and women up to age 79.

Their findings are based on data from 33,536 men and 32,229 women born in Scotland in 1936, who took a validated childhood intelligence test at age 11, and who could be linked to cause of death data up to December 2015.

Cause of death included coronary heart disease, stroke, specific cancers, respiratory disease, digestive disease, external causes (including suicide and death from injury), and dementia.

After taking account of several factors (confounders) that could have influenced the results, such as age, sex and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that higher childhood intelligence was associated with a lower risk of death until age 79.

For example, a higher test score was associated with a 28 percent reduced risk of death from respiratory disease, a 25 percent reduced risk of death from coronary heart disease, and a 24 percent reduced risk of death from stroke.

Other notable associations were seen for deaths from injury, smoking related cancers (particularly lung and stomach), digestive disease, and dementia.

There was no evident association between childhood intelligence and death from cancers not related to smoking.

They also point out that significant associations remained after further adjustment for smoking and socioeconomic status, suggesting that these factors did not fully account for mortality differences.

They believe that the future studies "would benefit from measures of the cumulative load of such risk factors over the life course."

The team noted, "Importantly, it shows that childhood IQ is strongly associated with causes of death that are, to a great extent, dependent on already known risk factors. And they suggest that "tobacco smoking and its distribution along the socioeconomic spectrum could be of particular importance here."

They concluded by saying, "It remains to be seen if this is the full story or if IQ signals something deeper, and possibly genetic, in its relation to longevity."

The study was published in journal BMJ.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Describing the Indian security forces act of allegedly crossing the Chinese border near Sikkim area as "very serious," Beijing has accused New Delhi of violating a convention signed in 1890 between Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet.

"The Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been defined by the Convention between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet (1890)," Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday.

Shuang claimed that the successive Indian governments have repeatedly acknowledged, in writing, that it concurs with China on the boundary convention on Sikkim.

"With its armed forces overstepping the defined boundary, the Indian side has breached the historical convention and gone against the UN Charter and the basic principles of international law. Thus, this incident is quite serious in nature," he added.

The convention, which was formally signed between the Qing government of China and the Great Britain in 1890, explicitly stipulates the boundary between Xi Zang of China and Sikkim of the Great Britain, Shuang said.

"Since the founding of the People's Republic of China and the independence of India, successive governments of both sides have all recognized the effectiveness of the convention and repeatedly confirmed that in a series of official documents and talks," Shuang said.

"According to the documents between China and India, since the independence of India, the then Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru, on behalf of the Indian Government, explicitly recognized many times that the convention defined the boundary between Xi Zang of China and Sikkim.

He said that this convention is effective and binding for both China and India.

The present stand-off between India and China emerged after New Delhi expressed its apprehension over Beijing constructing a road in the Sikkim sector of the border.

While India claims Sikkim border as part of its territory, China has said that the area falls on their side as per the 1890 treaty signed between British and China.

Consequently, China suspended the annual Kailash Manasarovar yatra and conceded that the decision to suspend the pilgrimage was due to the border scuffle. It also alleged that the Indian troops had crossed the Sikkim section of the Indo-China border.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The death toll in Damascus suicide bombing rose to 20 people were killed in a suicide bombing in central Damascus, according to the Syrian foreign ministry.

The foreign ministry in a letter to the United Nations Security Council said that the blast in the Bab Touma area also wounded dozens of women and children, reported the CNN.

Furthermore, Syria's Health Minister Nizar Yazigi revealed that the injuries ranged from minor to severe.

The incident took place during a hot pursuit by the security forces wherein they were pursuing three cars and in the midst intercepted two and destroyed them.

However, when the forces closed in on the third car near the city's Al-Tahrir Square, the suicide bomber onboard detonated it, thereby, leaving casualties.

This attack came after two suicide bomb attacks killed more than 15 people in Damascus on March 15. The Islamic State had claimed responsibility for the attack.

Similarly, a double suicide attack on March 11 killed scores of people, mostly Iraqi Shi'ite Muslims.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed SpiceJet's plea against a single judge order which had directed it to deposit Rs. 579 crore in connection with a share transfer dispute with previous owner Kalanithi Maran.

The court has ordered that Rs. 250 crore be paid by cash deposit till August 31 while a bank guarantee worth Rs. 229 crore will have to be submitted by 31st July. (These figures don't add up to Rs. 579 crore, the total amount, and will certainly change in the written order. But for now, this information is the one dictated by the judge pronouncing the verdict).

In May, a division bench of the High Court had reserved its decision on the pleas of SpiceJet and its co-founder Ajay Singh challenging the order which came on a civil suit by Sun Group chief Kalanithi Maran and his Kal Airways.

In their suit, Maran and his airline had sought issuance of stock warrants in SpiceJet to them as per a Sale Purchase Agreement (SPA) of 2015 which led to transfer of ownership of the budget carrier to Singh.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
United States Donald Trump continued his outburst against the "dishonest media" and said that it will not stop him and his administration from accomplishing their goals.

"The dishonest media will NEVER keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of our GREAT AMERICAN PEOPLE! #AmericaFirst," Trump tweeted.

In the tweet, Trump tagged a video of him speaking on Saturday night at Washington, D.C.'s Kennedy Center, where he took pot shots at the media.

"The fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them, because the people know the truth. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House, but I'm president and they're not," he said on Saturday.

His comments came hours after he tweeted a video of him wrestling with a man whose face was replaced by the CNN logo.

In the clip, Trump could be seen knocking down a man, who is a WWE wrestling professional. Trump is shown to be thrashing the man, whose head was covered with the CNN logo.

The end of the video later shows the CNN logo appearing on the screen, described as "FNN: Fraud News Network.

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At least eight people suffered injuries after two gunmen fired gun shots outside a mosque in South France's Avignon city.

The incident took place on Sunday late night at 10.30 p.m. (local time), after two men fired shots, the Independent quoted La Provence.

The police officials, however, have ruled out a terrorist motive and suggested it could have been a revenge attack or related to a quarrel.

The policemen now have launched a man hunt for the accused.

This incident comes days after a man was arrested for driving his car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris' Creteil city. However, no injuries were reported.

France has been on a high security alert following a series of militant attacks in the recent years.

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The United States has lifted a ban on passengers carrying laptops and other electronics on Etihad Airways flights from its base in Abu Dhabi, the officials said.

The decision was taken three months after the Trump Administration banned the people from carrying laptops on such flights that were directly coming from eight Muslim-majority countries.

According to the Washington Post, the authorities decided to exempt Etihad after the Department of Homeland Security verified that the measures, announced by the department. were correctly implemented by the airway.

"We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures. Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines looking to adopt the new measures," the US daily quoted Department of Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan's email.

In response, the Etihad welcomed the move by saying, "We welcome the decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security."

The Trump administration in March announced that passengers traveling from 10 airports would be prohibited from bringing laptops and certain personal electronic devices on board with them.

The other cities are Amman, Cairo, Casablanca, Doha, Dubai, Istanbul, Jeddah, Kuwait City and Riyadh.

Authorities at the time said that the initial ban was put considering a previously undisclosed terrorists' plot, involving explosives hidden in an electronic device.

Following the U.S., Britain also imposed a similar ban, applying to inbound flights from six countries that are Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and Turkey.

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The 14-day joint training exercise of the Indian Army with the Royal Thailand Army, "Exercise Maitree 2017", which commenced today at Bakloh in Himachal Pradesh, aims at building and promoting closer relations while exchanging skills and experiences between both the armies.

"Exercise Maitree 2017" is a continuation of a series of joint exercises between the Indian Army and the Royal Thailand Army. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Krabi, Thailand in 2016.

This joint exercise will be conducted in a manner so as to acquaint both contingents with each other's operating procedures in the backdrop of counter insurgency/ counter terrorism environment.

Earlier, the contingent from the Royal Thailand Army, comprising approximately 50 soldiers landed at Gaggal Airport yesterday.

In the initial stages of the exercise, both the armies would get familiar with the respective methodology of such operations, each other's arms and equipment and command and control system.

It will then graduate towards tactical understanding to enhance interoperability while carrying out operations to counter insurgency and terrorism.

Maitree series of bilateral exercises has been one of the major defence cooperation initiatives between India and Thailand.

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Chinese and Indian analysts believe the military face-off between China and India along an unmarked border in the remote tri-junction of Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan over the last three weeks again shows the complexity of border disputes, which remain a major source of instability in bilateral ties.

According to the South China Morning Post, these analysts are not sure why the border dispute has boiled over again, but do admit that the stand-off underlines the tense relations between China and India while both jostle for dominance in the region.

The daily further states that it remains largely unclear what exactly has happened along the unmarked border to have as many as 3,000 troops being deployed by each side in what it quoted Indian media, as saying as a "virtually eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation", citing army sources.

The South China Morning Post cites diplomatic observers from both countries as being surprised over the biggest military stand-off between the Chinese and Indian Armies in years in the Doklam or Donglang area.

Both sides are accusing each other of trespassing into their territory and stirring up tensions.

"There is actually a lot of confusion as to where this incident happened. It is not even clear if it was on the Sino-Indian border," the SCMP quotes Rajeswari Rajagopalan, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, as saying, and adding that the timing of the incident "cannot be a mere coincidence".

Mohan Guruswamy, chairman of Centre for Policy Alternatives Society, an Indian think tank, was quoted, as saying that he believes "a clear pattern is now emerging", although adequate details to ascertain which side did the provoking were not forthcoming.

"The Indian public believes it is China that is ratcheting up the tensions. I hope it is a coincidence, but it strains one's credulity," he adds.

Wang Dehua, director of the Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, said the Sikkim border between China and India has been a source of diplomatic and military tensions in bilateral relations.

"But it is nothing short of a miracle that the Sino-Indian frontier has been largely quiet, without a single shot fired for over two decades" apart from periodic incursions and scuffles, he said.

He noted that China has yet to unequivocally accept Sikkim - where for centuries China claimed suzerain authority - as part of India.

"Along with a flurry of intense manoeuvrings targeting China, including the planned naval exercise with the US and Japan in the Bay of Bengal later this month, India apparently wanted to put pressure on China before Modi's Washington trip to extract concessions from Beijing on the border issue," Wang said.

Jagannath Panda, head of the East Asia Centre of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, however, is quoted, as saying, "China is trying to make a statement that it is high time India accords priorities to address the matters relating to China, including the boundary issue."

According to Indian scholars, the Chumbi Valley in the Donglang region, located in Tibet's Yadong county, is a disputed territory between China and Bhutan. It holds immense strategic importance for both China and India as it could be used to sever Delhi's access to its northeastern states.

China has rejected Bhutan's allegation that it violated its territory, saying its troops operated on "Chinese territory" and also asking India to "correct" its "wrongdoing".

Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies of National University of Singapore, said, "China's incremental territorial grab is not new and it does not appear to be a coincidence. China is upset about India's standing up for Bhutan at Doko La. When China expects others to respect Chinese territorial sovereignty, such intimidating behaviour will complicate the situation further and may amplify the trust deficit further.

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Ford India's domestic sales declined and exports surged a month before the rollout of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) on July 1.

Ford India's combined domestic wholesales and exports in June,however, witnessed a surge and reached 20,828 vehicles, from 19,754 vehicles in the corresponding month last year.

While domestic wholesales of June came down to 6,149 vehicles as against 9,469 units in 2016, exports grew to 14,679 vehicles compared to 10,285 units in June of last year.

"Leading up to the biggest tax reform, the month of June saw moderated wholesales as the industry looked to protect itself from the possible impact. However, GST is a step in the right direction, and expected to strengthen economic growth," said Anurag Mehrotra, Managing Director, Ford India.

Continuing to stimulate demand with its pre-owned vertical, Ford Assured, the company announced the milestone of owning 200 Showroom outlets in India - with Galaxy Ford in Bhopal being the latest in its bandwagon.

Ranked highest among the most popular cars with top resale value, Ford EcoSport was lauded as the 'Most Dependable SUV' in India, according to the J.D. Power 2017 India Vehicle Dependability Study (VDS), now in its 10th year.

The study measures problems experienced by owners of 30 to 42 month-old vehicles for 169 different problem symptoms across nine vehicle categories. From the study, Ford EcoSport registered the least problems compared to the industry average, to be ranked highest in the SUV category.

Ford EcoSport was previously ranked highest in the SUV category in the J.D. Power Initial Quality Study for two consecutive years. The study measured problems owners experienced with their new vehicle during the first two to six months of ownership.

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In the wake of indefinite protests being conducted by the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) demanding a separate state Gorkhaland, the GJM has asserted that Gorkhas of Darjeeling are not safe in West Bengal.

GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri told ANI, "We are not safe in West Bengal. People here, aspire of a separate state, which should be fulfilled."

Giri said he had put forth the demand to the Home Minister and several Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders.

"I had met home minister when the party office was raided. I have met with several BJP leaders. Central government must hold a dialogue over Gorkhaland," Giri said.

Giri added that the West Bengal Chief Minister Mamta Banerjee should understand that the crisis is not a law and order problem, but a political problem, therefore; a political resolution can only be beneficial.

The general secretary noted that the centre is aware of the demands of the Gorkhas, and it must come forward to work on it.

Commenting upon the movement's future steps, Giri said that there would be an all party meeting on July 6.

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Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has said that India and Bangladesh should be united in their fight against poverty and terrorism and must seek to eradicate it as early as possible.

"We have common enemies and those have to be fought together. Our common enemy is poverty and together we have to fight that. Our common threats, which is also a global threat, are terrorism and fundamentalism," Sonowal said while addressing the inaugural programme of the eigth Round of India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue here.

India Foundation in collaboration with State Innovation and Transformation Aayog (SITA), Assam government, Bangladesh Foundation for Regional Studies (BFRS) and Maulana Abul Kalam Azad Institute of Asian Studies (MAKAIAS) is organizing the Eighth Round of Indo Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue here from July 2 to July 4.

The Dialogue aims to focus on discussing the changing dynamics of the global world order and the way forward for the peace, stability and prosperity of South Asia in general and India and Bangladesh in particular.

The working sessions between the Indian and the Bangladeshi delegates will discuss on the dynamics of International Borders and Security, Water Security and Joint Basin Management, Energy Security, Cross Border Generation and Trade in Power and on Boosting Connectivity in the Region.

The technical session of the dialogue would see experts, scholars, former and serving diplomats including all the relevant stakeholders from both the nations discussing threadbare the nuts and bolts of bilateral relationship.

Among other dignitaries who are attending the event include Minister of State for External Affairs, M. J. Akbar and State Minister, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Government of Bangladesh, Mohammad Shahriar Alam and Dipok Kumar Barthakur Vice Chairman, State Innovation and Transformation Aayog (SITA), Assam.

After the deliberations on multiple issues confronting the two nations, the valedictory session would effectively sum up the findings and observations made during the event in the form of a 'Guwahati Declaration' that would envisage the way forward for a more robust, mutually beneficial and cooperative relationship between India and Bangladesh.

Assam shares a crucial international border with Bangladesh and there is ample scope to harness and leverage upon the twin foundation of trade and connectivity for the state as well.

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The rift between Kanye West and JAY-Z has taken another turn as it is being reported that the 'Life of Pablo' hit-maker has quit the subscription-based music streaming service Tidal in a dispute over money.

According to TMZ.com, sources revealed that the 40-year-old rapper "complained the company owes him money - more than $3 million" and his lawyers sent a letter to the company telling them they were "in breach and the contact was terminated."

The insiders added that West's lawyers sent another letter two weeks after the first one after the conflict failed to be resolved.

The issues stemmed after West's Saint Pablo album brought in nearly 1 and a half million new subscribers to Tidal, for which he was supposed to receive a bonus, and the company didn't pay him.

The company also reportedly went back on their promise of reimbursing him for music videos, but Tidal stated that he "didn't deliver the videos required by contract."

Tidal have since sent a letter back, stating they "still have an exclusive contract with Kanye and if he goes to another streaming service they'd sue him.

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Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet on Monday gave approval to Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC), benefitting 6.5 lakh employees for increased wages.

The seventh pay scale proposal was approved in the Cabinet meeting which was held in Bhopal.

On June 29, the Centre had announced an increase in allowances by allowing recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC).

"The seventh pay commission was approved by the NDA government much earlier. Now it has been made a reality. Lakhs of people will be benefitted by this scheme," said BJP leader S. Prakash.

The Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 28 announced handsome increase in allowances by allowing recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission on allowances with 34 modifications.

Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told media that the Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, has decided to increase allowances to pensioners, soldiers and officers posted in Siachen and nurses and ministerial staffs of hospitals.

"Fixed medical allowance for pensioners is increased from Rs.500 per month to Rs.1000 per month. Constant attendance allowance on 100 percent disablement is increased from Rs.4500 per month to Rs. 6750 per month," said Jaitley while addressing a press conference last Wednesday.

The government also doubled the allowances to soldiers and officers posted in Siachen.

Now, the soldiers posted in Siachen will get Rs. 30000 per month as allowance. Earlier, they used to get Rs. 14000 per month. The officers will now get monthly allowance of Rs. 42500, which was earlier Rs. 21000.

The Cabinet has also increased allowances paid to nurses & ministerial staffs of hospitals. The nursing allowance has been increased from Rs.4800 to Rs.7200 per month.

Operation theatre allowance is increased from Rs. 360 to Rs. 540 per month. Hospital patient care allowance (HPCA) is enhanced from Rs. 2070 to Rs. 4100 and patient care allowance (PCA) from Rs. 2100 pm to Rs.5300 per month.

The Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations have been modified and HPCA and PCA to continue for Ministerial staff.

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Nepal is seeking access to two land and three sea ports in China and is set to propose the plan to Beijing for enhancing connectivity with Europe.

The Ministry of Commerce has prepared a draft and sent it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) for consultation, reports the Kathmandu Post.

The proposal will soon be put on the table at a meeting to be held in Kathmandu for formulating a protocol on the Transit Transport Agreement (TTA), which was signed with China in March last year during then prime minister K. P. Sharma Oli's visit to Beijing.

Presently, Nepal conducts trade with third countries only through India, but the protocol, which is key to actualisation of the treaty, will allow t to conduct trade with third countries through China as well.

"This is purely based on our interest and will be put on the table at a meeting to be held in the near future. The proposal will be negotiated with the Chinese side," the Kathmandu Post quoted Commerce Ministry Joint Secretary Ravi Shanker Sainju, as saying.

According to the report, Nepal is also seeking access to Iran via China as Yiwu in Zhejiang province of China has opened a 10,399-km freight train route to Iran through Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan. Apart from this, China has several freight rail routes directly reaching Europe.

Nepal is also a signatory of China's ambitious Belt and Road Initiative (OBOR).

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In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his arrival at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv tomorrow evening.

Till now, this gesture has only been accorded to U.S. presidents, including President Donald Trump recently and the Pope.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will also accompany his Indian counterpart to all events during his historic visit to the country between July 4 and July 6.

The Indian Prime Minister is undertaking a visit to Israel to mark 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.

In a series of tweets ahead of Modi's visit, the Israeli Prime Minister tweeted:

"Tomorrow, my friend Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi will arrive in Israel; India is the largest democracy in the . (sic)"

"I will accompany Prime Minister @narendramodi at many events during his visit as befits the leader of the largest democracy in the . (sic)"

He said the 'historic' visit attests the close Indo-Israel relations.

Netanyahu added," This visit will deepen cooperation in a range of areas - security, agriculture, water, energy, almost every field in which Israel is engaged"

Prime Minister Modi will be the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.

During the visit, the Indian leader will have detailed discussions with his Israeli counterpart on all matters of mutual interest and will also call on President Rivlin.

The visit also includes high-level bilateral meetings and other various components which reflect the fabric of the Indo-Israeli relations.

Earlier in November last year, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin came to India on a week-long state visit - the first by an Israeli President in nearly 20 years.

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South Africa Test skipper Faf du Plessis has been ruled out of the first Test of the four-match series against England beginning Thursday at Lord's due to family reasons.

The 32-year-old headed back home to attend the birth of his first child after their unsuccessful Champions Trophy, but will not be able to fly back to England in time for the opening game.

Confirming the news, Proteas team manager Dr Mohammed Moosajee revealed that du Plessis' wife Imari gave birth to their first child last week and that the difficult nature of the delivery has delayed his return.

"Faf's wife gave birth to their first child last week but the difficult nature of the delivery has delayed his return to the UK," Sport24 quoted Mosajee as saying.

Mosajee, however, confirmed that the Test skipper would join the squad in next few days.

"The mother and baby have settled at home, but he will be unable to make it back in time to take part in the first Test match. He will link up with the squad in the UK later this week," he said.

Du Plessis and his wife Imari, who got married in 2013 near Cape Town, were blessed with the baby girl last week.

Left-handed batsman Dean Elgar will lead the side in du Plessis' absence, thus making him the 12th player since readmission to lead the Proteas.

With the development, South Africa's 119-match streak to field him or AB de Villiers in their Playing XI will also come to an end.

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The Delhi High Court on Monday granted parole to Indian Lok Dal (INLD) leader Ajay Chautala till July 12 to appear in a post graduate diploma examination.

Earlier, the high court granted custody parole to Chautala, a teachers' recruitment scam convict, to attend his niece's wedding on June 28.

The high court also issued a notice to the Delhi Government seeking a reply over Chautala's plea against the government's decision to reject his parole.

Chautala had moved court against the Delhi Government's decision to reject his parole.

Chautala is serving a ten year jail term in connection with a teachers' recruitment scam case. He had filed a plea through Advocate Amit Sahni, seeking parole from June 28 to July 12.

He is pursuing a diploma in counselling and behaviour modification under distance education from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hissar.

Former Haryana Chief Minister Om Prakash Chautala, his MLA son Ajay, and three other officials were sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2013 by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on charges of illegally recruiting over 3,000 teachers in the state by using forged documents.

The scam was widely known as the JBT scam since it involved the recruitment of junior basic teachers.

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The prime accused in the Raebareli murders, where five people were brutally killed, has been arrested by the police.

The accused has been identified as former block chief Shiv Kumar Yadav, who was also the conspirator in this case.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath yesterday announced an ex-gratia of Rs. five lakh to the families of five people, brutally killed in Raebareli a week ago.

Dubbing the murder as unfortunate, the Chief Minister also offered his condolences to the bereaved families.

Adityanath also directed the Inspector General (IG) of Lucknow range to arrest the culprits within ten days following detailed probe and also take serious action against them.

He further assured that the state government will take stern action in the matter of law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

At least five people were reportedly killed after guns were fired and a vehicle was torched in the Apta village of Uttar Pradesh's Raebareli.

The incident took place on Monday when sons of Aapta village Pradhan engaged into a dispute with the victims over cash.

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With USS Stethem sailing close to an island in the South China Sea, China's foreign ministry has accused the United States of a serious military provocation.

The warship passed less than 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) from an island in the Xisha Islands archipelago, reports the Global Times.

According to a statement by foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, China has dispatched warships and fighter jets to warn off the US vessel.

Lu further stressed that the Xisha Islands are China's inherent territory and Chinese law makes clear the provisions concerning the entry of foreign warships into China's territorial waters.

"The US has once again intruded into China's territorial waters under the banner of freedom of navigation, violating Chinese laws and China's sovereignty," he said, adding that China will continue to take all necessary measures to safeguard national sovereignty and security.

Beijing has strongly urged Washington to put an end to such provocations that 'seriously violate China's sovereignty and threaten China's security'.

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal Krishna Bahadur Mahara on Monday.

Mahara, who landed here yesterday, will be here till July 4.

This is the first high-level visit from Nepal after the formation of new government under Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.

It is also the first visit abroad of Mahara after being appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal in June 2017.

Swaraj held discussion with Mahara on wide range of bilateral matters of mutual interest, including ongoing connectivity and development projects.

Both the Ministers reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors and to deepen the traditionally close and friendly relationship between the two countries.

Both the Ministers expressed satisfaction at the bilateral engagement at various levels including political exchanges, and reviewed upcoming high-level exchanges.

Mahara also spoke about the recently concluded second phase of local level elections in Nepal and his government's efforts to take all stakeholders on board in the constitution implementation process.

Swaraj also hosted a dinner in the honour of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal.

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Terrorism is always on the table during bilateral talks between India and Israel because both countries are facing terrorism as a major threat; Daniel Carmon, Israel's Ambassador to India, said on Monday.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is visiting Israel on Tuesday on a first ever two-day visit by an Indian Prime Minister since both nations opened diplomatic relations in 1992.

Talking to ANI, Carmon said that terrorism is a plague that many countries are suffering from.

"India and Israel definitely have been victims of terrorism and it is always on the table during bilateral talks because both countries are facing terrorism as a major threat. As long as we have it on table, we would be debating it; trying to find ways between us and with moderate world to prevent, preempt fighting the new battleground," Israeli envoy said.

He said that India, Israel signed a major landmark agreement on homeland security and counter terrorism three years back and "we are doing a lot in this field".

Carmon termed PM Modi's Israel visit is an important and landmark visit that would be sending out strong messages of the friendship and partnership between India and Israel.

"Israel is welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi with lots of love, enthusiasm and expectations for what will be a very important and landmark visit in the long history of Indo-Israel relations," the Israeli envoy said.

He further added that "the key components of PM Modi's visit will be the reflections of the relationship between both the countries. There would be a big emphasis on the development, innovation, agriculture, water and the very important connect between our peoples".

"We would be looking forward to keep India, Israel connection intact for next 25, 50, or 75 years," Carmon said.

The Israeli envoy hinted that defence cooperation can also be discussed during PM Modi's meeting with the Israeli leadership, but refused to divulge more details by saying "we don't talk much about publicly".

PM Modi is scheduled to meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Carmon said that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu would be accompanying PM Modi in every major event.

Carmon also expected that PM Modi's meeting with a 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Israeli kid "would be a very emotional meeting".

PM Modi will on Wednesday meet Moshe Holtzberg, who was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel during the 26/11 Mumbai attacks. His parents were killed in the attack when he was two-year-old.

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Senator John McCain, who is leading a US Congressional delegation to Islamabad, reiterated Washington's stand that dialogue is a prerequisite for India and Pakistan to solve the Kashmir issue.

The delegation met Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and discussed bilateral issues, including terrorism, Pakistan's relations with India and Afghanistan and regional peace, reports Dawn.

"Kashmir problem should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiations," McCain said, adding that the U.S. has not changed its stand regarding the Kashmir issue.

Both sides also came to the agreement that U.S. and Pakistan need to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond.

Aziz conveyed to the US delegation about Pakistan's success against terrorism through Operations Zarb-i-Azb and Raddul Fasaad, asserting that the terrorist networks had been dismantled, their sanctuaries eliminated under the overarching National Action Plan.

He further stressed that Pakistan was also ready to strengthen its ties with the US to counter new terrorism threats, including the threat of ISIS in the region.

Earlier, after the United States declared Hizbul Mujahideen militant Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, Pakistan has said it would continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri separatists for what it called their struggle for their right to self-determination and for the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that "the designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified".

Islamabad also accused the United States of singing to India's tune and asserted that there would never be any compromise on rights of Kashmiris and Pakistan would continue to support their cause 'till realisation of right of self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions'.

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As another round of competition started off at Wimbledon, Venus Williams had to face questions from the media about the fatal car crash she was involved in that claimed the life of a passenger in another vehicle.

During a press conference following her first round Wimbledon win over Elise Mertens, the world-famous athlete struggled to find the words to answer as she wiped away tears.

"There are really no words to describe how devastating. I'm speechless, and I'm just...," she said before leaving the news conference to compose herself.

The 37-year-old five-time champion, who is celebrating the 20th anniversary of her maiden appearance at the All England Club, was involved last month in a road accident near her Florida home which resulted in the death of a 78-year-old man.

Despite the tragedy at home, Williams remained focused enough on Court One to clinch a 7-6 (9/7), 6-4 victory over Belgium's Elise Mertens in the first round.

Williams had previously broken her silence on the incident on social media, saying: "I am devastated and heartbroken by this accident. My heartfelt condolences go out to the family and friends of Jerome Barson and I continue to keep them in my thoughts and prayers."

Barson, who suffered head injuries in the accident, died two weeks later.

The accident remains under investigation and Williams has not been charged.

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Kathmandu [Nepal], July 3 (ANI): The vote counting of Nepal's second phase local polls has hit a snag because of various technical and logistic problems.

The Election Commission (EC), Nepal has not been able to start the vote counting of the 6 local levels because of various problems. The poll panel has acknowledged that it is trying to start the vote counting in the disputed areas.

"According to the information received by Joint Election Operation Center (JEOC) counting of votes are underway in 91 local levels and the attempt to start the counting over the 6 levels are being made," said a statement issued by the commission on Monday.

The vote counting of Nepal always has been hard task for the EC as political parties raise objections and hinder the counting process demanding a recount.

The commission on Sunday counted the votes in Jhapa-1, the home district of opposition party chief K. P. Sharma Oli, for the third time after the opposition objected over the result. The final result came for the Rastriya Prajatantra Party after defeating Communist Party of Nepal- Unified Marxist Leninist (CPN-UML) candidate with difference of seven votes.

Meanwhile, the commission on Sunday ruled that the number of ballots in the boxes will be accepted as the number of votes cast to announce the results.

"The election commission which held the election on 28th June hereby directs the Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioner to understand the number of ballots in the boxes as the number of votes casted and continue the counting of votes," it decided Saturday as more ballots were found inside the ballot boxes.

After six-day-long voting in 35 districts on June 28 for the second phase of local elections, only vote count for 18 districts is complete, said EC.

The poll body has informed that the results of 242 local levels out of 334 have been declared by by Monday afternoon. As per the results, CPN-UML has won over 44 local levels of Province no. 1, 25 in Province no. 5 and 29 in province no. 7.

The Nepali Congress on other hand has registered victory over 29 local levels in province no. 1, 23 in province no. 5 and 35 in province no. 7.

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Internet star Stevie Ryan, who rose to fame with her YouTube series 'Little Loca,' has died in an apparent suicide at the age of 33.

According to the website of the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office, Ryan was found dead at her place of residence on July 1. The cause of death is listed as suicide by hanging.

The news comes days after she co-hosted 'Mentally Ch(ill),' a "podcast about depression," where she revealed that her grandfather had died recently.

Ryan also took to the social media to grieve her grandfather's death by posting a tribute.

"The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams," she wrote to her Twitter followers. "I'll miss you everyday, forever. I love you my Pa."

"My dream man who I will only see in my dreams. I'll meet you in Percebo, soon. I love you my Papa," She posted on her Instagram page.

The YouTube personality, whose channel has 49,000 subscribers and millions of views, also used the video platform to share celebrity impressions.

She also parodied pop culture figures on the VH1 sketch series "Stevie TV," which was canceled after its second season.

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Union Textiles Minister Smt.

Smriti Zubin Irani and Minister of State, Textiles, Shri Ajay Tamta witnessed the signing of 65 MoUs in the textiles sector today, on the 2nd day of the three-day mega textiles trade fair, Textiles India 2017. MoUs were signed between various domestic and international organizations from industry and government; three of the MoUs signed are G2G MoUs.

The MoUs signed relate to exchange of information and documentation, Research & Development, commercialization of handloom products and silk production, cooperation in Geo textiles, skill development, supply of cotton and trade promotion with overseas partners, etc.

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Opposing any more layer of regulation to the highly indebted telecom industry, battling several challenges, the ASSOCHAM has approached the Department of Telecommunication with a plea to drop the proposal of mandatory testing of telecom equipment which is used in India after certification from well-known third party global bodies.

In a letter to the Telecommunication Secretary and Chairperson of the Telecom Commission , Ms Aruna Sundarajan, the ASSOCHAM has said that the move to get the draft guidelines by the Telecom Engineering Centre for mandatory testing of the end to end equipment would add one more layer of regulation and go against the spirit of 'ease of doing business'.

It said, in any case, the telecom industry is already heavily debt ridden and any more regulatory compliance burden would create serious issues in the global supply chain cycle. Declining revenues, mounting debt, hyper-competitive market place have posed tremendous pressure on network investments, expansions.

The ASSOCHAM letter signed by its Secretary General Mr D S Rawat said, products (end to end equipment) are developed keeping in view the relevant legal and regulatory requirements in global markets including India and equipment makers proactively ensure stringent technical and environmental standards. The telecom products that are envisaged in mandatory testing by TEC are developed based on various international standards and do undergo rigorous testing and certification regime at international labs for Environment, Health, Safety.

Mr. Rawat also said that most of the critical telecom infrastructure supplied to operators and other intermediaries in the entire voice and data chain are being manufactured in India itself, in the spirit of the Make in India programme.

The ASSOCHAM, thus sought doing away with the proposal.

Instead of adding one more layer of testing, when in doubt, TEC may recognize and review from time to time the test reports and certificates issued by conformity assessment bodies that are internationally reputed to assess whether products conform to the standards and safety requirements, as happening now.

ASSOCHAM has cautioned that this mandatory testing would not only be counter-productive to the industry which is already heavily debt ridden and would also create serious issues in the global supply chain cycle. Declining revenues, mounting debt, hyper-competitive market place have posed tremendous pressure on network investments, expansions. The financial pressure is leading to further debt and the industry is already going through a rough patch leading to consolidations at both operators as well as the global OEM's.

There have been consistent efforts from the government to improve the ease of doing business in India to enhance the productivity and competitiveness of industry. While the industry is on its way to gear up towards new era in to digital networked society with mass uptake of mobile broadband and digitalization of industry to embark upon the next revolution in telecom in India, the proposed draft guidelines for Mandatory Testing of telecom equipment will definitely be a showstopper for this journey.

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Bajaj Auto fell 0.67% to Rs 2,768.45 at 12:51 IST on BSE after total sales fell 23% to 2.44 lakh units in June 2017 over June 2016.

The announcement was made before market hours today, 3 July 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 319.44 points or 1.03% at 31,241.05

On the BSE, 13,000 shares were traded on the counter so far as against the average daily volumes of 23,330 shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 2,778.45 and a low of Rs 2,752 so far during the day. The stock had hit a record high of Rs 3,122 on 9 September 2016 and a 52-week low of Rs 2,510 on 15 November 2016.

The stock had underperformed the market over the past one month till 30 June 2017, falling 1.77% compared with the Sensex's 0.76% fall. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one quarter, declining 0.61% as against the Sensex's 4.3% rise. The scrip had also underperformed the market over the past one year, rising 4.56% as against the Sensex's 14.53% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 289.37 crore. Face value per share is Rs 10.

Bajaj Auto's domestic sales dropped 34% to 1.26 lakh units in June 2017 over June 2016. Exports fell 4% to 1.17 lakh units in June 2017 over June 2016.

In a separate announcement during market hours today, 3 July 2017, Bajaj Auto announced that the company and KTM are celebrating the tenth anniversary of their partnership this year. To celebrate the occasion, the joint venture has announced that they will take the Husqvarna Motorcycles brand global with its production to commence in 2018.

Stefan Pierer, CEO of KTM AG and Rajiv Bajaj, Managing Director of Bajaj Auto, decided on the strategy to take Husqvarna Motorcycles brand global and scale up the business multiple times.

There will be an increase in production of KTM and Husqvarna branded motorcycles produced in India from expected 1 lakh units in 2017 to over 2 lakh units in the next years.

Husqvarna Motorcycles, founded in 1903, is the world's second oldest motorcycle brand, for which KTM has secured a long-term license agreement in the year 2013. KTM is Europe's biggest motorcycle producer based in Austria.

Bajaj Auto consolidated net profit fell 13.44% to Rs 862.25 crore on 7.26% decline in total income to Rs 5252.38 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

Bajaj Auto manufactures motorcycles, three-wheelers and quadricycles. The company is the world's third largest motorcycle manufacturer and is the largest three wheeler and quadricycle manufacturer.

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From its Chakan manufacturing facility

Bajaj Auto and its partner Austrian partner KTM have decided on the strategy to take Husqvarna Motorcycles brand global and scale up the business multiple times. The first models, Vitpilen 401, Svartpilen 401 and Vitpilen 701 will be produced in Mattighofen, Austria and launched in early 2018. Later in 2018, the Vitpilen 401 and Svatpilen 401 production for the global markets will be transferred to Bajaj's Chakan factory.

Bajaj aims to sell Husqvarna Motorcycles at a similar level as KTM products in India and Indonesia. The Chakan produced 'Joint Products' volume for global markets, which is planned to exceed 100,000 units in 2017, is expected to double to 200,000 units sold in the next years.

Bajaj Auto and KTM, Europe's biggest motorcycle producer based in Austria, are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their partnership this year. The product lines DUKE 125-390 and RC 125-390 are produced in Bajaj's production facility in Chakan and are distributed by the two partners globally.

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Union Minister for Chemicals & Fertilizers and Parliamentary Affairs, Shri Ananthkumar said that it was decided to reduce the GST rate of fertilizers from the existing 12% to 5%. This decision was primarily taken in the interests of the farmers. The Government has also taken up with the Industry to pass on the benefit to the Farmers, the Minister informed.

Shri Ananthkumar said that farmers would benefit to the tune of Rs. 1261 crores under GST regime.

Under the new GST rates announced by the Council, average weighted MRP will decrease to Rs. 5909/ Ton (or Rs. 295.47/ 50kg bag) as compared to the existing All India weighted Average of Rs 5923/ Ton (or Rs. 296.18/50 kg bag).

Consequent to the ushering in of the GST regime, Shri Ananthkumar informed, there will be a uniform MRP of Rs.295.47 per 50 kg bag across the country except couple of States where additional VAT is charged on the natural gas as Natural gas has not been brought within the ambit of GST. However, even in these States, MRP will reduce by Rs 3 per 50 kg bag. Similarly, MRP of P&K Fertilisers, for which the prices are not administered, are also expected to come down on an average basis as the incidence of tax will be lower than the existing tax on an average, the Minister added.

The GST regime, apart from integrating the entire fertilizer market into a single market, will also deter inter-state smuggling of fertilizers which may be currently happening due to differing levels of taxes and consequently MRPs in different adjoining States. The GST would realize the Prime Minister of India, Shri Narendra Modi's vision of 'One Nation, One Market, One Tax', Shri Ananthkumar said.

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A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between India and Thailand was signed in the presence of Minister of State for Home Affairs, Shri Hansraj Gangaram Ahir and Minister of Justice of Thailand, Mr. Suwaphan Tanyuvardhana, on Cooperation in Controlling Narcotic Drugs, Psychotropic Substances, their Precursors and Chemicals and Drug Abuse. The MoU was signed by Dr.

Rina Mitra, Special Secretary, MHA & DG, Narcotics Control Bureau and Mr. Sirinya Sitdhichai, Secretary General, Office of Narcotics Control Board, Thailand.

The MoU will enhance the mutual cooperation between India and Thailand in regulation of narcotic drugs and psychotropic substances and combating drug trafficking. It will facilitate the exchange of information of new trends and modus operandi of drug traffickers, sharing the list of smugglers/syndicates in operation, sharing of best practices in the field of supply and demand reduction and help to provide mutual assistance & cooperation in investigation of drug offences.

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NBCC (India) rose 2.62% to Rs 207.80 at 11:35 IST on BSE after the company signed a MoU with Rail Development Authority for re-development of 10 railway stations with Smart City features.

The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 June 2017.

Meanwhile, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 287.39 points, or 0.93% to 31,209

On the BSE, 1.35 lakh shares were traded in the counter so far, compared with average daily volumes of 1.92 lakh shares in the past one quarter. The stock had hit a high of Rs 209.35 and a low of Rs 203.50 so far during the day. The stock hit a record high of Rs 213.70 on 22 June 2017. The stock hit a 52-week low of Rs 126 on 1 July 2016.

The stock had outperformed the market over the past one month till 30 June 2017, rising 4.92% compared with the Sensex's 0.76% fall. The scrip had also outperformed the market over the past one quarter advancing 17.66% as against the Sensex's 4.3% rise. The scrip had also outperformed the market over the past one year surging 57.31% as against the Sensex's 14.53% rise.

The large-cap company has equity capital of Rs 180 crore. Face value per share is Rs 2.

NBCC (India) and Rail Development Authority, a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for re-development of 10 Railway stations i.e. Tirupati, Pudducherry, Eranakulam, Nellore, Madgaon, Thane, Lucknow, Kota, Gomati Nagar (Lucknow) and Sarai Rohilla (Delhi). The re-development of railway station would be integrated with Smart City features.

The project would be developed on self sustainable finance model through commercial exploitation of vacant railways land, NBCC (India) said. Commercial built up space having Business Centre, Offices, F&B courts, Restaurants, Hotels, Retails, IT/Ites & air space over tracks shall be leased out to generate funds for development of stations, the company said.

Meanwhile in a separate announcement made during market hours today, 3 July 2017, NBCC (India) said that the company has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with South Delhi Municipal Corporation (SDMC), Delhi for planning, designing and construction of office building / SDMC headquarters near Pragati Maidan, New Delhi amounting to Rs 525 crore (approximately).

On a consolidated basis, NBCC (India)'s net profit rose 39.03% to Rs 173.97 crore on 4.94% increase in net sales to Rs 2351.78 crore in Q4 March 2017 over Q4 March 2016.

NBCC (India), a blue-chip Government of India (GoI) Navratna enterprise under the Ministry of Urban Development, is present in three segments of operations including project management consultancy (PMC), real estate development and EPC contracting. The GoI held 75% stake in the firm (as per shareholding pattern as on 31 March 2017).

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The S&P BSE Sensex hovered close to its intraday high while Nifty 50 index hit fresh intraday high in early afternoon trade. At 12:20 IST, the barometer index, the S&P BSE Sensex was up 309.21 points or 1% at 31,230.82. The Nifty 50 index was up 92.45 points or 0.97% at 9,613.35. Nifty hit more-than one-week high. The sentiment was boosted after the biggest tax reform, the Goods and Services Tax came into force from 1 July 2017. The gains were also supported by a sharp jump in index heavyweight ITC.

Trading for July started on a buoyant note, with indices witnessing a gap-up opening. Stocks regained strength after trimming initial spurt in morning trade.

The S&P BSE Mid-Cap index rose 0.93%, underperforming the Sensex. The S&P BSE Small-Cap index gained 1.05%, outperforming the Sensex.

The broad market depicted strength. There were more than two gainers against every loser on BSE. 1,712 shares rose and 658 shares fell. A total of 135 shares were unchanged.

The Sensex gained 336.72 points or 1.08% at the day's high of 31,258.33 in early trade, its highest level since 27 June 2017. The index rose 95.50 points or 0.3% at the day's low of 31,017.11 at the onset of the session. The Nifty spurted 97.10 points or 1.01% at the day's high of 9,618 in early afternoon trade, its highest level since 23 June 2017. The index gained 22.65 points or 0.23% at the day's low of 9,543.55 at the onset of the session.

IT stocks were mixed. Tech Mahindra (down 0.16%), HCL Technologies (down 1.31%), and Wipro (down 1.57%) declined. TCS rose 0.09%.

Infosys rose 0.7% after the company announced that it has signed on 29 June 2017, an agreement for divestment of its entire investment in Cloudyn for a total consideration of approximately $4.4 million.

The divestment is due to Microsoft signing a definitive agreement for the acquisition of Cloudyn. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 June 2017. Infosys on 3 August 2016 had announced minority investment in Cloudyn Software.

Most capital goods stocks gained. Bharat Heavy Electricals (Bhel) (up 0.15%), ABB India (up 0.06%), Bharat Electronics (up 0.15%), L&T (up 0.33%), and Siemens (up 0.4%) gained. Havells India (down 0.26%) and Thermax (down 0.75%) declined.

NBCC (India) rose 2.4% after the company said and Rail Development Authority, a statutory authority under the Ministry of Railways and the company have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for re-development of 10 railway stations i.e. Tirupati, Pudducherry, Eranakulam, Nellore, Madgaon, Thane, Lucknow, Kota, Gomati Nagar (Lucknow) and Sarai Rohilla (Delhi).

The re-development of railway station would be integrated with smart city features. The announcement was made after market hours on Friday, 30 June 2017.

On macroeconomic data front, Markit Economics said during market hours today, 3 July 2017 that Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) data highlighted a slowdown in growth across India's manufacturing sector during June. A softer rise in factory new orders resulted in weaker growth of production, with rates of expansion at four-month lows in both cases. Down from 51.6 in May to a four-month low of 50.9 in June, the Nikkei India Manufacturing PMI pointed to a slight and weaker improvement in the health of the sector.

Meanwhile, the output of eight core infrastructure industries, comprising 40.27% of the weight of items included in the Index of Industrial Production (IIP), improved 3.6% in May 2017. The cumulative output of eight core infrastructure industries moved up 3.2% in April-May 2017-18. The data was announced after market hours on Friday, 30 June 2017.

The Goods and Services Tax came into force from 1 July 2017, amid a historic midnight session in the Central Hall of Parliament on 30 June 2017. President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and Finance Minister Arun Jaitley addressed the gathering, before the President and the Prime Minister pressed a button to mark the launch of GST. The biggest tax reform since independence - GST - will pave the way for realization of the goal of One Nation - One Tax - One Market.

Overseas, Asian stocks were mixed as the second half of the year kicked off, tracking mixed signals from US markets. US stocks closed mixed on Friday, 30 June 2017.

On macro economic data front, a private gauge of China's factory activity rebounded in June to show an expansion, indicating an improvement in the manufacturing sector that tallied with official data released last week. The Caixin China manufacturing purchasing managers' index rose to 50.4 in June from 49.6 in May, showing a rise in activity, Caixin Media Co. and research firm Markit said. The 50 level separates an expansion in manufacturing activity from a contraction.

Japanese manufacturing activity expanded at a slightly slower pace in June. The final June Markit/Nikkei Japan Manufacturing PMI was 52.4, higher than a preliminary reading of 52.0 but still below a final 53.1 in May.

Japan's business confidence among the nation's large manufacturers strengthened to its highest level in more than three years in the second quarter, according to a central bank survey. The main index measuring large manufacturers' confidence rose to plus 17 in the April-June period from plus 12 previously, according to the Bank of Japan's quarterly tankan survey.

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In Georgia

Tata Power Company announced that the Company through Adjaristsqali Georgia LLC its joint venture with Norway's Clean Energy Invest AS Norway (Clean Energy) and IFC InfraVentures, a member of the World Bank Group, has completed the construction of its 187 MW Shuakhevi Hydro Power Project in Georgia.

The Shuakhevi HPP is the largest hydropower plant to be built in Geogia over the past fifty years, and its project investment cost exceeded USD 420 million.

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To pass on GST benefits

TVS Motor Company announced that it has reduced prices on its two wheelers to pass on GST benefits to its customers.

The price reduction is in the range of Rs. 350 to Rs. 1,500 in the commuter segment. In the premium segment products, the prices are reduced up to Rs. 4,150 depending on each State. Dealers will be given suitable assistance on the opening stock as on 1st July 2017 purchased by them at a pre-GST price.

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Up to 54 Taliban insurgents were killed in Afghan army operations over the past 24 hours in southern Helmand province.

"Afghan special forces conducted night operations against insurgents in Nawa district on Sunday night which resulted in killings 42 rebels and injuring 27 others," a government statement said.

Four Taliban local commanders were among those killed and security forces also seized weapons and 18 motorbikes during the operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

In another incident, 12 Taliban militants were killed and six injured in airstrikes carried out by the Afghan Air Force on two important bases of the terror group in Lashkargah city.

--IANS

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Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US leader Donald Trump will hold a trilateral meeting at the G20 summit to discuss increasing pressure on North Korea.

Abe agreed in a telephone call on Monday with Trump to hold the meeting after a previous conversation with Moon, Japanese government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference.

The trilateral talks will take place within the framework of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, which begins on Friday and will also be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Efe news reported.

"The meeting is necessary to coordinate the response to North Korea's provocations," said Suga, who also pointed to the need for China to be part of the solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

Moon and Trump already highlighted the need to intensify pressure on North Korea last week in Washington during the first meeting between the two leaders.

In recent months, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime boosted its challenge to the international community with frequent missile tests that escalated tension in the region.

In response, the Trump administration hardened its rhetoric towards Pyongyang, even hinting at the possibility of a pre-emptive strike against North Korea.

Moon's government, meanwhile, is seeking to resolve tension through rapprochement, while maintaining a firm stance towards Pyongyang's continued weapons tests.

--IANS

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Billionloans Financial Services Ltd on Monday said it closed a seed funding round of Rs 7 crore ($1 million) from Reliance Corporate Advisory Services, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Reliance Capital.

As a technology-enabled financial services company, the city-based Billionloans provides financing options to individuals and small businesses, which find it difficult to access loans from the traditional banking system to meet their aspirations.

"Our goal is to disrupt how borrowers are sourced and appraised using technology. This will lead to a dramatic change in access, both for borrowers with thin credit histories and lenders looking to expand beyond their traditional customer bases," Billionloans Chairman V. Balakrishnan said in a statement.

The company will initially focus on loans to Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) for affordable housing, education and personal factors.

"The investment from Reliance Capital is a great validation of our business model," asserted Balakrishnan, a former member of software major Infosys Board, Exfinity Venture Fund Chairman and an early investor in Billionloans.

Announcing the funding, Reliance Capital Executive Director Anmol Ambani said technology and innovation in financial services would play a big part in bridging the gap between aspirations of large number of people wanting access to credit and the ability of companies to build efficient and scalable lending models.

"We look forward to support Billionloans in its vision and partner in their growth," said Ambani in the statement.

Founded by serial entrepreneur Rangan Varadan, the company connects borrowers to lenders directly and uses technology-based credit analyses to assess eligibility and process applications.

"Though we want to make borrowing easier for SMEs and individuals, we are finding it difficult to access loans to achieve their goals," said Varadan.

The company has tie-ups with leading financial institutions and banks to its technology platform and plans to disburse Rs 2,000 crore loans over the next three years.

"India has a large pool of unbanked population without access to formal banking system. With technology enabling access, our goal is to help the borrowers," added Billionloans Chairman Balakrishnan.

--IANS

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Criticising Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM)'s move to involve kids in the ongoing agitation in the north Bengal hills, a child rights body on Monday said it has summoned GJM chief Bimal Gurung to their office for child rights violation.

"We have already sent the GJM a show-cause letter last week for rallying the kids amid such a volatile situation in Darjeeling. The kids are not safe on the streets there. After today (Monday)'s incident, we have summoned Bimal Gurung to appear in our committee office on July 11," Chairperson, State Commission for Protection of Child Rights, Ananya Chakraborty said.

Referring to a Calcutta High Court order from 2011, Chakraborty said children could not be used in any political rallies, and more importantly, in any form of rallies on a school day, as it was against the Right to Education.

Despite criticism from various quarters for rallying the kids in support of separate Gorkhaland on June 28, several children with their parents again joined a Darjeeling rally on Monday.

Denying allegations of forcing the kids to join the rallies, the Morcha leadership claimed there has been spontaneous participation from all around the hills. They also claimed that several parents had appealed to the party leadership to include their kids in the Gorkhaland movement.

"Everyone in the hills has just one thing in mind, Gorkhaland. Even the small kids here demand Gorkhaland. They are spontaneously joining the movement," GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri claimed.

--IANS

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Chinese President Xi Jinping touted the relationship between China and Russia at "best time in history", saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks in an interview with the Russian media ahead of his July 3-4 visit to Moscow where he will meet President Vladimir Putin, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese President said, noting that both countries have completely resolved their border issues, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi said.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture, had been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached a consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

He added that joint cross-border infrastructure projects such as the building of an international transport corridor and the North Polar sea-route would help promote interconnectivity to inject new vigour into the cooperation.

According to a Kremlin statement, the two leaders will ink a number of bilateral agreements following the talks.

The Chinese President also said that the Syrian crisis can only have "a political solution".

"China's position on the Syrian issue has been consistent," said Xi. "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be protected and respected, and its future decided by its own people."

--IANS

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China on Monday said India was using Bhutan to "cover up" the illegal entry by Indian troops into "Chinese territory" and demanded their immediate withdrawal.

China said India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had accepted the 1890 treaty, a pact Beijing has sworn by to claim Donglong, which is disputed between China and Bhutan.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's action went against the "basic principles of UN charter and the international law and infringed upon Chinese territorial integrity".

Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang cited letters by Nehru to then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.

China and India have refused to budge from their positions over the standoff between their troops in Donglong, which the Chinese claim as their territory and which India calls a disputed region between China and Bhutan.

Tensions have been building up between the two Asian giants. A Chinese expert said that war between the two countries could not be ruled out.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry by Indian troops into the Chinese territory, the Indian side even wants to infringe upon Bhutan's sovereignty that is futile," said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.

China says India should not interfere in the dispute between Thimpu and Beijing. However, Bhutan has opposed China's building the road in the disputed Donglong.

"We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse.

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," Geng said.

Asked what he thought about Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that the India of 2017 was not the India of 1962, Geng said: "To some extent, he is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from the India in 1962, just like China is also different."

Last week, after China had warned India to learn from its military debacle of 1962, Jaitley had said that the India of 2017 was not the India of 1962.

"Donglong is located on the Chinese side of the boundary and belongs to China. By entering into Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese military troops' normal activities, the Indian side has violated existing convention," Geng said.

"We have noted the statement from the Indian side; (it) evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China and Tibet.

"Indian Prime Minister Nehru on behalf of the Indian government explicitly recognised that the 1890 convention has defined the boundary."

Geng cited two letters by Nehru to Zhou En Lai in 1959, stating that 1890 defined the border as demarcated.

"The action taken by India is undoubtedly a betrayal of the consistent position held by successive Indian governments," Geng said. "We request India to respect the treaty and pull back the border troops immediately."

--IANS

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The Indian Army on Monday dismissed reports of bulldozers being used by the Chinese army to destroy army camps in Doklam area where a stand-off is continuing between the two sides.

Some army officials, who did not want to be named, denied reports that the Chinese troops used bulldozers to destroy Indian Army's makeshift camps, but refused to divulge any further details.

The Indian Army and the Defence Ministry have maintained a silence on the issue so far, and a statement explaining the details of the incident was issued by the External Affairs Ministry on Friday.

Army officials said only the External Affairs Ministry could make a statement on the issue, which involved two foreign countries -- Bhutan and China.

India, in its statement on Friday, denied that Indian troops crossed the boundary in the Sikkim sector of the India-China frontier and entered the Chinese territory.

It said a People's Liberation Army (PLA)'s construction party entered Doklam area on June 16 and attempted to build a road despite objections from a Royal Bhutan Army patrol. Bhutan lodged a protest with China on June 20.

On Thursday, Bhutan said the construction of the road inside its territory was a violation of the 1988 and 1998 agreements with China.

--IANS

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India's ambitious aim to install 160 GW of renewable energy by 2022 will have a positive impact on the country's jobs market, a new study has predicted.

The study says that more than 300,000 full-time workers will be needed in these five years and there's potential to create around one million employment opportunities.

Of the many segments of the renewables sector, the labour-intensive rooftop solar component will employ as much as 70 per cent of the new workforce, creating seven times more jobs than large-scale projects such as solar farms, said the study titled Greening India's Workforce: Gearing Up For Expansion of Solar and Wind Power in India.

The report, published this month by the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), a New Delhi-based think tank, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC), a New York-based environmental advocacy group, said that the strong growth in the domestic solar manufacturing industry could provide full-time employment for an additional 45,000 people in India.

The study estimated that India's clean energy goals have the potential to put 34,583 people to work in wind power, 58,647 in utility-scale solar farms and 237,980 in rooftop solar energy jobs over the next five years. The solar energy jobs will be distributed across India, with Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh setting the pace. The wind sector jobs, like wind power capacity, are likely to be concentrated in a few states that have high wind potential.

"CEEW and NRDC's study captures a new dimension in accurately assessing manpower requirements in the solar and wind domains," Praveen Saxena, Chief Executive Officer of Skill Council of Green Jobs, said in a statement. "This study builds on earlier analyses on the subject considering national objectives to meet India's international clean energy commitments. It makes the path of Skill Council of Green Jobs more clear and visible in terms of capturing the opportunity of employability in India's solar and wind sector."

NRDC and CEEW have annually surveyed India's solar and wind companies, developers and manufacturers over the past three years to collect market-based information on jobs created, workforce employed and the skills required to achieve India's renewable energy goals.

Based on these observations, the June 2017 study has listed key recommendations for the federal and provincial governments. It has suggested a greater impetus and policy priority to rooftop solar to create renewable energy jobs, initiative to support development of training centres led by the private sector to source construction jobs locally since solar jobs are distributed among states.

It also suggests developing wind power training centres based on state-specific wind targets in eight windy states, and target a strong domestic solar manufacturing industry to provide employment to an additional 45,000 people in India.

India's solar and wind energy sectors employed more than 21,000 people in 2016-17. An additional 25,000 people will be employed over the coming year, the study predicted. India's clean energy workforce comprises solar installers, maintenance workers, engineers, technicians and performance data monitors.

"Clean energy expansion is generating thousands of new jobs while meeting India's climate and economic goals," said Nehmat Kaur, India Consultant at NRDC. "With this tremendous opportunity, India is stepping up as a global leader in demonstrating how a growing economy can scale up renewables, generate employment and provide access in the face of rising energy demands."

Some 80 per cent of the new workforce is likely to be employed during the construction phase, according to Neeraj Kuldeep, Programme Associate at CEEW. "However, despite these being contractual jobs, the large pipeline of renewable energy projects creates enough opportunities for workers to stay employed," Kuldeep said.

"Additionally, since most of these jobs are in the rooftop solar PV (photovoltaic) segment, central and state governments must provide greater policy support to the rooftop sector," he added.

(In arrangement with indiaclimatedialogue.net. Views expressed are those of indiaclimatedialogue.net. Feedback at information@indiaclimatedialogue.net)

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to remove encroachments over 908 sq.mt area around the historic Haji Ali Dargah shrine within two weeks.

Directing the clearing of all the encroachments spread over 908 sq.mt, as also directed by the Bombay High Court, the bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: "We are going to take very stern action, if you don't implement our direction. There is a high court order, now supported by us."

"Do it now. Demolish unauthorised structures. It is our direction," Chief Justice Khehar said, warning that "serious consequences will flow if direction is not carried".

The court also noted that even the Haji Ali Dargah Trust was supporting the removal of encroachments.

"You have to do it, they (Haji Ali Dargah Trust) are helping you do it," the bench observed.

The court directed the Deputy Collector (Encroachment/Removal) to be present in the court on the next date of hearing.

Deputy Collector (Encroachment/Removal), Colaba, had issued notice on March 22, 2017, for the removal of encroachments.

The court asked the officer to remove the encroachments after Haji Ali Dargah Trust informed the court that it could not clear the encroachments, as directed in the last hearing of the matter on May 9.

The apex court on May 9 asked the Haji Ali Dargah Trust to remove encroachments around the historic shrine, failing which the Joint Task Force (JTF) constituted by the Bombay High Court would clear the area.

The trust managing the shrine built in 1431 had at the last hearing told the court that the shrine was spread over an area of 171 sq.mt and there were encroachments in the area around it.

The trust is managing the shrine since 1930.

--IANS

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India Kids Fashion Week (IKFW) 2017 edition is set to take place here on July 29-30 and then travel to Mumbai on August 12-13.

IKFW in association with Asian Paints, Crocs and Sony Yay, is an initiative by Event Capital (a Laqshya Media Group Company) and Craftworld Events.

Its fifth season will showcase creations of various designers and brands catering to children's fashion.

"There was a huge need in the market for a platform like this which showcases kids fashion. With IKFW, we want to make our mark as the biggest platform for kids fashion industry which will help brands and designers to reach their target audience directly.

"Additionally, IKFW will be a great confidence building exercise and exposure for the kids, while they're also having fun," Manoj Mahla, Director, Craftworld Events, said in a statement.

Various fashion brands like Biba, Kids Around, Azzura, Amayara, Enchanted Velvet, Papa Jaama, Little Divas, Cubmarks, Sugar Candy, Many Frocks, Tiber Taber, Neevov, Blossoms, Nimbus, Cuddle for Cubs, Kidzania and Little Pocket Store are associated with IKFW this year.

The previous editions of IKFW saw celebrities like Sushmita Sen, Karisma Kapoor and Sohail Khan in attendance.

--IANS

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The Delhi government will soon bring a bill to penalise officials who misuse and divert funds meant for Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST) and is also planning to set up a Scheduled Caste Commission for the National Capital Region (NCR).

This was announced by Delhi's SC and ST Minister Rajendra Pal Gautam in the assembly on Monday after the members expressed concern that more than five lakh SC/ST and minority students were not getting scholarships.

The minister's remarks came after AAP member Adarsh Shastri raised the issue, referring to a report by the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC) which said that more than five lakh scholarships to SC/ST and minorities were yet to be disbursed in Delhi.

He said about 5.57 lakh scholarships were to be disbursed and there was a delay of about 16 months.

Shastri blamed the National Scholarship Portal (NSP), which is responsible for timely disbursal of the scholarships, for the non-distribution of the scholarships.

Participating in the discussion, AAP's Alka Lamba said the students were victims of government's incomplete Digital India initiative as the central government had opened NSP for timely disbursal of the scholarships.

Responding to the concerns, Gautam promised that there will be no pending scholarships from next academic session and added that a Bill, which has provisions for punishing officials who misuse and divert funds meant for SCs and STs, was in the pipeline.

The minister said the government was also working on another Bill for setting up a Scheduled Caste Commission in Delhi.

The matter was raised in the assembly days after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to Chief Secretary M.M. Kutty expressing concerns over five lakh SC/ST and minority students not getting scholarships.

Kejriwal said the files were never put up before the concerned ministry during the entire period from 2015 to 2017 and his government was kept in the dark.

The DDC, appointed by Kejriwal, said in the report that it examined 34 files pertaining to 12 schemes (seven centrally-sponsored and five of the state) implemented by the Delhi government and found that four of the state-sponsored schemes had "collapsed" in 2015-16 and "thousands of students" who had applied were yet to receive their scholarship, a delay of "more than 16 months", by March 2016.

The report said that almost all the 12 schemes collapsed and around 5.57 lakh scholarships were awaiting disbursal by March 2017.

Kejriwal, who first came to know about SC/ST and minority students not getting their scholarships during his daily public meetings, urged Kutty to distribute all pending scholarships by July 15.

--IANS

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The Delhi assembly on Monday passed a resolution to take action against the erring officials following the recommendations of the Petition Committee.

Delhi PWD Minister Satyendar Jain also advocated action against his department's officials who failed to perform pre-monsoon works.

Replying to a discussion on the report of the Petition Committee, which found numerous irregularities in desilting of drains and other pre-monsoon work by the Public Works Department (PWD) and civic bodies, Jain said he had held meetings with the PWD officials, civic bodies regarding effective implementation of the pre-monsoon measures.

"In a meeting with the Lt. Governor, civic bodies have said 95 per cent of the drains have been cleaned but the reality was different. If PWD officials got inspired from the MCD and did not perform their work properly, then I am in support of the action against them as recommended by the committee," Jain told the house.

He, however, subtly hit out at the central government and alleged: "Several officials of the PWD -- concerning pre-monsoon works -- were transferred just before the monsoon which adversely affected the works."

The house also resolved for an 'Action Taken Report' on the implementation of recommendations of the Petition Committee's report within a period of 30 days beginning on Monday.

Chairman of the Committee on Petitions Saurabh Bharadwaj on June 30 tabled the report in the assembly, which concluded that the officials in-charge of desilting of drains and prevention of waterlogging have miserably failed in discharging their duties.

The committee in its report has recommended that Delhi Chief Secretary M.M. Kutty should probe the numerous irregularities in desilting of drains and other pre-monsoon work by the PWD, civic bodies and take appropriate action.

The committee also recommended to "keep aside" Public Works Department (PWD) Secretary Ashwini Kumar, who also holds additional charge of Secretary (Vigilance), from both the posts until the probe is completed.

The Delhi assembly's Petition Committee had earlier conducted several inspections in various areas of north, east and south Delhi to check the progress of pre-monsoon desilting of drains and nullahs.

Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also gave specific instructions to the PWD Secretary that he should visit the important drains to ensure their desilting ahead of monsoon. Later, he accused Kumar of "openly and brazenly" violating his directions.

--IANS

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Fijian Prime Minister Voreqe Bainimarama on Monday said although the US had abandoned its leadership on climate change the doors remained open for President Donald Trump to join in the endeavour, a media report said.

Bainimarama, who is also President of the 23rd session of the Conference of the Parties (COP23) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), made the remarks when he opened the Climate Action Pacific Partnership meeting.

He made a clear statement for a re-dedication to the endeavour as he welcomed nearly 300 delegates from across the Pacific, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Fijian leader told the delegates that his country was with them and would do everything possible to stand up for them in the great forums of the world to fight climate change.

He said while there would be refugees of climate change, the people of Kiribati and Tuvalu need not worry, because Fiji would take them in.

In the lead-up to the COP23 meeting and having a collective Pacific agenda, Bainimarama has formally endorsed the "Under2 Coalition" with the appointment of Jerry Brown, the Governor of California, as a Special COP23 Envoy to the States and Regions.

He said the important initiative mobilised nearly 180 sub-national governments around the world to do their part to tackle climate change.

--IANS

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Drawing inspiration from Bollywood movie "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S.", a Delhi University student sought to cheat in the Faculty of Law's LLB course entrance exam here, but was caught, the police said on Monday.

Police said the student, identified as Naveen, was arrested from Atma Ram Sanatan Dharm (ARSD) College soon after he was caught cheating by the examiner around 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The 21-year-old, who is a native of Sonepat in Haryana, used the WhatsApp feature on his mobile phone to try to cheat in the exam.

According to a senior police officer, invigilator Jagvir Singh suspected Naveen's activities. When he asked Naveen what he was hiding, the student tried to run away from the examination room "but Singh immediately closed the door and raised an alarm".

"Singh and the college management later informed the police and a mobile phone and ear phones were recovered from him. It was found that Naveen was cheating with the help of a person named Nirmal Bhaiya. Through 'WhatsApp', he was asking him about the answers," the officer added.

Naveen said that he was inspired by the characters in Bollywood movie "Munna Bhai M.B.B.S" and planned to crack the entrance exam with such tactics, the officer added.

"We are interrogating him to ascertain whether he and his (Nirmal) Bhaiya are part of any organised syndicate," the police officer said, adding search is on to nab Nirmal Bhaiya.

--IANS

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Going beyond the literary world, the eighth edition of Mountain Echoes Literary Festival will showcase collections by Bhutanese and Indian designers reflecting the textile heritage of both nations.

The stories from the world of fashion will take centrestage at the literary, arts and cultural festival, which will be held in Thimphu from August 24-27, read a statement.

Fashion will be one of the key themes at this year's edition of the Mountain Echoes literary festival.

Designers from across Bhutan and India will come together to curate collections which intersperse their nation's textile heritage with contemporary fashion, with the aim to build a common thread between the two countries and their shared cultures.

With celebrated names such as Chandrika Tamang and Chimmi Choden from Bhutan and designer duo Abraham & Thakore (David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore) from India, the festival will give a glimpse into the intricacies of design from both countries.

There will be a specially curated fashion show too, which will see models walk the ramp wearing weaves designed by Chimmi Choden's CHIMMI House of Design. Tamang will present an exclusive line of outfits from her eco-friendly label CDK.

Elaborating on the fashion element of the festival, Tamang said: "Bhutan and India's design traditions are closely linked. Our shared history has inspired designers across both nations... My collection will be a mix of traditional Bhutanese designs, created using an amalgamation of both Indian and Bhutanese fabrics."

Abraham & Thakore will exhibit their contemporary designs and present their interpretation of traditional Indian textiles at the specially curated fashion show. The collection will focus on designs created by the two for the 2016 Rajasthan Heritage Week. Their line gives khadi a modern spin and encourages its use as a central fabric for modern designs.

In a joint statement, Abraham and Thakore said: "It is encouraging to see that handloom fashion is one of the threads that ties India and Bhutan together."

There will be discussions around global evolution of textiles and design traditions too. The festival will also host a unique exhibition, titled 'Handmade in Rajasthan', curated by Prasad Bidapa that will celebrate the indigenous craft forms that give Rajasthan its distinctive identity.

Mountain Echoes literary festival is an initiative of the India-Bhutan Foundation, in association with India's literary consultancy Siyahi.

--IANS

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Five members of an interstate gang involved in over 100 robberies, including cattle thefts, in Delhi and neighbouring areas have been arrested here, police said on Monday.

They were identified as Lukman, 32, Kamru, 27, Abid, 25, Rashid Ali, 23, and Shahazas, 21. Hailing from Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, they were always armed with master keys and house breaking implements.

"All five were found to be involved in over 100 incidents of robbery as well as cattle and vehicle thefts in Delhi and NCR. They were arrested on Saturday night on Wazirabad road," Deputy Commissioner of Police Madhur Verma said.

The gang members told interrogators they used to steal cattle during evening hours and hand them over to contacts in Uttar Pradesh for slaughter.

Four country-made pistols and two stolen TATA-407 vans were recovered from the gang.

--IANS

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Sporadic incidents of violence were reported in the hills, with Gorkha Janamukti Morcha (GJM) activists allegedly setting fire to a hired police vehicle, as the indefinite shutdown called by the party paralysed normal life for the 18th day on Monday.

The GJM leadership also claimed that members of 16 welfare boards set up by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for various hill communities had resigned en masse, expressing support for Gorkhaland.

GJM Assistant General Secretary Binoy Tamang said, "All members of the 16 community welfare boards had publicly declared resignation from their respective boards in support of Gorkhaland."

Led by GJM activists, the kids and teenagers carried banners and festoons with pro-Gorkhaland slogans and rallied from the District Magistrate's office to Chawk Bazar in Darjeeling.

Denying allegations of forcing the kids to join the rallies, the Morcha leadership claimed there had been spontaneous participation from all around the hills. They also claimed that several parents had appealed to the party leadership to include their kids in the Gorkhaland movement.

"Everyone in the hills has just one thing in mind, Gorkhaland. Even the small kids here demand Gorkhaland. They are spontaneously joining the movement," GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri claimed while leading a rally here.

Echoing Giri's comments, a woman Gorkha activist, who brought her child to the rally, said: "Gorkhaland is for everyone. If the demand of Gorkhaland is fulfilled, it would be good for the future of all these kids."

The West Bengal government, however, strongly condemned the GJM, terming the move as unconstitutional and against the guidelines of the court.

"The kids should not be brought out to the streets in the name of a democratic movement. The comments from the GJM leaders are highly irresponsible. By involving the kids, they are breaking the law and acting against the regulations of the Supreme Court and high court," state Tourism Minister Gautam Deb said.

The GJM involved the local children in the pro-Gorkhaland agitation for the first time by rallying them on the streets on June 28.

Several kids were seen walking with shackles and chains on their arms and legs in a symbolic protest against the state government's alleged high-handedness. Many of them had pro-Gorkhaland slogans written on their body.

Multiple rallies were taken out throughout the day in various parts of the hills amid strict police vigil and security arrangements. Two rallies were organised by the women and student wings of GJM in Darjeeling hill town on Monday morning.

(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Monday said the Narendra Modi government has been "caught napping" on the situation on border with China.

The opposition party said there had been a large number of incursions and the ruling alliance had lurched from having "a reluctant defence minister" to a "part-time defence minister".

Talking to media persons here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi said that national security was going through turbulent times in different facets with respect to China border.

Singhvi said China was blaming India "day in and day out" and was adopting one of the most aggressive postures even as it had not cared for India's concerns about Jaish-e-Mohammed terrorist Masood Azhar and membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group and the United Nations Security Council.

"We all know that perhaps in the last 55 years, such a serious stand-off has not occurred and I am not talking merely of destruction of a bunker here or bunker there but this very serious eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation," Singhvi said.

The Congress leader's remarks came in the wake of the Indian and Chinese troops' face-off at Doklam or Donglong, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan.

He said the incident had been preceded by a sharp increase in the number of Chinese incursions and violations.

"I am startled to find this figure which is on the official website that in the last 45 days alone, 120 Chinese incursions (have taken place) and if you take 2017, these incursions have been 240, which is much more than one per day," he said.

"Unfortunately, it appears this government has been caught napping and has not been able to implement significant accords of recent origin," he added.

He said there had been violation of the India-China Border Agreement 2005 and the Border Defence Co-operation Agreement of 2013.

"This base existed and, therefore, not only a violation of these has happened by the repeated transgressions but violation near the most sensitive part which is the area known as 'Chicken's Neck'."

Singhvi said apart from transgressions and destruction of bunkers, there has been a complete stoppage of the "Mansarovar Yatra" from one entry point.

He said China had violated Indian air space in Chamoli district in Uttarakhand on June 4 and in another violation earlier in the state, Chinese helicopters came more than four-and-half km into the Indian territory.

He said his party was very alarmed and concerned about the situation and added that nothing was more important than national security.

Referring to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley also holding the charge of Defence, Singhvi said it is just not possible for "part-time ministers" to deal with such issues.

"Unfortunately, the nation has lurched from a 'reluctant Raksha Mantri' to 'Part Time Raksha Mantri' and the vice-versa," Singhvi said.

He also asked the government about progress on raising Mountain Strike Corps and alleged that it had been "kept in deep freeze".

--IANS

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Greek Coast Guard confirmed on Monday that one of its patrol vessels opened warning fire against a Turkish freighter ship sailing in the waters off Rhodes island in the southeastern Aegean Sea.

Citing the Greek Coast Guard statement, Xinhua reported that the warning shot against the "ACT" Turkish-flagged ship was fired after the latter refused to stop for an inspection.

Rhodes Port Authority had earlier received information that the particular vessel was carrying drugs cargo, the statement from the Piraeus-based headquarters added.

Its captain was asked by the Greek Coast Guard to lead the ship to the port of Rhodes but he refused. The Greek Coast Guard has informed its Turkish counterpart of the incident.

Turkey's Foreign Ministry was quoted by media as saying that it was in contact with the relevant authorities. The report added two Turkish coast guard ships were at the scene.

--IANS

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The four Gulf countries that issued an ultimatum to Qatar over its alleged support to terrorism have extended the deadline for the country by two more days to meet their demands.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt issued a joint statement late Sunday stating that they have extended the ultimatum, which had been previously scheduled for July 4, for 48 more hours at the request of the Kuwaiti emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, Efe news reported.

That extension, what the four countries call a "grace period" offered to Qatar, is based on the Qatari government's assertion that it will send its official response to the list of demands addressed to it on Monday, Saudi SPA news agency said.

The four Gulf countries in June had severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting Iran and terrorism.

The list of demands to overcome the crisis comprised 13 points, including the closure of the Al-Jazeera TV channel, the end of diplomatic relations with Iran and the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Qatar denied all allegations, but the country's authorities stated that they were open to negotiations.

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani earlier this week said in Rome that his country refuses to negotiate the list of demands, adding that any discussion on them will have to be based on the principle that his country's sovereignty must be untouchable.

--IANS

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Actress Gwyneth Paltrows plan to build a 14,000 sq ft mansion in Montecito, California, has not gone down well with her neighbours.

"She's created an uproar with neighbours on all three sides," Andrew Rice, a spokesman for one neighbour, Michael MacElhenny, told pagesix.com.

The neighbours say the new building is too big, too tall and incompatible with the adjacent houses, and it blocks their views.

Rice said Paltrow - who has owned properties in Amagansett, London, Malibu, California, and Los Angeles' Brentwood area, where a complaint was filed against her for erecting an oversized nine-foot gate - has left "a trail of tears" on two continents.

"Michael and the other neighbours have tried to work with her, and they've gotten nowhere," Rice said.

The Montecito Board of Architectural Review voted in favour of the plans last month when her architect claimed the house had been lowered eight feet. Rice said the real shrinkage was just one foot and that the project was moving forward to the next step based on incorrect information, pagesix.com reported.

--IANS

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India on Monday successfully test-fired an indigenously developed short-range and Quick Reaction Surface to Air missile (QRSAM) from Chandipur along the Odisha coast.

The missile was test-fired from Launch Complex-3 at the Integrated Test Range (ITR) around 11.30 a.m from a truck-mounted canister launcher, said official sources.

"All the technologies and subsystems incorporated in the missile have performed well, meeting all the mission requirements," an official statement said.

"All the Radars, Electro Optical Systems, Telemetry Systems and other stations have tracked the Missile and monitored all the parameters. The missile test met all the objectives."

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley congratulated the DRDO (Defence Research and Development Organisation) over the successful launch.

"Congratulations to DRDO for successfully test-firing Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile. This will add to India's defence capabilities," Jaitley said in a tweet.

"Successful flight test of Quick Reaction Surface to Air Missile paves way for complete indigenisation of Surface to Air missile domain," he said.

The state-of-the-art missile has a strike range of 20-30 km and is capable of engaging multiple targets.

The missile has been developed by the DRDO and other establishments.

The missile was tested for a second time to evaluate the performance of its canister version. The first test was conducted on June 4.

--IANS

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Ahead of his visit to Israel starting on Tuesday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said his trip will bring the people of the two countries closer.

"I will be visiting Israel on July 4-6 on the invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu," Modi said in a pre-departure statement posted on his Facebook page.

"As the first Indian Prime Minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said, adding that this year both countries were marking 25 years of diplomatic relations.

He said he would have in-depth talks with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit".

"We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism," Modi said.

He also said that he would meet Israeli President Reuven Rivlin who visited India in November last year.

Stating that the visit would gives him an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society, he said: "I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples."

He said he would meet leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups "to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground.

"In addition, I hope to get insights into Israel's accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits.

"During my stay, I will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.

"Later, I will also pay my respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918."

--IANS

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A Jammu and Kashmir policeman was critically injured on Monday when militants fired at him in Anantnag town.

The policeman was fired at from close range near the town bus stand, the police said. He has been rushed to Srinagar for treatment.

Militants have been targeting security forces in hit and run attacks in the valley especially in crowded places. This helps them to mingle in the crowd and escape.

In most of these attacks, militants have used pistols that are easy to hide and carry.

--IANS

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In the face of stiff protest from opposition parties as well as from within the party, the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government on Monday agreed to withdraw the amendments to the two land acts.

The decision to withdraw the amendment was taken after consensus eluded a meeting of the Tribal Advisory Committee (TAC), headed by Chief Minister Raghubar Das, here on Monday.

After the meeting the Chief Minister told reporters: "The state government has agreed to withdraw Section 21 of the Chotangapur Tenancy Act (CNT) and Section 13 of the Santhal Pargana Act (SPT)."

He said: "Confusion has been created by the opposition parties and people who are against development. The state government will consider the concern raised by the Governor while returning the amendments. We will study the 192 points raised before the Governor with regard to the proposed amendments and in future take any decision considering the views of the people."

The Section 21 and Section 13 of the CNT and SPT acts, respectively, pertain to the nature of land.

The next meeting of advisory committee has been scheduled for August 3.

Jharkhand Governor Draupdi Murmu had returned the amendment bills for changes to the two land acts on June 25 with a query: "How the amendments will benefit the tribal people?"

In November last year, the Jharkhand government had forwarded the proposed amendments to the acts to the Governor for her assent, after getting those passed in the state assembly.

The BJP government had managed to pass the amendment bills by voice vote amid stiff protests from the opposition parties in the assembly. The angry opposition members while resisting the amendments had even misbehaved with Speaker Dinesh Oraon when the bills were tabled.

Apart from the opposition parties, the changes to the acts were also opposed by ruling alliance partner All Jharkhand Students Union (AJSU) and even by some BJP legislators and Lok Sabha members.

The Governor had kept the legislations on hold since November last year. The opposition parties, Cardinal Telesphore Toppo and other tribal leaders, had separately met the Governor and requested her not to clear the amendment bills.

After the amendments are effected, an agriculture land could be used for non-agricultural purpose. The amendments propose that the land could be acquired for development work, infrastructure and other such works by the state government.

--IANS

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With the Congress government in Punjab choosing to remain silent over the issue, the BJP has demanded immediate action against controversial hoardings seeking a 'freedom referendum' in Punjab.

The hoardings, which have come up at various locations across Punjab, talk of "Freedom" and a "Punjab Independence Referendum" in 2020.

The hoardings also prominently carry the photograph of militant-separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the Army's 'Operation Bluestar' action inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar in June 1984.

The hoardings have been put up at prominent locations in Rajpura in Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's home district Patiala, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar (Ropar) in Punjab.

Neither the state government nor the district authorities or police have taken any action on the matter even though the hoardings have been around for three to four days.

The BJP had on Sunday demanded that the provocative hoardings should be removed by the Punjab government immediately.

"These hoardings have been put up to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in Punjab and to encourage hardliners. The Punjab government should immediately get these removed and take action. We don't understand why the Punjab government is not doing anything," BJP Punjab Vice President Harjit Singh Grewal told the media on Sunday.

"We cannot allow such anti-national elements to further Pakistan's agenda and disturb peace in Punjab," Grewal and other BJP leaders said.

The hoardings have been put up on behalf of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, who is based in the US.

The SFJ, a US-based pro-Khalistan organization, on MOnday warned the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership in Punjab not to demand the removal of the hoardings.

--IANS

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One more person working in the Kodanad Estates belonging to late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was found dead under mysterious circumstances, according to reports reaching here.

On Monday, Dinesh Kumar was found hanging at his house. Some months back, a security guard was murdered by a group at the estate.

Subsequently, two men suspected of involvement in the killing of the security guard met with separate road accidents, leading to the death of one of them.

Spread over 900 acres, the Kodanad Estate in Nilgiri district was used by Jayalalithaa as a retreat.

--IANS

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Discarding the idea that male fertility goes on forever, new research warns that the chances of having a baby through IVF may depend on the age of the male partner as well - not just the age of women.

This study of almost 19,000 IFV treatment cycles showed a decline in the success rate with increasing male partner age.

"Our study found an independent effect of male age on the cumulative incidence of live birth," said investigator Laura Dodge from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, US.

The study, scheduled to be presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Geneva on Tuesday, was an analysis of all IVF cycles performed at a large IVF centre in the Boston region between 2000 and 2014, a total of almost 19,000 cycles performed in 7,753 couples.

The female partners in these cycles were stratified according to four age bands -- under 30, 30-35 years, 35-40 years and 40-42.

Men were stratified into these same four age bands, with an additional band of 42 and over.

As expected, the cumulative live birth rate (measured from up to six cycles of treatment) was lowest in those couples where the female partner was in the 40-42 age band, and in this group the age of the male partner had no impact, demonstrating the dominant detrimental effect of female age.

However, within the other bands of female age, the cumulative incidence of live birth was significantly affected by male partner age and was found to decline as the man grew older.

For example, in couples with a female partner aged under 30, a male partner aged 40-42 was associated with a significantly lower cumulative birth rate (46 per cent) than a male partner aged 30-35 (73 per cent).

Similarly, in couples with a female partner aged 35-40 years live birth rates were higher with a younger than with an older male partner.

"Women aged 35-40 did significantly benefit from having a male partner who is under age 30, in that they see a nearly 30% relative improvement in cumulative incidence of live birth when compared to women whose partner is 30-35 - from 54 per cent to 70 per cent," Dodge said.

For women between ages 30 and 35, having a partner who is older than they are is associated with approximately 11 per cent relative decreases in cumulative incidence of live birth when compared with having a male partner within their same age band, Dodge said.

In natural conceptions increasing male age is associated with a decreased incidence of pregnancy, increased time to pregnancy, and increased risk of miscarriage, Dodge noted.

The mechanisms, she added, are unclear but may include impaired semen parameters, increased DNA damage in sperm, and epigenetic alterations in sperm that affect fertilisation, implantation, or embryo development.

--IANS

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A man was lynched by villagers in Jharkhand's Sahibganj district as he was trying to run away after murdering his wife, police said on Monday.

Asadul, along with his elder brother, murdered his wife Shaili Bibi on Sunday. They were trying to run away when the villagers caught him and beat him to death, the police said.

The brother managed to flee.

The incident took place in Jamnagar which is around 500 km from here.

The brothers had on July 28, 2015, murdered Shaili Bibi's brother Saddam. They wanted her to mediate in that case, which she refused.

Saddam was against Asadul and his sister's marriage.

On Sunday, the police reached the village and sent the couple's bodies for post-mortem.

--IANS

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One militant was killed on Monday in an operation with the security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district, police said.

Acting on specific information the army carried out the operation in Bahmnoo village in which the militant was killed, a police spokesman said.

Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central Reserve Police Force have joined in the operation that was still continuing, he added.

Monday's operation in Pulwama has come barely 10 hours after civilian protesters helped a group of militants escape a cordon and search operation in the Malangpora village of the same district.

The protesters had clashed with the security forces late on Sunday evening forcing them to call off the operation near the military air base in Koil.

--IANS

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Beijing's ties with Washington have been strained by "some negative factors", Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump in a telephonic conversation.

The call on Sunday came at the end of a tense week in US-China relations, which analysts said signalled the end of honeymoon period between the two superpowers that began with a summit at Trump's Mar A Lago resort in April, CNN reported.

Xi stressed that since his meeting with President Trump, important results have been achieved in China-US relations, reported Chinese state media outlet CCTV.

The report said bilateral relations have also been affected by some negative factors, on which the Chinese side has expressed its position to the US side.

The White House statement was more reticent, saying only that the two leaders discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, including North Korea and trade relations, CNN said.

Trump also spoke to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe by phone, with the two pledging deeper cooperation on North Korea in the wake of growing frustrations over the rogue state.

Relations between China and the US had warmed up after the two leaders met in February, with Trump even describing Xi as a "terrific person".

But in the past week, the US after months of delay approved a $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province, the same day as China's Dandong Bank was slapped with sanctions for alleged ties to North Korea.

The US also labelled China as one of the world's "worst human traffickers" and challenged Beijing in the South China Sea, by sailing close to a disputed chain of islands that China claims.

On June 21, Trump sent a tweet in which he said Chinese efforts on North Korea, while appreciated, had "not worked out".

In conversations with Xi and Abe, Trump agreed with both leaders that efforts needed to be made to avoid conflict on the Korean peninsula.

According to the White House statement, Trump raised the growing threat of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic arsenals with the Chinese President.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," the White House said in a readout of the phone call.

In his conversation with Abe, the White House said Trump reiterated the US was ready to defend Japan in the event of any North Korean aggression.

As Trump spoke with Xi and Abe, former US President Barack Obama spoke in South Korea about the difficulties of dealing with the North.

"The first thing to stipulate is this it's hard, it's a hard problem," Obama said during remarks at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul.

"In North Korea you have a government that is unmatched in its repression of its people... You have a young man who is only interested in maintaining power and is willing to do anything to sustain that."

Obama said North Korea's future prosperity would not come "from the pursuit of nuclear weapons".

--IANS

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Nepali Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun will participate in the 23rd Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair in China as the guest of honour, an aide said on Monday.

Manoj Gharti Magar said the high-profile delegation to the July 6-9 event in China's western city of Lanzhou will comprise of officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vice President's Office, Xinhua news agency reported.

The Nepali delegation will leave for China on Tuesday to attend the event with a theme highlighting the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative.

High-level participation of Nepal in the fair is an opportunity to jointly push forward the Belt and Road Initiative as well as cementing the age-old China-Nepal friendship, officials said.

Nepal and China are expected to promote cooperation in connectivity, free trade arrangements and post-disaster reconstruction under a cooperation agreement signed on May 12 within the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative.

"Nepal wants to actively participate in the Belt and Road Initiative and expand mutually beneficial cooperation so as to move forward the comprehensive cooperative partnership featuring ever-lasting friendship between the two countries," Foreign Secretary Shanker Das Bairagi said.

The Belt and Road Initiative, proposed by China in 2013, is aimed at building a trade and infrastructure network connecting Asia with Europe and Africa along the ancient trade routes.

--IANS

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Goa's Dabolim Airport Director B.C. Negi on Monday said that no permission was granted for a BJP rally at the airport premises in honour of the party's National President Amit Shah.

"No permissions were given... I will inquire into it," Negi said as he was gheraoed by a Congress delegation led by All India Congress Committee (AICC) Secretary Girish Chodankar.

Chodankar demanded an explanaton on how the Bharatiya Janata Party was allowed to host a party meeting on Saturday at the Dabolim International Airport premises, located 40 km from Panaji. The meeting was attended by around 2,500 BJP workers.

A complaint was filed against Shah on Sunday by a local lawyer, alleging that the meeting was held without any permissions.

Chodankar, who led the protest at the Airport Director's office, said that holding a meeting at a sensitive installation like an airport showed clear abuse of power by the BJP.

"Now that the airport director has said that no permissions were given for the party meeting at the airport, action should be taken against the BJP and Shah for the audacity with which they held the function at a vital installation."

"It is a clear case of abuse of power," Chodankar told reporters after the protest.

Goa BJP President Vinay Tendulkar is expected to issue a statement on the issue in the evening.

--IANS

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that he was not in the race to become the Prime Minister in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and that the state's ruling Grand Alliance was very much intact.

Describing his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) as "a small party", Nitish Kumar told the media here: "Hamari party choti hai aur hum PM pad ke race mein katai shamil nahi hai."

He said that he never lived in illusion. "My party is a regional party and I am not at all in the race for the post of PM."

Nitish Kumar also downplayed his earlier comments holding the Congress responsible for the "current mess" in the opposition ranks.

He said all was well in the 'Mahagathbandhan' - Bihar's Grand Alliance of JD-U, the RJD and the Congress led by him.

"The Mahagathbandhan is intact... There is no issue now, it is all based on interpretation of the media."

Nitish Kumar said the alliance was a result of a definite agenda which was endorsed by the people of Bihar and wasn't merely based on opposition unity.

"It is our priority to implement the agenda of the Mahagathbandhan government."

Nitish Kumar's remarks came a day after he had purportedly said during a party meeting that the Congress alone was to blame for the current mess in the opposition ranks.

He had also attacked the party for not taking the JD-U into confidence for the Presidential polls.

Nitish Kumar's JD-U was the first among the opposition parties to lend support to the NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, a former Bihar Governor.

"On Presidential election, different parties have their own opinions and thought processes, and they make their decisions accordingly.

"The Presidential elections are being projected in such a manner that the farmers' issues have taken a back seat."

Nitish Kumar said he had said earlier that the Congress was a big party and it had every right to set the agenda and inform all the opposition parties.

The Congress should start work on an agenda only after the approval from other opposition parties, he said.

"Opposition parties have to decide their role and they should start preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the opposition needs an alternative narrative, just a reactive narrative wont work."

The JD-U leader also said that opposition parties should be united at the level.

In a reply to a question, Nitish Kumar said he did not attend the GST unveiling in Parliament because he was not invited.

"If I had got the invitation from the central government, I would have attended the GST meeting in Delhi."

He said the Goods and Services Tax regime was a good system and he had supported it since the beginning.

"Whatever issue is in the interest of the people and the country, I always support and always stand for it."
Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that he was not in the race to become the Prime Minister in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Describing his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) as "a small party", Nitish Kumar said: "Hamari party choti hai aur hum PM pad ke race mein katai shamil nahi hai."

He told the media that he never lived in illusion. "My party is a regional party and I am not at all in the race for the post of PM."

Nitish Kumar said he had said earlier that the Congress was a big party and it had every right to set the agenda and inform all the opposition parties.

The Congress should start work on an agenda only after approval from other opposition parties, he said.

"Opposition parties have to decide their role and they should start preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the opposition needs an alternative narrative, just a reactive narrative wont work."

The JD-U leader also said that opposition parties should be united at the national level.

In a reply to a question, Nitish Kumar said he did not attend the GST unveiling in Parliament because he was not invited.

"If I had got the invitation from the central government, I would have attended the GST meeting in Delhi."

He said the Goods and Services Tax regime was a good system and he had supported it since the beginning.

"Whatever issue is in the interest of the people and the country, I always support and always stand for it."

Nitish Kumar refuted reports of cracks in Bihar's ruling Grand Alliance of JD-U, the RJD and the Congress led by him. "The Mahagathbandhan is intact."

--IANS

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Amid unprecedented security arrangements, a fresh batch of 3,133 pilgrims left Jammu on Monday for the Amarnath Yatra, an official said.

They left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in 88 vehicles for the Kashmir Valley, the official said.

Over 46,000 pilgrims have performed 'darshan' inside the cave shrine in four days.

On Monday 2,081 pilgrims were bound for the Pahalgam base camp, while 1,052 started the journey for the Baltal base camp, he added.

The 40-day long annual pilgrimage that started on June 29, would end on August 7 on 'Shravan Purnima' coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.

So far, 46,795 pilgrims have undertaken the 'yatra' and the rush of pilgrims was gradually picking up, the official said.

A multi-layered security grid consisting of the Army, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal and the Jammu and Kashmir police were guarding the route, transit camps, base camps, mountain tracks and the cave shrine.

CCTV cameras, drones, bullet-proof mobile bunkers were some of the equipment being used by these security forces to assess the threat perception based on intelligence reports.

The Union Home Ministry has provided 40,000 additional central armed forces to assist the state administration for peaceful conduct of this year's Yatra.

Situated at 12,756 feet above the sea-level in the Himalayas, the cave houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxed with the size of the visible moon.

Devotees believe the structure symbolizes mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

--IANS

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While the government has been pushing people to go online when it comes to banking, the branch still continues to dominate banking channels in India, with 94 per cent of retail banking customers having visited the branch/store at least once in the past 12 months, a new study revealed on Monday.

According to the 2017 Oracle JD Power India 'Retail Banking Study,' despite the impetus provided by demonetisation, is not yet a pervasive experience in India.

"Most banking relationships still begin and continue at the branch. However, there is great potential for banks to move more into the digital space. Only 51 per cent of retail banking customers have a reliable online banking experience with their main financial institution," said Gordon Shields, senior director, J.D. Power, a US-based global marketing information services firm.

The results was based on in-person interviews with 5,368 retail banking customers conducted between February and April 2017 across 14 states and included both private and public banks.

"In fact, overall customer satisfaction with banking in India is lagging significantly behind other key markets at 672 index points, compared to the industry average score reported in other J.D. Power studies in China (806), the USA (793) and Australia (748)," Shields added.

The study measured overall satisfaction in five factors: account activities (39 per cent); account information (18 per cent); facility (17 per cent); product offerings (14 per cent) and fees (12 per cent).

While overall customer satisfaction with mobile banking is markedly higher (693) than with In-Person Branch interaction (676), only 9 per cent of India retail banking customers use mobile banking for everyday transactions.

"Among the 48 per cent of customers who have yet to download a banking app, one-fourth state lack of security is a key reason for non-usage," Shields noted.

Nearly three-fourths (73 per cent) of customers believe their financial needs were not fully understood before they were offered new products, with only 7 per cent having had fees and pricing of products explained.

"As India embarks on its digitisation agenda, results on ground exhibit a contrary reality," said Kiran Kumar Kesavarapu, APAC leader, industry innovation advisors-financial services Oracle.

"We believe the issue lies in customer engagement models that Indian banks employ today and related security uncertainties when transacting online. This can be addressed easily and quickly," Kesavarapu added.

Private banks outperformed public banks and were rated higher in overall satisfaction (680) than public banks (666).

Private banking customers are more likely to recommend their bank to friends and relatives (89 per cent) than public banks (86 per cent).
Musician Paul Anka has won the sole custody of his son 11-year-old Ethan.

His ex-wife, former Miss Sweden Anna Aberg, is barred from having any contact with their son.

"It's the greatest day of my life. This was all about protecting Ethan. The system has worked," Anka, who wrote one of Frank Sinatra's biggest hits "My way", told pagesix.com.

Aberg hadn't seen the child in more than two years after Ethan testified that he "has an intense dislike of his mother".

But Aberg's attorney Lisa Helfend Meyer argued: "There is no evidence, no facts, no court finding on her being an unfit mother."

Meyer claimed that Anka, 75, prevailed using his fame and wealth.

"His reported income is about $300,000 a month," Meyer said about the pop star of the 1950s. He gave hits such as "Put your head on my shoulder" and "Diana".

"He's been able to out-lawyer a woman who doesn't have the finances or the celebrity to combat him."

Meyer argued in California's Ventura County Superior Court in favour of "family reunification" - the idea that a child turned by one parent against the other needs to be reunited with the aggrieved parent.

Aberg didn't help her cause when she confronted Anka's third wife, Lisa Pemberton, outside the courtroom and shouted, "Get a life!"

Pemberton replied: "I have a life ... with your child."

--IANS

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Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries that issued an ultimatum to Qatar over its alleged support to terrorism have extended by two more days the deadline for the country to accept their demands or face further sanctions.

The initial deadline for Qatar to agree to the group's 13 demands, including the shutting down of the Al Jazeera news network, expired on Sunday, BBC reported.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt issued a joint statement late Sunday that they have extended the ultimatum for 48 more hours at the request of Kuwaiti emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah.

Qatar, which denies funding extremism, will submit a formal response on Monday. The country has already called the demands an "affront to international law".

The four Gulf countries in June severed diplomatic and trade ties with Qatar, which they accuse of supporting Iran and harbouring terrorist organisations like the Muslim Brotherhood, the Islamic State, and giving them a platform on the Al Jazeera channel.

The Foreign Ministers of these four nations will meet on Wednesday to discuss the situation. The list of demands to overcome the crisis comprised 13 points, including the end of diplomatic relations with Iran and the closure of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdul Rahman al-Thani arrived in Kuwait on Monday to deliver a formal response in the form of a letter from the Emir of Qatar to the Emir of Kuwait.

In a statement, lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands and called for international condemnation.

They said the tactics were "reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of 'bully' states that have historically resulted in war".

"The world must unite immediately to halt the singling out of Qatar for unjustified collective punishment and humiliation and to preserve peace, security and prosperity in the region," the statement said.

Qatar has been under unprecedented diplomatic and economic sanctions for weeks from Saudi Arabia and its allies.

The imposed restrictions have caused turmoil in Qatar, an oil- and gas-rich nation dependent on imports to meet the basic needs of its population of 2.7 million. As a result, Iran and Turkey have been increasingly supplying it with food and other goods, the report said.

UAE officials said that after the new deadline expires on Tuesday and then the offer for Qatar to return to the Arab fold will be off the table. The economic and political sanctions on it will become permanent and Qatar will be ostracised by its closest Arab neighbours.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hold an urgent hearing of the plea of Calcutta High Court's former judge C.S. Karnan for bail and the recall of order holding him guilty of contempt and sentencing him to six-month imprisonment.

Justice Karnan was arrested by the West Bengal Police on June 20 from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu.

The bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud refused to hold an urgent hearing, as Justice Karnan's counsel Mathew J. Nadumpar urged the court to constitute a bench to hear the former judge's plea for bail and recall of the apex court's May 9 order holding him guilty of contempt and sentencing him to six months' imprisonment.

"Declined. We will not accept an oral request against the judgment," the bench said.

Justice Karnan's arrest by the West Bengal Police came 42 days after the apex court on May 9 held him guilty of contempt and sentenced him to six months' imprisonment.

The day (May 9) the Supreme Court held him guilty of contempt and awarded him six-month jail term, Justice Karnan left Kolkata for Chennai.

The top court, in its order, had said: "We are of the unanimous view that Justice C.S. Karnan is guilty of contempt of court and (he) interfered with judicial process of grievous nature."

Justice Karnan was held guilty of contempt for his utterances against the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the apex court.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Monday rejected the plea of power distribution companies seeking a Constitution bench for hearing the issue of validity of an audit by the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG).

A bench of Justice J. Chelameswar and Justice S. Abdul Nazeer said the regular bench would hear the matter on merit and refused to constitute a Constitution bench. The judges posted the matter for further hearing on July 8.

The Supreme Court order came on a plea filed by three discoms challenging the AAP government order to audit their accounts, contending that CAG was not empowered to scrutinise the accounts of private firms under Section 20 of the CAG Act.

The discoms are 51:49 per cent joint venture between private companies and the Delhi government.

The United RWA (Resident Welfare Association) Joint Action, a NGO, had also challenged the Delhi High Court order that quashed the state government's directive for a CAG audit of the three discoms.

In 2014, the Delhi government had ordered the CAG audit of three power distribution companies -- BSES Rajdhani Power Ltd, BSES Yamuna Power Ltd and TATa Power Delhi Distribution Ltd -- on grounds of alleged financial irregularities. The companies supply power to the city.

The High Court had said that once a regulatory body DERC had been set up with the power to audit accounts of private power distribution companies, there can be no other audit by CAG at the instance of the state government.

--IANS

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The Supreme Court on Monday stayed all proceedings against author and social activist Arundhati Roy, facing a contempt plea before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court for an article in an English magazine on Delhi University professor G.N. Saibaba.

The bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud stayed the proceedings before the Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court after it was told that the matter was initiated by a lawyer.

The Nagpur bench of the Bombay High Court had issued notice to Arundhati Roy on a contempt plea by the advocate who had contended that Roy's piece was interference in the administration of justice.

Roy in her article had said: "So afraid is the government of this paralysed wheelchair-bound academic (Saibaba) that the Maharashtra Police had to abduct him for arrest."

Saibaba was arrested by the Maharashtra Police in May 2015 for alleged links with an alleged front organisation of the banned CPI-Maoist.

The Supreme Court had on April 4, 2016 granted bail to Saibaba.

--IANS

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Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong on Monday said he "would prefer not to sue my siblings" over their claims that he abused his power, despite calls to settle a family feud.

Lee spoke in Parliament following weeks of a fierce public dispute between him and his brother and sister, BBC reported.

The Prime Minister's siblings have accused him of misusing his influence in a dispute over their father's house. Lee has repeatedly denied the allegations.

He said that many had asked why he had not taken legal action, and admitted that in "any other imaginable circumstance but this, I would surely sue".

"But suing my own brother and sister in court would further besmirch my parents' names," he said, and added that the lawsuit would cause "more distraction and distress" to the public.

"Therefore, fighting this out in court cannot be my preferred choice," Lee said.

Opposition party leader Low Thia Khiang said not taking the matter to court gave the impression the government "was afraid of what the Lee siblings will say or reveal".

The dispute centres on whether the Singapore's leader late father Lee Kuan Yew wanted his house, known as 38 Oxley Road, to be demolished.

The Prime Minister's siblings have accused him of wanting to preserve it for his own personal political gain.

However, Lee denied the claim. "Regarding the house, and how its continued existence enhances my aura as PM, if I needed such magic properties to bolster my authority even after being your PM for 13 years, I must be in a pretty sad state," he said.

Lee also denied charges of nepotism involving one of his sons and his wife, and that he had interfered in government decisions on the house.

--IANS

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Six youths were arrested for trespass and intimidation after entering the house of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose's grand nephew and Trinamool Congress MP Sugato Bose on Monday and demanded that construction materials for the ongoing repairs of the house be taken from them.

Eight youths, riding motor bikes, forced their way into the house in south Kolkata's Sarat Bose Road and wanted to know in a threatening tone as to who had been given the contract for repairing the house, said eyewitnesses.

"There has been an incident of trespass and intimidation. My mother was in the house. I was on phone then. They spoke to my mother (Krishna Bose, a former three-time MP) in an aggressive way," said Bose, whose late father Sisir Bose -- a leading paediatrician remembered for driving Netaji from Kolkata to Gomoh during his escape -- had built the house.

When Sugato Bose came out, there was an altercation between him and the youths.

"These people wanted to know who was the contractor. They wanted that cement, sand and other materials should be taken from them. When I asked them to leave the house, they left."

Bose said it had to be ensured that common people did not face such harassment. "I only want to say what has happened in our house is not that important. What is important is that common people should not face such harassments. This is my only prayer."

After Bose informed the Ballygunge Police Station, officers rushed to the house.

Bose said he lodged the complaint as he was concerned about the safety of his mother and wanted ordinary citizens not to suffer the same ordeal.

Later, six of the youths were arrested.

Industrialists, builders, factory owners as well as common citizens, have for years been complaining about extortion by syndicates formed by youths for supplying materials for any form of construction across the state.

The ordeal faced by Bose, a noted historian and teacher of Harvard university, has come as a big embarrassment for the ruling Trinamool Congress.

--IANS

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met Belarus Industry Minister Vitaly Vovk and discussed issues of mutual interest, including the upcoming visit to India of Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko, an official said.

"Both ministers discussed issues of mutual interest," an official from the External Affairs Ministry said.

Vovk is leading a delegation to India for the 8th Session of the Indian-Belarusian Intergovernmental Commission on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation scheduled for Tuesday.

--IANS

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External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is on a visit to India from July 2-4, an official said.

This is the first high-level visit from Nepal after the formation of new government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. It is also the first visit abroad by Mahara since he assumed the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the newly formed government.

Sushma and Mahara held discussion on a wide range of bilateral matters of mutual interest, including the ongoing connectivity and development projects, said a statement.

Both the ministers reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors and to deepen the traditionally close and friendly relationship between the two countries.

They also expressed satisfaction at the bilateral engagement at various levels, including political exchanges, and reviewed upcoming high-level exchanges, a statement said.

Mahara spoke about the recently concluded second phase of local level elections in Nepal and his government's efforts to take all stakeholders onboard in the Constitution implementation process.

Sushma Swaraj also hosted a dinner in Mahara's honour, the statement added.

--IANS

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Tata Power Solar, Indias largest integrated solar company, has won India Solar Week Excellence Awards 2017 in 100-MW or below project based category.

A company release said on Monday that the award was given for "excellence in commissioning" 100 MW solar project for the NTPC in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

The release said the 100-MW solar power project is the biggest commissioned using domestically manufactured solar cells and modules.

The project spread over 500 acres has been set up in partnership with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The release said the project was executed nearly three months ahead of the deadline and is designed to produce nearly 160 million units (kWh) of energy annually. This will help offset approximately 1,10,000 tonnes of CO2 in the first year.

Founded in 1989, Tata Solar Power was originally formed as a joint venture between Tata Power and British Petroleum Solar (BP Solar). It now operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power.

The release said that Tata Power Solar is one of the pioneering solar manufacturers in the world and India's largest specialised Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) player.

It has a production capacity of 400 MW of modules and 300 MW of cells.

--IANS

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Two militants were killed on Monday in an ongoing gunfight in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district.

A police spokesman said the killings took place in Bahmnoo village.

The first militant was killed earlier in the day after the Army, acting on specific information, carried out cordon and search operation in the village.

The Central Reserve Police Force assisted the police in the operation.

Monday's offensive in Pulwama came barely 10 hours after civilian protesters helped a group of militants to escape a cordon in Malangpora village in the same district.

The protesters had clashed with the security forces on Sunday evening, forcing them to call off the operations.

--IANS

sq/mr

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The visiting US Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain here has urged both India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue and asserted that peace in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistans help.

The US delegation on Sunday met Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and discussed bilateral issues, including terrorism, Pakistan's relations with India and Afghanistan and regional peace, Dawn newspaper reported.

Other members of the US delegation were Senators Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren and David Perdue.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua was also present during the meeting.

After the meeting, McCain, Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee, said that Pakistan had a significant role for establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"Peace and stability in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistan's help... Kashmir problem should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiations."

He said the US wanted an end to violence in Kashmir, adding that his country would continue its policy on the issue because no change had been made in this regard.

The US delegation said that both America and Pakistan need to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond, the daily reported.

Aziz also underscored the significance of the longstanding cooperation between the two countries and the need to make this partnership "diverse and multidimensional".

He further said that Islamabad "remained committed to supporting efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan".

Aziz said Pakistan was also ready to work with the US to counter the emerging terrorism threats, including the expanding footprint of the Islamic State group in the region.

--IANS

soni/bg

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Janata Dal (United) boss and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar kept his mahagathbandhan allies on tenterhooks all of Monday. While downplaying the differences within the Grand Alliance, he said he would continue to take decisions independently. While he saw no danger to the alliance at the moment, he said, I cant say what will happen in the future.
A 15-year-old girl was allegedly raped by two men and threatened with a knife when she tried to put up a resistance here, the police said.

The girl, who lived with her maternal grandparents in the Pure Sukhdev village within the Jethwara police station limits, was alone when the two accused entered the house by breaking its thatched roof, said station in-charge Pradip Singh.

They allegedly threatened the girl with a knife when she tried to resist them and fled the scene after raping her, he said, adding that the victim was admitted to a private hospital in Allahabad.

On a complaint from the girl's family, an FIR was lodged against the two accused and further investigations were on, said Singh.

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As many as 31 people are feared to have been killed in rain-related incidents in various parts of Gujarat since the beginning of the monsoon, according to a senior state government official.

The rains that have been lashing the state since the onset of the monsoon on June 1 have caused the water level in many dams to swell, prompting the State Emergency Response Centre (SERC) to sound a "high alert" for the areas in the vicinity of four dams and an "alert" for the areas located near four other dams in different parts of the state.

"We have received a consolidated figure of 31 rain- related deaths so far, but have to officially confirm the same. Most of the deaths are due to drowning, lightning and other such incidents," A J Shah, Director, Relief, state government, told PTI this evening.

He said a warning has been issued to authorities in various districts to carry out relief operations as and when needed.

"We are conducting a survey to assess the damage caused to property. Construction of the rain-damaged roads, including four state highways as well as Panchayat roads, is on. Some houses in Morbi and Sidhpur cities are reported to have suffered damage due to heavy rains," Shah said.

Meanwhile, the downpour triggered water-logging in several areas of Ahmedabad today, which resulted in traffic jams.

The city received 22 mm rainfall between 7 am and 4 pm, submerging some BRTS (Bus Rapid Transit System) routes, main city roads and an underpass, affecting the movement of traffic in several areas.

Kalol city in Gandhinagar district and Bhavnagar city received 53 mm and 46 mm rainfall, respectively, during the day.

According to the SERC, heavy rainfall in the state so far has caused the water level in several dams to rise to nearly 90 per cent to their capacity, following which four dams have been put on a "high alert".

The water level in the 163 metre-high Sardar Sarovar dam in Narmada district has surged to 115.02 metres, it stated.

"Out of the total 15,770.39 million cubic metre storage capacity of the state's 203 dams, they now have 4,986.37 million cubic metre of water due to widespread rainfall across the state," the SERC said.

The dams for which the high alert was sounded are the Fatehgadh dam in Kutch, the Demi-3 in Morbi, the Khodapipar in Rajkot, and the Dholidhaja in Surendranagar.

The SHRC stated that the areas in the vicinity of four dams in Bharuch, Jamnagar and Morbi have been put on an alert.

Chief Minister Vijay Rupani today met concerned officials at his residence to take stock of the situation.

Since the beginning of monsoon on June 1, Valsad in south Gujarat has received the highest rainfall in the state at 649 mm, followed by Surat at 349 mm, and Rajkot at 274 mm.

Surendranagar, Porbandar and Vadodara have received rainfall at 254 mm, 233 mm, and 226 mm, respectively, so far, according to a data available with the India Meteorological Department till this morning.

A weather forecast said heavy to very heavy rains are expected in some parts of the state in the next two days, while light to moderate showers are likely to continue for the next five days in many parts.

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Assam Rifles personnel deployed along the Mizoram-Myanmar border seized four AK-56 assault rifles from a place near Farkawn village yesterday, an official statement today said.

The statement said four magazines and unspecified rounds of ammunition were also seized along with the rifles.

The smugglers, however, were not arrested and escaped into Myanmar.

Police suspected that the rifles were to be sold to militant groups operating in neighbouring Manipur.

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Pakistani police have arrested 50 people from an hotel during raids here for attending a dance party and booked them for 'obscene acts and songs', according to a media report.

The police rounded up at least 34 men and 16 women from the hotel yesterday and booked them for 'obscene acts and songs', and for violating the amplifier and the tobacco control laws, the Express Tribune reported.

A large number of men and women were found dancing and playing music on loudspeakers while smoking.

However, a magistrate later released all the suspects on bail. The hotel owner and manager was also booked for abetment.

Earlier in May this year, a dance party in Lahore was brought to halt after religious clerics intervened.

Sunni Tehrik Lahore President Maulana Mujahid Abdul Rasool threatened police to stop a party at Sozo Water Park.

Subsequently, the police and district administration ordered organisers to pack up and leave the venue, even though the organisers had obtained the approval for the event.

Pakistan is highly conservative country and mixed parties featuring music and dance are often disrupted by police or clerics.

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Eight people were lightly wounded in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southeast French city of Avignon, the prosecutor's office said, ruling out terrorism.

According to initial accounts taken on the spot, at least two men got out of a car around 10:30 pm near the mosque and opened fire, including with a shotgun, the prosecutor's office said.

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Nearly 1,000 cinema halls across Tamil Nadu remained shut today after theatre owners decided to go ahead with the strike against imposition of 30 per cent local body tax apart from additional tariffs under the new (Goods and Services Tax) GST regime.

"We are against the Corporation Tax (local body tax) which is 30 per cent. This is in addition to the GST rates. We are not against the GST. We welcome it," Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Distributors Association, President, Abhirami Ramanathan said.

He had sought the withdrawal of 30 per cent local body tax while pointing out that the Kerala government has withdrawn it.

"The tax of 30 per cent is in addition to the GST Tax rates, theatres are shut due to our inability to pay taxes," he told PTI.

Besides the GST, which came into effect from last Saturday, 18 per cent has been fixed for tickets below Rs 100 and 28 per cent for tickets above Rs 100.

The Association had also called on Chief Minister K Palaniswami on July 1 seeking his intervention on the issue.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Film Producers' Council has requested the theatre owners to reconsider their decision considering the film producers.

The Council President and actor Vishal Krishna in a statement had expressed inability to support the decision taken by the theatre owners, saying a suitable time be given to the state government to look into the demand raised by the members of film fraternity.

"It is due to this reason, the Producers' council cannot extend its support to the strike call given by the theatre owners. We also request the theatre owners to reconsider their decision," he had said.

As the theatres are shut from today, film producers took to social networking sites to ask the government to sort out the issue.

"We expect Govt of TN to remove the local tax and address the concerns of the theatre owners so that the film continues," two time National award-winning writer and film producer, Dhananjayan Govind, said.

"Ivan Thanthiran-- we can only give a good film. Beyond that what can be done when the whole system is collapsing. Deeply disturbed," Govind who is the producer of the film "Ivan Thanthiran" which hit the screens last Friday, tweeted.

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Advertising sector watchdog ASCI upheld complaints against 130 misleading advertisements in April, including those of Godrej Consumer Products, Hindustan Unilever, Reliance Communications and Vodafone.

The Customer Complaints Council (CCC) of Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) upheld complaints against 130 out of 199 advertisements reported to it.

It upheld complaint against Reliance Communications for its fastest 4G network claim, saying it "was not substantiated and is misleading by exaggeration."



For Vodafone India's advertisement, it said, "in view of the limit of 300 minutes/day as mentioned in the advertisement, the claim, 'Rs 328 + unlimited local / STD calls for 28 days', is misleading."



It found Godrej Consumer Products' Cinthol advertisement "misleading by ambiguity and omission", since the free pack on offer was of a smaller size.

"'Buy 3 Get 1 Free' is prominently displayed on the front of pack. However, this declaration is misleading by ambiguity and omission as the fourth pack is not of the same size. While the said claim was qualified by a disclaimer to declare the details of the free offer - 'Buy 3 units of 125g soaps and get 1 unit of 75g free', the placement position of the disclaimer was not on the same panel of the packaging," said the ad regulator.

It also pulled up Hindustan Unilever's Pepsodent Germi Check advertisement and said it was misleading by omission of other measures required to be taken for protection from caries (dental cavities) after eating sugary food.

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Haryana police today announced a reward of Rs two lakh for information on identity of those involved in the killing of a Muslim youth inside a train near Ballabgarh in Haryana.

Any person having information about the culprits can inform the Haryana Railway police chief, the Faridabad Railway additional deputy chief and the Faridabad GRP station house officer, an official spokesperson said.

"The police will provide a reward of Rs two lakh to the person helping it to identify the culprits," the spokesman said.

The identity of the person providing the information will be kept a secret, he said.

The police has so far arrested five persons in connection with the killing of 17-year-old Junaid onboard the Delhi- Mathura passenger train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations on June 22.

Junaid was stabbed to death while his brothers, Hashim and Sakir, were injured by a mob which also allegedly hurled slurs against them.

His brothers said the attackers had taunted and repeatedly called them "anti-nationals" and "beef eaters".

The police had earlier announced a reward of Rs one lakh to anyone giving credible information leading to arrest of the accused in the case.

The incident had triggered a nation-wide outrage.

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Jharkhand Chief Minister Raghubar Das, while laying the foundation stones of a Municipal Corporation building and Ramgarh and Khunti municipal panchayat buildings, today said Birsa Memorial Park and 'Bada Talab' will be beautified.

"The new generation will come to know about the sacrifices of Birsa Munda in the freedom struggle and get inspiration from them," an official release said quoting Das.

He said after Independence, the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government had installed the image of Birsa Munda in the Parliament in 1998, while this government at the Centre has introduced the Dharti Aaba Express in the name of Bhagwan Birsa Munda.

Das said the government will rehabilitate before displacement, adding people living in Birsa Munda Jail campus and slums in the Heavy Engineering Corporation area will be rehabilitated in flats.

In the next 3-4 months, 'Bhoomi Poojan' will be done in Ranchi for smart city for which, Prime Minister Narendra will lay the foundation stone, he said.

Das said the 'Bada Talab' will also be beautified with a statue of Swami Vivekanand.

State urban development minister C P Singh, rural development minister Nilkanth Singh Munda, MP Mahesh Poddar, Ranchi Mayor Asha Lakra, Dhanbad Mayor Shekhar Agrawal and several others were present on the occasion.

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The BJP today asked the Election Commission to lodge a criminal case against former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap Yadav, a minister in the Bihar government, urging the central body to disqualify him as a legislator.

Party leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who led a delegation to the EC, accused Yadav of not fully declaring his assets in a poll affidavit filed during the 2015 state assembly polls.

Modi has been making public details of assets allegedly owned by Prasad's family in and outside the state, including in Delhi.

Central enforcement agencies have begun probing the matter.

Prasad has rejected the charges and accused the BJP government at the Centre of targeting him and his family for political reasons.

Modi shared the transaction details with the EC of property that Yadav had allegedly bought in Aurangabad in Bihar in 2010.

Yadav, the health minister in the Nitish Kumar government, did not disclose details of this property in the 2015 affidavit, which was an offence, the BJP leader said.

Modi demanded a case be registered under the relevant sections of the Representation of Peoples Act and the IPC.

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He is known for his ability to morph into any character he plays on screen and actor Nawazuddin Siddiqui says he consciously takes up roles that cannot be stereotyped.

The 43-year-old actor says categorising is a bad practice in Bollywood. He believes the hero is the most typecast character as he keeps rehashing the same character.

In an interview with PTI, Nawaz says, "If one has to, at all, one should put the roles played by our heroes in boxes. Because, sadly, it is the hero who has been typecast... He keeps doing the same character again and again. Actors, like us, cannot be put in boxes."



Nawaz has an impressive list of performances to his credit in films such as "Gangs of Wasseypur" series, "Te3n", "The Lunchbox", "Talaash", "Badlapur" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan".

Most his roles veer towards negative to gray but the actor says irrespective of the genres, they are never one- shaded.

"I like doing grey roles more... They have more depth, more complexity. I can't do these larger-than-life hero or villain-like characters because they don't interest me. I hate these two extremes in this world, as they don't have any shades in them.

"Because I observe characters from real life, I know people have both good and bad characteristics in them. When you put both of them together, what you get is a complete human being."



Nawazuddin will next be seen in thriller-drama "Mom", featuring Sridevi in the lead role. He essays the role of Dayashankar Kapoor in the movie, releasing this Friday.

"He is someone whom you would have come across in real life but would not have paid attention to. Such people appear normal but if they come in front of you, they possess a quality to take you in their confidence."



After Ravi Udyawar's directorial debut, Nawazuddin has two more releases this year -- "Munna Micheal" and "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz".

The actor, who has been working round-the-clock for a long time, says he has no fear of overexposure and boring the audience with his constant presence on the celluloid as he has an unending stock to tap into.

"I have done over 2,000 characters in theatre in seven years. I have a lot of 'masala' to show. I have this confidence, which allows me to try different roles in every film I do next.

"The ones who get scared are those who feel they have nothing else left to show. I have a lot of characters stored in my bank," says Nawazuddin.

He is rapidly gaining fans with each of his performances but the actor says he keeps travelling to his village to get a reality check and believes stardom will not be a roadblock for him.

"If you go out and see, there are thousands of characters with their own story, uniqueness and behaviour. If you observe someone closely, you will get a lot of material from there. If you have shut yourself behind glass doors, then it will be a problem."



"Mom" also features Akshaye Khanna and Pakistani actors Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui.

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A five-year-old boy of Nepali origin drowned after falling into Bhagirathi river today while returning from school in this district of Uttarakhand.

Shankar fell into the river near Dharasu bridge on his way back from school, Dharasu police station incharge Ravindra Yadav said.

Rescue teams are still scouring the river in search of the child's body, he said.

In the course of the operation to locate Shankar, the police found the body of an unidentified woman, he said.

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The ongoing verbal spat between China and India today escalated as Beijing said the Indian Army's action to stop Chinese troops from constructing a road in an area near Sikkim is a "betrayal" of the position taken by successive Indian governments and India must pull back its soldiers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated.

"By entering into the Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese troops' normal activities, India has violated the existing convention on the boundary and basic principle of international law and obstructed peace and stability of the boundary area," Geng told reporters at a briefing.

"We require the Indian side to withdraw their troops to the Indian side of the boundary and create conditions for he restoration of peace and stability in the relevant areas."



China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan trijunction for almost a month in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962, when the two countries fought a brief war.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back its troops immediately. He dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

"Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to the then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this," he said.

"The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by (successive) Indian governments," he said.

"What has happened is very clear, the Sikkim section of the boundary has already been defined by the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China. Doklam belongs to China."



Asked if there was a possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Hamburg in Germany this week, Geng said he has "no information at the moment" about the arrangements for bilateral meetings between Xi and leaders of other countries.

He, however, said the line for diplomatic communication between India and China is "open and smooth".

The standoff came to notice when China denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. At first, Beijing said it stopped the Yatra due to damage to roads in Tibet after rains and landslides.

Later China signalled the matter was related to the standoff between the two armies near Sikkim. The Sikkim route to Mansarovar was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

Today, Geng said the other route to Tibet through Lipulek pass is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute over boundary between India and China.

On the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement on Friday that the construction road by Chinese troops in the disputed Doka La area would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India, The Chinese foreign ministry official said they have "noted" the statement by India.

"It evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. But it is this convention which has confirmed the alignment of the boundary between the two sides at the Sikkim section. This convention has been recognised by successive Chinese and Indian governments and has been confirmed by the Indian governments in written form," he said.

"Prime Minister Nehru has affirmed in his letters to the Premier Zhou Enlai that the convention must be observed. That is the basic principle of international law. It is an obligation must be fulfilled by the Indian side," he said.

He also accused India of using Bhutan as a cover.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutan's independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

"We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to Indian side infringing up Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse. The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," he said.

This is not the first time that such a transgression has happened at Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there.

Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

Since the standoff on June 6, when PLA bulldozers destroyed bunkers of the India Army claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several peices warning India over escalating tension and "reminding" the Indian Army about the 1962 war.

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China has setup its first research base in the country's south-west Sichuan province dedicated to clamp down on illegal flying of drones.

The base will encourage the development of anti-drone technology and enhance aviation safety, state-run Global Times reported today.

The base was jointly established by 20 organisations - mostly research institutions and drone manufacturers - including the Academician Drone Lab. The base, located in Chengdu in the province, will work under the direction of the Civil Aviation Administration of China.

Several drone manufacturers participated in the base's opening ceremony, inviting their customers who have registered as drone pilots to sign a written pledge which says they will fight illegal drone flying.

"The aim of setting up the base is to attract more people to engage in the business of countering drones, to co-research and develop technological products, to clear the skies of illegal drones and safeguard order together," Jing Xiaoping, a representative of the Academician Drone Lab, was quoted as saying by chinanews.Com.

The Chinese military said recently that it is experimenting mass armed drone attack as a war tactic.

At present, drones are countered by electromagnetic interference, sonic interference and physical destruction, which all boast their own advantages and deficiencies, Jing said.

The base will also conduct training activities, providing talents to the drone industry to help it develop, the portal reported.

Official data shows that the number of cases of drones disrupting the normal operations of civil airports has risen, from just four cases in 2015 to 23 incidents last year.

China implemented the real-name registration of all drones weighing over 250 grams from June 1.

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To ensure dry fuel supply to non-regulated sectors like steel and cement, Coal India (CIL) today announced auction of linkages.

"CIL announces auction of coal linkages (Tranche III) for non-regulated sector," Coal India said in a BSE filing.

The Cabinet in February last year had approved auction of linkages for non-regulated sectors such as steel and cement.

"The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, has given its approval that all allocations of linkages/Letter of Assurance (LoAs) for non-regulated sector viz. Cement, steel/sponge iron, aluminium and Others [excluding fertiliser (urea) sector], including their CPPs, shall henceforth be auction based," the government has said.

The coal ministry, earlier in a letter to CIL and SCCL, has issued broad guidelines for methodology for auction of coal linkages to non-regulated sector and said that if bids are received for quantity greater than 'link quantity' offered, then the premium is increased in steps.

"Auction stops when bids are received for exact quantity i.E. 'link quantity' offered. Each successful bidder pays the same price," it has said.

Maximum bid quantity by a particular bidder shall not exceed the normative requirement of the end use plant, the ministry has said, adding that for auction of linkages, Coal India (CIL)/Singareni Collieries Company Limited (SCCL) shall chalk out annual or six-monthly auction calendar.

The government has earlier said that it is likely to put on offer 14.5 million tonnes of fuel.

Coal India (CIL) had earlier auctioned around 22 million tonnes of fuel linkages for the non-regulated sector.

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Chemicals from contraceptive pills being flushed down household drains is causing male fish to turn transgender, a study claims.

About a fifth of male river fish are displaying feminised traits and even producing eggs, researchers said.

Some have reduced sperm quality and display less aggressive and competitive behaviour, making them unlikely to breed successfully.

The chemicals causing these effects include ingredients in the contraceptive pill, by-products of cleaning agents, plastics and cosmetics.

"We are showing that some of these chemicals can have much wider health effects on fish that we expected," said Charles Tyler, of the University of Exeter in the UK.

"Using specially created transgenic fish that allow us to see responses to these chemicals in the bodies of fish in real time, for example, we have shown that oestrogens found in some plastics affect the valves in the heart," Tyler was quoted as saying by 'The Telegraph'.

According to the study, 20 per cent of male freshwater fish at 50 sites had feminine characteristics.

More than 200 chemicals from sewage plants have been identified with oestrogen-like effects and drugs such as antidepressants are also altering fish's natural behaviour, researchers said.

"Other research has shown that many other chemicals that are discharged through sewage treatment works can affect fish, including antidepressant drugs that reduce the natural shyness of some fish species, including the way they react to predators," Tyler said.

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The death toll in Pakistan's oil tanker inferno rose to 206 today as three more persons injured in the country's one of the worst fire accidents succumbed to their injuries, officials said.

Six officials, including a DSP-level officer, were suspended on Friday for negligence that led to the incident.

The Dawn reported that the death toll in Ahmadpur Sharqia oil tanker fire has risen to 206 and 65 injured are still recovering in hospitals.

In Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, 25 patients are said to be in a stable condition. However, nine patients in Lahore and 17 in Multan are in a critical condition.

A team of surgeons have been called in to conduct skin transplants at a hospital in Lahore.

At least 120 people including women and children were killed on the spot and 140 injured last week, a day before Eid, when they rushed to collect fuel leaking from the crashed oil tanker in Bahawalpur, some 400 kilometres from Lahore.

The tanker caught fire after the explosion and some 50,000 litres of petrol spilled from the vehicle.

The tanker, coming from Karachi to Lahore, veered off the road when the driver lost control after one of its tyres burst. It exploded after someone lit a cigarette.

The cause of the fire has not been made official yet, but it is believed that a spark from the many cars and motorcycles that raced to the scene may have ignited the fuel.

Meanwhile, according to motorway police spokesman Imran Shah, six officials have been suspended on the recommendation of the departmental inquiry committee probing into the incident on the basis of technical data.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also met the victims of the tragedy and said that the government would provide jobs to those who were injured in the explosion and relatives of the affected families.

He had vowed that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty of dereliction of duty would be punished.

Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a four-member inquiry committee to investigate the Bahawalpur tragedy.
With the death of eight more persons, the toll in Pakistan's oil tanker inferno today touched 206, making it one of the worst fire accidents in the country, officials said.

Six officials, including a DSP-level officer, were suspended on Friday for negligence.

The Dawn reported that the death toll in Ahmadpur Sharqia oil tanker fire has risen to 206.

At least 65 injured were still recovering in hospitals.

In Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, 25 patients are said to be critical. Nine in Lahore and 17 in Multan are also battling for their lives.

A team of surgeons have been called in to conduct skin transplants at a hospital in Lahore.

At least 120 people including women and children were killed on the spot and 140 injured on June 25, a day before Eid, when they rushed to collect fuel leaking from the crashed oil tanker in Bahawalpur, some 400 kilometres from Lahore.

The tanker caught fire after the explosion and some 50,000 litres of petrol spilled from the vehicle.

The vehicle, coming from Karachi to Lahore, veered off the road when the driver lost control after one of its tyres burst. It exploded after someone lit a cigarette.

The cause of the fire has not been made official yet, but it is believed that a spark from the many cars and motorcycles that raced to the scene may have ignited the fuel.

Meanwhile, according to motorway police spokesman Imran Shah, six officials have been suspended on the recommendation of the departmental inquiry committee probing into the incident on the basis of technical data.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also met the victims of the tragedy and said that the government would provide jobs to those who were injured in the explosion and relatives of the affected families.

He had vowed that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty of dereliction of duty would be punished.

Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a four-member inquiry committee to investigate the Bahawalpur tragedy.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi BJP today urged Lt. Governor Anil Baijal to direct the South Delhi Municipal Corporation to reconsider plans to construct its headquarters in IP Estate as it "is not a people-friendly location".

In a letter to the LG, party's Delhi unit media in-charge Praveen Shankar Kapoor said, "It will be very cumbersome for the people to travel from far off Najafgarh, Tughlaqabad or Bijwasan to IP Estate."



Suggesting an alternative, Kapoor said the SDMC had a large piece of land in the RK Puram area..

"The Office of Assessor & Collector there can be shifted and a new building can be constructed at this site," he said.

"I request you to intervene in the matter and direct the SDMC authorities to review their decision to construct the Headquarter in IP Estate," Kapoor said in the letter.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Delhi government will soon bring a bill to fix accountability and punish guilty officials for delays in releasing scholarships to the students belonging to SC, ST and minorities communities.

The move comes after a number of cases of non-disbursal of large number of scholarships to students belonging to SC, ST and minorities communities emerged.

The government will also bring a bill in the Assembly to set up a SC commission for Delhi, Social Welfare minister Rajendra Pal Gautam said replying to a calling attention motion on the last day of the special session.

"The SC/ST development fund Bill is ready we will soon bring it in the House so that concerned officials could be prosecuted for delay and negligence in disbursal of scholarships.

"The SC Commission Bill will also brought in the House to set up the body in Delhi," he said.

The calling attention motion was moved by AAP MLA Adarsh Shastri to discuss reports of non disbursal scholarships to the SC, ST and minority categories students in Delhi.

Shastri referred to a report by the Dialogue and Development Commission of Delhi (DDC) that said that more than five lakh scholarships to SC/ST and minorities were yet to be disbursed in Delhi.

Participating in the discussion, the ruling party MLAs blamed the National Scholarship Portal for non disbursal of the scholarships.

The issue was raised in the House after Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wrote to the Chief Secretary MM Kutty expressing concerns over five lakh SC/ST and minority students not getting scholarships.

About 5.57 lakh scholarships were to be disbursed and there was a delay of about 16 months.

"The National Scholarship Portal was launched under the Prime Minister's digital India initiative. The students fell victim to digital India," AAP MLA Alka Lamba said.

The BJP-SAD legislator Manjinder Singh Sirsa attacked the AAP government during the discussion, saying that he had flagged the issue in a meeting with the Lt Governor and also written to the Chief Minister in this regard.

"The government slept for one month despite although I had sent letters to the Chief Minister and Secretary SC/ST Welfare in this regard. There is no point in shifting the blame on Central government," Sirsa said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A 30-year-old pilgrim from Delhi was found dead at the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir today, taking the death toll in the ongoing Amarnath yatra to four, the police said.

Manoj, a resident of J J Colony, Inderpur, central Delhi, was found dead in a tent at the Baltal base camp in the Ganderbal district this morning, said a police official.

The deceased had apparently died of a cardiac arrest, he said.

While an assistant sub-inspector of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had died at Brarimarg on June 28, a pilgrim from Jammu was killed after being hit by a falling stone from a hillock on June 29, the first day of the yatra.

Another pilgrim from West Bengal had died on his way to the cave shrine on Saturday.

The 40-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to be concluded on August 7, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.

The yatra has been going on smoothly on both the routes -- the traditional Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and the Baltal route -- and so far, over 55,000 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice-lingam at an altitude of 3,880 metres.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The union government has prepared the detailed project report (DPR) for AIIMS to be set up at Devipur in Jharkhand's Deoghar district, which is expected to start functioning in about two-and-a-half years.

Jharkhand Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Ramchandra Chandravanshi told a press conference here today that the state government has received report that the central government has not only prepared the DPR for AIIMS at Devipur, but has also prepared the cabinet note and may get the cabinet sanction any time from now.

Once the cabinet sanction is granted for the AIIMS in Deoghar it would take about two-and-a-half years for the institute to be functional, additional chief secretary of the department, Sudhir Tripathi said.

Chandravanshi said that to deal with the shortage of doctors in Jharkhand, the state government has initiated the process to establish three new medical colleges at Palamau, Hazaribagh and Dumka, where the building work has already begun and is expected to be completed by January 2019.

He said that efforts were on to include all the people of the state under the chief minister's health insurance scheme. Presently only the BPL people are benefitting from the scheme but it was meant for APL families as well. They can join the scheme by paying the premium which will be as low as around Rs 500.

For the health insurance scheme the government has made provisions for Rs 200 crore in 2017-18.

The minister announced that the state government is actively considering building up a medico city in Itki area here.

The medico city will incur an expense of Rs 918.20 crore and it will be built in an area of 66.18 acres.

Tripathi said that the ambitious 108 ambulance services will also start functioning from August in the entire state and by December a total of 329 ambulances will be ready to be used in the state. These ambulances would include forty advanced ambulances as well, having specialized facilities in them.

He said that the 500-beded sadar hospital here will start functioning by July end. While 200 beds will be inaugurated by July end, the rest 300 will be incorporated in the next two years.

Another 500-bed hospital is also under construction at Kharsawan, which will be completed in December 2017.

To fulfill the requirement of doctors, the department has notified the recruitment process for 817 specialized doctors through Jharkhand Public Service Commission while 71 doctors have already been appointed in the Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences here, Tripathi said.

Under the central government scheme 19 lakh medicated mosquito-nets are being distributed in the state, he added. PTI IKD PVR KK



.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Cyberabad Police today arrested the founder of a private orphanage here for allegedly sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl inmate.

The girl, a class ninth student from the orphanage, in a complaint to police yesterday has accused Madhav Rao of sexually harassing her after calling her to his room in the premises, a police officer at L B Nagar Police Station said.

Following the complaint, a case under section 354 A of the IPC and under relevant sections of POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses) Act was registered against Rao and he was arrested. He is being produced before a local court today, the officer said.

Section 354 A of IPC deals with sexual harassment, which is a bailable offence. Any person found guilty of sexual harassment can be punished with rigorous imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.

City-based Balala Hakkula Sangham, an NGO working for child rights, condemned the incident.

"A thorough inspection should be conducted at private orphanages and if any irregularities are found, such orphanages should be immediately merged with government homes," honorary president of the NGO, Achyuta Rao said.

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At least five people were killed and up to 20 injured after a boiler exploded at a garment factory in Bangladesh today, authorities said.

Around 30 labourers were on site at the factory in an industrial district outside the capital Dhaka when a blast tore through the six-storey building, causing its walls to collapse partially.

"It is a terrible scene. Fire brigade officers have arrived and are doing rescue work. The factory's boiler exploded and the blast also affected other buildings near the factory," police officer Harunur Rashid told AFP.

The factory is owned by textiles manufacturer Multifabs, which makes clothing for mostly European brands according to its website.

"Five people were killed and at least 15 to 20 injured. There is chance of more casualties," Mohammad Akhteruzzaman, deputy assistant director of the fire service added.

Al Amin, a worker at a nearby garment factory, said he was attending evening prayers at a mosque some 300 yards (metres) from the factory at around 7pm (1300 GMT) when the explosion shook the whole area.

"I ran to the spot instantly and saw a huge smoke. I saw blood all over the bodies of some injured workers and instantly called the fire brigade," he told AFP.

According to factory director Mesba Faruqui, the main site was closed on Monday but a group of workers were overseeing maintenance of the boiler.

Bangladesh has more than 4,500 garment factories employing four million mostly female workers at minimum monthly wage of $68.

The industry is notorious for poor workplace safety, with many of the factories lacking basic equipment such as ventilation and air coolers.

In April 2013, the nine-storey Rana Plaza factory complex collapsed, killing more than 1,100 people in one of the world's worst industrial disasters.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Following are the top stories from the northern region at 1830 HRS:



NRG3 JK-NORMALCY



Srinagar: Restrictions are lifted from interior parts of Srinagar after three days as normalcy was restored in the city.

DES1 UP-RTI-COWSHED



Lucknow: Nearly 86 per cent of the grant sanctioned by the previous Samajwadi Party government to organisations working for cow welfare in Uttar Pradesh went to an NGO run by the then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's sister-in-law Aparna Yadav, reveals an RTI reply.

DES11 UP-YOGI-2NDLD MINISTER



Lucknow: An Uttar Pradesh minister threatens to resign if his demand for transferring the Ghazipur district magistrate is not met immediately, but soon backtracks after being mollified by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

DES5 UP-MINISTER-MLAS



Pratapgarh (UP): Uttar Pradesh minister Rajendra Singh alias Moti Singh allegedly attacks the local legislators of his party, the BJP, and Apna Dal, saying their faces should be "blackened" if they do not ensure development.

DES16 MHA-MUGHALSARAI-RENAME



New Delhi: The Central government is examining a request of the Uttar Pradesh government to rename the Mughalsarai Railway Station after RSS ideologue Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya.

NRG5 UP-MUSLIMS-COW SLAUGHTER



Aligarh (UP): A body of Muslim intellectuals says it would extend full support to any proposal of the Centre for banning cow slaughter and declaring cow as the national animal.

NRG12 UP-PROTEST-ARREST



Lucknow: Eight persons, including a retired IPS officer, arrested here for staging a demonstration against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

NRG14 JK-TOURISM-LOGO



Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government decides to take action against a private firm for allegedly using the state tourism department logo for its mobile app.

DES2 JK-AMARNATH



Jammu: The fifth batch of more than 3,000 pilgrims leaves from here for the high-altitude Amarnath cave shrine dedicated to Lord Shiva.

DES7 DL-AIIMS-ELDERLY



New Delhi: The AIIMS in association with an NGO would adopt 50 elderly people, who are economically and physically challenged, to provide them with various health care facilities.

DES13 RJ-SUPERSTITION-PROBE



Jaipur: The Rajasthan Women Commission directs the district authorities of Pali, Jalore and Barmer to look into reports of cutting of women's hair during night hours by unidentified persons as part of some superstitious activity.

DES14 DL-ASSEMBLY-MISHRA



New Delhi: Rebel AAP legislator Kapil Mishra marshalled out of the Delhi Assembly during the special session, the third time that he is evicted from the House since May.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
: Following are the top stories from the northern region at 2225 HRS:



DEL42 JK-LD SHOT



Srinagar: An unarmed policeman and a woman injured when militants struck in a market in Anantnag district of south Kashmir.

NRG33 JK-MALIK



Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik arrested by police and sent to the Central Jail here, his outfit said.

DES24 UP-PROTEST-LD ARREST



Lucknow: Eight persons, including a retired IPS officer, arrested and later released here for attempting to take out a rally against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

DES42 UP-RAM-TEMPLE MUSLIMS



Lucknow: A Muslim group, claiming to be pro-Ram temple, says its members offered prayers at the Dewa Sharif Dargah in the Barabanki district seeking a "divine intervention" in the construction of a Ram Temple in Ayodhya.

DES39 UP-TALAQ-FINE



Sambhal (UP): A community panchayat slaps a fine of Rs 75,000 on a man for divorcing his wife by uttering talaq thrice in Madala village here.

DES38 UP-BOY DRAGGED



Agra: A mentally challenged youth allegedly tied to a motorbike and dragged for 50 metres for plucking a flower from the premises of a temple at Sirsaganj town in Firozabad district, police says.

DES35 JK-MILITANCY-ARREST



Srinagar: The Jammu and Kashmir police says 54 youth arrested over the past "few months" in different parts of the valley, foiling their attempts to join militant ranks.

NRG17 JK-GST-TRADERS



Srinagar: Various trade organisations along with civil society groups in Jammu and Kashmir form a coordination committee to oppose implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST) in the state in its present form.

NRG14 JK-TOURISM-LOGO



Jammu: The Jammu and Kashmir government decides to take action against a private firm for allegedly using the state tourism department logo for its mobile app.

NRG5 UP-MUSLIMS-COW SLAUGHTER



Aligarh (UP): A body of Muslim intellectuals says it would extend full support to any proposal of the Centre for banning cow slaughter and declaring cow as the national animal.

DES20 JK-AMARNATH-TOLL



Srinagar: A 30-year-old pilgrim from Delhi found dead at the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir, taking the death toll in the ongoing Amarnath yatra to four, the police said.

NRG4 KASHMIR-AMARNATH-CHHARI



Srinagar: The saffron-robed holy mace of Lord Shiva popularly known as 'Chhari Mubarak' will be taken from its abode here to Pahalgam on July 9 for special prayers, marking the commencement of the Amarnath Yatra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An alleged fraudster was arrested from Jharkhand for duping a city-based woman posing as a bank manager, the police said.

Acting on a complaint by Abdul Qaiyum Ansari (64) of Shambhu Chatterjee Street in Jorasanko, Kolkata Police yesterday arrested Rajendra Soren (21) from his residence in Jharkhand, a senior police officer said.

"The arrested had called the complainant's sister-in-law in March impersonating as the manager of a State Bank of India branch and had induced her to sharing the debit card details and the OTPs.

"He then siphoned off an amount of Rs two lakh from the victim's savings account. The money siphoned off was transferred to various online wallets like FXMART, Airtel Money, PAYTM, OLA Cabs. A portion was further stashed in the SBI account of the accused at Govindpur Branch, Jharkhand," he said.

When produced at a city court, the accused was remanded to police custody till July 17, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A French court will postpone to September its verdict over the publication by a French magazine of topless photos of Prince William's wife Kate in France, a judicial source said today.

The court in Nanterre, near Paris, was to have pronounced its verdict on Tuesday, but instead will announce the new date, the source said.

The grainy snaps of Kate Middleton wearing nothing but a black and white bikini bottom were taken while she was on holiday in September 2012 in the south of France with her husband, the second-in-line to the British throne.

They triggered a furious reaction from the royal family in Britain, where several newspapers had rejected an offer to buy the pictures.

The photographs were taken at a chateau owned by Viscount Linley, the son of Princess Margaret, the late sister of Britain's Queen Elizabeth II.

After appearing in the French version of celebrity magazine Closer, the photos were reproduced in several other European publications such as Chi in Italy, Ireland's Daily Star and sister magazines in Sweden and Denmark.

Prince William and Kate are seeking 1.5 million euros ($1.7 million) in damages and interest.

French authorities sided with the royal couple by banning any further reproduction of the pictures before launching a probe into how the snaps were obtained.

The editor of Closer in France, the head of the Mondadori group which owns the glossy magazine, regional newspaper La Provence's manager and one of its photographers, and two Paris-based agency photographers are all defendants in the case.

They are charged with invasion of privacy.

Earlier in September 2012, the Marseille-based La Provence had printed a picture by one of its photographers of the Duchess of Cambridge in a two-piece bathing costume at the same chateau.

For that picture, the prosecution called for suspended fines against Marc Auburtin, the then publisher of the regional daily, as well as against the photographer.

The royal couple are seeking 50,000 euros in damages and interest from La Provence.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The CPI today condemned the Narendra Modi government's decision to clear disinvestment of national carrier Air India and accused it of being "hell-bent on destroying" the public sector without trying to set things right.

The Left party said the government should set up a panel of experts to advise the beleaguered airline to come out of losses, withdraw disinvestment and stop its privatisation.

"The CPI severely condemns the move. The NDA government is hell bent on destroying the public sector, without making any serious efforts to set right things in loss making public sector enterprises and industries," the CPI alleged in a statement.

Terming Air India as "one of the jewels" of public sector in the country, it observed the national airline was in losses due to the alleged "inefficiency" of administration.

Stating that "where there's a will, there's a way", the CPI said there are possibilities the Air India can be brought out of losses if the government is "honest".

"The CPI demands that the government appoint an expert committee to advise Air India to come out of losses, withdraw the decision of disinvestment and stop privatisation," it added.

The Union Cabinet had on June 28 cleared disinvestment of Air India, which has floundered amid stiff competition from no-frills rivals and reported heavy losses.

Announcing the decision, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had said an in-principal approval for divestment of Air India has been taken, but did not say if it would be an outright sale or partial divestment.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Egypt will host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Wednesday to discuss the crisis with Qatar, Cairo's foreign ministry said.

The ministers will meet "to follow developments... concerning relations with Qatar," it said in a statement yesterday evening.

The four countries announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, accusing it of backing "terrorism" and being too close to Saudi Arabia's arch-rival Iran.

Riyadh and its allies on Monday extended a deadline for Doha to accept 13 demands in return for lifting a de facto blockade.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Bombay High Court today expressed concern over children participating in the mourning procession during Muharram and asked police to hold meetings with organisers of the ritual to chalk out a course of action.

A division bench of justices R M Savant and Sadhana Jadhav was suo moto (on its own) hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) on the issue.

In December 2014, the city police had issued a circular on the steps to be taken during the ritual.

According to the circular, senior police officials of the police stations concerned have to hold meetings with mohalla committees prior to Muharram, ensure no children participate in the ritual and no sharp weapons are used and videograph the entire procession.

"We direct the additional commissioner of police (south region) to hold a meeting with major organisers and also the community leaders to chalk out a course of action, seeing to it that no child participates in the procession," Justice Savant said.

If the organisers and community leaders themselves ensure that no minor participates in the procession, then police monitoring would not be required, the court noted.

"The additional commissioner of police shall hold the meeting and file a report on July 24. We would like to hear and decide this matter before this year's Muharram procession which is to be held in September," Justice Savant said.

Muharram marks the anniversary of the battle of Karbala in which Imam Hussain, the grandson of Prophet Muhammad, was killed. To mourn his killing, the participants flagellate themselves with sharp objects.

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The Madras High Court today dismissed a PIL seeking a direction to the Tamil Nadu DGP for taking action against women protesters, who allegedly damaged state-run TASMAC liquor shops and caused revenue loss.

A division bench of Justice K K Sasidharan and Justice G R Swaminathan said, "All know the fact as to who is running the TASMAC shops and the government has submitted that action is being taken against those who damaged the shops."



The bench asked the counsel for the petitioner as to why he was seeking against women protesters alone.

The petitioner submitted that women were at the forefront of the protests against the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation (TASMAC) shops.

The court should direct the DGP to take severe action against women who damaged public property on the pretext of protesting against TASMAC shops, he said.

The government pleader submitted that action was being taken against protesters who damaged the shops and agitated in a violent manner.

Following the submission, the bench dismissed the petition.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) today said its joint venture firm has bagged a contract worth Rs 797 crore from Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation.

"Hindustan Construction Company, a lead partner in the joint venture with URC Construction, has been awarded Rs 797.29 crore contract by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd," HCC said in a BSE filing.

The contract is for construction of 6.340 km long elevated corridor and five elevated stations between HSR Layout station and RV Road Station.

HCC's share in the JV is 51 per cent (Rs 406.61 crore). The project is to be completed in 36 months.

HCC stock was trading 3.72 per cent higher at Rs 40.45 on the BSE.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Following are the top stories from the western region at 1700 HRS:



BOM 3 MH-SENA-BJP



Mumbai: The Shiv Sena accuses its ally BJP of snatching credit for the farm loan waiver decision in Maharashtra, saying "robbing credit" has now become a part of political ideology.

BOM 8 GJ-GST-TRADERS-PROTEST



Surat:Textile traders protest against the GST and allegedly pelted policemen with stones, forcing the law enforcement personnel to baton charge them.

BOM 1 MH-PRISON-INDRANI



Mumbai: Mumbai crime branch gets the case of rioting against Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, and some 200 other inmates of Byculla women's prison in central Mumbai.

LGB 1 MH-HC-DUTT



Mumbai: The Bombay High Court grants two weeks' time to the Maharashtra government to file an affidavit to justify its decision to grant actor Sanjay Dutt early release from prison in the 1993 serial bomb blasts case.

BES 2 CG-ACCIDENT



Raipur: Four persons, including two women, were killed and five others injured when their jeep collided head-on with a mini truck in Chhattisgarh's Bemetara district.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Veteran actress Shabana Azmi today said she has always raised her voice against hate crime and her outrage over mob lynching is not selective.

The 66-year-old actress took to Twitter to clarify her stance after she took part in the 'Not In My Name' protest, an anti-lynching movement on June 28.

"... I'm versus (against) all fundamentalism. In Not In My Name campaign I said it's about all mob lynching including the DSP in Kashmir, the love jihad," wrote Azmi.

The "Neerja" actress responded to an open letter penned by a former senior journalist where he questioned her for remaining silent on other hate crimes in the name of the religion.

Azmi slammed the article with a tweet, "Every level charged here is untrue. Surprised such a senior journalist didn't check facts and has resorted to spreading canard. Afsos (it's sad)."



The 'Not In My Name' drive gained traction after Saba Dewan, a documentary filmmaker, took to Facebook to organise a protest at Jantar Mantar in Delhi.

It soon became big social media campaign with people turning up in huge numbers in other cities such as Bengaluru, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram.

Apart from Azmi, actresses Konkona Sensharma and Kalki Koechlin also participated in the protest held at Carter Road in suburban Bandra.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India and China will account for almost half of all new mobile subscribers expected to be added globally by the end of 2020, a new study has found.

According to the 2017 edition of 'Mobile Economy: Asia Pacific' report published recently at the 'Mobile World Congress Shanghai', forecasts that India will account for 27 per cent (206 million) and China 21 per cent (155 million) of the approximately 753 million new mobile subscribers by the end of the decade.

The Asia-Pacific region as a whole is forecast to increase from 2.7 billion unique mobile subscribers at the end of 2016 to 3.1 billion in 2020, accounting for two-thirds of global growth.

The report also highlights how the region's mobile industry will be a growing contributor to Asia's economy and social development over this period - and also play a pioneering role in 5G.

"Led by India and China, Asia's mobile industry will be the main engine of global subscriber growth for the remainder of the decade, connecting almost half a billion new customers across the region by 2020," said Mats Granryd, director general of the GSMA company, a trade body that represents the interests of mobile operators globally.

"We are also seeing a dramatic shift to mobile broadband networks, particularly 4G, which is providing a platform for a rich range of innovative new services across both developed and emerging markets in the region. Meanwhile, advanced operators in Asia are set to become among the first in the world to launch commercial 5G networks before the end of the decade," he said.

Subscriber growth in the Asia Pacific region will mean that mobile penetration in the region (as a percentage of the population) will grow from 66 per cent in 2016 to 75 per cent in 2020.

However, the diverse nature of the region means that mobile penetration rates vary widely. Asia is home to four of the top five most penetrated markets in the world (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan), but also some of the least penetrated, such as North Korea.

Mobile broadband (3G and above) is now the dominant technology in the region, accounting for more than half of connections for the first time last year. The study notes that Asian markets such as China, Japan and South Korea are also driving the development of 5G mobile technologies.

Mobile technologies and services contributed $1.3 trillion in economic value to the Asia Pacific economy last year, equivalent to 5.2 per cent of regional gross domestic product (GDP).

It is forecast that this contribution will increase to $1.6 trillion (5.4 per cent of GDP) in 2020 as countries benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by increased take-up of mobile services and adoption of new mobile technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M).

Asia's mobile ecosystem also supported approximately 16 million jobs in 2016, directly and indirectly, and made a substantial contribution to the funding of the public sector.

Asia's mobile industry is also playing a key role in tackling various social and economic challenges as outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The report highlights several case studies where mobile services are helping to eliminate poverty; improving health, education, gender equality and employment opportunities; helping to deliver safer cities; and addressing climate change and other issues.
The Financial Stability Board (FSB), an international body for global financial system, today listed India among countries that are 'compliant or largely compliant' on implementation of priority area reforms.

Ahead of the G20 Summit in Germany to be attended by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, among other world leaders, the FSB today submitted its status report on progress in financial regulatory reforms in various jurisdictions, including India.

The report listed India as a 'compliant' jurisdiction with regard to the Basel III reforms in area of risk-based capital and as 'largely compliant' on liquidity coverage ratio.

Other countries that have been found to be 'compliant or largely compliant' on these metrics include Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, South Korea, Russia, Singapore, South Africa, Switzerland, Turkey and the US.

At the same time, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and the UK have been found to be 'materially non-compliant' on at least one parameter.

With regard to the Net Stable Funding Ratio (NSFR), India figured among the countries where "final rule published but not in force, or draft regulation published".

On compensation related reforms, India is among the jurisdictions where "all except a few (three or less) FSB Principles and Standards implemented", as per the FSB report.

On trade reporting in the over-the-counter derivatives market, India was among the countries where necessary regulatory framework was being implemented.

On shadow banking, the FSB report named India among the jurisdictions where the final implementation measures are in force for valuation, liquidity management and stable net asset for monetary market funds, while final adoption measures were taken for implementing an incentive alignment regime and disclosing requirements on securitisation.

The FSB also said that the jurisdictions that have not had an IMF-World Bank Financial Sector Assessment Program (FSAP) in the last five years are undergoing one in 2017-19 and these countries include India.

It further said that the FSB examined progress in implementing G20 reforms in recent peer reviews of three EMDE (Emerging Market and Developing Economies) members -- Argentina, Brazil and India -- and has made recommendations to address identified gaps.

The report was submitted ahead of the G20 Summit in Hamburg on July 7-8 along with a letter from the FSB Chair Mark Carney to the G20 leaders.

As per the letter, the G20 reforms are building a safer, simpler, fairer financial system and banks are considerably stronger, more liquid and more focused.

"A series of measures is eliminating the toxic forms of shadow banking and transforming it into resilient market-based finance," it noted, while adding that a greater resilience is being achieved without impeding the supply of credit to the real economy.

It also said some unfinished business to finalise and implement reforms merits attention.

"Basel III must be completed urgently and then implemented faithfully... Further work is required to build effective cross-border resolution regimes, and to realise fully the benefits of trade reporting in improving transparency in OTC derivatives markets.

"The underlying causes of misconduct are being addressed by bolstering individual responsibility, accountability and better aligning incentives and reward, but more needs to be done," it said.

The report identified three areas where authorities need to remain vigilant -- maintaining an open and integrated global financial system, market liquidity and the effects of reforms on emerging market and developing economies.

The FSB sought the G20 leaders' support to reinforce global regulatory cooperation.

The FSB also released a a Framework for post- implementation evaluation of the effects of the G20 financial regulatory reforms, developed in collaboration with the standard-setting bodies, and with input from external stakeholders and through public consultation.

The framework will guide analyses of whether the G20 reforms are achieving their intended outcomes and help to identify any material unintended consequences that may have to be addressed, without compromising on the objectives of the reforms.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Cyber security is one of the key areas of cooperation to be discussed with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said ahead of his Indian counterpart's visit to Israel.

"Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here", Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

Terming Modi, as "one of the most important prime ministers of the world", Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including in cyber.

"For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime minister's of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fields -- water, agriculture, health and also in cyber. And he has a good reason to do so", the Israeli Prime Minister told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office.

Modi will be on a three day visit to Israel starting July 4 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a "technology giant", is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of "my friend Narendra Modi".

Outlining steps taken by his government to strengthen Israel's cyber security apparatus, Netanyahu argued the need for such an investment by saying that it was not only a "serious threat", but also a "serious business".

"A few years ago, I decided to establish Israel as one of the five leading powers in the world and I think by all accounts, we are there but the jury on security is always out. And it's a constant challenge. Cyber security is a serious business. It's a serious business for two reasons - the first reason is that it's a serious and growing threat. And it's a growing threat everywhere because every single thing is being digitised", he said.

The Israeli Prime Minister underscored the exponential rise in the need for cyber security, as all governments grapple with finding the ways to protect confidential information of security organisations, the critical infrastructure, businesses, and every single organisation "as we enter the world of internet".

Netanyahu credited himself for creating the National Cyber Defense Authority -- to streamline information sharing between government, the private sector and various organizations -- to combat cyber threats.

Hundreds of organisations are said to have joined this cybernet as it not only tries to facilitate secure communication between them and with others but also guides them as to how to prevent or respond to cyber attacks.

The Israeli leader reached out to other countries to join this initiative by saying that "in general, again with some reservations, we are better together".

The second reason, he said, as to why cyber security is a serious business, is because it is a fast growing market and an "endless business".

"It's growing geometrically because there is never a permanent solution. It's an endless business. The battle for market share in the fast growing market is open to anyone although there are certain requirements, certain barriers to entry. This produces an endless crop of companies," Netanyahu said.

"We, in Israel, have 600-700 start ups and they are constantly added and weeded out. This is a fast geometrically rising market," he added.

The Israeli Premier also talked at length about how Israel's reputation as a centre of advanced technology and hub of cyber security has led to countries that once boycotted it, now embrace it.

"There used to be a thing called the Arab boycott. Remember that. Well that has dissipated for many many reasons - strategic and others but the prominence of Israel in the technological field and in the cyber field has made Israeli companies very very attractive", he said.

If we look at the figures of 2016, we have about 20 per cent share of total cyber security investment around the world, Netanyahu said.

Beginning tomorrow, Modi's Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian Premier. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN- related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

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India will be opening a cultural centre in Israel, the announcement regarding which is to be made during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an Israeli official here said today.

The deputy director general of Israel's foreign ministry, Mark Sofer, during a press briefing here said that among many things identified to strengthen ties between the two countries, India would also be opening a cultural centre.

Such an announcement would "fulfill a long time dream of the Indian community here", Noah Massil, the founder President of Central Organisation of Indian Jews in Israel, told PTI.

"We have been trying hard to establish an Indian cultural centre in Israel like the one in Cairo (Egypt)," he said.

"We had even reached out the Mayor of Ramle, which has a significant Indian community with such a request but it has not moved much ahead. We have been also thinking of putting such a request with Prime Minister Modi," Massil said.

"There are about 47 synagogues of the Indian Jewish community and they all can also pitch in with financial support if such a proposal comes up and the government allocates land for an Indian cultural centre," he told PTI.

Some of the youngsters of Ramle township have even registered an organisation for the purpose of establishing an Indian cultural centre in Israel.

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Promoters of no-frills airline IndiGo will discuss with investors this week its interest in buying Air India as well as the plans for long haul operations.

Days after expressing its interest to buy out the debt- laden national carrier, IndiGo today said it would hold a conference call with investors and analysts to discuss the proposal on July 6.

Run by InterGlobe Aviation, the airline operates more than 900 flights daily to destinations in India and overseas.

The conference call is to discuss "IndiGo's expression of interest in the privatisation of Air India as well as to discuss IndiGo's plans and strategy regarding long haul international operations," InterGlobe Aviation said in a filing to the stock exchanges.

The airline also said the call would be limited to the discussion on these topics and that questions on the current quarter outlook or its financial performance would not be addressed.

IndiGo founders -- Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal -- would discuss the plans and strategy during the hour-long call, the filing added.

Soon after the Cabinet gave its in-principle approval for Air India disinvestment on June 28, IndiGo evinced its interest to acquire the operations of the national carrier.

In a letter to the Civil Aviation Ministry last week, IndiGo's President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh said it was keen on snapping up the international operations of Air India as well as its profitable low-cost arm Air India Express.

As an alternative, the budget carrier is "equally interested" in buying out all the operations of Air India and Air India Express, as per the letter.

Even though Air India is in the red, it has lucrative tangible and intangible assets varying from aircraft to prime slots at major international airports. Besides, the airline has rights to fly to a large number of overseas destinations, including main American and European cities.

IndiGo, which started operations in August 2006, has the largest number of aircraft on order, with more than 450 to be delivered in coming years.

Shares of InterGlobe Aviation jumped over 2 per cent to close at Rs 1,191.70 on BSE.

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Asserting that both India and Israel suffer from the "evil" forces of terrorism, the Jewish nation has said it completely supports New Delhi in its fight against terror emanating from Pakistan and within the country.

"Israel has never hidden the fact that it supports India hook, line and sinker on the subject of terrorism," the deputy director general of Israel's foreign ministry, Mark Sofer, told reporters here.

"We are not asking for a quid pro quo. You have suffered from terrorism from inside India, and not just emanating from Pakistan, which has been seen in recent history," he said.

Condemning terrorism in all forms, the Israeli official said outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Hamas were no different from each other and added that both India and Israel have the right to defend themselves.

"We feel that India has a right to defend itself against terrorists in the same way as Israel has a right to defend itself from terrorists. We are both suffering from the same scourge. I really don't see any difference between the Lashkar-e-Taiba and the Hamas. I never did and i don't today. A terrorist is a terrorist is a terrorist," said Sofer, who has served as ambassador to India.

"Killing people for some sort of spurious or inexplicable ideological aim is terrorism, however you look at it. And that is what is happening from outside into India and coming from outside into Israel as well. We both clearly share the same struggle against the forces of evil," he said.

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Lakhs of devotees from across the country and abroad witnessed Lord Jagannath's 'Bahuda Yatra' - the return car festival which was held amid tight security.

A multi-layer security net was thrown in the town with heavy deployment of forces to ensure smooth celebrations and prevent any untoward incident, a senior police official said.

According to mythology, the three deities - Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Lord Balabhadra and their sister Devi Subhadra wrap up their annual nine-day sojourn to Sri Gundicha Temple, their birth place and return to Sreemandir or Sri Jagannath temple riding their three majestic wooden chariots.

Several special rituals were performed before the deities were taken out of the Gundicha temple and placed on the three colourfully decorated chariots for the return journey amid chants of 'Jai Jagannath' and 'Hari Bol'.

The divine siblings were taken to their chariots in an elaborate ritual called 'Pahandi' to the beating of gongs, cymbals and blowing of conch shells.

Lord Jagannath was ensconced in the largest of the three chariots - the 45 feet-high 'Nandighosh', Balabhadra in his 44 feet-high 'Taladhwaja' and Subhadra in her 43 feet-high 'Darpadalan'.

Gajapati King of Puri Divya Singha Deb performed the 'Chhera Pahanra' ritual. He offered prayers to the deities and then swept the platforms of the chariots with a golden broom and sprinkled flowers and fragrant water.

The giant chariots were then pulled by devotees amid gaiety and devotion on 'Bada Danda', the grand avenue leading to the Sri Jagannath temple up to the Lion's gate in front of it where they would be stationed till July 6.

The deities, who had embarked on a nine-day sojourn to the Gundicha Temple during Rath Yatra on June 25, would finally re-enter the 12th century shrine and again be placed on the 'Ratna Simhasana', the bejewelled throne, following a ceremony called 'Neeladribije'.

Ahead of 'Neeladribije', the deities would be decorated with 'suna besha' or golden attire tomorrow on their chariots, which traditionally attracts a large number of devotees from all over.

More than 3,000 of police personnel have been deployed in the pilgrim town apart from central para-military forces, while over 180 CCTVs have been installed on the grand avenue to keep a close vigil.

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Nagaland Chief Minister Shurhozelie Liezietsu today expressed hope that an acceptable settlement to the protracted Naga political problem will be arrived at soon leading the state to progress and development.

Due to the prolonged Naga political problem, many developmental activities have been stalled in the state, the chief minister said.

Liezietsu was interacting with a visiting team of 20 IPS probationers and two faculty members from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad.

He said the Naga political issue is a national problem and the Prime Minister is doing his best to arrive at a solution.

"We are talking to the outfits in a truthful way in order to move towards a solution," the chief minister said.

Replying to queries, Liezietsu said the main purpose of education is to make a person a good individual.

On tourism, the chief minister said the state government is trying to improve tourism infrastructure as Nagaland has enormous potential in the tourism sector.

During the interaction, the chief minister told the probationers that though the country advocates non-violence, yet it cannot remain unprepared.

The delegation consisted of police trainee officers from Bhutan and Maldives.

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Meira Kumar, the opposition's nominee for the presidential election, today deplored the "atmosphere of fear" prevailing in the country, and insisted she was fighting for "freedom of expression and freedom of press".

Terming the incidents of lynching of people over suspected cow slaughter or consumption of beef "extremely unfortunate", she pitched for a consensus to end that atmosphere of fear.

"There is so much of fear about what one should eat. There is fear about what one should say. I am also fighting for freedom of expression, freedom of press...," Kumar, who was here to canvass support for her presidential bid, told journalists.

The former Lok Sabha speaker said she is "not alone" in the fight and that she had the support of a number of parties and also a large number of countrymen.

"It is extremely unfortunate. It pains me and pains all of us, these instances of lynching. We have to come to an understanding and reach a consensus. Because, this atmosphere cannot go on," she said.

"Not just the parties, what we stand for, has the support of maximum number of my countrymen and women... I think I stand on a very solid ground," Kumar, whose defeat the presidential poll watchers have concluded is a foregone conclusion given the support the BJP-led NDA has in the electoral college, said.

Kumar said she has written to all the electors asking them to vote for her as per their "conscience".

Kumar, who has been pitted against Ramnath Kovind, the NDA nominee and a fellow Dalit, said she is fighting an "ideological battle" and that it should not been misconstrued as a Dalit versus Dalit contest.

She made a pitch for due respect to be shown to Dalits and the poor.

The country has achieved tremendous progress in various sectors, but the "fundamental issue" still remains...The concern showed for disadvantaged sections, she said.

"No matter how much progress we make, but the fundamental issue is how much we respect the Dalits, the fundamental issue is how much we do for the rights of the poor...," she said.

"This is 2017, in which we live. For our supreme position, if we are still talking about Dalit versus Dalit, then we should look within ourselves and decide what kind of a mindset we have," she said and wondered if that mindset was in sync with modern times.

"This Presidential election is going to be a powerful articulation of the value system which has been held close... which is now under threat," she said.

Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said they have left a message at Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's office saying that Kumar would like to speak to him.

The ruling TRS has already declared its support to the NDA's nominee.

As part of her campaign, Kumar met MLAs and MPs of Congress and the Left in Telangana, besides some intellectuals.

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Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today rejected the charge by Tamil Nadu political parties that the state had submitted "false details" to the Centre on the proposed Mekedatu dam project across the Cauvery river.

"When will Tamil Nadu accept the truth? The balancing reservoir that we intend to construct near Mekedatu will not affect Tamil Nadu. It also does not violate the tribunal order," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hassan.

He said the intention behind the balancing reservoir is to facilitate release of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal order.

Siddaramaiah was reacting to a question about Tamil Nadu parties alleging that Karnataka had sought the approval for the project by submitting "false details".

The PMK and MDMK had yesterday strongly opposed Karnataka's efforts towards constructing a reservoir at Mekedatu and urged the Centre not to sanction the project.

Karnataka has submitted the detailed project report of the Rs 5,912 crore worth Mekedatu project to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for clearance, last week.

Siddaramaiah said the state government was ready to start the project work at Mekedatu as soon as the approval from the CWC is obtained.

Asked whether the CWC will approve it amid Tamil Nadu's opposition, he said "they will approve, why they will not? Objection is by Tamil Nadu, but the CWC is government of India."



Defending the recent release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said Karnataka government will not spare water against the state's interest.

He said "....We are releasing water in some quantity as there is a tribunal award, we are not just releasing all the water that is flowing in, we are releasing some quantity of what is flowing in."



"If we don't release, they (Tamil Nadu) will go to the Supreme Court...We will not release water to anyone by creating problem for ourselves. Last time despite the Court order, we said we don't have water," he added.

Traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway was affected yesterday for a brief period as farmers blocked it to protest the release of Cauvery water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam to Tamil Nadu.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra on March 21 had said all interim orders of releasing 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water by Karnataka would continue to be in force till further orders.

Following this, Karnataka had expressed its inability in supplying Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in line with the apex court's directive, saying the state itself is facing a shortage of drinking water.

The Supreme Court on July 11 will commence the final hearing of the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal on sharing of water for 15 consecutive workings days.

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Microsoft India today signed an agreement with National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) to offer Microsoft Aspire School Program (MASP) Pro Plus to over 55,000 member schools.

MASP aims to equip schools with technology and innovative learning solutions, modernise campuses, and prepare future- ready students, among others.

With this partnership, schools across 23 states can now avail MASP Pro Plus.

NISA brings together budget private schools (BPS) from across the country to give them a unified voice to address their concerns about legislations.

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VA Tech Wabag ties-up with IIT Kanpur to develop villages * Pure play water technology MNC VA Tech Wabag has tied up with IIT Kanpur to develop few sustainable villages on the river banks of Ganga.

Thousands of villagers are expected to be benefited under exchange of this MOU, the company said in a statement today.

"We aim to abate direct discharge of untreated liquid wastewater from villages to Ganga and promote better sanitation practises in the villages," Wabag Director and Chief Growth Officer S Varadarajan said.

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Emami incorporates wholly-owned unit in Sri Lanka * FMCG firm Emami has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary Emami Indo Lanka Pvt Ltd in Sri Lanka.

"Emami Ltd has incorporated a wholly-owned subsidiary Emami Indo Lanka Pvt Ltd in Sri Lanka for the business purpose," the company said in a BSE filing today.

Shares of Emami Ltd closed 0.25 per cent higher at Rs 1,075.45 apiece on BSE.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described India's ties with Israel as "special" and said his visit - the first-ever by an Indian premier to the country - will "lead to further cementing" of bilateral ties and cooperation in key areas including counter-terrorism.

"My visit comes at a special moment- we mark 25 years of the establishment of relations between India and Israel this year," Modi said on the eve of his three-day visit to Israel.

In an interview to the pro-government daily 'Israel Hayom', Modi said his visit was "based on the deep centuries- old connection between our two peoples."



"I share the opinion of many of my people, who see Israel as a beacon of technology, as a country that has managed to survive even though the odds were against it."



Modi's visit is expected to focus on forging new defence and cyber security ties, two areas in which Israel has sought to portrays itself as a world leader, the daily said.

Separately, in an email sent to Israelis who subscribe to his newsletter, Modi said India's ties with Israel are "special."



Modi said his visit will "lead to further cementing" the ties between the two countries, according to Jerusalem Post.

India is the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers. Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than USD 1 billion in defence deals each year.

Modi said his government is determined to improve ties between India and Israel and raise them to new levels.

Noting that the frequency of high-level exchanges has gone up over the last three years, Modi said that no Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before President Pranab Mukherjee visited in 2015.

"My visit has its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel. I am confident that my visit will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation," Modi told 'Israel Hayom'.

"Our goal is to conduct dialogue with Israel in a manner that improves the lives of the citizens of both countries," said Prime Minister Modi, who last visited Israel a decade ago when he was chief minister of Gujarat with a delegation to learn about Israeli agriculture.

"I am happy to return after more than a decade, and I look forward to seeing the developments and advances Israel has made in this time," Modi said.

He lauded Israel for transforming itself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country and hailed its other amazing accomplishments.

Asked whether Israel and India facing the same threat of terrorism, Modi said that terrorism is a global menace and two countries are not immune to it either.

"We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish. Cross-border terrorism is a major challenge for us. Divisive forces across our border are trying to disrupt the unity of our nation.

"These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion. India and Israel could cooperate even more closely and complement each other's efforts to fight with the menace of terrorism," he told the Israeli daily.

When asked whether he is ardent supporter of the capitalist system and wants to liberalise the economy, Modi said he does not believe in any '-isms.'



"I, and my government work with the motto of 'Together with all, development for all," he added.

Modi said Israel could be a technology partner in the process of India's transformation.

"Israel's capabilities offer a good match for our flagship schemes like Clean Ganga and Smart Cities. Israeli technologies could also be used to improve the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our country if Israeli innovators remodel their products according to the needs of our rural population," he added.

"We are not looking at a traditional import-export relationship with Israel. It is more than a buyer-seller relationship. We are more interested in a tech-based partnership with an emphasis on 'Make in India'," he added.

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Inspired by the success of Super 30 of mathematician Anand Kumar, a team from Moscow State University today paid a visit to the academy and promised to take some of its students for higher education on full scholarship.

The team of teachers and students from Russia visited the Super 30 academy at Kumar's home and interacted with him and students drawn from economically poor background.

Olga Arapova, a professor of Moscow State University who headed the team, told reporters that the purpose of the visit is to take meritorious students of Super 30 to Moscow on the lines of the arrangement with the University of Tokyo.

"We had heard a lot about Super 30 and the way it has successfully groomed students from underprivileged sections of the society over the past 15 years. We wanted to see it to get a feel of it. We will also like some of its students to pursue higher education in the University of Moscow," she said.

Arapova said she will invite Anand to Russia so that he could interact with the students and faculty members of Moscow State University.

"What Anand Kumar is doing is really very inspiring. He is helping students who don't have the facilities and resources to excel at the highest level. People like him are behind India's rich educational legacy," she added.

Anand Kumar thanked the Moscow University team and said such interaction would further boost the confidence of Bihar to do better.

Super 30 is a pioneering initiative that has ushered in a silent social revolution through mainstreaming of children belonging to underprivileged sections of the society by empowering them with quality education to enable to crack the entrance tests to the country's premiere IITs.

So far, more than 400 Super 30 students mentored by Anand Kumar and looked after by his family have made it to IITs.

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China's UN ambassador today warned of "disastrous" consequences if world powers fail to find a way to ease tensions with North Korea which he said could "get out of control".

Ambassador Liu Jieyi made the remarks a day after US President Donald Trump spoke by phone with Chinese leader Xi Jinping on the threat posed by North Korea's missile and nuclear tests.

"Currently tensions are high and we certainly would like to see a de-escalation," Liu told a conference at UN headquarters as China takes over the Security Council presidency in July.

"If tension only goes up... Then sooner or later it will get out of control and the consequences would be disastrous," he said.

China is pushing for talks on dismantling North Korea's nuclear program after its ally carried out two nuclear tests last year and a series of ballistic missile tests.

A proposal from Beijing for a freeze of Pyongyang's military programs in exchange for a suspension of US-South Korea military exercises has however failed to gain traction.

The United States maintains that it will open up talks with North Korea if it first halts its nuclear and missile tests.

Describing the crisis with North Korea as "very, very serious", Liu said "other parties" should be "more forthcoming in accepting and supporting these proposals."



"We cannot afford to wait for too long without dialogue taking place," he added.

The Trump administration has for months urged China to rein in Pyongyang but recently the US president declared that Beijing efforts had failed.

During a phone call yesterday, Trump "raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs", the White House said, without providing details.

In a sign of a possible rift with China over North Korea, the US Treasury Department last week slapped sanctions on a China's Bank of Dandong over its dealings with North Korea.

Washington also put two Chinese nationals who established front companies to facilitate transactions with North Korea and one Chinese company, Dalian Global Unity Shipping, which helped smuggle banned luxury goods, on its sanctions blacklist.

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Nepal Vice President Nanda Bahadur Pun will lead a business delegation to China and address a meeting on cooperation and development along the ambitious Silk Road project.

The 23rd China-Lanzhou Investment and Trade Fair will be held in Lanzhou, the capital of the northwestern Gansu Province on July 6.

During the visit, the Vice President will address the high-profile forum for Cooperation and Development along the Silk Road and also deliver a keynote speech to the business community on the theme 'Nepal- China Economic and Trade Cooperation Exchange Conference' on July 7, according to a statement issued by Nepal's Foreign Ministry.

Pun will also meet senior Chinese leaders in Gansu Province. The vice president will also visit two historical cities of Shaanxi Province of China - Xi'an and Yan'an.

He will be accompanied by senior officials of the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and Commerce during the visit.

Nepal recently signed the Belt and Road projects initiated by China.

The Belt and Road projects aims to enhance connectivity and cooperation among countries, primarily between China and the rest of Asia and Europe through land as well as maritime routes.

Nepal signing the deal with China raised some concerns in India, which has opposed Beijing's initiative. India has reservations over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, part of the One Belt One Road, as it is proposed to pass through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

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Bihar Cgief Minister Nitish Kumar answered the call for help by the hapless father of an acid attack victim by sending Patna Commissioner to the distraught family today to provide assistance.

"The moment I came to know from media reports about the plight of the family, I ordered Patna Commissioner to visit them and provide all assistance," Kumar told reporters.

Shailesh Paswan, father of the acid attack victim had through a letter sought Kumar's help for performing the 'shradh' of his daughter on July 4 as he has no money for it.

Four youths had allegedly thrown acid at the girl and her sister in October 2012 while they were sleeping on the roof of their house at Maner in Patna rural district. The victim succumbed to her serious burn injuries on June 22 after battling for her life for about five years.

"I managed to complete her last rites with the help of money contributed by villagers. Now I have no option but to beg for performing the shradh of my daughter," he had said in the letter to Kumar.

The chief minister said "Besides helping the family I have also instructed the commissioner to ensure proper action in the acid attack case in which the younger sister of the deceased also received burn injuries".

Acting promptly on the chief minister's order, Patna Commissioner Anand Kishore visited the girl's family at Chitnawa village in Maner block of rural Patna.

Kishore told PTI that a sum of Rs 13.5 lakh has been made available to the family.

He said on prior instruction by the chief minister Rs 12.42 lakh was deposited in a bank in the name of the victim and another sum of Rs 1.08 lakh for her younger sister injured in the incident. But due to technical problems the family did not get the money.

"Since the name of the nominee was not written in the victim's account in the bank, the family did not get it after her death. In the case of her younger sister the problem was due to wrong spelling of her name in the bank account," he said.

"Today I had taken the bank manager with me to the family who solved all technical problems and assured them that they can withdraw Rs 13.5 lakh by evening," Kishore said.

In addition to this, Rs 3000 was given to the victim's father as part of state government's policy for performing the last rites in such cases.

"I also ordered to register 3 decimal land on which the family is living at present in their name," he added.

The Patna commissioner said that the police have been directed to move for cancellation of bail of the four accused in the acid attack case and to pray to the concerned court for speedy trial.

When contacted, Shailesh Paswan, the distraught father of the acid attack victim, told PTI over phone "I have no words to thank Nitish Kumarji. My daughter must be thanking him in heaven for the humanitarian concern shown to us.

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Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar today said he did not attend the special midnight session of Parliament to launch the Goods and Services Tax (GST) as chief ministers were not invited to it, but his party MPs were present on the occasion.

A section of media had reported that the Bihar chief minister skipped the meeting held to mark the rollout of the GST, the biggest tax reform in independent India.

"Was there any invitation for me? Or, for that matter, was any chief minister present at the function," Kumar asked reporters on the sidelines of a public meeting here.

He said the invitations were for Members of Parliament and accordingly 10 JD-U MPs, along with Bihar Commercial Tax minister Bijendra Prasad Yadav, had attended the event.

The JD-U's decision to participate in the special session of Parliament on June 30 midnight was seen in some quarters as a division between the party and its allies on the .

The JD-U had earlier decided to break ranks with the Congress, the Rashtriya Janata Dal and other opposition parties on supporting NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

"Even when my party was in the NDA and the BJP was opposed to the GST, we were in support of the grand tax legislation. When the then state finance minister, Sushil Kumar Modi, was in a dilemma whether to accept the proposal to head an empowered committee of state finance ministers on GST, I had asked him to do so," Kumar recalled.

Reaffirming his support for the GST, Kumar said there would be problems initially in switching over to a new tax regime, but in the long run, it would help everybody.

When pointed out that liquor, real estate and petroleum had been kept out of the ambit, Kumar, who has been keen on implementing total prohibition in the state since April last year, said such issues would be taken up subsequently by the authorities.

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The finance ministry today said there is no distinction in the GST law based on religion and asked people not to circulate wrong messages on social media.

"There are some messages going around in the social media stating that the temple trusts have to pay the GST while the churches and mosques are exempt. This is completely untrue because no distinction is made in the GST law on any provision based on religion," the finance ministry said in a statement.

It also appealed to people not to start circulating wrong messages on social media as there are no religion-based distinction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

The government has rolled out the GST from July 1 with a view to introduce uniform indirect taxation system throughout the country.

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No entity can be allowed to avoid paying anti-dumping duty, as dumping of cheap steel from China was adversely affecting the Indian steel sector, the Supreme Court said today.

The apex court noted that due to the policies pursued by China, the global steel industry, including that in India, has been affected.

"Due to China's policies, the entire steel industry in the world has changed and has adversely affected India. We cannot allow anyone to evade the anti-dumping duty," the bench comprising Justices A K Sikri and Ashok Bhushan said.

It noted that companies were importing cheaper steel from China which has impacted the domestic steel industry across the world.

The apex court made the remarks while reserving its verdict on a plea challenging the order of the Customs, Excise and Service Tax Appellate Tribunal (CESTAT) which has ruled that no anti-dumping duty was liable to be paid by the firms which import Stainless Steel Cold Rolled coils having width of 1256 MM to 1259 MM.

On physical verification, the width of coil imported by a private firm was found to be between 1256mm to 1259mm.

It was contended by the firm which had imported the coils from Taiwan that there was a notification which specified that any steel product having a width more than 1250 MM was not liable for anti-dumping duty.

Countering this contention, the Commissioner of Customs (Export) Nhavasheva, which had challenged the order of CESTAT, said there was a notification which said that products from Taiwan and China having width above 1250mm will be liable for anti-dumping duty.

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The police today said they have found no evidence to suggest that yesterday's acid attack on a gangrape survivor living at a working women's hostel in Aliganj was caried out by someone from outside.

In a press statement, the Lucknow SSP office said King George's Medical University doctors today conducted a forensic examination of the burn injuries the 45-year-old woman had received on her face and neck.

It also said an FIR was filed by the victim's husband and the field unit of the police visited the crime scene.

The police team found no evidence to suggest presence of acid at and around the spot the woman was found lying in the hostel, the release said.

There is also no footprint on the walls of the hostel and the eye witnesses too said they had not seen anyone coming in going out of the building, it said.

Therefore, it is clear no one from outside had come into the hostel and thrown acid on her, it concluded.

The woman, who hails from Raibarely, has yesterday alleged she was attacked with acid at her hostel the previous night- the fourth alleged acid attack on her in eight years.

She had alleged the attackers had fled by climbing the wall as she raised an alarm.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had yesterday expressed doubts over the incident, saying it may have been staged to defame his government.

"Ye ghatna sachmuch ghatna hai ya fir ghatna ke naam par kuchh log kewal badnaam karne ki sajish rach rahe hain (Has this attack really happened or are some people hatching a conspiracy to defame the state government)," he had said.

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Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar, who is supporting NDA on the presidential poll and GST, today said the opposition should have "alternative narratives" instead of relying only on "reactive narratives".

"It's duty of the opposition to oppose the government... We should have alternative narratives (agendas) for the benefit of the country, more than relying only on reactive narratives," Kumar told reporters here.

He was speaking on the sidelines of Lok Samvad (public interaction programme).

He said more than having a face, "the opposition should have alternative narratives to go to the people against the ruling party on key issues like the problem of farmers".

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Pakistan today dismissed the US designating Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a "global terrorist", saying it was not a UN decision but a move by the Trump administration to "appease" India.

Alleging that India was offering its services to the US to "pressurise" China, Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time.

Talking to a delegation from the Kashmir Journalists Forum, he said Salahuddin being designated a terrorist by the US was an attempt by the American administration to "appease" India.

Pakistan was not bound to follow the decision as it was not a United Nations (UN) declaration, Dawn newspaper quoted Aziz as saying.

The US declared Salahuddin a "global terrorist" just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with President Donald Trump on June 26 in Washington.

In a notification, the State Department said Salahuddin, who hails from Kashmir and is based in Pakistan for the last 28 years, "has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism."



Aziz said that India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time, but the agitation at the local level had completely changed the Indian narrative.

Aziz reiterated that the struggle was being led by Kashmiris and Pakistan was only providing political, diplomatic and moral support to them.

Aziz also highlighted ceasefire violations by India, claiming that India had violated the ceasefire more than 400 times in the past years, which was a violation of a 2003 agreement between the two nations.

He said that Pakistan was willing for a dialogue on all issues with neighbouring countries as a part of its vision for a peaceful neighbourhood, but a dialogue with India without Kashmir on the agenda was out of the question.

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Paresh Rawal has been part of the film industry for close to 32 years and the actor says he still has the hunger to do good work, especially with the new breed of directors and writers.

"There is always a hunger to do good work especially with the new talent. Today new bunch of writers and directors, who have come, are so sharp and have great ideas, have new kind of story telling. Today, we are in golden period of Hindi cinema," Rawal told PTI.

The actor says not all the directors have been able to tap his potential as an actor on screen.

"I think some of them have captured it right (referring to his potential as an actor) but it depends upon the script. No actor can rise above the script. If you give me a lousy material, I will do my best. But to really shine, you need good material."



He says he has done a few films for the sake of his equation with a director but only when the script was good.

"If you think a director has a good story and your support can enhance the film, then why not do it? There is a joy in being associated with a good film."



The 67-year-old actor is busy promoting his upcoming film "Guest Iin London", also featuring Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Kharbanda and Tanvi Azmi.

Rawal says working with young actors in the film helped him perform better.

"After working for so many years you take things for granted and you think you know everything. Also your approach towards work becomes predictable and stereotypical. With this guy around (Kartik Aaryan) there is zeal, passion, the way they react to things is different and so eventually you also react differently and your performance looks fresh."



Rawal says the actors of today believe in doing one film at a time and giving their best in that particular project.

"They (young actors) are more career-oriented, focused and are aware of the market situation. These young actors (Kartik and Kriti) are superb."



The film is set to release on July 7.

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Three police officials, including two superintendent-rank officers, in Bihar were today issued show cause notices for allegedly fiddling with their mobile phones during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's address at an event last week.

Some policemen were caught on camera by TV channels playing games on their phones during the June 28 event organised by the Economic Offences Unit of the state police on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

"Show cause has been issued to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj, Patna City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushawaha and Pankaj Raj, who is waiting for posting," Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal told PTI.

"The three police officers have been given reasonable time of 2-4 days to reply to the show cause and, based on their reply, necessary action would be initiated," he said.

The ADG said senior police officials are expected to show high order of conduct which some of them did not do during this event.

In his speech at the function, the chief minister had emphasised on expanding the scope of Money Laundering Act by giving state governments the power to seize property of up to Rs five crore amassed through illegal means.

Kumar had counted virtues of total prohibition in Bihar imposed since April last year and stressed on the need to further intensify its enforcement.

Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, state police chief P K Thakur and Principal Secretary Home Amir Subhani were present at the function.

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The Lahore High Court today held hearing on a petition seeking a court order for stopping the Pakistan government from "pardoning or reducing the sentence" of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Petitioner Mahmood Ahmed Naqvi also pleaded the court to order hanging 46-year-old Jadhav without any further delay, saying that the convict had confessed his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan.

"Kulbhushan Jadhav is a RAW agent and his confession that he had committed terrorism in Pakistan leaves no room for any concession to him," he said and requested the court to issue an order stopping the Nawaz government from giving any concession like pardoning or reducing his sentence.

Justice Shahid Karim sent the petition to the chief justice for constitution of another bench to hear it as he (judge) was going on leave.

On June 22, Jadhav had filed a mercy petition before Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In a statement, the Inter Services Public Relations, media wing of Pakistan military, has claimed that Jadhav has admitted to his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions.

"Jadhav is seeking forgiveness for his actions and he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," it said.

Jadhav had earlier filed an appeal to the Military Appellate Court, which was rejected. His mercy petition to military appellate court was also rejected.

He had been sentenced to death by a military court in April for espionage and terrorism. International Court of Justice in May halted the execution on India's appeal.

In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the International Court of Justice restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.

Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

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One of Bangladesh's most prominent government critics went missing today after calling his wife to tell her he feared he would be killed, police said.

The wife of Farhad Mazhar, a well-known poet, writer and dissident, told police he telephoned early today to tell her he was being taken away by a man and feared he would be killed.

Shortly afterwards, she received a ransom demand for her husband.

"His wife sent a man to the (police) station who told us Mazhar called few hours later after he left and said that he was being taken away and would get killed," said duty officer Aleya Akhter.

"After a while someone called his wife from the same phone and asked a ransom of 3.5 million taka ($43,317)."



Police said they were investigating but had not yet registered a case as the family had not formally reported him missing.

CCTV footage of Mazhar's neighbourhood in the capital Dhaka showed him walking away with a man early in the morning.

The 69-year-old is a supporter of the country's main opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP).

BNP officials have said tens of thousands of their activists and supporters have been arrested by the government since 2014, when the party boycotted a controversial general election over fears it would be rigged.

There have also been allegations of so-called enforced disappearances -- where authorities detain people unofficially and hold them in secret jails.

Kidnapping for ransom is relatively rare in Bangladesh, and rights activists urged the government to properly investigate Mazhar's disappearance to prove it was not involved.

"Such incidents happen repeatedly and the government's silence is deplorable," said Nur Khan Liton, a prominent rights activist.

Rights group Ain O Salish Kendra says 39 people have gone missing in Bangladesh so far this year including top political and business figures.

Mazhar had on Sunday taken part in a press conference to protest a spate of lynchings of Muslims in India, a key ally of the current regime in Bangladesh.

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Saudi Arabia and its allies on Monday said they had decided to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade.

With the deadline expiring at midnight on Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.

The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

On June 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

Riyadh's demands include ending Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar's response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait.

Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands.

"The list of demands is made to be rejected," Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said on Saturday in Rome.

"The state of Qatar... Is rejecting it as a principle," he said, adding: "We are willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue.
Qatar today responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of today they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day yesterday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected".

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who today starts a tour of several Gulf states, called for "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAE's ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as expelling Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis. Kuwait, which unlike most of its GCC neighbours has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Trump spoke separately yesterday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabi's crown prince and the Qatari emir on his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.

Trump "underscored that unity in the region is critical," the statement said, but also "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology."



Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

The 13 demands have not been officially published, but a Kuwaiti diplomatic source confirmed today that the list as it has appeared in the media was genuine.

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Torrential rains battered the northeastern region today, triggering a flood-like situation in in Arunachal Pradesh and worsening the deluge in Assam, even as the Gujarat government said it has recorded 31 rain- related deaths in the state since the onset of monsoon.

The weatherman has predicted "extremely heavy rains" in Assam, where more than 3.5 lakh people have been hit by floods, and Meghalaya.

"Heavy to very heavy rains" are very likely in Arunachal Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh.

More heavy rains have been predicted for Nagaland and Manipur, where a downpour had yesterday triggered flash floods and landslides, and hit normal life.

As many as 31 people are feared to have died in rain- related incidents in various parts of Gujarat since monsoon hit the state on June 1, a state government official said.

Meanwhile, a downpour triggered water-logging in several areas of Ahmedabad, which resulted in traffic jams. The city received 22 mm of rainfall between 7 am and 4 pm. Kalol city in Gandhinagar district and Bhavnagar city received 53 mm and 46 mm of rainfall, respectively.

According to the State Emergency Response Centre, heavy rains have caused the water level in several dams to rise to nearly 90 per cent of their capacity, following which a "high alert" has been sounded for Fatehgadh dam in Kutch, the Demi-3 dam in Morbi, the Khodapipar dam in Rajkot and the Dholidhaja dam in Surendranagar.

The water level in the 163 metre-high Sardar Sarovar dam in Narmada district has surged to 115.02 metres, it said.

The flood situation in the Imphal Valley in Manipur remained grim with heavy showers triggering water-logging in Imphal East and Thoubal districts.

State works minister Th Bhiswajit told reporters that the government is working to repair the damaged banks of Imphal and Kongba rivers, which have rendered hundreds without shelter in the two districts.

Hundreds of residents of the Yaralpat, Lamlai and Khundrakpam areas in Imphal East district have been evacuated and shifted to relief camps, officials said.

Overflowing waters of the Nambul river have inundated many roads in Tera, Uripok and Sagolband, throwing normal vehicular traffic out of gear.

Personnel of the Assam Rifles have rushed to carry out flood relief and rescue operations in Mayang Imphal in Thoubal district after the state administration requisitioned them to assist in tackling the flood situation.

Meanwhile, copious rains lashed several parts of Arunachal Pradesh, including Itanagar, leading to landslides and a flood-like situation in many areas across the state.

The administration has alerted people residing in vulnerable areas, such as river banks, streams, landslide- prone zone and advised them to move to safer locations.

Heavy damage to roads, culverts, houses and other infrastructure was reported.

Incessant rainfall led to the erosion of a major portion of NH 415, which connects Naharlagun and Itanagar. The national highway has been closed and all vehicles were diverted to Papu-Nallah and Itanagar via the Jollang road.

Landslides were reported from almost the entire stretch of the Seppa-Sagalee-Kheel Trans Arunachal Highway. Around 100 people were stranded, officials said.

Two persons lost their lives in Assam, which is battling a worsening flood situation. Nearly 3.55 lakh people are bearing the brunt of the deluge across Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Golaghat, Cachar, Dhemaji, Biswanath, Karimganj, Sonitpur, Darrang, Hojai, Majuli, Barpeta and Nagaon districts.

A two-and-half years old girl drowned at her house in Lakhimpur district last night when waters of Subansiri river inundated the area.

According to a report by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), another person died at Chandrapur in Dispur due to landslides.

With these, the total number of persons losing their lives in this year's flood-related incidents has gone up to 16.

The ASDMA said 740 villages are currently under water and almost 15,000 hectares of crop area has been damaged.

The worst affected is Karimganj, where over 2.12 lakh people have been affected by the deluge, followed by Lakhimpur with more than 92,000 sufferers.

Authorities are running 145 relief camps and distribution centres in six districts, where 21,683 persons are currently taking shelter.

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A Delhi court has dismissed a plea filed by the police seeking to transfer to another court a complaint to lodge an FIR in the Ramjas College incident in which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Satish Kumar Arora rejected the transfer application of Delhi Police Crime Branch after the investigating officer failed to appear in the court for the second time.

The matter would come up for further proceedings on July 19 before Metropolitan Magistrate Abhilash Malhotra, who has been hearing it.

The police filed the transfer application saying the power to deal with the cases of Delhi Police Crime Branch was vested with the CMM and the magistrate had no jurisdiction to try the matter.

It is pertinent to mention that after the filing of the complaint by advocate Vivek Garg, the CMM had marked it to the court of magistrate Malhotra.

Complainant Garg opposed the police's plea saying it has been delaying the matter and hesitating to file a proper action taken report as it was not willing to probe the incidents.

During the hearing of the complaint before the magistrate, the police had earlier said the Commissioner of Delhi Police has constituted an enquiry committee which has been probing complaints relating to the incidents of February 21-22 this year and has so far examined 62 witnesses, including student groups and police officials.

Garg has filed the complaint seeking lodging of an FIR into the incidents during which anti-national slogans were allegedly raised at Ramjas College by members of students groups AISA and SFI.

Maintaining that a similar incident had taken place in JNU last year, the plea alleged that "massive anti-national slogans/activities were being carried out by leaders/students of AISA/SFI in Ramjas College, shamelessly and openly which supported India's enemy i.E. Pakistan. The criminal acts of accused were also boosting morale of terrorists against our country."



It has claimed that the organisers of the seminar had misled the college administration to obtain its nod for the event and "conducted activities against the nation and tried to wage a war against the country".

It has sought lodging of an FIR for the alleged offences of sedition, criminal conspiracy, waging war against the State and defamation under the IPC.

On February 21, members of RSS student wing ABVP had gathered outside the college and shouted slogans in protest against a seminar for which JNU students Omar Khalid and Shehla Rashid were invited. The ABVP members allegedly pelted stones, vandalised the venue and disrupted the seminar.

The next day violent clashes erupted between Left and ABVP students leaving several students and three teachers injured.

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Eight persons, including a retired IPS officer, were arrested and later released here today for attempting to take out a rally against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

"Retired IPS officer S R Darapuri and seven others were arrested as they attempted to take out a rally at a public place without permission. They were arrested from the Chowk area," Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi said, adding that the protesters were released subsequently.

"We were assembling at the UP Press Club to participate in a seminar on Dalit atrocities. Participants from other states, including Gujarat, were scheduled to take part in it. We were not on a street protest, but were still stopped from holding the event, which had to be cancelled eventually," Darapuri told PTI after he was released by the police.

He alleged that the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression of the protesters had been infringed upon.

"Apart from the eight persons, including me, arrested from outside the Press Club, 23 protesters were detained from the Nehru Yuva Kendra, near the Roomi Gate in Old Lucknow," he said.

Those arrested were protesting against the recent violence in Saharanpur between Dalits and upper-caste Thakurs.

After retiring from the police service, Darapuri had joined the All India People's Front (Radical), a political outfit.

He had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Robertsganj.

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The prime accused in the murder of Social Democratic Party of India worker Ashraf Kalayi at Benjanapadavu near here, has been arrested, taking the total number of arrests in the case to seven.

Police said the accused Bharat Kumdelu, 30, a resident of Bantwal and who was suspected to be the mastermind behind the murder, was being interrogated.

The murder had sparked communal tension in the area forcing the district administration to impose prohibitory orders under Section 144 in four taluks of Dakshina Kannada district.

Expect one, all the accused arrested in connection with the murder had criminal cases pending against them, police said.

Ashraf Kalayi was murdered on June 21 by a group of assailants soon after he hoisted the party flag at Benjanapadavu on its foundation day.

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Scientists have discovered a unique square monument hidden beneath the world-famous Avebury stone circle in the UK.

The UNESCO World Heritage Site was built over several hundred years in the third millennium BC and contains three stone circles - including the largest stone circle in Europe which is 330 metres across and originally comprised around 100 huge standing stones.

Researchers from the University of Leicester and University of Southampton in the UK used a combination of soil resistance survey and Ground-Penetrating Radar to investigate the stone circle.

"Our research has revealed previously unknown megaliths inside the world-famous Avebury stone circle," said Mark Gillings, from the University of Leicester.

"We have detected and mapped a series of prehistoric standing stones that were subsequently hidden and buried, along with the positions of others likely destroyed during the 17th and 18th centuries," said Gillings.

"Together, these reveal a striking and apparently unique square megalithic monument within the Avebury circles that has the potential to be one of the very earliest structures on this remarkable site," he said.

Avebury has been the subject of considerable archaeological interest since the 17th century.

The discovery of new megaliths inside the monument was therefore a great surprise, pointing to the need for further archaeological investigations of this kind at the site.

The survey took place inside the Southern Inner Circle, contained within the bank and ditch, and colossal Outer Stone Circle of the Avebury henge.

Excavations in 1939 had demonstrated the existence of a curious angular setting of small standing stones set close to a single huge upright known since the 18th century as the Obelisk.

Unfortunately, the outbreak of war left this feature only partially investigated.

The latest survey has finally completed the work. It showed the line of stones identified earlier was one side of a square of megaliths about 30 metre across and enclosing the Obelisk, said Joshua Pollard, from University of Southampton.

"Also visible are short lines of former standing stones radiating from this square and connecting with the Southern Inner Circle," Pollard said.

"Megalithic circles are well known from the time when Avebury was built during the late Neolithic (3rd millennium BC), but square megalithic settings of this kind are highly unusual," he said.

Researchers think that the construction of the square megalithic setting might have commemorated and monumentalised the location of an early Neolithic house - perhaps part of a founding settlement - subsequently used as the centre point of the Southern Inner Circle.

At the time of excavation in 1939 the house was erroneously considered by Keiller to be a medieval cart shed.

If proved correct, it may help understand the beginnings of the remarkable Avebury monument complex, and help explain why it was built where it was.

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A select group of award-winning school students from across the country will visit historic sites and meet conservation experts in Delhi later this week as part of INTACH's efforts to instill leadership qualities in them towards heritage protection.

City-based Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage today said the 15 national winners, picked out from its outreach campaign -- 'My City, My Heritage' -- will tour the capital city from July 5-7.

"They will visit various monuments and heritage sites and organisations working on preservation and heritage conservation and engage with experts associated with the field.

"It will include visit to the Aga Khan Foundation, Sanskriti Prathistan, the INTACH headquarters, and interaction with Dastangoi (medieval storytelling art form) artists," the heritage body said.

The Heritage Education and Communication Service (HECS) of the INTACH had organised the pan-India campaign with support of its 100 regional chapters across 100 cities.

"The campaign aimed at raising student's awareness about their city's heritage and inculcating a sense of pride in them about the cultural legacy.

"Around 12,000 students from class VI-IX participated in essay writing and poster-making competition capturing their city's heritage," Principal Director, HECS at the INTACH, Purnima Datt said.

Following a competitive three-phased evaluation, 100 regional and 15 national winners were selected.

The national award-winning essay entries included 'Symphony of the South' by Shruti Jeyaraman of class 9 from Chennai; 'Grandeurs of the Silver Street - The Fatehpuri Mosque' by Farhan Bakht Ahmed of class 7 (Delhi); 'Tribes of Andaman and Nicobar Islands' by Nandini Malo of class 8 (Port Blair) and 'Humare Sheher Ki Akshhun Virasat - Patna Sahib' by Sudhanshu Shekhar of class 9 (Patna).

Entries were also received in 12 regional languages -- Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Oriya, Marathi, Gujarati, Urdu, Bengali, Nepalese, Hindi and Punjabi -- highlighting the rich and varied heritage of various cities.

The campaign will formally conclude with a felicitation and award ceremony at the INTACH headquarters for the national winners on July 7 where noted poet Ashok Vajpayee is slated to be the chief guest.

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Taking on Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik in his home district, BJP chief Amit Shah will launch a door-to-door campaign in Ganjam tomorrow as he begins a three-day tour of the eastern state to strengthen the party.

Shah will lead the campaign at Hugulapata village in Ganjam, Patnaik's home district, and later hold a meeting with booth workers in the village, a party statement said.

After the meeting, he will leave for Berhampur.

The statement said he will be accorded a "grand reception" by party workers there and will later address a meeting of workers from four districts.

On July 5, Shah will leave for Jajpur where he will offer prayers at the historical Biraja Temple before embarking on a door-to-door campaign in the district's Binjharpur block, it said. He will address booth workers there, too.

He will later hold a meeting with BJP state office- bearers, those in charge of districts, presidents and state executive members, it said, adding that the tour would witness several other organisational events.

Odisha holds extra importance in Shah's scheme of things for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as he believes that the party can increase its tally significantly in the state. Currently, it holds just one of the 21 seats from Odisha.

The saffron party had put up an impressive show in the recent local polls and is now seen as the main challenger to the BJD.

With an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections, Shah has undertaken a nation-wide tour programme spread over 110 days.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
India's objection to China building a road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its "firm determination" to "constrain" China's rise, an article in a state-run daily here said on Monday.

"Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India but also strengthen India's advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China," the article in the Global Times said.

"The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US India's firm determination to constrain China's rise," the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.

"For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modi's visit to the US," it said on the ongoing stand-off in Doklam.

In addition, the Indian government has started an anti- dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing China's rise.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs statement in New Delhi, the Doklam incident took place on June 16 whereas Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that the stand-off in which the Indian troops objected to the People's Liberation Army soldiers' building a road occurred on June 18.

Modi had visited US from June 25-27.

Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump had approved the sale of 22 Guardian MQ-9B drones for India.

Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modi's two-day visit to the US, people link India's bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," it said.

The daily also downplayed Modi's visit, saying it was "not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved."



At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a "relatively harmonious" relationship with Trump.

"Both of them made keynote speeches to praise each other and did all they could to avoid touching on disputes between the two countries," it said.

"The two countries have aligned their interests in defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. The US supports India to counterbalance China, but tries not to offend China as Trump still needs China's help on many issues," it said.

About US designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist", the article said it accords with the "US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement".

"Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," it said.
UAE-based Aries International Maritime Research Institute, in association with Aries International Interiors, has developed an air conditioned bed which runs on solar energy.

The innovative concept is expected to be a big boon for sun-soaked Middle East region and powerless remote villages of countries in Asia and Africa, a company release said here.

Conventional air conditioning system accounts 25-70 per cent of household's annual energy expenses.It is high time to take to solar energy to save environment from the "jaws of global warming," said Sohan Roy, a Naval Architect who conceived the idea, according to the release.

He said the Solar AC bed will consume only 20 per cent energy compared to the normal AC system.

It will allow 80 per cent power savings and is designed to run efficiently in all climate conditions with minimal maintenance cost, the release said adding that Solar AC bed can be run on normal electricity too.

With the launch of this 'eco-friendly' AC range, Aries Interiors aims to capture 10 per cent of the domestic AC market in UAE and India by end of FY 2018, the release added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Hyundai Motor India has extended its 19-year old association with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan for another two years.

The fresh mandate as the brand ambassador starts from April 21, 2017, till April 20, 2019.

"SRK is one of the first Hyundai family members and has played a key role in the success of Santro since our inception in India," Hyundai Motor India Ltd (HMIL) MD and CEO Y K Koo said in a statement.

Hyundai being a household name in automobiles in India connects strongly with Shah Rukh Khan and over the years, both have emerged as the most loved and trusted names, he claimed.

"We are extremely happy and honoured to continue this two-decade long association and are confident that it will further strengthen Hyundai brand image in India," Koo said.

On the association, Khan said: "It has been a really wonderful journey with Hyundai as we complete 19 years of a fruitful association."



It been "very satisfying" in terms of association as brand ambassador with Hyundai as the company has delivered much more than cars through its innovative experiences, adding "brilliant moments" to customers' lives, he added.

"This is not just an endorsement for me, the brand Hyundai is family to me, and we have grown together!" Khan said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Punjab Vigilance Bureau today arrested a Junior Technical Assistant (JTA) here after he was caught allegedly taking a bribe of Rs 25,000.

Kuldeep Singh, JTA, working in the office of General Manager-cum-Mining Officer, here was caught red-handed on the complaint of Mohinder Singh, resident of village Powat, district Ludhiana, a vigilance bureau spokesman said.

The complainant had approached the bureau and alleged that Kuldeep Singh was demanding Rs 25,000 to release his loaded tipper.

After verifying the information, a vigilance team laid a trap and Singh was caught while taking the bribe amount from the complainant in the presence of two official witnesses, he said.

The spokesman said a case under Prevention of Corruption Act has been registered at vigilance bureau police station, Ludhiana and further investigation was underway.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Textile traders today protested against the GST here and allegedly pelted policemen with stones, forcing the law enforcement personnel to baton charge, a senior official said.

The traders came out in thousands on the Ring Road and chanted slogans like "GST hatao, saral tax lao" (remove GST and bring in a simple tax).

The protest was held in support of an indefinite bandh called by the GST Sangharsh Samiti against Goods and Services Tax on textiles.

The police wielded batons to disperse the agitators who allegedly engaged in stone-pelting.

"We had to resort to lathi charge after some protesters pelted the policemen with stones, injuring one personnel," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

The traders, however, maintained that they were protesting peacefully.

They alleged that the police action came unprovoked as the administration was working at the behest of the ruling BJP's Lok Sabha member from Surat, C R Patil, who held a meeting with traders yesterday.

They said some traders sided with Patil after the meeting yesterday, and decided to keep their shops open against the indefinite bandh called by the protesting association.

"Some traders had yesterday met Patil who asked them to open shops and promised to provide them police security against those who insisted on continuing with the indefinite bandh. The police started beating up the protesting traders even when they were carrying out their protest peacefully," trader Gaurav Shrimali alleged.

Reacting to police's action, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Ahmed Patel tweeted, "Shocking that police has used brutal force against Surat traders protesting against GST. Govt must reason with them, not suppress them."



The GST Sangharsh Samiti called for an indefinite bandh yesterday in Surat textile market, which is one of the largest in the country.

The traders are protesting the imposition of five per cent GST on textiles.

Several cloth markets in the state remained closed as most traders have not registered for the new tax system and do not have the GST number. They are hoping that the central government will come out with some solution to the five per cent GST.

Some of the small traders have said the tax is adversely affecting their businesses. They have contended that the time period given to them for GST compliance is short.

They are of the view that the GST should be imposed on ready textile products and not on cloth.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet Thursday for what are expected to be tricky talks on the eve of a Group of 20 summit in Hamburg.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the meeting would come before the summit, "most probably in the early evening of Thursday".

The pair are also scheduled to talk by telephone today, Trump said in a tweet.

Transatlantic differences on climate change, trade, defence spending and refugees hang over the July 7-8 meeting of the world's major industrialised and emerging economies.

Last week Merkel met with key European leaders and vowed to make a stand for climate protection and open markets at the meeting with Trump, who has said he will take the US out of the Paris climate deal and pursue a protectionist "America First" policy.

Merkel said that "the differences are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up. That I won't do."



She also said the US exit from the 2015 Paris climate pact had made Europe "more determined than ever" to make the accord a success.

Today, presenting her party's election platform, she predicted "a whole series of thorny issues" at the G20.

"We know the positions of the US government and I do not expect them to disappear on a two-day trip to Hamburg," the chancellor said.

She warned against high expectations, noting that the summit's final communique has to be "approved unanimously".

She said that while there would be common ground on combating terrorism financing, "in other areas there are many differences".

German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier, a former foreign minister, also said current differences with the US are unlikely to end.

"If everyone in the world is looking for the best deal then in the end we all lose," he said in an interview with Stuttgarter Zeitung.

"I am very worried by these changes (in US foreign policy), and we cannot expect quick changes."



More than 20,000 police will be on duty for the G20 meeting, whose participants include China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More than 30 anti-capitalist protests are expected.

A day before the G20 starts, Trump will head to Warsaw for a meeting of central and eastern European leaders likely to include Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has sparred with western European leaders, especially on the refugee issue.
India's growing ties with powerful grouping ASEAN and ways to further bolster the relationship will be deliberated upon at a two-day annual dialogue beginning tomorrow.

The 9th edition of Delhi Dialogue with the theme "ASEAN- India Relations: Charting the Course for the Next 25 Years" will be attended by political leaders, policy makers, senior officials, diplomats, business leaders and think tanks from India and several ASEAN member countries.

ASEAN is considered one of the world's fastest growing regions and there has been an upswing in ties between the bloc and India in the last few years.

The Ministerial Session to be held tomorrow would be hosted by External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

The session is scheduled to be attend by Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Vietnam Pham Binh Minh, senior leader from Myanmar U Kyaw Tint Swe among others.

Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs, of Singapore Maliki Osman, Thailand's Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Virasakdi Futrakul are also attending the event.

This dialogue is being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in collaboration with a number of think tanks and industry chambers.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Two fishermen are feared to have drowned after their boat sank in the sea off Girgaum beach in south Mumbai today.

"We got information at around 8.30 am that a small fishing boat carrying two persons had sunk," a police officer from DB Marg police station said.

A Coast Guard helicopter was pressed into service for search, but the two men -- whose identity isn't known yet -- couldn't be located, he said.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
An Uttar Pradesh minister today threatened to resign if his demand for transferring the Ghazipur district magistrate was not met immediately.

In what could be embarrassing for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Om Prakash Rajbhar said he had spoken to him but nothing had been done.

"If my demand is not met, I will resign from the government. What is the use of remaining in the government if a minister is not heard," said Rajbhar, national president of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBJP), a BJP ally that won four assembly seats in the 403-member House.

The backward and handicapped welfare minister had earlier announced he would sit on dharna in Ghazipur tomorrow to press for his demand for DM Sanjay Kumar Khatri's transfer.

Khatri, he alleged, was not paying heed to the problems of the people.

"We will be sitting on dharna in Ghazipur tomorrow for removal of the DM," Rajbhar told PTI.

The MLA from Zahoorabad in Ghazipur said he had taken up 19 issues with the DM so far, but none had been resolved.

Asked whether he would meet the chief minister, Rajbhar said, "CM is in Delhi. Let him come...I will try to meet him."



"I have been complaining against the DM... If he is not removed I will sit on dharna... On June 25, I met UP BJP organisation secretary Sunil Bansal and on June 27 called on the chief minister to take up the matter. However, the DM is yet to be removed," Rajbhar said.

People's representatives, he said, are accountable to those who voted them to power.

"People are angry that their work is not getting done even after the cabinet minister's request," he added.

The demonstration will be held at the Surju Pandey Park in Ghazipur.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A senior officer aboard a US Navy supercarrier deployed in the eastern Mediterranean said today his forces were wary of "tensions" with allies of Syria's regime but ready to defend US-backed forces.

The USS George H W Bush has been a leading part of the US bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria, primarily against the Islamic State group but on occasion targeting Syrian government forces and their allies fighting US-backed groups.

The 330-metre ship carries between 70 and 90 aircraft at a time, including a fleet of F-18 fighter jets which are used to strike IS targets in Mosul, Raqa and elsewhere.

The vast majority of the 1,600 sorties in the past five months have targeted IS in Iraq and Syria, James McCall, commanding officer of Carrier Air Wing 8, told journalists, but a small number have targeted allies of the Syrian government.

The Syrian regime is also fighting IS, as well as battling US allies in other parts of the war-ravaged country.

McCall said an aircraft from the ship was the one that had downed a Syrian warplane on June 18, after the US military had issued a series of warnings.

He admitted there had been "a lot of tension" with "pro- regime forces" in parts of Syria.

"We are looking out for coalition forces on the ground and ensuring their safety in that regard," he told journalists aboard the aircraft carrier, which is moored off the Israeli city of Haifa for a few days.

"We have actually flown in support of some of those actions -- to include air-to-surface engagements -- so that is absolutely something we are paying a lot of attention to."



The US carried out its first direct military action against Syria's regime in April, firing 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat military airport in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Last week, the White House said President Bashar al-Assad was potentially preparing a new chemical weapons attack.

Asked if the US military could strike Assad forces if chemical weapons were used again, Captain Will Pennington said he would not speculate on any future responses.

Pennington said between 20 and 25 missions took off a day at peak times.

He said the forces had played a crucial role in pushing back IS in Iraq, with the militants losing control of the vast majority of their former stronghold city of Mosul.

"The battle is coming to a conclusion in Mosul, although I think the last few things will be tough given the narrow streets and densely populated (neighbourhoods)."



The US military reported last month that 484 civilians have been killed during attacks on IS targets since mid-2014, including 105 who died when a US aircraft dropped a bomb on an IS sniper in Mosul on March 17.

The bomb inadvertently set off a large cache of explosives, collapsing a building on top of civilians sheltering below.

McCall said everything possible was being done to prevent such deaths.

"Minimising civilian casualties on the ground is a very important part of what we do.

"We have had aviators that have spotted what they believed to be civilian personnel on the ground or just they are not sure who those are.

"In all those cases they have been able to communicate back on the radios to our folks on the ground and either stop the attack from happening or wait until that confusion could be cleared up."



He did not comment on specific incidents.

The ship's arrival marked the first time since 2000 that an American aircraft carrier has visited Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boarded on Monday along with the US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Netanyahu hailed the ship's role in taking on IS.

"This carrier has served as a base for flights against the Islamic State and a war against ISIS should be seen for what it is -- a clash between good and evil," Netanyahu told crew members and journalists aboard.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
As the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland entered its 19th day today, a vehicle was set on fire and two cars damaged, even as the Internet services remained suspended in Darjeeling hills.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists held demonstration at Chowkbazar demanding Gorkhaland. Children in traditional dress were also seen carrying 'We Want Gorkhaland' placards.

This was the second such rally in the last 10 days wherein children also participated to propagate for the cause of Gorkhaland.

A vehicle was set ablaze in Six Mile village of Darjeeling and two cars were damaged in Kurseong by the protesters in the morning.

The police and security forces patrolled the streets and kept a tight vigil on all entry and exit routes.

Barring pharmacies, all shops, markets, schools amd colleges were closed.

Hardening its stand, the Darjeeling district administration has extended the Internet ban in the hills for eight more days.

"The Central government should look into this issue of gross human rights violation," GJM leader Binay Tamang asserted.

Meanwhile, the West Bengal State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued a summon to GJM supremo Bimal Gurung for violation of child rights.

"We have issued a summon to Bimal Gurung for violation of child rights and asked him to appear before the commission on July 11. Despite our showcause notice last week, GJM again used children in their rally," the panel's chairman, Ananya Chakraborti, said.

Renowned boarding schools in Darjeeling, scheduled to reopen tomorrow, have extended their vacation due to the indefinite shutdown in the hills.

"We have decided to extend the vacation as the shutdown is on. We have not given any time frame as to when the schools will reopen. As soon as normalcy returns in the hills, we will inform the parents and reopen the schools," principal of St Joseph's North Point School, Father Shanjumon told PTI.

Meanwhile, the GJM said the Centre should open a dialogue on Gorkhaland as it was the "aspiration of the hill people."



"Gorkhaland is the aspiration of the people in the hills. It should be respected. The Centre should open a dialogue and take concrete steps," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said here.

"The Mamata Banerjee government is dealing with it as a law and order problem. But it is not a law and order problem. It is a political problem and should be solved politically," he added.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
On the eve of his unprecedented visit to Israel, Prime Minister today said he will discuss with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu the common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6 before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

In Israel, he will also meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.

He will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.

Modi will also pay his respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

"Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's... As the first Indian prime minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said in a statement here.

"I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India- ties," he tweeted.

The prime minister said he will have "in-depth talks" with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism."



This year, India and are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations.

"My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in that represents an enduring link between our two peoples," Modi said.

On the economic side, he said, "I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground."



In addition, he said, "I hope to get insights into Israel's accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits."



On July 6, the prime minister will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8.

The theme chosen for this year is 'Shaping an Inter- connected World'.

"I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability," he said.

"We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, women's empowerment, and partnership with Africa," Modi added.

As in the past, he said he looked forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.
By Tim Hepher and Sudip Kar-Gupta

PARIS (Reuters) - Airbus rolled out a leaner new structure on Monday, completing a recent merger between its parent company and its dominant planemaking arm, and including a shift in the reporting line for its key commercial sales team to group CEO Tom Enders.

That move, which confirmed a report, raised concerns among some insiders and customers about a possible power struggle with long-standing airplanes boss Fabrice Bregier, though Airbus denied any tensions.

Cementing changes first outlined last year, the "one Airbus" reorganisation involves a single headquarters in Toulouse, France, with Bregier confirmed as group-wide chief operating officer and president of commercial aircraft.

"We need to become more integrated, more collaborative and less bureaucratic for speedier decision-making and execution," Enders said in a letter to employees.

The revamp, which saves hundreds of millions of euros in overheads, is designed to complete a decade-long drive to turn the former European consortium - with a history of strong French and German government influence - into a more normal company, and prepare for digital innovations sweeping through industry.

But in an unexpected adjustment reported by on Friday, Airbus said its commercial sales team, best known for contesting leadership of the jet market with Boeing, would now report directly to Enders and by-pass Bregier.

That decision is seen as sensitive because it revisits a power-sharing deal between the German Enders and Frenchman Bregier that initially gave the latter responsibility over all planemaking activities.

Enders said in his commercial aircraft role, Bregier would lead programmes, support and services, engineering, manufacturing, procurement and quality.

"However, due to the heavy operational challenges in our largest revenue-driving business, and to slightly rebalance our internal burden-sharing, I will lead sales and marketing," he said in his letter.

The decision sent tremors though the commercial arm and raised questions over the future of Bregier, an industrial and marketing heavyweight whose ties to Enders are seen as key to Airbus's ability to smooth output and face a resurgent Boeing.

"People are very surprised. There is no doubt that this is an important step," a person close to the company said.

A jet financier expressed "surprise" at the move, given well-established relations between many airlines and Bregier.

Other critics said the sudden move reflected a heavy-handed new management style or risked being perceived as a weakening of French interests.

"It is creating a culture in which people will go back to 'Germans versus French' and people having to choose which camp they are in. It is not good for morale or the culture of the company," said a person with detailed knowledge of the group.

An Airbus spokesman called it a routine internal matter of reporting lines, as with any normal company.

POLITICAL TEST

The new structure comes almost 10 years to the day after leaders of France and Germany agreed in Toulouse to abolish a system of dual control over the company, with the CEO role shared between two people, one French and one German.

Enders had to wait another five years to become sole CEO of the group and another year beyond that to reduce the political influence of French and German government shareholders. Both now own 11 percent but their power is limited under a 2013 overhaul.

Analysts say Paris and Berlin have generally had their attention elsewhere during the euro zone crisis but that their hands-off approach remains to be tested against a recently softening market for jets, with thousands of jobs at stake.

Airbus also faces a raft of politically charged decisions, such as how long to keep building its slow-selling A380 or its response to corruption probes in Britain, France and Austria.

Despite resisting interference, Enders appeared to recognise the significance of French politics to Airbus by writing a letter of support in the familiar 'tu' form to then-presidential candidate Emmanuel Macron, which many in Paris saw as a gaffe.

Enders is, however, convinced Airbus has to find a new agility to cope with the way 'Big Data' and simultaneous breakthroughs in other technologies are creating opportunities for newcomers such as U.S. rocket maker SpaceX.

He acknowledged the new reorganisation, which unions say could affect over 1,000 jobs, would be "uncomfortable" for some.

But he told staff Airbus was "waving goodbye to an era in which a return to 'stability' was a realistic aspiration".

(Reporting by Sudip Kar-Gupta and Tim Hepher; Writing by Tim Hepher; Editing by Richard Lough and Mark Potter)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
US President Donald Trump spoke with German and Italian leaders on Monday, a White House official said, ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies this week that could expose his sharp differences with world powers on trade and other issues.

Trump is preparing for the two-day that starts in Hamburg on Friday, just over a month after a G7 summit in Sicily showed deep divisions between Trump and other Western leaders on climate change, trade and migration.

A fractious first NATO summit with Trump also left European allies wondering where the military alliance goes next.

Trump will hold separate meetings with various leaders in Hamburg, including host German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and a potentially difficult first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump announced on Twitter that he would be talking on the phone with leaders from Germany, Italy and France on Monday. The White House later said in a statement that the calls would be with Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, but did not mention French President Emmanuel Macron.

Trump and Macron spoke last week when the US president accepted an invitation to attend Bastille Day ceremonies in Paris on July 14.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Representatives for Macron's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

In remarks last week, Merkel raised the prospect of an open clash with Trump at the Hamburg summit, although some Trump administration officials have played down the discord.

Heather Conley, a State Department official during the Republican George W. Bush administration, said the United States' European allies are still shocked after the G7 and NATO summits with Trump cast doubt over Washington's relation with its allies.

"There's concern he could improve it - but could also do further damage," said Conley, who is now with the CSIS think tank in Washington.

Russia and the United States are still discussing the timing of the encounter between Trump and Putin, a Kremlin aide said on Monday.

Since Trump was elected US president, Russian has been keenly anticipating his first meeting with Putin, hoping it would trigger a reset in US-Russia relations that plunged to post-Cold War lows under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

But with Trump embroiled in controversy at home over his associates' potential links to Moscow, the session with Putin has become a minefield. Too warm a meeting would allow Trump's domestic opponents to accuse him of being a Kremlin stooge.

High-level US diplomat Thomas Shannon met on Monday with Russia's ambassador to Washington, Sergei Kislyak, to prepare for the Trump-Putin meeting, the State Department said.

They also discussed scheduling a new meeting between Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov, which Moscow cancelled in June in anger at expanded US sanctions on Russia.
By Roberta Rampton

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump plans to speak with German, French and Italian officials on Monday ahead of a summit of the Group of 20 leading economies this week that could expose his sharp differences with world powers on trade and other issues.

Trump, who announced the talks on Twitter, is preparing for the two-day G20 summit that starts in Hamburg on Friday, just over a month after a G7 summit in Sicily showed deep divisions between Trump and other Western leaders on climate change, trade and migration.

A fractious first NATO summit with Trump also left European allies wondering where the military alliance goes next.

Trump will hold separate meetings with various leaders in Hamburg, including host German Chancellor Angela Merkel, and a potentially difficult first meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The White House said in a statement that Trump's phone calls would be with Merkel and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, but did not mention French President Emmanuel Macron. Trump and Macron spoke last week when the U.S. president accepted an invitation to attend Bastille Day ceremonies in Paris on July 14.

Representatives for the White House did not immediately reply to a request for comment. Representatives for Macron's office could not immediately be reached for comment.

In remarks last week, Merkel raised the prospect of an open clash with Trump at the Hamburg summit, although some Trump administration officials have played down the discord.

Heather Conley, a State Department official during the Republican George W. Bush administration, said the United States' European allies are still shocked after the G7 and NATO summits with Trump cast doubt over Washington's relation with its allies.

"There's concern he could improve it - but could also do further damage," said Conley, who is now with the CSIS think tank in Washington.

Russia and the United States are still discussing the timing of the encounter between Trump and Putin, a Kremlin aide said on Monday.

Since Trump was elected U.S. president, Russian has been keenly anticipating his first meeting with Putin, hoping it would trigger a reset in U.S.-Russia relations that plunged to post-Cold War lows under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama.

But with Trump embroiled in controversy at home over his associates' potential links to Moscow, the session with Putin has become a minefield. Too warm a meeting would allow Trump's domestic opponents to accuse him of being a Kremlin stooge.

(Additional reporting by Susan Heavey in Washington,; Andrew Callus and Richard Lough in Paris and Denis Dyomkin and Maria Tsvetkova in Moscow; Editing by Frances Kerry and Jonathan Oatis)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Every summer, some of Wall Street's biggest wealth management firms organise events catering to future heirs of their ultra-wealthy clients, hoping they can teach them a thing or two about money, and plant the seeds for what banks hope will be fruitful business relationships down the line.

Wealth managers see a big opportunity in the millennial generation, those born between 1980 and 2000, who are expected to inherit an estimated $30 trillion from their Baby Boomer parents over the next 30 years, on top of their own earnings.

The millennials already control nearly $17 trillion, or 10 percent, of the world's wealth, and that figure is expected to rise to $35.3 trillion, or 16 percent, by 2020, according to the Boston Consulting Group (BCG).

But capturing millennials' attention has been difficult for wealth managers like Morgan Stanley, Bank of America Corp , Citigroup Inc and UBS Group AG , because of cultural differences between generations and competition from digital startups called roboadvisers. Of the assets under management at private banks, only about 6 percent belong to millennials, according to BCG.

Conferences like the one held by Morgan Stanley are an attempt to get young adults to warm up to Wall Street wealth managers.

Held a block away from the bank's midtown Manhattan headquarters, there were about 50 guests, aged 18 to 35, whose parents are Private Wealth Management clients. That business caters to those who invest at least $20 million with the bank. In addition to "Time for a prenup?", other popular panels included "Show Me the Money! Investing 101" and "Communicate Like a Leader."

Citi's private bank has been holding similar events on three continents this year, including one in Silicon Valley last month. It was for clients' children who have been identified as the successors to family businesses, and it focused on how to use major innovations in technology, like artificial intelligence, to grow the bottom line.

"If anyone thinks that just by organising a boot camp that you can earn (clients' kids) trust, you're fooling yourself," said Money Kanagasabapathy, who goes by the name Money K and is the global head of next generation programs for Citi Private Bank. "You have to really inspire them and hope that they at least continue having the conversation with you."

Darya Pishevar, whose father, Shervin Pishevar, is a Silicon Valley venture capitalist, attended the Morgan Stanley event last week. Though she is still in high school, Pishevar said she was interested in the sessions on leadership and impact investing because her family may create a foundation.

Across the room, 28-year-old medical researcher Emilia Javorsky said she wanted advice on launching a medical device business. While she was not sure she would use Morgan Stanley in her business dealings, she said the conference made her feel good about the bank.

"It made them feel more accessible," Javorsky said. "When you don't come from a financial services background, it can be daunting. This made it less daunting."

(Reporting by Elizabeth Dilts; Editing by Lauren Tara LaCapra and Leslie Adler)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
DUESSELDORF, Germany (Reuters) - Thyssenkrupp workers oppose the idea that the German industrial group could be the junior partner in a possible steel joint venture with India's Tata Steel , group works council chief Wilhelm Segerath told on Monday.

Thyssenkrupp and Tata have been in discussions since last year to combine their European operations in a joint venture to remove overcapacity from the market and cut costs, and had so far said to be planning a 50-50 venture.

But on Sunday, German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Thyssenkrupp aimed to hold less than half of the potential venture so it can deconsolidate the business from its balance sheet.

"I don't believe in a minority stake. We reject that idea," Segerath said, adding that such a move would make the steel business entirely dependent on a foreign investor whose intentions for jobs and sites were uncertain.

Labour bosses at Thyssenkrupp have long opposed a possible merger of the two companies' European steel businesses, fearing such a deal would destroy jobs without making the business more sustainable.

Thyssenkrupp's steel works council chief, Guenter Back, said last month that finance chief Guido Kerkhoff had said the company would decide by the end of the 2016/17 fiscal year, which runs through September, whether to proceed with a merger.

(Reporting by Tom Kaeckenhoff; Writing by Maria Sheahan; editing by Susan Thomas)

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The attack had the hallmarks of something researchers had dreaded for years: Malicious software using artificial intelligence (AI) that could lead to a new digital arms race in which AI-driven defenses battled AI-driven offenses while humans watched from the sidelines.
Ruchi Sanghvi was the first female engineer at Facebook, where she helped create the news feed that now serves as the primary window into the worlds largest social network. Then she built a start-up of her own and sold it to another rising Silicon Valley company, Dropbox, becoming one of its first female executives. But as she left Dropbox in 2014, she didnt know what she would do next.
Ola and Uber drivers are already having a troubled time with the decline in their monthly income due to falling incentives. Now, drivers that took their car on lease are reportedly going to bear the brunt of the new GST tax regime.

In accordance with the new GST taxes, drivers that were paying taxes around 14.5 per cent on the monthly installments will now have to add around double the amount of interest, ranging anywhere between 29 per cent to 43 per cent .

This range of interest between 29 per cent and 43 per cent will be a result of service charge of around 18 per cent and the additional 20 per cent vehicle sale tax, added to the leased vehicle. The changes are expected to increase the cost of EMIs by over Rs 1,00,000 per annum. According to a report by The Economic Times, around 7,000 to 8,000 drivers each from Ola and Uber have taken a car under lease.

Previous EMIs, that accounted to around Rs 25,000, can cost anywhere around Rs 35,000 and Rs 40,000 after the new tax regime is in place. "At Ola Fleet Technologies, we run a leasing programme for tens of thousands of driver-partners who may not be able to afford buying a car of their own. Presently, these driver-partners pay 14.5 per cent VAT. In the proposed GST regime, they will have to bear GST rates of 29 per cent to 43 per cent on the cars already leased, as an outcome of double taxation on existing leases," Shalabh Seth, CEO of Ola Fleet Technologies told ET.

Considering that drivers have already been complaining about falling income from cab aggregators Ola and Uber, there is a high chance that drivers who have taken their cars under lease will either put in additional hours of work or return the cab to the respective company.

Earlier this year, cab driver unions had taken to the streets to protest the falling incentives from Ola and Uber. Though there has been no strong reaction against the changes brought about by the new GST regime, the unions might come into action once the affects are clearer.


To protest against the oil marketing companies 'failure' to install 100 per cent automated system at petrol pumps and 'lack of transparency' in the daily dynamic pricing of fuel, the All India Petrol Dealers' Association has announced a country-wide 'no-purchase' protest on July 5.



The Dealers' Association has also called for a nationwide strike petrol pumps on July 12. "We had a stormy three-hour meeting with oil marketing companies (OMCs) on June 29. The OMCs had agreed with us and had assured that price protection needs to be given," AIPDA spokesperson Ali Daruwalla told The Indian Express.

"The OMCs could not give us any specific date for implementation of price protection, for which we all walked out in protest. We were requested by OMCs to wait till 2 pm on June 30 for their reconsideration yet no fruitful result has come out. Hence, we have decided to resort to a no-purchase agitation on July 5 and a no-purchase-no sale agitation on July 12 across the country," Daruwalla added.

West Bengal Petroleum Dealers' Association has also called for a no-purchase strike on July 5. "Our national body AIPDA has called for a nationwide strike on July 12. Ahead of that, we won't purchase any oil on 5 July as a mark of protest," West Bengal Petroleum Dealers' Association President Tushar Sen told IANS.

From June 16, the government moved to daily revision of petrol prices. Prior to that, petrol prices were revised every fortnight.

Before implementing the daily revsion plan across the country, Oil marketing companies (OMCs) ran a successful 40-day pilot in five cities - Chandigarh, Jamshedpur, Puducherry, Udaipur, and Visakhapatnam.
Amid-sized retailer in the US was recently looking for a vendor to maintain a back-end computer application. The contract size was not large, just $40 million, spread over seven years. So, imagine its surprise when its request for proposal (RFP) got an overwhelming response. But the real surprise was aggressive wooing by one of India's largest IT companies, which in the past would have not given such a contract any attention. In fact, a senior vice president even spent time with the retailer's chief technology officer. Finally, the large Indian IT company priced itself in such a way that the smaller vendors had no chance of getting the deal.

This perfectly sums up what is going on in the Indian IT industry, where the struggle to grow and survive is making companies brush aside many of their old assumptions and calculations. Rajesh Gupta, India Partner at ISG, a global technology research and advisory firm, which acts as an intermediary between customers and IT services players, says he is not surprised at the price aggression being displayed by the larger players.

This hunger to win even the not-so-big projects, and that too after compromising on the price, is driven by a number of reasons. The biggest is the buffeting of Indian IT players by the shift to automation, digital and cloud - areas where they are not at all strong - and visa and other restrictions in their big markets such as the US and the UK, forcing them to reinvent delivery models. Worse, their traditional work such as AMD (application maintenance and development), testing and validation, and package implementation, has been largely commoditised - price alone is becoming the sole determinant for winning contracts of this nature.

Players, both large and small, have been hit, with the $153 billion industry managing to grow exports by only 6-8 per cent in 2016/17, according to industry body Nasscom. This is a sharp fall from the 12-14 per cent growth only a couple of years ago.

In all this churn, the smaller players are getting squeezed more than the larger ones. The bigger players (with more than $1 billion revenues) are somehow finding the resources to invest in platforms, products, start-ups and acquisitions. They are also flexible on pricing and have the money to hire locally (onsite) to blunt political attacks on them for taking away developed country jobs. And last but not the least, they have the wherewithal to cope with the structural changes happening in the industry.

Smaller Players Getting

Squeezed

The smaller are either stagnant or growing at rates that are significantly lower than the industry average. "Ideally, one would expect that the smaller players would grow faster because of lower base. While scale is not as big an advantage as it was earlier, many smaller players are struggling as they have very little competitive differentiation. Their only USP was price and now the larger players are willing to undercut them when required," says Gupta.

Take Mphasis, once hailed as the next big thing in Indian IT. Right now, it is struggling to grow, and has had four new owners in the past decade. At present, it is owned by private equity investor Blackstone Group. Compared with 2015/16, its revenue from operations marginally dipped in 2016/17. Its plight is not unique. NIIT Technologies, Zensar Technologies, Polaris Consulting & Services, Sasken Technologies, 3i Infotech, KPIT Technologies and other smaller players also grew in either low single digits or contracted in 2016/17.

Specialisation, Not Size

Rostow Ravanan, CEO and MD of MindTree, however, says it is incorrect to paint all Tier-II companies with the same brush. "Size by itself is neither an advantage nor a disadvantage. Look at what happened to some of the largest animals on earth. Also, some large companies such as TCS have executed very well. It all boils down to strategy and execution."

MindTree grew about 11.65 per cent last year. Ravanan says their focus is on four verticals - hi-tech, hospitality, retail and financial services. He says even in financial services, the company focuses more on insurance and even there in property and casualty insurance. "We have said no to BPO, telecom, energy and utility, health care and so many other verticals. Specialised firms that can add value will continue to do well irrespective of their size."

The CEO and MD of Zensar, Sandeep Kishore, concurs: "I don't think size alone is the key. For instance, I believe, our size is right, large enough to scale up and small enough to care for our customers. We have been investing in digital, which, I believe, has started paying off. Digital is a business transformation opportunity, which I think right-sized players like us are nimble and agile to seize for the next phase of growth."

Similarly, Mritunjay Singh, Executive Director and President (Services), Persistent Systems, says his company gets about 28.4 per cent revenue through IP Lead offerings. He says this differentiation makes Persistent important to clients and ensures it stays competitive.

Rough Weather Ahead

Sid Pai, an industry veteran and Managing Partner of Tekinroads, a research and advisory firm, is not too sanguine about the prospects of most smaller players. "It is relative exposure to newer technologies rather than size which will determine survival. A lot of companies are hiding behind the digital nomenclature. Most of them work on old technologies and have a factory worldview. Even some larger players suffer the same malaise, but given their resources, they may get more time to change course. The next four-six quarters will see the weeding out of the weaklings. Smaller players will face bigger challenges."

The MindTree CEO, however, says that resources are not a constraint even for the smaller players. "Capital is easily available today unlike in the past. Survival is more about strategy and execution."

Rajesh Gupta of ISG says some smaller players might focus on segments such as mainframe applications that are relatively harder to move to the cloud. While this may hit margins, some of them will survive. "But there are other threats such as talent flight. Who wants to be associated with companies working on yesterday's technology and that too, if they have little or no growth?"

After the first wave of consolidation where the likes of iGate, Mphasis, Geometric and Patni were acquired, the Indian IT sector seems to be ripe for its second wave of consolidation. Unless the smaller players focus on specialisation and build a moat with domain knowledge, they are in for more rough times.
The Phuket Gazette.

Recently, I've spent some time reading the often rash letters sent to the editorial staff of the Gazette. The opinions seem to range from the hilarious to the slightly off center, from the informed to bordering on the fringe of lunacy. It doesn't just end at the Gazette. On many of Phuket's news websites and blogs, there seems to be an unusual amount of Phuket bashing taking place.

At times it reaches such a frantic state, I have to wonder if the people who wrote them see themselves as crusaders of the truth, determined to fight their corner until the bitter end  something akin to gladiators doing battle in a Roman coliseum. Whether it's corruption, over development, garbage, taxis, tuk-tuks, thieves, motorbikes, noise, jet-skis, local people, expats, tourists, touts, ladyboys, banks, shopping malls, dogs, cats, water buffalo or another hundred things, there appears to be a group of people who live here, who, for one reason or another, just don't like the place and nothing anyone can say or do will change that.

In days gone by, the expat population often comprised career civil servants, traders, adventurers, people on the run from the law and so-called 'remittance men'  misfits who were given money by their families back home to stay away and not cause them further embarrassment (there still are a few of these around). Nowadays, cheap airfares and a pretty reasonable cost of living have brought the dream of moving to an exotic country within reach for a growing number of the population, but for many this dream, for some reason or another, becomes a nightmare.

The loudest rumblings of discontent are heard in May every year  traditionally the lowest period for tourists. Head to almost any bar on the island during this period and you will hear the pessimistic murmurs from those who proclaim the imminent death of Phuket. More often than not, these utterances center around how hundreds of the expat population have fled (where they went we aren't sure and that, all too often, is never explained), how tourism and all businesses here are failed to doom, and that it's the end of the world as we know it for the slightly more melodramatic among them.

While the end of days in the book of Revelations could be relied on to strike terror in the hardiest of souls in days of yore, these current, localized forecasts of doom wash over most people. This is largely because as we head into another high season, Phuket is back on track and as good as it ever was. Perhaps the extra-sensory radar belonging to the prophets of doom are on the blink.

I would never argue that Phuket is perfect, although it would be easy to put on some rose-tined glasses and ignore all that's wrong with the island, but what I really can't fathom out is why people stay here if they are that unhappy here  why not go to their real or imagined 'happy place'? Perhaps come next rainy season, one of those Vietnam cargo planes used towards the end of 'nam could be brought in to transport out unhappy expats. The key question for the pilot, however, is where to next?

Reading the seemingly endless complaints, one of the ever present bugbears is corruption. While Thailand certainly has issues with corruption that need addressing, it's not as though it doesn't take place elsewhere.Take, for instance, the whereabouts of former Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich, Peruvian President Alberto Fumitory and Taiwan's President Chen Shiu-bian who all looted the coffers before doing a runner and more recently we've had Flavio Briatore's Formula 1 cheating scandal.

No doubt another series of complaints, screams and yells will be forthcoming at the end of this coming high season, followed by the final declaration, Well, that's it for me. I'm leaving and never coming back. That's fine as long as you find somewhere better; somewhere that makes you happier and stops you from denouncing the place so many people love.

Phuket isn't everyone's cup of tea. Places change, people change, giving us something new in our lives, but after a tough year, living in the moment and enjoying the time we have on the island might not be such a bad idea. As Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young wrote so prophetically, If you can't be with the one you love, then love the one you're with.
| BY Ricki Green |

The IAB Australia Audio Council has elected Chris Derrick, head of digital strategy for Southern Cross Austereo, to the position of co-chair, taking up from Rick Gleave who was Council co-chair for the past two years. Derrick brings to the role 18 years of experience spearheading digital strategy and is uniquely positioned to bring insights and experience from both the radio and digital industries as the Audio Council moves forward.

Says Derrick: Its a privilege to be elected co-chair of the IABs Audio Council and to work with a highly talented group of multi-disciplined people in the audio space. The growth of streaming, both of radio stations and on-demand, and the explosion of podcasting is increasing the ranges of content available to consumers.

Audio consumption on digital devices is growing, with over 13 million Australians streaming music and radio every month according to Nielsen Digital Ratings Monthly. Commercialisation of these audiences is also on the increase with the IAB in the U.S. reporting that digital audio advertising was worth $1.1b in 2016.

The Council is working on a number of education pieces including guidance on best use of creative across different audio offerings. It will be releasing a glossary of commonly used terms and metrics in the coming weeks, in line with a number of IAB Australia Councils that are also releasing glossaries to help set standards in terminology and establish a base understanding to move the industry forward.

The IAB Australia Audio Council was established formally in 2015 after a need from a range of pure-play streaming players and radio broadcasters to have an industry voice to drive standards and education in a fast growing area of the digital market. Rick Gleave, director of business development and partnerships for Pandora has been the Council co-chair since the establishment of the Council and has overseen the Council grow to have representation from 13 media organisations as well as close collaboration with Commercial Radio Australia.

Says Gai Le Roy, director of research, IAB: We would like to thank Rick for his commitment to the audio advertising space and the role of the IAB over the last two years as co-chair of the Audio Council. His leadership in the Council has seen a number of important key industry education pieces including the Councils recent trade study, she said, referencing the Audio Councils Audio Advertising: State of the Nation report, published in February.

Members of the IAB Australia Audio Council are:

Chris Derrick (Co-Chair)  Southern Cross Austereo

Gai Le Roy (Co-Chair)  IAB

Geraint Davies  ARN

Gillian Ramsay  Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Joan Warner  Commercial Radio Australia

Ralph van Dijk  Eardrum

Justin Hoile  Facebook

Kate Beddoe  Google

Venessa Hunt  Group M

Richard Palmer  Macquarie Media

Michael Duncan  Nova

Rick Gleave  Pandora

Shaun Alexander  Soundcloud

Andrea Ingham  Spotify
| BY Ricki Green |

Australian events industry legend and lifetime achievement award recipient Peter Rix will be stepping down as executive chairman of GPJ Australia after 14 years in the role, but will continue as non-executive chairman through until December 2017.

Says Robert Vallee, chairman and CEO, ProjectWorldwide: Peter Rix has had a significant impact on our Australian business and been a guiding light to so many, both current and past employees, as well as our clients and partners. Peter has led GPJ in the acquisition and retention of some of our strongest client relationships including Toyota, IBM, AWS, HIA, APRA and Oracle. His attention to detail and commitment to creative excellence has set an industry benchmark. We are proud and privileged to have shared in his historic journey and look forward to continuing our success under the strong Australian management team Peter has nurtured.

Says Rix: Its the end of an era for me, but Im pleased to continue to work with the Australian business and our clients during the transition period, assisting Caleb Bush and his team as we take the next step in the evolution of GPJ. Calebs leadership over the past year has been exemplary and I am confident I am leaving our operations in capable hands. The GPJ Australian family is filled with dynamic, talented men and women and I look forward to watching the continued growth and success of our business.

Says Caleb Bush, managing director, GPJ Australia: Peters passion for quality, creativity, and excellence has become the stuff of legend and he leaves us in a position of strength. As we look to the future, the Australian team has the talent and operational framework in place to build on our track record of growth and success and continue the next stage in our transformation from an events business to a full service experiential agency.
| BY Ricki Green |

Priceline Pharmacy continues to build on the success of its 100% Woman brand platform with a new 100% Beauty execution created by Ogilvy Melbourne. The new film launches across multiple television and digital networks this week as a part of the Beauty of You campaign.

No two women are alike, but they all want to look and feel 100%. With this in mind, Pricelines latest spot features snapshots of Australian women engaging in their own unique beauty moments and rituals. Through the mirror, it captures a diverse range of women striving for their own version of beautiful with the help of Priceline products.

Using a combination of real women together with Pricelines ambassadors, Ita Buttrose, Ada Nicodemou and Sam Harris, the new execution celebrates women of all ages and ethnicities.

Says Mark OKeefe, general manager of marketing, Priceline Pharmacy: With three million Australian women shopping at Priceline every month, we have built our business around the understanding that women are not one dimensional. They are career women, mothers, teenagers, grandmothers, students. They come from all different backgrounds and ethnicities. They all have a different idea of what beauty means to them and those insights are important to us and worth celebrating.

Says David Ponce de Leon, executive creative director, Ogilvy Melbourne: By focusing on beauty for this campaign, we were able to showcase those unique moments in the routines of Australian women. With beauty in mind, we partnered with renowned director Ash Bolland to bring these stories to life. We were after an artistic sensibility to women and beauty that only he could deliver.

Filmmaker and director Ash Bolland was recently involved in directing Lighting the Sails: Audio Creatures at The Sydney Opera House. Lighting the Sails is the glowing centerpiece of Vivid, Sydneys festival of light, music and ideas.

Priceline Pharmacys 100% Woman platform first launched in October 2016 set to the catchy Girls, Girls, Girls track. Past executions in the campaign include health focused spots and most recently, a celebration of Pricelines partnerships with women in sport.

Says OKeefe: Women come to Priceline Pharmacy for the day-to-day essentials, for health products and advice and for gifts. But they also come to our stores for the professional beauty inspiration and advice from our beauty experts. We are proud to be a destination that provides all of this for all Australian women regardless of age or ethnicity.

Agency: Ogilvy Melbourne

Executive Creative Director: David Ponce de Leon

Creative Director: Josh Murrell

Creative Director: Sharon Condy

Art Director: Suraiya Lorenz

Copywriter: Carly Dallwitz

Group Account Director: Jessica Park

Account Director: Chad Whatcott

Senior Account Manager: Jessica Graham

Senior Producer: Charlotte Griffiths

Production Company: Interrogate

Director: Ash Bolland

Executive: Producer: Tara Riddell

DOP: Lachlan Milne

Offline: Arc Edit
| BY Lynchy |

A week ago, at the final awards presentation of the 2017 Cannes International Festival of Creativity, David Droga was honoured with the Lion of St Mark award.

The award is the highest individual honour a creative person can receive at Cannes. Reserved for the very elite  Sir John Hegarty, Lee Clow, Dan Wieden, Marcello Serpa, Joe Pytka and Bob Greenberg are previous honourees.

Droga is Australias greatest and most successful Advertising export. The whole of Australia, and indeed Asia  where his 2 year stay saw him elevated to legend status  is immensely proud of him. On returning from Cannes we became a bit sentimental and dug out this old interview with him. What follows is a reprint of Campaign Brief Asias July 1998, 8 page interview with him. We interviewed Droga straight after the announcement that his agency, Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore, had won the AdAge International Agency of the Year award. A very big deal at the time, especially when you consider that Droga was only 29 years old.

We ran with the headline KING DAVID, something he was a bit embarrassed about, but we suspect deep down, loved at the time. The humility, respect and generosity he showed with his great Lion of St Mark acceptance speech in Cannes shows through in this interview from nearly 20 years ago. Read on

KING DAVID

How 29 year old David Droga led Saatchi Singapore into battle

against the giants of world creativity, and won.

(July, 1998) When David Droga took over the reigns as Executive Creative Director at Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore two years ago (1996) he said he hoped to make a difference. In an interview with Campaign Brief headed Will Droga slay the Asian dragon? (May 1996) he is quoted: I dont want to step in and blend into something someone else has created. I want to be able to go somewhere where I can actually help instigate the greatness. Be one of the players that builds a reputation for the agency.

In just two years he has been able to achieve that greatness. And more. Drogas effort paid off on the world stage recently when Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore beat all other agencies outside the USA to the coveted Advertising Age International Agency of the Year.

For a Singapore agency to achieve such acclaim is no small achievement. Last years winner was Bartle Bogle Hegarty, London. The year before Hunt Lascaras TBWA in South Africa. Two of the worlds most creatively awarded agencies. The award is judged by the editors of Ad Age and Creativity in New York and London from submissions they receive from over 30 countries around the world. This years finalists included BMP London, Hunt Lascaras and DM9 in Brazil.

For Droga, the accolade is the ultimate award for an amazing effort from his creative department.

BBH London won it last year so to be on the same list as them feels pretty good, he said. Ive been here almost two years now and its definitely not the easiest market in the world, so to get global recognition for an agency in such a small market is great. It makes all the stress worthwhile.

Everyone at Saatchis was pretty overwhelmed. I think it also gave many of our clients even more confidence in the agency. Of course, not every client really appreciated it. Some just thought it meant they could get things from us even faster and cheaper(laughs) Typical! But obviously if our ads werent adding to their brands it would mean nothing to them. The proof for our clients is that our campaigns are working and making a big difference to their business.

Droga said the win was also greeted warmly by the whole Singapore industry.

This is a very proud, patriotic and competitive country. In general the industry is ecstatic that an agency based in Singapore is ranked by the American trade press as the best agency in the world for the year. We got huge publicity in the national papers and the win was taken on personally by a lot of people. Weve also had great support from out suppliers. Its bigger than Saatchi Singapore it has made the world focus turn to this part of Asia. It proved that a big agency in a small country of just over 2 million people can compete with the rest of the world. There are people in the United States turning to their maps and saying where the hell is Singapore?

Undoubtedly one of the major factors that would have impressed Advertising Age is the creative consistency Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore has been able to achieve across their entire client list. It is a rare achievement in Asia  in fact it is rare to all but the very best creative agencies in the world.

In submitting for International Agency of the Year, a showcase of around 20 ads have to be forwarded with no more than two ads from any one client.

For me one of my major objectives from the start has been to attain this high creative standard across the board with all clients, said Droga. Being able to do great work on smaller clients is always much easier than doing it for a big multi-national that has so many guidelines to their advertising. Here, in fact, its our bigger clients that are the ones we are pushing hardest on. Sure weve done some good work on the small ones, but the majority of awarded work is done on the agencys largest clients like Navy, Hewlett Packard, Hutchison, and Qualcomm.

A lot of agencies in the region are busy trying to write stuff for only a small percentage of their clients  my objective has been to try to do it for every client. We havent succeeded with them all yet, but hey, thats the objective.

Droga said when he first arrived at the agency he chose the most conservative client  the one everyone said would be the hardest to turn around, the one no creative wanted to work on and worked on it himself. He used it as a showcase to create good advertising. He did not want to do it just for the client, he wanted to signal to the entire agency that he was serious about creative standards. If it could be done on that client then there was no reason it couldnt be done with any other at the agency. It was Drogas way of upping the ante.

For me, as much fun as it is being involved in all the great work to come out of the agency, I also get a lot of satisfaction out of how we have been able to turn around clients that many other agencies may have thought was impossible.

Probably one of the best examples of this is Singapore Navy, one of Drogas favourite clients. Traditionally their advertising had been much like most government clients  highly conservative, very straightforward and very simple.

But Saatchis recent work has taken them quantum steps, injecting a strong personality that Droga says has paid dividends.

Hewlett Packard, another of the agencys huge blue chip clients, previously known for its bland ads, is also enjoying the benefits of a fresh creative perspective. Saatchis latest TVC Aliens has now been picked up across the whole of Asia, Europe and Latin America. In fact it was recently voted Singapores most popular commercial in an annual competition run by the countrys largest television network.

However another more striking example of bold advertising for a large client is Hutchison Paging. This ad not only challenged the telecommunications category, it challenged Singaporean society. Essentially the ads told people not to go to work t

oday. In a country renowned for its strong work ethic, it was considered a risk. Obviously the ad struck a nerve with the target audience. The subscription rate exceeded the clients forecast by an impressive 300%.

Even Visa has decided to push the envelope with Droga. And their most recent corporate commercial does that. Its an ad which just seems to grow and grow the longer you watch it.

However, not every client of the agency is looking for change in the conventional way. Take Procter & Gamble, one of the worlds largest and most visible advertisers.

With all clients you have to look at the category first and then try to make improvements in stages. For us our first objective was to make a dramatic improvement to their production values. P&G are obviously pretty happy with this. At a recent P&G global meeting, Saatchi Singapore was named one of their top three agencies world wide for Quality in TV production. Considering this client has over 300 agencies around the world, this is no small feat. Thanks to Haydn Evans (Saatchis Head of TV) and the guys, great directors are now seeing P&G as an opportunity, said Droga.

When you do good work on big brands you get recognition and thats how you earn new business. You are never going to get a big piece of business to walk in the door because you did a great at for a coffee shop.

Saatchi Singapores creative credits are indeed impressive. In addition to Ad Ages top accolade they bagged two Silvers, one Bronze and 11 Finalists at The One Show (5th best agency performance in the world), had five entries accepted into D&AD this year, picked up Gold, Silver and five Bronze at the Clio Awards (top 10 in the world) and scored a Gold and also tow Silver Lions at Cannes last year. At AWARD, Australias top award show, the agency picked up three Bronze awards and had an amazing 31 Finalists. And in the Asia Pacific Awards they amassed three Gold, four Silver and two Bronze awards. (Ed note: This was in the days when award shows only had a limited amount of categories).

For all the creative success Saatchi Singapore has had, they have also increased their billings by about 35% and their staff has grown from 85 people to 125 over the past 18 months. All at a time when most other agencies are downsizing over the current Asian economic crisis.

Creative success is certainly one of our objectives, says Droga. However it is meaningless if the agency and clients dont enjoy the benefits. Theres no joy in winning an award if you have to retrench people the next day because youre neglecting the business. Im sure our head office in New York is proud of our work but Im certain they love us because weve achieved such growth.

There is no question the industry is suffering, particularly in south-east Asia. I mean, whole economies have been crushed. We, along with most agencies, have felt it hardest in Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. Even the Singapore ad industry has felt the pinch I guess weve been OK because of our absolute focus and energy. You have to be even more competitive. The weaker agencies that delivered the generic work were hit hardest. If you dont have a point of difference, how can you survive? Clients want even better advertising and ideas for their money  thats got to be a universal issue.

One of the great strengths of the Saatchi creative department is the stability and consistency of all teams. Their creative performance does not rest with one or two star teams but rather on the whole department. Its a record Droga is very proud of as he highlighted the performance of all seven teams.

Ive surrounded myself with a lot of very talented, hungry creative. Some even more arrogant than me. Its a very competitive and motivated group of people. Its more like the United Nations than an ad agency. Although the majority of creative are Singaporean, we have people from America, India, Malaysia, England, Australia and Taiwan. Despite their different styles they all bring something fresh to the table. Ive definitely got the best heads of TV and print production around: a fellow Australian, Haydn Evans and Ester Yue, a Singaporean veteran.

As for the creative teams, well theyre all coming into their own. On one had youve got the quiet achievers, Edmund Choe and Juggi Ramakrishnan. While on the other theres the brash young Americans, Ted Royer and Ross Ludwig.

Theres Andy Clarke, who is not only incredibly consistent, but one of the most disciplined art directors Ive ever worked with. Then theres the maturity of Francis Wee mixed with the aggression of Calvin Soh.

Then theres Rowan Chanen, Larry Ong, Tay Guan Hin, Rashid Salleh and Peter Moyse. The list of great talent and potential talents like our junior creatives Maurice Wee, Trudy Hshieh, Renee Lim and Yong Li Yung, goes on. Together with Haydn (Evans), Ester (Yue), and Alvin Chin in the studio we have a strong team with most of them ranking very high in your Campaign Brief Asia Creative Rankings (see 1998 Creative Rankings table at very bottom of this post).

Droga says: While one team has a strong presence at Cannes, another will make an impact at The One Show or D&AD, then another team will do well at AWARD. Its great when one teams succeeded it motivates the others. But even more importantly, everyone gets on and has a laugh amidst the pressure we put ourselves under.

Droga said his objective has been to build a creative department that, if someone leaves  and he realizes of course that some will  then another team will fill the void so the personality and creative consistency of the agency doesnt suffer.

The personality of the agency has been greatly enhanced since their move from the boring high-rise office the agency has occupied for years to their middle of the action Clark Quay premises within an old nightclub and Karaoke Bar.

Our old office was like a bank or an accounting firm. Very predictable. Very sterile. I felt it was demoralizing on everyone in the agency. Now all creative teams are housed in the old Karaoke booths and there is a creative atmosphere thr

oughout the entire agency. People enjoy coming to work and clients even get a buzz out of it because its so different to what they are used to.

Comparisons to the heady days of OMON in Australia, which Droga shared in and helped create, are natural.

OMON was a hell of a lot of fun. And as much as I liked the work we did I was happy to move on. It was also a very important move for me personally. I guess as a joint CD there always had to be a consensus. Coming to Singapore was quite liberating. Whether it was a success or a huge failure, Ive had to trust my own instinct. At the end of the day Ive enjoyed doing it my way. Also at OMON I was obsessed with writing most of the stuff myself, where as here, Im still writing but Im definitely playing much more of a CD role. Getting the work out of the teams and pushing them to be obsessed. I suppose the more they all succeed the more I do.

One of the tactics Droga employed to push his teams to think differently was to ban headlines on print work in the creative department for a month. Apart from the fact that much of their work has to work around the region, and therefore visual ideas work better, he believed it added a lot of discipline, keeping ideas single-minded and not relying solely on a clever headline.

Another tactic was to have floating art directors for variety.

Droga says he has aged more in the last two years than ever, describing the pace and quantity of work in the Singapore market as basically outrageous.

Coming into Singapore was always going to be a challenge. A few agencies already had quite good creative reputations. But I felt there was an opportunity to go beyond doing ads for small clients. To do it on TV. Sure its a print market, you cant escape that, but Singapore was definitely ready for a more serious approach to creativity.

He believes it goes back to having the right people around you: Im certainly not on a one man mission, everyone is striving for the same thing. We live through the same highs and lows together. Sure I wish all our clients saw the big picture, but as long as we win more battles than we lose its worth the stress. The problem in this business is there is no finish line, it just keeps going. So who knows whats around the corner but we do know we still have a long ay to go.

The last two years have been good and as much as we like to think we are great we recognize were by no means where we want to be. We still get depressed watching the Shots reel and reading Archive. I imagine thats what drives us, were trying to compete on a global level.

Droga says working in Singapore is much more frantic and involves longer hours compared to Australia which he says is much more relaxed.

Australia looks to outdo the guy down the road  its not pushing itself as hard as it could. I think Australia is becoming very insular and most agencies are becoming very conservative. Asia is such a competitive market you have to aim to out do everyone not just that guy down the road. We are more influenced by whats happening around the world. I miss Australia and I love Australia. However, if I was to go back there now I think I would be really bored. I mean, Asia is leapfrogging ahead despite the downturn. My teams here are having five briefs land on their desk each week!

So does he believe their Advertising Age International Agency of the Year win will shake up agencies in Australia?

I dont know if our win will shake up Australia. I mean, we Aussies are a cynical bunch! But I do believe Australia has to take a good hard look at itself. Consider AWARD last year. The three most awarded agencies were non-Australian  two Singaporean and one from New Zealand. If that doesnt shake people up, what the hell will? Its unbelievable that Australia cant dominate its own award show! Also, the fact that Singapore does better than the whole of Australia at Cannes, The One Show and D&AD should also shake them up.

With Singapore setting the pace Drogas energy will now turn more to his regional CD role.

I have deliberately spent more time in Singapore over these two years because I needed to have a showcase office within the Saatchi network. With Singapore a shining star you can attract the right people in other parts of the region. If I only had a regional role Id be spreading my role too thin  you cant arrive at an office, spend four days, solve all the problems, and then leave. For me its more a case of getting the right people in the right offices. In Hong Kong, weve just put in place possibly the best creative department in town, same in China, Vietnam and Taiwan so Im hoping this will pay dividends for us in the coming year. I could never have attracted these people into our other offices if it werent for Singapores reputation. My priorities are to ensure Singapores continued stability and growth and also focus a lot more on some of our other offices, particularly China and Hong Kong. Our office in China is growing at a rate of about 150% a year. At this rate it will be a billion dollar operation in 5 years. Its amazing, its already the largest agency in China, now the key is to match the growth with creativity.

So, whats next? Hopefully bigger and better things, says Droga. Im too competitive and too passionate to be come complacent.

David Drogas fast-track to the top

At still only 29, Drogas achievements verge on the unbelievable. After winning AWARD School in Australia at the ripe old age of 18, he joined OMON, the hottest agency in the country, as its very first employee. In the years that followed, Droga quickly established himself as one of Australias most awarded writers, collecting numerous gongs at AWARD, D&AD and Cannes.

At 24, he was rewarded with a 25% stake in the agency and promoted to joint Creative Director. The following year, OMON was awarded 1993 Agency of the Year (for the second time) by Campaign Brief Australia.

But as OMON began the process of a potential merger in 1995, Droga became restless. And when the agency merged with McCarthy Watson & Spencer, an unlikely suiter, he cashed in and began looking for new challenges. At only 27, he was lured to Saatchi & Saatchi Singapore as Regional Creative Director by Bob Isherwood the networks Worldwide Creative Director.

Just a few months after this interview Droga was approached to take on the ECD role at Saatchi & Saatchi London.

Photos from top:

1. Opening spread of Campaign Brief Asias interview with Droga.

2. The Saatchi & Saatchi creative department from 1998.

3. Andy Clarke.
Sunday, July 2, 2017 at 11:15PM

Photo Credit: Larry Chen/Red Bull Content Pool

By Emily Chung

In celebration of Canada 150, the Red Bull Global Rally Cross (GRC) held its inaugural Canadian race in Ottawa June 17 and 18. The doubleheader featured a brand new track built one week before the event at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum.

While Ive been to a few motorsport events, Ive never followed the Global Rallycross before. When the opportunity came from BFGoodrich to attend the event, and have some time with Canadian-born North American Rally Champ and X-Games medalist Andrew Comrie-Picard (ACP) walking us through the race, I decided to take my 9-year-old son and spend the day in our nations capital.

There are so many things that make the Global Rallycross unique. It is a sprint race with 10 laps and the 600-horsepower supercars go from 0 to 100kms in under 2 seconds! These supercars have 600lb-ft of torque and are designed to race for approximately 6 minutes. Its not a long race at all. Another distinct feature of the GRC is the varied terrain that the track presents. As ACP explains, the rally race is meant to capture the feel that you could race on any surface. Drivers race on a combination of pavement, dirt, straightaways, hairpins, and the series signature 70-foot jump. If thats not enough of a challenge, the track also presents a joker lap where each driver must take once during the race. More on the joker lap in a bit.

Photo Credit: Larry Chen/Red Bull Content Pool

Another thing to note about the GRC is that all vehicles use the same tires  BFGoodrichs g-Force RC02. These are custom-made non-DOT race tires. My 9-year-old asked ACP if the tires could be used on the street and sadly for my son, that was a no. For the supercars, theyre allotted 12 tires per round. Theres one thing to be said about all the vehicles using the same tire  it takes away some of the variable in terms of equipment performance and tests the drivers true ability to race. BFGoodrich travels to each race location and sets up shop with engineers and technicians on hand to support the teams.

The g-Force RC02 was developed to handle the supercars launch while providing a bite on pavement and lateral traction when cornering on dirt surfaces. If the track is wet, the teams can also cut the tire tread to provide more traction.

Dont forget that 70-foot jump, the tires also need to have sidewalls sturdy enough to absorb the landing. Driver abuse on those tires, really. And BFGoodrichs g-Force RC02 takes it all in stride. The technology that is developed for these races are transferred to their g-Force passenger and performance tires. While more manufacturers are adding performance features in their vehicles, Im happy to see that the tire industry is keeping up.

The GRC has two vehicle classes: lites and supercars. What any new spectator will notice in the supercars is that they look just like regular vehicles: Honda Civic, Ford Fiesta, Volkswagen Beetle, and Subaru WRX STI. Of course, these have been severely modified and they their front headlights have been replaced by stickers but its nice to dream that your average Civic could do what these drivers do on the track.

Patrik Sandell & Andrew Comrie-Picard

Spending some time with ACP, he explained how critical the start position is as its very hard to pass another supercar during the race. As for the joker lap, usually its a shortcut and on the first day of the doubleheader it was raced that way. However, on the second day, the joker lap was the longer route. ACP talked about the strategy for the joker lap and noted that if youre in the lead, youd likely want to take the longer joker lap towards the end of the race. That way, you would try to increase your lead early on and hope that you were far out enough to afford the long joker lap.

It was a great experience and I have much more appreciation for the race now. The paddock areas and crew are quite low-key, giving fans young and old an opportunity to see the cars up close and speak to the teams. Steve Arpin, the sole Canadian racer, won Saturdays event  what a great way to say Happy Canada 150, eh? At the time of writing, he is #2 in the series. The Red Bull Global Rallycross continues on into the fall season throughout the US.

Photo Credit: Larry Chen/Red Bull Content Pool
Monday, July 3, 2017 at 4:50AM

Rumour has it Microsoft is getting ready to lay off thousands of its global workforce this week as the company is set to reorganize its sales division. According to a report from TechCrunch, Microsoft intends to merge its enterprise customer division with its small-and-medium-enterprise unit. The reorganization is said to be part of Microsofts plan to focus more on its growing Azure business, which is its cloud computing business. It isnt clear though if these reported layoffs will be new job openings that focus on the cloud business.

Microsofts fiscal year ends on June 30th so layoffs could be tied to this. Reorganization is also seen to be a result of last years change of leadership. Judson Althoff and Jean-Philippe Courtois now lead the companys sales and marketing divisions after COO Kevin Turner left. And Althoff is known to be critical of previous approaches to sales and is looking to make Azure a key focus for the company. Microsoft hasnt commented on the report yet.

Source: GeekWire
Monday, July 3, 2017 at 1:25AM

Sony smartphones have looked almost identical since forever. We exaggerate, we know. But there is a certain truth to it. And one element Sony keeps having on its phones are thicker than usual bezels. But the latest news from the rumour mill is the Japanese company might be ready to shed those bezels and theyre going to do it pretty soon. A post on Weibo (via Gizmo China) claims that Sony will be launching a truly bezel-less smartphone at IFA 2017, which is happening at the start of September in Berlin, Germany.





Android Authoritys Kris Carlon makes a case for the plausibility of this rumour. Starting off with the news that display maker JDI, which is a joint venture between Sony, Toshiba, and Hitachi, has already gone into full mass production of its Full Active QHD display. Sony might also have a product ready, since theyve announced that theyll be holding a press conference on August 31st, a day before IFA kicks off in Berlin. The rumoured device is said to feature an 18:9 Univisium aspect ratio for its 6-inch panel. Weve seen this aspect ratio already on the LG G6. But itll be big news if Sony beats everyone to the punch and be the first manufacturer to release a truly bezel-less smartphone. Were definitely keeping our eyes out for this one.
"They told me that there had been an explosion the previous night, around 11pm as the store was being closed. They said it shook the windows of Coles," Mr GIll said.
Martiniello, 67, has lived in Canberra for nearly half a century but grew up in Adelaide in Southern Arrernte country and joined the navy in her late teens, having grown up in a family where military service was a tradition. She married and started a family but, as she says, "You don't know what your path in life is going to be" and hers has encompassed teaching and writing as well as graduating from the Canberra School of Art in 1985 with a major in sculpture.
Sylvia and her squad of bridesmaids caused quite a stir in May when they headed into womens retailer Birdsnest in Cooma to shop for a dress for Sylvia's big day. Word on the grapevine is the same squad will take Sylvia into a club in Tuggeranong in the next couple of weeks for some beverages and dancing.
"AFIC appreciates our decision and have shown a great desire to help us, but, like any other similar organisation, have a process to follow in that the approval by the federal executive of AFIC of any position agreed upon in the negotiations with respect to the school has to be obtained."
These offences are allegations only, yet to be tested in court. But while the extent and intent of Cranston's intervention may be open to question, there is little doubt he overstepped the line, at least to the extent of seeking access to information he was not entitled to. Tax commissioner Chris Jordan admitted as much at Senate estimates in May when he said Cranston was guilty of "a huge error of judgment, trying to find out some information for his son". By contrast, at the same hearing, Jordan was scrupulous about not commenting on the guilt or innocence of three senior executive service officers who might have breached the Australian Public Service code of conduct in trying to access information at Cranston's request. These officers were suspended without pay pending the outcome of an investigation by former fair work commissioner Barbara Deegan.
Our Promise: Welcome to Care2, the world's largest community for good. Here, you'll find over 45 million like-minded people working towards progress, kindness, and lasting impact.

Care2 Stands Against: bigots, racists, bullies, science deniers, misogynists, gun lobbyists, xenophobes, the willfully ignorant, animal abusers, frackers, and other mean people. If you find yourself aligning with any of those folks, you can move along, nothing to see here.

Care2 Stands With: humanitarians, animal lovers, feminists, rabble-rousers, nature-buffs, creatives, the naturally curious, and people who really love to do the right thing.

You are our people. You Care. We Care2.
The ISRO Centralised Recruitment Board (ICRB) has released the revised answer keys for the ISRO Scientist Engineer Exam held on 7 May 2017.

The exam was held for recruitment into the following departments:

Architecture (BE007)

Civil (BE004 & BE008)

Electrical (BE004 & BE009)

Refrigeration and air conditioning (BE004 & BE010)

Exam Pattern

The test comprised of 90 MCQ's for Scientist/ Engineer post in Electronics, Mechanical and Computer Science. The remaining posts had 80 questions. The questions in the written exam are framed according to the discipline that candidates hail from and the posts that they are applying for.

How to check the revised answer keys for the ISRO Scientist Engineer Exam 2017?

In order to check the revised answer keys for the ISRO Scientist Engineer Exam 2017, follow the procedure given below:

Log on to the ISRO careers official website http://www.isro.gov.in/careers

Click on the relevant link on the homepage for the respective departments such as architecture, civil, electrical or refrigeration and air conditioning

The answer keys will be displayed in the PDF format

Download it to your computer

Take a print out for future reference

Initially, the tentative answer keys were released for the written exam that was the 1st phase of the selection procedure. The organising body had opened the forum for candidates to raise objections and challenge the first set of the released answer keys. After considering the objections, ISRO has now released the revised set of answer keys. Now, the next phase is the ISRO interview, which will be held after the results are announced.

Young Scientist Scores 75% in +2, Designs Satellite for NASA
A law that makes Kannada a compulsory subject in schools may not be mandated in schools affiliated to the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) and the Indian Certificate of Secondary Education (ICSE), authorities have now realized.

The state government asked the deputy directors of public Instruction (DDPI) in districts to enforce the Kannada Language Learning Act, 2015. This requires "all schools" to teach Kannada as a compulsory subject -either as first or second language -from Classes 1 to 10 in a phased manner.

Students across schools must study Kannada subject as a language was a policy decision the government took after facing defeat in a two-decade-old legal battle in the Supreme Court on making Kannada the medium of instruction.

However, officers say they can do pretty little if schools refuse to comply. Not only is the Act silent on action against non-compliance, a syllabus-related matter on making Kannada a compulsory subject will not apply to CBSE and ICSE schools. "Kannada is not a problem in schools following state syllabus. But enforcing the rule in CBSE and ICSE schools is difficult because they are not under our purview," DDPI (Bengaluru South) Ashwatha Narayana Gowda said.

The Karnataka Education Act was amended to bring CBSE and ICSE schools under the state government control only for enforcement of child safety provisions and regulation of fees. "The state does not get a handle on (CBSE and ICSE) schools over a syllabus issue. If any school were to resist offering Kannada as either first or second language, we will have to find ways to see what can be done," additional chief secretary (primary and secondary education) Ajay Seth said,

Most schools are already offering Kannada as one of three languages that students can choose to study, Delhi Public School board of management member Mansoor Ali Khan said. "We are for the promotion of the local language. But teaching Kannada as the first language will require Kannada to be the medium of instruction. The ideal solution is to let the three-language policy continue.

Parents need to be oriented on the importance of choosing the right language out of the three. "Invariably, children will learn Hindi as the third language. But the second language is the one that will be taught from Class 1 to 10.ICSE offers more than 40-second language options," B Gayathri Devi, principal at Little Flower Public School in South Bengaluru, said.

CBSE or ICSE? Which is the Best Board to Study In?
The list of NEET (National Eligibility-cum-Entrance Test) rankers from Andhra Pradesh has been released. The rank list was announced by Health Minister Kamineni Srinivas of the Dr. NTR University of Health Sciences (NTRUHS).

The toppers list:

Narreddy Manvitha has bagged the first position from the state by scoring 685 out of 700 and secured 14th rank at the national level.

The other successful candidates from A.P. in top 10 with NEET ranks are: Pavuluri Sai Swetha (36), Balantrapu Phani Sri Lasya (51), G. Manoj Pavan Reddy (59), Dokku Vamsi Krishna (73), Viswanadhuni Chaitanya Gopal (74), Jytri Veeramachaneni (90), Nallamilli Satvika Reddy (94), Pavan Kumar Krishnapur (107), and Motilal Singupuram (113).

How to check the ranking?

Candidates can check their rank on the official website.

About 6 lakh-plus candidates who qualified for the NEET 2017 across the nation, 32,392 are from Andhra Pradesh while 27,075 are from Telangana.

The final merit position will be displayed only after submission of online application in response to the university notification and after verification of original certificates. Andhra Pradesh has to contribute 15 percent of the total seats for the MBBS and BDS courses if it wishes to get an equal quota in other states.

However, until the Presidential Order is amended, both the states can not participate in the national pool. The counseling of NEET 2017 for All India Quota will be conducted for to allot about 13,000 MBBS and BDS seats. States will be conducting separate two-round counseling process for admission to state quota seats in government and private colleges.

Medical Colleges List for NEET 2017 Counselling in Tamilnadu and Karnataka Released
Students all over the country are asked one question again and again. "Will you be going abroad for further studies?" The question has become so common that it has become a sort of necessity to have a degree from a foreign country. Almost 2.5 lakh-3 lakh students travel from India to various countries to pursue higher studies.

This rise in students opting for studies in abroad is generally due to the belief that a degree from a foreign country will have greater value when it come stop grabbing a job. Also many universities have unique courses that are to available in India.

The general notion is that USA is the place where most Indian students go for higher studies. But there are many other countries, in other parts of the world where the quality of education is exceptional. Europe is one such hub of education. The standards of living are high and one will find a far easy life in many countries in Europe. Many of the students look out to study in Europe for free.

Here are the top 5 countries for higher studies in Europe:

Netherlands Netherlands, also known as Holland, is a country in the northwest region of Europe and is a member of the European Union. The capital of the country is Amsterdam. Most of the Universities offer a 3 year Bachelors program and a 1 to 3 year long Master's programe, as well as Doctoral programes. The majority of courses are offered in Dutch but there are various courses offered by most of the universities in English, focused especially for international students. Why should you study in Netherlands? Courses in Netherlands are complex and focused on high quality learning

Scholarships are available for International students

Cost of living is high, though hostels and dormitories for students are available.

Opportunities areas like Electronics and Engineering is relatively higher.

The Dutch are friendly and welcoming people

Equality in terms of race, gender, orientation is comparatively high.

If you are a lover of art, then there is the famous Van Gogh Museum waiting for you in Amsterdam. Top Universities in Netherlands are: Radboud University Nijmegen



University of Amsterdam



University of Groningen



Delft University of Technology



Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam



Increase in Indian student visa applications to the Netherlands Germany Germany is situated in central-western Europe. It the most populous member of the European Union and the second most popular country for immigrants. Most German universities are public institutions and offer free tuition. It is the third leading destination for international students. A level B1 certificate in German from a well-established and known institution is necessary Why should you study in Germany? Innovative courses to chose from and exceptional learning methods are provided





Opportunities to work with professionals





Easy access to travel within the country





Country offers various scholarships to international students





Students can stay back for 18 months after the end of their course and look for a job





Top universities in Germany are:

Heidelberg University







Leipzig University







Rostock University







Greifswald University







The University of Berlin







Spain Spain is sovereign state located in southwestern Europe. It is the fifth largest country in Europe and is a member of the European Union. Why should you study in Spain? Spain has a well organized education system









The country is filled with scenic locations.









The cost of living is affordable compared to other European countries.









The tuition is very less compared to countries like USA - courses randing from 5,500 Euros to 12,000 Euros









The people are amiable towards people from India.









Top universities in Spain are: University of Barcelona (Universitat de Barcelona)











Universidad Autonoma de Madrid











Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona











University Complutense Madrid











University of Navarra











Iceland Iceland is a Nordic island country. It was ranked 13th in the list of most developed countries in the world. Education in Iceland is free in public institutions. Scholarships are available by the Ministry of Education, Science and Culture for international students who want to learn Icelandic or the literature of Iceland. Why should you study in Iceland? Courses in English are available













Many certificate courses for learning Icelandic language are available













Those who plan to stay for more than 3 months have to apply for Resident's permit.













Foreign nationals can avail health care facilities with resident's permit.













Top universities in Iceland are:

Agricultural University of Iceland;















Holar University College;















University of Akureyri;















University of Iceland.















Romania Romania is a southeastern European country and is a member of European Union. Universities and institutes that have special license are only allowed to accept and teach the foreign national students. The students must take up an examination like IELTS to prove their proficiency in any of the subjects from - Romanian/ English/ French in which they will be instructed during the course. Why should you study in Romania? Education from Romania has a world- class reputation

















The tuition fees is very cheap as compared to many other countries.

















The institutions provide a multi-cultural environment

















Transferability to different institutions are flexible.

















Students receive practical education which comes in handy while looking for job opportunities.

















Top universities in Romania are: Bucharest Academy of Economic Studies



















Babes-Bolyai University



















Politehnica University of Bucharest



















University of Bucharest



















Alexandru Ioan Cuza University Also Read: Online coaching classes for GRE/TOEFL/IELTS/SAT/LSAT



Now you have more options to chose from. So what are you waiting for?

Check out these Universities and get an answer ready for the next time you are asked where you are heading for your higher studies.
Silk Way West Airlines, a growing cargo operator based in Azerbaijan, and Alaska Airlines on Thursday signed contracts with Boeing for two freighters apiece  but that is where the similarities ended. Silk Way West said it will take two 777-8s, the largest plane available from Boeing (NYSE: BA) and one so modern it isnt []
One of the multiple incidents that took place at this years Goodwood Festival of Speed featured this Ferrari 458 GT2 that crashed into the hay bales at Molecomb corner.



The car, driven by Heinz Swoboda seems to have been moving at a rather rapid pace for that particular corner, with the driver unable to maintain control once he started going around Molecomb.

A close look at the damage shows that the rear wing came off during impact (also visible at the moment of the crash), though we can also see some light damage to the rear of the 458 race car.

Thankfully, the driver got out of the car unharmed and seemed to be in good spirits as he gave the crowd a thumbs up. He will however have to live with the fact that had he approached that corner with less speed, the crash probably wouldnt have occurred in the first place.

As for the only victim of this incident, the 458 GT2, well remind you that its a lighter yet less powerful version of the road car, with 470 PS (464 HP) on tap, and a rev limit of 6,250 rpm.

VIDEO
Photo: Screenshot Highway near Melville where the collision occurred.

A man, a woman and a baby are dead after a head-on crash in Saskatchewan.

RCMP say it happened late on Canada Day when two cars collided on Highway 10 near Melville.

A 24-year-old man from Melville who was driving one car and a 25-year-old woman from Yorkton who was driving the other vehicle, died at the scene.

Three young children were also in the woman's car, including a six-month-old boy who died in hospital.

A seven-year-old girl and a four-year-old boy suffered serious injuries.

Police are still investigating and say they will not be releasing the names or relationships between the occupants of the vehicles.
Photo: Contributed Justin Timperio

A Canadian doctor was among the wounded after the shooting at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital in New York City last week.

29-year-old Justin Timperio of St. Catharines, Ont., is one of six people injured after a former employee of the hospital opened fire on Friday, killing one doctor.

Timperio's father, Luciano Timperio, says his son was shot "between six and nine times," resulting in damage to his liver and other internal organs. He said his son's condition has stabilized enough that he can now be operated on.

The younger Timperio is a graduate of Brock University in St. Catharines and of the American University of the Caribbean. His father said he started working at Bronx-Lebanon about three years ago, for the clinical component of his medical training. He was then accepted to the hospital's family residency medical program.

The gunman, Dr. Henry Bello, left Bronx-Lebanon in 2015 due to allegations of sexual harassment. He returned Friday with an assault rifle hidden under a lab coat and shot seven people, killing one woman, before fatally shooting himself.
Photo: The Canadian Press Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie acknowledges youth choir on Parliament Hill, Sunday.

Tragically Hip frontman Gord Downie made a rare public appearance Sunday to bring attention to the ongoing plight of some of Canada's young indigenous people, likening it to the same kind of pain young people suffered in the now defunct residential schools.

He told young people gathered at festivities surrounding We Day that they can learn a lot about the history of government-funded, church-run residential schools, where indigenous children endured widespread sexual, emotional and physical abuse.

Standing on the stage set up on Parliament Hill for Canada Day weekend, Downie said that indigenous children in parts of Canada still must travel great distances to go to school.

"It is still happening even though the residential school has gone away. Kids are still having to travel great distances to live and go to school," Downie said.

One day after the country marked 150 years, Downie used his brief time on stage to speak about the "new" country that would be born in the next 150 years.

"Yours is the first generation in the new and real Canada. I love you," he said to applause.
Photo: Twitter Prime Minister Justin Trudeau greets Ottawa crowd on Canada Day.

Justin Trudeau is embarking today on a week-long European sojourn that will culminate in a meeting of 20 of the world's largest economies  one where he'll test-drive a brand new foreign affairs policy aimed at charting Canada's own course in the world.

Friday's G20 meetings are shaping up as a showdown between German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump.

In a speech last week to the German parliament that laid out her priorities for the meeting, Merkel  host of the two-day gathering in Hamburg  delivered a pointed critique of Trump's now-infamous "America First" doctrine.

Her G20 agenda  stronger global co-operation to fight climate change and terrorism, and more robust international trade  cuts directly to the heart of her well-documented differences with Trump, a strategy some see as an effort to further isolate the U.S. president on the world stage.

Trump, for his part, has escalated the war of words with Merkel, using familiar rhetoric about a "massive trade deficit" the U.S. has with Germany and threats to slap import taxes on German-made cars.

Trump also refused to sign the Paris climate change accord, and later made it official: the U.S. was out.

Into this mix steps Trudeau  more philosophically aligned with Merkel and Emmanuel Macron, France's young and stylish new president, but lashed irrevokably to the U.S. through economic and geographic ties.

At the same time, however, Canada has served notice that in an era of American protectionism, it will forge its own path. That path includes pushing to strengthen the "postwar multilateral order" that includes such institutions as the United Nations, NATO and the World Trade Organization.
As'ad's Bio

As'ad AbuKhalil, born March 16, 1960. From Tyre, Lebanon, grew up in Beirut. Received his BA and MA from American University of Beirut in pol sc. Came to US in 1983 and received his PhD in comparative government from Georgetown University. Taught at Tufts University, Georgetown University, George Washington University, Colorado College, and Randolph-Macon Woman's College. Served as a Scholar-in-Residence at Middle East Institute in Washington DC. He served as free-lance Middle East consultant for NBC News and ABC News, an experience that only served to increase his disdain for maintream US media. He is now professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus. His favorite food is fried eggplants.
Photo: The Canadian Press

Feel like a house in your city is unaffordable? Apparently, you're not alone.

A new poll suggests that just over two in five Canadians believe housing in this country is not affordable for them, a finding that cuts almost evenly across income levels.

The poll by EKOS Research appears even more bleak in some of Canada's hottest housing markets, where only a small sliver of respondents said they believe homes are affordable.

The Trudeau government has promised a national housing strategy, but the poll suggests the government is also dealing with public fears about affordability.

"It's a deeply troubling finding that in certain portions of Canada, either geographically or societally, that this is a crisis level," said Frank Graves, president of EKOS Research.

The poll found about half of respondents who consider themselves poor or working class believe that the cost of local housing is beyond their means. The rate was 38 per cent and 37 per cent, respectively, with respondents who consider themselves middle or upper class.

Looking at cities, only six per cent of respondents in Toronto and two per cent in Vancouver said they believe housing was affordable. In Calgary, the number was 11 per cent; in Montreal, 22 per cent.
Photo: CTV

A Surrey woman is raising money to find out if family members in Mexico can donate a kidney that would save her life.

Yendi Rosas Lopez, 33, has kidney failure.

She found out in 2015 that her kidneys were functioning at only 17 per cent, but they've now deteriorated to just seven per cent.

Her husband isn't a match, so now friends have started a GoFundMe campaign to send family members in Mexico to a private clinic for testing. aIf one is a match, Lopez would have to pay to bring them to Vancouver for the transplant surgery.

"My kids need me," the mother of eight and 10 year olds told CTV.

Meanwhile, she's reluctant to have dialysis treatment because it could make it less likely that a transplant will be successful.

 with files from CTV Vancouver
Photo: Contributed Fatal crash on Sunday

On Sunday the Chase RCMP were called to a single vehicle crash at the 38 km marker of the Seymour Main Forest Service Road.

Four occupants were in the vehicle that rolled several feet down an embankment before coming to rest against trees on the bank.

One male, 31 years old, from Burnaby was deceased in the car. The other three were transported to hospital for treatment of minor injuries.

Information from witnesses at the scene led police to believe alcohol and speed may have been factors in the crash.

The accident is under investigation by RCMP and the BC Coroners Service.
Photo: BC Wildfire Service Crews continue to battle wildfire near Harrison Hot Springs.

The BC Wildfire Service says the bulk of fires that started this weekend across the province were caused by people.

Spokeswoman Claire Allen says there were about 30 new wildfire starts over the weekend and 20 of them were believed to be human-caused.

Crews have yet to contain a 60-hectare blaze near Harrison Hot Springs that is among those suspected to be human-caused.

The fire isn't threatening any homes or properties, but recreation areas remain blocked off to give crews clear access to forest service roads.

Another human-caused fire in the Whistler-Blackcomb resort area is less than half a hectare in size and Allen says the fire is expected to be contained soon.

A 156-hectare fire near Kamloops was 80 per cent contained by Monday morning while a 25-hectare fire in West Kootenay is 60 per cent contained.
Photo: CTV A young child was being treated in an Edmonton hospital Tuesday night, after emergency crews were called to a home on reports that a child had been left inside a car.

1:50 p.m. update: Police say a little girl left inside a parked car as outside temperatures soared into the 30s C died in hospital despite the best efforts of first responders.

The three-year-old child was found near death Tuesday evening outside an Edmonton townhouse complex.

7:50 a.m.: A young child was being treated in an Edmonton hospital Tuesday night, after emergency crews were called to a home on reports that a child had been left inside a car.

Edmonton police, firefighters and paramedics were called to a home in the area of 29 Street and 116A Avenue just after 6:30 p.m. Tuesday.

Crews were called to follow up on reports that a child had been left unattended in a car  CTV News has learned the child is younger than 5-years-old, but the childs gender is not known.

The child was treated on the scene by paramedics, and then rushed to the Stollery Childrens Hospital for further treatment.

Its my understanding that the call came from parents and they provided emergency medical attention in the home, District Chief Darrell Dublanko said on the scene. The circumstances of how the child arranged there I dont know.

Police are investigating; its not clear how long the child was left alone for.
The special electorates were reserved for non-indigenous candidates and anyone could stand in the open electorates. Voters were asked to cast two votesone for the member to represent them in their open electorate and one to represent their larger special electorate.

These were the first elections on a full adult franchise for a House of Assembly to replace the Legislative Council. It would have 64 members - 10 official, 10 members of 'special electorates' and 44 members of open electorates.

I LIKE to think my wife and I played a very small part in the 1964 elections in Papua New Guinea, at least in the Sepik District.

A speaker, elected by members, would preside over the house.

Preparing for this election was a huge task. Electorates had to be drawn up, the requirements for candidates determined, voting rolls prepared and voting regulations and processes worked out. Then followed a huge education program.

Maureen and I had gone to Wewak in 1963 - my job was to set up and manage Radio Wewak, the second Administration radio station in PNG, providing local programs to local audiences in Tok Pisin and other languages.

I'd already set up PNG's first local station, Radio Rabaul, in 1962, and managed it for a while before moving on to set up the second one at Wewak.

Maureen had been appointed the first women's welfare officer in the Sepik District, with the task of developing practical ways to improve the status of women, mainly by setting up women's clubs, organising training courses in various fields, and promoting group activities in recreation and sport.

Radio Wewak's role was to explain the processwhat the House of Assembly would be, how it would work and what it would do. We had to explain the procedure for nominations, how the district had been divided up into electorates, how people would vote, where polling places would be, and what would happen after that.

We did this as simply as possible, and drew on local leaders who understood the basic details to encourage their people to participate. Voting wasn't compulsory but it was hoped there'd be a good roll-up.

We ran frequent news items leading up to the election, including the people who had nominated. Radio Wewak used some simple English but most programs were in Pidginthe only way we could reach the large and widely-scattered population in the Sepik District.

Maureen's role (and that of her colleague, Graham Parry) was to help with the education campaign through their work with town and village groups. On election day they assisted at the voting booths in Wewak.

One problem was that many voters couldn't read or write (neither could some of the candidates), and casting a vote required them to indicate their choice on a ballot paper.

Candidates' photographs were prominently displayed in each voting booth and voters had to make a mark on the paper to indicate their choice. Maureen had to assist many voters, taking them individually into the booth and guiding them through the process, being careful not to influence them.

Some voters had very definite ideas on who they wanted to represent thembut not all were candidates. The popular Roman Catholic Bishop, Leo Arkfeld, was the preferred choice of many but he wasn't a candidate!

One amusing sideline occurred when the District Commissioner's New Guinean driver decided to nominate as a candidate. His eligibility to stand was confirmed and his nomination was accepted. Radio Wewak ran this as a routine news item.

The next morning District Commissioner Bob Cole went into the office of his District Officer John Wakeford, a key local electoral official, and said 'how come the first thing I hear about my driver standing for the House of Assembly was a news item last night on Radio Wewak?'

John replied 'how come you didn't hear about it from your driver firstyou sit beside him in the car every day!'

In the end, all went smoothly. Wewak businessman Frank Martin was elected for the Madang-Sepik special electorate. In the open electorates, Makain Mo was elected for Lumi, Simogun Peta for Aitape-Wewak, Pita Tamindei for Maprik and Wegra Kenu for the Upper Sepik.

The Angoram open electorate chose colourful expatriate John Pasquarelli, trader, crocodile hunter and labour recruiter, who, much later, continued his political career in Australia by teaming up with the first version of Pauline Hanson's One Nation.

With a project of this magnitude there were some problems (expected and unexpected) and some mistakes. But the election was conducted with meticulous attention to honesty, security and correct process.

On the whole it was an outstanding success, as Hank Nelson, academic, historian and author, with wide experience in PNG, wrote in his book Papua New GuineaBlack Unity or Black Chaos (Melbourne, Penguin, 1972):

"There were elements of the absurd in imposing full adult franchise on Papua and New Guinea in 1964. But the actual poll conducted over several weeks was one of the best achievements of the Australian Administration."

The culmination of the election was the inaugural meeting of the House of Assembly in Port Moresby on 8 June 1964. For the first time there was a majority of Papuan and New Guinean members in parliament.

The house was much more lively than the Legislative Council it replaced and, while it was expected that the 44 open electorates would choose indigenous members, this didn't happensix (including Angoram) chose expatriates.

The member elected to represent the open electorate of Morobe was Horrie Niall (Sir Horace Lionel Richard Niall, KB, CBE, MBE, 1904-94), a long-time senior Administration officer who'd retired in 1964.

He was elected the first speaker of the house, a move which reflected his years of experience in PNG and the respect in which he was held by all sections of the community.

Many new members, however, had no formal education, only four or five had gone beyond Grade 6 at school and only two had experience in the Legislative Council.

These factors didn't prevent them from raising a plethora of local issuesrequests for more and better facilities, with the emphasis on schools, hospitals and roads, and for social and economic development.

Most sought a better deal for their electorates, rather than taking up the bigger issues of national government and political development. This came later.

In 1964 there was still no political party in existence. Nevertheless, the new House of Assembly provided much more worthwhile material for our news bulletins at Radio Wewak.

It was a great experience and a great privilege to have been involved in this historic event in PNG's political development.

Roger Wilson was Broadcasts Officer in the Native Broadcasts Section of the Department off Native Affairs, 1959-61; Manager, Radio Rabaul 1961-62; Manager Radio Wewak 1963-67; and Chief of the Broadcasts Division in the Department of Information & Extension Services, 1966-68
The Cayuga County Health Department issued a list of recommendations to help residents whose households were impacted by Saturday's heavy rain and flooding.

Director of Environmental Health Eileen O'Connor advises homeowners of the following when cleaning after a flood:

 Wear protective clothing including rubber boots and gloves.

 When doing work that could create dust or flying debris, wear eye protection and a dust mask.

 Remove wet materials. Discard items soaked by floodwaters that cannot be thoroughly cleaned and dried within 24 to 48 hours.

 Thoroughly wash walls, floors, closets, shelves, and nonporous house contents impacted by the floodwaters with household cleaners or soap and water. Disinfect with a solution of one cup bleach to five gallons water. (Be careful about mixing household cleaners and disinfectants together. Check labels for warnings.)

 Carefully clean surfaces that come in contact with food and childrens play areas.

 Replace disposable filters in your heating/cooling system and any wet fiberboard and insulation.

 Clean and disinfect heating and air conditioning ducts that have been flooded. Consider hiring professionals for this service.

 Open windows and doors. Use fans and dehumidifiers during and after the use of cleaning and disinfecting products.

 Discard food without a waterproof container if there is any chance that it has come into contact with floodwaters.

The health department warned those with allergies and asthma to be cautious of mold growth. Visit https://www.health.ny.gov/publications/7287/ for more information regarding mold clean up.

Homes with private wells were contaminated with floodwaters should be disinfected, according to the department. For information on disinfecting a private well, visit http://www.cayugacounty.us/Community/Health/Environmental-Health/Private-Wells.

The department also cautioned individuals regarding swimming and boating in bodies of water following a flood, as it is possible for debris to be floating in the water.

"In addition, individuals should avoid swimming in waters that are turbid or cloudy following a flooding event," the release stated.

Contact the Cayuga County Health Department at (315) 253-1560 with any questions.

Meanwhile, the state Department of Environmental Conservation said it is working in Cayuga County and several other upstate areas "to provide on-the-ground assistance as needed to ensure the integrity of local wastewater treatment plants and dams, investigate and address any spills, provide necessary emergency permits, and inspect and close state facilities such as campgrounds."

Moravia was put under a state emergency by the Moravia Fire Department following Saturday's flooding.
AUBURN  Auburn's Seminary Park got a face lift Sunday afternoon thanks to some local landlords.

Members of the Cayuga County Landlords Association came together to clean up the playground area at Seminary Park, located at 72 Seymour St. They pulled weeds, cut the grass and put down a layer of mulch around the playground.

"It's been a long time since anything has been done to this park," said Cayuga County Landlords Association President Brett Tracy. "Good neighborhoods have resources for people, things that people need. Like here, you need someplace for kids to play. It was the perfect opportunity. There was already a park, it just needed someone to clean it up, make it decent again."

Tracy said he and the rest of the association members have been wanting to do a project to benefit the community for some time. The association reached out to Chuck Mason, vice president of the Auburn Beautification Commission board, and Superintendent of Public Works Mike Talbot to get the project going.

"This is a small project," Tracy said. "It's not the biggest thing we could do, but its a start."

Tracy, who has been the organization's president for about six months, said the association wants to make a positive impact on the community.

The association's members own around 200 units in Auburn, as well as additional rental units around Cayuga County. Landlords interested in joining can sign up on the association's website, www.cayugacountylandlords.org.

Cayuga County Landlords Association member Irene Barber said it is important for everyone  homeowners, landlords and tenants  to work together to keep the community nice. She said it could be as simple as spending five minutes picking up trash on the corner.

"We want our properties to be nice and we want our community to be nice," Barber said. "It's important for people in the community to make an effort to keep the community nice. It's their home."
Victor Gutwein, managing director, M25

Age: 25

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Role: Runs the Chicago-based, Midwest-focused VC firm he founded in 2015

Signature deal: M25 invests the same amount in each company

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Mentors: Trey Hart (50 South Capital, Kauffman Fellow); M25 board members Stuart Gutwein, Doug Drury and Brent Gutwein

Education: Bachelor's degree in economics from the University of Chicago

Social media: @lalayak on Twitter

Victor Gutwein is attempting to build a firm that will be known as the ideal co-investor for venture capitalists looking to back Midwestern companies.

One of the youngest heads of a venture firm in Chicago, he's using his relative inexperience to chart a slightly different course. He first experienced venture capital as an undergraduate at the University of Chicago, when he participated in a student-run venture fund. After college, he spent a few years in corporate strategy roles at Claire's and Walgreens, and went on to raise his first fund from friends and family.

Unlike traditional firms that focus on a few promising companies, 2-year-old M25 invests the same amount in a number of companies.

M25 doesn't typically lead rounds, so Gutwein needs to build relationships with other firms. He acknowledged that his youth  and his firm's  might elicit hesitation from potential partners, so he works hard to network and market M25.

Every month, Gutwein sends an email to more than 200 investors across the country laying out the deals M25 is considering.

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"That's something that most people would hold really close, traditionally," he said. "We want to be as helpful as we can so that  when you're leading a round or you see a deal, maybe you'll call M25."

Gutwein said it also helps to show other VCs how active the firm is. He likes to tell other investors and companies that the firm has done 38 investments in two years. These days, it's putting $100,000 each into about two Midwestern companies a month from its $11 million fund, he said. Almost half of those investments are in Chicago-based companies; it has invested in Realync, Page Vault, Dabble and KnowledgeHound, among others.

He's aiming to ultimately raise a larger fund to continue investing in the Midwest.

"I just think this is a land of opportunity right here," said the Rensselaer, Ind., native.

Coming Monday: How Michael Sachaj of Hyde Park Angels made the switch from consulting for the likes of Booz Allen to vetting venture deals.

aelahi@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @aminamania
Fooda CEO Orazio Buzza is photographed June 23, 2017, at Foodas offices in Chicagos River North neighborhood. The company, which runs a workplace food program that brings in a different restaurant each day to feed employees at various businesses, operates in 10 cities. (Phil Velasquez/Chicago Tribune )

Office workers can get stuck in a vicious lunch cycle: Lunch from home? Boring. Eating out? Often too expensive, and there's rarely enough time to get away from your desk.

Fooda CEO Orazio Buzza sees that problem as a business opportunity. Chicago-based Fooda is a workplace food program that brings in a different pop-up restaurant to serve as the office lunch vendor each day.

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The company, which made $48.3 million in sales last year but is not yet profitable, has now grown to 10 cities and is in about 800 offices or buildings. Fooda takes a cut from each sale but says no money typically changes hands with the buildings in which it operates. In Chicago, participating restaurants include options like The Roost, Summer House Santa Monica, Mr. B's BBQ and Taco in a Bag.

This interview has been edited for length and clarity.

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Q: How did Fooda get started?

A: We started at Echo Global Logistics, the company that I was at before Fooda. I was the president of the company and as the company grew, one of the other people on the management team put together this food program where they solicited a restaurant to come into their space. That was in 2007. It eventually became a five-day a week program. It was one of our most-used perks at Echo.

About a year later, one of our people on the human resources team came in and said "Hey, some of our employees are complaining because the (food) lines are getting too long. And the reason they are getting too long is because a lot of people are in line are people who don't work for Echo."

Probably a week or two later, the light bulb went off in my head and I thought: Why not leverage that concept to build a business?

And so we started doing research on a couple things: One is what employers and employees were doing at the time. Two, how restaurants would perceive this. I thought if we could sign up some of the biggest companies in Chicago, then it would be an even stronger value proposition for a restaurant because they can really drum up some lunch business if they could have regular business with a company that could provide that.

And while we were doing that research, we started to test things at more and more sites, and get customer feedback.

Q: When did you officially launch the business, and how have you grown since?

A: We launched in Chicago in 2011, stayed only in Chicago until the end of 2013 when we added New York City. We just opened our 10th city.

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Q: What was the 10th?

A: Houston. Opened on Monday.

Q: What do you look for in a new city?

A: Our program works in dense urban areas and suburban surroundings, so really any of the top 50 metropolitan areas in the country would be a good target for us. But then on top of that, our program is primarily geared toward employers that have more than 400 or 500 people in a location.

We want to make sure there's a good number of addressable customers in the locations that we work so we have a way to analyze a market, make sure there's enough demand on the customer side, and then we also look at what the restaurant side looks like, in regards to independents versus regional and national chains. Of the restaurants we work with, probably 75 to 80 percent are local, independent restaurants and about 20 percent are chains.

Understanding the profile of a market going in and understanding how that makeup is going to look is important as part of the launch process.

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Q: Do you spell out how the restaurants should serve within the popup?

A: Absolutely. We have a training program that, when a restaurant signs up for Fooda, we take them through. We work on the menu with them because we know what food travels well and what doesn't. We work with them on pricing, and then we train them on how to package it, how to transport it, how to lay it out, what equipment they're going to need.

Now, a subset of our restaurants have been doing large-scale catering for years and they clearly know what they're doing, and it's more of a guideline for those restaurants because they're already experts.

Q: How often do you rotate restaurants and how do you choose?

A: A typical site wouldn't see the same restaurant more than once every four to six weeks. We want to make sure they're getting lots of variety and in turn, the restaurants get exposure to many more locations. The variety helps on both sides. It keeps things fresh.

Over time, they tend to have their favorites. We'll analyze sales data, and based on site-level metrics, we'll target a restaurant to go back more often at one site versus another depending on how it's done previously.

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Q: What food travels best and what doesn't?

A: Barbecue travels really well, Mexican food travels really well. And salads, obviously. Anything cold does really well. We primarily sell hot food, and it's all cooked at the restaurant and transported in catering equipment.

Things that get tricky are things like burgers and fries, or things that are deep-fried. We do have a couple of burger restaurants that are capable of doing a good job transporting but it's definitely a lot harder to do that. Fries are almost impossible.

A: What's next for the company?

We added three cities this year, and so we're just heads down, focused on expanding geographically. We'll probably add another couple of cities this year. Next year, we'll probably add eight to 10 cities.

Q: Do you tend to saturate a city before you move on to the next?

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Yes. We have a launch team that focuses on one city at a time. At the end of the day, we're a marketplace. In order to make an effective marketplace, you need critical mass. We need enough restaurants that we can offer really good quality and variety and we need enough companies that we can offer enough exposure and ongoing business to keep the restaurants interested.

sbomkamp@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SamWillTravel
The packaging of Oscar Mayer classic uncured wieners touts that the hot dogs contain no added nitrates or nitrites except those naturally occurring in celery juice. (Candice Choi / AP )

Not to rain on your barbecue, but those natural additives popping up in hot dogs may not be any better for you.

Food brands in recent years have made a big push toward natural ingredients amid growing consumer demand for simpler food. But is natural always better?

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Take that hot dog you're about to throw on the grill before the fireworks start. Some hot dog brands have been moving away from sodium nitrite, a chemical that cures the meat, prevents foodborne illnesses like botulism, extends the wieners' shelf life and also is used to preserve that pink color. Without it, hot dogs would appear an unappetizing gray. In most cases, the sodium nitrite in hot dogs is being replaced with celery, in the form of an extract or powder.

Sounds great, right? Celery is healthy. Trouble is, food scientists say if you're concerned about the nitrites, they're not going away. Celery is naturally high in nitrates, scientists say, which are converted into nitrites, and that's why processed food manufacturers use it as a replacement. The amount of nitrates added by celery is generally comparable to the amount provided by sodium nitrite.

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 5 7242 S. Western Ave. Chicago, Ill. (Alex Garcia/Chicago Tribune)

The only difference a consumer will see on a package of wieners with celery in them is the word "uncured"  a required designation since the federal government doesn't consider meat "cured" without sodium nitrite.

The North American Meat Institute, which represents the meat industry, notes that the federal government does not consider sodium nitrite to be a known carcinogen, which many consumers fear.

Brands that make the switch from sodium nitrite to celery say they are listening to customers.

Oscar Mayer announced in May that it removed added nitrites, nitrates, artificial preservatives and fillers from its entire wiener line, calling itself the first major hot dog brand to make the moves.

Oscar Mayer, owned by Chicago- and Pittsburgh-based Kraft Heinz, said the changes took over a year to test and tweak.

"We know that consumer preferences will continue to evolve, and we will continue to evolve our portfolio with them," said Greg Guidotti, head of marketing at Oscar Mayer.

"In our old recipe, we added sodium nitrite for curing and food safety purposes," he said. "In the new recipe, the product is uncured and celery juice only fulfills a food safety function." Guidotti added that "the amount (of nitrites from celery juice) that makes it into our finished hot dogs is so insignificant it cannot even be measured."

In April, Ball Park said it removed added nitrites and nitrates from its beef hot dogs, except for those naturally occurring in celery juice powder and sea salt. Ball Park's classic and turkey franks still contain sodium nitrite.

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"We know consumers want more transparency when it comes to what's in the food they eat, and we want them to know we're listening," Tyson Foods, which owns the Ball Park brand, said in a statement. "Hot dogs get their distinct taste and texture everyone loves from a curation process. The curing ingredient may be sodium nitrite or a natural alternative, such as celery juice powder. Regardless, both are safe and have the same effects and benefits to the hot dog."

There are some brands, like Applegate Farms, that have always opted for natural alternatives, including celery powder.

There's no doubt that consumers have been pushing the food industry to streamline ingredient lists and minimize the use of preservatives, fillers and artificial additives in processed meat.

"One of the weaknesses that we have in the food industry in general is that people make claims  you see it a lot with 'all natural' and how natural is somehow better for you, it doesn't matter if it's true or not," Vienna Beef President Jack Bodman said.

The Chicago-based company uses sodium nitrite in its hot dogs, and Bodman said it's not considering switching to a form of celery.

He said the brand "attempted to use (celery concentrate) for some custom products in the past, and we didn't get very positive results."

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"One of the reasons we stayed away from it was we're very averse in changing our formula," Bodman said. "We've tried to make our product the same way for 125 years  it's not something we take lightly. The other part that we had trouble with is, to say to someone, 'We're taking this out because no one likes it but we're adding this other ingredient back in that contains it  it is kind of misleading."

Linda Van Horn, a professor and nutritional epidemiologist at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, suggests that consumer concern about sodium nitrite might be misdirected.

"It's the saturated fat and sodium in deli meats and hot dogs that are the worst offenders in regard to cardiovascular disease," she said. "In general they should be avoided. A hot dog on the Fourth of July may be a reasonable exception."

sbomkamp@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @SamWillTravel
A major McDonald's franchisee is offering up refunds after mistakenly charging customers the Cook County soda tax, which is on hold. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)

A McDonald's franchisee is offering refunds after mistakenly charging customers the Cook County soda tax over the weekend, despite a judge's order placing the new penny-per-ounce surcharge on hold.

Nick Karavites, who owns and operates 22 Chicago-area McDonald's restaurants, acknowledged the error Monday, issuing a statement through a corporate spokeswoman at the Oak Brook-based hamburger chain.

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"This technical issue has been resolved at my restaurants," Karavites said. "I am happy to provide a refund to affected customers who provide a receipt."

Karavites and McDonald's did not disclose how many restaurants charged the tax, how many customers were affected or when the issue was resolved.

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Gerald Farinas noticed that the bill for his Saturday morning breakfast at the Karavites-owned McDonald's on North Broadway in Chicago's Edgewater neighborhood included a separate line item for a beverage surcharge, adding 23 cents to his $3 meal.

Farinas complained, to no avail, and left for his job as assistant director of an Evanston retirement home. When the same surcharge showed up on his Sunday morning bill, he pressed his case with management and got his 23-cent refund.

"I wouldn't have gotten that refund if I didn't ask for it," Farinas said. "I'm sure a lot of people did not see that surcharge on their receipts."

The soda tax was set to go into effect July 1. On Friday, a Cook County judge issued a temporary restraining order after the Illinois Retail Merchants Association filed a lawsuit against the Cook County Department of Revenue.

Rob Karr, merchants association president, said the McDonald's snafu reflects broad confusion over the tax.

"This is exactly what we we're concerned about," Karr said. "The county has not properly communicated with retailers throughout this entire process."

Meanwhile, Cook County is passing the buck back to retailers.

"Once the judge issued his restraining order, we have no control over what is taking place between these businesses and their customers," spokesman Frank Shuftan said in a statement.

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For Farinas, making a fuss over the soda tax was more about the principle than the 23 cents.

"It's the Fourth of July and I'm protesting a tax," Farinas said. "Nothing more American than that."

rchannick@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @RobertChannick
Hammond City Court is located at Calumet Avenue and Highland Street in Hammond City Hall. (Joe Puchek/Post-Tribune )

Another chunk of cases handled by the Hammond City Court has shifted to the county, leaving it with little work ahead of its closure.

Starting July 1, all traffic ordinances are now filed with the county court instead of the Hammond City Court, which will cease operations Jan. 1, 2019, according to a news release. Moving those cases to the county's jurisdiction is the latest part of the plan to phase out cases being filed with the city court ahead of its closure.

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The continued shifting of cases to Lake County will allow the city court to resolve its backlog ahead of the closure, said Mayor Thomas McDermott Jr.

McDermott said the court still has a backlog of cases that need to be resolved. He said he hopes by the end of 2018 and even by the end of 2019 that the backlog will be taken care of.

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Chief Judge John Pera said the courts have a caseload procedure in place to deal with new filings from the Hammond City Court, and any new filings will be treated the same as any others.

"We anticipate absolutely no problems," Pera said.

The city worked with Pera to come up with a fair distribution for the new caseload.

"I think it was a very fair resolution," McDermott said.

The county courts are open to the public, Pera said, and the shift has never been a question of taking cases.

"It's just a question of logistics of how we go about handling that," Pera said. "We're here to serve the public and that's exactly what we're going to do."

McDermott said the city has worked closely with Pera to see that the transition is done smoothly.

Pera said representatives from the courts have had meetings with city officials to ensure the transition of cases is smooth.

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McDermott announced in December he'd ask the Common Council to consider an ordinance closing the city court. The council approved the court closure in January.

The city's decision cited cost savings as the motivation to close the court, though McDermott was critical of former Gov. Mike Pence's decision to appoint Amy Jorgensen, a former chairwoman of the St. John Republican Committee, to preside over the city court.

McDermott said, during the announcement of the closure, that Hammond had considered closing the court for a number of years and that looking ahead to the future, it was time to shutter it.

The Hammond Police Department began filing criminal misdemeanor cases with the county courts in January, according to a news release.

In 2016, the city court handled 55,261 cases, 25,992 of which were new filings, according to the Indiana courts system. Of that caseload, 2,926 were criminal misdemeanors, 13,546 were infractions and 10,721 were ordinance violations, according to the court system.

Pera said people will be able to pay traffic tickets online or use a kiosk in the clerk's office if they don't have internet access.

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People can also pay the tickets at the clerk's office in the location where the case is filed, Pera said, but just not at the courts in East Chicago or Gary.

"We're working on that," Pera said.

The county has the capacity to absorb the caseload, McDermott said. Consolidated government is needed, McDermott said, and this is one instance where that's being done.

"Quite frankly, I have a feeling we're the first domino," McDermott said.

clyons@post-trib.com

Twitter @craigalyons
AUBURN  A day after heavy rains caused major flooding across Cayuga County, Andy Cuddy had beautiful weather at his Auburn home to host the Unity House of Cayuga County's 40th birthday celebration.

Cuddy, the vice president of the Unity House board of directors and founder of the special education law practice Cuddy Law Firm, hosted the party at his home on Turnpike Road in Auburn. The event was both a celebration and a fundraiser for Unity House, an organization that works with people with mental illnesses and developmental disabilities.

"There's a lot of changes in Medicaid going on right now that are affecting the cash flow of the agency," Cuddy said. "We're hoping to build our fundraising efforts so the Unity House can continue its good works, even if there are interruptions to Medicaid funding."

Cuddy sold tickets for the event at $20 each. Children under 16 were free. He said he sold around 120 tickets and approximately 110 raffle tickets, which were $100 each. Cuddy's goal was to raise $10,000 from the event.

The event included swimming, lawn games, barbecue from Humphrey's Catering, beer, wine and soda, a 50/50 raffle and a live performance from Generation Gap.

Cuddy also used the event as an opportunity to recognize the pro bono work of two lawyers with his law firm, Mike Cuddy and Adrienne Arkontaky.

Arkontaky serves as the firm's vice president and manages the White Plains office. She made the trip up to Auburn to support Cuddy and the Unity House.

Residents, families and staff from the Unity House attended the celebration.

Alice Stoyell, a registered nurse who has worked at Unity House for two years, said she attended the event to "celebrate the Unity House's 40th birthday."

Unity House resident David Greene attended the event and enjoyed a hot dog and some cake in the shade under the tent.

"I like to come here," Greene said. "It's nice to have a picnic. I enjoy the people."

According to its website, the Unity House serves 700 individuals a day in six central New York counties and employs more than 400 staff members.
I can't decide if Boka is the best new restaurant, or the most-improved old restaurant, in Chicago.

Boka, the first restaurant by owners Kevin Boehm and Rob Katz (whose portfolio bulges with a half-dozen highly regarded restaurants, and more on the way), celebrated its 10th anniversary with a floor-to-ceiling gut job in January, greeting its second decade with a dramatic new look, a new chef (Lee Wolen, impressive as chef de cuisine at The Lobby, came to Chicago from New York's acclaimed Eleven Madison Park, where he was sous chef for three years) and an exciting new menu.

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First, the look: The new Boka is a complete contrast to the bright, hanging-white-sails look of yore. The escutcheon-plated foyer, with its sliding cloakroom door, imparts a Victorian, bordering on steampunk, feel. Beyond that, the main dining room is dark and sophisticated in cream and bronze tones, walls and furniture wrapped in leather and shimmering fabrics. The secondary room, once the seating area of last resort, is maybe the coolest dining space in the city: A long brick wall is inscribed with an Oscar Wilde quote, while the opposite wall is alive with a dense, vertical array of ferns and mosses.

Wolen keeps his contemporary-American menu simple and understandable; a few diners might stumble over morcilla (blood sausage) or amaranth (the new quinoa), but otherwise there isn't a single menu description that will throw you. The execution, however, might knock you for a loop.

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My shorthand advice for appreciating Wolen's work is to echo your mother's admonition to eat your vegetables. Not since Stephanie Izard have I seen a chef whose veggie work was so joyful and so delicious. I'm quite serious when I tell you the broccoli salad is a must-order dish; this picture-perfect composition of raw, shaved stems and roasted florets is brightened with preserved lemon and a barely there lemon vinaigrette. Marcona almonds and Parmesan sablet add crispness, and more support comes from below (a puddle of Greek yogurt blended with broccoli puree) and above (tiny curls of shaved Parmesan).

Heirloom carrots with smoked goat cheese and carrot crumble (think dried crumbs of barely sweetened carrot cake), and a fanciful play on panzanella with crushed pumpernickel croutons, poached egg, asparagus and strips of smoked arctic char, are equally memorable. I think of the potato-thickened artichoke soup, with smoked sturgeon, crisped potatoes and pickled radish, as more or less a liquid salad, which the intensity of the artichoke certainly justifies.

I've worked my way through the entire entree list, and though the seafood items are impressive  orange-glazed halibut over spring vegetables, sous vide loup de mer with calamari  the meat dishes dazzle. The short rib is a revelation; this is no braised, half-shredded bit of slow cookery, but firm, bright-pink beef that delivers the flavor and texture of rib-eye steak (indeed, my wife was convinced that Wolen had slipped us a substitute).

The pork duo pairs texture-perfect loin with barely crisped pork belly, supported by a spring onion puree and sour cherry compote. Rabbit loin, sausage and leg are laid among pickled ramps, braised apricot and pistachio pesto.

And there's always the chicken, a variation of a dish from Wolen's New York years, a lacquered-skin chicken breast stuffed with lemon-thyme brioche, alongside a layered cube of chicken leg confit.

In between, there are memorable starters such as ginger-marinated fluke in a carpacciolike presentation with dashi-steeped tapioca, toasted rice powder and raw wild fennel; salt cod ravioli and artichokes in a frothy sauce that resembles sea foam; and soft ricotta gnudi amid hazelnuts and morcilla. Wolen's octopus, grilled and accented with a burnt-orange seasoned pork broth, will spoil you for other versions.

Pastry chef Genie Kwon, who also oversees the sweets at GT Fish & Oyster, flexes her creative muscles on Boka's dessert list. There's an almond custard with olive oil cake that includes vanilla meringue dusted with raspberry powder, meant to evoke cherry blossoms; chocolate ganache with cocoa-nib crumble, salted caramel ice cream and cassis sauce; and a lovely coffee cremeux alongside hazelnut cake, milk ice cream and whiskey foam. The daily cheese option is a composed plate highlighting a single cheese; one visit yielded a creamy cow's milk cheese with picture-perfect pieces of toasted brioche, dates and assorted greens.

Service is exemplary, but I figure my anonymity at Boka was virtually nil, so factor that into your expectations.

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The wine list has some good values, along with intriguing bottles that will tempt you out of your price range. The sultry and comfortable lounge is a fine environment in which to cozy up with one of Tim Stanczykiewicz's well-crafted cocktails. After a weekend in New York, Boka's $12 drinks look like outright bargains.

Boka

1729 N. Halsted St.; 312-337-6070

bokachicago.com

Tribune rating: 3 stars

Open: Dinner Monday-Sunday

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Prices: Entrees $22-$33

Credit cards: A, DC, DS, M, V

Reservations: Strongly recommended

Eat. Watch. Do. Weekly What to eat. What to watch. What you need to live your best life ... now. >

Noise: Conversation-friendly

Other: Wheelchair accessible; valet parking

Ratings key:

Four Stars: Outstanding

Three Stars: Excellent

Two Stars: Very good

One Star: Good

No stars: Unsatisfactory

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The reviewer makes every effort to remain anonymous. Meals are paid for by the Tribune.

Watch Phil Vettel's reviews weekends on WGN-Ch. 9's "News at Nine" and on CLTV.

pvettel@tribune.com

Twitter @philvettel
The Edward Williams collection at the Stony Island Arts Bank features thousands of "negrobilia" items dating back centuries. Williams began collecting them to remove the disturbing and racist content from circulation. Now he feels it is important for people to remember the past. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune) (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

In the early 1970s Edward Williams began buying racist images. He bought every one he came across. He bought so many that his wife began to complain about the clutter: What was he planning to do with all of this racist stuff? Sell it? Save it? Many of his finds were tchotchkes  racist tea cozies, racist candles, racist ceramic figurines  but soon he ran out of room to store new racist objects and switched to flatter paper items. Racist children's books, sheet music. At the time Williams was an executive at Harris Bank. The first black man to work for the company, he had grown up on the South Side, above Lang's Bar B Que on South Prairie; his mother cleaned homes and his father was a welder. Williams was at Harris for 40 years, moving up the ranks from teller supervisor to vice president. When he retired in 2004, he was a trustee at the Art Institute of Chicago.

The day he started gathering racist ephemera he wasn't planning on it. He was browsing an antique store in central Indiana and noticed a small card in a gold frame.

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"I saw it from the corner of my eye," he said. "A caricature of a black man in a white clown costume, made to look grotesque. It sent chills down my spine. I was taken aback and I had to get out of there. But I also couldn't stop thinking about it, so I decided I had to buy it  so that no one else could see it. I decided that I wanted it out of circulation."

At first his mission was clear: He traveled the country as a kind of hobby, hitting every antique and memorabilia store he came across, removing from circulation every derogatory doll, postcard and whatnot he found. "But because of the range and depth of this stuff, that wasn't realistic. I didn't have enough money to save the world." So he became discerning, an early aficionado of what many collectors, black and white, call "negrobilia," 19th and 20th century memorabilia, often prosaic, casually racist items.

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Williams and his wife, Ana, had a system: They would enter a store, he would take one aisle, she would take another aisle, then they would sweep the shelves, meeting in the back. Soon collectors recognized them, offering rarities stored beneath their counters. But after more than a decade, the collection grew unwieldy; once, while trying to sell their home, they rented a temporary apartment just to remove the collection from sight. They had more than 6,000 pieces. When Williams retired, his wife asked him to purge it.

So he did.

Thes postcards, depicting African Americans in a negative stereotypical manner, once considered acceptable in advertising, are part of a collection Edward Williams, of Evanston, has donated to the Stony Island Arts Bank. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

You can find the Edward Williams Collection today at the Stony Island Arts Bank, at East 68th Street and Stony Island Avenue, just south of Jackson Park. The building stands out on the strip as a reminder of when the block was booming. It is a large gray cube, a former Stony Island Trust & Savings Bank, solid and imposing, and for the past couple of years, repurposed by the celebrated artist Theaster Gates as a library and art space.

The other day, on the third floor, a team of librarians and preservationists sat around two long tables, stacks of pieces from the Williams Collection waiting before them. They were members of the American Library Association, which was having its annual conference at McCormick Place; they worked at, among others, the University of Southern California, New York Public Library and Texas A&M University. For the past couple of years, depending on where the conference was held, they have identified a library that could use some help and expertise to properly store its collections and spent a day training the staff. Katherine Risseeuw, a preservation librarian at Northwestern University, explained that the goal at Stoney Island was "to slow the collection from breaking down," to ensure "it's properly stored so anyone in the community is able to access it."

Table tops were wrapped in butcher paper. Boxes of white powder-free gloves and storage materials waited to be opened. There were archival "chemically stable enclosures" and soot erasers. There were "four-flap" envelopes that nuzzled books beneath manillalike origami. There were "micro-spatulas" for turning pages and "bone folders" for creasing. There was discussion of how to identify the "historical dirt" found on a piece from the everyday dirt. Maya Wallace, Stony Island's exhibitions assistant, took notes the entire time. The Arts Bank holds several collections: The 15,000 books and magazines that make up the Johnson Collection (as in the late John H. Johnson, publisher of Ebony and Jet); the 5,000 vinyl records that make up the Frankie Knuckles Collection.

A group of librarians and preservationists archive thousands of African American stereotypical items once considered acceptable to put on advertising at the Stony Island Arts Bank, Friday June 23, 2017. The items were collected and donated to the Arts Bank by Edward Williams, of Evanston. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

At the moment, these collections are "part of an ongoing process of rehousing," Wallace said. But with a small staff, and no dedicated collections manager, preservation is an act of triage; and so the dozen or so Arts Bank staff and ALA members focused on Williams' material.

In one corner of the room, librarians worked on books. Williams kept many in plastic, which was not good enough for preservation librarians, who rewrapped each in acid-free sleeves, noting author and title on top of the new folder, for cataloging. They pulled from a stack of books, most published before World War II: a minstrel joke book; "Little Black Sambo," with its cover caricature of a black child talking to an aristocratic fox; a "Young Folks Edition" of "Uncle Tom's Cabin"; a KKK pamphlet preaching a social apocalypse; a KKK expose promising to rank "the atrocities committed" in order of the importance of the people assaulted; "Corky's Pet Parade," a children's book from 1946 in which a black child drinks from a water fountain as white children gaze on in wonder.

One librarian placed a book carefully, and horizontally, as if cradling a hot pie, into a plastic sleeve; the next librarian took a bone folder and pressed at the edges of the book until it was tightly at home in a new folder; then the next noted the title and author.

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The stack of sheet music was even taller, the titles serving as a study in questionable dialects: "Little Bit O' Honey" and "I'm Missin' Mammy's Kissin'" and "Is Yo?" There were binders of newspaper advertising in which every black face was a cartoon of an actual person. There were so many Cream of Wheat ads that two librarians worked just on those. There were reams of original documents that Williams acquired as he became better known by dealers of rare papers, plantation manifests and inventories in which slaves, and horses and tins of food were listed one after the other, all on the same sheet, the handwriting quick, and slanted and difficult, kind of a reminder that time was money.

To watch the staff and librarians lift and examine piece after piece was to watch a room of people cringing and gasping and furrowing their brows and putting hands to their cheeks. "The way this country is headed," one librarian whispered, "you have to hope people don't forget that these objects, and papers and stuff used to be perfectly normal."

This coin bank is part of a collection of items depicting African Americans in a negative stereotypical manner, once considered acceptable in advertising, donated by Edward Williams, of Evanston, to the Stony Island Arts Bank. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Caricatures of children play an outsized role in many of the pieces, black stereotypes being installed and enforced early. A pair of librarians sorted cards with pained faces. Lucy Gonzalez, from Resurrection University in Chicago, put on plastic gloves and turned over a Valentine's Day card that showed a black child, hat in hands, asking "Yo' need a man 'round the house?" Another showed an angelic white boy beside a black girl, her features nearly demonic; at the top was the title "A Study in Black and White."

In the next room  inside heavy wooden drawers, beneath bubble wrap  were a sample of the tchotchkes that Williams had collected. Each drawer pulled out with a shrill screech.

A porcelain ashtray of a black boy eating watermelon, the price tag ($21) still attached to the base; a nude black baby sitting on a toilet, used for storing matchsticks; a dice game called "Snake Eyes" with two leering minstrels peering back from the box art; many black cooks and mammies stuffed, and porcelain, and metal, and wooden and plastic; an Uncle Remus doll from Disney's "Song of the South," and an Aunt Jemima doll; figurines of black servants whose eyes are simply eerie white dots; African tribesmen shaped into chocolates; a heavy iron mammy that doubles as a change bank, and a bank shaped into a black man who eats coins; a figurine of a houseworker with a basket of laundry and a nude black child tugging at her apron; faux voodoo dolls of black women; noise makers decorated with grinning minstrels; bathroom powder brushes carved as black women; silhouettes of nude black caricatures used as swizzle sticks; fishing lures designed to resemble nude black men; candlesticks sculpted into slaves.

And on, and on and on.

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These cleaning brushes are part of a collection donated to the Stony Island Arts Bank by Edward Williams, of Evanston. The collection contains thousands of items Edwards bought mostly at antique stores depicting African Americans in a negative stereotypical manner, once considered acceptable in advertising. (Abel Uribe / Chicago Tribune)

Just before lunch, Williams himself, now 75, arrived. He brought trays of cookies and fruit for the librarians and watched the clusters of preservationists picking systematically through his collection: "This is so much more involved than I expected, to be honest. It's just phenomenal." On the table in front of him was a postcard showing two black children, the caption reading, "I'm sending you a pair of black kids." Asked what it meant, he said it was likely an advertisement for a pair of gloves. He smiled at the absurdity.

He flipped absentmindedly through the stack.

"The more I collected of this, the more I realized the range of stuff that had derogatory black images was endless," he said. The intended message of the advertising was often innocuous, completely disconnected from the racism of the images used to sell an item.

Indeed, to poke through Williams' collection is to be reminded, harshly, of how commodified and ordinary racism has been, and arguably is, in American pop culture. "It was big companies and small companies doing it," he said. "I don't want people to forget when there is no downside to denigrating a race of people, companies will do it."

The Williams Collection is spread about the Arts Bank. Wallace, looking up from a stack of receipts of former slaves, considered the two tables of ephemera, and she calculated:

"What's here is about, maybe, oh 25 percent of the whole collection?"

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She worked as she spoke: "Sooner these pieces are in shape, the more it offers an engagement with them. I want people to see, 30 years from now, these images and confront them. It's absurd, that people thought that they couldn't sell pancakes unless they could be racist. But I know this collection won't live 30 years unless we do this." She slid a bill of sale for a slave into a new sleeve. "I just wish we had five more hours."

cborrelli@chicagotribune.com

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Expand Autoplay Image 1 of 122 Sophie Turner as Jean Grey, anger management student, in "Dark Phoenix." The film, the latest in the "X-Men" franchise, costars James McAvoy, Michael Fassbender and Jessica Chastain. Read the review. (Twentieth Century Fox)
John Dillinger, center, is handcuffed to Deputy Sheriff R. M. Pierce, left, during Dillinger's court hearing in Crown Point, Indiana, during the first weeks of February 1934. Dillinger was charged with killing patrolman William O'Malley, 43, during a bank robbery in East Chicago, Indiana, on Jan. 15, 1934. His trial date was set for March 12, 1934. Dillinger would break out of the Crown Point jail on March 3, 1934. (Chicago Tribune historical photo)

The building that used to stand at 2420 N. Halsted St. is now the site of a pleasant if tiny triangular park named for Julia Porter, who very few, if any, people remember. But on July 4, 1934, an apartment building stood on the site and into one of its apartments moved a bank robber named John Dillinger, whom almost everybody remembers.

He moved there with his girlfriend Polly Hamilton, and their pal, the brothel-owning Anna Sage. And awhile later, on July 22, Dillinger went with Sage and Hamilton to see the movie "Manhattan Melodrama" playing at the Biograph Theater and was shot dead in a nearby alley as he attempted to flee from the FBI agents who had been lying in wait for him.

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Today, of course, we celebrate the date in 1776 of the adoption of the Declaration of Independence. But it is likely that more people  especially Chicagoans  could rattle off a list of local gangsters than they could the names of those who signed the Declaration.

Such is our lingering fascination with bad guys. As I wrote in an introduction to a book that gathered some archival Tribune photos, "Gangsters & Grifters" (Agate Publishing, 2014), "There is no city on the planet that can boast more world-famous bad guys and bloody deeds than Chicago, and  in a mildly disturbing way  we relish the association. Despite the all-too-real modern city violence that annually claims hundreds of victims, many of them innocent children, tales of the past bloodshed and tears that have fallen on our streets have an eerie nostalgic glow."

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That's why I was not at all surprised when on one of the city's Untouchable Tours a couple of years ago I was sitting next to a young woman who told me, "I'm from Austin, Texas. I love John Dillinger."

Though the prolific crime writer Jay Robert Nash has argued in a pair of books  "Dillinger: Dead or Alive?" (1970) and "The Dillinger Dossier" (1983)  that Dillinger did not die July 22, 1934, most others do believe he fell dead and bullet-ridden in that alley.

Some of them have been gathering annually to commemorate the event with what is called Dillinger Day. This was begun by the late Richard Crowe, historian / ghost hunter / tour operator, in the mid-1970s and done in collaboration with The John Dillinger Died For You Society, a group formed over drinks in 1966 in Austin by a lively and imaginative group of University of Texas graduates and their professor.

Since Crowe's death in 2012, Dillinger Day has been orchestrated by an interesting guy named Steve Sato, musician/historian/activist/author, and he tells me, "My interest and fascination with John Dillinger history can be traced, to some extent, to being born and raised in Chicago. When you grow up in Chicago, there's an almost 'a priori' awareness of Al Capone, the St. Valentine's Day Massacre, Frank Nitti, Eliot Ness, Bugs Moran, Baby Face Nelson and John Dillinger."

When he was a little boy in the early 1970s, he accompanied his father to an optometrist's office on Lincoln Avenue. "It was next door to the Biograph," Sato says. "And I remember my dad pointing south and saying, 'That's where John Dillinger was shot and killed.'"

He was fascinated and eventually started attending the Dillinger Day events. He was also cast as a stand-in when director Michael Mann filmed the 2009 movie "Public Enemies" here in 2009 (Johnny Depp played Dillinger), became pals with William J. Helmer, a former senior editor at Playboy who has written extensively about Dillinger and was one of the founders of The John Dillinger Died For You Society, and a lot of other authors.

Sato also met some of Dillinger's relatives when he drove to Dillinger's hometown of Mooresville, Ind., to attend the January 2015 funeral of his sister, Frances Dillinger Thompson. That included her son, Mike Thompson, a nice guy who attended the Dillinger Day event a couple of years ago.

He might be there July 22 when Sato and others will gather at about 5 p.m. for drinks and conversation at the Red Lion Pub, a terrific and history-minded spot at 2446 N. Lincoln Ave. (redlionchicago.com) before heading a bit south to Lincoln Station Bar & Grill (lincolnstation.com) where some formal activities will begin at 7 p.m. These will include songs, a video, more conversation and special guests such as Ellen Poulsen, author of "Don't Call Us Molls: Women of the John Dillinger Gang." At 10 p.m. Sato and others, including wife Aimee and their 20-year-old son Dellinger (named for Sato's late friend, the activist/pacifist and one of the Chicago Seven, David Dellinger) will follow a bagpipe procession across the street to the alley where Dillinger was shot. There a ceremony will be held.

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So, as all these people (and perhaps you too) remember Dillinger  there is no admission for this event  think about that little park near the alley, the one named for Julia Porter.

That's another bit of our history, of a kinder sort. Porter is a woman who in 1882, mourning the loss of her 13-year-old son, Maurice, transformed her grief into a gift: the creation of an eight-bed cottage at Halsted Street and Belden Avenue for the free care and treatment of sick children. It was named the Maurice Porter Memorial Hospital, which would later become Children's Memorial Hospital and is now Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. But perhaps you already knew that.

rkogan@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @rickkogan

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Brookfield Zoo is offering several hands-on experiences with animals, specifically giraffes and penguins. More than 500 guests have signed up for the penguin encounter offered since early June. The outdoor animal encounter with giraffes  the first of its kind in the Chicago area  began in late May and since has served up nearly 3,200 feedings. (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune) (Nancy Stone / Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

For Logan Wehrle's second birthday, his parents brought him to Brookfield Zoo, where he stood Monday on a short wooden box with a piece of kale in his outstretched hand.

Arnieta, a 10-year-old giraffe, bent down her neck and stuck out her tongue to grab the treat.

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"He loves giraffes," said his mother, Robyn Wehrle, who lives in Elgin. "... I consider it a wild animal, so to be able to get up and close and see how they are so close is awesome."

Many zoo visits mean looking at animals from behind bars and windows, but this summer Brookfield Zoo is giving visitors more hands-on experiences, including the chance to feed giraffes and get up close and personal with penguins.

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The new outdoor animal encounter with giraffes  the first of its kind in the Chicago area  began in late May and since has served up nearly 3,200 feedings, zoo officials said. The program will continue at least until Labor Day.

For $10 in addition to general admission, visitors can serve giraffes a combination of treats including romaine lettuce and kale, as well as leaves, twigs and branches cut down and delivered by ComEd from trees trimmed along overhead power lines.

"It was so cute," said Gail Stojak, 55, who lives in Orland Hills and fed crunchy kale to Jasiri, an 11-year-old giraffe, Monday at the zoo. "They're such beautiful animals, and to see them within two feet is what is so worth it."

Visitors spend about five to 10 minutes with the food in their hands, waiting at ground level for a giraffe  which is typically 14 to 17 feet tall  to mosey up to the fence and lower its head for a snack.

"Most people don't realize how they use their tongue and how long their tongue is," said Bill Zeigler, senior vice president of animal programs, who said the creature's tongue can be 10 to 14 inches long. "They wrap the tongue around the branch, and as they pull back they'll strip the leaves off."

During the feeding time, an animal care specialist is on hand to educate guests about how the zoo is supporting conservation efforts of reticulated giraffes in Africa.

"Everyone understands the plight of elephants and gorillas, but what they don't understand are the silent issues going on with giraffes," Zeigler said, such as poaching and the dwindling population.

The zoo's research team surveyed guests and found that they were interested in engaging more with animals, Zeigler said. In 2015, the zoo created its Animal Ambassador Program, in which staffers remove animals from their exhibits to interact with visitors on zoo grounds. The giraffe encounter is another way to provide greater access to animals under controlled situations, he said.

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Additionally, it helps fulfill the mission of the Chicago Zoological Society, a private nonprofit organization that operates Brookfield Zoo, to inspire conservation leadership by connecting people with wildlife and nature, he said.

"We want to engage people more with animals and staff, make them more aware of conservation issues that surround particular species we're working with and hopefully provide a unique experience as well," Zeigler said.

Brookfield also offers a personal experience with penguins, similar to programs available at Lincoln Park Zoo and the Shedd Aquarium.

Lincoln Park Zoo began its penguin experience in the spring, charging $60 per person to enter the African penguins exhibit, where the penguins are free to approach visitors but guests cannot touch or feed the birds.

The Shedd offers a penguin encounter in which guests can stroke a Magellanic penguin's back and wing for $75.95 for adults and $66.95 for children, a price that also includes express entry, admission to all exhibits, a ticket to the next available aquatic presentation and a complimentary photo. In addition, Shedd visitors can touch the skin of a beluga whale and stingray and assist a trainer for the day and feed animals.

At Brookfield Zoo, more than 500 guests have signed up for the $40 penguin encounter offered since early June. Before the birds waddle into the room during 45-minute sessions, visitors are informed of the zoo's efforts to protect Humboldt penguins in a coastal area of Peru.

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"The penguins can decide to come up to you or not and engage with you. When they do, we allow people to touch them," Zeigler said. Zoo visitors may find that the 26-inch-tall penguins have an oil base and feathers that are much stiffer and less fluffy than those of other birds, he said.

Leslie Castillo decided to surprise her daughter, Risa, with a penguin visit on Monday for the girl's 5th birthday.

"She's an animal lover," said Leslie Castillo, of La Grange Park. "She can't get enough."

Risa held her birthday gift  a stuffed penguin toy  when two penguins, 5-year-old Pepe and 4-month-old Kukla, entered the zoo room and waddled over to her. The girl's hand gently stroked their backs.

"It (felt) like slime and water," Risa said afterward. "Penguins are so cute!"

Giraffe feedings are held from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. daily, and penguin encounters are offered at 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

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General admission to Brookfield Zoo is $19.85 for adults and $14.50 for children 3 to 11 and seniors 65 and over. Children 2 and under are admitted free.

lvivanco@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lvivanco
Dozens of people demonstrated outside of the federal courthouse in Urbana, Ill., on July 3, 2017, to show support for Yingying Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois who went missing, during the bond hearing for Brendt Christensen, who is accused of kidnapping Zhang. (Alexandra Wimley / Chicago Tribune) (Alexandra Wimley/Chicago Tribune/Chicago Tribune)

URBANA, Ill.  As the suspect in the alleged kidnapping of a University of Illinois visiting scholar from China shuffled into federal court Monday morning  the sounds of his ankle shackles rattling  he did so under the watchful, collective stare of a community that has been deeply unsettled by the alleged crime against one of their own.

Dozens of students, graduates and staff members from the campus packed into the courtroom in Urbana as Brendt A. Christensen, of Champaign, faced his first court hearing on charges that he kidnapped 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, who disappeared June 9.

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Scores more staged a quiet demonstration on the grass outside the courthouse to demand justice for Zhang and her family, and lined up outside the entrance in hopes of watching the proceedings. The majority were turned away by security when the small room quickly reached capacity. Phones were not allowed, leaving those inside to serve as messengers for those anxiously awaiting any news.

Several Chinese reporters joined the crush of media coverage  a reflection of the intense attention Zhang's disappearance has generated in China  livestreaming interviews with students in Mandarin, filming themselves on their iPhones to provide updates and conferring with English-speaking reporters to better understand the convoluted mishmash of American courthouse terminology.

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The hearing itself was brief, lasting only nine minutes. U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric I. Long ordered Christensen held in the custody of U.S. Marshals until at least Wednesday, when there will be a detention hearing to determine whether the 28-year-old will stay in prison pending trial.

Some observers said the large turnout was meant to send a message of solidarity among the area's Chinese community and serve notice to authorities that they will be watching. It also provided a chance for friends and classmates to come together for the first time since Department of Justice and FBI officials announced late Friday that Zhang was most likely dead.

"It's our place to mourn for Yingying," said Eugene Yuxin, 22, a first-year graduate student at University of Illinois.

The FBI alleges that Christensen, a onetime doctoral candidate in physics at the University of Illinois, kidnapped Zhang from near a bus stop on campus around 2 p.m. June 9, took her back to his apartment and held her against her will. He was arrested Friday, which marked his 28th birthday and the three-week mark of Zhang's disappearance.

The day before, Christensen was spotted at a vigil held Thursday for the missing student, according to the News-Gazette, a local newspaper covering Champaign-Urbana. The publication cited a picture of the vigil that showed a man looking like Christensen, and confirmed his attendance with local police, though the FBI did not comment.

Even then, he was under surveillance by local officials, according to the complaint filed by the FBI.

Zhang, who arrived at the campus in April and was contributing to research in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, remained missing as of Monday. Authorities have yet to detail why they believe that Zhang is dead.

As about 50 people waited in the lobby, guards escorted Zhang's father, aunt, boyfriend and several other supporters into the courtroom first. They all took seats along the left side of the gallery.

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Moments later, a young woman with long, black hair, and an older man and woman followed, sitting in a row along the opposite side. They did not speak to reporters and officials would not comment about their identity.

The observers allowed to watch the proceeding packed into the remaining seats on the right side.

People in the gallery shifted as Christensen walked in but showed no emotion. Those toward the back occasionally stood to get a better view, and leaned forward in their seats, straining to hear Long and the attorneys.

Wearing a short-sleeved, gray-striped prison jumpsuit, Christensen did not hazard a glance toward the gallery. He spoke only to answer "yes" to Long's procedural questions about whether he understood the charges against him and understood his rights to remain silent and to have an attorney.

Asked about bail, U.S. Assistant Attorney Bryan Freres said the government wanted Christensen held in custody pending trial. Christensen's attorney, Evan Bruno, asked and was granted extra time to confer with his client, leading Long to schedule a detention hearing for Wednesday.

Long also scheduled a preliminary hearing for July 14.

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Christensen then was led out of the room. Observers who streamed into the lobby asked English-speaking reporters to explain what happened, then translated for their friends.

Zhang's family left the courthouse about an hour later but did not speak with reporters.

Bruno, who is based in Urbana, said he met with Christensen a few times and asked for people not to rush to judgment about the facts.

He would not say whether any of Christensen's relatives attended the hearing Monday.

"I encourage everyone to be patient, to keep an open mind, to wait until the evidence comes in," Bruno said. "At this point we're very early on in the case and as long as everyone keeps an open mind, listens to the evidence and doesn't jump to conclusions, I think that will be for the best."

Zhidong Wang, a Chicago attorney, said he had been meeting with the Zhangs regularly over the past few weeks and helping provide emotional support and translation as the investigation continued. He now is assisting the family in court, to help them understand the legal process.

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Yingying's father, aunt and boyfriend all came to the United States in mid-June and have been staying in university housing. Her mother and younger brother remain home in China, Wang said. Well-wishers have donated more than $115,000 to assist the family with their living expenses and to help post a reward leading to Yingying's location.

Wang, also originally from China, said Yingying's family felt "some sort of relief" when news emerged that the FBI had found the car Christensen allegedly drove in the kidnapping, and was holding out hope that they would get a call saying she had been found alive.

Friday's announcement devastated them, Wang said.

"That night, I don't think any one of the three slept even a minute," Wang said. "It was very painful to witness what they suffered."

Now that Christensen has been arrested, Wang said, the family is determined to see the criminal case through to the end and get justice for Zhang. But one thing has to take precedence.

"Their No. 1 priority is to find Yingying and to bring her home," Wang said.

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Tribune reporter Robert McCoppin contributed.

drhodes@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @rhodes_dawn
The Fourth of July fireworks at Navy Pier begin at 9:30 p.m. (Zbigniew Bzdak/Chicago Tribune 2016)

Navy Pier is preparing to light up the Chicago skyline with a fireworks extravaganza Tuesday that's part of its annual Independence Day celebration. It's the city's only official lakefront fireworks show and will feature a 15-minute display synchronized with patriotic music.

Here's what you need to know about how to get there, when the festivities begin and what happens if Navy Pier reaches capacity.

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When do the fireworks start?

The fireworks display begins at 9:30 p.m. on the Fourth of July. Navy Pier opens to the public at 10 a.m. and closes at 10 p.m. Tuesday.

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People can watch the fireworks from Navy Pier's 27,000-square-foot rooftop, where the annual Freedom Fest kicks off at 6:30 p.m. with a DJ, barbecue and cash bar at the cost of $39 for a general admission, standing room-only ticket.

What's the best way to get there?

The free Navy Pier trolley will run from 10 a.m. until midnight Tuesday on a looping route, providing transportation between Navy Pier and various parking garages, along Grand Avenue to State Street, and the Art Institute.

There will be additional CTA train service  including longer trains on the Blue, Brown and Orange lines and more frequent service on the Red Line from 6 p.m. to midnight from Howard and from 7 p.m. to midnight from 95th/Dan Ryan; Pink Line from 7 to 11 p.m.; and Purple Line 4:30 to 11 p.m. Bikes won't be allowed on trains.

Increased bus service will be provided along routes serving Navy Pier, downtown Loop and lakefront areas, including No. 3 King Drive, No. 4 Cottage Grove, No. 12 Roosevelt, No. 29 State, No. 65 Grand, No. 66 Chicago, No. 72 North, No. 124 Navy Pier and No. J14 Jeffery Jump.

Bus riders traveling to Navy Pier will be re-routed to exit buses at Grand Avenue and Peshtigo Court west of Lake Shore Drive and walk a couple of blocks east to the pier, because the Navy Pier terminal will be closed from 7:45 to 11 p.m. After the fireworks, CTA riders will be directed to board buses at the pier's circular drive.

Metra is offering a special $8 holiday pass good for unlimited travel Tuesday.

Cyclists and pedestrians can take the Lakefront Trail to Navy Pier. Divvy will offer its free bike valet service at Streeter Drive and Grand Avenue until midnight.

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People opting to take Uber or Lyft should get dropped off or picked up at a location west of the Lake Shore Drive overpass. All Navy Pier-designated locations for ride-share vehicles curbside at Grand Avenue, the middle parking circle and the east parking circle will not be available Tuesday.

Taxis will be moved from the regular stand location to Grand Avenue between Streeter Drive and Lake Shore Drive in the special traffic lanes inside the west end of Polk Bros. Park.

Drivers may notice Navy Pier's on-site parking garages reaching capacity early. They also can park at any of the three partner garages for a discounted rate of $15 with validation from Navy Pier. Those garages are Grand Plaza at 540 N. State St.; Ogden Plaza at 300 E. North Water St.; and Millennium Lakeside at 5 S. Columbus Drive.

What's the security plan?

Navy Pier will have its own private security firm along with Chicago police on the premises. There will be security checkpoints at entrances, exits and other locations at Navy Pier.

Large bags and backpacks are discouraged. The list of prohibited items includes coolers, bikes, skateboards, in-line skakes, outside alcohol and pets with the exception of service animals.

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No parking or loitering is allowed on the streets adjacent to Navy Pier, including Streeter Drive, Grand Avenue and Illinois Street.

What happens if too many people head to the pier?

Navy Pier is encouraging people to arrive early, because large crowds are expected. The tourist attraction is anticipating closing its gates on the Fourth of July upon reaching capacity.

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If the gates are closed due to crowds, people with tickets to the Freedom Fest, Chicago Shakespeare Theater, IMAX Theatre and boat cruises will be directed to a tent in north Polk Bros. Park to check in and get further instructions to gain entry.

If people leave Navy Pier after the gates are closed, they are not guaranteed access back to the pier.

Are children allowed without an adult?

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Guests younger than 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian, according to Navy Pier's youth escort policy that will be in effect Tuesday.

Older visitors may be asked to present a valid driver's license, state ID or military ID upon entering Navy Pier.

lvivanco@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @lvivanco
An Albany Park man died trying to rescue his 11-year-old nephew who fell from a small boat off the 63rd Street Beach Monday afternoon, authorities said.



"He was a hero, he died being a hero," Michael Hammond said of his 31-year-old brother James. "My brother is courageous."



James Hammond had just recently bought the boat and had gone out on the lake with three young relatives, including the nephew, according to family and Deputy District Fire Chief Ron Dorneker, head of marine and dive operations.



The nephew fell from the boat around 12:45 p.m. and Hammond jumped in after him, Dorneker said.



Hammond, who was not wearing a lifejacket, disappeared under the surface while lifeguards came to the aid of the nephew, who was wearing a jacket, Dorneker said.



"Lifeguards on the beach heard the commotion and were able to quickly row out in a lifeguard rowboat and assist the 11-year-old that was in the water," he said.



Hammond was found by divers and taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the Fire Department. The boy was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition.



Michael Hammond said he got a call from his daughter on the boat saying James had disappeared under the water.

Hammond said his brother was "always helping others." He lived in the 4400 block of North Drake Avenue, according to the medical examiner.



At the scene, Chicago police officers closed off a section of the beach with yellow tape as beachgoers grilled and played volleyball. Some huddled together and watched the officers and firefighters near the beach parking lot.



Some started packing their cars to leave, their July Fourth plans cut short by the accident.



"Guess we'll head out," a mother told her young son as he pouted.



The Chicago Tribune's Terrence Antonio James and WGN-TV contributed.
Bensenville School District 2 is mourning the deaths of two staff members. Thomas DeMauro, a physical education teacher at Tioga Elementary School, where students left remembrances, and Charles "Chuck" Tomlitz, a maintenance director for School District 2, were among six people found dead among the wreckage of a small private airplane that officials said crashed into a rural Wisconsin forest July 1, 2017. (John Hector / Chicago Tribune)

A weekend fishing trip between fathers and sons, neighbors and friends turned tragic early Saturday when a small plane carrying six men  five from the western suburbs  crashed, killing all on board.

The men were Thomas DeMauro, 56, and his son Kyle DeMauro, 21, both of the Bensenville area; their next-door neighbor Kevin King, 70; Charles Tomlitz, 69, of Addison, and his son George Tomlitz, 45, of Brookfield; and James Francis, 63, of Norco, Calif.

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Thomas DeMauro was a physical education teacher at Tioga Elementary School in Bensenville, and Charles Tomlitz was the maintenance director for the school and others in Bensenville School District 2, according to district officials.

The group left from Waukegan National Airport at 12:25 a.m. Saturday on board King's Cessna 421 airplane, on their way to Canada for a fishing trip, according to officials and neighbors.

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At 3:21 a.m., the plane went down in northern Wisconsin, near Phillips, said Price County sheriff's police. The debris suggests the plane broke apart while in the air, and just before it dropped off radar there was a discussion between the pilot and air traffic controllers about "local weather phenomenon," according to National Transportation Safety Board investigators. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Neighbors living on Fischer Drive, where the DeMauro and King families were longtime residents, said they were still shocked Monday at the news they had lost three from their tight-knit community.

Faye Jett said she has lived on Fischer Drive for about 25 years. She remembers when Thomas and Candice DeMauro moved in a couple houses down a few years later and eventually started their family  sons Kyle and Tyler, who is now a student at Fenton High School, where Candice teaches. Next door to the DeMauros lived King, who was one of the original owners on the small, wooded block off Route 83 just outside Bensenville limits, Jett said.

Neighbors on the secluded street all know each other and get along well, she said.

"You couldn't help just love one another," she said, looking toward the King and DeMauro homes. The two men were friends, avid fishermen and good neighbors, Jett said.

Both were well-respected in the community, she added. King was a pilot who also owned a tool and die business, and DeMauro taught many of the area children in school, including her nieces and nephews, Jett said.

Flowers, balloons and signs sat outside Tioga Elementary School on Monday afternoon, and district officials announced on the District 2 website that grief counselors would be available from 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday at Tioga, as well as at Fenton High School. Messages of support appeared on Tioga's Facebook page for the DeMauro and Tomlitz families.

A statement from Superintendent Jim Stelter was also on the website: "Our staff and community are grieving the loss of Thomas DeMauro, Tioga Physical Education teacher, his son Kyle DeMauro, Charles (Chuck) Tomlitz, Maintenance Director for BSD2, his son, George Tomlitz, and the others on board, who were all killed in a plane crash en route to a Canadian fishing trip. Please keep them and their families in your thoughts and prayers during this extremely difficult time."

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Roberta Murphy, co-president of Bensenville Education Association, said Thomas DeMauro and Charles Tomlitz had taken other fishing trips together. She said the school community is "devastated."

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"Both men would go above and beyond for anybody," she said.

Jett recalled how she was sitting outside Saturday afternoon when she saw police cars head down the block toward the DeMauro and King homes. After learning what happened, Jett went to comfort the grieving families. "It's terrible. It's something you can't get out of your head."

The DeMauro family released a statement to a Wisconsin TV station, saying, "Tom was our beloved son, husband, father, brother, uncle, friend, teacher and coach. Kyle was our dear son, brother, grandson, nephew and friend; a compassionate young man who had a promising future," and expressed support for the other families affected.

Mike Gonzales, who lives across the street from the DeMauro and King families, said he also was shocked at losing his neighbors. He said he's lived on the block 14 years and coached Kyle DeMauro in baseball when he was younger.

Gonzales added King was an experienced pilot who had flown fighter jets during the Vietnam war. "He was a guy who flew his whole life."

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"I'm trying to make sense of the insensible," he said.

The Associated Press contributed.
A Cortland County man was charged in connection with a boating incident that left another man critically injured Sunday on Skaneateles Lake, the Onondaga County Sheriff's Office said.

Sheriff's deputies said Erich Lindhorst, 28, of Cortland, was operating a 19-foot Sea Ray vessel late Sunday afternoon while under the influence of alcohol when he placed the boat in reverse and hit his friend Kyle Crosley, 28, of Penfield, who was swimming behind the boat.

The sheriff's navigation unit was dispatched to the scene at about 5:46 p.m. and discovered Crosley with "a lower traumatic injury sustained by a boat propeller," according to the sheriff's office. Two medical doctors who were in the area provided treatment at the scene and Crosley was flown to Upstate University Hospital in Syracuse.

As of Monday afternoon around 3 p.m., Crosley's condition was upgraded from critical to stable as he continues to recover in the ICU, according to the sheriff's office.

Lindhorst was charged with first-degree vehicular assault and boating while intoxicated. He was arraigned in the town of Skaneateles Court Monday afternoon.

Bail was set at $5,000 cash or $5,000 bond, according to the sheriff's office.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois House on Sunday approved a major income tax increase as more than a dozen Republicans broke ranks with Gov. Bruce Rauner amid the intense pressure of a budget impasse that's entered its third year.

The Republican governor immediately vowed to veto the measure, saying Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan was "protecting the special interests and refusing to reform the status quo."

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The measure, which needed 71 votes to pass and got 72, is designed to start digging the state out of a morass left by the lengthy stalemate. Madigan, in a statement, praised the action as "a crucial step toward reaching a compromise that ends the budget crisis by passing a fully funded state budget in a bipartisan way."

The tax hike now heads to the Senate, but whether there will be enough votes to send it to Rauner's desk is in question. When the Senate approved its own tax hike in late May, no Republicans voted for it and several Democrats voted against it. Senators return to the Capitol on Monday.

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The crucial vote in the House was the big story Sunday, though. Ultimately, pressure that had built up in districts across the state moved enough Republicans to defy the governor.

With state government operating without a budget for two full years, public universities risk losing their accreditation, social service providers are closing their doors and layoffs of road construction workers are imminent. Adding to lawmakers' anxiety was a promised downgrade of the state's credit rating to junk status, which could spike the cost of borrowing at a time when the state has $15 billion in unpaid bills.

Left out of the House budget package was a plan for dealing with the unpaid bills, though both sides generally agree that some amount of borrowing will be needed.

Rauner, a former private equity specialist from Winnetka, had spent tens of millions of dollars on legislative campaigns and TV ads to prop up the Illinois Republican Party as a counterweight to Madigan and his labor union allies. And Republican lawmakers largely had stuck by their governor  until Sunday.

A pair of Downstate Republicans summed up the split.

"For me right here today, right here, right now, this is the sword that I'm willing to die on," said Rep. Michael Unes, a Republican from East Peoria. "And if it costs me my seat, so be it."

Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said while she hated taxes, as a fiscal conservative she could not stand by while the state cannot pay billions of dollars in bills owed to small businesses.

Bryant teared up when explaining that she must do what is best for her district, which includes Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

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"I hope you will help me bring my university back," said Bryant, who added that she expected to face a primary challenge because of her vote.

Fifteen Republicans broke ranks with Rauner to join 57 Democrats in voting for the tax hike. A dozen Republicans were from Downstate, where many of the state's public universities, prisons and other state facilities are located. Another three were from the suburbs.

Getting so many Republican votes allowed 10 Democrats to vote against the tax increase. Six are from the suburbs and four Downstate, and all are potentially targeted for defeat next year by the Rauner-funded Illinois Republican Party.

Democratic leaders portrayed the vote as an attempt to let rank-and-file lawmakers from both sides do something to show their seriousness about putting an end to the budget stalemate in the face of concerns the state's credit rating will hit a first-in-the-nation junk status.

Republican leaders, though, saw it as a politically motivated attempt to force those in their ranks into a corner. Shortly before voting began, Democrats introduced revamped tax and spending plans, prompting House Republican Leader Jim Durkin to say the process had been "hijacked."

Following the vote, Durkin rejected the notion that the outcome amounted to a defeat for Rauner and Durkin's own leadership of House Republicans. The governor had kept out of the public eye during much of recent negotiations, and Durkin assumed the role of Rauner's proxy in the talks with Madigan and Democratic Senate President John Cullerton.

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Durkin said House Republicans who voted for the tax increase succumbed to intense pressure made worse by the belief that Democrats would not cave on the changes Rauner wanted.

"There's going to be another vote on this, but the fact is we've done a pretty good job over the last three years hanging together," Durkin said. "I knew this was going to be a tough vote. I'll let my members decide how they characterize me after today. I've done what I could to operate in good faith and keep my caucus together."

Durkin noted that the vote may not mean Illinois is out of the woods when it comes to a potential credit downgrade.

"It is not law yet. It is not law," Durkin said. "I don't know how much value the bond houses put into legislation that is facing a veto from the governor."

Sponsoring Rep. Greg Harris, Madigan's top budget negotiator, said during debate that it was time for lawmakers to "rise above" the partisan gridlock of the past several years that is likely to have repercussions for years to come.

"Today, we can change the awful trajectory of the last several years. We can vote. We can do our jobs. We can get it done," Harris said. "We all love this state, and we know we cannot delay any longer."

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State Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, yells during the overtime session at the state Capitol on July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. (Justin L. Fowler / AP)

Just two days earlier, nearly two dozen Republicans had joined Democrats to tentatively approve a spending plan, with Madigan and Durkin telling lawmakers the vote was an expression of good faith as negotiations continued.

State spending has been on autopilot during the impasse, vastly outpacing revenues after the January 2015 expiration of a temporary income tax increase.

The proposal mirrors a plan the Senate passed earlier this year and calls for raising the personal income tax rate from the current 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent, which would generate roughly $4.3 billion. An increase in the corporate income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 7 percent would bring in another $460 million.

Unlike the Senate measure, the tax hike would not be retroactive to Jan. 1 but instead would begin with the Saturday start of the budget year. That change, sought by Republicans, was designed to avoid having people pay even more in income taxes the rest of the year to catch up for the past six months. Also out is an expansion of sales taxes to some services. The tax hike would be permanent, against Rauner's desire to make it temporary to match a temporary property tax freeze he is seeking.

The legislation would also reinstate the research and development tax credit, which would expire in 2022, and increase the earned income tax credit for low-income families. It also ends several corporate tax breaks, including those for companies that operate on the continental shelves or shift production out of state.

After approving the tax increase, House lawmakers quickly signed off on a reworked spending plan that would funnel funds to local schools, social service programs, higher education and other state operations such as the lottery, prisons and road projects. That measure passed 81-34, receiving nine more votes than the tax plan that was needed to cover the cost of the spending.

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Under the revised budget blueprint, the state would spend a little more than $36 billion, a roughly $400 million cut from the plan House Democrats first floated. Universities would see cuts of 10 percent instead of the 5 percent in the earlier proposal.

The budget also contains a provision that would prevent monthly school aid payments from going out unless there's also an "evidence based" funding model, an attempt by Democrats to force Rauner to sign a measure they've already passed to revamp how dollars are doled out to schools. Rauner has said that plan amounts to a bailout for troubled Chicago schools.

The Sunday House tax vote capped a tumultuous three days. By Saturday morning, the tone of optimism that had briefly overtaken the Capitol on Friday had started to shift. Madigan announced that no votes would occur on Sunday, which would have given his members some time to go home for a few nights. Durkin accused Madigan of trying to slow momentum.

That dispute sparked angry outbursts on the floor. Rep. Grant Wehrli of Naperville shouted that Madigan was "Speaker Junk," a reference to the anticipated credit rating downgrade to junk status as the state entered a new fiscal year without a budget in place.

Hours later, Madigan reversed course and announced his plans to put the tax plan up for a vote on Sunday, even though it was clear Durkin would not deliver the 30 GOP votes the speaker has asked of him. Democrats said it was time to see who was ready to vote for a tax hike, saying that some Republicans have expressed a desire to break from Rauner and support the plan.

Indeed, Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, voted in favor of the tax bill, saying Sunday that he was not elected "to preside over the financial destruction of this state."

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"How many of our business people have told us they need stability?" Harris said. "This revenue bill gives them that, and it ends some of the horrible dysfunction that has infected our government."

Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston, whose district is home to Eastern Illinois University, said he credited the state's college tuition grant program for making it possible for him to attend college. He also noted that he is a business owner in Charleston and the financial troubles caused to universities by the state budget impasse have rippled into university towns.

"I'd like to save my university. I'd like to save my town," Phillips said. "And so although it's against some of the principles that I came here for, I am going to vote for this bill."

While Rauner has said he could support a tax hike, his signature comes with a list of conditions.

Rauner is pushing for a property tax freeze in exchange for his approval of an income tax hike. Democrats are open to a four-year freeze, but the governor argues that if a freeze is temporary, the income tax increase should also be temporary. Democrats have opposed that, saying it will lead to more financial problems down the road.

Another holdup centers on Rauner's push to overhaul the state's workers' compensation system. Rauner wants to cut fees doctors get for treating patients, which advocates say will help businesses control costs. Democrats say the fees were slashed several years ago and want tougher oversight of insurance rates, contending the industry hasn't passed along savings.

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The Democratic-controlled legislature has yet to meet Rauner's conditions, and the governor blasted them Sunday.

"Illinois families don't deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs," Rauner said in a statement. "Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits. But tonight they got more of the same."

Rauner and his Republican allies have also pushed in negotiations to keep any eventual tax hike as low as possible. When House Democrats crafted their tax-hike bill, they kept rates at the level that Senate Republicans had insisted upon when negotiations were taking place in the Senate.

That left some Democrats dissatisfied with the amount of money that would be available to fund programs and services that have been starved of cash for the past two years.

Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said the budget plan was "not a compassionate budget," and was instead a "compromise that's brought on by the threat of a junk bond rating, not by the pain of the people."

mcgarcia@chicagotribune.com

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kgeiger@chicagotribune.com
Welcome to Clout Street: Morning Spin, our weekday feature to catch you up with what's going on in government and politics from Chicago to Springfield. Subscribe here.

Topspin

While you were enjoying your holiday weekend, the Illinois House on Sunday night voted for a major income tax increase. Let's recap, break down the roll call and look at where things might go from here.



*What does it do? The tax hike proposal mirrors a plan the Senate passed earlier this year and calls for raising the personal income tax rate from the current 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent, which would generate roughly $4.3 billion. An increase in the corporate income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 7 percent would bring in another $460 million.



*When would it take effect? It would be retroactive to Saturday (July 1), the start of the state budget year. (The Senate version made it retroactive to Jan. 1, which meant an even bigger chunk out of your paycheck for the rest of the year.)



*Why did it pass? I thought House Republicans were allied with Gov. Bruce Rauner, who opposes the tax hike? It was a matter of pressure. Many of the House Republicans who voted for the tax hike are from Downstate, and that's where a lot of public universities and other state facilities are located. A threatened Wall Street credit downgrade to take the state down to junk status also loomed as soon as Monday. And without a budget, road construction workers faced layoffs in the middle of the summer.



*How narrow was the margin? The House vote was 72-45 on a bill that needed 71 votes to pass. A three-fifths majority was required since the General Assembly had gone past its May 31 deadline. You can see How They Voted here.



*Break it down for me? The tax hike got 57 Democratic votes and 15 Republican votes. That's the 72. The 45? Well, 35 House Republicans voted against the tax hike. But so many Republicans voted for it that House Speaker Michael Madigan was able to spare 10 Democrats from taking a politically risky vote. Six are from the suburbs and four are from Downstate, and all could be targeted for defeat next year by the Rauner-funded Illinois Republican Party.



*What's next? The tax hike and budget plan goes to the Senate. The House also has yet to pass a budget implementation act. That's known as the BIMP, the type of statehouse jargon we don't normally use, but we figure if you're still reading at this point, you're a political junkie.



*What are the prospects in the Senate? In May, the Senate approved a similar tax hike with 32 votes, all of them by Democrats. But now, they would need 36 to approve the House tax hike. There are 37 Democrats in the Senate and 22 Republicans. Getting Republicans to sign on to a tax hike is a big lift given Rauner's opposition, but 15 GOP lawmakers in the House voted for the plan Sunday night.



*Who might get leaned on in the Senate? Senate President John Cullerton spent much of June crowing that the Senate had done its work and it was time for the House to step up. The proverbial shoe is now on the other foot. If Cullerton has to go it alone, only one Senate Democrat can withhold a vote for the tax hike for it to pass. Five Senate Democrats did not vote for the May tax hike, so they'd likely be the ones Cullerton has to arm twist: Sen. Tom Cullerton from DuPage County, Sen. Mike Hastings from the southwest suburbs, Sen. Julie Morrison from Lake County, Sen. Steve Stadelman from Rockford and Sen. Bill Haine from near St. Louis. Of course, if a Republican or two voted for the tax hike, that's fewer Democrats Cullerton will have to persuade.



*What if Rauner vetoes the tax hike? He's already said he plans to do so should it reach his desk. To override, the House would need 71 votes (the bill passed with 72 on Sunday night), and the Senate 36.



*What happens Monday? The House is in at 10 a.m. The Senate also is in, time TBA. There's a meeting of the legislative leaders at 1 p.m.



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What's on tap

*Mayor Rahm Emanuel has no public schedule.

*Gov. Rauner's schedule wasn't available.

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*The Illinois House and Senate continue meeting in special session.

*It's a four-day holiday weekend for most. Programming note: Morning Spin is likely to return Thursday, though we could do a Wednesday edition if news warrants.



From the notebook

*Aldermen want assessment hearing: Four aldermen who at various times have politically battled Cook County Assessor Joe Berrios have called for a City Council hearing on the fairness of the county's property tax assessment system in the wake of a Tribune story that concluded it favored the wealthy at the expense of the poor.

Whether the hearing is held is far from certain, given that it was assigned to the Finance Committee. Its chairman, 14th Ward Ald. Ed Burke, is an old-school Democrat who wields considerable influence within the Cook County Democratic Party. Berrios is chairman of that organization.

But the resolution, introduced last Wednesday, sends something of a political message as Berrios faces a potential challenge in next year's election from asset manager Fritz Kaegi.

Ald Proco "Joe" Moreno, 1st, one of the resolution's sponsors, confirmed Friday he plans to endorse Kaegi. The other sponsors  Ald. Gilbert Villegas, 36th, Ald. Scott Waguespack, 32nd, and Ald. John Arena, 45th  like Moreno have all been at political odds with Berrios in previous election contests.

Their resolution notes that faulty assessments can have "undue negative impacts on minority communities" and calls for the city's lawyers to find law firms that would not charge to help property owners challenge assessments that came in at more than 7 percent of the actual market value.

It also calls on the assessor and Board of Review, for which Berrios once was a commissioner, to come up with a plan to "resolve the inequities associated with the current assessment system." And it would require city attorneys to determine if the current system violates civil rights and if legal action should be taken to challenge the system.

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Berrios has defended the assessment system, but nevertheless agreed with County Board President Toni Preckwinkle to have an outside firm evaluate it. Berrios also is expected to testify this month at a County Board Finance Committee meeting. (Hal Dardick)

*Quick hits: Here is Speaker Madigan's House Democratic budget bill, which has changed. ... Democratic candidate for governor J.B. Pritzker was downstate at least part of the weekend.

*Sunday Spin: On this week's show, Chicago Tribune political reporter Rick Pearson's guests were Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, talking about the state's $15 billion bill backlog and cash flow problem, and the Better Government Association's Bob Secter. Listen to the full show here.



What we're writing

*Monday story from Springfield: Madigan's House approves major income tax hike as Republicans split from Rauner. How they voted.

*Sunday story from Springfield: Madigan sends Rauner message on tax hike vote as talks break down at Capitol.

*Saturday story from Springfield: House budget clears test vote, but don't hold your breath yet.

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*Federal judge tells state to start paying hundreds of millions of dollars a month in Medicaid bills.

*Former federal prosecutor Lausch is Trump White House pick to be next U.S. attorney for Chicago.

*Cook County judge blocks Preckwinkle's soda pop tax, for now.

*State Sen. Bill Brady to succeed Radogno as Senate Republican leader.

*Complaint calls roll in as Illinois State Board of Elections waits for Trump voter fraud task force data request.

*CPS makes good on massive chunk of teacher pension payment.



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What we're reading

*Former U. of I. grad student charged with kidnapping Chinese scholar, who authorities fear dead.

*Chris Jones: We are in midst of second arts revolution, like it or not.

*Taste of Chicago starts Wednesday, here's your guide.



Follow the money

*Track Illinois campaign contributions in real time here and here.

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Beyond Chicago



*Debate continues over the Senate GOP health care plan.

*Trump tweets pro wrestling clip.

*New EPA leader rolls back Obama-era regulations.

*Air strikes propel gains against ISIS in Mosul.
Mayor Rahm Emanuel prepares to welcome new police recruits at the CPD Education and Training Academy on May 19, 2017. (Antonio Perez / Chicago Tribune)

Mayor Rahm Emanuel plans to spend $95 million on a new West Side police and fire academy as he tries to get officers to buy in to the need for better training techniques to address what federal investigators said were serious deficiencies.

The new campus is set to be built on 30 acres of private land on Chicago Avenue west of Pulaski Road in West Garfield Park. Asked how the city would pay for the project, city spokeswoman Julienn Kaviar said "the city will identify funding as the project progresses."

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A news release said the city will work with the Chicago Infrastructure Trust  which Emanuel created to spearhead public-private partnerships but which has foundered in the years since  to "select a developer to design, build and finance the project."

The single new training center for police, firefighters and paramedics will replace separate police and fire academies.

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In a scathing report about Chicago Police Department tactics released early this year, the Department of Justice cited out-of-date training procedures for recruits at the academy.

The quality of officer selection and training has taken on added significance as Emanuel seeks to add 1,000 new cops over the next two years to a police force plagued by misconduct and excessive force.

Emanuel has tried to frame Police Department reforms in the wake of the report as changes the officers want and need, rather than something being foisted on them because of the spotlight on the city from the Laquan McDonald police shooting. That attempt to get police to take ownership was reflected in the statement the mayor issued about the planned training center.

"Our first responders deserve the best training to take on the challenges they face every day, and they deserve (the) best facility to learn and practice in," he said. "Chicago's new Public Safety Training Academy will provide much-needed overhaul to the over 40-year-old training facilities currently used, and allow police officers, firefighters and paramedics to receive training based on the nation's best practices."

The city hopes to close on the property in early 2018, according to the release. Construction of the campus will take two to three years, the release states.

jebyrne@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @_johnbyrne
David Desper, 28, is charged with first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime and reckless endangering. (West Goshen Township Police Department)

Police have arrested a Pennsylvania man suspected of fatally shooting an 18-year-old driver in a fit of road rage because, a prosecutor said, he "didn't want her to merge into a lane of traffic."

David Desper, 28, is charged with first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime and reckless endangering, according to Philadelphia ABC affiliate WPVI. He surrendered to authorities around 2 a.m. Sunday, ending a three-state manhunt.

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The shooting occurred during rush hour on Wednesday, as Bianca Nikol Roberson was returning home from a shopping trip for college clothes.

The teen and another driver started to merge into the same lane, "jostling for the position" on Route 100 in West Goshen Township, more than 30 miles from Philadelphia, said Michael Noone, first assistant district attorney for the Chester County District Attorney's Office. Roberson's vehicle veered from the roadway and crashed into a tree, police said in a statement.

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But the officers who responded to the crash soon determined that the teen had been shot in the head, police said. She was pronounced dead at the scene. The other driver was nowhere to be found.

"We're doing everything we can to catch this suspect and bring him to justice," Noone told The Washington Post on Friday.

West Goshen Township is at the southeastern tip of Pennsylvania, near the border with Delaware and New Jersey, so authorities searched for the suspect - described in initial reports as a white man between 30 and 40 years old in a red pickup truck - in three states.

The truck was last seen exiting Route 202 onto Paoli Pike.

Roberson had graduated from Rustin High School in West Chester, Pennsylvania, and was set to attend Jacksonville University. She had hoped to one day work for the FBI, according to WPVI.

"She was a good girl, honor roll student, looking forward to going to college," her father, Rodney Roberson, told the news station.

He pleaded with the other driver to help close his daughter's case.

"If you don't even think it was your fault, and have a conscience, come forward and give us some closure and explain in your own words what happened," he said, according to the news station.

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While speaking to reporters on Thursday, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan also directly addressed the other driver.

"To that man who fired that shot, turn yourself in now," Hogan said. "Every second you are out there, you are only making this worse for yourself and making this worse for this young lady's family."
President Donald Trump participates in the Celebrate Freedom Rally at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., on Saturday, July 1, 2017. (Olivier Douliery / TNS)

Here is a new strategy for the resistance: Bleed on 'em. On Thursday morning, President Donald Trump took to Twitter to attack MSNBC commentator Mika Brzezinski with insults so medieval they might have been funny had they not come from the president's fingertips.

First Trump called Brzezinski "low I.Q. Crazy Mika"  which in psychology is what we refer to as "projection." There is nothing dumber, or more insane, than the commander in chief taking time out of his day to personally attack a TV host when he should be governing the country.

It seems like Trump realizes this and is now calling others what he most fears about himself. But heck  forget the tax returns! Show us that bell curve, baby! If we are going to talk about IQs, my money's on Mika.

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He next tried his well-worn "I didn't want her  she wanted me!" approach to discrediting Brzezinski. After making her sound desperate for wanting to interview him (you know, as journalists are wont to do), Trump then dropped the line that has women across the country viewing their hemoglobin in a brand new way:

That's right, ladies and gentlemen: Mika is dumb and she's ugly! If only she had asked Melania for the name of her doctor! Then he might have granted her the interview! And grabbed her by the crotch too. You know how he feels about beautiful women.

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As long as they aren't bleeding.

Thursday morning was not the first time Trump has expressed a deep fear of women's blood and tried to encourage others to join in. After Megyn Kelly proved to be a tough moderator during the first Republican debate, Trump said in an interview with CNN, "She gets out and she starts asking me all sorts of ridiculous questions. You could see there was blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever."

Bleeding from the face, bleeding from the eyes, bleeding out of her "wherever." It makes a gal want to send him a copy of "The Red Tent," doesn't it?

But he would probably take that as "bullying." As deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders responded to the incident, according to The Hill: "I don't think that the president has ever been someone who gets attacked and doesn't push back. This is a president who fights fire with fire and certainly will not be allowed to be bullied by liberal media and the liberal elites within the media."

Folks, it's official. Donald Trump is the most insecure man in America.

And no, he can't sit with us.

Tribune Content Agency

Cassady Rosenblum is a writer and former teacher. She studies investigative reporting at the University of California at Berkeley Graduate School of Journalism.
If we end up some day booking rocket tours to Mars, treating neurological disorders with implantable brain chips or heading from condo to office in pods that zoom underground in tubes Jetsons-style, we may have Elon Musk to thank.

The billionaire innovator has had his hiccups, but he's also built up a good deal of street (and cosmic) cred. Space X, his space transport/aerospace manufacturer, has sent several cargo missions to the International Space Station and launched the first orbital rocket to safely land back on Earth. Tesla, his electric vehicle startup, is now worth more than GM or Ford, in terms of market capitalization.

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That resume intrigues Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel, who is keen on one of Musk's ideas  getting from A to B in Formula One-fast underground pods, according to Crain's Chicago Business. Emanuel is determined to realize his dream of a high-speed rail line connecting downtown with O'Hare International Airport, and the mayor thinks the missing link could be Musk's idea of passenger pods moving through a subterranean superhighway.

Musk first suggested the idea for Los Angeles, where he's headquartered, though there's no indication that LA is on board. Emanuel recently sent aides to Los Angeles to explore Musk's idea and his interest in a Chicago version, and has now invited Musk's team to Chicago.

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Musk's idea has two major components. First, one of his newest ventures, The Boring Company, touts new tunnel-drilling technology that it claims is cheaper to use because it relies on electric power rather than diesel and bores narrower tunnels, which cuts down on construction costs. Second, instead of traditional train cars on rail lines, mini-buslike vehicles on electric-powered sleds would zip through the tunnels at speeds of up to 125 mph.

All systems go? Not exactly.

Musk's idea has vision and heft, no doubt about that. We love big, bold ideas  especially those that presciently solve problems we know we'll face years down the road. In late June we touted the foresight that yesteryear's leaders had in forging ahead with Deep Tunnel, the network of reservoirs and pipes built to divert excess water from basements and streets, the Chicago River and Lake Michigan. It's still under construction and won't be finished until 2029, but it already helps and it's scary to think where the region would be without it.

A new conduit from downtown to O'Hare  be it high-speed rail or subterranean passenger pods  is a big, bold idea. But beyond its intuitive appeal (Distance plus speed? Cool!) we're still waiting for the mayor to explain why Chicago needs it. High-speed rail to O'Hare has been talked about for years, and Emanuel revived that talk in February when he called the project "essential for our city's future."

Missing from the mayor's call to action was any kind of evidence that there would be enough customer demand for the service, as well as any data on exactly how much time would be saved for travelers, compared with existing Blue Line service to and from the airport. We wondered at the time whether the city would be better off updating Blue Line service to spruce up the experience for businesspeople bound for O'Hare, an undertaking that probably could be done at a fraction of the cost and inconvenience to the rest of the city.

Right now, talks between the mayor and Musk are strictly exploratory. It's just chatter. At some point, however, Emanuel should circle back to the original question. Do we really need another mode of mass transit from downtown to O'Hare? And if he can justify it, how much would it cost, how much inconvenience would its construction heap on the city, and how much more would a tax-battered populace have to shoulder to pay for it?

What if his answers don't cut it? Then his choice should be simple and Muskian. Abort!
The empty playground at Trinity Lutheran Church in Columbia, Mo. The Supreme Court has ruled that churches have the same right as other charitable groups to seek state money for new playground surfaces and other non-religious needs. (Annaliese Nurnberg / AP)

The First Amendment's treatment of religion has an internal tension. On one hand, Americans are guaranteed the freedom to choose their beliefs and act on them. On the other, they may not enlist the government to support or advance their religion. Drawing the line is simple in theory but often debatable in practice, as the Supreme Court showed last week. And where it is drawn has big effects on public policy.

The state of Missouri has a program to encourage the use of material from recycled tires as a surface for playgrounds. Nonprofit organizations are eligible for grants to pay for this type of resurfacing. The Trinity Lutheran Church Child Learning Center in Columbia wanted to replace its gravel with poured rubber, but it was denied funds because of a state constitutional provision that bars providing funds to any church. Trinity Lutheran sued, arguing that it was being punished for its religious character, in violation of the free exercise clause.

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By a 7-2 vote, the court ruled in favor of Trinity Lutheran. The state provision, wrote Chief Justice John Roberts, forces the church to make a choice: "It may participate in an otherwise available benefit program or remain a religious institution." Denying it "a public benefit for which it is otherwise qualified, solely because it is a church, is odious to our Constitution."

Just as the government provides police and fire protection to churches, and just as it may provide bus transportation to parochial as well as public schools, it is obligated to let churches make use of this general public benefit.

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The justices were mostly in agreement on that point. But the majority opinion was careful not to encourage speculation about how it would handle other programs.

In a footnote, Roberts wrote, "This case involves express discrimination based on religious identity with respect to playground resurfacing. We do not address religious uses of funding or other forms of discrimination." Justices Neil Gorsuch and Clarence Thomas dissented on that footnote, arguing, "The general principles here do not permit discrimination against religious exercise  whether on the playground or anywhere else."

The ruling could have significant implications for the use of public funds for private schools, including religious ones. That became even clearer the next day, when the court sent two cases back to the lower courts to be assessed in light of what it said in the Trinity Lutheran case.

In 2015, the Colorado Supreme Court struck down a scholarship program for students attending private schools, including those operated by churches. It said the vouchers violated the state ban on providing money to religious entities. But if a state can't block grants to resurface playgrounds at church-run schools, it may be hard-pressed to justify denying tuition aid to kids whose parents choose parochial schools. The court also asked the New Mexico Supreme Court to reconsider a decision excluding religious schools from a state textbook lending program.

The best outcome here would be to grant state and local governments the freedom to use vouchers to improve learning outcomes. They provide aid to kids who may have been poorly served by public schools. The purpose and effect of vouchers is not to subsidize religion, but to empower students and parents to take advantage of whatever education they think is best for them.

If the court eventually agrees with that, it would be a victory for religious liberty  and for children seeking an education.
White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders ponders a questioner during the daily press briefing at the White House in Washington, Friday, June 30, 2017. (Manuel Balce Ceneta / AP)

Chicago, I'm told, has a morality problem.

That's what White House deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said the other day when asked if violence in our city is related to easy access to guns.

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"I think that the problem there is pretty clear that it's a crime problem," she said. "I think crime is probably driven more by morality than anything else."

That's an interesting statement, given the reason the question was posed: The administration had just announced that 20 federal gun agents were being dispatched to Chicago to help with a task force focused on the flow of illegal guns into the city.

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The 20 agents from the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives are certainly not tasked with boosting morality. They're a smart and welcome addition to a city that is on pace to top 700 homicides for the second year in a row.

But too often, discussions of Chicago's homicide epidemic involve an attempt to distill the problem down to a single issue and a casual willingness to defame the people who live in the city's most violent areas.

Hanging Chicago's decadeslong violence problem on any one factor is pure laziness. It isn't just guns. It isn't just poverty. It isn't just education. And it most certainly isn't just morality.

What this city has is a horribly perfect storm of economic ruin, lost infrastructure, lack of opportunity, recidivism and hopelessness, much of that driven by the years-ago segregation of people of color into neighborhoods on the South and West sides that became easy for many in Chicago to ignore. Or to simply drive around.

Yes, guns are a significant part of the problem. Unacceptable living conditions and poor schools don't help either. Morality, when it comes to a person actually deciding to take another life, is undoubtedly in the mix.

But to say morality is the main factor is an insult not only to the vast majority of people who live in neighborhoods plagued by shootings but to the thousands whose lives have been forever altered by gun violence.

It's the kind of lazy comment made by people who will never set foot in Lawndale or Englewood or Little Village, never take the time to meet families doing their best to raise kids and lead normal lives under hellish circumstances.

A morality problem? Please come and tell that to the people who fill churches across the South and West sides on Sunday mornings, to the mothers and fathers who hold prayer vigils after shootings, to the former gang members who seek penance by pushing young men and women onto a wiser path.

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Sanders won't come and say that to them. Most won't. They're all talk because, at the end of the day, it's easier to question another person's morality than to actually care about him.

Which leads me to a question for Sanders and the Trump administration: Is morality the key factor behind America's opioid epidemic? Would you paint the predominantly white victims of this deadly rise of drug addiction and overdoses as immoral?

Because I certainly haven't heard that language when it comes to opioids.

In March, President Donald Trump said: "We want to help those who have become so badly addicted. This is a total epidemic. And I think it is almost untalked about compared to the severity that we're witnessing."

It is severe. In 2015, according to the American Society of Addiction Medicine, more than 20,000 overdose deaths were related to prescription pain relievers and nearly 13,000 overdose deaths were related to heroin. Four out of five heroin users started out misusing prescription painkillers.

What's driving this epidemic? Many of the same problems Chicago communities have dealt with for years.

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A 2014 study published in the American Journal of Public Health described it as "long-term economic deprivation, high rates of unemployment, and fewer opportunities for establishing a long-term career with potential for upward mobility."

Those circumstances put people at a higher risk for self-medication and drug addiction.

At a town hall meeting in Ohio in August, Trump said: "We're going to take all of these kids  and people, not just kids  that are totally addicted and they can't break it. We're going to work with them, we're going to spend the money, we're gonna get that habit broken."

I hope the president does as he promised. The opioid epidemic must be addressed, same as gun violence in Chicago and elsewhere.

But again, look at how the issues are talked about.

In Chicago, people are dying because they're being shot. But the administration won't directly highlight the easy availability of guns that flow into Chicago from states with lax gun laws. Instead, we hear about morality.

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With opioid addiction, people are dying because they're overdosing on prescription painkillers and heroin. And we hear plenty about the easy availability of those drugs, but nothing of morality.

In New Hampshire in October, Trump said of his plan to build a wall along the border with Mexico: "A wall will not only keep out dangerous cartels and criminals, but it will also keep out the drugs and heroin poisoning our youth."

It's the Mexican drug runners at fault. It's the fault of the drugs themselves.

"Heroin overdoses are taking over our children and others in the MIDWEST," Trump tweeted in August.

You don't  and you won't  hear Republicans blaming white people or their morals for the opioid epidemic. And you shouldn't, because, as with gun violence in Chicago, it's a crisis that bubbled up from an array of circumstances.

But if the argument is that making drugs less available might help save lives in rural areas, logic dictates that making guns less available might help save lives in Chicago.

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And if the argument is that white, rural Americans who become addicted to opioids are victims of circumstances beyond their control, it seems that Americans in predominantly minority communities in Chicago shouldn't have the violence they can't control pinned on some perceived moral failing.

These are complex issues, and both deserve more serious attention than they're getting.

But if you're looking at these tragic situations and feeling sorry for one group while blaming the other, that should give you a clue as to why the violence here in Chicago has gone on so long.

Put simply: It has never been a white people problem.

And if you can't reckon with that truth, perhaps the morality you need to worry about is your own.

rhuppke@chicagotribune.com

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Twitter: @RexHuppke

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Whether you'd rather catch a show at a festival or a venue, this weekend is full of ways to get your concert fix.

Friday, July 7

Ruido Fest

Adams/Medill Park

1301 W. 14th St.

One of the only music festivals of its kind, Ruido Fest returns for its third year of showcasing a stacked lineup made up entirely of Latinx artists. Located in Pilsen, the neighborhood famous for its rich Mexican culture, Ruido Fest feels right at home. Featuring artists spanning numerous genres, of those performing at the three-day festival are Puerto Rican reggae band Cultura Profetica, Colombian dance group Bomba Estereo and the Norteno ensemble Intocable. 3 p.m. $55-$150. Tickets: ruidofest.com

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West Fest

Chicago Avenue at Damen Avenue

Continuing the streak of Chicago's great street festivals, West Fest returns with a lineup featuring some of best names in indie. Playing the two-day West Town festival are local rockers Post Animal, grunge duo Local H and indie favorites Speedy Ortiz and Palehound. For those not interested in rock bands, West Fest also offers a DJ stage, a Kid Fest and yes, even a Pet Fest. 5 p.m. $5. More info: westfestchicago.com

Saturday, July 8

Aesop Rock, Open Mike Eagle

Thalia Hall

1807 S. Allport St. 312-526-3851

Possibly the most eclectic wordsmith in all of hip-hop, Ian Matthias Bavitz, aka Aesop Rock, stops by Chicago as a part of his seven-date Midwest tour. Bavitz most recently exhibited his immense vocabulary on his latest album "The Impossible Kid," which dropped last year. Joining Aesop is Chicago's own "art rapper" Open Mike Eagle. Last year Open Mike also dropped his latest project "Hella Personal Film Festival" to much acclaim. 8 p.m. $26. Tickets: thaliahallchicago.com

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Sunday, July 9

Royal Headache

The Empty Bottle

1035 N. Western Ave. 773-276-3600

After performing at West Fest earlier in the day, Australian punk rockers Royal Headache will make a trip to The Empty Bottle for a second show. Despite not releasing a record since 2015, Royal Headache continue to melt faces with their distinct sound that's been described as "chaotic, explosive and beautiful." Supporting Royal Headache is Chicago punk band Dianetics and Ethers. 9 p.m. $15. Tickets: emptybottle.com

Monday, July 10

Post Animal

Subterranean

2011 W. North Ave. 773-278-6600

Also coming off a West Fest gig, locals Post Animal are headlining the Subterranean for a benefit concert for ACLU. Since member Joe Keery made a name for himself after starring in "Stranger Things," Post Animal quickly emerged as one the best lo-fi bands Chicago has to offer. Joining Post Animal are The Evening Attraction, Jude Shuma, Condor & Jaybird and continuous DJ sets by Lucille Furs throughout the night. All proceeds go to ACLU Nationwide. 8 p.m. $12. Tickets: subt.net

Efrain Dorado is a RedEye freelancer.
In the face of worsening marketing performance and consumer backlash in the Chinese market, Korean supermarket chain Lotte Mart has been forced to substantially scale back its operations in the country. Korean automakers are facing similar challenges, though for them the situation is even more dire. Unlike retail store chains, automobile manufacturers make use of more elaborate supply chains. The problem is further compounded by policies which stipulate that foreign automakers must cooperate with domestic partners to operate in the country. Even if Kia or Hyundai feels that there is no choice but to leave the market, they would require the approval of their local Chinese partner before being able to do so.

Not that either Kia or Hyundai would want to leave the lucrative Chinese auto market, now the worlds largest. Both manufacturers have invested a great amount of resources into building up their production facilities and sales networks in the country. However the challenges they are facing recently are quite immense. Ever since political tensions between China and South Korea began rising in the beginning of the year, Korean brands in all industries have been forced to deal with a number of problems in China, including consumer mistrust and legal restrictions. The fallout has been severe; a recent report from Yonhap New Agency confirms that Hyundai Kias sales in the Chinese market fell 65% year-on-year in May, totaling 52,385 units (35,000 Hyundai sales and 17,385 Kia sales). The two manufacturers cumulative sales for the first five months of the year totaled 377,000 units, representing a decrease of 43% year-on-year. The results have been so disheartening in fact that the China Passenger Car Association and China Association of Automobile Manufacturers both agreed to the manufacturers demands to temporarily refuse disclosing new statistics to the public.

Beijing Hyundai, which has managed to sell over a million automobiles every year for the past four years, has only managed to sell just over 35,000 vehicles with almost half of this year finished. Dongfeng Yueda Kia, meanwhile, has seen its sales drop over 70% in May. As a result of these setbacks, both manufacturers have made major changes to their management. However this has proven to be far from enough to alleviate Korean manufacturers woes.

It is worth pointing out that Korean manufacturers have seen their market share being cut into by domestic own brands for a long amount of time now. Chinese manufacturers have made impressive strides in the economy car market, which is the Korean manufacturers specialty. Own brands have been performing exceptionally well, CPCA General Secretary Cui Dongshu explained, pointing out that domestic manufacturers orders and retail sales in May rose 5% and 7%, respectively. He went on to add: American and Korean manufacturers market shares have fallen by a considerable amount, which is also due to the growth of own brands. Own brands market share reached a high of 46.5% on February; the slight drop over the following months due to overall market trends was also less than similar decreases in previous years.

Similar to Korean brands, French and some American manufacturers have been suffering under the increasing competition from own brands. Both Dongfeng Peugeot Citroen and Changan Ford have been forced to deal with lagging sales. Therefore, it is clear that Korean auto manufacturers problems go much further than recent political tensions. What Korean manufacturers have to do is embrace a strategy that combines both increasing their brand reputation and improving their technology. In general this requires a major overhaul of their business model, which traditionally focuses on offering cheap products at the expense of quality and image.

Last August, Hyundai invited several Chinese auto industry experts to Korea to participate in a conference discussing market strategies. The conference hall had two Chinese SUVs, the Geely Boyue and GAC Trumpchi GS4, on display. Hyundais staff, including its president, carefully examined the two vehicles; reportedly, they were astounded that Chinese manufacturers were able to build such outstanding vehicles at such an affordable price point.

In response both Hyundai and Kia announced brand new locally developed products on the floor of the Shanghai Auto show. However, everything about these vehicles from design aesthetics and interior design to core technology failed to detract from their Chinese rivals.

Despite being active in the Chinese auto market for over a decade now, Korean manufacturers have yet to establish a strong brand reputation based on technology and quality. Now with Sino-Korean political tensions ramped up, Korean manufacturers are paying the price for not having taken the necessary steps to improve their standing in the Chinese market in the past years.

In May Reuters reported that Hyundai had begun considering establishing a knockdown factory in China to domestically manufacture the Genesis luxury sedan, which will help the manufacturer avoid the 10% import tax. The new vehicle would reportedly help Hyundai overturn its reputation in the country as an exclusive seller of cheap cars.

Korean manufacturers have to continue working hard to reform their brand image in the country. In addition to pressuring their own government to help alleviate international tensions, Korean manufacturers must show Chinese consumers that they too can provide quality, technologically advanced products.
A trip to Cuba was enough to convince some East Aurora High School students the country wasn't anything like what they had heard about it.

The food was better than American food and the cars older than American cars, some students said. The technology wasn't as advanced. The people they encountered on the trip were nice, they said.

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"They're just like us, I guess," said Gabriela Ramirez, who will be a senior in the fall. "They continue to live on happy, even though they might not have that much money."

The trip was meant to be focused on people, trip organizer and teacher Simon Rodriguez said. During seven days in the country, students visited historical sites, such as museums and the Bay of Pigs and swam in a river and in the Caribbean Sea. They interacted with students at schools focused on art or theater, toured a farm and a conservation project and saw privately run businesses such as restaurants or workshops, he said.

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Rodriguez brought the trip idea to the East Aurora School District 131 board for approval months after the U.S. and Cuba officially restored diplomatic relations in 2015.

In mid-June, days after the East Aurora students left for Cuba, President Donald Trump announced a policy tightening commerce restrictions and some regulations on travel, though it left in place many changes put in place by former president Barack Obama.

Rodriguez said the trip was designed to give students a chance to experience cultures they normally wouldn't encounter and to get outside their neighborhood and see the world. He hoped students came back with a desire to learn about other cultures and histories and a greater understanding of the significance of the history between Cuba and America, he said.

"I hope they come back with a sense of wanting to travel more," Rodriguez said before the trip. "Being able to bring their experiences and encourage other students to do the same."

Students were addressed by an Aurora city official and an elected representative as they gathered outside East Aurora High School before they left for the airport.

The trip was paid for by parents and through fundraising. In some cases, students worked nearly two years to raise the money to travel, Rodriguez said. The group brought donations of school supplies and shoes collected from the community and East High teachers.

Margarita Moriwaki, whose daughter Jerri Delgado also traveled on the trip, said such trips encourage students to see the world outside their community and "want more in life."

Delgado, who graduated in May, said people seemed to know and help each other in Cuba. She came away from the trip thinking about the importance of family, she said.

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"It was different than what our history books had taught us," she said.

Francisco Losoya, who will be a senior in the fall, came back thinking Cuban food is better than American food, and "we shouldn't take anything for granted here."

Many students realized they had misconceptions about Cuba, Rodriguez said. They had conversations about Cuban views on health care and education, about poverty and what it means to be happy.

At the end of the day, Rodriguez said he hopes they saw their challenges and aspirations weren't very different from those of the Cubans they encountered on the trip.

sfreishtat@tribpub.com

Twitter @srfreish
Pictured, aldermen discuss city business during the Evanston City Council meeting June 26, 2017 at Lorraine H. Morton Civic Center in Evanston. The elected officials are considering a ban on coal tar sealants. (Genevieve Bookwalter / Pioneer Press )

Evanston soon could join the villages of Wilmette and Winnetka in banning the use of coal tar-based sealants on pavement around the city.

A proposal introduced at the June 26 City Council meeting recommends prohibiting the use of coal tar pavement sealers on streets, driveways, parking lots and elsewhere within city limits.

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Pavement sealer is often applied to protect new asphalt from the wind, rain and other potential threats, city employees described in a report to alderman.

The ban on coal tar pavement sealer is recommended, according to the report, because "the excess cancer risk for people living adjacent to coal tar seal coated pavement was 38 times higher, on average, than for people living adjacent to unsealed pavement," according to a U.S. Geological Survey information sheet cited in the report.

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In addition, the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons released by coal tar-based pavement sealers can "cause cancer, mutations, birth defects or death in fish, wildlife and invertebrates," the report reads.

The ban was recommended by the Evanston Environment Board, Public Works Agency Director David Stoneback and Environmental Services Bureau Chief Paul D'Agostino, according to the report.

A similar proposal was considered by the environment board in 2015 but not taken up by the City Council.

"The Evanston Environment Board believes this recommendation is consistent with Evanston's commitment to sustainability to join nearby municipalities in adopting a ban on coal tar sealants by adding an ordinance to the Evanston City Code to that effect," the report reads.

Wilmette approved a similar ban in February, while Winnetka adopted one in 2014, according to the report.

The proposed ban is supported by the League of Women Voters, members of which were among those speaking in favor of it at the City Council meeting.

Sara Lovenger, director of Chicago Physicians for Social Responsibility, also encouraged the council to introduce the ban.

"Coal tar sealants are a threat to human health," Lovenger said. "Evanston has always been a public health and environment leader."

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Wendy Pollock, a member of the city's environment board, said the group voted unanimously in favor of the ban.

"It's abundant, it's pervasive," Pollock said, about the coal tar sealant. "Practically speaking, we don't need it."

Stoneback said the coal tar sealant is not permitted on city or local school district properties. It also is not available "at Home Depot or any other commercial store."

However, Stoneback said, the sealant could be used by contractors who buy it for larger projects.

"They're not buying it at Home Depot, they're buying it from a distributor," Stoneback said.

"So it could be used in Evanston and we just don't know it?" asked Ald. Ann Rainey, 8th.

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"Yes, it could be," Stoneback replied.

The proposal will return for an action vote at the next City Council meeting, which is scheduled for July 10.

gbookwalter@chicagotribune.com

Twitter @GenevieveBook
A second person has been arrested in connection with a home invasion that occurred in May in La Grange, and is charged in relation to a separate armed robbery.

The 17-year-old juvenile from Chicago faces charges stemming from the home invasion on the 100 block of Sawyer Avenue that occurred on May 26 and in connection to an armed robbery that took place a day earlier at 7th and Goodman avenues, police said.

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During the home invasion, five men allegedly stole guns, money and a cellphone from a house in the 100 block of Sawyer Avenue. Two handguns and a shotgun were reported taken from the house. The suspects, one of whom had a black semi-automatic pistol, entered when the residents answered the door, acting police chief Andrew Peters said.

Gunshots in the same neighborhood the next day were related to the case, police said.

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The armed robbery occurred at 9:41 p.m. May 25. Two men, ages 18 and 19, were walking east on Goodman when they said they were approached by two other teenagers, who displayed a handgun and demanded their phones and money, police said.

The victims handed over their phones and said the offenders walked west on Goodman toward 6th Avenue, and then retrieved two bicycles they apparently left in a yard, police said.

The juvenile was positively identified through witness statements and information collected during the course of the home invasion investigation, police said.

During the course of home invasion investigation, police recognized that the juvenile matched the physical description of one of the offenders in the armed robbery and closely resembled a composite sketch provided by the victims. The juvenile was subsequently identified as an offender in the armed robbery case.

La Grange police were notified on June 15 that the juvenile was arrested in Chicago on unrelated charges.

The juvenile was charged with home invasion, aggravated unlawful restraint, unlawful use of weapon, armed robbery and mob action for the home invasion. Charges for the armed robbery include two counts of armed robbery, unlawful use of weapon, and two counts of aggravated unlawful restraint.

The juvenile is in custody of the Cook County Juvenile Courts, police said.

Another person, Terrence D. Harris, 25, of Aurora, was arrested on June 5 on charges related to the May 26 home invasion.

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amannion@chicagotribune.com

Twitter triblocalam
More than 25 people showed up at Waukegan's lakefront Monday to support the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative that funds projects locally to keep the water clean. (Frank Abderholden / Lake County News-Sun)

Supporters of the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative took to Lake Michigan beaches Monday morning under cloudy skies and light rain in an effort dubbed All Hands on Deck (AHOD) to raise awareness and support to keep funding projects that clean or protect the water of the Great Lakes.

From Waukegan to Lake Bluff to Lake Forest, activists, citizens and politicians gathered to voice their concern over what the Trump administration plans to do, since initially cuts of 97 percent were proposed, and then in March the elimination of the whole budget was presented as an option.

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As part of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the initiative has pumped more than $2.2 billion, or about $300 million per year, into the eight-state Great Lakes region for projects that have removed toxic wastes from industrial harbors, fought invasive species such as Asian carp, restored wildlife habitat and supported efforts to prevent harmful algal blooms, according to the Associated Press.

Marbles are passed around to participants to remind them of the clean water they enjoy from Lake Michigan during the All Hands on Deck event to raise support projects that benefit the Great Lakes on Monday, July 3. (Frank Abderholden / Lake County News-Sun)

"It's a critical resource for our nation. We have to do everything we can to protect it for future generations," said U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Deerfield, at the Waukegan lakefront event where people took a marble from a bag to remind them of the resource and held hands to show unity.

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Daniela Lopez, a Waukegan resident who is going into her senior year of high school and volunteers for the Sierra Club and Clean Power Lake County, said she remembers when she used to swim in the water and never thought about the mercury and other pollutants in the water.

"I wish I could just see it as I did as a little kid again," she said, adding that she now she volunteers to make a difference and reduce the pollution.

Julio Guzman, another member of Clean Power Lake County, said there are many threats to the lakes, two of which he considers major threats: zebra mussels and Asian carp.

"People see our water clear and they think it's nice and clean, there's no green algae. But (algae) supports local species of fish," he said.

Guzman added that "just recently, they found an Asian carp just 10 miles from Lake Michigan. These are the main reasons to keep fighting to clean our Great Lakes."

U.S. Rep. Brad Schneider, D-Deerfield, talks with Daniela Lopez, a Waukegan resident who volunteers for the Sierra Club and Clean Power Lake County, at Monday's All Hands on Deck event to support funding for Great Lakes restoration projects. (Frank Abderholden / Lake County News-Sun)

Jane Ferry, representing the city of Waukegan, started the event off by emphasizing the long list of why the Great Lakes are important.

"The mission of AHOD is raise awareness about the importance of protecting our Great Lakes and funding the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. The initiative was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the largest system of fresh surface water in the world," she said, noting that All Hands on Deck was a multi-state, multi-nation event, with 64 events around the Great Lakes in six states and two countries.

Ferry added that even though funding has been restored for 2017, it is not guaranteed for 2018.

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"So this was a wake-up call that the Great Lakes need our stewardship," Ferry told the gathering. "As a welcome and thank you for joining me, I'm giving you each a marble representing the fresh water we are so lucky to enjoy  and sometimes take for granted.

"Hopefully, the marble will continue to serve as a reminder that we need to be involved  stay involved  in protecting it."

Some of the projects that have benefited Lake County through the initiative include the North Point Marina beach, where funds were used to create more grassy areas as the beach expands to try and keep gulls and geese away so the bacteria from their excrement doesn't cause beach closings.

The Waukegan Harbor Citizen Advisory Group received a $1.4 million grant from the initiative that it used for ravine restoration and invasive plant removal in a 31-acre natural area at Bowen Park.

In Lake Bluff, $788,000 was received for ravine restoration, and Lake Forest received a similar amount in three grants for ravine restoration to improve the quality of the water going into Lake Michigan.

The Park District of Highland Park won four grants totaling about $1 million for transforming the old parking lot at Rosewood Beach into a stormwater-friendly beach.

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The Lake County Stormwater Management Commission received two grants totaling more than $1.5 million to combat erosion in Winthrop Harbor's Dead Dog Creek. The commission also used a $420,000 grant from the initiative for a similar project in Beach Park.

At the end of her address, Ferry reminded people that the Great Lakes are a worldwide and national treasure.

"Lakes Michigan, Superior, Huron, Erie and Ontario form the largest group of freshwater lakes on Earth (and) contain 95 percent of America's fresh surface water," she said. "They touch eight states and share the Canadian-U.S. border.

"They make up the largest fresh water system on Earth with only the polar ice caps holding more water. The Great Lakes are precious resources that are essential for our environment, our economies and our way of life."

At the end of the event, people were asked to sign postcards that are going to be sent to area representatives to urge then to fight for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative funding.

fabderholden@tribpub.com

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Connor Spoden of Grayslake , center, is under a large flag being held up by multiple people on Milwaukee Avenue on a parade route in downtown Libertyville during the Festival of Heroes in 2015. (Karie Angell Luc / Pioneer Press)

From the earliest days of Lake County's history, there are connections to the Revolutionary War, historians said. From the burial of two of the war's veterans here to how Libertyville got its name, the war for independence has made a lasting mark.

"Lake County didn't have a role (in the Revolutionary War), but people who came to settle here did," said Diana Dretske, a local historian and curator of the Lake County Discovery Museum.

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Though Illinois became a state in 1818, Lake County was not open to settlement until the 1830s, following treaties with Native American tribes, she said. Therefore, when settlers came to the area now known as Libertyville, they were not only pioneers on the frontier, they were also among the very earliest to celebrate the Fourth of July.

"The first civic celebration was held July 4, 1836, in a cleared area near the Vardin Cabin," according to a book, "Historical Libertyville-Mundelein" from 1835, produced by its historical society. "The settlers gathered to erect a flagpole in honor of the 60th birthday of the United States and they voted to call their town Independence Grove in place of the now inaccurate Vardin's Grove."

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The site of that celebration is in the area of the current Cook Memorial Public Library, 413 N. Milwaukee Ave., according to Jenny Barry, a local history librarian.

Calling it a liberty pole, locals must have viewed it as something of great importance, Dretske said. Thought the settlers likely were not soldiers themselves, they would have known people who were, or been related to them in direct ways, she said.

It was unusual for that period to have a permanent structure, she said. Settlers would have had a town pump, church, school, and possibly businesses. Yet, the pole preceded the school, which was not built until later that fall, the historical book said.

"You don't hear a lot about statues or things like that at this period," Dretske said. "It's the first documented one I could find."

Reuben Hill is one of two Revolutionary War veterans buried in Lake County. His grave is located in Wauconda Cemetery. (Lake County Discovery Museum )

Though settlers had voted for the name Independence Grove, it did not stick because another town had been granted that name for a post office.

Though only about a dozen people attended the 1836 Independence Day celebration in what came to be known as Libertyville, it was eight years later that the party really got started in Lake County.

In 1844, about 100 people attended a July 4 event at the confluence of Second and Third lakes in what is now the Village of Third Lake, Dretske said. Calling it "really full blown," they read aloud the Declaration of Independence, gave speeches and had a picnic, she said.

The event had an anti-slavery tone, with the some of the first African-American settlers in attendance, and a prayer for the freedom of slaves in the South, according to Dretske's blog, called the "Great Anniversary Festival."

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There are also two Revolutionary War veterans buried in Lake County, designated by the Daughters of the American Revolution, Dretske said.

Henry Collins is one of two Revolutionary War veterans buried in Lake County. His grave is located in Mount Rest Cemetery in Newport Township. (Lake County Discovery Museum / News-Sun)

Henry Collins marched on Springfield, Mass., when he was 16 years old. Following the war, he moved to Lake County with his son, Joseph Collins, and settled in Newport Township along Edwards Road east of Hunt Club Road, Dretske said.

He became the first burial at Newport Township's Mount Rest Cemetery, following his death on April 10, 1847. In 1964, the American Legion Post of Gurnee added a new marker to his grave, she said.

The other Revolutionary War veteran, Reuben Hill of Connecticut, enlisted three times since the age of 15, and was discharged as a private in 1783, Dretske's blog said.

He likely moved to Wauconda Township when his son purchased land there in 1840, the blog said. He died at age 93, and is buried in Wauconda Cemetery.

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun.
Donnie Dann scanned the Waukegan Municipal Beach shoreline when a small white tern with a black cap flew by and then into the dunes behind him.

"I walked toward that direction, and what do I find, but the bird sitting on a nest," Dann said.

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He had, in fact, discovered the nest of the state-endangered common tern  and there were four more nests of this colonial breeder in the same area. It's the only place in the state where common terns are attempting to nest this summer, according to Brad Semel, a natural heritage biologist with the Illinois Department of Natural Resources.

Semel worked with the city of Waukegan to place ropes and signs around the nesting site to keep humans away so the young can hatch and fledge.

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Dann, a Highland Park resident, had been working as a volunteer with the IDNR for more than a decade to help this species successfully raise young in Lake County. He had almost given up after the terns abandoned a long-time breeding site at Naval Station Great Lakes and then tried to breed at Waukegan Beach, where humans destroyed their nests.

But now here they were  and this time, Dann said he hoped he could protect them. He alerted Semel, who then got approval from the city to place the rope and signs around the nesting site.

"We're very excited that the DNR came," said Waukegan Mayor Sam Cunningham.

"They are really taking a front role in doing this to assist us in making sure we, as residents, are mindful of nature," added Cunningham, saying when it comes to knowing what's best to do for rare species such as the common tern, the city should defer to the IDNR.

"Everybody doesn't know what this nesting is all about," Cunningham said. "If we had some children who saw it and then they trampled over it and disturbed them, we don't want this to happen."

In addition, when humans get too close, the terns hover over them, squawk and sometimes dive toward their heads  using their energy to defend their nests, instead of sitting on eggs or feeding young, Dann said.

The common tern is in serious trouble all along the Great Lakes, according to the Journal of Great Lakes Research. The species is not only endangered as a breeding bird in Illinois, but also in Wisconsin and Virginia, and it is threatened in Minnesota and Michigan.

The IDNR recognizes the common tern as a critical species, Semel said, which means "it is a species in the greatest need of conservation."

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Destruction of nesting habitat, disturbance by humans, predation by snakes and mammals  including dogs  and PCB contamination have been linked to the species' decline.

A white bird with a dark cap, a reddish-orange, black-tipped bill, a forked tail and streamlined-wings, the common tern nests in colonies along Lake Michigan.

One colony the terns started in 1977 in Waukegan failed most years likely due to predators and off-road vehicles, according to H. David Bohlen, author of "Birds of Illinois."

In 2000, Dann, who has surveyed birds at Naval Station Great Lakes, discovered common terns breeding there.

"It was the sole remaining active nesting colony in the state," Semel said, adding the U.S. Navy helped construct an electric fence around the nesting site to protect them from predators and dogs.

"We had several successful years  one year we fledged 27 chicks," Dann said.

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But myriad problems ensued, including predation, high water levels and pollution.

At one point, birds were encouraged to nest on a floating dock modified to support nesting habitat, Semel said.

In 2012, all the chicks that hatched at the Naval Station nesting site perished and the adults abandoned the colony. PCB contamination of the fish these birds eat was likely the cause, Semel said.

In 2015, a new common tern colony was discovered along Waukegan Beach, but Semel said within a day after they were found, "there were AV tracks" at the site, and human disturbance likely caused the adults to abandon the colony.

Semel added dogs running loose have also destroyed common tern nests, which are built atop the sand with a few sticks and some pebbles.

David Motley, a city spokesman, said he was glad Semel let Waukegan officials know about the terns nesting this year.

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"We certainly appreciated the heads-up," Motley said. "It's something the city would like to preserve as a native species. I went down to the beach and notified the kite surfers that were down there. They spread the word."

Dann and Semel will be monitoring the site regularly, and there's always a chance the eggs could get predated. Dann hasn't given up on the birds remaining as nesters in the state, even though he knows they still face various dangers.

It seems as if the birds continue to return from their wintering grounds in South America and the Caribbean to breed at Lake County's shoreline despite failed nesting attempts.

"As long as they terns are trying, I'm going to try," Dann said.

An adult common tern performs a courtship display near its nest site at Waukegan Municipal Beach. (Steven D. Bailey / News-Sun)

A common tern performs a courtship display for its mate on a log along Waukegan Municipal Beach. (Sheryl DeVore / Lake County News-Sun )

Signs are posted at Waukegan Municipal Beach to keep humans away from the endangered nesting common terns. (Steven D. Bailey / News-Sun)

Sheryl DeVore is a freelance reporter for the News-Sun.
A Wauconda Fire District firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion following a garage fire on Sunday, July 2, that officials say was caused by discarded fireworks. (Mark Kodiak Ukena / Lake County News-Sun)

Discarded fireworks in a garbage can caused a garage fire in Wauconda Sunday night, sending a firefighter to the hospital, authorities said.

The Wauconda Fire District was called to the 400 block of Grand Boulevard at 11:58 p.m. and found smoke and fire in the detached garage, according to a news release issued by the fire district. The fire was extinguished within a half an hour, it said.

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A firefighter was treated for heat exhaustion and released, according to Wauconda Fire District Lieutenant Bill Hoover.

"The estimated loss from the fire is $20,000," the release stated. "Investigators determined the cause of the fire to be discarded fireworks in a garage can."

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The Lake County Sheriff's Office reported "a major increase" has been experienced recently in calls regarding illegal fireworks, consistent with the past several Fourth of July weekends.

Sgt. Christopher Covelli said Monday that the sheriff's office has not yet responded to any serious incidents involving fireworks, but cautioned that in addition to causing injuries each year, fireworks are also commonly implicated in structure and house fires around Independence Day.

The Illinois State Fire Marshal surveys hospitals annually for a four-week period surrounding the July 4 holiday. Results from last year showed an increase in firework-related injuries from 2015. The report showed that the number of amputation and dismemberments related to fireworks increased 150 percent, and reports of hearing loss increased 400 percent.

Approximately a fourth of the injured people required some hospitalization, the report said. Although most of the injuries were to adults over the age 22, about 13 percent were to children under the age of six, and 12 percent were children ages 11 to 16, the report said.

"The (Wauconda) Fire District reminds everyone to not use fireworks as they are not only dangerous, but illegal in Illinois," the release said. "The number of structure fires goes up tremendously this time of year due to the use of fireworks nationwide."

Erin Gallagher is a freelance reporter for the Lake County News-Sun. Staff writer Jim Newton contributed to his report.
Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, looks up towards the video boards during the overtime session at the Illinois Capitol on Sunday, July 2. (Justin L. Fowler / AP )

Leave it to Canadian ex-pat Neil Young to get the juices of liberty flowing this Fourth of July.

Young released a video over the long weekend called "Children of Destiny," a stirring anthem aimed at getting Americans off their couches and involved in their government. Noted for his earlier protest staples "Ohio," back in 1970 about the Kent State University shootings, and "Rockin' in the Free World," during the administration of President George H.W. Bush, the aging rocker has another winner for his huge musical catalog.

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Illinoisans need to heed Young's call and get on board. Begin with the introduction to the Declaration of Independence, which was signed July 2, 1776: "When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another ... a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation."

On this Fourth of July, we need to separate ourselves from our state legislators. Let's throw the rascals out and start over.

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Even if they finally agree this week to a budget after more than three years of wheel spinning, political posturing and party whining, we need to cut these do-nothings loose.

I'm sure our cadre of Lake County lawmakers, Democrats and Republicans, are a fine bunch of men and women. They must be, because they have been re-elected year after year after year.

Then, year after year after year we get the same results. Unless a deal is reached by today, Illinois will have gone 735 days without a budget. If Illinois residents did the same, they'd be homeless and in bankruptcy.

If a budget is adopted  the House barely passed a tax-hike bill Sunday  the already tax-unfriendly Land of Lincoln becomes even more so. The grand scheme in Springfield is to hike our flat-tax income tax to 4.95 percent from its current 3.75 percent. The corporate income tax gets an upward bump, too.

I feel like writing "Ask Amy" what one does with a dysfunctional state government, but I'm afraid she would merely respond with: "If a relationship isn't working, you need to part company." Unbeknownst to our lawmakers, there are states without a personal income tax. Illinoisans are moving to those places daily.

Our legislators don't care because they gave up working for us years ago. They work for their party leaders, their caucus chairmen. They owe Chicago Democrats Michael Madigan and John Cullerton, or Republicans Jim Durkin and Bill Brady. Just a few days ago the Senate minority leader was Christine Radogno, but she bailed, frustrated by her fellow do-nothings doing nothing. Again.

Lake County News Sun Twice-weekly News updates from Lake County delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

Much of the blame for this long-term political impasse in Springfield lays at the feet of former Gov. Pat Quinn, who, during one of his spells of not being on the public payroll, came up with the "Cutback Amendment," which made sense in 1980, when voters adopted it.

The amendment slashed the legislative numbers from 177 to 118 in the Illinois House, getting rid of multi-member districts and cumulative voting. With fewer lawmakers and their attendant staffs, it was supposed to mean the state would save money. Instead, legislators now make more, and power sits among the four leaders.

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As you celebrate this Fourth with "pomp and parade" and "bonfires and illuminations" as John Adams proposed in July 1776, think about tossing out every incumbent legislator, Democrat and Republican, next year. The entire House is up for election in 2018; a third of the state Senate. Filing for nominating papers begins in just over five months.

It's a simple plan. It worked 241 years ago when another legislative body ignored destiny and the wishes of Americans.

Charles Selle is a former News-Sun reporter, political editor and editor.

sellenews@gmail.com

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As the Amtrak train taking state Rep. Elaine Nekritz to Springfield edged over 100 miles per hour, her thoughts headed just as fast in the other direction.

As she rode, she talked of life after the General Assembly, looming with her recent announcement that she's stepping down after 14 years.

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She spoke some about the trips she might take with her husband, Barry, and time she'd gain with the rest of her family, but mostly about her frustration that she couldn't deliver on one key issue for her constituents in Northbrook, Arlington Heights, Wheeling, Buffalo Grove and other towns in Illinois' 57th District.

"I don't have the energy anymore, and I feel a lot of frustration with the impasse," she said, referring to the Illinois budget stalemates.

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"There may be a solution in the next 72 hours. I would love that," she said June 27, just before the Illinois House passed a budget. As of press time on July 3, the state Senate had yet to vote on the proposal.

"But it doesn't change the fact that these same kinds of issues that we faced in the past, because of earlier decisions, will still find us digging out of the hole from the Great Recession, and before," she said.

Nekritz, D-57th, sent a letter to the Democratic committeemen of her district, telling them as soon as they felt they found a new representative to appoint, she'd step down. The new representative will have the advantage of incumbency against any Republican challenger in 2019.

"I know how important it is for this seat to continue to be represented by someone who shares our core goals and values, so I wanted to make sure you and the other members of our local Democratic Party had ample time to find the right person who will best represent our area," the Northbrook legislator wrote in the letter. She said her replacement will probably be decided in a couple of weeks.

"She firmly believes in fiscal responsibility, and what's going on has been tough on her," said Bob Rita, D-27, elected the same year as his friend Nekritz. "We're in our eighth terms, and there have been a lot of ups and downs. More downs than ups.

"The Blagojevich years, the Quinn years, as he took over for what Blagojevich left. And now it's even tougher times down here," he said. "I think it's tough on everybody."

Rita, a third-generation politician from Blue Island, found in Nekritz a good person to bounce ideas off of, and vice versa. He said he had his hard-life South Side issues, and "she was a good person to talk to, about the environment, and women's issues. They were big on her agenda."

Nekritz said she appreciated her friend Rita's help on her bills on toxic chemicals, consumer protection, criminal-justice reform and high-speed rail service.

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She's particularly proud, she said, that she helped make future high-speed rail travel to St. Louis possible, and that juvenile lawbreakers stay out of adult court more, with the hope that they won't become career criminals.

But nothing is working well in Springfield now, she said, because of the budget tar pit.

"We've got folks in charge with deep philosophical differences, and it's proven impossible to get past those," she said.

Though at least some of her cohorts say that getting past differences wasn't as difficult with politicians like Nekritz.

"All of us, on both sides of the aisle, look to one or two or three people on the other side of the aisle that we can talk to," said State Rep. David Harris, R-59th, a representative from Arlington Heights. "I've worked very closely with Elaine on a number of issues. On social issues, she and I have different opinions  on abortion, the Second Amendment, or something like that. That doesn't mean when it comes to issues of government that we can't cooperate with a joint bill."

More than two years ago, Nekritz said she helped craft a bill she thought could have gone a long way toward solving the budget mess, forcing changes in pension obligations to give the state breathing room. She helped push it through to signature by then-Gov. Pat Quinn, but it was ruled unconstitutional.

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But she said that disappointment isn't why she's done.

"I think as much as anything, it's just time," she said. "The process of elections and governing is more than a full-time job, and there just came a time that I thought I had put in the energy that I could. And now it's somebody else's turn."

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @IrvLeavitt
Northbrook officials say they are considering taking the Illinois Department of Transportation to court to force the agency to reduce the speed limit on Waukegan Road between Voltz and Dundee roads from 40 mph to 30.

IDOT documents say that because of the few curb cuts and low-density development in the area close to the road, it's not an "urban district," so it doesn't qualify as a low-speed state road. But Village Board members agreed June 27 to ask its legal team to find ways to change that, or in some other way get the lower limit. They argue the higher speed limit is dangerous.

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In a 2016 letter to the village, IDOT said that in the area of Waukegan and Maple, within the village's targeted area, speed did not appear to be a factor in accidents and it was not a high-accident area in general. The intersection if Dundee and Waukegan, was, however. IDOT said signal improvements could increase visibility but there was no money for that.

Accidents in the area include, on May 15, a hit-and-run incident in which a bicycle was rear-ended, some witnesses say, by a speeding car at Waukegan and Walters Avenue. The bicycle was seen, according to a police report, flying into the air, as the bicyclist wound up on a parkway 20 feet away. The rider, a middle-aged man, was able to walk away, according to reports.

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The stretch of highway is immediately west of District 28's Northbrook Junior High and Meadowbrook schools, as well as Northbrook Park District facilities.

Northbrook Village Trustee Kathryn Ciesla said she lives four doors down from the corner of Walters and Waukegan.

"It's a very scary intersection," she said. "As an adult, I'm scared of the intersection."

Village Manager Rich Nahrstadt said that IDOT is about to embark on a speed study of the area, but after two previous studies, and four meetings with the village, he doesn't have confidence that it will change any minds.

Two residents have been lobbying for a change, one since 2013. Sheila Czajka says that IDOT should save its money and just change a few signs.

"We're not asking for millions," she said. "Just a few signs that could be changed with a screwdriver."

IDOT officials did not respond to emails seeking comment for this story.

Semi-retired attorney Cliff Potter, who lives on Waukegan Road, said he has been deluging IDOT with requests for information, and has an appointment with the agency in late July to talk about the issues.

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"At the end of the day, I think we're going to be successful at reducing this speed limit," he said.

To the north and south of the village, in Glenview and Deerfield, IDOT has 30-mph limits on the state highway.

Potter and Czajka asked school District 28 to apply for a school zone speed limit drop along the stretch of highway, but the district was turned down. The May 30 letter from IDOT indicated that Waukegan Road stoplights at Voltz and Walters, and a "20-foot buffer between the school children and the motorists" made the stretch safe for children.

School Board President Tracy Katz Muhl said that the speed limit has not been a priority for the district. She added that IDOT's initiative to begin a study for a left-turn lane from northbound Waukegan to westbound Maple was "good news for the car-poolers," who often back up trying to get to the junior high in the morning.

Nahrstadt agreed, but added that IDOT has indicated there is no funding yet for anything at Maple except planning.

Potter said that it might be a good time to not only seek the turn lane, but a complete reconstruction of the road throughout the stretch, to make it safer.

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"We're about to get 200 billion dollars  throughout the United States for infrastructure," he said, referring to President Donald Trump's promise of funding.

ileavitt@pioneerlocal.com

Twitter @IrvLeavitt
How would you like to take a trip back in time and see one of Frank Lloyd Wright's greatest public buildings meticulously restored to the way it was in 1908?

You can now do that, because Unity Temple, 875 Lake St. in Oak Park, is resuming tours and showcasing its extensive, $23 million renovation.

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"The restoration is completed," said Christina Ruscitti, the temple's daily operations manager. "Everything is back to how it was in 1908."

The only remaining public building from Wright's Prairie years in the early 1900s, Unity Temple's bold design and unconventional concrete construction was Wright's contribution to modern architecture. The master architect designed the building in 1905 for his own Unitarian congregation, and completed construction in 1908.

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Even if you have already visited Unity Temple, its two-year, extensive transformation is a sight to see. Inside is a magnificent sanctuary noted for its high skylights of amber-tinted leaded glass, which have been painstakingly restored. Layers of paint in both the sanctuary and Unity House, the secular side of the building, were peeled back and walls were restored to their original colors, as were all woodwork, lighting and ornamental fixtures.

"I think it's very important to be able to present the building as Wright originally intended it to be in 1908," said Ruscitti. "We're so excited to be back in and present the building to our visitors. We can now show visitors from all over the world what Wright intended for this original space."

The building, which continues to serve a Unitarian Universalist congregation, also had some other modernizing, Ruscitti said. Its exterior was stabilized with concrete, and cracks were filled in. A geothermal system was installed for heating and cooling. The temple's accessibility features have also been updated.

"There's been wear and tear over the years," said Ruscitti. "But this brings it back to its original appearance  it's remarkable.  The paint is fresh and bright, and light filters in. Whether or not people have seen it before, they will appreciate it. They really did a remarkable job on the process."

The Frank Lloyd Wright Trust, which runs tours at Unity Temple and four other Wright sites in Oak Park and Chicago, will provide the tours year-round. The guided, 45- to 60-minute tours take place Mondays through Saturdays, and are led by trained volunteers, Ruscitti said. You can also take a self-guided tour, where a map and an audio player available in eight languages are provided, not only allowing visitors to explore at a leisurely pace but also so that "people from around the world can learn just as much about the building," said Ruscitti.

Additionally, a Unity Temple in-depth tour will be offered on Saturdays starting Aug. 5. This tour, led by trained interpreters, examines the processes and rationale behind the restoration and explores spaces in the building not typically open to the public, including areas in Unity House.

Ruscitti said the restoration has created a renewed interest in the building.

"The community is really looking forward to seeing the space," she said. "We hope people will come and see it. We're looking to ramp up attendance as much as possible."

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Admission to the tour is $18 for adults, $15 for students, seniors 65 and older and military. Children age 3 and under are free. Self-guided audio tours are $10 and $8 for students, seniors 65 and older and military. For more information, visit flwright.org or call 312-994-4000.

Felicia Dechter is a freelance columnist for Pioneer Press.
Maria Garcia, 83, dances in her wheelchair at a Senior Citizens Prom sponsored by the MetroPlus, a prepaid health services plan, on June 23, 2017 in New York City. The Harlem seniors were provided with Medicare education and health care options at the afternoon event which included dancing, contests and a band. The recently proposed GOP health care bill would make significant changes in Medicaid and some changes to Medicare. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images )

Older Americans may be in for a rough ride if the changes Washington politicians are considering come to pass. Because good, explanatory journalism is in short supply and TV shouting matches don't tell you much, I decided to use this space to discuss some of the possible changes that could soon affect millions of people in their 60s and older.

First, let's consider Medicaid, the federal-state program that finances health care for the poor and long-term care for the middle class.

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Virtually all the talk about cutting Medicaid by more than $800 billion over the next 10 years has centered on the 11 million people who gained health coverage under the Medicaid provisions of the Affordable Care Act, also called Obamacare.

Most of those Americans will lose their health coverage if legislation the House passed in early May to replace Obamacare gets through the Senate. Equally affected will be seniors and their families who now count on Medicaid to fund long-term care.

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Medicaid pays for about half of all nursing home stays, but it also pays for care elders receive in the community under special waiver programs. These might include home care, adult day care, and other services that help people stay in their homes.

I asked Medicaid experts what would happen if the funds families now depend on disappear.

All said that if federal allocations to the states are capped or reduced in some other way, states would have less to give families needing long-term care assistance. More families will be on their own to pay for some or all of the care a loved one needs.

The U.S. has never had a policy to pay for such care, so Medicaid, by default, became the vehicle for funding.

And as Judy Feder, a professor of public policy at Georgetown University, told me recently Medicaid dollars have never been sufficient to pay for the growing number of Americans needing long-term care. Proposed changes will only make things worse.

Stacy Sanders, federal policy director for the advocacy group the Medicare Rights Center, puts it this way: "Cuts of this magnitude will end Medicaid as we know it, putting older adults' access to home and community-based long-term care, nursing home services and other essential supports in jeopardy."

Also, people now receiving health coverage under the Affordable Care Act could find themselves paying much higher premiums if a bill to repeal and replace eventually passes. The House-passed bill changes the rules for insurance companies so that they can charge older people a lot more than younger ones in states that decide to opt out of certain Obamacare protections.

In a state that opts out, according to the Congressional Budget Office, a 64-year-old with an income of $26,500 could pay as much as $16,000 in annual premiums while a 21-year-old with the same income might pay only $1,700. People would get tax subsidies depending on their age, but subsidies gradually phase out the higher the income, still leaving older people with a large premium.

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While this is only an illustration, it's fair to say they would take a pocketbook hit.

They'd be hit again if a state rejects Obamacare rules that require insurers to cover people with pre-existing conditions. If they no longer could buy coverage, they'd have to turn to state high-risk pools, an old-fashioned solution that didn't work well.

And then, what about Medicare? One of the biggest changes so far is the elimination of Medicare State Health Insurance Assistance Programs, also known as SHIPs. Over 7 million people annually seek help from the SHIPs to understanding Medicare and choose Medigap policies and Medicare Advantage plans.

Because this program may disappear, if you think you'll need help with Medicare, I suggest you check in with your local program as soon as possible.

Other services seniors rely are also on the chopping block. The Trump administration's budget calls for cuts in rental and heating assistance. Rental assistance for low-income families would affect some 250,000 households that receive housing vouchers, and the Center for Budget and Policy Priorities estimates that about 60,000 of those households include seniors.

Post Tribune Twice-weekly News updates from Northwest Indiana delivered every Monday and Wednesday >

The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program may also disappear. About 40 percent of eligible households include at least one person aged 60 and older.

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Cuts to the food stamp program and the elimination of federal funds to states through what's called a block grant will also mean some meals on wheels programs will have a harder time serving seniors. Directors of meals programs told me waiting lists in some communities will be much longer.

At stake is what kind of life Americans want for their oldest citizens.

Pamela Tainter-Causey, the communications director for the National Committee to Preserve Social Security and Medicare, offered one answer: "We are saying that seniors are becoming the forgotten class."

Would seniors you know be affected by the changes being considered?

Trudy Lieberman is a columnist for the Rural Health News Service.

trudy.lieberman@gmail.com
What's Quickly? It's where readers sound off on the issues of the day. Have a quote, question or quip? Call Quickly at 312-222-2426 or email quickly@post-trib.com.

Everyone talks about how amazing the founding fathers were, but tell me this: if they were so smart, why did they declare independence in July instead of waiting until the weather was better for cooking out, like late September? They really screwed the pooch on that one, in my opinion.

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I thought it was the president's job to defend the constitution. Defending the free press is part of that. Not calling it fake news and tweeting videos.

Donald Trump calls CNN "fake news and trash journalism." Then he picks up the National Enquirer.

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All the media attention on a daily basis just feeds Trump's ego. Maybe if they ignored him he would just go away. They should have tried that during the elections but I guess that doesn't sell newspapers.

Trump thinks that he is a king and therefore all the spoils go to him, even if he has to steal them.

If any other president spoke and acted the way our current president does, there would have been public outcry and he would have been out of office immediately. I am beginning to see the truth in Trump's campaign statement that he could murder someone and he would still be president. Unbelievable.

Medicaid recipients are not freeloaders any more than wealthy people who receive government subsidies for their businesses. It, like any other social welfare program, works like insurance. You pay in when things are going well for you and you collect when they are not. Just because people avail themselves of benefits when our "free enterprise" system fails them does not make them moochers. They are trying to be responsible and take care of their families.

Maybe health care is cheaper over seas because their government pays the bill. Our government representatives continue to side with junk food companies, insurance companies and drug company lobbyists when it comes to making health care decisions. If our government had to budget and pay the bills, I suspect this would change. I think national health care would finally force our elected officials to do their job and represent Americans in their health care needs.

Your definition of a woman from Trump's perspective seems a bit inane. Why are you grasping for straws in his defense of an indefensible position?

I would love to know reason for Gary not accepting the government holding unit for immigrants. The area chosen was not intimidating and the money that Gary could use was just fantastic. Why the 'no'!

Wow, I thought the president of the United States would have more class than a middle schooler tweeting because someone said something about me. Hey, do your job you were voted to do and forget Twitter. I would think you would have more important things on your mind and agenda.

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The media is not the opposition party. The opposition party is anyone that tries to silence the media.

Why does it take several months to have a deed recorded in Lake County when God created the world in seven days?

A few Republicans have said some timid things about the absurd antics of the head of their party, but in general, they are silent. What is wrong with these people? What is wrong with the people who still support this fool? He is destroying our entire system of government and has made us the laughingstock of the entire world.

I believe Trump's tweets represent exactly who he really is, unfiltered by the media or his aides. He is an obnoxious, immature, misogynistic, narcissistic and overbearing bully.

Let me get this straight. The Cubs left fielder Jason Heyward has a scrape on his left hand that is not even his throwing hand and has been sitting on his behind for weeks now. He is making 20-plus million dollars a year to do nothing. The whole bunch of them are a bunch of overrated, overpaid prima donnas who need to find a real job instead of playing a boys game.

If the ASPCA would stop running their lengthy, expensive commercials and paying their "leader" hundreds of thousands of dollars a year, they would have lots of money for the animals.

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Read more at www.post-trib.com/quickly.
Jennifer Nere was found guilty in 2014 of drug induced homicide in the death of her friend, prosecutors said. (DuPage County sheriff's office photo)

An appeals court has affirmed the drug-induced homicide conviction of a Summit woman who was found guilty of supplying drugs that led to the 2012 fatal overdose of a Wheaton woman who had just been released from prison.

In an opinion published late last week, a 2nd Illinois Appellate District panel rejected an appeal filed by Jennifer Nere, who was found guilty of drug-induced homicide by a DuPage County jury in 2014.

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Nere, 37, is serving a nine-year sentence and is scheduled to be paroled in 2020 for her role in the death of Augustina Taylor, 31, according to the Illinois Department of Corrections.

Following her conviction, Nere appealed, saying that the trial court failed to give jurors correct instructions on how they should apply the law in her case. Nere also said she had not been proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.

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But, in a 49-page opinion published Thursday, the three-judge panel that considered the appeal rejected all of Nere's arguments.

DuPage County State's Attorney Robert Berlin on Monday said the ruling was thoughtful and in-depth.

"The judgment of the appellate court emphasizes the fact that if you supply a fatal dose of any drug you will be held responsible and will find yourself facing a significant amount of time behind bars," Berlin said.

At trial, prosecutors presented evidence that Nere had given Taylor heroin and cocaine late on June 28, 2012, while Taylor was at her mother's apartment in Wheaton. She allegedly took the drugs and was found unconscious inside a locked bathroom at the apartment. When family members discovered her, they called paramedics, but Taylor was pronounced dead from an overdose.

Taylor, who had five children, had been released from prison June 26, 2012, on a drug-related conviction.

Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
A DuPage County jail inmate awaiting trial on armed robbery charges allegedly injured a fellow inmate by slashing his throat in a recent attack, prosecutors said at a bond hearing Monday.

Rashawndyar Gaines, 30, of Westmont, was charged with aggravated battery in the alleged Friday incident. The victim required 12 stitches to close his neck wound, Assistant State's Attorney Jim French said.

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Gaines, who is awaiting trial on armed robbery and a weapons charge, allegedly was returning to his cell when he went into an open cell where the victim was lying facedown in bed. Gaines allegedly threw a blanket over the other man's head and then attacked him with an unknown object, the prosecutor said.

When questioned, Gaines allegedly said that he had been upset over the recent death of his grandmother and that the victim reminded Gaines of someone who had previously shot him. Gaines said he "blanked out" during the incident, French said.

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Gaines was arrested in November 2016 and charged with the armed robbery of a Speedway station in Westmont that took place Oct. 10. Authorities say he brandished a shotgun and took about $300 in the holdup. He was charged with unlawful use of a weapon by a felon after he was taken into custody several weeks later.

A spokesman for the DuPage County sheriff's office, which oversees the jail, did not respond Monday to an email seeking more information about the alleged incident.

Gaines had previously been sentenced to prison on a 2008 weapons charge, according to prosecutors. He is next due back in court July 20 on his 2016 charges.

Clifford Ward is a freelance reporter.
Pueblo County volleyball drops to elimination bracket

Pueblo County drops to elimination bracket after day one of volleyball state finals in a thrilling game against Cheyenne Mountain
Dr. Ramkantha Makaju, Vice Chancellor of the Kathmandu University, delivers a speech at the tenth anniversary of CIKU.

The Confucius Institute in Kathmandu University (CIKU) celebrated its 10th anniversary by organizing a cultural performance and a seminar on China  Nepal Cooperation on June 25 at the Army Officers Club in Kathmandu. CIKU was established in collaboration between Kathmandu University and China's Hebei University of Economy and Business (HUEB) in 2007 to teach Chinese language and culture, and is the first CI in Nepal.

Yang Shichao, the new political consular of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal; Liu Xiaoguang, Senior Colonel of the Chinese Embassy in Nepal; Liu Jianping, Vice President of the HUEB; Dr. Ram Kantha Makaju, the Vice Chancellor of the KU; Brigadier General Jhankar Bahadur Kadayat, spokesperson of the Nepal Army; Yin Kunsong, Director of China Cultural Centre in Nepal; Zhang Bing, the Cultural Chief of Chinese Embassy in Nepal, Damannath Dhungana, former lawmaker were the honorable guests at the function.

Speaking at the function, Dr. Ram Kantha Makaju mentioned that he has learnt from the life of Confucius that philosophy has the ability to lead society towards the best possible future. While highlighting the collaborations between HUEB and KU, he said, "Relations between nations are not defined by treaties but by hearts linking through language and culture. CIKU has put its best efforts to promote understanding between Nepal and China and this will be a nucleus to promote the Belt and Road, as well." Moreover, he projected a bright future for the CIKU with great explorations in all possible themes.

Liu Jianping said, "The ten years of mutual collaborations have built a solid and strong relationship between the two universities. We can never forget the cooperation received from the Government of Nepal and other friends. I would like to thank all the people and our management team which are our priceless treasure." He also highlighted the major progress of CIKU, which includes the opening of four classrooms, initiation towards four-year undergraduate program, relations with more social and educational organizations, improvements in management system and the training to more than 20,000 Nepali students. Moreover, he said that CIKU will have more success in the next ten years with its own building.

Yang Shichao in his speech highlighted the importance of Chinese language learning to achieve more benefits from the Belt and Road Initiative, "We are planning on how we can build cooperation in the field of agriculture, trade and investment, tourism, especially in aviation and railways. Learning language will be the best assets for all of us to share opportunities and promote Belt and Road Initiative. We wish there will be a happy and peaceful family with good health and a high living standard along the Belt and Road. We hope Nepali youths will contribute a lot towards it." He added that China does not only wish to offer Made-in-China products but also to share knowledge to produce quality-enriched products.

Dr. Kalyan Raj Sharma advocated to fulfill the trade gap while presenting his paper on challenges and opportunities on Nepal-China trade relation. Likewise, Mitra Bandhu Poudel, Principal at Little Angels' College of Management also presented a paper on the Belt and Road Initiative highlighting the importance of intellectual investment in human capital by the universities, economic studies on the volume and value of trade.

The students of the Nepal Academy of Tourism and Hotel Management (NATHM) performed Chinese and Nepali cultural dances to mark the anniversary.

The major activities conducted by the CIKU over the past ten years were Chinese language classes for the Nepal Army, media persons, businessmen, students, tour guides and senior staff of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
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Iran will sign a multi-billion-dollar deal with a consortium led by France's energy giant Total to start developing a major Iranian gas field in the Persian Gulf.

The National Iranian Oil Company and a consortium involving France's Total, China National Petroleum Corporation and Iran's Petropars signed a MoU in November 2016 to develop Iran's South Pars gas field.

The contract for the development of the gas field in the Persian Gulf region is worth 4.8 billion U.S. dollars.

Iran expects to produce as much as 56 million cubic meters per day of natural gas from the field once it is in full swing.

The contract to develop Phase 11 of South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf would contribute to the development of relations between Europe and Iran, a Total spokesman said.

The South Pars field is a natural gas condensate field located in the Persian Gulf. It is the world's largest gas field shared between Iran and Qatar.

According to the International Energy Agency, the field holds an estimated 51 trillion cubic meters of in-situ natural gas and some 50 billion barrels of natural gas condensate.
The Chinese online shopping market has boomed in recent years as local shoppers took to it like duck to water, and will likely continue to boom on the back of indulgent consumers overseas.

Staff members pack the express packages at JD's warehouse in the pilot free trade zone in north China's Tianjin Municipality, April 28, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

According to a cross-border trade report jointly released by online payment provider Pay-Pal and research firm Ipsos, China rose to be the most popular cross-border e-commerce destination for the first time in 2016, dislodging the United States and the United Kingdom.

Up to 21 percent of the 28,000 respondents from 32 countries said they had shopped on Chinese websites last year.

China's online market is even more appealing to Russian shoppers. Latest figures provided by Russia's largest e-payment service Yandex shows that Russian consumers spent up to $4.3 billion on cross-border e-commerce platforms last year. And 80 percent of that amount was spent on Chinese platforms.

Many Chinese e-commerce platforms are striving to make themselves known to the outside world.

Alibaba Group is one of the best examples. In 2010, it set up its international B2C marketplace AliExpress, which had more than 100 million overseas buyers from 220 countries and regions by April 10 this year.

Over the past 12 months, AliExpress registered over 60 million active users. More than 20 million of them had made purchases on the platform.

Shen Difan, general manager of AliExpress, said one of the medium-term targets of Alibaba's go-global campaign is 100 million users. By 2025, Alibaba expects to serve 2 billion consumers worldwide, among whom 1 billion would be overseas users.

Another leading platform JD rolled out its cross-border B2C platform in 2015, with an English version and a Russian version.

The platform aims at helping Chinese companies' quality products and well-known brands to reach international markets. Leading discount e-commerce platform Vip launched its flash sale platform VIPme at the end of 2015 to test the waters in overseas markets.

iReserach estimates the total cross-border e-commerce volume, including both retail and B2B sales, reached 6.3 trillion yuan ($921.9 billion) in 2016, a number that is expected to reach 8.8 trillion yuan by 2018.

At a time when China is faced with some difficulties in exports, cross-border e-commerce platforms are raising fresh hopes for high economic growth.

The government has announced related regulations in the past two years to facilitate the development of cross-border trade.

In 2015, the Ministry of Commerce announced a guideline to promote the establishment of 100 overseas warehouses of Chinese e-commerce platforms. The State Council also confirmed in an executive meeting in 2016 the establishment of 12 cross-border e-commerce pilot zones in the country.

Data from internet market consultancy iResearch show that China's total online shopping rose 24.7 percent year-on-year to reach 4.7 trillion yuan last year. That was 14 percent of China's total retail volume.

The Ministry of Commerce said China has been the world's largest online retail market since it outperformed the US in 2013. Total e-commerce in China was worth 26.1 trillion yuan last year, or 39.2 percent of the global volume.
A social and emotional learning (SEL) class is given to students at Sanjiang Ethnic Experimental School in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County. [Photo/Xinhua]

At a school in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, several children shed tears as they share their experience of being bullied.

"He broke my pencil without any reason, punched me, and gave me a bloody nose after I asked him to pay for my pencil," a fourth-grader recalls.

The boy takes off his glasses, briefly wipes his tears then bursts out crying again. His teacher walks over and gives him a hug.

The class at Sanjiang Ethnic Experimental School in Sanjiang Dong Autonomous County is called social and emotional learning (SEL). It is a joint project run by the Ministry of Education and UNICEF.

SEL is about helping students develop skills such as self-recognition and confidence, understanding and managing emotions, and maintaining positive relationships with others. "Say 'no' to bullying" is one of the topics.

During the course, Zhou Lihong, the teacher, tells a story of an imaginative but introverted girl's long-term bullying and asks students for ways they would help the girl.

Some suggest making friends with her, some advise her to turn to teachers or parents for help, someone suggests "an eye for an eye."

"Bullying is constant and intentional, initiated by the stronger against the vulnerable. We should learn to protect ourselves, and meanwhile, never bully others," Zhou tells the children.

UNICEF educationalist Guo Xiaoping says that since launch of the SEL project in 2013, the number of participating schools has increased to over 500.

These schools are mainly in less-developed middle and western parts of the country, said Guo.

"With the support from local education authorities and experts, some schools that are not included into the pilot have also joined in," she said.

Wu Xinyun, head of the primary section at the Sanjiang school, says students receive an SEL lesson every two weeks, using textbooks provided by the project.

"We have found there is less physical conflict among the children," she said.

Each class has around 60 students, more than the advised national maximum of 45. "Physical contact is very frequent in the classroom, and often led to fights in the past. SEL helps students understand each other, so brawls are much more infrequent," Wu said.

Guo says a study of US primary and high schools and kindergartens in 2011 found SEL participants did 11-percentage points better than control groups.

Wei Jiaqi, 12, has drawn a picture of a classmate holding an umbrella for her in rain. She names the drawing, "Thanks for caring about me."

"I was upset as my mom had scolded me that day. It was my classmate who kept me company," she says.

"I changed my girl pal into a boy, because drawing a boy is easier," she says, adding that they like the SEL courses very much.

Li Fuzhuo, head of teacher education at Guangxi Normal University, said SEL is meant to create an atmosphere in which students feel, experience, think and acquire the related skills. Competent teachers are vital.

To address this issue, the ministry and UNICEF organize training and demonstration courses for school heads and teachers.

The project also encourages parents to participate and the team is compiling articles about SEL to be released via the UNICEF WeChat account.

In this way, parents, especially migrant workers who have left their children behind, will be able to join in the SEL project.

Huang Guizhen, an official at the education ministry, believes SEL not only improves teaching competence, but enables vulnerable groups, such as left-behind children, to feel more care and love from school and the family.

"We want to expand the project to more schools, so that more children benefit from it," she said.
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The site of a gas pipeline explosion is seen in Qinglong, southwest China's Guizhou Province, July 2, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

At least eight people died and another 35 were injured in a natural gas pipeline explosion in southwest China's Guizhou Province on Sunday, local authorities said.

The explosion occurred at around 10 a.m. in the town of Shazi, Qinglong County. The injured, including four in critical condition, have been sent to hospital for treatment, according to rescuers.

Days of heavy rain triggered a landslide, which crushed the pipeline operated by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and caused gas leak and ensuing blast, according to the preliminary investigation.

The fire caused by the explosion was put out and residents nearby were evacuated, while further investigation continues, said the rescuers.
Shanxi Province has adopted rigorous rules and transparent systems to regulate local governance and Party organizations in response to the country's stringent anti-corruption campaign.

During a conference hosted by the International Department of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China (IDCPC) last Friday, the provincial government showcased their procedures in selecting and appointing officials while committing to build a clean government.

According to Sun Dajun, the executive vice chairman of the Organization Department, CPC Shanxi Provincial Committee, there are 10 procedures, including, qualification checking, deliberation, inspection, and public polls which are to be considered when deciding on promotion.

Candidates competing for higher posts should reveal their true financial conditions, including their accounts of assets, equities and other properties as the government launches a zero tolerance to corruption. Furthermore, their official status is closely related to the views of the public that they have served.

"What we need are committed, clean and responsible officials," said Sun, adding that the government officials who qualify for promotion should have sufficient experience obtained while working in different positions.

"The essential value of our democratic system is generally the same as the rest of the world, even though we take different paths. I don't think all countries must have democracy only in the form of direct elections," Sun continued.

He said the government needs to learn from the public to consider the candidate and consider their competence through shared public views to finally select the most qualified official. This costs immensely less than direct elections.

Hu Yuting, the secretary of CPC Jinzhong Municipal Committee said that selection is open and transparent as the qualifications of the candidates including their education backgrounds, work experience, lawful accreditations and health conditions will all be publicized for supervision.

Shanxi Province is transforming from a natural-energy (especially coal mine)-centered economy to a new economic model driven increasingly by innovation and conservation, with the growth of non-coal sectors reaching 9.8 percent in the first five months, this year.

Daniel A. Bell, the dean and professor of the School of Political Science and Public Administration of Shandong University, said, Shanxi needs to protect its environment and ancient architectures to carry on its distinctive cultural legacy.

"Knowledge of local history and culture may not matter as much as in the new cities, such as, Shanghai or Shenzhen, but it is important for a historic city as Ping Yao (an ancient town in the province)," he said.
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Defendants are seen in a cage during their trial in Cairo, Egypt on July 2, 2017. An Egyptian court sentenced on Sunday 20 people to death over charges of murdering 12 police officers in 2013, state-run MENA news agency reported. (Xinhua/Ahmed Gomaa)

An Egyptian court sentenced on Sunday 20 people to death over charges of murdering 12 police officers in 2013, state-run MENA news agency reported.

Dozens of Muslim Brotherhood militants stormed the main police station in Kerdasa district of Giza governorate in August 14, 2013, killing 12 policemen.

The assault took place shortly after police forces cracked down on two main sit-in camps in Cairo and Giza governorates, where protesters gathered to support Mohamed Morsi, the former Islamist president who was toppled by the army in July 2013.

Cairo Criminal Court in April has turned the documents of the defendants to the Grand Mufti, the country's interpreter of religious law, to give religious advice on the death sentences, the report said.

A number of the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood members, including high ranking officials, have been sentenced to death. However, the sentences have not been carried out pending appeals.

Many of the group's members and supporters, including Morsi, are currently jailed awaiting trials over accusations of inciting violence, conspiring with foreign powers to destabilize Egypt and killing protesters.
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The African Union (AU) on Sunday hailed China's investment in Africa's infrastructure and expressed its keen interest in seeing strengthened partnerships.

Speaking to the press during the ongoing 29th AU summit in Ethiopia's capital Addis Ababa, Abou-Zeid Amani, AU Commissioner for Infrastructure and Energy, acknowledged China's huge investment in infrastructure projects, information and communication technology (ICT) and energy.

"China is a big player and big partner in many sectors, such as infrastructure and ICT. China is definitely a big partner for Africa's major integration projects. We welcome the role of China," Amani said.

"The AU looks forward to a more enhanced and substantial cooperation with China," she added.

Africa lags behind other regions in many dimensions, especially in the power sector, and Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest road and railroad densities among developing regions.

The commissioner recalled that she was in Beijing in May for the Belt and Road Forum, when she met and discussed cooperation with different parties, including government officials, company representatives and the Export-Import Bank of China.

The AU official highlighted the ample opportunities unleashed by the two visionary blueprints -- the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative and Africa's Agenda 2063, and said that she expects to see "strong partnership."

The Agenda 2063, unveiled by the AU in 2013, aims to build "an integrated, prosperous and peaceful Africa, driven by its own citizens and representing a dynamic force in international arena." Integrated High Speed Train Network is one of its flagship projects.

A report released on Wednesday by global consulting firm McKinsey said that across trade, investment, infrastructure, financing and aid, China is a top five partner to Africa, and no other country matches this level of engagement.
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A mid-ranking commander of Yemen's al-Qaida branch was killed in a U.S. drone strike in the country's troubled southern province of Abyan, a security official told Xinhua on Sunday.

The unmanned U.S. plane fired a missile at a running vehicle carrying al-Qaida militants in the al-Wadhei area of Abyan province late on Saturday night, the security official said on condition of anonymity.

The source said that Ibrahim Al-Adani, a local mid-ranking al-Qaida commander, was killed along with his two escorts, as the vehicle they were driving was completely destroyed in the raid.

The U.S. often carries out drone attacks against al-Qaida terrorists in the mountainous areas in Shabwa and Abyan provinces, where Yemeni security forces have been fighting militants of the Yemen-based al-Qaida branch since its emergence eight years ago.

The militant group has yet to make comments on the latest U.S. airstrike.

Yemen, an impoverished Arab country, has been gripped by one of the most active regional Al-Qaida insurgencies in the Middle East.

The Yemen-based Al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula (AQAP), also known locally as "Ansar al-Sharia," emerged in January 2009, has claimed responsibility for a number of terrorist attacks against Yemen's army and governmental institutions.

The AQAP and the IS-linked militants take advantage of the security vacuum and the ongoing civil war to expand their influence and seize more territories in southern Yemen.

Security in Yemen has deteriorated since March 2015, when war broke out between the Shiite Houthi group, supported by former President Ali Abdullah Saleh, and government forces backed by a Saudi-led Arab coalition in support of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi.

Over 10,000 people have been killed in ground battles and airstrikes since then, many of them civilians.
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Chairman of the U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain said on Sunday that Pakistan plays a significant role in the establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"Peace and stability in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistan's help," Senator John McCain told state-run Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) during his visit to Islamabad.

A five-member U.S. delegation, headed by McCain, held talks with a Pakistani delegation led by the country's foreign affairs adviser Sartaj Aziz in Islamabad, said Pakistan's Foreign Ministry spokesman Nafees Zakaria.

The U.S. delegation has arrived in Islamabad at a time when relations between Pakistan and the Trump administration are under pressure.

Pakistan angrily reacted to the U.S. decision to include a Kashmiri leader Syed Salahuddin in the list of foreign terrorists.

Pakistan was also upset at the recent U.S. arms deal with India signed during the visit of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi to Washington.

McCain said the Kashmir issue should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiation.

"The U.S. wants to see an end to violence in Kashmir," he said, adding the U.S. will continue its policy regarding Kashmir issue and no change has been made in this regard.

According to local media reports, the U.S. delegation and the Pakistani foreign affairs adviser exchanged views on matters of bilateral interest and overall situation in the region.
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The Islamic State (IS) militants shot down a Syrian helicopter airdropping food to the besieged city of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria on Sunday, state TV reported.

The helicopter was targeted and set ablaze while airdropping food aid over the IS-seiged city, the report said.

It remained unknown if there was any casulties in the attack, though earlier reports said it caused an unknown number of casualties.

Footage of the downed helicopter was released by the IS-linked Amaq news agency, showing the hitting of the helicopter while landing, according to the Al-Masdar News website.

Syrian authorities opted to airdrop food and other daily necessities to the besieged residents in Deir al-Zour amid talks of an imminent military operation to break the siege on that oil-rich city near the Iraqi border.
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The Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) on Sunday denounced South Korean President Moon Jae-in for displaying "sycophancy and submission" to the United States during his visit to Washington last week.

The official daily Rodong Sinmum said in a commentary that the new South Korean government "suffered mental pressure from the U.S. even before taking office and went without principle."

"South Korean authorities revealed their miserable appearance seized with sycophancy and submission to the U.S. occasioned by the chief executive's first junket to the U.S.," said the daily in the first response to Moon's trip to the United States by DPRK official media.

"Now their behavior raises doubt as to whether the pro-U.S. regime really ended," said the commentary in reference to the former South Korean government under President Park Geun-hye.

Moon and U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to strengthen military alliance between Seoul and Washington during talks last Thursday. They also agreed upon imposing stronger sanctions against DPRK over its nuclear and missile programs.

"Tragedy is that no matter how loudly they talk about the 'alliance' with the U.S., the latter regards them as a mere puppet and colonial servant," said the official daily of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.

In an article published earlier, Rodong Sinmum accused South Korea's new Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha of "going reckless" in making anti-DPRK remarks.

Kang said after taking office that the DPRK's nuclear issue is "the top priority task" of the new South Korean government and called for "international cooperation for checking the north from modernizing nuclear and missile capabilities."
All the best family road trips involve at least one diversion  one unplanned stop and unscheduled layover for a new discovery. For our familys recent travels along the San Juan Skyway in southern Colorado, the deviation came with Ouray Hot Springs Park.

It should not have surprised my wife and I, given how much our kids revel in any chance to swim  though hot springs are another matter. With Ouray Hot Springs Park, in the midst of a multi-million dollar renovation that includes adding more pools, slides, a diving platform and a splash pad, the idea of an aquatic wonderland built out of naturally occurring hot spring water turned into a must-do. It caused us to push back exploring plans later that day in Telluride.

The decision to have a four-day road trip through southern Colorado proved an easy one. We needed a simple, regional escape. Given our longing for rugged mountains, hiking, exploring and occasional fever for a greener, more watery landscape than northern Arizona, the San Juan Mountains fit the bill.

Our approach began with the drive across the Navajo Reservation and the quickest route to Cortez, Colo., a starting point of sorts for the San Juan Skyway. Its an interconnected loop of two-lane highways the runs from Cortez to Durango, Durango to Silverton, Silverton to Ouray and nearby Ridgway, and finally on to Telluride before traveling from there back to Cortez.

The whole drive is around 230 miles and takes five to six hours, along with the eight-hour round trip from Flagstaff to Cortez and back. We broke our trip up with two nights at the Durango Mountain Resort at Purgatory, about 25 miles north of Durango proper, and one night at Telluride (along with an overnight at Kayenta for a better head start).

Purgatory layover

The idea from the trip surfaced from learning more about the goings-on at the Durango Mountain Resort at Purgatory. The resort offered good prices on suites and a laundry list of family activities  zip lines, summer downhill tubing, panning for gemstones in sluiceway that ran through the plaza, and, the longtime favorite, the Alpine Slide  a 2,300-foot curvy culvert with two runs and wheeled sleds to race down the mountain.

The two nights in Purgatory (always weird to use that word, though the resort embraces that halfway between heaven and hell motif in its sloganeering) gave us a chance to relax at 10,000 feet and let our six-year old and nine-year-old try their hand at five of the activities. The youngest favored panning, while the oldest took to the Alpine Slide. We also enjoyed breaks to soak in the pool and the hot tub on the roof.

The overall experience proved a hit with the family, and it felt like a possible preview for what activities might arrive at Arizona Snowbowl, which is owned by the same ski-area collective that owns the resort at Purgatory. Though the activity costs, food and dining (captive audience for a resort thats 40 minutes away from either Durango or Silverton) can start to rack up the bill fast, its difficult to be bored with the growth of the offerings. Mountain bikers can rejoice, too, at the extensive summer trail riding at the resort.

Ouray hurrah

After the Purgatory stay, we headed north to Silverton, though we skipped spending as much time in the mining-turned-tourist town in favor of basking in a slower, scenic drive between Silverton and Ouray on the Million Dollar Highway.

Few drives are as stunning and scenic as the 23 miles between these two towns nestled in the San Juans. The road winds up to Red Mountain Pass, which sits at 11,018 feet and reveals much evidence of the regions rich mining history. The final miles as they approach Ouray prove the most stunning, as the road winds through Uncompahgre Gorge. Just before town, take the pull-off for Bear Creek Falls (there must be a dozen Bear Creeks) and get the 360-degree glory.

As mentioned, Ouray became a favorite spot for us with its Hot Springs Park located to the north of the town proper. It might have been nice to hike or check out one of Ourays cool eateries and browse the stores, but swimming took over.

Live to Telluride

The afternoon of our next-to-last day took us north out of Ouray to Ridgway, then west and south around the loop back to Telluride. Here, the land changes to farm and rangeland, rolling pastures with snow-draped peaks  more than 10 major ones exceeding 14,000 feet  looming large in the background.

Then, the route heads east and into Telluride. Its a town thats no secret to many Flagstaffians, known to flock there in June for the Imogene Pass Run from Ouray to Telluride or the Blues & Blues Festival (or one of many other festivals that involve films, jazz, yoga and hot air balloons). For us, it was the first full-family Telluride visit, and we enjoyed an overnight stay at a suite and just enjoyed wandering the town and exploring the trails along the San Miguel River.

Dinner was at Brown Dog Pizza, famous for its Detroit-style deep-dish pizza, and the morning brought us to ride the free Telluride Gondola (which recently celebrated 20 years) up to the St. Sophia Station to wander around and enjoy the panoramic views. It capped off a great mountain road trip experience for on the family level.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday that China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks during an interview with Russian media ahead of his state visit to Russia.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese president said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues left by history, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship between the two peoples.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi added.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

"I will start a state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. I believe the visit will inject new impetus to the development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture has been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached an important consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to the Chinese president, the two countries are also working together to tap their cooperation potential and foster new growth areas in bilateral cooperation.

"The fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation has become the locomotive in the continuous development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

Meanwhile, Xi said that the two countries have also witnessed rapid development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They also maintained close strategic coordination on global and regional affairs, serving as a ballast stone in safeguarding global and regional peace, security and stability, Xi added.

Looking into the future, Xi said he is confident about the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and he is ready to work with President Putin to help guide and promote the continued and healthy development of China-Russia ties.
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Chinese President Xi Jinping said Monday that anti-terror cooperation is an important part of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, which sets an example for the world in that regard.

China-Russia anti-terror cooperation is in the fundamental interest of both nations, and is conducive to regional and world peace and stability, Xi said in an interview with Russian media ahead of his departure for the July 3-4 state visit to Russia.

Bilateral cooperation in such areas as fighting the three evil forces (of terrorism, separatism and extremism) through bilateral law enforcement and security cooperation mechanisms is moving forward smoothly, playing important and positive role in maintaining stability and development of both nations and the region, he said.

China is willing to deepen pragmatic cooperation with Russia, and is committed to mutual support in addressing core concerns of each other with respect to the fight against terrorism, Xi said.

Meanwhile, the two sides should intensify cooperation and coordination within such multilateral frameworks as the United Nations (UN) and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO), he said.

They also need to firmly uphold the UN's leading role in international anti-terrorism cooperation, and promote continued deepening of anti-terrorism security cooperation under such mechanisms as the SCO, so as to jointly promote international anti-terrorism copperation toward achievement of greater progress, Xi said.

Although global consensuses on the fight against terrorism have kept increasing, and major successes have been achieved in cooperation in cracking down on terrorism, outstanding problems still exist, according to him.

Firstly, terrorism is overlapping and synergizing with issues of hot spots, which makes an important cause of the problem faced by the international community that terrorism even goes more rampant despite the fight against it, Xi said.

Secondly, international terrorist groups are calling for and planning more attacks worldwide.

Thirdly, the ideology of violence and terrorism keeps spreading around the world via networks and social media, and its deep-hidden influence will keep emerging.

And fourthly, some countries are still using the fight against terrorism as a means to promote their national interests, and have applied double standards in the fight against terrorism, which has made international anti-terrorism cooperation turn out to be an instrument and become separated, and which has made it difficult to form resultant forces therein, Xi said.

Noting that tackling the threat of terrorism is still a tough issue in global security governance, Xi stressed China has long been supporting the efforts made by the international community to combat terrorism in a constructive way.

In bolstering international anti-terrorism cooperation, he said, any double standard should be abandoned, and the leading role of the United Nations in international anti-terrorism efforts should be brought into full play.

Meanwhile, issues of regional hotspots should be solved properly, assistance should be extended to Middle East countries including Syria in restoring stability as soon as possible, and long-term and comprehensive measures and policies need to be adopted to root out "the breeding ground" for terrorism, Xi added.
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South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday completed the nomination of his cabinet members under the new government about two months after his inauguration.

Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told reporters that Moon named two cabinet members who lead the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Chiefs of the Korea Communications Commission and the Financial Services Commission were newly nominated, while the posts for the senior presidential secretaries for economic affairs and for job creation were also named.

The ministerial-level posts would be subject to parliamentary confirmation hearings, but they do not need to be approved by lawmakers. The posts for senior presidential secretaries would not be subject to the hearings.

With the Monday nomination, Moon's first cabinet filled the posts of 17 ministers. The presidential Blue House has eight senior secretaries, two aides and two deputy heads of the national security office and the security service.

Many of the new cabinet members were occupied by those who campaigned together with Moon in the presidential by-election. Moon won a landslide victory in the May 9 election.

Four of the ruling Democratic Party lawmakers also joined Moon's first cabinet under the new government.

Professors of prestigious colleges who had actively participated in the civic group activities also joined the Moon cabinet, while four female ministers were nominated and accounted for 23.5 percent of the total 17 ministerial posts in the cabinet.
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The Iranian Navy launched military drills in the Caspian Sea aimed at "peace and friendship" among the littoral states, Press TV reported on Monday quoting a navy commander as saying.

The five-day drills started in an area measuring more than 88,000 square kilometers across Iran's northern waters, the report said.

The navy drills will encompass battles with mock enemy forces, performance of calculated warfare tactics as well as joint operations enlisting vessels, aircraft, coastal and seaborne operational units and logistical teams.

The main goal pursued by staging the drills is to show the armed forces' readiness to establish lasting security in the strategic waters and to cooperate with neighbors towards the enhancement of stability in the waterways, Iran's Northern Fleet announced.

"Our message by the exercise is that of peace and friendship under the aegis of authority and capability in the Caspian Sea," the Navy's Northern Fleet Captain Ahmad-Reza Baqeri was quoted as saying by Press TV.
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The Counter-Narcotics Police of Afghanistan (CNPA) on Sunday found and seized chemical substance which has been used in making heroin in Herat, the city capital of western Herat province, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

"Yesterday, the CNPA carried out a successful operation in 5th Police District, Herat City, discovering a trailer vehicle carrying 1,000 drums acetic anhydride, which has been used in making heroin," the ministry said in a statement.

One arrest was also made following the raid in city, 640 km west of Kabul, according to the statement.

"The Ministry of Interior is committed to the fight against narcotics and CNPA is having major success in fighting against smugglers and narcotics recently, which will continue," the statement noted.

Much of the world's opium poppy is cultivated in the militancy-hit country.

In 2016, some 4,800 tons of opium was produced in Afghanistan particularly in western and southern parts of the country, where the government security forces have little presence, according to official figures.

An estimated 1.9 million to 2.4 million adult drug addicts are living in the country and the drug addiction is often the result of poverty, unemployment, illiteracy and trauma from continuing conflicts and migration, according to Afghan officials.
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Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah met Monday with Ma Jiantang, Executive Vice President of Chinese Academy of Governance, in Ramallah, to discuss possible cooperation between Palestine and China's institutes.

The meeting was attended by Mousa Abu Zeid, head of Palestinian government's General Personnel Commission, and Chen Xingzhong, head of the Office of the People's Republic of China to the State of Palestine.

The meeting focused on various aspects of cooperation, particularly in the field of public administration.

According to a statement emailed to journalists by the PM's office, Hamdallah briefed his guests on the latest political developments.

He voiced appreciation to the "continuous support of China to Palestine political and materially," stressing the firm relations between both nations.
New law includes exemption from establishment, stamps, contract fees, registration for 5 years: Nasr





A recent report by the Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation, which monitored the investment activity during the last period, indicated that 1,482 companies have been recently established in May. The total capital of these companies amounted to EGP 1.7bn. Moreover, 233 new companies increased their capital in the same period. The report noted that the total new investments total EGP 1.8bn, including EGP 295m of foreign investments.

The report, obtained by Daily News Egypt, compared the figures of May to their counterparts in April, which stood at 1,124 new companies with issued capitals worth EGP 1.4bn. The paid up capital of the new companies established in May 2017 amounted to EGP 232m, of which 80% came from Egyptians and 20% from foreigners.

Meanwhile, the total number of companies that witnessed expansions in capital during the month of May reached 233 companies, compared to 187 companies in April and 158 companies in May 2016. The total expanded capital in May registered EGP 1.6bn, down from EGP 2.6bn in April and EGP 1.5bn in May 2016.

Investment Minister Sahar Nasr said that the main incentives for the new investment law include non-tax incentives, such as exemptions from incorporation fees, registration, stamp duties, contract fees, and security registration fees for five years from registration. This is in addition to additional non-tax incentives, including the state bearing the cost of introducing project infrastructure and the cost of training and capacity building for labour, as well as repayment of half the cost of lands for some strategic sectors.

The report pointed out that in order to activate the investment law, Nasr issued a decision to form a committee to finalize the draft bylaws. This committee includes representatives of a number of ministries. The bylaws will be issued from the cabinet within 90 days from the presidents ratification date, according to the law. Nasr also issued resolution No. 94 for the year 2017 regarding the amendment of the bylaws of joint stock companies, private companies limited by shares, and companies with limited liabilities in Article 203. This aimed to enhance publication and disclosure as this amendment contributes to Egypts progress in ranking the ease of business index and strengthening governance and disclosure.
The Chinese online shopping market has boomed in recent years as local shoppers took to it like duck to water, and will likely continue to boom on the back of indulgent consumers overseas.

According to a cross-border trade report jointly released by online payment provider Pay-Pal and research firm Ipsos, China rose to be the most popular cross-border e-commerce destination for the first time in 2016, dislodging the United States and the United Kingdom.

Up to 21 percent of the 28,000 respondents from 32 countries said they had shopped on Chinese websites last year.

China's online market is even more appealing to Russian shoppers. Latest figures provided by Russia's largest e-payment service Yandex shows that Russian consumers spent up to $4.3 billion on cross-border e-commerce platforms last year. And 80 percent of that amount was spent on Chinese platforms.

Many Chinese e-commerce platforms are striving to make themselves known to the outside world.

Alibaba Group is one of the best examples. In 2010, it set up its international B2C marketplace AliExpress, which had more than 100 million overseas buyers from 220 countries and regions by April 10 this year.

Over the past 12 months, AliExpress registered over 60 million active users. More than 20 million of them had made purchases on the platform.

Shen Difan, general manager of AliExpress, said one of the medium-term targets of Alibaba's go-global campaign is 100 million users. By 2025, Alibaba expects to serve 2 billion consumers worldwide, among whom 1 billion would be overseas users.

Another leading platform JD rolled out its cross-border B2C platform in 2015, with an English version and a Russian version.

The platform aims at helping Chinese companies' quality products and well-known brands to reach international markets. Leading discount e-commerce platform Vip launched its flash sale platform VIPme at the end of 2015 to test the waters in overseas markets.

iReserach estimates the total cross-border e-commerce volume, including both retail and B2B sales, reached 6.3 trillion yuan ($921.9 billion) in 2016, a number that is expected to reach 8.8 trillion yuan by 2018.

At a time when China is faced with some difficulties in exports, cross-border e-commerce platforms are raising fresh hopes for high economic growth.

The government has announced related regulations in the past two years to facilitate the development of cross-border trade.

In 2015, the Ministry of Commerce announced a guideline to promote the establishment of 100 overseas warehouses of Chinese e-commerce platforms. The State Council also confirmed in an executive meeting in 2016 the establishment of 12 cross-border e-commerce pilot zones in the country.

Data from internet market consultancy iResearch show that China's total online shopping rose 24.7 percent year-on-year to reach 4.7 trillion yuan last year. That was 14 percent of China's total retail volume.

The Ministry of Commerce said China has been the world's largest online retail market since it outperformed the US in 2013. Total e-commerce in China was worth 26.1 trillion yuan last year, or 39.2 percent of the global volume.
People ride shared bikes along the Chang'an Avenue of Beijing on March 10, 2017. [Photo/People's Daily Online]

On June 15, at an exhibition hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Hu Weiwei, founder of Chinese bike-sharing startup Mobike Technology Co Ltd, was busy explaining the company's philosophy to government officials from different countries.

The former journalist articulated her views on how bike-sharing services can help ease urban traffic congestion and build smart transportation projects in Western cities.

They heard her in rapt attention. They had heard of Mobile and its phenomenal success in China. Just a day earlier, Mobike announced it would place 1,000 bicycles on the streets of Manchester, England, by June-end, marking its first major expansion outside of Asia.

Mobike's UK move came after its arch rival Ofo Inc launched a pilot project in Cambridge in th United Kingdom two months ago.

Funded by deep-pocketed investors, Chinese bike-sharing companies such as Mobike and Ofo have notched up explosive growth over the past year.

Their services, which allow bicycles to be rented using a smartphone and parked anywhere after use, have redefined short-distance travel in China, and spawned fierce competition for market share.

The market is now expanding, encompassing the globe. Chinese players are scrambling to woo denizens of global cities where crowded streets and the desire for zero-emission transport are expected to make bike-sharing popular.

"Bike-sharing is a Chinese innovation, different from previous technology fads learned from the West. We've the scale and experience to help foreign consumers benefit from our innovation," said Hu in a telephone interview with China Daily after the Amsterdam event.

Last month, the three-year-old company received more than $600 million in funding from investors, including internet heavyweight Tencent Holdings Ltd.

The money will be used to finance Mobike's overseas expansion. Mobike is eyeing 200 cities where it wants a presence by this year-end. It currently operates in more than 130 cities in China, and Singapore and Japan.

Ofo, which is backed by China's largest ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, also announced ambitious plans of marching into 20 countries by this year-end. It already has a presence in Singapore, Kazakhstan, and a pilot project in the United States.

"In stark contrast to the previous generation of Chinese internet players that focused on domestic growth until the market became saturated, Mobike and Ofo are far more aware of the aspects of globalization and opportunities therein," said Zhang Xu, a transportation analyst at Beijing-based market research house Analysys.

"They are setting sights on the West for expansion even when the growth momentum is robust at home," Zhang said.

According to Analysys, in April, Mobike had 20.7 million monthly active users. In comparison, Ofo was said to have 20.4 million monthly active users. Both companies saw high quarterly growth in numbers of users.

"Scanning the QR code using my smartphone to unlock the shared bike is convenient and effective. A bicycle ride for short-distance needs can save lots of time and energy, especially amid traffic congestion," said Hassan, 30, from Pakistan, a visiting fellow at Renmin University of China in Beijing.

Word of mouth and online social media messaging has led to awareness of China's shared bikes across the world.

Chris Martin, a UK entrepreneur who heads Mobike's international expansion department, helped negotiate the company's partnership with the Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester. The three sides are establishing a voluntary code of working to make sure that bike-sharing services operate in a way that does not inconvenience other road users.

"It took several months for us to communicate with local authorities," Martin said. "Starting with the initial 1,000 bicycles, we hope to learn in detail how UK users differ from their Chinese counterparts, and fine-tune our local strategy."

Mobike is teaming up with CityVerve, a UK tech company, and telecom major Vodafone in building an internet-of-things platform to manage its bicycles in the UK. Its data will be stored on Microsoft's cloud service.

Ofo is also customizing its overseas services. Yu Xin, co-founder of Ofo, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily that the company redesigned its bicycle for Singapore. It is also working closely with the local government to establish over 100 preferred parking zones, to pre-empt its two-wheelers getting piled up in heaps on the sidewalks during weekends and holidays.
Jeremy Helsby, CEO of Savills plc, says the potential of China's property industry is immense.[Photo/China Daily]

Jeremy Helsby, CEO of Savills plc, says the potential of China's property industry is immense. [Photo provided to China Daily]

On a rainy afternoon in Shanghai, Jeremy Helsby asks for English breakfast tea to refresh himself. Equally refreshing is the potential of China's property industry, said the London-based realty veteran.

As CEO of Savills plc, a leading real estate services provider, Helsby travels more frequently than ever to China these days. The UK and China markets may be thousands of miles apart, in different time zones and at various stages of development, but they are connected closely by investments and services.

So, the two markets will benefit from collaboration, increasing investment and mutual learning, he said.

For real estate players to survive in hard times and thrive amid fast growth, what's needed is visionary long-term investment based on research of fundamentals. The players concerned need to "add value" to properties and land. That could help boost understanding and create good opportunities in markets across the world, he said.

Globally as well as in China, Savills competes with JLL, Cushman & Wakefield, CBRE and Colliers, all international realty services providers. In China, Savills attaches great importance to servicing local clients and expanding fast in central and western parts of China where population, availability of human resources and infrastructure are growing at a fast clip.

Established in 1855, Savills entered the China market in 1995. By June 2017, it had served tens of thousands of clients, and covered 30 million square meters, including China's tallest building, the Shanghai Tower.

Since Helsby also serves as director of Savills Asia, he knows the China market inside out; and he sees opportunities to "add value" to land and properties. He senses one such opportunity in the Belt and Road Initiative.

Players in UK financial services can contribute massive investment to infrastructure projects that are coming up in countries and regions participating in the Initiative, he said.

Use of renminbi in London is more than in any other European city. Given that London is a financial hub, the UK's financial services providers will play a key role, he said.

"Many construction firms with expertise in the most complicated projects are based in London, and are likely to get involved to support the Belt and Road projects," he said.

When infrastructure projects like roads and railways become operational, costs will fall for both importers and exporters, and trade will become more active. Consequently, the value of properties in countries and regions participating in the Belt and Road Initiative will appreciate, he said.

According to Savills data, commercial property markets have largely stabilized after the Brexit referendum in June 2016. While occupational uncertainty has risen, there is little sign that this is affecting investor confidence, with 13 billion ($14.56 billion) invested in the UK commercial property in the first quarter of this year.

Some 56 percent of it was from foreign investors, including those from China who spent more than 3.3 billion so far this year. Chinese investors have taken a shine to London offices, where the property market tends to be volatile; but other cities in the UK are less volatile as they are less exposed to the impact of Brexit.

So, it is possible that Chinese investors may find property in regional cities of the UK attractive in the future. Generally, yields in Europe are still quite attractive for Chinese investors, and returns on investment, particularly in the UK, are strong, averaging 6.3 percent per year over the last 20 years, he said.

Currency exchange rate is another reason that encourages Chinese investors to look at quality properties in the UK, as the pound dropped some 10 percent against the renminbi in the past two years.

Besides increasing investment overseas, Chinese investors are seeking to add value to properties in their home market, through new models of development and management, said Helsby.

Such trends catch his attention immediately because he is sensitive to them, having joined Savills' London West End office in 1980 at the age of 25. He has seen the shrinking of supply of new land for development; he is aware of rising home prices; he knows more young residents are turning from homebuyers to tenants.

In this context, China is not very different, Helsby said. He believes reinvestment in cities is the right choice and key to continued success. "Businesses, workers and residents are becoming more demanding of infrastructure and the environment, and with rising global competition, the best cities will be those that regularly reinvent themselves."

For instance, London's focus is on infrastructure improvement, the development of cross-rail, the Oxford-Cambridge Corridor. These projects attract companies from similar sectors, resulting in a cluster of supply chain and value chain, significantly changing the housing scene in London.

Working professionals can take advantage of convenient intercity railway and bus services to commute between workplaces in big cities and homes in suburban or satellite cities. More residents are choosing to rent instead of buying apartments. Developers and managers of properties are responding to such changes, he said.

"Strong transport links and development of the local economy are critical. A city with a long-term plan for development of a specific industry will attract people and companies, such as tech and biosciences in Cambridge and media in Bristol," he said.

Big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai are introducing stricter population control, and China's urbanization drive is likely to focus more on second- and third-tier cities where costs are lower and an increasing number of economic opportunities are emerging.
Jiangsu Suning Co Ltd, launched in mid-June, is China's first private-sector online-to-offline or O2O bank. It signifies one more business model in the booming private-sector banking segment.

Backed by Chinese retailer Suning Commerce Group Co Ltd, Jiangsu Suning goes a step further than China's private banks that were established over the past two years.

More than half of them focus on businesses driven by internet-based technologies like e-banking. They include Tencent-backed WeBank, Alibaba-backed MyBank, Xiaomi-backed XW Bank, and Jilin Yilian Bank, which is affiliated to Chinese on-demand local services giant Meituan Dianping.

But it is Jiangsu Suning alone that marries traditional brick-and-mortar banking with the digital dimension.

By June, more than 17 private banks were approved by the authorities concerned. And 14 of them have started operations already. More private banks are awaiting approvals, according to the China Banking Regulatory Commission.

"Many entrepreneurs are inspired by the launch of private banks, and are preparing to apply to set up more private banks. In Shanghai, a private bank will be set up in Zhangjiang, a high-tech industrial park. There will be another new bank in 2018," said Zheng Yang, director of the Shanghai Municipal Financial Service Office.

Many of the new-age banks are expected to allocate more resources to internet-based services instead of expanding brick-and-mortar networks widely, according to Li Linqi, a researcher with Lianxun Securities.

"It is a great and important decision for the regulators concerned to open up the banking sector to private capital. These banks are backed by private enterprises that understand the needs of borrowers. They understand that online banking services will improve efficiency, usher in inclusive financing. And internet-based technologies will also help smaller banks in risk management," said Li.

Zeng Gang, a researcher with the China Academy of Social Sciences, said that online banking services also deliver on the parent company's desire to cut operational costs and become asset-light, said Zeng.

Xie Qiang, deputy head of Shanghai Huarui Bank, the first private bank in the metro, said the bank has been applying internet-based technologies to its risk management functions, which speeds up lending to high-tech startups.

The bank launched an online financing system for high-tech startups in September last year, enabling borrowers to apply for loans online. The lender is able to verify prospective borrowers' credentials, needs and other aspects like financial capacity and growth potential, and then decide if it is prudent to extend a loan.

By the end of last year, the bank had no non-performing loans at all, said Xie.

Smaller banks in China need to diversify their businesses and find suitable niches to specialize in, said analysts.

Overall, the banking sector's profitability is under pressure as the market is experiencing a series of deleveraging reforms for a long-term, healthy and stable development.

Liquidity has also weakened among smaller banks and their businesses are impacted by shrinking margins as financing costs rise, according to a research note by Moody's Investors Service.

"For private banks, it is important to grow in differentiated models. The banks can take advantage of their backers' own resources, and can focus on a theme, be it a supply chain financing for a specific sector, or serving industries in a cluster within a specific region, or serving a particular group of clients, such as startup entrepreneurs," China Galaxy Securities said in a research note.
BEIJING  Passengers can take bullet trains for the first time from Beijing to Xiongan New Area next week, according to the China Railway Corporation.

Two bullet trains will travel from Beijing to Xiongan New Area on July 6, a trip of about 80 minutes from Beijing South Station to Baoding Station in Hebei province.

Tickets for the bullet trains will be available from Sunday morning.

China announced plans to establish Xiongan New Area in April.

Located some 100 kilometers southwest of downtown Beijing, Xiongan New Area will mostly cover Xiongxian, Rongcheng and Anxin counties in Hebei province.
SYDNEY  Australia's tropical north is celebrating a tourism windfall on Monday, with the announcement that China Southern Airlines will operate three flights per week direct from Guangzhou to Cairns.

"In the first year we expect these flights to bring more than 33,000 Chinese visitors to Tropical North Queensland, which in turn flows on to the local economy and supports jobs across the region," Queensland State Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said.

"In fact the tens of thousands of new Chinese tourists coming into Cairns are forecast to be worth more than $30 million in overnight visitor expenditure in our region in the first year alone."

State treasurer Curtis Pitt described the announcement of the new flights as a "game-changer" for Queensland.

"This is great news for tourism and jobs in the Far North," Pitt said.

"It's the first time we've ever been able to offer direct access to Cairns and the Great Barrier Reef from China."

The deal was made possible by the State's Advance Queensland: Connecting with Asia Strategy, which aims to inject A$90 million ($69.21 million) into the economy of the tropical north.

As part of the tourism investment to boost the growth of Chinese visitors in the state, Queensland's government has spent A$33.5 million ($25.75 million), a figure that private industry groups have also matched.

"We welcome the Queensland government's support through its Connecting with Asia fund, and we look forward to rolling out the red carpet for China Southern's first flight in December," Cairns Airport Chief Executive Officer Norris Carter said.

Local Member of Parliament Craig Crawford also echoed these sentiments.

"We know Chinese visitors love the tropical north and the unique tourism experiences on offer, especially the Reef, but flights have been a hassle," Crawford said.

"These direct flights into Cairns remove the complexity of connecting flights, which puts Cairns on a competitive pegging with destinations like Hawaii and Bali."

The first flights are expected to land in Cairns before the end of 2017.
The Globe and Mail,by NOAH BROWNING AND TOM FINN. Excerpt: Saudi Arabia, allies give Qatar two more days to accept demands.

An image of Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, graces a billboard featuring the slogan "We are all Tamim" in Doha, Qatar, on Monday, July 3, 2017. (Maggie Hyode/AP)

Four Arab states which accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed to extend until late on Tuesday a deadline for Doha to comply with a list of demands, as U.S. President Donald Trump voiced concern to both sides about the dispute.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and says the demands, including closing Qatar-based al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there, are so severe that they seem intended to be rejected.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have raised the possibility of further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with the 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator.

According to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA, the four countries agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sundays deadline for compliance.

They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said, while Arab media reported that Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani arrived in Kuwait on Monday to deliver Dohas formal response to the Arab demands.

The four states cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, meddling in their internal affairs and advancing the agenda of regional foe Iran, all of which Qatar denies. Mediation efforts, including by the U.S., have been fruitless.

Trump spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in the UAE to discuss his concerns about the ongoing dispute, the White House said.

He reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology. The president also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summits goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability, the White House said.

President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism, it said.

On Monday, Trump tweeted: Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening!

A State Department official said on Sunday that the United States encourages all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions.

Qatari officials say the demands are so strict that the four countries never seriously intended them as a negotiating position and see them as being aimed at hobbling Dohas sovereignty.

Qatar says it is interested in negotiating a fair and just solution to any legitimate issues of concern to fellow member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council, which groups Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Bahrain and the UAE.

Qatars Gulf critics accuse Al Jazeera of being a platform for extremists and an agent of interference in their affairs. The network has rejected the accusations and said it will maintain its editorial independence.

Gulf countries have insisted the demands were non negotiable.

The UAEs minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, has played down the chances of an escalation, saying the alternative is not escalation but parting ways, suggesting Qatar may be forced out of the GCC.

The Western-backed body was formed in 1981 in the wake of Irans Islamic Revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war.
Paul Siu, deputy CEO of Deloitte China, is confident of China's economy and expects it to benefit more from reforms.

"China's economy is very positive in general. The dividends from reform are huge and yet to be fully realized," he said during the sideline of the 2017 Annual Meeting of New Champions, also known as Summer Davos, in Dalian.

China has set the target of achieving GDP growth at around 6.5 percent this year. In the first quarter, GDP grew at 6.9 percent year-on-year, getting the economy off to a good start, according to data from the National Bureau of Statistics.

"There are expectations that China will achieve 6.7 or 6.9 percent growth rate this year. I think such a figure is very high. China may not need such a high growth rate," Siu said.

"As Premier Li Keqiang said, the growth of China's GDP by 1 percent now is equal to 2 percent 10 years ago due to its large base," said Rosa Yang, chairwoman of Global Chinese Services Group of Deloitte China.

"The country has achieved a relatively low unemployment rate of 4.9 percent, which did not come easily."

"The economy has become more self-reliant, given its shift from investment and export-driven to consumption-driven," she said.

Consumption contributed to 64.4 percent of China's economic growth last year, becoming a major driver of growth, according to Premier Li in his speech delivered to the opening of 2017 Summer Davos.

A country's overall competitiveness lies largely in innovation, Yang said.

"Chinese companies are very innovative in e-commerce, mobile payment and sharing economy," she said.

In the year 2016, China's application for patents surged by more than 40 percent, and the numbers of patent applications by Chinese tech companies Huawei and ZTE ranked the largest globally, she said.

China took the 28th place in Global Competitiveness Index released by the World Economic Forum last year and there is room for it to improve, she added.

Deloitte has been applying innovative technologies to make its operation more efficient while helping customers solve problems with new technologies, according to Siu.

It set up the Deloitte Greenhouse in Shanghai in February, which allows customers to experience new technologies and explore how to improve their operations with the technologies, he said.

The theme of this year's Summer Davos was "Achieving Inclusive Growth in the Fourth Industrial Revolution."

Yang said: "Inclusive growth is about equality - the equal chances for countries to participate in trade and engage in economic development."

"The Belt and Road Initiative manifests the spirit of inclusive growth and puts the concept of inclusive growth into practice," she added.
A China Mobile staff member in Ganyu, Jiangsu province, helps a client with 4G service. [Photo by Si Wei/For China Daily]

Two of China's major telecom carriers, which trail the market leader, have joined forces to step up efforts to introduce phones that can access all networks.

China United Network Communications Group Corp, better known as China Unicom, and China Telecommunications Corp have intensified the campaign for smartphones that can support six different communication technologies (to wit: GSM, CDMA, TD-SCDMA, WCDMA, TD-LTE and FDD-LTE).

In the domestic mobile services market, the duo trails China Mobile Communications Corp.

Once such six-mode handsets become popular, it will be far easier for consumers to buy a new phone. They don't have to worry about whether the gadget supports the technology used by a particular telecom carrier and they have more freedom to change carriers later, said Ku Wei, deputy marketing manager of China Unicom.

Last month, China Telecom and China Unicom's proposal of smartphones supporting six different communication technologies was approved as part of the global communication standards by the Global Mobile Suppliers Association, an international standards organization representing interests of mobile operators worldwide.

The proposal, approved with a unanimous vote at the GMSA's 29th plenary meeting held in Sweden, put such smartphones under the umbrella of multi-SIM devices.

Multi-SIM device refers to any smartphone that natively accommodates multiple SIMs. In China, dual-SIM handsets are in vogue, which enable one phone to support two carriers at the same time.

Analysts believe that the GMSA's approval represents the interests of multi-SIM device users in some specific areas like China.

The global acknowledgement came after all-network access handsets became a national standard in China last year. Since then, multi-SIM devices have swiftly taken a dominant position in the world's largest smartphone arena.

Latest data showed that six-mode smartphones accounted for 75 percent of the mobile devices sold last year.

China Unicom and China Telecom estimated the figure will exceed 85 percent by this year-end.

"An increasing number of handset manufacturers will make devices in accordance with the standard, so the manufacturing cost will go down, for they do not have to make different types of contract phones for different carriers," said Xiang Ligang, a telecom expert and CEO of telecom industry website cctime.com.

"The global acknowledgment of the international standard will also bring consumers big convenience, especially for those who suffer from no telecom signal in foreign countries. Multi-SIM handsets will become increasingly popular in future," Xiang said.

As the trend sweeps China, a fierce debate is raging about the country's main telecom providers.

China Telecom and China Unicom, two of the main initiators of the proposal, suggest that a multi-SIM device must be able to support all of the six different communication technologies, while China Mobile considers the idea as unnecessary.

It thinks it would be enough to support the mainstream technologies, indicating that there is no need to include the CDMA mode, which is backed by China Telecom.

Also, China Mobile, the world's largest telecom carrier by subscribers, said in its advertisements for dual-SIM-card contract smartphones that consumers can use only China Mobile's 4G network when one of the two SIM cards is China Mobile's.

There is not such a requirement for China Unicom and China Telecom's contract phones.

Fu Liang, an independent analyst, said, "China Mobile is trying to safeguard its dominant position in the sector, but China Unicom and China Telecom are offering data packs at far lower costs, which will significantly increase their popularity."

As of May, China Mobile had 863 million subscribers, including 583 million 4G users. China Telecom and China Unicom had 147 million and 133 million 4G subscribers respectively.

Yang Yafei, a student of the University of International Relations, uses China Unicom's mobile services. He said, "I prefer multi-SIM devices. They are very convenient. I don't think China Mobile's efforts to limit the choice of telecom carriers within a dual-SIM handset will pay off. After all, we are free to choose whatever telecom services we like."

Zhuang Qiange contributed to the story.
A file photo of aircraft carrier Liaoning. [Photo/VCG] Trip demonstrates PLA Navy's good will, shows its capability to protect people

A port call in Hong Kong by China's aircraft carrier fleet to mark the 20th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison has been described by experts as a sign of good will and firm determination.

The fleet, which is on a routine training mission at sea before the port call, is expected to arrive early this month and be open to the public for the first time during its stop in Hong Kong to mark the anniversary, which fell on Saturday, Liang Yang, a spokesman for the PLA Navy, said on Sunday.

The formation comprises the CNS Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier; the CNS Jinan and CNS Yinchuan missile destroyers; the CNS Yantai missile frigate; and J-15 carrier-borne fighter jets and helicopters.

By participating in the anniversary celebrations, the PLA Navy can demonstrate its achievements in defense and military construction to the Hong Kong people, Liang said.

This will further invigorate Hong Kong compatriots' patriotism and love for the city, and inspire national spirit, he added.

The garrison was formally stationed in Hong Kong and assumed defense duties on July 1, 1997, when its sovereignty was returned to China from the United Kingdom.

It currently has about 6,000 personnel and is commanded by Lieutenant General Tan Benhong.

Major General Ma Gang, a professor at the PLA National Defense University, said the fleet's visit demonstrates the PLA Navy's good will, and showcases its firm determination and capability to protect all Chinese people.

"Hong Kong was taken from China by foreign colonial powers in the 1840s, and the Qing government could do little about it because its naval forces were weak," Ma said.

"Now, China has its own aircraft carrier fleet, and its visit to Hong Kong signals a strong sense of reassurance that Hong Kong cannot be taken away again."

Chen Xingxin, a researcher of law and Hong Kong affairs at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said it is understandable and in good will that the carrier fleet is visiting Hong Kong for the anniversary, because both the carrier and the return of Hong Kong are proud milestones in Chinese history.

The CNS Liaoning is a refitted Soviet-era vessel that was commissioned by the PLA Navy in 2012. China also launched its first domestically built aircraft carrier in April.
A family in Liupanshui, Guizhou province, poses for a group photo. Wang Bangbi's team has taken more than 5,000 family photos for poor villagers in Guizhou since 2012. LONG DAIBING/CHINA DAILY

Charity project captures life in the Guizhou countryside

Wang Bangbi, 30, and his classmates have taken more than 5,000 family photos for free in poor villages in Guizhou province since 2012 in the hope of giving those people a memorable experience.

With his team, composed of photography majors from Guizhou Normal University, Wang has visited 16 remote villages in the past five years, taking photos of poor families. For many villagers, it was the first time they had had their photo taken.

Wang is from an impoverished family himselfhe was the last one in his class to buy a camera due to financial constraints.

"In 2009, my mom used money that was supposed to be for buying her medicine to buy me a camera worth 12,000 yuan ($1,750)," he said. "However, I will never have the chance to take a family photo for my family because my mom died two months after she bought me the camera.

"It was so upsetting for me, and it is what gave me the idea of taking pictures for poor families like mine."

In July 2012, Wang contacted several students, who supported his idea and collected 3,300 yuan by working part-time jobs.

They spent the money on paper, ink and other materials. Then, they went to the villages of Zhongzhai and Duoque in Guizhou's Liupanshui city, carrying camera equipment, tents and food rations.

A member of Wang's team shows his photos to two sisters.WEN SHUANG/CHINA DAILY

"In the beginning, nobody believed us," Wang said. "We showed the village committee an introduction letter from our university, and it wasn't until we gave some young villagers photos that we took of them that people believed we were doing it for free."

On the second day, villagers showed up wearing their best clothes, waiting in a line and hoping to have their first-ever picture taken.

That was the 11-member team's first charity trip. They walked for three hours in the mountains to reach the area, lived in tents and ate meals of compressed biscuits.

"We didn't want to disrupt the lives of locals," Wang said.

Soon, many more students at the university wanted to join the team.

"Every member of the team can gain something from the charity trips, especially when they witness the sincerity in the smiles of the villagers when they see their photos," Wang said.

The original 11 members have all graduated, but they still participate in the charity shoots when they have time, especially Wang.

He said he hopes the project continues forever, passing on the love from one generation to the next.

Wen Shuang, a junior student at the university, is now in charge of the team, taking over Wang's role.

"At present, all photography majors at Guizhou Normal University are members of the team," Wen said.

Two children show off their smiles for the volunteer photographers.SUN CUIPING/CHINA DAILY

They take turns to go on charity shoots. As the project has grown, companies have contacted the team enquiring about sponsorship, but Wen said they insist on raising the necessary funding through working part-time jobs.

Sun Cuiping, a student from Jiangsu province, said she had never seen mountains like the ones in Guizhou back in her hometown. She used to fall over often when she walked to remote villages in the mountains, but now she is used to the rocky terrain.

"During a recent trip in Zhenning county, an old man died the day after we took photos of him, which means we captured the precious last moments of his life," Sun said.

"Love is precious. You should cherish the loving relationships you have with your family members," she added. "I'm doing something meaningful and I will continue to do it."

Contact the writers at dujuan@chinadaily.com.cn

Dong Xianwu contributed to this story.
An aerial view of a large flooded area in Rongshui Miao autonomous county, Guangxi Zhuang autonomous region, July 2, 2017. The county saw floods in many parts after consecutive heavy rains raised the water level in Rongjiang River. [Photo/Xinhua]

As a heat wave in northern China continues, more rain is expected along the Yangtze River, which flooded for the first time this year on Saturday.

China's national weather observatory issued a yellow alert for the third consecutive day on Sunday, the second-lowest in a four-tier weather warning system, for rainstorms in the southern part of the country.

The southern regions have seen six heavy downpours. June precipitation in central Hunan province, for example, was double that of the same month last year.
Members of the Communist Party of China from the regional armed police force in Hubei province take oaths before the Party flag in Wuhan, Hubei province, June 29, 2017, ahead of the 96th anniversary of the CPC. [Photo/VCG]

Experts: Representing the people while fighting poverty, corruption is key

Communism was called a haunting ghost more than a century and a half ago, and few believed the Communist Party of China would survive when it was founded in 1921.

Now, the world is watching the largest ruling party in the world march toward its first centenary.

The CPC celebrated its 96th anniversary on Saturday, and later this year the 19th National Congress will see the leadership elected for another five-year term, a critical period for building a well-off nation by the 100th anniversary.

Once the goal is realized, nearly 20 percent of the world's population will live in a moderately prosperous society.

Since its founding, the Party has faced doubts, misunderstanding and even hostility. Yet it has emerged as an exciting success story.

China was a poor nation scarred by foreign aggression and civil war, but today is the world's second-largest economy and a major international player. The Party has evolved from a small group of about 50 members to 89 million, more than the population of Germany.

"Political legitimacy comes from competence and prosperity," said Zhang Weiwei, director of Fudan University's Institute of China Studies. "The CPC experience shows the ultimate test of a good system is how well it ensures good governance as judged by the people of that country."

Last year, President Xi Jinping, general secretary of the CPC Central Committee, was endorsed as the "core leader". Analysts say the position is key for the Party and the country to stay on the right track.

For the first 14 years, the Party was without a strong core leader, which resulted in repeated setbacks.

In 1935, leader Mao Zedong established his authority within the CPC Central Committee and the military. Since then, the Party leadership has been integral to overcoming difficulties.

Xi is determined to lead China toward the Chinese dream of national rejuvenation. He has proposed the strategic layout of the philosophy of innovative, coordinated, green, open and shared development at a time when sustaining fast growth is becoming increasingly difficult.

China's path

The Party created China's recipe for success: Socialism with Chinese characteristics. It is through this model the Party represents the interests of the people and puts the people first.

Reform is pushed forward thanks to decisions that reflect the broad consensus of Chinese society. Social stability is maintained, while the market-government relationship - where the market plays a decisive role in the allocation of resources and the government better serves its duty - can steer the country out of harm during the current global economic downturn.

This path has gained wide support from the public, thanks largely to the fact that most people have found their living standards significantly improved in recent decades, said professor Liu Dongchao at the Chinese Academy of Governance.

Xin Ming, a professor at the Party School of the CPC Central Committee, agreed and said Xi's vision of the Chinese dream has united the majority of people in China.

"The Party has inspired a spirit of striving for a better future," Xin added.

As evidence of the success of China's path, more than 700 million people have been lifted out of poverty. The Party has its eyes on the remaining 40 million in poverty.

"As long as we pay attention, think correctly, take effective measures and work in a down-to-earth way, abject poverty is absolutely conquerable," Xi said during a tour of Shanxi province in June.

Self-improvement

The key to doing things well in China lies in the Party. The leadership has repeatedly warned that the biggest threat is corruption.

Since Xi took the helm as Party leader, an anti-corruption campaign has swept the country, exposing many officials charged with abuse of power and misusing public funds. Since the 18th National Congress, at least 240 senior officials and more than 1 million lower-level officials have been investigated.

The Party has also launched a series of campaigns, including the "mass-line", to build a closer official-people relationship, and the "three stricts and three earnests", a political campaign that urges officials to be strict in morals, power and self-discipline, as well as being honest in decisions, business and behavior.

Zhang at Fudan University said the Party has never been afraid of breaking the shelters of vested interests and sweeping out obstacles hampering development.

Uncertainties ripple through the world today, calling into question the definition of legitimate governance. In this context, he said, the Party's century-old wisdom and practices may be increasingly relevant.

Xinhua
BEIJING -- Beijing police said Sunday that the lending company Huayingkailai, investor in the Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) project, is suspected of illegal fund-raising.

Police received information that Huayingkailai was engaged in illegal fund-raising activities. So far, about 32 suspects have been arrested and are in police custody.

Further investigation continues.

The TEB, also known as Batie Bus, has been promoted as a way help ease traffic congestion. Its design features an elevated passenger compartment that straddles the road below, allowing vehicles to pass underneath.

A high-profile road test was conducted in August 2016 in the city of Qinhuangdao, in north China's Hebei Province, to evaluate the braking system, drag, and power consumption of the bus.

However, a spate of reports have questioned the project's financing. Its developer Huayingkailai was reported to be an online lending company at high risk of default.
Heilongjiang Provincial Tourism Development Committee has extended an invitation to students who took part in this year's national college entrance exam, or gaokao, to visit scenic spots in the province.

The committee said in an open letter that nearly 100 scenic spots are providing free tickets for the students and two half-price tickets for their family members from July 1 to Oct 7.

Scenic spots' slogans have been shared on the committee's WeChat account, which include "Witness the aurora borealis in Mohe county's Beiji village", "Breathe the freshest air in Yichun's Tangwanghe National Park", "Experience a real volcano in Mudanjiang's Jingpo Lake" and "Enjoy the cold mineral spring in Heihe's Wudalianchi Scenic Area".

Hou Wei, deputy director of the committee, said, "Bring your ID cards and admission cards or letters - Heilongjiang welcomes you.

"We also welcome you to study at colleges in Heilongjiang. In addition to rich tourism resources, the province has elite universities. You are going to love it after visiting," he added.

Heilongjiang's forests, wetlands and rivers provide a cool place to beat the summer heat, with temperatures averaging a comfortable 20 C in the hottest months.

The province is known as a winter wonderland, with its capital, Harbin, hosting some of the world's largest snow and ice-sculpture festivals.

If winter seems too far away, people can also enjoy ice and snow during the summer, as Harbin is home to the world's largest indoor ice and snow park, which covers 6,000 square meters.

In addition, on June 30, the world's largest indoor ski resort, Harbin Wanda City, opened in the city.

After taking in the natural scenery, people can enjoy an audiovisual feast at the Harbin Grand Theater, which stages more than 1,000 performances throughout the year.

Heilongjiang is an absolute paradise for epicures. Visitors can enjoy wild river fish, Russian cuisine, Harbin sausage and wild blueberries. Li Xin, 18, a student from Yangzhou, Jiangsu province, plans to visit the province next month.

"I got a satisfying gaokao score, and after finishing my college application process, I would like to take a trip to Heilongjiang," he said.

"My Chinese teacher is from Heilongjiang, so I learned from her that it is cool in the summer and charming in the winter. After hearing about the invitation, I made the decision to visit.

"I believe it will be a wonderful experience, and I will ask my teacher to give me some suggestions about the trip," Li added.

Contact the writers at zhouhuiying@chinadaily.com.cn
Gong Guanghui counts the number of eggs at his chicken farm. Provided To China Daily

Having studied for six years in Russia, Gong Guanghui did not follow his family's wishes and find a job in finance. Instead, he returned to his home village to follow in his father's footsteps, and has run a chicken farm for the past eight years.

Born in 1981 in Hunan province's Fengping town, Gong went to Russia for undergraduate study in 2003, after which he obtained a master's degree in economics and management from St. Petersburg State University of Economics in 2009.

Upon returning to China, he intended to work for a State-owned enterprise in Guangdong province. However, shortly after arriving in Guangdong, he visited a large-scale chicken farm with modern equipment belonging to Guangdong Wens Foodstuffs Group, and it occurred to him that chicken breeding was a potentially profitable business.

After careful consideration, he decided to return to his hometown to set up his own chicken farm.

"It was a difficult decision to make. Some of my relatives said my family had spent so much money supporting my studies that I should follow their wishes," Gong recalled.

As an ancient Chinese saying goes, everything is hard to start with, and Gong soon found this to be true. A lack of capital and an incomplete application process meant his expansion plans for his family's chicken farm could not be implemented.

The local government then said Gong's farm would need to be demolished due to the construction of a highway. However, this was a blessing in disguise, and Gong recognized the opportunity to solve his problems of inadequate capital and a complex application process.

Gong was granted a simplified application process and obtained compensation from the government as well as loans from local credit unions, which paid for world-class chicken farming equipment from Germany.

Gong also implemented an advanced enterprise management system, covering health and epidemic prevention, immunization, production of breeding hens and communication with clients via the internet.

The scale of his chicken farm expanded rapidly after the implementation of his comprehensive development strategy in 2010.

Gong said his operational ideas came from his visits to foreign farms. For example, during his time studying overseas, he visited a German farm with a refined management system.

He has stuck to a concept of large-scale development, automation and corporatization in relation to overseas acquisition.

Gong said operating income last year totaled more than 60 million yuan ($8.79 million), with profit of nearly 14 million yuan, compared with the profit of about 100,000 to 200,000 yuan in his father's time.

He said his company's products are much better than that of its peers due to the implementation of competitive differentiation.

"Our products are better than our peers' in relation to health and vaccination. Even in the face of serious issues such as bird flu, we have a better ability to reduce risk," he said.

Gong is seeking to extend the production chain to increase profits. For example, his company can earn up to 700,000 yuan a year by selling chicken droppings to organic fertilizer plants or fruit and vegetable growers instead of treating it as waste.

Gong added that his company is taking targeted measures in poverty alleviation, such as cooperating with local farmers by utilizing a "company-base-farmer" model of agricultural industrialization, which has helped bring profits to 3,000 households.

Regarding a long-term plan, Gong said there is potential for significant growth in the scale of his chicken farm if government policies support the financing of such development.

Jiang Chenglong contributed to this story.

fengzhiwei@chinadaily.com.cn
BEIJING - Chinese historians have been encouraged to fight "historical nihilism" and defend the history of Communist Party of China (CPC).

Qu Qingshan, head of the Party History Research Office of the CPC Central Committee, identified the essence of historical nihilism as "political thoughts with strong political tendencies and intentions."

Such thoughts seek to distort the history of modern China's revolution, the CPC and the armed forces under the guise of "reevaluation," said Qu in an interview with Xinhua on Monday.

Qu said that resisting and opposing historical nihilism is a form of political combat, crucial to the CPC leadership and the security of socialism.

"One key weapon against historical nihilism is to stick to historical materialism and always seek truth from facts," Qu said.

Qu urged the country's historians and researchers to continue their study of history and "strike" back in a more timely manner.

"We need to take a more active approach toward historical nihilism by stating facts in a clearer way with a louder voice," Qu said.

He also called for critical thinking among Party members and the public when facing unconventional and unorthodox ideas.
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BEIJING - A private home in an old hutong, or alleyway, in downtown Beijing has welcomed a group of rare guests -- five fledgling swallows.

"I haven't seen a swallows' nest for over 30 years," said Fan Liandi, a retired Chinese language teacher. She lives at Dazhiqiao Hutong, just south of Xuanwumen in downtown Beijing.

"Last year, I had the house gate repainted, and in spring, swallows started building a nest under the roof," Fan said.

Many years ago, swallows were a common sight in Beijing, said Gao Wu, an ornithologist and professor at Capital Normal University.

"When the population rose quickly, birds started to leave because they couldn't build nests on modern apartment buildings," said Gao.

"The fact that they are coming back is a good phenomenon, it means the area is quiet enough, and there are abundant food resources," he said.

Dazhiqiao Hutong is 186 meters long. Before the Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), it was a drainage ditch. Teahouses and restaurants started to be built in late Qing dynasty and it eventually became one of the most crowded and chaotic alleyways in southern part of downtown Beijing.

Since April last year, illegally-constructed structures and hole-in-the-wall restaurants have been dismantled. Wires that used to criss-cross above the buildings were buried underground. Roads were expanded, and dilapidated houses repaired. Dazhiqiao is one of seven alleyways that have been renovated south of Xuanwumen.

"The environment is much quieter now, and I guess that's why the birds are coming back," said Fan.

Beijing's efforts to dismantle illegal constructions, build parks and wetlands, and restore ancient alleyways have helped clean up the city environment.

According to municipal statistics, Beijing has built 210 large parks around the city. Its green-zone coverage is about 26.8 percent, up about 12 percentage points compared to the figure five years ago.

Beijing currently has 50,000 hectares of wetlands. By 2020, it plans to add another 3,000 hectares. The green-zone coverage will be at least 30 percent by then, according to the government plan.

Beijing Wildlife Rescue and Rehabilitation Center, which monitors the wild bird population, said that from 2014 to 2015, there were about 150 species of birds in Beijing, and the number has risen to 200 since 2016.

"These swallows will grow and one day they will leave my house, but I hope more birds will come and build nests here, like they did when I was young," said Fan.
A teacher congratulates graduates in the graduation ceremony held Saturday at Sichuan University for Science and Technology in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, July 1, 2017. [Photo by Xiang Yun/for www.chinadaily.com.cn]

Sichuan University for Science and Technology in Chengdu, capital of Southwest China's Sichuan province, held a graduation ceremony for its 4,726 graduates on Saturday, with participants pledging to contribute to their motherland with technology.

The university, which also has a campus in the Tianfu New Area, China's 11th national-level development area, in Renshou county in Sichuan, is strong in training students with applied technology in Sichuan.

Emulating advanced teaching methods in the world, the university is aimed at becoming a "California Institute of Technology" in the east, according to university president Hao Jianping.

Speaking at the ceremony on Saturday, Hao encouraged all the new graduates to work with the spirit of craftsmen during their lifetimes and contribute to China's technological development when it is implementing the 'Made in China 2025' plan

To rejuvenate themanufacturing sectors, the world's major economies have resorted to different programs and strategies.

The United States has proposed a manufacturing industry renaissance program and Germany has formulated an Industry 4.0 strategy, while China is implementing the 'Made in China 2025' plan to modernize its manufacturing through technological upgrades, knowledge-based industries and environmentally-friendly development.'
Jon Lowe reports that experts believe the SAR can provide not just financing but all types of legal service for these ambitious projects - including arbitration.

The Belt and Road Initiative (B&R) unveiled in 2013 is "the greatest civil engineering project in human history, greater than Great Wall project and Marshall Europe reconstruction project", according to veteran Hong Kong commentator professor Song Sio-chong at the Research Center of Hong Kong and Macao Basic Law in Shenzhen University.

With massive infrastructure projects in more than 65 countries and regions, B&R relies heavily not just on the financial services of "super-connector" Hong Kong, but also on the city's legal services.

Gu Minkang - an expert on Chinese company law at the School of Law, City University of Hong Kong (CityU) - thinks B&R dispute resolution offers many opportunities for Hong Kong's homegrown law firms.

Former chief executive Leung Chun-ying (center) speaks at the China Daily Asia Leadership roundtable themed "Hong Kong Unleashing the Potential of Belt and Road Initiative" at the Grand Hyatt Hong Kong in 2015. Edmond Tang / China Daily

"I think that most Hong Kong law firms are capable of offering services with a particular focus on arbitration and mediation.

"I would encourage a favorable policy being formed in order to facilitate more legal service cooperation between Hong Kong and the Chinese mainland. This is also very important to implement the B&R initiative in the long run."

Charltons Law, a Hong Kong firm which focuses on corporate finance legal practices with offices in Shanghai, Beijing and Yangon, is ready to embrace the initiative.

Charltons is one of the organizers of this year's international forum on legal services for promoting implementation of the Belt and Road Initiative to be held in Chengdu, Sichuan province, on July 29 and 30.

The close ties with the mainland offered many opportunities for the city to capitalize on the B&R Initiative, a partner at Charltons said.

"Its fund-raising and financing capabilities, expertise in infrastructure development, and internationally recognized legal system mean Hong Kong can help build a bridge among mainland and other B&R countries and the rest of the world," said Clinton Morrow.

He sees Hong Kong as being fully able to provide all types of legal services for B&R projects, from financing to arbitration.

"As a part of China, Hong Kong operates under the 'one country, two systems' principle and has a legal system based on the common law.

"The rule of law is upheld by a judiciary that is widely recognized by the international community. Hong Kong also has first-class dispute resolution and arbitration capabilities and accordingly will play a key role in dispute resolution."

Major greenfield projects such as roads, ports, tunnels and bridges require a vast amount of finance - good news not only for lenders but also for law firms specializing in financing.

"I think the Belt and Road has now matured to a stage where the projects that have been identified by the governments have moved on to the implementation phase," said Boo Bee Chun, a partner at the Hong Kong and Chinese mainland offices of Baker McKenzie who specializes in mergers and acquisitions.

"In the last six months or so we have definitely received a lot more client requests for assistance from us in terms of greenfield projects in many developing countries - Latin America, Southeast Asia, and Central Asia. We do see some sort of mini-explosion of deals in these countries."

The firm has 77 regional offices in places as diverse as the Czech Republic, South Africa and Kazakhstan.

"Of course the Hong Kong/China team won't know Kazakh law as well as our colleagues in Almaty, but we've done enough deals to know what kind of approvals you need from the government, and we can always partner up with our local offices," said Tracy Wut, who specializes in mergers and acquisitions and foreign direct investments at Baker McKenzie.

Resolving disputes

Construction projects, of course, can be fraught with problems due to the many variables such as labor, design, weather and so on.

Hence there will be an increase in the number of arbitrations in contracts other than financing. A more interesting question is whether there will be financing-related arbitration.

"Belt and Road is at its heart a geopolitical initiative, so a lot of the financing contracts that are being entered into right now may not be the hard-nosed type of contract you will typically see between commercial parties.

"You will likely see some arbitrations coming out of the financing agreements. But in many cases ultimately, whether legal rights are strictly enforced and whether there will be arbitrations arising from the financing agreements will depend in large part on the political and broader economic climate as well," said Paul Teo, head of arbitration for Greater China at Baker McKenzie, an international law firm which has offices in Hong Kong.

With the FIDIC (Fdration Internationale des Ingnieurs-Conseils, or International Federation of Consulting Engineers) form of contract, a template contract often is used between employers and contractors on international construction projects, parties are required to enter into a multi-tiered process before ending up in arbitration.

Many disputes will be referred to a dispute adjudication board, a formal body made up of engineers written into all FIDIC contracts. It will look at claims on an ongoing basis, make technical evaluations, and try to resolve a lot of the issues.

For unresolved issues, the next step will be negotiations between senior executives of the (Chinese) construction company and their B&R clients. If this fails to resolve a dispute, it will be referred to formal mediation.

The really tricky disputes that cannot be sorted out by mediation will go to arbitration. "FIDIC contracts allow for this multi-tiered process to be engaged", said Teo.

Arbitration is both costly and can damage reputations. Thus, mediation is becoming ever more crucial in dispute resolution. It is an area in which HK is a pioneer, according to Francis Law Wai-hung, president of the non-profit Hong Kong Mediation Centre (HKMC), which is self-funding through training and mediation services and has another role as a charitable organization.

Consequently, it has received informal assistance from the government, such as forthcoming use of a building next to the city's High Court. "People used to think mediation was like a high-status middleman. But as time wore on we've found people in Hong Kong like mediation more and recognize mediators as independent professionals that can help them to resolve their disputes before they come to court. That is a very important thing, because they save money, time and pressure," Law said.

The HKMC has teamed up with mainland counterparts to form the Mainland-Hong Kong Joint Mediation Center, itself something of a B&R initiative, to create a new network for mediation among Asian, Arab and European countries and regions - with Hong Kong at the center.

It also seeks to strengthen enforcement of mediation agreements. "We are using a method which is collaboration between mediation and arbitration. We do the mediation agreement, and get the arbitration center to endorse it.

"After a settlement agreement has been signed, in the Hong Kong mediation center or in other centers in other countries if parties want, we can forward the agreement to the arbitration center in another B&R place - say Thailand or Spain - and then they can make an arbitration award," he said.

Mediators are drawn from various professions besides legal and receive training at various levels. "Mediation is the way forward for B&R," said Law, "because you cannot expect the legal system from other places to just accept yours. You cannot ask them to change their legal system just because Hong Kong is using the common law system."

Financing to completion

There's a nearly constant need for legal services across the entire timeline of any B&R project but it always begins with financing.

And, according to the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, 68 percent of foreign direct investments into the mainland and 62 percent of the mainland's outward direct investments in 2015 were made through Hong Kong.

"With Belt and Road projects, there will be different transactions entered into between different players at different stages of a project and project financing is invariably the first item on the agenda.

"They (projects and finance lawyers) will talk to the banks and assist the banks in lending to companies that are looking to build these projects," Teo said.

"The lending will be governed by the financing agreements and they will be followed by other agreements such as the construction agreements and facility usage agreements," he added.

The financing stage may also require the input of other legal jurisdictions and teams of experts, according to Boo from Baker Mckenzie.

"We recently helped a Chinese power company with its investment in over 60 wind farm plants around the world, and we had to work with local counsels in all those countries where the wind farm plants are located.

"We rely on local counsels for very specific local law advice, such as whether a wind farm plant has the necessary licenses for power generation in the local country.

"When it comes to assessing whether the assets are bankable and feasible, and whether they are attractive to international investors, that will be done by our team of expert project lawyers in China, Hong Kong and Singapore."

Once the financing arrangements have been completed, a project moves toward the nitty-gritty of actually building it.

This calls for a separate suite of contracts to be entered into. Then comes the actual construction and completion of the contract. Beyond that, there might be other sorts of post-completion agreements - for which the governing law can be different again depending on how parties bargain and negotiate.

"So from financing to construction and post-completion, there will be a series of different contracts, all with different wording, different governing law, and different parties coming in at different junctures," Teo summarized.

Contact the writer at jon.lowe@chinadailyhk.com

Participants of the inaugural Belt and Road Summit held in May 2016 walk at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre. The summit drew over 2,000 movers and shakers from government and business to exchange ideas about how to tap a world of new opportunities. Provided to China Daily

(HK Edition 07/03/2017 page8)
HANOI - Facing a lean harvest but enjoying good prices, Vietnam's litchi growing hub is intensifying cultivation of the succulent fruit in accordance with international standards, and exporting half of its output to China.

In June, an official from Bac Giang's Bureau of Agriculture and Rural Development said that the northern province is encouraging more local farmers to grow litchi trees according to GlobalGAP or VietGAP, and promoting the fruit both at home and abroad.

VietGAP is the Vietnamese version of GlobalGAP (Good Agricultural Practices), a voluntary audit which verifies that fruit and vegetables are produced as safely as possible to minimize risks of microbial food safety hazards.
The Grand Mansion Gate will tour the country after its premiere in Beijing.[Photo provided to China Daily]

The Grand Mansion Gate, the story of the Beijing-based Bai family through one of the most politically tumultuous periods of modern Chinese history, reappears in a new avatar. Chen Nan reports.

It has been 16 years since Chinese director and scriptwriter Guo Baochang made Da Zhai Men, or The Grand Mansion Gate, a 72-episode TV drama based on the story of his adoptive father.

Considered a classic with a star-studded cast, including Chinese filmmakers Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Jiang Wen, The Grand Mansion Gate is the story of the Beijing-based Bai family through one of the most politically tumultuous periods of modern Chinese history, spanning from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) up until World War II.
To provide a better internet space, the Ministry of Culture recently investigated 50 internet performance companies, especially live streaming platforms.

About 30 live broadcasting platforms were investigated, including huya.com, yy.com, longzhu.com, huomao.com and miaopai.com.

Among the 10,562 live streaming platforms and apps checked, 20 were penalized, 23 registered and investigated and 11 shut down, such as 5kong.tv. These platforms were all found to show pornographic contents.

The ministry also investigated app stores of Baidu, Tencent, 360, Huawei and Xiaomi, and cleared out 291 live streaming apps. About 540 apps were banned from going online while about 970 platforms were required to provide qualifications.

Over 31,000 live streaming performers were punished and about 9,700 were sacked for their pornographic contents.

The ministry welcomes the public to report improper live broadcasting platforms and apps via the phone number 010-59881010 or the website 12318.gov.cn.
A photo displayed at exhibition Kung fu, Art and Life at the Malta Cultural Center on June 30, 2017. [Photo/Chinacutlure.org]

A Hong Kong film panorama, along with a photo exhibition of action movie legend Bruce Lee, was unveiled at the Malta Cultural Center on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

A wide range of Hong Kong films - including Infernal Affairs, Monster Hunt, and Way of the Dragon - will be screened in the upcoming weeks to offer a glimpse of the lives and culture of people in Hong Kong, and the special administrative region's development.

Wang Yanjun, head of the Chinese culture center, addressed the opening of the month-long event.

"Hong Kong is an important window of spreading Chinese culture. Upon the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the China Cultural Center in Malta is hosting the Hong Kong Film Panorama and the Bruce Lee photo exhibition in order to present the diverse culture of Hong Kong," he said.

"Hong Kong's film industry has revived in recently years due to close cooperation between the region and the Chinese mainland. Such cooperation has also helped expand the influence of Chinese films across the globe, and helped promote film cooperation and coproduction between China and other countries."
Mainland, Taiwan students share tech smarts at camp 2017-07-03 14:23:14 chinadaily.com.cn University students from Beijing and Taiwan took part in a weeklong camp titled Intelligence Creates the Future, which was launched at the University of Science and Technology Beijing on June 29.

University students from Beijing and Taiwan took part in a weeklong camp titled Intelligence Creates the Future, which was launched at the University of Science and Technology Beijing on June 29.

In the ceremony hall, intelligent cars designed by students of the Beijing university are displayed during the weeklong camp.

"These cars have won awards in intelligent car races home and abroad. In the following days, visitors from Taiwan will learn how to control the cars by an app designed by us," says Yu Fang, a student majoring in automation in Beijing. "The operation is simple and easy, so students of different backgrounds can enjoy it."

The annual summer camp has been hosted by the Beijing university since 2004. This year's event has drawn students and teachers from Taiwan universities, such as Taipei University of Technology and Taiwan University of Science and Technology.

Aiming at enhancing hands-on ability and cultivating the team spirit of the youngsters, this year's camp includes a series of creative activities based on intelligent cars  an emerging high-tech products both in the country and globally.

"We hope that the activity will spark students' interests in intelligent cars and tap their potential, and Taiwan participants could make themselves at home here," says Zhang Xinxin, the president of University of Science and Technology Beijing, adding in a speech that the camp can serve as a bond academically and emotionally between universities in Taiwan and the mainland.

Yu Bin, deputy director of the Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs in the Ministry of Education, points out that the young generation plays an essential role in improving the cross-Straits relationship and the future of China at large.

Ma Xiaokang, a professor from Taiwan University, introduced the development of new energy technology in Taiwan, highlighting that advancing innovative energy technology will pave the way to a green economy.

Wang Peng, an expert from Intel Labs China, gave a report named "Smart Chip, New Experience" at the event.
Malta holds film panorama to mark HK's anniversary 2017-07-03 14:23:43 Chinaculture.org A Hong Kong film panorama, along with a photo exhibition of action movie legend Bruce Lee, was unveiled at the Malta Cultural Center on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

A Hong Kong film panorama, along with a photo exhibition of action movie legend Bruce Lee, was unveiled at the Malta Cultural Center on Friday to mark the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China.

A wide range of Hong Kong films - including Infernal Affairs, Monster Hunt, and Way of the Dragon - will be screened in the upcoming weeks to offer a glimpse of the lives and culture of people in Hong Kong, and the special administrative region's development.

Wang Yanjun, head of the Chinese culture center, addressed the opening of the month-long event.

"Hong Kong is an important window of spreading Chinese culture. Upon the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's return to China, the China Cultural Center in Malta is hosting the Hong Kong Film Panorama and the Bruce Lee photo exhibition in order to present the diverse culture of Hong Kong," he said.

"Hong Kong's film industry has revived in recently years due to close cooperation between the region and the Chinese mainland. Such cooperation has also helped expand the influence of Chinese films across the globe, and helped promote film cooperation and coproduction between China and other countries."

The Bruce Lee-themed photo exhibition, titled Kung fu, Art and Life, features more than 70 images, narrating the late action movie icon's achievements and influence on Chinese films, Chinese kung fu and Chinese culture.

Lee was born in 1940 and died in 1973. He rose to fame in Hong Kong and the United States in the early 1970s due to his roles in martial arts films. He was named among the Time magazine's 100 most influential people of the 20th century.
Xi extends congratulations on convening of 29th AU summit 2017-07-03 18:41:41 Xinhua Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of congratulations to African countries and peoples on the convening of the 29th African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa of Ethiopia.

BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping on Monday sent a message of congratulations to African countries and peoples on the convening of the 29th African Union (AU) summit in Addis Ababa of Ethiopia.

In the congratulatory message, Xi noted the AU is a banner for unity and self-strengthening of Africa. The AU has actively promoted African integration and has prompted African countries to speak with one voice on major global and regional issues, making remarkable achievements, he added.

Xi voiced sincere hope that the AU will lead African countries to keep making greater achievements in the cause of pursuing peace and development.

Important early harvests have been reaped in implementing the outcomes of the Johannesburg summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation (FOCAC), which has contributed to the economic and social development of Africa, Xi stressed.

Xi said the Chinese side will continue to adhere to the principles of its African policy -- sincerity, practical results, affinity and good faith, will uphold the values of friendship, justice and shared interests, and will actively promote alignment of the Ten Major China-Africa Cooperation Programs and the Belt and Road Initiative with the AU's Agenda 2063, to promote in-depth development of China-Africa comprehensive strategic cooperative partnership in the greater interest of Chinese and African peoples.

Proposed by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, the Belt and Road Initiative aims to build trade and infrastructure networks connecting Asia with Europe and Africa on and beyond the ancient Silk Road routes. It comprises the Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road.
President Xi says relations with Russia at 'best time in history' 2017-07-03 13:08:54 Xinhua Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday that China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday that China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks during an interview with Russian media ahead of his state visit to Russia.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese president said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues left by history, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship between the two peoples.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi added.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

"I will start a state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. I believe the visit will inject new impetus to the development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture has been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached an important consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to the Chinese president, the two countries are also working together to tap their cooperation potential and foster new growth areas in bilateral cooperation.

"The fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation has become the locomotive in the continuous development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

Meanwhile, Xi said that the two countries have also witnessed rapid development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They also maintained close strategic coordination on global and regional affairs, serving as a ballast stone in safeguarding global and regional peace, security and stability, Xi added.

Looking into the future, Xi said he is confident about the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and he is ready to work with President Putin to help guide and promote the continued and healthy development of China-Russia ties.
It is unwise for Washington to play the Taiwan card 2017-07-03 08:17:37 China Daily The moves run counter to the consensus reached by the two presidents on that occasion that the two countries should work together to forge a constructive partnership.

The past week was nothing but eventful considering the relative peace China-US relations have enjoyed since Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump struck a constructive note for bilateral ties when they met in Mar-a-Lago, Florida, in April.

Over the past few days, Washington has approved a $1.4-billion arms sale to Taiwan and blacklisted a Chinese bank for alleged business ties with the Democratic People's Republic of Korea, and the US Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a bill for US naval vessels to make regular stops at Taiwan ports and help the island develop undersea warfare capabilities.

The moves run counter to the consensus reached by the two presidents on that occasion that the two countries should work together to forge a constructive partnership.

Although the approval of the arms sales to Taiwan agreed last year is the most provocative move the Trump administration has taken thus far, it is actually the latest act of a decades-old routine stemming from the US Defense Authorization Act. It is hardly a novelty in bilateral ties, and is only surprising because of its timing, scale and the technologies involved.

The proposed port visits are another matter, should they gain the approval of Congress and the authorization of the president, the consequences for ties are likely to be extremely serious, because besides sending a misleading message to the secessionist forces in Taiwan, they would constitute a substantial infringement on China's sovereignty.

Washington is well aware that Beijing will not tolerate any external interference in its internal affairs, especially any challenge to the country's territorial integrity and sovereignty. Something Xi spelled out very clearly during his just-concluded visit to the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region.

At this stage, the moves made last week are nothing more than annoying, and they do not necessarily measure up to a reversal in the US' China policies as some are claiming.

It may be the outcome-oriented Washington is anxious to leverage immediate gains from bilateral collaboration in relation to priority issues on its agenda or a price-hiking ploy prior to negotiations at the upcoming Comprehensive Economic Dialogue. Either way, going overboard in trying to put pressure on Beijing may prove counterproductive, since it will simply prompt a tit-for-tat response from which the US will not emerge unbruised.

Beijing, protesting against the moves, has called on Washington to correct its mistakes so that their cooperation on major issues will not be affected, showing the constructive partnership they have pledged to formulate is still attainable if there is a shared will.
Russia expects a surge in Asian investment 2017-07-03 08:19:38 China Daily Judy Lim Russia's "pivot to East" continues, which will make Russia-China ties even more dynamic through bilateral trade, cross-border initiatives and corporate deals. Russia's economic recovery, along with Asian institutional and private investors' decision to venture overseas, is creating a positive trade and investment environment.

Russia's "pivot to East" continues, which will make Russia-China ties even more dynamic through bilateral trade, cross-border initiatives and corporate deals. Russia's economic recovery, along with Asian institutional and private investors' decision to venture overseas, is creating a positive trade and investment environment.

The International Monetary Fund predicts strong near-term Asian outlook. Despite potential tighter monetary policy and curbs on domestic asset prices, China's GDP is still expected to grow 6.5 percent a year and the country is expected to be a leading cross-border investor by 2020, with global offshore assets tripling to nearly $20 trillion. And China's global stock of outbound foreign direct investment, including investment in corporate mergers and acquisitions, and startups, may increase to about $2 trillion by 2020.

There is also a rapidly growing pool of Asian capital that must be invested. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, assets under management in the Asia-Pacific region will increase from $7.7 trillion in 2012 to $16.2 trillion by 2020. Pension fund assets alone will grow by 9.5 percent a year to $6.5 trillion by 2020.

Sovereign wealth funds are rich capital sources with diverse agendas and investment goals. Along with institutional investment growth from pension funds, they help governments seek greater adoption of defined contribution plans and individual retirement plans. Mutual funds, too, are being fueled by the emergence of the middle class in Asia. And rapid accumulation of wealth in the region is further increasing investable capital among high-net worth individuals.

Besides, declining yields have shifted Asian investors' cash toward equities and emerging markets from their more common fixed income and property investments. Russia's return to Eurobonds last year after three years, too, is a reflection of Asian demand. Two deals, one in May and one in September worth $1.75 billion and $1.25 billion were highly subscribed to by Asian investors.

The Russian central bank recently encouraged investment by creating market infrastructure for its first yuan-denominated OFZ bonds, diversifying funding sources and increasing liquidity for Russia. It also paved the way for Russian corporate bond placements in China and provided direct Asian investor access. This shows Asian state and private corporations' investment interest in Russia is growing steadily, with the focus areas being natural resources, transport and infrastructure, healthcare, real estate and agriculture.

From corporate companies, we have seen many large transactions and cross-border initiatives involving Chinese enterprises, especially in oil and gas. Such projects include supply agreements, asset transactions, financing, and joint investment. For example, Rosneft and ChemChina recently agreed on a framework for further implementation of the Far-Eastern Petrochemical Company project, while Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation agreed to build a tunnel under the Amur River as part of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. And Chinese companies have invested 16 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) in development projects in Russia's Far East.

Chinese investors are also acquiring Russian assets in partnership with existing Russian shareholders, and Russian and Chinese banks would do well to support such ventures. Legislation enhancing protection for foreign investors in Russia is making such acquisitions popular, improving financial infrastructure and expanding business ties between the two countries.

Moreover, Alibaba Group's agreement to expand retail and payment operations in Russia with several Russian bank partners, including VTB, is sign of Asian companies' expansion in Russia. At the 2nd Eastern Economic Forum last year, the Republic of Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Engineering and Construction signed a multi-billion dollar deal with a subsidiary of Russia's National Chemical Group to build fertilizer production facilities in Nahodka, Russia.

As Russia continues its active engagement with Asia to develop its Far East Region, we expect more investment from Japanese, ROK, Indian and ASEAN companies this year. Russia has vast investment potential, and Asia, a strong and growing pool of capital. Russia is home to massive natural resources but to use them we need infrastructure investment, and China and other Asian countries have the experience and expertise to build large-scale infrastructure projects.

With strong government support for closer Russian-Asian cooperation, and measures to make Asian investors aware of investment opportunities in Russia, we are confident that Asian flow of investment into Russia is likely to grow strongly in 2017 and beyond.

The author is the CEO of VTB Capital in Asia.
Party's governance advances with the times 2017-07-03 08:19:38 China Daily G. Venkat Raman The reform and opening-up launched by the Party under the pragmatic leadership of Deng Xiaoping almost four decades ago have to be seen in this context.

The Communist Party of China has always sought to reinvent itself. Its leaders have contributed to the evolution of the Party, making it more adaptive to the changing times. Every time the Party leadership perceives a chasm between the leadership and the people, it makes successful interventions, strengthening its credentials as the benevolent Party working to improve the lives of the people.

The reform and opening-up launched by the Party under the pragmatic leadership of Deng Xiaoping almost four decades ago have to be seen in this context.

However, when the Party leadership realized that decades of fast-paced economic growth has led to income disparity and regional imbalance, it decided to shift the focus to social governance by "putting people first". Under Xi Jinping's leadership, the Party has once again reinvented itself by vowing to realize the Chinese Dream, or the rejuvenation of the Chinese nation.

The 21st century has also seen other developments such as the spillover effects of a governance model based on GDP-centric growth, China joining the World Trade Organization and becoming an integral part of globalization, which have also posed challenges. These challenges have prompted the Party to embark on a new series of reforms and resolve to strengthen its "governance capacity".

To begin with, the CPC has been seeking authority from not only "ideological legitimacy", but also "empirical legitimacy". To this effect, the Party has promoted a series of reforms that include administrative accountability, divesting the State from private business, "putting people first" and "building a harmonious society". More importantly, it has also launched a massive anti-corruption campaign.

Second, the Party has provided certain "safety valves" for the people, allowing them to constantly negotiate with the State and, in the process, accommodated new challenges and groups. For instance, scaling back public welfare and other concerns stemming from "limited government", the Party has embarked, according to many observers, on building a "big Party, small State, great society".

In order to establish direct connect with society, the Party has adopted the innovative idea of forming party organized NGOs, or PONGOs, which are a hybrid form of organization set up to encourage the growth of professional charitable organizations taking on public welfare provisions. Under the auspices of corporate social responsibility programs, the Party has also encouraged its members to participate in public services.

Third, in the realm of e-governance, the Party has encouraged citizens to voice their concerns. As a result, the people are more willing to stake their claims, in order to obtain better services. This has facilitated new platforms on which the State and the people constantly negotiate with each other, which in turn has helped the Party to develop new governance mechanisms on Deng's principle of "crossing the river by feeling the stones".

In this regard, it should be mentioned that both Chinese and foreign scholars have pointed out the growing dissatisfaction of the people with the abuse of power and "misgovernance" by officials at the local level. This has prompted the Party to take measures to improve the quality of local officials and instill in them the moral code of "a good communist". The Party has also devised mechanisms such as the "cadre exchange system" to combat localism and curb rent-seeking activities.

Fourth, the CPC is aggressively promoting the "rule of law", which places the ruling party structure alongside that of the State, which has sent a loud and clear message that violation of the "rule of law" by even Party and government officials will lead to severe punishment.

Borrowing a management concept, the 17th National Congress of the CPC declared the Party would mold itself into a "learning party", and the Party leadership exhorted its members to learn from successful experiments through pilot programs adopted internally.

And through the "mass line approach" Party chief Xi Jinping has urged the members to introspect and serve the Chinese people and the nation.

As China moves ahead seeking to claim what it considers its rightful place in the world, a lot will depend on how the Party leadership handles the various contradictions emerging from its growing integration with the international system. China's leadership at the global level will be determined to a significant extent on the way the Party devises governance mechanisms to boost its "governing capacity".

The author is an associate professor of Humanities and Social Sciences at the Indian Institute of Management, Indore, India.
Putting world on the fast track 2017-07-03 07:18:29 China Daily Zhong Nan Although the number of travelers in China is much higher than those in many countries combined, domestic and foreign airlines are not taking it easy as high-speed railways continue to expand.

Although the number of travelers in China is much higher than those in many countries combined, domestic and foreign airlines are not taking it easy as high-speed railways continue to expand. With train speeds increasing all the time, the gap between journey time by air and by rail is narrowing.

Eager to keep technological pace with its Japanese rivals, China Railway Rolling Stock Corp, the country's railway vehicle and equipment exporter, will invest in magnetic levitation or maglev trains next.

Maglev trains in Qingdao, Shandong province, can reach speeds of up to 600 km per hour already.

China is also working on next-generation bullet trains with a maximum speed of 400 km per hour. They will be ready by 2020 for markets linked to the Belt and Road Initiative.

"China's competitive advantages are significant with the country's high-speed rail technology having proven that it can stand the test of various climates ranging from alpine to tropical conditions," said Zheng Changhong, former deputy chairman of CRRC.

High-speed trainssome call them bullet trainsare ubiquitous in China. The country's high-speed railroads spanned 22,340 km by the end of last year, accounting for more than 60 percent of the world's total. Some 1 billion passengers traveled by high-speed trains in China last year, more than half of the world's total.

China Railway Corp, the country's railway operator, and CRRC have already mastered the technology for producing electric multiple-unit trains with speeds between 200 km per hour and 250 km per hour.

The country also set up a technology platform for producing bullet trains that can run at speeds of 350 km per hour. The platform developed the CRH380, a new generation of high-speed rolling stock, according to the National Railway Administration.

CRRC has so far participated in more than 10 high-speed and regular railway projects in the global markets, including the high-speed railroad linking Ankara and Istanbul in Turkey, the Moscow-Kazan high-speed railway in Russia, the China-Thailand railway and the Hungary-Serbia railway.

CRRC and other Chinese railway infrastructure and technology companies, including CRC and China Railway Signal and Communication Co, are currently building the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway in Indonesia.

When complete, it will connect Bandung with Surabaya, Indonesia's second largest city, which is 570 km away and has a population of 3.6 million.

With a speed of 350 km per hour, the railway is expected to cut travel time between Jakarta and Bandung from the current three hours to 36 minutes.

Wang Zhile, a senior researcher at the Chinese Academy of International Trade and Economic Cooperation in Beijing, said, "In the long term, China and the ASEAN economies will count on enhanced regional cooperation, especially in rail transportation, to stimulate people-to-people exchanges, trade and attract investment while improving regional economic integration."

Wang said Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia and Malaysia have plans to build high-speed rail links, which could further fuel hopes that Southeast Asia would one day have a unified rail system similar to the one in Europe.

"For China, it is an appropriate time to be a bullet train manufacturer in the world market," said Yu Weiping, CRRC's vice-president.

Yu said the company is keen to contribute to a new high-speed rail culture in the United States. High-speed trains traveling at speeds of more than 300 km per hour will help the US to change its surface transport systems, which have long been dominated by automobiles.

Demand is surging for such trains, advanced railway infrastructure, passenger services and regional connectivity in many countries, especially those related to the Belt and Road Initiative.

CRRC plans to build bullet trains and provide related services in both developing and developed markets, including Malaysia, South Africa, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the US.

"Helping other countries develop high-speed train networks would also stand China's rail sector in good stead. There is evidence to this effect. Exports of high-speed rolling stock, signaling systems and other equipment have generated decent returns so far," said Feng Hao, a railway development researcher at the National Development and Reform Commission.
Wheels of sharing economy rolling across the globe 2017-07-03 08:05:36 China Daily Ma Si Funded by deep-pocketed investors, Chinese bike-sharing companies such as Mobike and Ofo have notched up explosive growth over the past year.

On June 15, at an exhibition hall in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, Hu Weiwei, founder of Chinese bike-sharing startup Mobike Technology Co Ltd, was busy explaining the company's philosophy to government officials from different countries.

The former journalist articulated her views on how bike-sharing services can help ease urban traffic congestion and build smart transportation projects in Western cities.

They heard her in rapt attention. They had heard of Mobile and its phenomenal success in China. Just a day earlier, Mobike announced it would place 1,000 bicycles on the streets of Manchester, England, by June-end, marking its first major expansion outside of Asia.

Mobike's UK move came after its arch rival Ofo Inc launched a pilot project in Cambridge in th United Kingdom two months ago.

Funded by deep-pocketed investors, Chinese bike-sharing companies such as Mobike and Ofo have notched up explosive growth over the past year.

Their services, which allow bicycles to be rented using a smartphone and parked anywhere after use, have redefined short-distance travel in China, and spawned fierce competition for market share.

The market is now expanding, encompassing the globe. Chinese players are scrambling to woo denizens of global cities where crowded streets and the desire for zero-emission transport are expected to make bike-sharing popular.

"Bike-sharing is a Chinese innovation, different from previous technology fads learned from the West. We've the scale and experience to help foreign consumers benefit from our innovation," said Hu in a telephone interview with China Daily after the Amsterdam event.

Last month, the three-year-old company received more than $600 million in funding from investors, including internet heavyweight Tencent Holdings Ltd.

The money will be used to finance Mobike's overseas expansion. Mobike is eyeing 200 cities where it wants a presence by this year-end. It currently operates in more than 130 cities in China, and Singapore and Japan.

Ofo, which is backed by China's largest ride-hailing company Didi Chuxing, also announced ambitious plans of marching into 20 countries by this year-end. It already has a presence in Singapore, Kazakhstan, and a pilot project in the United States.

"In stark contrast to the previous generation of Chinese internet players that focused on domestic growth until the market became saturated, Mobike and Ofo are far more aware of the aspects of globalization and opportunities therein," said Zhang Xu, a transportation analyst at Beijing-based market research house Analysys.

"They are setting sights on the West for expansion even when the growth momentum is robust at home," Zhang said.

According to Analysys, in April, Mobike had 20.7 million monthly active users. In comparison, Ofo was said to have 20.4 million monthly active users. Both companies saw high quarterly growth in numbers of users.

"Scanning the QR code using my smartphone to unlock the shared bike is convenient and effective. A bicycle ride for short-distance needs can save lots of time and energy, especially amid traffic congestion," said Hassan, 30, from Pakistan, a visiting fellow at Renmin University of China in Beijing.

Word of mouth and online social media messaging has led to awareness of China's shared bikes across the world.

Chris Martin, a UK entrepreneur who heads Mobike's international expansion department, helped negotiate the company's partnership with the Manchester City Council and Transport for Greater Manchester. The three sides are establishing a voluntary code of working to make sure that bike-sharing services operate in a way that does not inconvenience other road users.

"It took several months for us to communicate with local authorities," Martin said. "Starting with the initial 1,000 bicycles, we hope to learn in detail how UK users differ from their Chinese counterparts, and fine-tune our local strategy."

Mobike is teaming up with CityVerve, a UK tech company, and telecom major Vodafone in building an internet-of-things platform to manage its bicycles in the UK. Its data will be stored on Microsoft's cloud service.

Ofo is also customizing its overseas services. Yu Xin, co-founder of Ofo, said in an exclusive interview with China Daily that the company redesigned its bicycle for Singapore. It is also working closely with the local government to establish over 100 preferred parking zones, to pre-empt its two-wheelers getting piled up in heaps on the sidewalks during weekends and holidays.
[Photo provided to China Daily]

University students from Beijing and Taiwan took part in a weeklong camp titled Intelligence Creates the Future, which was launched at the University of Science and Technology Beijing on June 29.

In the ceremony hall, intelligent cars designed by students of the Beijing university are displayed during the weeklong camp.

"These cars have won awards in intelligent car races home and abroad. In the following days, visitors from Taiwan will learn how to control the cars by an app designed by us," says Yu Fang, a student majoring in automation in Beijing. "The operation is simple and easy, so students of different backgrounds can enjoy it."

The annual summer camp has been hosted by the Beijing university since 2004. This year's event has drawn students and teachers from Taiwan universities, such as Taipei University of Technology and Taiwan University of Science and Technology.

Aiming at enhancing hands-on ability and cultivating the team spirit of the youngsters, this year's camp includes a series of creative activities based on intelligent cars  an emerging high-tech products both in the country and globally.

"We hope that the activity will spark students' interests in intelligent cars and tap their potential, and Taiwan participants could make themselves at home here," says Zhang Xinxin, the president of University of Science and Technology Beijing, adding in a speech that the camp can serve as a bond academically and emotionally between universities in Taiwan and the mainland.

Yu Bin, deputy director of the Office for Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan Affairs in the Ministry of Education, points out that the young generation plays an essential role in improving the cross-Straits relationship and the future of China at large.

Ma Xiaokang, a professor from Taiwan University, introduced the development of new energy technology in Taiwan, highlighting that advancing innovative energy technology will pave the way to a green economy.

Wang Peng, an expert from Intel Labs China, gave a report named "Smart Chip, New Experience" at the event.
Buyers from Russia check out balloon products at Yiwu International Commodities Mall, Zhejiang province. Lyu Bing / For China Daily

Russia's "pivot to East" continues, which will make Russia-China ties even more dynamic through bilateral trade, cross-border initiatives and corporate deals. Russia's economic recovery, along with Asian institutional and private investors' decision to venture overseas, is creating a positive trade and investment environment.

The International Monetary Fund predicts strong near-term Asian outlook. Despite potential tighter monetary policy and curbs on domestic asset prices, China's GDP is still expected to grow 6.5 percent a year and the country is expected to be a leading cross-border investor by 2020, with global offshore assets tripling to nearly $20 trillion. And China's global stock of outbound foreign direct investment, including investment in corporate mergers and acquisitions, and startups, may increase to about $2 trillion by 2020.

There is also a rapidly growing pool of Asian capital that must be invested. According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, assets under management in the Asia-Pacific region will increase from $7.7 trillion in 2012 to $16.2 trillion by 2020. Pension fund assets alone will grow by 9.5 percent a year to $6.5 trillion by 2020.

Sovereign wealth funds are rich capital sources with diverse agendas and investment goals. Along with institutional investment growth from pension funds, they help governments seek greater adoption of defined contribution plans and individual retirement plans. Mutual funds, too, are being fueled by the emergence of the middle class in Asia. And rapid accumulation of wealth in the region is further increasing investable capital among high-net worth individuals.

Besides, declining yields have shifted Asian investors' cash toward equities and emerging markets from their more common fixed income and property investments. Russia's return to Eurobonds last year after three years, too, is a reflection of Asian demand. Two deals, one in May and one in September worth $1.75 billion and $1.25 billion were highly subscribed to by Asian investors.

The Russian central bank recently encouraged investment by creating market infrastructure for its first yuan-denominated OFZ bonds, diversifying funding sources and increasing liquidity for Russia. It also paved the way for Russian corporate bond placements in China and provided direct Asian investor access. This shows Asian state and private corporations' investment interest in Russia is growing steadily, with the focus areas being natural resources, transport and infrastructure, healthcare, real estate and agriculture.

From corporate companies, we have seen many large transactions and cross-border initiatives involving Chinese enterprises, especially in oil and gas. Such projects include supply agreements, asset transactions, financing, and joint investment. For example, Rosneft and ChemChina recently agreed on a framework for further implementation of the Far-Eastern Petrochemical Company project, while Gazprom and the China National Petroleum Corporation agreed to build a tunnel under the Amur River as part of the Power of Siberia gas pipeline. And Chinese companies have invested 16 billion yuan ($2.4 billion) in development projects in Russia's Far East.

Chinese investors are also acquiring Russian assets in partnership with existing Russian shareholders, and Russian and Chinese banks would do well to support such ventures. Legislation enhancing protection for foreign investors in Russia is making such acquisitions popular, improving financial infrastructure and expanding business ties between the two countries.

Moreover, Alibaba Group's agreement to expand retail and payment operations in Russia with several Russian bank partners, including VTB, is sign of Asian companies' expansion in Russia. At the 2nd Eastern Economic Forum last year, the Republic of Korea's Hyundai Engineering and Hyundai Engineering and Construction signed a multi-billion dollar deal with a subsidiary of Russia's National Chemical Group to build fertilizer production facilities in Nahodka, Russia.

As Russia continues its active engagement with Asia to develop its Far East Region, we expect more investment from Japanese, ROK, Indian and ASEAN companies this year. Russia has vast investment potential, and Asia, a strong and growing pool of capital. Russia is home to massive natural resources but to use them we need infrastructure investment, and China and other Asian countries have the experience and expertise to build large-scale infrastructure projects.

With strong government support for closer Russian-Asian cooperation, and measures to make Asian investors aware of investment opportunities in Russia, we are confident that Asian flow of investment into Russia is likely to grow strongly in 2017 and beyond.

The author is the CEO of VTB Capital in Asia.
LI MIN/CHINA DAILY

An 80-year-old passenger recently threw some coins at one of the engines of the plane she was boarding at Shanghai airport because she believed it would bring good luck and ensure a safe flight. A co-passenger saw her doing so and alerted the airport officials, following which the flight was delayed. Considering her advanced age and given that her action didn't cause any serious damage, police remitted her five-day detention.

Since she didn't intend to damage the plane or cause harm to the passengers, and her action had no serious consequences thanks to the airport staff members' efforts, she was subjected to the Security Administrative Punishment Law, which says a punishment can be remitted if the offender is above 70 years of age.

The increasing involvement of senior citizens in law violation cases in recent years can be attributed to two factors: China's rapidly aging population, and unbalanced regional development. The rapid rise in the number of senior citizens might have led to a proportional increase in their involvement in criminal cases. And some senior citizens' poor economic condition may have forced them to conduct misdeeds. There are also reports that the "left behind" children are sometimes abused by the "left behind" senior citizens.

To bring some stability and comfort into the life of the elderly, the authorities will first have to provide them with better subsidies. True, the government has implemented a coordinated urban-rural social endowment insurance system, but in rural areas the pensions are far from enough for them to live a decent life. The authorities should therefore increase the subsidies and provide more old age homes and better care for senior citizens to enable them to spend the rest of their lives in peace and relative comfort.

Second, the elderly should be educated about the basic laws and cautioned that certain actions can land them in jail. For example, had the woman known the consequences of throwing coins at a plane's engine, she certainly wouldn't have committed the offense. So the elderly, especially those with little knowledge about modern machinery, must be made to realize such facts, because it will also prevent them from being used by others to unwittingly commit a crime.

Third, the authorities would do well to consider adult education programs as a way to promote social stability. Simple classes can enhance the pool of knowledge of the elderly in general.

Fourth, the government and society could help those elderly who want to be re-employed to find suitable jobs. In fact, the authorities are trying to develop China's own "silver industry", which would help fulfill the special needs of the aging population. By creating the right platforms that will allow the elderly to re-enter the labor market, the authorities will not only help them to live a better life, but also keep them updated with the changes in society.

Proper guidance and support supplemented with necessary punishment are the right way to prevent the elderly from unwittingly breaking the law. Ancient Chinese philosopher Mencius said: "Support and respect thy elders, and those in general as well." Moreover, the logic behind the amendment to the Criminal Law, which stipulates that death penalty shall generally not be used for people who are already 75 years old at the time of trial, was a sign that the law now accords preferential treatment to the aged. And we can do that by treating the elderly with empathy and helping them lead a peaceful life.

The author is a professor of law at Wuhan-based Zhongnan University of Economics and Law.
A Japanese friend, Michio Hamaji, sent me an email on June 25, saying he was annoyed to hear that the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization has ruled out the inclusion of some documents related to Japan's Constitution in its memory register. The 70-something businessman-turned-campaigner for the pacifist Constitution blamed the administration of Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe for the UN body's decision.

The Asahi Shimbun reported that UNESCO has decided not to consider politically sensitive nominations for its Memory of the World Register, which is designed to preserve important historical materials.

In 2015, UNESCO included China's dossier on the Nanjing Massacre in the register. The package had documents from Dec 13, 1937, to early 1938, including court records from the trials of war criminals, as well as photographs taken by the Japanese army and a film shot by an American missionary. Japan was so irritated with UNESCO's decision that it temporarily postponed its contribution of 3.9 billion yen ($35 million) to the world organization, arguing that the UNESCO program should not be used for political purposes.

The Japanese documents submitted by a group of people from Japan, the United States and some other countries to UNESCO in 2016 include transcripts of an interview of former Japanese prime minister Kijuro Shidehara by his aide and lawmaker Saburo Hirano and the testimony of General Douglas MacArthur to a US Senate committee. MacArthur led the Allied occupation of Japan following its defeat in World War II.

According to the documents, Shidehara called on MacArthur to add a paragraph saying Japan would not retain armed forces or other war potential in its postwar Constitution.

In his Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Embracing Defeat: Japan in the Wake of World War II, US historian John W. Dower quoted Shidehara as saying that Japan might even see itself as leading the rest of the world in renouncing war as a sovereign right.

Responding to a Japanese writer who was one of the initiators for the inclusion of the documents in the register, UNESCO said the Memory of the World Register cannot be open to any accusations of political partisanship. So using nominations to take a stand in current political discussions is not supported.

There is a political battle that Japanese proponents and opponents of the amendment to the Constitution are running against the clock to win. The opponents have been racking their brains to keep the supreme body of law intact. In 2014, the Norwegian Nobel Committee nominated the campaigners defending the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution for the Nobel Peace Prize. Though they didn't win the prize, their nomination highlighted the role of Article 9 as a tool for peace.

On the other hand, Japan's conservatives who see the Constitution as a humiliation imposed by the US on their country, seem hell-bent on amending it.

The Abe administration reinterpreted Article 9 in 2014 to give Japan the right to exercise collective self-defense. In 2015 it railroaded security-related bills through parliament that allows Japan's Self-Defense Forces to come to the aid of an ally under attack.

Abe is now gearing up to amend the Constitution, saying he expects the Liberal Democratic Party to submit an amendment proposal to the parliament before the end of the year. Abe has proposed that a new paragraph be added to Article 9 to make the SDF a constitutionally recognized military and set 2020 as the target year for the amended Constitution to come into force.

A few days ago when I was jogging close to the parliament building, I ran into an old Japanese man, who comes to Tokyo from Yokohama every Friday to join the late afternoon protests against Abe's security and nuclear power policies. He said he supports Article 9 for the sake of his grandchildren.

The Japanese people have made known their view on constitutional amendment. Now it is up to Abe to honor it.

The author is China Daily Tokyo bureau chief.

caihong@chinadaily.com.cn
The former residence of the celebrated Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) traveler Xu Xiake, who spent over three decades roaming the country while chronicling his explorations in his 2.6 million-word treatise, The Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake.[Photo provided to China Daily]

Ancient China's most celebrated travel writer and geographer contributes to Jiangyin's appeal. Cang Wei and Erik Nilsson report in Jiangyin, Jiangsu province.

Jiangyin's status as the hometown of ancient China's most famous traveler has made it a modern destination for travelers from around the world.

Such contemporary attractions as China's richest village, a horse museum and traditional neighborhoods also lure explorers to the explorer's hometown.

But ancient adventurer and geographer Xu Xiake remains a main draw.

The county-level city in Jiangsu province is celebrating the 430th birth anniversary of the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) luminary, whose 2.6 million-word treatise, The Travel Diaries of Xu Xiake, is still widely read.

He spent over three decades roaming throughout 16 imperial provinces, chronicling his explorations in detail. His diaries belong to the ancient category of "travel literature" that's known not only for taking travel as its subject but also describing authors' experiences with narrative prose.

He was born to a wealthy father, who preferred nature to power - and particularly, landscapes over official positions.

Xu took after his dad. He enjoyed books on history, geography and adventure. He especially enjoyed reading about China's mountains and rivers. The child decided he'd see them himself when he grew up.
Ricky Hampton, a 25-year-old from Memphis, Tennessee who performs under the name Finese 2 Tymes, is seen after being taken into custody on arrest warrants out of Forest City, Arkansas in a booking photo at the Jefferson County Jail in Birmingham, Alabama July 2, 2017. [Photo/Agencies]

LITTLE ROCK  A rapper whose concert in Little Rock was the site of a shooting that left 28 people injured was arrested early Sunday on unrelated assault charges while outside an Alabama club where he was performing just 24 hours later, and authorities said several firearms were recovered during the arrest.

Ricky Hampton, 25, of Memphis, Tennessee, also known as Finese 2Tymes, was arrested on outstanding charges of aggravated assault with a gun out of Forrest City in eastern Arkansas, the U.S. Marshals Service said. A second man also was taken into custody, and two handguns and an assault rifle were seized from the Mercedes in which the two men were riding, said Cliff LaBarge with the U.S. Marshals Service in Alabama.

The firearms will be sent to a crime lab in Arkansas to determine whether they match shell casings found at the scene of the shooting early Saturday at the Power Ultra Lounge, said Little Rock Police Lt. Steven McClanahan.

McClanahan described Hampton as a "person of interest" and said the rapper will be extradited to Arkansas so that police can interview him.

McClanahan said no arrests have been made in the shooting in which 25 people between the ages of 16 and 35 suffered gunshot wounds, and three others were hurt afterward. He said police did not recover any weapons at the scene of the shooting, which authorities believe may have been gang-related.

"We are definitely looking at that possibility," McClanahan said. "We know that gang members were present inside."Prison records from the Tennessee Department of Corrections show a Ricky Hampton with the same date of birth, home town and a similar appearance was released from prison in August 2016 after serving six years for two counts of aggravated robbery.

Material advertising the concert by Finese 2Tymes showed a man pointing a gun at a camera, drawing a rebuke from Mayor Mark Stodola.

Hampton was being held Sunday without bond in Alabama. A message posted on the rapper's Facebook page Saturday offered thoughts and prayers for those injured: "THE VIOLENCE IS NOT FOR THE CLUB PEOPLE. WE ALL COME WITH 1 MOTIVE AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND THATS TO HAVE FUN."A woman who answered a phone number listed on Finese 2Tymes' Instagram account for booking said the rapper didn't consider canceling the Birmingham show, despite the shooting, because he wasn't responsible for what happened. The woman didn't give her name before hanging up.

The volley of gunfire inside the Power Ultra Lounge came so fast that investigators believe multiple people had to have been involved. Police Chief Kenton Buckner credited quick work by first responders for there being no fatalities.

City officials said they would move Monday to shut down the club under a "criminal abatement" program. State regulators suspended the club's liquor license Saturday, and a representative for the landlord's office later posted an eviction notice on a door to the club. The notice stated that the club must move out of the property within three days "due to your failure to maintain the premises in a safe condition."About 30 people attended a news conference Sunday with Arkansas Stop the Violence, which is seeking more resources to fight poverty and crime in the southern half of the city. The event was held in front of a police station near where a boy was shot in a drive-by last week.

Murphy reported from Oklahoma City. Associated Press reporters Andrew DeMillo and Tafi Mukunyadzi also contributed from Little Rock, Arkansas.

AP
Defendants are seen in a cage during their trial in Cairo, Egypt on July 2, 2017. An Egyptian court sentenced on Sunday 20 people to death over charges of murdering 12 police officers in 2013, state-run MENA news agency reported. [Photo/Xinhua]

CAIRO -- An Egyptian court sentenced 20 people to death over charges of murdering a dozen of policemen while storming a police station in mid-2013 on Sunday, official MENA news agency reported.

The death sentences issued by Cairo Criminal Court can still be appealed.

The assault, known as "Kerdasa massacre," took place in August of 2013, when dozens of militants stormed the main police station in Kerdasa district of Giza province near Cairo, leaving 17 dead, including 14 policemen.

Most of the militants were loyalists of the now-outlawed Muslim Brotherhood group of former Islamist President Mohamed Morsi.

The incident came more than a month after Morsi's military removal on July 3, 2013 and shortly after a massive security crackdown on two pro-Morsi sit-ins on August 14, 2013 in Cairo and Giza, which left hundreds dead and thousands more arrested.

In the retrial of 156 defendants in the case, including the 20 sentenced to death, the court sentenced 80 defendants to 25 years in prison, 34 to 15 years, a minor to 10 years and acquitted 21.

The case originally involved 188 defendants including fugitives.

In February 2015, the court sentenced 183 of them to death and a minor to 10 years in jail. After appeals, later in February 2016, the Court of Cassation ordered the retrial of 156 of them.

In April 2017, the criminal court recommended death penalty for 20 of them and referred their case documents to the Grand Mufti, the country's interpreter of religious law, to get his religious opinion on their execution. He later approved.

Morsi was removed by the military in early July of 2013 after mass protests against his one-year rule and his Brotherhood group.

Since then, anti-government activities targeting police and military men, and later the Coptic minority, have prevailed in the country, leaving hundreds dead, with most of the attacks claimed by a Sinai-based group loyal to the regional Islamic State militant group.

The Egyptian leadership believes that the Brotherhood is behind all terror activities despite the group's denials and claims of peacefulness.

The security forces continue pursuing Brotherhood members and loyalists over terrorist charges.

On Sunday, the police said they arrested seven people belonging to the outlawed group over plotting to make use of crises, pit public opinion and incite anti-government attitude particularly after the recent fuel price hikes.

Most Brotherhood leaders, including Morsi and the group's top chief Mohamed Badie, are currently in custody and many of them received appealable death sentences and life imprisonments over various charges varying from inciting violence and murder to espionage and jailbreak.

Morsi himself is currently serving a 20-year prison sentence over inciting clashes between his supporters and opponents outside a presidential palace in Cairo in late 2012 that killed 10.
The local Severnaya Verf shipyard said that a new stealth corvette for the Russian Navy was launched in St. Petersburg last Friday.

ST. PETERSBURG  A new stealth corvette for the Russian Navy was launched in St. Petersburg last Friday, the local Severnaya Verf shipyard said in a statement.

"The float-out of the Project 20385 Gremyashchy corvette took place on June 30," the shipyard said, adding Russian Defense Ministry officials attended the launch ceremony as well.

The multipurpose corvette, which is a fast warship smaller than a destroyer, is equipped with anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons and is able to provide naval gunfire support for shore operations.

Gremyaschy class corvettes have a displacement of over 2,000 metric tons, a speed of up to 27 knots, an operating range of 4,000 nautical miles and a crew of 99.

Sputnik
Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai says that Russian and Chinese companies plan to sign dozens of deals worth over $10 billion during President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow this week.

BEIJING  Russian and Chinese companies plan to sign dozens of deals worth over $10 billion during President Xi Jinping's visit to Moscow this week, Assistant Foreign Minister Li Huilai said Thursday.

"During Chinese President Xi Jinping's visit, companies of the two countries will sign several dozens of agreements estimated at over $10 billion," Li said at a press briefing.

Xi left Beijing Monday morning for a state visit to Russia on July 3. He will hold talks with President Vladimir Putin and Prime Minister Dmitry Medvedev, with topics ranging from energy and trade to strategic cooperation.

Sputnik
Scientists at the China Academy of Engineering Physics (CAEP) announced recently that they have perfected a laser gun capable of shooting down drones flying at low altitudes. The laser system performed well during experiments and tests, shooting down over 30 small aircraft, said a CAEP employee.

The laser gun disables drones after shooting lasers that burn and erode the target's surface and functional parts. In this way, it interferes with the drone's remote control and navigation system. The system can destroy targets within five seconds, causing no collateral damage. A single system defense set can cover an area of 12 square kilometers.

In April, 19 drones flying illegally over various Chinese airports forced many flights to be canceled. Though China has required civilian drones weighing more than 250 grams to be registered under real names since June 1, experts nevertheless warn that occasional hostile flights cannot be prevented.

The laser system has become a popular way to counter these drone issues. It can be dismantled for easier transportation. In addition, in order to effectively detect and guide the laser system, a complementary radar system is designed to work with the laser. The laser system is the first of its kind in the world.

Sputnik
SEOUL - South Korean President Moon Jae-in on Monday completed the nomination of his cabinet members under the new government about two months after his inauguration.

Presidential spokesman Park Soo-hyun told reporters that Moon named two cabinet members who lead the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and the Ministry of Health and Welfare.

Chiefs of the Korea Communications Commission and the Financial Services Commission were newly nominated, while the posts for the senior presidential secretaries for economic affairs and for job creation were also named.

The ministerial-level posts would be subject to parliamentary confirmation hearings, but they do not need to be approved by lawmakers. The posts for senior presidential secretaries would not be subject to the hearings.

With the Monday nomination, Moon's first cabinet filled the posts of 17 ministers. The presidential Blue House has eight senior secretaries, two aides and two deputy heads of the national security office and the security service.

Many of the new cabinet members were occupied by those who campaigned together with Moon in the presidential by-election. Moon won a landslide victory in the May 9 election.

Four of the ruling Democratic Party lawmakers also joined Moon's first cabinet under the new government.

Professors of prestigious colleges who had actively participated in the civic group activities also joined the Moon cabinet, while four female ministers were nominated and accounted for 23.5 percent of the total 17 ministerial posts in the cabinet.
President will make visits to Russia and Germany, attend Group of 20 summit

President Xi Jinping's upcoming trip to Russia and Germany, starting on Monday, is expected to inject positive energy into the global economy amid China's efforts to boost free trade and open economies, analysts said.

Xi will make the state visits through July 6 at the invitation of Russian President Vladimir Putin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel, according to Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang, who confirmed the trip on Tuesday.

The president will also attend the 12th Group of 20 summit on July 7 and 8 in Hamburg, Germany. It will be Xi's fifth time participating in the G20 summit since he was elected China's president in 2013.

Chen Fengying, a senior researcher on the world economy at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said that at the G20 Hamburg summit, China is likely to offer its solutions to such issues as globalization, the revolution in intelligent industries and how to make development sustainable.

During the G20 Hangzhou summit in Zhejiang province last year, China contributed to improving global governance by proposing innovation, structural reform and free trade, crucial elements for the recovery of the global economy, she said. The success of the G20 Hangzhou summit will help leaders reach consensus at Hamburg, she added.

Chen Yurong, a senior researcher in Eurasian studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said that the countries should work together to keep the multilateral discussions going to achieve win-win cooperation at a time when the global economy is facing more challenges.

China and Russia are facing more opportunities to boost pragmatic cooperation, especially in infrastructure and energy, amid the two countries' ongoing efforts to align the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union, Chen Yurong said.

Cooperation projects in infrastructure construction and energy between China and Russia include the China-Mongolia-Russia Economic Corridor, the Moscow-Kazan high speed railway, Arctic sea route exploration and energy pipelines.

The two countries will be able to deepen cooperation in areas including education, energy, manufacturing, sports, tourism and trade under the framework of the Belt and Road as well as the EEU, she added.

Jin Yong, a professor of international relations at the Communication University of China, said that Germany plays a key role in China's economic cooperation with Europe, and Xi's visit will bring more opportunities for the two countries to boost pragmatic cooperation.

This year marks the 45th anniversary of the China-Germany diplomatic relationship, and Premier Li Keqiang's official visit to Germany four weeks ago has also brought positive progress in bilateral ties, he added.

Zhou Jin contributed to this story.
BEIJING - Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing Monday morning for state visits to Russia and Germany and the 12th G20 summit in Hamburg.

Xi was invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin, German President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel.

His entourage includes his wife Peng Liyuan; Wang Huning, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China (CPC) Central Committee and director of the Policy Research Office of the CPC Central Committee; Wang Yang, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee and Vice Premier; Li Zhanshu, member of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee, member of the Secretariat of the CPC Central Committee and director of the General Office of the CPC Central Committee; State Councilor Yang Jiechi; and Zhou Xiaochuan, vice chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference and Governor of People's Bank of China.
President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is here for the Belt and Road Forum (BRF) for International Cooperation, at the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, May 14, 2017. [Photo/Xinhua]

BEIJING - President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday that China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks during an interview with Russian media ahead of his state visit to Russia.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese president said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues left by history, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship between the two peoples.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi added.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

"I will start a state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. I believe the visit will inject new impetus to the development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture has been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached an important consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to the Chinese president, the two countries are also working together to tap their cooperation potential and foster new growth areas in bilateral cooperation.

"The fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation has become the locomotive in the continuous development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

Meanwhile, Xi said that the two countries have also witnessed rapid development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They also maintained close strategic coordination on global and regional affairs, serving as a ballast stone in safeguarding global and regional peace, security and stability, Xi added.

Looking into the future, Xi said he is confident about the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and he is ready to work with President Putin to help guide and promote the continued and healthy development of China-Russia ties.
President Xi Jinping said on Monday that new consensuses can be reached with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, to deepen bilateral relations and push forward cooperation in all areas.

"I believe this trip is definitely going to yield fruitful outcomes," Xi said in a written statement upon his arrival at Moscow's airport.

Xi started a two-day state visit to Russia at Putin's invitation on Monday. Apart from the talks with the Russian president, Xi will also attend people-to-people exchange programs jointly hosted by the two countries and meet with representatives from all walks of lives of both sides.

He will fly to Berlin on Tuesday to pay a state visit to Germany and then to Hamburg to attend the G20 summit.

In the statement, Xi said that the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination is in the best period of its history. The two countries have made positive contributions to safeguarding global and regional peace and stability at a time when the global situation is complicated with lots of uncertainties, he said.

China and Russia deem each other as their top diplomatic priority, and the two countries have firmly supported each other in issues related to their core interests, Xi said.

Noting that this is his sixth visit to Russia since becoming China's president in 2013, Xi extended sincere greetings and best wishes to the Russian government and people.

The two countries are jointly hosting a series of celebrations and exchange programs, such as the Year of China-Russia Media Exchanges, and such communications will inject impetus to the development of bilateral relations, he said.
President Xi Jinping and first lady Peng Liyuan arrive at Moscow's Vnukovo International Airport on Monday. Xi embarks on a state visit to Russia. SERGEI KARPUKHIN/REUTERS

President Xi Jinping said on Monday that he is confident he can reach consensus with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, on deepening bilateral relations and pushing forward cooperation in all areas.

"I believe this trip is definitely going to yield fruitful outcomes," Xi said in a written statement upon his arrival at the Moscow airport on Monday.

Xi is paying a two-day state visit to Russia at Putin's invitation. Apart from the talks with the Russian president, Xi will also attend people-to-people exchange programs jointly hosted by the two countries and meet with people from all walks of life.

On Tuesday, Xi will fly to Berlin for a state visit to Germany and then to Hamburg to attend the G20 Summit.

In an interview with Russian media before his departure on Monday, Xi said that China and Russia hold similar views on the essence and damage of the US deployment of the Terminal High Altitude Area Defense anti-missile system in the Republic of Korea and will take necessary measures, jointly or individually.

He said China and Russia have been in close communication and are coordinating at various levels on the issue.

The deployment gravely harms the strategic security interests of China, Russia and other countries in the region, Xi said.

China and Russia will take necessary measures, jointly or individually, to safeguard their national security interests and the regional strategic balance, he said.

On the Korean Peninsula issue, Xi said China is committed to denuclearizing the peninsula, safeguarding its peace and stability and settling disagreements through dialogue and consultation.

China, he added, hopes that other parties with an interest in the Korean Peninsula will join the push by China and Russia for talks, take up their respective responsibilities and place the issue on the right track of dialogue and consultation toward a negotiated settlement as soon as possible.

China and Russia have maintained close strategic coordination on global and regional affairs, serving as a sort of ballast in safeguarding global and regional peace, security and stability, Xi added.
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Turkeys president and his government continue to target Christians. In his latest effort to subjugate Turkeys Christian population to the government, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan seized control of 50 Syriac churches.



According to CBN News Chief International Reporter Gary Lane, Erdogan and his government are intentionally targeting Christian churches in their quest to bring Sharia Law to Turkey.



The most recent confiscation of churches took place via the Turkish Directorate of Religious Affairs (Diyanet). Among the churches taken over by the government is the 1,600-year-old Mor Gabriel Monastery--one of the worlds oldest places of worship.



This is not the first time Erdogan has seized control of churches in Turkey. In 2016, he took over six churches, one of which was another ancient place of worship.



"The government didn't take over these pieces of property in order to protect them," Ahmet Guvener, pastor of the Diyarbakir Protestant Church, said after the first church seizure. "They did so to acquire them."



According to Lane, Turkey has a long history of being hostile toward Christians, despite the fact that Christianitys roots in the country go back to ancient times.



Lane also discussed American pastor Andrew Brunson who was charged with being a part of Turkeys coup last summer while he was in the country doing missionary work. Brunson has been imprisoned since October and has called on President Trump to intervene to secure his release.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstockphotos.com

Publication date: July 3, 2017
Fourth of July marks the moment in history when representatives of a new government uprising signed the Declaration of Independence in the United States on July 4, 1776. The document listed grievances suffered by the U.S. colonies under British monarchy and justified a desire for liberty. It was penned by Thomas Jefferson. Also known as Independence Day, it is an annual holiday that symbolizes freedom. It is celebrated nationwide in 2017 on Tuesday, July 4.

Although declared in 1776, Americans were not delivered from bondage until 1783. The high cost of freedom was paid for in blood, in what historians estimate to be the death of 25,000 American Patriots. It took eight years, four months, and fifteen days of war between America and Great Britain during the American Revolution to be fully attained.

The Oxford dictionary defines freedom as "the power or right to act, speak, or think as one wants without hindrance or restraint." It is also defined as the "absence of subjection to foreign domination or despotic government," and "the state of not being imprisoned or enslaved." Christianity Daily compiled a list of Bible verses and quotes that shed light on the true meaning of freedom.

10 Bible Verses on Freedom:

1) "Out of my distress I called on the Lord; the Lord answered me and set me free." - Psalm 118:5

2) "For freedom Christ has set us free; stand firm therefore, and do not submit again to the yoke of slavery." - Galatians 5:1

3) "Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom." - 2 Corinthians 3:17

4) "...our freedom that we have in Christ Jesus..." - Galatians 2:4

5) "So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed." - John 8:36

6) "For the law of the Spirit of life has set you free in Christ Jesus from the law of sin and death." - Romans 8:2

7) "For you were called to freedom, brothers. Only do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh, but through love serve one another." - Galatians 5:13

8) "To Him all the prophets bear witness that everyone who believes in Him receives forgiveness of sins through His name." - Acts 10:43

9) "We know that our old self was crucified with Him in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that we would no longer be enslaved to sin. For one who has died has been set free from sin." - Romans 6:6-7

10) "For you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons, by whom we cry, 'Abba! Father!'" - Romans 8:15





4th of July fireworks at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. on July 1986.

4th of July fireworks at the Washington Monument in Washington, D.C. on July 1986.

Quotes on Freedom::

1) "They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety." -Benjamin Franklin

2) "Those who deny freedom to others deserve it not for themselves." Abraham Lincoln.

3) "When the people fear the government there is tyranny, when the government fears the people there is liberty." -John Basil Barnhill

4) "If liberty means anything at all, it means the right to tell people what they do not want to hear." -George Orwell

5) "My definition of a free society is a society where it is safe to be unpopular." -Adlai Stevenson

6) "For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others." -Nelson Mandela

7) "Experience should teach us to be most on our guard to protect liberty when the Government's purposes are beneficent. Men born to freedom are naturally alert to repel invasion of their liberty by evil-minded rulers. The greatest dangers to liberty lurk in the insidious encroachment by men of zeal, well meaning but without understanding." -Justice Louis Brandeis

8) "I hope we once again have reminded people that man is not free unless government is limited. There's a clear cause and effect here that is as neat and predictable as a law of physics: as government expands, liberty contracts." -Ronald Reagan

9) "Liberty means responsibility. That is why most men dread it." -George Bernard Shaw

10) "Economic freedom is ... an indispensable means toward the achievement of political freedom." -Milton Friedman

11) "When plunder has become a way of life for a group of people living together in society, they create for themselves in the course of time a legal system that authorizes it, and a moral code that glorifies it." - Frederic Bastiat

12) "Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of it. The history of liberty is a history of resistance." -Woodrow Wilson

13) "Certainly one of the chief guarantees of freedom under any government, no matter how popular and respected, is the right of citizens to keep and bear arms." -Hubert H. Humphrey

14) "It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more." -John Adams

15) "Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech." -Benjamin Franklin

Excerpt from the Declaration of Independence:

"When in the Course of human events, it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another, and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.--That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, --That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn, that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable, than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security.--Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world."
The highest court in the nation ruled that the state of Missouri had violated the constitutional rights of a church by disqualifying it from receiving a public benefit simply on the basis that it is a church.

Trinity Lutheran Church, located in Columbia, MO, operates a preschool and daycare center, had applied for a state grant in 2012 to resurface its pea gravel playground with the smoother and safer surface made with recycled tires.

Though the church had ranked fifth among the 44 applicants and the state had granted 14 of them participation in the program, Trinity was notified that the state cannot give them the grant due to a policy prohibiting them from granting state money to church-controlled organizations.

Ultimately, the Supreme Court ruled 7-2 on June 26 that the state had discriminated against the church.

The Departments policy expressly discriminates against otherwise eligible recipients by disqualifying them from a public benefit solely because of their religious character, the Supreme Court ruling states, referring to Missouris Department of Natural Resources which launched the Scrap Tire Program. The Departments policy puts Trinity Lutheran to a choice: It may participate in an otherwise available benefit program or remain a religious institution.

The express discrimination against religious exercise here is not the denial of a grant, but rather the refusal to allow the Church  solely because it is a church  to compete with secular organizations for a grant, it added.

Chief Justice John Roberts said that disqualifying Trinity on the basis of it being a church, though it was qualified on all other measures, is odious to our Constitution.

Though the since newly elected Missouri Governor Eric Greitens has since changed the state law to allow religiously affiliated organizations to be able to apply for the Scrap Tire Program, the Supreme Court was asked to still consider the case. Supporters of the church argued that the ruling would have implications for whether religious institutions would be able to gain access to other public benefits from states, such as programs that protect schools from violence or terrorism.

Justices Sonia Sotomayor and Ruth Ginsburg dissented from the majority opinion. Sotomayor, who wrote the dissent and read a portion of it in court, argued that this case is about nothing less than the relationship between religious institutions and the civil government  that is, between church and state.

The Supreme Courts decision profoundly changes that relationship, Sotomayor wrote, by holding, for the first time, that the Constitution requires the government to provide public funds directly to a church.

Meanwhile, advocates for religious freedom celebrated the victory. Russell Moore, president of the Southern Baptist Conventions Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said the case will have profound implications for years to come.

The court did the right thing, Moore said, because it recognized the difference between a government supporting a religion and a government treating all people fairly, including religious people.
home World Evangelical groups urge Trump admin to take notice of severe persecution of Christians in Sudan

Several evangelical groups have written a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, calling on him to take notice of Christians who are suffering severe forms of persecution in Sudan.

The letter, sent to Tillerson on Thursday, highlighted the restrictions in freedom of worship that Christians face in Sudan, including the destruction of churches and the inability to build new ones.

"There is no possibility of the demolished churches being replaced since in July 2014, Sudan's Minister for Religious Guidance and Endowments announced that the government would no longer issue permits for the building of new churches, stating that existing churches were sufficient for the Christian population living in Sudan following the secession of South Sudan in 2011," the letter stated, as reported by The Christian Post.

"Since it is also illegal to assemble in public without permission from the government, the restrictions have the effect of preventing Sudanese Christians from congregating to worship," it continued.

The evangelical groups, including Franklin Graham's Samaritan's Purse and the Southern Baptist Convention's Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), also decried Sudan's apostasy law, which forbids Sudanese Muslims from converting to other religions.

The signatories of the letter pointed to the case of Meriam Ibrahim, who was charged with apostasy in 2014 and sentenced to death by hanging for refusing to renounce her Christian faith. Ibrahim gave birth in prison without proper medical treatment and was only released after extensive international pressure.

The letter noted that despite Ibrahim's release, the Sudanese government continued to charge individuals with apostasy and expanded the law in 2015 to include Muslims whose beliefs and practices are inconsistent with the government's interpretation of Islam.

The evangelical groups further alleged that the Sudanese government restricts the activities of charitable and humanitarian groups that have religious affiliations.

The groups called on the international community to increase pressure on Sudan and urged the U.S. government to resist lifting sanctions until it makes several key changes, such as the discontinuation of the demolition of churches; guaranteeing freedom of assembly and freedom of expression and changing its apostasy law to comply with international laws regarding the freedom to change one's religion.

The Sudanese Church of Christ (SCOC), which represents about 220,000 if the country's two million Christians, recently wrote an open letter to the government, decrying "the systematic violation of Christian religious freedoms," including the demolition of church buildings.

Apart from the demolition of churches, the letter, dated May 16, also highlighted other "hard conditions" that they have faced in the past few years, including confiscation of church properties, travel restrictions on senior church leaders and the government's failure to allocate land for new churches.

About two dozens churches have been designated for demolition, with the government claiming they violate designated purposes for these plots of land.
JACQUES BRINON/ASSOCIATED PRESS

France's Total and a China's CNPC inked a landmark deal with Iran on Monday to drill into a giant gas field, the country's first gas-production pact with foreign companies in a decade.

Total and its partners could ultimately spend $5 billion drilling dozens of wells and assembling platforms in a bid to pump 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent a day from the South Pars gas field in the Persian Gulf.
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New data from the National Student Clearinghouse shows that Texas universities are bucking a national enrollment slump, enrolling 1.7 percent more students year over year as universities nationwide saw a 1.5-percent decline in student enrollment.

The changes in part follow demographic shifts nationally and in the Southwest reported by the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education, a regional nonprofit that released an in-depth study in December.

Changes in the national birth rate mean that the number of high school graduates will not grow through the early 2020s, causing universities nationwide to feel an enrollment pinch -- with fewer high school graduates, there's a smaller pool from which to recruit. By 2020, there will be about 3,000 fewer public high school graduates than there were in 2013, according to that group.

PAYCHECKS: McRaven, Texas education leaders top executive pay charts

But in that time period, the number of public high school graduates in Texas is projected to grow by several percentage points per year, amounting to a 22.6 percent growth between the 2011-12 academic year and 2024-25, the commission found. In the next decade, the Lone Star State will gain 2 percentage points in the share of high school graduates nationally  at the expense of California, which will drop by one percent.

Universities across the country may be envious.

Jon Marcus at the Hechinger Report chronicles a frantic effort to enroll new students at Ohio Wesleyan University, a small liberal arts college in Ohio:

More money has been put into financial aid, the process of transferring to the college is being streamlined, and the ink is still wet on contracts with Carnegie-Mellon University and a medical school to speed Ohio Wesleyan students more quickly to graduate degrees. The number of internships is being expanded, along with short-term study-abroad opportunities. The university is considering freezing, lowering or slowing the rate of increase of its tuition and fees, which are now $44,690.

All of these changes are a response to a crisis few outside higher education even know exists: a sharp drop in the number of customers bound for small private, nonprofit colleges like this in particular, and also some public universities and other higher-education institutions.

TEXAS VS CALIFORNIA: Travel ban complicates travel to Houston for higher education conferences

He notes that the gains in graduates that are projected to come will be in students who are the first in their family to go to college and ethnic minorities  which historically need much more institutional support to graduate and have been underrepresented at many institutions.

The National Student Clearinghouse reported that Texas institutions enrolled 1.39 million students last spring, up from 1.37 million in spring 2016. New Hampshire was the only other state with enrollment growth above 20,000 students, the group reported.

Meanwhile, Michigan, New York and California universities lost between 18,000 and 20,000 students each, seeing the largest drops in the country.

The gains in Texas come as universities and colleges around Houston have set lofty enrollment goals, as enrolling more students leads to more tuition revenue and state funding from an enrollment-based formula.

BUCKING THE TREND: The typical college president is white, male and in his 60s. Houston's leaders don't fit the bill.

"The Houston area is one of the most dynamic areas of the country in terms of growth overall -- I can't help but believe that's entering in," said Peter Bryant, an enrollment manager at Ruffalo Noel Levitz, in an interview last fall on Lone Star College's enrollment growth.

(He wasn't available for an interview on Monday but said in an email that broader trends had not changed since our conversation in the fall.)

The most successful institutions that manage enrollment, he said at the time, understand the market segments and look ahead several years down the road.

Nearly 8,600 students enrolled at Texas Southern University this semester  a 5.75-percent increase from last springs enrollment. Partly driving the increase was a 47-percent increase in new students transferring from community colleges.

Austin Lane, TSUs new president, said in the fall that better relationships with local community colleges would play a pivotal role in growing enrollment, which had declined since 2012. His goal is to expand enrollment to 15,000 students by 2020.

UH-Downtown is three years into an ambitious strategic plan that also focuses on enrollment growth  up from 14,251 last year to 18,000 by 2020.
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Houston Association of Realtors' Multiple Listing Service's "Hotness Index," otherwise known as their Rolling Average Report, shows which markets have seen the biggest changes  for better or worse. It's a glimpse at how many homes have sold by MLS market area, and how the average sales price has changed from year to year. This is our running feature with all the latest data:

Houston's 2017 homes sales are outpacing last year's records, with May showing continued growth, according to the Houston Association of Realtors' latest market report. Among the highest performing sectors is the luxury market, which HAR defines as homes priced at $750,000 and above.

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Home sales across all price ranges are up by 7.4 percent on a year-over-year basis, based on May 2017's records. The single-family home median price, which increased by more than 4 percent, hit a record $235,000. While the average is also up more than 4 percent, to $302,362, "the second-highest average ever." (Story continues below.)

"The Houston housing market had another strong showing in May with sales and rental properties alike, and inventory continues to accommodate the growing demand," HAR Chair Cindy Hamann with Heritage Texas Properties said in a prepared statement. "If we can maintain this pace, there's no doubt that 2017 will be a record year for Houston real estate."

The data shown in the gallery above compares the market areas by average sales price and number of transactions (homes sold) in the period of June 2015 through May 2016 compared to June 2016 through May 2017.

LOOK BACK, FORWARD: Time capsule Texas homes showcase bright, retro appeal

The area that showed the greatest percentage change in terms of average sales price in May 2017 is Chambers County East. In the period of June 2015 through May 2016, the average was $114,245. In June 2016 through May 2017, that changed to $175,656, an increase of nearly 54 percent. This market area also showed a 4 percent increase in the number of transactions, 50 homes sold in the first period and 52 sold in the more recent period.

At the other end is the Tomball Southwest area, which saw a nearly 21 percent percent drop in average sales price. In the period of June 2015 through May 2016, the community had an average home sales price of $505,494. That fell to $400,198 in June 2016 through May 2017.

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The Woodlands also took an average sales price drop. In the first period it had and average price of $491,902, which fell more than 10 percent to $441,782 in the June 2016 through May 2017 period. This market showed a modest gain in number of homes sold, from 27 to 31 in respective time ranges, a 1.3 percent increase.

Other MLS areas closer to Houston, including Montrose, Spring Branch and West University and the Bellaire area showed positive growth.
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Houston's biggest Fourth of July celebration will take place, as always, at Eleanor Tinsley Park.

Houston's suburbs also have planned spectacular July 4 events.

Kemah, Galveston, The Woodlands, Atascocita and Kingwood offer fireworks displays on the water. And, the Pasadena Convention Center will host a car show and party of epic proportions.

Click through the slideshow for a roundup of Houston-area celebrations.

Country star Hunter Hayes and Joe Jonas' dance rock band DNCE will hit the stage before Freedom Over Texas' main event, the fireworks display over Buffalo Bayou.

There will also be performances from the United States Air Force Band of the West and local and regional bands such as Mango Punch, ThunderSOUL Orchestra and The Juke Box, featuring Grammy award-winner Regina Belle.

DANCE PARTY: Concert listings in the Houston area

Tickets to Freedom Over Texas cost $10 the day of the event, but may be purchased online ahead of time for a discount.
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As Katy ISD officials work toward finalizing an operating budget for the 2017-18 school year, they're doing so with less resources than they had once hoped for.

The district's initial projection for property value growth - which affects its funding - was higher than what officials expect now, an unfavorable fact given that school districts are already in distress after the Texas Legislature failed to make significant public school funding reform during the regular legislative session, which recently ended.

Still, Katy ISD's funds are expected to benefit from a growing community as officials have already approved boosts to teachers' salaries for the upcoming school year.

"We started working on this (budget) two years ago," said Christopher Smith, the district's chief financial officer. "Now, it's getting real."

While the district is still weeks away from revealing budget details, some figures that will affect it are already known.

School districts receive revenue from property taxes, as well as from state funds. In Katy, the money raised from the taxes is partly based on how much value appraisers assess to homes inside the 181-square-mile district.

Katy ISD officials initially projected that local property values were going to be raised by about 10 percent for the upcoming school year because that's been the average in recent years, according to Smith.

But as the budget is completed, values are estimated to only rise by about 6 percent. The values are expected to be certified soon.

Despite values still growing, the lower percentage matters because it means the district at its current tax rate will collect less money from local tax revenue than once thought possible.

To make matters worse, the district isn't going to receive the added help it had hoped for from the Texas Legislature. About a year after the Texas Supreme Court expressed that the state's public education funding system is deeply flawed, lawmakers this session failed to pass major legislation to overhaul the system.

House Bill 21, by Rep. Dan Huberty, R-Houston, which originally proposed to put $1.5 billion into funding for most public schools in Texas, as well as simplify some of the formulas used to distribute money to schools, ultimately failed.

"Millions of Texas students, including those from Katy ISD, deserve a public education system that is adequately funded and meets the needs of 21st century learners," Superintendent Lance Hindt said in an email. "While Katy ISD continues to maintain a balanced budget and competitive salaries for our teachers, the reality is that growth isn't slowing down for us and our taxpayers are left footing the bill for the state's portion of school funding."

Smith would not yet reveal how these issues will specifically affect Katy ISD's 2017-18 budget, saying that he's still working out the details, but he said there's hope to adopt a budget that would not require the district to dip into its roughly $198 million savings account.

"Dr. Hindt and his cabinet have worked really hard ... to come up with maintaining a balanced budget," Smith said. "We're getting close, and we think we're going to get there without hurting anything in the classroom."

Other Houston suburban school districts such as Fort Bend ISD are being forced to take money from reserves after facing a funding deficit for the upcoming school year.

Katy ISD could avoid such a fate because the district still has a projected property value raise and because it's being helped by a slight change in the guaranteed state funds it will receive, among other small factors, according to Smith's figures.

About a year ago, the district approved a budget with about $4.6 million less in revenue from the year before. Because the district continues to raise more money from property taxes, the state is funding less money each year. The district received 50 percent of its funding from the state in 2005. By 2015, the percentage was 39 percent and continues to decrease.

Despite any funding challenges, the district recently approved a $1,800 raise to starting teacher pay, which will be $52,000 for the upcoming school year, as well as a 1.5 percentage point increase to pay ranges across teachers' salary rates.

Details won't be known until Smith releases the first official version of the budget in July. The district is scheduled to hold a public hearing Aug. 21 to discuss the budget before it's approved by trustees shortly after.

"Students of this district are still going to be guaranteed an excellent education" board president Ashley Vann said of the budget. "All of the students and staff are promised a safe and secure learning environment."
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April Bray and her family of eight had opened their home in Richmond up to host several foreign exchange students from a range of backgrounds over the past three years. They'd experienced the culture shock and language barriers, the learning new customs and exchange of ideas. But when Racha Ben Kilani, a 16-year-old Muslim student from Tunisia, joined their family to attend Foster High School, she brought a new kind of experience.

"It was really different for us because she comes from a Muslim background," Bray, who is a nondenominational Christian, said. "We didn't have any idea about their religion or what they celebrate."

Racha came to live with the Brays through Ayusa Global Youth Exchange, a non-profit organization that arranges cultural exchanges for high school students. Bray works as a regional support specialist for Ayusa.

Having Racha in their household was particularly eye opening given the political climate surrounding Islam and President Donald Trump's executive order to ban people from six Muslim-majority countries  although Tunisia was not on the list.

Bray admits that she was a bit naive about the attitudes toward Muslims in the Houston area before Racha lived with her.

"I didn't think there would be any bullying," Bray said. "We're in Houston. It's so diverse. I would have thought that everybody would have been accepting toward her."

One incident, when another student harassed Racha at a bus stop, calling her a terrorist, was eye opening for Bray and her family.

"It wasn't something I could tell her to brush off," Bray said. "It seemed more painful."

Racha wrote about her experience in an essay that was one of three winners of the national Better Understand for a Better World competition, sponsored by the Civilizations Exchange and Cooperation Foundation.

"I wasn't placed in the accepting part of the United State that I heard so often about in orientations," Racha wrote. "I was placed in the part where I was called a terrorist, where I heard so many awful things about Muslims and where I discovered that it wasn't so much about not accepting but rather about not knowing."

Racha explained how she was able to participate and learn about American and Christian traditions that were foreign to her while educating others about her own culture and religion.

"I couldn't blame them for what they thought, but I could show them the truth," she wrote. "After all, I did once presume that Texas was only filled with cowboys, so I had no right to judge."

Bray said that Racha was able to bring a whole new level of understanding to her own children, her husband and herself. Racha helped to break down stereotypes her children had adopted and her husband had many deep and pleasant discussions about ideologies on which they disagreed.

"They were able to have a better understanding of where the other was coming from," Bray said.

Even in just the few months that Racha lived with them, the Brays began to see her as part of the family. The six children, ranging in age from 2 to 14, grew to look up to Racha as a big sister and she would volunteer to baby sit when the parents went out.

Bray believes that hosting foreign exchange students has had a positive impact on her family.

"With my own kids, I wanted them to be able to see what it's like in other cultures," she said. "You make a lifelong connection ... It's such an enriching experience."

Racha left the program with a renewed desire to strengthen understanding and connections between cultures.

"I hope I would further learn how to build a bridge of understanding between the different cultures and faiths and open up a dialogue that will hopefully increase mutual respect between them," Racha wrote in her essay. "I want to make a difference, no matter how small."

Racha was accepted to a summer internship program at Yale and Bray will host a girl from Brazil and a boy from the Netherlands this fall.
A naked, pesticide-wielding Houston man who bugged out at a Metro stop got zapped by police - and it was all caught on camera.

The clothing-free frolic that ended in chaos started around 5 p.m. on June 6, according to Houston police. A man - who authorities later identified as 49-year-old Keith L. Dean - was allegedly spotted running around in the buff.

A concerned citizen called police to report the nude wanderer. Before officers arrived, the caller drove closer and gave the man a towel to cover himself. But in return, the naked man allegedly demanded the caller's watch and punched him in the face.

When police arrived, witnesses told them the suspect had hopped in the train with a can of pesticide spray he'd lifted from Metro's ground crew.

Officers tried to approach him - but he allegedly spritzed them in the face with the bug spray. After following instructions to put down the can, the man then slapped one of the cops in the face in a sudden outburst caught on camera.

The pair of police tasered the suspect - although initially that didn't seem to have any effect. After tasering the man a second time, he was taken into custody and hit with two counts of assault on a public servant.

Although the strange skirmish happened back in June, it didn't start attracting attention online until nearly a month later - and YouTube commenters praised the police for not escalating the situation further.

His attorney, Markay Stroud, said the video offers insight into what was happening.

"By watching the video it is clear that there is much more going on than a man intentionally committing a crime," Stroud said. "From the actions and demeanor of Mr. Dean to the professionalism shown by the officers who arrested him it is obvious Mr. Dean is not acting rationally. I hope that once all the evidence is reviewed by the State they will realize that Mr. Dean was not acting with malicious intent toward anyone."

Currently, Dean is being held in the Harris County jail on $5,000 bail for each count of assault on a public servant.
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A Louisiana woman who claims to be pregnant by a man who shot and killed a San Antonio police officer, and wounded another, said Saturday that she was stunned when she heard about the fatal confrontation.

"He was ready to become a father," said Shelia Landry, 22, in a telephone interview from Mandeville, Louisiana. "Andrew just needed help  he just had a substance abuse problem, but he's not a cop-killer. I have no idea how he could have done something like this."

Officers Miguel Moreno, 32 and Julio Cavazos, 36, were shot during a confrontation with Andrew Bice, 34, near San Antonio College on Thursday. Moreno and Cavazos were both taken to the hospital in critical condition. Moreno died Friday; he was the 14th officer killed in the line of duty since 2000. Cavazos is recovering.

RELATED: Gunman who shot 2 officers had extensive criminal history in Louisiana, Texas

Bice, who had a San Antonio address but was from Louisiana, died at the scene of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said.

Landry, the mother of two, said she started dating Bice in 2015 and that they became engaged last year. Her Facebook page has photos of the happy couple and her children. She said they lived together in Mandeville, where Landry works at the Waffle House.

Something had been troubling Bice, Landry said, prompting him to go to Texas, but she declined to say what it was.

He came down (to San Antonio) and he was just calling me, texting me, telling me he needed me to come down there and take care of him, Landry said in a telephone interview Saturday. I couldnt get down there because I was still saving up enough money to go.

RELATED: Gunman in fatal police shooting identified as 34-year-old from Northeast Side

In a text message Landry said she had with Bice on the day of the shooting, Bice tells Landry he is sad and that he misses her. He also tells her he is eager for her "too get here so we can go on this journey together."

Phone calls to other members of Bice's family went unanswered Saturday.

jgerlach@express-news.net

mySA staff contributed to this story
The La Porte Police Department is searching for a 16-year-old girl believed to have runaway to the Austin area.

Authorities asked the public to help locate Bree Manulak who is thought to be in Austin with 19-year-old River Evans, according to a LPPD Facebook post.
LAKE CONROE -- Officials have released the name of a Conroe senior citizen found floating in Lake Conroe Saturday morning.

Gerald Belk, 89, has been confirmed as the man whose bloated body was discovered between two docks behind the Bay Pointe Landing town home where he lived alone, according to Precinct 1 Constable's Office Lt. Tim Cade.

Tools were found on the dock where Belk is believed to have been submerged for several days before a neighbor discovered him while walking across the canal.

While the case is still under investigation, Cade said the tools, health factors related to the man's age and the fact he lived alone are being considered. Officials are looking into the possibility that the man was working on his dock and fell into the water.

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"That (the tools) shows us with actual facts that he was working on this dock at one point in time," Cade said. "He may have been and he may not have been (working on the dock). That gives us a better indication as to why was he there."

An autopsy has been ordered and will be able to examine whether or not a health issue may have prompted Belk's fall into the water, according to Cade and Precinct 1 Justice of the Peace Wayne Mack.

Precinct 1 Constable's Office, Conroe Police Department, Fire Department and EMS crews responded to the scene Saturday, alerting neighbors of trouble on the water.

Fire trucks alerted Home Owner Association President Robert Estes that something was wrong.

"I know something happened," he said. "We just don't know the facts. We are a close neighborhood. A backyard neighborhood."

No further information was available.

As the community hits the water to celebrate the Fourth of July weekend, Cade urged education on boating laws and designated drivers. "My best piece of advice is to have a designated captain not just a designated driver, " he said.

Cade also emphasized the need to have a responsible adult to watch children on the lake to prevent another drowning from happening this weekend.

"Especially with small children, these accidents like the one we are working right here don't take 7 minutes -- they happen in seconds."
A yacht captain's surprising secret identity; Astroworld's last wild ride ends in land fraud; how bones helped reunite a surgeon with an injured enemy soldier from Vietnam and ICE's new strategy - all in this week's #investigative and #enterprise reporting.

Texas yacht captain her her identity and a secret from California



By Harvey Rice @harveyricechron



Capt. Christina White was known to the denizens of South Shore Harbor Marina as a generous, friendly presence. A slender woman with a warm smile, she would treat dockworkers to a cold Coke while they fueled her yacht, the Royal Princess, a 95-foot party boat that plies the waters of Clear Lake and Galveston Bay.

It was something White had been doing on and off since 1994, when she and her former husband arrived in the Houston area from California and went into the charter cruise business in League City. But Christina White was not her real name - and the captain had left behind another identity and a murder mystery when she left California 30 years ago. Read more about White.

He amputated an enemy's arm, then returned the bones 47 years later

By Alyson Ward @alysonward

The story - so strange and beautiful that Houston doctor Sam Axelrad decided to write a book about it - began in 1966, when he was a 27-year-old Army surgeon in Vietnam. A helicopter delivered a North Vietnamese soldier to Axelrad's base on a stretcher. The enemy's right arm was rotting away from a bullet wound. The flesh was black, and pieces of fractured bone peeked through where the tissue was missing.



There was clearly no saving the arm. But Axelrad decided to try saving the man. Read all of this powerful profile.

courtesy

Last Wild Ride at AstroWorld: Jury rules unanimously in civil lawsuit alleging real estate fraud

By Dylan Baddour @DylanBaddour

A jury issued a unanimous, 27-page verdict on Tuesday against the alleged perpetrators of a scheme to lure investor money into a fraudulent plan to develop the former site of Six Flags AstroWorld.

The defendants, a handful of corporations and individuals, were found liable for civil racketeering charges, including money laundering and wire fraud. The plaintiff, a group of investors known as B Choice Limited, will most likely be awarded a sum in excess of $100 million once complex calculations are done on the 42 questions the jury was asked to answer after a nearly two-year trial, barring any appeals.



"They took my client on Mr. Toad's Wild Ride," said Frank Spagnoletti, a lawyer representing the plaintiff. "This was the last ride of the AstroWorld property."

Mayra Beltran/Staff

ICE targeting relatives who pay to illegally bring children into U.S.

By Lomi Kriel @lomikriel

Michael Ciaglo/Staff

President Donald Trump's administration has begun detaining parents and relatives who they suspect paid to have children brought illegally into the United States, officials said Friday.

Criminally prosecuting adults who ask smugglers to bring minor relatives here was first floated in a memorandum signed by Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly in February, but enforcement thus far has been rumored, not confirmed.

In a statement Friday, an Immigration and Customs Enforcement spokeswoman said the enforcement action was part of a broader "surge initiative" to identify and arrest people involved in human smuggling operations.
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Usually Houston area drivers lament sitting on freeways, but to the chagrin of officials, there's just something about fireworks that makes the commonly-clogged thoroughfares the place to be.

Though freeways - especially elevated areas and bridges - are good vantage points to watch the show, pulling over on shoulders is dangerous and highly discouraged by police and transportation officials.

"It is just not safe because the emergency shoulders are there for emergencies," said Karen Othon, spokeswoman for the Texas Department of Transportation in Houston. "I get it. I like fireworks, they're fun. That is the draw of wanting to stop and pull over and watch them. It just isn't safe."

Story continues below...

Though the Freedom Over Texas event in Houston is the largest in the area, officials said drivers staying put on the shoulders is common in many locales, including Katy along Interstate 10 and The Woodlands along Interstate 45.

More Information Freedom Detours A number of streets around Eleanor Tinsley Park are closed or will close Tuesday to accommodate Freedom Over Texas. I-45 exits to Allen Parkway Allen Parkway from Bagby to Taft Sabine at Memorial Drive Gillette, Crosby and Heiner from West Dallas to Allen Parkway Bagby from Dallas to McKinney, starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday Lamar from Smith to Bagby, starting at 8 a.m. Tuesday Silver Street at Memorial Drive, starting at 5 p.m. Tuesday All roads will reopen by 8 a.m. Wednesday, with some reopening shortly after the event. Source: City of Houston See More Collapse

In many spots in past years, motorists have complained of seeing children playing and running on the side of the road, while others awaited the show from the comfort of lawn chairs in the freeway median.

"It's foolish, especially with kids," said Paul Shaivitz, 60, who said the habit is nothing new. Cars would park in the median of Texas 288 south of Loop 610 when the city's big fireworks show was near the Astrodome in the 1980s, he said.

For police, people watching the festivities from freeways and bridges is an enforcement challenge.

"It is kind of like fighting a waterfall uphill," said Lt. Carl Nunn of the Kemah Police Department.

Gawkers flock to the Texas 146 bridge to watch Kemah's fireworks show, which annually leads to a traffic and safety problem, Nunn said, though there have been no major incidents.

The small department, he said, picks and chooses its battles.

"If it is early before the fireworks, we move them on," Nunn said, saying patrol officers often will drive onto the bridge and use the public address system on the cruiser to warn people to leave or be ticketed.

When the show starts, however, Nunn said police are busy preparing for the crush of traffic that will be leaving soon. There just isn't time during the show to go herd folks off the bridge.

Houston Police focus on public education, said spokesman Victor Senties, stressing that stopping on the side of a major road or freeway is not safe. If police receive a call related to the vehicle on the side of the road, they will go the scene to determine whether it is stalled or if someone simply parked. If the vehicle can be moved, Senties said, officers can order it moved, or else the driver could face a citation.

TxDOT officials will spread the word via 40 digital message signs along freeways, urging people not to stop on freeways, and that they could be towed if they do. Police are also advising people to choose another vantage point.

"Drivers should use an adjacent parking lots or other areas to watch the displays," said Harris County Sherriff's Office spokesman Thomas Gilliland.
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An average of 19 children suffer gunshot wounds every day in the United States, according to a new public health study that culled several national databases to tally cases from 2002 to 2014. Nearly 1,300 die each year.

The unusually detailed look offers some good news about firearms injuries  such as a steady decline in accidental shooting deaths  but also finds that the U.S. accounts for more than nine of every 10 firearm deaths among children under 14 in high-income countries worldwide.

Firearms are the No. 2 cause of injury-related death among American children, second only to car crashes.

Its a very comprehensive report, said Dr. David Wesson, Texas Childrens Hospitals associate surgeon-in-chief for academic affairs. Its got information about pretty much all types of firearms-related injuries; it also has information about nonfatal firearms injuries.

For Wesson, who was not involved in the study that was published in the June edition of the medical journal Pediatrics, the data offers insights that can help prevent such injuries, which are often so severe in childrens small bodies that trauma surgeons like him cant save the victims.

If you have a gunshot wound to the head ... theres really not much we can do, he said. So injury prevention is something I think about a lot.

On average, 1,297 children died from a firearm-related injury each year from 2012 to 2014, the study reports. A little more 50 percent were homicides, about 40 percent were suicides and 6 percent were unintentional. Nearly 6,000 children per year were wounded but survived.

Intentional deaths down

The authors  four researchers with the U.S. Centers for Disease Control or Prevention and one University of Texas at Austin sociologist  report some good news: Intentional shooting deaths have become steadily less common since a peak in 2007, when 1.4 children out of every 100,000 died in shooting homicides each year. That rate declined by 36 percent to 0.9 children per 100,000 in 2014.

Eleven states in the South and Midwest had significantly higher rates of child shooting homicides. The two highest were Louisiana and Illinois. Chicago especially has suffered from frequent shootings in recent years.

Children younger than 13 who died by firearm homicide often were killed during conflict between family members or a relatives romantic partner, according to the authors.

This highlights how children can be caught in the crossfire in cases of domestic violence and points to the importance of addressing the intersection of these forms of violence, said Katherine Fowler, a lead researcher for the study.

Growing suicide rates

Data drawn from three national reporting systems revealed that, while children generally have lower suicide rates than other age groups, Some of the steepest increases from 1999 to 2014 have been found among children 10 to 14 years of age, according to the study.

Since 2007 alone, firearm suicides among children ages 10 to 17 have increased by 60 percent, Fowler added in an email. Suicide rates were highest in a few large, rural states: Alaska, Montana and Idaho.

Detailed analysis found that the most common circumstances for a child or teens suicide included a crisis, a relationship problem or an issue with a romantic partner.

The study also found that more than a quarter of children who took their own lives had told someone about their intent before doing it, suggesting more lives might be saved by interventions.

The researchers found an average of 82 unintentional shooting deaths per year from 2012 to 2014  though the real number may be much higher, according to research by the advocacy group Everytown for Gun Safety. The majority of those accidents happened while children were playing with guns or showing them to other kids, the study said.

Previous research shows that children are curious about firearms and will touch a firearm even when instructed not to do so, which points to the importance of adult supervision and the need to store firearms safely and out of the reach of children, the authors wrote.

Keeping children safe

For parents who want a gun handy for self-protection, safety instructors suggest keeping one gun nearby in a fingerprint-activated safe and locking the rest in a complex gun safe.

A simple gun lock  a cable that runs through the chamber and magazine  costs less than $20. A trigger lock is about $10.

Wesson said the study also provides new levels of detail about nonfatal shootings, which get much less attention.

Researchers found an average of 5,790 U.S. children survived gunshot wounds each year, based on data from emergency-department reporting databases and elsewhere. Out of every 100 injuries, about 70 were assaults, 20 were accidents and three were intentionally self-inflicted.

Houstons new police chief, Art Acevedo, has instructed his departments detectives to investigate such nonfatal shootings as if they were homicides, in an effort to catch violent offenders before they kill someone.
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AUSTIN  It's the zombies that freak everybody out.

Months ago at the Ferguson Unit, a state prison north of Huntsville long known as one of Texas' tougher lockups, a convict doing 30 years for drug trafficking "flipped out" and started yelling and swinging wildly at correctional officers and other convicts.

"His eyes was as big as my fist," recalled one veteran correctional officer who quickly summoned backup to the cell block disturbance. "I knew it was '2,'" prison lingo for K2, a synthetic marijuana that now reigns as fastest-growing drug contraband in Texas' massive prison system.

"The '2' makes them crazy, and crazy strong," the officer said, speaking anonymously because prison policies prevent him from speaking publicly. "It took a bunch of us to take him down. He was like a zombie. It was scary."

More and more, other prison officials confirm, that scene has become routine in Lone Star lockups as front-line corrections officers battle what they say seems like a rising tide of K2 use. It's a trend being played out nationally, as well, that officials say endangers the safety of convicts and prison staff.

So far, no prison deaths have been attributed to K2 in Texas, authorities said.

In letters in recent months to the Houston Chronicle, convicts report that a growing number of prisoners are overdosing from the drug  though prison statistics do not confirm that, perhaps due to the difficulty in validating its presence through standard drug tests.

"K2 is the new drug of choice, inside and outside of prison," said Bruce Toney, inspector general for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice, the skilled detective force that busts illegal activity inside Texas' 110 state prisons  the nation's largest state-run system.

"It used to be marijuana or something else. Now it's K2."

Of the 950 contraband busts inside Texas prisons between January and mid-June, 477 involved illegal drugs  and 268 of those, more than half, were for possessing K2, according to state statistics.

Last year, 560 of the 1,015 drug-contraband cases involved K2 just under half.

State investigators both inside the prison system and out blame the growing problem with K2 on its cheap price, and the fact that routine drug screens fail to detect its presence. Its chemical makeup is routinely changed by overseas manufacturers to avoid detection, according to authorities. It's multitude of names rivals the variety of ingredients. One of its more common names is Kush.

Texas' prison system conducts random drug tests on convicts and staff at a cost of about $10 each. More extensive screening tests that detect K2 can cost more than six times that, officials said.

The Legislature made K2 illegal in September 2015. Before that, authorities said it was even harder to bust anyone  even convicts  for possessing it.

But in the past two years, prison officials say they have launched a continuing series of targeted crackdowns to visitors and guards who are smuggling it to convicts, and from inmates who pay up to $500 an ounce to have it smuggled in to them.

Its cost on the street: About $20 an ounce.

Generally, K2 is a mixture of spices, herbs and shredded plant material that is sprayed with a synthetic compound that is similar to the psychoactive ingredient in marijuana.

It is also available in clear liquid form that, in prison, can cost from $800 to $1,000 an ounce  perhaps even more on some units. On the street, the same liquid in many areas sells for $100 or more an ounce, officials said.

By contrast, cellphones  which not so many years were the hottest prison contraband  sell inside Texas' state lockups for from $350 upwards to $1,000 a pop.

Officials say the prisons in the Huntsville area have been a source of most of the K2 busts in the past two years, though it is turning up elsewhere. They attribute the high bust rates to the targeted crackdowns, sometimes based on snitches. Investigators believe that large amounts of K2 come from the Houston area because it is an overseas importation point.

For their part, four correctional officers at units in Huntsville, Gatesville and Abilene acknowledged the rising prevalence of K2 during interviews. They blamed much of the problem on relatives and friends of convicts because they smuggle it in on visitation days. They concede that some of their fellow guards are probably sneaking it in, as well, to make extra money on the side.

In recent months, prison investigators said they have conducted searches and busts on visitation days at several prisons as well as by searching prison employees' vehicles in random parking lot sweeps.

In recent months, prison police say they have busted wives, cousins and children of convicts  even a grandmother  for trying to smuggle K2 into East Texas prisons. Once, prison screeners found K2 concealed in a baby's diapers on a visitation day.

Toney said authorities are serious about cutting off the supply inside prisons: "If you're trying to bring it in, if you throw it out on the grounds for someone else to bring it in, we're gonna catch you and you're gonna be wearing matching uniforms with the person you came to see."

The problem goes way beyond Texas.

In recent months, numerous state and federal prison officials across the United States have acknowledged growing problem with K2 in their systems, as have prison officials overseas in England and other countries.

State drug and prison investigators said K2 epidemic first began about five years ago, as local police began addressing overdoses on so-called synthetic marijuana that was available for sale in convenience stores and head shops.

State poison control centers in Texas and other states soon reported a spike in overdoses, serious illnesses and deaths from K2 and related substances. Texas lawmakers outlawed it in 2015.

But police across Texas have continued to report continuing issues with K2 overdoses, including among homeless people.

Lance Lowry, president of a Huntsville union that represents correctional officers, recalled one shift a few years ago when he was working in an Huntsville-area prison.

"Three guys went off about the same time overdosed after smoking K2," he said. "One guy was on the floor in a medical emergency. One was spaced out of his mind. The other one was fighting us and everyone else. It took eight or nine officers to get him under control."

"It's crazy. And it's scary."
The summers final Live on the Waterfront concert was held Wednesday evening at Prince Arthurs Landing. The popular series in Thunder Bay has completed nine weekly shows that began on July 13. Wednesdays concert was unique as it was held one hour later in the evening to mesh with the 10 p.
Actor, storyteller and writer Apirana Taylor (Ngati Porou, Te Whanau a Apanui, Ngati Ruanui) has been described as seer and shapeshifter, poet and warrior (Fiona Farrell).

The author of six volumes of poetry, four short story collections, two novels, two plays and three CDs of music and poetry, his new novel Five Strings, launched in May this year at the Auckland Writer's Festival, tells the story of two people living on the streets.

Anahera Press - $35.00
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New York, July 1 (SURYAA) The "Babe" actor James Cromwell, also an activist, has been sentenced to a week in a New York jail in lieu of a fine for obstructing traffic during a 2015 sit-in against construction of a natural gas-fired power plant in New York state.



He was arrested in Wawayanda here on December 18, 2015, with five others who dubbed themselves the "Wawayanda Six", according to the Times Herald-Record of Middletown, New York.



After being found guilty of disorderly conduct earlier this year and each being fined $250 plus a $125 surcharge, half the members of the group paid up before the Thursday deadline while the other three - including Cromwell - refused, the Times Herald-Record reported.



On Thursday, the three who didn't pay got seven days in jail, though their attorney requested time to appeal, and the judge suspended the sentences until July 15, the paper said, reports latimes.com.



The 77-year-old actor made up his mind a while ago not to pay, telling the paper on June 7: "I will not pay this fine. I will go to jail, and I will appeal."



The six were part of a larger group protesting the CPV power plant, which they believe will be harmful to the environment; CPV disagrees with those assertions.



Construction has proceeded, and the plant is scheduled to go online in February 2018.
AKRON, Ohio - Members of the Akron Growth Council, a group of community and business leaders assembled by Mayor Dan Horrigan, met last month to develop a plan to boost the city's economy.

During the inaugural meeting June 29, members reviewed the council's charter and objectives and established a process for future planning and engagement.

"We are at a pivotal and unique juncture in Akron's history," said Horrigan in a news release. There are many new faces leading key institutions, and there is a fresh and palpable energy apparent throughout the community. We must harness that energy and ensure that we all row in the same direction. This Growth Council will be a key advisory group in helping me drive the city's economic development vision."

The council, unveiled at Horrigan's State of the City speech earlier this year, was created to develop a strategic vision for securing outside investment and creating jobs with wages that allow workers to support families. Council members include:

Ken Babby

Joel Bailey

Tom Chema

Bill Considine

Sam DeShazior

Courtney Gras

James Hardy

Dan Horrigan

Para Jones

Joe Kanfer

Kevin Thompson

Rich Kramer

Christine Mayer

Marco Sommerville

Glen Stephens

Don Taylor

Brad Whitehead

Matt Wilson

Brad Wright

"I am grateful to the exemplary leaders who have agreed to serve this community as the Akron Growth Council," said Horrigan in a news release. "These distinguished men and women will spend significant time and energy assisting me in developing a strategic path forward to grow Akron's population base and our job infrastructure."

The council plans to meet periodically over the next several months.

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CLEVELAND, Ohio -- Cuyahoga County Jail guards and medical personnel are not liable for the death of a Maple Heights man who died after he ingested heroin he smuggled into the jail in his rectum, a federal judge has ruled.

The family of Robert Sharp did not prove that jail guards, nurses and a doctor who tended to Sharp after receiving a report that he hid heroin were deliberately indifferent to Sharp's medical needs, Chief U.S. District Judge Patricia Gaughan wrote in a decision Friday.

"Rather, the evidence shows that they acted appropriately under the circumstances and given the knowledge that they had," Gaughan wrote. "While Sharp's death was certainly a tragic event, it was not the result of Defendants' wanton, reckless, or malicious actions."

Gaughan dismissed the lawsuit, filed in 2016 against the county and MetroHealth.

Sharp, 36, was found unresponsive in an isolation cell and was taken to Lutheran Hospital.

He died of an accidental heroin overdose, according to an autopsy by the Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office. The opinion says he hid a bag of heroin in his rectum and ingested it, leading to his overdose.

Gaughan's decision says none of those named as defendants in the lawsuit appeared to know that Sharp swallowed or ingested a bag of heroin. Rather, the judge wrote that employees only believed Sharp hid a bag.

David Malik, an attorney representing Sharp's family, said he intends to appeal Gaughan's decision.

"Heroin is a drug that hijacks the brain. The people ingesting it or keistering it or using it need help from jail employees in order to get the correct treatment," Malik said. "In this case, everybody ignored the effects of heroin on the brain and in a county with an epidemic of heroin abuse. In my opinion, it's incumbent on jail officials, at a minimum, to send these people to the emergency room when heroin use is suspected or known."

A county spokeswoman did not immediately submit a comment.

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BEDFORD, Ohio -- The body of a 15-year-old boy was pulled from Tinker's Creek Monday, some two days after he went missing while swimming, officials said.

Bedford Fire Chief David Nagy said the boy's body was found about 10:30 a.m. in the creek at the bottom of a bridle trail just off the Egbert picnic area in the Cleveland Metroparks' Bedford Reservation.

"That was the goal these last few days was to find him and give the family some closure," Nagy said.

The teen was swimming with a group near Viaduct Park Saturday evening when he got caught in the current, officials said.

The group was swimming above a shale formation that looks like a waterslide. A search team scoured the area but called off the search Saturday night due to darkness.

They searched again for several hours on Sunday but called off the search because of the dangerous and fast-moving currents.

The search team went back to the site about 8 a.m. Monday and found the boy after searching for a few hours, Nagy said.

Members of the Bedford fire department, Cleveland Metroparks officials and specialized search-and-rescue crews like the Hillcrest Technical Rescue Team all participated in the search.
If, like me, youre a holder of a Rex restaurant gift card that is sitting worthless in your wallet, youre not alone, says the Montana Attorney Generals office.

Ryan Sullivan of the agencys consumer protection division said last week hes received five complaints from people wondering what recourse they have for the cards.

Theyre frustrated. You spend a lot of money and expect to be able to use those gift cards, he said.

Ive probably received about twice that number of calls here at The Gazette since February after the Rex abruptly shut down. The restaurant's closure came after a push to sell gift cards for the holiday season. The eatery had operated 35 years in downtown Billings at 2401 Montana Ave.

Owner Gene Burgad said at the time he was hoping to sell soon to an employee, but no deal has emerged.

Signs on the exterior windows, which remain there today, direct people to an email address to get more information about their gift cards. Several people have reported receiving no response after sending an email.

Sullivan said the ownership group, Rex Hotel Partnership, is working to settle its debts  a process that has delayed the sale. The group has not filed to declare bankruptcy, he said.

Were just being patient. It does take time. Were hoping to get all our consumers made whole once the sale is completed, Sullivan said.

According to state law, Rex gift cards remain valid, but no clear provisions exist to direct a business actions in the event of a closure.

Burgad has kept quiet since the restaurant closed, and his attorney did not return a message relayed through Sullivan. So its unclear when a sale might close, or what a prospective new owners plans would be.

Sullivan encouraged consumers with complaints to contact his office at 1-800-481-6896 or online at www.dojmt.gov/consumer.

Sullivan said problems with gift cards reach his office occasionally, and business owners typically try to make customers whole. He said he believes the Rex is trying to do the same.

Theyre trying to make good on this, he said.

Inside the numbers

263,504  Train carloads that traveled through the United States two weeks ago, up 2.3 percent from the same week in 2016, the American Association of Railroads reports.

More good news for shippers and industry in Montana: coal did well in that week, up 11.2 percent from the previous year.

The bad news: 2016 was a historically bad year for the coal industry as mining companies lost major ground to natural gas and renewables. Last month was still more than 40 percent below June 2014 levels, according to the trade group.

27 million  Dollars to be doled out by the Montana Department of Commerce in November for affordable housing. Billings is one of eight cities on the list for money, along with Butte, Deer Lodge, Kalispell, Lewistown, Livingston and Poplar/Wolf Point.

$2.21  Average national price of gas heading into the Fourth of July, the typical peak time for driving and fuel cost. This year, however, the mid-summer fuel price is lower than the price on Jan. 1, according to GasBuddy.com, the first time thats happened in 17 years.

Gas prices were about $2.30 in Billings last week, with lows spotted at $2.08. Starting Saturday, gas prices went up 4.5 cents a gallon because of the gas tax hike approved by Montana legislators this year. The increase will help fund state and local road projects and other transportation costs.

Market hopping on South Side

The Minnesota Avenue Flea Market is in full swing this summer on Billings South Side, and organizer Tammy Fletcher says it has grown over the past three years.

Vendors are selling jewelry, clothing and stuff from peoples garages from the parking lot at the corner of Minnesota Avenue and South 27th Street, said Fletcher, who co-owns For the Funk of It and Mels Lunch Box in the area.

The market started June 3 and runs 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays through Aug. 19. Vendor space is available and costs $25, Fletcher said. Her number is 406-591-0658 for more information.

The market has developed synergy with other downtown events this summer, she said.

People love it, especially when people can shop the farmers market, and then come to Mels Lunch Box for lunch, Fletcher said.

Out and about

Glass Specialists of Billings is coming to Shiloh Crossing, according to sign at the shopping center.

Vision Optical is the tenant coming to the Bourne Again Shoppe at 1701 Grand Ave., which is undergoing a $20,000 remodel.

Clarification

From last week's column: The Weed Man franchise coming to Billings offers a customized weed-control program, which does not include weed pulling.

Haikus from the valley

Have holiday fun.

Dont ignite any wildfires

From your perch on Rims
CLEVELAND, Ohio -- A man killed himself on Sunday after police swarmed a Lorain apartment building where investigators found the dismembered body of a landscaper who was shot to death in Cleveland, officials said.

Hector Diaz, 30, of Cleveland, killed himself about 2:50 a.m. Sunday inside an apartment in the 4600 block of Oberlin Avenue after a Lorain police SWAT team surrounded his home, police said.

Cleveland and Lorain police are investigating the case. The victim in the case has not been identified.

Cleveland police believe the fatal shooting happened on Saturday in the 12800 block of Longmead Avenue, in the city's Bellaire-Puritas neighborhood.

Diaz then broke into his ex-girlfriend's home in the 13000 block of Gilmore Avenue through a first-floor window and told her that he needed to talk to her, according to police reports. The woman told police she was scared because she has health issues that keep her from leaving the home.

Diaz told the woman that he had just shot and killed a landscaper named "Gary," according to police reports. He also told the woman he planned to go somewhere to kill himself.

The woman called police and told them that she did not see if Diaz had any guns with him, but knew he had "a lot of guns," according to police reports.

Investigators later received information that "an act of violence" happened at the Longmead Avenue address and put out a bulletin for other police agencies to be on the lookout for Diaz, police said.

Lorain police then found Diaz at the Oberlin Avenue apartment and tried to talk to him. Diaz then shot himself, according to Lorain County Coroner Stephen B. Evans.

Evans said investigators found body parts in the dumpster outside the apartment building.

He also said preliminary information shows that the victim died from a single gunshot wound to the head, but that an autopsy has not yet been performed.

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FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. -- A Florida judge ordered a sheriff's office on Monday to release a critically ill woman from custody so her mother can visit her in the hospital.

Circuit Judge Barbara Duffy ordered the Broward Sheriff's Office to release 26-year-old Kristin Carare, the Miami Herald reported.

Lucy Moss, of Cleveland, told the Herald the sheriff's office had allowed her to visit Carare twice at the hospital last week, but then barred her from further immediate visits, threatening her with an arrest for trespassing if she tried.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Keyla Concepcion told The Associated Press on Monday that the sheriff's office had no choice because Carare was in custody and security protocols had to be followed. She said the sheriff's office had bent its rules by letting Moss visit outside its normal procedures, but she wanted to spend the night with her daughter and visit any time of the day. She said the fault lies not with the sheriff's office, but with "the judicial system" for not releasing Carare from custody sooner.

Carare had been jailed for three months awaiting trial on drug possession charges before becoming ill last week. Her mother says she is a heroin addict. Carare will remain at the hospital but she will no longer be an inmate.

Moss traveled to Fort Lauderdale from Cleveland after learning of Carare's illness, saying it was a "nightmare" when she was not allowed further visits with her daughter.

Moss said Carare became a drug addict as a teenager after her father was fatally shot two hours after she argued with him. Carare moved to Fort Lauderdale in 2014.

"She's not a criminal. She had an apartment, a car, a job. She started getting high on weed then went to pills just to keep numb," Moss said.

But then Carare disappeared for a time before being arrested last September on drug possession charges. She was released on bail but was again arrested after a Florida Highway Patrol trooper found her with drugs. A judge ordered her jailed.

"When you are poor and you either have addiction or mental health issues, the number one treatment provider is the jail," said Howard Finkelstein, Broward County's head public defender. He said she should have been released again after the second arrest.

"At the very worst, she is somebody that suffers from addiction and has committed the most minimal of criminal offenses," he said.

Carare's public defender, Lien Lafargue, said she seemed healthy when he last spoke to her June 18, but a week later she was in the hospital. Her mother said Carare has a heart valve problem, but it hasn't been determined what has caused her illness.

Moss said her daughter's 111-pound (50-kilogram) frame has become bloated and even though she is hooked up to numerous machines and monitors, she was also cuffed to her bed.

"I told the deputy, 'She doesn't need to be shackled. She's not going anywhere,'" said Moss about one of her visits. "I want her to pass with dignity. I don't want her chained to the bed. The deputy said, 'If she passes, we'll take them off.'"

The cuffs were removed under the judge's order.
LORAIN, Ohio - Lorain police are looking for the owner of a car that was possibly used in a deadly Sunday afternoon shooting, as well as for a man who may have information about the homicide.

Keshawndrae Carter, 19, was shot about 12:30 p.m. Sunday near the intersection of West 22nd Street and Beech Avenue, Lorain police spokesman Capt. Roger Watkins said. He was taken to Mercy Regional Medical Center, where he died.

Lorain police released a surveillance video still of a car that may have been used during the shooting. Investigators are looking to find the car's owner.

Detectives are also searching for Lorain resident Charles E. Pierre-Louis Jr. in connection with the shooting. The man is not a suspect in Carter's death, but investigators believe he may have "information relevant to this homicide," Watkins said.

Pierre-Louis Jr. often carries a weapon, police say, so anyone who knows where he may be should contact Lorain detectives at 440-204-2105 or the Lorain police dispatch center at 440-204-2100.

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PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A man released from prison in April is charged in connection with the fatal stabbings of a man and woman found dead in a home more than a month after they were killed.

Thomas Knuff, 42, charged with two counts of aggravated murder. He is scheduled to make his first court appearance Monday in Parma Municipal Court.

Knuff stabbed John Mann, 65, and Regina Capobianco, 50, on May 11 at Mann's home in the 6200 block of Nelwood Road, near Ackley Road, according to court records. He stabbed both in the neck and shoulder, records say.

Parma Heights police found the bodies June 21 they were asked to search the home after Capobianco was reported missing in Stark County.

Court records do not list a motive in the killings. Parma Heights police will give an update on the case at an 11 a.m. news conference.

Knuff was released from prison April 1 after serving more than 15 years in prison for a string of break-ins in Parma, Parma Heights and Middleburg Heights and robberies in Garfield Heights during a four-month stretch between June and October 2001.

In one case, he robbed someone at an ATM with a gun and in another he robbed a convenience store clerk with a box cutter.

He is on post-prison release supervision by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, according to prison records.

He also has several other prior convictions for breaking and entering.

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PARMA HEIGHTS, Ohio -- A 42-year-old man killed his prison pen-pal and her boyfriend and left their bodies to rot as he committed more crimes across the area, police said.

Thomas Knuff is charged with aggravated murder in the May 11 slayings of John Mann, 65, and Regina Capobianco, 50, at Mann's home in the 6200 block of Nelwood Road, near Ackley Road.

Both were stabbed several times in the neck and shoulder, police said. Investigators are still trying to determine a motive for the slayings.

"For many of them this is one of the toughest crime scenes our detectives have had to deal with," Parma Heights Police Chief Daniel Teel said. "Not only because of the crime, but because of the time and the conditions that the victims were found in."

The Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation and the FBI helped in the investigation.

Mann and Capobianco were in a relationship and had met at a Stark County strip club that Mann frequented, Parma Heights Capt. Steve Scharschmidt said.

Capobianco met Knuff through a prison pen-pal program, Scharschmidt said. They wrote letters to each other for about 10 years. Capobianco's criminal history includes a nine-month prison stint in 2005 for possessing cocaine.

Capobianco and Mann picked up Knuff from the Lorain Correctional Institution on April 11 and took him back to Mann's home. Scharschmidt said the home had been the target of several drug and prostitution investigations but had yielded no criminal charges.

Capobianco's sister reported her missing to Stark County authorities on May 23. Parma Heights police launched an investigation to try and find her, knowing that she associated with Mann.

Scharschmidt said police went to the home several times but did not go inside. He said the home was in foreclosure and was in such bad shape that the officers believed it was abandoned. Scharschmidt said the department is undertaking an internal investigation into why the officers didn't go into the home.

Investigators found Mann and Capobianco dead from the knife wounds on June 21. The knife was found at the scene, Scharschmidt said.

Investigators then zeroed in on Knuff after finding out that the victims picked him up from prison exactly one month before the slayings.

Knuff was arrested several times after his release from prison, including on a charge of possessing drug paraphernalia and unauthorized use of property in Medina County. He also had two breaking-and-entering warrants that charge him with burglarizing two Parma Heights businesses one week after the killings.

Scharschmidt said Knuff on May 18 broke into the Classic Studio's hair salon on Pearl Road and the Spa and Nails salon on York Road. In both cases, Knuff shattered the front door and stole the cash register, Scharschmidt said.

Parma Heights police arrested Knuff on the break-in charges on May 31 after he pleaded guilty to possessing drugs while in Richland Correction Institution but did not connect him to the slayings until Friday, Scharschmidt said.

Knuff is cooperating with police, Det. Adam Sloan said.

Knuff was released from prison April 1 after serving more than 15 years in prison for a string of break-ins in Parma, Parma Heights and Middleburg Heights and robberies in Garfield Heights during a four-month stretch between June and October 2001.

In one case, he robbed someone at an ATM with a gun and in another he robbed a convenience store clerk with a box cutter.

Knuff has more than a dozen other prior convictions for theft, robbery, receiving stolen property, breaking and entering and drug possession.

He is on post-prison release supervision by the Ohio Adult Parole Authority, according to prison records.

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SHAKER HEIGHTS, Ohio -Shaker Heights has installed two state-of-the-art, solar-powered Soofa Benches that let people recharge their phones and enjoy free Wi-Fi.

Developed by three women at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology's Media Lab and first launched in Cambridge in 2014, Soofa says its benches are now in 27 states and five countries.

Shaker Heights' benches at Hildana Park are the first of their kind in Ohio. Hildana Park is on Chagrin Boulevard west of Lee Road, in the Moreland neighborhood near the Shaker Heights Public Library.

City officials hope the colorful benches, which invite passers-by to "Sit down. Plug in. Power Up," will help bridge the digital divide by providing free Internet access in a public space.

They cost the city $10,610 for both, including a five-year warranty and 15-year batteries, and were installed by city recreation workers in time for the Wireless Broadband Alliance's World Wi-Fi Day on June 20.

Soofa's website says the benches are made in the U.S.A. from sustainably harvested materials. In addition, their integrated computers also collect location-based data, such as air quality and noise level.

The benches, which boast "This is one smart bench," are also part of a larger effort called "Moreland Rising" to provide sustainable 21st-century technology to the Moreland neighborhood. This area of Shaker was one of the hardest-hit communities during the foreclosure lending crisis and still has several abandoned properties and vacant lots, said Vicki Blank, the city's director of communication and marketing. "We felt it most needed an injection of sustainable resources and innovation."

The idea came out of an assessment conducted last year by a group of Shaker Heights students participating in a MOOS (Making Our Own Space) workshop as part of the Cleveland Urban Design Collaborative and Moreland Rising. The students walked around their neighborhood talking to residents and looking for spaces where they saw opportunities for design.

They discovered that even though Hildana Park was adjacent to a bus stop, it was both uninviting and was underused because there was nowhere to sit.

"We buy benches all the time, but we wanted something that was cutting-edge," Blank said. Because the benches are also in Washington, D.C., and Boston, "we knew they could withstand the elements."

The custom-designed aqua Soofa benches provide seating on both sides of the solar charger, as well as ports for phone charging cords, and free Wifi through a Verizon 4G LTE subscription. The message on the back of the bench can be changed to promote city events or programs.

Anne Williams, Shaker Heights' council member and chair of the Neighborhood Revitalization Committee, said in a statement that "Shaker Heights is a progressive community keeping our eye on the demand for today's technology. Expanding connectivity into a public park seemed like a great place to get the ball rolling."
WASHINGTON, D. C. - In a setback for President Donald Trump's efforts to roll back environmental rules established by his predecessor, a federal appeals court on Monday blocked the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency from delaying enforcement of a rule intended to cut methane leaks from oil and gas drilling operations such Ohio's fracking wells.

After announcing that EPA will reconsider the rule requiring oil and gas drillers to find and fix methane leaks in their equipment, EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt tried to stay the rule's enforcement for 90 days, and said he might extend the delay for two years. Environmental groups immediately sued to block him.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit ruled Monday that Pruitt doesn't have authority to stop enforcing the rule while it's being reexamined.

"EPA's decision to stay the methane rule was arbitrary and capricious--that is, unlawful," the decision stated.

EPA's press office didn't immediately respond to Cleveland.com's request for comment on the ruling. An agency spokeswoman told Associated Press that it's reviewing the decision and examining its legal options.

One of the groups that filed the lawsuit - the Natural Resources Defense Council - said the ruling "slams the brakes" on the Trump administration's "brazen efforts to put the interests of corporate polluters ahead of protecting the public and the environment."

The group said methane is the second-biggest driver of climate change after carbon-dioxide, and the repair and detection program is critical to stopping massive leaks from the hundreds of valves, pumps tanks, and other equipment used to drill and transport gas and oil.

"The ruling recognizes that EPA lacks the authority to simply scrap these critical protections. And it shows the courts are going to enforce the rule of law on health and environment," said a statement from David Doniger, director of NRDC's climate and clean air program. "The Trump Administration's war on the environment and our health has hit a brick wall."

The ruling recognizes that EPA lacks the authority to simply scrap these critical protections. @ddonigernrdc https://t.co/Wf0yR1l8WL  NRDC  (@NRDC) July 3, 2017

The American Petroleum Institute trade association for the oil and gas industry said previous standards were already reducing emissions, and a March EPA report showed methane emissions from all petroleum systems decreased by over 28 percent since 1990, much of it from improved gas venting and flaring emissions.

"API supports revision of the 2016 New Source Performance Standards and we are hopeful that the eventual outcome recognizes the science, allowing for revisions to the flawed rule," said spokesman Reid Porter.
Getty Images

In March 2016, John Podesta, the former chairman of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign, was fooled into entering his password for his private Gmail account. And last week, ransomware cyberattacks again ravaged the globe, locking down files of major corporations and demanding they pay a ransom to unlock them. According to the CEO of an anti-fraud financial technology (fintech) company, this is because cybersecurity places the onus on consumers to protect themselves  and that's a problem. Rodger Desai, the chief executive officer of New York startup Payfone, said that recent cyberattacks rely on individual consumers to operate. "Security today involves the consumer to secure themselves, and that's the problem," he told CNBC in a phone interview on Friday. "Whenever consumers are involved  and they're always involved  people can socially engineer the consumer." Desai heads the fintech firm Payfone, which uses automated customer identity authentication technology, to remove the need for using passcodes or security questions.

Tony C French | Getty Images

"There are so many ways in which cyberattacks are getting more sophisticated," he added. "What we realized when we started the company is that these kind of attacks would grow. For example, if I wanted to reset my password with the bank and I'd forgotten it, they're going to send my phone a code. That could be someone else." Last year, the malicious software "Pegasus" hacked into the phone of a human rights activist in the United Arab Emirates, forcing Apple to issue a critical software update to protect its users. The startup's technology verifies users' SIM cards so that they are able to speak with customer-service representatives without having to enter passcodes or answer security questions. Payfone's boss told CNBC that the company's technology could detect inconsistencies, such as unauthorized users attempting to access a mobile app or service. The company believes this will speed up the verification process for legitimate clients and businesses while preventing hackers and insurance fraudsters from accessing users' phones.

watch now
Australia's Fairfax Media on Monday said it had ceased discussions with two U.S private equity suitors, ending investor hopes of a protracted battle for Australia's oldest newspaper publisher.

The publisher last month fielded bids worth as much as A$2.87 billion ($2.2 billion) from TPG Capital Management LP and Hellman & Friedman, and both firms were granted due diligence.

"Following the conclusion of this process Fairfax did not receive a binding offer from either the TPG Consortium or Hellman & Friedman. Accordingly, the Fairfax board has ceased discussions with both parties," Fairfax said in a statement to the Australian Securities Exchange.

Fairfax said it would proceed with previously announced plans to demerge its profitable property classifieds division, Domain Group, by the end of 2017.

Domain is the company's biggest profit generator and in a trading update also issued on Monday, Fairfax said it expected Domain's revenue to rise 10 percent for the year to June 30, 2018, while revenues for its newspapers and radio divisions would fall.

The forecast EBITDA range of between A$262 million and A$266 million is in line with the expectations of two analysts polled by Thomson Reuters I/E/B/S.

The buyer interest in the 186-year-old publisher of the Sydney Morning Herald and Australian Financial Review newspapers had sent its shares soaring to a six-year high of A$1.270 in early June.

Fairfax investors had watched the stock sink from A$4.99 in 2007, when its long-term problems began with the migration of classified advertising to the internet.

Shares in the company slid 8 percent in late trade on Friday after The Australian newspaper reported Hellman & Friedman was unlikely to lodge a formal bid.

A Hellman & Friedman spokeswoman was not immediately available for comment.

TPG announced on Sunday it had abandoned its A$1.20-per-share bid and a spokesman said the firm had no further comment on Monday.
CNBC

Mike Tuchen is best when he's feeling down. Halfway through a project he kicks his efforts into overdrive, just when others might start to relax. Tuchen is the CEO of Talend, a company with a billion-dollar market value. It helps customers take advantage of their data, and apply it effectively. Yet before kicking off a career that includes an executive stint at Microsoft and a turn as CEO of Rapid7, he was nearly kicked out of boarding school. At Brown University, he had to figure out how to make a contribution as the runt of his rowing team. Tuchen joined Fortt Knox to share a story that's not your typical wunderkind-makes-good tale. However, he showed that when the pressure is on, winning can mean making surprising choices.

Own Your Choices

High school was a time of self-discovery for Tuchen, who had just entered an elite boarding school filled with talented students. At his old school, he was the class brain. With so much competition at this new place, he soon became more of the life of the party. When he got shipped home on a three-day suspension, his parents didn't yell at him. They challenged him. Decide what you want to do: Go back and get serious, or quit the school. "I realized what I was doing right there clearly didn't lead me to anywhere I wanted to go," Tuchen said. "I was this close to being not the successful guy I wanted to be  but a high school drop-out." He went back to school, reset his goals, then focused on physics. "I ended up winning the physics prize and in my last few years of school [and] winning some awards, being one of the top kids for that."

Strategy is Strength

If you were to envision what a Brown University rower might look like it would not be Tuchen as a teenager. Yet, despite standing 5'11 and weighing just 155 pounds at the time, he was a key player in their races. Tuchen took lessons from his time on this team, and carried them over into his career. Sitting in the rear, he was responsible for steering the team, building a strategy. "You can go for very short bursts of maybe 30 seconds or a minute" rowing your hardest, Tuchen said. "The question is when and how do you use those bursts?" Eventually, the team started winning races by choosing their moment. At the halfway mark, the team would give it their best push. They often pushed to the front, gaining a boat length or more and demoralizing other teams in the process. Tuchen applied these skills to his first management opportunity. He used the chance to create belief and excitement, motivating people around a goal.

Risk is a Privilege
A controversy erupted in Washington, D.C., 100 years ago, and a Montana woman was right in the middle of it.

America had entered World War I on April 6, 1917, and a patriotic fervor swept the country. The year before, organizers formed the National Womens Party in an effort to spearhead passage of a womens suffrage amendment.

And when the suffragettes stood up in Washington, D.C., for womens right to vote, they met resistance from others who thought it wasnt the time or place to demand their rights. One of the vocal voting-rights activists was Billings own Hazel Hunkins.

Hunkins, who was born in 1890, was the daughter of E.L. and Anna Hunkins, who owned Hunkins Jewelers in the Babcock Building in downtown Billings. Research done by Kevin Kooistra, historian and executive director at the Western Heritage Center, reveals that Hazel Hunkins was the 1908 Billings High School class valedictorian and went on to graduate from Vassar College.

She taught in the chemistry department at the University of Missouri, but quit her job in 1916 to come home to Billings and care for her ailing mother. When Hunkins applied as a chemist at several national firms, she was turned down.

The answer was the same each time: You are qualified, but we do not employ women. Hunkins anger fueled her decision to spend the rest of her life battling for womens rights.

She joined the National Womens Party and was soon named Montana state chairman for the NWP. By March 1917, Hunkins was considered one of the top leaders of the group of suffragists demonstrating in front of the White House.

A June 22, 1917, Washington Post article said, Miss Hunkins climbed up on the pedestal of one of the White House gates and raised her banner as high as she could over her head in an effort to save it.

It was not a peaceful protest. According to the same article, 2,000 anti-suffragist protesters yelled traitors and treason, grabbing the womens banners and destroying them. The protesters were affronted that the suffragettes would push for such a cause in wartime.

Hunkins was arrested when she returned with another banner. In August 1918, she and 47 other women were arrested during Lafayette Square demonstrations, and she took part in a hunger strike in prison before being released.

Not all newspapers treated Hunkins the same, Kooistra said.

The Washington Post and the San Francisco Examiner had stories about her being on the front line of the protest for the National Womens Party in front of the White House, he said. And theres very little about her in The Billings Gazette.

At the same time she was front and center in the Washington Post, The Gazette published a story on page 7. In the story, she was portrayed as an innocent victim who happened to be gathered in the police dragnet with 12 or 13 other suffragists and hauled off to the house of detention.

The article asked Hunkins why she and other suffragists were making laughingstocks of themselves.

She replied that women had for years been patiently standing at the doors of Congress and petitioning for legislative relief. Now women were demanding action.

Hunkins said: Reforms of every other kind have been set aside and buried under the plea of war necessities, but instead of allowing suffrage to be smothered we are taking advantage of the war situation to point out that if this war is for democracy, if we are to send our soldiers 3,000 miles into the trenches of a foreign land to fight for democracy, it would not be amiss to have democracy extended at home.

One of the banners contained an extract from President Wilson's war message, she said, that read: "We shall fight for the things we hold nearest to our hearts  for democracy, for the right of those who submit to authority to have a voice in their own governments.

Kooistra said Hunkins mother, who was unhappy over her daughters notoriety, suggested she come home and marry one of the local boys.

Hazel said, 'I think fondly of all those young men, but frankly I would rather go to prison,  he said, laughing. And she did, many times, in the cause of getting women the right to vote.

The Helena Independent voiced its displeasure over Hunkins participation in the protest. In a June 29, 1917, editorial, it belittled her actions.

Hazel is simply one of the misguided friends of the suffrage cause  she is a part of the lunatic fringe which hangs forever around the edge of the suffrage cause.

It ended its editorial this way: Little Hazel Hunkins of Montana has been misled. It is the duty of Congresswoman Jeannette Rankin to hunt up the little Vassar graduate and pin a tag to her so she will not get lost on the long journey, then send her back to Montana. If Hazel is naughty when she gets out here in the sunshine where straight thinking is the rule, her mother should take her out behind the wood shed and let the neighbors hear the gentle patter of her slipper on the bustle of Hazels overalls. (We guess Suffragettes wear overalls.)"

But still Hunkins persisted, and in part because of her actions and those of many others, Congress passed the 19th Amendment on June 4, 1919. It was ratified on Aug. 18, 1920.

Soon after, Hunkins moved to England with her British husband, Charles Hallinan, where the couple had a family and she continued to fight for womens rights.

Hunkins-Hallinan died in 1982 at the age of 91.

She remained politically active in later life, pressing for changes in British laws that kept women off juries and denied them equal access to the political process and market place, a New York Times obituary said of her.

She was a guest of honor at the White House in 1977, the obit said, when President Jimmy Carter signed a Womens Equality Day proclamation and presented the pen to her.
A red and white flag of the Statue of Liberty, emblazoned with "100% made in the USA", greets shoppers at the entrance to a new grocery store in Hackensack, New Jersey. Inside, the shop is buzzing with shoppers scooping up watermelons, hot dogs and other supplies for July 4 barbecues.

The store's debut is one of hundreds that Aldi, the German discount grocer, has planned as part of a $3.4bn expansion drive across the US. The company, looking to capitalise on the annual sales spike for America's independence day, introduced itself in the suburb of New York as the "first stop 4th of July shop", filling the store with promotions for ground beef at $1.79 a pound, star-spangled-banner bamboo torches and patriotic citronella candles.

July 4 is the supermarket equivalent of a Super Bowl moment, with Americans projected to spend more than $7bn, according to the National Retail Federation. But this year's celebration comes as the $700bn US grocery market is under attack. The price of food eaten at home in the US has fallen for 18 straight months, the longest stretch since the 1950s, which has in turn triggered a price war among supermarket operators which need to boost volumes to maintain revenues.



"It's absolutely brutal," says Bryan Roberts, director at TCC Global Retailer, which consults large US grocers.

The battle is only set to intensify as Lidl and Aldi, the German grocers that have ravaged European rivals with a no-frills, low-price strategy, set their sights on the US. Aldi last month said it would increase the number of its US stores to 2,500 in the next five years, while Lidl opened its first US shop on June 15. The next day, Amazon unveiled plans to buy upmarket grocer Whole Foods for $13bn, in a deal expected to upend US food retail.

"The US is about 15 years behind Europe," says Mr Roberts. "There's an 'it will never happen to us' mentality. Lots of European supermarkets assumed [Aldi and Lidl] stores were for low-income shoppers . . . but they've lost 10 per cent of their market share to them."

He says US retailers' reactions to German encroachment on their turf have ranged from "insanely methodical research and preparation" to "indifference" from a grocery industry that has fared better against online disruption than other retailers focused on books or electronics.

A number of US grocers are forecasting flat or declining comparable sales growth this year. Kroger last month slashed its profit outlook and reported that gross margins fell 45 basis points during its most recent quarter, as discounting eroded profits.

Amazon's bid for Whole Foods fired a shot at already beleaguered grocers, with competitors swiftly losing $30bn in market capitalisation as investors contemplated how the ecommerce group might redefine their trade.

James Thomson, a former business development manager at Amazon, says the most important weapon it gains from the deal is customer data.

"Amazon will know exactly what people are buying both online and offline . . . they will know exactly what to put on the shelf," he says, noting the company can also afford to try out ideas without the pressure for short-term profitability that grocers face. "If you're a national grocery brand today, you've got to be scared out of your mind," he says. "Amazon bought 400 Petri dishes [by buying Whole Foods' stores]. There is no such thing as failure to Amazon."

In this environment more consolidation is likely, says Mr Roberts. Walmart is large enough to compete on prices, he argues, and premium chains like Whole Foods will not be chasing the same customers, but for those "stuck in the middle, it's like death by a thousand cuts".



Lidl US says it is "paying attention" to Amazon in light of its move to take over Whole Foods and that competition "keeps everyone sharper". Liz Ruggles, marketing director for Aldi US, says "the grocery industry has seen many changes over the years . . . but Aldi has never lost focus".

Aldi first entered the US 40 years ago and has quietly built a chain of 1,600 stores in 35 states. Now, it is ramping up the pace of openings. Lidl plans to open 100 stores along the east coast by next summer.

Aldi and Lidl say their US stores will offer prices up to 50 per cent cheaper than competitors, although analysts estimate the gap to be closer to 15 per cent. A gallon of milk at Hackensack's Aldi store costs $2.89, compared with $3.50 at the Target less than half a mile away.

Discount groups make up less than 5 per cent of US grocery sales, although Bain expects that to increase 8 to 10 per cent a year as Americans become acquainted with the German discounters.

At Aldi's Hackensack store Katia, a teacher buying groceries with her husband, says she is impressed by the low prices and gluten-free snacks, but finds the experience less consistent than her mainstays: regional chains Giant and Shoprite. "It seems like the bare minimum," she says. "I bought figs here yesterday, and came back today for more, and they're gone."

More from the Financial Times:

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Echoes of Wall Street in Silicon Valley's grip on money and power


While investors may be optimistic on Tesla's Model 3 production plans, which were tweeted by Elon Musk overnight, Bernstein is still skeptical the company will be able to produce the new electric car at a profit.



Tweet Link

Analyst Toni Sacconaghi noted Musk's tweets, if accurate, mean Tesla will be able to manufacture the Model 3 at an annualized rate of more than 240,000 cars by the end of fiscal 2017 versus his total estimate for fiscal 2018 of 225,000 Model 3 vehicles.



"On net, initial production ramp for the Model 3 looks like it may be better than expected  but investors should continue to focus on whether the Model 3 can be produced profitably and with strong initial quality," Sacconaghi wrote in a note to clients Monday. "Specifically, we worry that if Tesla has struggled to make money (and produce GMs [gross profit margins] above 25%) on its $100,000 Model X and Model S sedans, that it may be difficult for it to make money on Model 3."



The analyst reaffirmed his market perform rating for Tesla and price target of $250, representing 31 percent downside from Friday's close.



Road testing for the Model 3 has been "limited" as Tesla decided not to make a prototype car, Sacconaghi noted. As a result, he said, he is concerned the new electric car may have quality issues and hurt the company's brand.



In addition, "Elon's historical track record of meeting production goals is mixed at best," he said.

A spokeswoman directed CNBC to Musk's comments during a first-quarter conference call with analysts, when he said, "[W]ith Model 3, I think we'll be roughly comparable with the best high-volume vehicle production lines in the world. Better in some respects, a little worse in others. But roughly comparable," according to a FactSet transcript.



Tesla shares traded roughly flat midday Monday. The stock is up nearly 70 percent this year versus the S&P 500's 8 percent return.
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Blue America, the international negotiator, awakens

The beginnings of a parallel government

Canada is not alone in dealing directly with US subnational actors. California Gov. Jerry Brown, who represents the world's seventh-largest economy, has been in China promising ongoing cooperation and support  acting, more or less, as a head of state. @JerryBrownGov: My statement on @realDonaldTrump's #ParisAgreement announcement #ActOnClimate http://bit.ly/2sjvaWs In the same vein, Ivo Daalder had a fantastic piece in Politico Magazine on the need for cities to organize themselves and engage in purposeful foreign policy. Urban areas, he notes, have more in common with one another across national boundaries than they do with rural areas in their own countries. They all face traffic, congestion, and pollution. They all depend on a steady influx of outsiders and thrive on innovation and higher education. Not one of them is interested in the Trumpian recipe of xenophobia and fossil fuels. Daalder concludes: The question of our time is not whether cities will defend and promote their values and interests globally. They already do. Instead, the question is whether local leaders will do so pretty much as it has been done before, in a piecemeal, transactional manner, or whether they will instead develop meaningful, coordinated global strategies. To my eye, the response of US cities to Trump's Paris announcement looks like (at least the beginning of) a meaningful, coordinated strategy. Bloomberg says his coalition has offered a "parallel pledge," but really it has formed the beginnings of a parallel government. It is a parallel government with sharply limited powers, of course. Even under optimistic scenarios, it likely can't achieve the carbon reductions the US would have achieved acting nationally. (The Sierra Club has a good analysis of the potential.) And its legal status is murky. As Harvard's Robert Stavins told Vox's Alexia Fernandez Campbell, "the Constitution of the United States prohibits subnational entities from carrying out meaningful international agreements." But that's only if you take a somewhat legalistic view of "international agreements," as agreements committing the US as a nation to particular actions. It's worth remembering that the Paris agreement didn't commit the US to anything either, not in a legal sense. The agreement contains no mechanism to punish countries that don't meet their targets. It's voluntary. The commitments of the US subnational climate diaspora are voluntary as well. But by organizing and transparently sharing information about progress (assuming the coalition can pull itself together to do so), it could trigger a dynamic very much like the one Paris seeks to trigger at the international level: Pride and peer pressure, not the threat of legal penalties, will drive ambition. @climatehawk1: Sweden passes #climate law to become carbon neutral by 2045 | @ClimateHome http://crwd.fr/2tvgfsb #globalwarming #divest Insofar as the coalition can organize and deliver, it can establish an international reputation as a stable and predictable negotiating partner  certainly more stable than Trump's lurching federal government.

As Blue America and Red America become self-aware, their competition becomes less symbolic
A television host points to a graph on a screen at the New York Stock Exchange in New York.

Check out which companies are making headlines before the bell:

Tesla  CEO Elon Musk on Twitter tweeted that the company would deliver the first of its new Model 3 sedans on July 28, after the vehicle passed all of its regulatory requirements for production.

GlaxoSmithKline  The drugmaker signed a new $43 million deal with privately held artificial intelligence company Exscientia. The two plan to use AI technology to speed up the drug discovery process.

Las Vegas Sands , Wynn Resorts  These and other casino companies that operate in Macau could see a rise today, after gaming revenue in the Chinese special administrative region rose 25.9 percent in June compared to a year ago. That marked the 11th straight monthly increase.

Caterpillar  Caterpillar did not submit required export filings with the government in recent years, according to The Wall Street Journal, although the heavy equipment maker hasn't been accused of any wrongdoing. That finding was part of a government probe into possible tax violations, although the company said it believes its position on its tax liability is correct.

Goldman Sachs  Goldman is reviewing the performance of its commodities business, according to a Bloomberg report, following a poor performance in the first half of this year.

Bristol-Myers Squibb  The drug company's stock got a positive mention in Barron's, which said the stock is undervalued because of setbacks for the company's immune-oncology drug Opdivo. The paper said investors appear to be ignoring the lucrative markets for which the drug has already been approved.

Microsoft  Microsoft's plans to reorganize its global sales force this week were elaborated upon in a Wall Street Journal article, quoting people familiar, after those plans were first reported in the Puget Sound Business Journal last week. The move that would involve an unspecified number of layoffs and a focus on cloud-computing services.

AK Steel  The steelmaker is buying Precision Partners Holding Co. for $360 million in cash. Precision Partners is a maker of automotive manufacturing equipment.

Bankrate  The provider of personal finance information such as mortgage rates is being acquired by digital marketing company Red Ventures for $14 per share in cash, or about $1.4 billion. That's about nine percent above Bankrate's Friday close of $12.85.

International Speedway  The operator of the Daytona, Talledega, and other well-known auto racing tracks reported adjusted quarterly profit of 30 cents per share, two cents below forecasts, although revenue exceeded estimates. The company said its marketing efforts are helping to slow recent attendance-related revenue trends.
European bourses closed higher on Monday, entering into the new month on a solid footing after markets posted gains for the first half of the year.

The pan-European Stoxx 600 ended up over 1 percent - its biggest one-day percentage rise in over two months - with almost all sectors and major bourses in positive territory.

The oil and gas sector was among the best performing, up almost 2 percent as investors focused on a potential $4.8 billion deal between France's Total and Iran. The deal, which would see a Total-led consortium develop South Pars, a giant Iranian gas field, is the first since the EU lifted sanctions against Iran in early-2016. Total ended more than 2 percent higher on the news.

More broadly, Brent moved higher by 1.21 percent at $49.36 per barrel shortly after 4.50 p.m. London time, while U.S. crude was more than 1.5 percent higher, at $46.72.

Nets, a Nordics-based payment provider, surged almost 11 percent higher after reports that it had been approached by a potential buyer. The boost marks a 9-month-high for the firm which listed on the stock market last year.

Banks, too, were also strong performers Monday, up over 2.5 percent. HSBC was one of the best among them, maintaining highs seen last week after the lender received a rating upgrade from Morgan Stanley , which caused the stock to hit a four-year high. Banco Santander , BBVA and Julius Baer were all seen up more than 2.7 percent.

The worst performing stock though was British satellite company Inmarsat, which dropped nearly 5 percent amid a court challenge from rivals who are seeking an injunction on the companies proposed in-flight Wi-Fi plans.

Meanwhile, in the U.S., the Dow Jones industrial average and broader S&P 500 index both continued higher on Monday to mark a positive start to the third quarter. The New York stock exchange and the Nasdaq are both scheduled to close early on Monday ahead of July 4 holidays.
It might sound like a strange complaint against an industry often accused of scrimping on research to fund marketing efforts, but some executives and scientists say drugmakers are doing too many clinical trials in the hot new field of immunotherapy.

Merck and Bristol-Myers Squibb have dominated the first wave of immunotherapy with their "checkpoint inhibitors", which release brakes in the immune system so that it can attack tumours, while Roche , AstraZeneca and Pfizer are trying to catch up by launching rival versions. Almost $9bn worth of these checkpoints have been sold since they went on sale two years ago.

Early enthusiasm for the medicines has given way to a determination to push response rates substantially higher. Although a minority of about 20 to 30 per cent of patients respond extremely well to the drugs  living for months or years longer than their doctors would expect  the majority derive no benefit.

"There is some pushback," said Jill O'Donnell-Tormey, chief executive of the Cancer Research Institute. "Are there too many trials? Are we just throwing spaghetti at the wall, by taking compound 'X' or 'Y' and adding it together just to see what happens?"

Most scientists say checkpoints do not need to be replaced with something else, but rather augmented with new drugs that can further cajole the immune system into fighting cancer. This has led to an unprecedented amount of clinical research sponsored by drugmakers, which are combining checkpoints with other medicines to try to find a magic bullet to treat cancer.

The sheer number of studies has sparked fears that some companies are engaging in a medical gold rush, hoping to chance upon the right cocktail without doing the appropriate scientific groundwork.

Almost 800 clinical trials involving a checkpoint are under way in the US, according to a government database, more than 700 of which are testing the drugs in combination with one or more additional medicines. This compares with about 200 in 2015.

Some investors are unnerved by such haste, says Brad Loncar, who runs an exchange-traded fund focused on immunotherapy: "People are concerned there is not as much scientific rigour as there should be."

Pascal Soriot, chief executive AstraZeneca, which is trialling its own immunotherapy combination, admitted as much in a recent interview with the Financial Times.

"The field is very competitive. Right now you have a lot of companies that take bets . . . without a lot of data," he said. "So we also have to consider the speed, and sometimes we're going to have to take educated risks with maybe not as much conviction or data to support the clinical programme, but enough of it."

While Mr Loncar believes that the recent surge in clinical trials is fundamentally a good thing for patients, he says the field should move at a speed that allows scientists to fully understand the reasons behind a particular success or failure.

"When trials fail there's not enough time or effort to look at the details to understand why things are not working," he says.

With five checkpoints on the market, the class of medicines is well-established, but many drugmakers are nonetheless developing their own versions, such as Novartis, Eli Lilly and Regeneron. In total, there are roughly 50 of these medicines, pejoratively known as "me too" products, in the pipeline.

Some executives say the latecomers may find it increasingly difficult to fill their trials with "naive" patients who have not already been treated with a checkpoint. Many will have taken the drugs already, either because they have completed one of the hundreds of existing studies, or because their doctor has prescribed the medicine to them on an "off-label" basis, whereby they are given an immunotherapy to treat a cancer for which it is not approved.

"The level of pre-treatment and controlling for that is something we want to be cognisant of, because we want to ensure we have a consistent set of baseline patients to evaluate," says Vas Narasimhan, global head of drug development at Novartis. "And I would say that's getting more complex."

Theoretically, it should not be difficult to recruit participants given that only 4 per cent of cancer patients end up on a trial in the US. But the pharma industry has struggled to widen the pool beyond highly educated people who live in urban centres.

Patients can also be reluctant to enter a randomised trial because they might end up in the control group that does not receive the drug, a fear that some companies have tried to assuage by allowing people to cross over into the treatment arm once their cancer worsens. Designing trials in this way can cloud the results significantly, however.



Dr Roger Perlmutter, the top scientist at Merck, has little sympathy for laggard companies, arguing they should instead focus their efforts on unearthing new drugs or looking for biological clues that might predict which patients are most likely to respond.

"It's going to be difficult for those who are coming in late, but really that's the way it should be," he says. "The world doesn't need any more [checkpoints]. We need other things. We should be finding a way to develop other medicines beyond these."

And some investors fear that the proliferation of checkpoints could end up commoditising one of the most promising drug classes in years.

The rush to develop so many "me-too" drugs is best explained by the widely held belief that checkpoints will form the backbone of combination immunotherapies in the future.

Those companies without their own in-house versions will have to strike deals with a rival company every time they discover a promising molecule that might be used in a cocktail, reducing their flexibility and wasting time in a highly competitive field.

"We fully recognise there are others out there, but we decided to develop our own because we felt it was a necessary ingredient," says Dr Israel Lowy, a vice-president at Regeneron. "We wanted the flexibility to trial it in combinations."

He adds: "There is a lot of room to improve if we do come up with the right combination. That's the future. We are only at chapter one in the book of immunotherapy."

More from the Financial Times:

Trump phones Xi as US-China friction grows

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Goldman Sachs is reportedly reviewing its longtime commitment to commodities trading following another decline in the first half of the year.

An anonymous source told Bloomberg that Goldman Sachs suffered its worst start to the year in commodities in over a decade, down from peak annual performance of $3.4 billion in 2009.

In initiating the review, Chief Executive Officer Lloyd Blankfein diverged from the bank's convention of enduring declines in profitability until the market's cyclical forces recovered losses.

The Bloomberg report noted that other major investment banks, including Morgan Stanley and JPMorgan Chase , have reduced or ended commodities trading after tougher regulation and falling revenue ruined the robust profits of the early 2000s.

According to estimates from data analytics company Coalition, commodities-trading revenue for the banking industry fell to $800 million in 2016.

Last week, Goldman issued a mea culpa of sorts, detailing how it misread the crude oil market. Having originally set its forecast for U.S. crude to average $55 per barrel over the next three months, the bank cut the estimate to $47.50.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate crude futures are trading around $46.82 on Monday.

Among other factors, Goldman admitted failing to appreciate how quickly U.S. shale oil production would ramp up in response to crude price hikes and how quickly investors would flock to the trade.

Read the full story here: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2017-07-03/goldman-said-to-review-commodities-after-worst-start-in-a-decade
A deal between Google's artificial intelligence (AI) firm DeepMind and the U.K.'s National Health Service (NHS) "failed to comply with data protection law", a key British regulator said on Monday. DeepMind  which Google acquired in 2014  struck a deal in 2015 with the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust which runs a number of hospitals in Britain. The Google company got access to a wide range of health information from 1.6 million patients, according to the full agreement which was revealed by New Scientist in April 2016. The deal was made to help DeepMind develop an app called Streams with the aim of monitoring patients with kidney disease. Streams would alert the right clinician when a patient's condition deteriorates. But New Scientist revealed that DeepMind would be getting access to other health information such as whether a patient had HIV as well as details of drug overdoses, for example, which stirred a lot of controversies.

Demis Hassabis, co-founder of Google's artificial intelligence (AI) startup DeepMind. Jeon Heon-Kyun | Getty Images

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO), which is the U.K.'s data protection watchdog, launched its probe into the DeepMind-NHS deal in May 2016. On Monday, the ICO released its conclusion and found that the agreement "failed to comply with data protection law". "Our investigation found a number of shortcomings in the way patient records were shared for this trial. Patients would not have reasonably expected their information to have been used in this way, and the Trust could and should have been far more transparent with patients as to what was happening," Information Commissioner Elizabeth Denham said in a statement. "We've asked the Trust to commit to making changes that will address those shortcomings, and their co-operation is welcome. The Data Protection Act is not a barrier to innovation, but it does need to be considered wherever people's data is being used." In essence, the ICO has taken issue with the fact that patients were not informed about how their data would be used. "The processing of patient records by DeepMind significantly differs from what data subjects might reasonably have expected to happen to their data when presenting at the Royal Free for treatment," the ICO's letter to the Trust said. "For example, a patient presenting at accident and emergency within the last five years to receive treatment or a person who engages with radiology services and who has had little or no prior engagement with the Trust would not reasonably expect their data to be accessible to a third party for the testing of a new mobile application, however positive the aims of that application may be."

What next?

The Trust which runs the hospitals now has to "establish a proper legal basis" under the U.K.'s Data Protection Act for the Google DeepMind project and any future trials. It will also need to outline how it will comply with privacy laws in any future trials. The NHS Trust will also need to commission an audit of the trial to be shared with the ICO. If the Trust complies with the ICO's demands, then the Streams apps will not be shut down. "We accept the ICO's findings and have already made good progress to address the areas where they have concerns," the Royal Free NHS Foundation Trust said in a statement on Monday. "For example, we are now doing much more to keep our patients informed about how their data is used. We would like to reassure patients that their information has been in our control at all times and has never been used for anything other than delivering patient care or ensuring their safety."

'We need to do better'
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Iran has signed a $4.8 billion deal with a consortium led by French oil company Total on Monday to develop its giant South Pars gas field, the largest natural gas field in the world. The deal is the Islamic republic's first with a European oil company in more than a decade, marking a major milestone for a country whose standing as an international trade partner has hung in the balance ever since it was slapped with sanctions in 2006 amid concerns that it was developing nuclear weapons. related investing news Think the dollar is about to peak? Wall Street pros explain how to trade it Total has taken a 50.1 percent interest in the South Pars project, and alongside state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation, which holds 30 percent, and Iran's Petropars (19.9 percent), will begin producing gas for the Iranian market from 2021. Though the deal has been a slow burn, coming some 18 months after EU sanctions against the Middle Eastern nation were lifted, Iran will be hoping that it marks a new era of investor confidence and a particular boon for its dwindling oil production. "Total's decision to sign the South Pars 11 contract is a cautiously positive sign for foreign investment in Iran's upstream," Richard Mallinson, geopolitical analyst at Energy Aspects, told CNBC via email on Monday.

Who else is ready to invest in Iran?

Already, India, one of Iran's most steadfast trading partners, on Monday announced that a consortium of domestic businesses would offer up to $11 billion to develop another of Iran's natural gas fields, Farzad-B field, and create the infrastructure to export the fuel, Bloomberg reported, citing Narendra Kumar Verma, managing director of the overseas investment unit of India's largest explorer, Oil & Natural Gas Corp. Iran is the second-largest supplier of crude oil to India, and, as a result, India is one of the largest foreign investors in Iran's oil and gas industry. However, fraught diplomatic relations between Iran and other states have made it a difficult relationship to uphold.

The Imperial Towers twin towers residential skyscrapers and business district development in Tardeo South Mumbai, India from Nariman Point Tim Graham | Getty Images

Under U.S. sanctions, which were reinforced last month, India has been unable to trade with Iran using the dollar  the world's premier reserve currency  and had to defer payments or revert to payments in rupees and, more recently, euros. Iran has the world's second-largest natural gas reserves and the fourth-largest oil reserves, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. This translates to 10 percent of the world's crude oil reserves and 13 percent of OPEC's.

Why is Total doing the deal now?

Total was previously one of the biggest investors in Iran before sanctions were imposed. Though the deal had been laid out last year, the group has been awaiting clarity on the Trump administration's stance on sanctions. During campaigning, President Donald Trump pledged to "dismantle" the 2015 nuclear agreement, which aimed to reduce sanctions, though has not yet followed up on it and his administration has rather imposed new sanctions in response to the country's missile program.

Mark Renders | Getty Images

Total has so far only committed to an initial $1 billion investment, citing continued risks. The stock was up 1.78 percent when the deal was signed Monday. Though the investment will help revive Iran's antiquated energy sector, which has borne the brunt of years of underinvestment into the country, it will be purely domestically focused. It is likely to have less of an impact on the wider international markets, which have been struggling to balance output since a supply glut saw prices plummet in early 2015. Brent prices were lower by 0.06 percent in Monday afternoon at $48.75 per barrel while U.S. crude was up 0.09 percent at $46.08 per barrel.

Lack of new deals holding back growth
Short seller Jim Chanos recently explained why President Donald Trump's infrastructure spending plan will not lead to big economic growth because of the way it is structured.



Chanos is founder and managing partner of Kynikos Associates, one of the largest short selling investment firms in the world. Chanos is lauded for his prescient negative calls on Enron and Tyco.

Institute for New Economic Thinking's Lynn Parramore spoke with Chanos in an interview covering Trump's agenda and the U.S. economy. Parramore asked the short seller if Trump's infrastructure spending plan will spur economic growth.



"That's just another sort of fake fiscal news, if you will. It's going to be public-private partnerships," Chanos said.



"Because private investors need high rates of return, these deals generally haven't been good deals for anybody. ... We're told that the private sector will be able to do this better. Well, they might be able to do it better and faster, but only for a small number of projects," he added.



The investor cited his experience with Macquarie Bank, a company he was short in the past, which was a pioneer in infrastructure as an asset class trend. He noted the company only focused on projects with "clearly definable cash flow" such as parking structures and toll roads.



"Real projects that we need  repairing, refurbishing, whatever  are tougher. You're not going to get private investors to sign up for those without definable cash flows," Chanos said. "It's something that sounds good but when we actually start looking at projects that make sense for private investors leveraged up with state-backed or federally-backed bonds to do a project, we're going to find that it winnows down the list dramatically."



The White House website said Trump's infrastructure plan will rebuild U.S. cities and states by "unleashing private sector capital." The proposal will leverage $200 billion of government funds into $1 trillion, according to the page.



In addition, Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross co-wrote a white paper in October 2016, when he was a senior policy advisor to the Trump campaign, which said "for infrastructure construction to be financeable privately, it needs a revenue stream from which to pay operating costs, the interest and principal on the debt, and the dividends on the equity."



Chanos declined to comment further on the interview in response to this story. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.



See here for the full Institute for New Economic Thinking interview with Jim Chanos.




The federal board that handles the beef industry's checkoff fee program is reminding producers that they still need to pay after a judge's injunction.

A U.S. district judge ruled in June that the Montana Beef Council must get permission from producers to collect money through the Beef Checkoff Program.

The program collects $1 per cow sold for promotion and marketing services. Before, half of the money would go to the federal Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board. The other half would go to the Montana Beef Council.

The judge's injunction is part of an ongoing lawsuit brought by Ranchers-Cattlemen Action Legal Fund, United Stockgrowers of America, or R-CALF USA, a Billings-based organization that disagrees with some of the Council's advertising. The Council is now forwarding all the fees to the federal board.

On June 30, the Cattlemen's Beef Promotion and Research Board said that there were rumors about the checkoff fee program losing its mandatory status. CEO Polly Ruhland said in a release that this isn't the case.

"I understand that many social media properties, especially those in Montana, are claiming that Montana producers can stop paying the $1 per head checkoff," Ruhland said in a release. "This is not true. Producers who refuse to pay the checkoff are in violation of federal law."

The "Beef Board," as many call the federal entity, operates under the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is responsible for ad campaigns like "Beef: It's what's for dinner."

The Montana Beef Council uses checkoff funds for its own ad campaigns, but it doesn't promote Montana beef or U.S. beef. Instead, the council promotes beef in general.

And because the Council is a private entity, R-CALF USA sued over the organization's automatic collection of fees. U.S. District Judge Brian Morris' injunction signals a tip in R-CALF's favor, though the case is ongoing.

The Council is still "working through the details" to figure out how to get consent to use checkoff dollars, according to a release. In the meantime, it could take a financial hit from its sole source of income  checkoff funds.

"As a result of the preliminary injunction, after assessments are collected from Montana beef producers, if they do not provide prior affirmative consent to the Montana Beef Council, their full assessment will be forwarded to the Cattlemen's Beef Board for general use on national programs and projects," according to a release from Council director Chaley Harney.

The Council's revenue in 2016 was $929,111.
Partial government shutdowns in Maine and New Jersey entered a second day on Sunday as lawmakers returned to their respective state capitals in a bid to break budget impasses that have led to the suspension of many nonessential services.

In Maine, a bipartisan legislative committee met in Augusta in hopes of breaking a stalemate between Republican Governor Paul LePage and Democratic lawmakers. The shutdown came after LePage threatened to veto a compromise reached by lawmakers in the state's $7.055 billion, two-year budget.

In New Jersey, the legislature was due to reconvene to resolve a political fight over a controversial bill that Governor Chris Christie said must be passed alongside the state's budget.

After House Republicans in Maine voted to reject a compromise deal on Saturday, the Bangor Daily News reported that Republican Minority Leader Ken Fredette presented a $7.1 billion plan he said could get the governor's approval, but some Democrats noted that was costlier than the rejected compromise.

A spokeswoman for the governor could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

"The Speaker thinks it is unconscionable that Maine doesn't have a budget, especially leading into the holiday weekend," Mary-Erin Casale, a spokeswoman for Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon, said Sunday morning.

If the budget committee meeting on Sunday in Augusta agrees on a deal, the measure would go to the full legislature.

LePage has insisted on a budget with deeper spending cuts than those contemplated by lawmakers and has promised to veto any spending plan that raises taxes.

The stalled budget proposal would have repealed a measure that voters approved in November to impose an additional 3 percent income tax on state residents who earn more than $200,000 a year. But it contained a 1.5 percent increase in the lodging tax, Casale said, while increasing funding for public education by $162 million.

State police, parks and all offices responsible for collecting revenue will operate during the current shutdown, the state's first since 1991.

New Jersey residents were not so lucky. With the July 4 holiday weekend in full swing, the shutdown included the closure of Island State Beach Park, one of New Jersey's few free public beaches, and all other state parks.
This past week Britain's Conservatives, the wounded but still most sizeable political party in the U.K.'s House of Commons, sealed a nakedly short-term pact with a handful of representatives from the Democratic Unionist Party of Northern Ireland.



In return for DUP votes that will help pass key measures in parliament, Theresa May's Conservatives promised roughly 1 billion ($1.3 billion) in extra spending over two years for various projects in Northern Ireland, population 1.8 million.



The British press - never shy about using witty but caustic headlines - slammed the deal and Theresa May in equal measure, describing it as a "squalid...1bn bribe to crackpots" that had been sealed with a "handshake of shame" by a leader "held to ransom."



The conventional wisdom in Westminster - and indeed Brussels - is that May gambled by calling a snap general election in March, and lost. Her ostensible pretext for calling the election was to win a stronger mandate for Brexit negotiations. She would theoretically command greater respect from her European peers during talks as a prime minister that had been democratically elected by a majority of citizens, rather than just anointed by her party.



And at home, a larger parliamentary majority could also help her face down or simply ignore potentially recalcitrant members of her own party, who might take a different view on Brexit-related policy positions during important votes.



In the first few roll-calls since the opening of the latest parliamentary session, May's measures have squeaked through by a tiny margin, but the government has been forced to make some significant and embarrassing concessions to stave off criticism about its new political bedfellows, whose social policies in particular are viewed unfavourably by many British liberals.



During recent reporting visits to Brussels and Luxembourg, several interviews with European leaders - from EU commissioners to Baltic premiers to Teutonic finance ministers - have revealed a certain level of Schadenfreude directed at May's recent electoral and parliamentary travails.



A major challenge for her ever since the referendum - and for as long as she can maintain her currently tenuous grip on the keys to Number 10 Downing Street - has been the requirement for each public utterance on Brexit to address several very different constituencies at once.



There is the emotive domestic audience that seems eager to assert unrealistically hardline controls over U.K. immigration policy; the significant minority of British voters that would prefer not to exit the EU at all and hunts assiduously for any indication that the self-titled "Project Leave" will somehow crumble; the businesses and investors across the country who are frustrated and even exasperated at the lack of clarity about the government's end-game; and finally the politicians and bureaucrats across the English Channel who frequently reference their unified negotiating positions but cannot help themselves - it seems - from sending occasionally mixed messages.
French President Emmanuel Macron walks through the Galerie des Bustes (Busts Gallery) to access the Versailles Palace's hemicycle for a special congress gathering both houses of parliament (National Assembly and Senate), near Paris, France, July 3, 2017.

A 23-year-old was arrested and charged with plotting to kill French President Emmanuel Macron at a Bastille Day parade this month, the BBC reports.

The man is believed to be a far-right extremist who told police he also wanted to attack "Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals," Agence France-Presse reports. Police arrested him in a Paris suburb last Wednesday after users of a video game chat room notified police when the man allegedly said he wanted to buy a gun, the BBC said.

Police found three kitchen knives in the man's car and possible targets he searched on the internet, according to the BBC.

This is not the first time the suspect has faced legal trouble connected with terrorism. He was convicted last year for condoning terrorism after he praised Anders Breivik, who murdered 77 people in Norway in 2011. He was supposed to spend three years in jail, but half the sentence was suspended, the BBC reports.
Mario Draghi, President of the European Central Bank (ECB), speaks during a news conference to discuss monetary policy in Tallinn, Estonia, on Thursday, June 8, 2017.

Central banks have been in the spotlight the past week, with comments from European Central Bank President Mario Draghi about monetary policy resulting in significant moves in the euro.

Bank of England Governor Mark Carney's change in views on a potential rate hike "in the coming months" also resulted in a jump in the sterling last week.

Ahead, geopolitics could prove to be a potential market mover this week.

Several Gulf states have given Qatar an extension to comply with demands that included shuttering al Jazeera, a broadcaster based on Qatar.

Saudi Arabia and some of its allies had severed ties with Qatar last month after accusing the country of supporting terrorism. A meeting of world leaders for the G20 summit later this week in Hamburg, Germany  which U.S. President Donald Trump is attending  could also result in several headlines.

Meanwhile, moves in big name technology stocks over the past month have been closely watched by investors. While tech stocks have outperformed this year, markets have concerns relating to valuations.

With the bond and stock markets taking some losses on mixed signals from monetary policy makers, what are you most wary of as an investor this week?
Traditional Russian wooden nesting dolls, Matryoshka dolls, depicting US President-elect Donald Trump (L) and Russian President Vladimir Putin are seen at a gift shop in central Moscow on January 16, 2017

U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin's budding relationship has been stifled by those who "cannot make peace" with the former's victory in the 2016 American election, according to Russia's deputy foreign minister.

Sergey Ryabkov told pro-government newspaper Izvestia: "I would not say that relations are in a worse crisis than at the time of the Barack Obama administration's exit but genuinely relations continue with great effort. Largely we have not attained the needed dynamic for improvement."

Since Trump took office in January 2017, the U.S. and Russia have been on opposing sides over the conflict in Syria, with the U.S. bombing an airfield of the Russian-allied Syrian regime and then downing a Syrian jet. And despite reports that Trump has toyed with lifting U.S. sanctions against Russia over Ukraine, the White House is yet to do so.

More from Newsweek:

Donald Trump's face is on Russian money being sent to the White House

Spy or diplomat? Meet Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak, the most radioactive man in Washington

White House women face bigger gender pay gap than national average

But Ryabkov laid the blame for strained U.S.-Russia relations firmly at the door of Trump's critics.

"There are very serious and influential circles who, to this day, cannot make peace with Donald Trump's election victory and they are using relations in Moscow for an internal political contest," he said.
Even if Saudi Arabia and Qatar can patch up their differences, greater economic cooperation in the region appears unworkable. The kingdom and its allies have granted Doha two more days to meet their list of 13 demands. Failure to reach a deal could escalate the dispute, further hitting investors and regional economies. But even a compromise would be unlikely to patch up divisions between the Gulf's Arab states.

Qatar's refusal to yield to its neighbours' ultimatum is hurting the region. The coalition, led by Riyadh and including the United Arab Emirates, has imposed a blockade after accusing the sheikhdom of supporting terrorist groups and being too close to Iran. Extending the deadline for Qatar to comply with demands  which include shutting down the Al Jazeera news network and agreeing to financial inspections  at least gives mediation a chance. Failure could lead to a prolonged economic siege, possible retaliation by Qatar to restrict gas supplies or abandon its currency peg, and an increase in the still-remote threat of military escalation.

More from Breakingviews:

Theresa May's dilemma is Mark Carney's opportunity

Naspers' addiction to Tencent is unhealthy

U.S. steel war invites needless collateral damage



Regardless of the outcome, though, regional cooperation in the Gulf is on hold. Beyond bonds of religion and the inter-marriage of their royal dynasties, the Arab states involved in the current squabble have been formally bound together since 1981 by the Gulf Cooperation Council. Established in the wake of the Iranian Islamic revolution in 1979, the GCC provided collective security for the six oil-rich monarchies and a platform to develop joint policies on trade, customs tariffs and monetary policy. Since then monetary policy and financial markets have converged in the region, which had a combined output of $1.6 trillion in 2016.

The current rift probably spells the end of some key economic policies and reforms. Plans to generate new sources of government revenue, including a value-added tax at a standard rate of 5 percent across the bloc, could now be shelved. Other key pillars such as the free movement of residents, trade and capital across the GCC are also in doubt, as is a more ambitious plan to create a currency union. The lack of reform will make it even harder for the GCC states to diversify their oil-dependent economies. Whatever the result of the current dispute, the alliance looks broken.

Commentary by Andy Critchlow, Middle East editor at Breakingviews. Follow him on Twitter @baldersdale.

For more insight from CNBC contributors, follow @CNBCopinion on Twitter.
RED DESERT  A few narrow dirt roads snake across the landscape, at times the only sign of humans.

They wind from Oregon Buttes, marking the beginning of the promised country for settlers, to Steamboat Mountain, an ancient buffalo jump where early Shoshone tribes herded bison off the rim to their deaths.

Other roads connect undulating waves of white sand at the Killpecker dunes, where families race ATVs, to Boars Tusk, an ancient volcanic plug rising from the flats and attracting geologists from around the country.

Lovers of the Red Desert call these special places. Unique areas to be protected and conserved, set aside for another 100 or 200 years for people to witness.

Scattered along the way like branches on a cottonwood tree are smaller roads leading to oil and gas wells, mostly silent in their collection of Wyomings economic lifeblood. The Jim Bridger Power Plant is tucked in a basin north of Interstate 80 with four stacks reaching for the sky and an open pit where massive shovels pull coal from the earth.

The Red Desert loosely encompasses about 4 million acres in southwest Wyoming. It can be a forbidding place. Wind gusts routinely reach 50 and 60 mph, winter temperatures settle well below zero and the summer sun bakes indiscriminately. Its also teeming with life  its home to the largest desert elk herd in the country and the longest migrating mule deer herd on the continent.

Right now, much of its future is under review.

The Bureau of Land Management is working on the Rock Springs Resource Management Plan revision. What comes out of the weighty, technical document will be a plan for the next 20 years. It will decide what can be developed and what should be protected.

Wyomings Red Desert, one of the last places to dry out after the great seas receded millions of years ago, is many things to many people. It is or has been a place of gold prospecting and horse rustling, oil exploration and hunting, grazing and wild horses. But to understand the interests tugging on pieces of one of the countrys largest unfenced areas is to first understand the people.

Hunting

The Red Desert once teemed with wildlife  thundering bison, wary trophy elk and flighty pronghorn.

And then it didnt.

Settlers killed all the bison. Ivory hunters took the elk for their valuable canines. Pronghorn and mule deer remained in very limited numbers, said Walt Gasson, a fourth-generation Wyomingite who has hunted in the desert for himself, as a guide or with family for almost seven decades.

But as with the wood duck, Canada goose and golden eagle, humans have worked to repair the damage. Wildlife managers reintroduced elk from Yellowstone National Park and other areas into the desert. They thought they would migrate into the south end of the Wind River Range.

Instead, they looked around and said looks good to us, and they stayed, he said.

What formed then became the largest desert elk herd in the country and the only one in Wyoming. The experience of chasing a desert bull is so prized today that a resident hunter has about a 2 percent chance of successfully drawing a tag. Yet they keep trying.

Youve got these elk and you can see them out there and they can see you, but they use distance as cover, just like antelope do, he said. Theres an invisible line, and until you touch that line, they think: I can see you, you can see me, but Im not going to waste energy by running right now.

The area is also much more than a hunt, which is why so many people use their one hope of a special elk license on the desert. Gasson calls it the bakers dozen  the extra. Each hunter has a chance to see a soaring eagle, flock of sage grouse or petroglyph or find an arrowhead.

The sage grouse and wild horses and pioneer experience and Native American presence creates those extras, he said. Those make that part of the whole thing.

Developing

Pull out a map of development in the Red Desert, and youll see a scattering of dots in the northeast corner. As your eyes move south and west, the dots become swarms of active wells and land offered up for future drilling.

Some places, like Adobe Town, south of Interstate 80, have been the subject of intense debate for years  conservationists arguing for its preservation, oil and gas developers promoting its valuable resources.

I know there are areas that are sensitive out there and unique and pristine, but I also know there is a tremendous amount of energy resource out there, said Peter Wold, senior partner of Wold Oil in Casper.

Wolds father had uranium interests in the Red Desert years ago when yellowcake prices were higher. His company now has its sights set mainly on oil and gas development in the Powder River Basin, but he understands the value of energy extraction in the desert.

The BLMs Rock Springs plan covers about 3.6 million acres, which encompasses the bulk of the Red Desert. It will present, in general, four alternatives to the public for comment. The first would involve little change from what exists on the landscape and is in the planning process now. The other three focus on other possible uses from more conservation to more development. The public will respond, and then BLM will ultimately choose the final plan. BLM will likely present those four alternatives by the end of 2017 or early 2018, depending on staffing in Washington, D.C., said Kimberlee Foster, field manager for the Rock Springs BLM office.

New Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke has expressed a sense of urgency related to increasing drilling and development. He said Theres a consequence of not using some of our public lands for creation of wealth and jobs.

Wold said there can be a balance  and that there has been in the past.

Like so many areas, you need to be sensitive about where youre trying to develop energy resources, Wold said.

History

The Shoshone people named the Red Desert Enga Sogope, or red earth. It was a general description for the area, said Jason Baldes, a member of the Eastern Shoshone Tribe and executive director of the Wind River Native Advocacy Center.

It was part of the original Fort Bridger Treaty of 1863, which gave the Shoshone Indians about 44 million acres. Many years ago, the tribes lost most of that 44 million acres, including the Red Desert.

But their mark on the landscape remains for anyone patient or curious enough to look.

A rock used for centuries by Shoshone women to help with childbirth still stands. Ancient campsites, arrowheads and chippings remain in those areas too stubborn to change.

Baldes and his father, an amateur geologist and former biologist, would spend days camping and exploring their ancestral home. Standing on top of Steamboat Mountain, riding on horseback or winding through Adobe Town, he understood his connection to those who went before him.

Its important to me personally, recognizing it used to be part of our reservation, he said. Just because we are confined to reservation boundaries it doesnt limit our access to those historical sites we used to utilize.

He fears development of all kinds in the desert  oil and gas, subdivisions. Anything that further cuts into the open space that remains. Wyoming depends on natural resources, he understands, but he wants a balance for the desert.

A lot of people dont recognize it as a beautiful landscape. They see the sage and flat lands and no one is there. They see it as a dead area, but it is very, very much alive and teeming with life if youre willing to open your eyes and see it.
Samsung is upgrading Google's Android software that runs on the device to make it the same as the interface on the Galaxy S8 and S8+, the firm's current flagship device . The Galaxy Note FE will also be getting Bixby  Samsung's smart assistant that rivals the likes of Apple's Siri.

The Galaxy Note FE will be released on July 7 with a limited number of 400,000 devices in South Korea and will cost 699,600 won ($609), which is around a third cheaper than the original Note 7. Samsung said that overseas sales of the smartphone will be decided at a later date.

Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 which caught fire last year and forced a recall is being re-launched as the Galaxy Note Fan Edition (FE) using parts from unused handsets, the South Korean giant said on Sunday.

The battery, which was the main reasons the original Note 7 exploded, has been "further enhanced with multiple safety designs", Samsung said in a press release in Korean, translated via Google Translate.

Samsung launched the original Note 7 last year, but after a number of reports that the device was overheating and catching fire, the tech giant was forced to carry out a recall. It was the most embarrassing moment for the company which apologized on numerous occasions to its customers, and then launched an investigation into the cause.

The debacle led to authorities around the world banning the device from being taken on planes and cost the company billions of dollars in profit.

Before the issues with the Note 7 came to light, however, it had received positive reviews. After the recall was announced, many consumers resisted giving their phone back, even as Samsung issued a number of warnings about the dangers of keeping the device.

Samsung will be hoping the Note FE will appeal to the fans of the Note 7 which offers a large screen and stylus to differentiate it from many devices on the market.

"Samsung has very carefully positioned it to the most devoted, most well-informed consumers and therefore they will be able to understand that Samsung have reworked the existing product and delivered it," Ben Wood, chief of research at CCS Insight, told CNBC by phone on Monday.

"You could also argue if Samsung is keen to continue using the Note brand for more business centric and productivity devices, reintroducing the Note 7 successfully would help them re-establish the brand ahead of any potential Note 8 launch."

A number of leaks and reports have suggested that Samsung is gearing up to release a Note 8 device, which would be the successor of the discontinued Note 7.
Can a few hundred words really change culture? A momentum to do just that is building in tech  and it's happening in the most digital-first way possible.

Since I moved to San Francisco six months ago, ex-Uber employee Susan Fowler's now infamous blog post was published, which set off an earthquake in Silicon Valley. Since then, the world's largest private company was shaken right to the very top  leading to the resignation of CEO Travis Kalanick  and we've watched the unwinding of prominent VCs  including Chris Sacca and Dave McClure, among others  over allegations that they made unwanted sexual advances. (Sacca since said he was "sorry" and McClure admitted in a post he was "a creep.")

More stories will undoubtedly come forth, and we will continue to be disgusted by the individual examples. But the problem is a broken culture that will require a collective effort to fix. Of course, sexism is palpable in almost every industry  especially at the intersection of media, tech and finance where I am an observer and a participant. But for an industry that prides itself as being a moral force and a leader in social change, we should hold Silicon Valley to a standard that forces meaningful change.

Here's a lot of what's wrong, and what needs to be done.

The way that start-ups are funded, as well as the enormous pressure they're put under to grow quickly, means that there's no structure in place to prevent, or deal with, bad behavior.

To understand the dynamic, let's start with how this industry works. Entrepreneurs sacrifice everything in the hopes of having their vision become reality, and venture capitalists fund that dream in return for future profits. The dynamic of older, more powerful and mostly male investors helping young and sometimes naive founders doesn't always instill founders with great ethics.

Within the start-up world, the biggest asset  being small, nimble and fast-moving  is also its biggest liability  a lack of mature leadership and corporate governance. Companies are pushed to grow faster, but stay lean to preserve capital as the venture world gets more competitive and the start-up space gets more crowded. What's often lacking is the proper infrastructure and HR functions to support that rapid growth. This was revealed by the Holder report in Uber's case, and also detailed in Reid Hoffman's recent Linkedin post.

Ignore what VCs, founders and CEOs say, and watch what they do.

Industrywide, just 7 percent of partners at top VC funds are women, according to Techcrunch. CEOs, founders and VCs may talk a good game about hiring more women. It's important to watch what they do, and keep the pressure on.

Take a look at the composition of venture capital firm Greylock's investing team (Where Hoffman is a partner)  there's just one female out of a team of 18. Benchmark hired its first ever female partner to the firm this year. Lightspeed Venture Partners, under fire for not doing enough while Justin Caldbeck was still at the firm, also has one female partner.

Even if sexism in the Valley is just a few "bad eggs," those bad eggs are often turning out to be prominent people. Caldbeck badly tarnished the reputation of his firm. Sacca's apology to the industry came off as disingenuous to many. As for McClure, his admission of behavior should be taken seriously and consequences for such behavior be realized. Leaders in Silicon Valley need to make sure that badly behaving prominent people don't escape the consequences of their actions.

More efforts need to be made to encourage women to pursue careers in tech

Women are already fighting an uphill battle in venture capital. According to Pitchbook, just 359 female-led start-ups were funded, versus 5,839 male-led companies. That's under 6 percent of all VC-backed deals last year. The Harvard Business Review found that male and female founders are asked different questions when pitching to VCs. For male entrepreneurs it's about financial prospects and for females, it's about the risks in their projections.

Beyond the ranks of the boardroom, we also need to continue to help women enter the field of mathematics and engineering, and encourage them to learn how to code. Industry leaders including Sheryl Sandberg, Satya Nadella and Mary Barra  who all pledged to promote more STEM-focused education through initiatives like Code.org and LeanIn  are paving the way for future women to enter the field. These proposals will help with funding in these important initiatives. Let's make sure these are translated into the classroom.

Venture capital also needs to continue to encourage more women to go into business  and many schools have put such initiatives front and center. More of my female friends want to become entrepreneurs and VCs via the route of business school or engineering schools because they are inspired to build. We need to make sure to elevate and celebrate them.

Finally, we need to also accept that culture cannot change overnight. We need persistence but we also need patience. Covering one person's bad behavior isn't likely to lead to change, but covering issues and actions can. Many venture capitalists have tweeted or blogged about the need for change lately. Let's hold them to their word. Can words really change culture? It's definitely a start.

As for me, I look forward to not only covering the positive parts of tech  which brought me to San Francisco in the first place  but also to shine the spotlight on the darker corners which have plagued the system for way too long.
The electric vehicle is expected to be priced around $35,000 but with a federal electric car tax credit, it could cost less.

Rusch spoke after Tesla CEO Elon Musk said Monday on Twitter that the company's first mass-market car, the Model 3, will start production Friday, two weeks earlier than planned.

"There's always been a lot of enthusiasm around the stock," Rusch said on " Squawk Alley ." "And I think the press management and the public discourse management has really been around showing progress, not necessarily hitting all of the benchmarks."

Tesla Motors may not meet its Model 3 production goals, but that probably won't impact its stock much, Oppenheimer senior analyst Colin Rusch told CNBC on Monday.

Musk had said that production was on track to start in July, but Tesla has often faced delays in getting vehicles to market. Tesla aims to make 5,000 Model 3 sedans per week by the end of this year and 10,000 per week in 2018.

"Expectations on the buy side are that there will be two to three quarters of delays on those sorts of numbers," Rusch said.

Still, Musk displayed a new level of confidence after his announcement, Rusch said. What's really driving Tesla's stock is the future of transportation, he added.

"We have to see how things shake out and how things ramp. There is always a surprise with this sort of thing. But I think this is a very good day for Tesla that they're starting early and feeling confident," Rusch said.

R.W. Baird analyst Ben Kallo, one of the most bullish analysts on Tesla, said the company will face one "good problem" in its production of the Model 3.

"The biggest thing that we look at is the infrastructure needed, you know, to service the cars, to sell the cars and charge the cars as you go from a couple hundred thousand on the road to a million or 2 million on the road over the next two to three years, but that's a good problem to have as they build out their fleet," Kallo said in an interview on CNBC's "Closing Bell."

 The Associated Press and CNBC's Abigail Summerville contributed to this report.
U.S. President Donald Trump spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar on Sunday to discuss his "concerns about the ongoing dispute" between Qatar and its Gulf and Arab neighbors, the White House said.

Trump, who is spending a long weekend at his property in New Jersey, spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz, as well as Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.

"He reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology. The president also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit's goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability," the White House said.

"President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism," it said.
Wheat futures soared Monday as a worsening drought in the northern U.S. Plains and tougher crop conditions in Canada renewed supply concerns.

Besides the drought, analysts say managed money short-covering in wheat along with commercial buying are helping to propel the market higher.

"We have continued hot and dry conditions for spring wheat, particularly Montana and North and South Dakota  and the weather pattern is not changing," said Brian Hoops, president and senior market analyst at Midwest Market Solutions, a commodity trading and marketing firm based in Springfield, Missouri.

Added Hoops, "In fact, it's intensifying as far as drought-like conditions. So the crop is being perceived as smaller and smaller."

Spring hard red wheat futures in the September contract last traded at $8.16 per bushel Monday on the Minneapolis Grain Exchange, a four-year high and up nearly 6 percent from Friday. It soared almost 16 percent last week and Monday represented its ninth straight session of gains.

Spring wheat grown in the Dakotas and Montana is a high-protein variety considered a premium quality by bakers and millers over the Chicago-traded soft white winter wheat. The high-protein grain is used in artisan foods such as hearth breads, rolls, bagels and pizza crust.

The Chicago-traded September winter wheat, a more actively traded contract, jumped more than 5 percent Monday and settled at $5.55 a bushel, its highest level in about two years. It had been as high as $5.56 a bushel, or levels it has not seen since 2015.

The outlook for meaningful precipitation in the drought areas of the Dakotas and Montana is grim, and there are also concerns about unfavorable conditions for growing across the border in Canadian wheat provinces such as Alberta and Saskatchewan. The drought also is believed to have contributed to several lightning-related fires in the past month.

Last month, North Dakota's governor declared a drought emergency and the state's forestry agency warned that the extended dry conditions are making wildfire risk worse.

"You're going to have multiple days of 90- to 100-degree temperatures with no [precipitation] on an already really, really stressed crop," said Joe Lardy, research manager at CHS Hedging, a commodities broker in St. Paul, Minnesota. "And there's just not any good substitution for spring wheat, either."

The spring wheat crop, which was planted in April and May in the U.S., is particularly vulnerable in June and July during its pollination stage.

Analysts say there have been more hedge funds and speculative money pouring into the wheat markets in Chicago and Minneapolis. Also, there have been cases of commercial users buying out of fear that prices will go even higher.

"Every day these prices go up we're seeing end users scrambling to buy, which is adding to the supportive undertone in the futures market," said Terry Reilly, senior agriculture futures analyst at Futures International in Chicago.

As for the outlook on spring wheat, Reilly said it could reach "maybe even the $10 [a bushel] area if the weather doesn't improve. It's not just U.S. and Canada weather." Reilly explained that there have been downgrades to the Australian wheat crop and to the European crop. For example, he said Ukraine's wheat crop is having weather problems and parts of Russia are seeing similar challenges.

Analysts point out global supplies of wheat are ample, but the high-protein wheat grown in the U.S. northern Plains and Canadian prairie provinces is the big question mark.

"The cash market continues to whip higher for high-protein wheat," Reilly said. "So it tells us that the global supplies of high-protein wheat might be a lot shorter than what the trade was looking at maybe a couple of months ago."

The oats market, which is thinly traded, also has been rallying on the coattails of wheat. Reilly said there has been end-user buying in the oats market, too.

Chicago-traded oats futures for December delivery rose as much as 8 percent during Monday's session but settled up about 4 percent.

"Oats has basically the same growing patterns, same fundamentals as spring wheat," said Hoops. "It's a bullish commodity."

Oats futures have jumped more than 30 percent in the past two months, while wheat during the same time is up just under 20 percent.
The bee on the flower on this Dutch 50-guilder note was not a burst of artistic inspiration. It ended up there randomly on the artists mock-up design.

Artist Robert Deodaat Emile Oxenaar hid the fingerprint of his middle finger in the portrait used on the Dutch 1972 1,000-guilder note.

The designer of what many consider the most beautiful paper currency ever made, Robert Deodaat Emile Oxenaar (known as Ootje), died on June 13 in Manomet, Mass. He was 87. In his later years he taught graphic design at the Rhode Island School of Design in Providence.

The news was brought to the collector world in an email newsletter, Oxenaars Hidden Humour in Dutch Banknotes, by the well-known Dutch dealer Laurens Schulman.

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Oxenaar designed two series of bank notes from 1966 to 1985 while he worked for de Nederlandsche Bank, the Dutch central bank. The first of them, called the Erflaters 2 (Testators 2) series, featured portraits of key figures from the nations history. These notes, released beginning in the late 1960s, were distinguished by their bold colors, a rarity at the time, and the use of a white background.

This series also had the first display of the artists use of inside jokes. On the 5-guilder note, without the banks knowledge, he almost invisibly etched his name, Ootje. Also, if you look closely at the image of Frans Hals face on the 10-guilder note, youll see that it has Oxenaars fingerprint.

Lowest mintage American Eagle, a counterfeit 1902-O Morgan dollar struck to circulate: Another column in the July 10 Coin World examines a ghostly Kennedy half dollar

In a 2007 interview in Creative Review, he revealed another fingerprint trick. As he explained, On the 1000 guilder note, it became a sport for me to put things in the notes that nobody wanted there! I was very proud to have my fingerprint in this note  and its my middle finger! It was too late when they found out and though the director saw it he said he wouldnt stop the whole production.

When it came time for a new series, Oxenaar had virtually free reign. After a redesign of the 5-guilder note, his next project was a new Dutch 100-guilder note. He was proud that on this one that he could replace Michiel de Ruyter, whom he called our war criminal  the grand admiral with a bird, the endangered water snipe. The note was a resounding popular success.

Next was the famous yellow 50-guilder note with a sunflower. The bee on the flower was not a burst of artistic inspiration. That was not its original location. It had not been glued properly on the mock-up and it moved around in the plastic folder until it landed on the flower by accident, where it stayed.

Schulman says Oxenaars biggest prank was his last, the 250-guilder note with the lighthouse. At the top of the structure he included three names: that of a secret friend, his girlfriend Rias, and his granddaughter Hannahs. He also inserted a watermark of his girlfriends rabbit, so that people would walk around with her rabbit in their pocket.

The designer spoke of his feelings abut currency design, as well as some of his tricks, in The Money Maker, an English language video on YouTube found below.
The very first responsibility of government is public safety. Whether its the federal government, the state government, or the municipal government, public safety and protection is their first priority.

In 2017, there has been considerable controversy over whether the Montana Aeronautics Division should or should not continue to operate and maintain the Lighted Airway Beacon System. The primary guiding principle in aviation today is see and avoid and see and be seen. This is still codified in current Federal Aviation Regulations, FAR 91.113(d). This principle, which was established in the 1930s, applies today as much as when originally implemented.

In the annals of aviation history, the lighted airways beacon system is as effective a technology and aviation safety tool today as the system was when installed in the 1930s. The lighted airway beacon system provides pilots with a method to see mountain tops in known defined locations to assist with visual navigation at night. There has been no affordable technology developed in the last 80 years that can safely replace these beacons as a night visual navigation tool. The only systems that come close cost two or three times the value of most aircraft that need these system. Would anybody put a $30,000 to $40,000 synthetic vision system in a $10,000 airplane? I dont think so.

The Montana government has an obligation to provide as safe an aviation environment as possible for the Montana flying public and for any visitor flying aircraft in Montana. Taking the Montana Lighted Airway Beacon System out of service compromises the basic see-and-avoid principle expected by Federal Air Regulations. Although the Montana Aeronautic Division does not have a cost accounting system that tracks the actual costs of operating this system, they claim they can no longer afford to maintain the system. The most common cost figure thrown around is around $35,000 per year. The question then becomes this: Does it make more sense for the state to maintain a system of beacons that can be used by anyone as a night time visual navigation safety tool, or do away with the system and expect Montanans to each spend the same amount to replace this safety tool in their aircraft? If this were to affect only 1,000 aircraft, that is a total cost of $35 million.

Is it good public safety policy to shut down such a beneficial system? Is spending $35,000 a year to potentially save one fatality a year a wise government investment? Even if the Montana Lighted Airway Beacon System saved only one life in 10 years for $350,000, is this not a wise government public safety investment?

No one can prove one way or the other how effective or ineffective the beacon system is. There is simply no way to record accidents that didnt happen because of the beacon system. When the system was installed by the federal government in the 1930s, night aircraft accidents dropped significantly where there were beacons. Common sense would suggest the system remains just as effective today.

Are Montana's governor and legislators willing to jeopardize the life of even one Montana citizen to save a paltry $35,000 per year? I expect our elected officials are much wiser than that.

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Nicky Morgan is a former Education Secretary, and is MP for Loughborough.

Youre all the same! many voters objected during the 2005 and 2010 elections. We need more clear blue water between the Conservatives and Labour, cried others during the past decade.

Well, fear not: now there is plenty to differentiate the Conservative Party from Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnells socialists. However, some of the main points of differentiation are not going to inspire the country: a muddle over public sector pay; money for Northern Ireland, local and national government not understanding quickly enough the totemic nature of the Grenfell Tower disaster. And, worse, an Opposition which acts as if it had actually won the general election, and a party in government that, frankly, currently feels as flat as a pancake.

Enough! The Conservative Party is in Government; we won all the votes on the Queens Speech, which gives us a programme for the next two sessions of Parliament, and living within our means is the right alternative to unrestricted state spending which the next generation would then have to pay for.

I said in the Commons last week that I am proud to be a one-nation Conservative. To me, this means pursuing policies that work for the whole nation, for people of all ages, all backgrounds and all educational experiences, including those working in the public sector.

Our election campaign seemed to forget that we needed to give people positive reasons to vote for us by putting forward policies that work for them: for support with childcare; world-class education and healthcare; pensions that people can live on; help to own your first home; support for entrepreneurs. So we now need to use our time in government to meet two objectives.

First, we need to understand what people are looking for from their government. We need to develop policy ideas which respond to their demands, and make sure that people know about our offer to them. The Prime Minister must ensure her whole Cabinet and ministerial team is engaged in this. The absence of a team around her during the election campaign was a big mistake. We have good communicators and talented individuals in the ministerial team  and Downing Street must use them.

And the whole Party  inside Parliament and outside  must be asked to play our part in helping to communicate this positive vision. People want to share good news with their friends and family; not negative partisan people-bashing.

Second, we have to take apart, piece by piece, the socialist vision offered by Corbyn and McDonnell. Everything they say, every disingenuous statement, everything put forward as fact which is really fiction has to be rebutted. CCHQ should be investing in their rebuttal unit as an urgent priority. Special Advisers in each department should be asked to help their Ministers knock back every falsehood put forward by the Opposition front bench and their supporters.

One of the biggest lessons from the last six months must surely be that the NUT and school cuts campaigners were allowed to go unchallenged for far too long. The only way to put an end to something like the school cuts campaign was to knock it back hard and repeatedly at the start before it gained traction. I am told that Ministers wanted to get out on the airwaves to do this, but were not allowed to do so.

Finally, we need to expose the socialist campaigners for the nastiness they are bringing to our politics. My colleague, Sheryll Murray, was absolutely right to do so during Prime Ministers Questions last week. Ive written previously for Conservative Home about the misogyny and anti-semitism that exists within the Labour Party. I refuse to believe the British public would vote for this, but they need to be reminded that the Corbyn of Glastonbury is the same man who had to appeal to his supporters in 2015 to cut out the personal attacks. The cyberbullying. And especially the misogynistic abuse online.

The Conservative Party can come back from our 2017 election near-miss. Indeed, we may in time reflect that it was a necessary wake-up call. But we will not get back on the front foot if any one, from the top of our Party to dedicated activists on the ground, think that it can be business as usual.
The VA Montana health system had 40 vacancies for licensed practitioners at the end of June. The geographically largest VA service area outside of Alaska is short on doctors and other providers across our great, big state.

Seventeen vacancies are in Helena, the location of the only hospital and inpatient VA services in Montana.

Nine vacancies are specific to Billings in the home county of the states largest veteran population. According to information from VA Montana, the Billings veterans clinic vacancies include: regional deputy chief of staff, regional primary care chief, psychiatrist, two psychologists, psychiatric nurse practitioner, ophthalmologist, orthopedic physician assistant and another nurse practitioner.

This staff shortage alone is a huge challenge to the VA, which also is recruiting nurses and other key health care staff in addition to the 40 practitioner vacancies.

But there continues to be disturbing news of problems with present staffing, and we wonder if that may be hurting recruiting and retention efforts.

The Billings VA clinic employs a dentist who hasnt seen patients since January, as the Gazettes Rob Rogers reported on June 28. VA spokesman Mike Garcia in Helena declined to comment on why the Billings dental clinic has been closed, and told Rogers he didnt know when it will reopen.

Meanwhile, Billings area patients needing routine care have been referred to VA dental clinics in Fort Harrison (Helena), Sheridan, Wyoming, and Spokane, Washington. Veterans with emergencies and those in need of extensive treatment have been referred to private dentists in Billings.

Its absolutely unacceptable to force our veterans to travel two hours to Sheridan  or farther  to receive dental care that is available to private patients in Billings. Its incomprehensible that the VA employs a dentist who hasnt seen patients or been replaced (at least temporarily) for nearly six months.

VA Montanas vacancy list includes openings in Helena for a dental chief and two more dentists. No dentist vacancy was listed for Billings as of June 26, yet there is no dentist providing care at the clinic.

VA Montana Director Dr. Kathy Berger needs to see that this dental care gap is resolved quickly. Berger, who previously served as director in Sheridan, Wyoming, and only received her permanent Montana appointment last fall, would help the VAs reputation by being more forthcoming about the reasons for obstacles to care access and the efforts to correct them.

A week before Gazette readers learned about the closed dental clinic, reporter Holly Michels told them about a list of possible service cuts that had been presented at a regional VA meeting in Helena.

Berger was adamant that there are no plans for cutting services or laying off employees when she spoke with The Gazette on June 22. In Billings for a town hall meeting at the VA clinic, Berger said: Were not closing anything and were not projecting any losses of jobs.

However, Berger said the VA has been directed to look for efficiencies by a presidential order that covers most all government agencies. Berger, who holds a doctorate in nursing, said the VA is continually evaluating its operations to be effective and responsive to changing demands.

In Montana, veterans generally say they are satisfied with VA care they receive, but many have trouble getting timely care at a convenient location.

Laws enacted this year aim to improve the Veterans Choice program and to allow the VA to fire bad employees more quickly while protecting whistleblowers who report problems. The accountability act, which Sen. Jon Tester helped draft and President Donald Trump signed just two weeks ago, also is supposed to expedite the process of hiring VA medical center directors. In Montana, Bergers appointment as director was finally approved in October, about four months after her predecessor left. She became the third VA Montana director in as many years.

We want to see the new accountability law working in Montana. Veterans and dedicated VA staff deserve to know whats going on at the agency and to have the assurance that they can complain without fear of retaliation.

We call on Berger to be transparent. Communicate regularly with veterans and their communities about VA plans  before decisions are final. And for goodness sake, get the Billings dental clinic open so veterans dont have to drive for hours to get their teeth fixed.
When President Trump ordered the review of 27 national monuments in April, many environmentalists took it as an act of war on public lands. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was tasked with leading the charge, including the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument, in his home state of Montana.

But this week, Zinke announced that hell likely recommend the Breaks National Monument retain its current status. I think its settled to a degree that I would rather not open up a wound that has been healed, he explained.

Yet the issue of grazing on the Breaks remains unsettled. Area ranchers still run about 10,000 cattle on the monument, inflaming environmental groups who contend that livestock are destroying cottonwood ecosystems along the river. These groups have looked to the courts to remove cattle from the land, and the legal battles that have dragged on for years only stoke the acrimony between environmentalists and ranchers.

Theres a better way to sort out these disputes: turn to the marketplace. To better resolve competing demands over how public land is used on the Breaks and elsewhere, grazing policy should be changed so that environmental groups can buy or acquire permits for conservation or restoration.

When President Clinton designated the multiple-use Bureau of Land Management lands as the Upper Missouri River Breaks National Monument in 2001, existing grazing permits were grandfathered into the management plan, much to the dismay of some environmentalists. Lawsuits were quickly filed. In 2013, a U.S. Court of Appeals ruled that the BLM violated the National Environmental Policy Act by not considering a reasonable range of alternatives that included a no- or reduced-grazing option. As of 2016, however, the permitted amount of grazing on the Breaks monument had remained almost unchanged for 20 years. Zinkes decision to maintain monument status does nothing to resolve these grazing-versus-conservation disputes.

Under current grazing policy, environmental groups have to jump through legal hoops and fight through tangled bureaucracy to have any hope of acquiring grazing permits. To acquire a permit, a rancher must first own a so-called base property, usually a nearby ranch with an active livestock operation. Because the permits are attached to base properties, the only straightforward way for holders to transfer their permits is to sell the base property as well. Conservation groups that wanted grazing permits, therefore, cant simply pay ranchers for them; they would also have to purchase or already own qualifying base properties.

Grazing permits have a use-it-or-lose-it requirement. Conservation groups that would decline to run livestock on permitted lands would risk forfeiting their grazing privileges to a rancher willing to use the land for active grazing. To take a hypothetical from the Upper Missouri River Breaks context, theres currently no systematic way for a conservation group to buy out grazing allotments along the river  thereby compensating the existing leaseholder  to leave the cottonwoods free from the impacts of livestock. Requiring active resource use as a stipulation of grazing permits excludes groups that would devote pastures to conservation or other uses, effectively shutting environmentalists and recreationists out of the leasing process.

The rules governing federal rangeland management should be changed so that groups who want to pursue environmental goals can acquire resource-use leases, and then use them how they please. If implemented on a widespread scale, conservation leasing could provide an alternative way to protect lands while compensating current leaseholders and facilitating cooperation.

Allowing non-ranching groups to hold grazing permits is a flexible alternative that could give a fair shake to ranchers, recreationists and conservationists alike when it comes to our public lands.
Cloud News

Report: Microsoft To Lay Off Thousands, Enterprise, SME Sales Groups Could Be Affected

Sarah Kuranda

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Microsoft is reportedly readying to lay off thousands of employees, a move that could impact the software giant's enterprise sales team.

The TechCrunch report said the Redmond, Wash.-based company planned to lay off "thousands" of employees, particularly around its sales teams.

The report, citing unnamed sources, specified the company's enterprise customer and SME-focused units as areas that could be particularly hit by the sales cuts. A second report in Bloomberg late last week said global sales and marketing could also be impacted.

[Related: CRN Exclusive: D&H Adds Azure To Cloud Marketplace In Push To Quintuple Number Of VARs On Platform]

The reports said the layoffs could be announced as soon as this week. The reports speculated announcements could come around the end of Microsoft's fiscal year, which is Friday.

The reported layoff plans come as Microsoft plans a global sales reorganization, Bloomberg and Puget Sound Business Journal reports said late last week. The reports said the reorganization would help Microsoft better focus on selling its cloud software and services.

The reorganization to focus on the cloud comes as competition in the cloud software and services market heats up, with Microsoft looking to stand as a major player in the space against public cloud competitors Amazon Web Services and Google. The three rivals are locked in a heated battle to control the public cloud, a market that's exploding at an almost 50 percent growth rate and approaching $10 billion in quarterly revenue, according to a recent analysis by Synergy Research.

The layoffs would be the latest round of cuts to affect Microsoft in recent years. The company announced layoffs of 2,850 last year, a large percentage of which came from its sales group, and 1,850 from its smartphone business. In 2015, the company cut 7,500 jobs after its Nokia acquisition.
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Film star Tom Hardy must be used to dining at some of Hollywood's most exclusive restaurants.

So when back in Britain you might expect him to eat out at some of London's fanciest establishments.

And you certainly wouldn't expect to see him at a restaurant in Mitcham.

But that's exactly where he was last Friday night - after deciding to head to Indian and Chinese restaurant The Ravensbury for a meal.

The restaurant posted photos of the star with staff members on its Facebook page and added: "Thank you Tom Hardy for visiting us at The Ravensbury. Hope you enjoyed the food."

Not wanting to attract too much attention, the actor, who has starred in the likes of Inception, The Dark Knight Rises and The Revenant, was dressed in jeans, a cap and a T-shirt.

Many fans of the 39-year-old were quick to voice their disappointment online that they missed him when they discovered he was eating at an unlikely venue so close to them.

One fan took to Twitter and said: "Oh yeah, found out that Tom Hardy was in The Ravensbury in Croydon [the restaurant is actually just over the border in Mitcham] WHICH IS JUST ROUND THE CORNER FROM ME. So close and yet so far."

While another commented on Facebook: "Kicking myself that we didn't know."

The actor is reported to have a home in Richmond, which isn't a million miles away from Mitcham and he's been spotted dining at local pubs in Surrey with his wife before.

He was also a student at Reed's boarding school in Cobham.
In light of a bill that would prohibit the Pentagon from using Kaspersky software, Eugene Kaspersky, CEO of Kaspersky Labs, said he would let the U.S. government examine the source code to show that Kaspersky Lab is not in bed with the Russian government.

If the United States needs, we can disclose the source code, Kaspersky told the Associated Press. Hes willing to testify before Congress as well. Anything I can do to prove that we dont behave maliciously I will do it.

Its unclear if the U.S. government will take Kaspersky up on the offer to audit the code or if an audit would sway the opinion of U.S. intelligence officials. A month ago, chiefs of the NSA, CIA and FBI testified that they would not be comfortable using Kaspersky products.

Last week, the Senate Armed Services Committee amended a spending bill that would ban the use of Kaspersky software at the U.S. Defense Department. The bill suggested that Kaspersky software platforms might be vulnerable to Russian government influence.

Sen. Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.) said Kaspersky products cannot be trusted to protect critical infrastructure. ABC News, which saw a copy of the amendment, reported that it states:

No element of the Department of Defense may use, whether directly or through work with or on behalf of another  [element] of the United States Government, any software platform developed, in whole or in part, by Kaspersky Lab or any entity of which Kaspersky Lab has a majority ownership.

It goes on to state that the network connection between the DoD and any department or agency using Kaspersky products will be immediately severed.

An unnamed congressional source added that Shaheen crafted the language to [tell] the rest of the federal government that if youre going to connect to DoD, you cant use this stuff either.

Kaspersky has research facilities in the U.S. The day before the defense spending policy bill was passed by the Senate Armed Services Committee, the FBI reportedly paid visits to at least a dozen employees of Kaspersky, asking questions about the companys operations as part of a counter-intelligence inquiry.

As a result of that questioning, Kaspersky told the Associated Press, Unfortunately, now the links to the FBI are completely ruined. It means that if some serious crime happens that needs Russian law enforcement to cooperate with FBI, unfortunately its not possible.

Russia has asked U.S. security firms to hand over their source code for audits to check for hidden backdoors. Symantec, IBM, Cisco, Hewlett Packard Enterprise and McAfee have agreed to the audits in the past. However, Symantec recently refused to play ball anymore with the Russians. Symantec said, One of the labs inspecting its products was not independent enough from the Russian government.

While Kaspersky wouldnt not specify which countries, he said some governments have tried to nudge him toward hackingwhat he calls the dark side. He stopped the talks when the officials, who werent Russian, tried to get Kaspersky to launch cyber attacks instead of defending against them.

It remains to be seen if the U.S. will even agree to Kasperskys offer to audit source code or if the code alone would allay suspicions that have been around for years about Kaspersky Lab being tied to the Russian government.
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STAMFORD  OFI has earned awards for years as a top employer in the state. Now, the office-furniture firm has opened a downtown showcase that lets anyone see the source of the accolades.

After an eight-year stint on the citys East Side, OFI relocated last month to larger offices at 1010 Washington Blvd. to accommodate its growth as one of its industrys largest firms in the region. With a ground-level hub that looks out on the street through floor-to-ceiling windows, OFI aims to create a lively space for doing business and holding events, while also offering a prominent display for the Herman Miller furniture it sells.

The way the space is set up, it accommodates clients and business partners, Deborah Laviero, executive vice president of organizational development, said in an interview last week in the new offices. Its a great area for partnering and collaboration and networking.

Covering about 4,000 square feet, the new offices more than double the footprint of OFIs former base near the citys border with Darien, at 1281 E. Main St. The Stamford operations complement OFIs home offices in Newington, where the company was founded in 1968.

For five straight years, the Hartford Business Journal has recognized OFI as one of the best places to work in the state.

Reflecting the firms goal of creating inventive office space, the new hub features several work points that offer employees and clients a range of work configurations. They can use work stations to attend to individual assignments, gather for meetings at a guitar pick-shaped conference table or convene in small groups in a huddle area. A library-cafe with a swatch wall and bar-height table is a nexus for client meetings and business and social events. For more informal gatherings, staff can take a seat on the sofa in the living room next to the front entrance.

More Information For more information on OFI, visit www.ofi.com See More Collapse

I think this gives us the opportunity to build those relationships face-to-face, Laviero said. Its just so critical in our business to have those personal relationships.

As a certified Herman Miller dealer, no working relationship is more important to OFI than its partnership with the Zeeland, Mich.-based furniture maker. Top Herman Miller sellers for OFI include canvas work stations and Aeron chairs.

Herman Miller pieces pervade the office  including the Aeron chairs, a tuxedo couch in the living room and an Eames lounge chair and ottoman in the offices window-facing haven.

Physically being here and supporting them in the market, its nice having a place to touch down, said Jackie Kiley, Herman Miller territory manager for the Fairfield County/North New York City market. And its just a really beautiful place that really supports who we are as a brand and who they are as a brand.

OFI works with thousands of companies annually. Corporations, higher-education institutions and health-care organizations comprise about 95 percent of the clientele. Prominent clients include the Universities of Connecticut and Massachusetts, Yale University, Aetna, ConnectiCare, Diageo, ESPN, Voya Financial and Webster Bank.

The company also partners with a number of local nonprofits. It consulted, for instance, on the new offices of the Norwalk-based Fairfield Countys Community Foundation.

OFI executives describe their company  whose initials stand for Office Furniture Inc.  as one that collaborates with architects and designers.

Were here to support them, not compete with them, said OFI President Rick Mills.

Counting both the Stamford and Newington offices, the company employs about 50. It continues to grow, recently making six hires.

We can get up to 50 people in here (in the new offices); the key is we want people in here, said Brian Murray, executive vice president of sales. Its going to work for all of us.

pschott@scni.com; 203-964-2236; twitter: @paulschott
/ Carol Kaliff

A device that alerts drivers that a child is left in the back seat once the car is turned off could save lives if the technology was required, said Sen. Richard Blumenthal.

The idea is to prevent children from dying of heatstroke who are left in cars, especially during hot days.
Secretary of the State Denise Merrill is resisting attempts by President Donald Trump to seek personal information on the more than 2.1 million Connecticut voters.

Connecticut joins about 30 other states in growing opposition to the presidents claim that he lost the popular vote last fall because of illegal voters casting fraudulent ballots.

In a letter to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, Merrill, who is the states top elections official, said she will not provide any voter information until she is notified of the intent of the commission, as well as its transparency. She also asked if the commission, created by the president on May 11 to root out alleged voter fraud in the 2016 presidential election, intends to acknowledge the attempts by Russian-based computer hackers in that election.

I am particularly troubled by the fact that while you request files with personally identifiable information, there is no mention of how you intend to protect those who are eligible for specific confidentiality terms under state law such as victims of domestic violence and law enforcement officers, Merrill wrote in a letter to the commission dated Sunday and released Monday morning.

The most urgent and immediate crisis facing our democracy today is the mounting evidence that Russian agents probed our election systems for vulnerabilities, Merrill wrote. Let us work together to ensure the confidence of voters in our system based on meeting the challenges that are already identified, and avoid wasting precious time and resources on overly broad and unfocused requests for information.

Cheri Quickmire, executive director of Common Cause in Connecticut, the elections watchdog, said that Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, vice chairman of the commission, has been  perpetuating the presidents lies about rampant voter fraud, resulting in growing opposition nationally, including from some Republican officials.

People are concerned about giving away their databases that have private information that is not publicly available, based on laws of the state, including Social Security numbers, Quickmire said. She said that in cases of mismatched data, it could give erroneous reasons to strike names from voter rolls.

They just want to put up more barriers to voting and theyre trying to eliminate folks from the voter rolls based on a lie, Quickmire said. Voter fraud as Kobach is claiming and the president is claiming, is imaginary, with no data to back it up. I am pleased so many states are speaking up and saying it is not appropriate, not necessary and they wont give information.

Vice President Mike Pence is the chairman of the 16-member commission, which will submit a report identifying those laws, rules, policies, activities, strategies, and practices that undermine the American people's confidence in the integrity of the voting processes used in Federal elections, along with systems that could lead to voter fraud, according to Trumps May 11 order.

Meanwhile, the FBI is investigating possible links between Trumps 2016 campaign with Russian hackers and officials, including banking executives with links to President Vladimir Putin.

Last week, Kobach sent letters to election officials in all 50 states requesting full names, addresses, birth dates and party affiliations of voters, plus records of felony convictions, military service, the last four digits of Social Security numbers and voting-attendance records dating back to 2006.

By the end of last week, 30 states had rejected Kobach. Last week Merrill said she was willing to share public information on voter registration, but stressed that Kobach has a record of voter-suppression tactics in Kansas, including illegally disenfranchising eligible voters.

But in her Sunday letter, Merrill backed away. I am in receipt of your request of information and have concluded that fulfilling your request is not in the best interest of Connecticut residents, Merrill said.

kdixon@ctpost.com; Twitter: @KenDixonCT
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WASHINGTON  It has now been two years since Trumbull Police met Doug and Theresa Sutherland at their door and told them what no parent ever wants hear: Their beloved son Kevin was gone, the victim of a July 4 homicide on the Washington D.C. Metrorail system.

For the Sutherlands, the loss of their only child in such a horrific manner was devastating. It is a tragedy they feel as acutely today as they did then.

``The pain isnt less but in some ways it has changed as time goes by, said Terry Sutherland. ``The photos of Kevin are getting older and older; hes frozen in time. Thats very sad to us, so its nice when friends post photos on Facebook that we havent seen before.

Thirteen of those friends came from as far away as Houston to be with the Sutherlands throughout the holiday weekend.

They saw the fireworks at the beach in Fairfield on Sunday night. Otherwise, theyve mostly congregated at the Sutherland home in Trumbull to reminisce, ``share stories about Kevin and comfort each other, as Doug Sutherland put it.

``Its still a deeply personal tragedy, said Rep. Jim Himes, for whom Kevin Sutherland volunteered while still in high school and in whose D.C. office Kevin served as an intern.

``He always helped out on the social media front, offering advice and running around with his camera, Himes recalled. ``He was kind of like a little brother.

The Sutherlands cant help but replay in their minds the last weeks and days of Kevins life, when they saw him and when they talked to him.

Terry recalls the last time they were in D.C. with Kevin, four months before his death.

``I hugged him and said: `If anything ever happened to you, I dont know what Id do.

Their days are kept busy, with Doug Sutherland active in Democratic politics in Trumbull and heading the Fairfield County chapter of Democracy for America, the progressive group founded by one-time presidential hopeful Howard Dean. Terry Sutherland teaches math at Southern Connecticut State University in New Haven.

They also keep close watch on the legal proceedings against Jasper Spires, the man charged with stabbing Kevin Sutherland to death while trying to rob him of his cell phone.

Last year, Spires legal team said he would plead not guilty by reason of insanity. That set in motion a psychiatric examination of Spires, with a report in May that concluded although Spires suffers from mental illness, he was competent enough to be held legally responsible for the crime.

The defense is due back in court later this month to possibly challenge the psychiatric report. A trial has been set for May 2018.

But none of that alleviates the pain and anguish.

``As each year passes, you realize hes not just about to come through the door, hes not coming back, said Doug Sutherland. ``So it hasnt gotten much easier. The best you can do is put one foot in front of the other each day, pretty much.

Doug Sutherland _ and Kevin, when he was alive _ were thorns in Himes side over trade deals. Himes generally has supported them while the Sutherlands were inalterably opposed, viewing deals such as the Trans-Pacific Partnership as a body blow to working-class America.

As close and loyal as Kevin Sutherland was to Himes, he never backed away from ``asking me tough questions at town-hall meetings, Himes said.

``Most politicians will tell you that sometimes, the intra-family fights can be the toughest, Himes said. ``But Kevin, Doug and Terry represent the model of how to (be in opposition) in a constructive way, rather than a destructive one.
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University of Connecticut President Susan Herbst was the state's highest paid public university president in the 2015-16 school year according to an annual report by the Chronicle of Higher Education.

Herbst landed number 13 on the list with a total compensation of more than $852,000. The report said she ranked 35th in the 2013-14 school year, earning just $575,000.

In 2016, Herbst received a one-time payment of $125,000 for completing five years of service, as outlined in her contract, raising her most recent ranking higher than usual. According to the Chronicle of Higher Education, her base pay was $585,000.

"President Herbst's base salary remains lower than almost three dozen other public university presidents on the list," said Stephanie Reitz, spokesperson of the University of Connecticut. "Several are at institutions that do not have the added complexities of operating a health center, medical and dental schools, on-campus police and fire departments, and UConn's other unique obligations."

Arizona State University President Michael Crow took the top spot with a salary of just over $1.5 million during the 2015-16 school year. Presidents of the University of Texas, Texas A&M University, University of Florida and Indiana University rounded out the top five.

Gregory Gray, the former president of the Connecticut Board of Regents, was second highest-paid public university president in the state last year. Gray, whose term ended in September 2015, raked in a total compensation of over $413,000. The state's current Board of Regents President Mark Ojakian landed third in Connecticut with $335,000.

The latest data available on the Chronicle of Higher Education in terms of highest-paid private university presidents is from 2014. Trinity College President James Jones Jr., was the state's top earner on that list with a total compensation of $1.67 million. Jones Jr., landed ninth overall among private university presidents across the country.

Click through the slideshow above to see Connecticut's top public and private university presidents, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education.
Pa. Dems could flip the House of Reps. Here's what that might mean

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It was family night at Mandan Rodeo Days and Kelly Knoll taught some young kids to lasso a plastic bull on the fairgrounds. Then she mounted her show horse, Pal, to ride flags around the arena and escorted some mini rodeo riders to the mutton bustin' competition.

The standard bearer for high school rodeo, the rising junior from Mandan High School was dressed in a white shirt with a pink vest and customized jeans that read, "Fight like a girl."

The 16-year-old was named the 2017 North Dakota High School Rodeo queen last month. She's headed to Gillette, Wyo., in nine days in the hopes of becoming the first North Dakotan to win the national high school pageant.

"She is an all around outstanding queen," said state high school pageant coordinator Tammy Backhaus. "Shes got the package."

By all accounts, Knoll's dream of becoming a rodeo queen started when she was following her older brother, a high school saddle bronc rider, to rodeos around the country a dozen years ago.

At the national competition, she'd chase around the state queens for their autographs and put together binders for each year, her mom, Cindy Knoll, recalled.

Her first competition was for Mandan Rodeo princess, which she won on her first try in 2011. Three years later, she won the state junior high title. In addition to pageantry, Knoll has competed nationally as a barrel racer and pole bender.

As queen, she is responsible for representing high school rodeo at all levels of rodeo events around the state.

"Shes completely our ambassador," Backhaus said.

At nationals, she'll compete against 46 other queens from U.S. states, Canadian provinces and Australia, in speech, horsemanship, modeling, interviews and a written test on topics, including horse anatomy and the rules of high school rodeo. She's the third Mandan girl in a row to win the state competition and go to the national event.

Knoll's got a fiercely competitive instinct, and said that, since a couple mistakes on her speech at the state competition, "I've studied my butt off."

"When you're practicing in the arena and nothing goes right, it's not fun, obviously," Knoll said. "But when you get in that arena, and you make a good run, and you leave knowing that you left it all out there, that's what makes me go back to that practice pen again."

When she meets the national audience, she plans to tell them in her speech about the dual toughness and kindness of North Dakotans.

"At 40 degrees below zero when hell freezes over, North Dakota public schools and buses will begin two hours late," is a line from Knoll's prepared speech.

On the flip side, she added, "We're also very warmhearted. We're willing to wrap you in our arms and take you in our homes and welcome you."

When she grows up, Knoll aims to become Miss Rodeo North Dakota and study at North Dakota State University to become a clinical psychologist.

Rodeo is a family affair for the Knolls, who live on a ranch five miles west of Mandan. Her dad, Pat Knoll, jokes that he's the saddle boy. And her mom, Cindy Knoll, said she's the social director in charge of schedule and wardrobe.

"I get the horses ready, haul 'em to wherever they gotta be hauled," Pat Knoll said. "The rest of the queening is up to my wife."

Her parents say they're proud to watch her carry the flags through the rodeo arena and pleased with the poised and outgoing girl that the competitions have helped her become.

"Its cost us money, but Id do it all over again in a heartbeat," Pat Knoll said.
Here's one way to turn heads at a black-tie do.

Princess Diana's bridesmaid India Hicks rocked up at the 50th birthday party for Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece... topless beneath her tuxedo.

Instead of a white dress shirt, the granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten of Burma had her naked chest sprayed with white body paint.

Princess Diana's bridesmaid India Hicks (pictured) rocked up at the 50th birthday party for Crown Prince Pavlos of Greece topless beneath her tuxedo. Instead of a white dress shirt, the granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten of Burma had her chest sprayed with white body paint

The make-up artist even added a bow tie to complete the effect. 'They asked us to revolutionise our Black Tie,' explained the 49-year-old former model, who shared online a video of her preparations for the party in the Cotswolds

The finished result: Party guests may have initially been none the wiser about India's very cheeky interpretation of the Black Tie dress code

The make-up artist even added a bow tie to complete the effect.

'They asked us to revolutionise our Black Tie,' explained the 49-year-old former model, who shared online a video of her preparations for the party in the Cotswolds.

India is used to wearing few clothes as she is based in the Bahamas with her long-time partner David Flint Wood and their four children.

India is used to wearing few clothes as she is based in the Bahamas with her long-time partner David Flint Wood and their four children. Pictured: at Diana and Charles' wedding in 1981

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PICK OF THE PARTIES

THE OCCASION: Goodwood Festival of Speed  Cartier Style et Luxe

GUESTS: Model turned amateur racing driver Jodie Kidd, the Duke and Duchess of Marlborough, Formula One tycoon Bernie Ecclestone, Genesis guitarist Mike Rutherford and his wife Angie, TV chef Marcus Wareing.

NEW MODEL LINLEY: The Queen's nephew David Linley, who inherited the title of his father, the Earl of Snowdon, earlier this year, paraded the new Viscount Linley  his son, Charles. The teenager, who is now taller than his father, turned 18 on Saturday. He previously acted as one of the Queen's Pages of Honour.

LONE DRIVER: Car-crazy comedian Rowan Atkinson, 62, who sold his McLaren F1 for 8 million two years ago despite crashing it twice, was delighted to be given a tour by Goodwood chatelaine the Countess of March. Rowan's girlfriend, the actress Louise Ford, 33, was conspicuous by her absence.

Car-crazy comedian Rowan Atkinson (right), 62, who sold his McLaren F1 for 8 million two years ago despite crashing it twice, was delighted to be given a tour by Goodwood chatelaine the Countess of March (left)

UNDER THE BONNET: Rock star Bryan Ferry's son Otis brought two of three brothers, Isaac and Tara, and squeeze of six months, Lady Alice Manners. Willowy Alice, 22, the Duke and Duchess of Rutland's middle daughter, was in tangerine and matching straw hat paired with white trainers.

BABY SEAT NEEDED: The Duke of Marlborough's cousin Alexander Spencer-Churchill and his wife, Scarlett, tell me they're expecting their first child in December  a year after they tied the knot in a lavish Suffolk wedding. Scarlett whispers: 'I'm not suffering any cravings  yet.'
Twin sisters who arrived in Australia at the age of 15 with their family and no savings have revealed how they amassed a property empire worth AU$5 million.

Mona and Sana Ali, 31, now have eight homes - and been able to purchase a property every year.

'We made a conscious decision not to travel and drove a little Kia Rio until about late last year,' Mona told Whimn.

Sana and Mona Ali (pictured) are the proud owners of eight homes and a multi-million-dollar property industry

'For a period of time while building the portfolio we also didn't spend much eating out,' they said

They also shared their tips for developing your own property portfolio (stock image)

'For a period of time while building the portfolio we also didn't spend much eating out, however this did relax later on,' she added.

The twins' love of properties began from a very young age.

'I remember back in Pakistan when we were in year two and our mother brought back a homes and lifestyle magazine from Australia. We were obsessed,' Mona previously told FEMAIL.

From that age on, the twin sisters would look at floor plans and homes with a great interest.

After they moved to Australia at age 15 and later got graduate jobs, they decided they wanted to get on the property ladder themselves:

'We started putting away 20-30 per cent of our salaries at PwC and Macquarie Group [where we worked] each month,' Sana said.

The twins' love of property began at a young age - when they caught sight of an Australian homes and lifestyle magazine (pictured)

By age 24, Sana and Mona had saved up an AUD $40,000 deposit, which they used to purchase two properties together

By age 24, Sana and Mona had saved up an AUD $40,000 deposit, which they used to purchase two properties together.

The pair focused on 'low-priced properties with high rental yields, to positively gear and continue growing our portfolio'.

After getting their properties re-valued and gaining some equity, they were in a position to purchase elsewhere.

The twins, who by age 29 had amassed a portfolio worth AUD$5 million, said their strategy was focussing on the 'cheaper end of the market' which helped to outweigh any risks involved.

Speaking about their tips for people who would like to attain their own property portfolio, the Ali sisters said you have to start small - big properties can come later (stock image)

'Think about how much a place will cost you weekly, monthly and yearly and buy in an area you can afford. 'You can always rent and live closer to where you'd like to be,' they said

And the pair, who now run their own mortgage broker business for first-time buyers called Property Twins, have tips on how others can start 'taking ownership' of their financial future too.

'Make a list of all your expenses and what each is costing you weekly, monthly and yearly,' Sana told Whimn.

'Then call each of the institutions for phone, electricity, gas, insurances etc to see if you can negotiate a better deal.

'Look at 'needs' vs 'wants' to determine if there are expenses you can do without,' she added.
A young woman who was born with Down Syndrome is defying the odds while being determined to use her ever-growing platform to educate the public.

Brisbane based 17 year old, Olivia Hargroder, is a public speaker and an aspiring actress.

'I quite fancy being the next Toni Collette - and I think I would make a very good Muriel,' she told Woman's Day.

Brisbane based 17 year old, Olivia Hargroder, is a public speaker and an aspiring actress

She wants to attend full-time Drama and acting studies at NIDA to help her pursue the career she dreams of.

Olivia's current achievements and goals are miles away from where doctors told her she would be.

'When I was born, my parents were told by one doctor I would never speak,' she told the publication.

In spite of this, in March this year Ms Hargroder went to New York to address delegates at the United Nations conference to mark World Down Syndrome Day.

'I told the United Nations I bet he never imagined to see me standing here! Not only can I speak - I'm the worlds biggest chatterbox,' she said of the occasion.

'To be on that stage amongst so many important people talking about my disability - I felt very honoured.'

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When Olivia was born, doctors told her parents she would never learn to speak - and now, the Brisbane-based student has gone on to become a public speaker and aspiring actress

She wants to attend full-time Drama and acting studies at NIDA which is miles away from where doctors told her she would be

Recently Olivia completed a child development course but she has her eyes set on the big screen while continuing to educate people on Down syndrome.

Previously speaking to Daily Mail Australia, Olivia's mother Kerry Hargroder said her daughter's passion started a couple of years ago when she was planning what she wanted to do for a living.

'She decided that she wanted to travel the world as an actress and public speaker so I told her she had better do some public speaking to practice,' Kerry said.

Previously peaking to Daily Mail Australia, Olivia's mother Kerry Hargroder said her daughter's passion started a couple of years ago

'She gave an address at the Down syndrome Association's national conference about how to educate someone with Down syndrome from her point of view and it just went from there.'

Olivia then heard there were calls for submissions for people to speak at the United Nations headquarters in New York for International Down syndrome Day on the 21st of March.

'The first speech gave her such a big boost and she knew it's what she wanted to do - she can definitely work an audience - so she put in her submission to the UN,' Kerry said.

'I quite fancy being the next Toni Collette - and I think I would make a very good Muriel,' she told Woman's Day

'They have a big conference for International Down Syndrome Day and this year the theme was 'In Our Own Voice' so they called from submissions from people with Down syndrome to ask how they wanted to determine government policy worldwide.

'Olivia has a lot to say so she knew what she needed to put in her submission.'

'Her main message was that when a baby with Down syndrome is born, don't have limited expectations of them - to not automatically narrow down their options from the minute they are born,' Kerry said.

Olivia was the only Australian student selected to speak and on the 21st of March, she delivered a powerful speech live to an audience around the world.

'Her main message was that when a baby with Down Syndrome is born, don't have limited expectations of them,' Kerry, her mother, said

What is Down syndrome? Down syndrome is caused when there is an extra chromosome. People with Down syndrome have 47 chromosomes in their cells instead of 46. They have an extra chromosome 21, which is why Down syndrome is also sometimes known as trisomy 21. Although we know how Down syndrome occurs, we do not yet know why it happens. Down syndrome occurs at conception, across all ethnic and social groups and to parents of all ages. It is nobody's fault. There is no cure and it does not go away. Down syndrome is the most common chromosome disorder that we know of. One of every 700-900 babies born worldwide will have Down Syndrome. Down syndrome is a genetic condition. It is not an illness or a disease. Source: Down Syndrome Australia Advertisement

'When she first said she wanted to be a public speaker there was a bit of embarrassed laughter but she knew what she could do. She doesn't want to work within a "framework" she wants to challenge that belief and prove anyone can do whatever they want.'

'When I was born I was so sick that my parents couldnt even cuddle me, they stayed by my side until my heart was fixed, reading books to me,' Olivia said in her speech.

'I love little kids and I have recently finished an Open University Course on Child Development that really got me thinking.

'One of the things I learnt was all children are born optimistic which is great. But are all people, doctors, nurses, physios, teachers, grandparents, are they optimistic about all children? Are children with Down syndrome given the same hope as other kids?

'So when a baby with Down syndrome is born, cant we just expect the best and believe they can be anything they want to be?' she asked the audience.

'When I was born I was so sick that my parents couldnt even cuddle me, they stayed by my side until my heart was fixed, reading books to me,' Olivia said her speech

'The doctor told my parents that because I had Down syndrome I would never learn to speak well that was wrong because I became a chatterbox,' Olivia said

Olivia's best friend Madeline Stuart is one of the first international runway models with Down syndrome

During her speech she paid tribute to three of her close friends with Down syndrome who had achieved phenomenal things, to prove that all children should be given equal opportunity.

She mentioned Nathan Basha, 26, a disability advocate and motivational speaker, Rory O'Chee, 17, a photographer and artist and her best friend Madeline Stuart, 20, one of the first international runway models with Down syndrome.

'So ones an international photographer, one is an advocate in employment and for people with disabilities and the other one is Maddy, you probably know her,' her mum said.

'Her point was I know these three people. Is it really that odd? Are we just super humans? No!'

Olivia believes that her friends are the perfect example of the new frontier of young people who have disabilities, who are achieving great things.

'So when a baby with Down syndrome is born, cant we just expect the best and believe they can be anything they want to be?'
A newly-single woman told how an accidental Tinder swipe, while she queued for take-off nearly a thousand miles from home, led to marriage.

Bored, as she waited to become airborne in Denver, Colorado on the way home from a family holiday, Katie Shaffstall pulled out her mobile.

At the time she was using Tinder - the popular dating app, where people swipe 'yes' or 'no' to potential partners in the nearby vicinity and she absentmindedly swiped right on a woman called Kelley before putting her phone away.

Kelley Johns, now 29, was using the dating app near the airport, when she stumbled across Katie's image and also swiped right.

With 900 miles between the pair they never expected to meet, but after hitting it off while exchanging messages they decided to get together in person and now they're getting married.

Katie Shaffstall from Las Vegas met her girlfriend Kelley from Denver, Colorado (right) while using Tinder during an airport stopover

The pair lived 900 miles apart and never expected to meet in person after matching on Tinder

Recalling the day she whiled away the time in the boarding queue, Katie said: 'I checked Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

'Then, I got on Tinder. I'd swiped once before the air stewardess spotted me and told me to put my phone on aeroplane mode and buckle up.'

It was during this brief foray she matched with a woman who lived in Fort Collins, near Denver.

Kelley Johns, now 29, was also single and using the dating app near the airport, when she stumbled across Katie's image and swiped 'yes.'

Katie and Kelley, showing off her engagement ring, at a Denver Broncos football game, on New Year's Day 2017

Kelley's sister Jenna, Katie, and Kelley, Easter 2017. Katie initially lived with Jenna when she moved to Colorado, before setting up home with her girlfriend

Fastening her seatbelt, Katie, now 30, then forgot all about her dating diversion, until she arrived home a few hours later in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Pulling out her phone, she realised that, while she was in Denver  900-plus miles from her home on the west coast  she had matched with Kelley Johns, who lived back in the Midwest, where she had just been.

Matched by Tinder according to the location they had both been in at the time, she simply found the idea of being paired-up on the runway quite amusing.

'We were really far apart,' she said. 'So, I said, "Hi," but didn't think we'd speak. I was 900 miles away and didn't know this woman.

Kelley pictured on a family day out with her parents Janeen, 64, and Chris, 60

'I'd been on holiday with my parents in Branson, Missouri, and stopped over for an hour on the runway in Denver. I'd never even left the airport there.'

But, a week after initially matching in 2014, Kelley responded and over the next few days the pair exchanged messages  realising that she'd been in Denver while Katie was on the flight.

Then, after exchanging mobile numbers, their text messages started flowing back and forth.

'I couldn't believe it,' admitted Katie. 'I'd only been messing around on Tinder because I was stuck on the plane, miles from home.

Happy family: Katie, pictured with her stepmother Ruby and dad Jan

'I didn't think I'd meet anyone. I hadn't met a partner in my hometown.'

Chatting on the phone, they formed a firm friendship and on October 24, 2015, Katie travelled to Denver to meet Kelley, who worked as caregiver.

'How many people fly 1,000 miles to meet someone they swiped with once online?' laughed Katie. 'But I was really crushing on her.'

And when they met, she was equally charmed.

'I immediately thought she was wonderful, and I loved so much about her,' she said. 'She was just so kind, and funny and inspirational.'

On Christmas Day 2016, in front of Kelley's parents, Katie proposed to her girlfriend

Back home, she realised she wanted to be with her so resigned from her job in medical device sales and in October 2016 moved permanently to Colorado.

It was a big step  especially considering she had no link with the place.

'Initially, I moved in with Jenna, 27 - Kelley's sister,' she said. 'I stayed there for around three months and then Kelley and I moved in together.'

On Christmas Day 2016, in front of Kelley's parents, Chris, 60, and Jeneen, 64, Katie proposed to her girlfriend  who said yes.

Kelley and Katie, at a wedding in Mexico, in June 2016

'It was really emotional,' she recalled, explaining how they were going to marry in Breckenridge, Colorado, in June 2018.

'It's so crazy to think that I get to marry my best friend - the best friend that I never saw coming and the best friend you never find until you stop looking,' she laughed. 'I'm a big believer in the phrase "everything happens for a reason".

'I wrote our relationship off and thought it would die a Tinder death, but it's a story about love and success.

Katie and Kelley, at an 'I love the 90's' concert, in summer 2016

'Kelley is the most inquisitive, witty human I have ever encountered.

'She is one of those people that you talk to and feel like you have known your whole life.

'How many people fly across the country for their first date with someone they met on Tinder?

'But she's my dream woman. We're flying high together now and it's all thanks to that dating app.'




Stella McCartney is the latest designer to find a strikingly similar copy of one of her creations on the high street - but could you spot the couture from the cheap imitation?

The metallic Elyse shoe - a chrome-look lace-up platform brogue designed by Stella McCartney's hand - promises eco-friendly faux leather but comes with a price tag to make one's eyes water...720.

However, growing high street retailer Pull&Bear, who sell their footwear on popular shopping site ASOS, have come up with a silver shoe with the same wood-effect and cream rubber sole for a fraction of the price - just 35.99.

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An eye for high design? Stella McCartney's metallic Elyse shoe which uses chrome-effect animal-friendly faux leather is yours for a cool 720 a pair

The most expensive shoe in Stella McCartney's popular Elyse range, the silver brogue has proved a hit with fashionistas. Right: Looking sharp: the shoe takes on this season's on-trend chrome-effect look

However, high street brand Pull&Bear have come up with their own cut-price version, using a wood-effect and jagged rubber sole and similar silver lace-up design

How would you distinguish them in a line-up? Well, the Stella McCartney shoe has the traditional brogue pattern, while the Pull&Bear version eschews it.

There's a different grain to the wood pattern but beyond that, there isn't much between them.

The high street has consistently mimicked catwalk designs in a bid to appeal to shoppers with champagne tastes but lemonade pockets - although the copies do seem to be getting ever closer.

On Desert Island Discs recently Stella McCartney, 45, revealed how important the tailoring and design of her garments are, saying that the high price tag is justified by the quality of the goods, which will often 'last a lifetime'.

The Pull&Bear shoe retails at just 35.99 - nearly 700 cheaper - from shopping goliath ASOS

Stella McCartney recently told Desert Island Discs presenter Kirsty Young that good tailoring was 'intrinsic' to her designs and revealed she spent time on Savile Row while learning her craft

She revealed that she learned her craft while studying at St Martin's art school in London, spending her evenings with Savile Row tailor Edward Sexton.

She told Radio 4 presenter Kirsty Young she wanted to learn to make 'a British suit, the best suit in the world' and said that good tailoring is 'intrinsic' to her work.
Crown Princess Mary and her husband Prince Frederik of Denmark have taken a break from their royal duties to saddle up for a scenic horseback ride.

The pair were recently spotted riding through the sprawling forest by the royal family's summer residence Grasten Palace in southern Denmark.

The royal couple were making the most of their down time together, as the horses trotted through the woods with the children nowhere to be seen.

Crown Princess Mary and her husband Prince Frederik of Denmark were spotted horse riding

The effortlessly elegant Princess, who hails from Tasmania, donned a chic horse-riding get-up

Prince Frederik appeared deep in thought as he trotted along the track, with his wife closeby

The effortlessly elegant Princess, who hails from Tasmania, donned a chic horse-riding get-up, including a pair of jodhpurs, gloves and black riding boots.

The glamorous mother-of-four was all smiles as she and her husband rode along the picturesque countryside.

With her brunette locks pulled back for the occasion, the Australian royal clasped gently onto the reins and rode with poise and grace.

Following behind her husband's tracks, the royal couple seemed relaxed as they took in the scenery of the leafy surroundings.

The pair were spotted riding through aforest by the family's summer residence Grasten Palace

Princess Mary was all smiles as she and her husband rode along the picturesque countryside

The four children - Prince Christian, Princess Isabella and twins Prince Vincent and Prince Josephine - were said to be playing at the palace while their parents embarked on the trek nearby.

The royal family are currently on a summer holiday in Grasten - more than 310km from their Copenhagen home.

The family have been visiting the stunning palace in years, with holiday snaps showing off the sprawling grounds of the summer home, which belonged to Frederik's grandmother, Queen Ingrid.

The royal couple seemed relaxed as they took in the scenery of the leafy surroundings

Princess Mary and Prince Frederik of Denmark took a break from their royal duties to saddle up

Prince Frederik appeared deep in thought as he trotted along the track, with his wife closeby

The royal couple seemed relaxed as they took in the scenery of the leafy surroundings

The royal couple of Denmark clasped gently onto their reins and rode on the grass with ease
Their great-grandmother was hailed as one of the most elegant women of her time, and now her descendants are following in her fashionable footsteps.

Princess Grace of Monaco's great grandchildren India, two, and Sasha, four, have posed for Baby Dior, 50 years after she opened the brand's first boutique in Paris.

The images of Tatiana Casiraghi's two children were shared on Instagram with the caption: ' 50 years ago, for the inauguration of the first Baby Dior boutique, we were honored to have as special guest H.R.H Princess Grace of Monaco, and ever since the royal family ties have remained intact.'

In one image their India snuggles up to Tatiana while her brother lies on the bed cuddling a toy hippo, while another shows mother and son in a tender embrace.

Tatiana is the wife of Andrea Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline who was the first born child of Prince Rainier III and the American actress Grace Kelly.

Tatiana Casiraghi and her children Sasha and India have posed for Baby Dior, 50 years after their great-grandmother Princess Grace of Monaco opened the brand's first boutique

The proud mother cuddles her son Sasha, who is fifth in line to the Monaco throne

Alexandra, known as Sasha, and India are fifth and sixth in line to the throne respectively, following their cousins Jacques and Gabriella - the twins of Princess Charlene and Prince Albert.

But they have no royal titles and live a rather more low key life compared to their cousins who reside at Monaco's royal palace.

While Prince Jacques and Princess Gabriella were introduced to a delighted crowd when they were just one-month-old, Sasha did not step out in public until he was 19-months-old, when he joined his parents and the rest of the royal family at Monaco's National Day celebrations in November.

Andrea met Tatiana, 30, at boarding school in Fontainebleau, France. After seven years of dating, they announced that they were engaged and expecting their first child together.

Tatiana with her husband Andrea Casiraghi, son of Princess Caroline, and their children at the Monaco Grand Prix

The couple married in August 2013, five months after they welcomed baby Sasha into the family.

They then hosted a second celebration in Gstaad, Switzerland on February 1, where they exchanged their vows in a candlelit Roman Catholic service.

In addition to their son, the ceremony was attended by a number of their close family and friends, including Princess Caroline, Prince Albert and the groom's siblings, Pierre, Charlotte and Alexandra.

Tatiana, who co-founded ethical fashion range Muzungu Sisters in 2011, was born to a Colombian father and Brazilian mother, while her grandfather, Bavarian brewery owner Julio Mario Santo Domingo was cited as the second richest man in Colombia as of 2011.

Tatiana Casiraghi at the Giambattista Valli Haute Couture Spring Summer 2017 show at Paris Fashion Week. The Brazilian heiress married Andrea Casiraghi in 2013

After he died in 2011, Domingo's vast $8 billion fortune was split six ways between his children and grandchildren; leaving Tatiana and her New York-based DJ brother, Julio Mario Santo Domingo III, an equal share of $2 billion.

Andrea, the oldest grandchild of the late Grace Kelly and Prince Rainier III, grew up in France before attending McGill University in Montreal.

Grace Kelly was born to a wealthy family in Philadelphia in 1929, and went on to quickly climb the ranks of Hollywood, starring in Alfred Hitchcocks Rear Window and High Society, a musical.

Princess Grace of Monaco at the opening of the Baby Dior shop in Paris, France on November 1st, 1967

Princess Grace of Monaco at the Baby Dior boutique in Paris. Her great-grandchildren are now modelling for the brand

She won the Oscar for Best Actress for her work in the 1954 film The Country Girl, beating fellow star Judy Garland. She also another nod for her supporting role in 1953s Mogambo.

In all, the model-turned-actress starred in 14 movies over a span of five years. But then the life of the blonde with the shy smile took a dramatic turn.

At the 1955 Cannes Film Festival, Ms Kelly met Monacos Prince Ranier III. After exchanging letters in a hushed romance, he asked her to marry him days after Christmas that year.

The Princess examines a children's bonnet with Marc Bohan, then creator and director of the Dior fashion house

Ms Kelly retired from acting at the tender age of 26, and began planning for the next stage of her fairy-tale life, going on to have three children  Albert II, Stephanie, and Caroline.

Princess Grace died on September 14, 1982 as she was driving along a hairpin bend above the Mediterranean principality with her daughter, Princess Stephanie.

However, the circumstances of that day are still cause for speculation, even three decades after her death.

Initial reports said that she suffered a stroke, though there is still speculation over how the Rover P6 she was driving plunged 45 feet down.
We may me getting together to celebrate Independence Day here in the United Sates, but in Paris, France, crowds are gathering for Haute Couture Fall/Winter Fashion Week.

As per usual, the lavish fashions that have been coming down the catwalk are dreamy.

But you don't have to wait until fall to adopt some of the styles into your repertoire. From Georges Hobeika's ear stacks to Rodarte's use of baby's breath, FEMAIL rounds up six easy-to-recreate ideas plucked straight from the Paris runways.

GEORGES HOBEIKA

More is more: Statement-making ear stacks decorated the lobes of the models in the Georges Hobeika show

Left: Angeli Stud Earrings by Baublebar, $28; baublebar.com. Right: Monarch Pointed Cluster Stud Earrings by Fallon, $90; neimanmarcus.com

Left: Fiesta Fringe Studs by Kate Spade New York, $68; katespade.com. Right: Ladybug Studs by Betsey Johnson, $25; zappos.com

Left: Rhinestone Pendant Earrings by Forever 21, $7.90; forever21.com. Rhinestone Earrings by H&M, $9.99; hm.com

Bigger is better: To update your ear stack, take a cue from the Hobeika catwalk and swap out the dainty post in your cartilage for a bulkier bauble

Wearing a carefully curated medley of delicate studs that crawl up the ear has become a big trend in the last couple of seasons.

To update your ear stack, take a cue from the Georges Hobeika Fall 2018 Haute Couture catwalk and swap out the dainty post in your cartilage for a bulkier bauble. Don't have a cartilage piercing? Use a clip-on. Just make sure the two earrings share the same color palette.

GALIA LAHAV

Flower power: Add interest to a neutral colored garment with a floral patch, like Israeli designer Galia Lahav

Add interest to a neutral colored garment with a floral patch, a la Israeli designer Galia Lahav.

Position the patch where you would a corsage. The embellishment of colorful blooms can liven up any old garment without the hassle of wilting live flowers.

Yellow pink roses pair flowers floral bouquet boho applique iron-on patch, $3.79; ebay.com

AF VANDEVORST

Collector's item: Need a place for all the souvenir buttons you've been collecting over the years? Belgian label Af Vandevorst has the answer

Need a place for all the souvenir buttons you've been collecting over the years? Belgian label Af Vandevorst has the answer.

Just pin them onto a skullcap. Visit your local Salvaltion Army or thrift stores to pick up vintage pins and replica war medals with ribbons.

Let longer pins drape along the bottom edge.

PROENZA SCHOULER

Versatility: Proenza Schouler showed their spring 2018 RTW show this week, and they've come up with a new way for you to wear your wrap-around bikini or crop top

Proenza Schouler showed their spring 2018 RTW show this week, and they've come up with a new way for you to wear your wrap-around bikini or crop top.

Simply layer the piece over a tee or long sleeved top for a cool modern look.

No need to wait until the designer's pieces hit stores next year, shop look-a-like options below.

Pandora (full) binki by Koreswim, $119; koreswim.com

Left: Choker Twist Front Crop Top by Topshop, $30; topshop.com. Right: Petite Lorna Wrap Front Crop Top by Boohoo, $8; boohoo.com

RODARTE

Filler no more: Rodarte created cloud like masterpieces in the form of hair accessories, shawls and jewelry with baby's breah for their spring 2018 RTW show

Do not dispose of the baby's breath! For so long the white flower has been overlooked and dismissed as just filler.

Rodarte created cloud like masterpieces in the form of hair accessories, shawls and jewelry with the delicate buds for their spring 2018 RTW show.

Each bouquet comes with about 10 stems, and each stem has multiple smaller pieces branching out, making it a very affordable flower.

With a little creativity, baby's breath can add a romantic flair to any look without costing a fortune.

Cheap and chic: With a little creativity, baby's breath can add a romantic flair to any look without costing a fortune.

AZZARO

She's got legs: Add edge to a formal gown with thigh-high hosiery like Azzaro did at their fall 2018 Haute Couture show yesterday

Add edge to a formal gown with thigh-high hosiery like Azzaro did at their fall 2018 Haute Couture show yesterday.

Let the legs be your best accessory by keeping baubles to a minimum. Opt for one piece of jewelry like drop earrings or a cocktail ring and slip into shoes that match the color of the stocking.
Most young women probably wouldn't want to share their 21st birthday parties with their fathers  but when your dad is royalty and a joint fiesta means your birthday is one of the hottest social events of the year, it's not shocking that a girl might make an exception.

Princess Olympia of Greece turns 21 this month  on July 25, to be exact  while her dad Pavlos, Crown Prince of Greece, turned 50 on May 20. So it seems the father-daughter duo decided to meet in the middle and throw one giant party to celebrate their milestone ages.

Held on Sunday night in the Cotswolds, the '5021 revolution' was a star-studded affair, where royalty, socialites, and fashion greats came together for an incredibly elegant rager.

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Happy day: Princess Olympia of Greece celebrated her birthday with an extravagant party this weekend

Big number: She was celebrating her 21st, which is officially July 25

Double party: Her whole family (including her mom, fourth from right) was in attendance, since it was a joint celebration with her dad Pavlos, who turned 50

Getting in the spirit: The party, in the the Cotswolds, had a '5021 revolution' theme in honor of both of their ages

Interesting look: Guests were asked to 'revolutionize' black tie, and Olympia set the tone in a glamorous dress and bold Gucci platform sneakers

The heiresses come together! Paris Hilton joined the festivities but didn't seem to take to the theme

Head-turning! Lots of guests wore bold headdresses, including mom Marie-Chantal herself (right)

According to India Hicks  the granddaughter of Earl Mountbatten of Burma and one of Princess Diana's bridesmaids  guests were asked to 'revolutionize' their black tie ensembles for the party.

This meant attendees like Paris Hilton, her sister Nicky Rothschild, Poppy Delevingne, and a who's who of other heiresses turned up in beautiful designer gowns but accessorized with some very unexpected pieces.

Olympia herself wore a head-turning Steven Khalil dress for the occasion. The uber-beaded long-sleeve top contrasted against a swishy tulle skirt, and she 'revolutioned' her look with a metallic fascinator and Gucci platform sneakers, which she showed off throughout the night with a variety of poses.

Her cousin and frequent travel companion Talita von Furstenberg (Diane von Furstenberg's granddaughter) wore a sweeping polka dot number with a feathered fascinator.

Ta-da! Decor was colorful and elegant, with clusters of bright balloons and large floral arrangements

Besties: Olympia's cousin, Talita von Furstenberg (Diane's granddaughter) was there

Blonde ambition: Also on hand for the revelry was model and heiress Poppy Delevingne

Pretty: Poppy took some pictures while frolicking in the field in her Marchesa dress

Jewels on jewels: Paris turned up with her sister Nicky, who embraced the theme a bit more

Fab backdrop: The two also enjoyed taking pictures in some of the rooms of the venue

Snazzy: Designer Valantino Garavani (center) was one of the men to embrace the theme, throwing a purple tux jacket over an embroidered vest (pictured with Queen Maxima of the Netherlands (left)

Showing off: Lots of photos from the night have turned up on Instagram

Oh my! India Hicks, a close friend of the late Princess Diana, put a spin on her black tie outfit by having her tuxedo shirt painted onto her naked body

The finished result: Party guests may have initially been none the wiser about India's very cheeky interpretation of the black tie dress code - which guests were asked to 'revolutionize'

In fact, fascinators and other fancy headdresses abounded, with Olympia's mom Marie-Chantal wearing perhaps the most eye-catching one of them all.

The Crown Princess of Greece finished off a pink dress with a huge ring of silver stars above her head, making her easy to spot in the crowd.

Feathers, flowers, and more sat atop guests heads, clearly one of the go-to accessories of the night, as guests moved around colorful balloon displays and giant floral arrangements.

The furniture inside the venue also made for incredible sets for photos, for when the sun set and the sweeping green grounds outside were not longer visible.

Grooving: There seemed to be live music inside for dancing

Family affair: Several family members got up to make speeches, including dad Pavlos and Olympia's little brother

What a gem: Alexandra von Furstenberg accessorized with statement-making jewelry

Committing: Many of the women wore feathers on their heads, while one wore a sash that said 'revolutionary'

Money: Some wore fascinators but went more understated, like Gigi Mortimer

Rager: The party appears to have started outside and them moved in

Luxe: In addition to birthday cake, there was a whole dessert table

The abundance of feather headdresses and fascinators was especially apparent in crowd shots

Over on the celebrity circuit, Paris Hilton went more traditional in a glitzy gown, while sister Nicky topped her 17th century France-inspired lace look with layered pearls.

Poppy went for a sweeping tulle Marchesa gown, and designer Valentino Garavani jazzed up a tux with an embroidered vest and purple jacket

Gigi Mortimer (Tinsley's sister-in-law), Givenchy heir Zoe de Givenchy (who was also one of Pippa's bridesmaids), model Bianca Brandolini, TV personality and former baroness Caroline Fleming, Eugenie Niarchos (granddaughter of Greek shipping tycoon Stavros Niarchos), and Vogue editor Lauren Santo Domingo got in on the theme, too.

Other heiresses included Ivy-Love Getty and Isabel Getty, both great-granddaughters of J. Paul Getty.

Dress up: The women in particular had a good time playing with the theme

Lucky kids: The youngest guests were Olympia's teenage brothers

J. Paul Getty's great-granddaughter Ivy Getty was there (left), as was her cousin Isabel

Going big: Isabel (left) stunned in a Philip Treacy headdress

More royalty: Eleonore Habsburg of Austria's Habsburgs went simple in a floral dress

Say cheese: The guests posed on some of the furniture inside for fun pictures

Pavlos also delivered a speech in honor of his daughter, which drew laughs from the crowd

Also in attendance were plenty of royals and the royalty-adjacent, including Carina Axelsson (author and partner of Gustav, Hereditary Prince of Sayn-Wittgenstein-Berleburg) and Eleonore Habsburg of the Austrian House of Hapsburg.

Toward the end of the party, which seemed to be accompanied by live music, guests were treated a large birthday cake in honor of Olympia, as well as an enormous  and elegant  dessert table topped with macarons, cakes, and profiteroles.

Pavlos also delivered a speech in honor of his daughter, which drew laughs from the crowd.

'In your life, you have done a lot of things that impressed, depressed, and driven us crazy,' he said. 'Let me tell you a few things about life with Olympia. First of all, you're beautiful, you're full of energy  energy that comes from your mother. '
She is the aristocratic beauty famed for her dazzlingly performances in the latest series of hit BBC show Poldark.

And former model Gabriella Wilde proved she has the sartorial edge both in and out of period costume as she attended the Christian Dior show at Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on Monday.

The Hampshire-born actress, 28, descends from the aristocratic Gough-Calthorpe family and is an 'unofficial stepsister' of Prince Harry's ex-girlfriend Cressida Bonas - but tends to shun society circles in favour of the acting world.

And today she rubbed shoulders with royalty as she joined Princess Maria-Olympia of Greece and Denmark who was invited to sit on the Dior front row.

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Poldark's Gabriella Wilde proved she has the sartorial edge both in and out of period costume as she attended the Christian Dior show at Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on Monday

Gabriella, who starred in modern adaptations of The Three Musketeers and Carrie before getting her big break in Poldark, stunned in a sheer chic cut-out maxidress.

The simple yet eye-catching frock featured sheer lace panels and pleats embroidered with a delicate floral pattern.

Her high, see-through neckline and dramatic up-do highlighted the physique of the former model, who was spotted at 14 by Naomi Campbell.

The actress teamed her statement outfit with a simple pair of patent black stilettos and a matching clutch with gold chain.

Gabriella, who starred in modern adaptations of The Three Musketeers and Carrie before getting her big break in Poldark, stunned in a sheer chic cut-out maxidress

The simple yet eye-catching frock featured panels and pleats embroidered with a delicate floral pattern

Eschewing jewellery to ensure all eyes remained on her dress, Gabriella wore just her wedding ring and an on-trend band.

The mother-of-two also showcased her flawless skin at the fashion event, wearing barely-there make-up and sporting defined brows.

Gabriella, who already has a two-year-old son, Sasha, with musician Alan Pownall, gave birth to the couple's second baby boy named Shiloh last year.

She recently told Town & Country what it was like to film Poldark while pregnant - and explained how a female writer made it possible for her to keep the role.

The former model's high, see-through neckline and dramatic up-do highlighted her lithe and toned physique

The actress teamed her statement outfit with a simple pair of patent black stilettos and a matching clutch with gold chain

Gabriella recently told Town & Country what it was like to film Poldark while pregnant - and explained how a female writer made it possible for her to keep the role

The stunning star discovered she was pregnant just three days after she landed the role as spoilt heiress Caroline Penvenen.

She told the magazine: 'As it was a seven-month shoot, I assumed that I probably couldnt take it.

'But the writer and producer Debbie Horsfield said, "Hang on a second, why cant we do this? Why cant she work, and be a mother and pregnant, if she feels she can?"

'So we made it happen, which has been really wonderful and quite refreshing.'
While some are content with a cut-price ticket to the Costa del Sol, the Rich Kids of London have got other ideas.

From private jets to helicopters, some of London's wealthiest young people are celebrating the holidays in style - and there's nothing they like more than plastering it all over social media.

Recent snaps show them clambering in Lamborghinis, swimming with sharks and spraying each other with magnums of champagne in ostentatious displays of wealth.

The Rich Kids London Instagram account was set up by a 25-year-old property broker for super wealthy clients to share photos of the lavish lifestyles of his friends and acquaintances.

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The Rich Kids of London are toasting the summer months with a series of lavish holidays. One Instagrammer couldn't resist sharing this snap of him celebrating in the south of France

CJ Miles, who boasts some 1.3 million Instagram followers, wrote: 'Is it normal to wear an outfit like this in a private jet?' before sharing this snap with the Rich Kids of London account

Jet setter: 'Why take pictures inside private jets like everybody else,' writes @momomarioho, 'When you can do something more special?'

Two bikini-clad holiday-goers posted a video of them swimming with sharks on Instagram, racking up almost 80,000 views

People share their photos via Instagram and Snapchat, and he selects those he feels are good enough to share with the account's 426,000 followers.

Speaking to MailOnline previously, he revealed: 'I know these wealthy people. I have spoken to them and now I hang out with all super rich kids at most exclusive clubs in Mayfair, Knightsbridge and Chelsea.

'People send me their photos and if I think they're good enough then I will post their submission.

I set it up to motivate everyone to do well and achieve what they want. I get messages every day from people saying my page has made them work very hard to achieve their dream and want to aim for higher.'

Adam Baker shared this picture of him parading what appears to be a pet cheetah in Dubai

Entrepreneur Evan Luthra posed atop a golden car to get this picture-perfect snap, writing: 'The last guy is wrong. There's only one option. Making excuses isn't an option'

Globe-trotting Chryseis Tan posted a snap of her enjoying a bubble tea while up in the air

Alexander Petersen shared this snap of him enjoying a 'champagne campaign' atop an Audi

One London Rich Kid who calls himself 'the Notorious Dave Sullivan' posted this snap of him enjoying a glass of bubbly from 35,000 feet in the air

Instagrammer Millionaire Homme took this picture purporting to show 'luxury essentials'

Dubai-based Mel Ghani proudly shared this picture of him disembarking a private helicopter

Touching down in Las Vegas, Tyree Araya wrote: 'There are three types of people in this world. First, there are people who make things happen. Then there are people who watch things happen. Lastly, there are people who ask, what happened? Which do you want to be?'

Brand manager of Hide&Jack, Alberto Franceschi, travels in style in a helicopter. The Rich Kids London Instagram account was set up by a 25-year-old property broker

He added that references to 'plebs' and 'peasants' are meant to be tongue-in-cheek.

'This is meant to be a joke and a laugh,' he explained. 'I love it how people always take it so seriously.'

A recent image shared on Instagram shows a scantily-clad CJ Miles reclining in a luxury plane with the caption: 'Is it normal to wear an outfit like this in a private jet?'

Another, posted by Chelsea-based Corentin Simon, showed a Lamborghini Aventador - which cost upwards of 270,000 - parked on Chelsea's Sloane Street.

Philipp Gazmanov takes in the view as he enjoys a drink in a luxury private jet in this snap

That's one way to get around! Chelsea-based Corentin Simon shared a snap of this Lamborghini Aventador - which cost upwards of 270,000 - on Sloane Street

Social media guru Logan Shippy has 'figured out the secret to travelling the world and making money online,' according to the Rich Kids of London curator

Dave Sullivan captioned this snap: 'Mad weekend in Marbella with the man himself'

One Instagrammer known only as @barvikha_77 could be seen flying a private jet to London

But it's not all about sneering at those left well-off; some are content to simply flaunt their luxury lifestyles, including John Gustafsson who once shared a video of himself filling the tub with bubbly, captioned: 'Save water and swim in champagne!'

Once full with multiple bottles of fizz, he climbs in for a dip and then scoops up a glassful to drink.

Meanwhile Ria Rahman has revealed how she goes 'rolling through Knightsbridge' in a Rolls Royce.

Student Julia Stakhiva previously posed in front of a white Rolls Royce in a picture captioned: 'Sometimes I pretend to be normal, but it sets boring, so I go back to being ME.'
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Women who have been the target of judgment, whether it be over their weight, their parenting or even their sexuality, are revealing their stories along with a powerful photo series.

Photographer Natalie McCain, from Rockledge, Florida, shot the series as a part of The Honest Body Project, which is known for featuring unretouched images of real women, often made to fight against body-shaming.

This installment of the project expands the subject of body-shaming to the various other ways that women are judges in society.

All smiles: Women bare their bodies and tell their stories about being judged in the new installment of The Honest Body Project

Face-to-face: This mom wrote for the project how people assume her son has diabetes because of something she had done or eaten, or because of her weight

Along with the powerful black and white images, each of the subjects' inclusion is accompanied by her personal story.

'Everyone you meet has a story,' Natalie explains in the project's introduction. 'People are so quick to judge and shame others without thinking twice about how it may make that person feel. Words matter. They hurt.

'The women in this series are sharing their stories about being body shamed and judged for various reasons. I urge you to read their stories and think before you judge someone.'

One woman described what it's like to have a child who developed diabetes independent of his parents having the condition.

Making a statement: This mom revealed that she was prejudiced against for being a lesbian

Baring all: This participant explained how she was regularly bullied for her 'big butt'

Standing tall: Natalie McCain (not pictured), from Rockledge, Florida, has been running the Honest Body Project for several years

Quality time: This mom has received criticism from others for not planning to have more than one child

'The questionable looks when I tell someone that hes diabetic, comments like, Well its because you have diabetes right? No, I do not. But you had to have had at-least gestational diabetes No, I did not. Not with any of my children. SO, its just because youre so overweight? No, it has nothing to do with me being overweight,' she said.

'This is no ones fault. It could happen to any child. Why does everyone think its all about my weight? What does MY weight have to do with my sons condition? NOTHING!'

Another mom explained how simply being in love with another woman has led to multiple heartbreaking episodes of judgement in her life.

She described how when she was engaged, she discovered her boss' client's family was opening a beautiful wedding venue. So, she asked her boss about having her own nuptials there.

Expecting: This mom-to-be explained that she was often called 'skinny' both as a compliment and an insult

The real thing: Some of the participants also experienced judgement from themselves

Black and white: Body-shaming has been a common topic covered by the Honest Body Project

'My boss told me that her family will not let same sex marriages happen at their venue. I wanted to cry and I was so angry,' she said. 'I understood where she was coming from. If that is what you believe in that is fine. But it was like a stab in the heart.'

Other subjects in the series include a mom-of-one who has received judgement from other for not intending to have a second child and another woman who suffered lifelong teasing for her 'big butt'.

One mom told about her long battle with weight loss that led herself to be her biggest critic, while another mom described how the term 'skinny' was used on her both as a compliment and an insult.

'You will never be good enough for them so we have to be good enough for ourselves,' the latter lady explained. We will never completely change the cruel nature of this world, but we can fight it. We can continue to show people everywhere that there is something beautiful in people of every shape and size and that, in fact, the most beautiful thing is that we are all so different.'
A mother has been left paralysed from the waist down and with a swelling on her spine after giving birth for the first time.

Sam Bulmer, from Queensland, and her partner Elliot were delighted when they became pregnant with their first child.

But the pregnancy revealed an underlying issue in Ms Bulmer's spine called Arteriovenous malformation or AVM.

It meant that she had to have an emergency C-section to deliver her daughter, named River Lily, on June 8.

Now, Ms Bulmer is in hospital, facing extensive rehab and needing constant care herself while adjusting to life as a first-time mum.

Sam Bulmer (pictured) has been left paralysed from the waist down and with a swelling on her spine after giving birth for the first time

'The main hardship is being a full-time 24/7 mum from a bed,' she said.

'I choose to co-sleep so River never leaves my side unless [her friend] Sammy holds her while I shower or have personal hygiene attended to, or when she needs to be weighed.

'So being a mother in a bed isn't what I ever imagined and it's quite hard.'

'I breastfeed there, change nappies, make bottles for top up feeds, dress her, I eat and drink there. My entire existence is in this bed.'

The problem became apparent in the 37th week of her pregnancy when Ms Bulmer started feeling an immense shooting pain down her spine, which then took over her entire body.

Ms Bulmer and her partner Elliot were delighted when they became pregnant with their first child but the pregnancy revealed underlying issues

She collapsed and was taken to hospital that night  and her baby was delivered the following day.

'Throughout the night at hospital, she had four more of these attacks, which she described as a feeling of being shot,' her good friend Sammy Moore said.

'It was the most excruciating pain she could ever imagine and she thought she was dying.

'She felt like she was having a heart attack.'

Multiple scans and tests led doctors to discover Ms Bulmer has a very rare condition in her spine called AVM, meaning a cluster of blood vessels, arteries and veins were wrapped around spinal cord.

WHAT IS SPINAL AVM? Spinal arteriovenous malformation (AVM) is a rare, abnormal tangle of blood vessels on, in or near the spinal cord. Without treatment, spinal AVM can permanently damage your spinal cord. In a spinal AVM, the blood passes directly from your arteries to your veins, bypassing the capillaries. This disruption in blood flow deprives the surrounding cells of vital oxygen and causes cells in your spinal tissues to deteriorate or die. The arteries and veins in a spinal AVM can also rupture and cause bleeding in the spinal cord (hemorrhage). Sometimes, the AVM may enlarge over time as blood flow increases and compress the spinal cord, leading to disability or other complications. Spinal AVM can go undiagnosed unless you begin experiencing signs and symptoms. The condition can be treated with surgery to halt or possibly reverse some of the spinal damage. Source: Mayo Clinic Advertisement

The pregnancy meant that too much pressure had been placed on her spinal cord and the vessels had ruptured.

Without her pregnancy, Ms Bulmer may never have found out about the condition that she may have been born with.

The days following were hard on her both physically and emotionally.

As well as dealing with the pain her body was experiencing, Ms Bulmer also had to cope with the difficulties associated with becoming a first-time mum.

The swelling in her spine and the lower half of her body will take weeks or even months to subside  and only then will doctors be able to assess if there's any permanent damage.

'If there was too much pressure and damage has been done she will be in a wheel chair for the rest of her life,' Ms Moore added.

'If it is just a case of swelling and releasing some pressure, there may still be a hope she will walk.'

Ms Moore, who flew up from Tasmania to help her friend, began a MyCause campaign to help Ms Bulmer and her family.

She said Ms Bulmer's partner Elliot is doing his best to support her and their newborn baby, but will have to return to work soon.

'I've made this page in the hope that we can raise enough money so Elliot can spend more time with Sam, to get some of Sam's family over here from England and to ensure she gets all the care and support she needs whilst still being able to be with her baby girl,' Ms Moore added.
Toddlers who are breastfed have a higher number of fillings and decayed or missing teeth because mothers are not brushing their teeth afterwards, new research reveals.

Breastfeeding a child for at least two years increases their risk of severe early childhood cavities by 2.4 times compared to those who are only breastfed for up to one year, a study found.

Cavity risk occurs regardless of youngsters' sugar consumption, the research adds.

Dr Robert Morgan, chief of dentistry at Children's Health in Dallas, who was not involved in the study, said: 'The real correlation of breastfeeding is perhaps the number of exposures to food and drink that a child has during the day and night due to the ease of access to mom.

'We know that after a baby eats or drinks there is a rise in bacteria and a rise in decay potential for approximately 20 minutes, [after which] bacterial growth and concurrent acid production decreases, as does the decay potential.'

Breastfeeding toddlers significantly increases their risk of cavities in later life (stock)

BREASTFEEDING REDUCES A WOMAN'S RISK OF PAIN AFTER A C-SECTION BY THREE TIMES Breastfeeding reduces the discomfort of painful caesarean sections, research revealed last month. Mothers who breastfeed for at least two months after a C-section are three times less likely to experience persistent pain than those who do so for a shorter period of time, the study found. Some 23 per cent of women who breastfeed for less than two months report pain at the site of their C-section versus just eight per cent who breastfeed for longer, the research adds. Anxiety significantly increases a woman's risk of suffering discomfort after the operation, the study by Our Lady of Valme hospital in Seville also revealed. Caesarean sections make up around 25 per cent of all births in the UK and US. One in five mothers undergoing the procedure suffer pain that lasts beyond three months. Advertisement

How the study was carried out

Researchers from the University of Adelaide analysed 1,129 children born in 2004 in Pelotas, Brazil.

Breastfeeding information was collected at birth and when the children were three months, one year and two years old.

Sugar consumption data was collected at the ages of two, four and five by showing participants a list of food items and asking if they had consumed them the day before.

Low-sugar consumption was defined as youngsters eating such foods less than twice a day, while eating them at least two times daily was considered a high consumption.

Key findings

Children who are breastfed for at least two years have a higher number of fillings and decayed or missing teeth.

Their risk of severe early childhood cavities is also 2.4 times higher than those who are only breastfed for up to one year.

Breastfeeding for 13-to-23 months has no effect on cavity risk.

Sugar consumption is only significantly associated with cavities when comparing those eating the highest amount of sweet treats to those consuming the least.

The findings were published in the journal Pediatrics.

Children who are breastfed for two years have a higher number of fillings and decayed teeth

What the experts say

Dr Morgan said: 'There is no question that babies who breastfeed for a longer time than recommended by the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry or the American Academy of Pediatrics have an increased cavity rate.

'The real correlation of breastfeeding is perhaps the number of exposures to food and drink that a child has during the day and night due to the ease of access to mom.

'We know that after a baby eats or drinks there is a rise in bacteria and a rise in decay potential for approximately 20 minutes, [after which] bacterial growth and concurrent acid production decreases, as does the decay potential.

'In my practice, for the mothers who would like to breastfeed for a longer period, we advise them to follow the recommended feeding schedule regardless of the feeding methods, whether breast, bottle or cup - feed and drink a non-water drink no more than five times a day and never at night - and we encourage the brushing schedule [after breakfast and dinner feeding].'
There is no evidence that so-called 'pet-therapy' works, according to a Yale University academic.

Practices, such as taking dogs on hospital wards, has shown a 'small-to-medium' reduction in patients' distress, found doctoral student Molly Crossman in her review of the medical literature.

However, she says it's unclear whether the animals deserve the credit as a high number of studies did not control for other possible factors.

Her comments comes as hospitals have been urged to let more dogs and other animals on to wards and even into operating theatres to help patients.

The Royal College of Nursing made the appeal after collecting scores of anecdotal evidence of therapy animals helping recovery.

There is plenty of anecdotal evidence that animals reduce emotional stress for patients (file)

Some young patients found having trained dogs accompany them to the anaesthetic room reduced their anxiety before and after surgery, they discovered.

In a recent RCN survey of 750 nursing staff, 82 per cent said pets encouraged patients to be more physically active and 60 per cent believed animals improved physical recovery.

But many nurses reported that animals were banned from where they worked due to health and safety concerns.

'No clear conclusions'

Crossman, writing in the Journal of Clinical Psychology, notes that the idea that animals are benecial for human mental health rst emerged in the 17th century, when a Quaker-run retreat in England encouraged mentally ill patients to interact with animals on its grounds.

The father of psychoanalysis Sigmund Freud believed that dogs had a 'special sense' that allowed them to judge a person's character accurately. His favorite chow chow, Jo-Fi, attended all of his therapy sessions.

Nowadays, the therapeutic effects of animals has become widely accepted. San Francisco airport now has a pig to calm nervous travellers.

More people are bringing 'emotional support animals' on board planes  including turkeys, monkeys and other unusual pets  sparking a debate over whether this should be allowed.

Horses are even used to treat sex addiction at The Ranch mental health centers in the US.

But Crossman said we cannot yet draw clear conclusions on their benefits.

She said: 'The limited body of literature suggests that humananimal interaction produces small-to-medium reductions in distress; however, it remains unclear whether those reductions are because of the animals as opposed to other aspects of the interventions.

'Despite the lack of research progress, the benets are routinely overstated.'

A pet is a 'natural antidepressant'

Keeping a pet is said to be a natural antidepressant, as cuddling a furry friend triggers release of the happy hormones serotonin, prolactin and oxytocin.

Many elderly people who suffer from dementia or Alzheimers experience confusion and agitation in the evening, known as sundown syndrome.

Studies carried out at residential nursing homes in the US found that the presence of a dog distracted the patient from the aggressive and agitated behaviour, calmed them, reduced perception of loneliness and evoked feelings of happiness.

Furthermore, an American study found that children of military staff who were close to a family pet coped better with the emotional stress of having a parent deployed overseas and other difficulties.

But it seems many hospital trusts are scared of health and safety ramifications.

Concerns that furry companions spread infections and other 'myths around the dangers' of allowing animals on wards are obstacles, according to Amanda Cheesley of the RNC, who is putting together nationwide guidelines on animals in hospitals.

Yet a recent study has found that being exposed to pets from a young age lowers the risk of obesity and results in fewer allergies.

Dogs in particular expose children to dirt and bacteria early in life, which creates early immunity, found scientists at the University of Alberta, in Canada.
Despite being used for centuries, experts have not fully understood why acupuncture is reported to reduce pain.

Now researchers say they have discovered how it targets pain and why clinical trials have produced mixed results on its effectiveness.

The new study found the ancient Chinese medicine causes elevated levels of nitric oxide in the skin when inserted at 'acupoints', which releases painkilling chemicals.

The team, from LA BioMed, say these effects are only produced when the needles are slowly twisted with gently force or heated.

They believe acupuncture is effective and past research that has found no benefits has most likely not involved the use of proper acupuncture methods.

Acupuncture is only when needles are slowly twisted with gently force or are heated (file)

Acupuncture is often used to relieve various kinds of pain, from low back pain to osteoarthritis and migraines.

Tradition says it works by unblocking the flow of 'qi' along invisible energy channels called meridians  but the findings suggest a less mystical explanation for acupuncture's painkilling claims.

How the research was carried out

For the latest study, the LA BioMed researchers tested acupuncture on 25 men and women, aged 18-60 years.

They first employed the' reinforcement' method, where needles are slowly twisted or rotated with gentle force or by heat.

They were twisted slowly for two minutes, followed by gentle manipulation for two minutes every five minutes for a total of 20 minutes. They also applied electrical heat for 20 minutes.

This method resulted in elevated levels of nitric oxide at the acupoints.

However, when they used the 'reducing' technique, which involves rapid and forceful actions for a longer period, they found reduced nitric oxide levels.

'Reinforcement results in local feeling of warmness, but reduction causes a local feeling of coldness,' said study author Dr Sheng-Xing Ma.

Previous research

In 2010, researchers from the University of Rochester medical centre in New York state said their findings proved the benefit of acupuncture is beyond the placebo effect.

Their tests on mice found that it the treatment was effective for up to an hour after the therapy was over.

They found that acupuncture had no effect if the needles were not rotated.

This brought them to the conclusion that that the twisting of needles caused tissue damage that stimulated cells to produce adenosine, an anti-inflammatory chemical.

A recent study went as far as to suggest acupuncture could be a safe alternative to pain-relieving drugs for some patients arriving at accident and emergency.

Pain is one of the most common reasons people come to emergency units.

The trial by the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT)  one of the largest assessments of acupuncture  found that for some patients acupuncture is effective alternative to pain-relieving drugs for some patients
A new portable device quickly detects markers of the life-threatening sepsis infection from a single drop of blood.

The device is the first to provide a rapid, 'point-of-care' measurement of the immune system's response, without any need to process the blood.

Researchers believe this will help doctors identify sepsis at its onset, monitor infected patients and even point towards a prognosis.

Study author Dr Karen White from the Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, said: 'Sepsis is one of the most serious, life-threatening problems in the ICU.

'It can become deadly quickly, so a bedside test that can monitor patient's inflammatory status in real time would help us treat it sooner with better accuracy.'

A new device quickly detects markers of a sepsis infection from a single drop of blood (stock)

WHAT IS SEPSIS? Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the way the body responds to germs, such as bacteria, getting into the body. It can occur following chest or water infections, problems in the abdomen, such as burst ulcers, or simple skin injuries, like cuts and bites. Sepsis arises when the bodys response to an infection injures its own tissues and organs. Symptoms include a high temperature, fever and chills, and a fast breathing and heart rate. If untreated, sepsis leads to shock, multiple organ failure and death. Treatment includes antibiotics, intravenous fluids and oxygen, if necessary. Source: UK Sepsis Trust and NHS Choices Advertisement

How is the device different?

The device works by counting immune cells, known as white blood cells, and measuring a protein, called CD64, on the cells' surface.

Levels of CD64 surge when a patient's immune response increases.

Author Professor Rashid Bashir said: 'We are looking at the immune response, rather than focusing on identifying the source of the infection.

'One person's immune system might respond differently from somebody else's to the same infection. In some cases, the immune system will respond before the infection is detectable.

'This test can complement bacterial detection and identification. We think we need both approaches: detect the pathogen, but also monitor the immune response.'

Current sepsis diagnosis relies on monitoring the patient's 'vital signs', which include their blood pressure, oxygen levels and temperature.

If doctors suspect sepsis, the source of infection is identified via blood cultures and other tests, which can take days.

How was the research carried out?

The researchers tested the device with blood samples from patients in the intensive care unti and emergency room.

When a doctor suspected infection and ordered a blood test, a small drop of the patient's blood was given to the researchers.

They then monitored the patient's CD64 levels over time, which were correlated against their vital signs.

The researchers found that the results from the rapid test 'correlated well' with those from traditional diagnosis methods and the patients' vital signs.

Author Dr Umer Hassan said: 'By measuring the CD64 and the white cell counts, we were able to correlate the diagnosis and progress of the patient - whether they were improving or not.

'We hope that this technology will be able to not only diagnose the patient but also provide a prognosis. We have more work to do on that.'

The research was published in the journal Nature Communications.
Female cancer survivors are 38 per cent less likely to become pregnant, new research reveals.

Among those who have not been pregnant before their diagnosis, just 20.6 per cent of survivors go on to conceive later, versus 38.7 per cent of the general population, a study found.

Survivors of cervical and breast cancer, and leukaemia, are particularly affected, the research adds.

Past research suggests certain chemotherapy regimens damage the ovaries, while radiotherapy can affect the ovaries, uterus and regions of the brain that regulate reproduction.

Researchers believe the findings are important as a growing number of female cancer sufferers survive and fertility-preservation techniques continue to improve.

Female cancer survivors are 38 per cent less likely to become pregnant, new research reveals

NEW TEST PERSONALISES BREAST CANCER CARE AND COULD SPARE PATIENTS AGGRESSIVE CHEMOTHERAPY A test pinpoints breast cancer patients with a low-risk of their tumor returning, allowing them to avoid aggressive treatments, research revealed last month. The test correctly identified 15 percent of the study's participants as being of a low-risk of their cancer coming back. Such patients had a strong prognosis after their initial treatment regardless of whether they were given additional therapy to prevent their tumor returning, the research adds. Lead author Dr Laura Esserman from the University of California in San Francisco. said: 'This is an important step forward for personalizing care for women with breast cancer. 'We can now test small node-negative breast cancers, and if they are in the ultra-low risk category, we can tell women that they are highly unlikely to die of their cancers and do not need aggressive treatment, including radiation after lumpectomy.' Advertisement

Key findings

Researchers from the University of Edinburgh analysed 23,201 female cancer survivors who were diagnosed under the age of 39 in Scotland between 1981 and 2012.

Results revealed that female cancer survivors are 38 per cent less likely to become pregnant.

For those who had not been pregnant before their diagnosis, 20.6 per cent of the survivors became pregnant later, versus 38.7 per cent of the general population.

Pregnancy rates were particularly reduced among women who had survived cervical or breast cancer, or leukaemia.

The results also revealed that those diagnosed between 2005 and 2012 were more likely to become pregnant than those who were told they had cancer between 1981 and 1988.

This suggests that cancer treatments' impact on fertility has eased over time, the researchers said.

The findings were presented at the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology meeting in Geneva.

Why does cancer treatment affect fertility?

Female cancer treatment is known to reduce fertility as certain chemotherapy regimens damage the ovaries.

Radiotherapy can also affect the ovaries, uterus and regions of the brain that regulate reproduction.

Yet, experts stress the results of the study may not be as clear as they seem.

Study author Professor Richard Anderson said: 'Some women may have chosen not to have a pregnancy.

VITAMIN C AND ANTIBIOTICS COULD BE UP TO 100 TIMES MORE EFFECTIVE AT KILLING CANCER CELLS THAN DRUGS Vitamin C and antibiotics could be up to 100 times more effective at killing cancer cells than standard-of-care drugs, research revealed last month. Giving an antibiotic followed by vitamin C effectively starves cancer cells of their 'fuel', resulting in their death in the lab, a study found. Vitamin C and the antibiotic given, known as doxycycline, are both relatively non-toxic and could therefore dramatically reduce the side effects of existing treatments, the researchers said. Study author Professor Michael Lisanti from the University of Salford, said: 'This is further evidence that vitamin C and other non-toxic compounds may have a role to play in the fight against cancer. 'Our results indicate it is a promising agent for clinical trials, and as an add-on to more conventional therapies, to prevent tumour recurrence, further disease progression and metastasis.' Advertisement

'Thus, while these results do show an expected reduction in the chance of pregnancy after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, having a pregnancy after cancer does involve a range of complex issues that we cannot address in this study.'

Why is the research important?

Fertility preservation has become a more pressing issue as an increasing number of young women survive cancer and techniques to restore fertility, such as freezing eggs, improve.

Yet Professor Anderson described such fertility-preserving services as 'very variable' and 'experimental'.

He added that the results of the study will allow doctors to advise girls and women about their future chance of pregnancy.

Professor Anderson said: 'They emphasise the need to consider the possible effects on fertility in girls and women with a new cancer diagnosis.

'The implications of the diagnosis and planned treatment and, where appropriate, options for fertility preservation should be discussed with the patient and her family.

Even for patients considered at low risk of infertility as a result of treatment, a fertility discussion is recommended before treatment begins.'
A paramedic battled back from the brink of death after a flesh-eating bug decimated her leg, leaving a softball-sized hole.

Haley Noele, 29, suffered multiple organ failure less than 24 hours after contracting deadly necrotizing fasciitis while tending to a fallen jockey at a horse race.

Bacteria in manure on the ground latched onto her skin leaving her with a tiny red rash which grew rapidly as it ate through her flesh.

She developed a fever and was rushed to hospital by a friend the following morning where doctors told her family she might die.

For the next two months, Haley was kept in isolation and on life support, undergoing six operations to remove the potentially fatal bug.

She survived the rare disease - which kills up to 73 percent of sufferers - but it left her with a gaping hole at the top of her leg.

Haley, of Wabash, Indiana, has spent the four years since contracting the disease in 2013 relearning how to walk, in and out of hospital battling infections in the healing wound.

The horror health scare even forced the medic of eight years to quit her dream career and she says she 'lost everything' - but is 'lucky to be alive'.

Haley Noele, 29, from Indiana, suffered multiple organ failure within 24 hours of contracting necrotizing fasciitis while tending to a fallen jockey at a horse race. Pictured: Haley aged 27 in 2013 before the infection (left) and in hospital after waking up from life support (right)

WHAT IS NECROTIZING FASCIITIS? Necrotizing fasciitis is most commonly caused by an infection with group A Streptococcus. Those infections normally last just a few days - they are mild and typically clear themselves up. But in some unusual cases it can develop into necrotizing fasciitis. They infect flat layers of a membrane known as the fascia, which are connective bands of tissue that surround muscles, nerves, fat, and blood vessels. The infection also damages the tissues next to the fascia. Sometimes toxins made by these bacteria destroy the tissue they infect, causing it to die. When this happens, the infection is very serious and can result in loss of limbs or death. Advertisement

Haley said: 'As a paramedic I had learned about necrotizing fasciiitis but I had never seen a case.

'When I first saw the wound I felt mortified. I didn't understand how a wound like that could happen in such a short amount of time. It was like gangrene.

'It made me sick to think that this bacteria was eating my flesh and turning it black.

'I was shocked. I was afraid that if I survived I would be disfigured and unable to cope with the distorted body image.

'But if I hadn't gone to hospital that morning I would have been dead.'

She added: 'The disease has changed everything. I feel lucky to be alive but I often joke that I actually really did die because this is such a different life.

'I have lost the career I love and had to move two hours away to be closer to my family. I lost everything.'

Haley contracted the bug at around 3pm on October 7, 2013, at Indiana Downs Racing Track after a rider fell off his horse and had to be placed on a stretcher.

She said: 'Within four hours of getting down on my hands and knees to treat the patient I knew something was wrong.

'I had a ridiculous fever and I felt this indescribable pain coming from a small red mark on my leg. You wouldn't think it possible, but I felt like dying.

'It started out 2x3mm but within 12 hours the bacteria had eaten so much it was 12x14mm.

'I went home, took a shower and went to bed. But the next morning one of my best friends came over because it was her birthday.

'She told me I had to go straight to the hospital. I wasn't coherent.'

Haley was rushed to Johnson Memorial Hospital in Franklin, Indiana, where she was put on oxygen and later transferred to Methodist Hospital, Indianapolis.

'The rash was the size of a softball by that point,' Haley said.

'I had surgery to cut out anything that had been touched by the bacteria.

'The wound that was left was so big and deep you could stick a hand in it and not touch any of the other flesh. It was bad.

'I had six operations over a five-day period until all the bacteria was gone.'

Haley spent 64 days in hospital and lost 70lbs.

Bacteria in manure on the ground latched onto her skin leaving her with a tiny red rash which grew rapidly as it ate through her flesh. Pictured: Haley in hospital (left); her wound (right)

'I had a ridiculous fever and I felt this indescribable pain coming from a small red mark on my leg. You wouldn't think it possible, but I felt like dying,' Haley said. Pictured: When she was admitted to hospital (left); a few months after the infection first hit (right)

Since being discharged she has had to have further surgery to remove E.coli because the wound didn't close fully and got infected.

In March this year - after spending months in hospital - she underwent a radical colostomy to remove her gastrointestinal system to finally allow the wound to heal properly.

The operation crushed her kidneys and caused her heart to over work which made her body retain fluid and swell until she looked 'nine months pregnant'.

Haley has also developed a fear of people touching her after being repeatedly handled and having her wound treated by medics.

But she is beginning to feel stronger and plans to get a job working in the public sector in management or as a 911 dispatcher.

Haley, who is supported by her engineer partner Levi Holmes, 29, and father John Foust, 51, added: 'I'm feeling very optimistic about the future.

'I feel so lucky to be alive because I frequently see that a child has died or someone has had an amputation.

'I'm very very fortunate that that didn't happen.'

Now she's made it her mission to raise awareness about necrotizing fasciitis (NF) and has called for more research.

Haley, who is supported by her engineer partner Levi Holmes, 29, is beginning to feel stronger and plans to get a job working in the public sector in management or as a 911 dispatcher

In March this year - after spending months in hospital - she underwent a radical colostomy to remove her gastrointestinal system to finally allow the wound to heal properly

The disease is caused by a group of bacteria, with the most common being group A Streptococcus (group A strep), though Haley's was caused by E coli.

Around 700 to 1100 cases of necrotizing fasciitis caused by group A strep occur each year in the United States.

The bacteria infect layers of a membrane known as the fascia, the tissue that surrounds muscles, nerves, fat and blood vessels.

Sometimes, like in Haley's case, poisons and toxins made by these bacteria destroy the tissue they infect, causing it to die.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says: 'Necrotizing fasciitis is a serious bacterial skin infection that spreads quickly and kills the body's soft tissue.'

Prompt diagnosis and treatment is vital to stop the spread of the bug, which 'can become life-threatening in a very short amount of time'.

Mortality rates have been recorded as being as high as 73 percent, according to Medscape.
Patients were given deadly contaminated blood for at least five years after health officials became aware of the danger, damning documents reveal.

Newly unearthed minutes of meetings held in 1980 and 1981 show that officials consciously put patients at risk during a scandal which killed 2,000 people.

Scientists were so sure the blood was dangerous, they even planned to use victims as guinea pigs to develop a new test for hepatitis, say the papers, which are likely to play a central role in a major civil action to be lodged at the High Court today, in which 300 families of victims are suing the Government.

The minutes show officials knew at least 50 patients a year were becoming infected with hepatitis. Despite this, the supply of contaminated blood was not stopped until 1986.

Documents have found some patients were given deadly contaminated blood for at least five years (stock photo)

The contaminated blood scandal of the 1970s and 1980s centred on the use of clotting agents for patients with haemophilia.

They were given a product called Factor VIII, which was extracted from donors' blood.

The NHS was low on supplies, so Factor VIII was imported from the US, where it was often taken from high-risk groups including drug addicts, prostitutes and prisoners who had donated their blood for cash.

An estimated 7,500 people contracted hepatitis as a result, and many were also infected with HIV. Up to 2,000 died and others were left with severe health problems.

From 1990, the Daily Mail highlighted the plight of haemophiliacs infected, campaigning for them to receive compensation.

The scandal first came to light in the mid-1980s, when fears over the Aids epidemic in the US highlighted the dangers of contaminated blood transfusions. But the new documents, unearthed by the son of one of the victims, reveal scientists were aware of the problems well before this.

At an international haematology symposium in Glasgow in September 1980, experts were already predicting problems would emerge within a decade. Dr Howard Thomas, a liver expert, told the meeting: 'It is in ten years' time that we shall see the problems.

'Bearing in mind the proportion of the patients that are infected, or have persistent abnormal liver function tests  anything from 60 to 80 per cent  it will be an enormous problem when it happens.'

Scientists were so sure the blood was dangerous, they even planned to use victims as guinea pigs to develop a new test for hepatitis (stock photo)

Dr John Craske, a leading virologist, said he was particularly worried about 'non-A, non-B hepatitis'  a disease which eventually became known as hepatitis C. He told the meeting: 'There is a high risk from the use of Factor VIII or IX concentrate that the patients will contract non-A, non-B hepatitis, and a 20-30 per cent chance of resultant chronic hepatitis.'

Nine months later, in June 1981, the Government's blood transfusion research committee met in London. The meeting was attended by Dr Diana Walford, a senior official at the then Department of Health and Social Services (DHSS), who later became the Government's deputy chief medical officer. Again, scientists' awareness of the problem was clear. Officials were told cases of hepatitis were already being seen among patients treated with clotting products.

'Approximately 40-50 cases were reported per year out of a total of just over 2,000 patients treated with Factor VIII, IX concentrate or cryoprecipitate,' the minutes report.

The officials were so convinced that patients given these products would be infected by what would soon be known as hepatitis C, they proposed using them as trial subjects to develop a blood test.

'MY WIFE WILL BE ON HER OWN' Scandal: Mike Dorricott and daughter Ellie Mike Dorricott was just 47 when he died of liver failure. The father-of-two, a successful businessman from Surrey, was one of the 2,000 innocent victims of the contaminated blood scandal. Speaking shortly before his death in April 2015, he said: 'I won't be there for my wife and daughters. I won't get to walk them up the aisle. I won't be there to see their grandchildren. 'My wife will be on her own.' Mr Dorricott's death dated back to a hospital visit in his childhood. A mild haemophiliac, he was given Factor VIII to make his blood clot. That product, it later emerged, was tainted with hepatitis C  an incurable virus which attacks the liver. In Mr Dorricott's case, it was not until many years later that he became aware he had contracted the virus. A blood test in 1996, ordered by his doctor after he'd complained of fatigue, revealed that he was suffering from hepatitis C. 'Mike died peacefully, with all his family around him,' close friend Sue Threakall said. She added: 'He was a wonderful man, and they made sure he was told about all the people thinking about him and praying for him. He knew how much he was loved.' Advertisement

The minutes say: 'The DHSS were keen that a prospective study of patients undergoing elective treatment requiring concentrate should be undertaken... to provide a collection of well-documented sera and other specimens for use in the development of serological for non-A, non-B hepatitis.'

Dr Walford, 73, refused to discuss her recollections of the meeting when approached at her 1.5million home in London. She said: 'I will not be drawn into discussing it.' In 2010 and 2011, she twice refused to give evidence to the Penrose Inquiry, Scotland's official investigation into the scandal, saying 'the passage of time' meant she was 'not in a position to assist the inquiry'.

The attitude of officials is further exposed by the claims of a senior government medical adviser, who told the Daily Mail he repeatedly warned the DHSS about contaminated blood products.

The risk, he told officials, lay in the fact that each injection contained blood plasma from up to 3,000 people, some of whom would inevitably carry infections. The new evidence was found by Jason Evans, 27, whose father Jonathan died in 1993 with HIV and hepatitis C after being given contaminated blood products.

Mr Evans, a marketing consultant from Coventry, spent 12 months gathering thousands of documents through Freedom of Information requests and from the National Archives. He said: 'There has long been concern that there was the use of 'human guinea pigs'. This is the first time we have evidence that says it in black and white.'

The Department of Health said: 'We have sought to be fully transparent on this tragedy, and this government is continuing to work closely with those affected by infected blood while investing record support.

'We took steps to protect patients according to the best information then available.'
Want to have a brainy child? Then wait until you are over the age of 40  if you are a man at least.

For according to new U.S. research, the offspring of older dads  defined as over the age of 40  are more likely to be not just intelligent, but more focused on what interests them and less concerned about fitting in. The researchers looked at 15,000 pairs of twins and measured geek-like traits when they were 12.

They believe the findings may in part be due to the fact that geekiness is an inherited trait, and older fathers are more likely to be the type to be focused on their education and career.

Babies with older dads are more likely to be more intelligent and focused on what interests them

There are many benefits to older dads, adds Jeremy Davies, a health and social policy expert and spokesman of the Fatherhood Institute, a UK think-tank.

They tend to be more financially secure, sure of their decision to have a child and are emotionally settled.

All good news for the offspring of the likes of George Clooney, who recently became father to twins aged 55, and Mick Jagger, who became a dad for the eighth time at the grand old age of 73.

But it seems they were lucky to have conceived in the first place. For while we all know that a womans chance of conceiving drops with age, scientists this week found that the same may be true of men.

However scientists this week found that the men's chances of conceiving drop as they get older

The age of first-time fathers is rising  on average, British men first become a father at 33, four years older than 40 years ago. Now a U.S. study has suggested that men in their 40s had a significantly lower birth rate  researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Centre in Boston found that those aged 40 to 42 had an average birth rate of 46 per cent, compared with73 per cent for men aged 30 to 35.

Here we look at the findings on what this might mean for their offspring . . .

EARLY ARRIVALS

Older dads are more likely to have babies born before their due date, and that risk increases with paternal age, according to a study in the March 2005 issue of Epidemiology. The researchers thought this might be down to something called paternal placental effect.

Studies have shown that the fathers genes in the sperm carry the blueprint for the foetuss side of the placenta. Older sperm may carry a less perfect blueprint, so the placenta is less effective.

Being born pre-term has a range of implications for the childs health. They are more at risk of obesity, which also increases the chance of them developing cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

GENETIC MUTATIONS

The average dad aged 30 passes on 55 mutations  changes in the DNA in a gene  to his offspring, but this doubles by the time a man reaches 47.

These mutations can lead to Downs syndrome, sickle cell anaemia (a red blood cell disorder) and defects such as heart problems and cleft palate.

Downs syndrome becomes more likely if a father is older, says Christopher Barratt, a professor of reproductive health at the School of Medicine, University of Dundee. There is strong data for this, and the link is well established.

The average dad aged 30 passes on 55 mutations but this doubles by the time a man reaches 47

Research published in November 2005 found men over 50 were more than four times as likely to have a child with Downs as younger dads. This is one reason UK fertility clinics only normally accept sperm donations from men aged between 18 and 41. You want sperm from young, healthy men that hasnt had time to build up defects, says Dr Allan Pacey, professor of andrology at the University of Sheffield.

The risk of having a child with achondroplasia, a type of dwarfism, goes up from one in 15,000 to one in 1,923 if the father is 50.

AUTISM FACTOR

The exact cause of autism, which affects how people relate to others, is unknown but there may be a link to paternal age. A study published in 2006 in the Archives of General Psychiatry, found that children born to men over 40 had a six times higher risk of having autism compared with those born to men under 30.

Carol Povey, director of the National Autistic Societys Centre for Autism, says it is too early to draw conclusions.

A study published in 2006 found that children born to men over 40 had a six times higher risk of autism

Autism involves many factors, including genetics, the environment and the development of the brain, she says.

A number of studies suggest a parents age could be one of these factors. However, these studies are not definitive.

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), which leads to symptoms such as inattentiveness and hyperactivity, is also more common in the offspring of older fathers. A study published in JAMA in 2013 found that children born to men over 45 were 13 times more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD than children born to men aged between 20 and 24.

Researchers at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons found that men over the age of 50 are around three times more likely to father a child with schizophrenia compared with men aged 25 or under.

CANCER CONCERNS

Children conceived by men over 40 have a 14 per cent increased risk of childhood leukaemia, and a 70 per cent increased risk of brain tumours, according to studies. If the father is over 45, there is a threefold increase in the risk of a rare eye cancer called retinoblastoma.

This is based on historical epidemiological data which shows there may be a link between poor-quality older sperm with DNA damage and the development of these cancers, says Professor Barratt. However, the evidence is not easily repeated in a clinical setting, so we dont yet understand the mechanism for why these cancers would occur.

Meanwhile, the female children of older dads may be more at risk of developing breast cancer as adults, according to a U.S. study published in 2014.

Children conceived by men over 40 have a 14 per cent increased risk of childhood leukaemia

The daughters of men over the age of 40 have a 60 per cent higher risk of developing breast cancer.

And a team at the City of Hope National Medical Center in California, found that women born to a father whose age at her birth was 30 to 34 had a 25 per cent greater risk of developing endometrial (wombe) cancer than those born to a father aged 25 to 29, and were more at risk from breast cancer, too.

Lead researcher Dr Yani Lu said there seemed to be a relationship between older fathers and a higher risk of hormone-related cancers.

The reason is unclear, but it may be that decreased circulating hormone levels result in chromosome changes in sperm cells.

AND ON THE UP SIDE...

Children of older fathers may enjoy greater longevity. Thats because they are born with unusually lengthy telomeres  the protective ends that cap a strand of DNA.

In order to make new cells, DNA makes copies of itself and each time the telomeres are worn down a little. So the longer they are to start with, the more protection they give the DNA. And the longer your telomeres, the longer you tend to live.

The offspring of older fathers have longer telomeres in their sperm and white blood cells, according to a study which was published in 2012 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA.

Its interesting, but the length of telomeres does not alone determine when we will die, says Professor Barratt.

Environment and other factors have to be taken into account.
Poachers in northeastern states of India have found a lucrative business in selling an endangered species of lizards, wildlife campaigners have warned.

The area is already known for being a hub of tiger, rhino and elephant body parts trafficking - but poachers now appear to have moved onto the rare tokay gecko.

Each one - usually 40 centimeter long and weighing up to 200gm - is said to carry a multi-million price tag in the international market.

Local tribes are said to be trapping the tiny reptiles the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, among others

According to security agencies and wildlife officers working in the northeastern states, hundreds of locals are now selling tokay geckos to international wildlife traffickers, who smuggle them to centers of Chinese medicine across Asia.

The endangered lizard, which has been used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat conditions including cancer, asthma and diabetes, is in great demand in some Asian countries for its reported medicinal values.

Although wildlife experts and environmentalists say there is no scientific proof to substantiate the claims of medicinal benefits, the nocturnal tokay gecko has become hot property and a mature gecko can easily fetch up to Rs 70 lakh.

Some tokay geckos seized from poachers in India's northeast before they could be smuggled into Asia

The revelation came after officers of Indian Paramilitary force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) rescued seven tokay geckos, which are known as 'keko saap' in local parlance in the northeast.

Geckos are listed in Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, as a 'highly endangered animal'.

Taking action, officers arrested Anil lama, resident of Assam from Jalpaiguri.

'The man confessed that he was planning to sell lizards to an international racket of smugglers at the price of around Rs 4.90 crore. The tokay gecko has a great demand in the international smuggling market,' said a senior SSB official.

Local tribes are said to be trapping the tiny reptiles the states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, among others

The SSB personnel later handed over the arrested smuggler and returned the reptile to the forest official of Hamilton Range.

Tilottama Verma, chief of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB), told Mail Today that in the recent past security agencies have done many rescue operations. A sensitisation program of border forces has also helped in recognising the species and tracking the trading routes.

According to intelligence, the price for each living gecko reaches over Rs 70-80 lakh depending upon size and weight.

The rare tokay gecko is coming under increasing threat from poachers in India

This makes the animal too vulnerable and on many occasions, low weight geckos are thought to have been injected with mercury to make them heavier despite the metallic chemical killing the animal within couple of days.

While native to Asia and some Pacific Islands, the species has also been found in northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia, and to western New Guinea in Melanesia.

Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. It is an invasive species in the Florida Keys and increasing urbanisation is reducing its range.

Dried Tokay gecko Beijing Donghuamen Night Market in China, where the reptiles are often used in traditional medicine

Experts say local tribes are poaching the endangered lizard and then handing them over to middle men or transporters who then smuggle them to international criminals through porous Indian borders.

It is a challenge for security agencies to track trafficking of small reptiles as boarders are not fenced and there is daily trade among the locals.

Sniffer dogs of SSB have an important role in checking illegal smuggling of lizards.

Lourembam Biswajeet, who heads the People for Animals (PFA) organisation in the Manipur capital Imphal, says that the geckos are trapped in different parts of Manipur, before they are sent out along the network to traffickers in Myanmar and further transported to Thailand.

'Local tribes are raiding the hilly forests of Manipur that have an abundant populace of the lizard species. We have managed to rescue 85 tokay geckos in past,' Biswajit told Mail Today.

The lizard's native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey

Geckos have now become an important subject of study in space research and studies are conducted to replicate the unique adhesive ability of its feet. This can help in capturing free floating uncontrollable space debris which threaten the expensive spacecraft and satellites.

Additionally, there is ongoing research to use the gecko's adhesive characteristic to develop medical tape to substitute post operative suturing, stapling or even pasting for wound closures. This can ensure better cosmetic appearance and health of the skin with a less visible scar.

While the overall volume of the gecko trade is not clearly known, last year, global wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC estimated that Indonesia alone had been exporting 1.2 million dried tokay geckos annually and that in recent years Taiwan has imported 15 million geckos from different countries.

TRAFFIC also warned that the wild population of the tokay gecko in Southeast Asia was in grave danger, as it is hunted to meet demand in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Now, to meet international demand, gecko trappers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh have joined the trafficking chain.

According to wildlife experts, the trappers are active in the Indian states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, among others.
Two months after Maoists unleashed one of the worst bloodbaths on security forces, killing 25 CRPF troopers at Burkapal in Chhattisgarh, an internal report of the paramilitary force has called the incident an 'intelligence failure'.

The report accessed by Mail Today blamed Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Sukma SP for failing to provide intelligence inputs to DIG (operations) or to the 74 Battalion, whose men were butchered.

Intelligence inputs were general in nature and unrelated to Burkapal, the report claims. It says in the aftermath of the Bheji ambush that occurred on March 11, the CRPF DIG (operations) had cautioned and alerted troops including those of 74 battalion of similar tactics on the Dornapal-Jagargonda stretch. Remedial measures were also suggested.

Injured soldiers in the deadly attack in Burkapal village in Chhattisgarh in April

A senior CRPF officer on condition of anonymity said: 'We make case studies of such incidents, and send them to troops in the respective zones, so that mistakes are not made in the future.'

The report also gives an insight into the carefully crafted attack by the Naxals. Hours before the attack, a smokescreen of normalcy was created with local villagers celebrating a festival in the intervening night of April 23-24.

The report says: 'Music was played and villagers danced the whole night. It was done to create an illusion and complacence in troops that everything was normal. But on the day of the attack, the whole village (Burkapal) was deserted... They missed this vital fact.'

An internal paramilitary force report has now claimed that troops failed to spot clues that an attack was imminent

Many other vital signs were also missed, such as reports that unknown people were seen doing a recce of the area by villagers, it's claimed.

Intriguingly, the BSNL towers stopped functioning 24 hours before the attack and came to life after the attack was over, hinting at a conspiracy angle.

The report goes on to say that the Maoists prepared 'very thoroughly' for the attack. To cut off the flow of information, they murdered an ex-sarpanch named Dula, branding him a police informer, and warned others against talking to the CRPF.

People stopped giving information to the force and Maoists began to send their cadre in civilian clothes in the area to note the CRPF's numerical strength, weaponry, positions and routes.

Following this, the Maoists prepared their own cadre and supporting Jan Militia and Sangham members for the attack. About 70- 80 Maoists and 150 Jan Militia were trained extensively.

The Maoists waited for three days as the CRPF did not go venture in the ambush area. An hour before the attack, a woman, disguised as a mahua picker, passed through the troops, though the mahua season had ended a week before.

After some time, a man in civvies with his face painted passed through. The troops asked him to come to them, but he said he needed to defecate and ran away.

These were some other vital signs the troops missed, the report alleged.
Cong leader Shehzad Poonawalla (above) has demanded a law against lynching

The Prime Minister might have exhorted against lynching in the name of gau raksha, but rights activists want a law to be legislated in the matter.

In the wake of the killing of Hafiz Junaid and the consequent Not In My Name protests, the National Campaign Against Mob Lynching has drafted a bill.

They've called it the 'Manav Suraksha Kanoon' (MASUKA) and a draft is set to be unveiled on July 7.

Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla said: 'We are consulting people from a wide spectrum of professions for drafting the law. We want the law to be bipartisan and the Parliament to pass it.

'It shall apply to all states, whether they are ruled by BJP or other parties. In fact, we are in touch with several RSS leaders on the matter.'

Poonawalla's brother's driver was beaten up by a mob under Malviya Nagar Police Station.

Protests against a rise in lynching have been spreading across India recently

Protesters hold placards against a spate of violent attacks across the country targeting the country's Muslim minority, in Mumbai last week

'He is Hindu. But this shows a broader culture of mob violence is brewing in the country and very soon, it would not be confined to religious identities alone,' he said.

Last month, a Muslim teenager was stabbed to death by an angry mob, who suspected he was carrying beef - an offence in many parts of the Hindu-majority country.

Junaid Khan, 15, was travelling from New Delhi on Friday June 23 with three of his brothers when a fight erupted over seats.

Crowds of students hold placards stating, 'Muslim lives matter; all lives matter'

Last Friday, about 20 men attacked four Muslims on a train in the outskirts of New Delhi, fatally stabbing a teenager and seriously injuring two others

Between 15 and 20 men allegedly pulled out knives and set upon the brothers while making anti-Muslim comments and insisting one of the packets they were carrying contained beef.

While Khan was stabbed to death, his brother Shakir sustained injuries to his throat, chest and hands, police said.

The incident is the latest such attack by Hindu vigilantes in India, where there have been a spate of assaults against Muslims and low-caste Dalits.

In the last two years, nearly a dozen Muslim men have been killed across the country on suspicion of eating beef or smuggling cows.

Citizens hold placards during a silent protest Not in My Name against the targeted lynching, at Janter Manter in New Delhi on Wednesday

People gather to protest against a spate of violent attacks across the country targetting the country's Muslim minority, in Kolkata, India

Critics say vigilantes have been emboldened by the election in 2014 of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Hindu right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party.

On Wednesday last week, thousands of Indians gathered in several cities to protest the recent violent attacks across the country targeting minority Muslims.

Carrying placards saying 'Not in my name,' the protesters decried the silence of the Hindu nationalist government in response to public lynchings and attacks on at least a dozen Muslim men and boys since it took power.

Last year Modi criticised the cow protection vigilantes and urged a crackdown against groups using religion as a cover for committing crimes.

BJP politician among those arrested after meat trader 'lynching'

A local BJP leader was among two people arrested, while another surrendered in court in connection with the lynching of a meat trader in Ramgarh district in Jharkhand recently.

Nityanand Mahato, the BJP leader, and Santosh Singh, were arrested. Another accused, Chhotu Rana, surrendered.

A 40-year-old meat trader was beaten to death by a mob on Thursday on suspicion that he was carrying beef in his vehicle. The mob had also set the vehicle on fire.
The buzz of midterm polls in Delhi is reaching a crescendo with the Election Commission (EC) tightening the noose around 29 legislators of the ruling Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in office-of-profit cases.

Scenting an opportunity, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has mobilised its cadre and kicked off a mass-contact Vistarak programme as well as a drive to enroll new voters.

A revamp of its city unit is also in the offing to further strengthen the organisation. Sources said the BJP is expecting the dismissal of 21 AAP MLAs appointed as parliamentary secretaries.

Many believe that the writing has been on the wall since the BJP's massive victory in the MCD polls

Also, eight other legislators of the ruling party are staring at disqualification under office-of-profit rules for being appointed chairpersons of Rogi Kalyan Samitis (RKSs), or patient welfare committees, in various Delhi government hospitals.

A source said at least half-a-dozen AAP legislators are already in touch with the BJP since the latter's massive victory in April in the MCD polls. They have expressed willingness to switch sides, but the BJP is yet to decide, insiders said.

Former AAP MLA from Bawana, Ved Prakash, has already joined the BJP and has been fielded as the party's candidate for the bypoll in the seat.

Office of profit A number of countries including India forbid lawmakers from accepting an office of profit under the executive as a means to secure the independence of the legislature and preserve the separation of powers.

BJP leaders during the partys door-to-door campaign

What adds credence to the speculation of snap polls is that AAP has also asked its legislators to visit their constituencies more frequently and interact with voters apart from publicising achievements of the government.

Even chief minister Arvind Kejriwal has made at least four visits to his New Delhi assembly constituency in the last one month.

On Sunday evening, he interacted live with Delhi's volunteers through Facebook.

A party source said the AAP chief held a number of get-togethers on Eid to reach out to Muslim voters.

'The political uncertainties in Delhi definitely point towards the likelihood of early elections. We have to be well-prepared for any eventuality. Even as mid-term polls are uncertain, we are geared up for by-elections in nearly a third of Delhi,' said a BJP leader.

Delhi BJP president Manoj Tiwari said this is the most favourable time for expansion of the party through mass outreach programmes.

'Since June 23, our vistaraks are out in the field. They have been tasked with strengthening BJP's ground in Delhi, adding over 1.5 lakh new members to the party,' he said.

BJP general secretary in Delhi Rajesh Bhatia told Mail Today that 9,227 vistaraks have been deployed across the city, covering all 13,200 polling booths.

'They are assisted by nearly 46,000 BJP workers at booth levels,' he said.

Each vistarak has been asked to get at least 50 new BJP members. The programme would conclude on July 6. The party along with the state election commission has also launched a campaign to enroll new voters in the Capital.

Kejriwal (left) and Manoj Tiwari are fighting for control of India's capital

'While the state election commission is undertaking summary revision of voter list from July 1 to July 30, the BJP has formed two teams of booth level agents at Assembly and booth levels to facilitate maximum enrollments of new voters. The committees will be headed by former BJP MLA Subhash Sachdeva,' Tiwari said.

Also, in an apparent attempt to prepare ground for his son Atul Mukhi, former Delhi MLA and current lieutenant governor of Andaman and Nicobar Jagdish Mukhi interacted with residents of Janakpuri and introduced his son to the voters.

The Delhi BJP has also begun the hunt for new faces in the state unit; a move aimed at improving the functioning of the party and redrawing future strategy.

City BJP president Manoj Tiwari has sought a list of 50 BJP leaders including former office bearers and those sidelined in the party in recent times, said sources.
India and Israel have been sharing strategic ties since the 1990s but for political reasons, officials of both countries have preferred to keep them under wraps - but not any more.

National security adviser Ajit Doval, during his visit to Israel in March this year, prepared the groundwork for robust and more open ties between the two powerhouses in the fields of terrorism and security.

During the visit, Doval met Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his counterpart Brig Gen (retd) Jacob Nagel to further enhance ties between the two nations.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the first ever Indian PM to visit Israel

'It was during this visit that the two sides covered a lot of ground and moved towards coming out in the open with their strategic ties and do away with the veil of secrecy,' a senior government official said.

India's relations with Israel have made steady progress since the two countries established diplomatic relations 25 years ago in January 1992, irrespective of the party in power in New Delhi, but a Prime Ministerial visit to the tiny Middle-eastern country has been long-awaited.

Israel has made grand preparations for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stay starting Tuesday. In his visit, Doval extensively discussed the menace of terrorism that has badly affected both India and Israel and this would be the topmost priority in Modi's agenda during discussions with his counterpart.

Although the countries enjoy strong ties, Narendra Modi becomes the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel when he arrives on Tuesday

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who Indian PM Modi will meet in Israel on Tuesday

'Both Prime Ministers have taken hard stands against terror and have always urged humanitarian forces to unite and uproot all forms of terror, extremism and radicalisation,' the official said.

Top government officials said the visit would be keenly watched by terrorist groups operating in the region as they 'surely fear the closing of ranks of strong leaders in this direction'.

The meeting comes after Modi's US visit where he met President Donald Trump and achieved a diplomatic victory after the US designated Sayyed Salahuddin as a global terrorist. It is learnt that during his Israel visit, Modi will also pay tributes to Indian soldiers who fought there in WWI.

It's claimed that it was during a visit of minister Ajit Doval to Israel that the two countries agreed to come out in the open about strategic ties

'A plaque to honour Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, who led the Jodhpur Lancers will be unveiled during the Prime Minister's visit. Jodhpur Imperial Service Lancers, supported by Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers, as part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade, captured Haifa in September 1918,' the official said.

Modi would also visit the Hall of Names and Hall of Remembrance to honour the victims of the Holocaust and the Israel museum which houses collections of Jewish heritage.

Apart from defence and security, other focus areas would be trade, economy, security, agriculture, disaster management, irrigation and water management.

Since late 1990s, Israel has emerged as a strong security partner of India offering complex missile technology and ammunition for armed forces. India recently cleared a massive deal worth over Rs 17,000 crore for developing Medium Range Surface-to-Air Missile(MR-SAM) for the Army.
The National Green Tribunal (NGT) on Monday asked the Haryana government and real estate firm Bharti Land - a sister company of telecom giant Airtel - to explain why more than 7,000 trees were felled over 52 acres of the environmentally sensitive Aravalli hills.

A dense cover of mesquite trees was cleared over the Eid weekend last month for developing a housing society in village Sarai Khawaja of Faridabad.

This happened even as a hearing was due in the green court on the issue on July 3.

The National Green Tribunal want to know why more than 7,000 trees were felled

Real estate firm Bharti Land are a sister company of telecom giant Airtel

A bench headed by Justice Jawad Rahim asked for a reply to be filed by July 5, ordering the next hearing on the same date.

However, it did not stay the construction of the project. Only 3.6 per cent of Haryana's land is under forest cover and the government had said previously that it wants to increase it through forestation in the Aravallis.

A battery of senior lawyers defended Bharti Land in the NGT on Monday and claimed that a huge campaign begun by activists against this deforestation is giving a bad name to the prestigious company.

It is developing a township in the area, reportedly, called 'Delhi Ridge'.

The petition in the NGT was filed by a former army man, Lt Gen (retd) Sarvadaman Oberoi, and a campaign has been launched on change.org called 'Restore 52-acres of felled forest. Keep real-estate out of the entire Aravalli zone', addressed to the founder and chairman of Bharti Enterprises, Sunil Bharti Mittal, and Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar apart from senior forest officers.

The trees are missing from 52 acres of the environmentally sensitive Aravalli hills

The plea alleged that the state government granted permission to two companies for felling trees without obtaining forest clearance under the provisions of the Forest (Conservation) Act, 1980.

These are Bharti Land Limited and Ajay Enterprises. It says the area is recorded as 'gair mumkin pahad' (land unfit for cultivation), forms part of the Aravalli hills and deemed forest.

The counsel appearing for the state government, however, said the petition was not maintainable and liable to be dismissed on the ground that it was based only on letters written by the forest department.

Senior advocate Pinaki Misra, appearing for Bharti Land Limited, said the nod given to the real estate firm clearly states that 'permission to fell/transplant trees/shrubs/bushes is accorded in terms of stated conditions as prescribed by the government.'

He said the realty firm is ready to give an undertaking to comply with the conditions stipulated in the permission by the government and termed the plea as 'forum shopping of worst kind.'

Activist Vivek Kamboj said the two firms had approached the divisional forest officer of Faridabad, seeking permission for felling approximately 1,000 trees on the land acquired by them and measuring 52.2991 acres.

The deputy conservator of forests of Faridabad wrote to the conservator of forests, south circle, Gurugram on September 30, 2015, that such permission cannot be granted as it forms part of the Aravallis, which are ecologically sensitive.

However, in another letter dated April 24, the additional chief secretary of the forest department wrote to the principal chief conservator of forests, directing him to grant necessary approval for felling of mesquite trees to Bharti Land Ltd.

Only in May, the Haryana forest department hastily withdrew an order, exempting kikar and mesquite, the predominant tree species across its Aravalli Range, from the purview of the Punjab Land Preservation Act 1990, which prohibits 'cutting (or) setting on fire of trees.'

The government admitted that the order was 'mistaken.'
In what's widely deemed to be an aggressive move, China has deployed a submarine in the Indian Ocean Region - as the month long stand-off in the Doklam plateau between the Indian and Chinese People's Liberation Army continues.

Wading through the Indian Ocean now is a Yuan class  conventional diesel electric  submarine which is better that the ageing Indian Sub. And this is not the first, but the seventh submarine to be deployed in the area.

The submarine is being supported by Chinese Naval Ship (CNS) Chongmingdao  the Chinese Navy's submarine support vessel.

China has deployed a Yuan class submarine in the Indian Ocean, in what is widely seen as an aggressive move

Indian assets picked up the submarine entering the Indian Ocean Region recently.

The Indian Navy has underlined the heightened Chinese People's Liberation Navy activity in the Indian Ocean Region to South Block.

Chinese warships and submarines in Indian Ocean Region appeared three years ago 2013-14  ostensible for anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

But from a modest beginning of a flotilla of just three warships  two destroyers and a support ship  in 2013 and 2014, more and more Chinese warships are prowling in the waters around India.

It is the seventh submarine belonging to the Chinese People's Liberation Army to be deployed in the area (photo for representation only)

Recently, Indian satellites and naval assets have picked up at least 14 Chinese Navy warships in the Indian Ocean Region.

These include the latest Luyang-III or the Kunming class stealth destroyers. Armed with surface-air and long range missiles the Chinese warships are projecting power far away from the Beijing's backyard but in India's immediate vicinity.

The silver lining  India is constantly monitoring the movement of Chinese warships courtesy Indian satellites and long range maritime surveillance platforms.

The Indian Navy's long range surveillance platforms like the US made P81 has been watching and recording movements of the Chinese Navy in the Indian Ocean.

Chinese and Indian troops pictured at the Nathu La border crossing between the two countries, where tensions have also recently flared

'Over the years, we have augmented our capabilities manifold. More force multipliers are being added. We have the region covered as well,' a senior officer told Mail Today.

The first Chinese nuclear submarine was picked up in December 2013. The Shang Class  a nuclear propelled submarine - was deployed for almost three months in the waters around India till February 2014.

It was followed by Song Class  diesel electric  submarine for another three months between August and December 2014. The Song Class followed by another nuclear vessel  a Han Class nuclear submarine.

PILGRIMS ALLOWED INTO INDIA China on Monday said it would continue to allow Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar through the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand, days after it closed the Nathu La route in Sikkim over a face-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Sino-Indian border. 'The Nathu La route has been running well over two years and the relevant Chinese departments have already made arrangements before the incident took place,' Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said. 'Due to illegal entry of Indian troops and out of security concern, we have suspended the activity (through Nathu La). 'Its resumption depends on whether Indian side will correct its mistake or not. 'Regarding the other pass to Tibet, the entry by Indian pilgrims is still going on and the pass is located in the middle section of China-India boundary where there is no dispute. The pilgrimage is going on,' Geng said. The Nathu La route is the second one opened by China for the Indian pilgrims to visit Kailash and Mansarovar areas located at an altitude of 15,160 feet in Tibet. Advertisement

Last year China deployed a nuclear submarine  a Han Class Nuclear submarine  and a conventional submarine respectively. These boats were snooped around the Indian Ocean for over six months.

The Yuan class submarine detected by the Indian Navy this year is first the submarine to be sent to the Indian Ocean Region in 2017. Worryingly for India, the increased warship deployment goes hand in hand with the deployment of Hydrographic, Oceanographic vessels and spy-ships in the Indian Ocean to map the sea bed.

Bathymetric data among other things detail how currents and noise behave at particular depth, the lay of the ocean floor are critical for submarine deployments.

Top sources told India Today that Chinese Naval Ship Haiwngxing - spy ship - entered the Indian Ocean this month.

The spy ship equipped with sophisticated equipment is deployed to collect electronic intelligence among other things. It is capable of honing on electronic signals which can be returned to China for analysis.

New Delhi has been told that the spy ship is the Indian Ocean region to monitor the annual tri-lateral India-USJapan naval exercise  Malabar that starts on July 7.

The same ship was used to spy on previous Indo-US Naval exercises. submarine

Beijing hits back at India comment on 1962 situation

Arun Jaitley's statement got a reaction from China

Responding to defence minister Arun Jaitley's statement to India Today saying 'India in 2017 is different from 1962', Beijing retorted on Monday that 'to some extent, he is right in saying India in 2017 is different from India in 1962, just like China is also different'.

China's statement came as it stepped up its claims on India 'trespassing' at Sikkim border. On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that India was 'using the excuse of Bhutan's interests to infringe upon China's territory' and suggested India had sent its troops into Bhutan without the latter's permission.

'The Bhutan side does not know previously that Indian troops entered Doklam which is not in line with what India claims,' said spokesperson Geng Shuang, contradicting India's Friday statement that the Royal Bhutan Army had on June 16 protested the PLA's construction activities in Doklam, with the Indian Army two days later supporting Bhutan and asking China to stop altering the status quo.

China's foreign ministry also said that Jawaharlal Nehru 'explicitly recognised' the 1890 Sikkim-Tibet treaty that Beijing is now citing to back its territorial claims.

In the very same March 22, 1959 letter, Nehru also reminded China of an 1842 treaty on Ladakh and the drawing of the McMahon line in Simla in 1914, which aren't recognised by China.

Citing the 1890 convention which fixes the India-China- Bhutan trijunction at Gipmochi, far south of where India and Bhutan do, the Foreign Ministry said the 'illegal trespass of border troops goes against convention and is against basic principles of the UN Charter and international laws'
It seems that wedding crashers in India are getting younger and younger.

Barely 800 km from Delhi, three villages in Rajgarh district of Madhya Pradesh - Gul Kheri, Sulkheri and Kadiya - are on Delhi Police's radar.

Residents lease their children, in the 9-15 age group, on yearly contracts to the infamous Band Baja Barat gang that carries out thefts at grand marriage functions in the Capital.

A total of Rs 8 lakh worth of gifts given to brides by the guests were recovered (file pic)

The written or verbal contract is carried out between the syndicate and the village heads.

A short crash course is provided to the kids so they can lift bags and steal valuables from the venues of lavish weddings, police said.

After the kingpin of the gang was arrested by the Delhi Police, on Monday a team comprising 12 to 15 members went to the area in MP to apprehend the children and the parents involved in this illicit business.

But cops are finding it difficult to arrest them despite having identified half-a-dozen juvenile offenders.

The three villages with a population of around 4,500 have around 600 houses that have become hubs of criminal activities.

Apart from leasing the children to gangs, locals are also allegedly involved in robberies, kidnappings and other offences in the neighbourhood.

The police teams of Delhi's southwest district that had gone to these villages after identifying the children who stole valuables from weddings in Delhi are unable to conduct raids in the area, sources close to the investigation said.

Delhi Police have arrested the kingpin of the gang, Raka (centre), and recovered Rs 4 lakh in cash, gold and silver jewellery from him

Delhi Police have arrested Raka (32), the kingpin of the Band Baja Barat gang and recovered Rs 4 lakh in stolen cash, gold and silver jewellery as well as other gifts given to the bride by the guests, worth around Rs 8 lakh, officers said on Sunday.

CCTV videos helped identify six to seven children involved in the thefts.

Speaking to Mail Today, a member of a Delhi Police team in Rajgarh said, 'The children and their parents are well aware of human rights issues.

'They have a tie-up with a few advocates who have taught them the loopholes to save themselves if the police conduct a raid.

'These lawyers charge them money for each raid. Whenever police reach these houses to nab the culprits, they inflict injuries on themselves and allege that the cops have beaten them up.

'Sometimes, the adults drop their children from the first floor, alleging atrocities by police.'

Another senior officer said even the local police is afraid to conduct raids in these three villages as the men and women consume alcohol and misbehave with the cops.

The village heads who act as conduits between the gangs and locals also get their share of money for every deal, the Delhi Police teams say.

The Band Baja Barat gang picks good-looking and smart children in the 9-15 age group. It brings them to Delhi and keeps them in rented accommodations.

The syndicate has its network across the Capital and is aware of all the lavish weddings taking place.

The children are leased for Rs 2 lakh to Rs 9 lakh depending on their skills. Once a kid is auctioned, the money is handed over to the parents in two or more instalments and the child is hired for one year.

After being brought to Delhi, the children undergo training for a month on how to commit thefts at weddings and how to mingle with the people at the venue.

A kid is also made mentally and physically tough not to divulge his identity and that of his gang members in case he is arrested.

He is also instructed to put on pretty clothes to attend the function and also eat the snacks to dispel any suspicion.

The gang comprises adult men and women as well who usually stay in rented houses and drop the children off at functions and sometimes wait outside on three-wheelers and motorcycles.

The women take care of the kids like their own. The real parents are regularly informed about the children's well-being.
As Prime Minister Narendra Modi visits Israel, a country with a landmass of just 20,000 sq km, most of the hype is centred around Israel's ability to stand for itself in a hostile neighbourhood.

The visit, coming as it does after the PM's trips to Russia and the US, has added significance due to the close defence interaction between the two nations; the defence relationship is special due to the support given by Israel in times of India's needs.

Cooperation

With the first ever Indian participation in an air exercise with the Israeli Air Force also round the corner, an assessment of Indo-Israeli relations, especially on air power and defence-related procurement, is in order.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi greets Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu

Unstinted support to the Arab and Palestinian cause governed India's public posture till the 1990s.

This, however, did not stop behind-the-scenes contacts and the intelligence agencies of the two countries, Mossad and RAW, have continued close cooperation.

Declassified documents show that Israel supplied arms in the 1962 India-China war and the 1965 India-Pakistan war, and Israeli defence minister Moshe Dayan made an incognito visit in 1977 to discuss defence cooperation.

After the September 1985 meeting between then PM Rajiv Gandhi and the then Israeli Premier in New York, defence cooperation came over ground.

Currently, of the total arms imports of India, Israel is third (7.9 per cent) after Russia (68.29 per cent) and the US (14.5 per cent).

What is significant, however, is that many of the imports from Israel are high technology items, which have been denied by other nations, with air power assets being very significant.

The three Phalcon AWACS aircraft are the most valuable of all acquisitions and are the backbone of India's integrated air defence.

Unmanned Aerial Vehicles come next, and almost 200 Searcher and Heron birds are doing intelligence and reconnaissance work along the borders and in the Maoist-affected areas.

It is a measure of trust between the two nations that the sale of Heron TP armed UAV has been agreed upon, something that even the Americans have denied India at this stage, despite the 'strategic' tag to the India-US relationship.

The Harop UAV, which homes on to radars and other electronic emitters, has not been talked about much, but has been a potent arrow in the IAF's inventory for years; Harpey, its advanced version, will soon follow.

India is the first country in South Asia to own an AWACS, popularly called 'an eye in the sky'

It is no secret that Israeli Elint equipment serves as the eyes and ears of our intelligence agencies.

The extent of Indo-Israeli cooperation in R&D is exemplified by the joint Medium Range Surface to Air Missile System (MRSAM) while India's Ballistic Missile Defence, based on the Israeli Green Pine radar or a jointly developed long range tracking radar, is a pointer to engagement on strategic programmes.

Technology

However, India needs seeker and imaging technology, which is elusive.

Indian industry can learn from the ingenuity of their R&D, as Israeli firms have bagged innumerable aircraft upgrade projects despite the host aircraft being of Russian or Western origin.

Cooperation in space has been ongoing quietly and Israel has used ISRO's launch vehicles for some of its satellites.

With ISRO's leadership in commercial launches, it is time that more business is garnered from Israel.

Indian Air Force (IAF) officers and crew of the Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aeroplane

How can this import-dependent relationship be put to India's advantage? The answer lies in using the Make-in-India initiative innovatively.

When one considers the three services in totality and home land security acquisitions (night vision, carbines, et al), the figures are indeed phenomenal.

While there are some joint ventures on ground and a factory in Madhya Pradesh to manufacture Israeli assault rifles, the multitude of forthcoming contracts should act as enablers for technology acquisition and employment generation.

Also of interest is the role of small, but technologically advanced, start-ups in the Israeli defence sector that constitute Tier-II and Tier-III suppliers in the international defence supply chain - they can serve as models for our Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs).

Realpolitik

In the world of realpolitik nothing comes for free, and this is true for Indo-Israeli relations as well. However, the political environment cannot be more enabling than the one prevailing now.

The governing dispensations in the two nations have an ideological pull towards each other and the trials and tribulations of the modern Israeli nation have many admirers in India.

There is another connect, that of the Jewish emigres from India. The presence of the Indian diaspora in Israel, in a manner of speaking, can only strengthen the relations between the two countries.

So, while the cooperation in the field of security and defence, seen through an economic prism, could serve as a catalyst, the real boost to more robust defence relations would come only from a strong political handshake.

All pointers indicate an upward trajectory and the visit of PM Modi to Israel should open a new chapter in Indo-Israeli relations.
Logan's Run, Blade Runner, The Terminator and other dystopian Hollywood films suggest that the rise of the machines is something that should be feared.

But in the world of finance, the robo-adviser is widely considered to be good news for those who have felt priced out of traditional investment advice - or who want to tap into new technology to invest.

A whole host of online investment firms have cropped up in recent years, offering to help you pick and manage a portfolio, meet your financial goals and make money - all for a 'modest' fee. And they have been become known as robo-advisers.

Robo-advisers offer investment solutions at a fraction of the cost of traditional finance advice given by flesh and blood humans.

Nutmeg is the most established robo in the UK and is a recognisable name to some Londoners, who have been exposed to the brand through its countless tube adverts.

MoneyFarm and Scalable Capital are arguably among its best known rivals, but there are many more and more robo-advice challengers are entering the fray regularly.

These services tend to be lumped under the bracket of robo-advice, but what do they actually do, how do you find the right one and do they really offer financial advice?

We look at a selection and what they do below.

>How to check the performance of your robo-adviser

What is a robo-adviser?

Robo-advisers - also called online wealth managers - are a collection of new digital investment firms, which have worked out low-cost ways to help individuals invest with the help of technology.

Instead of a person grilling an individual on every aspect of their finances, the robo-adviser typically offers an online risk profiling tool in the form of a questionnaire.

From the results of this, an algorithm then works out a suitable investment portfolio and recommends it - although customers tend to be free to adjust this if they want.

Charge comparison between some of the UK's robo platforms Robo-adviser Minimum investment Cost for lump sums under 100,000 Nutmeg 500 Fully Managed Portfolio: 0.75% up to 100k, 0.35% beyond.

Fixed Allocation Portfolio: 0.45% up to 100,000, 0.25% beyond.

Market spread costs: 0.08% on average.

Investment costs: 0.18%, 0.19% and 0.33% on the fixed allocation, fully managed and socially responsible investments respectively.

Telephone advice service: Scalable Capital 10,000 0.75% plus investment costs which averages 0.15%.

Telephone advice service: 200 fixed fee MoneyFarm 500 Up to 20,000: 0.70%.

20,000 - 100,000: 0.60%.

100,000 - 500,000: 0.50%.

500,001 and above: 0.40%.

Investment and market spread costs also apply, averaging 0.30% and 0.09% respectively. Wealthsimple 1 (5,000 for SRI portfolios 0.7% for sums under 100,000, 0.5% thereafter. Underlying fees ranging between 0.14% and 0.18% in standard portfolios and between 0.22% and 0.32% for SRI portfolios. IG Smart Portfolios 500 On the first 50,000: 0.65%.

50,000 - 250,000: 0.35%.

250,000 and above: 0.10%.

Investment and market spread costs also apply, averaging 0.20% and 0.06% respectively. evestor 1 The firm said its charges are always less than 0.53%. Of this, 0.35% goes to eVestor for advice, portfolio management, custody and administration of the underlying portfolios. The rest will go on fund costs, which range between 0.09% and 0.13%. Market spread costs averaging 0.04%.

MoneyBox 1 Subscription cost of 1 per month.

Annual fee of 0.45%.

Investment costs ranging between 0.13% and 0.30% depending on fund choice. Moola 50 A yearly flat fee of 0.75 per cent which is calculated on the average value of a customer's portfolio each month.

Investment costs: averaging 0.11% and 0.25% on standard and ethical portfolios respectively. Market spread costs averaging 0.03% (standard) and 0.04% (ethical) also apply. InvestEngine 2,000 Annual fee of 0.45%

Average fund and market spread costs around 0.2%. Wealthify 1 1 - 15,000: 0.7%

15,001 - 50,000: 0.6%

50,001 - 100,000: 0.5%

101,000+: 0.4%

Investment costs averaging 0.22% and also apply. Market spread costs average 0.07% EQ Investors 250 a month, or 1,000 lump sum Best Ideas, Income & Positive Impact portfolios 1.19% plus investment fees ranging 0.70% - 0.80%

'Low Cost' portfolio: 0.99% plus investment fees ranging 0.1% and 0.2%

These apply to sums up to 99,999. Netwealth 50,000 50,000 - 249,999: 0.65%

250,000 - 499,999: 0.50%

500,000+ - 0.35%

Investment fees averaging 0.30% and market spread cost averaging 0.05% also apply.

Advice is charged separately, at 125 per hour including VAT. ETFmatic 100 The firm charges 0.48% for investments up to 25,000 and 0.29% beyond that. Additional investment costs average 0.12%. Munnypot 25 a month or 250 lump sum Advice fees: one-off advice fee starting from 5. Monthly monitoring fee: starting from 42p a month. Platform fee: 0.11% (paid annually). Investment management fee: between 0.15% and 0.22% (paid annually). Wealth Horizon 100 monthly or 1,000 lump sum Initial advice charge of 0.25%. The ongoing charge is a maximum of 0.97% and this includes ongoing investment advice (0.5%), the administration fee (0.25%) and investment costs (averaging 0.22%).

The portfolio usually consists of passive investments that track certain indices, including exchange traded funds (ETFs), that don't require oversight by active managers and so are much cheaper to run.

One thing it's vital to note: robo-advice can be a misnomer.

This is not full-fat financial advice in most instances. Instead you may only get an investment portfolio building tool that helps you choose your investments.

Is this financial advice?

It's important to consider whether your chosen robo-adviser is offering financial advice.

In regulatory jargon, 'fully regulated financial advice' is when you get a specific personal recommendation, on the basis of evidence relating to your entire financial position. And it must be the most appropriate product for you.

Guidance means information provided to a customer that allows you to make your own informed decision on what product you want.

Robo-advisers cater to those who have been priced out of traditional advice offered by flesh and blood human advisers as a result of a well intentioned initiative by the city watchdog

Simplified advice (as if this was simple) is a halfway house between these two and typically refers to the 'advice' offered by these online services. They can recommend a product for you in the area you're talking to them about - but critically, this isn't based on your whole financial position.

It's a recommendation based only on the information you provide - in the case of most robo-advisers, your attitude to risk, loss and how much you have to invest among a few other things.

It won't consider the interplay between this, any savings you may or may not have and need to retain in cash, wealth you have contained in your home or other property, your pension or any debts you might have.

Are robos safe to use? The robo-advisers outlined here are FCA authorised so if one of them was to go bust, your investments would be protected up to the value of 50,000. This is not the same as savings compensation which protects your pot, as you could lose money if the investments fall in value. It also won't cover you if your investments just do badly. Each proposition uses encryption software to keep users' personal details safe.

In practical terms: an IFA is bound to look at the whole picture; a robo-adviser is normally just going to 'know' the bits you tell it.

That said, some robo-firms do offer fully regulated advice.

It is worth noting, however, that robos that do offer advice offer a solution from a limited pool of products and/or providers. This is known as restricted advice.

The alternative is independent advice where the adviser can provide advice and provide solutions on products and services from the whole of the market. They would need to provide unbiased and unrestricted advice based on a comprehensive and fair analysis of the market.

Does it matter what sort of advice I get?

Yes. If you take fully regulated advice or simplified advice and it turns out it was bad advice for you, you can make a claim against the adviser and are eligible for compensation from the Financial Services Compensation Scheme in the event the adviser is unable to pay.

Guidance doesn't offer this provision - you take responsibility for the investment decision you make and if it turns out to be a poor one (for example putting all your savings into one high risk stock that then goes under) you have to bear that loss yourself.

Not all propositions categorised as a robo-adviser offer financial advice - some can only buy and sell investments on behalf of the clients

Nutmeg - simplified advice

Nutmeg is arguably Britain's best known robo-adviser. It provides simplified investment advice by offering a solution based on the user's responses to an obligatory questionnaire at the beginning of the application process.

These questions aim to gauge your financial circumstances and attitude to investment risk.

Nutmeg also automatically reinvests any dividends and rebalances portfolios to stay in line with clients' risk preferences.

As a discretionary investment manager, the firm holds responsibility for the investment decision making and transactions.

Nutmeg is also piloting over-the-phone advice with real, fully-qualified financial advisers.

What do they invest in?

Nutmeg invests in equities, bonds and cash across different countries and sectors through ETFs.

What are ETFs? Exchange traded funds aim to mimic the performance of a particular market or index such as the FTSE 100, Like a traditional tracker their value is determined by whether or not the index rises or falls. But ETFs differ in that they are traded like individual stocks, on an exchange such as the London Stock Exchange and can be bought and sold through brokers in the same way as any other listed stock. You can also reach foreign markets that are sometimes out of reach of the ordinary investor.

It offers 15 different risk rated portfolios - of which 10 are designed and fully managed by its in-house investment team. The remaining five are packaged portfolios crafted by their investment team but with no ongoing strategic intervention. These fall within Nutmeg's fixed allocation proposition.

More recently, Nutmeg has added a suite of socially responsible investment portfolios to cater for a growing demand for such products. These portfolios levy a higher investment cost, averaging 0.33 per cent.

While the portfolios are not invested in active strategies, the basket of assets in its managed portfolio is actively managed by its investment team.

Is it advice?

It's simplified advice, so if you want full advice on your wealth, you'll need an IFA as well.

Typical customer

Nutmeg says the ages of its customers range from 18 to over 90, but its core client base is young investors. It also claims to have a higher proportion of female investors compared to traditional wealth managers.

What are the charges?

Fully managed portfolio: 0.75 per cent up to 100,000. 0.35 per cent thereafter.

Fixed allocation portfolio: 0.45 per cent up to 100,000. 0.25 per cent thereafter.



Investment costs average 0.18 per cent, 0.19 per cent and 0.33 per cent on the fixed allocation, fully managed and socially responsible investments respectively. Market spread costs average 0.08 per cent.

Telephone advice service: 350 fixed fee for a detailed recommendation and suitability report

Minimum Investment

100 for a Lifetime ISA or 500 with 100 monthly contribution for General and ISA pots. The Nutmeg pension has a minimum investment of 5,000.

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

Robo-advisers usually place investors into passive portfolios based on an algorithm

Scalable Capital - optional fully regulated financial advice

Scalable Capital flagship proposition is its online wealth manager which guides users to a solution based on their answers to a obligatory questionnaire. Crucially, financial advice - be it simplified or 'full fat' - is not offered here.

But the firm also offers an optional traditional advice conducted over the phone by qualified financial advisers.

What do they invest in?

The firm's investment strategy is a half way house between passive and active management. It invests in a host of assets through 17 passive ETF strategies but its in-house investment team actively tinkers with the firm's suite of 23 risk rated portfolios to reflect market conditions.

Is it advice?

As mentioned before, the firm's digital offering isn't advised. It has permission called 'managing investments' which means they are responsible for the full management of clients' account but, crucially, this is not financial advice.

Prospective clients are required to complete a questionnaire designed to broach vital investment considerations such as attitude to risk and investment time horizon.

This information is fed into algorithms which churn out a range of portfolios that fall within in their personal risk spectrum. It's then up to the individual to choose what option to take.

The advice delivered through the firm's telephone advice service is fully regulated financial advice as you'd get a personal recommendation - albeit from a limited pool of products.

Typical investor?

The average customer is 46 years old and invests 35,000. The firm claims that 25 per cent of the robo's clientele work in finance, and more than 50 per cent have jobs in the technology sector or roles where number crunching is vital.

What are the charges?

Digital wealth manager: Scalable Capital levies a fixed fee of 0.75 per cent plus the total cost of investments which currently averages at 0.15 per cent.

Telephone advice service: The firm doesn't charge for an initial consultation, but levies 200 fixed fee for a detailed recommendation and suitability report.

Minimum investment?

10,000

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

Some robo-advisers allow users to set up an account for a nominal fee of 1

Moneyfarm - fully regulated financial advice

Moneyfarm is an Italian export that has found its way to UK soil. It boasts more than than 27,000 active investors and is well backed having secured close to 60 million in capital.

What do they invest in?

Like many of its rivals, Moneyfarm invests in a range of assets including equities, bonds and commodities through ETFs.

The number of assets scale alongside the investor's capital so if they invest up to 50,000, their portfolio will contain up to seven funds. But if a customer invests over 50,000, they would have up to 14.

All Moneyfarm portfolios are monitored by a team of experts that make up its investment committee. They track performance against investors' goals to ensure they stay on track, rebalancing them whenever necessary based on forecast market conditions.

Is it advice?

Yes - fully regulated advice. It provides personal recommendations based on users' unique personal circumstances. Moneyfarm also offers a discretionary service, so its investment team makes decisions to buy and sell your investments on your behalf.

At the beginning of the online journey, customers are asked a series of questions to determine their knowledge, experience, risk appetite and objectives - among other factors.

Interestingly, the firm's algorithms measure users' appetite for risk and combine this with other psychological characteristics that they claim influence people's relationship with investments - such as anxiety and confidence.

Investors are then assigned to one of their six risk rated portfolios.

The firm also boasts a suitability algorithm, through its 'Advice Centre', which ensures that you're always matched with the right investment portfolio, every time you make an update to your goals or situation, or every month, whichever comes first.

You can then edit your portfolio settings every six months, or your investor profile once a year, at no extra cost.

Typical investor

The average investor is 37 and has contributed 15,000 to their investment account. They also kicked off the investment process with a small lump sum but subsequently make regular contributions. Just 20 per cent of its clientele are women.

What do they charge?

Moneyfarm operates a tiered fee structure:

0 - 20,000: 0.70 per cent

20,000 - 100,000: 0.60 per cent

100,000 - 500,000: 0.50 per cent

500,001 and above: 0.40 per cent

Investment costs averages 0.30 per cent.

Minimum investment

500

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

Wealthsimple

Wealthsimple, which launched to the UK market in September 2017, adopts a hybrid approach of technology blended with human advice.

It offers regulated financial advice primarily through its online service, but users also have the option to speak with a human investment adviser, no matter how much they have invested with Wealthsimple and at no additional cost.

What do they invest in?

Wealthsimple invests in shares and bonds through passive funds.

Each of its portfolios includes between 10 and up to 15 funds and each one represents a specific market.

Wealthsimple also offers socially responsible investing (SRI), using a range of global SRI ETFs that are screened and weighted for environmental, social and governance factors, as well as for performance.

Wealthsimple is authorised by the FCA to provide investment advice and discretionary portfolio management

Is it advice?

Wealthsimple is authorised by the FCA to provide investment advice and discretionary portfolio management.

Typical customer

A spokesman for the firm said: 'Our typical customer is on average a working professional between 25 and 45 (80 per cent of clients are under the age of 45 globally).'

What do they charge?

The firms levies 0.7 per cent on sums up to 100,000, 0.5 per cent thereafter. Additional investment costs also apply, ranging between 0.14 per cent and 0.18 per cent in standard portfolios and between 0.22 per cent and 0.32 per cent for SRI portfolios.

Minimum investment

You can invest as little as 1 in standard portfolios. Socially Responsible Investing portfolios carry a minimum investment of 5,000.

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

IG Smart Portfolios - guidance

IGs Smart Portfolios offers the ability to mix a robo-advice style portfolio with an account where you also pick investments.

Thats because the FTSE 250-listed firm has a low-cost ETF and share dealing platform, to which it added Smart Portfolios in April this year.

The IG service offers a risk profiling tool and five long-term managed portfolios with asset allocations from BlackRock.

What does it invest in?

Portfolios invest around the world, across asset classes, through iShares ETFs. The average underlying cost of the ETFs is 0.20 per cent.

They are monitored daily by the investment team and allocation changes are made via its investment committee.

Is this financial advice?

IG provides guidance, rather than financial advice, but it says that it still has a suitability obligation to make appropriate investment decisions on behalf of its clients.

Typical investor

IG says: Clients range from novices to sophisticated investors who are looking for a well-researched investment proposition. Investors often split their assets between the portfolios, while investing their best ideas through IGs share dealing service.

What does it charge?

IG Smart Portfolios operate a tiered fee structure.

On the first 50,000: 0.65 per cent

50,000 - 250,000: 0.35 per cent

Over 250,000: 0.1 per cent

Investment and market spread costs also apply, averaging 0.20 per cent and 0.06 per cent respectively.

Minimum investment

500

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

evestor - full fat advice

Launched in 2017, evestor is one of the fresher faces in the robo-advice scene, co-founded by Duncan Cameron who set up comparison website MoneySuperMarket before selling his share for 162million in 2007.

eVestor lets customers speak to its financial advisers via Skype

The company stands out from its rivals by offering a hybrid service - more on this below.

What do they invest in?

evestor invests in a broad range of passives that track a range of indices and sectors across asset classes including equities, fixed income and property. Users are recommended one of three risk-rated portfolios that are made up of a mix of funds by Blackrock, Vanguard and Fidelity.

Each portfolio contains a maximum of 12 funds and is reviewed twice a year by its investment team.

Is it advice?

Yes this is fully regulated financial advice akin to the traditional advice process through a flesh and blood human advice.

The service could advise a user to open a pension, and/or Isa depending on their circumstances. It could even reject an application if it deems that the user's scenario is unsuitable for investments.

You also have the option to speak with a financial adviser on Skype and can book as many of the 20-minute appointments as you like via the online booking service.

Customers are given the option to retake the part of the questionnaire which gauges your attitude to risk to ensure that your portfolio is in line with your current risk preference.

BUT the advice offered is notably restricted as the three risk rated portfolios are made up from a limited pool of funds from only three providers.

Typical investor

The age of those who have already invested their money through the proposition is between 20 and 60. Investors range from the first time investors with low financial literacy to those well versed in the field and with a history of managing investments themselves through fund supermarkets.

What do they charge?

The firm said its charges are always less than 0.53 per cent. Of this, 0.35 per cent goes to eVestor for advice, portfolio management, custody and administration of the underlying portfolios. The rest will go on fund costs, which range between 0.11 and 0.13 per cent.

The exact percentage depends on which portfolio customers are recommended. Market spread costs averages 0.04%.

Minimum investment

1

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

MoneyBox is an app targeted at millennials which allows users to round up their small everyday purchases and put the extra into a stocks and shares Isa

MoneyBox - guidance

MoneyBox is mobile app targeted at millennials. One of the more notable features of the service is the ability for users to round up their small, everyday card purchases - and put the extra into a stocks and shares Isa.

What do they invest in?

The service offers customers a choice of three risk-rated portfolios - cautious, balanced and adventurous. They give customers exposure to cash, global equities and global property equities through a total of three funds by Henderson Asset Management, Vanguard and BlackRock respectively.

The portfolios offered by MoneyBox contain different allocations of the same three tracker funds. The firm says fund selection is reviewed annually, and adjusted at the end of of every year if necessary.

Customers are also able to customise the asset allocations of the suggested starting options.

Is it advice?

No - it's guidance.

Users register with the app and set up a direct debit for their desired method of investing. They then choose to put their investment into one of three simple options - cautious, balanced and adventurous - according to their risk appetite. The customer is responsible for choosing and monitoring their own investments.

Typical customer

The typical MoneyBox customer is affluent and falls into the top end of the millennial age bracket according to Charlie Mortimer, who co-founded the business.

What are the charges?

The app charges 1 a month to cover transaction fees as well as a platform fee of 0.45 per cent. This fee accrues daily but is charged monthly by selling down your largest holding.

Investors pay fees for the tracker funds on top of this ranging between 0.13% and 0.30% depending on fund choice and are incorporated into the daily fund valuation.

Minimum investment

1

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

No Sipp option.

Gemma Godfrey fronts a host of videos on the Moola website that offers some basic guidance on investment

Moola - guidance

The brainchild of Gemma Godfrey, who has become a familiar face on television over recent years, appearing on various shows as a financial expert, Moola launched at the tail end of 2016. It does not offer advice but offers customers a choice of portfolios based on their risk level.

What do they invest in?

BlackRock's core range of ETFs - under the 'iShares' banner - makes up the three risk rated portfolios offered by the service.

Each portfolio holds at least 12 different funds producing exposure to over a thousand different individual investments, globally. This includes a combination of shares, bonds and real assets.

The portfolios are monitored and periodically adjusted if necessary by the in-house investment team. Client portfolios are kept on track using threshold-based rebalancing relative to the target portfolio.

Moola now offers ethical portfolios as a result of increased interest from customers in investing responsibly. They use the same investment processes behind the firm's standard portfolios

Is it advice?

No - it's guidance. The Moola website does have an 'investment for dummies' equivalent section that features videos of Godfrey on some basic investment FAQs such as 'how to choose the right investment.'

Typical customer

According to Godfrey, Moola has attracted people with disposable income but who view investing as a daunting experience. She adds that the cost of the service has appealed to more sophisticated investors.

What are the charges?

A yearly flat fee of 0.75 per cent which is calculated on the average value of a customer's portfolio each month. This is on top of investment costs averaging 0.11 per cent and 0.25 per cent on standard and ethical portfolios respectively.

Market spread costs averaging 0.03 per cent (standard) and 0.04 per cent (ethical) also apply.

Minimum investment

50.

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

No Sipp option.

Wealthify  discretionary investment management

Wealthify, backed by insurance giant Aviva which owns a big stake in the firm, does not offer any form of advice but provides discretionary wealth management.

Aviva bought a considerable stake in Wealthify last year

What do they invest in?

The company invests across a range of assets including, bonds, stocks and even commodities.

Users can choose from one of five diversified risk-rated portfolios which are invested mainly in passive investment funds, such as ETFs and mutual funds.

Wealthifys also offers five risk-rated ethical investment portfolios which comprised of actively managed funds from Edentree, Kames Capital, Liontrust, Legal & General, Royal London, UBS, Stewart Investors, iShares, and Vanguard.

Is it advice?

No, the firms permissions are restricted to discretionary investment management.

Typical customer

The firm said its typical customers are men in their mid-30s who have some form of Isa account.

What are the charges?

Wealthify operates a tiered fee structure:

1 - 15,000: 0.7 per cent

15,001 - 50,000: 0.6 per cent

50,001 - 100,000: 0.5 per cent

101,000+: 0.4 per cent

Investment and market spread costs also apply and average 0.22 per cent and 0.07 per cent respectively.

Ethical portfolio charges are slightly higher, typically 0.57 per cent.

Minimum investment

1.

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

No Sipp option.

EQ Investors  simplified advice

EQ Investors offers both online and phone based investment-advice service. You can invest entirely online but there is also an option to receive advice from a fully qualified adviser, either on the phone, by Skype or in person.

What do they invest in?

Investors can select from four different investment approaches dependent on their needs and preferences which invests in a range of assets and both active and passive propositions. The low cost portfolio invests solely in tracker funds to keep costs to an absolute minimum.

One of the more notable portfolios is the Positive Impact portfolio which invests in companies deemed to have a social and environmental conscience.

Is it advice?

The firms online and phone-based service offers simplified investment advice but the investment portfolios are discretionary managed. As a chartered financial advisory company, Simply EQ can also offer clients full financial planning services when needed at an extra cost.

Typical customer

It ranges from younger investors looking to invest for the first time, to those looking to invest ethically via our Positive Impact Portfolios and more mature investors looking for a straightforward service with telephone support as and when they need it, a spokesman for the company said.

What are the charges?

EQ Investors charges Your portfolio Up to 99,999 100k 249,999 250k 499,999 500k 999,999 1m+ Fund charges* Best Ideas, Income & Positive Impact portfolios 1.19% 0.99% 0.79% 0.69% 0.66% 0.70 % - 0.80% Low Cost 0.99% 0.79% 0.69% 0.59% 0.49% 0.1% - 0.2% The charges, which are based on risk level 5 (balanced) portfolios, include VAT and are applied to the entire portfolio value

To work out the total cost of investment, add the custodian charge for the amount you're looking to invest with the fund charge. For example, the cost to invest 10,000 in the 'Low cost' portfolio could cost anything between 1.09 per cent to 1.19 per cent.

Minimum investment

250 a month, or 1,000 lump sum

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

Netwealth - discretionary investment management or fully regulated financial advice

Netwealth is a rare breed of robo-adviser in that it has discretionary investment advice permissions but also includes the option of full financial advice on a restricted basis - charged separately at 125 per hour including VAT.

The company offers a service called Netwealth Network, which allows clients to invite family members or friends to save on fees by co-investing.

What do they invest in?

Netwealth invests in a range of assets with the exception of hedge funds, private equity or structured products because it clouds the investment and liquidity profile unnecessarily, according to the firm.

While it has scope to invest in actively managed funds, the service invests primarily in passive strategies for transparency and liquidity purposes, as well as to keep costs to an absolute minimum.

The firms optional financial advice service places customers into one or a mix of its seven risk portfolios based on their goals and appetite for risk.

Is it advice?

Its core service is not, but customers can pay for full financial advice  albeit restricted, meaning it can only advise on funds from a restricted list of providers.

Netwealth said its typical customer typically invest with specific targets in mind, such as saving for school fees

Typical customer

The firm said its clients are time poor, well-educated, highly analytical and dont want to pay a premium to have their investments managed, adding: The money they want Netwealth to manage is often targeted for specific purposes with specific medium to long-term timeframes, such as mortgage payments, school fees, parents care home fees, a large future purchase or retirement.

What do they charge?

50,000 - 249,999: 0.65%.

250,000 - 499,999: 0.50%.

500,000+ - 0.35%.

Investment fees averaging 0.30% and market spread cost averaging 0.05% also apply. Advice is charged separately, at 125 per hour including VAT.

Minimum investment

50,000

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

Yes

ETFmatic - discretionary investment management

Launched in 2014, ETFmatic is now available in 32 European countries including the UK. It doesnt offer financial advice but provides a discretionary investment management service.

What do they invest in?

The firm offers clients a choice of Starter and Custom portfolios. Both categories use the same asset classes  equity and bonds predominately - and trade the same ETFs. Both are managed individually. The big difference is that starter portfolios allow clients to easily select between 21 asset allocations while custom portfolios are for more sophisticated investors who want to build their own asset allocations.

All clients start with the starter portfolio and can then adjust it to become more tailored.

Is it advice?

No. Just like many other robo-advisers on this list, ETFmatic permissions are restricted to discretionary investment management.

Typical customer

The service is typically used by men aged between 25 and 34.

What do they charge?

The firm charges 0.48 per cent for investments up to 25,000 and 0.29 per cent beyond that. Additional investment costs average 0.12 per cent.

Minimum investment

100

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

No Sipp option.

Munnypot  full-fat advice

Munnypots fully regulated investment advice is automated and provided via its WhatsApp style chat. The advice is restricted as it only recommends products from one provider which is Vanguard.

What do they invest in?

Munnypot invests solely in Vanguards Life Strategy tracker funds. The service quizzes customers on personal and financial circumstances and their attitude to risk. The product and fund that best suit the customers needs are then automatically selected for them based on the answers they give.

Is it advice?

Yes it is  akin to the traditional model without the face-to-face contact with a human adviser. Munnypot monitors the performance of the customers investment. If it starts to go off track, Munnypot will automatically notify them with advice on how they can get back on track.

Typical customer

The Munnypot customer is 45 years-old and has an investment pot of 4,500.

What do they charge?

Advice fees: one-off advice fee starting from 5.

An additional ongoing monthly fee also applies, costing 0.9 per cent on average. This is made up of a platform fee (0.11 per cent), investment management fee (between 0.15 per cent and 0.22 per cent) and a 'monitoring' fee for tracking and managing your investments.

Minimum investment

25 a month or 250 lump sum

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

No Sipp option.

Wealth Horizon  simplified advice

Wealth Horizon offers simplified advice through its online service but also allows customers to pick up the phone to one of its flesh and blood human advisers.

What do they invest in?

Wealth Horizon invests in a range of assets including cash, fixed interest, property and equities through passive funds. There are 10 risk-rated portfolios which are rebalanced every six months.

Is it advice?

Yes, simplified advice.

Typical customer

A spokesman for the firm said its customers include both first-time investors and people who use Wealth Horizons service as part of their wider investment portfolio  a third of whom are women. Their ages range between 18 and 90 but a high percentage of its client base is in their 40s.

What do they charge?

Initial advice charge of 0.25 per cent. The ongoing charge is a maximum of 0.97 per cent and this includes ongoing investment advice (0.5 per cent), the administration fee (0.25 per cent) and investment costs (averaging 0.22 per cent).

Minimum investment

The minimum lump sum investment is 1,000 and the minimum monthly investment is 100.

Can investments be held in an Isa and a Sipp?

No Sipp

Not all robo-advisers allow you to hold money in a Sipp so check before you invest

Why is there a need for robo-advice?

To understand why this market is evolving so rapidly, it's essential to take a look back. Under old financial rules it was commonplace for IFAs to win new business under the premise of giving 'free' advice.

In reality, it was never free. Advisers made money through commission paid to them by fund managers. Their costs were wrapped up within the fees you paid for the investment they sold - a system that was criticised for problems ranging from mis-selling, to conflicts of interest, or just plain old poor value service.

Sometimes that advice worked for the customer, sometimes it didn't. One person it usually worked for was the adviser, however, who could earn a pretty penny from providers with every investment product sale.

City watchdog, the Financial Conduct Authority, under its previous guise as the Financial Services Authority, called time on this with the implementation of the Retail Distribution Review in 2012.

The initiative banned advisers from receiving commission payments for investment advice and improved professional standards by stipulating they hold a minimum set of qualifications.

Though well intended, it caused many advisers to exit the industry altogether, or make their service available only to those with large amounts to invest or sizeable net worth.

More modest investors and those not willing to hand over a big percentage of their investment in fees each year were left out in the cold.

Nowadays, ordinary savers with modest pots of money tend to use DIY websites which offer a relatively cheap way to purchase investment products - but that means taking responsibility for setting your own investment goals, working out your risk appetite and choosing your own investments - even if you buy ready-made portfolios.

There's a clear gap in the middle and this is why there is such a buzz around robo-advisers.
Certain fashion tycoons think nothing of allowing themselves to appear on the front pages in all their oiled and paunchy glory, with tummies as brown as a rotisserie chicken spilling over the waistband of their Bermuda shorts.

Ray Kelvin, founder of the Ted Baker chain  he doesn't like to call it a retailer, but a 'lifestyle brand'  presents himself as a more retiring sort.

So bashful, in fact, that he won't allow his full face to be photographed.

The 61-year-old has previously said he applies the veto because he thinks he's 'an ugly blighter'.

Bashful: Ted Baker founder Ray Kelvin won't allow his full face to be photographed. The 61-year-old thinks he's 'an ugly blighter'

With his steely grey locks and stylish horn-rimmed specs, though, he's actually rather handsome. Now he claims he 'doesn't want his personality or face to be the brand'.

So, there are pictures of his forehead peeking out from behind a sofa, with the lower half of his phizog concealed by the cushions.

In other photographs, half his visage is hidden under a towel, or shielded by a book.

Whatever the reason, his quirky approach is producing impressive results at a time when others such as Marks & Spencer and Sir Philip Green's Arcadia have seen their profits drop like a stone.

Having worked in his family clothing business in North London since he was 11, Kelvin set up Ted Baker selling men's shirts in Glasgow.

Chic: Amal Clooney is one of many celebrity Ted Baker fans

It took off in the 'acid house' era of the 1990s, when its brightly coloured shirts became popular with club-goers.

The brand has since become a hit with women who flock to buy its skirts and dresses, such as this summer's hit, a 160 Oriental Blossom midi-skirt.

Fans include Kate Middleton and Amal Clooney (pictured) along with millions of ordinary women.

Ted Baker's latest sales figures show an increase of more than 14 per cent in its stores and a huge rise of nearly 36 per cent in online sales.

That's not bad, considering rivals are blaming everything from the fall in the pound to a squeeze on household incomes for the damage to their bottom lines.

Ted Baker's secret  which it shares with the likes of Zara-owner Inditex and Mulberry  is quality at an affordable price.

Of course, 'affordable' is a relative concept in fashion. But what Zara, Mulberry and Ted Baker have in common is they offer good quality fashion fixes at a price their fans are prepared to pay.

And while some may find the Ted Baker ethos irritatingly arch rather than endearingly quirky, it has made Ray Kelvin very rich.

He owns a 35 per cent stake in Ted Baker and has seen his holding increase in value by 160 per cent in the past five years. The company is worth more than 1billion.

The rich lists estimate his total personal fortune at just under half a billion, though it's not something he will comment on because 'it's not nice to talk about money'.

However much he's worth exactly, he has done well for a boy who was brought up in Cockfosters, North London, which his late mum Trudie told him to pronounce 'Co'fosters' to sound posher.

He lives in Hampstead with his second wife Clare, 46, whom he married five years ago. They have a daughter, Ava, 4.

He has two sons  Ben and Josh, both in their 20s  with first wife Georgia Slowe, who appeared in soap opera Emmerdale as lady of the manor Perdita Hyde-Sinclair.

Insiders talk about 'Ted' as if he really existed but, of course, he doesn't  although it's not entirely clear Ray realises.

Again, there are several versions of why Kelvin plumped to call his business 'Ted Baker', one being that he didn't want his own name in case it went bust.

'Ray is the closest man to Ted,' a spokesman says, and in truth, Ted comes across more like an imaginary friend than a brand name.'

In the past, Ray Kelvin has described Ted as 'a pioneering fashion icon, an intrepid aviator, an all-round sportsman and consort of Princesses and Hollywood beauties.'

But cultivating an alter ego is not Kelvin's only eccentricity. Others include cuddling people, though he says it is not true his staff are forced to hug him before they can speak, which is probably just as well in today's politically correct office climate.

He does, however, have a sign reading 'Hug Here' on the floor by his desk.

'Ted has a hugging culture where everyone is treated with respect and meetings often start that way,' he says. That's apart from latecomers to meetings, who are made to do press-ups as a punishment.'

It may all sound utterly bonkers, but Ray  and Ted  have created one of the most successful fashion brands in Britain, so there must be method in the madness.
Lifeline: Sanjeev Gupta is attempting to rescue Caparo Industries pension scheme

Steelworkers whose pensions were in peril after their company fell into administration could be getting a lifeline from industry magnate Sanjeev Gupta.

His growing Liberty House steelmaker has been hammering out a better deal for 1,700 members of the Caparo Industries pension scheme.

Many are at risk of falling into the pensions lifeboat after Caparo Industries fell into administration in 2015.

But Gupta yesterday bought Caparos subsidiary Caparo Merchant Bar (CMB), which remained solvent, and is trying to sort out the group pension scheme alongside the deal.

Details are not yet clear.

Caparo Merchant Bar employs 145 workers at two automated rolling mills in Scunthorpe.

Steel giant Tata, which owns the Port Talbot steel works in South Wales, was a minority shareholder in CMB.
Renwick Haddow has been accused of a multi-million pound bar and bitcoin fraud

A British businessman is on the run from US authorities after being accused of a multi-million pound bars and bitcoin fraud.

Renwick Haddow allegedly made up fictional board members at businesses in New York, raising nearly 30million from customers and investors.

It is claimed the 48-year-old then funnelled at least 14million into accounts in 40 countries.

Haddow's business Bitcoin Store promised to help investors buy online currency with stellar returns. Its literature claimed the firm was run by Gordon Phillips, a former head of currency trading at HSBC, and Joseph Bilkhorn, once finance chief at Credit Suisse.

But neither existed, according to the US Securities and Exchange Commission. The SEC said claims the business had quarterly sales of 4.3million were also untrue.

Haddow's second business, Bar Works, claimed to run shared offices at converted bars in New York and San Francisco, and pledged to generate a return of 15 per cent.

He is said to have adopted the alias Jonathan Black to run the company, claiming he was previously a director of two British bar chains and had secured 386,000 from a Silicon Valley investor.

Haddow allegedly made up the fake board members to hide his past from investors. He was banned as a director in Britain in 2008 for misleading announcements at his business Branded Leisure, which left investors nursing losses of 500,000.

He was then taken to court by the Financial Conduct Authority in 2014 over claims he ran sham investment schemes.

The High Court will decide in the next few weeks whether Haddow's company made misleading statements.

Andrew Calamari, director of the SEC's New York office, said: 'Haddow created two trendy companies and misled investors into believing that highly qualified executives were leading them to quick profitability.'
Kidnapped and killed: Shavon Randle, 13, was found dead in Dallas on Sunday, just days after she was abducted from her home in the suburbs

A 13-year-old North Texas girl who was reported abducted last week has been found dead inside an abandoned Dallas home, having fallen victim to a ransom scheme sparked by a drug theft.

Shavon Randle had been missing for four days and was identified as one of two people dead inside the house in Dallas' Oak Cliff area, Eric Jackson, special agent in charge of the Dallas FBI, said.

A second body that was discovered inside the home in the 2200 block of Kiest Avenue was that of 19-year-old Michael Titus, who had been named one of four persons of interest in the abduction last week.

'We didn't have the positive result we were looking for, but being able to let Shavon's family know that we've located her was our goal,' Jackson said.

'We're going to continue our investigation and anyone we find that were involved in this heinous crime against Shavon, we will bring you to justice and we will hold you accountable.'

The area around the small one-story home was cordoned off Sunday morning. Investigators placed evidence markers around the front yard and people in hazardous materials suits could be seen entering and leaving the home.

The girl was reported kidnapped on Wednesday from a home in Lancaster, about 15 miles south of Dallas.

Randle's body was discovered near that of 19-year-old Michael Titus (right), who earlier had been named a person of interest in the teen's kidnapping

Memorial: A makeshift memorial is seen outside the abandoned home in the 2200 block of Kiest Avenue in Dallas where Randle and Titus were found dead Sunday

Lancaster police then issued an Amber Alert after receiving the missing person call. Police said a relative, Ledoris Randle, told officers she received a call from an unknown man who said the girl was being held against her will and had threatened to harm her.

Lancaster police and FBI agents arrested two men Saturday, Devontae Owens, 24, and Laquon Wilkerson, 30, during their search for Shavon. Both are held on $500,000 bond and charged with aggravated kidnapping.

According to an arrest affidavit, Shavon's relative Ledoris Randle was dating 22-year-old Kendall Perkins, who allegedly stole a large amount of drug from Owens and 26-year-old Darius Fields.

Suspects: Devontae Owens, 24 (left), and Laquon Wilkerson, 30 (right), have been arrested and charged with aggravated kidnapping

Persons of interest: LaPorschya Polley, 25 (left), and Darius Fields, 26 (right), have been detained as persons of interest and charged with unrelated counts

At around 10.30am on Wednesday, Ledoris got the call about Shavon's kidnapping and was warned that if she went to the police, the 13-year-old would be killed.

Lancaster police were able to track Owens' and Shavon's cellphones, which were found to be in the same area at the same time, and later traveling in the same direction, away from the girl's home, until her device was switched off.

On Friday, police arrested Fields and a fourth person of interest, in the kidnapping, identified as 25-year-old LaPorschya Polley.

As of Monday morning, Fields and Polley were being held on charges unrelated to Shavon's abduction and death.

Meanwhile, Titus' mother told WFAA she does not believe her son was involved in the plot and said she has text messages from her son in which he had expressed concern for his safety after a marijuana heist involving a cousin.

A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help Randle's family pay her funeral expenses.
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Today's Hong Kong, a bustling home to over seven million people, is very different from how it was in the 1950s and 1960s.

At that point in time, the British colony was embracing a large inflow of immigrants from mainland China after Communist leader Mao Zedong declared the establishment of People's Republic of China in 1949.

Fan Ho, an award-winning photographer, also arrived in Hong Kong in 1949 from Shanghai. From then, he used his Rolleiflex camera to capture the societal changes and rapid development of the city.

In 'Afternoon Chat', a picture taken in 1959, Fan Ho captures the group of city-dwellers chatting causally at an underpass in the emerging business district of Central. The snapshot reflects a rare glimpse in an otherwise fast-paced commercial city

People Crossing (1963): The tram was Hong Kong's earliest form of transport and is still being used today

Woks (1964): A street-side vendor is captured making a Chinese wok. At the time, Hong Kong exported the Chinese cooking utensils to overseas countries as example of industrialisation

The incredible black-and-white pictures taken by Mr Ho show a kaleidoscopic selection of Hong Kong's bygone life: city-dwellers talking at an underpass in a business district, an old woman walking down an empty alley and crowds of shoppers buying food from a wet market.

Some other images herald the city's history as an important habour: a hawker pushing his cart along the water's edge in front of European style buildings and a junk sailing on serene water.

Taken during the 1950s and 1960s, these are the Hong Kong images immortalised by Mr Ho, arguably the most famous photographer in the Hong Kong history who died of pneumonia last year aged 84.

Renowned for the sense of drama heightened by the use of smoke and light, Fan Ho's work captures the tranquility of the city which was undergoing drastic changes in many ways.

Under Mr Ho's lens, the streets and people of Hong Kong turned into a 'living theatre'.

His work alongside his vintage camera were recently put on display at Sotheby's Hong Kong Gallery, with images courtesy of Blue Lotus Gallery who exclusively represented Mr Ho's photographs.

Fan Ho's On The Stage of Life was taken in 1954, showcasing the western culture flowing into Hong Kong under the British rule

The customers at Hong Kong's first indoor market in Central were perfectly captured under Mr Ho's 'Sun Rays' in 1959

In the mood for love: The mise-en-scene of the picture had a sense of cinematography under Mr Ho's lens in 1960 (left). Another picture, called Her Study (1963), revealed the daily life of children in the booming era of Hong Kong (right)

Hong Kong, under British rule from 1842 to 1997, was a rare blend of East and West.

Drastic changes happened in Hong Kong in late 1940s and early 1950s due to an inflow of refugees and entrepreneurs fleeing the civil war between Kuomintang and Communist Party on the mainland, according to.

Population surged quickly from around one million in 1941 to 2.5 million in 1956, then to three million in 1960.

Hong Kong quickly transformed itself from a fishing port to an industrialised economy.

The most prominent example of this was the immigrants from Shanghai who created the cotton spinning industry in the colony.

Hong Kong's industry was founded in the textile sector in the 1950s before gradually diversifying in the 1960s to clothing, electronics, plastics and other labor-intensive production mainly for export.

As business opened up to overseas trade, the city was crowned as one of the 'Four Asian Tigers' with booming economy driven by textile exports and manufacturing industries.

The government launched an ambitious public education program, creating over 300,000 new primary schools between 1954 and 1961.

By 1966, 99.8 per cent of school-age children were attending primary school, although free universal primary school was not provided until 1971.

Mr Ho took a self portrait with his camera. He was wildly regarded as the most famous photographer from Hong Kong

Hong Kong turned from a fishing port to an industrialised city when a large supply of labour force immigrated to the city. The above picture was taken by Fan Ho in 1957 and is called Construction

Market Parade (1963) People were seen wearing Chinese traditional clothing and also suits, displaying a perfect blend of East and West

The government launched an ambitious public education program, creating over 300,000 new primary schools between 1954 and 1961. Mr Ho created Lost in Central (1951/2013) by combining two negatives onto a scanner to digitize it (right)

Mr Ho's pictures, captured in his album 'Hong Kong Yesterday', showcased how the daily life of working class people on the street during the era.

The impact of the East and West were reflected in the photos under his Rolleiflex f3.5 camera.

Women in traditional Cheongsam can be seen visiting the first Hong Kong indoor market in Central; in contrast, theatres showed 'West End' musicals.

Daily Routine (1961) The start of education system: Children went to schools as the city opened up free education policy

Mr Ho's picture often displayed strong contrast of lights and shadows, as one of his characteristics in camera skills (left). A cousin of Mr Ho was asked to pose against a wall in Approaching Shadow (1954) (right)

Mr Ho moved to Hong Kong from Shanghai with his family in 1949 at the age of 18. He started taking photographs of Hong Kong after he bought himself a camera.

He had won over 280 awards in photography before reaching the age of 28, according to Fan Ho Trust Estate.

In 1966, his first attempt as film director won him the best movie award at Banbury Film Festival in Britain.

Mr Ho continued to work in the film industry and retired when he was 65 years old.

He moved to San Francisco afterwards and flew back to Hong Kong to visit his family occasionally.

During one of Mr Ho's trips back to Hong Kong in the early 2010s, he said in an interview with Perspective Magazine that he could no longer find the scenes and inspiration of the old Hong Kong, the Hong Kong he had made so iconic with his still images.

'There must be humanity in art.' Photos that Mr Ho took had a special feeling to the viewers, pictured Pattern (1956)

The work life a man carrying a rickshaw was captured by Mr Ho under the photo 'A Day is Done' in 1957 (left). The influence of western culture can be seen in the buildings along the harbour in Hong Kong (right)

'In the 1950s and 60s there were many back alleys, narrow streets and open markets - this time I can't even remember how to find my own streets and alleys. It is all skyscrapers and has changed to a degree that I can hardly recognise it,' he said, smiling.

In one of his latest books, Fan Ho: A Hong Kong Memoir, Mr Ho dug through his old archives and put forth never-before-seen images from the 50s and 60s.

But in reality, Mr Ho's Hong Kong has disappeared forever - the city has turned from a tranquil seaside port to a metropolis of gleaming skyscrapers, a home to some 7.4 million people.

Colonial emblems have become a symbol of protests. Conflicts have grown over controversial political issues.

His dream (1964): The days in the 60s when people were more carefree and stress-free, as shown in the photos of Mr Ho (left). Light shining into a back alley of a Hong Kong street with a maid walking reflected a change in Hong Kong's society (right)

East Meets West (1963): Hong Kong changed dramatically under the British rule, which made it into an international city

As Mr Ho said in an interview with SCMP in 2014, he would never click the shutter if the scene did not touch his heart.

'There must be humanity in art. If you feel nothing when you click the shutter, you give the viewer nothing to respond to and you have nothing to convey.'

The laid-back city Fan Ho captured has become a cherished memory of Hong Kong.

And just like Mr Ho said, his classic images have not only touched his heart, but also the hearts of millions of residents of the fast-growing metropolis.
Daniel Crane, 50, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide

A New Mexico man has been ordered to carry around a photo of the 18-year-old girl he killed when his truck ploughed into her SUV.

The Georgia judge said he hoped the picture of Summer Lee would force him to think about the life he took in the seven-vehicle pileup near Atlanta.

Daniel Crane, 50, pleaded guilty to vehicular homicide and 'following too closely' in the collision that killed Summer in August.

Crane was driving northbound on Interstate 75 in Henry County when his tractor-trailer hit the back of Lee's SUV and pushed it into five other vehicles, killing her and injuring seven others.

Senior Judge Rusty Carlisle agreed with the state's recommendations, including a two-year sentence made up of 60 days in jail and the remainder on probation.

But the judge also told Crane he was adding his own condition: Carry around a photo of Lee and a copy of the statement her mother Kimberly read at the hearing for the duration of his probation.

Reading from the pre-written statement, Kimberly told the court: 'I believe in my heart Summer would want me to forgive you but please know the difference in forgiving and forgetting

Crane, of New Mexico, was ordered to carry around a photo of 18-year-old Summer Lee, who he killed when his truck ploughed into her SUV

Crane was driving northbound on Interstate 75 in Henry County when his tractor-trailer hit the back of Lee's SUV

'I know through my faith I must forgive if I plan on seeing her again when my day comes, so I would like to say I forgive you.'

Carlisle said he was particularly struck when Kimberly Lee said she had forgiven Crane for her daughter's death.

'I said to myself, "This fella needs also to be reminded of the fact that she forgave him and of the life that he took",' Carlisle said.

'It may stay folded in his pocket and he may never look at it, but if he knows he's got to pick it up every morning and put it in the pocket of whatever clothes he wears, then maybe that will make him think a little bit about what happened.'

Lee said in a statement released through the prosecutor's office that the sentence was 'appropriate'.

'We were pleased when the court took an extra step to require the defendant to carry my daughter's picture with him as well as the statement I read to the court,' the woman added.

The judge ordered him to carry a photo of Lee and a copy of the statement her mother Kimberly read at the hearing for the duration of his probation

Crane, who received credit for jail time already served, has been released, said Henry County Solicitor General Trea Pipkin. He lives in Jemez Springs, New Mexico, according to court documents.

Several numbers listed for Crane were either disconnected or rang repeatedly with no answer.

Timika Dennis, a partner at the law firm that represented Crane, said they do not comment to the media.

Pipkin, who prosecuted the case, said neither he nor the family asked the judge for the extra conditions.

'Summer's story has touched all of us here at the office and to have assisted her great family in some small way has truly been the most enriching ingredient of a very sad case,' Pipkin said.

In fact, Carlisle said, he had spoken to no one about the case and knew nothing about it until he entered the courtroom that day.

Carlisle said he was particularly struck when Kimberly Lee said she had forgiven Crane for her daughter's death

Having retired as a judge in greater Atlanta's Cobb County and now a senior judge, he was sitting in for the day because the judge overseeing the case was absent because of a death in the family.

'It's a sad thing,' said Carlisle, who noted that Crane appears to have been distracted at the time of the crash.

'There's nothing in the world that anybody can do to change what happened, but maybe things can change in the future.'
Six people aboard an airplane were killed when it crashed in northern Wisconsin.

The Price County Sheriff's Office says the airplane crashed at 3.21am Saturday in the village of Catawba, near the city of Phillips.

The sheriff's office says the plane, a Cessna 421, had left from Chicago and was heading to Canada on a fishing trip. Investigators said the pilot was certified to fly the Cessna.

The crash victims were all adults, WSAW-TV reported, but police have not released their names, ages or their relationships to one another.

However, two of the passengers were identified in a Facebook post Saturday night.

Tioga Elementary School in Bensenville, Illinois, posted around 11pm to mourn Thomas DeMauro, 56, and Charles Tomlitz, both employees of the school.

DeMauro's son Kyle, 21, and Tomlitz's son George have also been identified as two of the other six who died in the crash.

Six people aboard an airplane were killed when it crashed in Catawa, Wisconsin early Saturday. Though police haven't identified any of the adults killed, Tioga Elementary School identified Thomas DeMauro (center front) and Charles Tomlitz (back right) as victims. DeMauro was a PE teacher at the elementary school and Tomlitz was a maintenance director. DeMauro's son Kyle (center back) and Tomlitz's sone George have also been identified

The sheriff's office says the plane had left from Chicago and was heading to Canada on a fishing trip. Kyle DeMauro is pictured

'Dear Tioga Community, we are very sad to inform you that Thomas DeMauro, Tioga PE teacher and Charles (Chuck) Tomlitz, GCA Maintenance Director for BSD2 were killed in a plane crash in route to a Canadian fishing trip,' the school's Facebook post read.

'The plane crashed early this morning after rapidly losing altitude according to police. Mr DeMauro and Mr Tomlitz will be missed by all the Tioga Community.'

The post was signed from Mr Azcoitia and Mr Kersten, the school's co-principals.

The school district also gave a statement to Fox 32 Chicago about the crash.

'This tragedy has caused a tremendous loss to our community. Mr DeMauro was loved by his students beyond measure, someone who everyone knew and remembered from their school years or living in our community.

'His students, fellow faculty members, community and friends are in shock.'

A GoFundMe page has been set up by a teacher within the Bensenville School District to help the families of DeMauro and Tomlitz.

'There are no words to truly express how devastating it is to lose a loved one. As a school family, we have not had a loss as tragic as this hit us,' the teacher wrote.

'Our thoughts and prayers go out to both Tom and Chuck's families. With school out, we thought this was the best way to collect money for the families and to help them out in the simplest way possible. Thank you for your donation.'

Within 18 hours of setting up the page, it received $6,490 of a $500 goal.

National Transportation Safety Board investigators say there was a discussion between the pilot of the plane and air traffic controllers about 'local weather phenomenon'. Soon after, around 1.53am, the aircraft dropped off radar

Investigators said the pilot was certified to fly the plane, a Cessna 421 (stock photo)

National Transportation Safety Board investigators say there was a discussion between the pilot of the plane and air traffic controllers about 'local weather phenomenon'.

Soon after, around 1.53am, the aircraft dropped off radar.

The Air Marine Operations Center called the Prince County Sheriff's Office to say that the aircraft had dropped altitude quickly and radio contact was lost.

The plane's wreckage was found near US Highway 8 and State Highway 111.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are helping the Prince County Sheriff's Office with the investigation.

The cause of the crash is unknown and the NTSV will be inspecting the wreckage Sunday and Monday, according to WSAW-TV.
Dashcam footage has captured the dramatic moment an elderly woman crashed her car into another car twice before smashing into a house in Sydney's south-west.

A motorist called Tyler was driving down Cabramatta Road on Sunday when the woman smashed into his car after failing to give way as she left the service station.

The driver then turned around and T-boned the same car before accelerating into a house.

Tyler was driving down Cabramatta Road on Sunday when the woman smashed into his car after failing to give way as she left the service station

The moment the woman crashes her car into Tyler's, pushing it out of the way before driving off

According to Tyler, the woman was 'confused'.

'Sadly the cam lost power from the impact because what it doesn't show is that she came back around and T-Boned us setting off the side airbag and ensuring our car was written off,' he wrote.

'She then kept on the accelerator, pushed ours out of the way and kept going into a house.'

Separate footage from a different view confirmed the second smash and showed the complete accident.

The two videos have been viewed over 200,000 times since being posted on Sunday.

Social media users were mostly concerned with the welfare of those involved, arguing that it was not uncommon for elderly drivers to confuse the brake and pedal.

'Sadly the cam lost power from the impact because what it doesn't show is that she came back around and T-Boned us setting off the side airbag and ensuring our car was written off,' he wrote

The woman then kept on the accelerator, pushed Tyler's car out of the way and kept going into a house

Separate footage from a different view confirmed the second smash and showed the complete accident

The two videos have been viewed over 200,000 times since being posted on Sunday

One commentator wrote: 'It's a sad reality, but I think oldies should have refresher tests. This is one tax idea be happy to pay. Should be a no cost initiative.'

Another said: 'Isn't nice but I'm afraid this elderly person shouldn't be behind the wheel anymore, can't have this happening and if there's a next time someone could be killed.'

One social media user wrote: 'You mixed up the accelerator and brake pedals again!'
Police say the injuries suffered by a young woman found alone in a Brisbane unit are horrific and have appealed for a panicked caller who alerted authorities to come forward.

The 21-year-old is fighting for life after she was found with injuries, including burns to her whole body at a Bulimba unit on Sunday.

She's being treated in the burns unit of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, where she remains in an induced coma.

The 21-year-old is fighting for life after she was found with injuries, including burns to her whole body at a Bulimba unit on Sunday (stock image)

She's being treated in the burns unit of the Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, where she remains in an induced coma

It's understood her injuries were suffered some time before help arrived on Sunday.

Police are desperate to talk to the woman's boyfriend, any associates and crucially the panicked caller who raised the alarm.

'A male rang triple-0 in a very panicked voice and said that there was a female at that address that required medical treatment,' Inspector Daniel Bragg told ABC radio.

'The female sustained significant injuries to the front of her entire body, significant injuries from head to toe.'

Insp Bragg said anyone who knew the woman should come forward.

'Police are looking for friends and associates of the female, in particularly they are looking to speak to the boyfriend.'

The woman did not live at the property.
Douglas County deputies arrested 58-year-old Frank Leon Huner

A Colorado man has told police he shot his son dead after mistaking him for a house invader.

Douglas County deputies arrested 58-year-old Frank Leon Huner of Sedalia on suspicion of second-degree murder.

The father from Sedalia, around 35 miles from Denver, was later released after posting a $50,000 bond.

Sheriff's spokeswoman Lauren LeKander says Huner called 911 at around 10.15pm on Saturday to report the shooting.

He later told deputies the victim was his adult son, who he initially believed was an intruder.

LeKander told KMGH-TV that investigators believe the victim is Huner's son but they are awaiting the coroner's confirmation.

The victim's name has not been released.
Over-excited Labour MPs havent been able to find enough buckets to use as they pour scorn on the deal struck by Theresa May with the Ulster Unionists to prop up her government.

But they would be wise to stop  or they could be accused of gross hypocrisy.

For the fact is that this grubby deal between the Tories and the DUP simply mirrors similar ones that their own party is said to have tried when Gordon Brown was leader.

Theresa May meets with Arlene Foster and her DUP colleagues outside 10 Downing Street

Gordon Brown looks at a photograph of Anne Frank at the opening ceremony for the 'Anne Frank and You' festival in Kirkaldy Memorial Gardens. He is said to have wanted a deal with the DUP to remain in power after the 2010 General Election

Immediately after the 2010 General Election, when David Camerons Tories won most seats but not an overall majority, Brown sought a deal with the DUP to keep Labour in power, according to Nigel Dodds, currently the DUP leader in the Commons.

The talks quickly collapsed, Labours last chance of remaining as the government folded and Cameron managed to form a coalition with the Lib Dems.

Whats more, theres a suggestion that Browns Labour government had already done a lesser parliamentary deal with the DUP.

In 2008, it won a Commons vote by 315 to 306 to extend the detention of terror suspects to 42 days. The Bill passed with the support of nine DUP MPs.

Then Shadow Home Secretary David Davis claimed Labour had bought the vote. Labour denied it. But a year later, it was announced Bombardier Aerospace was investing 500 million in Northern Ireland, securing 800 jobs at the Shorts factory in the East Belfast constituency of then DUP leader Peter Robinson.

Robinson later explained: They [the government] came up with the goods in terms of the Bombardier deal . . . which was the largest single investment in Northern Ireland. They bent over backwards to help us.

Labour MPs baying now about the Tory/DUP deal would do well to read up on this episode.

Recalling his earliest memory, former Tory chairman Lord (Chris) Patten, 73, tells The Lady magazine: I was sitting on a teachers knee at primary school, resting my head against her ample bosom while she read The Wind In The Willows to me.

Was he enchanted, I wonder, by the riverside charms of Mole, Ratty, Badger and Mr Toad  or by memories of his voluptuous teacher?

It seems David Camerons ineffective No 10 PR man, Sir Craig Oliver, hasnt learned the lessons of his calamitous attempts to sell the Remain cause.

He is trying to drum up sales of his memoirs on his Downing Street years. He called the book The Bestselling Inside Story of Brexit. Bestselling? It sold barely 2,000 copies after release.

ETON PAYS TRIBUTE TO BLAIR!

Eton College, which has produced 19 Tory prime ministers, is to host a bronze bust in honour of a Blair. Not Tony but Eric Blair  real name of George Orwell who attended the school (fees are currently 37,000 a year).

It will be unveiled there next May to celebrate the centenary of his first day at the school. Before then, the full-size 9ft version of the statue will be placed outside the BBCs HQ in Londons Portland Place in early November.

It was as a member of the BBCs Eastern Service that Orwell worked for two years from 1941, and he based Room 101 in Nineteen Eighty-Four on the conference room there which he hated.

Eton College, which has produced 19 Tory prime ministers, is to host a bronze bust in honour of Eric Blair, also known as George Orwell

Amusing mischief overheard in a Commons bar: No wonder those cyber-hackers broke into Westminster computers so easily. Most Labour MPs had the same password: I hate Jeremy Corbyn. 

Life-long socialists, sadists or simply misguided? Whatever the reason, some parents are choosing to name their newborns Corbyn, according to a survey of 1,305 by the website ChannelMum.com. (Only four per cent intend to call their new girl Theresa.)

Troubles are even haunting Theresa May in her own Maidenhead constituency. Two Conservative councillors have quit to become Independents. Geoff Hill, Tory association chairman and a close ally of May, admits: Its a difficult time. The PM will certainly agree.
Masked gunmen have opened fire at a mosque in the south of France, injuring eight people including a seven-year-old girl.

Two hooded men pulled up in a Renault Clio and began firing as worshippers were leaving Arrahma mosque at 10.30pm last night in Avignon, Provence.

The attackers, wielding a handgun and a rifle between them, fled from the scene and a manhunt is underway.

Investigation: Masked gunmen opened fire at a mosque in the south of France, injuring eight people in what is believed to have been a gang-related incident

Two hooded men pulled up in a Renault Clio and began firing at worshipers, who were leaving Arrahma mosque (pictured)

This morning, Avignon prosecutors ruled out terrorism as a motive adding: 'From what we know this evening, the mosque was not targeted. The fact that it happened in the street of the religious establishment was unconnected with it.'

Laure Chabaud, an Avignon magistrate, said police suspected it was a gangland dispute. The criminal investigation department has taken charge of the case.

Four people were hurt at the scene and a family-of-four, on the second floor of a nearby apartment, received shrapnel wounds. Among the injured was a seven-year-old girl.

While two men were seen with guns, witness accounts mentioned four men in the car, all hooded.

Laure Chabaud, an Avignon magistrate, said police suspected it was a gangland dispute

An eyewitness said dozens near the mosque started running when two suspects climbed out of the vehicle and approached them with guns.

The witness said: 'It was a black Renault car. There were four individuals, only two of them, who were seated in the back, stepped out and started shooting at everyone.'

The incident comes a few days after a man on Thursday attempted to drive his car into worshippers outside the Creteil mosque in southeast Paris.

The driver, a 43-year-old Armenian who suffered from schizophrenia, hit barriers and pillars outside the mosque with his 4x4 without causing any injuries before crashing into a traffic island.

The incident happened at 10.30pm last night in Avignon, Provence outside Arrahma mosque

According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect had made 'confused remarks in relation' to a string of jihadist attacks that have struck France, killing 239 people since 2015.

Following a van attack against worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London on June 19 which left one dead and 11 injured, France's Muslim community has also felt threatened.

Some Muslim officials have described the Paris incident as an attack and called on the authorities to 'strengthen protection of places of worship'.

The Paris police commissioner reiterated his orders for vigilance in protecting Muslim places of worship.
After some bitterly cold days, Sydney is set for sunnier mornings - but Victoria is facing snowfall across the state.

The temperature in Deniliquin, NSW, plummeted to -5.6C on Sunday - the coldest it has been for 110 years, according to news.com.au.

And although there is a chance of light rain on Monday, better weather is on the way.

Tuesday will be one of the warmest days of the week in Sydney, with a high of 20C expected, and Wednesday is forecast to be mostly sunny with a max temperature of 18C.

'On Monday, we have got some clouds coming through and behind those clouds, some rain,' Weatherzone meteorologist Kim Westcott told Daily Mail Australia.

Sydney is set for sunnier mornings over the coming days, but Victoria is facing snowfall across the state. Above, a cold day in Essenden, Victoria

'Tuesday will be sunnier, with a top of 20C, one of the warmest days for much of this week.'

While NSW if facing slightly warmer winter days, the alpine regions of Victoria could see up to 30cm of snow over the coming week.

'We have several cold fronts moving over the state this week and aach cold front will bring with it a little bit of snow,' Ms Westcott added.

'The air is cold enough that we could see snow and the best chance of that would be on Tuesday and Wednesday, although there could be some over the weekend too.'

A Bureau of Metereology map shows temperatures across the country on Monday

In Melbourne, temperature won't top 14C all week and there's a chance of showers every day until Wednesday. Above, a car recorded 1C in Melbourne recently

After a series of bitterly cold mornings (above), Sydney is set for some sunnier weather

She added around 30cm in the alpine region, including resort villages such as Mt Buller, Mt Hotham and Falls Creek.

On Monday, Mt Hothan is expected to be windy with snow - and temperatures dropping as low as -4.

In Melbourne, temperature won't top 14C all week and there's a chance of showers every day until Wednesday.

Meanwhile, this past weekend brought a rare dusting of snow to Western Australia.

Those taking the 6km round-trip trek up to Bluff Knoll, in WA's Great Southern region, found the peak of the Stirling Range snow-capped on Sunday morning.

Bluff Knoll, which is 1095m above sea level, is the third highest peak in WA and one of the few places in the state where it can actually snow on the rare occasion.
Landlords are being offered up to 250 a day to house Grenfell Tower survivors in one-bedroom flats.

Estate agents have been told to offer deals at five times the market value as housing officials continue to try to rehome the survivors.

The offers mean landlords could make 1,750 a week  up to 1,400 more than the typical rental incomes of one-bedroom flats in the area.

Officials have been forced to drastically inflate rent prices to tempt landlords into letting out their properties to survivors.

The Grenfell Response Team, which is managing the official response to the tragedy, is under pressure to find properties that are local or in neighbouring boroughs.

But a lack of housing has forced officials to drastically inflate rent prices to tempt landlords into letting out their properties to survivors.

The 250 a day is understood to be offered for short lets of up to ten weeks. It means landlords will make 17,500 in just over two months.

But they could rake in thousands more if housing officials fail to find survivors permanent homes by then.

Days after at least 80 died and hundreds were left homeless, estate agents were asked by government housing officials to find homes.

They emailed owners of empty properties in West London offering to pay full market rent for homes of up to four bedrooms. The high priority emails said the rent would be guaranteed by central Government.

Estate agents were asked by government housing officials to find homes for survivors soon after the disaster

Estate agents have since been told to drastically increase the offers to tempt more home owners to come forward.

One landlord, who asked to remain anonymous, told the Mail: I have a one-bedroom flat about one and a half miles from Grenfell Tower. Ive put it back on the market to rent out and the estate agents said I could make around 250 a day for up to ten weeks.

MP: Inquiry chief shouldn't be a white man David Lammy MP said it was a shame a judge who is a woman or from an ethnic minority hadn't been selected A Labour MP has said that a white, upper middle class man should not have been appointed to lead the Grenfell Tower inquiry. David Lammy suggested retired Court of Appeal judge Sir Martin Moore-Bick had never visited a tower block on a housing estate and urged him to spend a night on the 20th floor of one. He said it was a shame that a judge who is a woman or from an ethnic minority had not been selected. Tottenham MP Mr Lammy, whose friend Khadija Saye died in the fire, told Sky News: The job is not just to be independent and judicious, it is also to be empathetic and walk with these people on this journey. He needs to get close to those victims and survivors very quickly and establish he is after the truth. Sir Martin has been described by Theresa May as highly respected and experienced. Advertisement

I was astonished how much money was being offered. My flat would normally be rented out at about 350 per week. I wasnt interested because Im looking for a long-term tenant, but the estate agents said some greedy landlords have been keen on the deal.

Theresa May has pledged to find homes for those affected by the tragedy in Kensington and Chelsea or in neighbouring boroughs within three weeks. That deadline expires in three days.

Offers of sky-high rents emerged after it was revealed that some families who were evacuated from their homes close to Grenfell Tower have continued to be charged rent on their flats by Kensington and Chelsea council.

Some survivors have been re-homed in a block of luxury flats near the site of the disaster

It is not yet known how many evacuees have had rent deducted or how much has been taken  but the total could run into thousands of pounds.

Yvette Williams, spokesman for the Justice4Grenfell group, said: A survivor living in a hotel had her bankcard reissued.

She looked at her statement and realised that rent had been deducted.

She hasnt spoken to the council yet because there is no complaints procedure at all.

She added: Survivors have no idea where to go, or who to take a complaint to. There should be basic public sector services in place  but there arent.

A spokesman for the Grenfell Response Team said: Our priority is securing good quality, local accommodation for survivors of the Grenfell fire.


Kelly Green, 32, (left with her husband Shane Green) moved from Eastbourne, East Sussex, in the UK to Tristan da Cunha (pictured), one of a remote group of volcanic islands in the South Atlantic Ocean, in July 2013. The whole island descends from just seven families and has a population of just 138 inhabitants. It is only accessible by boat from Cape Town, South Africa, and the journey can take anywhere from a week to 15 days - depending on the weather. After going through a tough break up, Kelly travelled to the island to visit her parents in 2010 as her dad was a diplomat posted there. Kelly said she 'fell in love' with the island and it was there that she met her now husband Shane Green, 33. Shane, a carpenter who has lived on the island for his entire life, had helped Kelly carry her luggage off the raft and they soon became besotted with each other. Kelly made the move to Tristan da Cunha permanently in July 2013 and the couple now have two children together - Savannah, eight, and Seren, who is 16-months-old.
Britons travelling to Calais could be allowed to drive on the left hand side of the road in a government initiative that aims to entice tourists back to the troubled coastal city.

High ranking politicians in northern France are proposing the novel idea after seeing numbers of visitors crossing the English Channel dip due to safety fears.

Calais was once considered the UK's gateway to France however its image has been tarred by the thousands of migrants who have tried to use the city as a spring board to Britain.

Migrants leave the Jungle camp in Calais

Migrants raise their arms in front of a French police officer in Calais last month

Authorities think it would be workable to allow Britons coming off the ferry or Channel Tunnel to drive around the town as if they were back home, the Sun reports.

Politician Xavier Bertrand, president of the Northern France region said he wants to make tourists feel more welcome.

He said: 'I have the dream of the British coming here and we let them drive on the left in Calais  or somewhere else in Hauts-de-France.

'It would show they are welcome.'

The radical idea could be tested during one of the May bank holidays next year as Britons search for short trips abroad.

A source close to Mr Bertrand added: 'It's an idea that Xavier has had, and it is something that has attracted a lot of interest.

'We are quite excited about it.

'In France the mayor of a town has the power to make a rule for the day  as if there was a major event.

'We would hope to do it on a bank holiday  maybe on a day when beautiful cars are heading to Le Mans Classic.

Politician Xavier Bertrand, president of the Northern France region said he wanted to let those disembarking the ferry from the UK drive on the left in France

Holiday makers to France stuck in queues at the Ferry Port in Dover

'It would be a designated area  but we would want to make it feel like you are in a British city.

'If it was just one road, it would be completely fake  it would have to be real.

'Ultimately it will be up to the mayor Natacha Bouchart to implement it.'

The infamous 'Jungle' camp, that hosted around 10,000 migrants, sat close to the city centre.

It was destroyed in October 2016 by French authorities but hundreds of migrants still sleep rough across the city as they wait for an opportunity to cut across the channel.

In late June around 10,000 Britons toured Calais after an online prize draw organised by the mayor's office gave away expenses paid trips to the winners.

The 150,000 marketing operation came days after a van driver was killed when he crashed into a tail-back on a motorway near Calais after migrants blocked the road.
Nurses and midwives are leaving the profession in their droves amid rising workloads and low pay, new figures have revealed.

The number quitting before they reach retirement age has increased by more than half in just four years, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC).

For the first time in recent history, more midwives and nurses are leaving the register than are joining, with homegrown UK nurses leaving in the largest numbers.

Between 2016 and 2017, a fifth more people left the register than joined it, and among those first registered in the UK, the figure was 45 per cent.

For the first time in recent history, more midwives and nurses are leaving the register than are joining, with homegrown UK nurses leaving in the largest numbers

The Royal College of Nursing (RCN) and the Royal College of Midwives (RCM) called on the Government to scrap the pay cap as a matter of urgency to stem the numbers going.

The data shows that, following yearly rises since 2013 in the numbers on the register, there was a drop in 2016/17 of 1,783 to 690,773.

During April and May this year, there has been a more dramatic fall, with a further 3,264 workers leaving the profession.

The number of nurses and midwives quitting before they reach retirement age has increased by more than half in just four years, according to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC)

The overall number of leavers - which includes UK, overseas and EU registrants - has increased from 23,087 in 2012/13 to 34,941 in 2016/17.

Leavers among those first registered in the UK - who make up 85 per cent of the entire register - jumped from 19,819 in 2012/2013 to 29,434 in 2016/2017.

Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: These figures provide further evidence of the severe workforce problems NHS trusts face.

This goes beyond the concerns over Brexit - worrying though they are.

The reduction in numbers is most pronounced among UK registrants. And it is particularly disappointing to see so many of our younger nurses and midwives choosing to leave.

She said a new staff retention programme will offer support to those NHS trusts with the highest leaving rates.

However, until we address the underlying issues driving retention problems, including the pay cap and the unsustainable workplace pressures, these approaches will only have a limited impact.

The overall number of leavers - which includes UK, overseas and EU registrants - has increased from 23,087 in 2012/13 to 34,941 in 2016/17

The data also shows that the number of EU workers, who make up 5 per cent of the register, leaving has increased from 1,173 in 2012/2013 to 3,081 in 2016/2017.

Leavers from overseas have risen from 2,095 in 2012/2013 to 2,426 in 2016/2017.

Those leaving below retirement age in the last year has nearly doubled in the last four years.

In 2016/17, 7,760 of those going were aged 56 to 60, while there were 4,789 leavers aged 51 to 55.

The number of leavers in the 21 to 30 age group also almost doubled from 1,510 to 2,901.

The data also shows that the number of EU workers, who make up 5 per cent of the register, leaving has increased from 1,173 in 2012/2013 to 3,081 in 2016/2017

Rising numbers of staff left for similar jobs abroad, with 4,153 verification requests made in 2016/17.

Of 4,544 people surveyed in the last year on reasons for leaving, just under half said they were not retiring.

Among this group, top reasons for leaving were working conditions (for example staffing levels and workload), cited by 44 per cent, a change in personal circumstances (such as ill health), cited by 28 per cent and disillusionment with the quality of care provided to patients, cited by 27 per cent.

Other reasons included leaving the UK (18 per cent) and poor pay and benefits (16 per cent).

Of 247 EU leavers, 32 per cent said Brexit had encouraged them to work outside the UK.

Janet Davies, chief executive of the RCN, said: Patients are paying the price for the Governments failure to plan for the future and it looks set to get worse.

Saffron Cordery, director of policy and strategy at NHS Providers, said: These figures provide further evidence of the severe workforce problems NHS trusts face'

With more people leaving than joining, the NHS will be further than ever from filling the 40,000 vacant nurse jobs in England alone.

The average nurse is 3,000 worse off in real-terms compared to 2010.

The 1 per cent cap means nursing staff can no longer afford to stay in the profession and scrapping student funding means people can no longer afford to join it.

Jon Skewes, director for policy at the RCM, said: These are worrying figures for maternity services and for a profession that is already 3,500 midwives short of the numbers needed in England, and with retirement bulges threatening future shortages in other UK countries.

He said pay freezes and increasing workloads had left workers demoralised and disillusioned.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: We are making sure we have the nurses we need to continue delivering world-class patient care - thats why there are almost 13,100 more on our wards since May 2010 and 52,000 in training.

We also know we need to retain our excellent nurses and earlier this week we launched a national programme to ensure nurses have the support they need to continue their vital work.
Alan Yentob, BBC creative director, throws up his arms in despair. His rich baritone trembles with bathos as he sings: Michael Gove even said it was an inspirational charity!

The audience titters. The line does not have the lyricism of a Rodgers and Hammerstein, but it is genuinely funny.

And true. The real Mr Yentob  rather than the actor playing him in this stage production  really did say, rather than sing, it.

Just like the BBC bigwig himself, who became embroiled in the scandal surrounding the collapse of the Kids Company charity of which he was chairman, there is something more than a little unconventional about this new musical being previewed in London last week.

Alan Yentob, BBC creative director, pictured with charity supremo Camila Batmanghelidjh, once known as the angel of Camberwell

The BBC bigwig became embroiled in the scandal surrounding the collapse of the Kids Company charity of which he was chairman. They are pictured before the Commons Public Administration Committee two years ago

First, there is the title: The Public Administration And Constitutional Affairs Select Committee Takes Oral Evidence On Whitehalls Relationship With Kids Company.

Then there are the lyrics, taken verbatim from the Hansard transcript of the testimony given by two witnesses who appeared before that committee of MPs on October 15, 2015.

One was Mr Yentob. The other was enigmatic charity supremo Camila Batmanghelidjh, once known as the angel of Camberwell.

The pair had been summoned to the Commons to explain how Kids Company, the charity of which Ms Batmanghelidjh was founder and CEO, had gone bust amid allegations of financial irregularity and sexual abuse, having received almost 50 million of public money.

The pair had been summoned to the Commons to explain how Kids Company, the charity of which Ms Batmanghelidjh was founder and CEO, had gone bust

Their summons came amid allegations against the chairty of financial irregularity and having received almost 50 million of public money

While the musical is opening this week, the public still awaits a definitive official explanation of the charitys controversial modus operandi and dramatic demise.

That was almost two years ago. And while the musical is opening this week, the public still awaits a definitive official explanation of the charitys controversial modus operandi and dramatic demise.

The select committee had no powers to act on its own damning findings of an extraordinary catalogue of failures. Two statutory bodies that do have such powers  the Charity Commission and the Insolvency Service  were supposed to deliver their own reports on Kids Company last autumn. They did not.

Both bodies say inquiries are ongoing but there is no indication as to when they might end. Ms Batmanghelidjhs autobiography, due out late last year, is similarly delayed.

And so the extraordinary saga rumbles on.

The woman at the centre of it all, 54-year-old Camila, keeps, in contrast to her life before the scandal, a low profile these days. She is pictured before arriving at the Commons Public Administration Committee

The woman at the centre of it all, 54-year-old Camila, keeps, in contrast to her life before the scandal, a low profile these days.

On a rare outing last summer, she was photographed as she went to lunch with representatives of a foreign government which is having to deal with a lot of young refugees at the Michelin-starred Pied a Terre restaurant.

Most of the time she lives quietly in her modest North London flat.

Ms Batmanghelidjh says she is continuing to help many Kids Company children, with the financial backing of donors who stayed loyal.

Kids Company rented a 4,000-a-month Grade II-listed art-deco mansion in North London, in which a member of the finance department and one of Ms Batmanghelidjhs PAs lived

While the Metropolitan Police found insufficient evidence to press any criminal charge, anecdotal evidence of institutional anarchy and excesses at Kids Company still has the power to shock.

Brown envelopes stuffed with cash were handed to troubled children as a matter of course. Twelve-year-old clients were given 150 trainers; others were flown first class to America. Some 50,000 alone was allegedly spent on taxis at the charitys Christmas party.

Kids Company rented a 4,000-a-month Grade II-listed art-deco mansion in North London, in which a member of the finance department and one of Ms Batmanghelidjhs PAs lived. Ms Batmanghelidjh swam in its indoor pool.

That such large amounts of paper money could allegedly be thrown around like confetti was, say critics, because Kids Company became the UKs most fashionable good cause.

That such large amounts of paper money could allegedly be thrown around like confetti was, say critics, because Kids Company became the UKs most fashionable good cause

Kids Company received 46 million from the UK taxpayer over 13 years, including 3 million days before it shut. Former Mayor of London Boris Johnson is pictured with Camila Batmanghelidjh London Evening Standard's '1000: London's Most Influential People' in 2014

Flamboyant, Iranian-born Camila could charm the birds from the trees. Then prime minister David Cameron was said to be mesmerised by her, while his wife Samantha was a backer, along with Prince Charles and a host of other A-list celebrities and City financiers.

Kids Company received 46 million from the UK taxpayer over 13 years, including 3 million days before it shut. Rock band Coldplay ploughed in a further 8 million from royalties.

Ms Batmanghelidjh claimed her charity had 36,000 young clients.

No doubt there was and remains a very real need for children from splintered families to be supported in Britains troubled inner cities.

But something within the organisation was not right. It needed only a small push for the already teetering edifice to collapse. That pressure came from an unlikely quarter.

Pensioner Joan Woolard was the catalyst to Kids Companys spectacular downfall and remains one of Ms Batmanghelidjhs fiercest critics.

Having heard the charity boss speak on Radio 4, Mrs Woolard was inspired to sell her home and donate the proceeds  more than 200,000  to the Kids Company.

While the Metropolitan Police found insufficient evidence to press any criminal charge, anecdotal evidence of institutional anarchy and excesses at Kids Company still has the power to shock

No doubt there was and remains a very real need for children from splintered families to be supported in Britains troubled inner cities

Doubts began when she asked how the money had been spent.

The answers were unsatisfactory. Her experience of spending some time at Kids Company offices alarmed her further  and she asked for her money back.

Hers was the first public voice of dissent against this fashionable and feted good cause. Ms Batmanghelidjh denied any wrongdoing.

But the money remained in Ms Batmanghelidjhs hands. Kids Company needed it desperately.

Encouraged by Mrs Woolards public stand, whistle-blowers from inside the organisation began to come forward.

The unsubstantiated allegations of sexual abuse were the final straw.

In August 2015, the charity shut down, laying off scores of staff and abandoning thousands of children.

Kids Company received 46 million from the UK taxpayer over 13 years, including 3 million days before it shut. Rock band Coldplay ploughed in a further 8 million from royalties

Some of the evidence subsequently given to the Commons select committee presented a shocking litany of financial chaos, rampant nepotism and very dubious methodology.

The committee concluded: There appears to have been a catastrophic confluence of factors that have conspired to allow this charity to operate as it did, for as long as it did.

Their report said the approach of successive governments and ministers towards Kids Company has proved to be an improper way to conduct government business or handle public money.

Alan Yentob had failed to restrain his unaccountable and dominant CEO. His employer, the BBC, was also accused of poor leadership for failing to take action against him when he tried to make suggestions about the BBCs reporting of Kids Company. In other words, bad journalism.

Alan Yenton's employer, the BBC, was also accused of poor leadership for failing to take action against him when he tried to make suggestions about the BBCs reporting of Kids Company

One of the committees witnesses, a high-ranking worker who was granted anonymity, gave a particularly damning insight into what Kids Company had become.

She said: The charity was run by the CEO as her personal fiefdom, with no regard whatsoever for the financial implications. It was simply unsustainable to continue to take in anyone who asked for assistance and, in certain specific areas, ridiculous amounts of money were spent wantonly and inappropriately.

Ms Batmanghelidjh had favourites among the youngsters she helped. One group of young adults  many of them in their late 20s  were known throughout the organisation as Camilas kids and inordinate amounts of money and resources were lavished on them; creating envy and resentment among others.

But staff were also treated lavishly, the witness stated, and nepotism was rife. Sasha and Jamie Handover (the children of former WH Smith boss Richard Handover, a trustee) were both employed at KC, the witness said.

The so-called Operations Manager  a sweet but totally inefficient woman who kept odd hours  turned out to be the mother of one of the IT chaps.

Ms Batmanghelidjh had favourites among the youngsters she helped. One group of young adults  many of them in their late 20s  were known throughout the organisation as Camilas kids', an anonymous committee witness said

Magbule Mulla  who worked in the finance department  is the sister-in-law of Jeton (Tony) Cavolli, who was Camilas driver.

(While her Linked In page still describes her as Assistant Accountant Kids Company, Mrs Mulla was described by Ms Batmanghelidjh in one interview as the woman who sews for me.)

Ms Batmanghelidjh would eventually admit that her charity had paid for both of Mr Cavollis children to be put through private schools; one of them a boarding establishment where the chairman of governors was one Richard Handover (a trustee).

Mr Cavolli had been described by Ms Batmanghelidjh as a therapist tasked with dealing with difficult young men and only had a car in order to go to their aid late at night. But in the time she worked there, the witness only heard him referred to as Tony the Driver.

Some of the evidence subsequently given to the Commons select committee presented a shocking litany of financial chaos. Squatters are pictured at the former offices of Kids Company in Kenbury Street, Camberwell

But staff were also treated lavishly, the witness stated, and nepotism was rife. A toy is pictured tied to a gate at he former offices of Kids Company

It was Tony the Driver who was pictured holding the car door open for Ms Batmanghelidjh prior to that lunch at Pied a Terre restaurant last summer.

He was not her chauffeur, she later explained. He was working as an Uber driver and had given her a lift as a favour.

A university academic whose role as an Ofsted inspector in South London alerted her to Kids Company more than 15 years ago had watched its progress with alarm.

The whole history of Kids Company is one of a failure of due diligence by local government, donor charities, the Tory Party, Prince Charles. They all failed. It is astounding, she told me.

Hers is only one of many critical voices. But there is an approaching counterblast. Approaching, but repeatedly delayed. Ms Batmanghelidjhs autobiography was due to be published last autumn. Her ghost-writer is Tim Rayment, an award-winning journalist widely admired by his peers.

In early 2015 he was sent by his newspaper to investigate Ms Batmanghelidjh. Now he is firmly in her camp.

One view is that Rayment fell under her spell; like so many financiers, pop stars, politicians and royals before him, he was hypnotised, one colleague said.

I want to give voice to someone who has been silenced, Mr Rayment told me last year, rather generously of someone who had the ear of royalty and prime ministers.

Have I been naive? Have I been mesmerised? he asks. The time to make that judgment is on publication.

The fall-out has indeed been complex and messy for those involved. Last December, Mr Yentob stepped down as Creative Director of the BBC as a direct result of his involvement in the Kids Company collapse

Earlier this year, it was reported that the Insolvency Service had written to lawyers acting for Kids Companys former board members to warn them it was minded to ban them from holding directorships - including Ms Batmanghelidjh

Last night, a spokesman for Ms Batmanghelidjhs publisher, Biteback, said she expected the book to appear in August. She explained: We had initially hoped to do a very fast turnaround on this title, and therefore gave it a very ambitious publication date.

But it has turned out to be far more complex, both legally and in terms of the science involved, than we had first anticipated.

The fall-out has indeed been complex and messy for those involved. Last December, Mr Yentob stepped down as Creative Director of the BBC as a direct result of his involvement in the Kids Company collapse.

Earlier this year, it was reported that the Insolvency Service had written to lawyers acting for Kids Companys former board members to warn them it was minded to ban them from holding directorships.They included Ms Batmanghelidjh, Mr Yentob and Mr Handover. Which brings us back to the musical.

In concept, it sounds heavier going than, say, Mamma Mia or Mary Poppins. But what I saw at a preview was a brisk tragi-comedy; entertaining, balanced and necessarily inconclusive. None of the characters depicted had any part in its production.

Sandra Marvin, the actress who plays Ms Batmanghelidjh, has the sweetest voice in the cast: she sings the siren songs which persuaded so many celebrities, tycoons and politicians to donate. Her character was the centre of what one former employee likened in evidence to a cult.

Flamboyant, Iranian-born Camila could charm the birds from the trees. Then prime minister David Cameron was said to be mesmerised by her

Mr Yentob bewails the sudden denial of the public purse gold seam. He had mined it for years thanks to his contacts with David Cameron and the latters desire to give his Big Society slogan some substance and street cred.

Last night, a Charities Commission spokeswoman said: When an inquiry is under way, we do not provide updates on when it is likely to conclude.

This is a high-profile case and when a report is available it will be posted online with full findings.

An Insolvency Service spokesman said: Our investigation into Kids Company remains ongoing. Each case has its own complexities and differences depending on the number of directors involved. There is no timescale for us to reach any conclusions. As such, it would not be appropriate for us to comment further at present.

Miles Goslett, the journalist who first raised questions about Kids Company, in February 2015, is sceptical about the delay.

Both inquiries were set up the best part of two years ago and I was told privately last year theyd be published by Christmas 2016 at the latest, he said this week.

Even if these bodies are short on manpower, Id have no difficulty believing that someone in Whitehall has taken the decision it would be politically sensible to keep them from public view for a while yet.

As for Ms Batmanghelidjh, she hasnt been to see the musical at the Donmar Warehouse.

It wouldnt be fair to the actress who is playing me if I was sat in the audience, she told me.

She added: I hope that one day the real facts will come to the forefront. There has been so much injustice in the way Kids Company has been portrayed.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young charged taxpayers almost $4,000 to go whale watching with her 10-year-old daughter last year.

The 35-year-old travelled to the Great Australian Bight last September under the guise of her efforts to ban oil and gas exploration in the marine reserve.

The $3874.24 cost of the trip included return flights from Adelaide to Ceduna for $1,875 and $1,292.52 for the charter boat, according to Finance Department records.

Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young charged taxpayers almost $4,000 to go whale watching with her 10-year-old daughter last year

The $3874.24 cost of the trip included return flights from Adelaide to Ceduna for $1,875 and $1,292.52 for the charter boat, according to Finance Department records

She also spent $317.52 on a hire car and charged $120 to the government's Comcar chauffeur service during the overnight trip.

Another $268 in travelling allowance was charged to get around the small town of Coorabie, 945 kilometres west of Adelaide.

A helicopter landing site was being constructed in the town to service a $1 billion BP oil rig constructed in the Bight, which Senator Hanson-Young opposes.

Senator Hanson-Young said she spent her days meeting with constituents, business owners, local councils but her Facebook page is full of travel snaps.

Senator Hanson-Young and the Greens were at the time trying to restart senate committees hearings investigating BP's plans to drill for oil in the Bight

The 35-year-old travelled to the Great Australian Bight last September under the guise of her efforts to ban oil and gas exploration in the marine reserve

Photos she posted on Facebook included her daughter Kora looking out over a beach at sunset

Numerous photos show her posing at the Head of the Bight, enjoying fresh oysters, spotting whales, and her daughter Kora looking out over a beach at sunset.

'How relaxed are you, stunning selfie,' one of her friends commented on a snap the South Australian senator with a beach in the background.

Senator Hanson-Young defended the trip as 'for work' as she was there to 'consult with the community about BPs plans to drill for oil'.

'Of course I went to see the whales, that was the whole point. These whales were at threat from BP and those that want to drill for oil, and want to damage their whale sanctuary,' she told The Australian.

The senator visited the Head of the Bight whale centre and took a snap of the daily whale count

Her Facebook also showed her enjoying a meal of fresh oysters while on the trip

'There is an entitlement for it, and it was all for work. I was absolutely not in breach of any rules.'

MPs are allowed to claim $14,860 a year for 'the hire of charter aircraft and other vehicles for travel within and for the service of the electorate'.

The senator said she took Kora with her because she was sick on that day and there was no one available to take care of her at home.

Senator Hanson-Young defended the trip as 'for work' as she was there to 'consult with the community about BPs plans to drill for oil'

MPs are allowed to claim $14,860 a year for 'the hire of charter aircraft and other vehicles for travel within and for the service of the electorate'.

Rules allow dependent children to accompany a senator 'at any class' within their home state on work-related trips so long as it doesn't require a bigger vehicle.

Senator Hanson-Young also claimed more than $2,400 in taxpayer expenses to travel to Byron Bay on the weekend of last year's Splendour in the Grass festival.

She the Greens were at the time of the whale watching trip trying to restart senate committees hearings investigating BP's plans.

The project was scrapped in October but last month revived when BP's partner, Norwegian company Statoil, took it over.
Theresa May has been compared to a Chinese dictator over her plans to fine companies such as Google and Facebook for hosting extremist material online.

Mrs May's own counter-terrorism watchdog has blasted her decision to criminalise tech giants and suggested it is anti-democratic.

Technology firms, including Google, its video site YouTube and Facebook, have been accused of dragging their feet and failing to remove extremist material quickly.

The Prime Minister has promised action to punish them in the courts because of the number of cases where terrorists including ISIS-recruits and far-right supporters are radicalised online.

But Max Hill QC, the UK Independent Reviewer of Terrorism Legislation, said: 'What is the appropriate sanction? We do not live in China, where the internet simply goes dark for millions when government so decides. Our democratic society cannot be treated that way.'

Jihadist propaganda and terrorism how-to guides including how to make bombs can still be accessed online with just a few clicks.

Max Hill QC said Theresa May's proposal to 'criminalise' tech companies could force them 'offside' and in a stinging rebuke said: 'We do not live in China'

Facebook has launched a new anti-terror scheme - but won't allow spies to view encrypted messages in WhatsApp, which is also owns. Mr Hill says Britain must not risk alienating companies

Dangerous content, such as the videos Manchester bomber Salman Abedi reportedly used to help build the device that killed 22 people in May, could be driven underground by the move.

This could make prosecutions more difficult, the new independent reviewer of counter-terrorism legislation said.

Speaking at the Terrorism and Social Media conference in Swansea, he struggled to see how criminalising tech bosses who 'don't do enough' would work, the Times reported.

'How do we measure 'enough'?' he said.

Mrs May will see the comments as a damaging blow to proposals which were the centrepiece of the Government's plans to combat the rise of extremism, a key element of her election pitch.

Technology firms have come under rising pressure to do more about jihadist propaganda and terrorism how-to guides that can be accessed online with just a few clicks.

The option of fining the companies was announced following three attacks in Britain in just ten weeks  the Manchester suicide bombing and the two atrocities in London.

Facebook, Google and Twitter could face huge fines in the UK and France if they fail to remove extremist content from their sites quickly enough (ISIS propaganda, pictured)

Tech companies have come under increasing scrutiny to do more about jihadist propaganda

The Prime Minister also discussed creating a 'legal liability' with France's President Macron during a meeting last month.

A new law in Germany means companies which persistently fail to remove illegal content could be fined up to 50 million.

Mr Hill, who has led the prosecution on a series of Islamic State terrorist trials, argued for a different approach, however.

He called for 'ever greater liaison and co-operation between law enforcement and tech companies,' to stem the flow of dangerous extremist material online.

'Companies who make eye-watering sums of money from our everyday chatter need to be brought firmly onside, they do not need to be forced offside,' he said.

Mr Hill's predecessor, Lord Carlile of Berriew QC, agreed that fining the tech firms should be a last resort.

Ministers are furious at the widespread availability of hate-filled propaganda online, and the ease with which impressionable youngsters can access detailed terror manuals.

Google, Facebook and Twitter all claim they want to remove such material from their websites, but it remains alarmingly easy to find.

Mr Hill called for 'ever greater co-operation' between law enforcement and tech companies

In the wake of the Manchester bomb attack, it took the Daily Mail less than 30 seconds to find links to handbooks imploring extremists to murder children and target concerts, and providing instructions for constructing home-made bombs.

Facebook and Google, which owns the video site YouTube, removed material when it was raised with them, but fresh links were quickly re-posted by extremists.

The Prime Minister discussed the dangers posed by extremist material at last months G7 summit in Sicily, where she brokered an agreement between world leaders to embark on an international approach to clamping down on social media firms.

Downing Street said the Anglo-French initiative would see the two countries working with technology firms to develop tools to identify and remove harmful material automatically.
Pictured: Hero Dominic Trouland, who has been shot in an ambush in Nairobi

A former Royal Marine awarded the George Cross for saving hundreds of people during the Westgate mall terror raid has killed two people after being ambushed in Kenya.

Dominic Troulan, 54, was shot twice in the leg during the attack in Nairobi after gunmen riding on a motorbike attacked him.

The veteran, who spent 30 years in the military before retiring as a major, became the first civilian to win the George Cross in decades for his bravery during the 2013 Islamist mall siege in the Kenyan capital.

At least 67 people were murdered in the attack - but Troulan saved the lives of more than 100 people trapped inside the building as Al-Shabaab terrorists were slaughtering civilians.

Several months ago the hero, who lives in Kenya and works as a security consultant, was in danger once again, according to The Sun.

A friend of his told the paper that Troulan was walking by the road with a backpack when two men on a motorbike pulled over, pulling out their weapons.

He added: 'There was a lot of shouting, and the two of them pulled their weapons simultaneously.

Troulan is credited with saving hundreds of lives during the Westgate terror attack. Pictured: Women and children flee the raid in 2013

'Dom shot the first guy twice, and then the driver ran at him shooting, so he put a couple of rounds into him too.'

The gunmen somehow got on the bike and escaped but are thought to have died of their wounds later.

Troulan then checked himself into hospital and had the bullets removed.

Kenyan police and soldiers (pictured) eventually broke the siege but at least 67 people were murdered

But the bane of Al-Shabaab does not believe he was being targeted by the fanatics - he believes it was much more likely to be a robbery gone wrong.

The Foreign Office said they know Troulan and know of the incident, but were not contacted by him after the shooting.

His George Cross was awarded 'for saving lives during the Westgate Shopping Mall terrorist attack in Kenya in 2013'.

The notes attached to the award read: 'Dominic Troulan, a security consultant working in Nairobi, was contacted by a friend who asked him to go to the incident to try and locate the friends wife and daughter.

Trouland's George Cross was awarded 'for saving lives during the Westgate Shopping Mall terrorist attack in Kenya in 2013'. Pictured: Kenyan police and soldiers fighting Al-Shabaab terrorists

Trouland kept returning to the mall at least 12 times despite being shot at by terrorists. Pictured: Soldiers entering the mall

'On arrival at the Mall, Troulan contacted the family by telephone and entered the Mall. He was armed with only a pistol while the area was dominated by terrorists armed with grenades and machine guns.

'Nevertheless, Troulan managed to bring the two women to safety.

'Realising that large numbers of civilians remained trapped while the terrorists continued to kill indiscriminately, Troulan re-entered the Mall.

'Over the course of several hours, he went into the building at least a dozen times and on each occasion managed to bring many innocent civilians to safety.'
Malcolm Turnbull defiantly declared he would be Prime Minister for a 'long time' despite a week of infighting within his government.

'I intend to be Prime Minister for a very long time,' he told reporters at a press conference.

'Now I know you may think at 62 i'm too old but I assure you... I will be running at the 2019 election and will win.

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Malcolm Turnbull defiantly declared he would be Prime Minister for a 'long time' despite a week of infighting within his government

Mr Turnbull's call to arms came after his predecessor Tony Abbott (R) called for conservatives to 'take our party back'

'That's my commitment, I'll be PM for a long time and I look forward to meeting you at many press conferences like this over many, many years to come.'

Mr Turnbull's call to arms came after his predecessor Tony Abbott called for conservatives to 'take our party back'.

'For too long the party hierarchy has expected the rank and file to turn up, to pay up and to shut up. Let's take our party back and then we can win the next election,' he said at a NSW Liberal Party member forum on Saturday.

'Respect is a two-way street and it's time the party hierarchy showed the respect to the membership that the membership has always given to them.'

'Now I know you may think at 62 i'm too old but I assure you... I will be running at the 2019 election and will win,' he said at a press conference

Mr Turnbull admitted to feeling sympathy for Tony Abbott as he remembered losing the leadership himself

Former prime minister Tony Abbott (pictured) has refused to stay out of the spotlight since being ousted

Mr Turnbull responded to Abbott's week of jabs from the party's right wing by promising to quit politics if he lost the next election.

'When I cease to be Prime Minister, I will cease to be a Member of Parliament. I am not giving anyone else advice but I just think that's what I would do,' he told Newscorp.

Mr Turnbull said it was a 'big wrench going from being leader to not'.

His words were taken as a thinly-veiled swipe at his rival, as Mr Abbott stayed in parliament as an agitator after Mr Turnbull took the top job from him in 2015.

Abbott (pictured, left) was ousted by Turnbull (pictured, right) in a leadership spill in late 2015

The Prime Minister also hit out at Mr Abbott in a column for News Limited on Saturday saying Australia needed to be lead by 'builders, not wreckers'.

He also admitted to having a tough time after losing the party leadership to Abbott in 2009.

'I had a bleak period and then I thought to myself, I can continue to make a contribution,' he said.

It was another episode in a tough week for the Liberal Party, with Mr Abbott blasting frontbencher Christopher Pyne over a speech he made to Liberal moderates.

''It is a big wrench going from being leader to not, I understand that.' Turnbull (pictured) said

Turnbull (pictured, right) also promised to quit politics if he ever loses the prime ministership

In a leaked recording of the speech, Mr Pyne suggested a move to legalise same-sex marriage was closer than everyone expected.

Mr Pyne also boasted disloyalty to Mr Abbott during his tenure as prime minister.

The Defence Industry Minister was slammed for his speech, with some of Mr Abbott's conservative colleagues calling for him to lose his job.

'I can understand why some of my colleagues might be saying his position as Leader of the House is now difficult to maintain,' Mr Abbott said on 2GB on Wednesday.

Mr Abbott said it was a 'very ill-advised and indiscreet' speech.
A police officer has been placed on restricted duties for a year over an allegation he stole a colleague's biscuits.

The male PC allegedly offered the biscuits around the office after he found an open packet on the side.

He was subsequently taken off the streets in Kingston, South West London, in June last year after being accused of theft.

The Metropolitan Police confirmed a male officer ended up being placed on restricted duties over the allegations and said the investigation is still ongoing.

The police officer allegedly offered the biscuits out around the office after finding an open packet (stock photo)

According to the Daily Mirror, the officer is now one of thousands in the UK who are not able to carry out regular tasks and tackle crime on the streets.

A source told the newspaper: 'They (the officer) offered biscuits from an open packet at the end of a shift.

'The issue is the time it takes to conduct investigations, the average taking over a year.'

A total of 4,933 police officers (4 per cent) were placed on restricted duties in England and wales according to figures in March last year.

A Scotland Yard spokesman added: 'The investigation has nearly concluded.'
A father who sparked a manhunt in western Sydney after he allegedly kidnapped his two children and assaulted their mother has been charged.

The incident happened shortly after he broke into a home in South Wentworthville on Saturday evening.

Police say he assaulted the 47-year-old mother before taking off with his 12-year-old son and 10-year-old daughter.

A father who sparked a manhunt in western Sydney after he allegedly kidnapped his two children and assaulted their mother has been charged.

The trio was found at a home in Greystanes on Sunday evening.

Brown was charged with several domestic-related offences including common assault.

He was refused bail to appear at Fairfield Local Court on Monday.

The children have been reunited with their mother, police said.
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One has been killed and three injured in a horrific gas explosion that obliterated a home on a suburban cul-de-sac.

The explosion in the suburbs of Lancaster, Pennsylvania killed one utility worker and injured three others as the crew investigated a suspected gas leak, and sent debris flying a block away.

The crew from UGI Utilities was responding after a passerby walking his dog reported the odor of gas.

The homeowner was evacuated from the house before the powerful explosion rocked the neighborhood at around 12.30pm, reported LancasterOnline.

Homeowner Jeannie Hughes said she wasn't aware of the gas leak until the utility crew knocked on her door and told their gas readings 'were close to 100 percent' and that she had to get out immediately.

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 Slide me  Slide To View: The scene of the explosion is seen before (left) and after (right) the horrific blast rocked the cul-de-sac

Debris from the blast was strewn along the suburban street after the devastating explosion on Sunday afternoon

Hughes said she had lived in the home for about nine years. Public records show it was last sold in 2009, for $420,000

One utility worker was killed and three others were injured in the blast, which occurred around 12.30pm on Sunday

A police officer stands in the debris field following a house explosion that killed one and injured three on Sunday

The windows and doors of the home were all opened to ventilate the property and a fire crew was called in to stand by at 12.23pm.

About ten minutes later, a massive explosion rocked the neighborhood, sending debris raining down on houses up to a block away.

Photos from the scene show the devastating damage from the explosion, with insulation and building materials littering the adjacent properties.

The utility worker who was killed has not yet been publicly identified.

One of the injured workers was listed in critical condition and two others in stable condition at Lancaster General Hospital.

Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board have been called in from Washington, DC to investigate the fatal explosion alongside Pennsylvania State Police, the Pennsylvania Public Utility Commission and police from Manor Township, the local jurisdiction.

The explosion sent insulation and building materials flying up to a block away and raining down on neighboring properties

Investigators respond to the scene where a gas explosion leveled a four-bedroom house in the suburbs of Lancaster, PA

Hughes, the homeowner, looked on in shock at the blast scene, telling a reporter from LancasterOnline that everything she owned had been inside the house.

She said she'd tried calling her cats when she left the house, but they ran away from her. It is unknown if the animals survived.

'It's gone, it's really gone, she said in disbelief, adding, 'Overall I guess I'm pretty darn lucky.'

Hughes said she had lived in the home for about nine years. Public records show it was last sold in 2009, for $420,000.

Four other homes were damaged in the explosion, and gas service to the area has been shut off as the explosion is investigated.

The four damaged homes have been condemned for the time being, and the residents will not be allowed to return to them until the gas lines are checked and inspectors deem them structurally sound.

'I thought it sounded like a bomb and I completely freaked out,' one neighbor told WHP-TV.

'We went outside and we watched as a cloud of debris and insulation from the house came down... I immediately knew it must've been an explosion because debris was everywhere.'

Fire crews were called in to stand by about ten minutes before the explosion, and firefighters rushed in after the blast
A paedophile with a 'chronic' attraction to children will be released form jail, despite admitting he would prey on children again.

Wollongong man Aaron David Vincent was handed a five-year extended supervision order in NSW Supreme court on Friday, the Illawarra Mercury reported.

The court found Vincent had a 'chronic and permanent' attraction to children and told a psychologist he would prey on young girls again after his release from prison.

The court found Vincent had a 'chronic and permanent' attraction to children and told a psychologist he would prey on young girls again after his release from prison (stock image)

Under the order Vincent will have to abide by 55 conditions including wearing an ankle monitor, provide a weekly schedule of movements and undergo drug and alcohol testing. He will also have his social media monitored.

In 2009 Vincent told a woman he met online he had sexually abused young girls. In 2011 he was convicted of possessing child pornography.

His most recent offence was in March 2014 when he had sex with an underage girl in his apartment.

He is currently behind bars after being arrested in May for breaking other court orders.

The court heard Vincent had contracted self-help lines in the past and falsely disclosed sexual acts he had committed against young children. He would masturbate when making these calls.

He also told psychologists would act on his urge and was 'unable to change his behaviour'

Vincent told one doctor: 'I don't know what I would do if I was left alone in a room with children'.

NSW Supreme Court judge Justice Ian Harrison said: 'I consider that Mr Vincent's risk can be managed but it can never be eradicated.'
Billionaires James Packer and Lachlan Murdoch are among shareholders providing funding for Network Ten to keep it afloat until it can find a suitable buyer.

The group pulled their support for the struggling network in June, leading to the company entering voluntary administration.

They have collectively funded $30 million to keep Ten afloat for another eight to ten weeks, the Sydney Morning Herald reports.

Billionaires James Packer (right) and Lachlan Murdoch (left) are among shareholders providing funding for Network Ten to keep it afloat until it can find a suitable buyer

Murdoch (left with wife Sarah) and Packer (right) have collectively funded $30 million to keep Ten afloat for another eight to ten weeks

Network Ten owe Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) $200 million through a debt facility by December 23

Network Ten owe Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) $200 million through a debt facility by December 23.

The CBA have appointed PPB Advisory as receivers and will carry out the sale of the network on behalf of the bank.

'PPB Advisory will undertake the sale of Network Ten as a going concern, or the recapitalisation of the business, through a competitive tender program,' PPB revealed in a statement on Saturday.

The company also stated it will 'provide immediate funding to Network Ten' through the original three guarantors, Packer, Murdoch and Bruce Gordon.

'This will allow operations to continue while the process to identify a suitable party to purchase or recapitalise the business is conducted.'

'PPB Advisory will undertake the sale of Network Ten as a going concern, or the recapitalisation of the business, through a competitive tender program,' PPB revealed in a statement on Saturday. The company also stated it will 'provide immediate funding to Network Ten' through the original three guarantors, Packer, Murdoch and Bruce Gordon

The CBA have appointed PPB Advisory as receivers and will carry out the sale of the network on behalf of the bank

The Senate will address media ownership laws upon parliament resumption in August, which may allow Murdoch to bid for full control of the network.

Murdoch, executive chairman of 21st Century Fox, is currently restricted from owning Ten under media cross-ownership laws, but that could change following the Senate meeting.

Senator Pauline Hanson told Fairfax the network's failure was due to 'bad management' and she is 'not going to change the laws for one company.'
The alleged kidnapper of missing Chinese student Yingying Zhang attended a rally in support of her family just one day before he was arrested.

Brendt Christensen, 28, is charged with kidnapping Zhang, a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, who police believe is now dead after she went missing on June 9.

On Thursday, Christensen was at a rally in support of her friends and family, according to the East Illinois News Gazette.

Multiple photos of the event show a man bearing a very strong resemblance to Christensen with an unknown woman dressed in black.

A photo taken by CNN correspondent Kaylee Hartung also shows the man, as does another image that has been circulated on social media.

That same day, Christensen was overheard talking about kidnapping Zhang, taking her to his apartment and holding her against her will, according to the FBI.

This photo shared on social media shows a man who bears a very strong resemblance to accused kidnapper Brendt Christensen at a rally for his alleged victim YingYing Zhang. Two other photos show the same man at the event and local media reports he was there

Christensen (left) is accused of kidnapping Zhang (right) a visiting scholar at the University of Illinois who is now believed to be dead

Pictured, Zhang's father, left, and friends on a walk for Zhang on Thursday, which Christensen attended

A walk through @UniversityofIl campus to show support for missing grad student Yingying Zhang. Led by her father and aunt. pic.twitter.com/bG3dJAoJU4  Kaylee Hartung (@KayleeHartung) June 29, 2017

Christensen was arrested and charged with Zhang's kidnapping on Friday, and is scheduled to make his first court appearance on Monday.

Zhang, 26, was last seen getting into a black Saturn Astra on June 9, just weeks after she arrived at the university's Urbana-Champaign campus from China to study agriculture sciences.

The FBI found Christensen owned a car with a sunroof and a cracked hubcap on the passenger side, matching the vehicle Zhang was last seen climbing into, according a criminal complaint filed in federal court on Friday.

Authorities also obtained his cell phone and found Christensen had visited threads titled 'Abduction 101', 'perfect abduction fantasy' and 'planning a kidnapping' on the website FetLife, a 'social network for the BDSM, fetish and kinky community'.

Christensen, who was admitted to the school's competitive physics graduate program in 2013, also had an OkCupid account that said he was 'married and in an open relationship'.

In his profile, he wrote: 'Im Brendt. Grad student at UIUC. Im pretty chill and easy going...its pretty much impossible to make me mad. I want to experience everything and test my limits.

'I also work out a ton but dont mind if you dont. Fitness has been a passion of mine since junior high.'

Christensen was in the university's graduate physics program. When the FBI searched his phone, they found he had visited threads titled 'Abduction 101' on a fetish website

Zhang told her friends she had gone out to sign an apartment lease on June 9, and texted the building's property manager at 1.30pm, saying that she was going to be about 10 minutes late

Zhang got off the bus a mile away from the building. She was last seen getting into a black Saturn Astra that Christensen owned, according to FBI Special Agent Anthony Manganaro

Jon Bowman, who worked out with a group that included Christensen, told the News Gazette: 'He would nearly always come with a woman...Most of us who were working out were usually talkative and in a good mood, but Christensen was different.

'He and the woman always wore black, and they kept to themselves. They never said anything to the rest of us,' Bowman told the paper.

Former classmate Souvik Dutta said he was 'dumbfounded' by the news, recalling Christensen as a nice guy and 'very calm.'

Others who lived in the same apartment complex have since come out to describe him as 'creepy'.

On June 9, Zhang told her friends she had gone out to sign an apartment lease and texted the building's property manager at 1.30pm saying that she was going to be about 10 minutes late to the 2pm appointment.

She hopped on a city bus and got off at 1.52pm, one mile away from the building where she was signing the lease.

When Zhang tried to flag down another bus minutes later, it drove past her without stopping, so she walked four blocks away and stood under a tree on Goodwin Avenue at another bus stop, according to surveillance video cited by the FBI.

There were only 18 four-doored Saturn Astras registered in Champaign County. Christensen's, which was parked outside his apartment (general view), had a cracked hubcap matching the vehicle Zhang was last seen climbing into

Christensen had driven past Zhang before looping around the block and pulling over, according to the criminal complaint.

Zhang was then seen approaching the passenger side of the car and speaking with the driver before voluntarily climbing in at 2.04pm.

Subsequent texts from the building's property manager at 2.38pm to Zhang's phone went unanswered and the 26-year-old was reported missing by professors at the school later that night.

Authorities issued several pleas to the public in the wake of Zhang's disappearance, and the FBI offered a $40,000 reward for information leading to an arrest.

The same day Christensen attended the rally, he was overheard talking about kidnapping Zhang (above) and holding her against her will, according to the FBI

Christensen's car was parked outside his apartment complex when investigators first questioned him on June 12.

He told them he couldn't recall what he was doing the day Zhang disappeared, according to FBI Special Agent Anthony Manganaro's affidavit.

When Christensen was interviewed again, he told investigators he picked up an Asian woman who said she was late for an appointment.

But the 28-year-old claimed he let her out in a residential area since she panicked after he made a wrong turn.

But Christensen was under surveillance when he was captured in an audio recording on June 29 - the same day he attended the rally - explaining how he took Zhang to his apartment and held her against her will.

Based on his comments, along with other facts uncovered during the investigation, FBI agents believe Zhang is no longer alive.

Asked if authorities had any leads on where Zhang's body might be, FBI spokesperson Bradley Ware declined comment.

Another person who lived with Christensen consented to a search of the home, and the FBI obtained his phone, which included a browser history of abduction threads.

A search of Christensen's car also indicated the front passenger door had been 'cleaned to a more diligent extent than the other vehicle doors,' the criminal complaint said.

'Based on my training and experience, I believe that this type of action may be indicative of an attempt to conceal or destroy evidence,' Manganaro said.

Zhang's boyfriend, aunt, best friend and father (pictured center) flew from China to Illinois after she was reported missing

About 5,600 Chinese students are enrolled at the University of Illinois - more than any other U.S. college, according to government data. Zhang's kidnapping prompted fears among Chinese students and their families.

Zhang, originally from Jianyang, China, was the daughter of a working-class factory driver.

She graduated last year with a master's degree in environmental engineering from Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School, and went on to work at the University of Illinois' Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences, where she researched photosynthesis and crop productivity.

Those who knew Zhang described her as bright and outgoing. She played guitar and sang in a band called 'Cute Horse' in China. One of her favorite songs was Bette Midler's 1980 hit, The Rose.

Zhang's boyfriend has said that she was cautious and wouldn't normally get into a car with a stranger unless duped or forced.

Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones issued a statement that read: 'This is a senseless and devastating loss of a promising young woman and a member of our community.

'There is nothing we can do to ease the sadness or grief for her family and friends, but we can and we will come together to support them in any way we can in these difficult days ahead.'
Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, 22, is speaking out about his plot to support Islamic State

The leader of an American ISIS cell has spoken out about his thirst for violent extremism and how he send his friends to fight and die in Syria.

Abdirizak Mohamed Warsame, 22, was sentenced to 2.5 years in prison last year, after he admitted he conspired to help two friends join Islamic State and planned to go to Syria himself.

Now, in an interview with Scott Pelley of 60 Minutes, the Somali-American explains how the online ravings of a dead terror cleric radicalized him and drew him into a plot with eleven other young men in Minnesota's large Somali immigrant population.

Asked if he had planned to join Islamic State in Syria and join in their atrocities, Warsame replied: 'I was going to be, I was going to be participating in those activities.'

Warsame said his descent into extremism began after he began attending mosque at his mother's urging.

'Learning about the religion and reciting the Quran, I started to become more religious. I felt like there was something that was missing in me,' Warsame said.

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In this selfie, presented in court as state's evidence, Warsame is seen posing with crudely drawn flags of Islamic State.

Warsame helped two of his friends get passports and connected them with smugglers who transported them to Syria to fight for Islamic State. Both men are now dead (file photo)

Minnesota's Somali population, the US's largest, numbers 41,000, according to census estimates, though community advocates say it is much larger. They have been drawn there over the years by welcoming social programs.

Then a teenager, Warsame felt alienated from his own mosque, which has not been tied to extremism, because the lessons were in Somali.

He turned online looking for religious instruction in English, and found the videos of Anwar al-Awlaki.

Once the respected imam of a mosque near Washington, DC, al-Awlaki was exposed as violent extremist and went into hiding in Yemen, where he was killed by a drone strike in 2011.

Yet the terror cleric's sermons live on online, where they have been responsible for radicalizing scores of young Muslims.

'He explained how Islam was, you know, like, my calling. It was almost like he was talking to you,' Warsame explained to Pelley.

'And like it made you feel like you were special, you know? And like you're the chosen one. And the more I listened to it, the more it was appealing to me and the more interesting it became.'

Warsame became convinced that committing violence against non-Muslims would be best not just for himself but his family.

'Most of the videos would talk about how if you would engage in jihad you would be doing your family a favor. And that you would be saving their lives from eternal hell fire,' he said.

'And so whether you're doing something good for your community, whether you're going to school, whether you have a nice job, all of that, they're gonna make it seem like it's worthless. And that there is something greater that you can be doing.'

Warsame spent every free moment watching the videos, falling deeper under al-Awlaki's spell.

Warsame (right) and a co-conspirator give the one-fingered Islamic State salute in this photo presented as evidence

He thought he was alone in his extremism, but soon discovered a group of friends among the Somali immigrant community who were fellow fans of the sick terror propaganda.

In 2014, when he was 19, Warsame helped two of those friends, Yusuf Jama and Abdi Nur, obtain passports and connected them to smugglers in Turkey who helped them enter Syria to fight for Islamic State.

Both young men died fighting for the terror group.

'I believe I am responsible for their deaths and I think about that every day,' Warsame confessed in the interview.

The plot to join ISIS grew to include nine other men: five who pleaded guilty, three who were convicted, and one who was not prosecuted after turning state's witness and wearing a wire to expose the plot.

Federal prosecutors said that Warsame was the 'emir', or leader, of the group after a previous leader left for Syria.

'As the new emir, Warsame immediately encouraged those with passports and money to travel to Syria by the end of the upcoming summer,' an FBI affidavit said.

Warsame is currently serving out his sentence in a medium-security federal prison in Illinois, and is set for release on February 9, 2018.

He had faced up to 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy to provide material support to terrorists.

'At the end of the day I was the one who made those decisions. I'm trying to do the best that I can to make up for all of the things that I've done,' he said.

At sentencing, Judge Michael Davis told Warsame he had reservations about the young man's future.

'I'm not convinced you're still not a jihadist,' the judge said.
A New South Wales man has been fined $10,000 for shouting 'I'm going to kill you f****t' while punching a man in a gay nightclub.

On Friday the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed Paul Taufaao to have committed unlawful homosexual vilification during an incident in the early hours of September 15, 2014 at ARQ nightclub.

Mr Taufaao was initially found guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm after he punched David Massa in the face because he thought Mr Massa touched his cousin's wife.

NSW man Paul Taufaao was fined $10,000 for shouting 'I'm going to kill you f****t' in a nightclub as he assaulted a man

Mr Taufaao, of Lake Macquarie, was fined $1100 and was placed under supervision of Probation and Parole for two years when he was convicted.

Mr Massa said he remembered when Mr Taufaao's fist hit his mouth and falling backwards but believes he lost consciousness soon after.

'The next thing that I remember was trying to get to my feet and could taste blood in my mouth, I could feel the blood dripping down the front of me.

'I could not move my bottom lip and the pain felt as though my lip had been ripped off.

On Friday the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal deemed Paul Taufaao to have committed unlawful homosexual vilification during an incident at ARQ nightclub (pictured)

'I raised my hand to my mouth and felt my lip and when I looked at my hand, I saw that there was blood on my fingertips.'

Under the Anti-Discrimination Act the matter was passed on to the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunial after Mr Massa's friend, Simon Margan, complained to the board about the language that was used in the altercation.

When Mr Margan attempted to step in to stop the punches, he said Mr Taufaao yelled 'F**k off f****t' and 'I'm going to kill you f****t'.

Taufaao was ordered to pay Mr Margan the $10,000 compensation before July 21.

The tribunal said there was sufficient evidence to find his complaint 'truthful' and 'reliable'.

The hearing decided the actions of Taufaao's behaviour 'frightening and led to serious injuries to Mr Margan's friend'.

'It is appropriate that a significant sum be awarded,' they said.

'The comments were not merely insults. They had the capacity to incite, or the effect of inciting, ordinary members of the audience to which they were directed... to experience hatred and/or serious contempt for Mr Margan and for homosexual men generally, on the grounds of their homosexuality.'

Taufaao was ordered to pay Mr Margan the $10,000 compensation before July 21.
A dog has been winched to safety after rescuers found him whimpering at the foot of a 10-metre deep mine shaft.

Melbourne hotel owner Bennett Mountjoy was left heartbroken after his dog of nine years went missing for two consecutive days last week, paving the way for a desperate search in the bush.

Recalling the incident, the Harrietville Snowline Hotel owner told Daily Mail Australia that his dog Axle went missing last Thursday during a morning walk around his neighbourhood.

Mr Mountjoy said his it was normal for his schnauzer to wonder off into the woods alone during such walks.

'He would normally come back within 10 minutes but it wasn't the case this time,' he said.

Bennett Mountjoy and his dog of nine years Axle seen here relaxing in an undated photo

A photo of Axle seen at the mountain behind's Mr Mountjoy's house in Harrietville, Victoria

Mr Mountjoy and his wife could no longer wait for Axle and decided to leave the area to tend to other matters believing that their pet would eventually make its way back to their pub or home in Harrietville.

But Mr Mountjoy said it wasn't until two days later that he decided to comb the area where Axle was last seen along with a friend in a final attempt to locate his dog.

As both men were about to give up, that was when Mr Mountjoy heard a whimper coming from what he believed was Axle's voice.

'It took me about half an hour to make out where the sound was coming from.

'When I finally found it, I found Axle stuck in a 10-metre deep mining shaft in the middle of the bush.

'He was at the deep end of the shaft, I had to use my phone torch to look for him.

Mr Mountjoy said it was the water in the shaft that kept Axle alive.

Mr Mountjoy says Axle has been on numerous crazy runs and is planning to write a book on it

Axle was rescued out by several of Mr Mountjoy's friends and the SES.

'We found Axle at 3pm on Friday, and he was out by 5pm.'

He said his pet did not suffer any bruises but was left shaken from the whole ordeal.

Another undated photo of Axle seen relaxing at the lake he went missing at last Thursday

'Once at home, he didn't move for two days, he is uninjured but happy to be back.

'My wife tells me that I should write a children's book on Axle's crazy runs.

'This is his second fall into a mine shaft, in the past he has been hit by a kangaroo and gored by a deer.'
Prominent Islamic public speaker Yassmin Abdel-Magied will leave Australia for the UK following months of controversy.

The TV presenter and oil rig engineer announced on Monday she was moving to London as part of the 'Aussie rite of passage'.

'Folks, it's been fun, but I'm off to partake in the Aussie rite of passage - I'm moving to London!' she tweeted.

Ms Abdel-Magied sparked uproar in April with an Anzac Day Facebook post about Nauru and Manus Island.

And her overseas departure comes just days after she said she regretted staying quiet during the controversy.

Outta here! Yassmin Abdel-Magied announced on Twitter she was moving to London

'Being deemed the face of all that is evil for an extended period of time does take a toll,' she wrote in a series of Twitter posts last week.

'However, reality is that being a small target has not served me well at all.

'Choosing not to defend myself and 'let it blow over' backfired because it hasn't blown over.

'Staying silent left a vacuum that other voices gleefully filled with hate and vitriol that was deeply racist.

'+ I f I stay silent, then 'they' win. Then others get to define the narrative. Then those with deep institutional power r able to silence (and) I can't abide that'.

In the Twitter stream, Ms Abdel-Magied said she had originally canned plans to join a panel discussion at Melbourne's Wheeler Centre.

'I'd initially cancelled, cos ya know, Australia had been getting its hate on,' she said.

But she changed her mind when an activist reached out and said 'hey, you need to be here'.

'Because the thing about all of this is that it is so isolating. And although ppl might tell me there is support, it's (sometimes) hard to see .

'But to have someone I respect validate me and the importance of my voice on a platform, well, it made a difference.

'Esp as I had been told time and time again that no, my voice wasn't welcome. That I had no legitimacy to even be **in** the conversation,' she said.

Ms Abdel-Magied said Australia 'had been getting its hate on' against her

She said she was disappointed some of her friends hadn't stepped to her defence in the media, pointing to a 'dearth in public support in media'.

Just weeks ago, outspoken Liberal Senator Eric Abetz suggested she should move to an Arab dictatorship.

'If Ms Abdel-Magied thinks our system of government is so bad perhaps she should stop being a drain on the taxpayer and move to one of these Arab dictatorships that are so welcoming of women,' Mr Abetz wrote.

Ms Abdel-Magied said in her Twitter spree that women and Muslims shouldn't be afraid to stand up for themselves.

'To those women, esp (women of colour) and Muslim, who have yet to step into the ring, don't be afraid. Or be afraid but step in anyway.

'To those who see what has gone on and think why on earth would I subject myself to that? I hear you. But I'm here to tell you I need you too.'

Left and right, Ms Abdel-Magied on Thursday said she was disappointed some of her friends hadn't stuck up for her in the press

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has called on Yassmin Abdel-Magied to move to an Arab dictatorship

'I will back you. I will stand by you. It's hard. Oath! But you are not alone.

'Change is long and hard... harder than I ever thought. But I'm here, at the other end. Laughing, breathing (#Alhamdulillah) and *not silent*

'I'm still standing.'

Ms Abdel-Magied apologised after posting the Anzac Day message: 'Lest. We. Forget. (Manus, Naura, Syria, Palestine)'.
Steven Jarvie (above) suffered fatal head injuries when he came off his bike as Ben Smith sped past him

The fiancee of a slain cyclist said the eight-year jail sentence handed to the biker who killed him shows reckless drivers will be held responsible.

Steven Jarvie, 62, was killed when he was knocked off his bike by 'cyclist hating' motorbike rider speeding past him four years ago.

Ben Smith, 27, was found guilty of the manslaughter of the father-of-three in May and sentenced will spend at least 5.5 years behind bars.

Mr Jarvie's fiancee Linda Ellis called the sentence a 'great result' outside court after it was handed down on Monday.

'It sends a really, really good message to all the Ben Smiths out there that there are consequences for your actions,' she said.

'A life is valuable, that they cant just do what they like and leave someone dying on the side of the road like a piece of garbage.



'The legal system has to show that there are punishments to fit the crime and that they can't get away with it.'

Mr Jarvie fiancee Linda Ellis called the sentence a 'great result' outside court after it was handed down on Monday

'A life is valuable, that they cant just do what they like and leave someone dying on the side of the road like a piece of garbage,' she said

Mr Jarvie suffered fatal head injuries when he came off his bike as Smith sped past him on the Old Pacific Highway at Cowan, just north of Sydney, on February 17, 2013.

Smith hugged and kissed his family goodbye at the Penrith District Court on Monday after his sentencing.

The Penrith District Court heard Smith left Mr Jarvie for dead on the side of the road and later boasted 'the c*** deserved it' to another cyclist later that day.

Minutes later, a waitress at a nearby cafe heard him say: 'The f****** bike rider shouldn't have been in the middle of the road.'

Ben Smith, 27, (pictured) was found guilty of the manslaughter of the father-of-three in May and sentenced will spend at least 5.5 years behind bars

Smith also yelled abuse at 'f***ing idiot' cyclists before he came across Mr Jarvie and Judge Mark Buscombe said he 'had a strong dislike verging on hatred for cyclists'.

Smith was booked for speeding and high-range drink driving and was on bail and on a good behaviour bond at the time, after being charged with offensive behaviour, resisting arrest and destroying property.

He was then caught mid-range drink driving a month after he killed Mr Jarvie, and charged with driving under the influence of marijuana last November.

He had also attacked cyclists in a 2012 Facebook comment, saying: 'Start paying for using the road or keep copping abuse and 2inch (sic) flybys.'

Judge Buscombe said Smith and his father were speeding when they rode past the group of four middle-aged cyclists including Jarvie 'in a manner that was grossly negligent'.

One of the three experienced cyclists riding with Mr Jarvie that morning said Smith and his father appeared to be racing as they as they overtook the single-file quartet on the winding road.

Judge Buscombe found the offender was speeding, 'driving in a manner that was grossly negligent' and had 'failed to keep a safe distance from Mr Jarvie'.

But he was not satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Smith deliberately drove too close to Mr Jarvie because of his hatred of cyclists.

The girlfriend of Ben Smith avoids questions outside court on Monday

On Friday, a court heard Smith (pictured centre) caused Mr Jarvie to fall and bragged about his actions because of his 'perverse' hatred of cyclists

Ms Ellis earlier told the court in victim's impact statement that she froze whenever she heard a motorbike engine and was haunted by it being the last thing Mr Jarvie heard before he died.

'Steve's life was needlessly lost in a moment of reckless stupidity and madness - an insane criminal tragedy,' Ms Ellis said.

'His sudden and horrendous death has plunged me into the most unimaginable nightmare that I struggle to wake up from.'

'Our hopes and dreams of a long happy and peaceful life died with him that day.'

The incident occurred on February 17, 2013, only months before Mr Jarvie (right), a businessman from Sydney, was due to marry his fiance Linda Ellis (left)
South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem described the U.S. border with Mexico as a war zone last year when she sent dozens of state National Guard troops there. Noem said theyd be on the front lines of stopping drug smugglers and human traffickers. But newly released records from the National Guard show that in their two-month deployment, the South Dakota troops didnt seize any drugs and sometimes went days without encountering any migrants at all. Noem justified the deployment and a widely criticized private donation to fund as a state emergency because of drugs making their way across the southern border to South Dakota. But the records cast doubt on whether the deployment was effective in addressing that.
A nursing home has come under fire after one of its managers claimed an infestation of maggots inside a dementia patient's cancer lesions were 'good for wounds'.

Peter Tunnecliffe, 77, was a patient at the Southern Cross Care facility in Garran when he was sent to Canberra Hospital for emergency treatment on the facial wounds.

But when he arrived, senior hospital workers were shocked to find that '50 full grown maggots' were crawling inside the infected sores, the Canberra Times reported.

When his family asked the nursing home for an explanation, the facility's then-manager told them: 'Maggots are good for wounds you know. They clean them out.'

Elderly dementia patient Peter Tunnecliffe, 77, had an infestation of maggots inside cancer lesions on his face and scalp

Senior staff at Canberra were so horrified by the discovery of maggots inside Mr Tunnecliffe's lesions that they filed a complaint with the aged care watchdog.

The Aged Care Quality Agency launched an investigation and found the facility failed to 'meet expected outcomes' in the treatment of Mr Tunnecliffe's skin.

Mr Tunnecliffe died in February this year, and was remembered by family and friends as 'the most beautiful soul taken too soon.'

His daughter Stephanie said she was tormented by the thought of her father's final days alive.

'I go to bed thinking about what happened to him. I wake up thinking about it,' she told the Canberra Times.

'He didn't want to spend his last days like that.'

Horrified hospital workers reported the Canberra nursing home Mr Tunnecliffe (right, with family) was a patient at after spotting the maggots

Paul McMahon, boss of Southern Cross Care's NSW and ACT branch, said it was 'distressing' to hear how Mr Tunnecliffe had been looked after in the nursing home.

He said the maggot incident should 'never have happened', and stressed that the 31 Southern Cross Care facilities in NSW and ACT were fully compliant against aged care industry standards.

Daily Mail Australia has contacted the Aged Care Quality Agency and Southern Cross Care for comment.

Ms Tunnecliffe did not wish to comment any further when contacted.
A teenage girl was quiet and 'closed' after allegedly being gang raped at a NSW house party, her mother says.

Christian Dickens, 22, Aaron Jensen, 23, and two 21-year-old men - who were underage at the time and therefore can't be named - are accused of attacking the 15-year-old girl at a Blue Mountains party in 2012.

The girl's mother, who also can't be named for legal reasons, told the Downing Centre District Court on Monday that her daughter's eyes were 'glassy' when she picked her up from the house.

A teenage girl was quiet and 'closed' after allegedly being gang raped at a NSW house party, her mother says (stock image)

The girl's mother, who can't be named, told the Downing Centre District Court (pictured) on Monday that her daughter's eyes were 'glassy' when she picked her up from the house

'To me it looked like she'd been crying,' the woman, who said her daughter's behaviour changed after the night of the alleged rape, told the men's trial.

'She was just very quiet and closed.'

The court heard the teenager's mother was angry at her daughter when she entered the car because she had not texted her the address of the party earlier in the night.

It also heard the girl told police she drank a large quantity of 'goon' at the party.

Christian Dickens, 22, Aaron Jensen, 23, and two 21-year-old men, who cannot be named, are accused of attacking the 15-year-old girl at a Blue Mountains (pictured) party in 2012

The court heard the teenager's mother was angry at her daughter when she entered the car because she had not texted her the address of the party earlier in the night (stock picture)

A former friend previously told trial the girl said 'someone ring my mum' after being found disheveled in a room with two boys.

The mother was asked whether the girl's reserved behaviour in the car could have been due to her being in trouble or drunk.

'I didn't smell any alcohol,' she said.

In her opening address, crown prosecutor Belinda Baker said the victim was told 'shut up, you love it slut'' during the alleged assault.
The man accused of shooting an 18-year-old girl in the head in a shocking fit of road rage was 'a good kid', his suburban neighbor has said.

David Desper, 28, was charged with the murder of Bianca Robeson after surrendering himself to police at his home in Trainer, Pennsylvania, at 2am on Sunday.

'He was a good kid,' Desper's neighbor Fred Kinsler, 45, told the Philadelphia Inquirer. 'Its a shame.'

Kinsler said he had known Desper since he was a child.

Police recovered the gun he is believed to have used to shoot Bianca in the head while searching his bedroom.

They also confiscated the red pick up truck he was said to be driving when he encountered the teenager at the interchange of Route 100 and Route 202.

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David Desper, 28, was arrested at 2am on Sunday and charged with the murder of 18-year-old Bianca Roberson who he is accused of shooting dead in a road rage attack on Wednesday

She was driving southbound on the highway in the late afternoon when she merged into a lane at the same time as a pickup truck (pictured bottom left are the red pickup truck and Bianca's car). The other driver became enraged and pulled out his gun, shooting Roberson in the head before fleeing the scene down the highway, according to police

Police say that both motorists were trying to change lanes when Desper fired his gun, shooting her in the head.

Her vehicle veered off the highway and into bushes by the side of the road. Desper fled afterwards, sparking a manhunt by local police.

West Goshen Police Chief Joseph Gleason issued a sketch of his appearance at an impassioned press conference on Friday.

It is not clear how police honed in on the man.

On Sunday, Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan described Bianca's killing as a 'savage and senseless murder'.

'Someone didn't want her to merge into a lane of traffic. As Bianca was merging from two lanes to one, there was a man in a red pick up truck also merging down and they jockeyed for position and he wasn't happy.

Roberson's car crashed into a wooded area, and she was pronounced dead at the scene

Police found her green Chevy Malibu on Route 100, and a witness said the driver was seen fleeing the incident at a high speed down the shoulder of the road on Route 202 and toward Paoli Pike

'So he pulled out a gun and shot Bianca in the head, killing her instantly,' he said, as reported by ABC which attended the press conference.

Desper was denied bail and is awaiting his first court appearance.

Police issued this sketch of the man on Friday as they hunted him

Bianca was a recent high school graduate whose family said she had a bright future ahead of her.

She had been at the mall shopping for college clothes with her grandmother and mother when she was killed as she made her way home.

The women had decided to drive separately and meet back up at her house.

'She was a good girl, honor roll student, looking forward to going to college,' her father, Rodney Roberson, explained as he held back tears. Her brother said she was 'headed for greatness'.

She graduated from Bayard Rustin High School three weeks ago, and was headed to Jacksonville University in the fall. She was planning on studying criminal justice, with hopes to eventually land a job at the FBI.

'A young lady in the prime of her life getting ready to go off to college, and now the family has to consider burying her,' West Goshen Police Chief Joseph Gleason said.
The elderly mother of a woman strangled to death by her ice addict boyfriend says her daughter's murder hit her like a 'tsunami'.

Deborah Balbi was killed by Salvation Army volunteer Michael Lyall Johnson in 2012.

Her 86-year-old mother Grace Balbi said it was totally devastating and unthinkable, and something for which there is no remedy.

Devout Christian and meth user Michael Johnson (pictured), 45, is being sentenced after pleading guilty to murdering his girlfriend five years ago

'Time is not a healer. To a mother, it will never be,' she told the Adelaide Supreme Court in a victim impact statement read on Monday.

'Death is so irrevocable and definite. There is no remedy. No, oops, I'm sorry. No coming back.

'While still trying to comprehend it all, a wave, like a tsunami of intolerable heart pain was submerging me.

'Only one word seemed to be prevailing in my mind, why, why, why.'

Deborah Balbi, 38, (pictured), was strangled to death by Mr Johnson inside their Adelaide apartment in December, 2012

Mr Johnson, a Salvation Army volunteer, had stabbed Ms Balbi in the back with a hunting knife just two weeks before he killed her

The death of Ms Balbi was originally thought to be a drug overdose but after investigations continued, Johnson was eventually charged with her murder in 2015.

The regular ice user who believed he was an angel pleaded guilty in May after forensic investigations showed she had serious bruises to her neck.

In a short statement read to the court, Johnson, 45, said he was 'so sorry' for killing his partner.

'I wish I could take back what has happened,' he said.

Defence counsel Marie Shaw told the court the killing came amid a background of Johnson's longstanding drug abuse and mental health issues.

'They were on the merry-go-round of (drug) addiction,' she said of both her client and Ms Balbi.

The court previously heard that Mr Johnson, who attended church regularly, thought he was an angel or Messiah as a result of his methamphetamine abuse.

Ms Shaw said on Monday that Johnson should be sentenced on the basis that he intended to cause grievous bodily harm rather than intended to kill.

But prosecutor Emily Telfer said it was difficult to tell what harm Johnson could have intended inflicting other than death.

She said there was also evidence Johnson had tried previously to strangle Ms Balbi and their relationship included a history of domestic violence.

Justice David Peek will sentence Johnson at a later date.
Police are investigating after one man died and another was injured during a shooting.

A 22-year-old man was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics, but died at the scene.

Another man, aged 28, was also treated for a gunshot wound to his hand, before being taken to hospital.

A 22-year-old man was treated by NSW Ambulance paramedics, but died at the scene

Another man, aged 28, was also treated for a gunshot wound to his hand, and to hospital

The incident happened just before 12.30pm on Monday and emergency services were called to Warner Avenue, Wyong, following reports of shots fired.

Officers attached to Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command have established a crime scene and investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
The suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois made his first federal court appearance in Urbana on Monday after being arrested last week.

During the nine-minute hearing, 28-year-old Brendt Christensen did not speak other than to acknowledge to the federal judge that he understood his rights.

US Magistrate Eric Long ordered Christensen to be held without bond in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang.

Authorities say facts in the case indicate the 26-year-old, although her body hasn't been found.

If a grand jury doesn't return an indictment before July 14, then a preliminary hearing will be take place. The federal kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to a spokeswoman for the US Attorney's office.

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Brendt Christensen, 28 (pictured), made his first appearance in federal court on Monday in Urbana, Illinois, as the main suspect in the abduction of Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang. A judge ordered Christensen to be held without bond. Authorities said facts in the case indicate Zhang is dead, although her body hasn't been found

Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang (pictured), 26, a Chinese woman from Urbana, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9

Authorities announced that they believed Zhang was abducted after viewing surveillance video showing her climbing into a vehicle (pictured)

The Champaign News-Gazette reported that about 45 people attended the hearing Monday morning, with another crowd in the courthouse lobby and yet more people across the street, many chanting 'Justice for Yingying'.

After the hearing, Christensen's attorney Evan Bruno said he has spoken to his client a few times, but that 'this case is very young and we haven't had a really full opportunity to develop everything yet'.

Bruno asked the public to 'be patient, to keep an open mind, wait 'til the evidence comes in'.

Zhang went missing on June 9, about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Authorities announced that they believed she was abducted after viewing surveillance video showing her climbing into a vehicle.

Christensen was charged on Friday after federal agents heard him tell someone that he'd kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.

Police say Zhang was trying to hurry to an apartment to sign a lease and had been unsuccessful in flagging down a bus when a car stopped.

The video shows a woman that authorities say is Zhang climb into the vehicle in Urbana, 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

Police say Zhang (right) was trying to hurry to an apartment to sign a lease and had been unsuccessful in flagging down a bus when a car stopped (left). The video shows a woman that authorities say is Zhang climb into the vehicle in Urbana, 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Chicago

Protesters stand outside the federal courthouse on Monday carrying posters and chanting 'Justice for Yingying'. It is reported that 45 people attended the hearing Monday morning, with another crowd in the courthouse lobby and yet more people across the street

Community members join together to walk for Zhang on Thursday. Christensen's attorney, Evan Bruno, asked the public to 'be patient, to keep an open mind, wait 'til the evidence comes in'

Since then, details have emerged about Christensen, who had just earned a master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois this year, and the events leading up to Zhang's disappearance.

According to authorities, a website that hosted an 'Abduction 101' forum linked Christensen to the kidnapping of Zhang.

Christensen's phone was used April 19 to visit the website - FetLife.com - including to view threads titled 'Perfect abduction fantasy' and 'planning a kidnapping', according to the federal complaint.

FetLife describes itself as 'the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community', stressing in online policy statements that it is a place for consenting adults to trade advice and images of themselves, and to arrange to meet.

The acronym BDSM stands for bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. Users provide their ages, genders and roles they wish to play, but otherwise remain anonymous.

Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang (center, pictured June 22), traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search. He sits with his daughter's best friend, Yige Yang (far left), aunt Liqin Ye (second from left), and boyfriend, Xiaolin Hou (far right)

Christensen's (pictured) phone was used April 19 to visit a website - FetLife.com - hosting an 'Abduction 101' forum, including to view threads titled 'Perfect abduction fantasy' and 'planning a kidnapping', according to the federal complaint

Zhang (pictured) who received her master's degree in environmental engineering in China last year, was described by friends and family as bright and caring. She aspired to one day land a professorship so she could help her family financially

FetLife prohibited hundreds of fetish categories this year after it was cited in several criminal cases, founder John Baku, a Canadian software developer, said in a February online note to members. He said he wanted to reduce legal liability and risks to the wider community.

FetLife policy guidelines stress that any interaction online or in person must be between adults and consensual.

Neither FetLife nor Baku responded to messages seeking comment.

Zhang's father traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search.

Zhang, who received her master's degree in environmental engineering in China last year, was described by friends and family as bright and caring. She aspired to one day land a professorship so she could help her family financially.
A police officer's actions in the fatal shooting of a 73-year-old man have been ruled justified by prosecutors.

Officer Doug Vansickle shot Lee Pat Milks on March 28, when the man came out of his Manistee, Michigan home with a gun and told the officer to leave, ignoring orders to drop the weapon, police say.

Police said Vansickle had approached the man's property to enforce local ordinances, which can involve things like yard maintenance.

Officer Doug Vansickle (right) shot Lee Pat Milks (left) on March 28, when the man came out of his Manistee, Michigan home with a gun and told the officer to leave

Manistee Public Safety Director Dave Bachman says a police officer shot Lee Pat Milks after he came out of a house with a gun (seen above) Tuesday evening and told the officer to go away

Bachman says the officer told Milks to drop the gun. Bachman says Milks had 'stopped, chambered a round and was bringing the weapon to bear on the officer' when the officer fired multiple times. The scene of the shooting is seen in the above photo

Manistee officials say the officer told Milks to drop the weapon, but he didn't comply and pointed it at the officer, so Vansickle fired.

The officer was not injured and was placed on administrative leave during the investigation.

Manistee County Prosecutor Jason Hagg says the officer had reasonable belief he faced 'imminent danger of death or great bodily harm' when he fired.

Manistee's public safety director agreed with the finding.

Vansickle is seen in Marine dress blues (left) and posing with an alpaca (right) in Facebook photos. The police officer was cleared of wrongdoing in shooting Milks

Manistee Public Safety Director Dave Bachman said in March that Milks had 'stopped, chambered a round and was bringing the weapon to bear on the officer' when the officer fired multiple times.

Bachman says the officer told Milks to drop the gun.

Investigators say they don't believe he fired at the officer, who wasn't hurt.

Milks was initially rushed to a local hospital, and then airlifted to a trauma center.

Police said that Milks had been told in the past that authorities expected him to remove an old bus that he kept in his backyard, according to WZZM-TV.

A neighbor told the station that the abandoned bus had sentimental value for Milks because it was where he lived while in Alaska as a younger man.
Two women suicide bombers hiding among a group of fleeing civilians have targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul, killing one soldier and wounding several others.

They emerged from a basement near the ruins of the city's al-Nuri Mosque before blowing themselves up, Iraq soldiers said.

It was the latest counter-attack by ISIS as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighborhood - the scene of the last stand by the terror group.

The attack comes as it emerged that a suicide bomber dressed in a woman's all-covering robe killed 14 on Sunday evening at a camp for displaced people in Iraq's western Anbar province.

Two women suicide bombers hiding among a group of fleeing civilians have targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul, killing one soldier and wounding several others. A woman screams while fleeing with her family through a destroyed alley, as Iraqi Special Forces continued their advance against ISIS yesterday

It was the latest counter-attack by ISIS as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighborhood - the scene of the last stand by the terror group. Pictures show women and children fleeing from the war-torn city yesterday

After days of fierce battles, the territory held by the militants in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, is rapidly shrinking, with ISIS now controlling under half a square mile.

Using women as suicide bombers was apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sergeant Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press.

'They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up,' Hussein said as he returned from the scene, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket.

The attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces' push last week.

Using women as suicide bombers was apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sergeant Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press. A child is pictured among the ruins of a Mosul street

After days of fierce battles, the territory held by the militants in Mosul, Iraq's second-largest city, is rapidly shrinking, with ISIS now controlling under half a square mile. Iraqi Special Forces soldiers gather before advancing against ISIS militants in the Old City of Mosul yesterday

Over the past three days, Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets.

After the explosion on Monday, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons.

They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.

At least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces over the last three days as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets

ISIS overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The U.S.-backed operation to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016

ISIS overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The U.S.-backed operation to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

The 12th century mosque is hugely symbolic - it was from a pulpit of this mosque that ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the ISIS caliphate in July 2014.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri Mosque, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to ISIS' so-called caliphate and pledged victory was 'near.'
A drug dealer boasted he 'stabbed a kid and the blade snapped' after brutally attacking a rival and leaving him for dead.

Matthew Henney, William Toohey, Liam O'Brien, Callum Cheetham and Bartholemew Wrighton were sent to stab Connor Cain after he ignored warnings about supplying Class A drugs in the south west.

The gang from Liverpool have been jailed for a total of 70 years after they burst into a flat as Cain slept before incapacitating him with pepper spray and stabbing him in the chest, liver and legs.

After the attack Henney sent two girls Facebook message boasting: 'Ha, ha, ha. All murder went on last night. I stabbed the kid and the blade snapped so I could not pull it out. F*** it though, He was only a little London muppet.'

Matthew Henney (left) sent a Facebook message after stabbing Connor Cain (right)

From left: Liam O'Brien, 21, Callum Cheetham, 22, and Bartholemew Wrighton, 22, all admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm

William Toohey and Matthew Henney seen on the train from Exeter to Plymouth

Henney's message added: 'Ha, ha, ha. There was only the handle left.

'F*** it though, He was only a little London muppet. He should not have tried to start. I warned him.'

Miraculously, Cain survived but needed two emergency operations after the attack in April 2016.

Police are hunting William Toohey, 19, who jumped bail on the first day of the trial

He suffered severe injuries including a four-inch deep potentially fatal chest wound, three wounds to his liver and others to his legs and head.

The gang recruited two local drug users to help them, one of whom bought the knives while the other provided an operating base.

They were caught on CCTV buying a set of kitchen knives used in the attack in a Tesco store.

Henney, 21, from Walton, Liam O'Brien, 21, from Toxteth, Callum Cheetham, 22, from Dovecot and Bartholemew Wrighton, 22, from Plymouth, all admitted wounding with intent to cause grievous bodily harm.

William Toohey, 19, of Tara Park, Vauxhall, denied the same offence but was found guilty in his absence after jumping bail on the first day of the trial at Exeter Crown Court.

Police are still searching for Toohey who was born in Ireland and may have returned there to lie low among the travelling community.

They were captured on CCTV footage buying kitchen knives from a Tesco store before the attack

Karl Mainard, 39, from Exeter, who bought the knives, admitted unlawful wounding and Drew Morgan, 27, from Exeter, admitted assisting an offender by letting the gang use his home as a base.

Cheetham and Wrighton both admitted possession of class A drugs with intent to supply. Wrighton admitted possession of a mobile phone in prison.

Toohey was jailed for 15 years, Henney for ten, O'Brien for 13, Cheetham for 15, Wrighton for 15 and a half, Mainard for two and Morgan for 12 months, suspended for two years.

Connor Cain, 20, from Herne Hill in east London was jailed for three years and six months last year after admitting possessing class A drugs with intent to supply.

Doctors found 156 wraps of cocaine and heroin with a total weight of 34 grams and street value of 3,120 in his rectum as they treated his injuries.

Karl Mainard, 39, (left) who bought the knives, admitted unlawful wounding and Drew Morgan, 27, (right), both from Exeter, admitted assisting an offender by letting the gang use his home as a base

William Toohey and Matthew Henney were seen at a petrol station in Penzance

The five gang members were captured on camera crossing a road ahead of the attack

The five gang members were all classified as dangerous offenders and given extended licences of four years. This means they will serve two thirds of their sentences rather than half.

The court heard the attack had been coordinated by a gang leader from Liverpool known as Mikey, who left Exeter before the violence started.

Judge Mr Justice Sweeney told them: 'The events in the flat must have been entirely terrifying.

'He suffered terrible injuries which would have been fatal if he had not received immediate treatment. It was good fortune that he did not die.

'You were all involved in a class A drugs gang which decided to see off opposition on what you considered to be your turf.

'The injuries could all too easily have cost him his life.'

The gang bought a set of kitchen knives from a Tesco supermarket which they used in the attack

This police map shows where key items later used as evidence were found

The gang attempted to cover their tracks by dumping knives, masks and gloves used in the attack

During the trial the court heard that four Liverpudlians travelled to Devon and Morgan allowed his flat to be used as a local base for the gang to operate from.

They returned to the flat as a refuge after the attack.

Mainard was caught on CCTV buying a block of knives from the Rydon Lane branch of Tesco to be used in the attack.

Police found the discarded knives and knife block in roads around the scene of the crime.

Deputy senior investigating officer, Detective Sergeant Dave Egan from Exeter Major Crime Investigation Team, said: 'We welcome today's sentence. This was a complex and demanding investigation led by the Exeter Major Crime Investigation Team over 12 months.

'The vicious knife attack upon victim Conor Cain in April 2016 was linked to the unlawful supply of controlled drugs in Devon and Cornwall.'
A 69-year-old man's body has been pulled from a river in outback South Australia.

Emergency services were called to Purnong Road about 4km from Mannum at 12.30pm on Monday.

Services attended the scene following reports of a man's body in the Murray River.

An empty boat was found but its occupant was missing (stock image)

An empty boat was found but its occupant was missing.

South Australia police confirmed a man's body was recovered from the river.

The search was called off soon after.

'There are no suspicious circumstances surrounding the death of the 69-year-old man from the Kadina area,' police said.

'Police will prepare a report for the State Coroner.'

Services attended the scene following reports of a man's body in the Murray River (pictured)
Police are fighting to have a Sydney lawyer barred from more than 200 inner-city venues after he was arrested at a Thai restaurant during a drunken fracas.

Leon Monastirski was found guilty of assaulting police, resisting arrest, using offensive language and ignoring a move-on direction last year.

All the offences relate to a series of incidents inside and outside the Pad Thai restaurant on Oxford Street in inner-city Darlinghurst on February 24, 2016.

Lawyer Leon Monastirski was barred from 225 licensed venues in Sydney after a drunken fracas in an inner-city Thai restaurant

Lawyer Leon Monastirski has appealed against his convictions for assaulting police and resisting arrest

Leon Monastirski was banned from 225 late night venues including The Colombian on Oxford Street, Darlinghurst

Police were not satisfied with the $700 in fines and 18-month good behaviour bond imposed by a magistrate on Monastirski and successfully sought to ban him from all 'high-risk' venues in the city for 12 months.

He was excluded from 225 venues which sell alcohol and open after midnight in the CBD, Surry Hills, The Rocks, Woolloomooloo and Kings Cross.

Monastirski had that ban reduced to three months after he challenged the order in the NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal, but a court has heard police are appealing against that decision.

The 49-year-old appeared in the Downing Centre District Court on Monday to appeal against his original convictions for assaulting police and resisting arrest.

He is appealing against the severity of his sentence for using offensive language and ignoring a move-on direction by police.

Monastirski's barrister Bruce Levet told Judge Chris Hoy his client had been 'hopelessly drunk' when he entered Pad Thai, where he annoyed customers until one called police.

'If I can use the vernacular, Your Honour, my client was as p***ed as a parrot,' Mr Levet said.

Lawyer Leon Monastirski (right) pictured with his barrister Bruce Levet (left) outside Downing Centre District Court on Monday

Sydney lawyer Leon Monastirski has appealed against his convictions for assaulting police and resisting arrest

Leon Monastirski was refused entry to the Midnight Shift bar (pictured) in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, before being arrested at a nearby Thai restaurant

Monastirski had been stumbling between tables, annoying diners, even putting headphones on some as they tried to eat.

He had earlier been refused entry to the nearby Midnight Shift.

Two plain clothes police arrived about 10.40pm to find Monastirski swaying, slurring his words and smelling strongly of alcohol.

Monastirski told the officers who confronted him 'get the f*** out of my face', 'just f*** off, I'm not going anywhere' and 'you're not real cops, you can go f*** yourselves'.

The assault charges relate to Monastirski digging his fingernails into the hand of one of the police and swinging his left elbow towards the face of another. No contact was made.

The resisting arrest charge came from Monastirski dropping to the ground while being handled by police.

Mr Levet has submitted none of those actions was intentional.

'He was just too drunk to even know what was happening,' Mr Levet said.

Lawyer Leon Monastirski outside Downing Centre Local Court where he is appealing against his convictions for assaulting police and resisting arrrest

Solicitor Leon Monastirski told police who arrested him 'I'm going to have you discharged from your duties'

The Pad Thai restaurant in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, where Leon Monastirski was arrested during a drunken fracas last year

As he was handcuffed, Monastirski told the officers: 'You're not real cops. I'm going to have you discharged from your duties as police. I'm a lawyer.'

That did not happen.

Instead, then NSW Police Commissioner Andrew Scipione applied to the Independent Liquor and Gaming Authority to have Monastirski banned from 'high-risk' venues.

Mr Level told Judge Hoy that original 12-month ban had been reduced to three months but police were appealing against the decision so Monastirski could not enter any of 225 venues.

Judge Hoy, the son of a publican, had never heard of such a thing.

Of the events at Pad Thai, Mr Levet said Monastirski had been so drunk at the time he had not been able to provide proper legal instructions.

'My client would concede that he was very, very intoxicated at the time,' Mr Levet said. 'And that he does not have a perfect recollection of the offence.

'He was hopelessly drunk.'

Police say Leon Monastirski told them 'Your'e not realy cops, you can go f*** yourselves' when they confronted him

Leon Monastirski (right) with his barrister Bruce Levet (left) outside Downing Centre District Court

The Colombian Hotel in Oxford Street, Darlinghurst, is one of the 225 venues Leon Monastirski was barred from entering

Monastirski was originally also appealing against his convictions for using offensive language and refusing to obey the move-on order but dropped those actions.

Judge Hoy had wanted to know which of Monastirski's words constituted the offensive language conviction.

'Is it "Get the f*** out of my face?" Judge Hoy asked Jason Rafeeq for the Crown. 'Or something more?'

'And when I said that ... I wasn't referring to you, Mr Crown.'

The case was adjourned.
A columnist in Saudi Arabia has been suspended for being too nice in an article about the country's king.

King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud ordered the suspension of Al Jazeera columnist Ramadan Al Enenzi for a piece he published on Friday.

King Salman said the piece contained excessive words and descriptions of praise, including attributes that God used for Himself or to describe Prophet Abraham.

Saudi King Salman has ordered an Al Jazeera writer to be suspended after he used terms that God used for Himself or to describe Prophet Abraham in a column

The Saudi monarch also ordered action against Al Jazeera, the Saudi daily that published the column on Friday, news site Sabq reported.

In a letter to Information Minister Awad Bin Saleh Al Awad, King Salman said that he was shocked by the headline and some of the expressions in the column.

'Such a matter has disturbed us and we cannot accept or tolerate it. We do not want it and we do not acknowledge it.

'We are well aware of the seriousness and danger of being lenient towards it,' King Salman said.

'All newspapers and media should be fully aware that such matters must not be published and that all those who do not comply will be held accountable.'

The newspaper subsequently issued a full apology, saying that the columnist was wrong in the choice of the expressions and descriptions used to praise King Salman.
A baby has survived being shot while still in the womb after his nine-month-pregnant mother was hit by a stray bullet.

The bullet pierced through the hip of Claudineia dos Santos Melo during an alleged gun fight between drug traffickers and police in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.

It entered the 29-year-old's womb, hit the child in the lungs, tore off part of his ear and caused spinal cord injury.

A baby has survived being shot while still in the womb after his nine-month-pregnant mother, Claudineia dos Santos Melo (pictured), was hit by a stray bullet

The bullet pierced through the hip of Claudineia dos Santos Melo during an alleged gun fight between drug traffickers and police in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and struck the baby's lungs. The baby is pictured receiving treatment in hospital

Three suspects are under arrest and could be charged after eyewitnesses identified them as the reported shooters.

The baby, named as Arthur, was born after an emergency caesarean section and immediately underwent two life-saving operations last Friday.

He is in a neonatal intensive care unit at the Adao Pereira Nunes State Hospital, in the Baixada Fluminense and could be left a paraplegic said doctors.

Rio health secretary Dr Jose Carlos Oliveira, a gynaecologist, said: 'It's a miracle of God this baby hasn't died. His condition is very serious and he remains sedated with a bilateral chest drain.

'We're waiting for his health to stabilise and improve before doing any more surgery.'

An x-ray shows a lesion in the baby's vertebra, near the thorax.

Injuries: X-rays taken at the specialist unit show a lesion in the baby's vertebra near the thorax

Mrs Melo, 29, is being kept in the Moacyr do Carmo,Municipal Hospital another emergency unit a few miles away but in the same Rio neighbourhood. She has a fractured iliac wing but 'no apparent bleeding'.

Her condition is reported as stable and she has not required surgery.

However, physicians reported there could be a 'risk of infection due to there being an exposed fracture without treatment. Medical care will include venous antibiotics for ten days.'

Mrs Melo, a treasurer at a supermarket in the South Zone of Rio, had just started maternity leave a week ago and was preparing for her son's arrival within days.

She was out shopping for clothes and had just brought a pram for the child with her husband Klebsom Cosme da Silva when the incident occurred.

According to Mr da Silva, he left his wife to take the shopping back home on motorbike while his wife made the journey back on foot.

Pictures show the wardrobe of baby clothes and equipment for the couple's first child

Mrs Melo had just left a shopping centre when she was caught in an apparent shootout between drug traffickers and cops in Duque de Caxias, where she lives.

Police confirmed in a statement they had come under gun fire but claimed they had not fired back.

Mr da Silva said: 'My wife was hit by a stray bullet as she crossed at the traffic lights on her way home.

'She was in a state of panic when she called me to say she had been shot but kept repeating that everything was okay with the baby. I'm told local people helped to get her to hospital.

'It was only when I arrived at the hospital that I found out the shocking state of my son's health and my wife's condition.'

The baby, named as Arthur, was born after an emergency caesarean section and immediately underwent two life-saving operations last Friday

Mr da Silva, 27, a refrigeration lecturer, who has been commuting between the two hospitals separating his wife and child, said: 'I do not want to know who shot my family. I don't really care.

'All I care about right now is the health of my wife and my son and I'm praying that they both improve quickly and the predictions of my son's state isn't as bad as the doctor's say it is.

'I have faith that they will be alright. Living in this community, we know there is always a risk of violence. We have lived in the area for a year and a half but we have never been victims of the violence until now.'

Mrs Melo, who is awake, has been receiving visits from concerned friends and family and is being kept up to date on her newborn son's condition.

She will be offered psychological counselling to help her deal with the trauma said Dr Oliveira.

According to detectives investigating the incident, armed criminals shot at a police vehicle which was driving along the road where Mrs Melo was hit by a lost bullet on Friday afternoon.

Three men have been arrested and are being linked to the crime after eyewitnesses identified them as suspects to police.

Investigators are also examining images of security cameras to help clarify the facts.
Footage shows the heart-wrenching moment an elephant limps across a road in agony, after suffering a badly broken leg.

The enormous animal was seen struggling to walk near the forests in Karnataka, south-west India.

The video clip shows it placing its injured front left foot gently on the ground as it slowly makes its way over to the other side of the road.

Footage shows the heart-wrenching moment an elephant limps across a road in agony, after suffering a badly broken leg

The enormous animal was seen struggling to walk near the forests in Karnataka, India

After seeing the elephant in pain, local residents called for forestry officials to find it and take it to vets for treatment.

Businessman C K Sharieff said the animal had been seen in the area over the past week looking for food.

He said: 'The elephant was in pain. Its leg is very badly injured and it needs help quickly.'

It is not clear how the elephant suffered the injury to its leg.

The video clip shows it placing its injured front left foot gently on the ground as it slowly makes its way over to the other side of the road

After seeing the elephant in pain, local residents called for forestry officials to find it and take it to vets for treatment

The Kodagu district of Karnataka state, which is a natural habitat of Asiatic elephants, has seen several cases of distress in recent months.

Two weeks ago, an elephant in the area died after suffering a wound to its leg. A few days later six of them were killed after being electrocuted.

The forestry department said they have now sent staff to the area to find the injured elephant.

Locals said the animal had been seen in the area over the past week looking for food
A disgraced rabbi who admitted to criticising victims of sexual abuse has been appointed principal of a school which allegedly covered up sex crimes.

Meir Shlomo Kluwgant resigned as Australia's most senior rabbi in 2015 after admitting to calling the father of a child abuse victim a 'lunatic' who 'neglected his own children'.

Kluwgant will now head Melbourne's Adass Israel School, which has been previously accused of helping a former principal flee to Israel amid allegations she sexually assaulted students, a letter allegedly distributed to staff and published online shows.

Melbourne rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, who admitted to criticising victims of sexual abuse, has been appointed principal of a school which allegedly covered up sex crimes

Malka Leifer allegedly abused at least eight girls while she was principal of the Elsternwick school between 2003 and 2008

'We are pleased to advise that we have appointed Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant to assume Dr Herszberg's role. They will be working together collaboratively for the remainder of the year, to ensure a smooth transition,' the letter reads.

It tells staff the controversial Rabbi was chosen after a 'global recruitment process', and with 'the full support of the Board and Executive'.

Former principal Malka Leifer allegedly abused at least eight girls while she was principal of the Elsternwick school between 2003 and 2008.

When the allegations came to light, Leifer fled Australia with her family in the middle of the night, allegedly with the help of school officials.

She remains in Israel and has refused to return to Victoria were she would face prosecution for 74 sexual abuse offences against former students.

In 2015, former student Dassi Erlich, now 30, brought a civil case against the school  which was ordered to pay her $1,024,428 in damages.

On Sunday, Ms Erlich penned an emotional open letter urging Adass Israel to reconsider the appointment of the controversial rabbi.

'A letter I never thought I would have to write,' Ms Erlich began the letter, addressed to the members of the Adass school board.

Pictured: The letter allegedly distributed to staff regarding the appointment of Rabbi Kluwgant

Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, who was once Australia's most senior rabbi, is pictured with former Prime Minister Tony Abott

On Sunday, Ms Erlich penned an emotional open letter urging Adass Israel to reconsider the appointment of the controversial rabbi

'I implore you, please do not make the mistake of hiring Rabbi Kluwgant. When you hire a principal it is not merely an administrative matter, it is a statement of your moral code as a community.

'I was hoping my case encouraged change in your culture of silence. This new appointment tells me nothing has changed.

'Is it your intention to make it that much harder for the already terrified victims to come forward, with this additional hurdle to overcome?'

Once the president of the Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia, Kluwgant resigned just days after appearing in the witness box at the royal commission into institutional responses to child sexual abuse.

Daily Mail Australia have contacted Adass Israel School and Rabbi Kluwgant for comment.
Damian Green, Theresa May's effective deputy, appeared to float the radical idea of scrapping fees over the weekend

Downing Street has ruled out scrapping tuition fees despite admitting the policy caused them serious damage at the election.

Damian Green, Theresa May's effective deputy, appeared to float the radical idea over the weekend, saying there should be a 'national debate' on how higher education was funded.

But No10 and senior ministers have squashed the idea insisting there are no plans to rethink the system.

It is the latest sign of confusion in senior Tory ranks, as the party engages in a public post-mortem over the failure to win an overall majority on June 8.

Most of the acrimony has focused on the public sector pay cap, with Boris Johnson becoming the latest minister today to call for it to be eased.

Mrs May has privately conceded that the tough limit on salary rises will need to be revised, after dozens of MPs lined up to oppose it.

But Chancellor Philip Hammond is deeply unhappy at being bounced into major spending commitments, and has warned that work to tackle the deficit must continue.

Labour's policy of abolishing tuition fees would cost an estimated 10billion a year, while writing off debt for those who have already incurred it could cost tens of billions more.

Shortly before the election, the government said elite universities would be permitted to raise their tuition fees above the 9,000 maximum to 9,250.

In the wake of Mr Green's speech, universities minister Jo Johnson staunchly defended tuition fees.

'Abolishing tuition fees and funding universities out of general taxation would be regressive, benefiting richest graduates, as IFS has repeatedly said,' he wrote on Twitter.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he agreed with Mr Green about the need for a national debate.

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said he agreed with Mr Green about the need for a national debate

Mrs May, pictured at church with husband Philip yesterday, has privately conceded that the tough limit on salary rises will need to be revised, after dozens of MPs lined up to oppose it

'I think we should have a conversation about it, but it's important again to look at Damian's remarks and what he actually said,' Mr Gove told the BBC's The Andrew Marr Show.

'Damian wasn't talking about getting rid of it. What Damian was saying, what I believe, is that if we have to fund higher education, and if people who get university degrees go on to earn well, which is good, they should pay something back and that's what the current system does.

'It's wrong if people who don't go to university find that they have to pay more in taxation to support those who do.

'I believe fundamentally that the purpose of government policy is to support everyone equally and if you don't benefit from a university education, you shouldn't have to pay additionally to support those who do.'

An aide to Mr Green told The Times: 'He wasn't hinting at a U-turn at all. He was acknowledging that the youth support Corbyn attracted at the general election off the back of hisfees pledge had started a national debate. But that debate has to recognise it's either fees or higher taxes and Corbyn wasn't being upfront on that decision.'
Former President Barack Obama said that North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons has 'done nothing to secure the North Korean people' during a visit to Seoul on Monday.

Obama is visiting South Korea this week to meet with President Moon Jae-in and speak at a forum hosted by South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper.

His trip to the country comes after a ten-day family vacation in Indonesia, during which he said that President Donald Trump had caused a 'temporary absence of American leadership' when it comes to climate change policy.

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Obama is visiting South Korea this week to meet with President Moon Jae-in and speak at a forum hosted by South Korea's Chosun Ilbo newspaper

On Monday, Moon briefed Obama on his summit with Trump last week, an aide at South Korea's presidential Blue House, Yoon Young-chan, said

While at the forum on Monday, Obama said that North Korea's pursuit of nuclear weapons has 'done nothing to secure the North Korean people'

On Monday, Moon briefed Obama on his summit with Trump last week, an aide at South Korea's presidential Blue House, Yoon Young-chan, said.

'President Moon said he talked to President Trump about using sanctions and pressure to resolve the North Korean missile and nuclear problem, but also to use dialogue at the same time,' Yoon said.

'He said it is the last opportunity for North Korea to enter the door of dialogue.'

North Korea has been relentlessly developing its nuclear weapons and missiles to carry them since the beginning of last year, ignoring the threat of yet more UN sanctions and US military maneuvering.

North Korea says it aims to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of striking the US mainland in order to defend itself from what it sees as U.S. aggression aimed at overthrowing its government.

Trump called for a determined response to North Korea in his talks with Moon on Friday. Trump stressed the importance of the US-South Korean alliance but took aim at Seoul over trade and sharing the cost of defence.

Yoon cited Obama as saying during the meeting with Moon that US citizens and the Korean community in the United States supported the bond between South Korea and the United States.

Obama told the forum the world must send a clear message to North Korea, that security and prosperity will not come from the pursuit of weapons, according to a copy of his speech, issued by Chosun Ilbo.

Obama arrived in South Korea on Monday along with his wife, Michelle, and their two daughters

Obama shakes hands with South Korean National Assembly Speaker Chung Sye-kyun (right) during a leadership conference at a hotel in Seoul

His trip to the country comes after a ten-day family vacation in Indonesia, during which he said that President Donald Trump had caused a 'temporary absence of American leadership' when it comes to climate change policy

'The international order depends upon the enforcement of clear rules and norms. So long as North Korea chooses to remain outside of that order, they must face the consequences,' he said.

Obama also met with former President Lee Myung-bak at a hotel in Seoul on Monday.

The former US president previously addressed a crowd in Jakarta on Saturday during his family vacation in Indonesia to discuss climate change.

'In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history about climate change, an agreement that even with the temporary absence of American leadership, can still give our children a fighting chance,' Obama said.

Trump shocked many countries last month by announcing he was pulling out of the Paris climate agreement.

'The challenges of our times, whether it's economic inequality, changing climate, terrorism, mass migration; these are really challenges and we're going to have to confront them together,' Obama said.

Obama also shared some wisdom about tolerance and taking the daily news cycle in stride, following another week of dust-ups between the media and Trump.

Barack Obama took a golf-cart tour of Bogor Palace in West Java on Friday, where he and his family are staying as guests of Indonesian President Joko Widodo (right)

Obama and Widodo were pictured later sitting down in the grounds of the palace over the weekend

The Obamas went whitewater rafting down the Ayung River during their 10-day visit to Indonesia

Trump was condemned by both Democrats and Republicans for a tweet that attacked female MSNBC host Mika Brzezinski.

In his remarks on Saturday, Obama stressed the importance of stepping away from news sites where only like-minded views are shared, and warned about social media giving rise to resentment of minorities and bad treatment of people.

Obama's speech came on the final leg of his 10-day vacation in Indonesia with wife Michelle and their daughters Malia and Sasha. It marked his first trip to Asia since leaving office.

The family visited two of the most treasured ancient temples - Borobudur, a Buddhist complex, and the Hindu compound of Prambanan - in the world's most populous Muslim country.

They also went river rafting and toured the resort island of Bali.

On Friday, Obama met Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the grand Bogor Palace in West Java, just outside Jakarta.
Eighteen people have been killed after a tour bus crashed and burst into flames in Germany, police say.

The bus, carrying 48 Germans, primarily pensioners, rammed into a lorry in a traffic jam on the A9 motorway close to the Bavarian town of Stammbach before catching fire.

Up to 30 were injured in the crash, some seriously. Pictures from the scene show how the bus has been completely gutted in the blaze.

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Eighteen people have been killed after a tour bus crashed and burst into flames in Germany, police say. Pictures from the scene show the burning wreckage

The bus, carrying 48 people, rammed into a lorry in a traffic jam on the A9 motorway close to the Bavarian town of Stammbach before catching fire

A police spokesman earlier told local media that 17 people were unaccounted for and he expected several had died in the crash, which happened shortly after 7am.

Two of the survivors were yesterday in a life-threatening condition.

'The remains of 11 bodies were recovered from the bus and rescue crews are still looking for body parts of those who are still missing,' German transport minister Alexander Dobrindt said. said yesterday afternoon.

Police spokesman Juergen Stadter had earlier told rolling news channel NTV there was 'only a glimmer of hope' that those missing would be found alive outside the coach.

The bus crashed into the back of a trailer-truck at the end of a traffic jam on the A9 highway near Munchberg, near the Czech border.

The cause of the traffic jam was not clear, but the bus seemed to have burst into flames immediately after the crash, Mr Dobrindt said.

Up to 30 were injured in the crash, some seriously. The vehicle caught fire on impact and police have closed the road as they work at the scene (pictured)

It was unclear what kind of tour group the bus was carrying.

All passengers on the bus were German, according to news agency dpa. Police tweeted that the members of the group were between 41 and 81 years old and mostly from Saxony.

According to the Bild newspaper, the coach was travelling from the eastern region of Lausitz and heading for Nuremberg.

The accident struck near the town Bayreuth, which draws thousands of classical music lovers every summer to its opera festival.

The region close to the Czech border is also dotted with spas and castles, and the A9 is a trunk motorway leading to many popular summer holiday spots.

An emergency team, including firefighters and rescue workers, were at the scene, while traffic on the motorway was halted in both directions.

Those hurt were being flown by rescue helicopters to hospitals, many with life-threatening injuries.

Simple wooden coffins were brought to the wreckage for the remains of the dead as 200 emergency workers and five helicopters took the injured to nearby hospitals.

'The heat was so strong that nothing that's inflammable is left from the bus - only the steel frame,' Mr Dobrindt said.

Two drivers and 46 people and were on the bus, police spokeswoman Irene Brandenstein said

He added that the inferno was so violent firefighters were unable to get close enough to rescue those locked inside.

Bavarian Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann said rescuers were delayed by 'gawpers' driving slowly and by the intensity of the blaze.

German chancellor Angela Merkel thanked emergency crews and said: Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and we wish all those who were injured a speedy recovery.

Counsellors were assisting the survivors and the rescue personnel deal with the psychological effects of witnessing the tragedy.

The accident at the start of the summer holiday season is one of the worst to hit Germany.

Among the deadliest in recent years was a collision in June 2007, when 13 people were killed as their tour bus drove off the road and plunged several metres down a slope in eastern Germany's Saxony-Anhalt state.

In September 1992, 21 people died when a bus swerved out of its lane and struck a truck before ramming into the road divider in the southern Black Forest region, a key tourist destination.

Across Europe, the last such fatal accident struck on January 21 in Italy, when an accident involving a Hungarian bus carrying teenagers left 16 dead.

In France, a head-on crash in October 2015 between a truck and a bus carrying pensioners claimed 43 lives as both vehicles burst into flames.




This is the horrific moment a woman is tied to a tractor and beaten to death by a mob - after she was accused of being a child kidnapper.

Mentally disabled Otera Bibi, 42, had been living with her parents but wandered from her home to a nearby village in West Bengal, India, last Tuesday.

Otera stopped inside the wooden hut of a local villager Dilip Ghosh - sparking fears that she was trying to snatch his ten-year-old daughter.

A furious mob pounced on Otera - tying her to a tractor and attacking her for three hours with sticks and pelting her with stones.

Locals ripped off her clothes and shaved her head as they 'beat her mercilessly'', according to witnesses in the Mithipur-Panagarh village.

Otera is understood to have tried to protest her innocence but onlookers could not understand what she was saying.

Police arrived later in the afternoon and rushed Otera to Jangipur sub-divisional hospital but she died of her injuries after the attack in the Murshidabad district.

Mentally disabled Otera Bibi, 42, had been living with her parents but wandered from her home to a nearby village in West Bengal, India, last Tuesday

Murshidabad Superintendent of Police Mukesh said: 'A mob beat up the woman after a rumour spread that she was trying to lift children from the village.

'We have started investigating the murder case. We are trying to identify the people involved in the lynching as well as those who spread the rumour.'

Police detained several villagers for questioning but so far nobody has been charged over the death.

Otera stopped in a villager's hut - sparking fears that she was trying to snatch his ten-year-old daughter. Locals tied her to a tractor and attacked her for three hours with sticks and stones

They believed Otera was a child kidnapper after a similar incident last month in which a child vanished from the neighbourhood.

But Otera's husband said his wife was 'mentally challenged' while her family said they were not concerned at first when she went missing because she would often wander away from home for a day or two.
A passenger was arrested at Heathrow Airport and charged with sexual assault after allegedly molesting two teenagers on a flight.

Adam Pitcher was handcuffed to his seat by staff after allegedly damaging the plane's toilets and assaulting two fellow passengers in an alcohol-fuelled rampage on the Air Canada flight from Toronto to London.

The 36-year-old from Canada was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers waiting for him at Heathrow around 5.30am last Wednesday.

Adam Pitcher was handcuffed to his seat by staff after allegedly damaging the plane's toilets and assaulting two fellow passengers on the Air Canada plane

Crew members and some passengers aboard Flight AC856 were questioned as witnesses.

Pitcher was charged with sexual assault on a female over the age of 16, sexual assault on a male over the age of 16, damaging an aircraft and being drunk on an aircraft.

A police spokesman said: 'A 36-year-old man who was arrested on an inbound flight into Heathrow Airport at around 5.35hrs on Wednesday, 28 June has now been charged.

The 36-year-old from Canada was arrested by Metropolitan Police officers waiting for him at Heathrow (pictured)

'Adam Pitcher, 36, of no fixed abode, appeared at Uxbridge Magistrates' Court on Thursday 29 June.

'He was remanded in custody to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on 27 July.'

Air Canada confirmed the passenger 'had to be restrained'.
The developers of the proposed Davis Refinery near Belfield tout the project as the cleanest refinery on the planet, but are often short on details or lack final design plans.

The North Dakota Department of Health, which is reviewing an air quality permit, isnt taking the company at its word. The agency recently asked for more data and documentation to back up claims about the technology Meridian plans to implement.

In a letter to the company, the department said there was no data showing that the estimated emissions levels of a number of pollutants had been achieved at an existing refinery or maintained.

Meridian has filed for a synthetic minor source permit, meaning the facility would emit less than 100 tons annually of pollutants, such as sulfur, nitrous oxide, methane and carbon monoxide, and less than a combined 25 tons annually of hazardous air pollutants, including benzene, cyanide, arsenic and mercury.

A major source permit would require more scrutiny and approval by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Currently, the company is being asked to provide examples of how the proposed emissions controls have been used previously, with similar fuel sources and at similar levels, said Terry OClair, director of the health departments Division of Air Quality.

OClair said the company is still submitting documentation but one example provided includes stack tests results from other refinery process heaters that indicate the proposed emission limits are achievable.

As the departments review continues, we continue to provide further documentation in response to questions, Meridian CEO William Prentice said in a statement. Meridian is committed to assuring the accuracy of the data and designs that are submitted and the proposed emissions control technology being proposed.

The company said the emissions information and supporting data are based on other recent projects and from equipment manufacturers, and the combination of a number of these technologies is what will keep the plant clean.

OClair said an air quality application review typically takes from a few weeks to several months, depending on the source and its complexity.

Following health department review, there will be a 30-day public comment period. In the case of the Meridian facility, the department also plans to hold a public hearing, probably in Medora or Dickinson, OClair said.

The EPA and the National Park Service can weigh in during the comment period. The department then reviews all comments and testimony prior to making a final decision.

Should the permit be granted, the health department would continue to run performance tests throughout the life of the refinery to ensure compliance.

Waiting on water

With few options for water available, Meridian proposes to withdraw water from deep underground and treat it for use in the refinery.

A decision is expected soon from the State Water Commission, which is considering Meridians application to withdraw water from the Dakota Formation, about 5,000 feet below ground.

In that area, the brine formation is unsuitable for drinking water but is less salty than produced water that comes from oil wells. Its also the same underground zone that oil companies use to inject produced water and wastewater from hydraulic fracturing.

The company requested to withdraw 400 gallons per minute for use in the refinery.

Hydrologist Kimberly Fischer, who is reviewing the application, said the agency bases its decision on impact to the aquifer. She has reached a recommended decision that is being reviewed by her supervisors.

We dont expect there to be very much impact to the Dakota Aquifer, Fischer said.

The decision wont be final or available to the public until the state engineer approves it.

It is not under the Water Commissions jurisdiction to regulate how the water will be treated and how any waste would be handled.

Meridian told the Water Commission it plans to use reverse osmosis to treat the water for use in the refinery, including for cooling and steam generation.

Prentice said the company has basic information about the water quality of the Dakota Formation, but has not yet drilled a test well to get site-specific information. That is expected in the next few weeks, he said.

Depending on how the company plans to dispose of wastewater, it may require an additional permit from the North Dakota Department of Health.

Linda Weiss, a member of the Badlands Area Resource Council, said she has a lot of unanswered questions about the water and potential waste the treatment process will create.

What happens to the water that doesnt get used? Where does that go then? Does it get piped? Does it get trucked? That hasnt been answered, said Weiss, who lives north of Belfield.
A Domino's delivery driver claims she was 'psychologically injured' after losing a driver of the year competition.

Lynette Hart claimed she should have won the $15,000 prize for the second year in a row, but the contest's judging criteria were fundamentally flawed.

The casual driver at the pizza chain's Erina store, on the NSW Central Coast, took her complaint about the 2016 competition to the Fair Work Commission.

Domino's delivery driver Lynette Hart claims she was 'psychologically injured' after losing Australian driver of the year competition that she should have won

The casual driver said there were errors in GPS monitoring giving her a lower efficiency rating

Ms Hart believed she had a good chance of winning again but in May 2016 noticed her position on the nationwide leaderboard dropped by 100 places.

She claimed this was due to errors in GPS monitoring giving her a lower efficiency rating and Domino's ignored her complaints for eight months.

'I believe adamantly that should these errors not have occurred, that I would be in first place and receiving the $15,000 bonus,' she wrote in her submission.

She told the commission Domino's 'drip fed her useless information' for eight months 'hoping she would go away' and did not investigate until after the contest was over.

Ms Hart also claimed the winner, to whom she finished second and won a $1,000 fuel voucher, was not eligible because he rode a bike and only started in May.

Domino's competition rules only stated that to be eligible a driver must complete 1,000 deliveries in a calendar year and not be involved in any incidents.

Ms Hart said Domino's management subjected her to bullying and unfair treatment that caused her mental and emotional distress to the point where she suffered a psychological injury and was unable to work.

Ms Hart said Domino's management subjected her to bullying and unfair treatment that caused her to suffer a psychological injury and was unable to work

Ms Hart worked at the pizza chain's Erina store, on the NSW Central Coast (pictured)

Her worker's compensation claim was rejected by the company's insurer on May 1 but was under review.

The company said it conducted multiple internal reviews of the GPS calculations and found them to be accurate, and provided Ms Hart with all documents she wanted.

It said she didn't win the award because he customer feedback scores were lower than the eventual winner, which was a key factor in the leaderboard.

Domino's argued Ms Hart's applications was 'both frivolous and had no reasonable prospects of success' and should be dismissed.

'I accept she is bitterly disappointed at not winning first prize, and that she deeply resents both the process and the outcome,' FWC deputy president Peter Sams said.

'Her numerous and repetitive communications with Domino's is indicative of the level of her disappointment and profound sense of grievance, which I accept has had an effect on her psychological well-being.'

The Fair Work Commission dismissed Ms Hart's claim on the grounds that the competition was not covered under her employment agreement

Mr Sams dodged whether the FWC had jurisdiction to rule on her case as she was employee by a Domino's franchise.

Instead he dismissed Ms Hart's claim on the grounds that the competition was not covered under her employment agreement.

'It is incomprehensible that a dispute about a discretionary employer sponsored competition is capable of being characterised as a dispute about... the agreement,' he said.

Mr Sams said overruling the competition result and awarding it to Ms Hart, as she asked, would be a 'bizarre and entirely inappropriate outcome'.
Police are hunting for the mystery owner of a suitcase stuffed with $1.6 million in cash.

The haul was found in a warehouse in western Sydney's Wetherill Park while police were investigating a suspected drug importation operation.

Australian Federal police have since listed the lost fortune as unclaimed cash but are hoping the owner will come forward.

Police took to social media to hunt for the mystery owner of a suitcase stuffed with $1.6 million in cash

'We'd be very keen to speak with you,' Australian Federal Police posted on Facebook on Monday.

'And by speak with you, we definitely mean to ask where you got a suitcase full of cash from. We have a sneaking suspicion this isn't your average pay packet.'

The post opened the floodgates for commenters laying claim to the cash.

'It's mine. Won it at the casino last night,' one commenter wrote on Facebook.

'Awkward, we found it before that...', came the reply from the AFP.

If the money goes unclaimed, it will be held in a Confiscated Assets Account and eventually funnelled into the community through crime prevention, law enforcement and drug treatment.

'If you own this money, or know who does, please contact Crime Stoppers on 1800 333 000,' police said.
Abu Bakr Al-Baghdadi has not been seen since declaring the creation of the Islamic State in July 2014

An ISIS preacher and leader has allegedly been executed by the militants after he accidentally suggested that the group's leader had died.

Senior ISIS leader and preacher, Abu Qutaiba was burned to death in the group's stronghold town of Tal Afar, according to a source quoted on Alsumaria News, an independent Iraqi satellite TV network.

He had been arrested over charges of 'stirring sedition' through a Friday prayer sermon in which he inadvertently suggested the group's runaway leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had possibly died during an emotional sermon, Iraqi News reports.

The group had previously ordered a punishment of 50 lashes for anyone who mentioned Baghdadi's survival or otherwise, a source told the local TV network.

The source said that the move came to avert a possible escalation of simmering leadership conflicts within the group.

Baghdadi's last appearance was in a video clip showing him making the sermon proclaiming the establishment of an Islamist 'caliphate' in the Old City's Grand Nuri Mosque in June 2014, and never showed up again, Iraqi News reports.

Rumours that the Islamic State leader had died appeared to have heightened after Abu Qutaiba began crying at the mention of Al-Baghdadi's name.

Unconfirmed reports he is dead come after Iraqi soldiers captured the Al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul's Old Town, where Al-Baghdadi made his last appearance. Picture taken today

Abu Qutaiba, an aide to Al-Baghdadi, broke down in tears during a Friday sermon and 'mumbled a few words suggesting his death', according to reports.

In a separate speech at the same location, another preacher, Abu Baraa al-Mawseli, is said to have admitted defeat for ISIS in its struggle to defend Mosul from the Iraqi army.

The account of the sermons, reported by Iraqi News, come from a source speaking to Alsumaria News from Nineveh.

Following a description of Qutaiba crying, the source added: 'He mumbled a few words afterwards that suggested Baghdadi's death.'

Complete victory over ISIS in the city will be declared in the 'next few days', according to a senior commander. Pictured: An Iraqi flag by the Al-Nuri Mosque

The unconfirmed reports come after Russia declared there was a 'high degree of certainty' Al-Baghdadi had been killed in one of its airstrikes.

And they followed news the Iraqi Army had retaken the al-Nuri Mosque in Mosul's Old Town.

IS destroyed the mosque and its iconic leaning minaret using explosive charges last week, Iraqi and coalition officials said.

The group blamed a US-airstrike for the blasts, a claim rejected by the Americans and their coalition allies.

Complete victory over ISIS in the city will be declared in the 'next few days', according to a senior commander.

The capture of the ruined mosque is particularly symbolic as it was the site where Al-Baghdadi proclaimed the creation of the Islamic State in July 2014.

Moscow said two weeks ago its forces may have killed the secretive Islamic State leader.

However, Washington said it could not corroborate the death and Western and Iraqi officials were sceptical.

This is by no means the first time the notorious ISIS chief's death has been reported. Also this month, Syrian state television claimed al-Baghdadi was killed in an airstrike.

Al-Baghdadi, a hate preacher who has a $25million bounty on his head, was believed to be hiding out in the desert outside the besieged city of Mosul in northern Iraq.

In January it was reported the leader had been 'critically injured in airstrikes in northern Iraq.'

The Pentagon said in December it believed that the ISIS chief was alive, despite repeated efforts by the US-led coalition to take out the jihadist group leader.

According to an official Iraqi government document, al-Baghdadi was born in Samarra in Iraq in 1971.

He apparently joined the insurgency that erupted after the 2003 US-led invasion of Iraq and spent time in an American military prison.
The Northern Ireland Secretary today warned the 'point is coming' where Westminster will have to start passing new laws for the province if its parties cannot share power.

James Brokenshire told MPs that Sinn Fein and the DUP have still not managed to broker a new power sharing executive in Belfast, four months after elections.

Under the terms of the Good Friday Agreement both sides must share power but Sinn Fein is refusing to serve under DUP leader Arlene Foster and the row has re-opened much deeper splits across the republican and unionist divide.

Mr Brokenshire said progress 'continued to be made' on the crucial sectarian issues of 'language, culture and identity'.

But he warned issues around public services and spending were mounting and said a budget would have to be passed soon.

A legal deadline for an agreement passed last Thursday and Mr Brokenshire said he was ready to legislate as soon as this week if a deal was struck. He said Theresa May has intervened on Friday night to try and broker a deal.

But as Belfast was left in political limbo, Mr Brokenshire warned: 'This hiatus cannot continue for much longer.'

The only alternatives if a deal is not struck are a third election in less than two years or full direct rule from London.

James Brokenshire (pictured in the Commons today) told MPs that Sinn Fein and the DUP have still not managed to broker a new power sharing executive in Belfast

Mr Brokenshire told MPs: 'If we don't see resolution in the coming days then it will become urgent that that we reflect further on what clarity is required for Northern Ireland permanent secretaries about the allocation of those resources.

'In that situation we would also need to reflect carefully on how we might make additional funding available to address immediate health and education pressures

'And if no agreement is reached, legislation in Westminster may well be required to give authority for the expenditure of Northern Ireland departments through an Appropriations Bill.'

He added: 'We have not quite reached that critical point yet, but that point is coming, and the lack of a formal budget is not something that can be sustained indefinitely.'

The Northern Ireland Secretary's comments stop short of threatening an imminent return of full direct rule.

But his speech to MPs laid bare the fact the clock is ticking.

He said: 'If resolution were to prove intractable and an executive could not be restored, then we would of course be ready to do what is needed to provide that political decision making in the best interests of Northern Ireland.

'But I am clear that the return of inclusive devolved government, by a powersharing executive, is what would be profoundly in the best interests of Northern Ireland.'

DUP leader Arlene Foster addressed the media after the latest round of talks in Belfast today (pictured) as negotiations with Sinn Fein continued to fail to reach agreement

Mrs Foster's party insists it is ready to go ahead with a new power sharing executive now and is blaming Sinn Fein for the continuing delay

DUP MP Jeffrey Donaldson insisted in the Commons today his party had been ready to sign a deal last week and blamed Sinn Fein - whose MPs do not take their seats in the Commons - for the hold up.

Over the weekend Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams blamed the DUP for showing a lack of 'urgency' in the talks.

Sinn Fein is refusing to accept DUP leader Arlene Foster as First Minister in the Assembly because of her role in a renewable energy scandal.

Party president Gerry Adams said: 'I think it is very unlikely that there will be an agreement by Monday.'

He insisted a deal was still possible but there had been no sense of urgency around getting an agreement with the DUP.

The unionist party is signed up to a confidence and supply agreement with the Conservatives in Westminster, undermining trust between the two sides.

In an indication of the divide, Mr Adams said no agreement had been reached on republican demands to give the Irish language legal status in the province, a bill of rights and marriage equality.

'The DUP are showing no urgency about dealing with the equality and rights issues,' said Adams, who joined thousands of people at a march in Belfast to demand Northern Ireland join the rest of the United Kingdom in legalising same-sex marriage.

Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams (right at a protest for equal marriage on Saturday) has warned a deal by today is 'very unlikely'

Mr Brokenshire told Q Radio on Saturday he could see where areas of compromise may lie.

'But we are not there yet and time is running short,' he said.

'There are no deadlines that I have set, I am simply making a statement to Parliament on Monday afternoon to update the House of Commons and to update on what the next steps might look like.'

The Tories were embroiled in fresh controversy over the weekend after it emerged the party spent 20,000 flying Mrs Foster to and from London on an RAF flight.

The DUP leader was in London on Monday to sign the confidence and supply arrangement.

But because it is a deal between parties and not the forming of a Government, Whitehall would not pick up a bill for the private RAF plane.

A Conservative spokesman told the Times: 'Arlene Foster was in London to conclude the signing of the confidence and supply agreement between the Conservative Party and the Democratic Unionist Party, which will provide the UK with the stable government it needs at this critical time.

'The Conservative Party paid for a flight back to Belfast to allow her swiftly to resume talks on re-establishing a power-sharing executive in Northern Ireland.'
Elizabeth Campbell, Tory councillor for Royal Hospital Ward, will replace former leader Nick Paget-Brown, who resigned on 30 June

Kensington and Chelsea Council has elected a new leader following intense criticism of its response to the Grenfell Tower tragedy.

Elizabeth Campbell, Tory councillor for the Royal Hospital Ward, will replace former leader Nick Paget-Brown, who resigned on 30 June.

It comes as the Grenfell Tower public inquiry faced losing survivors' support as furious campaigners called on the judge leading the probe to be fired.

The group Justice 4 Grenfell, which has been representing survivors, has threatened to boycott the inquiry unless Sir Martin Moore-Bick is replaced.

Labour MP David Lammy hit out at the decision to appoint a 'white upper middle class man' to lead the inquiry into the disaster.

Campaigners have cited concerns about the scope of the probe, adding: 'The whole thing needs to start again.'

Calls for Sir Martin Moore-Bick's resignation, barely three days into the job, come after he expressed doubt that the process would be broad enough to satisfy all survivors.

The retired Court of Appeal judge said it would be 'pretty well limited' to examining cause of the fire, how it spread and how to prevent it in future.

It comes as Justice 4 Grenfell, which has been representing survivors, has threatened to boycott the inquiry unless Sir Martin Moore-Bick (pictured) is replaced

Campaigners have cited concerns about the scope of the probe into the devastating tower block inferno

Those touched by the tragedy, however, have lobbied for the systemic issues underlying the blaze, in which at least 80 people have died, to be scrutinised.

Sue Caro, a co-ordinator for Justice 4 Grenfell, said: 'His comments revealed the remit he had been given was the cause of the fire and why it spread so quickly and ensuring it didn't happen again, well that is not good enough.

'We met with one of the public inquiry team last week on Friday and he told us they would start consultation from tomorrow for three weeks.

'However we don't know if that is going to be an exercise, whether it will be meaningful, whether, having done three weeks of consultation, the remit remains exactly the same, we won't know.

'Our view is the whole thing needs to start again - there is no confidence in the process.

'He has already said he doesn't think it is going to satisfy what residents want, why set up an inquiry that you know is not going to do what is required before you've even started?'

Labour MP David Lammy hit out at the decision to appoint a 'white upper middle class man' to lead the inquiry into the disaster

Sir Martin Moore-Bick said it would be 'pretty well limited' to examining cause of the fire, how it spread and how to prevent it in future

Sir Martin Moore-Bick, pictured visiting a church in west London where floral tributes have been laid to those killed in the Grenfell Tower blaze, will lead the public inquiry into the tragedy

SURVIVORS SLAM 'UNACCEPTABLE' APPOINTMENT OF LEADER The selection of a former council cabinet member to lead the local authority at the centre of the Grenfell Tower fire is 'completely unacceptable', a survivors' group campaigner has said. Kensington Conservatives have nominated Elizabeth Campbell to take over from Nicholas Paget-Brown, who resigned on Friday, and lead the embattled Kensington and Chelsea Council. Mr Paget-Brown stepped down amid fierce criticism of the council's response to the Grenfell tragedy, in which at least 80 people died nearly three weeks ago. In her first public statement, Mrs Campbell said she was 'truly sorry' and pledged to 'heal the wounds' in the community. But Sue Caro, a co-ordinator of the Justice 4 Grenfell group that represents survivors, said she had no confidence in the leadership of the council and called for it to be dissolved. She told the Press Association: 'I know that she has a track record that's not considered to be particularly good. 'I know that she was a cabinet member already - it's completely unacceptable. It's like rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic. 'They have shown they are not fit to run a council or deliver the services that are needed and I don't really think it matters who is the leader.' Advertisement

Following the furore over the disaster, Ms Campbell is keen to present herself as a champion of change in Kensington.

Speaking after she was announced as Council leader, she said: 'The first thing I want to do is I want to apologise. This is our community and we have failed it when people needed us the most.

'So, no buts, no ifs, no excuses - I am truly sorry. As new leader, I will appoint a new cabinet tomorrow and things are going to change.

'The first thing I'm going to do is to reach out to our community so we can begin to heal the wounds and the second thing I am going to do is to phone up Sajid Javid, as secretary of state, and ask for more help.

'I don't know at this stage what that help will be like, what the plan will be, but I know that the thing we need is a plan for the community in north Kensington and that is what I'm going to do.'

Ms Campbell must now be formally elected by a meeting of the full council and a spokesman for the authority said the next scheduled meeting was on July 19, although an emergency one could be called earlier.

One Tory councillor said her election was a 'formality' and Ms Campbell was now leader of the council 'in practice'.

Ms Campbell was elected to the council in 2001 and has represented the Royal Hospital ward since 2006.

The married mother of four was the council's cabinet member for family and children's services for four years between 2013 and 2017, stepping down in May this year.

She has also previously been cabinet member for education and libraries.

The fire tore through Grenfell Tower within minutes setting it alight like a tinderbox

Robert Atkinson, who leads the Labour opposition group, said he believes the Government will need to send in specially-appointed commissioners.

He said: 'I will give her a couple of days. I have questions for her, particularly around what her housing policy is going to be.

'We will see if she's able to engage and try and win the confidence of the people of north Kensington - that's going to be a tall order.

'If she can't do it, I'm sure the Government will move in commissioners.

'I think that the situation is bad enough, she's got to get a grip and she's got to get a grip quickly.'

Mr Atkinson said Ms Campbell had recently taken a leave of absence and had returned to 'take the poison chalice'.

But he added: 'She's not one of the un-empathetic males that have made such a mess of it, she does have a bit more human understanding.'

Those touched by the tragedy, however, have lobbied for the systemic issues underlying the blaze, in which at least 80 people have died, to be scrutinised

The remit of the inquiry into the causes and handling of the blaze is set to be decided in the next three weeks.

One of the points of controversy over Sir Martin's appointment as inquiry head stems from a housing case over which he presided in 2014.

NO SPRINKLERS IN SCOTTISH TOWER BLOCKS More than 300 tower blocks in Scotland do not have sprinkler systems, according to a BBC investigation. Blocks built after 2005 must have sprinklers fitted by law, but figures have shown that hundreds of people are living in older high-rises where no system exists. According to BBC Scotland, only one council or housing association - South Ayrshire Council - said it had retrofitted sprinkler systems to a high-rise. But the figures reveal 67 blocks in Glasgow, 59 in Aberdeen and 48 in Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire are without the devices, with a total of 319 across the country. At the inquest into the Shirley Towers fire in Southampton in 2010, the coroner recommended the retrofitting of sprinklers be considered in all high-rise blocks. This was also the case following the Lakanal House fire in London in 2009, in which six people died. Advertisement

In the proceedings he had sided with Westminster City Council's decision that mother-of-five Titina Nzolameso should be rehoused 50 miles (80km) away.

His ruling was later overturned in the Supreme Court.

With permanent accommodation a worry for many of the Grenfell Tower residents, his involvement in the case had become an issue for many.

Ms Caro added: 'The ruling he made was an absolutely disaster for social housing tenants.

'It basically gave councils the green light to socially cleanse. For those reasons as well it is not a great choice.'

David Lammy, the Labour MP for Tottenham whose friend Khadija Saye died in the fire, attacked the decision to appoint such an establishment figure.

He said it was 'a shame' that ministers could not find a woman or someone from an ethnic minority to lead the probe.

He suggested Sir Martin Moore-Bick had never visited a tower block on a housing estate and urged him to spend a night on the 20th floor of one.

He told Sky News: 'The job is not just to be independent and judicious, it is also to be empathetic and walk with these people on this journey.

'He needs to get close to those victims and survivors very quickly and establish he is after the truth.'

Sir Martin has been described by Theresa May as 'highly respected and experienced'.
Muslim youth activist Yassmin Abdel-Magied's announcement she is moving to the U.K. has divided users on social media - with some welcoming the decision.

The polarising 26-year-old former ABC presenter said she would be engaging in the 'Aussie rite of passage' by making tracks overseas.

'Folks, it's been fun, but I'm off to partake in the Aussie rite of passage - I'm moving to London,' she tweeted.

One man could not hide his delight at the Sudanese-born public figure's decision to move to the other side of the world.

'Best news of 2017! Be sure to insult the Queen and the royal family whilst you're there as well,' he said.

'Please feel free to never step foot in Australia again.'

Scroll down for video

Outta here! Yassmin Abdel-Magied announced on Twitter she was moving to London

This man was so overjoyed with her decision to move he said it was the 'best news of 2017'

However one woman offered some words of kindness among the sea of scorn and sarcasm

This man's friendly words were another rare example of someone offering some goodwill

This man was just hoping she would leave her visa at the airport and never return to Australia

But one woman was more supportive.

'Good on you, Yassmin. Go where the work and inspiration takes you,' she said.

One man said: 'Best wishes. Let your light shine.'

But not everyone was a well-wisher.

'Good and don't forget to leave your visa at the airport,' one man said.

Ms Abdel-Magied sparked uproar in April with an Anzac Day Facebook post about Nauru and Manus Island.

And her overseas departure comes just days after she said she regretted staying quiet during the controversy.

'Being deemed the face of all that is evil for an extended period of time does take a toll,' she wrote in a series of Twitter posts last week.

'However, reality is that being a small target has not served me well at all.

'Choosing not to defend myself and "let it blow over" backfired because it hasn't blown over.

'Staying silent left a vacuum that other voices gleefully filled with hate and vitriol that was deeply racist.

'If I stay silent, then "they" win. Then others get to define the narrative. Then those with deep institutional power r able to silence [and] I can't abide that.'

In the Twitter stream, Ms Abdel-Magied said she had originally canned plans to join a panel discussion at Melbourne's Wheeler Centre.

'I'd initially cancelled, cos ya know, Australia had been getting its hate on,' she said.

But she changed her mind when an activist reached out and said, 'Hey, you need to be here.'

'Because the thing about all of this is that it is so isolating. And although ppl might tell me there is support, it's [sometimes] hard to see,' Ms Abdel-Magied said.

'But to have someone I respect validate me and the importance of my voice on a platform, well, it made a difference.

'[Especially] as I had been told time and time again that no, my voice wasn't welcome. That I had no legitimacy to even be **in** the conversation.'

Ms Abdel-Magied said Australia 'had been getting its hate on' against her

She said she was disappointed some of her friends had not stepped in to defend in the media, pointing to a 'death in public support in media'.

Just weeks ago, outspoken Liberal Senator Eric Abetz suggested she should move to an Arab dictatorship after she told a forum at Canberra's Australian National University that democracy did not represent women or racial minorities.

'If Ms Abdel-Magied thinks our system of government is so bad perhaps she should stop being a drain on the taxpayer and move to one of these Arab dictatorships that are so welcoming of women,' Mr Abetz wrote.

Ms Abdel-Magied said in her Twitter spree that women and Muslims should not be afraid to stand up for themselves.

'To those women, especially (women of colour) and Muslim, who have yet to step into the ring, don't be afraid. Or be afraid but step in anyway.

'To those who see what has gone on and think why on earth would I subject myself to that? I hear you. But I'm here to tell you I need you too.'

Left and right, Ms Abdel-Magied on Thursday said she was disappointed some of her friends hadn't stuck up for her in the press

Tasmanian Liberal Senator Eric Abetz has called on Yassmin Abdel-Magied to move to an Arab dictatorship

'I will back you. I will stand by you. It's hard. Oath! But you are not alone.

'Change is long and hard... harder than I ever thought. But I'm here, at the other end. Laughing, breathing (#Alhamdulillah) and *not silent*.

'I'm still standing.'

Ms Abdel-Magied apologised after posting the Anzac Day message: 'Lest. We. Forget. (Manus, Naura, Syria, Palestine)'.
The City of London is preparing to send its own negotiators to Brussels to push for a free trade deal protecting financial services, it emerged today.

The delegation is being dispatched amid fears in the Square Mile that the government is not prioritising protection for the crucial sector.

But it could cause tensions with ministers as European officials could seek to play the groups off against each other.

The move comes amid claims that the government is abandoning hope that it can achieve a 'cake and eat it' Brexit - where the UK regains control over borders and law while retaining trade benefits.

The delegation is being dispatched amid fears in the Square Mile that the government is not prioritising protection for the crucial sector

Chancellor Philip Hammond (left) recently mocked Boris Johnson's claim that the UK could get a 'cake and eat it' Brexit

Foreign Minister Boris Johnson deployed the phrase after Theresa May's Lancaster House speech setting out her approach to talks.

But it was recently mocked by Chancellor Philip Hammond, who joked during a visit to Germany that he was 'discouraging talks of cake' among Cabinet colleagues.

He insisted a compromise is the art of dividing a cake in such a way that everyone believes he has the biggest piece.

Instead officials are said to be warning that there will have to be a 'binary' choice between a deal similar to the European Economic Area (EEA) or a more limited free trade arrangement similar to that struck between the EU and Canada.

According to the Financial Times, the delegation of City figures going to Brussels will be led by former City minister Mark Hoban.

They will push for protection of rights that allow them to trade freely across the EU, amid anxiety about damaging restrictions after we leave the single market.

Some banks have warned that they could move staff if their interests are not safeguarded in the talks.

Brexit Secretary David Davis is due to host a conference for business leaders in Kent on Friday, as ministers seek to reassure the City they are ready to fight for its interests.
The head of Australia's Border Force agency, Roman Quaedvlieg, has been placed on leave from his position, allegedly as a 'personal' matter is investigated.

His leave was confirmed by Justice Minister Michael Keenan on Monday, who has stepped in for absent Immigration Minister Peter Dutton.

A brief statement noted there was a matter under investigation, and no further comment would be made. Authorities contacted by Daily Mail Australia remained tight lipped.

But former Border Force employee Sandi Logan has hinted on Twitter that the matter is a 'personal' one, and has little to do with his official duties.

Roman Quaedvlieg, who heads up Australia's Border Force, has been placed on leave pending an investigation

The former spin doctor claimed Quaedvlieg had been suspended, not placed on leave, and that there was an 'external investigation' taking place.

It is not known how long Quaedvlieg, who is making $731,000 a year in his position, has been off work for.

The last tweet to come from the 52-year-old's official account was on May 25.

No information has been released as to what he has been placed on leave over, with authorities remaining tight lipped.

An inside source told Fairfax Media the Commissioner's sudden departure is related to his personal behaviour as opposed to the carrying out of his official duties.

Former spin doctor Sandi Logan claimed Quaedvlieg had been suspended, not placed on leave, and that there was an 'external investigation' taking place.

'The ABF Commissioner is on leave,' the statement from the office of Minister for Justice Michael Keenan said.

'A matter is under investigation by appropriate authorities.

'There will be no further comment until that process is complete.'

Mr Quaedvlieg was previously the chief police officer of ACT Policing, and has been the Commissioner of the Australian Border Force since its creation in 2015.

He made headlines in 2004 when he was caught up in a tsunami with his wife Christine.
Prince George and Princess Charlotte will not be missing out on a summer holiday this year as they are set to join their parents on an official royal visit.

The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge will take their children on their tour of Germany and Poland later this month, Kensington Palace has said.

William and Kate will travel with their young son and daughter during their five-day trip, which begins on July 17 in Poland's capital Warsaw and ends in the German city of Hamburg on July 21.

William and Kate will travel with their young son and daughter during their five-day trip, which begins on July 17 in Poland's capital Warsaw and ends in the German city of Hamburg on July 21

Seasoned pro: It isn't the first time little George has been on a royal visit. Pictured above, the young Prince with his parents on his first official overseas trip in Sydney, Australia

A spokesman for Kensington Palace said the young royals will be seen on at least a couple of occasions while abroad and added the family were looking forward to meeting German and Polish people.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: 'The Duke and Duchess are very much looking forward to this tour and are delighted with the exciting and varied programme that has been put together for it.

He said: 'They have decided that their children, Prince George and Princess Charlotte, will travel with them and we expect the children to be seen on at least a couple of occasions over the course of the week.

'They look forward to a busy and impactful tour, and are grateful that they will have the opportunity to meet the Polish and German people - such important friends of the United Kingdom - as a family.

William and Kate have taken their children, George aged three and two-year-old Charlotte, on an official tour before, travelling to Canada with them last year where they enjoyed an open-air party for youngsters.

And in 2014 their toddler prince flew with them to New Zealand and Australia for their extensive trip.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: 'The Duke and Duchess are very much looking forward to this tour and are delighted with the exciting and varied programme that has been put together for it'

Family affair: Kensington Palace confirmed Prince George and Princess Charlotte would be joining their parents later this month on a tour of Poland and Germany

But during the tour of Poland and Germany the children are likely to be seen only during arrivals and departures at the two countries.

With George starting school in south London this September, attending the mixed-sex Thomas's Battersea school, and his sister likely to be enrolled in a nursery, this is the last time the royal couple will be able to take their children with them without school commitments making it problematic.

The Cambridges are making the trip at the request of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

It is likely to be seen as another Brexit diplomacy tour, helping to maintain and strengthen the UK's relations with Europe as it leaves the EU.

William and Kate will meet survivors of the Holocaust and Nazi oppression during their trip as they acknowledge the complex 20th century histories of each country.

In Poland, they will tour the former Stutthof concentration camp where 65,000 people died at the hands of their captors, and also visit Berlin's Holocaust museum and memorial in the German capital.

William and Kate have taken their children, George aged three and two-year-old Charlotte, on an official tour before, travelling to Canada with them last year where they enjoyed an open-air party for youngsters. Pictured above: The couple with a young George in Australia

Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge, Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Prince George of Cambridge depart Wellington Airport on April 16, 2014 in Wellington

The royal couple will fly to and from Germany and Poland in a private charter plane which they will use for some of the internal legs of the visit

They will also visit the site of Gdansk's shipyards, the birthplace of Poland's Solidarity movement that helped topple Communist rule.

Here they will meet with founding members of the organisation but it is not known if Lech Walesa, Poland's former president and leader of its peaceful pro-democracy struggle, will be present.

Chancellor Angela Merkel will hold a private meeting with the royal couple in Berlin at the start of the German leg of their tour, and afterwards William and Kate will visit the Brandenburg Gate, a symbol of German unification.

The mood will change when the duke and duchess renew their friendly sporting rivalry, that seems to play a part in most of their trips, when they visit the picturesque Germany city of Heidelberg, twinned with Cambridge.

William and Kate will take to the waters of the River Neckar in opposing rowing boats, joined by rowers from Cambridge and Heidelberg, for a race.

The royal couple will fly to and from the countries in a private charter plane which they will use for some of the internal legs of the visit.

Their official entourage will include 12 people, their adviser Sir David Manning, private secretaries Miguel Head and Rebecca Priestley, a four-strong communications team, an equerry, tour secretary, two logistics officers and a personal assistant.

The Cambridges' Spanish-born nanny Maria Teresa Turrion Borrallo, who trained at the prestigious Norland College, and a hairdresser, will also join them but will be paid for privately.
British-born imams should be appointed to key positions within the country's mosques, according to a major report.

It added that Muslim leaders who speak fluent English would provide 'better leadership' compared to many imams in British mosques who are born overseas.

Entitled Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim potential for the benefit of all, the report called for 'fit for purpose' leaders who understand 'modern British life'.

Commissioned by the charity Citizens UK, the inquiry was undertaken to analysis the Muslim community and how it interacts with British society.

Entitled Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim potential for the benefit of all, the report called for 'fit for purpose' leaders who understand 'modern British life'

It found an 'increasing absence' of Islamic involvement in public life, which is partly contributed to 'considerable challenges' from within the Muslim communities.

The report read: 'It is of great importance that British-born imams, who have a good understanding of British culture and who fluently speak English, are encouraged and appointed in preference to overseas alternatives.

'The Commission has heard a great deal about the need for better leadership within the UK's Muslim communities.

'The management committees of the UK's mosques need to better understand, and respond to, modern British life'.

The document said it was unable to verify the exact number of mosques currently in Britain, estimating the figure to be somewhere in the region of 1,500.
DICKINSON  The police chief of a small southeast North Dakota town who has been charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse in multiple southwest North Dakota counties pleaded not guilty Monday, July 3, in his initial appearance in Southwest Judicial District Court in Dickinson.

LaMoure Police Chief James G. Watson, 51, has been charged with three felony counts of gross sexual imposition and two felony counts of continuous abuse of a child across Hettinger, Stark and Golden Valley counties. Golden Valley States Attorney Christina Wenko said Watson pleaded not guilty to all charges.

Watson was arrested on Thursday, June 29, and was initially booked into the Stutsman County Jail.

Watson was charged with two Class AA felonies of gross sexual imposition and one Class A felony of gross sexual imposition in Hettinger County. In Stark and Golden Valley counties, he was charged with one count each of Class AA felony continuous sexual abuse of a child. The maximum penalty for a Class AA felony is life in prison.

According to a complaint filed in Stark County, the offenses occurred on a weekly basis from fall 2011 through April 2013 and that during that time Watson willfully engaged in any combination of three or more sexual acts or sexual contacts with a minor who was under the age of 15 during a time period of three or more months.

The complaint for the case in Golden Valley County explains a similar scenario that occurred from fall 2011 through December 2011.

A cash bond of $100,000 in each case was set by Southwest District Judge James Gion, for a total of $300,000. Watson is listed as an inmate at the Southwest Multi-County Correction Center in Dickinson.

Wenko said Watson did not have an attorney with him during the hearing, but indicated to the court that he wished to apply for court-appointed counsel.

A preliminary hearing for the cases is set for July 31.
The wife of Grand Tour star Richard Hammond today warned him he will have to quit TV if he crashes his car badly again - and predicted it'll be within a decade.

The TV star, 47, was filming for the show in Switzerland when the car he was driving crashed and repeatedly flipped over before catching fire, moments after he managed to escape it.

In 2006 he suffered life-threatening head injuries and was in a coma following a high-speed crash as he filmed for BBC's Top Gear.

Mindy Hammond, 46, flew to be at her husband's bedside after he careered off the Swiss hillside and said today: 'I did say three strikes and youre out. Youve had two goes.

His daughter Isabella, 16, who was behind the camera with younger sister Willow, 13, who told her dad: 'Don't crash again will you'.

Mandy Hammond warned her husband Richard Hammond today he will have to quit if he crashes his car badly again

The couple laughed as Mrs Hammond revealed her husband played down the crash and told her on the phone: 'I've had a little shunt'

Richard Hammond pictured with his wife Mindy and daughters Willow (left) and Isabella (right), who told her dad: 'Don't crash again will you'

The vehicle appeared to have rolled down a hill following the crash in Switzerland

This is the moment the former BBC star crashed in the supercar as he and co-hosts filmed their new show

Appearing together on ITV's This Morning she added: 'He has one of these every ten years so Ive marked the next one in my diary.

Mindy said she had predicted the crash after having a 'funny' feeling on the day before the crash.

She said: 'I actually called Richard on the day before which I dont usually do, ever.

'Then the day of the accident I call him and he said he was fine but had a couple more runs to do.

'Then there was a phone call and he said: "Id had a bit of a shunt". I did go quite a bit funny which Ive never done before'.

The star is on crutches for the foreseeable future and cannot run for another 18 months - but will be able to run much sooner

Mrs Hammond was out buying shoes with her daughters when he called her to say he had been hurt.

Her husband explained that after the call she 'kept shopping'.

She said: 'You have to keep doing something keep through it'.

The 47-year-old former Top Gear star required reconstructive surgery on his fractured left knee having escaped the wreckage just seconds before it went up in flames on June 10.

His wife was quick to rib him about how he has been while recovering at home over the past month.

As Mr Hammond mouthed 'brilliantly' Mindy said: Ive got teenage daughters and a nine year old man.

Richard Hammond has repeatedly apologised to his wife and two daughters Izzy, 16, and Willow, 13, for putting them through more trauma.

He said today that he believed he might die when his car flew off the mountain.

He said he knew it was 'bad', adding: When the car touched down it smashed the bottom bit of my knee'.

When he was in hospital he revealed: 'They told me I've lost 7mm of height. I can't be losing that'.

Holly Willoughby responded with: So are you uneven?' and he said: 'Yes. No, no, I can't be running in circles for the rest of my life.'

When asked how co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May responded he joked: 'They wept Apparently neither of them have slept and I get a lot of calls and texts from both of them.

'They saw the contract going off the hill and were worried about all the legal work'.

Richard Hammond said the crash shouldn't delay the next series of the Grand Tour and joked that his co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May were more worried about their contracts than his safety

Richard Hammond has repeatedly apologised to his wife and two daughters Izzy, 16, (right) and Willow, 13, (left) for putting them through more trauma

He was left with a knee injury from the crash - and needed metal plates inserted because his knee was shattered leaving him '7mm shorter' he joked

Hammond's electric supercar burned at 1,500 degrees and needed hosing down for 8 hours The inventor of Richard Hammond's super car was forced to reveal the secrets of the 2 million prototype to salvage experts before the charred remains could be removed from the crash site. The salvage operation was 'complicated and dangerous', according to Swiss engineers. Before safe removal, the Croatian manufacturer of the Rimac Concept One car had to explain the secret mechanics. Markus Erni, of Autostrassenhilfe Schweiz, who was involved in the salvage operation, said: 'Since it was a prototype, we had to speak to the manufacturers and gain their confidence so that they could give us the details of where the various units are installed. 'The co-operation was very good and decisive which enabled a safe removal.' He added: 'The danger of a crash involving an electric car is that the rescuers cannot perceive the dangers with their senses. Electricity cannot be heard or smelt like fuel. The danger is therefore much higher for the rescuers. It's complicated and dangerous.' The car burned at temperatures of 1200 to 1500 degrees. It was hosed with cold water for eight hours before a tow truck could safely remove it. The former Top Gear presenter crashed in Hemberg, Switzerland, on Saturday afternoon. He managed to escape from the burning car before it erupted into a fireball. Emil Schmid, from the salvage firm which removed the vehicle, said: 'For the bystander it may have looked as if a few clowns were standing around the wreck for hours without doing anything. But the built-in energy packages in an electric car continue to work after a crash and keep the temperatures very high.' He said: 'I had never had such an expensive wreck on my truck.' Advertisement

The smash came more than a decade after Hammonds previous horror crash in 2006 when he flipped a car travelling at 318mph while filming for Top Gear, leaving him in a two-week coma with life-threatening head injuries.

Hammond, who was driving up a hill in the Rimac Concept One electric car when he crashed last month, said previously: 'It was the very last run of the day, at the top just over the finish line it got away from me and I went over the edge.'

He then hurtled 100 metres down a hill, narrowly avoiding crashing into a house and leaving craters in the cliffside.

He told DriveTribe: 'I was very much aware at that point that it being a hillclimb and me being at the end of it, I would be at the top of the hill.

'So what followed was getting down the hill very very quickly.

'I was aware that I was up, that I was high, that inevitably the car was going to come down, and of course there was a moment of dread 'Oh god, I'm going to die'.

'Also I was aware that the car was taking just such a beating.'

He added: 'What was probably going through my mind was 'well this is it'. I thought 'I've had it'.'

Hammond said he was conscious all the way through the crash, saying: 'You're aware of sky, ground, sky, ground, sky, ground' and comparing it to 'being in a tumble dryer full of bricks going down a hill'.

He was left with a knee injury from the crash, and said: 'I do remember saying to drag me by my arms not my legs because I think I've broken that leg.'

However, the injury did not alarm his daughter Isabella, who told him: 'Daddy it looks like you've fallen over in the playground,' he said.

Hammond's most recent incident ? which left his co-stars Jeremy Clarkson and James May fearing he had been killed ? came 11 years after he suffered life-threatening head injuries following a high-speed crash as he filmed for BBC's Top Gear in 2006.

The presenter was in a coma for two weeks following the 288mph accident, but made a full recovery.

Richard Hammond reportedly escaped his horrific 120mph crash by leaping out of the supercar before it erupted into a fireball. Pictured, showing X-rays of his knee after the smash

Richard Hammond has showed off his new electric wheelchair just weeks after escaping a 120mph horror smash which saw his car turn into a 'fireball'

However, Hammond said he has no plans to swap the driving show for a safer cookery programme.

He said: 'I'd injure myself in the kitchen. We do exciting, difficult, sometimes dangerous stuff all the time. We are absolutely not gung ho or frivolous or thoughtless about it. Otherwise we wouldn't survive one series.

'We're not adrenaline junkies, we are in our 40s and 50s in their case. It needs the thrills in it but we evaluate everything we're doing.

'We take every precaution and we are also accepting of the fact that sometimes accidents happen. I've had it two or three times in my life.

'I wouldn't be doing it if I thought it was going to kill me. But equally you could walk out of here and slip in the car park.

'It won't stop us being gung ho because we never have been and we're not. I know that sounds boring.

'We are all grown ups with families and careers, we don't want to crock ourselves.'
A 'far-right extremist' has been arrested for plotting to shoot French President Emmanuel Macron in front of Donald Trump on Bastille Day.

The plot, by the unnamed 23-year-old Frenchman, was foiled when he tried to get hold of a Kalashnikov assault rifle online.

Prosecuting sources in the French capital said the man was from the 'extreme-right' and wanted to murder Mr Macron, as well as 'blacks, Arabs, Jews and homosexuals'.

He was indicted with terrorism offences last Saturday, with details of the case released today.

A 'far-right extremist' has been arrested for plotting to shoot French President Emmanuel Macron in front of Donald Trump on Bastille Day. Macron and the US President are pictured shaking hands at a meeting in Brussels in May

The suspect, who comes from the Paris area, planned to target Mr Macron as he took the salute at the Bastille Day celebrations on July 14.

President Trump will be this year's guest of honour on France's national day, which recalls the storming of the Bastille fortress during the French Revolution of 1789.

One of the biggest security operations in French history will unfold on the Champs Elysee and the Place de la Concorde for the event, which will involve thousands of French and American troops.

The would-be attacker mentioned his search for a weapon on a video games forum that was being monitored by intelligence officers.

When anti-terrorism police turned up at his flat in the suburb of Argenteuil last Wednesday, he threatened them with a kitchen knife.

The suspect, who comes from the Paris area, planned to target Mr Macron as he took the salute at the Bastille Day celebrations on July 14. Bastille Day celebrations in Paris last year are pictured above

He was overpowered and placed in custody, while searches of his car found further weapons.

Prosecuting sources told the RMC radio station that the man was 'psychologically disturbed but determined'.

This morning, it emerged that the suspect received a three year prison sentence last year for 'condoning terrorism' and 'spreading racist hate', 18 months of which were suspended.

Data on his computer revealed that he was an apologist for neo-Nazi mass murderer Anders Behring Breivik, who killed 77 people in a bomb and gun attack in Norway in 2011.

Three kitchen knives were found in man's car.

His profile was said to resemble that of Maxime Brunerie, who fired at President Jacques Chirac during the Bastille Day parade in 2002.

Brunerie was a neo-Nazi who was sentenced to ten years in prison before being released in 2009.

The OAS Secret Army Organisation also regularly plotted to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle as they campaigned against the loss of the French colony of Algeria in the early 1960s.

The antics of the far-Right terrorist group, which was mainly made up of army and police officers, were fictionalised in the Frederick Forsyth novel 'The Day of the Jackal'.

It was made into a hit film staring Edward Fox as the assassin and Michel Lonsdale as the detective who foils him.

President Macron, who became president in May aged only 39, has already received a number of death threats, including ones contained in menacing letters and emails.

France remains under a State of Emergency following a series of attacks by Islamic State and al-Qaeda, including one in Paris in November 2015 in which 130 people were killed.
A massive guns haul has been recovered from a vehicle on the French side of the Channel Tunnel as it prepared to enter Britain, police said.

Seventy-nine 'viable' weapons were recovered from the trailer of the vehicle stopped at Coquelles on Saturday by Border Force officers.

Two men - a Polish and a Czech national - have been arrested in connection with the raid, which was part of a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and detectives from Scotland Yard's organised crime unit.

Seventy-nine 'viable' weapons were recovered from the trailer of the vehicle stopped at Coquelles on Saturday by Border Force officers

A NCA source said investigations 'over a number of days' suggested that a gang would try to smuggle the weapons into Britain over the weekend.

The intelligence was shared with Border Force officers based at Coquelles in France, which stopped a vehicle before it entered the Channel Tunnel on Saturday.

Graham Gardner, the NCA's deputy director of investigations, said: 'Our recent threat assessment highlights that handguns are still commonly favoured by some criminal groups in the UK.

'They may not be the largest firearm, but they are easily concealable and lethal in the hands of anyone prepared to use them.'

Two men - a Polish and a Czech national - have been arrested in connection with the raid

The 4mm and 6mm weapons and ammunition were found hidden in specially-adapted engine blocks, the NCA said.

Six other Poles - four men and two women - who were arrested at the scene will face no further action.

One of the 79 guns found in the raid which was part of a joint operation by the National Crime Agency (NCA) and detectives from Scotland Yard's organised crime unit

The deadly arsenal of 79 firearms bound for Britain were seized as gunrunners tried to smuggle them through the Channel Tunnel but they were intercepted near the border

Police were lying in wait after receiving a tip-off that a large cache of illegal handguns was due to be smuggled into the country over the weekend

Some of the ammunition uncovered in the haul which was part of a joint operation by the Met Police and the National Crime Agency (NCA), Britain's equivalent of the FBI
A nurse has been struck off after a patient died from downing a bottle of washing up liquid at a care home.

Lorraine Stevens, 61, failed to raise the alarm when the man drank from the bottle but instead gave him several glasses of drinking water to dilute it.

The patient was vomiting and frothing at the mouth, but Stevens waited nearly three hours to tell anyone else that he was unwell.

And when she did finally speak to her manager Stevens failed to mention how long he had been ill for, the misconduct hearing was told.

The disabled man - referred to only as Patient A - died the next morning.

Case presenter Gregory Wedge said: 'Patient A reached through an open kitchen window and grabbed a bottle of washing up liquid, from which he drank an unknown quantity.

Lorraine Stevens, pictured, failed to raise the alarm when the man drank from the bottle but instead gave him several glasses of drinking water

'The washing up liquid was promptly taken away from him and it is alleged that he was given glasses of water to drink.

'About 15 minutes after the incident, Patient A allegedly began coughing, vomiting and there was some foam at his mouth.

'He was given more water and continued to cough and vomit for 30 to 40 minutes.'

Mr Wedge said Stevens was the only qualified nurse at Begelly Bungalow in Begelly, Pembrokeshire, which housed four people with learning disabilities.

Patient A, who had been at the managed bungalow for just four months before his death, suffered brain damage at birth and had a history of trying to drink dangerous liquids.

But Stevens didn't raise the alarm for two-and-a-half hours after he drank from the washing up bottle, and when she eventually did still failed to tell her manager the incident had happened hours before.

The man collapsed at the bungalow at about 8pm - ten hours after consuming the liquid - and died in hospital early the following morning on July 13, 2013.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council was also told Stevens later mocked up a risk assessment form for Patient A on the day his family came to collect his belongings.

The document said kitchen cupboards should be locked at the bungalow - but she didn't point out it was written after his death.

Mr Wedge said Stevens had acted 'dishonestly', adding: 'She should have admitted that there was no risk assessment in place, rather than falsifying clinical documents in an attempt to create the impression that there had been one.'

Dyfed Powys Police investigated Stevens in connection with the man's death but no charges were ever brought against her or employers Hywel Dda University Health Board.

Panel chair Monica French told the hearing in Cardiff that Stevens' actions 'increased the risk of harm' to her patient.

She also said Stevens' decision to leave her shift early on the day, leaving the 'deteriorating' man to be cared for by staff without medical training, placed him at 'an unwarranted risk of harm.'

Miss French said: 'Stevens failed to ensure that Patient A was safe and to provide him with the high standard of care expected of her as a registered nurse.

'In addition, her dishonest actions in respect of the risk assessment were inconsistent with her obligations as a registered nurse.

'There was no evidence before the panel that Stevens had any insight or remorse into the potential gravity of her actions and omissions or their impact.'

Stevens, from Pembroke Dock, Pembrokeshire, was struck off the nurse register and will not be able to reapply for five years.

Speaking at her home, she said: 'I don't want to talk about it.'
An arsenal of lethal firearms destined for the streets of London was seized from a van near the Channel Tunnel as it prepared to enter Britain.

Border Force officers recovered seventy-nine 'viable' handguns from concealed compartments in a Mercedes van as it prepared to enter the tunnel.

The weapons, including tiny, easily-concealed revolvers, were found after a joint investigation by Scotland Yard and the National Crime Agency.

Two men - a Pole and Czech national - were arrested in connection with the raid.

Four Polish women aged 15, 17, 58 and 41 were arrested at the scene but will not face any further charges.

Detectives believe the weapons had been smuggled from eastern Europe and were destined from gangs in London.

Border Force officers recovered seventy-nine 'viable' handguns near the Channel Tunnel

Detectives believe the weapons had been smuggled from eastern Europe and destined for London

The cache was made up of 4mm and 6mm handguns as well as large quantities of ammunition.

Graham Gardner, NCA Deputy Director of investigations, said: 'This joint operation has resulted in a large number of viable firearms being taken out of circulation before they could reach the UK.

'Whilst we are in the early stages of our investigation, I believe these weapons were intended for criminal use in either London or across the UK and it goes without saying the risk they would have posed to the public.'

The cache was made up of 4mm and 6mm handguns because they were easy to conceal but still exceedingly lethal.

The cache was made up of 4mm and 6mm handguns, including tiny revolvers like the one pictured

Ammunition recovered from a vehicle on the French side of the Channel Tunnel

Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gallagher, of the Met's Organised Crime Command told the Evening Standard: 'I have no doubt that a number of these weapons were destined for the streets of London, where they would have caused misery and unspeakable damage to the community.'

Officers described the haul as 'very significant' - but it was only a tiny percentage of the illegal weapons being imported into Britain every year.

Police say they are seizing more guns on the streets and an increase in the number of weapons ordered over the dark web.

The weapons were all found in a specially designed compartment in the Mercedes van
There is much talk that time is running out on her days in No10 - but yesterday Theresa May put her political woes behind her as she stepped out in matching watches with her husband Philip.

The couple made their weekly visit to their local church in Maidenhead in similar 'his and hers' wrist wear.

Mrs May, who is well known for her love of high fashion, opted fora purple Swatch chrono plastic watch , which was produced in 2014 and costs 76.

While her husband sported a more colourful number inspired by last year's Rio Olympics, which is also made by Swatch and also costs 76.

Theresa May and her husband Philip wore matching 'his and hers' watches when they made their weekly visit to their local church yesterday

The government is under mounting pressure to ease up on austerity and scrap the public sector pay cap.

And the PM and her husband appeared to be sending a message by wearing the relatively affordable high street brand for the cameras.

Laura Dunn, a fashion and lifestyle blogger, told the Mail Online their matching watches shows the couple - who have been together since their Oxford University days - are 'in tune' with each other.

She said: Swatch is a timeless watch brand that has cross generational appeal.

Philip May's watch is made by Swatch and inspired by last year's Rio Olympics, while Mrs May's wrist wear is a Swatch chrono plastic plastic which hit the shelves in 2014 and cost 76

The couple wore their matching accessories on their trip to their local church in Maidenhead. A fashion expert said their coordinated styles show how in tune the couple are with each other

Philip May's 'Rio All Around' watch is made by Swatch and costs 76. Its design is inspired by the Rio Olympics

'Fun, quirky watches like those worn by Theresa May and her husband Philip are particularly fashionable and shows that both the PM and Mr May arent afraid to have a little fun with their style, particularly when theyre relaxing in their home village.

'I think their synchronised style shows just how in tune both individuals are with other, and this isnt the first time that theyve matched up their clothes.

'For the Prime Minister, wearing a cool Swatch shows that she isnt afraid to think outside the box when it comes to accessories, and indicates just how much she loves to show her appreciation for classic pieces designed with a twist.'

Mrs May has spoken about her love of fashion, and was once famously photographed in a pair of 995 brown leather trousers for a fashion spread soon after she moved into No10.

Philip May's watch is a colourful number inspired by last year's Olympic games, which saw Team GB win a record haul of medals . While Theresa May opted for a purple number which hit the shelves in 2014. Both watches cost 76

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, pictured at a rally in Glasgow on the last day of campaigning before the General Election on June 8, has also been spotted out and about with a watch

Scotland's First Minister Nicola Sturgeon, pictured looking at her Apple watch ahead of the Scottish leaders debate in March last year. The SNP leader had to deny that she was 'fed lines' through her gadget during the head to head televised clash

While her eye-catching array of shoes, including her favourite leopard print kitten heels, have also captured headlines.

Mrs Mays predecessor in No10, David Cameron, never wore a watch or a wedding ring.

He made the confession in a question and answer session with Glamour magazine readers in Downing Street 2012.

Mr Cameron told the audience that he never got used to wearing anything on his hands.

Scotlands First Minister Nicola Sturgeon owns an Apple watch.

But her choice of timepiece nearly got her into trouble as she had to deny being fed lines through the gadget when she went head to her with her political rivals in a leaders debate in March last year.

The SNP leader had acquired the gadget  which allows the user to access emails and text messages  ahead of the Holyrood election campaign.

After some questioned if she was using the accessory to give her an edge in the debate, Ms Sturgeon wrote on Twitter: It had no reception in studio  was merely for timekeeping!

Jeremy Corbyn is often spotted with his watch on his wrist, and it is believed that it is a model by the makers Timex.
Senior Conservatives reacted with fury today after the energy regulator unveiled plans for a price cap that will leave 14 million families 'at the mercy' of big firms.

Former minister John Penrose accused Ofgem of a 'big six stitch up' after the regulator proposed extended price capping to two million households.

The regulator today suggested a 'safeguard tariff' which would cap bills for the poorest households using standard rate deals.

Ofgem's proposal was in response to Tory demands for a way to extend price protections to 17 million households on standard rate tariffs. No 10 said it was a 'step in the right direction' but demanded more.

The Conservative manifesto promised a price cap but the policy was missing from the Queen's Speech as Business Secretary Greg Clark pursued options for delivering it without changing the law.

Former Tory minister John Penrose (pictured in the Commons) reacted with fury today after Ofgem unveiled price protections for fewer than three million households despite Conservative demands to protect all 17million families on standard rate deals

Mr Penrose accused Ofgem of a 'big six stitch up' after the regulator proposed extended price capping to three million more households

But former Tory minister John Penrose said the idea was 'far too timid'.

He said: 'Ofgem's proposals will not end the energy rip-off for 17 million families, as we promised in our manifesto.

'Under this plan, fewer than 3 million customers will be helped and the remaining 14 million will see their energy bills rise as energy companies recoup the cost of the cap by milking the rest of us.

'This is a big 6 stitch up and as Ofgem won't help, Parliament needs to step in and legislate instead.'

Ofgem said today a 'safeguard tariff' for vulnerable consumers, which would protect them from overpaying for their energy, is one of a number of options it is mulling.

It said research it carried out with the Competition and Markets Authority points to 'vulnerable consumers in particular getting a poor deal'.

It comes after a temporary price cap to protect over four million households who prepay for their energy came into effect in March.

Business Secretary Greg Clark said he wanted promises from Ofgem turned into action

Ofgem said that cap would save typical prepayment customers around 80 a year, with many seeing a reduction in their gas bill of around 10-15 per cent.

But a price cap could now be extended further with the safeguard tariff.

Dermot Nolan, chief executive of Ofgem, said: 'Protecting vulnerable consumers is a priority for Ofgem.

'We are committed to ensuring that the more disadvantaged in society are not left behind as we move towards a smarter, more competitive energy market.

'That's why we are starting new work to protect vulnerable customers, including the option of introducing a safeguard tariff for them.'

Among its other proposals are plans to make switching easier and to cap warrant charges to install pre-payment meters and ban these charges altogether for the most vulnerable.

Ofgem said it wants to take 'the hassle out of switching' after its data showed many people have never or rarely switched.

'Suppliers must also do more to get all their consumers, particularly those on poor value standard variable tariffs, a better deal.

'We are pressing ahead with a raft of reforms to make it even easier for people to switch no matter how they choose to shop around,' Mr Nolan added.

Ofgem today suggested a 'safeguard tariff' which would cap bills for the poorest households using standard rate deals

In response, Business Secretary Mr Clark said: 'The Government has made clear its commitment to extending price protection to more energy customers on poor value tariffs.

'I note Ofgem's response to my letter accepting the need to go further than the CMA recommendations, in particular the need to extend the safeguard tariff as soon as possible.

'I now want to see this translated into action with suppliers playing their part in supporting Ofgem to deliver a fairer deal to customers on poor value tariffs.

'I look forward to seeing rapid progress and will consider next steps when I have received Ofgem's proposed actions.'

The Prime Minister's official spokesman said: 'Ofgem's response is a step in the right direction.

'We've said we need a better energy market and are committed to extending price protection currently in place to some vulnerable energy consumers to more people on the poorest-value tariffs.

'We are not ruling anything out, whether that is action by the regulator or legislation.'

Shadow business secretary Rebecca Long-Bailey said: 'Ofgem's watered down proposals go nowhere near the promise made by the Prime Minister to adopt Labour's principle of a price cap.

'In the general election, she pledged unequivocally to knock 100 off the bills of 17 million customers but then didn't include the promise in the Queen's Speech.

'After reports that the Prime Minister has been lobbied by senior cabinet members and the big six energy companies to drop the price cap commitment, ministers must tell the British people why they treat fair pricing for energy consumers as such a low priority and if they are going to make yet another u-turn. '
The lawyer of a man who allegedly crashed a wedding, stole women's handbags and then bit off the finger of a man who confronted him believes he is the victim.

John Wayne Tsiakas, 42, appeared in Campbelltown local court on Monday pleading not guilty to recklessly causing grevious bodily harm.

He is accused of biting over 1.2 cm of Glenn Williams' finger off during a confrontation in Court Tavern hotel at 9.30pm on Saturday, 9 News reported.

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John Wayne Tsiakasis accused of trying to steal women's handbags at a wedding reception in Campbelltown

Mr Williams, 47, lost a digit of his finger on his right hand, leaving the bone protruding from the wound.

Tsiakas was arrested at the scene, and faces up to two years behind bars in guilty.

But his lawyer, Jack Hibbart, maintains he is the victim, according to The Daily Telegraph.

'I say this without viewing the footage. On Mr Tsiakas's account, he was attacked by a number of people and did everything he could to survive,' Mr Hibbart said.

In the scuffle that followed, police were forced to use capsicum spray to get things under control.

Witness Allan Williams said Tsiakas sneaked into the building through the back door.

Mr Williams remains in a hospital bed, with surgeons losing hope of reattaching the finger.

Mr Williams, 47, lost a digit of his finger on his right hand, leaving the bone protruding from the wound

Witness Allan Williams said Tsiakas sneaked into the building through the backdoor
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Former Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Davis has been rushed to hospital after she was arrested for allegedly attacking her boyfriend Jeremy McConnell, leaving him with two black eyes.

The pair were also photographed arguing in the street outside a pub where they drank for hours before the alleged assault at a north London hotel.

Witnesses told MailOnline the pair were drinking from around 6.30pm in a Wetherspoon's bar in Enfield before clashing outside around 9.30pm as Jeremy got into a cab.

Pub regulars said Davis stayed at the bar for more beer before heading back to their hotel, the four-star Royal Chace Hotel, where she was arrested around 11pm over claims she assaulted McConnell.

Reality TV star Jeremy was later seen with two black eyes as he flew back to his native Ireland. He arrived covered in a hooded denim jacket and clutched his phone as he waited for a car to pick him up.

It looked like he was struggling to see properly as he made his way through Dublin Airport.

It emerged this afternoon that Davis had been taken to hospital after falling ill at a police station. Scotland Yard says her condition is not serious.

Pictures have emerged of Jeremy McConnell's injuries after he was allegedly assaulted by his girlfriend, former Hollyoaks actress Stephanie Davis, who was arrested last night

The pair were seen arguing in the street after drinking in a Wetherspoon's pub in the hours before Davis was arrested

Witnesses said the reality TV went off in separate taxis after the drinking session in Enfield, north London yesterday afternoon

Fellow drinkers claimed the couple were drunk when they went outside and shouted at each other at around 9.30pm.

Motorists in the street even beeped their horns at the pair to get them to calm down amid fears for their safety, before McConnell got in a cab and left.

Davis has reportedly been dropped from her role on Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit On The Side in the wake of her arrest, although Channel 5 have refused to comment.

Police said McConnell's injuries were not serious and the Irishman was treated at the scene by paramedics and did not need hospital treatment. He is believed to have flown back to his home town of Dublin today.

But pictures show him with two black eyes, a scratch to his nose and face a blood-shot left eye.

Black cab driver Roger Osborn, 68, had gone to the pub for a quiet drink with his friends after a long weekend of work.

He said: 'I got here at about 9pm and they were already here and they had had plenty of drink. It looked like he was bullying her and she was shouting at him as well.

'At one point he had a go at us and started swearing at some of the other customers. We didn't get involved. We just wanted to come down to our local and have a drink and we didn't want any trouble.

'He was being aggressive but she was giving it back as well. They were both pretty drunk and they were as bad as each other.'

Mr Osborn said McConnell left for 'about ten minutes' before returning and shouting at a man talking to Davis.

He added: 'Then he left and it wasn't much longer until closing time and she left. He was being a bully and it was getting nasty, but she was shouting back at him as well.

'You just don't want to see or hear that when you want a quiet drink, everyone in the pub was getting angry.'

On Saturday, the day before the alleged attack, Steph had told her 400,000 followers she was planning to let her hair down when her aunt looked after her baby. She later deleted the tweet

The former Hollyoaks actress was arrested on suspicion of attacking her on-off boyfriend

The actress is said to be being held at a London police station and questioned by officers

Another witness from the pub said: 'They were in the pub for almost the whole day and being incredibly hard to deal with. Jeremy then vanished in a taxi leaving Steph on her own. Her phone was smashed to pieces.

'From what I saw it doesn't seem to be a healthy relationship but I didn't think it was any of my business.'

Steph was seen chatting with a group of women before she also called a cab and left. Police were called around 11pm to reports of the attack at the hotel.

Another woman who apparently witnessed the fight later tweeted the couple, telling McConnell his behaviour was 'awful' and telling Steph: 'I hope your ok.'

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police in Enfield were called to a hotel in The Ridgeway, EN2 at 11pm on Sunday, 2 July following reports of an assault.

'Officers attended and arrested a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of GBH. She has been taken to a north London police station for questioning.

'She was subsequently taken to hospital after becoming unwell where she remains at this time. Her condition is not believed to be serious.

'The victim was treated at the scene and did not attend hospital. Enquiries continue.'

The couple's rocky relationship began after they starred together on Celebrity Big Brother in January last year.

But they then became embroiled in a toxic romance which first ended a month before she announced she was expecting his baby.

McConnell initially denied paternity of the child, but was proved to be the father and moved to be with Davis in Liverpool.

Davis has recently appeared on TV with the couple's son Caben-Albi, who was born in January this year

The fight is said to have broken out at the Royal Chace Hotel in Enfield last night after the pair were seen drinking in the town

Regulars at this pub said the pair were drinking together until around 9.30pm, when Jeremy left and Steph carried on with a group of women

They became parents in January when Steph gave birth to son Caben-Albi. It is understood the youngster was not with them last night.

The pair were staying at the Royal Chace Hotel while Davis films Big Brother's Bit On The Side.

Whilst Stephanie has found renewed fame this year as a 'relationship expert' on Big Brother's Bit On The Side, while sources say Jeremy is in 'self-destruct mode'.

His friends and family are said to be very concerned about him, after an evening out two weeks ago ended with him leaving a club and sleeping on a park bench.

MailOnline was told he was escorted out of 'Dstrkt' nightclub during the Sixty6 Magazine Summer launch party, but was later allowed back in.

Sources close to couple have said that, before last night's incident, the couple were planning to move to the country together.

Steph, who was seen grabbing fast food last month, has had a rocky relationship with Jeremy

Insiders told MailOnline: 'Stephanie and Jeremy have told friends and family of their plans to move to the countryside and have begun looking at properties in Norfolk.

'Stephanie and Jeremy have both earned well so are going to put their money into a country cottage, Stephanie has previously been to Norfolk for work and loved how remote it was'.

Last night's alleged attack comes less than a week after Davis' mother, Pauline, posted cryptic messages online after labeling McConnell a 'scumbag'.

She shared a quote reading: 'Who you spend time with will have a great impact on what kind of life you live'. Another said: 'You can either let your heart rule your mind or your mind rule your heart.'

MailOnline has contacted both Stephanie and Jeremy's representatives for comment.
He may have been made a knight after winning a second Wimbledon title last year, but Sir Andy Murray is showing no signs of letting success go to his head.

The 30-year-old Scot told his first round opponent, Russian Alexander Bublik, that calling him Andy would be fine in an interview recorded earlier this year.

Bublik, 20, was taking on the role of reporter and interviewing a range of top stars including Roger Federer, Kei Nishikori and Jo Wilfried Tsonga.

Sir Andy Murray, right, showed his humble side in an interview with his Wimbledon opponent Alexander Bublik, left, insisting he 'did not have to call him Sir'

The Russian, 20, left, was speaking to Murray along with a range of top tennis stars for an interview recorded in May

In a good-humoured exchange, Murray told Bublik nobody needed to call him Sir on the court.

Bublik said: 'Does everyone call you Sir Andy Murray? Do we need to call you sir?'

The father-of-one defending Wimbledon champion replied: 'No, no you don't. No, no, Andy's fine. Thank you.'

Murray has often has sometimes been referred to as dull in the past, earning a reputation for being dour.

He did himself few favours when asked by Bublik what the funniest thing he had ever done on court was with a typically diplomatic response.

Murray said: 'I don't think I've done many funny things on court to be honest. Have you done any?'

Bublik's reply suggested his sense of humour was not quite on the same wavelength as Murray's either.

The good-humoured exchange included Murray taking a jibe at Bublik after the Russian served 20 double faults in a match in a tournament in Morocco

But the pair both saw the funny side and clasped hands, pictured, at the end of the interview

He said: 'I think you have. Like you ran from the back of the court taking drop shots and winning it. That was kinda funny.

But Murray did show a witty side towards the end of the exchange with a jab at a horror show from Bublik's past when he served 20 double faults in a match at a tournament in Morocco, even though he went on to win.

The Russian said: 'What kind of advice can you give me to be as good as you are?'

Murray replied: 'Well, a lot of training,' only for Bublik to sarcastically say 'Is that useful? Training?'

The Scot replied: 'That definitely helps. And yeah, not serving 20 double faults in a match would help.'

Bublik took the jibe on the chin and said: 'That is good advice!'

The pair will open Centre Court today at around 1pm.
WIMBLEDON AND BOWDON -- Wimbledon and Bowdon are separated by about 75 miles in southeast North Dakota, and the two towns have seen schools in their communities close because they consolidated with other schools and major employers leave. But when it came to their grocery stores closing, both communities rallied and found ways to keep the stores going.

About 10 years ago Mike and Judy Schlecht owned the grocery store that also housed a meat market, said Linda Grotberg, president of the Wimbledon Community Grocery nonprofit board. The Schlechts were trying to sell the business, but they didnt receive many offers.

The community held meetings to discuss the situation, and from those meetings an ad hoc committee was formed.

Were about 30 to 35 miles from any regular grocery store, she said. Most of the small towns in North Dakota have ended up only with gas station food. We wanted to keep this grocery in our community.

The ad hoc committee hired a lawyer and formed a corporation, BSG Inc., which sold $100 shares.

Al Gehring, a member of the BSG Inc. board, said BSG raised enough money to buy the grocery store and meat market. But the BSG board found out fairly quick that it couldnt afford to keep the meat market open.

The BSG board hired managers to run the store. Grotberg said the first few years of having the store under community control were dicey as the Barnes County North School District opened its new school near Leal, closing Wimbledon High School.

Then not too long after that the John Deere closed and Arrowwood Prairie (Co-op) moved out of town, Grotberg said. At that time the store was really gasping for breath.

Even as the store started to thrive, the BSG board ran into challenges like purchasing new modern coolers and freezers. Grotberg said the board found the answer and became a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, which was able to accept donations from the public and apply for government grants to update the stores coolers and freezers.

Gehring said the BSG board raised enough funds to put a new roof and siding on the building. Also, about five years ago a community-owned cafe was looking for a new location in Wimbledon, and the BSG board offered the space of the former meat market in the grocery building. Funds were raised, the meat market was converted into a kitchen, a seating area was built, and now there is a Wimbledon Community Cafe.

The grocery store has three full-time employees and over 75 volunteers who help with various tasks in the store.

Grotberg said the store is important to the Wimbledon community.

A lot of people in our community only shop here, she said. If we dont have something, they will wait until we do.

Bowdon Community Grocery

Patti Patrie is the chair of Bowdon Development Center Inc., a 501(c)(3) nonprofit formed around 2001 to repurpose the school building in Bowdon and help the town develop an economic development plan.

Patrie, who is originally from Michigan, said the town had two grocery stores but one closed in the late 1970s. She said the towns other grocery store was about to close around 1980.

The owner of the Locker Plant, a meat-processing plant in Bowdon, built a new grocery store attached to the meat-processing business at around the same time. The meat-processing plant and attached grocery store were sold to Tim Reberg in 2001.

In April 2008 Reberg died, and the future of the towns only grocery store and meat-processing plant were thrown in doubt, Patrie said.

Tims wife put the business up for sale, she said. We didnt know who would buy it.

The Bowdon community held meetings and formed the Bowdon Community Cooperative. Patrie said the co-op sold $10 memberships and $50 shares, raised $76,000 and bought the grocery store and meat-processing plant.

The grocery store never closed, and the co-op leased the business from Rebergs wife until the co-op could buy the store, Patrie said.

That was both good and bad, she said, referring to the grocery store not closing. People never experienced being without a grocery store, which can be a negative.

The co-op bought the business in 2008. In 2010 the co-op board hired Joy Schlegel to be the store manager. Schlegel owned the grocery store that closed in the mid-1970s in Bowdon. Patrie said having Schlegel run the store has been a blessing.

Schlegel is the stores only full-time employee. Patrie said four part-time employees and four volunteers help at the store.

Also in 2010 the community opened a thrift store to supplement Bowdon Community Grocerys income, and the store has a homemade baked goods section as well.

Patrie said she doubts Bowdon would have survived as a town without a grocery store. The community was also able to build a new meat-processing plant, and Patrie said new people have moved to Bowdon because of the development.
Father-of-two Jesse Thompson, 22, was shot and killed by two suspected gunmen on the New South Wales Central Coast earlier today.

Thompson's 28-year-old companion is being treated in hospital for grazes to his hand believed to have been caused by a bullet.

Police are hunting two people seen in a white car who were allegedly involved in a dispute with Thompson and his friend before gunfire broke out.

Jesse Thompson (pictured), a 22-year-old father-of-two, was shot and killed earlier today

Police officers attached to Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command established two crime scenes

A 28-year-old man inside the car with Thompson (pictured) was treated for grazes to his hand

Thompson was treated at the scene for a single gunshot wound but paramedics were unable to save his life, 9News reported.

Police Superintendent David Waddell believes the shooting was a one-off incident.

'We believe it's isolated, as a result of an altercation between those two vehicles,' he said.

'There were at least two persons in offending vehicle - it was a white vehicle.'

Witnesses recounted seeing a silver Toyota Kluger speeding past, followed by a white Mitsubishi Triton, the Daily Telegraph reported.

Police believe that it was an isolated incident, and are hunting for two people in a white vehicle

NSW emergency services treated Thompson (pictured) for his wounds but he died at the scene

Lloyd Kelly said he witnessed the Toyota stop as Thompson's body was pulled out.

'They were trying to exit the car as it was still going,' he said.

'They were all out of their mind.'

Police allege there was a confrontation between two vehicles that led to gunfire breaking out

Two crime scenes were set up by police, one on Warner Avenue, one on nearby Byron Road

Jesse Thompson's grieving friends and family have paid tribute to the alleged murder victim, saying that he was well-known and well-loved.

'He was so loved by many. He was always smiling. He has two beautiful children now that doesnt get to watch them grow,' said family friend Brittney Tate.

The shooting happened just before 12.30pm on Monday and emergency services were called to Warner Avenue, Wyong, following reports of shots fired.

Officers attached to Tuggerah Lakes Local Area Command established two crime scenes, one at Warner Ave and one at Byron Rd, where investigations continue.
A student was almost blinded and scarred for life after she was glassed in the face while on holiday with her family in Egypt.

Danielle Beavis-Smith, 22, was enjoying the last night of a break at a Red Sea resort with her boyfriend and parents when she was attacked by another guest.

Ms Beavis-Smith had accepted a drink from a woman at the all-inclusive bar, which infuriated the girl's male partner who smashed a glass of rum and coke into her face.

Danielle Beavis-Smith, 22, was staying at an all-inclusive resort in Egypt's Red Sea region when she was hit in the face with a glass by another hotel guest last month

The fashion student was rushed to hospital where doctors patched up a deep cut - just millimetres from her left eye - with 27 stitches.

And to top off the night from hell, she claims staff at the Jungle Aquapark hotel ordered her to pay 155 to have the blood cleared up from the lobby.

She claims she reported the unprovoked attack to the local police, but they wrongly told her to take it up with officers at home.

Ms beavis-Smith, who is from Havant, Hampshire, says she has suffered panic attacks after the assault last month.

She said: 'He made something out of nothing. I was by the bar in the hotel lobby with a couple ordering drinks, but the staff told me they were closing up.

'The woman next to me had three drinks in her hand so she gave me one of hers. The man she was with didn't agree so they started arguing.

'I told them it wasn't a big deal and gave the drink back. I wasn't bothered at all - it wasn't a problem.

'He turned around and was quite irate, he grabbed the drink and glassed me straight across the face.

Miss Beavis-Smith was on vacation with her boyfriend and family when she was attacked by a man from the Czech Republic who hit her in the face with a glass of rum and coke

'It was right near my eye. If it had been just a little bit closer, or I had moved upwards, I would have been blind.

'If I had jumped up it might have hit me on the neck and I would have died. I was just lucky.

'I just want to warn people to be more aware of what people can be like. I'm quite a naive person. I'm bubbly and talk to anyone.

'I don't think I can see myself doing that anymore.

'Whenever I look in the mirror and see the scar I'm reminded of what happened.

'I used to wear my hair up all the time but now I have it down more across my face. I don't want people to look at the scar.'

The student, from Hampshire, has been left with a 6cm scar just above her left eye following the attack

Danielle, who was with her boyfriend Jake Woods, 21, a groundworker, was rushed away from the scene with blood pouring from her head.

After being taken to a private hospital for treatment, Danielle says she was told to pay 1,300 in medical costs.

She said the police told her to drop the charges in return for the officers convincing the man involved - who was from the Czech Republic - to pay for her bills.

She initially agreed, but later went back to the police and asked for them to look into the crime after encountering the man back at the hotel.

'He walked past me smirking and I thought "there is no justice here" so I went back to the police,' she said. 'I couldn't believe he was still there.'

Danielle claims they wrongly told her she should take it up with police back in the UK - something she later found out wasn't correct procedure.

She also claims staff at the Jungle Aquapark hotel ordered her to pay 155 to have the blood cleared up from the lobby - but she refused.

Danielle, who will now live with a 6cm scar on her face for the rest of her life, said: 'At least I was able to enjoy most of my holiday but it ended on a really horrible night.

'It has been a difficult process. The day after it happened I was on the plane and started to get panic attacks.

Ms Beavis-Smith said Egyptian police tried to persuade her to drop the charges in return for having her medical bills paid, then wrongly told her to pursue the matter with UK cops

'I am quite a strong-minded person, but it has definitely hurt my trust in people.

'People still tell me I'm beautiful. I don't always believe them but I'm not prepared to hide away either.

'I want to let people know that when they are abroad things are different. Over here he would have been arrested and taken to court.

'If you visit places like this, you should know that it's not the same.'

A Thomas Cook spokesman said: 'We want our customers to have the best possible time on holiday, so we are sorry to hear that Ms Beavis-Smith was injured.

'Our team in resort stayed with Ms Beavis-Smith up until departure, and upon return home kept in contact to offer additional advice and support, including regarding a police investigation.

'We recommended that Ms Beavis-Smith contacts her travel insurance provider to reclaim all medical expenses.'
Pictured: Keith Hall, 34, has been jailed for four and a half years

A brave rape victim helped put her attacker behind bars after recording the horrific ordeal on her phone and then secretly emailing it to herself when he made her delete it.

Keith Hall, 34, was recorded saying: 'Do you not want it?' and 'So you don't want me to **** you?' as the woman desperately tried to fend him off while saying: 'No'.

In the disturbing recording heard in court, the victim managed to activate the tape recorder on her phone as he started groping her at his home after she tried to end their relationship.

After forcing himself upon her, father of two Hall spotted the red operating light on her phone and demanded she delete the audio clip. But she managed to secretly email the document to herself without him noticing.

In a statement, the woman who cannot be named said: 'This has had a profound effect on my life, a massive impact on my mental health, my antidepressant medication had to be increased.

'I began to feel suicidal and had never self harmed before meeting the defendant. I began cutting myself on my legs, and I was trying to punish myself - I felt like it was my fault, I should have left him earlier.

'He told me I was a depressed little girl and I felt like it was my fault. I also felt guilty for going to the police because he was my partner.

'I've never forgotten about it but just learned to deal with it better. Even though I'm in a good relationship now the things I've been through have impacted. I feel uncomfortable with intimacy, my partner tries to reassure me as much as possible but I assume the worst. I had to stay in a hostel before I got a flat but I felt incredibly isolated.'

Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, heard the incident occurred after the woman broke off her relationship with Hall due to his controlling behaviour.

The woman said she would leave the following morning and sleep on the sofa.

But prosecutor Charlotte Crangle, said: 'The defendant talked her into going to sleep in the bedroom with him on the basis that it was going to be their last night together.

'She was reluctant but did agree, she lay face down with her arms tucked in to make it clear to the defendant she didn't want to engage in any physical contact with him and he would not be able to touch her intimately.

She said: 'But he did start to do that, touching her on her upper legs and stomach wanting to become intimate with her. She asked him what he was doing as they decided to split up. He continued to persuade her to have sex with him.

'He put his hands down her pyjama bottoms, she kept telling him to stop but he continued trying saying 'come on it's going to be our last night together'.

'She refused to engage with him and continued to tell him to stop. He pulled down her pyjama bottoms. After that he climbed on top of her, she was still face down and he pushed her legs apart with his legs.

'She was still telling him to stop but he carried on regardless. It got to the stage she realised he was not going to stop and she pulled a pillow over her face until it was over.'

Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, heard the incident occurred after the woman broke off her relationship with Hall due to his controlling behaviour

She went on to say: 'There's a recording of what took place because she had her phone next to the bed and pressed the button to activate the voice recording when this started.

'He realised her phone was recording after seeing it light up but she denied any knowledge of it recording and she deleted it but emailed the recording first to herself.'

The next morning the victim began to pack her belongings as planned and the defendant followed her around the house which was also recorded.

Miss Crangle continued: 'It's clear there was some kind of confrontation between the two of them with him suggesting she had hit him. He threatened to report that to the police at which point she threatened to report him to the police for rape.

'She left the house and drove away calling the local mental health services. She was in the process of seeking some help because she was previously suffering from depression and anxiety and was self harming.'

Hall later claimed sex was consensual and Miss Crangle added: 'He said she put the pillow over her head to muffle any noise. He told the police the next day he was helping her pack her bags which seemed to upset her and she hit him but he didn't react or retaliate.

'The phone recordings were played to him and he told officers this was an occasion where they had not had sex but it was after the second time they had consensual intercourse that night and he was trying to persuade her a third time but desisted when she refused.'

Hall from Blackley, Manchester, was convicted of rape and was jailed for four and a half years. In mitigation his lawyer, Anthony Morris said: 'These were messages between them which she had a social life over and above her relationship with this man and there was nothing obvious in her behaviour or reactions which would make him think she was particularly vulnerable.

'Of course the flashbacks she will have but there is nothing which suggests that's going to have a more traumatic effect than one would normally expect. His family have continuously supported him, you can be confident he will have the support of his family again so he will be able to take up life again as he left off and continue to be a good and valuable member of society.'

But passing sentence Judge John Potter, said: 'It seems your relationship was far from an entirely happy one throughout the months it existed there were numerous arguments, particularly about money. Ultimately you forced yourself upon her, she recorded the events on an audio format.'

Hall will also have to sign the Sex Offender Register for life.
A black delivery man was left traumatised after a famous butcher in New York handed him a noose 'as a gift'.

Victor Sheppard, 37, was given a noose by Joe Ottomanelli, owner of the famed Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market in the West Village, earlier this year.

Now Sheppard says he's not comfortable returning to his job with meat distributor Mosner Family Brands because the company has continued to do work with the butcher.

He says that he faces sleepless nights and is unsure when his life will return to normal following the incident, which happened in April.

Victor Sheppard, 37, was given a noose by Joe Ottomanelli, owner of the famed Ottomanelli & Sons Meat Market in the West Village, earlier this year

'It's not easy returning to an environment where you mean nothing,' Sheppard told New York Daily News.

He added: 'I could have lost my life or been badly injured or in jail, and it didn't mean anything to them.'

Sheppard's boss, Michael Mosner, said that the 37-year-old could have received free counseling or applied for disability leave but he has yet to do either.

Mosner said that Sheppard, who failed to show up for work on two occasions, could have been assigned a new route.

Instead the company sent Sheppard a notice on June 9 assuming he had left the job.

'Naturally we were horrified about what happened,' Mosner said, referring to the noose incident.

Joe Ottomanelli (right), 58, gave Sheppard a noose during a morning delivery on April 5, according to a criminal report

'We did everything we could to hold his spot. He just didn't do his part,' Mosner added.

Ottomanelli, 58, gave Sheppard a noose during a morning delivery on April 5, according to a criminal report.

'Here is your gift. You can put it around your neck and pull if you want to end it all,' Ottomanelli said, according to the complaint. 'If you are feeling stressed out I can help you with it'.

Immediately after receiving the noose, Sheppard went to the 6th Precinct police station and filed a report.

Ottomanelli has since been charged with a hate crime and is due in Manhattan Criminal Court on September 19.

The butcher's lawyer, Ron Kuby, called the incident 'hateful and deplorable', but insisted there was no malice attached to the bad 'joke'.

Sheppard has not filed a lawsuit against Ottomanelli and sons.
ISIS thugs have burned 12 people alive including a family of four after accusing them of trying to flee from an Iraqi city they control.

Extremists forced the civilians into cages and doused them with oil before setting them alight in the city of Hawija in Kirkuk Province, northern Iraq.

The victims were accused of trying to escape to nearby Kirkuk city, which is under government control.

ISIS thugs have burned 12 people alive including a family of four after accusing them of trying to flee from an Iraqi city they control (file picture)

A source told al-Sumeiryeh news that ISIS, on the retreat in Iraq, caught the civilians as they made their way towards the al-Elm region.

Their hands were tied and they were led to metal cages before fanatics poured oil on the prisoners and set them alight, the 'well-placed' source claimed.

The gruesome execution comes after it emerged that an ISIS preacher and leader was executed by the militants after he accidentally suggested that the group's leader had died.

Senior ISIS leader and preacher, Abu Qutaiba was burned to death in the group's stronghold town of Tal Afar, according to a source quoted on Alsumaria News, an independent Iraqi satellite TV network.

The gruesome execution comes after it emerged that an ISIS preacherr was executed by the militants after he accidentally suggested that the group's leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi (pictured) had died

He had been arrested over charges of 'stirring sedition' through a Friday prayer sermon in which he inadvertently suggested the group's runaway leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi had possibly died during an emotional sermon.

The group had previously ordered a punishment of 50 lashes for anyone who mentioned Baghdadi's survival or otherwise, a source told the local TV network.

The source said that the move came to avert a possible escalation of simmering leadership conflicts within the group.
Chinese President Xi Jinping told US President Donald Trump relations between the two countries have been hurt after a US destroyer sailed through the South China Sea.

On Sunday the Pentagon sent a destroyer, the USS Stethem, to sail close to the shore of Triton Island - one of a number in the Paracel Island chain that China claims ownership of.

It was the second such manoeuvre in as many months which has angered Beijing, prompting Xi to say his relationship with the US had been hurt by 'negative factors'.

Voyage: On Sunday the USS Stethem (pictured) a US destroyer, sailed within 12 miles of an island claimed by China in the South China Sea, to establish its waters as international

Denied: Triton Island (pictured) is claimed by China (which has built a base, far left). By sailing through the waters it claims to own, the US denied the country's ownership of the island

The Chinese leader's comments in a phone call with Trump follow Beijing's anger over US arms sales to rival Taiwan, US sanctions against his country's bank over dealings with North Korea and the sailing of the guided missile carrier within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea.

Xi was also miffed after the State Department gave the capital a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report.

According to state media, Xi told Trump in their call that Beijing expects Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the 'one China' principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

'Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-US relations have achieved important outcomes,' state broadcaster China Central Television reported, referring to Xi's meeting with Trump in Florida in April.

'At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the US.'

Seeking to lighten the message slightly, Xi also said that China-US relations had achieved 'important outcomes' since the Florida meeting.

It's unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G-20 summit in Germany this week, at which Trump and Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.

Disputed: Triton Island is located in the South China Sea and its ownership is disputed as it is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam. The US said it was denying all claims to the island

But it now appears that China is pushing back against the US pressure, setting the stage for a potential confrontation.

China's foreign ministry accused the US of violating Chinese sovereignty and disrupting 'peace, security and order of the relevant waters' after the US Navy destroyer USS Stethem sailed near the of tiny island on Sunday, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

China's defense ministry issued a similar statement Monday, saying it would beef up patrols and take precautions commensurate with the threat level to safeguard 'national sovereignty and security'.

Trump and his top aides have done little to hide their irritation over what they see as the reluctance by China, North Korea's main economic partner, to tighten the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

Until recently, American officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons.

While China has agreed to sanctions, it is wary of measures that could cause the regime's collapse, leaving a united, US-backed Korea on its border.

However, Trump hinted last month at his loss of patience, tweeting that his bid to secure a tougher Chinese approach 'has not worked out'.

Asked about the state of ties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday that it was normal to encounter 'some issues in the process of developing the bilateral relationship'.

Geng said: 'We believe that the significance of our bilateral relationship has already exceeded the bilateral scope and is exerting important influence on the development of the whole world.

'On our part, we are willing to develop the bilateral relationship based on non-confrontation, mutual benefit and mutual trust, expand cooperation and properly manage differences between the two countries so as to further advance the bilateral relationship.'

Tough times: The US and China have a difficult relationship at the moment. Last month Donald Trump tweeted that China had failed to curb North Korean missile development. Last week the US placed sanctions on a bank dealing with North Korea but denied that it was punishing China

For the second time in just over two months, the US has challenged China's claim to the South China Sea and a number of disputed islands within it.

On Sunday the Pentagon sent a destroyer, the USS Stethem, to sail close to the shore of Triton Island - one of a number in the Paracel Island chain that China claims ownership of.

In response, China trailed the US destroyer with one of its own warships, two US defense officials told Fox News.

According to international law, countries' territories extend 12 miles out from their shores.

So by sailing within that distance of Triton, the Stethem dismissed China's claim to both the island and the waters around it.

The US calls these voyages 'freedom of navigation operations' or FONOPS, because they are intended to reinforce the territories as international waters.

Although China has constructed a base on the island to reinforce its claim, both Taiwan and the Philippines say they are the rightful owners of the island.

The Pentagon said that it was challenging those countries' claims to the island too. Washington is particularly concerned about China placing ground-to-air missiles on the chain.

Lt Cmdr Matt Knight, a spokesman for the US Pacific Fleet, would not confirm the operation.

But he did say: 'We conduct routine and regular FONOPs, as we have done in the past and will continue to do in the future.'

Triton is a naturally occurring island, and not one of the several manufactured islands built by China in the area to lay claim to the seas there.

This is the second FONOP to be conducted under the Trump administration.

In May the USS Dewey, another destroyer, sailed six miles from one of China's man-made islands in the South China Sea.

It made the unusual decision to stop within that water and conduct a 'man overboard' training exercise.

Operation: In May the USS Dewey (pictured), another destroyer, sailed within six miles of an artificial island in the South China Sea, again denying China's ownership of waters there

That was a bolder move than in previous missions, in which the ships had sailed past without stopping.

Sunday's operation comes at a difficult time in America-Sino relations. The US had been talking to China about trying to curb North Korea's nuclear development, but Trump tweeted that effort had failed last month.

On Friday the US unveiled new sanctions against a Chinese bank that had been trading with North Korea.

Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin said the move was not a punishment for China's failure to rein in North Korea, and was focused on a single bank.

The day before, America confirmed a $1.4 billion arms deal with Taiwan, which has opposing claims to a number of South China Sea islands, and also claims that it is the rightful government of mainland China.

China's claim to Triton Island was previously challenged just over a year ago, on January 30, 2016, when the USS Curtis Wilbur, another destroyer, was sent within 12 miles of the island.

The Pentagon again said the mission was done to secure the sea around the island as international waters.

China denounced the voyage as 'intentionally provocative' and 'irresponsible and extremely dangerous,' and said it had taken 'relevant measures including monitoring and admonishments.'
Actors can look very different in real life compared to on screen - as one man discovered to his shock.

The Superbad fan was seen holding up a sign featuring the cult character McLovin at a music festival, unaware that the man who played him was standing right next to him.

Chris Mintz-Plasse had noticed the reveller carrying the placard with his face on it at the Electric Forest festival in Grant Township, Michigan.

A Superbad fan was seen holding up a sign featuring the cult character McLovin at the Electric Forest festival in Grant Township, Michigan, unaware that the man who played him was standing right next to him

The 28-year-old, sporting a red bandanna and a pair of shades, was filmed going up to the festival-goer and dancing right next to him, without the unnamed fan noticing.

He then starts chatting to the festival-goer, with the man still not realising that he has come face to face with his hero.

A man in the background can be heard saying 'He has no idea' as Mintz-Plasse speaks to the fan.

Eventually, the actor - who has also starred in Kick-Ass - reveals his identity to the reveller.

The shocked fan is then seen taking a step back, before hugging his hero in delight.

The video has been watched nearly 90,000 since being posted on YouTube.

Actor Chris Mintz-Plasse had noticed the fan carrying the placard and began chatting to him

He eventually reveals his identity to the shocked reveller, who takes a step back before giving him a hug

The video shows a smiling Mintz-Plasse walking towards the fan after spotting him

Mintz-Plasse made his film debut in 2007 film Superbad as McLovin, also known as Fogell.

The character got his nickname after showing Seth and Evan - played by Jonah Hill and Michael Cera - his fake ID, which simply has the name McLovin on it.

The comedy, written by Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg, also stars Emma Stone and Bill Hader.

Mintz-Plasse made his film debut in 2007 film Superbad as McLovin, also known as Fogell
The Massachusetts man who inspired people around the world to dump buckets of ice water over their heads to raise millions of dollars for Lou Gehrig's disease research is back in the hospital.

A Facebook post from the family of 32-year-old Pete Frates asked for prayers Sunday and said he is at Massachusetts General Hospital 'and battling this beast ALS like a Superhero.'

It was falsely reported Monday morning that Frates had died. The report seemed to trace back to a tweet from journalist Mike Barnicle, which was later deleted.

Peter Frates (left), the man who inspired the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, is back in the hospital. He's pictured above with his wife Julie and their daughter Lucy

Frates family said Sunday that he had been admitted back to the hospital

Monday morning, the family said that Frates was 'resting comfortably'

Those reports were later countered by a statement from the family just after 8am, saying that Frates is 'resting comfortably' at the hospital.

'Doctors, medicine, prayers and love continue to help him get stronger. Thank you for all your concern,' the family said.

Frates, a former Boston College baseball player, was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2012.

Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2012, a year before he married his wife Julie

ALS weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning. There is no known cure. Frates pictured above with his wife and daughter

The disease weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning. There is no known cure.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $220million when it took off worldwide on social media in 2014.

The family's Facebook post has drawn hundreds of comments of support. Family members said, 'We feel your love and support and are so grateful.'

The Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise $220million for ALS research. Above, LeBron James participating in the charity craze
Tributes have been paid to a teenager with a 'heart of pure gold' who died after plunging from a burning building to the pavement below.

Horrified onlookers said Meilan Duong, 17, was clinging on to the window ledge screaming for help as the inferno raged inside.

Flats above a parade of shops in Mile End, East London, were evacuated after the fire broke out this morning at around 5.30am.

Ms Duong's mother, father and younger brother reportedly escaped unharmed, but she was trapped in her bedroom.

Ward councillor for Mile End Shah Alam said he believed her family are recovering in hospital after the blaze.

The teenage girl who plunged to her death from a fourth-floor window in front of her family has been named as Meilan Duong, 17

Horrified onlookers said the 17-year-old was clinging on to the window ledge screaming for help as the inferno raged inside

Next door neighbour Shopba Begum, 36, described the teenager as a 'lovely person'.

Neighbour Hasnat Chowdhury, 35, added: 'I have lived in this property for the last three years and I have seen her every day.

'She was a nice girl who always said "hi, how are you doing today?". It's absolutely tragic.'

Floral tributes and balloons left outside the burnt-out flat describe the teen as 'beautiful young woman' with her 'whole life ahead of her'.

One reads: 'Meilan, I miss you already. I can't believe you're gone. I love you so much and I'm gonna miss all the laughs we had together. I hope you rest in perfect paradise beautiful.

'You was such an inspiring young lady that had her whole life in front of her. You will be forever missed.'

Another reads: 'Such a special friend with a heart of pure gold. You were such a beautiful young woman.'

Mourners seen arriving with bouquets of flowers were too upset to comment at a block of flats where a 17-year-old girl fell to her death this morning.

Ms Duong leapt from the window in an attempt to escape the fire(left). Passers-by were seen rushing to her aid shortly after she had jumped (right)

Eyewitnesses said Ms Duong had tried to use a rope to reach the balcony on the floor below, but was forced to let go after her hair and the rope caught fire.

Helal Miah, 41, who lives in a building nearby off St Paul's Way, said he was woken at 5am by sounds of screaming.

He said: 'It was very traumatic. I was awoken at about 5.30am and could hear screaming and people being evacuated.

'I ran downstairs and saw the fire. By then the brigade were on the scene.

'The young girl was trying to escape because her bedroom was on fire - she was on the window ledge.

'I think she was trying to make some form of rope to climb down. I think her hair and the cloth she was holding caught fire.

'She had no choice but to jump and she died on the spot. Her parents were sitting on the bench right outside.

'We were telling her not to jump, saying don't jump help is on the way, but the fire was so fierce it caught fire to her hair and clothes. It was absolutely awful.'

He said police and residents were rushing to evacuate the building as the drama unfolded.

People tried to catch her but were unable to break her fall, he said. 'They are really nice family, they have lived here for a few years,' he added.

'We used to see the girl and her family here all the time. They were traumatised. The police shielded them. They must have seen her let go.'

Locals outside the block of flats have suggested the fire may been started by a mobile phone charger.

More than 20 firefighters were called to St Paul's Way shortly after 6am when the blaze broke out in homes above a parade of shops

Mourners seen arriving with bouquets of flowers were too upset to comment at a block of flats where the girl - described as of Asian origin - fell to her death.

Alex Robertson, 18, from Mile End, said Ms Duong was screaming for help out of her window after the blaze reportedly broke out in her bedroom.

He said: 'She was hanging off the railings shouting help but she lost her grip and just gave up.'

Speaking from the scene Mile End ward councillor Shah Alam said: 'It is very sad. The community is really shocked.

'Now everyday we have some sad news in London. I want to make sure every resident has proper fire safety - fire blankets and smoke alarms.'

The road reopened at around 3pm today, after emergency services were seen loading a body bag into a van at around 2pm.

Residents living in the flats (pictured) were evacuated by the emergency services, with four people treated for smoke inhalation

More than 20 firefighters were called to St Paul's Way shortly after 6am when the blaze broke out in homes above a parade of shops.

Residents living in the flats were evacuated by the emergency services, with four people treated for smoke inhalation.

A Metropolitan Police spokesman told MailOnline: 'One female, believed aged 17, was found outside the property.

'She was pronounced dead at the scene. Four other people received treatment - none of them are serious.

'Enquiries into the circumstances of the fire are ongoing.'

The fire was brought under control at about 7am, with an investigation into the cause set to begin.
William Apostelos was jailed for 15 years in Springboro, Ohio, on June 30

A man has been sentenced to 15 years in jail and been told to pay $35million in restitution for his role in a $70million Ponzi scheme.

William Apostelos, 55, and his wife Connie Coleman, 51, were first charged over scheme in 2015.

Since 2009, the couple from Springboro, Ohio, swindled nearly 500 investors out of their money.

Over the course of five years, they received $70million but the pool of investors lost $20million collectively.

They used various businesses to launder the money through including Coleman Capital Ltd. and Silver Bridle Racing, a horse racing business owned in Coleman's name.

Apostelos held three investment companies in his own name and duped investors into believing he had a degree in mathematics and said he was a registered securities broker.

He spent the money on lingerie for his wife, spending $400-a-month to indulge her at Victoria's Secret.

Apostelos used the money on lingerie for his wife Connie Coleman and also to pay for her horse racing company

The couple lived a lavish lifestyle and lied whenever one of their 480 investors asked to see a return on their money

When police arrested the couple, they seized two of Coleman's race horses, jewelry, cars and artwork

Coleman will be sentenced in August for money laundering

When investors grew suspicious and began demanding returns on their money, they told them their accounts had been hacked, that the bank had mistakenly failed to wire them what they were owned or that a deal they had invested in on their behalf had been put on hold.

After their arrest in 2015, the government seized two race horses, cars, jewelry and artwork worth $650,000 from the couple.

In April, Coleman pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering.

Apostelos pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail and wire fraud and theft or embezzlement from an employee benefit plan around the same time.

His sentence was handed down on June 30 at a sentencing hearing where he said he was 'ashamed and embarrassed' by what he had done.

His wife will be sentenced in August.
GRAND FORKS  An anti-human trafficking bill is expected to hit the U.S. Senate floor, legislators announced days after the release of an expansive annual report on what the State Department called a threat to public safety and national security.

But Congress members say there is more work to be done to combat an issue that put North Dakota in the national spotlight in the early 2010s.

Do I think we stopped trafficking in North Dakota? Sen. Heidi Heitkamp, D-N.D., asked. I was sitting (Thursday) with two law enforcement officials and one told me there were two 14-year-old girls who had been left behind in Dickinson and who had gotten messed up with a pimp and they were human trafficking victims.

Heitkamp, who has advocated for anti-human trafficking legislation since taking office in 2013, announced Thursday that the Abolish Human Trafficking Act has made it out of a Judiciary subcommittee. The bill would extend the Domestic Trafficking Victims Fund through September 2023, permanently authorize the Human Trafficking Advisory Council, back law enforcement efforts, increase maximum trafficking penalties and boost awareness and prevention.

We are trying to make sure that the work we started is permanent, Heitkamp said.

The bipartisan bill has 23 co-sponsors, including Sen. Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn., and main sponsor Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas.

On Tuesday, the State Department also held an event with Ivanka Trump and Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to release its annual Trafficking in Persons Report (TIP), which highlights challenges and success stories in anti-human trafficking efforts across the globe. The 454-page report also ranks countries by their efforts to eliminate trafficking.

Of note was the downgrading of China to Tier 3, where Countries whose governments do not fully meet the minimum standards in fighting human trafficking fall. Joining the ranks of Syria, North Korea and Russia, China was downgraded in part because of its complicity with North Korean human trafficking.

Rep. Kevin Cramer, R-N.D., who attended the event, said the heroes of anti-human trafficking are inspirational, but the magnitude of the global impact of the issue is striking, especially since the U.S. trades agricultural products with China. He recalled Tillerson asking what is the United States social responsibility when it comes to dealing with a country it does business with when that country is complicit with human trafficking.

It haunted me as I looked through this report, he said.

The U.S. plays an important part in leading the fight against human trafficking, whether it is locally, on the state level, nationally or worldwide, Cramer said, adding more work is needed in protecting victims.

I think we lead by example and I think it has to become a part of everything that we talk about, Cramer said.

Sen. John Hoeven, R-N.D., didnt attend the TIP event but has co-sponsored anti-human trafficking legislation. He plans to hold a trafficking hearing in July, he said in an email.

Heitkamp, who usually attends the annual TIP ceremonies but had a scheduling conflict this year, applauded the State Department in putting China on the list for its complicity with North Korea.

There is a universal morality, she said. The universal morality is that you should not engage in slavery, and that is what this is. It is human slavery.

There is a misconception that trafficking victims in the U.S. are from other countries, Heitkamp said, but she noted 80 percent of the women trafficked in the U.S. are American citizens. The U.S. and North Dakota have made great strides, she added, but its still alive in North Dakota.

This is the kind of thing that isnt always on the front page of the paper, but it is still happening, she said.
The grieving family of Zaydoun Al Qaseer, who died last Tuesday after being attacked by another inmate, are demanding answers from jail authorities.

The 24-year-old was waiting to front court over a theft of truck tyres allegedly committed when he was only 18.

He was allegedly attacked during a fight over cleaning when another prisoner knocked him to the ground with a punch and stomped on his head.

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Zaydoun Al Qaseer (pictured) was allegedly knocked to the ground when another inmate punched him, and then had his head stomped on

Al Qaseer was at John Morony Correctional Centre (pictured) awaiting trial for a truck tyre theft he allegedly committed when he was 18

He died the next day in hospital when his parents made the decision to turn his life support off.

Al Qaseer's heartbroken family are still mourning his death and are determined to find out exactly what happened, 7News reported.

'The corrective services should be questioned about why, why and what has happened to my brother,' said Alaa Al Qaseer.

Al Qaseer was a member of Sydney's Iraqi community, and was known for being generous and a man with a big heart.

Sydney's Iraqi community has been mourning Zaydoun Al Qaseer's, remembering him as generous and big-hearted

Al Qaseer's brother Alaa (pictured) says the family wants to know why and how his brother died

Corrections Minister David Elliot also expressed regret over Al Qaseer's death.

'Unfortunately the life of a prisoner can be endangered because of the type of people they are sharing cells with,' he said.

Homicide detectives are investigating the death, which occurred at the John Morony Correctional Centre near Windsor in western Sydney.

The family lawyer says they are awaiting the results from a coroner's inquiry before deciding whether or not to press charges.

Al Qaseer's death comes as the NSW prison population balloons to over 13,000.
Pictured: Former tax partner and self-styled film producer Terence Potter faces prison if he doesn't pay back 1.8millon

A film producer who helped market George Clooney's Three Kings film before exploiting a loophole to fund a BAFTA-nominated movie has been told he must pay back 1.8million or face six years in jail.

Terence Potter, 57, set up two film companies, and recruited wealthy investors by promising they could secure tax relief against any losses made by the company.

Potter, a former tax partner at Ernst & Young LLP, recruited certified financial planner Neil Williams-Denton, 44, to help him set up the swindle and recruit additional investors.

The first company produced the indie hit Starsuckers about celebrity culture and the tabloid press, while the second company planned to create Mercedes the Movie, a thriller about motor racing on the French Riviera, but was never actually made.

A government scheme known as sideways relief, launched by the then Chancellor of the Exchequer Gordon Brown in his 1997 budget to promote the British film industry, allowed investors to claim back 40% of the companys losses from their Pay as You Earn tax.

The pair used the loophole to get investors on board, letting them share in the tax relief on the fraudulent losses of 4 million losses the company presented to HMRC between 2007 and 2010.

In what had been described as the most widely exploited tax credit in British history, the scheme offered investors the chance to recoup 40,000 in tax relief for every 20,000 paid into the scheme.

Potter, a former tax partner at Ernst & Young LLP, recruited certified financial planner Neil Williams-Denton (pictured), 44, to help him set up the swindle and recruit additional investors

Potter - who was living in Monaco at the time - admitted conspiracy to cheat the public revenue and was jailed for eight years in December 2015. Williams-Denton was convicted of the same charge and jailed for six years after a nine-week trial at Southwark Crown Court.

Potter was the brains behind Cardiffs Aquarius Films - which holds distribution rights to George Clooneys 1999 blockbuster Three Kings.

He was was ordered to pay back 1,816,267.53 within three months or face a default six-and-a-half-year prison term.

Judge Martin Beddoe directed that a 1.5m sum held as security be released to HMRC as part-payment.

Of a 123,146.13 costs order, he added: The application is conceded and therefore I make the order for payment of that sum to be made in three months as well.

Christopher Walsh Atkins (left) and Christina Slater (right) were jailed for defrauding the public purse

Williams-Denton, who was also not present, was ordered to pay 154,681.93 in costs, again within three months.

That order will be enforced in 14 days time unless, within that 14 days, a comprehensive skeleton argument in opposition to the making of that order is served on the court and the Crown, said the judge.

Earlier this year, film producers Christopher Walsh Atkins, 41, and Christina Slater, 38, were ordered to repay 201,764 along with prosecution costs of 108,908.50 and 46,158 respectively.

The pair had vastly inflated invoice costs to ensure they received investment for Starsuckers - described as a critique of the rise of the celebrity culture.

Former public schoolboy Atkins, who gave evidence at the Leveson Inquiry into press standards, made the documentary in 2009.

During their trial prosecutor Shane Collery said the pair had allowed others to wrongly claim tax relief.

He said: These defendants and others essentially created a web of lies to assist others not here to obtain tax relief to which they were not entitled.

They did this because this was the way they obtained funding for the film ventures they engaged in.

That came first, that was what mattered to them and it was more important than if the tax payer in this country effectively lost money.

Earlier this year, film producers Christopher Walsh Atkins, 41, and Christina Slater, 38, were ordered to repay 201,764 along with prosecution costs of 108,908.50 and 46,158 respectively

The pair inflated invoice costs to make it appear as though losses had been incurred by two Limited Liability Partnerships (LLPs) created by Potter.

Investors in those LLPs could use those losses to reduce their tax bills, the prosecutor continued.

Potter in particular was the creator of a scheme that required that the two LLPs he formed, and indeed others, made losses.

This itself would then mean that investors in those LLPs could use those losses to reduce their tax bills.

Those investors provided the money that would be used in part to pay for the film Walsh Atkins and Slater produced and another project.

Without the involvement of Walsh Atkins and Slater it would not have worked.

They used Film Tax Credit (FTC) to claim back inflated cash from the Treasury.

The Crown say that this film cost less than half of that which they represented to HMRC, the prosecutor added.

Potter, formerly of Ralli Courts, West Riverside, Manchester, was ordered to repay 1,816,267.53 along with 123,146.13 costs.

Williams-Denton, of (180) Greenmount Lane, Bolton, Greater Manchester, was provisionally ordered to pay 154,681.93 costs.
Donald Trump continued his war against the 'fake news' media on Monday, mocking reporters for complaining about his tweets while they ignore his domestic and foreign policy agendas.

'At some point the Fake News will be forced to discuss our great jobs numbers, strong economy, success with ISIS, the border & so much else!' the president tweeted.

His top counselor Kellyanne Conway was pushing the same message Monday morning on 'Fox & Friends,' criticizing the news media for its 14 per cent approval rating.

'They don't cover the substance of the issues,' she said. 'I mean, look, I know it is a heck of a lot easier to cover 140 characters here or there, or the president may be saying about the media here or there, than it is to the learn finer points of you how Medicaid is funded in this country and how that would or would not change under the Senate bill. How the child care tax credit might affect your family.'

'They don't cover these finer policy points,' Conway said.

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President Donald Trump spoke about 'fake news' during the Celebrate Freedom Rally at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday

Trump tweeted a jab at journalists Monday morning, saying they eventually 'will be forced' to report on his policy achievements

Kellyanne Conway said Monday morning on 'Fox & Friends' that reporters find it easier to cover tweets than to write about complicated policy ideas

Reporters, she claimed, 'call me unilaterally, and say, "Well, we would cover that, Kellyanne, except the president did this and said that".'

'I think if you have a 24/7 cable news outlet or you're a network or you are a print reporter you can probably cover all of the above.'

Trump's latest tweet followed a blistering attack on political journalists during a Saturday night event in which he castigated the news outlets he loves to hate.

'The fake media is trying to silence us,' Trump told an adoring audience at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

'But we will not let them. Because the people know the truth. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House. But I'm president and they're not.'

The capacity crowd rose to its feet.

'We won & they lost!' he continued. 'The fact is, the press has destroyed themselves because they went too far. Instead of being subtle and smart, they used the hatchet. And the people saw it right from the beginning. '

Trump heard a Baptist church choir serenade him on Saturday with a song that included his slogan 'Make America Great Again'

'The dishonest media will never keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of the great American people. It will never happen,' Trump said, riffing on his top policy priorities. 'Their agenda is not your agenda. You've been seeing it.'

'I will never stop fighting for you. I am delivering on trade, on the economy, on the Supreme Court, on the Second Amendment, on our military, for our veterans, and on our borders  where we are doing record, record stoppage.'

A White House official complained at the end of last week that the press is cherry picking what they want to focus on after DailyMail.com inquired about the strategy behind Trump's recent tweets.

'He's reacting to news reports,' the senior official said, slapping down a White House insider's suggestion that Trump had been working to disesteem news outlets, and, before his most recent assault on the press, was turning to his campaign promise to do the same to Democrats.

The source described phase one of Trump's master plan as 'discredit the media' and phase two as the fulfillment of the campaign mantra 'lock her up!' - a reference to Hillary Clinton.

'He tweets because he can,' the White House official said, describing the motives for his tweets as opportunity, reach and a desire to defend himself.

Trump had begun the week with a slew of attacks on 'Crooked Hillary,' 'Crazy Bernie,' and do-nothing Barack Obama, after a report in the Washington Post and testimony from Jeh Johnson cast a negative light on the previous administration's actions in response to Russia's electoral interference.

Conway told DailyMail.com of Trump shift to the topic of alleged Democratic corruption and 'collusion': 'It's always a matter of the public interest.'

Trump's weekend was filled with anti-media tweets, including a video clip pulled from Reddit that showed him physically body-slamming a pro wrestling mogul with the CNN logo pasted over his face.

The dishonest media will NEVER keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of our GREAT AMERICAN PEOPLE! #AmericaFirst pic.twitter.com/jSciqzAs6G  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017

Trump has defended his use of Twitter, caling it 'modern day presidential' on Sunday

And he continued his verbal assault on MSNBC' 'Morning Joe' hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski,' days after drawing criticism for saying Brzezinski was 'bleeding badly from a face-lift' during a New Year's Even party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

On Saturday, he piled on: 'Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!'

Trump claimed in another tweet that MSNBC's firing of host Greta Van Susteren was a decision made because of her politics.

'Word is that @Greta Van Susteren was let go by her out of control bosses at @NBC & @Comcast because she refused to go along w/ "Trump hate!"' he wrote, without saying where he had heard that version of events about Van Susteren's low-rated program.

And continuing his plastering of CNN, he tweeted that he was 'extremely pleased to see that @CNN has finally been exposed as #FakeNews and garbage journalism. It's about time!'

On Sunday the president defended his controversial use of tweeted jabs and haymakers to speak directly to the American people without the filter of a news media that largely hates and resents him.

Trump has consistently bashed political journalists for siding with Hillary Clinton during the election, and claims his use of social media to go around them contributed to his victory

'My use of social media is not Presidential - its MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!' he wrote on Twitter.

That came a day after he blasted the 'FAKE & FRAUDULENT NEWS MEDIA' for 'working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media.'

'[B]ut remember,' Trump added: 'I won the 2016 election with interviews, speeches and social media. I had to beat #FakeNews, and did. We will continue to WIN!'
Sweden is home to 2,000 Islamist extremists, the nation's intelligence chief revealed today - ten times the number recorded before Europe's migrant crisis.

Anders Thornberg, head of domestic spy service Sapo, attributed the rise primarily to the sophisticated propaganda machine of ISIS.

Although 'few extremists' have 'the will and ability' to carry out attacks, they must be found and closely followed, Thornberg said.

Sweden is home to 2,000 Islamist extremists, the nation's intelligence chief revealed today - ten times the number recorded before Europe's migrant crisis. The country has been on edge since a jihadist moved down pedestrians in Stockholm in April, killing five

'It's important that everyone in Sweden takes responsibility to end this trend... before we see an attack or a violent act,' Thornberg told news agency TT in an interview published on Monday.

Sweden has been on the edge ever since an Uzbek national, who had shown sympathies for jihadist groups including ISIS, used a stolen truck to mow down pedestrians on a busy shopping street in Stockholm on April 7, killing five people and injuring 15.

Europe has seen a string of attacks in recent years including large-scale assaults in Paris Brussels and Berlin.

Thornberg said that out of around 3,000 violent extremists currently in Sweden, 2,000 have Islamist motives. The remaining extremists originate from far-right and extreme-left movements.

About 300 people from Sweden are known to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS since 2012, officials have said (file picture)

A 2010 Sapo report estimated the number of violent Islamist extremists in the Scandinavian country at 200.

Sapo has previously said that about 300 people from Sweden are known to have travelled to Syria and Iraq to join ISIS since 2012.

Around 140 have returned to Sweden and about 50 are said to have died abroad.

Jihadists or sympathisers from Sweden have been linked to several terrorist attacks in recent years, as a Swedish national, Osama Krayem, has been charged with terrorist murders over the 2016 Brussels metro bombing.
An Islamist extremist group has declared it wants to enforce Sharia law right across Indonesia, Australia's nearest major Asian neighbour.

Hizb ut-Tahrir's Indonesian spokesman Ismail Yusanto told an Australian camera crew it would fight for a national Islamic legal system where people are caned 100 times for having sex outside of marriage.

'This our duty. Not our ambition. It is our duty. Religious duty,' he told the ABC's Four Corners program.

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Hizb ut-Tahrir's Indonesian spokesman Ismail Yusanto wants Sharia law enforced nationwide

A woman in Indonesia's Aceh province is caned in public in March for spending time with a man who wasn't her husband

Hizb ut-Tahrir's spokesman in Uthman Badar confirmed he supported death for ex-Muslims

Asked if Hizb ut-Tahrir would succeed, he said: 'We hope and we will try.'

Adulterers have been increasingly caned since 2004 in the Aceh province where Sharia law is practised under an Islamic criminal code which secular Muslims reject.

The province began implementing Sharia law after being granted autonomy in 2001 as the national government in Jakarta tried to quell a long-running separatist insurgency.

Sharia law police patrol the province to ensure women are dressed modestly and unmarried couples aren't sitting too closely together.

Islamist protesters put red paint on an effigy of Jakarta's former Christian governor Ahok

In February, a woman collapsed in pain as she was publicly caned, with a man collapsing on stage two weeks later as he was whipped for having sex outside of marriage.

A woman was given 100 lashes in March for the same offence under Sharia law.

Hizb ut-Tahrir was banned in Indonesia in May after it helped to orchestrate protests against a Christian governor of Jakarta, Basuki Tjahaja Purnama - also known as Ahok, for suggesting the Koran allowed Muslims to vote for him as a Christian.

That was also the same month an Indonesian court has sentenced him to a two-year prison term for blasphemy as Islamist fundamentalists campaigned to have Christians barred from seeking public office in the world's biggest Muslim-majority nation.

Islamic Defenders Front members burn an effigy of a Buddhist monk outside an embassy

Hizb ut-Tahrir, however, remains legal in Australia despite its leader Uthman Badar telling a Bankstown forum in March he supported the death penalty for ex-Muslims.

It is also banned in The Netherlands and Germany and a range of Muslim-majority nations including Pakistan, Bangladesh and Saudi Arabia.

Sharia law is more severe in other parts of the Muslim world, such as Saudi Arabia where thieves have their hands chopped off.

Gays are killed in Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sudan, Iran, Yemen and Nigeria but not in Indonesia, where same-sex acts are illegal.
Parliament is spending more than 200,000 trying to smuggle weapons and other 'prohibited' material through its own security.

Independent experts will carry out dozens of covert tests on search points amid concerns about weaknesses in the defences at Westminster.

A major review of security on the estate has been going on since the terrorist attack in March, when Pc Keith Palmer was stabbed to death by Khalid Masood.

Concerns about security at parliament have been heightened by the Westminster terror attack in march

All visitors to parliament are routinely searched and have to pass through 'magic arch' metal detectors.

Dozens of weapons, ranging from CS gas containers to knives, are seized at the entrances every year.

However, there is always a danger that potentially deadly items slip through the net.

A tender document issued by the Houses of Parliament and unearthed by MailOnline reveals that they want a contractor to 'undertake covert physical security testing utilising a variety of prohibited items' at search points.

The nature of the items to be smuggled are not specified - but could include everything ranging from mock knifes and explosives to drugs.

SECURITY WAS BEEFED UP AFTER 9/11 AND TUBE BOMBINGS The 30million a year security operation at parliament has undergone a massive overhaul in recent years. As the terror threat increased in the wake of 9/11 and then the London bombings, there were increasing concerns that the protection was too weak and ad hoc. Anti-ramming barricades were placed outside, and a glass screen was installed in the public gallery after Tony Blair was targeted with flour by protesters. Traditionally the Serjeant-at-Arms has been in charge of security on the Commons estate, assisted by a team of so-called 'men in tights'. Black Rod has an equivalent role in the Lords. In 2011 the Houses finally decided that the arrangements were not coherent enough, and created a post of Parliamentary Security Director with a dedicated team to oversee both the Lords and the Commons. Paul Martin, the first PSD, was ex MI5. There was another major upheaval in 2015 when parliament renegotiated its contract with the Met to save money. Initially there were rumours that a contractor such as G4S could be brought in. However, all the civilian personnel provided by the Met were then brought on to the parliamentary staff. Advertisement

The document says up to 22 covert tests should take place per month, with the estimated cost of the five-year contract 175,000 plus VAT.

A spokesman for the parliamentary authorities said: 'A tender is being advertised for a five year contract to provide physical security testing.

'The current contract for this work expires in the summer.'

Rising levels of threats and abuse levelled at MPs have heightened anxiety over the potential for attacks at Westminster and elsewhere.

Plans have been moving ahead for the Houses of Parliament to get a major security upgrade in the wake of the Westminster terror attack.

A new state-of-the-art control room is being fitted out so the estate can be monitored more effectively.

The project will include a new computer system and specialist tracking software.

Weaknesses in the estate's defences were underlined over the past year by a 'war game' simulating gun-wielding terrorists ramming a car through the gates of the Palace.

The exercise is said to have found that four extremists armed with automatic weapons could get into the Commons chamber - and ended with 'most MPs dead'.

Tracking of suspects could be made more difficult as MPs and peers have resisted introducing CCTV into areas of where the public are not normally allowed, with complaints it would intrude on privacy.

Last November the ruling House of Commons commission, chaired by Speaker John Bercow, approved an extension of camera coverage into 'internal public and semi-public areas of the parliamentary estate'.

Scotland Yard's anti-terror chief Mark Rowley has insisted that Parliament's security arrangements are 'proportionate' but confirmed they would be reviewed.
President Donald Trump turned his online gaze away from his feud with CNN and MSNBC hosts Monday morning, tweeting about phone calls with European leaders.

The calls, with representatives of the nations of Germany, France, and Italy, come as Trump prepares to head to Hamburg for a two-day summit meeting that will once again feature contention over climate change.

'Will be speaking with Germany and France this morning,' Trump tweeted on Monday, in the first signal of his change in direction.

President Trump, who is in Bedminster, NJ for the Fourth, tweeted that he would call Germany France, and Italy on Monday

'Will be speaking with Italy this morning!' Trump tweeted soon afterward.

'Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening!'

Trump didn't provide any substantive details in any of his tweets. He didn't state specifically that he would be speaking with heads of state, although that is the normal protocol.

German chancellor Angela Merkel was predicting more disputes in remarks in advance of the G20 summit in her country.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and U.S. President Donald Trump arrive for the group photo at the G7 Taormina summit on the island of Sicily on May 26, 2017 in Taormina, Italy

GUTEN MORGEN: Trump wrote that he would be reaching out to Germany and France

CIAO: Trump also said he'd be 'speaking with Italy'

The calls were a departure from his attacks on CNN  although he returned to his grudge against 'fake news' later Monday morning

Trump referenced a call to King Salman of Saudi Arabia

'I don't think we'll have unified positions on all issues at the end but it's sensible and honest to talk to each other on all issues of international diplomacy,'she said at a pre-summit news conference.

Referencing Trump, she said: 'We know certain positions that the American government holds and I don't expect that these positions will be abandoned as a result of a two-day trip to Hamburg.'

Despite their lack of substance, the tweets indicated a change in direction for the president, who has been stoking a bitter online feud with CNN as well as MSNBC hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

Trump said he had called Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud on Monday and discussed Middle East peace

German Chancellor and head of the Christian Democrats party, Angela Merkel (C), talks with Hesse's State Premier Volker Bouffier (L) prior to a meeting on July 3, 2017 in Berlin

Bill Clinton, Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron attend a ceremony for late German Chancellor Helmut Kohl at the European Parliament in StrasbourgTribute to Helmut Kohl at the European Parliament, Strasbourg, France

People protest against the gathering of European leaders on the upcoming G-20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, Sunday, July 2, 2017. Hamburg will host the G-20 summit on July 7 and July 8

On Sunday, he tweeted out old Wrestle-mania footage that showed him body slamming Vince McMahon, who had a CNN logo imposed on his face.

'#FraudNewsCNN #FNN' Trump wrote.

Another highlight of the summit will be Trump's one-on-one meeting on its sidelines with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
President Donald Trump has not settled on an agenda for his discussion with Vladimir Putin later this week at the G20 - but he is not expected to bring up Russian hackers' infiltration of US voting systems in the last election.

Administration officials told CNN that the talk would be about Russia's actions in Syria and Ukraine.

The president's national security advisor, HR McMaster, and national economic adviser, Gary Cohn, could not say Thursday what Trump and Putin would discuss.

'It's really going to be whatever the president wants to talk about,' McMaster told reporters during a briefing on Trump's trip.

Cohn said then, 'We don't have an agenda set up for these meetings right now.'

Michael Anton, spokesman for the president's National Security Council, told DailyMail.com on Monday that he had nothing more to add on the topic.

President Donald Trump has not settled on an agenda for his discussion with Vladimir Putin later this week at the G20 - but he is not expected to bring up Russian hackers' infiltration of US voting systems in the last election

Trump's tendency to rail on news reports that come across his desk - or Twitter account - and his refusal to 'telegraph' his moves publicly before he makes them leaves open the possibility that the issue will come up.

Russia's intrusion into voting systems in at least 21 states before the 2016 election has elevated concerns about the integrity of the ballot box, and experts inside and outside the federal government are warning hackers could use the data they obtained last year to strike again.

The White House has said that Trump's voter fraud commission would look into the issue that's also the subject of multiple congressional investigations.

It will not commit the president to bringing the interference up with Putin during their meeting in Hamburg, Germany, despite Trump's charges that Barack Obama could have and should have done more when he was in the Oval to prevent Russian meddling in the previous election.

McMaster said Thursday that a goal of Trump's meetings at the G20 would be for the US and the West to agree on 'a common approach to Russia' and for them to 'develop a more constructive relationship with Russia, but he's also made clear that we will do what is necessary to confront Russia's destabilizing behavior.'

Trump will focus on confronting the country's 'destabilizing behavior,' McMaster said 'and come up with a strategy to do that.'

The White House would not commit to a discussion about election hacking during the pull aside at the G20 summit in Hamburg that HR McMaster, the president's national security adviser (left) and Gary Cohn, his national economic adviser (right) previewed to the press on Thursday afternoon

'Nobody wants a major power war, right?' he said. 'So what is it that we have to put in place to be able to deter conflict.'

At the summit the White House says that Trump will also meet with Germany's Angela Merkel, Britain's Theresa May, Japan's Shinzo Abe, South Korea's Moon Jae-in, China's Xi Jinping, Mexico's Enrique Pena Nieto, Indonesia's Joko Widodo and Singapore's Tony Tan.

Trump has met most of the leaders on other occasions. His face-to-face with Pena Nieto will be a first, though. They called off a White House summit earlier this year at the height of a dispute over Trump's Mexican border wall.

The talks will be quick, Trump's advisers explained, and the president will speak to world leaders about whatever topics he sees fit.

Trump spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders would not promise, when pressed on Thursday, that Trump would bring up the election hacking when he meets with the head of the Kremlin.

'Obviously I'm not gonna get ahead of the president's conversation,' she said.

He'll meet with Mexico's Pena Nieto for the first time on the sidelines of the summit, as well

Officials had testified in June that 21 states had their voting systems tampered with and some even had their data stolen. No votes tallies were effect, they said, yet warned that Russia was likely to attack America's election infrastructure again.

A report then revealed that the Obama administration knew about Russian interference sooner than it said.

Trump hit his predecessor, Obama, in tweets this week for doing 'nothing' about the hacking when he found out about it and demanded an apology for charges of collusion.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer has said that Trump's cybersecurity executive order and election commission would help prevent hacking from happening again.

He said he did not know what additional steps the president thinks that Obama should have taken before the last election to prevent Russian meddling and could not say, in any detail, what Trump would do that's different.

'I do know, when it comes to how the President works, he doesn't telegraph what he's going to do on a lot of these things. He does a lot of quiet diplomacy, he enacts things, and so until we're ready to announce something, we're not going to telegraph it through here,' he said of sanctions legislation that will son be on the president's desk.

At the summit the White House says that Trump will also meet with Britain's Theresa May

Obama said he issued a stern warning to Putin on the sidelines of a similar summit last fall, contrary to Trump's Twitter claims.

It remains unclear whether he will get an additional lecture from Trump.

The US Senate meanwhile voted to put sanctions on Russia on its second try, after an earlier bill was sent back by the House out for a rewrite. It is expected to pass in the lower chamber this time around but will not hit the president's desk until after he meets with Putin.

Congress will be in recess until Trump returns. Democrats on Capitol Hill have accused Republicans of using stall tactics to make sure that the bill stayed in limbo until after Trump's talk with Putin.

Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin would not say what the president plans to do with the sanctions legislation on Thursday yet suggested that it was, from his standpoint, unnecessary.

'You've seen we've used sanctions in other areas. We will continue to use these. So notwithstanding anything Congress passes, I can assure you this administration and the Treasury Department will use sanctions to the maximum amount available by law,' he said.

A goal of Trump's meetings at the G20 with German Chancellor Angela Merkel and others will be for the US and the West to agree on 'a common approach to Russia,' the White House says

Mnuchin added, 'We don't need Congress to tell us to put on more. We're going to do more whether they tell us or not.

'Russia sanctions, we've got plenty of those on as well.'

McMaster had echoed Secretary of State Rex Tillerson's interest in working with the Russians on areas of mutual interest, like the crisis in Syria.

Other topics on Trump's mind will be terrorism, trade, trade, energy and the environment, he said.
A survivor of the Grenfell Tower inferno has revealed how he was trapped in the burning building for some six hours and feared he would not make it out alive.

Antonio Roncolato, who shared a flat on the tenth floor of the Kensington high rise with his son Chris, was eventually rescued by firefighters at 6.30am as the flames engulfed the building.

The 57-year-old Italian national has since said he is lucky to be alive - but hit out at the authorities for cutting corners and failing to protect residents.

Antonio Roncolato, 57, was trapped in his tenth floor flat in Grenfell Tower

Mr Roncolato (left) shared a flat with his son Chris (right), and was eventually rescued by firefighters at 6.30am as the flames engulfed the building

Mr Roncolato, from the village of Masera in Padua, northern Italy, came to London some 33 years ago and got a job at the Millennium Gloucester Hotel in Kensington where he continues to work as a waiter and bartender.

When the blaze broke out in the early hours in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower on June 14 - which has so far claimed the lives of at least 80 people - Mr Roncolato was asleep.

He was woken by a desperate phone call from his son, telling him a fire was ripping through the tower.

He told the Italian newspaper Repubblica how he went to the window and saw 'pieces of molten concrete' fall from the sky, 'a lot of confusion, then emergency vehicles, fire brigade, the police'.

After several hours unable to escape because of the thick smoke filling the corridors, he was rescued by firefighters.

Despite losing everything in the harrowing tragedy, Mr Roncolato says he and his son are 'lucky to be alive'.

The pair have since been given temporary accommodation in a hotel, and Mr Roncolato has spoken about the problems with rehousing survivors.

Despite losing everything in the harrowing tragedy, Mr Roncolato says he and his son (pictured on Good Morning Briatin), are 'lucky to be alive'

When the fire broke out in the early hours in the 24-storey Grenfell Tower on June 14 - which has so far claimed the lives of at least 80 people - Mr Roncolato was asleep

Despite losing everything in the harrowing tragedy, Mr Roncolato says he and his son are 'lucky to be alive' - but has spoken about the problems with rehousing survivors

Mr Roncolato told ITN: 'I understand the council are trying their best to provide permanent accommodation but for so many people, so many families - and so many families with different needs - will be very, very difficult.

'For me and my son, our temporary accommodation is the hotel we are staying in at the moment and we are very happy here.

'The moment they offer something that will reflect the standard of living we had before, then we will take it. Otherwise we will not consider it - and it will have to be in the borough.

'They [councillors] should have resigned before.

'We are conscious that we were very lucky and very fortunate. But everything else is gone. But my heart goes out to the ones that are no longer here.

He was woken up by a desperate phone call from his son, telling him a fire was ripping through the tower

'For the negligence of people in higher levels. For cutting costs here and there, for not investing enough money and not making the place secure and this has cost lives.

'This is what upsets us, it is totally appalling, totally disrespectful to the community.'

And he told Repubblica: 'What a tragedy that could have been avoided. We'd said that building was dangerous.

'But we have not been heeded. And now it's too late. All that good people died for nothing, this fire should not be there or if there was had to be, do not make so many victims [sic].'
An Afghanistan teenage robotics team is unable to compete in person at an international competition being hosted in Washington, D.C. because the all girls team were denied visas to enter the U.S.

Team sponsor Roya Mahboob said the girls were 'crying all the day' when they found out they would not be able to test their robot against other young engineers from around the world during the First Global Challenge, told the Washington Post.

They have been preparing for the competition for months, as they built a ball-sorting robot.

In addition, they had to convince their parents to allow them to travel to the United States before making a 500-mile journey to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to apply for their visas.

They made that specific trip twice, as that location was targeted by a deadly truck bomb.

But now the girls, who are from the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, have to watch their robot compete remotely instead.

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An Afghanistan teenage robotics team is unable to compete in person at an international competition being hosted in Washington, D.C. because the all girls team (above) were denied visas to enter the U.S.

Team sponsor Roya Mahboob said the girls were 'crying all the day' when they found out they would not be able to test their robot against other young engineers from around the world during the First Global Challenge

They have been preparing for the competition for months, as they built a ball-sorting robot

Mahboob, who founded Citadel software company in Afghanistan and is the country's first female technology chief executive, told the Post, 'The first time [they were rejected] it was very difficult talking with the students.

'They're young and they were very upset.'

Fourteen-year-old Fatemah told Forbes, 'We want to show the world we can do it; we just need a chance.'

On their competition page, the teen girls wrote: 'We want to make a difference, and most breakthroughs in science, technology, and other industries normally start with the dream of a child to do something great.

'We want to be that child and pursue our dreams to make a difference in peoples' lives.'

Afghanistan is not on President Donald Trump's travel ban list. But the teams from Sudan and Syria were granted visas to enter the country despite the fact that those countries are on the list.

In addition, they had to convince their parents to allow them to travel to the United States before making a 500-mile journey to the U.S. Embassy in Kabul to apply for their visas. They made that specific trip twice, as that location was targeted by a deadly truck bomb

But now the girls, who are from the city of Herat in western Afghanistan, have to watch their robot compete remotely instead.

The State Department does not comment on visa denials.

Data does show that very few visas are granted to Afghans. In May 2017, 112 were issues compared with 780 from Iraq.

FIRST Global president and former congressman Joe Sestak is disappointed by the news.

'No one is more saddened than me. Throughout my various careers, I have been convinced of the importance of education,' Sestak wrote in a statement shared to Facebook.

'Even when I was briefly in Afghanistan in 2001, I came to understand that while our military might stop terror, it would take other efforts -- such as fixing the high illiteracy rate of Afghan women at that time -- to fix such a problem.'

He added, 'I was deeply saddened about the Afghan team not getting visas, for as I told so many of you during our phone calls, I was going to be so proud when I watched these young, brave Muslim girls lead the 164 nations' teams into Constitution Hall, the Hall of 'We the People' here in America.'
This is the shocking moment a groom who was spraying bullets into the sky during his Lebanese ceremony lost control and shot the photographer.

Footage shows the man casually holding the AK47 with one hand while sitting at a table surrounded by people, before firing a hail of bullets into air in the town of Bteghrin.

But the groom underestimates the power of the automatic weapon and soon begins to fire at the table itself, sending food flying and shooting the photographer.

The victim was rushed to Mount Lebanon's Bhannes Medical Center for treatment for an unspecified injury.

This is the shocking moment a groom who was spraying bullets into the sky during his Lebanese ceremony lost control and shot the photographer

The groom soon begins shooting at the table and a photographer, who was rushed to Mount Lebanon's Bhannes Medical Center for treatment for an unspecified injury

'Relatives of the groom who [appeared to have shot] the photographer brought the victim to the hospital,' Executive Director at Bhannes Medical Center Michel Chahine told The Daily Star.

But once there, some of the relatives are reported to have inexplicably stormed into the hospital and attacked the doctors treating the victim.

One staff member suffered a broken eye socket and will have to himself undergo surgery in the coming days, Mr Chahine said.

He said: 'I honestly do not have an explanation why they did that... They brought a victim of their actions [to the hospital], then began hitting those trying to tend to the victim.'

When asked if there was security at the hospital, Chahine said it has never been necessary due to the calmness of the area.'

'Our doors are open to those in need,' he said. 'We are located in the mountains, in a village, unlike in Beirut.'

Having taken the photographer to hospital, the groom's relatives are reported to have inexplicably stormed into the hospital and attacked the doctors treating the victim

He added that the assailants' identities were known and that it was now the Internal Security Forces' responsibility to apprehend them.

The President of the Private Hospitals Syndicate, Sleiman Haroun, condemned the acts of violence, saying: 'Enough is enough.'

Haroun said they would wait a few days but 'if nothing is done [by security forces or the government] they would take a strong position'.

He added: 'We will no longer accept this. I am not going to call anyone out for being responsible, because they know who they are.'

Mr Chahine said the justice and health ministers both contacted him to denounce Friday's attack.
This is the heartwarming moment a dolphin enjoys a belly-rub from an obliging snorkeler.

Rare footage shows the bottle-nose dolphin - called Dusty - rolling over in the water as a woman on a boat gently pats her.

It was filmed by nature photographer Elaine Farrell in Inis Oirr, the smallest of the Aran Islands in western Ireland while she was waiting for a ferry.

That's the spot! Footage shows the bottlenose dolphin swimming over to a boat where a snorkeler gently pats the creature. According to nature photographer Elaine Farrell, who took the footage, the dolphin had been following the woman while she was snorkelling

Ms Farrell said the dolphin had been following the woman while she was snorkelling.

'I was the only person on the harbour when I noticed someone snorkeling in the water with the dolphin,' she said told the Irish Independent.

'They swam alongside each other, the dolphin following the swimmer when she got out of the water, rolling over to have his belly rubbed. Dusty clearly enjoyed the human contact.'

According to the photographer, the creature put on an entertaining display for visitors for about two hours.

In heaven: The dolphin rolls over in the water so the woman can pat its belly and seems to enjoy the human contact

But Dusty hasn't always been this friendly.

In 2013, a woman suffered a broken rib, compressed vertebrae and lung damage when she was rammed by the dolphin in Doolin, County Clare. Days earlier, another woman was injured in the abdomen by the sea creature.

Dusty was later moved to the Aran Islands in 2014.

Dr Simon Berrow, of the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group advised swimmers not to get too close to the animals if they can avoid it.

'Go slow and let them come to you,' he told the Irish Examiner. 'Bottle nose dolphins are inquisitive animals so they probably will.'
A male model was found tortured and murdered with his body dumped in the street over his what is thought to be his good looks and tight clothes.

Karar Nushi, who was studying at the Institute of Fine Arts in Baghdad, was receiving death threats, according to his fans, because of his hairstyle and the outfits he chose to wear.

His body was dumped in Palestine Street, north of the capital, covered in stab wounds and showing signs that he was brutally tortured before being killed.

Karar Nushim pictured, was said to be preparing for a male beauty pageant before he was murdered

The male model was killed for the outfits he decided to wear and for his flamboyant hairstyle, according to his fans

On social media, his fans said anonymous thugs had messaged him to say they were going to kill him because they disapproved of his lifestyle, according to Iraqi News.

Nushi, who donned flowing, blonde locks, was understood to have been preparing to take part in a male beauty pageant.

Mourners on social media paid tribute to the popular figure, with some blaming ISIS for spreading an ideology of hate throughout the country.

Islamist groups in Baghdad are said to be behind the murders of several murders in Iraq - many of them involving the victim's sexuality.

Homosexuality is illegal under strict Islamic Sharia law, which ISIS abide by, and several gay men have been known to be executed by the terror group simply for their sexual orientation.
Ireland would be better off quitting the European Union and following Britain because it will be badly treated after Brexit, a leading think tank claimed today.

Outside the trading bloc, Ireland and Britain could use their existing relationship to strike a favourable deal for access to the EU single market, Policy Exchange said.

Ireland has previously firmly rejected a so-called 'Irexit' and recent polls suggest as many as 88 per cent backing continued EU membership.

Ray Bassett (pictured on the BBC yesterday), a former Irish diplomat and commentator, said allowing the EU to negotiate Brexit on behalf of Ireland was 'untenable'

The Policy Exchange reporter was drawn up by Ray Bassett, a former Irish diplomat and commentator.

Mr Bassett said allowing the EU to negotiate Brexit on behalf of Ireland was 'untenable', as it would leave Dublin on the sidelines.

He concluded:

Access to the Single Market need not be synonymous with full EU membership.

The EU is facing 'huge problems' and its future direction is unlikely to be in Ireland's interests.

The DUP's central role in Brexit negotiations as part of its relationship with the Tories should facilitate strong cooperation across Ireland.

His report said: 'In the circumstances, Ireland must give serious consideration to other options, including Irexit.'

'Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, there will be a price to pay. For Ireland, there is really no upside to Brexit,' it said.

'The question to be raised is what price is Ireland willing to pay to stand in solidarity with the remaining 26 EU countries?

'If the Irish Government is willing to pay that price, will the Dail, and possibly the population in a referendum, be equally willing to do so?'

Ireland's new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visited No 10 for talks with Theresa May last month (pictured) and said Brexit was a matter of 'regret' for him

Mr Bassett warned:'The first duty of the EU negotiators is to act on behalf of the European Union as an institution.

'This is prioritised in their guidelines, approved by the European Council.

'The type of deal that Ireland's interests requires, however, including free trade with the UK, is directly in contradiction with the Union negotiators mandate that anything relating to Ireland and her border which emerges from the Brexit negotiations, must 'maintain the integrity the Union's legal order', i.e., no exceptions to the customs union.'

The consensus in Ireland favours remaining in the EU.

A recent poll suggested that 88 per cent of Irish people think Ireland should stay in, although that was commissioned by an NGO which works to develop links between the Republic and EU.

Ireland's new Taoiseach Leo Varadkar visited No 10 for talks with Theresa May last month.

Both leaders agreed on the need to ensure the Ireland-Northern Ireland border remained open and with a minimal disruption to trade.

But Mr Varadkar said Brexit was a 'matter of regret' and made clear Ireland would be negotiating as one of the 27 remaining EU states.
The Pope's own Roman hospital has today offered to care for Charlie Gard to prevent Great Ormond Street Hospital ending his life.

The ten-month-old's defiant parents Connie Yates and Chris Gard have told supporters they are 'still fighting' to save him.

Theresa May is today facing increasing pressure to make a 'moral' intervention after the US President and the Pope gave their support as doctors prepare to turn off his life support.

The Pontiff also tweeted: 'To defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all'.

Today the Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesu, known as the 'Pope's Hospital' and sits close to the Vatican's walls, has offered to take Charlie Gard from Great Ormond Street where he would be kept alive on a ventilator.

President of the hospital, Mariella Enoc, tweeted that the Holy Fathers own words in support of Charlie 'sum up our mission'.

She said: 'I have asked the health director to check with Great Ormond Street Hospital if there are sanitary conditions for an eventual transfer of Charlie to our hospital. We know that the case is desperate'.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates released this new picture of their son Charlie and are 'overwhelmed' after Donald Trump and the Pope offered their support

The US President tweeted: 'If we can help little Charlie Gard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so'

Miss Yates responded to Mr Trump's offer of free treatment by saying they are 'still fighting' for their son

Today the Pediatric Hospital Bambino Gesu, known as the 'Pope's Hospital' sitting close to the Vatican's walls, has offered to take Charlie Gard from Great Ormond Street

Last night the ten-month-old's mother Miss Yates said on Facebook after Mr Trump's intervention: 'If he's still fighting, we're still fighting!!! Xxx'.

But critics have accused Mr Trump of offering 'false hope' to Charlie's family who face losing their son after exhausting their legal battle with Great Ormond Street, who will not accept that travelling to the US is in Charlie's best interests.

Dr Sarah Wollaston, the Tory chairman of the Commons Health Select Committee, said the US President was 'wrong' to offer the treatment and said it was a 'political decision' as he tries to dismantle Obamacare.

But Charlie's parents, who won an 11th hour reprieve for their son on Friday, still hope the Prime Minister will intevene.

In a statement their spokesman said: 'Chris and Connie are overwhelmed with emotion that President Trump and the Pope have spoken publicly of their support.

'Their kind words have given them so much comfort. They remain at Charlie's bedside and his condition remains stable.'

But they also released a new photograph of the family together as supporters around the world demanded another chance for their son.

Overnight members of the so-called 'Charlie's Army' urged Great Ormond Street to drop their case and allow him to fly to the US.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates are spending the last days of their ten-month-old son Charlie's life with him at hospital in London

And many tweeted the Prime Minister directly, including pop star Cher who said: 'If the US can save precious Charlie Gard then send him to us!'

Sarah Veaney tweeted: 'Ironic how the USA leader @realDonaldTrump gets involved but @theresa_may the U.K leader hasn't! Same old!'.

Paulina Sagan wrote to Mrs May and said: 'I urge you to get involved. Not sure what to do? LISTEN TO THE WORLD! It speaks for Charlie!'

Karen Stevenson tweeted her: 'Trump and Pope Francis have spoken out for Charlie Gard. Where is your voice?'

And Natalie Dent said: 'Thanks @realDonaldTrump for your support - @theresa_may do the right thing and #savecharliegard'.

Mr Trump has risked a diplomatic row by declaring America's support for saving Charlie Gard.

The president's tweet, which had 4,000 retweets and 12,000 likes within 20 minutes of being posted at 3pm, comes after Pope Francis called for the parents of the baby to be allowed to 'accompany and treat their child until the end'.

The Vatican said the pope 'is following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected'.

He joined the Pope in vowing to help the desperately ill baby boy as British doctors prepare to withdraw his life-support.

Mr Gard and Miss Yates are spending the last days of their son's life with him, after being given more time before treatment is withdrawn.

Campaigners have pledged their support to the Gard family (pictured) on social media using hashtags and blue heart emoticons

Charlie's supporters including Cher have called on Charlie to be allowed to fly to America - with some tweeting Mrs May directly urging her to intervene

CAN PRESIDENT TRUMP HELP CHARLIE GARD? As Donald Trump weighed in on the fight to save British baby Charlie Gard on Monday, Theresa May is facing pressure to intervene. Her spokesman said yesterday it would be 'inappropriate' to discuss the 'delicate case'. Without her support the US president would not have the authority to go over the European Court of Human Rights to try to keep the boy alive. Charlie's parents have been told by Europe's highest court that his life support must be switched off soon, a decision they have been desperately fighting to avoid. President Donald Trump has offered to help dying British baby Charlie Gard - but whether or not he can is under consideration Great Ormond Street doctors would have to change their minds about letting him travel to the US. On Monday, White House officials revealed that a doctor and hospital in the US has offered their services to the boy if his parents can get him here. While the president himself has not spoken to the family, members of the administration have and they have been aided by the UK government which has taken a hands-off public approach to the subject. DailyMail.com understands that if the boy is able to arrive in the US with his family, the treatment will be carried out free of charge. The answer to whether or not this is a reality lies in the UK. The first factor is that London's Great Ormond Street Hospital is allowed to withdraw his care (i.e. turn off the ventilator keeping him alive) when it sees fit. Following the European court's decision, the hospital's doctors said they were in no rush to do so and were giving the family more time together. If the US is to intervene, it will have to do so before those doctors turn off Charlie's ventilator. In 2014, Ashya King's parents were arrested for neglect after taking him out of hospital in the UK to seek alternative treatment abroad The second issue is that of the legal ramifications his family will face if they flout the European court's rulings. It is not abundantly clear where the jurisdiction lies with punishing Mr. and Mrs. Gard. Solicitors for the family were working with British officials and the White House on Tuesday to try to untangle find an answer to this question. The family's ordeal reignites the debate on who should have final say over a sick child's life. It was an issue which sparked global debate in 2014 when another the parents of five-year-old British boy Ashya King removed him from Southampton General Hospital against doctors' advice to seek alternative therapy to treat his brain cancer in Prague. Brett and Naghemeh King wanted Ashya to undergo proton beam therapy which was not available in the UK. The couple was arrested in Malaga, Spain, and were accused of neglect. They later had the charges dropped and were allowed to take their son the Czech Republic to receive the treatment. He is now cancer free and back at school. Three proton beam therapy centers, funded by Proton Partners International, are now under construction in the UK and will accept both private healthcare and NHS patients. Advertisement

Charlie's parents desperately wanted their son (pictured) to undergo treatment in America - Mr Trump says he can secure it of they can get to the US

The couple, from Bedfont, west London, raised 1.4million so they could take their son to get treatment in the US, but were told by three UK courts they were not allowed.

Donald Trump (pictured on Saturday in Washington) offered his support to Charlie's parents

In a final blow, the European Court of Human Rights said last month that Charlie's life support would be turned off and they could not take him to America.

Members of the White House administration have spoken to the couple and Trump offered to help them in the 'heartbreaking' situation.

But Washington sources said yesterday that the American hospital and doctor had agreed to waive their fees.

Last night, Charlie's parents Connie Yates, 31, and Chris Gard, 32, said the support of the Pope and the US President had left them 'overwhelmed with emotion'.

They are spending the final days of their son's life with him, after being given extra time to say their goodbyes.

The White House said President Trump was 'trying to be helpful', but his intervention in a tweet yesterday afternoon is a challenge to British and European judges who have ruled that Charlie  who was born 11 months ago today  must be allowed to die.

His parents' desire to take him to the US has have been blocked by the High Court, Appeal Court, Supreme Court and European Court of Human Rights, which backed Great Ormond Street doctors who say he has no hope and should be allowed to die.

Charlie is thought to be one of only 16 children in the world with mitochondrial depletion syndrome, which causes progressive muscle weakness and brain damage.

He has irreversible brain damage, his lungs cannot function without a ventilator, and he cannot see, hear, move, cry or swallow.

Yesterday President Trump ordered White House officials to make contact with Charlie's family, and tweeted: 'If we can help little #CharlieGard, as per our friends in the UK and the Pope, we would be delighted to do so.'

But his intervention was met with exasperation in some quarters of Whitehall, with No10 calling it 'a delicate case'.

The Ministry of Justice said court rulings against Charlie's parents 'were made by an independent judiciary' and there was no basis to challenge them.

Prime Minister Theresa May's spokesman said: 'This is a very delicate case and it would be inappropriate to discuss it further at this stage. Our thoughts are with Charlie and his family.'

Charlie's parents said they had been denied their final wish to be able to take their son home to die and felt 'let down' after losing their legal fight

Charlie's parents (pictured together) hoped that judges in France would come to their aid after losing battles in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London

Yesterday, campaigners carrying a banner that said 'It's Murder' (right) gathered outside Buckingham Palace to protest against the court's decision

President Trump's tweet, which was 'liked' 40,000 times within two hours, came after Pope Francis offered his own backing.

'If Charlie dies we'll use the cash to save other children', says his bereft mother Connie Yates, 31, right, has indicated what would happen to money raised if the judge sided with Great Ormond Street. 'A few people have asked us what we'll do if we don't win the court case,' she said in a statement. 'We have thought long and hard about it and we would set up a charity for mitochondrial depletion syndrome's (there are others that are more common than Charlie's specific gene). 'We'd like to save other babies and children because these medications have been proven to work and we honestly have so much belief in them. 'We would like some of it to go to research at the specific hospital that are willing to treat Charlie and the rest will be available to help other families to get the medication that their children desperately need. 'We hope that you can all support us in making treatments available so that nobody else ever has to go through what we have.' A GoFundMe spokesman said officials would have discussions with Charlie's parents about what would happen to money raised for treatment. He said: 'We'll be speaking privately to the family in the next few days about what they want to do and how we can support them.' Advertisement

The Vatican said the Pope 'is following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected'.

Last night a White House spokesman said: 'Upon learning of baby Charlie Gard's situation, President Trump has offered to help the family in this heart-breaking situation.

Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, is being cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH) in London.

The little boy has been at the centre of a lengthy legal battle between his parents, who wanted him to undergo a therapy trial in the US, and specialists at the hospital who said the treatment was experimental and would not help.

On Friday a picture of the couple sleeping on either side of their son in hospital was posted on their Twitter account alongside the hashtags #jesuisCharlieGard #charliesfight #letcharliegohome.

The couple released an emotional video a day earlier saying they had been told Charlie would die on Friday.

They said they had been denied their final wish to be able to take their son home to die and felt 'let down' after losing their legal fight.

The hospital later confirmed it was 'putting plans in place for his care'.

Charlie's plight has touched many people and the family received donations totalling more than 1.3million to take him to the US for therapy.

Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia of the Vatican's Pontifical Academy for Life issued a statement saying: 'Dear Charlie, dear parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, we are praying for you and with you.'

He also drew criticism for saying the parents' wishes should be respected, but that they must also be helped to understand the 'unique difficulty of their situation'.

Campaigners have pledged their support to the family on social media using hashtags and blue heart emoticons.

Charlie's parents, both in their 30s and from Bedfont, West London, had asked European court judges in Strasbourg, France, to consider their case.

On Sunday campaigners carrying a banner that said 'It's Murder' gathered outside Buckingham Palace to protest against the court's decision.

Other posters with pictures of Charlie said 'Where there's life, there's hope' and 'parental rights'.
Jeremy Corbyn today snubbed Labour's centrist 'big beasts' in his frontbench reshuffle after his allies reportedly warned there will be 'no jobs for traitors' in the top team.

The Labour leader announced 20 MPs he is promoting to shadow ministerial posts, but failed to bring back moderates such as Yvette Cooper and Chuka Umunna.

The Tories accused Mr Corbyn of scraping together a frontbench of 'has-beens' after it emerged that six of the new shadow ministers have previously quit his frontbench in protest at his leadership and policies.

Gloria De Piero and Melanie Onn return to the frontbench a year after joining the mass resignation of shadow ministers in the wake of the EU referendum in June 2016.

Ms De Piero, who last year told Mr Corbyn she was quitting because she did not believe he could deliver victory, takes a post in the justice team while Ms Onn becomes a housing spokeswoman.

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn, pictured addressing a rally in Sussex on Saturday, has announced 20 Labour MPs he is bringing in to serve as shadow ministers

Holly Lynch takes an environment brief less than a year after resigning as an opposition whip in protest at the sacking of Rosie Winterton as chief whip.

While Rachael Maskell joins the transport team five months after quitting the frontbench to defy a three-line whip and vote against the invocation of Article 50 to take Britain out of the EU.

Tory MP Luke Hall MP said: 'This reshuffle was forced on Jeremy Corbyn because of the chaos within the Labour Party which saw 49 of his own MPs defy him over Brexit.

'Labour are so divided that Corbyn is resorting to appointing a string of 'has-beens' who have previously resigned or been sacked from his frontbench. The rest have only been in parliament for a few weeks.

'He likes to call this a government-in-waiting but in reality they are a chaotic shambles that can't wait to borrow billions of pounds and put up taxes on working people.'

The rebuff to Labour moderates comes amid fears the party's left-wing leadership will use their new-found grip on the party to purge moderates and promote allies.

John McDonnell has reportedly told party colleagues there will be 'no jobs for traitors'.

While Ian Lavery, a close ally of Mr Corbyn who was promoted to party chairman after the election, has warned that Labour is 'too broad a church' and MPs could face deselection.

Mr Corbyn has been forced to hunt for more MPs to plug his frontbench after four of his team joined a humiliating rebellion against the Labour leader in Parliament last week.

Catherine West, Andy Slaughter and Ruth Cadbury were all sacked from the frontbench after joining rebels to vote for the amendment to the Queen's Speech calling for the UK to stay in the single market after Brexit.

Daniel Zeichner quit as shadow transport minister just before the vote.

Yvette Cooper and Chuka Umunna are among the centrist big beasts have both been snubbed in Jeremy Corbyn's post-election frontbench reshuffle

Rachael Maskell, pictured with Jeremy Corbyn in York, quit as shadow environment secretary earlier this year to rebel against Labour's three line whip on triggering Article 50. She has made a comeback to the frontbench, and has been appointed shadow transport minister

Announcing his new appointments, Mr Corbyn said: 'I'm delighted to be filling Labour's shadow front bench with a wealth of talent. Our new shadow ministers will bolster the excellent work of Labour's shadow cabinet and departmental teams.

'These appointments are further evidence that Labour is not just the opposition  we are the government in waiting.'

LABOUR'S NEW APPOINTMENTS DEFRA: David Drew, Holly Lynch Home Affairs: Nick Thomas Symonds, Chris Williamson, Afzal Khan, Louise Haigh Scotland: Paul Sweeney Justice: Gloria De Piero, Imran Hussain International Development: Roberta Blackman Woods Transport: Rachael Maskell, Karl Turner Treasury: Anneliese Dodds Housing: Tony Lloyd, Melanie Onn Women and equalities: Carolyn Harris Defence: Gerald Jones Local Government: Yvonne Fovargue Education: Tracey Brabin Wales: Chris Ruane Advertisement

After years of civil war and a drawn-out attempt to oust him last year, Mr Corbyn's control over his party has never looked more secure.

Many had urged the left-winger to use is new-found strength and boost in the polls to bring in Labour's moderate big beasts to take the fight to the Tories.

But he has snubbed the calls and instead chosen to stick with the team that stayed loyal to him.

Mr Lavery, who helped orchestrate Labour's election campaign, has sparked fears of a purge against the party's moderates.

He said: 'We are a broad church. Some might argue, and I would be one of them, that we might be too broad a church.

'Being an MP, I haven't got the divine right to be an MP for Wansbeck. I've got to work very hard on behalf of every single member of that constituency.'

In an interview with the Huffington Post published at the weekend, he warned that no Labour MP has a 'divine right' to keep their seat.

And he warned the Labour Party's structures face being overhauled and that he will look at 'different ways and means' for selecting would-be MPs.

He promised that the party's membership will be central to deciding what Labour candidates to select and keep.

But his comments, made in an interview with the Huffington Post, will spark concerns that left-wing groups like Momentum will seize upon the changes to hold Labour MPs to ransom or deselect moderates.
He tried to claim he didn't know what he was doing to get more

the door to police with blood all over his hands and his shirt

A 21-year-old Minneapolis father who killed his four-month-old daughter by punching her 22 times because she was making baby noises has been jailed.

Cory Morris was arrested last August after he called 911 after admitting to his daughter Emersyn Morris' mother and grandmother what he had done.

When police and paramedics arrived on the scene at Morris' Franklin Avenue home, they found the young father with blood on his hands and bloodstains on his shirt.

Today, a judge sentenced him to 25 years in prison after he had tried to claim he was not responsible for her death because he 'didn't know what he was doing'.

Vile crime: Cory Morris, 21 (left), has been charged with murder after he admitted to punching his baby daughter, Emersyn Morris (right) nearly two dozen times

A side profile of baby killer Cory Morris who punched his four-month-old daughter to death

Mother's worst nightmare: Morris was watching baby Emersyn on August 13 while his girlfriend, Jennifer Anderson (pictured with baby) was at work

A document, cited by CBS Minnesota, states that there blood splattered on the wall and floor near the changing table inside the home.

Emersyn Morris was discovered lying unconscious on the changing table in the nursery.

Paramedics performed CPR on the baby and then rushed her to the Hennepin County Medical Center, where she was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma.

Hospital staff observed that the infants face and chest were badly bruised and swollen.

Cory Morris told police officers that he was taking care of his daughter while his girlfriend, Emersyn's mother, was at work.

According to her social media account, she is employed as a personal care assistant.

Morris said he was watching TV when the four-month-old began making baby noises.

He removed her from the baby swing, carried her into her bedroom and placed her on the changing table.

Confession: The young dad told police he punched the 4-month-old 15 times in the face and hit her seven times in the chest because she was making baby noises on the changing table

The infant continued cooing, so Morris punched her in the face 15 times with a closed fist and hit her seven times in the chest 'to quiet her,' according to Hennepin County Attorney Mike Freeman.

Morris also squeezed the girls chest with his hands.

Morris' girlfriend, Jennifer Anderson, told police she tried calling her boyfriend throughout the day but received no response.

When she finally reached him at 4.45pm, Morris told her that he was going to jail because he did something to their baby.

Ms Anderson, posted a heart-breaking tribute to Emersyn on her Facebook page, writing that her heart was 'shattered' after losing 'the sweetest little girl the world has ever seen.'

Cory Morris' mother broke her silence a day later, saying that her son suffered from anxiety and depression, but she claimed that at no point did the family feel he could pose a danger to his child, only himself.

The Minneapolis Star Tribune reported that Morris told police after his arrest that he was schizophrenic and heard voices.

'Unhinged': Morris' mother said Cory suffered from anxiety and depression, and his family had sought mental health treatment for him

Relatives had sought mental health treatment options for Morris, and his girlfriend even took him to see a doctor last week, reported the station KSTP.

Jennifer Anderson told investigators that her boyfriend experienced dramatic mood swings, and has grabbed her or hurled things in the past.

He was found guilty of the killing back in April, but a judge had to decide if he was responsible for the death when Morris claimed he did not know what he was doing at the time of the murder.
They say money changes everything - but David Kaltschmidt and his wife Maureen Smith clearly have other ideas when it comes to their $328 million windfall.

Despite pocketing the biggest Powerball jackpot in history, DailyMail.com can reveal the frugal couple have changed almost nothing about their everyday lives.

Their three-way share of the record $1.56 billion prize propelled the pair into the ranks of America's super-rich with more than enough funds for yachts, supercars and sprawling mansions.

Instead, they have shunned the high-life by staying put in their modest $300,000 Florida home, frequenting the same shops and restaurants as before - and even continue to play Powerball.

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Modest millionare: Maureen Smith, 71, wheels her reusable grocery bag to her Tesla outside the Publix where she and her husband scored the winning Powerball ticket in January 2016

David Kaltschmidt, 56, upgraded his SUV when he won the lottery. He opted for a slightly newer model - a gold GMC Yukon Denali

Before: This was how the couple's house was when they won the lottery - but they did not move to a lavish new spread or spent their fortune on cars and yachts. They still have the same boat and have simply upgraded to a new SUV

Spot the difference: The couple did some upgrade work instead of moving house, with a fresh paint job for their home

What a win: When Florida's lottery secretary Tom Delacenserie (left) handed Maureen Smith, 71, and David Kaltschmidt, 56, their check, which would be paid over 30 years, they opted for the lump sum on the basis of their age. But they seem to have made little dent in their winnings

'They have hundreds of millions burning a hole in their pocket but it's almost as if nothing has changed,' dished a friend. 'They are as conservative as ever.'

Old habits die hard for Maureen, 71, who still does the weekly shop and chats with checkout staff in the same Publix where she bought the winning ticket 18 months ago.

'She even buys a Powerball ticket from time to time,' an employee told DailyMail.com. 'I guess it's just for fun - it's not as if they need the money.'

Ex-engineer David, 56, promised to buy himself a new car after going public in February 2016 to collect a lump sum payment before taxes of $327.8 million.

Locals in Melbourne Beach, Florida may have been expecting a Ferrari or top of the range Cadillac but the sensible retiree traded in his gold-colored SUV for a newer, but near-identical, gold SUV.

David uses the 15ft Boston Whaler he owned before the lottery win. The couple hail from Central Islip on New York's Long Island but moved to Melbourne Beach in 1991

The Powerball generated $114 million for public schools in the state of Florida. Maureen and Davis scored the winning ticket along with two other couples

Normal routine: Everyday life has not changed for the couple, who live in the same $300,000 home as they did before the record windfall

And despite having enough capital to afford a fleet of yachts, the keen fisherman still takes to the water in the same 15ft Boston Whaler he had parked up in his driveway before his life-changing win.

The couple's one splashy outlay is a $90,000 Tesla in matching gold for Maureen. It also has a vanity plate.

As for the remaining hundreds of millions friends and neighbors can only speculate on where it's being spent.

When DailyMail.com caught up with Maureen last week and asked what she's been doing as a newly minted multi-millionairess she smiled and said: 'Oh nothing exciting.'

'Taking care of family,' she added, before politely declining to speak further about her windfall.

Originally from Central Islip on New York's Long Island, David and Maureen have been married 37 years and moved to sleepy Melbourne Beach on the Florida coast in 1991.

Maureen continues to shop at the local Melbourne Beach Publix. The couple kept their win a secret for a month, even from their adult children

When DailyMail.com approached Maureen last week to ask what the couple has done with their hundreds of millions of dollars, she politely said: 'Oh, nothing exciting,' then added 'Taking care of family'

In addition to upgrading their SUV, the couple bought a gold $90,000 Tesla Model S

Maureen, a homemaker and former Avon Lady, has two grown up children: 50-year-old Michael who still lives in Long Island and Denise 47, who lives in the UK. She and her husband picked the same random set of lottery numbers - 4 8 19 27 34 with a Powerball of 10 - for three decades before landing the huge prize with two other tickets.

On the advice of lawyers they kept the win secret for a month, even from Michael and Denise, before telling them on the eve of the announcement. In their ensuing press conference David said the thought of having millions of dollars had given him sleepless nights and he had lost 10lbs from the stress.

'Instead of designing airplanes, I'm going to be doing charities and tax strategies and investments,' he said, giving the merest of hints about his spending plans.

Each winner had to choose between a $328 million lump sum or their entire $528 million delivered in 30 annual payments. Like fellow winners John and Lisa Robertson of Munford, Tennessee, and Marvin and Mae Acosta of Chino Hills, California, David and Maureen opted for the one-off payment because of their age.

Their neighbors told DailyMail.com they never expected to see them return to their neatly-kept three-bedroom home because of security concerns. However the down-to-earth pair opted to stay put at their ranch-style property on the banks of the Indian River, with sociable Maureen regularly seen calling on friends and walking her Pomeranian dog Cassie.

'I expect the winnings have been invested carefully for their family's future, but their money is their business and I would never ask about it,' said a neighbor living opposite, giving his name as Jim.

'But there's no luxury yacht moored out the back and no real changes. They were nice, humble people before and they are exactly the same now - although I've never asked them for anything.

John and Lisa Robinson immediately claimed their prize and even went on the Today show before they turned in their winning ticket to lottery organizers (John, right, Lisa, second left)

'It makes a nice change from all the stories you see in the news about people winning the lottery, going mad, even killing themselves.'

David and Maureen's huge jackpot win also benefited others. The Publix store received $100,000 for selling the winning ticket and the Powerball generated $114 million for schools in the state of Florida.

Fellow winners John and Lisa Robinson, of Munford, Tennessee, showed less restraint and claimed their prize immediately, even going on the Today show before they had handed their winning ticket to lottery organizers.

Marvin and Mae Acosta, meanwhile, took six months to come forward, finally breaking cover in July last year to claim their share of the spoils. They later released a statement saying they were dedicating nearly all of the prize money to charity, describing the win as 'rare gift that has been placed in our care.'

They bought their ticket in China Hills, a suburb of Los Angeles, but it is not know if they are from there. Their identities were revealed because Californian law mandates that winners be named, but they have not been photographed.
Pyongyang has released new footage of dictator Kim Jong-un watching his troops destroy a mocked-up South Korean rocket during a huge military exercise.

The tyrant could be seen grinning as special forces soldiers used grenades to blow up a replica Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile.

Video released by the state-run Korean Central Television shows troops performing acrobatic rolls and vaulting over fences as they advance on positions during the military display.

Pyongyang has released new footage of dictator Kim Jong-un watching his troops destroy a mocked-up South Korean rocket (pictured) during a huge military exercise

Military drills: Video shows soldiers advancing on the replica Hyunmoo-3 rocket and destroying it

The tyrant could be seen grinning as special forces soldiers used grenades to blow up a replica Hyunmoo-3 cruise missile

It comes days after South Korean leader watched a test launch of the Hyunmoo-3 rocket, which has a range of more than 300 miles. The trial was part of moves to prove Seoul's 'readiness' in the face of North Korean aggression.

North Korea's military drill, named 'Dropping and Target-striking Contest of KPA Special Operation Forces', took place earlier this year.

But a female commentator on a newly-released, hour-long documentary about the event said the army was capable of launching a 'merciless mopping-up operation' if enemies attacked.

She said the armed forces would be able to 'wipe out the daylight robbery U.S. imperialist and its subordinate without a trace', according to NK News.

Footage shows Kim Jong-un grinning with his top officials as he watches on from a balcony.

A female commentator on a newly-released, hour-long documentary about the event said the army was capable of launching a 'merciless mopping-up operation' if enemies attacked

Video released by the state-run Korean Central Television shows troops performing acrobatic rolls and vaulting over fences as they advance on positions during the military display

Soldiers fire hand-held rocket launchers and blow up buildings while parachute squads fall from the sky to join the exercises

Soldiers fire hand-held rocket launchers and blow up buildings while parachute squads fall from the sky to join the exercises.

It comes days after Kim Jong-un threatened South Korea's former president with a 'miserable dog's death' over an alleged plot to assassinate the tyrant.

Pyongyang vowed to 'impose the death penalty' on Park Geun-Hye claiming she 'pushed forward' a supposed plan by Seoul's intelligence services to eliminate the North Korean dictator.

South Korea's spy agency described the threats as 'unpardonable'.

It comes amid tensions over the North's nuclear and missile programmes and with Washington considering whether to re-designate Pyongyang as a state sponsor of terrorism.
Residents in a Washington DC neighborhood are upset over fliers claiming the completely debunked and utterly bizarre 'pizzagate' conspiracy theory is real.

The fliers appeared in the Tenleytown neighborhood where a man fired a gun inside the Comet Ping Pong restaurant, which was at the center of the strange and false conspiracy.

At least one resident who received a flier called police. The shooting is still fresh in the community's consciousness, as it happened just six months ago.

Edgar Welch is apprehended (pictured) in December for opening fire into a DC restaurant that was caught in the middle of a conspiracy about Hillary Clinton and a child sex ring

This past week fliers (pictured) were distributed in the DC community re-igniting neighborhood fears that conspiracy theorists are trying to give new life to the false claim

Comet Ping Pong (pictured) where Edgar Welch opened fire after believing the false conspiracy theory that Hillary Clinton was hiding children for sex trafficking on the premises

Edgar Welch, 29, said he wanted to investigate the wild online claims of a child sex ring at Comet Ping Pong. The North Carolina man was sentenced to four years in prison in late June for opening fire into the restaurant in order to save children he believed were being trafficked.

The fliers were placed on fences and doors and called for the conspiracy theory to be re-investigated. Residents said they were feeling 'rage, anger and disgust' that the theory is still being circulated.

'The intel on this wasn't 100 percent,' Welch said after his arrest. Given the still-recent violence, neighbors were alarmed by the fliers, which read 'pizzagate is real news and it is your moral obligation to educate yourself about it!'

A man visits the make-shift memorial outside of Comet in December just a day after Welch opened fire in the pizzeria

Comet owner James Alefantis gives a brief statement on the shooting

'I'm all for free speech but I think this goes beyond free speech into issues of public safety,' said Craig Williams who received one of the fliers to local NBC 4.

At Welch's sentencing, the judge said that even though Welch didn't harm anyone, his unsound actions 'literally left psychological wreckage.'

The fliers turned up sometime between Wednesday night and Thursday morning.

The 'Pizza-gate' theory claimed Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief John Podesta ran a child sex trafficking ring out of Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in DC. The theory emerged after Podesta's emails were released in a WikiLeaks hack.

The pizza shops owner James Alefantis was mentioned in the emails as he is a democratic supporter and his shop was under consideration as a venue for a campaign fundraiser.

The speculation began when discussions of cheese pizza were theorized to be code words for child porn as they share the same initials.

Despite the shooting at Comet Ping Ping in December and the conspiracy theory being voraciously debunked, protesters demonstrate in March that it still needs investigation

The disturbing and voraciously debunked claims were then propagated by far right radio show host and blogger Alex Jones.

Jones eventually issued an apology for supporting the theory after Welch opened fire at Comet Ping Pong. Welch said he went to the restaurant in an attempt to save trafficked children that he believed were being hidden there.

Jones' apology statement read 'Neither Mr. Alefantis, nor his restaurant Comet Ping Pong, were involved in any human trafficking as was part of the theories about Pizzagate that were being written about in many media outlets and which we commented upon.'

The judge during Welch's sentencing said Welch 'forged ahead' with an 'ill-conceived plot' even though others urged him to abandon it. She added that Welch should have notified law enforcement if he really believed children were being harmed.

WHAT IS THE PIZZAGATE CONSPIRACY? The 'Pizzagate' conspiracy claims Hillary Clinton and her campaign chief John Podesta ran a child sex abuse ring at the Comet Ping Pong pizzeria in Washinton DC. Some of the rumors claimed that kidnapped and trafficked children were being kept in the pizzeria's back rooms and secret tunnels where they were being molested. Staff at the restaurant received a number of death threats after the fake news was shared on social media. It started when emails belonging to Clinton's campaign manager, John Podesta, were released by WikiLeaks. The owner of the pizza shop, James Alefantis, was mentioned in the emails. He is a Democrat supporter and was talking about a fundraiser. Users on the online message board 4Chan speculated Alefantis' Comet Ping Pong was part of a Democratic child trafficking ring and rumors swirled on social media, including Reddit and Twitter. Reddit eventually took the step of banning the topic from its message boards. There has been no evidence of the so-called abuse, no investigation and no victims. Advertisement

Two Comet Ping Pong workers and owner James Alefantis also spoke before Welch's sentencing. Alefantis called 'pizzagate' a 'viscous web of lies' and said many people had suffered because of Welch's actions.

Welch, a father of two, drove 300-some miles from North Carolina to Washington DC to personally investigate the conspiracy theory and rescue potential sex slaves.

Patrons at the restaurant fled when they saw Welch, who was armed with a fully loaded AR-15 assault rifle and revolver. He opened fire at a locked storage closet. Thankfully no one was injured.

Edgar Welch (pictured) from NC stormed the DC pizzeria on to investigate a fictitious pedophile ring run by Hillary Clinton. He was armed because he wanted to 'rescue the child sex slaves' - but surrendered peacefully when he realized they didn't exist

In his one-page, handwritten letter filed with the court earlier in June, Welch wrote that he 'came to DC with the intent of helping people I believed were in dire need of assistance, and to bring an end to a corruption that I truly felt was harming innocent lives'.

He wrote that he wanted to apologize and that he acted without considering the repercussions of his actions or the possible harm.

'It was never my intention to harm or frighten innocent lives, but I realize now just how foolish and reckless my decision was,' he wrote.

Comet Ping Pong owner James Alefantis has said the 'pizzagate' hoax that spread on the internet threw the lives of everyone connected with the shop into chaos.

Prosecutors Demian Ahn and Sonali Patel wrote that a 'significant sentence' of 4.5 years was required not only to punish Welch but to 'deter other would-be vigilantes from attempting similar crimes against innocent subjects of the next internet-inspired conspiracy theory'.
A woman who was struck by lightning while she was pregnant remains in intensive care at a Florida hospital where her newborn also is being treated.

Meghan Davidson, 26, was just seven days away from her due date when she was struck in the head by a lightning bolt on Thursday while walking with her mother outside her home in Fort Myers.

Doctors were forced to prematurely deliver baby Owen, whose condition wasn't available, reported NBC2.

Meghan Davidson (right, pictured with her husband, Matt) remains in the hospital in intensive care after being struck in the head by lightning while walking with her mother in Fort Myers, Florida

Davidson (pictured), already a mother-of-two, was seven days away from her due date and doctors were forced to deliver baby Owen early. No update is available on his condition

Although Davidson is in critical condition at Lee Memorial Hospital, her fellow churchgoers at McGregor Baptist Church say she is making progress.

The congregation held a prayer vigil for Davidson, who has two other children, on Sunday.

'Meghan is showing signs of improvement. They have lowered the amount of oxygen that she is getting and they have lowered the sedation,' Carol Bridges, a church member, told NBC2.

Davidson (right) has reportedly been making progress, such as being able to react with her eyes when her husband, Matt (left), says her name

NBC2 also reported that Davidson has been able to react with her eyes when her husband, Matt, says her name.

Tampa-based National Weather Service meteorologist Andrew McKaughan said there have been three fatal lightning strikes in the US so far this year, including two in Florida.

McKaughan added that storms had dropped almost an inch of rain over Lee County by Thursday evening. He said anyone who hears thunder is close enough to a thunderstorm to be struck by lightning.
The shocking moment a Nebraska state trooper struck down a drunk man with the butt of his rifle after an hour long high speed chase was caught on dashcam video.

Brian Davis reportedly led authorities on the dangerous chase while driving a minivan and reaching speeds up to 100mph in 2016.

Trooper Kyle Kuebler clocked a silver van driven by Davis at 76 mph in a 55 mph zone around 1.11am just south of Chadron.

Footage from the ordeal shows sparks flying from one of the blown out tires on the minivan before it crashed off road.

The Colorado native was ordered out of the vehicle by Kuebler and Trooper Lindsey Bixby, who joined in the pursuit about 20 minutes into the chase.

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Brian Davis reportedly led authorities in Nebraska on a dangerous chase while driving a minivan and reaching speeds up to 100mph. Footage from the ordeal shows the sparks flying from one of the blown out tires on the minivan before it crashed off road (above)

The Colorado native was ordered out of the vehicle by the Trooper Lindsey Bixby and his partner. Davis can be seen getting out of the van and raising his arms up

Davis can be seen getting out of the van and raising his arms up while standing before the troopers who are ordering him to 'get down on the ground'.

The troopers shout that command several times, as Davis does not follow their instructions.

That's when Bixby approaches Davis and knocks him down by hitting him in the head with the butt end of his rifle.

Davis can be seen falling down to the ground as one of the troopers wrestles with him in an effort to place handcuffs on his wrists.

According to Omaha World-Herald, Bixby was not truthful about what happened during the March 4, 2016 incident.

The trooper, who was not fired, testified under oath that he did not strike Davis in the head.

The troopers can be heard ordering him to 'get down on the ground', but he does not comply. That's when Bixby approaches Davis and knocks him down by hitting him in the head with the butt end of his rifle

Bixby did resign from his post months later, but he could possibly be hired later by another law enforcement agency.

As a result of the incident that was caught on video, Gov. Pete Ricketts confirmed that the Sioux County case and how it was handled was a factor in the removal of Patrol Superintendent Brad Rice, the World-Herald reported.

In addition, Ricketts also put six other officers on paid administrative leave.

'On Thursday, the governor was fully briefed on the use of force on display in the video and the subsequent investigation,' spokesman Taylor Gage said in a statement to the newspaper. 'The use of force on display in the video is egregious.'

Davis can be seen falling down to the ground as one of the troopers wrestles with him in an effort to place handcuffs on his wrists. Bixby was not fired for the incident, but instead resigned from his posts months later

The dashcam video has been reviewed by the deputy Sioux County attorney who called it 'shocking' and said the first blush 'looked vicious.'

But Bixby was not criminally charged, as the prosecutor cited that there was no proof that Davis had suffered any injury.

Davis later pleaded no contest to willful reckless driving and attempt to operate a motor vehicle to avoid arrest, which are both misdemeanor charges.

In addition, a misdemeanor DUI charge was dropped, and Davis was sentenced to two years of probation.

His criminal history in Colorado shows from 1999 to 2015 he has been cited for more than 20 misdemeanors or traffic offenses.

Some of those charges include driving while impaired, careless driving, driving under the influence and driving without a license.
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New Jersey Governor Chris Christie has come under fire online after photos emerged of him and his family enjoying an Independence Day Weekend on a state-run beach that he had closed off to the public.

Christie shut down the beach at Island Beach State Park - along with all state-run beaches and parks - after a budget standoff. But on Sunday he was spotted enjoying the holiday weekend sun.

He attempted to brush off the criticism, saying that he was just using the beach next to the governor's mansion, and that he didn't get any sun - even though pictures show him in a T-shirt and shorts on a beach chair.

As Christie came under fire, furious tweeters took to social media to lampoon him in a string of hilarious memes - catapulting him to Twitter's top trends list.

Fireworks: New Jersey governor Chris Christie came under fire after photos emerged of him and his family on a state-run beach - even though he had closed all state-run parks and public beaches due to a budget standoff

Nightmare: As Christie found himself being mocked on all sides, this Twitter user reimagined him as a warrior reclaiming the beach - located at Island Beach State Park - for himself

Governor at war: Christie found himself being photoshopped into Star Wars: Rogue One in this hilarious tweet

'Hypocrisy': This Twitter user said that Christie was a hypocrite for sunning himself at the beach

He finally really did it: Christie was placed in the ending of the original Planet of the Apes movie in this meme

Shy? Christie seemed to be giving Burt Lancaster and Deborah Kerr some privacy - if not some space - in this edit of a still from the movie From Here to Eternity

Glamour: This user was one of many who mocked Christie's appearance, asking people to imagine him as more glamorous than he is

Bad vibrations: The heroes from 1990 B-movie Tremors - in which giant sand-worms eat people who make too much noise - were drafted in by this social media user

No show: This user invoked Donald Trump's exaggerations about how many people turned up to his inauguration. Christie had supported Trump on the stump after his own presidential campaign deflated

Feeling green: Christie was reimagined as Dr Seuss's villainous Christmas thief The Grinch for blocking off the beaches and parks from so many people

Lampooned: Christie was likened to John Candy's character from National Lampoon's Vacation, who tried to stop the family from getting into a national park

Dim view: Christie had told the press that he 'didn't get any sun' - then the photos emerged. His spokesperson then claimed that Christie told the truth because he'd worn a baseball cap

Talking cap: This user altered an existing meme - of a smug guy giving out advice - to poke fun at Christie's spokesman's denial

The gang's all here: Christie was reimagined as one of the Sopranos, sunning himself along with Paulie Walnuts

Office space: This user mixed memes, putting Christie in the Oval Office along with Kellyanne Conway, whose bizarre behavior - kneeling on a sofa with her heels on to take photos - went viral in February

Gump-tion: Christie's weight was a common theme for jokers, including this one who photoshopped him into Forrest Gump

A whale of a time: Christie also found himself likened to a beached whale in several of the tweets

Chow down: The Twitter feed 'Chris Christie Eats,' which dedicates itself to Photoshopped images of Christie eating odd things claimed he'd chomped through a chair

A sight for sore eyes: A clip of Friends characters Phoebe and Rachel seeing Monica and Chandler having sex was co-opted by this Twitter user

In the groove: Footage of Christie comically dancing resurfaced as his gubernatorial gaffe went viral
French President Emmanuel Macron on Monday said the European Union has 'lost its way', calling for a 'new generation of leaders' to revive the bloc in the wake of Brexit.

'The building of Europe has been weakened by the spread of bureaucracy and by the growing scepticism that comes from that,' Macron said in an address to both houses of parliament.

'The last 10 years have been cruel for Europe. We have managed crises but we have lost our way.'

Macron laid out his political, security and diplomatic priorities at an extraordinary joint session of parliament at the chateau of Versailles on Monday.

French President Emmanuel Macron laid out his political, security and diplomatic priorities at an extraordinary joint session of parliament at the chateau of Versailles on Monday

Macron is not the first French leader to hold a so-called joint Congress, though past presidents have tended to use the address in times of crisis or constitutional reforms

He said he understood why many Europeans see the EU as bureaucratic, distant and uncaring.

As a result, he said France and Germany will launch conferences open to everyone in an effort to get citizens more closely involved in EU activities.

Additionally, he said European countries should work more closely to help political refugees while fighting migrant smuggling and strengthening borders against illegal migration.

The French president also vowed to lift a state of emergency that has been in place since 2015, but also to harden permanent security measures to fight Islamic extremism and other threats.

He insisted on the need to 'guarantee full respect for individual liberties' amid concerns that new measures would allow police too many powers.

'I will re-establish the freedoms of the French people by lifting the state of emergency this autumn, because these freedoms are the precondition of the existence of a strong democracy,' Macron said in the address to both houses of parliament.

The French leader last month set out a tough new anti-terrorism law designed to allow the lifting of the state of emergency, which has been extended five times.

The current provision expires in mid-July, when Macron's new centrist government is expected to extend it again until November 1 while the new law is prepared.

France's youngest leader since Napoleon wants it to be an annual feature of his presidency

The legislation has received the go-ahead from France's top administrative court despite concerns from rights groups including Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch that it will enshrine into law draconian powers allowed under the state of emergency.

Amnesty complained last month that French authorities were abusing anti-terrorism measures by using them to curb legitimate protests.

The new anti-terror law would give French authorities greater powers to act to protect an event or location thought to be at risk from attack, without first seeking permission from the courts.

The draft law would also allow places of worship thought to be promoting extremism to be shut down for up to six months.

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe argued it struck the 'right balance' between respecting freedoms and reinforcing security.

Macron's speech came two days after authorities charged a young man with plotting a possible attack against the president or minority groups.

He also ordered a strategic review of the French military to respond to evolving threats, and pledging to reinvigorate French diplomacy.

Macron said he would maintain France's military interventions against extremists abroad while insisting on the importance of maintaining 'the path of negotiation, of dialogue' for long-term solutions.

Macron's aides also say that by convening parliament's 925 lawmakers to the 17th century palace built outside Paris by Louis XIV - the 'Sun King' - the president is seeking to restore old-fashioned grandeur to the role, his aides say

He said 'threats have never been so great' and said countries need to cooperate more than ever.

Critics who fear Macron is trying to amass too much power have staged protests over Monday's event.

After his new centrist party dominated parliamentary elections and split the opposition, political rivals are comparing Macron to Napoleon, or the Roman king-of-the-gods Jupiter.

They are especially angry that he wants to strip worker protections through a decree-like procedure, allowing little parliamentary debate.

Macron is not the first French leader to hold a so-called joint Congress, though past presidents have tended to use the address in times of crisis or constitutional reforms.

France's youngest leader since Napoleon wants it to be an annual feature of his presidency.

'He is going to put in perspective his actions for the next five years, and even beyond that,' an aide to the president told Reuters.

Macron's aides also say that by convening parliament's 925 lawmakers to the 17th century palace built outside Paris by Louis XIV - the 'Sun King' - the president is seeking to restore old-fashioned grandeur to the role, his aides say.

While many in France still hold dear the display of presidential power, Macron's style has grated with others who lament the strong powers the constitution drawn up by war hero Charles de Gaulle bestows on the presidency.
This is the terrifying moment a woman casually strolls past a bomb-disposal robot - seconds before it carries out a controlled explosion on a suspicious object.

In the footage, from the Glengalliagh Park area of Derry, Northern Ireland, roars of laughter can be heard as the seemingly oblivious woman walks past the machine.

Just moments later there is a loud bang, prompting screams, as one incredulous spectator remarks: 'She was seconds away from dying there!'

Casual stroll: In the footage, from the Glengalliagh Park area of Derry, Northern Ireland, the woman can be seen approaching the area (left) before walking past the bomb disposal robot (right)

The woman was uninjured by the explosion but was reportedly left shaken.

Afterwards, a man is seen running towards her and guiding her away from the scene.

In a statement issued after the explosion, Chief Inspector McCracken said the police force's 'primary objective was to protect the community from harm'.

'Police took a number of steps to make the area safe including erecting cordons, advising local residents to evacuate and providing advice to residents who elected to stay,' he went on.

Bang! Just moments after the woman walks past the explosion can be heard (left), as one incredulous spectator remarks: 'She was seconds away from dying there!' After the explosion, a man is seen running towards the shaken passerby and guiding her away from the area (right)

'While procedures were ongoing to make safe the suspicious object, police and ATO were obliged to take protective cover, reducing their visibility.

'When police became aware of the female, they immediately approached her and guided her from the area.'

He added: 'I would again stress the importance of following the advice given by police in situations such as this.

'People need to respect the advice which is given to protect members of the public and the advice must be adhered to at all times.'

The woman may have escaped unhurt because the device exploded by the bomb-disposal robot was in fact an 'elaborate hoax', according to reports.

'It is clear that criminal elements made an object which was made to resemble a bomb and whatever the intention of those who placed this object, it is clear that they wish to instil fear, disrupt the community and attempt to deter the delivery of a policing service to the community,' Chief Inspector McCracken said.

No arrests have been made.
This is the dramatic moment a Russian missile designed to carry nukes malfunctioned and exploded shortly after launch.

The Bulava-class missile was one of two fired from submarine Yury Dolgoruky as it sat in the White Sea, and was supposed to hit a target 3,500 miles away on the Kura testing range, on the Kamchatka Peninsula.

While video shows the first missile takes off without a problem, the second veers wildly off-course before exploding moments later.

This is the moment a Russian Bulava missile, which is designed to carry a nuclear warhead, malfunctioned and exploded moments after being test-launched

The Bulava is the end result of Russia's most expensive military project ever, but is notoriously unreliable - with one in four either exploding after launch or missing their target

It is not clear why the missile failed, but in the past experts have pointed to faults in the construction as possible reasons for Bulava failures.

The missile could also have been slightly damaged on launch, Gazeta.ru reported.

The Bulava missile took Russia years to develop and one its most expensive military project ever when it was first deployed in 2013.

Designed to carry nuclear warheads, the missile forms the backbone of Russia's submarine-based deterrent - but is notoriously unreliable.

The missile was launched from submarine Yury Dolgoruky, the first of Russia's newest Borei-class vessels to be launched which are equipped with the missiles

The projectile was supposed to travel from the White Sea (left) before hitting a target on the Kura testing range (right), some 3,500 miles away

Out of 27 test firings, nine of them have failed, meaning there is an almost one-in-four chance the missiles will explode after launch or miss their target.

While this is embarrassing for President Putin during tests, the consequences for the world in an actual nuclear war would be potentially catastrophic.

The Bulava does not have the same rage or speed as the older missiles it was supposed to replace, but it does have enhanced defenses to avoid being shot down.

It is mounted on Russia's newest Borei-class submarine, which took almost 30 years to design and build, with Yury Dolgoruky being the first ever produced.

The test in this recording was carried out in September last year, but the footage only came to light this week.
Four former top bankers have appeared in court over alleged side deals struck at the height of the financial crisis.

The bank, as well as its ex-chief executive John Varley, 61, Roger Jenkins, 61, Thomas Kalaris, 61, and Richard Boath, 58, have all been charged with conspiracy to commit fraud over a June 2008 fundraising scheme.

The case marks the first criminal charges to be brought in the UK against a bank and its former executives for activities during the financial crisis.

Former Barclays chief executive John Varley and top banker Roger Jenkins are among four top executives in court over an alleged fraud during the financial crisis

The case is the first to be brought against a UK bank over activities during the financial crisis. Pictured: Former chief executive John Varley (second left) with his legal team

Boath, of Henley-On-Thames, Oxfordshire, Jenkins, of Malibu, California, Kalaris, of London and Varley, of London, appeared before a courtroom packed with journalists, at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Monday.

The Serious Fraud Office said the charges relate to the bank's emergency fundraising from Qatari investors as the group sought to avoid a government bailout amid the banking sector meltdown.

Barclays, Varley and Jenkins face the same charge relating to a second fundraising in October 2008, while they have also been charged with providing unlawful financial assistance.

Varley, who was chief executive between 2004 and 2011, headed the bank at the time of the fundraising, while Jenkins is also said to have played a key role in orchestrating the deal.

Kalaris used to lead the bank's wealth and investment management division, while Boath was the former European head of financial institutions group at Barclays.

Bailing all four defendants, senior district judge Emma Arbuthnot ordered Jenkins and Kalaris to pay a security each of 500,000 owing to the former living in the United States and the latter having dual nationality.

Investment chiefs Richard Boath and Thomas Kalaris also appeared in court in London today

Boath and Varley were released on unconditional bail. They are next due to appear at Southwark Crown Court on July 17 at 9.30am.

Edward Brown QC, prosecuting, said: 'There are four charges in total, each of the defendants is charged with the first charge.

'Three defendants, Barclays, Varley and Jenkins are charged on count two, conspiracy to defraud.

'Count three only applies to Barclays, giving unlawful financial assistance.

'Count 4 applies to Varley and Jenkins being an officer in default of a company giving unlawful financial assistance.

Boath (picured, centre) is the former head of the bank's European financial institutions group

The prosecutor added: 'The investigation has been going on for a number of years and each of the defendants have cooperated with the administration of the case. They are plainly serious charges that must be litigated.'

Addressing the four defendants, Magistrate Emma Arbuthnot said: 'Your next appearance will be at Southwark Crown Court.

'You must attend on 17 July if you don't attend you will be arrested and brought to court in custody.'
Steve Bannon, a member of President Donald Trump's inner circle, is pushing a tax reform proposal that's a radical shift from the Republican base's principles as the White House searches for a way to get a package passed this year.

The senior White House aide wants to raise taxes on America's wealthiest residents to help offset cuts the president promised the poor and the middle class, Axios first reported.

A senior administration official confirmed to DailyMail.com that Bannon is pushing the idea internally and speculated that it could be paired with a deduction for rich Americans who earn their income from sources other than investments.

Steve Bannon, a member of President Donald Trump's inner circle, is pushing a tax reform proposal that's a radical shift from the Republican base's principles as the White House searches for a way to get a package passed this year

In layman's terms, the tax hike could hit major investors like Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and National Economic Council head Gary Cohen, before they took jobs in the administration, and leave other rich Americans right where they began.

Cohn, the president's chief economic adviser, is reportedly telling colleagues that tax legislation has to get done this calendar year if it's going to happen at all.

A former Goldman Sachs executive, Cohn is likely to leave the White House if it doesn't, sources who spoke to Axios indicated.

Axios said Monday that Bannon is asking for a tax hike that would put the nation's top marginal rate above 40 percent for individuals earning more than $418,400 a year and $470,700 for married couples who file jointly.

The rate for top earners maxes is 39.6 percent at present.

Bannon's proposal to bump up taxes for high earners could attract Democratic support to the overhaul that the political party has already characterized as a giveaway to the billionaire president and his rich friends.

Establishment Republicans who have traditionally promoted big business as a conduit for job growth are likely to reject the populist measure, though, putting the White House between a rock and hard place.

The president's cadre of economic advisers, many of whom are millionaires and billionaires in their own right, have already said they want to slash the corporate tax rate in half.

Gary Cohn, the president's chief economic adviser, is reportedly telling colleagues that tax legislation has to get done this calendar year if it's going to happen at all

A set of principles for tax reform that the White House released in April called for a 15 percent corporate tax rate, down from 35 percent.

The White House proposed then to cap to taxes for the most fortunate Americans at 35 percent. Other earners would fall into two brackets of 15 and 25 percent, it said.

In another action that Democrats say is a gift to the wealthy, the president wants to get rid of the estate tax - the heavy fee the government imposes on the deceased's assets when they are transferred to a relative.

Trump's vision for tax reform would have Americans filing on a postcard-sized form. All but a handful of deductions would be eliminated, the administration has previously said.

Mnuchin has said time and time again that the plan would pay for itself with a projected three percent increase in economic growth but administration officials have told DailyMail.com that they are looking at additional mechanisms.

Trump has boasted that his tax cut, if he gets it the way he wants it, will be the largest in American history. Republican bickering over health care reform has delayed the introduction of a package, however.

The president's legislative director, Marc Short, said Sunday that the White House still believes it can get something passed this year and is looking to conquer tax relief this fall.
Pauline Hanson has lent her expertise to help a struggling fish and chips shop revive its fortunes - 21 years after she swapped a deep fryer for politics.

The stern One Nation leader instructed a teenage boy in the kitchen on how to make the perfect potato scallop as part of her plan to turn around the Causeway Lake Kiosk, in central Queensland.

Senator Hanson, who spent nine years running her own fish and chips shop in Ipswich, south-west of Brisbane, channeled the toughness of celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay - but without the shouting and swearing.

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Pauline Hanson mixes up some potato scallops batter as she helps a Queensland shop

The One Nation leader grabbed some tongs and put the potato scallops into some hot oil

Pauline Hanson sold her old fish and chips shop at Ipswich after being elected to parliament

A camera crew from A Current Affair was there to capture the federal lawmaker in the kitchen mixing up some batter in the coastal town south of Yeppoon.

The hands-on demonstration comes 21 years after she sold her own small business to take up her role as the controversial newly-elected federal member for Oxley.

'I haven't done this for a while,' she said with an egg beater in her hand.

Within minutes, the senator was in front of the deep fryer showing a young man how to put potato scallops into the hot oil.

The Queensland senator stands potato scallops on their side to drain away the hot oil

Pauline Hanson presents a glossy new menu to the Causeway Lake Kiosk with new addition

'That's what you've got to do. You've got to give value for money,' she said.

'And when you're doing it, standing them on their sides like that so the oil's draining out of it.'

A one point, she becomes a little frustrated at the teenager and instructs him to start cutting up some potatoes.

'But anyway there, if you've got nothing else to do,' she said.

Senator Hanson was there to help out mother-of-three Erin Robins, who has taken over the family business from her father Clinton Thompson.

She learnt how the business had to foot a quarterly electricity bill of $14,000.

The senator reflected on her own experience running a fish and chips shop as a divorced mother-of-four until March 1996.

'As a single mum, working 80 to 90 hours a week, you don't forget that in a hurry,' she said.

The One Nation leader's potato scallops were a hit, and were so successful they have permanently been added to the menu at the business which was in danger of closing.

The former fish and chips shop owner touts her special potato scallops to the daily specials
Qatar has become the latest Gulf state to ban superhero film Wonder Woman over its Israeli star Gal Gadot, it has been reported.

Lebanon and Tunisia have already banned screenings of the movie starring Gadot, 32, whose compulsory service in the Israeli Defense Force coincided with the 2006 war with Lebanon.

Wonder Woman was supposed to premiere in capital Doha yesterday but has been taken off the websites of several Qatari cinemas, local media reported.

Qatar has become the latest Gulf state to ban superhero film Wonder Woman over its Israeli star Gal Gadot

Both Vox and Novo Cinemas told Doha News it was no longer airing the movie, but it is being screened in the UAE, Oman and Bahrain.

Film star Gadot has been known to publicly support the IDF, including during the 2014 Gaza conflict.

She has also taken to her official Facebook account, followed by more than nine million, to 'send her love and prayers' to her fellow Israeli citizens.

She directed one message to 'all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas, who are hiding like cowards behind women and children.'

It comes a month after fellow Gulf states Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the UAE and Bahrain severed ties with Qatar after accusing it of supporting terrorism.

Lebanon and Tunisia have already banned screenings of the movie starring Gadot, 32

Gadot's compulsory service in the Israeli Defense Force coincided with the 2006 war with Lebanon

It was sparked by Qatar's support of the Muslim Brotherhood, the world's oldest Islamist movement.

Saudi Arabia, UAE, Bahrain and Egypt announced they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Qatar responded to the demands on Monday, though the details of the response were not made public.

When they first announced the closure of transport ties with Qatar at the start of June, the three Gulf states gave Qatari visitors and residents two weeks to leave their countries.

Film star Gadot has been known to publicly support the IDF, including during the 2014 Gaza conflict

Gadot directed one Facebook post to 'all the boys and girls who are risking their lives protecting my country against the horrific acts conducted by Hamas

Saudi Arabia accused Qatar of backing militant groups and broadcasting their ideology, in an apparent reference to Qatar's influential state-owned satellite channel al Jazeera.

'[Qatar] embraces multiple terrorist and sectarian groups aimed at disturbing stability in the region, including the Muslim Brotherhood, ISIS [Islamic State] and al-Qaeda,' Saudi state news agency SPA claimed.

It went on to accuse the nation of promoting 'the message and schemes of these groups through their media constantly'.
The UN has said that seven in 10 people crossing the Mediterranean from Libya are economic migrants and the rest are 'people in need of protection' like refugees and asylum-seekers.

The U.N. refugee agency says people smuggling and migrant flows in Libya are on the rise, so Europe may face increased flows of migrants and refugees in the future.

UNHCR says 84,830 migrants and refugees have reached Italy's shores so far this year from Libya, which is a 19-percent increase from last year.

In a new report on migration trends in Libya issued today, UNHCR noted that largely lawless Libya has become a major thoroughfare for migrants, but patterns of movement are changing.

The U.N. refugee agency says people smuggling and migrant flows in Libya are on the rise, so Europe may face increased flows of migrants and refugees in the future

UNHCR says 'trafficking for sexual exploitation' seems to be increasing, particularly affecting Nigerian and Cameroonian women and organized crime rings are becoming internationalized.

Authorities in Italy are investigating an attack on an empty hotel designated to host migrants, near the northern city of Brescia.

No one was injured when two incendiary devices were hurled Sunday at the Hotel Eureka, which sustained scant damage. It has been vacant for years.

The UNHCR says 84,830 migrants and refugees have reached Italy's shores so far this year from Libya, a 19-percent increase from a year earlier

Vobarno town Mayor Giuseppe Lancini said interior ministry officials told him last week the hotel would host 35 asylum-seekers.

He said he briefed the residents, who number about 400, of a hamlet near the hotel and that the local population opposed the decision.

Premier Paolo Gentiloni's center-left government has stepped up pressure on fellow EU nations to convince them to take in some of the hundreds of thousands of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean and brought to Italy in recent years.
Teacher Christine Capozzola says in a suit that she was thrown to the ground by a Southampton Town Police officer during an elementary school lockdown drill

A Long Island elementary school teacher is suing after she says a cop threw her to the ground, kneed her in the back and said he could have tased her during an emergency drill.

Christine Capozzola, a teacher at East Quogue Elementary School, had volunteered to play the part of a furious mom who wanted to snatch her kids during a custody battle.

She was expecting a member of the local police force to turn up and pretend to arrest her. But according to a suit filed in Brooklyn Federal Court, that plan went very wrong indeed, the New York Post reported.

Capozzola, who has also written children's books, had been told to walk through the school's halls, banging walls and calling out for her imaginary children.

But when Southampton Town Police didn't turn up as expected, Principal Robert Long ordered a call to be put through to 911, the suit claims.

A cop was then dispatched - and he apparently had no idea that Capozzola was playing a part, the lawsuit alleges.

The officer picked her up and 'brutally and violently threw [her] to the ground' before putting his knee in her back, pushing her face into the floor and cuffing her, the suit says

The suit also says that the cop told her 'I was two seconds from tasing you.'

By the time the drill's supervisor arrived, the suit claims, the teacher was limping and hand shooting pains in her arms and legs.

The drill 'should have never gotten to the point that Capozzola was handcuffed,' the suit says.

She is suing the school district, the Town of Southampton and the Southampton police for unspecified damages.

When asked by the New York Post, a lawyer for the town declined comment.
A leading academic says the Earth's growing tropical zone may lead to more droughts and hotter heatwaves in Australia.

CQUniversity's Adjunct Professor of Environmental Geography Steve Turton said temperatures could reach more than 40C in Sydney and Melbourne during heatwaves and last for two weeks, The Daily Telegraph reported.

With the area between the Tropics of Cancer and Capricorn currently 'bulging' and heading poleward, Adjunct Prof Turton said this will have an impact on the nation.

Australians are in for more hot days above 35C if future climate change projections for the nation come to fruition

Animals could be impacted by an expansion of the Earth's tropical zone as there were 'no suitable land areas (only oceans) for ecosystems and species to move into'

The planet's waistline has been growing since 1979 and it is likely to continue thanks to human activity, Adjunct Prof wrote in a piece for The Conversation.

'If the current rate continues, by 2100 the edge of the new dry subtropical zone would extend from roughly Sydney to Perth,' he said.

'As these dry subtropical zones shift, droughts will worsen and overall less rain will fall in most warm temperate regions.'

Adjunct Prof Turton said the geographical location of Australia placed the nation at high risk of an expanded tropical zone.

He added: 'Future climate change projections for Australia include increasing air and ocean temperatures, rising sea levels, more hot days (over 35C), declining rainfall in the southern continental areas, and more extreme fire weather events'.

Adjunct Prof Turton said biodiversity hotspots in Australia could also feel the effects of the tropical zone expansion as there were 'no suitable land areas (only oceans) for ecosystems and species to move into'.
The alleged perpetrators of a machete attack on the Gold Coast which left a woman with severe facial injuries remain behind bars.

Clint Darryn Hall, 35, faced Southport Magistrates Court on Monday charged with two counts of acts intended to maim and one count of unlawfully possession stolen items.

Ingrid Brown, 35, suffered a severe cut to her face needing surgery while her partner Michael Liddell, 34, was cut on the forearm outside their home in Coombabah.

Clint Darryn Hall, 35, and Thomas Peter Ealam, have been charged over the horror attack

Hall did not apply for bail and has been remanded in custody.

His co-accused, Thomas Peter Ealam, did not appear on Monday with his lawyer indicating the 18-year-old would make a bail application in the same court on Wednesday.

The pair are accused of injuring Ms Brown, and Mr Liddell outside their Coombabah home in the early hours of Saturday morning.

'Half of her face was hanging off, almost like it was going to fall off,' Mr Liddell's brother told News Corp Australia.

'It will leave a permanent scar, not just physical either.'

It's alleged the two men were confronted by Ms Brown and Mr Liddell around 2am outside the home.

The couple were allegedly attacked outside their home in Coombabah on Saturday

Hall and Ealam are then alleged to have returned a short time later armed with machetes.

It's then alleged both Ms Brown and Mr Liddell were injured.

Hall's matter has been adjourned until September 12.
Cops are on the hunt for a couple who stole nearly $600 of party gear for the Independence Day celebrations including beer, steaks, a US flag and a kayak.

The theft occurred in broad daylight on Sunday afternoon at a Walmart store on the M-43 near Hastings in Michigan two days before July Fourth.

A woman in a tight, salmon pink vest top and a man in a hat were captured on security cameras loading up a full cart before making off with the goods.

The man (left) pushes a cart out of the store followed by the woman (right) whose credit card was declined

The goods were loaded into this silver convertible before it was driven off in Hastings, Michigan

State police trooper Shay Wresinski said it looked like they were 'having a party', according to Michigan Live, as they brazenly made their way from the parking lot in a silver convertible.

Cops say the woman went to the checkout lane, bagged the groceries and goods, and loaded them back into the cart.

The man walked out of the store with the goods while she finished up and paid the $600 bill at the store in the Rutland Township.

When she swiped a credit card, it was declined, so she told members of staff at the store she was going to the car to fetch a different card to pay.

Neither returned to the store and it later transpired the card used to try and purchase the goods had expired months ago.

Anyone with information has been urged to call state police on 269-792-2213.
Queensland MP Bob Katter has left Q&A viewers baffled after continually referring to himself as a 'blackfella' during the 60-minute panel show.

Mr Katter, answering a question in Alice Springs on land titles, told the audience: 'I identify as a blackfella on odd occasions, and I will identify this time as a blackfella.'

'We are the most land-rich peep on earth, we blackfellas in Australia, and we are not allowed to use it,' he said.

'We are not allowed to have a title deed.'

Queensland MP Bob Katter self-identified as a 'blackfella' on Q&A in Alice Springs on Monday night

Twitter lit up immediately with the independent MP's claims, with prominent Indigenous Aussie hip hop star Briggs telling his followers: 'I'm identifying as a pilot tomorrow, gimme the wheel'.

Another man claimed he was 'genuinely intrigued' by Katter's claims, and requested a fact check.

When asked about better rehabilitation facilities for juvenile inmates by former Don Dale inmate Dylan Voller, Katter again chose to identify as a blackfella.

'Give us some credit - give we blackfellas some credit,' he exclaimed in calling for an end to youth detention.

'Where I come from, we held the British Empire at bay for 60 years.

He referred to himself as an Indigenous Australian multiple times during the panel show, with many home-viewers questioning the veracity of his claims

The woman who asked the initial question on land titles appeared confused at Katter's continued references to being a blackfella

'What we did in the good old days, 200 years ago, was if you played up, you were sent out into the bush and you stayed out in the bush until you were prepared to behave yourself.

'The name used in most of the northern tribes was "Budjeka" - banishment.'

Dylan Voller stole the limelight away from the controversial MP after his question was answered, with panel host Virginia Trioli pausing the debate to ask the boy, remembered for being the young face behind the image of the spit hood, how he was doing.

Voller kept it brief, answering: 'yeah. [Life is] good'.

Dylan Voller also made an appearance on the whirlwind show, asking a question about rehabilitation programs for juvenile inmates and informing the panel and audience he was doing well following his release

When questioned further on whether he had found work, Voller again answered in monosyllable: 'yeah'.

Mr Katter was born in Cloncurry, in outback Queensland, and is of Lebanese descent.

But he has a long history of working with and for the nation's Indigenous population.

Most recently, Katter slammed high fashion brand Chanel for sticking its logo on a designer boomerang, and earlier this year he introduced legislation to make it illegal to sell faux, imported Indigenous Australian artwork.
Glastonbury Festival stands accused of sacking 600 zero-hour contract employees - just days after Jeremy Corbyn spoke at the event highlighting the plight of foreign workers

Glastonbury Festival is accused of hiring hundreds of European workers on zero hours then firing them days later.

Organisers face claims they have taken advantage of up to 700 men and women from across Europe who have travelled to Worthy Farm to work as litter pickers.

But following a dry festival, it is understood there was a lack of work with organisers deciding to lay off the majority of workers at last minute.

It comes just days after the event's creator Michael Eavis welcomed Jeremy Corbyn to the main stage where he gave a passionate speech about workers' rights.

Now hundreds of workers claim they have been left stranded in Somerset without payment, food or a place to sleep.

In a shocking video published on The Independent's website, Glastonbury Festival staff are confronted by upset workers who ask to be fed before they are kicked off the ample site.

In a heated exchange, a man understood to be coordinating the litter pickers tells them they should be 'grateful' for the work.

And as tensions rose, the supervisor appears to manhandles some of the protesters who tried to block the path of a nearby vehicle.

What a load of rubbish! It is understood the Festival dismissed up to 600 workers because there was less litter this year than previous events

Speaking to the newspaper Simon Kadlcak, from Czech Republic, said he arrived at the famous farm on Monday, June 26 and started working the next day.

He had heard about the opportunity from friends who also signed up to work via an online form.

He told The Independent: 'The organisers have to have known that there was not enough work for that amount of people.

'No one spoke to us before, there were these rumours and people are quite nervous about it. No one let us know until yesterday afternoon, they just put up a list of the 100 people who were able to keep working.'

Stranded workers have been staging small protests at the famous Worthy Farm site following the shock sacking. Pictured above, workers clearing the site last week

He added that some people had booked return flights and were being forced to stay in the UK until they could go home. Many of the workers have left the farm and are attempting to find work elsewhere in order to recoup their losses from travel, food and accommodation.

The decision by the festival ironically happened just days after Mr Corbyn's appearance on the Saturday of the event where he called for better treatment of workers.

Speaking from the Pyramid stage, the politician asked whether it is right that 'European nationals living in this country' face uncertainty about their future.

Stranded workers have been staging small protests at the site after the sacking.

MailOnline has contacted Glastonbury Festival for comment.
Actor Donal Logue has made an emotional plea to the public in the hopes of locating his missing daughter, who was last seen a week ago in New York City.

Logue, who stars in Fox's hit show, Gotham, penned a note on Facebook to his fans asking for help in bringing his 16-year-old, Jade, home.

'This is my daughter, Jade. It's one of my favorite photos of her taken from a happier time,' he wrote, along with a picture of his daughter with a frog on her nose.

'I love all people and have met tons, but honestly (I'm biased) there's never been a more loving, innocent, cuddly child than Jade.

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Donal Logue has made an emotional plea to the public in the hopes of locating his missing daughter, who was last seen a week ago in New York City. Logue is pictured in July 2015

'I love her and who she is and her tribe is strong (I've met many wonderful people through Jade), but there are some predators who swim among their ranks knowing they're dealing with sweet, trusting souls.

'We want you home Jade. Whoever knows where she is, whoever may be with her - clearly this thing has become big and crazy.

He continued: 'The net has been flung far and wide and luckily, I have dogged teams from the NYPD, FBI, and others involved.

'The point is, you may have had good intentions to help her, but I'm sure you realize that this situation is bigger than you could've anticipated.

Logue shared this picture of his daughter, which he said was one of his favorites of her 'taken from a happier time'

Donal wrote this emotional message on Facebook in the early hours of Sunday morning

The actor wrote a message to whoever may be with his daughter, reading: 'The point is, you may have had good intentions to help her, but I'm sure you realize that this situation is bigger than you could've anticipated'

'It's okay. Just drop her off. Let her get back in touch with her mother, Kasey, or me - we'll take her back, with hugs and no questions asked.'

Jade Logue was last seen in Brooklyn on June 26. She is transgender and was previously known as Arlo Logue.

New York City police said there are no updates on the case as of early Monday.

Kasey Smith also posted a plea on social media, with the desperate mother sharing a video on Twitter.

'If you're watching, if you're able to be on social media - however wherever you're at -please know that we're looking for you, we want you home,' she said in the minute-long video.

'Jade's gender and her sexual orientation does not matter here. What matters here is there's a child out there, my baby and Donal's baby, out there missing.

Kasey Smith also posted a plea on social media, with the desperate mother sharing a video on Twitter

Donal Logue's daughter, Jade (pictured), remains missing after last being seen on Monday afternoon

'Jade's story is for Jade to tell, when and if she's ever ready to tell it.'

'And let that be hers. It's not yours, it's not anyone else's and it's not mine. I respect her but all I want right now is for her to be at home.'

Logue, 51, had his big breakthrough back in 2000 with his role in the Sundance hit 'The Tao of Steve,' and since that time has starred in a number of film and television roles.

The actor won a special jury price for his work in 'Tao of Steve' at Sundance that year.

He has been seen on the big screen in films including 'Just Like Heaven,' 'Ghost Rider,' and 'Zodiac,' while his television work includes five seasons of 'Grounded for Life' and two seasons on the long-running 'Law & Order: Special Victims Unit.'

Logue also appeared on the critically acclaimed 'Sons of Anarchy,' 'Terriers' and 'Vikings,' all for one season.

Jade Logue was last seen in Brooklyn heading to meet a friend at the Barclays Center and a member of the NYPD confirmed she has still not been located on Thursday
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A motorbike enthusiast rode his beloved Harley-Davidson into eternity, as relatives fulfilled his final wishes to be buried in the sidecar.

Pennsylvania steelworker Arthur J Werner Sr - who passed away at age 89 after a battle with myelofibrosis, a type of leukemia - was laid to rest in the unusual ceremony last week.

'My pop was unique,' his son, Arthur Werner, Jr, told NBC10. 'He loved this bike so much, he says, "I'm going to try to be buried in that sidecar". I thought he was kidding.'

It shouldn't have been much of a surprise coming from a man who bought his baby blue 1990 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail with his retirement bonus after 42 years as a Bethlehem steel welder.

'He said, "When I can't ride the bike anymore, I'm done",' his daughter-in-law, Cindy Werner, told Lehigh Valley Live.

Carrying out his request, Werner was actually sitting up in the sidecar for the viewing at Heintzelman Funeral Home in Hellertown on Thursday night and Friday morning - and no adjustments had to be made to turn it into a casket.

A motorcycle-driven hearse carried the World War II veteran to Bethlehem Memorial Park Cemetery in a procession of at least 100 bikers and mourners on Friday afternoon.

Motorbike enthusiast, Arthur Werner Sr, 89 (pictured), had his wish fulfilled to be buried in his Harley-Davidson sidecar

Werner bought his baby blue 1990 Harley-Davidson Heritage Softail (pictured) with his retirement bonus after 42 years as a Bethlehem steel welder

'He loved this bike so much, he says, "I'm going to try to be buried in that sidecar". I thought he was kidding,' his son, Arthur Werner Jr, said

Heintzelman Funeral Home, in Hellertown, had a special motorcycle-driven hearse to carry Werner to the cemetery

'He said, "When I can't ride the bike anymore, I'm done",' said his daughter-in-law, Cindy Werner

According to Werner's family, no adjustments had to be made to turn the sidecar into a casket (funeral procession, pictured)

The 89-year-old passed away after a battle with myelofibrosis, a type of leukemia (sidecar pictured in motorcycle-driven hearse)

At least 100 bikers and mourners joined in the procession to Bethlehem Memorial Park Cemetery on Friday afternoon
In their campaign programme for the German election, Chancellor Angela Merkel's conservatives have dropped the term 'friend' in describing the relationship with the United States.

Four years ago, the joint programme of her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and its Bavarian sister party, the Christian Social Union (CSU), referred to the United States as Germany's 'most important friend' outside of Europe.

The 2013 programme also described the 'friendship' with Washington as a 'cornerstone' of Germany's international relations and talked about strengthening transatlantic economic ties through the removal of trade barriers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Trump on May 26, in Italy

Angela Merkeld and Bavarian Governor Horst Seehofer (left) depart after presenting the two parties' joint elections policy program

But the words 'friend' and 'friendship' are missing from the latest election programme - entitled 'For a Germany in which we live well and happily' - which Merkel and CSU leader Horst Seehofer presented on Monday ahead of a Sept. 24 election.

Instead, the United States is described as Germany's 'most important partner' outside of Europe. CDU officials were not immediately available to comment on the change in wording.

The change in wording underscores how relations between Berlin and Washington have deteriorated since U.S. President Donald Trump entered the White House in January.

During his campaign for the presidency, Trump said that Merkel was 'ruining' Germany with migration policies he described as 'insane'.

He has repeatedly denounced Germany's trade surplus with the United States, accused Berlin and other European partners of owing 'massive amounts of money' to NATO, and unsettled western partners with his decision last month to pull out of the Paris climate accord.

A survey by the Pew Research Center last week showed that just 35 percent of Germans have a favourable view of the United States, down from 57 percent at the end of President Barack Obama's term.

Merkel is due to host Trump and other leaders at a G20 summit in Hamburg later this week.

In place of the 2013 passage about strengthening economic ties, the 2017 programme refers to historical US support for Germany after World War Two and in the run-up to German reunification.

Angela Merkel browses through the pages of the election campaign programme during a press conference Monday in Berlin, Germany

The new CDU/CSU election programme also repeats a line that Merkel used in a speech in Munich in late May after a difficult summit of G7 leaders, where Trump resisted pressure from six other nations to stay in the Paris agreement.

'The times in which we could fully rely on others are, to a certain extent, in the past. We Europeans must take our fate into our own hands more decisively than we have in the past,' the programme reads.

While affirming Germany's commitment to the NATO military alliance, the programme says that the EU must be in a position to defend itself independently if it wants to survive in the long run.

It also adds a special section entitled 'Germany and France as the Motor of Europe' which vows to 'reinvigorate the friendship' between the two countries.

'We are ready, together with the new French government, to further develop the euro zone step by step, for example through the creation of its own monetary fund,' it reads.

But it also rules out the mutualisation of debt in Europe and says that 'solidarity' will only be possible if EU countries stick to the rules of the bloc's Growth and Stability Pact.
A second woman has been injured by an exploding whipped cream dispenser less than a fortnight after a similar device killed an Instagram fitness blogger.

Heidi Dumotier, from Tremery in north-eastern France, was making a dessert for her four-year-old daughter's birthday when the device exploded in her hands.

She said the explosion left a 15cm hole in her ceiling.

Rebecca Burger, 33, died in France a fortnight ago from a heart attack after an exploding whipped cream dispenser hit her in the chest

'I shook the bottle and then it just exploded,' she told local radio. 'It was terrible, the lid was gone and the cannister was lodged in the ceiling.

'When I saw the 15cm hole that it made, I thought if I had been hit it in the head, I would have been finished,' she said.

She injured her leg after being hit by a part of the dispenser.

'At the time, I did not understand what was going on and did not feel anything. It was only when I saw the blood I realized,' she said.

The brand of the dispenser she was using has not been named.

The latest incident follows the death of French fitness blogger Rebecca Burger, who died of cardiac arrest when a cream dispenser exploded and hit her in the chest.

The 33-year-old's family shared a photograph of the device which killed her after her death

Her death was announced on Facebook in what her family described as a 'domestic accident'.

They later shared a photograph of the dispenser which killed her.

In their post, the family explained how it exploded and flying parts of it hit the young model's thorax.

Warning others of the dangers, the family said: 'This is an example of the cream siphon which exploded and hit Rebecca's thorax, causing her death.

'The siphon which caused her death was sealed. Don't use this product in your homes! Tens of thousands of the faulty devices are already in circulation.'

They did not name the brand of the dispenser.

Women's Best, the online health store which Burger worked for, also mourned her death in an Instagram post.

'We are sorry to announce the sad news of losing this beautiful soul. Our french athlete Rebecca Burger passed away.

'Rebecca was not only a great fitness figure but a generous and kind person to work with. Please pray for her soul to rest in peace and for her family to stay strong.

'We will always be proud of you Rebecca,' they said.

Ms Burger had amassed an international following of more than 200,000 with her posts about health and fitness

One French consumer group has warned readers for years about faulty connectors on the gas capsules, causing them to break and explode at high speed.

The injuries caused range from broken teeth and tinnitus to multiple fractures and, in one case, the loss of an eye, consumer magazine 60 Millions claimed.

But the magazine said new dispensers made since 2015 appear to be safe.

In 2013, one victim of an exploding cream dispenser told RTL radio: 'I had six broken ribs, and my sternum was broken.

'At the hospital, I was told that if the shock and blast had been facing the heart, I would be dead now.'
An Indian takeaway owner has been slammed for posting a job advert on Facebook asking that 'only gentlemen' apply.

Bedlington Tandoori, in Northumberland, was criticised when owner Badrul Islam shared the 'unbelievable' post on the site.

Mr Islam, 40, who has run the business for four years, posted: 'Need professional cook.

'You must be experience [sic] working in a busy kitchen and have food hygiene level 2.

Mr Islam, 40, who has run the business for four years, posted on Facebook that 'gentlemen only' should apply for the job

Northumberland-based Bedlington Tandoori was slammed after owner Badrul Islam shared the 'unbelievable' post on social media

'Only gentle men pls.'

The post, which has now been deleted, was berated in the comments section underneath.

'If a woman comes in, you have to interview her,' one user said.

'Now it will look like if a man gets the job that you gave him the job because you don't want a woman in your kitchen'.

Another added: 'This ain't Islamabad. Women have equal rights here, mate.'

A third woman wrote: 'Wow. Are you for real? Unbelievable!'

The comment sparked outrage on Facebook as user slammed the job advert saying the position was only available to men

'Men only, are you for real? You know that's illegal in the UK right?': Users pointed out that the advert could be in breach of gender equality laws

Initially, Mr Islam said: 'Even if a woman applied for it I would not be able to employ her because we are religious.

Mr Islam told MailOnline he was 'not aware' that he could have been in breach of gender equality law.

'We are an Asian business and my kitchen is very small and obviously there's only three [people] who can work in there,' said the businessman.

'When a woman works in the kitchen - because it's so small - we don't want to molest anyone.

'Obviously - three men working in there - obviously there will be a problem.

'Just, when you move about [in the kitchen], men and women don't want to touch each other.'

But he quickly changed his tune and backtracked on what he had previously said. He said: 'If a woman applied and they had a hygiene certificate, then why not?'

When asked if he would now hire a woman for the role, Mr Islam responded: 'It's a difficult question to be honest.'

He added: 'I'm from a Muslim background and the environment we work in - the kitchen especially - we are not allowed to take women.'

Mr Islam said that because the kitchen is so small, there would be 'no way they could avoid contact.'

Initially, he said: 'Even if a woman applied for it I would not be able to employ her because we are religious'.

The takeaway owner said he had previously employed women as waitresses.

The owner explained that he could employ women - providing that they worked as waitresses.

But he quickly changed his tune and backtracked on what he had previously said.

Mr Islam told MailOnline: 'If a woman applied and they had a hygiene certificate, then why not?

'If they can work with men, then why not?'.

The takeaway owner said he had previously employed women as waitresses who, as part of their duties, also worked in the kitchen.
A body has been found in a shallow grave on a beach in Thailand popular with British backpackers.

It was discovered on a beach in Ban Lamai, in Koh Samui, the country's second largest island, this afternoon by rescue workers.

Tourists detected a smell from the beach while swimming nearby, the Bangkok Post reported.

Pieces of clothes were found sticking out the sand. The gender and age of the victim is not yet known.

Police are investigating.
A man facing the death penalty for killing his sixth wife and a hit man sported a Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo jersey during a court appearance in Las Vegas on Friday.

Thomas Randolph was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

The 62-year-old man killed his sixth wife, Sharon Causee, and the man he hired to kill her, Michael James Miller.

Chief Deputy District Attorney David Stanton told jurors that wearing the XXXL No. 9 Tony Romo blue and white jersey with blue jeans and white gym shoes showed that the convicted killer had no remorse for their deaths, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

'He doesn't care about that at all. It doesn't bother him a bit,' the prosecutor told the newspaper.

Thomas Randolph is facing the death penalty for killing his sixth wife and a hit man he hired to kill her. The 62-year-old sported a Dallas Cowboys Tony Romo jersey during a court appearance in Las Vegas on Friday (above)

Chief Deputy District Attorney David Stanton told jurors that wearing the XXXL No. 9 Tony Romo blue and white jersey with blue jeans and white gym shoes showed that Randolph (above) had no remorse for their deaths

The 62-year-old man killed his sixth wife, Sharon Causee (left), and the man he hired to kill her, Michael James Miller (right). Randolph was convicted on two counts of first-degree murder with use of a deadly weapon and one count of conspiracy to commit murder.

'Any rational compassionate human being would be appalled at themselves.'

Randolph said that he wanted to wear the jersey over a traditional suit or shirt and tie. He explained that he made the choice for his last day of trial because he would have the chance to speak to jurors.

'Since I've been 12, I've been a Cowboys fan,' he said in the holding cell. 'It gives me comfort, even in here.'

Since he was arrested in January 2009, Randolph has only worn jail clothing.

Randolph told the jury that he is frightened by the thought of having to serve a prison sentence among the general population, as he referenced three of his four dead wives.

'I've lived a helluva good life,' he said. 'I've been blessed  I'm sorry that all this happened.  We'll do one appeal, and if it doesn't work, give me that shot, and I'll go meet Sharon and Becky and Francis.'

Of wearing the jersey in court on Friday, Randolph (above) said: 'Since I've been 12, I've been a Cowboys fan. It gives me comfort, even in here.'

Jurors now have the task of agreeing on one of four possible sentences for Randolph which include: 20 years to life in prison, 20 to 50 years in prison, life in prison without the possibility of parole, or death.

They are expected to make the decision on July 5, KSNV reported.

While asking jurors to spare his life, one of his lawyers said they should consider the fact that he's a Dallas Cowboys' fan.

Randolph wore a gray Cowboys T-shirt during a video re-enactment of the killings.

'It only takes one of you to to stop death,' Deputy Special Public Defender Clark Patrick told the jury.

The jury is expected to make the decision on Randolph's (above in arrest photo) sentence on July 5

The killings happened in May 2008 when Randolph told authorities that he saw a man wearing a black ski mask moments after he found his wife shot in the head inside of their home.

Randolph told police that he brushed up against the man and shot him five times.

However, prosecutors countered that his story made no sense. They used the similarities between the death of his second wife and the two killings.

The 62-year-old man was arrested by police in January of 2009 for the double homocide.

Prosecurots claimed in court that the killings were motivated by his greed, as he stood to gain roughly $360,000 in insurance money from his sixth wife's death.

He collected $500,000 in insurance money after his second wife, Becky Gault, died in 1986.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Jacqueline Bluth called Randolph the 'worst of the worst' criminals.

She added that he's even dangerous from behind bars.

'Shouldn't the death penalty be about the worst of the worst?' the prosecutor said.

'It should be saved for those human beings in society who are the worst of the worst.'
Nazi spy William Ter Braak shot himself in the head in 1941 fearing he was going to be exposed after spending several months spying on Britain for Hitler

A Nazi spy who killed himself after supposedly being sent to the UK on a mission to assassinate Winston Churchill will finally get a headstone on his unmarked grave.

William Ter Braak shot himself in the head in 1941 fearing he was going to be exposed after spending several months spying on Britain for Hitler.

The death of the Dutch-born agent was covered up by the wartime British authorities who feared a public scandal and he was buried secretly in an unmarked grave.

Now parish councils have finally agreed to allow a headstone to be erected on his grave at Great Shelford, Cambridgeshire, following a request from relatives in the Netherlands.

Much mystery still surrounds the death of Ter Braak - born Engelbertus Fukken.

He is believed to have been parachuted into Britain on a mission to assassinate the wartime leader in 1940.

Carrying false papers and a radio transmitter in a small suitcase, he found lodgings with a couple in Cambridge.

But a few months later, in 1941, running short of money and reportedly fearing he had been discovered, he committed suicide in an air-raid shelter under Christ's Pieces park, near the city centre.

The death was hushed up, with a local funeral director instructed to back up his van to the shelter door to smuggle the body away.

Ter Braak committed suicide in an air-raid shelter under Christ's Pieces park, near the city centre. His body was buried at Great Shelford Cemetery, Cambridgeshire (pictured)

In 1941, running short of money and reportedly fearing he had been discovered, he committed suicide in an air-raid shelter under Christ's Pieces park, near the city centre

The 26-year-old's body was then taken to the parish cemetery at Great Shelford, and buried in an unmarked grave.

Following requests from his family the parish council has allowed them to place a headstone on his grave.

Relatives are now preparing the stone, which will have a simple inscription: 'Engelbertus Fukken - 28 VIII 1914 The Hague, 30/31 III 1941 Cambridge'.

Helen Harwood, who chairs Great Shelford parish council's cemetery and allotments committee, said: 'At the time he died, there was of course wartime management of news, and the authorities emphatically didn't want anyone to know what had happened, for morale reasons.

'We knew very little about Ter Braak, only that he arrived in the Cambridge area, was behaving suspiciously, and that he was found dead.

THE DUTCH SPY WHO SET UP A SUITCASE TRANSMITTER IN HIS BEDROOM ABOVE RENTING FIRM Very little is known about the espionage activities of Ter Brakk while he was in wartime Britain. On arrival he claimed to be working with Free Dutch forces in London. As an alien from an occupied country, Terr Brakk was required by law to register with the police - but he didn't. He spent most of his days out of the house, where he set up a radio transmitter hidden inside a suitcase, but never stayed anywhere else overnight. In January 1941, the Food Office contacted Terr Braak regarding his ration card, which had been recorded in the name of a man called Burton. The card had been supplied by the German military intelligence organisation, Abwehr, using numbers supplied by Welsh double agent for the allies, Arthur Owens. Fearing his immediate detection, he left for new lodgings on the other side of Cambridge. By March 29 1941 Terr Braak was quickly running out of money and could no longer afford to pay his landlord. He committed suicide the next day at one of the public air raider shelters in Christ's Pieces Park, using a Abwehr pistol. Advertisement

'Obviously there are sensitivities about this, and we are of course mindful of that.

'There are some people who remember the bombing raids during the war.

'But the war is long over and the parish council feels this is something we can do for the man's family.'

A book about Ter Braak's tragic story, called Spion Tegen Churchill, by Jan Willem Van den Braak, was published in the Netherlands earlier this year by a Dutch publisher, WalburgPers.

The ill-fated spy also features on a Dutch website run by Giselle Jakobs, the granddaughter of another German spy, Josef Jakobs, who was executed in the Tower of London.

Relatives of Ter Braak are now preparing the stone, which will have a simple inscription: 'Engelbertus Fukken - 28 VIII 1914 The Hague, 30/31 III 1941 Cambridge'

She said: 'Persistent searching by the book's author tracked down relatives of the unfortunate Fukken, who filled in some of his background story.

'Their astonishment at having such an infamous character in their family tree was understandable.

'Given the secrecy surrounding wartime espionage activities in Britain, shame amongst Fukken's immediate family at his nefarious activities and the obvious language challenges, it would be easy for later family members to dismiss the rumours surrounding the strange uncle/cousin who disappeared during the war.

'But now that Fukken has stepped from the shadows, his relations are arranging for a marker to be placed on his grave.

'In a few months, one hopes, a stone will be placed on the grave site and Engelbertus Fukken's final resting place will be marked for posterity..

'It is one of the only firm pieces of information we have on Fukken during his time in England.

'Did he manage to contact the Germans via wireless transmitter? Were they supposed to send someone to him with more cash?

'These questions will likely remain unanswered.'
Peter Scotter caused the mother to fall on the floor where he continued to shout abuse

A barrister representing a racist attacker who ripped a niqab off the face of a Muslim woman said it was no coincidence it occurred a few weeks after the Brexit vote.

Peter Scotter, 56, from Sunderland, assaulted the mother, who was shopping with her nine-year-old son and husband, and said: 'You are in our country now, you stupid f****** Muslim.'

The force he used to pull off the garment in July last year in the Bridges Shopping Centre caused her to fall to the floor.

He continued to shout abuse, including 'take that f***** off', 'I'm taking my f****** country back' and 'it's our Britain, stick by our rules, these black bastards with their masks and veils, I will pull them off every time'.

Tony Hawks, defending, told Newcastle Crown Court that in the weeks leading up to the attack certain politicians and sections of the press had been 'playing the race card'.

He said there was 'no doubt that what he did was an ignorant and despicable piece of behaviour' and he was an 'ignorant and ill-educated man' who 'knows nothing whatsoever about Islam'.

Scotter's own barrister described him as an 'ignorant and ill-educated man'

But he added: 'Its no coincidence that this occurred within a week or so of the Brexit referendum. Where the press and politicians were banging the drum about taking our country back.

'They were playing the race card and, in the case of Ukip, a disgraceful advertisement showing a queue of refugees.

'He has to take responsibility for his own actions, but is it simply a coincidence that after listening to weeks of that rhetoric the defendant was not affected?'

Prosecutor Neil Pallister told the court that Scotter was escorted out of the centre by a security guard after the assault, but refused to comply with two police community support officers and continued the torrent of abuse.

At a previous hearing he admitted racially aggravated assault by beating and racially aggravated harassment.

He has also been receiving treatment for cancer in his mouth, meaning the case has been postponed a number of times.

Scotter has 70 previous convictions, and he was jailed for 15 months for the latest attack

The court heard he had 70 previous convictions, including throwing bricks with racist stickers on them at a house with refugees inside.

Mr Pallister said the victim described how she regularly suffers abuse, but this was way beyond what she and her family normally endured.

She said it had left her fearful to go out and 'disgusted' that it had happened in front of her son.

Members of the public who ran to her help spoke of their shock and one shop assistant said she was moved to tears.

Jailing Scotter for 15 months, Judge Stephen Earl said he had used 'appalling language' in a public place.

He said: 'Comments such as these cannot be acceptable in a civilised society.'

He also ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of 140.
A new war memorial in Indiana is getting national attention after a photo of a spelling error went viral.

Outside of the Whitley Courthouse in Columbia City, what was meant to be 'War on Terrorism' engraved on a bench instead reads: 'War on Terriorism'.

The bench was installed on Tuesday, but a photo first appeared on imgur on Friday before being reposted on Reddit. The photo has more than 350,000 views.

But the designer of the memorial says he doesn't understand why people are so up in arms to begin with.

Photos of a bench at a new war memorial in Columbia City, Indiana, went viral after a spelling error resulted in 'War on Terriorism' instead of 'War on Terrorism' (pictured)

The photos have been viewed more than 350,000 times and the extra 'I' has since been covered up with duct tape (pictured)

The extra 'I' has since been taped over, and designer Ty Murphy say it's a simple error that shouldn't be focused on.

'This is the important part: the guys that gave their lives,' Murphy told WANE.

'A mistake on a bench is a pretty small thing to worry about where there are so many other things you should concentrate on.'

According to Murphy, several pairs of eyes missed the error, including his own. He also added that the order was made over the phone

Despite the bench receiving the most attention, the true focal point of the memorial is a stone marker honoring 15 Whitley County veterans who lost their lives in Vietnam - made of the same kind of stone as Washington, DC's Vietnam War memorial.

'They weren't really treated properly when they got home, but after decades and years gone by, the public is now realizing what the Vietnam veteran had to endure,' Richard Stark from Columbia City's Veterans of Foreign Wars chapter told WANE.

The true focal point of the memorial is a stone marker honoring 15 Whitley County veterans who lost their lives in the Vietnam War (pictured)

According to designer Ty Murphy, several pairs of eyes missed the error, including his own. He also added that the order was made over the phone. But he says he doesn't understand why the mistake has garnered so much attention (war memorial, pictured)

'The generosity of the community has just been overwhelming,' Murphy added.

The memorial will be officially dedicated on November 11, Veterans Day.

As far as the bench, the company who made it assured Murphy the mistake will be fixed or the bench will be replaced.

'It's kind of funny in a way. It's worked out to be an attention-getter,' Murphy said.
Ten people have been hospitalized after a taxi accidentally rammed into a group near Boston's Logan Airport Monday afternoon.

The incident happened around 1:45pm at a parking lot for taxi cabs picking up passengers at the airport in the area of Porter Street and Tomahawk Drive in East Boston.

Four of the injured were taken to Boston Medical Center, four others to Tufts Medical Center and two Massachusetts General. All three are Level I trauma centers, which means they can handle the most serious injuries.

State Police said the injuries ranged in severity and those injured are all believed to be cab drivers.

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Ten people have been hospitalized after a taxi accidentally rammed into a group near Boston's Logan Airport Monday afternoon. Above a Massachusetts State Police officer walks past the scene

The incident happened around 1:45pm at a parking lot for taxi cabs picking up passengers at the airport in the area of Porter Street and Tomahawk Drive in East Boston

Ten people were injured in the incident. State Police said the injuries ranged in severity

Those familiar with the airport said that the area where the incident happened is not near where travelers using the airport would be

'At this preliminary point in the investigation, there is no information that suggests the crash was intentional. The driver is currently being interviewed,' a state police statement reads.

Authorities said it is not a terrorism related incident and appears to be a 'tragic accident.'

The 56-year-old driver of the Metro taxi cab involved in the accident said he hit the gas when he meant to hit the brake, causing him to mow into the group.

He is said to be cooperating with police and answering questions. His identity is not being released at this time.

Officials have seized the cab while the investigation continues. The cab pool is closed while police investigate.

The area is used mainly by taxi drivers as a break area or a place to wait before picking up passengers

A state police spokesperson said: 'At this preliminary point in the investigation, there is no information that suggests the crash was intentional. The driver is currently being interviewed'

The 56-year-old driver of the taxi cab involved in the accident said he hit the gas when he meant to hit the brake, causing him to mow into the group

'Our Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and Crimes Scene Services Section are on-scene assisting investigators and troopers from Troop F,' the statement reads.

Authorities also plan on checking the security cameras in the area to figure out what happened.

Those familiar with the airport said that the area where the incident happened is not near where travelers using the airport would be.

The area is used mainly by taxi drivers as a place to take a break before picking up passengers.

Boston has one of the largest Fourth of July celebrations in the country, so there would no doubt he a lot of taxi cab drivers working today.
Embattled New Jersey governor Chris Christie's beach vacation on Sunday has seen him slammed from all sides - including from his own team.

Christie had already shut down Island Beach State Park - and all of New Jersey's other state parks - due to a budget standoff.

First Lieutenant Governor Kim Guadango - who is gunning for Christie's spot in November's gubernatorial election - slipped a knife into the lame-duck governor's back as voters railed against his holiday.

'If I were governor, I sure wouldnt be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didnt have access to state beaches,' she wrote on Facebook. 'It's beyond words.'

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'Beyond words': Chris Christie's decision to enjoy a beach (left) that he closed due to a state budget standoff was slammed as 'beyond words' by his top deputy, Kim Guadango (right)

Words: The First Lt. Gov. said that she 'wouldn't be sitting on the beach' in Christie's situation. The standoff is over whether the state should be able to access a nonprofit insurer's surplus

'We need to end the shutdown now,' Guadango continued. 'It's hurting small businesses and ordinary New Jerseyans.

'Instead of political games, Governor Christie, Speaker Prieto and Senate President Sweeney should pass a budget that delivers property tax relief and puts taxpayers first.'

She also tweeted her remark about Christie's mini-vacation, linking to the relevant Facebook post.

Guadango, who ran for office as Christie's second in 2009 and was sworn in in 2010, has worked for the past seven years as New Jersey's secretary of state.

She's also going up against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Phil Murphy in this year's re-election, having taken 46.8 per cent of the popular vote in the primaries.

Christie, who is closing his second consecutive term this year, is unable to run. And as he was polling at a historically low 15 per cent last month and failed in his bid to become president, it's unlikely that he'll make a return in the future.

Murphy also weighed in Monday, calling on Christie to get off the beach and get back to work.

Lame duck: Christie and Guadango (pictured winning election in 2009) ran together for office, but Christie - whose approval rating is just 15 per cent - is now a lame duck

Christie ordered the shutdown of nonessential state services over the holiday weekend after he and the Democratic-controlled legislature were unable to agree on a budget to start the new fiscal year.

That meant parks, beaches and motor vehicle offices were unavailable to everyone for the Independence Day break.

The sticking point is Christie's demand that Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield be overhauled so that the state can tap into the nonprofit insurer's surplus to finance drug treatment.

Christie has blamed a top Democratic lawmaker for the shutdown, with the state plastering CLOSED signs at parks, along with Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto's picture and office phone number.

Beachgate: Christie and family (pictured) used the Island Beach State Park at the back of his summer home on Sunday. He was unrepentant, saying that it was his prerogative as governor

Christie himself laughed off the criticism in an interview with Fox 5, mocking the newspaper that first reported his mini-vacation by saying: 'What a great bit of journalism by The Star-Ledger.

'They actually caught a politician being where he said he was going to be with the people he said he was going to be with, his wife and children and their friends.

'I am sure they will get a Pulitzer for this one. They caught me doing what I said I was going to do with the people I said I was going to be with.'

He added: 'The governor has two residences in New Jersey. One down at the beach, at Island Beach State Park, and one at Drumthwacket, which also is in Princeton.'

'The governor is allowed to go to his residences and I'm at my residences. I'll tell you this, I said last Monday, a week ago today, that no matter what happens, we were coming here as a family this weekend.'
The White House stressed Monday that it is not asking states to violate the law as Democrats continued to rebuke of the president's voter fraud commission for requesting 'sensitive information' for a database it's compiling.

Marc Lotter, spokesman to vice president Mike Pence, the head of the task force, stressed to DailyMail.com that the White House is only asking for information that states are already providing and is allowable under their laws.

'That's all they are seeking,' he said in response to claims from Democrats that the commission is asking states to break their own codes - and trample on the Constitution.

Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes has said the move screams 'danger stranger' and wreaks of 'horse manure.'

The White House stressed Monday that it is not asking states to violate the law as Democrats continued to rebuke of the president's voter fraud commission for requesting 'sensitive information' for a database its compiling. Kentucky Secretary of State Alison Lundergan Grimes (left) has said the request screams 'danger stranger'

She and other Democrats have accused the White House, in a panic, of disregarding the 10th Amendment with a letter it sent to states last week asking for 'publicly-available' data, including birth dates, political affiliations and the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers, for a database its compiling as part of its review.

Providing the information, which the commission had said it would make public, could make voters more susceptible to fraud, not less, opponents of the request say.

And it's not just Democrats. Some Republicans, including Mississippi's secretary of state, have sounded the alarm, too.

'They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great state to launch from,' Mississippi's Delbert Hosemann said in a statement.

More than 20 states had rejected the request as of Friday, CBS News reported.

'What are they trying to hide?' the president asked in a tweet Saturday that kept the controversy going over the weekend.

Marc Lotter, spokesman to Mike Pence, the head of the task force, stressed that the only information it's asking for states are already providing

Lotter said Monday, as the battle continued, that states would not be compelled to give up information that their laws prohibit them from disclosing. All that the commission is asking for is the data states are already providing to political parties, places Pew Research and submitting to the Interstate Crosscheck System.

The intent of the letter is being misinterpreted, he said, despite an advisory statement that election officials should only provide information that is 'publicly available under the laws of your state.'

Lundergan Grimes made two more appearances Monday on national news networks, having done several interviews already, to decry the solicitation that she repeatedly noted came right as Trump was kicking off his re-election bid at a $35,000-a-head fundraiser at his Washington, D.C. hotel.

'These are things that scream "danger stranger" to a lot of folks, not just in the election administration world, but the hackers dream,' Lundergan Grimes claimed on MSNBC.

She told CNN the Republican administration was 'creating what would be a dream for any foreign actor seeking to meddle in our elections.'

The White House's request is in 'violation of the Tenth Amendment,' Lundergan Grimes also asserted.

'Elections are something that are left directly to the states to run, especially when it comes to voter registration,' she told MSNBC's Craig Melvin. 'This is of alarm. It's a violation of what Republicans across the nation unanimously support.'

Then, repeating one of her new attack favorite lines, the southerner said, 'You don't have to see or be from Kentucky to know that this smells a little funny, smells a little like horse manure.

'What are they trying to hide?' the president asked in a tweet Saturday that kept the controversy going over the weekend. He's pictured Friday in the Cabinet Room with the commission's head, Vice President Mike Pence

'There's something suspicious going on, and we want to make sure we're moving our elections forward not backwards.'

The Democrat who challenged Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell for his US Senate in 2014 and lost charged the White House with creating a '#fakecommission' that it based on a 'sham premise' in MSNBC interviews.

Trump launched the body in May with a long-awaited executive order he'd promised months before to issue in response to his own unfounded claims that three to five million people fraudulently voted in the last presidential election.

He singled New Hampshire, Virginia and California out and after claiming as a candidate that voter fraud is 'very, very common.'

The assertions have led Democrats such as those in the House who are part of the Congressional Black Caucus to claim that the Trump voter integrity commission's real purpose is 'voter suppression.'

'According to the Brennan Center, more people are hit by lightning than commit in-person voter fraud. This commission is set up for the sole purpose of furthering the presidents lies about voter fraud and making it harder for Americans to exercise their right to vote,' California Sen. Dianne Feinstein, a staunch Democrat, said in a statement.

Lundergan Grimes likewise said Friday in an MSNBC appearance that the commission appears to exist to 'find evidence to support a lie the president continues to perpetuate.'

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, vice chair of the commission, told the Kansas City Star the same day that charges like that are not true.

'The idea is to have the best data possible,' Kobach said. 'The purpose of the commission is to quantify different forms of voter fraud and registration fraud and offer solutions. And so you have to have this data in order to do any meaningful research.'

Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, vice chair of the commission, says, 'The purpose of the commission is to quantify different forms of voter fraud and registration fraud and offer solutions. And so you have to have this data in order to do any meaningful research'

Lotter would not assign a motive to the claims but defended the task force's overall goal of preventing the kind of fraudulent voting that Trump has insisted took place.

The commission is not going into its review 'with the premise of proving or disproving any specific' claim, Lotter said, but will seek to determine if there is 'a problem, what can be done.'

Former Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell offered a similar assessment of the panel's aims, saying in an interview with DailyMail.com that took place just before the letter went out that the commission was not looking at a 'predetermined scenario in search of facts.'

'Sometimes you can't prove a negative,' Blackwell said.

The Ohio Republican stated that the 'number of instances for a potential corruption is significant or substantial,' however, 'and the issue becomes, how can we clean up these voter roles? How can we protect them from being negated by any illegal vote, whether that's 100, 100,000 or 1 million?

'That is a laudable goal for the commission,' he said.

White House officials have also said the group will look at foreign hacking of voting systems in 21 states last year in preparation for federal elections in 2018.

A spokesperson for Maine Secretary of State Matthew Dunlap said the election administrator supports 'expanding the scope of the commissions work to include discussion of any topics that would impact the integrity of elections nationwide.'

Blackwell, who is on the commission alongside Dunlap, backed the idea, also.

'When you talk about the integrity of an election, those things that have been surfaced, those things that have allegedly been surfaced that the Russians are doing, are disquieting, and have the potential, if true to impugn the integrity of an election system,' he said, emphasizing that he has not seen the intelligence on which US officials are basing their assessment that Russia is the culprit.

The former election official said, 'There are folks who would manipulate the system to their advantage both domestic and foreign.

'We have plenty of work to do to look at safeguards against those things happening,' he said of the bipartisan task force.
A partial victory at the Supreme Court for the president's travel order hasn't kept administration factions from battling over new ways to temper the flow of immigrants and refugees.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, the former Exxon-Mobile exec who claims he won autonomy when he agreed to take the job, had a tense exchange with White House senior policy advisor Stephen Miller, Politico reported.

Miller is a close advisor who helped draft the travel order, while also crafting many of Trump's more hard-line speeches. He previously worked for Sen. Jeff Sessions before Sessions became attorney general.

The two had a tense argument last week in the White House, according to the report, where Tillerson made it 'quite clear' he expected to hold a level of autonomy.

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, pictured at the White House in June, reportedly clashed with senior advisor Stephen Miller

The story attributes the spat to four unnamed sources familiar with the conversation, at which Homeland Security secretary John Kelly was present.

The substance of their reported clash had to do with the restrictive immigration order, where Trump won a partial victory at the Supreme Court last Monday.

A senior White House official vigorously pushed back against the report of a clash, calling it inaccurate and saying the State Department and the president's domestic policy council were working together seamlessly as evidenced by the rollout of revised implementation of the president's immigration order.

Miller, 31, has been working to try to craft new ways to try to restrict entry of refugees, according to the report, while also collaborating with like-minded lawmakers on other changes to U.S. immigration laws.

Miller declined a request for comment.

The White House and the State Department declined to comment for the story.

At a press conference in London in late May, Tillerson spoke of the need to ensure more assimilation of immigrants.

White House senior policy adviser Stephen Miller is reportedly working on new immigration policy changes in the wake of a Supreme Court ruling, and clashed with secretary of state Rex Tillerson

'For whatever reason, as people immigrate into our countries, whether it be in Great Britain or in the United States or other countries, we seem to have difficulty assimilating those people so that they feel part of our society and would never consider supporting acts of violence against their fellow citizens and their fellow neighbors," Tillerson said, following the Manchester bombing attack.

'I think that it's an extremely complex issue, this mass migration of people that we are witnessing around the world," Tillerson continued. "It's not a problem only for Great Britain. It's not a problem only for the United States. It's a problem for countries all over the world. It's one that we have to learn better how to address."

CNN reported late last week on a draft White House proposal to strip from the State Department oversight over consular issues as well as refugees, an an effort described as part of a streamlining effort.

These responsibilities  a key part of State's current mission  would be moved to Homeland Security as part of the draft proposal.

A scaled back version of the travel order went into effect Thursday night.

Under temporary rules imposed by the Supreme Court, citizens of Syria, Sudan, Somalia, Libya, Iran and Yemen who already have visas will be allowed into the country.

New applicants must demonstrate a close family relationship or a relationship with a school or business, the AP reported.
A Trump cartoon contest was held in Iran on Monday, and the winning image shows the American president wearing a jacket of $100 bills while drooling over a pile of books.

The winning cartoon also shows Trump's hair in the style of flames, with smoke plumes in the shape of the continents in the background.

The organizers of the International Trumpism Cartoon and Caricature Contest, which was held in Tehran, say they received 1,614 submissions from 74 countries - including four artist from the U.S.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, it was an Iranian man who won. Hadi Asadi took home $1,500 in prize money.

Iranian cartoonist Hadi Asadi poses with his trophy after winning the International Trumpism Cartoon and Caricature Contest in Tehran, Iran on Monday

Asadi said he 'wanted to show Trump while trampling symbols of culture'. He won $1,500. Trump is seen here with flaming hair, a pile of books and a jacket made of bills

'I wanted to show Trump while trampling symbols of culture,' said Asadi, who drew the cartoon using a stylus pen over two weeks.

Two of the four Americans who submitted cartoons also won awards for their works.

American Robert Jones Clayont's cartoon shows two issues of Time's Person of the Year, one with Trump on the cover and the other with Adolf Hitler. In the cartoon, Trump says to Hitler: 'It's a great honor'. Hitler responds 'Ja'.

Iranian reformist cleric Mahmoud Doaei looks at cartoons of the American president on Monday

The organizers of the contest say they received 1,614 submissions from 74 countries - including four artist from the U.S. Above, a work by a Brazilian artist

Two of the four Americans who submitted cartoons also won awards for their works. Above a work of art by an Italian artist that shows Trump with his wife Melania

A Cuban artist drew this portrait of Trump holding a belt in the image of the border wall

American Robert Jones Clayont's cartoon shows two issues of Time's Person of the Year, one with Trump on the cover and the other with Adolf Hitler. In the cartoon, Trump says to Hitler: 'It's a great honor'. Hitler responds 'Ja'

Another work by an Iranian artist shows a worker feeding guns off the assembly line straight into Trump's mouth

This controversial cartoon shows Trump in a KKK cape with a swastika, posing in a Nazi salute

An artist from Costa Rica made this cartoon of Trump as Captain America, with the border wall as his shield and the Statue of Liberty as a weapon

This cartoon shows Trump appearing to tire of building the border wall. It was created by a Brazilian artist

Trump is pictured as Pinocchio in a cartoon by a Thai artist. Birds representing the Twitter logo are seen fluttering along his nose. One of them is holding a bomb, seemingly referring to his frequent social media outbursts

Two other Iranian artworks. The one on the left shows Trump as a tank, and the one on the right as the Joker

Fellow American Ed Wexler's cartoon shows Trump running away from a snowball while yelling 'Fake News'. The snowball has a the communist hammer and sickle on it, a reference to alleged Russian connections to the American president.

'Trumps behavior clearly sets out Irans reasons to distrust the U.S., consequently, we decided to use arts capacity for displaying the behavior,' the competition's deirector, Ali-Asghar Jafari, said, according to Haaertz.

Last year, the organizers of the contest held a Holocaust cartoon contest.

The organizers said that the Holocaust contest was meant to highlight double standards in the West when it comes to free speech, and not to cast doubt on the genocide.

The contest took place as tensions continue to escalate between Tehran and Washington.

When Trump took office, he promised to end the Iran nuclear deal, calling it the 'worst deal ever negotiated'. He then put the country 'on notice' after they conducted a ballistic missile test in February.

After being showcased in Iran, a selection of the contest submissions will be showcased at exhibitions in Iran and 11 other countries including the Netherlands, Belgium, Brazil, Indonesia and Turkey.

Last year, the organizers of the contest held a Holocaust cartoon contest. The organizers said that the Holocaust contest was meant to highlight double standards in the West when it comes to free speech, and not to cast doubt on the genocide

The contest took place as tensions continue to escalate between Tehran and Washington. One image on the left shows Trump with his face in the Twitter logo. On the right he is portrayed as Uncle Sam from the famous war propaganda poster
The United States has lifted a ban on passengers taking laptops and tablet computers on Etihad Airways flights from its base in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, Homeland Security said Sunday.

The move -- welcomed by Etihad -- comes more than three months after the United States prohibited such devices on direct flights from 10 airports in Turkey, the Middle East and North Africa.

Etihad is the first airliner to benefit from a lift in the ban, which specified that carry-on laptops and other electronic devices larger than cellphones would not be permitted in the cabin on direct flights from the airports, including Abu Dhabi.

The United States' decision to lift its laptop ban on Etihad flights departing Abu Dhabi came after the airliner implemented enhanced security measures

Etihad Airways flights from its base in the Emirati capital Abu Dhabi, its the first airline to benefit from following enhanced security measures

The ban was implemented after intelligence officials learned of efforts by the Islamic State group to fashion a bomb that could be secreted inside such devices.

The decision to lift the ban on US-bound Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi came after the airline implemented enhanced security measures, said David Lapan, spokesman for the US Department of Homeland Security.

'We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures,' he said. 'Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines looking to adopt the new measures.'

Lapan said the specific measures that were put in place were confidential, but added that passengers and electronic devices would face additional screening.

Etihad Aviation Group applauded the decision.

'We welcome the decision by the US Department of Homeland Security to lift the electronic devices ban on flights between Abu Dhabi and the United States, following the successful validation of security measures at the US Preclearance facility at Abu Dhabi airport earlier today,' a statement said.

The ban on laptops and other large electronic devices has been in place for three months

'Effective immediately, the removal of the restrictions allows passengers flying to the US to carry all laptops, tablets, and other electronic devices onto the aircraft, subject to enhanced security measures,' it added.

Etihad said its passengers flying to the United States from Abu Dhabi International Airport 'clear US Immigration and Customs at the US Preclearance facility in Terminal 3'.

'When guests land in the US, they arrive as domestic passengers with no requirement to queue for immigration and custom checks again,' it added, saying the facility was the only one of its kind in the region.

Etihad is first airline to see the electronic device ban lifted for flights to the US

In addition to the 10-airport ban, the United States announced on June 28 that it would impose stricter security measures on all US-bound flights, regardless of origin.

Washington has promised to lift its March ban affecting the 10 airports when airliners adhere to additional security measures.

Britain announced a similar ban on personal electronic devices for flights originating from six countries, but not the United Arab Emirates.
Eight men have been arrested after bloody clashes on the streets of London resulted in one man being stabbed.

The incident happened in Streatham around 6pm this evening. A large crowd gathered after men were reportedly throwing bottles.

Police were called to the scene and found a man had been stabbed. He was taken to hospital and is in critical condition.

Eight men have been arrested after bloody clashes on the streets of London resulted in one man being stabbed

Images from the scene, showed cordons in place and a number of police cars and vans

A spokesman for the Met said: 'Police are investigating a stabbing in Streatham.

'Officers were called at 17:45hrs on Monday, 3 July, to a disturbance in the area of Madeira Road, SW16. It was reported that a number of males were throwing bottles.

'At around 17:53hrs, officers responding to the incident found a male suffering stab injuries in Oakdale Road, SW16.

'He was taken to hospital by London Ambulance Service. At this early stage, his condition is being treated as critical.

'Eight males have been arrested in connection with the incident. They have been taken into custody at south London police stations.'

Images from the scene, showed cordons in place and a number of police cars and vans.

Anyone with information that may assist police should call detectives at Lambeth CID via 101 or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.

Anyone with information that may assist police should call detectives at Lambeth CID via 101 or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111
An AirAsia flight bound for Malaysia was forced to make an emergency landing in Brisbane after passengers saw sparks flying from the engine shortly after takeoff.

Passengers said they heard loud bangs followed by sparks of fire bursting from the engine just minutes into the overnight flight from the Gold Coast on Monday.

Others on board said they feared for their lives and started putting on life jackets in preparation for a crash-landing, 9 News reported.

The mid-air horror comes just a week after an AirAsia flight was forced to turn back to Perth Airport after an engine failure caused the plane to start shaking violently.

The pilot on that plane told passengers to 'say a prayer'.

Scroll down for video

An AirAsia flight bound for Malaysia was forced to land just an hour into the overnight flight on Monday (pictured on tarmac in Brisbane)

The embattled airline said a 'suspected bird strike' to the plane's engine had forced the pilot to make an emergency landing after taking off from the Gold Coast (flight path pictured)

A photo of the AirAsia plane's starboard engine appears to show external damage after the emergency landing

Passengers reported hearing 'four or five loud bangs' before seeing 'an orange light coming from the windows' (engineers inspect plane on tarmac in Brisbane on Tuesday morning)

The embattled airline said a 'suspected bird strike' to the plane's starboard engine had forced the pilot to land just over an hour into Monday's international flight.

The 345 passengers and 14 crew landed safely just after 11.30pm.

Passenger Tim Joga, 31, told Fairfax Media that the plan started 'shuddering' after 'four or five bangs' were heard less than ten minutes into the flight.

'The plane started shuddering then there were a couple of loud bangs and a lot of light,' he said.

'I could see an orange light coming from the windows.'

Malissa Siaea was travelling with her husband to Malaysia for their honeymoon when 'fire sparked out of the right-side engine' less than 20 minutes into the flight.

'Then the plane swooped a little bit and started shaking badly,' she told Fairfax.

Others on board said they feared for their lives and started putting on life jackets in preparation for a crash-landing (engineers examine plane on Tuesday)

AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail said all passengers would be flown to Kuala Lumpur 'as soon as possible'

The mid-air horror comes just a week after an AirAsia flight was forced to turn back to Perth Airport after an engine failure caused the plane to start shaking violently (pictured)

'AirAsia X Flight D7 207 was diverted after experiencing a suspected bird strike to its starboard engine,' the airline said in a statement.

'Two bird remains were found on the runway.'

AirAsia X CEO Benyamin Ismail said all passengers would be flown to Kuala Lumpur 'as soon as possible' on a special flight.

'We are following all regulatory guidelines to ensure the safety and wellbeing of our guests,' he said in the statement.

'We would like to commend our pilot and crew members for their professionalism and swift action to reassure passengers who were on board flight D7 207 and to land the aircraft safely in Brisbane airport.'
A baggage handler was spotted carelessly throwing passengers' luggage onto a conveyor belt at Edinburgh Airport.

Lewis Marasco was on his return trip to the Scottish city from Rome Fuimicino when he spied the slapdash worker.

The handler, thought to be employed by the award-winning international handling service, Swissport, could be seen throwing bags from several feet away from the belt as his colleagues walked up to the belt before carefully placing each bag down.

Mr Marasco posted a video of the scene to Twitter with the caption: 'Great to see one of the baggage handlers at @EdiAirport taking no care with bags - no wonder things get broken @Swissport.

'Having had things broken myself I now see why - credit to the three other guys taking care.'

The careless baggage handler in the video is believed to work for Swissport International, a firm hired by the airport to carry out the task.

In a statement, Swissport said: 'Swissport is appalled by this footage and will take all necessary steps to ensure this does not happen again.

Careless: A baggage handler was spotted hurling passengers' luggage onto a conveyor belt at Edinburgh Airport. Lewis Marasco was on his return trip to the Scottish city from Rome Fuimicino when he spied the slapdash worker (pictured throwing a blue suitcase)

'The one handler involved is acting in a way that is totally unacceptable to Swissport, Edinburgh Airport and our airline customers.

'We apologise for this unacceptable behaviour of one employee.'

On their website Swissport describes itself as 'the world's largest provider of ground and cargo handling services in the aviation industry.'

Slapdash: The handler (pictured throwing a black suitcase) is thought to be employed by the award-winning international handling service, Swissport, at Edinburgh Airport

It adds: 'The company provides services on behalf of some 835 client-companies and handles around 230 million passengers and 4.1 million flights (movements) per year.'

It also claims to have won various awards for high quality baggage handling, including 'Ground Handler of the Year' at the 2016 Air Transport News Awards.

A spokesman for Edinburgh Airport said the airport does not directly employ any baggage handlers.
President Donald Trump thanked a Republican National Committee member on Twitter Monday who defended him on Fox News and referred the to the media as a 'one-party state.'

Shawn Steel, a personal injury lawyer and former chairman of the California Republican Party, had said in an appearance that the country had reached a 'turning point' in the media war and the establishment press now has 'far less credibility and popularity' than the president.

Steel also defended first lady Melania Trump, and alleged without providing proof that there were hundreds and hundreds of events where Trump supporters were getting beat up.

This is serious business. Theres a major European magazine that just had a picture of Donald Trump with a target on it with the headlines why not, said Steel, the Republican national committeeman from California.

President Donald Trump spoke about 'fake news' during the Celebrate Freedom Rally at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday

THANKS FOR THE BACKUP: President Trump thanked California GOP national committeeman Shawn Steel after Steel defended Trump's feud with the media

He charged that Democratic leaders were sort of embracing this resistance which is a big part of it is violent, although no Democratic leaders have called for violent resistance to Trump.

Steel was reference the cover of a left-leaning Irish publication, Village, in February that showed Trump in a snipers crosshairs with a headling saying Why not.

Theres hundreds and hundreds of events where Trump supporters are getting beat up across the country, Steel said, without offering further evidence.

Steel, a personal injury lawyer who previously ran the state party, brought up what he described as media attacks on the presidents family. The presidents family, his 11-year-old boy, blasted and attacked by snarky New York liberals in the media, Steel said.

President Donald Trump thanked a Republican National Committee member on Twitter Monday who defended him on Fox News and referred the to the media as a 'one-party state'

NO DUMMY: Steel defended first lady Melania Trump, noting she speaks multiple languages

Steel also defended first lady Melania Trump and Baron Trump from attacks he said were fueled by 'snarky New York liberals'

Then we see Melania, who speaks six languages considered foolish and stupid. Weve seen the most hostile press. They cant believe Trumps the president but more than that hes succeeding and his presidency is becoming successful and that scares them more than anything, he said.

According to ABC News, Melania Trump speaks her native Slovenian, along with English, French, German, and Serbian.

On the segment Trump referenced, Scott Bolden, an attorney with Reed Smith, called the claims about violence the height of hypocrisy when Donald Trump urges violence himself at his rallies historically against the media  knock people out and what have you.'

Steel called Trump a showman, and said: He understands the media but particularly has a good pulse on the public. He called Trumps clash with Joe Scarborough and Mike Brzezinski of MSNBC a turning point in the media wars.

Theye lost credibility to such an extent  that they have far less credibility and popularity than does Donald Trump and Donald Trump knows that, he said. He was referencing a campaign rally where Trump urged a crowd to 'knock the crap' out of hecklers who were disrupting events.

Trump also took credit for the Dow reaching an intraday high, tweeting about his policies that are 'starting to kick in' as the index's transportation average closed at a new record

Host Gregg Jarrett spurred the conversation by saying Scarborough and Brzezinski had been relentless and venemous in their comments about Trump.

Trump also took credit for the Dow reaching an intraday high, tweeting about his policies that are 'starting to kick in' as the index's transportation average closed at a new record.

'Dow hit a new intraday all-time high! I wonder whether or not the Fake News Media will so report?' he said.

Trump had continued his war against the 'fake news' media on Monday morning, mocking reporters for complaining about his tweets while they ignore his domestic and foreign policy agendas.

'At some point the Fake News will be forced to discuss our great jobs numbers, strong economy, success with ISIS, the border & so much else!' the president tweeted.

His top counselor Kellyanne Conway was pushing the same message Monday morning on 'Fox & Friends,' criticizing the news media for its 14 per cent approval rating.

Trump tweeted a jab at journalists Monday morning, saying they eventually 'will be forced' to report on his policy achievements

'They don't cover the substance of the issues,' she said. 'I mean, look, I know it is a heck of a lot easier to cover 140 characters here or there, or the president may be saying about the media here or there, than it is to the learn finer points of you how Medicaid is funded in this country and how that would or would not change under the Senate bill. How the child care tax credit might affect your family.'

'They don't cover these finer policy points,' Conway said.

Reporters, she claimed, 'call me unilaterally, and say, "Well, we would cover that, Kellyanne, except the president did this and said that".'

'I think if you have a 24/7 cable news outlet or you're a network or you are a print reporter you can probably cover all of the above.'

Kellyanne Conway said Monday morning on 'Fox & Friends' that reporters find it easier to cover tweets than to write about complicated policy ideas

Trump's latest tweets followed a blistering attack on political journalists during a Saturday night event in which he castigated the news outlets he loves to hate.

'The fake media is trying to silence us,' Trump told an adoring audience at the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington.

'But we will not let them. Because the people know the truth. The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House. But I'm president and they're not.'

The capacity crowd rose to its feet.

'We won & they lost!' he continued. 'The fact is, the press has destroyed themselves because they went too far. Instead of being subtle and smart, they used the hatchet. And the people saw it right from the beginning. '

Trump heard a Baptist church choir serenade him on Saturday with a song that included his slogan 'Make America Great Again'

'The dishonest media will never keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of the great American people. It will never happen,' Trump said, riffing on his top policy priorities. 'Their agenda is not your agenda. You've been seeing it.'

'I will never stop fighting for you. I am delivering on trade, on the economy, on the Supreme Court, on the Second Amendment, on our military, for our veterans, and on our borders  where we are doing record, record stoppage.'

A White House official complained at the end of last week that the press is cherry picking what they want to focus on after DailyMail.com inquired about the strategy behind Trump's recent tweets.

'He's reacting to news reports,' the senior official said, slapping down a White House insider's suggestion that Trump had been working to disesteem news outlets, and, before his most recent assault on the press, was turning to his campaign promise to do the same to Democrats.

The source described phase one of Trump's master plan as 'discredit the media' and phase two as the fulfillment of the campaign mantra 'lock her up!' - a reference to Hillary Clinton.

'He tweets because he can,' the White House official said, describing the motives for his tweets as opportunity, reach and a desire to defend himself.

Trump had begun the week with a slew of attacks on 'Crooked Hillary,' 'Crazy Bernie,' and do-nothing Barack Obama, after a report in the Washington Post and testimony from Jeh Johnson cast a negative light on the previous administration's actions in response to Russia's electoral interference.

Conway told DailyMail.com of Trump shift to the topic of alleged Democratic corruption and 'collusion': 'It's always a matter of the public interest.'

Trump's weekend was filled with anti-media tweets, including a video clip pulled from Reddit that showed him physically body-slamming a pro wrestling mogul with the CNN logo pasted over his face.

The dishonest media will NEVER keep us from accomplishing our objectives on behalf of our GREAT AMERICAN PEOPLE! #AmericaFirst pic.twitter.com/jSciqzAs6G  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 2, 2017

Trump has defended his use of Twitter, caling it 'modern day presidential' on Sunday

And he continued his verbal assault on MSNBC' 'Morning Joe' hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski,' days after drawing criticism for saying Brzezinski was 'bleeding badly from a face-lift' during a New Year's Even party at his Mar-a-Lago club in Florida.

On Saturday, he piled on: 'Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad!'

Trump claimed in another tweet that MSNBC's firing of host Greta Van Susteren was a decision made because of her politics.

'Word is that @Greta Van Susteren was let go by her out of control bosses at @NBC & @Comcast because she refused to go along w/ "Trump hate!"' he wrote, without saying where he had heard that version of events about Van Susteren's low-rated program.

And continuing his plastering of CNN, he tweeted that he was 'extremely pleased to see that @CNN has finally been exposed as #FakeNews and garbage journalism. It's about time!'

On Sunday the president defended his controversial use of tweeted jabs and haymakers to speak directly to the American people without the filter of a news media that largely hates and resents him.

Trump has consistently bashed political journalists for siding with Hillary Clinton during the election, and claims his use of social media to go around them contributed to his victory

'My use of social media is not Presidential - its MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!' he wrote on Twitter.

That came a day after he blasted the 'FAKE & FRAUDULENT NEWS MEDIA' for 'working hard to convince Republicans and others I should not use social media.'

'[B]ut remember,' Trump added: 'I won the 2016 election with interviews, speeches and social media. I had to beat #FakeNews, and did. We will continue to WIN!'
The number of near-misses between drones and aircraft has more than doubled, with more than one occurring each week.

As ministers came under pressure from the Solicitor General to crack down on drones after a major scare at Gatwick Airport, industry figures reveal the growing threat posed to passengers by these devices.

Pilots warn that a disaster is inevitable unless tougher laws are introduced.

Latest statistics from the UK Airprox Board, which monitors the risk of mid-air collisions, show there were 33 near-misses between drones and planes or helicopters in the first five months of the year.

It means 2017 is on course to become the worst year for close calls on record, despite desperate attempts by pilots to persuade the Government to take action. Last year there were 70 near-misses, more than double the 29 recorded in 2015.

Industry figures have revealed the growing threat posed to passengers, with pilots warning that a disaster is inevitable unless tougher laws are introduced

The incident happened around 6pm on Saturday at the London airport, resulting in an easyJet flight declaring a mid-air emergency as it attempted to land. File photo

Pilots and air traffic controllers reported just six cases in 2014, while there were none between 2011 and 2013.

Costing as little as 11.99, retailers have reported soaring sales of drones for recreational use in recent years. They are being targeted at children as young as eight and are widely sold in toy shops.

Several easyJet flights were diverted and one British Airways service was sent to Bournemouth Airport following the closure, while other flights circled the West Sussex airport. Police are investigating the incident

FLYING INTO TROUBLE: WHAT EXACTLY DOES THE LAW SAY ABOUT OWNING A DRONE? There is no need to register your personal details when you purchase one, making owners very difficult for police to trace

Fly the drone in a safe manner (law relating to devices under 20kg); Anyone can buy a drone; There is no need to register your personal details when you purchase one, making owners very difficult for police to trace; Keep it within sight so it does not collide with anything, especially other aircraft (not more than 400 feet above you or 500 metres away from you); If filming with the device for recreational use, you must avoid flying it within 150 metres of a congested area or 50 metres of a person, another craft or building; Fliers must not recklessly nor negligently cause or permit their drone to endanger any person or property; Potential punishments include a maximum jail sentence of five years for endangering other aircraft  and a minimum of two years for flying drones above prisons or using them to smuggle contraband inside; You can be fined 2,500 for breaking Civil Aviation Authority rules. Advertisement

Investigators have found that reckless drone operators are also flying their devices as close as possible to planes to gain spectacular video footage.

Drones have also been used to smuggle drugs and other contraband into jails.

And security experts are worried terrorists could plant explosives in these devices to mount attacks on passenger planes and other vulnerable targets.

An alarming number of incidents are being reported at major airports, with seven near-misses logged in the first five months of the year at London Heathrow.

The travel chaos at Gatwick on Sunday night following a suspected drone sighting has heaped pressure on the Government to take action. The runway at Gatwick was closed over fears for safety.

Several easyJet flights were diverted and one British Airways service was sent to Bournemouth Airport following the closure, while other flights circled the West Sussex airport. Police are investigating the incident.

Meanwhile Solicitor General Robert Buckland led calls for an urgent review of the law to protect passengers.

Latest statistics from the UK Airprox Board, which monitors the risk of mid-air collisions, show there were 33 near-misses between drones and planes or helicopters in the first five months of the year

Speaking on BBC Radio 4s The Westminster Hour, he said: The legislation relating to aviation is quite old. Theres a lot of legislation about intentional attacks on aircraft.

'Id hesitate to say that theres a loophole, but certainly the development of drones is a relatively recent phenomenon.

Solicitor General Robert Buckland led calls for an urgent review of the law to protect passengers.

He added: Its causing problems not only at airports but also in our prisons, and its clear to me that we need to look very carefully at whether the law is up to speed...

The British Airline Pilots Association yesterday stressed the need for compulsory registration of drone users to allow police to track them.

Under current laws, drone users who endanger aircraft can be sentenced to up to five years in jail.

They can also be fined up to 2,500 for breaking rules set by the Civil Aviation Authority.

BALPAs flight safety specialist Steve Landells said: Yet another incident at Gatwick involving drones shows that the threat of drones being flown near manned aircraft must be addressed before we see a disaster.

Last month, an airline pilot was forced to take evasive action after a drone came within 20 metres of his plane as he prepared to land in Edinburgh.

The UK Airprox Board has warned that a minority of drone operators are flagrantly disregarding regulation and common sense in pursuit of ever more spectacular video footage.

MPs on the Commons Transport Committee launched an inquiry into drones last year after a surge in the number of close calls with planes.

A DfT spokesperson said: We are working closely with the CAA and industry to adapt and strengthen regulations as drone use and the related technology evolves.
Blood from a dismembered New Jersey woman who washed up in Brooklyn on Saturday, has allegedly been discovered in her boyfriend's bathtub.

Police have now identified Jennifer Londono, 31, of Englewood - who was reported missing on June 25 - as the tattooed corpse.

They have been interviewing her boyfriend as part of their investigation, but a source told the New York Post there has been some 'inconsistencies' in his story.

Police have now identified Jennifer Londono, 31, (pictured left and right) of Englewood - who was reported missing on June 25 - as the tattooed corpse

Blood from a dismembered New Jersey woman who washed up in Brooklyn on Saturday, has been discovered in her boyfriend's bathtub (police recover a severed leg from the Hudson)

The same source claims that a search of his apartment uncovered blood which belonged to Londono in the boyfriend's bathtub.

Last week, her headless and decomposing body was found floating near the rocks off Pier 44 in Red Hook, Brooklyn.

The body was identified after police released a photo of a tattoo the corpse had on its right hip.

Londono's mother came to the 76th Precinct station house Thursday, saying her daughter had the same tattoo in the same place.

Police have now identified Jennifer Londono, 31, of Englewood - who was reported missing on June 25 - as the tattooed corpse. The tattoo, a name written in Sanskrit surrounded by stars, was a tribute to the missing woman's deceased aunt

Londono's mother recognized her daughter (pictured) from the tattoo on her hip

She told police the tattoo, the name 'Lily' or 'Lilyann written in Sanskrit surrounded by stars, was a tribute to her daughter's dead aunt, theNew York Post reported.

A few days later, a leg was found floating in the Hudson River near the Upper West Side, near the W 79th Street Boat Basin by a passing female jogger who called the police around 12.35pm.

It had pink painted toenails and did not appear to be decomposed, New York Daily News reported.

DNA from the leg will be compared with DNA from the torso to confirm that the leg is from the same woman.

Cops are still searching for the rest of her body, police said Monday.

Londono was last seen closing up the Luna Lounge, on Armory Street in Englewood New Jersey. She was reported missing on June 25.

Last week, her headless and decomposing body was found floating near the rocks off Pier 44 in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Police are pictured at the scene in Red Hook

The torso of the missing New Jersey woman was found floating near the Hudson River last week. Police are pictured where her torso was found in Red Hook, Brooklyn, on June 27

NYPD Chief of Detectives Robert Boyce said Friday: 'That young lady is from New Jersey and there's an active homicide case going right now.'

The homicide case is ongoing in New Jersey.

Witnesses who saw the torso in the Red Hook channel on June 27 said the 'butchered' corpse looked as though it was deliberately mutilated.

'The woman wasn't just murdered  she was butchered,' the man who found the body told the Post.

The torso had been cut at the knees and the woman's intestines were out.

He and his wife saw the dismembered and naked body floating in the water as they walked their dog at around 11am last Tuesday.

Family and friends have posted tributes to the beautiful 31-year-old victim, and demanded justice.

Linda Kennedy wrote:'May God help find those responsible for such an atrocity', with the hashtag #justiceforjennylondono.

Londono's niece Kate added: 'My aunt that i wish i could of known better did not deserve to go the way she did #ripjenny.'

Carlos, under username twinlos4422, added: 'I can't believe u are gone. You did not deserve to leave the way you did!!! R.I.P. Jenny may u rest in peace #justiceforjennylondono.'

Others asked for prayers for Londono, who was described as being 'part of our Englewood family. '

A friend of the victim said in Spanish that her 'heart was shattered' by the loss.

'We love you so much I'm going to miss you. Rest in peace and I hope that who was able to make you pay for what you did.'
In China, buildings and structures can be knocked down in the blink of an eye - no matter how big they are.

A major overpass has been demolished in just eight hours after a local government dispatched more than 200 diggers to work together on the site, reports said.

Demolition of the Longwangmiao Overpass in Nanchang reportedly began at around 9pm on June 30 and was completed by 5am the next morning.

Eye-opening: The authority of Jiangxi, China, sent over 200 diggers to demolish a bridge

Incredible efficiency: The machines worked in unison to destroy the Longwangmiao overpass

Teamwork: It took the excavators around eight hours to pull down the 1,932-metre flyover

Amazing footage has emerged showing hundreds of excavators working together in the city centre to pull down the four-lane flyover, which measured 589 metres long (1,932 feet).

The structure was bulldozed to make way for a new six-lane motorway, according to Jiangxi News.

In the past, it could take months to demolish a bridge like this.

However since last year, the Nanchang authority has started using dozens - if not hundreds - of diggers on big demolition projects to speed up the process.

Nanchang is the provincial capital of Jiangxi Province and has around five million residents

This is the incredible moment hundreds of excavators worked together in the city centre

Speedy roadwork: The four-lane bridge was pulled down to make space for a new motorway

Fast development: Officials said they wanted to block off the road for as little time as possible

Staff from the Nanchang Urban Construction, Investment and Development Company told a local reporter that Hongdu Avenue, the road the flyover was on, is a main road in Nanchang and could not be blocked for a long time, according to People's Daily Online.

Thanks to the teamwork by the diggers, Hongdu Avenue reopened to traffic today - three days after it was closed.

Nanchang is the provincial capital of Jiangxi Province in south-east China. It has around five million residents.

Last year during a similar demolition project in Nanchang, 68 diggers were used to bulldoze a 500-metre-long (1,640 feet) overpass in one night.
As the United States prepares to celebrate the Fourth of July holiday, too many American workers are on a permanent vacation. Seven million American men in their prime working years are not working nor actively seeking work, something that inflicts a multitude of harms upon them and society as a whole. Yet a European model may open the door for them to return, or enter, the ranks of productive society.

One of the few bright spots of President Trumps March 17 meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel was Trumps renewed emphasis on apprenticeships. The alternative to a liberal arts education has helped young German workers thrive, and it offers great potential for the United States as well, according to a new essay in Religion & Liberty Transatlantic. Alex Chediak, a professor at California Baptist University and the author of numerous books on college education, has no objection to traditional college education. However, he advises that it is not a successful path for every student, in America or Europe. In Apprenticeships: When good ideas cross the Atlantic, Chediak details how:

Apprenticeships have a long history of success in Germany. By age 20, about 60 percent of German young adults have earned some kind of professional credential, the equivalent of an associates degree or a trade school certification in the U.S. system. Not only have they done so without paying for college, but they earned income as apprentices during the two-to-three year process. Yet in the United States today, there are only half-a-million apprentices, compared to 17 million students in bachelors degree programs.

Chediak writes that people of faith should embrace apprenticeships as a pathway for Americas idle male population to provide for themselves and their families:

Apprenticeships have the potential of giving these underutilized men the skills they need to enter productive society. By raising the workforce participation rate, a greater emphasis on apprenticeships would boost productivity, aid human flourishing, foster innovation, promote greater collaboration between research and better-trained manufacturing personnel, and increase the growth of the U.S. economy.

Unlike too many economic policies that originate in Europe, this is a welcome example of a good idea that has crossed the Atlantic. With the onetime host of The Apprentice sitting in the Oval Office, there could hardly be a more propitious moment for the idea to take hold. The key challenge will be getting American industries to invest in apprenticeships the way German companies do; Michael Strain of AEI has some proposals to make this more feasible.

You can read them after you read Alex Chediaks full essay here.

(Photo credit: The White House. Public domain.)
Wildlife suffered higher than normal losses this winter in severe weather across the western United States, where the toll included the deaths of all known fawns in one Wyoming deer herd and dozens of endangered bighorn sheep in California.

Wildlife managers in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington also reported higher losses of animals in the wake of one of the coldest and snowiest winters in decades.

Parts of the Rockies saw snowfall as late as mid-June.

'This year we kind of had all the factors that we don't want - we had deep snow, we had periods of fairly cold weather, subzero, and then we also had some crusting on top of that snow,' said Roger Phillips, spokesman for the Idaho Fish and Game Department.

Elk feed at the Wenaha Wildlife Area near Troy, Ore. Wildlife managers in seven states, including Oregon, in the U.S. West report severe weather this past winter was rough on wildlife.

WHERE WAS HIT? Managers in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Oregon and Washington reported higher losses of animals Mule deer in several Rocky Mountain states and elk in eastern Washington were hit hard Wyoming was expecting above-normal losses among antelope In California, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep lost 60 animals Advertisement

Wildlife managers have been assessing the damage using radio collars and surveys of herds following a winter in which many parts of the West recorded record snowfall, including places where deer, pronghorn antelope and elk migrate each fall to escape the harsher mountain winters.

Prolonged snow cover on winter grounds made it difficult for wildlife to find food, and spells of bitter cold made matters worse for the weakened animals by hardening the snow.

Mule deer in several Rocky Mountain states and elk in eastern Washington were hit hard.

Wyoming was expecting above-normal losses among antelope as well, although it didn't have an accurate accounting yet.

Wyoming last saw comparable wildlife deaths over three decades ago, said Bob Lanka, supervisor of statewide wildlife and habitat management program with the Wyoming Game and Fish Department.

'It's been a long, long time since we experienced this kind of loss,' he said.

Meteorologist David Lipson of the National Weather Service in Riverton blamed the rough winter on 'unusually strong rivers of moisture' flowing into the West from the Pacific Ocean, where a weak and unusually short-lived La Nina occurred.

In California, the Sierra Nevada bighorn sheep, which is listed as an endangered species, lost an estimated 40 to 60 animals.

'We're not including any predation or normal mortality or any other kind of losses; that's just from the snow, from getting trapped up in the snow and not having food, some of them starving and then some of them directly impacted by avalanches,' said Jason Holley, supervising wildlife biologist with the California Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Montana wildlife were spared the deadly conditions seen in neighboring states, according to Ken McDonald, wildlife division administrator with the Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks Department.

Nevada saw near average wildlife losses statewide, while a few isolated areas in the northeast part of the state had slightly higher than average mortality, said Tom Donham, a Nevada Department of Wildlife biologist.

In this photo taken Feb. 21, 2017, a group of elk move past another that had died on the National Elk Refuge in northwest Wyoming. This past winter was hard on wildlife in seven western states including Wyoming because of heavy snow and bouts of bitter cold that hit areas where wildlife spend the winter months. Some states have reduced hunting licenses as a result.

Wildlife managers are responding by reducing hunting permits in the hard-hit areas.

'There will be less hunting opportunity this coming fall for sure, and the people that do get a license, whether it's a general license or a limited quota tag, I don't think there's going to be any doubt they're going to notice less animals on the landscape,' Lanka said.

Mike Clark, owner of Greys River Outfitters in western Wyoming, said the loss of mule deer and antelope tags will be hard on his business, which includes deer, antelope and elk hunts.

'Luckily, we can still work with some elk,' Clark said.

In this Jan. 18, 2017, file photo provided by the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, elk feed at the Wenaha Wildlife Area near Troy, Ore. Wildlife managers in seven states in the U.S. West, including Oregon, report severe weather this past winter was rough on wildlife.

However, outfitters have to be careful not to overhunt elk and overload their fall hunting camps with too many hunters to make up for the decline in deer hunting, he said.

'It just takes away from the quality of the hunt if you got too many hunters in camp,' Clark said.

Biologists say the wildlife herds eventually should recover with the help of reduced hunting and a return to at least normal weather conditions next winter. However, forecasters say it's too early to predict how next winter will play out.

'What happens in the future depends a lot on what kind of winter we see next year,' Phillips said. 'If we have back-to-back hard winters, it could be tough.'
Stephen Hawking has issued a stark warning that Donald Trump could be responsible for pushing the planet's climate 'over the brink'.

The world renowned scientist hit out at the American president's decision to pull out of the Paris climate agreement.

Hawking stated that it could lead to 'irreversible' global warming, which could turn the Earth into a hellish world similar to Venus.

The warnings coincide with celebrations of the physicist's 75th birthday.

Stephen Hawking (pictured) has issued a stark warning that Donald Trump could be responsible for pushing the planet's climate 'over the brink'

HAWKING'S WARNING Stephen Hawking has issued a stark warning that Donald Trump could be responsible for pushing the planet's climate 'over the brink'. President Trump announced last month that the US would be withdrawing from the Paris climate change agreement. Hawking told the BBC that Trump's action could lead to Earth becoming like Venus, with a temperature of 250 degrees Centigrade (482 F), and sulphuric acid rain. The predictions coincide with ongoing celebrations of the physicist's 75th birthday. Advertisement

President Trump announced last month that the US would be withdrawing from the Paris Agreement.

Nearly 200 countries have previously agreed to the carbon emission reduction plan.

Trump has stated he wishes to renegotiate the terms of the agreement signed up to by the US, to ensure the US economy and business are not damaged by it.

But Professor Hawking has warned that the decision could have dire consequences.

Speaking to the BBC, Hawking said: 'We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible.

'Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of two hundred and fifty degrees, and raining sulphuric acid.

'Climate change is one of the great dangers we face, and it's one we can prevent if we act now.

'By denying the evidence for climate change, and pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Donald Trump will cause avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children.'

The predictions come as Hawking celebrates his 75th birthday.

A specially-organised series of public lectures about gravity and black holes were held over the weekend.

The physicist and cosmologist gave a talk reflecting on his life and scientific work at a symposium at Cambridge University.

Hawking's talk followed an afternoon of lectures from other distinguished scientists including Professor Brian Cox.

The predictions coincide with ongoing celebrations of the physicist's 75th birthday. A specially-organised series of public lectures about gravity and black holes were held over the weekend, featuring Professor Brian Cox (pictured)

Professor Hawking, who turned 75 in January, joked: 'Actually, for those keeping count, I'm closer to 75-and-a-half.

'But that shouldn't get in the way of a good celebration.'

In his talk, titled My Life In Physics, he recalled his diagnosis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) at the age of 21.

'At first I became depressed,' he said. 'I seemed to be getting worse really rapidly.

Professor Gabriela Gonzalez (pictured) also gave a lecture during the Stephen Hawking public symposium at Lady Mitchell Hall in Cambridge.

'There didnt seem any point working on my PhD because I didnt know I would live long enough to finish it.

'But then the condition developed more slowly and I began to make progress in my work.

'After my expectations had been reduced to zero, every new day became a bonus and I began to appreciate everything I did have. While theres life theres hope.'

The event concluded with the full auditorium singing Happy Birthday to Professor Hawking.
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These pilots really have their heads in the clouds.

These perfectly timed photographs show an F-22 fighter jet as it speeds through the sky.

A combination of temperature, speed and air pressure can cause clouds to form around the jets, which have been captured in stunning detail.

These perfectly timed photographs show an F-22 fighter jet (pictured) as it speeds through the sky. A combination of temperature, speed and air pressure can cause clouds to form around the jets, which have been captured in stunning detail

CLOUD FORMATION The condensation clouds that form on supersonic jets are often mistaken for a visual manifestation of the sonic boom that occurs when travelling at high speeds. They are actually caused by a process that quickly brings water vapour in the air to temperatures at which it can condense. There is less pressure on the upper side of the plane's wings, an effect which is heightened while it is performing high g-force manoeuvres. This causes the temperature to quickly drop, which allows the water droplets to condense into clouds. Advertisement

The pictures were taken by professional photographer James Winters, 53, from Miami, Florida, from the top of an 18-storey building.

Mr Winters was waiting for fighter jets taking part in the Memorial Day Air Show in Melbourne, Florida, to pass overhead.

He used a home-made shoulder mounted support for his camera to capture the incredibly detailed shots of one of the speeding aircraft.

The images show the moment water in the air is vaporised by the planes, creating the miniature clouds.

Mr Winters said: 'I shot the pictures from a roof on the 18-storey, which is perfect for getting at eye-level with the pilots.

'From there you can get the best shots of the jets as they start to break the sound barrier.

'The fluff or vapour around the jets is a kind of cloud caused by temperature, pressure, and the aircraft flying very close to the speed of sound.

'I enjoy aviation photography because it is challenging and competitive, and those are both things I love.

'I built a special support for my camera that increases the number of quality pictures I can take.'

The pictures were taken by professional photographer James Winters, 53, from Miami, Florida, from the top of an 18-storey building in Melbourne, Florida, during the city's Memorial Day Air Show

He used a home-made shoulder mounted support for his camera to capture the incredibly detailed shots of the speeding supersonic jet

The images show the moment water in the air is vaporised by the plane, creating the miniature clouds

The condensation clouds that form on supersonic jets are often mistaken for a visual manifestation of the sonic boom that occurs when travelling at high speeds. They are actually caused by a process that quickly brings water vapour in the air to temperatures at which it can condense

There is less pressure on the upper side of the plane's wings, an effect which is heightened while it is performing high g-force manoeuvres. This causes the temperature to quickly drop, which allows the water droplets to condense into clouds
Scientists have invented window blinds that store solar energy and are capable of slashing 70 per cent off homeowners' energy bills.

The creators of SolarGaps claim it is the world's first 'smart blind' that can store solar energy in a battery and is being marketed as an alternative to rooftop solar panels.

A set of blinds is expected to sell for around 210 ($270).

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Scientists have invented window blinds that store energy which they claim can slash an incredible 70 per cent off homeowners' energy bills

HOW DO THEY WORK? The blinds have thin solar panels mounted on slats. A motor controls the direction they point in, and makes sure they are facing the sun. The panels generate up to 15watt-hours per square foot - enough power for the average sized window to charge a laptop. Any surplus energy generated is either stored in batteries or can be sold on with an two-way energy metre. Advertisement

The blind has thin solar panels mounted on slats which generate up to 15 watt hours per square foot - enough power for the average sized window to charge a laptop.

The blinds are installed on to windows and have a motor that turns them to face sunlight.

Any surplus energy generated is either stored in batteries or can be sold on with an two-way energy metre.

Their inventor, Yevgen Erik, 41, said he spent a day studying how sunflowers always faced the sun before coming up with his designs.

He is selling a 10 square foot fully automated set for around 210 ($270) after he broke his 38,500 ($50,000) crowdsourcing target with more than 80,000 ($104,000) being raised for the project online in three weeks.

Mr Erik, who was inspired to create the green blinds after installing countless solar panels on to office buildings through his construction firm in Ukraine, said: 'Millions of people live in apartments and don't have the possibility to mount solar panels on the roof.

'Our solution gives them this possibility - they can generate electricity living in flats or working in business centres.

'You can reduce consumption of natural gas or oil and generate electricity using great technology.

The blind has thin solar panels mounted on slats which generate up to 15watt-hours per square foot - enough power for the average sized window to charge a laptop

'Making people more eco-friendly and consume less energy - I can't wait longer to spread this idea throughout the world.'

The smart blinds generate between 40 to 60W - the maximum power used by most laptops - per hour in the average size 2ft by 2ft window in the UK.

They have an app that allows them to be voice controlled and can also save energy bills by connecting to thermostats via WiFi or Bluetooth and using weather forecasts to cool or heat homes more efficiently.

The blinds are installed on to windows and have a motor that turns them to face sunlight. Any surplus energy generated is either stored in batteries or can be sold on with an two-way energy metre

The blinds an app that allows them to be voice controlled and can also save energy bills by connecting to thermostats via WiFi or Bluetooth and using weather forecasts to cool or heat homes more efficiently.

A spokesman for the company said: 'The obvious solution for those who can't - renters - or don't want to install expensive rooftop solar panels.

'Unlike other smart blinds on the market, which generate only a small amount of electricity to power the control, SolarGaps produces enough electricity to power your devices, thus lowering your energy bill by up to 70 per cent.

'Energy surplus can either be stored in a battery for later use or sold to your electricity company as green energy - for a higher price - although to do this a two-way meter has to be installed by utility.'

An Indiegogo crowdsourcing for the blinds campaign has raised nearly $105,000 (80,000) since it launched in June 15.

The smart blinds generate between 40 to 60W - the maximum power used by most laptops - per hour in the average size 2ft by 2ft window in the UK
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The risk of extinction faced by many mammals has been graphically exposed in a new study.

Researchers have long assumed that 'habitat fragmentation' contributes to the extinction risk for animals, but have not been able to measure it for animals on a global scale.

In the first study of its kind, researchers have successfully measured habitat fragmentation for more than 4,000 species of land-dwelling mammals.

Among the findings, researchers discovered that species with more habitat fragmentation are at greater risk of extinction.

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In the first study of its kind, researchers have successfully measured and mapped habitat fragmentation for more than 4,000 species of land-dwelling mammals. Red denotes highly fragmented areas and blue denotes areas with low fragmentation

THE STUDY The researchers used high-resolution habitat-suitability models to measure the degree of fragmentation for the world's mammals. They then examined the relationship between habitat fragmentation and extinction risk, and developed an inventory of the global conservation status of animals and plants. The team also produced global maps, predicting key areas of intact high-quality habitat as well as hotspots of fragmentation for mammals. Advertisement

Study lead author Professor Kevin Crooks, of Colorado State University, said the research has implications for assessing the threat of extinction for mammals and setting priorities for global mammal conservation.

He said: 'For the first time in Earth's history, one species - Homo sapiens, or humans - dominates the globe.

'In contrast to prior eras, we travel and communicate across the entire planet.

'Unfortunately, the more "connected" we become, non-human life with which we share this planet becomes increasingly disconnected, at their peril.'

The research team used high-resolution habitat-suitability models to measure the degree of fragmentation for the world's mammals.

The research team used high-resolution habitat-suitability models to measure the degree of fragmentation for the world's mammals, including bobcats (pictured)

WHICH MAMMALS ARE AT RISK? Professor Crooks told MailOnline that there are a variety of examples of mammals at risk, including: - Golden-crowned Sifaka - The Greater One-Horned Rhino - The Calamian Deer - The Cusp-Toothed Flying Fox - The Hispid Hare Advertisement

Scientists then examined the relationship between habitat fragmentation and extinction risk, as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and developed a comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of animals and plants.

The team also produced global maps, predicting key areas of intact high-quality habitat as well as hotspots of fragmentation for mammals.

Professor Crooks told MailOnline: 'There are a variety of examples of mammals at risk of extinction due to habitat fragmentation.

'Some interesting examples include the Golden-crowned Sifaka, the Greater One-Horned Rhino, the Calamian Deer, the Cusp-Toothed Flying Fox, and the Hispid Hare.'

Habitat models demonstrate that most suitable environments for mammals are located outside of known protected areas.

This map emphasises regions that have been fragmented by human development specifically (shown in red) and de-emphasizes regions that are naturally fragmented such as high-elevation areas and landscapes with water bodies interspersed (shown in blue)

Professor Crooks told MailOnline: 'There are a variety of examples of mammals at risk of extinction due to habitat fragmentation. Some interesting examples include the Golden-crowned Sifaka (pictured right), the Greater One-Horned Rhino (pictured left), the Calamian Deer, the Cusp-Toothed Flying Fox, and the Hispid Hare'

HABITAT FRAGMENTATION Human activities such as urban development and deforestation can lead to habitat fragmentation. Professor Crooks said fragmentation reduces the total amount of habitat available to wildlife, but also simultaneously isolates the habitat that remains, preventing movement of animals in previously connected landscapes. Habitat fragmentation also intensifies the effects of other agents of global environmental change, including limiting the ability of wildlife to shift locations in response to climate change, according to the researchers. Professor Crooks added: 'Habitat fragmentation needs to be addressed urgently, but it is also a manageable global conservation challenge.' Advertisement

Human activities such as urban development and deforestation can lead to habitat fragmentation.

Professor Crooks said fragmentation reduces the total amount of habitat available to wildlife, but also simultaneously isolates the habitat that remains, preventing movement of animals in previously connected landscapes.

In previous research, Professor Crooks and his colleagues found that large carnivores, mountain lions and bobcats, decline and at times disappear, in highly-fragmented urban areas in the United States.

He said habitat fragmentation also intensifies the effects of other agents of global environmental change, including limiting the ability of wildlife to shift locations in response to climate change.

Professor Crooks added: 'Habitat fragmentation needs to be addressed urgently, but it is also a manageable global conservation challenge.

'We hope that this research will provide critical guidance to conservation practitioners and policymakers setting strategic priorities for global mammal conservation.

'The findings of the study warrant intensified efforts to protect remnant habitat patches, as well as to restore connectivity to fragmented landscapes through conservation tools such as wildlife corridors and habitat linkages.'
A 'scorpion-milking' robot has been developed to extract venom from the arachnids faster and more safely for use in cancer research.

Scorpion venom is normally milked by toxicologists manually, a dangerous procedure where one wrong move can prove deadly.

The new machine allows researchers to strap scorpions into an extractor, reducing their contact time with the beasts and making venom extraction safer.

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A 'scorpion-milking' robot (pictured) has been developed to extract venom from the arachnids faster and more safely for use in cancer research. The VES-4 robot milks the scorpions by clamping the tail and electrically stimulating the animal to release droplets of venom

HOW IT WORKS Current scorpion-milking methods can be dangerous both for the animals, due to punctures made to the venom gland or damage to the abdomen, and to the researchers, due to electric shocks from the equipment. The VES-4 robot milks the scorpions by clamping the tail and electrically stimulating the animal to release droplets of venom, which are then captured and safely stored. It can be operated by one person using a remote control to safely recover scorpion venom remotely. The lightweight robot is portable and is designed not to harm the animal, the researchers claim. It can extract venom from as many as four scorpions at once. Advertisement

The VES-4 robot milks the scorpions by clamping the tail and electrically stimulating the animal to release droplets of venom, which are then captured and safely stored.

The machine is portable and designed not to harm the animal, the researchers claim, and can be operated by one person.

It can extract venom from as many as four scorpions at once.

'This robot makes venom recovery fast and safe,' said Mr Mouad Mkamel, who designed the robot with a team of researchers from Ben M'sik Hassan II University in Morocco.

'The extraction of scorpion venom is a very difficult task and usually takes at least two experimenters.

'There are numerous risks including potentially deadly scorpion stings and electric shocks from the stimulators used to extract the venom.'

Scorpion venom is used in medical applications such as immunosuppressants, anti-malarial drugs and cancer research.

Current scorpion-milking methods can be dangerous both for the animals, due to punctures made to the venom gland or damage to the abdomen, and to the researchers, due to electric shocks from the equipment.

Mechanical stimulation of venom glands gives unreliable volumes of toxin with each extraction.

Venomous scorpions are among the most deadly animals in the world.

The lightweight VES-4 venom-extracting robot is portable and is designed not to harm the animal, the researchers claim. This image shows the back of the machine, where researchers can plug in a microcontroller for remote control

Current scorpion-milking methods can be dangerous both for the animals, due to punctures made to the venom gland or damage to the abdomen, and to the researchers, due to electric shocks from the equipment (stock image)

Earlier this year, scientists captured the world's most lethal scorpion, the deathstalker, launching attacks in slow motion for the first time.

A comparison of half-a-dozen scorpion species shown in ultra-slow motion revealed an unsuspected variety of strike modes.

The deathstalker had the fastest lunge of all, with its venomous stinger snapping over its head like a whip at 130 centimetres (51 inches) per second.

It has a no-nonsense trajectory, moving straight towards its target before flicking upward. The emperor scorpion - the world's largest - has a similar open strike.

Other species, such as the black spitting scorpion, which can squirt venom at a distance, and various members of the hottentotta genus, strike with a more circular motion, forming an 'O'.

'We found that different tail shapes - some slim, some fatter - appear to permit different strike performances,' said senior author Professor Arie van der Meijden from the University of Porto in Portugal.

To record and analyse the lightning-fast strikes, Professor van der Meijden and his team built a small platform surrounded by mirrors on all four sides.

They filmed the scorpion strikes from above with a video camera at 500 frames per second, and then created 3D models with computers.

'Just taking them out of their container and putting them in the arena was enough to get them in stinging mood,' Professor van der Meijden said.
A British hospital trust misused patient data when it shared information with Google for work on a smartphone app, a British data protection watchdog said on Monday.

The Royal Free NHS Trust did not comply with the Data Protection Act when it passed on personal information of around 1.6 million patients to Google's DeepMind.

DeepMind, which is owned by Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is the company's artificial intelligence and machine learning branch.

The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) said it found 'a number of shortcomings' in the way the data was handled, including that patients were not adequately informed their data would be used as part of the test.

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A British hospital trust misused patient data when it shared information with Google's DeepMind for work on a smartphone app, a British data protection watchdog has found. DeepMind is the company's artificial intelligence and machine learning branch

WHAT DATA WAS USED? The data was provided in a medical trial that began in 2015. The trial integrated information from existing systems used by the Royal Free. The systems used technology to track patients' symptoms and alerted clinicians when signs of deterioration in a patient with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) were found. AKI affects up to 18 per cent of those admitted to hospital. The investigation found that many patients did not know their data was being used as part of a test. As part of the deal between the Trust and Google, DeepMind gained access to sensitive patient information such as HIV status, mental health history and abortions. Advertisement

'There's no doubt the huge potential that creative use of data could have on patient care and clinical improvements, but the price of innovation does not need to be the erosion of fundamental privacy rights,' Elizabeth Denham, head of the ICO, said in a statement.

The data was provided in a medical trial that integrated information from existing systems used by the Royal Free.

The systems alerted clinicians when signs of deterioration in a patient with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) were found.

The investigation found that many patients did not know their data was being used as part of a test.

'We accept the ICO's findings and have already made good progress to address the areas where they have concerns,' the trust said in a statement.

The trust has now signed a document agreeing to make changes to the way it handles data.

Although the ICO's findings related to the hospital, Google's artificial intelligence arm has also taken responsibility.

The company admitted it underestimated the complexity of Britain's state-run National Health Service and the rules around patient data.

'We were almost exclusively focused on building tools that nurses and doctors wanted, and thought of our work as technology for clinicians rather than something that needed to be accountable to and shaped by patients, the public and the NHS as a whole,' Google DeepMind said in a statement.

'We got that wrong, and we need to do better.'

The systems used technology to track patients' symptoms and alerted clinicians when signs of deterioration in a patient with Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) were found.

The Royal Free NHS Trust did not comply with the Data Protection Act when it passed on personal information of around 1.6 million patients to Google's DeepMind. Pictured is the Royal Free Hospital in London, one of several hospitals the Royal Free Trust is responsible for

AKI affects up to 18 per cent of those admitted to hospital.

As part of the deal between the Trust and Google, DeepMind gained access to sensitive patient information such as HIV status, mental health history and abortions.

Ms Aisling Burnand, Chief Executive of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC), said: 'We hope this decision paves the way for more clarity around the use of patient data.

'We know how vital patient data can be to medical research but also how important the safeguarding of it is.

'Although a blog from the Information Commissioner offers some advice on this thorny issue, we believe clear, firm guidelines are still needed.'
Apple could abandon its Touch ID fingerprint recognition system entirely in favour of a new facial recognition system, an analyst has claimed.

Rumours have circulated in recent weeks that Apple was struggling to decide where to put the sensor - under the front screen with an 'invisible' sensor, or even on the rear.

Now it appears a third option may be on the table - abandoning it entirely.

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Rumours about the iPhone 8 have been circling for months, and a new video released this week claims to give the 'closet look' at the device yet.

IPHONE 8 RUMOURS Several rumors have been circulating about the iPhone 8, and suggest the next device may have: - Dual-lens 3D camera - Augmented reality capabilities - Curved glass casing - Wireless charging - 5 inch (12.7 centimeter) and 5.8 inch (14.7 centimeter) model, will have a wraparound OLED screen - Aluminum back will be replaced with two reinforced glass panes and a metal frame in the middle - Facial recognition - 128GB will cost $999 - 256GB will cost $1,099 Advertisement

The claims were made by KGI analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, who has sent out a report with his top predictions for the 2017 iPhone lineup.

He predicts the iPhone 8 will feature 'the highest screen-to-body ratio of any phone on the market', thanks to the addition of the 'notch' at the top of the screen and a virtual home button.

'We predict the OLED model won't support fingerprint recognition, reasons being: the full-screen design doesn't work with existing capacitive fingerprint recognition, and the scan-through ability of the under-display fingerprint solution still has technical challenges'

He also claims the last minutes change will not mean delays.

'As the new OLED iPhone won't support under-display fingerprint recognition, we now do not expect production ramp-up will be delayed again (we previously projected the ramp-up would be postponed to late October or later).'

To allow the facial scannimg Kuo says he expects the handset to have 3D sensing for facial recognition & improved selfie quality - as well and to make Apple's recently announced augmented reality software more accurate.

Kuo also claims the handset will still be announced in September, alongside two models without the OLED screen.

'For optimized promotional effect, we think Apple may unveil the three models simultaneously in September, though the launch date of the OLED version may trail that of LCD models, and supply tightness may not improve before 1H18.'

The two LCD phones will have standard 4.7-inch and 5.5-inch screens, with the front face resembling the current iPhone 7 and iPhone 7 Plus.

Whereas the iPhone 8 chassis will be made of stainless steel and glass, it is believed the 'iPhone 7s' devices will have glass backs and an aluminium frame.

Rumours about the iPhone 8 have been circling for months, and a new video released last week claims to give the 'closet look' at the device yet.

The HD video claims to show an iPhone 8 dummy unit, providing a 360-degree look at the smartphone.

The video confirms several rumours, including a near edge-to-edge display, and a vertical dual-camera.

The video was posted on YouTube this week by Tiger Mobiles and Onleaks, with the title 'Meet the new iPhone (iPhone 8) - The Closest Look Yet - Hands on Video.'

A 360-degree view of the device shows it has an all-glass back and nearly edgeless display.

As well as the hands-on look at the device, the video also uses a ruler to show the dimensions of the phone.

The measurements suggest that the device will be 143.50 x 71.03 x 7.46 mm - which is slightly smaller than earlier reports have claimed.

In comparison, the iPhone 7 measures 138.3 x 67.1 x 7.1 mm, while the iPhone 7 Plus comes in at 158.2 x 77.9 x 7.3 mm.

The description for the video reiterates that the smartphone shown is a dummy unit built from a 3D CAD (computer aided design).

It reads: 'The device shown in this video is manufactured via CNC process.

'It is based upon 3D CAD sourced directly from the factory in charge of building the new iPhone.

'Keep in mind, some details may change before the official launch.'

The HD video claims to show an iPhone 8 dummy unit, providing a 360-degree look at the smartphone

Earlier this week, MobileFun shared a video online that provided users with a hands-on look at the accessories expected to fit the iPhone 8.

The two Olixar products highlight a vertical dual camera setup and the edge-to-edge display.

The video was shared with DailyMail.com by Mike Hart with MobileFun, who excitedly noted that the screen protector 'gives a lot of information regarding what the latest phone will look like'.

The video appears to confirm that the iPhone 8 will feature a vertical dual-lens camera that won't sit flush with the device

As well as the hands-on look at the device, the video also uses a ruler to show the dimensions of the phone. The measurements suggest that the device will be 143.50 x 71.03 x 7.46 mm - which is slightly smaller all around than earlier reports have claimed

The 360-degree view of the device shows it has an all-glass back and nearly edgeless display - confirming rumours that have been circulating for months

The protector has suggested that Apple is going for a near bezeless design and unlike its predecessors, the iPhone 8 could have a slimmer border at the top and the bottom, which points to an edge-to-edge display.

This design means the firm has replaced the physical home button with a sensor that 'may well end up being located underneath the screen,' Hart said.

There are also more visible cutouts towards the top, which has suggested the firm has found a new home for the front-facing camera, a speaker and a proximity sensor  and it could be equip with facial recognition technology.

The UK website MobileFun has shared a video online that provides users with a hands-on look of the accessories and design details of what to expect at the fall launch

IPHONE 8 SCREEN PROTECTOR AND CASE The protector has suggested that Apple is going for a near bezeless design and unlike its predecessors, the iPhone 8 could have a slimmer border at the top and the bottom, which points to an edge-to-edge display. There are also more visible cutouts towards the top, which has suggested the firm has found a new home for the front-facing camera, a speaker and a proximity sensor  and it could be equip with facial recognition technology. The screen protector itself measures 2.5 by 5.4 inches leaving us to believe that the iPhone 8 will feature a screen size of around 5.8 inches. The case is designed for a phone with a vertical dual-camera and is much larger than the iPhone 7. It is 2.8 inches wide by 5.7 inches tall and less than an inch thick, putting it much bigger than the iPhone 7, but not as large as the 7 plus. Advertisement

The screen protector itself measures 2.5 by 5.4 inches leaving us to believe that the iPhone 8 will feature a screen size of around 5.8 inches.

Hart then brought out the Olixar case, which still boasts the iconic iPhone shape, but with a few noticeable changes.

Placing the case on an iPhone 7, users can instantly see that the camera cutout is different  it was made for a vertical dual camera setup.

The other altered feature is the power button on the side of the case, as it appears to be much larger than that of the previous iPhone.

And the case is much larger than the iPhone 7.

It is 2.8 inches wide by 5.7 inches tall and less than an inch thick, 'putting it much bigger than the iPhone 7, but not as large as the 7 plus,' explained Hart.

'The other ports also appear to be as usual, so users should next expect Apple to bring back the small auxiliary port,' he continued.

'Overall the iPhone 8 looks to greatly improve on the ground work set out by the iPhone 7 and is sure to be an extremely popular model with what will be undoubtedly a very stunning display.'

The protector has suggested that Apple is going for a near bezeless design and unlike its predecessors, the iPhone 8 could have a slimmer border at the top and the bottom, which points to an edge-to-edge display

Although MobileFun's video shares the details of the smartphones design, it still leaves one question left unanswered  where is Apple going to put the home button?

Samsung and Apple have been battling it out to develop the first invisible and unobtrusive fingerprint scanner for the past year.

However, a new report has found that it was an unlikely competitor that has perfected the technology.

There are also more visible cutouts towards the top, which has suggested the firm has found a new home for the front-facing camera, a speaker and a proximity sensor  and it could be equip with facial recognition technology

The Chinese mobile phone maker Vivo, in collaboration with Qualcomm, has unveiled a prototype handset that boasts an ultrasonic fingerprint solution under its OLED screen.

The technology works by sending ultrasonic sound waves through the finger's skin, allowing it to capture a 3D image of the user's fingerprint and unlock the device without the need for an obvious sensor or button.

'We are excited to announce Qualcomm Fingerprint Sensors because they can be designed to support sleeker, cutting-edge form factors, unique mobile authentication experiences, and enhanced security authentication,' said Seshu Madhavapeddy, vice president, product management, Qualcomm Technologies, Inc.

The protector has suggested that Apple is going for a near bezeless design and unlike its predecessors, the iPhone 8 could have a slimmer border at the top and the bottom, which points to an edge-to-edge display

'This provides OEMs and operators with the ability to offer truly distinct, differentiated devices with added value on truly groundbreaking new devices.'

The ultrasonic sensor was developed by Qualcomm, which has been used in other devices in the past - just not under the display, Mashable reported.

The new system consists of sensors for display, glass and metal, detection of directional gestures, and underwater fingerprint match and device wake-up.

The other altered feature is the power button on the side of the case, as it appears to be much larger than that of the previous iPhone. And the case is much larger than the iPhone 7

And it works by sending ultrasonic sound waves through the finger's skin, allowing it to capture a 3D image of the user's fingerprint.

The technology was developed with the ability to scan through OLED displays stacks of up to 1.2mm thick, up to 0.8mm of cover glass, or up to 0.65mm of aluminum - but it cannot work properly with an LCD screen.

Other than recognizing the user's fingerprint, it is also designed to detect heart beat and blood flow for improved mobile authentication experiences.

The two Olixar products, the screen protector and case, highlight a vertical dual camera setup, a near bezeless design and the most talked about feature of the smartphone - the edge-to-edge display

Although the sensor's capabilities have already surpassed Apple's physical Touch ID, as it is underneath the display, it is also designed to be more accurate.

The technology is not affected by ambient light and will still read your print if your finger is wet  one of the major flaws with Apple's sensor.

Qualcomm has noted the sensor will be available as an integrated solution for its own Snapdragon and non-Snapdragon hardware.

And consumers should expect smartphones with the new technology to ship in the first half of 2018.

Although MobileFun's video shares the details of the smartphones design, it still leaves one question left unanswered  where is Apple going to put the home button? But Vivo has designed a prototype (pictured) that places it underneath the display

Apple and Samsung have been battling it out to design the perfect fingerprint sensor and although Samsung was the first to relocate it, it is not in an ideal place for consumers.

Because the Galaxy S8 family is designed with the fingerprint scanner on the back to make room for the edge-to-edge screen, some users have found that the rear-camera is being constantly smudged, as you have to 'poke around to locate it'.

And according to the many rumors surrounding Apple's highly-anticipating iPhone 8, the firm has not even offered the sensor under the display  the options include on the back or embedded into the screen.
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Archaeologists have unearthed and excavated an area in Thomas Jefferson's plantation home that was once the living quarters of Sally Hemings - a slave with whom he is believed to have had six children.

Her room, which was built in 1809 and was 14 feet, 8 inches wide and 13 feet long, was next to Thomas Jefferson's room.

However the area was turned into a bathroom for tourists in 1941.

It was only recently when historians analyzed a description of Sally's room by one of Jefferson's grandsons they they concluded it was hiding under a modern day bathroom at the Monticello home.

Archaeologists then found Hemings' room including a brick hearth and fireplace, the structure for a stove and even the original flooring.

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Sally Hemings' room was discovered at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello mansion, his primary plantation home in Charlottesville, Virginia. While evidence showed that Sally Hemings lived a better lifestyle than other enslaved people on the plantation, her room didn't have windows and would have been dark and damp

Archeologists have removed a bathroom added to the Monticello mansion in the 1950s which covered up the room where Sally Hemings, who is believed to have had up to six children with Thomas Jefferson, lived in a room adjoining his

Thomas Jefferson drafted the declaration of independence and went on to become the third president of the United States; Pictured right, a portrait of what Sally Hemings may have looked like. There is no surviving artistic rendition of her

The location of the room next to Thomas Jefferson's adds credibility to the claims the third president of the United States fathered several children with at least one of his slaves, Sally Hemings at his mansion in Virginia

The room was unearthed at Jefferson's Monticello mansion, his primary plantation home in Charlottesville, Virginia.

Sally Hemings (1773-1835) was a slave at the estate, and according to her son Madison Hemings, Sally Hemings' father was Thomas Jefferson's father-in-law, John Wayles.

She became Thomas Jefferson's property as part of his inheritance from the Wayles estate in 1774 and came with her mother Elizabeth Hemings in 1776.

She had six children, who are believed to be have been fathered by Thomas Jefferson after the death of his wife Martha Jefferson including Beverly, Harriet, Madison, and Eston Hemings.

In September 1802, political journalist James T. Callender, a disaffected former ally of Jefferson, wrote in a Richmond newspaper that Jefferson had for many years 'kept, as his concubine, one of his own slaves.'

Fraser Neiman, the director of archaeology at the Monticello home, said that digging Hemings' room revealed a brick hearth and fireplace, the structure for a stove and even the original flooring

Sally Hemings' room, which was built in 1809 and was 14 feet, 8 inches wide and 13 feet long, was next to Thomas Jefferson's room

Ellen Wayles Hemings, pictured, was the granddaughter of Sally Hemings. She married her next door neighbour Andrew Jackson Roberts in 1878 and less than a decade later the family left southern Ohio and moved west to Los Angeles

Harriet Hemings, pictured left as a young woman and right in later life, was the granddaughter of Sally Hemings

'Her name is Sally,' Callender continued, adding that Jefferson had 'several children' by her.

Although there had been rumors of a sexual relationship between Jefferson and an enslaved woman before 1802, Callender's article spread the story widely.

It was taken up by Jefferson's Federalist opponents and was published in many newspapers during the remainder of Jefferson's presidency.

Jefferson's policy was to offer no public response to personal attacks, and he apparently made no explicit public or private comment on this question (although a private letter of 1805 has been interpreted by some individuals as a denial of the story). Sally Hemings left no known accounts.

While Hemings was never technically a free woman, she was allowed to leave Monticello following Jefferson's death to live with her sons Madison and Eston Hemings in Charlottesville.

It is believed that Jefferson kept his six children as slaves until they came of age, at which point he freed them one by one.

Thomas Jefferson drafted the declaration of independence and went on to become the third president of the United States.

Frederick Madison Roberts was the son of Andrew Jackson Roberts and Ellen Wayles Hemings - the grand-daughter of Sally Hemings. He was the first African American elected to the California State Assembly in 1918

Sally Hemings was played by actress Thandie Newton, right, in the film Jefferson in Paris alongside Nick Nolte, left

WHO WAS SALLY HEMINGS? One of the few accounts of Sally Hemings was given by an enslaved blacksmith named Isaac Granger Jefferson (pictured). He said that Sally Hemings was 'mighty near white...very handsome, long straight hair down her back' Sally Hemings (1773-1835) was a slave at Thomas Jefferson's Monticello estate. According to her son Madison Hemings, Sally Hemings' father was Thomas Jefferson's father-in-law, John Wayles. She had six children, who are believed to have been fathered by Thomas Jefferson after the death of his wife Martha Jefferson. There are no know portraits of Sally Hemings, and one of the few accounts of her by an enslaved blacksmith named Isaac Granger Jefferson said that Sally Hemings was 'mighty near white...very handsome, long straight hair down her back.' While this has been subject to debate, a 1998 DNA study genetically linked Hemings' male descendants with male descendants of the Jefferson family. Sally Hemings became Thomas Jefferson's property as part of his inheritance from the Wayles estate in 1774 and came with her mother Elizabeth Hemings in 1776. As a child, she was probably a nursemaid to Jefferson's daughter Maria, as enslaved girls from the age of six or eight were childminders and assistants to head nurses on southern plantations. Sally served as an attendant to Maria Jefferson, as well as Martha Jefferson, Thomas Jefferson's wife, accompanying them on various trips to Paris. After her return to Virginia in 1789, Sally Hemings remained at Monticello and worked as a household servant. Sally's son Madison recalled that one of her duties was 'to take care of [Jefferson's] chamber and wardrobe, look after us children, and do light work such as sewing.' While Hemings was never technically a free woman, she was allowed to leave Monticello following Thomas Jefferson's death to live with sons Madison and Eston Hemings in Charlottesville. Source: Monticello.org Advertisement

Gardiner Hallock, the director of restoration for the Monticello plantation, told NBC News: 'The discovery gives us a sense of how enslaved people were living.

'Some of Sally's children may have been born in this room.

'It's important because it shows Sally as a human being - a mother, daughter, and sister - and brings out the relationships in her life.'

While Hallock says that the evidence showed that Sally Hemings lived a better lifestyle than other enslaved people on the plantation, her room didn't have windows and would have been dark and damp.

Although there aren't many accounts of Sally Hemings, one account by an enslaved blacksmith named Isaac Granger Jefferson said that Sally Hemings was 'mighty near white...very handsome, long straight hair down her back.'

The workers have stripped back the modern bathroom to find the original features from the early 1800s

Workers pulled up the modern tile floor, revealing the original flooring and structure of sally Hemings' room. The room is currently being restored, and will eventually be open for public viewings

The room went unnoticed for decades, and was made into a bathroom for tourists visiting the house in 1941

Emma Byrd Young, third left, pictured with her her husband George and their 10 children at some time in 1915, was the great-grand daughter of Sally Hemings - whose family left Virginia in 1827 and settled in Southern Ohio

Historians analyzed a description of Sally's room by one of Jefferson's grandsons, who described the room as being in the house's South Wing.

Following this, archaeologists decided to dig the area that was once a bathroom.

Fraser Neiman, the director of archaeology at the Monticello home, said that digging Hemings' room revealed a brick hearth and fireplace, the structure for a stove and even the original flooring.

The room is being restored, and will eventually be open for public viewings.

Monticello's Community Engagement Officer, Gayle Jessup White, descends from both the Hemings and Jefferson families - Sally Hemings was White's great-great-great-great aunt.

White first learned about her ancestry when she was a child, and she has mixed feelings about it.

She told NBC News: 'As an African American descendant, I have mixed feelings - Thomas Jefferson was a slave holder.'

White says that it's because of this that the local African American community has not always embraced Monticello, but through her role, she hopes to tell the story of not just Thomas Jefferson, but the enslaved people and their families as well.

The excavation and restoration are part of The Mountaintop Project, a $35-million effort to restore the Monticello room to how it looked at the time Jefferson lived there, and to also tell the story of the free and enslaved people who lived and worked at the plantation.

Monticello's Community Engagement Officer, Gayle Jessup White (right), descends from both the Hemings and Jefferson families - Sally Hemings was White's great-great-great-great aunt. Left is Niya Bates, a Public Historian of Slavery and African American Life

As part of a restoration project, in 2015 Monticello unveiled Mulberry Row, which included the restoration of two slave-related buildings: Left, an iron storehouse and the Hemings cabin, which were visited by more than 100 descendants of enslaved families in a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the buildings

Jacqueline Pettiford and her family, who are descendants of Madison Hemings, Sally Hemings' son, standing outside of the Monticello estate in Charlottesville, Virginia

The grounds provide tours of the homes, with some tours that focus on the experience of slaves, and a Hemings family tour.

As part of the restoration project, in 2015 Monticello unveiled Mulberry Row, which included the restoration of two slave-related buildings: An iron storehouse and the Hemings cabin, which were visited by more than 100 descendants of enslaved families in a tree-planting ceremony to commemorate the buildings.

It is believed that Jefferson kept his six children as slaves until they came of age, at which point he freed them one by one. Hemings, however, was never freed.

Since then critics and scholars have been attempting to reconcile the image of Jefferson as a founding father who penned the words 'all men are created equal' with a man who would keep a mistress as a slave and enslave his own children with her, for a period of time.

These conclusions are complicated by the fact that Hemings left no written account of the relationship herself, perhaps meaning that she was not literate.

Hemings is mentioned occasionally in Jefferson's own writings, but not in a way that distinguishes her from the rest of his family.

It is known that Hemings was born in 1773 and served Jefferson at his plantation in Monticello, Virginia, where she acted as nursemaid to several of his children with wife Martha.

Jefferson is thought to have started his relationship with Hemings following Martha's death in in 1782 and likely continued it until his death in 1826.

While Heming was never technically a free woman, she was allowed to leave Monticello following his death to live with sons Madison and Eston Hemings in Charlottesville.
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It is one of the most expensive projects in military history, and has been dogged with controversy from the start.

But, as there incredible images show, the F-35 is beginning to look more like the airborne killer it was billed as every day.

The images show the latest weapon testing, revealing the jet firing an AIM-9x missile while upside down.

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The images show the latest weapon testing, revealing the jet firing an AIM-9x missile while upside down in a test designed to 'push the envelope'

'We want to provide the maximum capability of the F-35 to the fleet to get them where they need to be for training and operational use,' said James Shepherd, the flight test engineer for the missile test at Patuxent River Navy Base.

F-35 FACT SHEET Role: Stealth multirole fighter First flight: December 15, 2006 Unit cost (not including engine): F-35A - $98million F-35B - $104million F-35C - $116million Number built: 115 (as of November 2014) Length: 15.67m Wingspan: 10.7m Height: 4.33m Max speed (F-35A): 1,930kph Advertisement

'This unique missile launch is a situation we don't expect a pilot to be in very often,' Navy bosses say.

'We have to prove the aircraft, and weapon, can operate at the edges of the flight envelope.'

'We want to provide the maximum capability of the F-35 to the fleet to get them where they need to be for training and operational use,' said James Shepherd, the flight test engineer for the missile test at Patuxent River Navy Base.

'This will ensure we meet our promises to deliver the most advanced fifth generation fighter in the world.'

It comes after, at the Paris air show, a rare aerobatic display from the American F-35 has wowed crowds - and sent NATO a clear message.

The six-minute flight features a full power takeoff showing off its 40,000 pounds of thrust, steep climbs, and the tightest possible turns, and is designed to head off doubts over the controversial jet's ability to dogfight.

'After 10 years since first flight, with our first opportunity to demonstrate the capabilities and the maneuverability of the F-35, we are going to crush years of misinformation about what this aircraft is capable of doing,' Lockheed Martin test pilot Billie Flynn said in an interview with Aviation Week.

In an Associated Press interview at the opening Monday of the Paris Air Show, Brigadier General Select Todd Canterbury said the displays of the new jet are to 'showcase the capability to all of our European partners and NATO allies' and 'to reassure them that we are committed to NATO 100 percent and that we have got the capability to respond to any action necessary.'

The Marine Corps has been forced to ground its F-35B Joint Strike Fighters in Arizona after flaws were found in the controversial jet's computer system.

The problems relate to the Autonomic Logistics Information System, or ALIS, that transmits details about a jet's mechanical condition to the ground-based computer system.

This allows the computers to automatically scheduling maintenance for the aircraft.

Dozens of F-35 stealth fighters that were grounded for 11 days due to an oxygen-supply problem aboard the expensive warplanes will resume flying on Wednesday, the US Air Force said.

Maj. Gen. Mark Wise, commander of the 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing based at Miramar Marine Corps Air Station, made the call to suspend flights for Squadron 211 due to 'some anomalies' with the latest ALIS 2.0.2 software upgrade, according to a statement given to The San Diego Union-Tribune.

'There is nothing wrong with the performance or safety of the aircraft itself, but it is imperative that we ensure the ground-based ALIS system is working properly before operations continue,' the statement said.

The Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 211 is stationed in Yuma and the problems do not affect other F-35 units, according to the Corps.

It comes just days after it was revealed dozens of F-35 stealth fighters that were grounded for 11 days due to an oxygen-supply problem aboard the expensive warplanes will resume flying.

Investigators were unable to identify a root cause of the issue, which had prompted the 56th Fighter Wing of Luke Air Force Base, Arizona to ground its F-35s.

'However, specific concerns were eliminated as possible causes including maintenance and aircrew flight equipment procedures,' base spokeswoman Major Rebecca Heyse said in a statement.

The Lockheed Martin planes were grounded on June 9 due to five incidents since May 2 in which pilots experienced symptoms of hypoxia, of lack of oxygen.

Workers can be seen on the moving line and forward fuselage assembly areas for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter at Lockheed Martin Corp's factory located in Fort Worth, Texas

Currently, the 56th Fighter Wing has 55 F-35A planes that are used to train pilots from the US and other air forces that are buying the jet.

Heyse said experts are continuing to probe the issue and several precautionary steps are being taken, including increasing the minimum levels for backup oxygen systems for each flight.

'Our active duty, reserve, and international team has worked tirelessly to better understand the physiological events,' said Brig. Gen. Brook Leonard, the 56th Fighter Wing commander.

'This is a complex challenge that necessitates multidimensional solutions across a series of steps to get back to a full operating capability.

'We are confident that this initial step with the criteria our team developed will allow us to return to flying F-35s safely and to continue building the future of airpower.'

The U.S. Air Force has also begun experimenting with a handful of new sensors made by a British company that could offer clues about what caused recent cases of hypoxia reported by F-35 pilots, according to Defence News.

An F-35B short takeoff/vertical landing aircraft flies behind a tanker on a mission over Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., in September 2013. Currently, the 56th Fighter Wing has 55 F-35A planes that are used to train pilots from the US and other air forces that are buying the jet.

The idea behind the sensors is to determine what is prompting pilots to feel unwell while plugged into the on-board oxygen system during flight.

With a current development and acquisition price tag already at $379 billion for a total of 2,443 F-35 aircraft - most destined for the US Air Force - the F-35 is the most expensive plane in history, and costs are set to rise further still.

Once servicing and maintenance costs for the F-35 are factored in over the aircraft's lifespan through 2070, overall program costs are expected to rise to $1.5 trillion.

Proponents tout the F-35's radar-dodging stealth technology, supersonic speeds, close air support capabilities, airborne agility and a massive array of sensors giving pilots unparalleled access to information.

But the program has faced numerous delays, cost overruns and setbacks, including a mysterious engine fire in 2014 that led commanders to temporarily ground the planes.

Other problems include software bugs, technical glitches and even a faulty eject system that risked killing pilots who weighed less than 136 pounds (62 kilograms).
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It's a tradition that dates back to the earliest days of civilisation, found in cultures all around the world.

And one thing's for sure, barber shops aren't just about trimming beards and cutting hair.

The first barbers were doctors and dentists by trade, and the first shops served not only as salons, but as a social setting for men to meet and debate issues of the day.

As these photos reveal, it's a tradition still held dear in many cultures, from the Turkish barber who learned the trade when he was just 12 and now runs his own shop in Kilis, to the retired military men of Vietnam who took it up in Hanoi after leaving the army.

Barbers too are flourishing in Cuba, having become among the first businesses to be released by the Cuban government to the private sector in 2010.

Here, MailOnline Travel takes a look at masters of the craft in locations across the globe, from the shiny parlours of Norwich to the street barbers of Africa.

Ali Marili, 62, took over his father's barber shop in Kilis, Turkey, when he died, having been an apprentice there from the age of 12. He is still employing his father's traditional methods, using a basin and blade

The colourful front to a small establishment in Kenya's capital city of Nairobi, in which a man reads the paper as he waits his turn

Hanoi's street barbers are a tradition that stretche back to the 18th century. Pictured (left) is Mr Voi, 43, who has been one for over 20 years after retiring from the army and (right) Mr Giang, 29, who took up the trade straight after leaving school

Street barbers in Ethiopia are mostly used by low-income patrons. Pictured here is Tariku Alemu, who earns about 7 a day cutting his customers' hair on the roadside in Addis Ababa

In North Korea, a guest receives a shave from a woman at a barber shop inside a leisure centre during an organised tour for visiting foreign journalists in Pyongyang

A Cuban barber cuts a client's hair in a barber shop in Havana. Barbers and beauty salons have flourished in Cuba in neighborhoods around the country, after becoming in 2010 the first business released by the Cuban government to the private sector

Men in Norwich, England, undergo trendy transformations in a modern barber shop with some old ideas about mustaches

With narrow walls and a tin roof, things are simple at this shop in Mumbai, India, but it still boasts a traditional barber chair

This man owns a run-down barber shop in Virginia, USA, which still has an old-fashioned cash register in the corner

Posters in the doorway of this Yemen barber shop in the city of Sana'a express support for the Palestinian cause in Israel
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It might be one of the most peculiar retreats on earth.

A Colombian 'love motel' with no less than 180 themed rooms for couples to get down to business in - everything from a shocking chamber full of Nazi decorations to an Arctic igloo-inspired grotto and one with a bright yellow submarine.

Charging from 23 for a junior suite, the Motel Kiss Me in Cali boasts rooms with a wide range of props, statues, massage tables and hot tubs.

The Motel Kiss Me in Cali, Colombia, boasts no less than 180 themed rooms for couples to hire for four-hour slots, among them this confounding chamber full of Nazi decorations

It costs 50 for four hours in the presidential suite and 70 for its most elaborate domain, equipped with its own spacious bondage cage.

Photographer Kurt Hollander, based in Mexico City, spent two weeks documenting a variety of local models posing inside the 17-year-old establishment.

One was an actress, one a cross-dresser, and another a rugby player, but all were instructed to act as though they were in the motel with a lover.

Mr Hollander stayed in a resident suite, with free reign to wander the halls, where behind closed doors, couples engaged in sex acts of all sorts against the backdrop of a themed installation of their choosing.

Charging from 23 for a junior suite, the hotel boasts rooms, all designed by local artists, with a wide range of props

Photographer Kurt Hollander, based in Mexico City, spent two weeks documenting a variety of local models posing inside the 17-year-old establishment

All the models - a diverse range of women from different backgrounds and professions - were instructed to act as though they were in the motel with a lover

Some of the layouts, the Nazi suite included, border on the absurd and disturbing. There is even a chamber modeled after New York City, complete with a nightmarish explosion of the Twin Towers.

All of them were designed and painted by local artists and sculptors.

Hungry guests can either order room service and watch porn in the privacy of their suite, or dine at the on-site restaurant, as well as enjoy the bar and browse the hotel's sex shop.

Just don't confuse it with a brothel.

While prostitution is legal in the region, the only thing on sale here is the experience of a few hours with your partner in a very unique enclosure.

Mr Hollander maintains that the hotel encourages not only safe sex, but also, he suggests, 'good sex, available at an affordable price to people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations'.

Mr Hollander stayed in a resident suite, with free reign to wander the halls, where behind closed doors, couples engaged in sex acts of all sorts against the backdrop of a themed installation of their choosing

The London-themed suite comes complete with a chunky sound system, a coat of arms and two life-sized Queen's guards

Hungry guests can order room service and watch porn in the privacy of their suite, this one complete with its own dancing pole

Patrons can also dine at the on-site restaurant, as well as enjoy the bar and browse the hotel's sex shop for toys

Just don't confuse it with a brothel. While prostitution is legal in the region, the only thing on sale here is the experience of a few hours with your partner in a very unique enclosure

Rooms including this one, which is themed around an exotic jungle complete with a snake on the wall, come with fans or air conditioning

Mr Hollander maintains that the hotel encourages not only safe sex, but also, he suggests, 'good sex, available at an affordable price to people of all races, genders, and sexual orientations'
My Kitchen Rules star Bella Jakubiak and Married At First Sight's James Webster are set to wed.

The couple revealed to New Idea they got engaged on Anzac Day during a romantic trip to the USA with some friends and family.

James got down on bended knee at Yosemite National Park, proposing with a unique green stone engagement ring by the iconic Emerald Ponds.

'She floated down the mountain on a cloud': MKR star Bella Jakubiak and Married At First Sight's James Webster engaged after he proposed to her in the US

James revealed that Bella was so elated after receiving the ring that she appeared to be floating 'on a cloud.'

'She floated down the mountain on a cloud with a glass of champagne in her hand, showing everyone her ring,' he revealed.

The MAFS star added: 'While I sweated bullets climbing over the rocks!'

Flashback: James shot to fame two years ago on the very first season of Married At First Sight

Bella was My Kitchen Rules champion in 2011, while James tied the knot with a complete stranger on Married At First Sight in 2015.

The two later found love with one another.

Speaking about the romance earlier this year, 34-year-old Bella told WHO magazine: 'I pretty much loved him from before our first date.'

Besotted: Speaking about the romance earlier this year, 34-year-old Bella told WHO magazine: 'I pretty much loved him from before our first date'

The TV chef explained the pair had chatted 'via Facebook' for several weeks before their first date as James was away for work.

Recalling their first meeting at a house party in Bondi, Bella told the publication: 'We met in the real world. Through friends.'

And despite having only dated since September last year, the pair were 'serious' about their future together, with Bella noting 'I wish we would have met earlier'.

'When you're at this age, we are like, "Let's not muck around if this is not serious,"' said James, 39.

'When you're at this age, we are like, "Let's not muck around if this is not serious,"' said James, 39

'I've never taken a man over before to meet my family,' the brunette revealed

Bella, who now owns the catering company Bella's Feast and appears on The Morning Show's cooking segments, first made her TV debut alongside her sister Sammy.

The Sydney-based siblings were crowned MKR winners after beating Victorian couple Kane and Lee.

James meanwhile, attempted to find love while appearing on the premiere season of MAFS.

However, his short-lived relationship with bride Michelle didn't work out, which his girlfriend Bella is 'glad' about.

Lucky: His short-lived relationship with bride Michelle didn't work out, which his girlfriend Bella is 'glad' about
They played best friends and high school cheerleaders in the hit teen series, One Tree Hill.

And Sophia Bush wished Hilarie Burton a happy 35th birthday with a sweet throwback photo from their days as co-stars on Saturday.

'Happiest Birthday to my sweet @hilarieburton,' the 34-year-old wrote in the snap. 'Sister! We've been through a lot. At least 374 hair colors together. Crushes. Heartbreaks. Hangovers. Halloweens. Tears and laughter.

'I love you mama': Sophia Bush wished Hilarie Burton a happy 35th birthday with a sweet throwback photo from their days as co-stars on Saturday

'Fear and joy. Successes and burn-it-to-the-ground failures. We've fought like rams and loved like family. It's such a thrill to be in this place with you, 14 years after we first met and danced too late in bars - still giddy that we were finally 21 - and to watch you shine.

'You're a champion for your community. An incredible mom. You're the alpaca whisperer. You're whip smart and razor sharp and deeply tender. There is no one I would have rather been on the world's most insane roller coaster with.

'And I'm so glad there's evidence that we both used to overpluck our eyebrows, undeniably, on the internet forever. At least we're not alone. I love you mama. #Breyton4eva #BreytonFeels #ShesMine #BetterInRealLife.'

The photo Sophia posted was a sweet snap of her and Hilarie at a launch party for The CW, the network aired their show, back in 2006.

So sweet: The 34-year-old posted the sweet message for her former co-star on Saturday (pictured June 2 in Connecticut)

Claim to fame: From 2003 to 2012, Sophia played Brooke Davis and Hilarie was Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill (pictured 2006)

The girls looked beyond thrilled as they pulled each other in for a warm and fierce embrace.

From 2003 to 2012, Sophia played Brooke Davis and Hilarie was Peyton Sawyer on One Tree Hill.

The popular show followed the lives of high school students living in North Carolina.

One Tree Hill boasted a cast that included Bethany Joy Lenz, James Lafferty, Lee Norris, and it made it's star Chad Michael Murray a household name.

Sophia's gone on to star on Chicago Fire, Chicago Med, Chicago P.D., while Hilarie has appeared in Lethal Weapon, Extant, and Hostages.
She has never disguised her love of dancing, and has been known to take part in impromptu dance-offs on live television.

And now TV presenter Ruth Langsford has signed up for Strictly Come Dancing after years of turning it down, show insiders have revealed.

The 57-year-old, who presents ITVs This Morning every Friday with her husband Eamonn Holmes, is due to sign a contract in the next few weeks.

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Revealed: Ruth Langsford is reportedly set to sign up for Strictly Come Dancing after years of turning it down

Until now, she had always been content to analyse the skills of the celebrity contestants from the comfort of the breakfast sofa and is said to have always declined the opportunity to take part.

Now, sources close to the show have said the former Loose Women panellist has finally agreed to join the hit BBC series when it returns to our screens this autumn.

It is understood that a persistent knee injury ruled Holmes out of ever taking part, and he is really excited about supporting his wife on the show.

Inside scoop: Sources close to the show have said the former Loose Women panellist has finally agreed to join the hit BBC series when it returns to our screens this autumn

Although they have been happily married since 2010, and are known as TVs golden couple, both will be aware of the so-called Strictly curse, having been asked to report on it in the past.

The curse refers to the fact that several relationships have been rocked or broken by previous series, due to the close bond between celebrities and their professional dance partners.

A show insider said: Ruth has always been a big fan of the show, and producers are thrilled that she has changed her mind and will be taking part this year.

Knees up: It is understood that a persistent knee injury ruled Holmes out of ever taking part, and he is really excited about supporting his wife on the show

No one has signed any contracts for the show this year but she has had long talks with show bosses and, barring any injury, will be waltzing her way onto the show this autumn.

Eamonn is really excited about cheering her on.

A spokesperson for the BBC said yesterday: This is speculation. The Strictly Come Dancing line up will be announced by the BBC in due course.'

The BBC is expected to announce the line-up in August.

A representative for Langsford was yesterday approached for comment.
He's had a tough time settling down after being dumped on the Bachelorette in 2015 by Sam Frost.

But now Michael Turnbull has confirmed his rumoured romance with blonde beauty Dina Pinteric.

The 36-year-old told Mamamia that the pair are officially together and posted a paparazzi picture of the pair on Instagram over the weekend.

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Congrats! Michael Turnbull has confirmed his rumoured romance with blonde Croatian beauty Dina Pinteric

Blonde beauty: Michael told Mamamoa that the pair are officially together and posted a paparazzi picture of the couple on Instagram over the weekend

In the photo, the couple look relaxed as Dina giggles at Michael.

Michael captioned the snap: 'The F**kin Catalina Wine Mixer with my love #imtheluckyone #thatsmile #tellingjokes'.

After posting the snap, Michael told Mamamia that: 'Yes, we are together.'

'She's an incredible woman and I feel very lucky to have her in my life.'

Together: After posting the snap, Michael told Mamamia that: 'Yes, we are together'

Genuine: He has described her as a 'breath of fresh air to be honest' and 'very motivated and down to earth'

Michael met Dina while she was working as a manager in the men's clothing store Politix in Brisbane.

He has described her as a 'breath of fresh air to be honest' and 'very motivated and down to earth'.

Despite the pair having a language barrier, Michael said that together they're working through it.

Mixing business with pleasure! Michael met Dina while she was working as a manager in the men's clothing store Politix in Brisbane

See ya! He's had a tough time settling down after being dumped on the Bachelorette in 2015 by Sam Frost

'She is teaching me how to speak Croatian, Im helping her with English, however, she is quite good at it already,' he said.

The couple are doing everything together in the honeymoon phase of their relationship from cooking, shopping and just hanging out.

He said: 'We both love to cook, so dinner time is always a joint effort which I love  its always fun, but I mostly do the eating part though.'

Michael has had a string of unsuccessful relationships including dating university student Isabella Gonsalves and mother-of-one Katrina Vincent.

Language barrier? 'She is teaching me how to speak Croatian, Im helping her with English, however, she is quite good at it already'

Unlucky in love: Michael has had a string of unsuccessful relationships including dating mother-of-one Katrina Vincent (pictured) but ending the relationship because of her young daughter

Michael's relationship with Katrina seemingly ended in December 2015 because of her having a two-year-old daughter.

'He end [sic] up deciding he doesn't want to date a person with a child. I am embarrassed and humiliated, I wish I didn't trust him so easily,' Katrina wrote on Instagram at the time.

Later, Michael fired back with his own post but took it down just minutes later.

It read: 'Break ups are not easy and it has been a very upsetting time. I truly wish Katrina every happiness. She is a wonderful mother to a very beautiful daughter who I had the pleasure to spend time with and adored.'
She's the bubbly personality who hosts the renovation reality show House Rules.

But Johanna Griggs was in a less than effervescent mood on Monday, slamming magazine Woman's Day for incorrectly reporting that she saved her husband's life after discovering a lump in his throat

The publication reported that a 'family friend' had said Johanna saved husband Todd Huggins' life after she insisted he get the lump seen to by doctors.

Fake news: Johanna Griggs has slammed magazine Woman's Day for incorrectly reporting that she saved her husband's life after discovering a lump in his throat

However, taking to Instagram, Johanna unleashed on the publication for printing a story with 'more errors than I thought could be possible.'

Posting a screen shot of the article, Johanna began her tirade with: 'Did you not learn anything from Rebel Wilson smashing you in court? Or even from me calling you out previously for taking a lot of poetic licence with your articles?

'For the record: I didn't have a 6th sense about anything...nor did I save my husbands life. The doctors and medical staff who looked after him did.

Misrepresented: Taking to Instagram, Johanna unleashed on the publication for printing a story with 'more errors than I thought could be possible.' Johanna is pictured with husband Todd Huggins

'Todd wasn't rushed off to hospital like you made up in your fantasy world. In fact we booked in to see specialists and doctors and into the hospital like thousands of other families every year.'

Johanna was also quick to point out a litany of inaccuracies in the story - from publishing incorrect ages of her children to running a photo of the presenter with a family dog who died last year.

'In fact, pretty much the only thing that is accurate in your article is that Todd did have an operation and for the record he has been doing really well since.

Controversy: Posting a screen shot of the article, Johanna began her tirade with: 'Did you not learn anything from Rebel Wilson smashing you in court? Johanna is pictured with Todd and sons Jesse, 21 and Joe, 20

'And as much as he giggled at your cover line of being called 'The Bravest Man in the World' even he thinks that's a stretch. Seriously guys - give it a rest, and stop over dramatising things for us. We are just fine thanks!'

Todd underwent an operation to remove the mass that was successfully removed and sent off to be tested.

Luckily the couple received good news, which Johanna celebrated by gifting her hubby a limited edition Manchester United watch by TAG Heuer for his birthday.

'For the record: I didn't have a 6th sense about anything...nor did I save my husbands life. The doctors and medical staff who looked after him did' she wrote in her Instagram response

Incorrect: Johanna was also quick to point out a litany of inaccuracies in the story - from publishing incorrect ages of her children to running a photo of the presenter with a family dog who died last year

The mother-of-two took to Instagram to share a snap of Todd looking chuffed to be wearing the time piece.

Joh wrote in the caption: 'He's endured a lot this last year and has handled every challenge with his usual grace and exceptional humour.'

'The smile on his face was so worth it! He was like a kid in a lolly shop! #happybirthdaytodd #manunited #obsessed,' she added.

Special occasion: With Todd making a full recovery, Joh celebrated the good news by gifting her hubby a limited edition Manchester United watch by TAG Heuer for his birthday
John Stamos made a pointed dig at actor Drake Bell's unhappiness at not being invited to his Grandfathered co-star Josh Peck's wedding last month.

The Fuller House star, 53, shared a playful photo of himself with Peck to his Instagram on Saturday showing them in an idyllic beach location.

'I got invited to the wedding and I didnt even want to go. #Honeymoon,' he wrote in the caption.

Throwing shade: John Stamos had a dig at his former Grandfathered co-star Drake Bell by posting this pic of himself with his other co-star Josh Peck on Saturday

Peck, 30, has wed his longtime girlfriend Paige O'Brien in small ceremony in Malibu, California, on June 17.

But the actor's Drake & Josh co-star Bell lashed out on Twitter after finding out about the nuptials.

'True colors have come out today. Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I'll miss you brotha,' he typed, then deleted the message.

Now foes: Drake Bell said he has cut ties with Josh Peck after he was not invited to the actor's small wedding in Malibu on June 17; the former co-stars are pictured in 2014

Said I do: Peck, 30, wed his longtime girlfriend Paige O'Brien in a small ceremony

Famous folks: Peck's former Grandfathered co-star Stamos and his girlfriend Caitlin McHugh, were there (far right)

'Loyalty is key. ALWAYS remember where you came from,' he added.

Bell and Peck played stepbrothers on the Nickelodeon show DRake & Bell that aired from 2004 till 2007.

Peck is upset over Bell's tweets, a source told UsWeekly. And he finds them inappropriate since the two have not spoken in over a year.

They were last seen together in December 2015 on the set of Josh's show Grandfathered.

Ouch: 'True colors have come out today. Message is loud and clear. Ties are officially cut. I'll miss you brotha,' Bell typed, then deleted on Twitter

A long time ago: The two actors found fame as stepbrothers on Drake & Bell that aired from 2004 to 2007 . They're pictured in 2003 at the Nickelodeon's 16th Annual Kids' Choice Awards

'They would tweet each other back on social media a couple times a year, but never actually spoke,' the source told Us.

'When Drake didnt get invited to Joshs wedding, he started tweeting all of those dramatic memes. Josh was really hurt. They arent close anymore and Josh had a very small wedding.'

Peck and his longtime love tied the knot in Malibu on Saturday in front of friends and celebrities. Peck's former Grandfathered costar John Stamos and his girlfriend, Caitlin McHugh, were there.
Teen Mom 2's Briana DeJesus welcomed her second child, daughter Stella Star, on Sunday.

The Orlando, Florida native, 23, and her baby are healthy after the birth, MTV News reported.

Briana, who has a five-year-old daughter named Nova, wrote, 'What a blessing,' along with an image of the child's footprints, showing that the baby measured at 19.5 inches and weighed 6 pounds and 11.6 ounces.

It's a girl! Teen Mom 2's Briana DeJesus, 23, welcomed her second child, daughter Stella Star, on Sunday

Briana in January told her fans she was becoming a parent twice over via her Snapchat account.

In a series of images she posted, she wrote, 'Looks like Nova wont be an only child anymore,' adding that she was super-excited for her July due date.

DeJesus on June 12 shared an ultrasound of her baby, writing, 'My lil Dominican bae,' with a man she was seeing named Luis.

Things on that front have been rocky, as she later said in a teary Teen Mom 2 teaser that Luis was a cheater.

Beauty: The new mom-of-two beamed at a baby shower-birthday party held in her honor in May

DeJesus, who in March inked on with Teen Mom 2, initially appeared on MTV's 16 and Pregnant in 2012, and the short-lived spin-off Teen Mom 3 in 2013 amid her pregnancy with Nova and travails with Nova's father, Devoin Austin.

She said she doesn't have a strong co-parenting relationship with Austin, who she said was 'not the best father he should be to Nova' on a Teen Mom OG after-show.

Last year, DeJesus gained notoriety when she documented via Snapchat a 'mommy makeover' she underwent, consisting of a labiaplasty, liposuction, a Brazilian butt lift and breast implants. She's slated to share her pregnancy journey when Teen Mom 2 returns to MTV on July 17.
Elle Fanning made sure she was on message as a brand ambassador for Miu Miu on Sunday night in Paris.

The actress, 19, arrived for a dinner and fashion show hosted by the Italian fashion label with the brand's name inked on her neck for all to see.

The pretty blonde wore her hair up in a bun to display the temporary tattoo as she stepped out in a pink petal dress with a very plunging neckline.

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Pretty in pink: Elle Fanning made sure she was on message as a brand ambassador for Miu Miu on Sunday night in Paris

The Miu Miu frock was essentially a sheer mini dress dotted with petal-shaped embellishments.

The slashed-to-the-navel neckline was in contrasting silver brocade with a statement clasp between the breasts holding the bodice together.

The cape sleeves fell to the elbow while revealing her arms.

Center of attention: The actress, 19, arrived for a dinner and fashion show in a Miu Miu frock that was essentially a sheer mini dress dotted with petal-shaped embellishments

Dared to bare: The slashed-to-the-navel neckline was in contrasting silver brocade with a statement clasp between the breasts holding the bodice together

Branded: The pretty blonde wore her hair up in a bun to display the temporary tattoo

Pretty as a picture: The film star looked sensational in the statement ensemble

Getting chic done! The blonde bombshell added to her statuesque height in her silver heels walking into the exclusive venue

Elle added a silver double band across her head in front of the bun.

She also added matching silver sandal heels.

Favored Miu Miu model Doutzen Kroes was also on hand for the event.

Camera ready: Elle posed for photos alongside Aussie actress Teresa Palmer

Fashion fiends: The American beauty caught up with British star Millie Brady at the exclusive fashion show

Dutch beauty: Favored Miu Miu model Doutzen Kroes, 32, was also on hand for the event

The willowy blonde also opted for pink wearing a long-sleeved below-the-knee dress cinched at the waist.

Her dress featured black floral motifs and she added a pair of chunky black and silver platform heels to complete the ensemble.

She left her tresses loose and carried a small black purse on a silver chain.
She has had a turbulent few weeks embroiled in drama with on-off love Jeremy McConnell.

But Stephanie Davis put her relationship woes to one side as she put out a heartfelt plea to fans to help her four-year-old cousin with cerebral palsy get to the US for life-saving treatment.

Steph's cousin Charley is in need of pioneering stem cell treatment which costs 25,000 and is only available stateside.

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Family first: Stephanie Davis put her relationship woes to one side as she put out a heartfelt plea to fans to help her four-year-old cousin with cerebral palsy get to the US for life-saving treatment

Heartfelt: The 24-year-old actress pleaded to her 442,000 Twitter followers to donate money to get the little boy to America

The 24-year-old actress pleaded to her 442,000 Twitter followers to donate money to get the little boy to America.

'If everyone could please take a minute to read and make a little dontaition to my cousin i would be so greatful (sic)

She also reached out on Instagram, writing in a heartfelt post to her 559,000 followers: 'Hey everyone, if Everyone could please read and donate for my little cousin. We desperately want him to get his treatment!! If your could copy and paste this link and repost and make a donation we would be forever grateful '

Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of lifetime conditions that affect movement and co-ordination.

Devoted: The former Hollyoaks star became a mother in January when she gave birth to son Caben-Albi with on-off beau Jeremy McConnell

Lady in red: Stephanie has had a dramatic few weeks as her relationship drama continues

It is caused by damage to the developing brain that occurs before, during or soon after birth.

Symptoms can include weak arms or legs, delays in reaching developmental milestones and speaking and vision problems.

According to his fundraising page - which has raised just over 2,000 so far- Charley cannot walk, talk or chew food and suffers from life-threatening seizures.

Stem cell treatment is designed to promote the growth of more stem cells which could help Charley walk and talk.

The former Hollyoaks star became a mother in January when she gave birth to son Caben-Albi with on-off beau Jeremy McConnell.

Water baby: Steph regularly posts cute photos of her adorable son Caben -Albi

Their love story began when they starred together on Celebrity Big Brother in January 2016 before becoming embroiled in a toxic romance which first ended in April - a month before she announced she was expecting.

After a bitter nine-month battle in which Jeremy denied paternity, once he was proved to be the father he swore to step up and moved from his native Dublin to be with her in Liverpool.

Stephanie's convoluted romance with Jeremy has grown increasingly difficult to track as the duo have frequently made up and broken up,with Jeremy currently awaiting trial on an assault charge against the star.
She has made a couple of rare red carpet appearances since becoming embroiled in a custody battle with her French former partner, Jean David Blanc, over their two young sons.

And Melissa George spent a night out for a good cause in Paris on Sunday, at the amfAR charity dinner for AIDS research.

The 40-year-old cut a glamourous figure as she attended the invite-only event at art museum Le Petit Palais.

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Elegant: Melissa George spent a night out for a good cause in Paris on Sunday, at the amfAR charity dinner for AIDS research

The Perth-born beauty wore a stunning Schiaparelli gown made of glittering black sequins.

The floor-length dress featured a peephole design, which flaunted a hint of cleavage at the front and her toned back reversely.

She wore her long blonde hair in a side part and in loose waves, with a neutral makeup palette complimented by a bright red lip.

Rare: She has made few red carpet appearances since becoming embroiled in a custody battle with her French former partner, Jean David Blanc, over their two young sons

The former Home And Away actress chose to keep her accessories simple, wearing only a costume jewellery ring and carrying a white leather clutch.

She was last seen on the red carpet at amfAR's charity gala during the Cannes Film Festival last month, embroiled in a custody battle over sons, Sola, 1 and Raphael, 3.

In March, the Dark City star gave a tearful interview with Channel Seven current affairs show Sunday Night about her failed relationship with Jean David Blanc.

Glamourous: The former Home and Away actress chose to keep her accessories simple, wearing only a costume jewellery ring and carrying a white leather clutch

She claimed she was violently attacked by entrepreneur Jean, 49, at their penthouse apartment in Paris last year.

While he firmly denies the allegations of violence both he and Melissa were convicted of assault over the incident in February, a judgement they are appealing.

The estranged couple met at a BAFTA after-party in London in 2011.
She's Love Island's girl-next-door who has captured the heart of the nation.

And while some viewers were over the moon that Camilla Thurlow chose to re-couple with new boy Craig Lawson instead of love rat Jonny on Sunday's gripping episode of Love Island, others feared she was set to for heartache once again.

Fans flocked to Twitter to claim that the Essex father-of-three could be playing a game - although others suggested it was actually her who had her eyes on the prize.

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Shock shock, horror horror: Love Island viewers were delighted after Camilla Thurlow chose to recouple with Craig Lawson instead of sticking with love rate Jonny Mitchell. But some fans remain unconvinced by either of them

Sunday's episode of Love Island saw a shock re-coupling with a twist.

Islanders, who had been divided for a few days, were given the chance to stick or twist with their couples - leaving them vulnerable to being dumped off the island.

Should one of the islanders stick, while their couple chose to team up with a newbie, that contestant would have been sent packing - with Dom Lever falling foul of that fate.

However, Camilla, who had clicked with Craig and even locked lips with the tattooed personal trainer before, made the decision to re-couple with the new lad rather than stay with Jonny who had previously cooled things off between them in favour of Tyla.

Gamesmanship: some took to Twitter to claim that the Essex father-of-three could be playing a game fearing more heartache for the classy Edinburgh islander - although others suggested it was actually her playing the game instead

Online audience: Some fans took to Twitter to warn Camilla off sneaky Craig from Essex

Some fans took to Twitter to warn Camilla off sneaky Craig.

Siobhan Halpin said: 'Sorry I don't trust Craig at all he better not hurt #Camilla.'

While Victoria Dalton said: 'Yes Camilla. I don't trust Craig but at least he's not Jonny.'

In keeping with the theme, another said: 'Yes Camilla be happy. Even though I don't trust Craig.'

Crafty Camilla: However some are convinced it is actually the Edinburgh lass who is playing the biggest game of them all

Slytherin: Some suggested her butter wouldn't melt demeanor is all a ruse to win the show

However, other viewers are less than convinced at Camilla's good-two-shoes attitude.

Suggesting her butter wouldn't melt demeanor is all a ruse to win the show, Ibrahim Banks tweeted: 'Camilla yet again trying to look awkward when she is into Craig pretending to be coy - she boils me biggest game player ever.'

While Eileen Cumiskey said: 'Camilla milked that AGAIN.'

On the up: Kem's growing popularity continued following his decision to re-couple with new girl Chyna rather than Amber

Single and ready to mingle: Fans who had watched Kem suffer under erratic Amber's drama rejoiced at the pint-sized Lothario's resurgence on the dating scene

Meanwhile, Kem's growing popularity continued following his decision to re-couple with new girl Chyna rather than Amber.

After Amber took the preemptive steps of coupling with Nathan Joseph fearing the worst with Kem, the Welsh lass was proved right when he strolled in with silver-haired stunner Chyna.

Fans who had watched Kem suffer under erratic Amber's drama rejoiced at the pint-sized Lothario's resurgence on the dating scene.

Nathan Oldroyd tweeteed: 'Yes Kem moving onwards and upwards.'

While Sandra said: 'Yes Kem, Amber wanted you off the island and you chose Chyna well done.'
Kim Kardashian threw a big buffet bash for lunch on Sunday.

And husband Kanye West looked happy as can be as he enjoyed the delicious spread with family and friends in Calabasas, California.

However, his temperament came as a surprise as he just quit Tidal music service and said he's done with exclusive releases after feud began with fellow rapper Jay-Z.

Lavish lunch: Kanye West, 40, looked happy as can be as he enjoyed the delicious lunch party thrown by wife Kim Kardashian in Calabasas on Sunday

It all started when Jay-Z released his album 4:44 on Thursday and included a track that dissed Kanye.

In his lyrics, Jay-Z mentions explicitly the giant loan that the super producer offered up to Kanye apparently confirming the rumor.

'You dropped outta school, you lost your principles / You gave him 20 million without thinkin',' raps the husband of Beyonce, 'he gave you 20 minutes on stage, f**k was he thinkin'?'

In the following days, Kanye cut ties with Jay-Z's streaming music service Tidal - after he helped launch the company in 2015 alongside the likes of Rihanna and Calvin Harris - as reported by TMZ.

Family affair: Kanye was seen sitting at a long table with beautiful floral centerpieces next to a large group of family and friends

Fancy fete: The Sunday Funday was enjoyed by many family and friends

Buffet of dreams: The social media video included tantalizing shots of macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and rice and beans

The rapper, 40, is said to be 'owed more more than $3 million' from the music streaming site - with his lawyers sending a letter to the company telling them they were 'in breach and the contract was terminated.'

To add more insult to injury, Kayne announced he will not be signing anymore exclusive music releases, suggesting the Tidal one was a huge mistake as reported by TMZ .

Meanwhile, Kanye did seem to be enjoying the Sunday Funday hosted by his gorgeous 36-year-old wife Kim.

Plate of deliciousness: Kanye showcased what he was about to get into

Matriarch with the most: Kris Jenner appeared in an quirky outfit involving a striped shirt and ripped denim

Happy granny: Kris she did a happy dance as she awaited the buffet

Kanye was seen sitting at a long table with beautiful floral centerpieces next to a large group of family and friends.

He smiled at the camera as his gigantic plate of food awaited.

The social media video included tantalizing shots of macaroni and cheese, collard greens, and rice and beans.

Apparently, Kardashian matriarch Kris Jenner was a fan of the lavish lunch as she did a happy dance in an quirky outfit involving a striped shirt and ripped denim.

Unfriendly? It seems the Kanye references also referred to the feud between the two, which reportedly flowered when Jay-Z failed to reach out to Kanye when his wife Kim Kardashian was robbed at gunpoint back in October (couple pictured in June)
She's the charismatic Studio 10 presenter who is mother to 18-month-old Paul.

Now Sarah Harris has revealed that her husband Tom Ward can often struggle with the gruesome tasks that come with parenting.

The 35-year-old journalist told the Courier Mail that Tom got himself in a sticky situation with Paul while Sarah was in Queensland filming Studio 10.

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Tricky! Sarah Harris has revealed that her husband Tom Ward can often struggle with the gruesome tasks that come with parenting

Messes can be made! The 35-year-old journalist told the Courier Mail that Tom got himself in a sticky situation with Paul while Sarah was in Queensland filming Studio 10

Sarah spent the week travelling with the Channel Ten morning show, leaving Tom home alone to care for their son.

But while Tom was holding the fort, he had an unfortunate incident when Paul got sick.

Sarah said: 'Poor Tom, hes such a good dad but I go this phone call last night and hes said "Pauls vomited all through his bed."

"How do I use the washing machine? Where are the sheets kept?".'

Doing his best! 'Poor Tom, hes such a good dad but I go this phone call last night and hes said "Pauls vomited all through his bed. How do I use the washing machine?".'

She continued: 'But it is good for the blokes to step up and not get frightened of being home alone with the baby.'

In June, Sarah announced on Studio 10 that she is expecting her second child.

The TV host, who is due to give birth in December, shocked her Studio 10 colleagues and viewers alike when she revealed she was pregnant during the live show.

Dad goals: 'But it is good for the blokes to step up and not get frightened of being home alone with the baby'

Another one on the way! In June, Sarah announced on Studio 10 that she is expecting her second child

'I'm sick of holding my stomach in. I'm having a baby,' she told a very surprised Jessica Rowe, Suzie Elman and David Robinson.

Longtime friend Jessica immediately leaped up from her seat to give Sarah a big cuddle, screaming 'she's pregnant!'

The popular TV journalist told Studio 10 producers she had been having a very hard time hiding the news from her colleagues because of her growing baby bump.

'You guys were so onto it. I've had to hide behind the desk,' she exclaimed.
It's the controversial new reality TV series facing criticism for its 'unrealistic' depictions of motherhood before it even airs.

And Yummy Mummies star Maria DiGeronimo, 31, is set to raise more eyebrows with her extravagant Chanel and Burberry purchases for her yet-to-be born daughter.

In a new preview for the divisive show, the Adelaide housewife shows off a walk-in wardrobe stuffed full with designer clothes, confessing she has bought items sized up to age 14 for her unborn child.

'She's a fruit loop!' Yummy Mummies' Maria DiGeronimo shows off ridiculous designer wardrobe for her baby

The flamboyant soon to be mum boasts of her purchases to the other Yummy Mummies stars Lorinska Merrington, Jane Scandizzo and Rachel Watts during a tour of her mansion.

'This is my favourite room,' Maria says as she escorts the other pregnant women into a walk-in wardrobe.

A quick scan shows the room is stuffed with Nike and Ralph Lauren shoes, Burberry clothes and even a Chanel handbag.

'This is my favourite room': The flamboyant soon to be mum boasts of her purchases to the other Yummy Mummies stars

No expense spared! A quick scan shows the room is stuffed with Nike and Ralph Lauren shoes, Burberry clothes and even a Chanel handbag

Beaming with pride, Maria tells the other yummy mummies she has purchased clothes up to the age of 14.

But the other soon-to-be-mums appear less than impressed with Maria's excessive spending, with Jane telling the other women: 'She's a fruit loop!'

Undeterred, Maria had her own take on their reactions, later telling producers: 'They're a bit jealous, they look jealous.'

Crazy: The other soon to be mums appear less than impressed with Maria's excessive spending

Say what: Beaming with pride, Maria tells the other yummy mummies she has purchased clothes up to the age of 14

It's not the first time Maria's over-the-top lifestyle has featured in promos for Yummy Mummies.

Earlier previews showed Maria receiving a bouquet made of 100 dollar notes and arriving at her extravagant baby shower in a horse-drawn carriage.

She also courted controversy for saying breastfeeding should be 'illegal' in one trailer.

The comment saw the Australian Breastfeeding Project start a petition to ban the show, which has now been signed by more than 23,000 people.

'They're a bit jealous': Maria had her own take on their reactions putting it down to the others being envious

Backlash: She also courted controversy for saying breastfeeding should be 'illegal' in one trailer

Maria later defended her stance on breastfeeding, telling the Adelaide Advertiser she breastfed herself but never in public.

'I didnt choose a place that was loud, rowdy, with men who could possibly even be intoxicated,' she said.

'If I would have done that, Id have covered up, but thats my opinion and personal choice.'

Since previews for Yummy Mummies first aired in May the show has attracted a vocal negative reaction from viewers.
She rose to fame with a starring role in Robin Thicke's 2013 hit, Blurred Lines.

And Emily Ratajkowski has opened up to Harper's Bazaar Australia about her 'unique message' of using overt sexuality as a self-proclaimed feminist.

The 26-year-old shed light on the backlash she has received on social media for her provocative stance in the magazine's August 2017 issue.

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Vocal: Emily Ratajkowski has opened up to Harper's Bazaar Australia about her 'unique message' of using overt sexuality as a self-proclaimed feminist

'There's this thing that happens to me: "Oh, she's too sexy". It's like an anti-woman thing, people don't want to work with me because my boobs are too big,' she said.

'What's wrong with boobs? They're a beautiful, feminine thing that needs to be celebrated. Like, who cares?' she continued.

The aspiring actress touched on the scrutiny she is under for positioning herself as a feminist while flaunting her body in scantily clad and nude imagery.

'There's this thing that happens to me: "Oh, she's too sexy". It's like an anti-woman thing, people don't want to work with me because my boobs are too big,' she said

'What's wrong with boobs? They're a beautiful, feminine thing that needs to be celebrated. Like, who cares?' she continued

'I have no problem with the backlash, because I feel it illustrates my point over and over,' she stated.

After featuring in a nude photo shoot for Harper's in 2016, Piers Morgan tweeted her: 'Do you want me to buy you some clothes? You look freezing.'

She quickly responded: '@piersmorgan thanks, but I don't need clothes as much as you need press.'

'I have no problem with the backlash, because I feel it illustrates my point over and over,' she stated

Powerful: The aspiring actress touched on the scrutiny she is under for positioning herself as a feminist while flaunting her body in scantily clad and nude imagery

Earlier that year, the London-born model made headlines when she posed naked alongside Kim Kardashian for a mirror selfie.

'The whole idea is that when Kim takes a nude selfie, she's just seeking attention. That's not the issue. A woman can be seeking attention and also make a statement. They don't need to be mutually exclusive,' she told Harper's Bazaar at the time.

For her new Harper's spread, Emily wore Louis Vuitton, was photographed by Pamela Hanson, styled by Naomi Smith, hair by John Ruggiero and makeup by Jo Strettell.

Supportive: Earlier that year, the London-born model made headlines when she posed naked alongside Kim Kardashian for a mirror selfie

'A woman can be seeking attention and also make a statement. They don't need to be mutually exclusive,' she told Harper's Bazaar at the time
She's no stranger to sharing smoking hot snaps of herself with her fans.

But Emily Ratajkowski, 26, has opted for a more demure look for the latest issue of Harper's Bazaar Australia.

Reclining in the back seat of a convertible while wearing a cobalt blue Louis Vuitton dress that accentuates her tiny frame for the cover shot, the American model flaunted just a hint of her famous cleavage in the shots.

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Smouldering beauty: Emily Ratajkowski looks far from her usually skimpily-clad self as she graces the cover of Harper's Bazaar Australia

Rocking a smoky eye makeup and a nude lip, the brunette beauty looked a far cry from her usually skimpily-clad images we see on her social media.

The model also wears Marc Jacobs and Prada for the cover shoot, which was held in her native Los Angeles.

Offering the camera a piercing gaze in each of the images, she flaunts just a mere tease of her cleavage in several shots.

Demure: Offering the camera a piercing gaze in each of the images, Emily flaunts just a hint of her famous cleavage in several shots

In one she's captured in a maroon peephole-cut Marc Jacobs dress while a plush faux-fur stole is wrapped around her shoulders. In another, black and white shot, she's seen donning a low cut silk Prada gown.

The London-born model has appeared in the magazine before, posing for a headline-making nude photoshoot last year.

The shoot caused a social media backlash at the time, which Emily opens up about in the August issue.

HIgh fashion: As well as Vuitton, the model also wears Marc Jacobs and Prada for the cover shoot, which was held in her native Los Angeles

'There's this thing that happens to me: "Oh, she's too sexy". It's like an anti-woman thing, people don't want to work with me because my boobs are too big,' she said.

'What's wrong with boobs? They're a beautiful, feminine thing that needs to be celebrated. Like, who cares?'

Emily was photographed by Pamela Hanson and styled by Naomi Smith for this latest Harper's Bazaar shoot, with hair by John Ruggiero and makeup by Jo Strettell.
Chris Lilley's mockumentary Jonah From Tonga has been axed from New Zealand indigenous broadcaster Maori Television after the board deemed it to be culturally inappropriate.

But a 'disappointed' leading Tongan advocate in New Zealand has described the decision as a victory for a vocal minority.

Chair of the Maori Television board, Georgina te Heuheu, said in a statement that once the full board became aware that the show was screening on Thursday, a decision was made to pull the show off the airwaves.

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Off air: Chris Lilley's mockumentary Jonah From Tonga has been axed from New Zealand indigenous broadcaster Maori Television after the board deemed it to be culturally inappropriate

'We are a Maori media outlet with our own standards, and a mandate to protect and promote the Maori language and culture,' she said.

New Zealand's Minister for Pacific Peoples, Alfred Ngaro, had earlier said the series perpetuates negative stereotypes of Pacific people.

Announcing the decision Georgina te Heuheu said 'as a leading indigenous broadcaster we have a responsibility to present all cultures with a degree of respect and aroha [love] not least those of our Pacific whanaunga [relatives].

She added that a replacement show, Te Taumata Kapahaka, will replace Jonah From Tonga next Thursday.

Insensitive: Chair of the Maori Television board, Georgina te Heuheu said in a statement that once the full board became aware, on Thursday, that the show was screening, a decision was made to pull the show off the airwaves

The head of the New Zealand Tonga Advisory Council, Melino Maka, expressed disappointment in the decision, telling Radio New Zealand the board had buckled to a vocal minority.

Melino acknowledged Jonah From Tonga 'may not be to everybody's taste, but when I talk to some of the young Tongans, they think it's funny. They can relate.'

'I'm just really disappointed in Maori TV.'

Daily Mail Australia has contacted Chris Lilley for comment.

A spin-off from Chris's critically lauded Summer Heights High, Jonah From Tonga follows the antics of Jonah Takalua, a rebellious 14-year-old Australian of Tongan descent.

Chris played the title character in the show, which courted controversy when it first aired due to the comedian's use of 'blackface' and the perpetuation of what some claimed were negative stereotypes about Tongans.

Controversy: 'We are a Maori media outlet with our own standards, and a mandate to protect and promote the Maori language and culture,' Georgina said

Speaking to news.com.au in 2014, then SBS Tongan program presenter Meliame Fifita slammed the show as reinforcing stereotypes.

'It's quite concerning that it's going to create a stereotype of Tongans as troublemakers, and the younger ones will think that's the way to behave,' she said.

ABC TV head of comedy defended the show to the publication arguing that it was not racist.

'Jonah from Tonga plays with stereotypes, but it's doing so to make an observation about the narrow-minded attitudes expressed by some of its characters, including Jonah's own,' he said.

He added that aside from Jonah's character, 'every other Tongan or Islander character in the series is presented as a well-rounded, believable person without comic traits'.
She's taken time off from her radio gig on KIIS FM's Kyle and Jackie O Show.

And on Monday, Jackie 'O' Henderson dressed down as she arrived in Fiji along with husband Lee and daughter Kitty, six, on Monday.

The 42-year-old cut a casual figure in a flannel shirt and jeans during school holiday break.

That's not island attire! Radio host Jackie 'O' Henderson, 42, wore jeans and a flannel shirt as she arrived in Fiji on Monday with husband Lee and daughter Kitty, six, on school holidays

Opting for low-key attire, Jackie wore a flannel shirt teamed with distressed denim trousers.

Grey Nike trainers, dark sunglasses and her wedding band were accessories, while a novel looked to be her favoured choice of relaxation.

With a tan shoulder bag carrying her hand luggage, the mother-of-one wheeled a medium-sized suitcase out of the airport terminal.

Despite the casual attire, Jackie drew attention to a glamorous beauty look consisting of structured waves, a flawless complexion and a glossy pink lip.

In sync: Husband Lee cut a relaxed figure in a pink Ralph Lauren dress shirt, left undone, slim-fitting grey jeans and Nike trainers

Hitting their stride: Also wheeling a large suitcase, the British-born personality engaged in conversation with Jackie

Meanwhile, Lee cut a cool and casual figure as he walked alongside his wife.

A pink Ralph Lauren dress shirt, left undone, coordinated nicely with a pair of slim-fitting grey jeans.

Navy and red Nike trainers and his wedding band finished off the ensemble.

Wheeling a large suitcase, the British-born personality engaged in conversation with Jackie.

A novel idea! Jackie carried a book in one hand

Family affair: Following close behind was the couple's daughter Kitty, accompanied by a member of hotel staff

Following close behind was the couple's daughter Kitty, accompanied by a member hotel staff.

Kitty looked adorable in a white round-neck shirt with a pear emblazoned on the front, dark jeans and white trainers.

Her brunette locks were tied into a ponytail with a pink bow, and a backpack held her belongings.

The group headed for a helicopter, making their way to a picturesque island.
Nick Viall had a quick way to quash rumors of problems in his relationship with fiancee Vanessa Grimaldi.

The Bachelor star, 36, posted a romantic shot with Grimaldi on Saturday, as she sat on his lap while they attended a wedding.

In the shot - captioned, 'Wedding season #wedding' - the 29-year-old teacher was sitting on his knee, as he playfully had his hand toward the bottom of her dress.

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Touchy-feely: The Bachelor star Nick Viall, 36, posted a romantic shot with fiancee Vanessa Grimaldi, 29, on Saturday, as she sat on his lap while they attended his sister's wedding in Wisconsin

Grimaldi also uploaded a shot taken as the two were on the way to the event, in which Nick's sister Maria was tying the knot in Neenah, Wisconsin.

In her lighthearted post, a selfie with her and Viall, she wrote: 'These are our "we are going to slay the electric slide in about 3 hours" games faces.'

The images came in striking contrast to reports of relationship tumult between the 6ft2 Milwaukee native, who wrapped up a stint on Dancing with the Stars earlier this year, and his stunning lady love.

On the road again: All looked to be well with the couple on the way to the wedding

According to a recent US Weekly report, eyewitnesses said the couple looked 'miserable' on a flight home from Puerto Vallarta, where they attended the wedding of Bachelor In Paradise's Evan Bass and Carly Waddell.

'They didnt exchange five words the entire flight. They were angled completely away from each other,' a witness told the publication, adding 'Nick grabbed his bag and ran ahead of Vanessa. They really dont seem to like each other.'

It was also noted that Vanessa recently stepped out in LA without her 3.5 carat Neil Diamond ring, given to her during the finale episode in March.

Breakup chatter has followed them since the finale of Nick's season, but on Monday, Grimaldi posted a Man Crush Monday photo of her fiance taking a shirtless nap.

'He must not be getting his way in his dream,' she wrote along with the photo of Nick resting on a hammock.

It is said their strain is partially due to the fact that he lives in Los Angeles and she resides in Montreal, Canada.

While she has been living with Nick in Los Angeles, Vanessa has maintained she is not giving everything up for love. She told E! earlier this year that she and Nick were seeking a 'middle ground' in terms of their difficult geographic situation.

Where it all began: The 36-year-old Bachelor proposed on the March 13 episode of the show

'I'm still bringing and carrying on my work from home with me. I'm still planning on teaching,' she said. 'I'm still planning on being part of that life that I had in Montreal.

'It was a decision we both made together and we're both very happy about that decision. Both of our families are very happy that we're together and we're starting our life together.'

Nick had vied unsuccessfully for Andi Dorfman's hand - coming in second to Josh Murray - on the 10th season of The Bachelorette, which ABC broadcast in 2014.
She's the stunning Australian supermodel with a seemingly constant stream of projects on the go.

But Jennifer Hawkins has enjoyed some time out with her husband in her favourite holiday destination, the Maldives.

The 33-year-old flaunted her incredibly toned body in a picture shared to her Instagram on Tuesday.

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Luxury getaway: Jennifer Hawkins, 33, is enjoying a some time out in the Maldives with her husband, Jake Wall

The couple made a return to the super private and luxurious Amilla Fushi Resort & Spa where they also stayed in January.

In the candid shot, Jennifer wore a black bandeau bikini underneath an open white collared shirt and a pair of denim daisy dukes.

Jennifer appeared pretty happy to be in what she termed her 'holiday uniform'.

The outfit drew attention to her bronzed, lean torso, and long, slender pins.

Australian beauty: In the candid shot, Jennifer wore a black bandeau bikini underneath an open white collared shirt and a pair of denim daisy dukes

She rejoiced over the warm tropical weather and being able to wear flip flops on her feet, writing 'back to thongs' in the caption.

The stunning blonde stared candidly at her feet as the wind swept her long locks away from her face.

She appeared unaware of the photo being taken as she adjusted her top and looked as though she was having trouble finding her feet.

Couple's retreat: The stunning blonde stared candidly at her feet as the wind swept her long locks away from her face

Jennifer clasped a woven cane purse that featured cream and black pom poms hanging from its zip.

The beauty stood before two cream-coloured bikes with cane baskets, possibly the couple's mode of transport while on holiday.

On Friday, she was snapped on board one of the bikes baring her stomach in a revealing workout ensemble.

She also shared a selfie of herself and her husband, Jake Wall, on Sunday, showing her cheekily poking her tongue towards his ear.
She's recently moved into her new home with fiance James Driskill, in Portland.

And Chloe Lattanzi appears to have gone out on a shopping adventure in search for vintage items to decorate their two-storey Oregon home.

The 31-year-old couldn't resist taking selfies in a large, gold framed mirror while looking for old pieces of decor in a warehouse.

Retro chic! Chloe Lattanzi (pictured) appears to have gone out on a shopping adventure in search for vintage items to decorate their two-storey Oregon home

Wearing tiny Daisy Duke shorts and cropped plaid top, the blonde socialite flashed her extremely slender waist and toned legs.

Showing off her surgically-enhanced plump pout, Chloe paired strappy beige heels and a large white handbag.

She swept her locks up in braids and accessorised with blue reflective sunglasses.

Mirror, mirror! Wearing tiny Daisy Duke shorts and cropped plaid top, the surgically-enhanced socialite flashed her extremely slender waist and toned legs

Chloe recently flaunted her slim frame on social media while using a tanning bed.

She claimed to be preparing for an upcoming photo shoot, however some fans expressed concerns for her health.

The photo drew several comments suggesting Chloe was 'promoting' skin cancer by using a solarium.

Hot stuff! Chloe recently flaunted her slim frame on social media while using a tanning bed - but attracted controversy as fans claimed she was 'promoting' skin cancer

In response, Chloe said her critics 'do not know what (they're) talking about' and said that negative comments were upsetting her mother.

Chloe is the daughter of Australian entertainer Olivia Newton-John, best known for her starring role in 1978 film musical Grease.

The LA-born model and TV personality moved to Oregon with her fiance James in December for a 'new start' and to set up a legal marijuana business.

Famous family! Chloe is the daughter of Australian entertainer Olivia Newton-John, best known for her starring role in 1978 film musical Grease. Pictured with a friend
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She is a brand ambassador for Christian Dior, having recently fronted the latest campaign for a new mascara from the fashion giant.

And Bella Hadid proves she is nothing if not loyal as she added a Dior accent to her sexy look while attending the Miu Miu AW17 show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on Sunday where she both walked in the show and lived it up with a bevy of the great and good of the showbiz world afterwards.

The 20-year-old supermodel looked sensational at the show in her slinky slip dress designed by the Italian fashion house complete with a funky bolero yet her handbag was clearly designed by the French fashion house, while fellow supermodel Kendall Jenner slipped into a quirky gown complete with two components.

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Legs eleven: Bella Hadid proves she is nothing if not loyal as she sported Dior accents to her sexy look as she attended the Miu Miu AW17 show during Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week on Sunday where she both walked in the show and lived it up with a bevy of the great and good of the showbiz world afterwards including best pal Kendall Jenner (centre)

Bella was dazzling at the bash where the peach slip dress made the most of her svelte frame while a slash extending up to near the top of her hip showed off her endless legs.

Adding a superstar touch, she pulled on a fur bolero while cinching in her waist with the over-sized burgundy belt and adding in the accessory from the French fashion house complete with the instantly-recognisable monogram extending across the bag and a long chain strap.

Far from the sleek look of the rest of the ensemble, she scraped her mussed tresses into a tight bun with curls exploding from the top and with her baby hair slicked down while framing her face.

While she is famed for her signature brooding pout, she put on an extremely animated display when she met superstar Milla Jovovich who she greeted fondly with warm hugs and a bevy of gesticulating gestures.

Here come the girls: Bella was joined by fellow stars Kendall and Joan Smalls (left-centre) who all opted for looks straight from the catwalk bar Bella's awkward hangbag choice

Sizzling: Bella pulled her trademark pout for the adoring photographers outside the bash

Raising a glass: Bella was saying cheers while being adored by the masses

Having a giggle: It was plain to see Bella was throwing herself into the festivities

Out and a pout: The stunning star was strutting her stuff with her game face on in force as she headed down the runway

Strutting her stuff: Bella's endless legs were on full display as she hit the catwalk in one of the many looks from the A/W17 collection while Kendall opted for a similarly saucy look

Look at me: Kendall wore a romper-style bottom which made the most of her figure while her make-up was heavy handed

Hello there! While she is famed for her signature brooding pout, she put on an extremely animated display when she met superstar Milla Jovovich who she greeted fondly with warm hugs and a bevy of gesticulating gestures

Cheeky: She was joined by her fellow Instagram generation of supermodels in Kendall who opted for a different look entirely as she went for a kooky gown straight from the catwalk complete with a striped body and bold coloured jumper attached

Sizzling: Kendall's saucy jumper was adorned with images of naked women (pictured with Doutzen Kroes)

From sip to snap: The reality star turned fashionista flitted between sipping her wine and taking pictures

She was joined by her fellow Instagram generation of supermodels in Kendall who opted for a different look entirely as she went for a kooky gown straight from the catwalk complete with a striped body and bold coloured jumper attached.

Earlier in the day, as she arrived at the bash she slipped into a chic androgynous ensemble complete with a structured blazer and cigarette pants while she borrowed from the French look with an elegant neck tie and a pair of sleek black brogues.

Milla was truly showing the young guns how it was done as she arrived in a spectacular fashion while showing off her endless legs and age-defying figure in a flirty Seventies-inspired mini.

Strutting her stuff: Earlier in the day, as she arrived at the bash she slipped into a chic androgynous ensemble complete with a structured blazer and cigarette pants while she borrowed from the French look with an elegant neck tie and a pair of sleek black brogues

Hello there! Milla stole a moment to puff a cigarette while entertaining her fellow revellers in a spectacular fashion having just watched the show

The 41-year-old was truly showing the young guns how it was done as she arrived in a spectacular fashion while showing off her endless legs and age-defying figure in a flirty Seventies-inspired mini.

Up close: Her dazzling complexion was glowing while her hair was styled into a shaggy style

Feeling playful: Milla was entertaining her fellow party goers with a host of silly faces

No underwear here! Bella and Kendall's fellow Victoria's Secret Angel Doutzen Kroes was looking worlds away from the lingerie-clad catwalk as she dazzled in a pretty pink tea dress which covered all her famous assets

After posing with Bella on the balcony, the 41-year-old stole a moment to puff a cigarette while entertaining her fellow revellers in a spectacular fashion having just watched the show.

Bella and Kendall's fellow Victoria's Secret Angel Doutzen Kroes was looking worlds away from the lingerie-clad catwalk as she dazzled in a pretty pink tea dress which covered all her famous assets.

Within the bash she grabbed Kendall for a snap as they both wrapped up in their high-necked dresses despite being out of their sizzling comfort zones - leaving Bella to take up the sexy crown.

Hey there! Within the bash she grabbed Kendall for a snap as they both wrapped up in their high-necked dresses despite being out of their sizzling comfort zones - leaving Bella to take up the sexy crown

Sizzling: Jourdan Dunn truly arrived in style as she paired a crisp striped off-the-shoulder top with a ruffled neckline with a pair of skin-tight PVC trousers - in a contrasting style which was perfectly executed

Out and a pout: The ruffled look tumbled off her shoulder in a cheeky display which risked a wardrobe malfunction due to its very risque look. The trousers were extremely contrasting in style but perfect for the look

A red lip: Her slick of red lipstick highlighted her pout to perfection while her hair was styled near identically to the other models

Jourdan Dunn truly arrived in style as she paired a crisp striped off-the-shoulder top with a ruffled neckline with a pair of skin-tight PVC trousers - in a contrasting style which was perfectly executed.

The ruffled look tumbled off her shoulder in a cheeky display which risked a wardrobe malfunction due to its very risque look. The trousers were extremely contrasting in style but perfect for the look.

Elle Fanning was a vision in a ballerina-inspired ensemble complete with a flirty pink dress laden with disc-style adornments and a deeply plunging neckline while she scraped her blonde locks back with a diamante headband.

Tale Of Tales actress Stacy Martin went for a super girly style as she dazzled in a sheer embellished gown paired with sparkling earrings while British star Millie Brady was chic in a patterned pyjama suit. Shameless star Emma Greenwell went for a varsity style complete with a slick jacket with a fringed mini underneath.

Pretty in pink: Elle Fanning was a vision in a ballerina-inspired ensemble complete with a flirty pink dress laden with disc-style adornments and a deeply plunging neckline while she scraped her blonde locks back with a diamante headband

Stunner: The blonde beauty posed on the balcony alongside fellow actress Millie Brady

All smiles: Elle also posed with Australian actress Teresa Palmer, who was pretty in a cherry adorned tea dress

A vision: Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie was looking incredible in a floaty white gown which featured a chic cowel neck while boosting her already statuesque height with black round toe show with a gold trim

Glowing: The GOT star was perfectly suiting her beauty look to her gown as she went pared back and make-up free

Beaming: Flying the flag for the Brits was Alex Chung who stuck to her tried-and-tested style with her endless legs on display while rocking an edgy leather biker jacket on top

Perfect style: Her endless legs were on full display as she beamed for the world's press

Within the bash: Alexa was pulling her best pout as she hit the red carpet

Stylish: Joining the catwalk crew was Lara Stone who looked worlds away from her arrival look as she was super glam in a pink gingham playsuit with Eighties-inspired curls

Is that you Lara? The blonde beauty was looking totally different in a low-key look

Romping in a romper: Jourdan Dunn looked sensational in her catwalk look which was kooky in style

Here we go: As the diners sat around the models made themselves very much known on the runway

Here come the girls! Jourdan and Joan Smalls (left-right) were clad in utility-inspired looks

Bright and beautiful: The runway was littered with sensational ensembles as the fashion house went for some of its boldest looks to date

Here she goes: The group headed down the runway in an array of stunning looks

Pitstop looks: One model was clad in an extremely edgy look as she strode down the runway in her finery

Game Of Thrones star Gwendoline Christie was looking incredible in a floaty white gown which featured a chic cowel neck while boosting her already statuesque height with black round toe show with a gold trim.

Flying the flag for the Brits was Alex Chung who stuck to her tried-and-tested style with her endless legs on display while rocking an edgy leather biker jacket on top.

Joining the catwalk crew was Lara Stone who looked worlds away from her arrival look as she was super glam in a pink gingham playsuit with Eighties-inspired curls.

New York Fashion Week opened the 'big four' with sensational shows which follow suit in London, Milan and in Paris. The super-star Italian fashion house Miu Miu AW17 kick started the week-long festivities.

Here come the girls: Tale Of Tales actress Stacy Martin went for a super girly style while British star Millie Brady was chic in a pyjama suit and Shameless star Emma Greenwell went for a varsity style
She appeared on the cover of Dolly Magazine in 1991 as a radiant young woman.

And it appears Alison Brahe, 47, has barely aged a day, as she returns to Australia after spending the past 25 years in America with her family.

Speaking to Mia Freedman's No Filter podcast, Alison said her move back with husband Cameron Daddo and their three children filled her with excitement and nerves.

Back home: Australian model Alison Brahe has barely aged a day since her Dolly Magazine cover shoot in 1991, as she returns to Australia after spending 25 years in America

The ageless beauty said she planned on staying in the US for just three years to support her husband's acting career.

But after 25 years and raising their children - Lotus, River and Bodhi Faith - Alison revealed she was hesitant to return Down Under.

'I had my childhood in Australia but I grew up in America. My dreams came true in America, I became a teacher, I became a mother, I became an advocate,' she said.

Cover girl: The 47-year-old beauty had started her modelling career early, gracing the cover of Dolly Magazine (pictured) and being the first Portmans 'It' girl

'And now I'm over here, starting all over again with a 21-year-old, 17-year-old and 11-year-old,' she continued.

While Alison admitted she felt sad leaving behind her life in the US, the former beauty queen said moving home had its perks.

She explained: 'I've missed my parents, I've missed the beaches. Coming back to fish and chips here has been so good.'

Happy family: After 25 years in America and raising their three children - Lotus, River and Bodhi Faith - Alison and her husband Cameron Daddo have returned Down Under

Before Alison's marriage to Cameron, she had already made a name for herself in the fashion world.

She had started her modelling career early, gracing the cover of Dolly Magazine and being the first Portmans 'It' girl.

Her modelling commitments kept her flying back and forth from the US when the newlyweds first moved overseas.
She has faced split rumours in recent months.

And on Monday, Kate Ritchie arrived in Fiji with her two-year-old daughter Mae, but husband Stuart Webb was nowhere to be seen.

The former Home And Away actress, 38, treated her daughter to ice cream as they prepared for their family holiday.

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Just the two of us! On Monday, Kate Ritchie arrived in Fiji with her two-year-old daughter Mae, but her husband Stuart Webb was nowhere to be seen

Kate dressed casually in light jeans and paired her the look with a blue and white striped top.

The Nova FM radio personality finished off her look with white sneakers and carried a black backpack over her shoulders.

Kate appeared to be wearing minimal makeup and styled her long hair loosely, while resting a pair of sunglasses on her head.

Mum on the move! Kate dressed casually in light jeans and paired her the look with a blue and white striped top

Essentials: The Nova FM radio personality finished off her look with white sneakers and carried a black backpack over her shoulders

Relaxed: Kate appeared to be wearing minimal makeup and styled her long hair loosely, while resting a pair of sunglasses on her head

Unconfirmed: Kate and husband Stuart Webb, a retired rugby league player, have been the subject of split rumours for several months. Pictured at the 2012 TV Week Logie Awards

Kate and Mae had just flown into Nadi, which is located on the main island of Fiji.

After settling into their resort, Kate took to Instagram to share a snap from the tropical paradise.

While enjoying a drink on a beach, Kate wrote in the caption: 'Current view. Just what the doctor ordered.'

Holiday time! Kate and Mae had just flown into Nadi, which is located on the main island of Fiji

Unconfirmed rumours: In late 2016, it was reported Kate and Stuart (not pictured) had split

Speculation: In December, Stuart was photographed without his wedding ring following reports he had moved out of their shared home.

'Just what the doctor ordered': After settling into their resort, Kate took to Instagram to share a snap from the tropical paradise

Kate and husband Stuart, a retired rugby league player, have been the subject of split rumours for several months.

In late 2016, it was reported they had separated but this has not been confirmed.

In December, Stuart was photographed without his wedding ring following reports he had moved out of their shared home.

Despite gossip of her relationship being on the rocks, the Gold Logie winner has yet to comment on the rumours.

However, Kate's recent comments about growing her family suggest the couple's relationship is happy and stable.

Family issue: Despite gossip of her relationship being on the rocks, the Gold Logie winner has yet to comment on the rumours. Pictured: Stuart and Mae

'I would love to have more children': However, Kate's recent comments about growing her family suggest the couple's relationship is happy and stable

Kate previously told The Daily Telegraph she would be open to having more children.

'It's the question on everybody's lips all of the time - not just for me, but for everybody,' she said.

'Of course I would love to have more children, but for now Mae's wonderful and I'm just enjoying her.'
She has been named Style Icon at the British Fashion Awards for three years running.

And Alexa Chung proved on point as ever as she celebrated the Miu Miu Cruise Collection preview during Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on Sunday.

Oozing style prowess, the fashion designer, 33, flaunted her model legs in the soaring split of a thigh-skimming sequin dress.

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Dazzling: Alexa Chung made a very leggy arrival in a soaring split dress at Miu Miu Cruise Collection for Haute Couture Paris Fashion Week on Sunday

The model threw on a studded leather jacket to contrast with her delicate frock, showing the confidence to clash.

Standing tall, the style editor mismatched her attire with pointed plaid shoes, which were completed with an eye-catching buckle and a kooky, low stiletto.

Letting her hair down, Alexa pulled off her signature tousled look as her choppy layered locks kissed her glowing cheeks.

Style prowess: The fashion designer, 33, dazzled in the tiny sequin number which sparkled under the spotlight

Letting her hair down! Alexa pulled off her tousled look as her choppy layered locks kissed her glowing cheeks

Fashion forward: The model threw on a studded leather jacket to contrast with her delicate frock as she showed confidence in her own dress sense

The style icon showed she was in her element at the event when she brought her own personal style to one of the biggest fashion events of the year.

Paris Couture Fashion Week will run until 6 July but Italian fashion house Miu Miu AW17 kicks off the week-long festivities.

As for her personal successes, Alexa has been Contributing Editor to British Vogue interviewing stars including Christopher Kane and Emma Stone.

Posing up a storm! She had great fun when she was joined by her pal Sofia Sanchez for a few photographs

Different look: Sofia caught the eye in a vibrant floral ankle length dress which she teamed with a dazzling clutch bag

Kooky: The golden-haired beauty kicked back her right foot to show off her fluffy platform heels

In 2013 she released her first book, IT, offering readers an insight into her fashion influences and became the fastest selling fashion book of 2013 and 2014.

She recently worked as executive producer and host of the widely acclaimed British Vogue fashion documentary series, The Future of Fashion with Alexa Chung.

Named Harper Bazaar UKs Best Dressed of Britain, American Vogues Most Stylish Women of the Year and Footwear News Style Influencer of the Year in 2015, Chung has long been a fashion icon and style muse.

Mulberry's Alexa bag was named and styled after her, and attracted a waiting list of 9,000 as well as helping the company achieve record profits.

Beautiful: Elsewhere, Alexa showed off her natural beauty accentuated with a light dusting of make-up and a slick of cherry blossom lipstick

In good company! She sat inbetween Stacy Martin and Anna Brewster (L-R) as they enjoyed the festivities at the show
She's made a career of flaunting her statuesque figure on the runway.

And Joan Smalls, 28, kept to her old style tricks as she showcased her taut stomach in a vibrant orange crop top moments after she displayed her trademark strut in the Miu Miu fashion show in Paris on Sunday night.

The supermodel sizzled in her leather garment which hugged her slender torso while teasing at her cleavage with its plunging neckline.

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Walk this way! Joan Smalls, 28, kept to her old style tricks as she showcased her taut stomach in a vibrant orange crop top after she walked in the Miu Miu fashion show in Paris on Sunday night

Her tiny waist-cinching piece complemented her subtle skin as she walked through the Parisian city's cobbled streets clad in a pair of eye-catching fuchsia pink suit trousers.

The low-slung pants highlighted her svelte hips as the garment loosely gathered around her incredible abs, using the side lanes as her catwalk.

Joan's choice of trouser elongated her lean limbs and accentuated her perky derriere as she injected inches to her model frame with a pair of silver strappy heels.

What a (tummy) tease: The supermodel sizzled in her leather garment which hugged her slender torso while teasing at her cleavage with its plunging neckline

The Puerto Rican beauty accessorised her fashion-forward ensemble - which paid tribute to Cheryl's 2011 US X Factor ensemble - with a diamond encrusted choker and layered necklaces while draping a statement leather bag over her shoulder.

She continued to wow onlookers as she slicked back her raven locks into a sleek chignon that offset her fiery red lip.

Earlier in the evening, Joan shared the catwalk alongside Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid for the Italian fashion house's catwalk show.

Fashion fiends: Earlier in the evening, Joan shared the catwalk alongside Kendall Jenner and Bella Hadid for the Italian fashion house's catwalk show

Green with envy: Swapping her eye-catching colour for muted green, she flashed her toned pins in a number of thigh-grazing looks

Swapping her eye-catching colour for muted green, she flashed her toned pins in a number of thigh-grazing looks.

Joan since 2011 has been a global beauty ambassador for Estee Lauder and was the first Latina signed by the brand to a worldwide campaign.

She also appeared in the 2013 muisc video Yonce for the song by superstar Beyonce.

Pin-credible! Joan showcased her lean limbs alongside fellow model beauty Kendall

Joan in 2012 was named Model of the Year at the ninth annual Style Awards and that same year was ranked numer one in the Top 50 Models Women list by Models.com

She's been in a long-term relationship with boyfriend Bernard Smith since 2011.

Joan graduated from Interamerican University of Puerto Rico magna cum laude with a bachelor's degree in psychology.
On the nations favourite show about scything, it was another humiliating night for the hero when he gave a bewilderingly brainless, spineless, display that must have left even his most fervent fans asking: what the hell has happened to Poldark?

The all-conquering, swashbuckling, rebel of the first two series was a shadow of his former self. Outnumbered and bossed around by Demelza and her brothers, he had been helpless to stop them converting his cow shed into a church and so insecure he had stopped taking his shirt off  not just in the mine but even in bed.

More like the 1790s best Adam Ant tribute act than a pirate, smuggler, or mercenary, Master Ross was in danger of becoming a laughing stock  to us and the flock of local yokels that followed him. (No, not on Facebook.)

What the hell has happened to Poldark? The all-conquering, swashbuckling, rebel of the first two series was a shadow of his former self

For the second episode in a row, he announced he had a Cunning Plan that soon proved so short sighted and dim-witted it made Baldrick look like Machiavelli.

Everyone blindly joined in  despite a similar scheme last week to rescue Doctor Dwight from a French prisoner of war camp that had ended in embarrassing failure. Twice

This time round his attempt to outwit George Warleggan backfired so badly he couldnt even beat the arch banker at 1790s banter. Pretty shameful...

Poldark had spent Season Three inexplicably feebly folding in the power struggle with his rival.

The self-styled Man of The Peoples refusal to protect the proletariat by taking the job of magistrate has seen Warleggan using his new position to flog the peasants (who were starving and revolting) to within an inch of their lives. (Or, even worse, deport them to Australia.)

Newbies: Ross has been outnumbered and bossed around by Demelza and her brothers

For the second episode in a row: He announced he had a Cunning Plan that soon proved so short sighted and dim-witted it made Baldrick look like Machiavelli

Poldark had also jettisoned several of his (supposedly) cherished principles and left some loyal friends and adoring family members at Warleggans mercy.

Poldarks ancient aunt (Agatha) for instance was living at Trenwith, in a granny flat with no central heating.

Tell my nephew that his aunt is much aggrieved at his neglect, she raged sticking a pin in her Adam Ant voodoo doll.

Poldark had callously cut contact with his (admittedly annoying) nephew (Geoffrey Charles), letting George pack him off to not the nearest but the furthest boarding school.

As for Poldarks baby (Valentine), the little mite spent every scene crying in his cradle while his mother (Poldarks ex) just ignored him. Elizabeth had become a junkie - Cornwalls first Desperate Housewife sitting at her dressing table combing her hair doped up on a cocktail comprising scrumpy laced with morphine.

Dramatic: The self-styled Man of The Peoples refusal to protect the proletariat by taking the job of magistrate has seen Warleggan using his new position to flog the peasants (who were starving and revolting) to within an inch of their lives

Explosive: Poldark had also jettisoned several of his (supposedly) cherished principles and left some loyal friends and adoring family members at Warleggans mercy

Bizarrely, Poldark did nothing about any of this. He took a certain pleasure in shouting at Aunt Agathas servant but didnt contemplate taking her home with him. (Aunt Agatha that is. Poldark probably would have taken the girl home if Demelza hadnt been there  selfishly having a baby.)

Poldark had also moved on from worrying about the plight of Doctor Dwight, who in his grubby rags and straggly beard now looked like Simon Le Bon playing Robinson Crusoe.

Poldarks undercover mission had been so inept even Doctor Dwights new bride Caroline didnt enquire whether he was going to try again, let alone encourage him.

Instead, she had been prostituting herself with her former suitor.

I may have encouraged him to think he had another chance - in return for information she purred, convinced the Admiralty were going to step in.

Our people are speaking to their people... she trilled.

Bundle of joy: As for Poldarks baby (Valentine), the little mite spent every scene crying in his cradle while his mother (Poldarks ex) just ignored him

Poldark, like us, suspected they werent  not least because that phrase hadnt yet been invented.

I wonder how Doctor Dwight will celebrate Christmas this year? Caroline mused, tearing off another turkey leg.

The answer, we saw, was even less appetising than Linda McCartneys vegan ready meals: rat fried over a candle!

To be fair Poldark, Demelza, Caroline, and the villagers had other things to worry their pretty little vacant heads about.

The arvest has failed and weve suffered the worst winter for thirty years. The grain stores have been empty for months, a lackey summarised for Poldark as he strode past hordes of grey-faced, badly-dressed, local yokels shivering round frankly poorly-built fires.

In case we hadnt got the message about the good guy and the baddie, George Warleggan was stockpiling grain to push the price up. Understandably the peasants were revolting. The magistrate dispatched a motley crew who had stolen corn from his ship to the gallows.

Secretive: Poldarks undercover mission had been so inept even Doctor Dwights new bride Caroline didnt enquire whether he was going to try again, let alone encourage him

It cannot go unpunished, sneered Warleggan. Seizing without compunction the property of your betters (i.e. him).

What else could starving people do?! Poldark harrumphed, without explaining how the rabble could have had the energy to ambush anything if theyd really been starving.

Poldark had not only lost the magistrates job, Elizabeth, and their baby to George but more importantly, the Poldarks precious family mine Wheal Leisure, which didnt have any precious metal but he still regretted allowing Warleggan to secure from him by various means (mostly giving Poldark money).

I see why youre so attached so it. Youre both full of noise but ultimately lacking in substance, Warleggan scoffed, informing Poldark it had been an average mine that had now run out of copper.

How do you sleep at night George? Poldark complained, giving Warleggan the perfect opportunity to quip: perhaps you should ask Elizabeth.

Hard times: Poldark had not only lost the magistrates job, Elizabeth, and their baby to George but more importantly, the Poldarks precious family mine Wheal Leisure, which didnt have any precious metal but he still regretted allowing Warleggan to secure from him by various means (mostly giving Poldark money)

The 1790s Twitter wouldve howled that Poldark had just been owned by George Warleggan.

The old Poldark wouldve challenged him to a duel and sliced his ear off.

Now Poldark just sucked it up, silently smirking instead.

He did the same thing (i.e. nothing) when he saw Warleggans men marching back two more men at gunpoint theyd caught trying to rob grain.

Theyll look pretty with their necks in a noose, Warleggans henchman taunted.

What can I say? Hes within his rights to protect his property, Poldark simply shrugged.

Eventually, he decided to do something about the crisis after he and Demelza had been handing out stale crusts of bread to the poor and needy for Christmas and his wife had commented: they look like they could eat us alive.

They look like they could eat us alive': Poldark and Demelza had been handing out stale crusts of bread to the poor and needy for Christmas

(Not because they were hungry, but because they knew the Poldarks had turkey for dinner and their lavish furnishings at home included a gigantic four-poster bed with forty-eight cushions.)

Poldarks Cunning Plan involved pimping out Demelza and Caroline, wearing big hats and smiling coquettishly, to raise money for charity.

Tis our mission to part as many men from their guineas as possible ! trilled Demelza who had never looked happier.

The results were not use to fund another ambush, as Warleggan had been led to believe, but to buy a ship full of grain, which Demelza told him proudly, they were selling at half the market price to those needy in the district.

Not exactly Robin Hood or Che Guevara but still

Making an entrance: Poldarks Cunning Plan involved pimping out Demelza and Caroline, wearing big hats and smiling coquettishly, to raise money for charity

An elaborate subterfuge so that I would look a fool when I attempted to bring him to heel ! George raged to Elizabeth who was necking more drugs. Well hes over-played his hand this time !

He had too.

To Poldarks horror, Warleggans response/revenge was to close Wheal Leisure with immediate effect and the loss of 70 jobs.

Five villages will now survive the winter thanks to the grain, countered Demelza.

Yes, but at a price we hadnt counted on - more hardship for 70 families already struggling, countered Poldark darkly. The closing of Wheal Leisure can only have been triggered by our grain venture.

Disastrous: To Poldarks horror, Warleggans response/revenge was to close Wheal Leisure with immediate effect and the loss of 70 jobs

So to spite Ross, George would send 70 families in to direst poverty, Demelza sighed.

They saw now how their enterprise had played right into Warleggans hands. It was just a shame it was a bit late.

Desperate to retrieve his reputation, and make amends for being played by Warleggan (again), Poldark charged up and down along the cliff face on his horse and stared at the sunset until he came up with a solution.

I have got A Cunning Plan ! he announced.

Third time lucky?
This week, the remaining nine MasterChef contestants have been spending their time travelling and cooking throughout Japan.

And on Monday's episode, the aspiring chefs were tasked with preparing an eight course degustation in a Michelin Star restaurant.

Judge George Calombaris was left in the kitchen to assist the contestants, however he appeared to be more of a burden than a help.

Still waiting! With Eliza giving all her attention to her asparagus, George Calombaris was left hanging when he tried to give her an high five on Monday's episode of MasterChef Australia

With Eliza giving all her attention to her asparagus, George was left hanging when he tried to give her an encouraging high five.

After a few awkward seconds, Eliza still didn't notice the judge as he continued to stand behind her with his hand in the air.

As fans reacted to the episode on Twitter, this particular awkward moment made Eliza an unlikely fan favourite.

'Never loved Eliza more than just when she left George hanging there': As fans reacted to the episode on Twitter, this particular awkward moment made Eliza an unlikely fan favourite

'Wait, don't leave me hanging, man': George was left in the kitchen to assist the contestants in their eight-course degustation task, however he appeared to be more of a burden than a help

'Haven't seen George in a while? He's still in Japan waiting for that high five': Twitter user @AidenHathaway was among countless fans who mocked the judge's awkward moment

Second time's a charm! Trying his luck for a second time, George also gave a supportive slap to Tamara later in the episode

'Wait, don't leave me hanging, man,' pleaded George after a few painful seconds.

Trying his luck for a second time, he also gave a supportive slap to Tamara later on in the episode.

The challenge saw each contestant cook with different traditional Japanese ingredients.

Eight-course meal :The challenge saw each contestant cook with different traditional Japanese ingredients

Mushrooms for all! Continuing her winning streak, Karlie Verkerk got the judges' mouths watering with her spin on a variety of mushrooms

Continuing her winning streak, Karlie Verkerk got the judges' mouths watering with her spin on a variety of mushrooms.

Also joining Karlie in the top spot was Sarah Tiong for her take on black sesame.

As the last the cook, she knew she had to deliver a dessert - but admitted that sweet treats were her weakness.

Shocker! As the last the cook, Sarah Tiong knew she had to deliver a dessert - but admitted that sweet treats were her weakness

'I'm a diabetic, so I don't eat a lot of desserts': Opting for an alternate route, Sarah produced a savoury dessert of ginger, peanuts and black sesame

'I'm a diabetic, so I don't eat a lot of desserts, so cooking desserts is always a challenge for me,' she said.

Opting for an alternate route, Sarah produced a savoury dessert of ginger, peanuts and black sesame.

Winners Karlie and Sarah will join Ben Ungermann in Tuesday's cook-off for a chance to win the immunity pin.

Challenge accepted! Winners Karlie and Sarah will join Ben Ungermann in Tuesday's cook-off for a chance to win the immunity pin
ROCKY RIVER, Ohio - Sara Ziemnik, a history teacher at Rocky River High School, is the 2017 Ohio History Teacher of the Year. The award is presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, the nation's leading organization dedicated to K-12 American history education.

Sara Ziemnik Photo provided by Rocky River schools.

Initiated in 2004, the award highlights the importance of history education by honoring exceptional American history teachers from elementary school through high school. The award honors one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and U.S. territories. In the fall, the National History Teacher of the Year will be selected from the pool of state winners.

Ziemnik earned her bachelor's degree at Miami University and completed a master's degree in History from Cleveland State University. During her 17 years with the district, she has been an honors and AP teacher, department chair, district teacher of the year, James Madison Fellow, national conference presenter, member of the district Curriculum Advisory Committee, and volunteer advisor of the S.A.F.E. Club.

District officials said Ziemnik has attended numerous conferences and programs to enhance history instruction for her students. She also made presentations on

the individual rights in the Constitution not in the Bill of Rights at the National Council for the Social Studies Conference and on The Treaty of Versailles Debate and the Role of the Constitution at the National Council for History Education Conference. She also applied for and received grants to create oral history projects with her students.

In addition to a $1,000 honorarium and an award ceremony, the RRHS library will receive a core archive of American history books and Gilder Lehrman educational materials. Ziemnik also will receive an invitation to a 2018 Gilder Lehrman Teacher Seminar, a weeklong program that offers teachers daily discussions with eminent historians, visits to historic sites and hands-on work with primary sources.

The National History Teacher of the Year award will be presented by Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner on Nov. 8 at a ceremony in New York City.

Nominations for the 2018 History Teacher of the Year awards are being accepted through March 30, 2018 from students, parents, colleagues and supervisors. Visit gilderlehrman.org/nhtoy for information or to nominate a teacher.

Dems gathering: The topic of the next West Side Democrats meeting at 7 p.m. July 11 at the Western Cuyahoga FOP Lodge Hall, 26145 Center Ridge Road, Westlake, will be "Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America." The program will examine gun bills in the Ohio legislature opposed by Democrats and the strategies to try and defeat them.

Parking and entrance are at the rear of the building. Attendees can bring a snack to share; beverages will be provided.

Call Jeanne, 440-892-3430 for more information.

Movie night: The next BAYarts Movies Under the Stars family fun night on July 13 will follow the weekly BAYarts Farm and Art Market, which takes place 5-8 p.m. on the BAYarts campus, 28795 Lake Road, Bay Village. The movie begins at dusk.

Those attending the free event should bring a blanket or lawn chair. Well-behaved pets on leashes are welcome. Cleveland Metroparks rules apply.

In case of rain, movies may be cancelled. Check Facebook at least three hours prior.

"The Parent Trap" will be shown on July 13.

Sweet Melissa Concessions will open at 7:30 p.m. The park closes at 11 p.m.

New president: Congratulations to Moira Clark who was named the new president of Magnificat High School in Rocky River. She is the sixth president and the third lay leader at the 62-year-old all-girls Catholic high school operated by the Sisters of the Humility of Mary.

Moira Clark Photo provided by Magnificat High School.

A 1977 Magnificat graduate, Clark succeeds Jenifer Heba Halliday, a 1995 alumna, who recently informed the school's board of trustees that she would not continue in her role when her contract expires. She has been president for the past two years.

The transition will take place during the summer, with Clark assuming her new role before school begins in August.

She is a 1981 graduate of Xavier University and received a master's degree in religious studies from John Carroll University. She joined the Magnificat faculty in 1994 as a theology teacher, later serving as director of campus ministry and most recently as dean of student life and formation.

"I am very grateful to the board for this opportunity to lead Magnificat as president," Clark said. "Magnificat is a truly special place, where we all work together to bring the mission to life by creating an educational environment for our students that is faith-filled, loving and respectful. We have a proud sense of history and heritage, and I look forward to continuing the Magnificat legacy."

As president, Clark will be responsible for implementing the school's strategic plan, directing advancement and alumnae initiatives and overseeing marketing and admissions campaigns.

Magnificat is at 20770 Hilliard Blvd., Rocky River.

At the library: Here are a few highlights of programs and events at Westlake Porter Public Library, 27333 Center Ridge Road, during the coming week:

Teen crafts, 2-3:30 p.m. Thursdays in July; bring out your creativity for a new craft each week: yarn bottle vases on July 13; design your own mug on July 20 and paint chip art on July 27. All supplies provided; for grades 7 and older.

Adapted storytime, 6:30-7:15 p.m. July 10; children with varying learning styles and abilities learn in a safe, supportive environment where respect and appreciation for differences are encouraged. The 30-minute storytime is followed by socialization; designed for children who may not be successful in a typical storytime experience. Content is geared toward ages 3-7, but all ages are welcome. Siblings may also attend, but must register separately. Registration begins one week before each session.

Movies @ the Library, 2-4 p.m. July 7, 14, 21 and 28, family-friendly movies for all ages; register one week before each movie.

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation certification and automated external defibrillator certification, 9:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. July 8, for adult, child, and infant. Instruction by certified instructor/paramedic Ken Hehnen. Registration requested.

Introduction to keyboard skills, 2-2:45 p.m. July 8; students ages 8-11 can learn keyboarding in this introduction to typing skills. Valid email address required. Registration began July 1.

Fight cancer festival: Rocky River Presbyterian Church will host two fundraising events on July 23 on church grounds, 21750 Detroit Road, to benefit Cook for Your Life, a nonprofit cancer support organization that focuses on food.

Family picnic, 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., will feature food and children's games. Pre-sale ticket prices are $15 for ages 12 and older; $10 for ages 5-11; at the door, $25 for 12 and older; $15 for ages 5-11.

Dinner and cabaret, 6-9 p.m., will feature a buffet from Lopez Southwest Kitchen and a cabaret concert featuring local musicians who are all cancer survivors. Pre-sale ticket prices are $45 for ages 12 and older, $25 for ges 5-11; tickets at the door are $55 for 12 and older, $30 for ages 5-11.

Tickets are available online at Eventbright.com. The event is being presented by Copperlight Live Events

Cook for Your Life, which is based in New York City, was founded by fashion designer and breast cancer survivor Ann Ogden. She adapted recipes to help her cope with side effects of chemotherapy and to eat well even on her worst days. She also started giving cooking tips and advice to friends in treatment, which eventually led to her first free hands-on cooking class.

Since then, Cook for Your Life has collaborated with Columbia and Drexel universities to launch a subscription-free website featuring more than 1,000 recipes that are easy to make and full of the nutrients and vitamins needed both during and after treatment. More than 100,000 people use the site.

Information, please:

Readers are invited to share information about themselves, their families and friends, organizations, church events, etc. from Bay Village, Rocky River and Westlake for the West Shore Chatter column, which I write on a freelance basis. Awards, honors, milestone birthdays or anniversaries and other items are welcome. Submit information at least 10 days before the requested publication date to
American actress Stevie Ryan has died aged 33 following a suspected suicide.

A post shared on the LA coroner's office website confirmed that the Victorville-born star, who was famed for her viral videos, died on Saturday.

Shortly before her death, she posted a note on Twitter about the death of her grandfather as she penned: 'The man of my dreams will now only be in my dreams.'

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Sad times: American actress Stevie Ryan has died aged 33 following a suspected suicide

Stevie became known for her parodies of celebrities including Justin Bieber and Lady Gaga, as she won huge praise having been scooped up by Hollywood bosses.

In a previous interview discussing the responses she receives for her video, she said: 'No matter who you are... You can be the most talented person in the world and you put anything on the Internet and all you're going to get is hateful responses.

'I didn't know that at the time. I don't think anyone knew that yet. I was like, "Oh hell no they didn't! These b***hes do not know what they just asked for!"

'So then I created Little Loca thinking, "I'm going to hand YouTube its ass right now." I created Little Loca and thought I'd just do it and freak people out.'

Devastating: As news of her passing surfaced, fans swiftly swarmed the microblogging site to pay tribute to the much-loved star

Late star: A LA coroner's office confirmed that the Victorville-born star, who was famed for her viral videos, died on Saturday

Her final post to her 116,000 Twitter followers was a tribute to her grandfather who posed with a crass hand gesture as she plastered letters over the top of the shot.

She penned: 'I'm definitely his granddaughter. Rest in Persebu my heart'.

As news of her passing surfaced, fans swiftly swarmed the microblogging site to pay tribute to the much-loved star.

Users penned: 'Rest in peace @StevieRyan love youu :((( i cannot believe this. i've always been a fan and looked up to ya ever since myspace :(((...

Beloved: She penned: 'I'm definitely his granddaughter. Rest in Persebu my heart'

'She was of the first youtubers i started watching back in the days, i can't believe she's gone RIP @StevieRyan.... Awful. Sometimes people can't beat their demons, at least she's at peace now. She was awesome, nice, & funny. I wish I knew her longer...

'Just learning about the passing of @StevieRyan. She was an incredible talent and person. Rest well.... So sad to hear of another life lost to suicide.. R.I.P to Stevie Ryan... WHAT?!? Oh no. Will miss her terribly on here.'

Jenelle Evans of Teen Mom 2 tweeted a now-deleted message that read: 'I know we pretty much hated each other but I'm sorry you had to go so soon pretty girl. #RIP @StevieRyan,' according to People.

Stevie's fellow YouTube personality Chris Crocker has tweeted: 'Words cannot describe how heartbroken I am.... @StevieRyan you will always be in my heart.'

Tribute: Stevie's fellow YouTube personality Chris Crocker has tweeted : 'Words cannot describe how heartbroken I am.... @StevieRyan you will always be in my heart'

Memories: 'Stevie Ryan is no longer with us. I love her very deeply and I regret every moment I didn't spend with her,' wrote comedian Benji Aflalo on Twitter, posting three photos of her

Touching: Superstore writer Vanessa Ramos tweeted : 'I am beyond saddened to learn of Stevie Ryan's passing,' adding: 'If you suffer from depression, please get help'

Homage: Podcaster Alison Rosen, formerly of The Adam Carrolla Show, tweeted that she was 'Beyond heartbroken and shaken up by the news of @StevieRyan'

'Stevie Ryan is no longer with us. I love her very deeply and I regret every moment I didn't spend with her,' wrote comedian Benji Aflalo on Twitter, sharing three photos of Stevie, including one that showed him sat beside her.

Superstore writer Vanessa Ramos tweeted: 'I am beyond saddened to learn of Stevie Ryan's passing. If you suffer from depression, please get help.'

Podcaster Alison Rosen, formerly of The Adam Carrolla Show, tweeted that she was 'Beyond heartbroken and shaken up by the news of @StevieRyan.'

According to the website, Stevie died at her Los Angeles home with the cause of death listed as suicide by hanging.

For confidential support call the Samaritans on 116123 or visit a local Samaritans branch, see www.samaritans.org for details
She's trying to find 'The One' on The Bachelorette, and was spotted on a date with a mystery man in Sydney on Monday afternoon.

But despite looking very ladylike in a '50s inspired outfit, Sophie Monk almost suffered an embarrassing wardrobe malfunction in front of her suitor.

The 37-year-old blonde bombshell almost spilled out of her bustier dress, and was photographed pulling up the frock to conceal her modesty.

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Whoops! Sophie Monk almost spilled out of her bustier dress while filming The Bachelorette in Sydney on Monday, and was photographed pulling up the frock to conceal her modesty

Sophie looked chic in her off-the-shoulder checkered ensemble, with the retro dress featuring cut outs at the waist and an A-line skirt.

Channeling Hollywood beauty Audrey Hepburn, Sophie completed her classic look with a sheer scarf covering her head.

She accessorised with a layered pearl necklace and added a touch of glamour with lashings of mascara and pink lipstick.

Ladylike: Channeling Hollywood beauty Audrey Hepburn, Sophie completed her classic look with a sheer scarf covering her head

Wardrobe malfunction? The blonde could be seen pulling up the frock to keep herself in check

Sophie was seen picking up her date in the classic car and driving at Sydney's McKell Park, before heading down the road to the Swifts Mansion at Darling Point.

She was confirmed as Australia's new Bachelorette in April, and is the first celebrity to star in the long-running dating franchise.

Last year's Bachelorette, former WIN News journalist Georgia Love, recently said that Sophie is sincere in her quest for love.

In the hot seat! Sophie was confirmed as Australia's new Bachelorette in April, and is the first celebrity to star in the long-running dating franchise

'She's already on TV': Last year's Bachelorette, former WIN News journalist Georgia Love, recently said that Sophie is sincere in her quest for love.

'I truly believe that Sophie does want to find someone, I really do believe that,' she told 101.9's Schmunday Show. 'She's already on TV all the time.'

Sophie recently told Yahoo7 she isn't interested in a man who wants to date her for her profile, and knows how to spot 'fame hungry' suitors.

'After all the years you can tell... you can smell em a mile off,' she explained.
He's had a busy few weeks promoting his latest blockbuster across Europe.

So no wonder Ryan Gosling looked happy to be spending time with his nearest and dearest over the holiday weekend.

The actor was seen carrying his eldest daughter Esmeralda, two, to a playdate, looking effortlessly cool in his shades and t-shirt combo.

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Family time: He's had a busy few weeks promoting his latest blockbuster across Europe. So no wonder Ryan Gosling looked happy to be spending time with his daughter over the weekend

Ryan showed off his muscles in a eagle-emblazoned black t-shirt teamed with dark jeans and cool shades.

The doting dad kept his little girl close as well as toting a large rucksack full of essentials.

Ryan is also dad to one-year-old Amada with his long-term partner Eva Mendes, 42.

M and my girl: The actor was seen carrying his eldest daughter Esmeralda, two, to a playdate, looking effortlessly cool in his shades and t-shirt combo

The happy couple have been together since co-starring in The Place Beyond The Pines in 2011.

It's been a busy few weeks for the world's number one heartthrob. Ryan recently returned from Spain, where he kicked off the promo tour for his latest offering, Blade Runner 2049.

The film takes place 30 years after the events in the original Blade Runner movie, which was released back in 1982.

Proud parents: Ryan is also dad to one-year-old Amada with his long-term partner Eva Mendes, 42, who have been dating since 2011

After making a damning discovery, LAPD Officer K - played by Gosling - sets off in search of Rick Deckard, reprised by Harrison Ford, who has been missing for the last 30 years.

The highly anticipated film is set for release on October 6.

Eva meanwhile has somewhat retired from the spotlight of late. Her last film was Lost River in 2014 although she also put in an appearance in comedy series The Peter Austin Noto Show earlier this year.

The star has mostly been concentrating on her family and her fashion collaboration with New York & Company.
Gwyneth Paltrow has infuriated her neighbours in Montecito, California with plans to build a mega 14,000-square-foot mansion.

The SantaBarbara Independent reported last year that the 44-year-old Iron Man star bought two neighbouring estates in the district and has now been cleared for plans to build a new mansion across both sites.

Speaking to Page Six, one of her neighbours insisted the new home is 'too big, too tall and incompatible with the adjacent houses, and it blocks their views'.

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On the move: Gwyneth Paltrow has infuriated her neighbours in Montecito, California with plans to build a mega 14,000-square-foot mansion

Gwyneth, who also owns homes in New York and London, has left neighbours enraged after plans for the home were cleared despite claims the home is still 'too tall' - after the star claimed to have lowered the home by eight feet.

Andrew Rice, a spokesman for one neighbor, Michael MacElhenny, told Page Six: 'Shes created an uproar with neighbors on all three sides. Michael and the other neighbors have tried to work with her, and theyve gotten nowhere'.

The representative is insistent the star has only lowered the home by one foot and he claims the project has been given the go-ahead based on false information.

MailOnline has contacted a representative for Gwyneth for comment.

Troubles: The SantaBarbara Independent reported last year that the 44-year-old Iron Man star bought two neighbouring estates in the district and has now been cleared for plans to build a 14,000-square-foot mansion across both sites

Happier times: Speaking to Page Six, one of her neighbours insisted the new home is 'too big, too tall and incompatible with the adjacent houses, and it blocks their views'

When she purchased the home for a near $5million price tag last year, it was reported she needed to extensive work, which already boasted four bedrooms, four bathrooms, a large pool and more than two acres of land.

In 2014, Gwyneth left neighbours surrounding her Brentwood home furious, which she published in 2012 for $10m with ex-husband Chris Martin, fuming when she proposed erecting a nine foot gate over their property.

Neighbour Hilda McGonigle told Radar at the time: 'Its a really active community, but we dont see much of them.

'When they moved in they had Do Not Trespass signs put up at their school and all over their property. Then they had the big gates put in and four layers of trees.'

Happy days: In 2014, Gwyneth left neighbours surrounding her Brentwood home, which she published in 2012 for $10m with ex-husband Chris Martin, fuming when she proposed erecting a nine foot gate over their property

In 2013 a complaint was filed with the Los Angeles Department Of Building And Safety to lower the black barriers, but the couple has yet to do anything, making them eligible for a $900 fine.

But the worst of it was the months and months of heavy construction that caused traffic and noise on the sleepy street.

'There was always work being done at the house,' a neighbour who didn't want to be identified said. 'I only got annoyed when the workmen would illegally park in my driveway and they hadnt even spoken to me about it.'
They became husband and wife in an idyllic ceremony last month.

And Jacqueline Jossa and Dan Osbourn certainly appeared to have enjoined the spoils of their family honeymoon, where they were joined by their two-year-old daughter Ella, as the actress seemed exhausted while touching down in Gatwick on Sunday.

The 24-year-old EastEnders star showed off her endless legs in a pair of hotpants paired with a cosy hoodie while her ex-TOWIE star beau, 26, could not resist draping his arms around her while clutching on to the adorable tot.

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Tired times: Jacqueline Jossa and Dan Osbourn certainly appeared to have joined the spoils of their family honeymoon, where they were joined by their two-year-old daughter Ella, as the actress seemed exhausted while touching down in Gatwick on Sunday

Jacqueline and Dan tied the knot just over a week ago in a fairytale Cheshire ceremony and they swiftly jetted away, however they were soon back on home turf.

While they were super dressed up for their big day, they were much more subdued as they touched down after their long flight with the youngster.

The London-born beauty showed off her endless legs in the hotpants while pulling on a pink hoodie with a slogan emblazoned across the front.

Keeping things super comfortable as she sported a pair of white trainers while going totally make-up free for the outing.

Legs eleven: The 24-year-old EastEnders star showed off her endless legs in a pair of hotpants paired with a cosy hoodie while her ex-TOWIE star beau, 26, could not resist draping his arms around her while clutching on to the adorable tot

Returning home: Jacqueline and Dan tied the knot just over a week ago in a fairytale Cheshire ceremony and they swiftly jetted away, however they were soon back on home turf

Hunky Dan was holding the luggage while Jacqueline was pushing Ella's buggy - with the whole clan looking slightly exhausted.

He was clad in a crew-neck navy T-shirt with loose fitting shorts while he could not resist planting a tender kiss on his wife's cheek.

Prior to the honeymoon, she spoke to OK! as she gushed about her wedding day look, exclaiming: I loved my make-up  I felt like I was a Snapchat filter on the day! Daniel always says he prefers my hair up and out of my face, although that wasnt the reason I wore it that way  the dress had to be seen in all its glory!

The bride added that she set down strict rules for her guests, explaining: I said beforehand that if anyone wears white they were going to get kicked out!

Legs eleven: The star looked down cast as she headed out with the pram

Heading home: Hunky Dan was holding the luggage, which included a 239.20 Cosmolite Samsonite case, while Jacqueline was pushing Ella's buggy - with the whole clan looking slightly exhausted

Happy families: He was clad in a crew-neck navy T-shirt with loose fitting shorts while he could not resist planting a tender kiss on his wife's cheek

As for her emotions on her big day, Jacqueline gushed that marriage has caused her to look at her long-term beau in another light, explaining: It feels like weve fallen in love all over again

Dan was equally enamoured when speaking about his new wife, explaining: Jacquelines the woman I want to spend my whole life with Jacqueline already felt like my wife, so it made complete sense to make her my wife.

Delamere Manor, in Cheshire, the stunning mansion where the pair tied the knot was once owned by Gary Barlow, who sold the stately home in 2006 for 7.25 million having happily lived there for a decade.

The stately home even features a nod to the Patience crooner with an opulent gold themed room named the 'Barlow Suite.'

Protective: The blond hunk towered over his wife as he held her close

Emotional: As for her emotions on her big day, Jacqueline gushed that marriage has caused her to look at her long-term beau in another light, explaining: It feels like weve fallen in love all over again'

A source previously said: 'Jacqueline and Dan have been looking for a wedding venue for a while but nothing had really caught their eye.

'Then when they saw Delamere Manor they fell in love with it. Like any couple, they want their big day to be perfect, even if it does mean their entire families travelling from their homes in London to Cheshire. They are convinced that going the extra distance will be worth it.'

Jacqueline and Dan have experienced a whirlwind romance, having started dating in 2013.

Dan was fresh out of a relationship with the mother of his first child, Megan Tomlin, with whom he discovered he was expecting son Teddy, two, a matter of weeks after the initial split.

Serious talks: The entire family looked as though they were truly ready for bed following their break

Serious times: Dan looked concerned for his fatigued wife as they made their way home

Their relationship came under scrutiny in 2015 as the father-of-two was heard threatening to stab his ex in a recording obtained by The Sun.

However, Dan insisted he would never have hurt Megan and he was simply speaking out of anger.

'I never physically hurt anyone.. I said some things in anger in THE worst time of my life.. That's it!!', he tweeted. 'If everyone on earth had there arguments recorded.. I am sure 95% of you would listen back and hear things you OBVIOUSLY never meant.. [sic]'

At the time, Jacqueline said she was 'disgusted' with her fiance and said she didn't think she would 'ever forgive him for what he said' - though she has kept largely quiet on the matter ever since.

Jacqueline and Dan went public in June 2014 after previously denying that they were any more than friends. They announced their pregnancy in August of that year and baby Ella arrived in February 2015.

Kiss, kiss: Jacqueline and Dan went public in June 2014 after previously denying that they were any more than friends. They announced their pregnancy in August of that year and baby Ella arrived in February 2015

Hood up: The stunning star was looking lovingly upon her little family
Her custody battle with former partner Jean David Blanc over their two young sons has made headlines in recent months.

But Melissa George looked happy and carefree this week while attending the Schiaparelli show during Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris.

The Australian actress, 40, was glowing on Monday as she posed for photographers in a chic black dress with a quirky patterned design.

Glamorous arrival: Melissa George looked happy and carefree as she attended the Schiaparelli show during Haute Couture Fashion Week in Paris on Monday

She styled her long blonde hair in loose waves, kept her accessories to a minimum, and finished off her look with monochrome heels.

The Grey's Anatomy star cut a youthful and relaxed figure as she continued to enjoy the sights and sounds of her adopted home city.

She appeared miles away from her personal issues, which she famously described in a 'tell-all' interview with Channel Seven's Sunday Night in March.

Bitter split: Her custody battle with former partner Jean David Blanc over their two young sons has made headlines in recent months

During that TV documentary, Melissa claimed she felt 'trapped' in France due to the ugly split with Jean-David, the father of her sons Raphael and Solal.

The previous night, on Sunday, Melissa had arrived at the amfAR charity dinner for AIDS research at Le Petit Palais wearing a dazzling sequined gown.

She looked glamorous in the full-length black dress, which offered a glimpse of her decolletage and clung tightly to her slim curves.
She's been busy attending various shows at Paris Fashion Week.

But on Sunday, Teresa Palmer took a break from mingling with celebrities and designers to take her baby Forest Sage for a stroll in his pram.

The 31-year-old looked in happy spirits as she left the glamorous Bristol Hotel.

Stepping out: On Sunday, Teresa Palmer took a break from mingling with celebrities and designers at Paris Fashion Week to take her baby Forest Sage for a stroll in his pram

Despite being in mummy mode, Teresa still looked stylish and camera-ready.

She was dressed in a chic all-black ensemble with a large smile on her face.

Teresa is also mother to three-year-old Bodhi Rain.

Stylish: Despite being in mummy mode, Teresa still looked stylish and camera-ready

Happy day! She was dressed in a chic all-black ensemble with a large smile on her face

The Australian actress recently talked about balancing motherhood and her Hollywood career, admitting that it is not easy.

'The juggle and the struggle is real,' Teresa told The Daily Telegraph.

'You have to try and be on point in your relationship first and foremost, I think, to make it work.'

'The juggle and the struggle is real': Teresa recently talked about balancing motherhood and her Hollywood career, admitting that it is not easy

Teresa is married to actor and director Mark Webber, the father of her children.

Mark also has an eight-year-old son, Isaac, from a previous relationship.

Teresa is the star of many notable films, including Hacksaw Ridge, The Grudge 2, and The Choice.
They've just returned home from a male bonding experience in New Zealand.

And it appears Kris Smith, 38 and Sasha Mielczarek, 32, are about to take their relationship to the next level.

The reality TV hunks are rumoured to be going into business together, The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday.

'Who could say no to them?' Kris Smith (right) and Sasha Mielczarek (left) are taking their bromance to the next level as rumours swirl they are going into business together

'Two good looking blokes like Kris and Sasha - who could say no to them?' a source told the publication.

After hitting it off in January, the friends have since appeared at several public events together.

The insider revealed Kris and Sasha have previously joked about working together, but it is unclear what they are planning.

Gossip: The reality TV hunks are rumoured to be going into business together, The Daily Telegraph reported on Tuesday. Pictured at the Myer x Misha Fashion Week party in May

Kris and Sasha both share the same talent agent and have done promotional work together, which has likely encouraged their business plans.

While dressed in matching outfits last week, the pair made fun of their high-profile friendship.

'What bromance?' Kris captioned his Instagram post, adding the hashtag, 'Couple dressing'.

Seeing double! Kris and Sasha both share the same talent agent and have done promotional work together, which has likely encouraged their business plans.

They were pictured in identical patterned T-shirts and ripped denim jeans as they both smiled for the camera.

Last month, the unlucky-in-love pair went on a 'date' to Hungry Jacks together.

'I want a woman that looks at me the way I look at my burger on cheat day,' Kris wrote on Instagram.

Kris is understood to be single following a brief romance with Network Ten employee Hannah Scott.

Meanwhile, Sasha split with Sam Frost in December last year, 18 months after they fell in love on The Bachelorette.
They've been enjoying a romantic holiday in Europe after announcing their engagement.

And on Monday, Anna Heinrich flaunted her incredible bikini body as she soaked up the sun in France with fiance Tim Robards.

The Bachelor star looked tanned and terrific while relaxing poolside in a photo shared with her 286,000 Instagram followers.

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Tangerine dream! On Monday, The Bachelor's Anna Heinrich flaunted her slender bikini body while on holiday in France with her fiance Tim Robards

Anna wrote in the caption, 'Good morning France, good night Australia. Love me a little time difference.'

She added: 'Last morning in Gordes before we hit the road again! Almost time for a little Spain'.

In the holiday snap, Anna poses in a skimpy tangerine bikini and protects her face from the sun in a wide-brimmed hat and shades.

Wish you were here? Tim and Anna have been enjoying a romantic holiday in Europe after announcing their engagement

While in France, Anna shared a photo of herself holding Tim's hand , as they explored an old town together.

She captioned the romantic snap, 'Come with me', and added the hash tags: 'French lover', and 'I'll show you the way'.

The engaged couple have also enjoyed time in Monaco and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat.

Holiday vibes! The happy couple have also enjoyed time in Monaco and Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat

Before arriving in France, Tim and Anna travelled around Italy, including Portofino.

They have also visited Thailand during their post-proposal adventure.

In May, Tim and Anna announced they were engaged, almost four years after falling in love on The Bachelor Australia.

European summer: Before arriving in France, Tim and Anna travelled around Italy
Stephanie Davis has been axed from appearing on Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit On The Side on Monday evening following her arrest for GBH after allegedly assaulting her on-off boyfriend Jeremy McConnell on Sunday night.

The 24-year-old star was set to appear on the show yet after news surfaced regarding the fracas, which saw the Irish model left with black eyes, a cut nose and burst blood vessels, BB officials confirmed to MailOnline she would not star.

Despite being tipped to sit on the panel for the sister show of the nightly programme, it was revealed she had been ditched from the panel hours after the alleged attack, after which she was reportedly placed in police custody.

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Axed: Stephanie's appearance has been cancelled on the newest edition of Big Brother's Bit On The Side panel just hours after arrest for GBH [pictured on the show last month]

Agony: Shortly before news of the axe surfaced, pictures have emerged of Jeremy with two black eyes after he was allegedly attacked by Stephanie

Stephanie was appearing on the show since its launch last month as something of a 'relationship guru' yet her role has been thrown into question since the astounding turn of events on Sunday evening.

A representative for the show confirmed to MailOnline: 'At the end of BOTS on Friday, it was mentioned that she was featuring on tonight's BOTS, she now isn't.'

A source told MailOnline: 'She was never going to be on tonight's show. But moving forward she will be on the programme is my understanding.'

The Sun report Stephanie is set to be replaced on the show by Celebs Go Dating star Tom Read with sources reportedly telling the publication: 'It would be wrong for her to appear on the show after this.

Cut: Stephanie was appearing on the show since its launch last month as something of a 'relationship guru' yet her role has been thrown into question since the astounding turn of events on Sunday evening

Removed: Stephanie Davis has been axed from appearing on Channel 5's Big Brother's Bit On The Side following her arrest for GBH after allegedly assaulting her on-off beau Jeremy McConnell on Sunday night

Happier times: The 24-year-old star was set to appear on Monday's show yet after news surfaced regarding the fracas, which saw the Irish model left with black eyes, a cut nose and burst blood vessels, BB officials confirmed to MailOnline she would not appear

At the start: Jeremy and Stephanie have suffered an extremely tumultuous romance

'Its only right the show took her off the panel, to avoid any sort of embarrassing moments. Its a shame this happened as they had already done some filming. Tom will be a fantastic replacement and will sure to make for entertaining viewing.'

Shortly before news of the axe surfaced, pictures have emerged of Jeremy with two black eyes after he was allegedly attacked by Stephanie.

Witnesses told MailOnline the pair were drinking from around 6:30pm in a Wetherspoon's bar in Enfield, north London before they argued outside as Jeremy got into a cab.

Stephanie stayed in the pub for more beer before heading back to their hotel, the four-star Royal Chace Hotel, where she was arrested around 11pm over claims she assaulted Jeremy.

Fellow drinkers claimed the couple were drunk when they went outside and shouted at each other at around 9.30pm. Motorists in the street even beeped their horns at the pair to get them to calm down amid fears for their safety, before Jeremy got in a cab and left.

Happier time: The couple have been on-off since meeting a year and a half ago

Tweeting away: On Saturday, the day before the alleged attack, Steph had told her 400,000 followers she was planning to let her hair down when her aunt looked after her baby. She later deleted the tweet

Police said Jeremy's injuries were not serious and the Irishman was treated at the scene by paramedics and did not need hospital treatment. Despite the reports, pictures show him with two black eyes, a scratch to his nose and blood-shot eyes.

A witness from the pub said: 'They were in the pub for almost the whole day and being incredibly hard to deal with. Jeremy vanished in a taxi leaving Steph on her own. Her phone was smashed to pieces.'

Stephanie was then seen chatting with a group of women before she also called a cab and left. Police were called around 11pm to reports of the attack at the hotel.

Another woman who apparently witnessed the fight later tweeted the couple, telling Jeremy his behaviour was 'awful' and telling Steph: 'I hope your ok. (sic)'

Troubles: The actress is said to be being held at a London police station and questioned by officers

Troubles: The star is being questioned by police following the alleged attack

A Scotland Yard spokesman said: 'Police in Enfield were called to a hotel in The Ridgeway, EN2 at 11pm on Sunday, 2 July following reports of an assault. Officers attended and arrested a 24-year-old woman on suspicion of GBH.

'She has been taken to a north London police station for questioning. a man was treated at the scene and did not attend hospital. Enquiries continue.'

Sources confirmed to MailOnline that Caben spent the entire weekend with Stephanie's parents.

The couple's rocky relationship began after they starred together on Celebrity Big Brother in January last year. But they then became embroiled in a toxic romance which first ended a month before she announced she was expecting his baby.

Jeremy initially denied paternity of the child, but was proved to be the father and moved to be with Stephanie in Liverpool.

Davis has appeared on TV with her son Caben-Albi since his birth in January this year

The scene: The fight is said to have broken out at the Royal Chace Hotel in Enfield last night

They became parents in January when Stephanie gave birth to their son Caben-Albi. It is understood the youngster was not with them last night. The pair were staying at the Royal Chace Hotel while Davis films Big Brother's Bit On The Side.

After his recent relapse, sources say Jeremy is in 'self-destruct mode'. His friends and family are said to be very concerned about him, after an evening out two weeks ago ended with him leaving a club and sleeping on a park bench.

MailOnline was told he was escorted out of 'Dstrkt' nightclub during the Sixty6 Magazine Summer launch party, but was later allowed back in.

Sources close to couple have said that, before Sunday's incident, the couple were planning to move to the country together.

Calm before the storm: Steph, who was seen grabbing fast food last month, has had a rocky relationship with Jeremy

Way back when: The Stephanie/Jeremy saga all began in January last year when they entered the CBB house (Stephanie is pictured entering the house)

Insiders told MailOnline: 'Stephanie and Jeremy have told friends and family of their plans to move to the countryside and have begun looking at properties in Norfolk.

'Stephanie and Jeremy have both earned well so are going to put their money into a country cottage, Stephanie has previously been to Norfolk for work and loved how remote it was'.

Sunday's alleged attack comes less than a week after Stephanie's mother, Pauline, posted cryptic messages online after labeling McConnell a 'scumbag'.

She shared a quote reading: 'Who you spend time with will have a great impact on what kind of life you live'. Another said: 'You can either let your heart rule your mind or your mind rule your heart.'

MailOnline has contacted both Stephanie and Jeremy's representatives for comment.
She celebrated her 31st birthday over the weekend.

And Lindsay Lohan continued her celebrations clad in a figure-flaunting swimsuit as she soaked up the sun in Mykonos, Greece.

The film star - who was catapulted to fame in 1998's remake of The Parent Trap - slipped into a slinky cream Calvin Klein swimsuit for her outing to the beach.

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Life's a beach! Lindsay Lohan continued her celebrations clad in a figure-flaunting swimsuit as she soaked up the sun in Mykonos, Greece (pictured with her manager Scott Carlsen)

Her beach attire accentuated her buxom bust while showcasing her intricate inkings across her forearms as she navigated her way across the white sand beach.

Joined by her manager Scott Carlsen, she showcased her alabaster skin and a small bruise on her upper thigh in a pair of skimpy denim Daisy Dukes which skimmed her frame with aplomb.

Protecting herself from the burning Greek rays, she covered her flame-coloured locks with a chic trilby Panama hat while she covered her eyes with a pair of reflective aviator shades.

She completed her day time ensemble with Gucci tote bag, star-covered sliders and gold necklaces which rested in the midst of her cleavage.

Seas the day! The film star - who was catapulted to fame in 1998's remake of The Parent Trap - slipped into a slinky cream Calvin Klein swimsuit for her outing to the beach

Idyllic: Her beach attire accentuated her buxom bust while showcasing her intricate inkings across her forearms as she navigated her way across the white sand beach

Her beaming display comes after she set rumors flying when she posted a shot of herself being hugged and kissed by a mysterious silver fox on Instagram on Saturday.

She captioned it with two hashtags, '#preemium #lovebirds', and four emoji happy faces - giving nothing away about the identity of the handsome hunk who cuddled up behind her.

Lindsay, whose birthday feel on July 2, raised eyebrows last week when she extended a birthday invitation to Britney Spears, Beyonce and Paris Hilton via Twitter to join in on the festivities.

Speaking with the MailOnline, a source close to the beauty - who has spent her summers for the past six years in Mykonos - revealed she was wished a happy birthday by many A-list stars including Oprah while she enjoyed a 'low-key' bash with 15 of her close friends at the Santa Marina resort.

A source revealed: 'She actually did - Oprah sent a nice message as well - Kris Jenner facetime'd her right after the cake was brought out - and Tyra Banks also sent a very kind message.'

Snuggling up: Lindsay Lohan looked radiant in this Instagram she posted on Saturday showing a handsome mystery man cuddling her from behind as he kissed the side her face

Old beau: Lindsay split with her fiance, wealthy Russian property entrepreneur Egor Tarabasov last August. Here they are seen at an event in London in May 2016

In August 2016 dramatic photos showed an angry, violent altercation between Lindsay and her then-fiance, Russian playboy Egor Tarabasov in Mykonos.

The pictures showed a tussle occurring after Lohan and Tarabasov argued in a black 4x4.

The actress was seen hurling his mobile phone on to the sand and fleeing the car.

Egor was seen chasing her, before grabbing her from behind in an attempt to grab the handset back and twisting her arm behind her back. Their relationship ended shortly afterwards.

Going for gold! Lindsay flaunted her statement gold watch as she made her way onto her boat

Things seem to be on the up for the former child star after the Mail revealed in October that she was facing bankruptcy after failing to pay 78,000 in rent.

Lindsay, who has been to rehab several times for alcohol and drug problems and has spent time in jail, is now launching her own lifestyle website and giving fans a glimpse into her life.

The app and website is also set to give fans glimpses of her acting projects.

Elsewhere, Lindsay was recently spotted on set with Harry Potter star Rupert Grint after starting filming the second season of hilarious comedy Sick Note, on which she will reportedly play Rupert's onscreen boss Katerina West.
Tom Holland certainly made a splash during his appearance on Lip Sync Battle.

The Spider-Man: Homecoming hero traded his red and blue morph-suit for a vinyl corset and fishnets to perform a rainy rendition of Rihanna's Umbrella.

The 21-year-old Englishman definitely brought his A-game to the stage, performing intricate choreography while soaking up the spotlight amidst dramatic on-stage showers.

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Committed character! Tom Holland traded his Spider-Man costume for a corset and fishnets to perform a rainy rendition of Rihanna's Umbrella for Lip Sync Battle

Spider-who? The 21-year-old Englishman was virtually unrecognizable in a latex playsuit and black bob. Above you can see him in his more familiar Spider-Man duds

Tom was almost unrecognizable as he imitated the sultry French maid look from RiRi's 2009 music video complete wearing a skintight latex playsuit and a sassy bobbed wig.

The London native, who is a former gymnast and played Billy Elliot on stage, didn't hold back as he performed several spins and an aerobatic handstand, all while keeping perfect balance on the slippery stage.

Tom's Spider-Man costar Zendaya looked thrilled by his performance, barely able to contain her giggles.

Pop princess! Tom got into the spirit of the 2009 hit and gave his all on the Lip Sync stage

Ella-ella: The Spider-Man actor didn't miss a beat while spinning and splashing around stage

Stage skills! The London native didn't hold back as he performed an aerobatic handstand upon the slippery stage

Shake it! Tom's no stranger to dancing, having played Billy Elliot in London's West End

Hilarious: Tom's costar Zendaya couldn't contain her giggles during the performance

Prior to their Battle, Zendaya and Tom sat down for an interview with Spike's Elliot Morgan and Lee Newton.

And they on-screen buddies weren't afraid to trade barbs as they got prepped for their sync-off.

'Try your best is all I can say,' the former Disney star told Tom with faux sincerity, 'I mean I would be nervous if I was you, but you don't have to be nervous if you don't wanna be.'

She continued, telling the hero 'I wish you the best' before menacingly whispering, 'because you're gonna need it.'

Game face! Prior to their Battle, Zendaya and Tom sat down for an interview where they traded barbs before the sync off

Getting into his head: The fashionista tried to psych her costar out by telling him 'I wish you the best' before menacingly whispering, 'because you're gonna need it'

Nothing but net! The former gymnast pulled off all his choreography while wearing a skintight latex playsuit and fishnets

Making a splash! Even on the soaking wet stage, Tom carried out a stellar lip sync

Tom had his own message for the fashionista, telling her 'I know you think that you've got this and that you've got it all down and you know what's happening.

'But believe me, you ... But I'm about to throw it down. It's gonna rain. It's literally going to rain.'

'You're not gonna be ready for it,' he said before adding one last comment, 'And I'm Spider-Man, so that always helps. '

Tom and Zendaya face off during Lip Sync Battle's new time slot, airing Wednesday 10pm on Spike.
She fled Cannes in humiliation after being caught out by self-confessed sex addict Scott Disick's womanizing ways.

But Bella Thorne has obviously been won back over by the charming reality star.

The teen was spotted FaceTiming father-of-three Scott as he partied onboard a yacht in Miami at the weekend.

Is this a booty call Bella? Scott Disick FaceTimes with Thorne... as he takes a break from partying it up on yet another yacht

Oh hi there! Bella's instantly recognisable flame red hair appeared on screen as the two flirted via the video link

Her instantly recognizable flame red hair appeared on screen as the two flirted via the video link.

The 19-year-old former child star previously insisted she was done with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star after being scared off by his excessive partying during a recent trip to Cannes.

But despite her defiant words, the pair got up close and personal in Los Angeles last week.

Back for more: The 19-year-old former child star previously insisted she was done with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star because of his excessive partying

Come on Scott! Even on a boy's weekend, Scott has girls on his mind

And it seems that even on a boy's weekend, Scott has girls on his mind - fitting in time to chat with Bella amid the partying.

It is not known where his three children were at the time. They usually live with their doting mother Kourtney Kardashian. However she is spending the holiday weekend on a romantic break with boyfriend Younes Bendjima in St Tropez.

While she does so Scott is living it up with DJ pal Steve Aoki. The fun-loving friends started their 4th of July weekend off with a bang as they chartered a boat to explore the warm waters of the Florida coast.

Both men posted a shot of them jumping on the bow of the luxury boat.

Oh really: Bella insisted that she was no longer seeing Scott - who has children Mason, seven, Penelope, four, and Reign, two, with Kourtney - because she couldn't handle his drinking

Who could they be from? Bella posted a Snapchat of some roses with the caption 'Thank youu'

Both Scott and Steve, 39, posted the snap on their Instagram accounts of the two jumping for joy on the yacht.

In another snap, the rest of the yacht is revealed as Scott and Steve are joined by two other friends.

The fierce foursome's adventures were documented again as the group was snapped riding around the city in a convertible.

Dad's the word: It is not known where his three children were at the time, as there mother is on a romantic break with her new boyfriend

Boy time: The fun-loving friends started their 4th of July weekend off with a bang as they chartered a boat to explore the warm waters of the Florida coast

An Instagram video showed the four gentleman cruising the streets as if they were teenagers with the caption: 'Miami lit af!'

The hilarity didn't stop there as Steve posted a video of Scott and himself holding a cake with Steve's record label name outside the front door of a house.

The two rabble-rousers slammed the cake into the face of an unknown man who is holding a target around his head.

The party carried on late into the night - with the gang joining rapper Nelly at LIV nightclub in Miami.

Jumping hijinks: Scott Disick, 34, was spotted living it up with DJ pal Steve Aoki, 39, on a yacht in Miami on Saturday

Bro boat: In another snap, the rest of the yacht is revealed as Scott and Steve are joined by two other friends

Hilarity ensues: The fun didn't stop there as Steve posted a video of Scott and himself holding a cake with Steve's record label name outside the front door of a house.

Meanwhile Scott was last pictured with Bella as they attended Lana Del Rey's birthday party in LA last week.

A source, who spotted them together at 1 OAK West Hollywood nightclub, told Us Weekly: 'They all took a table together and were dancing and hanging out for a while. Scott and Bella were holding hands as he was escorting her to the table and away from the table when they left a little before 2am.'

This comes not long after Bella insisted that she was no longer seeing Scott - who has children Mason, seven, Penelope, four, and Reign, two, with Kourtney - because she couldn't handle his drinking.

Yo dog: An Instagram video showed the four gentleman cruising the streets as if they were teenagers with the caption: 'Miami lit af!'

Living it up! The boys later partied with Nelly at the LIv nightclub

She said: 'Scott is really nice, sweet, charming. I don't drink, and he really drinks a lot. And it just ended up ...I just wasn't down. I was like, "I gotta leave."

'We were [at Cannes] a day and a half before I was like I'm booking my flight and leaving. I love to go out and have fun, I love to dance, but I just don't party hardcore like that and it was way too much for me. I was like, "Woah, this is not the way I live my life, bruh."'

Ironically, it was partying that first brought them together, as Bella revealed Scott came along to one of her infamous rave-themed bashes at her LA home.

She said: "I throw a lot of house parties, and that's how I meet these people. They come to my house party and they're like, 'Yo, I heard you're having a party,' and I'm just like, 'Okay, French Montana. Hi, French.' That's how I met Scotthe came to a house party of mine [with French] and I was like 'hi'."

Mom's the word: Kourtney Kardashian normally looks after Mason, Penelope and Reign; however she is also out of town - on a break in St Tropez with boyfriend Younes Bendjima
He'd earlier been spotted FaceTiming his teen love interest Bella Thorne.

But when to comes to flirting, there's no stopping Scott Disick.

And the self-confessed sex addict looked to be having the time of his life as he partied with friends in Miami on Sunday.

He can't help himself! Scott Disick flirts up a storm with pretty girls as he drinks with friends at Miami party

Well hello: Surrounded by pretty girls at the Seaspice boating club, a relaxed Scott chatted happily, even flirtily placing a kiss on one blonde's cheek

Eyeing the ladies: Scott didn't seem to mind the attentions of the passing females

Surrounded by pretty girls at the Seaspice boating club, a relaxed Scott chatted happily, even flirtily placing a kiss on one blonde's cheek.

Seated behind a large bucket of ice - filled with expensive bottles of spirits and wine - Scott was in his element.

The 34-year-old was surrounded by his friends - they were on a boys vacation after all - but didn't seem to mind the attentions of the passing females.

He'd got in the party spirit with a day on a hired yacht with his guy friends.

It was there that Scott was pictured FaceTiming his teenage pal Bella.

Her instantly recognizable flame red hair appeared on screen as the two flirted via the video link.

Drink up: Seated in a bar behind a large bucket of ice - filled with expensive bottles of spirits and wine - Scott was in his element

Chin chin: The club promoter also had a packet of cigarettes in front of him

Weekend off: It is not known where Scott's three children were spending the holiday

The 19-year-old former child star previously insisted she was done with the Keeping Up With The Kardashians star after being scared off by his excessive partying during a recent trip to Cannes.

But despite her defiant words, the pair have since been seen together.

It is not known where Scott's three children were spending the weekend.

Aloha! The father-of-three was clad in a Hawaiian shirt for his night out

They usually live with their doting mother Kourtney Kardashian. However she is spending the holiday on a romantic break with boyfriend Younes Bendjima in St Tropez.

While she does so, Scott is living it up with DJ pal Steve Aoki. The fun-loving friends started their 4th of July weekend off with a bang as they chartered a boat to explore the warm waters of the Florida coast.

Both men posted a shot of them jumping on the bow of the luxury boat.

All at sea: Scott and his pals have been hanging out on a boat

Miami nice: The group had spent the day floating on a different hired boat

Let the Lord Be With You! Disick shared this snap on Instagram, tagging it 'call me'

In another snap, the rest of the yacht is revealed as Scott and Steve are joined by two other friends.

The fierce foursome's adventures were documented again as the group was snapped riding around the city in a convertible.

An Instagram video showed the four gentleman cruising the streets as if they were teenagers with the caption: 'Miami lit af!'

Is this a booty call Bella? Scott Disick FaceTimes with Thorne... as he takes a break from partying it up on yet another yacht

Oh hi there! Bella's instantly recognisable flame red hair appeared on screen as the two flirted via the video link
She recently claimed she has lost out on movie roles due to being 'too sexy'.

But Emily Ratajkowski, 26, showed she wasn't letting anyone dampen her smouldering sex appeal as she made a jaw-dropping display in London on Monday.

The Blurred Lines beauty looked sensational for her trip to the UK capital, baring her envy-inducing abs in a tight lycra crop-top.

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Ab-tastic: Emily Ratajkowski, 26, showed she wasn't letting anyone dampen her smouldering sex appeal as she made a jaw-dropping display in London on Monday, and flashed her toned abs

The figure hugging top, which also highlighted her pert assets, flashed her slender waist and toned, tanned midriff.

Adding a demure twist, Emily paired the top with a emerald velvet trousersuit which clung to her slim curves and contrasted beautifully with her glossy chestnut tresses.

The Gone Girl actress looked confident and beautiful as she strode out of her waiting car in stiletto boots.

Her make-up was natural with a smattering of bronzer, smoky eyes and candied pink lips.

Toned; The confident star even made getting out of a car seem glamorous as she arrived in London

Work it: Adding a demure twist, Emily paired the top with a emerald velvet trousersuit which clung to her slim curves and contrasted beautifully with her glossy chestnut tresses

Keeping her accessories minimal she wore golden hoops and a medallion necklace

Her descent onto UK shores came as the 'We Are Your Friends' star claimed she hadn't got all the roles she wanted in her career because her 'boobs are too big'.

She told the August issue of Australia's Harper's Bazaar magazine: 'There's this thing that happens to me, 'Oh, she's too sexy.'

'It's like an anti-woman thing, that people don't want to work with me because my boobs are too big.

Six pack anyone? The Gone Girl actress looked confident and beautiful as she strode out of her waiting car in stiletto boots

'What's wrong with boobs? They're a beautiful feminine thing that needs to be celebrated. Like, who cares? They are great big, they are great small. Why should that be an issue?'

And the star also hit back at sexism she has experienced in the industry.

She said: 'In every profile written about me, there is, 'She's so sexual and she's such a sex symbol,' paired with, 'But, wow, she knows about politics.' And that in itself is sexist. Why does it have to be one or the other?

Emily says she has turned down a lot of movie roles because she doesn't want to be in a "big studio movie", which only really requires her to look hot in a bikini.

She added: 'I am way more interested in working with unexpected and cool directors on interesting projects than being in this big studio movie where you're in a bikini.

No stranger to a smouldering snap: Emily regularly treats her Instagram followers with revealing snaps

Cheeky: The star is filled with body confidence but claimed being 'too sexy' stopped her getting roles

'I turn down a lot of movies, but I have to fight for the ones that I really want."

Emily also slammed the double standards in the world of celebrity, where women are shamed for acting sexy while men are revered.

She said: 'Look at pop culture: Mick Jagger is 73, and he still sometimes wears his shirt open and gyrates onstage. We understand that this is a part of his performance and artistic brand.

'Meanwhile, when Madonna, who is 58 and a revolutionary in that same kind of artistic sexuality, wears a sheer dress to the Met Gala, critics call her 'a hot mess' whos 'desperate.'
Tori Spelling pulled out all the stops for daughter Stella's ninth birthday on Saturday.

Teams of guests got to enjoy a spectacular unicorn themed party at the Spelling-McDermott's family's Woodland Hills home.

While it looked like the over-the-top party cost a pretty penny, the family-of-seven is said to owe hundreds of thousands to the IRS, American Express and City National Bank, among others.

Going all out: Tori Spelling pulled out all the stops for daughter Stella's ninth birthday on Saturday, despite the fact her family is said to be in hundreds of thousands of debt

Money seemed to be far from the 44-year-old TV heiress's mind however, as she and husband Dean McDermott indulged their little lady in a picture-perfect celebration.

Stella's party looked like a dream-come-true for any princess loving grade schooler, featuring adorable treats, a magical makeup station, a pinata, crafts and much more.



And of course a unicorn party couldn't be complete without one of the magical creatures.

Luckily the party was graced by one of the mythical ponies who looked like the real deal with a glittering horn, braided mane and golden hooves.

Host with the most! Tori was hostess supreme throughout the party, seen above with her 90210 costar Jennie Garth

Rare treat! A unicorn party couldn't be complete without one of the magical creatures

Sweet tooth! Treats of all sorts completed the party's fantasy-laden theme

Oh-em-gee! Stella couldn't hide her excitement as mom invited her surprise guest out - a 'real' unicorn

It's got it all! Stella's party looked like a dream-come-true for any princess loving grade schooler, featuring treats, magical makeup, a pinata, crafts and much more

Getting crafty! Guests could make their own glittery party favors at one of the craft tables

The over-the-top party had a makeup station where guests could get sparkly like a unicorn

Giddy up! The Spelling-McDermott family took a magical picture with their four-legged friend

While the birthday girl trotted around on the super-pony, dad Dean was busy serving up snacks.

Tori, meanwhile, was acting as hostess supreme, taking a moment to catch up with her 90210 costar Jennie Garth.

Mother Candy Spelling and her brother Randy Spelling were also among the many guests at the New York Times Bestseller's San Fernando Valley home.

Top mom! Tori doted on Stella throughout the party, making sure that her little gal had the perfect birthday

Dad duty: While the birthday girl trotted around on the super-pony, dad Dean was busy serving up snacks

Sweet deal! Even Stella's birthday cake was a vision, designed to look like an adorable unicorn

Ready to strike! A pinata provided more entertainment - and more sweets

Deam come true! Every treat was perfectly tailored to the party's magical unicorn theme

Family affair! Mother Candy Spelling and her brother Randy Spelling were also among the many guests at the New York Times Bestseller's Southern California home

Though the party seemed looked like it was out of budget to the reportedly-bankrupt family, it appears that the soiree was actually more work than play.

Much of Spelling's income relies on cash from photo shoots with her kids.

This year it was also claimed the IRS demanded nearly $1m from the daughter of famed producer Aaron Spelling, reportedly draining their bank accounts of 'a large sum' after the two failed to make payments.

Party pro? Though the party seemed looked like it was out of budget to the reportedly-bankrupt family, it appears that the soiree was actually more work than play

Snap happy: Page Six suggested Tori would be pitching the heavily photographed party for a paid magazine spread. Star has also claimed much of her current income comes from similar shoots of her and family

Paying up: This year it was claimed the IRS demanded nearly $1m from the daughter of famed producer Aaron Spelling

Cha-ching! Tori and Dean - who have been married since 2006 - are also being sued by American Express, who has claimed they have an unpaid bill of nearly $90,000

Tori and Dean - who have been married since 2006 - are also being sued by American Express, who has claimed they have an unpaid bill of nearly $90,000.

And in May they were ordered by the LA Superior Court to pay City National Bank over $200,000. Turns out that amount is only half of the loan they took out in 2012.

A source told Star that they are in such a bad financial hole that it looks like there may be 'no way out.'

The magazine also claimed that Tori is now asking mother Candy, who inherited Aaron's fortune, for a bail out again.
She's doing it for a good cause.

And Jessica Biel, 35, showed off her impressive muscles by sharing a photo of herself flexing in support of the USO on Monday.

She challenged Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who is already heavily involved in USO causes with his show Rock the Troops, to follow in her footsteps.

She works out! Jessica Biel, 35, showed off her impressive muscles by sharing a photo of herself flexing in support of the USO on Monday

The gorgeous actress, who has one son with partner Justin Timberlake, captioned the photo:

'Join me and @TheUSO as we honor and support our servicemen and women!'

She then challenged the Rock, saying: 'I hereby nominate @theRock to join in on the #gunshow.'

She finished off her post with the hashtag #Flex4Forces, which is a campaign that started a couple of days ago.

Will be accept? Jessica nominated Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson, who already supports the USO with his Rock the Troops tour, to participate in the challenge

It calls on American's to show their strength as a 'Force Behind the Forces' by striking a biceps flex in support of the nation's military.

The campaign is calling on people to share their photos on social media with the hashtag.

Interestingly enough, Jessica didn't nominate her husband, whom she recently paid tribute to on social media for Father's Day.

'To my beloved husband, my adventure companion, my road dog, who works tirelessly for THIS family and gives of himself energetically and spiritually every day, I am eternally grateful for you and your love.

Tribute: The actress recently shared a heartwarming tribute to husband Justin Timberlake

Still in love: Jessica and Justin have been together since January 2007 and welcomed son Silas in April 2015

'As Silas likes to say, "you are so much cool." I love you to the moon and back. Your adoring wife, Me.'

The couple started dating in January 2007 and got engaged in December 2011.

They finally tied the knot on October 19, 2012, in a dream wedding at the Borgo Egnazia resort in Fasano, Italy.

They welcomed their son Silas in April 2015.
She's been at the centre of split reports after recently being spotted without her wedding ring.

And Bambi Northwood Blyth displayed her very slender frame on a beach in Italy on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old revealed her trim pins and and lithe arms in a plunging white swimsuit as she posed alongside fellow model Tahnee Atkinson, 25, while 'on set' in Sicilia.

Slender physique: Bambi Northwood Blyth (R) displayed her very slender frame on a beach in Italy on Tuesday alongside fellow model Tahnee Atkinson (L)

'SWIM GOOD ... ITALIAN DAYS ON SET @tahnee711,' she captioned the sizzling snap.

The IMG beauty appeared makeup-free with her luscious locks swept up in a messy updo.

Former Australia's Next Top Model winner Tahnee showed off her taut torso in a vibrant bandeau top paired with black and white polka dot pants.

Trouble in paradise? A source close to Bambi revealed the model was left 'mortified' after her husband Dan's $250,000 Go Fund Me campaign

Bambi remains in Europe despite husband Dan Single recently returning to Sydney, three months after he fell from a hotel balcony in Paris.

On Sunday, a source told The Daily Telegraph that the pair are currently living apart as the future of their marriage remains unknown.

'Bambi was mortified Dan would ask his friends and the wider community for money, particularly given their somewhat ostentatious lifestyle over the past decade,' said the insider.

In April, Dan asked the public for $250,000 to: 'Help fund the hospital bill, rehab bill, early flights home, being unable to make bread and work over the next [few] months and all the incidentals the family is covering at the moment.'

Took a tumble"In March, Dan suffered an accidental fall from a third floor balcony in Paris and shattered bones in his feet, legs and pelvis

One month prior, Dan suffered shattered bones in his feet, legs and pelvis after an accidental fall from a third floor balcony at Hotel Grand DAmour.

After the accident, Dan created a Go Fund Me page to help cover his medical expenses although it was quickly taken down amid backlash.

The criticism reportedly caused friction in Dan's three-year marriage to Bambi.

Well off! 'Bambi was mortified Dan would ask his friends and the wider community for money - particularly given their somewhat ostentatious lifestyle over the past decade'

Extortionate: After the accident, Dan created a Go Fund Me page and asked the public for a whopping $250,000 to cover his medical expenses

All business: Earlier in June, sources reportedly revealed that Dan, 'snuck quietly back into Sydney a few weeks ago' while his wife has remained behind in Ibiza to model

These claims come just weeks after Dan secretly left Paris, where he had been recuperating since his fall in March.

Earlier in June, sources reportedly revealed that Dan, 'snuck quietly back into Sydney a few weeks ago' while his wife has remained behind in Ibiza to model.

A close friend reportedly told Confidential: 'Things haven't been great between them. The party lifestyle looks to have finally caught up.'

Going solo: Bambi and Dan have not been pictured together in months, with Bambi recently travelling to Ibiza with friends while celebrating her 26th birthday as her injured husband recovered in hospital

Slender frame: The star showed off her very slender frame as she frolicked on the beach with fellow model Megan Blake Irwin

Bambi and Dan have not been pictured together in months, with Bambi recently travelling to Ibiza with friends while celebrating her 26th birthday as her injured husband recovered in hospital.

Earlier this month, she was pictured frolicking on the beach with fellow model Megan Blake Irwin during a sunny outing.

In photos shared to her Instagram story, Bambi spent time at the beach sipping on a juice alongside Megan.

Travel buddies:The Ibiza trip came after the Australian model besties also spent time together in Paris

Jetsetter: It's just the latest luxury work location for Bambi this year, the model also spending time in New York, Miami, London, Budapest and the Amalfi Coast just to name a few

Megan took to Instagram on Monday to wish her best friend happy birthday, sharing a snap of the two by the beach and captioning the photo: 'HAPPPPPY BIRTHDAYYYY MY BABY GIRL!!!!'

A later video shows Bambi on a Ibiza nightclub stage next to the DJ booth, the beauty aptly captioning the energetic video 'Popping.'

The Ibiza trip came after the Australian model besties also spent time together in Paris.

Fun in the sun: Bambi was pictured relaxing in Ibiza as Dan recovered in Paris

It's just the latest luxury work location for Bambi this year, the model also spending time in New York, Miami, London, Budapest and the Amalfi Coast just to name a few.

Dan married Bambi in 2014 in a Byron Bay ceremony, with the model becoming a step mother to Dan's 10-year-old son Justice.

The pair have been together for nine years.
He split with ex-wife Marni Little in December 2015 due to 'irreconcilable differences'.

And on Monday, Dan Ewing and girlfriend Kat Risteska appeared to poke fun of Dry July days after Marni had revealed she was going to do it.

Marni voiced her disappointment in her ex on her blog, Terribly Unqualified, on Monday, writing: 'Not only had my blog been ridiculed by my ex-husband, but also my attempt to give up alcohol for July to better myself.'

'Who is this heinous beast?!! Dan Ewing's ex-wife Marni Little hits back at the actor's attempt to poke fun of her Dry July stint

Marni, who shares two-year-old son Archer with Dan, announced she was taking on the month without alcohol for charity via Instagram and her blog days prior.

Then the former Home And Away star, 32, took to Instagram from Croatia to post a selfie holding cans of alcohol with his new lover.

He wrote, in part: 'When in Croatia #dryjuly #maybenextyear.'

Dan also attempted some light comedy with his use of the double-negative hashtag: 'Kat Don't Drink None.'

'Don't get drunk and write stupid shit on the internet': Marni (pictured) singled out her ex-husband, claiming he was bullying her and ridiculing her blog online

Marni started her blog by talking about being bullied online, singling out her ex-husband Dan, who played River Boy hunk Heath Braxton on Home And Away: 'Today it was BY the Riverboy, from Europe, for no reason at all.'

'I was actually really surprised today to receive a message from a friend that not only had my blog been ridiculed by my ex-husband, but also my attempt to give up alcohol for July to better myself and raise money for charity WHHHAAATTTT? Who is this heinous beast?!! Charity? Gross. Better herself? How dare she,' she wrote in the lengthy post.

The mother-of-one ended the blog entry with a cutting remark: 'The best thing about Dry July, you guys? You don't get drunk and write stupid shit on the internet.'

Daily Mail Australia have reached out to Dan Ewing for comment.

The actor split with ex-wife Marni Little in December 2015 due to 'irreconcilable differences' and share two-year-old son Archer

Dan had previously admitted to blaming himself for their separation from Marni after four years of marriage.

Appearing on KIIS FM's Kyle & Jackie O Show, Dan said: 'I was a grumpy old fool and I was really hard to deal with.'

'I regret not appreciating what I had. I was so concentrated on what I was going to do next and my ego and just being a typical idiot.

'I well and truly didnt appreciate what I had,' Dan added while explaining the separation has been a 'positive' learning experience for him.

Loved up! In Decemeber 2016 he confirmed his romance with the Dance Academy actress via Instagram

In December 2016 Dan confirmed his romance with Dance Academy actress, Kat Risteska, via Instagram.

The couple are believed to be starring alongside each other in new sci-fi film Occupation, according to The Daily Telegraph.

This will be the couple's second time working together on the same project, earlier this year Kat, 25, got a role in Chasing Comets, which stars Dan opposite Summer Bay alumni Isabel Lucas.

She also had minor guest roles on Home And Away in 2016 as Zoe Gardner and as Daniella Hay in 2008.
Despite having as much as 50 percent of the online retail market, regulators so far have shown little interest in looking into any antitrust issues

US antitrust regulators have shown little sympathy thus far for the plight of brick-and-mortar retailers attempting to merge as a way to survive, as Amazon and e-commerce roils the world of shopping.

The Federal Trade Commission last year blocked Staples' attempt to buy rival Office Depot, rejecting the stationary chains' arguments that they were fighting for survival against a growing set of competitors, including Amazon.

The FTC also balked at Walgreens Boots Alliance' attempted $17.2 billion acquisition of rival Rite Aid, even after revisions. In the end, the companies on Thursday spiked the merger in favor of a pared-down transaction.

But regulators have shown little appetite for taking on Amazon as it has expanded from an online bookseller into a marketplace for everything from household cleaners to fancy electronics, as well as a purveyor of critically-acclaimed and hit movies and television series.

Some are calling for tougher action from President Donald Trump, who said during the presidential campaign that Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos has a "huge antitrust problem."

Last week, Trump issued a cryptic tweet that appeared to question whether Amazon was paying enough taxes. Trump has also taken issue with the Bezos-owned Washington Post, which has aggressively covered the White House.

Estimates vary sharply as to Amazon's exact share on e-commerce. Some reports have said Amazon's share of the online market is as high as 50 percent, but others put the figures much lower. Critics say Amazon should be required to disclose more detail about its sales.

- Dominant player online -

Barry Lynn a leading authority on competition policy, at the Washington-based New American Foundation think tank, has called for an antitrust investigation into Amazon's $13.7 billion Whole Foods takeover announced in June.

"They dominate retail online," Lynn said. "That's huge power across the part of the economy where all the future growth will be."

And longtime consumer advocate Ralph Nader said, "With every move of this Goliath, Amazon is inviting a thorough anti-trust investigation."

"This company is breaking records for destroying Main Street and hollowing out communities through such mechanisms as predatory pricing, and for many years in the past, avoiding state sales taxes."

Yet some experts are skeptical of an antitrust case against Amazon.

"It's not an antitrust violation just to be dominant. You have to perpetuate or attain your dominance through anticompetitive means," said Daniel Crane, a professor at the University of Michigan Law School specializing in antitrust.

"Under current US antitrust principals it's hard to see how anything Amazon is doing really is a violation of antitrust law. It's not obvious to me."

Regulators thus far have focused on antitrust in terms of competition between goods, but whether that focus should shift to competition between "ecosystems" like Amazon's is a "really important unanswered question so far," Crane said.

Private equity firm Sycamore Partners announced plans to buy office-supply chain Staples for $6.5 billion after US regulators blocked the merger with competitor Office Depot

Attorneys representing Staples and Office Depot said the plight of the companies resembled "penguins on a melting iceberg" as they faced the looming threat that "Amazon Business" poses as competitor in business-to-business office goods sales.

But US District Judge Emmet Sullivan sided with the FTC, ruling in May 2016 that there was not enough evidence that Amazon "is likely to restore lost competition in the business-to-business space in a timely and sufficient manner."

While Amazon enjoyed "several undisputed strengths," including brand recognition, cutting edge innovation and global reach, it has "several weaknesses" in entering the market, including that it has not made many bids in the market and had yet to win a primary vendor contract.

On Wednesday, Staples agreed to be bought by private equity firm Sycamore Partners for $6.9 billion.

- Whither Whole Foods deal? -

The FTC also set up roadblocks to the Walgreens-Rite Aid, resulting in numerous delays. The pharmacies had emphasized growing competition from supermarkets and discount chains like Wal-Mart, as well as the increased presence of mail-order drugs.

The FTC said Thursday it would review the revised transaction, under which Walgreens Boots will buy about half the Rite Aid stores (2,186) for $5.2 billion.

Analysts say US regulators are unlikely to block Amazon's proposed $13.7 billion purchase of Whole Foods

But Walgreens chief executive Stefano Pessina downplayed speculation Amazon will become a dominant player in pharmacies, suggesting some commentators are overreacting to its entree into brick-and-mortar retail with Whole Foods.

"I have found this reaction, as I said, emotional and with all due respect, not rational," Pessina said in a conference call with analysts Thursday.

"Because if you analyze this coldly, you will see that this is not the best opportunity for Amazon."

While the Whole Foods deal has amplified calls for tougher scrutiny, Pessina said it is just another example of how the market changes.

And analysts are skeptical the deal will be blocked.

"Whole Foods has less than a two percent share of grocery and Amazon is really a non-player in grocery, so there's really no case to answer," said Neil Saunders managing director of GlobalData Retail, a consultancy.
A new proposal from Michigans governor, Republican Rick Snyder, encourages the state to change graduation requirements to encourage more students to take career and technical education courses.

Last week, Snyder called on legislators to change requirements for the states public schools to require high schoolers to take a career readiness course and middle schoolers to take an exploratory career course. Snyder also recommended that schools use career-planning programs, improve career counseling, help students in career and technical education programs earn credentials, and hire more career and tech instructors.

In a statement, Snyder says, we call this effort the Michigan Career Pathways Alliance. We are bringing together economic developers, employers, and educators, as well as K-12 districts and higher education institutions with union leaders and businesses.

Its just one indication of interest in the state in creating more space for high schoolers to take career and technical education courses: Michigans House of Representatives has already voted to replace language and art requirements in the state with a 21st century skills requirement that could include art, computer science, coding, or career and technical education.

Such efforts have also raised concerns: Advocates for foreign languages, for instance, say they offer a way for students to learn about the world and were opposed to replacing the language requirement with career and technical education. And historically, there have also been concerns that nonwhite students and students from lower-income families are tracked  into career and technical education programs instead of being offered academic options.

9&10 News , a northern Michigan television-news program, interviewed a local superintendent, Tim Hall, who supported the measure: It became clear that the state and the nation still needs skill (sic) trades people; not every student is wanting to go to college, he told the station.

Snyder isnt the only politician looking to encourage young people to focus on their careers. In Chicago, Mayor Rahm Emanuel proposed requiring students to draft post-graduation plans before they receive diplomas. And President Donald Trump recently announced more funds for high school apprenticeship programs.

Related stories:
A file picture taken on January 18, 2017 shows Basel Ghattas in the unrecognised Bedouin village of Umm al-Hiran in the Negev desert

An Arab-Israeli former lawmaker entered prison Sunday to begin a two-year sentence after he pleaded guilty to smuggling mobile phones to Palestinian detainees, a prisons spokeswoman said.

Basel Ghattas of the Arab-dominated Joint List resigned his seat in the Israeli parliament as part of a plea bargain reached in March.

The 61-year-old admitted handing phones and SIM cards to Palestinian inmates.

Prosecutors dropped charges of terrorism and endangering state security, for which he could have faced up to 10 years in prison.

"I enter prison with my head held high and I will continue my battle for prisoners' rights," Ghattas said before entering Gilboa prison in northern Israel, in comments broadcast on army radio.

Israeli media have reported that 12 mobile phones were found on two prisoners in searches after Ghattas visited the high security Ketziot prison in December, using his parliamentary immunity to avoid being searched.

One of the prisoners is serving time for kidnapping and murdering an Israeli soldier in 1984, the Ynet news website said.

Ghattas has said his actions were motivated by "humanitarian and moral positions towards prisoners".

Lawmakers of the Joint List, the third largest bloc in parliament with 13 seats, frequently clash with Israeli authorities.

Ghattas's party, Balad, is especially critical of Israeli policies.

Its three lawmakers triggered outrage among Jewish Israelis last year by meeting relatives of Palestinians authorities say were killed while carrying out attacks.

Arab Israelis make up some 17.5 percent of the country's population and are descended from Palestinians who remained on their land after the creation of Israel in 1948.

They hold Israeli citizenship but most see themselves as Palestinians.
Iraqi's distribute food and sweets in Baghdad's Karrada district on July 2, 2017

Iraqis still reeling from a devastating suicide bombing that killed over 320 people in central Baghdad gathered Sunday at the site of the attack to mark its first anniversary.

The bombing -- the deadliest single such attack to hit the country since 2003 -- sparked raging fires in a shopping area early on July 3, 2016 as it teemed with people ahead of the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Much of the damage has been repaired, but a massive banner bearing images of the victims still hangs at the site, and the psychological wounds inflicted by the fear and loss are far from healed.

"I still feel as though the bombing happened yesterday. I was very close when the explosion occurred. We were not able to do anything because of the shock," said Laith Fadhel al-Hussein.

"When I come here, I feel a severe (pain) in my heart," said Hussein, a 42-year-old who lost four cousins and a nephew in the attack.

Food was prepared by relatives of some of the victims and distributed to the dozens of people gathered at the site of the bombing.

Sadiq Issa, 43, who was filling styrofoam boxes with rice, lost nine relatives in the attack.

"After hearing the news, my father had a stroke," while his mother lost all movement in her arms and legs, said Issa.

Even now, "we are not sleeping," he said, holding back tears.

"I am a survivor. I saw my nephews slaughtered" in the attack.

- Broken promises -

"This place means everything to me -- here, I lost my families and friends and neighbours and all my loved ones," he said.

While surrounding areas have been repaired, the "Laith Complex" building is still empty, with the banner with pictures of the victims hanging down the front.

Residents of the area said the building is in danger of collapsing and is not safe for restoration, so it may be demolished and rebuilt.

But the process of restoration and paying compensation to the victims and their families is questioned by some.

Firas, a 36-year-old who lost his brother in the attack, said the government has not followed through on its pledges to the victims.

"They took advantage of the feelings of the people and broke all their promises," he said.

Hisham Sabah, 33, also criticised the government's response.

"Imagine, God forbid, if this happened in another country -- the state would help the families of the martyrs," he said.

"This is the worst massacre since the fall of (Saddam Hussein's) regime," but authorities put those seeking compensation through "impossible procedures that make you hate the country."
Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt accuse Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Arab states, called for a "serious dialogue" to end the crisis following the de facto blockade of Qatar by its neighbours.

"Since many weeks, the brotherly countries and neighbours of the Arabian peninsula have been locked in a conflict that has fuelled concern," Gabriel said in a statement.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Gabriel called for a "serious dialogue between the parties" to resolve the crisis, adding that while Berlin was "not taking sides, the conflict... affects both us and our interests."

"This is true of the fight against the Islamic State but also for the stability of a region that has been particularly marked by crises, tensions and war."

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy producers and several key Western allies hosting US military facilities.

On June 22 the Arab states presented a list of demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply. The ultimatum is expected to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, though the deadline has not been officially confirmed.

Riyadh's demands include Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.
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Narendra Modi becomes the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel when he arrives on Tuesday, the result of growing ties that have led to billions of dollars in defence deals.

Israel, in constant search of allies to vote in its favour at UN bodies as well as business partners, has been portraying the visit as historic.

Israeli analysts have also noted Modi is not scheduled to travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leaders during his three-day stay, as is common for many foreign dignitaries.

Modi did however meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in New Delhi in May.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the visit, which marks 25 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, a "further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength."

"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," the Israeli leader said.

"India is a huge country with over 1.25 billion people and is one of the world's largest, growing economies. Ties between Israel and India are on a constant upswing."

Netanyahu said Monday that, in an unusual move and a sign of the importance Israel is placing on the trip, he would "accompany the prime minister at many events during his visit as befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world."

But while Israel, with a population of some eight million, has held the visit up as a diplomatic victory, both countries have practical reasons for the trip.

India is the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers.

Israeli media have reported that the two countries see an average of more than $1 billion in defence deals each year.

- Largest ever contract -

India has been investing tens of billions in updating its Soviet-era military hardware to counter long-standing tensions with regional rivals China and Pakistan.

It has signed several big-ticket defence deals since Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to power in 2014.

In April, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries said India would buy nearly $2 billion worth of weapons technology, making it the military exporting giant's largest ever defence contract.

The deal will see IAI provide India with an advanced defence system of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and communications technology

The two countries have also cooperated on issues such as water and agriculture technology.

Modi is to arrive at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Tuesday and will have dinner with Netanyahu that evening.

He will hold talks with Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday before meeting with members of Israel's Indian community.

Thursday's schedule includes a business lunch with CEOs from both countries.

- 'More than defence' -

"I think it's more than defence contracts," Efraim Inbar, a former head of Israel's Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies think-tank, told AFP.

"It is a common strategic agenda which includes a fear of Islamic radicalism, fears about Chinese assertiveness and in addition, of course, you cannot ignore the huge economic potential for both countries."

Inbar added: "But for us it's a huge market."

Israel's 50-year occupation of the West Bank and failure to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians have been major stumbling blocks in its efforts to boost relations with certain foreign countries.

India has traditionally voiced its support for Palestinian statehood, initially shunning diplomatic relations with Israel.

But the frost has thawed in recent years, with India seeking closer defence ties with Israel, particularly as New Delhi turns increasingly away from traditional ally Russia for its military hardware.

Hindu nationalist Modi makes the trip after his visit last week to Washington, where he and US President Donald Trump embraced each other as friends, vowing to work more closely on combatting terrorism, the war in Afghanistan and defence cooperation.

While ties with some US allies have been strained by Trump's complaints that Washington has been the loser in trade agreements, Modi appeared sensitive to his host's emphasis on transactional diplomacy.

Modi may find similar common ground with Netanyahu, Israel's longtime right-wing prime minister who hosted Trump in May.

India is currently the world's fastest growing major economy, a status that Modi is hoping to cement by drawing in more foreign investment.

He has sought to do that in part by encouraging manufacturers to do business in Asia's third-largest economy.

Israel's defence deals have included components that will be assembled in India.
The vote came as Abe has been buffeted by a series of scandals and falling support ratings

A chastened Japanese Prime Minister vowed Monday to win back public support after his party suffered a historic drubbing in local elections that media chalked up to growing arrogance and analysts said threatened his continued hold on power.

The Sunday polls, in which Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) lost more than half its seats in the Tokyo metropolitan assembly, were seen as a bellwether for national political sentiment and came as Abe is buffeted by a series of setbacks and scandals that have driven down his popularity.

A new political party set up by former TV anchorwoman Yuriko Koike, elected Tokyo governor in a landslide vote last year, was able to capitalise on this to seize 49 seats out of 127, becoming the leading group in the capital's assembly in Sunday's election.

"We have to take (the result) seriously as a severe criticism against our party the LDP," a humbled Abe told reporters Monday morning, after its seat count shrunk from 57 to just 23, a record low.

"I'm determined to reshape the party to work together and win back trust among the public through realising achievements," he said.

Abe was elected prime minister in late 2012 with a mandate to revitalise the world's third-largest economy.

But the 62-year-old is under fire over claims he showed favouritism to a friend in a business deal, which the prime minister has denied.

Those came a few months after he was forced to deny connections to the controversial director of a school that had purchased government land at a huge discount -- and counted Abe's wife as its honourary principal.

Other problems have included the perception his government has railroaded sensitive legislation through parliament and gaffes by members of his cabinet.

Just days before the election, Abe's controversial defence minister Tomomi Inada -- in the name of her ministry and the Self-Defence Forces, Japan's military -- called on Tokyo voters to support the LDP in the vote.

The comments drew widespread condemnation and the outcry forced Inada to retract the remark.

- Constitutional revision -

Koike, 64, a former member of parliament and defence minister, is widely seen as having ambitions to return to national politics and has been touted as a strong candidate to be Japan's first female prime minister.

After the election, her Tomin First party increased its assembly seats to 55 by admitting six further candidates who had run as independents.

And Komeito -- a moderate party backed by a Buddhist-linked group -- has long sided with Abe in national politics, but is cooperating with Koike's local party in Tokyo.

Its 23 seats, plus another belonging to a smaller party, give Koike and her allies effective control of 79 seats in the assembly, a comfortable majority.

"The defeat comes from the Abe administration's missteps, and (the Tokyo vote results) would encourage non-Abe factions inside the LDP to move towards seizing power," Sadafumi Kawato, professor of politics at the University of Tokyo, told AFP.

"This could threaten the existence of the Abe administration," Kawato added, noting he faces a party leadership vote in September next year, and must call an election for the powerful lower house of parliament by December 2018.

His plans to make the first-ever changes to Japan's post-war pacifist constitution by 2020 "may be delayed significantly without high public support for his government," Kawato said.

Leading national dailies blamed the administration for Sunday's rout, pointing to a lack of accountability amid the scandals and the forcing through of a parliamentary vote last month on a controversial anti-terror bill.

"The government would never win back public trust... unless it overhauls its arrogant nature", the conservative mass circulation Yomiuri daily said on its front page.

Despite Koike's surge and talk of her possibly transforming national politics, media pointed out that she herself faces significant challenges.

The liberal Asahi daily noted in an editorial that Koike has "few tangible achievements" so far and must steer the city through its hosting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, which have been plagued by scandals and cost overruns.
The Moken, a nomadic seafaring tribe who have perfected this freedive fishing technique over hundreds of years among the 800 islands that dot the Myeik archipelago and neighbouring southern Thailand.

With a swift breath the teenage boy dives into the turquoise waters of southern Myanmar, a spear clutched in his hand, but below him lies nothing but a graveyard of broken, grey coral.

He is one of the Moken, a nomadic seafaring tribe who have perfected this freedive fishing technique over hundreds of years among the 800 islands that dot the Myeik archipelago and neighbouring southern Thailand.

Until recently the sea provided Myanmar's Moken people with everything they needed: a base for boats they lived in, fish and seafood to eat and bounty such as pearls to trade with islanders for fuel and rice.

Until recently the sea provided them with everything they needed: a base for boats they lived in, fish and seafood to eat and bounty such as pearls to trade with islanders for fuel and rice.

But the waters have been devastated by the commercial fishing industry that has eaten away the area's once abundant marine life.

The destruction has been wrought by fishing boats, many believed to be from neighbouring Thailand, who use dynamite and trawlers to sweep the seabed.

The waters that have provided for Myanmar's Moken people for generations have been devastated by the commercial fishing industry, which has destroyed the marine life they rely on.

In a cruel chain reaction, some Moken youths have ended up working for the fishing fleets that are destroying the ecosystem that supported them through the generations.

"When we were young, a husband could easily support his family," Kar Shar, the Moken leader in Makyone Galet village, recalled as he smoked his pipe outside his stilted, corrugated-iron house.

"When we were young, a husband could easily support his family. Now the whole family has to work to survive, and sometimes even that is not enough," Kar Shar, the Moken leader in Makyone Galet village tells AFP.

"Now the whole family has to work to survive, and sometimes even that is not enough."

Many islanders, including local Karen and Burmese as well as the Moken -- known as Salon in Myanmar or "Sea Gypsies" in the West -- have been caught up in the trade.

Impoverished, stateless and with restricted working rights, some Moken began diving for fishing crews in the early 90s and continued after the former military government forced many to live on the islands.

Experts say the Moken's population in Myanmar has fallen from around 5,000 -- over 10,000 if you include other sea nomads the Moklen and Urak Lawoi -- to 2,000-3,000 today.

"There is a lot of dynamite fishing," said Jacques Ivanoff, an expert at France's CNRS and the Musee de l'Homme who has spent decades working with the Moken.

"Left alone... (they) have no other choice to make a living."

- Drugs an added scourge-

It's risky, illegal work. The fishermen travel to the deserted outer islands where they are less likely to be caught.

Impoverished, stateless and with restricted working rights, some Moken began diving for fishing crews in the early 90s and continued after the former military government forced many to live on the islands.

There the divers search for the best spot, before throwing in the dynamite and quickly reversing away.

Some breathe through thin plastic tubes hooked up to compressors, while others use no equipment. Many suffer decompression sickness, which can leave them crippled and unable to walk.

Others die as they swim up to the surface, or never surface at all -- a terrible price to pay for a business whose profits largely slip overseas.

Thiha Thway, a Moken fisherman, coming up to his boat after looking for fish to spear in waters in the Myeik Archipelago, off the coast of southern Myanmar.

"People say the boats are from Thailand," said 54-year-old Moken man Ko Matt.

For many the potential profits make the dangers worth it. Divers can earn more than $100 in a night, compared to an average wage of $3 a day on the islands.

Some Moken have turned to drugs to cope with the strain of the work.

Moken fishermen hunting for fish in waters in the Myeik Archipelago, off the coast of southern Myanmar.

Win Myat was a teenager when his uncle died, lost to the caffeine-laced methamphetamine pills known as 'yaba' that have flooded the area.

"He would spend all his money on drugs," the 20-year-old told AFP on Nyaung Wee island.

"In the end he was very weak and always became angry if he did not have the pills," he added, requesting his name be changed.

"He made a lot of trouble for our family. Then he died."

Myanmar's moken divers now risk their lives to help the fishing boats that are destroying the ecosystem that supported them through the generations.

Rights activist Khin Maung Htwe estimates around 40 percent of Moken men on the islands use narcotics, either yaba or heroin from Myanmar's drug-producing borderlands.

Most are young men, leaving the Moken women to marry the local ethnic Karen and Burmese and settle further into a more land-based culture.

"Now there are not as many Moken men as women left," said Tun Aung Soe, 20, whose mother is Moken and his father ethnic Burmese.

Experts say the Moken's population in Myanmar has fallen from around 5,000 -- over 10,000 if you include other sea nomads the Moklen and Urak Lawoi -- to 2,000-3,000 today.

Experts say the Moken's population in Myanmar has fallen from around 5,000 -- over 10,000 if you include other sea nomads the Moklen and Urak Lawoi -- to 2,000-3,000 today.

- 'Better on boats' -

The collapse of fish stocks has been a disaster for the Moken.

A Norwegian fisheries research vessel which surveyed the Myeik archipelago in 1980 and again in 2013 found rampant overfishing had led to a 90 percent fall in the biomass of open ocean species of fish.

A Norwegian fisheries research vessel which surveyed the Myeik archipelago in 1980 and again in 2013 found rampant overfishing had led to a 90 percent fall in the biomass of open ocean species of fish.

Robert Howard, marine programme advisor for environmental NGO Flora & Fauna International, said there are an estimated 8,000 smaller boats and many other large trawlers operating in the area.

Robert Howard, marine programme advisor for environmental NGO Flora & Fauna International, said there are an estimated 8,000 smaller boats and many other large trawlers operating in the area.

"If that keeps going the fishery will eventually collapse," he warned.

Many of the Moken say fishing is no longer enough to sustain them.

Today less than half of those living on the Myeik archipelago lead the seafaring life of their ancestors, and that number is declining.

No one has made a kabang, the traditional wooden boat in which people used to spend most of their lives, for a decade.

Kar Shar, the Moken leader in Makyone Galet village, longs for those days again.

"When we lived on the boats we could move to other places if the current place was not good, but now we cannot," he said.

"Life was better on the boats."
An Indonesian member of a search and rescue team holds parts of the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed in Temanggung on July 2, 2017

Eight people were killed after an Indonesian search and rescue helicopter crashed, a senior official said Monday, the latest aviation accident in the country.

The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency's helicopter was carrying four rescuers and four Navy crew when it crashed into a cliff in Temanggung in central Java on Sunday.

All eight bodies have been recovered from the crash site and identified, the head of the agency, Muhammad Syaugi, told AFP.

The chopper was on a mission to oversee the situation in Central Java, where a volcanic crater erupted at the Dieng Plateau on Sunday afternoon.

About five people were lightly injured when the Sileri crater spewed cold lava, ash and mud as high as 50 metres (164 feet) into the sky, with officials quick to deploy officers to clear the popular tourist area.

Syaugi said his agency and the national transportation safety committee will investigate the cause of the crash.

Indonesia has experienced several air disasters in the past few months and has a poor aviation track record.

In December, a military helicopter crashed in a remote area in Indonesia's Borneo killing three people.
The White House says the United States and Japan are united in their efforts to clamp down on North Korea

The United States and Japan are united in their efforts to clamp down on North Korea's "growing threat," as the regime ramps up its nuclear drive and other belligerent efforts, the White House said Sunday.

During a phone call, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend (against) and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea", the White House said in a statement.

It added that the pair expressed "unity with respect to increasing pressure on the regime to change its dangerous path."

During a separate phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said it was Trump who "raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

But the White House made no mention of possible discussions between Trump and Xi over disputed islands in the South China Sea, even though the call took place just hours after a US warship sailed near an island in the waterway.

Beijing termed the incident a "serious political and military provocation."

The destroyer, the USS Stethem, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP.

On the call, Trump also "reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners," the White House said, a reference to the US administration's aggressive stance on trade matters, especially as concerns China.

- Pinning hopes on China -

The Trump administration has been growing increasingly exasperated with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, which has staged a barrage of missile tests in recent months.

Trump had been pinning his hopes on China -- North Korea's main diplomatic ally -- to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang, but declared last week that their efforts had failed.

He has presented sanctions as the best way to proceed with the hermit state, opting for that approach over dialogue with the regime.

During talks with South Korean leader Moon Jae-In -- who has pushed for a policy of engagement with Pyongyang -- on Friday, Trump called for a "determined response" to the North. But the pair failed to map out a joint strategy on how to handle North Korean threats.

"The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed, many years it has failed. Frankly, that patience is over," Trump said.

There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma earlier this month. He died several days later.
A man looks at his phone on the corniche in the Qatari capital Doha on July 2, 2017

Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected" and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as "an affront to international law".

"They are reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of 'bully' states that have historically resulted in war," said the lawyers.

In the evening, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir expressed hopes for a "positive response to be able to resolve the crisis".

Qatar's reply would be "examined with precision", Jubeir told a news conference with German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

The UN Security Council has told Qatar to sort out its differences with its Gulf neighbours, China's UN ambassador Liu Jieyi said in New York Monday, indicating that the top UN body has no plans to get involved in the dispute.

- 'Disunity could weaken' parties -

Saudi allies blockade on Qatar

Gabriel, who will also visit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, on called for "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said the German minister.

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAE's ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as taking steps to expel Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

- Trump calls leaders -

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis.

A handout picture released by the Emiri Diwan in Kuwait on July 3, 2017, shows Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khaled al-Sabah (R) receiving Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammad Bin Abdulrahman al-Thani at Kuwait International Airport

Kuwait, which along with fellow GCC member Oman has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabi's crown prince and the Qatari emir about his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.

The US president "underscored that unity in the region is critical" but also "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology," a statement said.

Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is expected to visit Paris "before the end of the summer" for talks on the Gulf crisis with President Emmanuel Macron, the French presidency said Monday.

The two leaders spoke by phone and Macron said hhe would bring up the issue on the margins of this week's G20 summit and with Trump when he visits Paris on July 13-14.

Meanwhile Germany announced that Saudi King Salman had cancelled plans to attend the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg.

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Indian administered Kashmir has seen a spike in violence since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in late May, with 56 people killed in almost daily clashes

Two suspected rebels were killed and a civilian was critically wounded in a shootout with government forces in Indian Kashmir on Monday, police said, as tensions in the disputed territory ran high.

A police officer was also critically wounded in a separate incident in the Indian-administered part of the disputed Himalayan region, which has seen a spike in violence in recent months.

The two militants died in a firefight with soldiers and special police counterinsurgency forces who had cordoned off a neighbourhood in the south of the region early Monday.

Hundreds of villagers poured out onto the streets to try to help the trapped rebels escape, many throwing stones and shouting slogans against Indian rule.

One was injured when government forces fired into the crowd.

"Two militants were killed in the encounter. According to our input one more is still fighting," director general of police S. P. Vaid told AFP.

Another police officer speaking on condition of anonymity said all three fighters were locals.

In a separate incident further south in Anantnag town militants fired at a police party in the local bus stand and critically wounded an officer, Vaid said.

"We are evacuating him from the area," inspector general of police Muneer Ahmed Khan told AFP.

Kashmir has seen a spike in violence since the start of the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan in late May, with 56 people killed in almost daily clashes.

Last week stone-throwing protesters clashed with government forces in the main city of Srinagar.

Less than two weeks ago, a senior police officer was beaten to death by a crowd outside one Srinagar mosque.

Kashmir has been divided between rivals India and Pakistan since the end of British colonial rule in 1947 but both claim it in full.

Rebel groups have for decades fought roughly 500,000 Indian soldiers deployed in the territory, demanding independence or a merger of the region with Pakistan.

The conflict has left tens of thousands dead since 1989, mostly civilians

Tensions are expected to escalate further ahead of the first anniversary on Saturday of the popular rebel leader Burhan Wani who was killed by security forces.

Officials say dozens of local youths have joined the rebel ranks since his death, and armed encounters have become more frequent.

The killing provoked a huge outpouring of public anger in Indian administered Kashmir that has drawn a growing number of civilians into the conflict, with entire communities coming out to help the rebels and attack government forces.
Eric Tucker has a doctorate in measurement from Oxford and spent most of a decade building a 450 school urban debate league. He designed schools for leading networks and built programs for the Federal Reserve.

Erin Mote is a technologist skilled in user-centered, agile design. She led projects for USAID (like getting Haiti back online after the 2010 earthquake), Department of State, FCC and the White House.

Tucker and Mote co-founded Brooklyn Laboratory Charter School (LAB) which prepares students with the academic foundation, digital literacy and leadership skills necessary to excel in college and professional life as they grow as ethical leaders.

Listen as this dynamic duo share more about building a durable yet flexible future-ready school and creating a new learning platform, all while parenting a toddler.

Podcast Highlights

LAB combines high dose tutoring--at least two hours of an extended day--with personalized and enriched learning (e.g., Robotics, Digital Media, Coding, Debate, Visual Arts).

Launched with 132 sixth graders in 2014, LAB finished the 2016-17 year with two middle schools in downtown Brooklyn and will open a high school in the fall.

Almost 40 percent of Brooklyn LAB middle school students have complex needs. A combination of classroom instruction, digital playlists and small group tutoring reflect individual student interests and needs.

The schools are built on the idea that the jobs students will one day hold likely dont exist yet, but mastering skills such as problem-solving and conflict resolution will ensure students are ready to tackle those challenges, regardless of their career path.

The innovative high school was designed with a Next Generation Learning Challenges grant (and is a great example of a network focused on the NGLC MyWays outcome framework) and was one of 10 schools to win a $10 million XQ grant .

Video courtesy of USAToday.com

Getting The Design Right

Eric directs Brooklyn LAB and Erin leads platform partner, InnovateEDU . They set out to build a public institution that would last but that was also nimble enough to change quickly.

Their two-part impact strategy is a managed network of schools with proof-point performance--schools that demonstrate what is possible working with high challenge, complex need student populations. And second, a platform network--hundreds of schools innovating and learning from each other on a personalized learning platform.

The LAB model embraces adolescent voice and acknowledges that learning happens in context and is ultimately preparation for the future. There is a lot of uncertainty about what the world will demand of our [young students] thirty and forty years from now, Tucker said. Because we are unclear of which skills are needed and which experiences are valuable, and how students need to play a role in generating opportunities to learn, its critical to think both about what curriculum, assessment and instructional moves matter from adults, but ultimately also about how students can make sense of opportunities to learn.

Borrowing lessons from software development, the LAB high school was designed through a user-centered, agile process informed by students, parents and stakeholders.

In the first phase, a transformation team captured user stories to define the Why (values, purpose, principles) and How (behavior, language, roles, tasks).

In phase two, the design is enacted through pilots and testing. Lots of conversations help recognize whats what working and whats not.

Phase three is an ongoing operation with distributed leadership and a focus on failing fast and short cycle innovation. Its important to remain open to feedback to keep the design dynamic.

Platform Lessons

When planning the first LAB middle school, Erin reviewed existing learning platforms and wasnt satisfied with what she found. Despite advice to the contrary (from people like me) Erin decided to build a learning platform.

Cortex is an integrated student information system and learning management system that supports personalized learning progressions. It supports and tracks mastery development against state standards.

The beta version of Cortex had what Erin thought was a beautiful workflow management system. But teachers hated it. Iterative cycles with frequent user feedback was key to developing a platform that provides teachers more time to facilitate relationships.

Cortex is an Ed-Fi operational data store that gathers information around students learning experiences. The instructional layer allows teachers to deploy plans and playlists based on learner profiles. Cortex gathers real-time assessment data to facilitate personalized learning. (see case study ).

Aligning A School Model And Platform

Only a handful of school networks have had the opportunity (or been brave and skilled enough) to develop a learning platform fully aligned with a learning model.

They way we built Cortex supports other personalized learning models, said Mote. The team has tried to identify 75 percent consistency between personalized models while supporting the 25 percent experimental variables. Her team is shipping version 4.0 this month (July) with the goals of adding rocket fuel to innovative designs.

Brooklyn LAB committed to Cortex because we want to move to a learning-based system, said Tucker.

Unlike Summit Learning, this is not a replication effort. Theres going to be a lot of potential solutions, and we look forward to sharing work with other schools, said Tucker. He hopes that Cortex users will solve problems and share solutions across the network.

Mote said the LAB and Cortex teams have a shared vision of shifting the locus of control and allowing students to manage their own learning

Intellectual work is really important, said Mote. Cortex supports teacher teams designing challenging intellectual experiences by sharing, mixing and curating.

After 65 end-of-year events in June, the LAB leadership team focuses on building adult capacity for September. There are a set of evergreen goals around what the team wants to accomplish. Then there are a set of big rocks we need to tackle together, said Tucker. Moving big rocks is team sport. Tucker limits the vectors of innovations to retain role and goal clarity.

Cortex powers new schools in the Achievement First network and has a statewide relationship in Rhode Island. Erin is excited about the growth in San Antonio and powering Alabamas first charter school. We design for widest use but are informed by Brooklyn LAB, said Mote.

Interoperability is key to leveraging a diverse network. Erin is leading a Dell Foundation sponsored initiative, Project Unicorn , to promote better access to and interoperability between different sources of student achievement data.

Working In Networks

Networks make us smarter, said Mote. Like Yelp, the number of users [on a learning platform] matters.

Mote would like to join like-minded schools together and build learning ecosystems of induction, creation and collaboration.

School leaders are asking themselves how to prepare young people for an uncertain future, said Tucker. Students need to code, tinker, hack and make.

With lots of schools on the platform, Cortex may become a bit less nimble, but it will become part of a broader connected conversation. Erin is encouraging users to make content available across the platform so that anyone in the Cortex community can pull down a course.

We have an opportunity to have a community join together to make the charging stations that power learning--schools, youth-serving institutions, tech startups--all working together to create a credible pathway to postsecondary success.
The Maldives' opposition coalition, led by exiled former president Mohamed Nasheed, is trying to undermine President Abdulla Yameen before elections next year.

Maldives opposition parties on Monday launched a new bid to seize control of parliament through a third attempt to impeach the speaker.

An opposition coalition said it had submitted a no-confidence motion with the support of 45 MPs -- enough to force a vote in the 85-member majlis, or parliament.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic party (MDP) said the coalition now has a majority in the chamber.

"Forty five signatures means we, the opposition coalition, now command parliament majority," MDP legislator Eva Abdulla said.

A previous attempt to impeach Speaker Abdulla Masheeh in April failed when the number of signatures required for a no-trust motion against the speaker was raised to 50 percent of the house, up from one third.

The first attempt to impeach Masheeh in March ended in chaos when President Abdulla Yameen ordered troops to eject some lawmakers from parliament. That prompted the United States to urge the Maldives to restore faith in democracy.

The opposition coalition, led by exiled former Maldives president Mohamed Nasheed, is trying to undermine Yameen before elections next year.

The opposition faces an uphill struggle, with all their key leaders out of the country or in jail after a years-long crackdown on dissent under Yameen's leadership.

The clampdown has raised fears over stability and dented the Maldives' image as a tourist paradise

Nasheed has said that controlling the legislature is crucial to ensuring a free and fair presidential election in 2018.

Nasheed became the country's first democratically-elected president in 2008, but was narrowly defeated by Yameen in a controversial 2013 election run-off.

In 2015, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison on terrorism charges that were widely seen as politically motivated. He now lives in exile in Britain.
The Philippine military has struggled to expel scores of gunmen who rampaged across Marawi city on May 23 flying the black flag of the Islamic State group, despite day and night artillery and air strikes that have reduced swathes of the downtown area to rubble.

Islamist gunmen led by one of the world's most wanted terrorists still hold about 1,500 buildings in a southern Philippine city after weeks of ferocious fighting that has left hundreds dead, officials said Monday.

The Philippine military has struggled to expel scores of gunmen who rampaged across Marawi city on May 23 flying the black flag of the Islamic State group, despite day and night artillery and air strikes that have reduced swathes of the downtown area to rubble.

President Rodrigo Duterte last month vowed to "crush" the militants, but several deadlines have already been missed to end a conflict that has left scores dead and forced some 400,000 people from their homes.

The gunmen are led by Isnilon Hapilon, one of the world's most wanted men, who is believed to be still alive and holed up in a mosque, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference in Manila.

In the most detailed assessment yet, he conceded there was no saying when soldiers would be able to retake all 1,500 houses and buildings still held or booby-trapped by the militants.

"Since it is urban fighting a lot of our troops there are not prepared. One can say they are learning as they fight in this built-up area," he said, adding that soldiers are battling street-to-street retaking up to a hundred buildings a day.

The military in Marawi suggested a slower rate, with soldiers recapturing 40 buildings on Saturday and 57 on Sunday.

"The clearing operation is difficult because of the presence of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), booby traps left behind by the terrorists," said the military spokesman for the campaign, Lieutenant-Colonel Jo-ar Herrera.

Eighty-two soldiers and police and 39 civilians have died in the weeks-long conflict, he said.

Around a hundred militants are still entrenched in the city and the army has said they have used a water route to bring in ammunition and evacuate wounded fighters, helping them withstand the military offensive for weeks. Some 300 gunmen are thought to have been killed so far.

Lorenzana said military commanders wanted a swift end to the operation, "but the enemy is also very wily and resourceful".

Duterte imposed martial law over the southern Philippines soon after the fighting started, saying he needed strong powers to snuff out an IS plot to carve out territory after battlefield losses in Iraq and Syria.

A botched government attempt to arrest Hapilon at a Marawi hideout touched off the fighting in May.

He is supported by Marawi-based gunmen led by the Maute brothers, whose group has pledged allegiance to IS, as well as several foreign fighters, Lorenzana said.
Nigerian President Mohammadu Buhari (L) sits beside his wife Aisha, as he signs after swearing to an oath during his inauguration in Abuja, Nigeria on May 29, 2015

The wife of ailing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has left the country to visit him in London after first attending an African Union event, her office said.

Aisha Buhari's office said late on Sunday that she was first heading to the AU summit in Addis Ababa for a "symbolic appearance" at a leaders' wives meeting.

She will then head to Britain on Tuesday, a statement said, adding: ""She will convey to the president the best wishes of Nigerians and their fervent prayers for his quick recovery."

Aisha Buhari first visited her 74-year-old husband in London on May 30 and returned to Nigeria on June 6, saying he was recovering fast.

The head of state of Africa's most populous nation has spent most of this year in London receiving treatment for an unspecified medical condition.

In January and February, he spent almost two months in Britain and on his return in early March said he had never been as ill.

He left for the British capital again on May 7 for a second round of medical treatment. No date was given for his return.

The presidency has repeatedly rejected rumours that Buhari is terminally ill or even dead but has refused to disclose his illness or what treatment he is having.

Last week, opposition Ekiti state governor Ayodele Fayose advised Buhari to resign but his supporters rejected the suggestion.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has been acting on his behalf in accordance with the constitution.

Buhari's absence has brought forward behind-the-scenes jostling for position for the 2019 presidential election at which the ailing leader is unlikely to stand.

In 2010, Nigeria was plunged into months of political turmoil after president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua died in office following months of treatment abroad.
People walk on the corniche of the Qatari capital Doha

Qatar on Monday handed its official response to a list of demands by Saudi Arabia and its allies to the emir of Kuwait, a Gulf official told AFP.

The response was delivered by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani who made a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator to resolve the diplomatic rift, the Gulf official said, requesting anonymity.

The official KUNA news agency reported that Sheikh Mohammed arrived in Kuwait earlier in the day to deliver a message from Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani.

No details were provided about the Qatari response but the foreign minister said on Saturday that the demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt "were made to be rejected."

The Qatari response was delivered hours after the four nations accepted a call by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to extend the 10-day deadline for another 48 hours.

The demands include Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.
Nyirangongo, lying just 20 kilometres north of Goma, is an active volcano with a lethal history

More than a thousand people took part Monday in an evacuation exercise triggered by a simulated volcanic eruption endangering Goma, a major city in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

At 7:30 am (5:30 GMT), sirens wailed in four northern parts of the city, which lies on the Rwanda border in the path of lava flow from the Nyirangongo Volcano, 20 kilometres (12 miles) to the north.

Previous eruptions have claimed hundreds of lives.

Residents of districts at risk in the capital of North Kivu province were asked to leave their homes and gather three kilometres to the south in the Afia stadium, where white tents were ready for them.

For almost three hours, groups of about 10 to 20 people headed for the stadium in two columns, with possessions ranging from motorbikes to mattresses, kitchenware and prized furniture. They helped children and had domestic animals in tow.

"We're conducting an exercise to simulate a volcanic eruption in order to show the 500 families who live on the potential paths of lava flow how to behave in the event of major volcanic activity," the head of North Kivu's civil protection service, Joseph Makundi, told AFP.

At the end of the exercise, participants would be advised on practical measures such as how to keep order and avoid slowing others down, as well as the most practical items to take on leaving home, Makundi added.

"The population is expected to follow the advice of experts at the OVG (Goma Volcanologic Observatory), because they monitor the daily activity of the volcanos" in the Virunga mountain chain, North Kivu deputy governor Feler Lutaichirwa said.

More than 100 people died in the last eruption of 3,000-metre (10,000-feet) Nyirangongo in 2002. Lava reached Goma in less than an hour and flowed over much of the east of the city, including half of the runway at the airport.

The deadliest recorded eruption was in 1977, when more than 600 people lost their lives.
Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir will visit Moscow for the first time in August following an invitation from his Russian counterpart to discuss regional and international issues

Sudan's President Omar al-Bashir will visit Moscow for the first time in August following an invitation from his Russian counterpart to discuss regional and international issues, the foreign minister said Monday.

The announcement of Bashir's Russia visit comes days before the United States is expected to announce if it will permanently lift a 20-year trade embargo on Khartoum.

"President Bashir will visit Russia in the second half of August following an invitation from President Vladimir Putin," Sudan's Foreign Minister Ibrahim Ghandour said in a statement.

The visit aims to enhance bilateral relations in the areas of economy, commerce and politics, he said.

"Russia has been a key supporter of Sudan in the UN Security Council and other international organisations, and there has been continuous cooperation between the two countries at all levels," Ghandour said.

Analysts said this was the first time that an overseas trip planned by Bashir had been announced weeks in advance.

"It looks like Sudan wants to send a message to the United States that we have other alternatives if it does not lift the sanctions," Khalid Tigani, editor of Elaff newspaper, told AFP.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is due to decide on July 12 whether to permanently lift the sanctions that Washington imposed on Khartoum in 1997 for its alleged support for Islamist militant groups.

Former US president Barack Obama eased the sanctions in January, but made their permanent lifting dependent on Khartoum making progress in five areas during a six-month review period that ends next week.

These conditions include improved access for aid groups, halting support for rebels in neighbouring South Sudan, an end to hostilities in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, and counterterrorism cooperation with US intelligence agencies.

The top US envoy to Sudan, charge d'affaires Steven Koutsis, told AFP last month that Khartoum has made "positive" steps towards meeting these conditions.

Bashir's international visits are always a concern given that he is wanted by The Hague-based International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide related to the conflict in Darfur. Bashir denies these charges.

Russia in 2000 signed the Rome Statute setting up the ICC, the world's first permanent war crimes court, but never ratified the treaty, and in November it formally withdrew its signature from the founding statute.
More than 200 people were killed and scores injured in an inferno that erupted after an oil tanker overturned in central Pakistan last month

The death toll from an oil tanker explosion in central Pakistan last month has risen to at least 205 people, government officials said Monday, as more victims succumbed to their injuries.

The tanker overturned on a main highway from Karachi to Lahore while carrying some 40,000 litres of fuel on June 25.

It exploded minutes later as crowds from a nearby village gathered to scavenge for fuel, despite warnings by the driver as well as motorway police to stay away.

"The death toll from the tanker fire incident is now 205 after the expiry of more injured people," senior local administration Rao Tasleem in Bahawalpur, the nearest city, told AFP.

A doctor at Bahawalpur's Victoria Hospital, Asim Bukhari, put the toll at 206 after a new death later on Monday, though that was unconfirmed by government authorities.

Motorway police spokesman Imran Shah has said that a government inquiry into the incident had found at least five police officials guilty of hiding information.

The tragedy marked a grim start to Eid, the celebrations closing the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Pakistan has a poor record of fatal traffic accidents due to poor roads, badly maintained vehicles and reckless driving.
A disputed election in Kenya in 2007 led to the deaths of more than1,100 people

The EU warned Monday of possible violence in Kenya's elections as it deployed observers ahead of the August 8 poll pitting President Uhuru Kenyatta against his longtime rival Raila Odinga.

The European Union said the threat of poll clashes which pushed Kenya to the brink 10 years ago, could not be dismissed.

"It is no secret that there are concerns about the possible outbreak of violence. This is not inevitable," said Marietje Schaake, head of the EU Election Observation Mission, as she promised "an honest and impartial assessment" of the coming vote.

With violence "everybody loses," said the Dutch member of the European Parliament.

Kenyans will next month choose a new president as well as parliamentarians and senators, county governors and assembly members.

The vote comes a decade after a disputed election in 2007 led to the deaths of over 1,100 people, while more than 600,000 more were displaced.

The last election, in 2013, was mostly peaceful and this year's poll will be a re-run of that competition between the incumbent Kenyatta and Odinga, who has missed out in three previous attempts at the presidency.

Odinga has repeatedly claimed the government is scheming to steal the election, cheating him of victory.

In a statement Monday his Orange Democratic Party (ODM) urged observers, including the EU, to take note of what it said were "deliberate" efforts to tamper with the voter register.

Audit firm KPMG said in a report last month that there may be as many as one million dead people still on the list of 19.6 million voters.

The initial 30-strong EU team is among a host of international and national observers being deployed across Kenya ahead of the vote.

Also on Monday advocacy group Human Rights Watch said it had received reports of threats and voter intimidation in Naivasha, a flashpoint town in 2007 and one of the potential hotspots in this year's election.

"All Kenyans should be able to take part in free and fair elections ... without fear of violence," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at HRW, calling on authorities to investigate the allegations.
A general view taken on July 2, 2017 shows the corniche of the Qatari capital Doha

Nearly a month since Qatar was isolated by its Gulf neighbours, residents of the emirate have learned to adapt to the daily realities of living with the embargo.

They buy vegetables and milk that come from Iran and Turkey, complain about price increases for staples while those travelling abroad face longer-than-usual flights as most neighbouring countries have closed their airspace to Qatar Airways.

"The government has found alternatives and there is no problem (of shortages)... despite a slight price increase we can cope," says Mohammed al-Chib, shopping at a Doha supermarket.

But he admits he and his family have had to make cutbacks.

"We've learned a lesson and we consume less."

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt cut diplomatic ties with Qatar and moved swiftly to isolate Doha, accusing Doha of supporting extremism.

Riyadh and its supporters severed air and sea links with Qatar -- which denied the allegations against it -- and closed its only land border, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

- Shelves full, prices up -

In the shock of the first days of the crisis, there was panic-buying and a very real fear of food shortages.

These were disproved and Qatar has far proved more than able to cope with the crisis, the worst to hit the region in decades.

Supermarket shelves are full again and no one is going hungry just yet.

"The shops are well-supplied but prices have increased a bit," says Maya, a Lebanese expat shopping in Doha

Perhaps that is not surprising.

This file photo taken on February 6, 2017 shows the Ras Laffan Industrial City, Qatar's principal site for production of liquefied natural gas and gas-to-liquid

Qatar is after all one of the world's wealthiest countries, transformed in recent years thanks to its much sought after energy riches, especially gas.

Doha's defiance -- and its ability to adapt -- has no doubt annoyed some of its rivals.

Though it may be largely a diplomatic crisis, some impacts are filtering their way through to life on the ground.

Some residents have grumbled about shortages, not only of their favourite foods, but also less predictable items such as replacement car windscreens.

Prices are definitely a problem.

"The market is well-supplied but prices have increased a bit," added Maya.

One Indian resident who runs a small stall, said: "After the border closures, prices have jumped especially for rocket, parsley and chives."

Migrant labourers have told of their fears about food price increases and how it will affect how much money they can send home.

- A 'nightmare' -

Although it can seem like a distant crisis, the embargo does weigh on the daily lives of the country's 2.7 million, almost 90 per cent of them foreigners.

"The blockade is a nightmare and we hope there will be a quick end," added Maya.

This file photo taken on June 12, 2017 shows a Qatar Airways plane landing at the Hamad International Airport in Doha

ne very real consequence, especially during the summer, has been the impact on those trying to fly out of the country for holidays.

With the abolition of some routes by the Gulf countries, travelling has become a headache.

One Jordanian national complained he had "spent six hours in transit" at Muscat airport for a flight from Amman to Doha, via Oman, because of the flight restrictions imposed by the embargo.

And there has also been the human cost.

The decision of other Gulf countries to force home Qataris living on their territory and recalling their own nationals from Qatar has had a real impact.

More than 13,300 people were "directly affected", says the Qatari National Human Rights Committee.

In one reported case, a Qatari woman was forced to leave the United Arab Emirates where she lived with her husband and child.

When she arrived at the airport with her baby, she was told that he could not fly with her because he is an Emirati national.

And then there is the case of Zayed al-Marri.

Human Rights Watch says he has been blocked on the Saudi side of the land border it shares with Qatar since June 17, where temperatures reach daily 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit).

Saudi Arabia claims he is a Qatari, but Doha insists Marri was stripped of his citizenship in the 1990s.

HRW has urged Qatar to let him in to the country.
South African President Jacob Zuma is under fire over corruption allegations

A South African opposition party on Monday asked police to investigate allegations that taxpayers' money paid for the lavish wedding of a family with close ties to President Jacob Zuma.

Citing leaked emails, local media alleged last week that $3.3-million meant to help poor farmers was instead moved through companies owned by the Guptas and used to settle bills for the 2013 wedding.

The four-day event marked the marriage of a niece of one of the Gupta brothers. The wealthy Indian business family is at the centre of a slew of graft scandals surrounding Zuma.

The brothers, who have taken South African citizenship, are accused of wielding undue influence over the president and being unfairly awarded lucrative government contracts.

The Democratic Alliance party has asked police to probe the wedding costs.

"The fact that public funds, meant to assist the poor, were allegedly used to pay for President Jacob Zuma's number one clients, the Guptas', family wedding is grotesque," said DA lawmaker David Maynier.

It "must be investigated without fear or favour," he added.

There was no immediate confirmation from police that the matter would be investigated.

The wedding, attended by several government ministers, was held at Sun City, a luxury casino resort 200 kilometres (125 miles) northwest of Johannesburg.

The Guptas' influence over the government was highlighted when a large private jet carrying foreign guests to the event was allowed to land at Waterkloof Air Force base, outside Pretoria.

The airport is a military facility normally used to receive heads of state.

Guests did not go through normal immigration checks, and were given a police escort to the wedding venue.

President Zuma and the Guptas have previously denied wrongdoing.
Judge Blocks Law Against High-Capacity Gun Magazines in California

A federal judge has stopped a voter-approved law that would have forced gun owners to surrender magazines that hold more than 10 bullets.

Californians voted Prop. 63 into law last year, outlawing the high-capacity magazines, requiring background checks of people who buy ammunition and imposing other gun restrictions. Judge Roger Benitez said the bullet ban went too far.

"The State of California's desire to criminalize simple possession of a firearm magazine able to hold more than 10 rounds is precisely the type of policy choice that the Constitution takes off the table," he said in granting a preliminary injunction against the law.

Preliminary Injunction

Benitez granted the injunction at the request of the California Rifle & Pistol Association, which has sued to have the law declared unconstitutional. The judge issued the injunction to maintain the status quo so that gun owners don't lose their property while waiting for a trial on the merits.

Prop. 63 says that gun owners must get rid of their high-capacity magazines by destroying them, handing them over to law enforcement, moving them out of state, or selling them to a licensed dealer.

The judge said the law takes away people's Second Amendment rights and their property without compensation. The law imposed fines and jail up to one year.

"Hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of otherwise law-abiding citizens will have an untenable choice: become an outlaw or dispossess one's self of lawfully acquired property," he wrote.

Battle's Not Over

California has prohibited buying or selling high-capacity magazines since 2000, but it had grandfathered in any purchases before that time. As a practical matter, gun owners could still buy the magazines in other states.

The injunction against Prop. 63 is temporary until the case is decided at trial. However, California Attorney General Xavier Becerra said he will fight the court's decision.

"Proposition 63 was overwhelmingly approved by voters to increase public safety and enhance security in a sensible and constitutional way," he said. "I will defend the will of California voters because we cannot continue to lose innocent lives due to gun violence."

Becerra said other courts have rejected the Second Amendment challenge to similar laws, allowing at least seven other states and 11 local governments to restrict the possession or sale of large-capacity magazines.

For the latest news from California courts, subscribe to FindLaw's California Cases Newsletter.

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Smoke rises following a reported air strike on a rebel-held area in the southern Syrian city of Daraa, on June 22, 2017

The Syrian army on Monday unilaterally announced a halt to fighting in the country's south that would coincide with a new round of peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The army statement, carried on state news agency SANA, said hostilities would stop in the southern provinces of Daraa, Quneitra, and Sweida.

"In order to support the peace process and national reconciliation, a cessation of hostilities took hold at 12:00 pm (midday) on July 2 and will last until midnight on July 6," the statement said.

The freeze was not expected to include fighting against the Islamic State group.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which has a wide network of sources on the ground, confirmed to AFP that fighting "almost completely stopped" across the mentioned territory.

The army did not specifically refer to the Astana talks, which open on Tuesday and are expected to last for two days.

The areas mentioned, however, form one of the four de-escalation zones agreed upon in the last round of negotiations in the Kazakh capital in May.

Violence decreased markedly across all four zones in the first few weeks after the deal was announced, but it had recently ramped up in Daraa.

Rebels and government troops have exchanged fire in the southern provincial capital by the same name.

The process is brokered by rebel backer Turkey and regime allies Russia and Iran.

Syrian deputy foreign minister Faisal al-Moqdad said Monday that his government's delegation was on its way to Astana.

"Our delegation is about to arrive in Astana... because we have a higher interest, which is stopping bloodshed in Syria, we are taking part," he said at a news conference in Damascus.

And rebel representative General Ahmad Berri told AFP he was also travelling to Kazakhstan for the negotiations.

"I am attending the talks. There are other representatives coming, and we will announce the full list when we arrive," he said by phone.

Syria's conflict evolved from a bloody crackdown on protests in 2011 to a devastating war that has drawn in world powers, including Russia and a US-led international coalition.

More than 320,000 people are estimated to have been killed and millions have been displaced.

In addition to the talks in Astana, the United Nations is backing peace negotiations in Geneva that are set to begin in mid-July.
Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe, center, gives a $1 million cheque to the African Union during a summit meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia

As the African Union struggles to get members to pay dues, Zimbabwe's President Robert Mugabe took the bull by the horns and sold his own cattle for a sizeable donation to the body.

Mugabe handed over $1 million (880,000 euros) at the start of the AU's bi-annual summit in Addis Ababa, after auctioning off 300 of his own cattle, as well as those belonging to some of his supporters.

The gift was a bid to show his resolve for making the AU self-supporting as the tricky questioning of financing tops the agenda.

"As an African and a farmer, the donation of cattle came naturally to me, given that our continent is rich in cattle and cattle are held as a store of wealth," said Mugabe, who has led Zimbabwe since its independence from white minority rule in 1980.

An AU official said Mugabe had initially offered the cows themselves, but decided to auction them off when the union replied that there was no space for them at the AU's shiny Chinese-built headquarters in Addis Ababa.

The AU is trying to wean itself from the foreign donors that finance the majority of its budget and has called on member states to impose a 0.2 percent levy on certain imports to cover its costs.

Funds from the import levy are supposed to cover 100 percent of the AU's operational costs, 75 percent of its program costs and 25 percent of its peacekeeping budget.

But so far, only a handful of the union's 55 member states have taken steps to implement the tax.

"Unless and until we can fund our own programs, the African Union will not be truly our own," Mugabe said.

Despite nagging questions about Mugabe's health, his ruling party claims that at 93, he is still as strong as an ox.

He is drumming up support ahead of elections next year when he plans to seek office again, steadfast in his plan to rule until the cows come home.
The new album from DJ Khaled, pictured here performing at the BET Awards last month, features cameos from top stars including Rihanna, Drake, Chance the Rapper, Beyonce and Jay-Z

DJ Khaled, long a prominent behind-the-scenes force in hip-hop, has achieved a second number-one album with his latest star-studded work.

The 41-year-old Miami rapper's "Grateful" debuted at the top of the Billboard album chart for US sales for the week through Thursday.

The album features cameos from a who's who of top names in music including Rihanna, Drake, Chance the Rapper, Beyonce and her husband Jay-Z -- who released his own new album Friday.

Much of "Grateful" is full of braggadocio verses with DJ Khaled and other major names boasting of their success. But the single "Shining" took on a new meaning as Beyonce sings of "all of this winning," despite her controversial failure to win the latest Grammy for Album of the Year.

DJ Khaled has been a producer to stars but achieved his first number-one album on his own a year ago with "Major Key," with his profile growing thanks to his avid use on Snapchat, the social media platform that specializes in temporary videos.

His latest album triumph comes after an embarrassment in June as he played a major festival, Electric Daisy Carnival in Las Vegas, where his set was marred by sound problems.

Born Khaled Mohamed Khaled to Palestinian immigrant parents, DJ Khaled is one of the most prominent Muslims in Western music although he rarely discusses his faith in his music.

Among other highlights on the Billboard chart released late Sunday, late pop icon Prince's classic "Purple Rain" re-entered at number four after his label put out a remastered version to mark what would have been his 59th birthday.
AU Commisioner Moussa Faki, pictured on January 31, 2017 in Addis Ababa, criticised member states for a lack of solidarity to combat famine and drought, with the situation set to worsen as the rainy season ends

African Union head Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday criticised member states for a lack of solidarity shown to nations on the continent who are facing famine and drought.

His comments came as heads of state gathered at the union's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital for a bi-annual meeting as fears rise of mass starvation because of conflict and a biting drought.

"I cannot hide my deep frustration at the silence and inaction of Africans in the face of the terrible tragedy of famine in these regions," said Faki, a former Chadian foreign minister elected in January as chairperson of the AU commission.

"What happened to the African values of solidarity and fraternity? What happened to our civil society?"

Faki's election came days after the United Nations said the world was facing "the worst humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War," with 20 million people facing malnutrition and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.

An official declaration of famine in South Sudan was lifted in June after four months, though the situation there and in the three other countries remains desperate.

The situation could be set to worsen as the much-anticipated rainy season in the Horn of Africa draws to a close. The rains were declared "significantly below average" by the weather monitoring group FEWSNET.

The AU summit will focus on issues including how to reform the body and make it financially independent from foreign donors.

African leaders are also facing with the security threat in the Sahel and unresolved crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan.

"At its last summit in January 2017, the AU called for the implementation of the 2015 peace deal, but there is no momentum in getting the South Sudanese government to adhere to it," the Institute for Security Studies wrote last month.

The think-tank also highlighted a lack of progress in deploying a regional protection force authorised by the UN last year.

While there is little sign of a breakthrough on the major crises afflicting the continent, Faki was resolute in making security a priority.

His predecessor Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had come under fire for neglecting the issue.

"We remain vigorously focused on the need to reduce tensions and give priority to political solutions in regions where tensions remain, alas, still alive," Faki said.

Referring to the AU's goal to end conflict on the continent in the next three years, he said: "The aim to silence the guns by 2020 is our horizon."
The aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush is seen moored in the Mediterranean Sea off the Israeli port of Haifa on July 1, 2017

A senior officer aboard a US Navy supercarrier deployed in the eastern Mediterranean said Monday his forces were wary of "tensions" with allies of Syria's regime but ready to defend US-backed forces.

The USS George H.W. Bush has been a leading part of the US bombing campaign in Iraq and Syria, primarily against the Islamic State group but on occasion targeting Syrian government forces and their allies fighting US-backed groups.

The 330-metre ship carries between 70 and 90 aircraft at a time, including a fleet of F-18 fighter jets which are used to strike IS targets in Mosul, Raqa and elsewhere.

The vast majority of the 1,600 sorties in the past five months have targeted IS in Iraq and Syria, James McCall, commanding officer of Carrier Air Wing 8, told journalists, but a small number have targeted allies of the Syrian government.

The Syrian regime is also fighting IS, as well as battling US allies in other parts of the war-ravaged country.

McCall said an aircraft from the ship was the one that had downed a Syrian warplane on June 18, after the US military had issued a series of warnings.

He admitted there had been "a lot of tension" with "pro-regime forces" in parts of Syria.

"We are looking out for coalition forces on the ground and ensuring their safety in that regard," he told journalists aboard the aircraft carrier, which is moored off the Israeli city of Haifa for a few days.

"We have actually flown in support of some of those actions -- to include air-to-surface engagements -- so that is absolutely something we are paying a lot of attention to."

A US sailor walks next to fighter jets on board the aircraft carrier, USS George H. W. Bush, off the Israeli port of Haifa on July 3, 2017

The US carried out its first direct military action against Syria's regime in April, firing 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat military airport in response to an alleged chemical weapons attack.

Last week, the White House said President Bashar al-Assad was potentially preparing a new chemical weapons attack.

Asked if the US military could strike Assad forces if chemical weapons were used again, Captain Will Pennington said he would not speculate on any future responses.

Pennington said between 20 and 25 missions took off a day at peak times.

He said the forces had played a crucial role in pushing back IS in Iraq, with the militants losing control of the vast majority of their former stronghold city of Mosul.

"The battle is coming to a conclusion in Mosul, although I think the last few things will be tough given the narrow streets and densely populated (neighbourhoods)."

-Civilian deaths-

The US military reported last month that 484 civilians have been killed during attacks on IS targets since mid-2014, including 105 who died when a US aircraft dropped a bomb on an IS sniper in Mosul on March 17.

The bomb inadvertently set off a large cache of explosives, collapsing a building on top of civilians sheltering below.

McCall said everything possible was being done to prevent such deaths.

"Minimising civilian casualties on the ground is a very important part of what we do.

"We have had aviators that have spotted what they believed to be civilian personnel on the ground or just they are not sure who those are.

"In all those cases they have been able to communicate back on the radios to our folks on the ground and either stop the attack from happening or wait until that confusion could be cleared up."

He did not comment on specific incidents.

The ship's arrival marked the first time since 2000 that an American aircraft carrier has visited Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu boarded on Monday along with the US ambassador to Israel David Friedman.

Netanyahu hailed the ship's role in taking on IS.

"This carrier has served as a base for flights against the Islamic State and a war against ISIS should be seen for what it is -- a clash between good and evil," Netanyahu told crew members and journalists aboard.
Jay-Z's Tidal was the most downloaded app for iPhones in the United States on Friday and Saturday, jumping 163 places from Thursday, according to tracking service App Annie

Jay-Z's upstart Tidal streaming service has enjoyed a surge of interest after the rap mogul released his latest album exclusively on the platform.

Tidal -- which Jay-Z acquired in 2015 but trails far behind streaming leader Spotify as well as Apple Music -- has seen a jump in downloads coinciding with the release of Jay-Z's "4:44" album on Friday.

Tidal on Friday and Saturday was the most downloaded app for iPhones in the United States, jumping 163 places from Thursday, according to tracking service App Annie.

It stood at number six on Monday, behind app stalwarts such as Instagram.

"4:44," the first album in four years by the rapper who has devoted much of his energy to his business empire, came out to favorable reviews and a major buzz online over his unusually introspective lyricism.

On the album, he apologizes to his wife, pop superstar Beyonce, for infidelity and reveals that his mother is a lesbian who struggled in the closet.

Jay-Z chose to release "4:44" exclusively on Tidal, with the album promoted by telecom provider Sprint, which recently bought a one-third stake in the platform amid the rapid growth of streaming worldwide.

Jay-Z has not revealed whether the album will remain a Tidal exclusive. Other stars including Beyonce who released their albums through Tidal eventually made them available for download on Apple's iTunes or on rival streaming platforms.

Tidal, a Norwegian company, said last year that it had three million subscribers, although a media report questioned the figure.

It is a fraction of the 50 million paying subscribers of Sweden-based Spotify, which said last month that an additional 90 million people used its free tier.

The exclusive arrangement has brought uncanny moments. When Jay-Z's album was released, social media was abuzz with loaded lyrics which he supposedly made against fellow rapper Kanye West and his wife Kim Kardashian.

The lyrics turned out to be the musical equivalent of fake news -- with Jay-Z taking West to task but more lightly. Some social media users acknowledged they could not access the album to verify for themselves.
Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir (R), on a tour of the Arab states, gave a press conference with his German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel, who has has called for a "serious dialogue" to end the Gulf crisis

Saudi Arabia hoped on Monday for a "positive" response from Qatar to demands that it end support for "terrorism" and its associations with Iran.

Riyadh and its allies on June 5 severed diplomatic and transport ties with their gas-rich Gulf neighbour Qatar, in the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They issued a list of 13 demands but announced early Monday a 48-hour extension to the deadline which had been due to expire at the end of Sunday.

"We hope for a positive response to be able to resolve the crisis," Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

He spoke at a news conference with his German counterpart, Sigmar Gabriel, who began a tour of Arab states.

Gabriel has called for a "serious dialogue" to end the Gulf crisis which he said could weaken the entire Arabian peninsula.

Kuwait, which did not cut ties with Doha, is mediating the dispute and on Monday received Qatar's response to the demands.

Details of the response were not immediately available.

Jubeir said the reply will be "examined with precision".

In Washington last week, he said the demands were non-negotiable.

They include Doha's ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt accuse Doha of supporting groups, including some backed by Riyadh's rival Iran, "that aim to destabilise the region".

Doha strongly denies the accusations.

Jubeir said he discussed with Gabriel "the necessity of putting an end to the support for terrorism, extremism, and calls for hate and interference in the affairs of others."

The German minister is to also visit the UAE, Qatar and Kuwait.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani has said the list of demands was "made to be rejected".

On Monday British lawyers for the emirate denounced the demands as "an affront to international law".
A group of Galamseyers, or illegal gold panners, working in Ghana's Kibi region

Rescuers in Ghana are racing against time to find 14 missing miners trapped after an illegal pit collapsed in the country's south officials said Monday.

Police said they are still searching for survivors in Prestea-Nsuta, a town in Ghana's Western Region, after an abandoned mine caved in on Sunday.

"We can't confirm if they are dead or not," Nsuta District Police Commander Superintendent Atsu Dzinaku told AFP.

"They were coming out to find some food to eat, on coming (up) they heard a noise inside, then the pit caved in," Dzinaku said, adding that five miners made it out of the collapse safely.

"So those coming up, they were lucky but those down...they were trapped. We are expecting they are still there. We have not retrieved any of them."

Dzinaku said earlier people were communicating with the trapped miners in the roughly 80-metre deep pit, but as of Monday afternoon they hadn't heard any response.

Police believe that the accident happened as a result of illegal small-scale mining, known as "galamsey" in Ghana.

President Nana Akufo-Addo's government has been cracking down on illegal mining.

In March, activists launched a campaign highlighting the environmental damage it causes, from stripping forests to polluting water.

Since then, the west African nation has been working to find ways to better regulate and monitor small-scale miners.

Ghana is the second-largest gold producer on the continent after South Africa.
Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani, pictured in June 2017, met with members of the UN Security Coucnil to ask that they urge the other Gulf states to lift the recent restrictions on Qatar

The UN Security Council has told Qatar to sort out its differences with its Gulf neighbors, China's ambassador said Monday, indicating the top UN body would not get involved in the dispute.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani met with Security Council members on Friday to discuss the rupture in ties with Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

Chinese Ambassador Liu Jieyi, who holds the council presidency this month, said "the best way would be (that) the countries concerned work out a solution through dialogue and through consultations among themselves, because we don't see any other alternative to that."

"Whatever the countries can do to mend the fences and to get back to good neighborly relations, that would certainly be welcomed by China," said Liu.

Al-Jazeera reported that the foreign minister had asked Security Council members to urge Saudi-led nations to lift restrictions on the use of airspace and other transportation links with Qatar.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with Qatar and later put forward a list of 13 demands.

They accuse Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected" and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as "an affront to international law."
A man accused of flying a drone over a major Arizona wildfire posted the aerial photos on his website, authorities said Saturday, leading to his arrest for hampering firefighting efforts against the stubborn blaze menacing an area where 19 firefighters were killed four years ago.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said deputies tracked down Gene Alan Carpenter, 54, of Prescott Valley on Friday after spotting a man near a white van flying the drone within hours of the fire being reported last weekend and throughout the week.

Prior contact with Carpenter and photos found on his website showing drone views were used to identify him, authorities said. His drone was seized during his arrest.

FILE - In this Tuesday, June 27, 2017, file photo, smoke billows from a wildfire locally called Goodwin Fire, near Prescott, Ariz. Gene Alan Carpenter, 54, who is accused of flying a drone over a major Arizona wildfire has been arrested, with authorities saying he interrupted firefighting efforts on a blaze that has forced thousands of people from their homes. The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office said Saturday, July 1, 2017, that Carpenter of Prescott Valley was in custody on charges of endangerment and unlawful operation of an unmanned aircraft. (Les Stukenberg/The Daily Courier via AP, File)

The sheriff's office in a press release said Carpenter recklessly endangered 14 aircraft and fire crews in the air and on the ground "with a substantial risk of imminent death or physical injury by flying an unmanned drone aircraft in closed airspace above an active fire area."

Jail records show Carpenter was being held on 14 counts of felony endangerment and one misdemeanor count of unlawful operation of an unmanned aircraft. It's unclear if he has an attorney.

Carpenter's bond was set Saturday at $25,000 and he's expected in court July 6.

Authorities said someone first encountered Carpenter flying the drone near the Mount Union Lookout tower on June 24, about three hours after the fire was first reported.

The wildfire has been burning in the dense Prescott National Forest and around Prescott, a mountain city about 100 miles (160.9 kilometers) north of Phoenix that draws a mix of desert dwellers escaping the heat, retirees and visitors.

More than 1,200 firefighters have seen action battling the blaze that has charred 40 square miles (104 square kilometers). The fire has also closed a major road and created a huge plume of smoke over the same area devastated by a blaze in 2013 that killed 19 members of an elite firefighting crew.

The current fire was 44 percent contained, prompting authorities to lift evacuation orders for some nearby communities, though multiple other areas remained under mandatory evacuation. Thousands of people have been forced out of their homes.

The sheriff's office said an Air Attack Pilot supervisor encountered the drone on Wednesday, and it started circling his plane when the official tried to see where the drone was coming from.

Authorities immediately cleared the airspace, as the intrusion could have caused a catastrophic collision by breaking an aircraft windshield or getting caught up in a plane's mechanics. Planes were grounded for nearly an hour, which meant unprotected firefighters on the ground also had to back off from their work.

Drones interfering with wildfire efforts have become a growing problem, with sightings noted in states from California to Washington and Minnesota. Lawmakers have called for more oversight and awareness as the consumer technology gets cheaper and more accessible.

Federal Aviation Administration guidelines urge drone hobbyists to fly no higher than 400 feet, stay clear of stadiums and people, and avoid flying within five miles of airports. During wildfires and other emergencies, the FAA imposes temporary restrictions.

Authorities in Arizona intend to meet with federal officials on Monday about temporary flight restrictions related to the wildfire. The FAA, citing the ongoing investigation, declined to comment on the case.

_____

Follow Sally Ho at http://twitter.com/_sallyho
Starting in October, Facebook, Twitter, Google and other social media companies could be fined up to nearly $57-million by Germany for hateful messages posted on their site. The new law, which passed Germany's parliament on Friday, will give a company 24 hours to delete a post that has been flagged as racist, defamatory, or hateful before fining them.

According to The Washington Post:

The measure is seen as a test case in the battle against fake news and online hate, problems bedeviling governments across the West. But Germany's muscular approach has human rights groups worried about a chilling effect on free expression Germany has staked out a stance that's among the most vigorous in the world against spurious posts and comments on social media. It also has some of the strictest laws regulating forms of expression seen as encouraging violence. Denying the Holocaust and stirring hatred against minorities are punishable with prison time. Under the new measure, which takes effect in October, companies have 24 hours to erase illegal content after it is flagged. They have another seven days to sift through messages marked as offensive but not necessarily criminal under German statute. Fines for consistently failing to respond begin at 5 million euros, about $5.7 million, but may go as high as 50 million euros.

According to Germany's justice minister, Heiko Maas, hate crimes have increased by 300 percent in the past two years, which explains the thinking behind the aggressive new law. But Facebook, critical of the new law, says it "will not improve efforts to tackle this important societal problem." One thing it does do is destroy free speech, and Germany could set a global trend if their law is deemed "successful."

Image: Max Pixel
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - South Africa's parliamentary speaker says lawmakers will vote on a motion of no confidence in President Jacob Zuma on Aug. 8.

The vote on Zuma, who has faced calls for his resignation because of scandals and corruption concerns, previously had been scheduled for Aug. 3.

But the parliament said Sunday that speaker Baleka Mbete changed the date because a Cabinet meeting is occurring around the time of the previous date.

Mbete has yet to decide whether the vote will be held by secret ballot.

The opposition had gone to court to try to get the motion conducted by secret ballot, which it believes could tip the balance against Zuma. The Constitutional Court said it was up to Mbete, a Zuma ally, to decide how the vote should be implemented.
LONDON (AP) - Key government ministers are pressuring Conservative British Prime Minister Theresa May to ease austerity and remove a pay cap for public sector employees.

The Observer newspaper said Sunday that Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt is lobbying to lift the 1 percent cap on pay increases for National Health Service workers after a government report warned of staff shortages.

The Telegraph reports Education Secretary Justine Greening wants the government to abandon plans to cut per pupil spending, which would cost an additional 1.2 billion pounds ($1.6 billion).

France's President Emmanuel Macron, British Prime Minister Theresa May and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni, from left, arrive for a gathering of European leaders on the upcoming G-20 summit in the chancellery in Berlin, Germany, Thursday, June 29, 2017. (AP Photo/Markus Schreiber, pool)

Meanwhile, Damian Green, May's deputy, says the government may need to reconsider university tuition fees to appeal to younger voters.

The pressure comes after a disastrous election in June in which May lost her parliamentary majority amid calls to end seven years of austerity.
Your daily look at late-breaking news, upcoming events and the stories that will be talked about Monday:

1. TRUMP'S MOCK VIDEO DRAWS REBUKES

The president tweeted a sham video depicting him pummeling a man whose face is obscured by the CNN logo.

Natasha Salgado looks towards apartment dwellers as she leads a march to encourage Congress to impeach President Donald Trump through Santa Ana, Calif., Sunday, July 2, 2017. It was one of several similar gatherings Sunday across California and the nation. (Cindy Yamanaka/The Orange County Register via AP)

2. WHITE HOUSE PUSHES GOP ON OBAMACARE REPLACEMENT

A top presidential aide says a repeal-only option also remains in play if Republicans can't reach agreement.

3. RAPPER ARRESTED ON UNRELATED CHARGES AFTER LITTLE ROCK SHOOTINGS

Finese 2Tymes is being held for aggravated assault with a gun, the U.S. Marshals Service says.

4. QATAR'S STOCK MARKET DROPS AS DEADLINE LOOMS

The tiny Persian Gulf nation braces for a cutoff date to accept demands from four Arab countries over what they allege is its support for extremist groups.

5. WHY JULY 4 STIRS MIXED FEELINGS IN MINORITIES

Blacks, Latinos and immigrant rights advocates say the aftermath of the 2016 presidential election - as well as police shootings and deportations - have them questioning the promise of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness in the United States.

6. TRUMP PLAN TO END HEATING AID GETS COOL RECEPTION

Lawmakers from cold-weather states line up against the proposal to kill the program, which has distributed $3.4 billion to about 6 million households this fiscal year.

7. HOW FACEBOOK HOPES TO USE DRONES TO PROVIDE 'NET ACCESS

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg envisions a fleet of solar-powered drones "that will beam internet connectivity across the world."

8. WHERE RARE BUTTERFLY THRIVES AMID WAR MACHINES

The frosted elfin finds a home at several defense installations across the country where the military manages open spaces with controlled burns, says the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

9. SAMSUNG TO SELL RECYCLED NOTE 7 PHONE IN SKOREA

The company recalled the original Note 7 after reports emerged that its batteries were prone to overheat and catch fire.

10. ANDY MURRAY DEFENDS WIMBLEDON TITLE

The No. 1 seed is dealing with a sore hip and a new child on the way as he prepares for the grass court opening match.

FILE- In this June 28, 2017, file photo, protesters holds signs as they gather for a demonstration on the University of Cincinnati campus demanding that a white former police officer be tried a third time in the fatal shooting of an unarmed black motorist in Cincinnati. As cities and towns host July 4th parades and fireworks shows, some minority residents are expressing mixed feelings about the holiday used to reaffirm the country's founding based on equality and civil liberties. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
HANOI, Vietnam (AP) - A traditional water buffalo fight in northern Vietnam was suspended after an animal attacked and killed its owner, in the first human fatality since the sport resumed after the Vietnam War.

The buffalo was killed and samples were taken to determine whether the animal had been given a stimulant to make it more aggressive, said Do Van Viet, a local official in the resort town of Do Son where the fight took place.

Traditional buffalo fighting was halted during the Vietnam War and resumed 27 years ago. Several buffalo have died in the fights that pit the animals against each other, but Saturday's death was the first human fatality since the fights resumed, Viet said Monday.

In this photo taken on Saturday July 1, 2017, two water buffaloes lock horns each other during a qualification round in resort town of Do Son in northern port city of Haiphong. Authorities in Haiphong have suspended the traditional water buffalo fight after an animal attacked and killed its owner. (Vietnam News Agency Photo via AP)

The buffalo at first chased the owner of the other animal but failed to catch him and then turned on its owner, who died several hours later from multiple wounds, Viet said.

State media identified him as 46-year-old Dinh Xuan Huong, who trained fighting buffaloes for other owners for 10 years and this year had owned and trained a buffalo for himself for the first time.

Thirty-two buffaloes were competing in the qualification rounds Saturday for 16 final slots. Viet said two qualification fights and the finals to be held in September were suspended.
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump has spoken separately with several leaders of nations in the Persian Gulf region and addressed ongoing disputes between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbors.

The White House says Trump urged unity and reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.

Trump spoke Sunday night with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, and Emir Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar.

The White House says Trump underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit's goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability.

A group of Arab nations has accused Qatar of supporting Muslim extremists, among other things.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House says President Donald Trump has spoken with the leaders of China and Japan and reaffirmed their shared commitments to dealing with North Korea.

In separate statements, the White House says Trump spoke Sunday night with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe (shin-zoh AH'-bay) and President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) of China.

North Korea and its nuclear program were part of discussions with both leaders.

FILE - In this June 19, 2017, file photo, Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe speaks during a press conference at his official residence in Tokyo. The White House said Sunday, July 2, that President Donald Trump has spoken with the leaders of China and Japan and reaffirmed their shared commitments to dealing with North Korea. (AP Photo/Shizuo Kambayashi, File)

In the case of China, Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs. And Trump also reiterated with Xi his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with U.S. trading partners.

The White House says Trump and the leaders of Japan and China look forward to meeting at the upcoming G20 Summit in Hamburg, Germany.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) - Team New Zealand will receive $5 million from taxpayers to allow it to retain key personnel in the immediate aftermath of its America's Cup win over Oracle Team USA in Bermuda.

Prime Minister Bill English said the government would support the team "boots and all" as it began preparations to defend the oldest trophy in sailing. But he said Team New Zealand could not expect an open checkbook and would have to find additional funding.

Economic development minister Simon Bridges said America's Cup defenses in 2000 and 2003 showed hosting the Cup has the potential to generate significant economic benefits for New Zealand.

He said the interim funding announced Monday would allow the team to secure intellectual property "and the skills that rest with key team members."
MANILA, Philippines (AP) - The Philippine military said Monday that militants aligned with the Islamic State group who seized parts of a southern city forced hostages to loot millions in cash, firearms, ammunition, gold and jewelry from houses and business establishments.

At least 10 hostages who separately escaped from the militants two weeks ago disclosed the looting the gunmen forced them to undertake in Marawi, the military said in a statement, adding that the captives were forced to convert to Islam and threatened with death if they refused.

The hostages stole about 500 million pesos ($10 million) in cash, along with unspecified items, during the lootings, which were supervised by the gunmen and allied criminal gangs, the military said. The gunmen promised the captives cash rewards and were allowed lunch breaks between looting sprees.

FILE - This undated file image provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) shows Isnilon Hapilon, who was purportedly designated leader of the Islamic State group's Southeast Asia branch in 2016 but has long ties to local extremist movements. The Philippines' defense chief said Monday, July 3, 2017, that Hapilon, the militant leader of the group that laid siege to a southern city of Marawi, is suspected to be hiding in a mosque there, days after he was reported to have fled the bombed-out city. (FBI via AP, File)

"They believe that the amount of cash and valuable items looted could be worth more as there were several other groups being forced by terrorists to loot and steal for them," the military said. The stolen items were stored in a mosque.

The military claim, which could not be confirmed immediately, is the latest criminal allegation by the government against the militants, who laid siege May 23 on the business district and outlying communities of Marawi, a center of Islamic faith in the predominantly Roman Catholic Philippines.

The violence has left at least 459 people dead, including 336 militants, 84 soldiers and policemen, and 39 civilians. At least eight foreign fighters are believed to be among the dead in the fierce fighting, which has forced more than 300,000 residents of Marawi and nearby towns to flee to safety and turned much of the lakeside city into ghost towns.

After more than a month of offensives, troops have regained 15 of 19 villages besieged by the militants, with fewer than 100 gunmen holding an unspecified number of hostages still putting up a fight, military officials said.

The militants intend to "die in the main battle area," army spokesman Lt. Col. Jo-ar Herrera told reporters, citing intercepted militant communications.

Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said the leader of the militants, Isnilon Hapilon, may still be in Marawi, citing intelligence security forces obtained Monday. Other news reports say Hapilon has sneaked out of Marawi.

"There is information we got this morning that he is hiding in one of the mosques there in Marawi," Lorenzana said at a news conference in Manila.

Three militants may have slipped from the city a week ago to the southern island of Basilan, where Hapilon is based, but he himself has not been sighted by government informants, Lorenzana said.

Hapilon has been reportedly designated by the Islamic State group as its leader in Southeast Asia. He is on Washington's list of most-wanted terrorists, with a $5 million bounty on his head.

Lorenzana said displaced residents will be allowed to go back to cleared areas of the city, with the government assisting in the rebuilding of their homes, and to other areas as soon as the fighting stops. But he said some 1,500 homes still need to be cleared of explosives and soldiers are able to clear only 70 to 100 homes a day.

The rebuilding of the city's business district may also take more time and funds because it has been badly damaged by military airstrikes on militant positions and the torching of buildings and houses by the gunmen.

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Associated Press writer Jim Gomez contributed to this report.
SINGAPORE (AP) - Singapore's prime minister addressed his escalating family feud in a speech in Parliament on Monday, saying his siblings' accusations that he had misused government power were "entirely baseless" but he would not sue them.

The family dispute has been a rare political dustup in the orderly Asian city-state led by Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong and his father since its independence in 1965. Public accusations against Singaporean leaders are extremely rare, and both Lee and his father have won defamation lawsuits against their political opponents.

Singaporeans have latched onto the never-before-seen spectacle, standing in line to enter the Parliament's public gallery on Monday.

In this image made from video provided by Parliament House of Singapore, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivers a speech in Parliament Monday, July 3, 2017, in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee has addressed his escalating family feud in a speech in Parliament, saying his siblings' accusations that he had misused government power were "entirely baseless." (Parliament House of Singapore via AP)

Business executive Lee Hsien Yang and Dr. Lee Wei Ling, a well-known neurosurgeon, have accused their brother of using the "organs of the state" against them to preserve a house belonging to their father, Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew.

Lee Kuan Yew died in 2015. His seventh and final will indicated a family bungalow should be demolished once his daughter moves out.

Dr. Lee and her brother have claimed that the prime minister secretly wanted the house preserved to "inherit the faith Singaporeans had in Lee Kuan Yew through the visible symbol of the house."

They alleged that their brother lobbied a government committee and that his wife, Ho Ching, improperly obtained artifacts belonging to their late father. They also said that the prime minister and his wife wanted their son, Li Hongyi, to have a political career.

"Their allegations are entirely baseless, but they have already damaged Singapore's reputation. Unrebutted, they can affect Singaporeans' confidence in the government," Lee Hsien Loong said.

"As your prime minister, I deeply regret that this has happened and apologize to Singaporeans for this. As a son, I am pained at the anguish this strife would have caused my parents if they were still alive," he added.

Lee Hsien Loong is the Secretary-General of the People's Action Party, which has led Singapore since independence in 1965. It holds 83 out of 89 seats in Parliament.

His father, a self-proclaimed authoritarian, led Singapore for more than three decades and is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy bustling financial hub with low crime and almost zero corruption.

He commanded immense respect for turning Singapore into a success story. But he jailed some political rivals without trial for decades and brought defamation lawsuits against journalists and opposition politicians, which chilled dissent.

In this image made from video provided by Parliament House of Singapore, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong delivers a speech in Parliament Monday, July 3, 2017, in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee has addressed his escalating family feud in a speech in Parliament, saying his siblings' accusations that he had misused government power were "entirely baseless." (Parliament House of Singapore via AP)

FILE - In this Sunday, March 29, 2015, file photo, the family members second row left to right; Lee Suet Fern, son, (Lee Hsien Yang's wife), Lee Hsien Yang, Lee Hsien Loong, son and current prime minister, Ho Ching (Lee Hsien Loong's wife) and Lee Wei Ling, daughter, of the late Lee Kuan Yew arrive with his portrait at the start of the state funeral at the University Cultural Center in Singapore. Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong addressed Monday, July 3, 2017, his escalating family feud in a speech in Parliament, saying his siblings' accusations that he had misused government power were "entirely baseless." (AP Photo/Joseph Nair, File)
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TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Iran's president has assailed a major dam project by Turkey involving the Euphrates and the Tigris River, demanding a halt in the construction.

Hassan Rouhani says the dams would be "dangerous" for the entire Middle East.

His remarks came during a conference on sandstorms hosted by Tehran on Monday and marked the Iranian president's first public criticism of the dam project, seen as controversial in the Mideast.

He did not name Turkey but said that multiple dams planned on the two major rivers that flow into Syria and Iraq will have "destructive consequences" and affect many, including Iran and "should be stopped."

Iran and Turkey support opposing sides in Syria's civil war.

Rouhani added that "it is not possible to remain indifferent" toward the issue of the dams.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Five months into his administration, President Donald Trump has yet to offer a Spanish White House website.

Other signs that the Trump administration is ignoring speakers include the elimination of the position of director of Hispanic media outreach. And the White House's Spanish-language Twitter account is heavy with English text and features sloppy translations.

The White House director of media affairs, Helen Aguirre Ferre, says she expects a Spanish website to launch later this year. She notes that the Obama administration took nine months to launch its version.

In this June 22, 2017, photo, President Donald Trump's Twitter page with his tweets about not recording his conversations with former FBI Director James Comey is photographed in Washington. The Trump administration's mastery of the online world notably doesn't extend to Spanish-language content. It never replaced the Spanish portion of the White House website; its Spanish Twitter account is peppered with English and features abundant typos; and there appears to be little outreach to a demographic that rejected Trump by an overwhelming margin. (AP Photo/J. David Ake)

President George W. Bush began the tradition of a Spanish-language website. President Barack Obama followed suit.
WASHINGTON (AP) - No, the U.S. national debt was not made in China. Or by Canada, or Europe or other trading partners.

President Donald Trump wrongly blamed his country's trade imbalance for swelling the sea of red ink the U.S. government is swimming in. But imports are not related to national debt.

Here's a look at a variety of statements by Trump and others during a week marked by a struggle over the Senate Republican health bill, a White House cheerleading session for U.S. energy, assertions by the president on trade and vulgar tweets from him on a more personal note.

President Donald Trump waves to the audience as he arrives to speak during the Celebrate Freedom event at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, Saturday, July 1, 2017. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

TRUMP: "For many, many years, the United States has suffered through massive trade deficits. That's why we have $20 trillion in debt. So we'll be changing that." - Remarks Friday in a meeting with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and aides.

THE FACTS: Trump's comments suggest he could use a refresher in how the economy works. Trade deficits are not why the U.S. has nearly $20 trillion in national debt.

Because the U.S. imports more than it exports, it has a negative trade balance, or a deficit. Of course, many of the goods that the U.S. imports are popular with consumers so a deficit isn't necessarily negative. Americans may buy coffee from Central America, electronics from China, cars from South Korea and jeans sewn in Turkey.

The national debt is a separate thing. It's the debt accumulated from budget deficits year after year, when the federal government must borrow because it spends more than it collects in taxes. The total public debt outstanding is $19.8 trillion.

Of that, close to $4 trillion is held by other countries (China with about $1 trillion). But that's got nothing to do with the trade deficit.

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TRUMP: "Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses." - tweet Saturday

Leaving aside the state of mind and intelligence of the hosts of MSNBC's "Morning Joe," Trump wrongly stated the show is floundering. "Morning Joe" recently finished the highest-rated quarter in MSNBC's history in that time period, marking the show's ninth straight quarter of growth. And that was before Trump went after hosts Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski on Twitter, a development that could interest more people in tuning in.

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TRUMP: "Democrats purposely misstated Medicaid under new Senate bill - actually goes up." - tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: The stalled Senate bill would cut Medicaid - by phasing out ex-President Barack Obama's expansion of the program and reducing over time the number of people who can be on it.

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates the program would cover 15 million fewer people by 2026, a 16 percent reduction. Although Trump is correct that Medicaid spending overall would continue to rise - at a slower rate than projected - the effect would be a significant cut in the program.

The Republican emphasis on spending growth is a sleight of hand that both parties resort to when it suits their political purposes.

Obama's law slowed the growth of Medicare spending, primarily by reducing projected payment increases to hospitals and other providers, and Republicans roundly denounced that as the cut that it was.

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TRUMP: "Our new American Energy Policy will unlock MILLIONS of jobs & TRILLIONS in wealth. We are on the cusp of a true energy REVOLUTION." - tweet Friday.

THE FACTS: It's hard to see how any government policy could yield the results Trump predicts. Despite a recent boom, the energy sector employs fewer workers than it did a decade ago. The Labor Department said there are 655,300 jobs in mining coal and extracting oil and natural gas, down from a peak of 1.18 million jobs in 1981. And a report in January from the authoritative Energy Information Administration shows that the entire energy generation sector - including solar, wind, hydroelectric, nuclear and bioenergy - employs 2 million people.

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TRUMP: "As you all know, I approved the Keystone XL pipeline and the Dakota Access pipeline in my first week. Thousands of jobs, tremendous things are happening." - remarks Thursday on energy.

THE FACTS: His timing is off and his boast about jobs leaves out the fact that almost all the employment is temporary.

In his first week, Trump signed orders asking TransCanada to resubmit its application to build Keystone XL and requiring the Army Corps of Engineers to reconsider its earlier refusal to grant an easement needed to finish the Dakota Access project. Both projects had been blocked by the Obama administration and Trump undoubtedly revived them, but his Jan. 24 orders did not approve them. That came later.

The U.S. government estimated Keystone XL will create 42,100 jobs directly and indirectly in the U.S. for up to two years. Once the pipeline is complete, operating it would support an estimated 50 jobs. The recently completed Dakota Access pipeline is expected to support several dozen permanent jobs.

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TRUMP, on how he braced for trouble when he revived the pipeline projects: "I thought I'd take a lot of heat. I didn't take any heat. I approved them and that was it. I figured we'd have all sorts of protests. We didn't have anything." - remarks on energy.

THE FACTS: Hundreds of authorities went into the Standing Rock protest camp in late February, clearing it out and arresting 46 people. Trump is wrong to say there were no protests. But they were much diminished by the time he took his action. Protesters had declared victory in December when the Army Corps ruled against the easement, freezing the project. The Standing Rock Sioux, the tribe at the center of the protests in North Dakota, told demonstrators through the winter that it was time to go home.

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TRUMP: "The #AmazonWashingtonPost, sometimes referred to as the guardian of Amazon not paying internet taxes (which they should) is FAKE NEWS!" - tweet Wednesday.

THE FACTS: This convoluted accusation of fake news from The Washington Post sideswipes Amazon for supposedly not paying "internet taxes," which are not really a thing. In any event, Amazon.com collects state sales taxes in all 45 states that have such taxes, as well as the District of Columbia, according to its website. State governments have sought to capture sales taxes lost to internet retailers, though they have struggled with a 1992 Supreme Court ruling that retailers must have a physical presence in a state before officials can make them collect sales tax.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos bought The Washington Post in 2013, without the involvement of Amazon.com Inc.

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SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS, White House spokeswoman, on why she thinks the Congressional Budget Office is credible on matters involving revenue and spending but not reliable in predicting 22 million people would lose coverage under the Republican bill: "The CBO is a budget office ... We don't always agree that it does a great job predicting coverage." She added: "I think when they focus on the budget side, that's probably a good thing." - briefing Tuesday.

THE FACTS: She's cherry-picking. It's a Washington ritual to talk up favorable findings from the CBO and talk down negative ones.

She likes the office's budget projections because they anticipate a cut in the deficit and health-related taxes as a result of the legislation. She dislikes the nonbudget projections that anticipate a substantial rise in the uninsured.

But the two cannot be unlinked: A law's effects on the budget can only be forecast if analysts make assumptions on how that law changes people's behavior. The expectation that fewer people would buy health insurance under the Republican bill is central to measuring the bill's impact on federal finances.

The CBO is highly respected on Capitol Hill for its impartiality, and its projections, while sometimes far off, are considered more reliable than those by other analysts. But that doesn't stop partisans from assailing the office's credibility when it suits them - Democrats did the pummeling when they didn't like CBO forecasts on Obama's law.

As Republican Sen. Lindsey Graham of South Carolina put it earlier this year: "We like the CBO when they agree with us. When they don't, they're a bunch of losers."

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SEN. PAT ROBERTS, R-Kan., reaching for an analogy to illustrate how difficult it is to negotiate health care: "Once in Glacier National Park I saw two porcupines making love. I'm assuming they produced smaller porcupines. They produced something. It has to be done carefully. That's what we're doing now." - after GOP luncheon Wednesday.

THE FACTS: He is correct, porcupine mating is tricky and potentially prickly. But, unlike lawmakers, porcupines have their mission figured out.

Porcupine spines are an intimidating mechanism to protect the animals from predators. But when it comes time to mate, they have the ability to let down their defenses, said Duke University biologist Stuart Pimm. Courtship rituals can be aggressive but when the animals have negotiated the art of the deal, the females relax and reposition their quills.

It's not entirely different from people, Pimm said. "We humans are quite capable of arming ourselves with the most ferocious weaponry but I don't take my broadaxe to bed with me."

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Associated Press writers Josh Boak, Seth Borenstein, Ricardo Alonso-Zaldivar and Andrew Taylor in Washington; Blake Nicholson in Bismarck, North Dakota; and Doug Glass in Minneapolis contributed to this report.

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Find AP Fact Checks at http://apne.ws/2kbx8bd
LONDON (AP) - The British Airline Pilots Association is warning of a looming catastrophe unless drones are subject to tougher regulations.

The association demanded the compulsory registration of drones Monday after Gatwick Airport briefly closed its runway over safety concerns when a drone was spotted in the area.

Authorities diverted four EasyJet flights. One British Airways flight was sent to Bournemouth Airport.

The union's flight safety specialist, Steve Landells, says the incident shows "the threat of drones being flown near manned aircraft must be addressed before we see a disaster."

There have been several near-misses between drones and aircraft in Britain, with sheer chance averting collision in some cases.

Under British rules, a drone operator must be able to see it at all times and keep them away from planes, helicopters, airports and airfields.
MOSUL, Iraq (AP) - The Latest on developments in Iraq, where Iraqi forces are closing in on fast-vanishing IS-held territory in the city of Mosul (all times local):

4:50 p.m.

An Iraqi military officer says Iraqi troops battling to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group faced seven female suicide bombers.

Civilians flee through a destroyed alley as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Lt. Col. Salam Hussein, of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces says most of the suicide bombers in Mosul are now women with seven blowing themselves up on Monday alone.

As hundreds of civilians flee the country's second largest city, Iraqi forces face a daunting threat - suicide bombers hiding among civilians and blowing themselves up the moment they reach soldiers.

Salam says: "Seven women faced our units but thank god our units stopped these women suicide bombers. Some women exploded themselves on fleeing families. This is an evil and cowardly attempt by terrorists to inflict the greatest losses on civilians and security forces."

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3:55 p.m.

Officials say Islamic State group-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking.

After days of fierce battles, Iraqi military officers say IS now controls just over 1 square kilometer in all, or about 0.40 square miles.

Iraqi forces are on the cusp of full victory as the battle for the country's second-largest city nears its end. At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq, officials said Monday.

Iraqi forces launched an operation to retake the Old City neighborhood in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

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11:30 a.m.

An Iraqi provincial official says a suicide bomber, disguised in a woman's all-covering robe, struck inside a camp for displaced people in the western province of Anbar, killing at least 14.

Councilman Taha Abdul-Ghani says the attack took place at dusk on Sunday as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the Islamic State-held town of Qaim.

Abdul-Ghani says that a police colonel was among the dead. The officer became suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him - presumably to reduce the number of casualties - as he detonated his explosives.

The explosion also wounded at least 20 people.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of most of Anbar, and are now in the final stages of a major offensive in the northern city of Mosul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on IS, which has carried out similar attacks in the past.

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9:20 a.m.

An Iraqi officer says that two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul, killing one soldier and wounding several.

Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein says the attack was the latest by the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighborhood. The IS group's last stand in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with the militants now controlling just over 1 square kilometer in all.

Hussein says the attack happened on Monday morning in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque.

He said that over the past three days, at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of civilians flee the fierce fighting in the Old City's congested streets.

Iraqi Special Forces soldiers gather before advancing against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An Iraqi Special Forces soldier walks in the destroyed al-Nuri mosque complex as Iraqi forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

Iraqi civilians flee through a destroyed alley as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)

An exhausted Iraqi woman takes a break while fleeing through a destroyed street, as Iraqi Special Forces continue their advance against Islamic State militants, in the Old City of Mosul, Iraq, Sunday, July 2, 2017. (AP Photo/Felipe Dana)
COLOMBO, Sri Lanka (AP) - A coalition of opposition parties in the Maldives submitted a motion Monday signed by a majority of lawmakers seeking to oust the speaker of parliament and wrest control of the legislature.

The opposition said that the motion, against Speaker Abdulla Maseeh Mohamed, has gained the support of 45 lawmakers in the 85-member house and demonstrates that "the opposition coalition now commands a majority of seats in the legislature."

The motion deals a severe blow to President Yameen Abdul Gayoom, whose control over parliament was threatened by a new understanding between the Maldives' former strongman and its first democratically elected president, Mohamed Nasheed.

Soon after the submission of the motion, Nasheed posted a Twitter message calling on the president to resign.

"President Yameen has lost parliament, lost local council elections, lost the coalition that brought him to power. He has lost and should resign," the tweet said.

The main opposition Maldivian Democratic Party routed Gayoom's party in local council elections earlier this year.

A similar opposition bid to oust the speaker was thwarted in March when the government defeated it by 48 votes, with none opposing. At the time, opposition lawmakers were either evicted or walked out from a vote on ousting the speaker following a dispute over problems with the electronic voting system.

The coalition's plan to wrest the parliamentary majority was aimed at reforming the judiciary, elections commission and other bodies perceived as being partial toward Gayoom.

In March, Nasheed and former strongman Maumoon Abdul Gayoom and two other parties signed an agreement to form an opposition alliance. Maumoon runs a rival faction within the Progressive Party of Maldives, which is led by the current president, his half brother.

Nasheed was jailed in 2015 for 13 years for ordering the arrest of a senior judge when he was president in 2012. However, he traveled to Britain last year on medical leave and received asylum there. Three other leading politicians have also been jailed after trials criticized internationally for a lack of due process.

Gayoom is accused of rolling back many of the democratic gains since the Maldives became a multiparty democracy in 2008.
BANGKOK (AP) - Fearful that Thailand's new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers.

Labor regulations that took effect June 23 could give foreign workers without proper permits up to five years in prison, while their employers could face fines of up to 800,000 baht ($23,500).

Officials and workers' advocates estimated Monday that roughly 30,000 workers have returned home since the rules took effect.

A Thai immigration official checks on a vehicle before it leaves for Myanmar at Mae Sot Immigration office in Tak province Thailand, Monday, July 3, 2017. Fearful that Thailand's new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers. (AP Photo/Chiravuth Rungjamratratsami)

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, under pressure from industries employing the migrants, says he'll institute a 120-day extension of the deadline for worker registration.

Thailand has about 2.6 million foreign workers, mostly from its poorer neighbors Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Half are estimated to be working illegally. Many work in low-paying or dangerous jobs that Thais are reluctant to take, in fields such as construction, farming and fishing.

Thailand's Labor Rights Promotion Network, a migrant rights advocate group, estimates that more than 30,000 workers have gone back home and that the number will keep increasing if the government does not come out with measures to reassure workers of their rights and safety.

Police Col. Man Ratanaprateep, based in the northern Thai province of Tak, which borders on Myanmar, said that as of Monday, more than 23,000 workers had crossed back to Myanmar at the province's Mae Sot checkpoint alone, but others may have gone back at unofficial crossings.

The regulations have caused the loss of 40,000 to 80,000 migrant workers from the construction industry, according to Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Thai Contractors Association. He did not say how many workers left on their own, or how many were pushed out by nervous employers.

Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan told reporters that the government is likely to invoke Article 44 to extend the registration deadline. Article 44 of the constitution imposed by the military after it seized power in May 2014 gives the prime minister the authority to issue orders overriding any other branch of government to promote public order and unity.

The concerns of workers' advocates had a different focus.

"We found that many workers were told to leave, some without being paid, by their employers. Now, with such a massive outflow, the government is talking about the grace period," said Patima Tungpuchayakul of the Labor Rights Promotion Network, which is involved in the protection of migrant workers. "But the damage is already done. Poor migrant workers already are panicking and leaving the country. These are people who can't afford travel expenses or living without employment."

She noted that workers who left would face a new round of expenses should they seek to return to work legally, because they would have to come up with payment fees to employment agencies. This could force them to borrow money again, making their labor a way of paying off the debt, a cycle that is known as debt bondage.

"We are still discussing what we can do for these people who are coming back home to the country," said Myo Aung, a Labor Ministry official in Myanmar. "There are many of them coming in and I think there will be more."

Cambodia's embassy in Thailand issued a statement over the weekend urging Cambodian migrant workers to stay calm. It said the embassy and Labor Ministry officials were negotiating with Thai authorities, asking them not to crack down on sites where the Cambodian workers may be working illegally.

At least 1,000 Cambodians were reported to have returned home through eastern Thailand.

There was a mass exodus back home in 2014 of as many as 200,000 Cambodians working in Thailand after the newly installed junta in Bangkok announced plans to crack down on undocumented foreign workers and began deporting some after raids on worksites.

The numbers of those fleeing then swelled as unsubstantiated rumors circulated that Thai authorities had shot dead or beaten several Cambodian workers. Thai authorities denied the rumors and sought to quell concerns about a crackdown, adding that they had plans to systematize migrant labor.
PARIS (AP) - France, Germany and the EU's migration chief have pledged more money for Libya's coast guard and increased efforts to help Italy cope with a surge of migrant arrivals from Africa.

The French Interior Ministry said in a statement Monday that it also will work on a "code of conduct" for aid groups working in the Mediterranean.

The EU migration commissioner and German, French and Italian interior ministers held a crisis meeting Sunday night after Italy pleaded for European help. Some 10,000 migrants were rescued from the sea in recent days.

The officials promised additional money and training for the Libyan coast guard and to find ways to reinforce Libya's largely lawless southern border, which smugglers exploit to shuttle African migrants to Europe.
NICOSIA, Cyprus (AP) - Intensified talks to reunify the Mediterranean island nation of Cyprus wrapped up for the day Monday without a breakthrough as rival negotiators pored over documents outlining each side's stances on a raft of issues, including the thorny issue of security.

As a second week of negotiations began Monday at a Swiss resort, officials were trying to crack the issues that have blocked an accord since Cyprus was divided in 1974 when Turkey invaded after a coup mounted by supporters of union with Greece.

As well as trying to come up with a set of proposals to address the security arrangements for a reunified Cyprus, officials have a host of other issues to discuss, including how power will be shared between the Greek Cypriots and the Turkish Cypriots and how much territory each side will administer.

Tourist walks toward a blocked road with barrels and sandbags in the centre of the divided capital Nicosia, Cyprus, Monday, July 3, 2017. Negotiators in Cyprus peace talks are gearing up for a tough second week at a Swiss resort, with the rival sides submitting their positions in writing. Officials are trying to crack the most difficult issues blocking an accord, including agreeing on post-agreement security arrangements. (AP Photo/Petros Karadjias)

"I wish I could tell you that the situation is how we would've wanted it to be," the island's Greek Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades told reporters after an evening round of talks.

Anastasiades and Mustafa Akinci, the leader of the breakaway Turkish Cypriots, are joined at Crans-Montana by top diplomats from Cyprus' 'guarantors' - Greece, Turkey and Britain - whose input is pivotal to any agreement.

Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Kotzias said all sides are aware of their responsibilities to strike a deal that would allow Cyprus to become what U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres referred to as a "normal state." Officials said Guterres' presence at the talks last week helped nudge the process forward after several days when progress was slow.

Akinci repeated that this week will be decisive for the island's future.

Highlighting the intensity of talks, Cyprus government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides called out Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu for reportedly saying that the Greek side had "taken a step back" in their proposals while the Turkish side had taken "a step forward."

Christodoulides said the remark was "out of touch with reality" and likely made because the Turkish side may feel itself under pressure.

Key to an overall accord is what will happen to the 35,000-plus troops Turkey has kept in the island's Turkish Cypriot north since 1974. Greek Cypriots are prioritizing an agreement on security.

The minority Turkish Cypriots consider the troops as undergirding their security and want them to stay. Turkey has said a full troop withdrawal is a non-starter.

But Greek Cypriots, along with Greece, want all Turkish troops they see as a threat removed and military intervention rights accorded to the guarantors under the island's 1960 constitution abolished. They propose instead an international police force, backed by the U.N. Security Council, to keep the peace once the island is reunified.

Turkey's Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said Monday that Ankara "won't step back" on troops unless the Turkish Cypriots' security comes "under guarantee" and other outstanding issues are agreed first.

Turkish Cypriots want all remaining issues - including their demand to take turns holding the federal presidency with Greek Cypriots - to be negotiated in parallel in a give-and-take process.

Kurtulmus said Ankara also wants any accord to grant Turkish nationals the right to relocate and transfer money, services and goods to a reunified Cyprus.

Greek Cypriot officials are concerned granting such rights to citizens of a non-EU member country would render the small island of 1.1 million people vulnerable to being overwhelmed by its much larger neighbor economically, demographically or otherwise. Though the whole island is a member of the EU, only the Greek Cypriot south enjoys the benefits of membership.

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Associated Press writer Suzan Fraser in Ankara, Turkey, contributed to this report.
NORFOLK, Va. (AP) - Police in Virginia fatally shot a man after he shot and wounded an officer, authorities said Monday.

The shootings happened about 11:15 p.m. Sunday after officers responded to a report of a person with a weapon, Norfolk Police said in a statement.

When the officers arrived, they were told that a man was inside a nearby house with a gun, the statement said. When the officers tried to make contact with the man, he shot one of them, police said. Other officers on scene returned fire, striking the man, who died on the scene despite receiving first aid.

The injured officer was struck in his bulletproof vest. He was treated at a hospital and released.

The officers involved have been placed on administrative leave, as is customary, and Virginia State Police are investigating the shooting.

State police said in a statement that the man was white, but authorities were still trying to confirm his identity.

People in the neighborhood who encountered him for the first time in the hours before the shootings said he was acting paranoid and as if he was on drugs.

Angie Graupmann, 52, said Monday that a man who she believes is the same person approached her in her front yard Sunday night. She said he told her the police were after him and that his wife had called a hit man to kill him. He also said he'd been hiding in dumpsters for days.

"I thought he was crazy - that he was on drugs," she said. "He was really scary."

Sometime later, the man approached the residents of a small apartment complex across the street. Debra Wilson, 21, said she first saw him hiding under a staircase outside.

Wilson said he also told her about a hit man, and that he had been hiding "in the water" for days, possibly a reference to nearby Chesapeake Bay.

"His jaw was to the side of his face and his eyes were bugged out," Wilson said. "We offered to call police but he said 'no.' A neighbor gave him a cigarette, and he said, 'Thank you so much. I'm not here to hurt anybody.'"

Sometime later, Wilson said she saw the man sitting in a plastic chair in the dark with his legs crossed and holding something in his hand that she couldn't identify.

A neighbor called police. Wilson went inside her apartment. She said she believes the man entered the vacant unit next door, which had a busted window.

Wilson said police arrived and eventually moved the apartment complex's residents into one unit. About 30 minutes later, she said she heard yelling and about six gunshots.

Carissa Amador, 29, who lives a few doors down, said officers with shields and guns drawn had walked toward the apartment building.

Amador said she could hear the police ask the man if he was OK before the gunshots began.
News / National

by Staff reporter

GOVERNMENT is struggling to mobilise adequate resources to contain livestock diseases such as foot-and-mouth (FMD), which it needs to eradicate to be allowed to export beef to the European Union (EU), the Deputy Minister of Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development responsible for livestock production, Paddy Zhanda has said.The Deputy Minister said at the moment Zimbabwe remains banned from exporting beef to EU market.In an interview in Victoria Falls recently, Zhanda could not be drawn into revealing how much Government requires to fight the livestock diseases."We are not allowed to export beef. We will not export any beef for the time being because of the foot-and-mouth disease which continues to affect livestock in different parts of the country. Programmes to fight foot-and-mouth as well as other diseases such as New Castle and Anthrax are financed by Government but we have no resources to deal with them," said Zhanda.He said the country needs to completely eradicate diseases if it is to export to the EU market."We want to resume exports to the EU hence everything is being done to mobilise adequate resources to fight diseases," said Zhanda.He said the other challenge was that some farmers still nicodemously move livestock despite a ban on movement of cattle in affected areas.In May, Government launched Command Livestock programme and efforts are underway to resuscitate the Cold Storage Company.
Poland's government would like visiting President Donald Trump to make assurances this week that the presence of U.S. and NATO troops in Poland will continue as long as the region's security is threatened by Russia, the foreign minister said Monday.

Trump is to deliver a speech in Warsaw during a brief visit Thursday. The visit comes before Trump attends a G-20 summit in Germany, where he will meet Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Poland and other nations in the region that were under Moscow's dominance in the communist era are concerned for their security because of Russia's increased military activity, some of it close to their borders.

President Donald Trump will visit Warsaw this week, breaking with tradition by deciding to visit Poland, an ex-communist country in Europe, before traveling to Britain, France or Germany

Workers constructs a podium that Trump will speak from at the monument to the heroes of the 1944 Warsaw Rising against the occupying Nazi Germans, in Krasinski Square

Russian President Vladimir Putin is feeling pressure from the presence of NATO troops near the Polish-Russian border

Minister Witold Waszczykowski told reporters that Poland would like to hear Trump's assurances that the recently installed rotational presence of thousands of U.S. and NATO troops in Poland will continue. The deployments were decided by NATO and by the U.S. administration under former president, Barack Obama.

'We would like to hear that as long as the threat continues we will be supported by the U.S. and NATO troops,' Waszczykowski said.

Waszczykowski said he was less concerned about Trump's apparent reluctance to confirm NATO's Article 5, which says that an attack on one member is considered an attack on all, and pledges mutual defense.

The president eventually did confirm his commitment to the article in a news conference on June 9.

'I am more interested in the 5,000 U.S. troops than in the monthly confirmation, by the means of rhetoric, of Article 5,' Waszczykowski said, calling those concerns an 'artificially created issue.'

The U.S. Embassy in Warsaw is inviting Poles to attend Trump's speech saying on posters and on its website it will be a 'historic event.'

Trump, who will be accompanied by his wife Melania, is to meet Poland's President Andrzej Duda and leaders of 11 other nations who will be holding a summit of the so-called Three Seas Initiative.

The Royal Castle in Warsaw, Poland will serve as the site for a press conference Thursday with Trump and Polish President Andrzej Duda

The group is aiming to give a boost to the infrastructure and economy of the region between The Baltic, The Adriatic and The Black Sea. The goal requires significant investment, which the group will seek from the U.S.

The European Union is expected to be scaling down its funds for the region, also due to criticism of some policies, chiefly in Poland and in Hungary.

'This region needs investment and needs to be catching up (with Europe's West),' said Duda's foreign ministry aide, Krzysztof Szczerski.

'It will be harder and harder to obtain EU funds, the needs will be growing and the gap will need to be filled,' he said.

The talks will also tackle further military and armaments cooperation.
DETROIT (AP) - Unemployment is down, consumer confidence is up, and gas prices and interest rates are still low.

Even so, U.S. auto sales fell 3 percent last month.

It was the sixth straight monthly decline as sales dropped off last year's record pace. For the first six months, car and truck sales fell 2.1 percent, the first such decrease since the financial crisis in 2009.

In this Thursday, Jan. 12, 2017, photo, Chevrolet cars sit on the lot of a dealer in Pittsburgh. On Monday, July 3, 2017, automakers release monthly sales reports. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

But auto executives and industry analysts say it's no cause for panic. Sales are still strong and aren't expected to plunge anytime soon. Plus, buyers are still loading out trucks and SUVs with high-priced options, and that's likely to boost earnings, at least in Detroit.

Sales are falling largely because people who delayed car and truck purchases in the years since the Great Recession have bought new ones, says Jessica Caldwell, executive director of analysis for Edmunds.com. "We're kind of at the point where we don't have a boost from that," she says.

Also, auto companies are cutting lease deals as used-car values fall, curtailing another incentive to buy. And people with lower credit scores are feeling the pinch from lenders tightening standards a bit, sending many into the used car market, Caldwell says.

In June, Ford, General Motors, Fiat Chrysler and Hyundai all reported sales drops. Fiat Chrysler sales were down 7.4 percent, while Ford said its sales declined 5 percent. GM was off 4.8 percent and Korean automaker Hyundai posted a hefty 19.3 percent decrease. Nissan, Toyota and Honda each reported small increases on Monday, but they weren't large enough to offset declines in Detroit. Volkswagen brand sales rose 15 percent over depressed numbers from last June.

Autotrader senior analyst Michelle Krebs says the small first-half dip is not an indication of broader economic troubles. She doesn't expect a big recovery in the second half of the year, but also doesn't see a huge decline, predicting full-year sales from between 16.8 million to 17.3 million. That's still below last year's record of 17.55 million.

"We think the second half could be a little bit stronger than the first half was," says Krebs, who expects 2016 still to be the fifth-best year on record. "We don't see any imbalances that suggest anything is going to collapse."

U.S. buyers continued a trend they've been following for years, purchasing SUVs and trucks and shunning cars. Car sales fell 13 percent in June while trucks and SUVs rose 4 percent, according to Autodata Corp. Trucks and SUVs accounted for 63 percent of sales last month. Just five years ago they were less than half.

Sales of Toyota's Camry, normally the top-selling non-pickup truck in the U.S., fell nearly 10 percent. But Ford's F-Series pickup, the top-selling vehicle in America, rose nearly 10 percent.

Slowing car sales are good for consumers who are looking to buy a car, says Caldwell. Dealer inventories are growing before production cuts take effect and discounts are rising, so now is the time to buy.

Even with the sales decline, auto prices remain high, according to J.D. Power and LMC Automotive. The average vehicle sold for $31,720 in June, a record for the month, surpassing the old record of $31,073 set last year. But some automakers are having to raise discounts and sell more vehicles to rental car companies to keep their sales numbers up. The average incentive spend per vehicle in June was $3,661 in June, also a record for the month. Even spending on trucks and SUVs is up about $350 from last year, J.D. Power and LMC estimated.

The general manager of the Honda division in the U.S., Jeff Conrad, conceded that the competition is stiff. He said Honda posted an increase "against a sea of competitors clinging to market share via heavy incentives and fleet sales."

The shift toward cars is good news for companies that rely heavily on pickup trucks and SUVs such as Ford, GM and Fiat Chrysler.

Mark LaNeve, Ford's vice president of sales, said even though Ford's retail sales to individual customers were down 1 percent in the first half of the year, its revenue will be up because of strong sales of loaded-out pickup trucks.

The shift won't be such good news for brands like Hyundai, which is heavily dependent on car sales. Sales of Hyundai's Elantra compact car, normally among the brand's top-selling vehicles, fell more than 40 percent to just over 13,000. A year ago, Hyundai set a sales record for the month of June.
LANCASTER, Pa. (AP) - The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into an apparent natural gas explosion that destroyed a Pennsylvania home and killed a utility worker.

The UGI Utilities worker was checking out a reported gas odor when the house in Manor Township, near Lancaster, exploded about 12:15 p.m. Sunday.

Homeowner Jeannine Hughes says a UGI worker told her moments before the blast that natural gas readings near the home "were close to 100 percent."

The county coroner has yet to release the dead worker's name and didn't immediately return a call Monday.

Two other UGI workers were hurt and a local sewer worker was also injured. Hughes' family was unharmed.

Spokesman Christopher O'Neil says the NTSB has jurisdiction over any gas pipelines outside a residence or business.
LONDON (AP) - An 18-year-old student in northwestern England has been charged in a series of cyberattacks on the websites of nearly a dozen multinational firms.

Jack Chappell is accused of supplying software that crashes websites by flooding them with data and with running a help-desk for cyber criminals.

West Midlands Police said in a statement that "Chappell allegedly attacked the websites of T-Mobile, EE, Vodafone, O2, BBC, BT, Amazon, Netflix, Virgin Media and the National Crime Agency."

He is also accused of assisting hackers in a 2015 attack on NatWest.

The force's cybercrime unit worked with the FBI, Israeli Police and Europol's European Cybercrime Centre during the investigation.

Chappell has been charged alongside an American citizen.
FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) - A woman who was struck by lightning while she was pregnant remains in intensive care at a Florida hospital where her newborn also is being treated.

NBC2 reports 26-year-old Meghan Davidson was just seven days from her due date when she was struck in the head by a lightning bolt on Thursday while walking with her mother outside her home in Fort Myers. The television station reports doctors later delivered baby Owen, whose condition wasn't available.

The congregation at McGregor Baptist Church held a prayer vigil for Davidson, who has two other children, on Sunday. Church member Carol Bridges tells the station that Davidson has shown signs of improvement.

No further details were immediately available.
WASHINGTON (AP) - The annual July Fourth concert near the U.S. Capitol will include an appearance by two droids who fought for independence in a galaxy far, far away.

The two "Star Wars" characters will be on stage Tuesday evening while the National Symphony Orchestra plays John Williams' music from the beloved sci-fi movie. The performance will celebrate the 40th anniversary of "Star Wars," which was released in 1977.

R2-D2 and C-3PO are veterans of the Washington stage, having participated in the Kennedy Center Honors when "Star Wars" creator George Lucas received the award.

The July Fourth concert, known as "A Capitol Fourth," will also feature performances by the Beach Boys, the Four Tops and Trace Adkins, among others. John Stamos will host the show.
ROME (AP) - The Latest on the AP investigation into the Vatican children's hospital (all times local):

7:55 p.m.

Dr. Ashish Jha, director of Harvard University's Global Health Institute, says the number of problems identified at the Vatican's children's hospital by The Associated Press is "very unusual" and suggests the institution needs a complete overhaul.

FILE - In this Tuesday, July 18, 2016 file photo, from left, Mariella Enoc, president of Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital, and Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state, pray before an event to release the hospital's annual report at the Vatican. Parolin in 2014 authorized an independent task force of current and former hospital employees to report back to him on alleged medical and administrative problems at "the pope's hospital." (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

Jha said the diverse issues highlighted by the AP - including bringing children out of anesthesia early and a superbug outbreak that killed eight children in the cancer ward - would likely be addressed much quicker if they arose in the U.S.

He says "I would not expect to see this in a good American hospital, let alone a premier children's hospital."

Jha wasn't sure the Vatican could address such problems itself and called for an independent oversight body. He says "the Vatican is not in the business of running large numbers of hospitals."

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6:55 p.m.

The Vatican is denying there are any "serious threats" to the health of children at its Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital. But it says it welcomes efforts to improve care, "including reports of practices that might be below standard."

Spokesman Greg Burke responded Monday to an Associated Press investigation that revealed the Vatican itself investigated the hospital in 2014 after staff complained that medical protocols were being ignored and shortcuts taken under its past administration.

The three-month Vatican inquiry found the mission of "the pope's hospital" had been lost and was "today more aimed at profit than on caring for children."

Burke noted that a subsequent three-day visit by an American team determined the problems reported by the first Vatican task force were "unfounded" and said the hospital provided an "exceptional level of care" except for space shortages.

Burke said: "No hospital is perfect, but it is false and unjust to suggest that there are serious threats to the health of children at Bambino Gesu."

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4:40 p.m.

A prominent medical ethicist says that the allegations of poor practice at the Vatican's children's hospital, as detailed in an Associated Press investigation, are "unconscionable" if true.

Arthur Caplan, head of medical ethics at NYU School of Medicine, said it appeared that the Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital was an institution with "a very high reputation but somehow may have become complacent."

He said that the reports of problems including medications being used beyond the recommended time limit and children being brought out of anesthesia prematurely were extremely worrying.

Caplan told the AP that "these are inexcusable violations of children's rights."

He also said that "these allegations are so serious that we need to have an independent audit by child health care experts not connected in any way to either the Vatican or even Italy."

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4:20 p.m.

The Vatican press office isn't commenting on an Associated Press investigation that found that children were put at risk as the Vatican's pediatric hospital chased profits under a past administration.

The AP reported Monday that the Vatican authorized a secret inquiry in early 2014 that gathered testimony from dozens of current and former staff members of the Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital.

The Vatican investigation confirmed that the mission of "the pope's hospital" had been lost and was "today more aimed at profit than on caring for children." Doctors and nurses at the Vatican hospital were angry that corners were being cut, safety protocols were being ignored and sick children were suffering.

The Vatican didn't immediately comment Monday, though it previously provided AP with a second Vatican-commissioned report that found the employees' allegations were "disproved."

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11:30 a.m.

An Associated Press investigation finds the Vatican once authorized an inquiry of its showcase children's hospital that revealed its mission was "more aimed at profit than on caring for children."

For several weeks in early 2014, a secret Vatican-authorized task force of doctors and nurses from Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital found breaches of standard medical practice, heightened infection risk and management problems. Nine months later, a second Vatican investigation - led by a trio of American health professionals - inspected the hospital for three days and "disproved" the earlier findings, concluding the hospital was "best in class."

Though the inquiries reached different conclusions, the AP found under Bambino Gesu's past administration, children sometimes paid the price as the hospital expanded services and tried to make a money-losing Vatican enterprise profitable.

FILE - In this Thursday, Dec. 15, 2016 file photo, Pope Francis greets children from the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital. During the audience in the Vatican's Paul VI hall, Francis exhorted hospital caregivers not to fall prey to corruption, which he called the "greatest cancer" that can strike a hospital. "Bambino Gesu has had a history that hasn't always been good," the pope said, jettisoning his prepared remarks to decry the temptation to "transform a good thing like a children's hospital into a business, and make a business where doctors become businessmen and nurses become businessmen, everyone's a businessman!" (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

This Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 photo shows one of the entrances of the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital. Sharply divergent conclusions about conditions at the facility underscore the controversies and problems that have afflicted Italy's premier children's hospital, regarded as such a center of excellence and prestige that it draws top-notch surgeons to work and celebrities to visit. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

In this Thursday, July 21, 2016 photo, Florinda Galasso of Campobasso, southern Italy, shows the effects of a stroke she suffered during open-heart surgery at the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital in 2009. Her surgeon had emphasized a 95 percent success rate although Galasso would have been at higher risk for a stroke given her medical history and the rare procedure planned. She was left nearly paralyzed on her left side, can no longer drive, walks with difficulty and is nearly blind in her left eye. Galasso sued the hospital for lack of informed consent and won. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

In this Thursday, July 21, 2016 photo, Florinda Galasso of Campobasso, southern Italy, shows the scar from a tracheotomy after she suffered a stroke during open-heart surgery at the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital in 2009. Her surgeon had emphasized a 95 percent success rate although Galasso would have been at higher risk for a stroke given her medical history and the rare procedure planned. She was left nearly paralyzed on her left side, can no longer drive, walks with difficulty and is nearly blind in her left eye. Galasso sued the hospital for lack of informed consent and won. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

This Saturday, Nov. 26, 2016 photo shows the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital. Sharply divergent conclusions about conditions at the facility underscore the controversies and problems that have afflicted Italy's premier children's hospital, regarded as such a center of excellence and prestige that it draws top-notch surgeons to work and celebrities to visit. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

FILE - In this Friday, Feb. 15, 2013 file photo, Sister Carol Keehan speaks at an event on the tax implications of health care reform in Washington. In 2015, Keehan led a review of the Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital that "disproved" allegations of medical wrongdoing and concluded the hospital was in many ways "best in class." (Larry French/AP Images for The Tax Institute at H&R Block)

In this Sept. 10, 2016 photo, registered nurse Coleen McMahon, a specialist in pediatric program development, visits with a patient at a pediatric medical facility in Las Vegas. McMahon went to the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital in late 2013 to explore setting up a hospice program for terminally sick children. She wrote to Pope Francis to voice her concern about what she observed. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, authorized an independent task force including McMahon to investigate. After weeks of secret meetings, they issued a devastating report. (AP Photo/John Locher)

In this Sept. 10, 2016 photo, registered nurse Coleen McMahon, a specialist in pediatric program development, touches the hand of a patient at a pediatric medical facility in Las Vegas. McMahon went to the Vatican's Bambino Gesu hospital in late 2013, to explore setting up a hospice program for terminally sick children. She wrote to Pope Francis to voice her concern about what she observed. The Vatican secretary of state, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, authorized an independent task force including McMahon to investigate. After weeks of secret meetings, they issued a devastating report. (AP Photo/John Locher)

This illustration made available by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention in Atlanta depicts Pseudomonas aeruginosa bacteria. In March 2011, at a time when Bambino Gesu's cancer program was expanding, a 4-year-old with acute leukemia came down with an infection. Over the following 21 months, another 26 children caught the same superbug, an extremely drug-resistant form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the leading causes of blood infections and pneumonia in hospitals. Eight children died as the hospital worked to get the bug under control. (CDC via AP)

In this Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 photo, Federica Bianchi's twin sons play in their room at home in Rome. In October 2015, Bianchi brought Edoardo to Bambino Gesu's emergency room with breathing problems. He improved, but came down with another illness two days later that caused severe diarrhea and vomiting. After Edoardo's brother, Raffaello, caught the bug, Bianchi brought them twice to Bambino Gesu, but was sent home. Eventually another hospital diagnosed them with rotavirus, isolated them to contain the infection and put them on rehydration drips. "I went to Bambino Gesu because I thought it was the best hospital in Rome," Bianchi said. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

In this Thursday, Sept. 29, 2016 photo, Federica Bianchi talks with her twin sons at their home in Rome. In October 2015, Bianchi brought Edoardo to Bambino Gesu's emergency room with breathing problems. He improved, but came down with another illness two days later that caused severe diarrhea and vomiting. After Edoardo's brother, Raffaello, caught the bug, Bianchi brought them twice to Bambino Gesu, but was sent home. Eventually another hospital diagnosed them with rotavirus, isolated them to contain the infection and put them on rehydration drips. "I went to Bambino Gesu because I thought it was the best hospital in Rome," Bianchi said. (AP Photo/Domenico Stinellis)

This Tuesday, April 8, 2008 photo shows Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, the-then Vatican secretary of state. In 2016, the Vatican launched a criminal investigation into the 422,000 euros ($480,000) from Bambino Gesu hospital's fund-raising foundation that allegedly went to pay for renovations on Bertone's penthouse apartment. The Vatican placed Bambino Gesu's former President Giuseppe Profiti under investigation. Profiti, who was hired by Bertone, said he intended to use the apartment for fundraising events. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

FILE - In this Wednesday, May 24, 2017 file photo, U.S. First Lady Melania Trump plays with children during her visit to the Vatican's Bambino Gesu Pediatric Hospital. Sharply divergent conclusions from two Vatican-commissioned reports about conditions at the facility underscore the controversies that have afflicted Italy's premier children's hospital, regarded as such a center of excellence and prestige that it draws top-notch surgeons to work and celebrities to visit. (Remo Casilli/Pool Photo via AP)
CHICAGO (AP) - Famed Chicago-based theatrical producer Libby Adler Mages has died at the age of 93.

Daughter Wendy Mages says her mother died of a heart attack Sunday at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

The Chicago Sun-Times (http://bit.ly/2t8Qxw2 ) reports that during Mages' long career she won a Tony Award for her show "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and a Pulitzer Prize for "Three Tall Women."

This July 3, 2008 photo provided by Steven Silk shows Theatrical producer Libby Adler Mages. The famed Chicago-based theatrical producer died Sunday, July 2, 2017, at the age of 93. Mages' long career included a Tony Award for her show "Thoroughly Modern Millie" and a Pulitzer Prize for "Three Tall Women." (Steven Silk via AP)

Tony-winning producer Mick Leavitt praised Mages for all the support she gave to him and others at the beginning of their careers in the theater. And Mages' daughter, Mari Stuart, says that Mages had a lifelong love affair with the theater and kept working in theater until the day she died.

Besides her daughters, Mages is survived by son-in-law Jeb Stuart and three grandchildren.
ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia (AP) - The U.N. deputy secretary-general has praised a massive Chinese government infrastructure initiative during a speech to African leaders.

Amina Mohammed on Monday urged an African Union summit to take advantage of China's "Belt and Road" project, which aims to build a new "Silk Road" of ports, railways and roads to expand trade across Asia, Africa and Europe.

China's largest-ever foreign initiative has made governments including Russia, the United States and India uneasy that Beijing is using it to gain political influence. The initiative calls for global partners to invest more in Africa's infrastructure.

The Japanese prime minister's special adviser, Okamura Yoshifumi, told The Associated Press he wouldn't say Mohammed's comment was appropriate, but he said he didn't want to criticize it because it is a project that will benefit Africans.
TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - A budget impasse that shuttered government and state parks and beaches for three days headed toward a Fourth of July resolution after Republican Gov. Chris Christie said he would sign a deal he and the Democratic Legislature crafted.

Christie, who lounged with his family on a beach that was closed to the public over the weekend and was roundly criticized for it, said he was saddened the budget deal had come three days late but he'd sign it right away.

He rejected the idea that the aerial photos of him on the beach snapped by NJ.com had any effect on his negotiations.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walks from the podium following a news conference Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. Christie said late Monday he'll sign a budget deal and end a government shutdown that had closed state parks and beaches to the public. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

"There will be some people who say, 'It affected his negotiating ability,'" Christie said. "Let me tell you something, man, I got exactly what I wanted tonight. It doesn't affect my ability to do my job."

He said he had ordered all closed state parks to reopen for Independence Day. And he said state government will open on Wednesday and state workers will get a paid holiday Tuesday at his request.

Democratic Senate President Steve Sweeney and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto announced the budget deal late Monday. The deal calls for a $34.7 billion budget that includes more than $300 million in Democratic spending priorities and is part of an agreement to overhaul the state's largest health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.

The Assembly and the Senate approved the budget early Tuesday.

The Horizon legislation calls for annual audits of the nonprofit's reserve level, sets a range for reserves and requires excess to be spent on policyholders. The budget stalemate centered on Christie's desire for legislation to overhaul Horizon.

Without a budget, state parks were shut down along with other nonessential state services, including state courts and the motor vehicle offices where people go to get driver's licenses. Tens of thousands of state workers are furloughed.

Here's a closer look at the standoff over the budget:

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BATTLE OF EGOS

On the surface the budget stalemate revolved around Christie's desire to overhaul Horizon, but also in play were the strong personalities of the three principals responsible for passing the budget.

Christie, the brash, tell-it-like-it-is former federal prosecutor, has staked his final year as governor on overhauling the nonprofit insurer in exchange for his support of more than $300 million worth of Democratic spending priorities.

On Monday he declared victory, saying he had wanted since February to get reform of Horizon.

But the legislation was a far cry from the initial proposal, which would have allowed the state to use Horizon surplus to fund opioid treatment. Instead any surplus above a capped amount must go back to policyholders.

Christie said it was a win because there was no cap on surplus before he stepped in to regulate the company.

Sweeney is a former ironworker and current union boss as well as the top elected Democrat for the past eight years. He held the line on Horizon because he trusted Christie would make good on a gentleman's agreement not to line item veto Democratic priorities.

Sweeney's education funding plan, which includes about $150 million for new spending, remained intact.

And Prieto is a onetime plumber from Hudson County, long considered one of the state's hardest-edged political regions, known for old-school party boss politics. Prieto's speakership is under threat from another lawmaker who's announced a bid against him.

Prieto had said he opposed any action on Horizon but said Monday he helped bring Horizon into negotiations to model the deal on Pennsylvania's regulations of Blue Cross Blue Shield health insurers.

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STATE WORKERS FURLOUGHED

Hetty Rosenstein, the New Jersey director of the Communications Workers of America, the largest union of state government workers, said roughly 35,000 workers had been "locked out" since the shutdown began.

While most of the furloughs took effect Monday, many parks, motor vehicle commission staffers and others who work weekends have been off the job since early Saturday.

Rosenstein said it's unclear if furloughed workers will get back pay but "we certainly feel we're entitled to that."

Christie said Monday that state workers would, at his request, receive Tuesday as a paid holiday. He said he'd discuss back pay with the Legislature.

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Contact Catalini at https://twitter.com/mikecatalini

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Associated Press writers Bruce Shipkowski, in Trenton, and Wayne Parry, in Atlantic City, contributed to this story.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie speaks Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. Christie said late Monday he'll sign a budget deal and end a government shutdown that had closed state parks and beaches to the public. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie addresses the media as he announces that state parks will reopen after New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., and New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, N.J., announced an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse and its effects on parks and services, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature had shut down the state government and state parks. Now, Christie says the parks will reopen just in time for the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie walks in to address the media after New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., and New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, N.J., announced an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse and its effect on state parks and services, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature had shut down the state government and state parks. Now, Christie says the parks will reopen just in time for the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, from center left, D-West Deptford, N.J., Sen. Joseph F. Vitale, D-Woodbridge, N.J., and New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, D-Secaucus, N.J., stand together as they announce an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse and its effect on state parks and services, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature had shut down the state government and state parks. Christie said he had ordered all closed state parks to reopen for the Fourth of July. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, left, D-West Deptford, and New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, right, D-Secaucus,shake hands as they announce an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, left, D-West Deptford, listens to New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, right, D-Secaucus, as they talk in a hallway at the Statehouse before announcing an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, left, D-West Deptford, listens to New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, right, D-Secaucus, as they talk in a hallway at the Statehouse before announcing an agreement to end the New Jersey budget impasse Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) Chairman and CEO Robert A. Marino walks past media at the Statehouse Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) Chairman and CEO Robert A. Marino, left, addresses the media at the Statehouse Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, second right, D-Secaucus, N.J., walks with Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey (Horizon BCBSNJ) Chairman and CEO Robert A. Marino, fourth right, at the Statehouse Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, left, D-West Deptford, N.J., listens as Patrick Brannigan with the New Jersey Catholic conference addresses a gathering over the New Jersey budget impasse and its effect of services, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. Sweeney announced that even if there was an agreement in the legislature, the budget impasse would not end Monday. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., announces that even if there was an agreement in the legislature, the budget impasse would not end today, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., announces that even if there was an agreement in the legislature, the budget impasse would not end today, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., announces that even if there was an agreement in the legislature, the budget impasse would not end today, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

New Jersey Senate President Steve Sweeney, D-West Deptford, N.J., walks in the Statehouse after announcing that even if there was an agreement in the legislature, the budget impasse would not end today, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Trenton, N.J. New Jersey's budget stalemate between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and the Democrat-controlled Legislature is smoldering with the state government shut down and state parks closed to the public as the Fourth of July approaches. (AP Photo/Mel Evans)

In this Sunday, July 2, 2017, photo, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, uses the beach with his family and friends at the governor's summer house at Island Beach State Park in New Jersey. Christie is defending his use of the beach, closed to the public during New Jersey's government shutdown, saying he had previously announced his vacation plans and the media had simply "caught a politician keeping his word." (Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)
News / National

by Staff reporter

OPPOSITION National People's Party (NPP) leader, Joice Mujuru has lashed out at critics of her decision to ink various pre-elections deals, in the process taking a dig at MDC-T leader, Morgan Tsvangirai, as the two parties haggle on the best coalition approach.Mujuru - who a few months ago signed a memorandum of understanding with Tsvangirai as part of a process to form a grand coalition ahead of elections expected next year - last week joined the Coalition of Democrats (Code) in a move that attracted a backlash from other opposition parties, who accused her of being indecisive.In a statement by NPP secretary-general-designate, Gift Nyandoro, Mujuru literally called Tsvangirai's bluff, saying the MDC-T leader could not claim all the glory.Nyandoro demanded respect for Mujuru and her party, describing coalitions as a temporary pact."There is never anything called professional opposition," he said."From the day (the) National People's Party led by Joice Teurai Ropa Mujuru signed a memorandum of understanding with the MDC-T, it was clear in its mind that it is only through a genuine coalition of democrats that the Zanu PF regime is assured of leaving the throne of State House come the 2018 watershed elections."To demonstrate her humility and commitment, Mujuru signed the document on behalf of the NPP at Morgan Tsvangirai's residence, which humility and gesture of putting the country first has been regrettably misinterpreted by political prophets of doom as a sign that the NPP is second fiddle to (the) MDC-T."Such thinking is very unfortunate both in its primitive and archaic deficiency of the need to put the wishes of Zimbabweans above the selfish interests."Insiders claim MDC-T wants a lean coalition, yet Mujuru wants a broad one including peripheral parties and this has led to clashes."NPP is cognisant of the heroic efforts of colleagues of the united MDC in opening democratic space and discourse in this country," Nyandoro said."NPP does not only limit that recognition to Morgan Tsvangirai, but other comrades like Welshman Ncube, Tendai Biti, Elton Mangoma, Priscilla Misihirambwi-Mushonga, Lucia Matibenga, (Settlement) Chikwinya, Solomon Madzore and others, who are now in different political formations."The struggle is never about personalities, but the people. If, NPP joining hands with fellow Zimbabweans, who believe in liberating Zimbabwe, like Dumiso Dabengwa, Simba Makoni and others mentioned above is a crime, then NPP stands guilty as charged and Mujuru's understanding of coalition would, therefore, be different from the one contemplated by prophets of doom."Nyandoro said opposition parties needed to build trust before a grand coalition becomes a reality."NPP is alert to the fact that coalescing of multi-opposition parties is never an easy task. It's a grand course of action that requires unparalleled fortitude. It is never an event, but a well-thought-out process, which is unfortunately running against time," he said."The elaborate nature of the task involves cultivation of faith and confidence amongst the parties involved. It calls for disciplined engagement of competing ideological thought processes, mature evaluation of the intended destination and the need for bona fide and reflective association."Regrettably, it is this painstaking process that detractors of the people's liberation have sought to interpret with tongue-poisoned arteries."Nyandoro said Mugabe had poisoned the political environment and opposition forces needed to be alert to "political misfits and midgets peddling falsehoods that seek to divide and poison the relationship between NPP and MDC-T on the basis of conspiracy theories".
URBANA, Ill. (AP) - The Latest in the alleged kidnapping of a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China (all times local):

11:05 a.m.

A federal judge in Illinois has ordered a man accused of kidnapping a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China to be held without bond.

This undated photo provided by The University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang, a Chinese woman from a central Illinois university town, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017. (Courtesy of the University of Illinois Police Department via AP)

Monday's brief hearing was the first court appearance for 28-year-old Brendt Christensen since he was charged on Friday in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities have said they believe the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body has not been found.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reports that Christensen - clad in an orange jumpsuit - didn't speak during the nine-minute hearing other than to acknowledge that he understood his rights.

Christensen is scheduled to attend a bond hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long on Wednesday. A preliminary hearing is scheduled for July 14.

Christensen is accused of abducting Zhang in Urbana on June 9.

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10:45 a.m.

Hundreds of people are gathering outside a federal courthouse where a hearing is being held for a man charged in the kidnapping of a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China.

Authorities believe the scholar, Yingying Zhang, is dead. Her body has not been found.

The Champaign News-Gazette also reports that U.S. Magistrate Judge Eric Long moved Brendt Allen Christensen's first court hearing to a larger courtroom to accommodate his family and Zhang's relatives.

Christensen is accused of abducting the 26-year-old woman on June 9 as she headed to sign a lease for an apartment. The criminal complaint says that Zhang was late for the appointment and that after she was unsuccessful in flagging down a bus, she got into a car driven by the 28-year-old Christensen.

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12:10 a.m.

A 28-year-old will make his initial court appearance on a federal charge of kidnapping a visiting University of Illinois scholar from China who authorities believe to be dead.

Brendt Allen Christensen is to appear Monday in a U.S. district court in Urbana, not far from the Urbana-Champaign campus in central Illinois.

The Champaign man is accused of abducting 26-year-old Yingying Zhang on June 9 as she headed to sign a lease for an apartment. Her body hasn't been found.

Federal judges typically use initial hearings to make sure a suspect understands the charges. Defendants usually enter a plea only later at arraignment.

The criminal complaint says Zhang was running late and tried unsuccessfully to flag down a bus. It says minutes later, she got into a car driven by Christensen.

This photo provided by the Macon County Sheriff's Office in Decatur, Ill., shows Brendt Christensen, the suspect in the kidnapping of visiting University of Illinois Chinese scholar Yingying Zhang. At Christensen's first court appearance at federal court in Urbana, Ill., Monday, July 3, 2017, a judge ordered Christensen held without bond. Authorities said facts in the case indicate the Zhang is dead, although her body hasn't been found. (Macon County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Yingying Zhang's father Ronggao Zhang, left, and her friend Xiaolin Hou carry the banner as community members join together to walk for Yingying, a Chinese scholar who went missing three weeks ago, Thursday, June 29, 2017, in Urbana, Ill. Illinois students and others from the wider community are gathering at the Urbana-Champaign campus to show support for the Chinese scholar who disappeared three weeks ago. (Holly Hart/The News-Gazette via AP)

This undated photo provided by the University of Illinois Police Department shows Yingying Zhang. Police said the FBI is investigating the disappearance of Zhang, a Chinese woman from a central Illinois university town, as a kidnapping. Zhang was about a month into a yearlong appointment at the University of Illinois' Urbana-Champaign when she disappeared June 9, 2017. (Courtesy of the University of Illinois Police Department via AP)
Hoaxer: Tristan Szente, 22, of Wisconsin, has admitted that most of the claims in his new self-published memoir are fake

A young author from Wisconsin has confessed that he falsified most of the claims in his self-published memoir detailing the aftermath of a motorcycle crash and a health scare involving a rare illness.

Tristan C Szente's memoir, Becoming Me ... Again: A True Story, includes descriptions of how a 2014 bike accident in La Crosse left him in a coma with a dozen broken bones, a concussion and second-degree burns.

He wrote in his autobiography, published in November 2016, that a doctor told him when he woke from his coma that the authorities were trying to find the person who hit him and two police officers interviewed him.

He also described how he defeated a rare brain virus that doctors said would kill him.

The La Crosse Tribune reported on Friday that police have no record of an accident involving Szente and have no record of any contact with him in 2014 or around.

No one called 911 on the day of the crash to report it and ambulance records show no crash victim was transported to a hospital.

Bogus wunderkind: Szente released his first book, Becoming Me (...Again) in November 2016. Billed as a memoir, the book talks about the author's near-fatal bike crash and subsequent health crisis and recovery

Szente, 22, told the newspaper he was involved in a motorcycle crash in 2014 or 2015 but didn't report it and sought medical help days later for a concussion, burns and cuts.

He declined to release his medical records but acknowledged that the hospital scene he described never took place.

He also told the newspaper he was never diagnosed with a brain virus.

'I wanted to write something positive. I foolishly and wrongfully let it get out of hand,' he said. 'I just kept writing. I'm sorry. I should never have done it.'

Confession: Szente, a university student, said he wanted to write 'something positive' and got carried away

Szente self-published his book through Rosedog Books, a Pittsburgh-based publishing house, and it was priced between $9 to $12 for a paperback and $7 for an ebook on Amazon.com, though it was not immediately known how many copies he sold.

He broke his contract in April and chose to remove the book from print, saying he wanted to make substantial changes and re-publish later, Rosedog Books spokesman Michael Knapp told the Tribune.

DailyMail.com contacted Rosedog Books on Monday and left a message asking for a comment.

Szente said he removed the book from publication because it was becoming a distraction but later added the falsifications could also be a reason for ending publication.

According to Szente's LinkedIn page, the first-time author is a rising junior at Western Governors University, where he enrolled in 2016 to pursue a Bachelors degree in special education and teaching.

A description of his debut book on Amazon.com reads: Tristan wrote this book in hopes to inspire individuals to go out and chase their own dreams again. He believes that every single being has a story and that those stories should be shared. He also believes that this world is full of dreams, waiting to be realized and expressed by those courageous enough to chase them.

In an interview with the station WEAU13 in March, Szente explained his blunt approach as a writer of non-fiction.

'You can't really sugarcoat the aspect of potenially dying.... and the more I thought about writing my story, the more that just seemed like the right route to go.'

Liar, liar: Szente, pictured during a TV interview in March, admitted that he was never diagnosed with a mysterious brain virus

In April, months before he was unmasked as a literary hoaxer, Szente credited his mythical 2014 bike accident with his burgeoning writing career.

'Not everyone is given a second chance. Its given me significant appreciation of basically everything now, he said at the time.

In that interview, Szente told a colorful tale about how, in the midst of his health crisis, a friend made a bet with him that if he survived, he had to write a book about his experience.

After suffering through what he described as round after round of painful spinal taps, biopsies and treatments with experimental drugs that made him feel like a guinea pig, Szente was informed in October 2015 that he was cured of his mystery ailment.

Cautionary tale: Oprah Winfrey famously threw author James Frey (left) out of her book club in 2006 after he acknowledged fabricating parts of his bestselling memoir A Million Little Pieces (right)

He then spent the next five months writing the 100-page book, which he then self-published after getting feedback from a former professor. Within two weeks, Rosedog Books reached out to Szente and offered him a publishing deal.

Its gotten surprisingly good reception, [which has] given me confidence, Szente said in April. Its generally very warm and inviting, including some constructive criticism and anticipation of more work to come.

The 22-year-old told the paper he was working on three new books, including a sequel to his memoir titled Finding Happiness, and aspired to become a professional author.

'You can't really sugarcoat the aspect of potetially dying.... and the more I thought about writing my story, the ore that just seemed like the right route to go.'

Oprah Winfrey famously threw author James Frey out of her book club in 2006 after he acknowledged fabricating parts of his bestselling 2003 memoir A Million Little Pieces.
Rumer Willis is celebrating six months of being sober.

The daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore says on Instagram that she's "never been more proud" of herself after what she calls "the long journey."

Rumer Willis guest starred in four episodes of Fox's "Empire" earlier this year. She's also known for winning Season 20 of ABC's "Dancing with the Stars" in 2015. Willis has ventured into music recently. She went on tour with a cabaret-style show last year.

FILE - In this Sept. 22, 2016, file photo, actress-singer Rumer Willis poses for a portrait in Los Angeles. Willis announced on Instagram July 1, 2017, that she was six months sober. (Photo by Rich Fury/Invision/AP, File)

The 28-year-old's younger sister, Tallulah, got sober after entering rehab for substance abuse and an eating disorder in 2014.
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey on Monday condemned what it called an "excessive act" by Greece after Greek coast guards fired on a Turkish freighter ship near the Greek island of Rhodes.

The freighter's captain, Haluk Sami Kalkavan, told Turkish media on Monday that the Greek coast guards approached his vessel in international waters, demanded that it dock at a port in Rhodes and fired on it when he refused. He said his crew counted 16 bullet holes on the vessel but the ship was not in danger of sinking.

The Greek Coast Guard said it tried to stop the vessel following "an anonymous telephone complaint" that it was carrying narcotics. It said the ship was in Greek waters.

"Warning shots were fired but the ship did not change course," the Greek Coast Guard said. "The competent Turkish authorities have been informed of the incident."

The Turkish Foreign Ministry issued a strong condemnation over the incident, accusing Greece of "disregarding human life."

It added: "There is no explanation that can justify shooting at a commercial and therefore unarmed ship that is sailing between two Turkish ports."

The state-run Anadolu Agency said the Turkish coast guard dispatched two boats while the navy sent an assault boat to the region following the incident. The boat was being accompanied back to Turkish waters where the crew would be questioned.

NATO allies Greece and Turkey have a series of unresolved territorial disputes, including maritime boundaries. More recently, Turkey has been angered by Greek court decisions against extraditing military officials who escaped to Greece after last year's failed military coup.
The father of a five-year-old boy whose body was found near a Southern California lake pleaded not guilty to a murder charge Monday.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., hands shackled at his waist, appeared before Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Cathryn Brougham, who set bail at $10 million and scheduled a preliminary hearing for August 16.

Authorities have alleged Andressian killed his son, Aramazd Andressian Jr., to get back at his estranged wife.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., who is accused of killing his five-year-old son, sits in a courtroom after pleading not guilty to a murder charge in Alhambra, California on Monday

Prosecutors say Andressian (left) killed his son (right) in a plot to get back at his estranged ex-wife

Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Cathryn Brougham presides over the arraignment for Andressian on Monday

Andressian was returned to Los Angeles County last week from Las Vegas, where he was arrested.

Defense attorney Ambrosio Rodriguez said outside court that a blue smock his client wore during the arraignment was a suicide-prevention garment and that he was being evaluated by a jail psychiatrist.

Andressian is 'in a state of shock,' said the attorney, who declined to answer questions about the case.

Authorities say homicide detectives discovered the remains of the boy near Lake Cachuma in Santa Barbara County on June 30. He had been missing for more than two months.

Investigators believe Andressian killed his son sometime after he was seen leaving Disneyland the morning of April 21

In this April 25, 2017, file photo released by Los Angeles Sheriff Department, homicide detectives continue their investigation at Lake Cachuma Recreation looking for Aramazd Andressian Jr's body

'We are all grieving right now,' Shaun Estevez, the boy's uncle, said after the arraignment. 'We're really hurting.'

He said his sister, the boy's mother, is still trying to come to grips with her son's death.

'We're here for justice for Piqui,' he said, using the boy's nickname. 'He was a great kid.'

In this May 17, 2017, file photo, Ana Estevez, center, the mother of Aramazd Andressian Jr. cried during a press conference about her missing son

Estevez said 'no words could describe' seeing Andressian in court

Estevez said 'no words could describe' seeing the father in court.

Investigators think the boy was killed early April 21 after a trip to Disneyland.

Police had searched for the boy since his father was found passed out in a park in South Pasadena on April 22. Andressian had taken prescription pills and was found in a car doused in gasoline in an apparent suicide attempt, sheriff's officials said.

Andressian told authorities that he drove that day about 145 miles (233 kilometers) to Lake Cachuma. Before finding the remains, authorities had twice previously searched the lake unsuccessfully, using dogs and a dive team.

Andressian is escorted off a plane in shackles after landing at the Long Beach Airport on Friday
SAO PAULO (AP) - Police in Brazil arrested a close ally of President Michel Temer on Monday on suspicion of obstruction of justice for allegedly trying to block plea bargain deals that could further sink the country's scandal-plagued administration.

Geddel Vieira Lima was a minister for legislative affairs until November, when he was forced to resign after another minister accused him of influence peddling. He has been a close friend of Temer's for decades and is implicated in a series of corruption scandals.

Federal prosecutors said in a statement that Lima tried to silence former lower house Speaker Eduardo Cunha and broker Lucio Funaro, who worked as fundraisers for Temer's centrist Brazilian Democratic Movement Party. Prosecutors accuse Lima of paying hush money.

FILE - In this Nov. 22, 2016 file photo, Legislative Affairs Minister Geddel Vieira Lima meets with lawmakers at the presidential palace in Brasilia, Brazil. The close ally of embattled President Michel Temer has been arrested for alleged obstruction of justice, according to a police statement on Monday, July 3, 2017. In November 2016 Lima was forced to resign. (AP Photo/Eraldo Peres, File)

In his decision ordering Lima's arrest, federal judge Vallisney de Souza Oliveira said he could be hiding up to $6 million in alleged bribe money from Funaro.

Lima's attorney, Gamil Foppel, said the arrest was "absolutely unnecessary" and that his client was cooperating with investigators.

The probe focused on Lima's time as vice president of state-run bank Caixa Economica Federal between 2011 and 2013, when investigators believe he fraudulently channeled funds to politicians.

Prosecutors allege that Lima ensured Cunha and Funaro received bribes and that he repeatedly called Funaro's wife to ask whether he intended to strike a plea bargain.

Temer, whose popularity is at single-digits, is already at risk of being suspended from office if the lower house authorizes a corruption investigation against him. Suspension would require a two-thirds super majority to send the case to the Supreme Court, with a vote expected in late July.

Top prosecutor Rodrigo Janot is also investigating the president on two other counts: obstruction of justice and criminal organization. Much of the evidence has come through plea deals.

Lima is the second ex-Cabinet official from Temer's administration to be arrested in less than a month. Two weeks ago former tourism minister Henrique Eduardo Alves was jailed in connection with an alleged corruption scheme involving a football stadium built for the 2014 World Cup.

Also Monday the presidency's ethics committee opened investigations into Temer's communications and trade ministers, both of whom are accused of corruption and deny any wrongdoing.

The committee does not have the power to remove them from office, but the probes are further embarrassments for Temer.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - Two of the nation's top credit-ratings agencies signaled Monday that it would be a good idea for Gov. Bruce Rauner to accept the results of climactic weekend action to resolve the nation's longest budget stalemate since the Great Depression, but with Democrats trumpeting progress, there was only silence from minority Republicans who fear their governor's agenda will be steamrolled.

Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings, having earlier threatened to toss Illinois' creditworthiness into "junk" status without swift action to approve a budget, smiled favorably Monday on the financial outlook. Fitch described as "concrete progress" Sunday's 72-45 vote in the House of Representatives for a 32 percent increase in the income tax rate to bump up state revenue by $5 billion a year, along with a $36 billion spending outline.

Minutes after Sunday's House vote, Rauner promised a veto. On Monday, Chicago Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan pledged an override. The fireworks could begin soon. Senate President John Cullerton of Chicago scheduled Tuesday morning votes on whether to accept House changes to the budget legislation, concurrence action necessary to send them to Rauner's desk.

Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, looks up towards the video boards during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois has entered its third consecutive fiscal year without a budget plan because Rauner has resisted inking a deal without business- and political-climate changes to boost commerce, restore political faith and relieve local property-tax owners.

Ratings agencies, having had particular interest in Illinois even prior to the current mess, are monitoring the potentially disastrous side effects: A $6.2 billion annual deficit, $14.7 billion in past-due bills, and the parceling out of payments to service providers that prompted a federal judge on Friday to order the state to pay nearly $300 million more per month owed to managed-care Medicaid providers.

Fitch and S&P put Illinois' bond rating at "BBB-minus," or one step above "junk," a designation that would signal to investors that buying Illinois debt is a speculative venture. Moody's Investors Service was closed Monday for the holiday.

The favorable announcements provided a momentary respite from the brinksmanship. Madigan said he was pleased with the credit-rating news. But the agencies expressed caution.

"If a budget is enacted, the degree to which it closes the state's structural deficit, provides a pathway for addressing the backlog of unpaid bills, and its impact on cash flows, will be important factors in our review of its effect on Illinois' credit quality," the S&P analysis read.

Fitch wants to see a full-year spending plan, not a stop-gap measure like the one that financed Illinois government for just the last six months of 2016.

"Temporary or partial measures, or a failure to enact a budget within the context of this session, would result in a downgrade," it said.

But Republicans were missing from view in the Capitol Monday after accusing the Democrats of shoving the tax increase down their throats without any action on Rauner's structural changes such as cost-cutting to the compensation program for injured workers and a statewide property tax freeze.

In what's been a 13-day special session that began in late June, Democrats and Republicans have negotiated those issues, but the GOP claims talks broke down over the weekend in advance of Madigan calling the budget votes. Madigan said Monday they're ongoing.

"We worked with Republicans today on those issues; we'll continue to work with the Republicans on those issue until they're resolved," Madigan said.

Republicans appear unconvinced. Rauner spokeswoman Catherine Kelly said the speaker is "clearly trying to distract from his 32 percent permanent tax hike." Spokeswomen for Senate Minority Leader Bill Brady and House Minority Leader Jim Durkin would not say why the two men didn't attend today's meeting, but Durkin's office said he would not attend Tuesday. Brady's spokeswoman indicated without all leaders attending, Brady won't either.

The absences raised questions in Cullerton's mind about where negotiations, particularly on the tangential Rauner demands, stand.

"We have to do something," Cullerton said. "The House has acted but we'd prefer to do it in agreement with Republicans."

___

The budget bills are SB6 and SB9 .

___

Associated Press writer Sophia Tareen contributed from Chicago.

___

Contact Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor. His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/john%20o'connor

Illinois Stater Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, speaks during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois State Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, yells during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois House Minority Leader Jim Durkin, R-Western Springs, right, talks with Illinois State Rep. Tim Butler, R-Springfield, left, on the floor during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, listens from comments from the Republican side of the aisle during a debate during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, listens during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, speaks during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois Speaker of the House Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, listens to the final debate on Senate Bill 9 during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois State Rep. Steve Andersson, R-Geneva, left, talks with Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, right, on the floor of the Illinois House during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, speaks with reporters after a leaders meeting at the Capitol, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. Madigan said he would work to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of the tax hike that passed the House on Sunday. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois Senate President John Cullerton, D-Chicago, speaks with reporters after a leaders meeting at the Capitol, Monday, July 3, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, speaks with reporters after a leaders meeting at the Capitol, Monday, July 3, 2017. Madigan said he would work to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of the tax hike that passed the House on Sunday. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, speaks with reporters after a leaders meeting at the Capitol Monday, July 3, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. Madigan said he would work to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of the tax hike that passed the House Sunday. (Ted Schurter/The State Journal-Register via AP)

Illinois State Rep. Greg Harris, D-Chicago, walks through the empty floor of the Illinois House as they prepare to vote on an income tax increase bill during the overtime session at the state Capitol, Sunday, July 2, 2017, in Springfield, Ill. The Illinois House has approved on Sunday an income tax increase as part of a plan to end the nation's longest budget standoff. (Justin L. Fowler/The State Journal-Register via AP)
GUATEMALA CITY (AP) - Authorities in Guatemala have regained control at a juvenile detention facility that was hit by rioting after two teenage inmates apparently committed suicide.

Police launched tear gas canisters while inmates threw stones at the Guatemala City lockup on Monday. Interior Minister Francisco Rivas said about 10 inmates escaped during the riot, but six had been recaptured.

National Civil Police spokesman Jorge Aguilar said that the two apparent suicide victims were 18-year-olds. They were both serving time for gun possession and appear to have hanged themselves with bed sheets.

Police officers escort recaptured inmates of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

They were being held in an area that holds mainly members of the Barrio 18 street gang.

The rioting juveniles occupied the roof of the facility in the capital demanding improved conditions, including conjugal visits.

In March, a fire at a government facility for abused children killed 41 girls.

A juvenile inmate is attended by a medic and interrogated by a police officer, after he was injured during the recapture of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas by police, in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Rioting juvenile inmates stand on the roof of one of the buildings of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. The riot began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A woman confronts a police officer outside the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas demanding information regarding her relative, in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot began at the center when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A recaptured inmate of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas waits to be taken to a court, aboard a bus in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Recaptured inmates of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas, belonging to the Mara 18 gang, show gang signs aboard a bus in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Police officers escort a recaptured inmate of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Police officers escort a recaptured inmate of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Recaptured inmates of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas talk with reporters as they wait to be taken to a court, aboard a bus in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Police officers escort recaptured inmates of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A juvenile inmate is attended by a medic and interrogated by a police officer, after he was injured during the recapture of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas by police, in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot at the center began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Rioting juvenile inmates catch water packets as they stand on the roof of one of the buildings of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. The riot began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Parents and family members stand outside the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas demanding information regarding their relatives, in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. A riot began at the center when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Rioting juvenile inmates stand on the roof of one of the buildings of the Juvenile Correctional Center Gaviotas in Guatemala City, Monday, July 3, 2017. The riot began when two inmates were found hanging in an apparent suicide, according to authorities. Apart from the two dead, 10 other inmates are reported to have escaped from the center. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (AP) - A rapper shot someone in the neck days before performing at a concert in Little Rock that was the site of a shooting that left 28 people injured, federal prosecutors said Monday.

U.S. Attorney's Office spokeswoman Paulette Chappelle said Ricky Hampton, also known as Finese2Tymes, screamed at a person he believed was blocking his way on June 25 as Hampton was trying to leave Club Envy in Forrest City, Arkansas.

Chappelle said the Memphis, Tennessee, rapper entered his vehicle and continued screaming at the person, who was driving another vehicle before firing an "AK-style pistol," shattering the rear window and striking the person in the neck.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, left, and a resident who calls himself simply "Brother Larry" hold hands during a prayer following a news conference by an anti-violence group in front of a police station in Little Rock, Ark., Sunday, July 2, 2017. The group is calling for calm, plus additional resources to combat poverty and crime, after gunfire at a club on Saturday left over a dozen injured. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

Then Saturday, a shooting at Little Rock's Power Ultra Lounge where Hampton was performing left 28 people hurt.

Hampton was arrested about 24 hours later in Alabama on outstanding charges of aggravated assault with a gun out of Forrest City in eastern Arkansas, the U.S. Marshals Service said.

Cliff LaBarge with the U.S. Marshals Service in Alabama said two handguns and an assault rifle were seized from the Mercedes in which Hampton and another man were riding at the time of their early Sunday arrest. Hampton was about to perform at an Alabama club when he was taken into custody.

According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Arkansas, a complaint has been filed against Hampton for being a felon in the possession of firearms. He remained in jail without bond Monday morning in Birmingham.

In 911 calls from the Little Rock shooting that were released to The Associated Press on Monday through an open records request, the scene sounds panicked and chaotic after shots were fired inside the nightclub. More than a dozen people called 911 after the shooting, and screams could be heard in the background in some calls.

No one could identify the shooter when asked by 911 operators. When asked if she saw the shooter, one woman replied: "No, I was at the back of the club but I know the rappers that came in, they had guns."

The volley of gunfire inside the Power Ultra Lounge came so fast that investigators believe multiple people had to have been involved. Little Rock Police Chief Kenton Buckner credited quick work by first responders for there being no fatalities.

Little Rock police said in a statement Monday that they have interviewed Hampton in Alabama, and that the investigation is ongoing.

A message posted on the rapper's Facebook page Saturday offered thoughts and prayers for those injured: "THE VIOLENCE IS NOT FOR THE CLUB PEOPLE. WE ALL COME WITH 1 MOTIVE AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND THATS TO HAVE FUN."

Ronald L. Davis Jr., an attorney representing Power Ultra Lounge owner Herman Lewis, said security must not have followed protocol and that hired security guards are supposed to check everyone who enters the venue by hand and with magnetic wands.

Police in Little Rock have released reports from 33 times they've responded to the club's address since April 2016, including for complaints of shots fired, aggravated assault and theft.

City officials said they would move Monday to shut down the club under a "criminal abatement" program. State regulators suspended the club's liquor license Saturday, and a representative for the landlord's office later posted an eviction notice on a door to the club.

Davis said his client won't try to fight the closure of his club and is cooperating with law enforcement and city officials.

"Mr. Lewis is just as upset about this as everyone else," he said.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said he and Gov. Asa Hutchinson planned to form a task force in response to the club shooting and other recent violent incidents in the city. Stodola said he hoped the panel would look at increasing monitoring of parolees released in the community as well as efforts to keep guns out of felons' hands.

"Certainly, from a broader context, we're reaching out to the community in a variety of ways, asking for their participation and help, whether it's helping to mentor a child that needs direction or whether it's helping a felon that's been released that needs to find some gainful employment," Stodola said. "We're trying to work both ends of the spectrum, the people who haven't gotten in trouble yet and the people who have already been in trouble and want to go straight."

Hutchinson's office said the governor planned to spend Wednesday talking with law enforcement, legislators and state officials about how to address the problem as well.

___

Associated Press writers Andrew DeMillo and Jill Bleed also contributed.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola, left, and a resident who calls himself simply "Brother Larry" hold hands during a prayer following a news conference by an anti-violence group in front of a police station in Little Rock, Ark., Sunday, July 2, 2017. The group is calling for calm, plus additional resources to combat poverty and crime, after gunfire at a club on Saturday left over a dozen injured. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

The Power Ultra Lounge in downtown Little Rock, Ark., was the scene of a mass shooting during a rap concert early Saturday, July 1, 2017. Little Rock's police chief says investigators believe a shooting at the nightclub where more than two dozen people were injured may be gang-related. All of the victims were expected to survive the shooting. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

CORRECTS NAME OF CLUB TO POWER ULTRA LOUNGE NOT PULSE ULTRA LOUNGE - An eviction notice is posted on a door to the Power Ultra Lounge in Little Rock, Ark., Saturday, July 1, 2017. City officials said they would take steps to shut the club down after a shooting during a rap concert earlier Saturday left more than two dozen people injured. A representative of the club's landlord posted the notice on a glass door facing a city sidewalk Saturday night. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

CORRECTS NAME OF CLUB TO POWER ULTRA LOUNGE NOT PULSE ULTRA LOUNGE - In this photo taken from the sidewalk outside the Power Ultra Lounge, video monitors inside the nightclub still show the promotional poster for the Finese 2Tymes concert that was taking place when gunfire led to more than two dozen injuries earlier Saturday, July 1, 2017. The poster included an image of a man pointing a gun at the camera. (AP Photo/Kelly P. Kissel)

Robert Holt, right, of Let Our Violence End, L.O.V.E., speaks during a candlelight vigil in response to the mass shooting in the early morning at the Power Ultra Lounge, in Little Rock, Ark., Saturday, July 1, 2017. Clubgoers screamed and scrambled for cover as dozens of gunshots rang out during a rap concert, leaving more than two dozen people injured in a shooting that police said may be gang-related. (Mitchell Pe Masilun/The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette via AP)
LONDON (AP) - Neither a nagging injury to his left hip nor a brief rain delay seemed to pose any challenge to Andy Murray.

The top-seeded Murray opened the defense of his Wimbledon title with a 6-1, 6-4, 6-2 win over Alexander Bublik of Kazakhstan on Monday in the opening round.

Murray, whose only competitive grass-court appearance was a first-round loss at Queen's last month, showed no effects from an injury that caused him to call off two exhibition matches last week.

Britain's Andy Murray celebrates after winning his Men's Singles Match against Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik on the opening day at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Monday, July 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Although the 134th-ranked Bublik's eccentric style of play, built on drop shots and slices, tested Murray's mobility, he countered with his defensive game and took advantage of his opponent's errors.

The 20-year-old Bublik finished with 35 unforced errors to Murray's 10 and had 12 double-faults.

"My hip felt good," Murray said. "It's a little bit sore, but I was moving really good on the court today. You know, that's the most important thing. If you're in a little bit of pain, but you can still run as you normally do, that doesn't affect how you play. It's when it's affecting your movement and some of the shots that you play when it becomes a problem. Today, you know, certainly wasn't the case at all."

The victory included a 33-minute rain delay. Murray was leading Bublik by two sets and entering the third game of the third set when play was suspended.

Even Bublik, a lucky loser in qualifying who was playing in his seventh tour-level match, seemed resigned to his fate. He joked to Murray during the delay that they were going to stand around for an hour only to play 15 more minutes.

"He's physically incredible," Bublik said. "If he was struggling with injury and he's running like this, imagine how he's going to play when he has no problem."

Murray was ready for Bublik's unorthodox style from the start. He answered his opponent's drop shot with one of his own to pick up a point in the first game of the first set. And later, he won the first game of the second set by attacking the net with a sharp forehand volley.

He even managed to return Bublik's dive volley in the seventh game of the third set, drilling it back to force break point, which he also won, as his opponent struggled to get back to his feet.

Up next for Murray is Dustin Brown, a German who came from behind to defeat Joao Sousa in four sets in the first round and has a similar, yet more structured, game as Bublik.

That should be fine for Murray, who handled the first test of the hip well enough.

"I moved well," Murray said. "So yeah, for a first match, considering how I was feeling five, six days ago, it was really positive."

Britain's Andy Murray returns to Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik during their Men's Singles Match on day one at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Monday, July 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)

Britain's Andy Murray celebrates after beating Kazakhstan's Alexander Bublik in their Men's Singles Match on the opening day at the Wimbledon Tennis Championships in London Monday, July 3, 2017. (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
News / National

by Staff reporter

Former Finance minister and People's Democratic Party (PDP) president Tendai Biti has warned of the army's involvement in next year's elections and a possible implosion directly linked to the volatile Zanu-PF succession wars.Biti said this at a Sapes Trust-organised post-liberation southern Africa programme conference on Zimbabwe in Transition: Reform and Reconstruction."For me the biggest challenge of 2018, is not a stolen election . . . the biggest challenge of 2018 is the physical implosion of this country that may arise out of encroachment by certain components in the army in civilian territory . . .," he said, adding that the idea of the involvement by the army gives him a nightmare.His sentiment comes after the military issued a chilling warning to Cabinet minister and politburo member Jonathan Moyo over his criticism of a government-sponsored Command Agriculture programme.The warnings by the army are seen in the broader picture of the factional fights within Zanu-PF. The army is seen to have a large voice in who will take over from President Robert Mugabe.The Zanu-PF party is deeply divided on who should succeed 93-year-old Mugabe, who is set to stand as a presidential candidate in next year's elections.Amid these divisions, two stark groups have emerged, Generation 40 (G40) and Mnangagwa's alleged Team Lacoste.And as the country draws closer to the elections, the stakes are now high with each camp leaving no stone unturned in its quest to outwit the other.Biti  who was part of the panel including former vice president, who is now the National People's Party (NPP) president Joice Mujuru, former Finance minister and Mavambo/Kusile/Dawn president Simba Makoni and Zapu leader Dumiso Dabengwa  said that Zimbabwe is now a broken state owing to corruption and Mugabe's bad leadership.MDC vice president Nelson Chamisa, Zanu-PF secretary for administration Ignatius Chombo and Welshman Ncube, who were also part of the panel, failed to attend the conference.The lawyer by profession said that Zimbabwe is a corrupt country, adding that people need to converge on a common vision, if ever they dream of removing Mugabe from office."Our politics has been personalised and when you personalise politics, you create little big men. Mugabe is a little big man, he runs this country by cohesion, capture and corruption . . . and has nothing to offer . . . ," Biti said.Like all the other speakers, Biti expressed high chances of succeeding under a coalition of opposition political parties."We need to have some modicum of reforms, particularly as we go towards 2018. . . this time we talk about the establishment of an independent electoral management body for the drafting of a new voters' roll . . .," he said.The other speakers all agreed that the issue of positions is not any necessary in the mooted coalition, adding that advocating for change was the only priority.Makoni said people need to focus on what they want not who will lead the coalition.On the other hand, Mujuru said that she does not care about a position anymore, in a major U-turn from her earlier position that she was the suitable candidate to lead the coalition based on her experience and war credentials.She said people must come up with ideas to defeat Zanu-PF, building this around a coalition." . . . I don't care whether you say Joice should not lead, I have led, I have been a vice president for ten years, I have acted though not executive. But what I want is that which we struggled for before I die. We do not deserve to be where we are," she said.Dabengwa said that Zimbabwe needs not to be in the current messy that it finds itself in, nearly four decades after independence.He said that they did not fight oppression to renew oppressors, adding that there must be a provision of clear alternatives.He further castigated the country's Land Reform Programme, which he said was implemented in a manner opposite from the agreed recommendations.
A female doctor gunned down by an ex-colleague ousted from a New York City hospital was not his intended target, authorities have said.

The new details of Dr Henry Bellos rampage emerged along with an email rant against colleagues he blamed for forcing him to resign from Bronx Lebanon Hospital amid sexual harassment allegations two years earlier.

Bello, 45, smuggled an AM-15 assault rifle hidden in his white lab coat past security in search of a colleague he was going to hold responsible.

Onlookers take photos outside Bronx Lebanon Hospital (Mary Altaffer/AP)

But when that person was not there, he opened fire anyway, killing Dr Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, who was covering a shift as a favour.

Bello sent an email to the New York Daily News just two hours before the shooting on Friday afternoon that left six other people wounded and Bello dead from a self-inflicted shot.

This hospital terminated my road to a licensure to practise medicine, the email said. First, I was told it was because I always kept to myself. Then it was because of an altercation with a nurse.

He also blamed a doctor for blocking his chances at practising medicine.

Our thoughts are with the deceased victim & the 6 injured, some critically, @BronxCare. Heroic response by all #NYPD @FDNY docs/nurses/staff pic.twitter.com/r3LMbyWLz6  Commissioner Sewell (@NYPDPC) June 30, 2017

Bello had warned his former colleagues when he was forced out in 2015 that he would return some day to kill them.

A law enforcement official said Bello arrived at the hospital with the assault rifle under his coat and asked for a specific doctor whom he blamed for his having to resign, but the physician was not there at the time.

It was not clear if Bello knew Dr Tam, 32, who was killed in the shooting on the 16th and 17th floors of the hospital and was, like him, a family medicine doctor.

Hospital officials said Dr Tam normally worked in one of the hospitals satellite clinics and was covering a shift in the main hospital as a favour to someone else.

"The NYPD officers ran toward danger to bring people to safety," @NYCMayor https://t.co/HNOyRrKu70  NYPD NEWS (@NYPDnews) June 30, 2017

The six others injured  a patient, two medical students and three doctors  largely suffered gunshot wounds to the head, chest and abdomen. One physician remained in a critical condition and the rest were stable, officials said.

Hospital vice president Errol Schneer said his staff responded heroically.

Many of our staff risked their own lives to save patients, he said at the hospital where the 16th and 17th floors remained closed and staffers were still recovering from the rampage that sent people diving for cover and huddling in patients rooms while the gunman was on the loose.

Adding to the chaos, authorities said, was a fire alarm that went off when Bello attempted to set himself ablaze. The flames were extinguished by sprinklers shortly before he shot himself.

New York Police released a picture of the firearm used (NYPD via AP)

Detectives searched the Bronx home where Bello was most recently living and found the box where the gun came from. Investigators were checking serial numbers and trying to determine where it was purchased.

His former co-workers described Bello as aggressive, loud and threatening.

All the time he was a problem, said Dr David Lazala, who trained Bello as a family medicine doctor.

According to New York State Education Department records, Bello graduated from Ross University and had a permit to practise as an international medical graduate that was issued on July 1, 2014, and expired last year on the same day.

Patients were evacuated from the hospital (Mary Altaffer/AP)

In 2004, the doctor pleaded guilty to unlawful imprisonment, a misdemeanour, after a 23-year-old woman told police Bello grabbed her.

He was arrested again in 2009 on a charge of unlawful surveillance, after two different women reported he was trying to look up their skirts with a mirror. That case was eventually sealed.

Mr Schneer told the New York Times that the hospital did not know about Bellos criminal history when he was hired: At that time, and as a result of a human resources and security department background check, which includes fingerprinting, there was no record of any conviction for sexual abuse.
Great Britains Hannah Barnes won stage three of the womens Giro dItalia in San Vendemiano.

The 24-year-old, from Kettering, outsprinted Finlands Lotta Lepisto and Hollands Kirsten Wild to clinch her first UCI Womens World Tour victory and her first for team Canyon-SRAM.

Barnes was ruled out of competition for eight months after badly breaking her ankle in August 2015 at the USA Pro Challenge and Sundays triumph is her first following her lengthy recovery.

Hannah Barnes took victory

Race leader Anna van der Breggen finished safely in the peloton to retain the maglia rosa and an 18-second advantage over fellow Dutch rider and stage two winner Annemiek van Vleuten.

Repeated early attacks came to nothing during the opening hour of the 102-kilometre stage and the peloton stayed together until the days only intermediate sprint, in which Briton Nikki Brammeier took maximum points ahead of Boels-Dolmans team-mate Chantal Blaak.

Colombias Ana Sanchez Sanabria broke clear to lead by 40 seconds immediately after the sprint, but returned to the peloton in the run-in to the climb at Muro Ca del Poggio.

What a result!!@bannahharnes wins stage 3 of the #GiroRosa



The Brits are smashing it in every cycling discipline this weekend!  https://t.co/lROnc5J4q0  British Cycling (@BritishCycling) July 2, 2017

Barnes was among a group of eight riders, including Van der Breggen, Van Vleuten and defending champion Megan Guarnier, to split the peloton over the top of the climb.

Elena Cecchini attacked but was caught by the group and Barnes proved strongest in the sprint for the line.

The 10-stage Giro dItalia for women, otherwise known as the Giro Rosa, ends on July 9.
Andy Murrays mother was on edge as the Wimbledon champion prepared to begin the defence of his title on Monday.

Judy Murray was optimistic her son would put his recent hip problem and mixed form to one side and produce his best on Centre Court.

But ahead of the 30-year-olds clash with lucky loser Alexander Bublik, Judy admitted she felt helpless to influence the occasion and could only hope for the best.

Asked if she was excited by the opening day, she told Press Association Sport: Im more edgy actually. I find it all very stressful now.

Like any parent, you just want things to go right for your kids, even though you know theres nothing you can do about it.

But seeing the crowd coming in, you sense the excitement of everyone. Its great to be part of it.

Andy Murray arrives on day one of the Wimbledon Championships (John Walton/PA)

Murray declared himself fit on Sunday to play seven matches if required over the fortnight.

But his preparation has been far from ideal, losing his opening match at Queens Club before having to miss training and pull out of two planned Wimbledon warm-up matches last week.

Murray has also had a tough year as world number one, and his status is coming under threat after just 21 match wins this year, slim pickings by his high standards.

Andy Murray slips during a practice session at Wimbledon (Adam Davy/PA)

Hes had a tough time this year with illness and injuries so his preparation hasnt been perfect for him, said Judy.

In sport you have to learn to adapt and take whats thrown at you. But he definitely has been getting better and better each day, and hell be out to do his best to defend his title.

You take one match at a time, but hes been playing at Wimbledon since 2002 when he first got into the junior events as a 15-year-old, so he knows exactly what to expect.

Its a huge occasion for all of the players but I think particularly for the British players. The atmosphere is incredible and the crowds can lift everybody when they get behind you, so Im sure hes going to go out there and rise to the occasion.

Andy Murray lifts the Wimbledon men's singles trophy in 2016 (Adam Davy/PA)

Murray, seeking a third Wimbledon title, confirmed on Sunday that he and wife Kim are expecting their second child, and Judy said: Its lovely news.

Tim Henman backed Murray to make a strong opening statement, and show the hip problem is not troubling him.

Cloudy but dry. This place is about to get a lot busier pic.twitter.com/UNMDlPQ7Sj  Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 3, 2017

The former British number one said: Obviously weve all been a little bit nervous about that but its good to hear him talking in positive terms.

First day, defending champion, opening proceedings on Centre Court - it doesnt get much better than that. The first rounds never easy at any tournament but hopefully Andy can get off to a good start, he can play well, his body can feel good and he can build from there.
Nick Kyrgios lasted less than two hours at Wimbledon after he withdrew two sets into his first-round clash against Pierre-Hugues Herbert with a hip problem.

The Australian 20th seed aggravated his long-standing injury in a fall at Queens Club two weeks ago and rated himself only 60 per cent fit on the eve of the tournament.

He was first on Court Three on Monday but it was clear Kyrgios was in no condition to be the title dark horse many expected and he finally pulled out, with Herbert leading 6-3 6-4.

Nick Kyrgios has retired injured from his first-round match

"I was doing everything I could to help it"



A dejected @NickKyrgios discusses his unfortunate hip injury #Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/uIhQ3QVewX  Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2017

I kind of knew I was in trouble, Kyrgios said.

I have been feeling my hip ever since I fell over at Queens. I never got it right. I was doing everything I could to help it but just not enough time.

Kyrgios added: I spoke to the doctor before the tournament started. He was leaning towards me not even playing.

Its my favourite tournament. I do well here every year. So its tough for me to go out there and get beaten and pull out. Its not the easiest thing for me to do.

It's an early exit for @NickKyrgios, who is forced to retire due to injury.



We hope to see him back and fit next year.#Wimbledon pic.twitter.com/OE8YgY1JoX  Wimbledon (@Wimbledon) July 3, 2017

Kyrgios has been hampered by fitness problems throughout his early career but the 22-year-olds hip is particularly problematic.

Pain increased after the French Open last month but, despite taking 10 days off to recover, a fall at Queens set Kyrgios back.

The world number 20 dismissed suggestions this injury could prove career-ending but also expressed reluctance to undergo surgery.

Probably not at the moment. I got too much stuff going on, Kyrgios said.

Kyrgios quits after Herbert wins the second set. Clearly wasn't fit to play. Hugely disappointing for him  Eleanor Crooks (@EleanorcrooksPA) July 3, 2017

I would do everything possible to avoid it but I dont know. Im obviously a little bit scared, obviously, but I dont think I need it at the moment.

Kyrgios serve kept him in contention early on until a double fault gave Herbert a break for 5-3 in the opening set.

When Kyrgios was broken again in the seventh game of the second, he appeared to be in tears while he sat on his chair at the changeover before walking back on court shaking his head.

The Australian called the trainer after Herbert won the second set before deciding he could not continue.
An Italian architecture graduate, whose body was found on the 23rd floor of Grenfell Tower, was identified by her dental records.

Gloria Trevisan, 26, was found in a flat on the 23rd floor of the west London block, where she lived with Marco Gottardi, Westminster Coroner's Court was told.

She was identified by her dental records and the cause of her death was given as 'consistent with the effects of fire' by coroner's officer Eric Sword during yesterday's short hearing.

Gloria Trevisan, 26, was found in a flat on the 23rd floor of the west London block, where she lived with Marco Gottardi, Westminster Coroner's Court was told

She was identified by her dental records and the cause of her death was given as 'consistent with the effects of fire' by coroner's officer Eric Sword during yesterday's short hearing

The couple made heart-rending final phone calls to their families as the flames rose towards their 23rd floor flat

Ms Trevisan, who completed her master's degree in architecture at the University of Venice last October, had travelled to London with Mr Gottardi to find work, family lawyer Maria Cristina Sandrin told Italian media after the fire.

Ms Sandrin said the young woman had called her mother as the fire crept up the building.

The couple made heart-rending final phone calls to their families as the flames rose towards their 23rd floor flat.

The pair, both architecture graduates, moved to London three months ago to look for work and were captivated by the views over the capital they enjoyed from their 23rd floor flat.

Mr Gottardi, also 27, called his family at 3.45am and again just after 4am.

His father Giannino told Italian newspaper Il Mattino di Padova: 'In the first call Marco told us not to worry, that everything was under control, that basically we must not worry.

'He was trying to minimise what happened, probably not to unsettle us.

'But in the second call  and I can't get this out of my head  he said there was smoke, that so much smoke was rising.'

Ms Trevisan, who completed her master's degree in architecture at the University of Venice last October, had travelled to London with Mr Gottardi to find work, family lawyer Maria Cristina Sandrin told Italian media after the fire

Miss Trevisan told her mother: 'Thank you mother for what you have done for me'

Miss Trevisan was one of two victims of the June 14 fire whose inquests were held on Monday

Ms Sandrin said: 'I've heard the recording of Gloria talking to her mother and there is no hope to find them alive.

'She said goodbye. She said, "Thank you mother for what you have done for me".

Miss Trevisan was one of two victims of the June 14 fire whose inquests were held on Monday.

It also heard information about one of the oldest victims, Ali Yawar Jafari.

Mr Jafari, 81, was pulled from the building by firefighters but pronounced dead at the scene, the hearing was told.

The Westminster Coroner's Court where the Grenfell inquiry is taking place

His son Hamid Ali Jafari had previously said his father had lost contact with his mother and sister, who lived with him in Grenfell Tower, on the 10th floor, when he stepped out of a smoke-filled lift that took them to the ground floor.

The provisional cause of his death was given as 'inhalation of fire fumes' with a second cause of coronary and hypertensive heart disease.

Coroner Dr Fiona Wilcox adjourned the inquests to a date to be fixed.
A safari park is celebrating a primate baby boom after two lemurs and three macaques were born in recent weeks.

Baby macaque Bressay was born on Monday at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling.

She is the latest addition to the troop after female Bute entered the world two weeks ago, while male Barra was born two months ago, all three to different mothers.

Bute, one of three baby Macaques born recently at Blair Drummond Safari Park

There are now 29 monkeys in the macaque troop, which is originally from Gibraltar.

Barra, one of three baby Macaques born recently at Blair Drummond Safari Park near Stirling, jumps from his mother into father's arms as he explores his enclosure

They arrived at the park in October 2014 following a deal with the Gibraltar government to reduce the territorys monkey population.

Craig Holmes, of Blair Drummond Safari Park, said: Barra was our first baby of the year and he is already full of mischief. He spends most of the day being carried around by his mum and is occasionally seen being carried around by the males in the group.

He plays with the other juveniles, which is where he will learn the social skills he needs as he is growing up.

Red ruffed lemurs Niiro, a male, and female Mena were born six weeks ago to mother Manja and father Red.

Twin Red ruffed lemurs Niiro and Mena born recently at Blair Drummond Safari Park

Lisa Smith, head of pets corner, said: We are delighted that after successfully rearing a single baby last year for the first time, Manja is managing to rear twins.

They are becoming bolder more and more every day and its great to watch them playing with their big sister Rua.

They will be an important addition to the studbook and we are proud they will be contributing to the conservation of this critically-endangered primate.

Red ruffed lemurs are found in north-eastern Madagascar.
A teenager who plotted to bomb an Elton John concert on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has been jailed for life.

Haroon Syed, 19, tried to get a suicide vest or machine gun and identified the Hyde Park event as a possible target.

He was snared online by officers from the British Security Service posing as a fellow extremist.

Syer planned to mark the anniversary of 9/11 by bombing a concert given by Sir Elton John in Hyde Park (Matt Crossick/PA)

The Old Bailey heard the trigger for his radicalisation was the arrest of his older brother for plotting an Islamic State-inspired Poppy Day attack.

Syed, from Hounslow, west London, had admitted preparation of terrorist acts between April and September last year.

Mitigating, Mark Summers QC said it was a crude, ill-thought-out plan made at the behest of others.

The court heard Syed had fallen under the influence of members of Al-Muhajiroun (ALM), the banned group linked to jailed preacher Anjem Choudary.

Anjem Choudary (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Despite the risk around the time of his brothers arrest, Syed, slipped through the net of the Prevent anti-radicalisation team although his passport was seized in 2015.

Home Office approved de-radicalisation expert and Bradford imam Alyas Karmani told the court there should have been earlier intervention in his case.

Mr Summers added that Syed now publicly rejected his past beliefs and condemned the recent bomb attack at the Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester.

#Breaking Haroon Syed jailed for life with minimum term of 16 years and six months plotting to bomb Elton John concert on 9/11 anniversary pic.twitter.com/CAJd2uKWC4  PA Media (@PA) July 3, 2017

But Judge Michael Topolski QC said the risk Syed posed warranted a discretionary life sentence and ordered him to serve a minimum of 16 and a half years.

Judge Topolski said: Overall you were, and you remained intent upon and committed to, carrying out an act of mass murder in this country. You were not lured, you were not enticed, you were not entrapped.

You became, and in my judgment as shown by your online activities away from your contact with Abu Yusuf, deeply committed to the ideology of a brutal and barbaric organisation that sought to hijack and corrupt an ancient and venerable religion for its own purposes and you wanted to be part of it.

A court artist sketch of Haroon Syed's brother Nadir (centre) at his trial where he was found guilty of plotting a terror attack around Remembrance Day last year (Elizabeth Cook/PA)

Judge Topolski told Syed that he had been vulnerable and susceptible to radicalisation.

But he added: Once you had found this new place to be, this stopped being a game, if it ever was one, and became something deadly serious.

As you told the imam, you wanted to believe it was Daesh, you wanted to be a part of it. It made you feel like a man.
Team Skys outstanding start to the Tour de France got even better in Longwy as Chris Froome joined Geraint Thomas at the top of the standings after world champion Peter Sagan won stage three.

Bora-Hansgrohes Sagan beat Michael Matthews of Team Sunweb and Quick-Step Floors Dan Martin in an uphill sprint, but with Thomas and Froome crossing the line in eighth and ninth they took control of first and second place in the general classification.

First @letour stage win for @BORAhansgrohe! Thanks to my team for their hard work #ridenatural pic.twitter.com/DDgxV0CDtu  Peter Sagan (@petosagan) July 3, 2017

Thomas leads by 12 seconds from Froome, with Australian Matthews third on the same time and Sagan fourth, a further second back.

Its the best start weve ever had, Thomas said. It is still a fight but it means we have the freedom to ride up there.

The 212.5km stage from Verviers took the riders on a lap of the Spa-Francorchamps Formula One circuit before they passed through Luxembourg and into France for the first time this year.

But the battle for victory was always expected to come down to the final climb, the Cote des Religieuses.

 FLASH the fight for the polka dots, all in or nothing for @L_Calmejane , @petosagan King of Longwy. It's the 3rd stage in 30sec. pic.twitter.com/vUtw5vgJ9D  Tour de France (@LeTour) July 3, 2017

Sagan was the clear favourite and duly delivered despite pulling his foot out of his pedal as he tried to launch his sprint.

Sagan came to the fore after BMCs Richie Porte, seen as Froomes main rival in the race, launched his own attack 800 metres from the finish.

It wasnt (premeditated) at all but the guys put me in a fantastic position, said the Australian, who sits 20th, 47 seconds down on Thomas.

It felt good but I knew when I saw that 500m to go sign that it was a bit too far for me It was just good for the confidence to have a bit of a crack there.

Stage winner Peter Sagan (centre) sprints to victory ahead of Ireland's Daniel Martin and Belgium's Greg van Avermaet (Peter Dejong/AP)

Sky had been happy to let Porte exert himself, confident others would do the work to chase him down.

We were not too stressed about it, Thomas said. We knew Sagan and some other guys would want to ride for the stage and would cover it.

The little show of force has nevertheless made Porte the favourite for stage five to La Planche des Belles Filles, the first serious climb of this years race.

1ere fois depuis 5 ans / 1st time for 5 years :

Stage 1

Stage 2

Stage 3

Meme / Same @MaillotjauneLCL#TDF2017 pic.twitter.com/CZYZ90lG8r  Tour de France (@LeTour) July 3, 2017

But Froome, who took his first career Tour stage win on that climb in 2012, warned his friend and former team-mate he would have it all to do to take yellow off Thomas.

Hed have to make up 35 seconds on me and 45 seconds on Geraint, he said. Thats certainly going to take some doing on a six-kilometre climb.

For Martin, third place will come as a confidence boost as he bids to stay with the general classification contenders.

Four bonus seconds for a podium finish move him up to 15th place, 43 seconds down on Thomas.

The Irishman posted a picture on the finish on Instagram and wrote: I expected to post a photo of Spa Francorchamps Circuit as my highlight of today. Then this happened. Unexpectedly found my sprint legs.

Sitting one-two at the top of the overall standings is a fine way for Team Sky to end a day which began with more rumblings about the skinsuit they wore in the opening time trial in Dusseldorf.

Team Sky finished with four riders in the top eight on Saturday, with Thomas winning to take yellow, but rival teams claimed their kit violated rules on aero design.

The team have worn the kits  which were cleared by the race jury  in other events this year without complaint, and Sky team principal Sir Dave Brailsford said he found the ongoing discussion funny.

Im surprised because weve ridden in that skinsuit since May, he said. Nobody has mentioned it. No other team has raised it until now. If they are that slow picking it up, they should have a look at their own performance - if another team is doing something new, I will know within 24 hours because we monitor the other teams.
British duo Johanna Konta and Heather Watson moved into the second round with straight-sets victories on the opening day of Wimbledon.

Konta exacted swift revenge on her French Open conqueror Hsieh Su-wei with a 6-2 6-2 victory, while Watson continued her fine form on grass with victory over Maryna Zanevska.

Australian-born Konta lost to world number 113 Hsieh at Roland Garros less than five weeks ago but a repeat never looked likely on Court One.

There was also little sign of the spine injury that forced Konta to withdraw from Eastbourne last week, and the world number seven will face Croatian Donna Vekic or Russias Natalia Vikhlyantseva in round two.

Im very happy to have come through that, shes a very tricky player, Konta told the BBC after her match.

I lost a close match to her at the French Open so I was looking forward to playing her again and trying again to beat her. Im happy to have come through that.

Hsieh Su-wei defeated Konta at the French Open five weeks ago (John Walton/PA)

British number two Watson has had a difficult season but turned things around last week in Eastbourne by reaching the semi-finals.

It was the confidence boost Watson needed and she took advantage of a kind draw against Belgiums Zanevska to win 6-1 7-6 (7/5).

There was a wobble at the end of the second set as Watson missed three match points and was taken to a tie-break, but she held on.

Watson, whose scalps in Eastbourne included the tournaments defending champion Dominika Cibulkova and Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova, made a flying start on Court Two, winning the first five games.

Zanevska, ranked 119, stopped the rot to avoid a bagel and made a correct Hawk-Eye challenge to deny Watson when she thought she had won the set.

Watson during her 6-1 7-6 victory over Maryna Zanevska (Adam Davy/PA)

But the 25-year-old took her next set point and broke serve again at the start of the second.

Zanevska provided stronger resistance this time but Watson kept her nose in front until she served for the match.

In a topsy-turvy game, Watson saved two break points and created three match points but could not take any of them and Zanevska levelled at 5-5.

A tight tie-break could have gone either way but it was Watson who brought up a fourth match point and took it when Zanevska fired a forehand long.

Next up for the British number two is a meeting with either 18th seed Anastasija Sevastova or Kazakhstans Yulia Putintseva.
By Fazel Hawramy

ERBIL, Iraq, July 3 (Thomson Reuters Foundation) - One wintry night, a brown pick-up truck drove through the Kurdish highlands in northern Iraq with four men and a woman inside.

The oldest man in charge held a pistol to the woman's right thigh, ordering her to be quiet as they approached a checkpoint.

After an hour of driving, the men arrived at a spring in the mountains where they beat the woman with sticks and forced her to walk for about a mile before stopping in an orchard.

"Please brother, don't kill me, for the sake of Allah," the woman - who asked to be identified as Lava to protect her identity - said she pleaded with her older brother Jamal on that night about two years ago.

But her pleas were ignored and she was forced to the ground, with her hands tied behind her back and her legs bound, while two of her other brothers dug a grave.

Lava knew well of the countless stories in the Kurdish press of women whose charred bodies are found in remote areas, suspected victims of so-called "honor" killings when women are strangled, stabbed or set on fire by their relatives and the authorities then notified of a suicide.

Once only common in rural areas, women's rights campaigners are concerned the practice of murdering women for what some see as "immoral acts" has also become commonplace, and accepted, in Iraq's cities and towns but the exact numbers are unknown.

Anecdotally it seems the numbers are rising despite increased awareness of the crime, educational policies and an expanded school system with campaigners calling for more action by the authorities to stop these murders.

"According to the official data from the government this year there were 24 cases of honor killing cases until the end of May," said Khanim Rahim, director of the women's rights group Asuda for Combating Violence against Women in Iraqi Kurdistan.

"But you need to bear in mind that there are cases that are not registered or reported to the authorities."

In February 2015, figures reported from the Kurdistan Health Ministry showed in the last five years over 3,000 women had been killed as a result of domestic violence in the Kurdistan region. Campaigners say the real number is likely to be higher.

CRIME AND PUNISHMENT

Lava, whose "crime" was to be seen in the car of a young man after leaving her job at a hotel in Dohuk in February 2015, said two of her three brothers and a cousin threw her into the newly-dug grave and covered her with soil so only her head stuck out.

"You dishonoured us. This is your punishment in this world and you should expect worse in the other world," she said her brother yelled before the men disappeared into the darkness.

The Iraq National Youth Survey in 2009 found 68 percent of young men accept the killing of a women for shaming a family.

Lava tried unsuccessfully to remove some soil off her chest to relieve the pressure on her lungs but believes she then must have fallen unconscious.

She was lucky, however, a rare case of a woman surviving such a murder bid.

Her brother-in-law, a respected lawyer, had heard her brothers plotting to kill her and managed to convince her father to reveal the location of her grave.

"It was evening of the following day when I saw my older sister coming towards the grave accompanied by her husband and my three brothers," Lava told the Thomson Reuters Foundation in a cafe in an undisclosed location in the Kurdish region.

"I never thought I would come out of that grave alive."

Campaigners say Iraqi law is letting women down by not cracking down on those responsible for killing female relatives.

The Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) has taken some measures to protect women who fear for their lives by opening several protection centres and in 2009 launched the High Council of Women's Affairs to promote and protect women's rights.

In 2012, the KRG launched a five-year plan to combat violence against women which it described as an "urgent priority" to remove "violence against women and providing a quiet and a happy life for them in Kurdistan and preserving the stability of the community".

CALLS FOR LEGAL CHANGES

But in Iraq and Jordan, "honor" killings fall in a separate legal category with murderers getting lighter sentencing, although both countries are in the process of reforming the penal code that deals with violence against women.

The United Nations Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner called on the Iraqi government in December 2015 to swiftly amend its Criminal Code that permit "honor" as a lawful defence in ciders against women and family members.

For while the Kurdistan Region of Iraq has repealed sections of the Criminal Code that permit reasons of honor as mitigation for crimes of violence committed against family members, these provisions remain in force in the Iraqi Criminal Code.

The U.S. State Department said in a 2016 report on human rights practices that "honor" killings remain a serious problem throughout Iraq and this provision limited a sentence for murder to a maximum of three years in prison for such crimes.

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq documented several cases of honor killings.

These included the murder in Basra of a 15-year-old girl who was decapitated, her head wrapped in a hijab, and thrown into a garbage can, and the case of a man never jailed after stabbing his 20-year-old daughter to death for dating a fellow university student.

Parwa Ali, a woman parliamentarian in Kurdistan who has dealt with a number of "honor" related cases, said the government has not done enough to stop these crimes.

"Unfortunately violence against women is deteriorating and most honor related cases are resolved through tribal agreement ... and not at courts," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation from Sulaymaniyah.

Ali said the problem was complex due to the tribal nature of political parties and their interference in the judicial process to satisfy the tribal electorate as well as a patriarchal and tribal code of behaviour for women.

She also criticised the special amnesties issued by the KRG presidency which often allow such killers to go free.

"We have not seen a killer of a woman serve his full sentence because they often get out under various pretexts," said Ali who was voted into parliament in 2013.

Rezan Sheikh Dler, a member of the Iraq parliament's Women and Children Affairs Committee, said Article 409 still applies in Iraqi penal code and men who kill their wives for "honor" are often sentenced to one year in prison.

"As women parliamentarians in the Iraqi parliament we are trying to amend this article but it is not easy and it'll take time," she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

"In Jordan they have similar provisions."

Pakistan's parliament last year passed legislation against "honor killings", removing a loophole in existing law that allowed killers to walk free after being pardoned by family members, after the murder of an outspoken social media star. Her brother was arrested after her death.

Although Lava was one of the lucky ones to survive her attempted murder, she does not feel safe.

She was not allowed to leave the family house for 18 months after the night she was rescued but in September 2016, one of her brothers asked her to go and work in a hotel.

She saw her chance and planned an escape, fleeing earlier this year.

Her future is uncertain but she is convinced that she will be killed by her brothers if she does not escape Kurdistan.

"I know they will kill me one day but let me breathe freely while I am still alive," she said. (Editing by Belinda Goldsmith; Please credit the Thomson Reuters Foundation, the charitable arm of Thomson Reuters, that covers humanitarian news, women's rights, trafficking, property rights, climate change and resilience. Visit http://news.trust.org)
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The ruling Zanu PF members in Manicaland have been accused of denying some villagers perceived to be belonging to the opposition political parties rice, which is being donated as food aid to the villagers.Heal Zimbabwe Trust said in Nyanga Ward 2 Zanu PF ward 2 Councillor Joseph Kadyausuma denied opposition supporters rice from the Presidential scheme.Kadyausuma highlighted that all opposition supporters were not going to receive the rice until they join the ruling party."The rice was distributed to Zanu PF supporters only. This took place on the 23rd of June 2017 at Avilla Mission," said the trust in its report."In Nyanga Ward 16 acting Chief and also Zanu PF Provincial Secretary, Victor Saunyama and Zanu PF District Chairperson Teddius Chitsuma on 20 June called for a meeting in Ruchera village with village heads and ordered them to mobilise community members to vote for Zanu PF in the 2018 elections. Saunyama and Chitsuma instructed the village heads to write down names of all opposition supporters."
BEIJING, July 3 (Reuters) - The former deputy head of China's state asset regulator, Zhang Xiwu, is being investigated for "serious violation of disciplines", China's graft watchdog said on Monday.

Zhang, who was chairman of Shenhua Group before being appointed deputy head of the State-owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC), was removed from his Communist Party and government positions, according to a statement on the website of the Central Commission for Discipline Inspection (CCDI). (Reporting by Beijing Monitoring Desk; Editing by Paul Tait)
The US President spoke to his Chinese and Japanese counterparts to discuss the North Korean threat as his patience began wearing thin over Kim Jong-un's nuclear threat.

Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe were called by Trump on on Sunday and as well as discussing the threat posed by Kim Jong-un's army, Trump put pressure on the China's trade.

Trump's conversations with the two leaders followed White House talks with South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in, last week in which the US leader called on Asian powers to implement sanctions and demand North Korea 'choose a better path and do it quickly.'

Trump has become increasingly frustrated with China's inability to rein in North Korea, and the reference to trade was an indication that the one-time New York businessman may be ready to return to his tougher-talking ways on business with Beijing after holding back in hopes that it would put more pressure on Pyongyang.

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President Donald Trump, left, and Chinese President Xi Jinping walk together after their meetings at Mar-a-Lago, in Palm Beach

President Donald Trump walks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in to make statements in the Rose Garden of the White House in Washington

President Donald Trump, second from right, and first lady Melania Trump, right, stop to pose for a photo with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, second from left, and his wife Akie Abe, left, before they have dinner at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach

On Sunday's talks, the White House said: 'Both leaders (Trump and Xi) reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

'President Trump reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with Americas trading partners.'

Trump and Abe, in their call, reiterated their commitment to increase pressure on North Korea.

The White House added: 'They reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea.'

The phone calls, ahead of meetings he will hold with both leaders at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on the weekend, come at a time of heightened concern over North Koreas nuclear and missile programs.

North Korean leader Kim Jong-un salutes

During and after a Florida summit with Xi in April, Trump praised his Chinese counterpart for agreeing to work on the North Korea issue and has held back on attacking Chinese trade practices he railed against during the presidential campaign.

But Trump has recently suggested he was running out of patience with China's modest steps to pressure North Korea, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States, and has been considering moving ahead on trade actions.

Trump has been weighing new quotas or tariffs on steel imports for national security reasons and plans to discuss his concerns at the G20.

Washington sees excess global production capacity, particularly in China, administration officials say.

On Thursday, the United States targeted a Chinese bank and sanctioned Chinese individuals and a firm for dealing with North Korea and approved a $1.42billion arms deal with Taiwan - decisions that angered Beijing.

And on Sunday a US warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea claimed by China, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Trump, who held talks with Abe earlier this year at the presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, has forged a united front with the Japanese leader on the need to exert pressure on North Korea to curb its nuclear and missile development.
SOFIA, July 3 (Reuters) - These are some of the main stories in Bulgarian newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

-- Commercial banks' total assets grew 0.4 percent to 93.4 billion levs ($54.51 billion) on a monthly basis in May, central bank data showed. (Standart, Duma, 24 Chasa)

CAPITAL DAILY - Bulgaria will not set up a special liquidity fund to support banks, Finance Minister Vladislav Goranov said. Goranov said the ministry and the central bank are discussing ways to provide swift liquidity support to banks if needed. Bulgaria operates under a currency board regime, which bans the central bank from being last resort creditor.

-- The grey economy in Bulgaria is around 30 percent of the country's economic output, or 28 billion levs ($16.34 billion), a new international survey shows, putting the country in the top ten countries with highest share of grey economy. (Capital Daily, Duma)

($1 = 1.7134 leva)
MADRID, July 3 (Reuters) - Spain's manufacturing sector continued to expand in June, a poll showed on Monday, with growth in output and new orders remaining strong while job creation held near-record highs.

Markit's Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI) of manufacturing companies stood at 54.7 in June, down very slightly from 55.4 in May. The index has held above the 50 line separating growth from contraction every month since November 2013.

"June saw a continuation of the recent strong performance of the Spanish manufacturing sector, with growth remaining elevated. The first half of the year has been impressive, with no real sign among the latest data that rates of expansion are running out of steam heading into the second half," senior economist at IHS Markit Andrew Harker said.

The Bank of Spain said on Thursday it expected second quarter economic growth to be 0.9 percent from a quarter earlier, the strongest expansion since the third quarter of 2015.

Manufacturing output also remained firmly in expansion territory, with the index at 55.8 in June, down from 57.0 in May.

Detailed PMI data are only available under licence from Markit and customers need to apply to Markit for a licence.

To subscribe to the full data, click on the link below: http://www.markit.com/Contact-Us

For further information, please phone Markit on +44 20 7260 2454 or email economics@markit.com (Reporting by Paul Day; Editing by Toby Chopra)
MOSCOW, July 3 (Reuters) - The following are some stories in Russia's newspapers on Monday. Reuters has not verified these stories and does not vouch for their accuracy.

VEDOMOSTI

www.vedomosti.ru

- The publication of a U.S. defence intelligence report last week on the state of Russia's armed forces had been designed to make noise about "Russian threat" and to raise financing for the authors of the document, the daily writes.

- Tighter state control over the economy forces people and businesses to hide their activity "in the shadow", the daily reports, referring to an expert opinion that Russia's "grey economy" accounts for 39 percent of the nation's GDP.

- Russia's largest oil producer Rosneft has refused to pay 8.1 million roubles ($137,533) as bonuses to oil company Bashenft's former directors for 2016, the daily writes. Rosneft bought a controlling stake in Bashneft last October and replaced almost all senior managers of the company.

- Russia's central bank has drafted a bill ordering all pension funds to disclose information concerning the structure of investing pensioners' savings.

KOMMERSANT

www.kommersant.ru

- Capital outflow has reached $1.6 billion in Russia in the past four months, the highest level in the last 3.5 years, the daily writes, adding that corporate conflicts affect Russia's stock market.

- The head of the Eurasian corporation of bus stations, Oksana Nikitina, was arrested on Sunday as part of an investigation into an accident in Russia's Tatarstan region on July 1 when a bus collided with a truck, killing at least 14 people, including two children.

IZVESTIA

www.izvestia.ru

- Russia could take retaliatory action against the United States, said Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov in comments on the seizure of Russia's diplomatic property in the U.S. last year.

- Russians believe that President Vladimir Putin is the only official in the country who does not take bribes, according to a survey conducted by VTSIOM pollsters.

KOMSOMOLSKAYA PRAVDA

www.kp.ru

- Up to 30,000 young people could leave Russia this year after graduating from secondary schools to continue their education abroad, the daily writes, suggesting that education abroad is sometimes cheaper than at home. ($1 = 58.8950 roubles) (Reporting by Tatiana Ustinova; Editing by Dmitry Solovyov)
By Stephen Kalin

MOSUL, Iraq, July 3 (Reuters) - Islamic State fighters were battling to hold on to the last few streets under their control in the Old City of Mosul on Monday, in what looked like a hopeless last stand in their former stronghold.

In fierce fighting, Iraqi army units forced the insurgents back, cornering them in a shrinking rectangle no more than 300 metres (yards) wide and 500 metres long by the Tigris river, according to a map published by the military media office.

Smoke covered parts of the Old City, rocked by air strikes and artillery salvos through the morning.

The number of Islamic State (IS) militants fighting in Mosul has dwindled from thousands at the start of the government offensive more than eight months ago to a mere couple of hundred now, according to the Iraqi military.

Reaching the Tigris would give Iraqi forces full control over the city and is expected by the end of this week. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is expected to visit Mosul to formally declare victory, and a week of nationwide celebrations is planned.

Mosul is by far the largest city ever controlled by Islamic State. It was here, nearly three years ago to the day, that it declared the founding of its "caliphate" over parts of Iraq and Syria.

The city's fall would mark the effective end of the Iraqi half of the caliphate, although the group still controls territory west and south of Mosul, where tens of thousands of civilians live.

SUICIDE ATTACKS

The group is retaliating with suicide attacks in the parts of Mosul taken by Iraqi forces and elsewhere in the country.

A suicide bomber dressed as a veiled woman killed 14 people and wounded 13 others in a displacement camp west of the capital Baghdad on Sunday, security sources said. IS claimed responsibility.

A U.S.-led international coalition is providing air and ground support to the Mosul offensive by the Iraqi army, elite Counter Terrorism Service units and militarised police.

Thousands of people have fled the densely-populated Old City over the past 24 hours, state TV said.

But thousands more are believed trapped in the area with little food, water or medicine, and are effectively being used as human shields, according to residents who managed to escape.

Months of grinding urban warfare have displaced 900,000 people, about half the city's pre-war population, and killed thousands, according to aid organisations.

Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi has left the fighting in Mosul to local commanders and is believed to be hiding near the Iraq-Syrian border, according to U.S. and Iraqi military sources.

The group has moved its remaining command and control structures to Mayadin, in eastern Syria, U.S. intelligence sources have said. (Additional reporting by Khaled al-Ramahi in Mosul; writing by Maher Chmaytelli; editing by Andrew Roche)
By Aaron Maasho

ADDIS ABABA, July 3 (Reuters) - Djibouti has asked the African Union to deploy observers along its disputed border with Eritrea after Qatar withdrew its peace-keeping troops two weeks ago, the Djibouti foreign minister said on Monday.

The Qataris were sent to the region after clashes broke out between Eritrea and Djibouti in 2008, but they were pulled out without warning on June 14.

Qatar gave no reason for the withdrawal, but it came days after both Djibouti and Eritrea sided with Gulf Arab nations that had broken off relations with Qatar.

"The Qatari forces left on short notice without really preparing the ground. Leaving the status quo was not in the best interest of both countries," Djiboutian Foreign Minister Mahamoud Ali Youssouf told Reuters during a summit of African Union leaders in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa.

"We proposed to the African Union that it take over the disputed side and fill the gap. We need the African Union to act very quickly," Youssouf said.

A dozen Djiboutian troops were killed and dozens wounded in the 2008 clashes with Eritrea. The fighting erupted after Djibouti accused Eritrea of sending troops across the border.

Amid fears the conflict would escalate and spread, the U.N. Security Council requested that both sides withdraw. Qatari volunteered to mediate the dispute and deploy observers.

After Qatar pulled its troops out of the region, Djibouti accused Eritrea of occupying the disputed Dumeira area along their border.

"In the beginning, there were a limited number of Eritrean troops in the disputed areas. But then they pulled back," Youssouf said.

The African Union has called on both sides to exercise restraint and said it would deploy a fact-finding mission to the disputed area. Diplomats said Eritrea has not yet responded to that request.

Youssouf said a potential African Union deployment could involve conflict-prevention experts or members of a regional "standby force" the union is setting up.

(Reporting by Aaron Maasho, editing by Larry King)
By Miriam Berger

TEL AVIV, July 3 (Reuters) - Nine years ago, Teklit Michael fled Eritrea to avoid military conscription, survived a perilous journey across the Sinai peninsula and sought asylum in Israel.

The 29-year-old Eritrean community organiser now works as a cook at a restaurant in south Tel Aviv -- alone, without family and in legal limbo, awaiting a response to his asylum request.

Since May, Michael's life has faced another challenge with new tax rules that force his employer to put part of his salary in a fund which he can access only if he leaves Israel.

He believes the aim of the new legislation, which applies only to African migrants and asylum seekers, is clear.

"They want us to leave the country," said Michael, who left his homeland rather than serve in an army accused by human rights groups of treating conscripts brutally and forcing them to serve indefinitely. "They want to break our spirit."

The Interior Ministry says the new rules are intended to benefit the migrants and asylum seekers, whom the government refers to as illegal infiltrators.

"(It provides) a sum of money that the person will have when he leaves," said Sabine Haddad, a spokeswoman for the ministry's population, immigration and border authority.

Since its creation in 1948, Israel has been a haven for Jews fleeing persecution. But for nearly a decade, it has struggled to deal with tens of thousands of non-Jewish Africans who entered the country illegally, seeking asylum or work.

Many have lived for years in Israel and spent time in a desert holding centre waiting for their asylum requests to be considered, allowed by the government to have jobs even though their temporary visas do not give them the right to work.

Israel has granted asylum to fewer than 1 percent of those who have applied and has a years-long backlog of applicants.

"CALCULATED PLAN"

Under the new law, employers must deduct 20 percent of the wages of Eritrean and Sudanese employees who entered Israel illegally from Egypt and have temporary visas.

The sum is then deposited in a fund, alongside an employer-paid tax of 16 percent, and remains there until the worker leaves Israel.

It is too early to know what effect the new law is having on asylum seekers or their employers, and how many migrants will decide to leave because of it. The government says it will take several months to know the full impact.

Businesses that rely on migrant labour say costs will rise, and rights groups say Israel is not abiding by its international legal obligations. The government denies this but the Hotline for Refugees and Migrant Workers, an Israeli non-governmental organisation, is challenging the law in Israel's High Court.

"(It's) a very calculated plan to make sure that people understand they are not welcome," said Ruvi Ziegler, associate professor in international refugee law at the University of Reading and a researcher at the Israel Democracy Institute.

Large numbers of Africans, the vast majority from Eritrea and Sudan, began entering Israel illegally from Egypt in the mid-2000S. Many said they fled war and persecution as well as economic hardship but Israel treats them as economic migrants.

By 2013, Israel had mostly completed a high-security fence along the 245-km (150-mile) border, all but halting the influx. By then, an estimated 55,000 people had entered the country, according to Interior Ministry figures.

Several thousand have left since then. Some received asylum in countries such as Canada and others accepted an Israeli offer to go to a third country in Africa -- usually Rwanda or Uganda -- in exchange for money, though refugee advocacy groups say the plight of many of these migrants has since worsened. Many of those who remain have learnt Hebrew and fill jobs in restaurants, hotels and other services which aid groups say most Israelis do not want to do.

"A CANCER"

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has called the migrants' presence a threat to Israel's social fabric and Jewish identity and some of his supporters have referred to it as "a cancer".

Some Africans have been beaten up by Israeli youths, and a Darfuri man was killed in one such assault last year.

Aid workers say that since the new law was implemented, there has been an increase in reports of asylum seekers being fired from jobs because of the tax.

No government figures are available on this, but the aid workers say some migrants are recording only some of the hours they work, and are being paid on the side for the rest, to reduce the taxes paid by both the employer and employee.

Lemlem, an Eritrean who declined to give her full name, said she had lost her job in a clothes store in Tel Aviv because her employer did not want to pay the increased tax.

Lemlem, 29, has a six-year-old daughter and her husband is unemployed. She does not know how she will pay her 1,800-shekel ($515) monthly rent.

"Eritrean people are scared," she said.

Employers are having problems budgeting for the new tax and signing up employees for the fund because of technical difficulties, said Shai Berman, general manager of the Israeli Restaurant Association.

The government has denied the association's request for more time to process payments for May, and a promised reduction of the tax has not yet been approved, Berman said.

"It's a mess," he said. "We have a big problem."

Some employers say that, in the meantime, they may have to raise salaries to help asylum seekers get by.

"It's not only for the asylum seeker -- for us in the restaurants it's going to be very, very hard," said Ido Breier, manager of a Tel Aviv branch of Pasta Basta restaurant chain. ($1 = 3.4919 shekels) (Reporting by Miriam Berger, Editing by Luke Baker and Timothy Heritage)
By Roberta Rampton and Timothy Gardner

WASHINGTON, July 3 (Reuters) - President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs.

In recent years, Moscow has cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes with neighboring countries in winter months. Exports from the United States would help reduce their dependence on Russia.

Trump will tell the group that Washington wants to help allies by making it as easy as possible for U.S. companies to ship more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to central and eastern Europe, the White House said.

Trump will attend the "Three Seas" summit - so named because several of its members surround the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas - before the Group of 20 leading economies meet in Germany, where he is slated to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time.

Among the aims of the Three Seas project is to expand regional energy infrastructure, including LNG import terminals and gas pipelines. Members of the initiative include Poland, Austria, Hungary and Russia's neighbors Latvia and Estonia.

Trump's presence will give the project a lift, said James Jones, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

Increased U.S. gas exports to the region would help weaken the impact of Russia using energy as a weapon or bargaining chip, said Jones.

"I think the United States can show itself as a benevolent country by exporting energy and by helping countries that dont have adequate supplies become more self-sufficient and less dependent and less threatened," he said.

Trump's Russia policy is still taking shape, a process made awkward by investigations into intelligence findings that Russia tried to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential race. Russia denies the allegations and Trump says his team did not collude with Moscow.

Lawmakers in Trump's Republican Party, many of whom want to see him take a hard line on Russia because of its interference in the election and in crises in Ukraine and Syria, support using gas exports for political leverage.

"It undermines the strategies of Putin and other strong men who are trying to use the light switch as an element of strategic offense," said Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican from Colorado who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Kremlin relies on oil and gas revenue to finance the state budget, so taking market share would hurt Moscow.

"In many ways, the LNG exports by the U.S. is the most threatening U.S. policy to Russia," said Michal Baranowski, director of the Warsaw office of think-tank the German Marshall Fund.

COMPETITIVE ARENA

The U.S. is expected to become the world's third-largest exporter of LNG in 2020, just four years after starting up its first export terminal. U.S. exporters have sold most of that gas in long-term contracts, but there are still some volumes on offer, and more export projects on the drawing board.

Cheniere Energy Inc, which opened the first U.S. LNG export terminal in 2016, delivered its first cargo to Poland in June. Five more terminals are expected to be online by 2020.

Tellurian Inc has proposed a project with a price tag of as much as $16 billion that it hopes to complete by 2022, in time to compete for long-term contracts to supply Poland that expire the same year and are held by Russian gas giant Gazprom .

"We would like to be a supplier that competes for that market," Tellurian Chief Executive Meg Gentle told Reuters.

A global glut in supply may, however, limit U.S. LNG export growth, regardless of Trump's support.

The glut has depressed prices and made it difficult for LNG exporters to turn a profit, said Adam Sieminski, an energy analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Russia has the advantage in Europe due to its proximity and pipeline connections.

NORD STREAM

Europeans will be watching to see whether Trump clarifies his administration's position on a new pipeline to pump Russian gas to Germany, known as Nord Stream 2.

The U.S. Senate in June passed a package of sanctions on Russia, including provisions to penalize Western firms involved in the pipeline. The new sanctions have stalled in the House of Representatives.

The U.S. State Department has lobbied against the pipeline as a potential supply chokepoint that would make Europe more vulnerable to disruptions.

The threat of sanctions adds to tensions between Washington and Berlin. Germany's government supports the pipeline, and Trump's position on it is a concern for European diplomats.

(Additional reporting by Jan Pytalski in Washington, Alissa de Carbonnel and Robert-Jan Bartunek in Brussels, Agata Wielgolaska in Warsaw; Writing by Roberta Rampton; Editing by Simon Webb and Marguerita Choy)
While sending a letter to the Chief Justice, the Ceylon Motorcyclists Association (CMA) has requested to implement a practical system to ensure the safety of the motorcycles that are temporally impounded by the Police Department.

CMA Secretary Chirantha Amarasinghe said due to the negligence of the Police Department, the motorcycles that are held in custody get dilapidated due to delays in the law enforcement.

Speaking to Daily Mirror he also said the Association learnt that there is an ongoing malpractice as some valuable parts of motorcycles get lost or damaged while being in police custody.

It was reported that the these malpractices take place to Japanese made valuable motorcycles. "We suspect that the police officers are involved in the racket with the support of the non-standard motorcycle sellers in the country, he said.

Mr. Amarasinghe said the lack of protection provided to court evidences by the police has also resulted in this.

Meanwhile, Mr. Amarasinghe has proposed for the court to implement a rule to take photographs, motorcycle details, modifications and its conditions to avoid these malpractices at the police station.

He also requested to court for the police to pay cost of damage to the owner of the motorcycle if the motorcycle parts get lost or damaged when it is held in police custody. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
News / National

by Stephen Jakes

The War veterans in Mberengwa North ward 35 are reported to have been compiling names of the community members in preparation for the 2018 election in what opposition members believe is one of the strategies to rig the polls.Heal Zimbabwe Trust reported that War Veteran Ngonidzashe Maidza moved around the community writing down names of community members in ward 35 arguing that the names were part of Zanu PF's election preparations."This took place on the 24th of June 2017 at Mt Belingwe Business Centre," said the trust.The trust said in Gokwe South ward 24 on the 9th of June 2017, Zanu PF ward 24 chairperson, Judas Murakatira together with Mr Murefu distributed food aid from the Ministry of Public Service, Labour and Social welfare to Zanu members only at Mutimutema Business Centre in Gokwe South."Murakatira ordered that opposition supporters must not receive food aid in the area until they join Zanu PF," said the trust.In Chiwundura ward 9 the trust said on the 22nd of June 2017 in Chiwundura ward 9, Zanu PF Branch Chairman Farai Mapungu intimidated community members at a Zanu PF meeting conducted on the 22nd of June 2017 in Gokomara village."He threatened them with evictions and assault if they fail to attend future Zanu PF meetings in the area," said the trust.The trust said in Chiwundura ward 9 on the 26th of June 2017, Zanu PF official Clifford Ndengezi moved around villages near Gambiza Growth Point forcing people to go register to vote and vote for the Zanu PF candidate in the 15 July by election."He was moving with an ex-soldier popularly known as Saungwema who threatened community members with death if Zanu PF does not win resoundingly in the plebiscite," said the trust."In Chiwundura ward 9 on Tuesday 27 June 2017, Zanu PF District chairperson BK Muzila embarked on a door to door campaign exercise were he threatened village heads with demotion if they do not convince community members to vote for Zanu PF in the pending plebiscite."The trust also revealed that in Hurungwe West ward 9 on the 19th of June 2017, Village heads Doctor Mazorodze and Dennis Marowa instructed all community members to go attend a Zanu PF rally called by the Hurungwe West MP Guzah at Mutora Business Centre."The village heads indicated that those who defy would be beaten up and also face eviction from the area," said the trust.
The Badulla Police has busted 29 youth who were engaging in illicit behaviour at a hotel in Hali-Ela area today at a function organize by the Facebook fan community, police said.

On a tip-off received police officers attached to the Badulla Police Station had raided the hotel and arrested the youth between ages 18 - 30 years old with 1195mg heroin, 6,500mg cannabis, two tablets and intoxicated stamps in their possession.

Police said that the suspects were identified from coming from Balangoda, Bandarawela and Badulla.

It was reported, the youth had organised a facebook friends DJ party where over 200 youth had participated.

Students from leading schools in Badulla were among those who were nabbed.

Badulla Police is conducting further investigation under the guidance of SSP Dammika Weerasekara.

Suspects are to be produce before the Badulla Magistrate Courts tomorrow. (Thilanka Kanakarathna)
The parents of IUSF undergraduates who are staging a protest campaign opposite Fort Railway Station against the Malabe Private Medical College (South Asian Institute of Technology and Medicine  (SAITM) today undertook before the Fort Magistrate Lanka Jayaratna to remove the platform on July 5 (Wednesday) before 6.00 pm.

The protesting parents appearing through Attorneys- at- Law Deemani Wellalage, Siraz Noordeen Nuwan Bopage and Namal Rajapaksa made this assurance resulting to a request made by Fort Police from the Magistrate on Friday (30) to remove the platform.

The parents also requested the Magistrate to not to issue any order to the police to demolish the platform before that date.

The Magistrate allowed them to remove the platform on that day and warned them that in the event if the platform is not removed as promised the court will consider the parents had contempt the court. (T. Farook Thajudeen)
By Zahara Zuhair

The government will fast-track the delayed development work on the East Container Terminal (ECT) of the Colombo port, Ports and Shipping Minister Mahinda Samarasinghe told an audience of logistics and transport professionals in Colombo, last Friday.

It is a shame that we have wasted two years in not developing the East terminal. As you know the previous government went through a tender process and Cabinet approval was also received. It was a question of implementing it.

When this government came into power it was put on hold; we were not able to start the development that was needed so that the East Terminal could be made use of, Samarasinghe told a panel discussion organized by the Chartered Institute of Logistics and Transport (CILT).

The first phase of the East Terminal kicked off in 2015. The total length of the East Terminal is 1200 metres. The construction of a 400-metre stretch of the terminal has already been completed.

Samarasinghe said Sri Lanka Ports Authority (SLPA) during these two years had lost approximately Rs.4 billion due to the delay in completing

the ECT.

This is the money that could have been earned by the Ports Authority easily. This estimation was given to me by them.

Im the minister responsible and as such I will always express my point of view. Finally it is up to the government and the Cabinet ministers to take a collective decision.

I have instructed the SLPA Chairman and the board to give thought to this and come up with a strategy giving priority for this development of the East Terminal, he said.

The second deep water terminal in the Colombo port expansion project is the East Container Terminal. The terminal has been planned as a joint venture project with a shipping line or a private terminal operator with 51 percent of equity owned by the SLPA.

At present, Colombo Port has only one deep draft terminal, namely Colombo International Container Terminal (CICT), with a depth of 18 metres and capacity of 2.4 million TEUs.

Earlier, Ceylon Association of Shipping Agents (CASA) had voiced their concerns over the delay of the construction of the ECT, noting that it would result in investors and container volumes shifting to regional ports.

They also had stressed that if Sri Lanka is serious about maintaining its transshipment shipping hub status and expanding its position to be the regional maritime hub, its paramount to expedite the ECT project in a transparent manner.

Htota port lease: National interest not compromised

Commenting on the Hambantota port, the minister said the government would go ahead with the partnership as planned with the China Merchants Port Holdings Company (CMPort), but without compromising the national interest.

We have had several rounds of discussions with CMPort. Ports Authority Chairman Dissanayake also had several discussions. He has spent hours and hours in discussing the nitty-grittys of the agreement.

I consulted my colleagues including Minister Malik Samarawickrama and other ministers as well as the previous minister.

We are confident that we will be able to put in place an eventual agreement that will not compromise the national interest of the country, the minister said. The Chinese company and the government have been in talks for several months on operating the Hambantota port through a public private partnership (PPP) arrangement. But no deal has been reached yet. The project has faced numerous legal and political obstacles.

The laws and institutions of the country will be respected; security aspects will not be compromised and the Sri Lanka Ports Authority Act will not be amended to suit the particular situation. The draft will be shared with the President and the Prime Minister. President already has outlined his concerns. Once it is approved by the ministers in parliament, it will be signed. There will be transparency. It is facing a lot of controversy, so I want to place the agreement before the parliament, so it becomes a public document. The public will see whats in the agreement; nothing is to be hidden, Samarasinghe said. The Chinese-funded Hambantota port, according to the minister, so far hasnt been able to stand on its own and continues to incur heavy losses despite its strategic location. The loans obtained for the development of the port are being serviced hundred percent by the SLPA. The final details of the PPP the government is planning with CMPort still remains sketchy. However, CMPort is expected to invest over a billion dollars for about 60 percent of the equity of the port on a long-term lease basis. The arrangement also includes a 15000-acre industrial park, which has come under heavy fire from the people, who may lose their ancestral lands due to the project. However, the government maintains that the majority of the land that will be utilized for the park would be state-owned land. There are also downstream projects we have planned with this investment. There also will be investments coming for the industrial park area that we are going to set up, Samarasinghe said.

Sri Lankas total debt to China stands at around US $ 8 billion.

Rebranding and marketing Colombo Port

Meanwhile, unfolding the countrys port sector future plans, the newly appointed SLPA Chairman Dr.Parakrama Dissanayake said that they have launched a programme to rebrand and market the Port of Colombo.

He said that they also have embarked on drafting a National Port Master Plan. He also said that they were looking at modernizing the SLPA-owned Jaya Container Terminal.

According to Dissanayake SLPA will be establishing a logistic corridor in collaboration with the Western Region Megapolis project.

He added they are planning to open a yacht marina in Galle and also would be developing the Trincomalee and Kankesanthurai ports. Further, they are looking at opening a cargo distribution centre at Bloemendhal Road.

Dissanayake said SLPA owns and operates seven ports in Sri Lanka but 90 percent of revenue comes from the Port of Colombo.

Ministers advice to me was never to take your eyes off the wall, and thats the Port of Colombo, he said. It was also noted that instructions had been given by the minister to initiate a national comprehensive maritime and logistic policy. The first draft of this document is expected to be out within three months.
Qatar is facing new sanctions from Arab countries that have cut diplomatic ties with the Gulf emirate over alleged support for terrorism, Saudi-owned television Al Arabiya reported on Sunday.



Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt have given Qatar until Sunday evening to comply with a list of demands to end the dispute, the broadcaster added.



The four countries are studying a list of potential sanctions against Qatar after it rejected those demands, Al Arabiya reported, without elaborating on the possible punishments.



The demands include downgrading ties with Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia; stopping support for Islamist groups; and shutting down the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera and its channels.



Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has said the demands violate his countrys sovereignty, but called for a dialogue.



Arab states demands made to be rejected, Mohammed tweeted Sunday on the Qatari Foreign Ministrys official account.



Last month, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha denies.



In 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar, accusing it of breaching a regional security pact.



That row was resolved, with Kuwait, another Gulf country, acting as mediator.



Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, Qatar and Kuwait are members of the US-allied Gulf Cooperation Council that also comprises Oman.

- Cairo (dpa), 02 July, 2017
The countrys premier hospitality education provider, Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism and Hotel Management (SLITHM) will be conducting its 38th graduation ceremony at the BMICH today.

This years graduation ceremony is the 38th since its inception and a total of 77 students will step in to the world as fully qualified tourism and hospitality professionals.

The new graduates are the torch bearers of Sri Lankas evolving tourism industry. Their talents, knowledge and skills acquired through intense training at SLITHM will define the success of the industry in the years to come. Im confident that Sri Lanka will continue to stand out for its world class hospitality through the invaluable contribution of SLITHM to the countrys tourism development efforts, said the Chief Guest at the Graduation Ceremony, Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, John Amaratunga The SLITHM main campus in Colombo is a purpose designed training facility offering students a holistic education experience in the different aspects of tourism and hospitality.

SLITHM plays an important role in providing the skills set necessary for our youth to contribute to the growth of the tourism sector. I commend the Chairman and Management for their commitment and dedication in bringing out the best of the students that enter its portals, notedDeputy Minister of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, Arundika Fernando.

SLITHM has developed an extensive network of satellite schools all across the country in order to attract and train youth in the fine art of hospitality. In addition to the existing satellite schools in Kandy, Anuradhapura, Koggala, Bandarawela, Ratnapura and Kurunegala, Minister Amaratunga has launched an expansion drive with new training schools being opened in Hambantota, Passikuda, Polonnaruwa and Negombo in the recent past. Rather than waiting for students to come to us, we must go to their doorstep and wherever new hotels are being built, explained Minister Amaratunga who has taken a personal interest in raising Sri Lankas service standards.

SLITHM is the premier hospitality-tourism education provider in Sri Lanka and is the undisputed leader in turning out competent and skilled industry professionals required by the industry, noted the Secretary to the Ministry of Tourism Development and Christian Religious Affairs, P.H.J.B. Sugathadasa.

With Sri Lankas tourism arrivals crossing the 2 million mark and dozens of new hotels coming up across the country, the industry requires thousands of new workers. In order to cater to the demand SLITHM has nearly doubled its output of basic trained students from 3000 per year to nearly 6000 per year.

SLITHM students are competent in a broad range of management know-how in tourism and hospitality operations; they are among the top achievers both in Sri Lanka and abroad. I urge all those graduating today to be role models in their chosen field and become leaders of the tourism and hospitality industries in this country, just as their predecessors have done.

I congratulate all those graduating today; you have done well and deserve to celebrate! said a proud Chairman of the Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management, Sunil Dissanayake.

Combined with the best academic inputs and an unmatchable practical training environment, SLITHM continues to deliver the best industry professionals through holistic learning, noted Director General,Sri Lanka Institute of Tourism & Hotel Management,

Buddhika Hewawasam.
Review of The Garage Show About Living on Garbage, unveiled at No 12, Grenier Road, Off Cotta Road, Colombo 8 on June 16, 17, and 18.

The title misleads. It makes us think that its an underground theatre movement, shirked by many and patronised by a few. But its not. The organisers derive flesh and blood from their performances. They instil some sense of realism, of verisimilitude, with what they do. Theyve been doing that for the past few shows, ever since they began last year. With four shows now complete, it seems therefore that IdeaCouch, far from receding to the background like much of the English (and even Sinhala) theatre does nowadays, has gained a fresh lease of life every time its founders give us its showcase item, the Garage Show. The fourth show was held last month.

The most interesting aspect of these productions, the way I see it, has been its use of space. To be sure, they have all been staged (though thats not quite the correct term) in spacious homes. The Garage Show About Living on Garage, unveiled on June 16, 17, and 18 (from Friday to Sunday), took place in the biggest such house thus far, in a comfortable lane off Cotta Road, around Borella (the residence of Presidents Counsel Mr Chandana Liyanapatabendy). To use what little they have, and to ensure that their skits are seen and even read from every angle, has been the objective of those behind IdeaCouch. Whether they like it or not, the discerning audience will take that as the yardstick to measure the standard they have created for themselves.



So how did About Living on Garage fare? First and foremost, it reeked of energy. After a point I didnt bother counting the skits, so enthralled was I by the clarity and vividness that went into them all. They opened up, I remember clearly, with a meditation on the garbage that surrounds us, sometimes between and even within us, by Lakshitha Edirisinghe. I was angered by the garbage problem, he says rather furiously, and then reverts to his former joviality, So I shared a post on Facebook about it. That provocative fissure between anger and pathos, which has made up our collective attitude of disgust towards the recent spate of rainstorms, garbage dump collapses, and deteriorating cityscapes, was summed up succinctly in those two lines. To my relief, that balance was kept right throughout.

There were skits I took to at once and skits that took time to get to me. They delved into diverse individuals, issues, and milieus. Right after the second skit, about a forgetful old man (Rehan Amaratunga) fretting over his piano and his dead wife, there was a sustained, tortured conversation by a woman (Ruwendi Wakwella) with herself (Shalini Corea), less a soliloquy than an incomplete catharsis over her going out with a shady man (Sachi Gamage), in turn followed by a light-hearted banter between four co-workers over a presentation on insensitivity. The mood, in other words, was never static, never confined: it liberated itself throughout.

"After a point I didnt bother counting the skits, so enthralled was I by the clarity and vividness that went into them all"



We live at a time when everything and anything is condemned to the dustbin and the dump. But one mans trash is another mans treasure, as that oft-quoted cliche goes, so what one milieu considers as garbage can be a luxury for another. There was, for instance, a hilarious if not pathos-ridden skit about what a young woman (Shalini) should wear: her mother (Dmitri Gunatilake) bemoans her lack of interest in her own wardrobe, which leads to a laughable encounter with the father (Vishan Gunawardena) upstairs. But then a few skits later, we have two garbage men (Lakshitha and Haseeb Hassen, the former bitter and angry, the latter amicable and content) reflecting on their sorry lives. This contrast, which isnt so much a contrast as it is a reality, was what I liked best about this Garage Show compared with its previous instalment, About Celebrating This Season (presented last December).

For that reason, the performances were somewhat uneven. I saw Vishan play a confused, shell-shocked husband and later an ill-tempered father. But this wasnt true of everyone. Eraj Gunawardena played a clumsily dazed everyman in every skit he was in (so dazed, in fact, that when hes a soldier contemplating on war, he seems less interested in himself than the fact that he is contemplating on something), while Lakshitha, who moved me over his barely concealed, sour rage at the Ananda College production in Drama Comp 2017, was infuriated, resentful, pursed up. The same could be said of arguably my favourite performer, Dmitri Gunatilake, who in skit after skit made us laugh with her dexterity in both Sinhala and English.



Sometime back (writing on Drama Comp) I contended that the Sinhala theatre focuses on open characters that have something to hide, while the English theatre focuses on repressed characters that want to get out. This was, I daresay, partly true of About Living on Garage: even in those skits that were played out in Sinhala, we felt the poignancy, the pathos, and the urgency of the characters in their attempt to escape from and be done with their troubles.

Lakshitha as a garbage man, for instance, nurses a swollen foot: he has diabetes and needs to see a doctor. Sachi, an emigre stationed in Australia, has to pay his bills while working as another garbage man, though his predicament is different: he is also an Engineering student. The milieus that the English theatre subsists on generally are sympathetic towards these characters, though their sympathy is tempered by the luxury of time and ease that

they possess.

They are moved to extremities of pity, but at the end of the day they are forced to repress them when the show is over. I was not surprised, therefore, when Asoka Handagama, in a Facebook post, had to say this about the production: It reminds me of the Street Theatre by Haththotuwegama and (Parakrama) Niriella in the 70s and the early 80s. They brought theatre to the streets and in contrast to them, this group brings theatre home. Home Theatre?

"Sometime back (writing on Drama Comp) I contended that the Sinhala theatre focuses on open characters that have something to hide, while the English theatre focuses on repressed characters that want to get out"

.

That unnerves me. Handagama has brought up Haththotuwegama and Niriella. The alternate space that these men created in the Sinhala theatre, away from the Wendt, the Navarangahala, and the Lumbini Hall, catered to a group of people who hailed from a different social background. They were conditioned differently, largely left-of-centre, if not leftist, and were emboldened by Brecht and the culture of social realism that invaded our halls in the second half of the 20th century.

If the English theatre is to occupy an alternate space in that context, and given the social conditioning of its patrons (you and I, men, women, and children who lead fairly comfortable lives), will it remain estranged from our streets and substitute, for the Wendt, an overwhelmingly spacious Colombo house? Does it recede away from its surroundings under a different garb? I believe Handagama has said a lot in what he has not said, and that he has opened up a fresh debate.

Whether it should trouble us, of course, is for another article altogether. But consider that quality of much of what goes for English plays today (i.e. their focus on repressed, often hysterical characters who want to unleash themselves) and the conservative streak apparent in them, and you can understand why I am happy with and provoked by The Garage Show.

Is this a critique, though? By no means. I concede that the social conditioning of theatregoers isnt something the playwrights can change. The most they can do, given that, is to force them to think differently, to deliver them productions that delve into ideas and issues.

The pace at which the skits in About Living on Garbage alternated helped in that respect: it helped us see the multidimensionality of a problem which has forced our country to suffer in silence. By doing away with the need for a stage and proscenium, by compelling us to see the items from nearly every conceivable angle (in an almost Rashomon-like manner, making us question the veracity of what we saw), IdeaCouch has unleashed a veritable revolution in the

English theatre.

So yes, I liked this Garage Show. I liked the setting, the fact that the players and the director had to work around certain limits they had no say in shaping (with respect to the house), and how they worked around and despite them.

That alone, I believe, can transform an essentially uprooted theatre form into something that is more relevant, more conscious of its surroundings, and therefore more relatable.
By Shannon Pettypiece, Justin Sink, Kanga Kong  (c) 2017, Bloomberg  July 01, 2017 - South Korea must give U.S. automakers a fair shake to sell more cars there and stop exporting dumped steel, President Donald Trump told his counterpart Moon Jae-in during talks at the White House.



After meeting with Moon on Friday, Trump emphasized hell press for changes to the current free-trade agreement to reduce the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea. .



Tensions with North Korea also figured in the discussions.



Moon repeated his hope for talks with Pyongyang -- a stance that potentially puts him at odds with Trump.



In a statement on the presidential office website, Moons presidential policy adviser Jang Ha-sung said the two countries did not agree to a renegotiation of the trade deal, known as KORUS.

In his meeting with Trump, Moon emphasized the deal is a reciprocal one, Jang said.
China likes to boast of the number of neighbours with whom it has peacefully settled its disputes. But it doesnt quite talk about those with whom it has border disputes. At present, Chinas expansive claims, based on imperial boundaries, vex its relations with South Korea, Japan, Taiwan, Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia, India and lately, Bhutan. Last month, the dispute between the Asian giant and the tiny kingdom of Bhutan came to the fore.

Chinese borders with Bhutan have arisen through their establishing control over Tibet, though to hear the official spokesman, Doklam, the area on the Sikkim-Bhutan border where the recent events occurred, had been a part of China since ancient times.

Mapping issues

The problem arises from the nature of the Bhutanese state which did not even have an official map of the country till 1961. Indeed, the other day, the Chinese spokesman said that the Chinese boundary in the region was laid out by Article 1 of the Anglo-Chinese convention on the Sikkim and Tibet boundary.

However, Bhutan was not party to this treaty and it was only after 1910 that its foreign relations were guided by the British. With Indian help, a map was prepared and between 1963 and 1971, Bhutan began the process of finalising its boundary with India.

In fact, the two sides formally demarcated their 699km border only in 2006. Bhutan shares borders with India in the east in Arunachal Pradesh; in Sikkim, as well as Assam and West Bengal. In 1989, after conducting its own surveys and checking tax records, Bhutan brought out a map that was subsequently approved by the 68th National Assembly. Bhutan, shares a 470km border with China which had never been delimited or demarcated.

The first round of talks on the boundary issue was held in Beijing in April 1984 and starting from the 6th round, these have been held at the ministerial level. Since the 1990s, there have been complaints from Bhutan about Chinese road construction activities in areas it considers part of Bhutan.

In view of these complaints, the two sides signed an Agreement on Maintenance of Peace and Tranquility in Bhutan-China Border Areas in 1998 commiting to maintain the status quo on the border pending its final settlement. But the fault has not only been on the Chinese side.

The Bhutanese, too, have expanded their claims, especially in the Doklam area as evidenced by the proceedings of the 79th session of its National Assembly in 2001.

The conflict

A report of the 84th session of Bhutans National Assembly in 2005 noted that there were as many as six different roads being constructed by the Chinese in the northern boundaries in 2004.

However, after protests, four of these were stopped. Last months incidents near the China-Bhutan-India trijunction is, at one level, a continuation of Chinese policy to create facts on the ground and present its interlocutors with a fait accompli. China and Bhutan have held 24 rounds of border talks so far.

In 2002, the Bhutanese pointed out that the disputes were in four significant areas, the first, and most important involving 89sqkm from the Indian point of view was in the Doklam area, which is adjacent to Sikkim.

As a result of talks, the extent of the disputed area was reduced from 1128sqkm to 269sqkm, this included the Doklam area, as well as two other points in north-western Bhutan.

The northern claims were voluntarily given up by Bhutan, but it has made no difference to the Chinese, since what they want most is the Doklam area adjacent to Sikkim because of its strategic significance. Beyond borders, Chinese aims in Bhutan are to establish formal relations and expand bilateral relations.

To this end, they emphasise the historical and cultural ties between Bhutan and Tibet. Chinese ambassadors and high officials regularly visit Bhutan on working visits and Bhutanese officials reciprocate.

Yet as of now, Bhutan is not willing to permit a Chinese embassy in Thimpu. It goes without saying that ties with Bhutan are vital for India. For one, Bhutan is a key buffer between China and the Siliguri Corridor. It's not surprising that Prime Minister Modis first overseas visit abroad was to Thimpu.

Indias role

Bhutan is a well-managed and placid area of Indias otherwise tumultuous neighbourhood relationships. New Delhi has been careful to calibrate its policy with Bhutanese aspirations, for example, by modifying the India-Bhutan treaty in 2007 to adjust to the transformation of Bhutan into a constitutional monarchy.

Instead of guiding Bhutans foreign policy, as it did under the older treaty, India and Bhutan now cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests. And right now, there is an enormous congruence of interests in dealing with Chinas effort to push the India-China-Bhutan southwards.

Were Bhutan to privilege its own national interests and strike a deal with China, it would have serious consequences for India.
Narendra Modi will be the first Indian prime minister to make an official visit to Israel. Starting tomorrow, July 4, a new chapter in the two decades of diplomatic ties between the two countries will be opened, and its something thats being celebrated among the consular and media circuits as a major achievement. Although PM Modi has been slated to visit Israel ever since he took office in May 2014, the official visit is finally happening only now.

With Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli PM, calling Modi as one of the most important global leaders, and Israeli dailies churning out op-eds in favour of the upcoming Modi visit, its obvious that the time is opportune for a more comely India-Israel bilateral ties. There has been mutual admiration echoed officials and commentariat of both the countries, and while the thorny issue of Palestine, whose independence India has been traditionally in favour of, remains, under the Modi regime that has become a question of diplomatic irrelevance.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu in New York in 2014. (Image credit: PMO)

Hinged on defence, intelligence-sharing, counter-terrorism on one side and cooperation in water harvesting and agriculture on the other, there are a number of avenues in which India-Israel ties would be key to the emerging global order, which is seeing faster realignments than any time in the last half of the 20th century.

Defence deals

Israel is set to topple the US as the chief exporter of arms and ammunitions to India with Barak missiles, surveillance drones and other big league defence deals. In fact, an unstable Trump regime in the US has Israel worried and its strategic think-tanks are considering India as an important alternative.

Although Israel does not produce entire military systems, its a crucial supplier and maker of parts, and its expertise in small and medium range conflict zones has been proven in the West Asian muddle where its a participant, as well as against the Hamas, Palestinian insurgents and others battling Israel in various fronts.

Almost USD two billion worth Indian contracts have been won by Israel Aerospace Industries, or Rs 13,000 crore, the largest in the history of Israeli defence industry, and its mainly for the supply of Medium Range Surface to Air Missiles to the Indian Army, according to defence expert Ajai Shukla.

Similarly, long-range surface-to-air missiles, including Barak 8, will be useful to shoot down anti-ship missiles at ranges out to 70km. This and much more are on the cards as far as propping up India-Israel defence cooperation is concerned.

When PM is in Israel, India must formally sign a military mutual assistance treaty. We need each other  Subramanian Swamy (@Swamy39) July 3, 2017

Though, India must be vigilant of the fact that much of its Russia-sourced weaponry might not work well with the new incoming range from Israel, and might create an awkward inventory of ammunitions that dont talk to each other.

National security and counter-terrorism

But India and Israel are boosting up the counter-terrorism cooperation and sharing real-time intel on issues crucial to national security. The chatter in the Indian diplomatic circles is full of high praise for Israeli counter-terrorism and intelligence units, and the ties can be taken forward based on common threats from global terrorism.

According to a 2014 piece in India Defence Review, The robustness of India-Israel relations marked in the Israeli Prime Minister Benzamin Netanyahus statement in a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Nerendra Modi on 29 September 2014 in New York, Netanyahu told Modi that sky is the limit as far as the prospects of India and Israel relationship goes.

Water and agriculture

Israel has become one of the foremost technology superpowers in areas such as rainwater harvesting, use of oceanic water and using that for irrigation in the most dry land. Israel has transitioned from a water-deficit state to a water-surplus state, and has pioneered the water desalination technique, something thats absolutely significant in the era of climate change, rapid loss of fresh water bodies, and rise in seawater levels.

In India, tormented by an unruly monsoon and languishing agriculture sector reeling under alternating droughts and flash floods, the use of salt water imported from Israel assumes immense importance. But that would mean rethinking farming of cash crops such as sugar cane which take up huge amounts of water and have terra-firmed Western belts of India into parched lands of depleting ground water.

Moreover, Israeli drip irrigators are a cheap method of slow watering of dry lands and ensuring no water loss, but they work only in large holdings, while Indian land holding are often miniscule to involve modern mechanized techniques.

Zionism, 'Hindu Rashtra' and Jewish Diaspora

There have been many in the Indian public sphere who have openly supported the Zionist state of Israel and seen in it a model state for India under Modi. Those dreaming of a Hindu Rashtra are enamoured of Israels sway on international relations, on the question of Palestine, as well as its suppression of political insurgency with clinical precision. There are vocal supporters of India-Israel ties who find that Tel Aviv and its unabashedly state-driven identity politics is a counter measure for Indias own weakened secularism.

That said, India is home to a major population of Jewish expats, who are happy in this land of multiculturalism and multiple religions. Modi is slated to visit little Moshe, the infant survivor of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks at Cafe Leopold, whose parents perished in the terrorist ambush.

Palestine and Kashmir

India has always been in favour of the creation of the independent state of Palestine, and since 1992, when formal bilateral relations with Israel were established, the political parties and the successive governments have tried to walk the tightrope on furthering India-Israel ties, while also backing creation of Palestine and the struggle for freedom.

The shifting grounds in the West Asia and a new overtly pro-Israel establishment in the US means that India under Modi might steer clear of the thorny question of Palestine now, and veer more towards Israel. This will be cemented by Narendra Modis official visit, of course.

Moreover, in the international press, the increasing clamour for equating Palestine with Kashmir is also pushing India under Modi to become slightly more tightlipped about the former. In 2016, though India voted against Israel at a UNHRC session, it abstained from the one sponsored by Palestine designating Israels indiscretions and expanding Israeli settlements in Gaza and West Bank as war crimes.

That said, PM Modi has also hosted Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in May 2017, just ahead of his Israel visit, in an effort to hush the whispers in the international circles that India would be abandoning the Palestinian cause altogether. India and Palestine signed five pacts to boost cooperation in various sectors, including IT, health, agriculture, etc.
It was 0530 hours on September 11, 1967. Capt Prithvi Singh Dagar, a young officer of 2 Grenadiers was officer in charge of the party laying a wire fence at Nathu La to demarcate the boundary between India and China. This was being done along the south shoulder of Nathu La. A Chinese army patrol tried to stop them from laying the wire. There was a minor skirmish.

The Chinese patrol returned to its side. Soon a loud whistle was heard and the Chinese army opened fire at the wire laying party. Though heavily outnumbered and out gunned and hit on the hand, Capt Dagar picked up the rifle of a fallen soldier, took position and fired back at the Chinese position, killing two Chinese soldiers. But a Chinese MMG position continued to fire at the Indian troops.

Capt Dagar launched a direct assault on the Chinese MMG position and hurled a grenade inside silencing it before he made the supreme sacrifice of his life. Major Harbhajan Singh of 8 Rajput led the other assault on the Chinese post. And soon the Chinese artillery opened up.

Post 1962, India was building up its defences and the Indian response was swift and punitive. The artillery duel lasted three days and three nights. 70 Indian soldiers made the supreme sacrifice of their lives defending Nathu La from Chinese aggression. The army citation at the Nathu La border at an altitude of 14,150 feet says by China's own account its army lost 400 soldiers in that three day skirmish.

Nathu La means the pass of the Listening Ear. It served as a link on the old silk route between Gangtok and Kalimpong in India and Yatung in Tibet. This is the route where China suddenly and arbitrarily stopped the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra over its differences with Bhutan over the boundary and miffed with India coming to Bhutan's aid.

China issued a series of rather shrill and provocative statements initially. It also stopped the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra from the Nathu La route and its army announced a 35 tonne tank live firing drill in Tibet. India and Bhutan's response to the shrill rhetoric was calm and measured stating facts on ground and seeking activation of laid down procedure to address boundary issues.

The patrols of India and Bhutan continue to face off but sources say the situation is not as tense as it was on day 1. The armed forces were well deployed but given confidence building measures that are in place, there is no serious apprehension of situation going out of control.

India did not join issues with China on shrill talk of a Chinese army Colonel reminding India of 1962 except defence minister Arun Jaitley telling my colleague Rahul Kanwal that 2017 is not 1962. This is the calm confidence on ground too. Tourists continue to visit Gangtok and Nathu La. The army unit deployed there shows them around with a smile, even posing for an occasional picture. Tourists are also encouraged to buy a certificate signed by the Garrison Commander certifying their visit to the border post at 14,150 feet.

This reporter also bought a certificate that says: ''Nations Have no permanent friends and foes. They only have permanent interests. It takes years to build capabilities, intentions can change anytime.''

This is as true of 1962 as it is of 1967 and 1987 situations. Security forces are confident of their training, tactics, weapons and deployment but not seeking conflict with China. There are gaps in weapon platforms and infrastructure development but none that would lead to a repeat of 1962.

The signboards on various battalion and regiments speak of the confidence. An artillery regiment is 'Forever High' and another formation proudly announces the army is here to stay. The locals and tourists are also enjoying the lush green cover on mountains and the rains.
News / National

by Staff reporter

Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko says the work of relocating Tsholotsho flood victims requires cooperation from all government ministries and development partners so that the process is completed before the beginning of the next rainy season.He made the remarks at the commissioning of the Tsholotsho new settlement scheme, at Tshino Primary School in the district.Since the country experienced incessant rains which left 317 families stranded in Tsholotsho, government has been working with development partners to assist the flood victims by relocating them to safer areas.Vice President Mphoko said in addition to the new homes, government is also sinking 12 boreholes whose water will be reticulated in various corners of the settlement but expressed concern that the frequent breakdown of equipment has slowed down the progress that had been made so far."I am aware that the Kalahari sands especially here in Tshino are retarding progress in the opening of access roads within the settlement and drilling of boreholes. There were five drilling attempts but have yielded three successes. However, slow progress is due to equipment breakdown and some is stuck in the ground," he said.Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Saviour Kasukuwere said government has secured funding to the tune of over US$2 million from friendly countries to be used in the relocation of the flood victims."We have countries like Algeria, Botswana, China, India, Japan and Namibia which have extended some assistance so that the task of building new homes and we greatly appreciate the work they have done in response to our appeal," said Kasukuwere.The relocation has seen a massive increase of student enrolment from 400 to 900 at Tshino Primary School.In this regard, various organisations have donated building material while some are assisting in the construction of additional classroom blocks in line with the new figures.Meanwhile, Mrs Laurinda Mphoko, on behalf of Choppies Supermarket donated various goods to the floods victims.
The concept of a reality show called Bigg Boss has taken over the state with the force of a storm, drawing the attention of many to watch celebrities stuck inside a set covered with cameras 24/7. But the people of Tamil Nadu have overlooked the fact that they are well acquainted with this style of presenting reality with the Tamil Nadu Assembly. 2017 alone is witness to why any ruling government in the state follows Bigg Boss tactics when it comes to the coverage of the Assembly proceedings.

Even though many a voice has argued for the "live coverage" of one of the biggest legislative asemblies in India, it has been constantly denied.

In 2013, when the court was approached on the issue, the Tamil Nadu government absurdly stated that it didn't have enough funds to provide live relay of the in-house proceedings.

He also acts as his chief MK Stalin's right hand in creating a ruckus. Photo: PTI

The then Opposition leader, Vijayakanth gratuitously offered to do the coverage for free and the embarrassed government didn't even give him a reply. Let's see how the Tamil Nadu Assembly has its own version of the reality show:
Our house smells pleasurably different this morning. Wafts of strong coffee mixed with whiffs of golden-fried vegetable fritters - they tell me it is that time of the year again. These magical moments make my body and spirit buzz with excitement. Bye-bye, scorching sun. Welcome, water of life. Is there anything more energising than waking up to the music and scents of rain?

I feel good. As good as the human inhabitants of my house. Time to grab a quick bite before my little rascals wake up. "Larvae, pupae, sleep some more, my darlings. Mum will be back in no time after her breakfast."

Which human shall I choose today? That one, in blue vest, with legs and arms dangling out of that wretched bed-net. Yes, that's the one - safe and easy catch for a stomach full of blood meal. Slurp.

Delivered the viral load, and earned my grub. Done with the business of the day in a shot. No monstrous teeth, poisonous fangs or colossal strength, a gentle pierce is all it takes to be number one on the list of the most dangerous animals compiled by humans. It's a mosquito's life. I love my life.

Heard that we'll have new ammunition this monsoon, the one that made my South American cousins infallible. The long-pending virus cargo has arrived at India's western port. May our ferocity grow. May our tribe flourish. May my swarm stay abuzz with many more little Aedes aegypti.

Some people feel the rain. Others just get wet. Far too many fall sick.

The much-awaited monsoon has arrived. Of mercurial weather swings and associated mood swings. When the wind blowing through India's cities and villages carries excess moisture, a spectrum of smells, and along with it the scourge of mosquitoes.

At once, one may be enchanted with the scents of fragrant-earth and tranquil-chai; or dampened by the reeking odour of nauseating-sewage rot and mosquitocide-laced diesel fog. At once, one may be uplifted into ecstasy by cheerful showers and waltzing trees; or pulled into a pothole of haplessness by a list of mood and body cinchers - traffic jams, tarpaulin-wrapped homeless, dengue, chikungunya among others. The monsoon menace list of the year 2017 has a new entrant, zika.

Earlier this month, news of the first three laboratory-confirmed cases of zika virus infection in India broke from Bapunagar district of Ahmedabad. The first was identified in November 2016, just nine months after India's health minister had tweeted that there were no cases of zika in India.

In less than a year, India's status has downgraded from being a zika-free country (WHO Category 4) to one with confirmed ongoing transmission (WHO Category 2). If not interrupted immediately with adequate screening and control measures, zika may match or surpass the speed at which dengue and chikungunya have become endemic to India in the last five years.

The long-pending virus cargo has arrived at India's western port. Photo: Reuters

All three are viral diseases, spread by the bite of the same mosquito type. That of Aedes aegypti, commonly identified as mosquitoes with spotted legs. They are aggressive dawn and dusk hunters.

The zika virus is here. Should there be panic or alarm? The health minister of Gujarat confirmed no transmission so far, which is reassuring and at the same time a warning bell to tighten surveillance.

The situation may fast take a worrying turn if one were to simply extrapolate the disease transmission trend of dengue and chikungunya in India on zika's spread. Field studies from the Pacific region tracking simultaneous outbreaks of these three viruses have shown that zika's spread roughly follows the pattern of dengue outbreak progression in the same ecological setting.

In that context, it is important to note that dengue cases have grown by seven times and those of chikungunya have almost tripled in India since 2011.

Despite active control measures in action, dengue cases have shown a disturbingly high annual growth rate of 47 per cent in the last five years.

It is scary if one were to assume that zika would follow its course as that in Brazil and Puerto Rico, wherein the outbreak assumed epidemic proportions within less than two years of identification of the first reported cases. Based on the disease transmission routes and attack rates seen in other countries that saw the zika epidemic between 2014 and 2016, elaborate mathematical models are now available to simulate spread scenarios for zika in India.

Whatever be the space-time graph of zika transmission that emerges in years to come, the story that will unfold in parallel will be tragic. A recent study published in Lancet Infectious Diseases (November 2016) has estimated 90 per cent residents of India to be susceptible to zika exposure at the time of peak seasonal risk.

Clinically, the zika infection manifests itself with symptoms overlapping, yet several notches milder than those presented by the bone-breaking dengue and chikungunya. Low-grade fever with mild muscle pain and rash are the common symptoms of zika fever. Many cases of zika infection may go undetected in the garb of seasonal flu or dengue or chikungunya, if not tested. Pregnant women face the highest risk, with terrible consequences.

If infected, their babies may be born with neurodegenerative disorders, microcephaly (collapsed or deformed head), and other birth defects. For a country where 50 babies are born per minute, a zika outbreak will bring forth an unfortunate calamity for families in India.

Easy come, not easy go

zika's entry in to India is hardly surprising. It was just a matter of time. In 2016, India received in excess of 8.5 million foreign tourists. 67,400 of these foreign guests arrived into India from countries falling in the ecological niche of zika virus in the Americas - any one of these tourists could have in-sourced the virus.

Ready or not, with a combination of socio-economic and ecological factors that are favourable to zika transmission, India now stands vulnerable. The presence of abundant populations of a competent vector in female Aedes aegypti, and a climate conducive for mosquitoes to survive long enough for zika virus to incubate together make a strong case for year-round transmission, following the spatio-temporal pattern seen for dengue and chikungunya menace within the country.

Having known the imminent risk, it was shocking to see a five-month delay on a public announcement of the Ahmedabad findings by the Union health ministry. Moreover, the local municipal authorities were kept uninformed, and a surveillance activity was run masked under the ongoing malaria-free pilot project of Gujarat.

Media and public condemnation came in plenty, and deservedly so. One month on, the government continues to be in a semi-complacent mode on this matter.

Since May-end, zika screening has been rightfully extended to more districts of Ahmedabad, albeit in stealth mode. According to a DNA report, the community health staff of five districts - Anand, Baroda, Kheda, Mehsana, Sabarkantha - have been involved in zika surveillance, while being told that it is for malaria.

A stitch in time will make zika toe the line

India is fortunate to have detected zika in time. The socio-economic impact of what became a public health emergency for several countries of the world can be mitigated by India. zika made Brazil, Columbia and Suriname suffer a collective socio-economic cost of USD 7-18 billion.

India can avoid a misery of that scale and order. All it needs is timely and widespread action, as outlined below. The government and the community have to work in tandem for successful implementation.

All state governments must release an immediate advisory on diagnosis, treatment and prevention to healthcare providers. For the general public, the ongoing communication efforts about dengue and chikungunya must be tweaked to include risk zika risk messaging. All cases of dengue and chikungunya in expecting mothers and her immediate family must be tested for zika virus co-infection. More importantly, diagnostic labs across the country need be prepared to offer zika-detection tests. Currently, this facility is available (RT-PCR test) at two sites in the entire country - the National Institute of Virology in Pune, and National Centre for Disease Control in Delhi. The Indian Council of Medical Research is working towards getting an additional 25 laboratories ready for zika virus detection. The zika virus strain isolated from Ahmedabad must be investigated further. Viruses are masters of deceit. They mutate often to change their characteristics. For example, the zika virus type found in Singapore is not the same
Dear Mr Archil Dzuliashvili (Georgian Ambassador to India),

I am a citizen of India, a single woman who earns her honest living working for an advertising agency. This year for my annual break I decided to visit your country Georgia. It rated pretty high for solo woman travellers and the general topography and the history of the country was attractive enough to seal my decision.

My flight for Georgia took off from Mumbai on June 29 at 5am IST and I reached Tbilisi by 5pm Georgia time. I was carrying approved e-visa, letter from my employer stating I was on a holiday and will be joining back after my vacation, my bank statement to prove my financial stability, my hotel bookings to prove my stay in the country is legit and health and travel insurance in case anything happens to me while I am in your country.

[Any]one of the sane mind would think that my preparations should amount to easy passage to your country however to my surprise on the passport check in the immigration I was asked to move to an unmarked counter for the officers to take a look at my papers. After half an hour of wait, one of the officers took my interview asking me my purpose of the visit; he had a look at all my papers and cracked a joke as well. Since all of it was pleasant so far I was expecting quick approvals and started doing a mental calculation of how long it will take me to get to the hostel and explore a bit before I retire for the night.

But this was not to be, your officers asked me to wait which turned out to be a two hours wait in the cold steel uncomfortable chairs of immigration. After three hours of my arrival to Tbilisi I was not yet given any information or attended to, so I went to ask for my status and was then told that I am being sent back. When I requested for a reason I was shouted at and told to sit in a corner.

This was the beginning of the most humiliating night of my life. Every time, after being told I was being sent back, when I tried approaching one of your immigration officers to get any answer, I was shouted at, told rudely to sit in a corner and that I will not be given any reason of inadmissibility to your country. I didn't know what was my fault, where did I go wrong, how long will I be held up in the immigration and when will I be sent home. And worse of all I was alone and realised I was fed nonsense information about your country having friendly citizens and it being considered top rated for solo woman travellers.

To top this, some six hours into this ordeal I was not even offered water to drink, even after constantly begging for the same to your officers. Not a request sir, it was literal begging. I was dehydrated, hungry, with a terrible headache and body ache all thanks to no water, food or rest on account of travelling for about more than 12 hours.

Finally at 12am, seven hours after arrival to your country, I was allowed to buy food and water and asked to sit in a room so that other passengers shouldn't get a look at how people are really treated by your immigration. Two and a half hours later one of your immigration officer came to the room that I was held up in and started shouting that I should go now as the flight they were sending me back on was ready. I was rushed to the flight and when I asked for my passport it was said that I will not be handed it to me till I reach Mumbai. The nine hours I spent in your country were the scariest and the worst of my travelling life.

Photo: Facebook/Khushbu Kaushal

On coming back home I tried to piece together what happened and why was I sent back. The reason given to me by Indian immigration was that I had provided false information about my being and the reason to travel. I would like to understand on what basis did the gentleman who interviewed me came to that decision? All my papers were legit and as per what was guided by your visa portal so where did I go wrong?

My friends who checked with Indian MEA found a contradictory issue that was reported to them but not filed, it was that my passport was damaged and potentially duplicated. I challenge you to take a look at my passport and tell me that if my passport is good enough for other countries that I have travelled to then what was the problem in yours.

Further investigation brought out a darker problem. I was informed by Sharjah transit officers and Indian immigration officers that your immigration officers have been sending almost 90 per cent of Indian travellers with e-visa back every day at random. Be it families, couples or solo travellers like me.

I wanted to check what might be the reason of sudden hatred towards Indians, considering in 2015 the tourism from Indian sector to Georgia had increased to 80 per cent amounting to considerable income being generated for your country through people of my country.

Guess what I found out? Georgian government had invited Indian farmers to come and cultivate the lands which Georgian people were not able to work at. This sudden influx of Indians, as invited by your Government, has increased discontent and hatred towards Indians in general which I guess has resulted in your immigration officers being racists and playing God with regular Indians travel plans.

In the end I just want to say that your country has been a colossal disappointment. All my excitement of exploring your land was misplaced and I should have rather invested my time and money to go somewhere which is genuinely friendly and cares about tourism.

Also, I would like to request you to manage your citizens expectations well so that they do not turn racists towards other countries without knowing where the issue stands. And the least you can do for other people being deported the way I was, is to treat them like humans. Give them a reason, give them food and water and give them a place to rest. No one deserves the subpar treatment that was meted to me. We are living in the time where people and countries need to work together and respect each other. This disregard for fellow humans will only result in discontentment and anger. This world deserves less of both.

I hope the best to you and that you enjoy your stay in my country.

Regards,

Khushbu Kaushal
News / National

by Staff reporter

Two illegal gold panners died while three others were injured after a mine shaft they were working on at Geelong 2 Mine in West Nicholson collapsed in the early hours of today.Unfortunately, while the gold panners were about 210 metres underground, the shaft they were working on gave in resulting in two of the miners being crushed to death while three others were injured .One of the victims, Brian Moyo was treated and discharged at Gwanda Provincial Hospital while the other two survivors Prince Garamkanwa and Admire Nkolomi are battling for their lives at the United Bulawayo Group of Hospitals.When the reporters visited the mine, morale was low among workers and little activity was taking place.Some of the workers said while they are aware of the dangers associated with mining and the importance of taking safety precautions, the need to make money at whatever cost pushes them to take risks.It is not the first time that people have died at Geelong Mine.In 2015 three gold panners were killed when a rock fell on the trio while searching for gold in a 400 metre deep mine shaft.Meanwhile, the names of the deceased are still being witheld until their next of kin have been notified.ZRP Matabeleland South public relations liaison officer, Inspector Philisani Ndebele referred all questions to police spokesperson, Chief Superintendent Paul Nyathi who could not confirm the incident .
How To Meet Women In Your 30s

The Secret to Meeting Great Women in Your 30s, Revealed

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Your 30s are certainly not the dating wasteland that popular culture makes them out to be, but dating in your 30s does require some deliberation and effort. For whatever reason, maybe you didn't spend your 20s submerged in the dating scene  perhaps you were focusing on your career instead, or moving around a lot, or dating simply wasn't a priority during your wild, youthful partying days.

Now you've past the big 3-0 mark, though, and you've decided to dip your toe into the dating waters. But it's so different to how you thought it would be  everything's online now, you're confused about whether you should hit on women in public or not, and there are new rules and codes governing every aspect of dating. It's hard to know where to even start.

Well, don't worry  we're here to walk you through how to meet women when you're in your 30s, and it's not as hard as you think. Let's begin:

1. Get Your Friends To Help You

Meeting people through your existing social network is one of the best ways to ensure you meet a partner with similar values to the people you like to spend the most time with. It can sometimes be uncomfortable to admit to your friends that you're actively seeking a relationship (emotional vulnerability, ughhhhhh), but the people who care about you most will most likely be delighted at the opportunity to set you up on dates with mutual friends and help workshop the best possible dating strategies for you  after all, who knows you better than your closest friends?

Dating friends of friends requires a little extra tact, though: you're going to need to be very diplomatic when rejecting someone adjacent to your own social circle, for example, and you'll also need to be careful to avoid the awkward position of having a romantic relationship being constantly mediated by an over-eager friend keen for constant updates on how it's all going. However, it can be a really strong way to meet decent people who are already half-vetted for compatibility, and it's still the most popular method for meeting romantic partners, so this should be your first port of call.

2. Meet People Through Activities And Hobbies

One of the next best options after meeting prospective partners through friends is to meet them through a shared interest in mutual activities and hobbies. Again, this is a kind of built-in filter mechanism: you already know that the woman who shows up to your soul cycle class every week without fail has an interest in personal improvement and health, for example, or that the new girl at your painting class is creative and alternative  in short, people you meet during your extracurricular activities are just more likely to be Your People.

Be careful about hitting on women in these settings  not everyone will be expecting their gym class to be a singles mingle, so make sure that you approach respectfully and be cool about rejection if she's not actually looking to date right now. Be up front about your intentions  I'd love to take you on a date if you're interested? is good, clear phrasing  and take it from there. The great thing is, you've already got something to talk about if she does let you take her out!

3. Don't Just Hit On Women In The Street

Most women don't actually want to be bothered with pick-up lines and aggressive flirtation when we're just going about our day-to-day business. It conflicts with the narrative propagated by movies and romantic novels, but it really is best not to bother that girl in the subway clearly submerged in a book, or the flustered student searching for ripe avocados in the supermarket.

Ditto hollering at women on the street  collectively, we're much more aware these days that this counts as street harassment rather than harmless flirting, so if you really must approach a woman you see out in public, be extra deferential and polite, and absolutely respect her right to tell you she's in the middle of something and keep walking. It really is best to stick to the other methods outlined here, so leave this one to the cliched rom coms.

4. Be Careful When It Comes To Coworkers

Because so much of our time is taken up by our 9-5s, it's common for romances to blossom in the workplace  in fact, almost a fifth of us are meeting our partners this way, according to Mic.

However, this is a setting ripe for dating disasters: awkwardly sitting two desks over from someone you had a screaming breakup with last night is no fun at all, and HR might need to be involved if you're the direct line manager of someone you're dating (seriously, though: don't date people you're in an imbalanced power relationship with, it's not cool.)

So, while we won't outright dismiss workplace dating, we will strongly suggest you take extra caution here. Make sure you're in different teams or departments, and speak frankly with each other about how you'll mediate workplace awkwardness, both while you're together than in the unfortunate event of a breakup.

5. Try Online Dating Sites And Apps

This is such a no-brainer that we left it until last: These days, you're going to need to be open to the idea of online dating and/or using dating apps. It's a burgeoning scene, and for the increasingly time-starved among us, it's an efficient way to meet potential partners  allowing you a strong degree of control over your presentation and exposing you to a much wider pool of options than you'd normally encounter IRL.

First up, you're going to need to craft an engaging and attractive profile. Make sure you have a diverse range of photos that accurately express your personality and interests; a witty, engaging bio that isn't the length of a bible; and enough basic information about yourself (location, career, religion, etc) that women can decide if you're worth pursuing.

Tinder and OKCupid are classic, well-tested options, but AskMen recommends Zoosk: it's the highest-rated option AskMen has reviewed, and offers a truly deluxe dating experience. It's packed full of singles and is incredibly well-run and easy to use. You won't struggle to find the right match for you, and thankfully it's devoid of all the bot accounts and half-filled profiles you might encounter on lower-quality sites  Zoosk is the real deal, which is why, in our opinion, it's absolutely worth trying.

Check out Zoosk

However you decide to go about dating women in your 30s, you can't go too far wrong by keeping the above tips in mind. Remember, there are plenty of desirable women out there at every age range, so you don't need to feel like the dating scene is more daunting than if you were younger: it's really just the same old game, with a few extra considerations. Good luck out there!

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Yeti Tundra 45 vs Coleman Xtreme 70

We Set Out To Find The Best Cooler On The Market - Here's The Winner

The AskMen editorial team thoroughly researches & reviews the best gear, services and staples for life. AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service.

Choosing a cooler is not an insignificant task. If you like leaving your house for more than four hours, which you should, a robust unit can be a lifesaver. Were talking about the difference between enjoying a refreshing, nearly-frozen beer on a sun-baked mountainside, or coming back from your trip dissatisfied and/or dehydrated with a leaky trunk filled with spoiled sandwiches. So youve got to have one. But which? With the enormous number of options out there, the choice isnt necessarily easy.

To help you out, heres a head-to-head review of two well-liked options: the upscale Yeti Tundra 45, and the more budget-friendly Coleman Xtreme. By gathering expert opinions, weve assembled a comprehensive picture of the pros and cons of both of these products. Read on.

Yeti Tundra 45

Whos It For

The Yeti Tundra 45 is for the serious road warrior. Its heavy, flawlessly constructed, and expensive. If you just want something for a day at the beach here and there, you can probably go elsewhere. If you want something to keep food and beverages cool for a stint in the wilderness, this is where you want to go. Its durability, deluxe feature-set, and five-year warranty all make it a real standout.

Why We Love It

Extreme Durability: This cooler is reportedly almost indestructible. The key here is a process called rotomolding  during the final stages of production, the Yeti, which is made of polyethylene, is swiftly rotated as the plastic cools, which eliminates the seams that might otherwise be potential weaknesses. Kenny Koehler at Pro Tool Reviews reports that he had his family stand on the Yeti without incident. And Consumer Reports writes that the Tundra 45 is, as advertised, bear-proof: one Colorado camper testified that a hungry bear gave up on her Yeti cooler after no small effort.

Sheer Coldness: Theres a reason the Yeti is so heavy and expensive: its ridiculously good at its job. How good? Well, Hope Gately from Gearographer reports (of the 125 model, which is larger, but otherwise identical) that the Yeti was able to keep her food and drink cold for 14 days during a road trip in Wyoming with only two bags of ice. She also points out that its bear-proof nature makes it great for a fishing trip: you could spend a week carrying around a freshly caught trout without worry of spoilage or animal ambush.

Ease of Use: The Yeti isnt just a big, hard box: its very thoughtfully designed. Given its weight, comfortable handles are a must, and the Yeti offers military-grade nylon rope grips which are soft to the touch but extremely heavy-duty. As well, instead of the standard plastic latches, the Yeti is equipped with so-called T-Rex Lid Latches, which are made of rubber, and thus are less fragile and more flexible than the usual closures. Camping website 50 Campfires reports being quite fond of this feature in particular.

Why They Love It

The review over at Pro Tool Reviews concludes: Everything Ive seen from the Yeti Tundra 45 points to the fact that this cooler legitimately does what it claims to and that the excitement around the brand is certainly more than just hype.

Jeremiah Breeze over at Open Air Life writes: I love the cooler. The design is great, it keeps ice and it will last. I would recommend it to anyone that is looking for a cooler for a lifetime or one that can take some serious abuse. I dont know if I would buy one if you are only going to be using the cooler once a year on a family picnic. But for guides, rafters, weekend warriors and anyone else who wants a tough and great cooler, I say buy.

Ariel Black at ActionHub writes: Not only would I refer this cooler to hunters and fishermen, but it's also great for family camping trips, and, my favorite, days spent on the lake boating.

The Drawbacks

Did we mention that its heavy? The Yeti 45 weighs in at a hefty 23 pounds, according to the manufacturer. Also, you get what you pay for: at 350 bucks, its definitely an investment.

Where To Buy

The Yeti Tundra is available for $349.99 at Amazon.com.

Coleman Xtreme 70

Whos It For

The Coleman Extreme is great for the casual camper. Its a bare-bones kind of cooler, which looks like nothing so much as your standard beer-box. However, its got serious capability. While not as insanely insulated as the Yeti, its abilities are impressive, considering the Colemans price. If you dont take major road trips, or dont live in a truly hot part of the world, the Coleman is an option worth considering.

Why We Love It

Incredible Price: The 70-quart Coleman Xtreme retails for about $55. Thats frankly insane  its about a quarter of the price of other deluxe coolers. And it doesnt look or feel particularly cheap. As Outdoor Gear Lab reports, unlike with other inexpensive coolers, you can sit on the Colemans lid without making it bend.

Surprising Coldness: Given its low price, you might expect the Coleman to provide subpar cooling power. You would be wrong. According to the manufacturer, the Xtreme should be able to hold ice for five days. Tests done by camping site Beyond the Tent confirm this. So, while the Coleman wont be enough for, say, a trip across the Sahara, it provides more than enough chilling ability for your average camping trip.

Convenience: The Coleman, unlike the Yeti, is really, really light: at 13 lbs, itll be a lot easier to lug it down the beach. It has cupholders molded into its lid, a built-in ruler for fishing trips, and an excellent draining system  in fact, according to Outdoor Gear Lab, the best drain of any of the coolers theyve tested. All in all, its very user-friendly.

Why They Love It

Beyond the Tent is amazed by the Colemans value: the Coleman Xtreme is an incredible cooler for the price. For roughly $60 you can have a cooler that will keep your food cold for an entire camping trip. While it may not last a lifetime, it also doesnt come across as cheaply made; it is definitely a solid cooler.

Outdoor Gear Labs review concludes: The Xtreme offers good insulating capacity and reliable construction in an easy-to-use package, all at a low price. Unless you will be demanding the greater-than-average insulation performance or durability of a high-end model, the Xtreme is the clear choice.

Oliver Hulland over at The Sweet Home is similarly inclined: The Coleman Xtreme is a tremendous value if youre looking for a spacious, reliable cooler to take camping or to keep tons of beer cold at a barbecue, or for those emergencies when your power goes out and you need to prevent food from the fridge from spoiling. Not only that, its sized so you can still move it and carry it with reasonable ease. It also fits in most car trunks and works great as extra seating.

The Drawbacks

Ultimately, theres no getting away from the fact that the Coleman isnt as tricked out as the Yeti. The handles and hinges are standard plastic and dont seem like theyll last forever. Unlike the Yeti, the Coleman probably isnt bear-proof. Also, Outdoor Gear Lab reports that the lid occasionally leaks.

Where To Buy

The Coleman Xtreme is available for $54.08 at Amazon.com.

Which Is Better?

Theres no question which cooler is superior, if price is no object. The Yeti will survive the apocalypse, or at least an animal attack. It keeps food and beverages cool for a week at a time. Its perfectly designed, easy to use, and visually appealing. If youre looking for something thatll last forever, through whatever crazy adventures you decide to take, go with the Yeti. If you can afford it, youll be extremely happy.

However, if youre not ready to pony up the cash for the Yeti, you wont be sad about owning a Coleman. Far from it. Its a really cheap option that doesnt seem cheap. And, if youre never going to take prolonged road trips, or dont need to preserve sandwiches in extreme conditions, it might even be a smarter selection.

AskMen may get paid if you click a link in this article and buy a product or service. To find out more, please read our complete terms of use.
Study: Men Like To Give Oral, But Women Don't Want To Reciprocate

Trending News: Here's Why She Doesn't Want You To Give Her Oral

Long Story Short

According to a study, most straight guys like to give oral sex, but women don't want it because that'd mean they'd have to reciprocate. And guys only want to give it, because they like receiving it. In other words guys, women have you all figured out.

Long Story

For whatever stupid reason, pop culture says men don't like to go down on their partners. But according to a study published in the Journal of Sex Research, guys actually love it. However, it's women who don't want it.

The research published in March  given new life with a story in Maxim  says that women don't ask for oral because they don't want to give it back.

It seems that women may be reluctant to ask for oral sex from their male partners because they are not overly keen on reciprocating the act," said study author Karen L. Blair to PsyPost.

But it's not all women's stubbornness to blame here. Blair suggests that men just want to give it because they hope women will reciprocate.

It could be that men would like to receive more oral sex and they believe that in order to do that, they need to first provide more oral sex, so they may be reporting a desire for increased frequency as a means of increasing the likelihood of later receiving more oral sex from their female partners," Blair said.

The thing is, women are already reciprocating, but in a different way.

Let's backtrack a sec. We know from previous research that women don't tend to orgasm from vaginal penetration  they're more aroused by the golden trio of genital stimulation, deep kissing and oral sex. On the flip side, men do tend to orgasm from sexual penetration. So Blair says women might already be reciprocating by simply having sex.

"...the only group consistently reporting great enjoyment and satisfaction from orgasms associated with vaginal penetration is heterosexual men," she said. "This suggests women are already reciprocating with the most enjoyable orgasm for their male partner when they engage in vaginal penetration, and that for them to also experience their most satisfying orgasm, the reciprocation from their male partner should likely be performing oral sex.

If you're a guy who likes receiving oral sex, this news must really suck. Thankfully, though, the research has its limitations. The study resulted from a survey of 806 adults in relationships  not the largest study number. Plus, it was predominantly white (90.1%), so not exactly representative of the world population, nor America's.

Furthermore, the study doesn't do a great job representing different sexual orientations because while half of the sample identified themselves as gay or lesbian, women in same-sex relationships reported more orgasms from oral than straight women.

The reason for that, according to Blair, is that lesbian women are "more in tune with other womens bodies and more adept at manipulating other womens bodies in the way they would their own.

The key lesson here: Don't just presume that by doing one sexual act, you'll get the one you really want. Just talk about it. Because, as you should know by now, communication is more important than sex.

Own The Conversation

Ask The Big Question

Is this just a cultural thing that'd be different based on race or country?

Drop This Fact

Guys who like receiving oral can't really complain because research published this spring found that men receive more oral sex than they give.
Twelve new historical markers have been placed along roads across Virginia, including one in Albemarle County and another in Madison County.

The markers were authorized recently by the Virginia Board of Historic Resources.

In Albemarle County, a historical marker will commemorate Grace Episcopal Church in Keswick, which was affiliated with Thomas Jefferson. It was first known as Middle Church.

Jefferson attended a school near the church operated by the churchs rector. Jefferson served on the parish vestry from 1767 until 1770.

In Madison County, the marker will remember Oliver Dinwiddie Tucker, the first Virginian to be inducted into the International League Hall of Fame. The marker will be placed near the countys crossroad community of Radiant, which is where Tucker grew up.

The marker for Tucker will state that he appeared in 34 major league games in 1927 and 1928. He first played for the Washington Senators and then with the Cleveland Indians.

Tucker was inducted in the hall of fame in 2008.

In addition to these two markers, others have been placed in Campbell and Fairfax counties, as well as the cities of Danville, Lynchburg, Norfolk, Petersburg and Richmond.

More information about the historical marker program can be found at dhr.virginia.gov.
STANARDSVILLE  The town of Stanardsvilles Phase II streetscape improvements project has received final approval by the Commonwealth Transportation Board with the awarding of a Transportation Enhancement Alternatives grant to construct a sidewalk on the east end of Main Street.

The state board recently approved federal grant funds of $396,345, the full amount requested by the town, to extend the Main Street sidewalk on the north side from Rectory Lane to Greene Pharmacy.

A previous grant from the Virginia Department of Transportation of $357,438 was awarded in 2014 for engineering and design of sidewalk extensions on both the east and west ends of Main Street, including construction of the west extension from Celt Road to Pioneer Bank. Draper Aden Associates is designing and engineering the west and east sidewalk extensions.

This grant award completes [Transportation Enhancement Alternatives] funding of our Phase II Streetscape Enhancement Project, Stanardsville Mayor Gary Lowe said. We are very pleased that CTB approved our grant request to VDOT for these needed sidewalks. The Town Council strongly supports these streetscape improvements and is working with [The Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission and Stanardsville Area Revitalization] to implement the project.

Don Pamenter, STARs president, emphasized that the federal grant program requires a 25 percent match of the VDOT funds from the local community.

That means we need to raise $99,000 for this east-end sidewalk project alone, he said. Coupled with the match required for the west end sidewalk, the total local contribution is $188,446 for these Phase II improvements. We have received wonderful support from the community totaling more than $60,000 toward that goal. I am confident we will see continued strong community support for this project.

The town of Stanardsville is the official project sponsor, or fiscal agent, for Phase II and the Thomas Jefferson Planning District Commission is the project manager. Draper Aden, which also engineered the Phase I streetscape improvements, has submitted design plans to VDOT for approval, and negotiations are ongoing.

It is anticipated that final approval will be received soon so that construction of the west and east sidewalk extensions can get underway later this year.

The town has assigned Stanardsville Area Revitalization the responsibility for coordinating the effort to secure the required local contribution. Those who wish to contribute to the effort by making a tax-deductible donation may do so online by visiting stargreene.org or by mailing a contribution to STAR, P.O. Box 838, Stanardsville, VA 22973.
Two Junes ago, when the Supreme Court upheld, 6-3, a challenged provision of the Affordable Care Act, Chief Justice John Roberts, writing for the majority, vented: "Congress wrote key parts of the Act behind closed doors. ... Congress passed much of the Act using a complicated budgetary procedure known as 'reconciliation,' which limited opportunities for debate and amendment, and bypassed the Senate's normal 60-vote filibuster requirement. ... As a result, the Act does not reflect the type of care and deliberation that one might expect of such significant legislation."

Now, however, Republicans run things, so ...

In 2009, President Obama ignited a debate that has been, for many members of Congress and their constituents, embarrassingly clarifying. Back then, most people stoutly insisted that they did not want a "government-centered" health care system. But even then, approximately half of every dollar spent on health care came from the government.

Today, the 55 million Medicare beneficiaries approximately equal the combined populations of 26 states; the 73 million Medicaid recipients approximately equal the combined populations of 29 states. Government's 10 thumbs are all over health care.

Although an Atlanta Journal-Constitution poll showed that health care was "extremely" or "very" important to 81 percent of voters in the recent Georgia congressional election, neither candidate stressed this issue. Both were confronted, as all congressional candidates will be in 2018 and ever after, with this fact: No health care policy is comprehensive, comprehensible and inoffensive to all intense groups.

Health care only relatively recently became worth fighting over. In 1900, Americans spent almost twice as much on funerals as on medicine. Most people were born at home and died at home, and medicine's principal function was to make ill people as comfortable as possible while nature healed them or killed them.

Hospitals often were lethal infection factories, hence the common report, "The operation was successful but the patient died." In his "The Rise and Fall of American Growth," Robert Gordon notes that "even victims of railroad, streetcar and horse cart accidents were largely taken to their homes rather than to hospitals."

In 1900, only 5 percent of American women gave birth in hospitals. And "a 'degree' in medicine could be obtained for between $5 and $10, its cost depending on the quality of the paper on which the diploma was printed."

Between 1890 and 1950, the great improvement in mortality rates owed much to social improvements (better hygiene, sanitation, food handling, etc.) and little to doctors, hospitals or drugs.

In 2009, there was no national consensus that insurance should be available to people with "pre-existing conditions." There now is such a consensus, partly because of the obfuscating phrase: Insuring people with "pre-existing conditions" means insuring people who are already sick. Which means that what they are getting is not really insurance: protection against uncertain risk. The consensus might be right, but its logic makes the insurance model increasingly inapposite.

A market-driven health care system with government at the periphery would implement the lesson of Social Security: Government is good at sending checks to identifiable cohorts. It should send support to those who need it for purchasing premiums, then get out of the way.

But Obama, who once said he preferred a single-payer system, flinched from the really radical reform we need  a move away from broad reliance (about 180 million Americans) on employer-provided health insurance, which, in an expensive fiction, is not taxed as what it obviously is: compensation. Partly because of this system, health care consumers are not shoppers and market signals are weak and few.

Suppose that instead of providing health insurance, employers gave employees money to buy groceries. What would grocery stores look like? There probably would be no prices. To see why, ask yourself: When your doctor wants to perform a particular test, do you ask, "How much will it cost?" If you do, you are eccentric. Besides, the doctor probably does not know.

Perhaps for policy reasons, and certainly for political reasons, it is impossible to unwind reliance on employer-provided insurance. But this fact, combined with the "pre-existing conditions" consensus, means that henceforth the health care debate will be about not whether there will be a thick fabric of government subsidies, mandates and regulations, but about which party will weave the fabric.

So, "repeal and replace" will be "tweak and move on." And even if the tweaks constitute significant improvements, Obama will have been proved right when, last October, he compared the ACA to a "starter home."

George Will is a columnist with the Washington Post Writers Group. Email him at georgewill@washpost.com.
New Delhi: Home-grown FMCG major Dabur is looking to ride on 'digital revolution' pursuing an aggressive e-commerce and digital marketing strategy to tap millennials, who are expected to be major consumers going forward.

Besides, the Burman family-promoted firm is seeking to tap the young consumers who "are increasingly going back to their roots and taking pride in tradition" for its ayurveda and ayurvedic products.

"One of the most notable trends that we are witnessing today is the digital revolution. This is going to have a significant impact on consumer behaviour and market structure in future," Dabur Chairman Anand C Burman said in his address

to shareholders in the company's Annual Report for 2016-17.

He said internet is becoming a key channel for gathering information, arriving at purchase decisions and transacting online with more and more consumers using the medium.

"Recognising this as an opportunity, Dabur is pursuing an aggressive e-commerce and digital marketing strategy to promote, market and sell its products online," Burman said.

Dabur India is strengthening online presence through partnership with large e-retailers and its own portals. "Increasing focus on digital marketing, online campaigns and social media will help us access the millennials who are going to drive strong trends of consumption in the coming times," he added.

In 2016-17 fiscal, Dabur had spent Rs 646 crore on advertisement and publicity of its brands across various media formats such as television, radio, print and digital, among others.

Targetting the youth, Burman said millennials are going to drive strong trends of consumption in the coming times and therefore increasing focus on digital marketing, online campaigns and social media will help the company access them.

"We are sharpening our focus both in the marketplace as also on social platforms that are frequented by millennials. Influencer and advocacy programmes are becoming an integral part of our social media strategy," the company said on the future course of action.

Dabur, which is known for its ayurveda and ayurvedic products, is also seeking to tap the same young consumers for the natural range of products. Burman said millennial consumers are embracing modern trends, habits and lifestyles, they are also increasingly going back to their roots and taking pride in tradition and

are today more comfortable with their Indianness.

"This trend, which emerged in the last few years, gained momentum with the growing awareness about the benefits of ayurveda and ayurvedic products," he said.

To tap these opportunities, Burman said, "Dabur strengthened its health care portfolio by introducing several time-tested ayurvedic remedies in modern day formats to cater to the new generation."

On the new categories front, the company said the objective will be to exploit new opportunities around these areas while continuing to build existing brands and businesses. Dabur said it would invest further in R&D, quality, manufacturing, supply chain and other support functions.
Twenty per cent of public sector companies still don't have a single woman director.

New Delhi: Emphasising on the need for improved corporate governance practices at listed companies, Sebi chief Ajay Tyagi today said 20 per cent of public sector enterprises still do not have a single woman director.

He also said that in many cases, independent directors are appointed and removed at whims and fancies of promoters of companies.

"Twenty per cent of public sector companies still don't have a single woman director," Tyagi said here.

Under the regulations, listed companies are required to have at least one woman director on their boards.

Tyagi said much needs to be improved when it comes to functioning and appointment of independent directors and audit committees at listed companies. He made these remarks at an interactive session with CEOs and senior executives of public sector enterprises organised by SCOPE.

The Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE) is an apex professional organisation representing central government public enterprises. Responding to a query, Tyagi said the role of nominee directors needs to be looked into.

Generally, nominee directors are those appointed by promoters and other major shareholders, including the government in case of PSUs, on boards of the companies.
TCFD recommendations is an important step forward in enabling market forces to drive efficient allocation of capital and support.

New Delhi: Tata Steel today extended its support to the recommendations of the global task force on climate-related financial disclosures.

The task force, established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) in 2015, has recommended a framework to help businesses and investors evaluate potential risks and opportunities of a transition to a lower carbon economy.

The recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are also aimed at bringing future nature of issues into the present through scenario planning which will in turn ensure tighter investors engagement and meet stakeholders' expectations.

"TV Narendran, MD Tata Steel India & SEA (South East Asian Operations) joined over 100 other business leaders and companies to publicly commit their support for the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)," Tata Steel said in a statement.

The TCFD released its final report recommendations of the task force on climate-related financial disclosures and supporting materials - on June 29, 2017.

Tata Steel Group as an institution is committed to supporting the TCFD's voluntary recommendations as these disclosures are an important step forward in enabling market forces to drive efficient allocation of capital and support a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy, the statement said.

"As a growing number of investors demand more information around how companies are addressing the effects of climate change, it is imperative to recognise the importance of disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities," it said.

Adopting the TCFD recommendations is an important step forward in enabling market forces to drive efficient allocation of capital and support a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy, it added.

Expressing his views, Koushik Chatterjee, Group Executive Director (Finance, Corporate & Europe), Tata Steel and Member of TCFD said, "Developing a sustainable strategy has become the core purpose of companies across the world as they get future ready to embrace disruption in technology, supply chain and business models. One of the principle foundations of a sustainable strategy is recognition of climate change related risks and opportunities."

It is incumbent to evaluate the risks and opportunities of climate change to enable us to think, plan and act on specific goals to future proof our businesses.

"Tangible actions like reducing our carbon footprints and water intake, switching to renewables to the extent possible, and embracing circular economy will all help in tackling this universal challenge of climate change," Chatterjee said.

He said it is important to have a climate change related framework that brings environment, social and governance to the front and centre of the Board agenda and mainstream corporate reporting.

The statement said the task force's recommendations are structured around four thematic areas that represent core elements of how companies operate: governance, strategy, risk management and metrics and targets.

Michael Bloomberg, Chair of the task force, commented, "Climate change presents global markets with risks and opportunities that cannot be ignored, which is why a framework around climate-related disclosures is so important...We're pleased to see so many businesses and investors around the world support the recommendations of the TCFD and hope others will be encouraged to join our initiative."

Speaking about the work of the task force, FSB Chair Mark Carney said: "The task force's recommendations have been developed by the market for the market. They set out the disclosures that a wide range of users and preparers of financial filings have said are essential to understanding a company's climate-related risks and opportunities."
Mumbai: Air India, which has a history of angry customer complaints made news again as a Delhi-Bagdogra flight took off on Sunday without a functioning AC, endangering the lives of 168 passengers on-board.

The flight AI-880 took off from Bagdogra with a malfunctioning air-conditioner, prompting complaints from flyers. When travelers objected to the same, they were assured it would be taken care of.

This event comes within a week of the government announcing the disinvestment of the national carrier.

A video posted on Twitter by news agency ANI went viral, showing bitter passengers protesting the uncomfortable situation, while fanning themselves to get air. An angry passenger can even be heard grumbling how the Air India staff was prohibiting them from shooting the video.

#WATCH Air India Delhi-Bagdogra flight took off with faulty AC system, passengers protested complaining of suffocation pic.twitter.com/3nibvSrb1E  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

This event once again drags Air India's mismanagement and deteriorating services into spotlight. Flyers have time and again complained about impolite behaviour by staff, bad food and delays, among other things.

The above mentioned flight took off from Bagdogra, West Bengal at 1:50 pm on Sunday and landed in Delhi at 3.40 pm, 25 minutes ahead of its scheduled time. One of the flight passengers, Debasmita, took to Twitter to tag @airindiain to express her resentment.

@airindiain AI 880 the AC & oxygen mask (only one)was not working from IXB though the captain did nothing.Lodged a complain at DEL .  Debasmita (@Debasmita076) July 2, 2017

As per protocol, oxygen masks are supposed to drop down when air pressure in the cabin falls. However, despite a hot, stuffy atmosphere in the cabin, some oxygen masks did not work. People had to resort to paper fans and magazines to survive in the cabin.

Air India officials admitted to news agency PTI that flyers had complained of the malfunctioning AC. Air India has launched an investigation into the same. This event exposes the irresponsibility of the cabin crew, which endangered the lives of the 168 passengers.
New Delhi: Three days into GST regime, Cabinet Secretary P K Sinha today held a review meeting to take stock implementation of the new tax regime. The Cabinet Secretary asked secretaries of various departments to give their feedback on the rollout of GST.

Apart from Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia, the meeting saw participation from about 20 secretaries from key departments. All the top brass of CBEC were present in the meeting.

On June 20, Sinha had taken GST preparedness meeting with 30 ministries and departments and had asked the secretaries to organise outreach meetings and publicity campaigns through their departments and PSUs for explaining the provisions of new law and rules to their stakeholders.

Goods and Services Tax (GST) was rolled out from July 1 and the finance ministry had yesterday said that the two days of GST rollout has passed "without any major problems being reported" from the field offices.

"The Revenue Department has got encouraging reports from the roadside dhabas and big restaurants as well as from kirana shops to departmental stores which, in turn, have started getting acclimatised to the new tax system," it had said.

The biggest indirect tax since Independence, GST removes at least 17 different taxes and transforms India into a single market for seamless movement of goods and services.
Price of LPG cylinders for domestic purpose is going to see an increase in prices, thanks to GST and a reduction in subsidy.

Mumbai: Your monthly LPG bill is set to rise by nearly Rs 32, thanks to the joint blow dealt by the Goods and Services Tax (GST) and a reduction in subsidy, say reports.

It might look like a relief that domestic LPG cylinders are placed under the lowest GST slab of 5 per cent. However, compared to the previous 2-4 per cent VAT applied by certain states, the overall money one shells out for LPG cylinders is going to increase from this month. The hike in price will depend from state to state, based on the VAT they used to charge earlier.

Moreover, some states did not apply taxes on LPG cylinders for domestic use. Households in these states will see a rise in prices by nearly Rs 12-13, said the report.

Your woes do not end here. Consumers will also have to bear a hike in prices for the two-year mandatory inspection, installation, administrative charges for documentation of new connections and additional cylinders since these services will now attract a GST rate of 18 per cent. The other whammy raising your LPG bill is the reduction in subsidy paid on LPG.

The current price of a 14.2 kg LPG cylinder in Mumbai is roughly Rs 554 and the subsidy received is about Rs 66. This price is going to increase by up to Rs 32, thanks to combined effect of both these issues.

This is in contradiction to the Finance Ministry's claim that GST will lead to a decrease in costs of LPG cylinders. This holds true only for the cost of LPG cylinders for commercial purposes.
Protest was held in support of an indefinite bandh called by GST Sangharsh Samiti. (Representational image).

Surat: Textile traders today protested against the GST here and allegedly pelted policemen with stones, forcing the law enforcement personnel to baton charge, a senior official said.

The traders came out in thousands on the Ring Road and chanted slogans like "GST hatao, saral tax lao" (remove GST and bring in a simple tax). The protest was held in support of an indefinite bandh called by the GST Sangharsh Samiti against Goods and Services Tax on textiles.

The police wielded batons to disperse the agitators who allegedly engaged in stone-pelting. "We had to resort to lathi charge after some protesters

pelted the policemen with stones, injuring one personnel," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

#WATCH: Police baton charge on cloth traders in Surat, Gujarat who were protesting against #GST. pic.twitter.com/z3Sfj896PA  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

The traders, however, maintained that they were protesting peacefully.

They alleged that the police action came unprovoked as the administration was working at the behest of the ruling BJP's Lok Sabha member from Surat, C R Patil, who held a meeting with traders yesterday.

They said some traders sided with Patil after the meeting yesterday, and decided to keep their shops open against the indefinite bandh called by the protesting association.

"Some traders had yesterday met Patil who asked them to open shops and promised to provide them police security against those who insisted on continuing with the indefinite bandh. The police started beating up the protesting traders even when they were carrying out their protest peacefully," trader Gaurav Shrimali alleged.

Reacting to police's action, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Ahmed Patel tweeted, "Shocking that police has used brutal force against Surat traders protesting against GST. Govt must reason with them, not suppress them."

The GST Sangharsh Samiti called for an indefinite bandh yesterday in Surat textile market, which is one of the largest in the country. The traders are protesting the imposition of five per cent GST on textiles.

Several cloth markets in the state remained closed as most traders have not registered for the new tax system and do not have the GST number. They are hoping that the central government will come out with some solution to the five per cent GST.

Some of the small traders have said the tax is adversely affecting their businesses. They have contended that the time period given to them for GST compliance is short. They are of the view that the GST should be imposed on ready textile products and not on cloth.
Tamil nadu government said a cell has been formed to address grievances of the public in relation to GST (Representational Image).

Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government today said a cell has been formed to redress the grievances of the public following the implementation of Goods and Services Tax, as it faced complaints of overcharging.

It also warned of "stern action" against those charging rates beyond the stipulated GST. "If anybody charges levies beyond GST, stern action will be taken against them," Finance Minister D Jayakumar told reporters here.

He said action will also be taken if additional rates were charged for commodities exempted from the GST. "A complaint cell has been formed with state Commercial Taxes department for this purpose and people can inform the government on any GST related issues in this regard," he said.

Jayakumar also sought people's cooperation to tide over any such problems. In reply to a query on the strike called by Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners' Association that has led to the closure of over 1,000 cinema halls all over the state, he said discussions were being held to sort out the issue.

"The tax of 30 per cent is in addition to the GST Tax rates, theatres are shut due to our inability to pay taxes," Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Distributors Association President, Abhirami Ramanathan said. He said the association was awaiting a response from the state government.

GST, which came into effect from last Saturday, 18 per cent has been fixed for tickets below Rs 100 and 28 per cent for tickets above Rs 100.

DMK working president M K Stalin also said his party has been maintaining that traders should be given time to switch over to GST and talks must be held with them.
Mumbai: On Monday, Surat police lathicharged textile traders who had taken out a morcha to protest against 'complicated' GST. They were shouting slogans 'GST hatao, saral tax lao' or remove GST and bring simple tax.

#WATCH: Police baton charge on cloth traders in Surat, Gujarat who were protesting against #GST. pic.twitter.com/z3Sfj896PA  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Traders are supposed to file 37 returns in a year of which three returns will be filed every month and one final annual return under GST regime that will be filed at the end of tax year.
70% of the complaints about overpricing on the pretext of GST are from semi-urban and rural areas which have lower levels of awareness.

Hyderabad: Within two days of GST coming into force, the government has got over 1,500 complaints of shops, hotels and commercial establishments selling products above MRP on the pretext of higher tax slabs.

The violation was found to be rampant in hotels where there was more confusion due to four categories of GST rates in AC and non-AC categories. Bakeries were found to be increasing prices of bakery products citing higher GST tax rates.

Interestingly, 70 per cent of the complaints are from semi-urban and rural areas in districts, while 30 per cent of the complaints were from the GHMC limits.

Officials said traders and shopkeepers were resorting to irregularities in semi-urban and rural areas where the consumer awareness levels on GST were comparatively lower over urban consumers.

Commercial taxes secretary Somesh Kumar warned traders and shopkeepers of severe action, if they resorted to irregularities. He said the GST Act empowers the government to cancel GST licences of such traders and shopkeepers.

GST

We have asked our officials and staff to focus more on semi-urban and rural areas, which are pro-ne to exploitation. They have been asked to take up inspection of shops and commercial establishments and interact with consumers to know their grievances, he sad.

The implementation of GST in the services sector has been posing a major challenge to the government. Beauty saloons, photography laboratories unregistered cab services and mechanic shops were seeking payments in cash.

A complaint was made against a photo developing laboratory in the city that billed Rs 1,700 for enlarging pictures, but asked the customer to make the payment in cash to avoid 18 per cent GST.

Service sectors that have minimal or zero raw product exchange, no online transactions or no billing system have a high scope for evading tax.

Officials said goods could be tracked through transportation, production, depots, physical inspection and more. In service sector, it would be difficult to track transactions if the service provider and the customer came to an understanding over cash payments.
The film starring Sanjay Dutt and Farhan Akhtar could be one of the biggest Ajay Devgn production not starring the himself.

Mumbai: Sanjay Dutt might not have featured on the big screen after he was released in February 2016 post his jail sentence, but the actor is definitely on a roll now.

Dutt has completed the shooting of Omung Kumars Bhoomi, signed a romantic drama Malang and it seems that the actor has signed his third project as well and this could be with his close friend Ajay Devgn.

Dutt will star alongside Farhan Akhtar in a film to be produced by Ajay Devgn and helmed by Nishikant Kamat, as reported by dna.

The movie will be directed by Nishikant Kamat. He worked with Ajay in Drishyam. The two collaborate for this film, which goes on the floors in October, a source told the daily.

Ajay is expanding his production house and wants to produce more films. Since he cant work in all of them, he will cast whoever fits the bill. He is also backing a biopic on the life of Baba Ramdev that will be made for the small screen, the source added.

After Wazir, Rock On 2, this film is likely to be another multi-starrer for Farhan.

Farhan will, however, be the solo lead in the film Lucknow Central opposite Diana Penty.
Alia Bhatt and Vicky Kaushal have joined for workshops for a couple of weeks before they begin shooting for this film.

Mumbai: After the commercially successful Badrinath ki Dulhania, Alia Bhatt will be seen in the screen adaptation of Harinder Sikkas book, Calling Sehmat, alongside Vicky Kaushal by Meghna Gulzar. The film is titled Raazi.

It is a story of a Kashmiri woman, who is married to a Pakistani Army Officer and so Alia and Vicky are training on the dialect and accent as well as the general features of the character. The film is set against the backdrop of the 1971 war and it is a very real drama and thus the feelings expressed have to be absolutely authentic.

Alia will be seen playing a Kashmiri woman working for the Indian intelligence, spying on her husband, a Pak army man, played by Vicky. It will be interesting to see this unique pairing of experimental actors together in this movie.

Talking about Raazi, Alia revealed many insights from the film to a leading tabloid. She said, I am learning how to drive a jeep, which will be my mean machine. It's based on a true story and it's important to get the layers of the character right. I've been reading and re-reading the script for more than a month to absorb every bit of what the story holds. Meghna and I often sit and understand the character's psyche, which will hopefully enrich my performance.

On her association with the critically acclaimed director Meghna, the actress who is awestruck by her passion, says, "She has such clarity on how she wants things; her eye for detail is amazing. She is running the show single-handedly and is doing a great job. Her passion is infectious."

Furious on the system of actors getting stereotyped in Bollywood, the 24-year-old said, "I find it ridiculous when people subject actors to a cast system. We are all here to act and the better the actor, the better the film will turn out. Vicky is fantastic. He might not have done many films, but I was sold when I saw him in Masaan (2015). He is a better actor than me.

She continued further saying, I don't need superstars to lean on. I need good scripts and co-stars who bring out the best in me. Cinema can't be categorised into offbeat and mainstream. A masala flick or a niche film, at the end of the day, its just content for people. What is good, will always work as long as it's made within the budget."

Alia is one such actress, who has balanced her moves wisely in this film game. If she has commercially successful Badrinath Ki Dulhania and many others in that category, on the other hand she also has critically acclaimed films like Highway and Udta Punjab on her name.

When the young sensation was prodded about her selection of films being a calculated one, she retorts, My choices aren't like chess moves. I do films for myself. I enjoy everything that appeals to my instinct. I want to be both sides of the coin, and effortlessly play everything that catches my attention."
Onir (L) and the poster of his 2005-film 'My Brother...Nikhil' that was based on homosexual relationship between actors Sanjay Suri and Purab Kohli's characters.

Mumbai: India may be a progressive nation but for some, like filmmaker Onir, it is still not ready to embrace the LGBTQ community, which he finds disgusting and regressive.

Before Fawad Khans homosexual role in Kapoors & Sons in 2016 and Randeep Hoodas steamy kiss with Saqib Saleem in Bombay Talkies, portrayal of gay characters on silver screen was not in fashion.

Not to forget, Manoj Bajpayee and Rajkummar Raos film Aligarh was an act of rebellion in itself that was frowned upon by many.

Gay Bollywood director Onir says 'I won't be invisible'

One of the first films in Bollywood that dealt with the subject of same-sex relationship was Onirs 2005-released film My BrotherNikhil. Talking about casting woes, the director reportedly said, For Purab Kohlis role in My Brother Nikhil, I had approached a few A-list stars who I dont wish to name. They blatantly refused to play a gay character on screen. This has happened to me, too, so I know. There are very few actors who would be willing to portray such characters on screen. I have immense respect for them. But that again is a rare quality.

According to Onir, Bollywood is still not comfortable with the LGBTQ community. He said, These films (on homosexuality) are too few to even count. Bollywood still portrays the LGBT community in the same stereotypical way, and thats disgusting. Its so regressive.

Watch: Trailer of Onir's Shab has a gorgeous Raveena and a lot of sizzle

Onirs next, Shab, starring Raveena Tandon, is about dreams and aspirations, with Indias fashion industry at its heart. Speaking about the plot, Onir reportedly revealed, This film is not about fashion industry. In this film, only one character wants to get into fashion industry. This film is about dreams and relationships. Through this film, we have tried to show different background of people and how their life intersect with each others life. This film is about one city where people from different background stay together and fashion industry is only one part of this film.
Mumbai: The teaser of Milan Luthrias upcoming film Baadshaho starring Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmi, Vidyut Jammwal, Ileana D'Cruz, Esha Gupta and Sanjay Mishra has made a powerful impact among moviegoers. From the high octance action stunts, to the background score to the locales - everything about the teaser has caught the audiences attention.

The film which is set during the emergency period has also created a lot of curiosity about the subject of the film. Well, whats interesting is that the idea of Baadshaho came to Milan while he was shooting for Kachche Dhaage with in Rajasthan.

Watch: Ajay Devgn, Emraan Hashmis badassery in Baadshaho is intriguing to the T!

Talking about the same, Milan said, "I got the story idea of Baadshaho on the sets of Kachche Dhaage when a distributor friend of mine dropped in on the sets (Kachche Dhaage) in Rajasthan and told me about what happened in various places in the state during Emergency. The raids that were conducted on several royal families for non declaration of wealth. How the wealth was taken away in truckloads and no one knew where it went.

"It felt just right for a larger than life film. I got busy on other films like Taxi No 9211, Once Upon A Time In Mumbai and The Dirty Picture, but good stories never leave your mind. I always thought I'd make it when I had the right cast to support it. When it could be a genuine multi starter."

It's okay to relate Baadshaho to Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai: Milan Luthria

Considering the fact that Milan has always surprised the audience with a unique subject in all his films, Baadshaho too will showcase a story that will leave the audience spellbound.
Mumbai: Very few films succeed in receiving attention from the Prime Minister of the country, but Akshay Kumars Toilet- Ek Prem Katha trailer got Narendra Modi lauding the film on Twitter.

Narendra Modi impressed by Akshay's 'Toilet: Ek Prem Katha' trailer

However, the film, which draws from Modis Swachh Bharat campaign, have been hit by plagiarism charges.

A filmmaker named Praveen Vyas has sent a legal notice to the makers, claiming that Toilet- Ek Prem Katha has plagiarised scenes and dialogues from his documentary Manini', also based on the same subject.

The makers of the film, Prernaa Arora and Shital Bhatia had previously slammed the 'baseless' accusations and now the writers, Garima and Siddharth, have also expressed their disgust at the accusations now.

Sharing their version of their story, Garima told Hindustan Times, The script was commissioned to us by Neeraj Pandey (film-maker) in 2013 itself, so we have been working on it since December that year.

Siddharth says, Neeraj sir liked that and asked us to go ahead with it. After that, we left for research to places like Mathura (Uttar Pradesh), Nandgaon, Barsana, Jhansi and Bahraich, which is near Lucknow.

On the plagiarisms allegations levelled by Vyas, Garima says, Its not possible to pick up a story from any documentary and take a film to the floors within a few weeks time. Is it plausible, especially with a film that stars mainstream actors? If our work is subjected to criticism, we are fine with it. But its ridiculous, frustrating and insulting for us to hear that we have copied someones work.

Sidharth and Garima, also known of their work in Goliyon Ki Rasleela: Ram-Leela and 'Raabta', have no plans to take things lying down and will take the legal route.

Garima says, Right now, we are verifying the facts and other details. Once we are done, we are, in all likelihood, going to file a defamation case. Its amazing how people come up with such allegations at the last minute for their 15 minutes of fame.

Akshay's Toilet: Ek Prem Katha should be made tax-free- CBFC chief Pahlaj Nihalani

Toilet-Ek Prem Katha, also starring Bhumi Pednekar, is directed by Shree Narayan Singh and is releasing on 11 August.
Director Gurinder Chadha, known for her films like Bend It Like Beckham and Bride and Prejudice, plans to make her next film with a Pakistani actor. She says we judge people on how they act, not on whom they pray to. My next film is closest to Bend it Like Beckham, but here we have a boy as the protagonist. I am looking forward to making this movie with the boy who is a British-Pakistani, says Gurinder.

While in India, Pakistani actors are banned; Chadha says its not the same in Britain.I am lucky I work in Britain so that I can work with anybody. Films are a global medium, and we all judge people by their abilities and not their nationalities. We see how they talk, emote and how they act and not whom they pray to, she stresses.

Chaddha is currently in India to promote her film Partition: 1947 starring Huma Qureshi in the lead.
Mumbai: The Tamil Film Producers Council has objected to the decision of the theatres in the state to shut over new tax rates post the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax.

More than 20 producers, whose films have either released recently or awaiting release, will be gravely affected if there is a shutdown of theatres, TFPC President Vishal was quoted as saying in a statement by The Hindu.

He also added, While we realise that the GST will have a tremendous impact on the industry, we wish the council had been consulted before a decision like this was made. This will be detrimental to the producers.

More than 1000 theatres have decided to shut down from Monday to protest the high taxes on movie tickets post the implementation of the GST.

Tickets prices above Rs. 100 will be taxed at 28 per cent and those lower than Rs. 100 would fall under 18 per cent slab post GST. Apart from this, the theatres are also supposed to pay an additional local body tax of 30 per cent, taking the total taxes to more than 60 per cent.

Tamil Nadu Finance Minsiter D Jayakumar has reportedly held a meeting with the theatre owners and said that Chief Minister Edappadi Palaniswamy will soon take a call on whether the 30 per cent additional tax will be scrapped or continued.
Mumbai: Malayalam actor Dileep has been trying his best to get his named erased from the notorious abduction case of a very popular Malayalam actress, but fate doesnt seem to be siding him.

In a sensational series of images that have surfaced, main accused in the case, Pulsar Suni can be seen on the sets of the actors last release, Goergettans Pooram.

Dileep and his director friend Nadhirshah had launched an official police complaint of blackmail, after audio clips of a phone call purportedly made by Sunis aide to Dileeps manager asking for ransom or have Dileep embroiled in the scandal had been released.

The duo was interrogated for a mind-numbing thirteen hours.

We gave detailed statements on my complaint to the police and I am happy at the way the police are going forward in the case, Dileep had told the reporters.

TV channels have been airing the images and fresh interrogations have been initiated and the police also arent ruling out a conspiracy angle after an accused reportedly insinuated the involvement of top Malayalam stars in the case.

Here's the snap of Pulsar Suni from the sets of 'Georgettan's Pooram
Washington: Snacking on delicious sweet potato, beetroot and carrot crisps might not be so healthy, as a study has found that vegetable crisps have higher levels of saturated fat and salt, which may raise the level of cholesterol in blood. Eating foods that contain saturated fats raises the level of cholesterol in your blood. High levels of LDL cholesterol in your blood increase your risk of heart disease and stroke.

A new study carried out by registered nutritionist Charlotte Sitling-Reed has found that, in reality, vegetable crisps could be worse for you than regular crisps, reports the Independent. "The concern with products that are often seen as 'healthier alternatives', such as vegetable crisps, is they don't always match up to their reputations," Stirling-Reed explained.

"Crisps are crisps, and even if they are made with vegetables, they are likely to contain too much in the way of fat, saturated fat and salt. In fact, the vegetable crisps here have higher levels of saturated fat and salt than some well-known, regular crisp brands," Stirling-Reed added.

It revealed that a standard bag of vegetable crisps can contain just two-thirds of vegetables, with the remainder largely made up of salt and oil. What's more, this leads to the fat content of each packet skyrocketing well above other snacks considered to be unhealthy.

The data found that a 40g pack of vegetable crisps had more fat than the same serving of salted Pringles and nearly double that found in a Mars Bar. While a bag of Tyrells Mixed Root Vegetable Crisps contained 14.3 grams of fat, a Mars Bar had only 8.6g with a Krispy Kreme Original Glazed Doughnut measuring in at just 8.3g. "As a nutritionist, I've seen this first hand in weight loss clinics where clients may eat even as much as double a portion size of a product if it's perceived to be healthy," Stirling-Reed noted.
Hayden Cross is the first female-to-male transsexual to become pregnant in the UK. (Photo: Youtube)

A debate over the prospect of transgender women born as boys getting womb transplants to have children was highlighted by a recent report by the Daily Mail.

National Health Service (NHS) doctors in the UK told the Daily Mail they support transgender womens right to have the procedure and fertility experts say taxpayers should fund these transplants for individuals who identify as women. Dr Francoise Shelfield a clinical lecturer in obstetrics and gynaecology at University College London, believes it is a transgender' right to have equal treatment.

Doctors call for action on this comes, as the first female-to-male transsexual to become pregnant in the UK is about to give birth. 21-year-old Hayden Cross was born Paige and put his sex change on hold so he could have a baby.

Implanting a person with male organs with a donor womb is possible and a top doctor believes it will happen in a decade. In a series of pioneering operations at the Gothenburg University in Sweden, five babies have been born to womb-less women after receiving donor wombs since 2014. Dr Alghrani, of Liverpool University believes this success will lead to higher demands for such a transplant. Gay and straight men can even have the experience of carrying a child.

However, critics say the NHS should not waste resources just to have trans-women have the experience of an "authentic female". Laura Perrins, a women's campaigner told the Daily Mail it "will impinge on the meaning of motherhood and womanhood".

In a strongly worded statement by Julie Bindel, a feminist campaigner, she said those who "undergo cosmetic surgery in order to present as female will never be women".

"Trans-women pushing for womb transplants on the NHS are driven by a desire to experience childbirth, because it is considered to be an authentic female experience. But this is not about transgender rights  its about a twisted notion as to what constitutes a real woman," she is quoted as saying by the Daily Mail.

Making her case over the matter in the Journal of Law, Dr Alghrani, director of Liverpool Universitys Health Law & Regulation Unit said the question of publicly funding womb transplants would arise once they are offered. This could "revolutionise reproduction".
The abandones American bulldog that was rescued by Dunkley is now at RSPCA and his rescuer wants to adopt him as soon as possible (Photo: Facebook)

A shocking video has surfaced online where two men-in-uniform can be seen leading away, what appears to be an American bulldog, on a leash. The dog who is nothing more than a bag of bones was rescued after it was locked in a house without food or water for three weeks.

Katie Dunkely, 21, who lives in the neighbourhood at Barry, South Wales was so distraught that she climbed over the fence of the home where it had been locked up and abandoned and let herself in through the backdoor to save the dog.

She also found a female dog which was extremely aggressive due to the conditions they had been left in.

Dunkely also called the police and Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA), who turned up and took away the two animals.

The female dog, who was in an equally bad state, was videoed being taken away in a cage. The male dog meanwhile was led away on a lead, which was also videoed.

It turns out that the dogs owner had recently broken up with her beau and had left the house with the dogs still inside without any food or water.

She said she found them locked in the living room, covered in their own faeces and urine. The animals had no water and had been chewing away at food tins.

While she plans on giving a statement so that the reckless owner can be punished accordingly, Dunkley plans on adopting the male bulldog.

Dunkley has posted on social media, "Today I broke into someone's property, I rescued this poor boy who was full of nothing but love and without a bad bone in his body. There was also another dog who was extremely aggressive due to their living conditions and a deceased either small dog or cat and had to be left to a dog handler. He's now been handed over to the RSPCA after spending the day cuddling, having a bath and being fed up. I've applied to adopt this lovely boy once he is available to rehome."

The video meanwhile has gone viral with people condemning the act of the woman for leaving her pets behind.
BOSTON (AP) - The Massachusetts man who inspired people around the world to dump buckets of ice water over their heads to raise millions of dollars for Lou Gehrig's disease research is back in the hospital.

A Facebook post from the family of 32-year-old Pete Frates (FRAY'-tees) asked for prayers Sunday and said he is at Massachusetts General Hospital "and battling this beast ALS like a Superhero."

Frates was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012. The disease weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning. There is no known cure.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $220 million when it took off worldwide on social media in 2014.

A post shared by The ALS Association (@als) on Aug 3, 2015 at 11:22am PDT

The family's Facebook post has drawn hundreds of comments of support. Family members said, "We feel your love and support and are so grateful."
Apart from social media bullying and abuse, women on platforms such as Facebook have to deal with men flooding their others folder with unsolicited penis pictures. While the usual response is to block such creeps on social media, it hardly seems to solve the issue since more and more women keep facing such harassment.

But Rebecca Mcgregor from Aberdeen in Scotland was in no mood to just block the guy and leave it alone when she was subjected to such images. Rebecca decided to teach him a lesson and sent screenshots of his messages to his mother after finding her.

Rebecca also hit out at prejudices people hold against women who dress a certain way and those who think that its ok to harass them online as part of a blatant rape culture that exists online, through a Facebook post.

While it isnt known if the man learnt his lesson after Rebeccas advised his parents to re-educate him, the move is certainly a fitting response to online harassment plaguing the digital space.
The accused is being produced before a local court on Monday, an official said. (Photo: Representational)

Hyderabad: Cyberabad Police today arrested a man, the founder of a private orphanage in Hyderabad for allegedly sexually harassing a 14-year-old girl inmate.

The teen-aged girl, a class ninth student staying at the orphanage in a complaint to police on Sunday has accused Madhav Rao of sexually harassing her after calling in his room in the premises, a police official attached to L B Nagar Police Station said.

Following the complaint, a case under section 354A (sexual harassment) of the IPC and under relevant sections of POCSO Act was booked against Madhav and he was arrested.

He is being produced before a local court on Monday, the official said. In a related development, city-based Balala Hakkula Sangham, an NGO working for child rights, condemned the incident.

"A thorough inspection should be conducted at private orphanages and if any irregularities are found such orphanages should be immediately merged with government homes," honorary president of the NGO, Achyuta Rao said.
He requested her to accompany him to a office where he had kept a phone number on a paper chit that had to be given to her father. (Photo: File/Representational)

Mumbai: A Special Protection of Children from Sexual Offenses Act (POCSO) court has convicted a 33-year-old man for seven years in jail for showing a 13-year-old girl his private parts and for masturbating in front of her.

The accused has been identified as Ayyaj alias Firoj Kanya Ali Ansari. One of Ansaris eyes is damaged and while the defense argued that the police was pinning the blame on him because it had been unable to nab the real culprit, the court dismissed this.

According to prosecution, on January 2013, the victim was returning home from her tuition when Ansari, called her. He requested her to accompany him to a office where he had kept a phone number on a paper chit that had to be given to her father.

Ansari claimed to know her father. Thus, she went with him to a nearby building in Andheri (west), where on the deserted third floor, he started masturbating in front of her.

The girl, who was in a state of shock, escaped the building and went to her friends house, where she narrated the incident to her parents. Accordingly, a police complaint was registered.

POCSO judge Surekha Patil held the accused guilty under the charges of outraging the modesty of a woman, kidnapping and criminal intimidation and awarded him jail time for seven years and a fine of Rs 10,000.
A 13-year-old dalit girl was raped by a tractor drive near Karimnagar in Telangana. (Representational Image)

Karimnagar: A 13-year-old dalit girl was allegedly raped by a tractor driver near Karimnagar in Telangana, police said on Monday.

The 23-year-old accused, who is known to the girl, on Saturday, took the Class VIII student from her school in Kothapalli village to a fort on the outskirts of Karimnagar town where he allegedly raped her, sub-inspector A Naresh Reddy said.

The accused then left the girl at her school, he said, adding the survivor belongs to a scheduled caste.

Later, the girl reached home and informed her parents about the incident who then approached police.

Subsequently, the police on Sunday registered a case against the man under Indian Penal Code section 376, for offence of rape, he said.

The offence attracts a maximum punishment of life term.

He was also booked under relevant provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Reddy said.

Efforts are on to trace the accused, he added.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to quash the money laundering case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and son. The court dismissed the petitions of Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and another person Chunni Lal.

"The petitions are devoid of substance, consequentially the same are dismissed," Justice R K Gauba said. The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier summoned 83-year-old Singh, his wife and son for questioning in this regard.

The ED had in September 2015 lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.

The court had earlier reserved the judgement after hearing arguments of the counsel for ED, Singh and others on the petitions. The CBI had filed a chargesheet on March 31, hours after the high court refused to quash the FIR lodged against Singh and his wife in the disproportionate assets case.

The high court, which had rubbished the chief minister's claim that the FIR was the result of political vendetta, had paved the way for criminal proceedings which were stalled due to an October 1, 2015 order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating and filing the chargesheet against the accused.

The ED had earlier termed Singh's plea for quashing of the money laundering case proceedings as premature. It had said the plea seeking a stay on the proceedings was not maintainable as the inquiry into the matter was at a preliminary stage.

The agency is probing allegations against Singh and his family members of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union minister of steel.

It has also attached assets worth about Rs 14 crore in this case under the PMLA. In July 2016, LIC agent Anand Chauhan was arrested by the ED under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case. The probe agency had alleged that Singh, while serving as the Union minister, had invested huge amounts in purchasing LIC policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan.
New Delhi: At least five people have been arrested by the Crime Branch of Delhi Police for their alleged involvement in cattle theft and illegal slaughter in New Delhi.

The gang, which was caught with illegal weapons, has reportedly been involved in more than 100 cases of cattle theft and slaughter, targeting villages on the outskirts of the national capital.

The gang made use of tempos parked outside dhabas for theft and attacked the cops when they were stopped. They smuggled cattle illegally for slaughter to parts of western Uttar Pradesh.
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Eight people have been confirmed dead after a rainstorm-triggered flood hit Quanzhou County, south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, local authorities said Monday.

As of 11 p.m. Sunday, nine people in Quanzhou had been reported missing and another 34 injured, according to the county's publicity department.

The sustained rainfall has caused more than 250,000 people to suffer property losses, left over 600 houses collapsed and damaged around 17,000 hectares of cropland. The county's direct economic loss reached 1.46 billion yuan (around 215 million U.S. dollars), the department said.

Nearly 38,000 people have been relocated. The local government has allocated tents, quilts, instant noodle, bottled water and medicine to disaster areas. Temporary shelter has been set up in some schools.

On Sunday, China's flood control authority said that water levels in more than 60 rivers in southern China were above the warning levels due to sustained rainfalls in recent days.

The National Meteorological Center (NMC) forecast that rainstorms will hit Guangxi and Hunan from Sunday night to Monday night with precipitation up to 110 millimeters.
Chennai: Opposition Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) on Monday staged a walkout in the Tamil Nadu Assembly after Speaker P Dhanapal declined permission to raise the issue of alleged payment of bribes to a Tamil Nadu minister and officials to facilitate sale of banned gutkha.

When DMK Deputy Leader Durai Murugan sought permission to raise the matter, the speaker did not allow it, saying the matter had been debated already and that Chief Minister K Palanisamy had responded on the matter.

He recalled that the chief minister had last week clarified that a probe was on in the matter, when Leader of Opposition M K Stalin raised the issue in the House.

However, DMK insisted on the matter being discussed on Monday but the speaker was firm in not allowing it, repeatedly saying the issue has been debated already.

With the speaker not budging, Duraimurugan led his partymen out of the House. The main opposition, however, returned soon to participate in the proceedings.

The issue had surfaced recently after a media report claimed that the IT department had seized documents detailing alleged payment of bribes during a search of premises of a gutkha manufacturer last year.

When DMK raised the issue last week, Palanisamy had said the matter was being probed by the Vigilance and Anti-Corruption.

Stalin had sought a probe by CBI and removal of the minister in question. He, however, did not mention the minister's name.
New Delhi: The Congress on Sunday hit out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah and said it was high time they took corrective action against the mob frenzy and lynching incidents across the country, which President Pranab Mukherjee had rightly flagged.

"It is high time the BJP government takes note of this widespread mob frenzy and lynching incidents, rightly flagged by the President of India and Congress president. Instead of falsification, lies and distortion, without any facts or numbers, the BJP would do better to take note of the anger which is engulfing the citizens of India against vigilantism by their own partymen," said Congress chief Spokesperson Randeep Surjewala.

He said three years had passed since the BJP came to power at the Centre and "we have seen enough of platitudes, speeches and alibis, it is time for some corrective action".

Hitting out at Shah, the Congress leader said even the president had shown the "mirror of truth" to the BJP on the growing incidents of "mob frenzy" which had become "irrational, uncontrollable" and had tacit protection and support of the government, yet the BJP chief had resorted to "falsehood and utter brazenness".

Shah, he said, instead of listening to the "conscience keeper of the nation", had "most shamelessly chosen to ignore the reality of a bizarre yet concerted 'Lynching Movement', which the government had overtly supported and encouraged in the last few months".

Surjewala also asked Shah whether it was not a fact that more than 50 cases of lynching and mob justice had taken place in the country in the three years of the BJP rule.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi talks about a new India. Is this the new India his party wants to create, where ruthless mobs take law in their own hands and hapless people are lynched and beaten to death?" he asked.

Surjewala alleged that the Sangh Parivar organisations "associated with the BJP", including the Bajrang Dal and the VHP, had actively been "instrumental" in many of these dastardly acts. "Why has no action been taken against them?" he asked.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi had, recently at the Sabarmati Ashram, said vigilante justice in the name of Gau Raksha (cow protection) was completely unacceptable. He had made a similar statement in August 2016. But, nothing seems to have changed. "Why doesn't the voice of Modi, who sheds crocodile tears occasionally (for public consumption) by invoking Gandhiji and Vinoba Bhave, never reach the vigilante, nor is the rule of law and Constitution upheld to punish them?," he asked.

Surjewala said Nityanand Mahato, the media in-charge of the BJP's Ramgarh unit in Jharkhand, was arrested by the police on Saturday over an incident of mob lynching of a man which was reported from Jharkhand last week.

Mahato, he alleged, had instigated the mob and added that a video of the incident not only showed that the BJP leader was present at the spot, but that he dragged the deceased, Alimuddin Ansari, out of his vehicle.

"As he (Mahato) kept watching, the mob thrashed Ansari mercilessly," he alleged quoting the Jharkhand Police. "Will Shri Amit Shah blame the Congress-UPA for the merciless death of these individuals, in which his own partymen are involved?" the Congress spokesperson asked.

He claimed that such incidents of mob lynching had occurred in "every BJP-ruled state". "Rumours are spread by the vested interests to mobilise the mobs, who then are encouraged to attack their targets with a state-aided licence to kill," alleged the Congress spokesperson.

Surjewala said Modi and Amit Shah must have taken note of the nationwide protests launched by the citizens and civil society groups, which had once again "shaken the conscience" of the nation.
Kerala student union organised a protest against the fee hike in medical courses, in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday. (Representational Image)

Thiruvananthapuram: Several activists were injured in a Kerala Police baton charge after the state's student union organised a protest against the fee hike in medical courses, in Thiruvananthapuram on Monday.

The student union organised a protest march to Kerala Health Minister KK Shailaja's residence.

A hike of Rs. 300,000 has been made in the M.B.B.S course of the self financing medical colleges. The fees of the post-graduate courses have increased up to Rs 14, 00,000.

Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president MM Hassan initiated the protest.

Several protestors have been arrested.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday showered rich praise on President Pranab Mukherjee, saying that he was "like a father" whose humane side transcended lines drawn by political ideology.

Releasing a book dedicated to President Mukherjee, Modi said that there was never a meeting between them in the last three years when the Commander in Chief did not treat him like a son.

"I am saying this from deep within. Like a father caring for his son...," he said turning emotional, media reported.

"'Modi ji, you will have to rest for half day,' Pranab da would say. Why are you running around so much; you must cut down on your programmes. You will have to take care of your health'," Modi recalled.

"It was during the UP polls that he told me that win and loss happen all the time but will you take care of your body or not? It was not part of his responsibilities as the President but it was the humane person inside him which cared for a friend," the Prime Minister said.

Mukherjee too expressed his "deep gratitude and appreciation" for Modi.

"It (difference in political views) did not affect the relationship between the President and the Prime Minister, between the titular head and the actual head of the administration," Mukherjee said.

Mukherjee's tenure as the first citizen ends on July 24. A closely-watched election to find his successor will be held on July 17 when members of an electoral college consisting of parliamentarians and legislators will choose between Ram Nath Kovind, backed by the ruling BJP-led government, and Meira Kumar, supported by Congress-led Opposition parties. Votes will be counted on July 20.
Former IPS officer SR Darapuri and 8 others were arrested by police for planning to hold a protest against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his residence. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Lucknow: As many as 31 Dalit activists were arrested on Monday from the Press Club in Lucknow where they had gathered to discuss 'atrocities against Dalits'.

Police arrested the activists, who had gathered to hold a press conference, as they had planned a march towards Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath' residence without permission, a report in NDTV read.

"Retired IPS officer SR Darapuri and seven others were arrested as they attempted to take out a rally at a public place without permission. They were arrested from the Chowk area," said Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi.

The activists, including Dalit leaders like Ramesh Dixit, Ram Kumar and Darapuri had planned to talk about the atrocities against Dalits during the press conference, the report added.

In a related development, over 50 protesters were placed under arrest in Jhansi on Sunday to prevent them from entering Lucknow, where they had planned to meet Adityanath and present him a huge bar of soap.

They wanted to personally present the 125-kg soap bar to Yogi Adityanath as a symbolic protest.

In May this year, people belonging to a scheduled caste in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district had alleged that they were given soaps and shampoos by the local administration ahead of the UP CM's visit. Members of the Mushahar community alleged that they were asked to take a bath and clean up before attending the function of Yogi Adityanath.

Meanwhile, the 50 Dalit protesters stopped at Jhansi were not given a reason by the police, but said it was for security reasons.

They were taken to a local guesthouse and later sent back to Ahmedabad by train.
The official said an inquiry was on into the incident though prima facie there was no negligence of the surgeons or the hospital. (Representational image)

Kakinada: Nine persons have allegedly lost their sight totally or partially due to post-operative endopthalmitis after cataract surgery was performed on them in April at the Lions District Eye Hospital of Jaggampet.

Two of the persons have reportedly been required to have their eyes removed at a hospital in Visakhapatnam.

East Godavari District Blindness Control Society programmme manager P Mallikarjuna Raju told this newspaper, At least 17 patients underwent cataract surgery one and a half months ago at the Lion Koduri Ranga Rao Srimati Subba Lakshmi Lions District Eye Hospital in Jagammapet. It was a good hospital but of late it does not have a permanent ophthalmologist. They are getting surgeons from outside. In this case, 13 out of 17 developed post-operative endo-pthalmitis.

Endopthalmitis is an inflammation of the interior of the eye. Under certain conditions, it could occur after all intraocular surgeries, particularly cataract surgery, and could result in possible loss of vision and the eye itself.

He added, Due to lack of postoperative hygiene, they may have developed this. Some of the patients who went to the hospital as a follow up were taken to the LV Prasad Eye Institute in Visaka-hapatnam where they underwent treatment and vision was partially restored.

He said three of them had reportedly lost their vision totally as they did not report back to the hospital in time. I do not know exactly how many people have lost their sight, he said.

The official said an inquiry was on into the incident though prima facie there was no negligence of the surgeons or the hospital. We will find out whose negligence led to it, said Mr Rao. Seven patients were from Vetlapalem in Samalkot mandal, one each from Rachapalli in Prathipadu mandal and J. Kothuru in Jaggampet mandal. Much after the surgery, they were not cured.
New Delhi: Speculation is rife that Jammu and Kashmir governor N.N. Vohra may be replaced in the next few days. Though senior officials, both at the Centre and state, remain tight-lipped, sources said there is a growing view that a new governor, who is more familiar with the prevailing security scenario in the Valley, should be sent to the state. Home secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who completes his two-year tenure next month, is being considered as a possible replacement to Mr Vohra, sources said.

Mr Mehrishi has been closely involved in managing the Kashmir crisis since violence erupted in July last year, after the killing of top Hizbul Mujahideen commander Burhan Wani.

Apart from his experience of liaisoning with security and intelligence agencies in the Valley in his capacity as the home secretary, Mr Mehrishi is known for his hands-on approach.
New Delhi/Beijing: Terming Indias act of stopping Chinese troops from constructing a road in an area near Sikkim as a betrayal, China on Monday said India must pull back its soldiers from the area.

Reacting to Indian defence minister Arun Jaitleys statement that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, the spokesperson said, He (Arun Jaitley) is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different.

China, he added, will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Mr Jaitley was reacting to a Chinese defense ministry officials oblique reference to the 1962 war when he said that the Indian Army could learn lessons from the past and stop such dangerous clamour for war.

The Chinese media, meanwhile, has said that Indias objection to China building a road in Sikkim ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its firm determination to constrain Chinas rise.

New Delhis position has consistently been that while the status of Sikkim as a part of India has been accepted by the Chinese, the boundary in the Sikkim sector with China is yet to be finalised.

Where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding, also in 2012, reconfirming their mutual agreement on the basis of the alignment, external affairs ministry had said.
Chennai: More than 1,100 cinema theatres across Tamil Nadu downed their shutters on Monday protesting double taxation by the state government after GST came into force and the strike would continue even on Tuesday, incurring a loss of `50 crore per day.

Efforts by the Tamil Nadu Government, Producers' Council and Nadigar Sangam to defuse the crisis the whole of Monday did not move the cinema theatre owners who refused to budge from their stand and made it clear that the strike would continue till the time the state administration passes an order withdrawing levy of municipal tax.

We met the Chief Minister and officials along with members and office-bearers of the Nadigar Sangam and briefed them about the current situation. Later, we also held a separate meeting with officials but no decision has been arrived at. Though we are hopeful of a positive outcome, we are not calling off the strike as of now, Abirami Ramanathan, president of Tamil Nadu Film Chamber of Commerce, told Deccan Chronicle.

The theatre owners are protesting against levy of 30 per cent municipal tax along with 18 per cent GST for tickets below Rs 100 and 28 per cent GST for tickets above Rs 100. They want the double taxation to end since paying tax to both the government and the municipal body would not be possible due to higher rates of tax.

We are not against GST and we have been making it clear every now and then. We are all for GST, but we want concession from the state government since governments in neighbouring states have agreed to demands of theatre owners and waived off local taxes. Cinema owners will have to pay only GST, Mr Ramanathan said.

Theatre owners across the state would lose Rs 45 to Rs 50 crore per day and losses would be more during the weekend if the strike continues.

While a ticket of Rs 100 would cost Rs 118 in Kerala, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, the same would be Rs 148 in Tamil Nadu. The state government also stepped in to solve the crisis with finance minister D.. Jayakumar saying that a amicable solution would be found soon.

Meanwhile, Producers' Council president Vishal, who took objection to the strike on day 1, held extensive talks with Jayakumar along with his office bearers to reach a positive conclusion. The producers' say theatres downing their shutters would cause them loses.
Hyderabad: Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao said that the new Goods & Services Tax (GST) would bring in an additional revenue of Rs 3,000 crore a year to Telangana. But he qualified his statement by saying the exact impact of GST would be known in December after assessing the revenue earnings in the third quarter.

Interestingly, finance minister Etala Rajendar, who attended the GST launch programme in New Delhi on June 30, had stated that the TS government would lose up to Rs 4,500 crore on account of GST. The Chief Minister reviewed the impact of GST on the states revenue with senior officials at Pragathi Bhavan on Monday.

Officials informed him that since petroleum products and liquor were exempted from the GST, the new tax structure will not have any impact on 50 per cent of the states revenues, and for the other 50 per cent, the state will get 50 per cent share back from the Centre.
While six people died on spot, one succumbed later at a hospital on Sunday night. Seven others were injured in the accident. (Photo: ANI/Twitter)

Pune: The police have arrested the driver of the water tanker that collided with a mini-bus on Pune-Ahmednagar road on Sunday, killing seven people.

All the deceased, including two women, were software professionals working with different IT firms in the city, senior police inspector Sarjerao Patil said on Monday.

On Sunday evening, six persons died on the spot and seven others were injured when the private mini-bus in which they were travelling collided with the water tanker near Lonikand village, about 40 kms from Pune. One of the injured persons succumbed later at a hospital last night, Patil said.

The victims were returning from a friends wedding in Ahmednagar district. Patil said when the mini-bus reached near Lonikand, the water tanker coming from the opposite direction veered off the road. It then rammed into the road divider, jumped on the other side of the road and collided with the mini-bus.

It seems that the water tanker was being driven in a rash and negligent manner. The tanker driver apparently lost control over the wheels following which the vehicle collided with the bus, he said. The tanker also hit a car which was behind the bus, he said.

The tanker driver, Krushna Kitarwad (22), was arrested in the early hours of Monday, Patil said. Kitarwad has been booked under IPC sections pertaining to rash and negligent driving and also under section 304 part II, for offence of culpable homicide not amounting to murder, under which the imprisonment may extend up to 10 years. He has also been booked under relevant sections of the Motor Vehicles Act, the police officer said.

Sameer Gaikwad, one of the bus passengers who sustained minor injuries in the accident, said, We all are shocked. We are yet to come to terms with the tragedy.
Bengaluru: Former BJP minister S.N. Krishnaiah Shetty, who was a co-accused along with former chief minister B. S. Yeddyurappa in an alleged land scam during his stint as minister, rejoined the saffron party on Sunday after severing his four-year "not so fruitful" ties with the Congress in Kolar district.

What is significant is that in a span of just two weeks, three leaders have quit the Congress-veteran leader and former MP A.H. Vishwanath, prominent Vishwakarma leader K.P. Nanjundi and now Mr Shetty.

Speaking to DC, a senior leader in the Congress asserted that there will be no damage to the party vote bank except in the case of Mr Vishwanath's exit. "Be it the case of Mr Nanjundi or Mr Shetty, these leaders will not be able to bring their community votes to our kitty. Traditionally the Vishwakarma community and Arya Vaishya community are a core voter group of the BJP. Mr Shetty was never active in the Congress in Kolar after he joined the party. He was inducted on the insistence of Kolar Lok Sabha MP, K. H. Muniyappa. It helped Mr Muniyappa to a certain extent during the Lok Sabha polls. But after that, Mr Shetty remained absent from party programmes in the district. Although physically he was with the Congress, he remained a BJP worker at heart. Even during the Gram Panchayat, Taluk Panchayat, Zilla Panchayat and other Urban Local Body elections, he fielded his candidate against the Congress and ensured his victory with the tacit support of local Congress leaders. Therefore, he was never a prize catch for the party. As for Mr Nanjundi, he has emerged as a leader of his community but has never been able convert his goodwill into votes in our favour. The Brahmin, Vishwakarma and Arya Vaishya communities vote en masse for the BJP, not Congress," the source explained.
Kumar said that Congress had to step up and provide an alternative agenda for a unified Opposition. (Photo: File)

Patna: Janata Dal (United) Chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday clarified that he will not be the Oppositions prime ministerial candidate for the 2019 polls, deeming himself ineligible for the post.

Speaking to the media, Kumar said, I have said earlier also that I am not the PM face of opposition in 2019, neither am I eligible.

Blaming the Congress for the multiple narratives followed by Opposition in the Presidential poll, Kumar said that Congress had to step up and provide an alternative agenda for a unified Opposition.

Addressing a press conference here, Kumar said, "I have said earlier also that the Congress is a big party and should set alternate narrative and agenda. Opposition needs an alternate narrative and just reactive narrative won't work".

Kumar also said that there was no rift in the Maha Gathbandhan, stemming from the variance in opinions over the next President. He also questioned how the proceedings of a closed meeting reached the press.

"Yesterday, there was a meeting of party's state executive, which is generally a closed door one and it is a forum where all the issues are discussed. Congress is a part of Maha Gathbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar and it is our priority to fulfill the programmes of the Maha Gadhbandhan," Nitish said.

On Sunday, it was reported that Nitish had held Congress responsible for the chaos amid Opposition parties over the Presidential elections.

His reported observation came after senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had indirectly criticised Nitish Kumar for extending support to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Without naming Nitish, Azad had said that people who believe in one principle take one decision, but those who believe in several principles take different decisions.

The Congress leader also had said that he (Nitish) had taken the first step for defeating a Dalit leader (Oppostion's Presidential candidate Meira Kumar) by extending support to Kovind.

Azad reacted after Nitish blamed Congress for fielding Bhiar ki Beti (daughter of Bihar) only to lose.

The Bihar Chief Minister said that the JD(U) had given a reply to whatever Azad had said and the matter was limited to the Presidential elections only.
Hyderabad: TRS president and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao turned down a request for an appointment made by UPAs Presidential election nominee Meira Kumar on Monday.

Ms Kumar, a former Lok Sabha Speaker, who reached here on Monday afternoon, had written to Mr Rao requesting an appointment to seek votes from the TRS. She also made a request with the Chief Minister Office stating she would like to speak with Mr Rao over the phone.

The requests did not materialise before she left the city in the evening. I want to make an appeal to supporting me in the Presidential election. I have known the people of Telangana state and have visited the region more times than I have my native state Bihar, she said.

I have played a key role in the formation of Telangana State and in passing the historical Bill. I request Telangana MLAs and MPs cutting across parties to support me in the election, Ms Kumar told mediapersons.

TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said it was unfortunate that the Chief Minister had refused to meet a veteran leader like Ms Kumar. It was Mr Raos minimum duty to reciprocate Ms Kumars help in passing the bifurcation Bill which had paved the way for Mr Rao becoming Chief Minister, he said.

When asked about the people not voting for the Congress in 2014 despite statehood, and the TRS which came to power because of the bifurcation not supporting her candidature, Ms Kumar said, This is all part of politics, what more can I say

Speaking to Congress MPs and legislators at a function at Exhibition Society buildings here, Ms Kumar said, Those who are feeling uncomfortable inside for supporting the NDA nominee, those who feel secularism, values and ideologies are highly weighed in this election should support me above party politics.
Three countries loom large on Indias foreign policy radar this week. The United States, where Narendra Modi has just been on what our ultra-patriotic TV channels scream was a triumphal visit. China, which the same shrill channels warn, is playing false again and must not be allowed to get away with it. And Israel, where our media is already gloating that Mr Modi will be received more royally than Donald Trump, President of Israels principal international protector, was. There is also always Pakistan, apparently whimpering on the sidelines from devastating surgical strikes and Mr Trumps latest blow against a notorious terrorist but nevertheless ready for fresh mischief. These are not necessarily irreconcilable correlates. Since a country cant reshape the world, it must make the best of the geography in which it finds itself. That might make for some seeming inconsistencies in transactional relations but those inconsistencies will remain unavoidable exceptions rather than the rule if they are features of an independent policy that serves the national interest without abandoning coherence or credibility. Even while establishing diplomatic relations with Israel a quarter of a century ago and laying the ground for Mr Modis historic trip (no Indian Prime Minister has trodden that path before), P.V. Narasimha Rao stressed that he sought justice for the Palestinians.

So far as one recalls, Mr Modi has not uttered a single word to express human concern for displaced Palestinians, reveal any understanding of the political dimensions of a historic tragedy, or raise his own moves above the level of rank opportunism. China presents a daunting challenge. Australias withdrawal during Kevin Rudds prime ministership from the Quadrilateral Security Dialogue should have reminded India that too close an embrace with America has been the kiss of death for many Asian governments. Maverick he might be, but Subramanian Swamy is entirely right to warn that India needs long-term engagements with China for the benefit of both nations. Supporting that advice, Sputnik International quoted Deep Kisor Datta-Ray, author of The Making of Indian Diplomacy: A Critique of Eurocentrism, to stress that India should engage China to realise infrastructure and development projects in eliminating the everyday squalor of Indian life. Ambitious young Indians for whom US green cards and H-1B visas are lifes ultimate prize would disagree with his thesis that American merchants of death want to sell arms to us and thereby ensnare us in their military-industrial complex.

Whatever the truth of that charge, the only sane response to Gen. Bipin Rawats boast that the Indian Army is fully ready for a two-and-a-half-front war can be that hostilities on even one front would be disastrous for the suffering multitude. China and Pakistan must both be rebuffed but contradicting the Army Chiefs bravado, Dr Swamy warns that bad ties with them would be a defence nightmare for India. A failed Pakistan would also be calamitous for the region, bringing the scourge of religious fundamentalism, drugs and terrorism right into our territory. India cannot afford not to evolve a modus vivendi with Pakistan and China. The India-US equation is more complex because Washington has become used to client states in Asia and Africa. Dr Swamy is right to assert there can be no viable partnership until the Americans accept we are not junior partners of the US; we are equals. That was also the central point of my book, Waiting for America: India and the US in the New Millennium. India is still waiting. George W. Bush hoped to sell Indians pizzas, air-conditioners, kitchen appliances and washing machines so that American companies like GE, Whirlpool and Westinghouse raked in the profits. Mr Trump hasnt yet been so explicit, but we do know that whatever money his Tribeca Developers makes here is repatriated to the US. An equal relationship is impossible so long as our leaders are so obviously flattered to shake hands with and hug whites. It would be surprising if Mr Modis trip to Israel didnt owe something to American urging.

Several reasons have been advanced for Indias equivocal relations with Israel. Statesmen like Jawaharlal Nehru, who attended the 1927 Brussels conference on imperialism, balanced their outrage at Hitlers Holocaust with sympathy for fellow Asians in the Arab world. Indian analysts believed Jawaharlal Nehru and his successors needed Arab support on Kashmir. Hard-headed Israeli diplomats held that UN votes counted for little compared to the Muslim electorate at home on which the Congress Party relied. Either way, the era of pretence is over. But if honesty demands public admission of ties with an Israel that is Indias second-largest defence supplier, realism calls for acknowledging the only way of breaking the dangerous regional stalemate. Reports speak of Israel preparing 18 specific targets to help India with an $80 million five-year budget. While this may appeal to Mr Modi, it cannot be at the expense of a sustainable foreign policy that carries conviction and commands respect. India cannot forget that Israels own attorney-general not long ago denounced as unconstitutional Benjamin Netanyahus latest law to regularise some of the 140 illegal settlements for more than 600,000 Jewish settlers in the conquered West Bank and East Jerusalem. The festering sore of Palestinian grievances that are a major cause for Islamist terrorism will not be healed without an immediate halt to settlement and implementation of the two-state solution the Oslo process promised. The question now is: how far will Mr Modi, flattered by attention and the promise of a huge arms package, go in his hand-holding, chest-to-chest exuberance with Mr Netanyahu? Recognising Jerusalem as Israels capital would rub salt in Palestinian wounds. It would mean supporting the Zionist dream of Eretz Israel, the mythic name for an indefinitely extended Jewish homeland, at Arab expense. For India, it will be the abdication of independent diplomacy.
While the Russian claim that ISIS chief Abu-Bakr al-Baghdadi was killed in one of its recent air attacks needs corroboration, it is confirmed that the Islamic State or Daesh, as the outfit is known in Arabic, has been driven out of Mosul in northern Iraq, its command headquarters, by government troops. Iraqi forces took control of the al-Nuri mosque in central Mosul, historically one of Islams most iconic sites, from Daesh towards the end of June. It was from this famous shrine that al-Baghdadi had on June 29, 2014 declared himself as the caliph, or leader, of all Muslims and founded Islamic State. With the Iraq Army mounting a heavy campaign to capture Mosul, the so-called caliph fled his headquarters.

Is ISIS finished as an organisation, and have those who spread terror in its name been defanged? Probably. But this should be said with the proviso that ideological currents take time to fully abate even when the organisational structures that prop them up are dismantled. It will help if the government in Baghdad adopts policies that are perceived as respectful of Iraqs Sunni minority. With ISIS-dominated areas of Iraq falling, it is unlikely that the contiguous region around Raqqa in Syria, which is ISIS administrative capital so to speak, can hold out. In that sense, the organisational dismemberment of ISIS in the foreseeable future can be said to be on the cards.

ISIS was a far more deadly organism than Al Qaeda, the killing of whose chieftain Osama bin Laden at a safe house at Abbottabad, Pakistan, was greeted with relief across the world. While Al Qaeda operated on the basis of individual cells, that were at the heart of its existence, and had no headquarters, ISIS possessed the trappings of a state. It possessed territory, access to sources of revenue like oilfields (in Mosul), a fighting army, and administrative and police structures. These attributes drew to it young recruits even from Europe and the United States, not to say Muslim countries and India, who responded to its ideological call of returning to the roots of Islam. It was the frightening military rise of ISIS, which threatened the interests of great powers like Russia and the US, that led to its downfall, with Russian forces tilting the balance in the end. The American attitude towards ISIS was one of horror, but also a seeming soft-peddling in the light of regional priorities. Daesh had emerged as a force in Afghanistan and its removal or depletion will benefit the Taliban, which calls for careful calibration of policy by India.
Although the Sikkim border between China and India has often been a source of diplomatic and military tensions in bilateral relations, the Sino-Indian frontier has been largely quiet since 1967 when the two armies fought a short but brutal local war. But it would be incorrect to infer that with such large concentrations and spread of troops, often eyeball to eyeball, that there is no tension. Why did the latest military standoff break out? Both sides have resorted to a blame game, accusing each other of crossing the boundary. But what has really happened? Is it a coincidence that it occurred just days ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis summit meeting with Donald Trump? An Ian Fleming character had once rightly said: Once is happenstance, twice is coincidence and third time is an enemy action. Such flare-ups at a time when the Indian leadership is meeting with leaders like Xi Jinping and Donald Trump are now running out of coincidences. A clear pattern is now emerging. Whether it is our or their side that is provoking it doesnt matter much. The Indian public believes it is China that is ratcheting up the tensions. The Chinese public thinks it is India. In the new world of mass and instant communications, perceptions are the truth.

However, some light is peeping out from under the shut doors of the two militaries. At the farthest tip of the Chumbi Valley between Sikkim and Bhutan, the Chinese are building a road to an area called the Dokalam Plains. Our military believes that the artillery positioned here will seriously threaten Indian concentrations and communications. It doesnt help very much that the Chumbi Valley appears on the map like a dagger poised not only to render asunder Sikkim and Bhutan, but also Assam and the Northeast from the rest of India. So the Indian Army wants to position itself to challenge the PLAs dominance from the Doka La pass in Bhutan. There is nothing wrong about this, considering India and Bhutan have a treaty-ratified military relationship. Clearly the two biggest armies in the world are jockeying for positions of advantage. This is natural when there are huge concentrations of troops, literally cheek by jowl, and trust is low between the two governments. Over 40 years after India formally annexed Sikkim after a referendum, China has still not unequivocally accepted Sikkim as part of India. Despite the assurances by then Chinese Prime Minister Wen Jiabao that Sikkim is no longer an issue in bilateral relations, many Chinese maps persist in showing Sikkim as not part of India.

From here it seems Beijings deliberate ambiguity on Sikkim, and even according to some Chinese analysts, is partly due to the belief that it may give China leverage over India in their border talks. From the Indian perspective, whether China accepts or recognises it is moot. The reality now is that the state of Sikkim is a part of the Indian republic. While this accession was ratified by a referendum, that cannot be said of Tibet, but India has accepted the reality. China too has to accept the reality. It has no choice. What it shows or doesnt show in its maps doesnt matter. If China thinks it gives it leverage, all the best to it. In these days, with both countries capable of an unacceptable level of violence, it would be wise to forget such old notions and deal with realities. Other misperceptions further confound our perceptions about each other. Some Chinese experts claimed the latest standoff showed India has yet to recover from the embarrassing defeat of the 1962 border war against the backdrop of the growing competition for influence and hostility between India and China. Despite their growing economic and trade relations, both sides are deeply distrustful of each other. From a Beijing perspective, India is playing an active role in forging an anti-Chinese coalition with the US, Japan, Australia and Vietnam to counter Beijings diplomatic, economic and military assertiveness. Indias conspicuous absence from the Belt and Road Summit in Beijing last month is cited by the Chinese media as further evidence of strained relations between China and India.

I think we are in need of some realism here too. 1962 was 55 years ago. It is now a long time ago. Just like when the Tibetans drove out the Chinese from their country in 1911-12 was a long time ago. At that time, Chinese troops escaped to India via the Nathu La Pass. So, was 1962 to avenge that humiliation? These are ridiculous notions now. Much water has flowed under the bridge since 1962. That India and this India are very different. In this India, innocence and hope and been replaced by a new realism. Chinese experts who hark back to 1962 are somewhat short of understanding. The fates of India and China in a world of rapid economic, technological and social change are inextricably linked. The GDPs of India and China within the next two decades will exceed that of the G-7. A major global power shift is underway. India and China must wake up to this reality and be prepared to play a historical role instead of living out the childish fantasies of their half-baked and under educated strategic experts.

India has played no role in forging any alliance with the US, Japan, Australia and Vietnam. It is just a Western wish. We know what is in our interests and what is not. The US, Japan and Australia are separated from China by vast oceans and enjoy a sense of security that India (and Vietnam) cannot. Both have large land borders with China and they will feel the immediate consequences of an armed conflict. The US and Japan are too closely economically integrated with China to be taken as credible allies by India. If anything India knows, it knows it stands alone. India didnt take part in OBOR because there was nothing of interest to it in it. When China makes a proposal that will incorporate India into its worldview, India will respond suitably. Otherwise, India has no intention of paying court to the Emperor Far Away. I think there is a belated realisation of this in China now. The greater economic integration of India and China is the best hope for China and Indias sustained long-term growth. Lets hope better sense prevails.
Samsung launched its mobile payment app, SamsungPay, in India in March this year  and users can use it to pay through their credit or debit cards at Point of Sale terminals in shops without swiping the actual card.

The cash dispensing terminal known as ATM or Automatic Teller Machine, is 50 years old, increasingly threatened by electronic payment options, yet refuses to die. There are over 30 lakh ATMs world-wide, some 2 lakhs of them in India, including a few in unconventional locations: The world's highest ATM is at Nathula Pass on the Sikkim-Tibet border, at 4023 metres (13,200 feet). The only ATM on an Indian warship, is operated by SBI on board the aircraft carrier INS Vikramaditya, serving 1500 seamen. Floating ATMs routinely serve customers on dozens of tiny islands in Kerala's backwaters.

Yet attempts are being made, to render ATMs obsolete. After demonetizing 80 per cent of all currency notes in circulation and forcing people to adopt some form of e-cash, the Indian government has virtually stopped growing the ATM network. NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant has suggested that by 2020, credit and debit cards and ATM machines will be totally irrelevant. He is wrong in multiple ways. The need for physical currency will never go away: Even in the most advanced economies, half of all consumer transactions are in cash. The ATM is not about to fade away, it is reinventing itself in new and innovative ways.

With over a billion Indians having an Aadhaar number, DCB bank launched India's first Aadhaar-based ATM in Mumbai last year and is extending this technology to 400 ATMs nationwide. Their terminal has a fingerprint scanner instead of a card reader. Finger print replaces ATM card and Aadhaar number replaces the PIN number. The Card-less ATM has come.

Internationally, ATM maker Diebold has designed a very small-footprint terminal called 'ATM Extreme' that is just 10 inches (25 cms) wide and can be operated with the customer's finger print. Diebold is also one of the leading ATM suppliers in India  so a platform for large scale rollout of Aadhaar-based ATM payments is readily available.

If card-less, why not contact-less? This is a parallel trend that has swept many banks abroad. It uses a mobile phone  and removes the most vulnerable element of today's card-based ATM operation: the card itself, which baddies can clone or skim. Users need to download a banking app on their smart phone. The actual connection is wireless  Bluetooth or Near Field Communication (NFC). With early mobile-based ATMs deployed in Spain in 2011, the customer had to scan a QR or Quick Response code on the ATM screen. This is cumbersome  and India will likely leapfrog into later, easier technologies in card-less ATMs.

Samsung launched its mobile payment app, SamsungPay, in India in March this year  and users can use it to pay through their credit or debit cards at Point of Sale terminals in shops without swiping the actual card. In South America SamsungPay joined with ATM maker Diebold- Nixdorf  and owners of the Samsung Galaxy S8, can use their phone to withdraw cash from ATMs in Puerto Rico.

Google has launched an Android payments app called "Pay", which works like SamsungPay with your credit cards. Bank of America was the first to use Android "Pay" to enable card-less payments at many of its US-based ATMs. The app is not launched in India  yet.

The world is moving towards mobile-phone- based ATMs  and Indian banks will inevitably follow, once RBI takes the first bold step.

50 years ago...

On June 27 1967, the world's first ATM was open for business at the Enfield branch of Barclays Bank in London. There were no cards  yet. The bank issued select customers with vouchers for 10 each together with a secret number that was also printed on a special carbon stripe on the vouchers. To withdraw cash, one placed the voucher in a special drawer in the STM and punched the secret number.

If this matched the number embedded on the carbon stripe, the machine spitted out a crisp 10 pound note. Two days later a bank in Uppsala, Sweden, launched its own ATM, the 'Bankomat'. In early July 1967, another UK bank, NatWest, now part of the RBS group launched its own ATM. By 1972, UK's largest bank, Lloyds, launched hundreds of ATMs, called CashPoints. The greatest self service financial technology of the century had come.

IndiaTechOnline

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The law also makes these social media companies to publish a report every six months, clarifying the number of complaints and the way they have dealt with it.

In a bid to curb hatred content on social media, the German government has drafted a new law that will require all the social media websites operating in Germany to scan and remove offensive content. The new law will be effective from October 2017.

The new law aims to end the verbal law of the jungle on the internet and protect the freedom of expression for all, said Heiko Maas, Justice Minister. We are ensuring that everyone can express their opinion freely, without being insulted or threatened, he added.

Global social media firms such as Facebook, Twitter and Googles YouTube have approximately 200 million users in Germany alone. The law will require these companies to go through all the posts and content that the users will contribute. They will have a period of seven days to decide whether a particular content is defamatory or promoting violence, failing which could result in facing fines of up to 50 million.

The law also makes these social media companies to publish a report every six months, clarifying the number of complaints and the way they have dealt with it.

According to a study, the social media companies have not been able to effectively remove majority of the content. It was surprising to see Facebook were not able to remove at least 70 percent of such content, given that Facebook employs a dedicated team to filter such content. Same was the case with Twitter. Surprisingly, YouTube managed to flag 90 percent of the content within 24 hours of the announcement.

(with inputs from The New York Times)

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Samsung is planning to build worlds largest OLED production lines in South Korea in a bid to beef up production of OLED screens to further widen the gap with fast-growing Chinese display makers, according to a report by Korean news website ET News.

According to the report, the new plant is expected to raise 30 per cent of the OLED production, compared to present production capacity by the current largest OLED plant.

Samsung Display, which controls 98 per cent of global markets for small and medium flexible OLED screens, is the sole OLED supplier to Apple for its upcoming iPhone 8 model. The firm has promised to supply at least 3-4 million OLED-panels to Apple before the launch of iPhone 8 but, it still lacks behind the ordered quantity, which is 70 million OLED-panels.

Chinese display makers are making all-out efforts to beef up production (that would lower panel prices overall). Samsung is seeking to secure an edge on production volume, technology and prices, a source told ET News.

Even though the plan needs to be approved at a board meeting next month, Samsung has already informed the plans to key equipment suppliers, another source told ET News.

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 Flash

Chinese President Xi Jinping and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump held a telephone conversation on Monday, exchanging views on bilateral ties, the upcoming G20 summit and the Korean Peninsula issue.

During the conversation, Xi stressed that important results have been achieved in bilateral relations between China and the United States since the Mar-a-Lago meeting between the two heads of state.

Meanwhile, China-U.S. relations have also been affected by some negative factors, and the Chinese side has already expressed its position to the United States, Xi said.

The Chinese president also said that his country attaches great importance to Trump's reaffirmation that the United States will adhere to the one-China policy.

China hopes that the United States will handle the Taiwan issue appropriately in accordance with the one-China principle and the three China-U.S. joint communiques, Xi said.

Xi stressed that both China and the United States need to control the general direction of bilateral relationship in light of the consensus they reached at the Mar-a-Lago meeting.

The two sides should also stick to the principle of mutual respect and mutual benefit, focus on cooperation and control differences in a bid to secure more substantial progress in relations between the two countries, Xi added.

Trump, for his part, said that the U.S.-China ties have a promising prospect and the two countries have broad common interests.

Trump reaffirmed that the U.S. government will continue to honor the one-China policy and its stance remains unchanged.

The upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, which covers a wide range of topics, is very important, said Trump, adding that he is looking forward to holding in-depth discussions with President Xi and other state leaders on major issues of common concern.

While global economy is facing challenges, it is necessary that China and the United States work together with other G20 members to strengthen the role of the G20 and forge synergy among them, Xi said.

Xi also called for strengthened communication, coordination and cooperation among G20 members.

Focusing on the theme of the upcoming summit "Shaping an Interconnected World," the G20 members should jointly push the summit for positive results thus helping promote global economic growth, Xi said.

The two presidents also discussed the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

They agreed to meet in Hamburg to discuss issues of common concern.
Clashes towards the end of last month left around 100 people dead in the central town of Bria. (Photo: Representational/AFP)

Bangui (Central African Republic): At least 15 people died in clashes between UN peacekeepers and former rebels in the centre of the chronically restive Central African Republic, a humanitarian source said Sunday.

The violence broke out on Saturday in the market town of Kaga-Bandoro when rebels from the former Seleka movement of mainly Muslim fighters attacked the town "to settle an old score," a source in MINUSCA, the UN mission which has some 12,000 troops in the country, said. "They (the former Seleka rebels) were confronted by the Pakistani and Burundian contingents stationed in the town," the UN source said. "

The MINUSCA forces did their job and protected the civil population" in the town, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital Bangui, the source added.

Seleka rebels briefly seized power in March 2013 and deposed the Christian President Francois Bozize. The Seleka group was itself then ousted, leading to a wave of violent reprisals against the Muslim population by the Christian anti-Balaka militia.

Clashes towards the end of last month left around 100 people dead in the central town of Bria just hours after the government signed a peace deal with rebel groups aimed at ending simmering sectarian violence which has blighted Central Africa since 2013.

Although the unrest has long pitted Christian anti-Balaka militias against mainly Muslim ex-Seleka rebels, there have been growing splits within the various armed groups that have turned deadly.

Violence resurfaced at the end of May in Kaga-Bandoro, the main town in the Nana-Grebizi region where some 20,000 displaced people have been housed since last year.
Beijing: Indias objection to China building a road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its "firm determination" to "constrain" China's rise, an article in a state-run daily here said on Monday.

"Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India, but also strengthen Indias advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China," the article in the Global Times said.

"The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US Indias firm determination to constrain Chinas rise," the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.

"For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modis visit to the US," it said on the ongoing stand-off in Doklam.

In addition, the Indian government has started an anti-dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing China's rise.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs statement in New Delhi, the Doklam incident took place on June 16 whereas Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that the stand-off in which the Indian troops objected to the Peoples Liberation Army soldiers building a road occurred on June 18. Modi had visited US from June 25-27.

Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump had approved the sale of 22 Guardian MQ-9B drones for India.

Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modis two-day visit to the US, people link Indias bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," it said.

The daily also downplayed Modis visit, saying it was "not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved."

At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a "relatively harmonious" relationship with Trump.

"Both of them made keynote speeches to praise each other and did all they could to avoid touching on disputes between the two countries," it said.

"The two countries have aligned their interests in defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. The US supports India to counterbalance China, but tries not to offend China as Trump still needs Chinas help on many issues," it said.

About US designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist", the article said it accords with the "US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement".

"Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," it said.

"Although Modi didnt mention the existing problems in Indias ties with the US, Trump reminded him of protectionism in trade and investment in India that jeopardises US interests," it said.
Foreign policy observers feel that China is accusing India of disturbing the peace at the Sikkim border to hide the Chinese unilateral aggression. (Representational image)

Beijing: The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Jaitley who responded to China's oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different."

He had also said that the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitleys remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different." He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.

Read: Sikkim 'incursion' timed ahead of PM's US visit to impress Trump: China

"I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," he warned. Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up" for the "illegal entry" into the Doklam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse."

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," Geng said.

Read: India pushes troops in Sikkim's Doka La in longest impasse since 1962

Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing."

"The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth," he said. Geng Shuang also said that the Indian Army's action there is a "betrayal" of the position taken by successive Indian governments.

"Former Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to the then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing.

He said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back troops immediately from Doklam. "The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by the Indian governments," he said.

China accused Indian troops of transgressing into the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector, which it claims as a part of its territory.

Bhutan also claims the area as a part of its territory. China also said it has closed the Nathu La route in Sikkim for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims from India.

"The other route to Tibet through Lipu lake is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute, Geng said.
Washington: The United States and Japan are united in their efforts to clamp down on North Korea's "growing threat," as the regime ramps up its nuclear drive and other belligerent efforts, the White House said Sunday.

During a phone call, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend (against) and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea", the White House said in a statement. It added that the pair expressed "unity with respect to increasing pressure on the regime to change its dangerous path."

During a separate phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said it was Trump who "raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs." "Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

But the White House made no mention of possible discussions between Trump and Xi over disputed islands in the South China Sea, even though the call took place just hours after a US warship sailed near an island in the waterway. Beijing termed the incident a "serious political and military provocation."

The destroyer, the USS Stethem, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official said.

On the call, Trump also "reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners," the White House said, a reference to the US administration's aggressive stance on trade matters, especially as concerns China.

The Trump administration has been growing increasingly exasperated with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, which has staged a barrage of missile tests in recent months.

Trump had been pinning his hopes on China North Korea's main diplomatic ally to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang, but declared last week that their efforts had failed. He has presented sanctions as the best way to proceed with the hermit state, opting for that approach over dialogue with the regime.

During talks with South Korean leader Moon Jae-In who has pushed for a policy of engagement with Pyongyang on Friday, Trump called for a "determined response" to the North. But the pair failed to map out a joint strategy on how to handle North Korean threats.

"The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed, many years it has failed. Frankly, that patience is over," Trump said.

There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma earlier this month. He died several days later.
More than 460 people have been killed since the battle for Marawi began on May 23, including 82 members of the security forces and 44 civilians. (Photo: AP/Representational))

Marawi City: Saripada Pacasum Jr. gagged and turned away the first time he came across a decomposing body in Marawi City, where hundreds have died since Islamic State-inspired fighters attempted to overrun the southern Philippines town six weeks ago.

But the rescue and recovery volunteer had no time to waste as gunfire rang out from government troop positions and militant snipers around him: he put on a pair of rubber gloves and helped carry the remains out of the conflict zone in a pick-up truck.

I thought of resigning after that, Pacasum, who works in a disaster relief office said. I was scared and not prepared for this kind of job.

But Pacasum, 39, continued to lead a team of about 30 young men and women who make near-daily forays to rescue civilians and retrieve victims in an urban battlefield that is infested with rebel snipers and battered by air strikes.

They have come to be known as the white helmets or suicide squad because of the risks they take when going in unarmed and wearing little protection other than white plastic construction helmets.

More than 460 people have been killed since the battle for Marawi began on May 23, including 82 members of the security forces and 44 civilians.

The military believes hundreds of civilians are still trapped by the conflict, the biggest internal security threat the Philippines has faced in decades and a shock to neighbouring countries worried that Islamic State is trying to establish a foothold in Southeast Asia.

Fishermen, farmers, students, and small business owners, mostly from Marawi, are among those who have volunteered for rescue missions.

We all grew up in Marawi and it breaks our hearts when we hear that Marawi is under siege, said Abdul Azis Lomondot Jr., a 25-year-old university student, speaking in the teams one-room office in the towns capitol complex where many of the white helmets grab some sleep.

When the team gets a call from a trapped civilian or their evacuated relative, they first try to determine their location. Team leader Pacasum then asks for volunteers.

We grab our helmets, IDs, a ladder, some small tools and we are good to go, said Lomondot.

One such mission around three weeks into the siege almost went awry when the team drove into the conflict area in pick-up trucks but could not immediately find the house where four elderly people were known to be trapped.

In that moment, I was panicking because I thought this may be an ambush, Pacasum said as he and Lamondot recalled the mission. We were just waiting for the sound of gunshots.

After driving around for 20 minutes, the team finally located the house, but was shot at as they drove out with the civilians on board.

As the siege drags on and the government pours troops into the lakeside town, soldiers have started providing cover for some of the rescue teams missions. Pacasum says that while this has obvious advantages, it can also mean they are more likely to be targeted by the militants.

The team has also received counselling and equipment from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and training on how to properly handle cadavers.

Pacasum, who has led more 10 rescue missions, wants to see the battle through to the end, but will consider changing professions when its over.

Its too stressful, he said.

Some of the volunteers ... they are just young kids, they are very aggressive. Im more cautious. I have kids and I want to watch them grow old.
Beijing: Chinese President Xi Jinping told US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday that bilateral relations were "affected by some negative factors", state media said following a series of US actions that angered Beijing.

Xi said in a phone call that Sino-US relations "have achieved important results" since the two met at Trump's Florida resort in April, according to broadcaster CCTV. But Xi was also quoted as saying, relations "have been affected by some negative factors".

Days after Trump approved a $1.3 billion US arms sales to Taiwan, Xi said he hoped the US president will "properly handle" Taiwan-related issues in accordance with the "One China" principle regarding the self-governed island, which Beijing considers a breakaway province.

The White House earlier said Trump and Xi discussed efforts to denuclearise North Korea and improve US-Chinese trade relations, but the US statement did not mention Taiwan.

Relations between the two nations had been warmer since Trump and Xi met in April, but Washington has taken a series of actions that have infuriated Beijing in recent days.

The latest move to anger China came on Sunday, when the USS Stethem destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official said.
Jerusalem: Narendra Modi becomes the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel when he arrives on Tuesday, the result of growing ties that have led to billions of dollars in defence deals.

Israel, in constant search of allies to vote in its favour at UN bodies as well as business partners, has been portraying the visit as historic.

Israeli analysts have also noted Modi will apparently not travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leaders during his three-day stay, as is common for many foreign dignitaries.

Modi did however meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in New Delhi in May.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the visit, which marks 25 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, a "further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength."

"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," the Israeli leader said.

"India is a huge country with over 1.25 billion people and is one of the world's largest, growing economies. Ties between Israel and India are on a constant upswing."

But while Israel, with a population of some eight million, has held the visit up as a diplomatic victory, both countries have practical reasons for the trip.

India is the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers.

Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than $1 billion in defence deals each year.

India has been investing tens of billions in updating its Soviet-era military hardware to counter long-standing tensions with regional rivals China and Pakistan.

It has signed several big-ticket defence deals since Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to power in 2014.

In April, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries said India would buy nearly $2 billion worth of weapons technology, making it the military exporting giant's largest ever defence contract.

The deal will see IAI provide India with an advanced defence system of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and communications technology

It later announced a deal worth $630 million to provide India's navy with missile defence systems.

The two countries have also cooperated on issues such as water and agriculture technology.

- 'More than defence' -

"I think it's more than defence contracts," Efraim Inbar, a former head of Israel's Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies think-tank, told AFP.

"It is a common strategic agenda which includes a fear of Islamic radicalism, fears about Chinese assertiveness and in addition, of course, you cannot ignore the huge economic potential for both countries."

Inbar added: "But for us it's a huge market."

Israel's 50-year occupation of the West Bank and failure to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians have been major stumbling blocks in its efforts to boost relations with certain foreign countries.

India has traditionally voiced its support for Palestinian statehood, initially shunning diplomatic relations with Israel.

But the frost has thawed in recent years, with India seeking closer defence ties with Israel, particularly as New Delhi turns increasingly away from traditional ally Russia for its military hardware.

Hindu nationalist Modi makes the trip after his visit last week to Washington, where he and US President Donald Trump embraced each other as friends, vowing to work more closely on combatting terrorism, the war in Afghanistan and defence cooperation.

While ties with some US allies have been strained by Trump's complaints that Washington has been the loser in trade agreements, Modi appeared sensitive to his host's emphasis on transactional diplomacy.

Modi may find similar common ground with Netanyahu, Israel's longtime right-wing prime minister who hosted Trump in May.

India is currently the world's fastest growing major economy, a status that Modi is hoping to cement by drawing in more foreign investment.

He has sought to do that in part by encouraging manufacturers to do business in Asia's third-largest economy.

Israel's defence deals have included components that will be assembled in India.
India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. (Representational image)

Beijing: Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doka La area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency on Sunday asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations.

Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current standoff, Xinhua news agency said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty".

India has pushed in more troops in a "non-combative mode" to strengthen its position in an area near Sikkim, where its soldiers have been locked in a standoff with Chinese troops for almost a month now in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962.

India brought in more troops after the destruction of two of its bunkers and "aggressive tactics" adopted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), sources said. In a "non- combative mode", the nozzle of a gun is placed

The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doklam area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing China-India relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue.

While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi in a statement on Saturday said that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".

Referring to the MEA statement, the commentary said "the Indian side has claimed that China's activities pose a 'serious security impact' to India, and it is untenable". So far China has not officially responded to India's statement on this issue.

This is the second commentary by Xinhua on Sunday. The earlier commentary had asked India to shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival.

The CPEC is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

On the Sikkim standoff, the Xinhua commentary claimed that China is engaged in normal activities on its own territory. "How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China's construction activities," it said.
Lahore: Senator John McCain, who is leading a US Congressional delegation to Islamabad, reiterated Washington's stand that dialogue is a prerequisite for India and Pakistan to solve the Kashmir issue.

The delegation met Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and discussed bilateral issues, including terrorism, Pakistan's relations with India and Afghanistan and regional peace, reports Dawn.

"Kashmir problem should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiations," McCain said, adding that the US has not changed its stand regarding the Kashmir ssue.

Both sides also came to the agreement that US and Pakistan need to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond.

Aziz conveyed to the US delegation about Pakistan's success against terrorism through Operations Zarb-i-Azb and Raddul Fasaad, asserting that the terrorist networks had been dismantled, their sanctuaries eliminated under the overarching National Action Plan.

He further stressed that Pakistan was also ready to strengthen its ties with the US to counter new terrorism threats, including the threat of ISIS in the region.

Earlier, after the United States declared Hizbul Mujahideen militant Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, Pakistan has said it would continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support to Kashmiri separatists for what it called their struggle for their right to self-determination and for the peaceful settlement of the Kashmir dispute as per the UN Security Council resolutions.

Pakistan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Nafees Zakaria said that "the designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified".

Islamabad also accused the United States of singing to India's tune and asserted that there would never be any compromise on rights of Kashmiris and Pakistan would continue to support their cause 'till realisation of right of self-determination in accordance with UN resolutions'.
By unanimous decision the (government) appeal is dismissed, chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced as a seven-member apex court bench unanimously upheld a previous High Court judgement calling the 16th amendment to the constitution illegal.(Representational Image)

Bangladeshs Supreme Court in a landmark verdict on Monday declared void a 2014 constitutional amendment empowering parliament to impeach apex court judges, a ruling which the government said could undermine the sovereign parliaments authority.

By unanimous decision the (government) appeal is dismissed, chief justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced as a seven-member apex court bench unanimously upheld a previous High Court judgement calling the 16th amendment to the constitution illegal.

He said the seven-member apex court bench dismissed the appeal with some findings after hearing the arguments for and against the government appeal against the High Court decision for over 11 days.

The verdict came amid a visible conflict between PM Sheikh Hasinas ruling Awami League government and the Supreme Court over the apex court jurisdiction in disciplining lower judiciary judges.

Attorney-general Mahbebey Alam expressed his frustration over the judgement fearing it could undermine the sovereign parliament's authority.
An unidentified militant was killed today in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of Kashmir, police said.



Security forces launched a search operation in Bahmnoo area of Pulwama this morning following information about presence of militants there, a police spokesman said.



He said one militant was killed in the operation, which was still going on.



The identity of the slain terrorist could not be ascertained immediately, he added.
China has scrambled naval ships and military jets to "warn off" a US missile destroyer sailing close to an artificial island built by it in the disputed South China Sea and denounced Washington's move as a "serious political and military provocation".



Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement late last night that China had dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel.



Yesterday, the missile destroyer USS Stethem "trespassed China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands", state run Xinhua news agency reported.



The US behaviour constitutes a serious political and military provocation, Lu said, stressing that the Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed it.



Stethem passed less than 22 kms from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which China calls Xisha islands. The island chain is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.



While China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, the other countries to partially counterclaim over the area are Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.



This is the second US naval ship to have passed the disputed islands after President Donald Trump came to power.



The US has been periodically sending the naval ships and planes to the South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation challenging China's claims of sovereignty.



China comes out with similar reaction every time the US naval ships pass through the area.



Lu said the Islands are an inherent part of the Chinese territory, noting that in accordance with the Law of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Chinese government promulgated the baseline of the territorial sea off the Xisha Islands in 1996



"The relevant Chinese law has explicit provisions on foreign military vessels' entry into the territorial sea of China," Lu said.



Under the pretext of "navigation freedom," the US once again sent a military vessel into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without China's approval, Lu said.



He said the behaviour of US has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands.



China says there are problems for international navigation through the SCS but objects to defence vessels going through it.



Working together, China and ASEAN member states have cooled down and improved the situation in the South China Sea Lu said charging US of deliberately stirring up troubles in the South China Sea. The US is running in the opposite direction from countries in the region who aspire for stability, cooperation and development, he said



"The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate China's sovereignty and threaten its security," he stressed, saying the Chinese side will continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.



The US missile destroyer sailing close to the contentious island chain is the latest in a series of events that add to the growing unease in the relations between the two countries.



Last week Trump authorised a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province, besides slapping sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.
Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and son today failed to get relief in a money laundering case, with the Delhi High Court rejecting their pleas to quash it on the ground that the Enforcement Directorate's case was the result of "political vendetta."



The high court, which said that the argument of political vendetta was not supported by any material, also turned down the pleas of the Chief Minister, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and two others seeking quashing of the summons and subsequent proceedings initiated in the case.



"Suffice it to observe in this context, and at this stage, that those in public life are expected to be open to probity. Higher the position in life (or polity), higher the obligation (moral, if not legal) to be accountable," Justice R K Gauba said.



Maintaining that no person is entitled in law to evade the summons on the ground that there was a possibility that he may be prosecuted in the future, it said those in public life are expected to be open to probity.



"The prime argument of the petitioners is of political vendetta. This argument is not supported by any material.



"These proceedings are not the appropriate forum for the court to examine such plea which, in the interest of the petitioners themselves, must be left for it to be pressed, if they were so advised and if they have material to substantiate the same, at some appropriate stage in future," the judge said.



The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had summoned 83-year-old Singh, his wife and son for questioning in connection with the allegation that the leader and his family members had amassed assets worth Rs 6.1 crore between 2009 and 2011, which were disproportionate to his known sources of income at the time. During that period, Singh was Union steel minister.

The summons were issued after the law enforcement agency had in September 2015 lodged the case against Singh and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.



On March 31, the High Court had also refused to quash the CBI case against them following which the probe agency had filed the charge sheet in the Special Court which later granted bail to all of them.



While dismissing their plea in the ED case, the court observed that the PMLA "is a complete code which overrides the general criminal law to the extent of inconsistency. This law establishes its own enforcement machinery and other authorities with adjudicatory powers and jurisdiction.



"The enforcement machinery is conferred with the power and jurisdiction or investigation, such powers being quite exhaustive to assure effective investigation and with built-in safeguards to ensure fairness, transparency and accountability at all stages."



It said the powers conferred on the enforcement officers for purposes of complete and effective investigation include the power to summon and examine any person.



"The law declares that every such person who is summoned is bound to state the truth. At the time of such investigative process, the person summoned is not an accused," the court said, adding that mere registration of Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) by the ED does not make a person an accused.



"He may eventually turn out to be an accused upon being arrested or upon being prosecuted. No person is entitled in law to evade the command of the summons issued under Section 50 PMLA on the ground that there is a possibility that he may be prosecuted in the future," it added.



The court said that endeavours to stall the probe, particularly on technical grounds, "have the potency of giving the impression that there is something to hide."



"There is nothing shown to the court from which it could be inferred that the issuance of summons by the respondents to the petitioners for investigation into the ECIR, in exercise of statutory powers, has caused, or has the effect of causing, any prejudice to any of them.



"The petitions are found devoid of substance and, consequently, dismissed," it added.



The Delhi High Court had paved the way for criminal proceedings which were stalled due to an October 1, 2015 order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating and filing the charge sheet against the accused.



In July 2016, LIC agent Anand Chauhan was arrested by the ED under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case.



The probe agency had alleged that Singh, while serving as the Union minister, had invested huge amounts in purchasing LIC policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan.


Chinese President Xi Jinping told his American counterpart Donald Trump today that bilateral relations were "affected by some negative factors", as the two leaders spoke over phone amid unease in ties following a series of US actions that angered Beijing.



During the conversation, Xi stressed that important results have been achieved in bilateral relations since his meeting with Trump in Florida in April.



But at the same, Xi said relations "have been affected by some negative factors" and the Chinese side has already expressed its position to the US, Chinese state media reported.



The Chinese president also said that his country attaches great importance to Trump's reaffirmation that the US will adhere to the 'One China' policy.



China hopes that the US will handle the Taiwan issue appropriately in accordance with the 'One China' principle and the three China-US joint communiques, Xi said.



The two presidents also discussed the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.



"President Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," the White House said in a statement.



"Trump reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with Americas trading partners. The two leaders also discussed a range of other regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest, and affirmed that they look forward to meeting at the G20 in Hamburg, Germany," the White House said.

The White House statement did not mention Taiwan.



The conversation between the two leaders came a day after a US missile destroyer sailed close to an artificial island built by China in the disputed South China Sea. China termed the incident a "serious political and military provocation".



Trump on Thursday authorised a USD 1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province. The same day, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.



Also on Thursday, the State Department expressed concern about Beijings respect for freedom in Hong Kong, on the 20th anniversary of Britain ceding the territory back to China.



Two days earlier, the State Department placed China on a list of the worlds worst human trafficking offenders.



All those steps added up to a sharp reversal in tone from April, when Xi travelled to Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort for a first face-to-face meeting that Trump later said had helped build an "outstanding" relationship.
A cop and a civilian were injured in a militant attack on a police patrol in Anantnag town of south Kashmir on Monday.



Sources said militants opened fire at a police party near bus stand Anantnag, 52 kms from here, leaving a cop and a woman injured. The condition of theinjured policeman, identified as Ghulam Hassan, is stated to be critical as he has received multiple gun shots, they said.



The injured woman was identified as Sumit Kaur. The area where the attack occured is one of the routes for ongoing Amarnathji yatra. No militant outfit claimed responsiblity for the attack so far (till 12:30 pm).



"Though today's attack wasn't aimed at the yatries, security agencies are on tenterhooks as intelligence inputs suggest militants may target the pilgrims in coming days. Providing security to lakhs of people congregating during 40-day long yatra is a huge challenge," a senior police officer said.



More than 14,000 additional security personnel from the Army, central para-military forces and the local police have been deployed all along the pilgrimage route and this strength is more than double of last year, he said.
India's objection to China building a road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its "firm determination" to "constrain" China's rise, an article in a state-run daily here said today.



"Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India, but also strengthen India's advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China," the article in the Global Times said.



"The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US India's firm determination to constrain China's rise," the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.



"For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modi's visit to the US," it said on the ongoing stand-off in Doklam.



In addition, the Indian government has started an anti- dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing China's rise.



As per the Ministry of External Affairs statement in New Delhi, the Doklam incident took place on June 16 whereas Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that the stand-off in which the Indian troops objected to the People's Liberation Army soldiers' building a road occurred on June 18.



Modi had visited US from June 25-27.



Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump had approved the sale of 22 Guardian MQ-9B drones for India.



Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.



"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modi's two-day visit to the US, people link India's bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," it said.



The daily also downplayed Modi's visit, saying it was "not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved."



At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a "relatively harmonious" relationship with Trump.



"Both of them made keynote speeches to praise each other and did all they could to avoid touching on disputes between the two countries," it said.



"The two countries have aligned their interests in defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. The US supports India to counterbalance China, but tries not to offend China as Trump still needs China's help on many issues," it said.



About US designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist", the article said it accords with the "US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement".



"Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," it said.



"Although Modi didn't mention the existing problems in India's ties with the US, Trump reminded him of protectionism in trade and investment in India that jeopardises US interests," it said.






"When will Tamil Nadu accept the truth? The balancing reservoir that we intend to construct near Mekedatu will not affect Tamil Nadu. It also does not violate the tribunal order," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hassan.





He said the intention behind the balancing reservoir is to facilitate release of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal order.





Siddaramaiah was reacting to a question about Tamil Nadu parties alleging that Karnataka had sought the approval for the project by submitting "false details".





The PMK and MDMK had yesterday strongly opposed Karnataka's efforts towards constructing a reservoir at Mekedatu and urged the Centre not to sanction the project.





Karnataka has submitted the detailed project report of the Rs 5,912 crore worth Mekedatu project to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for clearance, last week.





Siddaramaiah said the state government was ready to start the project work at Mekedatu as soon as the approval from the CWC is obtained.





Asked whether the CWC will approve it amid Tamil Nadu's opposition, he said "they will approve, why they will not? Objection is by Tamil Nadu, but the CWC is government of India."





Defending the recent release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said Karnataka government will not spare water against the state's interest.





He said "....we are releasing water in some quantity as there is a tribunal award, we are not just releasing all the water that is flowing in, we are releasing some quantity of what is flowing in."





"If we don't release, they (Tamil Nadu) will go to the Supreme Court...we will not release water to anyone by creating problem for ourselves. Last time despite the Court order, we said we don't have water," he added.





Traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway was affected yesterday for a brief period as farmers blocked it to protest the release of Cauvery water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam to Tamil Nadu.





A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra on March 21 had said all interim orders of releasing 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water by Karnataka would continue to be in force till further orders.





Following this, Karnataka had expressed its inability in supplying Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in line with the apex court's directive, saying the state itself is facing a shortage of drinking water.





The Supreme Court on July 11 will commence the final hearing of the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal on sharing of water for 15 consecutive workings days.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today rejected the charge by Tamil Nadu political parties that the state had submitted "false details" to the Centre on the proposed Mekedatu dam project across the Cauvery river.




Petitioner Mahmood Ahmed Naqvi also pleaded the court to order hanging 46-year-old Jadhav without any further delay, saying that the convict had confessed his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan.





"Kulbhushan Jadhav is a RAW agent and his confession that he had committed terrorism in Pakistan leaves no room for any concession to him," he said and requested the court to issue an order stopping the Nawaz government from giving any concession like pardoning or reducing his sentence.





Justice Shahid Karim sent the petition to the chief justice for constitution of another bench to hear it as he (judge) was going on leave.





On June 22, Jadhav had filed a mercy petition before Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.





In a statement, the Inter Services Public Relations, media wing of Pakistan military, has claimed that Jadhav has admitted to his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions.





"Jadhav is seeking forgiveness for his actions and he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," it said.

Jadhav had earlier filed an appeal to the Military Appellate Court, which was rejected. His mercy petition to military appellate court was also rejected.





He had been sentenced to death by a military court in April for espionage and terrorism. International Court of Justice in May halted the execution on India's appeal.





In a hearing of the case on May 18, a 10-member bench of the International Court of Justice restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.





Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

The Lahore High Court today held hearing on a petition seeking a court order for stopping the Pakistan government from "pardoning or reducing the sentence" of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi today described India's ties with Israel as "special" and said his visit - the first-ever by an Indian premier to the country - will "lead to further cementing" of bilateral ties and cooperation in key areas including counter-terrorism.



"My visit comes at a special moment- we mark 25 years of the establishment of relations between India and Israel this year," Modi said on the eve of his three-day visit to Israel.



In an interview to the pro-government daily 'Israel Hayom', Modi said his visit was "based on the deep centuries- old connection between our two peoples."



"I share the opinion of many of my people, who see Israel as a beacon of technology, as a country that has managed to survive even though the odds were against it."



Modi's visit is expected to focus on forging new defence and cyber security ties, two areas in which Israel has sought to portrays itself as a world leader, the daily said.



Separately, in an email sent to Israelis who subscribe to his newsletter, Modi said India's ties with Israel are "special."



Modi said his visit will "lead to further cementing" the ties between the two countries, according to Jerusalem Post.



India is the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers. Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than USD 1 billion in defence deals each year.



Modi said his government is determined to improve ties between India and Israel and raise them to new levels.



Noting that the frequency of high-level exchanges has gone up over the last three years, Modi said that no Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before President Pranab Mukherjee visited in 2015.



"My visit has its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel. I am confident that my visit will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation," Modi told 'Israel Hayom'.



"Our goal is to conduct dialogue with Israel in a manner that improves the lives of the citizens of both countries," said Prime Minister Modi, who last visited Israel a decade ago when he was chief minister of Gujarat with a delegation to learn about Israeli agriculture.



"I am happy to return after more than a decade, and I look forward to seeing the developments and advances Israel has made in this time," Modi said.



He lauded Israel for transforming itself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country and hailed its other amazing accomplishments.



Asked whether Israel and India facing the same threat of terrorism, Modi said that terrorism is a global menace and two countries are not immune to it either.



"We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish. Cross-border terrorism is a major challenge for us. Divisive forces across our border are trying to disrupt the unity of our nation.



"These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion. India and Israel could cooperate even more closely and complement each other's efforts to fight with the menace of terrorism," he told the Israeli daily.



When asked whether he is ardent supporter of the capitalist system and wants to liberalise the economy, Modi said he does not believe in any '-isms.'



"I, and my government work with the motto of 'Together with all, development for all," he added.



Modi said Israel could be a technology partner in the process of India's transformation.



"Israel's capabilities offer a good match for our flagship schemes like Clean Ganga and Smart Cities. Israeli technologies could also be used to improve the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our country if Israeli innovators remodel their products according to the needs of our rural population," he added.



"We are not looking at a traditional import-export relationship with Israel. It is more than a buyer-seller relationship. We are more interested in a tech-based partnership with an emphasis on 'Make in India'," he added.
India and Israel will sign agreements to deepen cooperation on the state-of-the-art technologies in the space sector during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here, a top Israeli official has said.



Describing Indian space satellite launchers as "reliable", Israel Space Agency Director General Avi Blasberger has said that his country would look to send more satellites aboard Indian launchers in the future.



"We are going to sign some implementation agreements. Actually we have an agreement between Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) and Israel Space Agency (ISA), a cooperation agreement, and these agreements that we are going to sign during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi are implementation agreements which will be added to the main agreement," Israel Space Agency Director General Avi Blasberger told PTI.



"The main agreement is a kind of an umbrella agreement that allows us to do any operation which we like. However, it is not a specific one," he emphasised.



"These are state-of-the-art technologies on which we are going to cooperate with the India Space Research Organisation," he said.



Asked about the strengths of ISRO that Israel would look to tap in the future, he said, "we can use, something which we have done in the past and also at the beginning of this year".



"We can use the launching capacity of India to launch Israeli satellites and we can do joint programmes," Blasberger said.



"Indian launchers are first of all available and then they are very reliable. The past experience shows that all the launches from India were successful which means that they are reliable launchers," he said.



The ISA Director General accompanied Israel's Minister of Science and Technology Ofir Akunis to New Delhi in December.



The two countries have since then working to enhance cooperation on certain specific projects.



The Director of Space Application Centre in Ahmedabad visited Israel earlier this year to work out further details of cooperation.



On that we are talking since the visit of the Minister of Science and myself to India last December, exploring with ISRO areas in which we can cooperate. Actually, there was also a visit of the head of Satellite Application Centre (SAC) to Israel last February in Ahmedabad.



"We have been working quite continuously since last December to explore the possibilities of cooperation. Currently, during the visit of Modi there will be signatures on some of the implementation agreements," Blasberger said.



Modi's three-day visit beginning tomorrow is aimed at commemorating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and will also see discussions between him and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.



The two sides are also expected to signnumber of agreements in the field of innovation, development, science and technology.



The ISRO has carried out around 84 spacecraft missions, 59 launch missions and planned several other missions including Chandrayaan-2, and Aditya (spacecraft).



Some of the major satellite launches by ISRO include the launch of PSLV-C37 rocket on February 15 with a record-setting 104 satellites on board the craft.



India also launched the cheapest mission to Mars, named Mangalyaan.



The ISRO also launched on February 15 CartoSat-2D, which is fifth in the series of CartoSat-2 remote-sensing satellites that capture and send panchromatic and multispectral images of India from space.



India on December 7 last year launched its PSLV C36 Resource Sat-2A at around 10.25 am from the Satish Dhawan Space Centre located in Sriharikota. It was ISRO's 38th flight of the Polar Satellite Launch Vehicle (PSLV) and was intended to continue the remote sensing data services to users across the globe.


Some rare documents hit upon during the ongoing work of digitization of Punjab archives exhibit that the British had announced cash compensation to families of those killed in the brutal massacre of innocent people at Jallianwala Bagh in 1919.



The massacre was ordered by Col Reginald Dyer. The developments unfold in the backdrop of a case in the Punjab and Haryana Court where a freedom fighter Mohan Singh has sought compensation for his grandfathers brutal killing in the Jallianwala Bagh massacre.



The petitioner claimed that the compensation has been long overdue. Documents say compensation was handed out to only 218 families out of the total 376 who were officially killed in the massacre. In reality, there were in excess of 1000 innocents including women, children and old who were killed in the gunfire.



Officials of the Punjab Digital Library (PDL) while working on the project accidentally found documents of historical importance that talk about the amount of compensation to effected families and even a confidential letter by the then Amritsar deputy commissioner HD Craik on the issue. Documents reveal that the compensation amount went up to Rs 1.01 lakh for an Amritsar-based businessman family. In many cases the compensation for the families of those killed was only a few thousands of rupees and a few hundreds of rupees for the injured. A total amount of Rs 15,92,155 was sanctioned for families of those killed.



The information has been documented in four files of the home department of the British administrated Punjab from 1920 to 1922. Experts maintain its a lesser know fact. Meanwhile in the petition before the Bench of Justice MMS Bedi, which will come up for hearing in the second week of July, petitioner Mohan Singh, 90, has said his grandfather, Ishar Singh, along with other villagers, had visited the congregation at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919. He said his grandfather died in firing that ill fated day.
In a letter informing him about the state government waiving the crop loan availed through co-operative banks, he pointed out that 80 per cent of the agricultural loans in Karnataka are availed from commercial Banks and RRBs and 20 per cent are availed from co-operative banks.





"In view of the persistent demand from farmers and farmers' organisations and also from legislators from all parties, the state, despite its financial constraints, has waived the short term crop loan upto a maximum of Rs 50,000 per farmer out of the cooperative bank loans outstanding as on 20.06.2017," Siddaramaiah said in a letter.





Noting that this relief would not bring succor to all the farmers, he said "I fervently appeal to you to waive similar loans availed by the farmers from Commercial Banks, Private Banks and RRBs."





"This will go a long way in mitigating the hardship of the farmers and helping them to undertake normal agricultural operations in the current kharif season," he added.





Karnataka, which is headed for Assembly polls next year became the fourth state this year to take such step following Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab.





The loan waiver was announced by Siddaramaiah on June 21 on the floor of the assembly, and a government order to this effect was issued on June 23.





However, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley had recently said that the Centre was not considering any proposal for farm loan waiver, and it intends to adhere to the Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management (FRBM) Act and fiscal deficit targets.





Central government's non committal over loan waiver is being used as by Congress party in the state to target the BJP, by calling it "anti farmer".





The Chief Minister in his letter has pointed out that crop loans waived by the state government is worth Rs 8165 crore pertaining to 22,27,506 farmers, which amounts to 76 per cent of the outstanding short term loans of co-operative societies.





Karnataka has been facing consecutive years of drought for last six years and it has been severe in the last two years.





As on March 31, about 51 lakh farmers of Karnataka have availed Rs 52,744.28 crore of crop loans, of this 28.73 lakh farmers have availed Rs 42,007.47 crore loans from Commercial Banks and RRBs and 22.27 lakh farmers have availed Rs 10,736.81 crore of loans from Co-operative banks.

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today requested Prime Minister Narendra Modi to waive the crop loans availed by farmers from commercial, private and Regional Rural Banks (RRBs).
Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif today urged the US to "play its role" in solving the Kashmir issue with India as he met a delegation of powerful American senators, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Trump had their first bilateral meeting.



During the meeting, Sharif expressed serious concern over the "gross human rights violations and brutal repression of unarmed Kashmiris".



A statement from his office said that he underscored the "legitimacy" of the Kashmir cause and urged the international community, especially the US, "to play its role in ending the sufferings" of the people of Kashmir.



The US delegation was led by Senator John McCain, the chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee which is empowered with legislative oversight of American military.



The five-member delegation yesterday had urged India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue, Dawn newspaper reported.



Around the time Modi-Sharif met at the White House on June 26-27, the US appeared to move away from Pakistani stance on Kashmir as its state department declared Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen's chief Syed Salahuddin a "global terrorist".



The announcement was a severe blow to Pakistan which has been projecting the 71-year-old leader as a "freedom fighter".



Also, the Indo-US joint statement did not mention the Kashmir issue.



On June 30, Sharif expressed disappointment over the "complete silence" in the India-US joint statement on the "atrocities" in Kashmir and ordered the ministry to "highlight" rights violations in the Valley.



During Sharif's meeting with the American senators today, his adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, National Security Adviser Lt Gen Nasser Khan Janjua and other senior officials were present.



Sharif said Pakistan-US strategic partnership was "essential" to deal with the various challenges confronting the region and beyond.



Senator McCain agreed that continued cooperation between the US and Pakistan was required to secure peace and stability in the region, the statement said.



The Pakistani prime minister apprised the senators about his government's efforts to combat terrorism and the "marked improvement" in Pakistan's security situation.



Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to support all efforts aimed at lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and said concerted efforts were needed for a political settlement under an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process, the statement said.



He said a strong partnership between the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan was a "prerequisite" for sustainable peace and stressed on the importance of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) mechanism to facilitate Afghan reconciliation.

According to the Pakistan Army spokesman, the delegation and Army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa visited South Waziristan tribal district.



The US embassy in a separate statement said the two-day visit of the delegation was aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties.



The senators were taken for an aerial survey of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (also called tribal region) and saw the infrastructure projects built with US assistance.



In December 2016, the US embassy had signed a pact to provide more than Rs 8.5 billion for a dam project in North Waziristan. Also the US has helped Pakistan with an irrigation project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The 40-day long Amarnath yatra, which started on June 29 is picking up day-by-day with 15,813 pilgrims paying obeisance at cave shrine on fourth day of darshan on Monday.



An official spokesman said since the beginning of the pilgrimage, 62,608 yatris have had the darshan at the holy cave situated at an altitude of 3888 metres from sea level in deep Himalayas of Kashmir Valley.



The annual pilgrimage officially commenced from Thursday when the first batch left for the cave shrine from the twin routes of Baltal in central Kashmir's Ganderbal district and Chandanwari in southern Anantnag district.



Sources said elaborate security arrangements have been made for the safe passage of the yatra, with sufficient security personnel being deployed en route, to foil any untoward incident. The Amarnath yatra will continue upto Sharvani Purnima  Raksha Bandhan which falls on August 7.



Every year, thousands of devotees undertake the yatra in July and August to pay obeisance at the shrine dedicated to lord Shiva. Last year around 2.21 lakh pilgrims offered prayers at the Shrine despite disturbances in the valley after Hizbul commander Burhan Wani was killed in an encounter with security forces. Though, the authorities suspended the yatra for a few days after the situation turned volatile following Burhan's killing, there was no incident of stone pelting on pilgrims reported from anywhere.



Contradictory to the projections, Kashmiris, setting up an example of communal harmony, offered free meals to the pilgrims at various places including at Nigeen Club and Tourist Reception Center in Srinagar.

This year the yatra has started nine-days ahead of Burhan's first death anniversary, when security agencies apprehend trouble.
Two militants were killed, while six persons, including two soldiers, were injured in an ongoing encounter in Pulwama district of south Kashmir on Monday, where a similar operation at another village was called off in the wee hours.



A police spokesperson said security forces launched a search operation in Bahmnoovillage Pulwama, 36 km from here, on Monday morning following information about the presence of a group of militants in the area. "While two of the militants have been killed, firing from the debris of the house is still going on. Two army personnel sustained minor injuries when a grenade was hurled from the debris of the house while the security forces were retrieving the bodies of two killed ultras," he said.



Sources said there is a possibility that two more militants were trapped in the area and the security forces have tightened the cordon around the village to ensure they don't escape. The slain militants have been identified as Kifayat and Jehangir Khanday, both locals affiliated to Zakir Musa group.



Reports said that stone-pelting protests were going on in dozens of adjacent villages to disrupt the security forces operation against the militants. Four youth were hit by bullets after security forces opened fire to disperse protesters, reports added.



The operation comes barely 10 hours after stone pelting protesters helped a group of militants escape a cordon and search operation in the neighbouring Malangpora village.



Reports said that the operation was called off around 1 am (in the night) after militants managed to give a slip to the forces. Unconfirmed reports said that top commander of Hizb-ul-Mujahideen Riyaz Naikoo was present along with two associates when the operation was launched in the village.



On Saturday, Lashkar-e-Toiba commander Bashir Lashkari - who was behind the killing of SHO Feroz Dar last month - and his accomplice were killed in an encounter with security forces in south Kashmir. Kashmir has witnessed a surge in violence this year with 164 persons, including 30 civilians, killed in militancy related incidents across the valley so far.



Meanwhile, a cop and a civilian were injured in a militant attack on a police patrol in Anantnag town of south Kashmir on Monday.



Sources said militants opened fire at a police party near bus stand Anantnag, 52 km from here, leaving a cop and a woman injured. The condition of the injured policeman, identified as Ghulam Hassan, is stated to be critical as he has received multiple gunshots, they said.



The injured woman was identified as Sumit Kaur. The area where the attack occurred is one of the routes for the ongoing Amarnathji Yatra. No militant outfit claimed responsibility for the attack till evening.
Political parties on Monday urged the NDA government not to dilute India's stand on Palestine even as Prime Minister Narendra Modi is embarking on a visit to Israel.



Congress said it will judge Modi's stand-alone visit to Israel without going to Palestine by its "concrete deliverables" but said that India's stand on Palestine issue should not be diluted.



"We will judge by concrete deliverables. We hope those will be converted into reality," Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi told reporters.



This is the first time an Indian leader is visiting Israel and not clubbing his tour with Palestine. Modi also becomes the first Prime Minister to visit Israel. In October 2015, President Pranab Mukherjee has visited Israel and Palestine.



Left parties are also against Modi's move not to visit Palestine, saying it is part of the agenda to further Israel's agenda.



The CPI(M) has said that India has built close security and military ties with Israel and warned that it damages India's relations with other countries in the region.



AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi also criticised the government on the eve Modi's visit to Israel, saying it would "strengthen the occupation of West Bank and Gaza".



"The Prime Minister, during his three-day visit, is not visiting the occupied territories, which Indian leaders have done. Whenever any Indian authorities went to Israel, they have maintained ties with Israel and also reaffirmed our support to the Palestinian cause," Owaisi said in Hyderabad.



"That's why I say this (Modi not visiting Palestine) will strengthen the occupation of the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza," he said adding the Palestine cause is "no dearer to this government".
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed a Madras High Court order directing the Tamil Nadu government to waive off farm loans in the state.



A bench of Justices Madan B Lokur and U U Lalit issued a notice to National South Indian River Interlinking Agriculturist Association that had sought debt waiver. The high court's ruling has resulted in an additional financial burden of Rs 1,980 crore to the state government.



The waiver was also expected to benefit 3.01 lakh farmers who fall in the "other" category. The state government had filed a special leave petition against the high court order.



In its April order, the Madras High Court asked the Tamil Nadu government to waive farm loans obtained by all farmers, instead of limiting the benefit only to those owning less than five acres of land.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday advised young IAS officers to avoid getting into a mindset that resists change.



Addressing the IAS officers of the 2015 batch, who are assistant secretaries, Modi said they must work to infuse more energy of new India into the administrative system.



He said the country has not progressed as much as it should have. The countries that achieved Independence after India, and faced greater resource constraints than us, have touched new heights of development, he said.



The prime minister said boldness was required to drive a change.



A fragmented administrative arrangement does not allow the collective capabilities of officers to deliver to the optimum level, he said.



Stating that a dynamic change was needed to transform the system, Modi urged the young officers to interact freely with the seniormost officers of the Union government over the next three months, so that the system could benefit from the combination of their energy and fresh ideas, and the administrative experience of secretary-level officers.



Modi asked the young officers to recall their life up to the day of the results of the Union Public Service Commission, and use the opportunities they will now have, to bring about positive changes in the system and the lives of the common people.



On the occasion of the Civil Services Day on April 22, Modi had criticised the bureaucracys colonial inheritance of hierarchy. He had said the experience of senior bureaucrats tended to become a burden for the entire system.
The police baton charged a section of protesting textile merchants in Surat on Monday. The traders had gathered at the Millennium Market to protest against the 5% GST levied on textile products.



The protest broke out even after a section of GST Sangharsh Samiti, a body formed by the traders to oppose GST, met local MP and BJP leader C R Patil and decided to call off their stir.



A large number of traders, who were against calling off the protest, raised slogans against the government's move. There were also reports of stone pelting.



The Surat police commissioner said that a policeman was injured and they had to baton charge protesters as the situation was going out of control.



Many textile traders are yet to register under the new GST regime.



They say that while high-end and branded apparel makers benefit from the 28% tax rate, small and local apparel brands will see a rise in prices as they usually earn relatively lesser margins of around 10%-15%.



The traders hope that the government would roll back or find a middle path to help the sector. They have been seeking imposition of GST on yarn or on manufacturers instead.



Reports of opposition to GST also came in from Rajkot, where over 300 furniture traders put up banners in front of their shops.



The traders said earlier they used to pay 15% tax, but with a GST rate of 28%, it would have an adverse impact on their business.



No additional excise duty

The finance ministry has removed additional excise duty on tobacco, pan masala and cigarettes with effect from July 1, following implementation of GST, reports PTI from New Delhi. The revenue department also decided to rescind the central excise notification dated February 27, 2010, which deals with excise duty rate on unmanufactured tobacco and chewing tobacco. The GST Constitutional (Amendment) Act permits the Centre to levy excise duty on six items, including tobacco and tobacco products.



The other items are petroleum crude, diesel, petrol, natural gas and Aviation Turbine Fuel.


With loads of faecal waste being dumped into the mighty Godavari, researchers have begun collecting pollution data from the countrys second longest river to find ways to clean it.



Three months of data collection by a team from the University of Chicago helped identify at least two pollution hotspots in West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.



The researchers were roped in by the Andhra Pradesh government to check the rivers health before and after the installation of three faecal sludge treatment plants (FSTP) in Kovvur, Narsapur and Palacole towns, each having a population of about 60,000-65,000.



Construction of the first FSTP at Narsapur is on and likely to be operational in a few months. We hope to submit our report to the state government by early 2019, Anup Malani, a professor at the University of Chicago, told DH.
Torrential rain battered the Northeast on Monday, triggering a flood-like situation in Arunachal Pradesh and worsening the deluge in Assam, even as Gujarat recorded 31 rain-related deaths since the onset of monsoon.



The Met Department has predicted extremely heavy rain in Assam - where more than 3.5 lakh people have been hit by floods - and Meghalaya.



Heavy to very heavy rain is likely in Arunachal Pradesh, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh.



More rain has been predicted for Nagaland and Manipur, where a downpour on Sunday triggered flash floods and landslides.



The flood situation in the Imphal Valley in Manipur remained grim with heavy showers triggering waterlogging.



Personnel of the Assam Rifles have rushed to carry out flood relief and rescue operations in Mayang Imphal in Thoubal district. Copious rain lashed several parts of Arunachal Pradesh, including Itanagar, leading to landslides and a flood-like situation in many areas across the state.



Heavy damage to roads, culverts, houses and other infrastructure was reported.



Incessant rainfall led to the erosion of a major portion of NH 415, which connects Naharlagun and Itanagar. The national highway has been closed and all vehicles were diverted to Papu-Nallah and Itanagar via the Jollang road.



24 struck by lightning



A senior government official in Gujarat involved with the relief commissionerate said on Monday that 24 people were struck by lightning while 300 cattle also perished in the downpour.



The rainfall that averaged 38 mm in the last 24 hours paralysed air and rail transport. Flights were diverted or delayed due to downpour or potholes on new runways. Five trains were cancelled and 13 diverted on Monday. Over 600 people were also evacuated in Patan district since Sunday.



As the storage levels touch 90%, the state government has put four of the 203 reservoirs on high alert and four more on alert. All the district collectors and officials of the state disaster management have been asked to stay alert and help people, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani told media persons.



Traffic mess in Mumbai



The traffic mess in Mumbai Metropolitan Region worsened on Monday as an LPG tanker skidded and overturned on Ghodbunder Road in Thane district.



Thane rural police asked commuters to avoid the road, as traffic was stopped nearly 200 feet before the accident spot to avoid a disaster.



A team of Bharat Gas reached the spot to ensure that the leakage is contained and there is no threat to people.



Since last week, traffic woes have worsened in the three adjoining districts of Palghar, Thane and Raigad due to accidents, waterlogging and potholes. Several parts of Haryana and Punjab also received heavy rainfall on Monday as monsoon marched ahead and is likely to hit capital Chandigarh in a couple of days. Many parts of Haryana received moderate to heavy rainfall.






Devaraj Lakshmaiah, 48, is a professional tree cutter. He has axed more than 10,000 trees in Bengaluru for various road-widening projects. He has now vowed to translocate trees.



The change of heart came dramatically when a few members of Sarjapur Residents Welfare Association were interviewing him for a documentary on translocation of trees. They had also sought his help to prune and translocate a tree from Sarjapur Main Road to a school in Gunjur.



I realised my folly during the interview. I realised that trees, too, have the right to live. I have decided that I will not cut down good trees, but only dead ones, he told DH.



Lakshmaiah has been a tree cutter all his life. He earns Rs 500 a day for pruning or cutting down trees. Two months ago, some residents of Sarjapur Main Road contacted him when he was cutting trees on Sarjapur-Attibele Main Road. They requested me to prune the branches of four trees and help translocate them. When they were filming the whole exercise and I was part of it, I realised my mistake. Some days ago, a farmer from Chandapura contacted me to cut down a tree on his farmland. I refused and suggested that he translocate the tree. But the farmer was not interested and wanted the tree to be removed at any cost. I then offered to translocate the tree. I spent Rs 11,000 from my own pocket and got the tree translocated to a ground in Sarjapur, he said.



That is not all. Lakshmaiah is also spreading this message to his colleagues in Kolar, Chikkaballapur and Kanakapura. They call him mad but that has not dampened his spirits.



There is more demand for tree cutting than translocation. But things will change gradually. Some people ask me for help. I have not stopped pruning trees, he said and added that his earnings had dropped drastically.



Members of Sarjapur Residents Welfare Association are looking for ways to help him. We helped Devaraj change his attitude and now we are trying to do as much as we can. He is a self-made man and does not want any monetary help from us. The RWA has a plan to translocate some more trees in the area to grounds and educational institutions to save them from being axed for road-widening. We will hire Devaraj. We are also telling other residents about him so that more people seek his help and save trees in the city, said Joy V R, secretary, Sarjapur RWA.


The Pan-African Federation and Students Union of India - Bengaluru Chapter, held a meeting with Additional Commissioner of Police (East), Hemant Nimbalkar on Sunday, to discuss problems faced by the African students and working professionals in the city.



The students apprised the officer of the difficulties they face in finding a house, getting bona fide certificates from colleges and harassment by police without any reason.



It is true that African nationals are facing some problems just because of the colour of their skin. We are with them to help in solving these issues. But some are also involved in criminal activities. We keep tabs on such people, Nimbalkar said.



As many as 5,508 registered African nationals are living in Bengaluru and around 704 are overstaying, he added.
A man wanted for stabbing a 27-year-old woman last month attacked two policemen with a dagger when they tried to catch him near Binny Mills behind the KSR (Bengaluru City) railway station on Saturday. Police later arrested him in Channapatna, Ramanagaram district.



Thirumalaiah, an assistant sub-inspector at the Basaveshwaranagar police station, and Kumar, a constable attached to the Cottonpet police station, went in pursuit of 22-year-old Rakesh around 12.30 pm after receiving information that he was moving around Tank Bund Road. The policemen set out on foot and took a mud road that leads to the railway station from Binny Mills. Soon enough, they spotted Rakesh and his associate. Rakesh saw them and took out a dagger. When they came close, he attacked them and managed to escape.



Rakesh was being pursued by police in connection with a stab attack on an airline staffer. Pramod (32), who runs an apparel business and lives in Bommanahalli, is said to have been in a relationship with the woman.

The couple broke up a year ago. Pramod wanted to resume the relationship but the woman wasnt interested. He felt humiliated and decided to take revenge.



He hired two men  Suresh (35) and Kumar (27), both residents of Bangi Colony in Cottonpet. Kumar was tasked with calling up the woman, abusing her and sending her obscene messages. On June 19, Pramod paid Kumar Rs 1.1 lakh and asked him to intimidate her. Kumar hired Rakesh to do the job and paid him Rs 50,000. On the night of June 21, Rakesh stabbed the woman in the back shortly after she returned home and was parking her two-wheeler.



A separate case of assault on policemen has been registered against Rakesh.
The police have established the identity of four members of a family who committed suicide by hanging themselves at their Om Shakthi Layout house in Bommanahalli, over heavy debts.



The deceased were Jagadish (50), his wife Kasturi (45) and their sons Vinod (15) and Prabhu (12). The incident that took place on Saturday had come to light on Sunday night.



Jagadish, a native of Tamil Nadu, had moved to Bengaluru long ago. He worked in a welding shop for a while. Later, he started his own workshop at Bommanahalli about a decade ago. Jagadishs sons Vinod and Prabhu were studying in Class 10 and Class 8 respectively in a private school, said the police.



Jagadish had bought a site from his savings. He had taken loans from private persons to construct the house. Meanwhile, the business at his workshop dipped. He found it difficult to repay the loans. He owed Rs 31 lakh to his lenders, said the police.



All the four hanged from separate ropes after Vinod and Prabhu returned home from school on Saturday.



The house was locked from inside since Saturday afternoon. Neighbours grew suspicious as nobody had come out of the house till Sunday night. They informed the police, who rushed to the spot, broke open the door and gained entry inside.



Jagadish has left a death note which read: The story of our family ends today. Kindly sell my house and return the money to my lenders.



He has mentioned names of five people to whom he wants the money to be paid, said the police.



I request you to return money to them without fail. They too have families. At least, let them live happily, Jagadish stated in the death note, the police said.








A bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and U U Lalit rejected the petition filed through advocate Farukh Rasheed. It, however, directed that the trial against Biswas be completed within six months.



Biswas, who hails from West Bengal, worked with a multi-national company in Bengaluru. He is accused of running @ShamiWitness, an IS propaganda handle on Twitter.



His counsel submitted that the case, initially registered by the Bengaluru police, had been transferred to the National Investigation Agency (NIA). The NIA special court has framed charges against Biswas under the stringent Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other penal provisions, including sedition. The counsel submitted that the trial in the matter had been delayed with just one witness being examined so far, and asked for releasing the accused on bail.

The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed the bail application filed by software engineer Mehdi Masroor Biswas who was arrested by the Bengaluru police in December 2014 for running a pro-IS Twitter handle.
A male leopard was found dead on the top of an electric pole at a farmland in Mallaram village, 18 kilometres from Nizamabad, in Telangana on Monday morning.



The leopard appeared to have been caught in electrical cables and got electrocuted sometime during Sunday night.



Though forest officials in Nizamabad admitted that there were sightings of the wild cat in areas surrounding the forest, they ruled out the hand of poachers in the incident.



Leopards can drag their kill to the treetop, but it surprises us that the animal had climbed such a tall electrical poll, Prasad, a forest department staff, told local media.



Villagers hand



Irate villagers could have killed the animal and hung it on the poll, but even that seems impossible (due to the possibility of electrocution), he said.



Forest officials took the help of the local electricity department to bring down the dead cat and sent it for post-mortem.



They said the cause of death could only be known after the post-mortem.



Residents of Mallaram, however, maintain silence over the death of the wild cat.



None of them, in fact, came forward with information on sighting the leopard on Sunday. In July 2016, a partially decomposed carcass of a female leopard and her cub were found in Tenagadapa reserve forest near Abbugudem village in Khammam district.



A post-mortem of the carcasses later revealed that the animals were poisoned.



The carcasses were then sent to the Laboratory for Conservation of Endangered Species (LaCONES) and Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) here for post-mortem.



One of the paws of the leopard had also been sawed off allegedly by poachers.




The Centre on Monday refused to give any assurance to Karnataka on its request to reclassify 704.5 km of national highway running through its cities.



As a result, Karnatakas efforts to bail out pubs and bars, closed on July 1 to comply with a Supreme Court order, met with no success. The order has resulted in the closure of all liquor vends within 500 metres of roads classified as national highways.



Pubs and resto-bars near MG Road have not been serving liquor since.



Senior officials from the Public Works Department, including Principal Secretary Lakshminarayana M, met Union Road Transport and Highways Secretary Y S Malik in Delhi to pursue a request they had made last month.



It was an informal meet. Central officials told us they need to discuss the matter further. Nothing has changed as of now. I will explain the outcome of the talks to the government, Lakshminarayana told DH.



The Centre has received requests from several states to denotify certain stretches, but the ministry hasnt taken any decision, Malik is learnt to have said. Sources in the government said the Centre may take time to arrive at a decision.



Various states have applied for denotification. If they come together, the ministry may take a decision to amend the National Highways Act, a source said.



In 1956, the act had declared parts of the highways situated within the municipal area as urban roads/local authority roads, but a 1997 amendment removed the exception.



This was done to maintain the continuity of the highways, a National Highways Authority of India official said.

Confusion over liquor in clubs

Confusion prevailed over serving of alcohol in clubs as some shut their liquor section on Monday due to delay in renewal of licences.


India has rejected Chinas argument that the boundary between the two nations in Sikkim Sector was demarcated by an 1890 treaty.



On Monday, Beijing stated that New Delhi had of late flouted the 1890 treaty between China and Great Brittain on Sikkim by sending the Indian Army across the border to stop the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army (PLA) from constructing a road inside Chinese territory.



Geng Shuang, a spokesperson of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Chinese government, told journalists in Beijing that the Sino-India boundary in Sikkim Sector was well demarcated by the 1890 treaty.



He also dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remark that India of 2017 was different from what it was in 1962. Geng said China, too, was different and would take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.



New Delhi, however, rejected the argument and conveyed to Beijing through diplomatic channels that while Sikkim's status as an integral part of India had been settled, the boundary between India and China in Sikkim Sector was not demarcated, a source told DH.



The exchange of arguments and counter-arguments continued as the diplomats of the two countries failed to achieve a breakthrough in the negotiations to end the face-off between the Indian Army and the PLA at Doklam  a plateau claimed by Bhutan and China.



The face-off in India-China-Bhutan tri-junction began on June 16 when PLA personnel came to Doklam and tried to start building a road, brushing off the objection by the Royal Bhutan Army soldiers posted on the plateau. The Indian Army soldiers from nearby Doka La post then reached the scene and stopped the PLA personnel.



What has happened is very clear, the Sikkim Section of the boundary has already been defined by the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China. Doklam belongs to China, Geng said.



Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this, he said.



The Indian Army's move to stop the PLA personnel from building the road was a betrayal of the position taken by (successive) Indian governments, Geng said.



Efforts on



Another source told DH that the Special Representatives of India and China were engaged in a discussion to resolve the dispute and, like other stretches of the disputed boundary, they were also negotiating to settle the Sikkim Section.



National Security Advisor Ajit Doval and China's State Councillor Yang Jiechi are the Special Representatives of India and China, respectively. They held the 19th round of parleys in Beijing in April 2016 and the 20th round is likely to take place in New Delhi this year, the source added.
The Solana Beach School District (SBSD) board passed a resolution June 29 opposing youth access to marijuana storefronts and commercial cultivation, seeking to protect its students and all children from the harmful effects of marijuana at a young age. The resolution states that the commercialization of marijuana through storefronts and cultivation not only increases its availability but normalizes its use, leading to negative health consequences.

The San Dieguito Union High School District passed a similar resolution in May and the Solana Beach School District worked with Judi Strang, the executive director of the San Dieguito Alliance for Drug Free Youth, to craft a resolution that reflects elementary school-age students. SBSD President Debra Schade hopes that their resolution can serve as a model for other elementary districts around San Diego County.

The challenge for our board and the professionals working with youth is protecting the youth mind, Schade said, a nod to the resolutions statement that youth marijuana use can affect the parts of the brain that influence memory, thinking, concentration, sensory and time perception, and coordinated movement. (The resolution) is about being able to bring that child through their brain development in the best possible way so as they enter the classroom were able to teach them and theyre able to grow. This is a really important issue for me as well as other members on the board.

Shade said the research on access included in the resolution is startling.

According to the California Healthy Kids Survey, youth are using marijuana more than tobacco in San Diego County. Government data shows that almost 40 percent of U.S. high school students have tried marijuana, about 20 percent are current users, and close to 10 percent first tried it before age 13.

The resolution states that in Colorado, where recreational marijuana is legal and commercialized, youth use of marijuana is 50 percent above the national average, and marijuana-related traffic deaths increased 92 percent from 2010 to 2014, while all traffic deaths increased only 8 percent during the same time period.

In Colorado and Washington, where recreational marijuana is legal and commercialized, emergency room admissions for accidental poisoning due to marijuana ingestion by children under the age of 12 has increased by 25 percent over the last three years.

While California passed Proposition 64 in November 2016 legalizing the recreational use of marijuana, Schade said each jurisdiction can put together tighter restrictions and safeguards.

Solana Beach has banned medical marijuana cultivation and dispensaries and, in March, the San Diego County Board of Supervisors banned medical and non-medical marijuana facilities in the unincorporated areas of the county.

In January, the city of San Diego legalized recreational pot dispensaries and opened up the possibility to allow farms, manufacturing facilities and testing labs. Any potential recreational marijuana shop can be within 1,000 feet of schools, parks and other sensitive uses if there is a freeway, wall or some topographical feature in between.

The closest marijuana storefront location in North County is on Roselle Street in Sorrento Valley. Each City Council district will be allowed four storefronts and Strang said it appears all four of District 1s storefronts will be in Sorrento Valley. A second proposed storefront is 1,000 feet from a building that houses a youth music program. Strang said they have argued against the locations proximity to children but as the building also houses businesses, the city considers it a multi-use and not a minor-oriented facility.

SBSD Superintendent Terry Decker said it appears there will be a significant concentration of shops in that Sorrento Valley area, home to many student and family-oriented uses such as learning centers, art studios, a karate studio and a volleyball gym.

Decker said its important to increase awareness about their concerns and board member Richard Lieb agreed about the lack of regulation: We need to be very vigilant about it.

I think the most important thing that this resolution says is that we do not want these storefronts in close proximity to our students not only students in our schools but any institution that houses young minds, board member Vicki King said.
A national car retail chain headquartered in Derby has announced that it will be creating around 20 extra jobs at its new contact centre in the city.

Car supermarket business Motorpoint, which is based in Chartwell Drive, on the West Meadows Industrial Estate, said it was looking to create the extra positions after relocating its national contact centre to a newly-refurbished building in Fox Street. The company recently took over the former factory and called in fellow Derby business ThreeHundredandSixtyDegrees to handle the fit out project.

Motorpoint, which operates from 12 locations across the UK, is now looking to expand its 50-strong call centre team. Online general manager Ian Rowley said: "We had outgrown our old centre and needed room for future growth so the decision was made to refurbish a former factory."

Mr Rowley said: "We were keen to use a local firm to handle this for us and brought in ThreeHundredand SixtyDegrees to handle the project from design to completion. They have done a spectacular job, delivering a high quality work environment that creates a positive vibe among the team." Now, the company, which was recently listed as a Sunday Times Top 100 Company to Work For, is set to host two open days later this month for anyone interested in joining its team.

The open days, which are scheduled for Saturday, July 22 and Wednesday, July 26, will help to showcase the new premises to potential employees interested in careers at Motorpoint in both sales and customer care as well as provide an insight into working life at the multi-award winning company. Mr Rowley said: "We're looking to grow both our sales and customer care teams at Motorpoint and we thought what better way to showcase our new building than by throwing open the doors to potential employees.

"Visitors will be able to tour our unique, purpose-built facility in Derby, talk to existing team members, and generally experience first hand what it's like to work for the UK's largest independent car retailer. Our HR team will also be on hand to discuss specific roles and answer questions that people may have over food and drink afterwards."

Last month, Motorpoint reported soaring sales but a fall in profits. It said that in the 12 months to the end of March, it achieved sales of 822 million, up from 729.2 million a year earlier. But higher expenses and one-off costs brought pre-tax profits for the year to 11.7 million, which was down on the 16.9 million it made the previous year.

During the last financial year, Motorpoint opened new sites in Castleford and Oldbury. It also launched a site in Sheffield. It already has branches in Birmingham, Burnley, Newport, Glasgow, Peterborough, Chingford, Birtley and Widnes. Anyone interested in attending any of the open days should e-mail openday@motorpoint.co.uk or call 01332 227227 for further details.

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A Derby student says she thought she was "going to die" when she was attacked after a night out while on holiday in Majorca.

The woman, who did not wish to be named, said the incident happened in Magaluf when she and a friend accepted a lift back to their hotel after they lost their bearings in the popular resort.

The 20-year-old said she was "strangled" by the Spanish male driver and her friend was punched by a woman who was also in the car and believed to be part of the set-up.

The University of Derby student suffered cuts and bruises to her neck and back and claimed her friend suffered facial injuries as a result. It is also claimed a bag containing 100 Euros was stolen by the offenders.

The student, who had been staying at Palma Nova in Mallorca with a group of friends, said the traumatic drama unfolded last Thursday night when the pair lost another friend while out enjoying a night out on the main resort in Magaluf.

Then they then were offered what appeared to be a taxi home but soon realised they had been targeted.

She said: "We got in the car and after about ten minutes I questioned why it was taking so long as the hotel was only a 10-minute walk from the strip.

"Next thing we were pulled up at the side of a road, my friend was punched in the face several times by the woman in the back who was demanding us to give all our money.

"The driver then leaned over and started to strangle me. As it was a three door I tried to push the passenger seat forward and tried to get out but the driver had opened the boot, strangled me from behind then tried to pull my friend into the boot.

"I thought I was going to die. It was horrible. We would never ever have expected it to happen."

The woman said the offenders then later drove off before the police  who were told about the incident - took the pair back to the hotel safely.

She added: "I just want to get the message to anyone  either from Derby or elsewhere  that the dangers of losing friends when out in foreign places. I don't want anyone to go through what we've had.

"I just want young girls to be aware of the dangers and ensure that they stay with their friends during these holidays where there is a lot of people and they are drinking a lot."

The woman said she arrived back home on Sunday - earlier than planned - because of her traumatic experience.
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A Derbyshire takeaway has apologised to its customers for delivery delays which they say has been caused by mindless idiots making false orders.

A Taste of Home, in Ilkeston, posted on its Facebook page on Sunday evening informing its customers of delays to deliveries.

The takeaway, which is based in The Triangle, specialises in traditional British home-cooked food, including fry-up breakfasts, Sunday roast dinners, sausages and pies.

The Facebook status uploaded on Sunday by staff at A Taste of Home, at around 4pm, said: Orders are running very late today and I only apologise. This is mainly due to the amount of fake orders we have had in.

We have been running around like idiots trying to deliver orders and on getting there finding the people hadnt ordered.

You have cost over an hour in wasted journeys and approximately 100 of roast dinners have had to be binned today.

Other local takeaways in the area took to social media to show their support for A Taste of Home.
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The future of an historic country house hotel near Burton looks to have been secured after being bought out of administration.

Back in February, Abbot Grange, which operated Dovecliff Hall Hotel, in Dovecliff Road, between Rolleston-on-Dove and Stretton, called in administrators. Since then, the administrators have been running the hotel as normal, honouring all bookings, including weddings, while seeking a buyer.

Now, the venue, which comprises 15 rooms and is set in six acres of grounds overlooking the River Dove, has been sold to a local businessman - Anton Jenkins, a director at Burton-based pharmaceuticals firm Clinigen. The sale was led by insolvency specialists Matt Ingram and Sarah Bell of Duff and Phelps with support from real estate adviser GVA. Mr Ingram said that the deal secures the future of the venue's 18-strong workforce.

Not long after the hotel went into administration, Mr Ingram reported a "high level of interest" in the business - and predicted that a deal could be struck within months. Now, following the deal to sell the property, customers have been reassured that all bookings will continue to be honoured. It is also understood that the new owner has plans to invest in the hotel.

The hall is a Grade II-listed Georgian manor house dating back to 1790. It was built for the family of Thomas Thornewill.

In the 19th century is was owned by Lord Bass who made many contributions to Burton including the Ferry Bridge. He was a good friend of King Edward VII and the King visited the Bass brewery and the family on their estate at Rangemore in 1902, beginning the brewing of the now famous King's Ale.

In 1928 the house was opened as a hotel but reverted back to a private house when it was bought by Colonel Sharpe in 1936. The house was bought and sold several times until 1987, when it was purchased and renamed as the Dovecliff Hall Hotel by a consortium headed by Nick Hine.

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A new Birds bakery store, the firm's 60th in the UK, is set to open in Derby later this year.

Bosses of the popular Derby based bakers say the latest store will be opening in Sinfin District Centre following customer demand.

The shop will open near the Sinfin Asda supermarket at the unit formerly occupied by the Card Zone store. An opening date has not been announced yet but a Birds boss said it should be opening in early September.

Mike Holling, head of retail at Birds, said: "We've been looking at Sinfin for quite a while, with so many customer requests saying there should be a store in the area.

"We hope to open in early September and this will be our 60th shop, which is quite an achievement for us.

"We are very looking forward to being part of the community in Sinfin."

Birds was founded in 1919 by brothers Frank, Thomas and Reginald Bird and is still under the family's ownership today.

The bakery, which employs around 680 people, already has 29 branches in Derbyshire.

Stores locations include Derby city centre, Allenton, Allestree, Alfreton, Alvaston, Ashbourne, Ascot Drive, Belper, Borrowash, Chaddesden, Duffield, Heanor, Ilkeston, Littleover, Long Eaton, Mackworth, Mickleover, Oakwood, Ripley and Spondon.
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Travellers who had set up camp in Chaddesden Park have been evicted for producing waste that put the public at risk.

There had been around 15 vehicles on site, including 11 caravans.

Late this morning, police set up a large cordon around the field where the travellers had set up camp.

Officers used powers under section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act to move the encampment on, having seen evidence that waste left by the travellers was causing environmental damage and was a hazard to the public.

Protection of the public was the reason given as to why such a large part of the park was surrounded by police tape.

According to Derbyshire Police, within three hours of being issued with the order, the majority of the travellers had moved on peacefully. By 2.40pm, only a couple of caravans, one van and one car remained.

A Derbyshire police spokesman confirmed police were in the area of Chaddesden Park.

He said: A lot of resources are in the area at the moment to deal with the removal of travellers.

According to reports, there is some waste remaining at the scene including bin bags and general litter.

Sergeant Nick Beeston, on the safer neighbourhood team, said: "There has been environmental pollution that has caused damage to the surrounding area.

"We arrived on site this morning. We issued the direction. It has been quite peaceful and no force has been used. In total, I believe there were 11 caravans."
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Nottingham Forest are closing in on Rangers' Barrie McKay, according to reports, but they could face competition from Cardiff City who are also said to be interested in 22-year-old attacking midfielder or forward.

McKay turned down the offer of a new contract earlier this year and has a year to run on his current deal.

A move to Forest would see the player link up again with manager Mark Warburton, the Forest boss who left Rangers in February.

McKay has made more than 100 league appearances for Rangers and won his first Scotland cap last summer in a friendly against France.

McKay could move for a fee of 750,000.

Reports are also linking Forest with Rangers' full back James Tavernier.

Forest completed the signing of striker Jason Cummings from Hibernian last week.
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An organiser of the disastrous Bakewell Winter Wonderland has been fined thousands of pounds for putting up illegal adverts in Derbyshire.

Shaun Hogg was ordered to pay almost 2,500 after he was caught erecting signs for the festive event without permission in Duffield and Quarndon.

The event last year was dubbed a winter blunderland after visitors complained they had arrived at the Bakewell Showground to find a field caked in mud, with few stalls and no Santa Claus.

After now being fined for the illegal signs, Hogg was slammed by Chris Short - council cabinet member for environment at Amber Valley Borough Council.

He said: Casually erecting advertising signs on grass verges, street furniture and traffic roundabouts is not only unsightly and has a detrimental effect on the community but it is a dangerous distraction to motorists.

Businesses should ensure that they advertise in a responsible manner. Imagine how the borough would look if every business used these tactics for advertising.

Mr Short said his council would continue to bring offenders to court if they persisted in putting up unauthorised signs. He said: It is the councils responsibility to protect the environment and we will prosecute offenders who do not take heed of warnings to remove posters and flyers.

District Judge Jonathan Taaffe, of South Derbyshire Magistrates Court, also revealed that Hogg had been convicted for the same offence in the past. He said: This is a serious offence and Mr Hogg is a serial offender, having been convicted of the exact same offence before.

Mr Taaffe fined Hogg 2,000 and ordered him to pay a victim surcharge of 100, plus legal costs of 382.00, for erecting signs advertising the Bakewell Winter Wonderland at Derby Road, Duffield and Burley Lane, Quarndon, in October 2016.

Hogg, of The Woodlands, Sandham Lane, Ripley, pleaded guilty by post.

A spokeswoman for Amber Valley Borough Council said Hogg was the joint organiser of the event and was responsible for advertising.

She also said he had organised other events in Derbyshire including large car boot sales and has been spoken to before regarding the rules about flyposting.

She said: He has been warned that it is an offence to put signs on grass verges and posters or flyers on street furniture such as lampposts.

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What are the UK laws on flyposting?

Flyposting is displaying adverts and other promotional materials without permission on buildings, posts, poles, litter bins and elsewhere in public, according to the United Kingdom Environmental Law Association .

In England and Wales there are two pieces of legislation to govern flyposting - the Highways Act 1980 and the Town and Country Planning Act 1990  and fines for advertisers can run up to 2,500.

There are a variety of ways flyposters can be punished, which include on-the-spot fines, fixed penalty notices, prosecution in a magistrates court, and the use of anti-social behaviour powers.
Screening people with type 2 diabetes on a yearly basis for depression could improve their health, according to a review of several studies.

Depression is the most common mental health issue within the diabetes community. If left untreated it can seriously impact a persons well-being and their motivation to self-manage their diabetes.

The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) states that people with a chronic illness, such as diabetes, are three times more likely to have depression.

In this review, researchers looked at whether there was a link between depression and glycemic control and found a statistically significant association in seven out of 10 studies.

Three of the studies also suggested patients who recognised the symptoms of depression, and went on to receive appropriate follow-up treatment, experienced improved HbA1c levels.

The researchers, Kristel McGhee and Katherine Kenny from the Mayo Clinic Scottsdale and Arizona State University, suggest introducing a protocol which would collect health data on people with type 2 diabetes in a bid to prevent them from developing depression.

This would include age, sex, other illnesses and whether they have a history of depression. By using patient questionnaires it would help doctors to review peoples health and their HbA1c levels. It is thought this would help combat complications associated with diabetes which reduce wellbeing and are costly to the NHS and the person.

The researchers said: Patients with major depressive disorder have a mean life span of 25 to 30 years less than the average person. The purpose of this project is not only to identify and treat patients with diabetes, but also implement a sustainable process to screen these patients  for depression.

The findings were presented at the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) 2017 National Conference.
Scientists have identified differences in brain patterns of people with type 1 diabetes which could have implications for future treatments.

The findings could also explain why type 1 diabetes affects the brain during cognitive activity, and revealed that in some cases the brain adapts to prevent cognitive impairment.

Researchers from the University of Barcelona used neuroimaging techniques to examine brain patterns of 22 people with type 1 diabetes compared to 16 healthy matched controls. The participants then completed a series of tasks.

The series of memory tasks comprised tests of verbal and visual stimuli, such as differentiating white and red squares positioned around a fixed point on a black background. All the while researchers measured brain activity and examined changes in blood flow depending on the areas of the brain with higher energy use.

The behavioural response to the tasks in the experiment was almost the same in both groups, but brain activity was different and T1D patients showed a lower cortical activation than those in controlled groups, said lead author Joan Guardia-Olmos.

The type 1 diabetes cohort exhibited poorer cognitive performance in the task with verbal stimuli, and the researchers hypothesise this was due to the autoimmune disease.

These different activation patterns could be due to adaptive compensation mechanisms that are devoted to improving efficiency while solving more complex cognitive tasks, said the researchers.

They add the changes in brain activation patterns could be caused by the lack of insulin, and state that further research should seek to validate and understand these findings.

If these results are confirmed, it is important to design maintenance programs on maintenance of cognitive activity for people with this disease, an approach which is not very common at the moment, added Guardia-Olmos.

The study was published in the PLOS One journal.
Solid-state batteries are expected to be safer, longer lasting and require lesser charge times. The technology is expensive to produce in bulk, but a Samsung employee claims the company is a year or two away from using it in smartphones.

Move away Lithium-ion, solid-state batteries are on their way, or so say reports. As per what a Samsung SDI executive told Korea Herald, the company might be working to replace Lithium-ion batteries in its smartphones with new solid-state batteries. The executive who belongs to Samsungs battery division also said that the company might start producing smartphones with solid-state batteries in one or two years.

The basic point of difference between a solid-state and lithium-ion battery is that the former uses a liquid electrolytic solution to regulate current, while the latter uses a solid electrolyte. Solid-state batteries are expected to pack in more storage capacity and provide for thinner smartphone designs, because of the materials used to make them. Solid-state batteries are also expected to be safer, longer lasting and require lesser charge times. However, the technology is expensive to produce in bulk.

As per the Samsung executive, the company is pretty close to perfecting its solid-state battery design for smartphones. Our technological level to produce a solid-state battery for smartphones will be mature enough in one to two years. However, it depends on Samsung Electronics whether it will be used for phones, said the executive.

Apart from Samsung, LG is also known to be working on solid-state battery technology. Solid-state batteries are not only purported to appear on smartphones, but are also expected to be featured in drones, wearables and cars. Another recent report from Korea Herald states that Hyundai is working on solid-state battery based electric cars at its Namyang R&D Center.

Given that we are just hearing rumours of the new smartphone battery design, its safe to assume that the technology is still a few years from commercial availability. You can also expect solid-state batteries to feature on flagship class devices, given that they are traditionally expensive to produce in high volumes. However, innovation and progress in battery tech has resulted in reduced production costs for solid-state batteries. In fact, equipment maker Applied Materials, also a Samsung supplier, has been working to produce high-precision tools that can help make solid-state batteries cheaper.
Microsoft India officials have "in principle agreed" to Government of India's request as per reports

Large-scale cyber attacks have been plaguing computer systems across the world, and the recent Petya attacks also affected India to a great extent. In the wake of all the chaos, the Indian Government is in talks with Microsoft to lower down the prices of Windows 10 operating system. According to a Reuters report, Microsoft India officials have "in principle agreed" to the Governments request. Indias Cyber Security coordinator, Gulshan Rai told Reuters, that this whole arrangement will be a one-time upgrade offer to Windows 10. Hence, it is suggested that the latest operating system from Microsoft will be available at discounted prices across India.

While Rai did not tell anything specific about the pricing, he did mention that the OS could be made available at less than 75% of the current pricing. If this deal comes through, it will not only help small scale industries which depend on the Windows platform, but also help individuals who were hesitant to invest in the operating system because of the higher price tag.

Besides this, the Government has also worked with banks to ensure that a majority of ATMs in the country are updated with the latest security patch released by Microsoft after the Wanna Cry attack. However, this is a interim solution as most of these ATMs run on Windows XP, which is still not as secure as the current Windows 10 platform.

Vulnerabilities and Cyber attack aside, if Microsoft agrees to sell the Windows 10 software at throw away prices in India, it could mean that more countries might send in similar requests to the Redmond based software giant.
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By STAN CHOE

AP Business Writer

NEW YORK  The good times keep rolling for fund investors.

Nearly every type of fund rose last quarter, whether focused on stocks or bonds, U.S. or foreign. Gains were so widespread that more than 7,000 of the roughly 7,600 funds that Morningstar tracks made money over the last three months.





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With meth cases increasing, several law enforcement agencies in Chippewa Falls want to follow the lead of the village of Lake Hallie in having their own K9 unit.

Bloomer, Chippewa Falls and Stanley police departments are in varying stages of raising private donations to pay for a K9 patrol officer, and Chippewa County is not far behind.

Since K9 Kita joined with Sgt. Dan Sokup of the Lake Hallie Police Department in March 2015, they have made 124 arrests, most in narcotics detection.

So why doesnt the state have its paws into funding a program that is an effective crime fighter?

I can see both sides of that one, Wisconsin Attorney General Brad Schimel said in a June 20 stop in Chippewa Falls.

But Schimel said he prefers having local fundraising to buy K9 units rather than the state or federal governments offering grants. He said when its a local funding issue, its up to local people to set priorities.

He said a K9 unit fundraiser in Waukesha County helped the community feel closer to the law enforcement agencies. The fundraisers for a K9 does have that upside, he said.

Heres a rundown on how the fundraising efforts are faring locally.

Stanley police

The Stanley Police Department has made the most progress of any law enforcement agency in Chippewa County.

Were right around the $30,000 mark, Police Chief Lance Weiland said. The departments minimum goal is $40,000. At $60,000, it can outfit a squad, get a dog and pay for training. The departments goal is to raise $80,000, and to begin setting aside money for a second police dog someday.

Weiland said Stanley has a need for a police dog, having a prison in town. The department also provides 24-hour protection for city residents. He said a police dog in Stanley would also be available when needed in Cadott, Boyd and Thorp in Clark County.

He said his department has found it beneficial to turn to the community to fund a K9 officer.

The departments next large fundraiser will be Saturday, Sept. 19, at Chapman Park, where there will be an auction and raffle.

Chippewa County

Sheriff James Kowalczyk said the Lions Clubs in Jim Falls and Chippewa Falls have donated $25,000 toward Chippewa County for a K9. He said the offices fundraising goal is $40,000

The K9 unit is an extension of the department to use their expertise. In reality, its another officer, Kowalczyk said.

Kowalczyk said money is tight. He said the sheriffs office and local police departments could get a K9 program running quicker with state and federal money, but hes hoping to get the program established without getting state and federal assistance.

Bloomer

Were still in the beginning stage, Bloomer Police Chief Jared Zwiefelhofer said of his departments fundraising efforts. His department has received a few donations toward a $20,000 goal to buy a dog and pay for training.

He said his department is selling t-shirts for $15 apiece. The t-shirts are available at the police station in Bloomer and also will be sold during the Bloomer Community Fair Aug. 3-6.

Zwiefelhofer said the cost of a K9 officer depends on how the dog will be used and the training for that use.

He said having a K9 would be very useful in drug cases. He said he cant imagine the number of traffic stops where nothing is found where a K9 would instead detect drugs in a vehicle.

Getting a grant would speed the fundraising process, but he thinks Bloomer will be able to raise the money on its own in 1 1/2 years to 2 years.

A dog is a wonderful way to get closer to the community, Zwiefelhofer said.

Chippewa Falls

Chippewa Falls Police have gotten the OK from the City Council to start a fundraising campaign for a K9, Police Chief Matt Kelm said.

The goal will be $90,000, with the bulk of it going for the outlay to get and outfit a vehicle. Kelm said a special cage is needed for the police dog, and there must be constant temperature control to make sure the animal is comfortable no matter what the weather situation.

Its an ambitious process. It takes a lot of money, Kelm said.

The Chippewa Valley Family YMCA in Chippewa Falls recently put a $1 million fundraising effort on hold, in part citing donor fatigue in Chippewa Falls. Kelm said thats something to take into consideration, but other local departments are not seeing a lot of that donor fatigue.

Kelm figures the fundraising effort will take anywhere from one to two years. He said the money will be raised in a variety of ways, including holding events or selling items at events.

A large portion of Chippewa Countys drug cases happen in Chippewa Falls, Kelm said.

Being able to add a K9 would show the community is really serious about the ever deepening methamphetamine epidemic, he said.
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ALBANY, Ore. (AP)  Police arrested an Oregon bookkeeper accused of stealing more than $100,000 from a logging firm that employed her.

The Albany Democrat-Herald reports 58-year-old Petreena Clow faces felony charges of forgery, theft and identity theft. Her next court appearance is July 10.





. . .
Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani is reported to have arrived in the Kuwaiti capital carrying an official response to a list of demands from the Saudi-led bloc, according to official sources in Doha. The move, which comes ahead of the deadline set by the `siege countries', which was extended by 48 hours, could only be a rebuttal of demands of the four Arab nations who have placed unrealistic demands on Qatar. Qatar has rejected the accusations, calling them "unjustified" and "baseless." The coalition had earlier given Qatar 10 days to meet its list of 13 demands, including shutting down the Al-Jazeera media network, reducing diplomatic ties with Iran and cutting ties with terrorist organisations, with ends today (3 July). This has now been extended to 5 July. Kuwait's Emir, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, reportedly made the request for an extension to the 3 July deadline after receiving assurances from the Qataris that they would still deliver their response to him by Monday. The Qatari foreign minister had earlier made a statement explaining Qatar's stand in the rift with the four Arab neighbours, although envoys have been working hard to tackle the crisis that has spawned diplomatic tensions throughout the region. Abdulrahman Al-Thani was to deliver the letter from the ruler of Qatar, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani to the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah, who has been the main mediator during this crisis. Meanwhile, leaders of the United States and Russia have stepped in to douse the fire, expressing their concerns about the standoff after the four countries abruptly suspended diplomatic relations and cut off land, sea and air travel to Qatar on 5 June, accusing it of supporting terrorism and destabilising the Gulf region. US President Donald Trump has spoken to Saudi, Emirati and Qatari leaders in separate phone calls expressing concerns about the dispute and about the importance of stopping the financing of terrorism. The Kremlin said Russian President Vladimir Putin spoke to both the Emir of Qatar and the King of Bahrain on Saturday and called for a diplomatic resolution to end the crisis. "Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of political and diplomatic efforts aimed at overcoming the disagreements and normalizing the current complicated situation," the statement said. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir called the coalition's list of demands "non-negotiable" last week. Qatar's foreign minister, however, said the list had stipulations that couldn't be met and was "made to be rejected." "There is no fear ... Qatar is prepared to face whatever consequences," Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani told reporters after a meeting with his Italian counterpart in Rome on Saturday. Last week, Qatar's foreign minister Al-Thani met with US secretary of state Rex Tillerson in Washington. Tillerson has repeatedly called for dialogue between countries on both sides of the diplomatic rift, advocating an evenhanded approach to the standoff. Qatar is a US ally and the United States maintains a large military base there, home to some 11,000 personnel. Foreign ministers from the Saudi-led bloc are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Wednesday to chalk out further moves.








With China in no mood to back off, India has deployed more troops in the Doka La area in Bhutan, near the Sikkim border to strengthen its position where the Indian Army personnel have been locked in a standoff with Chinese troops for almost a month now. India was forced to bring more troops after the PLA struck an aggressive posture and destroyed two Indian bunkers, sources said, adding that Indian soldiers are still in a "non- combative mode". As India pushed in more troops to strengthen its position, China has called for withdrawal of forces in order to de-ecalate tension and resolve the fresh border stand-off between the two countries. China, however, dismissed India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doka La area poses "serious security implications" as "untenable" and asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations. "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British Treaty," Xinhua news agency said, asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current stand-off. The stand-off, which began after a face-off between the two armies on 1 June when the Chinese army asked Indian troops to remove two bunkers set up in 2012 at Lalten in Doka La, which falls in the vicinity of Chumbi Valley at the corner of India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction. The bunkers were set up in 2012 to back up patrolling operations in the area, besides providing security to the Bhutan-China border. Following the Chinese aggression, troops informed the Army's Sukna-based 33 Corps Headquarter in North Bengal. However, during the night of 6 June, two Chinese bulldozers destroyed the bunkers, claiming that the area belonged to China and that India or Bhutan had no right over it, the sources said. Indian troops on the ground prevented the Chinese men and machines from doing any further damage or transgressing into the area, they said. Additional forces were moved in on 8 June during which a scuffle led to soldiers on both sides suffering minor injuries. PLA also rushed in troops from its 141 division located in the area, prompting the Indian Army to also strengthen its position. This is the longest standoff between the two armies since 1962. The last one, which carried on for 21 days, occurred at Daulat Beg Oldie in the Ladakh division of Jammu and Kashmir in 2013, when Chinese troops entered 30 km into Indian territory till the Depsang Plains and claimed it to be a part of its Xinjiang province. They were, however, pushed back. Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. After the India-China war of 1962, the area where the Indian troops are stationed was placed under the Indian Army and the ITBP, which is the border guarding force and has a camp 15 km from the international border. As the scuffle broke out between the two sides, the Indian Army rushed an officer of the Major General rank to the area to seek a flag meeting with his Chinese counterparts. China rejected two such requests from the Indian side, but accepted the third call for a meeting, where it asked the Indian Army to withdraw its troops from the Lalten area, which falls in Doka La. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it to be part of its Donglang region. As a fallout of the standoff, the Chinese refused to allow the first batch of 47 pilgrims, who were to conduct the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, into Tibet. They also conveyed to the Indian side that visas of another batch of 50 yatris had also been cancelled, the sources said, describing the move as an indication of "increased tempers" in Beijing. The Sikkim route to Mansarovar, which is in Tibet, was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses. It is not the first time that such a transgression has happened at Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there.








Saudi Arabia and three allies boycotting Qatar have agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sunday's deadline for Doha to comply with a set of demands, according to a joint statement on the state-run Saudi Press Agency. The Saudi-led coalition including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have extended the deadline by 48 hours for Qatar to respond to a list of demands from the coalition, according to the Saudi ministry of foreign affairs and various media reports. The coalition had cut air, sea and land links with Qatar over accusations the country is supporting terrorism. The request for an extension came from the Emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Sabah, who has been acting as a mediator between the coalition and Qatar. He made the request after receiving assurances from the Qataris that they would deliver their response to him by Monday, the original deadline, the state-run Qatar News Agency said. Qatar is at the centre of the biggest diplomatic crisis in the Middle East in decades, which started in early June when nine allies, led by Saudi Arabia, froze ties with the country over its alleged support of terrorism. Qatar, which shares its only land border with Saudi Arabia, has rejected the accusations, calling them "unjustified" and "baseless". Last month, the coalition gave Qatar 10 days to meet a list of demands, with 13 preconditions to ending Qatar's isolation, including shutting down the country's state-funded Al Jazeera news network and reducing ties with Iran. Saudi Arabia's foreign minister Adel al-Jubeir called the list "non-negotiable" last week. But over the weekend, Qatar's foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said the list was "made to be rejected," adding that Qatar is not afraid of any actions that could be taken against it. The Saudi-led bloc will deliver a full response after a complete reading of the Qatari government's answer, SPA reported later. Qatari foreign minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on Saturday said his country wouldn't concede any demands that threaten its sovereignty or violate international law, and was prepared to let pass Monday's deadline for complying with the bloc's 13 demands. ''There is no fear from our direction. We are ready to face the consequences,'' Al Thani said on Saturday in Rome, where he met with his Italian counterpart. ''There is an international law that should be respected and not violated.'' Foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and United Arab Emirates are expected to meet on 5 July in Cairo to discuss the latest developments on relations with Qatar, the Egyptian foreign ministry said in an emailed statement. On Sunday, US President Donald Trump spoke with three Gulf leaders on opposing sides of the dispute. In a statement, the White House said the President "spoke separately today with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, and Emir Tamin bin Hamad Al-Thani of Qatar." Trump "addressed his concerns about the ongoing dispute between Qatar and some of its Gulf and Arab neighbours. He reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology," the statement said. Al Thani repeated on Saturday that Qatar is willing to sit down and negotiate under the right circumstances. The ultimatum issued 10 days ago was made to be rejected, he said. Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt severed commercial links with Qatar almost a month ago, saying they were isolating the sheikhdom over what they see as its tolerant attitude toward Iran and support for terrorist groups. The group's demands include Qatar severing relations with the Muslim Brotherhood and ending Turkey's military presence in the country. Al Thani, in turn, accused the blockading nations of having ties to groups and individuals accused of terrorism. ''As for the countries that accuse Qatar of financing terrorism, they have the same problems as Qatar, more so, they are on top of the list in that area,'' he said. ''There are financial institutes in these countries involved in financing terrorist organisation and financing terrorist operations in western countries.'' The coalition presented Qatar with its requirements to end the standoff after US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson urged the Saudi-led bloc to lay out its demands. In a statement on 25 June, Tillerson conceded that Qatar would find it ''very difficult'' to comply with some of the requests.








The appointment of Fine Gael TD for Waterford, John Deasy, to work on Irish undocumented issue in the United States is a very positive development according to government chief whip, Joe McHugh.

This appointment shows how determined our Government is go get to grips with the issue of undocumented Irish living in America, said the Donegal TD.

"In my previous role as Minister for Diaspora, I worked closely with the Irish Immigration Centres on both the East and West coasts of the United States and directly with many individual Irish undocumented.

The Irish Government takes the issue very seriously and I am delighted that Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has identified this issue as a continued Government priority.

John Deasy is a man of calibre, who is uniquely suited to this task. Many undocumented Irish citizens working in America have settled down, started families and are fully integrated into their communities.

The appointment of Deputy Deasy as special envoy to the US Congress demonstrates to these people that we havent forgotten them, and will work on their tirelessly behalf with the US administration.

John will work closely with fellow Waterford man Dan Mulhall as the next Ambassador to the United States. I know both men will closely with each other and build on the sterling work carried out by Anne Anderson in Washington DC and her team in the various Consulates throughout the United States.

John has extensive contacts in Washington, having worked in Congress before he became a TD. He will complement the extensive efforts that the Government have been making on this issue, Chief Whip McHugh said.
Honda has become the first Japanese car brand to offer a five-year/unlimited kilometre warranty.

Starting from July 1 all new Honda models will be covered by the extended warranty, up from three-years/100,000km, as the brand pushes to grow its sales on the back of the new Civic sedan and hatch and the forthcoming CR-V.

"It's to provide greater confidence to our customers," said Honda Australia director, Stephen Collins.

While Collins believes the brand has earned a reputation for reliability and quality he admits younger potential customers who have never owned a Honda may need the extra security provided by the longer warranty.

The launch of the Civic, Civic Type R and CR-V represents a crucial time for the brand and its aspiration to hit 48,000 sales in 2017.

"Honda has an envied reputation for quality and reliability, the depth of engineering inherent in our vehicles is something our customers can trust," said Collins. "So we're taking things a big step further with this five-year warranty announcement.

"In the competitive Australia market, customers expect brands to be innovative and Honda Australia is aiming to do this right across the business. Through our network of 107 dealers, we're continually focused on improving how we interact with our customers."

Underlining the importance of the warranty in the Australian market, the extra two years coverage is be paid by Honda Australia, instead of the Japanese head office. However, Collins said the local operation had the full support of the company.

Collins played down any suggestion that the warranty extension was driven by a need to be more competitive against its rivals that out-sell it, including Toyota and Mazda which still offer three-year warranties.

"I don't think there was an issue," said Collins. "I think we have a good reputation for reliability but we want to get on the front foot. We want to be proactive."

Mitsubishi was the first Japanese brand to offer a five-year warranty but that is restricted to 100,000km. Isuzu also offers a five-year/130,000km warranty on its D-Max and MU-X.

Hyundai, Skoda, Renault and Jeep all offer five-year warranties. Peugeot and Citroen both offer six-year/unlimited km warranty while Kia is still the market leader with its seven-year/unlimited km coverage.
It is widely acknowledged that Search Engines are a critical medium for driving website traffic. In fact, 93% of all online experiences begin with a search engine such as Google. Despite this, Search Engine Marketing (SEM) continues to be one of the most misunderstood and underutilised online marketing channels. Most businesses miss the mark in the search channel, losing a great revenue opportunity in what should be the most profitable channel.

The Australian retail sector is most at risk, as major Australian retailers currently can still afford to miss the mark: For large brands Online is often only equivalent to 1 out of their 400 physical store locations, Australias online retail market is underdeveloped, accounting for less than 10 per cent of total retail revenue, compared to 20 per cent in the UK.

However, this is about to change, with strong international players entering what used to be a market protected by geography.

Search is where the Online battle is won  or lost.

Search is the largest and most profitable acquisition channel for successful online businesses. Your successful online competitors derive 50% and more of their online sales from Search.

If a business cannot generate positive ROI from generic (i.e. non-brand keyword) Search, they dont have a scalable online business.

Search is where consumers are looking for your products. If you cannot fulfill this existing demand of customers that are in buying mode, you either manage SEM poorly, or your website has a usability problem affecting conversion rate. Or, worst case scenario, you dont have a competitive product.

And if targeting exclusively your brand terms is the only way to generate a positive ROI in SEM, then you are not actually acquiring new customers.

Attribution, COCA, LTV  and why Brand keyword search is not an acquisition channel

Generic keywords are where you find new customers. Brand Keyword traffic is where you find existing customers who are too lazy to type in your URL. So, technically you could call brand keyword traffic a Retention channel.

If you want to acquire new customers in Search, you must focus on generic keyword campaigns.

It is also true that a proportion of users who find your brand through generic keyword ads (or natural results), later convert on brand keyword searches. This means Cost-per-Acquisition (CPA) of generic keyword campaigns is often overstated, while the CPA of brand campaigns is grossly understated.

This demonstrates the need to track your brand and generic keyword traffic separately, while attributing ROI accurately between these.

In fact, measuring channel-specific COCA (Cost of Customer Acquisition) and LTV (customer Life-Time-Value) to allocate budgets is often more efficient than looking at CPA or ROI.

Pull Marketing vs. Push Marketing channels

Push Marketing channels use a promotional strategy to push your message in front of potential customers to create the desire or interest to buy your products.

Pull Marketing channels refers to the customer actively seeking out your product, and retailers simply fulfill the direct demand.

Search is the pull marketing channel par excellence. Users do not only have an idea in their head that they need to buy something, they say it loud and clear to everyone who wants to listen. As such, Search is much more a Sales channel than a Marketing channel.

Search engines are an extension of your website

Imagine Google is a shopping mall where you own a store. Your shop sells fashion, and visitors to the mall are walking around saying out loud I want a black dress with white collar in size 12.

You say:

A. Nothing  You are not actually listening. Your shop is open, staff are working but you saved on employees listening to people walking around (= your search marketing budget). You think customers will find your store eventually on their own. This is equivalent to not having a search budget to cover these keywords.

B. Hey, I am Brand X, we have beautiful dresses at a 50% discount!  Then you take them by the hand and lead them to the female fashion section. This is suboptimal ad targeting with suboptimal landing page matching.

C. You say Hey, we have black dresses with white collars in size 12, priced from $120  Then you take them by the hand and lead them to the wall with your black dresses with white collars in size 12.

Congratulations! You have optimal ad targeting and perfect landing page matching!

Which brand gets the sale and which brand might say, SEM does not really work for us?

Now imagine these question and answers happening millions of times with 50% of shoppers asking very specific questions as above  Welcome to Long tail Search.

The Long tail is where you find the highest ROI in Search

The more specific the search query, the more consumers know what they want and the closer they are to making a purchase. Long tail traffic has the highest conversion rate potential, if you show customers the easiest way to the product they are searching for.

At the same time, Long tail keywords have the lowest competition. It is easy to target your industry head terms. Targeting long tail keywords properly, managing large keyword lists with exact matching ads to generate new customers at a profitable COCA, is an art specialists learn over many years.

Directing all those very specific search queries to the right landing pages for each search query requires hard work and is often a challenge  a single landing page with the best matching products may not yet exist. Fortunately, this challenge can be solved with technology, at scale.

About the author

Andreas Dzumla is the Managing Director and co-founder of Longtail UX, a patented technology that enables businesses to convert the Long tail of search into sales.
Some Christians say they are disappointed after Facebook rejected calls for a Crucifix reaction button to be added to the social network.

The demands came from Evangelicals, London's Independent newspaper reported.

They came after Facebook added a rainbow flag reaction button in June, to mark Pride month, allowing users to celebrate and honor the LBGTQ (lesbian, bisexual, gay, transgender, queer) community.

The newspaper said campaigners are particularly riled at the lack of a Christ-related miniature symbol after a Pride flag was placed in the social media giant's pictorial lexicon last month.

Facebook introduced the rainbow-colored reaction emoji to mark LGBT Pride month on 9 June and "celebrate love and diversity".

But on June 24, Hikmat Hanna posted an image asking for a cross reaction emoji as well. That was then shared by evangelist Joshua Feuerstein with his two million followers.

"We believe in building a platform that supports all communities. So we're celebrating love and diversity this Pride by giving you a special reaction," Facebook said at the time, according to the Daily Mirror.

It said that many in the gay community also saw the addition of the reaction button as a tribute to the rainbow flag creator, Gilbert Baker, who died in March.

Former television and radio evangelist Feuerstein has, to quote his About page, "turned to social media with his personal story of redemption and the hope of how Jesus Christ can heal a hurting heart."

He shared the image further to his 2.2 million followers, and this stirred controversy among people who felt unhappy that Facebook recognized Pride, but not their religion, betanews.com reported.

'FACEBOOK UNLIKELY TO CHANGE MIND'

Feuerstein's sharing of the post on his Facebook page drew strong reactions from both main viewpoints, but betanews.com said "Facebook is unlikely to change its mind.

"And for good reason. The Pride reaction (and Pride month) was introduced to promote equal rights, raise awareness and reduce stigma," said betanews.com.

"Other reactions have been introduced as 'a bit of fun' from time to time, or to commemorate a holiday.

"None of these situations applies to the Christian cross and there is, of course, the consideration that if the cross was introduced as a reaction, reactions for a plethora of other religions would also have to be added - and that would just become massively unwieldy!"

The post garnered more than 28,000 reactions, almost 10,000 shares and 2,200 comments - many of which expressed homophobic views according to the Mirror.

It said some reacting noted that if Facebook added a reaction button for Christians it would also have to add one for one for Muslims, Jews, Buddhists and all other religions.
China-cooked poultry meat acceptable to US

China made a trade breakthrough after it exported cooked poultry meat to the US for the first time. This was seen to signify that the country has reached an international standard of poultry processing and quality supervision, according to China's People's Daily.

Shipment of cooked poultry meat processed by Changguang Food Plant arrived last June 26 in the US, according to the Shandong Entry-Exit Inspection and Quarantine Bureau. The food plant operates under the Nine-Alliance Group, a food factory based in Qingdao, a city in east China's Shandong province.

According to the quarantine bureau, before the meat left the factory, quality-related documents and production activities were adequately inspected to make sure they met the requirements of the US side and China's General Administration of Quality Supervision, Inspection and Quarantine.

Cooked poultry meat from China will undergo lab test when it arrives in the US, to comply with the regulations of both countries.

According to the news report, the US officially recognised in March last year that China has food production and food safety supervision systems that are equivalent to its own.

China-grown poultry will also be authorised to enter the US market after the latter enacts a law to officially approve the import.
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Shades of quickly fading blue  the decline of the Tory tradition in Canada since the 1980s (Part Five) By Mark Wegierski

Canadian nationalism has historically manifested itself though two main communal identities, the British and the French. It could be argued that what is found today in the Liberal and New Democratic Parties is an advanced and elaborate form of "doublethink" -- simultaneously embracing Canadian "nationalism" (defined in an almost entirely liberal and left-wing way), and the excesses of multiculturalism, which tend to vitiate any sense of real Canadian identity. What is nationalism? One of the more usual definitions of the goals of nationalism is in terms of an effective foreign policy; a large and well-equipped military; and evocative traditional state-symbols and institutions, which strongly bind the nation together. One might well ask what sort of nationalism have the Liberals given Canada since the 1960s? It could be seen as gutless neutralism, practical disarmament, and the undermining of almost all traditional symbols and institutions. It may not be a good sign for the condition of Canada or Quebec that considerable numbers of Quebecois nationalists think they can separate from Canada  and leave the military under Canadian jurisdiction! It is one of most elementary concepts in politics that an independent state must maintain the monopoly on the use of force within its boundaries. If that degree of postmodern ambiguity is possible today on the part of some Quebecois nationalists, surely there can be prospects for various other, far less drastic, conditions of ambiguity that will allow Quebec to remain part of Canada. This seemed to be what Mario Dumont and the ADQ had been working towards. A corollary of a more robust nationalism is what has been mentioned in an earlier article: cultural sovereignty. The absurdity of those who typically call themselves Canadian nationalists today, is highlighted by their definition of the term cultural sovereignty -- which they still sometimes use. They mean to refer to almost anything produced by what have been called Canadas cultural industries. Yet the arbiters of current-day Canadian culture have almost entirely cut themselves off from Canadas more authentic roots. It could be argued that the current-day Canadian so-called high culture  as far as its natively English-speaking Canadian component -- has virtually no authentic existence outside of a few, narrow, mostly Toronto- and Vancouver-based arts cliques. Precisely because it has cut itself off from its roots, this inauthentic culture simply has to be heavily subsidized by all levels of government. At the same time, it could be argued that there is now virtually one unified North American (U.S. and Canada) pop-culture, driven mostly by Hollywood. The mavens of Canadian culture today usually think that the response to Hollywood  insofar as they feel the need to differentiate themselves from America -- is to be even more antinomian, even more edgy, even more politically-correct, than Hollywood. Thus, todays typical Canadian books, visual and plastic art, public architecture, plays, popular music, television shows, and news programs could be characterized as quite similar to Americas  only worse (from the standpoint of a more traditional view of Canadian culture). The CBC has made a prominent television special celebrating Louis Riel (whom it is rather difficult to see as a real Canadian hero), yet there has never been a major epic movie or television special made about Sir Isaac Brock, who died saving this country from an American invasion. It is currently little known that the campaigns of Sir Isaac Brock and his Indian ally, Tecumseh (1) are studied to this day as examples of military achievement. (Ironically, its possible that those achievements are better known to Americans, especially those studying military history, than to Canadians.) And then they wonder at the CBC why Canadian culture is on the verge of disappearing. Footnotes: (1) The extent to which many of the Aboriginal peoples were once friendly to the British Crown has now been almost entirely forgotten. To be continued. Mark Wegierski is a Canadian writer and historical researcher. Home
US funding dubious science and unfounded fear

By Ron Arnold



Donald Trumps EPA is facing a tsunami of vitriol for trying to drain the DC swamp of rogue regulators that rule with made-to-order scientific lies and invented threats, such as its ruling that the carbon dioxide which makes life on Earth possible is a pollutant. When President Trump proposed a $1.6 billion cut from EPAs expected $8.1 billion budget, employee screams of doomsday intimidated Congress into forking over the full gimme-gimme. In response to the specter of lost jobs and less political power, entrenched Obama holdovers have organized to sabotage Trumps reforms in what is being called the Deep State.

Fear is palpable throughout the EPA, where secret email accounts revealed serious abuses of power, where bureaucrats dictatorially took over virtually anything wet as Waters of the United States, including agricultural irrigation ditches and stock watering ponds (Trump revoked that rule), and where policies that destroyed the homes and lives of thousands have been routinely based on liberal interpretations of federal laws and scientific research that did not stand up to critical scrutiny.

The fear evidently touched EPA Scientific Integrity Official Francesca Grifo, an Obama appointee who previously oversaw the scientific integrity program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (an oxymoron if there ever was one, said Forbes magazine). She postponed this years meeting of EPAs scientific integrity stakeholders when she found out that her faithful corps of environmental activist advisors was to be joined by independent scientists approved by EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt.

The Grifo flap and other Environmental Protection Agency problems masked a much bigger government science outrage: the $315 million scandal engulfing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS). This scandal further underscores why Trumps reforms are necessary.

In March, the House Science, Space and Technology Committee probed into HHSs National Institutes of Health (NIH) and the $315 million in taxpayer-funded grants awarded since 1985 to the Italian research group Ramazzini Institute. The organization is an independent science academy focused on cancer research into commercial products. Its output had become the subject of controversy for its fixation on scaremongering about chemicals, artificial sweeteners and other products.

Ramazzinis early claim that sweetener aspartame was carcinogenic was widely panned by the European Food Safety Authority, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and the Italian media. Its 2016 claim that sucralose (Splenda) was linked to cancer brought similar reactions. Not surprisingly, government and scientific bodies around the world have long criticized it for using secretive, questionable science to reach politically motivated conclusions.

In 2012, EPA scientists identified discrepancies in the results of methanol studies conducted by Ramazzini. Similar EPA complaints from 2010 prompted Senators James Inhofe (R-OK) and David Vitter (R-LA.) to say Ramazzinis work is in dire need of review.

The question remains: Who opened Americas public coffers  mostly without competitive bidding  for Ramazzini and its New York-based affiliate Collegium Ramazzini, the advocacy cooperative of scientists and researchers in the grant-gobbling Ramazzini circle?

Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by the Energy and Environmental Legal Institute (E&E Legal) confirm that the money came from HHSs National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) and the National Toxicology Program.

Since toxicologist-microbiologist Linda Birnbaum became director of both in 2009, the two agencies provided $92 million, one third of Collegium members support. She herself is a Collegium member. A knowledgeable source says she got the NIEHS-NTP appointment largely because she was willing to expand the agencys mission to include the health effects of climate change, while the other candidate for her job was not.

According to public records, Birnbaums NIEHS contracted with Ramazzini and its affiliates  through multiple third parties  muddying it up what services were rendered under these contracts and how they were prearranged.

Another Ramazzini fellow, Dr. Christopher Portier, a senior collaborating scientist for the anti-pesticide Environmental Defense Fund, and a well-known anti-glyphosate activist, worked for an HHS agency for 32 years. He initiated a report claiming the common weed killer glyphosate (used in Roundup herbicides) is carcinogenic. It was the only study among many that made this assertion, but activists used it to call for banning Roundup, which is often used in conjunction with genetically engineered crops to eliminate the need for weeding and tilling, thereby reducing erosion.

The president of Collegium Ramazzini is former NIH researcher Dr. Phil Landrigan, now a professor at Mount Sinai Medical Center in New York City. According to reports, Director Birnbaum coordinated with Dr. Landrigan to publish more than two dozen Ramazzini studies in the NIEHS-run journal, Environmental Health Perspectives. Landrigan also received substantial funding from Birnbaums NIEHS, E&E Legal reported.

The House Science, Space and Technology Committee continues to probe the Ramazzini morass. Backed by Oversight Subcommittee Chairman Darin LaHood (R-Ill.), Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas) is following up on a joint letter to HHS Secretary Tom Price, requesting documents and correspondence between Ramazzini and the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The letter noted that Birnbaums NIEHS has refused to respond to [FOIA] requests seeking information related to contracts between your Department, including NIH and NEIHS, and Ramazzini. A source familiar with the issue says a dialogue was established and is progressing.

The controversies are likely to heat up in the face of news stories saying that Aaron Blair, the scientist who led IARCs review of glyphosate risks, deliberately withheld findings from studies of some 89,000 U.S. farm workers and family members, concluding that there was no link between cancer and exposure to the chemical. Under Blairs direction, while he and his team for years apparently ignored evidence that contradicted that conclusion, IARC found that the weed killer was probably carcinogenic.

Collegium Ramazzini strongly rebuts any assault on its integrity and infallibility. Its website says its mission is to be a bridge between the world of scientific discovery and the social and political centers which must act on the discoveries of science to protect public health. Is this self-congratulation, a power ploy  or a subtle warning to anyone who might question its funding arrangements?

In his 1961 farewell address, President Dwight Eisenhower warned against the military-industrial complex and included this important final caveat: In holding scientific research and discovery in respect, as we should, we must also be alert to the danger that public policy could itself become the captive of a scientific-technological elite.

Can the Trump Administration or Congress untangle todays web of the scientific-technological elite and, more importantly, prevent our health and agricultural policies from being driven by dubious science, unfounded fears, deliberately withheld studies, and serious potential conflicts of interest?

It would take more than plowing through mountains of paper. We would learn a lot more from public testimony taken under oath.

Ron Arnold is a widely known researcher, columnist and the author of eleven books on environmental and public policy issues.
Did illegals voting give Hillary the edge? By Dr. Robert Owens

The AntiFa Resist 45 Movement loves to point out that Hillary won the popular vote. However, if you get down into the weeds a bit the picture that materializes isnt quite what we have been led to believe by the Democrat Party, their bully-boy street thugs, or their media megaphone. As reported in Investors Business Daily if you take California out of the equation it is a completely different picture. If you look at every other measure, Trump was the clear and decisive winner in this election. Number of states won: Trump: 30

Clinton: 20

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Trump: +10 Number of electoral votes won: Trump: 306

Clinton: 232

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Trump: + 68 Ave. margin of victory in winning states: Trump: 56%

Clinton: 53.5%

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Trump: + 2.5 points Popular vote total: Trump: 62,958,211

Clinton: 65,818,318

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Clinton: + 2.8 million Popular vote total outside California: Trump: 58,474,401

Clinton: 57,064,530

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Trump: + 1.4 million In other words, if you take California out of the popular vote equation, then Trump wins the rest of the country by 1.4 million votes. And if California voted like every other Democratic state  where Clinton averaged 53.5% wins  Clinton and Trump end up in a virtual popular vote tie. Then again for several reasons California doesnt vote like every other state. Besides the fact that it has become a one-party state it isnt called Mexifornia for nothing. It is the destination of choice for more illegals coming north for economic and social reasons than any other State. Although we all know and have experienced the reality that in the aftermath of open borders illegals are now a sizable portion of the population anywhere you go in the U.S. of A. Why does this have an impact on our understanding of the 2016 election? Remember President Trumps famous tweet: Donald J. Trump?Verified account @realDonaldTrump In addition to winning the Electoral College in a landslide, I won the popular vote if you deduct the millions of people who voted illegally For this he was ridiculed by the ABCNBCCBSCNNMSNBCPBSNPR Cartel who presented it as nothing more than a "Twitter-born conspiracy theory." Investors Business Daily once again did the heavy lifting that the Lamestream Media refuses to do. In an editorial they provide us facts and projections based on actual studies, surveys, and scholarly research as opposed to the baseless character assassination which the media megaphone tries to pass off as journalism. Such as a study in 2014 in the online Electoral Studies Journal which made a quite similar claim: In the 2008 and 2010 elections, they said, as many as 2.8 million illegal noncitizen votes were cast, "enough to change meaningful election outcomes including Electoral College votes and congressional elections," said the study, authored by Jesse T. Richman and Gushan A. Chattha, both of Old Dominion University, and David C. Earnest of George Mason University. Which contained this bombshell: "Noncitizen votes likely gave Senate Democrats the pivotal 60th vote needed to overcome filibusters in order to pass health care reform and other Obama administration priorities in the 111th Congress." Concerning the possibility that as the President said illegals had an impact on the popular vote totals; a new study by Just Facts, a libertarian conservative think tank that used data from a large Harvard/You.Gov study that every two years samples tens of thousands of voters, including some who admit they are noncitizens and thus can't vote legally. The findings are eye-opening. In 2008, as many as 5.7 million noncitizens voted in the election. In 2012, as many as 3.6 million voted, the study said. In 2016, the U.S. Census Bureau estimates that there were 21.0 million adult noncitizens in the U.S., up from 19.4 million in 2008. It is therefore highly likely that millions of noncitizens cast votes in 2016. And it was no accident. Democrats had extensive get-out-the-vote campaigns in areas heavily populated by illegal aliens. As far back as 2008, Obama made sure that those who wanted to vote knew it was safe, announcing that election records would not be cross-checked with immigration databases. And last year, the Obama White House supported a court injunction that kept Kansas, Alabama and Georgia from requiring proof of citizenship to register to vote. The message was sent, loud and clear: If you're a noncitizen or here illegally, don't be afraid. You're free to vote. No one will stop you. We don't know the exact number of illegal votes. No one does. But the data that are available suggest that the number of illegal votes was substantial  probably in the millions, as Trump said  and likely had a significant impact on the election's outcome. Think about this for a moment. To become an American Citizen a person has to pass a test on American History in English. These people would have no need for a ballot printed in another language. They can read English. That is a requirement of citizenship. In every State of our nation ballots are printed in Spanish. Since citizens have no need of them, who are they printed for? Isnt the answer self-evident? How can we avoid this type of fraud in the future? First of all we could have fewer illegals in our country. Secondly we could require that people show proof of citizenship in order to register to vote. Also we could allow States to purge voter rolls of the dead, cross reference voter rolls across State lines, and require a photo ID to vote. Perhaps as the rule of law is re-instituted after the unconstitutional excesses of the Obamanation we will see such commonsense procedures instituted. The truth will always eventually win out over the lie. And just as we can rest assured that those who believe the greatest lie of all time will eventually bow their knee and proclaim, Jesus is Lord, so to we can rest assured that even in this fallen world the truth is always visible to those who seek it. Did illegals voting in 2016 give Hillary the edge in the popular vote? Sure they did. Dr. Robert Owens teaches History, Political Science, and Religion. He is the Historian of the Future @ http://drrobertowens.com  2017 Contact Dr. Owens drrobertowens@hotmail.com Follow Dr. Robert Owens on Facebook or Twitter @ Drrobertowens / Edited by Dr. Rosalie Owens Home
Monumental, unsustainable environmental impacts By Paul Driessen

Demands that the world replace fossil fuels with wind, solar and biofuel energy  to prevent supposed catastrophes caused by manmade global warming and climate change  ignore three fundamental flaws. 1) In the Real World outside the realm of computer models, the unprecedented warming and disasters are simply not happening: not with temperatures, rising seas, extreme weather or other alleged problems. 2) The process of convicting oil, gas, coal and carbon dioxide emissions of climate cataclysms has been unscientific and disingenuous. It ignores fluctuations in solar energy, cosmic rays, oceanic currents and multiple other powerful natural forces that have controlled Earths climate since the dawn of time, dwarfing any role played by CO2. It ignores the enormous benefits of carbon-based energy that created and still powers the modern world, and continues to lift billions out of poverty, disease and early death. It assigns only costs to carbon dioxide emissions, and ignores how rising atmospheric levels of this plant-fertilizing molecule are reducing deserts and improving forests, grasslands, drought resistance, crop yields and human nutrition. It also ignores the huge costs inflicted by anti-carbon restrictions that drive up energy prices, kill jobs, and fall hardest on poor, minority and blue-collar families in industrialized nations  and perpetuate poverty, misery, disease, malnutrition and early death in developing countries. 3) Renewable energy proponents pay little or no attention to the land and raw material requirements, and associated environmental impacts, of wind, solar and biofuel programs on scales required to meet mankinds current and growing energy needs, especially as poor countries improve their living standards. We properly insist on multiple detailed studies of every oil, gas, coal, pipeline, refinery, power plant and other fossil fuel project. Until recently, however, even the most absurd catastrophic climate change claims behind renewable energy programs, mandates and subsidies could not be questioned. Just as bad, climate campaigners, government agencies and courts have never examined the land use, raw material, energy, water, wildlife, human health and other impacts of supposed wind, solar, biofuel and battery alternatives to fossil fuels  or of the transmission lines and other systems needed to carry electricity and liquid and gaseous renewable fuels thousands of miles to cities, towns and farms. It is essential that we conduct rigorous studies now, before pushing further ahead. The Environmental Protection Agency, Department of Energy and Interior Department should do so immediately. States, other nations, private sector companies, think tanks and NGOs can and should do their own analyses. The studies can blithely assume these expensive, intermittent, weather-dependent alternatives can actually replace fossil fuels. But they need to assess the environmental impacts of doing so. Renewable energy companies, industries and advocates are notorious for hiding, minimizing, obfuscating or misrepresenting their environmental and human health impacts. They demand and receive exemptions from health and endangered species laws that apply to other industries. They make promises they cannot keep about being able to safely replace fossil fuels that now provide over 80% of US and global energy. A few articles have noted some of the serious environmental, toxic/radioactive waste, human health and child labor issues inherent in mining rare earth and cobalt/lithium deposits. However, we now need quantitative studies  detailed, rigorous, honest, transparent, cradle-to-grave, peer-reviewed analyses. The back-of-the-envelope calculations that follow provide a template. I cannot vouch for any of them. But our governments need to conduct full-blown studies forthwith  before they commit us to spending tens of trillions of dollars on renewable energy schemes, mandates and subsidies that could blanket continents with wind turbines, solar panels, biofuel crops and battery arrays; destroy habitats and wildlife; kill jobs, impoverish families and bankrupt economies; impair our livelihoods, living standards and liberties; and put our lives under the control of unelected, unaccountable state, federal and international rulers  without having a clue whether these supposed alternatives are remotely economical or sustainable. Ethanol derived from corn grown on 40,000,000 acres now provides the equivalent of 10% of US gasoline  and requires billions of gallons of water, and enormous quantities of fertilizer and energy. What would it take to replace 100% of US gasoline? To replace the entire worlds motor fuels? Solar panels on Nevadas Nellis Air Force Base generate 15 megawatts of electricity perhaps 30% of the year from 140 acres. Arizonas Palo Verde nuclear power plant generates 900 times more electricity, from less land, some 95% of the year. Generating Palo Verdes output via Nellis technology would require land area ten times larger than Washington, DC  and would still provide electricity unpredictably only 30% of the time. Now run those solar numbers for the 3.5 billion megawatt-hours generated nationwide in 2016. Modern coal or gas-fired power plants use less than 300 acres to generate 600 megawatts 95% of the time. Indianas 600-MW Fowler Ridge wind farm covers 50,000 acres and generates electricity about 30% of the year. Calculate the turbine and acreage requirements for 3.5 billion MWH of wind electricity. Delving more deeply, generating 20% of US electricity with wind power would require up to 185,000 1.5-MW turbines, 19,000 miles of new transmission lines, 18 million acres, and 245 million tons of concrete, steel, copper, fiberglass and rare earths  plus fossil-fuel back-up generators for the 75-80% of the year that winds nationwide are barely blowing and the turbines are not producing electricity. Energy analyst David Wells has calculated that replacing 160,000 teraWatt-hours of total global energy consumption with wind would require 183,400,000 turbines needing roughly: 461,000,000,000 tons of steel for the towers; 460,00,000,000 tons of steel and concrete for the foundations; 59,000,000,000 tons of copper, steel and alloys for the turbines; 738,000,000 tons of neodymium for turbine magnets; 14,700,000,000 tons of steel and complex composite materials for the nacelles; 11,000,000,000 tons of complex petroleum-based composites for the rotors; and massive quantities of other raw materials  all of which must be mined, processed, manufactured into finished products and shipped around the world. Assuming 25 acres per turbine, the turbines would require 4,585,000,000 acres (1,855,500,000 hectares)  1.3 times the land area of North America! Wells adds: Shipping just the iron ore to build the turbines would require nearly 3 million voyages in huge ships that would consume 13 billion tons of bunker fuel (heavy oil) in the process. And converting that ore to iron and steel would require 473 billion tons of coking coal, demanding another 1.2 million sea voyages, consuming another 6 billion tons of bunker fuel. For sustainability disciples: Does Earth have enough of these raw materials for this transformation? It gets worse. These numbers do not include the ultra-long transmission lines required to carry electricity from windy locations to distant cities. Moreover, Irina Slav notes, wind turbines, solar panels and solar thermal installations cannot produce high enough heat to melt silica, iron or other metals, and certainly cannot generate the required power on a reliable enough basis to operate smelters and factories. Wind turbines (and solar panels) last just 20 years or so (less in salt water environments)  while coal, gas and nuclear power plants last 35-50 years and require far less land and raw materials. That means we would have tear down, haul away and replace far more renewable generators twice as often; dispose of or recycle their component parts (and toxic or radioactive wastes); and mine, process and ship more ores. Finally, their intermittent electricity output means they couldnt guarantee you could boil an egg, run an assembly line, surf the internet or complete a heart transplant when you need to. So we store their output in massive battery arrays, you say. OK. Lets calculate the land, energy and raw materials for that. While were at it, lets add in the requirements for building and recharging 100% electric vehicle fleets. Then there are the bird and bat deaths, wildlife losses from destroying habitats, and human health impacts from wind turbine noise and flicker. These also need to be examined  fully and honestly  along with the effects of skyrocketing renewable energy prices on every aspect of this transition and our lives. But for honest, evenhanded EPA and other scientists, modelers and regulators previously engaged in alarmist, biased climate chaos studies, these analyses will provide some job security. Lets get started. Paul Driessen is senior policy analyst for the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow (www.CFACT.org) and author of Eco-Imperialism: Green power - Black death. Home
Objectivity is needed in higher education By Dale Schlundt

The fundamental purpose of higher education is for students to be able to self-educate after leaving post-secondary institutions, applying such in both a personal and professional context. However, to accomplish this requires defining the characteristics of the individuals being taught. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, in the Fall of 2015, full time undergraduate students under 25 years of age made up 75 percent of enrollments in two year public colleges. This calls for a discussion on the degree of success we have in promoting objectivity to this demographic. [1] For instance, a government instructor may ask students to debate the constitutionality as well as the social aspects of the Supreme Court decision, Obergefell v. Hodges, giving federal protection to same sex marriage, in order to contextualize the 14th Amendment. Considering how this presents contemporary issues that are rooted in political and religious virtues, one has to now address the students perhaps inherited views, in an ethical manner. Understanding and Respect for Learners Beliefs The objective should be to facilitate a discussion that results in a more comprehensive understanding of both sides of controversial topics, which will ultimately allow students to arrive at independent conclusions. Although educators should advocate equality in their instruction where applicable, their role is not to dictate any students personal beliefs, as staying true to principles of equality means the leaner has a right their own ideals. The instructor must present points that appeal to both those who support and those who would dissent on these issues. Promoting Debate and Pragmatism Perhaps an instructor would note that the expanding role of government is at times necessary to enhance equality in society. One could cite the legal precedent set during the evolution in the concept of federalism during Reconstruction in the 19th century, which resulted in the ratification of the 14th Amendment. Contemporary legal and social aspects could also be much needed social security benefits from a deceased long-term spouse, healthcare coverage, to a wide spectrum of other legalities related to same-sex marriages. The inevitable fact is that perspectives on such topics such as same sex marriage are influenced by religious views. It is vital to remember the instructors position on any contemporary issue should be comparable to the objective approach, which is asked of the student. As teaching students to be pragmatic and unbiased is never accomplished through invalidating their own beliefs. An instructor may explain the complexity of this case is in promoting equality that is also found in the religious freedoms affirmed through ones 1st Amendment rights who would dissent on the central issue. Stated in the opinion of the court, is the right to voice and adhere to religious beliefs that oppose this decision, which are constitutionally protected. The court also called for debate on how society may reconcile, while respecting, these opposing ideologies. While one hopes the learner will see the value in these expanded civil liberties given to same sex couples, they will also realize that comparable protections allow for their own liberties. [2] Awareness and Empathy, Not Necessarily Ideological Change In making points such as this to the students, an instructor is essentially giving their world back to the learner, awarding them influence they have always held, but may have not realized. This highlights the power of the learner, whether it be through advocating change or promoting the status quo, as both are necessary at different times While we should address student arguments that are factually incorrect, discounting a students religious or political beliefs in a classroom setting does not create a nurturing environment that allows for student growth. As the facilitator acknowledges the diverse perspectives of the students, they will not only be more apt to engage, but to see the credibility in new ideas offered by their peers. Thus, the strategy of teaching with impartiality through creating understanding is accomplished throughout the entirety of the process of facilitating the discussion. This is simply done through allowing students to voice those, perhaps now negated, previously one sided ideas to their peers. It will prove to be enlightening to individuals who may lack those conceptualizations of society. Conclusion Lastly, all topics should be presented with information derived from research when possible. For instance, in 2015 Pew Research analyzed the changing views on same sex marriage of Christians, showing that 62 percent of what they refer to as white mainline Protestants are not opposed to same sex marriage as of that date. Such work would be an asset that combines complimentary evidence and opinions that could be used by an instructor to illustrate the pragmatic changes to social norms within religious groups. [3] One should keep in mind that the goal is to prepare students to make objective inferences that will apply to the real world, which they will presumably one day influence. Learners that fall into the demographic which is under 25 years old may have experience that has been limited to primarily theories and summative evaluations. An educator should facilitate a discussion that leads one see the merits of both sides of opposing concepts. Ultimately, it will give them the tools needed to pause, when presented with complex issues outside of the classroom, arriving at sound, instead of quick judgments. Dale Schlundt holds a Masters Degree in Adult Education with a concentration in American History from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Dale has taught at Northwest Vista College, Our Lady of the Lake University, and is currently a faculty member at Palo Alto College. He is co-founder of Palo Alto Colleges new program for individuals with intellectual disabilities, Project Access, and a co-chair for the Texas Regional Alignment Network. He can be reached at daleschlundt@gmail.com. Footnotes: [1] Figure 1. Characteristics of Post-Secondary Students, National Center for Education Statistics. https://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/indicator_csb.asp Accessed May 27, 2017. [2] Obergefell v Hodges, Opinion of the Court, 576 U.S_(2015), 27 https://www.supremecourt.gov/opinions/14pdf/14-556_3204.pdf Accessed June 4, 2017. [3] David Masci and Michael Lipka, Where Christian churches, other religions stand on gay marriage, Pew Research Center, December 21, 2015. http://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2015/12/21/where-christian-churches-stand-on-gay-marriage/ Accessed June 5, 2017. Home
The reconquest of Mexico By Robert T. Smith

Reconquistamake America Mexico again has been the decades long chant of the leftists in many places of the southwest, especially California. It is apparently politically incorrect to notice the difference between immigration and invasion. As gleefully reported by the Los Angeles Times recently, there are now more Latinos than non-Latino- whites living in California. Counting the ethnicity or color of noses is always the modus operandi of the Democrats. The quaint old notion of the melting pot, E pluribus unum, so that there are not hyphenated-Americans is not the Democrat partys forte. As good leftists, better there are many competing groups bumping and banging into one another so that the high priests of the government betters can sell their indulgences to their various patron groups in exchange for votes, power and money. The reconquest of the American southwest has a starting point that is ignored. The root problem is not United States or US policy, like build that wall, the root problem is that Mexicans need to escape the horrible country they and their fellow Mexicans have made. No creature likes living in its own waste. Mexico has abundant economic potential. The country has significant mineral deposits, abundant oil and oil products, extensive agricultural areas with long growing seasons, beautiful scenery and resorts, etc. However, Mexicos potential is squashed by the staggering level of corruption in its political system, law and law enforcement. Drug lords and gangs rule many areas, the law abiding are held as helpless hostage to the illegal activities both political and non-political, although in many cases there really is no divide between the two. In essence, it is understandable that decent people would want to escape the corruption and lawlessness that is Mexico. A country is not simply a place on a map, it is a set of ideals. Clearly American ideals are superior to the Mexican ideals, and so we have the immigration/invasion of America. Most irksome are Mexicos leaders, the ones who are so quick to rush to a microphone or be quoted in a newspaper to voice their disapproval over any American politician who would attempt to change the status quo, like perhaps gaining control over the border between the US and Mexico. Most infamous is the mouth from the south, none other than that bad hombre Vincente Fox. The former President of the corrupt Mexican government, Mr. Foxs net worth is estimated at over 10 million dollars. Now why would a person so rich from Mexicos current situation not want it to change? Mr. Fox is not unique in his desire for the status quo between Mexico and the Unites States. The current Mexican President, Enrique Pena Nieto, has an 80% disapproval rating from his constituent citizen-denizens of Mexico, including links to the drug cartels through campaign contributions. Likely this level of corruption exists from the Mexican President down to the local Mexican dog catcher. So why not funnel that political energy and activism into changing the homeland, Mexico, instead of demanding America change to become like Mexico, or as the chant goes a part of Mexico itself. Why not have a reconquest of Mexico, put the political and social will behind making Mexico a place where Mexicans and even others may want to live. Imagine a future, big, beautiful wall between Mexico and its neighbors to the north in order to keep the Americans outthe reconquest of Mexico by the Mexican patriots awaits. Robert T. Smith is an environmental scientist who spends his days enjoying life and the pursuit of happiness with his family. He confesses to cling to his liberty, guns and religion, with antipathy toward the arrogant ruling elites throughout the country. Home
Emmanuel Macron, the new French President, said that the invasions of Libya to topple Muammar Gadhafis rule in 2011 were a mistake. He said that France was wrong to join the war in Libya  Paris was a leading player in the call for European intervention in the North African country under then President Nicolas Sarkozy. The United Nations approved the imposition of a no-fly zone, which, experts say, was abused by Western countries.

In an interview with European media, a part of which was published by Il Corriere della Sera newspaper, President Macron asked, seemingly hinting the direction of his foreign policy, what were the outcomes of these invasions? He answered by saying that the invasions have destroyed countries in which terrorist groups thrive now. He also said that he did not want Libya to become another Syria, although French forces are still part of the US-led campaign against the Islamic State in Syria and Iraq. The Syrian regime claims that the coalitions interventions in Syria are not legitimate.

In the meantime, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg welcomed Prime Minister-designate of the UN-backed Government of National Accord, Fayez Serraj, and reiterated support to his Government of National Accord (GNA) as the sole representative of the Libyan people. There are two other entities competing for political authority in Libya. While discussing defense and security issues with Mr. Serraj, Mr. Stoltenberg also revealed the plan of the Alliance to build a state-of-the-art ministry of defense, joint military personnel and intelligence services under civilian control in Libya. He also commended Mr. Serraj for his inclusive approach to the political situation while reiterating the importance of all parties to abide by the Libyan Political Agreement for a political solution to the crisis.
"Yesterdays early signs of technical weakness [in GBP/USD] yielded very little downside movement at all, however, and the underlying trend in the GBP remains constructive. We do not exclude the risk of some modest, corrective weakness near-term in Cable but we think the underlying bull trend has staying power. Dips to the low/mid 1.29s are a buy." Scotiabank 3rd july

After solid advances last week, the British Pound to Dollar exchange rate has slipped on Monday morning. Investors are concerned about this weeks UK PMI outlook after manufacturing data failed to meet expectations.

Last week saw GBP/USD put in big gains, surging from 1.2713 to a monthly high of 1.3027. On Monday morning the pair slipped below the key level of 1.30 again.

Pound (GBP) Slips as Manufacturing PMI Disappoints

Last week saw the Pound surge on an increase in Bank of England (BoE) policy tightening bets, but those bets rely on the strength of Britains economic outlook.

BoE Governor Mark Carney and chief economist Andy Haldane have argued that it may be necessary to tighten UK monetary policy in the foreseeable future, but indicated Britains economy would need to remain resilient to support this.

Concerns about Brexit, as well as recently slowing wage growth causing a household pay squeeze, remain major obstacles to the possibility of tighter monetary policy.

Those concerns worsened slightly on Monday following the publication of Markits June manufacturing PMI for Britain. The PMI was forecast to improve from 56.3 to 56.5, but instead slowed to a three-month-low of 54.3.

As a result, the Pound slipped on Monday morning. Markits services PMI is due to be published on Wednesday and investors are now worried that these could also disappoint. Services make up a considerable fraction of Britains growth.

Analysts in London expressed concern on the latest manufacturing data. According to Howard Archer from EY ITEM Club;

the slowdown in manufacturing activity is reported across all sectors  consumer, intermediate and investment goods. Backlogs of work fell in June which also points to weaker activity going forward. Additionally, confidence among manufacturers dipped to a seven-month low in June, although it was still decent, and employment growth slowed.

US Dollar (USD) Recovers from Lows

Last week saw the US Dollar index rounding off its worst quarterly performance since 2010.

Uncertainty over US President Donald Trumps ability to push through his ambitious economic and fiscal policies, as well as mixed Fed rate hike bets, have left the US Dollar weaker.

With other central banks in advanced economies signalling that they may begin to normalise monetary policy in the coming year or so, slowing Federal Reserve interest rate hike bets have meant Greenback traders are looking towards other major currencies like the Euro.

However, some analysts have suggested that US ecostats have been resilient enough to suggest the market could be pricing in more Fed rate hike bets than it currently is.

Underwhelming UK manufacturing data has left the Pound weaker, making it easier for the US Dollar to recover as investors buy it back following its poor performance over the last quarter.

An increase in demand for safe haven currencies following surprising Japanese political and economic news over the weekend has also left the US Dollar stronger this week.

GBP/USD Forecast: UK Services PMI in Focus

After Mondays underwhelming UK manufacturing PMI, traders are concerned that Markits other June PMIs may also disappoint.

The construction PMI, usually relatively low-influence, will be published on Tuesday.

This weeks biggest ecostats for GBP traders will be published on Wednesday, Britains June services PMI. Analysts currently predict the print will slip slightly from 53.8 to 53.5.

Key US data will be published throughout the week and may influence Fed rate hike bets.

Wednesday will see the publication of the Federal Open Market Committees (FOMC) latest meeting minutes.

As some investors perceived the June rate hike as being a slightly dovish, any further signs of dovishness in the FOMC minutes would lead to further US Dollar weakness and lower bets for a third 2017 rate hike.

ISM will publish its key non-manufacturing PMI for June on Thursday. US trade balance data from May will also be published.

Later in the week, key US employment data from June will be published. In particular, the Non-Farm Payroll (NFP) results will have an impact on Fed rate hike bets and USD strength.
Hey all. I'm working on compiling my visa stuff for us to uk spouse visa. I'm trying to avoid a lawyer cause the cost is really gonna eat into our savings and from heat I've read a us to uk app is pretty straight forward. I'm having some problems with the application understanding who's information they want? Also curious to know about what kind of documentation you guys included and such. We are using her Personal independence Payments to prove financial stability. Can any more experienced visa buddies give me a hand/ help walk me through this? Thank you all for reading!!
I am a Canadian citizen. I am on TN status in USA.



The USA-Canada Tax treaty says



"Notwithstanding the provisions of paragraph 1, remuneration derived by a resident of a Contracting State in respect of an employment exercised in a calendar year in the other Contracting State shall be taxable only in the first-mentioned State if:



(a) such remuneration does not exceed ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in the currency of that other State; or



(b) the recipient is present in the other Contracting State for a period or periods not exceeding in the aggregate 183 days in that year and the remuneration is not borne by an employer who is a resident of that other State or by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in that other State."



implies (replaces states with countries)



employment in USA shall be taxable only in Canada if:



(a) such remuneration less than ten thousand dollars ($10,000) in the currency of usa; or



(b) the recipient is present in the USA for a period less than 183 days and the remuneration is not borne by an employer who is a resident of USA or by a permanent establishment or a fixed base which the employer has in USA.



I do not meet both the criteria. My employment income comes from an employer who has a permanent base in USA. So USA has the first right on my employment taxes even though I am less than 183 days in USA. I will claim this tax as Foreign credit on my Canadian returns. Am I correct?
Hi guys,



I've got a bit of a conundrum here and, after at least 10 solid hours of exhaustive internet searches, I still can't come up with a good solution.



I have an Amazon shop that is proving successful (over 2 years in biz) but not yet at the point where I can take any of the profit for myself. So, in addition to my love for Asia and dislike of my current 9 to 5 in the states, I want to have the time to work on my Amazon shop and expedite growth thereby (as currently I lack sufficient time).



I also do not have any savings ($3000 more or less) so I will need to work on some capacity. I can teach English (online or in-person) as I have a bachelors (in political science), two TEFL certificates, and 2 years ESL teaching experience in China.



So the problem is that I want time (so not open to any more than 20 hours work and/or study per week),but also need a visa.



I can't work full time because then I won't have enough time for Amazon. I can't study at all because even if I study 20 hours a week and find a company to work for 20 hours a week (which likely wouldn't offer me a work visa because only part time), I wouldn't have enough time for Amazon.



So it seems like my only option to get a visa (to keep me in Thailand for at least a year) would be to work full time, but that's not a great option.



Does anyone know if it's possible to work part time and get a work visa? Or that type of visa only exists for full time workers? Does anyone have any advice?



Thanks very much for any insights here.
SCHUYLER  The suspect in last week's homicide killed himself early Friday evening as law enforcement officers closed in on the Schuyler residence he was inside.

According to the Colfax County Attorneys Office, law enforcement officers, including a Nebraska State Patrol SWAT team, were serving an arrest warrant at the apartment unit in the 700 block of E Street shortly before 6 p.m. Friday when they heard a pair of gunshots from inside the residence.

A State Patrol robot was sent inside the residence, confirming the male suspect died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound, according to a release from the county attorneys office, which identified the man as 55-year-old Fidelgarin Valdez.

The attorney's office release says Valdez is originally from Cuba, but lived and worked in Schuyler.

No law enforcement officers were injured in Friday's incident.

The suspect, described to law enforcement by eye witnesses, was wanted in connection with a homicide that occurred shortly before 2 a.m. June 27 at the Schuyler Inn.

Janner Ramon Torres Diaz, 33, suffered multiple gunshot wounds in the shooting.

Schuyler Police officers responding to the emergency call at the motel at 222 W. 16th St. found Torres Diaz on a second-story balcony and performed CPR before the victim was transported by ambulance to CHI Health Schuyler, where he was pronounced dead.

Schuyler Inn owner Javier Arizmendi said the victim worked at the local Cargill plant and had lived at the motel for a few months.

The Schuyler Police Department, Colfax County Sheriffs Office and Nebraska State Patrol were part of the homicide investigation.

Colfax County Attorney Denise Kracl also credited Colfax County dispatchers and Cargill staff and management for their assistance in gathering information related to the case.

They did a great job, she said.

Fridays incident is being investigated by a separate Nebraska State Patrol troop than the one involved in serving the arrest warrant. State law requires a grand jury investigation any time a suspect dies while being apprehended.

Law enforcement is still investigating what led to the June 27 shooting.
Converse isnt quite the taco-rich environment that central San Antonio is, and El Sabrosito might not seem like the place to represent tacos in their best light, even in the suburbs. The ambivalent Mexican & American Restaurant declaration on the menu casts its bona fides into deeper doubt.

But if you look beyond the Tex-Mex decor tropes  the vinyl banners, plastic flowers, coin-fed trinket machines and pumpkin-colored walls  El Sabrosito does some respectable taco work. The American part has more to do with hamburgers, fried fish and French toast, no doubt a concession to the massive customer base from Judson High School across the street.
On the same day that Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton, along with Republican officials in nine other states, made a cruel move that could derail Carlos Aguilars life, the UTSA student was wrapping up a masters degree.

For as much as he could have been thrown off by that news, Aguilar has to keep his eyes on the prize. I have two papers due and a final, he says of his July 4 holiday week. Hes also holding down two part-time jobs  one in a law firm, another in a restaurant. Then, the native of Guanajuato, who grew up in Kerrville, will head to Cambridge, Massachusetts, and a Ph.D. program at Harvard University.

Aguilar, 26, who arrived in Texas at 14, is a DACA student, a beneficiary of the Obama administrations Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival program. It gave reprieves to hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrant students who were brought to the United States illegally as children and have known no other country as their own.

The American Immigration Council estimated in 2010 that 65,000 undocumented students graduate from high school in the United States every year. They cant get a drivers license and often dont quality for student aid, yet like Aguilar, they have big dreams, big American Dreams.

Paxton sent a letter to President Donald Trump on Thursday asking that he phase out and end the program. It was not only a cruel attack on the countrys youngest immigrants, often in high school and college and already so American, but a self-inflicting wound on the nations future.

Aguilars dream is to become a university professor and education researcher. In five years, he hopes to complete his doctoral program. He set his sights on Harvard not only because its one of the worlds most prestigious institutions of higher education, but because a highly recognized scholar of undocumented America teaches there.

Roberto Gonzales is known for conducting the most comprehensive study of undocumented immigrants in the United States. Hes author of Lives in Limbo: Undocumented and Coming of Age, and his UnDACAmented Research Project surveyed more than 2,500 undocumented young adults.

Aguilar wants to follow in Gonzales academic footsteps. The San Antonian already is presenting his academic perspectives like a seasoned scholar. I want to focus on the undocumented population and how programs such as DACA shape their expectations for the future, and how their academic resilience and access to higher education can redefine notions of citizenship.

Aguilar considers himself an undocumented American. While Paxton and his ilk see students like him as foreign, alien, unworthy of belonging and important to deport, Aguilar says undocumented youth who grow up in the United States have learned to be American and no longer view their country of birth as home.

Critics of DACA may think undocumented students dont share American values, but Aguilar says they do. The educational system and U.S. society in general have constructed in undocumented students an American identity, he says. They may hold on to customs and retain languages, but they learn to be American.

We learn the history. We learn the American Dream, he says. We learn that if we try hard enough, well be able to achieve in society and obtain upward mobility. For the undocumented student, this notion extends farther. They equate academic achievement with upward mobility and legal mobility, he says.

What undocumented youth experience is not unlike those of Irish, German and Italian immigrants. They were not considered white, Aguilar says. They looked and sounded different to white Americans of the day, who were themselves descendants of immigrants.

While Latino immigrants cant or dont seek such racial re-categorization, we want to redefine what white means, Aguilar says. We can argue to redefine what citizen is and should be.

Aguilar has been able to visit Mexico and return legally under DACA. He traveled to Guanajuanto to visit his grandparents. After a few days, he was ready to come home. Mexico may have been where he was born, but the United States, specifically Texas, become part of his identity. I love the idea of Texas, he said. He also calls himself Tejano, an American on probation, and his fellow DACA students, DACAdemics.

As tightly as Aguilar holds on to his American Dream, citizenship is not in his immediate future. Paxtons letter to Trump isnt even the only obstacle. Aguilars application for legal residency has little chance of being considered anytime soon.

At the rate applications are processed, Aguilar will receive his Ph.D. from Harvard before its even considered. Honestly, Ive stopped thinking about that, he says. It will take 15 to 20 years because of the way visas are given out. His attorney tells him marrying a U.S. citizen would be easier.

This week, as Paxton settles in for a Fourth of July celebration, Aguilar will celebrate in a different way. Hell study for a final exam and put finishing touches on two papers before turning his sights to Cambridge.

eayala@express-news.net
For crowds in San Antonio, an Army town dating to Texas statehood, enjoying patriotic songs played by Fort Sam Houstons band has been one of its great public traditions.

But its coming to an end.

To save money, the Army is breaking up the 323rd Army Band, called Fort Sams Own, a 30-year-old unit and the last of a continuous line of bands that, for well over a century, have serenaded command change ceremonies, played for fallen soldiers at funerals and lifted spirits at Fiesta parades.

The 323rds busy schedule will go on for months  its marching band performs at a 10 a.m. parade today in Leon Valley for the suburbs July Fourth celebration, for example  but it will end its long run after one more Fiesta next year.

Obviously, theres a sense of loss, said the bands commander, Chief Warrant Officer 4 Jonathan Ward. Military bands are the connection between an impersonal Army and the American public. We are the face of the Army. Were the part of the Army the public can see, touch and interact with on a regular basis.

There are 91 Army bands playing today, down from 99 a few years ago. By the fall of 2018, four bands including the 323rd will be phased out, along with detachments of two others, the result of a routine analysis of the Armys structure as it increases to 476,000 active-duty soldiers this year.

When the last note from Fort Sams Own echoes in the air next year, a storied history will remain, going back to at least the early 1890s  along with one big question: Who steps in to fill the void?

The 323rd does roughly 350 performances a year, including stops in Austin, Houston and the Rio Grande Valley. Thats about a gig a day, including its smaller ensembles such as those that played at Mayor Ron Nirenbergs inaugural June 22, a recent naturalization ceremony at the Institute of Texan Cultures and Lulings Watermelon Thump Parade.

Ward said hes had conversations with the Air Force Band of the West at Joint Base San Antonio-Lackland  another busy unit, which logs more than 125,000 miles a year, often out of state  about how much slack it could pick up, including on-post events such as command change ceremonies.

If its a colonel or a general officer, I imagine there would be some pressure to cover those, but they might not be able to, he said. Honestly, when youre talking about them picking up 350 missions for us, Id say they could cover a quarter of those, maybe. Certainly not half.

The other bands that will be phased out in the fall of 2018 are the 389th Army Band at Redstone Arsenal, Alabama; the U.S. Army Training and Doctrine Command Band at Fort Eustis, Virginia, and the 62nd Army Band on Fort Huachuca, Arizona. The Army also will eliminate the 282nd Army Bands detachment at Fort Gordon, Georgia, and the 283rd Army Bands detachment at Fort Rucker, Alabama.

The Army Reserve will lose three of its 16 bands by 2019. The Army National Guards 51 bands wont be cut.

I know that the Department of Defense is often tasked with doing the unthinkable with maybe not all the resources that are available, so theyre tough decisions, Ward said. In a perfect world, we would all stay around.

The 323rd is a versatile organization. It can spin off a woodwind trio, a New Orleans-style brass band, jazz and rock groups, and the 12-member Latin Invasion ensemble. After the concert bands 54 members give their last performance, possibly at Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston for Fiesta, all those smaller outfits will eventually disappear as well, their musicians scattered to Army posts around the country by Oct. 1, 2018.

That will end an era that goes back at least 125 years. The band was important enough in the late 19th century that the Army in 1893 built a barracks for musicians, complete with practice hall, offices and a room for noncommissioned officers. A covered rooftop deck was used as a performance venue.

The secretary of war, in an annual report filed in 1892, wrote, The large posts in this department are in good condition. Fort Sam Houston is nearly so finished as to accommodate headquarters, band and four companies of the Twenty-Third Infantry, and one company of Fifth Infantry, four troops of Third Cavalry, and Light Battery F, Third Artillery, fairly well.

The 1893 barracks became the home of the 8th Cavalry Band, then an administrative hub in World War I. Army bands often got renamed. Longtime Fort Sam historian John Manguso said the 323rd U.S. Army Medical Command Band at Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania, moved to Fort Sam in 1946 with the services two medical schools and went by other names before being known as the 323rd Army Band. It was deactivated in 1975.

There were others, and they overlapped. The 4th Army Band began playing here at the end of World War II, followed by the 5th Army Band, which was deactivated in 1995. It was replaced by a band that had several names before becoming the new incarnation of the 323rd Army Band when U.S. Army North became Fort Sams senior command in 2011.

Retired Lt. Gen. Guy Swan, a former commander of U.S. Army North, said the existing bands ties to the Army Medical Command presented a bit of a sticky wicket because calling it Army Norths Own would have been just a poke in the eye to the medical folks. So the services heraldry office came up with its current name.

Bands have been a part of military organizations since ancient Roman times. Swan takes issue with critics who say they do nothing more than entertain generals  they raise soldier morale in peace and war, bridge the gap between civilians and the military in communities across the country, and contribute to cultural engagement abroad, he said.

For most of us that have served all over the world, anytime youre involved in a ceremonial thing with another country, there is a military band involved, Swan said. Even when I was in Iraq in 2008, we had a ceremony and there would be a bunch of Iraqi soldiers with tubas and trumpets. Its universal.

sigc@express-news.net
Officials from the Department of Defense held a conference in late June with around 300 contractors to address questions on the new cybersecurity requirements.

The new cyber rules aim to supplant a host of vague, overlapping standards. Changes include a requirement for contractors to use multi-factor authentication; prohibit the use of flash drives; and send reports of any attacks on computers accessing government networks.

Essentially, the DOD wants its contractors to protect its information, because the DOD is a huge target, and its contractors are also a target, said Susan Cassidy, a Covington and Burling LLP contracting consultant who was at the conference.

The DOD discovered 30 million attacks on its networks from September 2014 to June 2015. Around 99.9 percent of these attacks were stopped, according to a DOD memo. Still, Cassidy said this means there may have been tens of thousands of successful intrusions.

Hackers in the past have attacked contractors to access a much larger target. A 2014 hack of 70 million Target customers began when attackers installed malware on a refrigeration vendor with access to Targets systems.

The primary difference between the new requirements and the old ones, according to city cybersecurity director Will Garrett, is requiring contractors to use multi-factor authentication, which unlocking requires two types of passwords. The practice is considered to be a must-have in cybersecurity.

More Information Notable data breaches A 2013 Yahoo hack exposed more than 1 billion users, with a separate 2014 Yahoo hack exposing another 500 million. A 2016 breach at Adult Friend Finder exposed 300 million accounts due to bad security practices, with 110 million more comprised on related sites. A 2009 breach led to 70 million veterans at risk of identity theft after a government agency sent a hard drive to a vendor for repair. A 2014 hack of 70 million Target customers began when attackers installed malware on a refrigeration vendor with access to Target's systems. Two 2015 attacks, likely of Chinese origin, swept up sensitive information from 21.5 million people who had taken federal background checks. See More Collapse

Another change is the prohibition of removable storage devices like thumb sticks and flash drives. Experts believe the Stuxnet cyber attack, which crippled an Iranian nuclear plant, resulted from a flash drive loaded with malware.

The new rules, said to be four years in the making, arrived in October. The DOD issued an FAQ on the topic in January and convened an industry day in June. The new rules state contractors should meet the new requirements as soon as practical, but not later than December 31, 2017.

The new standards will generally affect contractors who handle information the government believes it owns, although individual contracts may vary.

This is not just cyber security contractors, this is all federal contractors overall are working with federal data, Bret Piatt, CEO of the cyber startup Jungle Disk said. If youre a small contractor for a federal agency, youre going to have to implement these controls by the end of the year.

A downside is the rule may add another hurdle for smaller businesses to clear. Contractors with less staff and technical expertise may struggle to meet the new rules.

Small to medium businesses typically dont have the budget to properly protect themselves, Piatt said. For some of the smaller companies, this is going to be a difficult change.

The DOD, with more than 3 million workers plus active and reserve servicemembers, employs about 1 percent of the U.S. population. In recent years, many of contractors working with the department had their own, overlapping standards for cybersecurity.

Having one standard is better than having 12 standards, Cassidy said.

jlawrence@express-news.net
Two car crashes in a two-month span left Cherlyn Glanville with debilitating headaches and bouts of vertigo, forcing her into early retirement from the Houston Independent School District in 2011.

Glanville, a former French teacher, now needs 10 medications and regular treatments to ease her pain and stay functional. This year, she expects her health care costs to total about $4,800 out-of-pocket, a manageable amount for her.

But next year, Glanville will face a maximum out-of-pocket cost of $7,150, the result of recent changes to the states retired teachers benefits fund, a drain on her $21,000 yearly pension.

Im going to have to borrow money from my family, said Glanville, 54, of Houston. Im lucky because I have extra siblings who are willing to help me. There are a lot of other teachers who dont have that kind of family support.

As health care costs continue to skyrocket, retired Texas teachers under the age of 65  who arent yet eligible for Medicare because theyre too young for the federal program  will be asked to shoulder an increasingly large financial burden for their treatment under plans recently approved by state legislators and officials. For many of the states 55,000 retired teachers younger than 65, the additional costs could total thousands of dollars apiece in 2018  with even higher payments in the years to come.

Without this years changes, which were unanimously approved by the GOP-controlled legislative chambers and signed into law by Gov. Greg Abbott, the retired teachers fund faced a shortfall of up to $1.5 billion by 2019.

Texas legislators for years have dealt with rising medical costs in the retired teachers fund largely by infusing it with huge amounts of state cash. In 2015, for example, legislators pumped $768 million into the fund, while retired teachers contributions rose by about $5.5 million.

But as costs continue to outpace growth in state revenue, legislators now have to find other sources of money. Their primary solution: increase retired teacher premiums, deductibles and out-of-pocket expenses, while also bumping up recurring contributions from the state and local school districts.

As a result, retired teachers will pay about $568 million into the fund in fiscal 2018, roughly $175 million more than they contributed in fiscal 2017, according to state estimates.

The cost to the average retired teacher varies based on the plan and number of beneficiaries. But for a retired teacher who previously held a no-premium, high-deductible plan with no beneficiaries  the equivalent of catastrophic coverage  the maximum cost will rise about $1,300, to $9,550, in 2018.

Theres no getting around that theres an increased cost to the retirees, said state Sen. Joan Huffman, R-Houston, who authored the Senate version of the bill Abbott signed. I can only say that well continue to watch it and continue to hope theres a solution that will drive down the costs.

The Texas Retired Teachers Association backed the Legislatures changes, recognizing the states financial conundrum and its past support of educators.

Im certainly not dissatisfied with what the Legislature has done, said Tim Lee, the associations executive director. The hard part of this is theres no easy answer.

But for Lee and his members, theres frustration that legislators didnt dedicate more recurring state money or dramatically reform the fund, which many of them have demanded. Even with this years changes, the fund faces insolvency in the near future. Unless the state makes another one-time cash infusion, projections show the fund will run out of reserves by fiscal year 2021.

Thats what our members fear as much as anything: that (legislators) come back next session with a $500-million shortfall and say, Find out what it takes in raised premiums and deductibles to get to that number, Lee said.

Huffman said shes hopeful the federal government will find solutions to drive down health care costs, and that retiree benefits will be part of larger discussions on school finance reform. She cited the unanimous approval of this years bill  a rarity in Austin  as evidence of legislators intent to collaborate on the issue.

I do believe (the fund) is saved, and thats very important to the retired teachers, Huffman said. It does not solve the problem for the future, but it makes the problem approachable.

The uncertainty surrounding TRS future has teachers near retirement, like Melissa McHargue, reconsidering their plans. McHargue, a counselor at Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District, said she and her husband wanted to move off his insurance and onto the retired teachers plan. Now, shes unsure whether that will be a financially sound choice.

McHargue questioned why the state employees plan offers lower premiums, deductibles and maximum out-of-pocket costs compared to the teachers plan. Teachers are technically school district employees, even though the state contributes money to their health care.

I understand teachers are under different plans, but theyre still public servants, McHargue said. Austin could address that and make the system more equitable across the board.
AUSTIN  With the highly anticipated court fights over Texas sanctuary cities ban officially underway  and decisions not expected for months  concerns continue over the potential for major national boycotts of the state.

To date, fallout directly related to the law, Senate Bill 4, has come from groups that are not traditional political allies of the states Republican leaders, who have brushed off concerns that the law will prompt boycotts that could hurt Texas cities economies in the long term as the court battles play out. Despite the lack of widespread action so far, some of the nations largest immigrant and civil rights groups say they are still considering organizing a nationwide boycott of Texas, which could pressure companies to pull their business from the state.

Senate Bill 4 will take effect Sept. 1 and allow local police officers to inquire about the immigration status of people they legally detain or arrest. It also would punish elected officials who do not honor every request from federal immigration authorities to hold a person until their status can be investigated. Officials who do not comply, from police chiefs to county sheriffs, can be charged with a Class A misdemeanor, punishable by a $1,000 fine for a first offense and up to $25,000 for each infraction that follows. They could be removed from office, as well.

The American Civil Liberties Union, a frequent foe of Gov. Greg Abbott in court, issued a travel advisory last month that warned visitors to Texas of potential constitutional rights violations because of SB 4. It is not an official boycott, the group said, but a broad alert to travelers that it is simply a matter of time before illegal arrests occur.

Echoing an argument made by Democrats in the state Legislature as they unsuccessfully tried to defeat the measure, the ACLUs warning said the law will give some police officers license to racially profile people and find a reason to detain them in order to inquire about their immigration status.

Until we defeat it, everyone traveling in or to Texas needs to be aware of whats in store for them, said Terri Burke, executive director of the ACLU of Texas. Local law enforcement will have to decide between violating a persons rights and being severely fined, thrown in jail or even being removed from office for choosing not to do so.

Abbott and other supporters of the law have maintained that it will boost public safety and mandate that local law enforcement agencies cannot enforce patchwork policies on whether their officers will ask a person they stop to prove they are in the country legally. Police chiefs in the states largest cities have fiercely disputed the Republicans public safety argument, saying that the law strips considerable power from local officials to run their departments as they see fit.

Texas urban centers are not the only areas seeing early negative fallout from SB 4.

The American Immigration Lawyers Association pulled its 2018 conference from Grapevine, a Dallas-area suburb in Tarrant County, in part because organizers feared the law would dissuade noncitizen members and racial minorities from attending and, in some cases, bringing their families.

Our members are U.S. citizens and green card holders, but many of them come from ethnic communities where they felt that they would be unfairly targeted, said Bill Stock, the president of the association, which has yet to announce where it will hold next years meeting. (The members) expressed their desire not to spend money in the state.

The 2018 convention, which AILA scheduled in Texas years before SB 4s passage, usually draws upwards of 3,000 attendees each year, constituting the countrys largest gathering of attorneys and law professors who focus on immigration law.

From the conservative-voting Tarrant County to the states progressive capital city, even organizations that do not fully pull out of Texas could be forced to change their events after the law is scheduled to take effect in September.

South by Southwest is still scheduled for March 9-18, 2018, in Austin, but the internationally-renowned music and film festival was caught in the middle of the SB 4 fight as well. Earlier this month, two Latino Democrats in the U.S. Senate asked SXSW organizers to consider relocating the multiday event in protest of the sanctuary cities ban.

For 31 years, @sxsw stood w/ artists & participants re: equality & tolerance. SXSW should use its platform to stand up against hate & fear, Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto, a Democrat from Nevada, tweeted June 7. She was joined by Sen. Bob Menendez of New Jersey, who said the law could expose thousands of SXSW attendees to racial profiling by police.

Moving SXSW out of Austin, the events home since its inception in 1987, is not an option organizers are willing to consider, but they agreed with the senators criticism of the law.

We agree with the senators that the law stands diametrically opposed to the spirit of SXSW and respect their call to action. We understand why, in todays political climate, people are asking us to leave Texas, Roland Swenson, the festivals CEO, said in a statement. For us, this is not a solution. Austin is our home and an integral part of who we are. We will stay here and continue to make our event inclusive while fighting for the rights of all.
AUSTIN  You might think that having a campaign kitty topping $34 million would be enough for a governor with no serious opponent in sight.

If so, youre not thinking like Gov. Greg Abbott.

The Republican governors fundraising has been in high gear during the truncated time he has had to collect campaign money this year.

Lawmakers and statewide officeholders couldnt accept donations for a period that began 30 days before the regular legislative session convened in January and ended 20 days after its May 29 adjournment.

So officeholders pulled out all the stops, with an immediate focus on raising as much as possible by last Friday, which was the deadline for donations to show up on the July 15 campaign finance report, a measure of strength for candidates who want to stave off challengers and set up strong re-election announcements.

In the last legislative year in 2015, Abbott raised more than $8 million in nine days.

The governors fundraising emails this year have been the usual mix of alarmist and plaintive, despite the GOPs control of statewide offices and dominance in the Legislature.

Because Ive fought to keep my promises to Texas voters, I have a bulls-eye on my back from national Democrats and special interests that are salivating at the thought of winning Texas and turning it blue, said an Abbott fundraising email that cited passage of the sanctuary cities ban aimed at undocumented immigrants.

An email from his campaign manager, John Jackson, warned Friday that the campaign was short of its fundraising goal, saying: These next few hours will determine whether we will be able to start this campaign strong or if we are left in the dust.

Hardly, but Abbott is taking nothing for granted and looking beyond what it takes for him to get re-elected.

The governor and his campaign will not be lulled into complacency heading into the next election, Abbott spokesman John Wittman said. Democrats and well-financed out-of-state donors have made their intentions clear about wanting to add to their victories from 2016. The governor is amassing a field organization that will outwork and out-organize the opposition to ensure we elect Republicans up and down the ballot and keep Texas red.

Abbotts fundraising wont have to stop for the special session he called, which doesnt bring the same restrictions as a regular session.

Republican consultant Matt Mackowiak, chairman of the Travis County Republican Party, rattled off a slew of good reasons for Abbott to build the largest possible haul, saying Abbotts campaign is leading the GOP team.

They are going to build the largest ground game the state has ever seen, Mackowiak said, with an eye to winning by a huge margin and providing a tailwind for all Republicans.

When you are governor of the state of Texas, you are evaluated based on your record and your legacy, but youre also  I think fairly  evaluated on the health of the Republican Party in the state, Mackowiak said.

A ground game in a big state is expensive, as is TV time, which costs about $1.5 million for saturation-level television per week, he said.

And Abbott doesnt know who might run against him.

You hear crazy names like (Dallas Mavericks owner) Mark Cuban thrown out there  names of people that could perhaps self-fund an entire race for governor, Mackowiak said.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick announced for re-election early this year in an effort to stop rumors that he might challenge Abbott in the GOP primary. Larry SECEDE Kilgore is in, but he wont take millions to defeat.

Democrats havent yet put forth a gubernatorial candidate. Former state Rep. Trey Martinez Fischers name is among those lofted, but he said thats a conversation that Im not entertaining at this time.

Still, the San Antonio Democrat said with bravado that Abbott would need big money to defend his record  to explain to Texas voters why we continue to shortchange our schools when theres $10 billion in our state savings account and to go explain to very proud and very strong and very engaged Hispanic leaders across this state wanting to know why the governor and the attorney general are so insistent on deporting innocent children who come to this country through no fault of their own.

I havent made any decisions, but one thing is pretty clear: Republicans sure have a way of bringing me out of retirement, said Martinez Fischer, who gave up a House re-election bid for an unsuccessful challenge to Sen. Jose Menendez, D-San Antonio.

Some around the Capitol sound a bit disgruntled by Abbotts fundraising. One privately suggested hes consuming so much money that it makes it difficult for other candidates and noted its difficult to turn down a donation request made personally by the governor.

Director Craig McDonald of Texans for Public Justice, which tracks money in politics, said Abbotts fundraising is par for the course.

The fundraising window has been closed for a while, McDonald said. Everyone is scrambling to refill the tanks.

pfikac@express-news.net

Twitter: @pfikac




1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament of the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev's promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.

9. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers' associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to "eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms."

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. "Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art."

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them "censorship" and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as "normal, natural, healthy."

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with "social" religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a "religious crutch."

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of "separation of church and state."

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the "common man."

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the "big picture." Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture--education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand.

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use united force to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction over nations and individuals alike.
Whether or not I think its a great fund is another issue, nevertheless it is there as one response to climate change and I think it has been really a tragedy that we have not been able to access that $100m because we didnt have the legislative framework in this state to deal with it.
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During the second calendar quarter, the DOJ reduced Odebrechts criminal penalties for FCPA violations, and a former Och-Ziff middleman was sentenced to prison.

The SEC resolved civil actions with two individuals.

Five companies reported declinations, including two declinations with disgorgement under the FCPA Pilot Program.

Heres what happened:

DOJ / SEC Enforcement Resolutions

Odebrecht (April 14)  The DOJ said in a Sentencing Memorandum the U.S. share of Odebrechts global criminal penalty for its December 2016 FCPA resolution will be $93 million. In its original announcement on December 21, the DOJ said Odebrecht would pay at least $260 million for criminal penalties.

Elek Straub (April 24), a Hungarian citizen and former CEO of Magyar Telekom, paid the SEC a $250,000 penalty to settle FCPA offenses. He was also barred for five years from serving as an officer or director of any SEC-registered public company.

Andras Balogh (April 24), a Hungarian citizen and former chief strategy officer of Magyar Telekom, paid the SEC a $150,000 penalty to settle FCPA offense. He was also barred for five years from serving as an officer or director of any SEC-registered public company.

Sentenced

Samuel Mebiame (June 1), 43, a consultant to a mining company owned by an Och-Ziff joint venture, was sentenced to two years in prison for conspiring to violate the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act by bribing government officials in Africa. Mebliame is the son of a former Prime Minister of Gabon. He worked for the Och-Ziff joint venture from 2007 to 2012.

Declinations

Newmont Mining (April 24) said in a securities filing it received a declination letter from the SEC in late February 2017. A year ago Newmont said it was investigating some business activities in countries outside the United States. The investigation included a review of compliance with the requirements of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act and involved the company and its affiliates and contractors. The disclosure in April didnt mention the DOJ and that agencys investigation.

Harris Corporation (May 4) said in a securities filing it received a declination from the DOJ during the second quarter of fiscal 2017. Harris said it received an SEC declination in September 2016. The agencies investigated improperly recorded travel and other expenses in connection with Harris subsidiary Carefx China operations. Harris said it learned through an internal investigation that certain employees of the Carefx China provided pre-paid gift cards and other gifts and payments to certain customers, potential customers, consultants, and government regulators. (Disclosures via FCPA Tracker)

Platform Specialty Products (May 9) said it received declinations from the DOJ and SEC. The company discovered at a business acquired in 2015, Arysta, that certain payments made to third-party agents in connection with Arystas government tender business in West Africa might have been illegal or otherwise inappropriate. PSP conducted an investigation and voluntarily informed the SEC and DOJ. Following the dual declinations, the company said it considers the matter closed. (Disclosures via FCPA Tracker)

Linde Group (June 20) received a declination with disgorgement from the DOJ for FCPA offenses in the Republic of Georgia. Under the declination pursuant to the FCPA Pilot Program, Linde North America Inc. and Linde Gas North America LLC paid the DOJ about $11.2 million. Linde Group trades on German stock exchanges. Neither it nor the U.S. units have securities registered with the SEC.

CDM Smith Inc. (June 29) paid $4 million for a declination with disgorgement with the Justice Department to resolve FCPA offenses in India. The Boston-based company paid $1.18 million in bribes to government officials in exchange for highway construction supervision and design contracts and a water project contract. Privately held CDM Smith received the declination with disgorgement under the FCPA Pilot Program.

* * *

The FCPA enforcement report for Q1 2017 is here.

Here are prior full-year enforcement reports:

2016 FCPA Enforcement Index

2015 FCPA Enforcement Index

2014 FCPA Enforcement Index

2013 FCPA Enforcement Index

2012 FCPA Enforcement Index

2011 FCPA Enforcement Index

2010 FCPA Enforcement Index

2009 FCPA Enforcement Index

2008 FCPA Enforcement Index

_______

Richard L. Cassin is the publisher and editor of the FCPA Blog.
Sir Paul Smith's latest womenswear collection is "optimistic".

Sir Paul Smith

The 70-year-old designer wants to create garments that make people feel happy, so his newest creations feature sportswear with bold prints and bright colours.

He said: "It's got that masculinity in terms of the fabric but the femininity of the optimistic print. Sportswear is so important now. People are feeling happy wearing tracksuit bottoms and a blazer. That's where it is at the moment...

"At the beginning of my career, I used to buy van-loads of vintage Hawaiian shirts from America and sell them to kids from Sheffield and Manchester, so I was thinking about that. We're quite famous for our print now. We have about 20 in-house designers for print alone. And then we've got all the optimistic colour too."

In recent seasons, Paul has been showing his men's and women's collections together, and thinks the collaboration has made his female creations even more feminine.

He told the Sunday Telegraph: "What's interesting is that previously the women's had a strong masculine feel to it.

"And it still has that sense with suits and tailoring, but now I'm adding more dresses and feminine pieces so that the two stand out from each other."

Paul feels "blessed" that he has never sold his label out to a bigger company and has no shareholders to answer to because, not only does it put him in a strong position in the current climate, he also feels he has been able to keep things "grounded" as he's always been so hands-on.

He said: "As a company, I'm blessed with being independent. I'm still the boss, we own most of our buildings, we're very odd in that we've got no borrowings.

"And we don't have greedy shareholders asking for more, more, more...

"Because I started the business myself at some point I've done everything - packed the boxes, sold the collection, done the window dressing, driven the van and put on the shows with just me and my wife hemming all the trousers.

"When you've had that more rounded experience it helps you know your business and it keeps you down to earth."
Alarming research released today by Co-op Insurance has revealed that when buying their first car people are more likely to use the price and colour of the vehicle to determine whether or not to buy.

Kia Rio

Its not surprising that the vast majority of young drivers buy a used car, than a brand new one, with the average age of a first car estimated at just over six years old. What is concerning is that 16 per cent of young drivers are driving cars that are at least a decade old  a period when many of todays safety features were either not fitted as a standard or before some important safety technology had not even invented.

The cost of getting onto the first step of the motoring ladder is the most important consideration for young drivers when buying a first car  three quarters of young drivers give the price of the car the highest priority followed by the cost of insurance and the vehicle being cheap to run; car safety is ranked as the sixth most important criteria when buying a first car.

It is no surprise then than an alarming 7 in 10 young drivers say their car does not have AEB and three quarters say their car does have ESC fitted.

Only less than a quarter of young drivers even know what the Automatic emergency braking (AEB) stands for and just over a quarter know what Electronic stability control (ESC) stands for. Given this lack of awareness and understanding, it is not surprising that only 11 per cent of young drivers would definitely check if a car had AEB or ESC fitted when buying it, with a majority of first time drivers driving cars lacking in basic safety features.

The research serves as a strong call to action for safety to rise much further up the decision making agenda for young drivers when choosing and driving their first car. Four in 10 young drivers have experienced some type of accident in their car, with one in five young drivers admitting they misjudged distance or room and had an accident as a result.

Car safety is important to motorists, pedestrians and local communities, but does that mean safety has to be compromised?

To find out, Co-op Insurance, who insure 1.18m drivers and pioneered telematics for young drivers in 2011 to reduce their premiums, have teamed up with Thatcham Research, the UKs experts in safety, security and crash repair, to identify the safest used first cars for the very first time.

Their testing and analysis has discovered the safest small, affordable second-hand cars within reach of first time drivers  cars equipped with vital safety kit that could reduce the risk of an accident or even stop one happening altogether. Skodas Citigo took top honours with models from VW, Seat, Toyota and Kia joining Skoda in the top five.

Quentin Wilson: Im really pleased that Co-op Insurance is revisiting their safest used car campaign and even more so that theyre focusing on safety on second hand cars for young drivers.

Generally, first time drivers have less disposable income to spend on first cars and so price does become a priority, but just because theyre buying second hand doesnt mean that they should compromise on safety.
Robert Downey Jr. wants to stop playing 'Iron Man' before it gets "embarrassing" and he can't do the role justice.

Robert Downey Jr

The 52-year-old actor has starred as the metal-suited superhero in seven movies, kicking off the Marvel Cinematic Universe in 2008's 'Iron Man', and will be returning as Tony Stark in the next two 'Avengers' films.

Downey still enjoys suiting up for the blockbusters but doesn't want to overstay his welcome if he can't do the part justice any longer.

Speaking to News Corp Australia, he said: "It's this cyclical thing. I could have said when the first 'Avengers' came out, 'It's never going to get any better than that. Everybody stop.' But to me it's always about people and opportunities, like the 'Avengers' directors Anthony and Joe Russos, who I adore. Everyone says to me it's like a glove that fits so well. I have to start over every time but I am starting over with a pretty solid base.

"I just never want to blow it for the last six or seven MCU movies, I have done by dropping the ball because I decided to go do it one more time.

"I just want to hang up my jersey before it's embarrassing."

Downey can currently be seen as the character in the Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures co-production 'Spider-Man: Homecoming' and he admits he was drawn to the film because of 'Cop Car' director Jon Watts who has helmed Spidey's first full MCU adventure.

He said: "I felt like we were literally back in the writer's room on the first 'Iron Man'. So there was a real sense of a homecoming toward this - not experimental, because there is so much more data now and the process is so much more streamlined - but I didn't feel like I was being asked to just fit in somewhere. They wanted us to bring our own little thing."
Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall, has met with a veteran who escaped imprisonment with her late father during World War II.

Duchess Camilla

The 69-year-old royal visited Norman Hardie Winery in Southern Ontario, Canada, over the weekend where she was introduced to 92-year-old former Green Jacket lieutenant Edward Rose.

During her conversation with Edward, he revealed he had been captured by Nazi forces during the war and imprisoned in Spangenberg Castle alongside British officers, including Camilla's late father Major Bruce Shand, who passed away in 2006.

Edward told Camilla: "I was in the second wave that went in after D-Day in 1944 and I was a prisoner for about six or seven months.

"Spangenberg was supposed to be a place where you couldn't escape from, there were a lot of people from my regiment who had been captured at Calais and spent five years there."

The soldier went on to tell the royal - who is married to Prince Charles - about how he and her father escaped the prison with the help of a German-speaking Irishman.

He continued: "Bruce and I knew both knew an Irishman called Terence in my regiment who spoke excellent German, because he'd been at Munich University before the war and escaped seven times but never made it.

"We were all in a barn and Terence said, 'Don't let's move on in the morning, we'll go into the woods', he talked to one or two of the guards in his excellent German and said, 'We're going' and they said they couldn't care less because they wanted to go home."

The Duchess' late father served with the 12th Lancers during World War II, and passed away 11 years ago at the age of 89 after suffering with cancer.

Camilla told Edward: "I'm so sorry he's not here for me to be able to tell him that I met you."
Princess Diana "deserves a place in history", according to her brother Earl Spencer.

Princess Diana

The popular royal tragically passed away in 1997 aged 36 after she was involved in a fatal car crash in Paris, France, and her brother has now said that 20 years after her passing, the beauty deserves to be honoured as a "special person", even by those who are too young to remember her.

Speaking in a clip released ahead of an American documentary 'The Story of Diana' - which is set to air on ABC in two parts in August - Earl Spencer said: "One of the reasons I want to talk now is because I think that after 20 years someone shifts from becoming a contemporary person, to one of history.

"And Diana deserves a place in history. And I think it's important for people under 35 who probably won't remember her at all to remember that this was a special person and not just a beautiful one.

"Obviously 99.9 percent of the people had never seen her, or met her, but they felt something in her that was fascinating and intriguing, and a force for good."

The clip comes after Diana's sons, Prince William and Prince Harry, were joined by William's wife Duchess Catherine and their children, Prince George, three and Princess Charlotte, two, in a service at Althorp House to re-dedicate the grave of their mother on what would have been her 56th birthday on Saturday (01.07.17).

The private service, which their father Prince Charles did not attend as he is in Canada with his wife Duchess Camilla, was conducted by the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby.

A statement, previously released by Kensington Palace, stated: "The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry will attend a private service to re-dedicate the grave of Diana, Princess of Wales at Althorp House on Saturday 1 July.

"The service, which will fall on what would have been The Princess's birthday, will be conducted by The Archbishop of Canterbury and attended by her family."
IFC, a member of the World Bank Group, and the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) haver released cumulative results of their joint Green Textile City Initiative. Launched in partnership with leading global apparel retailers and fashion brands in 2013, it aimed to scale up sustainability efforts in large textile clusters in Shaoxing and Guangzhou.

The sector-level initiative was expanded to Suzhou in 2015. The Initiative, under IFCs China Water Program, provided sector-level capacity building and technical training for over 100 textile mills in the three textile cities. Half of the trained mills implemented resource efficiency projects on their own.

China produces more than half of the worlds textile fabrics with $267 billion in exports in 2016, but this water-and-energy intensive sector has a large environmental footprint.



In the Greater Suzhou Area alone, 23 textile mills implemented 138 factory projects last year, saving $8.4 million in water, energy, and chemical operating costs. These projects had an average payback of 17 months and collectively saved 4 million cubic meters of water and 30,000 tons of coal (or its energy equivalent) per year.



The latest results from the Suzhou programme further demonstrate that the Clean by Design best practices can drive significant environmental improvement and cost savings for apparel and textile supply chains, said Kurt Kipka, NRDC senior project manager.



This joint initiative with NRDC is a good example of how we can leverage partnerships and expertise of multiple stakeholders to scale up resource efficiency in manufacturing supply chains, said Navneet Chadha, IFC resource efficiency lead for East Asia and Pacific. A sustainable textile industry will benefit the private sector while supporting a better environment in China.



IFCs China Water Program has been implemented since 2012 to catalyse industrial water efficiency financing in partnership with the Hungarian Export-Import Bank, the Netherlands Ministry of Economic Affairs, and the Netherlands Enterprise Agency RVO.



We are encouraged to see the strong developmental results this programme has achieved in a difficult market and Hungary is happy to have partnered with IFC to support sustainable development in China, said Gabor Szocs, director for Hungarian Export Import Bank and private sector liaison officer for Hungary. (RKS)

Fibre2Fashion News Desk  China
Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu Thi was an iconic show that was produced by Ekta Kapoor and premiered on July 3, 2000. It has been 17 years and the characters are still remembered.

The show gave birth to the iconic character Tulsi, the first female character that made such a huge worldwide impact. Ekta took to social media to thank all those who helped her grow in the industry.



Sharing a picture, Ekta wrote, "17Years ago a man called @sameern n channel called @starplus gave a young producer a chance .... my life change n india got d biggest show in tv history !"

"Wat impact d show had on indian families still overwhelms me n I only have gratitude that I got a chance to b a part of this journey!"

"Also wat we all woke up to was d first female character that made such a high world wide impact !!!!it gave birth to d phenomenon TULSI! Thankuuu all n JAI SHREE KRISHNA ...#17yearsofkyunki."

Ekta also shared a picture snapped with Tulsi aka Smriti Irani and wrote, "Rishto ke bhi roop badalte hai.....kahani ab bhi wahi  #17yearsofkyunki."

After KSBKBT, there was no looking back for Ekta. She has been creating successful characters on her shows and we must say, almost all her shows became popular.

We congratulate Ekta and KSBKBT team for completing 17 years! We wish the producer create many such characters and keep entertaining us. Hit the comment box for congratulating Ekta for completing 17 years in the industry.
MSL brand launches in Australia with one of the country's largest full-service public relations groups

SYDNEY, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --Publicis Communications today announced the acquisition (100%) of The Herd Agency, one of Australia's largest and most-awarded public relations agencies. The acquisition enables Publicis Communications, part of Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40], to provide clients with newly expanded public relations services, including: strategy, corporate affairs, earned media, stakeholder relations, integrated campaigns, issues and crisis management, social media and content marketing.

The agency will be renamed Herd MSL, marking the launch of Publicis Groupe's public relations arm MSL into the Australian market.

Founded in 1996, The Herd Agency, has a team of 55 specialists in public relations, social media, content and creative, with a strong track record in consumer lifestyle, corporate, government, b2b, technology, and integrated campaigns. The existing leadership team of founder, Jamie Verco; CEO, Vanessa Liell; along with agency heads Katarina Farrell, Stuart Wragg and Lewis Shields will lead Herd MSL.

The agency has built their market-leading reputation by solving complex business problems through outstanding creative ideas, technically-excellent execution and content-led multi-channel campaigns for clients.

"The acquisition of The Herd Agency enables us to offer fully integrated public relations services to our clients for the first time. It couldn't be timelier to expand our capabilities and award-winning talent base in ANZ. We're optimistic about the new possibilitiesand opportunities this will bring to our respective clients," said Michael Rebelo, CEO, Publicis Communications ANZ.

"This is an incredibly exciting time for our agency and our industry. As part of Publicis Communications, we have an outstanding opportunity to combine our strength in public relations and communications with one of the world's global creative leaders. Our growth has been driven by our capacity to respond to the changing needs of the market with creativity and agility. What excites us most is our cultural fit and shared vision to deliver world-class integrated campaigns for diverse and ambitious brands," said Jamie Verco, founder, The Herd Agency.

"We are thrilled to bring the MSL brand to Australia with one of the most dynamic agencies in the entire Asia Pacific region. Our outstanding new colleagues will fit right into our diverse network, as we together strive to build influence and deliver impact for our clients," said Guillaume Herbette, Global CEO, MSL.

About Publicis Communications



Publicis Communications is one of the four solutions hubs of Publicis Groupe, alongside Publicis Media, Publicis.Sapient and Publicis Healthcare. Publicis Communications unites the Groupe's creative offering: Publicis Worldwide, Leo Burnett, Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, Fallon, Marcel, Prodigious, a global production leader, and MSLGROUP, specialised in strategic communications. Present in 20 markets, Publicis Communications aims to be the indispensable creative partner in their clients' transformation. Publicis Communications draws upon the expertise of over 30,000 employees.

About Publicis Groupe - The Power of One

Publicis Groupe [Euronext Paris FR0000130577, CAC 40] is a global leader in marketing, communication, and digital transformation, driven through the alchemy of creativity and technology. Publicis Groupe offers its clients seamless access to its tools and expertise through modular offering. Publicis Groupe is organized across four Solutions hubs: Publicis Communications (Publicis Worldwide, Saatchi & Saatchi, Leo Burnett, BBH, Marcel, Fallon, MSL, Prodigious), Publicis Media (Starcom, Zenith, Mediavest | Spark, Blue 449, Performics), Publicis.Sapient (SapientRazorfish, DigitasLBi, Sapient Consulting) and Publicis Health. These 4 Solution hubs operate across principal markets, and are carried across all others by Publicis One, a fully integrated service offering bringing together the Groupe's expertise under one roof. Present in over 100 countries, Publicis Groupe employs nearly 80,000 professionals.

www.publicisgroupe.com | Twitter: @PublicisGroupe | Facebook: www.facebook.com/publicisgroupe | LinkedIn: Publicis Groupe | http://www.youtube.com/user/PublicisGroupe | Viva la Difference!

About MSL

MSL is Publicis Groupe's strategic communications and engagement group. It is one of the world's largest public relations and integrated communications networks and provides strategic counsel and creative thinking. It champions its clients' interests through fearless and insightful campaigns that engage multiple perspectives and holistic thinking to build influence and deliver impact. With more than 3,100 people across more than 110 offices worldwide, MSL is also the largest PR network in Europe, fast-growing China and India.

http://www.mslgroup.com | Twitter | Facebook | LinkedIn | YouTube | Slideshare | Pinterest




XIO Group is recognized for its impressive accomplishments since its founding, including its 2016 acquisition of J.D. Power

LONDON, Oct. 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --XIO Group, a global multi-billion dollar alternative investments and research firm, is proud to announce that the firm has received Acquisition Finance Magazine's ("ACQ5") 2017 International Alternative Investment Firm of the Year Award.

Since 2006, ACQ5's Global awards have celebrated the achievements, innovations and brilliance of industry leaders and distinguished businesses who have successfully navigated the market in today's complex and dynamic environment. Winners are chosen by industry members through an independent nomination process.

XIO Group is being recognized for its outstanding growth momentum since its founding in 2014. Led by its four founders, Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer, the firm has already made three notable acquisitions across the globe, including: COMPO Expert - the largest specialty fertilizer company in Europe; Lumenis - the largest global manufacturer of medical laser devices; and J.D. Power - the largest global consumer data & analytics provider.

Acquisition Finance Magazine's President and Editor-in-Chief, David Rogan, stated, "ACQ5 works with industry experts to recognize those businesses that have truly excelled and who have far surpassed others in their specific industries. XIO Group has already established itself as an industry leader since its founding less than three years ago, and we are delighted to recognize XIO Group along with other star performers who have proven to be innovative and progressive visionaries in today's environment."

"At XIO Group, we are honored by the award committee's recognition and we pride ourselves on the successes of our portfolio companies and their groundbreaking and state-of-the-art products and technologies," said Chief Executive Officer, Joseph Pacini. "I'm very proud of the XIO Group team and the impressive efforts we have undertaken. On behalf of my Partners and our colleagues, we look forward to continuing our significant growth trajectory and achieving the transformational objectives with our portfolio company management teams."

About XIO Group

XIO Group is a global multi-billion dollar alternative investments and research firm headquartered in London, with investment offices in Hong Kong and China, and additional operations in Germany, Israel, Switzerland and the United States of America. With over 70 employees representing over a dozen different nationalities and languages, XIO Group follows the motto of: One World, One Firm, One Team.

XIO Group has invested in three transactions: COMPO Expert - the largest specialty fertilizer company in Europe; Lumenis - the largest global manufacturer of medical laser devices; and J.D. Power - the largest global consumer data & analytics provider.

XIO Group is led by its four founders: Athene Li, Joseph Pacini, Murphy Qiao and Carsten Geyer. For more information visit: http://www.xiogroup.com .

About ACQ5

ACQ5 (Acquisition Finance Magazine) is a leading corporate magazine news site serving the finance sector since 2003 and intended for senior executives holding power and authority at major organizations. ACQ5 consists of distinguished experts who are in direct contact with the cutting edge issues molding our planet today - many of whom are leaders of corporations, governments and NGOs with vested interest in strong, stable and competitive global economies.

We provide our global audience of over 159,000+ subscribers with non-bias, concentrated, up to date flagship coverage, country reports and multilateral documents. Our focused analyses of ongoing economic and business developments in key infrastructure areas form the core of our publishing initiatives i.e. Construction, Telecom, Information Technology, Investment Banking, Water, Power (Electricity, Gas, Oil, Wind and alternative), Mining and other national and international projects. More information can be found on our website: http://www.acq5.com.

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BRUSSELS (dpa-AFX) - At 5:00 am ET Monday, Eurostat releases Eurozone jobless rate for May. Economists expect the jobless rate to be steady at 9.3 percent. Ahead of the data, euro traded mixed against its major counterparts. While the euro dropped against the franc and the greenback, it rose against the pound and the yen. The euro was worth 1.1380 against the greenback, 128.45 against the yen, 1.0929 against the franc and 0.8764 against the pound as of 3:40 am ET. Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
WARSAW, Poland, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Invenergy, a globally recognized American energy company, announced today that it has, through affiliated companies, filed a series of lawsuits against Tauron Polska Energia S.A. ("Tauron"), one of four major energy companies in Poland. Total damages of over PLN 1.2 billion (approximately $325 million) claimed in these four suits make this one of the largest recent commercial legal actions in the Polish courts.

These suits allege that Tauron has committed unlawful and unethical acts in causing the termination of long-term agreements with wind farms for the purchase of electricity and so-called "Green Certificates". The Polish Supreme Court condemned similar actions in a recent case against another state-controlled energy company. The Invenergy suits further allege the substantial involvement of former authorities of the Polish State Treasury in these actions.

Invenergy has been a substantial long-term investor in Poland since 2005, with investments in the country totaling PLN 2.2 billion (approximately $595 million) in eleven operating wind projects.

"We made a long-term investment in Poland with confidence that a legal framework existed to protect our investments from this type of behaviour. This case will test the assumptions of our original investment decision and signal to the market whether Poland is a country where investors can rely on the sanctity of contracts." - Michael Polsky, Founder and CEO, Invenergy, said.

In 2010, following direct negotiations with Tauron, Invenergy's affiliates signed long-term contracts with a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary of Tauron, Polska Energia - Pierwsza Kompania Handlowa Sp. z o.o. ("PE-PKH"). Tauron had in fact insisted on making PE-PKH the contractual counterparty and assured Invenergy, its project partners and project lenders that it was a bona fide subsidiary. The contracts with PE-PKH included 15-year agreements for the purchase from the wind farms of both energy and Green Certificates, which verify the generation of renewable electricity and are a tradable commodity.

Shortly after executing the 15-year agreements, Tauron began a series of actions to release itself and its PE-PKH subsidiary of their obligations. These actions included the disposal of all significant assets of PE-PKH and the resignation, dismissal or transfer of key PE-PKH employees. Then, in July 2014, Tauron, as the sole shareholder of PE-PKH, adopted a resolution triggering the liquidation of PE-PKH with the intention of causing a de facto annulment of PE-PKH's contractual obligations. Invenergy challenged this highly unusual corporate maneuver in court, as Polish law prevents liquidation prior to settlement of contractual obligations. Tauron never formally completed the liquidation but has done nothing to reverse the overall damage caused.

In the new actions, Invenergy alleges the substantial involvement of former representatives of the State Treasury and Tauron in planning to enact through Tauron the termination of the commercial agreements between PE-PKH and the Invenergy affiliate companies. As the company's largest shareholder, the State Treasury effectively controls Tauron. A majority of Tauron's supervisory board is appointed by the State Treasury. As of 2014, the Polish Ministry of State declared Tauron to be of strategic importance to the country's economy, and today, Tauron is supervised by the Ministry of Energy.

Other energy companies similarly controlled and supervised by the Polish Government have engaged in similar attempts to bring about the improper termination of long-term agreements for the sale of energy and Green Certificates. The Polish Supreme Court has already condemned this, in the case of Energa-Obrot S.A., finding that the state-controlled utility had used a "pretext" to try to extricate itself from its contractual obligations "without valid reasons justifying it". (Supreme Court ruling dated 16 September 2016, IV CSK 751/15).

"Over several years, we made every attempt to work with Tauron and others in positions of authority to resolve this, and we asserted our rights in court cases against PE-PKH. We were met with nothing but delays, obstructions and, ultimately, silence.Today's legal actions are an unavoidable result of Tauron's refusal to honor contractual obligations and the rule of law."- Michael Blazer, Chief Legal Officer, Invenergy, said.

In the current legal actions, Invenergy is seeking compensation from Tauron for the damage caused by Tauron's actions, taken both directly and through other parties, and intends to seek such compensation for any future losses resulting from these actions. Invenergy is seeking damages under Polish regulations governing liability in tort, as well as under Polish unfair competition rules.

About Invenergy

Invenergy drives innovation in energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Invenergy's home office is located in Chicago and it has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe.

Invenergy and its affiliated companies have developed 105 projects totaling more than 15,900 megawatts that are in operation, construction or advanced development, including wind, solar, natural gas-fueled power generation and energy storage projects. For more information, please visit www.invenergyllc.com.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530114/Invenergy_Dobieslaw_Wind_Farm.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530142/Invenergy_Logo.jpg
Beijing Enterprises Clean Energy (BECE) has agreed to sell electricity to Beijing Enterprises Water Group (BEWG), from solar projects it has installed at the latter company's water-treatment facilities in China.BEWG is a controlling shareholder of BECE, with a stake of approximately 32.37%. The PPAs it has signed with BECE are therefore classified as continuing connected transactions for BECE, under the listing rules of the Hong Kong stock exchange. The two companies did not disclose the terms of the PPAs or the specifications of the relevant solar projects. The PPAs - which have already gone into effect - will expire at the end of 2019. However,Hong Kong-listed BEWG and BECE will retain the option of potentially extending the agreements, up to within a month before they come to an end. The electricity will be sold according to the unit price per kilowatt-hour set by the relevant governing authorities in each geographical location, and will not ...

Werbehinweise: Die Billigung des Basisprospekts durch die BaFin ist nicht als ihre Befurwortung der angebotenen Wertpapiere zu verstehen. Wir empfehlen Interessenten und potenziellen Anlegern den Basisprospekt und die Endgultigen Bedingungen zu lesen, bevor sie eine Anlageentscheidung treffen, um sich moglichst umfassend zu informieren, insbesondere uber die potenziellen Risiken und Chancen des Wertpapiers. Sie sind im Begriff, ein Produkt zu erwerben, das nicht einfach ist und schwer zu verstehen sein kann.
LOS ANGELES, CA / ACCESSWIRE / July 3, 2017 / Lundin Law PC, a shareholder rights firm, announces a class action lawsuit against Eco Science Solutions, Inc. ("Eco Science" or the "Company") (OTC PINK: ESSI) for possible violations of federal securities laws from May 1, 2017 through May 19, 2017 inclusive (the "Class Period"). Investors who purchased or otherwise acquired Eco Science shares during the Class Period should contact the firm prior to the July 24, 2017 lead plaintiff motion deadline.

To participate in this class action lawsuit, click here.

You can also call Brian Lundin, Esq., of Lundin Law PC, at 888-713-1033, or you can e-mail him at brian@lundinlawpc.com.

No class has been certified in the above action yet. Until a class is certified, you are not considered represented by an attorney. You may also choose to do nothing and be an absent class member.

According to the Complaint, throughout the Class Period, Eco Science made materially false and misleading statements, and/or failed to disclose, that its plan for strategic acquisitions lacked veracity. On May 19, 2017, the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission announced a temporary suspension of trading Eco Science securities "because of concerns regarding the accuracy and adequacy of publicly disseminated information concerning, among other things, ESSI's proposed acquisition of Ga-Du Bank, Inc."

Lundin Law PC was founded by Brian Lundin, a securities litigator based in Los Angeles devoted to upholding the rights of shareholders.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in certain jurisdictions under the applicable law and rules of ethics.

Contact:

Lundin Law PC

Brian Lundin, Esq.

Telephone: 888-713-1033

Facsimile: 888-713-1125

brian@lundinlawpc.com

http://lundinlawpc.com/

SOURCE: Lundin Law PC
(2) Reflects the number of positions in issuers in which the Company has previously publicly disclosed an investment, which occurs after the Company has completed its accumulation. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. Multiple financial instruments (for example, common stock and derivatives on common stock) associated with one (1) issuer count as one (1) position. A position that is included in the number of positions will be removed from the table only if the investment becomes 0.0% of the portfolio.

(3) For the purpose of determining the equity and debt exposures, investments are valued as follows: (a) equity or debt is valued at market value, (b) options referencing equity or debt are valued at market value, (c) long call options and short put options (or vice-versa, short call options and long put options) held on the same underlying issuer and with the same strike and same expiry are grouped together and treated as synthetic equity positions, and are valued at the market value of the equivalent long equity position (or vice-versa, the equivalent short equity position), and (d) swaps or forwards referencing equity or debt are valued at the market value of the notional equity or debt underlying the swaps or forwards. Whether a position is deemed to be long or short is determined by whether an investment has positive or negative exposure to price increases or decreases. For example, long puts are deemed to be short exposure.

(4) Includes all issuer equity, debt, and derivatives related to issuer equity and debt, and associated currency hedges. Cash, cash equivalents, direct or indirect currency or other hedges and income/expense items are excluded. The market values of associated currency hedges are included as part of the associated investment. In the event that there is a change in market cap category with respect to any non-publicly disclosed position, this information is not updated until such position is publicly disclosed.

(5) Portfolio composition is reflective of the publicly disclosed portfolio positions as of the date of this report. A position in an issuer is only assigned to a sector once it has been publicly disclosed.

(6) "Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. AUM" equals the assets under management of Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Any performance fees crystallized as of the end of the year will be reflected in the following period's AUM.

(7) "Total Strategy AUM" equals the aggregate assets under management of Pershing Square, L.P., Pershing Square International, Ltd., Pershing Square II, L.P. and Pershing Square Holdings, Ltd. Redemptions effective as of the end of any period (including redemptions attributable to crystallized performance fees/allocations, if any) will be reflected in the following period's AUM.
New Delhi: Employee unions of Air India are opposed to the governments decision to disinvest this ailing airline. Employees, long used to PSU culture with little accountability, disproportionate perks and time-bound promotions are afraid of what the future holds. They may rightfully be scared about their livelihoods but this cannot be the only reason for the government to step back from its stated intent to bring on board a strategic investor. The employees are anyway reacting too soon  there is still no clarity on whether the government will exit Air India fully, in one go and whether it will seek a guarantee from any future investor in terms of absorbing existing employees.

This piece says the Air Corporations Employees' Union (ACEU), the largest among Air Indias unions, is planning to meet the group of ministers to be set up by the government to look into the disinvestment process. The ACEU is a grouping of Air India's non-technical staff and comprises more than a third the total 21,137 employees. Seven unions of Air India have already joined hands to oppose the privatisation process and they together wrote to civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapthi Raju last month, warning him of an "industrial unrest".

The article further quotes a member of ACEU as saying "The meeting will be held to enlighten the rank and file about the privatisation of Air India and how it will affect them. This will also be a forum to organise them as we plan a movement against the privatisation of the national carrier. The move is clearly aimed at benefiting private airlines. If the government is so concerned about the taxpayers' money, then why does it not recover Rs 7.5 lakh crore borrowed by corporates from public sector banks?"

As of now, the government has only announced it intent to disinvest Air India. It still has to decide crucial details like how much stake to offload, whether to first sell-off Air Indias profitable subsidiaries and land bank etc. Then, a decision on how much of the over Rs 50,000 crore debt on the airlines books will be written off is also yet to be decieded.

Meanwhile, an industry veteran points out that Air Indias employee unions may feel they are duty bound to protest any move to bring in a private partner but they lost their sway over employees a long time back. Look at it this way. Anywhere between 1500-2000 employees are set to retire each year for the next two-three years so the airlines aircraft to manpower ratio will only improve going forward, not worsen. The unions are anyway not left with much credibility. And then, the licensed employees  the pilots and engineers  will try and find employment in the private sector if needed. What the unions are threatening to do is mere posturing, I do not think their threats will derail the disinvestment process.

A few years back, Air India hived off two critical functions as two separate subsidiaries (ground handling and MRO) under a Turnaround Plan. This took off roughly half the manpower from the airlines books and the aircraft to manpower ratio now stands at about 1:112. This means there are about 112 employees per aircraft in Air India (regular employees) which is a good ratio to have  Jet Airways has more people per aircraft while market leader IndiGo may have a little less. So the core airline, without the ground handling, MRO and other subsidiaries, is not really a bloated company.

An analysis by ICICI Securities Anshuman Deb said this morning that Air Indias employee costs were 12 percent of its overall cost structure in FY15 and FY17, similar to market leader IndiGO which had 11 percent of its costs as employee costs.

The key takeaway is that the operational cost structure of Air India (ex-debt servicing and depreciation) has already seen a turnaround, while there is significant scope remaining to improve, especially on items like landing charges, maintenance and other expenses. A lot of these costs emanate from sub-optimal route network and sub-optimal fleet deployment. Further operational efficiencies can be achieved from improving the passenger load factor (PLF) and on-time performance (both lowest among big airlines), Deb noted. So employee numbers are not really the biggest headache for any potential buyer of Air India, as long as the airline is being acquired minus its subsidiaries.

Apart from some employee unions, the only other entities protesting the governments privatisation move are the Shiv Sena and the Left parties. The NDA government should work out a sensible way to get rid of Air India, the white elephant, in one fell swoop by offering 100 percent equity to a prospective buyer after cleaning up AIs books. Any hesitation at this stage, whether due to employee protests or political compulsions, will only harm Air India further.
Chennai: Protesting against the 28 percent rate under the Goods and Services Tax (GST) for their product, manufacturers of fireworks are planning to surrender their factory keys to the District Collector, said a senior official of the Tamil Nadu Fire Works and Amorces Manufacturers Association (TNFWAMA).

"Ours is a labour intensive industry. Nearly 70 percent of our cost is towards wages. So the input credit that we could claim is very less as compared to other industries. The 28 percent tax rate will kill this sector," K. Mariappan, General Secretary, TNFWAMA, told IANS.

"When the GST was ushered in and the BJP members in some parts celebrated bursting our crackers, we were actually wearing black dress as a mark of protest," Mariappan added.

He said the general perception that is gaining ground amongst the fireworks manufacturers is that they are not the target but it is the celebration of Diwali that is being targeted through curbs, campaigns and now high tax rate on the industry.

Mariappan said over 800 fireworks factories have downed shutters since 30 June, 2017 protesting the 28 percent tax rate.

"We have decided to close down the factories indefinitely. We will not be in a position to pay the wages. In order to be out of the labour law clutches we plan to hand over the factory keys to the District Collector on Tuesday," Mariappan said.

He said the industry welcomes GST but the tax rate should be lowered to 15 percent.

"Persisting with 28 percent tax rate will result in huge tax evasion and the government would be earning far less tax revenue from our industry than what it earns now," Mariappan said.

According to Mariappan, production of fireworks would peak starting June, so that they can be used during the Diwali festival.

"The production has been affected and the continued protest would impact fireworks production. This may lead to illegal imports of unsafe fireworks from China. Despite the government's efforts illegal imports from China continue," Mariappan added.
Two days into the GST regime, confusion ruled among consumers and businesses with messages floating around on social media about a double taxation on credit cards payment.

The government swung into action on Sunday with Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia taking to Twitter busting "7 myths" that were doing the rounds about the new tax regime.

Seven myths of GST and Reality in one picture. pic.twitter.com/7haf5mYq6e  Dr Hasmukh Adhia (@adhia03) July 2, 2017

Adhia, the architect behind the country's largest tax reform, also sought to dispel concerns that if a person makes payment of utility bills by credit cards, the he/she will be paying GST twice.

1/2 A wrong message is doing rounds on social media that if u make payment of utility bills by credit cards,you will be paying GST twice.  Dr Hasmukh Adhia (@adhia03) July 2, 2017

"This is completely untrue. Please do not recirculate such message without checking it with authority," Adhia said.

India ushered in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime on the intervening night of 30 June-1 July.

A four-tier tax slab  5, 12, 18 and 28 percent  has been decided with essential items like salt, unpacked food grains, healthcare services being kept zero rated.

People have been posting in social media pictures of receipts issued in grocery stores or eateries showing tax deductions as GST, instead of VAT/service tax earlier.

Busting the myth that GST rates are higher than value-added tax (VAT), Adhia said, "It appears higher because excise duty and other taxes which were invisible earlier are now subsumed in GST and so visible now."

He reiterated that businesses can continue to do business under GST with provisional ID number and businesses need not wait for Goods and Services Taxpayer Identification Number (GSTIN).

"Provisional ID will be your final GSTIN number. Start business," Adhia said.

He said that businesses need not generate all invoices on computer/ internet only. "Invoices can be generated manually also".

On the rumour that businesses which were earlier exempt will immediately need new registration before starting business now, Adhia said, "You can continue doing business and get registered within 30 days".

He said small retailers need not file invoice-wise details in their return forms and retailers will have to just file one return form as the two other forms will be auto populated by the computer.

"There is only 1 return with 3 parts, out of which first part filed by dealer and two other parts auto populated by computer," he said.

Adhia also said that internet is not needed all the time to do business under GST. The reality is internet would be needed only while filing monthly return of GST, he said.

In a statement, the finance ministry said the two days post GST rollout has passed "without any major problems being reported" from the field offices.

"The Revenue Department has got encouraging reports from the roadside dhabas and big restaurants as well as from kirana shops to departmental stores which, in turn, have started getting acclimatised to the new tax system," it said.

The central and the state government officers are trying their best to provide the required and the correct information to the industry, it said.

Since 25 June, when the GSTN portal opened for fresh registration, 2.23 lakh new dealers have got enrolled.

Of this, 63000 have submitted full details, and 32,000 dealers have been granted fresh registrations also.

The window for new registration will remain open for 30 days.

Adhia has appealed to people not to circulate any unverified messages through social media, the statement added.
On Sunday, Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia took to micro blogging site Twitter to address concerns of trader community on the compliance issues in the aftermath of Friday midnight Goods and Services Tax (GST) roll-out.

Things clarified by Adhia pertains to practical problems such as usage of internet while doing business, number of returns to be filed a month, the final tax incidence on the products and services compared with earlier tax regime, among other issues. It is welcome that the Narendra Modi government has opened up the communication channels early keeping its ears to the ground, well before apprehensions take the form of protests and later, street chaos.

Just days after the GST roll-out, critics have pointed out the disparities and certain inefficiencies on the new tax regime. Political blame game is on. Businesses are in a state of flux for the time being as all are adjusting to get to know better a totally new tax structure, pricing of goods and services, the change in calculations and ultimate impact on their businesses. This was expected. No one in their right senses would have thought transition to GST, a model some 159 countries have accepted already, would be a cakewalk. Initial hiccups were bound to happen.

The real question is whether these will continue even after the two months grace period the government has promised to traders to comply with the GST structure. Critics will have bigger voice then and comparison will be drawn to post-demonetisation chaos and the governments ill-preparedness for big changes. But, it will be only a good gesture if the government gets some time to show how it has packaged the roll-out. The GST, unlike demonetisation, is not a magic popped out of the hat of Narendra Modi in a televised statement. This has been there on the table for over half a decade.

No doubt, the GST structure we see today isnt a perfect one. There are multiple rates and confusion regarding the product classification into various buckets. It also, certainly, exposes small entrepreneurs to pain in the short term, and even the bigger companies. Even the ardent fans of the Modi government wouldnt deny this likelihood.

But, lets also remember that, GST is not only about prices going up or down, the changes in the pattern of filing returns and about moving a percentage point in GDP. It is a fundamental shift in the economy to a globally accepted indirect tax regime India had to comply with at some point, if it doesnt want to miss the bus to a better future. The critics should, of course, check out the governments follow-up actions on addressing the inefficiencies in the initial GST structure, point out areas where it needs to act in terms of bringing awareness and plug loopholes.

Once GST house is set in order, a streamlined tax structure would help India become a better placed economy for foreign investors to look at, put the country in the map of advanced economies with an easier tax regime. After all, until now, India was a union of 29 different small tax economies and 7 union territories, with an array of levies that are unique to each state. This wouldnt have been a picture offering relief to an entrepreneur looking at a pan-India business. Thatll hopefully change now.

Of course, a change in the indirect tax regime is only the beginning of a series of steps that are needed to lift the economy to a truly high growth path. This needs to be followed up with actions to cut the red tape on acquiring land and source labour, making the banking sector cleaner and breathing life back to a number of stalled projects by sector-specific policy changes.

There are hopes of a reform overhaul. The GST launch coincides with a slew of other key reform steps such as decision to privatise national air carrier Air India, introduction of insolvency and bankruptcy code and major subsidy rationalisation exercise using the direct benefit transfer model. The combined effect of all these initiatives  addressing the fundamental problems in the economy one by one  gives one hopes of an improvement in the overall picture.

GST isnt Modis invention. The idea has been formally in Parliament since days of UPA-I when the then Union Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee spoke about it in the House. A good share of world economies has implemented it. In India, the Congress party has contributed as much to the final roll-out of the GST as the BJP, to the point of generating a political consensus enabling its birth.

The point of revisiting the past is to highlight the fact that political parties should not treat GST a trigger for political mud-slinging. It is only a tax reform, which India needed. Too much attention on a tax reform will spoil it. Let it take its course. There is a pressing need for political parties approaching the GST roll-out in a constructive manner, rather than fighting it out in the street. This is an issue that should rise above politics for the economy to benefit. Particularly given that there is considerable confusion among the public about the alignment to the new structure. Hence, constructive discussions to minimise the pain of transition will be more welcome.

GST should be approached for what it is  a tax reform the Indian economy had to embrace at some point, sooner than later. Lets not make a tryst with destiny moment out of it and turn it to a subject for political blame game.
Zurich/New Delhi: India has slipped to 88th place in terms of money parked by its citizens with Swiss banks, while the UK remains on the top.

Also, the money officially held by Indians with banks in Switzerland now accounts for a meagre 0.04 percent of the total funds kept by all foreign clients in the Swiss banking system, as per an analysis of the latest figures compiled by the SNB (Swiss National Bank) as on 2016-end.

India was placed at 75th position in 2015 and at 61st in the year before that, though it used to be among top-50 countries in terms of holdings in Swiss banks till 2007. The country was ranked highest at 37th place in the year 2004.

The latest data from Zurich-based SNB comes ahead of a new framework for automatic exchange of information between Switzerland and India to help check the black money menace. The funds, described by SNB as liabilities of Swiss banks or amounts due to their clients, are the official figures disclosed by the Swiss authorities and do not indicate to the quantum of the much-debated alleged black money held by Indians in the safe havens of Switzerland.

SNBs official figures also do not include the money that Indians, NRIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of entities from different countries. There is a view that the Indians alleged to have parked their illicit money in Swiss banks in the past may have shifted the funds to other locations after a global clampdown began on the mighty banking secrecy practices in Switzerland.

Swiss banks have also said Indians have few deposits in Swiss banks compared to other global financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong amid stepped-up efforts to check the black money menace. The total money held in Swiss banks by foreign clients from across the world, incidentally rose by a small margin from 1.41 trillion Swiss francs (CHF) to CHF 1.42 trillion during 2016.

In terms of individual countries, the UK accounted for the largest chunk at about CHF 359 (over 25 percent) of the total foreign money with Swiss banks. The US came second with nearly CHF 177 billion or about 14 percent No other country accounted for a double-digit percentage share, while others in the top-ten included West Indies, France, Bahamas, Germany, Guernsey, Jersey, Hong Kong and Luxembourg.

Indians share not even one-hundredth of the total money. India is now ranked 88th with 676 million Swiss francs (about Rs4,500 crore)a record low after falling for three consecutive years amid a continuing clampdown on the suspected black money stashed behind their famed secrecy walls.

The share of Indians money in the total foreign funds of Swiss banks also fell to 0.04 percent (from 0.08 percent in 2015). Pakistan continued to remain placed higher than India at 71st place (although down from 69th in 2015) with about CHF 1.4 billionthough down to below 0.1% of total foreign money parked with Swiss banks.

India was also the lowest ranked among the BRICS nationsRussia was ranked 19th (CHF 15.6 billion), China 25th (CHF 9.6 billion), Brazil 52nd (CHF 2.7 billion) and South Africa 61st (CHF 2.2 billion). Among these five, only China has moved up. Others ranked higher than India included Mauritius, Iran, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Angola, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada and Mexico.

A number of offshore financial centres are also ranked higher including Cayman Islands, Panama, Cyprus, Marshall Islands, Bermuda, Seychelles, Isle of Man and Gibraltar. Among Indias neighbouring countries, Bangladesh was ranked 89th (CHF 667.5 million), while Nepal was 150th (CHF 312 million), Sri Lanka was 151st (CHF 307 million) and Bhutan was way below at 282nd (about half a million Swiss francs).

The total money belonging to the developed countries fell to CHF 824 billion, while those from developing nations actually rose marginally to CHF 208 million. The money from developing economies in Asia-Pacific region rose to CHF 50 billion.

The funds parked in Swiss banks from offshore financial centres rose to CHF 389 billion. India was ranked in top-50 continuously between 1996 and 2007, but started declining after that55th in 2008, 59th in 2009 and 2010 each, 55th again in 2011, 71st in 2012 and then to 58th in 2013.
Please note the review below may contain minor spoilers - I've done my best to keep them to a minimum.

The most patriotic Sheffielder in the land - Sean Bean - returns to our homes, playing an American UAV operator in the war on terror; with Drone, the latest film from Canadian director Jason Bourque.

Pakistan - A family go about their day, eating breakfast together whilst ensuing in the usual parental bickering. With breakfast done, the father gets ready to go out, proceeding to his vehicle in the busy street, only for a sudden blast to engulf the area and killing all in the vicinity.

Their secrets have not gone unnoticed though, as a man (Imir played by Patrick Sabongui) carrying a briefcase, seems to be suspiciously following the family, only to appear at their doorstep with unforeseen intentions at the end of the day.

Not all is as it seems with the Wistin family mind you. With Neil proceeding to work, arriving at a secret CIA location, there he operates an unmanned drone, killing suspected militants and those in the radius around them with seemingly mere indifference. But Neil isnt the only one, with his wife Ellen also holding a secret, one of infidelity.

If theres one thing to be said about Sean Bean - aside from the fact he dies in practically all of his movies - is that he can act his arse off, and Drone is no different in that aspect.

Playing a subdued - one could even call Neil a weak - character, whose emotional state isnt present, instead left to fester beneath the surface - almost drone-like - is a difficult task, and whilst the little said about Sean Beans fluctuating American accent the better, his performance remains a joy to watch unfold on screen. Likewise Patrick Sabongui as Imir strikes you as being immediately queer from the get go, with the audience unsure of how to take his strange peculiarities, whether he's truly a bad guy, and what exactly his intentions for the Wistin family are.

Its a shame then, that the slowburn setup whilst intriguing, instantly evokes a final act that shoots Drone down like a lead balloon. Drone feels entirely like an opening act, as we get to know the Wistin family, through a day of their grief and the secrets they are hiding from one another; but once Imir shows up on the doorstep, Drone steps into its final act and ends quickly. In essence Drone is missing a second act, to ratchet up that tension and to make its conclusion all the more impactful.

On Crash Landed I regular evoke the need for films to cut down their runtime - feeling bloated and minimising their overall impact - Drone is the opposite in that sense, a portion felt entirely missing.

The notion of collateral murder via airstrikes isnt entirely new to the cinematic front either, with 2015s Eye in the Sky handling the morality of the situation much better. And whilst Drone does indeed start to create some political underpinnings through its fantastical meeting, it sadly doesnt lead to much. In fact, Drone works much better as a piece on grief, of two families on the opposite ends of the spectrum coping with their recent loss.

Unfortunately a second act is not the only thing missing from Drone.

Alas the dreaded 'no special features' surprise rears its head once again, making the home release of Drone feel entirely worthless when given the option to stream the film. And its a shame too - as whilst any moral message is a bit of a write off - theres some beautiful moments of cinematography within Drone, a great use of imagery and even a particular long take at its climax that I would have loved the director to shed more light upon. Sadly its not to be.
New Delhi: India has cancelled the registration of more than 100,000 companies which were "in violation of laws", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said, in the latest effort by the government against "black money" and tax evasion.

The decision was taken based on an extensive data analysis conducted by the government after Modi in November announced a sudden ban on high-value currency banknotes.

More than 300,000 firms had come under scanner for irregular transactions following the banknote ban, while licences of more than 100,000 firms had been cancelled, Modi said, without naming any company.

"This is not an ordinary decision," Modi said late on Saturday while addressing a gathering of accountants, hours after launching the country's landmark sales tax reform.

"Further stern measures will be taken in the coming days against companies which are violating the law."

While the decision to outlaw 500- and 1,000-rupee bank notes last year was part of a broader crackdown on corruption, the sudden withdrawal of 86 percent of currency in circulation left businesses, farmers and households suffering.

Modi defended his decision, calling it a "fight" for the poor.

The government's "data mining" exercise initiated after the November decision was still ongoing, Modi said.

The government will also take action against more than 37,000 identified "shell companies" which were found to be engaged in illegal transactions.

"The ones who have looted the poor, will have to return to the poor," Modi said.
The trailer of Anurag Basu's upcoming Jagga Jasoos  starring Ranbir Kapoor and Katrina Kaif  released to a very positive response recently. The film, produced by Ranbir Kapoor along with Anurag Basu and Siddharth Roy Kapur, has been in the pipeline for quite a while now.

Jagga Jasoos has faced several issues, requiring re-shooting of parts of the film to even an overhaul of the music, leading to repeated delays in the release date of the film. Adding to the delay woes, the lead pair, Ranbir and Katrina, also broke up during the making of the film.

Now, a blogger named Sagaran Hos has come forward with an observation, claiming there are uncanny similarities between Ranbir's Jagga and Herge's world-favourite young adventurer, Tintin.

In his blog, Hos has picked scenes from the Jagga Jasoos trailer and placed them alongside clippings from Herge's classics.

A Tintin Mystery: Why Herge's comics continue to fascinate, 88 years after their debut

According to him, it is not just the looks, but instances from the trailer which appear quite similar to the comic strips. Ranbir's quiff which was sort-of a defining feature of Tintin, the vehicles used, the chase sequences (which were an integral part of the stories of the Belgian reporter)  are some of the factors Hos has put forward to corroborate his claims.

Basu's previous film, Barfi! also encountered plagiarism allegations, with some viewers saying elements of the film seemed directly lifted from sources like Chaplin and Kikujiro, as reported earlier by Firstpost.

Firstpost reached out to Anurag Basu for comment, regarding Hos' observations. Basu told this correspondent: "I think one should wait for the release. Only after watching the film people will realise it's nowhere close to Tintin."
Dawn has just broken, and theres a middle-aged gentleman seemingly innocently squatting and enjoying birdcalls and the beauty of nature with a look of contentment on his face. But that satisfaction comes from  pardon my language  taking a good dump, in the open. This is the ambience that has worked for him all his life; he will argue it is key to his well-being. Its an all too familiar visual  even the first trailer of Akshay Kumars next, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (TEPK) opens with a similar view.

Based on Narendra Modis ambitious Swacch Bharat Mission, through which he has promised to declare India open defecation free by 2019, the film is an apt Independence Day release. It reflects the ruling partys non-insidious agendas and, of course, will attempt to address one of Indias most pressing concerns  hygiene and sanitation.

While it would be unfair to judge the book by its cover, the trailer suggests that the very notion of change comes up for discussion based on the fragility of female honour playing out within a patriarchal narrative. But, as a writer with one foot in the industry door, Id simultaneously like to point out that for a film to cater to the tastes of the entire nation, a romantic-patriarchal angle is a safe bet  one that will also guarantee box-office performance. No industry operates without substantial return on investment, be that financially or socio-politically. And so, TEPK deserves its time in the limelight for taking an important step forward. The question is, will it be able to make a difference?

Do we really know who, how and through which medium can actually trigger/alter an opinion? asks VK Madhavan, chief executive at WaterAid India. Films are a brilliant medium to reach out to the masses and convey socially relevant messages. We need every bit of help that we can get. Actors like Akshay Kumar, with a huge fan following, definitely have the potential to reach out to a large audience.

Nikhil Srivastav, research director for sanitation at r.i.c.e., concurs. In general, its good that a Bollywood film is tackling this subject, he says. One commendable action is that Akshay Kumar emptied a pit in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh. He went down into a latrine pit, in which faeces has been dried according to government guidelines, and emptied it. We hope the crew of the film will carry out more such activities and raise awareness among rural Indians."

However, we hope the film does not use patriarchal messages to promote latrines. These kinds of messages have been used in the past, bolstering the belief among rural Indians that latrines are for women.

65 percent of rural Indians do not have a latrine, while the number for Pakistan is 34 percent, Bangladesh is 2 percent, Nigeria is 31 percent, and Sub-Saharan Africa is 34 percent.

The issue of open defecation in India is a multilayered one. It is not simply a matter of rural Indians being unable to afford latrines. Theres a deep divide, in fact, between the construction of latrines and actual usage. Statistics for the latter, which should ideally be collected on an individual level, are unavailable since SBM came into play. According to data from r.i.c.e., 60 percent of all open defecation in the world happens in India, and it is not a reflection of Indias large population. India is home to around 17 percent of the world population, and has a disproportionately higher share of open defecation among all countries in the world. Data from a UNICEF-WHO Joint Monitoring Programme states that 65 percent of rural Indians do not have a latrine, while the number for Pakistan is 34 percent, Bangladesh is 2 percent, Nigeria is 31 percent, and Sub-Saharan Africa is 34 percent. All these places have a much lower per capita income than India.

The scale of our problem is such that even a 30 percent decrease in open defecation through actual usage of toilets over a five-year period will shift global indicators on open defecation, says Madhavan. This would imply an increase of 168 million people using toilets."

The government offers incentives, not subsidies, any more. In most parts of the country a toilet of reasonable quality and size will cost more than the incentive. Different states are adopting different approaches. For those who cannot afford a toilet even an incentive that can create a basic structure is better than none. But is there evidence to suggest that incentives for toilets dont just lead to construction but also usage?

In a paper published in EPW in January, researchers Diane Coffey, Aashish Gupta, Payal Hathi, Dean Spears, Srivastav and Sangita Vyas of r.i.c.e. found that widespread open defecation in rural India is not attributable to relative material or educational deprivation, but rather to beliefs, values, and norms about purity, pollution, caste, and untouchability that cause people to reject affordable latrines. Many people consider having and using a pit latrine ritually impure and also polluting. Open defecation, in contrast, is seen as promoting purity and strength, particularly by men, who typically decide how money is spent in rural households. These findings are based on nationally representative statistics on sanitation and human development from countries around the world; new semi-structured qualitative interviews from India and the Nepali Terai; quantitative survey data of 3,200 households in five North Indian states; and years of fieldwork in villages in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Gujarat and Tamil Nadu.

The caste system, and notions of purity and pollution are the greatest threats to promoting latrine use in rural India.

The caste system, and notions of purity and pollution are the greatest threats to promoting latrine use in rural India. The money that the government claims to be spending on latrines in rural areas  Rs 12,000 per household  is enough to build a small twin-pit latrine, which is recommended by the government and WHO, says Srivastav. But most people wrongly think that these latrines will have to be emptied frequently. And pit emptying is complicated by caste and practices of untouchability in India. Manually emptying a pit is associated with work that Dalits have traditionally done, and because of this, caste Hindus consider it unfathomable to empty a pit themselves. At the same time, because things are slowly changing in rural areas, Dalits are trying to move away from the kinds of degrading jobs they used to be compelled to do, like manual scavenging. What this means is that trying to get ones pit emptied presents a complicated social situation. And many just try to avoid this altogether by not using the latrine regularly.

Every Indian state has diverse social structures, and it isnt that sanitation coverage has not improved at all over the past few years. Sikkim, Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Meghalaya and Manipur have performed well in terms of reducing open defecation, although one can attribute this largely to less rigid concepts of purity and pollution.

There is no single formula to deal with the problem, says Madhavan. These five states performed above average in terms of sanitation coverage because of involving community leaders, village administrations and Panchayats in implementation; devising innovative local technologies like toilets made of tin and bamboo in Manipur, EcoSan in Meghalaya and the worming pit in Himachal; incorporating sanitation within the general idea of good health, etc. But the diversity is such that you need flexible approaches.

Despite promising numbers on the SBM website, open defecation remains a deep-rooted problem across India. Semi-urban and urban areas too are grappling with it, as development progresses at unfathomable speeds and migration patterns change on a regular basis. Chin-chin to TEPK for recognising its potential for sociocultural impact, no matter how it fares.
Nearly 1060 odd screens of cinema theatres across Tamil Nadu have shut down from 3 July to protest against the double taxation imposed by the state government. Over and above GST, the Tamil Nadu government has imposed a 30 percent local body tax. This means that a Rs 100 ticket will have 18 percent GST, and for tickets above Rs 100, the GST will go up to 28 percent, plus 30 percent as local taxes.

Abirami Ramanathan, president of Tamil Nadu Film Chamber of Commerce and chief of Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners Association said, It is shocking that the 'One nation, one tax' GST has been passed by the central government, and here, we have a state government which is doing [implementing] double taxation! This means we end up paying 48 to nearly 60 percent as tax, depending on the ticket pricing. In all other neighbouring states of Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Karnataka, there is only GST and the governments of these states have abolished local taxes. However, there is a clause in the GST draft bill which states if they want, state governments can charge additional local body taxes on cinema tickets.

The trade is also peeved that the Edappadi Palaniswami government in the state kept them in the dark regarding the new tax till the last moment. In fact, the Tamil Nadu government issued a government order on the additional tax a few hours before Prime Minister Modis historic announcement on GST in Parliament. Ramanathan also made it clear that theatres in Tamil Nadu were not against GST, but rather the additional taxes. We want a level playing field and do honest business and pay GST, but we are against the additional 30 percent tax by state government, which is sudden and unprecedented.

Cinema ticket rates in Tamil Nadu have not been raised for the last 10 years and there is a cap on ticket rates. In the past, a High Court order has asked the state government to increase ticket prices, but it has not been implemented. The demand made by the film trade is that the increase in ticket rates should be officially ratified by the state government, and the 30 percent local body taxes should be scrapped.

But the state government is in no mood to relent, as they feel that their control over the film industry would be lost with the implementation of GST. In a state which has produced five chief ministers from the Tamil film industry, previous governments were always cautious when dealing with it. After Jayalalithaas demise, the importance given to the film industry by state ministers and politicians has diminished. Top director Shankar, whose big budget sci-f thriller 2.0 starring Rajinikanth is releasing in January 2018, tweeted in frustration: 48-58%.. too much tax.. save Tamil cinema

Meanwhile, seven films which released on 30 June, ended their run in three days. Ivan Thanthiran, the Gautham Karthik-RJ Balaji comedy riot which carried good reports, suffered the most after it was taken off the screens. One of the producers and distributors of the film G Dhananjayan tweeted: We can only give a good film. Beyond that what can be done when the whole system is collapsing. Deeply disturbed, until the situation is resolved, we appeal to people of TN not to watch #IvanThanthiran in Online/Pirated DVDs. Pl. encourage good cinema. The director of the film Kannan made a tearful appeal to the industry to save the film, but by Sunday morning, pirated DVDs of the film had flooded the market.

The next few days are going to be crucial for Kollywood. The Tamil Film Producers Council and Nadigar Sangam chief actor Vishal have met the concerned state government ministers. He says a solution will be found in a day or two. MK Stalin, the powerful opposition leader and DMK strongman is likely to take up the tax issue in the state assembly today. Till then, it is curtains for cinema in the state.
The Kerala Police's investigation into the abduction and assault of a top Malayalam actress grows ever-more complicated.

Now, actress Kavya Madhavan's office in Kochi has been raided by the police, on 1 July  allegedly in connection with the case, The News Minute reported. The raid, which began at 11 am on Saturday, continued until 2 pm. The police has not issued a statement regarding the raid on Madhavan's property (the office for her e-commerce venture Laksyah).

Madhavan is married to actor Dileep, who is also part of the police's investigation into the assault of the Malayalam actress.

The Malayalam actress' car was hijacked by a group of men in the last week of February 2017. She was reportedly held hostage and driven around Kochi, while the men harassed and took photos of her, before she was finally released by a traffic junction. The main accused in the case  Pulsar Suni  was soon apprehended by the police.

Read on Firstpost  Malayalam actress assault case: Shielding Dileep only reiterates Mollywoods gender insensitivity

Four months after the incident, the case has taken an even murkier turn, with Dileep and filmmaker Nadirshah being grilled by the police regarding the attack on the actress after an audio clip  purportedly of a conversation between the actor's manager and Pulsar Suni, in which the latter is heard asking for money to ensure Dileep's name is not mentioned during the investigations  was widely aired by Malayalam channels. Dileep, meanwhile, said that he had filed a police complaint about being 'blackmailed' by an associate of Suni's.

The raid on Kavya Madhavan's office comes amid reports that Pulsar Suni visited it on two occasions just before he went into hiding to escape the police's investigation of the Malayalam actress' case. Those reports also say that Suni claimed to have kept a memory card containing images of the actress' assault at the office premises.

The actress who was attacked is believed to be close to Dileep's former wife, Manju Warrier, and there were rumours that she had been nearly forced out of the industry due to her proximity with Warrier.

Dileep and Kavya Madhavan tied the knot in November 2016, at a private ceremony. Dileep's marriage with Manju Warrier had ended in 2015, after nearly 17 years. Madhavan was also briefly married to entrepreneur Nishal Chandra, from 2009-2010.

Also read  Malayalam actress assault case: Dileep, Nadirshah questioned by police; spotlight on industry
Mumbai: Veteran actress Shabana Azmi, who has often raised her voice against various issues, on Monday, 3 July, clarified her stance in backing the 'Not in My Name' protests, stating that she will continue standing up against all fundamentalism.

Shabana talked about it when a fan on Twitter said that she has "so many times spoken against Triple Talaq, talked about Kashmiri Pandit exodus here only".

Shabana replied: "Doesn't suit them. I'm vs all fundamentalism. In NIMN (Not in My Name) campaign, I said it's about all mob lynching including the DSP in Kashmir, the love Jehad."

The 'Not in My Name' protests question the "pattern of attacks on the minorities in the country and the silence of the government" on the killings.

On 29 June, actors Dia Mirza, Arjun Kapoor and Aditi Rao Hydari and director Hansal Mehta denounced the killing of innocent people in the name of religion and cow protection.

An event was organised under the banner of "#NotInMyName" close on the heels of the lynching and murder of 16-year-old Junaid in a train following an argument that turned communal.

At the protest, there were songs and speeches calling for communal harmony. The most significant of the lynchings was that of Mohammad Akhlaq in 2015, father of an Indian Air Force personnel, who was killed by a mob on suspicion that beef was kept in his house in Dadri, on the outskirts of the national capital
The Uttar Pradesh Police on Monday arrested 21 Dalit activists from a press club in Lucknow, media reports said. According to NDTV, police said the arrests happened because the activists had planned to march towards Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's residence without getting the required permission.

"Retired IPS officer SR Darapuri and seven others were arrested as they attempted to take out a rally at a public place without permission. They were arrested from the chowk area," Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi said, adding that the protesters were released subsequently.

Well-known Dalit activists Ram Kumar and SR Darapuri were among those arrested. The activists were planning to meet the chief minister to discuss atrocities against Dalits after Sunday's incident, the report added.

A report by Hindustan Times on Sunday, many of the activists were travelling on the Sabarmati Express and had brought with them a 125-kilogramme soap with an image of Gautam Buddha carved on it. They wanted to gift the giant soap in a symbolic protest to the chief minister to "cleanse his mentality towards Dalits". The activists who had brought the soap bar were sent back forcibly from Jhansi.

The protest was in response to an incident in May when people belonging to the Scheduled Caste in Uttar Pradesh's Kushinagar district had alleged that they were given shampoo and soap by the local administration ahead of Adityanath's visit. Musahar Dalit families received two soaps and a sachet of shampoo, and instructions to "clean themselves" before attending the public meeting.

"We were assembling at the UP press club to participate in a seminar on Dalit atrocities. Participants from other states, including Gujarat, were scheduled to take part in it. We were not on the streets protesting, but were still stopped from holding the event, which had to be cancelled eventually," Darapuri told PTI after his release.

He alleged that the fundamental right to freedom of speech and expression of the protesters had been infringed upon.

"Apart from the eight persons, including me, arrested from outside the press club, 23 protesters were detained from the Nehru Yuva Kendra, near the Roomi Gate in Old Lucknow," he said.

After retiring from the police service, Darapuri had joined the All India People's Front (radical), a political outfit. He had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Robertsganj.

Those arrested were also protesting against the recent violence in Saharanpur between Dalits and upper-caste Thakurs.

According to the NDTV report, the activists were taken to a local guesthouse and later sent back to Ahmedabad by train.

Retired professor of Lucknow University Ramkumar told News 18 that arrests from Jhansi to Lucknow not only expose the undemocratic character of BJP government, but also speaks volumes about BJPs real attitude towards Dalits.

With inputs from PTI
The air conditioning system of a Delhi-bound Air India flight from Bagdogra malfunctioned on Sunday leading to protests from the passengers.

India Today report said that the airlines crew discovered the malfunction before the flight could take off. However, when the flyers notified the Air India staff about the problem they said that the air conditioning would start working as soon as the flight takes off.

Passengers were distraught when no solution was visible for two hours.

Debasmita, an asthama patient, told India Today: "When I realised that the AC wasn't working and the oxygen masks were of no help, I asked for the oxygen cylinder since I could barely breathe. That's when I learnt that even the oxygen cylinder was empty."

Many other passengers complained of suffocation, as per an ANI tweet:

#WATCH Air India Delhi-Bagdogra flight took off with faulty AC system, passengers protested complaining of suffocation pic.twitter.com/3nibvSrb1E  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

India Today further mentioned that passengers' complaints were not heeded even when the flight landed in New Delhi. According to The Financial Express, the passengers have demanded action. Air India said that the problem was a technical matter and an investigation would be initiated, as reported by ANI. The flight, AI-880, had 168 passengers and made a safe landing in New Delhi.

An Air India spokesperson said the passengers complained of malfunctioning of the air conditioning system in the flight and they also protested. An ANI tweet mentioned that the flight landed before time:

Flight took off yesterday at 1.50 pm from Bagdogra and landed in Delhi 25 minutes before scheduled time(of 4.05 pm) at 3.40 pm  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Some people took to Twitter to complain about the air conditioning problem in the flight.

The Economic Times reported that last year the airliner saw over 5,000 complaints between January and October. Civil aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju said that the complaints resulted from a deficiency in service.

However, Raju added that Air India constantly 'endeavours to enhance its facilities and services being provided to its passengers to ensure customer satisfaction.'

The national air carrier is up for a major orgnisational rejig as the Centre is mulling to privatise the stakes of the public sector company.

Air India's employees union protested against the airliner's privatisation bid when 8,000 of its members were urged to come together for a movement, as per a previous Firstpost article. The Air Corporations Employees' Union (ACEU) was also planning to meet a group of ministers.

With inputs from PTI
Srinagar: A 30-year-old pilgrim from Delhi was found dead at the Baltal base camp in central Kashmir on Monday, taking the death toll in the ongoing Amarnath yatra to four, the police said.

Manoj, a resident of JJ Colony, Inderpur, central Delhi, was found dead in a tent at the Baltal base camp in the Ganderbal district this morning, said a police official.

The deceased had apparently died of a cardiac arrest, he said.

While an assistant sub-inspector of the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP) had died at Brarimarg on 28 June, a pilgrim from Jammu was killed after being hit by a falling stone from a hillock on 29 June, the first day of the yatra.

Another pilgrim from West Bengal had died on his way to the cave shrine on Saturday.

The 40-day annual pilgrimage is scheduled to be concluded on 7 August, coinciding with Raksha Bandhan.

The yatra has been going on smoothly on both the routes  the traditional Pahalgam track in Anantnag district and the Baltal route  and so far, over 55,000 pilgrims have visited the cave shrine housing the naturally formed ice-lingam at an altitude of 3,880 metres.
Panaji: The Congress on Monday demanded a case of trespass to be registered over an "authorised" public meeting BJP chief Amit Shah addressed in the prohibited area of Dabolim airport in Panaji on Saturday.

Led by All India Congress Committee (AICC) secretary Girish Chodankar, Congress workers met the airport director BCH Negi to register their protest and later claimed the official admitted no permission had been granted for the event.

"We asked the airport director to show us the permission (for the meeting) after which he admitted none was given. We have asked the Airports Authority to India to file a formal police complaint of trespass against the people concerned," Chodankar said.

The airport at Dabolim is inside the Naval air base, he said, adding holding such a meeting there raised questions about the security at the facility.

Shah, who was on a two-day visit to Goa, allegedly held a meeting at the airport complex in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Union minister Sripad Naik.

Social activist Aires Rodrigues has filed a complaint with the Union civil aviation ministry, Goa chief secretary and the state's police chief, terming the meeting illegal and seeking registration of an FIR against Shah, the organisers of the event and all dignitaries present.

The BJP, however, claimed the party had the necessary permission for the meeting which took place "not inside the facility as claimed".

"No inconvenience was caused to anyone and the meeting lasted only for seven minutes," Goa's Panchayati Raj Minister Mauvin Godinho had told reporters on Sunday after the complaint by Rodrigues.

When reached for comments, Negi said he was on leave on Saturday and was looking into the matter.
In the course of human events it is necessary, now and again, to renew our commitment to the principles and practices that made our country great in the first place.

Our country has always held what the Declaration of Independence says about certain Truths: They are self-evident, that all Men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness.

Regrettably, we forget these simple truths sometimes.

To renew our passion for the free and equal pursuit of life, liberty and happiness, we need a new declaration that promotes civility, open conversation and common sense.

Look, when someone disagrees with a political position we hold, it does not make the individual a monster or something subhuman. It does nobody any good to demonize or ridicule this person  not in a country founded on freedom of speech.

To renew our gratitude for the incredible freedoms we enjoy  freedoms that do not exist in many other parts of the world  is it not better to engage your political opponents in civil conversation and debate rather than to prevent them from speaking at all?

Groupthink and political correctness are killing open debate in our country. Too many university students, professors and administrators across our great land are not only shunning individuals who dare to challenge their status quo. They are aggressively, sometimes forcefully, infringing on their right to speak freely. They are issuing authoritarian campus speech codes.

If American citizens cannot openly discuss and criticize any and every idea on university campuses, then where, for goodness sakes, are they able to do so?

How did we arrive at a state of affairs in this country in which a person who criticizes ObamaCare  a person who argues that libertarian and free-market ideas can better address spiraling health-care costs and free up funds to help those in need  is smeared as someone who hates the poor?

How did we arrive at a state of affairs in which someone who questions the emotions and politics of climate change is labeled as a climate denier, someone whose dangerous thinking must be shouted down and maybe even result in some kind of punishment?

How did so many of our major journalists, whose role is protected by our Constitution, embrace such a pack mentality as they advocate for the political ideas and candidates they like, and attack the political ideas and candidates they dislike?

The result is that half the country cheers on their advocacy, while the other half questions the credibility of every story they report. Is this not a dangerous problem for a country that relies on its press to keep those in power honest?

There is a huge divide in the country between those who think government can offer the best solutions to our challenges and those who think less government, with more individual freedoms, is the way to go.

In a country as free and robust as ours, we certainly can work out our differences and find common ground. To do so, we must restore civility in our public debate, dial down the violent rhetoric, and listen to others who think differently than we do.

As other parts of the world work to emulate Americas devotion to free thought and speechas others across work to embrace the unalienable Rights to  Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness  can we please get back to leading the way?

Hey, the Fourth of July is at hand. I can think of no better time to embrace a new declaration that promotes civility, open conversation and common sense.

Tom Purcell is a Pittsburgh Tribune-Review humor columnist and is nationally syndicated exclusively by Cagle Cartoons Inc. Email him at Tom@TomPurcell.com.
In a massive crackdown launched by the security forces in Kashmir, top three Lashkar-e-Taiba commanders were killed in the last fortnight and over two dozen search operations were carried out.

The crackdown comes down after Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Mehbooba Mufti said last month that the situation in the Valley will improve in the next two to three months, assuring that the government will get the escalated militant violence under control.

"I assure you that we will uproot Pakistan-sponsored terror from Jammu and Kashmir and establish peace in the state," Singh had said during a press conference in New Delhi.

Mufti, after a meeting with the home minister last month, had said that the situation in the will start changing in the next two months. I understand that the coming two-three months are crucial for us. We will first restore normalcy and then talks can be initiated, she had said.

Top officials said New Delhi has given a go-ahead to security agencies to intensify operations against the militants with priority on neutralising top commanders of the different militant outfits operating in the Valley. A local daily quoted a senior officer of the Kashmir Police as saying that taking out militant commanders is the first priority as it will create a leadership vacuum in the militant ranks.

The crackdown will also involve compiling a list of WhatsApp groups and other social media websites which are used to rally people near encounter sites.

At least 23 people, including nine militants, six civilians, seven policeman and a CRPF soldier have been killed since 15 June in the Valley.

A senior army official based in south Kashmir told Firstpost on Saturday that efforts were on to neutralise 12 most wanted militants and then turn focus on the 'less lethal' ones.

I think by end of August all them would be killed, a senior army officer told Firstpost on Saturday.

But what is worrying for the state administration is the increasing number of civilian casualties, most of whom have been killed during the counter-insurgency operation, when protesters try to engage the forces to give a free passage to the militants, despite the state government imposing Section 144 near encounter sites.

On Saturday, two civilians were killed near the site of a gunbattle in Dialgam area of Anantnag, when hundreds of people tried to help the militants flee. Residents, however, accused the forces of firing at civilians indiscriminately.

On Monday morning, when the forces cordoned off the Behmnoo village of Pulwama, residents of more than 25 villages started protesting in a cluster of villages of which Behmnoo is a part.

A bullet hit a civilian after forces opened fire to disperse the stone-pelting protesters near the encounter site, Vikar Ahmad, a resident of the village told Firstpost over phone.

At the time of writing this report, two militants have already been killed, while three, according to reports, remained trapped inside the house, as the gunbattle continued.

As the encounter in Pulwama went on, militants fired at a policeman and injured him critically in south Kashmirs Anantnag near bus stand, hospital authorities said. A civilian was also injured in the incident.
Srinagar: Ten more militants have broken away from the militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen and joined hands with its former commander Zakir Musa, top police officials said on Monday. The information came after police officials gunned down two militants in a gunfight at the Bahmnoo area in Pulwama on Monday.

"Two militants have been killed. The other militant is being engaged by the forces. We have the inputs that all the three militants are from Hizbul Mujahideen," Muneer Ahmad Khan, Inspector General of Police, Kashmir range, told Firstpost.

The encounter, which started at 8 am is still undergoing with a third militant, who is believed to be from the Rajouri area of Jammu, is still holed up inside a house, police sources said. The security forces were acting on a specific tip-off about the presence of militants.

According to police officials, Musa, who earlier praised Al-Qaeda, is commanding a group of at least 10 militants who were associated with him while he was commanding a section of Hizbul Mujahideen militants. Musa had disassociated himself with the outfit in May in order to establish an Islamic caliphate in Kashmir.

Musa, however, is trying to draw more militants to his group, a police official told Firstpost.

The militants, who were killed earlier on Monday, were earlier believed to be part of the splinter group led by Musa, thus raising alarms over the increasing number of militants in Musa's group.

However, police officials later confirmed that the militants were associated with Hizbul Mujahideen, and were not part of the Musa-led breakway group.

Musa's rising numbers a concern

Security officials see local militant commanders like Musa "capable of running" forming independent militant outfit as a more dangerous trend as local youth resort to weapon snatching and go for training in the forest areas of South Kashmir.

According to sources at Jammu and Kashmir Police more youth are joining militancy, and that poses a challenge for the Indian armed forces in the region.

Musa had openly stated his intention to establish an Islamic caliphate in Kashmir in a video message released on 15 May. While announcing his disassociation with Hizbul Mujahideen, Musa, in the video, had owed support to Al-Qaeda and had thanked the global militant organisation for their support to Islamic rule. The police has not been able to track Musa's movement nearly one and half month after his disassociation with Hizbul Mujahideen.

"Musa is praising Al-Qaeda. He wants the creation of a radical Islamic state in Kashmir. But as of now he is operating independently. He has managed to breakaway some 10 other militants from Hizbul Mujahideen, who are mostly from Tral," said a senior police official.

Officials said that Tral remains the hotbed of militants and the local forest range provides a cover for the militants to get the training.

Musa as well as two previous commanders of the Hizbul Mujahideen  Burhan Muzafar Wani and the Sabzar Ahmad Bhat  are also from Tral area. Both Burhan and Sabzar were killed in separate encounters with the forces.

The killing of Wani had triggered widespread protests across Kashmir with people observing shutdown for over six months following the killing of more than 75 civilians in clashes with the forces.

Though Musa has not released any video since May, a police official told Firstpost that Musa is trying to rope in more youth into the militancy relying on his appeal. "Wani had also drawn a number of (Kashmiri) youth into the Hizbul Mujahideen ranks due to his frequent presence on social networking sites," the official said.

Encounter in progress

The Monday's encounter started around 8 am is still going on with two militants being neutralised and a third one still holed up inside a house.

One of the slain militants was identified as Kifayat Ahmad Khanday, son of Mohammad Ahsan Khanday of Bahmnoo. He had joined militant ranks on 20 April this year.

"Kifayat has been a Class V drop out and was one of the most recent entrants in Hizbul Mujahideent," said a security official.

The other militant, who was killed on Monday, was identified as Jehangir Ahmad Khanday, son of Rustam Khanday of Kellar. The 23-years-old militant was associated with Hizbul Mujahideen for over 11 months. Jehnagir was working at an automobile workshop and joined militant ranks after passing Class XII exam. Earlier, he was also associated with Musa.

People protested against the killing of militants at that both Bamnoo as well as Kellar, police officials said. The security deployment was intensified in Bamnoo as well as Kellar after the clashes between the civilians and the forces.
Protests over the use of Hindi language on signboards in Bengaluru metro stations escalated on Saturday evening when Hindi words were found masked from the signboards in Chickpete and Majestic metro stations, reports said.

Hindi nameplate of Bengaluru's Chickpet metro station plastered by unknown people; No one has yet taken responsibility pic.twitter.com/IWZNd9uSNF  News18 (@CNNnews18) July 3, 2017

While pro-Kannada groups had been making the demand since long, it is not clear who was responsible for this event. A report in The New Indian Express said that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) had succumbed to the pressure of the protests and decided to cover up the Hindi words.

Another report from The Indian Express said that the Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) was responsible for it. To justify their action, the organisation quoted the example of the neighbouring states of Kerala and Maharashtra where Hindi is not used in the metro, the report said.

The organisation is also trying to get the support of pro-Telugu and pro-Malayam activists to protest against the "imposition" of Hindi, The Hindustan Times reported.

Some social media posts also said that the police had advised the BMRCL to take the step. However, in an interview with The Hindu, the deputy commissioner of police West MN Anucheth said,  I categorically state that we have not advised any such thing. Also, on our own we have deployed additional force in a few sensitive metro stations in light of the recent developments.

The #NammaMetroHindi Beda campaign which was started in June-end has been seeking the removal of Hindi signboards from all Namma Metro stations and also stopping of announcements in Hindi in the metro, the report said.

Amid this campaign, Union minister Ananth Kumar had told PTI,"The railways has been using three languages. In Namma Metro too, the first priority should be Kannada. There should not be any compromise on that. Next Hindi and English should be used."

However, BMRCL had defended the usage of Hindi and said that it was only implementing the Centre's orders. According to it, non-Hindi speaking states were directed to use three languages, state's official language, Hindi, and English, for signboards, announcements and public material for public information in all metro stations.
Mumbai: The rioting case against Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, and some 200 other inmates of Byculla women's prison in central Mumbai was handed over to the Mumbai crime branch on Sunday. Sanjay Saxena, joint commissioner of police (crime), confirmed tonight that the crime branch had taken over the case from Nagpada police station.

Mukerjea, who is 'accused no one' in this case, instigated other inmates to rioting after the death of a convict, the police had claimed earlier.

The 44-year-old former media executive was among the nearly 200 inmates of the Byculla Jail booked by the Nagpada police for rioting and other offences after they staged a protest over the death of convict Manju Govind Shette.

Shette (45) died at the government-run JJ Hospital on the night of 23 June after allegedly being beaten up by jail officials.

The next day, enraged women inmates rose in protest, some of them went up to the prison's roof, while others made a bonfire of newspapers and documents on the premises to express their anger, a police official said.

The inmates alleged that Shette was mercilessly beaten up by the woman prison official which led to her death.

Indrani instigated the inmates, police had claimed.

Six jail personnel were suspended in connection with Shette's death. They were arrested yesterday on the charge of murder.

Indrani, lodged in the prison after her arrest in August 2015, and the other inmates were booked for rioting, unlawful assembly, assault on public servant and other relevant sections of the IPC. The jail houses 251 inmates.

Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and ex-driver Shyamvar Rai are accused of killing 24-year-old Sheena, Indrani's daughter from an earlier relationship, on 24 April, 2012.
In a relief to lakhs of students, the Central Board of Secondary Education (CBSE) will accept accept requests for re-evaluation of Class X and XII answer sheets till 7 July, Deccan Chronicle reported.

The report added that CBSE will consider re-evaluation for only 10 papers of Class XII, along with two English electives offered by the National Council of Educational Research and Training (NCERT) and CBSE.

In order to be eligible for re-evaluation, Class XII students must have applied for the photocopy of their answer sheets, the report said.

Request for a maximum 10 questions in theory portion in twelve subjects will be entertained at the rate of Rs 100 per question. Request for scrutiny of the marks will only be accepted once, the report quoted CBSE's notification.

The CBSE decided to re-start re-evaluating answer sheets of Class XII students after the Delhi High Court on 23 June questioned the education board for scrapping the re-evaluation system.

The board had decided to scrap the re-evaluation system this year but the decision hit a road block when the Delhi High Court accepted a petition filed by some students challenging the CBSE's decision.

The CBSE later clarified that under its new policy of providing photocopies of answer sheets, if students find any discrepancy in totaling or evaluation, the same can be brought to the attention of the board which will look into it and take suitable action.

With inputs from PTI
Darjeeling (WB): As the agitation for a separate Gorkhaland entered its 19th day on Monday, a vehicle was set on fire and two cars damaged, even as the Internet services remained suspended in Darjeeling hills.

Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) activists held demonstration at Chowkbazar demanding Gorkhaland. Children in traditional dress were also seen carrying 'We Want Gorkhaland' placards.

This was the second such rally in the last 10 days wherein children also participated to propagate for the cause of Gorkhaland.

A vehicle was set ablaze in Six Mile village of Darjeeling and two cars were damaged in Kurseong by the protesters in the morning.

The police and security forces patrolled the streets and kept a tight vigil on all entry and exit routes.

Barring pharmacies, all shops, markets, schools and colleges were closed.

Hardening its stand, the Darjeeling district administration has extended the Internet ban in the hills for eight more days.

"The Central government should look into this issue of gross human rights violation," GJM leader Binay Tamang

asserted. Meanwhile, the West Bengal State Commission for Protection of Child Rights has issued a summon to GJM supremo Bimal Gurung for violation of child rights.

"We have issued a summon to Bimal Gurung for violation of child rights and asked him to appear before the commission on 11 July. Despite our showcause notice last week, GJM again used children in their rally," the panel's chairman, Ananya Chakraborti, said.

Renowned boarding schools in Darjeeling, scheduled to reopen tomorrow, have extended their vacation due to the

indefinite shutdown in the hills.

"We have decided to extend the vacation as the shutdown is on. We have not given any time frame as to when the schools will reopen. As soon as normalcy returns in the hills, we will inform the parents and reopen the schools," principal of St Joseph's North Point School, Father Shanjumon told PTI.

Meanwhile, the GJM said the Centre should open a dialogue on Gorkhaland as it was the "aspiration of the hill people."

"Gorkhaland is the aspiration of the people in the hills. It should be respected. The Centre should open a dialogue and take concrete steps," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri said.

"The Mamata Banerjee government is dealing with it as a law and order problem. But it is not a law and order problem. It is a political problem and should be solved politically," he added.
Darjeeling (WB): The GJM on Monday asked the Centre to initiate a dialogue on the demand for a separate Gorkhaland, saying it was not a mere law and order problem even as a vehicle was set on fire and two cars damaged in the restive Darjeeling hills.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the agitation, said a separate state was the "aspiration" of the people in the hills and it should be respected.

"The Centre should open a dialogue and take concrete steps," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told reporters here.

He said the Mamata Banerjee government was dealing with the situation as a law and order problem.

"But it is not a law and order problem. It is a political problem and it should be solved politically," Giri, who had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and some BJP leaders during a recent visit to Delhi, said.

The GJM leader said, "We believe in democratic movement. We want a dialogue. Why a dialogue cannot be opened?"

The police said a vehicle was set ablaze in Darjeeling's Six Mile village and two cars were damaged in Kurseong by the protesters this morning.

The GJM activists held demonstration in Chowkbazar in which children in traditional dress were also seen carrying 'We Want Gorkhaland' placards.

This was the second such rally in the last 10 days that saw children's participation.

While Internet services remained suspended, the police and the security forces patrolled the streets and kept a tight

vigil on all entry and exit routes.

Meanwhile, the boarding schools in Darjeeling, which were scheduled to reopen tomorrow, have extended their vacation due to the indefinite shutdown.

The vacation had begun on 23 June when the GJM had given a 12-hour window to the schools to evacuate the boarders.

"We have decided to extend the vacation as the shutdown is going on. We have not given any time frame as to when the schools will reopen. As soon as normalcy returns in the hills, we will inform parents and reopen the schools," Principal of St. Joseph's North Point, Father Shanjumon told PTI.

Father Shanjumon is a member of the Darjeeling ICSE Schools Association. St. Joseph's North Point is a prominent boarding school in the hills.

Normal life was affected due to the shutdown which entered its 19th day.

Except pharmacies, shops, schools, colleges, restaurants, private offices and hotels remained closed in the hill resort which has been on the boil since June eight.

While the West Bengal police has said that two persons have died in the violence, the GJM has claimed two more of its supporters were killed on 17 June.
New Delhi: The West Bengal government has asked the Centre to recall 100 women paramilitary personnel

deployed in restive Darjeeling and also replace SSB personnel with CRPF jawans, prompting the home ministry to seek reasons for the move.

The ministry also told the West Bengal government to send a detailed factual report on the law-and-order situation in Darjeeling, which has seen violence for nearly 20 days.

This is for the second time that the central government has sought a report from the state on Darjeeling.

The communication was sent after the West Bengal government told the home ministry to recall 100 women paramilitary personnel, belonging to the CRPF currently deployed in Darjeeling, and instead send men paramilitary personnel.

The West Bengal government also requested the home ministry to recall around 300 men SSB personnel and replace them with CRPF personnel.

A home ministry spokesperson said the "inappropriate" requests of the West Bengal government are being examined.

"A state government can't name the central force to be given. The reasons for recall of the women paramilitary personnel and SSB with CRPF were not immediately known," he said.
Chennai: The Tamil Nadu government on Monday said a cell has been formed to redress the grievances of the public following the implementation of Goods and Services Tax, as it faced complaints of overcharging.

It also warned of "stern action" against those charging rates beyond the stipulated GST.

"If anybody charges levies beyond GST, stern action will be taken against them," finance minister D Jayakumar told reporters in Chennai.

He said action will also be taken if additional rates were charged for commodities exempted from the GST.

"A complaint cell has been formed with state Commercial Taxes department for this purpose and people can inform the government on any GST related issues in this regard," he said.

Jayakumar also sought people's cooperation to tide over any such problems.

In reply to a query on the strike called by Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners' Association that has led to the closure of over 1,000 cinema halls all over the state, he said

discussions were being held to sort out the issue.

"The tax of 30 percent is in addition to the GST Tax rates, theatres are shut due to our inability to pay taxes," Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Distributors Association President, Abhirami Ramanathan said.

He said the association was awaiting a response from the state government.

The GST, which came into effect from last Saturday, 18 percent has been fixed for tickets below Rs 100 and 28 percent for tickets above Rs 100.

It may be recalled that senior Congress leader P Chidambaram had criticised the GST in its present form saying it has many "defects" and that its implications will be known only in "due course."

DMK working president M K Stalin had said his party has been maintaining that traders should be given time to switch over to GST and talks must be held with them.

Based on their feedback, appropriate steps should be taken by the government and "whatever needs to be done should be done and we will welcome it," he said.
Faridabad: The Government Railway Police (GRP) on Monday announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to those who killed a young Muslim man, Junaid, on a moving train on 22 June.

The GRP said it was looking for those who stabbed the 19-year-old to death on a Mathura-bound train after a scuffle.

"The name and identity of the person who will provide any information and help the GRP in arresting the main culprit will be kept secret," a GRP announcement said.

A case of murder and other sections of the Indian Penal Code has been registered against unknown persons at the GRP Faridabad station.

Police have arrested five people allegedly involved in Junaid's killing and for instigating passengers to attack the deceased and four others.

Junaid, a resident of Khandwali village near Ballabgarh, and four others were attacked by a group of people who called them "beef eaters" and "anti-national".

Junaid was stabbed to death on 22 June on a Mathura-bound train which he had boarded with his two brothers after shopping at Delhi's Sadar Bazar area.

A majority of Meos (Muslims) in Haryana's Mewat region on 26 June observed a "Black Eid" by tying black bands on their arms to protest against the murder of Junaid.
Washington County will have a proposal on the ballot this August in order to fund a new jail and sheriffs department.

Washington County Sheriff Zach Jacobsen said they have needed a bigger jail for a long time and a more modern jail for quite a while. The jail they have now that houses the inmates is 30 years old and the administration office is a 124 years old.

Im told that jails outlive their lifetime and have to be remodeled and modernized in 50 years, said Jacobsen. According to members of the community, when they did our jail 30 years ago the plans for it were 20 years old. So prospectively it is 50 years old.

Jacobsen said the topic of a new jail was talked about years ago, even when former sheriff Andy Skiles was in office. They met with the commission and citizens board and it was discussed at that time to build a regional jail with Iron County. The numbers just really got high and the price was just out of their realm of possibility, he said.

The talk about it stopped there and no one did anything for years, said Jacobsen. In the last part of December I was approached by the U.S. Marshals, who talked about wanting to house some of their federal inmates here. I told them we didnt have any space, but I would look into it."

After that Jacobsen mentioned it to their county clerk and that conversation began snowballing into meetings with the commission. Jacobsen added they talked with a local architect to come up with ideas of how to do this and what it would cost.

At that time the discussion was about a justice center, it would be a new jail, sheriffs office, courts, and prosecutor," said Jacobsen. Basically everything attached to the courts in the new building, all under one roof.

Jacobsen explained there was an initial guesstimate of what it was going to cost and it was a number that was somewhat doable. He said they met with other architects, and news of them wanting to build a new jail spread in the architectural world, and they were flooded with calls.

We ran by what we wanted to do and they basically told us it wasnt possible, Jacobsen said. It wasnt possible to build a justice center with a big jail and all that stuff for the amount of money we were hoping to be at. So we ended up sitting down with another architectural company and are now planning a law enforcement center. Its a new jail and sheriffs office.

Jacobsen said they met with them to discuss a law enforcement center and they came up with a tentative number of $6.4 million.

It will allow us to build a facility with 80 permanent beds and several temporary holds, said Jacobsen. It would get our numbers up to between 90 and 100 beds. It will get us to where we need to be at. Right now we average around 50 to 55 inmates a day and only have 28 beds, so every day of every week we are over capacity by double.

Jacobsen stressed space became an issue a long time ago and the sheriff before Skiles housed out inmates because he didnt want the liability of housing inmates over their maximum.

So he housed them out and that left us with bills of over $400,000 a year to do it, said Jacobsen. We were paying for someone elses jail to house out our inmates, thats not even including the cost to transport these people back and forth. In essence we were paying for someone elses jail.

Jacobsen said county officials decided the only viable option to finance this project was to sell municipal bonds and repay the debt with a half-cent sales tax.

We contracted with a bonding company called L.J. Hart and they have been used by a lot of local school districts for a lot of public projects, said Jacobsen. They explained to us what the half-cent sales tax would do, they explained how we can pay it back and what it would take to retire the debt.

The commission voted unanimously to place a half-cent sales tax on the Aug. 8 ballot. It will ultimately revert to a quarter of cent in 20 years and that would be used for the operations of the sheriffs office.

It will fund our personnel, electric and everything to run the facility, said Jacobsen. We will still have the funds to operate the jail after our payments are made each year. We just have to get a simple majority for this to pass and it is very important to the community that we get this done.

Jacobsen said they do have letters of support from the Washington County IDA, Washington County Republican Club and the Washington County Democrat Club. He also anticipates a letter of support from Representative Paul Fitzwater, R-Potosi.

We were able to negotiate with the IDA, Industrial Board, to donate a tract of land at the industrial park, still within the city limits of Potosi, said Jacobsen. They will donate this piece of property so we can build this new building and we will build it for the future.

Jacobsen explained that years ago the county commission bought property in and around downtown Potosi for future expansion. The problem with it is that with all the jail regulations they can not do substantial construction without certain things being met.

Some of the things is there has to be a recreational yard, natural light and they have to be able to get fresh air, said Jacobsen. All these things played a factor of why we should be at the industrial park versus downtown. If we were downtown there are the festivals and the kids walking to and from school. Our inmates would be able to see them and that is something that wasnt acceptable to us.

He said that is why they pushed for the industrial park and by doing it this way versus the downtown version, they have room to build in the future.

We will have room for expansion. If we need a bigger jail we wont be landlocked like we are now and we could build courtrooms when money allows, said Jacobsen. All these things will be for the future. Our current building is owned and it is a possibility the county will save money.

There are buildings the county bought for future expansion. What will happen is they will be able to move some of those county offices out of those buildings and put them in the current sheriffs office.

We can put our county records and storage in the back end of the old jail and sell the buildings our county offices are in, said Jacobsen. There are ways to generate money and they are going to sell those buildings. A major concern with some folks is how do they know the monies arent going to be used for some other project.

Jacobsen said the assurance they have is the ballot language. It specifically spells out what these funds can be used for and there is a safeguard in place to assure this money isnt later used for something else.

It is going to be earmarked only for this project and that is important to us, said Jacobsen. I think the community as a whole supports our law enforcement community and I think they support the need. There are people optimistic on supporting a tax, and I am one of them, but we have looked at every option and the only viable option in this case is a tax.
All the ghosts of the past are returning. No contentious issue can be taken as resolved for good as it gains strength and reopens whenever circumstances are right and the public mood has radically changed. Until Roop Kanwars so-called Sati in 1987 and its glorification by some Rajasthan politicians and Hindi daily Jansatta, one never thought that the issue that had been settled more than a century ago could be seriously reopened and debated, and educated people could support the horrible practice in the name of tradition while condemning their opponents as westernised, English-speaking elite (these days this phrase has metamorphosed into Lutyens' Delhi) without roots in the Indian soil. Around the same time, the issue of secularism too came up for national debate and the public lapped up the Hindutva contention that its proponents were the truly secular people while those who disagreed with its brand of Hindu nationalism were in reality pseudo-secular.

Now, an issue that one thought was settled after the anti-Hindi agitation that raged in the mid-1960s in Tamil Nadu is being reopened by Narendra Modis government, evoking strong protests not only from Tamil Nadu but also other southern states like Karnataka. In April last, DMK working president MK Stalin warned the Centre that his party would launch agitation to oppose the imposition of Hindi. His Facebook page carried several photographs of milestones on National Highway 77 as well as Chittoor-Vellore Highway to show that names written in English had been replaced by Hindi.

It showed the BJPs disrespect to the sentiments of Tamils. This is bringing Hindi hegemony through the backdoor in Tamil Nadu, Stalin said in a statement. He accused the Modi government of thrusting Sanskrit and Hindi upon states that did not speak either language and cautioned that the Centre must treat all languages with respect.

In Karnataka too, anti-Hindi sentiments are surfacing as signboards at the Bengalurus Metro Rail stations use three languages  Kannada, English and Hindi. Last Wednesday, Karnataka Chief Minister K Siddaramaiah announced that his state would lodge a strong protest with the Centre regarding imposition of Hindi on non-Hindi speaking states. SG Siddaramaiah, chairman of the Kannada Development Authority (KDA) has written to the managing director of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation asking him to explain under which rules the signboards have used Hindi. Only the central government entities are required to follow the three-language formula while all other establishments should have Kannada and English. He said an incorrect view was being promoted that Hindi was the national language while in reality it was an official language. If they want Hindi on signboards here, they must include our languages on signboards in places where Hindi is the dominant language, he said.

SG Siddaramaiah's is not wide of the mark because on 24 June, Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu did assert while speaking at a function in Ahmedabad that Hindi is our national language, our identity and we should be proud of it. Opposition leaders were quick to point out that the Constitution did not describe any language as national language and under its Article 343, Hindi and English were assigned the status of official languages.

National Conference leader Omar Abdullah sarcastically asked on Twitter: When did we get a national language?

When did we get a National Language? https://t.co/vINtnoDBLB  Omar Abdullah (@abdullah_omar) June 24, 2017

Earlier in April, Naidu supported a proposal mooted by the Parliamentary Committee on Official Language that Hindi should be made mandatory in speech and writing for those members of Parliament and Union ministers who could read and write it. The debates that took place on the language issue in the Constituent Assembly are quite illuminating. There was a group of Hindi-extremists, including Congressmen led by the likes of Purushottam Das Tandon, Seth Govind Das, Ravishankar Shukla and Balkrishna Sharma Naveen, that was bent on getting Hindi the status of the national language that would immediately replace English.

On 12 September, 1949, the Assembly had discussed the language issue in detail. While President Rajendra Prasad was in favour of deciding the issue on the basis of a widest possible consensus as the decision of the House should be acceptable to the country as a whole, the Hindi extremists wanted to settle it by majority vote. Seth Govind Das speech is very revealing as, like the present-day Hindutva proponents, he too was unable to differentiate between majority and majoritarianism. Though Congressmen, the Hindi extremists were implacably opposed to Hindustani and Urdu. To bring some sanity into the debate, KM Munshi and NG Ayyengar put together a five-point formula that called for, among other things, continued use of English as an additional official language along with Hindi, and use of international numerals.

The Hindi extremists were opposed to even this formula. Next day, Shyama Prasad Mookerjee supported Prasads call for a consensus and said: If it is claimed by anyone that by passing an article in the Constitution of India one language is going to be accepted by all by a process of coercion, then I say, Sir, that that will not be possible to achieve. Unity in diversity is Indias keynote and must achieved by a process of understanding and consent and for that a proper atmosphere has to be created.

While Jawaharlal Nehru could discern the tone of authoritarianism in the speeches of the Hindi champions, it was Maulana Abul Kalam Azad who hit the nail on its head. Replying to Purushottam Das Tandon on 14 September, 1949, he said, The Union of North and South has been made possible only through the medium of English. If today we give up English, then this linguistic relationship will cease to exist.

The Munshi-Ayyangar formula was ultimately accepted by the Constituent Assembly but the Hindi extremists did not relent before five amendments proposed by them were not accepted. It was decided that Hindi written in Devanagari script would be the official language of the Union along with English and, after 15 years, Parliament could legislate on the use of Nagari numerals as well as on the continued use of English, that Hindi could be used in the proceedings of a high court with the sanction of the President, that bills, acts, ordinances etc., could be issued in the official language of a state if an official English translation was published, and that Sanskrit be added to the list of languages in the schedule. Granville Austin, the acknowledged constitutional historian, opines that the large majority of the Constituent Assembly believed that the use of many Indian languages and of English was compatible with national unity and with the evolution of a national spirit.

RSS and its affiliates like the Bharatiya Jana Sangh, that reinvented itself as Bharatiya Janata Party, have always believed in the slogan of Hindi-Hindu-Hindusthan that is roughly translated into English as One Nation-One Language-One Culture. They have never paid any attention to what the BJS founder SP Mookerjee had said on the floor of the Constituent Assembly. They have also not cared to learn from history.

Since the 19th Century, many non-Hindi speaking intellectuals had started feeling that only Hindi could become the link language in India as it was understood in some form or the other across the entire length and breadth of the country. In 1875, Arya Samaj founder Swami Dayanand Saraswati, a Gujarati Brahmin, decided to write his most important work 'Satyarth Prakash' in Hindi as he wanted to reached the widest possible audience to propagate Vedic religion. Later, MK Gandhi, also a Gujarati, championed the cause of Hindi although he wanted it to shun the excessive use of Persian as well as Sanskrit words. Two great poets Rabindranath Tagore and Subramania Bharathi, who wrote in Bangla and Tamil respectively, too held the view that Hindi should be the link language in Independent India. During the freedom struggle, Dakshin Bharat Hindi Prachar Sabha made great contribution towards teaching Hindi to South Indians. At that time, Hindi was a uniting factor. However, all this changed once the Congress governments came to power in several states in 1937.

Many would not be able to believe today that it was C Rajagopalachari who was instrumental in stoking the anti-Hindi fires in Tamil Nadu as his government introduced compulsory study of Hindi in the first three forms of high school. He emphasised the uniqueness of Hindi as the only language suitable to become the common language of the country. His government allocated an additional sum of Rs 20,000 specially for the salary of Hindi teachers in that years budget and published Hindi textbooks. Soon, a powerful anti-Hindi movement arose and the Rajagopalachari government made full use of the states coercive powers to suppress it. By June 1938, Swami Shanmugasundaram, Palladam Ponnusamy, CD Nayakam, KM Balasubramanian, CN Annadurai and many others were arrested. In December, the charismatic Dravida Kazhgam leader Periyar EVR was also thrown behind bars. The agitation ended only when the Congress ministry laid down office on 29 October, 1939.

When Lohiaites launched an anti-English and pro-Hindi agitation in the mid-1960s, Tamil Nadu witnessed a repeat of the 1938 agitation that virtually redrew the states political map. The Congress lost state Assembly election in 1967 and has not been able to stage a comeback even after half-a-century.

When a language is imposed on unwilling people, it can result in cataclysmic events. The imposition of Urdu on the Bengalis of East Pakistan was one of the major factors behind Pakistans breakup and the emergence of Bangladesh. We can ignore this at our own peril.
Confirming India's stand on cross-border terrorism emanating from Pakistan, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahudddin has reportedly confessed on a Pakistani TV channel that his outfit did carry out several terror attacks in India, ANI reported.

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits on a Pakistan TV channel to carrying out terror attacks in India (file pic) pic.twitter.com/YHLuX5WyBq  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Salahuddin was recently designated as a global terrorist by the United States during Narendra Modi's visit to Washington DC. However, days after this move, Salahuddin vowed to fight on until India relinquishes control over Jammu and Kashmir.

"We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India," Syed Salahuddin, who heads the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, said amid tight security in a news conference in Muzaffarabad, in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir.

On being designated as a "global terrorist", Salahuddin claimed the decision was only made to appease India.

The militant leader added that Hizbul Mujahideen only targets Indian forces and that the Islamic State group and al-Qaida have no presence in Kashmir.

"Donald Trump's decision will be thrown out if anyone challenges it in American courts," Salahuddin said.

"No other Western nation has endorsed what this crazy Donald Trump has done," he added.

Salahuddin later led a rally in Muzzafarabad and praised Pakistan for continued support in Kashmir.

India accuses Pakistan of backing Kashmir insurgents in the region split between the two nations, a charge Islamabad denies.

With inputs from AP
New Delhi: Senior BJP leader Ram Madhav on Monday said geopolitics in the Indian Ocean region had made "neo-colonialism" a possibility with countries seeking to dominate each other through money, market and military.

"We know the evils of colonialism. They are fresh in our minds," Madhav said while delivering a lecture on 'Emerging Horizons in India-Vietnam Relations'.

"It is important for us to make sure that the 21st century version of the same colonialism does not return to haunt us and succeed," added Madhav, who is affiliated to India Foundation, a BJP-linked think thank.

His comments come in the backdrop of China increasingly asserting its claim over the Spratly archipelago in the South China Sea, which has overlapping claims from Vietnam and other littoral southeast and east Asian countries.

Madhav also pitched for Vietnam and India to "jointly and independently work towards defeating all such forces and tendencies".

"Geopolitics in the Indian Ocean region makes the possibility of neo-colonialism a reality with countries trying to dominate others through money, market and through military," he added.

Madhav's remarks also assume significance in the wake of the ongoing stand-off between Chinese and Indian troops in the

Doka la area near Sikkim.

India has commercial interests in the South China Sea, which hosts one of the major Sea Lanes of Communications (SLOCs).

Contending that the India-Pacific region had emerged as a "new global powerhouse", Madhav said the global power axis had shifted from the Pacific-Atlantic to this region.

"But this region is also a home to big militaries, with massive defence budgets increasing military movements and purchases. It is projected that by 2025, half of the world's submarines and warships will be ruling around in this India-

Pacific region. Trade and tyranny co-exist in the backyard of many countries in the region," Madhav said.

It is important in such a scenario for countries like India and Vietnam to come together to ensure that "sovereignty, security and sentiment of all the countries are protected and maritime laws respected", the BJP leader held.

He added that the two countries should "strive" to evolve an Indian Ocean maritime order that ensured peace, stability, freedom of navigation and overflight and non-interference of outside power in the affairs of the region.

Speaking on India-Vietnam relations, Ton Sinh Thanh, Vietnamese envoy to India, said bilateral trade between the two sides was much lower than its trade volumes with other countries.

The envoy said Indian investment in Vietnam stood at $775 million since 1998, ranking 27 in the list of foreign investors in the southeast Asian country.

"We should focus on making our strategic partnership truly comprehensive. This means we need to put more effort on economics, science & technology, culture and education," Ton said.
When it comes to dealing with Pakistan, the conventional thinking goes thus: The only thing a bully understands is force.

If they hit us hard, we should hit them back 10 times as hard, our leaders say.

Jingoistic television anchors repeat it ad nauseam. The sentiment is tweeted and shared endlessly on social media. But has anyone stopped to examine if the data backs up the proposition?

According to a report in The Indian Express, even as firing across the Line of Control (LoC) escalated dramatically since India's strikes on jihadist training camps in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir in September, the data suggests that the policy of "massive retaliation" for cross-border firing is failing to deter the Pakistan army from "harrying Indian counter-infiltration defences on the LoC."

Firing across the LoC has been on the rise  79 incidents were recorded in 2012, 236 in 2013, 226 in 2014 and 279 in 2015 and 227 in 2016  The Indian Express reported.

The data compiled by the Jammu and Kashmir government shows 124 exchanges of fire from 1 January to 21 June, 2017 this year alone, according to the report. So clearly, Pakistan hasn't been discouraged by the increased back and forth on the border.

But hang on. What about the surgical strikes? They put paid to Pakistan's misadventures. Didn't they?

First let's examine the rhetoric:

In a 2011 television interview, the then Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi said, "Pakistan should be given an answer in the language they understand."

After the surgical strikes were conducted, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said: "Our surgical strike created havoc across border. Pakistan now knows fully well what the Indian Army is capable of." He also added, "Our army's valour is being discussed across the country these days. We used to hear earlier that Israel has done this. The nation has seen that Indian army is no less than anybody," he said.

Union home minister Rajnath Singh after the surgical strikes had said that the security situation in the Valley had improved and there had been a 45 percent decline in infiltration by terrorists from Pakistan compred to the previous year. BJP general-secretary Ram Madhav said that Modi has "walked the talk".

"PM Modi ji has walked the talk. Punishing the perpetrators of terror from across has begun," Madhav tweeted.

External affairs minister VK Singh said, The aim of surgical strike was to convey to Pakistan that we will not accept continuance of terrorism as the new norm. Our own good faith has been amply demonstrated time and again through repeated initiatives to normalise the relationship. However, as we have often stated, talks and terror cannot go together."

Former army chief Bikram Singh told NDTV that while such strikes were conducted many times in the past with a degree of deniability, the scale of operation and the decision of the political leadership to own them publicly with a lot of maturity changed the India-Pakistan dynamics forever and took them beyond the line of restraint that had existed for decades. But did it?

What actually happened:

In June, two soldiers were killed in Jammu and Kashmir's Poonch district after Pakistan's Border Action Team (BAT) attacked Army's patrol party along LoC.

On 1 May, in a cross-LoC attack by suspected Pakistani terrorists in the Krishna Ghati sector in Jammu and Kashmir, three Indian soldiers were killed, with the body of one of them being mutilated. The incident triggered outrage across the nation. On 28 October, 2016, militants attacked a post and killed an Indian Army soldier and mutilated his body close to the LoC in the Machil sector.

And the attacks continue.

A bloody history

In January 2013, Lance Naik Hemraj was killed and his body mutilated by a Border Action Team. It also beheaded Lance Naik Sudhakar Singh. Constable Rajinder Singh of the BSF battalion suffered injuries in the attack.

In June 2008, a soldier of the 2/8 Gorkha Rifles lost his way and was captured by a Pakistani Border Action Team (BAT) in Kel sector. His body was found beheaded after a few days.

The list goes on and on. India the unstoppable force has met Pakistan the immovable object. There has been no give. Will Modi try another tack or double down?

With inputs from agencies
Srinagar: Jammu Kashmir Liberation Front (JKLF) chairman Yasin Malik was arrested on Monday by police and sent to the Central Jail in Srinagar, the outfit said.

"Malik was arrested today (Monday) when police raided the JKLF's office at Abi Guzar. He has been shifted to Central Jail, Srinagar, on a judicial remand," a spokesman of the separatist group said.

The police did not give any reason for the arrest but it is believed to be a preventive action since Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin has given a call for agitation to observe first anniversary of its slain commander Burhan Wani on 8 July.
It's rare that the president and the prime minister belonging to two different parties not just have an excellent working relationship but also have a close personal rapport and convergence of thought on critical national issues. Outgoing president Pranab Mukherjee and Prime Minister Narendra Modi present such a unique combination.

Mukherjee is a veteran Congress leader who has worked closely as a minister and as a party leader with four prime ministers  Indira Gandhi, Rajeev Gandhi, PV Narshimha Rao and Manmohan Singh  and now as president with Modi. It, thus, was a big news when Mukherjee said that even when they had a divergence of opinion on some issues they kept it to themselves and the issue was resolved quietly, and when Modi said that the former was like a father figure to him while holding his fingers as Mukherjee settled down in a new role in New Delhi and even caring for his health and stress.

It is more than a coincidence that the head of the nation and the head of the government at the Centre have spoken out on the evil of vigilantism  lynch mob tendency  as seen by a section of social fringe. It should be nobody's case to weigh remarks of dignitaries.

Unfortunately there is a tendency among some people to see one constitutional dignitary more serious in his concern and other less serious, or, even trying to portray that another was portraying his emotions for optics without actually being convincing.

The killing of teenage Hafiz Zunaid Khan or that of a Pehlu Khan, or the lynching of Mohammad Akhlaq was reflective of that lynch mob tendency about which Mukherjee and Modi had expressed their anguish. The situation became even worse because the deceased were Muslims and their murderers were Hindus, and all these incidents indeed had communal overtones. The onus is on the state to maintain communal amity and contain the ugly violent streaks of the fringe. The state machinery thus needed to act accordingly. The fact that the prime minister vented his grief and anger twice asking the state governments to come down heavily on self-styled cow protectors is by itself how he viewed such incidents of violence, and how he thought of dealing with the anti-social and criminal elements.

Around the time Zunaid and Pehlu were killed, two other incidents of violence took place. An e-rickshaw driver Ravindra Kumar was beaten to death in Delhi because he had objected to two young men urinating in public and asked them to use nearby public convenience for the purpose, and more recently Mohammad Ayub Pandith, Deputy Superintendent of Police, Jammu and Kashmir Police, was lynched near Jamia Masjid in the Nowhatta area of Jammu and Kashmirs capital Srinagar.

Both these were reflective of the same violent lynch mob psyche but they did not have the same reaction  "Not in My Name"  from the intelligentsia of all hue.

The news of killing of Kumar was tragic, but it remained confined to local pages of newspapers and became a bigger news only when the prime minister reacted to it. Kumar like Zunaid, Pehlu and Akhlaq had a horrific and painful death. A Hindu had died at the hands of Hindu criminals and Pandith was stripped and mercilessly beaten to death and his body dumped in a drain by a frenzied Muslim mob. Pandith's death was viewed from the prism of nationalist versus separatist prism, though there were some suggestion that the mob mistook Pandith for being a Hindu loitering around a mosque on an auspicious occasion like Shab-e-Qadr (the night of power).

There can't be a second argument that cow vigilantism need to be curbed and law enforcing agencies need to deal with them with a heavy hand. It must not be allowed to become a profession for thugs to indulge in rampant goondaism and criminality.

But the problem needs to be viewed from another angle too.

Arguments are made from the Left and so called liberalists that the advent of Modi on national political horizon has made society fascist. That's a flawed argument. People across the country had a tendency to join the mob if a thieve or a pick pocket or a robber was caught. The tendency to beat a thief to pulp or to death had always been there. There may have been an increase in instances of cow vigilantism since a full majority BJP government has acquired power at the Centre but then it is also a fact that the media reporting on such incidents has become far more aggressive since 2014.

The lynch mob tendency had not only been directed against thieves but also against those supposedly powerful and didn't discriminate between community and rank. In December 1994, a young district magistrate of Gopalganj in Bihar, G Krishnaiah was stoned to death by an unruly mob led by a former MP Anand Mohan Singh. Krishnaiah, who had been an inspiring success story for many, was born in a humble Dalit family. He had worked hard to clear the coveted Union Public Service Commission to be an IAS, but was lynched just because his car with red beacon was seen to be symbolising power, which the mob didn't like and pulled him out of his car to beat him to death.

The mentality which turns a mob into a lynch mob is also visible during incidents of road age when within seconds an angry mob turns violent and takes the law at its hand. It has nothing to do with religion but with violent bully psyche of some individuals and groups.

The lynch mob was there in 1984 when Sikhs were killed in Delhi in the aftermath of Indira Gandhi's assassination, and during other riots in the country including the 2002 Gujarat riots.

The problem begins when suggestions are made when liberalists tend to relate all incidents concerning non-Hindus that has happened in the country since May 2014 with the formation of a new regime in New Delhi and come out with a larger political motive slant. The seriousness of the issue gets diluted in a political and ideological slugfest.
Lucknow: A gangrape survivor was allegedly attacked with acid in Uttar Pradesh for the fourth time in eight years, police said on Sunday.

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, however, expressed doubts over the incident, saying it may have been staged to defame his government, even as opposition parties unleashed a barrage of criticism over the law and order situation in the state.

This is the fifth time the 45-year-old has been allegedly targeted. She had been stabbed in 2012.

The woman was given security after a previous assault this year and the latest attack took place last night near her hostel in Aliganj area of state capital Lucknow, despite the presence of police to protect her.

The victim, who hails from Raebareli, was rushed to a hospital with burn injuries on her face and neck. Her condition was stated to be stable.

Less than four months ago, two men allegedly forced acid down her throat on board a train near here  an incident that had created a huge furore.

Adityanath had visited her in the hospital and announced assistance of Rs 1 lakh. The police had provided her with security after the alleged attack.

On Sunday, talking to a private news channel, the chief minister said the hostel the woman resides in is absolutely safe and no outsider could get in.

"Despite all these, how did this incident take place?" he said.

"Has this attack really happened or are some people hatching a conspiracy to defame the state government," he questioned.

He also said the law is meant to protect but if someone misuses it, action would be taken against them.

Police said no FIR has been registered yet and they are awaiting a complaint from the victim's family.

"We are waiting for a complaint to be lodged by the family members of the woman. Police will act on the complaint lodged by them. The husband of the woman could not meet her last night," Lucknow ADG Abhay Kumar told PTI

State Women Welfare Minister Rita Bahuguna Joshi said, "There was a guard and some girls, who were there on the hostel roof, when the incident took place but none of them saw anyone."

Terming it an unfortunate incident, she said the police are looking into the matter and have also detained those involved in the previous attack.

The series of attacks on the woman began in 2009 when two men had allegedly raped and attacked her with acid over a property dispute in her home at Unchahar, 100 kilometres from Lucknow.

After the knife attack in 2012, she had again been allegedly attacked with acid in 2013, police officials said.

On 23 March this year, the woman had submitted a written complaint to the government railway police at Charbagh station alleging that acid had been forced down her throat on board the Allahabad-Lucknow Ganga Gomti Express. She wrote the complaint as she could not speak.

While she was in the King George's Medical University hospital receiving treatment, three women constables were suspended for allegedly clicking selfies with her.

The police, meanwhile, claimed that none of the eyewitnesses had seen anyone throwing acid or running away.

"Be it the hostel warden or the girls, no one saw the attacker or anyone fleeing from there. We are trying to take the statement of the victim," a police officer said.

The constable deployed for her protection also said he did not see anyone running away from the spot.

e, I ran towards the hostel, but I did not find anyone running from there. I was there outside," constable Sandeep said.

The Samajwadi Party attacked the state's BJP government over the law and order situation. "They (the BJP) used to make a lot of hue and cry over law and order in the previous SP dispensation. Now, they have lost all control and criminal elements are ruling the roost in the state," SP leader Naresh Agarwal said.

Congress leader Devendra Pratap Singh also denounced the BJP government for their "failure to check" such incidents.

"Attacks on women have increased under the present government. The Yogi Adityanath government has failed to check them," he said.

"When I heard a voic
New Delhi: On the eve of his unprecedented visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he will discuss with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till 6 July before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

In Israel, he will also meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.

He will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.

Modi will also pay his respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

"On Tuesday, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's... As the first Indian prime minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said in a statement in New Delhi.

"I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties," he tweeted.

The prime minister said he will have "in-depth talks" with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism."

This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations.

"My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples," Modi said.

On the economic side, he said, "I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground."

In addition, he said, "I hope to get insights into Israel's accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits."

On 6 July, the prime minister will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on 7-8 July.

The theme chosen for this year is 'Shaping an Inter-connected World'.

"I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability," he said.

"We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, womens empowerment, and partnership with Africa," Modi added.

As in the past, he said he looked forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.
The online registration for counselling for the admission into undergraduate medical programmes, on the basis of the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) results, will begin on Monday, The Indian Express reported.

The registration and choice filling will begin on Monday and continue till 5 pm on 11 July. The candidate can fill their choice and finalise it by 5 pm on 12 July. Students can fill their choices at mcc.nic.in. The counselling process will end on 16 August.

The seat allotment will be done on 13 and 14 July and the results will be out on 15 July. Reporting at the allotted medical or dental college will start from 16 July and end at 5 pm on 22 July, said The Indian Express report.

The candidates who have qualified for all-India quota seats on the basis of their rank in NEET are eligible for the online counselling, noted an NDTV report. The candidates need no documents to participate in the process, as they can complete the registration and choice filling process from home through internet.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has constituted a Medical Counselling Committee (MCC) to comply with the directions from Supreme Court on the admission process.

A total of 6,11,539 candidates qualified NEET 2017 of which 2,66,221 are male and 3,45,313 are female candidates.
Patna: Three police officials, including two superintendent-rank officers, in Bihar were issued show cause notices on Monday for allegedly fiddling with their mobile phones during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's address at an event last week.

Some policemen were caught on camera by TV channels playing games on their phones during the 28 June event organised by the Economic Offences Unit of the state police on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

"Show cause has been issued to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj, Patna City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushawaha and Pankaj Raj, who is waiting for posting," Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) SK Singhal told PTI.

"The three police officers have been given a reasonable time of 2-4 days to reply to the show-cause and, based on their reply, necessary action would be initiated," he said.

The ADG said senior police officials are expected to show a high order of conduct which some of them did not do during this event.

In his speech at the function, the chief minister had emphasised on expanding the scope of Money Laundering Act by giving state governments the power to seize the property of up to Rs five crore amassed through illegal means.

Kumar had counted virtues of total prohibition in Bihar imposed since April 2016 and stressed on the need to further intensify its enforcement.

Chief secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, state police chief PK Thakur and principal secretary (Home) Amir Subhani were present at the function.
The last time Jim Kelly and Greg Gruhala were on a flight for military personnel they were both returning from Vietnam to a country that did not appreciate their service.

Kelly, who served with the 125th Signal Company of the 25th Infantry Division, and Gruhala, who served with the 1st Aviation Division, both returned at a time of turmoil over the country's involvement in Vietnam.

When we got back from Vietnam, we were told it was best we change out of our uniforms, Kelly said. If we did stay in uniform, they told us to stay in groups because of all the protesters. So that was my homecoming - sneak out of the airport and dont let them see you.

But 45 years later, the two veterans were treated to a different reception when the Franklin County Honor Flight brought the two veterans to Washington D.C. on June 10 to tour the nation's capital and visit the various military memorials.

There was about 35 troops, and 20 guardians aboard our flight, Kelly said. We left from St. Louis around 6 a.m. and flew to Baltimore before being bussed to Washington D.C.

One of the first surprises along the days trip occurred early. As the veterans were coming into the Baltimore Airport, they were given a proper welcome - a crowded terminal filled with people clapping for them.

We had a pretty good reception when we got to Baltimore, said Gruhala. They had an honor guard and a bunch of Annapolis sailors decked out and lined up with flags. It was pretty nice.

Once aboard the bus, the group began their trek to the capital to visit several memorials including the Vietnam War Memorial Wall, the Korean War Monument, the World War II Memorial, the Navy Memorial, the Air Force Memorial, Arlington National Cemetery for the Changing of the Guard, and the Pentagon.

Kelly said the National Parks Police served as an escort riding into the nation's capital.

The bus ride into D.C. was like riding through Saigon in a deuce and a half, Kelly said. ...they were in front of us and alongside blowing sirens.

According to both men, the trip did offer many different highlights for the veterans on board.

During the Changing of the Guard at Arlington National Cemetery, I was watching the crowd, Kelly said. They gave us directions of what to do, and I noticed everyone was paying attention.

For Kelly, who said he was not of any need of any "emotional cleansing," the trip for him was enjoyable.

Being in Washington D.C. was really a highlight for me, Kelly said. It was the first time I was in (Washington D.C.) and I was really enjoying all of the memorials.

Although both men are veterans, the two are still in awe of the World War II veterans they saw at the memorial. One in particular stood out more than any other. Senator Bob Dole was spotted at the site.

Apparently he comes to the World War II monument frequently, Kelly said. They say he can be found here most weekends.

During the trip, Gruhala experienced a moment that can be best described as almost eerie. While walking around the reflecting pool, he discovered a birds feather.

I found this feather, and I was just playing around with it, Gruhala said. When I got to the (Vietnam Memorial) wall, there was a crack close to a friend of mines name, so I placed the feather in it. Now, that had to be a sign that we were supposed to be there.

As the honor flight arrived back in St. Louis, the veterans were once again given a heros welcome. According to Gruhala, they were treated to applause, music and speeches.

Everyone who was in the military needs to take one of these flights, Gruhala said. It gives you a sense of closure, and it shows that people care about the military.

For more information about the Franklin County Honor Flight contact Rosalie McGaughn by email at mcgaughr@swbell.net.
Ahmedabad: Running hookah bars in Gujarat will now draw a maximum jail term of three years with President Pranab Mukherjee giving his assent to a bill which proposes a complete ban on such joint in the state.

Gujarat home minister Pradipsinh Jadeja informed this in a statement.

"The Cigarettes and Other Tobacco Products (Prohibition of Advertisement and Regulation of Trade and Commerce, Production, Supply and Distribution)(Gujarat Amendment) Bill, 2017 had been passed by the Gujarat Assembly in February and sent to Governor OP Kohli," he said.

"After giving his approval, the governor had sent the Bill to the president, who gave his assent recently. From now onwards, the state government will take strict action as per the new Act against those found to be running such hookah joints in the state," the minister said.

He said the amendment to the COTP Act of 2003 was necessary in order to put a total ban on hookah bars in the state to save the young generation from falling prey to this new addiction, which is "more dangerous" than cigarettes.

"Since hookah was not covered under the COTP Act of 2003, we brought this Bill to make necessary amendments in the Act to cover all kinds of activities associated with hookah bars. Our aim is to protect our youth from this dangerous addiction, which causes various kinds of cancer," Jadeja said.

As per the new Act, running a hookah bar in Gujarat will be considered a cognisable offence, which would attract a maximum fine of Rs 50,000 and a jail term up to three years, but not less than one year.
Kolkata: The Trinamool Congress on Monday dissociated itself from its six MLAs in Tripura who expressed support for NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, saying it would have no truck with them in future.

"The stand taken by six MLAs from Tripura is in no way the stand of our party. We have extended our support to Congress candidate Meira Kumar. From now on we will have no relation with these MLAs. They don't belong to our party," TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee told reporters.

He said the legislators were Congress MLAs. Only last year they joined the TMC and "they have sold themselves before money power".

Trinamool Congress legislators in Tripura on Sunday decided to vote in favour of Kovind instead of Kumar saying that they would not like to vote for someone who is supported by the CPM.

Meanwhile, party vice-president Mukul Roy, who was in charge of party affairs in Tripura, has been replaced by TMC leader Sabyascahi Dutt.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday refused an urgent hearing on a plea of former Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan seeking bail and recall of the order convicting him for contempt.

Karnan, who was arrested on 20 June in pursuance of the apex court's judgement awarding him six-month jail term for contempt of court, has requested urgent listing of his petition seeking bail and setting aside of his conviction.

"Declined. We will not accept an oral request against the judgment," a bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said.

Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, representing Karnan, said that he has been serving the jail term and his petition needs to be heard on an urgent basis.

On 21 June, a vacation bench of the apex court had refused to entertain the plea of the arrested ex-high court judge saying it "cannot override" the seven-judge bench order in the case.

Karnan, 62, who retired on 12 June as Calcutta High Court judge, was arrested on 20 June by the West Bengal CID. He had been in Coimbatore since May 9 when the apex court held him guilty for contempt of court and sentenced him to six months imprisonment.

Karnan has the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court and also the first to have retired as a fugitive.

A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, had on 9 May directed the West Bengal director general of police to take the then serving judge into custody immediately.

Despite several attempts, Karnan has failed to get any relief from the apex court's vacation benches which has refused to hear his plea seeking a stay of its jail term order.
The Supreme Court has stayed the Madras High Court's order on waiving off loans for farmers in Tamil Nadu, as per an ANI tweet:

Supreme Court stays Madras HC order waiving off loan to farmers in Tamil Nadu.  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

According to CNN News 18, the High Court, in its April order, had asked the Tamil Nadu government to waive farm loans for all farmers, instead of limiting the benefit only to those owning less than five acres of land.

The Hindu reported that a bench led by Justice Madan B Lokur stayed the High Court order in a short hearing. The report further mentioned that the government argued that the waiver would benefit small and marginal farmers with land below five acres. These farmers had taken crop loans from co-operative banks and societies.

The loan waiver meant that an additional 300,000 farmers will become eligible for the financial scheme. The burden then on the state exchequer increased from Rs 5,780 crore to Rs 7769.33 crore, as reported by The Indian Express. The land holding register and the loan register maintained by the banks do not necessarily reflect the actual land ownership. A farmer might have shown land details only for which he is seeking a loan, the court reportedly said, as per The Indian Express.

The loan waiver was notified by the Cooperation, Food and Consumer Protection Department on 23 and 25 May, 2016. The financial scheme was part of the AIADMK's election manifesto, as reported by The Hindu.

Tamil Nadu farmers have been protesting for farm loan waivers and drought relief packages since early this year, as mentioned in a previous Firstpost article.

The report states that the farmers were protesting since 14 March. A memorandum of their demands was also submitted to the Prime Minister's Office.

The farmers began fresh protests in Delhi on 19 May when a group of farmers caught the attention of the nation with bizarre forms of protests to stress on their grievances, ranging from debt to drought and suicides to scarcity.
Beijing: Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doka La area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency on Monday asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations.

Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current standoff, Xinhua news agency in a commentary said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty".

"After India's independence, the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed it in writing, acknowledging that the two sides have no objection to the border between the two sides of the Sikkim section," it said.

The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doka La area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing China-India relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue.

While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi in a statement yesterday said that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".

"Further discussions regarding finalisation of the boundary have been taking place under the Special Representatives framework," it had said.

But, Xinhua said there were a lot of evidence, including images, that the Indian military has violated the historic treaty and the commitment of successive Indian governments.

It also referred to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's release of two photographs and a map on the issue. The map shows Doka La, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan, as part of Chinese territory.

Referring to the MEA statement, the commentary said "the Indian side has claimed that China's activities pose a 'serious security impact' to India, and it is untenable".

So far China has not officially responded to India's statement on this issue.

This is the second commentary by Xinhua today.

The earlier one said India should shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival.

The CPEC is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

On the Sikkim standoff, the Xinhua commentary claimed that China is engaged in normal activities on its own territory.

"How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China's construction activities," it said.

"On a higher level, the cross-border behaviour is a further departure from the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries on the development of China-India relations," it said.

Quoting India's former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon as saying in an article recently that cooperation between India and China is good for the core interest of both the countries, the commentary said the trust can only be established with the people and the countries should be more honest.

"On the issue of border crossing by the Indian army, the Indian side should comply with the requirements of the historical treaty, earnestly implement the consensus that both sides have to respect China's territorial sovereignty, immediately withdraw the border troops to the border side of the Indian side and avoid escalating the situation," it said.

Stating that the "over the years, as two major countries on the Asian continent, China and India have reached many consensus on how to develop good bilateral relations", it said.

"China always attaches great importance to the development of Sino-Indian relations and is willing to work with India jointly promote the sustained and healthy and stable development of bilateral strategic partnership," it added.

China also emphasizes that the two sides should properly control and handle differences and sensitive issues, it said.

"The Indian leader also said recently that in a complex and volatile international situation, good India-China relations can play a stabilising role," it said, apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments made during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) last month.

"Both sides should tap the potential of cooperation, respect each other's core concerns and properly handle differences. These agreements are a strong guarantee for the smooth development of China-India relations.

"Since India has promised to 'properly deal with the differences' and India's foreign ministry recently said it 'cherishes peace and tranquillity in the India-China border region', why has it still allowed the Indian Army to cross the border? Why would it not acknowledge the mistake after the event? On the contrary why blame others while India itself is to be blamed? This is clearly paradoxical," the commentary said.

It also accused the Indian media of being "irresponsible" by hyping China threat, unjustly smearing China by "dividing" India-China relations.

"In today's world, win-win cooperation is the main theme, and 'dancing with the dragon' is the rational choice that meets the trend of the times," it said.

"China and India are two of the world's most prominent emerging economies, the common interests far greater than differences and with a pragmatic attitude, long-term view and aggressive attitude to expand and deepen bilateral partner is the right thing to do," it added.
Beijing: China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war, Chinese experts warned on Monday, amid a standoff between the two nations in the Sikkim sector.

As the standoff at the Doka La area continued for the third week, the longest between the two countries, the official media and the think-tanks in Beijing said that 'war is possible if the conflict between India and China is not handled properly'.

Of the 3,488-kilometre-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-kilometre section falls in Sikkim.

China will resolutely safeguard its border sovereignty in conflicts with Indian troops even at the cost of war, state-run Global Times quoted Chinese experts as saying.

"China is also different from what it was in 1962," Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies told the daily reacting to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's comments that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962. "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and the India of 2017 is different," Jaitley had said. "India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both countries share many similarities. For instance, they are both developing countries with huge populations," Wang said.

"There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border," the Global Times report said.

"In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers," the newspaper said.

Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said. "Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war," Zhao Gancheng, Director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper.

"A conflict between the two may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US," he said. "India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides," Wang said.

The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that India's Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an "all-weather railway corridor" with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry. "India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence," Zhao said.
Amid heightened tension at the India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction, China and India continue their longest border standoff since the 1962 war. While New Delhi has maintained a stoic silence and attempted to handle the issue in a reserved manner  apparently to protect tiny Bhutan from undue Chinese pressure  Beijing has aired its displeasure in a series of harshly worded editorials carried in state-run media.

While on one hand, rubbing salt into wound, China's military chief urged India to "learn historical lessons" reminding New Delhi of its bitter defeat in the 1962 war, another strongly worded news editorial in state-run Global Times warned India that Beijing will resolutely protect its sovereignty. A few other commentaries even mentioned a war-like situation.

"There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border," the Global Times report said.

Another news editorial published in Global Times warned India to mend its ways, adding that New Delhi was mistaken if it thinks it can afford a "showdown" with Beijing on the border. India cannot afford a showdown with China on border issues. It lags far behind China in terms of national strength and the so-called strategic support for it from the US is superficial, the article said, adding China has no desire to confront India.

A condemnatory commentary of Indian policy on China and Pakistan in Beijing's mouthpiece is hardly a surprise, with or without a border showdown. It has been a standard part of Beijing's multi-pronged approach in dealing with India. However, a closer look at the Sikkim standoff reveals that the bilateral relations have endured more than just heightened rhetoric.

Beijing has been stealthily mounting pressure on India on multiple fronts, however, New Delhi has strategically tried to negotiate through diplomatic channels, despite being snubbed twice.

Some more noticeable ones, also widely reported in Indian media include China's decision to disallow Indian pilgrims from visiting Kailash Mansarovar through Nathu La pass in the Sikkim sector.

As a fallout of the standoff, the Chinese refused to allow the first batch of 47 pilgrims into Tibet on 23 June and cancelled visas of another batch of 50 pilgrims, forcing India to suspend pilgrimage through the route. The Sikkim route to Mansarovar was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1,500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses. Beijing has made it clear that the further extension of the 'goodwill gesture' will depend on India's handling of the border dispute.

Responding to India and Beijing's allegations that China was constructing a road in Bhutan's territory, China also released a map and two photographs to assert its claims that the fact that the Indian side transgressed the border was indisputable. The map shows Doka La as part of Chinese territory.

On Sunday, China also cancelled a state-sponsored trip of Indian journalists to Tibet.

China also tested a 35-tonne military tank in the Tibet area not far from the Indian border on 29 June. Even though Beijing later clarified that the test was not aimed at any particular country, the timing made analysts in India anxious about the move as five Indian states share a border with Tibet.

Beijing's Peoples' Liberation Army also bulldozed two old Indian bunkers located at the tri-junction after the Indian side refused to accede to its request to dismantle it.

China is believed to have not taken kindly to India building many new bunkers and upgrading older ones along the border in Sikkim in the recent past to augment its defences.

China also declined India's request for a flag meeting between Indian and Chinese twice, maintaining that the "precondition for any meaningful dialogue" will be India withdrawing its troops. However, it later conceded to New Delhi's requests stating it was ready for a meaningful dialogue.

Beijing's handling of the issue leads one to believe that the border standoff is more about India-China bilateral relations, rather than Bhutan, with which it has a boundary dispute. Sikkim is a part of the middle sector and experts have been warning the government of increased Chinese activities in this area.

Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

China has also increased diplomatic pressure on India and lodged a protest over the alleged "crossing of boundary" by Indian troops in the Sikkim section. Some analysts go as far as speculating that the current standoff at the tri-junction is just another way of arm twisting India into joining its One Belt One Road (OBOR) initiative.

According to a report in The Times of India, an oped in the state-run news agency signalled that Beijing might reconsider its stand on the Sikkim border standoff if India decided to join OBOR. Beijing is also upset with New Delhi over the recent visit of the Dalai Lama to Arunachal Pradesh.

India would do well to stay wary and recount China's expansionist and ruthless policy in border disputes, which is evident in it's handling of Hong Kong, Tibet, Taiwan and South China Sea.

Chinese president Xi Jinping chided dissenters in Hong Kong even during an amicable trip. China has had land border disputes with all its neighbors and has resolved issues with 12 other nations, except India and Bhutan.

With inputs from agencies
Beijing: India's objection to China building a road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its "firm determination" to "constrain" China's rise, an article in a state-run daily in Beijing said on Monday.

"Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India, but also strengthen India's advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China," the article in the Global Times said.

"The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US India's firm determination to constrain China's rise," the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.

"For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modi's visit to the US," it said on the ongoing stand-off in Doklam.

In addition, the Indian government has started an anti-dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing China's rise.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs statement in New Delhi, the Doklam incident took place on 16 June whereas Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that the stand-off in which the Indian troops objected to the People's Liberation Army soldiers' building a road occurred on 18 June.

Modi had visited US from 25-27 June.

Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump had approved the sale of 22 Guardian MQ-9B drones for India. Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modi's two-day visit to the US, people link India's bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," it said.

The daily also downplayed Modi's visit, saying it was "not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved."

At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a "relatively harmonious" relationship with Trump. "Both of them made keynote speeches to praise each other

and did all they could to avoid touching on disputes between the two countries," it said.

"The two countries have aligned their interests in defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. The US supports India to counterbalance China, but tries not to offend China as Trump still needs China's help on many issues," it said.

About US designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist", the article said it accords with the "US view that Pakistan is a source of

regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement".

"Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," it said.

"Although Modi didn't mention the existing problems in India's ties with the US, Trump reminded him of protectionism in trade and investment in India that jeopardises US interests," it said.
New Delhi: It is so convenient that there is no bundle of files on the dais, Chief Justice JS Khehar said on Monday as the Supreme Court rolled out its ambitious paperless project by going into the digital mode to conduct the day's matters.

The chief justice expressed happiness saying the move has helped in removing the bundles of files from the podium.

"From Sunday, I am very happy because it is so convenient. There are no bundles of files here (at the dias)," the CJI said while hearing a matter on the first day of reopening of the apex court after summer vacation.

Justice Khehar, who was holding the bench along with Justice DY Chandrachud, occasionally took the help of the court staff to go through the files in digital mode and conducted the day's hearing without any hiccup.

While trying to adjust to the digital mode, some of the judges in the first five courtrooms also resorted to the conventional style of going through the hard copies of the case files.

A bench headed by CJI Khehar had on 23 March said that the apex court will go "paperless" within six to seven months.

Later at a seminar here on 10 May, CJI Khehar, in the presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, had said digital filing of cases would make the judicial system "extremely transparent" and rule out any manipulation of the records.

While the ball was set to go digital, the apex court today also changed the location of some courtrooms which created some confusion among the lawyers, litigants and scribes as they had to rush from one corner to the other.

Former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi, who was present in one of the courtrooms, said with the renumbering of some courts, "the courtroom of registrars have now been made courtrooms and the courtrooms have now been turned into court of registrars".

"The advocates are now rushing from one corner to the other in the apex court," he told a bench headed by Justice J Chelameswar.

Similarly, senior advocate Dushyant Dave told a bench headed by Justice Chelameswar that "from now on, the apex court will see leaner and thinner members of the bar as they will have to rush to the newly created courtrooms."

Some of the newly created courtrooms have been shifted to the first floor of the apex court. The location of courtrooms six, seven, eight and nine have been changed.

The top court has also upgraded its display board systems as new boards have been installed inside and outside the courtrooms.

The apex court registry had on Sunday said that the paperless digitisation project would be implemented gradually and, in the first phase, only fresh matters listed in first five courts would be accessed by the judges digitally on an interactive display device.

The registry had said that all the high courts in the country have been provided with login IDs to upload digitised records in the prescribed format.

"The Supreme Court has made all the preparations to make the court paperless. As the concept of paperless court involves various technical and functional issues, it is proposed to implement the project gradually, as it would be a new method of working for the advocates and judges," the apex court registry had said in a press release.

The registry had said that the apex court had extended the facilities of disseminating details to all concerned by providing two helpdesks at the two reception counters in the court premises.
Following an alleged terrorist attack on a police party near a bus stand in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag on Sunday, a policeman has been grievously injured and was admitted to the hospital, several media reports said. ANI, which initially reported that the policeman succumbed to his injuries, later clarified saying that the policeman is injured and is in critical condition.

#UPDATE Police issues clarification, policeman who was shot at by terrorists is alive and admitted to hospital in critical condition  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

J&K: A policeman has lost his life after terrorists attacked a police party near bus stand in Anantnag.(visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/LiVHzi9L6A  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

On Saturday, a civilian was killed when security forces launched search operations at Dailgam village in Anantnag district, following information that two militants were hiding in the area, ANI had reported.

Officials had said that they laid a cordon after receiving specific information and while the cordon was being laid, some militants opened fire. As forces were trying to open the house, the militants fired and army retaliated and in the crossfire, a lady got killed, the official statement read.

Following a protracted encounter between security forces and militants, Lashkar-e-Taiba militant Bashir Lashkari was killed along with his associate, who is believed to be Ajad Ahmed Malik.

Along with the militants, two civilians had also reportedly died in the crossfire. A police spokesman had said that these trapped militants were involved in the killing of an SHO and five other policemen in Achabal area of south Kashmir on 16 June.

The Jammu and Kashmir police had announced a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on Lashkari after the attack on the SHO.

With inputs from agencies
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Locals in the Malangpora area of Pulwama district in Jammu and Kashmir helped escape at least two to three militants, several news reports said. A stone-pelting mob clashed with the security forces, who had launched a cordon and search operation after reports emerged that suspected militants were trapped in the area.

According to latest reports one terrorist has been neutralised during another encounter in Bahmnoo area of Pulwama while two other militants are suspected to be trapped.

J&K: One terrorist has been gunned down by security forces in Pulwama's Bamnoo, two others trapped. Operation continues (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/noyTSYyg3U  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

According to a report by CNN-News 18, suspected terrorists were holed up in Malangpora area, however, locals helped them flee during massive midnight protests. India Today TV also reported that the terrorists, identified as top Hizbul Mujahideen commanders, escaped early morning on Monday as the locals disrupted the search operations being carried out since Sunday evening.

#UPDATE -- Locals help terrorists, who were holed up in Pulwama, flee during midnight protest | Reports @islahmufti pic.twitter.com/MQWVxiNfGq  News18 (@CNNnews18) July 3, 2017

India Today reported that three militants are suspected to be holed up, of which two have been identified as Reyaz Naikoo, a top Hizbul Mujahideen commander and his aide Saifulla Mir. Naikoo was made commander of the terror outfit in May this year, after Sabzar Ahmed Bhat was killed during an encounter in Tral.

On Saturday, security forces killed top Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Bashir Lashkari who masterminded the gruesome murder of six policemen, including officer Feroz Dar last month, in an encounter following a cordon operation.

Two civilians were also killed near the site of the gunfight where a stone-pelters had gathered to disrupt the operation.

Lashkari belonged to Sopshali village in Kokernag area of Anantnag district. He carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.

As news about Lashkari's death spread in Anantnag, Pulwama, Kulgam and Shopian districts, people began flocking to Sopshali village.

Separatist leaders have called for a protest shutdown in the Valley on Sunday against the killing of the two militants and the two civilians in Brenthi Batapora village.

With inputs from IANS
New Delhi: The Centre on Monday condemned Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's recent utterances against India, and said his designation as a global terrorist by the United States was "well deserved".

Home Ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad said the government had been describing Salahuddin as a terrorist all along, and his own remarks had confirmed that.

"His designation as a global terrorist by the US is well deserved," he told reporters here.

Prasad said Salahuddin was also "instrumental" in providing funds to terrorists and separatists and giving other kinds of assistance to the militants.

Salahuddin had on 1 July claimed that his group had the capability to launch attacks inside India.

The US declared him a "Specially Designated Global Terrorist" on 27 June.

"We are not terrorists... Our struggle is for freedom from India and it will continue till the liberation of Kashmir," the 71-year-old Kashmiri separatist leader, who is based in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had said.
Islamabad: A delegation of bipartisan US senators on Monday met Prime Minister's Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and "appreciated" Pakistan's contributions in the fight against terrorism, underlining the need to forge closer bilateral cooperation in confronting peace and security challenges in the region.

The five-member delegation led by Senator John McCain visited Pakistan days after the US blacklisted Syed Salahuddin, the chief of Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, as a "global terrorist".

The US' decision is a severe blow to Pakistan which has been projecting 71-year-old Kashmiri separatist leader as a "freedom fighter".

McCain, thanking Aziz on behalf of the delegation that included senators Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren and David Perdue "appreciated the contributions and sacrifices made by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism," the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement.

"He said that continued engagement with Pakistan, a close friend and ally of the US, was important, it said. The Senators agreed with the need for the US and Pakistan to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond, the statement said.

Welcoming the US Senators, Aziz underlined the importance of regular high-level contacts and appreciated McCain, Graham and Whitehouse for their continued engagement and regular visits to Pakistan to promote understanding and cooperation between the two countries.

Aziz underscored the significance of the long-standing cooperation between the two countries and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional.

"The strategic partnership between Pakistan and the US is critical to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond," he said. Aziz also apprised the US Senate delegation about Pakistan's "success" in combating terrorism and said that the "terrorist networks have been dismantled, their sanctuaries eliminated under the overarching National Action Plan."

Aziz said Pakistan remained committed to support efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"Pakistan looked forward to constructive engagement with the US on all efforts and initiatives that would lead to a stable and prosperous Afghanistan," he said.

He said that Pakistan was also ready to strengthen and deepen its partnership with the US to counter the new and emerging terrorism threats including the expanding footprint of Islamic State in the region.

In the meeting, he also raised concern over the alleged "human rights violations" in Kashmir and "international communitys silence" on the issue. He stressed that Pakistan "firmly" believed in the "legitimacy of the Kashmir cause and the peaceful struggle of the Kashmiri people."
While the Goods and Services Tax (GST) was launched on 1 July midnight amidst much pomp and celebration, they were interspersed with protests and confusion as to what exactly GST entailed. Despite being India's biggest tax reform since Independence, the public remains unaware of its effects.

Firstpost spoke to many in Mumbai to know what does the public know about GST - ranging from traders, businessmen to consumers - asking them about how they viewed the new law. While the measure is being billed as making doing business easier by simplifying the tax structure and ensuring greater compliance, businesses, particularly small traders, are nervous about the new tax filing system. Terming the GST a "good and simple tax", Prime Minister Narendra Modi said it will put an end to harassment of honest traders and small businesses while integrating the country into one market with one tax.
Patna: Amid signs of rift in the Mahagathbandhan (Grand Alliance), Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal United leader Nitish Kumar on Sunday once again attacked Congress  its ally in the state  at the party executive meeting in Patna, CNN-News18 reported.

Nitish Kumar slammed Congress saying that the grand old party has ''dumped Mahatma Gandhi's ideology''.

"We do not follow anyone, we are clear with our principles," CNN-News18 quoted Kumar as saying.

Kumar blamed Congress for the current mess in the Opposition, adding that the "idea of a Sangh-mukt Bharat cannot fructify without taking all opposition parties into confidence'', reported The Indian Express.

Kumar expressed his displeasure with Congress over the way the party declared their presidential candidate. He also blamed Congress for not taking his party into confidence for the presidential polls, adds the report.

Kumar, however, refrained from making any comment against Rashtriya Janata Dal or its leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's rally "BJP hatao, desh bachao", scheduled for August.

"We will definitely participate in the rally if RJD extends its invitation to our leader Nitish Kumar," Bihar JD(U) chief spokesman Sanjay Singh told reporters in Patna on Saturday. Earlier there were media reports that JD(U) would not participate in the RJD's August rally.

The news of trouble in the Grand Alliance has been doing the rounds since the JD(U) unilaterally announced its support to former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind, NDA's presidential candidate.

According to a report in the Times of India, Kumar was unhappy with Congress general-secretary Ghulam Nabi Azads's remark made at an iftar dinner in Patna on 21 June about the presidential election.

Azad had reportedly criticised JD(U) chief indirectly at the iftar dinner. "People who have one principle make one decision, but those who believe in many principles make different decisions," NDTV quoted Azad as saying during the meet.

The JD(U) had taken this as "character assassination" and had said that support to Ram Nath Kovind's candidature was a one-time matter.
New Delhi: Taking on Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik in his home district, BJP chief Amit Shah will launch a door-to-door campaign in Ganjam on Tuesday as he begins a three-day tour of the eastern state to strengthen the party.

Shah will lead the campaign at Hugulapata village in Ganjam, Patnaik's home district, and later hold a meeting with booth workers in the village, a party statement said.

After the meeting, he will leave for Berhampur.

The statement said he will be accorded a "grand reception" by party workers there and will later address a meeting of workers from four districts.

On 5 July, Shah will leave for Jaipur where he will offer prayers at the historical Biraja Temple before embarking on a door-to-door campaign in the district's Binjharpur block, it said. He will address booth workers there, too.

He will address booth workers there, too.

He will later hold a meeting with BJP state office-bearers, those in charge of districts, presidents and state executive members, it said, adding that the tour would witness several other organisational events.

Odisha holds extra importance in Shah's scheme of things for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls as he believes that the party can increase its tally significantly in the state. Currently, it holds just one of the 21 seats from Odisha.

Currently, it holds just one of the 21 seats from Odisha.

The saffron party had put up an impressive show in the recent local polls and is now seen as the main challenger to the BJD.

With an eye on the next Lok Sabha elections, Shah has undertaken a nationwide tour programme spread over 110 days.
Jaipur: Congress leader Ashok Gehlot on Saturday alleged that the BJP government in Rajasthan is indulging in politics of vengance by cancelling the national jamboree of the Bharat Scouts and Guides in the state.

Rajasthan was given responsibility to hold the national jamboree and the then Congress government led by Gehlot had allocated Rs 10 crore for it.

Gehlot said in a statement that the current BJP government in the state has shut down the country's first scout school which was announced by him in 2013 when he was the chief minister.

"Now, the students are being given TC which has disappointed them and their parents. The BJP government has murdered the initiative right after its birth," Gehlot alleged.
The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and others seeking quashing of a money laundering case registered against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The move comes as a major setback to the Congress leader, his wife and son. "The petitions are devoid of substance, consequentially the same are dismissed," PTI quoted Justice RK Gauba as saying.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier summoned 83-year-old Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh for questioning in this regard.

The ED in September 2015 had lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI. The CBI had filed a charge sheet on 31 March, hours after the high court refused to quash the FIR lodged against Singh and his wife in the disproportionate assets case.

The high court, which had rubbished the chief minister's claim that the FIR was the result of a "political vendetta", had paved the way for criminal proceedings which were stalled due to an order passed on 1 October, 2015 by the Himachal Pradesh High Court restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating and filing the charge sheet against the accused.

The ED had earlier termed as "premature" Singh's plea for quashing of the money laundering case proceedings. It had said the plea seeking a stay on the proceedings was "not maintainable" as the inquiry into the matter was at a preliminary stage.

The agency is probing allegations against Singh and his family members of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union minister of steel. It has also attached assets worth about Rs 14 crore in this case under the PMLA.

In July 2016, LIC agent Anand Chauhan was arrested by the ED under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case.

The probe agency had alleged that Singh, while serving as the Union minister, had invested huge amounts in purchasing LIC policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan.

With inputs from PTI
A day after attacking its coalition partner Congress at the party executive meeting in Patna, JD(U) chief and Chief Minister of Bihar Nitish Kumar on Monday played down the rift in the Bihar Grand Alliance or Mahagathbandhan. "What I said during party meeting yesterday (Sunday) was in a particular context, don't interpret it differently. Humne pehle bhi kaha hai ki Congress badi party hai, alternate narrative aur agenda set karna chahiye (As we had said earlier, Congress is a big a party and we need to set an alternative agenda)," Nitish Kumar said while addressing a press conference in Patna.

Humne pehle bhi kaha hai ki Congress badi party hai, alternate narrative aur agenda set karna chahiye: CM Nitish Kumar  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Opposition needs an alternate narrative, just reactive narrative wont work:CM Nitish Kumar  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Even though Nitish tried his best to playdown the rift within the ruling party in Bihar, the chief minister was critical of the Congress and Lalu Prasad Yadav-led Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) more than he was of the BJP. Taking a dig at Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, Nitish said, "We have forgotten the farmer issue, many within the Congress and opposition admit in private that issues like demonetisation etc does not work against the BJP government."

Another point of contention within the Mahagathbandhan was the JD(U)'s decision to attend the launch event of GST in Parliament at the midnight stroke of 30 June. Senior JD(U) leader and Bihar energy minister Bijender Prasad Yadav attended the special session, while the Lalu-led RJD and the Congress had boycotted it.

There was no invitation,so where is the question of attending or skipping?: CM Nitish Kumar on #GST midnight event pic.twitter.com/nm8yPtfz8i  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Nitish on Sunday had slammed Congress saying that the grand old party had ''dumped Mahatma Gandhi's ideology''. Replying to the question on leading the Opposion for the 2019 Lok Sabha Elections, Nitish Kumar said he is not the face for upcoming General Elections in 2019. "Ours is a small party and we don't have that potential," Kumar said. When asked why he skipped the GST launch event, Nitish Kumar said that he was not invited in the first place. He added that his party has always supported GST as "it will bring transparency to the system." "We fully support the GST tax reform. Any problems at the beginning will be ironed out," NDTV quoted Kumar as saying.

Talking about former Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar and BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi, Nitish said, "He (Sushil) is a former colleague, he has a habit of giving statements everyday. He does it for the media."

He has a habit of giving statements daily, I don't read and neither do I have interest: CM Nitish Kumar on Sushil Modi's allegations pic.twitter.com/oJBb10TY9j  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

"In 2015 Bihar election, Mahagathbandhan was strong, and it will continue to be so," Nitish said on Monday. Nitish had blamed Congress for the current mess in the Opposition, adding that the "idea of a Sangh-mukt Bharat cannot fructify without taking all Opposition parties into confidence''.

The Bihar chief minister on Sunday had expressed his displeasure with the Congress over the way the party declared their presidential candidate. He had also criticised the Congress for not taking his party into confidence for the presidential polls. Nitish had refrained from making any comment against RJD or its leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's rally "BJP hatao, desh bachao", scheduled for August.

The JD(U) and the RJD, along with the Congress, are part of the mahagathbandhan in Bihar. The news of trouble in the grand alliance has been doing the rounds since the JD(U) unilaterally announced its support to former Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind, NDA's presidential candidate. Lalu Prasad Yadav had, however, criticised Nitish Kumar, saying Bihar chief minister had committed a "historical mistake" by extending support to Kovind.
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Hyderabad: By not visiting Palestine during his forthcoming visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi would "strengthen the occupation of West Bank and Gaza" by the Jewish State, AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday.

"The prime minister, during his three-day visit, is not visiting the occupied territories, which we (Indian leaders in the past) have done (visited). Whenever any Indian authorities went to Israel, they have maintained ties with Palestine... we also reaffirmed our support to the Palestinian cause. "That's why I say this (Modi not visiting Palestine) will strengthen the occupation of the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza," Owaisi told reporters.

"Agenda now is that the cause of Palestine is no more dearer to this particular government, which had been visited by representatives of every previous government. That has been the cornerstone of our foreign policy," the Hyderabad MP said.

Claiming that Israeli armaments, including border sensors and drones, have been ineffective in the country, he asked why the Centre has given contract to Israeli companies which were blacklisted earlier.

On Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who was recently declared a global terrorist by the United States, Owaisi said that America should also adopt a stern attitude towards another terrorist leader Hafiz Saeed, whose declaration as a United Nations designated terrorist has been blocked repeatedly by China.

Modi's three-day visit to Israel, beginning Tuesday, will be the first by an Indian premier. The visit is aimed at commemorating 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Modi will also hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.
In a series of newspaper interviews on Sunday, Nasim Zaidi, the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) who retires on 5 July, pointed to a slew of proposed electoral reforms that deserve national attention.

Zaidi told the Hindustan Times he would have retired with more satisfaction had the government agreed to make political funding more transparent. Zaidi also reflected upon the years he spent heading one of Indian democracys most important institutions.

When asked by The Indian Express which electoral reform was the need of the hour, Zaidi said political funding must be transparent. Zaidi did not mince words, saying the government's recent moves vitiated transparency rather than improving it.

Zaidi said: The recent amendments to the Companies Act has done away with profit-making clause for companies to make donations. They also no longer need to disclose the break-up of contributions made to different parties. Of course, corporate funding will increase as there is no limit to how much they can donate. Loss-making companies will also qualify to make payments. People want to know details of corporate donors to check for quid pro quo and if any benefits are passed on to such companies by the elected government.

Zaidi said recent amendments enacted by the Centre would keep people from knowing details of corporate donations.

Speaking to The Times of India on the issue of electoral bonds, Zaidi said: The recent amendments to Representation of the Peoples Act have affected transparency in political funding. Contribution reports of political parties need not mention names and addresses of those contributing by way of electoral bonds. We have written to the government that this way parties will never file contributions received through electoral bonds. And if commission will never get to know of the contributions  and EC regularly displays such information on its website  people will also not get to know.

How many retiring CECs speak with such candour, rub the government the wrong way and most likely forfeit the opportunity to get a lucrative post-retirement assignment that the government hands out to 'loyal' officers?

Clearly, when Zaidi took those parting shots at the government, he did it out of regard for his office and the public interest. But it isn't as if Zaidi waited until it was time to step down. He has been making these points since finance minister Arun Jaitley introduced electoral bonds in this year's budget; since then, Zaidi wrote several letters to the government to reconsider the matter. However, so far, the government has refused to heed the concerns about transparency raised by the Election Commission (EC).

Replying to a question on electoral bonds by the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, the EC said in May: These bonds can only be bought through cheque\e-transfer and therefore clean tax paid money could be used for political funding through electoral bonds However, the amendment in Section 29 C of the Representation of the Peoples Act, 1951, making it no longer necessary to report details of donations received through electoral bonds, is a retrograde step, as transparency of political funding would be compromised

Zaidi and the EC have also taken up with the government the fact that while the finance minister in the budget amended the law to ensure all political donations above Rs 2,000 were to be made by cheque, the Representation of the Peoples Act was not amended to lower the donation threshold to be declared to the EC from Rs 20,000 to Rs 2,000. Zaidi said: The act continues to provide opaqueness to contributions between Rs 2,000 and Rs 20,000. This must be addressed.

Zaidi also flagged several other issues. Replying to a question about the EC demanding the power to make bribery a ground for countermanding polls and the governments refusal to accept this, he said: The correspondence on making bribery a ground for countermanding has been going on since 2016. Bribery has been happening repeatedly. Even in the latest RK Nagar bypoll, Rs 100 crore was distributed. In the last round of Assembly polls in five states, Rs 350 crore cash was recovered. The past years experience of flagrant abuse of money reinforces our belief that we must get powers to countermand polls on grounds of large-scale bribery of voters. EC will continue to pursue the matter.

Zaidi also said he had been the government to take up two other bribery-related measures for free and fair polling, but to no avail. The first is to make bribery a cognisable offence. Second, we want offence of paid news criminalised with punishment for two years.

However, despite the obstacles in his way, Zaidi and his team have succeeded in upholding the EC's credibility through the state elections conducted in the past two years. In the process, the EC has received brickbats from both the Centre and the Opposition, a sure-fire sign that it is doing something right.

In the run-up to last year's election, the Mamata Banerjee government initially refused to carry out the CEC's instructions to transfer several district magistrates and police officers who allegedly favoured the ruling party but the EC stood its ground and threatened to countermand the election. Banerjee had no choice but to back down.

The EC also acquitted itself well during the Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs) controversy. After it was drubbed in several elections, the Aam Aadmi Party alleged that EVMs had been hacked to favour the BJP. While that did not explain the Congress' landslide victory in Punjab, the EC invited all political parties, particularly AAP on 3 June to a 'hackathon challenge'.

The outcome was that the EC reaffirmed the belief of the people in free and fair elections.

Zaidi has not merely summoned courage to raise the fundamental issues to make the electoral process more credible. He has, through his dignified conduct and measured words and actions, upheld the sanctity of a constitutional position crucial for the survival of Indian democracy.

We, as Indians, must be proud of Nasim Zaidi.
Ever since Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar announced support for the NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, speculations have been rife that the ruling Grand Alliance of JD(U)-RJD-Congress in the state is heading for a split.

After the historic win in the last Bihar Assembly election, a rift between Lalu Prasad Yadav and Nitish Kumar, leaders of the two largest factions of the Mahagathbandhan, first came to light in March 2017. The Supreme Court delivered a judgment, reviving criminal conspiracy charges against Lalu in the pending cases in the fodder scam.

Soon after, names of Lalu's family members also cropped up in the Benami property deal case. The problem for Nitish was that those charged also included deputy chief minister Tejashwi Yadav, senior minister Tej Pratap, and Rajya Sabha MP Misa Bharti. Nitish has been careful in reacting to these charges against his alliance partner and his family, not once coming out in his support. He realised he had more to lose than anybody else if he chose sides unwisely at the time.

Cut to late June: Right after Nitish had announced his decision to support Kovind's candidature, Lalu was quick to point out that Kumar has made a "historical mistake", stirring up a hornet's nest.

The chief minister's relationship with the third faction in the alliance, Congress, has not fared particularly well either. In what is being seen as the latest threat to the Mahagathbandhan, Nitish on Monday that said Congress should present an alternative agenda against the Narendra Modi government and merely harping on Opposition unity won't help the country, while denying reports of differences between Congress and JD(U), The Economic Times reported.

On Sunday, Nitish attacked JD(U)'s ally Congress after the latter accused him of "dumping Mahatma Gandhi's ideology", CNN-News18 reported. "We do not follow anyone, we are clear with our principles," he said.

However, on Sunday, he tried to clarify his previous statement. "What I said during party meeting was in a particular context, don't interpret it differently. There is no threat to Mahagathbandhan," he said.

It is not hard to miss that his final sentence is perhaps not very accurate, if one went by what JD(U) leaders have had to say about the party's relationship with ally Congress.

Nitish blamed Congress for the "current mess" in the Opposition, adding that the "idea of a Sangh-mukht Bharat cannot fructify without taking all Opposition parties into confidence'', according to The Indian Express. He went on to express his displeasure with Congress over the way the party announced their presidential candidate, and blamed Congress for not taking JD(U) into confidence for the presidential polls, the report says.

Other party leaders like KC Tyagi have also been vocal about a possible split, wondering why the Congress seemed bent on pushing the Grand Alliance towards its end. Our support to Kovind is an isolated incident. Why are some people bent on making it permanent with such comments and shortening the life of our Grand Alliance? Financial Express quoted Tyagi as saying.

Another JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha in a Facebook post attacked the Congress for questioning Nitish. His post said, A Congress leader has issued a statement on Nitish Kumars principles. This leader is the member of the same Congress Youth Brigade which was busy destroying democratic values and principles during the Emergency. I would like to remind the senior Congress leader that Nitish Kumar had to spend 19 months in jail, along with lakhs of others across the country, because of the principles of the Congress and youth leaders like himself.

According to a report in The Times of India, Kumar was also unhappy with Congress general secretary Ghulam Nabi Azad's recent remark made at an iftar dinner in Patna on 21 June about the presidential election. Azad had reportedly criticised the JD(U) chief indirectly saying, "People who have one principle make one decision, but those who believe in many principles make different decisions," according to NDTV.

Financial Express reported that Bihar Congress has said that the party high command in Delhi would review the statements by JD(U) leaders, not the state unit.

But senior JD(U) leader Pavan Varma, in an interview with The Quint, said that it would be wrong to presume that Nitish will leave the Mahagathbandhan for the NDA just because of the way recent events have shaped up. "The Grand Alliance was configured with great care and attention to detail in 2015. It has the mandate of the people. I dont believe Nitish (Nitish Kumar) intends to break it," the report quoted Varma as saying.

If a split does indeed happen, most of the involved parties stand with nothing much to gain. In the 243-member Bihar Legislative Assembly, RJD is still the largest party with a strength of 80 MLAs. Nitish's JD(U) is the second largest party with 71 MLAs, followed by BJP with 53 MLAs, Congress with 27 MLAs and five MLAs from other parties. To form the government, a party or an alliance needs 122 seats out of the 243.

Arithmetic tells us that any rift in the Mahagathbandhan will spell a hung parliament. Even if only Congress moves away, JD(U) and RJD will remain short of 15 MLAs. The other parties are also of no use for the RJD as they have just five MLAs among them.

The only other two parties with any hope of forming an alliance, in case the Grand Alliance collapses, are JD(U) and BJP. The JD(U) already has 71 MLAs, so to form or retain power without the help of RJD and the Congress, Nitish will need at least 51 MLAs.

This leaves BJP as the only other party with the required number  in fact more than sufficient with its 53 MLAs  in the Bihar Assembly to help JD(U) remain in power. In short, both RJD and Congress will be affected the most if the troika in Bihar is broken, and Nitish decides to go with the BJP. But if he does that, he will have to go back on the scathing attacks on the BJP that he has made in the past.

Nitish has not commented yet on RJD rally "BJP hatao, desh bachao", which is scheduled for August. He also did not refer to the BJP or Modi in his speech on Sunday. Mein kissi ke peechhe-peechhe nahin chalta, balki apni nitiyon par kayam rahta hoon (I am not the one to follow others, I follow my policies)," he said. Following demonetisation, Nitish had said the stated objectives of curbing black money and corruption could be achieved only if "notebandi" was followed up with a war on benami property.

If nothing else, one thing is clear: Nitish likes to keep his options open as far as possible. As far as the Mahagathbandhan is concerned, only time will tell how long an alliance as fragile as that can survive.

With inputs from agencies
Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that he was not in the race to become the prime minister in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Describing his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) as "a small party", Nitish Kumar said: "My party is a regional party and I am not at all in the race for the post of PM."

Nitish Kumar said he had said earlier that the Congress was a big party and it had every right to set the agenda and inform all the opposition parties.

The Congress should start work on an agenda only after approval from other opposition parties, he said.

"Opposition parties have to decide their role and they should start preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the opposition needs an alternative narrative, just a reactive narrative wont work."

The JD(U) leader also said that opposition parties should be united at the national level.

In a reply to a question, Nitish Kumar said he did not attend the GST unveiling in Parliament because he was not invited.

"If I had got the invitation from the central government, I would have attended the GST meeting in Delhi."

He said the Goods and Services Tax regime was a good system and he had supported it since the beginning.

"Whatever issue is in the interest of the people and the country, I always support and always stand for it."

Nitish Kumar refuted reports of cracks in Bihar's ruling Grand Alliance of JD(U), the RJD and the Congress led by him. "The Mahagathbandhan is intact."
Only the guy who isn't rowing has time to rock the boat, said Nobel laureate Jean-Paul Sartre, one of the most ardent believers in the philosophy of existentialism and phenomenology. Understanding Nitish Kumars existentialism in the otherwise turbulent waters of the phenomenon called Bihar Mahagathbandhan becomes easier in the backdrop of Satres experience.

Kumar is a master rower. He knows how to steer his boat to safety when the waters get rough. He can spot a floating iceberg even from a distance. And he knows his limit: this far and no further.

Nobody was, therefore, taken aback on Monday when the Bihar chief minister played down reports of a rift in the grand alliance. He was, in fact, seen swearing by the Mahagathbandhan at a specially convened press conference on Monday.

Are you aware of his latest standpoint? If not, read what he had said on Sunday as well: If invited, Ill surely attend RJDs anti-BJP rally in AugustI believe in coalition dharmaI have always lived by its rulesAnd I shall continue to do so in future as well. All those who had attended the state executive meeting of the ruling JD(U) in Patna werent confused about Kumars current positioning any longer.

Kumar isnt at loggerheads with Lalu Prasad Yadavs RJD. He is, in fact, annoyed with the Congress, a party that according to him is solely responsible for the Oppositions mess.

Read what the Indian Express wrote quoting Kumar in this context: The idea of a Sangh-mukt Bharat cannot fructify without taking all Opposition parties into confidence. The Congress alone is to blame for the current mess in the Opposition foldIt is because of the Congress that we could not have an alliance in Uttar PradeshIt was because of the Congress that we could not have an alliance in AssamAnd the Congress did not take us into confidence for the presidential polls as well.

Its significant that just 24 hours after lambasting the Congress, Kumar convened a press conference on Monday to clarify things further on the issue of Bihars grand alliance. Here is a gist of what he said:

 Merely talking about the unity of Opposition parties is just not enough. All Opposition parties should look at Bihars Mahagathbandhan as an example of how to effectively come together. The grand alliance was formed when we were fully ready. Things were clear from the beginning. There was no confusion, whatsoever.

 I have said what I had to. You can take it as it is or you can interpret it the way you want. Thats your choice. But please dont drag the issue.

 After the presidential election, we have the vice-presidential election within a few weeks. We view this as a very important eventYou will have to wait and see what we have in mind for it.

The Bihar chief minister made yet another important announcement at the press conference: I am not the face of the Opposition. I do not have the capability of being the Opposition face for 2019. I dont want that role, nor do I have the capability. Let it be clear once and for all that I dont want to be the prime minister.

Be that as it may, Kumars repeated clarifications are meant to convey two things: first, let the political focus be shifted from Patna to New Delhi. And second, all is not lost on the Opposition front which has, of late, been smarting under the BJP onslaught.

Explanations coupled with introspection apart, its significant that the Bihar chief minister refused to retract his criticism of the Congress which, in his words, happens to be the weakest link in the Opposition. He urged the big party to take a clear and forceful lead in setting an alternative narrative for the next General Election to Lok Sabha.

Now that Kumar has explained his point of view rather clearly, a fresh question has come up out of nowhere: will the Congress rise from the ashes to build an alternative narrative effectively?

Lets keep our fingers crossed in the meantime.
At a time when the security forces are battling militants across Kashmir, Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra has asked the Union government to relieve him of his duties, CNN-News18 reported. However, the Union home ministry said that it has not received any request from Vohra relieving him of his responsibility.

As of now, no proposal has been received in MHA about J&K Governor NN Vohra wanting to resign: Home ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad pic.twitter.com/9i6lx1rUXV  News18 (@CNNnews18) July 3, 2017

So far Home ministry has not received any proposal from J&K governor N N Vohra offering to resign: MHA Spokesperson  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

According to the report, Vohra is tipped to be replaced by the present Union Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi.

While the reasons for his request is not known yet, CNN-News 18 reported that fatigue and the deteriorating security situation in the valley might have contributed to Vohra's decision to quit.

Vohra, a 1959-batch IAS officer, who took over as the governor from Lt Gen (Retired) SK Sinha in June 2008, is the first civilian governor of the state after Jagmohan, who resigned after militancy emerged in the Kashmir Valley in 1990. Vohra was re-appointed to the post in 2013.

In August 2016, there were reports of Vohra being replaced by the Centre. The report had come just weeks after the valley erupted over the encounter of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani. The report also said that even though the Centre acknowledged Vohra's work for Jammu and Kashmir, it felt that the state needed a new strategy to control the tense situation in the state.

Vohra is a senior bureaucrat who had served as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1997 to 1998, and was awarded the Padma Vibhushan in 2007.
New Delhi: All six independent members in the Rajya Sabha are likely to vote for the NDA's presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind, giving a boost to the BJP's efforts to get him over two-thirds of the total strength of the electoral college.

While some of the members have been supportive of the BJP on most issues, others too have come around to its appeal to vote for Kovind, a senior party leader said.

Rajeev Chandrasekhar, an investor who is part of the NDA in Kerala; Sanjay Dattatraya Kakade, a Maharashtra businessman who has joined the BJP; Subhash Chandra, the Zee Group chairman elected to the Upper House with the BJP's support and industrialist Parimal Nathwani are among the independent MPs in the House.

Amar Singh, who has been expelled from the Samajwadi Party, and AV Swamy of Odisha are two other members under the independent category.

"We have approached them and are expecting that they will vote for Kovind," a BJP leader said.

With a majority of votes firmly behind him, Kovind's election as the next president is virtually guaranteed and the saffron party is now working overtime to win over independents, smaller parties and fence-sitters to increase his lead over Meira Kumar, the opposition's candidate.

Kovind is currently on a tour of different states to speak to lawmakers supporting his candidature.

He will be in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh on Tuesday and in Karnataka on Wednesday.

He will fly to Arunachal Pradesh on 6 July, BJP leaders said, and then visit Nagaland and Manipur the next day to meet MPs and MLAs from these states.

He will travel to Madhya Pradesh on 8 July.
Hyderabad: Meira Kumar, the opposition's nominee for the presidential election, on Monday deplored the "atmosphere of fear" prevailing in the country, and insisted she was fighting for "freedom of expression and freedom of press".

Terming the incidents of lynching of people over suspected cow slaughter or consumption of beef "extremely unfortunate", she pitched for a consensus to end that atmosphere of fear.

"There is so much of fear about what one should eat. There is fear about what one should say. I am also fighting for freedom of expression, freedom of press...," Kumar, who was in Hyderabad to canvass support for her presidential bid, told journalists.

The former Lok Sabha speaker said she is "not alone" in the fight and that she had the support of a number of parties and also a large number of countrymen.

"It is extremely unfortunate. It pains me and pains all of us, these instances of lynching. We have to come to an

understanding and reach a consensus. Because, this atmosphere cannot go on," she said.

"Not just the parties, what we stand for, has the support of maximum number of my countrymen and women... I think I stand on a very solid ground," Kumar, whose defeat the presidential poll watchers have concluded is a foregone conclusion given the support the BJP-led NDA has in the electoral college, said.

Kumar said she has written to all the electors asking them to vote for her as per their "conscience". Kumar, who has been pitted against Ram Nath Kovind, the NDA nominee and a fellow Dalit, said she is fighting an "ideological battle" and that it should not been misconstrued as a Dalit versus Dalit contest.

She made a pitch for due respect to be shown to Dalits and the poor.

The country has achieved tremendous progress in various sectors, but the "fundamental issue" still remains...the concern showed for disadvantaged sections, she said.

"No matter how much progress we make, but the fundamental issue is how much we respect the Dalits, the fundamental issue is how much we do for the rights of the poor...," she said.

"This is 2017, in which we live. For our supreme position, if we are still talking about Dalit versus Dalit, then we should look within ourselves and decide what kind of a mindset we have," she said and wondered if that mindset was in sync with modern times.

"This Presidential election is going to be a powerful articulation of the value system which has been held close... which is now under threat," she said.

Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said they have left a message at Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's office saying that Kumar would like to speak to him.

The ruling TRS has already declared its support to the NDA's nominee.

As part of her campaign, Kumar met MLAs and MPs of Congress and the Left in Telangana, besides some intellectuals.
Societies are hostile environments. Ask women who fear to walk alone at night, girls who are sold into prostitution, or children who are sexually assaulted in government-run shelters. Man is evil. In the republic, you can be lynched by a journalist on television, or by a mob in streets and trains. In Coimbatore, Muslim youth H Farook was murdered by a Muslim lynch mob for being an atheist. Soldiers returning in trains can taunt you as a katuwe (circumcised as a Muslim). If societies were not hostile, we would not be having police to police the evil that resides in the character of humans.

The institution of family is the main conveyor of hatred. If you are born into a Muslim family, you are taught by the Quran to subdue, control and kill the mushrikeen and kafirs, idolaters and infidels. If you are a Hindu, the family has pre-decided which caste you belong to. You are a Hindu because you are born into a Hindu family, not because you learned values of Hinduism that seek to serve humanity. The cow is not sacred; it is sacred because you just happened to inherit the sperm of parents who were Hindus. Sperms have religion too. Humanity can go to hell.

In Islam, jihad can only be ordered by the government of a Caliphate. Since the Caliphate doesn't exist, argue the jihadis, every Muslim can take up arms. Since the ancestors of Muslims ruled over India for nearly a thousand years, the Hindu youth believes, Hindus must take up arms for a Hindu rashtra. It is not sufficient that Hindus already govern India because they are insufficiently Hindus  like secular Muslims are declared insufficient Muslims by clerics. Ram Madhav dubbed it as "semitisation of culture"  I call it Abrahamic Hindutva. Hindutva, claiming to be body of Sanatan Dharma's pluralistic ethos, was good  but in the past. For now, Hindu scriptures are irrelevant.

Hindu grievances are legitimate. It is true that Islam protects minorities but it does so only when it is in power  when non-Muslims are consigned to second-class status in an Islamic state.

Love jihad is real because in most of Hindu-Muslim marriages, it is the Hindu who converts to Islam; the Muslim youth is a coward who does not convert for the consummation of his love. The hatred of Muslims which drives Hindus is birthed by Islamic clerics and nurtured by theological Hindus. The Supreme Court said Hindutva is a way of life; but it is religion as well, theology too.

In early Islam, a bloody politics to capture power after the Prophet Muhammad's death evolved into theology, dividing Muslims between Sunnis and Shias. In India, culture is transforming into a Hindu theology, or an Abrahamic Hindutva which legitimises the lynching of Muslims for eating beef. On the authority of right-wing Hindu writers, there is sufficient evidence to observe that in the Vedic times, cows were sacrificed both for eating and for performing yajnas. Islamic clerics later fostered the killing of cows in India, especially to taunt Hindu sentiments.

Both positively and negatively, Hindu is a communal identity; Muslim is a communal construct. If you are Hindu or a Muslim, you are not an evolved human being no matter how many Vedas you have memorised, because you do not see yourself as a human. The singular reason you are a Hindu, Muslim or Christian is because your parents were from that community. The newly-minted Hindu loves a certain Yogi because Yogi can taunt Muslims: if they kill one, we will kill a hundred. In Ballabhgarh, Junaid Khan was murdered publicly. Yes, it began as an altercation over a train seat but this is half-a-truth.

The other half-a-truth is this: the hatred of Muslims residing in the hearts of the killers surfaced, and in taunting Junaid they used their religious hate. Abrahamic Hindutva, Hinduism influenced by jihadism of Islam, denotes a growing inability of Hindu youths to comprehend their Hindu identity as sufficient in itself - without a reference to Islam and Christianity. We are witnessing a closing of the Hindu mind which is increasingly unable to defend ideals. The Hindu youth publicly declares that so long as Islamofascism exists, they will resort to Abrahamic Hindutva. This youth views the Constitution of India as an obstacle.

The Muslims who reportedly celebrated Pakistan's victory in parts of Uttar Pradesh when India lost in the Champions Trophy final on 18 June, births the hatred of Muslims which is building up in the Hindu mind, which is otherwise ceasing to think. Akbaruddin Owaisi's alleged "hate speeches" on YouTube are probably being watched by several children and should this please some, these children are also watching the YouTube videos of chief minister Yogi Adityanath. Partitions happen when such cycles of hatred explode. India was not divided in 1947; its division occurred long before that.

Muslim leaders and editors cannot escape scrutiny either. Urdu media such as Roznama Sangam of Patna, Roznama Sahafat and Nai Duniya of New Delhi have in recent years justified jihad, hate towards Hindus and bombings of, yes, mosques. On 26 December 2014, Roznama Urdu Times of Mumbai published a theological article calling for beheading of Muslims leaving Islam in ghar wapsi, the reconversion programme started by Hindus. The Urdu editor, though single, is a lynch mob. By acts of omission and commission, Urdu editors push Muslims into religious orthodoxy, siege mentality and conspiracy theories. Pushed to the wall by Urdu editors and Islamic clerics, Muslims view others as enemies. Hatred is never a one-way process.

Hatred resides in a cyclical universe in which journalists, activists and leaders are partisan. Facts are partisan too. The Hindu activist uses something known on social media as monkey balancing, or whataboutery - "The technique or practice of responding to an accusation or difficult question by making a counter-accusation or raising a different issue", as per the Oxford Living Dictionaries. Lynchings happened even before Narendra Modi became the prime minister, so the lynchings happening now are justified, argue those who are on the Right side of the truth.

In between the lines, there are ifs and buts, rationalisations and justifications on behalf of the lynch mobs. Lynch mobs have religious beliefs, which are murderous in nature. Even the prime minister is consequentially late to author a tweet to condemn acts of murder.

Rajasthan's home minister GC Kataria even justified the lynching of Pehlu Khan by cow vigilantes in Alwar. Those on the Left side of the truth are silent on murders of Hindu activists, notably in Kerala. "Not In My Name"  those who turned out on 28 June in Indian cities to protest lynchings were ridiculed for being biased by those on the Right who are biased and wouldn't protest, or protest only when the protesters belong to their ideological camp. Protests are politics. Tweets are politics too.

Politics is murder. Writers compile statistics of lynchings, as if one was not enough. The media narrative on lynchings and the lynchings are two things: those who write about the former turn attention away from the latter, allowing the Indian State to escape scrutiny for its failure to observe dharma, the duty to use force against mobs. A video comes of a Muslim being forced by Hindu fanatics to shout, Jai Shri Ram. Is the video authentic  is the first question of those on the Right who would lap up any video of Muslims engaging in violence. Political cultures nourish hatred - which political culture you belong to defines your brand of hatred. Most Indians are peaceful, but peace doesn't matter. What is consequential is the lynch mob  and Indian State, ceding space to the lynch mobs.

The author, a former BBC journalist, is a contributing editor at Firstpost and executive director of the Open Source Institute, New Delhi. He tweets @tufailelif
Mumbai: The Shiv Sena on Monday accused its ally BJP of snatching credit for the farm loan waiver decision in Maharashtra, saying "robbing credit" has now become a part of political ideology.

The Sena has often taken on lead partner BJP over the issue of farmers and urged the government to waive their loans.

Last month, farmers in Maharashtra had been on a warpath to press for their various demands, including loan waiver. Later, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced to waive their outstanding loans up to 30 June, 2016.

"Politics today is played keeping profits and losses in mind. Schemes are launched to confuse people. What happened to 'garibi hatao' (scheme) or 'acche din' has become a subject of research now," an editorial in Sena mouthpiece 'Saamana' said.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extensively used the 'acche din' (good days) slogan during the last Lok Sabha elections.

"Who fought for the loan waiver and who is enjoying by giving full page advertisements, taking credit for the decision. Snatching and robbing credit has become a part of the political ideology today," the Sena said.

However, despite the rush to take credit, the public is aware of the truth which is a respite, the ally said.

The Shiv Sena had recently said that the loan waiver decision was due to its constant throttling of the Maharashtra government and that it has opted to remain in power to shake chairs of lazy person.

The party also asked the chief minister to revive the 'Zunka Bhakar Kendra' scheme, which was started during the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state in the '90s, to provide traditional food to the poor at Re 1.

"You may take credit for this as well if you wish to.But at least people will benefit from the scheme," the Sena said.

The scheme  providing 'zunka', a Maharashtrian dish prepared with gram flour and water, and 'bhakar', a chapati made of rice flour or bajra  was stopped by the previous Congress-NCP government.

The scheme had envisaged addressing the state's socio-economic problem by allotting stalls to the 'unemployed' throughout the state. However, the stalls were later occupied by commercial ventures.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by Himachal Pradesh chief minister Virbhadra Singh and others seeking to quash a money laundering case filed against them by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

Justice RK Guaba rejected the plea of the chief minister, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and two others, saying the plea against possible arrest and attachment of property cannot be allowed.

"The powers conferred on the enforcement officers for purposes of complete and effective investigation include the power to summon and examine 'any person'," said the court.

Earlier, the ED had summoned Virbhadra Singh for questioning.

The court said the law declares that every such person who is summoned is bound to state the truth and at the time of such investigative process the person summoned is not an accused.

"No person is entitled in law to evade the command of the summons issued under section 50 PMLA on the ground that there is a possibility that he may be prosecuted in the future," the order stated.

On September 2015, the ED had lodged the case against 83-year-old Singh and others under the PMLA after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The CBI had filed a charge-sheet on 31 March, hours after the Delhi High Court refused to quash the FIR lodged against Singh and his wife in the disproportionate assets case.

Singh had earlier claimed that the FIR was the result of a "political vendetta".

The court, however, said the argument of "political vendetta" was not supported by any material.

"... those in public life are expected to be open to probity. Higher the position in life (or polity), higher the obligation (moral, if not legal) to be accountable. Endeavours to stall an investigation into their affairs by the law enforcement agencies, particularly on technical grounds, have the potency of giving the impression that there is something to hide," said the court.

The ED is probing allegations against Singh and his family members of having amassed the wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the union minister of Steel.

It has also attached assets worth around Rs 14 crore in this case under the PMLA.

The ED had arrested an LIC agent, Anand Chauhan, in July 2016 under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer.

The ED had alleged that Singh while serving as the union minister, had invested huge amounts in purchasing LIC policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan.
Kabul: Up to 54 Taliban insurgents were killed in Afghan Army operations over the past 24 hours in southern Helmand province.

"Afghan special forces conducted night operations against insurgents in Nawa district on Sunday night which resulted in killings 42 rebels and injuring 27 others," a government statement said.

Four Taliban local commanders were among those killed and security forces also seized weapons and 18 motorbikes during the operations, Xinhua news agency reported.

In another incident, 12 Taliban militants were killed and six injured in airstrikes carried out by the Afghan Air Force on two important bases of the terror group in Lashkargah city.Afghan officials say the Taliban have attacked a local militia, killing 13 pro-government fighters.

On Saturday, Afghan officials said the Taliban have attacked a local militia, killing 13 pro-government fighters.

Munir Ahmad Farhad, spokesman for the governor of the northern Balkh province, said the local forces were on their way to take part in a security operation when they were ambushed in the Chemtal district.

The men were part of a local militia established under the authority of the interior ministry to defend the area from insurgents.

The Taliban, who have increased their attacks since the start of their annual spring offensive in April, claimed responsibility for the ambush.
Los Angeles: Demonstrators hoisting signs and chanting anti-Donald Trump slogans marched through downtown Los Angeles to urge Congress to impeach the president.

The Los Angeles march was one of several similar gatherings on Sunday across California and the nation.

Organisers say they believe the president has violated the US Constitution and obstructed justice.

One banner called the president an "Illegitimate Corrupt Puppet."

Marcher John Meranda told the Los Angeles Times he has attended five recent anti-Trump marches. The 56-year-old says he's most recently frightened by the Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars from the Medicaid program.

A smaller group of pro-Trump protesters gathered nearby outside Los Angeles police headquarters. The Trump supporters say they're unconcerned about allegations that Trump tried to thwart an FBI investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Baghdad: A suicide bomber dressed as a veiled woman killed 14 people and wounded 13 others in a displacement camp west of the Iraqi capital Baghdad on Sunday, security sources said.

Islamic State militants, who have been facing mounting US-backed offensives in Iraq and neighbouring Syria, claimed responsibility for the assault.

The camp known as "kilo 60" houses people forced out of Sunni Muslim areas control by Islamic State in the Euphrates river valley, the sources said.

The militants said in a statement they had been targeting an Iraqi army position.

The hardline Sunni group has all but lost its capital in Iraq, Mosul, while its capital in Syria, Raqqa, is isolated from the rest of the territory under its control across the border.
Mosul: Iraqi forces were battling the last few hundred jihadists in Mosul's historic centre on Saturday as they pressed the final stages of an assault to drive the Islamic State group from the city.

More than eight months since the country's forces launched a gruelling operation to retake Mosul, Islamic State has gone from fully controlling the city to holding a few neighbourhoods on its western side.

"The number is... more or less 300 fighters, most of them of European nationalities, Arabs of other nationalities or of Asian origin," said Staff Brigadier General Nabil al-Fatlawi, a commander in the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS).

"We are not able to specify when the battles will end because of the narrow type of streets in the Old City and also the presence of civilian detainees," Fatlawi said, referring to residents being used as human shields by Islamic State.

"But I can say within days," he said.

Earlier in the day, Iraq's Joint Operations Command announced CTS forces had recaptured the Makawi area of the Old City, in a further blow at the heart of the jihadists' cross-border "caliphate".

Iraqi forces have been closing in on the Old City for months, but its narrow streets and closely spaced buildings combined with a large civilian population made for an extremely difficult fight.

Security forces recaptured a series of nearby districts, cornering the jihadists, and launched an assault inside the Old City on 18 June.

They have since made significant progress.

On Saturday, officers announced the recapture of a hospital and its surroundings north of the Old City, removing a nearby but unconnected pocket of Islamic State resistance.

Interior ministry forces recaptured the Ibn Sina hospital along with other medical facilities including a blood bank and a clinic, said Staff Lieutenant General Abdulamir Yarallah.

Islamic State has occupied several of Mosul's hospitals during the battle for the city.

Some security personnel have complained that restrictions on using heavy weapons against hospitals, intended to protect the facilities, have made operations riskier and more time-consuming.

Federal police chief Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat said the area around the hospital, Al-Shifaa, had been completely retaken, limiting Islamic State's presence in Mosul to the Old City.

"Our forces are advancing from three sides and are pursuing the terrorist groups in the few remaining areas of the Old City," said Jawdat.

On Thursday, Iraqi forces retook the remains of the Grand Mosque of al-Nuri in their greatest symbolic victory since the battle began.

Islamic State chief Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi gave a triumphal sermon at the mosque after the jihadists captured Mosul in 2014, calling on Muslims to obey him.

The mosque thus became a symbol of Baghdadi's rule and Islamic State's "caliphate".

The jihadists made sure that the Nuri mosque was not captured intact, blowing it up as Iraqi forces closed in, along with its famed leaning minaret -- known affectionately as "Al-Hadba" (The Hunchback).

Islamic State claimed on its Amaq propaganda agency that the site was hit in a US air strike, but the US-led coalition said it was the jihadists who had "destroyed one of Mosul and Iraq's great treasures".

Even though it lies in ruins, the mosque's recapture has provided a boost to Iraq's forces and its government. Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared the jihadists' "caliphate" was coming to an end.

The next day, a senior Iraqi commander said victory in Mosul would be declared within the "next few days".

Islamic State overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost.

The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the war against Islamic State.

The jihadist group still holds territories in both Iraq and neighbouring Syria, where it has been able to carry out attacks in government-held areas.

The jihadist group has also inspired "lone wolf" attacks overseas.
Jakarta: Rescuers have removed eight bodies from the scene of a helicopter crash in western Indonesia, a spokesman of the national search and rescue office said on Monday. The national search and rescue office operated chopper hit a hill in Temanggung district of Central Java on Sunday.

It was flying near the Dieng volcano to evacuate victims of a steam eruption when around 4 p.m. it crashed, spokesman Marsudi said. The eight persons on board included four crews and four rescuers, the spokesman added.

"All the eight bodies have been recovered and sent to Gotot Subroto Navy hospital," he told Xinhua by phone.

The National Transport Safety Commission would investigate the incident, Marsudi said.
Beijing: Chinese president Xi Jinping told his American counterpart Donald Trump on Monday that bilateral relations were "affected by some negative factors", as the two leaders spoke over phone amid unease in ties following a series of US actions that angered Beijing.

During the conversation, Xi stressed that important results have been achieved in bilateral relations since his meeting with Trump in Florida in April.

But at the same, Xi said relations "have been affected by some negative factors" and the Chinese side has already expressed its position to the US, Chinese state media reported.

The Chinese president also said that his country attaches great importance to Trump's reaffirmation that the US will adhere to the 'One China' policy.

China hopes that the US will handle the Taiwan issue appropriately in accordance with the 'One China' principle and the three China-US joint communiques, Xi said.

The two presidents also discussed the peace and stability of the Korean Peninsula.

"President Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programmes. Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," the White House said in a statement.

"Trump reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with Americas trading partners. The two leaders also discussed a range of other regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest, and affirmed that they look forward to meeting at the G20 in Hamburg, Germany," the White House said.

The White House statement did not mention Taiwan.

The conversation between the two leaders came a day after a US missile destroyer sailed close to an artificial island built by China in the disputed South China sea. China termed the incident a "serious political and military provocation".

Trump on Thursday authorised a $ 1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province. The same day, the US treasury department imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.

Also on Thursday, the state department expressed concern about Beijings respect for freedom in Hong Kong, on the 20th anniversary of Britain ceding the territory back to China.

Two days earlier, the state department placed China on a list of the worlds worst human trafficking offenders.

All those steps added up to a sharp reversal in tone from April, when Xi travelled to Trumps Mar-a-Lago resort for a first direct meeting that Trump later said had helped build an "outstanding" relationship.
Paris: French President Emmanuel Macron is set to address both houses of parliament in the splendour of the Palace of Versailles on Monday, a move seen by critics as further evidence of his regal style of ruling.

Macron will use the speech, which has been billed as a US-style state of the nation address, to set out his vision for France at a rare sitting of both the National Assembly and Senate.

Lawmakers from the two houses are usually called together only in times of national crisis, but Macron has convened the session, which he plans to make an annual event, to lay out his vision and priorities two months after his election.

The event has spurred unease over a growing concentration of power in the presidency, with his speech seen as proof of what critics call his "monarchical" drift.

The address in the former seat of kings comes a day before Prime Minister Edouard Philippe delivers the government's traditional policy statement to the newly elected 577-seat National Assembly.

The press and opposition parties have accused 39-year-old Macron of pulling the rug from under his premier's feet, and slammed his refusal to take questions after his address.

A media darling during his campaign, Macron has kept the press at arm's length since his election. His speeches have been carefully choreographed affairs, designed for maximum visual impact, but he also sets aside time during public outings to greet members of the public and pose for selfies.

He is returning to Versailles for the second time in a month, after hosting Russia's President Vladimir Putin for talks there in May.

Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the radical leftist France Unbowed party, which is boycotting the speech, accused Macron of "crossing a line with the pharaonic aspect of his presidential monarchy".

The leader of the small centrist UDI party, Jean-Christophe Lagarde, accused the president of "a PR stunt" and also announced plans to stay away from Versailles.

"The hyper president," Le Parisien wrote on its front page Sunday, above Macron's official photograph, showing him standing at his desk.

"He decides everything, monopolises the stage, controls the communications," the paper wrote.

On Sunday, Macron drew further criticism for a speech to a group of entrepreneurs last week in which he drew a distinction between "people who succeed and those who are nothing."

Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, whom Macron defeated in May's presidential run-off, condemned the remark as "unworthy" and "revealing of Macronist thinking."

Efficiency over debate

Presidential addresses to both houses of parliament are rare events in France.

Philippe, the prime minister, attempted to downplay the controversy over the timing of Macron's address.

"The president of the Republic... will set the course on Monday. It is then up to ourselves, as members of the government, to achieve it," he said.

Macron is expected to set out his plans for labour reforms and for making parliament more representative, and give his vision for deepening European integration.

The speech comes days after the government unveiled a bill that would allow it to use decrees to fast-track labour overhauls through parliament  where Macron's Republic on the Move party has a resounding majority.

Some opposition parties have accused him of neutering the assembly.

"When you do not share power you may be more efficient but you are also perhaps a little less democratic," Christian Jacob, the parliamentary leader of the Republicans, the main opposition party, said Sunday.

Pascal Perrineau, a political scientist at Sciences Po university's Cevipof research unit, told AFP the president's control over the office of prime minister, the government, the ruling party and assembly was "characteristic of Macronist politics".

After promising in his campaign manifesto "Revolution" to maintain a balance of power between the presidency and parliament, Macron had created a relationship of "subjugation", Perrineau said.

'Schizophrenic mix'

A relative newcomer to politics who won election on a tide of disaffection with mainstream politics, Macron has enjoyed a honeymoon with voters, drawing particular praise for standing up to US President Donald Trump and Russian leader Vladimir Putin.

But a Kantar Sofres-Onepoint poll published Thursday showed his approval ratings starting to dip, falling three points in a month to 54 percent.

"We're seeing a strange, almost schizophrenic mix, of goodwill and distrust (towards Macron)," Pierre Giacometti, a co-founder of the No Com polling firm, told Le Journal du Dimanche weekly, adding: "The French already want results."
Paris: Eight people including a girl were lightly wounded late on Sunday in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southeast French city of Avignon, the prosecutor's office said, ruling out terrorism.

According to initial accounts taken on the spot, at least two men got out of a car around 10.30 pm near the mosque and opened fire, including with a shotgun, the prosecutor's office said.

None of the wounded had life-threatening injuries, it said.

"From what we know this evening, the mosque was not targeted. The fact that it happened in the street of the religious establishment was unconnected with it," the prosecutor said, ruling out terrorism.

Witness accounts mentioned four men in the car, all hooded. The criminal investigation department has taken charge of the case.

The shooting comes a few days after a man on Thursday attempted to drive his car into worshippers outside the Creteil mosque in southeast Paris.

The driver, a 43-year-old Armenian who suffered from schizophrenia, hit barriers and pillars outside the mosque with his 4x4 without causing any injuries before crashing into a traffic island.

According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect had made "confused remarks in relation" to a string of jihadist attacks that have struck France, killing 239 people since 2015.

Following a van attack against worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London on 19 June, which left one dead and 11 injured, France's Muslim community has also felt threatened.

Some Muslim officials have described the Paris incident as an attack and called on the authorities to "strengthen protection of places of worship".
Paris: French authorities say a man has been given preliminary terrorism charges for plotting a possible attack on President Emmanuel Macron or minority groups.

Paris prosecutor's office spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said Monday that the 23-year-old suspect's plans were vague and not yet finalized, and that he appeared to be acting alone.

She said the man was arrested in the Argenteuil suburb on Thursday, and told police of a possible plan to attack Macron on Bastille Day on 14 July and expressed nationalist views. The man was given preliminary charges Saturday of individual terrorist activity.

Macron will oversee a military parade in Paris on Bastille Day alongside President Donald Trump. Macron then heads to Nice to mark the anniversary of the Islamic extremist truck attack that killed 86 people in the southeastern city.
Kuwait: Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on 22 June.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected".

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns about growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Gulf states, called for "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Trump calls leaders

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAE's ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as expelling Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis. Kuwait, which unlike most of its GCC neighbours has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabi's crown prince and the Qatari emir on his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.

Trump "underscored that unity in the region is critical," the statement said, but also "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology."

Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

The 13 demands have not been officially published, but a Kuwaiti diplomatic source confirmed on Monday that the list as it has appeared in the media was genuine.
Dubai: Here is a recap of events since Saudi Arabia and several allies broke ties with Qatar, accusing it of backing extremists.

Ties cut

On 5 June, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, the UAE, Yemen and the Maldives break diplomatic relations with Qatar.

They accuse it of supporting "terrorists" and of being too close to Iran, Saudi Arabia's regional rival.

It is the biggest diplomatic crisis to hit the region in years.

Riyadh and its allies close land and maritime borders, suspend air links and expel Qatari citizens.

Saudi Arabia also closes the Riyadh bureau of Qatari broadcaster Al Jazeera.

Qatar claims its neighbours are pursuing a "policy of domination and control" and insists it will not back down.

On 6 June, Mauritania joins the boycott and Jordan trimmed its diplomatic presence in Doha.

'Champion of extremism'

On 7 June, the United Arab Emirates says the measures against Qatar are "not about regime change" but rather about "change of policy".

The UAE's state minister for foreign affairs calls Qatar "the main champion of extremism and terrorism in the region".

On 9 June, Saudi Arabia and its allies publish a list of people and organisations they accuse of involvement in "terrorism" with support from Qatar. Doha calls the accusations unfounded.

'Siege' and 'blockade'

On 12 June, Qatar's foreign minister denounces sanctions against his country as "unfair" and "illegal".

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calls the punishment "inhumane and un-Islamic."

On 16 June, a Qatari official accuses Riyadh and its allies of laying "siege" to his country.

Three days later, the UAE foreign minister says a blockade of Qatar could last "years".

Doha demands the "blockade" lifted before talks on resolving the standoff.

Tillerson weighs in

On 20 June, the US State Department says it is "mystified" that Saudi Arabia has yet to produce a clear list of demands.

President Donald Trump presses Qatar to "immediately" stop financing terrorism. He discusses the situation with Saudi Arabia's new crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman.

But Secretary of State Rex Tillerson speaks to both sides of the dispute.

Tillerson says Saudi Arabia is set to present Qatar with a list of demands, which he hopes "will be reasonable and actionable."

That comes days after the Pentagon, which maintains a huge airbase in Qatar, agrees to sell Doha $12 billion worth of F-15 fighter jets.

Ultimatum

On 22 June, Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the UAE send a list of 13 demands to Qatar, giving Doha 10 days to comply.

Among the demands are shutting down Al Jazeera, curbing relations with Iran and closing a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Qatar says on 1 July that the demands were "made to be rejected."

Trump reiterates the next day that financing for terrorism must stop.

On 3 July, the ultimatum is prolonged for 48 hours.

The same day, Qatar hands its response to the emir of Kuwait, but does not reveal its contents.
In a major development in the ongoing Gulf diplomatic crisis, Saudi Arabia and its allies on Monday said that they had decided to extend the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade by 48 hours. With the deadline expiring at midnight on Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.

The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.

The crisis began on 5 June after the Arab world blamed Qatar for supporting terror outfits like the Islamic State and maintaining ties with Iran  Saudi Arabia's rival in West Asia.

As a matter of fact, the crisis initially threatened to turn into not just a diplomatic stand-off but also a humanitarian debacle.

Food shortage forcing Qatar to find new allies?



Qatar depends on its Arab neighbours for 80 percent of its food needs, Reuters reported. The emirate, which has its only land border with Saudi Arabia, was forced to import food from sea and air, in the event of a blockade, to overcome a possible food crisis. It is here that Turkey, Iran and Oman have come to the rescue of the oil-rich nation.

Two days after the blockade began, Doha started talks with Tehran and Ankara to secure key food and water supplies. As noted by Al Jazeera, freight companies from Oman and Iran helped Qatar ensure no major shortages of food.

The humanitarian help provided by these countries during the blockade is now shaping the dynamics of West Asia.

A CNBC report said that the acute economic blockade will make Qatar look for new allies. "It can accelerate its relationship with Turkey and Iran, who have already said they are happy to help to compensate for the boycott," Amin Saikal, an academic was quoted by the report as saying.

Iran-Turkey-Qatar: An alliance in the making?



The first West Asian nation to come out in support of Qatar was its eastern neighbour Iran. Talking to Qatar Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani on 26 June, President Hasan Rouhani had said, "Tehran stands alongside the people and government of Qatar and we believe that... pressure, threats and sanctions are not a good solution to solve problems between countries of the region," he said. Rouhani also added that the Tehran would seek to deepen economic ties with Doha.

Doha, on its part, did not budge under the pressure from its Arab neighbours and rejected calls for downgrading ties with Tehran. Iran's ties with Qatar are also underlined by economic needs, as Doha and Tehran share the world's largest gas field in the Persian Gulf.

It is not just Tehran which is warming up to Qatar. Qatar's isolation in the Gulf helped Turkey to enter the geo-politics of West Asia.

A report in the Jerusalem Post highlights how the Gulf crisis is helping Iran and Turkey to team up with the Qatar to counter Saudi Arabia.

Interestingly, Turkey sent about 1,000 troops to Qatar for military exercises during the ongoing crisis. The latest development is the culmination of a 2015 military deal between the two countries, which was approved by the Turkish parliament on 8 June. Under the deal, Turkey has the right to deploy troops in the emirate.

The military deal, when looked through the prism of the the current crisis, seems the reason for Turkey's soft stance towards Qatar. As noted by the BBC, the military deal gave a clear message to the international community: Qatar is not alone.

"Let me say at the outset that we do not think the sanctions against Qatar are good. Turkey will continue and will develop our ties with Qatar, as with all our friends who have supported us in the most difficult moments," Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan had said on 7 June criticising the move.

An article in the National Herald pointed out how Qatar's growing alliance on Turkey and Iran is inadvertently isolating Saudi Arabia, as the economic blockade was neutralised by Tehran's constant food supply and Ankara's military maneuvering in Doha.

In the geo-political game in West Asia, it is the United States which seems flummoxed by the happening in Qatar. The US maintains an air base in Qatar  Al Udeid Air Base. However, President Donald Trump backed the blockade against Qatar. To confuse policymakers further, US closed a $12 billion deal with Qatar to supply 36 F-15 jets, at a time when the latter is getting closer to Iran.
Tehran: Iranians have organized a "Trumpism" cartoon contest in which hundreds of participants were invited to submit artwork mocking the US leader.

The same organizers held a Holocaust cartoon contest last year, which they said was meant to highlight Western double standards on free speech and not to cast doubt on the Nazi genocide.

The logo for the contest is based on the Nazi emblem, with a diagonal "T'' in a white circle against a red background. One cartoon shows President Donald Trump painting a Hitler-like mustache on the face of the Statue of Liberty.

Hadi Asadi of Iran, who won first prize and a $1,500 award, said he wanted to highlight the "money-mindedness and war monger nature" of Trump. His cartoon shows Trump wearing a jacket made of dollar notes while drooling on books, a reference to cultural material.

"I wanted to show Trump while trampling symbols of culture," said Asadi, who produced the cartoon in two weeks using a stylus pen digital printing method.

Contest organizer Masuod Shojai Tabatabaei said the aim of the contest and exhibition is to show wrong behaviors by Trump in the framework of satirical portraits. Trump and violence against women, media as well as building walls were among themes of the contest.

"The ism in Trumpism is a reference to racism and Nazism," said Tabatabaei. "Many believe his remarks are similar to Hitler. He has had a bad attitude toward media and refugees," he added.

The exhibition, which opened Monday and will last one week, includes the works of some 1,614 Iranian and foreign participants from 74 countries, including four works from American cartoonists, of which two were awarded citations.

American Robert Jones Clayton's cartoon shows the cover photo of two copies of Time magazine, one with Trump's picture and the other with Adolf Hitler. Both men are portrayed as Time's Person of the Year and Trump tells Hitler: "It is a great honor" and in return Hitler replies "Ja."

American Ed Wexler's work shows Trump saying "Fake news" while running away from a snowball, on which a red star with a hammer and sickle emblem is seen, a reference to Russian connections to Trump.
Tokyo: Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party suffered an historic defeat in an election in the Japanese capital on Sunday, signaling trouble ahead for the premier, who has suffered from slumping support because of a favoritism scandal.

On the surface, the Tokyo Metropolitan assembly election was a referendum on Governor Yuriko Koike's year in office, but the dismal showing for Abe's party is also a stinging rebuke of his 4.5-year-old administration.

Koike's Tokyo Citizens First party and its allies took 79 seats in the 127-seat assembly.

The LDP won a mere 23, its worst-ever results, compared with 57 before the election.

"We must recognise this as a historic defeat," former defence minister Shigeru Ishiba was quoted as saying by NHK.

"Rather than a victory for Tokyo Citizens First, this is a defeat for the LDP," said Ishiba, who is widely seen as an Abe rival within the ruling party.

Past Tokyo elections have been bellwethers for national trends. A 2009 Tokyo poll in which the LDP won just 38 seats was followed by its defeat in a general election that year, although this time no lower house poll need be held until late 2018.

Koike, a media-savvy ex-defence minister and former LDP member, took office a year ago as the first female governor in the capital, defying the local LDP chapter to run and promising to reform governance of a megacity with a population of 13.7 million and an economy bigger than the Netherlands'.

Among her allies in the Komeito party, the LDP's national coalition partner, got 23 seats.

"I am excited but at the same time, I am also keenly aware of the weight of my responsibility," Koike told NHK, adding the results had exceeded her expectations.

Speculation, coalition cracks, rivals

The strong showing by Koike's party will fuel speculation that she will make a bid for the nation's top job, although that may not be until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

It could also widen cracks between the LDP and the Komeito while damaging prospects for the opposition Democratic Party, which won five seats.

Abe's rivals in his party could be encouraged by the LDP's dismal performance to challenge him in a leadership race in September 2018, victory in which would set Abe on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader and bolster his hopes of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution.

The LDP's thrashing, however, could make it harder for Abe to pursue his cherished goal of revising the United States-drafted constitution's pacifist Article 9 by 2020, a politically divisive agenda, said Sophia University professor Koichi Nakano.

"His prime motive to stay in power is his desire to revise the constitution, but once his popularity really starts to fall, that becomes very difficult to do," Nakano said.

Abe's troubles center on concern he may have intervened to help Kake Gakuen (Kake Educational Institution) win approval for a veterinary school in a special economic zone. Its director, Kotaro Kake, is a friend of Abe's.

The government has not granted such an approval in decades due to a perceived glut of veterinarians. Abe and his aides have denied doing Kake any favors.

Potentially more devastating is the impression among many voters that Abe and his inner circle have grown arrogant.

"We must accept the results humbly," said Hakubun Shimomura, a close Abe ally and head of the LDP's Tokyo chapter. "The voters have handed down an extremely severe verdict."

Abe is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in coming months in an effort to repair his damaged ratings, a step often taken by beleaguered leaders but one that can backfire if novice ministers become embroiled in scandals or commit gaffes.

Among those many political insiders expected to be replaced is Defence Minister Tomomi Inada. Inada's remark during the Tokyo campaign seeking voter support in the name of the Self-Defence Forces, as the military is known, came under heavy fire. By law, the military is required to be politically neutral.
Lahore: The Lahore High Court on Monday held hearing on a petition seeking a court order for stopping the Pakistan government from "pardoning or reducing the sentence" of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Petitioner Mahmood Ahmed Naqvi also pleaded the court to order hanging 46-year-old Jadhav without any further delay, saying that the convict had confessed his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan.

"Kulbhushan Jadhav is a RAW agent and his confession that he had committed terrorism in Pakistan leaves no room for any concession to him," he said and requested the court to issue an order stopping the Nawaz government from giving any concession like pardoning or reducing his sentence.

Justice Shahid Karim sent the petition to the chief justice for the constitution of another bench to hear it as he (judge) was going on leave.

On 22 June, Jadhav had filed a mercy petition before Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In a statement, the Inter-Services Public Relations, the media wing of Pakistan military, has claimed that Jadhav has admitted to his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions.

"Jadhav is seeking forgiveness for his actions and he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," it said.

Jadhav had earlier filed an appeal to the Military Appellate Court, which was rejected. His mercy petition to military appellate court was also rejected.

He had been sentenced to death by a military court in April for espionage and terrorism. International Court of Justice in May halted the execution on India's appeal.

In a hearing of the case on 18 May, a 10-member bench of the International Court of Justice restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav.

Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on 3 March last year after he reportedly entered from Iran.

However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.
Diyarbakir: Kurdish militants killed a soldier, village guard, and three workers in attacks in three separate provinces in southeastern Turkey on Monday, officials said.

Militants from the Kurdistan Workers Party (PKK) killed one Turkish soldier when they detonated a hidden explosive device in the Cukurca district of Hakkari province, officials from the Hakkari governor's office said.

The militants detonated another explosive device in the Caldiran district of Van province, wounding two village guards, officials said. They said one of the wounded guards had died in the hospital following the attack.

Separately, PKK militants attacked workers carrying out roadside work on a road for a military base in the Uludere district of the southeastern province of Sirnak, killing two workers and wounding another five, security sources said.

The militants carried out another attack on a worksite in Sirnak, killing one worker, the local governor's office said in a statement. It said three PKK militants had been killed in a subsequent operation in the region.

Turkish security forces have killed 55 PKK militants in eastern Turkey in the last week, interior ministry data showed on Monday. Another 11 militants surrendered and four were capture alive, the ministry said.

Over the weekend, PKK militants shot and killed two officials from the ruling AK Party in southeast Turkey, authorities said.

The PKK took up arms against the Turkish state in 1984 and more than 40,000 people, mostly Kurds, have been killed in the conflict. It is designated a terrorist group by Turkey, the United States and European Union.

A ceasefire between the Turkish state and the militants broke down in July 2015 and the southeast subsequently saw some of the worst violence since the insurgency began.
Turning pages back to August 1977, a man came on a secret assignment to help his country forge diplomatic ties with India. However, he had to leave the country without being able to convince the Indian leadership. The man was none other than Moshe Dayan, the legendary Israeli general-turned-foreign minister.

What Dayan failed to do in 1977, finally happened in January 1992, when the India and Israel finally established full diplomatic ties. The momentous shift in the relationship did not just happen in short notice.

***

To begin with, India did recognise the existence of Israel on 17 September 1950. New Delhi also allowed Tel Aviv to have a consulate in Mumbai in 1953. But with India taking the side of the Palestinians, ties were largely non-existent. It is a matter of fact that even today Israel is hyphenated with Palestine, just as India has historically been bracketed with Pakistan.

India was the first non-Arab country to recognise the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) as the sole representative of the Palestinian people. Consequently, PLO opened its office in New Delhi in January 1975, which was granted full diplomatic recognition in March 1980  just weeks after Indira Gandhi returned to power. Indiras foreign minister was PV Narasimha Rao, the man who eventually helped India establish full diplomatic ties with Israel. Under Rajiv Gandhi, India became one of the first countries to recognise the State of Palestine in November 1988.

It is well recorded that PLO chief Yasser Arafat had good relations with India's establishment, particularly the Gandhi family. Former foreign minister Natwar Singh wrote in his book, Walking with the Lions: Tales from a diplomatic past, how Arafat called Indira his elder sister after Cubas Fidel Castro questioned him on his tantrums during the opening session of the NAM Summit in March 1983.

That fact notwithstanding, Indias ties with Palestine were built on certain principles too.

Firstly, a partitioned-ravaged India was against any other partition based on religion. This explains why New Delhi voted against the creation of Israel in 1947.

Secondly, as a victim of colonialism, the Nehru-led India was at the forefront of the anti-colonial fight. Nehruvian ethos dubbed the Palestinian cause as a colonial fight against Wests oppression. Years later, when the UN debated whether Zionism is racism, India voted in favour of the resolution.

Thirdly, India was a founding member of the Non-Alignment Movement, a group of third world countries not aligned to the US or the USSR  the two superpowers of the Cold War. However, the prevalent line of thought in the NAM camp was closer to that of the Soviet bloc rather than truly being neutral. Additionally, India had been close to the erstwhile communist superpower, which had close ties with the Arab world (at least until the mid-70s) and no diplomatic relations with Israel.

While these three factors had largely been instrumental in determining India-Palestine ties, the Hindu right-wing had long been alleging Congress fear of losing its traditional Muslim vote-bank behind Indias support to the Palestinian cause and its refusal to establish ties with Israel.

Nevertheless, it also cannot be denied that the Palestine issue has been construed as a Zionist war against Islam by Islamists. But such a view is essentially flawed as the Fatah and the PFLP, the two largest factions of the PLO, were ideologically secular and espoused Arab nationalism  not Islamism.

***

The 1990s brought about major changes in Indias post-independence history. Along with its tryst with LPG (Liberalisation, Globalisation and Privatisation), India was also witnessing the demise of the Soviet Union. With Moscow no longer in a position to support New Delhi on the international stage, India had to amend its foreign policy.

While Indias had been warming up to the US since the 80s, the dissolution of the USSR gave India a chance to truly have an independent foreign policy in a post-Cold unipolar world.

Indias diplomatic reach out to Israel was hastened by the events of 1991, though the collapse of the mighty Soviet Union played only an indirect role to say the least.

There were some major turning points which led to Indias embrace of the Jewish state.

In 1969, Pakistan stopped India from becoming the member of the Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC). This was despite the Arab countries inviting New Delhi to the first summit in Rabat. However, from then onwards, Pakistan strengthened itself in the group, often gaining support on the Kashmir issue.

During the 1971 India-Pakistan war, UN Resolution 2793, which sought to end Indias intervention in East Pakistan, was endorsed by all Arab countries except Oman.

Years later, JN Dixit, the former foreign secretary, is reported to have said,

What have the Arabs given us, if I may ask? Did they vote for us in the Kashmir issue? Were they supportive of us when we had the East Pakistan crisis?

With Egypt, Indias NAM partner, once an arch-rival of the Jewish nation, recognising Israel in 1979, and the Arab countries de facto recognising the Jewish state after the 1991 Madrid Conference, Indias stance looked more and more obsolete in a dynamic arena.

***

The decision to forge ties with Israel was taken by the Rao government after seeking PLOs tacit No Objection to the decision. Vinay Sitapati in his book, Half Lion: How PV Narasimha Rao transformed India, described how a wily Rao made Arafat toe his line.

When Arafat had visited India in January 1992, Rao privately informed him that India can put diplomatic pressure on Israel only if it has an embassy in Tel Aviv. Arafat understood the real context and in a press conference gave tacit support to Indias path-breaking decision.

However, the outreach to Israel did not mean India had abandoned Palestine. Symbolism plays a pivotal role in politics. What Rao did was just that. The foreign ministry released a photo which showed the prime minister giving a bear hug to Arafat  a signal that India valued its friendship with Palestine.

Nevertheless, the initial days were not encouraging. The fear of Muslim resentment prevented the Congress party from openly pursuing the relationship. For example, when Arjun Singh became the first cabinet minister to visit Israel, he came under hostile fire. When Israel proposed a civil aviation deal with India, the proposal was rejected on fears of alienating a large section of Muslims.

The relationship remained in shadows until the BJP under Atal Bihari Vajpayee cosied up to Tel Aviv. The then home minister, LK Advani and foreign minister Jaswant Singh visited Israel in 2000.

The major milestone in the bilateral ties came on 9 September 2003, when the then prime minister, Ariel Sharon visited India. The visit paved way for a slew of defence deals, notable among them the Phalcon early-warning radar system.

However, after the Vajpayee government was voted out and the United Progressive Alliance formed the government, relations remained lukewarm  at least in the public eye. The reason once again had to do with Palestine. This, however, did not mean that the ties cultivated since the early 1990s were downgraded. In fact, it was during UPA regime that Israel began emerging as one of the top defence partners of India.

While Russia  and the United States since the last few years  remains Indias top defence destination, its position is being threatened by Israel. A February 2017 report by Sweden-based think tank SIPRI highlighted Tel Avivs rising military clout. The report noted that 68 percent of Indias arms between 2012 and 2016 come from Russia, while the US came a distant second at 14 percent. While Israel was a distant third, contributing just 7.2 percent of Indias total arms in those years, it is nevertheless a major achievement for a country which does not produce heavy weaponry like tanks and aircraft. Israel's strength lies in developing technologies that aid such heavy weaponry.

The Barak 8 missile system has been the biggest military collaboration between the two countries. A joint project between the Israeli Aerospace Industries (IAI) and the Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), the Barak 8 is an anti-aircraft missile system, which would be fitted in all Indian Navy warships in the future.

The Barak 8 missile system constitutes both, Medium Range-Surface to Air Missiles as well as Long Range-Surface to Air Missiles. In April 2017, the IAI bagged a $2 billion deal to supply these missiles for the army and navy. A month, the IAI bagged another $630 million deal to supply Long Range Surface to Air Missiles for the armed forces. The missile deal may have propelled Israel to the numero uno position as a report in Business Standard noted that the Jewish state could overtake the US as Indias largest arms supplier in 2016-17.

***

Notably, India and Israel had developed clandestine military ties way back in the early 70s itself. At least on two occasions, the two countries seemed to have sought some co-operation from each other.

During the 1971 war with Pakistan, Indira had authorised the RAW to buy weapons from Israel through the principality of Liechtenstein. However, in return, the then Israeli prime minister Golda Meir wanted New Delhi to recognise Tel Aviv. But the request was not granted.

Then in 1984, Israel had sought Indias tacit support in destroying Pakistans Kahuta nuclear plant, to stop Islamabad from building an Islamic nuclear weapon. According to strategic expert Bharat Karnad, the plan was stymied by the US after it warned India of strict action.

***

While security matters still underline the relationship between New Delhi and Tel Aviv, there is a lot more to the relations than just arms and ammunitions.

In fact, over 50 percent of the non-defence trade constituted of diamonds in 2016, with the total non-defence trade standing at $4.15 billion. This comes as no surprise as both countries are major centres for diamond trade. In overall terms, there has been a whopping 2,000 percent growth in merchandise trade since 1992.

Israel, owing to its arid geography, developed innovative water management techniques in the 60s. As a result, drip irrigation emerged as one of the greatest innovations in modern agriculture. As elucidated in an earlier article on Firstpost, with India reeling under agricultural crisis, Israels expertise can help transform the sector.

Moreover, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had praised Israels innovative drip irrigation technologies during his visit 2015 visit to the country. In the same year, both countries also signed a MoU to co-operate on water resources management.

While R&D provides both the countries with the opportunity to take their bilateral cooperation to the next level, there is one sector where India can take some important lessons from Israel  start-ups. Israel is worlds leading start-up nation, with the highest ratio of start-ups in proportion to the population. On the other hand, India, on the back of the Start-up India plan, is an aspiring start-up superpower.

Understandably, NITI Aayog recently held a competition for start-ups, with the winner getting an opportunity to exhibit his or her work during Prime Minister Narendra Modis tour of Israel.

Israeli envoy David Carmon had told Firstpost in a 2016 interview:

We believe Israels experience in creating a thriving ecosystem for innovation can and should be shared. We should create more platforms for ideas and people from Israel and India to meet and interact.

***

When Narendra Modi touches down at Tel Aviv on 4 July, it will mark the beginning of a new era in India-Israel ties. Modi will be first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, which for at least four decades remained an untouchable for India. The timing is also significant for the fact that this year also marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

What makes this trip even more significant is the fact that Modi may skip Palestine during his three-day visit to Israel. If this happens then it might signal a definitive shift in Indias policy towards the Palestine. It is no secret that the BJP has always been pitching for greater ties with Israel. With Modi in office, New Delhis engagement with Tel Aviv is finally out in the open  and for good.

But India still maintains good ties with Palestine. During Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas visit to India in May, Modi had pledged Indias support to Palestine. Vajpayee too reiterated his support to the Palestinian cause after Sharons 2003 visit. Both times, the prime ministers threaded a cautious path between maintaining old ties and deepening a newer alliance.

Ahead of the historic visit, the Israeli media called Modi worlds most important prime minister, an indicator of the importance attached to India-Israel ties. But whether Modi will be able to successfully de-hyphenate Israel from Palestine and bring Indias ties with the Jewish nation out in the open will be seen in the coming days.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Israel has been deemed historic by many, by virtue of the fact that it marks 25 years of formal diplomatic ties between India and the West Asian nation.

As argued in an earlier Firstpost report, India has finally shed its hesitation in acknowledging its deepening ties with Israel and the visit, though high on symbolism, will seek to take the bilateral ties beyond the conventional emphasis on defence to a broad multi-dimensional relationship.

India has traditionally trodden a careful diplomatic line in the region, analysts say, wary of upsetting Arab states and Iran  upon whom it relies for its vast imports of oil  and its large Muslim minority. It has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, even though it quietly pursued ties with Israel.

But now Modi is lifting the curtain on a thriving military relationship with Tel Aviv. He will hold three days of talks with his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, to advance sales and production of missiles, drones and radar systems under his signature "Make in India" drive, officials in Delhi and Tel Aviv said.

Netanyahu, hailing what he described as Modi's "historic visit", said on Monday he and the Indian leader have worked together over the past few years to build a "steadfast friendship" between Israel and India.

"This visit will deepen cooperation in a wide range of fields  security, agriculture, water, energy  basically in almost every field Israel is involved in," Netanyahu told his cabinet in public remarks.

Defence, agriculture and water management are among the various areas of cooperation that are expected to "revolutionise" the bilateral relationship. Modi's visit and the expanding areas of cooperation underscore Tel Aviv's journey from being a 'pariah' to India's strategic partner.

An Indian Express report quoted Indian Ambassador to Israel, Pavan Kapoor, as saying that the visit was the "formal coming out of the relationship" between the two countries.

Agriculture and water management

India and Israel have shared significant cooperation in the field of agriculture. Under the India-Israel action plan, Israel set up 15 centres of excellence in agriculture and horticulture in Bihar, Gujarat, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Punjab, Rajasthan and Tamil Nadu.

The centres have demonstrated that Israeli agricultural techniques can be employed to improve Indian farming practices and Modi, to emphasise on the need for transfer of technology, will visit an agriculture farm soon after landing in Tel Aviv on Tuesday.

State governments in India, apart from the Centre, have also been active in reaching out to Israel for help and assistance in agriculture and water management and the efforts are expected to intensify after the visit.

Stating that there has been cooperation going on in the agriculture sector B Bala Bhaskar, Joint Secretary (West Asia and North Africa) in the Ministry of External Affairs, told IANS, "With the help of Israel we have established centres of excellence in various states aimed at increasing productivity, crop management, and water management ."

Given the dire situation of depleting water resources in India and predictions of diminished rainfall in the future, water cooperation between the two nations is a critical issue. Israel has pioneered water desalination techniques and has resolved its water crisis.

Kapoor told the Indian Express that India could learn a lot from Israel about water, as it transitioned from water deficit to surplus and now sells water to the neighbouring Jordan.

On his visit, Modi will be shown water management, treatment, and purification technologies.

There is a lot to learn from Israel when it comes to water management. This is a country, which was water-deficit and is now water-surplus. It sells water to Jordan, the Indian Express report quoted Kapoor as saying.

Defence, counter-terrorism still the bedrock of bilateral ties

India is the world's biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers. Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than $1 billion in defence deals each year.

India has been investing tens of billions in updating its Soviet-era military hardware to counter long-standing tensions with regional rivals China and Pakistan.

It has signed several big-ticket defence deals since Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to power in 2014.

In April, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries said India would buy nearly $2 billion worth of weapons technology, making it the military exporting giant's largest ever defence contract. The deal will see IAI provide India with an advanced defence system of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and communications technology

According to a Hindustan Times report, India is also expected to purchase the armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Heron TP from Israel in order to amp up counter-terrorism and military deterrence capability along its borders.

The report adds that security agencies in New Delhi are also looking to acquire communication interception software that can interdict internet-based chat platforms for targeting terrorists or hostiles. The two nations already have a robust institutionalised mechanism to share data on terrorists and hostile countries.

Modi is also expected to discuss terrorism and cooperation in counter-terrorism operations while in Israel.

Cyber security

Cyber security is one of the key areas to be discussed with Modi, Netanyahu had said ahead of his Indian counterpart's visit to Israel.

"Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here," Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

Terming Modi, as "one of the most important prime ministers of the world", Netanyahu had said that the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in cyber security.

Engaging the Indian diaspora

On Wednesday, Modi will address a massive rally for Indians at Tel Aviv Fairgrounds. The event forms another link between India and Israel. Over 4,000 persons have registered for the event.

Modi will also interact with students from the agriculture, chemistry and biology departments, according to the Indian Express.

Israel has a population of about 85,000 persons of Indian origin. Most of them are Indian Jews who migrated to Israel in the 1950s onwards. The organisers have expressed hope that Netanyahu, who is expected to attend most of Modi's functions in Israel, would also attend the meeting of Indian Jews.

With inputs from agencies
Jerusalem: Cyber security is one of the key areas of cooperation to be discussed with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said ahead of his Indian counterpart's visit to Israel.

"Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here", Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

Terming Modi as "one of the most important prime ministers of the world", Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including in cyber.

"For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime minister's of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fields  water, agriculture, health and also in cyber. And he has a good reason to do so", the Israeli Prime Minister told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office.

Modi will be on a three day visit to Israel starting 4 July to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a "technology giant", is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of "my friend Narendra Modi".

Outlining steps taken by his government to strengthen Israel's cyber security apparatus, Netanyahu argued the need for such an investment by saying that it was not only a "serious threat", but also a "serious business".

"A few years ago, I decided to establish Israel as one of the five leading powers in the world and I think by all accounts, we are there but the jury on security is always out. And it's a constant challenge. Cyber security is a serious business. It's a serious business for two reasons - the first reason is that it's a serious and growing threat. And it's a growing threat everywhere because every single thing is being digitised", he said.

The Israeli prime minister underscored the exponential rise in the need for cyber security, as all governments grapple with finding the ways to protect confidential information of security organisations, the critical infrastructure, businesses, and every single organisation "as we enter the world of internet".

Netanyahu credited himself for creating the National Cyber Defense Authority  to streamline information sharing between government, the private sector and various organizations  to combat cyber threats.

Hundreds of organisations are said to have joined this cybernet as it not only tries to facilitate secure communication between them and with others but also guides them as to how to prevent or respond to cyber attacks.

The Israeli leader reached out to other countries to join this initiative by saying that "in general, again with some reservations, we are better together".

The second reason, he said, as to why cyber security is a serious business, is because it is a fast growing market and an "endless business".

"It's growing geometrically because there is never a permanent solution. It's an endless business. The battle for market share in the fast growing market is open to anyone although there are certain requirements, certain barriers to entry. This produces an endless crop of companies," Netanyahu said.

"We, in Israel, have 600-700 start ups and they are constantly added and weeded out. This is a fast geometrically rising market," he added.

The Israeli premier also talked at length about how Israel's reputation as a centre of advanced technology and hub of cyber security has led to countries that once boycotted it, now embrace it.

"There used to be a thing called the Arab boycott. Remember that. Well that has dissipated for many many reasons - strategic and others but the prominence of Israel in the technological field and in the cyber field has made Israeli companies very very attractive", he said.

If we look at the figures of 2016, we have about 20 per cent share of total cyber security investment around the world, Netanyahu said.

Beginning Tuesday, Modi's Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian prime minister. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of United Nations related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.
Jerusalem: India and Israel will elevate their ties and sign several agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Jerusalem, the first ever by an Indian premier, hailed as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".

Modi's three-day visit beginning Tuesday is aimed at commemorating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and will also see discussions between him and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.

The two sides are expected to sign number of agreements in the field of innovation, development, science and technology and space.

Apart from boosting cooperation in the water and agriculture sectors, India and Israel will also discuss ways to strengthen people-to-people contact, air connectivity and investments.

During the visit, a deal with the Uttar Pradesh government is also likely to be signed to clean-up a patch of river Ganges apart from setting up of industrial research and development fund of $40 million.

Before the visit, the external affairs ministry in New Delhi said it will provide an impetus for deeper bilateral engagement in areas of mutual interest.

Modi will be received by Netanyahu at the airport. This is a special gesture only accorded to the Pope or the US president.

The Israeli prime minister will also host a dinner for Modi on Tuesday. Netanyahu will accompany Modi to most of the events, including the community reception on 5 July.

Modi will also pay homage to Indian soldiers at the Indian cemetery in Haifa.

Modi will also meet 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Moshe Holtzberg, who was only two when he was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel. Moshes father Rabbi Gavriel and mother Rivkah were among eight Israeli nationals killed in the 2008 terror strike.

Netanyahu earlier hailed Modi's visit as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".

"Next week, the Indian prime minister, my friend, Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel. This is a historic visit. In the 70 years of the country's existence, no Indian prime minister has ever visited and this is further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength," Netanyahu had said.

"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," he had said.

The two leaders have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

The defence ties between India and Israel have often drawn worldwide attention and acquired strategic dimensions.

It is believed that Modi's visit would further solidify security ties as Israeli defence industries have shown greater inclination towards participating in joint ventures to give a boost to the National Democratic Alliance government's 'Make in India' campaign.

The Indian prime minister would also be meeting Israeli president Reuven Rivlin and the leader of opposition Isaac Herzog on 5 July.

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved major decisions to deepen Indo-Israel ties. Among the measures proposed include the establishment of a $40 million joint fund to encourage Israeli and Indian business cooperation, agreements permitting and extending incentives to Bollywood filmmakers looking to shoot in Israel, efforts to promote growth in tourism and a joint government project in the fields of water and agriculture.

Modi will not be travelling to neighbouring Palestine during the visit, a clear signal of de-hyphenation of its ties with the two West Asian nations.

President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 and external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016 visited both the countries.

Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon and President Ezer Weizman visited India in 2003 and 1997 respectively. Israeli president Reuven Rivlin had also paid a visit to India in November last year.
Islamabad: Pakistan prime minister Nawaz Sharif on Monday urged the US to "play its role" in solving the Kashmir issue with India, as he met a delegation of powerful American senators, days after prime minister Narendra Modi and president Donald Trump had their first bilateral meeting.

During the meeting, Sharif expressed serious concern over the "gross human rights violations and brutal repression of unarmed Kashmiris".

A statement from his office said that he underscored the "legitimacy" of the Kashmir cause and urged the international community, especially the US, "to play its role in ending the sufferings" of the people of Kashmir.

The US delegation was led by Senator John McCain, the chairman of the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee which is empowered with legislative oversight of American military.

The five-member delegation on Sunday had urged India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue, Dawn newspaper reported.

Around the time Modi-Sharif met at the White House on 26-27 June, the US appeared to move away from Pakistani stance on Kashmir as its state department declared Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen's chief Syed Salahuddin a "global terrorist".

The announcement was a severe blow to Pakistan which has been projecting the 71-year-old leader as a "freedom fighter".

Also, the Indo-US joint statement did not mention the Kashmir issue.

On 30 June, Sharif expressed disappointment over the "complete silence" in the India-US joint statement on the "atrocities" in Kashmir and ordered the ministry to "highlight" rights violations in the Valley.

During Sharif's meeting with the American senators on Monday, his adviser on foreign affairs Sartaj Aziz, National Security Adviser Lieutenant General Nasser Khan Janjua and other senior officials were present.

Sharif said Pakistan-US strategic partnership was "essential" to deal with the various challenges confronting the region and beyond.

Senator McCain agreed that continued cooperation between the US and Pakistan was required to secure peace and stability in the region, the statement said.

The Pakistani prime minister apprised the senators about his government's efforts to combat terrorism and the "marked improvement" in Pakistan's security situation.

Sharif reaffirmed Pakistan's commitment to support all efforts aimed at lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan and said concerted efforts were needed for a political settlement under an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process, the statement said.

He said a strong partnership between the US, Pakistan and Afghanistan was a "prerequisite" for sustainable peace and stressed on the importance of the Quadrilateral Coordination Group (QCG) mechanism to facilitate Afghan reconciliation.

According to the Pakistan Army spokesman, the delegation and Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa visited South Waziristan tribal district.

The US embassy in a separate statement said the two-day visit of the delegation was aimed at strengthening the bilateral ties.

The senators were taken for an aerial survey of the Federally Administered Tribal Area (also called tribal region) and saw the infrastructure projects built with US assistance.

In December 2016, the US embassy had signed a pact to provide more than Rs 8.5 billion for a dam project in North Waziristan.

Also the US has helped Pakistan with an irrigation project in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Islamabad: Pakistan on Monday dismissed the US designating Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a "global terrorist", saying it was not a UN decision but a move by the Trump administration to "appease" India.

Alleging that India was offering its services to the US to "pressurise" China, Pakistan Prime Minister's Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time.

Talking to a delegation from the Kashmir Journalists Forum, he said Salahuddin being designated a terrorist by the US was an attempt by the American administration to "appease" India.

Pakistan was not bound to follow the decision as it was not a United Nations (UN) declaration, Dawn newspaper quoted Aziz as saying.

The US declared Salahuddin a "global terrorist" just before Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with President Donald Trump on 26 June in Washington.

In a notification, the State Department said Salahuddin, who hails from Kashmir and is based in Pakistan for the last 28 years, "has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism."

Aziz said that India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time, but the agitation at the local level had completely changed the Indian narrative.

Aziz reiterated that the struggle was being led by Kashmiris and Pakistan was only providing political, diplomatic and moral support to them.

Aziz also highlighted ceasefire violations by India, claiming that India had violated the ceasefire more than 400 times in the past years, which was a violation of a 2003 agreement between the two nations.

He said that Pakistan was willing for a dialogue on all issues with neighbouring countries as a part of its vision for a peaceful neighbourhood, but a dialogue with India without Kashmir on the agenda was out of the question.
Marawi: Islamist gunmen led by one of the world's most wanted terrorists still hold about 1,500 buildings in a southern Philippine city after weeks of ferocious fighting that has left hundreds dead, officials said Monday.

The Philippine military has struggled to expel scores of gunmen who rampaged through Marawi city on 23 May flying the black flag of the Islamic State group, despite day and night artillery and air strikes that have reduced swathes of the downtown area to rubble.

President Rodrigo Duterte last month vowed to "crush" the militants, but several deadlines have already been missed to end a conflict that has left scores dead and forced some 4,00,000 people from their homes.

The gunmen are led by Isnilon Hapilon, one of the world's most wanted men, who is believed to be still alive and holed up in a mosque, Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana told a news conference in Manila.

In the most detailed assessment yet, he conceded there was no saying when soldiers would be able to retake all 1,500 houses and buildings still held or booby-trapped by the militants.

"Since it is urban fighting a lot of our troops there are not prepared. One can say they are learning as they fight in this built-up area," he said, adding that soldiers are battling street-to-street retaking up to a hundred buildings a day.

The military in Marawi suggested a slower rate, with soldiers recapturing 40 buildings on Saturday and 57 on Sunday.

"The clearing operation is difficult because of the presence of IEDs (improvised explosive devices), booby traps left behind by the terrorists," said the military spokesman for the campaign, Lieutenant-Colonel Jo-ar Herrera.

Eighty-two soldiers and police and 39 civilians have died in the weeks-long conflict, he said.

Around a hundred militants are still entrenched in the city and the army has said they have used a water route to bring in ammunition and evacuate wounded fighters, helping them withstand the military offensive for weeks. Some 300 gunmen are thought to have been killed so far.

Lorenzana said military commanders wanted a swift end to the operation, "but the enemy is also very wily and resourceful".

Duterte imposed martial law over the southern Philippines soon after the fighting started, saying he needed strong powers to snuff out an IS plot to carve out territory after battlefield losses in Iraq and Syria.

A botched government attempt to arrest Hapilon at a Marawi hideout touched off the fighting in May.

He is supported by Marawi-based gunmen led by the Maute brothers, whose group has pledged allegiance to IS, as well as several foreign fighters, Lorenzana said.
Rome: When doctors and nurses at the Vatican's showcase children's hospital complained in 2014 that corners were being cut and medical protocols ignored, the Vatican responded by ordering up a secret in-house investigation. The diagnosis: The original mission of "the pope's hospital" had been lost and was "today more aimed at profit than on caring for children."

Three years later, an Associated Press investigation found that Bambino Gesu (Baby Jesus) Pediatric Hospital did indeed shift its focus in ways big and small under its past administration, which governed from 2008 to 2015. As the hospital expanded services and tried to make a money-losing Vatican enterprise turn a profit, children sometimes paid the price.

Among the AP's findings:

 Overcrowding and poor hygiene contributed to deadly infections, including one 21-month superbug outbreak in the cancer ward that killed eight children.

 To save money, disposable equipment and other materials were at times used improperly, with a one-time order of cheap needles breaking when injected into tiny veins.

 Doctors were so pressured to maximise operating-room turnover that patients were sometimes brought out of anaesthesia too quickly.

Some of the issues  such as early awakening and the focus on profits  had been identified in 2014 by the Vatican-authorised task force of current and former hospital doctors, nurses, administrators and outsiders, who spent three months gathering information and interviewing staff off-campus. The AP corroborated those findings through interviews with more than a dozen current and former Bambino Gesu employees, as well as patients, their families and health officials. The AP reviewed medical records, civil court rulings, hospital and Vatican emails, and five years of union complaints.

Vincenzo Di Ciommo Laurora, a retired Bambino Gesu epidemiologist, described the hospital's past culture this way: "The more you do to a patient, the more money you bring in. You have to produce, produce, produce."

Bambino Gesu disputed the AP's findings and threatened legal action. It said the AP investigation was based on information that was "in some ways false, in other ways seriously unfounded and out of date by two years but above all clinically implausible and defamatory on a moral and ethical level."

It cited its own reputation as a center of excellence. The hospital draws top-notch surgeons to work there and celebrities to visit, including US First Lady Melania Trump in May.

Founded in 1869 to treat poor children, Bambino Gesu (Baby Jesus) was donated to the Vatican in 1924 and is now the main pediatric hospital serving southern Italy. In 2015, the 607-bed facility performed over 26,000 surgical procedures  more than a third of all children's operations nationwide.

Perched on a hillside just up the road from Vatican City, the hospital's main campus enjoys extraterritorial status, making the Italian tax-payer funded institution immune to the surprise inspections that other Italian hospitals undergo.

The Italian health ministry certifies Bambino Gesu for its research activities and in 2015 reported it had "characteristics of excellence." Provided with AP's findings, the health ministry promised to investigate.

The employees who spoke to the AP requested anonymity, fearing they would lose their jobs. Out of concern for the children, they said, they broke what the hospital's union has called the "omerta," the Italian code of silence.

Staff members told the AP that some of the conditions they first reported in early 2014 have improved since the administration changed in early 2015. The new leadership, they said, focuses less on volume and has more respect for following protocols.

But some of the task force's most important recommendations have not been implemented, including the replacement of the medical director. And the hospital's main union said problems remain.

"Ten years ago, the ERs were jammed and they still are. Ten years ago, patients waited on stretchers and they still do. Ten years ago you entered with one illness and left with two hospital infections, and still do," it wrote in July 2016. "What has changed in 10 years? The machines are better, the pharmaceuticals are better, but the level of care is not."

Federica Bianchi brought her 17-month-old son Edoardo to Bambino Gesu in October 2015 because he had breathing problems. He was treated in an ER room where other children were receiving rehydration treatments. Two days later, he suffered bouts of severe diarrhea and vomiting.

After Edoardo's twin also fell ill, she took both boys back to the overcrowded ER, where twice over the following days, staff sent her home. The twins were eventually diagnosed at another hospital with rotavirus, an infectious disease that can cause dehydration. They were admitted, isolated and put on rehydration drips.

Bambino Gesu spokesman Alessandro Iapino said there was no proof the boys caught rotavirus at the pope's hospital. He said Bambino Gesu had successfully brought infection rates down below national and international benchmarks, noting that all hospitals struggle with infection.

Within weeks of the task force report being delivered to the Vatican in April 2014, member Coleen McMahon  an American nurse  grew impatient and emailed the group's coordinator that she planned to press for action. He told her to stand down.

"We are dealing with the Secretary of State of His Holyness (sic), the man that God Himself appointed to lead His Church," Dr. Steven Masotti emailed her back. "Our job is over!"

Other task force members went over Masotti's head and met in September 2014 with Vatican money czar George Pell, delivering a memo warning that "risky conditions" in the hospital still persisted.

Pell, who last week was charged in his native Australia with criminal sex assault, asked Sister Carol Keehan, president and CEO of Catholic Health Association in the U.S., to investigate. She led a second Vatican-commissioned assessment in January 2015.

She spent three days in the hospital observing procedures and speaking with on-duty staff. None of her team spoke Italian. She reviewed meeting minutes and OR schedules, but not union complaints or "adverse event" reports that are filed when things go wrong. Her final report "disproved" many of the findings of the first report and found the hospital in many ways "best in class."

"We came expecting to have to do a big expose and we found no basis for those complaints at all," Keehan said in an interview. "Can I say they've never made a mistake? Absolutely not...But can I say that that is a hospital that gives exceptional care to children? Absolutely and positively yes."

But Pope Francis himself used a Christmas 2016 audience with thousands of hospital employees and patients last year to warn caregivers against falling prey to corruption, which he called the "greatest cancer" that can strike a hospital.

"Bambino Gesu has had a history that hasn't always been good," the pope said, citing the temptation for doctors and nurses to become businessmen.

"Look at the children," Francis said in Italian, pointing to the young patients gathered at his feet in the Vatican auditorium. "And let each one of us think: 'Can I make corrupt business off these children? No!'"
Washington: President Donald Trump has spoken separately with several leaders of nations in the Persian Gulf region and addressed ongoing disputes between Qatar and some of its Arab neighbors.

The White House says Trump urged unity and reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.

Trump spoke Sunday night with King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud of Saudi Arabia, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, and Emir Tamin bin Hamad Al Thani of Qatar.

The White House says Trump underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit's goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability.

A group of Arab nations has accused Qatar of supporting Muslim extremists, among other things.
Beijing: The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Jaitley who responded to Chinas oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different an India of 2017 is different."

He had also said that the current standoff between India and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitley's remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different."

He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.

"I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treat immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard it territorial sovereignty," he warned.

Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up for the "illegal entry" into the Doka la area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the India border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutan's independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as a excuse."

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that the India troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," Geng said.

Asked whether any talks are going on between India an China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing."

"The line of diplomatic communication between two side is open and smooth," he said.
Beijing: China has scrambled naval ships and military jets to "warn off" a US missile destroyer sailing close to an artificial island built by it in the disputed South China Sea and denounced Washington's move as a "serious political and military provocation".

Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement late last night that China had dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel.

On Sunday, the missile destroyer USS Stethem "trespassed China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands", state run Xinhua news agency reported.

The US behaviour constitutes a serious political and military provocation, Lu said, stressing that the Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed it.

Stethem passed less than 22 kms from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which China calls Xisha islands. The island chain is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

While China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, the other countries to partially counterclaim over the area are Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

This is the second US naval ship to have passed the disputed islands after President Donald Trump came to power.

The US has been periodically sending the naval ships and planes to the South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation challenging China's claims of sovereignty.

China comes out with similar reaction every time the US naval ships pass through the area.

Lu said the Islands are an inherent part of the Chinese territory, noting that in accordance with the law of China on the territorial sea and the contiguous zone, the Chinese government promulgated the baseline of the territorial sea off the Xisha Islands in 1996

"The relevant Chinese law has explicit provisions on foreign military vessels' entry into the territorial sea of China," Lu said.

Under the pretext of "navigation freedom," the US once again sent a military vessel into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without China's approval, Lu said.

He said the behaviour of US has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands.

China says there are problems for international navigation through the SCS but objects to defence vessels going through it.

Working together, China and ASEAN member states have cooled down and improved the situation in the South China Sea Lu said charging US of deliberately stirring up troubles in the South China Sea. The US is running in the opposite direction from countries in the region who aspire for stability, cooperation and development, he said

"The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate China's sovereignty and threaten its security," he stressed, saying the Chinese side will continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.

The US missile destroyer sailing close to the contentious island chain is the latest in a series of events that add to the growing unease in the relations between the two countries.

Last week Trump authorised a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province, besides slapping sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.
Baghdad: A suicide bomber attacked a camp for displaced Iraqis in Anbar province on Monday, killing 14 people, a police major and a doctor said.

The blast at the 60 Kilo camp west of Anbar capital Ramadi also wounded 13 people. The doctor and the major both said that most of the victims were women and children, but the officer also told AFP that two security personnel including a captain were among the dead.

Adnan Fayhan, the head of the local council in the Al-Wafaa area, where the camp is located, said that there were 110 people residing in it when the attack occurred.

"All the displaced people in the camp will be brought to the 18 Kilo camp west of Ramadi," as it is "safer and receives more aid," Fayhan said.

"The 60 Kilo camp will be closed after all the displaced people have been brought to the 18 Kilo camp," he said. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting civilians in Iraq.

Iraqi forces retook the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah from Islamic State, but the jihadists still hold areas in western Anbar, and the province still faces major security challenges.

Islamic State overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained much of the territory they lost.
Damascus: The Syrian government on Monday warned that any new attack by Washington on the war-ravaged country would provoke an even stronger reaction by Damascus and its allies.

"We would not be surprised if the United States carried out new attacks against Syria," deputy foreign minister Faisal al-Moqdad told reporters in Damascus.

"But they should carefully consider the possible reactions, and should know that Syria's response, and that of its allies, will not be like the one after the first aggression."

The United States carried out its first direct military action against Syria in April, firing 59 Tomahawk cruise missiles at the Shayrat military airport.

It came in response to accusations the Syrian army used the base to unleash a chemical weapons attack on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhun in the country's northwest.

Last week, the White House said President Bashar al-Assad was potentially preparing a new chemical weapons attack.

Spokesperson Sean Spicer warned at the time that if "Assad conducts another mass murder attack using chemical weapons, he and his military will pay a heavy price".

And Pentagon chief Jim Mattis told reporters that it appeared the Assad government "took the warning seriously".

The April strike on Shayrat was fiercely condemned by Damascus and its allies, Russia and Iran, but there was no military response.

Speaking of that attack, Moqdad cast it aside as a show of force by US president Donald Trump, who had yet to complete his first 100 days in office at the time.

"I believe that the new American administration wanted the world to know that it is strong and can strike anywhere," Moqdad said.

"Of course, crazy men can strike anywhere."

Moqdad also rejected last week's report by the United Nations' chemical weapons watchdog, which concluded that the banned nerve agent sarin was used in the Khan Sheikhun attack.

The Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons found that "a large number of people, some of whom died, were exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance."

It did not accuse the Syrian government of carrying out the attack.

"We said that we will not recognise the results of this investigation and we will not deal with it, because it has no transparency, credibility, or integrity," Moqdad said.

Russia's foreign ministry also said the findings "are still based on rather questionable data".
Beirut: US-backed fighters pierced jihadist-held Raqqa from the south for the first time, crossing the Euphrates River to enter a new part of the Syrian city, a monitor said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces have spent months closing in on the Islamic State group's bastion Raqqa and entered the city's east and west for the first time last month.

On Thursday, the US-backed Arab-Kurd alliance sealed off the jihadists' last escape route by capturing territory on the southern bank of the Euphrates.

"Today, they entered Raqqa's south for the first time and seized the Al-Hal market," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said yesterday.

He said some SDF fighters had advanced north across the Euphrates River, while others had attacked Al-Hal from the adjacent district of Al-Meshleb in Raqqa's east.

"The market is fully under SDF control but Islamic State is waging a counter-attack," Abdel Rahman said.

The SDF's Operation Wrath of the Euphrates announced it had captured the Al-Hal market yesterday.

Abdel Rahman also said 11 civilians, including four women and five children, were killed in coalition air strikes on the western Raqqa district of Al-Daraiya late yesterday.

The new deaths put at more than 200 the civilian toll from coalition raids on Raqqa since the US-backed SDF entered the city on 6 June.

The Observatory said "dozens" of SDF fighters had been killed in Raqqa in the same period, "including 36 in the past week".

The SDF have since seized a handful of neighbourhoods inthe east and west but are facing fierce resistance by Islamic State as they push closer to the city centre.

SDF fighters were battling Islamic State yesterday inside the eastern district of Al-Senaa, which the jihadists retook after an initial advance by the US-backed forces last month.

Al-Senaa is key for both the SDF and Islamic State because it is adjacent to the city centre, where most Islamic State fighters defending Raqqa are thought to be holed up.

Islamic State pushed the SDF out of Al-Senaa on Friday, using dozens of jihadists disguised in SDF uniforms as well as a slew of car bombs.

After two days of a counter-offensive, the SDF had retaken about 70 percent of it by yesterday, the Observatory said.

"Our forces are about 100 metres (yards) from Baghdad Gate," said Syrian Elite Forces spokesman Mohammad Khaled Shaker, referring to the entrance to Raqqa's Old City.

"We are combing the area and destroying tunnels to prevent any new infiltrations towards our positions," Shaker told AFP.

According to the coalition, an estimated 2,500 Islamic State jihadists are defending the northern city.

Islamic State overran Raqqa in 2014, transforming it into the de facto Syrian capital of its self-declared "caliphate," which it declared three years ago.

The city became infamous as the scene of some of the group's worst atrocities, including public beheadings, and is thought to have been a hub for planning attacks overseas.

The United Nations has expressed concern for up to 100,000 civilians it says are still trapped in the city
Lisbon: The US decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement has given a "global push" to the deal, as other signatories have strongly recommitted to the landmark accord, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday.

President Donald Trump, whose country is the world's second biggest producer of greenhouse gases after China, drew widespread criticism when he announced on 1 June that he would quit the 2015 pact.

"Since the decision by the US government to abandon the Paris accords, we have been witnessing a global push and a reaffirmation by all the other governments of their commitment" on climate change, Guterres told a conference in Lisbon.

"It's obvious for the European Union, China and India," he added.

Guterres recalled that he had recently met the leaders of China and India, describing them as countries which were "crucial" for the success of the Paris accords.

"Their commitment is clear," he said.

"In the United States, this push is generating at the level of cities, in some states and in the business world a very strong commitment towards the green economy," the UN chief said.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has become a UN special envoy for cities and climate, "is convinced that the United States will be able to reach the targets it set itself under the Paris accord," said Guterres.

The Paris agreement, struck in the French capital in December 2015, aims to keep the increase in average world temperatures to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Washington: Beijing's ties with Washington have been strained by "some negative factors", Chinese president Xi Jinping told US president Donald Trump in a telephonic conversation.

The call on Sunday came at the end of a tense week in US-China relations, which analysts said signalled the end of honeymoon period between the two superpowers that began with a summit at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in April, CNN reported.

Xi stressed that since his meeting with President Trump, important results have been achieved in China-US relations, reported Chinese state media outlet CCTV.

The report said bilateral relations have also been affected by some negative factors, on which the Chinese side has expressed its position to the US side.

The White House statement was more reticent, saying only that the two leaders discussed a range of issues of mutual interest, including North Korea and trade relations, CNN said.

Trump also spoke to Japanese prime minister Shinzo Abe by phone, with the two pledging deeper cooperation on North Korea in the wake of growing frustrations over the rogue state.

Relations between China and the US had warmed up after the two leaders met in February, with Trump even describing Xi as a "terrific person".

But in the past week, the US after months of delay approved a $1.4 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which Beijing regards as a renegade province, the same day as China's Dandong Bank was slapped with sanctions for alleged ties to North Korea.

The US also labelled China as one of the world's "worst human traffickers" and challenged Beijing in the South China Sea, by sailing close to a disputed chain of islands that China claims.

On 21 June, Trump sent a tweet in which he said Chinese efforts on North Korea, while appreciated, had "not worked out".

In conversations with Xi and Abe, Trump agreed with both leaders that efforts needed to be made to avoid conflict on the Korean peninsula.

According to the White House statement, Trump raised the growing threat of North Korea's nuclear and ballistic arsenals with the Chinese president.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," the White House said in a readout of the phone call.

In his conversation with Abe, the White House said Trump reiterated the US was ready to defend Japan in the event of any North Korean aggression.

As Trump spoke with Xi and Abe, former US president Barack Obama spoke in South Korea about the difficulties of dealing with the North.

"The first thing to stipulate is this it's hard, it's a hard problem," Obama said during remarks at the Asian Leadership Conference in Seoul.

"In North Korea you have a government that is unmatched in its repression of its people... You have a young man who is only interested in maintaining power and is willing to do anything to sustain that."

Obama said North Korea's future prosperity would not come "from the pursuit of nuclear weapons".
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The Illinois House approved a $5 billion income tax increase on Sunday, followed by a spending plan for the new fiscal year, with some Republicans defying Gov. Bruce Rauner and joining Democrats in a dramatic step to break the nation's longest-running budget stalemate.

One Republican who voted for the tax increases said the state could not continue run up billions of dollars in red ink.

Sunday's votes did not immediately spell resolution of the impasse. The 72 votes for tax increases are sufficient to override a Rauner veto, but whether the Republicans who joined the majority Sunday would vote again against the governor is uncertain. Rauner, a wealthy businessman, has poured tens of millions of his fortune into the Republican party and the campaigns of GOP legislators.

"Illinois families don't deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the Legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs," Rauner said. "Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits."

Fifteen Republicans joined majority Democrats in the 72-45 vote for the tax increase, providing one more than the three-fifths majority necessary for the law to take effect immediately. Rauner derided the proposals as lacking spending restraint or "structural" changes he wants.

But the Republican governor immediately issued a statement saying he would veto the tax increase.

"Stop playing 'chicken' with the fifth-largest state in the union," said Rep. David Harris, a suburban Chicago Republican. "I was not elected as a state legislator to help preside over the destruction of this great state!"

Democrats said that negotiations continue with the GOP over Rauner's demands, including the statewide property tax freeze, cost-cutting measures to the workers' compensation program for injured employees and cuts to pension benefits to reduce a ballooning deficit.

The revenue package now goes to the Senate for approval. The proposal would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

Without a budget, the state comptroller will be unable by August to cover even basic services ordered by courts and the $6.2 billion budget deficit and $14.7 billion in overdue bills would grow. Credit rating agencies have threatened to downgrade as early as this week Illinois creditworthiness to "junk" status, which would be the lowest ever for a state.

Shortly after the tax-hike vote, the chamber voted 81-34 on fiscal blueprint that would spend about $36 billion. Democrats have said that is $800 million less than what Rauner himself proposed last winter. It's about $1 billion less than the version sent over in May from the Senate, where the legislation now returns for concurrence.

Republican Rep. Sheri Jesiel of Winthrop Harbor voted against the tax increases.

"We can't continue to be the ATM that funds programs that can't live within their means," Jesiel said. "It's ... very clear that because there are minimal if any structural changes in our spending, it won't be long before we're doing the same thing, arguing for tax increase for the spending that we've never learned to get under control."

Both House and Senate return to the Capitol Monday. The Senate could receive the budget legislation and immediately consider it. The House has other budget-related matters, such as work on legislation to borrow billions of dollars to buy down the pile of past-due bills.

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The bills are SB6 and SB9 .

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Contact Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/john%20o'connor
Federal agents at Philadelphia International Airport have seized more than $93,000 in undeclared cash from a family boarding a flight to Qatar.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers say the unreported currency was concealed June 27 on the bodies of the man, his wife and their adult child.

International travelers can carry as much currency as they want in and out of the country but must declare their cash if it totals more than $10,000. Officials said the man, who was traveling with his wife and five children, told authorities he only had $12,000.

Roughly $3,000 was returned to the family, and they were released without being charged.

Authorities say they seize more than a quarter of a million dollars in undeclared currency from the nation's borders every day.
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Illinois' financial outlook received a boost from a credit-rating house Monday after a dramatic vote to raise the income tax rate by 32 percent.

Fitch Ratings issued a statement noting "concrete progress on reaching an agreement to break the two-yearlong budget impasse" after the House vote Sunday night. Fitch's announcement came despite a promise from Gov. Bruce Rauner to veto the House measure. It was approved 72-45, receiving one more vote than necessary to override a veto.

Illinois has been without an annual budget for two years, the longest of any state in at least 80 years. The state is carrying a $6.2 billion annual deficit and $14.7 billion in overdue bills. The state has crept along on spending ordered by courts, but a federal judge last week ordered that the state pay nearly $300 million more a month to managed-care Medicaid billers.

The House also approved a $36 billion spending bill. Both measures move to the Senate for concurrence. But it was unclear whether the Senate had the 36 three-fifths majority necessary Monday to send them to the governor. Legislative leaders are scheduled to meet again this afternoon to continue budget talks.

The other two major investment houses, Moody's Investors Service and Standard & Poor's, were closed Monday for the Independence Day holiday. All three houses have threatened to downgrade Illinois to "junk" status without swift action on a budget, a move that would signal to investors that buying Illinois debt would be speculative.

Fitch rated Illinois' creditworthiness as "BBB" in February. There is one more level, "BBB-minus," before falling into "junk" status.

The tax bill approved Sunday would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

"Temporary or partial measures, or a failure to enact a budget within the context of this session, would result in a downgrade," the Fitch statement warned. With the order on Medicaid vendors and other legal challengers to the state's bill-paying decisions, Fitch said, "The state risks losing full control of its budgetary decisions, which would be inconsistent with the current rating."

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Contact Political Writer John O'Connor at https://twitter.com/apoconnor . His work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/john%20o'connor
Oil rose about 1.5 percent on Monday, resuming its longest stretch of daily gains in more than five years after data pointed to moderating U.S. output, though analysts said news of rising OPEC production could cap gains.

Brent crude futures were up 71 cents to $49.48 a barrel by 11:30 a.m.(1530 GMT), off a session low of $48.79. The price rose 5.2 percent last week for a first weekly gain in six.

U.S. crude futures were up 81 cents to $46.85 a barrel.

Crude is up for the eighth straight session in a row, the longest unbroken stretch of gains since February 2012.

"Its all about market sentiment," said Commerzbank senior oil analyst Carsten Fritsch. He cited a 100,000 barrel per day drop in U.S. production due to tropical storms and maintenance, as well as a decline in U.S. rig count.

"These... (temporary) factors outweigh the sharp increase in OPEC oil production in June... and the continued increase in Libyan and Nigerian output at least at the moment," he said.

Speculators in Brent crude futures and options raised their bets against a sustained price rise to the highest level on record in the latest week.

Drilling activity for new oil production in the United States fell for the first time since January, dropping by two rigs, while U.S. government data showed crude output fell in April for the first time this year.

"In our view there is still a significant shortfall in onshore output relative to prior market expectations," Standard Chartered wrote in a note on Monday, "We think the fall in prices has caused U.S. output growth to slow, and that revisions for May and June will confirm that supply is growing at a significantly more modest rate than the market has believed up to now."

The oil price remains down more than 13 percent this year, with strong global demand insufficient to absorb rising output from the United States, Nigeria, Libya, Brazil and the North Sea.

Despite the dip, the total U.S. rig count was more than double the 341 rigs the same week a year ago, energy services firm Baker Hughes said.

Also, output from the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries hit a 2017 high. June OPEC production rose 280,000 bpd to 32.72 million bpd, a Reuters survey showed, despite the group's pledge to hold back output.

On Monday at an event in London Iraq's oil minister Jabar al-Luaibi said the country has the right to achieve oil output in line with its crude reserves.

(Additional reporting by Amanda Cooper in London, Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Edmund Blair and David Goodman)
In this segment from Industry Focus: Consumer Goods, the cast takes a look at TJX Companies' (NYSE: TJX) unique brick-and-mortar stores that generated more than $33.2 billion in sales last year. With the help of 1,000 buyers and 18,000 vendors, the company offers the merchandise and value that keeps shoppers coming back again and again.

A full transcript follows the video.

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Vincent Shen: What I hope to be a more positive and uplifting outlook after covering, like I said, a lot of those beaten-down department stores, those restaurants and other retailers. These are the companies that are defying retail headwinds and putting up a strong results and returns for our investors. First, we have the TJX Companies, the apparel and home-goods retailer. While other department stores lay off employees, reduce their store footprints, and try to squeeze the value out of their real estate, TJX is putting up incredible results and returns for their shareholders. Sarah, Addie, for any Fools who are not quite familiar with TJX and the various chains included in its store portfolio, can you give us a quick overview of the company, its scale, and so on?

Sarah Priestley: TJX owns T.J. Maxx, Marshalls, HomeGoods, Sierra Trading Post, and Winners in Canada. They also own HomeSense, which is in Europe. So they have a lot of different brands. They're kind of a global company. As you said, they sell apparel; they also sell footwear, home goods, and stationery, makeup. They cover a huge spectrum. A lot of things you would expect to find at a department store, you'd probably find there. But they sell about 20% to 60% cheaper than what you would find elsewhere. They have about 3,800 stores. What makes them great for the purpose of this discussion is that last year, they sold $33.2 billion in sales, and e-commerce was 1% of that. So in all the discussion about how e-commerce is dominating and killing, causing the retail apocalypse, T.J. Maxx is really bucking the trend.

Shen: Yes. This is as close as you can really get to a pure-play brick-and-mortar operation. And they've been really killing it in terms of the results. Their share returns also quite strong. I personally really enjoyed following this company. When I was younger, my grandmother actually loved shopping at T.J. Maxx and HomeGoods, and I remember going with her all the time. She would really patiently browse through each rack looking for just the right items, and we would end up spending over an hour there in the afternoon before we made our way through the whole store.

Investors will often hear management and analysts talk about this appeal of their stores, kind of like a treasure hunt. They have these popular brands, they have low prices, and a product selection that's constantly changing based on their buying habits and their vendors, what their vendors are essentially offering. That's obviously helped the company to deliver some strong results. I'd like to dive more into exactly the mechanics of how TJX is outperforming, and how it's able to deliver this experience and value for customers.

Priestley: I think the biggest thing for them is their inventory and supply-chain management, which you touched on. I think the real selling point is the fact that you can go into a T.J. Maxx and spend a couple of hours there browsing, because it's never going to be the same inventory that you've seen before. So what allows them to do that is this inventory and supply-chain system, which is unparalleled. They custom-built their own supply chain system. That means they can go to their vendors, they can buy smaller quantities than they would normally, they can buy different sizes, maybe don't take a lot of the perks that other retailers would in terms of the promotion expectations, returns expectations. So they have a lot of freedom to do this. What that means is that they end up with huge choice, huge selection.

And this is the crux of it: They can distribute that well globally, and they have the knowledge of the individual stores to make it suitable for that local area. And they talk a lot about having no walls. Their stores have no walls; they can make the content exactly what they expect people want to buy in that locality. And it's really hard to explain how unique that is and how difficult that is to replicate. Supply-chain systems are notoriously very cumbersome and hard to operate. The fact that they manage 18,000 vendors worldwide on their system and manage to deliver the granularity that they do for the individual stores is incredible. I think some of that is through the fact that they have a thousand buyers worldwide. That number of buyers, plus the relationships they're establishing, is a huge plus.

Shen: So really, they have this army, essentially, of buyers out there, ready to connect with whatever vendor it may be. The 18,000, I think, is really impressive, in that it shows how much less they might rely than some of their competitors on certain key brands, because ultimately what customers go in when they look for is something new, that treasure hunt. They don't need to always necessarily have the same amount of some major brand. I think, in terms of what shoppers see when they enter a Marshalls or T.J. Maxx, you mentioned the no walls, and how the floor plan is very flexible. That's also similar to the fact that in terms of the way they stock their stores, their buying habits, the fact that some of the things that they buy, they will put on the floor that very same season, if not the next season, whereas traditional department stores will often make their purchases months in advance. And what that basically allows the company to do is stay on top of popular trends, see what's selling well, and that information flows back to the vendors as well, as valuable data and feedback.

So this product selection and the discounts that the store offers, is powering the strong foot traffic, and keeping customers coming back. To quantify that, I think it's important for investors to look at one metric, and that's inventory turnover. I covered this metric in detail last May. Basically, what it tells an investor is how many times a retailer will sell through its entire inventory in a given period of time, usually a year, and usually the higher the better for this number. TJX boasts an inventory turnover for the last 12 months of 6.2 times. To give you a little bit of perspective, Macy's is just 2.7 times, Nordstrom 4.4 times, and Kohl's 2.9 times. In other words, while it might take TJX about 60 days to sell through their entire inventory, Macy's and Kohl's would need over 125 days, and Nordstrom would need about 80 days. When you put that in perspective, what it amounts to is that, it takes more time for the competition to convert that inventory to revenue and essentially cash, while TJX is moving on to their next season or collection of apparel to offer their customers.

Listeners now have a better understanding of why TJX is leading the pack. I think it's a natural question, though, to ask, you mentioned their digital business is only 1% of their revenue. I think a lot of people are wondering at this point whether it can maintain that kind of balance to its business and also scratching their heads wondering why, while Amazon is eating everyone else's lunch, they haven't managed to do the same with TJX. And is, essentially, the company's moat big enough to hold off online competition and maintain the success that it's seen with this pure brick and mortar operation? Is the moat big enough to do this?

Priestley: I think so. I think there's a few things that protect them from the Amazon effect. One, which you kind of touched on, is the choice. They're not reliant on one particular brand. This isn't Nike trying to sell through its own website. They have Nike and they have Under Armour and they have every sports-apparel company you could want. And that's the benefit, because they can move with the trends, as you were describing. I think the other thing is the fact that the average ticket size for TJX generally is so small, it doesn't necessarily make sense for people to make those purchases online. The third thing is the experience. They offer value and they offer the whole treasure hunt experience, and you can't necessarily get that online. I generally believe people don't think they know what they want when they go to T.J. Maxx or Marshalls or even to HomeGoods. But the fact of the matter is, you get in there, you see these great deals, you find something that you want, and they give people a reason to go to the stores.

Shen: I think that makes a lot of sense. Last thing I do want to touch on, besides what we're bullish on, is some of the risks that the company faces, in terms of, some of the things that come to mind for me are the fact that it has over 3,000 stores, I think management has spoken to a long-term target or runway of over 5,000 potentially across it geographic footprint. But ultimately, there's always concerns in terms of, a lot of its competitors are hurting now, because they went through this huge period of overexpansion. There's more retail space in the United States than any other country. Is that a concern? Is that something that TJX might have to deal with in terms of, they reach a point where they have so many stores that they can't even find all those good deals from vendors, for example, to keep items on the rack and fill them out?

Priestley: It is definitely a concern, especially when you consider that Macy's has started Macy's Backstage, and there's Nordstrom Rack, and you've got [Saks Off Fifth], so there's a lot of competitors that are rising that are going to be competing for the same inventory. And that's where that whole vendor relationships really comes into play. I do think there is the potential for risk of overexpansion here. At the minute they are 5% of the U.S. apparel and footwear market.

Shen: So still a very small portion.

Priestley: Still very small. If they're on track with their projected expansion, it would be 7%. Again, still small. I think they should be careful of it. One thing to note is they've had this question, they've been challenged on this for the past 40 years.

And if you look on their investor-relations website, they actually have a chart that shows that, through multiple downturns, they haven't been affected. They have had 21 years of comps improvement, 21 years of sales improvement, 20 years raising the dividend. So I think that you have to give them some credit to the fact that they know how to navigate these choppy waters.

Shen: Sure. Yeah, those are two decades, those are long-term results, and I think investors definitely have a lot to follow and a lot to be excited about when watching this company going forward.

Sarah Priestley owns shares of Under Armour (C Shares). Vincent Shen has no position in any stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool owns shares of and recommends Nike and Under Armour (A and C Shares). The Motley Fool recommends Nordstrom and The TJX Companies. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
In a story July 3 about a deal to end a U.S.-Mexico dispute over sugar, The Associated Press reported erroneously that the countries signed the pact Friday. The agreement was signed Monday.

A corrected version of the story is below:

US, Mexico sign agreement ending trade dispute over sugar

The United States and Mexico signed an agreement Monday to resolve a trade dispute over sugar

The Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP)  The United States and Mexico signed an agreement Monday to resolve a trade dispute over sugar.

The deal, originally announced June 6, is intended to prevent Mexico from dumping cheap sugar into the U.S. market. Sugar producers and refiners welcomed the deal. But economists say it could raise prices for American sugar consumers.

American sugar refiners had complained that Mexico was exporting low-cost refined sugar to the United States and limiting exports of raw sugar to be refined in the United States. The agreement increases the price at which raw and refined sugar is sold to Mexican mills and reduces Mexico's refined sugar exports to the United States. The U.S. agreed to suspend duties on Mexican sugar imports.

President Donald Trump last week tweeted that the pact was "a very good one for both Mexico and the U.S."

The dispute might have broadened into a trade war with Mexico if it had not been resolved and if the U.S. had imposed duties on Mexican sugar imports. A nasty spat could have jeopardized plans to renegotiate NAFTA, the 23-year-old trade agreement involving the United States, Mexico and Canada.
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) granted approval to Etihad Airways to allow electronic devices inside cabins of aircraft on U.S.-bound flights from Abu Dhabi.

This approval is verified with visual confirmation by TSA officials ensuring the measures have been implemented correctly and to the full extent required, Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan told FOX Business, adding that officials from the TSA will continue to regularly observe operations at the Abu Dhabi International Airport (AUH).

The airport has U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) facility that allows passengers flying Etihadthe flag-carrier of the United Arab Emiratesto clear customs, immigration and security procedures in Abu Dhabi, instead of having to do so upon landing in America. Abu Dhabi International is the only airport in the Middle East and Africa to host the CBP facility, according to the AUH website.

It is the second-largest airport in the UAE, after Dubai International, with more than 23 million passengers using it for travel in 2015, according to the website, which anticipates the number to rise to more than 45 million within the next 10 years.

Etihad currently operates 45 flights per week from Abu Dhabi to six destinations in the U.S., including New York and Washington, D.C.

We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures. Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines looking to adopt the new measures, Lapan said.

In March, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly banned electronic devices from cabins of U.S.-bound flights from 10 airports in the Middle East and Africa, areas of high terrorist activity. Then, in late May, Kelly said he might consider increasing the ban to all international flights both into and out of America, during an interview on Fox News Sunday.

More recently, at the end of last month, Kellys DHS announced new aviation security measures regarding all commercial flights to the U.S. The new steps required by the department include enhanced screening of electronic devices and more thorough vetting of passengers, and will be both seen and unseen. If airlines refuse to comply with the new rules or take too long to adhere, they could face further restrictions, including banning electronic devices onboard or having their flights to the U.S. suspended.

Security is my number one concern, Kelly said in a prepared statement to the Center for New American Security in late-June. Our enemies are adaptive, and we must be too. A number of the measures we plan to put in place can be dialed up or down in a risk-based, intelligence-driven manner. And over the next several weeks and months, well work with our partners to ensure these measures are fully implemented.
The Arab nations involved in a tense dispute with Qatar on Monday extended the deadline for the small Gulf country to respond to a list of demands they say are required to restore normal diplomatic relations.

The Arab coalition, which includes Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates, is giving Qatari officials another 48 hours to formally respond to the demands. The extension was granted as the request of Kuwaits 88-year-old ruler, Sheikh Sabah Al Sabah, who has sought to find a peaceful solution to the diplomatic crisis.

Qatars foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, will reportedly deliver a handwritten response to the list of demands to Kuwait. The coalition said it would meet in Cairo, Egypt on Wednesday to determine its next steps after viewing Qatars response.

"The response of the four states will then be sent following the study of the Qatari government's response and assessment of its response to the whole demands," the countries said in a statement.

Watch the latest video at video.foxnews.com

The crisis began June 5, as the countries cut off diplomatic ties to Qatar over their allegations that the world's top producer of liquefied natural gas uses it wealth to fund extremist groups and has overly warm ties to Iran. Qatar long has denied funding terrorists, while it maintains communication with Iran as the two countries share a massive offshore natural gas field.

The quartet of countries first restricted Qatar's access to their airspace and ports, while sealing its only land border, which it shares with Saudi Arabia. They later issued a 13-point list of demands on June 22 to end the standoff and gave Qatar 10 days to comply.

Meanwhile, U.S. President Donald Trump spoke with Sheikh Tamim, as well as King Salman of Saudi Arabia and Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, the crown prince of the Emirati capital, Abu Dhabi.

The White House said Trump urged unity and reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology. A separate statement carried on the official Qatar News Agency said the emir's discussion with Trump touched on the need to fight terrorism and extremism in all its forms and sources, and was a chance for the countries to review their bilateral strategic relations.

Trump later tweeted: "Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening!"

Qatar, like the countries lined up against it, is a U.S. ally. It hosts some 10,000 American troops at the sprawling al-Udeid Air Base. The desert facility is home to the forward headquarters of the U.S. Central Command and has been a key staging ground for the campaign against the Islamic State group and the war in Afghanistan.

What comes next remains in question. If Qatar doesn't agree to the demands, the nations could push forward with financial sanctions or pushing the country out of the Gulf Cooperation Council, a regional body that serves as a counterbalance to Iran. Some Arab media outlets have gone as far as suggesting a military confrontation or new leadership be installed in Qatar.

On Wednesday, the four countries will meet in Cairo to discuss "future steps in dealing with Qatar as well as exchange of points of view and the evaluation of the existing international and regional contacts in this connection," Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said.

Meanwhile, Qatari officials have said they won't back down either. Al-Jazeera, the satellite news network funded by Qatar that the countries demand be shut down, issued a video message saying: "We too have demands. ... We demand press freedom."

"Qatar is not an easy country to be swallowed by anyone," Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah told Sky News on Sunday. "We are ready. We stand ready to defend our country. I hope that we don't come to a stage where, you know, a military intervention is made."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Three Playboy Playmates were detained by Mexican police officers on June 30 at a party for Playboy Music Fest in Merida, Mexico.

Turkish model Elif Celik, American model Lauryn Elaine, and French model Marie Brethenoux were taken into custody because Mexican authorities believed they were working at the event, but only had tourist travel visas.

"We came to Mexico to celebrate each other's company and to gain publicity with our fans by coming to these parties in Merida and Cancun," Elaine told Fox News in an email. "Around midnight, immigration came and busted into our party when all of us girls were sitting at our VIP tables enjoying champagne and music. They then rounded us up into a large room and weeded us all out by checking everyone's IDs."

'Harry Potter' actress strips down for Playboy

Elaine added she and the two other models "were taken for allegedly 'working' without a visa."

"We do not get paid for these events so we were wrongfully taken because they abused their authority and thought they could shake down Playboy Mexico by taking us," she said.

Playboy model Katie May's estate sues chiropractor for wrongful death

Celik backed up Elaine's account.

"They just arrested us while we were enjoying the party and then after a while the cops just came in and asked for passports," Celik said. "It was a horrible moment in my life that I have never had before.

Elaine said they were loaded into a van and taken in for questioning. Afterwards, the models were put "in a holding cell cage for almost 24 hours, and we had to beg for food and water."

"Luckily our Playboy Mexico family was extremely quick on taking action," she shared.

Playboy model causes outrage after posing nude on sacred mountain

Playboy Mexico described the incident in a press release as a "misunderstanding."

"There was an abuse of authority from immigration of Merida and federal police toward some of the talent that they invited to the event, the magazine stated.

Playboy Mexico also took to social media to defend the women.

Elaine wrote of her detainment on Instagram, Happy to be out!!!"

Playboy model Dani Mathers on body shaming scandal: 'I am not sorry about what happened to me'

And Brethenoux posted a pic of the trio posing with sad faces. Her caption read, Even after jail in Merida nothing can stop us! Bunnies warriors.

But the ordeal isn't over. Elaine said all three "are waiting to meet with immigration to sign the rest of the papers and get our passports back.


The Keepers has prompted numerous calls for the Baltimore Archdiocese to release a dead priests files.

The Baltimore Sun reported Saturday that the seven-part documentary exploring the priests alleged abuse led more to 11,000 signatures on an online petition. Archdiocese spokesman Sean Caine said state law bars the release of much of the confidential information.

"The Keepers" tells the story of the unsolved death of Catholic nun Sister Cathy Cesnik, whose body was discovered in January 1970 two months after her sudden disappearance. The popular nun taught English and drama at Archbishop Keough High School in Baltimore.

Viewers learned how several former Catholic schoolgirls alleged to have endure sexual abuse at their school and how Cesnik promised to helped them, until she ended up dead.

The priest at the center of the show, A. Joseph Maskell, denied abuse allegations and was never charged before his 2001 death. However, the archdiocese has since paid $472,000 in settlements to alleged victims.

Filmmaker Ryan White told Fox News in June he thinks the world will eventually find out who killed Sister Cathy.

I hope we do, he said. I dont think its too late to find out. I probably began the project thinking it was too late to find out, but I dont believe that now I believe her family deserves justice. And part of that is being able to name who killed Sister Cathy.

White also added he never set out to take on the Catholic church with his movie.

I grew up Catholic, and I had a very positive experience in the Catholic church, he explained. And I think the secrets of abuse and cover-ups within the Catholic church are widely known at this point. I didnt see this as a documentary that would ever be against the Catholic church. I was surprised and disappointed during the filmmaking process that the Archdiocese of Baltimore seemed so resistant to participate.

"I was extremely disappointed in their reaction towards the series. I thought they would come out a lot more compassionately and their reactions so far have been much more of an attack mode. As a Catholic, its been a very disappointing experience from the beginning because that was never the intent. I dont consider The Keepers an anti-Catholic movie. I consider it a movie against child abuse and cover-ups of child abuse.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.


The family of the man behind 2014s viral "Ice Bucket Challenge is asking for prayers after he was admitted to the hospital for issues related to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).

Pete Frates, who was diagnosed with ALS in 2012, is said to be resting comfortably at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

Update on Pete  July 3rd! Petes family wants everyone to know that Pete is resting comfortably at MGH as the doctors, medicine, prayers and love continue to help him get stronger, a post on the Team FrateTrain Facebook page said. Thank you for all your concern.

The same page had alerted followers to 32-year-old Frates hospitalization on Sunday, which prompted thousands of messages of support from around the world.

FRATES FAMILY STRUGGLING TO COVER COST OF ALS CARE

Pete is back at MGH and battling thisbeast ALS like a Superhero, the original post read. We feel your love and support and are so grateful. Prayer and love  the most powerful of medicines! Thank you!

In late June, Frates along with his wife, Julie, announced they were partnering with the authors of Boston Strong to write a book on his life. Frates, who is on a ventilator and is unable to speak, has been using a computer system that tracks his eye movements to communicate during interviews, Boston 25 News reported.

Julie Frates told the website the book will focus on how they pulled together as a family after his diagnosis, and used it as a motivation to push forward. She said the couples daughter, Lucy, has also served as a source of inspiration for Frates.

'BRAIN TRAINING' APP IMPROVES MEMORY IN PEOPLE WITH COGNITIVE DECLINE

Shes just such a positive light, she keeps us going, Julie told Boston 25 News. Shes the reason we do all of this, and shes the reason we want to keep this guy around for a long time.

The Frates are credited with raising more than $200 million through the Ice Bucket Challenge, and continue to fundraise throughout Boston.
The family of one of two children who died after contracting an E. coli infection said the 6-year-old had recently been cleaning debris in their housing complex yard. Gabriella Fullerton, of Hildale, Utah, became sick shortly after coming in contact with dogs who had been around discarded dirty diapers in the yard, Fox 13 reported.

Fullerton and a close male friend, whose name and age have not been revealed, both died after becoming sick at around the same time. Fullertons mother, whose name was not disclosed, was also sickened after cleaning the yard, but has recovered, Fox 13 reported. Fullerton died of kidney failure as a result of the E. coli infection.

FRATES FAMILY ASKS FOR PRAYERS FOR MAN BEHIND ALS 'ICE BUCKET CHALLENGE'

Our entire family and all of our friends are completely devastated at the loss of our little Gabriella, the Fullerton family said in a statement, according to Fox 13. The family would like to thank everyone for the prayers, love, support, and donations from everyone. While we are grieving this tremendous loss we are trying to make sure this does not happen to another child. Our hearts are also with the other childs family.

The Southwest Utah Public Health Department has been investigating the outbreak, but said the greater community is at little to no risk of being affected. A spokesman told Fox 13 that water samples in the area confirmed that it was not the source of E. coli contamination.

RETIRED ARMY CAPTAIN FIGHTING FOR PTSD, VETERAN RECOVERY

Were looking at either exposure to an infected animal or to contaminated food, like food poisoning, David Heaton, the departments spokesman, told Fox 13.

E. coli can cause intestinal infections resulting in diarrhea, abdominal pain and fever, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Some severe cases may cause patients to suffer from bloody diarrhea, dehydration or kidney failure. Individuals with weakened immune systems, pregnant women, young children and older adults are most at-risk for complications related to an E. coli infection.

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help the family with funeral expenses.
Retired Army Captain Karen-Nicole Cole Knapper spent more than a decade fighting for freedom, with her first combat tour coming just six weeks after 9/11. In total, Knapper served four combat tours overseas, including serving as a company commander while deployed in Afghanistan. During her service she earned the Bronze Star Medal in 2002 as corporal, and again in 2010 as a company commander. Knapper was awarded the Meritorious Service Medal in both 2010 and 2012.

But medals are not the only reminders Knapper has of her time spent overseas. She is one of the 11 to 20 percent of post 9/11 veterans who suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

I did my first combat tour six weeks after 9/11, Knapper told Fox News. I deployed to the Middle East, things were obviously very crazy, but it really wasnt until my last tour of duty which was in 2009, when I was a company commander  that one was the most traumatic.

PTSD: WHAT IT IS AND HOW TO SPOT IT

Knapper said she continues to live with the experiences and pain from PTSD. One memory of a visit to eastern Afghanistan is particularly troubling for the retired officer.

There was one evening when I was out visiting some of my soldiers, some of my troops in eastern Afghanistan, Knapper said. I couldnt sleep, I made my way to the infirmary. When I walked in there was this horrible screaming. There was this woman who, both of her arms had been broken.

Knapper said she remembers the womans husband standing right near her as doctors worked to address the compound fractures and bone sticking out from the wounds.

For me, thats an image I cant get out of my mind, she said. And I think its because it really just brought to the forefront, violence against women. You know, you hear about it, but to see it its the hardest thing.

EMTS FINISH MOWING ELDERLY WOMAN'S LAWN IN TEXAS HEAT

Knapper, who is a doctoral candidate at Columbia University in instructional technology and media, receives both individual and group therapy for PTSD, including psychotherapy and psychiatry. Her treatment includes cognitive therapy and a regiment of Zoloft and vitamin therapy.

Theres this idea that just because youre a veteran, that youre just crazy, Knapper said. I think that there needs to be more support. Theres not enough.
If you think President Trump has enemies in Washington, just wait until he gets to the G-20 economic summit later this week in Hamburg. There, world leaders will be lying in wait to ambush the rogue American.

Unlike most sneak attacks, this one is being well advertised. Chinas ambitious president, Xi Jinping, is traveling first to Russia, then to Germany in advance of the G-20, which he will also attend. While Trump and Xi made nice at their April meeting in Washington, the two economic superpowers have wide differences on Chinas support for North Korea, its alleged intellectual property theft, and its gaping trade surplus with the U.S.

Xi wont be leading the charge against Trump. That honor will go to the host of the summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel. She has been scalding in her criticism of Trump, especially since he withdrew from the Paris Climate Accord, and criticized Merkel for admitting tens of thousands of Middle Eastern refugees to Europe.

And that doesnt even factor in the strategy of Russias Vladimir Putin, who will try to align himself with other European leaders, effectively freezing out Trump. Never mind that Russia has drawn strong criticism for annexing the Crimea and propping up Syrias Bashir Al Assad. When it comes to Trump, the enemy of my enemy

I dont think the three of them see themselves as a group, says Sourabh Gupta, a Washington-based policy analyst at the Institute for China-America Studies. China and Germany both have current account surpluses, and an intensive economic relationship. To that extent, they will find common cause at the G-20 against Trump.

Gupta says Merkel bears part of the blame for the sour start to her dealings with the American. Other countries like Japan have gone out of their way to keep a healthy relationship with Trump. But Merkel hasnt done that. She has been kind of snooty and seems to be waiting for Trump to grow up and act like a mainstream politician.

For his part, Putin is playing coy about the possibility of meeting Trump one-on-one at the summit. White House advisors are playing down that prospect, in case Putin snubs the American at the last minute. Trump may imagine that he can turn on the charm and sway the Kremlins master. Good luck with that. First hell have to get past Frau Merkel and Xi, neither of whom seem to have succumbed to the Orange Glow.
I am so honored to be the Proud American host for the Fox News 2017 Independence Day coverage.

Sitting down to write a piece about what makes me proud to be an American is an easy task because I have thought so much about this topic while living in another country for the last 10 months. Of course our military strength and long history of strong alliances with other nations make me a #proudamerican - but I feel like those should go without saying. It's a given! I'll share a few more reasons I am a #proudamerican this 4th of July.

America truly is the land of opportunity. The market is big. The needs are diverse. The people have an unshakeable work ethic. If you work hard, you can get ahead. My folks are small business owners in Charlotte, North Carolina. They own Oasis Pools and Patio as well as The Peppermint Forest Christmas shop. Gotta keep food on the table year round! My mom, dad, and older brother's success with the American dream (as business owners) make me proud to be an American.

Before my Aussie husband and I made the move from the USA to Australia, we took an epic American road trip. We packed our belongings and our yellow lab, Baxter into an RV, and drove from New York City to San Francisco. We watched the landscapes change from city, to mountains, to heartlands, to coastline. We heard the accents change, we tasted the food of each region, and fell in love all over again with the melting pot this great country is today. I called the two week journey our 'From Sea to Shining Sea Trip.' It certainly reinforced my passion as a #proudamerican and I now recommend a cross country U.S. road trip to anyone who will listen!

I hope you enjoy the pictures and I hope you'll tune into the FNC Proud American coverage starting this Sunday and running all day on July 4th.
The median family income for a family of four in the United States these days is approximately $56,500. Members of the U.S. House of Representatives and the Senate earn $179,000 annually. Each chambers leadership makes even more: $193,400. For this kind of money, taxpayers -- who pay these salaries -- might expect their elected representative to do their jobs.

They dont.

Legislators are paid to  well, legislate. Legislating means crafting policy proposals, meeting with constituents, holding legislative hearings, and, ultimately, voting. High school students who come to Washington, D.C., still get copies of that perennial civics favorite, How A Bill Becomes A Law. But that brochure never discloses the reality of the American legislative process and how it differs significantly from that cheerful civics description.

That situation is what prompted Senator Rand Paul, R-Kentucky, to again propose legislation, timed just as Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced a new GOP-sponsored health-care-reform bill, mandating that Senators first read legislation before they vote on it. If you are an elected representative, shouldnt there be a presumption that before you decide how to vote, you actually know what youre voting on? Its not acceptable for members just to be told by their partys Whip how they should vote as they enter the chamber.

One of the more revealing comments in this regard was made by then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who was commenting on the proposed Affordable Care Act. She remarkably said that, We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it.

The Read the Bills Act" was first proposed in 2006. Senator Paul endorsed it in 2010 and proposed similar legislation in June 2012. If enacted, the bill would not only promote greater transparency in government by requiring that bills be posted publicly at least 72 hours before a vote, but it would also most certainly produce legislation that was clearer, more coherent, and much shorter.

The new Senate Republican health care proposal is 142 pages long. CNNs Wolf Blitzer asked Senator John Cornyn, R-Texas, on June 22 whether he had read the new proposal. Senator Cornyn held up the bound text, said that he hadnt yet read it, but announced that given its relative brevity, he planned to read the bill that evening. By contrast, the Obama administrations 2010 Affordable Care Act contained some 2,700 pages, roughly the length of Marcel Prousts In Search of Lost Time, one of the longest novels ever written. How many elected officials read that bill?

Is it really asking too much of our well-paid public servants in Washington to take the time to read and understand legislation before they vote on it? One of the more revealing comments in this regard was made by then Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi who was commenting on the proposed Affordable Care Act. She remarkably said that, We have to pass the bill so that you can find out what is in it. At least she was being candid.

Pelosis remark, however, stands in sharp contrast to what Congress expects from others. For example, the 2003 Sarbanes-Oxley Act (intended to protect investors from fraudulent accounting practices) requires that chief executives and chief financial officers of publicly traded companies certify with each quarterly-earnings report that they have read their report and that it is accurate. Failure to do so can result in stiff civil penalties and, under certain circumstances, criminal liability. A health-care bill that impacts nearly 18 percent of the countrys gross domestic product has the potential for creating far more harm than almost any corporate quarterly earnings report imaginable.

So why do so many members of Congress not take the time to read bills before they vote? Its probably not because they are lazy. These men and women are typically Type A, driven individuals. Its probably not because they are stupid or have short attention spans. You dont get to serve in Congress -- at least for very long -- if you are intellectually challenged.

The answer is much simpler: they dont have enough time. And the one reason they dont have enough time is because they spend an inordinate amount of their time dialing for dollars to fund their next reelection campaign. Some members of Congress have confessed to spending more than 40 percent of their time raising money. American taxpayers, in effect, are subsidizing nonstop electioneering in a manner that precludes their elected representatives from doing their real jobs.

We need an overhaul of how our Congress works, and we can start by mandating that members certify that they have read legislation before they vote on it. Perhaps a more comprehensive bill, the Making Congress Work for the American People Act, (with Work having more than one meaning) should be considered  a bill that addresses the multiple dysfunctions of our Congress. This legislation could include: (1) banning all fundraising by members whenever Congress is in session, (2) withholding pay from all members if appropriations bills are not completed on time, (3) posting all legislation publicly at least 72 hours before a vote, (4) using technology to track changes in the legislative drafting process to allow more public scrutiny and accountability, (5) extending the Congressional workweek beyond what has now become a routine three days, and (6) having fewer and shorter Congressional recesses.

Something tells me that members of Congress would read every word of this proposed bill. When traditional American pragmatism and common sense merge with todays resurgent populism on the left and the right, it is likely that members of Congress will change their ways and start delivering for the American people and not just for themselves.

Charles Kolb is CEO of DisruptDC. From 1990-1992, he served as Deputy Assistant to the President for Domestic Policy in the George H.W. Bush White House, and from 1997-2012, he was president of the Committee for Economic Development.
Batman and the Joker. Cady Heron and Regina George. Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner. Throughout our culture and society exists those essential relationships between protagonist and antagonist that ultimately come to define each.

Each character in the pair is the other's raison d'etrethey give each other a purpose as well as a worthy opponent to face off against.

Today we see a budding pairing that could reasonably be the defining driver of the 2020 presidential campaignPresident Donald Trump and Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren.

The brash blue-collar billionaire and the elitist East Coast progressive academic couldnt be more different while also being so similarthey are natural political foils. Each lives to destroy the other and while it isnt high art or elevated political discourse they serve up, it is for now at least more than a little entertaining. Better start bracing ourselves now for the coming Campaign of Insulting Codependence.

During his remarks to the NRA in April 2017, Trump reminded activists in attendance, Youll have plenty of those Democrats coming over and youre going to say, No, sir, no thank you  no, maam. Perhaps maam. It may be Pocahontas, remember that. Pocahontas is Trumps favorite pseudonym for the Massachusetts Senator based on her claims of Native American lineage while a professor at Harvard. During the 2016 campaign Trump lit up Twitter tweeting, Our Native American Senator, goofy Elizabeth Warren, couldnt care less about the American workerdoes nothing to help!

Senator Warren has never shied from hitting back, or adding fuel to the fire herself, warning Trump via a June 17, 2017, article in The Hill, Donald, you aint seen nasty yet. Warren also deploys the classic Democrat lines of attack against Republicans on Trump, writing in a Washington Post op-ed, Trumps words and deeds areexamples in a long line of Republican tactics that are poisoning our political system, and an October 19 tweet saying, You cant run a campaign based on hating women, African Americans, Muslims & immigrants & expect to win, @realDonaldTrump.

Both Warrens and Trumps bases eat this stuff up. And the hits between these two just keep coming.

We were treated to a preview of this silly codependence during this past week in the latest dustup over the GOP health care bill. Warren opened this latest salvo from the Senate floor saying, People will die. Lets be very clear: Senate Republicans are paying for tax cuts for the wealthy with American lives.

She elaborated, How to pay for all these juicy tax cuts for their rich buddies? she asked. Ill tell you how: Blood money.

Blood Money? Thats a little harsh even by Senator Warrens standards. President Trump responded in a Fox News appearance with his usual deft touch saying about Warren, Well, I actually think shes a hopeless case. I call her Pocahontas, and thats an insult to Pocahontas. I actually think that she is just somebody who has got a lot of hatred, a lot anger. I dont think she has the kind of support that some people do. Boom goes the dynamite!

And so it will goan insult-fest that widens the chasm between the left and the right in this country.

It may be a sad state of our discourse, but its one we all better get used to. Elizabeth Warren is running for president and her codependence on Trump for material, and his for hers, is just getting started.

Both Trump and Warren represent the perfect bogeyperson (have to be PC!) to their respective bases.

The central question of the 2020 campaign will be which constituencies will turn out? Trumps band of Deplorables or Warrens Campus Comrades?

Either way, the coming 2020 campaign is likely to focus on this incessant silliness instead of the substantive policy debate we delude ourselves into thinking might happen every four years. If you think Trump vs. Clinton was a sophomoric romp, just wait for Trump vs. Warren.

So put on your red MAGA hats and your social justice warrior armor and enjoy the show. The low road is about to get lower.
A revived campaign to remove Confederate statues and symbols from government grounds has reignited an impassioned national debate pitting opponents against self-described "patriots" who argue the monuments stand for heritage and not hate.

These tensions were bared over the weekend when defenders of those symbols traveled to Gettysburg, Pa., preparing to face off against rumored anti-Confederate protests.

Those protests never materialized.

But while the Confederate flag remains a deeply offensive symbol to many Americans and a painful reminder of the South's history of slavery, some -- like those who came to Gettysburg -- say flying the flag is about preserving heritage and honoring ancestors.

It makes me want to cry, Pat Roller of Pasadena, Md., told Fox News in front of the North Carolina monument at Gettysburg National Military Park. I have ancestry on both sides.

Roller, who said she takes photos for the Sons of Confederate Veterans, said she doesnt know why theres so much uproar over Civil War symbols of the South.

Roller -- wearing a white t-shirt with a Confederate flag on it that read Try burning this. Some things are worth fighting for -- says it makes her a little angry that people say Confederate symbols preach racism to kids.

But thats the exact argument being made by those pushing for monument removal.

I dont want my kids to think this is normal or that these men are heroes, Dana Simpson, a mother of three who lives in a suburb outside of Atlanta, told Fox News.

Simpson grew up in the South and said the flag debate hits close to home.

There are people in my immediate family who are fierce supporters of the flag. Its a tough and emotional issue for everyone, she said. Hell, my husband was for it too but the tides turning.

The campaign to pull back Confederate symbols began decades ago  but back then, it was mostly talk.

That all changed June 17, 2015 when 21-year-old Dylann Roof opened fire in a historically black church in Charleston, S.C. - murdering nine people who were there for a bible study. Roof later confessed he committed the crime in hopes of igniting a race war.

Pictures and video quickly surfaced of Roof spitting on and burning the American flag while posing for pictures and waving the Confederate flag.

The momentum and backlash from the horrific shootings prompted then-Gov. Nikki Haley to order the removal of the Dixie flag from statehouse grounds.

My hope is that by removing a symbol that divides us, we can move forward as a state in harmony and we can honor the nine blessed souls who are now in heaven, Haley announced.

Since then, at least 60 public Confederate symbols have been removed since the 2015 church shooting, according to the Southern Poverty Law Center.

Most recently, the city of St. Louis, Mo., removed a Confedearte monument -- a 32-foot-tall granite column with a bronze sculpture -- from a park.

Complicating the debate for those opposed to these moves is the involvement of hate groups like the KKK. The group is planning a rally for July 8 following a decision by the city council in Charlottesville, Va., to remove a statue of Gen. Robert E. Lee and rename Lee Park.

Meanwhile, in April, New Orleans Mayor Mitch Landrieu ordered the removal of multiple Confederate statues. Landrieu received brutal backlash and was forced to have heavy police presence in place when the nighttime removals began.

Despite threats that people would boycott New Orleans, Landrieu did not back down.

"These statues are not just stone and metal," he said in a highly lauded speech after the last Confederate statue had been taken down. "They are not just innocent remembrances of a benign history. These monuments purposefully celebrate a fictional, sanitized Confederacy; ignoring the death, ignoring the enslavement and the terror that it actually stood for."

But to others, like Hanceville, Ala., Mayor Kenneth Nail, its not about oppression.

"To us, its not a hate thing. Its a heritage thing and what we like to do is celebrate everyone's struggles: the blacks, the whites, the north and south, Nail told The Cullman Times.

Nail recently wrote to Landrieu asking him to consider donating the discarded monuments to the Veterans Memorial Park in Hanceville, which is about 40 miles north of Birmingham.

"One of my good friends, who is black, even messaged me on Facebook and told me, 'Look, some of my ancestors were forced to fight in that war (the Civil War), and I think it's a good idea to remember these things.' He told me, 'I drive a truck, and I'll even go down there and pick them up if the city needs me to,'" Nail said.

Theres no word on whether Landrieu took him up on the offer.

Calls to Landrieu's office were not immediately returned.
The author of Whats the Matter with White People? may have found her answer: fears of brown people.

Joan Walsh, the National Affairs correspondent for The Nation and an MSNBC political analyst, used a weekend spot on MSNBCs AM Joy to say really good research had essentially proven voters who cast a ballot for President Trump were simply racists.

The really good research thats taken place since the election shows that fear of a changing America is the number one factor that you can see drive really the divides, a white Trump voter from a white non-Trump voter, that its fears of brown people, fears of losing the majority, Walsh said.

Walsh went on to suggest that Irish Catholic working class voters who chose Trump were no longer patriotic because they didnt support the investigation into alleged Russian meddling in the presidential election  which has so far yielded no indictments nor hard evidence of Trump collusion.

But you know whats also sad to me is that this cohort, I wrote about my Irish Catholic working class family, this cohort used to be so patriotic, and so much Americalove it or leave it, things that I didnt like about it, but that was just so stirred by this countryswhat they perceived as its values and much of the same cohort is with Donald Trumpdismissing the Russia allegations, doing nothing to support the people who are trying to get answers, and I find this kind of relative, this relativity about well, you know, if my guy doesnt think its important or if my guy might even be threatened by it, then I dont care either, Walsh said. That is not patriotism. That is something else entirely.
A federal prosecutor who recently worked for Preet Bharara  the former U.S. attorney who has emerged as a prominent Trump critic ever since his firing  is joining special counsel Robert Muellers investigation of Russian meddling in the 2016 campaign.

The special counsels office confirmed that Andrew Goldstein will be on detail from the Southern District of New York to work on the case. As the top public corruption attorney in the Manhattan office, Goldstein becomes the latest high-profile prosecutor to join the probe.

His old boss Bharara praised him on Twitter as a sterling choice.

Andrew Goldstein, my corruption chief, joins Special Counsel Mueller. Best of best in every way. Fair, tough, smart, Bharara wrote. The hire was first reported by The New York Times.

The Mueller investigative build-up, however, has raised concerns in recent weeks among Trump allies.

Former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has decried the probe as a witch hunt, while Trump last month complained that several investigators on Muellers team were donors to his 2016 rival Hillary Clinton.

MUELLER LAWYER BUILD-UP RAISES RED FLAGS

The Bharara connection could feed concerns among Trump allies.

Bharara has been critical of the president ever since he was let go in March along with dozens of other U.S. attorneys held over from the last administration. Last Thursday, he joined the bipartisan criticism of Trumps attacks on the media, tweeting:

Much of the issue with Trump is not about party, policy or ideology, but lack of decency, honesty, character, temperament, adulthood, shame.

Bharara also proved prescient in an interview last month about the direction of the Mueller investigation.

Speaking on ABC News, Bharara said theres absolutely evidence to launch an obstruction of justice case against Trumps team with regard to the Russia probe.

No one knows right now whether there is a provable case of obstruction, he said, adding: Theres no basis to say theres no obstruction.

Days later, it was reported that Muellers investigation was looking at the obstruction angle.

Fox News Catherine Herridge contributed to this report.
Sen. Bernie Sanders pointed the finger squarely at Republicans for kicking up a federal probe into allegations his wife fraudulently obtained a loan for the Vermont college she once led, saying Sunday the Republican National Committee is very excited about the controversy.

The interview marked the 2016 presidential candidates latest effort to downplay the FBI investigation, which reportedly is looking at whether Jane Sanders committed fraud to get a $10 million loan for a Burlington College expansion.

Asked on CNNs State of the Union about the case, Sen. Sanders quickly pointed out how the allegations first surfaced.

I know this will shock the viewers -- the vice-chairman of the Vermont Republican Party who happened to be Donald Trump's campaign manager raised this issue and initiated this investigation, he said.  I think what you're looking at is something that [the] Republican National Committee is very excited about.

SANDERS PANS PROBE, BUT ALLEGATIONS ARE SERIOUS

The Vermont independent senator adamantly denied that he or his staff ever reached out to the bank in question to approve any loans related to the transaction  and defended his wife.

My wife is perhaps the most honest person I know. She did a great job in Burlington College, Sanders said. Sadly we are in a moment where parties not only attack public officials, they have to go after wives and children. You know, this is pathetic and that's the way politics is in America today.

The comments track with others the senator made last week dismissing the probe as a pathetic and political attack.

The Republican Sanders referred to in his CNN interview was Brady Toensing, a former Donald Trump presidential campaign official who wrote the original complaint. The complaint, however, raised numerous red flags about the application that might not be so easily ignored, including the sources she listed as proof of the school's ability to repay.

The loan was arranged by Sanders wife when she was president of the now-closed college to acquire 33 acres of lakefront property to improve and expand the small, non-traditional school.

People close to the couple, including Sanders' presidential campaign manager Jeff Weaver, have confirmed that the independent senator and his wife each have retained a lawyer in connection with the case.

Jane Sanders, college president from 2004-2011, structured the loan deal in two parts -- a $6.5 million loan from Peoples United Bank to buy tax-exempt bonds issued by a state agency that signed off on the deal and a $3.65 million second mortgage from the Roman Catholic Dioceses of Burlington.

To secure the money, Sanders submitted a spreadsheet that attempted to show the school had $2.4 million in confirmed pledges, grants and other funds to repay the debt.

The document -- obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request and listed as exhibit B in the original complaint -- showed the money would come from 40 separate entries.

However, each entry was denoted only by initials, under such categories as friends or faculty and staff and with no additional documentation, according to the complaint filed to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.s office of the inspector general.
President Trump doubled down Monday on his attacks on the Fake News, brushing aside bipartisan criticism of his recent tweets to allege the mainstream media are the ones ignoring the real issues.

At the same time, Trump used his Twitter account Monday morning to get back to business, providing a behind-the-scenes look at conversations with a plethora of European leaders ahead of his second trip abroad  and sending a tantalizing tweet about prospects for peace in the Middle East.

Trump was castigated last week for his Twitter assaults on The New York Times, CNN and Morning Joe, which ate up most of the oxygen the administration was hoping to devote to Energy Week. On Sunday, Trump took heat for posting an edited video showing Trump wrestling someone with a CNN graphic covering their face. But fewer than 24 hours later, Trump showed the criticism hadnt fazed him.

At some point the Fake News will be forced to discuss our great jobs numbers, strong economy, success with ISIS, the border & so much else! Trump wrote.

According to the Trump Twitter Tracker, Mondays tweet marked the 55th time since his inauguration that Trump had cited fake news in a tweet.

The tweet attacking Fake News organizations followed a series of Monday updates showing a more message-disciplined Trump focused -- for now -- on diplomacy. He is working the phones Monday with a number of U.S. allies before he boards a plane later this week bound for Poland and then the G-20 summit in Germany.

Trump tweeted he would be speaking with leaders of Germany, France and Italy on Monday morning, and also offered new details about a Sunday call with King Salman of Saudi Arabia.

Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening! he wrote, mysteriously.

That call, according to a White House readout released Monday, focused on ending the Qatar crisis and came as Trump also spoke with the leaders of Abu Dhabi and Qatar. Trump also underscored the importance of stopping funding for terrorism, according to The White House.

Counselor to the President Kellyanne Conway picked up on Trump's message, saying the president has been able to tweet about "fake news" and guide policy -- but the media hasn't shown itself capable of covering both stories.

"Roughly 163 tweets sent out by President Trump in June, three quarters of them at least had to do with policy, bilateral meetings, legislation, tweets like the ones you just showed," Conway said on "Fox & Friends." "You know the stock market loves that this man is president. ISIS is on the run. Jobs are being produced. You dont hear any of that. The networks gave zero coverage to the passage of Kates Law."
The 280 airports that send direct flights to the U.S. must have explosives-detecting scanners within 21 days, one step the Department of Homeland Security has mandated to avoid a broader ban on laptops aboard flights.

U.S. officials are giving 180 affected domestic and international airlines four months to make other security enhancements including more intensive passenger screening and monitoring of planes on the ground, according to a memo the International Air Transport Association sent to its member carriers after the DHS announced new security measures on Wednesday.

IATA also said foreign airports that fail to install explosive-trace detection scanners along with procedures to use them to scan carry-on bags at random could face a ban on carrying laptops into the cabin or a suspension of flights to the U.S.

An IATA spokesman declined to comment. The trade bodys leader, Alexandre de Juniac, said last week that the aggressive implementation timeline willbe challenging.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has warned for months that terrorists are aiming to take down a plane with explosives hidden in a laptop. In March, he banned personal electronic devices in the cabins of planes flying to the U.S. from 10 airports in the Middle East and North Africa. That prohibition could be lifted if those airports and airlines meet the new edits.

The official confirmed that DHS intends to work with airlines that may not be able to install the machines promptly. Interim steps could shore up security while airlines works toward compliance, the official said. Carriers that dont comply or agree to a plan to do so could face fines, a ban on laptops in the cabin and the cargo hold, or a ban on flying to the U.S., the official added.

The DHS official said many of the affected airports already have the scanners, which measure for traces of explosives by analyzing a swab taken from a fliers luggage or hand. Such machines also are used to check for narcotics. Manufacturers say the test takes about 30 seconds and that the machines cost between $25,000 and $50,000.

Click for more from The Wall Street Journal.
Archaeologists have discovered an early medieval church on the remote Holy Island of Lindisfarne that could be linked to key figures in the history of British Christianity.

Were just really excited because, potentially, its evidence of the earliest church on the island and its linked to historical figures like St. Aidan and St. Oswald, Sara Rushton, conservation manager of Northumberland County Council, told Fox News.

Rushton explained that the church may have been built as early as the mid-seventh century A.D., possibly around the year 650. The island off the coast of North East England is an important site in British Christianity  St. Aidan established a monastery on the island in 635 A.D, which became an international center for learning and craftsmanship before it was ransacked by Viking raiders in the late 8th Century. The monastery was re-established in the 11th century.

BRONZE AGE CEMETERY DISCOVERED AT RITUAL SITE IN WALES

Rushton explained that, while the church could date from the seventh to the ninth centuries, there are plenty of hints that it was built in the early part of the islands history. A stone, possibly an altar stone, was found at the east end of the church, a feature of northern British churches before 671 A.D, according to Rushton. The other reason we think it might be earlier is because of the style of the stonework  its very crude she said, noting that it lacks the refinement seen in later churches.

The churchs location on a steep, rocky narrow ridge that runs across the northern end of the island also provides a clue. Its the type of location that appealed to the Celtic church, said Rushton.

Additionally, the churchs position may have been chosen to face Bamburgh Castle on the nearby coast. Bamburgh was the royal court of St. Oswald of Northumbria, a Saxon king credited with helping spread Christianity in the region.

VIKING DISCOVERY: EXPERTS USE TECH TO REVEAL SETTLEMENT BENEATH SAINT-KING'S CHURCH

Because its high they looked across to Bamburgh castle, said Rushton, who believes that the potential church discovery cements Holy Island as one of the most important early medieval sites in Britain.

Until this summer archaeologists thought that the early churches on the island were located elsewhere. Like Holy Islands monastery, it was thought that the churches were in the shelter of the rocky narrow ridge, known as The Heugh.

Last year excavations on the western part of the ridge revealed a massive foundation wall that archaeologists speculate is part of a watch tower.

Follow James Rogers on Twitter @jamesjrogers
Days after a drone forced firefighting aircraft out of the sky over a raging wildfire in Arizona, the drone's pilot is facing charges, the AP reports.

The Yavapai County Sheriff's Office arrested Gene Alan Carpenter Friday on 14 counts of felony endangerment and one misdemeanor count of unlawful operation of an unmanned aircraft.

In a press release, the office said the 54-year-old Prescott Valley native endangered 14 aircraft and fire crews "with a substantial risk of imminent death or physical injury by flying an unmanned drone aircraft in closed airspace above an active fire area." The Goodwin fire has burned more than 25,000 acres of the Prescott National Forest since last Saturday.

More than 1,200 firefighters have been involved in quelling the blaze. The drone was spotted flying near the fire Wednesday around 7pm by an air attack pilot, reports the Arizona Republic.

When the drone began circling the plane, officials grounded all the aircraft in the area, including five helicopters, three large air tankers, and five heavy air tankers.

Because they lacked air cover, ground crews fire were called back as well. Numerous witnesses say they saw Carpenter operating a drone in the area throughout the week, and officials arrested him Friday after finding drone views of the fire on his website.

Carpenter's bond was set at $25,000. Arizona passed a law last year making it illegal for drones to impede emergency or law-enforcement activities. (In Washington state, a man received a jail sentence after his drone crashed.)

This article originally appeared on Newser: Drone Operator Near Wildfire Facing 14 Felony Counts
Passengers were evacuated from a United Express jet at Denver International Airport Sunday afternoon. The plane's left engine caught fire after landing, according to authorities.

Passengers on the aircraft were heading from Aspen to Denver. No injuries were reported. Video and pictures on social media documented the scary moments for more than 60 people on board the jet.

"The passengers were actually taken on a bus back to the concourse," airport spokesperson Heath Montgomery said. "Part of what we do, is we assist the airlines in getting the passengers back to a safe place."

Passengers posted photos of the scary scene on Twitter.

The SkyWest Airlines plane, under the umbrella of United Express, reported engine trouble after landing in Denver. A SkyWest Airlines representative said 59 passengers and four crew members escaped without injury.

First responders mobilized to assist and put out a fire. The started after the plane as on the ground, according to SkyWest Airlines.

"They very quickly reacted," Montgomery said. "They ... extinguished what they found to be a fire in the rear section of the aircraft."

Video posted to Twitter showed foam being used to knock out the flames. A passenger, tweeting the video, wrote, "Quick and immediate response on runway. Huge thanks to the pilot and crew for helping get passengers off safe."

By late afternoon the plane was taken to a DIA hanger for further investigation. Airport officials said the NTSB has been notified.

Click for more from Fox 31 Denver.
Most people dream of a traveling the world, but one young woman is doing just that  and looking to break a world record at the same time.

After graduating from Vanderbilt University, 22-year-old Taylor Demonbreun decided to set aside her job search (she originally wanted to be an investment banker) and travel around the world instead. Now, she's hoping to break the world record as the youngest and fastest person to travel to all sovereign nations on the planet in just over a year.

I thought I wanted to do investment banking and then I got there and realized thats not what I want to do with my life, Demonbreun told Fox News from her hotel room in Bogota, Colombia. That was last summer, and one year later Im doing this. And so ideally, I would like to work in travel.

Demonbreun originally developed a taste for travel after a study-abroad experience in London, where she took the opportunity to visit an additional 20 countries.

AUTO CLUB PREDICTS RECORD TRAVEL OVER FOURTH OF JULY WEEKEND

So far, Demonbreun has traveled to 25 countries on the first leg of her latest trip, which started in early June.

A trip around the world can be costly, as Demonbreun tells Fox News. She estimates the expenses for her trip will range from $75,000 to $100,000, with the majority of the costs going toward airfare.

Demonbreun has used her own personal savings and obtained hotel, corporate and restaurant sponsorhip to help cover the high price of her record-attempting trip. She says nearly 90 percent of her accommodations so far have been sponsored by small hotel companies, and that during this first leg, she only spent around $400 on hotels. She's is still looking for sponsors and support through a GoFundMe page for the remainder of her trip.

In addition, Demonbreun writes and posts pictures about her experiences, hotel stays, the food she eats, and the products she uses on her website and social media pages. In doing so, she's hoping to empower women like her to travel alone, but she notes that some countries require travelers to be extra cautious.

There are definitely ways [travel] can be very dangerous, Demonbreun said. I think the biggest thing is taking practical steps to do the right thing.

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One tip Taylor suggests is to carry an extra wallet with a little cash and a credit card or two just in case there's a pickpocket or a mugging. But those tips only go so far in some of the worlds most dangerous places. (The U.S. State Department currently lists 41 travel warnings and three alerts for countries and regions around the world, and some of those warnings advise U.S. citizens to rethink travel plans due to an unstable government, civil war, ongoing intense crime or violence, or frequent terrorist attacks.)

That said, Demonbreun's parents are supportive but concerned about some of the destinations for the trip.

Her dad, David, says hes likely to join her for visits to some of the more challenging countries. I think my approach is if I do meet her its going to be with some of those challenging countries, not just to go meet her at any place. If that happens, Im going to try to make it benefit her for us to join her.

NORTH CAROLINA OFFICIALS RESCUE AT LEAST 5 FROM NEW OUTER BANKS ISLAND

On the other hand, Demonbreun's mother Paula has more amusing destinations in mind. Ill go somewhere fun! she said with a laugh.

Over the next ten days, Demonbreun plans to visit Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. After a brief stop in her hometown in Alabama, she will continue with her journey onwards to Asia and Europe shortly thereafter. She plans to keep her followers updated online as the journey moves forward.

According to the Guiness World Book of Records' guidelines, Demonbreun only needs to set foot within a country's border to officially count the stopover toward her tally. It is not necessary to remain in any country for any length of time. Demonbreun says that, for some of the destinations, she may simply fly in, take a picture upon arrival, and depart shortly thereafter.
A U.S. Navy destroyer in the South China Sea sailed near a tiny island disputed by three Asian governments as part of an operation affirming the right to passage, a U.S. defense official said Sunday.

The Chinese government, which joins Taiwan and Vietnam in claiming Triton Island, accused the U.S. of trespassing in its territorial waters when the USS Stethem came within 12 nautical miles of the island.

The U.S. Pacific Fleet had no comment on China's statement or specifics about the Stethem's operations.

A U.S. defense official, who was not authorized to speak by name and requested anonymity, said the Stethem conducted a routine "right of innocent passage" exercise on Sunday.

Such exercises are used to bolster the argument that nations cannot claim that prior notice is required before passing through territorial waters as allowed under international agreement.

In a written statement, China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said the U.S. action constituted "a serious political and military provocation" and that such operations "violate China's sovereignty and threaten China's security."

"The Chinese side will continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security," the statement said.
A southern California father charged in the death of his son reportedly led investigators to the boy's body more than two months after the 5-year-old was reported missing.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, pleaded not guilty on Monday to a murder charge in the death of his son, Aramazd Andressian Jr., whose remains were discovered Friday near Lake Cachuma, a recreational area about 15 miles northwest of Santa Barbara.

Andressian is being held on $10 million bail. This was his first court appearance since he was extradited back from Nevada.

Sources confirmed to Fox 11 that the father did lead police to the remains, though his lawyer, Ambrosio Rodriguez, told The Associated Press that his client last week hadn't said where his son was. An autopsy is scheduled to be conducted early next week. Rodriguez said his client was heartbroken by Friday's discovery.

CALIFORNIA DAD CHARGED WITH MURDERING 5-YEAR-OLD SON DENIES KNOWING WHERE BOY IS

The father was arrested in Las Vegas earlier last month and extradited to southern California on Friday. Authorities initially said they "examined a number of important pieces of evidence" linking Andressian to the murder despite not finding the boy's body at the time. Andressian and his son were last seen leaving Disneyland in Anaheim at 1 a.m. on April 21. The father was later discovered passed out at Lake Cachuma in a car doused in gasoline. Sheriff's officials said Andressian had taken prescription pills and the boy was nowhere in sight.

Andressian was arrested in April shortly after his son's disappearance and was held on $10 million bail. He was released three days later because lack of evidence.

ARIZONA MAN WHO FLED 1976 RAPE TRIAL SENT BACK TO NEW YORK

Investigators uncovered more evidence months later that led them to believe Andressian "pre-planned" the murder that stemmed from a tumultuous divorce with the boy's mother, Ana Estevez, Sheriff's homicide Lt. Joe Mendoza said. He also claimed Andressian fled to Las Vegas and was preparing to flee the country by changing his appearance. Andressian spent 47 days in Las Vegas after leaving Los Angeles, taking part in activities and "displaying mannerisms that weren't consistent with a grieving parent," according to Mendoza.

Andressian insisted to the judge on Friday that he "never came [to Las Vegas] in an intent to flee."

Estevez said in a statement released by the Los Angeles sheriff's office last week that her heart was "shattered" and she will miss her son "every day for the rest of my life."

Click here for more from Fox 11.
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A Colorado man shot his son to death Saturday night after allegedly mistaking the man for an intruder, police said.

Frank Huner, 58, was arrested by Douglas County deputies on suspicion of second-degree murder and was released after posting a $50,000 bond. Investigators said the charges against him could change, Fox 31 reported.

"[Reporting party] is saying he shot someone who came into his house. Now [hes] saying its his son, and he's dead, the dispatcher during the call, according to WTOL.

DNA FROM DISCARDED CIGARETTE BUTT LINKED TO 2014 MURDER

Sheriff's spokeswoman Lauren LeKander said Huner, of Sedalia, called 911 at about 10:15 p.m. Saturday to report the shooting. Huner said he shot his son, who was not named, six times, WTOL reported.

Sedalia is about 35 miles south of Denver.

Click for more from Fox 31.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Colorado woman drove her black SUV into a pool at a Colorado Springs resort on Monday.

73-year-old woman hits gas pedal instead of brakes, plunges car into Cheyenne Mountain Resort swimming pool https://t.co/XTJQP1T5dH pic.twitter.com/vCffTvRLO5  FOX31 Denver KDVR (@KDVR) July 3, 2017

The 73-year-old woman, who has not been identified, was driving from the Cheyenne Mountain Resort when she accidentally rammed into another car, sped up a hill and flew into a fence, KKTV reported.

COLORADO MAN MISTAKES SON FOR INTRUDER, SHOOTS AND KILLS HIM, COPS SAY

Eventually, she landed in the country clubs pool, police said. They believe the woman was driving about 50-60 miles per hour.

NEW: Crews are working to drain the pool after an SUV drove into the pool at Cheyenne Mountain Resort around 8 this morning. @KOAA pic.twitter.com/kAnhq7UpWi  Shayla Girardin (@shaylagthatsme) July 3, 2017

Three citizens ran into the pool to help the woman out before she was transported to the hospital with non-life-threatening injuries.

UNITED EXPRESS PLANE CATCHES FIRE UPON LANDING AT DENVER AIRPORT, NO INJURIES REPORTED

Fortunately, the pool was not open to the public at the time of the incident.

The driver will be cited for careless driving, police told KKTV.

Crews were on the scene, draining the pool in order to lift the car out.
The family of a naturalized American citizen says that he has been unjustly jailed for over 16 months by the president of his native country in Africa.

Marcel Pika, 70, has been imprisoned by authorities in the Republic of Congo for over 450 days without a single charge levied against him. Pika, a retired colonel who served in the Congos military, has been detained since March 2016 after he arrested in the wake of a presidential election. That election set off violent protests when President Denis Sassou-Nuguesso, who has been accused of vast human-rights violations, won a controversial third term.

Pika and his wife have raised a family on their Nebraska farm since they fled the Republic in 1999. They became U.S. citizens in 2005, but two years later they went back to their homeland to start another farm in the Pointe-Noire region along Africas Atlantic coast.

Pikas family, many of whom are still in the Midwest, say that their father has been wrongfully detained because he was a member of an opposition party and did not vote for Sassou-Nuguesso.

My father was one of the guys who helped start the first democratic elections in the country, Pikas son, Percy Pika, who resides in Nebraska, said to Fox News. He was arrested just because he knows the presidents opposition [Jean-Marie Michel Mokoko] in the elections.

Pika says that his father was taken captive from his farm by armed guards who work for Sassou-Nuguesso on March 31. He was taken away shirtless in an unmarked vehicle just days after the 2016 Congolese elections and taken to the capital of Brazzaville where he was thrown into prison. Pikas son maintains that he was jailed because he did not vote in the presidents favor.

Since being incarcerated, Marcel Pika has seen his health decline. His son Percy tells Fox News that his father has since developed cysts on his kidneys and lungs as well as severe sciatic nerve pain. His family fears that he may not survive in there.

My family is coping with a very difficult situation, he says. We live every day under stress.

Percy adds that his father has been held without any due process, without being charged with any offense.

The Republic of the Congo has broken their own laws, Pika says. The [Republic of Congo] law states that no one can be arrested for more than four months without being proven guilty and that they have the right to a two-month extension to hold someone in prison. So far, the Congolese government has performed over five extensions in regards to my fathers case.

There are hundreds of political prisoners that are being held as well as my father in the same prison for the same reasons.

The U.S. State Department has also been making efforts to secure Pikas release. They say that he should have been released after six months if there were no charges brought forth.

The Department of State is deeply concerned about Mr. Pikas continued detention, a State Department Official says to Fox News. We call on the Congolese government to respect due process and human rights. Department officials have raised this case directly with senior Congolese government officials. Since his arrest, consular officers from the U.S. Embassy in Brazzaville have visited Mr. Pika regularly, and they are providing all possible consular assistance.

Officials for the U.S. Embassy for the Republic of Congo did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

In the decade since he has been in power, controversy has surrounded Sassou-Nuguesso.

He first came into power in 1979 and held his presidential position for 13 years before losing an election in 1992. Five years later, after a civil war, he regained power. He has been alleged to have killed 10,000 people and displaced thousands more, according to The New York Times.

In last years election, Sassou-Nuguesso won 60 percent of the vote, but opposition candidates say it was a rigged victory. During the period of election, the government cut off television broadcasts and internet access.
The Texas 13-year-old who was found dead on Sunday was killed over stolen drugs, police said.

Shavon Randles body was found in a home outside Dallas, four days after she went missing. In the home, police also found the body of Michael Titus, 19, who at one point was a person of interest in her disappearance.

Police say Shavon somehow got caught up in a drug deal gone sour that she was not even involved in.

Court documents show that her cousins boyfriend, Kendall Perkins, stole a large amount of marijuana from two alleged drug dealers, Darius Fields and Devonte Owens, two days before Shavon went missing.

SHAVON RANDLE: AMBER ALERT CANCELED AFTER GIRL'S BODY FOUND

Owens told a woman that he planned to abduct a child as a way to recover the stolen drugs, the arrest affidavit said.

How she ended up dead is still unclear.

Owens was arrested Saturday for aggravated kidnapping. Fields faces drug possession and other charges.

Two others, Laquon Wilkerson and LaPorshya Polley, were also arrested in connection with the kidnapping.

An assistant principal of Kennedy Curry Middle School told Fox 4 that Shavon was a sweet girl.

She was just a delight to be around. And she was a baby and she didnt deserve this at all, Ivan Jacobs said. And I dont know, but we have to continue to support our communities, to support the family and continue to support our kids.

SHAVON RANDLE: TEXAS AUTHORITIES BELIEVE MISSING TEEN GIRL IN GRAVE DANGER

A candlelight vigil and march in honor of Shavon will be held Monday night in Dallas.

Dallas City Councilman Dwaine Caraway told Fox 4 that 13-year-old is now at a funeral home only because of no working-type thuggish people that have nothing to do but deal with drugs.

Police have not charged anyone for the deaths. A medical examiner will perform autopsies to determine how they died.

A GoFundMe page has been set up for Shavons family.

Read more on Fox 4.
A Detroit man initially accused of sexually assaulting and murdering his baby daughter in April was cleared of the charges last week after an investigation found he actually smothered her on accident.

James Saltmarshall, 22, was accused of murder, first-degree criminal sexual conduct and first-degree child abuse in the death of his 8-month-old daughter, Janiyah, at a hotel in suburban Inkster, Mich., Fox 2 reported.

The Wayne County Prosecutors Office conducted an investigation and found that the infant died of asphyxia and ruled the death an accident.

PREGNANT DETROIT WOMAN AMBUSHED, SHOT 4 TIMES OUTSIDE HOME

Saltmarshall, who was being held on a $2 million bond, was released Thursday on house arrest.

Kym Worthy, a Wayne County prosecutor, initially said the girl was killed by head trauma and rectal tearing was also discovered on the infant, according to WXYZ.

A comprehensive investigation was carried out and found that the infant was sleeping next to her father on a large bed before he accidentally rolled onto his daughter, smothering her. When he woke up, he found her unresponsive and called emergency services.

COPS FATAL SHOOTING OF MICHIGAN MAN, 73, RULED JUSTIFIED

About 3,500 children die each year in the U.S. due to sleep-related incidents, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Click for more from Fox 2.
A teenage intruder at a Florida condominium was shot in the leg after he assaulted one resident and lunged at another who had a gun.

Brittany Cheek, 31, armed herself when she saw a stranger beating her neighbor at their Tarpon Springs condo complex early Saturday, according to local media. She was home with her 3-year-old child, Fox 13 reported.

Cheek was standing in the doorway of her apartment and opened fire when the intruder came towards her.

The gunshots drew the attention of other residents who attempted to intervene as Cheek and her daughter ran and hid in a bathroom, The Tampa Times reported.

Deputies said the intruder was Daniel Morley, 18, of Clearwater, who may have been intoxicated or on drugs.

TEXAS POLICE CHIEF LASHES OUT AFTER COP IS KILLED

Morley was wearing only boxer shorts when deptuies showed up, WFTS-TV reported.

Cheek and other resiidents woke up when they heard Morley banging on Susan Basss door, The Times reported.

Bass, 52, opened the door because she thought Morley was hurt. His head was bleeding.

DETROIT DAD CLEARED OF SEXUALLY ASSAULTING, MURDERING INFANT DAUGHTER

He was incoherent and then attacked Bass as he tried to barge into her apartment, paper reported. She didnt know him.

It was just crazy, resident Gaytano Puccio told Fox 13. Then I heard the boom and then I was like, Im leaving.

Morley was treated at the hospital and charged with battery, burglary and resisting arrested, the station reported.

Deputies struggled to subdue Morley.

Click for more from Fox 13.
A judge in Florida ruled Monday that the state's updated "stand your ground" law, which required prosecutors to disprove a defendant's self-defense case at pretrial hearings, is unconstitutional, setting up a showdown that could make its way to the state's top court.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch ruled that the amendment to the law allowed lawmakers to overstep their authority, adding that it should have been crafted by the Florida Supreme Court in the first place, The Miami Herald reported.

As a matter of constitutional separation of powers, that procedure cannot be legislatively modified, Hirsch wrote.

The Florida Supreme Court had ruled in 2015 to shift the burden to defendants, requiring them to prove in pretrial hearings that they were defending themselves in order to avoid prosecution on charges for a violent act.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott signed the amended legislation, backed by the National Rifle Association, into effect in June. Prosecutors were vehemently against the updated law because they believed it made it easier for defendants to get away from murder. Prosecutors also had to provide "clear and convincing" evidence that a defendant was not using the force as an act of self-defense.

FLORIDA SEES KILLINGS INCREASE AFTER PASSAGE OF 'STAND YOUR GROUND' GUN LAW, STUDY SAYS

The law was first passed in 2005 and it gave people the right to "shoot first" if they believed their lives were in danger at that moment.

"A person is justified in the use of deadly force and does not have a duty to retreat if: He or she reasonably believes that such force is necessary to prevent imminent death or great bodily harm to himself or herself," the Florida law states.

It also gave judges the right to dismiss charges against the defendant if they believed reasonable self-defense was used in the case.

In states without the "stand your ground law," people must retreat first before using force.

ACCUSED FLORIDA KIDNAPPER WAS ACTUALLY HELPING LOST CHILD, POLICE SAY

The controversial self-defense law came into the spotlight during George Zimmerman's case in 2012, when the neighborhood watchman shot and killed the unarmed teenager Trayvon Martin in Central Florida.

Zimmerman's attorney argued his client used force because he "reasonably" believed his life was in immediate danger.

A jury ultimately acquitted Zimmerman of second-degree murder.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A hot air balloon has made an unexpected landing into a Florida pond filled with alligators on Monday, not far from Disney World.

Some 16 people were on board, Fox 35 reported. One boy was rushed to the hospital after swallowing water but nobody else was hurt, according to the news station.

The pilot told troopers that issues with the wind prevented him from landing on a strip adjacent to the pond, investigators said.

The basket tilted into the pond, causing it to fill with water.

HOT AIR BALLOON HORROR CAUGHT ON CAMERA

A crew spent about an hour removing the hot air balloon from the pond, which contained multiple alligators, WFTV reported.

Traffic wasn't affected during the incident.

Read more from Fox 35 Orlando.
An Ohio teenager said she was bitten by a shark on her leg last month at a South Carolina beach.

Reagan Readnour, 14, of Lewis Center, said she felt something tug on her leg while she was on a boogie board in the water at Hilton Head Island on June 18.

I thought it was my brother messing with me when I felt something grab at my leg, Readnour told Islandpacket.com. I felt a terrible sting and I didnt know what it was.

SOUTH CAROLINA MAN HAD INAPPROPRIATE CONTACT WITH YOUNG BOYS, CONVINCED FAMILIES HE WAS POLICE OFFICER: PROSECUTORS

Readnour said she and her brother did not realize what had happened until they noticed blood in the water.

My brother was laughing at me and then he saw blood and realized it was serious, the teen said. His face turned white, then I started screaming, and they all started helping me and calming me down. I think I blacked out at that point.

Readnour was treated by a lifeguard who told her it was a stingray lesion. When the teenager was taken to the hospital to be treated for multiple cuts to her thigh and calf, a doctor told her it was a shark bite. Hilton Head Hospital spokeswoman Lydia Hill confirmed a patient was treated for a shark bite on June 18.

JOHN KASICH: OHIO GOVERNORS WEBSITE HACKED WITH PRO-ISIS PROPAGANDA

The teen said the cuts and bruises are healing, but she has a slight limp.

I feel lucky that I only had a few lacerations, and I mean, not a lot of people get to say they got bit by a shark, Readnour said. You always hear of people getting their arms bit off and losing a limb from shark bites, and mine wasnt that bad.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
A Pennsylvania home exploded after a gas leak on Sunday, killing one person and injuring three others.

The home in Manor Township, Lancaster County, was being investigated for a reported gas leak by UGI Utilities, Fox 43 reported. The home exploded during the investigation, killing one worker and injuring two others as well as a Pennsylvania One staffer.

The house reportedly went up in flames about 30 minutes after it was evacuated, officials said.

MAN FACING MURDER CHARGES IN ROAD-RAGE SLAYING OF WOMAN, 18

There was a beautiful house and theres nothing there, Brian Chang, a neighbor, told Fox 43. Theres nothing there. Its gone.

UGI workers were investigating a suspected gas leak after a neighbor called the company saying they smelled natural gas.

"I just saw pieces of plywood and roofing and everything just go flying, huge cloud of smoke and ash, it felt like a movie, just surreal," Tyler Foultz, a neighbor, said.

One UGI worker dead, three injured following a gas explosion https://t.co/RegdvhV1oV pic.twitter.com/Iohq0KRRVp  WPMT FOX43 (@fox43) July 3, 2017

Four homes next to the destroyed residence have been declared unsafe for the time being.

PUPPY RESCUED IN PENNSYLVANIA COUNTY WORST CASE SEEN BY RESCUER

UGI released a statement confirming the incident and said they shut off natural gas to the area for the time being. The statement also said the two injured workers were expected to recover.

A daylight look at the home leveled by yesterday's explosion. The latest on the investigation coming up on @fox43 pic.twitter.com/IYv5aQMwtk  Jennifer Ready (@JenniferReadyTV) July 3, 2017

The National Transportation Safety Board announced it was investigating the incident with help from the Public Utilities Commission.

Click for more from Fox 43.
A discarded cigarette butt at the scene of a 2014 gang-related killing in Chicago led authorities to arrest and charge a man with murder Thursday.

Jeffery Freeman, 24, was charged with first-degree murder in the October 2014 alley shooting that left one man dead, the Chicago Tribune reported. A judge ordered Freeman held on $1 million bail.

Authorities said Freeman was instructed by his fellow gang members to go and check Torrence Pickens, who was smoking and drinking in an alley and moved to a car when members of Freemans gang approached Pickens for allegedly being on their territory.

Surveillance footage captured Freeman, who was smoking a cigarette, holding a loaded gun and walking toward Pickens. He tossed the cigarette butt as he approached Pickens and fired multiple gunshots.

Police found Pickens body sitting in the car. The person who was with Pickens gave a description of the shooter, according to the Chicago Tribune. The description matched Freemans.

Police also recovered the cigarette butt and video footage. A DNA sample from Freeman was then compared to the DNA from the discarded cigarette and it was matched, according to prosecutors.
The suspect in the abduction of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois viewed a sexual fetish website that hosted an abduction forum before allegedly kidnapping the woman, authorities said.

Brendt Allen Christensen was arrested and charged Friday in the June 9 abduction of Yingying Zhang, who investigators believe to be dead. A federal complaint said Christensens phone was used on April 19 to visit the FetLife.com forum, including viewing threads on abduction fantasies, titled "Abduction 101," and planning a kidnapping.

Grad student who is charged with kidnapping missing Chinese girl was at rally in support of her family https://t.co/9D8mcbAC6X  Daily Mail US (@DailyMail) July 3, 2017

Christensen was arrested after agents monitoring him heard him tell someone he had kidnapping Zhang and held her against her will. Authorities said he kidnapped Zhang during the day as she headed to sign a lease for an apartment. She tried unsuccessfully to flag down a bus, and minutes later, is seen getting into a Saturn Astra the complaint says belonged to Christensen. While authorities say facts in the case indicate Zhang isn't alive, a body hasn't been found.

FetLife, the website Christensen allegedly viewed, bills itself as the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community, stressing in online policy statements that it is a place for consenting adults to trade advice and images of themselves, and to arrange to meet. The site claims to have more than 5 million registered members.

The site has face pressure in recent months to be clearer about not tolerating behavior that could be regarded as criminal. Website founder John Baku said in a note to its members in February that FetLife decided to prohibit hundreds of fetish categories after it was cited in a few criminal cases. He said that, among other things, he wanted to reduce any legal liability and risks to the wider community.

As of Sunday, however, the site still included multiple forums focused on abduction fantasies, and an "Abduction Play" group had more than 78,000 FetLife members expressing interest in the topic. Among the threads still available on the site was one called "Tools of the Kidnapper" and another titled "Original kidnapping Play."

One registered user who commented in the kidnapping forum agreed that anyone who engages in such fantasies must first provide consent. But the person goes on: "I enjoy the knowledge that I COULD do anything I wanted to them. I'm well aware that once I render them helpless, their very life is in my hands."

Anyone can register on the site and become a member in a process that takes just a few minutes and that doesn't require independent verification. Users give their ages, genders and roles they wish to play, but otherwise remain anonymous.

Detailed policy guidelines on the site stress that any interaction online or in person with members must be between adults and consensual.

A photo has been shared on the Internet showing a man, bearing a strong resemblance to Christensen, holding hands with an unidentified woman at a rally for Zhang on Thursday, the day before Christensen was arrested. There has been no official confirmation that Christensen is the man in the photo.

Christensen appeared before a court in Urbana, Ill. on Monday. The court ruled that Christensen be held without bond until his next court date on Wednesday.



Zhang was described by friends and family as bright and caring. She aspired to one day land a professorship so she could help her family financially.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
The day after one of his police officers died from injuries he sustained in a shootout, San Antonio Police Chief William McManus said he was angry at all the hostility directed toward cops.

"I'm angry at the police haters, I'm sick of the police haters," McManus said. "We protect them. We defend them. And they give us a big F U. And I'm sick of it."

His comments were made Saturday during a monthly meeting with the community, the San Antonio Express-News reported. They came following the death of Police Office Miguel Moreno, who was shot while investigating a vehicle break-in.

TEXAS STATE FLAGS LOWERED AFTER SAN ANTONIO POLICE OFFICER DIES IN SHOOTING

Moreno, a nine-year veteran of the police department, was shot in the head last Thursday after he and another officer questioned two men near a vehicle that had been broken into. The officer died a day later.

McManus said last week that the officers did not even consider the men a suspect in the vehicle break-in.

"I'm at a loss to describe what a tragedy this is," McManus said.

The other officer, Julio Cavazos, was also shot but he is expected to recover.

The gunman, Andrew Bice, shot and killed himself after the shootout. He had a lengthy criminal record.

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott on Friday ordered state flags lowered to half-staff across San Antonio through Monday in tribute to Moreno.

DALLAS SNIPER WHO GUNNED DOWN 5 COPS 'WANTED TO KILL WHITE PEOPLE,' CHIEF SAYS

"This senseless act of violence against two courageous and committed law enforcement officers demonstrates the risk our men and women in blue face every day," Abbott said in a statement. "We owe Officer Moreno and Officer Julio Cavazos a great debt of gratitude for their service and bravery in the face of danger."

Thursday's incident follows a shooting in November in which a San Antonio police detective was killed. Benjamin Marconi, a 20-year veteran of the force, was sitting in his squad car writing a traffic ticket when a man walked up and shot him in the head.

The suspect, identified as Otis Tyrone McKane, later told reporters he was angry about a child-custody fight and lashed out.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
U.S. Navy officials are weighing options for boosting the size of their fleet, which appears increasingly inadequate to handle growing maritime threats from China, Iran and Russia.

The Navy has 276 vessels, but while up to 100 are deployed globally, many are dry-docked for months  or even years waiting for maintenance, upgrades or certifications. With China, Iran and Russia expanding their navies and taking more aggressive actions on the high seas, there is an urgent need for Americas currently idle ships and submarines to head out to the open sea.

Our advantage is shrinking, Adm. John Richardson, chief of Naval Operations, said. We must reverse this trend.

There are at least five possibilities of reversing Americas shrinking advantage: Recommission mothballed vessels; extend the service life of currently operating vessels; speed scheduled dock work; build new ones and operate the existing fleet more efficiently.

The option of bringing back retired vessels has its critics.

The Navy has to consider what it would cost to bring each of these ships back into service, what would need to be invested so they would be capable against todays threat, and how many more years could we get out of these ships, said Tom Callender, senior fellow for Naval Warfare and Advanced Technologies at the Heritage Foundation. We would spend many years and hundreds of millions of dollars to bring them back. We have to find room in the shipyards to do this work, we have to plan it out, and we have to find the money and realize it will be several years in the process.

Lt. Kara Yingling, a Navy spokesperson, said the Navy is exploring every option to increase the capacity and capability of the battle force, including extending the expected service life of ships and reactivation.

Reactivating retired ships will be a challenge because the ships are old and have not been maintained and modernized since deactivation, Yingling said. A lot has changed since we last modernized those ships, and there could be significant costs involved with restoring their systems.

A more strategic plan, Callender said, is to speed up maintenance, repair and certification. Part of the problem is a severe worker shortage of about 2,000 people.

Backlog in repairs has been a major issue in the last several years as the Navy has seen their operations and maintenance budget cut with continuing sequestrations, Callender said. In 2016, about halfway through the year the Navy was in the hole about $848 million, and that caused them to delay five ships' availabilities.

The USS Albany, for example, spent over four years in the shipyard due to continued delays, so while the attack submarine is on the registry, it wasnt being used.

Our advantage is shrinking. We must reverse this trend.  Adm. John Richardson, chief of U.S. naval operations

Richardson outlined a plan in May for more quickly designing, building and launching a larger and more powerful fleet that incorporates cutting-edge technologies and new operational concepts.

The current security environment is faster paced, more complex, and increasingly competitive, Richardson wrote in the 2016 Force Structure Assessment, to back the plan. Time is an unforgiving characteristic of that environment things are moving faster, including our competitors.

The Navy is proposing a 355-ship fleet with 12 carriers, 104 large surface combatants, 52 small surface combatants, 38 amphibious ships and 66 submarines over the next 30 years.

Yingling said that in fiscal year 2017, the Navy currently expects to deliver 13 ships and retire 6 ships, and by fiscal year 2022, is scheduled to raise the size of the battle force from the current 276 ships to 310 ships.

Part of the Navys strategy will be to better coordinate its fleet, Richardson said.
A plane carrying six people crashed in Wisconsin while the pilots were having a discussion about a local weather phenomenon, authorities said. All of the passengers onboard died.

Investigators are still trying to piece together how the private plane, a Cessna 421, fell from the sky.

A spokesman for the Price County Sheriffs Office, Lt. Gabe Lind, said the agency was called at 3:21 a.m. on Saturday when the Air Marine Operations Center lost contact with an aircraft in the area, according to the Chicago Tribune.

It had dropped in altitude and they lost radio contact, he said.

ARIZONA SMALL PLANE CRASH: 2 DEAD

There were no other details on what type of weather phenomenon the plane encountered.

The pilot was certified to fly the plane and all the victims were adults. Although names of the victims have not been released, among the six were two men employed by Tioga Elementary School in Bensenville, Illinois.

The school posted on Facebook that it lost two of its employees in the crash. The post named Thomas DeMauro, a physical education teacher, and Charles (Chuck) Tomlitz, the maintenance director for the district. The schools co-principals wrote Mr. DeMauro and Mr. Tomlitz will be missed by all the Tioga community.

Lind said there were a lot of people who volunteered to help with the search and rescue operation.

Sandy Jensen, owner of Happy Daze bar and restaurant, which is located near where the crash occurred in Phillips, said she offered to help after the plane went missing. Jensen told WSAW she made up 35 burgers, cheeseburgers, and fresh cheese curds to send over to local law enforcement and first responders, along with some parade candy, because its the Fourth of July.

VIOLENT CITY BUS CRASH TOSSES DRIVER, PASSENGERS

Jensen described it as just what people should do. She said the community was tight-knit.

"That's what the world's all about is people helping people. When people have hard times, we've been in hard times and our community has helped us, and it's just the right thing to do."

The National Transportation Safety Board, the Federal Aviation Administration and the Sheriffs Office are investigating the crash.

READ MORE FROM FOX 6.
The Australian Federal Police (AFP) posted a hilarious Facebook post on Monday that asked if anyone was the owner of a lost suitcase filled with $1.6 million in cash.

Officers were investigating a suspected drug heist in New South Wales when they found the suspicious suitcase, news.com.au reported.

Weve kicked off a court process to have it listed as unclaimed cash  but if you reckon this cash is yours, wed be very keen to speak with you, the Facebook post said. And by speak with you, we definitely mean to ask where you got a suitcase full of cash from. We have a sneaking suspicion this isnt your average pay pack.

POPE'S TOP AIDE IS CHARGED IN SEX ASSAULT CASE IN AUSTRALIA

The AFP followed up in a comment on the post that explained what happens to unclaimed money like this.

All confiscated money and funds from the sale of confiscated assets are returned to the Commonwealth and placed into an account that is managed by the Australian Financial Security Authority.

OKLAHOMA OFFICER HONORED FOR ADOPTING 8-YEAR-OLD HE SAVED FROM SEVERE CHILD ABUSE

With the approval by the Minister, those funds are then reinvested into the community through a variety of means including local crime prevention, law enforcement, drug treatment and diversionary measures across Australia, the Australian Federal Police said.

The post has had over 3,000 shares and comments from people jokingly claiming the money is theirs and the AFPs funny responses to them.

The Facebook post ends with a clever hashtag of #MoMoneyMoProblems.
A brave British soldier reportedly drowned an evil ISIS fighter in a puddle after the terror group surrounded a group of Special Boat Service troopers in Iraq.

After the fearless special forces fighters ran out of bullets, they decided to go out fighting and used their knives and bare hands to kill as many brainwashed extremists as possible.

In an extraordinary survival story, another Brit soldier killed three militant thugs using his rifle as a club, reports The Daily Star.

The heroic members of the Royal Navys Special Boat Service reportedly were convinced they were going to die after being outnumbered and encircled after being ambushed by around 50 ISIS fighters near Mosul.

After killing at least 20 of the terrorists, the elite group realized they had around 10 bullets left between them and were trapped in a small river bed, the report said.

SYRIAN MILITARY DECLARES TEMPORARY CEASE-FIRE

Faced with the prospect of being captured and tortured, the men opted for a soldiers death and decided to fight like crazed warriors to kill as many of the extremists as possible.

Speaking with the Star, the source said: They knew that if they were captured they would be tortured and decapitated.

QATAR CRISIS DEADLINE EXTENDED

Rather than die on their knees, they went for a soldiers death and charged the IS fighters who were moving along the river bed.

They were screaming and swearing as they set about the terrorists.

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A record heat wave on the eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has claimed the lives of two women, health official said Monday.

The two women, aged 75 and 60, are said to have died from heatstroke but had been suffering from serious health problems.

Cyprus' Meteorological Service said weekend temperatures across the island were the highest on record for the month of July in 30 years except in the capital Nicosia where a scorching 44.6 degrees Celsius (112.3 Fahrenheit) was a degree less than the 2010 record.

According to the country's meteorological service, high temperatures will start receding from Wednesday, as they have done in Greece and Turkey.

Greece finally got some cooler weather after temperatures struck 44 degrees Celsius (111 Fahrenheit) over the weekend. The country's fire service remained on alert with the risk of forest fires high across most of the country.

Turkey saw the mercury soar to 45 degrees Celsius (113 Fahrenheit) in the country's southeast. Temperatures in Adana and Antalya on the country's southern Mediterranean coast topped 43 degrees (109.4 Fahrenheit), but have tailed off Monday.

In Portugal, nine firefighters were injured Monday battling two fires were in the central region of Tomar, 120 kilometers (75 miles) north of Lisbon, where temperatures were around 40 degrees Celsius (104 Fahrenheit).

More than 400 firefighters and eight water-dropping aircraft were being deployed, and officials said they were gradually bringing the blazes under control.
Egyptian security forces have arrested the daughter and son-in-law of the Muslim Brotherhood's spiritual leader, who is in exile in Qatar.

A statement from the prosecutor says Youssef al-Qaradawi's daughter Ola and her husband, Hossam Khalaf, were arrested in a Mediterranean coastal resort on Sunday over allegations of membership in a terrorist organization. On Monday, they were ordered detained for 15 days pending investigation.

Egypt branded the Brotherhood a terrorist organization after the 2013 ouster of President Mohammed Morsi, a member of the group. Thousands of Brotherhood members have been killed and arrested since in a sweeping crackdown.

Al-Qaradawi was sentenced to death in absentia. He is on a sanctions list by Egypt, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates and Bahrain  four Arab nations involved in a dispute with Qatar.
Iraqi forces, supported from the air by the U.S.-led coalition, on Monday closed in on the last part of Mosul still under ISIS control. Despite an imminent military victory by Iraqi forces, scores of civilians were slaughtered in a final stand by the terrorist group. Some made it more than three years through the brutal occupation of the nations second-largest city only to die in its final days; others, including small children, have known nothing but the reign of savagery in the span of short lives.

ISIS was just gunning down civilians in the middle of the night as they ran  women and children. We were trying to treat as many people as we could, Ephraim Mattos, a former Navy SEAL, recalled to Fox News of the deadliest day in the Battle for Mosul, which started at the beginning of June. But bodies were all over the streets. An entire family lay dead right there  an old man, young parents and their baby between them.

Only the newborn didnt die from the same gunshot wounds that had befallen the child's parents, its little head had been cracked open in the fall of that fatal flee for safety. For Mattos, such a sight was only the start of what he was to witness in the coming hours.

A LOOK AT KEY MOMENTS ON THE ROAD TO MOSUL

The United Nations confirmed that hundreds of residents have been shot and killed by ISIS this month alone, with the most calamitous day being on that June 1 and June 2 as more than 160 were massacred while running from their West Mosul homes.

We saw two young girls, about 11 or 12, lying down. One had been shot dead in the back, the other in the head  her face was totally gone, Mattos said. Where her face used to be, was just a big black hole.

Just a few days after officially retiring from the military in early April, Mattos, 25, boarded an Iraq-bound flight as a medic and aid volunteer with global humanitarian group Free Burma Rangers (FBR). The group aims to bring life-saving relief to innocent civilians caught up in violent conflicts around the world. On May 4, he was with Iraqs 9th Armored Division when it was ordered to assault Mosul and, in his words, the insane bloodshed began.

In the ensuing weeks, Mattos treated the injured, delivered aid to the needy and documented human rights abuses with other volunteers  including David Eubank, a former U.S. Army Special Forces fighter and founder of FBR, Sky Barkley, a former U.S. Marine turned full-time missionary, Mahmoud Darweesh, an FBR interpreter and Syrian refugee wanting to immigrate to the U.S., and the FBR cameraman known by his nickname Monkey.

But what specifically happened on that date was like nothing the experienced combat veteran had ever been exposed to in his seven years as a SEAL. As Mattos and his team surged through another sea of up to 70 bodies in the early hours of Sunday, signs of life emerged.

We started to see children alive, buried underneath the dead. They were in shock. These little kids would get up and poke the bodies of their parents  confused, trying to wake them up from their sleep, Mattos remembered. One little boy, no older than 6 or 7, laid down next to what appeared to be his sister. He covered her in a scarf to shield her from the hot sun. It was absolutely heart-breaking. We all knew then, we had to do something to get those kids out.

GRIEVING IRAQIS CALL ON US TO INVESTIGATE MASSACRE OF 1,600 MILITARY CADETS

That something was a quick call from Iraqi Army associates to a U.S. aircraft to drop something of a smoke screen to provide cover, as they were less than 200 yards from an ISIS hospital being used by the jihadists as a headquarters. Sniper rounds bounced off the tank operated by Iraqi soldiers while Mattos and his U.S. counterparts ran behind the tank. He said they knew then there was no way they were getting out without a scratch.

I was terrified. I had to will myself to go forward, he admitted. But I had decided that I was prepared to die to get that little girl out of there What ISIS was doing was just unreal. How do you shoot a little girl in the back of the head?

As the fighters and volunteers maneuvered to avoid hitting the dead, they were faced with corpses of pregnant women slaughtered by ISIS, an old man with his brain hanging from his skull, a little girl  miraculously alive  hiding beneath her mothers blood-soaked hijab, not even blinking at the ferocious sound of a canon being fired.

Bullets sprayed over Mattos head from all directions, with an estimated 100 fighters believed to be in that vicinity at the time  and at least a dozen snipers, obscure on rooftops and from the dark hollow rooms of mortar-gashed houses. As he ran back to his position behind the vehicle, one of those bullets struck his right calf  entering one side and exiting the other.

As a SEAL, we are taught that our job is to take care of ourselves until the battle is over, Mattos said.

Sometime later, the former sailor made it to a nearby mosque being used by Iraqi forces as a makeshift clinic. A few minutes after he arrived, that little girl  the one who cloaked herself in her dead mothers hijab  was brought in and placed two beds over, deeply traumatized but alive. For more than a week after that, the bodies of the murdered lay decomposing, their dignity stripped, in the blistering summer streets as authorities were not able to immediately clear the ISIS-riddled zone.

Mattos was subsequently taken to the Kurdish capital of Erbil for medical care and spent another two weeks in the hospital. Last week, he arrived home to Wisconsin to heal. The gunshot wound, he notes, is no big deal. Mattos, along with his brother Zebulun, a devoted humanitarian, recently launched their own media group The Fireside Journal (TFJ) as a hub to share content about various lessons learned in life, the beauty of creation and to inspire others by example.

But for now, his mind remains more than 6,000 miles away.

Although Iraqi forces have only a small part of Mosul to liberate, the so-called Old City, what is left are burned-out homes and a booby-trapped wasteland. Who will live long enough to return to ever see the city they once called home free from the black flag, remains a waiting game.
The decision by organizers of a major Swedish musical festival to cancel it next year because of sexual assaults at the event has intensified debates about whether the government has not acted more forcefully to avoid an anti-immigrant backlash.

The Bravalla music festival, which has featured famous artists such as Kanye West and Iron Maiden, announced over the weekend that despite taking steps such as bolstering security, sexual assaults and rapes had occurred in this years event, forcing the cancellation of next years show, according to The Local.

The organizers, FKP Scorpio, said in a statement that some men  because we are talking about men  apparently cant behave. Its a shame.

Words cannot describe how incredibly sad we are about this, and we most seriously regret and condemn this. This is notokay. We do not accept this at our festival.

Reports of rapes and sexual assaults at the festival in 2016 prompted one musical group, Mumford and Sons, to boycott indefinitely future performances at the event.

We wont play at this festival again until weve had assurances from the police and organizers that theyre something to combat what appears to be a disgustingly high rate of reported sexual violence, the group said in a statement.

Sexual assaults have plagued festivals worldwide, but in some European countries blame has been placed in part on immigrants from places such as Afghanistan and North Africa.

Swedish police have been accused in past years of covering up sexual assaults at musical festivals because they were committed by foreign nationals, and they did not want to stir up tensions. Media outlets that obtained access to police reports about the alleged crimes said that they mentioned young Afghans as the perpetrators.

At a festival last year in Karlstad, which is roughly 190 miles west of Stockholm, six of seven suspects were identified as foreigners, according to the New York Times.

While many have pushed for authorities to be more transparent about the identity of the suspects in sexual assaults and rapes at the music events, others have expressed opposition to the idea, saying that it stereotypes whole groups and does not address the underlying problem.

The Guardian last year published an editorial titled: Blaming the Swedish festival rapes on migrants isnt just wrong  its dangerous.
A crocodile bit the arm off a tourist in a Mexican lagoon, according to a report Monday.

The man, believed to be an American tourist, was relieving himself in the Nichupte Lagoon in Cancun, a tourist hotspot in the southeastern Mexican state of Quintana Roo.

As he urinated in the Nichupte lagoon the deadly reptile swam out of the water and bit his forearm off at the elbow.

After a struggle with the beast the man managed to escape and run away.

An ambulance rushed the victim to the local hospital where he had emergency surgery.

The man, named as 40-year-old Cal Monzon by the Riviera Maya News, is currently in a critical condition and is said to be fighting for his life.

SHARK BITES TEEN AT POPULAR VACATION SPOT

The Nichupte lagoon is known for its crocodile-infested waters, with some animals reaching up to nine feet long.

Last year, another American man was attacked by a crocodile while spearfishing in a lagoon in Cancun.

Jonathan Schoeneman was attacked by the 13-foot animal which began crushing his skull with its teeth.

BURNING BOAT PULLED AWAY FROM SHORE ON VIDEO

He needed 200 stitches and had metal plates inserted into his skull to hold his head and jaw together.

Schoeneman, who is originally from from Houston, Texas, and now lives in Cancun, fought back against the crocodile.

He said: "I just got this hand and kept punching it inside the mouth."

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Fearful that Thailand's new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers.

Labor regulations that took effect June 23 could give foreign workers without proper permits up to five years in prison, while their employers could face fines of up to 800,000 baht ($23,500).

Officials and workers' advocates estimated Monday that roughly 30,000 workers have returned home since the rules took effect.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, under pressure from industries employing the migrants, says he'll institute a 120-day extension of the deadline for worker registration.

Thailand has about 2.6 million foreign workers, mostly from its poorer neighbors Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Half are estimated to be working illegally. Many work in low-paying or dangerous jobs that Thais are reluctant to take, in fields such as construction, farming and fishing.

Thailand's Labor Rights Promotion Network, a migrant rights advocate group, estimates that more than 30,000 workers have gone back home and that the number will keep increasing if the government does not come out with measures to reassure workers of their rights and safety.

Police Col. Man Ratanaprateep, based in the northern Thai province of Tak, which borders on Myanmar, said that as of Monday, more than 23,000 workers had crossed back to Myanmar at the province's Mae Sot checkpoint alone, but others may have gone back at unofficial crossings.

The regulations have caused the loss of 40,000 to 80,000 migrant workers from the construction industry, according to Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Thai Contractors Association. He did not say how many workers left on their own, or how many were pushed out by nervous employers.

Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan told reporters that the government is likely to invoke Article 44 to extend the registration deadline. Article 44 of the constitution imposed by the military after it seized power in May 2014 gives the prime minister the authority to issue orders overriding any other branch of government to promote public order and unity.

The concerns of workers' advocates had a different focus.

"We found that many workers were told to leave, some without being paid, by their employers. Now, with such a massive outflow, the government is talking about the grace period," said Patima Tungpuchayakul of the Labor Rights Promotion Network, which is involved in the protection of migrant workers. "But the damage is already done. Poor migrant workers already are panicking and leaving the country. These are people who can't afford travel expenses or living without employment."

She noted that workers who left would face a new round of expenses should they seek to return to work legally, because they would have to come up with payment fees to employment agencies. This could force them to borrow money again, making their labor a way of paying off the debt, a cycle that is known as debt bondage.

"We are still discussing what we can do for these people who are coming back home to the country," said Myo Aung, a Labor Ministry official in Myanmar. "There are many of them coming in and I think there will be more."

Cambodia's embassy in Thailand issued a statement over the weekend urging Cambodian migrant workers to stay calm. It said the embassy and Labor Ministry officials were negotiating with Thai authorities, asking them not to crack down on sites where the Cambodian workers may be working illegally.

At least 1,000 Cambodians were reported to have returned home through eastern Thailand.

There was a mass exodus back home in 2014 of as many as 200,000 Cambodians working in Thailand after the newly installed junta in Bangkok announced plans to crack down on undocumented foreign workers and began deporting some after raids on worksites.

The numbers of those fleeing then swelled as unsubstantiated rumors circulated that Thai authorities had shot dead or beaten several Cambodian workers. Thai authorities denied the rumors and sought to quell concerns about a crackdown, adding that they had plans to systematize migrant labor.
A woman was left shaken on Sunday after she walked by a bomb disposal robot in Northern Ireland moments before it carried out a controlled explosion, police said.

A suspicious object was reported in Glengalliah Park on Sunday causing 20 houses to be evacuated as a result, the BBC reported. A bomb team was sent to the scene to investigate the object.

SINN FEIN CHIEF DOWNPLAYS CHANCE OF N. IRELAND POWER-SHARING

The squad used a bomb disposal robot to investigate the object and blow it up. Before the robot carried out the explosion, a woman walked past police corridors.

In a video shot by bystanders, people are heard yelling at the woman trying to alarm her of the expected explosion.

I was very shocked to see the lady come out of the laneway, Brian Tierney, a Social Democratic and Labour Party councilor, told the BBC. Shes a very lucky lady this morning.

You can hear the screams of the crowd who were trying to let her know and I think everyone just waited and baited breath to see how she was going to get past it, Tierney said.

N. IRELAND TALKS TO CONTINUE AFTER DEADLINE PASSES

The woman apparently decided to not follow police advice and leave their home despite the suspicious object, police said.

The woman was unscathed but told police that she was shaken.

The police concluded that the suspicious object was an elaborate hoax and deemed the area safe.
As airstrikes ramp up against terrorist groups around the globe, the U.S. military says it conducted a drone strike Sunday in Somalia against Al Qaedas third largest affiliate, al-Shabab.

In late March, President Trump allowed the Pentagon to begin offensive airstrikes in Somalia. The strike this weekend was the second under this new authority.

One of the reasons the U.S. military asked for more power to launch airstrikes is the US-backed African Union troops will begin leaving Somalia next year as al-Shabab expands inside the country. A new famine has also spread in Somalia affecting up to six million people.

Earlier this year, a small group of U.S. forces deployed to Somalia for the first time since they pulled out in 1994.

TRUMP OKS RAMPED-UP AIRSTRIKES AGAINST AL-SHABAAB IN SOMALIA

In May, Navy SEAL Kyle Milliken was killed fighting alongside Somalia forces in a raid against al-Shabab.

On July 2, at approximately 7:30 a.m. Eastern Daylight Time, U.S. forces conducted a kinetic strike operation against al-Shabab, an Al Qaeda associated terrorist group. We are currently assessing the results of the operation, and will provide additional information as appropriate. U.S. forces remain committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia, the Somali National Army and our AMISOM partners in defeating al-Shabab and establishing a safe and secure environment in Somalia," the Pentagon said.

Some ISIS affiliated fighters have also appeared in Somalia. Nearby in Yemen, the U.S. military has conducted more than 80 airstrikes against Al Qaedas Yemen affiliate, known as Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula, since President Trump took office, doubling the average over the past five years.
Chinese state media accused the U.S. on Monday of playing political games with its latest patrol in the South China Sea, adding that similar actions would not deter further construction work in the territory.

"U.S. provocations cannot change the present situation in the South China Sea," the Global Times said in an editorial, according to Reuters.

The comments come after the Pentagon dispatched a U.S. Navy warship to sail within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island on Sunday, which is part of the Paracel Islands located in the South China Sea between China and Vietnam. The destroyer was trailed by a Chinese warship during its voyage.

Chinas Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang called the operation a serious political and military provocation.

China strongly urges the U.S. side to immediately stop this kind of provocative action which seriously violates China's sovereignty and puts at risk China's security," Lu added.

It is the second time in Trumps presidency that a Navy warship has patrolled the disputed waters. Triton Island is not part of China's artificial islands in the region which were constructed in the past few years atop former reefs, but is located among the landmasses in the Paracel chain.

The move comes as the U.S. steps up pressure on Beijing to do more to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. The Trump administration imposed sanctions Thursday on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company for helping North Koreas missile programs and accused a Chinese-owned bank of laundering money to the rogue regime.

Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese President Shinzo Abe on North Korea Sunday.

Xi warned Trump that some negative factors are hurting U.S.-China relations.

Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-U.S. relations have achieved important outcomes," state broadcaster CCTV reported, referring to Xi's meeting with Trump in Florida in April. "At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the U.S."

It's unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G-20 summit in Germany at which Trump and Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.

Fox News' Lucas Tomlinson and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
Much is being said today about transparency. Whether it is politicians pointing fingers at each other or consumers pointing fingers at corporations, a lack of transparency is often claimed.

So what does the word mean? Transparency, according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, has four relevant meanings.

First, to be transparent means to be free from pretense or deceit. A second definition is easily detected or seen through. The third is readily understood, while the last is characterized by visibility or accessibility of information especially concerning business practices.

So what does being transparent mean in organizations?

When I was a faculty member at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, we hired a new business dean. One of the first things he did was write our business schools budget, line by line, on the blackboard during one of our faculty meetings. He then went through the budget and explained everything to us. When someone asked him why he did this, he said he wanted to be transparent as to our money situation. This was the first time in my nine years at the school that I ever saw our budget.

Another real-world example of transparency comes from corporate America. Years ago I had the privilege of meeting Jack Stack, CEO of SRC Holdings in Springfield, Mo. Stack and his colleagues pioneered open-book management to turn around their struggling company. They purchased their factory from its parent company and opened the books to the employees. Their thinking was that if every employee understood their role in the organization and how their role impacted the bottom line, employees would take more ownership and flourish. And it worked. As Jack said, Every employee had to take the fate of the company as personally as an individual owner would. If you want to learn more, read the book A Stake in the Outcome.

Does transparency mean that every person in the organization knows everything about everything? No. And they cannot. For example, if an employee has performance issues, all of his colleagues should not be privy to any performance improvement plan that the employee is under.

But what about the financials or any other metrics used to evaluate performance? Id say that information is fair game. If Im proud of my units performance, why would I mind others seeing the metrics? And if there are deficiencies in my unit that need to be addressed, putting the metrics in front of all of the employees to let them see what the data looks should be helpful to all. Without this, some might feel picked on.

Years ago, I was surprised to learn that there was great variability in the number of students taught by the faculty in my business school, even accounting for the type and level of classes. So at a faculty meeting we shared, by name, the average number of students taught by each professor the previous year. I wanted the faculty to see what I was seeing so that those whose world was about to changehaving more students in their classes, for instancewould understand why.

The primary reason this had occurred, I thought, was because the person putting together the class schedule each term did not review the data from the previous year. So we kept, to some degree, replicating a bad schedule year after year.

Once we put the average class sizes out there for all to see, we were able to help them understand that, in some cases, instead of teaching two sections of the same course in one term, we would be teaching one.

Because we shared information, faculty understood and, while they may not have loved having dozens of more papers to grade, accepted the new scheduling model.

Are you transparent in your organization? Do you share data with your staff? They will feel valued and important if you do. I think transparency helps to build your teams culture.
The Home Builders Association of Virginia installed its 2018 officers last week. Daniel T. Sandoval, president and owner of Republic Home Builders based in Fredericksburg, has been elected to serve as HBAV second vice president. Sandoval currently serves on the board of directors of the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association. He served the past two years as HBAV regional vice president. Drew Ransone of Chesapeake Tree Services, LLC has been elected Region VI vice president. He will represent the Home Builders Association of Rappahannock and the Fredericksburg Area Builders Association.

The Community Financial Corporation, the holding company for the Community Bank of the Chesapeake, announced a quarterly cash dividend of $0.10 per share of common stock. The dividend will be paid on or about July 21 to stockholders of record as of the close of business on July 10.

The PNC Financial Services Group, Inc. also announced a plan to increase the quarterly cash dividend on common stock by 20 cents per share, or 36 percent, to 75 cents per share, in the third quarter of 2017. PNCs board of directors is expected to consider this recommendation at its next scheduled meeting July 6. The capital plan also included share repurchase programs of up to $2.7 billion for the four-quarter period beginning in the third quarter of 2017.

Plastic Surgery Services of Fredericksburg has expanded to include plastic surgeon Pejman Aflaki. Aflaki completed his training at the Johns Hopkins Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery program.His special training and interest includes reconstruction of the breast following breast cancer.

A free seminar for home sellers will be offered by Virginia Credit Union on July 11 from 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. at the Hampton Inn & Suites Fredericksburg at Celebrate Virginia. Participants will learn about the home selling process, practical tips and common pitfalls to avoid. To register to attend, call 804/323-6800. Mortgage experts will be on hand to answer specific questions.

Rappahannock Electric Cooperative recently awarded $16,000 in grants to non-profits, emergency service agencies, and local schools. The grants are made possible through RECs LEARN (Literacy, Education, and Rural Networking) program. Community organizations receiving grants were: A Farm Less Ordinary from Clarke County, The Paul Stefan Foundation from Orange County, Piedmont Regional Dental Clinic in the counties of Orange, Greene, Madison and Culpeper, Central Rappahannock Regional Library in the counties of Spotsylvania and Stafford and Family Promises of Shenandoah County. Schools receiving grants included: Essex High School, Mary Walter Elementary, Stonewall Elementary School, South Anna Elementary, Brock Road Elementary, Beaverdam Elementary School, Orange County High School and Spotsylvania County Public Schools. Emergency services receiving grants were: Lake of the Woods Rescue Squad, Sperryville Volunteer Rescue and Winchester Sheriffs Foundation.

Doug Mangin recently joined The Thrasher Group, Inc. as a project manager in the firms Fredericksburg office. Mangin brings more than 18 years of engineering experience in public and private utilities, and governmental and regulatory agencies.He has worked with Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission and District of Columbia Water and Wastewater.

Lindley Estes
In recent decades, Virginia governors have granted clemency to two mentally ill inmates facing execution. One of them smeared feces over his cell, and the other was dubbed Crazy Horse.

Gov. Terry McAuliffe is considering a request to commute the sentence of William C. Morva, a double-murderer set to be executed Thursday for slayings in Montgomery County committed during an escape in 2006 and who is said to suffer from grandiose and paranoid delusions.

His lawyers and a court-appointed expert say Morva has long believed that others, including his lawyers, were trying to harm him. A 2008 Richmond Times-Dispatch account of Morvas sentencing, reported that he looked cheerful, snapping his fingers and smiling when the death penalty was announced.

In 1999, Gov. Jim Gilmore commuted the death sentence against Calvin Eugene Swann, and in 2008 Gov. Tim Kaine commuted Percy Levar Waltons death sentence. Both were diagnosed with schizophrenia. Swann died in 2004 of of natural causes while Walton remains an inmate at the Marion Correctional Treatment Center.

Lawyers contend Morva suffers from delusional disorder and at the time of the slayings he believed his life was in danger at the Montgomery County Jail where he was being held on attempted robbery charges. They argue the jury was given wrong data about the nature and severity of his illness.

Morva escaped from a deputy who had taken him to a hospital for treatment of minor injuries and shot to death an unarmed hospital security guard, Derrick McFarland. The following day he killed Eric Sutphin, a deputy sheriff who was searching for the escapee. McFarland was shot in the face, Sutphin in the back of his head.

Since the U.S. Supreme Court allowed capital punishment to resume in 1976, Virginia governors have commuted death sentences nine timesmost recently in May. Some 112 executions have been carried out in the state over the same period.

The severity of Swann and Waltons mental illness and their diagnoses were in dispute, as is the case with Morva.

When Swann shot a 62-year-old man to death during a 1992 robbery, his record already included robbery, assault and burglary and he had spent much of the previous 18 years in mental institutions and prisons.

He was convicted of capital murder and robbery and sentenced to death. Gilmore commuted Swanns sentence about four hours before his scheduled 1999 execution. Swann had suffered from schizophrenia for 25 years at the time of the commutation.

Swanns behavior at times, Gilmore said in 1999, was nothing short of bizarre and totally devoid of rationality.

His lawyers wrote in their clemency petition that when Swann arrived at death row in 1998, Calvin was continually screaming and flushing his toilet. He was placed in four-point restraints. The next day, he smeared feces all over his cell.

Gilmore said Virginia Department of Corrections experts confirmed that Swann suffered from severe mental impairment and noted that Swanns jury was misinformed about the fact that on two prior occasions Swann had been found mentally incompetent to stand trial.

Swann had been committed involuntarily to psychiatric hospitals at least 16 times before he was arrested for the murder, and state employees had diagnosed Swann as having schizophrenia at least 41 times, described him as psychotic at least 31 times and regularly medicated him with eight different antipsychotic drugs.

Nevertheless, the Virginia Supreme Court, citing the evidence presented at Swanns trial, said there was doubt over whether Swann was schizophrenic. They said one expert who examined Swann concluded he was not schizophrenic. Both the Virginia and U.S. supreme courts rejected Swanns appeals.

In 2008, Kaine commuted Waltons death sentences to life without parole. Courts had held that Walton could be executed, but Kaine said he granted clemency because Walton was not mentally competent.

In 1996, Walton murdered an elderly couple and a 33-year-old man who lived near him in Danville. Kaine said there was no doubt Walton was guilty of the crimes, and he did not question the decision to seek the death penalty.

Kaine said that while Walton may have been sane when he committed the murders, the U.S. Supreme Court has held that the Constitution forbids the execution of those who are unaware of the punishment they are about to suffer and why they are to suffer it.

Walton was called Crazy Horse on death row by other inmates because of his bizarre conduct and lack of hygiene.

In a prepared statement, Kaine said, Given the extended period of time over which Walton has exhibited this lack of mental competence, I must conclude that a commutation of his sentence ... is now the only constitutionally appropriate course of action.

Bob McDonnell, then the Virginia attorney general and later elected governor, disagreed with Kaine, noting that the U.S. Supreme Court denied Waltons petition in which he argued that he was incompetent and requested that his execution be stayed.

McDonnell said nothing prevented Walton from bringing evidence of incompetence before the courts where it could be more effectively evaluated.

Experts differed on Waltons condition over the years. In 2006, Kaine said Waltons clemency petition presented information that Walton had schizophrenia and that his mental state had deteriorated since 2003, the most recent information the courts had to consider at the time in 2006.

In a letter to McAuliffe last month, Montgomery Commonwealths Attorney Mary K. Pettitt wrote that experts evaluated Morva prior to trial and concluded that he had a superior IQ and suffered from a variety of personality disorders to include schizotypal personality disorder with narcissistic features.

A 2015 brief filed by the Virginia Attorney Generals office in the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals noted Morvas current lawyers claim that a delusional disorder diagnosis along with his family history of schizophrenia would have allowed his trial lawyers to explain to the jury how the crimes were a product of his mental illness.

The state wrote that one expert who testified on Morvas behalf about schizotypal personality disorder, did exactly that. The attorney general argued, The jury heard substantial and uncontradicted evidence that Morva suffered from mental illness and that there was a link between his illness and his conduct.

Dawn M. Davison, one of Morvas lawyers, said the evidence the jury heard focused primarily on Morvas behavior before he dropped out of high school and before there was a dramatic deterioration in his mental health.

That was also the focus of information made available to a psychiatrist appointed to the defense for the trial, she said. Without more information about Morva in the years leading up to the slayings, Morva was incorrectly diagnosed with schizotypal personality disorder, say his lawyers.

As a result, The jury was incorrectly told that Morva was not psychotic and not delusional and that he was not clearly out of contact with reality, said Davison.She said that a forensic psychiatrist appointed by a federal judge in 2013 found Morva was suffering from delusional disorder and incapable of rationally communicating with his attorneys.

The psychiatrist, Dr. Donna Schwartz Maddox, wrote in a declaration last month that she understands how someone evaluating Morva with limited information would reach a diagnosis of schizotypal personality disorder. My diagnosis, however, takes into account that information, which I understand was not provided to the trial expert, she wrote.

According to Maddox, A person who is psychotic may be able to function in many ways. He may be oriented to time and place and able to perform chores such as laundry.

There are no indications that Mr. Morva is malingering, or feigning symptoms of mental illness. In fact, Mr. Morva does the opposite: he attempts to mask his symptoms so he appears normal, added Maddox in her 25-page declaration.

She added that to her knowledge the Department of Corrections has not attempted to treat Morva, and then when a psychiatrist attempted to evaluate him he refused. The psychiatrist opined that the refusal was an example of narcissism, but Maddox disagrees and believes the refusal was due to his paranoia and mistrust of others.

McAuliffe has been given petitions urging clemency with 31,000 signatures. Among those also supporting clemency is U.S. Rep. Gerald E. Connolly, (D-11th) and five state delegates and four state senators. Linda A. Klein, president of the American Bar Association, sent a letter to McAuliffe expressing concern about the case.
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Work is under way at a potato farm in Scotland to apply spud research in areas including cultivation, seed spacing and cover cropping at commercial farm level.

The AHDBs new strategic potato farm (SPot), Bruce Farms of Perthshire, is based just outside the village of Meigle, about 14 miles north-west of Dundee in one of Scotlands top growing areas.

All potatoes grown across about 270ha of owned and rented land are sent to Albert Bartlett in Airdrie to be processed.

See also: Angus mixed farm investigates grass undersown spring barley

Spud varieties grown commercially on the farm include Maris Piper, Maris Peer, Saxon, Osprey and Bartletts renowned Rooster variety, with planting beginning in late-March and harvesting up to the end of September.

Growing soft fruit, blackcurrants and vegetables alongside cereals, peas and beans and a pedigree cattle enterprise, Bruce Farms supplies big name food and retail brands such as Birds Eye, Ribena and Marks & Spencer.

The farm joins the already well-established SPot farm network to become this regions first demonstration hub for potato growers and suppliers, applying AHDB scientific research on a farm scale and helping growers to implement changes on their own farms.

Three-year trial

Following a soft launch last year, this season marks the start of the three-year Scottish-government-funded work on a 36ha field growing the popular variety Maris Piper.

Claire Hodge, AHDB Potatoes knowledge exchange manager for the region, explains planting different varieties for the trials work would have added another layer of complication.

Most growers can relate to growing Maris Piper and the messages are relevant to all farms whatever varieties they are growing, she adds.

The primary focus was a simple comparison of different primary and secondary cultivation techniques, such as bed-tilling and stone separating, across the field with the help of precision farming data.

We aim to be forward-thinking and to produce the best commercial potato crops we possibly can on our own and rented ground across Perthshire and the Borders, says Bruce Farms potato manager Kerr Howatson.

Cultivations

Recent AHDB research has been looking at reducing cultivations to cut costs and increase workrate and productivity.

The ideal seed-bed for growing a good crop of spuds should be fine, friable, free-draining and structurally stable.

Previous work found soils shouldnt be cultivated deeper than about 11in, or 9-10in for clay soils.

Cultivation trials Treatments Bed-forming and destoning at 12in, bed-tilling at 6in

Bed-forming at 12in, destoning at 10in, no bed-tilling

Host farm standard practice: Bed-forming, bed-tilling and destoning all at 12in

Grower suggested practice: Bed-tilling and destoning 12in *Strip: Six beds at field length

While work at greater depths didnt affect tuber quality, it hampered yields and increased labour, fuel and machinery costs.

Shallow destoning saw work rates speed up by 20-40% helping improve timeliness, meaning soils were able to be worked on closer to their optimum moisture levels to lessen compaction.

Following preliminary work at Bruce Farms last season, which looked at various treatments and cultivation depths, two of these methods (see Cultivation trials) were carried forward for this season.

Last year, the best packout (saleable crop after grading out rejects) came from treatment 2, showing that no bed-tilling and reduced destoning meant lower planting costs and the highest packed yield.

As a grower we are looking for good packout figures, so Albert Bartlett took eight individual blocks from the trial field last harvest and ran them each through the packing process and then we were able to know exactly what we wouldve been paid which is really useful, says Mr Howatson.

The same will happen again this year to help weigh up which treatment is best.

Cover crops

Following positive results when using cover crops at the SPot Farm in Staffordshire with benefits to soil structure, the Scottish team are hoping to replicate some of this success.

A section of the trial field typically lies wetter due to it being heavier land, so a selection of cover crop mixes (see Trialled cover crop treatments) were sown on 3 September to see if any of these would help reduce moisture levels in the soil.

The aim was to use the cover crops to dry the soil out and improve soil structure to bring this part of the field up to the same standard as the rest of the field, explains Mr Howatson.

The cover crop mixes were then ploughed in on 14 March.

Trialled cover crop treatments Oats Oil radish, European oat, forage rye and phacelia Oil radish, strigose oat, berseem clover, vetch and phacelia Overwinter stubble, spring ploughed Autumn ploughed Each cover crop received 125kg/ha of nitrogen fertiliser

Oats were the standout species performer, notes Mr Howatson, with the cover establishing well and resulting in a better structure, with a finer and more open soil but none of the species had much of a drying effect.

In previous years we have had to bed-till the whole field and we bed-tilled the bottom section this year. While cover crops had helped with the moisture, we did still need to bed-till  we tried a bit without and it didnt work.

Seed spacing

Getting the right tuber size is critical and spacing of seed has a big impact on the size of tubers.

Mr Howatson says this is all about working with the customer to get seed spacing right to produce the correct size potato, as well as the yield.

Marketable yield is more important than simply the volume of potatoes produced, he stresses.

Generally speaking, narrower spacing will result in smaller spuds, and wider spacing will give bigger potatoes but has the potential for a lower yield, so this research is about achieving the right balance to hit an optimum.

Based on tuber counts last year, the optimal spacing was 38cm between seeds.

Seed handling

Another area the trial focused on at planting was the way in which seed is handled before it touches the soil.

Standard pre-planting practice at Bruce Farms is to take seed out of store three or four days prior to seed going in the ground to allow time to warm up.

We wanted to see the effect of planting seeds straight out of the store, if there was any difference, explains Mr Howatson.

He notes he would be surprised if there was much difference in establishment this year as soil conditions and temperature were excellent at planting.

Ms Hodge says plant emergence times are recorded between the seed direct from the store and seed that had been prewarmed and adds while any effects might have less of an impact this time, they could be more profound in a less-than-perfect year during the course of this project.

The idea with this is also to show that it is really important to handle seed well to be efficient in what you are doing at planting, says Ms Hodge.
The EUs support schemes for young farmers need to be better targeted if they are to be more effective in supporting the next generation of farmers, according to a report by the European Court of Auditors.

The report says support for farmers younger than 40 is too often poorly defined and provided in a standardised form that does not address specific need  other than offering young farmers additional cash.

Under the last reform of the CAP, member states were obliged to introduce a young farmer payment under Pillar 1, which typically tops up the Basic Payment Scheme payment by an additional 25% for the first five years of operation.

See also: Young farmers face critical year, warns leader

Member states were also given the option of voluntarily offering business start-up packages under Pillar 2 of the CAP. This option was not picked up in the UK.

The report looked at the four member states with the most spending on young farmers  France, Spain, Poland and Italy.

Pillar 1

It concluded that there were a range of problems with Pillar 1 support for young farmers.

It found the aid was not based on a sound needs assessment, did not reflect the general objective of encouraging generational renewal, was not always provided to young farmers in need and was sometimes provided to holdings where young farmers played only a minor role.

It said in most members states the standardised nature of the payments meant the applicants skills and training requirements were not taken into account, which meant young farmers without any agricultural training were supported.

It also suggested young farmers located in less-favoured areas, who generally face greater viability challenges, should get priority over those located in other areas.

Pillar 2

The reports verdict on Pillar 2 support was more positive, with the auditors acknowledging that the schemes operated by member states addressed more directly the specific needs of young farmers  access to land, capital and knowledge.

It said aid was also directed to more qualified farmers, who committed to implementing a business plan. However, the business plans put forward by applicants were of variable quality.

Effective support for young farmers is vital if farming is to be sustainable over the generations, said Janusz Wojciechowski, the member of the European Court of Auditors responsible for the report.

But we found little evidence of the outcome of these measures and whether they actually help young farmers, mainly because of insufficient targeting and low-quality indicators.

To make the aid effective, the EU and member states must first better define who they wish to support and what should be the expected result of the European assistance and then concentrate on measuring the progress achieved.
A recent ruling in Linn County's lawsuit over state timber-management practices could prove to be a critical victory for the state.

Or it could turn out to be a somewhat minor speed bump in the road for the class-action lawsuit, in which Linn County has been joined by about 140 other plaintiffs, other taxing jurisdictions in counties that contain some of the state timber trust land at issue in the case.

Either way, the ruling from Linn County Circuit Court Judge Daniel Murphy should stand as a reminder of the complexity of this case.

And the issue at the heart of the lawsuit  the idea that shifts in state land-management practices have financially hobbled Oregon's rural counties  will endure regardless of the lawsuit's disposition.

Despite the complex issues raised in the lawsuit, the case at its heart boils down to a breach-of-contract claim. All the taxing entities involved (including Benton County) have connections to state forest trust land, mainly logged-over or fire-damaged properties that were acquired by counties through tax foreclosures in the 1930s and 1940s and then turned over to the state for management. A 1939 law says those lands must be managed for "the greatest permanent value to the state."

At that time, the law was generally interpreted to mean that the lands should be managed to maximize timber harvests. Money from those timber sales went back to the coffers of the counties and other entities.

But over the years, the state has broadened the definition of "greatest permanent value" so that it includes other management goals, such as recreation and protection of habitat. As a result, timber harvests diminished on the state land  and so did the money from those harvests. It's part of the reason why some Oregon counties still struggle financially, and the lawsuit argues that it amounts to a breach of contract between the state and the counties.

Murphy's most recent ruling in the $1.4 billion lawsuit came as the judge reviewed his earlier decisions rejecting various defenses attorneys for the state had raised. The judge ended up reversing himself on one key issue: He ruled that the counties and other tax entities in the lawsuit could not sue the state for monetary damages, agreeing with the legal doctrine known as "sovereign immunity," which prevents the government from being sued without its consent. In this case, the judge noted, the counties are subdivisions of the state.

Murphy said the plaintiffs should have "the opportunity to re-plead their case in such a manner that is supported by the law if they can." That could include seeking an injunction or order to change Oregon's logging practices.

The problem is that the counties have said they're primarily interested in recovering lost revenue; that was a key reason why Benton County commissioners, for example, decided to remain as plaintiffs in the lawsuit. Merely forcing a change in logging practices doesn't offer much immediate relief for financially strapped counties.

John DiLorenzo, the Portland attorney who represents the plaintiffs, has said he'd like to meet with Murphy to get clarification of the judge's ruling. DiLorenzo also talked about the possibility of appealing the ruling to a higher court and then, depending on the results of that appeal, returning to a Linn County courtroom for trial. Such an appeal could make sense to get a better idea of whether a path to monetary damages remains open. And it's almost a certainty that this case was headed to a higher court regardless of what happened in circuit court.

DiLorenzo told reporters that the plaintiffs in the case knew they "would be plowing new ground" with the lawsuit. And the suit has helped cast a spotlight on the troubled finances of Oregon's rural counties. But if Murphy's decision holds, the plaintiffs may find they've run out of legal ground to plow. (mm)
Jimgorn said:



I stayed up all night wondering why you use the screen name Hollywood... Hollywood's (the DTT urchin) favorite tactic....derail the argument with inane quibbling about some minor detail in the post and totally ignore the point.....Here it is again.....Hollywood, California has been a cesspool of left-leaning Communist fellow travelers since the 30s....They are a bunch of fools who are simply actors, most with very little education, who actually believe what they are acting...They make enormous sums of money, which they use to support left-leaning causes, and people think that their opinions have merit.... I am not convinced they know jack ****.....Rob Reiner in particular...I stayed up all night wondering why you use the screen name Hollywood... Click to expand...

********. Now you're just whining.I derailed NOTHING I simply pointed out that no one was required to accept your definition of what "Hollywood" meant.If you people REALLY mean "some" "many" or a "few" in Hollywood believe such and such then SAY that in the first place. If you mean an individual then say so. Hardly my fault you people have poor communication skills.What? Now you boys are going to call anything you don't want to deal with "derailing" or a distraction. When will you get it through your collective heads you do not "own" the dictionary or the English language? Nor do YOU decide exclusively what is a "minor detail" or minutia.Right now you are little more than a kid calling people whose politics you don't like names. Nothing more.Had you been just a bit more civil and polite I would have been happy to tell you why my nic is Hollywood, it's hardly a big secret. But no, you have to act like an *** and call names.
Article

Protecting the worlds oceans  an important goal of Germanys climate diplomacy

The worlds oceans are vital to our survival. They regulate the global climate and are a source of food and income for billions of people. Only a very small part of the seas enjoys legal protection, however. Our diplomats are working in New York right now to change this state of affairs.
I think Trump should be removed because he is incompetant. I really do not feel to this day the man has an inkling what it is to be President, what the powers are, and what he cannot do in office. Instead of doing his job, he is playing golf or in Mar-a Lago in Florida (ugh, why the f would anyone volunatarily live in Florida even if you were rich?). He has punked out of doing the job.







There is a precedence for this actually, and probably more than one. The 14th President of the USA, a one Franklin Pierce (term 1853-1857) was a depressed,chronic alcoholic a small part being that his young son was in a train accident which was witnessed by himself and his wife, a train taking the family to his Inaugeration. The wife was inconsolable, and blamed Pierce for it all, because if he were never elected, they would not have been on that train.



This was a very important time in history, the looming time before the Civil War and possibly if there was someone of quality and decisive like maybe Lincoln, Douglas or someone similar, the whole war might have been averted, but the whole North/South thing exaserbated itself while a stumbling, depressed drunk was in charge.



Warren G. Harding is another example. Someone who should have never been President in the first place, who was pushed into the office by his wife. After WWI was an important time, not a "Time for Normalcy". Instead of the thinking of "Hey, that Great War was a literal, scary hellscape and we should try to stop that **** from happening again..." we get this dullard whose cabinet consisted of greed heads, crooks and incompetants, whose policies of Harding and Coolidge set up the Crash of 1929 which set up a tsunami of economic misery which caused Hitler to ascend to power.



Now is not the time for incompetants. Say what you want about Mike Pence, but the man has been in government and has been a chief executive so he has experience and knows how everything works. I was kind of thinking he would run things and let Trump be Trump and do rallies and whatnot, but I think Trump wants to be in the middle of everything, which is worse for an incompetant leader.
bohlah at 3-07-2017 06:15 AM (5 years ago) (m)

Nowadays the internet is a place where you can make all of your dreams come true. If you want to be popular you can make it happen. If you want to model, IG makes is super easy, if you want to become one of the top fashion bloggers in the world that too can happen.

Nowadays the internet is a place where you can make all of your dreams come true. If you want to be popular you can make it happen. If you want to model, IG makes is super easy, if you want to become one of the top fashion bloggers in the world that too can happen.

One woman was well on her way. She crafted her own fanbase and got them to buy into the idea of high-end luxury everything. She became a fashion Queen with paying clients.



But at some point something in her mind told her she needed to buy pricier products and she victimized her own customers in order to do so.





Back in April, a popular Instagram fashion blogger was arrested by the feds and charged with grand larceny and credit card fraud.



Shaniqua Jordan, 30, was arrested and charged with running an elaborate scam involving stolen credit cards. Check your credit card receipts if you purchased any items through Jordans website, Simplicityxstyle.com.



Jordan plied her wares on her popular Instagram.com page and through an affiliate program on her blog. She posted high fashion photos of herself wearing expensive fashionable clothing.



Apparently Jordan wasnt satisfied with the money she earned legitimately via the affiliate programs on her blog. Investigators say she helped herself to her customers credit card numbers.





She apparently promoted her business Simplicityxstyle.com through an affiliate program and her popular Instagram page. Jordan would post photos of herself in pricey high fashion items and instructed her followers to purchase products through her website.



But that wasnt enough. Jordan took advantage of her supporters kindness by swiping their credit card numbers and using it to purchase an $18,000 Rolex watch that was to be shipped from California to a shipping company in Pennsylvania.





But the FBI caught onto her before she could get the watch.



Investigators contacted the business that was selling the expensive watch and requested they ship an empty box instead, which they did, police said.



Before that, she allegedly used a Pennsylvania womans credit card to run up $37,000 in charges. When the credit card owner discovered the theft, she notified police.



Investigators say Jordan drove from her New York home to Pennsylvania to pick up the package. When she showed up at the shipping company and signed for the box, she was taken into custody on the spot.



Jordan was charged with access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and forgery. She was sent to Bucks County prison in PA on 10 percent of $400,000 bail.



Although she doesnt appear to be a good person, people are still following her on instagram..





This woman was actually making it. All she had to do was keep working hard and be patient. When you start a business you have to be patient. Your time will come. One woman was well on her way. She crafted her own fanbase and got them to buy into the idea of high-end luxury everything. She became a fashion Queen with paying clients.But at some point something in her mind told her she needed to buy pricier products and she victimized her own customers in order to do so.Back in April, a popular Instagram fashion blogger was arrested by the feds and charged with grand larceny and credit card fraud.Shaniqua Jordan, 30, was arrested and charged with running an elaborate scam involving stolen credit cards. Check your credit card receipts if you purchased any items through Jordans website, Simplicityxstyle.com.Jordan plied her wares on her popular Instagram.com page and through an affiliate program on her blog. She posted high fashion photos of herself wearing expensive fashionable clothing.Apparently Jordan wasnt satisfied with the money she earned legitimately via the affiliate programs on her blog. Investigators say she helped herself to her customers credit card numbers.She apparently promoted her business Simplicityxstyle.com through an affiliate program and her popular Instagram page. Jordan would post photos of herself in pricey high fashion items and instructed her followers to purchase products through her website.But that wasnt enough. Jordan took advantage of her supporters kindness by swiping their credit card numbers and using it to purchase an $18,000 Rolex watch that was to be shipped from California to a shipping company in Pennsylvania.But the FBI caught onto her before she could get the watch.Investigators contacted the business that was selling the expensive watch and requested they ship an empty box instead, which they did, police said.Before that, she allegedly used a Pennsylvania womans credit card to run up $37,000 in charges. When the credit card owner discovered the theft, she notified police.Investigators say Jordan drove from her New York home to Pennsylvania to pick up the package. When she showed up at the shipping company and signed for the box, she was taken into custody on the spot.Jordan was charged with access device fraud, theft by unlawful taking, receiving stolen property and forgery. She was sent to Bucks County prison in PA on 10 percent of $400,000 bail.Although she doesnt appear to be a good person, people are still following her on instagram..This woman was actually making it. All she had to do was keep working hard and be patient. When you start a business you have to be patient. Your time will come.

Post Reply I have been reporting on latest news from Nigeria for almost 10 years now. I report on every possible news area I come across, but always ensure my reports are compiled with dignity and fact to uphold my personal values and duty as a journalist Posted: at 3-07-2017 06:15 AM (5 years ago) | Addicted Hero
Flipkart's top executives to visit customers across the country in July News oi -Priyanka The visits to customers homes are planned across India, especially from where Flipkart expects its next 100 million customers to come.

As part of its 10th-anniversary celebrations, e- commerce giant Flipkart's top executives, including Krishnamurthy will visit customers across the country in July.

Flipkart says that the visits to customers' homes are planned across India, especially from where Flipkart expects its next 100 million customers to come from, such as tier 2, 3 and 4 towns like Amritsar, Bhopal, Cuttack, Guwahati, Indore, Jamnagar, Nashik, Patna, and Vijaywada."

The company also added that, "Through the visits, Flipkart employees would have the chance to hear first-hand what customers like about us, and collect feedback on what could be done better - ideas that could help drive the next phase of growth for India's largest e-commerce marketplace."

Besides, the company has also said that with thesevisits, it will also be an opportunity for the company to learn more about how customers live, the products they are interested in buying, and the kind of solutions they require.

Talking about the inspiration behind celebrating customers, Kalyan Krishnamurthy, CEO, Flipkart, said, "Customers are at the heart of everything we do, which is why all our work in the past decade - our innovations that drove adoption and affordability, tech advancements, and category expansions - was done to simplify and bring value to our customer's life. As we dedicate this month to our customers, we would like to take this opportunity to get to know them better by personally interacting with them."

He further added, "We want to thank each and every one of our customers for supporting us through this 10-year journey and making Flipkart what it is today."

However, while the company says it is celebrating customers we basically think that Flipkart is aiming to better understand the consumer behaviour of the people and at the same develop a key strategy to make the user experience more better on its platform.



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G Suite update delayed to make improvements to the Backup and Sync feature News oi -Chandrika The Back and Sync feature will be launched in the next few weeks.

Google has decided to push back the release of its new Backup and Sync app in order to make improvements to the product. However, the company has assured that it will be launched in a few weeks. "We're planning to launch in the next several weeks, but please monitor the G Suite Release Calendar for the specific date".

The Backup and Sync app is intended to help users back up files and photos from their computers so that can be accessible from anywhere. Backup and Sync will be available in the latest version of Google Drive for Mac/PC, and it is now integrated with the Google Photos desktop uploader. As such, it will respect any current Drive for Mac/PC settings in the Admin console.

Backup and Sync is mainly aimed at consumer users. While for businesses, Google plans to launch a service called Drive File System by the end of 2017.

Having said that, the G Suite customers are recommended to use Drive for Mac/PC until Google's new Drive File Stream makes its way to all G Suite Basic, Business, Enterprise, Education, and Nonprofit domains later this year.

Drive File Stream will let users access huge corporate data sets without taking up the equivalent space on their hard drives.

However, Google will not automatically upgrade G Suite users from Drive for Mac/PC to Backup and Sync initially. So G Suite users would have the option to download and use Backup and Sync when it launches.

If interested, users can also try out the Drive File Stream by signing up for the Early Adopter Program (EAP).

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Moto E4 sale debuts in India at Rs. 8,999, Moto E4 Plus coming soon News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Moto E4 seems to be priced at Rs. 8,999.

It was known that Motorola will release the Moto E4 and Moto E4 Plus smartphones in India sometime soon. It looks like the company has launched the Moto E4 in the country without much fanfare and the E4 Plus will be coming soon.

Moto E4 & E4 Plus First Impressions - GIZBOT

As per the tweet from Mumbai-based retailer, the Moto E4 is available via the retail stores at a price of Rs. 8,999. The retailer has not revealed anything regarding the Moto E4 Plus but we believe that it will be launched soon as Moto India has put up a video teaser of the same on its official YouTube channel. Now, the tweet regarding the Moto E4 pricing seems to have been taken down by the user.

Notably, the same retailer took to Twitter in the last week to reveal that the Moto E4 is coming soon to India with an approximate price tag ranging from Rs. 8,500 to Rs. 8,700.

The Moto E4 and E4 Plus were announced recently with the Snapdragon SoC but the Indian variant will use the MediaTek MT6737 processor. Both these smartphones feature a metal body and a water-repellent nano-coating as in the other Motorola smartphones. Also, there is a front-facing fingerprint sensor on board. With just a few differences such as battery capacity and screen sizes, these smartphones run on Android 7.1.1 Nougat.

To recap on specs, the Moto E4 boasts of a 5-inch HD 720p 2.5D curved glass full lamination display whereas the Moto E4 Plus has a 5.5-inch HD 720p display. The MediaTek processor mentioned above is paired with 2GB RAM and 16GB storage on the Moto E4. On the other hand, the Moto E4 Plus comes in two variants - 2GB/3GB RAM and 16GB/32GB storage. Both the smartphones support expandable storage too.

The imaging aspects include 13MP auto focus rear camera with f/2.0 aperture and LED flash and a 5MP front-facer with LED flash and f/2.2 aperture. The other goodies on board include 4G VoLTE, Bluetooth 4.1 LE, GPS and dual SIM support. While the Moto E4 has a 2800mAh battery, the E4 Plus has a juicier 5000mAh battery and both support rapid charging.

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New Xiaomi smartphone with Snapdragon 660 and dual cameras on the way News oi -Chandrika Reportedly, the Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2 has been cancelled.

Recently, the specs of the alleged Xiaomi Redmi Pro 2 were revealed. The leak also suggested that the device would be unveiled soon.

Contradicting this earlier report, a well-known China-based leakster now claims on Weibo that Xiaomi is not planning to launch the Redmi Pro 2 at all. According to him, since the Redmi Pro didn't earn much revenue, the company has decided to scrap the Redmi Pro series. Well, as of now, we can't guarantee you the authenticity of this leak. So you better take this information with a pinch of salt.

The leakster further claims that Xiaomi may introduce a new series of smartphones called Xiaomi X and its first phone will be the Xiaomi X1. So the Xiaomi X series will take the place of the allegedly canceled Redmi Pro series.

The leakster has also revealed some details about the Xiaomi X1. The smartphone is said to come in two display variants. The first variant will come with a 5.5-inch Pegasus display with a full-screen design. The resolution of the display would be 2,1601,080 pixels.

Additionally, the device will sport an IMX362 or IMX386 dual camera setup, a rear-mounted fingerprint scanner and a 3.5mm audio jack. Powering it will be a Qualcomm Snapdragon 660 processor. It will further have two memory variants: one with 4GB RAM+64GB ROM and another with 6GB RAM+128GB ROM.

As per the leakster, the basic model will be priced at 1,999 Yuan ($294) or 2,299 Yuan ($339). While the high-end variant will carry a price tag of either 2,499 Yuan ($368) or 2,799 Yuan ($412). Interestingly, he has given us another set of standard and high-end models along with the pricing.

The standard model with 6 GB RAM + 64 GB storage for 2,299 Yuan ($339), and the high-end one with 6 GB RAM + 128 GB storage for 2,799 Yuan ($412).

Now, talking about the Xiaomi X1 variant with a regular screen, it is likely to come with an FHD display. It will also be powered by a Snapdragon 660 chipset. Other features include a 3.5mm audio jack and a front-facing fingerprint sensor. This regular screen variant will also have a 4GB/64GB version and a 4GB/128GB variant.

Moreover, the leakster believes that we would get to see the unveiling of the Xiaomi Mi 6 Plus, Xiaomi X1 and MIUI 9 ROM in this month.

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Samsung Galaxy A and Galaxy C smartphones to have dual rear cameras News oi -Abhinaya Prabhu Samsung seems to be prepared to set a new smartphone trend.

When the dual camera trend kicked in, this feature was restricted only to the high-end flagship smartphones and other premium models. This scenario has been changed now.

The Chinese manufacturers were the ones who changed this trend by launching premium mid-range smartphones with advanced specs and dual camera setup despite sticking to affordable price points.

Realizing the competition from the China-based OEMs, it looks like Samsung has also resorted to use a similar tactic. As per a recent post made by the Twitter user @mmddj_china, Samsung will implement the dual-lens rear camera setup on a wide range of smartphones.

We already know that the Galaxy Note 8, which is the upcoming flagship device from Samsung will have a dual camera arrangement at its rear. Besides this device, the mid-range Galaxy A smartphone lineup and the premium Galaxy C smartphone lineup will also feature dual rear camera modules.

Going by the existing rumors and speculations, we know that Samsung is prepping to launch the Galaxy C10 with such a camera arrangement at its rear. Some reports have pointed out that the Galaxy C10 might be released ahead of the Galaxy Note 8, thereby making it the first Samsung smartphone to have a dual camera setup.

If this report turns out to be true, the Samsung Galaxy A and C series smartphones will have dual camera setup at their rear. With this, the Chinese manufacturers such as Oppo and Vivo will have to stay warned. If Samsung takes this path, then it will definitely set a benchmark to the other manufacturers as well creating a new trend.

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Sharp X1 Android One smartphone launched: Battery lasts for about 4 days on a single charge News oi -Samden Sherpa The USP of Sharp X1 seems to be its battery as the company is touting it to offer backup for up to four days with just single charge.

Sharp, a premier consumer electronics company has launched its second Android One smartphone in the market. However, with this launch, it seems that Google's Android One is not going away anytime soon. It has landed in Japan.

Dubbed as Sharp X1 Android One, the smartphone is priced at JPY 70,524 (approximately Rs. 40,500) for the unlocked version. And currently, the smartphone is available for purchase via Japanese carrier Y! Mobile.

While the price sounds a bit high, the all-new Sharp X1 is the costliest Android One smartphone and offers some decent specifications. While the X1 has clearly been placed in the premium segment, the company could have offered better or top-of-the-line specs.

The good thing though, Google has assured that the Sharp X1 Android One phone will come with 18 months of guaranteed Android updates from the company. So this smartphone will most probably be updated with any new updates that Google releases this year or the next.

In any case, let's look at some of the features and specifications of the smartphone.

Display, Processors, RAM and Storage The Sharp X1 comes with a 5.3-inch full-HD IGZO LCD display with a resolution of 1080x1920 pixels. The smartphone is powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 435 SoC which is coupled with 3GB of RAM and 32GB of inbuilt storage. Camera, Battery and Software On the camera front, the device features a 16.4-megapixel rear camera with LED flash. At the front, the smartphone gets an 8-megapixel camera. The smartphone's USP seems to its battery as the company is touting it to offer backup for up to four days with just single charge. The smartphone houses a 3900mAh battery and the company claims that the phone can fully charge in about three hours. Sharp X1 runs on Android 7.1 Nougat out-of-the-box. Other Features The X1 is dust and water resistant and ships with a USB Type-C port. There's a fingerprint scanner at the front. The Sharp X1 has been launched in Mint Green, Dark Purple, and White colors.

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COAI requests Govt to revise GST current rate of 18 % to 5 % News oi -Priyanka GST is the biggest reform since Independence, far outweighing even the liberalization of the 90s in its scope and scale.

Post Goods and Service Tax (GST) implementation, GSM operators body Cellular Operators Association of India (COAI) has congratulateed the Government for initiating such a move and even has welcomed the implementation of the GST. However, the association now wants Government to revise the current rate the rate for telecom services from the current 18 percent to 5 percent.

Rajan S. Mathews, Director General, COAI, said that telecom sector has always been the crown jewel, with the achievement of over a billion connections and one of the highest contributions to the GDP. Today it is saddled with an unprecedented debt of more than Rs 4.5 lakh crore, with revenues of less than Rs 2 lakh crore, a return on capital employed averaging around 1 percent. We are therefore hopeful that the government will consider our plea and revise the current rate of 18 percent which is fairly high to the requested rate of 5 percent which is better aligned with telecom being an essential service and critical infrastructure."

Like wise, COAI has said, "All the policy changes of this size are bound to face teething problems initially. As long as the government and Industry work together, for the greater good, we are certain that all issues will get resolved. We are also confident that we will get all the required support from the government, DoT and the Finance Ministry for this and both the industry and the government will continue to work in the best interests of the consumers and the nation keeping offerings competitive and innovative."

Calling it an important step for a new India, Mathews further added that " GST is the biggest reform since Independence, far outweighing even the liberalization of the 90s in its scope and scale. "

He pointed out that, "The introduction of a single tax across the country will make transactions across the country much easier and significantly reduce complexities in taxation. The Indian telecom Industry remains committed to working with the government shoulder to shoulder and has been preparing for the transition in all earnest over the course of the last year. The tremendous amount of work that the Government and the industry have put in for the July 1 roll-out of GST deserves appreciation."

Telecom is all pervasive and as essential service which is today the backbone of the nodal government mission mode programs like Digital India, Make in India, Skill India amongst others..

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Overall, dont let the bhoot mislead you, nothing bhootiya about this story. Had the makers tried to push the envelope, the idea could have been outstanding for a bhootiya comedy.
Ukraine Detains Two Russian FSB Agents Who Came Ashore From Black Sea

June 30, 2017

Ukrainian authorities have detained two men identified as Russian security agents after they came ashore in a small boat on Ukrainian-government controlled territory along the Black Sea, officials of both countries say.

Ukraine's border police on June 30 said the two men claimed to be Federal Security Service (FSB) personnel who became lost in the waters of the Black Sea during a training exercise.

Russia's state-run Interfax news agency quoted the FSB as confirming that the men were with the agency. The FSB said the men had taken a "wrong route" during "drills."

The statement also said the FSB hoped the men would be returned to Russia "in the near future."

Ukrainian border guard spokesman Oleh Slobodyan said the men had been jailed for 15 days.

It was not immediately clear where the men washed ashore, but officials said they were detained near the city of Armyansk.

Tensions have been high in Ukraine's occupied Crimea region since Russia illegally annexed the peninsula from Ukraine in 2014.

Russia also has supported pro-Russia separatists in eastern Ukraine, leading to a prolonged conflict that has left more than 10,000 people dead.

Western nations have imposed sanctions on Moscow in response to its interference in Ukraine.

Based on reporting by Reuters, Interfax, and Newsweek

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/ukraine-detains-russian -fsb-agents-black-sea/28588737.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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USS George H. W. Bush Arrives in Haifa, Israel

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170701-02

Release Date: 7/1/2017 3:54:00 PM

By EUCOM Public Affairs

HAIFA, Israel (NNS) -- The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS George H. W. Bush (CVN 77) arrived in Haifa, Israel, for a scheduled port visit, July 1, to enhance U.S.-Israel relations as the two nations reaffirm their continued commitment to the collective security of the European and Middle East Regions.

Bush's arrival symbolizes the steadfast cooperation between the Israeli Defense Force and the U.S. Armed Forces, a relationship based on shared values and common interests.

"The United States has had long standing military to military engagements with Israel," said Adm. Michelle J. Howard, commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa. "The George Herbert Walker Bush is a strategic asset. Her mobility coupled with her capabilities means she can project power anywhere around the globe. In this visit to Israel, GHWB's might is a metaphor for the strength of the bonds between our countries. I'd like to thank the Israeli people for hosting us and for taking care of our Sailors."

The arrival marked the first time a U.S. aircraft carrier visited an Israeli port since USS Dwight D.Eisenhower (CVN 69) in April 2000.

Bush's operations in the Eastern Mediterranean Sea demonstrate the capability to conduct precision strikes on ISIS targets from multiple theaters, highlighting the flexibility of the globally deployed force. Strengthening partnerships during port visits demonstrates our shared commitment to promoting security and stability throughout the region.

George H.W. Bush is 333 meters long and capable of supporting upwards of 5,000 personnel, including ship's company, the carrier air wing, and embarked staff.

U.S. Naval Forces Europe/U.S. 6th Fleet, headquartered in Naples, Italy, conducts the full spectrum of joint and naval operations, often in concert with allied, joint, and interagency partners, in order to advance U.S. national interests and security and stability in Europe and Africa.

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U.S. and Philippine Navies Complete Coordinated Patrol in Southern Sulu Sea

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS170701-01

Release Date: 7/1/2017 3:38:00 PM

Special CTF 73 Public Affairs

SULU SEA (NNS) -- The U.S. and Philippine navies completed a coordinated patrol in the Sulu Sea at the invitation of the Government of the Philippines, July 1.

During the operation, crews from the Littoral Combat Ship USS Coronado (LCS 4) and the Del Pilar-class Frigate BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF 16) worked closely together to detect and deter threats to maritime security.

"These patrols enhance regional peace and stability," said Rear Adm. Don Gabrielson, commander, Task Force 73. "Our at-sea operations with the Philippine navy demonstrate our commitment to the alliance and deter piracy and illegal activities."

As part of the operation, a group of Philippine navy sailors embarked aboard Coronado to coordinate communications and movements between the two ships. The Philippine sailors also exchanged best practices with their U.S. counterparts in visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) techniques and information sharing.

The patrol strengthened maritime security cooperation between the U.S. and Philippine navies and enhanced both navies' ability to respond to piracy and transnational criminal activity at sea, demonstrating U.S. commitment to the security of the Philippines and enduring U.S. interest in promoting stability and prosperity in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region.

Just prior to the coordinated patrol, Coronado completed the Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama with the Philippine navy in the vicinity of Cebu. The exercise provided opportunities to sharpen tactical skills in maritime security operations that were employed during the coordinated patrol.

The U.S. and the Philippines continue to work together on a number of initiatives and conduct regular military exchanges through routine participation in bilateral and multilateral exercises such as Balikatan, the Maritime Training Activity Sama Sama, Southeast Asian Cooperation and Training (SEACAT), the Rim of the Pacific exercise (RIMPAC), the Asian Defense Ministers' Meeting (ADMM-Plus), and other bilateral subject matter expert exchanges.

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Russia stresses need for diplomacy in Persian Gulf dispute

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 1, 2017 9:48PM

Russian President Vladimir Putin has stressed the need for diplomacy to end the dispute between Qatar and several other Persian Gulf states.

"Vladimir Putin stressed the importance of political-diplomatic efforts aimed at overcoming differences of opinion and the normalization of the difficult situation that exists," said a statement released by the Kremlin on Saturday.

While noting that the conversation was initiated by Qatar and Bahrain, it noted that boosting cooperation in the field of energy and investment was also discussed.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air contacts with Qatar on June 5. The four countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region, allegations denied by Doha.

The countries later issued a list of demands for Qatar to meet in return for the normalization of ties. Among them was that Qatar should shut down Al Jazeera, a media network that has reportedly been critical especially of Saudi Arabia, close a Turkish military base, limit its ties with Iran, and "compensate" the sanctioning countries.

Qatar: list of demands designed to be rejected

Meanwhile, Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani has stressed that Doha will not give in to any of the demands made by Riyadh and its allies, noting that the requests were "meant to be rejected."

"Everyone is aware that these demands are meant to infringe the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, shut the freedom of speech and impose auditing and probation mechanism for Qatar," he added.

"We believe that the world is not governed by ultimatums, we believe that the world is governed by the international law, it is governed by an order that does not allow large countries to bully small countries," he noted.

Thani made the remarks with less than 48 hours remaining to the end of the demands' deadlines, stressing that "those parties brand any party of state who opposes their designs as terrorists."

"The United States administration and institutions firmly believe in the state of Qatar, yet the statement made by President [Donald] Trump was based on false allegations and the false impression given to him by the heads of states who imposed blockade on Qatar," he added.

"The state of Qatar has been subjected to unlawful measures on the basis of false allegations without the submission of evidence," he stressed.

Saudis push on with Qatar demands

On Saturday, Saudi Arabia reiterated that its demands on Doha were "non-negotiable."

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir tweeted that Riyadh's "demands on Qatar to stop funding terrorism are non-negotiable."

"Restrictions on Qatar show zero tolerance for terrorism," he said, claiming that Doha had failed to keep previous vows of stopping "funding terrorism and interfering in other countries' affairs."

Jubeir made a similar statement last week, stressing that the demands, which most countries have dubbed as being unrealistic, were non-negotiable. "We made our point, we took our steps and it's up to the Qataris to amend their behavior and once they do, things will be worked out, but if they don't they will remain isolated," he said.

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Turkey sees hope to find solution to Qatar crisis: Official

Iran Press TV

Sat Jul 1, 2017 6:6PM

A Turkish presidential spokesman has expressed hope about the likelihood of finding a solution to the ongoing crisis between Qatar and several Arab countries.

"There are some indications that a solution is possible. This is our general impression. We need to continue efforts to take measures that go in the right direction," Ibrahim Kalin said.

Kalin made the remarks after Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan held talks with Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammad al-Attiyah at the headquarters of the AKP ruling party in Ankara.

The meeting came as part of Ankara's efforts to play a mediating role in the ongoing dispute between Qatar and some Arab countries.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt, and the United Arab Emirates severed diplomatic ties and cut all land, sea, and air contacts with Qatar on June 5. The four countries accused Qatar of supporting terrorism and destabilizing the region, allegations denied by Doha.

The countries later issued a list of demands for Qatar to meet in return for the normalization of ties. Among them was that Qatar should shut down Al Jazeera, a media network that has reportedly been critical especially of Saudi Arabia, close a Turkish military base, limit its ties with Iran, and "compensate" the sanctioning countries.

Doha has refused to meet the demands, calling them unreasonable, and said it would not negotiate with the countries unless the blockade has been lifted.

On Saturday, Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani told reporters in Rome that his country would reject the demands, noting that the ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at undermining Qatar's sovereignty.

"This list of demands is to be rejected, not to be accepted. We are willing to engage in dialogue but under proper conditions," he said.

Qatar has been lobbying with the non-permanent members of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) against the Saudi-led embargo.

On Friday, the Qatari foreign minister met with the representatives of the UNSC member states at the Qatari mission to the UN in New York, urging them to press the sanctioning countries to lift the blockade and to speak out publicly in support of his country.

Turkey has also criticized the ultimatum for Qatar, but has tried not to take any direct stance against Saudi Arabia during the dispute.

Ankara, which has supported Doha throughout the crisis, resists pressure to close its military base in Qatar. Turkey has dispatched hundreds of aid flights and even a cargo ship of food to Qatar during the blockade.

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Cairo court gives death penalty to 20 men over Kerdasa massacre

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 4:59PM

An Egyptian court has upheld the death penalty for 20 people over their alleged roles in killing of 13 policemen in the violence that followed the military's ousting of former president Mohamed Morsi in 2013, while sentencing many others to hefty jail terms.

The Cairo Criminal Court also on Sunday handed life sentences to 80 defendants, 15-year terms to 35 defendants in a case which has been widely known as the "Kerdasa incident."

It also ordered a minor to be imprisoned for 10 years, and acquitted 21 other defendants in the controversial case. According to the court officials, the convicted can appeal the verdict before the Court of Cassation, Egypt's highest criminal and civil court.

"Some committed murder themselves, others stole, or burned, some guarded the road so the assailants could commit their crimes, and some blocked the roads to prevent help from coming, some incited citizens against the military and police using mosque speakers and microphones on the streets. If it were not for all of that, these crimes would not have been committed," said Judge Mohammad Sherine Fahmy before reading out the verdict.

Back in April 24, the court upheld a preliminary death penalty for the 20 men and said that the verdicts were pending the consultative opinion of the country's Grand Mufti Shawki Allam, who must review all death sentences according to the country's penal code.

The grand mufti, whose opinion is legally required but not binding, has already approved the verdicts.

On August 14, 2013, a few hours after Egyptian security forces mounted a deadly crackdown on two sit-in camps of protesters in the capital Cairo, some 50 gunmen besieged the main police station of the town of Kerdasa, located near the northern city of Giza, for several hours, before some of them struck the complex with rocket-propelled grenades (RPG).

The assailants then stormed the station and killed 11 people officers, including the chief of the police station, and three civilians. The next month, Egyptian security forces launched a full-scale operation on the city and arrested dozens of suspects after a gun battle. The number of detained suspects in the Kerdasa case later increased to nearly 200 people.

In late 2014, an Egyptian court issued death sentences to 188 suspects, which sparked an international outcry against the controversial verdicts. In 2015, the death penalties were reduced to 149 cases by another court, and in February 2016, the Court of Cassation accepted an appeal on the death verdicts and ordered a retrial for the defendants.

The Egyptian government has been cracking down on the opposition since the country's first democratically-elected President Mohamed Morsi was ousted in a military coup led by former army chief and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in July 2013.

The controversial ouster sparked many protests by supporters of Morsi, including a pair that were held at al-Nahda Square and Rabaa al-Adawiya Square in Cairo on August 13, 2013, which led to the killing of several hundreds of demonstrators by security police.

Rights groups say the army's crackdown on the supporters of Morsi has led to the deaths of over 1,400 people and arrest of 22,000 others, including some 200 people who have been sentenced to death in mass trials.

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US Navy warship sails near Chinese island

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 3:4PM

A US Navy warship has sailed close to a Chinese claimed island in the South China Sea, Pentagon officials say, marking the second such operation under Donald Trump's presidency.

The USS Stethem guided missile destroyer was ordered to sail within 12 nautical miles from Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands located between Vietnam and China, Fox News reported Sunday, citing two US military officials.

The Stethem was being shadowed by a Chinese warship as it made the pass earlier in the day.

One official said the mission was aimed at challenging territorial claims over Triton Island by China, Vietnam and Taiwan.

Territorial waters are generally defined by international law as extending at most 12 nautical miles from a country's coastline. Sailing inside these boundaries signals a country's disregard for a nation's borders.

China claims sovereignty over most of the South China Sea.

Triton is one of the seven artificial islands that Beijing has constructed over the past few years, a move that Washington has denounced as a land reclamation project.

The US has also criticized China's decision to move missile defense systems and a range of other weapons to the islands.

This is the second time since Trump's inauguration that the US military dispatched one of its warships to challenge China's territorial claims.

The other pass took place in early June, when US officials confirmed that the USS Dewey had traveled within 12 nautical miles of the Mischief Reef in the Spratly Islands.

The operations are carried out to protect what the US calls "Freedom of Navigation" in the sea, which acts as a gateway for trillions of dollars in maritime trade each year.

China has dismissed the allegations, accusing the US of meddling in regional disputes and deliberately escalating the situation in the South China Sea.

The latest development is expected to raise the heat in an already tense atmosphere between the US and China.

Trump has recently expressed his disappointment with Beijing over a range of issues, including its failure to curb North Korea's missile and nuclear weapons program.

Washington has also accused the Chinese government of failing to reduce human trafficking, ranking China among the countries with the worst record in this regard.

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Taliban kill 13 in Afghanistan's Balkh Province

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 9:30AM

Taliban militants in Afghanistan have killed more than a dozen people in Afghanistan's northern Balkh Province.

According to local government sources, the Taliban militants stormed a mosque where the group had gathered on Saturday afternoon.

Local hospital officials reported inspecting the bullet-riddled bodies of 13 people.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid said the Taliban militants had been responsible for the attack. He said 12 people, including three commanders of what he said were local militia forces hired by the government to maintain security in the region, had been killed, and another one was wounded, in the attack.

Mujahid also claimed that the militants took several weapons, ammunition, and grenades from the deceased.

However, a member of the Afghan parliament representing the Balkh Province, Gulalai Noor Sapai, rejected the Taliban claim and said all those killed in the attack had been ordinary civilians and had no links with the government or security institutions.

Taliban "governor" killed

Meanwhile, the Afghan Interior Ministry announced on Saturday that a Taliban "governor" had been killed in fighting with security forces in the eastern Wardak Province.

Mullah Bashir, the Taliban-appointed "governor" of the Nirkh district, was killed and two militants were wounded late Friday night, according to the government statement.

In a separate statement, the ministry said at least 13 militants, including five members of the Takifiri Daesh group, had been killed after Afghan warplanes carried out airstrikes on their hideouts in Paktika, Sar-e Pul, and Jawzjan provinces.

The overnight attacks destroyed some of the militants' weapons and vehicles, the statement added.

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Israeli forces targets Syrian artillery position

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 12:39AM

Israel has attacked Syrian military positions for the sixth time in over 10 days in response to alleged errant mortar fire from Syria's Golan Heights.

"In response to projectiles launched earlier today at Israel from Syria, Israeli forces targeted the Syrian military artillery position that was the source of the previous fire," read a statement released by the Tel Aviv regime on Saturday.

It added that both of errant rounds which landed in the occupied Golan Heights were the "result of internal fighting in Syria."

No casualties have been reported form either of the incidents.

"Israel holds the Syrian regime responsible for any breach of its borders and will act accordingly," read a statement released earlier by Tel Aviv.

Today's incident is the sixth time in over ten days that Israel has attacked Syrian positions, claiming their move to be in response to errant mortar fire.

The border separating Syria and the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan Heights has been tense since foreign-backed militancy gripped the Arab country in 2011, claiming the lives of hundreds of thousands of people so far.

During the past few years, Israel has frequently attacked military targets in Syria in what is considered as an attempt to prop up terrorist groups that have been suffering heavy defeats against Syrian government forces.

Damascus says Israel and its Western and regional allies are aiding Takfiri terrorist groups operating inside the Arab country, while the regime's military carries out such sporadic strikes against Syrian government forces. The Israeli regime has even set up field hospitals to treat wounded militants evacuated from Syria.

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Vucic: Russian Weapons to Significantly Boost Serbian Defense Capability

Sputnik News

23:27 02.07.2017(updated 23:32 02.07.2017)

Aleksandar Vucic said that Serbia needs deliveries of Russian weapons in order to significantly boost its defense capability.

BELGRADE (Sputnik)  Serbia needs deliveries of Russian weapons in order to significantly boost its defense capability, country's President Aleksandar Vucic told Sputnik in an interview.

"We wait for the visit of [Russian Defense Minister Sergei] Shoigu as well as arrival of tanks and reconnaissance vehicles. That is very important for us  Our defense capability will significantly increase within a day," Vucic said.

The president pointed out that Serbia needed to boost its defense capability in order to prevent foreign invasions as it happened in 1999 when the country was bombed by a coalition of western states.

"Today we have three or four MiG-29 jets and there are no better planes for a close combat. When we equip our army with radars and air defense systems, the citizens will feel safe. Concerning the military industry, unfortunately wars are being waged everywhere and in the next 20 years we will be able to sell everything we will produce," Vucic said.

In December, then-prime minister Vucic announced that Serbia was planning to receive six MiG-29 fighter jets, as well as 30 T-72S tanks and 30 BRDM-2 armored scout vehicles as part of a Russian military aid package.

 Sputnik

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Philippine, US Navies Patrol Together Despite Duterte's Hostility to Washington

Sputnik News

22:18 02.07.2017(updated 01:14 03.07.2017)

As violent extremist militias in the southern areas of the Philippines step up attacks, joint patrols by US and Philippine navies have been initiated, in spite of anti-America posturing by the country's President Rodrigo Duterte.

According to a US Navy spokesperson, the USS Coronado and a Philippine Navy frigate, BRP Ramon Alcaraz, on Saturday completed a four-day joint patrol in the southwestern Filipino waters of the Sulu Sea, following a request by Manila.

Recently there has been an uptick in acts of maritime violence in the region by Abu Sayyaf extremists, particularly as Malaysian, Indonesian and Vietnamese tugboat and cargo ship crew members are kidnapped and held for ransom.

The US Navy spokesperson described the coordinated patrols as "safe and routine," according to Stripes.com.

It is not known where in the Manila government the request for US maritime assistance originated, as Duterte has recently placed a large order for Chinese weapons and publicly castigated Washington, including calling former US President Barack Obama a "son of a whore."

Duterte's comments notwithstanding, the US Navy has been quick to reply to Manila's request for aid, sending the fleet's Task Force 73 to liaison with its Philippines counterpart, in an attempt to "enhance regional peace and stability," according to US Navy Rear Admiral Don Gabrielson.

"Our at-sea operations with the Philippine navy demonstrate our commitment to the alliance and deter piracy and illegal activities,"

he added, cited by Stripes.com

Prior to the announcement of the joint patrol, Duterte  who has reached out to China as a means to replace decades of economic and military backing by Washington  declared that he would bar any US forces from taking part in any actions in the Philippines, claiming that a US military presence increased terrorism in the region.

Duterte and his top staff have dropped back from the original anti-American boasts, however, as US Air Force surveillance aircraft have participated in the fight against Daesh-affiliated Maute extremists who have occupied southern Philippines' Marawi City for over a month.

The Filipino president has not commented on allegations that Philippines military officials bypassed his authority to request assistance from the US, instead remarking that, "our soldiers are pro-American, that I cannot deny."

 Sputnik

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US Vows to Continue S China Sea Patrols After Beijing's Warning

Sputnik News

21:58 02.07.2017(updated 01:14 03.07.2017)

A representative of the US Department of State told Sputnik on Sunday that the US actions in the South China Sea are corresponding with the international law and Washington will continue to sail and operate "wherever international law allows."

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Earlier in the day, the Chinese Foreign Ministry voiced a protest against the US guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem's entering the waters off the disputed Paracel Islands, known in China as the Xisha Islands. According to Foreign Ministry's spokesman Lu Kang, the US actions violated the Chinese law as well as the international law and constituted a serious political and military provocation.

Moreover, China "dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel."

"US forces operate in the Asia-Pacific region on a daily basis, including in the South China Sea. All operations are conducted in accordance with international law and demonstrate that the United States will fly, sail, and operate wherever international law allows," the department's representative said.

The representative pointed out that the United States had a comprehensive Freedom of Navigation Operations program (FONOP) aimed at challenging excessive maritime claims in order to preserve the rights, freedoms and uses of airspace and sea guaranteed for all countries.

"We are continuing regular FONOPs, as we have routinely done in the past and will continue to do in the future. Summaries of these operations are always reported publicly in the annual Department of Defense Freedom of Navigation Report," the representative added.

The South China Sea area, where the Paracel Islands are located, is a disputed region claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam, as it is believed that it has vast energy resources. Chinese authorities claim 90 percent of the area and have repeatedly said that all the country's activities in the region are China's sovereign right.

Earlier, Japan and Australia reiterated their calls for the US to stick with its longstanding policy of conducting freedom-of-navigation operations in the region.

In May, the USS Dewey, a United States Navy guided-missile destroyer also conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. The ship sailed around Mischief Reef, in the Spratly Island chain. The Chinese Defense Ministry accused Washington of militarization of the South China Sea region, following the sailing of the USS Dewey near the Mischief Reef.

Also in May, Chinese fighter jets reportedly came within 100 feet of US anti-submarine and maritime surveillance P-3 Orion aircraft over the South China Sea.

 Sputnik

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Chinese Fighter Jets, Ships Warn Off USS Stethem Sailing Near S China Sea Island

Sputnik News

19:32 02.07.2017(updated 21:38 02.07.2017)

The Chinese Foreign Ministry voiced protest over US aircraft carrier Stethem sailing close to disputed islands in the South China Sea.

According to Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang, the USS Stethem missile destroyer trespassed Chinese territorial waters off the Xisha/Paracel Islands in South China Sea on June 2.

In its turn, Beijing "dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel."

The Chinese ministry described the US aircraft carrier's "entry into the territorial sea of China" as a "provocation."

"Under the pretext of "navigation freedom", the US side once again sent a military vessel into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without China's approval. Its behavior has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands, and thus constitutes a serious political and military provocation. The Chinese side is dissatisfied with and opposed to the relevant behavior of the US side."

The Chinese Foreign Ministry urged the US to "immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate China's sovereignty and threaten China's security," adding that Beijing will continue to take measures to defend its national sovereignty.

Beijing cited the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, which proclaimed the baseline of the Xinsha Islands 21 years ago. "The relevant Chinese law has explicit provisions on foreign military vessels' entry into the territorial sea of China," it added.

The South China Sea area, where Xisha/Paracel Islands are located, is a disputed region claimed by Brunei, China, Malaysia, Taiwan, the Philippines and Vietnam, as it is believed that it has vast energy resources. Chinese authorities claim 90 percent of the area and have repeatedly said that the country's activities in the region are China's sovereign right.

Earlier, Japan and Australia reiterated their calls for the US to stick with its longstanding policy of conducting freedom-of-navigation operations in the region.

In May, the USS Dewey, a United States Navy guided-missile destroyer also conducted a freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea. The ship sailed around Mischief Reef, in the Spratly Island chain. The Chinese Defense Ministry accused Washington of militarization of the South China Sea region, following the sailing of the USS Dewey near the Mischief Reef.

Also in May, Chinese fighter jets reportedly came within 100 feet of US anti-submarine and maritime surveillance P-3 Orion aircraft over the South China Sea.

 Sputnik

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China Gives Millions of Dollars in Weapons to the Philippines to Fight Daesh

Sputnik News

19:01 02.07.2017

The Philippines are getting millions in weaponry from China in a move to fight Daesh. Philippines Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that Beijing has donated $ 7.35 million in weapons and ammunition to fight the terrorists.

Chinese weapons will contribute to the army of the Philippines in its fight against the terrorists, the Chinese Ambassador to the Philippines, Zhao Jianhua, said at a ceremony.

The automatic weapons were personally tested by the President of the Philippines, Rodrigo Duterte, during the ceremony. He expressed sincere gratitude to Chinese President Xi Jinping for the gift.

Apart from the military assistance that these weapons will provide in the ongoing conflict in Marawi on Mindanao Island, the transfer of weapons also marks a new era in the relations between the armed forces of the two countries, the ambassador said.

The Chinese ambassador also said that the second batch of military assistance is currently being assigned and will soon be delivered to the Philippines.

According to him, terrorism is the enemy of both China and the Philippines and it requires the armed forces of both the countries to expand cooperation.

The diplomat noted that the Chinese side is ready to contribute in the joint training of military personnel, an exchange of intelligence, and to conduct joint military exercises to combat terrorism.

Furthermore, China will donate 5 million Philippines pesos (about 100,000 USD) to the families of servicemen who died in battles with the terrorists in Marawi and to the wounded soldiers.

According to the official data, during the fighting about 400 people, including 290 fighters and 70 military personnel were killed.

Rodrigo Duterte said that China, being a "good friend, understands" the gravity of the situation in the fight with the militants.

Following the recent events, the Western media has noted that the President of the Philippines has started doubting his ability to rely on American aid.

Recently, for example, he noted that he is not aware of any technical assistance from the US to the Philippines troops fighting in Marawi.

The Philippines is linked to the United States by a treaty on mutual defense; for a long time, the country relied on American weapons exclusively.

However, according to Daria Panarina, an expert at the Institute of Oriental Studies at the Russian Academy of Sciences,, Rodrigo Duterte has a good reason not to trust the US now.

"In November 2016, the United States stopped weapons supplies to the Philippines. Back then, a large batch of rifles was to be shipped. The US canceled this deal on the pretext that the president [Duterte] was conducting a very inhuman policy towards his own people, first of all, in his fight against drug trafficking in the country," Panarina said.

She further said that if he plans to follow such an ultimatum from the US, Duterte would be wise to look for other partners. He was not going to follow the US wishes and advice on how to run his own country as President.

"Now he is satisfied with any help from any country, especially if the weapons he receives are better than what the US provided him with in terms of both cost and quality," the expert said.

Over the years, the United States has been the main partner of the Philippines in all areas, including providing various weapons. However, as a rule, these were military vehicles which had already been written off, as well as airplanes and rifles. The armament was not new and often worn out.

The expert further said that on the other hand, China makes an important partner for the Philippine President because it provides him with support in many sectors, primarily in the economy.

Over the past six months, the parties signed agreements worth almost $ 25 billion.

Center for the World Economy and Development of the Chinese Institute of International Affairs Jiang Yuchun said that with the current President of the Philippines, there is a reliable basis for the progressive development of Sino-Philippine relations.

"China and the Philippines in recent decades have consistently maintained friendly relations. In recent years, there have been some disagreements over the issue of the South China Sea, to which the non-regional countries have considerably contributed, which damaged bilateral relations," Yunchun said.

However, with the coming of Duterte, the Philippines chose a strategy of rapprochement with China, as a result of which bilateral relations returned.

"Moreover, in the sphere of economic support, China, to the best of its ability, invests in ASEAN countries, including the Philippines. The last decade is rightfully called 'golden' for the development of China's relations with ASEAN. In the future we expect a 'diamond period' of relations," he said.

He added that the increasing economic assistance between the two countries is a natural consequence of the development of these bilateral relations.

"In the future, appropriate contact and collaboration, especially economic cooperation, can be raised to a new, higher level," the Chinese expert concluded.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon: More Time Needed to Determine Whether Transgender Soldiers Can Serve

Sputnik News

03:17 02.07.2017(updated 15:15 02.07.2017)

US Defense Secretary James Mattis announced in a Friday memo that military officials would be given an additional six months to determine whether the inclusion of transgender people in the armed forces would limit its "readiness or lethality."

"After consulting with the service chiefs and secretaries, I have determined that it is necessary to defer the start of accessions for six months," Mattis wrote in a Friday memo obtained by The Associated Press.

"We will use this additional time to evaluate more carefully the impact of such accessions on readiness and lethality," Mattis stated, cited by Military.com.

The delay in allowing the recruitment of openly transgender individuals will not affect those who are already serving in the US military, according to the memo.

Mattis has stated that the review must be completed by December 1, noting that there must be one standard to ascertain whether a transgender individual is fit to serve in the US military.

The additional time will allow for "the benefit of the views of the military leadership and of the senior civilian officials who are now arriving in the department," he wrote.

The memo from the US Secretary of Defense saw varying responses, including a Marine veteran who asserted that, "Each day that passes without the policy in place restricts the armed forces' ability to recruit the best and the brightest, regardless of gender identity."

Another noted that the delay announced by Mattis "makes no sense because, as predicted by all of the research, transgender military service has been a success."

US service members who are transgender have been able to serve openly since last year, when previous Defense Secretary Ashton Carter ended a ban.

Beginning October 1, 2016, transgender service members have been able to receive medical care and formally change their gender identification within the Pentagon database.

A recent study noted between 2,500-7,000 transgender service members in active duty in the US, and an additional 1,500-4,000 in the reserve

 Sputnik

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Macron Affirms French Support for West African Counter-Terrorism Force

By VOA News July 02, 2017

West Africa and France must work together to eradicate terrorism, French President Emmanuel Macron said Sunday, opening a summit in Bamako, Mali on forming a regional anti-jihadist force.

"Every day we face these terrorists, thugs, assassins whose names and faces we must forget but whom we must steadfastly and with determination eradicate together, and eradicate them because they are doing it today, in the name of dividing people, in the name of a religion that is yours, and that you have rightly saluted, Mr. President, but which they distort to give it the face of ignorance and hatred," Macron said, addressing his Malian counterpart, Ibrahim Boubacar Keita.

Macron said that France would provide military support, as well as 70 tactical vehicles, for a new multinational force dedicated to fighting terrorists in the region.

Mali, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mauritania and Niger  the so-called G5 Sahel  have said they are coming together to provide troops to combat rising insecurity and jihadist attacks affecting their countries.

The G-5 Sahel troops would bolster the 4,000 French troops and the 11,000 UN peacekeepers already operating in the region.

As the six leaders addressed the rising threat of jihadist attacks in their countries, an al-Qaida affiliated group, Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen, released a "proof of life" video showing six Western hostages it has taken over the past few years.

One of the hostages seen in the video clip released Saturday is Frenchwoman Sophie Petronin, who was kidnapped from the Malian city of Gao in December.

The French leader said France would "put all our energy towards eradicating" those responsible for kidnapping Petronin.

Macron visited Gao in northern Mali in May, his first trip outside Europe as president, and said French troops would remain "until the day there is no more Islamic terrorism in the region."

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Egyptian Court Upholds Death Sentence for 20 in 2013 Police Station Attack

By Edward Yeranian July 02, 2017

An Egyptian court has upheld death sentences against 20 people in the brutal 2013 attack on a police station in the Giza suburb of Kardasa. The attack, which came during a frenzy of violence following the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, killed close to a dozen police officers and cited in the government's case for the use of force to quell a budding popular insurrection.

An Egyptian court has issued a final ruling, upholding death sentences against 20 participants in a brutal 2013 attack on a police checkpoint in the Cairo suburb of Kardasa in which 15 people, including 11 officers, were killed. The sentence was read out by the court at a Cairo police academy following approval by the country's highest religious authority.

The attack on the police facility in Kardasa, not far from Egypt's grand pyramids, caught media attention in the immediate aftermath of the ouster of Islamist President Mohammed Morsi, bolstering the government's argument in putting down scattered violence, which appeared to be turning into an armed uprising.

Hundreds of police recruits and military officers were killed in the violence that followed Morsi's ouster. Hundreds of Morsi supporters were also killed in the bloody dispersals of two sit-in camps and other scattered violence that followed.

A video broadcast by Egyptian media shows prominent Qatar-based Egyptian cleric Sheikh Youssef Qaradawi issuing a fatwah or religious edict in 2013 calling for the killing of Egyptian police officers and military forces. Qaradawi has denied issuing such a fatwah.

Qatar is currently locked in a feud with its Gulf neighbors and Egypt over Qatar's alleged support of the Muslim Brotherhood and an assortment of regional terrorist groups, including Hamas, Libya's Ansar al-Shariah, Syria's Jabhat al-Nusra and the Janjaweed militia in Sudan, among others.

Veteran Egyptian editor and publisher Hisham Kassem tells VOA that most ordinary Egyptians are more concerned with their immediate day-to-day struggle to put food on the table and clothe themselves than with court cases, such as the one Sunday in which death sentences were upheld in the Kardasa attack. But he notes, Egypt has seen an unusually large number of death sentences.

"When it comes to the number of death sentences that have been handed out in the past three years, they are very high, unprecedented in the history of Egypt," said Kassem.

Kassem points out that many death sentences have not yet been carried out, and opponents of the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sissi, including the Muslim Brotherhood, "are looking for means to resort to international legal bodies or rights organizations to use such sentences against [Sissi]."

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Foreign Ministers of 4 Arab Countries to Meet in Cairo to Discuss Qatar Issue

Sputnik News

00:17 03.07.2017(updated 00:25 03.07.2017)

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry said that foreign ministers of Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will meet on Wednesday in Cairo to discuss the situation around Qatar.

MOSCOW (Sputnik)  Foreign ministers of Egypt, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates will meet on Wednesday in Cairo to discuss the situation around Qatar, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the official representative of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry, the "meeting will be held as part of the coordination of positions and consultations concerning the next steps toward Qatar."

The parties will also exchange opinions and assessments of regional and international contacts on the issue.

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations and communication with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. Later, the Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania also announced the severance of diplomatic relations. Jordan and Djibouti reduced the level of their diplomatic missions in Qatar.

Last week, Kuwait, which is serving as a mediator between Qatar and the Gulf States, handed the demands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over to Doha. The requests include the severance of Qatar's relations with Iran, closure of Turkey's military base on Qatar's territory and a shutdown of the Al Jazeera TV channel. Doha was given 10 days to implement the demands.

Qatar has called the conditions impossible and urged for their revision.

 Sputnik

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Samaritan  Southwest

adds physician

Maximilian Kaiser has joined Samaritan Family Medicine  Southwest in Corvallis.

Kaiser earned a medical degree from Michigan State University and completed residency training in family medicine at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center.

His interest in family medicine stemmed from his curiosity regarding science and medicine, and grew based on the shortage of primary care physicians, the ability to foster longstanding relationships with his patients, and the ability to give back to his community through health care.

Kaiser was born and raised in Bellingham, Washington.

Professor receives

research award

Oregon State University College of Forestry Professor Jeff Hatten recently received the OSAF Research Award from the Oregon Society of American Foresters.

Hatten received the award at the OSAF annual meeting on April 27 in Tigard.

The OSAF Research Award is presented in recognition of outstanding achievement in any branch of science leading to advancement in either the science or practice of forestry in Oregon.

Hatten has a tenure-track position at Oregon State, where he teaches four to five graduate and undergraduate courses, and conducts research. His goal is to work at the nexus of forestry research, and bridge divisions between the disciplines of soils and hydrology.

Hatten is on the COF undergraduate Scholarship Committee, has been on five search committees, and recently was voted chair-elect of the Forest Range and Wildland Soils Division of the Soil Science Society of America, where he also is web page editor and list-serve administrator. He recently volunteered to be on the planning committee of the 13th North American Forest Soils Conference.

Broker joins

real estate firm

RE/MAX Integrity recently announced that Stephen Henderson, licensed Broker, has joined the firms Albany office at 2910 Santiam Highway SE.

Henderson is a veteran Realtor who has lived in Albany since 1997 and previously worked for another local brokerage.

RE/MAX Integrity has six offices and 275 Realtors providing real estate listing and sales services in Corvallis, Albany, Salem, Eugene, Grants Pass, Medford and surrounding regions. All RE/MAX Integrity offices are led by non-competing Principal Brokers.

Credit union

adds to team

JD Kerekanich has joined Oregon State Credit Union as a CUSO Financial Services Investment Representative.

Kerekanich moves to the credit union from a similar position at Country Financial in Corvallis. His previous career stops were based in the Yamhill County area. He is an Oregon State University graduate.
Poland Hopes for Cheaper US Arms Sales Offers, Support in Army Modernization

Sputnik News

19:29 03.07.2017(updated 19:32 03.07.2017)

Poland, as the border country of NATO and the European Union, hopes the United States would support the modernization of the Polish army through "interesting and cheaper" offers, Polish Foreign Minister Witold Waszczykowski said on Monday ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to the country on July 5-6.

WARSAW (Sputnik)  The minister added that Poland would ask Trump to extend the presence of NATO and US troops on the Polish territory.

"This is, of course, an obligation to protect not only our own borders. Our eastern borders are also the borders of international organizations. So we have an extensive army modernization program and we hope that Americans will help us through interesting and cheaper offers," Waszczykowski told Lodz radio station.

At the July 2016 summit, NATO leaders agreed to deploy four multinational battalions to Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia and Poland, citing Russia's alleged meddling in the Ukrainian crisis in 2014. Russia has repeatedly claimed that NATO's military build-up near the Russian borders is provocative and could lead to regional and global destabilization.

 Sputnik

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Ukraine Security Service Blames Russia For Recent Cyberattack

July 01, 2017

Ukraine's state security service (SBU) says that the Russian security services were involved in a recent cyberattack that hit Ukraine.

The SBU said on its website on July 1 that the cyberattack, which started in Ukraine and spread around the world on June 27, aimed to destroy important data and spread panic.

The SBU said the cyberattack was by the same hackers who attacked the Ukrainian power grid in December 2016.

"The available data, including those obtained in cooperation with international antivirus companies, give us reason to believe that the same hacking groups are involved in the attacks, which in December 2016 attacked the financial system, transport and energy facilities of Ukraine using TeleBots and BlackEnergy," the SBU said.

"This testifies to the involvement of the special services of Russian Federation in this attack," it concluded.

Ukrainian politicians swiftly blamed Russia for the latest attack, but a Kremlin spokesman dismissed "unfounded blanket accusations."

In an earlier statement on June 30, the SBU said it had seized equipment it said belonged to Russian agents in May and June to launch cyberattacks against Ukraine and other countries.

Based on reporting by Reuters and ssu.gov.ua

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/cyberattack-ukraine- blames-russia/28589606.html

Copyright (c) 2017. RFE/RL, Inc. Reprinted with the permission of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

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Is So-called Islamic State Gaining Strength in Pakistan?

By Madeeha Anwar July 01, 2017

Faced with a series of terror attacks, Pakistan is fighting back against Islamic State-affiliated militants after repeatedly claiming that Islamic State has been unable to establish a foothold in the country, analysts say.

"Pakistan no longer denies IS's presence as it used to," Michael Kugelman, deputy director and senior associate for South Asia at Wilson Center in Washington, told VOA.

He and other analysts warn that the IS group in Pakistan, while still relatively small, is spreading swiftly in many areas where the government struggles to maintain law and order, including the restive Balochistan province.

Earlier this month, officials claimed that a military operation destroyed an IS stronghold in the southwestern province, killing 12 "hardcore terrorists."

The operation took place days after a Chinese couple was abducted and killed by IS operatives in Quetta, the provincial capital.

In May, a suicide bomber killed at least 25 people in a caravan of a prominent politician in Balochistan. IS claimed responsibility.

Poverty

While Balochistan is Pakistan's largest province by size, it also is wracked by poverty, creating fertile breeding grounds among the disenfranchised.

"Islamic State is an international phenomenon and the name of an ideology, and anyone can get impressed by that ideology," Abdul Qayyum, a lawmaker and prominent member of the ruling PML-N party, told VOA.

"But the Frontier Corps Balochistan and Pakistan Army are doing a commendable job to overcome such security obstacles in the province," he said.

But with so many groups active in the region, it's a tough task, analysts say.

"Islamic State is trying to establish a territorial presence through its terror allies such as Lashkar-e-Jhangvi," Sarfaraz Bugti, home minister for Balochistan, told VOA recently. "But these groups should not be mistaken for Islamic State."

Pakistan said Lashkar-e-Jhangvi (LeJ), a predominantly Punjab-based militant sectarian group that has been tied to the Taliban in Afghanistan and al-Qaida, and recently linked to IS, had occupied the base that was used as an IS foothold until it was destroyed in the military operation earlier this month.

Pakistani authorities believe LeJ pledged allegiance to IS to help the group establish a base in Pakistan, and that it also wanted to carry out terror attacks on its behalf.

"Pakistan has an environment that encourages and enhances the prospects of terror groups, because the presence of other terror groups and their facilities presents an enabling environment for extremism overall," said Kugelman.

Islamic State's influence is not limited to Balochistan.

Emerging threat

In 2016, Aftab Sultan, Pakistan's Intelligence Bureau Chief, warned that IS was an emerging threat in the country and that hundreds of Pakistanis linked to local banned religious groups had left for Syria to join IS ranks there.

Last week, at least two alleged IS leaders in Pakistan, including its Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa chief, were killed in a gun battle with security forces in Peshawar. Police said they were planning to carry out an Eid attack.

In May, Pakistani authorities arrested five suspected IS operatives from Karachi who were planning terrorist attacks in the city. Last year, Pakistani authorities found a group of women from Karachi that was raising funds for IS.

Scores of suspected IS militants and operatives have been arrested in recent raids across Pakistan in the recent past. Many of them went to Syria for training before returning to Pakistan.

Noreen Laghari, a young woman from Lahore arrested in April, was planning to target an Easter gathering  and had gone to Syria to get trained by the IS.

The government says it is aware of the gravity of the matter and how IS is luring youth, working to establish a foothold in Pakistan. It has beefed up security measures in Balochistan to combat groups like IS.

Pakistan has come under frequent criticism from U.S. officials over its inability to curb homegrown militancy and extremism in the county.

In its defense, Pakistan says the government is determined to root out extremism from the country, and it has done a lot to address the issue of terrorism and extremism in the country.

Islamic State has made inroads recently in the mountain regions of Afghanistan and Pakistan, branding itself as the Islamic State of Khorasan, a title that distinguishes the militant group in that area from its main branch in Iraq and Syria.

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Aircraft carrier fleet heads to HK for anniversary

People's Daily Online

By Zhang Zhihao (Chinadaily.com.cn) 13:14, July 02, 2017

China's aircraft carrier fleet will sail to Hong Kong early July to participate in the upcoming 20th anniversary of the People's Liberation Army Hong Kong Garrison, the PLA Navy said on Sunday.

The fleet includes Liaoning, China's first aircraft carrier, multiple missile destroyers and frigates, as well as J-15 jets and helicopters. During its port call, the fleet will be open to the public for the first time and will hold many activities, said Liang Yang, the navy's spokesman.

By participating in the upcoming anniversary, the navy can demonstrate its achievements in defense and military construction to the Hong Kong people, effectively showcasing its strong and civilized image, Liang said.

This will further invigorate Hong Kong compatriots' patriotism and love for the city, and inspire national spirit, he added.

The garrison formally stationed in Hong Kong assumed defense duties on July 1, 1997, when its sovereignty was transferred back to China from Britain.

The garrison currently has about 6,000 personnel and is commanded by Lieutenant General Tan Benhong.

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After Attack on IS, Iran Proposes Expanding Missile Program

By Mehdi Jedinia June 30, 2017

Iran's parliament is considering a proposal to spend nearly $550 million to bolster security and expand the country's missile program.

The proposal follows an Iranian rocket strike on Islamic State in Syria that analysts called retaliation for twin terror attacks in Tehran and a warning to regional rivals.

The bill would raise the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) budget to $8 billion, in addition to an already approved five-year development plan that requires the government to earmark at least 5 percent of the national budget to defense, particularly development of the multidimensional missile program.

The June 18 strike  the first time Iran fired missiles outside its borders in 30 years  hit IS command centers in the eastern Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor and a bomb-manufacturing facility outside the city, the IRGC said.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani said the "Islamic Republic will respond more decisively to any future terrorist attack on Iran's soil."

And former IRGC chief General Mohsen Rezai wrote on Twitter, "The bigger slap is yet to come."

A parliament correspondent in Tehran, speaking on condition of anonymity, said there was little doubt the bill would pass because it projected patriotism and some legislators are retired IRCG commanders or have strong ties with the force.

Symbol of pride

Although Iran's defense budget is less than those of many of its Arab neighbors, the missile program is considered a symbol of national pride and deterrence.

Iran has surface-to-surface ballistic missiles, including the Zolfaghar, the kind Iran used to hit IS in Syria. The military also has missiles with a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,250 miles), long enough to reach Israel and U.S. bases.

Hojatoleslam Mohammad Hassan Aboutorabi, former deputy speaker of parliament, has called the missile program one of the major pillars of sovereignty.

Babak Taghvaee, a Malta-based Iran military expert, said the additional fund for missile development "would probably be spent on the domestically produced Ya-Ali cruise missile, which was long awaited for financial sources."

"I assume a big chunk of this money is going to be dedicated to [research and development] on anti-jamming and target-error-correcting technology," he said. The money would be insufficient to push Iranian missile capability close to that of Chinese or Russian weapons, but it would help the Iranians "enhance their progress in terms of making missiles more accurate."

Still, the timing of the bill, which will be considered in the coming days, and the agility to be able to spend such a large amount are very important factors to consider, analysts say.

U.S.-Saudi deal

U.S. President Donald Trump sealed a $110 billion arms deal last month with Iran's chief rival in the region, Saudi Arabia, and Tehran was stung by the IS-claimed June 5 attacks on parliament and the mausoleum of the Islamic Republic's founder, Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, that killed 17 people.

"The quick reaction of parliamentarians in putting together the bill and accelerating country's missile program projects the level of insecurity Tehran feels from its southern neighbors teaming up with the United States under the Trump administration," said retired Iranian Admiral Houshang Aryanpour, now based in Virginia.

"The successful missile strike, which was also a real-time test for them, was a great victory for IRGC to be rewarded after that huge frustration of the Tehran attacks," Aryanpour said. "This bill carries, for sure, a propaganda aspect within and serves domestic public opinion."

The U.S. and Israel are rankled by Iran's increasing missile activity, which they see as a threat to regional stability.

'Bad behavior'

The Trump administration imposed sanctions on Iran this year over what it called "bad behavior" with respect to Iranian missile tests, and on Thursday the U.S. urged the United Nations to closely watch Iran's missile buildup.

The U.N. said Thursday that Tehran was in compliance with its obligations under an international nuclear deal, but U.S. envoy Nikki Haley disputed that.

Under Security Council Resolution 2231, Iran is "called upon" to refrain from work on ballistic missiles designed to deliver nuclear weapons for up to eight years. Tehran and Moscow argue that the language does not make such restraint obligatory. The U.S. and Israel strongly objected to an Iranian missile test in March 2016 that they said violated the U.N. resolution.

"Iran's destructive and destabilizing role in the Middle East goes far beyond its illicit missile launches," Haley said. "From Syria to Yemen and Iraq to Lebanon, Iran's support for terrorist groups continues unabated. Iran's weapons, military advisers and arms smugglers stoke regional conflicts and make them harder to solve."

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Iran Army launches military drill in Caspian Sea

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Anzali, Gilan prov, July 2, IRNA -- Iranian Army started military exercise dubbed 'Security and Power' in the Caspian Sea, the commander of Iran's First Naval Zone Ahmadreza Baqeri said.

Baqeri made the remarks on the sidelines of the massive drill which is underway in five stages.

The first stage consists of planning and designing and the second one deals with holding briefing session and launching the exercise, he added.

Iranian commander went on to say that after dividing the units into two groups, all exercises and joint operations will start.

The drill is being held in an area covering over 88,000 square meters in the Caspian Sea.

The event will be underway for five days in that area.

9376**1420



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Majlis supporting Iran missile program: Senior MP

IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency

Tehran, July 2, IRNA -- Supporting Iran's missile program is one of the main aspects of the urgent plan expected to be reviewed in Iran's Parliament (Majlis ) to counter the US Senate hostile measures against the Islamic Republic , a senior lawmaker said on Sunday.

Based on the plan, Rials 10,000 billion (about 307 million dollars) will go to the missile program and also to the Islamic Revolution Guard Corps (IRGC) Qods Force, said Alaeddin Boroujerdi Chairman of the Majlis National Security and Foreign Policy Commission .

Speaking on the sidelines of the Majlis open session this morning, Boroujerdi stressed that the urgent plan will seriously support Iran's missile program as the country tends to be more capable in development of its missiles than other weapons, and the missile capability possessed by Iran could be a deterrent force against enemies' continuous threats.

Regarding Iran's bitter experience during Iraq's imposed war on the country from 1980-88, it is quite natural for the parliament to back development of missile capabilities as a deterrent policy, the lawmaker underlined.

Boroujerdi further praised the important and strategic role the IRGC Qods Force play in the region.

"If it were not for their efforts, we would witness a different situation in the region, and Damascus and Baghdad could be part of territories controlled by the terrorists," he said.

Boroujerdi said that based on a fatwa issued by Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, Iran remain to believe that it should not develop and possess nuclear weapons.

On June 15, the US Senate voted for a legislation to impose non-nuclear sanctions on Iran for its defense missile programs. They voted 98-2 in favor of the legislation.

1483**2044

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Iran to give harshest response to enemy threats: defense minister

ISNA - Iranian Students' News Agency

Sun / 2 July 2017 / 13:30

Tehran (ISNA) - Iranian defense minister brigadier general Hossein Dehqan has hailed the country's defensive and missile achievements, saying the Islamic Republic will give the "harshest response" to enemy threats.

Pointing to Iran's recent missile attack against the Daesh Takfiri group's targets in eastern Syria, Dehqan said that the Islamic Republic would never back down in the face of enemy threats.

He added that Iran pursues a "crystal clear" path in the domain of missile and defense activities.

Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps (IRGC) fired six medium-range ground-to-ground ballistic missiles into Daesh bases in Syria's Dayr al-Zawr on June 18 in retaliation for twin terrorist attacks in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 7, which killed 17 people and injured over 50 others.

The IRGC has said the missiles killed more than 170 Takfiri terrorists, including a number of commanders and senior elements, and inflicted heavy damage on their equipment and systems.

The Iranian defense minister also pointed to a US Congress bill to impose new sanctions on Tehran and said, "The US seeks to impose restrictions and exert pressure on Iran under any circumstances."

"It is impossible to impede a nation's progress. Iranian nation has no concern about the US sanctions because the Islamic establishment is so deep-rooted and strong that Washington's bans will have little bearing on the country's activities, including its missile program," he added.

Dehqan emphasized that the country does not need to pay attention or give in to Washington's demands.

End Item

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Iran Allocates $300 Million to Strengthen Its Missile Potential

Sputnik News

21:35 02.07.2017(updated 21:37 02.07.2017)

The Iranian authorities have allocated about $300 million to develop the country's missile program to counter "threats from enemies," Mehr agency reported, citing the chairman of the Committee on National Security and Foreign Policy, Alaeddin Boroujerdi.

"Considering the fact that the US and its allies in the region support groups like the Islamic State [Daesh] and al-Nusra Front, it is necessary to develop the country's missile program, as it is the only means of countering threats from the enemies," Boroujerdi said.

It is reported that Boroujerdi stressed that the funds were allocated to respond to US activity in the region.

"About 300 million dollars were allocated for the development of the Iranian missile program. The same amount was allocated to support the Quds Special Unit of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps [IRGC]; without them, the terrorists will rule in Damascus and Baghdad," the agency quoted Boroujerdi as saying.

In May, the US Department of State announced that it would impose sanctions on Iranian defense officials over the United States' concern with "Iran's continued development of ballistic missiles, which is inconsistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231."

The previous round of sanctions against the Iranian ballistic missile program was imposed by the United States in early February, targeting 13 people and 12 companies, including groups in China, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

The wider economic and financial sanctions which are connected to Iran's activities in the nuclear field were lifted by the United States in January 2016 after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) came into force. The agreement between Iran and the P5+1 countries (China, France, Russia, the United Kingdom, United States and Germany) is aimed at preventing nuclear weapons development by Tehran.

 Sputnik

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Bomb attack kills 14 in refugee camp in Iraq's Anbar province

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 5:38PM

At least 14 people have lost their lives after a suspected Daesh terrorist detonated his explosive vest in a refugee camp in Iraq's western province of Anbar, officials say.

According to Security Advisor to the President of Anbar Provincial Council Hossein Kesar, the incident occurred at the entrance of the camp, which is located some 60 kilometers west of provincial capital of Ramadi, on Sunday afternoon.

He was further quoted by Iraq's Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network as saying that a police captain was among the dead, adding that most of the victims were women and children.

The blast also inflicted injuries to at least 13 other people, mostly women and children, he noted.

Kesar also stated that security forces had already cordoned off the blast site as ambulances rushed to the area to take the wounded to the nearest medical center and transport the dead to a forensic medicine facility.

The terrorist attack occurred on the same day as Iraqi forces announced that they were ready to celebrate the total liberation of Mosul, Daesh's de facto capital in the Arab country, which fell to the terror group in June 2014.

The recapture of Mosul, located some 400 kilometers (250 miles) north of the capital Baghdad, would mark the effective end of Daesh in Iraq.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the western part of the city on February 19. Iraqi authorities expect the battle to end soon as the remaining Daesh elements are bottled up in a few districts of the Old City.

An estimated 862,000 people have been displaced from Mosul ever since the battle to retake the city began nine months ago. A total of 195,000 civilians have also returned, mainly to the liberated areas of eastern Mosul.

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Benton County officials are preparing to make policy changes after a federal appeals court ruled in-custody defendants should not be shackled in the courtroom.

A presumptively innocent defendant has the right to be treated with respect and dignity in a public courtroom, not like a bear on a chain, the decision states.

The decision, which was handed down May 31 by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit, a court with jurisdiction over many Western states including Oregon, relies heavily on the constitutional liberties ensured under the Fifth Amendment.

The decision says a judge must make a determination that a defendant be required to wear restraints. Otherwise, all presumptively innocent detainees must appear without shackles at all proceedings, including sentencing hearings.

I think its a very expansive decision that will probably be reviewed further, said Benton County Circuit Court Presiding Judge David B. Connell.

The U.S. Attorneys Office applied for and was granted a 90-day stay on the issue, according to documents filed in the U.S. Court of Appeals. Therefore, the new policy has not yet gone into effect. The stay allows the U.S. Attorneys Office time to file a motion asking for the Ninth Circuit to rehear the issue.

The U.S. Attorney's Office also could appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court, Connell said.

The decision is surprising because it greatly expands the scope of a defendants right not to be shackled in the courtroom, the judge said. The courts have long held that defendants should not be restrained during jury trials, the judge said.

Its not only the law, but I think its the right thing to do, Connell said.

For all other hearings that are not before a jury, defendants who are being held in the Benton County Jail typically are brought into court wearing cuffs around their ankles and wrists that are connected by a chain in front of their bodies, the judge said.

Should this decision go into effect, the sheriffs office would decide if someone poses a danger or risk for escape and should be shackled, Connell said. If a defendant contests that decision, a hearing would be held. The judge would look at factors including criminal history, the circumstances of the arrest and whether the defendant has been disruptive in the jail to decide if restraints are appropriate.

Since criminal cases take docket priority, these hearings may push aside civil cases, which already can take years to litigate, Connell said.

What an impact this would have is very hard to say since weve never faced it before, the judge said.

Benton County Sheriff Scott Jackson said more deputies would be needed to transport unrestrained offenders into courtrooms. He said he hopes the courts would use video appearances more often if the decision went into effect. Such video calls are currently used during some arraignments, but their use could be expanded for plea changes and sentencing hearings, Jackson said.

What were trying to avoid is having to bring on a bunch of staff that is costly to taxpayers, the sheriff said.

Jackson said he is also working to understand the legal definition of restraints. He said the Sheriffs Office has neoprene stun belts that wrap around the stomach and fit under clothing, so theyre not visible. A deputy could deploy the stun belt and incapacitate the defendant if the need arises, the sheriff said.

I question how valid (the decision) is, Jackson said. If you consider a violent person-to-person case or a rape case or significant domestic violence case where the victim has to come in to testify and theres no restraints there, it can be a really delicate situation to navigate, through.

Jennifer Nash, a Corvallis defense attorney, said she is pleased the sheriff and the courts are addressing the decision and safeguarding the constitutional rights of detainees.

All citizens are presumed to be innocent until the state proves that they are guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, Nash said. Placing the accused in restraints when they do not pose a public safety threat belies that presumption.

Benton County District Attorney John Haroldson said those who participate in the judicial process must be mindful of ensuring both safety and fair trials. He said he will rely on the Ninth Circuits interpretation of the law in doing so.

Even under the proposed framework, if there is a risk, there is an opportunity to be able to address that with the court to ensure there are safeguards, Haroldson said.
Iraqi forces gain more ground as battle for Mosul nears endgame

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 2:22PM

Iraqi government forces have recaptured more areas in the heart of Mosul's Old City as they are entering the final stages of a months-long military offensive to retake the country's second largest city from the Daesh Takfiri terrorists.

Commander of Nineveh Liberation Operation Lieutenant General Abdul Amir Yarallah stated on Sunday that Iraqi Federal Police forces had liberated the Makawi area of the Old City, and hoisted the national Iraqi flag over a cluster of buildings there, Arabic-language al-Sumaria television network reported.

Commander of Federal Police Forces Lieutenant General Shaker Jawdat also said security forces had completely retaken Bilal al-Habashi Mosque in Bab al-Jadid neighborhood of Mosul's Old City.

He noted that Federal Police forces were advancing from three sides, and were pursuing Daesh terrorists in the few remaining militant-held areas of the Old City.

Iraqi army soldiers and volunteer fighters from the Popular Mobilization Units, commonly known by their Arabic name, Hashd al-Sha'abi, have made sweeping gains against Daesh since launching the Mosul operation on October 17, 2016.

The Iraqi forces took control of eastern Mosul in January after 100 days of fighting, and launched the battle in the west on February 19. Iraqi authorities expect the battle to end within the next few days as the remaining Daesh elements are bottled up in a few districts of the Old City.

An estimated 862,000 people have been displaced from Mosul ever since the battle to retake the city began nine months ago. A total of 195,000 civilians have also returned, mainly to the liberated areas of eastern Mosul.

Daesh sets 50 lashes for anyone speaking of Baghdadi's death

Meanwhile, Daesh has meted out a punishment of 50 lashes for whoever talking about the death of the terror group's purported leader, Ibrahim al-Samarrai aka Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

A local source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the extremists had distributed leaflets across the city of Tal Afar, located 63 kilometers west of Mosul, warning local residents of the penalty.

The measure came two days after a Friday prayer sermon delivered by a close aide to Baghdadi stoked suspicions about his possible death in operations by Iraqi forces.

Violence claimed more than 410 Iraqi civilians' lives in June: UN

Separately, the United Nations (UN) says acts of terrorism and violence left more than 410 people dead in Iraq in the month of June.

According to the UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI), a total of 411 Iraqi civilians lost their lives and 294 others sustained injuries last month.

The UN mission said a large portion of the fatalities was recorded in the beleaguered northern province of Nineveh, where 289 civilians were killed and 93 others wounded.

The capital province of Baghdad witnessed 22 deaths.

Jan Kubis, the special representative of the UN secretary-general for Iraq, renewed his call for the protection of civilians amid clashes between Iraqi government forces and Daesh militants.

He condemned Daesh's continued and deliberate targeting of civilians in Mosul and elsewhere in Iraq.

"We are seeing the end of Daesh in Mosul as Iraqi forces close in on the terrorists in the city's old quarters; but there are civilians who remain trapped in the area or are held as human shields by the terrorists. The well-being of civilians is a matter of extreme concern for us," Kubis commented.

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Iraqi spokesman: US had no role in Mosul victories

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 8:50AM

An Iraqi military spokesman says the US had no role in the Arab country's recapture of Mosul despite Western reports characterizing American troops as leading the operation to retake the city from Daesh.

Recent gains in the Old City of Mosul have brought Iraqi troops closer to victory against Daesh, with the three branches of the country's security forces fighting the last remnants of the Takfiri group.

The spokesman for Hashd al-Sha'abi fighters Karim al-Nouri told Iran's Mehr News Agency that "a few remaining terrorists are awaiting their deaths and this is definite."

"Washington wants to have a share in the final victory announcement against Daesh and benefit from it, but I have to emphasize that this victory was won by the Iraqi people and the United States did not play any role in it," he said.

Hashd al-Shaabi fighters, incorporating members of all ethnic and religious groups, have joined government forces in operations against Daesh across the country. They were given legal status by Iraq's Parliament last November.

Hashd troops, Nouri said, have helped re-establish security in Iraq and prevent Mosul's break-up along ethnic lines.

"This is because Turkey and some of the local parties sought to break up Mosul, but Hashd al-Sha'abi foiled their plot. It also did not allow the conspiracy of the enemies to divide Mosul and other parts of the region to realize."

Nouri said all of the liberated areas will be under the control of the Iraqi government like before the Daesh terrorist attack, adding there will be no change in the demographic make-up of the city, which has an array of Turkmen, Arab and Kurdish communities.

"This is our red line and we will not retreat from it in any way," the spokesman said as he dismissed claims by Iraqi Kurdish leaders to parts of the city.

"Everyone agrees on the Constitution, and the Kurdish regional government cannot oppose the Constitution. Mosul is a red line," he said.

The spokesman said the US-led coalition, which has been bombing Iraq and Syria for the past couple of years, is not serious about fighting Daesh.

"Daesh is working in line with US national security interests," he said, adding that contrary to its claims of fighting Daesh, the international coalition sometimes even helps the group.

"The Americans are not reliable. US leaders, for the sake of their public opinion, claim to be fighting terrorism but in practice this is not the case," he added.

Iran's role

The Hashd al-Sha'abi spokesman further praised Iran and the commander of the Quds Force General Qassem Soleimani for their role in Iraq's victories.

"Iran was the first country to stand with Iraq and support us. General Qassem Soleimani has been and continues to serve as the best adviser on the battlefield against Daesh," he said.

"There were not many Iranians, but the very few who were in Iraq have had a huge impact on the fight against Daesh through presenting good plans," he added.

Nouri said Soleimani's occasional presence on the frontline was causing a wave of panic and fear among Daesh terrorists and leading to Iraqi victories.

"Hajj Qassem has a high humanitarian character," he said, using an affectionate nickname by which Soleimani is known to his admirers in the region. "He would not allow any harm to the Iraqi people in any way. He defended Iraq and the oppressed. We thank Iran's position and the actions of Hajj Qassem Soleimani," Nouri concluded.

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Iraqi Forces Kill 79 Daesh Militants in Mosul Over Past 24 Hours

Sputnik News

17:48 02.07.2017

Iraqi servicemen killed at least 79 militants of the Daesh terror group as part of the operation aimed at liberation of the western part of Mosul during the past 24 hours, Lt. Gen. Raid Shakir Jaudat of the Iraqi Federal Police said Sunday.

BAGHDAD (Sputnik)  Jaudat also told reporters that the Iraqi military, assisted by civilians, managed to detain dozens of terrorists, who tried to flee pretending to be refugees.

The terror group in Mosul was "completely defeated,"Jaudat stressed, adding that the Iraqi forces would take control over the rest of the city in the coming hours.

On Saturday, the Iraqi federal police freed two areas along with a bridge in the western part of the city of Mosul from Daesh, the operation's command said and Jaudat specified that the Iraqi forces took the control over the area near the building housing Nineveh Governorate's administration.

On June 22, Iraqi Prime Minister Haider Abadi said Mosul was likely to be cleared of terrorists within days.

Mosul has served as the Daesh headquarters in Iraq since the group's invasion from Syria in 2014. On February 18, Abadi announced the start of operations to liberate the western half of the city. Iraqi and the US-led coalition forces freed its eastern part in late January 2017, with fighting now ongoing to complete the mission.

 Sputnik

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Pakistani army starts fencing border with Afghanistan

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 3:52PM

Pakistan's military has begun erecting fencing along the country's porous border with Afghanistan in order to stop cross-border infiltration and improve security in the region.

According to a high-ranking Pakistani security official, in the first phase, at least 43 border posts have been constructed in the northwestern tribal region along the border. Sixty-three others are under construction in Dir Lower, Bajaur, Mohmand Agency, and Khyber Agency border areas.

The plan includes building 338 border posts and army forts along the border.

"There are several legal routes to cross into Afghanistan in Chitral, Dir, Bajaur, Mohmand Agency, Tor Kham Khyber Agency, Kurram Agency, North and South Waziristan, and the Chaman area of Baluchistan, but despite these legal routes, there are over 300 [illegal] crossing points, and terrorists always enter via those hard mountainous routes to carry out attacks in Pakistan and now the army will close them," media outlets quoted the official as saying.

Speaking to local TV media on Friday, Pakistani military spokesman, Major General Asif Ghafoor, said the move to fence the border was aimed at curtailing the movement of militants and stopping them from entering the country.

"The Daesh terrorist group has been gaining strength in Afghanistan along the Pakistan border, as we heard media reports that the group has also captured Afghanistan's Tora Bora area. Pakistan will never tolerate any terrorist group setting foot on our soil and these are all efforts underway to eliminate terrorist groups," Ghafoor said.

Both countries have long pledged to improve security in the region and go after militant groups based in the rugged and mountainous border areas. But the exact location of the border has long been disputed by Kabul.

Last year, Pakistan started building a barrier at the main border crossing in the northwestern town of Torkham. The move irked the Afghan government.

The Pakistani military has dismissed Afghanistan's criticism of the fencing plan, saying the activity is being performed well inside the Pakistani territory.

The two countries are in a dispute over the demarcation of the border, which is a key battleground in the fight against the Taliban and other militant groups.

Islamabad recognizes the Durand Line, the 1896 British-mandated border between the two neighbors, but Kabul says activity by either side along the line must be approved by both countries.

Successive governments in Afghanistan have never recognized the British-drawn colonial era border line.

Pakistan and Afghanistan regularly accuse each other of sheltering their enemy insurgents. Both sides, however, deny such an allegation.

Kabul blames elements inside the Pakistani spy agency, Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), for supporting the Taliban militants, while Islamabad blames the Afghan government for giving refuge to militants on its side of the border. The two sides also accuse each other of not doing enough to stop militants engaging in cross-border raids.

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US Senators Visit Pakistan, Discuss Afghan Peace, Counterterrorism

By Ayaz Gul July 02, 2017

A group of key American lawmakers led by Senator John McCain visited Pakistan Sunday where they met top government and military officials to discuss bilateral ties, counterterrorism cooperation, and efforts to promote peace and security in Afghanistan.

The visit came as President Donald Trump's administration is preparing to unveil its new Afghan war strategy later this month amid allegations sanctuaries on Pakistani soil are helping the Taliban sustain and intensify the insurgency.

The U.S. senators held extensive talks at the foreign ministry where Pakistani side was led by foreign policy adviser Sartaj Aziz, said an official statement after the meeting.

It said Aziz briefed the delegation on Pakistani security forces' success against terrorism and informed them "that the terrorist networks have been dismantled and their sanctuaries eliminated."

The adviser told the visitors Pakistan looked forward to a "constructive" engagement with the United States on efforts aimed at promoting a stable and prosperous Afghanistan.

He noted that Islamabad was also ready to strengthen and deepen its partnership with Washington to counter "the expanding footprint in the region" of Islamic State terrorists.

The Pakistani statement quoted McCain, who heads Senate Armed Services Committee, as appreciating contributions and sacrifices by Islamabad in the fight against terrorism, and underscored the importance of continued engagement between the two countries.

The U.S. delegation later held a meeting with the army chief, General Qamar Javed Bajwa, in Rawalpindi, where the military is headquartered.

The two sides agreed on the importance of security cooperation and coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan, said a military statement late Sunday.

Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator David Perdue and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse were among other members of the U.S. delegation.

Pakistan's alleged links to the Afghan Taliban and their dreaded Haqqani network ally have long been at the center of tensions with the United States.

The accusations have also strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul, even as Pakistani officials reject the charges.

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Russian Admiral Reveals Russian Navy's Main Mission in World Ocean

Sputnik News

21:39 02.07.2017

About 100 Russian ships are currently on a mission in different parts of the "world ocean," Commander-in-Chief of the Russian Navy Admiral Vladimir Korolev said.

"Today, about 100 of the Russian Navy's warships and support vessels are showing the St. Andrew's flag in the World Ocean in the name of stability and peace," he said in an article published by the International Maritime Defense Show's journal.

Korolev also stressed that Russian shipbuilding is based on advanced technology and global shipbuilding trends.

"We must work ahead of the world's shipbuilding trends in order to enable our Navy to respond to any threats in the World Ocean; we must go a few steps forward and look at the distant future. We are implementing our shipbuilding program until 2050, taking all this into account," Korolev said.

According to him, in the next 5-10 years Russian ships will have more advanced capabilities, including better maneuverability as well as more sophisticated weapons systems.

On June 24, the Russian Defense Ministry reported that two Russian Navy warships and a submarine fired six Kalibr cruise missiles from the eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea on Daesh targets in Syria.

Prior to the recent attack, the Russian Navy's Admiral Essen frigate and the Krasnodar submarine launched four Kalibr cruise missiles from the eastern Mediterranean Sea and targeted Daesh terrorists in the area of Palmyra on May 31.

Kalibr cruise missiles have been used by the Russian military to fight Daesh in Syria since 2015.

 Sputnik

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US-backed SDF enters new area in northern Syria

Iran Press TV

Sun Jul 2, 2017 5:59PM

The so-called Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have entered a new area in the city of Raqqah, the last stronghold of the Daesh Takfiri terrorists in Syria, retaking territory on the southern bank of the Euphrates River.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday that the US-backed SDF, made up of an alliance of Arab and Kurdish fighters, sealed off the last escape route of Daesh by capturing the territory.

"Today, they entered Raqqah's south for the first time and seized the Al-Hal market," said the observatory's director, Rami Abdel Rahman. "The market is fully under SDF control but IS [Daesh] is waging a counter-attack."

Abdel Rahman said some SDF fighters had advanced north across the river, while others had attacked Al-Hal from the adjacent district of Al-Meshleb in the east of the city.

The SDF confirmed that it had captured the market.

Backed by a US-led coalition that purports to be fighting Daesh, SDF fighters first broke into Raqqah on June 6.

The fighters have engaged in fierce fighting with Daesh as they push closer in on the city center.

The United Nations has expressed concern for up to 100,000 civilians it says are still trapped in the city, which became infamous as the scene of some of the group's worst atrocities, including public beheading.

Daesh seized Raqqah in 2014, the same year when it started its campaign of terror in Syria. It then proceeded to capture large parts of Syrian territory. But the terrorists have suffered major blows by the Syrian army and allies in recent months.

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Turkish Troops, Syrian Rebels Allegedly Mulling New Op in Syria Against Kurds

Sputnik News

15:51 02.07.2017(updated 15:54 02.07.2017)

Around 20,000 members of opposition Free Syrian Army (FSA) and Turkish troops will participate in a new military operation in the northwestern Syrian Afrin region, which is under control of the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), Turkish Sabah newspaper reported on Sunday.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  The first targets of the operation will be the town of Tall Rifat and the Minaq airbase, Sabah reported citing its sources.

The offensive will be launched from the towns of A'zaz, Kaljibrin and Marea eastward and from Idlib westward.

Ankara is reportedly holding consultations with Moscow on the new operation. Later on Sunday, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan will meet with Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu.

Afrin is located in the province of Aleppo and belongs to the de facto autonomous region of Rojava, proclaimed by the Kurds in the north of Syria. Turkey considers the Syrian Kurdish associations to be a wing of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) banned in the country.

On August 24, 2016, Turkish forces, supported by Free Syrian Army rebels and US-led coalition aircraft, launched a military operation dubbed the Euphrates Shield to clear the Syrian border town of Jarabulus and the surrounding area from Daesh terrorist group. The campaign was the first Turkey's incursion into Syria, however, earlier Turkish forces attacked Kurdish positions in Syria from its side of the border. The operation has been widely criticized both by the Syrian Kurds and Damascus, who have accused Ankara of violating Syria's territorial integrity.

As Jarabulus was retaken, the joint forces of Ankara, the coalition and Syrian rebels continued the offensive southwest. In the end of February, Chief of the Turkish General Staff Hulusi Akar said that the city of al-Bab was under control and the goals of the Euphrates Shield operation in Syria had been achieved. The campaign ended on March 29.

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Syrian Kurds Vow to Stop Turkish Troops' Advance on Afrin

Sputnik News

14:45 02.07.2017(updated 14:46 02.07.2017)

Nuri Mehmud, an official representative of the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG), said in an interview with Sputnik Turkey that the group will defend its territories if there is an attack on Afrin from Turkey.

According to Mehmud, there is active military activity of the Turkish armed forces on the Syrian border in the area of Afrin.

The Turkish troops and military equipment are being drawn at present and it seems that the Turkish troops are preparing to carry out an operation in Afrin, the representative said.

"Turkey has deployed its military and equipment on the Syrian border near the Aazaz and Mare region. This activity is taking place because Turkey is preparing to attack Tel Rifat and Afrin," Mehmud said.

He further said, "Turkey wants to establish control over these areas and strengthen its influence there. We intend to protect our territories and repel the attack no matter where it comes from," the representative concluded.

Earlier, YPG Commander Sipan Hemo said that Syrian Kurdish militia does not recognize the Turkish "invasion" to the north of Syria and will "liberate" that part of the country.

"We don't accept the Turkish state's presence or invasion in this region in any form. I want to stress that we don't recognize their alliances either. Our goal and struggle to liberate the Azaz-Jarablus area will continue," Hemo said, as quoted by the Firat news agency.

Meanwhile, top Turkish officials criticized the US' decision to supply weapons to the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) to fight jihadists in Syria.

"It has been emphasized that the implementation of a policy to support the PKK/PYD-YPG terrorist organization in the guise of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), ignoring Turkey's expectations, does not befit a friendship and alliance," the council said after a meeting held on late May 31, as quoted by Hurriyet Daily News.

Kurds are the largest ethnic minority in Turkey, Iraq, and Syria. In Iraq and Syria, the Kurds are fighting against Daesh (ISIL terrorist group).

An estimated 50,000-strong YPG is the armed wing of the Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD). Turkey insists the YPG is linked to the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), which has been in an armed conflict with Turkey for more than 3 decades and is listed as a terrorist organization by Turkey, the United States and the European Union.

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Turkey Vows to Keep Troops in Qatar Despite Arab States' Demands

Sputnik News

21:34 03.07.2017(updated 21:37 03.07.2017)

Turkey will maintain its military presence in Qatar, Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said on Monday, hours after Arab states agreed to extend a deadline for Doha to accept their demands, including pulling Turkish troops out of the country, amid the diplomatic crisis.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  Last week, Kuwait, which is serving as a mediator between Qatar and the Gulf states, handed 13 demands of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain over to Doha. The requests include the severance of Qatar's relations with Iran, closure of Turkey's military base on Qatar's territory and a shutdown of Al Jazeera TV channel. Doha was given 10 days to implement the demands. The deadline was extended until late in Tuesday. Qatar has called the demands impossible and urged for their revision.

"The Turkish military base in Qatar is a security issue not only for Qatar but for the whole region. The Turkish military presence there will continue. The attempt to link the Turkish military presence to the political crisis in Qatar may lead to serious mistakes," Kurtulmus said at a press conference in Ankara.

He added that the crisis around Qatar had "no deep roots and was created artificially," while the Arab countries' 13 demands to Doha were "unacceptable for an independent country."

On June 5, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt broke off diplomatic relations and communication with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and interfering in their internal affairs. Later, the Maldives, Mauritius, and Mauritania also announced the severance of diplomatic relations. Jordan and Djibouti reduced the level of their diplomatic missions in Qatar.

 Sputnik

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LINN COUNTY SHERIFF

Burglary  8:43 a.m. Friday, 33600 block Hoefer Drive. A caller reported that someone entered his shop during the night and stole a Stihl KM multi-task tool, along with three attachments and two chainsaws. The total loss was estimated at $1,500.

Missing child, oops  6:40 p.m. Saturday, Gates School Road near Monument Peak Road. Authorities received a report of a missing 3-year-old boy. The family had searched for 30 minutes. Multiple agencies were on their way to the location, including the Linn County and Marion County search and rescue teams, the Marion County Sheriffs Office, Oregon State Police and an Albany Police Department canine unit. Deputies located the boy asleep under blankets in a camper in his campsite.

Double DUII  1:11 a.m. Sunday, 36700 block Gilkey Road. A woman crashed her car into a farm fence after leaving a Lebanon tavern. Megan Shearer, 23, of Lebanon, was transported to a hospital for evaluation for treatment of minor injuries, then released from the facility and arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants. While deputies were at the scene of the crash, Travis Miller, 26, responded to assist Shearer, who called him and told him she had crashed. Miller admitted to a deputy that he had consumed several beers, and he was arrested on a charge of driving under the influence of intoxicants.

Wrong house  3:13 a.m. Sunday, Alexander Lane near Albany. A deputy responded to an attempted burglary and discovered that an intoxicated female mistook her neighbors house as her own. The womans designated driver was able to get her home safely.
Turkey to Build Own Aircraft Carrier, Reach Technological Independence - Erdogan

Sputnik News

18:01 03.07.2017(updated 18:25 03.07.2017)

Turkey is determined to build an aircraft carrier by its own efforts and has no doubts about its success, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Monday.

ANKARA (Sputnik)  In 1996, Turkey officially launched the MILGEM project, aimed at building locally-made modern combat warships, using the country's own resources and capabilities. At the moment four corvettes are completed, while 12 more are being planned.

"We have completely finished the implementation of 14 naval vessel projects, another 10 [projects] will follow. We will also build our own aircraft carrier. We have firm resolve to do it and do not doubt the [project's] success. We have to make Turkey one of the leaders in military shipbuilding, and our [own] aircraft carrier is not a distant dream for us anymore," Erdogan said at a ceremony of the launch of Kinaliada, the fourth corvette built under Turkey's MILGEM warship program.

He noted that it was vitally important for Turkey to reach technological independence from other countries.

"This vessel [Kinaliada] will reinforce us in the sea. The need for technological independence is increasing every year. Even if we cover a number of urgent needs by supplies from abroad, we still should base [the majority of production] on the national capacities. The corvette is designed completely in Turkey, and 65 percent of its production is based on the national technologies," Erdogan said.

He added that by 2023, when Turkey would celebrate the centenary of the republic, his country's dependence on defense production imports should be eliminated.

 Sputnik

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Multi-billion pound defence deal secures thousands of UK jobs

2 July 2017

The Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon has announced the signing of a contract worth around 3.7 billion to start building the Royal Navy's Type 26 Frigates.

Manufacture of the first three of these new highly capable warships will secure approximately 1700 skilled shipbuilding jobs in Scotland and 1700 jobs throughout the supply chain across Britain until 2035.

Defence Secretary, Sir Michael Fallon said:

"The Type 26 Frigate is a cutting-edge warship, combining the expertise of the British shipbuilding industry with the excellence of the Royal Navy. We will cut steel on the first ship later this month  a hugely significant milestone that delivers on our commitment to maintain our global naval power. These ships will be a force to be reckoned with, there to protect our powerful new carriers and helping keep British interests safe across the world."

"Backed by a rising defence budget and a 178bn Equipment Plan, the Type 26 programme will bring vast economic benefits to Scotland and the wider UK. The contract is structured to ensure value for taxpayers' money and, importantly, now designed to protect them from extra bills from project overrun. The investment will secure hundreds of skilled jobs at BAE Systems on the Clyde for the next twenty years, and thousands of jobs in the supply chain across Britain."

These world-class warships will protect the nation's nuclear deterrent and the Royal Navy's new aircraft carriers, the first of which, HMS Queen Elizabeth, has recently taken to sea for the first time. The ships specialise in anti-submarine warfare, protecting the UK's overseas territories and interests across the globe. The flexible design will allow the capabilities to be adapted throughout its lifespan to counter future threats.

The deal also reaffirms the commitment made by the Government in the 2015 Strategic Defence and Security Review (SDSR15) to build eight Type 26 ships. The contract for the second batch of five ships is expected to be negotiated in the early 2020s, paving the way to sustain further jobs in Scotland and across the wider supply chain for many years to come. The Type 26 programme will secure the long term future of the Scottish shipbuilding industry.

Admiral Sir Philip Jones, First Sea Lord and Chief of Naval Staff, said:

"For an island nation, dependent on maritime trade, a strong Royal Navy is essential for our national security and economic prosperity. Today there are over 500 submarines in the world operated by 40 navies. As one of the quietest and most potent submarine-hunters of any Navy, the Type 26 will have a crucial role to play to protect the nuclear deterrent and our two new aircraft carriers."

"Although designed to fight and win in the most demanding scenarios, they will also work alongside our international partners to protect and promote the United Kingdom's interests around the world."

The Type 26 will be the most advanced anti-submarine warfare ship in its class around the world. The MOD is exploring potential export opportunities where there is strong interest from international customers.

The contract is specifically structured to motivate both sides to deliver to a successful outcome where both parties share in the pain and gain in the delivery of the programme. This will deliver better value for money for the UK taxpayer.

The MOD spent 1.5 billion with Scottish businesses last year and supports 9,700 jobs across Scotland. The Royal Navy's new Queen Elizabeth Carriers are being built in Rosyth and the new Offshore Patrol Vessels are under construction in Govan and Scotstoun ahead of this summer's Type 26 Frigate steel cut.

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Swedish English Finnish

Oriola Corporation Press Release July 3 2017 at 2:00 PM

Oriola Acquires ICTHS Health Support

Oriola has signed an agreement to acquire the Swedish company ICTHS Health Support AB. ICTHS Health Support, founded in 2007, provides services to pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare operators. In 2016, the company's net sales were approximately 5 million euros, and the company employs around 60 people.

"The acquisition of ICTHS Health Support is in line with Oriola's strategy to offer a wide range of services to pharmacies, pharmaceutical companies and healthcare operators in Sweden and Finland. ICTHS already collaborates closely with Farenta and Kronans Apotek. The company's offering complements Oriola's service portfolio extremely well," says Kimmo Virtanen, Executive Vice President at Oriola.

"We are very content with this transaction that provides for business growth, as well as new opportunities within the company for our employees. As part of Oriola we can further broaden and improve our service offering," says Patrik Avestrand, Managing Director for ICTHS Health Support.

Further information:



Kimmo Virtanen

Executive Vice President, Oriola

tel. +358 10 429 2069

e-mail: kimmo.virtanen@oriola.com
Virginia State Police data compiled across the state show violent crime, including murder, rape, robbery and aggravated assault, increased last year.

The state saw an increase of more than 10 percent in violent crimes in 2016 compared to the previous year, according to the annual Crime in Virginia report released Friday. The report tallies local and state crime figures.

Nationally, the FBI says preliminary numbers from more than 18,000 law enforcement agencies show an increase of 5.3 percent in the number of violent crimes for the first six months of 2016 when compared with figures reported for the same time in 2015. The nationwide figures for all of last year are not yet finalized.

The number of reported homicides increased from 382 to 480, an increase of 26 percent from the year before. About half of the victims and about 60 percent of the offenders were less than 30 years of age. Victims and offenders were also mostly like to be male. Firearms were used in 75 percent of homicides.

Property crimes such as burglary, larceny and vehicle theft remained mostly unchanged from the previous year.

Drug offenses increased more than 8 percent statewide in 2016, with marijuana ranking the highest in total volume of drug arrests with 59 percent. Heroin, crack cocaine and power cocaine arrests showed even greater increases  17, 11 and 19 percent, respectively  compared to 2015.

There were 137 hate crimes reported in 2016, a 12 percent decrease compared to 2015, with about 58 percent of those crimes being racially or ethnically motivated.

Overall arrests in Virginia decreased about 2 percent, to 276,144 in 2016.

Adult and juvenile arrests for serious offenses each increased about 3 percent last year. Arrests for lesser crimes such as trespassing, disorderly conduct, bad checks and liquor law violations decreased 6.3 percent for adults and 11.8 percent for juveniles.

The Roanoke Police Department reported 10,873 incidents last year. Robberies increased 75 percent to 117 last year, and larcenies increased 12 percent to nearly 3,600. Aggravated assault increased about 14 percent. Burglaries were down.

In Roanoke County, the police department reported a slight increase in incidents  3,258  last year. Offenses such as murder and aggravated assault went unchanged, as one and 129, respectively. Drug offenses increased 12 percent to 875.
So far I have gotten two text messages and and an email from candidates for the Wisconsin Supreme Court asking me for campaign contributions. Can we just c...

22 hours ago
PolyMet Mining Corp. (TSX: POM; NYSE MKT: PLM) reports that U.S. Rep. Rick Nolan, D-MN-8., has introduced bipartisan legislation to direct the secretary of agriculture to move forward with the land exchange between PolyMet and the U.S. Forest Service.

The Forest Service authorized an administrative land exchange for the PolyMet Mining NorthMet Project in its Final Record of Decision January 9, 2017. The purpose of House Resolution 3115, The Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017, is to accelerate transfer and provide certainty of process. The bill was introduced June 29, 2017 and referred to the House Natural Resources Committee.

We are committed to moving the project forward in a thoughtful and expeditious manner and are pleased Congressman Nolan is taking this step to bring closure to the land exchange process, said Jon Cherry, president and CEO. In this legislation, Congress would ratify the Forest Services determination that the exchange is in the best public interest and moves for the exchange to be completed within 90 days of the bills enactment.

The environmental review for the NorthMet Project and land exchange was the largest and longest in Minnesota history, concluding after 10 years. The Final Environmental Impact Statement demonstrates that the NorthMet Project is capable of meeting all applicable state and federal environmental standards.

PolyMet is seeking to permit, build and operate the NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals project located in the established Mesabi Iron Range mining district in northeastern Minnesota. The land exchange was proposed jointly by the Forest Service and PolyMet in 2010 to consolidate their respective land ownerships.

The terms of the land exchange proposed in The Superior National Forest Land Exchange Act of 2017 are the same as those found in the administrative land exchange: PolyMet receives approximately 6,650 acres of surface land above and around its NorthMet ore body near an area heavily used for mining and mine infrastructure; in exchange, the Superior National Forest receives four parcels of land totaling 6,690 acres currently owned or controlled by PolyMet that will become part of the Superior National Forest. The difference is that the $425,000 equalization payment owed PolyMet by the Forest Service as a result of the administrative exchange would be waived by the company in the legislative exchange.

The company will continue its involvement in the administrative steps to complete the land exchange transaction while the bill is under consideration.

Neither the administrative land exchange, nor a legislative exchange would permit or approve construction of the NorthMet mine. Mine development and operations remain subject to regulation and permits issued by the State of Minnesota and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, among others. Those state and federal agencies are currently reviewing and processing permit applications for the project, including the comprehensive Permit to Mine application.

Original cosponsors of the bill include House Agriculture Committee Ranking Member Collin Peterson (D-MN) and fellow Minnesotans Tom Emmer (R) and Jason Lewis (R). The bill also has the support of a number of key House Natural Resources Subcommittee leaders, including Energy and Mineral Resources Chairman Paul Gosar (R-AZ), Federal Lands Chairman Tom McClintock (R-CA), Federal Lands Vice Chairman Bruce Westerman (R-AR), and senior House Natural Resources Members Scott Tipton (R-CO) and Doug Lamborn (R-CO).

A more detailed description of the exchange lands and benefits can be found at: http://polymetmining.com/northmet-project/land-exchange/

About PolyMet

PolyMet Mining Corp. (www.polymetmining.com) is a publicly-traded mine development company that owns 100 percent of Poly Met Mining, Inc., a Minnesota corporation that controls 100 percent of the NorthMet copper-nickel-precious metals ore body through a long-term lease and owns 100 percent of the Erie Plant, a large processing facility located approximately six miles from the ore body in the established mining district of the Mesabi Iron Range in northeastern Minnesota. Poly Met Mining, Inc. has completed its Definitive Feasibility Study. The NorthMet Final EIS was published in November 2015, preparing the way for decisions on permit applications. The NorthMet Project is expected to require approximately two million hours of construction labor, create approximately 360 long-term jobs directly, and generate a level of activity that will have a significant multiplier effect in the local economy.

PolyMet Disclosures

This news release contains certain forward-looking statements concerning anticipated developments in PolyMets operations in the future. Forward-looking statements are frequently, but not always, identified by words such as expects, anticipates, believes, intends, estimates, potential, possible, projects, plans, and similar expressions, or statements that events, conditions or results will, may, could, or should occur or be achieved or their negatives or other comparable words. These forward-looking statements may include statements regarding the ability to receive environmental and operating permits, job creation, and the effect on the local economy, or other statements that are not a statement of fact. Forward-looking statements address future events and conditions and therefore involve inherent known and unknown risks and uncertainties. Actual results may differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements due to risks facing PolyMet or due to actual facts differing from the assumptions underlying its predictions.

PolyMets forward-looking statements are based on the beliefs, expectations and opinions of management on the date the statements are made, and PolyMet does not assume any obligation to update forward-looking statements if circumstances or managements beliefs, expectations and opinions should change.

Specific reference is made to PolyMets most recent Annual Information Form for the fiscal year ended January 31, 2017 and in other filings with Canadian securities authorities and the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, including the Companys Form 6-K providing information with respect to operations for the three months ended April 30, 2017, for a discussion of some of the risk factors and other considerations underlying forward-looking statements. The Annual Information Form contains the Companys mineral resource and other data as required under National Instrument 43-101.

The TSX has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for PolyMet Mining Corp.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170703005241/en/

Contact

PolyMet Mining Corp.

Media

Bruce Richardson, +1 651-389-4111

Corporate Communications

brichardson@polymetmining.com

or

Investor Relations

Jenny Knudson, +1 651-389-4110

Investor Relations

jknudson@polymetmining.com
More work ahead

Ongoing opposition

Supporters celebrate

Minneapolis became one of the first cities in the nation to adopt a $15 minimum wage Friday in a move meant to set an example for the rest of the state and boost the local economy."This is a huge victory for workers in Minneapolis," Council Member Lisa Bender said before the historic vote, which prompted labor activists who packed the council chambers to cheer and raise bright red signs that read, "15 WON."By requiring all employers in the city to pay $15 an hour by July 2024, Minneapolis joins a small group of cities across the country, including Seattle, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., that have raised the minimum wage to that level. But no one knows yet what effect the $15 per hour wage will have on businesses or workers, since none of the other cities' ordinances has been fully implemented.Minneapolis approved its ordinance after years of pressure from labor activists who organized protests, pushed unsuccessfully for a city charter amendment and ratcheted up their lobbying in a city election year. As council members began to line up in support of the higher wage, they did so amid intense opposition from businesses and Republicans in the Legislature who tried unsuccessfully to block cities' attempts to regulate workplaces.Even as the city moves forward, concerns remain."I hate to say it -- because I love Minneapolis and I mean it when I say we all want to see a Minnesota that thrives for everyone -- but I fear that businesses will reduce shifts, reduce employment and move to automation," said Cam Winton, director of labor management policy at the Minnesota Chamber of Commerce. "We've seen that occur in other cities, and I fully expect the same to happen right here."But workers who attended the City Hall vote were jubilant -- jumping to their feet, cheering and waving signs before streaming out into the hallway to celebrate."I'm just really excited," said Catherine Olsen, a barista. "I'm proud to be in Minneapolis right now."Council Member Blong Yang, who cast the only vote against the ordinance, said he could not support the $15 wage out of concern for what it would do to businesses in his North Side ward."I'm confident Target, McDonald's and plenty of other big companies will be able to accommodate a higher minimum wage," Yang said. "What I am concerned about are small businesses, independent businesses, minority and immigrant owned businesses and their ability to sustain $15 an hour."Council Member Elizabeth Glidden, the chief author of the Minneapolis ordinance, said the vote was among the most significant of her 12 years on the council -- and somewhat unbelievable."Just a few short years ago, people were like, 'This is crazy,' " she said. "And then city after city started taking up that cause, and workers in the Twin Cities said we need to tell these stories."Council members credited activist groups including 15 Now and Centro de Trabajadores Unidos en Lucha (CTUL) for pushing the wage increase forward. They were a constant presence during minimum wage discussions in recent weeks."This is your work and your victory today," Bender told the crowd before the vote.The council made some small changes to the policy, including adding an exemption defining franchises and corporate chains as large businesses and removing another exemption that defined non-hospital residential care facilities as small businesses.Large businesses -- those with 100 or more employees -- must phase-in the $15 minimum wage by July 1, 2022. Small businesses have until July 1, 2024.Though council members expressed relief and excitement, several noted that there will be more work to do as the ordinance is implemented.City staff are expected to return to the council in the next few months with recommendations for a youth training wage, as well as suggestions for implementing the wage hike at residential care facilities that rely on Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements.The wage increase is also expected to face continued scrutiny -- including legal challenges."The reality is, we are just getting started here, and we have a lot of work ahead," said Council Member Andrew Johnson.City officials are planning to monitor the impact of the wage increase on an ongoing basis.In the coming weeks, the Minneapolis Regional Chamber of Commerce will advocate at City Hall for an analysis conducted by an outside organization -- much like the University of Washington studies of Seattle's wage increases."We're in a similar place to where we've been for the past several weeks, continuing to have concerns about how this is going to roll out," said Jonathan Weinhagen, president and CEO of the chamber.Even some supporters of a citywide $15 minimum wage have come out against the Minneapolis ordinance.Restaurant owners and workers who lobbied unsuccessfully for a "tip credit" that would count tips toward wages were among those left disappointed Friday.Jennifer Schellenberg, a bartender and supporter of a tip carve-out, said in a statement that the council "failed tipped restaurant workers in Minneapolis.""Instead of listening to our concerns, the council moved forward with a proposal that will put our income and our jobs in jeopardy," she said.Other workers were overcome with emotion as they spoke about what the moment meant for them. Guillermo Lindsay, who's worked at McDonald's for 14 years, said a $15 minimum wage will give him a $5 hourly raise -- enough to buy his 7-year-old son the things he wants.Worker activists and city leaders, including Mayor Betsy Hodges, repeatedly said Friday that the push to raise the minimum wage is not over in the Twin Cities and Minnesota."I think if I have a big message, it's to Congress and it's to the states," Glidden said. "We're passing this because you haven't done your job. And we're sitting here because you are letting the economy fail a huge number of both workers and businesses."As the minimum wage supporters cheered and embraced outside the council chambers, one man yelled, "St. Paul's next!"City leaders in St. Paul have not yet publicly discussed an increase to the minimum wage, but all of the candidates running for mayor have said they would support an increase."University of Minnesota, we are coming for you," another woman chimed in. Then others joined, calling out targets from Brooklyn Park to Hennepin County.
Just a few years ago, naloxone was a relatively obscure drug that few people outside of the medical community knew about. Fast forward to today, and most Americans have heard of it -- even if they can't recall its name.Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe says he always carries it on him. New Mexico Gov. Susana Martinez signed a law this year that requires all fire and police departments to keep it in stock. A few cities now let people buy it at the pharmacy without a prescription.Naloxone is the life-saving antidote to an opioid overdose, reversing symptoms like respiratory failure and unconsciousness. In July 2016, the North Carolina Harm Reduction Coalition estimated that 38 states have at least one police department requiring officers to carry it.But with no end to the opioid epidemic in sight and the price of naloxone on the rise, public officials are starting to worry that they wont be able to afford it much longer.Kaleo Pharma, for example, has raised the price of a twin pack of injectable naloxone from $690 in 2014 to $4,500. Even the price of generic injectables has doubled in the last few years, with one now costing $150 and another $40. In the meantime, many places have switched to using the nasal injection form of naloxone. The price for that has stayed steady, $75 for two doses.Still, with an average of 91 opioid overdose deaths a day in the U.S., the bill can quickly add up.Baltimore has already started rationing the drug. Dr. Leana Wen, the city's health commissioner, calls it a heartbreaking decision. Theyve allocated it for clients in their needle exchange program and people working in areas with high rates of opioid abuse -- but they're no longer giving it to all police officers, who are often the first to respond to overdoses.Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan declared the opioid epidemic a public health emergency in March, and the state was awarded a $20 million grant over two years from the federal 21st Century Cures Act to battle it. But Wen says there's no timetable for when theyll get that money.A Kaleo Pharma spokesperson toldthat the more-than-600-percent price hike was necessary to subsidize programs that do not offer co-payments.Medical experts find that reasoning a bit flimsy.Its not a complicated molecule to synthesize. Its not a drug where you need a special type of yeast or grow a special kind of bacteria. We were able to make it so cheaply for so long, says Eric Ketcham, medical director of the emergency department at San Juan Medical Center in Farmington, N.M.When New Mexico's governor signed legislation to require all law enforcement agencies to keep naloxone in stock, it didn't include any funding. Ketcham says that's going to hinder their ability to adhere to the law.These rural fire departments just dont have it in their budget," he says. "In Santa Fe, a do-gooder nonprofit is helping to distribute it. I dont have that in Farmington."Medicaid, the federal-state health-care program, covers the price of naloxone, but fire and police departments can't bill Medicaid. In response, some agencies throughout the country have partnered with local pharmacies who will bill Medicaid on their behalf.Of course, all these questions around availability of naloxone would be exacerbated if the U.S. Senate's health bill becomes law. That legislation, in its most recent form, would end Medicaid expansion by 2020 and cut federal Medicaid spending by 26 percent, or $772 billion, over the next decade. The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office estimates that it would leave 22 million more people uninsured by 2026.The bill has been tabled for the foreseeable future while GOP Majority Leader Mitch McConnell rewrites it to, among other things, "provide tens of billions of dollars more for opioid treatment," reports If Medicaid does stop being able to cover naloxone and the price continues to increase, health officials worry what will happen to the epidemic at large.For many of my patients," says Ketcham, "that experience of being rescued was a defining moment for them that they need to get help."
(TNS) -- Just ask anyone in the foothills if they have trouble getting a phone signal or finding an internet provider. There's a good chance you'll have to do it in person ... they won't be able to take your call or get your email or text."It's awful, just terrible," said Randy Fletcher, Yuba County supervisor for the foothills district. "As soon as you hit the foothills, you lose service. Anything we can do is for the better."It's a problem for foothills residents, as well as other rural communities throughout the state, due to the landscape and the distance between households. Smaller populations mean fewer cell towers and internet providers, Fletcher said, and it's a problem that needs to be addressed. "One of the biggest things has to do with safety. Between the sheriff's office, the fire department, or just for education, without the infrastructure, you are limited in what you can do in the foothills, and that's a big piece of the puzzle," Fletcher said.A bill co-authored by local Assemblyman James Gallagher is looking to correct that. If approved by California lawmakers, the bill  AB 1665, also referred to as the "Internet For All Now Act of 2017"  would allocate $330 million to build new broadband infrastructure, not just in Yuba County, but in other digital-disadvantaged areas throughout the state.Gallagher's office cited a recent UC Berkeley poll that found 87 percent of Californians have access to a high-speed internet connection at home. Of those respondents, 18 percent only had internet access through a smartphone, and the rest had broadband access through a computing device.Another study done in April 2016 by the California Public Utilities Commission focused more on rural areas, where 43 percent of households reported internet access was unavailable, or unreliable, where they lived  a total of 424,000 households.If it becomes law, the act would extend the soon-to-expire California Advanced Service Fund to support broadband infrastructure deployment in under-connected rural areas and disadvantaged communities."We look at this as a basic infrastructure issue of the 21st century," Gallagher said.The bill's end goal is to reach 98 percent household connectivity to high-speed internet per region."In town, a lot of people have access to providers like Comcast, but as you get out on the periphery, there are areas that just don't have access, or at the very most they have DSL, which is not very fast and is spotty," Gallagher said.The bill passed the state Assembly on June 1. The Senate Committee on Energy, Utilities and Communications is expected to discuss the bill on today.Gallagher said he is hopeful the bill  which has received bipartisan support  will be passed before the California Legislature takes about a month-long recess at the end of July."I hope we can see something get done before the break. There is the possibility that we could have some obstacles over in the Senate, but I hope we don't," Gallagher said. "We had a pretty good coalition in the Assembly. We are going to push hard and hopefully get it signed by the governor."
Gerhard Berger says the FIA should forgive Sebastian Vettel for driving into Lewis Hamilton recently in Baku.

On Monday, which is also the Ferrari driver's 30th birthday, the governing body will meet to consider applying a further penalty for the infraction.

But former Ferrari and McLaren driver Berger told Bild am Sonntag: "I don't understand all the excitement."

And he also told Kurier newspaper: "I find the whole story good, because every fan has an opinion and that's what every sport needs.

"What we saw was two athletes with emotion, but no dangerous action. Both of them provoked, and both were punished -- Vettel by the FIA and Hamilton by the motor sport gods with his headrest.

"The topic should be over and we move on," Berger, now the DTM series boss, added.

Italy's La Gazzetta dello Sport claims that if Vettel is given a race ban, Ferrari is threatening to boycott the race altogether.

Like Berger, Red Bull official Dr Helmut Marko thinks Mercedes' Hamilton provoked Vettel, even if telemetry showed that the Briton didn't do a 'brake test'.

"Sebastian is an emotional person, but I stick to what I said because with these formula one cars, the electric motor is also like a brake if you are not on the power.

"I say Hamilton provoked him, and please -- this is not a girls' boarding school and the speed was not high," Marko told Kronen Zeitung newspaper.

However, Mercedes' Niki Lauda says the real issue is not Vettel steering into Hamilton, but the fact the German didn't apologise afterwards.

"To be clear: even the best professionals make mistakes," he told Welt am Sonntag newspaper.

"I think Sebastian is smart and experienced, but for him to take this hopeless and rigid stance against all the facts -- I expected more from him," Lauda added.

(GMM)
Speculation is increasing that a technical controversy is behind Ferrari's sudden dip in form.

The Italian team was riding a wave of form this year until the last two races in Canada and Baku.

One suggestion is that an FIA clampdown about the adding of oil to fuel was specifically targeted against Ferrari.

"There is someone who is now with the silver team that came from the red team and knew what to look for," Red Bull team boss is quoted by Osterreich newspaper.

The implication is that Mercedes raised the alarm about the 'trick' Ferrari system.

However, Dr Helmut Marko thinks Sebastian Vettel is still the 2017 title favourite.

"Even though Ferrari apparently lost some engine power due to the oil in the fuel story, Sebastian is the strongest in the races," the Red Bull official told Kronen Zeitung.

(GMM)
I am a retired newspaperman. I am 69 and live in Poca, WV, with my wife of 45 years, Lou Ann. We grew up in Cleveland. Three kids. Grandfather.

More on who I am is here.

Report all errors to DonSurber@GMail.com
Although trucks are a major contributor to the growth in transport-fuel consumption and emissions, the sector receives far less attention and policy focus than passenger vehicles, the IEA noted. Only four countries have energy-efficiency standards for heavy trucks, compared with some 40 countries with passenger-vehicle standards. Yet the growth in oil demand from trucks has outpaced all other sectorsincluding passenger cars, aviation, industry and petrochemical feedstockssince 2000 and contributed 40% to global oil demand growth, a similar contribution as cars.

Improving the efficiency of road-freight transport is critical to reducing the growth in oil demand, carbon emissions and air pollution over the next decades, according to the International Energy Agencys latest report, The Future of Trucks: Implications for energy and the environment .

Today, trucks account for almost a fifth of global oil demand, or around 17 million barrels per dayequivalent to the combined oil production of the United States and Canada. Road freight transport relies primarily on diesel, which accounts for more than 80% of its oil use. Road freight vehicles alone accounted for about 80% of the global net increase in diesel demand since 2000, and make up about half of global diesel demand today. As a result, road freight today accounts for more than 35% of transport-related CO 2 emissions, and around 7% of total energy-related CO 2 emissions; and a fifth of NO x emissions.

Trucks are a key enabler of global economic activity and play an essential role in delivering goods or commodities across every point of the economic value chain, from production to sale. However, if no action is taken, oil demand from road freight is projected to grow by 5 million barrels per day by 2050, or around 40% of the projected increase in global oil demand in that period.

This growth is expected to lead to a significant increase in carbon dioxide emissions of nearly 900 million tonnes through 2050, or about the same level of emissions growth as from coal use in the power and the entire industry sector combined.

The main drivers of oil demand from trucks today are the United States, the European Union and China, while India is emerging as a growing contributor. Emerging and developing countries in Asia, in particular China and India, account for about 90% of the net increase in road freight oil demand over the projection period, equivalent to around 30% of total oil demand growth from all sectors.

In an effort to address this rise in demand and emissions, the IEA described a more sustainable policy pathway for truck transport that could reduce energy use in road freight by 50% and emissions by 75% by 2050.

The IEA report highlights three major areas of improvement.

The trucking sector can improve logistics and systems operations. This includes near-term opportunities like using Global Positioning System to optimize truck routing, as well as real-time feedback devices that monitor the on-road fuel economy of trucks. Greater improvements on that front will require increased cooperation, as well as the exchange of data, information and assets across the entire supply chain. This can help increase the volume or weight of cargo hauled to improve the load on each trip, but also reduce the number of trips during which trucks are running empty, such as travel taken without any load at all after having delivered the goods.

Second, the IEA report finds that energy-efficiency improvements for the existing fleet should include aerodynamic retrofits to reduce drag as well as low-rolling resistance tires. New trucks can use additional technologies that cut idling, use lightweight materials and take advantage of improvements to truck engines, transmissions and drivetrains. Achieving stronger cuts in fuel use, carbon dioxide and pollutant emissions requires the use of hybrids and zero emission trucks.

Third, using alternative fuels such as natural gas, biofuels, electricity and hydrogen can diversify fuel supply away from oil and also help reduce carbon emissions, especially if produced from low-carbon pathways.

Modern Truck Scenario. In the IEA Modern Truck Scenario, targeted efforts to modernize road freight transport reduces oil demand from road freight vehicles by nearly 16 mb/d by 2050, relative to the Reference Scenario. The Modern Truck Scenario capitalizes on the opportunities for systemic improvements in operations and logistics across all aspects of road freight, vehicle efficiency improvements and support for the use of alternative fuels.

In the Modern Truck Scenario, the energy intensity of vehicle operations (in energy used per tkm) drops by more than one-third in 2050, relative to the Reference Scenario. Improvements to logistics and road freight operations reduce tkm by 13% in 2050 and total vehicle activity (measured in vehicle-kilometers) by more than 20%.

Energy efficiency and alternative fuels, including electrification, lead to a reduction in energy intensity, relative to the Reference Scenario, of 34% in 2050. The result is that direct CO 2 emissions from road freight transport decline by 2.5 Gt in 2050, or 75%, relative to the Reference Technology Scenario.

Not all elements of the Modern Truck Scenario are easily implemented, but there are three key enablers that present important near-term energy policy opportunities. Tightening fuel economy standards and expanding their geographic coverage can accelerate fuel economy improvements over the coming decades. Standards can be supported by differentiated vehicle taxation to incentivize the purchase and operation of efficient trucks. Care must be taken to ensure that test procedures reflect real-world operations and that simulation tools rely on accurate component testing. Data availability and data sharing are key prerequisites to realising some of the potential that underlies systemic improvements in freight logistics, capitalizing on the advancement of digital technologies and their application across all aspects of road freight, including supply chain and fleet management, collaboration across shippers, and the optimisation of vehicle operations. The rules of data exchange must be multilaterally defined and transparent for everyone, and confidentiality safeguarded.

Some of the potential for systemic improvements can be realized by individual operators alone, but the better the system is designed (i.e. the more operators and other stakeholders that are included), the more effective its implementation.

Support for alternative fuels and vehicles needs to cover four main areas: RD&D, market uptake of alternative fuel vehicles, adequate access to charging or refueling infrastructure and the availability of alternative energy carriers. A focus on low- or zero-emitting fuels not only at the point of use but also across the entire supply chain, both with regards to air pollutant and greenhouse gas emissions, can help ensure the pursuit of multiple energy policy goals at the same time. The Future of Trucks

The report benefited from a joint workshop organized by the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission and the IEA on the future of trucks for energy and environment, held on 8 November 2016 and attended by several stakeholders, including representatives of truck manufacturers (Daimler, Scania, Volkswagen, Volvo Trucks); energy companies (Shell, ExxonMobil); other industries (Arconic, Bosch, BorgWarner, Eaton, Michelin, Siemens, Wabco); industry associations (European Automobile Manufacturers Association [ACEA], European Liaison Committee of Common Market Forwarders [CLECAT], IRU, World Business Council for Sustainable Development [WBCSD]); intergovernmental organisations (UN Environment); non-governmental and non-profit organizations (Clean Air Asia, Connekt, ICCT, Smart Freight Centre, The Energy and Resources Institute [TERI], Transport & Environment); governmental bodies (European Commission, South African National Energy Development Institute); academic and research institutions (Fraunhofer Institute for Material Flow and Logistics, German Aerospace Center, Heriot Watt University, IFSTTAR, KAPSARC, Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research [TNO], Kuehne Logistics University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, University of Cambridge, University of Gothenburg, University of Westminster, VTT); and consultancy firms (Ricardo Energy & Environment , CE Delft, M-FIVE).
Kellen Squire (Confused-VA) claims he's a Democrat & that his brand of Blue Dogism will save the party-- and that Bernie is "goofier than a pet goat"



be a Democrat, Kellen Squire. He Rob Bell is about as far right as Republicans in Virginia get-- and that's pretty far right. And, so is his General Assembly district-- VA-58, which includes Greene County (Trump 62.5%; Hillary 30.8%) and parts of Albemarle, Fluvanna and Rockingham Counties, but neither Grounds nor the City of Charlottesville. He's been in the House of Delegates since 2001, reelected every 2 years. Generally, Democrats don't even bother challenging him-- unopposed in 2011, 2013 and 2015. In 2009 the Democrat who ran, Cynthia Neff took 8,948 votes, almost 10,000 less than Bell's 18,402. This year the Democrats are running someone against Bell-- or at least someone pretending toa Democrat, Kellen Squire. He describes himself as "an unapologetic rural Blue Dog," but reading through his online history, it's pretty clear he's just an opportunistic Republican who sees an opportunity to take advantage of the growing anti-Trump tsunami. He admits on his Facebook page that "Sadly, this is an accurate portrayal of much of the leadership in the Republican Party, and why I left them behind." He didn't say when he left them behind, only that he agrees with Democrats on some issues and disagrees with Democrats on other issues.





He doesn't talk much about issues, just about being a nurse, though I don't think he's a nurse the way RoseAnn DeMoro of National Nurses United is a nurse. This one is an anti-Choice fanatic. Instead he claims his brand of conservatism is going to save the Democratic Party. He compares progressives to the Tea Party that practically destroyed, he says, his beloved GOP. He likes talking about how he's pro-gun and anti-Choice and how voter ID-- Republican shorthand for voter suppression. His description of Bernie: "goofier than a pet goat." Sounds perfect for the Democratic Establishment that has so blurred the party's brand that garbage like Kellen Squire can call themselves Democrats and get away with it.





Although he's tried to clean up his website, originally he wrote on it that "I'm fervently and unashamedly pro-life. If it were up to me, I'd advocate for the addition of a plank to the Democratic party platform that we eliminate abortion in the Commonwealth of Virginia as soon as possible." You want that as an elected official of the Democratic Party? How about, "My idea of gun control is pretty simple-- you control your gun, I'll control mine. Gun control-- right? But, seriously, I'm an unabashed supporter of the Second Amendment. Like it or not, we have a Constitutional right to keep and bear arms, which the government must ensure."





He's told the local press that he decided to run as a Democrat because his opponent Bell is a Republican. He's the opposite of the kind of candidate Democrats should be electing, regardless of how "red" the district is. He should probably be primarying Bell if he doesn't like him. Needless to say, people are falling for his Republican-lite centrist claptrap. After all, he constantly uses his big brood of children as props in his political outreach, I've seen what happens when people like Kellen Squire get into office. You wind up with people like Joe Lieberman and Blanche Lincoln eventually destroying the agenda from within and wrecking the party in such a way that young voters start to say, "what's the difference?" The morons running Run For Something may not be aware there is one-- they endorsed Squire-- but there is and, as long as economic royalists are allowed to prey on the working class, there always will be. The Virginia Democratic Party would be better off going back to running no one against Bell than spending a dime to help Squire. Primary election day was June 13; it was uncontested-- just Squire... so there's no actual Democrat even running in November.
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Yesterday on ABC's This Week, Ohio Governor John Kasich dismissed the sweetener McConnell added to Trumpcare as a bribe/figleaf for mainstream Republicans-- $45 billion for opioid treatment-- for what it is: a bribe to "buy people off," people meaning Shelley Moore Capito of West Virginia and his own state's Rob Portman. "That would give me a billion over ten years? Not even quite that," said Kasich. "Its anemic. As I said to Senator Portman at one point, its like spitting in the ocean. Its not enough."





On Friday, Kasich was handed a two-year state budget passed in the Republican-dominated Ohio legislature-- the one elected in districts he helped gerrymander-- which is composed of 24 Democrats and 9 Republicans in the Senate and 65 Republicans and 34 Democrats in the House. Kasich used the line-item veto to kill a provision ending new enrollment in Medicaid beginning next year and another one that would have frozen Medicaid payment rates for hospital services and nursing home facilities for the next two years at the rates paid on Jan. 1 of this year.

Kasich has long been a strident defender on the national stage of preserving health care for the poor, particularly people in the shadows-- the drug-addicted and mentally ill. His veto faces potential override votes by legislators.



We have some disagreements, and well work through them, Kaisch said at the Statehouse bill-signing ceremony. We just dont think its the right way to proceed to withhold health-care coverage from the needy. We have 700,000 Ohioans who have been able to benefit from the expansion... we want to be in a position to help the mentally ill.

The House will attempt to override the veto on Thursday, which will take 59 votes. The Columbus Dispatch reported that "Democrats [in the legislature] portrayed the enrollment freeze as literally setting people up to die from a lack of health coverage."





Let me run some statistics by you. Obama won Ohio both times he ran-- in fact, the state was crucial to his two national victories. In 2008, he beat McCain 2,940,044 (51.38%) to 2,677,820 (46.80%), and in 2012 he beat Romney 2,827,709 (50.67%) to 2,661,437 (47.69%). Last year though Hillary got wiped out, seriously underperforming Obama while Trump did slightly better than both McCain and Romney. The final score was Trump 2,841,005 (51.69%) to 2,394,164 (43.56%).





after the CBO report came out on the Senate's TrumpCare proposal. The conclusions: Next is private polling from Save My Care that was semi-released yesterday. The data is national, not from just Ohio, although we'll get to Ohio in a moment. The reason I want to point out this poll is because it's thinly one available that was takenthe CBO report came out on the Senate's TrumpCare proposal. The conclusions:

 Support for the repeal bill has hit rock bottom-- facing intense opposition. After the CBO report, only 26% of voters support the repeal bill at all-- and only 8% strongly support it. On the other hand, 57% oppose it-- including 46% strongly opposing it.

 Senate Republicans can't defeat facts. Republican efforts to undermine the facts about their bill by attacking the accurcy of the nonpartisan experts' evaluations at the Congressional Budget Office isn't working. 42% of people believe the Congressional Budget Office rather than Senate Republicans, and only 9% believe Senate Republicans.

 The more people learn, the worse this gets for repeal. In just the first 24 hours, nearly 4-in-10 (39%) of voters had heard about the CBO's score. Among those who heard about it, it made 47% less likely to support it and only 12% more likely to support it.

 The American people are paying attention because they know the damage this bill could do to them and their families. 54% of voters believe this repeal bill would make their family either somewhat or much worse off while only 13% think it would make them better off.

 Voters want Congress to move on. By 57 points (75% v. 18%) voters want to "keep what worked in the Affordable Care Act and fix what doesn't" rather than repeal the Affordable Care Act in its entirety." Even among Trump voters, a majority (53%) want to "keep/fix" rather than "repeal" (40%).

 Abandon the promise to repeal. Voters want "Senators who promised to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act" to vote against repeal now because of the damage it will do rather than vote for it to keep their promise by a 25 point margin (59% v. 24%)-- almost the same as the margin within states that have Republican senators (58% v. 23%).
Cone Health will offer the class, Bariatrics: Surgical Options for Weight Loss, from 5:45 to 8 p.m. July 11 and July 18 at the Wesley Long Education Center, Classroom 1 in Greensboro.

This free class provides information about the risks and benefits of weight loss surgery, the costs and a pathway to help people make a lifestyle change.

To register, call 336-832-8000 or visit conehealth.com/classes.

Other Cone Health offerings include:

Natural Childbirth, 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays, July 11-Aug. 8, Womens Hospital Education Center. $75. 336-832-6682 or conehealthybaby.com/todo.

Daddy Boot Camp, 9 a.m.-noon July 15, Womens Hospital Education Center. $25. 336-832-6682 or conehealthybaby.com/todo.

Enduring Hearts left ventricular assist device support group, 5-6:16 p.m. July 17, Moses H. Cone Memorial Hospital, Heart and Vascular Center Conference Room. Free. Registration not required. 336-832-2718.

Five-Week Birth and Baby Series, 7-9 p.m. Tuesdays, July 25-Aug. 22, 3-5 p.m. Sundays, July 30-Aug. 27 and 7-9 p.m. Mondays, July 31-Aug. 28, Womens Hospital Education Center. $60 per couple. 336-832-6682 or cone healthybaby.com/todo.

***

Well-Spring Solutions is offering Aging with Wisdom from 10 to 11:30 a.m. July 12 at Temple Emanuel (rooms 201-202), 1129 Jefferson Road in Greensboro.

Jacqueline Kayler DeBrew and Tonya Rutherford-Hemming, both with UNC-Greensboros School of Nursing, will discuss some of the normal changes of aging as well as some unexpected issues people may confront. This interactive workshop also will incorporate some caregiver simulation training so participants can feel more prepared as these care needs arise.

Also, Normal vs. Abnormal Aging will be offered from 10 to 11:30 a.m. July 19 at First Presbyterian Church, Visitors Center Solarium, 617 N. Elm St. in Greensboro. Timothy J. Ainger, a neuropsychology fellow with Cornerstone Neuropsychology, will speak. Aingers research and clinical work have focused on various areas including neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimers disease and related dementias.

To register, contact Jodi Kolada at (336) 274-3559 or education@well-spring.org. Or visit www.ACEcare.org/registration.

Caregiver education sessions are offered at no charge, with contributions gratefully accepted. Let Kolada know a week prior to the class if care for a loved one is needed during this time as prior arrangements are required.

***

Ramping up its male-responsibility campaign to curb teenage pregnancy (there were nearly 10,000 teenage pregnancies in North Carolina in 2015), the Childrens Home Society of North Carolina is expanding its Wise Guys program, which targets teen males. The program teaches pregnancy prevention and encourages positive choices.

Wise Guys is now available in the following counties: Alamance, Forsyth, Gaston, Guilford, Iredell, Johnston, Lenoir, Mecklenburg, Randolph, Rockingham and Wayne. It is also in cities and towns in Arizona, Delaware, Idaho, Iowa, Louisiana and New York.

The program has been implemented in more than 320 communities nationwide.

***

Potent Potables at 115 E. Main St. in Jamestown will host the third annual Barbecue Cook-Off to support JDRF from 5 to 8 p.m. July 22.

Tickets are $20 in advance and $25 at the door.

All proceeds benefit JDRF, a global organization funding Type 1 diabetes research. Advance tickets may be purchased online at https://jdrfbbqcook-off.eventbrite.com.

***

Staff and students from High Point Universitys School of Health Sciences will do free health screenings at High Point Farmers Market on Saturdays.

Market hours are 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays through Oct. 26 in the parking lot of the High Point Public Library, 901 N. Main St. in High Point.

For information, call 336-689-4463.

***

The 29th annual Hospice Taste of the Town will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 15 at the High Point University Community Center, which has been relocated to the former Sears Call Center at Oak Hollow Mall.

Proceeds support Hospice of the Piedmont.

As in previous years, the event will feature local restaurants, caterers and beverage vendors showcasing their best dishes, a silent auction and tunes from DJ Wally West.

For information about participating vendors and sponsorship opportunities, call 336-889-8446 or visit www.hospiceofthepiedmont.org.

***

The Friends of the Randolph County Public Library and the Randolph Partnership for Children have launched the initiative, Randolph Books for Babies. The project is aimed at acquainting parents of newborns with the important role they play in their babies brain development and introducing parents to the resources available at their public libraries.

Dr. Frances Jones, incoming president president of the group, initiated and developed the project with RPC Literacy Specialist Shannon McCrary and hospital officials.

Trained volunteers will deliver specially designed Randolph Books for Babies kits to the families of newborns at Randolph Health (formerly Randolph Hospital). The kits, packaged in a tote bag, will include a board book for the baby, a library card, a reading blanket, a schedule of story times at the seven branches of the Randolph County Public Library and other library information and other items.

Jones raised almost $10,000 in contributions for the projects first year.

Fundraising efforts for year two and beyond are underway. For information information or to make a contribution, call 336-318-6814.

***

The C Diff Foundation will host a webinar, C. diff. Science from 8 a.m. to noon Sept. 14 to honor professionals dedicated to the scientific research and development in the Clostridium difficile community worldwide.

The foundation is a nonprofit organization, founded in 2012 by Nancy C Caralla, a nurse diagnosed and treated for Clostridium difficile infections.

To register for the webinar, visit http://cdiffscience.org/.
"This is a weblog that is truly welcome in blogtopia  a new blog doesn't seem to be frantically trying to score points for any party. That does NOT mean it's afraid to take a stand or be critical....You really can't predict exactly where The Debate Link will come down on all issues. It's not chanting anyone's mantra." -- The Moderate Voice "[A]n emerging genius in legal scholarship and commentary." -- Jim Chen "It's on my 1st cup of coffee rss feed." -- Hanno Kaiser "I heart this blog.... he referenced Wittgenstein, and it was entirely appropriate and non-pretentious." -- kath.A.rine "[F]unny, thoughtful, acclaimed ...." -- The Core
Back in February this year, Asus said Android Wear 2.0 for the Zenwatch 2/3 will arrive in early Q2.

Then, in mid-May, Asus UK said in a tweet that the Android Wear 2.0 update has started rolling out. However, that turned out to be untrue - the tweet was deleted and the company clarified that the update will arrive towards the end of the month. That also didn't happen.

Then, in the second half of June, Asus Germany said the update will start rolling out to the Zenwatch 2 in July, while the Zenwatch 3 will get it in August. This was followed by a tweet from Asus US, which said the Zenwatch 3 will start getting the update in the coming weeks. That tweet has also been deleted.

So currently, it's difficult to say when exactly the roll out would begin, and which wearable will get the update first. Let's hope the update arrives sooner than later.

Via | Asus Germany
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Haiti - FLASH : 94 shot dead for the first 6 months





In its report published on June 29, the National Network for the Defense of Human Rights (RNDDH), said to be "worried to the highest point" faced "the great deterioration of the security situation" in Haiti characterized by assassinations, lynchings, burglaries and police brutality... while the central government is constantly making statements to reassure the population about the decline in insecurity in the country, failing to be able to put an end to this growing insecurity...



The report indicates that for the period from January to June 2017, at least 94 people was shot dead in Haiti, an average of one death every 2 days. However, the RNDDH points out that "the Port-au-Prince metropolitan area remains the most dangerous place in the country where there is no a day without at least one case of assassination or physical assault being recorded."



A situation that sows fear within Haitian families. The RDNNH considers it its duty to take stock of this situation and report the facts in its detailed report and to recommend in particular to the authorities of the Superior Council of the National Police (CSPN):



To analyze the real and deep causes of this increase in insecurity and to intervene effectively in order to contain it ;



To take the necessary sanctions against the agents of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), who are guilty of police brutality and to send their files to the judicial authorities.



Download the investigation report of RNDDH (PDF) : https://www.haitilibre.com/docs/5-Insecurite-et-brutalites-policieres-29-Juin-2017.pdf (in french)



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - NOTICE : Moratorium on the granting of FM radio frequencies





The General Directorate of the Executive Body of the National Telecommunications Council (CONATEL) informs the interested parties that due to the saturation of the frequency band allocated to FM broadcasting and harmful radio interference, which interferes in particular with aeronautical communications, the following measures are adopted:



1 - A moratorium is granted on the granting of an operating license for an FM radio station in the Metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince;



2 - Licenses previously granted whose validation period comes to an end and for which the owner requests renewal, will be the subject of an in-depth technical analysis before the decision is taken;



3 - It is made injunction to stations operating without authorization of CONATEL to cease immediately the fraudulent use of radio frequencies. Otherwise, the Regulatory Body will to proceed to their closure notwithstanding the penalties provided for in Article 144 of the Decree of 12 October 1977 which stipulates that "Are punishable by imprisonment from one to three years and a fine of 1,000 to 5,000 gourdes those who, through negligence or recklessness, interferes or will have interfered, interrupts or interrupts, paralyzes or will have paralyzed telecommunications services. If the offense committed affects the Public Services as a result of fraudulent action, the maximum of the two penalties will be applied. In case of recidivism, they will be doubled."



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - Politics : After 5 years of blocking the Senate votes the law on the FNE





The Draft Law on the Organization and Functioning of the National Fund for Education, created under President Martelly in May 2011 https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-3034-haiti-education-launch-of-the-national-fund-for-education-fne-by-martelly-update-1h03pm.html was voted last Wednesday by the Senate after 5 years of blocking



Recall that the FNE had been ratified by the Chamber of Deputies 15 months after its creation (August 2012) and sent to the Senate for ratification in the same terms https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-12004-haiti-education-the-use-of-the-$220m-of-fne-still-blocked-by-the-senate.html . However, the majority opposition in the Senate blocked this ratification until the arrival of the new Moise-Lafontant Government.



The FNE, an autonomous body of unlimited duration, will operate under the supervision of the Ministry of Education and will be managed by a Director General. It will be endowed with a Board of Directors of 7 members from the Ministries of Economy, National Education, Planning and MHAVE, the sector of teacher unions, the National Federation of Haitian Mayors ( FENAMH) and the human rights sector.



The FNE will manage financial resources from various known and future sources, enabling the development and continuation of the education program for children and ensuring access to universal schooling.



However, the Bill having been amended in the Senate to take account eplicitly of needs of disabled people, it will be resubmitted to Lower House (shuttle) to be ratified in the same terms, before being transmitted to the Executive for publication in the official newspaper "Le Moniteur".



This fund currently funded by the diaspora by telephone charges of US $ 0.05 on each incoming minute https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-2993-haiti-education-it-s-not-a-tax-but-a-surcharge-on-the-tariff.html amounted in March 2017 to more than 142 million US dollars (142,263,932.38) https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-20383-haiti-news-zapping-politics.html Note that this amount does not include the US $ 1.50 fee charged to the incoming and outgoing funds transfers that are collected by the Central Bank (BRH). Today, the amount of this levy could be around 189 million [Under all reserve and based on a HL estimate calculated from the only known amount reported by the BRH for the period from June 2011 to August 2012 and based on a constant linear progression]



SL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





Death of the poet Serge Legagneur

On Thursday evening, June 29, the poet Serge Legagneur died of the consequences of a withering cancer. Born on January 10, 1937 in Jeremie he spent his childhood in this coastal town, also known as the "City of Poets", which he profoundly marked with his poetry. May his soul rest in peace.



Tourism : projects in the South

"The Ministry of Tourism will implement projects in the South Department," said Minister of Tourism Colombe Emilie Jessy Menos, in a press briefing, reiterating her support for Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs), citing as examples: Rehabilitation of sites and beaches damaged by the passage of Mathew and the signage project to facilitate access to the sites.



Words of DG of the PNH

"It is essential to fine-tune police practices so that the PNH is competitive in terms of knowledge, know-how and know-to-be," said Michel-Ange Gedeon, Director General of the Haitian National Police (PNH).



Insecurity : Appeal of the Collective December 4

The Collectif 4 December 2013 launched, on Thursday, 29 June, an appeal to the population to curb the insecurity that reigns throughout the national territory https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-21405-haiti-flash-94-shot-dead-for-the-first-6-months.html the Collective urges the population to unite in order to lead a total war against insecurity that takes on different dimensions: criminal, land, food, economic and road. In addition, he encourages the executive and the concerned bodies to take institutional measures to establish a safer environment.



BSEIPH : Report of the Technical Adviser Handicap

Odnel Eleazard, the Disability Technical Advisor to the Office of the Secretary of State for the Integration of Persons with Disabilities (BSEIPH), presented this week a report on its activities between July 2016 and July 2017. Objectives achieved, others delayed by the circumstances, the prospects of the Advisor are even greater in order to help the BSEIPH to achieve its objectives for the benefit of people with disabilities. The Bureau took the opportunity to thank Odnel Eleazard for his collaboration as well as "Konekte" and its partners who support this initiative.



Petit-Goave the Government donates 2 pumps

Saturday following a meeting held with the notables of Barrettes, a locality of the first municipal section of Petit-Goave, Carmel Andre Beliard, the Minister of Agriculture, accompanied by his Director General Branly Eugene and the agronomist, Jean Elie Philogene, West Regional Director, handed over 2 4-inch pumps to Wilnor Delicious, CASEC Coordinator and President of the Association of Irrigators of Barrettes (AIBA). HL/ HaitiLibre / Guyto Mathieu (Correspondant Petit-Goave)



Moise launches

On Saturday in the town of Les Cayes, President Jovenel Moise, accompanied by his wife Martine and President of the Chamber of Deputies Cholzer Chancy, officially launched the Caravan of Change in the Great South.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















Carlsberg acquires London Fields Brewery

By Lisa Riley

Carlsberg UK has grown its craft beer portfolio with the acquisition of London Fields Brewery as part of a joint venture with New York brewer Brooklyn Brewery.

Following the acquisition, London Fields Brewery will operate as an independent business within the joint venture, with its craft beer range becoming part of Carlsbergs core portfolio in the UK.

In addition, the range will form part of the Danish brewers House of Beers portfolio, which caters for premium venues across London and other major cities, and which already includes Brooklyn Brewerys craft beers.

With nurturing, London Fields Brewery had huge potential, said Julian Momen, Carlsberg UKs chief executive officer, adding the acquisition was the right move for us" as it build a credible craft portfolio.

Founded in 2011, Hackney-based London Fields Brewerys portfolio includes Craft Lager, Easy IPA and Shoreditch Triangle IPA. Currently brewed outside Hackney by a brewing partner, investment would be made to re-introduce brewing at its original home under the railway arches in Hackney, and to upgrade its tap-room and events space.

Brooklyn Brewery will, as part of the joint venture, work together with the London Fields Brewery's team to continue developing innovative, tasty and well balanced beers, said Eric Ottaway, chief executive officer, Brooklyn Brewery.

London Fields Brewery is surrounded by a thriving creative community that reminds us of home, and we're looking forward to becoming part of it."
Bulleit Bourbon gets new UK brand ambassador

By Lisa Riley

Diageo Reserve has appointed Jenna Ba as brand ambassador for its Bulleit Bourbon in the UK.

Bringing more than ten years experience of working behind some of Londons top bars, Ba had been brought on board to work with the on-trade to educate and inspire bartenders, while in the off-trade she would work with consumers providing tips on creating "world class drinks at home, said Diageo Reserve.

Starting her new role today, Ba most recently worked at Chiltern Firehouse and spent more then three years at The Brompton Club, which she credited as the bar that inspired her bartending style.

Having spent the last decade refining her skills and building an appreciation for how much the technique of staff, excellent service and a well thought out offering helped to create and develop an establishment, Ba has also in recent years worked extensively at brand events and activations for the industrys leading spirits brands, including Bulleit.



Ba said: Bulleit is such an amazing bourbon thats built on tradition and heritage but is also innovative  and thats sometimes a hard balance.
(The Business Insider) A credit trader at the London office of Eric Mindichs $7 billion New York hedge fund, Eton Park, which said about three months ago that it was shutting down, is looking to open his own firm, three sources with direct knowledge of the matter said.

Two of the sources said Anirudh Singh, 33, expected to raise at least $200 million for the fund, while one source put the potential launch capital at more than $100 million. Singh worked for Eton Park for roughly six years after a stint at Goldman Sachs, documents filed with Britains Financial Conduct Authority show. He is not de-registered from the firm.

To red this article:
Finland and Sweden are now members of the Joint Expeditionary Force (JEF). The British-led military force is a rapid response unit that can support NATO or UN troops anywhere in the world.

The two Nordic nations officially became part of the Joint Expeditionary Force in Stockholm on Friday, when Finnish Defence Minister Jussi Niinisto and his Swedish counterpart Peter Hultqvist signed an agreement with British Defence Secretary Michael Fallon. The latter called it a force of friends.

The JEF does not comprise of permanent troops, but instead each country is committed to offering units in the event of a crisis situation, whether that involves combat, deterrence or humanitarian support. Ground, air and naval forces are led by British commanders, while participating countries contribute specialist skills and troops.

Speaking about the agreement, Defence Minister Jussi Niinisto explained: Finland will not get any kind of security guarantee, this is not a military alliance. He went on to add that a potential crisis could be an epidemic, a natural disaster or a military matter.

Finlands decision to join the military force comes as the latest in a series of steps the country has taken to strengthen its cooperation with NATO, which is widely viewed as the result of Russias behaviour in the Baltic region.

Speaking in February, when the UK first invited Finland to join the expeditionary force, Niinisto was quoted as saying that Finlands military performance needs to be updated as a result of the current global security environment.

Dan Anderson  HT

Photo: TT / Lehtikuva / Janerik Henriksson
The Helsinki Police Department announced it will shut down the long-running protest of unsuccessful asylum seekers at Helsinki Railway Square on Friday, only a few days after the anti-immigrant counter-protesters were ordered to vacate the square.

Law enforcement authorities have taken action to alleviate bubbling tensions between two groups of protesters in downtown Helsinki.

The decision was made on grounds of security considerations. The reason was the recent unrest at Helsinki Railway Square, Heikki Kopperoinen, the deputy chief of police at the Helsinki Police Department, explained in a press release.

No further demonstrations will be allowed to take place at the square or in its immediate vicinity for the time being, according to the press release.

The equally long-running counter-protest  organised by a nationalist group called Suomi Ensin (Eng. Finland First)  was shut down over security concerns on Monday. Some of the protesters are suspected of involvement in a number of assaults that have taken place at and around the square during the course of the spring.

The protest had posed an immediate threat to the safety of citizens, and its organiser had failed to comply with an earlier police order to safeguard public order and safety, a police spokesperson reiterated on Friday.

The Helsinki Police Department also revealed that it has submitted new ground rules for the organisers of the other protest, Oikeus Elaa (Eng. The Right to Live). Any future protests, it stated, will have to take place between 8am and 9pm.

No protesting will be allowed between 9pm and 8am, its spokesperson said.

Outi Popp, a spokesperson for Oikeus Elaa, says she is unconvinced by the arguments of the law enforcement authorities, pointing out that the decision to shut down the asylum seekers protest was made on grounds of unspecified security threats.

The decision was made on grounds of sections 10 and 20 of the assembly act. The police also said the asylum seekers protest has caused no threat, impediment or disturbance to the residents, environment and property of the city during the 141 days [the protest lasted], highlighted Popp.

Aleksi Teivainen  HT

Photo: Markku Ulander  Lehtikuva

Source: Uusi Suomi
HENLEY Festival has brought back an enclosure for small boats at this years event.

The area was scrapped for last years festival after safety concerns were raised by the Environment Agency due the increasing popularity of the five-day event.

The festival also introduced new river and mooring conditions due to the severe crowding on the River Thames the previous year.

This upset some small boat owners, who said they would be unable to moor as normal as the agency insisted that only boat owners who had paid a mooring fee should be allowed into the enclosed festival mooring area.

For this years festival, which begins on Wednesday, an area will be created downstream of the floating stage.

Chief executive Charlotte Geeves told the Henley Standard that she wanted to make the festival as accessible as possible.

She said: We have created an area for unpowered craft and boats with inboard engines, boats that can bring their engines out of the water and those 20ft and under. They will be able to congregate in the area, which will be between the booms and the Berkshire bank. It wont go into the navigation channel.

What we would like to see is a donation to the Childrens Society, our charitable partner. We have said a suggested donation of 20 but it can be less, it can more. Its not enforceable.

The enclosure will be separate to the area where boat owners who wish to moor to the Berkshire bank pay a fee, which must be paid with the purchase of tickets.

Ms Geeves said: The festival has become more and more popular in recent years and in 2015 we had a small boats area where the boats were pushed into the navigation channel.

The Environment Agency was really worried about safety and in 2016 this area was removed for safety reasons.

We were advised by the agency and that it had caused a lot of unhappiness with the small boat people, so this year we created this new area. Because its on the bank side of the booms, the small boats are protected by the booms, so they will not be not pushed into the navigation channel, which the agency is happy with and the small boats are happy with.

Were going to try this to see if it works and what we would really appreciate is some constructive feedback after the festival from boat owners. If it doesnt, for whatever reasons, well improve it for next year.

We want the small boats at the festival but the most important thing for us is they are safe. We dont want an accident on the river.

Last year the festival said that boat users who had not purchased a mooring had to continue travelling up and down the river on the navigation channel. Dropping anchor was not permitted and the agency would move boats on.

Boat owner Dr Lisa Silver, of St Andrews Road, Henley, said: The only question I have is where the enclosure is. If its a long way down theres probably not much point hanging around there but if its closer I dont mind paying 20 to the charity.

The small boats are part of the festival. They make it look really fantastic and I think they bring a lot of atmosphere.

The small boats are largely people from Henley. It makes the whole thing seem that much more for the community.

I think the change is welcome and we can just see how it goes.
THERES one thing Kathy Lette wants to make crystal clear about her touring show, Girls Night Out.

The Australian-born, London-based author of bestselling novels such as How to Kill Your Husband (and Other Handy Household Hints), Foetal Attraction, and Nip n Tuck, scriptwriter, commentator, party girl and all-round bonne vivante is promising fun and frivolity but with feminism sewn through.

And while Girls Night Out is defiantly not a tirade against the male species, Kathy insists that they really do have to up their game a bit to force through true equality in society.

Men need to help us  they need to come to the barricades now. Things will only finally change when men think I did not want this for my daughter.

The show is a feminist rallying cry that were all in this together. But its not dogmatic  Im being funny with it.

Scientists tells us that laughter is innate and comes from the oldest part of the brain. Biologists tell us that laughing is really good for your health.

Anthropologists tells us that all around the world, in every culture, women laugh more than men especially in all-female groups.

Its a real male myth that women arent funny. When youre out on a girls night out, you often have to be hospitalised from the hilarity.

I think a lot of men are just terrified about what were being funny about. They think we spend the entire time talking about the length of their members, which is not true, as we also talk about the width, which, after childbirth is so much more important.

While Lette is offering the warmest of welcomes to any men who wish to attend her Girls Night Out, she feels compelled to add one proviso.

Well warn the men at my shows that therell be a man-sacrifice at the end of the evening: one of them will be stripped naked and covered in whipped cream to be licked off slowly. So long as they know that...

A man might well be served up as dessert, but for the shows main course Kathy has a lot to get off her chest as she reflects on her own life, the books she has written  including Mad Cows and Puberty Blues, which both made it on to the big screen  and the misogynistic hypocrisy that underpins much of western society.

Women are getting concussion from constantly hitting our heads against the glass ceiling, and were supposed to clean it while were up there.

Ill talk about the areas of life where women are second-class citizens, whether its in attitudes to sex where a sexually active man is still seen as a stud or lothario while a woman with the same sexual appetite is a tramp or tart.

Ill talk about all the sexism that comes into your life once you have babies, because even though women make up more than 50 per cent of the workforce theyre still doing around 99 per cent of the housework and childcare.

Men always say theyd love to help more around the house but that they simply cant multi-task. What a sexist biological cop-out that is, as theyd have no trouble multi-tasking at an orgy. Most mothers could be in the Moscow State Circus because they juggle so much.

While the mighty sword of satire means that Kathy can be swingeingly funny about such thorny social ills, there is one subject close to her heart that a path to humour has been more difficult to navigate.

Her autistic son Jules is an actor on Holby City, and while his success now is a source of much joy for both Kathy and her husband, the human rights barrister Geoffrey Robertson, his younger life at the hands of cruel schoolyard bullies made all their lives difficult.

After the interval Ill do a more serious section. By that time, Ive stripped off my emotional underwear  the show is a psychological striptease, after all  but then Ill share with the audience the one thing I havent really talked about much, my autistic son.

I get women to think about their husbands, their fathers, their sons. If theyre trainspotters or planespotters or if they put their records in alphabetical order compulsively or if theyre emotional bonsai and you need to put fertiliser on them to get any feelings out, then theres a good chance theyre on the autistic spectrum.

Raising an autistic child to be successful in their chosen field would be anyones idea of a fine achievement. Typically, Kathy has other notable feats to add to the list. Such as teaching her learned pal Stephen Fry a word he didnt know.

It was misogamist, which means a hatred of marriage. We had to get the OED down and I was very proud. Thats a career highlight.

She would also cheerily claim that being a writer-in-residence at the Savoy Hotel is also close to the top of her CV credits.

I have my own cocktail at the bar  the Kathy Cassis. We put a lot of research into that. I was sitting in the Savoy one night drinking a Kathy Cassis with the author Julian Barnes and said to him that I was really glad to have a cocktail named after me but I was slightly worried about the men who can go around town saying theyve had me. He said, Dont worry, Kathy darling  as long as they say you went down rather well. For him, that was so risque.

Risque, rude and a little bit raucous  three descriptions you could easily attribute to the talented Ms Lette. Her bawdy nature and love of words have gained her a faithful following that will be out in droves once her Girls Night Out tour is up and running.

The lovely thing about meeting my readers and fans is theyre so witty and warm and welcoming  they bring me amusing anecdotes theyve been saving up like little conversational doggy bags. We hug and often end up in the bar.

I do like performing but I never wanted to be an actor  I couldnt bear putting other peoples words in my mouth. Imagine! Where have those words been? Ugh! I have to write them myself.

I like to communicate and if I have a gift as a writer, its putting into words what women might be thinking but not have the chutzpah to say out loud.

Kathy Lettes Girls Night Out is playing at Norden Farm Centre for the Arts in Altwood Road, Maidenhead, on Wednesday (July 5).

The show starts at 8pm and tickets are 12. To book, call 01628 788997 or visit www.norden.farm

Girls Night Out is also touring to the North Wall Arts Centre in South Parade, Summertown, Oxford, on Friday, July 21. Showtime is 8pm and tickets are 12. To book, call 01865 319450 or visit www.thenorthwall.com.

The show is recommended for ages 16 and upwards. For more information, visit www.kathylette.com

Interview by Brian Donaldson
ELKO  Elko Federal Credit Union and KENV-TV recently awarded their 2017 Student Scholarships to four area high school seniors.

The Elko Federal Credit Union family congratulates Lizzy Andreozzi of Elko High School for winning the Student of the Year $1,000 scholarship, and Skylar Merschel of Spring Creek, Crystal Lake of Wells, and Dawnequa Stitzel of Carlin for each winning a $500 scholarship.

Each recipient was voted Student of the Month at the high school they attended during the 2016-2017 school year, then were selected to receive the scholarships by Elko Federal Credit Union and KENV-TV based on their accomplishments.

We are so proud of these young ladies, and wish them all the very best for the future, said John Kelly, CEO of Elko Federal Credit Union.

Founded in 1960 in its namesake of Elko, Elko Federal Credit Union is a not-for-profit financial cooperative with more than 14,000 members and $152 million in assets.
Brian O'Driscoll and Amy Huberman have been given the green light to extend their 1.8m Rathmines home.

The plans for the couple's new house appeared to stall last month when their neighbours lodged a complaint about the scale of the build, which they claimed was "overbearing".

However, Brian and Amy were granted planning permission by Dublin City Council on Friday.

Their next door neighbours, Donald and Isabel Fitzmaurice, have four weeks to appeal the decision to An Bord Pleanala.

The Fitzmaurices lodged an objection last month claiming that the proposed development would "be hugely detrimental to the amenity" of their home.

Declined

The couple said that, while they had been consulted in the early stages of the planning, their new neighbours had declined to amend their scheme to accommodate their concerns.

Brian and Amy splashed out less than half the 4.3m paid by the previous owners for their dream home on Palmerston Road.

The couple plan to demolish a small two-storey extension and replace it with a larger three-storey one that will allow for the creation of a new kitchen area, an additional bedroom and a study.

The couple, who are parents to Sadie and Billy, also plan to upgrade the facade and remove the PVC windows at the property.

The planner who gave the project approval said that the proposed extension was "well-reasoned" and "an appropriate development".

Speaking about decorating her new house, Amy has previously said: "It's an old house and it needs a lot of love.

"I want to stay true to the charm of the old house, but it needs to feel like it's a functional family home for the age we're living in, because everyone lived differently in Victorian times."

She added that she spends hours thinking about the design.

"I love subway tiles and I love vintage rugs, so even if it's a clean look with an old, faded rug, that's what I'm thinking of in my head," she said.
A man stopped for "aggressively" asking Dart passengers to buy packets of tissues has admitted unlicensed casual trading.

Pompilica Balteanu (22) was arrested after he approached "numerous" people with a sign asking them to buy the tissues.

Judge Michael Walsh put him on a bond to keep the peace for a year.

Balteanu, of Collins- wood, Collins Avenue, Dublin 9, pleaded guilty to casual trading last April 29.

Dublin District Court heard the accused was stopped by staff at Tara Street Station because he did not have a valid fare and refused to give his details.

Beggar

Balteanu, from Romania, had approached numerous passengers.

He was showing them pieces of paper reading "I am not a beggar... please help me, buy this napkin, thank you from the heart".

Balteanu, who had no previous convictions, maintained he was not aggressive and was merely going around the train, holding up a sign, said his solicitor Stephen O'Mahony.

He did not have money for a ticket. He had been offered work as a labourer but it fell through and what he was doing on the train was a "means to an end".
A mother-of-two punched her life-long friend repeatedly in the face after accusing her of "spreading gossip".

Sinead O'Connell (45) had been pals with Sandra McNeill before she attacked her in a drunken row on a night out, a court heard.

Ms McNeill said she spent weeks at home with severe bruising on her face following the assault, but forgave the accused.

Judge Anthony Halpin adjourned the case for a restorative justice programme report.

O'Connell, of Limekiln Green, Greenhills, pleaded guilty to assault causing harm.

Dublin District Court heard the incident happened at Whitehall Road West, Perrystown, on March 3 last year.

Gda Sgt Eimear Curran said the two women had been out drinking when they got into a row.

O'Connell accused the victim of spreading gossip about her and her family, became highly aggressive and hit the victim a number of times in the face with her fist.

The pair then shared a taxi home. The victim received texts of apology from the accused, who called to her home the next day to attempt to make amends.

Anxiety

Ms McNeill, who is also a mother-of-two, said she spent a number of weeks at home with bruising, and her young son "had to look at his mother like that".

She could not leave the house because of anxiety.

She understood that O'Connell was under stress herself, and asked Judge Halpin not to convict her.

"I forgive her, she was a good friend, we were friends all our lives," she said.

She added that she had been shocked as the accused had never struck her before and felt she had to go through with the case because she had been marked.

Defence solicitor Yvonne Bambury said O'Connell's immediate response was to apologise. She had never been in any kind of trouble before.

Judge Halpin said he thought the victim's wish for the accused not to be convicted was a "very charitable gesture".

He believed the friendship had not been "fully lost" and there was a lot of "mending here today".

Adjourning the case, he said a restorative justice programme "might ultimately result in mending some bridges".

He remanded the accused on continuing bail, to appear in court again in September.
Murray is spotted in his home town of Strabane after a Belfast judge ruled he was too ill to be extradited

Regency Hotel murder suspect Kevin 'Flat Cap' Murray has been spotted out and about in a wheelchair just weeks after a judge ruled he was too ill to stand trial.

The ruling was made because the 47-year-old's health was "deteriorating" and he was in a hospice.

Murray was seen in his hometown of Strabane in Co Tyrone at the weekend. He was pushed by a relative for 30 minutes.

He was diagnosed with motor neurone disease last year and has been receiving end-of-life care at the hospice.

Murray was allegedly hired by the Hutch gang for the hit on David Byrne in February 2016.

Lawyers

Just two months ago, a court heard that Murray was confined to his bed and was being fed through a tube.

A judge ruled that his rapidly deteriorating health meant he could not be extradited to the Republic of Ireland to stand trial for murder.

Murray's lawyers argued against his extradition on the grounds that he would be unlikely to stand trial given his condition. The extradition attempts were ended by Judge Patricia Smyth at Belfast Recorder's Court in May.

"I'm satisfied the only appropriate course I can take is to discharge the requested person," she said.

The court was told that Murray was being fed through a tube, had breathing difficulties and had limited power in his arms and legs. Counsel for the Irish State accepted the decision but sought a three-month adjournment in case his condition improved.

However, the judge said that, based on the doctors report earlier this year, it was clear "the requested person is dying".

She agreed that a renewed application for his extradition could be made if his condition changed.

The Regency shooting has lead to a wave of murders and attempted murders - including the deaths of two innocent fathers, Martin O'Rourke (24) and Trevor O'Neill - both of whom were shot dead in cases of mistaken identity.

A number of dissident groups, including the Real IRA and the New INLA, are believed to have taken sides and have been responsible for shootings as part of the feud.

Detectives investigating the shooting of James 'Mago' Gately - who escaped with his life when he was shot five times in May - have questioned a man with Real IRA links.

A source said: "He is a criminal but the RIRA [now the New IRA] would still be on the Hutch side of things."
Gardai seized 370,000 of various illegal substances in a six-week period earlier this year

Gardai heading one of the country's busiest drugs units are alarmed at the increase in the amount of crack cocaine hitting the capital's streets, saying the lethal drug is becoming a "huge problem".

Crack cocaine is highly addictive and causes its users to become extremely high, desperate and dangerous.

Officers from the North Central Divisional Drug Unit, based in Store Street Garda Station, have said that the potent drug, which can be smoked, has become a "huge problem" in Dublin's north inner city.

In one recent operation, they made a significant seizure of crack cocaine, which was "bagged" and ready to hit the streets.

Distribution

Sgt Ciaran Whelan and Sgt Eric Kelly, who are in charge of the two seven-person units, said that young Irish men were almost exclusively responsible for the distribution of crack cocaine in the area.

Expand Close Gardai seized 370,000 of various illegal substances in a six-week period earlier this year / Facebook

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In a six-week period earlier this year, the Drug Unit seized a staggering 370,000 of various illegal substances - which included crack cocaine valued at almost 50,000.

Only last week, the dedicated unit recovered 100,000 of heroin after carrying out an operation in the Dublin 1 area.

On February 27, more than 26,000 of crack cocaine was seized in a raid in the north inner city. More than 8,000 of cannabis was also recovered.

"We've seized more since. It [crack cocaine] is something we're seeing an increase of in the last year," Sgt Kelly told the Herald.

Sgt Whelan added: "Yeah, and not the way people normally thought, with foreigners [selling it]. These are a young Irish gang of lads who are cooking it, who are making it and who are selling it.

"I'd say you're talking close to 50k seized so far this year."

On March 31, gardai recovered more than 13,000 in crack cocaine after raiding an apartment in the Store Street district.

"It was ready to hit the streets," said Sgt Kelly. "They were bagged in certain deals and were ready to go down the ladder to dealers.

"It's worrying to see that there is so much crack and it's worrying to see that there is a demand for it there.

"It's one of those drugs people don't talk about or don't see as a problem. But it is - it's getting worse.

"Traditionally, it would be cannabis herb, grass, resin heroin. In the past year, there has been an increase in the seizure of crack cocaine in the division.

"It's a group of young lads that are doing it as a way of making money. They're still selling grass; you don't see them selling heroin, for some reason.

"It's probably dirty for them and they don't want to be seen as selling it in the area where they live. They wouldn't be users themselves," he added.

Huge

Asked how many lower-level and mid-level dealers were currently operating in the North Central Division, Sgt Whelan said it was difficult to categorise them at times.

"We seized 370k worth of drugs [in a six-week period]," he said. "That's a huge amount for a local unit.

"But we wouldn't sit down and say 'he's a mid-level drug dealer' or 'he's a lower-level dealer'. It's very hard to distinguish when you're talking about values.

"The last [crack seizure] was 15k worth of crack and 10k worth of cannabis.

"Some say that's a mid-level dealer, yet it's not. It's an individual who is being used and has very little to do with drugs, being targeted by a gang.

"You would think with that value to put her in that bracket. She's a nobody, being used by lads on the upper level.

"Even though she'll face the charges, she is really at the lower end, while the quantity is much higher."

Sgt Whelan previously revealed how the Hutch/Kinahan feud had made day-to-day operations more difficult, with an increased threat to officers.

"What's happened doesn't stop the day-to-day selling of drugs. It's still about making money. It has got more dangerous," he said.
Thomas Campbell was on his way to Miami with his family

A retired Dublin Bus driver is fighting for his life after suffering a stroke on a long-haul flight to Miami.

Dublin man Thomas Campbell (65) was on a nine-hour flight with his wife Margaret, his son, his daughter-in-law and his grandchildren when he became ill.

The former Dublin Bus and An Post employee was to spend one night in Miami before heading on a cruise to Orlando with his family.

Thomas's daughter Leonie Campbell told the Herald last night that her father remained in a critical condition in a Miami hospital.

Emergency

"He was only meant to be in Miami one night before heading on a cruise but, three hours from Miami, he suffered a stroke," she said.

"The staff on the plane were going to make an emergency landing in the Bahamas, but it would only have been 10 minutes shorter than landing in Miami, so we went ahead.

"He was without oxygen for a long time, so we weren't very hopeful."

Thomas, from Glencullen, Co Dublin, was rushed to the intensive care unit in a Miami hospital, where he underwent emergency brain surgery.

"They removed blood clots from his brain and the right side of his skull had to be removed, because his brain was swelling and bleeding so much," she said.

"He was completely unresponsive and wasn't talking or moving or anything."

After a second operation, the 65-year-old became responsive when his family played him some of his favourite music by Elvis Presley.

"He moved his thumb and then he began to improve," she said. "He started speaking and he could move his right side, but not his left."

The Dublin man, who will turn 66 in August, has six children, 11 grandchildren and four step-grandchildren.

"We all want to be out here with him, but we're taking it in turns," she said.

"It's so hard that something like this has happened so far from home. It took me nine-and-a-half hours on the plane to get to him."

The family is now fundraising to help raise money for Thomas's wife, Margaret, who has remained at his side.

"My mam needs accommodation and she could be here for months with my dad, because he won't be able to fly home for a very long time. We're trying to raise money to help her with her living expenses," said Leonie.

"The cruise was all-inclusive, and they had already bought the tickets for the Orlando theme parks, so they didn't have a lot of spending money on them. My mam has been putting everything on her credit card, so we're trying to help her."

Leonie said her dad was getting "the best care, probably better than he would have got at home".

"He's doing well. They don't really know what to expect, but he's getting great care," she said.

You can donate online by visiting gofundme.com/thomas-campbell.
The Kinahan cartel is offering hitmen 150,000 to kill top target Patsy Hutch - because he is so well protected by gardai.

Potential assassins, including one Dublin-based criminal, are asking for the huge fee to take out Gerry 'The Monk' Hutch's 57-year-old brother because of the security surrounding him.

"Patsy remains the top target for the Kinahans," a source told the Herald yesterday.

"They would pay between 100,000 and 150,000 to take out Patsy, mainly because they can't find Gerry, and they see him as the next best thing.

"The problem is that Patsy is being watched like a hawk by gardai due to the threat to his life - he's almost impossible to take out thanks to the work of the guards, hence the massive price on his head."

The cartel is also willing to splash the cash on other Hutch associates, including James 'Mago' Gately and convicted killer Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch.

Enemies

The Herald can reveal the prices the murderous Kinahan cartel, who are responsible for 10 of the 12 feud murders to date, is willing to pay to wipe out their hated enemies in the Hutch mob.

Some targets do not have such high prices on their heads, and the Kinahans are offering as little as 5,000 to take out what they consider low-level members of the Hutch gang.

"They see some gang members as low-hanging fruit and are only willing to pay about five grand to have them taken out," a source said.

"Cartel boss Daniel Kinahan's desire to have Hutch family members and associates murdered has not waned in the slightest in the past few months, hence the high prices on the heads of Patsy and Mago."

Daniel is said to be "fuming" at the murder of Kinahan cartel associate Michael Keogh in May, believing it makes the cartel look weak.

He is said to be putting it out there that they are willing to pay massive money to take out Hutch mob members, associates and even innocent family members.

Patsy remains the prime cartel target in Dublin, mainly because his brother Gerry is travelling around Europe in a bid to avoid being taken out by the Kinahan gang.

Gardai are stationed near his home on Champion's Avenue in the north inner city on a 24-hour basis due to the level of threat against him.

Patsy has survived at least two attempts on his life since the Regency Hotel murder of David Byrne in February last year, and only two weeks ago two men were arrested near to his house. A gun, gloves and a can of petrol were also seized in what gardai believe may have been an another attempt on his life.

Patsy's son, Derek 'Del Boy' Hutch, who is currently in jail for manslaughter, has been targeted behind bars on two occasions since the feud erupted.

Both times, the killer and armed robber was savagely beaten, but had his life saved by fellow prisoners.

Easier

Del Boy would still be a major target for the cartel. A source told the Herald: "Just because he's locked up doesn't mean they don't want to kill him.

"In fact, him being in prison makes it easier for him to be attacked in some ways. He's not safe in jail or out of it."

Gately, a close pal of murdered mobster Gary Hutch and his brother Del Boy, is the second target for the cartel.

Feared criminal Gately (30) was shot by a cartel hitman in May.

He was struck four times in the chest, but the bullets lodged in the bullet-proof vest he was wearing. Another bullet hit him in the neck.

Speaking from his hospital bed with a bullet lodged in his jaw only days after being shot, Gately told gardai: "I'm not going down without a fight."

But the main target for Daniel Kinahan and his cartel killers remains Gerry Hutch.

The veteran criminal narrowly escaped an apparent attempt on his life on New Year's Eve 2015, only a few weeks before the Regency attack.

Two gunmen wearing balaclavas burst into a pub in Lanzarote where he had been drinking only seconds before.
A search is being carried out in Canada for a Co Mayo man who went missing while swimming with friends.

David Gavin (26) failed to surface when he dived off a bridge in British Columbia on Friday afternoon.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police immediately launched a search-and-rescue operation in the Kinbasket Lake area.

Mr Gavin, who is from Castlebar, moved to Canada only a few months ago to start a new job.

Family

Police contacted his family, who were expected to arrive in Canada last night.

His parents work for Mayo County Council and the family is said to be well-known.

Mr Gavin was a member of Breaffy GAA.

The Department of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: "The department is aware of an incident in British Columbia involving an Irish citizen.

"Our embassy in Ottawa is liaising closely with the local authorities."
William Shakespeare is back in the news. (Question: Was he ever out of the news?)

The occasion, of course, is by now well-known: The New York production of Julius Caesar in which Caesar is portrayed by an actor who looks like President Trump.

You dont need to know the play to know what happens: Caesar gets stabbed to death.

This has excited much uproar, none of it for the usual theatrical reasons. Instead, many conservatives cite this as liberals stirring up hostility toward the president  and indirectly inciting violence. Delta Airlines has pulled its corporate sponsorship of the play. At least one protestor has stormed the stage. The production has become a talking point for commentators across the land. What hasnt gotten as much attention is this: There is a long theatrical tradition of using Julius Caesar to comment on the politics of the day.

Orson Welles starred in a famous 1937 production that set the play against the backdrop of Nazi Germany and fascist Italy.

In 2015, a theatre in Providence, Rhode Island, cast Caesar as a woman with a fondness for wearing white pantsuits. Who does that remind you of? Needless to say, she got stabbed to death, too, right on schedule in Act 3, Scene 1.

In 2012, a theatre in Minneapolis, Minnesota, cast a lanky, African-American actor as Caesar. Just in case that wasnt enough to remind audience members of Barack Obama, the actor playing Cassius was said to look a lot like then-House Majority Leader Eric Cantor and the actor playing Casca bore a striking resemblance to Mitch McConnell.

Where was the outrage then? There simply was none. On the contrary, The American Conservative magazine praised the production. The play is riveting, the magazine exuded. So what, then, should we make over the current controversy over a production that, in historical context, is really quite unremarkable?

There are two obvious answers, which well pose in the form of questions:

Are Trump supporters who are upset over the play in Central Park simply being hypocritical? They like to employ the quite beautiful word snowflake as a derisive epithet toward liberals who, in their view, simply arent tough enough to take any criticism. Is it possible that they are being the overly-sensitive souls here? Where were they when those productions showing the stabbing of Obama and Hillary Clinton  and lots of other politicians before them  were going on?

Are Trump supporters simply betraying their own ignorance? Shakespeare has Caesar stabbed midway through the play, then proceeds to show why that was a bad idea  Rome falls into civil war. Rather than advocating assassination, the play actually makes the opposite case. Some have suggested that the controversy shows why we need more arts education in our schools.

Theres a whole Internet of commentary out there addressing those questions, pro and con, so well pose another, which we havent seen anywhere else: Have times changed so much that maybe what was acceptable, even clever, before isnt appropriate now?

Shakespeare wrote 38 plays (maybe 39 if you believe the recently-discovered and uncredited Cardenio is really his work, as well). There are probably more studies than that showing how Americans are retreating into their partisan camps and instinctively distrusting anyone on the other side. A recent CBS Poll found that 68 percent of Americans believe the tone and civility of American politics is getting worse  and, even more worryingly, 73 percent believe it is encouraging some to violence.

The pollsters also asked respondents what they think of those on the other side: Generally speaking, do you feel they are just people you disagree with as part of regular political arguments, or are they people you consider a threat to your way of life?

Among Republicans, 21 percent said those they disagreed with were a threat to their way of life. Among Democrats, the figure was 25 percent. Is it any wonder then that a Bernie Sanders supporter tried to kill a bunch of Republican members of Congress? The shooter may not have had just the ones on that Alexandria ballfield in mind, either. The gunman had a list of six other congressman  including Rep. Morgan Griffith, R-Salem.

Might we suggest that its not a good thing for the country if nearly a quarter of each party thinks the other party is a threat to your way of life?

The shooting brought only a temporary respite from divisive rancor  and then partisans on both sides were back to blaming the other for the coarsening tone of American politics. Each side is half right. Everybody is to blame. Who started it? To borrow a phrase from the person that Democrats think ought to be president: At this point, what difference does it make?

The more important question is who will break the cycle? We know who could: Voters could. Why do campaigns resort to what is typically called negative campaigning? The answers easy: Because it works. We could blame the politicians and their consultants for going negative, but thats complaint is misplaced. The real problem is voters who are too easily manipulated by political tactics they claim to despise. If voters failed to reward those politicians with their votes  and punished them instead  perhaps wed see things change.

Thats easy to say, much harder to practice. Lets say youre a partisan for one side. Maybe your candidate has gone negative and you dont like that. But whats your alternative? Youre not going to vote for the other party, even if his or her tone is more civil. Ultimately, it may be up to voters on each side to police their own  but police them they could. Likewise, politicians ought to be calling out some of their supporters who go too far. Moreover, people could just turn off some of those more outrageous talking heads on television.

A lot of political language is metaphorical. We talk about campaign war rooms. Democrats talk about how they form the resistance to Trump. Trump calls major news organizations the enemy of the people. The stabbing of a Trump-lookalike in Julius Caesar, like the stabbing of Clinton and Obama lookalikes before him, is meant to be metaphorical.

Sadly, if nothing changes, we may no longer be living in a metaphorical age.
With no path to win, Mastriano still silent on conceding blowout loss

The Trump-allied Republican is still silent about his 14-point thumping. He instead trashed Shapiro on a Veterans Day post: "You never served a day."
Once again surrogacy is a hot topic in Spain. Under the Assisted Reproduction Act, surrogacy contracts are legally void (although they are not explicitly prohibited, meaning that there are no sanctions for the parties involved). In recent years there has been a rise in the number of couples heading abroad to find a surrogate mother  to places like Mexico , Greece, Ukraine, Canada and the United States. Faced with a growing trend, political parties are being forced to take a stand on the issue  if they can ever overcome their own internal divisions.

Surrogacy is a controversial and largely unregulated issue in Spain. GETTY

Although no official figures exist, if the estimates are correct, international surrogacy has overtaken overseas adoption as the choice for would-be parents in Spain.

Spains political parties have been slow to react to a trend that shows no signs of going away. And so far, their responses have mostly served to reflect deep internal divisions over a thorny issue still largely unregulated.

Only Ciudadanos, the recently emerged protest party that grew out of Spains economic crisis and is now the fourth largest presence in Congress, has committed to a clear position.

Its not right that people need to spend $150,000, take out a mortgage and go to the US in order to be a father or a mother

Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera

On Tuesday of last week, Ciudadanos introduced a bill in Congress to regulate altruistic surrogacy. Under the proposed terms, only women between the ages of 25 and 45 holding Spanish citizenship or legally resident, from a stable socioeconomic background and with children of their own would be eligible to become surrogate mothers in Spain.

Who are we to tell other people that they cant be parents? asked Ciudadanos leader Albert Rivera at a party rally on a recent Saturday. Who are we to prevent someone from forming a family through clear, precise and altruistic regulation?

The bill also envisions fines of up to 1,000 for minor violations, going all the way up to 1 million for serious infractions such as paying the surrogate mother for anything other than out-of-pocket expenses stemming from pregnancy and childbirth.

An uphill struggle

But Ciudadanos, which has 32 deputies in the 350-seat house, faces major hurdles in making its project a reality. None of the three other major parties in Congress  the ruling Popular Party (PP), the Socialist Party (PSOE) and Podemos  openly support surrogacy, and internal divisions exist within the parties themselves.

Assisted Reproduction Act Article 10 of the Assisted Reproduction Act says that any contract arranging for a woman to carry a child, either for a fee or not, and surrender the child at birth will be legally void. Kinship will be determined by childbirth, meaning the woman who gave birth to the baby will be considered the mother by default, although it is possible to claim paternity rights as per the general rules.

Pablo Casado, a communications spokesman for the conservative PP, said on Monday the position of the party is one of prudence.

Irene Montero, who speaks for the leftist coalition Unidos Podemos, called surrogacy the commercialization of a womans body, although she also admitted that there are varying viewpoints within her political group, and that an internal debate on the issue is taking place.

Meanwhile, the main opposition party has just shut the door on the possibility of legally regulating surrogacy. At the PSOE congress in mid-June, the Spanish Socialists decided that they cannot embrace any practice that means undermining the rights of women and young girls or reinforcing the feminization of poverty.

During the campaign for party primaries earlier this year, the newly re-elected secretary general Pedro Sanchez had openly opposed surrogacy.

Surrogacy laws in Greece, where the practice is allowed.

I am not in favor of using the female body for prostitution, for trafficking or for surrogate motherhood, he said.

Instead, Sanchez wants to restore assisted reproduction services in the public health system, eliminating the limits established by the PP government.

At the same time, there are segments within the PSOE that defend surrogacy, notably the groups Juventudes Socialistas (Socialist Youth Groups) and LGBTI.

But Ciudadanos will have more than other parties to contend with. Also on Tuesday of last week, around a hundred civil society representatives belonging to the Platform for Liberties asked congressional groups to vote against the bill.

Meanwhile, the Spanish Bioethics Committee, which answers to the Health Ministry, took a clear stand against surrogacy in mid-May, proposing an international regulatory framework that would ban this type of contract in order to guarantee the dignity of woman and child.

But the chances of the Spanish government securing an international resolution banning surrogacy globally are very low. The committee also suggested sanctions for surrogacy agencies in Spain. A recent surrogacy fair in Madrid was protested by feminist groups.

Facts on the ground

While politicians and experts debate the pros and cons of surrogacy, the facts on the ground keep piling up.

Hundreds of Spaniards undertake trips every year to fulfil their wish to become parents. If everything goes well, they will work with agencies of varying trustworthiness. These, in exchange for money, will hire women who are willing to undergo hormonal treatment, carry another persons baby to term and promise to give it up after childbirth. These women are typically from poorer countries  Mexico, Ukraine, Thailand  though not always.

I am not in favor of using the female body for prostitution, for trafficking or for surrogate motherhood

PSOE leader Pedro Sanchez

The Swiss-based International Social Security Association estimates that every year, surrogate mothers give birth to around 20,000 children worldwide. Agencies and parents estimate that between 800 and 1,000 go on to live with Spanish parents, but there are no official figures.

There are numbers, however, for international adoptions by Spaniards, and these have dropped from 5,541 in 2004 to 799 in 2015. The Spanish Health Ministry offers several reasons for this fall, including better child protection in the countries of origin.

Instead of the international adoption process, which can take up to eight years, it seems that those wanting to be parents are more frequently opting for the quicker route and paying between 60,000 in Russia or up to 120,000 in California  one of 14 US states where the practice is legal.

Babies in limbo

The trouble starts when couples who go abroad an association called Son Nuestros Hijos (They Are Our Kids) estimates there are 500 to 1,000 each year  register the newborns there, then return to Spain, where the kinship document must be validated.

In 2010, the Directorate-General of Registrars and Notaries allowed these children to be officially registered in Spain to ensure they would not be left in a legal limbo, but later court rulings have made this process more complicated.

Children cannot be left waiting at the doors of a civil records office, said Ciudadanos Rivera, acknowledging the problem. Its not right for those children not to get registered, or to have trouble doing so, depending on what province they live in. Its not right that people need to spend $150,000, take out a mortgage and go to the US in order to be a father or a mother.

English version by Susana Urra.
HICKORY  Kind, supportive, professional  these words describe David Boone, a longtime friend and advocate of many Catawba County residents.

Boone announced his retirement as the chief financial officer (CFO) of Catawba Valley Medical Center (CVMC) in June and officially retired June 30.

I came to Catawba in 1984, and when I arrived, there were no personal computers; we typed financial statements and budgets on an IBM selective typewriter, Boone said. There were no fax machines, no email and certainly no Internet.

During his 32-year tenure at CVMC, Boone has seen many changes to equipment and the facility itself.

We have had a construction trailer at this hospital most of the years that I have been here, working on some project or another, Boone said. The most recent would be the (Patient) Pavilion, and I am very proud of that project.

The Patient Pavilion houses the Comprehensive Cancer Center and Center for Women and Children, which contains the expanded 15,000 square feet Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). The $34 million project was managed by Boone.

(The Pavilion) certainly met a community need. It has a support space for staff and families, Boone said. The other part of that project was oncology, which included outpatient and an inpatient oncology unit.

Boone passes the credit of the Pavilion to CVMC President and CEO Tony Rose, who in turn, has appreciated Boones work.

David has been an invaluable asset to the medical center, the community and to me, Rose said. I have had the unique pleasure of working with David for most of my career, and while Ill be forever grateful for his integrity and dedication, I wish him all the best upon retiring.

Aside from CVMC, Boone is involved in the Rotary club of Newton-Conover and has served on numerous boards.

Right now, I am on the CVCC Board and enjoy that very much, Boone said. That is an amazing institution in itself.

Boone has been involved in United Way, Catawba Valley Community College, PACE@Home, Rotary Club and other professional boards.

In October 2016, Boone was named to the Order of the Long Leaf Pine, considered the highest honor the governor can confer. The award recognizes citizens for their exemplary service and outstanding contributions to North Carolina and the community.

Ive tried to be involved in the community. It is my personal desire to give back to the community and I feel like someone in my position certainly needs to do that, Boone said. My expertise is in the finance field, and there are a lot of struggling, nonprofit organizations out there and a lot of it is related to finance, so I do feel like I have been able to assist in that field.

Sherry Butler, a member of the same Rotary club and a member of Catawba Countys Board of Commissioners, can attest to Boones giving traits.

David is one of the kindest people you will ever meet, Butler said. He works behind the scenes, doesnt want any attention for his work and is just a great guy.

Butler said Boone always volunteers for fundraising and service projects the Rotary Club is involved with, which includes a back pack program and the Stop Hunger Now project.

David is always willing to help anyone in rotary and gives back as much as he can, Butler said He is also very involved with his church, First Presbyterian in Newton.

Catawba County Commissioner Barbara Beatty served on the CVMC Board and has worked alongside Boone on multiple occasions.

David is supportive of any health care initiative, Beatty said. He is a great financial advisor and a great leader.

Beatty said Boone has always had a knack at knowing the next steps in project processes, which has translated to Beatty well.

I dont know what else you could say about someone involved with the community for 30 years, Beatty said. He comes from good stock.

Boone accredits his successful career to the ones who have helped him with every step in life  his parents.

Im blessed to still have my mom and dad; my dad is 91 and my mom is 89. They taught me values like honesty, Boone said. I think that is somewhat undervalued in society today.

Boone said his parents taught him how to be trustworthy, keep commitments, have respect for others and be prepared.

If I have been successful, which I think is debatable, I think those are some of the values that have helped me, Boone said.

Giving credit to his mentors, Boone said he could not have made it as far without them

Certainly Tony Rose is at the top of that list, but also we have had incredible board members here at Catawba Valley Medical Center and they have impacted my life, Boone said. I feel so blessed to have been around a group of fantastic people.

The chairman of CVMCs Board of Trustees, Ron Lindler, was one of those mentors who worked alongside Boone for 28 years.

David is loyal, dedicated and in all the year that I have served on the board I dont ever remember him being anything other than highly professional, well qualified and always on top of all the functions that were under his responsibility at the hospital, Lindler said.

Lindler said during his tenure, Boone has done an exceptional job in making sure the hospital was financially positioned to be able to serve the community with appropriate health care services.

He is a close friend and I am very grateful to have worked with David for the last 28 years and watch him excel, Lindler said.

A former board member, Steve Ikerd also can attest to Boones professionalism and accuracy.

David did an amazing job, there was never a slip up and audits were done with the utmost care, Ikerd said.

Ikerd said while he was on the board, there was $90 million in expansion funding, all of which was handled by Boone.

There could not have been anyone better to do the job, Ikerd said. He had a large staff to oversee. We are proud of him, he is a good friend and we still hold on to that today.

As Boone reminisces about the past 30 years, he said he is obviously proud of CVMC.

I am just one member of an incredible team; I dont want credit for anything, but I am proud to be part of this team, Boone said.

Boone said he is especially proud CVMC has remained an independent hospital, which sets it apart from the rest.

We are one of less than ten in the state that is still independent, Boone said. I think its important for the community to have an independent hospital, because then the community helps set the direction as to what happens.

Throughout his time with CVMC, Boone said the medical center has never wavered in their mission.

One thing I would want Catawba citizens to know is that I believe CVMC is a tremendous asset to the community, Boone said. You can find bigger medical centers in Charlotte and Winston, but you cant find a better medical center than Catawba Valley Medical Center.
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With Prime Minister Narendra Modi all set to land in Tel Aviv on Tuesday , India has finally de-hyphenated its relationship with Israel and Palestine, engaging with the two arch-rivals separately and on mutually beneficial terms.

PM Modi has already made a political statement by choosing to stay in Jerusalem, on which Palestine has claims, for all the three days and only going to Tel Aviv for the Indian community event. He is expected to visit Yad Vesham, the Holocaust Memorial, and a trip to the Wailing Wall in the old city was not ruled out. He will be staying at King David Hotel, the same suite as US President Donald Trump during his May 2017 visit.

The political message of the trip is clear  the ruling dispensation is no longer queasy in dealing with Israel as was the case in the past. Whether this queasiness was due to possible impact such relationship would have on domestic politics or on the vast Indian diaspora is a matter of perception. India realises Israel is no longer a pariah with Jerusalem having a working relationship with conservative states such as Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates.

Read | Modis Israel visit: Defence and fighting terror are pillars of bilateral ties

Although India has been a committed supporter of the two nation theory, with Palestine being a separate entity, national security watchers rue the fact that none of the Arab countries oppose the Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) passing resolutions on Kashmir year after year.

Much to Indias chagrin, the Iranian supreme leader Ali Khameneis tweet on Eid-ul-Fitr (June 26) exhorted Shia Muslims to rise against the so called tyranny in Bahrain, Yemen and Kashmir.

The Kashmir linkage has not gone well with Raisina Hill and India has made its displeasure known to the concerned quarters through diplomatic channel.

While Modi will be the first Indian PM to visit Israel after PM Ariel Sharon came to India during Vajpayee regime in 2003, New Delhi is more focused on the economic benefits of the visit and is not out to score political points with the Middle East teetering from one crisis to other.

Rather than get bogged down by age old intractable political issues, PM Modi is focused on bilateral trade, top end agricultural technologies and regional security in context of Islamic State and other non-state players. He understands the clout of the Jewish community in global financial markets and a good word from them could lead to long term economic benefits for India.

(The views expressed are personal.)

Read | PM Modis visit to Jerusalem: Defence still top priority in India-Israel ties

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As the standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the India-China-Bhutan tri-junction continues, it is important to take a step back and look at the problem through the prism of the larger foreign-policy stakes for India at play. The available details at the time of writing are patchy and buried in claims and counterclaims, very few of which can be verified by non-governmental analysts. Compounding this problem is an attitude of been-there-done-that bravado among a section of the strategic community in Delhi who seek to downplay the standoff as yet-another-round of jostling between India and China. But the fact of the matter is that the current impasse has a completely different geopolitical contour with far-reaching consequences for Indias (often understated) grand strategy of regional primacy.

Rising beyond minutiae, the gist of the current standoff is simple. It has been implicitly accepted by the Chinese as such and explicitly highlighted by the Indian foreign office and defence minister. Both sides seem to agree that the geographical locus of the dispute lies in a small sliver of land in the Doklam region, claimed both by China and Bhutan. (The settled Sikkim-Tibet border is a red herring.) Faced with Chinese road construction on territory it considers sovereign, the government of Bhutan allowed Indian troops present in the area in the Sikkim sector to resist this encroachment, triggering the ongoing stand-off.

The road through Doklam could allow the Chinese to further run roughshod over a key precept of Indias foreign policy. As strategist C. Raja Mohan described it in a 2006 article, it has been that of an [Indian] veto over the actions of outside powers in South Asia, thereby establishing Indian primacy in the region. While India eschews enunciation of a South Asian Monroe Doctrine that would demarcate Indias sphere of influence in southern Asia, recent Chinese actions have clearly sought to negate any future Indian move to consolidate its position as South-Asias pre-eminent power.

Whether it is constructing roads through Pakistan-occupied Kashmir or drowning Sri Lanka in debt in order to gain eventual political leverage, Chinese push-back of Indian influence  and interests  in the region in the recent years has been alarming. Knowledgeable analysts now speak of pernicious Chinese influence in the domestic politics of Nepal. China wants to fund new ports in Bangladesh, some of which have dual-use potential. It is China that wants to circumscribe the foreign-policy choices of Indias smaller neighbours.

Enter Bhutan. It does not have formal diplomatic ties with China. Its military is close to non-existent. Through the 2007 Friendship Treaty, India serves as a virtual security guarantor of Bhutan. Bhutan on its part has allowed Indian nationals unfettered access to its territory which is not the case for, say, Americans. Most importantly, unlike Nepal in the recent years, it has carefully avoided playing its two behemoth neighbours against each other. One could argue that the closest India has ever come to being a mutual security ally of any country, albeit tacitly and informally, is with Bhutan. Of course, a less charitable reading  one that the Chinese seem to have in mind  is that of Bhutan as an Indian protectorate.

Whatever be the interpretation, one of the key Chinese objectives in initiating the Doklam standoff seems to be testing Indias resolve to stand by Bhutan. It should be an Indian imperative to not fold in this trilateral poker, for doing so has two far-reaching consequences. One, should India stand down, Bhutan will receive a message that its policy of relying only on India has not borne fruit. In that event, Bhutan will be tempted to open up to China by establishing formal diplomatic ties. China  having cornered Bhutan in face of an absentee protector  will invariably seek to change territorial facts on the ground as the cost of its detente with that country. This, in turn, will change the subtle balance of forces in the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction in favour of China further imperilling the strategically-sensitive Siliguri Corridor.

Two, if India was to abdicate its responsibilities towards Bhutan, Indias other neighbours will, in effect, be told that Indias bark is far worse than Indias bite  and that relying on India as a countervailing force to the Chinese juggernaut is foolish. That surely cannot be good for Indias elusive pursuit of regional primacy. Aspiring hegemons do not abandon allies.

Abhijnan Rej is a Fellow at the Observer Research Foundation

The views expressed are personal
Italy is asking its closest European partners  with Spain at the top of the list  for help dealing with the migrant crisis. The idea is for some of these vessels, which come mostly from Libya, to be taken to ports elsewhere in the union. At present, most of the rescued migrants end up on Italian shores.

Rescued migrants wait to disembark in Catania, Italy. ORIETTA SCARDINO (EFE)

Spain has expressed solidarity with Italys plight, but warned that any solution to the problem must taken at the European Union level, not bilaterally.

After the EU signed a deal with Turkey in 2016, migrant and refugee flows to Greece dropped drastically. The central route has switched to Italy, which is currently dealing with 86% of migrant arrivals, compared with 9% for Greece and 4% for Spain.

Of the nearly 97,000 migrants who have arrived in the EU via the Mediterranean so far this year, 83,650 of them have landed in Italy, according to United Nations figures.

The Commission will support what I would call a heroic effort to handle this challenge. Italy will not be alone

EC President Jean-Claude Juncker

Europe lacks the mechanisms to handle these migrants. The refugee-sharing plan designed by Brussels two years ago only covers textbook refugees, meaning basically Syrians, Eritreans and Iraqis.

But most of these new arrivals hail from sub-Saharan Africa, and even though they are fleeing poverty and hardship in their countries, they do not fit the definition of asylum seeker. So Italy cannot include them in the EU program.

After rescuing 10,000 people in just three days, Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni threatened not to let in any more ships from Libyan waters. This made EU institutions sit up and take notice.

But Spanish diplomatic sources are skeptical about Italys proposed solution.

Sharing out the immigrants among southern countries is not the solution. We need a European response to an exceptional situation, like the EU did with the crisis of the refugees arriving in Greece, said these sources.

Spanish diplomats also noted that Spain is already dealing with immigration from Morocco, Algeria and the Atlantic coast of Africa, even if the volume is much smaller.

Opening Spanish ports to these new migrants would force Spain to establish what the EU designates as hotspots (where migrants get classified and receive assistance). Most are undocumented, making repatriation very difficult.

These same sources cited an informal meeting of European justice and interior ministers scheduled for July 7 in Estonia, and an international conference called by Italy in Rome for July 6.

Meanwhile, the European Commission supports the idea of Mediterranean neighbors helping each other. Italy and Greece cannot be left alone. The Commission will support what I would call a heroic effort to handle this challenge. Italy will not be alone, said EC president Jean-Claude Juncker.

English version by Susana Urra.
Filmmaker Vipul Shah is set to make his directorial comeback after a hiatus of seven years. His last outing as a director was Action Replayy (2010) with Akshay Kumar, the star with whom he has made a total of six films. Ever since news broke that Vipuls next film will be titled Namastey England, it is being talked about as the sequel to his 2007 hit Namastey London, also starring Akshay. However, the filmmaker refutes this speculation, insisting that its a totally fresh script and a new story. Theres a possibility of the title working out really well, but its not a sequel.

Furthermore, there are reports suggesting that Vipul was keen on working with Akshay again, but that the actor has opted out of Namastey England because of his current focus on doing very meaningful cinema and not taking up many typical masala films. The same report also suggested that Vipul has roped in Arjun Kapoor to replace Akshay in Namastey England.

Set out on a brand new journey, aiming for nothing less than #GOLD! Day 1 of Gold, need your love and best wishes as always :) A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Jul 1, 2017 at 8:32am PDT

In an exclusive chat with Hindustan Times, Vipul tells us, Its a preposterous idea to suggest that Id replace Akshay in my film. People need to know that weve been together for the past 16 years. Weve gone through so many ups and downs, but our relationship has been absolutely rock steady. Our kids are friends with each other, my wife and Tina [Twinkle Khanna, Akshay Kumars wife] are friends, too. So people should not think that one film can cause any problem between us. Our relationship goes way beyond doing one film, says Vipul. He has not only directed Akshay in several films  before Namastey London, there was Aankhen (2002) and Waqt (2005)  but also produced the actors hit films Singh is Kinng (2008) and Holiday (2014).

Vipul says that he completely understands Akshay already has a packed schedule and its only logical that he cant take up more projects at the moment. Hes extremely busy with the projects that he is currently doing and we have to understand that in everybodys life, there are points at which we want to do certain films, says Vipul. So when I called Akshay to ask if we can use the title of the film [that we both had earlier agreed upon], he showed tremendous interest in the film and said, Arre Vipul yaar, what is the issue? In any case, my equation with him goes long back and if theres a title that we both planned for a film, whether its registered with me or him, thats not important. Its only ethical that I ask for his permission, because theres a relationship we share and it was such a graceful gesture on his part.

The filmmaker says that he is taking the project forward, though it wont be the same script that he had worked upon with Akshay in mind as the lead.

Ek TOILET Revolution!!! Starts in 2 days... #ToiletEkPremKatha TRAILER IN 2DAYS! A post shared by Akshay Kumar (@akshaykumar) on Jun 8, 2017 at 10:30pm PDT

This doesnt mean the filmmaker wont collaborate with Akshay anytime soon. Hinting at a possible project, Vipul reveals, I can tell you this with complete authority that Ill be doing a film with Akki very soon. I dont know which film it would be, but we would be working on one very soon.

As for the female lead of Namastey England, some reports have claimed that actor Sonakshi Sinha opted out and Parineeti Chopra stepped in. Vipul doesnt confirm this. I will not want to talk about any other actor at this point of time. Theres a proper process that is followed while casting an actor, so once its decided, I will talk about it, for sure. Right now, its premature to share any details, he says.

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Actor Donal Logue is asking for the publics help in locating his teenage daughter, who was last seen a week ago in New York City.

The star of Foxs Gotham writes on Facebook that the net had been flung far and wide since 16-year-old Jade Logue disappeared. Logue said he has the New York Police Department, FYI and others involved.

He asks that whoever may be with Jade to just drop her off. He says shell be taken back with hugs and no questions asked.

Jade Logue was last seen in Brooklyn on June 26. She is transgender and was previously known as Arlo Logue.

New York City police said there are no updates on the case as of early Monday.

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Filmmaker Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra got his camera rolling in a Delhi-bound train for his upcoming project Mere Pyare Prime Minister.

Rakeysh inside the train.

In order to effectively capture the reality of the train journey, the entire cast and crew embarked on a train journey to Delhi via Firozpur Janta Express on June 29.

Mehra and his team were earlier filming in the slums of Ghatkopar followed by the slums of Powai. There is a sequence in the film where the kids embark on a journey to meet the Prime Minister. We have shot this particular scene on a train en route Delhi, the spokesperson of the film said. The movie revolves around the true friendship and life journey of four kids who live in the slums of Mumbai. Mehra has shot the film in the interior of the Mumbai slums, exploring the life of the people living there.

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The first look and trailer of the Bengali film Dhananjoy, based on the hanging of security guard Dhananjoy Chatterjee, convicted in a rape-murder case of 1990, was unveiled on Monday.

The backdrop for the launch was a court room set up at a private hotel. The movie, helmed by Arindam Sil, is set in 2008, four years after the execution.

The characters names in the film, except that of Dhananjoy, have been changed. Each characters look was also revealed at the trailer launch. Actor Anirban Bhattacharya was presented as the protagonist. He entered in handcuffs ringed by policemen.

Sil said, We re-analysed the case, met various people and studied books about the case. We found that the execution order of Dhananjoy was given based on inconclusive circumstantial evidence and there was a stark absence of any direct evidence.

The Shree Venkatesh Films production is scheduled for release on August 11.

On August 14, 2004, Chatterjee was hanged at Alipore Central Jail in West Bengal on his 42nd birthday, convicted for the rape and murder of a teenage girl.

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The combined market valuation of eight of the top-10 most valued Indian companies slumped by Rs 48,433.79 crore last week, with RIL taking the biggest knock.

Barring TCS and ITC, rest eight companies, including HDFC Bank, HDFC, SBI and HUL, suffered losses in their market capitalisation (m-cap) for the week ended Friday.

RILs valuation plunged Rs 17,802.33 crore to Rs 4,48,797.36 crore, emerging as the worst hit among the top-10 entities.

The m-cap of SBI dropped Rs 13,163.88 crore to Rs 2,36,172.90 crore and that of HDFC Bank slumped by Rs 5,919.13 crore to Rs 4,25,269.87 crore.

HDFCs valuation tumbled Rs 5,062.59 crore to Rs 2,57,467.35 crore and HUL declined by Rs 3,235.88 crore to Rs 2,34,108.48 crore.

The m-cap of Infosys dipped Rs 1,768.64 crore to Rs 2,14,913.63 crore, while ONGC fell by Rs 898.33 crore to Rs 2,01,866.79 crore.

Maruti Suzuki India also saw its valuation slip by Rs 583.01 crore to Rs 2,18,038.37 crore.

In contrast, the m-cap of ITC soared Rs 15,791.6 crore to Rs 3,93,393 crore and TCS rose by Rs 729.06 crore to Rs 4,65,878.13 crore.

The top-10 companies list saw TCS reclaiming the status of the countrys most valued firm surpassing RIL, which slipped to second spot in Wednesdays trade. TCS and RIL are followed by HDFC Bank, ITC, HDFC, SBI, HUL, Maruti, Infosys and ONGC in the list.

The m-cap figure changes daily with the stock price movement.

In the last week, the Sensex recorded a fall of 216.60 points, or 0.69%, while the broader Nifty lost 54.05 points, or 0.56%.
Thyssenkrupp workers oppose the idea that the German industrial group could be the junior partner in a possible steel joint venture with Indias Tata Steel, group works council chief Wilhelm Segerath told Reuters on Monday.

Thyssenkrupp and Tata have been in discussions since last year to combine their European operations in a joint venture to remove overcapacity from the market and cut costs, and had so far said to be planning a 50-50 venture.

But on Sunday, German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Thyssenkrupp aimed to hold less than half of the potential venture so it can deconsolidate the business from its balance sheet.

I dont believe in a minority stake. We reject that idea, Segerath said, adding that such a move would make the steel business entirely dependent on a foreign investor whose intentions for jobs and sites were uncertain.

Labour bosses at Thyssenkrupp have long opposed a possible merger of the two companies European steel businesses, fearing such a deal would destroy jobs without making the business more sustainable.

Thyssenkrupps steel works council chief, Guenter Back, said last month that finance chief Guido Kerkhoff had said the company would decide by the end of the 2016/17 fiscal year, which runs through September, whether to proceed with a merger.
With a deadline to make the country open defecation free by 2019 under the Swachh Bharat Abhiyan, which started in October 2014, India is busy building toilets like never before. But not all are being used.

A survey by the National Sample Survey Office of 3,788 villages and 2,907 urban blocks in the first eight months of the launch of Swachh Abhiyan showed that in rural areas, six out of 10 toilets didnt have any water supply. The necessary plumbing required to carry the human waste out of homes to disposal sites was available in only 36% of the toilets in the urban zones. This was the last comprehensive evaluation of the programme.

In the national capital, the Delhi Urban Shelter Improvement Board last year found that as many as 40% of the 10,821 toilets it built since February 2015 remained unused.

At least a third of Delhis informal settlements do not have any sewerage. The toilets here have to be emptied out, and the muck has to be carried to sewage treatment plants by tankers, which are predictably irregular. Without sewerage and water links, these structures are reduced to filthy and stinky dry toilets, forcing potential users to defecate in the open.

Merely building toilet structures cannot address sanitation and health concerns. Consider Uganda, one of the worst case studies in Africa. Like Indians, Ugandans traditionally preferred to go outside when nature called. But unlike India, Uganda sought a course correction far back in the 1950s with sanitation drives promoted by its colonial masters.

Under the Public Health Act of 1964, passed two years after Uganda gained independence, every citizen was required to build a dry latrine at home. The church parish and tribal chiefs would go door to door ensuring that each homestead built a toilet  usually a rudimentary mud hut around a hole in the ground with tree logs placed across it.

Driving hundreds of miles across Uganda last month, I could see that most homesteads even in the remotest of villages had three units  the housing hut flanked by a kitchen on one side and a thatched toilet on the other.

The Ugandans did this while battling extreme poverty. Even today, hundreds of students walk barefoot to their schools because their families cant afford a pair of rubber slippers. Despite electrification, many households even outside Kampala cant afford electricity and make do with kerosene lanterns.

But Ugandas efforts did not pay in the long run. The dry toilets soon turned into disease factories due to lack of maintenance and population pressure. While the law had recommended that the latrines were built 30 metres from the main house, shrinking land holdings forced people to have them too close to the residential quarters.

Overused and overflowing, these toilets emanate foul smell and contaminate the surface and groundwater. Instances of collapsing toilets and people falling into pits are common. Not surprisingly, many Ugandans are back to defecating in the open.

According to the World Bank, 98% of Ugandan population had access to toilets in the 1960s. It went down to 45% in the 1970s and then to 20% in the 1980s. As a result, diarrhoea, cholera, dysentery and schistosomiasis (a disease caused by parasitic worms) are the biggest killers among the poor.

Today, according to the World Health Organisation, only about 34% of the Ugandan population has access to hygienically constructed toilets. Even the broader criteria used by the Ugandan government do not claim toilet access for more than 64%.

A study in six slums of Kampala found that shared toilets were abandoned for a reason. Improper toilet use, constrained access, obscure and filthy walking paths to the toilets that became dangerous at night, lack of light in the cubicle, raised latrines sometimes up to two metres above the ground, coupled with the lack of cleaning and emptying the shared facilities, only made a bad situation worse.

Today, many residents use plastic bags, which they simply toss into open drains and rooftops. Open defecation gradually substituted use of the available sanitation facilities and filthy latrines ended up having the same net effect as crude open defection, the study concluded.

Bad sanitation costs Uganda USD 41 million. The solution, says the World Bank, lies in building a little over half a million healthy toilets  a modest challenge compared to Indias target to build 90 million by 2019. But Uganda learned the hard way that ensuring safe sanitation requires a lot more than just chasing numbers. India will do well not to repeat their mistakes.

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DEHRADUN: Every day around 8 in the morning, a group of protesters gather at Karnprayag, some 215 km from here, to chalk out a plan for ensuring that no new liquor shop comes up in the town. It has been more than two months, and the protestors show no sign of softening their stand.

We didnt let open three shops so far. The excise department is trying again and we will not let them do that, says Indresh Maikhuri, a Leftist leader who is spearheading the anti-liquor movement since April in Chamolis Karnprayag. The pack of protesters are mostly women who complain they are affected by drinking habit of menfolk.

It is not Karnaprayag alone. The anti-liquor protests are going on in other parts of Garhwal, Kumaon and Dehradun as well.

Excise minister Prakash Pant claims most of the protests in the hills are the handiwork of smugglers. Some protests are genuine but most are instigated by those who werent allotted shops or by smugglers whose business will be affected due to opening of government shops, the minister tells Hindustan Times.

He adds that out of 206 shops, 12 could not be opened so far due to protests and the government is selling liquor through mobile vans in such areas. Its a wrong perception that we are for mobile liquor shops. Its just a temporary arrangement, Pant asserts.

Liquor has always remained a contentious issue in the hills even when Uttarakhand was part of Uttar Pradesh. After Uttarakhands creation in 2000, the Nityanand Swami government made some changes in excise policy but sidelined the demand of a blanket ban. Successive governments continued with liquor business as it fetches handsome revenue for the cash-strapped state.

Interestingly, the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Congress have no clear policy about liquor business. The BJP raised a voice when it was in opposition and the Congress, which promoted excise sales, is now against it. Netizens took a jibe at former chief minister Harish Rawat for joining protesters in Dehradun. Rawats son is at the forefront in Kumaon region against mobile vans selling booze. Ironically, one IAS official in Harish Rawats staff, when he was CM was caught on camera inking a deal with decoy liquor traders.

The present dispensation has set a target of Rs 2,300 crore from excise sales but it seems to be a far cry. This year, the anti-liquor protests have refused to die down despite the government announcing to allow shops operate for limited hours. A desperate government has asked district magistrates to ensure liquor shops are opened without any problem to ensure a steady flow of revenue. Police are deployed at liquor shops for security.

But the lines are drawn. Come what may, we will not allow the sale of liquor, contends Jayanti Rawat, who is protesting for more than 60 days in Chamoli.

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The Delhi Development Authority will install CCTV cameras along the Yamuna banks and rope in a security agency to patrol the floodplains to prevent further encroachment and dumping of debris, even at night.

We would be installing CCTV cameras and mikes along both the banks of the river Yamuna by November this year. Plans are also afoot to rope in a security agency, which would send out teams, to patrol the banks, said a senior official of the DDAs planning department.

Though the National Green Tribunal (NGT) had banned dumping of debris and waste in the river and its floodplains, little has changed over the years.

On May 19 this year, the green body in a landmark order had also banned open defecation on the floodplains.

Work orders for the CCTV cameras have already been awarded. The tender for the security agency would be floated this week.

The 22-km stretch between Wazirabad and Okhla has been divided into four zones. We plan to install 120 CCTV cameras. In the first phase, 30 cameras would be installed to check their efficacy and feasibility, said the official.

These would be all infrared cameras (known as night vision cameras) that can detect objects even in low light or absolute darkness. They would keep an eye on any kind of encroachment or dumping even at nights.

Initially, the DDA had identified around 26 locations. But later the number was increased to 36. All the cameras would be linked to the six sub-control rooms and the main control room.

Delhis lifeline Total stretch of river: 22 km (Wazirabad to Okhla) Divided into four zones; 36 locations identified 120 CCTV cameras, 30 cameras in each zone. Pilot project: 30 cameras in Phase 1 Total project cost: Rs 8 crore Private security agency to deploy patrol teams Each team to comprise 5-6 personnel with night vision binoculars They will patrol on vehicles fitted with GPS trackers

If any vehicle is spotted trying to dump wastes, we will warn them. Mikes would be installed too. In case the vehicle refuses to budge, information would be passed on to the police control room for further action, said the official.

The DDA will appoint a security agency to patrol the river front. At least four teams would moving in vehicles fitted with GPS trackers. Each team would have at least 5-6 security personnel. They would carry night vision binoculars too, said the official.

An estimated Rs 8 crore would be spent to install the CCTV cameras. Senior officials claimed that the 30 cameras are expected to be installed by November this year.

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At least eight Incidents of cheating attempts were reported from various examination centres of Delhi University during entrance examinations to MA (Political Science) and LLB courses.

Examinations for both the papers were held on Sunday at around 29 examination centres across India, out of which 24 centres were in Delhi.

Around eight applicants were stopped from giving the exam after they tried to sneak in mobile phones to the exam hall, an official from the exam department said.

There were 24 centres in Delhi where the LLB exam was held. There was an incident of impersonation and at least eight incidents of applicants trying to take in their mobile phones to the exam halls. We have complained about this to the police, said the official from the exam department.

Sources said at Kirori Mal College said that there was a case of impersonation, but the invigilators were able to catch the student. There were cases of applicants trying to sneak in mobile phones inside the centres at Hans Raj College, Aditi Mahavidyalaya and Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, a source said.

A candidate complained that another applicant took a photo of the MA Political Science question paper at the Hindu College centre and ran away. Hindu College officials, however, claimed that they were not aware of the incident until reports of the applicants complaint surfaced. The principal of Hindu College claimed that they were investigating the matter.

The complaint has come, not before or during the exam, but after the exam. So, we will have to investigate exactly what happened, said Anju Srivastava.

When asked whether they knew that the student had allegedly tried to bring the issue to the notice of officials before the exams, Srivastava claimed that their investigation was still on. The Hindu College has also been in touch with the examination department about the way forward.

The examination department, on its part, said that they have sought a report from the Hindu College about the incident.
Yair Lapid, chairman of Israels Yesh Atid Party. Carlos Rosillo

In two years time, Benjamin Netanyahu will become the longest-serving prime minister of Israel. According to recent polls, only one man can stop that from happening. If elections were held today, Yair Lapid would win, those polls show. Lapid has only been in politics for five and a half years, during which time he has held the post of finance minister. He is now the leader of the centrist faction of the opposition in Israel, having founded the Yesh Atid (There is a future) party in 2012 after a successful career in television.

I hope the kind of attitude left radical parties are showing toward Israel is the result of complete ignorance

Lapid, born in Tel Aviv in 1963, entered politics with the aim of stamping out corruption and ensuring that the countrys ultra-orthodox Jews  some 10 percent of the population  carry out the same obligations as the rest of the population, military service included. Now he is being held up as Israels representative of a centrist wave that is putting an end to traditional two-party systems in many parts of the world. Meanwhile, he has thrown himself into what is particularly difficult terrain in Israeli politics: foreign policy. On a recent visit to Madrid organized by the NGO group Monitor, he participated in an event denouncing the use of public money in Spain to promote boycotts in Israel, and visited Spains national Congress.

Politically, Israel is more polarized than ever. Is there space for a centrist party?

This is not an Israeli phenomenon, its global. The most obvious example is Macron in France, but it is also happening with Ciudadanos in Spain. In this struggle between the populism of the left and the populism of the right, nobody wins. Its clear that after the US election and Brexit, people have been telling themselves that we need to wait a minute and look at this because protest movements are not good at governing in institutions. What the center as a concept is offering is above all responsibility and functioning institutions.

But the fact remains that a majority of voters still prefer the Likud. What can you offer to Israelis that Benjamin Netanyahu cannot offer them?

First, an end to us versus them politics. I have been telling the people of Israel, the same way Emmanuel Macron is telling the people of France and Angela Merkel, to a point, is telling the people of Germany, that this is a diversion. Theres only us. My aspiration is to unify the country. Not to create a uniform state, but to unify it. And I think this [concept] is also spreading around, right now, more in Europe than anywhere else.

Islamic terrorists use a vocabulary they have stolen from Martin Luther King and Karl Marx

Israel faces a huge challenge in terms of its image overseas. What can you do to improve this image?

Israel has done a very bad job in Europe in the last few decades because we did not make up for the amount of money and efforts that were put into Europe by the BDS [Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions] movement [against the country]. For too long, Israeli foreign policy was saying: If we argue with them in public, we will only give them free publicity so lets pretend its not happening. But its happening. There is a lot of money coming in, a lot of Spanish money as well  money from the Spanish taxpayers that was supposed to go to humanitarian aid but instead, it goes to support propaganda of terrorists groups.

These groups say the solution to Israels problems is very easy: make peace with the Palestinians.

I am a great supporter of the two-state solution. I am ready to give them [the Palestinians] a state tomorrow! I only have one condition: I dont want my people to be killed. Israel is a bit post-traumatic since 2005 and the disengagement from Gaza. We did everything the world had asked us to do: we dismantled the settlements in Gaza, the army was withdrawn, we left them the entire Gaza Strip and we even left them 3,000 greenhouses to start building an economy. And you know what? They demolished all 3,000 greenhouses. They built training camps for the Islamic Jihad and Hamas, and to date they have fired more than 1,500 rockets on Israeli citizens.

You were very critical of Barack Obamas nuclear deal with Iran. Is Donald Trumps arrival at the White House good news for Israel?

I am still critical of the Iran deal. In terms of Trump, we dont know yet. His administration is a riddle. President Trump had a fantastic visit to Israel. We really liked that he decided to start this first international tour in Israel. Emotion counts and its very obvious that he feels strongly about the well-being of Israel and the Israelis. There are people in his administration we highly regard as partners for everything, including Trumps son-in-law, Jared Kushner [charged with spearheading an effort to forge a peace deal between Israel and Palestine]. If you put your son-in-law in charge of something, you must care about the issue. What is the practical consequence of all this? I have no idea yet.

Dont you fear that Israel could end up becoming a political subject in the United States? There is clear distancing from the Democratic Party.

In this struggle between the populism of the left and the populism of the right, nobody wins

I dont want to criticize my country while I am abroad. But I will say the following: its crucial for Israel to avoid becoming a partisan issue in the US. We should aspire to a similar consensus as that which can be seen in Spain  we met today with deputies from the Spanish Congress, and I think they were from all the parties except for [the anti-austerity party] Podemos. The alienation of the Democratic Party is a bad idea, above all, because this is politics and one day one group is in government and the next it is the other way around.

You mentioned Podemos. In Europe, the new left-wing populist parties have made criticizing Israel a prominent part of their foreign policy programs. And these people are sitting in parliament. What would you say to them?

The Gay Pride Parade is being held in Madrid on Saturday. Explain to me, if you can, how Podemos can support groups who are hanging gay people from telephone poles, who think its OK to beat women, who are burning churches and synagogues, and who think its OK to kill Jews because they are Jews, and Christians because they are Christians.

Are you talking about Iran?

I am talking about Hamas and about Hezbollah, which share the same ideology as Iran. Investigate what groups operating among Palestinians, such as Islamic Jihad, have to say about homosexuals and women's liberation. Its written there in the manifesto of Hamas, which rules over Gaza: it is necessary to kill Jews to liberate Palestine. Podemos is part of a European left that is siding against a country that has a Gay Pride parade bigger than in Madrid, a country that has been a global pioneer in womens liberation, a country that is, under very difficult circumstances, a very vibrant and vital democracy in which, for example, the Supreme Court sent a prime minister to prison two years ago. If we were not a real democracy, how could any of this be happening? So I hope that the kind of attitude Podemos and other left radical parties are showing toward Israel is the result of complete ignorance.

But why has the left taken this stance against Israel?

Podemos is part of a European left that is siding against a country that has a bigger Gay Pride than Madrid

These terrorists groups, which are only a small part of the Palestinian population, decided to focus on the political left using terms like freedom, like equal rights, like human rights, which have a lot of resonance among the radical left. Islamic terrorists use a vocabulary they have stolen from Martin Luther King and Karl Marx, from Lenin and Fidel Castro, and they tempt those radical leftist groups to their cause. They [those terrorist groups] believe, as I was saying, in killing gay people and beating wives. This is completely misunderstood in Europe. They are not in favor of the two-state solution. They dont want a Palestinian State alongside Israel. They only want a Palestinian State on the ashes of Israel.

English version by George Mills.
Unlike Delhi Development Authoritys (DDA) housing scheme 2014 in which most banks were offering loans to pay the registration amount, the facility this year may be available only to salary account holders.

The DDA launched its housing scheme 2017 on June 30, offering more than 12,000 flats that cost anything between R 7.07 lakh and R 1.26 crore.

For the LIG (lower income group) category, the registration fee is R 1,00,000 while for the middle income group and high income group flats, R 2,00,000 will be charged.

An official at Central Bank of India said a key reason banks are not making such offers this time is the forfeiture clause. In 2014, applicants got loans from banks for the registration money on a one-time payment of R 5,000.

Seeking to deter unserious buyers and check market speculation, the DDA this time has proposed penal measures.

If a prospective buyer surrenders his application before the draw date, no money will be deducted from his or her registration fee. If a buyer does so after the draw but before the issue of a demand letter, 25% of the registration fee will be forfeited.

If the flat is surrendered within 90 days of the issue of the demand letter, 50% of the fee would be cut. Beyond that time, the entire registration fee will be forfeited.

If we give loans to the buyers and they decide to surrender the money, how will we recover the amount?, he said.

Most banks will stick only to salary account holders this year while giving loans for registration money.

If your name does not appear in the draw of lots, the registration fee will be refunded. If you hit the jackpot, you will be required to pay the remaining amount of the cost of the house.

The scheme is in the initial stage and most people are coming for forms. But the bank will give loans to salary account holders. We will also see his income and the flat category he is applying, said a State Bank of India official.

In the last scheme, the banks had no problem in giving loans because we paid directly to the DDA and if the persons name did not appear in the draw of lots, the money was automatically refunded to the banks account. This year, however, due to forfeiture clause, this will not happen, he said.

On the third day of selling of forms, the queues were small at most banks. The only long queue was seen at DDA headquarters at Vikas Sadan.

A senior DDA official said the forfeiture clause was initiated to stop non-serious buyers and brokers so it is good that the banks are not getting overcrowded and only genuine buyers are turning up.

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A 29-year-old Gurgaon-based finance firm executive, who went missing five days ago while returning home from office, dramatically resurfaced on Monday.

Delhi Police officials are now trying to ascertain whether he was abducted or he himself went somewhere. The missing man called his family on his own to inform that he was standing outside a temple in Gurgaon.

Varun Vohra, a resident of Uttam Nagar, was untraceable since June 27. Vohras family members filed a missing complaint and claimed that he could not be reached on his cellphone.

A kidnapping case was registered at the Uttam Nagar police station after it was learnt that transactions were carried out using Vohras ATM card.

Police suspected that he was abducted by robbers who rob people after drugging them in shared auto-rickshaws.

DCP (southwest), Surender Kumar, took to Twitter and sought help from public and adjoining states police to trace Vohra. He tweeted Vohras details and photographs and shared the contact number of the SHO of the Uttam Nagar police station for sharing information about the missing man. However, the police failed to trace Vohra.

On Monday, Vohras parents received a call from him. He told them that he was standing outside Sheetla Mata Mandir in Gurgaon. They brought him home and informed the police.

Vohra has not been able to give a clear recollection of the events that unfolded over the last few days. He told police that he had boarded a shared cab from Gurgaon around 10 pm on June 27.

When he reached Pochanpur Colony in Dwarka, the men sitting in the cab overpowered him and threatened him. They then kidnapped him and made him roam around with them in different places, said a police officer.

Vohra does not recall the places he was taken to or the ATMs where he was made to withdraw money by the alleged kidnappers. He told the police that he has not slept properly in the last few days and does not recall where he was taken.

However, he has alleged that Rs 80,000 were withdrawn from various ATMs by the kidnappers, numbering three to four men, who also took away his cellphone before dumping him at the temple, the officer said.
The Delhi Metros proposed 104km Phase IV network for six new lines is delayed because of differences between the Centre and the citys Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government over the funding mechanism.

The city government approved the Rs 50,000-crore project this January but sought exemption from paying its share of the subordinate debt for central taxes that amounts to Rs 3,098 crore. Or, it wanted Delhis share of state taxes for the project written off.

Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu rejected the Delhi governments demand.

A subordinated debt is a loan or security. The Centre and state equally share the taxes to be paid for loans from foreign institutions for Metro projects. That means each of them will pay ~3,098 crore in Delhis case.

This is in addition to the states share of taxes to be paid for the loan, which for Delhi is ~2,121 crore. The AAP government wants one of these waived, but the Centre declined.

I would like to inform you that the proposal sent by the Government of NCT of Delhi regarding the Delhi Metro Phase IV project is not in conformity with the existing framework of funding pattern for metro rail projects wherein central taxes are shared equally by the Central and State governments as subordinate debt, Union minister Naidu wrote to chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on June 8.

This pattern is being followed for all Metro projects under 50:50 equity sharing model.

The tussle has delayed the project, which was to begin this year with a completion target of 2022. The project will connect the Capitals outskirts, airport and the southern parts with an estimated daily ridership of 850,000 people.

Usually 70% of the funds come through loan and the remaining 30% cost is borne equally by the Delhi government and the Centre, an official in the Union ministry said.

All states having Metro projects are following similar rules. There is no reason why Delhi should be given exceptional treatment, he said.

Naidu also asked Kejriwal to review the financing plan of the Phase-IV project and send a modified proposal in tune with the existing framework.

But the AAP government has decided to stand by its proposal.

Transport minister Kailash Gahlot said: Delhi being a Union Territory is not getting the proportionate revenue share of central taxes from the Centre, while other states are getting huge amounts of money. Our demand is justified because the 50:50 share of equity must be maintained on all counts.

He said the government will write to the ministry to accept either of the two demands.

Besides, the new goods and services tax (GST) regime has complicated the division of state and central taxes. The share of the two governments under GST is not clear, Gahlot said.

The disagreement could escalate costs as contractors working on Phase III project, which is nearing completion, will wind up their workforce and machinery.

Engaging fresh teams could take six months more, thereby delaying initiation of the Phase IV project, a Metro official said.

The 140km Phase III networks main corridors  the colour-coded pink and magenta lines  will open for commuters by next March.

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Aam Aadmi Party legislators on Monday demanded exemplary punishment for officials in charge of desilting of drains and prevention of water-logging, saying they miserably failed in discharging their duties.

Terming the failure as criminal negligence and health terrorism, AAP legislators asked speaker Ram Niwas Goel to set an example as he did last week by serving a 30-day jail term to two visitors who tossed papers in the House from the visitors gallery.

Salary of these officers are paid from tax payers money but they are not accountable to people nor their elected representatives. What they have been doing is a criminal negligence. You should use your powers to summon officers and set an example by sending one of two to jail, said Laxmi Nagar legislator Nitin Tyagi during the discussion on the petitions committee report on desilting tabled in the House on Friday.

The report recommended a personal probe by the chief secretary to fix responsibility of those who made fraudulent payments to contractors, besides divesting senior IAS officer Ashwani Kumar, principal secretary (PWD and Vigilance), of the charges of the two posts.

Chief secretary MM Kutty was present in the House during the consideration and adoption of the petitions committee report.

Chandni Chowk legsialtor Alka Lamba said while the Delhi governments hands was tied by the Centre, the need of the hour was to make it clear the assembly and its committees were capable of acting against erring officials.

Alarmed with the pathetic condition of the drains and the blatant representation of the facts by the authorities before the committee, the House later adopted a resolution moved by Dwarka legislator Adarsh Shastri, directing the Delhi government that all the recommendations made in its report be implemented.

Further directs that an action taken report on the implementation of recommendations in the above mentioned report be tabled in the House within 30 days, the resolution read.

BJP targets Jain

The opposition BJP on Monday rejected the petitions committee report on de-silting saying the entire exercise was an attempt to shift the blame on Public Works Department (PWD) officials while trying to save the PWD minister Satyendar Jain. BJP said Jain is responsible for timely de-silting of drains.

We oppose the report and the resolution as it does not fix the responsibility of the concerned minister and shifts the blame on PWD officials, said BJP-SAD legislator Manjinder Singh Sirsa, who has led the opposition charge during the four-day special session in absence of leader of opposition, Vijender Gupta.

Terming it a failure of the government, Sirsa said the ruling party cannot get away merely by blaming other agencies. The traffic police had long back sent the PWD a list of 370 points which are prone to water-logging. Over 350 points on the list are under the Delhi government. Why does the high court need to intervene every year to make this happen, Sirsa said.

BJP MLA Jagdish Pradhan said the entire exercise smacks of a conspiracy conducted by the petitions committee as the nine-member panel had only ruling party legislators and it did not visit constituencies of opposition legislators.

Moreover, the committee focused only on the PWD and MCD drains. Why none of the flood department drains were inspected? Pradhan said, citing examples of several locations where the flood department drains have not been de-silted for several years.

He also demanded a complete ban on polythene carry bags and a fine of Rs 50,000 on its use as they often land up in the drains and choking them in the process.
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar and Congress are allies in the state, as a part of the Mahagatbandhan. At the national level, the two made efforts to forge a common understanding against the BJP. But over the past two weeks, clear differences emerged. The first was on the issue of the presidential candidate, where Nitish Kumar chose to go with Bihar governor Ram Nath Kovind even as the rest of the Opposition put up former Speaker of the Lok Sabha Meira Kumar as a candidate. The Opposition even projected her as Bihar ki beti to put Nitish Kumar in a spot, but he did not budge. Then, even as Congress boycotted the special midnight session to roll out the Goods and Services Tax, Janata Dal (United) sent a representative. This has now been followed by an escalating war of words, with Nitish Kumar himself placing the onus of this Opposition disunity on Congress.

All of this reflects a churning in Opposition ranks, with major implications for 2019. Two threads are clear. The first, as Nitish Kumar correctly pointed out, is Congress internal weaknesses. While credit is due to Sonia Gandhi for bringing leaders together on a common platform, the party has been unable to display leadership at the right time. If it had nominated the presidential candidate before the BJP came up with Mr Kovind, Nitish Kumar would have had no choice but to back it. If it had indeed nominated Meira Kumar, it would have put BJP on the defensive and Mr Kovinds nomination would have been seen as a response. The Congress repeatedly has allowed BJP to set the agenda; it has delayed decisions; and it needs to do more to show leadership and magnanimity with others in the Opposition.

But that is not to say Nitish Kumars actions have smelled of political honesty. Over the past year, he has given more than enough signals that he is open to rapprochement with the Modi government. His support for demonetisation, his muted criticism of the Centre, his support to Mr Kovind are all examples of a larger political calculation. The Bihar chief minister wants insurance against RJD chief Lalu Prasad. If at any point he begins to see Lalu Prasad as a liability, it seems he wants the option of collaborating with the BJP open.

It also appears that he sees 2019 increasingly as lost cause, and thus he wants to ensure that he remains on the right side of the Centre. But he also wants to keep his foot in the Opposition camp - for if an alliance develops and he becomes the pre-2019 face of it, it is an opportunity worth preserving. All of this explains the mixed signals Nitish Kumar is sending. But what it means that the Congress incompetence and Nitish Kumars calculations are making the prospect of Opposition unity elusive even before it takes shape.
Kolkata: Student unions running admission help desks in colleges have been allegedly taking money from candidates and promising them seats, prompting the Mamata Banerjee- led West Bengal government to ban such desks.

West Bengal education minister and Trinamool Congress secretary general Partha Chatterjee said at a meeting of the partys students wing, Trinamool Chhatra Parishad (TMCP) ,on Sunday, that the decision had been prompted by reported cases of extortion of admission seekers by office bearers of students unions.

The education minister clearly told us, that no student union will be allowed to open admission help desk during admission season and no office bearer should accept cash against promises of ensuring admission, a TMCP office bearer present at the meeting said.

Chatterjee also said at the meeting that he had received reports of a section of TMCP activists accepting cash from candidates and promising them seats at the admission help desks.

I am clearly telling all of you that the party does not approve such actions. In future if I get any report of anyone accepting cash I will not hesitate to recommend disciplinary against the offending office bearer. So from now onwards neither set up admission help desks nor allow anyone else to do so. Let the admission be left entirely to the online procedure, the state education minister reportedly said at the TMCP meeting.

Meanwhile, party sources said that since the state government has decided to strip of the students representative in students unions of all financial powers, by reserving the post of treasurer for a college teacher.

Cases of cash bribes through admission help desks have increased manifold, and in several cases TMCP leaders have been found guilty of such practices. All these have been reported to the state education minister and hence he has taken a strong stand on Sunday, the TMCP representative present at the meeting said.

It was learnt that at Sundays meeting, Chatterjee said that the state government was also planning to fix the limit of re- admission for a particular student at a particular institute. He said that often a section of students deliberately sought re-admission to remain associated with students unions, a practise the government wanted to stop.

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It was all about making plans for the future, discussing innovations, reaching out to alumni, addressing problems and looking for opportunities that could make an impact globally. For the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras, this could only happen in sunny California.

The Foundation Series - Summer 2017 Summit at Santa Clara, California, organised by the IIT Foundation, recently brought together the IIT Madras community, faculty, start-ups and alumni to collaborate with each other and with innovators in industry, academia, and think tanks.

Discussions ranged around technologies that enable Industry 4.0; capturing data and data sources (research on sensors and other devices that help capture data), communicating this data between machines and other devices/sensors/data sources; data analytics, modelling and simulation to use this data effectively. Also analysed was the actual manufacturing/automation/making process that is the end result (3D printing, creation of new applications, tools, devices, products, robots, systems such as Internet of Things or IOTs ).

Professor Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director, IIT Madras, addressing the Foundation Series - Summer 2017 Summit held at Santa Clara, California (Sourced)

In the first such event organised by the IIT Madras Foundation, 15 academics and seven start-up founders from IIT Madras took part along with 22 industry leaders from the Bay Area.

In his address to the gathering, Prof Bhaskar Ramamurthi, director, IIT-Madras, shared news of the institute being ranked the best engineering institute in India by the National Institute Ranking Framework (NIRF), two years in a row. It also earned the highest revenues through consultancy projects for any engineering institute; and ranked among the top research groups in the world.

While the event was a grand success and we may have exceeded the expectations of many, we also learned a lot. We need to use this as a launchpad, build on this momentum, and take this to the next level in the coming years, he later said after the event concluded.

Calling the meet a huge success, Prof R Nagarajan, dean, international and alumni relations, IIT Madras, said it would be replicated in the future in other cities where IIT Madras alumni were present in significant numbers.

One of the sessions at the Summit (Sourced)

While the director (Prof Bhaskar) and myself have been travelling abroad and meeting local alumni, this is the first time an event of such magnitude has been organised, enabling direct interaction with IIT-Madras faculty members who are active researchers in Industry 4.0, he said

Other highlights were an IIT-Madras faculty panel elaborating on their research in healthcare technology, industrial consultancy and sponsored research and the interdisciplinary laboratory for data sciences.

This was followed by six interactive panel discussions on medicine, artificial intelligence and analytics, buildings and infrastructure, agriculture, manufacturing and energy. These panels had a blend of industry experts and venture capitalists offering their view of the innovative ideas and solutions attracting venture capital funding, while the IIT-Madras faculty members articulated the key research areas and problems they were trying to address.

Other faculty members from IIT-Madras included Prof Nandan Sudarsanam, Prof Rahul Marathe, Prof N Ramesh Babu, Prof Shankar Narasimhan, Prof Raghunathan Rengaswamy, Prof Ashwin Mahalingam, Prof Mahesh Panchagnula, Prof Sankara J Subramanian, Prof R Krishnakumar, Prof B Ravindran, Prof Mohanasankar Sivaprakasam and Prof Sathyan Subbiah.
Students of Punjab competing for the all-India 15% seats for MBBS and BDS courses other than the 85% seats of state category can apply online on the health ministrys website for which counselling began on Monday.

The medical counselling committee has released the all-India schedule on its official website mcc.nic.in.

Baba Farid University of Health Sciences (BFUHS), which will conduct the combined counselling of all colleges, including private and minority institutions in Punjab, has released the counselling schedule for the state category.

BFUHS vice-chancellor Dr Raj Bahadur said students will get seats according to their domicile. He said in case a student with a Haryana domicile does his Class 12 from Punjab, he/she will be eligible for a seat in Punjab. The student will need to surrender one seat.

The Central Board of School Education announced the National Eligibility and Entrance Test (NEET) results on June 23 for admission to Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS) and Bachelor of Dental Surgery (BDS) courses. The aspirants are competing for 1,125 MBBS seats in eight medical colleges and 1,130 BDS seats in 14 dental colleges in Punjab.

The aspirants can apply through the universitys website, www.bfuhs.ac.in, by July 11.
Your mental health depends on various factors. One of them is your residence. People living in rented homes for a long time have more symptoms of depression and lower levels of well-being than those who own a house, a study has found. Buying a house used to be a key development in peoples lives, providing a way to accumulate wealth as well as psychosocial benefits in terms of long-term security. However, due to the enormous increase in prices for younger generations, this has now become impossible for many.

Researchers from the University of Manchester in the UK looked at the housing careers of 7,500 people in England over the age of 50. They found that living in rented accommodation for longer - or owning accommodation for shorter lengths of time - is linked with more symptoms of depression and lower subjective quality of later life. This indicates that duration of tenure really matters, and strengthens the idea that living in rented housing for longer exposes people to more risks in terms of health and well-being, as housing quality is lower.

The research found that those with the lowest well-being grew up in a privately owned house, but rented for the rest of their lives, which indicates downward social mobility, or at least the inability to sustain the same housing standards as in early life. On the opposite side, those with the highest well-being were born abroad and bought their own homes early in adult life. Moving into rented accommodation as an adult or renting for life are becoming much more dominant for the current generation, and this stresses the urgency of the need to build genuinely affordable housing in the UK.

While having an important and obvious effect on peoples quality of life in the here and now, the study has demonstrated that it plays an equally important role in the long-term by producing well-being in later life. Tenure is important not only in the here and now, but has long term effects on well-being, said Bram Vanhoutte, from University of Manchester. For older generations renting for longer is linked with lower well-being in later life, underlining the need to increase the availability of safe, affordable and high quality housing for the many, he said.

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Reseachers have developed a molecular test which can pinpoint which patients are at low risk of death from breast cancer even 20 years after diagnosis and tumour removal. As a result, ultralow risk patients could be treated less aggressively and overtreatment avoided, leading to fewer toxic effects, researchers said. This is an important step forward for personalising care for women with breast cancer, said Laura J Esserman, from the University of California, San Francisco in the US.

We can now test small node-negative breast cancers, and if they are in the ultralow risk category, we can tell women that they are highly unlikely to die of their cancers and do not need aggressive treatment, including radiation after lumpectomy, said Esserman. This is the first evidence that it is possible to run a diagnostic test at the time of diagnosis and identify ultralow risk tumours. This is an exciting advance because approximately 20-25% of tumours diagnosed today may be ultralow risk, said Esserman.

In the study published in the journal JAMA Oncology, researchers sought to determine whether a 70-gene test could accurately and reliably identify tumours with indolent, or slow-growing, behaviour to assess the risk of cancer recurrence up to 20 years after diagnosis. The same test had shown last year that nearly half of early-stage breast cancer patients, who met traditional criteria for high risk, could safely skip chemotherapy based on the biological makeup of their tumours.

Using the new technique, aggressive treatment can be avoided among ultra low risk patients. (Shutterstock)

Researchers disclosed that the test, called MammaPrint, tests for a 70-gene signature that can predict whether cancer will recur in early-stage breast cancer patients. In the new analysis, they sought to assess breast cancer patients over 20 years, and to find cancers with no- or almost no-risk for metastatic progression. They collaborated with the Stockholm breast cancer study group (STO) low-risk trial included which 1,780 lymph-node- negative patients with tumours less than or equal to three centimetres in diameter, randomised to two years of adjuvant tamoxifen versus no adjuvant treatment.

Adjuvant therapy is a treatment provided after the initial surgery or treatment, with the intent to suppress recurrent tumour formation. All the women had their tumours surgically removed. The researchers used these tissues to profile a total of 652 women, of whom 311 had received tamoxifen, and 339 had not received adjuvant systemic therapy. The majority of the women (79%) had received mastectomies and lymph node removal - the data did not include cases with less aggressive local therapy.

The multigene test classified 42% of the patients as high-risk, and 58% as low-risk. Researchers found that low-risk patients had a 95% survival rate at 5 years, but many later died from their disease. The test classified 15% (98) of the cases as ultralow risk. The women with ultralow risk tumours had an excellent prognosis, whether or not they used tamoxifen for two years, researchers said. The results suggest that the 70-gene test can be used to help physicians and patients determine their treatment course, and to inform choice of systemic therapy as well as local therapy.

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Dont believe what they tell you. Most of it isnt true. Its all just marketing ploys, myths and not-so-ancient traditions that have been designed to lure in the tourists and get them to part with their money. Since we lack the sun and sand, we have had to come up with something to attract people to Pamplona...

To begin with, we came up with San Fermin, the saint the July fiestas are named after. There is no historical certainty that a Saint Fermin ever existed. Until the 12th century, nobody around these parts had ever heard of him, but we clung to the fact that in the French city of Amiens, where Fermin is revered as a bishop and a martyr, the locals claim that he came from Pamplona.

Its all a farce that will vanish on July 14 at the stroke of midnight, like Cinderellas pumpkin carriage

The Catholic Church has his feast down as September 25, which is the date of his martyrdom in the third century AD. But ever since 1591 we have been observing his day on July 7 in order to make the most of the short Pamplona summer, and to make it coincide with the bullfights and fairs that have been taking place around that date here ever since the Middle Ages.

The march of progress is conspiring against bullfighting, a bloody fiesta for a crude and fanatical people, in the words of turn-of-the-century writer Pio Baroja, who spent part of his childhood in Pamplona.

Truth is, weve never had many bulls or bullfighters around these parts, but we bring them in from Andalusia, Salamanca and Madrid, and make them put on a show for the visitors while we head off to munch on our afternoon snack somewhere else.

Also, its been over a century since bulls were herded on foot to bullrings for a fight  today they are loaded on to trains or trucks instead. But we in Pamplona insist on building a walled path leading to the arena so the bulls can race there by themselves. Neither is it tradition for people to run in front of them, either. Far from being an initiation rite for young Navarrese men, as many outsiders naively presume, the practice in fact attracts many more foreigners than natives to put themselves in horns reach. But how else were we going to make the global headlines?

Oh, and be wary of our alleged hospitality. We pamploneses are actually rather stern, in the good and the bad sense of the word: noble-hearted yet sullen mountain folk who have a hard time getting along with strangers. Yet every July 6, when the traditional chupinazo firecracker is set off to mark the beginning of the fiestas, we undergo a remarkable transformation: we suddenly start to ooze friendliness, welcoming people from all over the world with open arms; we also pretend to be sophisticated city types even though we still lift rocks for sport, and seal eternal friendships over a bar counter or around a roasted pig. Its all hype. On July 15, we go back to being our regular selves.

A newspaper is not much use for fending off half a ton of bull. Javier Lizon (EFE)

By the way, dont even attempt to follow the legendary  and completely phony  route of Ernest Hemingways favorite haunts. The writer only came to Pamplona nine times, nobody paid much attention to him while he was alive, and we only adopted him when we realized he was good for business. The spot where the Casa Marceliano bar once stood is now occupied by a municipal agency that is closed during the Sanfermines. The restaurant Las Pocholas was converted into a chocolate shop. The Quintana Hotel shut down and was seized by the authorities in 1936. And guess what: Hemingway never spent the Sanfermines at the hotel where guidebooks claim that his room has been preserved the exact same way it was  yeah, the way it was when he did NOT stay there.

The list goes on. The bar counter inside Cafe Iruna, where a life-size statue of the Nobel literature laureate rests its bronze elbows, didnt even exist back in Hemingways day. And dont fall for the Ava Gardner spiel: she never came to Pamplona. The movie The Sun Also Rises was shot in Mexico because it was cheaper, not because the Franco regime had banned it. We created all these glamorous legends  with great commercial success  to get the foreigners to come to Pamplona.

An equally ineffectual method of stopping a bull. Susana Vera (REUTERS)

But sometimes it is the tourists themselves who make up the stories. In his novel The Drifters, James A. Michener places his characters at the beginning of the 1969 Sanfermines, where in recent years Holt and I had developed an affectionate ritual consisting of tying a red scarf around the neck of a bronze statue of Hemingway. Turns out this monument was only inaugurated in 1968.

Also, please dont wear white clothes and tie a red scarf around your neck thinking that this is our traditional outfit passed down by our forefathers. Weve only been wearing this costume for the last 40 years or so, ever since the advent of mass tourism. We buy the white outfits at superstores, where the labels say they are made in China or Bangladesh. And save for the dancers (dantzaris) and flute players (txistularis), nobody actually wears a beret. Peter Viertel, the screenwriter of The Sun Also Rises and someone who was personally familiar with the Sanfermines, recommended to director Henry King that the characters in the movie shouldnt wear them, either, but his advice fell on deaf ears.

Last but not least, do not come here attracted by the legend that the Sanfermines are a let-your-hair-down, no-holds-barred, mother-of-all-orgies type of event held in a lawless city where anything goes. The chaos is actually very well organized. In fact, one Navarrese university has just delivered the first ever course in Sanfermines Law. Cleaning and garbage vehicles still come out at their usual hours, tow trucks take away double-parked cars, and municipal agencies offer childrens activities, run lost-property booths and deal with all the cases of alcohol intoxication. Programmed events start with Germanic-like punctuality (the rest of the year we prefer the rather more relaxed Iberian punctuality), and a marching band is sent out in the streets early in the morning not so much to wake up the troops as to herd them back together after a whole night out.

Most people who run with the bulls vastly overrate their preparedness. Javier Lizon (EFE)

So its your problem if you ignore this advice and come anyway. You risk spending nine days and nine nights partying non-stop, drinking and eating far beyond what you thought your digestive system could take, singing songs you thought you didnt know, and dancing dances you felt you couldnt dance, running into strangers who soon become your best friends, speaking with them in strange languages you thought you couldnt speak, finding legions of bullfighting haters sitting in the bullring, atheists taking part in the Saint Fermin procession, and teetotalers drinking at all the bars.

But youve been forewarned: its all a farce that will vanish on July 14 at the stroke of midnight, like Cinderellas pumpkin carriage.

Miguel Izu is a journalist and writer from Navarre. He is the author of the novel El asesinato de Caravinagre (or, The Murder of Caravinagre), a thriller set during the Sanfermines. This article originally ran in EL PAIS in July 2015.

English version by Susana Urra.
The citys over 500 meat shops are now under threat of being shut down by the Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) for running unauthorised operations.

The city has nearly 520 meat shops and the MCG has found only 25 shops fit for selling meat. The MCG said it has received applications from some owners and these were under consideration.

An MCG official said the licence would mean that shops are hygienic and meet all conditions set to sell meat as compared to those shops running in contravention of the norms laid down by the MCG.

In a city such as Gurgaon, with a population of over 25 lakh, 25 shops are too few to meet the daily requirement. The demand to issue licences to more shops and seal unauthorized shops has been raised from time to time.

We inspect shops to ensure that proper and hygienic equipment are used to chop meat, utensils are clean and the shop have adequate refrigerators to store meat products. If the shop fulfils all criteria, we issue the owner a licence, said Ashish Singla, medical officer (MO) MCG.

After obtaining the licence, shop owners will have to display the certification prominently at their shop, with remarks such as jhatka and halal, the medical officer said.

The licence is only to sell meat. It does not give permission to slaughter goats and chicken. The shop owners would also have to display details of the abattoir from where the meat was procured, Singla said, adding that Ghazipur in Delhi is the only source from where meat can be procured.

On Sunday, during the district grievance redressal meeting, chaired by Haryana chief minister Manohar Lal Khattar, the issue of unauthorised shops selling meat was raised to bring to the notice of the CM the negligence of the MCG in handling such a sensitive issue.

According to the medical officer, every animal is medically tested at the abattoir before slaughter to ensure hygiene.

In March, a group claiming to be from Shiv Sena has forced meat shops to down shutters for Navratri and also demanded that meat shops be kept closed every Tuesday. A number of meat shopkeepers have shut shops since then and are waiting for valid licences.

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After inspecting the Najafgarh drain on Friday and Saturday, in keeping with the strategy agreed upon during a high-level joint meeting last week, officials of the Delhi and Haryana public bodies submitted a report of their findings to the Ministry of Urban Development on Monday.

Although the findings of the report have not been made public, sources said the committee had identified key points on the Delhi-Gurgaon border where the Najafgarh drain has blockages owing to silt deposits and has recommended that machines be used to desilt these areas.

Gurgaon civic officials said the high level of silt in the Najafgarh drain caused havoc last year by preventing the flow of water from Badshahpur drain towards Delhi, causing a backflow in the low-lying areas of Gurgaon. As a result, traffic movement on the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway was affected for over 48 hours.

The Municipal Corporation of Gurugram (MCG) Commissioner V Umashankar said, As per the directions, findings of the inspections have been submitted to the secretary of Nirman Bhawan (Durga Shanker Mishra) in a report, which also includes a layout of measures adopted to tackle a flood-like situation in Gurgaon.

Umashankar said run-off rainwater from the Aravallis flows through Badshahpur drain into the Najafgarh drain, which empties into the Yamuna. But silt in the Najafgarh drain ended up raising the stream bed, consequently hampering the natural flow of water at the interjunction of the two drains and causing a backflow.

Umashankar refused to divulge the findings of the report.

Sources said the report has also highlighted that although the National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has doubled the carrying capacity of its culvert along the Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway, the failure of civic officials to widen the Badshahpur drain at Khandsa village has made NH-8 susceptible to waterlogging every monsoon.

On Thursday, in a meeting of officials from MoUD, the Delhi and Haryana governments, MCG, Haryana Urban Development Authority, Gurugram Metropolitan Development Authority and the Delhi Jal Board discussed last years waterlogging crisis and measures to counter the same.

After the meeting, Durga Shanker Mishra, secretary of Urban Development in Nirman Bhawan, directed officials from both states to submit a report on desilting Najafgarh drain.

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Pauri Garhwal /Dehradun

Amid a standoff with Chinese troops on the India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction, the family of Rifleman Jaswant Singh, a hero of the 1962 war in Arunachal Pradesh, wants the Paramveer Chakra - Indias highest military decoration - for the legendary soldier.

We really want Jaswant bhai should get Paramveer Chakra. For this, we wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi last year. His office acknowledged letter but nothing happened so far Jaswant Singhs younger brother Vijay Rawat told HT in Dehradun.

The tiny village of Baryun village in Uttarakhands Pauri Garhwal district continues to celebrate its bravest son who was posthumously decorated with Indias second highest military award, the Mahaveer Chakra. A weather beaten memorial to the war hero still stands in the village.

Jaswant Singh of 4 Garhwal Rifles who laid down his life to secure an Indian post, held off Chinese forces for nearly 72 hours in the battle of Nauranang. The post is now called Jaswantgarh post in his honour. He also singlehandedly killed hundreds of Chinese soldiers before being martyred.

Such was the heroic act of bhaiji (elder brother) that Chinese troops beheaded him, took head away and later returned as a mark of respect to the great soldier, says Vijay who was six years old when Jaswant Singh (21) laid down his life.

The younger brother will be visiting Tawang later in November where a memorial is dedicated to the rifleman. The Indian Army still treats him as an active soldier on duty and disburses his salary, awards him a promotion and even sanctions his leave. Six soldiers take care of chores such as ironing the uniform, polishing his shoes, serving the meals and making the bed at night at his post.

Last year my children went to Tawang and this year I will be going there. My mother died last year and she always wanted to visit there as well. But we never took her as bhaiji never wanted that while he was alive, says Vijay who retired from the Survey of India.

Ironically, Jaswant Singh was the only person in his family who served in the army. Vijay was keen that his two sons join the army but they could not.

But I strongly feel we need heroes like my brother. And I am sure the tradition will continue, he adds.

Only nine families now live in Jaswants village Baryun. His ancestral house, like many other houses of the village, about 180 km from Uttarakhand capital Dehradun, has also been reduced to ruins and the pathway to this house is lost in the overgrown wild shrubs.

Gangotri Devi (75), a relative of Rifleman Jaswant Singh said: The government should take care of Jaswants ancestral house.

A retired army havaldar, Bheem Singh said the state government should treat Baryun as a special village and erect a memorial for the war hero.
Five of six Trinamool Congress MLAs of Tripura, who were seen to be getting close to BJP, were suspended from the party for defying its chief Mamata Banerjees support Meira Kumar in the presidential elections.

Trinamool Congress general secretary, Partha Chatterjee made the announcement in Kolkata, but since the state unit had not received a letter, they were in the dark about who was left out.

Even Mukul Roy, TMC Tripura in-charge, has been replaced by TMC MLA Sabyasachi Datta, a party source claimed.

The state unit had decided not to back Meira Kumar citing ruling CPI(M)s support for her.

CPM is our main rival here (in Tripura). So, naturally, we cannot support a candidate it supports, TMC MLA Sudip Roy Barman told reporters at the party headquarters here.

He went on to add that Mamata Banerjee, who believes in anti-Left policy but supported Meira Kumar, never consulted the Tripura unit on matter.

We would appeal to her to re-consider her decision, he said, adding that the suspension was undemocratic.

The Agartala MLA said they did not get any letter on this and so they didnt know who was excluded from the suspension list.

We are six MLAs and it is heard that only five have been suspended. We dont know who was excluded from the suspension list, he said.

Barman did not say anything about whom they will vote for in the July 17 presidential election. However, he said they would decide their stand in a meeting on July 5.

Last month, Assam minister and North East Democratic Alliance convener, Himanta Biswa Sarma, had during his visit to Agartala, appealed all TMC and Congress MLAs to vote for the NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

He hinted at the possibility of BJP forging an alliance with anti-Left regional political parties of indigenous communities.

BJP national general secretary Ram Madhav too had appealed to Barman to support Kovind recently.

Barman was also silent on the six TMC MLAs joining the BJP, which had given nine MLAs of TMC and Congress a deadline of May 31 to join the party without any pre-condition. But none of them had made any move.

The Congress had 10 MLAs in the assembly but six of them rebelled and joined TMC on June 7 last year. Another Congress MLA quit and joined CPI(M).
Entire Nagaland has been declared as disturbed area for six more months under the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, which empowers security forces to conduct operations anywhere without any prior notice.

In a gazette notification, the home ministry said it is of the opinion that the area comprising the whole of Nagaland is in such a disturbed and dangerous condition that the use of armed forces in aid of the civil power is necessary.

Now, therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred by Section 3 of the Armed Forces (Special Powers) Act, 1958, the central government hereby declares that whole of the said state to be a disturbed area for a period of six months with effect from 30th June, 2017 for the purpose of that Act, joint secretary in the home ministry Satyendra Garg said.

Official sources said killings, loot and extortion have been going in various parts of Nagaland leading to the extension of the disturbed area in the northeastern state for six more months beginning June 30 under the AFSPA.

There have been demands from various organisations in the Northeast as well as in Jammu and Kashmir for repealing the controversial AFSPA, which, they say, gives sweeping powers to the security forces to act against civilians.

The AFSPA has been in force in Nagaland for several decades. It has not been withdrawn even after a framework agreement was signed on August 3, 2015 by Naga insurgent group NSCN-IM general secretary Thuingaleng Muivah and the governments interlocutor R N Ravi in presence of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The framework agreement came after over 80 rounds of negotiations spanning 18 years with the first breakthrough in 1997 when the ceasefire agreement was sealed after decades of insurgency in Nagaland.
China has cancelled a trip of Indian journalists to Tibet, this was conveyed to the scribes by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi.

The cancellation of the journalists trip, which was scheduled from July 8-15, came in the backdrop of a stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector.

A batch of Indian journalists who were to visit Tibet at the invitation of the Chinese government were informed by the Chinese embassy in New Delhi that the trip has been cancelled.

China every year organises sponsored visit for select Indian journalists to Tibet.

A stand-off erupted between the two militaries after the Indian Army blocked construction of the road by China in the Doklam area, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan.

India on Friday expressed deep concern over China constructing the road in the disputed area and said it had conveyed to Beijing that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India.

The stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops led to the cancellation of the Kailash Mansarovar yatra through Nathu La in Sikkim.
Ending two days of confusion over her last rites, the body of Tulsi Das, a Hindu woman married to a Muslim, was handed over to her family members in upper Assam on Monday for cremation.

The 23-year-old who allegedly committed suicide on Saturday following a tiff with her husband was denied burial and cremation due to lack of documentary proof of the couples wedding.

Finally the girls family came to the Tinsukia police station and took possession of her body. She would be cremated as per Hindu rites, Puna Gogoi, in-charge of Tinsukia police station told HT.

Police said the Muslim community had refused to bury the body due to lack of proof of the couples wedding, and Hindus were against cremating her because she had married outside the faith.

Das had eloped four months ago with Bitu Ali, 27, said police. Though they lived together at a rented accommodation in Tinsukia town, there were no records to suggest they got married or either of them converted to the others faith, police said.

On Saturday night, the couple, who used to quarrel often, had another tiff. While Bitu left home, the woman locked herself in and committed suicide by hanging, said Girin Sonowal, in-charge of police station at Margherita. Bitu works at a hotel in Margherita.

On hearing of his wifes death, Bitu went back to Tinsukia and brought her body to Margherita for burial. But he was turned back from two burial grounds on Sunday as he didnt have any documentary proof of his wedding as per Muslim rituals, Sonowal added.

Dass body was taken to her hometown Digboi, nearly 17 km away, in an attempt to cremate her. But locals refused to allow the last rites as per Hindu rituals.

The body was brought back to Margherita. But since the suicide took place at Tinsukia, which is 50 km away from here, we sent back the body there on Sunday night, said Sonowal.

Tulsis body was kept at the Tinsukia police station for over 12 hours as police officials tried to convince her family members to take it away for final rites.

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Two days after Tulsi Das allegedly hanged herself following a tiff with her husband, her body lies at Tinsukia police station in upper Assam over a dispute on how the last rites should be performed.

Das, 23, had eloped four months ago with Bitu Ali, 27, said police. Though they lived together at a rented accommodation in Tinsukia town, there are no records to suggest if they got married or either of them converted to the others faith, police added.

Police said the Muslim community refused to bury the body due to lack of proof of her wedding with Ali and Hindus were against cremating her because she had married outside the faith.

On Saturday night, the couple, who used to quarrel often, had another tiff. While Bitu Ali left home, the woman locked herself in and committed suicide by hanging, said Girin Sonowal, in-charge of police station at Margherita. Ali works at a hotel in Margherita.

On hearing of his wifes death, Ali went back to Tinsukia and brought her body to Margherita for burial. But he was turned back from two burial grounds on Sunday as he didnt have any documentary proof of his wedding as per Muslim rituals, Sonowal added.

Dass body was taken to her hometown Digboi, nearly 17 km away, in an attempt to cremate her. But locals refused to allow the last rites as per Hindu rituals.

The body was brought back to Margherita. But since the suicide took place at Tinsukia, which is 50 km away, we sent back the body there on Sunday night, said Sonowal.

Puna Gogoi, in-charge of Tinsukia police station, said on Monday, It is a very unfortunate incident. The womans family has been contacted. Till a decision is taken, the body will be kept at the police station or shifted to a government hospital morgue.

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The Congress must take the lead in establishing a different narrative for the people, JD(U)s Nitish Kumar said on Monday, calling on its alliance partner to do more to connect with the masses rather than rely merely on the unity among political parties.

The comments by the Bihar chief minister comes a day after he is reported to have taken a dig at the Congress, calling it responsible for the mess in the opposition camp in the context of the Presidential elections.

Kumars JD(U) has supported the NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind, a move that was seen by many as a significant blow the oppositions unity as parties gear up to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modis Bharatiya Janata Party ahead of the 2019 elections.

I have said it earlier that thrashing out an alternative agenda will be more effective than the emphasis on unity or the debate on who will be the face of the opposition in 2019. Reactive politics cannot serve a purpose beyond a point, Kumar said, while talking to reporters after his Lok Samvad weekly programme here.

He said the Congress, being the biggest party in the opposition block, must take the lead. For achieving opposition unity it is important to keep on pursuing an alternative agenda, which will offer a different narrative for people on social and economic issues and help parties join hands for a common cause, he said.

Kumar, the JD(U) president, however, said that he has nothing to add on senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azads remarks against him. The views aired by leaders, or issues discussed in internal party should not be interpreted out of context, he said, after Azad appeared to have accused of political opportunism.

Kumar also said that the grand alliance  a pact between his party, the Congress and Lalu Prasads RJD  was committed to implementing its agenda of good governance.

A reactive narrative wont work as key issues like problems of farmers get lost in the noise. They dont get to know of an alternative action plan, he said.

He said the success of an alternative narrative was demonstrated in the resounding success of the grand alliance during the 2014 assembly polls in Bihar. We approached people with a clear agenda  a development programme on the back of demonstrated achievement and a united face. It clicked with them more in comparison to reactive politics of the opposition. Rest is history, Kumar said.

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The Congress could support a vice-presidential candidate suggested by fellow opposition parties, a move to help fix fault lines within the non-NDA camp over its nominee for the Presidents post.

The main opposition party fielded former Lok Sabha speaker Meira Kumar for the July 17 presidential polls against the ruling BJP-led NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind, who was governor of Bihar.

But the Congress couldnt name its candidate before the BJP and the delay divided the opposition camp, with Bihar chief minister and Janata Dal (United) president Nitish Kumar supporting Kovind.

The partys relations with Kumar worsened since, though they are part of the coalition that rules Bihar. The chief minister also accused the Congress of scuttling efforts to unite opposition parties to take on the BJP in the Assam and Uttar Pradesh state polls.

The controversy prompted the Congress to speed up the consultation process for the vice-presidential nominee. Party leaders will soon begin discussions with fellow opposition parties for consensus on a common candidate for the countrys second top constitutional post.

To ensure a strong and united non-NDA camp, a Congress strategist, who refused to be named, did not rule out the possibility of his party supporting a candidate suggested by other parties.

The strategy is viewed as a damage-control exercise over the Congress-Kumar spat.

The situation aggravated after senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azads alleged swipe at the chief minister for not supporting Meira Kumar, who is a native of Bihar.

At an Iftar hosted by the Congress in Patna on June 21, Azads remarks that people who have one principle make one decision, but those who believe in many principles make different decisions were widely interpreted as a direct attack on the chief minister.

Kumar quoted the late Ram Manohar Lohia in his response and called the Congress Sarkari Gandhivadi (bureaucratic Gandhian).

Bihar Congress leaders said in private that Azads statement was in bad taste and he should have avoided it at a time when opposition unity is imperative to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP.

However, they hoped Kumars support to Kovind would be a one-off development and that he will not go with the BJP again after parting ways with the party on a bitter note in 2013.

Congress leaders were relieved to see the presence of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) chief Sharad Pawar at an event organised by the National Herald in Delhi on Saturday.

His decision to attend the midnight launch of the goods and services tax (GST) at Parliaments Central Hall on Friday unnerved the Congress, which boycotted the function.

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No guns to Turkey: 36 congressmen's letter to Secretary of State

36 Members of Congress sent a bi-partisan letter, spearheaded by Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Representative Dave Trott (R-MI), to Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, opposing an anticipated gun sale to Turkey in light of the vicious attack by Turkey's security detail in our Nation's Capital against peaceful protesters, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly). "Right here, on U.S. soil, we witnessed President Erdogan's blatant disregard for democracy as his henchmen waged a brutal attack on peaceful protestors. As the very model of freedom and liberty around the world, the United States cannot condone such an overt suppression of democracy and this proposed arms deal would be nothing less than an endorsement of Erdogan's henchmen's brutal attack. We need to call out and hold accountable President Erdogan and his bodyguards for who they really are - thugs," Rep. Trott stated. Last month, President Erdogan's bodyguards violently assaulted peaceful protesters in Washington, D.C. with President Erdogan just feet away, looking on as armed members of his security detail unleashed a brutal attack, targeting non-violent protesters and American Diplomatic Security Officers, and resulting in serious injuries. On June 6, the House of Representatives unanimously passed House Resolution 354, condemning the violence that took place outside the Turkish Ambassador's residence on May 16 and calling on the perpetrators to be brought to justice under U.S. law. "We can no longer enable Turkey to compromise our democratic values, and this proposed arms sale is nothing short of an endorsement of the actions of President Erdogan's security force. As such, we strongly urge you to reject this proposed sale and any potential weapons transfer to President Erdogan's security detail," the Members of Congress stated in the letter. The State Department notified Congress about a proposed sale of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to a Turkish government controlled entity authorized to import firearms to the Department of Security of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey. In questioning earlier this month by Congressman David Cicilline (D-RI) during a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing on the Administration's Budget, Secretary Tillerson said whether or not the U.S. will sell weapons to the very same security forces who committed the attack is currently "under evaluation." "We commend Congressman Trott and his colleagues for this initiative and standing up for American values in light of such a flagrant disrespect for our cherished rights," stated Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny. The Assembly also urged its members to contact their Representative to join the bipartisan letter urging Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to stop the proposed gun sale to Turkey.
The Election Commission has informed the Centre that it can pull off the process of introducing voting rights for non-resident Indians (NRI) within three months of the law being introduced.

The decision to allow over 10 million NRIs  of whom 24,348 are registered with the EC  to vote through a postal ballot will offer expatriates a chance to participate in the countrys electoral process without having to be physically present at the polling stations.

If it comes to fruition, NRIs from states such as Kerala, Punjab and Telangana -- which have large populations of NRIs -- will stand to be benefit.

Chief election commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi, who demits office on July 5, told HT that the poll panel is ready to implement the one-way postal ballot system for allowing NRIs to vote, if the government gives the go-ahead.

Read | Interview: Nasim Zaidi says tenure as CEC has been a very positive experience

The one-way postal ballot system involves sending e-ballot papers to the voters, which are retuned by post after the voters have marked their choice. The system was introduced for armed forces personnel and service voters in October last year.

Voting rights to NRIs is a long term vision and is under evaluation, Zaidi told HT.

He said the commission has proposed a one-way e-postal ballot system for NRIs, but is awaiting for word from the law ministry.

We have written to the Law ministry, we are ready and have been saying it, we only need a law. It will be on the similar lines as the one-way postal ballot that was started for the service personnel. The moment we have the law we will be ready to implement it within three-months he said.

Read | EC begins drive to register over 30 million young adults as voters

The Centre has told the Supreme Court, where petitions have been filed to allow NRI voters to participate in the electoral exercise, that it is willing to accept the poll panels recommendation to allow NRIs to vote through e-postal ballots or proxy voting.

We have proved that the technology works, Zaidi said.

The proposal can only be implemented after Parliament amends the Representation of the People Act and the Conduct of Election Rules. The CEC said the proposal to allow voting rights for domestic migrants, is also pending.

A committee report (on the issue) has also been given, the government has to take a call, the CEC said. After amendments were made to the RP Act to make provisions for NRIs, the EC undertook an awareness campaign last year to familiarise expatriates with their voting rights.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) will now approach six countries  the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the US, France, Singapore, Ireland and Mauritius  for details on former liquor baron Vijay Mallyas properties, bank accounts and shell companies.

The special court for Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) allowed the EDs plea to send Letters Rogatory (letters of request) to authorities in the six countries.

The central agency is investigating the allegation of money laundering against Mallya also booked for defaulting loans taken from various banks in the name of his company Kingfisher Airlines. The agency claimed the loan money was laundered by Mallya for his personal consumption and he appraised several properties out of India.

The central agencies  CBI and ED  which have been probing the case alleged Kingfisher Airlines was incurring losses from its inception and the net losses of the company were Rs 687 crore in March 2008 and Rs 2,168 crore in March 2009.

Read more: Vijay Mallya in trouble as Mumbai court issues non-bailable warrant against him

By 2009, Kingfisher had already availed loans aggregating to Rs 4,998.50 crore from various banks under multiple banking arrangements and was in further need of a loan of Rs 2,500 crore, of which Rs 2,000 crore was sanctioned by a consortium of banks.

The agency in six different applications pleaded the laundered money was diverted by Mallya into various accounts and also invested in several properties out of India.

The agency alleged that Mallya owns several properties in the UAE and the US and has also incorporated several companies in the US, where the funds also have been suspected to have been diverted.

The agency has sought bank account details and details of the companies with which Mallya exchanged transactions in other four countries.

The ED had filed its first complaint (charge sheet) before the special PMLA court last month on June 14 against Mallya and officers of Kingfisher Airlines. The agency has given a detailed trail of money laundered by Mallya and other office bearers.

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Eight antique diamonds adorning the forehead of an idol at the Sree Padmanabhaswamy temple were missing, the Supreme Court was told on Monday, the latest theft to be reported from one of the worlds richest Hindu shrines.

The crime branch of the Kerala Police were investigating the theft, senior advocate Gopal Subramanium, who is assisting the court in a case of alleged mismanagement of the shrine, said in his report about the Thiruvananthapuram-based temple whose wealth is estimated at Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

Though the diamonds, part of the Namam (tilakam), were officially valued at Rs 21 lakh, it was a conservative estimate as the value was far beyond the figure because of their antiquity, the report said.

Ten months ago gold worth Rs 189 crore was reported missing from the temple by former comptroller and auditor general of India Vinod Rai.

Asked by the court to audit the temples famed treasures, Rai said 769 gold pots were missing.

Questions have been raised over the management of the temple dedicate to Lord Padmanabha. In 2009 a former police officer filed a case in the Kerala high court alleging mismanagement of the assets by the erstwhile royal family of Travancore.

A petition in the Supreme Court has asked that a trust or a separate body be formed to manage the temple, as it riches were being plundered. It has also asked for an inventory of the treasures.

The temple shot to fame seven years ago when the court ordered a list be drawn up of the temple wealth after six underground vaults were discovered. Rare jewels, gold coins, diamond-studded thrones, crowns and gold bars were found when all but one vault were opened.

The Supreme Court will hear the case on Tuesday.
Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, recently designated by the US as a global terrorist, has told a private Pakistani TV channel that his group was behind terror attacks in India.

Till now our focus was on Indian occupation forces. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces, he told Geo TV in an interview.

He told the channel that the Kashmir Valley was witnessing an uprising since the killing of Burhan Wani.

Two days ago, Salahuddin had said at a rally in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, that his fighters attacks were on legitimate military targets as opposed to civilians.

The rally was widely covered in the Pakistan media.

Salahuddin called US President Donald Trump crazy for the action against him. He also called the Trump administration idiotic, saying his designation as a global terrorist was a gift to Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He told the rally that Trumps decision will be thrown out if anyone challenges it in American courts. No other Western nation has endorsed what this crazy Donald Trump has done.

This (the Trump administrations) idiocy can neither weaken our courage, nor stop the freedom struggle and the target-oriented actions of freedom fighters.

The US State Department had imposed sanctions on him in June, during Modis visit to Washington.The US now considers Salahuddin, also known as Mohammad Yusuf Shah, a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, it said in a statement.

The new sanctions mean American citizens are generally barred from doing business with him, and all his assets subject to US jurisdiction are blocked.

Pakistan had last week called the US action completely unjustified because it involved an individual supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination.

In the Geo TV interview, Salahuddin claimed to have many supporters in India and said he had purchased weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it.

In September, 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, and threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers and turn the Kashmir valley into a graveyard for Indian forces.

Under his leadership, the terror group has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014 strike in Jammu and Kashmir that injured 17 people. (With agency inputs)
Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday said the Opposition needed an alternative narrative to take on the BJP, in what was seen as a veiled dig at alliance partner the Congress.

Kumar also ruled himself out as the Oppositions prime ministerial candidate for 2019, saying he was not eligible to run for the countrys top job. The remarks underline the challenge the opposition faces in uniting for the national election.

Humne pehle bhi kaha hai ki Congress badi party hai, alternate narrative aur agenda set karna chahiye (I have already said the Congress is a big party and should set the agenda), Kumar said.

Kumar had snapped ties with the BJP and walked out of the National Democratic Alliance after it declared Narendra Modi as it prime ministerial candidate for the 2014 election.

Kumar heads a ruling coalition of his Janata Dal (United), Rashtriya Janata Dal and the Congress in Bihar. But he recently broke ranks to back the NDAs presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind.

Opposition needs an alternate narrative, just reactive narrative wont work, said Kumar, who was again asked by the Congress to reconsider support to Kovind for the July 17 presidential election.

On Sunday, he had hit back at the Congress for accusing him of harbouring many principles in backing Kovind. It is you (not me), who is changing principles, Kumar said, taking a dig senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad for accusing him of harbouring many principles.

Read | Nitish Kumar, then Sharad Pawar: GST politics exposes cracks in Opposition unity

The Congress is also upset because he sent a minister to attend the midnight launch of the goods and services tax. The Congress and some other opposition parties stayed away from the ceremony.

There was no invitation, so where is the question of attending or skipping, said Kumar, whose relationship with the RJD too is testy.

(With agency inputs)
India believes in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he supported all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem.

A final-status agreement should respect the sentiments and address demands of all affected parties, said Modi, who will travel to Israel on Tuesday on a three-day visit - the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister.

We believe in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully, he said in an interview to the pro-government daily Israel Hayom.

India supports all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem, he added.

The two-state solution envisions independent Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting side by side peacefully. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as their future capital.

During his visit to Israel, Modi will not travel to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, to meet with Palestinian leaders, as is common for visiting foreign dignitaries.

He, however, met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi in May.

I assume the question refers to our embassy in Tel Aviv. We will take a decision on that after both sides have come to an agreement on Jerusalem, Prime Minister Modi said in response to a question whether India will move its embassy there.

Asked whether India would take a more pro-Israel posture in the UN, Modi said Indias positions at the UN are based on the merit of specific issues and driven by the countrys core values and principles.

We remain engaged with all our partners, including Israel, in finding optimal outcomes at the UN and other multilateral fora that reflect our commonly shared priorities and concerns. India is not in favour of singling out any country at the UN, he added.

Asked whether India still considers itself unaligned with either the West or the East, Modi said, We believe in the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means the world is one family. We want to engage constructively with both the East and the West.
China said on Monday it will continue to allow Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar through the Lipulekh pass in Uttarakhand, days after it closed the Nathu La route in Sikkim over a face-off between Indian and Chinese troops along the Sino-Indian border.

The Nathu La route has been running well over two years and the relevant Chinese departments have already made arrangements before the incident took place, foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told reporters in Beijing.

Due to illegal entry of Indian troops and out of security concern, we have suspended the activity (through Nathu La). Its resumption depends on whether Indian side will correct its mistake or not.

The Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu La in Sikkim. (PTI)

Regarding the other pass to Tibet, the entry by Indian pilgrims is still going on and the pass is located in the middle section of China-India boundary where there is no dispute. The pilgrimage is going on, Geng said.

The Nathu La route is the second one opened by China for the Indian pilgrims to visit Kailash and Mansarovar areas located at an altitude of 15,160 feet in Tibet.

Like the Nathu La route, the yatra is being organised by external affairs ministry since 1981 through Lipulekh pass in the Himalayas connecting the Kumaon region of Uttarakhand with the old trading town of Taklakot in Tibet.

The ministry permits over 1,000 pilgrims a year in 18 batches involving a 22-day arduous journey unlike the Nathu La route which enabled pilgrims to travel 1,500-km-long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

Chinas move cancelling the Kailash Mansarovar yatra through Nathu La in Sikkim came as a disappointment to the 800 devotees hoping to visit the high altitude area, believed to be the abode of Lord Shiva.

The pilgrimage to Kailash Mansarovar, considered holy by Hindus, Buddhists and Jains, takes place from June to September every year.
Protests over use of Hindi signages in Bengaluru Metro are breaking barriers with organisations that were up in arms against each other over Cauvery water sharing dispute are now teaming up to oppose the imposition of the language.

The Karnataka Rakshana Vedika (KRV), a pro-Kannada organisation, which spearheaded a violent protest against Tamil Nadu last year over the water dispute, has now approached a political party of the neighbouring state to bolster its anti-Hindi movement.

The KRV activists had set on fire Tamil Nadu registered trucks after the Supreme Court had directed the Karnataka government to release Cauvery river water to the neighbouring state.

Burying the hatchet, the KRV leaders are now in touch with the local unit of the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) to protest, what it called, the imposition of Hindi.

It is also trying to get support from pro-Telugu and pro-Malayalam organisations of the state.

Senior KRV member Sanneerappa has confirmed approaching the DMK saying they are in touch with the local unit of the party.

N Ramaswami, a leader of the DMKs state unit, too indicated the party is ready to join hands with its erstwhile bete noire.

The Cauvery issue is in the court and we cannot do anything about it. However, the DMK has always been at the forefront of protests against the imposition of Hindi, he told the HT.

The protests over alleged imposition of Hindi erupted in the state recently over usage of Hindi in the metro rails signboards in the city, prompting even Karanataka chief minister Siddaramaiah to oppose the move.

Since majority of funding for the metro came from the state, it was not a central government project and thus does not qualify for the three-language usage policy, the chief minister said, condemning use of Hindi along with Kannada and English.

Amid the protests, officials of the Kempegowda Metro Station on Sunday put tape on the Hindi signages to avert any untoward incident.

Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) MN Anucheth said security has been beefed up around metro stations, though he refused to admit there were threats.

Recent remarks of Union minister Venkaiah Naidu in favour of Hindi too did not go down well with the pro-Kannada activists.

Hindi as Rashtra Bhasha (national language) is very important, we cannot do without it...Most people in our country speak Hindi, so learning Hindi is also important... but we should be fluent in our mother language like Gujarati, Marathi, Bhojpuri..., Naidu said.

Taking objection to the statement, Sannerappa said if Hindi is so important then the central government should not depend on the taxes paid by southern states.

we will refuse to pay (taxes) if the government is keen on imposing Hindi, he said.

The pro-Kannada activists accused the BJP of imposing Hindi in the state.

For the first time in the states history, a governor addressed a joint session of the legislature in Hindi. What else is this if not imposition of Hindi? Sanneerappa asked.

The KRV also planned to launch a campaign against states BJP leaders, particularly Union minister Ananth Kumar, whom it accused of backing Hindi.

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With an eye on assembly and Lok Sabha polls in 2019, BJP president Amit Shah arrived in Odisha on Monday for a three-day tour during which he will give a boost to the partys preparations at the booth level.

Shah, who landed in Bhubaneswar in the evening, would tour Ganjam, Jajpur and Khurda districts where he would meet the partys grassroots workers as part of the partys Mo booth, sabuthu mazboot (my booth strongest) programme.

The party, which is on a high after winning 297 of the 851 zilla parishad seats in Februarys panchayat polls, has 10 MLAs and 1 MP from the state.

With booth-level workers in only about one-third of the 92,000-odd polling booths in the state, Shahs programme aims to recruit cadre at the ground level to take on the all-powerful BJD which has been ruling Odisha since 2000.

Shah would come again in August to connect with booth-level workers and strategise the strengthening of the party.

On Tuesday, Shah would start his trip with a visit to Hugulapata village in Ganjam district where he would meet five families and discuss various welfare programmes implemented by the Modi government.

Later, he would meet grassroots party workers to take stock of the partys organisational strength. As part of the partys Dalit outreach programme, Shah would have lunch with a Dalit family.

The next day Shah will visit Jajpur district and interact with local party workers. On Thursday, he will meet BJP zilla parishad members, block presidents and vice-presidents in Khurda district and wind down his trip by meeting senior party leaders at the state office.

State BJP vice-president Sameer Mohanty said Shahs tour would send a message that strong booths would ensure development of Odisha.

When the partys national president visits booth-level workers in their homes and lunches with them, it would send a clear signal about the partys intention of taking everyone along, he said.

Shah would also review how Prime Minister Narendra Modis programmes have fared in the state in the last three years, Mohanty said.

Ruling BJD played down the impact of Shahs trip. Cooperation minister Surya Patro said the visit may enthuse BJP workers temporarily. Odisha is still solidly behind Naveen Patnaik, he said.

Political analyst Rabi Das said despite BJPs relative success in the panchayat polls, BJD is still a much stronger party. The problem with BJP is that there is no leader in the party who can stand up to Naveen Patnaik. Its an unequal fight as of now, said Das.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to Israel from July 4 to 6, the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister, will have huge symbolic significance, the Israeli foreign ministry said on Monday.

Addressing the media in Jerusalem, Mark Sofer, deputy director general of the Asia and Pacific division of the foreign ministry and former ambassador to India, said the visit -- coming as it does after 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties -- will have huge symbolic significance.

Yes, it is crucial that this visit is taking place, Sofer said. There will be concrete ramifications of this visit.

He said his ministry has put enormous emphasis on this visit.

Read | PM Modi says India, Israel can cooperate more closely against terrorism ahead of his 3-day visit

According to Sofer, both countries have identified agriculture and water management as a crucial area of the future of the bilateral relationship and a joint strategic partnership will be set up in this regard. Innovation and space cooperation are other areas of cooperation.

Sofer also said that during the course of the visit, an India-Israel CEOs Forum will also be set up.

Israels ambassador to India Daniel Carmon said that the trajectory of the relationship between the two countries has grown enormously.

During this visit, we will look to the next 25 years of the relationship, Carmon said.

Stating that Israel would represent a new kind of diplomacy by looking at the priorities of the Indian government, the Ambassador said this will include developmental diplomacy and digital diplomacy.

He said Israel has set up 15 centres of excellence in the field of agriculture in India.

Regarding Jews of Indian origin living in Israel, Sofer said there are now second generation Indian Jews in Israel.

Most of the Indian-origin Jews that Modi will meet during his visit were born in Israel, he noted.

Carmon said when Modi met Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu in Singapore in 2015 during the funeral of the city-states first Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew, the Indian leader told Netanyahu that the Jewish community played an important role in the relationship between the two countries.

Indian Jews in Israel are very proud of their Indian roots, he said.

To a question on cooperation in the fight against terrorism, Sofer said that both countries faced common challenges.

What is needed is concerted international action. India is no exception, he stated.

He also said that Israel supported India in its fight against terrorism sponsored by Pakistan.

Giving an overview of Modis programme, Sofer said that soon after his arrival in Tel Aviv on Tuesday, the Indian leader will visit an agricultural centre before meeting Netanyahu over a private dinner.

On Wednesday, the two Prime Ministers will lead delegation-level talks that may well last four hours.

Modi will also meet Israels Leader of Opposition and later address a 4,000-strong gathering of Jews of Indian origin the same day.

On Thursday, the two Prime Ministers will fly by helicopter to Haifa where both will lay wreaths at the Indian Cemetery that contains the graves of Indian soldiers who died during the First World War defending Haifa.

The two leaders will travel back to Tel Aviv by car and on the way stop at a beach where Modi will be shown a state-of-the-art desalination plant.

Back in Tel Aviv, the two leaders will interact with Indian and Israeli business leaders, Sofer said.
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The CBI on Monday interrogated senior Trinamool Congress MP Sultan Ahmed over his alleged role in the Narada video tapes scandal which purportedly showed him accepting bribe to favour a fictitious firm.

Ahmed was quizzed for nearly seven hours by the CBI officials in Kolkata.

The Trinamool Congress MP is the third person to have been quizzed by the investigating agency after his younger brother Iqbal Ahmed, a Trinamool MLA and deputy mayor of Kolkata Municipal Corporation, and IPS officer SMH Mirza.

According to CBI sources, the Trinamool MP may be summoned again after verifying his statements given on Monday to the agencys officers.

After coming out of the CBI office, Ahmed said, I have tried to answer all the questions to the best of my ability and knowledge. I have fully cooperated with the CBI. In future too, I will cooperate with it.

The Narada tapes, which were released before the 2016 assembly elections in West Bengal, allegedly showed several Trinamool Congress MLAs and MPs accepting money from journalist Mathew Samuels who posed as a businessman.

No arrests have been made so far in connection with the case.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi described on Monday Indias ties with Israel as special and said his visit -- the first-ever by an Indian premier to the country -- will lead to further cementing of bilateral ties and cooperation in key areas including counter-terrorism.

My visit comes at a special moment- we mark 25 years of the establishment of relations between India and Israel this year, Modi said on the eve of his three-day visit to Israel.

In an interview to the pro-government daily Israel Hayom, Modi said his visit was based on the deep centuries- old connection between our two peoples.

I share the opinion of many of my people, who see Israel as a beacon of technology, as a country that has managed to survive even though the odds were against it.

Modis visit is expected to focus on forging new defence and cyber security ties, two areas in which Israel has sought to portrays itself as a world leader, the daily said.

Separately, in an email sent to Israelis who subscribe to his newsletter, Modi said Indias ties with Israel are special.

Modi said his visit will lead to further cementing the ties between the two countries, according to Jerusalem Post.

India is the worlds biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers. Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than $ 1 billion in defence deals each year.

Modi said his government is determined to improve ties between India and Israel and raise them to new levels.

Noting that the frequency of high-level exchanges has gone up over the last three years, Modi said that no Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before President Pranab Mukherjee visited in 2015.

My visit has its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel. I am confident that my visit will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation, Modi told Israel Hayom.

Our goal is to conduct dialogue with Israel in a manner that improves the lives of the citizens of both countries, said Prime Minister Modi, who last visited Israel a decade ago when he was chief minister of Gujarat with a delegation to learn about Israeli agriculture.

I am happy to return after more than a decade, and I look forward to seeing the developments and advances Israel has made in this time, Modi said.

He lauded Israel for transforming itself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country and hailed its other amazing accomplishments.

Asked whether Israel and India facing the same threat of terrorism, Modi said that terrorism is a global menace and two countries are not immune to it either.

We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish. Cross-border terrorism is a major challenge for us. Divisive forces across our border are trying to disrupt the unity of our nation.

These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion. India and Israel could cooperate even more closely and complement each others efforts to fight with the menace of terrorism, he told the Israeli daily.

When asked whether he is ardent supporter of the capitalist system and wants to liberalise the economy, Modi said he does not believe in any -isms.

I, and my government work with the motto of Together with all, development for all, he added.

Modi said Israel could be a technology partner in the process of Indias transformation.

Israels capabilities offer a good match for our flagship schemes like Clean Ganga and Smart Cities. Israeli technologies could also be used to improve the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our country if Israeli innovators remodel their products according to the needs of our rural population, he added.

We are not looking at a traditional import-export relationship with Israel. It is more than a buyer-seller relationship. We are more interested in a tech-based partnership with an emphasis on Make in India, he added.
Even though South Block is at pains to stress that there are no military deals during PM Narendra Modis three-day trip to Jerusalem, defence and homeland security ties continue to be the cement that binds India and Israel together.

With US offering Intelligence, Surveillance, Target Acquisition and Reconnaissance (ISTAR) aerial platform, the defence ministry is expected to take up the armed unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) Heron TP offer from Israel to beef up its counter-terrorist and military deterrence capability along the borders.

 The basic plan is to integrate the Raytheon manufactured ISTAR platform to convey ground movement using dual movement radar to the armed UAV for counter-strikes using missiles or laser guided bombs against terrorists or moving military targets, said an official.

The ISTAR has been used in Afghanistan since the past decade, while Heron TP with multi-mission payload offer was already discussed with then defence secretary G Mohan Kumar during his visit to Israel on April 24-26, 2017. The Heron TP has been shown to visiting Indian defence and external affairs ministry officials though the UAV will have to be manufactured as it is not available off the shelf.

Although top Indian officials hint at behind the scenes hi-end security technology agreements during the visit, security agencies in New Delhi are looking towards Israeli nod for communication interception software that can interdict internet based chat platforms for targeting terrorists or hostiles. Already the two sides have a robust institutionalised mechanism to share data on terrorists and hostile countries.

India and Israel forged a close military and security relationship during the 1999 Kargil war with Tel Aviv supplying top of the line Searcher Mark II UAVs to reconnaissance the Pakistani intrusion area in Drass, Kakser and Batalik sectors. Later, Israeli companies armed Indian multi-role fighters like Miraage-2000 with Litening pods to paint the Pakistani targets for a laser guided bomb attacks. It also provided Barack surface to air missiles to protect then Indian aircraft carrier Viraat.

The relationship deepened after Israel quietly landed three C-130 J Hercules load worth of much needed ammunition and missiles in the first week of June 2002 as India was all set to answer for May 14, 2002 massacre of 10 women and 8 children at Kaluchak army camp in Jammu by Pakistani terrorists.

While the focus of PM Modis visit is to expand the 25-year-old relationship through free trade agreement and bilateral investment, the two sides will be sharing critical technology in the cybersecurity area to guard against malware attacks by the neighbouring adversaries.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi -- set to begin his Israel visit from Tuesday -- has said New Delhi and Tel Aviv can cooperate even more closely in battling terrorism.

Modi told newspaper Israel Hayom in an interview that his three-day visit to Israel, the first by any Indian Prime Minister, had its own significance and would further strengthen bilateral ties.

Terrorism is a global menace. India and Israel are not immune to it either. We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish, Modi said.

Here is the complete text of the interview, as released by Israel Hayom:

Q) What do you know about Israel? Have you ever visited Israel?

A) I got firsthand experience of Israel during my visit to Israel in 2006, as chief minister of the Indian State of Gujarat, to take part in an Agritech exhibition. I am happy to return after more than a decade, and I look forward to seeing the developments and advances Israel has made in this time.

I share the view of many of my fellow citizens about Israel. In India, Israel is perceived as a technological powerhouse, and a country that has braved many odds. Many tech-based inventions have their roots in Israeli universities and laboratories and have benefited humankind. These include articles ranging from USB flash drives to cherry tomatoes. The way you transformed yourself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country; the manner in which you made your deserts bloom, are all amazing accomplishments. All these images have made a deep imprint on my mind.

Q) Why have you made a decision to go ahead with this historic visit?

A) Bilateral ties between our countries have always been strong. In fact, over the years, they have been continuously expanding and diversifying. In the recent past, the steady strengthening of our ties has begun finding reflection and reinforcement in high-level visits. You would have noticed that the frequency of exchanges has gone up over the last three years. No Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before our president visited in 2015. President Reuven Rivlins visit to India in 2016 was only the second Israeli presidential visit to India.

My forthcoming visit reminds us of the deep and centuries old connect between our societies. It is in line with our view that our ties should be reflected in all spheres of our engagement and backed by regular high-level contact. I think that this year, as we celebrate 25 years of our diplomatic relations, it is an opportune occasion to take the relationship to a new level.

Q) Does this decision imply a more pro-Israel posture in the UN?

A) Our positions at the U.N. are based on the merit of specific issues and driven by our core values and principles. We remain engaged with all our partners, including Israel, in finding optimal outcomes at the U.N. and other multilateral fora that reflect our commonly shared priorities and concerns. India is not in favor of singling out any country at the U.N.

Q) Does India still consider itself unaligned with either the West or the East?

A) We believe in the philosophy of Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam, which means the world is one family. We want to engage constructively with both the East and the West.

Q) Are Israel and India facing the same threat of terrorism?

A) Terrorism is a global menace. India and Israel are not immune to it either. We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish. Cross-border terrorism is a major challenge for us. Divisive forces across our border are trying to disrupt the unity of our nation. These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion. India and Israel could cooperate even more closely and complement each others efforts to fight with the menace of terrorism.

Q) Is this a reset or an upgrade of relations?

A) My visit has its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel. I am confident that my visit will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation.

Q) Will you agree to visit Jerusalem and the Western Wall like President Donald Trump?

A) The principal objective of my visit is to deepen bilateral relations between India and Israel. I am sure I will visit Jerusalem. Elements of my visit and its program is being so arranged so that we can focus to taking forward our partnership with Israel in all the spheres, including technology and innovation links, agriculture and efficient resource use. 

Q) What is your position on the question of sovereignty in Jerusalem? Will India move its embassy?

A) We believe in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully. A final-status agreement should respect the sentiments and address demands of all affected parties. The key to finding a solution to this issue lies with the affected parties. India supports all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem. I assume the question refers to our embassy in Tel Aviv. We will take a decision on that after both sides have come to an agreement on Jerusalem.

Q) Your biography, as a man who grew up in poverty and climbed up the ladder with hard work to become the countrys head of government, is impressive by any measure. But despite your past, you are an ardent supporter of the capitalist system and want to liberalize the economy. Can you explain what shaped your worldview?

A) I do not believe in any -isms. I, and my government work with the motto of Together with all, development for all. We want our youth to become not just job-seekers but job-givers. We will adopt all measures necessary to unlock the innovation and entrepreneurial potential of our youth. My yardstick for supporting or advocating any course of action is the net benefit or value it brings to the lives of our people. And when this consideration is put first, the results can be deeply rewarding. I have seen that in my own home state, Gujarat in Western India, where I was the chief minister for 13 years, and now on the national scale in India.

Q) You have tried to reform Indian society, in part by the use of modern technology in remote and rural communities that lack proper sanitary conditions. Can Israel play a role in this?

A) Certainly. Israel could be a technology partner in this process of transformation. Israels capabilities offer a good match for our flagship schemes like Clean Ganga [the effort to clean the Ganges River] and Smart Cities. Israeli technologies could also be used to improve the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our country if Israeli innovators remodel their products according to the needs of our rural population. It is important to understand market trends among the rural sections.

Q) What is the difference between the approach Israelis and Indians have when it comes to business, agriculture and other fields?

A) As societies, India and Israel are both driven by a strong entrepreneurial mindset. Business cultures in the two countries are unique and have evolved from their respective context in which each has evolved. There may be differences in their approach but the Indian and Israeli businessmen whom I know have told me that both have similar scientific temperament.

Q) How can we describe to the average person what innovation ties are there between Israelis and Indians?

A) I think the average person is highly aware of our innovation ties as the outcome of our engagement touches his life. Our perspective on innovation may be varied by but we both rely on it to add wealth and value to our societies. Israelis and Indians are innovative by birth. India and Israel both support and sustain unique innovation ecosystems. Our common effort is also to link the creativity of innovation with the energy of entrepreneurship.

Q) What kind of Israeli imports does India seek?

A) We are not looking at a traditional import-export relationship with Israel. It is more than a buyer-seller relationship. We are more interested in a tech-based partnership with an emphasis on Make in India. The Israeli industry has been fairly positive to many of our flagship schemes like Clean Ganga. There is tremendous scope for deepening the extent of partnership in Indias flagship schemes.
Narendra Modi, who becomes the first Indian prime minister to embark on a bilateral visit to Israel, has said that New Delhi and Tel Aviv need to cooperate more closely in battling the global menace of terrorism.

Modi told newspaper Israel Hayom in an interview that his three-day visit, starting on Tuesday, had its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel and would strengthen ties between the two countries.

India and Israel are not immune to it (terrorism). We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish, the Prime Minister said.

Underlining the need for cooperation in combating terror, he said: These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion.

Modi is expected to meet Baby Moshe, who survived the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks though his parents, Gavriel and Rivka Holtzberg, were killed in the Chabad House in Colaba. Moshe is now 11.

India and Israel established full-fledged diplomatic ties 25 years ago and Modi is expected to lay the future road map.

No Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before our president (Pranab Mukherjee) visited in 2015... My forthcoming visit reminds us of the deep and centuries old connect between our societies, Modi said. Historically, India has walked a tightrope in the region, seeking to balance relations between Arab states and Palestine in keeping with its long-held non-aligned foreign policy.

It has also been a political signal for the large Muslim minority back home. But over the years, India has quietly bolstered its relations with Tel Aviv.

Modis visit will only formally de-hyphenate Indias ties with Israel and Palestine. Modi will not travel to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian authority and a customary stop for visiting leaders trying to maintain a balance in political ties.

Modi hosted Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas earlier this year but that hardly compares with the scale of collaboration with Israel.

India is one of the worlds biggest importers of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers along with Russia and the US. Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than $1 billion in defence deals each year.

India is expected to stick to its traditional position on the Palestine conflict with Modi reiterating that the country is committed to a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state can coexist peacefully.

On the eve of Modis visit, the two countries promised to intensify cooperation in a host of areas with special focus on counter-terrorism, water, agriculture, space and economy.

The Israeli ministry of foreign affairs on Monday dubbed the visit as one with huge symbolic significance with concrete ramifications in several fields.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi not visiting Palestine during his forthcoming visit to Israel would strengthen the occupation of West Bank and Gaza by the Jewish state, AIMIM president and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi said on Monday.

The Prime Minister, during his three-day visit, is not visiting the occupied territories, which we (Indian leaders in the past) have done (visited). Whenever any Indian authorities went to Israel, they have maintained ties with Israel...we also reaffirmed our support to the Palestinian cause.

Thats why I say this (Modi not visiting Palestine) will strengthen the occupation of the occupied territories of West Bank and Gaza, Owaisi told reporters in Hyderabad.

The Palestine cause is no more dearer to this government, unlike every previous government, the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen chief alleged.

Agenda now is that the cause of Palestine is no more dearer to this particular government, which had been visited by representatives of every previous government. That has been the cornerstone of our foreign policy, the Hyderabad MP said.

Claiming that Israeli armaments, including border sensors and drones, have been ineffective in the country, he asked why the Centre has given contract to Israeli companies which were blacklisted earlier.

On Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who was recently declared a global terrorist by the US, Owaisi said America should also adopt a stern attitude towards another terrorist leader Hafiz Saeed, whose declaration as a UN designated terrorist has been blocked repeatedly by China.

Modis three-day visit to Israel, beginning tomorrow, will be the first by an Indian Prime Minister.

The visit is aimed at commemorating 25 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries. Modi will also hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is set to meet Chinese President Xi Jinping later this week at the G20 summit in Hamburg in Germany amid a military standoff between the two countries with Chinese experts saying war could be a possibility.

A Chinese deputy foreign minister said the meeting would be part of the informal talks among leaders of five major emerging economies  Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa  on the sidelines of the G20 summit.

According to the usual practice, BRICS leaders will hold an informal meeting ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Li Baodong, vice minister of foreign affairs, told reporters at the weekend.

Chinese President Xi Jinping left Beijing on Monday for state visits to Russia and Germany which is hosting the 12th G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7 and 8.

Read | India planned intrusion to impress US during Modi-Trump meeting: Chinese media on Sikkim standoff

Later Monday, Beijing seemed to pile on diplomatic pressure with the foreign ministry saying that the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated and the Indian Armys action there is a betrayal of the position taken by successive Indian governments.

Modi and Xi had met at the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) summit in Astana in

Kazakhstan in June when India and Pakistan were admitted to the security-focused bloc.

By the time Modi and Xi met in Astana, the border troops from both countries could have already been locked in an eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation near the Sikkim border.

The situation has since worsened with reports saying hundreds of troops from both sides being called in as reinforcements.

India has said the situation was triggered after Chinese personnel crossed into Indian territory in early June.

Last week, the Indian government said that New Delhi was deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions of trying to construct a road at Doklam, (Donglang) which is situated at the strategic tri-junction between India, China and Bhutan. China and Bhutan have an ongoing territorial dispute in the region.

Meanwhile, Chinese experts told state media that if the situation isnt handled properly, it could lead to a war.

China will resolutely safeguard its border sovereignty in conflicts with Indian troops even at the cost of war, state-run Global Times daily quoted Chinese experts as saying.

Read | Sikkim standoff: India pushes troops in Doka La in longest impasse since 1962

There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, the Global Times report said.

China is also different from what it was in 1962, Wang Dehua, from the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies said reacting to defence minister Arun Jaitleys comment that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962.

If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and the India of 2017 is different, Jaitley had said.
The Indira Priyadarshini Puruskar Yojana under which girls who score the highest in their districts in Classes 10 and 12 of the Rajasthan Board of Secondary Education (RBSE) are given cash awards, will now be called Padmakshi Puruskar Yojana.

The BJP government in the state last month decided to change the name of the scheme but did not publicize it.

Padmakshi, meaning a woman with lotus-like eyes, is another name for Goddess Saraswati, the deity of wisdom and knowledge. The award will be given on Basant Panchami at district-level functions every year beginning with 2017-18 session, the education department said a in press statement on Sunday.

Basant Panchami, dedicated to Goddess Saraswati, marks the beginning of spring (Basant in Hindi) and falls on the fifth day (Panchami) of Maagh month in the Hindu calendar. Hindus worship the goddess on this day and wear yellow, the colour of spring.

Girls of general, scheduled caste, scheduled tribe, other backward class, minorities and below poverty lines categories who score the highest in RBSE exams in Class 8, 10 and 12 will be awarded with cash and a certificate, the statement quoted education minister Vasudev Devnani as saying.

However, the statement was silent on renaming of the scheme.

Read more: In new Rajasthan textbooks, Veer Savarkar overshadows Gandhi and Nehru

The Ashok Gehlot government started the Indira Priyadarshini Puruskar Yojana in 2010-11 to award Rs 50,000 to Class 12 and Rs 40,000 to Class 10 district toppers in four categories: schedules caste, scheduled tribe, other backward class and minorities.

In 2013, the former chief minister included general category girls in the scheme and increased the award money to Rs 100,000 for Class 12 and Rs 50,000 for Class 10.

Apart from the new name, the Padmakshi Yojana has extended the award to toppers of Class 8 and included BPL families as the sixth category. The education department statement said girls of each category scoring the highest in Class 8 in their district will be given Rs 40,000.

The award scheme, the minister has been quoted as saying, is to promote girls education in the state and to continue the momentum in enrolment of girls in government schools.

On Sunday, HT asked the minister for a comment on the rechristening of the award scheme, but he refused to say anything. Focus on the positives of the scheme  we have included a new category and extended it to include Class 8 toppers, he said.

We have taken a number of steps to promote girls education, Devnani said, adding that 96,000 girls received the Gargi Puruskar this year. In 2014, the number was only 24,000. The award is given to all girls who score 75% or more in Board exams. In order to stop dropout of girls, we are giving cycles to girls who live close to schools and transport vouchers to those who come from far away. Each girl gets Rs 20 every day for public transport, he added.

But former chief minister Gehlot reacted sharply to the change. Changing names of government schemes is a manifestation of a mean mentality. Schemes are named after leaders of the country not of parities. This is a dangerous trend, he told HT on telephone.

Last year, the Rajasthan government came under fire from the Congress for erasing Indias first Prime Minister Nehru from the Class 8 textbook. The new textbooks for Class 10 and 12 introduced this year, have extra dose of nationalism with Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar pushing the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi to the margins.

Educationists had criticised the rewritten textbooks calling the new curriculum Hinduisation of countrys freedom struggle.

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The Supreme Court refused to accord urgent hearing on a plea of former Calcutta High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan, seeking bail and recall of the order convicting him for contempt.

Karnan, who was arrested on June 20 in pursuance of the apex courts judgement awarding him six-month jail term for contempt of court, has requested urgent listing of his petition seeking bail and setting aside of his conviction.

Declined. We will not accept an oral request against the judgment, a bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said.

Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, representing Justice Karnan, said that he has been serving the jail term and his petition needs to be heard on an urgent basis.

On June 21, a vacation bench of the apex court had refused to entertain the plea of the arrested ex-high court judge saying it cannot override the seven-judge bench order in the case.

Karnan, 62, who retired on June 12 as Calcutta High Court judge, was arrested on June 20 by the West Bengal CID. He had been in Coimbatore since May 9 when the apex court held him guilty for contempt of court and sentenced him to six months imprisonment.

Karnan has the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court and also the first to have retired as a fugitive.

A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, had on May 9 directed the West Bengal director general of police to take the then serving judge into custody immediately.

Despite several attempts, Karnan has failed to get any relief from the apex courts vacation benches which has refused to hear his plea seeking a stay of its jail term order.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed criminal contempt proceedings against author and activist Arundhati Roy.

The proceedings were initiated suo motu by the Nagpur bench of the Bombay high court in 2015 taking cognisance of her alleged remarks against the judiciary for not granting bail to former Delhi University professor GN Saibabas, who was facing criminal charges for being a Maoist sympathiser.

Roy has challenged the proceedings before the SC.

A bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar admitted the appeal and stayed the proceedings. This means the case against Roy would not proceed in the high court until the apex court decides her plea, which as per the SC rules would be heard after three years.

Earlier in the day, to the courts query whether Roy would apologise for her remarks, her counsel answered in negative.

The lawyer later told HT: Arundhati wrote an article on the medical condition of the professor. But she never criticised the judiciary for not granting Saibaba bail as has been alleged.

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Golden Apricot will always bring Ambassador to Armenia (video)

Golden Apricot Festival is internationally well known and I am happy that since 2004 Embassy of Germany to the Republic of Armenia has been among the sponsors of the Festival, says Matthias Kiesler, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia. This year also the tradition will be maintained and together with the Embassy of the Federal Republic of Germany to Armenia and Goethe-Institut, Day of German film project will be held on July 13. Six movies will be presented at different programs of the festival, including Fatih Akins film In the Fade. Ambassador of Germany in Armenia said that after ending diplomatic mission in Armenia, he will come to Armenia on the occasion of Golden Apricot. I am especially happy that Fred Kelemens film has also been included in the competition program, says the Ambassador, as I am his fan. Fred Kelemen will hold a master class in TUMO. July 12 is the Day of French film. The Embassy of France to the Republic of Armenia is also one of the supporters of the Festival, and thanks to this lasting cooperation a joint initiative will be carried out, which is also supported by Institut francais. The Festival is a wonderful platform for getting acquainted with French film culture, I am happy for cooperation, says Alex Bortolan, the cultural advisor of the French Embassy in Armenia. Together with the Embassy of Poland in non-competition program the Day of Polish Film will be held, which is dedicated to memory of Andrzej Wajda.
The Centre on Monday condemned Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddins recent utterances against India, and said his designation as a global terrorist by the United States was well deserved.

Home ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad said the government had been describing Salahuddin as a terrorist all along, and his own remarks had confirmed that.

His designation as a global terrorist by the US is well deserved, he told reporters in New Delhi.

Read | Hizbul chief Salahuddin admits to having carried out terror attacks in India

Prasad said Salahuddin was also instrumental in providing funds to terrorists and separatists and giving other kinds of assistance to the militants.

Salahuddin had on July 1 claimed that his group had the capability to launch attacks inside India.

The US declared him a Specially Designated Global Terrorist on June 27.

We are not terrorists... Our struggle is for freedom from India and it will continue till the liberation of Kashmir, the 71-year-old Kashmiri separatist leader, who is based in Muzaffarabad, the capital of Pakistan-occupied Kashmir, had said.
The tea stall in Gujarats Vadnagar where Prime Minister Narendra Modi once sold tea during his childhood is all set to become a tourist spot with the Centre deciding to give it a face-lift.

The stall is located on one of the platforms of the Vadnagar railway station.

Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modis birthplace Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat on the world tourism map.

Officials of the ministry of culture and tourism and the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the town on Sunday.

The team of officials was led by Union culture minister Mahesh Sharma, who later announced that the original charm of the tea stall will be preserved while giving it a modern touch.

Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre having famous Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. ASI had recently found remains of a Buddhist Monastery during excavation, which is still going on, Sharma told reporters at Gandhinagar.

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often mentioned that he used to sell tea during his childhood at the Vadnagar railway station along with his father.

Inside the Vadnagar railway station, there is a small tea stall, from where our PM had probably started his lifes journey. We also want to develop that tea stall as a tourism spot. We will try to preserve the original charm of the tea stall while giving it a modern touch. Our aim is to put Vadnagar on world tourism map, Sharma said.

Earlier, Dinesh Kumar, the divisional railway manager of Ahmedabad division, had said the entire project of developing Vadnagar and adjoining places in Mehsana district would cost over Rs 100 crore.

The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the ministry of tourism has given Rs 8 crore to the state tourism department to develop the railway station, Kumar said.
Not being attentive to the chief ministers speech and fiddling with their mobile phones and playing video games during an official meeting, is proving to be a source of big embarrassment for three senior Indian police service (IPS) officers of Bihar.

TV grabs had captured these officers busy playing their mobiles at an official meeting at the Samwad communication centre, organised by the economic offences unit of the Bihar police, on the occasion of international day against drug abuse and illicit trafficking, on June 26.

Embarrassed by the TV video footage, the government has ordered an inquiry into the incident and issued show cause notices to the three officers - namely, Patna SSP Manu Maharaaj, city SP (central) Chandan Kumar Kushwaha and IPS officer Pankaj Kumar Raj.

They have been asked to furnish their explanations, immediately.

Confirming the development, additional director general of police (headquarters) Sanjiv Kumar Singhal said that such conduct was not expected of senior police officers.

Besides the CM, chief secretary and director general of police (DGP), ADGs, inspectors general (IGs),deputy inspectors general (DIGs) of police and SPs of all districts were present at the meeting, at which ways of enforcing prohibition more effectively and loopholes in policing plugged, was under discussion.

The meeting assumed importance also because the Chief minister has been passionately pursuing the prohibition policy, despite Opposition criticism for neglecting other important aspects of governance and heavily banking on the police to deliver the goods on liquor ban.

Police sources said Kushwaha and Raj were seen playing games on their mobiles while Patna SSP Maharaaj was surfing WhatsApp messages, during the meeting. This was taken as evidence of their lack of interest in the proceedings.

Raj was recently shifted from the post of Saran SP after a recent report on a boat tragedy on the day of Makar Sankranti (January 14), near Patna, which claimed 24 lives, indicted the Saran administration for alleged lapses. He is presently waiting for posting.

They were enjoying mobile game Candy Crush, visuals of US President Donald Trumps wife Melania Trump, even as the CM addressed them and sought their cooperation, said an official, adding, In this era of 24-hour media, people holding important positions need to be watchful about their conduct in public.

He said that the chief minister had, in the past also, mentioned that he would like officers to leave their mobile phones outside while attending important functions or meetings.

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Twitter recorded over one million conversations on GST between June 30 and July 2 - reflecting the sentiment of the nation on what is being billed as the largest tax reform since Independence.

From #GSTIndia to #GSTForCommonMan, people took to Twitter to express their opinions and conversations about Goods and Services Tax (GST).

India ushered in the Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime on the intervening night of June 30 and July 1. A four-tier tax slab -- 5, 12, 18 and 28 per cent -- has been decided.

People have also been posting pictures on various social media platforms of receipts issued in grocery stores or eateries showing tax deductions as GST, instead of VAT/Service tax earlier.

Conversations around the launch of the GST exemplify Twitter as the best place for people to connect with whats happening in India and around the world and express their opinions, Twitter India Head of Public Policy and Government Mahima Kaul said in a statement.

She added that the platform witnessed a myriad of perspectives from Indian audience, in support as well as raising their concerns about GST.

With more than a million tweets on GST, we hope the public feedback will help to facilitate greater citizen engagement on the topic, Kaul said.

Conversations on the platform peaked at 12:30 AM on July 1 with 1,100 tweets per minute.

The top hashtags around the conversation included GSTCouncil, GSTIndia, GST@GoI, GSTRate, GST, GST, GSTsimplified, IndiaforGST, askGST, GSTForCommonMan, HalfCookedGST and HalfBakedGST.
The Centres ban on red and blue beacons has made it difficult for Rajasthan police to control law and order situations in volatile areas, senior officials said, asking for multi-coloured beacons to command authority over people.

The Union cabinet ended the practice of using red beacons from May 1. The government also made amendments to the rule governing the use of blue beacons. Ambulances, fire tenders and police cars were allowed to use blue beacons in cases of emergency that will be notified.

Police officials in the field, particularly the station house officers, face difficulties when it comes to controlling law and order situations as without any beacon, people often refuse to obey their commands, additional director general of police (law and order) NRK Reddy told HT.

A recent example was the happenings in Sanvrad, the village of slain gangster Anandpal Singh. After Singhs death in a police encounter, angry villagers vandalised a police vehicle and injured the Jaswantgarh SHO.

In May, we had written a letter to the government, asking it to provide at least multi-coloured beacons for police officials serving in the field, said Reddy. In a police district, the SHOs and the superintendent of police are instrumental in maintaining peace.

The police are yet to get multi-coloured beacons. According to transport department officials, the beacons could be provided after each district furnishes a complete list of vehicles requiring them and the people who will use them.

We have sent out letters to the SPs to provide us details of the vehicles. Special stickers will be provided to them along with the beacons. So far we have received the details of only Alwar district, Hans Kumar Sharma, additional transport commissioner (rules), told HT.

He said a list of 92 vehicles has been provided by the Alwar administration.

Once the lists are provided, we can coordinate with district transport officials to speed up the process (of allotting beacons), Sharma said.
With the initial wave of agitation already behind them, the main challenge before the hill parties is how to keep up the momentum of the Gorkhaland movement. The situation has turned all the more challenging since the Mamata Banerjee administration has adopted a wait and watch attitude, and not employ force that may provoke the agitators into confrontation with the police.

The new 30-member Gorkhaland Movement Coordination Committee that was set up on June 29 will be dealign with this big question when it meets for the first time on July 6.

Read: Gorkhaland stir: No school, playground or internet for children in Darjeeling

Incidentally the indefinite bandh reached its 19th day on Monday. On the ground sporadic violence continued with thousands of people regularly hitting the roads, and government properties are regularly set on fire.

Fire fighters dousing the flames in a government building on June 28. Setting fire to government properties has been a favourite means of the agitators. (Bikram Sashanker)

There is no doubt at all as all hill people and political parties are with the movement. The Centre should not be silent, remarked Roshan Giri, Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) general secretary when asked if the GJM i sure which way the movement would head.

The state government seems to have diluted its stand a bit from the tough no-talks-till-violence-continues stand, and Goutam Deb, state tourism minister and Trinamool Congress Darjeeling district committee president said, If they want talk let them write to the state government. Our doors are always open for the talks.

Significantly, GJM did not find any support from Trinamools opponents. The state government should immediately write a letter to the Centre asking it to call tripartite meeting without any condition. The GJM should also not set any precondition, said Asok Bhattacharya, Siliguri mayor and CPM MLA from Siliguri.

Read: Darjeeling locals throng Nepal, Bhutan to beat Internet ban

There is a dominant school of thought within the state government that feels if the agitators are not provoked, they will find it difficult to sustain the agitation. They argue that the hill parties, primarily Gorkhaland Janmukti Morcha (GJM) leaders, are facing he pressure of the situation on two counts. First, the indefinite bandh is taking a toll on the people who are finding it increasingly difficult to cope up with this prolonged shutdown. Second, the Internet ban has taken a toll on the agitators who are finding it difficult to coordinate among themselves. Third, with provisions slowly depleting, the people in the hills will face the real testing times in the near future.

The police have advised the state government not to push the agitators towards confrontation and adopt a wit and watch strategy. (HT Photo)

The GJM leaders hoped that the Centre will come to their rescue. On June 18, a day after its three supporters fell to the bullets of security forces, Darjeeling MLA and GJM leader, Amar Singh Rai said, It was unfortunate that BJP MP S S Ahluwalia was absent from the hills during the hour of crisis. GJM leaders also said that they will not speak to the Mamata Banerjee government, but will speak only with the Centre.

But so far, there has been no response to their pleas from the Union government. BJP is faced with an unenviable situation where if it seen siding with those demanding Gorkhaland, Trinamool Congress is certain to whip up sentiments in the plains against it where the fate of 41 out of the 42 Lok Sabha seats and 291 out of the 294 assembly seats are decided.

Read: Darjeelings tea gardens looking at Rs 340 crore revenue loss over Gorkhaland unrest

The Union home ministry has passed the ball to the court of Mamata Banerjee saying the trigger has to come from the state government.

File picture of a vehicle set ablaze by protesters in Darjeeling. According to police figures, at least 22 vehicles were set on fire by the agitators in Darjeeling since June 8. (HT Photo)

On the ground the protesters are resorting to sporadic vandalism. But the question on many lips is, where does the agitation go from here.

On June 28, the police report filed to chief minister Mamata Banerjee advised a strategy to avoid confrontation and adopt a wait and watch approach. The logic: it will deprive the hill parties of any opportunity to stoking the agitation.

Since June 17, the day when three GJM supporters fell to the bullets of security forces, the police have not created any situation where there was any violent confrontation between the agitators and the security forces. Forget bullets and tear gas, the police did not wield the lathi. On the day of burning of the GTA accord too, the police allowed the protesters to organise their agitation that passed off without any major showdown.

We decided not to settle for anything less than a separate state, said Binay Tamang, assistant secretary of GJM after the all-party meeting in Kalimpong where the decision for collective leadership was taken.

That seems easier said than done. Though the movement for Gorkhaland has generated unprecedented momentum, there is a degree of frustration among a section of the supporters as they do not see any way out in immediate future.
Dalit activist and former IPS officer S R Darapuri was arrested with eight associates in Lucknow on Monday for defying prohibitory orders and taking out a protest march towards chief minister Yogi Adityanaths residence.

Darapuri, associated with Bundelkhand Dalit Sena, had taken permission to hold a seminar at the Press Club at Qaiserbagh, but began a march to protest the forced deboarding and arrest of 45 Gujarat Dalit activists from a train at Jhansi.

SP (west) Vikas Chandra Tripathi tried to persuade him to cancel the march as section 144 of IPC. But Darapuri refused, leading to his arrest.

Police also arrested 23 members of Bundelkhand Dalit Sena for violating section 144 of IPC at other places in the city.

The 45 Dalit activists were carrying a 125kg bar of soap with the image of Buddha carved on it, which they want to gift to Adityanath to cleanse his mentality towards Dalits.

The gift is viewed as a tit-for-tat response against reports of officials distributing shampoo and soap bars to 100-odd Musahar Dalit families at a village in Kushi Nagar a day before their meeting with the chief minister this May.

Darapuri said his arrest showed the dictatorial attitude of the Adityanath government, which does not want any sort of opposition in the state.

Calling the distribution of toiletries to Dalits as humiliation, he said the Gujarat Dalit Sena, which wanted to protest the humiliation by gifting the 125kg soap, were deprived of their democratic right to protest.

Professor Ramesh Dixit of Lucknow University, who was arrested with Darapuri, said in a democracy, everyone has the right to express his views, but in BJP rule, expression of views is not possible.

Meanwhile, in a press communique, Rihai Manch has opposed the arrest of Darapuri and Ramesh Dixit, and called for the immediate release of all arrested activists.

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Corpse hotels, or hotels where people can check in their dead till the crematorium or cemetery becomes available, have become a burgeoning trend across Japan. The fast-ageing society and death rate in the country have contributed to this practical solution in cities. According to an Al Jazeera report, 99% of people are cremated in Japan, the highest rate of cremation in the world. Due to this rush, a crematorium isnt always readily available.

The fast-ageing society and death rate in the country have led to a demand for these practical morgues-cum-inns for the dead. (REUTERS)

At one such itai hoteru in Osaka, Hotel Relation, the rooms have built-in altars and platforms to hold the temperature-controlled coffins. Up to four relatives can sleep in an adjacent room which has twin beds and a TV. A large number of the clientele at Hotel Relation prefers to spend a day or two with their departed family member before the crematorium becomes ready.

A man standing before his deceased mothers coffin with his wife to pay his respects. (REUTERS)

Crematories need to be built, but there isnt any space to do so and that is creating funeral refugees, Hisao Takegishi, who started Sousou, a corpse hotel, in 2014, told The Telegraph.

According to a news report in The Seattle Times, the demand for corpse hotels is only going to grow. About 1.3 million people died in Japan Last year, up 35% from 15 years earlier, and the annual death rate is expected to go up till it touches 1.7 million in 2040, as per the Ministry of Labour, Health and Welfare.

The corpse hotel in Kawasaki city. (REUTERS)

Economically too, Corpse hotels make more sense. The ST report quotes the Japan Consumer Association, which says the average funeral in Japan costs 1.95 million yen, or about $17,690 (approx Rs 11.4 lakh). The cheapest deal at Hotel Relation would cost 185,000 yen, or about $1,768 (approx over Rs 1 lakh).

These stopovers for the deceased first made an appearance in Japan about five years back. They have been steadily mushrooming since then.

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More than 16 lakh students in Maharashtra are grappling with learning disabilities (LD)  cognitive difficulties in reading, writing, and comprehension.

Several education boards such as the Maharashtra state, CBSE and CISCE offer various concessions to students having an LD certificate from an authorised testing centre. But, parents are often unwilling to acknowledge these issues and shy away from testing fearing social stigma.

Here are five steps to tackle parents who refuse to get their children tested for dyslexia and dysgraphia:

1. Find out why the parents are reluctant to get their child tested

My child does not have LD, he is just lazy, is a common excuse parents make.

Often many are unaware of such disabilities.

Others fear the stigma attached to such disorders.

Some do not know where they can get their child tested, others cannot get time off work to accompany their child to the appointments.

Experts say Children with LD can be treated if the disorders are identified early on. However, most parents refuse to get their children tested even if teachers recommend doing so, said Dr Harish Shetty, senior psychiatrist. Depriving students of interventions and treatments is a child rights violation. Schools and parents can be held accountable if they fail to help children who have such disabilities, said Shetty, who prepared a guide with help of the counselling centre at Bunt Sanghas SM Shetty Educational Institutions, Powai.

2. Educate the parents

Call for a joint meeting with the child, parents, teachers, counsellor, special educator, and present factual information about LD, including social behaviour that manifests if LDs go undetected.

Give them a simplified one-page fact sheet about LD in English/Hindi/vernacular languages.

Hold coffee table sessions with parents and students, to which you can invite parents of LD students to share their experiences. You can also invite LD students who are pursuing further studies or are employed.

3. Address the parents social and personal issues that are preventing them from seeking help

The excuse Im a single parent and do not know the route to the hospital can be resolved by making a route-map on paper if parent is not tech-savvy, or connecting the parent to another who is also going to the hospital. You can encourage such parents to stay in touch and support each other.

The excuse My employer will not grant me leave to attend hospital appointments can be resolved by contacting the employer and explaining why such leaves are necessary. Tell them their co-operation will benefit the child and non-compliance will be detrimental to his future. Tell them they could be held liable for hindering the childs right to education and dignity.

4. Issue written notifications to parents

Send three letters to the parents house at weekly intervals, reinforcing the need to test the child for LD and how difficult his life will be if they do not.

Get the school principal to counsel the parents.

5. Get the parents to write and sign a refusal letter to the school, if their reluctance persists

Heres how you can get the education department and the child welfare committee involved:

Write to the education officer of the area.

Write to Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan. Mumbai residents can contact Mr. Ajay Kakade on 9892568854.

Alert the child welfare committee as mandated by the Juvenile Justice Act.

Write to the state child rights commission and the deputy director of the education department.

Letters should include what steps the childs school has taken so far.

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Nashik-based Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) has been using an on-screen testing system on a much larger scale than the University of Mumbai, smoothly for the past two years. Heres how it accomplishes this.

YCMOU went about implementing the on-screen marking system (OSM) more gradually than MU did. The varsity roped in two information technology (IT) companies to assess a few lakh papers on an experimental basis and then floated tenders to implement OSM for all its papers.

We ran three pilot projects before introducing the system for all the examinations. Our experience with the earlier software helped us realise what our requirements were. Based on that, we prepared the tender document, said Arjun Ghatule, controller of examinations at YCMOU.

So far, the university has successfully used OSM for two full-fledged examination sessions. In each session, the varsity scanned and evaluated around 36 lakh answer booklets. Ghatule said they were able to declare the results of all the examinations, except two, within a month.

This is how it works: As soon as an exam ends, answer sheets are collected from all 812 YCMOU centres spread across Maharashtra. The answer sheets must reach the campus within 24 hours.

An inventory of answer sheets is done using the barcode on papers. YCMOU has hired a logistics company to help officials ensure that no paper stays at a centre overnight. Within a day of their arrival, the answer booklets are scanned and uploaded for assessment.

The university uses its own servers instead of a cloud server. After the answer sheets are uploaded, the system calculates how many evaluators are required to assess papers of a particular subject. Automatic SMSes are sent to evaluators asking them to report to centralised assessment process (CAP) centres to evaluate the papers. Those who have a web camera can work from home.

According to Ghatule, the key to YCMOUs success lay in the universitys ability to convince and train evaluators to operate the new system. We held many workshops, discussions and counselling sessions for evaluators. We demonstrated how the on-screen assessment is faster and more beneficial to them, he said.

He added that the varsity offered small but crucial facilities, such as air-conditioned rooms at CAP centres, to ensure that evaluators reported to work.

The centre in-charge constantly follows up with the evaluators. Those who fail to report to work twice in a row, are relieved from assessment work until they re-enrol themselves. Being a distance learning institute, it is necessary for us to make as much use of technology as possible, said Ghatule.

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Levon Khechoyans trace in the activities initiated by K. Hovhannisyan, S. Tankian and others (video)

Seven years ago, when writer Levon Khechoyan was still alive, he had his investment in the establishment of Creative Armenia organization. Writer, screenwriter Karin Hovhannisyan, who at that time in resort in Tsaghkadzor was working on his novel, from time to time was having a walk with Levon Khechoyan. Today Karin Hovhannisyan recalled Khechoyans comparison between an art worker and a bee. According to the writer, as a bee flies from a flower to flower by gathering nectar, an art worker does the same. By founding Creative Armenia, authors want to gather the talented people in Armenia and present them to the world. The official launch of the organization founded by Karin Hovhannisyan took place in May, 2017 in the USA. Today already in Yerevan, Creative Armenia officially started its activities, launching a number of programs. The starting step of the organization is the series of creative challenges. And the first challenge is shooting a 60 seconds film about human rights and getting a chance to win USD 5000. The deadline is July 31. The participation of citizens of Armenia and Artsakh is free. Art workers, political figures, ambassadors were taking part in the ceremony held in Yerevan. To remind, Creative Armenia was established as a result of cooperation of The Promise, Gulbenkian Foundation and an unknown philanthropist. Grammy winner musician Serj Tankian is also in the Founding Council.
In a major reprieve for Gautam Hari Singhania, the Bombay high court recently struck down criminal proceedings initiated by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) against the Raymond Group chairman and managing director for illegally felling 586 trees within his company premises at Thane.

In September 2011, the tree Officer of the TMC issued a notice to Gautam Singhania and a manager of Raymond Limited at Thane after noticing that of the 4,610 trees within the companys premises, 586 were cut without obtaining prior permission of the tree authority for carrying out development work.

The tree officer lodged a complaint with the magistrate court at Thane against Singhania and a local manager of Raymond.

The Raymond CMD approached the high court after the magistrate court issued process [notice] to proceed against him and others for illegally cutting the trees, and the sessions court rejected his appeal in July 2014.

Before high court, Singhanias lawyer, advocate Subodh Desai, argued the company has its own horticulture department and some small, wild weed plants which were uprooted during monsoon were removed. He said the CMD of the company could not be held personally liable for such act.

Advocate Desai argued there was absolutely no material placed before the magistrate for issuing a process against the Raymond CMD, as the company itself had not been named in the complaint, and the order of issuing the process was mechanically passed.

Justice AK Menon accepted his contentions after noticing the magistrate had passed a one-line handwritten, cryptic order of issuing summons to Singhania and the others, and therefore struck it down on grounds of lack of application of mind.

Justice Menon has, however, allowed the Tree Officer to proceed against other accused persons in the case. This is not to suggest that the felling of trees should be ignored or trivialized if in fact so many trees have been felled, said the judge, adding, It is indeed a serious matter to be taken to its logical conclusion and in accordance with law. There is a need to ensure the Tree Authority is mandated to follow fool-proof checks and balances before proceeding to file complaints.
The Bombay high court on Monday restrained the police for two weeks from filling a charge sheet against actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra in a cheating case.

A bench of justices Ranjit More and Sarang Kotwal was hearing a petition filed by Shetty and her husband seeking the case against them, registered by the Thane police, be quashed.

On April 27 this year, the Bhiwandi police booked the couple for cheating and criminal breach of trust on allegations of duping a textile firm owner of Rs24 lakh.

In May this year, a trial court granted Shetty and her husband anticipatory bail in the case after which they had approached the high court seeking quashing of the case.

On Monday, the HC directed the police to respond to the couples plea by next date.

The complaint against the couple had been made by one Ravi Bhalotia. Bhalotia claimed he supplied bedsheets to Best Deal TV (BDTV), a tele-shopping company in which Kundra and Shetty are directors, and the couple failed to pay him rupees 24 lakh, his share in the proceeds from the sale.

The couples lawyer, Aniket Nikam, told the court the couple had no intention to cheat and they paid Rs1 crore to the complainant and only Rs24 lakh was due.

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The investigation into a card cloning racket, unearthed by the Bandra police this month, has revealed that the racketeers allegedly paid Rs1,000 to each waiter for sharing details,including password, of each debit or credit card of customers.

The police last week arrested six waiters  who worked at restaurants in Mumbai, Pune and Thane  and two IT experts. The waiter allegedly stole credit and debit card details of 1,028 customers. Officials said IT professionals had contacted the waiters through an acquaintance in the hotel management industry.

Pandit Thackeray, senior inspector of Bandra police station, confirmed that each waiter was paid Rs1,000 for each card.

By selling credit and debit card details, each waiter earned around Rs50,000 per month, according to an officer.

Thackeray added that the duped customers had accounts in 108 banks. The police have recovered 106 skimmers  devices used to obtain card details  from the eight men. The accused men made these devices from the scratch and uploaded the stolen data on empty cards. The accused then withdrew money from the customers account using these cloned cards. The waiters in the beginning copied details of one or two card. As they grew confident, they began cloning 40 to 50 cards in a month, added the police officer.

Three of these waiters worked at a restaurant at Sakinaka in Andheri (East). The unsuspecting customers handed over their cards and pin code to the waiters who secretly swiped them on the skimmers. In some cases, they clandestinely saw customers punching in card pin code on the swipe machine.

The Bandra police received a complaint from Citi Bank in May which led to the racket. Apart from the 106 skimmers, the police seized a laptop and a unique software used to clone cards. The police have also seized 50 cloned cards from the accused which are rewritable.
In January, the University of Mumbai (MU), decided to do away with the traditional pen-and-paper assessment process and digitise its evaluation system. Reason: eight months earlier, a tip-off helped the Bhandup police arrest eight employees of MUs examination department for allegedly running an engineering answer sheet scam, in which students tampered with their answer sheets a day or two after exams ended.

However, the implementation of the on-screen marking (OSM) system faced numerous roadblocks. Now, colleges are preparing for it to eat into their academic time, with teachers juggling between holding lectures and evaluating answer booklets.

The problems started in February, when the varsity couldnt find enough bidders for the project. The university had to relax the tender conditions twice to attract at least three firms to compete for the project as required by e-tendering norms.

Until April, when most MU examinations were almost over, there was little clarity among teachers on the mode of assessment to be adopted for examinations held between mid-March and April. However, the vice- chancellor halted manual assessments by the end of April, and Bengaluru-based firm Merit Trac was chosen to implement the digital assessment system.

This delay has not gone down well. Our regular lectures are hit as teachers have to report to Centralised Assessment Process (CAP) centres for evaluation work. Since assessments started only after mid-May, a lot of work is still pending, said the principal of a suburban college. He added that on any given day, at least five of his teaching staff are on assessment duty, forcing the college to arrange for guest lectures or other professors. To make matters worse, colleges are also busy with admissions to first-year degree courses. Teachers have to divide their time between lectures, assessments and admissions, leaving them overworked daily, he added.

This is not the first time the varsity has experimented with OSM. The system was implemented four years ago for engineering examinations. However, the volume of work has gone up tenfold. The varsity is now required to scan and assess around 20 lakh answer sheets in place the technical facultys 2 lakh papers. To tackle this mammoth task, the contractor deployed 50 scanners and image enhancers at MUs Kalina campus. Scanners are used at 142 CAP centres and 30 micro-CAP centres for assessment.

Much-delayed system January 2017 At a meeting MU vice chancellor Sanjay Deshmukh announced his decision to introduce digital assessment in an attempt to cut down on malpractices and tampering of answer sheets He said each of the 20 lakh answer booklets every semester would be scanned and assessed online by teachers at the new examination house in MUs Kalina campus Almost three months later, the examination house is still not ready, no training workshops have been held for teachers, and with no online agency bidding for the process, teachers had started assessing papers in the old paper-pen format, which has now been stopped FebruaryThe first of these tenders were floated in the last week of February, followed by a second tender floated in mid-March, since the first tender could not attract the necessary three bidders The process for inviting bidders for the third time started in the first week of April as MU was falling short of bidders once again April By the last week of April, MU announced that Merit Trac, a Bangaluru-based firm, would implement on-screen assessment. By this time, most teachers had gone on summer break MayWhile papers were to be scanned from May 2 with the help of 50 scanning machines and 250 employees, less than five officers were scanning answer booklets by May 4. This delayed assessment work by another couple of weeks MayMU officials announced that digital assessment of papers began on May 12, with BCom paper JuneIn a meeting attended by board of studies (BoS) members at MUs Fort campus, it was revealed that more than a month after digital assessment began, just 10% papers have been assessed

The concept of on-screen assessment was first floated by a state committee headed by former state Information Technology (IT) secretary Rajesh Aggarwal. The committee, which was appointed in 2012 after two MU exam papers leaked within seven days, was tasked with implementing a system to ensure the secure delivery of examination papers.

The two major issues MU faced at the time were question paper leaks and delays in declaring results, he said. He said the main objective of the on-screen assessment was to bring more transparency to the examination system, especially re-evaluation.

It also aimed at making evaluation more convenient for universities catering to a large geographical area. On-screen assessment was one of the many recommendations the committee had made.

Aggarwal said MU should have implemented the project gradually. Going from 2 lakh answer sheets to 20 lakh answer sheets was probably not a good idea, Aggarwal, joint secretary at the central governments ministry of tribal affairs, told HT.

He isnt the only one who advocates a gradual approach. When the proposal for OSM was discussed during the varsity management council, three of the states representatives made a similar suggestion. We told the varsity to start with 20% of the answer booklets and implement the project in a phased manner, said Siddharth Kharat, joint secretary, state higher and technical education department.

One university which runs OSM on a large scale is Yashwantrao Chavan Maharashtra Open University (YCMOU) in Nashik. The varsity introduced OSM in May 2015, when it assessed around 3 lakh answer sheets of agriculture students. They soon scaled it up to 7 lakh answer sheets and then all 36 lakh answer sheets  almost twice the number of papers MU assesses in a semester. We ran three pilot projects before launching it on a large scale. Today, we can declare results within 22 to 27 days of an exam being held, said Arjun Ghatule, controller of examination at YCMOU.

Aggarwal said the shortage of manpower is the main reason for MUs inability to declare results on time. To speed up the evaluation process, he said the committee had recommended replacing the current pattern of subjective assessment to a more objective-type testing.

It may not be possible to have a complete multiple-choice question paper for subjects such as literature, but MU can introduce a mix of subjective and objective testing. Students could take the test online, reducing the burden on teachers and staff, he added.
The Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) seized 200 star tortoises, which a man and his son were carrying in bags, at Kalyan station on Monday.

This is the first case of illegal tortoise or turtle trade in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) this year.

Sagiram, 40, and his son, Vijay, 27, were arrested and produced at a Kalyan magistrate court. The judge directed WCCB to keep them in judicial custody till Thursday, after which they are to be produced in court again.

Indian star tortoise is a protected species under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 and each turtle costs about Rs10,000 in the international market, according to the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI).

The accused, from Balegowdanahalle village in Karnataka, are habitual offenders, according to the WCCB. They were arrested by the Karnataka forest department for a similar offence two years back and let go on bail earlier this year.

Officials with the seized consignment. (HT)

We received a tip-off from our informer in Karnataka that the duo were travelling on a Bangalore-Lokmanya Tilak Terminus train, which would reach Mumbai by 2pm, and they would get off at Kalyan station, said M Maranko, regional director, WCCB.

He added that seven WCCB officials and two forest officers from the anti-poaching unit of the state forest department waited at the station in plain clothes. They were in a hurry to get out of the station. On checking their bags, we found the tortoises, stacked one on top of the other, said Maranko.

WCCB headquarters took cognisance of the incident and will send a team along with the Karnataka forest department near Balegowdanahalle village to track down where the tortoises were being dispatched from. While the accused have already revealed a lot about the wildlife trade nexus operating from Karnataka, we want to keep them in custody to track other consignments coming into MMR, said Maranko.

Indian star tortoise

The Indian star tortoise (Geochelone elegans) is a medium-sized species of tortoise found in the dry and arid forests of both India and Sri Lanka.

 The tortoise is named for the star-like patterns on its high-domed shell.

 The reptile is protected under schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972

 Size - 20cm - 30cm (8in - 12in)

 Weight - 1.3kg - 2.2kg

 Lifespan - 30 - 80 years

Conservation Status  Threatened (by International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN))

Found: Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Uttarakhand

Price at source: Rs200

Price at destination: BetweenRs10,000 to Rs50,000 per tortoise (on the international market)

Status: Protected under Schedule IV of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 (protected, but lower penalties for offences)

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In a bid to mop up additional resources, post implementation of Goods and Services Tax (GST), the state government has decided to hike one-time tax for registration of all new vehicles, including two-wheelers, three-wheelers and four-wheelers by 2%. However, high-end vehicles costing more than Rs20 lakh have been kept out of the ambit of this hike. The decision was taken in the state cabinet meeting on Monday.

The state government currently levies one-time tax on vehicles ranging from 8% to 20% on bikes and 9% to 20% on cars.

With the imposition of GST and the consequent scrapping of octroi and local body tax (LBT), the state government is expected to lose around Rs700 crore in annual revenue on new vehicles. While octroi and LBT were local taxes collected by the Mumbai civic body and other municipal corporations and councils, the state is expected to give them compensation for this loss now.

As a result, officials claimed the state government has decided to impose a one-time tax on vehicle registrations.

Manoj Saunik, principal secretary, state transport department said, The decision will come in to effect the day the ordinance making changes in Maharashtra Motor Vehicle Tax Act 1958 is promulgated.

He confirmed the hike has been made to cover losses the government will have to face with the abolition of octroi and LBT.

The transport secretary said they have decided not to increase the tax rate on high-end vehicles costing more than Rs 20 lakh because they are already being charged 20% tax, a cap determined by the state for one-time tax on vehicles.

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A few days ago, Congress legislator Nitesh Ranes tongue-in-cheek letter asking that the Shiv Sena be granted a Guinness World Record for threatening to withdraw support to the government the most number of times went viral, eliciting laughter online.

While the virtual world moved on after a few giggles, the Shiv Senas constant jibes at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Maharashtra government continue.

After ties between the two parties snapped at the civic level, the Shiv Senas reluctance to cooperate is proving to be a headache for the BJP.

However, the Shiv Sena is unlikely to execute its threats anytime soon, for several reasons.

Analysts said the environment may not be politically conducive to either of the parties facing Assembly polls, owing to widespread resentment among farmers amid bleak state finances. Though the Shiv Sena backed the recent farmers agitation, taking to the streets in protest against its own government, it is unlikely to reap the political benefits of such a move.

The Shiv Sena has taken up farmers issues in the past too, but this has not helped the party. It lacks formidable rural leaders, who are significant at the state level. The BJP and Congress have found such leaders in Eknath Khadse and Ashok Chavan, said political analyst Surendra Jondhale.

Poll results for 212 municipal councils and nagar panchayats, 25 Zilla Parishads, and 10 municipal corporations over the past eight months have not been encouraging for the Shiv Sena.

While the BJPs lotus was in full bloom, the Senas tiger could barely let out a whimper, with the party finishing fourth in terms of its total tally in the municipal council and zilla parishad polls. Of 10 municipal corporations, the BJP won eight. It came second to the Shiv Sena in Mumbai, securing just two seats fewer than the party.

We dont have enought resources to launch a campaign as of now. The BJP has resources and power, and is actively breaking our cadre at the grassroots level. Being in the government has not helped us. We cant talk about how much we have helped the people, said a Shiv Sena legislator from Marathwada.

Analysts say the partys core leadership is cautious about upsetting a few leaders who want to be in power. There are worries that walking out of the government might cause high-profile defections.

The Shiv Sena was out of power for 15 years. Even after it was beaten by the BJP in 2014, a major faction in the Shiv Sena was rooting for power, while the core Shiv Sainiks just wanted to teach the BJP a lesson. The Shiv Sena is under immense pressure, amid fears that members who want power may defect to the BJP, said political analyst Prakash Bal.

Meanwhile, the Shiv Sena has been consciously maintaining a blow hot, blow cold strategy with the BJP. Analysts said this helps the party pander to the group that thinks it is politically advantageous to be in power, while keeping core Shiv Sainiks, who form the partys real strength, happy with anti-BJP diatribes.

This also helps the party to maintain a separate identity while being part of the government. It is likely that the BJP and we will contest elections separately. As such, we need to remind the people that we are different and that we always raise our voice in their interest, said a key Sena leader.

Shiv Sena ministers said they were satisfied with the Devendra Fadnavis-led governments farm loan waiver scheme, after repeated demands for a complete, unconditional loan waiver. Two days later, party chief Uddhav Thackeray made more demands, asking for a list of the 40 lakh farmers whose loans would be waived completely.

In front of a throng of Sainiks, Thackeray questioned the BJPs decision to pick Dalit Ram Nath Kovind as a presidential candidate, terming it vote-bank politics. The next day, he gave the partys wholehearted support to Kovind.

Similarly, the day Thackeray met BJP president Amit Shah the Sena gave the BJP the impression that all crinkles between the allies had been ironed out. However, at the Senas 51st foundation day function the next day, Thackerays challenge to the BJP, asking it to call for mid-term polls was met by thunderous applause.

More than 70% of party workers feel that it is better to step out of the government and be an active Opposition. They think only BJP members were given main portfolios, while Sena ministers dont have a voice, said Shiv Sena legislator Pratap Sarnaik.

However, he said only Thackeray can take a final call on the alliance between the parties.Uddhavsaheb has his reasons for why we should continue in the government. We will do as he says, Sarnaik added.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is currently seeking details of UAE-based properties and companies owned by televangelist Dr Zakir Naik.

On Monday, the central agency moved an application seeking a letter rogatory (letter of request) to authorities in UAE, seeking details of Naiks properties there.

The ED filed enforcement case information reports against Naik in connection with a case of money laundering.

The agency is probing whether those inspired by his speeches sent him funds. The investigation will focus on whether Naik gained financially.

After Naiks Islamic Research Foundation (IRF) was banned, the National Investigation Agency registered a case against Naik and the IRF for inciting Muslim youth to indulge in violence and promoting enmity between groups on the basis of religion and race. The FIR accused him of giving speeches that spread communal unrest.

Naik left the country after reports emerged that his sermons influenced a few of the Bangladeshi attackers, who targeted an eatery in Dhaka on July 1. Bangladesh banned Naiks Peace TV, saying it instigated the attack on a Dhaka cafe, in which 22 people were shot.

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The Mumbai Congresss move of setting up a separate wing of Hindu priests and saints has not pleased everyone.

Hours after the first meeting of the cell was held at a mutt in Vakola, senior Congress leaders have expressed their discontent saying this is not the agenda of the Congress.

Mumbai Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam formed the Mumbai Sant Mahant Congress, a separate cell of the Hindu priests and religious leaders, about two weeks ago.

In the first meeting on Sunday morning, Nirupam said the cell was established to resolve the problems the Hindu temples and mutts and their priests were facing in the city.

He said Congress believes in the secular ideology, but the perception that it is anti-Hindu is totally wrong.

The convenor of the cell, Dhyanyogi Omdasji Maharaj, said during the meeting that Ayodhya was as holy for Hindus as Madina to Muslims and Rome to the Christians.

Congress leader and former minister for minority development Arif Naseem Khan,later said the cell was not approved by the party high command and setting up such a separate unit in the name of any religion was not the ideology of the Congress. It is a personal agenda of Nirupam, he said.

Mohan Prakash, Congress general secretary incharge of Maharashtra, too, clarified the party high command has not given the permission to move. Senior Congress leaders reportedly questioned Mohan Prakash during his Mumbai visit last week.

Nirupam however said, Congress believes in the ideologies of all the religions. If we can share dais with maulvis and maulanas, there is nothing wrong in joining hands with Hindu priests. The cell will function and conduct more such conventions. We are planning mahayagya and dharmasabha of hundreds of religious leaders after Navratri. As these priests are firm believer of secularism and Congress ideology, our endeavor would be to participate them to promote it.

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Students at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay (IIT-B) started a relay hunger strike on Monday against the recent fee hike. Students have also boycotted classes since the third week of June to stage the protest.

In May, the management of IIT-B introduced a hike for the new academic session, including a 300% hike in hostel rent, 167% hike in gymkhana fee, 100% hike in examination, registration and medical fees and around 50% hike in other charges. IIT-B authorities attributed the hike to inflation.

The administration has only been giving us false promises but no one has given us assurances of rolling back the fee hike. The increase in the fee structure is unfair and unwarranted, said a student.

On Monday, a group of students staged a march across the campus which ended at the main building foyer. Nine students started a relay hunger strike at 2pm. The nine students will continue the hunger strike. Tomorrow, other students will take over. We will only intensify our struggle till we hear from the administration, added another student.

Read more: MP Shashi Tharoor supports IIT-Bombay students protest against fee hike

Officials from IIT-B said the institute director has assured students that a committee would look into the issue and publish a white paper on it soon. We have already shared with students a detailed version of the hike structure and its need but the committee will once again see if any of the hike is unreasonable. It will take some time and students will have to be patient, said Soumyo Mukherji, dean-student affairs, IIT-B.

Mukherji said that some members of the committee are not in town and that relooking into the hike will take some time. The hike was introduced after brainstorming for several months. So, revisiting the decision will take some time and cannot be done overnight, he said.

IIT-B director Devang Khakkar has spoken to students and sought time for the committee to publish its report. Students, however, are not convinced.

By the time the committee releases its report we would be forced to pay the hiked amount and eventually the hike will stay. We will not accept this, said a PhD student.

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Minister: Private universities often simply distribute certificates (video)

Today Levon Mkrtchyan announced that the statement by the Ministry of Health of Israel made about two months ago that medical education isnt of high quality in Armenia doesnt refer to the state university, Through the MFA we demanded concrete names. If those names are published and we can see from which educational institutions they were, irrespective of the fact whether those institutions are state or private, they will be held accountable. The Minister notes that because of having few students, some private universities simply distribute certificates of higher education. It means that law enforcement bodies have lots of work to do, If it is proved that the rector of the university personally sells certificates, the license of that university must be taken. The topic of discussion of the journalists with the Minister of Culture was the failure of Gayane ballet on June 8. Who were accountable for that? 26 people, says the Minister. But they havent been dismissed from their jobs, They received strict caution and one person, who wrote an application and took the responsibility by that application. The reason for failing the concert, according to the media outlets, was dismissal of 10 people from the administrative staff of the opera and ballet theatre. The Minister has to answer the question whether he is ready to work with next Prime Minister, if current Prime Minister is sacked in April of next year, We are implementing the program presented by the Republican Party. The fact is, says Mr Amiryan, that he doesnt know what will happen to him in an hour, consequently he cannot say what will happen after a year. A few days ago the Cabinet of Karen Karapetyan presented to the Parliament 5 years program of the Cabinets activities and Mr Amiryan is ready to implement it, It isnt important who Prime Minister will be, the implementation of the program is important.
The Mumbai crime branch will probe the riot which took place inside the Byculla jail on June 3, in which former media entrepreneur Indrani Mukerjea and 200 inmates were booked.

The inmates were protesting against the alleged assault on one of the inmates Manjula Shetye, 38, by jail guards. Shetye later died and a murder case has been filed, in which six jail staff have been arrested.

The crime branch of the Mumbai police specialises in investigations and detection of major cases and is called upon to investigate complicated cases.

Earlier the rioting case was being probed by Nagpada police.

On Friday, a jail inmate Shetye was assaulted by a jailer and after she complained of chest pain, she was taken to JJ hospital where she was declared dead.

Soon after the murder, around 200 inmates, including Mukerjea, went to the prisons terrace and began protesting against the incident.

They allegedly hurt prison staff and damaged property.

Indrani and other inmates were booked under relevant sections of rioting, assault and mischief by fire.
In an attempt to save the cash-strapped Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) and popularise it among passengers, the BEST management has approached popular Marathi actors, including Prashant Damle, Avinash Narkar, Subodh Bhave and Aadesh Bandekar, to become its brand ambassadors.

Ahead of BEST day, which is held on 7th August, BEST committee chairperson Anil Kokil has approached actors who are popular with Marathi film, stage and TV audiences. Kokil has requested the actors to not just become brand ambassadors, but to also commute via BEST buses during BEST week, starting from 1st August.

Every citizen of Mumbai looks up to the actors and attempts to follow them. We have requested the actors to also educate the passengers about commuting in BEST buses. This move can help improve ridership of the buses, said Kokil.

Aadesh Bandekar, actor and Shiv Sena leader, said, I will contribute and do my part to save BEST. I used to work for BMC, and I believe it is the duty of every citizen to help public transport grow.

Meanwhile, the BEST committee has requested the mayor and the commissioner to consider waving off the interest of Rs500 crore on its loan amount of Rs1,600.

The next meeting in order to derive an action plan to save BEST from the worst-hit financial crisis along with the mayor, commissioner, BEST general manager and the recognised unions, is likely to be held next week.

The BEST is also taking loans nearly every month in order to pay salaries to its employees. BMC is the parent organisation, it should first allow the management to pay the salaries of the employees, and then recover the loan amount. said a BEST official.
The Maharashtra government on Monday approved cost escalation of a 28-year old lift irrigation project in Sangli district of Western Maharashtra.

The original cost of the project, first approved in 1982-83, was Rs82 crore. It will now cost Rs4,959 crore.

This is the third time the government has given revised administrative approval (RAA) to the Krishna Koyna lift irrigation scheme project. The third RAA of Rs1,982 crore was sanctioned in 2004. However, 56% work of the project is yet to be completed, said Girish Mahajan, state water resources minister.

RAA becomes necessary in case of cost escalations and change in the scope of the project. Giving approvals has become contentious after an irrigation scam worth thousands of crores was unearthed in the erstwhile Congress-NCP government.

The Comptroller and Auditor General of India (CAG) in its report presented before the Maharashtra legislature had highlighted irregularities in granting administrative approvals (AA) RAAs to projects, discrepancies in tender allocation, changes to dam designs, delays in land acquisition and resettlement of project affected people.

As a result, a majority of the irrigation projects were pending before the government for RAA, resulting in cost escalation.

The previous government had stopped sanctioning cost escalations and expanding the scope of projects. This has resulted in delays, leading to cost escalations, Mahajan clarified.

Around 1.09 lakh hectares of land will get irrigated once the the Krishna Koyna project is completed, he said.

The state government in November last year came out with a new policy for clearing irrigation projects pending for RAA.

The government had decided that cost escalation of up to 15% of the approved cost will not need RAA. This helped to clear long list of pending projects, said an official on condition of anonymity.

READ

5 reasons why the Maharashtra irrigation scam could spell trouble for Ajit Pawar

Maharashtra irrigation scam: Enforcement Directorate may probe Ajit Pawar

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Minister of state for home Ranjit Patil on Monday said the law will take its own course in the case allegedly involving his father.

A formal complaint has been filed. All are equal before law and the action will be taken as per the provisions in the laws, he said, in reaction to the controversy over his father and former legislator VB Patil slapping and abusing staffer of an education institute.

The complaint has caused embarrassment to the Fadnavis government.

Ranjit Patil who is a junior minister in the home department is considered to be close to chief minister Devendra Fadnavis.

In a video that went viral on social media, V N Patil was allegedly seen slapping an employee from a school in Ghungashi village in Akola.

The principal of the school lodged a complaint against Patil who was asking questions about the admissions to the school.

Although an FIR has not been filed, the complaint was made on Sunday, a day after the incident.

Patil, who also runs a school in Ghungashi village, visited Babasaheb Deshmukh school to check the roll of students. He alleged the school had illegal students on its rolls.

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The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) will receive its first cheque of Rs650 crore on Wednesday, after the Goods and Services Tax (GST) came into effect.

According to sources, state finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar will hand over the cheque to BMC in the presence of Shiv Sena chief Uddhav Thackeray on July 5 at the headquarters.

With the GST roll-out, the BMC, Asia's richest civic body, has lost out on revenue of Rs7,000 crore that it collects for octroi on an annual basis. BMC's ruling party Shiv Sena had earlier objected to the single-taxation system raising apprehension on the BMC losing its autonomy. However, the state government assured that all local bodies in the state will be compensated with a compounded increase of 8% annually in perpetuity.

A bill to the effect  the state goods and services tax (SGST)  was passed by the state government in May.

An official from the BMC said, "While a cheque is being presented for the first month of July, the next month's amount will be paid through a bank transfer. The state's act mandates that the money be transferred within a specific period every month. Even if it is not done, it will be debited by the banks in order to maintain the civic body's autonomy."

Octroi and property tax were BMC's two primary sources of revenue. While the State is compensating its losses, officials say it will BMC a month to get used to the new system. The official said that BMC used to get Rs 18 to Rs19 crore everyday, which helped it maintain liquidity with everyday payments. "Now instead of daily payments, this will be done once a month, which will require some changes in the system, but that is not going to delay any work," the official said.

This year, the BMC had set targets of Rs 1500 crores in the first three months of the financial year, which it surpassed by mid-June. The civic body has also started clearing octroi nakas in the city to put it to better use. There are plans to utilise the space as heavy vehicle terminals, which will decongest the city and create more parking space.
The Bombay high court gave the Maharashtra government two weeks to brief the advocate general and to file an affidavit explaining why actor Sanjay Dutt was granted an early release from prison after he was convicted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.

In 2013, Dutt was sentenced to five years in Punes Yerwada prison for illegal possession and destruction of an AK-56 rifle. He had been out of prison for about six months owing to frequent furlough leaves and paroles. He was let out in February last year, eight months early, on account of his good conduct.

The court has been hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) filed by activist Pradeep Bhalekar, challenging Dutts early release and questioning the frequent paroles he was granted. In his plea filed through his counsel, advocate Nitin Satpude, Bhalekar said there are several convicts who secure a good conduct report from the prison authorities, but are not granted remission or early release.

According to the plea, around 400 convicts currently in jails across the state have secured good conduct reports.

At the last hearing, a bench of justices RM Savant and Sadhana Jadhav had asked the government to file an affidavit detailing the parameters considered, and the procedures followed in arriving at the conclusion that Dutt deserved leniency.

Was the deputy inspector general (prisons) consulted or did the jail superintendent directly send his recommendation to the governor? Isnt there a uniform procedure followed for all prisoners who receive good conduct reports?  the bench had asked.

How did the authorities assess that Dutts conduct was good? When did they get the time to make such assessment when he was out on parole half the time? it had said.

The state government had said that jail authorities consent to the early release of prisoners who display exemplary conduct while in jail. However, it had said the usual practice was to grant them a remittance of 114 days or three-and-a-half months.

The bench had asked the government to explain what special circumstances had earned Dutt such relief. We just want to understand your decision making process, the court had said.

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Five out of the six women guards arrested for the murder of inmate Manjula Shetye , 38, inside Byculla jail denied assaulting her. Sources in the investigation team said a few of them broke down while being questioned.

Five of them were also produced before the holiday court on Sunday and were remanded in police custody till July 7.

During the preliminary questioning, the guards denied assaulting Shetye, but admitted to using force to control her when she began arguing over missing food ration.

They said they took Shetye back to barrack number 5 where she was lodged. They have also told investigators they have to be strict with inmates so that they do not go out of control.

Inmates, who witnessed the incident, told a visiting crime branch team that Shetye was assaulted severely in front of them inside the barrack. So far, the crime branch has recorded the statements of 10 witnesses. Around 50 inmates live in one barrack and an officer said they will record the statement of more inmates who saw the incident, an official said.

The incident occurred around 11am on June 23 when Shetye was allegedly assaulted. Around 5.30pm, she was found unconscious in the bathroom.

Police have arrested the six officials include jail officer Manisha Pokharkar, and constables Bindu Naikade, Waseema Shaikh, Shital Shegaonkar, Surekha Gulve and Aarti Shingne under sections 302 (murder) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intension) of the IPC.

One of the constables, Naikade, was produced in court on Saturday and remanded in police custody till July 7. While remaining five were produced in holiday court on Sunday.
More than 125 students and locals removed 2,500 kg or 2.5 tons of trash  mostly comprising alcohol bottles  from Bhivpuri waterfall near Ashane village, almost 90 km from Mumbai.

The drive in full swing on Sunday. (HT Photo)

Mumbai NGO Environment Life, which has completed clean-up drives at eight waterfalls near Nerul  Anandwadi, Jummpatti, Tapalwadi, KhopoliZenith, VasaiChinchoti, Kondeshwar and Pandavkada  requested Mumbaiites and Ashane villagers to refrain from disposing of trash at these tourist sites.

Garbage damages local ecosystems, and threatens plant and animal life. Bottles made of glass or plastic can injure animals, who may also fall sick if they consume other types of garbage.

What do authorities say? Officials from the Maharashtra Tourism and Development Corporation (MTDC) said they had banned tourists from visiting waterfalls, such as Pandavkada, in Navi Mumbai to control the garbage menace. The local civic bodies have been directed to increase police presence at all waterfall sites to ensure there are no untoward incidents. Police must check whether people are carrying alcohol. State-sponsored clean-up drives will be conducted after the monsoon ends, said an official from MTDC.

It was difficult to collect so many alcohol bottles, despite being helped by more than 5,000 people. We filled 120 large bags with litter by the end, said Dharmesh Barai, head coordinator, Environment Life. However, this comprises just 10% of the trash at the waterfall, he added.

Volunteers clean the spot. (HT)

Locals also collected wafer packets, straws, thermocol plates, spoons and even pieces of cloth during the drive. They told HT that villagers get injured passing through these areas daily, owing to the discarded bottles.

We want a complete ban on drinking at these waterfalls. Our children are not allowed to go to these places as several villagers have returned with severe injuries. We request visitors to not bring alcohol here as it is affecting our livelihood, said Sopan Thange, resident of Ashane village.

Members of NGO Environment Life, which conducted the clean-up drive. (HT Photo)

Barai filed a complaint with the state government demanding a complete ban on liquor consumption at waterfall tourist spots. People are willing to visit such places, but are unwilling to forego carrying plastic bottles, wafers packets and liquor bottles. The leftover trash from these outings creates pollution, disturbs nature, disturbs animals and birds, and injures locals. Additionally, there is high chance of accidents taking place when alcohol is involved, he said.

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Officials from the University of Mumbai said the digital assessment of papers has picked up pace and results are expected soon.

However, at the forefront of this process are teachers battling several problems  they are often assigned papers in Marathi instead of English, face delays in receiving IDs and passwords to log into an assessment centre, and endure network errors  a fallout of the new system that teachers say they have not been trained well enough to use.

Though I teach English-medium students, I was assigned Bachelor of Mass Media (BMM) papers in Marathi for three days in a row. I had to call the helpline twice. I then wrote to the BMM chairperson, asking him to correct this error, said a teacher who works at a city-based college and did not wish to be identified.

What is online assessment? On-screen assessment involves scanning the pages of an answer booklet and uploading to a network that can be accessed by examiners and moderators using personalised passwords and login IDs. Once the examiner accesses the answer booklet, he can assess the paper on a computer screen and award marks to every answer using a given template. The purpose of scanning these answer booklets is to prevent these sheets from being tampered with after students have submitted them .

Teachers across departments have complained to the university about this same problem. However, no action has been taken yet.

Many teachers could not start the assessment process in May as half of them were on vacation and many others had not received the basic ID and password they need to log into a common assessment process (CAP) centre.

Some of us had to visit three centres to find our names. We could start assessment only after this. The process is tedious and takes a while to get used to as we were trained for less than a day on how to assess digitally, said a teacher from a suburban college.

MU had said teachers would be trained on the job and each CAP centre will have a technician from the conducting agency.

However, most of the 142 CAP centres dont have a single technician from the agency to help.Instead, they have been forced to make do with computer lab technicians of respective colleges.

Even as students are worried about when their results will be declared, principals think there is still hope as assessment work seems to have picked up in the last couple of weeks.

On any given day, our teachers are busy balancing their time between regular lectures and assessment. Ive been informed that most teachers have got the hang of the system by now. Students should expect results soon, said Hemlata Bagla, principal of KC College, Churchgate.

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Minister of state for home Ranjit Patil is one of the few ministers in chief minister Devendra Fadnavis council of ministers who are considered bright. As a junior minister, he has charge of home, urban development and general administration departments. These departments are led by none other than Fadnavis himself. In Mantralayas corridors, Patil is considered to be close to Fadnavis.

On Monday, something done by his father, V N Patil, himself a former legislator, became an embarrassment for him and the government. In a video clip that went viral, senior Patil was seen slapping someone  apparently a staffer of a local education institution. According to the reports, there was a feud between an education institute run by senior Patil and another by his local rival. The slapping incident took place after he went to verify admission procedure in the college run by his rival. Even if one assumes that there was something wrong going on in the college, should any citizen take the law in his hands and assault someone? Doesnt it become serious when the person happens to be the father of a minister whose responsibility is to maintain law and order in the state? Unless of course, it is proved that the video clip on the social media was doctored. There is a police case lodged and hopefully the truth will come out after the investigation.

But then, VN Patil is not the first politician to land in a trouble over a clip that went viral on social media. In the past few years, we have seen several such instances. Shiv Sena MP Ravindra Gaikwad faced flak from all quarters after the visuals of his assault on an Air India staffer became public. Recently, state BJP president Raosaheb Danve embarrassed his party when a video footage of him commenting on how farmers were cribbing even after government procured record quantity of pigeon pea (tur) from them became public. As the BJP started its Samvad (dialogue) Yatra to reach out to farmers, one of its legislators was seen threatening a farmer who asked him some uncomfortable questions. Senior Congress MLA Abdul Sattar was seen thrashing a farmer over a land dispute in Aurangabad. During civic polls, minister Mahadev Jankar was in controversy when a video clip of him asking an election officer in Gadchiroli district to reject application of a particular candidate went viral. And who will forget former deputy chief minister Ajit Pawars infamous remarks on filling the dams in Maharashtra when there were no rains?

Politicians have been blaming the use of smartphones and the social media for these controversies. It is true that things have changed with the advent of smartphones with cameras and quick access to the social media. There is nothing private. You never know who is shooting your act or careless remarks even in a private meeting and then uploading it on a social network. It just takes a few minutes for a video clip to become viral and kick up a controversy.

But is the social media and smart phones are the real problem or it is the arrogance of political leaders? Several politicians consider themselves as the privileged one and hence entitled to special treatment. They also think they are not answerable to anyone if they misuse their position in power or if they interact with the government staff or even the common people. There is a significant number of politicians who are remarkably courteous in their behaviour but not all of them.

This tendency is not a monopoly of any particular political party. It is high time they realise that arrogance is something that can put them in trouble.

With the social media, it is not difficult for a common citizen (and of course anybody who has a grudge against them) to expose arrogant behaviour or misdeeds of a particular politician or even a government official. Being humble was never out of fashion.

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While Mumbais Ghodbunder Road has been shut owing to an overturned gas tanker, enforcement directorate has sought details of televangelist Zakir Naiks properties in the UAE. The Bombay high court has struck down criminal proceedings initiated by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) against Raymond Group chairman and managing director Gautam Hari Singhania for illegally felling 586 trees within his company premises at Thane. Meanwhile, the Mumbai crime branch will probe the riot which took place inside the Byculla jail on June 3, in which former media entrepreneur Indrani Mukerjea and 200 inmates were booked. Also, the Bombay high court gave the Maharashtra government two weeks to explain why actor Sanjay Dutt was granted an early release from prison.

The top five stories from Mumbai:

1. LPG tanker overturns on Mumbais Ghodbunder Road, gas leak being contained, dont take this route for Thane, Vashi

Avoid commuting along Ghodbunder road at Thane near Mumbai today, as a gas tanker carrying LPG has met with an accident along Kajupada.

2. How many companies, properties does Zakir Naik own in UAE? ED wants to know

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is currently seeking details of UAE-based properties and companies owned by televangelist Dr Zakir Naik.

3. Bombay HC reprieve for Raymond chairman and MD Gautam Singhania in tree-felling case

Gautam Singhania (File)

In a major reprieve for Gautam Hari Singhania, the Bombay high court recently struck down criminal proceedings initiated by Thane Municipal Corporation (TMC) against the Raymond Group chairman and managing director for illegally felling 586 trees within his company premises at Thane.

4. Indrani Mukerjea, 200 inmates booked for Mumbai jail riot; crime branch to look into case

The Mumbai crime branch will probe the riot which took place inside the Byculla jail on June 3, in which former media entrepreneur Indrani Mukerjea and 200 inmates were booked.

5. Actor Sanjay Dutt released early from jail: Maharashtra govt to explain why in 2 weeks

The Bombay high court gave the Maharashtra government two weeks to brief the advocate general and to file an affidavit explaining why actor Sanjay Dutt was granted an early release from prison after he was convicted in connection with the 1993 Mumbai blasts case.
The Ghaziabad police on Monday said that it had added more IPC sections of forgery and cheating to the FIR lodged for alleged land grabbing against Jet Airways senior officer, Col Avneet Singh Bedi (retired), and others. The police said that they added the additional sections on June 25 before the retired army officer was arrested from his Panchsheel Park residence on Sunday.

Later, Col Bedi was sent to judicial custody by a Ghaziabad court and his bail plea was to be heard on Monday. However, the court deferred the hearing for Tuesday, his relatives said. The FIR had named Col Bedi, his father, mother, wife and son apart from six other private persons. However, the police have failed to make any arrest apart from Col Bedi, who was arrested at 12.30am on Monday after he reached his Panchsheel Park residence from Mumbai.

We booked his family as they are the prime occupiers of the land and also sold some part of the plot to other six private persons. They also rented out land to a logistics company. IPC sections of cheating and forgery have also been added to the case. There is a government order of 1994 on the basis of which the land was taken back by the municipal corporation. Our investigating officer will bring up this issue before the court, said Akash Tomar, superintendent of police (city).

Col Bedi was arrested following the FIR filed by the Ghaziabad municipal corporation. In the FIR, the corporation said they carried out physical inspection of the encroached land at Chikambarpur near Delhi border on May 30 and found that 532 square metres of land was illegally occupied by Bedi and his relatives and rented out to a logistics company.

His wife, Guneet, could not be contacted despite repeated attempts as her mobile remained switched off. However, his relatives denied the allegations and said that the land is in name of his mother who got it in 1959.

The land was given to her by her father. We have all the documents. This entire case is built at the behest of an ex-employee of the airline, posted at Lucknow airport, who pressurised Bedi for reinstatement but he denied. The man also has political connections and we suspect him to be behind the entire episode, said a relative who did not wish to be named.

Now, the police have also come up with new, more stringent, IPC sections and it will be tough for him to get bail. Our lawyers are working on the case . The other members of the family are also worried as they may face arrest after being named in the FIR, he added.

Bedi has a corporate and military experience of more than 40 years and his last assignment before being hired by Jet Airways was as senior vice president of Walmart India Limited.

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With the introduction of two apps  one for those in distress and the other for police updates  the district police is all set to take the digital route to ensure a transparent and citizen-friendly approach.

The decision to introduce these apps was taken after a recent high-level meeting of Uttar Pradesh director general of police Sulkhan Singh and other senior police officers of the Meerut range. Singh had also asked police to be transparent in their working and empathetic in their work style.

The SOS app will help residents in distress, police said. A person in need of help can share his/her location coordinates and pictures with the police control room via the app.

The app turns into an SOS device within 10 seconds. A person just has to open the app to make it function. It will take five pictures from the phones front camera, start an audio and video recording and send the location coordinates to police. The details will also be sent to the Lucknow control room, said Suniti, superintendent of police (rural).

Another app which the police are planning to introduce will be one that keeps a track of crime incidents in an area. The regular updates will help police stations keep a watch over the area under their jurisdiction.

This app will help the station house officers to keep a track of events (crime incidents) that have occurred in their area during a particular day. This information will also be shared with senior officers. That way, it becomes easier for the police to keep a track of crime and also introduce transparency in their functioning as there will be a digital record of all happenings and the seniors can keep a track of it, said Suniti.

The police will be undergoing training to effectively manage the two apps.

We are trying to ensure that the helpline 100 is able to reach everyone in distress and , to that end, the UP Police has introduced black vans called police response vehicles. We hope that the response time to calls on 100 will improve after the introduction of this app, Suniti said.

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As the new admission season for college entrants continues, finding the best university has become as important as deciding on the best course. The recent ministry of human resource development (MHRD) effort at ranking Indian colleges and universities attempts to answer this but in the process has raised more questions. Is the current National Institutional Ranking Framework (NIRF) exercise going to motivate and encourage academia to generate meaningful research and teaching?

Interestingly, this ranking exercise is being initiated precisely when spending on education by the government has been falling. Compared to 2013-14 when education got a paltry 4.57% of the total budget expenditure, there has been a decline to 3.65% in 2016-17. This makes the ranking exercise even more intriguing, as raising research and teaching quality involves increased expenses.

Take, for example, Britains well-known REF-Research Excellence Framework of 2014 (REF). This officially cost close to 246 million pounds and was carried out over five years. The REF-ranked journals, established publication protocols and set up a regime for research funding and for rewarding research and teaching output. Despite the criticism against the REF, a considerable amount of time and money was spent to create a transparent evaluation system for judging academic performance and outcomes. The NIRF 2017, in contrast, has lasted less than six months with absolutely no information in the public domain on actual costs and expertise involved.

The NIRF has collated information under five broad heads: Teaching, Learning and Resources, Research and Professional Practice, Graduation Outcomes, Outreach and Inclusivity, and, Perception.

There are serious shortcomings in method and execution. Over 70% of the NIRF data is self-reported by the colleges and universities which can potentially be circumspect and needs rigorous verification, but has not been done. Even though summary data has been put in the public domain by the NIRF for the top 100 universities, at least a quarter of their own homepages do not corroborate their data for public viewing. There is thus little chance of verification by transparency, leave alone any reprimand for any mismatch in reportage by delinquent university/colleges.

Besides the problem of data reliability, there are methodological issues too that need further scrutiny. The ranking, for example, relies on perception in a prominent way. Can such a criterion offer any objective numbers? Or is this just intended to favour universities who advertise and self-promote aggressively. It may encourage universities to game the system by getting higher ranks without necessarily possessing academic quality.

Second, while to its credit the NIRF has relied on Web of Science and Scopus publications, no credible effort is visible to meaningfully discuss parity of publications in Indian languages. There is an acute need to factor in an innovative weightage system for such disciplines. If Tagores Geetanjali or Premchands Godaan were to be submitted as academic output today, they would not get their due importance in the NIRF framework.

The NIRF has also been silent on some important aspects involving academic integrity. The framework has no rules to dis-incentivise wrongful academic practices, it has no protocols for tackling predatory journal publications or plagiarism, and, the debate on management quotas and academic quality remain untouched.

Despite these glaring shortcomings, the University Grant Commissions (UGCs) new draft regulations proposes to use the NIRF ranking to allocate its scarce public funds.

In the 2017 NIRF list, two-fifths of the top 100 universities are funded by state governments. These state universities currently enrol almost double the number of students than the private colleges and universities. And yet their funding is a lot less. If no proper weightage is given to this important fact then state universities will always be ranked lower. The linking of the NIRF in its present form and the UGC funds could divert scarce public money to private universities and colleges under a range of pretexts.

An impression is created that the NIRF helps students to make informed decisions for enrolment and policy-makers to scientifically grant financial privileges. Far from it  the NIRF in its current avatar reinforces the misplaced belief that you get the education-you-pay-for. It may also lead to further financial disenfranchisement of deserving public universities. The current NIRF framework, therefore, begs an urgent debate.

Pranab Mukhopadhyay is professor, Goa University

The views expressed are personal
In yet another blaze at the Sector-17 Bank Square, the Punjab treasury and accounts office  located on the fourth floor of Punjab Financial Corporation building  went up in flames on Monday.

The fire that broke out around 3pm at shop-cum-office (SCO) 95-96 was brought under control before it could spread to the remaining floors and buildings, but not before creating panic in the area.

As the treasury office is being shifted to Punjab Yojana Bhawan in Sector 33, only the furniture and some old files were gutted.

But the incident has once again brought to the fore poor fire safety arrangements in the area.

When the fire started, the labourers and electricians, who were removing the fans and air conditioners, were out for lunch.

A labourer, Deepak, who saw smoke billowing out of the building raised the alarm.

Deepak said within minutes, the fire spread and entire furniture and files were gutted. We were shifting the things for the past four days, he said.

NOT FOR THE FIRST TIME The Bank Square has witnessed two major fires in the past six years. In September last year, a short circuit on the first floor of the main branch of the Punjab National Bank led to a fire that gutted furniture worth 20 lakh besides records. However, currency worth crores was saved as the fire did not reach the ground floor that houses the main office. On August 25, 2011, a fire broke out at another PNBs branch. Crucial records of the banks circle office were gutted. The fire started on the fourth floor of the building, where all PNB servers for northern India were installed along with large batteries.

NOT LEARNING FROM MISTAKES The fire safety equipment  hydrants, detectors, hose reel, sprinklers, smoke detectors and water tank  was not working in the Punjab Financial Corporation building There was no fire zone demarcated in the jam-packed parking lot, due to which the tenders lost 30 precious minutes

Fire officer Madan Lal Sharma, who was on the spot, said though the exact reason has not been ascertained yet, the fire seems to have been caused by a short circuit.

The buildings fire system was not in working condition. Hydrants, detectors, hose reel, sprinklers, smoke detectors and water tank, nothing was operational.

We will soon issue a notice to them, he said.

Chief fire officer Shilpi Dutta Pattar said: I have already issued directions for the audit of buildings in Sector 17. The fire department has already started with government buildings.

30 minutes lost due to jam-packed parking lot

Even as the department pressed eight fire tenders into service at 3.15 pm, the firefighters took half an hour to reach the rear of the building, from where flames were rising.

Reason: Heavy vehicle rush in the paid parking.

We had a tough time reaching the buildings rear, as vehicles were parked there. We had to bring our fire tenders from the other side, which took nearly 30 minutes, said Sharma.

As per norms, each parking lot should demarcate fire zones. But in Chandigarh, these are missing at all parking lots.

Meanwhile, there was panic among people working and visiting the adjoining buildings in Bank Square. All of them vacated the buildings, including Hotel Haryana, which is next to the financial corporation building.

A visitor to Hotel Haryana, Dinesh Kumar, said: As we saw smoke, we ran out in the open. There was panic and most people working in the banks in nearby buildings had also come out.
Soon, people from the region will be able to take a direct morning flight to Jaipur from the Chandigarh international airport.

At present, two non-stop flights are operating between the two capital cities in the evening slot, after 4 pm.

Jet Airways will start the Chandigarh-Jaipur flight with departure at 11:15am from July 17. It will reach the Pink City at 12:45 pm. The starting fare for the daily flight is around Rs 2,500 for a one-way journey.

Vineet Sharma, a Sector-17-based travel agent, said from tourism and business perspective, the new timings are perfect.

Those wanting to travel to Jaipur in the evening can board the Spicejet flight at 6.10 pm or the Jet Airways other flight at 4.10 pm.

Meanwhile, as per the latest summer schedule of the airport, Vistara will start another flight to Delhi at 1:15pm from July 12. It is currently operating one fight to Delhi at 3.20 pm, which is further connected to Hyderabad.
Once upon a time, the clean, green and well-manicured Panchkula was touted as the budding Paris of Haryana. Today, the tug of war between the mayor and the local MLA has brought the town to such a state that precious lives are being lost due to roads riddled with potholes and naked wires hanging from electricity poles.

Their patience wearing thin, leaders of resident welfare associations have increasingly begun to talk of exploring legal options to get more power for the common man in running the city. Others say the Municipal Corporation should be scrapped, and the responsibility of the citys upkeep returned to Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA).

The MCs functioning began to unravel in 2014 soon after the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) strode to power in Haryana, a year after Upinder Kaur Walia, a close aide of former Congress CM Bhupinder Hooda, became the citys first mayor. Panchkula also got a proactive BJP MLA in Gian Chand Gupta, a former mayor of Chandigarh considered close to the BJPs top state leaders.

Observers say this led to the creation of two power centres. Caught in the crossfire were MC executives who fell out with the Mayor one after the other, taking a heavy toll on the citys development.

The problem began with MC commissioner SS Phulia, who once walked out of a meeting chaired by the Mayor. This was followed by a prolonged standoff between then commissioner Lalit Siwach and the Mayor thanks to which there has been just one effective house meeting since July last year. The Mayor herself admits to shooting off over 300 letters to Siwach, complaining about development issues. Siwach, meanwhile, let everyone know that he had asked the CM for transfer.

Things dont seem to be any better between the mayor and Siwachs successor Shaleen Kumar, who recently shot off a letter to Haryana chief secretary alleging that he was being threatened by the mayor.

Sources said the ongoing political tussle has put off the officers to such an extent that the once coveted posting in the Panchkula MC has become amongst the least desirable.

Mayor Upinder Kaur Walia (Left), and MLA Gian Chand Gupta (HT Photos)

Blame game

Speaking to HT, the Mayor accused Gupta of meddling in the affairs of the civic body by putting pressure on the officers posted here. She alleged that they deliberately stalled development work to show her in poor light ahead of the MC elections next year.

He openly tells people that only a BJP mayor can bring development to the city. Use of such words is shocking and exposes his intentions, she fumed.

Gupta, on his part, blamed the Mayor. Am I asking the mayor to threaten officers or misbehave with them, Gupta retorted, saying that three MC Commissioners who were transferred in the past two years had complained about the mayors working style, and how could he be blamed for this.

Officials want to initiate development projects for the city, but they fear that the Mayor and her family members will land them in trouble. This is stated in the present commissioners letter to the CS, he added.

Gupta claimed that the state government has always been liberal with funds. I hope she works for the welfare of people and stops blaming the ruling government, he added.

Development derailed The MC House body members hardly meet to discuss issues, though one meeting is mandatory every month. The city failed to find a place on the list of Smart cities due to its failure to start reforms in several areas. Parking problem in commercial markets has become a massive issue. There is no deliberation on how to overcome this problem There is no local transportation system despite grants available under central schemes There are encroachments galore in Panchkula as there is no effort to strengthen the MCs enforcement wing A proposal to set up a solid waste management plant is gathering dust as MC could not identify a piece of suitable land Keys posts are lying vacant since its inception in 2010 There is no mechanism for lodging online complaints regarding deficiencies in the civic services Public toilets are poorly maintained in all commercial markets Several road stretches are full of potholes and prone to accidents

Residents simmer

SK Nayyar of Citizen Welfare Group said the city has seen a host of political leaders of different hues in the past but never such a dirty strident between them.

No matter who is responsible for this murky state of affairs, it is the people who are at the receiving end, and it is getting increasingly difficult to tolerate this slugfest, he added.

Subhash Papneja, president of Sector 16 Residents Welfare Association (RWA), said replacing the existing commissioner is not the solution. The infighting in the corporation has reached such a level that the state government needs to intervene on behalf of residents, he said.

Legally speaking

With the corporation in limbo for so long, many residents are getting restless and have begun to explore other solutions. Rakesh Aggarwal, chairman of Lok Saravhitkari Society, says Haryana was among the few states in India to notify Haryana Municipal Citizen Participation Act in October 2008 whose mandate was to make residents part of civic development.

Under the act, the councillor and area residents were to form ward development committees, which would clear area-specific projects and send these to MC for approval. But the act never came in to force here. I will soon approach the Punjab and High Court for its implementation, he said.

Seema Bhardwaj, a resident of Sector 2, said residents are deliberately kept out of the civic bodys working because if that happens, both officials and elected representatives will be held accountable.

With elected representatives becoming ineffective in solving the citys problem, it is high time the citizens get involved, and we already have a legal framework for this, she declared.

Wrongly carved

The Municipal Corporation was set up in March 2010 by merging the municipal council of Panchkula and the municipal committees of Pinjore and Kalka in spite of the huge distance between the three. Many believe the then Congress government deliberately did this to benefit the real estate lobby in the Pinjore-Kalka area.

This move stretched the MC limits from Kalka to the Zirakpur border on the one side, and many kilometres beyond Ramgarh on the other side.

The move was opposed in various courts but the first mayor was elected in June 2013 after a Supreme Court decision.

Former councillor B B Singhal said the constitution of corporation can still be legally challenged through a review petition in the Supreme Court if someone takes up the matter.

The road dividing the Sectors 5 and 9 in a dilapidated condition. Other roads are also potholed, increasing the risk of accidents in Panchkula. (Sant Arora/HT)

Money galore, but no spending

It is a cruel irony. The Municipal Corporation has 150 crore in deposits, yet it has just one road roller for an area spread across 50 kilometres.

The irony does not end here. It has money to pay salaries but not enough men on job to judiciously use its funds. The list of departments without any staff is long indeed. The public health wing, building branch, planning branch and Information Technology cell are virtually non-existent and there is no one to head the enforcement wing.

Nearly 40 gram panchayats that came under MC jurisdiction in 2010 still dont have proper sewerage system, drinking water or smooth roads. There are no plans for reviving the semi-urban clusters of Kalka and Pinjore. What to talk of others, the MC has failed to construct its own building despite being conceived in 2010.

The recent audit report observed that with the MC in a state of inertia, people are constructing houses in its jurisdiction without getting any sanctions from the corporation. This will not only have unnecessary legal implications in the future but is also causing a huge loss of revenue, which could have been spent on improving amenities in the area.

Panchkula city once was regarded as Haryanas best urban complex but it is now in the list of its worst cities, rues Sector 12 resident Pradeep Sangwan while pointing out to the poor ranking of the city in the cleanliness survey.

Residents feel the city would be better off if the Mayor and executives keep aside their differences to work together.

Avinash Chander, a resident, said, When elected in 2013, the Mayor had assured us that there will be regular house meetings to take up the citys issues. But the meetings seldom takes place and our complaints keep lingering.

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The Congress government in Punjab has decided to defer elections to four municipal corporations and 32 municipal councils and nagar parishads scheduled this year.

Announcing this at a press conference, Punjab local bodies minister Navjot Singh Sidhu said urban voters had brought the Congress to power and the government would like to show some work on the ground before the civic polls.

Flanked by Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar, Sidhu, who had earlier said the civic polls will be held in August, refused to commit a date for the elections.

All I can say is that the polls will be held before December. The issue is not the date of the elections but honouring the faith of people whom we had promised development. We are not like the previous government that won elections by arm-twisting people. We want to set an agenda and a timeframe to complete it. The CM will announce the agenda in the four corporations soon, he said.

The announcement to defer polls came after Sidhu and Jakhar held a meeting with party MLAs of the four corporations  Ludhiana, Amritsar, Patiala and Jalandhar. The MLAs cited poor civic conditions in the cities, such as no streetlights, contaminated drinking water and poor sanitation.

On whether MLAs wanted the polls to be deferred, Sidhu said they wanted that the pending works should be completed. It will be difficult to hold elections during monsoon. We are not in any hurry and want to be more sure-footed before the election. We have set some short and long-term goals and we want to show that we are working on them, he added.

The minister cited e-governance for services such as payment of property tax and approval of design of houses and no change of land use (CLUs) among the initiatives the government wants to usher in.

Sidhu, who had claimed in the Punjab assembly during recent budget session that the previous government had allotted tenders for development works worth 800 crore to single bidders in two-three cities, said they are trying to find an auditor who can nail the SAD-BJP government for squandering states wealth.

The term of four municipal corporations  Patiala, Ludhiana, Amritsar and Jalandhar  expires in September. There are 32 municipal councils and nagar panchayats where elections are due in June, July and August.

The two elections will be clubbed and the government will appoint administrators to take over the functioning of these local bodies after expiry of their term till a new House is constituted.
In an industry where people try to fit in, Gashmeer Mahajani doesnt mind standing out with his firm beliefs and ideas. He says, I am a student of cinema, I am not an actor or director or dancer. In fact, we all need to get rid of these titles. Japanese director Akira Kurosawa had once said, In Japan, if you ask a tea seller, who is he, his prompt response will be, I am contributing to the making of the film. Everyone considers the product as their own. Unlike here in India, where we departmentalise and work as individuals.

Though he is the son of veteran actor Ravindra Mahajani, Gashmeer did not have it easy in the industry. I have had to work hard and prove my worth. I started a dance class (which today is one of Punes popular dance academies) when I was 16, because our home and land was sealed by the bank. What started as a need is one of my biggest strengths, today.

He makes it a point to train at least one batch every month. While training these students I can shed off my other roles/duties and break free as a dancer. Unbiased conversations withe these students help me stay grounded and in check. They look up to be as an artist and not as a film star.

Only six films old, Gashmeer is extremely choosy about his projects, especially after his past experiences. While choosing a film, a script definitely tops my criteria list followed closely by the director and producer. I cannot be associated with a film only in the capacity of an actor. I have to be creatively involved from start to end. I believe every actor should be. You cannot just shoot for your part and leave the rest to others. You have to be around to help and contribute to the film.

anjali.shetty@htlive.com

ott:10:ht-entertainment_listing-desktop
Danuta Dymon, 70, has been at it since the sun came up, dressed from head to toe in clothes also displaying her brushstroke.

As you can see Im covered in flowers, she said, adding neon green leaves to the fluorescent orange and pink garland spanning the fences brick base in front of her home in Zalipie, in southern Poland.

Danuta Dymon painting traditional flower patterns on her fence in Zalipie. (AFP)

Dymon is known around the farming village for having painted flowers on virtually everything under her roof: the ceiling, walls, curtains, pillows, kettle, wooden spoons, boiler, even the toilet.

She took to the paintbrush with particular gusto but she is not alone: for over a century, Zalipie women  and the occasional man  have been decorating the inside and outside of their homes with folk art.

Women painting traditional flower patterns on the wall of a farm building. (AFP)

Last year, some 25,000 tourists from countries as far away as Japan and the United States visited the village of 700 people to see the bright, cheerful flowers that adorn about a quarter of the cottages nestled among fields of corn, cabbage and strawberries.

Origins in soot

The tradition began in the late 19th century as a way to cover up sooted walls in the smoke-filled area around the stove, according to the head of the local community centre, Wanda Chlastawa.

A house covered with traditional flower patterns. (AFP)

Women would take a homemade brush, dip it in whitewash and whack at the dirty wall to brighten up the space with the white splotches, the 59-year-old director of the centre, appropriately called the House of Painters, said.

Later they started adding dots, lines and circles and thats how the first primitive flowers came to be.

The first floral motifs were limited to three colours  white, black and beige  made at home out of lime whitewash, soot and clay, while early brushes included birch branches with shredded ends, as well as horse or cow tail hairs tied together with twine.

Farm buildings covered with traditional flower patterns. (AFP)

Imaginary flowers

At 78, Maria Chlastawa  not related to Wanda  remembers making the brushes at home, as well as using the powdered paints the women would buy once they expanded their repertoire into todays flashy rainbow range of colours.

Sometimes youd paint, the rain would come, and itd all run. So youd have to do it over, she said, adding that todays fast-drying acrylic paints are a whole lot better than what she started with 70 years ago.

My mum painted so Ive been painting since childhood. Then my daughter started painting as a kid, and now my granddaughter is painting too. Its tradition, from one generation to the next.

Maria Chlastawa in her yard where the walls of buildings are covered with traditional flower patterns. (AFP)

For decades, the village has held a painting contest every spring, when a jury of ethnographers makes the rounds of the houses and awards prizes. Some residents only paint ahead of the contest, but Chlastawa is at it all year, saying it calms her nerves.

The yard looks sad when everythings white, but here... she said, before her daughter Boguslawa Mis, 50, chimed in: Flowers bloom in the winter and autumn!

Poppies, rose, daisies

While the designs may resemble red poppies or pink roses or white and yellow daisies, they are all drawn from imagination.

For over a century, Zalipie women -- and the occasional man -- have been decorating the inside and outside of their homes with folk art. (AFP)

Theyre invented flowers. You wont find them in any field, said 44-year-old Anna Owca, who works at the community centre and did not grow up in a painter family, but instead married into one.

We moved in with my mother-in-law and when I walked in, there were flowers everywhere. I was 19 then and I thought, My God, Im gonna lose it. I cant look at this, she said, laughing.

A woman painting traditional flower patterns on a well. (AFP)

First thing I wanted to do was paint over all the flowers... But then, after a year or two, I started painting as well. And I remember my husband saying, Damn. I was born among flowers and now Ill die among flowers too.

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Theres no electricity and only 500 residents in the Congolese village of Makwatsha, but a longstanding tradition by its womenfolk has turned it almost by accident into a star attraction for Chinese tourists.

The outside walls of the huts are decorated with paintings of local life, flowers and butterflies, making the village of the women painters a draw also for tourists from France and Belgium.

For the colour, we use only the earth, says Prosperine Mwelma, 60, dressed in a bright blue and yellow wrap and holding a paint brush.

We dig to find the pink colour, she says, her hands covered with the villages ochre clay soil.

The murals of daily village life, painted by the women during the dry season and using only natural pigments, caught the eye of the director of the local French cultural institute when he passed through on holiday -- and he decided to let the world know.

Not only did he contact a local travel agency to try to put the village on the tourism map but he also organised for some of the women to be invited to Paris in 2014 to exhibit their paintings.

For the Paris trip the villagers painted their works onto canvas and sold eight of them for a total of $60,000 (Rs 3,881,700 | 52,600 euros).

On our own, we couldnt have done it, says Jean-Pierre Kabaso, chief of the village some 40 kilometres ( 25 miles) south of Lubumbashi, the capital of Haut-Katanga province in the southeast of Democratic Republic of Congo.

Now on tourist itineraries, the villages painting tradition could become an important source of income in the future, the 52-year-old chief says.

When tourists come to the village on a day trip, they walk around, see the huts, discover how the villagers collect clay nearby to make the colours and are able to talk to them.

There are other projects in the works, including plans for an exhibition in Washington, Kabaso says.

Lone tour agency

In Lubumbashi, the only tour operator in the region sits in the dark in his office -- theres electricity here but many power cuts.

Isaac Sumba Maly, who runs the Palma Okapi Tours travel agency, says he is preparing for a visit by Chinese tourists.

The Chinese have been coming to DR Congo in increasing numbers for business, especially to Katanga province where Lubumbashi is located, because of its mining activities.

Most want to fit in a tour or buy souvenirs during their free time, boosting tourism and sales.

China, together with Belgium and France, are the main sources for the trickle of tourists -- about 100 each year -- who venture to this remote corner of DR Congo.

To attract more travellers, the tour operator has launched a festival of painting at Makwatsha, teaming up with tourism and hotel schools and local media to showcase the womens work once a year.

Hes also planning a trip to China this year to negotiate a tourism contract with a private company looking to send its employees on holiday to Lubumbashi.

But its a tough job selling tours to DR Congo.

The Congo has a bad image overseas due to insecurity, war, says Maly, dressed impeccably in a suit despite the heat.

For the past several years, DR Congo has been mired in a political crisis, which has worsened since President Joseph Kabila refused to step aside when his mandate expired in December. Elections are supposed to take place by the end of this year.

And in several regions, armed militias battle against government troops, creating a plague of violence that makes foreign visitors fearful of venturing into the huge central African nation -- around two-thirds the size of western Europe.

The Congo is vast, says Maly, arguing that size is an advantage.

If there is war in the north, thats thousands of kilometres from here! In Israel, there are attacks, bombs, but nevertheless thousands go there for tourism, he says.

Green stone crocodiles

In Lubumbashis old town, another artistic venture can be found in ateliers where, to the deafening sound of electric saws, workers sculpt statues out of malachite -- the green mineral found throughout the region.

Green stone statues of rhinos, lions or even larger animals are coveted by the Chinese tourists.

They come with their orders for big pieces like crocodiles several metres long that they take back to China, proudly says Stanis Chansa, who has been a sculptor for 45 years.

The intrepid travellers who do manage the journey to Haut-Katanga leave an impression on local residents.

The international tourists often make the Congolese realise the beauty of their homeland, says Eric Monga, a local official of the Federation of Congolese Business.

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The cause of the death of Indian priest Martin Xavier Vazhachira in Scotland remains unknown, nearly two weeks after his body was found on a beach in East Lothian, but officials said authorities were giving full priority to investigating the case.

Vazhachiras body is likely to be sent to his home state of Kerala later this week.

Anju Ranjan, consul general of India in Edinburgh, told Hindustan Times that Scottish authorities will inform the mission on Monday when the body could be taken to India.

Ranjan said the cause of the death remained unknown, but the post-mortem on the body had been completed and some samples had been sent to the Criminal Investigation Department of Police Scotland. The mission was in touch with Vazhachiras family. She added that the authorities were giving full priority to the case that is being keenly followed in the Syro-Malabar community here and elsewhere. All formalities needed to be completed for a thorough investigation before the body could be released, officials said.

Vazhachira, 33, was found dead on June 23 in West Barns, near Dunbar. He was ordained as a priest of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate in Kerala in 2013, and arrived in Scotland in July 2016 for postgraduate studies in the University of Edinburgh. He served in Catholic parishes in Falkirk and others places in Scotland. Several priests from Kerala, Nagaland, Mizoram and other states have moved to Britain in recent years to serve in parishes.

Local reports said an alarm was raised after Vazhachira failed to show up to celebrate Mass with the parish community of St John the Baptist, Corstorphine, where he was the administrator.

The news of Fr Martin Xaviers death comes as a great shock and a great sadness to all those who knew him and loved him, Archbishop Leo Cushley of St Andrews & Edinburgh told the Scottish Catholic Observer (SCO).

Our thoughts and, more importantly, our prayers are with him and with all his loved ones in both Scotland and India. May he rest in peace.

The Syro-Malabar community in Scotland has been especially in grief: Its a big shock for them, because first of all hes a priest belonging to that community and also the same area, Sebastian Thuruthippillil, parish priest of St Josephs Church in Whitburn and a chaplain to Scotlands Syro-Malabar community, told the SCO.

Its (also) big news there in India; people are really shocked, he added.

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China has scrambled naval ships and military jets to warn off a US missile destroyer sailing close to an artificial island built by it in the disputed South China Sea and denounced Washingtons move as a serious political and military provocation.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement on Sunday night that China had dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel.

On Sunday, the missile destroyer USS Stethem trespassed Chinas territorial waters off the Xisha Islands, state run Xinhua news agency reported.

The US behaviour constitutes a serious political and military provocation, Lu said, stressing that the Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed it.

Stethem passed less than 22 kms from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which China calls Xisha islands. The island chain is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

While China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, the other countries to partially counterclaim over the area are Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

This is the second US naval ship to have passed the disputed islands after President Donald Trump came to power.

The US has been periodically sending the naval ships and planes to the South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation challenging Chinas claims of sovereignty.

China comes out with similar reaction every time the US naval ships pass through the area.

Lu said the Islands are an inherent part of the Chinese territory, noting that in accordance with the Law of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Chinese government promulgated the baseline of the territorial sea off the Xisha Islands in 1996

The relevant Chinese law has explicit provisions on foreign military vessels entry into the territorial sea of China, Lu said.

Under the pretext of navigation freedom, the US once again sent a military vessel into Chinas territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without Chinas approval, Lu said.

He said the behaviour of US has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon Chinas sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands.

China says there are problems for international navigation through the SCS but objects to defence vessels going through it.

Working together, China and ASEAN member states have cooled down and improved the situation in the South China Sea Lu said charging US of deliberately stirring up troubles in the South China Sea. The US is running in the opposite direction from countries in the region who aspire for stability, cooperation and development, he said

The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate Chinas sovereignty and threaten its security, he stressed, saying the Chinese side will continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.

The US missile destroyer sailing close to the contentious island chain is the latest in a series of events that add to the growing unease in the relations between the two countries.

Last week Trump authorised a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province, besides slapping sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.
A 67-year-old former policeman with the worlds biggest Hello Kitty collection has become the envy of little girls everywhere with a quarter of a million dollars worth of moon-faced memorabilia.

Masao Gunji, who spent his working life on the trail of hardened criminals, now spends his retirement tracking down pink and white soft toys to keep in a Hello Kitty-themed house, which he built specially and has become a magnet for tourists.

Kitty has been like the love of my life, he said at his one-storey property, which is surrounded by regular houses.

I love Kitty, he added, calling her adorable, especially her facial expressions.

Hello Kitty, Japans global icon of cute, was introduced in 1974 and is now one of the countrys most famous exports  adorning everything from pencil cases to pyjamas.

Gunji welcomes curious visitors to his Hello Kitty collection house. (AFP)

To the surprise of fans, brand owner Sanrio said in 2014 the feline-inspired character was not actually a cat but a happy little girl, sparking uproar from Internet users who spluttered: But shes got whiskers!

Though he doesnt live in the property, Gunji was recognised last November by Guinness World Records for his collection, having spent around 30 million yen ($267,000) on thousands of items, including the house.

More than 5,000 items he owns bear Kittys iconic red bow, propelling Gunji past the previous record holder, also Japanese.

Masao Gunji with his wife Yoshiko Gunji at their pink-painted Hello Kitty house in Yotsukaido. (AFP)

Gunjis wife Yoshiko says she fully supports her husbands passion.

I dont care how much he spends on Hello Kitty, she said.

People need to make a mark on the world, and Hello Kitty is the one he lives for, she added.

This is his dream.
Eight people including a girl were lightly wounded late Sunday in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southeast French city of Avignon, the prosecutors office said, ruling out terrorism.

According to initial accounts taken on the spot, at least two men got out of a car around 10:30 pm near the mosque and opened fire, including with a shotgun, the prosecutors office said.

None of the wounded had life-threatening injuries, it said.

From what we know this evening, the mosque was not targeted. The fact that it happened in the street of the religious establishment was unconnected with it, the prosecutor said, ruling out terrorism.

Witness accounts mentioned four men in the car, all hooded.

The criminal investigation department has taken charge of the case.

The shooting comes a few days after a man on Thursday attempted to drive his car into worshippers outside the Creteil mosque in southeast Paris.

The driver, a 43-year-old Armenian who suffered from schizophrenia, hit barriers and pillars outside the mosque with his 4x4 without causing any injuries before crashing into a traffic island.

According to a source close to the investigation, the suspect had made confused remarks in relation to a string of jihadist attacks that have struck France, killing 239 people since 2015.

Following a van attack against worshippers leaving Finsbury Park Mosque in London on June 19 which left one dead and 11 injured, Frances Muslim community has also felt threatened.

Some Muslim officials have described the Paris incident as an attack and called on the authorities to strengthen protection of places of worship.
Mahatma Gandhi was known to be reluctant to sit for portraits, but a rare pencil portrait for which he sat and later signed is to be put up for auction here on July 11, besides letters written by him to the family of the iconic leader, Subhash Chandra Bose.

The pencil portrait was drawn by artist John Henry Amshewitz (1882-1942), when Gandhi was in London for the 1931 Round Table Conference. The price estimate for the photo with Gandhis words, Truth is God / MK Gandhi / 4.12.31, is 8,000-12,000.

Auctioneers Sothebys said in the portrait's description that Gandhi was staying at Kingsley Hall in Londons East End during the visit at the invitation of one of its founders, Muriel Lester, who had previously stayed in Gandhis ashram in India.

The portrait, which was inscribed by Gandhi the day before he left Kingsley Hall, was given to a local resident who was closely associated with the place throughout her life. It has remained in her family ever since, it added.

The most important of letters on auction are addressed to Sarat Chandra Bose, and include key comments on the partition of Bengal in the months before his assassination, reflecting the intense political pressures that Gandhi faced in his final months.

To Sarat Chandra Bose, who was one of the most outspoken critics of partition and had proposed an independent united Bengal, Gandhi wrote: You should give up the struggle for unity of Bengal and cease to disturb the atmosphere that has been created for partition of Bengal.

Dating from the mid-1940s, Sothebys said other letters in the collection affirm Gandhis continued love of the Bose family, recall visits to their home in erstwhile Calcutta and discuss the future development of India with Amiya Nath Bose, son of Sarat Chandra Bose.

The letters have a combined estimate of 23,000-33,000, Sothebys added.

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China accused India of betraying a British-era territorial understanding over their border in Sikkim, intensifying a diplomatic row that could overshadow talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping should the two meet on the sidelines of a G20 meeting in Germany this week.

Concerns over Chinese military deployment have started mounting, with Indian navy sources reporting on Monday an increase in activity by Chinese vessels in the Indian ocean region. An intelligence-gathering ship, Haiwingxing, was spotted in Indian Ocean late last month, weeks after the Sikkim impasse began.

Troops from the two countries are facing off near the border in Sikkim after the Chinese army tried to build a road in the sensitive Doklam, a disputed region between China and Bhutan, which Beijing also refers to as Donglang. The episode is one of the longest showdown the two sides have had since fighting a war in 1962, and experts in Beijing believe the issue could lead to a full-blown military confrontation.

The situation could dominate a possible informal meeting between Modi and Xi, on the sidelines of a G20 gathering in Hamburg.

On Monday, the Chinese foreign ministry cited correspondence between former PM Jawaharlal Nehru and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai to claim that India endorsed the 1890 Sino-British treaty on Sikkim, and said the ongoing trespass by Indian troops is a betrayal of the position taken by New Delhi since then.

Former Indian PM Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to the then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this, Geng Shuang, ministry of foreign affairs (MFA) spokesperson, said at the regular ministry briefing.

Read | Chinas PLA warns India: Learn lessons from 1962 defeat, stop clamouring for war

The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by the Indian governments, Geng said, adding that India needs to follow the treaty and pull back troops immediately from Doka La.

The region is where the borders of the three countries  India, China and Bhutan  meet.

Doka La is located on the margins of the Doklam plateau.

India has consistently disputed the Chinese reference to the 1890 treaty, saying that the two countries decided in 2012 that boundary points between India and China where another country is involved  in this case Bhutan  will be finalised in consultation with the third nation.

Ties between both countries have historically been fragile, with territorial disputes on Indias eastern front  regions such as Aksai Chin and Arunachal  being the major cause of friction.

Heightened tensions were underscored by the sightings of Chinese naval assets in Indian Ocean. Indias naval satellites, surveillance planes and surface warships sighted Luyang III class destroyers, hydrographic research vessels and tankers. The presence of a submarine was also established by the sighting of Chongmingdao, a Chinese navy submarine support vessel.

In a briefing on Monday, Geng brushed aside Indias contention and said New Delhi was using Bhutan as a cover up to justify the illegal entry of its soldiers in the Doklam.

Geng also said that a demarche that Bhutan sent to China against the road construction was done at Indias insistence.

In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile, he said.

The foreign ministry spokesperson also dismissed Indian defence minister Arun Jaitleys remark that the current India was different from the India of 1962, which lost the Sino-India war. Jaitleys statement was in itself a response to a Chinese army spokesperson saying that New Delhi should remember historical lessons.

He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different, the Chinese foreign ministry official said on Monday, without elaborating on what it meant.

(With inputs from HTC, New Delhi)
An Iraqi provincial official says a suicide bomber, disguised in a womans all-covering robe, struck inside a camp for displaced people in the western province of Anbar, killing at least 14.

Councilman Taha Abdul-Ghani says the attack took place at dusk on Sunday as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the Islamic State-held town of Qaim.

Abdul-Ghani says that a police colonel was among the dead. The officer became suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him  presumably to reduce the number of casualties  as he detonated his explosives.

The explosion also wounded at least 20 people.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of most of Anbar, and are now in the final stages of a major offensive in the northern city of Mosul. There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack but suspicion is likely to fall on IS, which has carried out similar attacks in the past.
Iraqis still reeling from a devastating suicide bombing that killed over 320 people in central Baghdad gathered Sunday at the site of the attack to mark its first anniversary.

The bombing -- the deadliest single such attack to hit the country since 2003 -- sparked raging fires in a shopping area early on July 3, 2016 as it teemed with people ahead of the end of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

Much of the damage has been repaired, but a massive banner bearing images of the victims still hangs at the site, and the psychological wounds inflicted by the fear and loss are far from healed.

I still feel as though the bombing happened yesterday. I was very close when the explosion occurred. We were not able to do anything because of the shock, said Laith Fadhel al-Hussein.

When I come here, I feel a severe (pain) in my heart, said Hussein, a 42-year-old who lost four cousins and a nephew in the attack.

Food was prepared by relatives of some of the victims and distributed to the dozens of people gathered at the site of the bombing.

Sadiq Issa, 43, who was filling styrofoam boxes with rice, lost nine relatives in the attack.

After hearing the news, my father had a stroke, while his mother lost all movement in her arms and legs, said Issa. Even now, we are not sleeping, he said, holding back tears. I am a survivor. I saw my nephews slaughtered in the attack.

- Broken promises -

This place means everything to me -- here, I lost my families and friends and neighbours and all my loved ones, he said.

While surrounding areas have been repaired, the Laith Complex building is still empty, with the banner with pictures of the victims hanging down the front.

Residents of the area said the building is in danger of collapsing and is not safe for restoration, so it may be demolished and rebuilt.

But the process of restoration and paying compensation to the victims and their families is questioned by some.

Firas, a 36-year-old who lost his brother in the attack, said the government has not followed through on its pledges to the victims.

They took advantage of the feelings of the people and broke all their promises, he said. Hisham Sabah, 33, also criticised the governments response. Imagine, God forbid, if this happened in another country -- the state would help the families of the martyrs, he said.

This is the worst massacre since the fall of (Saddam Husseins) regime, but authorities put those seeking compensation through impossible procedures that make you hate the country.
US Senator John McCain has said that Pakistan plays a significant role in the establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Peace and stability in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistans help, McCain, who chairs the powerful Senate Armed Services Committee told state-run Pakistan Television on Sunday during his visit to Islamabad.

McCain arrived in Islamabad on Sunday leading a five-member delegation from the US.

Others in the delegation were Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren, and David Perdue.

To a question, John McCain said Kashmir issue should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiations. He said that US wants end to violence in Kashmir.

He said the US will continue its policy regarding the Kashmir issue and no change has been made in this regard.

McCain also met foreign affairs advisor Sartaj Aziz as well as army chief Gen Qamar Javed Bajwa.

Our relationship is more important perhaps than ever before, McCain told Pakistan TV.

US President Donald Trumps administration is exploring hardening its approach towards Islamabad over Pakistan-based militants launching attacks in Afghanistan, two US officials told Reuters last month.

Aziz said that the strategic partnership between Pakistan and the United States was was critical to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond.

US officials say they seek greater cooperation with Pakistan, not a rupture in ties, after the review the 16-year-old war in Afghanistan, due in mid-July, where some 8,800 US troops remain to support the Western-backed government.

Experts on Americas longest war say militant safe havens in Pakistan have allowed Taliban-linked insurgents a place to plot attacks in Afghanistan and regroup after ground offensives. Critics say Islamabad is not doing enough to crack down on militants such as the Taliban-affiliated Haqqani network.

Pakistan argues that it has done a great deal to help the US in tracking down terrorists and points out that it has suffered hundreds of deaths in Islamist militants attacks in response to its crackdowns.

Pakistan last week also reacted sharply when the US State Department on June 26 designated as a terrorist Syed Salahuddin, leader of the largest Kashmiri militant group fighting against Indian rule, accusing the US of acquiescing to the wishes of visiting Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Aziz made a point on Sunday of mentioning what the foreign ministry called gross human rights violations by the Indian security forces in Kashmir and the international communitys silence. (With inputs from Reuters)
Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwaits emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was made to be rejected and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as an affront to international law.

They are reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of bully states that have historically resulted in war, the lawyers said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabias regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the worlds largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Gulf states, called for serious dialogue to end the crisis.

We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula, said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Trump calls leaders

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAEs ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as taking steps to expel Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britains Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis. Kuwait, which unlike most of its GCC neighbours has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadhs position.

Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabis crown prince and the Qatari emir on his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.

Trump underscored that unity in the region is critical, the statement said, but also reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.

Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

The German government also announced that Saudi Arabias King Salman had cancelled plans to attend this weeks G20 summit in Hamburg.
Saudi Arabias King Salman bin Abdulaziz has cancelled attendance at this weeks G20 summit in Hamburg, the German government said Monday, as Riyadh is engaged in a diplomatic standoff with Qatar.

The government has received official notification that King Salman will not travel to the G20 summit, a spokesman told AFP.

The 81-year-old monarch will send finance minister Mohammed al-Jadaan in his place, the German news agency DPA said separately.

The monarch was to have joined the meeting of major industrialised and emerging economies on Friday and Saturday.

Recent German media reports have said that the Saudi delegation had rented out Hamburgs luxury Vier Jahreszeiten (Four Seasons) hotel in its entirety for the king and his delegation.

Saudi Arabia and its allies the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt have engaged in a bitter row with Qatar, severing air, sea and ground links and cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They accuse Doha of supporting Islamic extremism and of being too close to their regional rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

They are demanding that Doha end support for the Muslim Brotherhood, close broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrade diplomatic ties with Iran and shut down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Qatar Monday handed its official response to the demands to the emir of Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator, a Gulf official told AFP.

It was delivered hours after the four nations had accepted a call by Kuwaits Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to extend the 10-day deadline for another 48 hours.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel on Monday travelled to the region, where he was to meet his Saudi counterpart Adel al-Jubeir and visit the UAE before heading to Qatar and Kuwait on Tuesday.

Another reported no-show at the Group of 20 meeting will be Brazilian President Michel Temer, who is under pressure at home in a bribery case.
Saripada Pacasum Jr. gagged and turned away the first time he came across a decomposing body in Marawi City, where hundreds have died since Islamic State-inspired fighters attempted to overrun the southern Philippines town six weeks ago.

But the rescue and recovery volunteer had no time to waste as gunfire rang out from government troop positions and militant snipers around him: he put on a pair of rubber gloves and helped carry the remains out of the conflict zone in a pick-up truck.

I thought of resigning after that, Pacasum, who works in a disaster relief office told Reuters. I was scared and not prepared for this kind of job.

But Pacasum, 39, continued to lead a team of about 30 young men and women who make near-daily forays to rescue civilians and retrieve victims in an urban battlefield that is infested with rebel snipers and battered by air strikes.

They have come to be known as the white helmets or suicide squad because of the risks they take when going in unarmed and wearing little protection other than white plastic construction helmets.

More than 460 people have been killed since the battle for Marawi began on May 23, including 82 members of the security forces and 44 civilians.

The military believes hundreds of civilians are still trapped by the conflict, the biggest internal security threat the Philippines has faced in decades and a shock to neighbouring countries worried that Islamic State is trying to establish a foothold in Southeast Asia.

Rescue mission

Fishermen, farmers, students, and small business owners, mostly from Marawi, are among those who have volunteered for rescue missions.

We all grew up in Marawi and it breaks our hearts when we hear that Marawi is under siege, said Abdul Azis Lomondot Jr., a 25-year-old university student, speaking in the teams one-room office in the towns capitol complex where many of the white helmets grab some sleep.

A member of a humanitarian volunteers team walks with a white flag as he searches for survivors or victims due to the fighting in the center of Marawi City. (REUTERS)

When the team gets a call from a trapped civilian or their evacuated relative, they first try to determine their location. Team leader Pacasum then asks for volunteers.

We grab our helmets, IDs, a ladder, some small tools and we are good to go, said Lomondot.

One such mission around three weeks into the siege almost went awry when the team drove into the conflict area in pick-up trucks but could not immediately find the house where four elderly people were known to be trapped.

In that moment, I was panicking because I thought this may be an ambush, Pacasum said as he and Lamondot recalled the mission. We were just waiting for the sound of gunshots.

After driving around for 20 minutes, the team finally located the house, but was shot at as they drove out with the civilians on board.

Too stressful

As the siege drags on and the government pours troops into the lakeside town, soldiers have started providing cover for some of the rescue teams missions. Pacasum says that while this has obvious advantages, it can also mean they are more likely to be targeted by the militants.

The team has also received counselling and equipment from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), and training on how to properly handle cadavers.

Pacasum, who has led more 10 rescue missions, wants to see the battle through to the end, but will consider changing professions when its over.

Its too stressful, he said.

Some of the volunteers ... they are just young kids, they are very aggressive. Im more cautious. I have kids and I want to watch them grow old.
Former prime minister Gordon Brown on Sunday recalled prominent London-based industrialist Swraj Pauls work over the years and said it had contributed not only to British society but also helped strengthen relations between India and the United Kingdom.

Brown joined diplomats, MPs and leading individuals from various fields at the London Zoo for the annual memorial event Paul has held since 1994; initially in memory of his daughter Ambika, who died in 1968 aged 4, and now also in memory of his son Angad, who died in 2015 at 45.

Brown, who was prime minister from 2007 to 2010 and chancellor of the exchequer from 1997 to 2007, said: No family has done more for Britain and for India than the Paul family. I knew Angad well; his achievements were remarkable.

A member of the House of Lords since 1996, Paul, 86, thanked Brown and his wife, Sarah Brown, for their emotional support over the years, and recalled the short lives of Ambika and Angad, two of his five children.

Ambika was an angel who changed our livesIn Angads short life, he accomplished so much that was visionary and so much that was innovative beyond the conventions of his background. His diversity of interests was amazing  film, furniture, automobile design, hospitality ventures and many others, Paul said.

Recalling that Angad was his only child not born in India, Paul said he loved the country and was closely involved in growing his business there. As many as 25 factories were built in 10 years in India under Angads stewardship, he added.

The event was attended by Indias high commissioner to the UK, Y K Sinha, Indias ambassador to Sweden, Monika Kapil Mohta, member of the House of Lords, Karan Bilimoria, and Indias former chief election commissioner, SY Quraishi, among others.

The annual event is held at the London Zoo, which was rescued from bankruptcy by a 1 million donation by Paul in 1993. Set within the sylvan Regents Park in central London, the zoo attracts a large number of visitors and tourists, particularly during the summer.

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The United States and Japan are united in their efforts to clamp down on North Koreas growing threat, as the regime ramps up its nuclear drive and other belligerent efforts, the White House said Sunday.

During a phone call, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend (against) and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea, the White House said in a statement.

It added that the pair expressed unity with respect to increasing pressure on the regime to change its dangerous path.

During a separate phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said it was Trump who raised the growing threat posed by North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs.

Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

But the White House made no mention of possible discussions between Trump and Xi over disputed islands in the South China Sea, even though the call took place just hours after a US warship sailed near an island in the waterway.

Beijing termed the incident a serious political and military provocation.

The destroyer, the USS Stethem, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP.

On the call, Trump also reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with Americas trading partners, the White House said, a reference to the US administrations aggressive stance on trade matters, especially as concerns China.

- Pinning hopes on China -

The Trump administration has been growing increasingly exasperated with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Uns regime, which has staged a barrage of missile tests in recent months.

Trump had been pinning his hopes on China -- North Koreas main diplomatic ally -- to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang, but declared last week that their efforts had failed.

He has presented sanctions as the best way to proceed with the hermit state, opting for that approach over dialogue with the regime.

During talks with South Korean leader Moon Jae-In -- who has pushed for a policy of engagement with Pyongyang -- on Friday, Trump called for a determined response to the North. But the pair failed to map out a joint strategy on how to handle North Korean threats.

The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed, many years it has failed. Frankly, that patience is over, Trump said.

There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma earlier this month. He died several days later.
An 18-year-old student in northwestern England has been charged in a series of cyberattacks on the websites of nearly a dozen multinational firms.

Jack Chappell is accused of supplying software that crashes websites by flooding them with data and with running a help-desk for cyber criminals.

West Midlands Police said in a statement that Chappell allegedly attacked the websites of T-Mobile, EE, Vodafone, O2, BBC, BT, Amazon, Netflix, Virgin Media and the National Crime Agency.

He is also accused of assisting hackers in a 2015 attack on NatWest.

The forces cybercrime unit worked with the FBI, Israeli Police and Europols European Cybercrime Centre during the investigation.

Chappell has been charged alongside an American citizen.
Guy Oseary, manager for U2, Madonna, and Amy Schumer, posted a photo of himself with Jay-Z on Instagram over the weekend, along with a caption defending the rapper's use of Jewish stereotypes in the song "The Story of O.J." off of his new album 4:44.

In his new song, "The Story of O.J", Jay-Z raps: "You wanna know what's more important than throwin' away money at a strip club? Credit. You ever wonder why Jewish people own all the property in America? This how they did it."

He plays off of the stereotype that the majority of the world's wealth is controlled by Jewish people, and many have criticized the artist of harbouring these antisemitic sentiments himself. However, producer Guy Oseary, who was born in Israel and is Jewish himself, asserts that Jay-Z is attempting to use the Jewish people in an exaggerated way to showcase a community of people that are thought to have made wise business decisions. As an example of what is possible and achievable."

Oseary adds, Im not offended by these lyrics. I hear them the way he intended them to be heard.

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According to the rapper, "The Story of O.J." is about "we as a culture, having a plan, how we're gonna push this forward. We all make money, and then we all lose money, as artists especially. But how, when you have some type of success, to transform that into something bigger."

This is not the first time the rapper has been accused of antisemitism. In 2007, his song "No Hook" featured thematically similar lyrics: "Had to get some challah bread so you can holla back. My Jewish lawyer too enjoyed the fruit of letting my cash stack."

These accusations seem to be at odds with the artist's public stance on antisemitism. In 2006, Jay-Z participated in a video campaign with Russell Simmons, in which the pair spoke out against racism of all kinds, including antisemitism.
Just goes to show the intellectual bankruptcy of neoclassical economics. Leases being signed now are subject to much higher taxation for the duration - why are landlords not passing this on as threatened, and are instead accepting lower rents than before? And why are rents lower in the US, where the average ad velorem property tax bill paid by the landlord is $6000 vs AA0 in the UK?

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What's most striking about Kristen Radtke's graphic memoir is the feeling of emptiness it summons in the reader.

"Imagine Wanting Only This" is approached as a memoir, but really it's a rumination on ruins. Radtke's debut is part autobiography, part sobering reflection on the temporary nature of life and love, cities and civilizations.

"Imagine" moves swiftly through Radtke's life thus far, from her childhood in the Midwest to art school in Chicago, then to grad school in Iowa and beyond. Along the way, she travels almost obsessively, searching for something she can't quite name.

Early on, Radtke and her boyfriend go to Gary, Ind., to see a city devastated by plant closures and industrial decline. "It's post-apocalyptic, dude," an art school classmate had promised. Sure enough, they find empty buildings and an abandoned cathedral rotting away.

Radtke keeps mulling over what she has seen: "Since Gary I'd been consumed by the question of how something that is can become, very suddenly, something that isn't." She begins to seek out ruins, to "crawl through gutted mining towns and looted industrial buildings, bombed-out barracks and contaminated environmental zones  ."

Radtke racks up visits to famous ruins all over the world. In Italy, all the crumbling places are "restored and honored with red ropes and tourists." We find beauty in ancient ruins, she realizes, but we turn away from the old mining towns and steel mills left to decay in America.

More Information 'Imagine Wanting Only This' By Kristen Radtke Pantheon Graphic Novels, 288 pp., $29.95 Author appearance Kristen Radtke will discuss and sign "Imagine Wanting Only This," 7 p.m. Monday, Brazos Bookstore. See More Collapse

Ancient societies that left behind ruins "were a people nothing like us," we tell ourselves. "These were a people who did not have what we have now." But the remains of "these calcifying rust-belt cities," Radtke notes, are a different story: "We forget that everything will become no longer ours."

The wreckage stretches to Radtke's own story.

She becomes engaged to her boyfriend, then leaves him behind: "I was young enough to think there was no such thing as an irreparable choice."

She ponders her own genetic heart condition, the same condition that killed her uncle: "The heart beats itself to mush," a cardiologist explains.

She moves to a town in Kentucky and finds it "the loneliest place on earth": "I never bumped into anyone on the sidewalk, never brushed a shoulder as I passed. I missed the grids of a city life  and wound myself lost on curved and cracking streets."

Radtke's illustrations are clean and uncluttered, but a closer look often reveals an unexpected detail. She blends the occasional family photo into her artwork. And still, so many of her frames convey an emptiness, a loneliness - even when they include people.

Radtke now lives in New York, "a city the news tells me might someday soon be underwater," she writes. "I like to imagine what this will look like." She sketches out a flooded city, the streets and subways turned into rivers by global warming - the post-apocalyptic ruins of a once-powerful city.

By the time New York is underwater, Radtke's story has washed away the reader's strength as well, leaving behind an almost cleansing sense of desolation. There's not much hope for the future - just the heavy knowledge that the present will become the past, that someone will sift through our ruins and wonder who we were.
TOKYO - Kids and clutter don't have to go together, says Naoki Numahata, a 42-year-old Japanese father so committed to minimalism that he'd make a monk look extravagant.

When his 4-year-old daughter, Ei, wants to play, she doesn't go to a playroom or even a play corner. Instead, she gets a small basket that contains all her most precious possessions - a doll, a Minions tin with some cars, a yo-yo and a spinning top - and plays happily on the stark white floor.

Their 420-square-foot Tokyo apartment is small, even by Japanese standards, and is almost empty. There is nothing on the kitchen counter. In the drawers: three sets of chopsticks, two sets of children's cutlery. The breakfast drawer contains a loaf of bread and a jar of honey.

There is no couch, only a table, a chair and a bench for two. The small bedroom contains a bed that Numahata and his wife share with Ei. His one concession to decadence: a big television that he uses for his work as a web designer.

He has only two pairs of pants, four shirts and four T-shirts, five pairs of underwear and four pairs of socks in the closet. Ei has two special-occasion outfits on hangers and two small drawers for her regular clothes. Numahata says his wife is not a minimalist: She has five drawers for all her clothes, winter and summer.

This kind of extreme minimalism is not standard practice in Japan, but the concept of making do with less has become much more mainstream in recent years, an antidote to materialism and excess. For the Numahata family and others like them, less really is more.

The most famous proponent of this concept abroad is the Japanese declutterer Marie Kondo, whose "KonMari" method - she tells people to get rid of everything that doesn't "spark joy" - has swept through the West in recent years.

But minimalism and decluttering became a craze in Japan several years before Kondo arrived on the scene. Indeed, people here know the concept not as the "KonMari" method but as "danshari" - taken from three Japanese characters meaning "refuse," "dispose" and "separate."

"Modern society is all about getting more, more, more without taking account of your whole situation," said Hideko Yamashita, who was promoting the idea of danshari several years before Kondo arrived on the decluttering scene. (She considers Kondo something of an interloper.)

"With danshari, you need to determine what's contaminating you and get rid of it," Yamashita said in her sparsely furnished apartment in Tokyo, urging both a physical decontamination process of space and a clearing of the mind.

Her book on danshari became an instant best-seller in Japan, and the concept has now become a verb in its own right. Japanese people don't talk about KonMari, they say: "Ah, my house is a mess. I need to danshari."

This is the opposite of the other recent exotic home trend: the Danish concept of "hygge" - creating a cozy space with rugs and candles and other things that make you feel warm.

Danshari is based on the idea that if you have a clutter-free environment, your mind will also be clear. Formulating it, Yamashita, who is 63, was heavily influenced by Eastern religions.

Zen Buddhism and Shintoism taught her to think about what she needs right now and to get rid of impurities, she said. And then there's Tao, the philosophy that considers the natural order of the universe.

Many Japanese people of Yamashita's generation, born after World War II, became hoarders, unwilling to throw anything away in case they needed it in a time of emergency. There is a constant refrain here of "mottainai," or "don't be wasteful" - as in, better keep those 300 shopping bags in case you need them.

This clutter explains why so many Japanese people are unhappy today, she said.

"We have many depressed people in Japan. Their heads are too full of information, they become overwhelmed with their thoughts," she said. The process of getting rid of tangible belongings helps clear out intangible things, too.

Some psychologists have started "prescribing" danshari to their patients to get them to reflect on themselves, and Yamashita says danshari can even be good for relationships: Once you've decluttered, you're more likely to invite people home.

Many Japanese people have seized on danshari as a way of life.

Yuriko Ozaki, a working mother in Osaka with three boys, started decluttering after the devastating earthquake that rocked Japan in 2011. This event forced her to reconsider what was important in life - and having less stuff also reduces the chance of being hurt by it during an earthquake.

She now writes a blog teaching other parents how to declutter, even while having children, and has written a book on how owning less stuff means less housework and less strain on the family budget.

Then there's Numahata, who was inspired by a photo in a magazine of a Japanese house that contained almost nothing and has also written a book, with fellow danshari devotee Fumio Sasaki.

"The year that we had our daughter, our place was so messy," he said. "It inspired me to make our house look like the one in the magazine. We got rid of so much stuff, and I really liked the liberating feeling I got from having so little."

Once they were done, he made his wife a cup of coffee. She sat in the empty room and drank it, and pronounced it delicious, he said - drawing the conclusion that it tasted better because their space and minds were clear.

It's changed the way they live their lives, he said. He moves more quietly and gracefully now, and as a family they go out more. (Numahata said his wife, an animator, is not a danshari follower but just "doesn't like stuff.")

Now Numahata is raising the next generation of minimalist in Ei, who just naturally cleans up after herself, he said.

"As she's growing up, of course she wants stuff," he says of his daughter. "When we do buy things, we buy small things that fit in the basket."

And they pass on gifts or toys that Ei has outgrown. "We let many of the things go without getting attached to them. We repeat that cycle," Numahata said. "People question why we give presents away, people might think it's cold. It's just the way we live."

With the few toys that she has, Ei makes up lots of games and has developed a good imagination, her father said. Ei speaks perfect, unaccented English, even though she goes to a Japanese kindergarten and hears only a little English at home from her father.

Visitors to their apartment are initially surprised by how empty it is, but soon remark how comfortable they feel, he said. To explain why, Numahata quoted a Taoist principle: "It's the empty space inside the pot that makes it useful."

The Washington Post's Yuki Oda contributed to this report.
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As Wendell Berry has long reminded us, "Eating is an agricultural act."

With every bite we take, we support one kind of agriculture or another. Think about it: Every day. Every bite.

So we can support healthful, tasty food. We can support local food rather than food imported from China, Chile or New Zealand.

And we can support farms, both rural and urban, flourishing and increasing in number. We can support cleaner, less chemically laden air and water and soil. We can support small, independent businesses and be part of the distinctive communities and cultures they create.

The best way to support all these things at the same time is to buy as much of our food as possible directly from farmers at farmers markets or through community-supported agriculture (CSA) arrangements.

After all, we have to eat. And that gives us a unique opportunity to nourish our bodies as well as the natural and human communities we're part of.

THE MOST obvious economic value of farmers markets is that farmers make much more money selling directly to the public rather than to wholesalers who supply grocery and other retail venues.

According to current figures from the National Farmers Union, in 2017 food producers generally receive only about $0.17 of every dollar Americans spend on food at grocery stores and restaurants. In contrast, farmers who sell directly to the public get a net profit of as much as $0.90 per dollar.

And this is why most small producers and some midsized ones depend mainly or totally on farmers markets and CSAs; they can't make a living as farmers otherwise.

A recent USDA study underscores the greater viability of farms with direct retail markets compared to those with wholesale markets. Between 2007 and 2012, 61 percent of farms with direct retail sales under the same farmer stayed in business, while only 55 percent of those with wholesale markets under the same farmer did.

Buying from farmers benefits them, of course, but it also boosts the local economy.

Mayra Beltran/Staff

When we buy from locally owned and operated businesses, including family-owned farms, instead of corporate-chain retailers, more of each dollar spent circulates within the community and contributes to local economic opportunity and productivity.

Buying from chains mostly enriches remote corporate coffers: The American Independent Business Alliance estimates that, on average, 48 percent of money spent at independent businesses is recirculated locally, compared to less than 14 percent spent at chains.

THIS ALSO contributes to the health of the natural communities that we're part of and dependent on. These communities include farms managed according to ecological principles, which exist in stark contrast to vast chemically cultivated acreages managed according to industrial, or "factory farming" principles.

As our soil and water and air are being endangered, and as countless plant and animals species are threatened, we need to preserve and increase as much space as possible where activities that regenerate diverse ecological communities can happen. Small and midsized farms, organically cultivated, tend to be such regenerative places.

James Nielsen/Staff

How so? In the right hands  the hands of ecologically knowledgeable and attentive stewards  these farms allow for what Wes Jackson, plant geneticist, founder of the Land Institute and MacArthur recipient, calls "a higher eyes-to-acres ratio" on the land.

Industrial farming is based on the lowest possible "eyes-to-acres ratio," which has meant policies and practices that have banished people from the land and replaced them with chemicals and mechanization

The result, says Jackson, has been the serious degradation of the gifts of good land and air and water. An urgent antidote, then, is to put more people who are well versed in local ecologies on fewer acres.

Buying food directly from small and midsize local farmers helps make this possible.

DOING SO is also an antidote to some of the ills of human health. It's no longer news that eating unhealthful food and not engaging in regular physical activity contribute significantly to a number of chronic diseases that are among the main causes of death in the United States each year.

Based on Centers for Disease Control reports, these include heart disease and some cancers, which, combined, lead to about half of all deaths annually.

JENNIFER SUMMER/The Observer

Also among the main causes of death are cerebrovascular maladies such as hypertension, which can lead to strokes, the cause of about one of every 20 deaths each year. Another main killer is Type 2 diabetes, often associated with obesity, a condition afflicting more than a third of adults and contributing also to heart disease, strokes and some cancers.

The most nutritious food is the freshest food. It's also the tastiest. Unless we grow our own food, we're unlikely to find food fresher than that at a farmers market or through a CSA. There, vegetables and fruit commonly reach customers within 24 to 48 hours of harvest, sometimes even sooner. Produce in grocery stores, by contrast, is typically harvested two weeks or more before it appears in the produce aisles for sale.

Though the prices of fresh food from farmers markets and CSAs are generally higher than in grocery stores, this reflects the greater labor costs per acre of smaller farms. These prices can be a hindrance to some people. To mitigate this and to make fresh, local food accessible to a broad community, the best farmers markets accept the Electronic Benefits Transfer (EBT) cards of people in the federal Supplemental Assistance Program (SNAP), also known as food stamps.

And the best markets usually also participate in "double dollars" grant programs, which, within limits, match dollar for dollar the benefits a SNAP customer spends on produce.

Val Clifton/The Sun

I know of no other single activity than buying food from local farmers that allows me to sustain myself and at the same time serve multiple, related goals that I consider crucial and urgent  goals that pertain not just to me, not even mainly to me, but to my children and grandchildren, to everyone's children and grandchildren.

Sure, buying food from local farmers costs me. But I know that this is less a cost than an investment, one as good as any I'll ever make.

Pamela Walker is the author of Growing Good Things to Eat in Texas: Profiles of Organic Farmers and Ranchers across the State (TAMU Press, 2009).





Bookmark Gray Matters. It commonly reaches customers within 24 to 48 hours of harvest, sometimes even sooner.
A fatal shooting in the Meyerland area drew police to the scene Monday afternoon.

Just before 1:30 p.m., Houston Police Department homicide investigators responded to the 5400 block of Braesvalley Drive in southwest Houston, according to HPD's Twitter.

Although someone at the scene tried giving the victim CPR before authorities arrived, their efforts were unsuccessful. Police did not immediately release additional information about the victim or the circumstances leading up to the gunfire.

The scene of the slaying is just a block away from another recent shooting - that of 10-month-old Messiah Marshall.

The infant was gunned down on June 14 when three men opened fire on his father as the pair walked down the street near Nob Hill Apartments.

Nigel Marshall tried to protect his son from the bullets, but at least one bullet hit the baby. He died at a nearby Valero gas station.

Not long before the fatal shooting, another infant was wounded in the Meyerland area when gunfire pierced his mother's car.

After the pair of infant shootings, concerned residents held a meeting at the Rubenstein Jewish Community Center of Houston.

"There's a lot of concern that the apartments over the last five to 10 years have degraded to the point where they are not what our community represents," said Alan Lipman, associate director of the community center.

Police said Monday there were no initial indications the latest killing was related to either of the earlier shootings.
It's been hyped as the most extensive state property tax reform legislation ever, yet many Texans wouldn't see their property taxes go down by even a nickel compared to what they pay now under the plan the Legislature is set to take up this month.

Even architects of the property tax reform plan acknowledge that homeowners will still likely face higher property tax bills next year even if the reforms that Senate leaders have celebrated as historic were in effect already.

Still there was Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick in a press conference in May telling reporters that the Senate plan amounted to the "largest property tax reform in Texas history" - one that would save the average homeowner $20,000 over 20 years. That bill died at the end of the session, but is likely to be resuscitated because Gov. Greg Abbott demanded property tax reform be among the topics for the Legislature to revisit in a special session starting July 18.

"Skyrocketing property taxes in this state are unacceptable, and Texans need reform right now," Abbott said Thursday in a statement advocating for the reforms.

But while Senate leaders tout their plan as big reform, many acknowledge that it won't likely mean tax reductions for most homeowners on their bills next year because of rising home values and because school taxes - unaffected by the reforms - make up the majority of tax bills and continue to grow. Simply put, Texas' property tax system is too complex and has too many variables for most taxpayers to grasp.

In some cities and counties, tax rates can actually be cut from the previous year, yet the result is still higher taxes for perplexed homeowners because of rising home values and other taxing jurisdictions increasing rates.

Critics of the Senate plan say Patrick's $20,000 figure can't be backed up by available data and is based on "bogus" assumptions. Even Patrick's allies have resisted repeating his figures, opting instead for more nominal projections.

Patrick's staff declined to comment, referring inquiries to Sen. Paul Bettencourt, the chairman of the Select Committee on Property Tax Reform and Relief and key architect of the tax reform plan. Bettencourt said the figure he's relying on shows taxpayers could save between $35 and $100 a year.

"It doesn't sound like much, but it adds up," Bettencourt said.

Difference in language

Bettencourt said he's been careful in debates not to let people think they are getting a tax cut if the reforms eventually pass.

"This is a property tax relief measure, not a property tax cut measure," he said.

That is a big difference in language to Bettencourt. He said cities and counties are seeing massive increases in revenue from growing property values and not cutting tax rates enough to protect homeowners and businesses.

At the core of Senate plan that died in the closing days of the regular session was an effort to keep cities, counties and other local taxing districts from raising the effective tax rates above 5 percent. If they went above 5 percent, they would have to seek a vote of the public. Currently, cities and counties can go to 8 percent. If they top that, voters can petition to hold an election to roll back that tax - something that rarely ever happens in Texas because of the difficulty in meeting all of the requirements to force a rollback election.

Recent history shows most big counties would not have triggered that 5 percent cap, meaning growing tax bills in those counties wouldn't be slowed at all. Homeowners in Harris, Bexar and Travis counties would all have seen no impact in the portion of their property tax bill charged by county governments in 2016 because none of those counties exceeded 5 percent, according to data provided by Texas Conference of Urban Counties. But in Dallas County and Williamson County, where the effective tax rate exceeded 6 percent, the county portion of the taxes would still go up, but only to 5 percent unless voters agree to let those counties go higher.

'Totally bogus'

Of the state's 38 most populous counties, just four in 2016 pushed the tax rate above the 5 percent threshold to trigger the reforms the Senate is seeking, according to Don Lee of the Texas Conference of Urban Counties. That is down from 2015, when 13 of those 38 went above 5 percent. In some fast growing counties, like Tarrant and Travis, the tax rate hasn't been over 5 percent for three straight years according to Lee's numbers.

"In some counties no one will notice any difference at all," Lee said.

Bettencourt agrees, but says he's trying to target the places that have been exceeding 8 percent year after year.

The Texas Municipal League contends the vast majority of cities didn't top 5 percent. But there are cities that go over 8 percent: About 200 cities topped the mark in 2014 or 2015.

When Patrick declared the plan would save most homeowners $20,000 over 20 years, it was based on the assumption that all local governments would push their effective tax rates to the 8 percent limit every single year, but the proposal would limit it to 5 percent every year.

"I can find no facts to support that claim," Lee said.

Bennett Sandlin, executive director of the Texas Municipal League, was even more direct.

"Those were totally bogus," he said.

Both said starting at an assumption that all local governments are going to raise rates 8 percent every year for 20 years is just a faulty premise to start with since that is not what has happened in even the last three years.

Bettencourt would not directly defend Patrick's comments from that press conference because he said he wasn't there to hear it exactly.

However, he said, there is data to show how taxpayers could save close to $20,000 over 20 years using different figures. He said the median-valued home in Texas saw their tax bills from cities, counties and special districts grow 6.5 percent over five years according to the Texas Taxpayers and Research Association. If the Legislature could cut that rate in half to 3.25 percent, it would save an average homeowner $50 in the first year.

In the second year, the savings would jump to $106 compared to what could have been. By the 10th year, a tax bill would be $774 less high than it would have been if locals continued to increase rates 6.5 percent on the median-valued home. By year 20, the tax bill would be $2,520 less than it would have been if the 6.5 percent growth rate continued unabated.

Bettencourt said when those year-to-year savings are compounded, it gets to just short of $20,000 of savings for homeowners on average. However, Bettencourt acknowledged that setting the rollback rate at 5 percent alone would not necessarily accomplish that and would require additional reforms.

Support for rollback

While the rollback provision essentially died in the House during the regular session, it still has support there from a key player. Angleton Republican Dennis Bonnen, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, filed a bill early in the session that included a package of reforms for property taxes that included lowering the rollback rate. He said he supports the concept but had no choice but to pull the idea from his bill in the final days of the regular session because he didn't expect the bill to be able to pass the full House because of opposition to the rollback language.

While he backs the rollback idea, Bonnen said he's been cautious in how he touts the plan too. He said he doesn't want homeowners thinking people are getting a tax break next year if the bill were to pass. He said changing the rollback rate won't affect tax bills for people in communities where cities and counties keep tax rates growing at 5 percent or less.

"It doesn't cut taxes," Bonnen said.
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EL CENIZO - Jennifer Meadows twisted the knobs on a phoropter, zeroing in on Irma Sanchez's ideal glasses prescription. A few more twists and turns of the knobs, and Meadows, an optometrist and major in the Army Reserve, had it pegged.

"She's nearsighted," Meadows said of her patient.

Despite worsening vision, Sanchez, 38, hadn't visited an optometrist in a decade. For that matter, years had passed since she last sat in a dentist's chair or set foot in a doctor's office.

"I needed new glasses," Sanchez said. "This is great."

Sanchez, who doesn't have health insurance, is not alone.

Over a two-week period in late June, the Reserve partnered with students from across the Texas A&M System to provide health care and infrastructure projects to thousands of people living in impoverished neighborhoods around Laredo known as colonias.

The mission, under the Innovative Readiness Training program, builds partnerships between the Defense Department and under-served U.S. communities. For the Army, it is a valuable opportunity to prepare its reservists for overseas deployment in underdeveloped regions.

For Texas A&M's Colonias Program, the Army's need to train was its chance to bring much-needed services to the neighborhoodss.

"I know for sure that this exercise has already saved one life," said Oscar Munoz, director of the colonias program. A physician detected a heart murmur in one resident and sent him to an area clinic for further examination. "It might not have had a happy ending if he hadn't been treated here."

Along the Texas-Mexico border, there are nearly 2,300 colonias, where an estimated 500,000 residents, about half of them younger than 18, live without one or more major infrastructure basics, such as potable water, paved roads, sewage system, storm drainage and electricity.

The colonias program, founded in 1991 by the Legislature, is designed to help colonia residents develop sustainable solutions to their infrastructure needs.

Program reaches Texas

About two years ago, during a quarterly meeting in San Antonio with other university departments, Munoz crossed paths with Olin Findley Brewster, an Army Reserve ambassador with A&M. Brewster asked if Munoz had ever considered the IRT program.

"I told (Munoz) 'Hell, I think I can help,' " Brewster said. "He'd never heard of the program."

The Army's program had never come to Texas. Over the next 18 months the two programs got to work, marrying needs and services.

The Army deployed 122 health care professionals to four colonias, two civil service units to survey economic and development opportunities in seven colonias, and an engineering unit to resurface 2 miles of unpaved road.

For its part, the A&M System brought dozens of nursing students from Corpus Christi and Round Rock to work alongside the reservists.

At the Larga Vista Community Center in Laredo, the line of patients began forming early in the morning. The site averaged 162 patients each day.

"Most of the men say they've never seen a doctor," said Sgt. Cristine Martinez, a nurse in charge of the Larga Vista site. Most of the patients came for vision and dental care.

One older man put on glasses for the first time and "burst into tears," Martinez said.

Public service, training

According to the 7458th Medical Backfill Battalion, the reservists from Fort Bragg, North Carolina, performed 963 medical exams, 889 dental exams and 1,184 optical exams. Capt. Daniel Wong, a physician, noted the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension among his patients. In some areas along the border, 50 percent of adults are obese, and the rate of diabetes is as high as 30 percent among adults in some communities.

"Unfortunately, I had to scare some of them half to death," Wong said.

After the residents had their medical checkups, Wong sent them to collect a month's supply of medicine, then on to the Gateway Community Health Center, which receives funding from the U.S. Health and Human Services Department.

"From a military perspective, we're here primarily to train our troops and prepare for their combat missions," said Lt. Gen. Jeffrey S. Buchanan of Joint Base San Antonio-Fort Sam Houston. "Usually, we spend time around the world helping others, but we get an extra benefit here of helping Americans."

"This is what public service is all about," said A&M University System Chancellor John Sharp, who visited the sites around Laredo with Buchanan this week. "We're able to step in for a brief while and change a bunch of lives, and maybe save a bunch of lives."

Munoz has submitted applications for nine projects under the Army's program. Four have been approved: a medical mission to El Paso, a civil affairs mission to Laredo, and medical and engineering missions to Brownsville.

"We were not only able to provide medical services, we're also now ensuring that there is sustainability," Munoz said. "I'm looking forward to next year's exercises."
The global commitment to international cooperation has seldom been more in doubt.

The feeling of being left behind by globalisation is not just a developing world phenomenon. In the West, people are dissatisfied and political parties are quick to capitalise. Not least, because embracing this trend has led to electoral advantage for some, at least in the short-term.

But this is not a strategy for the future.

No government can deliver positive benefits to its citizens by ignoring the outside world.

Whether we like it or not, Britain's future is bound to that of our neighbours.

If sovereignty is defined as a country's ability to shape its own future, attempts to "take back control" by turning inwards are doomed. Instead we need to focus on extending our diplomatic relations to help shape the international landscape on which the UK's future prosperity depends. We need to take forward control.

Whether it's addressing cyber vulnerabilities in our critical infrastructure (think NHS ransomware), counter-terrorism, climate action, or responding to the highest levels of displacement on record, the things we care about rely heavily on international cooperation.

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But policy makers are slow to get the message.

Despite the momentous task ahead rebuilding Britain's foreign policies, the recent election was largely fought on highly politicised domestic issues. Even 'Brexit' was most often considered in narrow terms of parties' suitability to lead negotiations. Beyond the specific international dimension to the appalling terrorist events in Manchester and London, meaningful foreign policy debate was sparse.

Are parties still subscribing to the old maxim of "there are no votes in foreign policy"? The placement of the international section of parties' manifestos would suggest so - almost always languishing at the back and short on detail.

Perhaps not unintentionally, the vagueness of the commitments means less accountability and freer reins once elected.

As a result, some of the biggest questions of our time are being ignored:

How will the UK invest in its remaining diplomatic networks post- Brexit?

Will the UK retain its traditional role as a bridge between the US and the EU, and if not what might replace it?

How will the UK maintain its influence at the UN if our allies increasingly see us as unreliable?

Faced with a US administration that consistently undermines the rules-based international system and a Saudi government that is complicit in war crimes, do we have the right alliances in place?

The UK should view its recent humiliation in the General Assembly over UK conduct in the Chagos Islands as a wake-up call signalling waning UK influence and credibility on the world stage. The vote went against the UK by a margin of 94 to 15, with many traditional EU allies abstaining. Unless Britain takes a more cooperative approach to foreign affairs, this trend looks set to continue.

There is nothing inevitable about the UK's security and prosperity. Sustaining these things requires energetic, consistent action at the global level. Only through significant investment - political and financial - in international cooperation can the new Government take (forward) control and marry UK foreign policy with national interest.
Stefan Wermuth / Reuters

Theresa May has finally been dragged kicking and screaming into accepting EU citizens' rights after Brexit -- or at least paying lip-service to that idea. Her government's published proposals unveiled on 26 June 2017 are full of weasel words like "seek to ensure" and "seek to guarantee". One of the few categorical statements in the document is that the European Court of Justice (ECJ) "will not have jurisdiction in the United Kingdom". Instead, the rights of EU citizens in the UK would be subject to the UK domestic courts. And Theresa May's smirking poodle, Brexit Secretary David Davis, has vowed to "fight" against giving the ECJ a say on the rights of EU citizens after Brexit. This is the same David Davis who in 2014 filed a lawsuit against the British Government's surveillance legislation -- in that very same ECJ!

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Lounani Case

Theresa May has never had a very secure grasp of anything to do with Europe. Despite some undoubted faults, the ECJ has a better set of priorities than the British domestic courts. This was well demonstrated by an extremely important but much under-publicised case decided by the ECJ in January 2017. Mostafa Lounani, a Moroccan national, who had been living in Belgium illegally since 1997, was convicted in 2006 of participating in the activities of a terrorist group. In 2010 he applied for refugee status in Belgium, claiming that he feared "persecution" if he was returned to Morocco. The Belgian authorities were deadlocked and referred the matter to the ECJ. Though Mr Lounani had not himself actually committed or attempted to commit any terrorist act but had only provided "logistical support" to a terrorist group, the ECJ found that that was enough to deny him refugee status.

UK Supreme Court Contrast

Compare that with the UK Supreme Court decision in JS (Sri Lanka) v. Secretary of State [2010] UKSC 15. This was an application for refugee status by someone who had been actively involved in the military operations of the "Tamil Tigers" in Sri Lanka, an organization which is proscribed as a terrorist organisation in 32 countries around the world, including the EU - and the UK. His application for asylum was refused by the UK Home Secretary on the ground that he had been "a voluntary member of an organisation that had been responsible for widespread and systematic war crimes and crimes against humanity". Both the Court of Appeal and the UK Supreme Court found against the government and allowed JS's application for refugee status - disagreeing with both the United Nations Refugee Agency (UNHCR) and the Canadian Federal Court of Appeal, which hold that mere membership of a predominantly terrorist organization may be enough to deny an applicant refugee status.

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Relevance to EU Citizens' Rights

What has this got to do with the rights of EU citizens in the UK? Just this, that while the ECJ is primarily concerned to protect ordinary law-abiding members of society against terrorists and even non-terrorists with terrorist associations like Lounani, the UK Supreme Court seems more concerned to protect the interests of active members even of organizations proscribed by the UK itself as "Terrorist Groups".

Human Rights vs. Human Rights
Next month marks the 50th anniversary of the partial decriminalisation of homosexuality in England and Wales. Although it's wonderful to celebrate the beginning of our journey towards acceptance and equality, I believe it's also important that gay men take the opportunity to start sharing our stories, so that we can grow and move forward both as individuals and as a community.

As Editor-in-Chief of Attitude, the biggest-selling gay magazine in the UK, I've been recording a series of podcasts to mark the anniversary. I've chatted to Ian McKellen about what it was like growing up gay before decriminalisation, Julian Clary about living through the horrors of the Aids crisis, and Andy Bell about his efforts to relieve his sexual frustration as a young boy in Peterborough in the 1970s.

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I've been fascinated as Russell T Davies has recounted his first forays onto the gay scene in Manchester, moved as Stephen K Amos has admitted that he still can't tell his Nigerian parents he's gay, and laughed out loud as Paul O'Grady has described his youthful nights of passion with sailors docked in his home city of Liverpool.

I decided to call the series Attitude Heroes because I firmly believe that just to live openly as a gay man in the circumstances each of my guests has described constitutes an act of heroism.

As I've recorded the series, it's struck me how outrageous it is that, for the most part, my guests' stories - and the stories of so many other gay men like them - still haven't been told. For such a long time, gay men were absent from British literature, film, TV and theatre.

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Of course, things are much better now; not only are we much more present in all forms of culture and the narrative arts, but as acceptance of gay people has grown in Britain, the internet has offered everyone living here a forum in which we can share our experiences.

But we still have a lot of catching up to do.

I've often said that one of the hardest things about growing up gay is that we're one of the few minorities who grow up without parents from that same minority. So it can be difficult to learn from the experiences of previous generations - and to form any understanding of our identity as gay men.

As I speak to readers of Attitude, I'm often surprised by how little some gay men know about their community's history. So many of us have questions that still haven't been answered.

What was it like growing up knowing you were gay at a time when expressing your sexuality could land you in jail or subjected to aversion therapy or chemical castration? What was it like to begin exploring that sexuality fearing that anyone you had sex with could try to blackmail you, or any bar or public toilet you dared visit could be raided by the police? How could you develop any sense of self-worth when society at large told you that you were dirty and disgusting - and how could you build healthy, loving relationships with other gay men if you were conditioned to hate yourself?

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These are subjects I think we need to start exploring. Attitude Heroes is just the start - and it's complemented by articles about gay history and culture on the Attitude website and in our monthly print magazine.

As people listen and read I hope they'll be inspired to start telling their own stories. And not just the social media-friendly fairytales of happiness and perfection we often project to make up for the pain we've experienced living through periods of history when we weren't so widely accepted. But stories of what it's really like to live in a society that has sometimes rejected and reviled us - something which continues to happen in several countries around the world, 72 of which still haven't decriminalised homosexuality.

Because yes, 50 years after the start of decriminalisation here in the UK, our life can be brilliant, but most of us have had our struggles and it's only through sharing these that others like us can be spared the same.
Anthony Devlin/PA Archive

Since I last wrote on this blog, Theresa May has returned to 10 Downing Street in a startling result in June's snap election. Though it's not with the increased majority she had set out to gain, and despite the challenges of several terrorist incidents and the Grenfell disaster in the UK, there's no denying that the great test of her leadership still lies ahead: Brexit.

Much has been said of what Brexit means for the wider European economy, but the sweat really started to run cold on speculators' brows when rumours began to circulate earlier this year that major banks were planning to shift operations out of the UK. Whispers that London will lose its prestige naturally follow. Despite this, though a period of great ambiguity and nail-biting uncertainty awaits the British, politicians should begin to treat Brexit as an opportunity to address the UK's deep-seated social problems.

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Central London is the richest single area in Europe. By definition, it is in London that people find opportunity - the capital has become synonymous with big business and big banks. By contrast, the top five areas of the UK that voted Leave were all coastal communities, all which face higher levels of marginalisation, lower wages and higher unemployment than other parts of the country. It's not so much that a great crisis of inequality is brewing in the UK - rather, that the crisis has bubbled up and spilled over the sides of the cauldron.

Making the UK less London-centric is not an easy task and will take decades to achieve. Yet if there is to be a starting point, it can begin now. A first step is for politicians to openly address the issue. Whilst they don't, nationalist elements like UKIP, whose former leader Paul Nuttall often blasted the 'London-centric snobbery' of the UK, will sweep up despondent voters with nowhere else to turn. With this step, politicians should also acknowledge the great difficulties that residents of the UK's 'forgotten' communities face - particularly when it comes to employment.

New survey data commissioned by Jobrapido found that 35% of UK jobseekers claimed London would be the city they would relocate to in order to get their dream job, with Manchester and Edinburgh being distant second and third preferences, respectively at 11% and 6%. Depressingly, a considerable 16% of respondents would move cities just to find any work.

Until the UK begins to move toward a decentralized structure, we're going to see more and more jobseekers leave familiar environments for the sole purpose of finding employment - companies and the government must work together to ensure job opportunities are widespread and lead to meaningful and progressive careers. Until this concerted effort begins, the great chasm between the London 'elite' and those outside the capital will become harder, and one day impossible, to cross.

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Once an open dialogue begins on the starkness of inequality of employment opportunity in the UK, solutions can be sought. Brexit presents an opportunity for a new industrial strategy that works for the many communities of the UK that feel powerless. Investing in production sectors more widely distributed across UK regions and establishing regional sources of finance should be a top priority for rebalancing the employment market - but it must begin now.
PA Wire/PA Images

Rough sleeping is the sharpest end of the housing crisis and it is shameful that in London in recent years the number of people on our streets has been on the rise - doubling between 2010 and 2016.

As Mayor, I am determined to end this enduring scar on our city. I am pleased that our new focus at City Hall over the last year is already showing signs of progress - with statistics released on Friday confirming that, for the first time since 2009, we have not seen an increase in rough sleeping. Stemming the rise is one thing, but we still have a very long way to go to bring down the numbers of those spending the night on our streets.

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There are many reasons why people end up sleeping rough - from mental health issues to family break-ups and drug addiction. There is never going to be an instant silver bullet to fix the problem, which is why I have brought people and organisations together - through my new 'No Nights Sleeping Rough' taskforce - to tackle the root causes of rough sleeping with a number of new solutions.

Through this taskforce we have secured an extra 4.2million to help rough sleepers in London, including the most entrenched. We have also secured 50million to invest in accommodation so that people can move from hostels into a place of their own, and I have committed to spending at least 9million every year on rough sleeping services.

This investment will take time to have its full effect - and the extra programmes may bring more rough sleepers into contact with services, meaning the reported number of rough sleepers may well rise before it starts to fall. The most important thing is that these services help rough sleepers get their lives back on track by getting people off the streets and into accommodation.

Unfortunately this is not an option for most of the 40% of London's rough sleepers who are from other European countries. They are affected by legal restrictions that mean unless they are working, they cannot receive help from Government to cover the cost of a roof over their heads.

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So one of the most difficult issues we are grappling with is how we can help vulnerable people who are EU nationals who end up sleeping rough. There are around one million European nationals living in London, making a vital and welcome contribution to our city's economy and culture. But for a very small minority of those coming here from across Europe, things do not work out and they end up on the streets.

The question is: what is the best way we can help?

The truth is our hands are tied by Government's approach, which toughened further last year. They introduced a new policy that if EU nationals sleep rough it may constitute an abuse of their rights under EU treaties, meaning the Home Office can give them notice to leave the country.

I am completely opposed to this change in policy and we must make sure that EU nationals are able to access independent advice when the Home Office identifies them as abusing their EU treaty rights. This policy means that individuals found sleeping rough can be returned home without any help waiting for them at the other end. This is the framework that charities, local authorities and regional government, who are trying to help vulnerable EU nationals sleeping rough, now have to navigate.

We all start from the position that walking by and leaving people on the street is morally unacceptable. Those who sleep on the streets do so at great risk to their health and safety. The average age of death for a rough sleeper is just 47, and rough sleepers are 15 times more likely to be victims of violence.

Simply put, we have an obligation - a moral duty - to make sure that EU national rough sleepers can get off the streets and on the right track.

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Our first response must always be to try and give them a helping hand and the information they need so they can find a sustainable lifestyle in London. But where people are unable to make a go of life in London, and where Government rules mean they are not entitled to stay here, we must look out for those rough sleepers and make sure those who are vulnerable receive the right support from family, friends, or local services when they return to their home country.

That's why it is so important that City Hall is funding 'Routes Home', a service that is run by the homelessness charity St Mungo's and that works with vulnerable non-UK nationals sleeping on our streets.

One recent example of the work 'Routes Home' is doing is the case of a Italian national who is deaf and mute. Her relationship with her family broke down, and on coming to London she found herself sleeping rough. 'Routes Homes' provided her with shelter whilst an assessment was made and it became clear that she had mental health issues. They were able to make contact with her family, who were extremely worried about her wellbeing. Routes Home's reconnection plan was complex, as it involved working with the family and social services in Italy and making sure she received the appropriate treatment on her return.

We want to make the case to Government for more support for services like this, to make sure that EU national rough sleepers are treated fairly, and that those who are vulnerable get the help they need. This means we must work with the Home Office, even if we don't always agree with their approach.

That is why I have asked my team at City Hall to put together a clear memorandum of understanding with the Home Office about how we work together - setting clear limits on data sharing, and, crucially, guaranteeing that whenever the Home Office is engaged in finding EU nationals sleeping rough, our support services for vulnerable citizens will be there right alongside them.

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Of course, 'Routes Home' is just one of the services we support from City Hall and this in no way distracts from all our work to help UK nationals, who usually form the majority of the people we help. We aim to help everyone in need.

Some people say that rough sleeping has always existed and always will, and that there is nothing that can be done to stop it. That is simply not true. It has been reduced substantially in the past, and we can do so again. It will take time, but the new initiatives I am delivering can - and will - make a difference. And we must always make sure that those EU nationals who are on the streets, and who are vulnerable or at risk of becoming so, can get the help they need too.
The thing about hell is, everyone has their own idea of what it might be like. I should probably insert a reference to Dante here but I'd only be doing that to make myself sound more intelligent.

Two years ago I initiated divorce proceedings. We'd been separated for a year and now it was time to make it clear that no, I wasn't having a funny turn. I didn't need to take in the sea air or go for a long spa holiday with 50 shades of fecking hope. Divorce, my own version of hell.

Lawyers, barristers, financial disclosure, judges, bills, custody issues and who gets what. The Great War between 'that's yours land' and 'this is mine island.' It's ugly and disorienting so now I'm uncertain. I'm more than kind of fucked.

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For now, I'm completely lost.

The lawyers have done their job, my friends say. There's nothing more to do but wait, they say. And I try. I try to distract myself with work. I write. I write badly. I'm a children's author, by the way but these days I feel like a fraud. Like I'm just pretending. Since the separation I've revisited the dressing up box. What does a single mum writer wear? A smock? Fingerless gloves? Aspiring Rowling chic? Nothing new seems to want to reach the page. The words fail me. I try to concentrate but I can't stay focused, my mind keeps wandering back to the moment the barrister told me the truth about my ex-husband. When the lies were uncovered. When my marriage was revealed to be what it truly was. Fraud. I married a Triple B, subprime faker. A pound shop Bernie Madoff. The Hemingway persona was as real as the pension he never paid into. The savings were gone. The man I believed in was pure con. He sold a version of himself to me like Jordan Belfort selling penny stocks. Now I've discover the reality. My personal Hemingway never existed and there's no money either. 20 years of life changing decisions based upon lies and now I'm broke.

What did I do? Well, I've cried. I've cried a lot. I've cried with a pillow over my face so that my son can't hear. I've cried on the way to do the school run, in the shower, on the phone to my friends.

A divorced friend suggested a counsellor to help me 'process everything I had to come to terms with.' So I booked an appointment. I'll get to talk I thought, I'll get to talk, get angry and at the end I won't have to listen to any of the crap that's coating their lives. Why hadn't I thought of this before? Besides, perhaps I will return home with some wise little nugget of gold. I imagined my counsellor as the Dahlia Lama or was it Yoda? "Divorce, you will Suzi stronger make." It was with that image in mind that I strode into the reception of the 'health and wellbeing centre' and the counsellor was waiting for me. It wasn't Yoda. He held out a hand. What greeted me wasn't an vision of hope or the face of a Buddhist sanctuary but something more resembling an upmarket estate agent. He was about 60, wore crusty cords and a pair of Churches brogues.

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Then he spoke and his voice was clipped and military sounding. I did not feel at all at ease. "Room 4c." He said, "That's where we're headed." I looked at the stairs.

"Hope it's not on the top floor, my hip isn't so great with stairs."

His hip? I imagined a war injury.

"Arthritis." He said, "You'll have to excuse me; I'm not familiar with the building." The stairs beckoned.

We went upstairs, downstairs, across corridor and through heavy door after heavy door. Stairs and more stairs. Doors and more doors. Some rooms were numbered but no 4c. Hypnotherapy, hydrotherapy, aromatherapy, osteopathy, reflexology, Rolfing, healing, cupping, dowsing. There were doors to the left; there were doors to the right. I felt trapped inside that Escher picture with Stealers Wheal playing on an endless loop.

"Can I help you?" Came a voice from behind.

"We're looking for a room 4c." Barked my country life counsellor.

"Room 4c?" She said looking perplexed. "Room 4c? There isn't a room 4c."

He looked over the window at spiralling stair case. I looked outside at the rain.
How can technology lead to more participation in democratic processes? Who should own and control city data? Can cities embrace a model that socializes data and encourages new forms of cooperativism and democratic innovation? In the run-up to the OuiShare Fest Paris , Albert Canigueral interviewed Francesca Bria, the chief innovation officer of Barcelona.

Edited by Bianca Pick

A: You were in London working for the UK innovation Agency Nesta. Why did you accept the offer from the Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau?

F: I was working for Nesta and had already done a lot of work on a European level and with movements around open access, democracy and technology for social good. I was excited to come work for the new government in Barcelona because they have a very new approach to the city. They were making it clear that you cannot have a digital revolution without a democratic revolution. It was the start of my mandate to rethink the smart city, not just in technological terms, but in ways that put citizen needs and the citys (political) questions at the core.

Technology and digitization are merely a tool to solve the mission of the city

A: What have some of the key actions been on the Barcelona agenda since then?

One key point is access to housing. The government is not only tracking down big banks that leave apartments empty but also confronting platforms like Airbnb whose business model has a negative impact on affordable housing.

Another big theme is energy transition and renewable energy. Barcelona wants to create a municipal energy company to fight the current monopoly. We are also looking into more distributed energy models, like smart grids, models that are more affordable and which allow citizens to be in control of their data.

We are also rethinking urban planning with projects like the SuperBlocks (Superilles). Aimed at giving back public spaces to citizens, they were created in a very innovative process with a digital democracy platform for large-scale citizen participation. Opening the debate brought many great ideas, but it also showed us the complicated aspect of participation. There were many conflicting interests and it was learning by doing in an iterative way.

Finally, instead of working only with big companies as governments typically do, we are also rethinking the economic model to support new economies like the solidarity, collaborative and digital economy. This also helps us fight corruption since often a lock-in of the public administration with big companies leaves little space for other players.

A: Sounds like there are some real challenges ahead. How did you start to address them and whats the role of technology here?

Over the past year, I created a Barcelona Digital City plan to address how technology and data can help solve urban challenges. Its divided into three main areas.

The first is digital transformation of the government through technology. This involves aspects like procurement -how we purchase technology  avoiding lock-in by working with smaller companies and ensuring that public money is invested in open technologies. To increase transparency, the city hall is also testing an open and participatory budgeting system in Barcelona neighbourhoods with the Gracia project for example, which then can be scaled up.

Together with the activist group X-Net we have also created  and this is pretty unique- an encrypted infrastructure TOR that is integrated into the main city infrastructure. It functions as a whistleblower tool for public workers to denounce cases of corruption and help us open up the public administration.

In terms of procurement, we are also integrating clauses that address sustainability, gender and the solidarity economy. The goal is to get citizens more involved in how their money is spent and make them part of the procurement process.

The citizens are very transparent, but the power must be transparent!

We are also focusing on digital innovation with the new socio-economic innovation activity line inside Barcelona Activa as well as an incubator and accelerator for tech companies. However, most innovative are programs for digital social innovation (associated with https://digitalsocial.eu/) that acknowledge the impact of open technology on the economy, democracy and manufacturing. The Barcelona MADE project for example (Maker District in Poblenou or hosting the MakerFaire) is aimed at rethinking the future of production in cities and urban manufacturing in a circular economy way. Its important that cities regain some industrial capacity to make them more sustainable again.

The third aspect addresses digital empowerment and collective intelligence. We are expanding this to many areas like city planning, cultural activities and citizens initiatives with experiments like PAM. But above all, the digital education project is aimed at rethinking education and the future of work. We not only need new skills to be able to transition to the digital society- or should I just say future- but in a time of extreme automation, we also must invent new jobs. Along these lines, we are piloting a basic income scheme related to digital currency infrastructure as part of an EU-funded project. Barcelona also recently hosted an international conference about alternative currencies.

A: A core topic in this tech strategy is City Data Commons. Why is data so important?

The question of data ownership and sovereignty, or City Data Commons, is particularly important because it raises the question of how we can make the most out of data by putting the digital right of the citizen at the core. In a world where machines are doing more and more, its important to acknowledge that this data belongs to the citizens, not governments. Cities should act as the intermediary and as custodians of these new rights.

Cities are responsible for ensuring that data sovereignty is respected. They should act as an intermediary and as custodians of these new rights.

A: What are the mechanisms you can put in place to progress in this direction?

One way to go is by changing the regulations. Another way is through decentralised and encrypted infrastructure that makes citizens aware of how the data is used. At the moment, when you use a digital service its not necessarily clear what happens to the data and how its monetized. People sign some terms of contract but its all very opaque.

DECODE is a new 5 million Euro project we are currently working on together with 14 partners across Europe. We are experimenting with encrypted decentralized data management architecture using blockchain and distributed ledgers to make these data commons clearer.

A: There is no lack of technical tools. But are we, both citizens and administration, culturally ready for it?

Tools are not just technical devices, but regulation, economic models, technical infrastructure and cultural organizational change. Making them align is the difficult part, The problem is definitely not the tech, but the culture and the institutional boundaries. Even though at the moment there are citizens in the government who dont think like bureaucrats, they still have to work within certain boundaries. Institutional hacking is great, but to truly expand these it must come from the bottom up. Sure you also need the right people in power, but if society cant enter and do things, monitor and track activities, nothing will change.

We need the public sphere to to be strong, a renaissance of the public

A: For all these ideas Barcelona has been named a Rebel City, but you are not alone in this, right? What are the best practices to connect with like-minded cities? What cities are interested in Barcelonas developments?



Its interesting to see how in hard times cities are coming together to solve problems that governments are not (such as immigration, access to water, energy and affordable housing). These solidarity networks are important because they empower people with the feeling that you can actually transform something. Although we need to keep the big vision in sight, what we are doing institutionally are small but irreversible changes. Barcelona just hosted The Fearless Cities Municipalist Summit to strengthen links with like-minded cities as well.

Cities are also coming together to create a more local collaborative economic model that doesnt rely on big US corporations who dominate the market and take all the data. Regulation is one difficulty, but mainly we need to ensure that collaborative economy models that have a positive local impact can grow and flourish. We are collaborating with cities like Berlin, New York, Moscow and Amsterdam on this and demanding that big platforms give us their data. We need algorithmic transparency to regulate and understand the business model. Currently, its a black box.

A: But lets be realistic, cities have a lot of limitations in terms of creating regulation and fiscal leverage

Absolutely. Cities have to solve all these challenges but they have neither the law-making power nor the fiscal leverage. This is a conflict that we see happening a lot in Spain, and its a complex dialogue between city and state.

One way European cities are circumventing this is by articulating themselves as metropolitan areas within a region. The European investment bank is working with cities and regions for example, and also the fact that cities are municipalization infrastructure is interesting. The example of the rebel cities shows that despite fiscal and law making limitations, governments are beginning to feel pressure from cities.

Nevertheless, I believe in federalism, as you need to be able to work at different levels, city, regional, national, global and European. And you have to make them work together.

A: Lets fast forward to the future. When citizens are fully empowered, what will be left for the public administration?

We will see after the mandate in Barcelona, but the fact that you can have a citizen movement enter the institution, govern and take power shows that there is already a new approach in policy in terms of political class. This is not a cyber thing, a purely digital model, but the opposite. I think we are going towards hybrid models where citizens will have a type of self-governance and be directly involved in things like allocating budget, taking decisions and managing projects. I really believe that the future will be more and more of these political movements and approaches that are based on the common good.

Meet Francesca Bria at OuiShare Fest, she will share a new exciting vision of where city governments start to think and experiment with what technology would look like if it served the people.

Source: http://magazine.ouishare.net/2017/06/building-the-networked-city-from-the-ground-up-with-citizens-interview-with-francesca-bria/
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For so many of us, a thriller is the quintessential summer read. The suspense, the intrigue the adventure  these books are escapist in the best way. And yet with so many thriller and mystery books out there, it's hard to know which are worth loading into your beach bag.

For some help, we scoured our reviews from this year and compiled a list of 17 that our reviewers have loved so far.

Endgame, by Ahmet Altan (Europa). Guns go off early in this seaside noir. An implicit critique of Turkey's corrupt justice system, Endgame is also a comic and charmingly absurd novel whose author is on trial for links to last year's failed coup. Nathan Scott McNamara 

Defectors, by Joseph Kanon (Atria). Kanon uses the tangled ties between two brothers to explore the world of espionage at the height of the Cold War. Kanon, the author of The Good German and The Prodigal Spy among others is a master of the spy genre, and here delivers a book that will appeal to fans of The Americans and Bridge of Spies. Patrick Anderson

Camino Island, by John Grisham (Doubleday). An entertaining departure from Grisham's legal thrillers, Camino Island is about a heist of F Scott Fitzgerald manuscripts from Princeton University's main library, a bookish thief and a struggling young novelist. Mike Rosenwald

Camino Island is an entertaining departure from Grisham's legal thrillers

Every Night I Dream of Hell, by Malcolm Mackay (Mulholland). Plunge into the world of hitmen employed by a Scottish mob. As gangs and factions make moves and countermoves in this fast-paced tale, Mackay provides sardonic insights into the thuggish life. Dennis Drabelle

Fateful Mornings, by Tom Bouman (Norton). With convincingly suspenseful turns of the screw, Bouman provides an original, terrifying take on the serial-killer theme. What begins as a search for a missing young woman in a rural Pennsylvania town grows into a network of secrets whose uncovering will shock a region. Michael Sims

The Force, by Don Winslow (William Morrow). At the centre of this cinematic tome is a powerful New York City police detective. He's arrogant, corrupt, smart and violent. He steals a lot of cash and heroin from a drug bust. Things get complicated. Malone gets tossed in the slammer. If this sounds like a good pitch for a summer blockbuster, that's because it is. Neely Tucker

I See You, by Clare Mackintosh (Berkley). In ex-cop Clare Mackintosh's smashing second novel, I See You, unsuspecting women using the London subway system are targeted by a madman. PA

Little Deaths, by Emma Flint (Hachette). A moody thriller based on the true story of Alice Crimmins, who was convicted of murdering her children in Queens in 1968, but whose role in their deaths remains uncertain. Maureen Corrigan

Magpie Murders, by Anthony Horowitz (Harper). Horowitzs sleek, fun, cunning work is a novel-within-a-novel, a flawless imitation of the Golden Age mysteries of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh and Margery Allingham. Charles Finch

The Long Drop, by Denise Mina (Little, Brown). Celebrated for her Garnethill suspense trilogy, as well as for her Alex Morrow police procedural series, here Denise Mina trains her moody sensibilities on an episode from the career of Scotland's most infamous serial killer. MC

The Switch, by Joseph Finder (Dutton). It could happen to any of us: accidentally grabbing the wrong laptop off the security conveyor belt at the airport. For the hero of Joseph Finder's propulsive novel "The Switch," this innocent mishap puts him in the middle of a dangerous scenario involving lies, leaks and threats to our liberties. Carol Memmott

The protagonist takes the wrong laptop at airport security in Joseph Finders thriller

Not a Sound, by Heather Gudenkauf (Park Row). There's minimal blood and zero sexual depravity in Gudenkaufs psychological suspense story. Think Mary Higgins Clark or Lisa Scottoline, accented with a dash of inspiration from that vintage Audrey Hepburn movie Wait Until Dark. MC

Proving Ground, by Peter Blauner (Minotaur). A New York civil rights lawyer is found murdered, and his son, a soldier just returned from the war in Iraq, seeks to find his killer  and cope with deep-seated personal demons. PA

Prussian Blue, by Philip Kerr (Marian Wood/Putnam). The 12th Bernie Gunther mystery is as brisk and agile as its German police detective protagonist. It moves back and forth between Nazi Germany in 1939 and the French Riviera in 1956, with two suspenseful tales that for a while seem unconnected but aren't. DD

Quicksand, by Malin Persson Giolito (Other). This Swedish import takes us deep into the life of Maja Norburg, who is 18, blessed with beauty, brains and rich parents - and on trial for mass murder. What we don't know is whether the story will end with Maja going to prison. PA

Since We Fell, by Dennis Lehane (Ecco). Lehane's 14th novel takes the author back to his old New England stomping grounds, that fertile place of Mystic River and Shutter Island. A pleasantly twisted character study and a love story, it turns, down to the last page, on the captivating heart of a disgraced television journalist. NT

Testimony, by Scott Turow (Grand Central). Attorney Bill ten Boom, the narrator of Scott Turow's smart, demanding thriller, accepts an invitation to be a special prosecutor at the International Criminal Court in The Hague. His assignment? To learn exactly what happened in 2004 at a refugee camp in Tuzla, Bosnia, where 400 Roma were allegedly buried alive, it's unclear by whom. DD

 The Washington Post
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I think hes brilliant, I think you can say hes a visionary in terms of understanding the internet, journalism and mass surveillance, Oscar-winning director Laura Poitras says of WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, the subject of her new film Risk. It seems an enthusiastic enough endorsement but anyone expecting a hagiography of Assange will be surprised. As Poitras quickly adds: I think he is a very flawed person in other ways.

At times, the documentary is extremely jarring. You think youre watching a film about whistleblowers, freedom of speech and hacking. Then, in footage of a meeting between Assange and lawyer Helena Kennedy, Assange uses casually sexist language. We see him having his hair cut, looking almost as if he is the Sun King in the Court of Versailles as followers and journalists scurry around him. His egotism becomes increasingly evident.

As Poitras points out, it is not only his attitudes toward women and gender that rankle. I think he can hold views that are incredibly philosophical and complex and then others that are very reductive. Assange is manipulative and (as he puts it himself) ruthlessly pragmatic. Hes a strategist whose alliances will shift depending on who can best help him achieve his long term goals. Personally, I think its public that I have fallen out with him. I mean, we have it in the film where he says the film is a threat to his freedom and he is forced to treat it accordingly.

Assange asked Poitras to take out the scene in which he talks disparagingly about the Swedish women who made allegations of sexual assault against him. She refused. As she argues, she is only using his own words. There is the obvious irony in the fact that Assanges fame and notoriety rest on his willingness to disclose information others would rather see suppressed  and yet he wants his own secrets to be protected.

A still from Risk about WikiLeaks Julian Assange (above), in which his egotism becomes very apparent

Risk is in no way a hatchet job. Its portrayal of Assange is nuanced and complex. On camera, he is philosophical, articulate and charismatic. He is vain too but he is generally very measured. Just occasionally, we see glimpses of his volatility. There were a couple of times when he lost his temper and started yelling at me, Poitras remembers the moments her subject flew off the handle.

Poitras started filming Assange and WikiLeaks in 2011, two years before she was contacted anonymously by Edward Snowden, who leaked her thousands of National Security Agency documents.

At first, Poitras thought that Snowden and Assange might have fitted into the same documentary. Then, she realised there was no way theyd work together  they were two separate stories. She set aside the Assange and WikiLeaks material and concentrated on the Snowden project, CitizenFour (2014) which won her an Oscar.

That left her with the problem of what to do with the earlier footage. By then, Assange, who had been frustrated that she hadnt entrusted him with the Snowden material, had already been living for several years inside the Ecuadorian embassy in Knightsbridge. (He took refuge there in the summer of 2012 after he was threatened with deportation to Sweden to answer the allegations of sexual assault.)

An early version of Risk (one broadly sympathetic to Assange) was screened in Cannes in 2016 but the story was continuing to grow. Last year, WikiLeaks published emails from the Democratic National Committee and from former White House Chief of Staff John Podesta.

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Poitras, who directed 'Risk' about Assange (above), is now working on a Chelsea Manning documentary (Risk)

Of course, I knew I had to keep filming, the director says of how Risk has kept on growing.

Poitras had long since lost her status as simply an observer, making fly on the wall documentaries. In the last two films, I have become more of a participant, a protagonist, because of the reporting I have done, she says of CitizenFour and Risk. It is very uncomfortable.

Thanks to her reporting on NSA mass surveillance and her famous, clandestine meeting with Snowden in Hong Kong in 2013, she is now a celebrity of sorts herself. She has also been targeted by the US authorities for well over a decade. in 2006, she was placed on a secret watch list by the US government. Underlining her new found fame, she was played on screen by Melissa Leo in Oliver Stones film Snowden (2016). No, she hasnt seen the movie and certainly doesnt sound too enthused by it.

Oliver Stone approached me when he was developing the project and I was still editing CitzienFour. He was trying to urge me to delay the release of my film because he was making a real movie, she says. He had been drinking. It wasnt a nice encounterand then they didnt invite me to any of the screenings - and I wasnt going to pay to see it.

The director insists that her films are always looking at the human factor as well as at the political dimension. CitizenFour may have caused a huge media furore but on one level it was a story about why a young person would risk his freedom to reveal information about mass surveillance. Risk is a character study as much as it is a political treatise. It can also be read as a film about everyday sexism. Assange isnt the only one whose behaviour toward women is called into question. It emerges that another charismatic figure in the story, journalist and hacker Jacob Appelbaum, has been accused of bullying and sexual harassment.

Thats one of the things I hope the film raises, what happens within organisations or movements or work environments when certain types of behaviour is tolerated over long periods of time, Poitras says. I think its something we see a lot of, right, baseline sexism I would call it and that I wanted to draw attention to. Weve heard stories about social movements in the past where we have contradictions between the larger philosophical and ideological goals and the internal politics, dynamics and power structures.

Poitras is currently executive-producing a new film about Chelsea Manning, the transgender US soldier formerly known as Bradley Manning who leaked documents to WikiLeaks. Chelsea is a hero and she risked her freedom to inform the public very much in the way that Edward Snowden did, Poitras suggests. The film will allow her for the first time to speak in her own voice."

She is also executive-producing a film about Peter Thiel, the billionaire who brought down celebrity blog Gawker in a case that many saw as an attack on the free press.

These days, Poitras is back in the US and based in New York, having lived for over two years in Berlin. She doesnt know how long she will be able to stay, though.

I know I am on a watchlist. With the Snowden material, I dont think they are ever going to stop paying attention. Its something you learn to live with, she says of the surveillance she is still subject to. I came back [to the US] largely because of the work that I do. As a documentary filmmaker, Ive been focusing on what the US is doing politically and globally. I think it is something important as a US citizen to document what my own country is engaged in. For now, it is OK for me to be here but the situation could change. The Trump Administration is no friend of the press and I might feel it is necessary to leave again.

On this slightly chilling note, with the thought that she may be forced to quit her homeland, the interview is brought to an end.

'Risk' is out now
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The UK Government is being taken to court for a third time over its latest attempt to produce an effective plan to reduce air pollution to within safe limits.

ClientEarth, a group of campaigning environmental lawyers, has twice successfully won court orders requiring Ministers to come up with a strategy that complies with European Union law.

A draft third attempt was published for public consultation shortly before the general election, but only after a judge ordered the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to do so. Defra lawyers had unsuccessfully argued that it should be delayed until after the vote because it would drop a controversial bomb on the campaign.

ClientEarth is due to argue that this latest version is still not good enough.

It said proposals for England were flawed because local authorities were told to use the most effective proposal  establishing clean air zones in the most polluted parts of the country that some vehicles must pay to enter  only after considering other options.

The group also criticised proposals for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, saying they lacked any actual concrete action.

James Thornton, ClientEarths chief executive, said: The draft plans for Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland are simply plans for more plans.

The court ordered a plan for the UK Government to obey the law on pollution limits across the UK as soon as possible. The health of all UK citizens is at stake, not just some.

While air quality is devolved to these three parts of the UK, the British Government has overall responsibility, according to a Supreme Court ruling in 2015.

Public Health England and the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence have issued a report calling for clean air zones that include restrictions or charges on certain classes of vehicles to be considered.

It said the establishment of such zones should include targets to progressively reduce pollutant levels below EU limits and aim to meet World Health Organization air quality guidelines.

Mr Thornton said this expert advice should have been made available to the public during the consultation on the air quality plan.

The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Show all 10 1 /10 The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Ukraine The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Bulgaria Rex Features The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Belarus The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Russia The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Armenia The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Bosnia and Herzegovina REUTERS The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Georgia The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Hungary DigitalGlobe The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths China The worst countries in the world for air pollution deaths Moldova

The UK Government did not make this clear to people when it consulted on its air quality plans for the UK, forcing us to go back to the High Court next Wednesday to try to get them to do this, he said.

If this is going to happen, then people need to have their say on it.

A Defra spokesperson said: Improving the UKs air quality and cutting harmful emissions is a priority for this Government.

We have invested more than 2bn since 2011 to increase the uptake of ultra-low emissions vehicles and support greener transport schemes, and set out how we will improve air quality through a new programme of Clean Air Zones.

The Government plans to publish its final air quality plan by 31 July.
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The defiant spirit of punk culture has had us ripping up and reimagining our wardrobes for over 40 years now, and this season designers decided to rewrite the rule book with pin badges and paint splattered two-pieces.

During a rebellious fashion week, British punk emerged as a key inspiration with anarchy hand delivered by some of the industrys biggest names. Chaotic and, by definition, revolutionary this was a moment that saw fashions fixation with the ultimate subculture reconnoitred.

Recommended Purple is the majestic menswear trend you need to know

Marauding the dressing-up box of youth culture, Matthew Miller combined the romantic cloud paintings of John Constable with the subversive style of skinhead culture. Here, blazers swathed in badges and handmade slogan tees that read Megasonic Teenage Warhead harked back to schoolboy rebellion while his trademark oversized zipper loops and pin badges adorned the chests of shaven-headed models.

But he wasnt the only one rising against the mainstream.

At DSquared2, Dan and Dean Caten opted for a mash up of British youth culture movements with iconic references to everything from glam rock to mods but it was the untameable essence of punk that shone through.

Denim, a signature staple for the brand, was cut skin0tight, ripped and acid washed while graphic t-shirts, braces and lurex knit tank tops championed skinhead style coupled with nose and lip piercings, heavy chain collars and lashings of leather.

Punk Menswear Show all 9 1 /9 Punk Menswear Punk Menswear Wacko Maria, Lee Perry Short Sleeve Shirt, 335 brownsfashion.com Punk Menswear Gosha Rubchinskiy Pin Set, 45 endclothing.com Punk Menswear Blue Panelled Denim Jacket, 55 topman.com Punk Menswear Midnight Studios, Safety Pin Tee, 109 endclothing.com Punk Menswear Alexander McQueen, 3cm Black Leather Belt, 375 mrporter.com Punk Menswear Black Skinny Jeans, 19.99 newlook.com Punk Menswear Grey and Blue Check Skinny Fit Suit, 160 topman.com Punk Menswear Balenciaga, Leather Harness Boots, 795 mrporter.com Punk Menswear Alexander Wang, Classic Barcode Tee, 215 endclothing.com

Offering a more refined take on the trend, Kim Jones looked to Africa  where he grew up  and London  where he was educated  to create a collection destined for nomadic punks.

Here, shaggy mohair sweaters and denim jackets were met with bondage-buckled pants, dog collars and stomping brothel creepers as models rattled down the runway with safety pins hanging from their ears.

Matthew Miller showcased blazers swathed in badges and handmade slogan tees (Getty Images)

Not one designer held back with the theme this season but still managed to provide us a far more accessible and real-world friendly version of post-punk dressing.

However you choose to sartorially stick it to the man - be it a second-skin leather jacket, ripped-up denim or a graphic tee- the most important thing here is to not give a damn while you wear it.
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Theresa May's plans for an internet crackdown are like a Chinese dictator, according to her own policy watchdog.

The government's plans to fine technology companies if they fail to remove extremist material are a challenge to democracy, according to Max Hill, QC  the new independent reviewer of counterterrorism legislation.

The fines are just one part of the Conservatives' wide-ranging plans to regulate and censor the internet, which they claim will help reduce terror. Those plans were laid out in the party's manifesto before the election, and the prime minister has committed to push forward with them despite not winning a majority in the election.

Gadget and tech news: In pictures Show all 25 1 /25 Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gadget and tech news: In pictures Gun-toting humanoid robot sent into space Russia has launched a humanoid robot into space on a rocket bound for the International Space Station (ISS). The robot Fedor will spend 10 days aboard the ISS practising skills such as using tools to fix issues onboard. Russia's deputy prime minister Dmitry Rogozin has previously shared videos of Fedor handling and shooting guns at a firing range with deadly accuracy. Dmitry Rogozin/Twitter Gadget and tech news: In pictures Google turns 21 Google celebrates its 21st birthday on September 27. The The search engine was founded in September 1998 by two PhD students, Larry Page and Sergey Brin, in their dormitories at Californias Stanford University. Page and Brin chose the name google as it recalled the mathematic term 'googol', meaning 10 raised to the power of 100 Google Gadget and tech news: In pictures Hexa drone lifts off Chief engineer of LIFT aircraft Balazs Kerulo demonstrates the company's "Hexa" personal drone craft in Lago Vista, Texas on June 3 2019 Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures Project Scarlett to succeed Xbox One Microsoft announced Project Scarlett, the successor to the Xbox One, at E3 2019. The company said that the new console will be 4 times as powerful as the Xbox One and is slated for a release date of Christmas 2020 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures First new iPod in four years Apple has announced the new iPod Touch, the first new iPod in four years. The device will have the option of adding more storage, up to 256GB Apple Gadget and tech news: In pictures Folding phone may flop Samsung will cancel orders of its Galaxy Fold phone at the end of May if the phone is not then ready for sale. The $2000 folding phone has been found to break easily with review copies being recalled after backlash PA Gadget and tech news: In pictures Charging mat non-starter Apple has cancelled its AirPower wireless charging mat, which was slated as a way to charge numerous apple products at once AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures "Super league" India shoots down satellite India has claimed status as part of a "super league" of nations after shooting down a live satellite in a test of new missile technology EPA Gadget and tech news: In pictures 5G incoming 5G wireless internet is expected to launch in 2019, with the potential to reach speeds of 50mb/s Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Uber halts driverless testing after death Uber has halted testing of driverless vehicles after a woman was killed by one of their cars in Tempe, Arizona. March 19 2018 Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A humanoid robot gestures during a demo at a stall in the Indian Machine Tools Expo, IMTEX/Tooltech 2017 held in Bangalore Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures The giant human-like robot bears a striking resemblance to the military robots starring in the movie 'Avatar' and is claimed as a world first by its creators from a South Korean robotic company Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Engineers test a four-metre-tall humanoid manned robot dubbed Method-2 in a lab of the Hankook Mirae Technology in Gunpo, south of Seoul, South Korea Jung Yeon-Je/AFP/Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures Waseda University's saxophonist robot WAS-5, developed by professor Atsuo Takanishi and Kaptain Rock playing one string light saber guitar perform jam session Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway resembling the giant panda is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A test line of a new energy suspension railway, resembling a giant panda, is seen in Chengdu, Sichuan Province, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A concept car by Trumpchi from GAC Group is shown at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Rex Gadget and tech news: In pictures A Mirai fuel cell vehicle by Toyota is displayed at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A visitor tries a Nissan VR experience at the International Automobile Exhibition in Guangzhou, China Reuters Gadget and tech news: In pictures A man looks at an exhibit entitled 'Mimus' a giant industrial robot which has been reprogrammed to interact with humans during a photocall at the new Design Museum in South Kensington, London Getty Gadget and tech news: In pictures A new Israeli Da-Vinci unmanned aerial vehicle manufactured by Elbit Systems is displayed during the 4th International conference on Home Land Security and Cyber in the Israeli coastal city of Tel Aviv Getty

The plans  which force companies like Google or Facebook to comply with government requests or face becoming criminalised  might indeed end up driving such content underground and making it harder for people to be prosecuted.

Mr Hill told a conference: I struggle to see how it would help if our parliament were to criminalise tech company bosses who dont do enough," The Times reported. "How do we measure enough? What is the appropriate sanction? We do not live in China, where the internet simply goes dark for millions when government so decides. Our democratic society cannot be treated that way.

Ms May has been asked about the accusations that the plans would make Britain like China before. She refused to rule out such regulation, but said she hoped that the companies would work with the government before the changes were necessary.

Mr Hill said the government needs to work harder to encourage co-operation, rather enforcing compliance. "Companies who make eye-watering sums of money from our everyday chatter need to be brought firmly onside, they do not need to be forced offside." he said.
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Alcohol sales should be restricted and minimum pricing introduced in an attempt to wean Europe off its deeply embedded fondness for the demon drink and cut cancer rates, health experts have said.

Europe drinks more alcohol than any other part of the world and consequently has the highest rate of ill-health and premature death linked directly to it, a report by United European Gastroenterology, an umbrella body of digestive health specialists, said.

The report blamed the 24-hour availability of alcohol in the UK for causing serious health risks and suggested banning sales in the evening.

A league table of the European Unions biggest drinkers is led by Lithuania (3.2 drinks per day per person), followed by the Czech Republic, Romania, Bulgaria and Croatia (all on 2.4).

The UK is in eighth place (2.1), ahead of the EU average of 1.9. The countries where people drink the least are: Malta, Italy (both 1.3), Greece, the Netherlands and Sweden (1.5).

A table showing EU countries with the highest rates of alcohol consumption (UEG)

Professor Markus Peck, a leading digestive health expert, said: One of the main challenges in addressing high drinking levels is how deeply embedded alcohol consumption is within the European society, both socially and culturally.

Political action like minimum pricing and reducing access to alcohol needs to be taken now to prevent many future casualties.

Research then has to follow to help generate data and allow us to fine-tune future political activity.

The report pointed to a study about the effect of introducing minimum unit prices for alcohol in England.

It found that over 20 years, a 50p minimum price per unit of alcohol could reduce deaths linked to alcohol by around 7,200, including around 670 cancer deaths, it said. It would also reduce healthcare costs by 1.3bn.

Professor Helena Cortez-Pinto, of the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL), said a minimum price had been proven to be extremely effective in Canada, adding that it was soon to be introduced in Scotland and Ireland.

Hopefully the rest of Europe will follow shortly, she said.

To reduce alcohol consumption and cancers associated with alcohol misuse, it is vital that politicians and the alcohol industry implement measures to make alcohol less accessible.

There is strong evidence that policies that increase the price of alcohol, reduce availability and improve publicity of the risks associated with alcohol as well as increase the minimum age to buy alcohol have led to an immediate reduction in the incidence of alcohol-related liver disease and deaths.

Health news in pictures Show all 40 1 /40 Health news in pictures Health news in pictures Coronavirus outbreak The coronavirus Covid-19 has hit the UK leading to the deaths of two people so far and prompting warnings from the Department of Health AFP via Getty Health news in pictures Thousands of emergency patients told to take taxi to hospital Thousands of 999 patients in England are being told to get a taxi to hospital, figures have showed. The number of patients outside London who were refused an ambulance rose by 83 per cent in the past year as demand for services grows Getty Health news in pictures Vape related deaths spike A vaping-related lung disease has claimed the lives of 11 people in the US in recent weeks. The US Centre for Disease Control and Prevention has more than 100 officials investigating the cause of the mystery illness, and has warned citizens against smoking e-cigarette products until more is known, particularly if modified or bought off the street Getty Health news in pictures Baldness cure looks to be a step closer Researchers in the US claim to have overcome one of the major hurdles to cultivating human follicles from stem cells. The new system allows cells to grow in a structured tuft and emerge from the skin Sanford Burnham Preybs Health news in pictures Two hours a week spent in nature can improve health A study in the journal Scientific Reports suggests that a dose of nature of just two hours a week is associated with better health and psychological wellbeing Shutterstock Health news in pictures Air pollution linked to fertility issues in women Exposure to air from traffic-clogged streets could leave women with fewer years to have children, a study has found. Italian researchers found women living in the most polluted areas were three times more likely to show signs they were running low on eggs than those who lived in cleaner surroundings, potentially triggering an earlier menopause Getty/iStock Health news in pictures Junk food ads could be banned before watershed Junk food adverts on TV and online could be banned before 9pm as part of Government plans to fight the "epidemic" of childhood obesity. Plans for the new watershed have been put out for public consultation in a bid to combat the growing crisis, the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) said PA Health news in pictures Breeding with neanderthals helped humans fight diseases On migrating from Africa around 70,000 years ago, humans bumped into the neanderthals of Eurasia. While humans were weak to the diseases of the new lands, breeding with the resident neanderthals made for a better equipped immune system PA Health news in pictures Cancer breath test to be trialled in Britain The breath biopsy device is designed to detect cancer hallmarks in molecules exhaled by patients Getty Health news in pictures Average 10 year old has consumed the recommended amount of sugar for an adult By their 10th birthdy, children have on average already eaten more sugar than the recommended amount for an 18 year old. The average 10 year old consumes the equivalent to 13 sugar cubes a day, 8 more than is recommended PA Health news in pictures Child health experts advise switching off screens an hour before bed While there is not enough evidence of harm to recommend UK-wide limits on screen use, the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health have advised that children should avoid screens for an hour before bed time to avoid disrupting their sleep Getty Health news in pictures Daily aspirin is unnecessary for older people in good health, study finds A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine has found that many elderly people are taking daily aspirin to little or no avail Getty Health news in pictures Vaping could lead to cancer, US study finds A study by the University of Minnesota's Masonic Cancer Centre has found that the carcinogenic chemicals formaldehyde, acrolein, and methylglyoxal are present in the saliva of E-cigarette users Reuters Health news in pictures More children are obese and diabetic There has been a 41% increase in children with type 2 diabetes since 2014, the National Paediatric Diabetes Audit has found. Obesity is a leading cause Reuters Health news in pictures Most child antidepressants are ineffective and can lead to suicidal thoughts The majority of antidepressants are ineffective and may be unsafe, for children and teenager with major depression, experts have warned. In what is the most comprehensive comparison of 14 commonly prescribed antidepressant drugs to date, researchers found that only one brand was more effective at relieving symptoms of depression than a placebo. Another popular drug, venlafaxine, was shown increase the risk users engaging in suicidal thoughts and attempts at suicide Getty Health news in pictures Gay, lesbian and bisexual adults at higher risk of heart disease, study claims Researchers at the Baptist Health South Florida Clinic in Miami focused on seven areas of controllable heart health and found these minority groups were particularly likely to be smokers and to have poorly controlled blood sugar iStock Health news in pictures Breakfast cereals targeted at children contain 'steadily high' sugar levels since 1992 despite producer claims A major pressure group has issued a fresh warning about perilously high amounts of sugar in breakfast cereals, specifically those designed for children, and has said that levels have barely been cut at all in the last two and a half decades Getty Health news in pictures Potholes are making us fat, NHS watchdog warns New guidance by the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE), the body which determines what treatment the NHS should fund, said lax road repairs and car-dominated streets were contributing to the obesity epidemic by preventing members of the public from keeping active PA Health news in pictures New menopause drugs offer women relief from 'debilitating' hot flushes A new class of treatments for women going through the menopause is able to reduce numbers of debilitating hot flushes by as much as three quarters in a matter of days, a trial has found. The drug used in the trial belongs to a group known as NKB antagonists (blockers), which were developed as a treatment for schizophrenia but have been sitting on a shelf unused, according to Professor Waljit Dhillo, a professor of endocrinology and metabolism REX Health news in pictures Doctors should prescribe more antidepressants for people with mental health problems, study finds Research from Oxford University found that more than one million extra people suffering from mental health problems would benefit from being prescribed drugs and criticised ideological reasons doctors use to avoid doing so. Getty Health news in pictures Student dies of flu after NHS advice to stay at home and avoid A&E The family of a teenager who died from flu has urged people not to delay going to A&E if they are worried about their symptoms. Melissa Whiteley, an 18-year-old engineering student from Hanford in Stoke-on-Trent, fell ill at Christmas and died in hospital a month later. Just Giving Health news in pictures Government to review thousands of harmful vaginal mesh implants The Government has pledged to review tens of thousands of cases where women have been given harmful vaginal mesh implants. Getty Health news in pictures Jeremy Hunt announces 'zero suicides ambition' for the NHS The NHS will be asked to go further to prevent the deaths of patients in its care as part of a zero suicide ambition being launched today Getty Health news in pictures Human trials start with cancer treatment that primes immune system to kill off tumours Human trials have begun with a new cancer therapy that can prime the immune system to eradicate tumours. The treatment, that works similarly to a vaccine, is a combination of two existing drugs, of which tiny amounts are injected into the solid bulk of a tumour. Nephron Health news in pictures Babies' health suffers from being born near fracking sites, finds major study Mothers living within a kilometre of a fracking site were 25 per cent more likely to have a child born at low birth weight, which increase their chances of asthma, ADHD and other issues Getty Health news in pictures NHS reviewing thousands of cervical cancer smear tests after women wrongly given all-clear Thousands of cervical cancer screening results are under review after failings at a laboratory meant some women were incorrectly given the all-clear. A number of women have already been told to contact their doctors following the identification of procedural issues in the service provided by Pathology First Laboratory. Rex Health news in pictures Potential key to halting breast cancer's spread discovered by scientists Most breast cancer patients do not die from their initial tumour, but from secondary malignant growths (metastases), where cancer cells are able to enter the blood and survive to invade new sites. Asparagine, a molecule named after asparagus where it was first identified in high quantities, has now been shown to be an essential ingredient for tumour cells to gain these migratory properties. Getty Health news in pictures NHS nursing vacancies at record high with more than 34,000 roles advertised A record number of nursing and midwifery positions are currently being advertised by the NHS, with more than 34,000 positions currently vacant, according to the latest data. Demand for nurses was 19 per cent higher between July and September 2017 than the same period two years ago. REX Health news in pictures Cannabis extract could provide new class of treatment for psychosis CBD has a broadly opposite effect to delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main active component in cannabis and the substance that causes paranoia and anxiety. Getty Health news in pictures Over 75,000 sign petition calling for Richard Branson's Virgin Care to hand settlement money back to NHS Mr Bransons company sued the NHS last year after it lost out on an 82m contract to provide childrens health services across Surrey, citing concerns over serious flaws in the way the contract was awarded PA Health news in pictures More than 700 fewer nurses training in England in first year after NHS bursary scrapped The numbers of people accepted to study nursing in England fell 3 per cent in 2017, while the numbers accepted in Wales and Scotland, where the bursaries were kept, increased 8.4 per cent and 8 per cent respectively Getty Health news in pictures Landmark study links Tory austerity to 120,000 deaths The paper found that there were 45,000 more deaths in the first four years of Tory-led efficiencies than would have been expected if funding had stayed at pre-election levels. On this trajectory that could rise to nearly 200,000 excess deaths by the end of 2020, even with the extra funding that has been earmarked for public sector services this year. Reuters Health news in pictures Long commutes carry health risks Hours of commuting may be mind-numbingly dull, but new research shows that it might also be having an adverse effect on both your health and performance at work. Longer commutes also appear to have a significant impact on mental wellbeing, with those commuting longer 33 per cent more likely to suffer from depression Shutterstock Health news in pictures You cannot be fit and fat It is not possible to be overweight and healthy, a major new study has concluded. The study of 3.5 million Britons found that even metabolically healthy obese people are still at a higher risk of heart disease or a stroke than those with a normal weight range Getty Health news in pictures Sleep deprivation When you feel particularly exhausted, it can definitely feel like you are also lacking in brain capacity. Now, a new study has suggested this could be because chronic sleep deprivation can actually cause the brain to eat itself Shutterstock Health news in pictures Exercise classes offering 45 minute naps launch David Lloyd Gyms have launched a new health and fitness class which is essentially a bunch of people taking a nap for 45 minutes. The fitness group was spurred to launch the napercise class after research revealed 86 per cent of parents said they were fatigued. The class is therefore predominantly aimed at parents but you actually do not have to have children to take part Getty Health news in pictures 'Fundamental right to health' to be axed after Brexit, lawyers warn Tobacco and alcohol companies could win more easily in court cases such as the recent battle over plain cigarette packaging if the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights is abandoned, a barrister and public health professor have said Getty Health news in pictures 'Thousands dying' due to fear over non-existent statin side-effects A major new study into the side effects of the cholesterol-lowering medicine suggests common symptoms such as muscle pain and weakness are not caused by the drugs themselves Getty Health news in pictures Babies born to fathers aged under 25 have higher risk of autism New research has found that babies born to fathers under the age of 25 or over 51 are at higher risk of developing autism and other social disorders. The study, conducted by the Seaver Autism Center for Research and Treatment at Mount Sinai, found that these children are actually more advanced than their peers as infants, but then fall behind by the time they hit their teenage years Getty Health news in pictures Cycling to work could halve risk of cancer and heart disease Commuters who swap their car or bus pass for a bike could cut their risk of developing heart disease and cancer by almost half, new research suggests  but campaigners have warned there is still an urgent need to improve road conditions for cyclists. Cycling to work is linked to a lower risk of developing cancer by 45 per cent and cardiovascular disease by 46 per cent, according to a study of a quarter of a million people. Walking to work also brought health benefits, the University of Glasgow researchers found, but not to the same degree as cycling. Getty

I, and my colleagues at EASL, are concerned, however, that politicians and the alcohol industry are reluctant to implement these measures due to commercial interest and, as a result, we will not see the socio-economic as well as significant health benefits.

The report said Scandinavian countries provided a successful example of how lower accessibility to alcohol, with state-owned alcohol-selling monopolies that do not sell alcohol in the evening, reduces harmful drinking.

And it added: Accessibility has a direct effect on misuse and in Germany and the UK there is access 24 hours a day, providing greater opportunity for alcohol misuse, particularly for high-risk drinkers, with serious health risks as a result.
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Sleep disturbance in young adults who are at risk of suicide are a warning sign of worsening suicidal thoughts, according to new research from Stanford University. These findings held true regardless of the study participants current levels of depression.

Suicide is the second leading cause of death in young people in the US and the leading cause in the UK. Having a better understanding of the signs of suicidal thoughts is important as it could help prevent self-inflicted deaths. Previous research has shown a link between suicidal thoughts and poor sleep, but the Stanford researchers went beyond this research by closely examining which aspects of disrupted sleep predicted suicidal thoughts.

The researchers examined sleep objectively, using sleep-tracking devices, and subjectively, using sleep diaries and records of suicidal thoughts. A group of 50 undergraduate students was selected for the study on the basis that they had recent suicidal thoughts or a history of suicide attempts. The students sleep was monitored for seven days continuously. They were also asked to complete a questionnaire  at the beginning, middle (day seven) and end of the study (day 21)  that asked them about the severity of suicidal thoughts, depression, insomnia, nightmares and alcohol use. The researchers found that changes in when the students went to sleep and when they woke up predicted suicidal thoughts, as did increased symptoms of insomnia and nightmares.

It has long been known that poor sleep, in general, and insomnia, in particular, are associated with a wide variety of mental health conditions. As research in the area advanced it became clear that this relationship was not just an association but rather that insomnia posed a significant risk for the development of many mental-health problems, most notably depression.

A strong association

Over the past 10 to 15 years, researchers have widened the scope of sleep and mental health research to investigate the relationship between poor sleep  including insomnia  and an increased risk of suicide. Within this framework various research groups around the world began to examine whether poor sleep was related to increased suicidal thoughts but also whether a person who sleeps poorly is more likely to attempt, or complete, suicide or not.

The researchers objectively measured sleep using sleep-tracking devices (Shutterstock)

It soon became clear that a strong association between poor sleep and suicide existed and that the severity and duration of insomnia symptoms and nightmares were associated with increased suicidal thoughts. Especially interesting is that in almost all these studies the relationship between poor sleep and suicide existed independently of a diagnosis of depression or the number of depressive symptoms experienced, as in the current study. But, as most of this previous research was based on self-reported symptoms (of both sleep problems and suicidal thoughts), it was unclear whether the relationship between poor sleep and suicide was based on how the person actually slept or how they felt they had slept  two surprisingly different concepts. The fact that the Stanford researchers objectively measured sleep is a particular strength of their study.

Three theories

But the reasons for the relationship between poor sleep and suicide have yet to be determined. However, there are three avenues of research which, although still in their infancy, may shed light on why poor sleep is so strongly related to suicide. One, there are significant overlaps between brain circuits that are involved in both emotion regulation and sleep. As such, if sleep is disrupted the likelihood is that mood will also be disrupted, and vice versa. Two, there may be changes in the structure of sleep itself, as a result of poor sleep and insomnia, which makes us more vulnerable to a variety of mood disturbances, including suicidal thoughts. And, three, the daytime fatigue, caused by poor sleep, affects our ability to think and act rationally.

As yet, we simply dont know what underscores the relationship between poor sleep and suicide but, with these avenues in mind, a preventative strategy for suicide is definitely getting closer. And the likelihood is that it will involve the management of sleep.

Jason Ellis is a professor of sleep science at Northumbria University, Newcastle. This article was originally published on The Conversation (www.theconversation.com)
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The cost faced by UK banks of restructuring operations because of Brexit could be as high as 15bn (13.1bn) and is likely to put a material strain on those institutions' earnings over the coming years, according to a new study.

Research commissioned by the Association for Financial Markets in Europe and conducted by Boston Consulting Group and Clifford Chance, argues that lenders operating with UK bank licences will most likely have to create subsidiaries within the remaining countries of the EU in order to keep operating as they have done up until now in the aftermath of the split.

The cumulative cost of this restructuring could be as high as 15bn, according to the research, with the bill for each individual bank depending on its current geographical footprint and client focus.

Amortised over three to five years, the financial hit could reduce return on equity for affected banks, an important measure of performance, by 0.5 to 0.8 percentage points, which the study describes as a material impact.

Much has been said about the challenges of a hard Brexit for banks, but that only tells half the story, said Chris Bates, a partner at Clifford Chance.

The latest research, he said, shines a light on some of the challenges that a hard Brexit would present [for] business users of banking services, and how it would affect the real economy in both the UK and EU 27.

Measures to smooth the transition are critical, he said. The costs of the cliff edge have never been so clear.

The study was based on interviews with dozens of chief executive officer and treasurers of companies of all sizes as well as investors and representatives from industry associations representing companies from a range of sectors and geographies.

It concludes that businesses may be underestimating the banking-related effects of a hard Brexit and it estimates that, in aggregate, approximately 1.28 trillion of bank assets may need to be rebooked, or relocated, from the UK to a country inside the EU following a hard Brexit, unless alternative arrangements can be agreed.

Securities and derivatives trading operations of banks are most at risk of disruption from a hard Brexit and businesses relying on those operations are vulnerable.

Around 55 per cent of respondents representing small or medium-sized companies said that they had made no plans so far for Brexit, compared with only 27 per cent who said that they had carried out some internal planning and around 18 per cent who had executed plans.

The clear message from our report is that our interviewees, especially small firms with customers or suppliers cross-border, believe that a hard Brexit could impact their business and growth, said Simon Lewis, chief executive of AFME.

How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Show all 8 1 /8 How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Weetabix Chief executive of Weetabix Giles Turrell has warned that the price of one of the nations favourite breakfast are likely to go up this year by low-single digits in percentage terms. Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Nescafe The cost of a 100g jar of Nescafe Original at Sainsburys has gone up 40p from 2.75 to 3.15  a 14 per cent risesince the Brexit vote. PA How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Freddo When contacted by The Independent this month, a Mondelez spokesperson declined to discuss specific brands but confirmed that there would be "selective" price increases across its range despite the American multi-national confectionery giant reporting profits of $548m (450m) in its last three-month financial period. Mondelez, which bought Cadbury in 2010, said rising commodity costs combined with the slump in the value of the pound had made its products more expensive to make. Cadbury How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Mr Kipling cakes Premier Foods, the maker of Mr Kipling and Bisto gravy, said that it was considering price rises on a case-by-case basis Reuters How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Walkers Crisps Walkers, owned by US giant PepsiCo, said "the weakened value of the pound" is affecting the import cost of some of its materials. A Walkers spokesman told the Press Association that a 32g standard bag was set to increase from 50p to 55p, and the larger grab bag from 75p to 80p. Getty How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Marmite Tesco removed Marmite and other Unilever household brand from its website last October, after the manufacturer tried to raise its prices by about 10 per cent owing to sterlings slump. Tesco and Unilever resolved their argument, but the price of Marmite has increased in UK supermarkets with the grocer reporting a 250g jar of Marmite will now cost Morrisons customers 2.64 - an increase of 12.5 per cent. Rex How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Toblerone Toblerone came under fire in November after it increased the space between the distinctive triangles of its bars. Mondelez International, the company which makes the product, said the change was made due to price rises in recent months. Pixabay How Brexit affected Britain's favourite foods from Weetabix to Marmite Maltesers Maltesers, billed as the lighter way to enjoy chocolate, have also shrunk in size. Mars, which owns the brand, has reduced its pouch weight by 15 per cent. Mars said rising costs mean it had to make the unenviable decision between increasing its prices or reducing the weight of its Malteser packs. iStockphoto

Prime Minister Theresa May has stressed her commitment to a hard Brexit and scores of banks have already taken action to relocate parts of their business in order to be able to keep servicing clients.

Frankfurt, which is home to the European Central Bank, has emerged as one of the favoured options for those looking to shift jobs away from London.

Goldman Sachs and Morgan Stanley are reportedly already scouting for office space in the city.
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The Governments energy regulator is considering extending a price cap on bills to more households across the UK in a bid to crack down on the most vulnerable customers being overcharged for gas and electricity.

Ofgem said it is considering several options as part of a wider programme, including introducing a safeguard tariff for vulnerable consumers. It cited research it had conducted, as well as the findings of a Competition and Markets Authority investigation, which points to vulnerable consumers in particular getting a poor deal when it comes to paying for energy.

We are committed to ensuring that the more disadvantaged in society are not left behind as we move towards a smarter, more competitive energy market, said Dermot Nolan, chief executive of Ofgem.

He said that suppliers must do more to get all their consumers, particularly those on poor value standard variable tariffs, a better deal.

Separately, Ofgem said it is introducing measures to make it easier to switch energy suppliers for all customers. The rate of switching is currently at a nine-year high, according to Ofgem, but many people think its too much hassle and have never or rarely switched, it said.

About 5 million people used price comparison websites to search for energy deals last year, but less than half of those people went on to switch.

Ofgem will also be trialling a new online service aimed at helping customers who have been on poor value standard variable tariffs for three years or more to find cheaper deals.

Consumers, by entering their address including postcode and name of current supplier, will be able to see how much they could save by using a different supplier.

The regulator said it is also testing whether writing to customers  including people who are vulnerable and not online  about cheaper offers from rival providers will prompt them to look around for a cheaper tariff and switch.

Finally, Ofgem said it had made a proposal to cap the amount suppliers can charge customers for installing a pre-payment meter under warrant at 150 and to ban these charges altogether for the most vulnerable.

Pre-payment meters are typically installed under warrant when a customer cannot or will not pay their energy bill.

It said that charges for installing meters under warrant can be as high as 1,000 and include court costs and locksmiths fees. That risks pushing consumers already struggling with debt into further financial stress.

Consumer groups and personal finance experts largely welcomed the move but also expressed caution.

Ofgems proposals make more sense than a blanket energy cap but Ive yet to be convinced their measures go far enough to support vulnerable households or help people that arent motivated to switch, Hannah Maundrell, editor in chief of price comparison website money.co.uk.

Stephen Murray, energy expert at MoneySuperMarket, echoed her comments: The general sentiment from todays announcement is broadly positive, especially in relation to vulnerable customers, but ultimately the proof will be in the pudding.

Ed Kamm, the UK managing director of First Utility, an independent energy provider, said that the big six energy providers had exploited vulnerable customers for far too long.

It is right and positive that Ofgem is focused on how to reduce the energy costs of vulnerable [] customers, who are more likely to be on a standard tariff with the big six, he said.

He added, however, that more can still be done including automatically moving these customers onto their supplier's cheapest deals and showing what savings they could make if they changed suppliers.

No vulnerable person should be overpaying for their energy, he said.
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A private faith school in London has failed an Ofsted inspection after inspectors accused school leaders of breaking equality laws and leaving pupils "at risk" through lack of safeguarding.

Yesodey Hatorah School in Stamford Hill, north London, is the latest of a number of ultra-Orthodox Jewish schools to be rated inadequate by the schools watchdog for displaying a lack of fundamental British values.

Inspectors visiting the independent, fee-paying school said safeguarding procedures must urgently be put in place, including necessary checks on the accountability and suitability of staff.

The report stated: Aspects of the schools promotion of fundamental British values are weak, particularly in relation to tolerance of people who have protected characteristics under the Equality Act (2010)."

The school has previously been subject to no-notice inspections as part of a round of unannounced Ofsted visits across England.

Previous inspections have earned the school a good rating, and in its most recent assessment, inspectors said the overall quality of teaching, learning and assessment remained up to standard.

But leaders "have not ensured that safeguarding procedures have been sufficiently robust to keep pupils safe at all times," inspectors found.

The schools leaders have not ensured that all staff employed at the school have routinely undergone the necessary vetting checks, which compromises pupils welfare.

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Of great concern, they said, were the unsanitary toilet conditions for boys in the secondary school.

Boys in the secondary school have been placed at risk due to the unacceptable arrangements to share both toilet and washroom facilities with male members of staff.

The school had failed to provide hot water facilities and secondary-age boys did not have access to showers, the report added.

Senior leaders preclude the teaching of certain protected characteristics of people defined in the Equality Act 2010.

The school is of the view that this would be considered unacceptable by the Charedi community that the school serves. This prevents pupils from having sufficient experiences that help them prepare for their future lives in British society.

Complaints were also made about a lack of access to outdoor space and poor maintenance of school buildings, also said to be damaging for pupil welfare.

Pupil attainment was markedly good, however, with pupils in both the early years and secondary schools noted as having good behaviour.

The school, which teaches 671 pupils aged between five and 15, teaches boys and girls separately from reception class upwards.

Families pay between 3,016-3,796 per year, with no alternative provisions or disadvantaged pupils in attendance.

While independent schools such as Yesodey Hatorah are not obliged to follow the same curriculum as mainstream local authority schools, they must meet two separate sets of standards outlined by the Department for Education and Ofsted.

Last week, Vishnitz Girls School - another Orthodox Jewish school in the same area of London  was failed for the third time by Ofsted inspectors for failing to teach LGBT issues such as sexual orientation, which is in breach of the Equality Act.

The school also failed to give its pupils a full understanding of fundamental British values- an issue Ofsted chief Amanda Spielman had spoken out on as a matter of priority within schools.

An Ofsted spokesperson said DfE standards require schools to actively promote fundamental British values such as democracy, the rule of law, individual liberty and respect and tolerance of those with different faiths and beliefs.

Parents have the right, on behalf of their children, to expect an education that conforms to their religious beliefs and is in compliance with the law.

Children living in England deserve the best - the law expects schools to demonstrate that they are encouraging pupils to take a respectful and tolerant stance towards those who hold values different from their own. Ofsted acts robustly and impartially to ensure children in England receive a good education.

A spokesperson for Yesodey Hatorah Junior School said: We are disappointed by this Ofsted report but are pleased that the effectiveness of our teaching staff and behaviour of our pupils were praised.

"The wellbeing of our children was never in question with many of the points raised by Ofsted being rectified following the inspection and a number were in hand before the inspectors visit.

"Nonetheless, we will continue to work hard to ensure the school will meet the independent schools criteria at its next inspection.
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Alain Senderens was a world-renowned French chef who helped transform his nation's cuisine twice, first by popularising the light, seasonal tastes of nouvelle cuisine in the 1960s, and again in recent years when he forfeited a three-star Michelin rating to feed the less formal gourmand.

Senderens was among the most celebrated chefs of his generation, a culinary artist described by the French restaurant critics Henri Gault and Christian Millau as the Picasso of French cooking. He first became known as the proprietor of LArchestrate, on Pariss Left Bank on the Rue de Varenne. He opened the restaurant in 1968 and a decade later earned his first three-star Michelin rating, a rare honour from the venerable red guide denoting exceptional cuisine, worth a special journey.

Makers of such a special journey might have enjoyed Senderenss lobster with vanilla, a signature dish of his kitchen that New York Times food critic Craig Claiborne deemed a triumph of taste over logic. Or they might have partaken of his pork cooked in the style of ancient Rome, with apricots, raisins, wine and honey (the restaurant was named for Archestratus, the Greek foodie of antiquity).

Along with chefs including Paul Bocuse and Michel Guerard, Senderens helped develop nouvelle cuisine, which dispensed with the heavy sauces of traditional French fare for lighter, often healthier dishes with an emphasis on fresh produce. Nouvelle cuisine, Senderens told Claiborne, is for the happy few  the cultured, the intelligent and educated.

In the 1980s, Senderens moved to the Paris restaurant Lucas Carton, a mainstay of the Place de la Madeleine where Marshal Ferdinand Foch of France and US General John Pershing were said to have hammered out terms of the armistice at the end of the First World War. Under Senderens, the restaurant remained an eminent and expensive affair.

A typical meal might have included an appetiser of royal langoustines wrapped in crisped vermicelli, shellfish cream and roasted almonds; a main course of crusty calf served with Thai vinaigrette, carrots prepared as tagliatelle and popcorn; and a dessert of souffleed meringue with peppermint and its liqorice ice-cream.

For nearly three decades, Lucas Carton boasted three Michelin stars. But in 2005, Senderens remarkably declared that he wished to renounce the rating, along with the heavy staffing, fancy linens and floral arrangements, and other trappings that went along with the most haute of haute cuisine. Cooking while striving to maintain the Michelin rating, he said, was like working under the sword of Damocles.

I don't want to feed my ego anymore, he said. I am too old for that. I can do beautiful cuisine without all the tra-la-la and chichi, and put the money into whats on the plate.

Senderens employed an architect to redesign the restaurants interior, keeping its famous wooden features but adopting a more modern, international decor. Marble tabletops were lit from the inside. Japanese paintings represented the Asian profile of many dishes on Senderens menu.

With a pared-down staff and fewer luxuries, the price tag for a meal dropped, attracting a younger, less formal clientele. To Parisians, the change was so cataclysmic that Le Figaro compared it to the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Michelin disputed that the stars were Senderenss to return and awarded the new Lucas Carton restaurant, renamed Alain Senderens, a two-star rating. Senderens described its offerings as three-star cuisine but not at three-star prices. He joked that he replaced turbot with burbot, a cheaper fish, and forsook truffles but not imagination.

To make a pigeon in soy sauce and serve it with tea, even for me that makes me afraid, he said in 2005. Have I gone too far? Will I be taken for a fool? But oh, the juices I can make with vegetables!

Senderens was born in Hyeres, in south-eastern France in 1939. His father, a barber, and his mother thought that the principal things in life were eating well and reading, Senderens recalled. He was an apprentice at a hotel in Lourdes before becoming a rotisserie chef at La Tour dArgent, the historic Paris restaurant. After his retirement a few years ago, the restaurant Alain Senderens became known once again as Lucas Carton.

Senderenss writings included The Table Beckons: Thoughts and Recipes From the Kitchen of Alain Senderens and cookbooks written with his wife, Eventhia Pappadinas Senderens.

Senderens was widely known for the thought that he put into every detail of a meal, from wine pairings to presentation. But there was thinking and there was overthinking, he seemed to say, and details that mattered and those that didn't.

We dont have the right any more to throw out clients who arrive in sneakers without a coat and tie, he said. Sometimes in the evenings here there are clients who are so self-conscious they dont even dare to talk to each other. Dining has become too intellectual.

Alain Senderens, chef and restaurateur, born 2 December 1939, died 25 June 2017

 Washington Post
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A 110-mile-long sheet of ice is expected to break away from Antarctica's mainland in the coming weeks due to rapidly warming sea water, scientists have warned.

The rift in the Larsen C Ice Shelf, part of the Antarctic Peninsula, is growing faster than experts anticipated, with he temperature in the area rising 2.8C on average since 1950.

Once the ice section breaks away it will form an iceberg the size of the US state of Delaware  one of the largest ever recorded.

Recommended Correction to satellite data shows 140 per cent faster warming

The collapse is likely to speed up the disintegration of the entire ice shelf, which forms the most northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula, National Geographic reported.

Helen Fricker of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego told the magazine the ice shelves were "the canary in the coal mine".

They do not directly raise sea level when they melt, but their disappearance means the disintegration of the glaciers behind them accelerates. This in turn raises sea levels.

I think its time for us scientists to stop being so cautious [about communicating the risks]," Professor Fricker said.

Science news in pictures Show all 20 1 /20 Science news in pictures Science news in pictures Pluto has 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen Pluto has a 'beating heart' of frozen nitrogen that is doing strange things to its surface, Nasa has found. The mysterious core seems to be the cause of features on its surface that have fascinated scientists since they were spotted by Nasa's New Horizons mission. "Before New Horizons, everyone thought Pluto was going to be a netball - completely flat, almost no diversity," said Tanguy Bertrand, an astrophysicist and planetary scientist at NASA's Ames Research Center and the lead author on the new study. "But it's completely different. It has a lot of different landscapes and we are trying to understand what's going on there." Getty Science news in pictures Over 400 species discovered this year by Natural History Museum The ancient invertabrate worm-like species rhenopyrgus viviani (pictured) is one of over 400 species previously unknown to science that were discovered by experts at the Natural History Museum this year PA Science news in pictures Jackdaws can identify 'dangerous' humans Jackdaws can identify dangerous humans from listening to each others warning calls, scientists say. The highly social birds will also remember that person if they come near their nests again, according to researchers from the University of Exeter. In the study, a person unknown to the wild jackdaws approached their nest. At the same time scientists played a recording of a warning call (threatening) or contact calls (non-threatening). The next time jackdaws saw this same person, the birds that had previously heard the warning call were defensive and returned to their nests more than twice as quickly on average. Getty Science news in pictures Turtle embryos influence sex by shaking The sex of the turtle is determined by the temperatures at which they are incubated. Warm temperatures favour females. But by wiggling around the egg, embryos can find the Goldilocks Zone which means they are able to shield themselves against extreme thermal conditions and produce a balanced sex ratio, according to the new study published in Current Biology journal Ye et al/Current Biology Science news in pictures Elephant poaching rates drop in Africa African elephant poaching rates have dropped by 60 per cent in six years, an international study has found. It is thought the decline could be associated with the ivory trade ban introduced in China in 2017. Reuters Science news in pictures Ancient four-legged whale discovered in Peru Scientists have identified a four-legged creature with webbed feet to be an ancestor of the whale. Fossils unearthed in Peru have led scientists to conclude that the enormous creatures that traverse the planets oceans today are descended from small hoofed ancestors that lived in south Asia 50 million years ago A. Gennari Science news in pictures Animal with transient anus discovered A scientist has stumbled upon a creature with a transient anus that appears only when it is needed, before vanishing completely. Dr Sidney Tamm of the Marine Biological Laboratory could not initially find any trace of an anus on the species. However, as the animal gets full, a pore opens up to dispose of waste Steven G Johnson Science news in pictures Giant bee spotted Feared extinct, the Wallace's Giant bee has been spotted for the first time in nearly 40 years. An international team of conservationists spotted the bee, that is four times the size of a typical honeybee, on an expedition to a group of Indonesian Islands Clay Bolt Science news in pictures New mammal species found inside crocodile Fossilised bones digested by crocodiles have revealed the existence of three new mammal species that roamed the Cayman Islands 300 years ago. The bones belonged to two large rodent species and a small shrew-like animal New Mexico Museum of Natural History Science news in pictures Fabric that changes according to temperature created Scientists at the University of Maryland have created a fabric that adapts to heat, expanding to allow more heat to escape the body when warm and compacting to retain more heat when cold Faye Levine, University of Maryland Science news in pictures Baby mice tears could be used in pest control A study from the University of Tokyo has found that the tears of baby mice cause female mice to be less interested in the sexual advances of males Getty Science news in pictures Final warning to limit "climate catastrophe" The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change has issued a report which projects the impact of a rise in global temperatures of 1.5 degrees Celsius and warns against a higher increase Getty Science news in pictures Nobel prize for evolution chemists The nobel prize for chemistry has been awarded to three chemists working with evolution. Frances Smith is being awarded the prize for her work on directing the evolution of enzymes, while Gregory Winter and George Smith take the prize for their work on phage display of peptides and antibodies Getty/AFP Science news in pictures Nobel prize for laser physicists The nobel prize for physics has been awarded to three physicists working with lasers. Arthur Ashkin (L) was awarded for his "optical tweezers" which use lasers to grab particles, atoms, viruses and other living cells. Donna Strickland and Gerard Mourou were jointly awarded the prize for developing chirped-pulse amplification of lasers Reuters/AP Science news in pictures Discovery of a new species of dinosaur The Ledumahadi Mafube roamed around 200 million years ago in what is now South Africa. Recently discovered by a team of international scientists, it was the largest land animal of its time, weighing 12 tons and standing at 13 feet. In Sesotho, the South African language of the region in which the dinosaur was discovered, its name means "a giant thunderclap at dawn" Viktor Radermacher / SWNS Science news in pictures Birth of a planet Scientists have witnessed the birth of a planet for the first time ever. This spectacular image from the SPHERE instrument on ESO's Very Large Telescope is the first clear image of a planet caught in the very act of formation around the dwarf star PDS 70. The planet stands clearly out, visible as a bright point to the right of the center of the image, which is blacked out by the coronagraph mask used to block the blinding light of the central star. ESO/A. Muller et al Science news in pictures New human organ discovered that was previously missed by scientists Layers long thought to be dense, connective tissue are actually a series of fluid-filled compartments researchers have termed the interstitium. These compartments are found beneath the skin, as well as lining the gut, lungs, blood vessels and muscles, and join together to form a network supported by a mesh of strong, flexible proteins Getty Science news in pictures Previously unknown society lived in Amazon rainforest before Europeans arrived, say archaeologists Working in the Brazilian state of Mato Grosso, a team led by archaeologists at the University of Exeter unearthed hundreds of villages hidden in the depths of the rainforest. These excavations included evidence of fortifications and mysterious earthworks called geoglyphs Jose Iriarte Science news in pictures One in 10 people have traces of cocaine or heroin on fingerprints, study finds More than one in 10 people were found to have traces of class A drugs on their fingers by scientists developing a new fingerprint-based drug test. Using sensitive analysis of the chemical composition of sweat, researchers were able to tell the difference between those who had been directly exposed to heroin and cocaine, and those who had encountered it indirectly. Getty Science news in pictures Nasa releases stunning images of Jupiter's great red spot The storm bigger than the Earth, has been swhirling for 350 years. The image's colours have been enhanced after it was sent back to Earth. Pictures by: Tom Momary

The Antarctic Peninsula, which stretches us towards South America, has experiences the warmest weather on the continent.

Warm air and water from further north mean that sea ice now forms only four months a year instead of seven.

Since 1988, four ice shelves on the east side of the peninsula have disintegrated into icebergs.

Scientists have warned that if the West Antarctic Ice Sheet  a frozen sheet that rests 5,000 feet below level  were to break up and float into the ocean, it would raise sea levels by around 10 feet.

This would mean coastal areas around the world would be submerged.
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Stephen Hawking has warned that Donald Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement on climate change could push the Earth over the brink and lead to a point where global warming is irreversible.

The President announced last month that the US would be withdrawing from the Paris Agreement, which has been signed by nearly 200 nations, claiming he wants to renegotiate the USs part in the agreement to ensure American businesses are not disadvantaged.

He has highlighted the coal industry as one that would suffer under the climate change deal.

Mr Trumps decision has been widely criticised, with France, Italy and Germany issuing a statement that the deal is not negotiable, while Prime Minister Theresa May expressed her disappointment to the President in a phone call at the time.

Former President Barack Obama hit out at the decision, while the leaders of Apple, Google, Facebook, Amazon and Goldman Sachs condemned Mr Trumps judgement.

At an event to mark the theoretical physicists birthday, Mr Hawking told BBC News on Sunday he believes the Presidents decision will cause avoidable environmental damage to the planet for generations to come.

We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible. Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of two hundred and fifty degrees, and raining sulphuric acid, he said.

He added that climate change is one of the great dangers facing the planet, which can be prevented it action is taken now.

By denying the evidence of climate change and pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, the President will cause avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children, Mr Hawking told the broadcaster.

10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Show all 10 1 /10 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A group of emperor penguins face a crack in the sea ice, near McMurdo Station, Antarctica Kira Morris 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Floods destroyed eight bridges and ruined crops such as wheat, maize and peas in the Karimabad valley in northern Pakistan, a mountainous region with many glaciers. In many parts of the world, glaciers have been in retreat, creating dangerously large lakes that can cause devastating flooding when the banks break. Climate change can also increase rainfall in some areas, while bringing drought to others. Hira Ali 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Smoke  filled with the carbon that is driving climate change  drifts across a field in Colombia. Sandra Rondon 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Amid a flood in Islampur, Jamalpur, Bangladesh, a woman on a raft searches for somewhere dry to take shelter. Bangladesh is one of the most vulnerable places in the world to sea level rise, which is expected to make tens of millions of people homeless by 2050. Probal Rashid 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Sindh province in Pakistan has experienced a grim mix of two consequences of climate change. Because of climate change either we have floods or not enough water to irrigate our crop and feed our animals, says the photographer. Picture clearly indicates that the extreme drought makes wide cracks in clay. Crops are very difficult to grow. Rizwan Dharejo 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Hanna Petursdottir examines a cave inside the Svinafellsjokull glacier in Iceland, which she said had been growing rapidly. Since 2000, the size of glaciers on Iceland has reduced by 12 per cent. Tom Schifanella 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A river once flowed along the depression in the dry earth of this part of Bangladesh, but it has disappeared amid rising temperatures. Abrar Hossain 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A shepherd moves his herd as he looks for green pasture near the village of Sirohi in Rajasthan, northern India. The region has been badly affected by heatwaves and drought, making local people nervous about further predicted increases in temperature. Riddhima Singh Bhati 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change A factory in China is shrouded by a haze of air pollution. The World Health Organisation has warned such pollution, much of which is from the fossil fuels that cause climate change, is a public health emergency. Leung Ka Wa 10 photographs to show to anyone who doesn't believe in climate change Water levels in reservoirs, like this one in Gers, France, have been getting perilously low in areas across the world affected by drought, forcing authorities to introduce water restrictions. Mahtuf Ikhsan

The professor marked his birthday with a series of specially-organised public lectures on gravity and black holes.

His talk on Sunday at Cambridge University reflected on his life and scientific work, following an afternoon of lectures from other distinguished scientists, including Professor Brian Cox.

Professor Hawking said mankind must continue to go into space for the future of humanity.

I dont think we will survive another 1,000 years without escaping beyond our natural planet, he said. I therefore want to encourage public interest in space.
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A spate of acid attacks has left some Muslim residents of east London afraid to leave their homes.

Fears have been heightened after 21-year-old aspiring model Resham Khan and her cousin Jameel Muhktar, 37, suffered horrific injuries when an attacker squirted acid through their car window in Newham, east London, on 21 June.

Police initially said they had no evidence the attack was racially or religiously motivated.

They reclassified it as a hate crime, however, after Mr Muhktar insisted Islamophobia was involved, and after posts expressing sympathy for the far-right were allegedly found on the Facebook page of John Tomlin, 24, who is being sought for questioning in relation to the incident.

Resham Khan in hospital following an acid attack on 21 June (Gofundme)

As news of the attack spread, social media users began to report other acid attacks, with some speculating that Muslims or people of Asian appearance were being targeted.

The incidents included a man of Asian origin having a noxious substance squirted at him while driving in Commercial Road, Tower Hamlets, on Thursday, with the attackers stealing his car as soon as he got out to seek help.

There were also social media reports of two attacks in East Ham on Friday  one involving a woman being partially burned on her doorstep by someone pretending to be a delivery man, and the other of a woman being targeted by moped-driving acid attackers in the Plashet Grove area.

Fears about what was happening led to east London residents calling an emergency meeting on Sunday evening that was attended by Tower Hamlets mayor John Biggs.

He listened as the resident chairing the meeting said: These attacks are happening on our doorsteps. Our women, our men, our youngsters are feeling unsafe. They are scared to come out of their homes.

The fears were echoed by a local imam, who stressed that some acid attacks were robberies, not hate crimes, but admitted: Even my own wife was saying to me yesterday that she didnt want to leave the house because she might face an acid attack.

On social media, meanwhile, the warnings have included: Please be careful, especially if youre brown. These attacks seem to be targeting south Asians or Muslim looking people.

At this stage, however, the only acid attack being officially treated as a hate crime by police is the one on Ms Khan and Mr Muhktar.

Many of the other incidents seem to bear the hallmarks of particularly vicious robberies, rather than hate crimes.

In one incident, in Limehouse, east London, the victim was white, and the social media user who tweeted a video of him being hosed down with water by paramedics confirmed it had been a mugging.

It was not immediately clear whether all the incidents detailed on social media have been reported to police, but Scotland Yard told The Independent that the attack on the man who had his car stolen on Commercial Road was being treated as a robbery.

A spokesman added that it was not being linked to the attack on Ms Khan and Mr Muhktar, which took place in the neighbouring borough of Newham.

In another attack cited on social media, outside Whipps Cross Hospital in Leytonstone on 8 June, the victim, junior doctor Syed Nadeem, 44, said four masked men on mopeds had rushed towards him shouting: Give me your money or Ill cut your throat. Mr Nadeem was sprayed in the face with acid and suffered burns to his face and arms.

Mr Nadeem did reveal that NHS staff had been sent a warning on WhatsApp after A&E doctors treated three other victims for acid burns in the space of an hour. He said: We got a text message saying people had been knocking on car windows and when you open it, they throw acid in.

The methods outlined in the warning and in the robbery of Mr Nadeem seem similar to those used in the attack on the woman driver near Plashet Grove in East Ham.

This was described as an attack by four men on mopeds. The intended victim escaped unharmed because her car doors were locked and her windows were up.

The incidents in Newham and Tower Hamlets also come after the two boroughs were said to be among the areas of London where acid attacks are most common.

In March, a Freedom of Information request to the Metropolitan Police suggested Newham was the London borough with the most recorded acid attacks, with 398 incidents between 2011 and 2016.

Tower Hamlets had the third highest number of acid attacks, with 84 incidents recorded between 2011 and 2016.

The figures also showed a sharp rise in acid attacks across London as a whole, with 431 incidents in the capital in 2016, compared to 261 in 2015.

Worldwide, about 80 per cent of acid attacks are by men on women, often in revenge for spurned sexual advances or marriage proposals.

But in the UK, acid attack charities believe that a high percentage of attacks are male-on-male, with gang members increasingly using acid as an easily-obtained weapon.

The attack on Ms Khan and Mr Muhktar has led to a more than 255,000 people signing a petition calling for tighter restrictions on the sale of corrosive acid.

Stand Up To Racism is also organising a vigil in solidarity with the two cousins, to be held at Stratford Station in east London on Wednesday evening.
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A teenager whose phone passcode was Isis has been given a life sentence after planning terrorist attacks across London.

Haroon Ali Syed will serve at least 15 years before being considered for parole after he pleaded guilty to preparing for acts of terrorism between April and September 2016.

The 19-year-old from Hounslow admitted trying to get a machine gun, suicide vest and handguns but when he was unable to do so, settled on attempting to source a nail bomb.

He allegedly planned to use the weapon at a crowded area, such as Oxford street, or at an Elton John concert on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Syed unknowingly spoke to an undercover officer online and requested assistance in sourcing weapons.

Upon investigating, digital forensic analysis of his electronic devices showed Syed carried out numerous internet searches for Isis propaganda, bomb making guides and what appeared to be articles justifying the killing of women and children.

Commander Dean Haydon, of Metropolitan Police Counter Terrorism Command, said: "Our close working relationship with MI5 ensured we uncovered evidence that Syed was plotting to kill innocent members of the public.

"Today's sentence has ensured that a dangerous individual harbouring violent, terrorist ambitions has been removed from our community.

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pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 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October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA UK news in pictures 14 September 2022 The first members of the public pay their respects as the vigil begins around the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II in Westminster Hall, London, where it will lie in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

"This case is another example of the severity of the current threat from terrorism, which we cannot tackle alone. I urge communities to continue to support the police by reporting anything they feel is suspicious. Even if you think it is insignificant, please report it, and our specialist officers will decide the best course of action."

Two other men were arrested with Syed but were released with no further action taken.
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Pope Francis has called for the parents of terminally-ill Charlie Gard to be allowed to accompany and treat their child until the end.

It comes as Chris Gard and Connie Yates are spending the last days of their 10-month-old sons life with him, after being given more time before his life-support is turned off.

In a statement, the Vatican press office said the Pope is following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected.

Charlie, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, is being cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

The little boy has been at the centre of a lengthy legal battle between his parents, who wanted him to undergo a therapy trial in the US, and specialists at the hospital who said the treatment was experimental and would not help.

On Friday, a picture of the couple sleeping on either side of their son in hospital was posted on their Twitter account alongside the hashtags #jesuisCharlieGard #charliesfight #letcharliegohome.

The couple released an emotional video a day earlier saying they had been told Charlie would die on Friday.

They said they had been denied their final wish to be able to take their son home to die and felt let down after losing their legal fight.

The hospital later confirmed it was putting plans in place for his care.

Charlies plight has touched many people and the family received donations totalling more than 1.3m to take him to the US for therapy.

Monsignor Vincenzo Paglia of the Vaticans Pontifical Academy for Life issued a statement saying: Dear Charlie, dear parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates, we are praying for you and with you.

He also drew criticism for saying the parents wishes should be respected, but that they must also be helped to understand the unique difficulty of their situation.

Charlies parents, both in their 30s and from Bedfont, west London, had asked European court judges in Strasbourg, France, to consider their case after judges in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London ruled in favour of GOSH doctors.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA

But last week the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene.

On Sunday, campaigners carrying a banner that said Its Murder gathered outside Buckingham Palace to protest against the courts decision.

Other posters with pictures of Charlie said Where theres life, theres hope and parental rights.

Press Association
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Those who were illegally subletting their properties in Grenfell Tower will not be prosecuted, the government has said.

Communities Secretary, Sajid David, said protection would be given to anyone who came forward with information about people who were in their flats at the time of the fire.

Reports have suggested that some residents were unlawfully subletting their properties and were reluctant to inform authorities that people were missing.

Attorney general Jeremy Wright QC said: Every piece of information will help the authorities accurately identify who was in the flats at the time of the fire. I hope this statement provides some much-needed clarity to residents and the local community, and encourages anyone with information to come forward.

At least 80 people are believed to have died in the fire at the tower block in Kensington and it is thought the full death toll will not be known for months.

The news comes as a total of 181 high-rise buildings have failed safety tests that were carried out after the Grenfell Tower fire, the Government has said.

Officials have been conducting tests on 600 high-rise buildings across the country after the blaze ripped through the 24-storey building.

In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Show all 51 1 /51 In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police have released images from inside the tower where at least 58 people have died Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by polices what appears to be a stationary bicycle sitting among the ashes In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A still from a video shared by police shows the remnants of a burnt-out bathroom In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Picture showing the lifts on an unknown floor Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency crews outside the front entrance to the tower Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Fire crews inspecting flats in the burnt out tower London Metropolitan Police In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Grenfell Tower is seen in the distance PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A drone flies near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire 'Theresa May Stay Away' message written on the messages of support at Latymer Community Church for those affected by the fire Ray Tang/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire An aerial view of the area surrounding Grenfall tower Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Donated shoes sit in the Westway Sports Centre near to the site of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of support for those affected by the massive fire in Grenfell Tower are displayed on a well near the tower in London AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A local resident stands on her balcony by the gutted Grenfell Tower in Latimer Road Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Messages of condolence are left at a relief centre close to the scene of the fire that broke out at Grenfell Tower, EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A police officer stands by a security cordon outside Latimer Road station Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firemen examine the scorched facade of the Grenfell Tower in London on a huge ladder AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A search dog is led through the rubble of the Grenfell Tower in London as firefighting continue to damp-down the deadly fire AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn comforts a local resident (name not given) at St Clement's Church in west London where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn hugs councillor Mushtaq Lasharie as he arrives at St Clement's Church in Latimer Road, where volunteers have provided shelter and support for people affected by the fire at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn meeting staff and volunteers at St Clementis Church in Latimer Road David Mirzoeff/PA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Firefighters with a dog walk around the base of the Grenfell Tower REUTERS/Peter Nicholls In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emotions run high as people attend a candle lit vigil outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near the 24 storey residential Grenfell Tower block in Latimer Road, West London Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Debris hangs from the blackened exterior of Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman speaks to Mayor of London Sadiq Khan outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman holds a missing person posters near the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Sadiq Khan speaking with a resident James Gourley/REX In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Ken Livingstone walks near the scene of the Grenfell Tower fire Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan is confronted by Kai Ramos, 7, near Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Mayor of London Sadiq Khan speaks to a woman outside Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Yui Mok/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers distribute aid near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Family and friends of missing Jessica Urbano, 12, wearing photographs of Jessica pinned to their t-shirts gather near Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People gather to observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People light candles as they observe a vigil outside St Clement's Church following the blaze at Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People attend a vigil at Notting Hill Methodist Church near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man distributes food from the back of a van near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A firefighter is cheered near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A T-shirt with a written message from the London Fire Brigade hangs from a fence near The Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A young girl on her way to lay flowers near Grenfell Tower Getty Images In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire The remains of residential tower block Grenfell Tower are seen from Dixon House a nearby tower block Getty In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers prepare supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block which was destroyed in a fire REUTERS/Neil Hall In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Volunteers move a car to make space for a lorry picking up supplies for people affected by the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Stefan Wermuth In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire People distribute boxes of food near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower bloc REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A woman touches a missing poster for 12-year-old Jessica Urbano on a tribute wall after laying flowers on the side of Latymer Community Church next to the fire-gutted Grenfell Tower AP In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire A man looks at messages written on a wall near the scene of the fire which destroyed the Grenfell Tower block REUTERS/Paul Hackett In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Candles and messages of condolence near where the fire broke out at Grenfell Tower EPA In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry a stretcher towards Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Emergency services at Grenfell Tower Rick Findler/PA Wire In Pictures: Grenfell Tower after the fire Police carry out a body from Grenfell Tower in west London after a fire engulfed the 24-storey building Rick Findler/PA Wire

The Department for Communities said that the cladding from 181 high-rise buildings in 51 local authority areas had failed tests.

The highest number of these towers reportedly came from Salford, where 29 buildings were found with at-risk material, according to the Sun.
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Children may still be at risk in Jerseys care system, a damning report into the sexual and physical abuse of hundreds of children on the island has found.

The report said authorities turned a blind eye to abuse of vulnerable victims spanning more than seven decades and starting shortly after the end of the Second World War.

The Independent Jersey Care Inquiry recommended that the Haut de La Garenne childrens home, where hundreds of offences took place, be demolished.

The report found childrens rights were being disregarded and children were left abandoned in the care system.

It also said children were being blamed rather than their abusive carers and concluded that the States of Jersey proved to be an ineffectual and neglectful substitute parent.

The Jersey government was described as ignorant, uncaring and unwilling to deal with reports of abuse.

Chief Minister, Senator Ian Gorst, told the BBC: We failed children who needed our care.

He apologised to all those who suffered abuse in our island over the years.

The inquiry, led by Judge Frances Oldham QC, heard more than 200 witnesses following a three-year inquiry into widespread abuse in the care system.

The report said at the end of the inquirys hearings in June 2016 aspects of Jerseys services for children remained not fully fit for purpose.

Children may still be at risk in Jersey and children in the care system are not always receiving the kind of quality of care and support that they need, it added.

Instances of physical and sexual abuse and of emotional neglect were becoming a normal part of life for children in care, according to the report.

Judge Oldham heard 553 offences that took place on the island between 1947 and 2004 and over half were said to have occurred at Haut de la Garenne, which is described as a reminder of a shameful history and a symbol of turmoil and trauma.

Jimmy Savile regularly visited the care home.

The report found that the wellbeing of vulnerable children had been low on the list of the islands priorities and that the abuse had devastating and lifelong consequences for the children in care.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

It stated: Failings were at all levels: there was no political interest in defining and promoting standards of care and performance in residential care and no will to invest the resources required in child care services.

Unsuitable people who were appointed to management roles, often on the basis of local connections, lacked the leadership skills to manage and raise practice standards and had little up to date knowledge of child care theory and practice.

As a result, ill-suited carers continued to look after children in unsuitable facilities, using outdated practices. The consequences for the children in their care were devastating and, in many instances, lifelong.

Until the 1990s there was no system in place to report abuse and children were often afraid to come forward, the report added.

It said a cultural change was now needed on the island after the Jersey Way was largely blamed for systematic failings and the behaviour of many sweeping serious issues under the carpet.

The inquiry panel issued more than 600 recommendations, including the appointment of a specific commissioner for children, giving children a voice through an effective complaints system, further inspection of services, more work in recruiting and retaining suitably qualified staff and a public acknowledgement for victims.

Mr Gorst said he would accept every recommendation.
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Perpetrators of revenge porn could be prosecuted and spend up to five years behind bars following the introduction of a new law in Scotland.

The Abusive Behaviour and Sexual Harm Act targets people who share intimate images of other people without consent.

It comes in an age where smartphones and social media make this kind of activity ever more prevalent, according to research.

The legislation, which was passed unanimously by MSPs in March and came into force this month, makes it an offence to disclose, or threaten to disclose, an intimate photograph or film without consent.

It comes more than two years after a similar law was passed in England, and more than 200 people have since been prosecuted. Under English law, the maximum penalty is two years imprisonment.

Scotland's Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said that some people use social media to abuse, intimidate, harass or expose others and the impact could be hugely damaging.

There is no place for this abusive and manipulative behaviour in Scotland, and the threat of sharing images without consent will be viewed just as seriously as the act of sharing, he said.

The maximum penalty of up to five years reflects the serious nature of this crime and anyone who shares or threatens to share an intimate image without consent will feel the full force of the law.

A new public awareness campaign called Not Yours To Share aims to educate people on what constitutes a crime.

The campaign was developed in partnership with Scottish Womens Aid, Rape Crisis Scotland, ASSIST, Police Scotland and the Crown Office.

Research from Scottish Womens Aid found that 78 per cent of Scottish adults think it should be illegal for someone to share an intimate image they have been sent.

Marsha Scott, chief executive of Scottish Womens Aid, told Heart Scotland News that the milestone legislation would be a first step to prevent online abuse.

I think we have to wait and see how well its policed, how well its prosecuted, the extent to which women have confidence in the system to come forward and share what is undoubtedly a shameful feeling and it will be about how robust everybody takes their job.


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A former Conservative MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer insisted that the Government cuts over the past eight years did not represent austerity.

Norman Lamont, a Baron who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer in the early 1990s and is a member of the House of Lords, told the Today programme that austerity was just another word for living within ones means.

Austerity is just another word for living within ones means. Its not really austerity.

When pushed on his claim, he insisted that private sector pay has declined in real terms and public sector pay was, on average, higher.

What I am objecting to [] is the idea we should abandon restraint on public expenditure. The control of public sector pay is extremely important.

Its roughly half of current expenditure and about 30 per cent of total expenditure. It comes to 200 billion plus a year.

In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street Show all 7 1 /7 In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Anti-austerity protesters shout slogans outside Downing Street as the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne left 11 Downing Street In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Anti-austerity protesters gather outside Downing Street as the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne left 11 Downing Street in London In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Anti-austerity protester spekas outside Downing Street as the Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne presents his summer budget to Parliament and is expected to announce 12 billion in welfare cuts In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Anti-austerity protesters prepare to throw balls towards Downing Street In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Anti-austerity protester outside Downing Street In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Police clear up balloons left at the entrance to Downing Street In pictures: Anti-austerity protest outside Downing Street London Anti-austerity protesters throw balls towards Downing Street

UK public sector workers saw their total earnings rise by an estimated 0.9 per cent in 2016 - the lowest year-on-year increase so far this century.

It followed average rises of 1.9 per cent in 2013, 1 per cent in 2014 and 1.9 per cent in 2015, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The Tory Cabinet is reportedly split over whether the Government should raise taxes as hatred of the blanket 1 per cent public sector pay cap grows.

Michael Gove said taxpayers would not foot the bill, but Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond reportedly warned ministers that unpopular tax rises will be necessary.

 Thousands of anti-austerity protesters show support for Jeremy Corbyn

Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson said he would also support ending the public sector pay gap if it was done in a responsible way.

The U-turn of Tory austerity comes after the party failed to win the majority of younger voters and an overall majority in Parliament at the June 8 election. Labour, which campaigned against austerity, surged by 34 seats.

Around 40 backbench MPs were intent on rebelling if Mr Hammond did not come up with the money to end the public sector pay cap.

Austerity, brought in under George Osborne in 2010, was designed to reduce the debt and deficit of the UK.

The deficit still stands at 50bn and the national debt has risen to 1,7 billion.

 Jeremy Corbyn: Grenfell Tower has exposed the disastrous effect of austerity

Liberal Democrat Treasury spokesman Vince Cable, who is vying for the party leadership, said people who work in the public sector are due a pay rise.

The situation has changed since the public-sector pay cap was first introduced, at a time when there was a real budget emergency and fear of large-scale public-sector unemployment, he said.

The issue we face now is very different. We are struggling to recruit and retain public-sector staff.

He suggested the money could be found by raising corporation tax.
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Hundreds of people are planning to attend an event campaigning for Boris Johnson to be unseated from his west London constituency.

The event, which was set up by campaigner and columnist Owen Jones, is set to take place in the Foreign Secretary's Uxbridge seat.

Thousands have said they are interested in attending on 23 July to canvas against the politician.

 Owen Jones says Theresa May is a risk to national security

"The case for campaigning to replace Boris Johnson with a Labour MP is so overwhelming it barely needs writing," Mr Jones wrote on the Facebook event page.

"Johnson was sacked twice for lying: by his newspaper editor and his party leader. Johnson has called black people 'piccaninnies' with 'watermelon smiles'.

"Johnson once discussed the possibility of a journalist beaten up in a recorded phone interview."

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

The former London mayor saw his majority slashed by half in June's general election, taking 23,716 votes, a majority of 5,034 ahead of Labour's Vincent Lo.

In 2015, the politician won with a majority of 10,700 votes over his Labour rival.

On Monday, Mr Johnson became the latest senior figure to argue the 1 per cent ceiling on wage rises must be lifted after seven years, in the wake of the Conservatives election disaster.
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The newest member of Theresa Mays Brexit negotiating team has been filmed calling for the destruction of the European Union, The Independent can reveal.

In a speech to a right-wing think tank, minister Steve Baker said the EU should be wholly torn down, before branding it an obstacle to world peace and incompatible with a free society.

Tory MPs warned Mr Bakers appointment could now risk the UKs ability to secure good Brexit terms, while Labour said it was extraordinary and raised a major question about the Prime Ministers judgement.

The comments are likely to prove embarrassing for Ms May as she heads into meetings with European leaders this week, including Angela Merkel and Emmanuel Macron.

In the video Mr Baker tells a cheering audience: I think Ukip and the Better Off Out campaign lack ambition. I think the European Union needs to be wholly torn down.

Filmed at an event by The Libertarian Alliance in 2010, he goes on to argue that the EU has succeeded in raising economic nationalism to a continental scale.

The Wycombe MP, who played a lead role in the Leave campaign, adds: It was meant to defeat economic nationalism, it is therefore a failure in its own terms.

If we wish to devolve power to the lowest possible level, make it accountable and move on into a free society, then its clearly incompatible.

What I want is free trade and peace among all the nations of Europe as well as the world and in my view the European Union is an obstacle to that.

The cabinet and wider Tory party is split over the EU, with many MPs pushing a weakened Prime Minister for a more jobs-focussed approach to withdrawal, while Brexiteers are said to have threatened resignations if she changes tack.

Backbench Tories have also said they are working with other parties to try and soften the hardline approach to Brexit Ms May took into the election.

After seeing the video, one Conservative MP told The Independent: It just reveals what the extreme Brexiteers have been about all along.

Its not enough to take the UK out of the EU. They want the entire thing to fall apart.

How is it possible to negotiate a deep and special relationship with the EU, when you have ministers who want the institutions they are negotiating with to disintegrate?

Another MP said: This is only going to further embitter relations. It doesnt help our chances of getting a deal.

What experts have said about Brexit Show all 11 1 /11 What experts have said about Brexit What experts have said about Brexit Chancellor of the Exchequer Philip Hammond The Chancellor claims London can still be a world financial hub despite Brexit One of Britains great strengths is the ability to offer and aggregate all of the services the global financial services industry needs This has not changed as a result of the EU referendum and I will do everything I can to ensure the City of London retains its position as the worlds leading international financial centre. Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Yanis Varoufakis Greece's former finance minister compared the UK relations with the EU bloc with a well-known song by the Eagles: You can check out any time you like, as the Hotel California song says, but you can't really leave. The proof is Theresa May has not even dared to trigger Article 50. It's like Harrison Ford going into Indiana Jones' castle and the path behind him fragmenting. You can get in, but getting out is not at all clear Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Michael OLeary Ryanair boss says UK will be screwed by EU in Brexit trade deals: I have no faith in the politicians in London going on about how the world will want to trade with us. The world will want to screw you  that's what happens in trade talks, he said. They have no interest in giving the UK a deal on trade Getty What experts have said about Brexit Tim Martin JD Wetherspoon's chairman has said claims that the UK would see serious economic consequences from a Brexit vote were "lurid" and wrong: We were told it would be Armageddon from the OECD, from the IMF, David Cameron, the chancellor and President Obama who were predicting locusts in the fields and tidal waves in the North Sea" PA What experts have said about Brexit Mark Carney Governor of Bank of England is 'serene' about Bank of England's Brexit stance: I am absolutely serene about the  judgments made both by the MPC and the FPC Reuters What experts have said about Brexit Christine Lagarde IMF chief urges quick Brexit to reduce economic uncertainty: We want to see clarity sooner rather than later because we think that a lack of clarity feeds uncertainty, which itself undermines investment appetites and decision making Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Inga Beale Lloyds chief executive says Brexit is a major issue: "Clearly the UK's referendum on its EU membership is a major issue for us to deal with and we are now focusing our attention on having in place the plans that will ensure Lloyd's continues trading across Europe EPA What experts have said about Brexit Colm Kelleher President of US bank Morgan Stanley says City of London will suffer as result of the EU referendum: I do believe, and I said prior to the referendum, that the City of London will suffer as result of Brexit. The issue is how much What experts have said about Brexit Richard Branson Virgin founder believes we've lost a THIRD of our value because of Brexit and cancelled a deal worth 3,000 jobs: We're not any worse than anybody else, but I suspect we've lost a third of our value which is dreadful for people in the workplace.' He continued: "We were about to do a very big deal, we cancelled that deal, that would have involved 3,000 jobs, and thats happening all over the country" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Barack Obama US President believes Britain was wrong to vote to leave the EU: "It is absolutely true that I believed pre-Brexit vote and continue to believe post-Brexit vote that the world benefited enormously from the United Kingdom's participation in the EU. We are fully supportive of a process that is as little disruptive as possible so that people around the world can continue to benefit from economic growth" Getty Images What experts have said about Brexit Kristin Forbes American economist and an external member of the Monetary Policy Committee of the Bank of England argues that the economy had been less stormy than many expected following the shock referendum result: For nowthe economy is experiencing some chop, but no tsunami. The adverse winds could quickly pick up  and merit a stronger policy response. But recently they have shifted to a more favourable direction Getty

Tory MP Anna Soubry said: "Now he's a minister he will be bound by collective responsibility and his views will no doubt be tempered by realism and maturity."

Shadow Brexit Secretary Keir Starmer, who has called for a more co-operative approach to Brexit, said: there should be no place for Mr Bakers views at the Department for Exiting the European Union.

He added: It is extraordinary that Theresa May has put such an extreme Brexiteer at the heart of the Government.

This poses real questions about her judgement and the Governments desire to build the collaborative, cooperative future partnership we need with the EU.

Liberal Democrat Brexit spokesperson Tom Brake attacked Ms May for appointing a Brexit minister dedicated to destroying the EU.

The issue will hang over the Prime Minister as she meets German Chancellor Ms Merkel and French President Mr Macron at the G20 in Hamburg on Friday, whom she has both assured the UK wants a deep and special relationship with the EU.

On the same day Brexit Secretary David Davis is inviting jittery business leaders to Chevening in a bid to convince them discussions are in good hands and EU withdrawal will not damage their hope of future trade with the bloc.

A spokesman for Mr Baker said he now supports the Government's position and that is why he was happy to take up a ministerial position.

He was taken on in the post-election reshuffle as Ms May desperately attempted to shore up her position with MPs livid that she had botched the election campaign and lost her partys majority.

He brought with him the backing of a large swathe of the Tory backbenches  he was chair of Conservatives for Britain, a 50-strong group of Tories who fought Leave, and then went on to run the European Research Group, a pro-Brexit backbench organisation.

The reshuffle which brought him in saw half the ministerial team at Dexeu replaced, with one sacked and another, George Bridges, walking out after it was claimed he became convinced Brexit couldnt work.

Earlier this year, Mr Baker compiled a list of 27 Tory colleagues he claimed were considering voting for changes to Ms Mays Brexit plans, accusing them of seeking to overturn the referendum.

At the time, Mr Baker said: This is a time to unite behind a democratic result, not plot to repudiate it. Any vote to amend this simple bill is a vote against implementation of the referendum result.

Mr Baker is also under pressure to reveal his links to a group that donated 435,000 to the DUP to campaign for Brexit during last years referendum.

The MP was handed 6,500 by the obscure Constitutional Research Council, the body which used a legal loophole to channel the money to the DUP.
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A Conservative MP has drawn criticism for telling a nurse he would not support a public sector pay increase because it was being spearheaded by Labour Marxists.

A nurse wrote to the Charles Walker, MP for Broxbourne, asking him to support a Labour amendment to the Queens Speech that would have lifted the cap.

But the politician rejected the request, saying: There is simply no chance of me, elected as a Conservative Member of Parliament, supporting any amendment tabled by the Labour Party while it is led by the Marxist duo of Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell.

Two people who have consistently sided with the enemies of our country and have total contempt for its institutions of governance and law.

He continued: If the Labour Party wants to be taken seriously it needs to be led by serious people. People who have the gravitas and standing of past Labour giants such as Attlee, Bevan, Blair and Brown.

Chris Williamson, Labour MP for Derby North described the letter as pathetic, saying the message demonstrated the Conservative Party was unfit to represent the public.

MPs voted against a Labour amendment to the Queens Speech to force the Government to drop the pay cap on public sector workers in June.

But Mr Walkers comments, made shortly after the vote, emerged amid growing calls for wage increases from within the Tory party.

Recommended End of public sector pay cap looks inevitable as Cabinet revolts

Pay rises for five million public sector workers have effectively been capped at 1 per cent since 2013. Prior to that, wages were frozen for two years for all but the lowest-paid workers.

The Tories proposed maintaining the cap until 2020 during the election campaign, but after losing their majority, senior party members have called for a new strategy.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon 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2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male 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news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. 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Ministers Boris Johnson and Michael Gove have both said the cap should be dropped and said there was a "fiscally responsible" was of doing so.

Cabinet ministers are reportedly calling for more funding for their departments, with Education Secretary Justine Greening demanding 1bn and Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt calling for more cash for NHS staff, The Observer reported.

In the face of mounting pressure, Downing Street said on Sunday the Government would consider potential increases for nurses, police officers and firefighters on a case by case" basis.

Mr Corbyn  who campaigned on an anti-austerity message before the election  called Ms Mays handling of the cap issue a shambles.

The Institute for Fiscal Studies has suggested increasing public sector pay in line with the private sector would cost 6bn a year by 2019/20.
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Jeremy Corbyn has made a raft of appointments to Labour's front bench as he seeks to unite the party after cementing his position as leader.

The Labour leader has given jobs to 20 MPs, including a number that have been openly critical of his leadership.

Among those to be brought back into the fold are former Shadow Young People Secretary Gloria de Piero, who was the second MP to resign from the Shadow Cabinet last June citing concerns about Mr Corbyn's leadership.

Roberta Blackman-Woods, the former housing minister, has been given a job in the International Development team. Resigning as a minister last year, Ms Blackman-Woods told Mr Corbyn: "I no longer have confidence in you as a leader who can display the attributes listed above and enable us to win a general election.

You could, and should, have shown more decisive and visionary leadership and your failure to step down means that I must, she added.

Karl Turner, who resigned as Shadow Attorney General last year after telling Mr Corbyn it was "increasingly clear that you do not hold the support of the Shadow Cabinet and the wider Parliamentary Labour Party", has been appointed as shadow transport minister. So, too, has Rachel Maskell, who stepped down as Shadow Environment Secretary in February in order to vote against Labour's position on Brexit.

Mr Corbyn has also handed jobs to a number of MPs elected last month  just days after they were officially sworn in. His staunch ally Chris Williamson, who was re-elected as MP for Derby North, is appointed to the Home Affairs team led by Diane Abbott. He is joined by Nick Thomas Symonds, who resigned as shadow pensions minister last June after saying he had lost confidence in [Mr Corbyn's] ability to unite the party and take on the Tories.

Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Show all 9 1 /9 Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Brexit Labour is committed to leaving the European Union but would have different negotiating priorities to the Conservatives. It has said it would have a strong emphasis on staying in the single market and the customs union. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and leading figures in Brussels have been unambiguous that membership of the single market is impossible without free movement. PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Immigration The party would drop bogus immigration targets but move to a managed system of migration favoured by many leave voters. It has said this may include employer sponsorship, work permits, visa regulations or a tailored mix of all these. Getty Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained The Economy Labours manifesto commits to balance government spending with the amount raised by taxation, which can mean little more than significant tax increases. The greatest burden will fall on higher earners but they cannot meet demand on their own. It has also promised to bring rail companies back in to public ownership and cap fares. The party would also renationalise Royal Mail. It also promises a transition to publicly owned energy. Peter Byrne/PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Tax No one earning under 80,000 would pay any more in national insurance or income tax. It would raise corporation tax, from the current low of 19p to 26p. This higher rate would still be a competitive internationally, but the government is currently fighting hard to attract business in the wake of Brexit and they say a low corporation tax rate is crucial. Labour would also lower the top, 45p income tax threshold to 80,000. In theory, this could raise 7bn, but only if higher earnings did not decide to move abroad. Reuters Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained NHS Labour has promised more money for GP services, free hospital parking for patients, staff and visitors, and to take a million people off NHS waiting lists by guaranteeing treatment within eighteen weeks. These promises will be expensive to keep, and there is no certainty that the party s commitment to raising taxes on higher earners, increasing capital gains tax and reversing cuts to corporation tax will be enough to meet the need. PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Education The party has pledged to abolish university tuition fees and reintroduce maintenance grants and give free school meals to all schoolchildren. PA Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Housing Labours manifesto commits to building 1m new homes, and would introduce controls on rent rises for private renters. It would also scrap the so-called bedroom tax. Getty Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Environment Labour would ban fracking, but, crucially, also supports new nuclear projects. It would also introduce a new Clean Air Act to deal with illegal air quality Getty Should I vote Labour? Corbyn's biggest policies explained Defence Its manifesto says it is committed to the NATO target of 2 per cent spending on defence. It is also committed to the renewal of Trident, even though Jeremy Corbyn has spent a lifetime campaigning against it. AFP/Getty Images

Other new MPs given frontbench jobs include Paul Sweeney, who won the Glasgow North East seat from the SNP and becomes Shadow Scotland Minister. Anneliese Dodds, the newly elected Oxford East MP, joins John McDonnell's shadow Treasury team.

Former Manchester Mayor Tony Lloyd, now the MP for Rochdale, is appointed to the shadow housing team alongside Grimsby MP Melanie Onn, who previously voted that she had no confidence in Mr Corbyn.

Announcing the new appointments, Mr Corbyn said: Im delighted to be filling Labours shadow front bench with a wealth of talent. Our new shadow ministers will bolster the excellent work of Labours shadow cabinet and departmental teams.

These appointments are further evidence that Labour is not just the opposition  we are the government in waiting.

The Labour leader has secured his position after defying predictions by increasing the party's vote share and number of seats at the general election.

Tom Watson, Labour's deputy leader who had previously called on Mr Corbyn to step down, has said the left-winger is "unbeatable" and could be leader for years.
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Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has confirmed that no power-sharing deal has been reached in Northern Ireland.

Thursday's deadline had been extended to 4pm today. Mr Brokenshire said progress had been made between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party and that a deal remains achievable but warned that time is running out.

Mr Brokenshire said that since the election in March, civil servants not politicians have been making decisions in Northern Ireland  a hiatus he said could not continue indefinitely.

He said the Westminster Government may have to step in to allow money to be spent.

He also said the Government intended to bring forward legislation forcing Northern Ireland parties to declare the sources of their funding from 1 July 2017. Sinn Fein currently receives large donations from foreign donors, particularly in the US, an arrangement that is outlawed for UK political parties outside Northern Ireland.

As Mr Brokenshire spoke at Westminster, the main parties at Stormont continued to blame each other for the impasse.

DUP leader Arlene Foster claimed Sinn Fein was more concerned with adding to its shopping list of demands rather than seeking compromises to restore power-sharing.

Ms Foster said her party wanted to see devolution up and running again but was not prepared to sign off on a one-sided deal that would leave the unionist community feeling short-changed.

Sinn Fein have a shopping list, a shopping list that seems to get longer every time we meet with them, she said.

That is very disappointing for all of the people of Northern Ireland, who make it very clear to us that they want to see devolution back up and running again on a fair and proportionate basis.

She added: The onus is really on Sinn Fein now. Whether they want to continue with this political grandstanding or whether they want to get back to the job of work that we need to do.

I think it's long past the time when we should be back in government.

Earlier, Sinn Fein negotiator Conor Murphy again accused the DUP of refusing to budge on a series of outstanding disputes.

The republican party is demanding DUP movement on a proposed Irish Language Act; a bill of rights for the region; legalisation of same sex marriage; and measures dealing with the legacy of the Troubles.

We don't see any urgency in terms of the DUP approach to this and we don't expect and don't think it is likely that there will be a deal in the short term because there is that lack of urgency, he said.

Reflecting on the upcoming Twelfth of July, the mainstay of the loyal order marching season, he added: We are in the bizarre situation, I'm sure its unique to here, that over the summer time we have to break because the atmosphere becomes too hostile for political negotiations.

Mr Murphy continued: Now we find ourselves up against the Twelfth of July where the atmosphere becomes so hostile that the DUP are even less likely to move on some of these issues.

In regard to the Irish language, Mrs Foster said her party was willing to support proposals that would find favour among the majority of Gaelic speakers.

She claimed Sinn Fein was pressing for much more, accusing the party of wanting to assert "cultural supremacy" over other sections of the community.

Mr Brokenshire said progress had been made on language, culture and identity issues but gaps remained between the parties.

The Government remains committed to working with the parties and the Irish government to find a way to close those gaps quickly.

I continue to believe that a deal remains achievable and if agreement is reached I will bring forward legislation to enable an executive to be formed, possibly as early as this week.

He reiterated time was short.

It is six months since a full executive was in place to represent the people of Northern Ireland.

It is civil servants, not politicians, who have made decisions.

Without political direction it is not possible for strategic decisions to be made about priorities in areas such as education and health."

The devolved institutions imploded in January when Ms Foster was forced from office after Sinn Feins then Deputy First Minister, the late Martin McGuinness, quit.

That was in protest at the DUPs handling of the renewable heat incentive (RHI), a scheme that left the administration facing a 490m overspend.

One of the main current sticking points is over Sinn Fein's call for an act officially protecting the Irish language.

The DUP is prepared to legislate, but only if there are reciprocal protections for Ulster-Scots speakers.
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The Government has been criticised for re-announcing the same money to improve broadband speed three times over the last half year, in a bid to generate positive headlines.

The 400 million Digital Infrastructure Investment fund was first trailed in the media a few days before the Autumn Statement in late November last year, before being officially announced by the Chancellor Philip Hammond.

Further headlines appeared in March when the same cash was announced around the Spring Budget.

Now in July, the Treasury is announcing the fund again, with junior Treasury minister Andrew Jones holding a launch event in Peterborough on Monday. The event was again briefed out to news organisations on Sunday afternoon.

The Treasury confirmed that the money was the same money as had been previously announced.

The fund will be managed by private sector partners and the Government hopes it can raise an additional 1bn in capital.

Mr Jones, Exchequer Secretary to the Treasury, is expected to say: We are investing 400m to make sure the UKs digital infrastructure is match-fit for the future. As technologies change and peoples habits move with them, it is crucial we play our part to ensure Britain stays at the front of the pack.

Gone will be the days where parents working from home see their emails grind to a halt while a family member is gaming or streaming Game of Thrones in the next room. Full fibre will provide us with the better broadband we need to ensure we can work flexibly and productively, without connections failing.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

But Louise Haigh, Labours shadow digital economy minister, told The Independent that the re-announcement showed a lack of new policy thinking in government.

This shows the paucity of the Governments strategy and vision for digital infrastructure in this country that theyve had to re-announce the same policy three times, she said.

Businesses and individuals across the country are dependent on reliable internet, and the Governments lack of progress is undeniably holding the economy back.

Conservative MP Grant Shapps chair of the cross-party British Infrastructure Group of MPs, said: BIG welcomes the Digital Infrastructure Fund, which promises a 400 million investment in broadband connectivity. However, it is now vital that instead of re-announcing this Fund again for the third time, the Government starts to focus on how this investment can actually improve broadband speeds and accessibility across the UK as a whole.
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Human rights groups have accused the Government of holding back a report into deaths in custody, which was due to be published a year ago.

Theresa May commissioned an independent review on police custody deaths two years ago when she was Home Secretary.

It was due to be published in the summer of 2016 but has not yet been made public and there is currently no release date.

A group of 30 charities, community groups and a retired police chief superintendent have signed a letter calling on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to release the findings immediately.

The statement, published in The Guardian, said: The continued and unexplained delays suggest the Government is holding back on publishing the report.

We therefore call on Home Secretary Amber Rudd to immediately release the report of the independent review into deaths in police custody.

Families have been calling for transparency and justice on deaths in custody for decades.

By releasing the report of the independent review the Government can begin to convince bereaved families that it is committed to transparency and justice for the families affected by deaths in custody.

The letter cites the case of Sarah Reed, 32, who was found dead in her cell at HMP Holloway in north London in January 2016.

She was previously assaulted and struck in the head by a police officer while being held on suspicion of shoplifting.

Her relatives will be expecting answers on the level of care she received and her wider treatment by public authorities, it added.

Scottish lawyer Dame Elish Angiolini was appointed to conduct the review in 2015.

It was set to examine the procedures and processes surrounding deaths and serious incidents in police custody, considering the extent to which ethnicity is a factor in such incidents.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

Ms May previously said that deaths in custody have the potential to undermine the relationship between the public and the police and that she was struck by the pain and suffering of families still looking for answers.

The Home Office said the review will be published in due course.

Press Association
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Theresa May reportedly called David Cameron to plead for his support shortly before she struck a controversial deal with the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP).

The phone call  allegedly the first conservation between the pair in months  is understood to have taken place last Sunday, just a day before the 1bn agreement was finalised.

The alleged conversation came as the PM faced heavy criticism for aligning the Conservatives with the hard-right Northern Irish group, which opposes gay marriage and abortion.

Ms May will rely on 10 DUP MPs to prop up her minority Government on a vote-by-vote basis.

Shortly after noon on Monday Mr Cameron wrote on Twitter: Task facing PM, given the circs, is to deliver the most stable govt possible  todays DUP deal helps achieve that. All Cons should support.

The tweet was a result of Ms May's pleading phone call, The Times reported.

One source close to Mr Cameron told the newspaper: Doesnt Theresa realise what this looks like? She trashed him in the campaign, has barely spoken to him since becoming Prime Minister and now has to go cap in hand for his support.

Ms May had distanced herself from Mr Cameron's administration when she entered office. She sacked a number of his advisers and pledged to run a different campaign at the general election.

On Sunday, newly appointed Environment Secretary Michael Gove said the Conservatives' agreement with the DUP was good for the country because it kept the Conservatives in power.

He denied that the 1bn payment was a bung and said everyone would benefit from the deal because it meant Ms May could continue to deliver a secure and stable Government.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 11 November 2022 City workers attend a Remembrance Day ceremony at Lloyd's of London, in the City of London, to mark Armistice Day, the anniversary of the end of the First World War PA UK news in pictures 10 November 2022 A grey heron lands on the river Dodder in Dublin on a sunny autumn morning PA UK news in pictures 9 November 2022 Australia and Spain play during the Wheelchair Rugby League World Cup group A match at the Copper Box Arena, London PA UK news in pictures 8 November 2022 A migrant attempting to communicate with journalists is pinned against a fence by members of staff, before being taken out of view, at the Manston immigration short-term holding facility, located at the former Defence Fire Training and Development Centre in Thanet, Kent PA UK news in pictures 7 November 2022 Handout photo issued by Just Stop Oil of a protester who has climbed a gantry on the M25 between junctions six and seven in Surrey, leading to the closure of the motorway PA UK news in pictures 6 November 2022 A grey seal with its pup, at the Donna Nook National Nature Reserve in north Lincolnshire, where they come every year in late October, November and December to give birth to their pups near the sand dunes, the wildlife spectacle attracts visitors from across the UK PA UK news in pictures 5 November 2022 Demonstrators with placards calling for a General Election march near the Houses of Parliament AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 Florence Kasumba, Letitia Wright, Tenoch Huerta and Lupita Nyongo attend the European Premiere of Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in London Getty UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA

I think there is one only way in which we could have a secure Government in this country and thats with Theresa May as Prime Minister, he told BBC1s Andrew Marr Show.

With support from the DUP the Government has a working majority of 13 when the Speaker is included and Sinn Fein refrain from taking their seats. The arithmetic in the House of Commons means the Conservatives can also win any vote if the DUP MPs abstain and do not vote against them.
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Sinn Fein has blamed Theresa Mays deal with the Democratic Unionist Party for the failure to restore power-sharing in Northern Ireland, as another crisis looms.

The DUP has been emboldened by propping up the Conservatives at Westminster, the Republican party claimed  making it less likely to compromise at Stormont.

The claim came as Sinn Fein confirmed the talks were failing. We dont think its likely there will be a deal in the short term, said spokesman Conor Murphy.

Later today, the Northern Ireland Secretary will announce the Governments next steps after last weeks original deadline for restored power sharing came and went.

James Brokenshire may set yet another deadline for a talks, which have continued for months, call this year's second snap assembly election - or re-impose some form of direct rule from Westminster.

With the start of the annual marching season just nine days away  when talks will almost certainly be suspended anyway  Mr Brokenshires options are narrowing.

Unless the Northern Ireland executive is restored, the British government is expected to distribute the 1bn it has promised to the DUP in what is widely seen as a bung.

The key stumbling block appears to be the DUPs refusal to agree to a stand-alone Irish Language Act, putting Gaelic on an equal par in law to English.

Fearing criticism from more hardline unionists, the DUP is insisting on an all-embracing Culture Act, that would also guarantee the rights of Ulster Scots speakers.

Interviewed in Belfast, Mr Murphy said: The DUP have yet to address the equality and the rights issues which caused these institutions to go down in the first place.

They oppose rights for Irish Language speakers , they oppose rights for ethnic minorities and women. They oppose rights of lesbian and gay citizens to equal marriage.

In doing all of this, they are emboldened by their alliance with the British government, which has taken that in its own interests and against the interests of what needs to happen in this part of Ireland.

Mr Murphy hinted that he expected Mr Brokenshire to extend the deadline a second time, suggesting this afternoon would bring a holding statement.

He pointed out that the marching season, starting on 12 July, would make the atmosphere too hostile for political negotiations.

The negotiations to restore power-sharing had been interrupted twice by the British government  first for the general election and then to strike a deal with the DUP.

The devolved institutions imploded in January when DUP leader Arlene Foster was forced from office after Sinn Fein's then deputy first minister, the late Martin McGuinness, quit.

That was in protest at the DUP's handling of the renewable heat incentive (RHI), a scheme that left the administration facing a 490 million overspend.

On the issue of language, the DUP has insisted it already supported Irish medium school education during years of devolved government and accused Sinn Fein of politicising its use.
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A former Conservative minister joined Labour in attacking Theresa Mays betrayal of 14m households who will not have their energy bills capped, as she pledged.

John Penrose hit out after Business Secretary Greg Clark confirmed that only 2.6m poorer families will be helped  not the 17m promised by the Prime Minister on the campaign trail.

The U-turn was confirmed after an urgent question by MPs. Only families who qualify for the Warm Home Discount scheme will have their bills capped by the energy regulator Ofgem.

Yet, before last months election, the Prime Minister vowed that everyone on a standard variable tariff would be helped  a difference of more than 14m households.

It is clear to me that the energy market is not working for ordinary working families. Too many people simply aren't getting a fair deal, Ms May wrote, in a newspaper article.

The cap will be set by Ofgem and will help close the gap between standard tariffs and the cheapest deals. I expect it to save families on poor value tariffs as much as 100.

Under pressure from MPs, Mr Clark said he remained keen to legislate if it became clear that Ofgems remedy did not go far enough  but gave no commitment.

The strongest criticism came from John Penrose, a minister under David Cameron, who condemned another Big 6 stitch up.

There are 17m families are currently being ripped off on expensive standard variable tariff deals, Mr Penrose told Mr Clark.

Ofgems proposals will deal with at most 3m, so that leaves 14m still being preyed on by the Big 6 energy firms.

Mr Penrose added: Ofgems proposals will be viewed as great betrayal of those 14m households.

To Tory embarrassment, the attack mirrored Labours criticism that the Prime Minister was making yet another U-turn.

Ofgem's watered down proposals go nowhere near the promise made by the Prime Minister to adopt Labour's principle of a price cap, said Rebecca Long-Bailey, the shadow Business Secretary.

In the general election, she pledged unequivocally to knock 100 off the bills of 17 million customers, but then didn't include the promise in the Queen's Speech.

After her election setback, there were reports that Cabinet ministers banded together to force the Prime Minister to drop her plan for a widespread cap.

Many senior Tories were horrified by the idea, after David Cameron branded a near-identical policy proposed by Ed Miliband as something from a Marxist universe.

As a result, Ofgem was simply asked, by Mr Clark, to look at how it could further use its existing powers to help low-income households.

In the Commons, Mr Clark said he still believed the 1.4bn excess paid by customers on standard variable tariffs is completely unacceptable.

And he insisted there was still an appetite and a need to tackle this problem, if Ofgem failed to deliver.

That 1.4bn detriment has to be eradicated. That will be the test of whether these proposals that they come up with are acceptable, Mr Clark told MPs.

Under the plan, the existing price protection for 4m people on pre-payment meters will be extended to the 2.6m on the Warm Home Discount scheme.
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Barack Obama has tried his best to largely steer clear of politics and adhere to the convention of giving new Presidents some leeway in the early period of the administration but it appears it has now become too much for him.

The former President, who has kept a relatively low profile since leaving the White House in January, has taken a direct swipe at Donald Trump during a trip to Jakarta in Indonesia on Saturday.

Mr Obama, who spent several years in Indonesia as a child, took President Trump to task for pulling out of the Paris Agreement on climate change and suggested America was currently devoid of leadership.

Touting one of his cornerstone achievements while in office, he said: "In Paris, we came together around the most ambitious agreement in history about climate change.

An agreement that even with the temporary absence of American leadership, can still give our children a fighting chance.

Last month, President Trump shocked the world when he announced he would be withdrawing the US from the landmark Paris climate deal. The decision was instantly condemned by world leaders, US politicians and environmental groups, who labelled it an international disgrace.

Mr Obama, whose administration played a key role in negotiating the deal, responded by accusing President Trump of actively rebuffing the future. At the time, he said: This administration joins a small handful of nations that reject the future.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

During his trip to the Indonesian capital Mr Obama was greeted by a crowd of thousands, including leaders, students and businesspeople as he opened the Fourth Congress of Indonesian Diaspora.

The former President also used his appearance to emphasise the importance of moving away from news sources where only like-minded, compatible views are disseminated and warned social media was prompting mounting resentment of minorities.

Recommended The awkward clip of Barack Obama trashing idea of Trump presidency

He also emphasised the importance of not become obsessed with the daily news cycle, saying: "I wasn't worried about what was in the newspapers today. What I was worried about was, 'What are they going to write about me 20 years from now when I look back?'"

Mr Obama had a years-long feud and fraught relationship with his successor Mr Trump for many years. During his 2008 presidential campaign and throughout his presidency, multiple theories emerged falsely claiming he was not a natural-born American US citizen and it was therefore unconstitutional for him to become US President. Mr Trump was among those who pushed the birther conspiracy theory and consistently questioned former President Obamas birthplace of Hawaii.

Mr Obama has diverted his energies into building his foundation in Chicago since leaving the White House. He has also enjoyed downtime with former First Lady Michelle Obama at a resort in Tetiaroa  the South Pacific island once owned by Marlon Brando  where he has started work on penning his White House memoir.
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A Canadian parent is fighting for the right to not give their baby a gender after arguing that a simple biological examination cannot uncover the childs true identity.

Kori Doty, who does not identify as either male or female and uses the pronoun they, says their eight-month-old baby has still not been granted a birth certificate because officials say a gender of either male or female must be registered.

Doty, who is transsexual, says they want their child, named Searyl Atli, to be able to choose its own gender when it is old enough, and has launched a judicial review against the policy.

"I'm raising Searyl in such a way that until they have the sense of self and command of vocabulary to tell me who they are, I'm recognising them as a baby and trying to give them all the love and support to be the most whole person that they can be outside of the restrictions that come with the boy box and the girl box," they told CBC.

"I want my kid to have all of the space to be the most whole and complete person that they can be.

Although the province of British Columbia, where Doty lives, is refusing to issue a birth certificate that does not state a gender, it did agree to provide the child with a health card with a U for gender  believed to stand for undetermined or unassigned.

Doty claims a medical examination at birth cannot determine a childs true gender because a baby might be intersex or grow up to identify with a gender that is different to their biological sex.

"When I was born, doctors looked at my genitals and made assumptions about who I would be, and those assignments followed me and followed my identification throughout my life," they said.

"Those assumptions were incorrect, and I ended up having to do a lot of adjustments since then."

The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity Show all 8 1 /8 The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity DOMINICK TYLER The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity DOMINICK TYLER The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity DOMINICK TYLER The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity DOMINICK TYLER The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity The third sex: The truth about gender ambiguity

Dotys lawyer, barbara findlay, who does not spell her name with capital letters, said British Columbia only issues birth certificates with a male or female gender designation. Other provinces, including Ontario and Alberta, are reviewing their policy with a view to including a third option of a non-binary gender.

Doty and a group of other applicants have already brought a case before the British Columbia Human Rights Tribunal arguing for the right to change their own birth certificates to a non-binary gender designation.

Campaigners in the UK have called for British passports to be allowed to include a third gender for people who do not identify as male or female.

The Government said earlier this year that it is reviewing rules on how gender is registered on official documents.

The UK already has strong laws in place to protect transgender people and we are committed to delivering further positive changes for them, a spokesperson said in April.

That is why we have committed to reviewing the Gender Recognition Act to look at ways of streamlining and de-medicalising the process for changing a persons legal gender, as well as reviewing gender markers in official documents.
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Donald Trump has been accused of running scared after it emerged that he could visit the UK in a matter of weeks with as little as 24 hours notice, to prevent people from organising protests.

Columnist and co-founder of Stop Trump Coalition Owen Jones said: Donald Trump is so cowardly he thinks he can sneak into the country to avoid protests.

We have to prove him wrong. Were asking Britain to be on standby to take to the streets with just hours notice if necessary.

Opponents of the US president are on standby for street demonstrations, following a petition against a state visit attracting more than 1.8 million signatures.

A spokesperson for anti-racism campaign HOPE not hate told The Independent: Donald Trump has become one of the most divisive Presidents in living memory. Whether his travel ban on Muslims, his constant attacking of the media  a frequent tactic of despotic leaders  to his views on women, migrants and other vulnerable communities, as well as his erratic actions alienating allies and reactions to the Russian investigation, he has proven himself an unwelcome friend to the UK and we hope he stays far from our shores.

The charity War On Want were similarly inclined, and told the Daily Mail that Mr Trumps bigotry and hatred [are] not welcome here.

Any attempt to sneak him into the country and offer Trump a veneer of respectability for his divisive and reactionary policies will be utterly rejected.

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People on Twitter reacted the same way. Alicia wrote: Fully prepared to call off work in order to go and protest Donald Trumps surprise arrival to the UK.

Another wrote: So #DonaldTrump could be popping by but wont give an exact date for fear of protests. Do we want him here? No! Will we protest? Yes!

Trump wants to sneak into London in the dead of night because hes scared of protestors, a third wrote.

A White House source told The Sunday Times: There is a window of opportunity for the President to visit Britain when he is in Europe later this month.

It is likely it will be hastily arranged and it is possible no official confirmation of his visit will be given until at least 24 hours before to stop any large-scale protests against his visit from being mobilised.

Theresa Mays personal invitation to the US president to visit the UK in June was reportedly postponed in order to avoid protests.

Renewed criticism of the Presidents actions on social media follows a tweet which shows him beating up CNN. It has emerged that the video appears to be sourced from a reddit user who also posted content which advocated Islamophobic violence.
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A drug cartel boss used plastic surgery over 30 years to avoid police before being arrested in Brazil.

Luiz Carlos da Rocha, whose nickname was the White Head, faces multiple charges related to drug trafficking operation and is in custody.

Over three decades, he went under the knife to not be recognised by authorities. Several pictures have been handed out by Brazilian police over this period to alert people what he looks like in 2017.

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He also adopted the pseudonym Vitor Luiz de Moraes.

Da Rocha was arrested last week as part of Operation Spectrum, a police mission to prevent drug trafficking.

The operation has already claimed around $10 million worth of luxury vehicles, planes and property.

Police say the drug cartel boss has previously been convicted for drug and weapon-related offences, as well as money laundering.

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The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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He could serve more than 50 years in prison.

The cocaine was transported in small airplanes that left the producing countries of Colombia, Peru and Bolivia, using Venezuelan airspace destined for farms in Brazil, on the border between the states of Para and Mato Grosso, a Brazilian Federal Police statement read.

Luis Carlos da Rocha (AP)

After being discharged from a drug plane, cocaine was placed in truck and carts, whose destination was the state of Sao Paulo for distribution to criminal factions in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro, or Port of Santos, from where it was exported to Europe or the United States.

His network has been accused of distributing cocaine throughout South America, the US and Europe.

The gang managed production in the jungles of Bolivia, Peru and Colombia, and the drugs were then transported to warehouses in Paraguay and Brazil, from where it would be sent overseas.

Police say the violent gang has made secret five-ton deliveries of the drug into Sao Paolo and Rio de Janeiro every month.

Further police raids are expected in Paraguay, where Da Rocha owns several farms and carries out criminal operations.
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Americans are celebrating the Fourth of July, which marks an event of massive historical significance for the country. If you're unsure of why Americans celebrate it, or where it comes from, here is everything you need to know.

What is it?

The Fourth of July is the most significant national holiday in the United States. It celebrates the Declaration of Independence, adopted on 4 July, 1776. The Thirteen Colonies of America declared themselves to be states and no longer part of the British Empire, though the revolutionary war continued for some time after.

Whats the story behind it?

The original United States of America was made up of a collection of East Coast states known as the Thirteen Colonies. These were: Delaware, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Georgia, Connecticut, Massachusetts Bay, Maryland, South Carolina, New Hampshire, Virginia, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island and Providence Plantations.

These mainly agricultural colonies were run by the British - who had been present on the continent since 1587 - and exploited for their resources, in particular tobacco.

While the relationship between the settlers and British was once amicable, tensions began to escalate over British laws and taxes, such as the Sugar Act, driven by British financial needs. There was also a growing sense of nationalism in the country.

From 1765, some settlers began to demand "no taxation without representation", calling for their voices to be heard in the British parliament.

This tension sometimes erupted into fighting and acts of dissent, such as the Boston Tea Party in 1773. The event was a protest against the Tea Act, legislation which gave the British East India Company a monopoly on sales of tea in the Thirteen Colonies.

Further ill feeling was caused by the Coercive Acts  which became known as the "Intolerable Acts" to American Patriots  which were implemented in response to the Boston Tea Party. The laws took power away from semi-autonomous Massachusetts.

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In response to these factors, Continental Congresses  a meeting of delegates from the Thirteen Colonies  were convened. At the second meeting, in 1775, a war of independence against Britain was declared.

The next year, the Declaration of Independence was signed by 56 representatives of thirteen self-styled states (previously the Thirteen Colonies). The signatories included future president Thomas Jefferson and Benjamin Franklin.

The conflict continued until the 1783 Treaty of Paris, which ended the war in favour of an independent America.

How has it been celebrated through history?

Fireworks, speeches, parties, feasts and general celebrations have marked the day since the 18th century. In Bristol, Rhode Island, there was a salute of 13 gunshots in the morning and evening in 1777. The town has held the nation's longest running Independence Day celebration.

In 1778, George Washington, then a general in the revolutionary army, issued his troops with a double rum ration.

The first recorded music commemorating independence was the Pslam of Joy, written by Johann Friedrich Peter in Salem, North Carolina.

Many towns and cities across the US have their own annual celebrations.

How has the government marked it?

Congress made the day an unpaid national holiday for federal workers in 1870, and in 1938 it became a paid holiday across the country. Government officials also take part in celebratory functions and make speeches.

How do people celebrate it today?

Firework displays and parties are the most well-known activities associated with Independence Day. All major cities have fireworks displays and there is also one given by the White House. As a national holiday, it also serves as an occasion for reunions and vacations.
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A self-styled American patriot accidentally shot himself in the leg during an attempted counter-protest against a rumoured anti-fascism rally, reports say.

Benjamin Hornberger apparently knocked the trigger of his gun without meaning to during a rally at Gettysburg National Military Park in Pennsylvania while attending a patriot counter-rally on Saturday following rumours of a demonstration by a far-left antifada group at the site.

The 23-year-old set his old-fashioned revolver off when he temporarily rested the bottom of his flagpole against the holster, according to witnesses.

Park police were nearby and were apply to apply a tourniquet to the wound. He was said to be talking to paramedics and was in good spirits as he was loaded into the ambulance to be taken to a local hospital.

US Park Police spokeswoman Sgt Anna Rose told Raw Story that it looks like hell be OK.

Officers said the gun was bad and fired for a second time while they were attempting to get the rounds out of the chamber.

The bullet hit the ground and no one was harmed in the second shooting.

Dozens of self-described patriots wearing camouflage had said they had arrived at the park at 12pm because they had heard rumours that antifada protesters were planning to protest and desecrate war memorials on the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg.

The protesters told PennLive that the man had come along to support their cause but was not a member of any particular group.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. 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A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

A handful of members from the Real 3% Risen group sat in one of the fenced-off areas of the park holding Confederacy flag hats and T-shirts while dozens of unaffiliated men in camouflage outfits were milling around the park holding long rifles, handguns and large American flags.

The Gettysburg site is extremely historically significant to Americans as it is regarded as one of the most decisive fights between Union and Confederate forces during the American Civil War.

Unionist forces defeated General Robert E Lees forces and ended their assault on the North in the battle between 1 and 3 July 1863.

President Abraham Lincoln then rededicated the site to honour fallen Union soldiers and delivered the Gettysburg Address, one of the most famous speeches in US history.
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A plus-size model has confronted a passenger who she caught sending mean and ugly text messages about her during a flight.

Natalie Hage, who was travelling to Los Angeles, documented the entirety of the fat-shaming incident on social media. The model said the man sat next to her penned a text message to his friend saying she looked like she had eaten a Mexican and he was leaving a neck mark on the window because she took up too much space.

Ms Hage, who said she had massive anxiety about flying, explained she forked out $70 (54) for additional space because she needs a little extra leg room" but there were only middle seats available.

"As soon as I sat down, the gentleman on my left began LOUDLY huffing, sighing, and readjusting himself in his seat," the model, who is also a body positivity campaigner, wrote in an Instagram post.

I see him furiously texting and then purposefully turning the phone away from me. So, naturally next time he texts, I take a look. The texts were about me.

"[The recipient] says 'Hopefully she didn't have any Mexican food' and his response is 'I think she ate a Mexican'. Then he proceeds to say he's leaving a 'neck mark on the window' because he's so smashed against the wall."

Inspiring body positivity quotes Show all 12 1 /12 Inspiring body positivity quotes Inspiring body positivity quotes Ashley Graham "And cellulite, I have not forgotten about you. I'm going to choose to love you even though you want to take over my whole bottom half. You're a part of me and I love you." Inspiring body positivity quotes Danielle Brooks "Sometimes I don't like what I see, but I have the power to change the way in which I relate to my body both physically and mentally." Inspiring body positivity quotes Iskra Lawrence "Stop comparing yourself to anybody else. The [pictures of] movie stars, even the Disney characters, thats not real. Thats not attainable. You cant be anybody else. You are you. You cant be them. So you really just have to start embracing yourself and accepting so-called flaws that society has given the name flaws. Its just our body, our patchwork quilt. Inspiring body positivity quotes Beyonce "The most alluring thing a woman can have is confidence." Getty Images Inspiring body positivity quotes Kate Winslet "Nobody is perfect. I just don't believe in perfection. But I do believe in saying, 'This is who I am and look at me not being perfect.' I'm proud of that." Getty Images Inspiring body positivity quotes Rihanna "You just want something that someone else has, but that doesn't mean what you have isn't beautiful, because people always want what you have and you always want what they have - no one is ever 100 per cent like, 'Yes, I'm the bomb-dot-com - from head-to-toe!" REUTERS Inspiring body positivity quotes Tess Holliday "Never compare yourself with others and celebrate what makes you, you." Inspiring body positivity quotes Demi Lovato "Instead of looking in the mirror and focusing on your flaws, look in the mirror and appreciate your best features... everyone has them." Inspiring body positivity quotes Kim Kardashian-West "See this little dimple of cellulite here? It was so worth it for that cookies 'n' cream ice cream!" Inspiring body positivity quotes Jennifer Lawrence "It should be illegal to call someone fat." Inspiring body positivity quotes Mindy Kaling "Insults about the way I look cant be the thing that harms me and my heart the most. It has to harm me the least. If I have a daughter, Im going to tell her that. Far too many women are much more hurt by being called fat or ugly than they are by being called not smart, or not a leader." Rex Features Inspiring body positivity quotes Selena Gomez "Im learning that you can be comfortable and still look beautiful. AFP/Getty Images

His next text to her was 'if the news reports a DFW airbus a321 leaving the runway without rotating, that would be my flight.'

The model said she asked the man on her right to change seats, informing him about what had happened, but that he merely laughed and refused.

Ms Hage added: "This is a fat person's daily reality and not just on a plane. This is on a bus, standing in line at the grocery store, at a concert, on the internet. You can be completely in your own space, not bothering anyone, and people will still f*** with you and try to hurt you.

"All you can do is know you haven't done anything wrong just by existing and to move on."

The model, who said the incident left her both enraged and super sad, then directly challenged the fellow passenger and posted a video of the confrontation on Facebook.

In the clip, which has been viewed more than 100 million times, the man can be heard apologising to her.

Although the passenger, whose face you cannot see, did later suggest that it was not a good idea for her to sit in the emergency row because she was not capable of helping others out.

Ms Hage, who lives in Dallas and has been widely applauded for sharing the clip on social media, told the man she worked out about five times a week. She explained she was a model, with a substantial social media following, adding that she had been tweeting about the incident to American Airways.

After Ms Hage cited one of the texts he allegedly sent, he laughed, but she said: "Don't ever treat somebody like that again.

Ms Hage has thanked people for their support in the aftermath of the incident, saying she hoped the man in question had learnt something.

Thank you so so so much for the messages and comments overflowing with kindness. My heart is full, she wrote on Instagram. I couldn't NOT speak up. I'm so tired of fat people being a social punching bag. I won't stand for it. I hope this dude learned something today.
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Democrats are pushing a bill that could see Donald Trump ousted from power - without him being either impeached or defeated at the polls - by claiming the Presidents mental state opens him to the use of a never-before triggered part of the US constitution.

The draft bill, authored by Congressman Jamie Raskin of Maryland, who is also a constitutional law professor, would activate an investigation into whether Mr Trump has been too far incapacitated to continue as President. He would see to do so by making use of parts of the 25th Amendment.

The amendment was adopted in 1967 in response to the assassination of President John F Kennedy and other previous presidential medical crises. It deals with the temporary transfer of power from the president to the vice president, and has been used when Ronald Reagan and George W Bush underwent surgeries.

But according to the Washington Post, Mr Raskin told reporters his legislation would focus on Section 4 of the amendment, which reads in part: Whenever the vice president and a majority of ... bod[ies] such as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the president pro-tempore of the Senate and Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the president is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the vice president shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as acting president.

 John Oliver rips Trumps CNN bodyslam tweet: A Barrage of Bullsh*t

Mr Raskins bill would seek to create an independent commission to determine whether the President is physically or psychologically unfit for office. He said he was concerned that something is seriously wrong with Mr Trump, citing a sustained pattern of behaviour.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

It certainly doesn't feel like the ship is on an even course right now, he said.

This is a president who seems increasingly at odds with everyone and everything around him.

The bill has 20 Democratic co-sponsors, but no Republicans. For the measure to pass, Vice President Mike Pence would have to sign off on it. With the Republicans controlling both houses of congress, the chances of the bill passing, or even getting a hearing, are slim. The White House said it would not dignify this with an official response.

Earlier this year, Richard Painter, former ethics lawyer for George W Bush, suggested that the 25th Amendment could be used after Mr Trump was accused of sharing sensitive information with the Russian foreign ministry.

He said: Cabinet and VP need to read Amendment 25.
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Thousands of demonstrators have staged rallies in dozens of US cities to urge Congress to impeach Donald Trump.

Protestors hoisted signs branding the President an "illegitimate corrupt puppet" and chanted "lock him up" at the largest march, attended by 10,000 people in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday.

Smaller demonstrations were held in 45 other cities across the country, with organisers claiming the President had violated the US Constitution and obstructed justice.

Trump supporters staged counter-rallies in many cities, with police arresting three people after rival groups clashed in Philadelphia.

Protesters in San Diego, California (EPA)

In LA, protestors carried a black coffin topped with red, white and blue flowers and a hand-written sign reading: "The Presidency 1789-2017."

A Democrat politician was among speakers at the rally calling for Mr Trump to face impeachment. Congressman Brad Sherman told crowds: "We have to act now to protect our country from abuse of power and impulsive, ignorant incompetence."

Protestors cheered and chanted "lock him up" as Mr Sherman accused the President of attempting to thwart an FBI investigation into sacked national security advisor Michael Flynn's links to Russia.

Anti-Trump demonstrator John Meranda, 56, told the Los Angeles Times he was also frightened by the Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars from the Medicaid programme.

He said: "Every day when I wake up, something is more terrible than it was yesterday."

The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Show all 17 1 /17 The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Paul Manafort Mr Manafort is a Republican strategist and former Trump campaign manager. He resigned from that post over questions about his extensive lobbying overseas, including in Ukraine where he represented pro-Russian interests. Mr Manafort turned himself in at FBI headquarters to special counsel Robert Muellers team on Oct 30, 2017, after he was indicted under seal on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. Getty The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rick Gates Mr Gates joined the Trump team in spring 2016, and served as a top aide until he left to work at the Republican National Committee after the departure of former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort. Mr Gates' had previously worked on several presidential campaigns, on international political campaigns in Europe and Africa, and had 15 years of political or financial experience with multinational firms, according to his bio. Mr Gates was indicted alongside Mr Manafort by special counsel Robert Mueller's team on charges that include conspiracy against the United States, conspiracy to launder money, unregistered agent of a foreign principal, false and misleading US Foreign Agents Registration Act statements, false statements, and seven counts of failure to file reports of foreign bank and financial accounts. AP The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation George Papadopoulos George Papadopoulos was a former foreign policy adviser for the Trump campaign, having joined around March 2016. Mr Papadopoulos plead guilty to federal charges for lying to the FBI as a part of a cooperation agreement with Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Mr Papadopoulos claimed in an interview with the FBI that he had made contacts with Russian sources before joining the Trump campaign, but he actually began working with them after joining the team. Mr Papadopoulos allegedly took a meeting with a professor in London who reportedly told him that Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton. The professor also allegedly introduced Mr Papadopoulos to a Russian who was said to have close ties to officials at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Mr Papadopoulos also allegedly was in contact with a woman whom he incorrectly described in one email to others in the campaign as the "niece" to Russian President Vladimir Putin. Twitter The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Donald Trump Jr The President's eldest son met with a Russian lawyer - Natalia Veselnitskaya - on 9 June 2016 at Trump Tower in New York. He said in an initial statement that the meeting was about Russia halting adoptions of its children by US citizens. Then, he said it was regarding the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. In a final statement, Mr Trump Jr released a chain of emails that revealed he took the meeting in hopes of getting information Ms Veselnitskaya had about Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. He and the President called it standard "opposition research" in the course of campaigning and that no information came from the meeting. The meeting was set up by an intermediary, Rob Goldstone. Jared Kushner and Paul Manafort were also at the same meeting. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jared Kushner Mr Kushner is President Donald Trump's son-in-law and a key adviser to the White House. He met with a Russian banker appointed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in December. Mr Kushner has said he did so in his role as an adviser to Mr Trump while the bank says he did so as a private developer. Mr Kushner has also volunteered to testify in the Senate about his role helping to arrange meetings between Trump advisers and Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Rob Goldstone Former tabloid journalist and now music publicist Rob Goldstone is a contact of the Trump family through the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which took place in Moscow. In June 2016, he wrote to Donald Trump Jr offering a meeting with a Russian lawyer, Natalya Veselnitskaya, who had information about Hillary Clinton. Mr Goldstone was the intermediary for Russian pop star Emin Agalaraov and his father, real estate magnate Aras, who played a role in putting on the 2013 pageant. In an email chain released by Mr Trump Jr, Mr Goldstone seemed to indicate Russian government's support of Donald Trump's campaign. AP images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Aras and Emin Agalarov Aras Agalarov (R) is a wealthy Moscow-based real estate magnate and son Emin (L) is a pop star. Both played a role in putting on the previously Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant in Moscow. They allegedly had information about Hillary Clinton and offered that information to the Trump campaign through a lawyer with whom they had worked with, Natalia Veselnitskaya, and music publicist Rob Goldstone. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Natalia Veselnitskaya Natalia Veselnitskaya is a Russian lawyer with ties to the Kremlin. She has worked on real estate issues and reportedly counted the FSB as a client in the past. She has ties to a Trump family connection, real estate magnate Aras Agalarov, who had helped set up the Trump-owned 2013 Miss Universe pageant which took place in Moscow. Ms Veselnitskaya met with Donald Trump Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort in Trump Tower on 9 June 2016 but denies the allegation that she went there promising information on Hillary Clinton's alleged financial ties to Russia. She contends that the meeting was about the US adoptions of Russian children being stopped by Moscow as a reaction to the Magnitsky Act, a US law blacklisting Russian human rights abusers. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Mike Flynn Mr Flynn was named as Trump's national security adviser but was forced to resign from his post for inappropriate communication with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. He had misrepresented a conversation he had with Mr Kislyak to Vice President Mike Pence, telling him wrongly that he had not discussed sanctions with the Russian. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sergey Kislyak Mr Kislyak, the former longtime Russian ambassador to the US, is at the centre of the web said to connect President Donald Trump's campaign with Russia. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Roger Stone Mr Stone is a former Trump adviser who worked on the political campaigns of Richard Nixon, George HW Bush, and Ronald Reagan. Mr Stone claimed repeatedly in the final months of the campaign that he had backchannel communications with WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange and that he knew the group was going to dump damaging documents to the campaign of Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton - which did happen. Mr Stone also had contacts with the hacker Guccier 2.0 on Twitter, who claimed to have hacked the DNC and is linked to Russian intelligence services. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeff Sessions The US attorney general was forced to recuse himself from the Trump-Russia investigation after it was learned that he had lied about meeting with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Carter Page Mr Page is a former advisor to the Trump campaign and has a background working as an investment banker at Merrill Lynch. Mr Page met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republican National Convention in Cleveland. Mr Page had invested in oil companies connected to Russia and had admitted that US Russia sanctions had hurt his bottom line. Reuters The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Jeffrey "JD" Gorden Mr Gordon met with Russian Ambassador to the US Sergey Kislyak during the 2016 Republian National Convention to discuss how the US and Russia could work together to combat Islamist extremism should then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump win the election. The meeting came days before a massive leak of DNC emails that has been connected to Russia. Creative Commons The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation James Comey Mr Comey was fired from his post as head of the FBI by President Donald Trump. The timing of Mr Comey's firing raised questions around whether or not the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign may have played a role in the decision. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Preet Bharara Mr Bahara refused, alongside 46 other US district attorney's across the country, to resign once President Donald Trump took office after previous assurances from Mr Trump that he would keep his job. Mr Bahara had been heading up several investigations including one into one of President Donald Trump's favorite cable television channels Fox News. Several investigations would lead back to that district, too, including those into Mr Trump's campaign ties to Russia, and Mr Trump's assertion that Trump Tower was wiretapped on orders from his predecessor. Getty Images The biggest names involved in the Trump-Russia investigation Sally Yates Ms Yates, a former Deputy Attorney General, was running the Justice Department while President Donald Trump's pick for attorney general awaited confirmation. Ms Yates was later fired by Mr Trump from her temporary post over her refusal to implement Mr Trump's first travel ban. She had also warned the White House about potential ties former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn to Russia after discovering those ties during the FBI's investigation into the Trump campaign's connections to Russia. Getty Images

A smaller group of pro-Trump protesters gathered nearby outside LA police headquarters. They told media they were unconcerned about allegations Mr Trump had pressured FBI director James Comey to drop an investigation into Mr Flynn.

Rallies calling for Mr Trump's impeachment were also held in Chicago, New York, Washington and Austin, Texas.

Demonstrators faced off against supporters of the President in Austin and New York, where the rival rallies met outside a Trump hotel.

It came as the President was branded "cowardly", after it emerged he could visit the UK at less than 24 hours notice in a bid to evade protests.
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A Florida man has been rushed to the hospital by a kind stranger after accidentally shooting himself in the penis.

Shanekia Roberts, 25, told police that Cedrick Jelks, 38, came into her home in a panic and ran straight to the bathroom. She followed the intruder and saw that he had a gunshot wound to his crotch, so she gave him a lift to the hospital. Jelks underwent surgery there.

Jelks, who was convicted in 2004 for cocaine possession, reportedly told Ms Roberts that he had sat on his firearm, causing it to go off, local media reported.

The victim of the accidental gunshot may be facing charges once he is cleared from the hospital, however, since he is a convicted felon and likely unable to be in possession of a firearm.

There are more guns in circulation in the United States than there are people, with a rough ration of 113 guns for every 100 people. And, accidental shootings are a real problem  particularly with children.

There are 1.7 million children who live with unlocked and loaded guns in the US, accounting for roughly one in three homes with kids, according to data from the Centre for Injury Research and Prevention at the Childrens Hospital of Philadelphia.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

That access to firearms amongst children results in thousands of accidental deaths a year. There were 2,549 children killed in 2014 from guns, and an additional 13,576 more were injured. People who die from accidental shooting were more than three times as likely to have a firearm in their homes. As for children, 89 percent of accidental deaths occur at home when a child i playing with an unlocked gun.
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The US Secretary of State has reportedly told the United Nations Secretary General that he thinks the fate of Syria and its leader is now up to Russia.

Rex Tillerson held a private meeting with Antonio Guterres at the State Department when he said the US was limiting its mission to defeating terror group Isis, according to Foreign Policy.

Citing three diplomatic sources with knowledge of the exchange, Mr Tillerson said that though the US is committed to the 2012 Geneva Process that stated it, Russia, and other western countries would put a transition government in place, the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad would be in Russia's purview.

Recommended Sarin nerve gas was used on Syrian town of Khan Sheikhoun

The US has "limited tactical goalsdeterring future chemical weapons attacks and protecting U.S. backed-forces fighting the Islamic State in Syrianot weakening the Assad government or strengthening the oppositions negotiating leverage".

One official told the news outlet that the Syrian people should determine their countrys political future through a political process" and that a "credible political process" would answer the questions looming about the country's future.

The UN Security Council has tried several times to put forth resolutions to bring an end to the conflict and open humanitarian corridors to get medical treatment to civilians caught in the fighting, however Russia has used its veto power no less than eight times.

However, Mr Tillerson said in April 2017 that Mr Assad would have "no role" in Syria after his use of chemical weapons, which had prompted Donald Trump to launch nearly 60 missiles into the Idlib province after one particular attack that resulted in nearly 100 dead, many of them children according to a video of the aftermath of the attack.

White House Press Secretary Sean Spicer said last month that the US has "identified potential preparation" for another chemical attack by Mr Assad as well.

The Secretary of State's message to the UN comes after Russia and the US have had a "war of words," as Newsweek called it.

The two have a line of communication that is supposed to be used to allow US and Russian troops to avoid being struck during attacks on Isis however, in June 2017 a US Navy fighter jet shot down a Syrian war plane without communicating with Russian forces about it ahead of time per normal procedure.

Russia, which has been one of few allies to Mr Assad, responded by saying that any US war planes in the vicinity of the incident would be treated as targets.

The Russian Defence Ministry called it "a cynical violation of the sovereignty of the Syrian Arab Republic".

Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said the US "should not create excuses for more attacks against the Syrian army that is fighting terrorists".

Mr Spicer then responded that the escalation of hostilities among the many factions that are operating in this region doesnt help anybody. And the Syrian regime and others in the regime need to understand that we will retain the right of self-defence, of coalition forces aligned against Isis".

Mr Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet at some point during a meeting of the G20 this week in Hamburg, Germany. No agenda has been made public, but Syria is likely to be one topic of discussion.
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Women working in Donald Trump's White House earn an average salary of 80 cents for every dollar paid to their male colleagues, a gender pay gap wider than the national average, data shows.

The US Labor Department reports that women in the US on average earned about 82 cents for every dollar a man made in 2016.

According to an analysis of salary information for the White Houses 377 staffers, the average salary for men is about $104,000 a year, roughly $20,000 higher than the womens average annual earnings of about $84,000.

Recommended Senators accused of interrupting Kamala Harris because of her gender

The imbalance is not necessarily because women are being paid less for doing the same jobs as men. Instead, it appears to be due to the fact that more women fill lower-ranking positions.

Half of the 200 men working at the White House make $115,000 or more annually, while half of the 177 women earn $75,000 a year or less.

Of the 22 staffers paid the highest White House annual wage of $179,700, only six are women: senior adviser Kellyanne Conway; director of communications for the office of public liaison Omarosa Manigault; assistant to the President and director of strategic communications Hope Hicks; deputy national security advisor Kathleen McFarland; deputy national security adviser for strategy Dina Powell; and chief of staff to the First Lady Lindsay Reynolds.

While the Obama White House admitted that it was not the perfect example, its gender pay gap was significantly narrower compared to the one under Mr Trump. In 2014, the difference between the median salary of a male compared to a female staffer was about 13 per cent, lower than the then national average of 23.5 per cent, according to the Washington Post.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

In comparison, the median annual salary of males staffers in the Trump White House is 45 per cent higher than the median annual salary of female staffers. Men earn about $106,000 a year, while women bring home roughly $73,000.

Meanwhile, some of Mr Trumps lowest paid officials have senior roles, including Gary Cohn, the Presidents chief economic advisor and former Goldman Sachs president, and Chris Liddell, the White Houses director of strategic initiatives and ex-General Motors and Microsoft executive. Both have an annual salary of $30,000.

Last month, Mr Trump declared that Mr Cohn, who has assets valued at $252 million to $611 million, went from massive pay days to peanuts.

The list of the White Houses total 377 staffers also includes First Daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner, who both receive nothing for their roles as special advisers to the President.

Mr Trump appears to be maintaining a smaller staff size compared to his predecessor Mr Obama. Mr Obama had 472 staffers during the final year of his presidency, down from 487 in his first year.

The news of the wider gender pay gap in Trump's White House comes as his administration reportedly considers eliminating Mr Obama's White House Council on Women and Girls, which is responsible for monitoring the implementation of policy changes and communicating with women's groups.
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The Trump administration is considering cancelling a Pentagon programme to recruit immigrant recruits and fast-track them for citizenship - a move that could leave at least 1,000 trainee soldiers at risk of deportation.

The proposal to cancel the programme, which was established in 2009 to try and address a shortfall in specialised skills and language capabilities, was contained within a memo from Pentagon officials to Defence Secretary James Mattis. The memo, obtained by NPR, cites concerns about security and inadequate vetting of recruits.

Yet, any move to end the programme, known as the Military Accessions Vital to the National Interest, or MAVNI, would leave up to 1,000 new recruits at risk of being deported. Reports suggest the visas of these recruits have expired, and as they await naturalisation they have no protection.

The US military has long had history of welcoming non-citizens to fight for it. Frequently it was a way to help speed up applications for green cards or citizenship.

The MAVNI programme was established following a suggestion from Col Margaret Stock, who proposed the scheme as a way to attract recruits with skills such as surgery, or those who could speak languages such as Arabic. Its appeal to applicants was that it allowed applicants who were in the US legally, to bypass the green card process to become citizens.

 All of Donald Trump's attacks on Barack Obama for playing golf

Ms Stock, who now works as a lawyer in Anchorage, Alaska, said the decision would not only deny the military of a source of applicants with specialised skills, but was an act of bad faith.

It's a classic example of bureaucratic bungling," she told The Independent. "We stopped recruiting immigrants into the military after Vietnam. That's why 9/11 happened. We could not read all the intelligence transcripts."

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

She said the decision to suspend the programme took place during Barack Obama's second term, when one official decided to order background checks it subsequently discovered it could not afford to carry out.

She added that the downsides to the cancellation of the programme were obvious: Paul Chelimo, a Kenyan-born American athlete who won silver in the 5,000 metres at the 2016 Rio Olympics, secured US citizenship after entering the US Army through the MAVNI progamme in 2014.

Some of the 10,000 or so trainee soldiers recruited under MAVNI, which is currently on hold, are have filed lawsuits alleging discrimination and breach of agreement.

A lawyer representing the plaintiffs in one of the suits, Neil O'Donnell, said the men were victims of "rampant paranoia". "Lots of people are in limbo," he said.

Johnny Michael, a spokesman for the Department of Defence, said in a statement: The department is reviewing the requirements associated with this pilot programme and we are unable to provide detailed responses at this time.
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Republican strategist and CNN political commentator Ana Navarro says Donald Trump is going to get someone killed with his tweets.

After the President tweeted a video depicting him beating up a man with a CNN avatar superimposed over his face  a throwback to his days as a B-list celebrity making cameos on wrestling shows  many members of the media expressed distress and concern that he is encouraging supporters to become violent.

I think that is the President of the United States taking things way too far, Ms Navarro said on a panel for ABC News. It is an incitement to violence. He is going to get someone killed in the media. Maybe that will stop him.

Recommended Trump faces threat as Democrats plan to use 25th Amendment to oust him

Ms Navarro, a supporter of Jeb Bush during the 2016 campaign, has been a vocal critic of the President. She made headlines for criticising Mr Trump last year before the election after the Access Hollywood video was leaked to the Washington Post. That video showed Mr Trump discussing sexually assaulting women on a hot mic before a media appearance.

On ABC, the former Bush supporter further criticised the response from Mr Trumps team response to the Presidents violent tweet. White House Homeland Security Adviser Tom Bossert had said that no one would perceive that as a threat, when asked if the tweet was problematic.

You are the homeland security adviser and you cant stand here and say the difference between right and wrong? Ms Navarro said. Thats whats part of the problem. He is surrounded by enablers who do nothing but shake their heads and nod their heads in agreement with everything that he says.

Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Show all 33 1 /33 Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first 100 days in office were marred by a string of scandals, many of which caught the eye of the Independent's cartoonists Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's first 100 days have seen him aggressively ramp up tensions with his nuclear rivals in North Korea Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has warned of a "major, major conflict" with the pariah nation lead by Kim Jong Un Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump dropped the "mother of all bombs" on alleged ISIS-linked militants in Afghanistan, amid an escalation of US military intervention around the globe Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been accused of falling short of the standards set by his predecessors in the Oval Office, including Franklin D Roosevelt Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The tycoon's ascension to the White House came at a time when the balance of power is shifting away from Western nations like those in the G7 group Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Western politicians, including the British Conservative party, have been accused of falling in line behind Mr Trump's proposals Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Brexit is seen to have weakened Britain, reducing still further any political will to resist American leadership Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump's leadership has been marked by sudden and unexpected shifts in global policy Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Trump's controversial missile strike on Syria, which killed several citizens, was seen by some analysts as an attempt to distract from his policy elsewhere Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The President has also spent a large majority of his weekends golfing, rather than attending to matters of state Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Though free of gaffes, a visit from Chinese president Xi Jinping spotlighted trade tensions between the two states Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One major and unexpected setback came when Mr Trump's Healthcare Bill was struck down by members of his own party Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Mr Trump has been a figure of fun in the media, with his approval at record lows Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A string of revelations about Mr Trump's financial indiscretions did not mar his surge to the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Outgoing President Barack Obama was accused of wiretapping Trump Tower by his successor in America's highest office Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The alleged involvement of Russian intelligence operatives in securing Mr Trump the presidency prompted harsh criticism Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons The explosive resignation of Security Adviser Michael Flynn, who lied about his links to the Russian ambassador, was just one scandal to hit the President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Many scandals, such as the accusation Barack Obama was implicated in phone-hacking, first broke on Mr Trump's Twitter feed Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's election provoked mass protests in the UK, with millions signing a petition to ban him from the country Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump cited a non-existent terror attack in Sweden during a campaign rally Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump stands accused of stoking regional tensions in Eastern Asia Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons North Korea has launched a number of failed nuclear tests since Mr Trump took power Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Theresa May formally rejected the petition calling for Mr Trump to be banned from the UK Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons When Mr Trump's initial so-called Muslim ban was struck down by a federal justice, the President mocked the 69-year-old as a "ridiculous", "so-called judge" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons A week after his inauguration, Theresa May met with Mr Trump at the White House Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's first days in office were marked by a hasty attempt to follow through on many of his campaign promises, including the so-called Muslim ban Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's decision to ban citizens of many majority-Muslim countries from the US sparked mass protests Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Revelations about Donald Trump's sexual improprieties were not enough to keep him from being elected President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was criticised by many in the press for cosying up to the new President Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons One of Mr Trump's top aides, Kelly Anne Conway, was mocked for describing mistruths as "alternative facts" Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons British PM Theresa May was quick to demonstrate that her political aims did not hugely differ from Mr Trump's Donald Trump's first 100 days: in cartoons Donald Trump's inauguration, on 20 January 2017, sparked protests both at home and abroad

They have got to stand for democracy, for freedom of the press, she continued. This is just going way too far. The President of the United States is inciting violence against the free press. And, America, we cannot stand for it.
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British troops are being deployed to catch elephant poachers in Africa as part of the fight against terrorism.

UK soldiers have been stationed in Gabon to protect rare forest elephants from hunters who slaughter the animals for their ivory and use the profits to fund extremism across the continent.

The British Army assembled a squad of 16 elite servicemen after receiving an SOS call from authorities in the central African country, the Daily Mirror reported.

Poachers linked to jihadist terror group Boko Haram are thought to have butchered 25,000 forest elephants in one region of Gabon alone over the past 10 years, sometimes using children as mules to help export the ivory.

The animals' tusks trade at 65 for 1lb on the Asian black market, with extremists using the money to fund their activities across Africa.

British troops, predominantly from 2nd Battalion The Rifles, have already been deployed to train park rangers in poaching hotspots in Kenya, Tanzania, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda and Ethiopia over the past five years.

In the latest phase of the operation they trained 80 officers in Gabon, where unarmed rangers are forced to combat poaching gangs carrying rocket-propelled grenades and AK47s.

Christian Mbina, technical director of Gabon's parks, told the Mirror: Were convinced on all evidence we have that the money raised by poaching goes to fund terrorism."

"The big terror groups in Africa now live from piracy and poaching.

Rangers have been trained in using weapons, arresting poachers, sealing crime scenes to gather evidence, and technology such as WhatsApp groups to help them communicate.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

About 80 per cent of the forest elephants in Gabons Minkebe National Park, one of the largest wildlife preserves in Central Africa, are believed to have been slaughtered by poachers between 2004 and 2014.
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A survivor of gang rape in India has been attacked with acid for the fifth time as she was taking shelter in a womens refuge, but police have disputed her account.

A woman who was allegedly raped by more than one man in 2008 following an argument over property then suffered five separate acid attacks, mostly from the same perpetrators.

While taking cover at a womens hostel in Uttar Pradesh, a region in north India, the 35-year-old mother said she was attacked again after a man scaled the wall and threw the corrosive liquid over her as she was filling a bucket of water.

Recommended Former Miss Italy finalist returns to work after horrific acid attack

She was filling water at the hand pump when the attack took place. The attacker fled from the spot, local police chief Vivek Tripathi told AFP.

The Guardian reported police later said they found "no evidence" to back up the womans claims of the latest attack which took place on Saturday night. Mr Trupathi was quoted saying that a bottle of acid was found in the bathroom from where the woman emerged just before the alleged attack, and that there was no sign of acid on her clothes or on the ground.

Whatever evidence we have gathered doesnt support the theory she was attacked by acid by anybody else, he said.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, went into intensive care in hospital to be treated for burn injuries to her face and shoulder.

 CCTV shows men molesting woman on New Year's Eve in India

Her husband questioned doubts from the police.

Who would do it [burn her] then? If someone else did not do it, how did this happen? he asked The Guardian.

She was being protected by a police officer 24/7 since the second most recent attack in March, but the officer was not allowed to enter the womens hostel.

The countries with anti-women laws Show all 5 1 /5 The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws The countries with anti-women laws

Police are now looking for the fifth attacker, and said they would investigate her claims.

Chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath, also raised doubts about the womans claims, telling a news channel that the womens hostel was absolutely safe.

After the gang rape in 2008, the same men attacked the woman in 2012 and 2013 to try and force her to stop pursuing criminal cases against them.

 Muslim acid attack victim: 'I believe it was a hate crime'

Two men allegedly force her to drink the corrosive liquid while she was on a train with one of her daughters in March. She was then assigned police protection.

Conflicting reports exist as to whether the perpetrators are facing trials for all the attacks and were released on bail in April, or whether they had been cleared of allegations of rape and acid attacks.

The alleged victim had been working at the Lucknow branch of Sheroes, a cafe that employs women who have survived acid attacks.

Despite Indias top court banning the sale of acid to the public in 2013, attacks have mostly continued on the same scale.

The Acid Survivors Foundation of India said about 250 acid attacks were reported in 2015, but experts say many more go unreported.

There were 61 reported acid attacks in Uttar Pradesh alone in the same year, the highest number of any region in the country.

Victims report suffering from physical injuries, trauma, as well as lifelong scars and social stigma.
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A US warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam on Sunday in an operation meant to challenge the competing claims of all three nations, a US Defense Department official said.

The USS Stethem, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, part of the Paracel Islands in the South China Sea, the official said.

The operation was first reported by Fox News on Sunday.

It was the second freedom-of-navigation operation, or fonop, conducted during the presidency of Donald Trump, following a drill in late May in which a US warship sailed within 12 nautical miles of an artificial island built up by China in the South China Sea.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement the US ship had made an unauthorised entry into China's territorial waters.

The operation was a serious political and military provocation, the statement, issued late on Sunday said, citing ministry spokesman Lu Kang. It said China had sent battle ships and fighter jets to warn off the Stethem.

China strongly urges the US side to immediately stop this kind of provocative action which seriously violates China's sovereignty and puts at risk China's security, Mr Lu said. China would take all necessary measures to defend itself, he said.

Twelve nautical miles marks the territorial limits recognised internationally. Sailing within those 12 miles is meant to show that the United States does not recognise territorial claims there.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Unlike in the Spratlys, where China has created new artificial territory in the last several years, it has effectively controlled the Paracels since 1974, said Mira Rapp-Hooper, a South China Sea expert at the Center for a New American Security.

It claims illegal straight baselines around the Paracels, and the fonop may have been contesting these.

Mr Trump has heaped praise on Chinese President Xi Jinping, but his administration has also stepped up pressure on Beijing as he has become frustrated that China has not done more to pressure North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs.

On Thursday, the administration imposed sanctions on two Chinese citizens and a shipping company for helping North Korea's nuclear and missile programs, and accused a Chinese bank of laundering money for Pyongyang.

The Trump administration has also approved an arms package for Taiwan worth about $1.4 billion, the State Department said last week. China deems Taiwan its own and has never renounced the use of force to bring the self-ruled island under its control.

Trump is due to speak to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday, ahead of meetings he will hold with both leaders on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, next Friday and Saturday.

Reuters
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Shots were fired outside a mosque in south France, leaving at least eight injured, according to French media reports.

Two men in a Renault Clio opened fire outside the place of worship in the city of Avignon at around 10.30pm on Saturday, reported La Provence.

Police told the newspaper they have ruled out a terrorist motive and suggested it could have been related to a quarrel.

Crowds were leaving the mosque when the two men, one said to be carrying a pistol, the other a handgun, arrived at the scene.

One reportedly climbed out of the vehicle before launching the attack. The crowd dispersed and police are searching for the men.

Four people were injured at the scene, two with minor injuries.

A family of four who lived in an apartment around 50m away from the mosque also reportedly received shrapnel wounds, including a girl of seven years old with minor injuries.
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A "far-right" extremist has been arrested in France over an alleged plot to assassinate Emmanuel Macron.

The 23-year-old man was taken into custody in Paris on suspicion of planning to murder the French President in a terror attack during the capital's Bastille Day parade on July 14.

He was reportedly arrested after attempting to buy a Kalashnikov assault rifle online.

The suspect spoke of "extreme" nationalist views and also said he wanted to kill "blacks, Arabs, Jews and homosexuals", a prosecuting source told French radio station RMC.

He was said to have threatened police with a kitchen knife as officers swooped to arrest him in the Argenteuil surburb on Saturday. Investigators later found more weapons in his car.

He faces preliminary charges of planning an individual terrorist attack, the Paris prosecutor's office confirmed on Monday.

Spokeswoman Agnes Thibault-Lecuivre said the suspect's plans were vague and not yet finalised, adding he appeared to have been acting alone.

He was reportedly arrested after he told an online video game chat room that he was looking to buy the rifle and his posts were reported to French counter-terrorism authorities.

The suspect told police during an interview in custody that he wanted to make a political statement by assassinating the French President on the Champs-Elysees, RMC reported.

Mr Macron will be joined by US counterpart Donald Trump as he oversees a military parade in Paris on Bastille Day.

He will then travel to Nice to mark the anniversary of the Islamic extremist lorry attack that killed 86 people in the south-eastern city.
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A seven-year-old girl has been injured after masked men opened fire outside a mosque in the south of France.

Eight were injured when two hooded men, who were reportedly armed with a handgun and rifle, opened fire as crowds were leaving the Arrahma mosque in Avignon at around 10.30pm.

Four people were injured at the scene, while a family of four in an apartment around 50 metres away suffered shrapnel wounds. Among the injured was a seven-year-old girl.

Recommended mosque shooting france avignon injured guman opened fire

Two of the eight injured were taken to hospital, La Provence reported

Police said they were not treating the incident as a terror attack.

Local magistrate Laure Chabaud said the mosque did not appear to be the target of the shooting, French media reported.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. 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Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. 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Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

Local media said the perpetrators were driving a black Renault Clio and fled the scene.

The shooting came as France's government prepared to extend a state of emergency in place since Islamic extremist attacks in 2015, citing continued threats.
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Emmanuel Macron has vowed to lift a state of emergency that has been in place since 2015, but also to harden permanent security measures to fight Islamic extremism and other threats, during an extraordinary joint session of parliament at the chateau of Versailles

Laying out his political, security and diplomatic priorities, the French President said his government "will work to prevent any new attack, and we will work to fight (the assailants) without pity, without regrets, without weakness".

At the same time, he insisted on the need to "guarantee full respect for individual liberties" amid concerns that new measures would hand police too many powers.

Mr Macron vowed to maintain France's military interventions against extremists abroad, especially in Africa's Sahel region and in Iraq and Syria. He also insisted on the importance of maintaining "the path of negotiation, of dialogue" for long-term solutions.

In his bid to strengthen the European Union following Britain's vote to leave, he announced Europe-wide public conferences later this year in an effort to reinvigorate the bloc.

He said he understood why many Europeans see the EU as bureaucratic, distant and uncaring.

"I firmly believe in Europe, but I don't find this scepticism unjustified," he said.

He added that European countries should work more closely to help political refugees while fighting migrant-smuggling and strengthening borders against illegal migration.

Mr Macron has pledged to fulfil his campaign promise to bring about deep changes in France, notably through labour reform and a series of measures to put more transparency and ethics into politics.

He said French voters no longer accept the conflicts of interest and corruption scandals that "used to seem almost normal" in the country's political landscape.

He notably vowed to end the special court, mostly composed of lawmakers, that judges government members for crimes committed while in charge. They will be judged by regular judges, with a procedure to deter politicians from using courts to attack rivals.

Mr Macron addressing the special congress in Versailles (Eric Ferferberg/Pool Photo via AP)

Implicitly addressing the French media, he called for an end to "this continuous search for scandal, the permanent violation of the presumption of innocence, the manhunt where sometimes reputations are destroyed".

Mr Macron said he wants to speed up lawmaking to better adapt the process to a rapidly changing society. He proposed that some "simple" bills be voted on in parliament's commissions instead of in plenary sessions.

Mr Macron also wants to reduce the number of seats in parliament  which now stand at 925  by one third.

He promised to gather both houses of parliament in Versailles every year, to be accountable.

"The reforms and deep changes I have promised will be implemented," he said.

Critics who fear Mr Macron is trying to amass too much power organised protests over Monday's event.

Lawmakers from the far-left party of Jean-Luc Melenchon and communists decided not to attend the speech in protest against what they call a "presidential monarchy".

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. Dozens of fires are burning out of control throughout Northern California as fire resources are spread thin AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 August 2020 Students use their mobile phones as flashlights at an anti-government rally at Mahidol University in Nakhon Pathom. Thailand has seen near-daily protests in recent weeks by students demanding the resignation of Prime Minister Prayut Chan-O-Cha AFP via Getty World news in pictures 17 August 2020 Members of the Kayapo tribe block the BR163 highway during a protest outside Novo Progresso in Para state, Brazil. Indigenous protesters blocked a major transamazonian highway to protest against the lack of governmental support during the COVID-19 novel coronavirus pandemic and illegal deforestation in and around their territories AFP via Getty World news in pictures 16 August 2020 Lightning forks over the San Francisco-Oakland Bay Bridge as a storm passes over Oakland AP World news in pictures 15 August 2020 Belarus opposition supporters gather near the Pushkinskaya metro station where Alexander Taraikovsky, a 34-year-old protester died on August 10, during their protest rally in central Minsk AFP via Getty World news in pictures 14 August 2020 AlphaTauri's driver Daniil Kvyat takes part in the second practice session at the Circuit de Catalunya in Montmelo near Barcelona ahead of the Spanish F1 Grand Prix AFP via Getty World news in pictures 13 August 2020 Soldiers of the Brazilian Armed Forces during a disinfection of the Christ The Redeemer statue at the Corcovado mountain prior to the opening of the touristic attraction in Rio AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 August 2020 Young elephant bulls tussle playfully on World Elephant Day at the Amboseli National Park in Kenya AFP via Getty

After his new centrist party dominated parliamentary elections and split the opposition, political rivals are comparing Mr Macron to Napoleon, or the Roman king of the gods, Jupiter.

They are especially angry that he wants to strip worker protections through a decree-like procedure, allowing little parliamentary debate.

Critics have complained about the cost of the Versailles event, and accused Mr Macron of convening it for reasons of self-interest instead of national need. The last such joint parliament session was in the wake of the November 2015 Islamic extremist attacks, the deadliest violence to hit France in half a century.

Mr Macron also appeared to be upstaging his prime minister, who is scheduled to give his first big parliament speech on Tuesday, where he will face his first confidence vote.
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Greece has become the latest European country to legalise marijuana for medical purposes.

Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras said last week that doctors will soon be able to prescribe the drug for a variety of medical conditions.

Cannabis is normally prescribed for conditions like muscle spasms, chronic pain, PTSD, epilepsy and cancer.

From now on, the country is turning its page, as Greece is now included in countries where the delivery of medical cannabis to patients in need is legal. Mr Tsipras said at a press conference, as reported by the Greek Government Gazette.

Greece is the sixth EU country to take this action after the Czech Republic, Finland, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain have already legalised the drug for medical use.

Details on how the drug will be cultivated and distributed are yet to be clarified by Mr Tsipras' left-wing party.

 4/20 London - Should marijuana be legal?

The Prime Minister also said cannabis would be downgraded from a Table A drug  equivalent to class A in the UK  to a Table B drug, in which category are other drugs like methadone and opium with approved medical values, as reported by Dope Magazine.

The new law could boost the economy, as it allows the creation of a legal drug industry.

In Canada, for example, Deloitte estimated that legalising marijuana would create $23 billion per year, more than the combined sales of beer, wine and spirits.

Greece will soon also be able to import cannabis-based medicines.

It is yet to be seen whether Greece will go further to allow full-scale cannabis legislation, for recreational use as well as medical, joining Portugal, the only other European country to do so.
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Thousands took to the streets of Hamburg on Sunday to air their grievances about the forthcoming G20 summit which will be attended by the likes of Donald Trump, Vladimir Putin and Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The Group of 20 Summit, where President Trump will make a debut appearance, takes place this Friday and Saturday and brings together leaders of the worlds major industrialised and emerging economies.

While a police spokesperson told AFP around 8,000 people were present at the German protest, organisers insisted the turnout was far higher, saying there were "more than 18,000 people". The police spokesperson said the protest was completely peaceful.

The demonstrations spanned land and water, with the mass gathering outside city hall taking place alongside protests by canoeists on the neighbouring river Alster and a climate demonstration staged by Greenpeace taking place in the port of Hamburg near a ship loaded with coal.

Addressing crowds from their podium, speakers took aim at President Trump and called for a different approach and demanded respect for the environment.

Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Show all 8 1 /8 Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AFP/Getty Images Thousands march against Donald Trump in LGBT rights parade AP

The demo is the first of around 30 authorised protests in the city. Events range from everything from the G20 welcome to hell demonstration to the Green partys alternative harbour tour.

Up to 100,000 demonstrators are expected to descend on the city and around 20,000 police will be safeguarding the summit.

Some protesters are reportedly planning to take advantage of the decision to hold the summit in a busy inner-city area and emulate police crowd control strategies to kettle Trump, Putin and Erdogan.

Hamburg, the second largest German city and the birthplace of Chancellor Angela Merkel, is a hub for counter cultural movements and is home to many radical left-wing and anarchist groups. Officials aid they are preparing for potential clashes between protesters and riot police and property damage.

Mr Trump will meet with Russian President Putin at the G20 summit. National security adviser HR McMaster said that the high-stakes meeting with Mr Putin is just one of several planned for when Mr Trump is in the city.
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A suicide bomber dressed in an all-covering robe killed 14 people at a refugee camp, according to officials.

The deaths happened at a camp housing displaced people in part who have left areas held by Isis, Iraqi authorities in Baghdad said.

A police officer who died in the attack had become suspicious about the attacker and walked up to him to embrace him  apparently as a way of sacrificing himself to minimise the number of casualties  and the attacker detonated the explosives as he did so. That police colonel and another 13 people are now dead, said Councilman Taha Abdul-Ghani, alongside 20 more who are injured.

World news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 World news in pictures World news in pictures 30 September 2020 Pope Francis prays with priests at the end of a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 29 September 2020 A girl's silhouette is seen from behind a fabric in a tent along a beach by Beit Lahia in the northern Gaza Strip AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 September 2020 A Chinese woman takes a photo of herself in front of a flower display dedicated to frontline health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic in Beijing, China. China will celebrate national day marking the founding of the People's Republic of China on October 1st Getty World news in pictures 27 September 2020 The Glass Mountain Inn burns as the Glass Fire moves through the area in St. Helena, California. The fast moving Glass fire has burned over 1,000 acres and has destroyed homes Getty World news in pictures 26 September 2020 A villager along with a child offers prayers next to a carcass of a wild elephant that officials say was electrocuted in Rani Reserve Forest on the outskirts of Guwahati, India AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 September 2020 The casket of late Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg is seen in Statuary Hall in the US Capitol to lie in state in Washington, DC AFP via Getty World news in pictures 24 September 2020 An anti-government protester holds up an image of a pro-democracy commemorative plaque at a rally outside Thailand's parliament in Bangkok, as activists gathered to demand a new constitution AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 September 2020 A whale stranded on a beach in Macquarie Harbour on the rugged west coast of Tasmania, as hundreds of pilot whales have died in a mass stranding in southern Australia despite efforts to save them, with rescuers racing to free a few dozen survivors The Mercury/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 22 September 2020 State civil employee candidates wearing face masks and shields take a test in Surabaya AFP via Getty World news in pictures 21 September 2020 A man sweeps at the Taj Mahal monument on the day of its reopening after being closed for more than six months due to the coronavirus pandemic AP World news in pictures 20 September 2020 A deer looks for food in a burnt area, caused by the Bobcat fire, in Pearblossom, California EPA World news in pictures 19 September 2020 Anti-government protesters hold their mobile phones aloft as they take part in a pro-democracy rally in Bangkok. Tens of thousands of pro-democracy protesters massed close to Thailand's royal palace, in a huge rally calling for PM Prayut Chan-O-Cha to step down and demanding reforms to the monarchy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 18 September 2020 Supporters of Iraqi Shi'ite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr maintain social distancing as they attend Friday prayers after the coronavirus disease restrictions were eased, in Kufa mosque, near Najaf, Iraq Reuters World news in pictures 17 September 2020 A protester climbs on The Triumph of the Republic at 'the Place de la Nation' as thousands of protesters take part in a demonstration during a national day strike called by labor unions asking for better salary and against jobs cut in Paris, France EPA World news in pictures 16 September 2020 A fire raging near the Lazzaretto of Ancona in Italy. The huge blaze broke out overnight at the port of Ancona. Firefighters have brought the fire under control but they expected to keep working through the day EPA World news in pictures 15 September 2020 Russian opposition leader Alexei Navalny posing for a selfie with his family at Berlin's Charite hospital. In an Instagram post he said he could now breathe independently following his suspected poisoning last month Alexei Navalny/Instagram/AFP World news in pictures 14 September 2020 Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga, former Defense Minister Shigeru Ishiba and former Foreign Minister Fumio Kishida celebrate after Suga was elected as new head of the ruling party at the Liberal Democratic Party's leadership election in Tokyo Reuters World news in pictures 13 September 2020 A man stands behind a burning barricade during the fifth straight day of protests against police brutality in Bogota AFP via Getty World news in pictures 12 September 2020 Police officers block and detain protesters during an opposition rally to protest the official presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus. Daily protests calling for the authoritarian president's resignation are now in their second month AP World news in pictures 11 September 2020 Members of 'Omnium Cultural' celebrate the 20th 'Festa per la llibertat' ('Fiesta for the freedom') to mark the Day of Catalonia in Barcelona. Omnion Cultural fights for the independence of Catalonia EPA World news in pictures 10 September 2020 The Moria refugee camp, two days after Greece's biggest migrant camp, was destroyed by fire. Thousands of asylum seekers on the island of Lesbos are now homeless AFP via Getty World news in pictures 9 September 2020 Pope Francis takes off his face mask as he arrives by car to hold a limited public audience at the San Damaso courtyard in The Vatican AFP via Getty World news in pictures 8 September 2020 A home is engulfed in flames during the "Creek Fire" in the Tollhouse area of California AFP via Getty World news in pictures 7 September 2020 A couple take photos along a sea wall of the waves brought by Typhoon Haishen in the eastern port city of Sokcho AFP via Getty World news in pictures 6 September 2020 Novak Djokovic and a tournament official tends to a linesperson who was struck with a ball by Djokovic during his match against Pablo Carreno Busta at the US Open USA Today Sports/Reuters World news in pictures 5 September 2020 Protesters confront police at the Shrine of Remembrance in Melbourne, Australia, during an anti-lockdown rally AFP via Getty World news in pictures 4 September 2020 A woman looks on from a rooftop as rescue workers dig through the rubble of a damaged building in Beirut. A search began for possible survivors after a scanner detected a pulse one month after the mega-blast at the adjacent port AFP via Getty World news in pictures 3 September 2020 A full moon next to the Virgen del Panecillo statue in Quito, Ecuador EPA World news in pictures 2 September 2020 A Palestinian woman reacts as Israeli forces demolish her animal shed near Hebron in the Israeli-occupied West Bank Reuters World news in pictures 1 September 2020 Students protest against presidential elections results in Minsk TUT.BY/AFP via Getty World news in pictures 31 August 2020 The pack rides during the 3rd stage of the Tour de France between Nice and Sisteron AFP via Getty World news in pictures 30 August 2020 Law enforcement officers block a street during a rally of opposition supporters protesting against presidential election results in Minsk, Belarus Reuters World news in pictures 29 August 2020 A woman holding a placard reading "Stop Censorship - Yes to the Freedom of Expression" shouts in a megaphone during a protest against the mandatory wearing of face masks in Paris. Masks, which were already compulsory on public transport, in enclosed public spaces, and outdoors in Paris in certain high-congestion areas around tourist sites, were made mandatory outdoors citywide on August 28 to fight the rising coronavirus infections AFP via Getty World news in pictures 28 August 2020 Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe bows to the national flag at the start of a press conference at the prime minister official residence in Tokyo. Abe announced he will resign over health problems, in a bombshell development that kicks off a leadership contest in the world's third-largest economy AFP via Getty World news in pictures 27 August 2020 Residents take cover behind a tree trunk from rubber bullets fired by South African Police Service (SAPS) in Eldorado Park, near Johannesburg, during a protest by community members after a 16-year old boy was reported dead AFP via Getty World news in pictures 26 August 2020 People scatter rose petals on a statue of Mother Teresa marking her 110th birth anniversary in Ahmedabad AFP via Getty World news in pictures 25 August 2020 An aerial view shows beach-goers standing on salt formations in the Dead Sea near Ein Bokeq, Israel Reuters World news in pictures 24 August 2020 Health workers use a fingertip pulse oximeter and check the body temperature of a fisherwoman inside the Dharavi slum during a door-to-door Covid-19 coronavirus screening in Mumbai AFP via Getty World news in pictures 23 August 2020 People carry an idol of the Hindu god Ganesh, the deity of prosperity, to immerse it off the coast of the Arabian sea during the Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Mumbai, India Reuters World news in pictures 22 August 2020 Firefighters watch as flames from the LNU Lightning Complex fires approach a home in Napa County, California AP World news in pictures 21 August 2020 Members of the Israeli security forces arrest a Palestinian demonstrator during a rally to protest against Israel's plan to annex parts of the occupied West Bank AFP via Getty World news in pictures 20 August 2020 A man pushes his bicycle through a deserted road after prohibitory orders were imposed by district officials for a week to contain the spread of the Covid-19 in Kathmandu AFP via Getty World news in pictures 19 August 2020 A car burns while parked at a residence in Vacaville, California. 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Mr Abdul-Ghani says the attack took place at dusk on Sunday as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the Islamic State-held town of Qaim.

There was no official claim of responsibility for the attack, though suspicion fell immediately on Isis. The group has been pushed almost entirely out of Anbar, where the attack took place, and Iraqi forces now in the final stages of a major offensive in the northern city of Mosul.

The attack was just one of a handful of such blasts to hit the country in recent days. Isis appears to be launching them as it loses ground in Mosul, killing people as they attempt to leave the city's Old Town amid an increase in fighting in the city's small streets.

An Iraqi officer said just hours before the attack in Anbar, that two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops in Mosul, killing one soldier and wounding several.

Sergeant Ali Abdullah Hussein said the attack was the latest by the Islamic State group as Iraqi forces close in on the last pocket of militant-held territory in the Old City neighborhood. The IS group's last stand in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with the militants now controlling just over 1 square kilometer in all.

Hussein says the attack happened on Monday morning in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque.

He said that over the past three days, at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of civilians flee the fierce fighting in the Old City's congested streets.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
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The Netherlands has lodged a complaint with the Israeli government after dozens of Dutch solar panels donated to a West Bank village were confiscated by Israeli authorities.

The hybrid diesel and solar power electricity system was installed last year in remote Jubbet al-Dhib, a village home to 150 people in an area of the West Bank occupied by Israel.

The panels were not built with proper permits and permissions, the authorities said, confiscating equipment belonging to the 307,000 humanitarian project last week.

 Israel approves spending millions in West Bank settlement security

Critics points out that building permissions for new Palestinian homes and infrastructure are almost impossible to obtain.

The village mayor told Palestinian outlet Maan News that the panels were destroyed, although Comet-ME, the aid organisation which installed the panels, said that between 60 and 90 were taken away intact and other equipment at the site destroyed and left behind by Israeli forces.

The Dutch Foreign Ministry has asked for the equipment to be returned to Jubbet al-Dhib and is considering what next steps can be taken, according to a report in Israeli daily newspaper Haaretz published on Saturday.

Israel: From independence to intifada Show all 7 1 /7 Israel: From independence to intifada Israel: From independence to intifada 26973.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26974.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26975.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26976.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26977.bin Israel: From independence to intifada 26985.bin Robert Capa/Magnum Israel: From independence to intifada 26986.bin Robert Capa/Magnum

The issue has sparked anger both in the Dutch government and in the Palestinian territories over how it was handled.

Cogat, the Israeli military agency responsible for coordinating Israeli policy in Palestinian areas, said that several work-stop orders were issued before the day of the raid. Villagers maintain that they did not know the site had been targeted until Israel Defence Force (IDF) soldiers showed up.

Of particular note is that Jubbet al-Dhib is very close to Israeli outpost villages  settlements illegal under both Israeli and international law  which enjoy a full connection to the main power grid.

Cogat said in a statement that the village had other electricity sources other than the illegal electricity room. Haaretz said that before the solar panel system was installed, the 150 residents relied on a couple of old and noisy diesel generators for three hours of power a day.

More than 300 structures in the occupied West Bank demolished by the Israeli authorities in 2016 were at least in part funded by the EU or international NGOs, an Israeli military official said earlier this year.

Last year also saw the highest number of Israeli demolitions of Palestinian structures since rights groups began records.
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Qatars leaders have agreed to let Kuwait handle negotiations between Doha and its Gulf neighbours after they severed all diplomatic ties with the tiny kingdom last month.

The energy-rich Gulf state was given an extra 48 hours to respond to a list of 13 demands such as closing down state-owned al Jazeera and cutting off alleged links to Isis, Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood which the Doha government had previously described as so far-reaching they appear intended to be rejected.

Qatar's foreign minister is expected to meet Kuwaiti emir Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah later on Monday to give him Doha's response, state media reported.

 UAE: Diplomacy will be given 'one or two more chances' before they 'part ways' with Qatar

US President Donald Trump urged unity in phone calls to the emirs of Qatar and the UAE as well as Saudi Arabias King Salman on Sunday night. Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening! he later wrote on Twitter.

The president previously appeared to praise Riyadh and its allies decision to suspend all travel, trade and diplomatic relations with Qatar, noting how he had called for a crackdown on terrorism during his recent trip to the Middle East.

In a statement on Sunday, the White House reiterated that the overriding objective of [Mr Trumps] initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism.

Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' Show all 6 1 /6 Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' Grosvenor Square The Western border of this Qatari Quarter is Park Lane and Hyde Park; the Northern border is North Row; the Eastern border is Duke Street, Grosvenor Square and Carlos Place; whilst the Southern border is South Street and the Dorchester Hotel. Lawrie Cornish Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' Dudley House, Park Lane The enclave is centred around the 200 million Dudley House on Park Lane, the London home of Sheikh Hamad bin Abdullah Al Thani. Dudley House Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' Dudley House, Grand Interior The owner of Dudley House is the cousin of Qatars emir. Dudley House Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' View from 2.25m flat on Mount Street Mount Street is another address popular with Qataris. The flat is situated at the eastern end of the street near Berkeley Square in the heart of Mayfair Village and benefits from a balcony. Lawrie Cornish Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' Upper Grosvenor Street the grade II listed mansion is located in the 'Qatari quarter'. Lawrie Cornish Luxury properties within Mayfairs 'Qatari Quarter' 4.5m duplex on Green Street The flat is located on Green Street, another address popular with Qatari buyers.The duplex is located near the 40 million former Brazilian Embassy, which is reported to have been purchased as the new London home of Sheikha Mozah bint Nasser Al Missned, the mother of the current Emir. Rokstone

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, the UAE and Egypt - followed by a handful of other Muslim countries - abruptly cut off ties on 5 June over Dohas alleged funding of organisations considered terror groups by its neighbours and other meddling in foreign affairs.

The move plunged the country into crisis, sending the stock market tumbling and effectively closing down its airspace.

Families have been split up and myriad businesses affected by demands for Qatari nationals to leave the countries involved, and vice versa.

Qatar strongly denies the allegations against it.

Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo to discuss the situation on Wednesday, Egypt said.

Although further sanctions have been threatened if Doha does not capitulate, the UAE's foreign minister Anwar Gargash has played down the chances of an escalation, saying the alternative is not escalation but parting ways, suggesting Qatar may be forced out of the Gulf Cooperative Council (GCC).

Reuters contributed to this report
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At least 1,500 people have died due to cholera and more than 246,000 new cases of the disease have been reported in conflict-riven Yemen in just the past two months, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has said.

The death toll has risen from the 1,300 announced last month, when the number of suspected cases was around 200,000, and there are now 5,000 new diagnoses a day.

The new figures show the disease has increased tenfold in the last two months, Nevio Zagaria, WHOs representative in Yemen, said at a news conference over the weekend, and now affects 21 of the countrys 22 provinces.

 Michael Fallon claims Saudi Arabia is only 'defending itself' when attacking Yemen

The first outbreak of cholera was confirmed in October 2016, but by May new cases were being diagnosed at a rate three times higher than the initial estimates. Aid organisations warned last month that the epidemic was spreading, with almost one person an hour dying from the water-borne infection.

Cholera  an acute diarrhoeal infection caused by ingestion of contaminated food or water  can kill the young, elderly and otherwise sick in hours if vital fluids are not replaced.

A quarter of the dead so far are children, the UN health agency said.

The situation in Yemen Show all 14 1 /14 The situation in Yemen The situation in Yemen Houthi supporters trample on a US flag during a gathering mobilizing more fighters into several Yemeni battlefronts, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen People carry the coffins of men, who were killed in the recent Saudi-led airstrikes during their funeral, in the Old City of Sanaa, Yemen AP The situation in Yemen Pro-government fighters give food to Yemeni children on the road leading to the southwestern port city of Mokha. Yemeni rebels are putting up fierce resistance in a key Red Sea port city where they are encircled by pro-government force Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni stands in front of a graffiti protesting US military operations in war-affected Yemen, in Sana'a, Yemen. According to reports, US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen US Special Forces troops allegedly disembarked from US helicopters in the Yemeni town of Yakla and attacked several houses belonging to members of the terrorist group Al-Qaeda, killing three high-ranking Al-Qaeda members and nine civilians, six women and three children. One American serviceman has been killed and three injured in the attack EPA The situation in Yemen A Yemeni female fighter supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, takes part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen Yemeni female fighters supporting the Shiite Huthi rebels, and carrying weapons used for ceremonial purposes, take part in an anti-Saudi rally in the capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A boy shouts slogans next to pro-Houthi fighters, who have been injured during recent fighting, during a rally held to honour those injured or maimed while fighting in Houthi ranks in Sanaa, Yemen Reuters The situation in Yemen Balls of fire and smoke rise from a Houthi-held military camp following alleged Saudi-led airstrikes, in Sana'a, Yemen EPA The situation in Yemen Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty Images The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy looks on as Yemenis search under the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa Getty The situation in Yemen A Yemeni boy sits amidst the rubble of damaged houses following reported Saudi-led coalition air strikes on the outskirts of the Yemeni capital Sanaa AFP/Getty The situation in Yemen Marine One with US President Donald Trump flies with a decoy and support helicopters to Dover Air Force Base in Dover, Delaware, for the dignified transfer of Navy Seal Chief Petty Officer William 'Ryan' Owens who was killed in Yemen Getty Images The situation in Yemen US President Donald Trump aboard the Marine One to greet the remains of a US military commando killed during a raid on the al Qaeda militant group in southern Yemen on Sunday, at Dover Air Force Base, Delaware, US Reuters

While easily treatable and preventable with proper sanitation procedures, after more than two years of war the countrys health, water and sanitation systems are on the verge of collapse, making the epidemic very difficult to treat.

Saudi Arabia and its regional partners have used the spectre of Iran to justify an extensive bombing campaign on Yemens Shia Houthi rebels at the request of the exiled, internationally recognised Yemeni President Abdrabbuh Mansour Hadi.

The Saudi economic strangulation, blockades on Yemens air and sea ports preventing the import of food and medicine and the targeting of vital infrastructure such as roads and bridges  and in some cases civilian buildings such as hospitals  have contributed to the dire situation the countrys 27-million-strong population is now facing.

Less than half of Yemens medical centres are still functional. A total of 14.5 million people dont have regular access to clean water and 7.3 million live on the brink of famine.

The UN estimates $2.1bn (1.6bn) is needed to stop Yemen completely collapsing into a failed state, but donor governments only pledged half that amount at an aid conference in Geneva in April.

More than 10,000 people have died in the fighting to date, the UN says.
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Levels of pollution on some cruise ships' decks are worse than in the world's most polluted cities, an investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches has found.

The undercover investigation on Britain's biggest crew operator P&O Cruises aimed to find out how clean the air holidaymakers breathe when on a ship is.

It focused on the levels of "ultra-fine particles" found in the air and around the cruise ship and emitted from the fuel the ships' engines burn.

But while passengers hope to escape the dirty air of cities for some fresh sea air, the investigation found cruise ships are having a negative impact on the environment. One cruise ship can emit as much particulate matter as a million cars in a day.

Meanwhile cruise ships are becoming more popular with around two million people from the UK travelling on one every year.

By using a P-Trak ultra-fine particle counter, Dispatches said it was able to measure the levels of the ultra-fine particulates on board the P&O Cruises' ship Oceana, which can carry more than 2,000 passengers.

The device found that the air on the deck downwind of, and directly next to the ship's funnels, had 84,000 ultra-fine particulates per cubic centimetre.

Directly next to the funnels on the deck, the numbers rocketed to 144,000 with a peak at 226,000.

This is more than double the average found in central London's Piccadilly Circus, where using the same device, the Dispatches team recorded 38,400 ultra-fine particulates per cubic centimetre.

While the deck is popular with sun-bathers, passengers are likely to be breathing some of these particulates, which are harmful for health and the environment.

Speaking to Dispatches, Dr Matthew Loxham said: "It is clear from those results that there are certain areas of the ship that are affected by quite high levels of particulate matter.

"These are levels that you would expect to see in the most polluted cities in the world like Shanghai, Delhi and so on."

Looking at the results, Dr Loxham also said the findings suggested the majority of the particulates were coming directly from the ship's funnels.

He said: "Short term exposure can cause increasing respiratory symptoms. People who are asthmatic for example, that might give them a wheeze. Similarly for people with cardiovascular disease. Now that is not to say that these levels of particulates on this ship are going to do that but there is much evidence out there to suggest that increase levels of particulates can cause these symptoms."

Dr Loxham added that crew members working on the ship and who experienced repeated exposure could experience symptoms "that we are just starting to understand".

Speaking to the Dispatches team, Daniel Rieger, of the German environment association NABU (Nature And Biodiversity Conservation Union), said: Ships cause not only greenhouse gas emissions, but also sulphur oxides, nitrogen oxides and particulate matter.

"Per day one cruise ship emits as much particulate matter as a million cars. So 30 cruise ships pollute as much as all the cars in the United Kingdom.

UK news in pictures Show all 50 1 /50 UK news in pictures UK news in pictures 4 November 2022 A peacock is seen in the early winter sunshine in the Dutch Gardens in Holland Park AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 3 November 2022 A villager cooks roti bread at the site of the annual Camel Fair in Pushkar, in India's desert state of Rajasthan AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 2 November 2022 A red squirrel gathers nuts in Pitlochry, Scotland Reuters UK news in pictures 1 November 2022 Englands Tara-Jane Stanley scores their sides seventh try against Brazil during the Womens Rugby League World Cup group A match at Headingley Stadium, Leeds PA UK news in pictures 31 October 2022 GBs James Hall competes during the mens parallel bars qualification at the World Gymnastics Championships in Liverpool AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 October 2022 People dressed in Halloween costumes paddle board along the river Avon in Christchurch, Dorset PA UK news in pictures 29 October 2022 Members of the public take pictures as police officers remove activists from a road during a Just Stop Oil protest, in London Reuters UK news in pictures 28 October 2022 A cosplayer attends the MCM Comic Con London 2022 at the ExCel Centre in London Reuters UK news in pictures 27 October 2022 98-year-old D-Day Veteran Bernard Morgan, whose story is among those featured on the giant poppy wall, during the launch of The Royal British Legion 2022 Poppy Appeal, at Hay's Galleria in central London PA UK news in pictures 26 October 2022 A meerkat explores a pumpkin in the enclosure at Wild Place, Bristol, where some of the animals are having pumpkin treats as part of their environmental enrichment PA UK news in pictures 25 October 2022 King Charles III welcomes Rishi Sunak during an audience at Buckingham Palace, where he invited the newly elected leader of the Conservative Party to become Prime Minister and form a new government PA UK news in pictures 24 October 2022 Rishi Sunak celebrates with Tory MPs outside the Conservative Campaign Headquarters after becoming the new leader of the Conservative Party Reuters UK news in pictures 23 October 2022 The Green Man at October Plenty, Borough Market's annual Autumn Harvest festival, in London, which returns for the first time post pandemic PA UK news in pictures 21 October 2022 Sculptor Peter McKenna puts the finishing touches to a pumpkin that will form part of the Planet A Hebden Bridge Pumpkin Trail in the West Yorkshire town PA UK news in pictures 20 October 2022 Britains Prime Minister Liz Truss delivers a speech outside of 10 Downing Street in central London to announce her resignation AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 19 October 2022 Salmon leap up Stainforth Force on the River Ribble in the Yorkshire Dales as they swim upriver to their spawning grounds during the annual Salmon migration PA UK news in pictures 18 October 2022 Just Stop Oil protesters continue their protest for a second day on the Queen Elizabeth II Bridge, which links Kent and Essex and which remains closed for traffic, after it was scaled by two climbers from the group PA UK news in pictures 17 October 2022 Hundreds of students take part in the traditional Raisin Monday foam fight on St Salvator's Lower College Lawn at the University of St Andrews in Fife PA UK news in pictures 16 October 2022 A protester holds a placard during a march into central London at a demonstration by the climate change protest group Extinction Rebellion AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 15 October 2022 A member of the public drags an activist who is blocking the road during a "Just Stop Oil" protest, in London, Britain REUTERS UK news in pictures 14 October 2022 Germanys Womens double skulls during day one of the World Rowing Beach Sprint Finals at Saundersfoot beach, Pembrokeshire PA UK news in pictures 13 October 2022 Family and mourners arrive at St Michael's Church, in Creeslough, for the funeral mass of 49-year-old mother of four Martina Martin, who died following an explosion at the Applegreen service station in the village of Creeslough in Co Donegal on Friday PA UK news in pictures 12 October 2022 Motorists in Coventry pass trees showing autumnal colour PA UK news in pictures 11 October 2022 A woman and her dog in the the North Sea at Tynemouth Longsands beach before sunrise PA UK news in pictures 10 October 2022 Police officers remove a campaigner from a Just Stop Oil protest on The Mall, near Buckingham Palace, London PA UK news in pictures 9 October 2022 A drummer plays during the Diwali on the Square celebration, in Trafalgar Square, London PA UK news in pictures 8 October 2022 Timothee Chalamet attending the UK premiere of Bones and All during the BFI London Film Festival 2022 at the Royal Festival Hall, Southbank Centre, London PA UK news in pictures 7 October 2022 Two young male fallow deer lock antlers in Dublins Phoenix park as rutting season begins PA UK news in pictures 6 October 2022 The Princess of Wales during a cocktail making competition during a visit to Trademarket, a new outdoor street-food and retail market situated in Belfast city centre, as part of the royal visit to Northern Ireland PA UK news in pictures 5 October 2022 Greenpeace protesters interrupt Prime Minister Liz Truss as she delivers her keynote speech to the Conservative Party annual conference PA UK news in pictures 4 October 2022 Prime Minister Liz Truss and Britains Chancellor of the Exchequer Kwasi Kwarteng wearing hard hats and hi-vis jackets, visit a construction site for a medical innovation campus in Birmingham AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 3 October 2022 British artist Sam Cox, aka Mr Doodle, reveals the Doodle House, a twelve-room mansion at Tenterden, in Kent, which has been covered, inside and out in the artist's trademark monochrome, cartoonish hand-drawn doodles PA UK news in pictures 2 October 2022 Erling Haaland celebrates after scoring Manchester City's second goal against Manchester United at Etihad Stadium. Haaland went on to score a hattrick, his third of the season in the Premier League. City beat United 6-3. Manchester City FC/Getty UK news in pictures 1 October 2022 Protesters hold up flags and placards at a protest in London. A variety of protest groups including Enough is Enough, Don't Pay and Just Stop Oil all demonstrated on the day AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 30 September 2022 British Prime Minister Liz Truss, who has not been seen in days, leaves the back of Downing Street after a meeting with Office For Budget Responsibility following the release of her governments mini-budget Getty UK news in pictures 29 September 2022 The Virginia creeper foliage on the Tu Hwnt i'r Bont (Beyond the Bridge) Llanwrst, Conwy North Wales, has changed colour from green to red in at the start of Autumn. The building was built in 1480 as a residential dwelling but has been a tearoom for over 50 years PA UK news in pictures 28 September 2022 Criminal barristers from the Criminal Bar Association (CBA), demonstrates outside the Royal Courts of Justice in London, as part of their ongoing pay row with the Government PA UK news in pictures 27 September 2022 David White, Garter King of Arms, poses with an envelope franked with the new cypher of King Charles III 'CIIIR', after it was printed in the Court Post Office at Buckingham Palace in central London AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 26 September 2022 A gallery staff member poses next to a painting by Lucian Freud - Self-portrait (Fragment), 1956 - on show at a photocall for the Credit Suisse exhibition - Lucian Freud: New Perspectives at the National Gallery in London PA UK news in pictures 25 September 2022 Labour leader, Sir Keir Starmer is interviewed by Laura Kuenssberg in Liverpool before the start of the Labour Party annual Conference which he opened with a tribute to Queen Elizabeth II and sang the national anthem PA UK news in pictures 24 September 2022 Handout photo issued by Buckingham Palace of the ledger stone at the King George VI Memorial Chapel, St George's Chapel, Windsor Castle PA UK news in pictures 23 September 2022 A climate change activist protests against UK private jets while lighting his right arm on fire during the Laver Cup tennis tournament at the O2 Arena in London EPA UK news in pictures 22 September 2022 Woody Woodmansey, Lee Bennett, Kevin Armstrong, Nick Moran and Clifford Slapper attend the unveiling of a stone for David Bowie on the Music Walk of Fame at Camden, north London PA UK news in pictures 21 September 2022 A flock of birds in the sky as the sun rises over Dungeness in Kent PA UK news in pictures 20 September 2022 Flowers which were laid by members of the public in tribute to Queen Elizabeth II at Hillsborough Castle in Northern Ireland are collected by the Hillsborough Gardening Team and volunteers to be replanted for those that can be saved or composted PA UK news in pictures 19 September 2022 The ceremonial procession of the coffin of Queen Elizabeth II travels down the long walk as it arrives at Windsor Castle for the committal service at St Georges Chapel AFP/Getty UK news in pictures 18 September 2022 A man stands among campers on The Mall ahead of the Queens funeral Reuters UK news in pictures 17 September 2022 Wolverhampton Wanderers Nathan Collins fouls Manchester Citys Jack Grealish leading to a red card. City went on to win the match at Molineux Stadium three goals to nil. Action Images/Reuters UK news in pictures 16 September 2022 Members of the public stand in the queue near Tower Bridge, and opposite the Tower of London, as they wait in line to pay their respects to the late Queen Elizabeth II, in London AFP via Getty Images UK news in pictures 15 September 2022 Members of the public in the queue on in Potters Fields Park, central London, as they wait to view Queen Elizabeth II lying in state ahead of her funeral on Monday PA

John Maggs, president of the Clean Shipping Coalition, also told Dispatches: Most large ships burn heavy fuel oil. Its a residual product from the refining industry, so after the refiners have produced the petrol and diesel we put in our cars, theyre left with what is essentially a waste product. Its called residual fuel, or heavy fuel oil.

"From an environmental point of view, its bad because of the air pollution caused by the very high sulphur content. The shipping industry, however, has traditionally liked it because its much cheaper than other fuels.

Responding to the findings revealed by the investigation, P&O Cruises said: Since 2005 we have reduced our fuel consumption by 28 per cent, with the accompanying reduction in air emissions.

It added that the Oceana is to be fitted with "exhaust gas cleaning systems, which have been installed on 60 ships across its brands".

"This action significantly improves the quality of air emissions. Soot and particulate matter reductions in excess of 80 per cent have been achieved.

P&O also said that in 2014 it had reduced CO2 emissions by 20 per cent and had "renewed its goal to continue reducing the rate.

It said: The health, safety and welfare of guests and crew across all our ships is our absolute highest priority We recognise that there is a public interest related to particulate matter and related health issues.
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The Government has promised the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) wont be a casualty of Brexit. But how does the card work  and what pitfalls await the unwary and unprepared?

What is an EHIC?

The European Health Insurance Card replaced the old E111 certificate in 2005. This free card gives you the right to access state-provided healthcare during a temporary stay in any of the other 27 EU countries, as well as Switzerland and the European Economic Area (EEA) nations of Norway, Iceland and plucky Liechtenstein.

The benefits include GP visits and in-patient hospital stays. Most countries have a health system that is similar to the NHS, except that you may be expected to pay a small proportion of the cost of treatment  for example, to see a GP. You may also have to pay upfront for care, and then claim back when you return home. The NHS provides good online information on the policies and charges in each of the partner countries.

Do I still need travel insurance for Europe?

Some people regard the EHIC as providing all the cover they need. They are happy to forego travel insurance benefits such as emergency airlifts, delay and cancellation protection and cover against loss or theft. But the NHS points out: The EHIC is not an alternative to travel insurance and will not cover any private medical healthcare or costs.

Recommended Brexit fears for UK tourists as millions of EHIC cards due to expire

When seeking treatment, it is essential to make sure you are treated in the public health system, not as a private patient. Because the two categories are often co-sited on the same premises, take care (if your condition allows) to ensure that you are being treated as an EHIC patient.

In the past, some British travellers seeking treatment in Spain and elsewhere have been asked to sign forms that signal their agreement to private care, at a possible cost of thousands of pounds.

I heard the EHIC does not cover emergency treatment?

So did I; it was in a tweet put out, and subsequently deleted, by ABTA, the travel association. It read: An EHIC card for example wont protect you if you need emergency treatment in Europe. In fact, an EHIC card is exactly what you need for emergency treatment in Europe. In contrast, the EHIC wont cover you if you travel abroad specifically for medical treatment.

Does the EHIC cover everywhere in Europe?

No. Key omissions include the Channel Islands, the Isle of Man, Monaco, San Marino and the Vatican. If these places figure in your travel plans, then you should seriously consider travel insurance.

While the former Yugoslavian republics of Macedonia, Montenegro and Serbia are outside the EU and the EEA, the UK has reciprocal health-care agreements that work like the EHIC.

Further afield, there are similar bilateral arrangements with other countries, such as Australia and New Zealand, for which the EHIC is not required. Note, however, that these treaties do not cover the journey between the UK and Australasia.

How do I get an EHIC?

Carefully. If you search online and dont pay attention, you can get directed to one of several official-looking sites that charge a fee (34.50 in the case of EHIC Direct) for doing very little; ehic.org.uk is the website you want. This is the fastest way to apply, but if you prefer you can call 0300 330 1350.

The card is valid for five years. You can apply for a replacement after four years and six months, which may be convenient and is certainly a better idea than letting the old one run out while you are abroad.

What if I lose the EHIC?

If it happens while you are in the UK, just apply for a new one. If you lose it abroad and need treatment, call the Overseas Healthcare Team on +44 191 218 1999 and ask for a Provisional Replacement Certificate (PRC). Youll need to provide your National Insurance number, as well as the email address (or, quaintly, the fax number) for the specific department of the hospital or clinic where you are receiving treatment.

This will give you the same cover as an EHIC until you return home, says the NHS.

The PRC is also an alternative if you havent actually got around to applying for an EHIC. The card is simply a shorthand for telling medical professional abroad: This person qualifies for reciprocal health care.

My travel insurer says that I must carry a valid EHIC when on holiday in the EU. Why?

Because if you are being treated under EHIC terms, the cost exposure that your insurer faces is drastically reduced. Most travel insurers recognise that there may be extreme circumstances in which you are unable to insist on being treated in the public system, but they want to incentivise you to act in their interests. Some will apply a significant excess (ie refuse to pay the full value of the claim) if you do not help keep costs down by using an EHIC card.

What happens to the EHIC after Brexit?

No one knows, but the prospects for continuation look more optimistic than they did. In the Brexit White Paper, the government said it "wants UK and EU nationals to continue to be able to use the European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) to receive healthcare should they need it while on holiday".

The former Brexit Secretary, David Davis, said that if agreement on a continuation of the system with the EU cannot be agreed, then the UK would provide one unilaterally.

What about treatment for kidney patients?

As The Independent revealed, medical charities have warned that 29,000 kidney dialysis patients who can currently get the treatment they need while abroad would face costs of more than 800 a week if the card goes, effectively putting holidays and rest breaks out of reach for people on ordinary incomes. As it is a pre-existing condition, insurance companies will not cover the treatment.

A House of Lords report by the European Union Committee said that in the event of no successor to the EHIC card: The many people with long-term conditions, including kidney patients, and people with disabilities, will be particularly affected, given the prohibitive costs of travel insurance that they face.

The committee concluded: It is not in the UKs interest for reciprocal healthcare arrangements to cease. Because of higher insurance costs  and in the case of dialysis patients, people living with rare diseases, and disabled people, the difficulty of obtaining travel insurance at all  without EHIC or an equivalent arrangement it will become much more expensive for UK citizens with chronic conditions to travel to the EU post-Brexit, for holidays, recuperation or treatment.
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London Pride may end this weekend  the main parade takes place 7 July  but there are plenty more places to celebrate the rainbow flag this summer. Combining a weekend away with LGBT festivities abroad means that not only do you get a slightly different twist on the familiar sights, but everyones in a party mood. Even some of the smaller European cities now have their own events, and there are always new ones too. Here are six Prides you can still visit this summer, and four to think about for next year.

Best Pride events 2018

Munich

7 to 15 July

If you like your Pride  or Christopher Street Day, as they call it in Germany  rather more civilised, well-heeled Munich is the place to go. The Saturday parade winds around much of the city, including the smart gay area near Sendlinge Tor. Hang out in the square at the end of Reichenbachstrasse, then repair to a more central square for an Aperol Spritz or gin and tonic in decent glasses (not just cans of warm beer as youll find in London). CSD partying lasts two days  if you like lederhosen, big sausages and a Bavarian dirndl-garbed drag queen singing Chirpy Chirpy Cheep Cheep in German, its the one for you.

csdmuenchen.de

Amsterdam has boats instead of floats (Getty) (Getty Images)

Amsterdam

28 July to 5 August

One of the oldest, historically liberal gay destinations around, Amsterdams scene may have lost a bit of its edge but Pride here has a USP: the Canal Parade, which takes place on the water on 4 August. Instead of floats, some 80 boats carry the leather queens, drag queens and disco bunnies along a four-mile route. Dam Square hosts a closing party on 5 August.

amsterdamgaypride.nl

Stockholm

27 July to 5 August

Stockholms main Pride celebrations last several days, each with a different theme, and climax with the Saturday parade. Sweden is the king of Eurovision these days and Thursday night offers vintage acts from contests old and new. Stockholm is, of course, a notoriously welcoming city.

stockholmpride.org

Stockholm celebrates with a Eurovision themed night (Getty) (Getty Images)

Reykjavik

7 to 12 August

More than 200,000 people turn out for Icelands main parade  pretty impressive, given that the national population is only 500,000. Locals are supportive (one year the then-mayor led the procession in drag) and tourists are there in droves. Just make sure to book accommodation well ahead, or risk annoying the locals.

hinsegindagar.is/en

Manchester

24 to 27 August

The main part of Manchesters Pride is the Big Weekend, a huge, long-running, bank holiday event that takes over the Gay Village  now a designated, signposted area around Canal Street that shares the scene with hen parties. Pride here is a big fundraiser for several projects in a city thats incredibly supportive of its LGBT community.

manchesterpride.com

Manchester's Pride raises money for local projects (Getty) (Getty Images)

Benidorm

3 to 9 September

Benidorms Pride celebrations are as unapologetically camp as youd expect. Fun, Friendly Flirty! is the slogan, with the celebrations culminating in the Saturday parade along Levante Beach and a free party and stage acts in the Julio Iglesias Arena. Otherwise the Old Town with its numerous gay venues hosts all manner of shenanigans.

benidormpride.com/en/

Best Pride events for 2019

Warsaw

First weekend in June 2019 (TBC)

As many governments in Eastern Europe shift to the right, being LGBT in places like Poland becomes more challenging, and the unofficial Prides that exist may be more underground affairs. But while it may not be as glitzy as Manchester or Tel Aviv, by attending, youre supporting the locals fight for recognition. In Warsaw, this is a day when people are able to hold hands and not face a reaction. Last years Equality Parade on 3 June was the biggest so far and ended with a gathering outside the iconic Palace of Culture and Science lit up in rainbow colours.

paradarownosci.eu/en

Pride festivities have been happening in Tel Aviv for 38 years (Getty) (Getty Images)

Tel Aviv

14 June 2019

Its not the first place that springs to mind, but Tel Avivs Gay Pride has been happening since 1979  when it started as a protest called the Love Parade  and, these days, attracts 250,000 people. Tel Aviv is a vibrant, liberal city with a party reputation, thriving nightlife, arts scene and beach culture  and its fascinating to see floats of muscle boys in skimpy shorts and rainbow-coloured takes on Hasidic Jewish garb rolling past a mosque.

gaytelavivguide.com

Madrid hosted this year's World Pride (Getty/iStockphoto) (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Madrid

Dates TBC

Handsome bullfighters in tight pants, flamenco drag  gay Spaniards are fiesta fiends and love to party loud and proud. In 2017, Madrid hosted WorldPride, attracting some two million people. The ultra-colourful main parade of the annual, smaller Pride goes down the wide boulevard of Gran Via. Get a hotel room with a balcony overlooking the procession so you can kick back, relax and save your energy for the late-night partying in the gay Chueca neighbourhood  though dont even think about going out before 2am.

gaymadrid.com

New York

30 June 2019

New York hosts WorldPride in 2019, a month-long celebration of the LGBTQ+ community culminating in a huge march at the end of June. Prior to the closing ceremony, there'll also be more than 50 events, from parties to lectures, expected to engage with more than three million people as part of WorldPride.

2019-worldpride-stonewall50.nycpride.org
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Fifty-nine passengers and four crew safely evacuated from a United Express flight when fire broke out at the rear of the plane shortly after it touched down at Denver airport.

The rear-engined aircraft, a CRJ-700 operated by SkyWest, had just arrived from Aspen after a half-hour flight.

It is thought flight UA5869 landed normally, with no indication of a problem until the plane was on the ground.

One of the passengers, Raiyan Syed from Boston, tweeted dramatic footage from the incident with the comment: Quick and immediate response. first responders on runway. Huge thanks to pilot and crew for helping get passengers off safe.

Rabia Chaudry, a mother travelling with a baby, tweeted: Thanks @united crew for being professional & courteous in today's emergency. Otw home now w baby's new wings. Lifetime upgrade welcome too.

She later added: Also other passengers were lovely, asking after the baby and helping. People are good.

Someone tweeting as Hillary's Blood Clot recalled the event in April when a passenger was dragged off another United Express flight, from Chicago to Louisville, saying: They better drag the passengers off, and quick.

The aircraft type, built by Bombardier in Canada, is one of the most popular in North America, and has an excellent safety record. The plane involved is seven years old. Before the Aspen-Denver flight, it had flown from Jackson, Wyoming to Los Angeles, and from there to Aspen.

The National Transportation Safety Board has been notified.

The Independent has approached SkyWest for comment.
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The whole object of travel, said the writer and poet GK Chesterton, is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on ones own country as a foreign land.



If, as appears to be the case, with much prodding from the Treasury the Brexit department has accepted it must take the turn marked trade as opposed to the one marked sovereignty, it should soon accept that theyre on a road that will lead, albeit with due wonderment, right back to where it starts.



Privately, Brexit officials appear to have conceded that a cake cannot be both kept and eaten. They are telling ministers not only that they will have to choose between sovereignty or the economy, but that they must choose the latter.



While this was always the subtext, it was not meant to be so explicitly in the script. Theresa Mays Lancaster House speech and the subsequent Brexit White Paper made clear the Government would pursue a full free trade agreement on both goods and services (something no third country has ever achieved with the European Union), while removing itself completely from the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice and ending free movement.



This entirely imagined reality was meant to charm the voters to sufficient degree to allow May to sack the Chancellor. But the script did not run to course, to the extent that she is no longer the one writing it.



Now, the prevailing mood music is one in which ministers have to accept political compromises in order to hang on to conditions similar to those in the European Economic Area, like Norway, who accept free movement of people.

 Brexit: Tory ministers 'think Theresa May's red lines need loosening'

Quite what can be negotiated in the year and a bit that remains is highly uncertain (the terms must be broadly agreed by October 2018), but the further the Government and in turn the public walk down this line, the sharper the reality will come into focus, that the UKs current  and they are still current  arrangements with the EU, are themselves the product of decades of hard negotiation, and are already uniquely favourable.



Last week, David Davis spoke of the creation of some sort of supranational body to oversee the rights of EU citizens based in the UK, as the jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice is unacceptable. Such provisions are a legal mess and a minefield, and frankly unnecessary. Daviss recently departed communications chief, James Chapman, said in an interview at the weekend that such red lines had made his former bosss job almost impossible.



On services, and particularly financial services, the City of London dominates the lucrative euro-clearing business yet is not in the euro, a right which was not easily won, and which many French and German financiers resented long before the 23 June last year.



On budgetary contributions, the UK makes a smaller per capita contribution than Italy, and receives a huge rebate.



On free movement, the UK is in the EU but not in the Schengen open-border agreement. UK passport-holders do not have the same frictionless travel through European airports as, say flights between Paris and Berlin, but, even in the most sensationalist scenario, would be terrorists crossing the Mediterranean cannot cross freely into the country.



On the economy, an as-yet-unpublished Treasury document indicates that the cost of leaving the single market cannot be recouped even in the medium to long term by free trade deals elsewhere, be they with India, China, the United States, Australia or whomever else.



So yes, we are on a journey back to where we started. The question is whether, in the end, we will be allowed to travel all the way there, either by public mood or by the EU itself. Some vastly inferior destination seems more likely. A dull suburban town, from which the old metropolis pokes out from beneath the horizon. But political life has never been so volatile or unpredictable. We could yet make it.
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Big Daddy must be turning in his grave. So must every departed president of the United States. Donald Trumps decision to tweet a video in which he wrestles against a man with a CNN logo for a head not only besmirches the US presidency, it reduces the art of professional wrestling to base politics.

As it goes, The Donald sounds like a potential wrestling identity. He would be a heel, naturally, but a fairly crappy one with terrible hair  the son perhaps of a retired great called The Don, who was genuinely talented but whose offspring crept onto the roster by nepotism alone.

If there was any justice in the world, the Undertaker would come out of retirement and dispatch him with a signature tombstone.

Truth being weirder than fiction, The Donald instead has slipped seamlessly from the ring and into the White House, where he keeps the planet amused on social media while simultaneously paying lip service to the real needs of Americans and to the countrys constitution.

 John Oliver rips Trumps CNN bodyslam tweet: A Barrage of Bullsh*t

A fortnight ago, Trump was criticised for failing to continue the tradition of hosting an Iftar dinner to mark the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. It seemed an unnecessary slight against American Muslims and was followed by the belated court approval of his travel ban affecting travellers from six majority-Muslim nations. The protection afforded by the constitutions first amendment to religious freedom appears to be unequally applied in The Donalds mind.

His CNN-bashing tweet this weekend is further evidence that the President doesnt give a fig for constitutional niceties. A meme might not carry the weight of the law but when it is circulated approvingly by the busy thumbs of the most powerful man in the land, one can hardly doubt its impact  or, surely, its malign intent. Those who claim it can be excused because wrestling isnt real are taking disingenuousness to the point of parody.

Perhaps it was no more or less than we should expect from the man who will presumably soon be adding ropes and turnbuckles to the Oval Office. Yet it should still shock us that a man who wields such authority can merrily advance the case for violence against the media.

It was bad enough that his toddler-esque tantrums were apparently deemed acceptable in the boardroom; that they can continue without sanction now he is President is simply astonishing.

 CNN hits back at Trump

If anything, Trumps attacks on the media are gathering pace and venom. Last week he singled out Morning Joe co-hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski, referring to the latter as low IQ crazy Mika and claiming he had seen her on New Years Eve at Mar-a-Lago bleeding badly from a face-lift. There was also the now customary fake news blast at a whole host of media outlets including The New York Times, The Washington Post, CNN and NBC.

What is the endgame in all this  or to put in wrestling lingo, the pinfall? Is Trumps aim simply to undermine belief in the media? Or does he genuinely want his supporters to take more active steps against journalists?

Remember that on the campaign trail his then-campaign manager, Corey Lewandowski, was arrested and charged with battery after an incident involving reporter Michelle Fields  Trump defended him. And in May, Republican Congressman Greg Gianforte was sentenced to community service after pleading guilty to assaulting a Guardian journalist.

America should be setting an example to the world when it comes to respecting the right of the free press  instead, leading figures are giving succour to regimes which would wish to curtail media freedoms. It is frankly unforgivable.

 Trump's homeland security advisor squirms as he sees WrestleMania tweet for first time on live tv

It should also provide yet more reason why The Donald ought not to be allowed to touch down on these shores. Rumours are rife that he may make a flying visit to Britain on his way to Bastille Day celebrations in Paris later this month, the precise details of any stopover kept secret for fear of protests. It would be a high-risk move on the part of both Trump and the British Government  the political equivalent of Jeff Hardy launching a Swanton Bomb from the top step in a ladder match.

Perhaps The Donald simply wants to discuss a future tag-team venture with Boris Johnson. Maybe he expects the red carpet treatment. Either way, the British public have placards at the ready and arent afraid to wave them. If the President comes, he should be kept firmly on the ropes.
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Almost exactly four years ago, a Syrian called Abu al-Zein, from the village of Katbiya in Aleppo province, appeared before the General Court of the Revolutionary Police in the town of Deir Hafer to betray his cousins.

Saeed and Ibrahim Abdul al-Ghafour, he testified, had been heard cursing the Free Syrian Army  especially a unit of the opposition rebels run by Abu al-Zein himself. So I presented a complaint [for] military investigation and was surprised that on the second day they were released with no charges, Abu al-Zein told the revolutionary court. They are always talking against and cursing the Free Army and so I appeal to you for an investigation and accountability [sic] to hold them responsible for all the things they said.

By mid-summer of 2012, the so-called Free Syrian Army, a loosely controlled group of militiamen which included deserters from the Syrian army  supported and later armed by Western nations controlled much of Aleppo province. They set up their own system of police and courts. But within months, Islamist fighters took control of vast areas of Syria, including the town of Deir Hafer. Their Sharia rule stretched all the way back to the Isis capital of Raqqa and would soon include much of eastern Aleppo city. Only last month were Isis finally driven out of all of Aleppo province by Syrian government troops under Russian air bombardment.

But how had the Syrian citizens of these vast territories survived under their revolutionary new rulers? Did they resist? Did they collaborate? Or did they  as a Jewish historian of the Holocaust described those who did not resist Nazi rule  help to give the wheel a push? Because the moment you accept the rules and judicial courts of any new authority, you give them legitimacy.

A few in Deir Hafer spied for the Syrian government and paid the price  on the day of the towns liberation, I saw with my own eyes the iron crucifixion bars outside the local black-painted Islamist court. I spoke to a man whose brother had been shot in the head on the very same execution site for flying the Syrian flag from his roof.

But on the floor of the courthouse, I found hundreds of photocopied, hand-written documents listing the cases which came before the four Islamist judges  all of them Egyptians, according to the townspeople. Isis was fleeing from the eastern end of the town; its incoming mortar fire was still exploding around the centre of Deir Hafer.

Amid a group of Syrian soldiers, one of whose officers had just been killed, I scrambled into the court and was able to grab a few documents, one of them accusing a man of attacking an Isis fighter  and presumably put to death. He had been charged with breaking the rule of God. Later that day I returned and was able to scoop up dozens more papers lying across the floor of the court and stuff them into my camera bag.

They were incomplete, many were undated, many others left beside the broken desk on which they had been lying. Their contents, however, provided a vivid portrait of poverty, desperation and family feuding; of petty theft and violence under the rule of both secular and Islamist militias in Syrias civil war.

Saeed al-Ghafour  the man who had "cursed" the Free Syrian Army  accused a 47-year old local farmer from the village of Zaariya of securing his arrest, warning his neighbours to stay away from the man who he named as Hussein al-Daban. The court documents record Hussein al Dabans response: So I went to him [Saeed] and asked why are you accusing me [of this] when I am ready to swear that I am not the one who informed on you and I am innocent of these accusations. So Saeed told me to send someone to conduct a military investigation  but I refused and I demand a proper investigation to return to me my dignity.

 Syria civil war: Air strikes hit Aleppo hospitals

Al-Ghafour was re-arrested, according to the court records, and would be referred back for military investigation within 15 days if the allegations prove true. There was no trace of the verdict.

But at almost the same time, another informer appeared before the Islamist court; this time a 36-year old shop assistant called Mohamed al-Haroud who  coincidentally, perhaps  appeared to work for Abu al-Zein. This time, the judiciary was referred to in the records as the Revolutionary Islamic Police Court.

Mohamed al-Haroud came to betray another cousin called Saeed al-Haroud. This cousin, he said, collected money from local villagers when there were wartime electricity cuts  presumably to supply them with generator power  and suggested that the Free Syrian Army itself had pocketed cash which was supposed to be spent on the power grid. Saeed al-Haroud, the court was told, tells people the Free Syrian Army are thieves...and says they are blasphemous and then he curses and says terrible things I cannot repeat  and I do not want to say so in case the Free Army should think I have a personal problem with him [Saeed al-Haroud]I came [to the court] out of a sense of duty and there are witnesses to all I have said.

It is intriguing to note that even when Deir Hafer was under the supposed control of the Free Syrian Army, financed and armed by the US and other Western nations, Islamist courts already existed. When I entered the town with Syrian troops this year, Free Syrian Army documents were lying amid Isis files and I found piles of Islamist magazines published in Saudi Arabia inside an Isis field hospital underneath a motorway overpass. It seems that the Free Army and Islamist militias could sometimes cooperate quite freely.

Free Syrian Army fighters on the outskirts of the Isis-controlled northern Syrian town of al-Bab (REUTERS)

Several court cases were truly pathetic. Brother Moujahed [Fighter] Ahmed told judges that he had received a phone call from Lebanon in which he was told that someone in the Aleppo province village of El-Mazboura was breaking into his neighbours houses and intruding on a girl in [one] household and meeting her at night while pretending to go to evening prayer, during which time he would see her. I did my duty by informing the Islamic police in Deir Haferand went to the village of El-Mazboura and the young man was summoned andwe asked him about this story and he confessed that he was going to see this girl.

At another hearing a woman described as the first wife of Mahmoud Alloush, a 32-year old from the village of El Maazeh, declared that it has been two years that my husband and I are in conflict and he constantly beats me, and he married a second wife and abandoned me and humiliated me and people can testify to this. Two days ago he beat me so hard that I left my house and went to the house of my uncle, Mahmoud al-Dabaan, to protect me and my two-year old daughter who was with me. And I stayed there one night and the next day in the morning he [her husband] came to my familys house and he took my daughter and we had a fight in the house and I screamed that I could not tolerate living in the same room with his second wife and that I need a house alone with my childrenall I am asking for is justice for me and my children

The husband later accused Mahmoud al-Dabaan of beating him and claimed that Dabaans son used a knife that left a mark on my face This sad domestic drama shows how ordinary citizens sought justice from the only court available to them.

A former Free Syrian Army fighter complained to the court that unknown people had blocked up his well; another man blamed a gunman for shooting him after he intervened in a brawl between his son and a neighbour; a businessman complained that he had paid 200,000 Syrian pounds for seven tons of cotton but the crop never grew and he could not recover his money. There was, the revolutionary police court decided rather meekly, no means of resolving the dispute.

Other cases involved car accidents and petty theft (womens clothing, an electric kettle, even a phone charger). A shopkeeper called Moussa al-Hassoun described how Ragheb al-Ali had stolen a set of electronic weighing scales from his shop and how he pursued him on a motorcycle. Al-Ali was subsequently beaten up by neighbours. The court forwarded this case to other judges because it had crossed one of Gods red lines  a remarkable verdict which combined both theology and American political cliche in one phrase!

More ominous charges suggested that Islamist militias were searching for a man who passed through a checkpoint on a motorcycle without stopping  had the man arranged with a guard to let him pass?  and were urging fighters to cooperate with the shebab [youth] and arrest the man on the motorcycle and not to obstruct the work of the authorities.

This document was signed by Abu Lokman [a patronymic], on behalf of The Muslim Soldiers, the Phalangists of the Liberators of al-Sham [Damascus], General of the Tawhid/Union of the Jebhat al-Nusrah Front. Nusrah is, of course, al-Qaeda  of 9/11 infamy.

Thus the villagers of Aleppo province cooperated  or collaborated  with their Islamist masters in the villages around Deir Hafer. Was this a crime? Or was it a necessity? In the absence of the regimes courts, who else could they turn to for justice? On the day of the towns recapture by Syrian troops at the end of March, the citizens of 27 villages around Deir Hafer sent a joint petition to the army, seeking reconciliation. The army forwarded this appeal to the government in Damascus. Its reply remains unknown.
Marine Minister Michael Creed has said Ireland will use alliances with other EU member states to offset "very bad effects" from Britain opting out of a long-standing fisheries convention.

The minister, who combines responsibility for food and farming with fisheries, said the British decision to withdraw the UK from the London Fisheries Convention was "unwelcome and unhelpful".

He said 60pc of Irish fishermen's most lucrative mackerel catch, and 40pc of their second most valuable stock of prawns, came from these waters.

The British move means trawlers from Ireland will be banned from fishing within 12 nautical miles of the UK coastline.

The UK government will trigger within two years its withdrawal from the 1964 London Fisheries Convention, which pre-dates EU membership for both nations in 1973.

Mr Creed said the announcement was "part of Brexit" and it would be considered by the EU's 27 nations and chief Brexit negotiator Michel Barnier when trade negotiations started.

He said the move was expected and Ireland had worked on making alliances with France, Spain, Netherlands, Belgium and Sweden, and the issue would be faced as part of the overall Brexit trade talks.

"We are anxious to have these negotiations in the broadest possible context to get the best possible outcome. But these talks will be long and arduous," the minister added.

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He said the announcement would have no immediate effect as the withdrawal process took two years and would form part of the Brexit negotiations.

He said both the Irish Government and the fisheries industry had foreseen this change and were preparing to offset its effects.

The convention allows vessels from Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the British coast. It dovetails with the EU common fisheries policy which gives all EU member states access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and others' coasts and also sets quotas for how much fish can be caught.

Fianna Fail fisheries spokesman Pat 'The Cope' Gallagher said the move was deeply disappointing. "While I am not overly surprised by this decision in itself, I am surprised at its announcement at such an early stage in the process. The UK government is seeking to negotiate fisheries in isolation but the Irish Government must insist it is part of the overall trade negotiations," Mr Gallagher told the Irish Independent.

"It must be remembered that the UK exports 62pc of its fish catch to the remaining 27 member states, so the trade element is a crucial component of negotiations on fisheries."

British ministers claimed the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, as it will no longer be bound by existing access agreements, and will enable the country to become fully responsible for fisheries management.

UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in the waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

British environment secretary Michael Gove said that leaving the London Fisheries Convention was an important moment as Britain took back control of fishing policy.

"It means for the first time in more than 50 years, we will be able to decide who can access our waters," Mr Gove said.

"This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union - one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK."

The UK fishing industry comprised 6,000 vessels in 2015, landing 708,000 tonnes of fish worth 775m (893m). Some 10,000 tonnes of fish were caught by other countries under the rules.
A new aparthotel planned for the site of Zanzibar and the Bondi Beach nightclub on Dublin's Ormond Quay will have 165 rooms in a development that will reach up to seven storeys.

Targeted Investment Opportunities ICAV - a fund connected to US investment group Oaktree Capital Management - has applied for planning permission from Dublin City Council for the development.

The new development, which is set to be larger than what was previously expected for the site, is just one of a number of similar developments being planned for the city amid a shortage of hotel rooms.

It was previously reported that the US fund was planning to spend 45m on the aparthotel after it acquired Zanzibar, a popular boom-era nightspot, for more than 10m last December.

It was also reported earlier this month that another well-known Dublin watering hole, Scruffy Murphy's, is to be demolished after plans were lodged for a five to six-storey aparthotel.

The building of the new aparthotel will require the demolition of a number of existing buildings on Great Strand Street to make way for extensions to the protected structures that make up the site on Ormond Quay.

Works to these protected structures will include internal upgrade works, removal of roller shutters and the reinstatement of shop fronts, as well as replacement windows with approved Victorian and Georgian window details.

The proposed aparthotel development would have an overall gross floor area of 8,565 square metres accommodating 165 bedrooms.

It would also include meeting rooms, a gym, a cafe, bar and restaurant area, as well as a coffee kiosk on Ormond Quay.
With nearly 40pc of Irish food and drink exports heading to the UK, the possible impact of a hard Brexit would be felt by the industry, but it's the day-to-day currency fluctuations that are hitting Irish exporters in the pocket.

However, 61pc of exporters who don't have a strategy plan in place for exports to the UK post Brexit and 68pc are unsure if their supply chain partners are 'Brexit ready'.

Bord Bia's Brexit Barometer found that 44pc of food and drink exporters believe that the UK will not want to restrict imports and for many the current day-to-day impact of currency fluctuations is an ongoing problem.

Sterling has strengthened since June 2016 and if exchange rates were to move towards parity, severe trading difficulties would be created for the industry, Bord Bia says.

It says that an exchange rate of 0.89p would cause severe difficulties for 39pc of respondents while a rate of 90p94p would cause difficulty for over 80pc.

"Ensuring appropriate risk management tools are in place will help manage future currency fluctuations," Bord Bia CEO Tara McCarthy said.

The Bord Bia research found that while Irish food and drink exporters believe they have reasonably well-developed practices for managing currency risk; however, this belief will be tested in the event of any further devaluation of Sterling.

Companies need to invest in currency risk management strategies for the longer term in order to manage and limit this exposure. It advised the use of natural offsets and currency derivatives to hedge net exposures - consider the type of currency derivatives that can be used for hedging (FX forwards; vanilla currency options).

It also said that companies should consider hedging both realised and/or forecast foreign currency revenues and how far forward to hedge future exposures.
Meat industry heavyweights have welcomed the US government's decision to formally brand Irish beef as 'uniquely grass-fed'

The recent approval is the result of three years of talks between Bord Bia and the United States Department of Agriculture, aimed at allowing the Irish food board to get closer to US customers.

Speaking at the Irish Grasslands Association beef conference in Kells, Paul Nolan of Dawn Meats described the move as "a big positive".

"The approval is very much welcomed but what is very important in this is the commercial side of things.

"Currently US state prices and supermarket prices are at best in line with what is going on in Europe, so obviously we would be looking for more encouragement to major on what we might do in the US, but we are delighted with it," he said.

As Brexit negotiations commence in Brussels, Mr Nolan also highlighted the huge potential of the Chinese market for the Irish beef sector.

"There is a certain belief that we may be in a position to export (to China) from the early part of 2018 and if that opportunity arises we will fully explore it and exploit it to the best of our ability from an Irish perspective," he said.

Platform

At the event, Joe Burke, Bord Bia's beef and livestock specialist, gave a presentation on the implications of Brexit for Irish beef. He described the latest US development as "another string to our bow".

"It gives us a platform to present the grass fed credentials, the natural story and that it's quality assured from a benchmarked sustainable production system," he said

The approval means Irish beef can be branded as 80pc grass fed, fully traceable from farm to fork and raised on family farms in the US.
Over 83pc of dairy farmers are now certified in the Sustainable Dairy Assurance scheme, according to latest figures provided by the Minister for Agriculture, Michael Creed.

Launched in December 2013, the Scheme was developed in cooperation with milk producers, processors and the regulatory authorities, including the Minister's Department.

Its aim is to give the dairy sector the capability to both benchmark Irish milk production internationally and to demonstrate the commitment of Irish dairy farms to sustainable farming practices.

The Scheme also allows the sector access to markets and buyers that demand on-farm certification and provide assurance for those customers regarding sustainable production of quality milk.

The Scheme is open to all milk producers with a valid herd registration who supply to milk processors in the Republic of Ireland.

Applications are processed by Bord Bia who then provide an information pack and assign the farm to an auditor.

A farm visit will be conducted by an independent auditor at 18-month intervals at a time and day that suits the farmer.

The purpose of these visits is to audit the farm against the quality assurance criteria and to collect data regarding the sustainability of the farm.

Responding to questioning from Fianna Fails Charlie McConalogue last week, Minister Creed said there are approximately 17,800 dairy farmers in Ireland.

To date over 17,000 applications to join the scheme have been received representing 96pc of all dairy farmers.

In total over 83pc of all dairy farmers are now certified, meaning that their audit is completed and all corrective actions undertaken.

This Scheme does not have an end date, as is common with all quality assurance schemes of this nature.

It is a matter for processors as to how to deal with milk from suppliers who may choose not to join the scheme, he said.

The Minister's comments come as milk producers without Bord Bia Quality Assurance accreditation are facing total rejection by all dairy processors of milk supplies from their farms within months.

Processors are said to be intensifying pressure on "non-compliant" suppliers to obtain certification with warnings that non-certified milk will not be accepted by the end of the year.

Of the eight top processors in the country, it is understood that suppliers to four have achieved 100pc accreditation. Rejection of non-QA milk supplies has been introduced in some areas, while other processors are penalising non-compliant suppliers by at least 2c/L on milk price.

Recently, Arrabawn's Conor Ryan warned "the next six months will be critical" for full participation because it will no longer be acceptable that 1pc of non-compliant producers can effect the benefit of the scheme. He said 97.7pc of suppliers have QA.

"While we have not got to that point yet, other co-ops are now refusing to collect milk from farmers who are not involved in it," he said.

Mr Ryan said a small number not participating were generally older farmers that may not remain in milk production.

The co-op is working with them as within months the society will have to cease collection of milk from non-certified farms.
They are the snarling beasts of fiction and folklore, but conservationists are hoping to bring back wolves to the British countryside within the next 20 years.

The Wildwood Trust, which has successfully helped reintroduce beavers, water voles, pine martins and dormice to parts of the UK where they had become extinct, now wants to start rewilding the country with larger creatures.

In March, the Trust brought a pack of six wolves from Sweden to its 200 acre parkland site in Escot, East Devon, where their behaviour is being monitored as part of an ongoing research project into animal domestication, and to see how they adapt to living in Britain.

Experts believe that introducing wolves back into the countryside could help control the burgeoning deer population which now stands at around 1.5 million animals, the highest it has been for 1,000 years.

Deer have no natural predators, and cause destruction to woodland habitat which provides food and shelter for native species. They also are responsible for around 50,000 traffic accidents and the death of 20 people each year.

Peter Smith, CEO of the Wildwood Trust, said the charity wants to reintroduce lynx in the next few years, followed by wolves in around two decades, and brown bears within 50 years. But they first must meet rewilding protocols set out by The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and then gain a licence from Natural England.

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These animals were all once native to Britain, and the benefits they could bring to the ecology of Britain would be immense, he said

Wolves and lynx will change the behaviour of the deer, causing populations to drop naturally, which helps plants and trees to flourish.

There are wolves all over Europe and they dont cause problems. When was the last time you heard someone being killed by a wolf?

Statistics show that you have more chance of being killed in a car going to visit a wolf in captivity than you have of being attacked by one in the wild. And no lynx has ever killed a child or a human. Reintroducing them could allow our children the chance to enjoy our amazing natural heritage which has been wiped out by upland sheep farming.

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Wolves have not existed in Britain for around 300 years after they were hunted to extinction to allow sheep farming to expand at the height of the wool trade.

Calls for their reintroduction dates from 1999 when Dr Martyn Gorman, a senior lecturer in zoology at Aberdeen University suggested they should be brought back to deal with the 350,000 deer in the Scottish Highlands which were damaging trees. However the idea was shelved following an outcry from sheep farmers.

The issue was raised again following a study in 2007 by Imperial College London which concluded wolf reintroduction into the Scottish Highlands and English countryside would aid in the re-establishment of plants and birds currently hampered by the deer population.

If followed the successful introduction of wolves to Yellowstone Park, Wyoming, in 1995, which radically improved the ecosystem. With a new predator to worry about, populations of elk were forced to roam further afield to avoid being hunted, allowing trees and bushes to recover and native species to flourish.

The lynx was once native to the British Isles but the last British lynx was hunted to extinction for its fur around 700AD.

Calls for the introduction of lynx follow successful breeding programmes in Europe which have seen numbers of the Iberian lynx triple in 15 years. The Iberian lynx, which is the type campaigners are hoping to introduce, mostly eat rabbits and are around the size of a large dog.

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The Trust has applied for a licence from Natural England and Scottish Natural Heritage to reintroduce the animals and is waiting to find out if the request will be granted.

But the National Farmers Union has raised concerns that predators like lynx and wolves would hunt highland sheep, pet dogs and may even attack ramblers.

NFU countryside adviser Claire Robinson said: "The arguments for rewilding appear idealistic and ignore the economic impacts.

Any species introduction, particularly if it has not been in this country for hundreds of years, would also have a massive impact on the many benefits that the countryside delivers and we do not know how such animals would behave in the current environment.

We also have concerns over the impact on farm animals particularly lambs, given that many examples of rewilding focus on upland locations.

However Mr Smith said: Actually it may be beneficial for farmers because when lynx and wolves are around there are fewer foxes and badgers. There is evidence to show fox populations drop to a quarter when lynx are present.

The Wildwood Trust is hoping that the new wolves, named Elvis, Sting, Lemmy, Moby and their sisters, PJ and KD, will help rehabilitate their reputation in the eyes of the public.
Photo for illustration (Source: Internet)

The delegation held a working session with representatives of Le Monde Diplomatique and LHumanite newspapers run by the French Communist Party, and the France National Journalists Union.



The French officials said that most e-newspapers in France are online versions of printed newspapers. The majority of French press agencies use social media to widespread their products, they said.



They also noted financial difficulties facing the local media agencies.



Patrick Kamenka from the France National JournalistsUnion said that the country has nearly 40,000 professional journalists, but the number of journalists joining the union has been declining.



Currently, the union is proposing the French Government give financial support to newspapers to reduce businesses control of their contents, he said.



Meanwhile, Bruno Favel, head of the Department for European Affairs of Frances Ministry of Culture, said that France is a leading country in preserving cultural heritages, which has been considered a solution to attract more tourists and boost economic development.



Frances tourism sector serves over 80 million visitors per year, he said, adding that France has 57 heritages, including 15 intangible cultural ones.



The French side also expressed hope that Vietnam will have an important voice at the UN Education, Science and Culture Organisation, while proposing the two countries support each other to have more cultural heritages recognized.



During their stay, Ms Thanh and the Vietnamese delegation also had a working session with the Vietnamese Embassy in France and Vietnamese media agencies in the country, during which she asked for more efforts to bring more local news to Vietnam, thus boosting economic and cultural cooperation between the two countries./.
Calls have been made for more resources to be given to the Gardai, by Sinn Fein Deputy Peadar Toibin.

He has highlighted a recent cast of a farming contractor in Meath which he says has had 12,000 worth of tractor parts stolen from his yard in the past year.

Toibin said the contractor recently came across the thieves raiding his property. When disturbed, Tobin said they came at the contractor with a wheel brace.

There is a serious problem developing in towns around the country. Significant areas within and out of towns are being ceded to thugs, to crime and to drug dealers, Toibin said.

We know that Gardai are fiercely frustrated about their working environment.

Morale is at an all-time low due to the scandals with regard to the Garda management failings and the abdication of responsibility and oversight by the Government.

The Association of Garda Sergeants and Inspectors has said that we are now witnessing the human impact of seven years of austerity. The Garda Inspectorate report uncovered serious, systemic weaknesses in An Garda Siochana.

I have come to the view that at this stage there is nearly a tolerable level of crime, thuggery, drug dealing and alcohol abuse in our public spaces.

There is a danger that if I raise these issues I will be blamed by some people for blackening my own county.

The situation needs to be fixed and it can be fixed, he said.

It comes as the amount of thefts taking place on farms across the county and in neighbouring rural areas, has been recently called a disgrace by a Wicklow farmer following the theft of 3,500 worth of equipment from a relative's farm.

Kevin Moore from Grangecon made the comments in the Wicklow People where he launched an appeal for the return of his brother-in-law's trailer and farm gates which were stolen on May 22 when thieves broke locks to gain entry after dark.

Since the theft, Kevin and his relatives have made endless efforts to track down the items to no avail.

"Since this happened we have travelled hundreds of kilometres to Wexford, Wicklow, Carlow but we haven't seen any trace of it," he said.

Moore claimed that farmers all over Wicklow and the entire country are being targeted by criminals who are getting away with their crimes.

"It is a complete joke and it is happening every day of the week. Some time ago we followed some lads from our farm as far as Athy where they were intercepted by the Gardai and it turned out they were from Limerick. They were questioned and let off again.

"When larger machinery such as tractors are stolen and taken to the UK on the ferry, nobody has to produce any paperwork for them so they get away with it," Kevin said.

Moore also said his own farm has been targeted by thieves twice in the past while his brother-in-law and owner of the recently stolen trailer and gates, was robbed 18 months ago and lost "every farm tool he had, sheep shearing equipment and a motocross bike", none of which were ever recovered.

The Gardai in Baltinglass say that they have had reports of a number of thefts from farms across the county since the start of the year and that incidents do not appear to be confined to a single area.

Incidents recorded include the theft of farm equipment in Blessington in March, livestock from a farm in Dunlavin, also in March and chainsaws from Tuckmill in April.
Three young owls were uncovered by a farmer recently when he went to move bales in a shed.

The farmer, just outside Fermoy, Cork, was moving bales from last year to make room for more, when he found the young owls in situ with some rodent snacks!

He rang Birdwatch Ireland and local farmer and Birdwatch Ireland member Donal Sheehan visited the farm and advised the farmer to put back the bales and allow the young birds finish growing.

"He thought it was plastic bags between the bales but when he moved them he found it was young owls and some dead rodents the parent owls had brought them to eat.

"The bales were stacked four high and the chicks were right down the bottom. It's unusual to find owls nesting in among bales, they tend to choose disused chimneys or hollow trees."

The chicks, he said, are about three to four weeks old after being incubated for a few weeks by the mother owl, and will be able to leave the nest themselves in another few weeks.

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"The mother would have been roosting in a nearby tree during the day time and they feed around 11pm. You hear the chicks with their hissing snore and it means they are hungry and it encourages the parents to go hunting."

As for the rodents, Donal said that Birdwatch Ireland would encourage farmers not to use rodenticides as they are then ingested by birds such as owls.

"So many birds, including barn owls, rely on mice, rats and greater white toothed shrews for food. If the rodents have eaten poison they become disorientated and are easier for owls and other birds to catch. But it means the birds are then eating the poison too.

"Barn owls in Ireland are dying due to the use of rodenticide."

Alongside the rats, Donal and the farmer also found pellets - or coughed up bones and fur from digested rats.

According to Donal, when a barn owl ingests a rodent it does so whole, and the digestive system allows it to cough up the fur and bones and spit them out as a pellet three or four hours later.

"We can tell by the jaw bone of the pellet then what the rodent was and the owl was eating."

Bird watch Ireland will put a ring on their legs and adds them to its data base.
Ruthless fraudsters are selling fake motor insurance policies to unsuspecting motorists.

They are charging up to 300 to people and then leaving the drivers with no cover.

The new breed of "insurance sharks" is operating online and in pop-up shops, the Irish Independent has learned.

A number of reports have now been made to the Garda National Economic Crime Bureau by insurers about the scam.

It is understood hundreds of fake policies have been issued, promising discount cover with a range of well-known insurers. Insurer Liberty has warned about the growing problem.

The fraudsters pose as legitimate middlemen, claiming they can cut insurance costs.

However, they are not regulated by the Central Bank and often operate from home addresses using mobile phone numbers.

They are preying on younger drivers and foreign nationals who may not be familiar with the insurance market. They offer discounted policies which seem appealing.

Known as 'ghost brokers', the con artists are exploiting the fact that the cost of the average motor premium has shot up by almost 60pc in the last year.

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Some drivers are seeing even higher increases than this, even though there has been some slowdown in overall premiums lately.

Liberty Insurance director of personal lines Deirdre Ashe said it was a huge worry that the problem of ghost brokers was beginning to emerge in Ireland.

"It has been a significant problem in the UK for a number of years and is now becoming more prevalent in Ireland," she said.

She said the insurance scam must be aggressively tackled to minimise its impact on innocent motorists.

Ms Ashe said that if consumers require advice, they should engage the services of an insurance intermediary, or ask their insurer directly for clarification.

Fraudulent policies are sold by the ghost brokers buying cover from a legitimate insurer by using false information, and then selling that on to a motorist for cash. They also use fake policy documents, especially insurance discs, and sell these on to innocent drivers.

In some cases the fraudsters are charging fees of up to 300 for securing the insurance policies, and demand payment in cash.

They operate online or in pop-up offices, or from a residential address.

A fraudulent policy is invalid, which means consumers are actually driving illegally even though they think they are insured.

They will be unable to make a claim, and face huge bills if they are responsible for an accident.

A spokesperson for the Central Bank said it would encourage anyone intending to engage with a financial firm to check its online register to ensure that the firm is authorised.

"Whenever we are aware of unauthorised firms in operation, we issue a public warning notice and refer the firm to gardai.

"To date, almost 300 unauthorised firms have been the subject of Central Bank warning notices," it said.

Drivers are under huge pressure from the high price of premiums, with the Central Statistics Office showing that they had been rising for two-and-a-half years.

They finally dropped slightly last April, at 2.6pc lower than a year earlier.

The last time motor insurance fell before that was in December 2013.
Mark Carney has warned leaders of the world's fastest growing economies that giving into "reform fatigue" could put global financial stability at risk.

While "immense progress" has been made shoring up the financial system since the banking crisis of 2008, the Bank of England Governor said a failure to put more regulation in place could lead to slower economic growth and heighten risks to the G20 group of nations.

Speaking as chairman of the Financial Stability Board (FSB), he said leaders must not try to avoid repeating the failures of the past, but should evolve their regulatory frameworks to meet challenges of the future, such as those posed by fintech and cyber crime.

He said: "Despite this immense progress, there are nascent risks that, if left unchecked, could undermine the G20's objective for strong, sustainable and balanced growth.

"In particular, giving into reform fatigue could erode the willingness of G20 members to rely on each other's systems and institutions and, in the process, fragment pools of funding and liquidity, create inefficiencies and frictions, reduce competition, and diminish cross-border capital and investment flows.

"The net result would be less and more expensive financing for households and businesses, and very likely lower growth and higher risks across the G20."

The watchdog also urged leaders to support its efforts to tackle financial misconduct by making senior managers more accountable and preventing repeat offenders from switching companies.

Mr Carney said there had been an over-reliance on fines to stamp out wrongdoing, with 320 billion US dollars (247 billion) in penalties and ligation costs being paid out by global banks since the financial crisis.

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Businesses and households could have benefited from five trillion US dollars worth of lending if the money had been retained as capital, he added.

In a letter to the G20 leaders, Mr Carney called for a quick roll-out of the final parts of Basel III - a stringent set of capital rules for lenders - to help deliver a "resilient international banking system".

He also underscored the progress made in tackling so-called "shadow banking", where lending and market activity is carried out by unregulated institutions.

He said the regulation had been such a success the "enormous risks" posed by the practice no longer presented a threat to global financial stability.

He said: "In 2013, the G20 agreed the shadow banking roadmap to implement its comprehensive framework to strengthen oversight and regulation of shadow banking.

"A decade on, as a result of these measures, the financial stability risks from the toxic forms of shadow banking at the heart of the crisis no longer represent a global stability risk.

"The remaining activities are now subject to policy measures which reduce their risks and reinforce their benefits, allowing for more diverse and resilient forms of market-based finance."
Rough and ready. Caleb Followill (right) and Jared Followill on December 8, 2004 in Manchester Apollo (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Kings of Leon have played two of their three Dublin gigs (with the third Tuesday night in the 3Arena) and it seems they've been enjoying the shows.

Nathan Followill took to Twitter after their first gig on Saturday night to tell fans they "blew my socks off" and the crowd was "bonkers".

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After the second gig he said he'd been "the sweatiest I have ever been in my career".

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With two nights off before Tuesday's gig it seems pints were on the agenda.

"Time for my pintathon to begin" he declared.

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He had already asked fans if they knew of "anything cool" to do in Dublin and the responses were predictably booze-related, although a couple suggested he head to the Leinster hurling final.

Among the watering holes fans suggested were popular haunts Whelans, Keoghs, the Temple Bar, and Bruxelles.

Other touristy suggestions included the Viking tour and the Guinness Storehouse.

And of course someone suggested this:

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They're probably familiar with Coppers. After all, they're 44% Irish, according to Jared.

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As for the gigs, they went down an absolute storm with fans...

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Literary couple: For many, Nick Laird is best know as the other half of author Zadie Smith, whom he met while studying at Cambridge

Northern Irish writer Nick Laird's third novel draws parallels between a post-Troubles North and life on a remote island in the Pacific.

Nick Laird's third novel is his most serious to date, relating how an atrocity from the past affects a Northern Irish Protestant family two decades later, while also suggesting parallels with a similarly divided society on the far side of the world. And if in the end these two story strands don't really mesh, there's no denying the author's ambition.

In terms of literary celebrity, the 42-year-old Laird is best known to many people as the husband of the more famous author Zadie Smith, whom he met when they were students at Cambridge University. They and their children now divide their time between New York and London.

But he's also an award-winning poet with three Faber collections to his name, though he has said in past interviews that while poetry remains his first love, he feels he's "not bad" at writing fiction, either.

And he's not, even if his first two novels, Utterly Monkey (2005) and Glover's Mistake (2008) were somewhat messy affairs, never quite making up their minds what tone to adopt, whether picaresque or whatever. Laird would probably look back on them now as apprentice works, which is what they are. The tone is infinitely more assured in Modern Gods, as are his grasp of narrative and pacing, and his understanding of character and the dynamics of family life. Indeed, after the prologue's ferociously unnerving account of the atrocity that will loom large later in the book, we're offered a family saga just as engrossing as the one evoked by Anne Enright in The Green Road.

The family members, though, are very different, starting with New York-based eldest daughter Liz, whose feckless boyfriend has just cheated on her with another guy. This leaves anthropologist Liz in a state as she hurries to catch a plane to Northern Ireland, where younger sister Alison is about to marry for the second time.

Back in her home town of Ballyglass, life is no more relaxing. Estate-agent father Kenneth has had a stroke and is showing signs of early Alzheimer's; mother Judith is battling cancer; brother Spencer is having an affair with his best friend Ian's wife; and Alison, formerly married to an abusive RUC man, is jittery about her upcoming nuptials to Stephen, a kindly but taciturn man she doesn't know much about.

Laird captures all of this very well, with many shrewd and often droll observations: noting, for instance, that Kenneth "had a remarkable gift for misery" and that Ian's mother had loved her son "like he was a little prince, and it turned the cruel and funny boy into a witty narcissist".

Then the plot turns, a local newspaper revealing on the day after the wedding that Alison's new husband had belonged to the Ulster Freedom Fighters and had slaughtered five random Catholics in a pub massacre in the early 1990s - thereby bringing shame to the family and leaving Alison embarked on a honeymoon with someone she can't bear to look in the eye.

The plot turns geographically, too, as Liz flies off to Papua New Guinea with a BBC camera crew as they attempt to make a documentary about a religious sect created by a local woman called Belef who's broken away from an American-run evangelical mission.

The Papua New Guinea island on which this occurs is named by Laird as New Ulster, which you won't find on any map but which here harbours the same kind of divisive tribal cultures from which Liz has long fled back home.

This is all a bit obvious but obviousness is not the book's main problem from this point onwards - rather, it's the amount of pages that the author devotes to it. Yes, there are updates to what's happening back home, but these chapters are fleeting and soon we're back again in New Ulster as Liz and her BBC colleagues cope both with life in the jungle and with the people they've encountered there.

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This goes on for the best part of 200 pages and it's not really very interesting. Belef herself remains an inscrutable and, indeed, quite tedious presence, certainly a lot less fascinating than the author seems to think; while the self-righteous American family running the evangelical mission are so sketchily drawn that they don't have much substance.

And though the author insists on drawing parallels between the two disparate societies (Alison telling her father that "this family is like a cult we all follow but nobody remembers why"), the analogies seem forced.

Towards the end, with a reluctant Stephen agreeing to give oral testimony for an academic project, the reader's interest picks up again, but by then we've spent far too much time in the jungle and are left wondering why the author hadn't focused instead on the domestic and local fallout from Stephen's murderous past.

The analogies become even more strained at the book's close, with Liz reflecting that she had spent her life studying "how one tribe does this, another that - and all the time there was no difference, not really, just tiny variations on a theme of great suffering, great loss".

In other words, we're being offered truth and reconciliation, which is all very fine, though for the opening third of the book, Laird had been conjuring up something more interestingly complicated about how we live with each other.
Fans of Vincent Browne's long-running political show have reacted with dismay to reports that he will soon sign off for the last time.

The journalist, who has presented TV3's late-night current affairs programme, Tonight With Vincent Browne, since 2007, will front his last show at the end of the month.

Despite its 11pm starting time, the programme is one of TV3's most popular shows and has repeatedly made headline news thanks to Browne's regular run-ins with guests.

Described as Ireland's answer to Jeremy Paxman, he is well respected in the media and is renowned for his tough style of interviewing.

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The broadcaster, who turns 73 this month, has struggled with health problems and has previously taken time off.

In June 2014, he was admitted to St Vincent's Hospital after a bout of pneumonia.

A source said he was "worn out and completely drained".

As a result, he had to take leave from the programme for the whole summer in order to recover properly.

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He was forced to take more time off in February last year, meaning he played no part in TV3's general election coverage. At the time, he said: "I've got to deal with a respiratory health problem and I've got to take time off, unfortunately, over the next while during the election."

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He also had a famously fractious relationship with former Taoiseach Enda Kenny, who refused to take part in any debate chaired by him.

Mr Kenny attributed his decision to comments made by the journalist about suicide in 2010.

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"Vincent Browne on his television programme advised that I, as leader of my party, should take a bottle of whiskey, a gun and go into a dark room," he said.

"I have been in hundreds of homes around this country where the tragedy of suicide inflicted pain and stress on many families.

"I will not participate on any programme that Vincent Browne has anything to do with."

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News that the broadcaster is gearing up to present his last show broke over the weekend, sparking a wave of dismay on social media, with fans lamenting his reported departure.

Neither TV3 nor Browne have responded to reports of his quitting.

However, speculation now surrounds who will step into his shoes, with former politician Ivan Yates one of the front-runners.

The Newstalk presenter has previously fronted the show for Browne while he was on leave and is due to return to his Dublin base in September.
Darren Kennedy at the launch of the new SS17 International Designer Collections at Brown Thomas. Picture: Leon Farrell / Photocall Ireland

Darren Kennedy at the launch of Dublin Fashion Festival in association with Galaxy

Broadcaster and stylist Darren Kennedy will co-host TV3's Xpose every day this week.

No stranger to the small screen, Darren has hosted shows on the BBC, Channel 5 and ITV and he developed and produced the documentary Gay Daddy, the series The Unemployables, and presented fashion series #Trending.

Fashion is his area of expertise and he has had high profile collaborations with Specsavers and Louis Copeland. He's also a regular on the front row at London Fashion Week and he has worked with brands including Hugo Boss, BMW, British Fashion Council, Google, Topman, Reiss and MAC.

"As a longtime friend of the show, I'm delighted to be guest hosting Xpose for the week," he said.

"So far I've spent most of the summer travelling from London and Paris Fashion Weeks, to the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival and the Monaco Grand Prix so it's a real treat to guest host Xpose, be on home turf, and catch up with the TV3 gang."

Kennedy is the second guest presenter, after Thalia Heffernan, to fill the void left by presenter Ruth O'Neill who quit the show last month.

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Kim Kardashian's bestie, Jonathan Cheban, was slated to present the show recently but pulled out at the last minute.
Love Island fans were in shock after a savage recoupling saw seven contestants sent home.

Original Islander Dom Lever and newcomers Amelia Peters, Ellisha-Jade White, Shannen McGrath, Steve Ball, Rob Lipsett and Marino Katsouris were all booted off the island in Sunday nights explosive instalment of the ITV2 dating show.

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Viewers were gripped as the female hopefuls had to decide whether to Stick or Twist, either staying with their current love interest or ditching them for a new beau.

The reshuffle meant that seven contestants were sent packing.

One fan posted on Twitter: Love island is brutal you know. These surprise surprise walk outs are giving me chest pains.

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Stress levels through the roof, this is savage, said another.

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Lever was booted out of the villa after Montana Brown decided to ditch him, opting to couple up with newcomer Alex Beattie instead.

Viewers watched with bated breath to see whether Lever would walk out with another girl, meaning he would be part of a new couple.

But he appeared alone, meaning that he had wanted to stay with Brown, and was given his marching orders.

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Fans were divided about Levers departure.

Dom you have been dumped the words I have been waiting for, said one, while other viewers said they were heartbroken to see him go.
The British Pregnancy Advisory Service (BPAS) has announced that it will no longer charge women resident in Northern Ireland for abortion consultation and treatment services.

Last Thursday the British government announced that it would fund abortions under the NHS for women in Northern Ireland, yet it did not state when this decision would come into effect.

Director of External Affairs at BPOS, Claire Murphy stated that this "uncertainty" is the reason why the organisation decided to offer its services free to Northern Irish women.

"We are thrilled that the announcement took place, but our issue is that nothing has been put in place and that it occurred on the back of political issues," said Murphy.

According to BPOS, women from Northern Ireland present for abortions later, this is sometimes due to financial issues, Murphy said that by offering their services free to Northern Irish women it provides them with "reassurance".

"We don't want any women being put off accessing an abortion. The earlier an abortion takes place, the safer it is and that is why we are refunding women since Friday and offering free services which previously women in Northern Ireland would've been charged for, although at a discounted rate as we never turn away anyone based on their ability to pay," added Murphy.

BPOS provides abortion services to more than 70,000 women each year.

Irish actor and Pro-Choice campaigner, Tara Flynn took to Twitter to express her delight at the announcement calling the move made by BPAS, "common sense", while abortion rights group London Irish Abortion Rights Campaign too welcomed the news on the social media site.
After last week's Azerbaijan race staged on the streets of downtown Baku, the location for the Austrian Grand Prix could hardly be more of a contrast.

"Spielberg is in the middle of nowhere," commented Renault driver Nico Hulkenberg. "There isnt much around. Just lots of fields and cows. But also a lot of green which is very pretty and picturesque to see."

With no German Grand Prix on this year's Formula 1 calendar, you'd be forgiven for thinking that Austria could almost be considered a stand-in home race for Hulkenberg.

"These days, Monaco is a home race for me as thats the one where I stay at home for the race weekend," he pointed out.

"But Austria definitely has a familiarity about it and its a very welcoming event," he conceded.

"The atmosphere is very relaxed and lots of German fans make the short trip over the border. So yes, it almost feels like a home race for me.

"I love racing in Spielberg especially with the backdrop to the track, with the Alps," he added. "Its spectacular, and there is an old-school vibe to the circuit which I enjoy.

"Its a short track with not too many corners," he elaborated. He added that it was "important not to get a false impression as its still very challenging and technical.

"It has a lot of elevation  up and down  and some tricky corners to match. On paper, it looks easy but actually to get a good lap time it isnt so simple."

Hulkenberg will certainly be looking for a better time of it in Speilberg than his race in Baku. He was running as high as fourth place in Azerbaijan, before crashing on lap 24 following a safety car restart.

"It was a difficult weekend," he admitted. "It was a crazy race, one of those you get every five years.

"We were making up places with people crashing. I was just trying to stay alive and out of trouble. Unfortunately two laps after the red flag, I misjudged the turning into turn seven. I hit the inside wall and broke the steering arm.

"That was the end of my race which was disappointing, we surely would have had a couple of points. That is racing, however. We will regroup and go again in Austria.

And if nothing else, it sounds as though Hulkenberg's spirits will undoubtedly be lifted by the cuisine on offer in Spielberg.

"Its mandatory to eat a schnitzel that is for sure," he said. "They come from Austria and I absolutely love schnitzels.

"I also recommend kaiserschmarrn. Its a fantastic Austrian dessert. I love it!"

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Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien arrive at Dublin airport (Picture: Arthur Carron)

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has arrived in Dublin with his family.

He arrived this evening and will meet with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar in the morning.

Also on his agenda is meeting with President Michael D. Higgins.

He will also attend a number of other engagements in the city including a visit to see the Famine memorial statues.

Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Expand Previous Next Close Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien arrive at Dublin airport (Picture: Arthur Carron) Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien arrive at Dublin airport (Picture: Arthur Carron) 3/7/17 Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien arrive at Dublin airport . Picture: Arthur Carron Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien arrive at Dublin airport . Picture: Arthur Carron Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien greeted by Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers as they arrive at Dublin airport . Picture: Arthur Carron Prime Minister of Canada. Justin Trudeau, wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and son Hadrien greeted by Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers as they arrive at Dublin airport . Picture: Arthur Carron / Facebook

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Mr Trudeau is accompanied by his wife Sophie Gregoire-Trudeau and their young son Hadrien.

The family were greeted by Canadian Ambassador to Ireland Kevin Vickers.
BUSINESSWOMAN Deirdre Foley has been granted an order for disclosure of prosecution evidence for a three-week trial on charges connected to the handling of collective redundancies at Clerys department store.

Ms Foley faces a single charge of impeding a Workplace Relations Commission (WRC) inspector as well as three counts of breaking protection of employment laws following the takeover.

Her co-defendants are two executives, Mark Redmond and Brendan Cooney, the previous owners of Clerys, OCS Operations Ltd (now in liquidation), and Natrium Ltd which in 2015 bought the iconic department store on Dublins OConnell Street.

The case had its third listing at Dublin District Court on Monday before Judge John Brennan.

Remi Farrell SC for Ms Foley asked for an adjournment of two weeks and said he was anxious for a date for the hearing to be set.

The judge heard it will take up to three weeks and that dates can be set aside for the trial on the next mention date in court.

On Monday Judge Brennan made an disclosure order and said the defendants had been excused from attending court. He adjourned the case until July 28 next.

The judge was told earlier that Ms Foley has an application before the Court of Appeal in a bid to overturn a High Court ruling last year dismissing her challenge to the investigation. Mr Farrell told the district court on Monday that it was regrettable that the Court of Appeal did not get to deal with the case yet but that it was not something the judge needed to get involved with.

The criminal proceedings have been brought by Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation and the WRC.

OCS Operations petitioned the High Court for liquidation on June 12, 2015. This was followed by the collective redundancies in which 460 people lost jobs; 130 of them were directly employed by Clerys, the court has heard.

In April last, lawyers for the defence argued that in the interest of a fair trial an order should should have been made then for disclosure of evidence. The application was resisted at the first hearing in April with the prosecution saying disclosure would be provided at a later stage.

Earlier Judge Brennan was also told that during the probe a laptop was seized at the offices of Ms Foley's firm, D2 Private Ltd but it was returned to her after a forensic image of it was taken.

None of the defendants have yet entered a plea.

OCS Operations Ltd has three charges. It operated Clerys Department Store and Warehouse, from 2012 until a liquidator was appointed in June 2015, when it ceased trading.

The alleged offences are under the Protection of Employment Act for failing to initiate consultations with representatives of employees affected by the collective redundancies in OCS Operations Ltd, failing to supply employee representatives with all relevant information relating to the redundancies and not notifying the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in writing, on June 12, 2015  the day of the Clerys takeover.

There is one charge against Natrium Ltd, the company that took over OCS Operations Ltd in 2015 and which is co-owned by property developer Deirdre Foley and a UK based property investment and hedge fund business which has an 80pc stake. Natrium Ltd is accused of obstructing or impeding a WRC inspector on June 27 last year at 25-28 North Wall Quay, the companys address.

Deirdre Foley, of Hollybank Avenue, Upper Ranelagh, Dublin 6, who has a 20pc share in Natrium Ltd, faces four charges. One count alleges that it was with her consent or connivance that Natrium Ltd impeded a WRC inspector on June 12, 2015.

Her other three charges are under Protection of Employment Act for failing initiate consultations with representatives of workers, failing to supply them with all relevant information relating to the redundancies and not notifying the Minister for Jobs, Enterprise and Innovation in writing, on June 12, 2015.

Mark Redmond, of Belfry Dale, Citywest Road, Saggart, Co Dublin is an employee of D2 Private Ltd, a firm owned by Deirdre Foley. He faces the same charges for allegedly failing to notify the Minister or consult with workers representative or provide them with relevant information about the redundancies.

Brendan Cooney, a director of OCS Operations Ltd, with an address at Weirview Drive, Stillorgan, Co Dublin has the same charges plus an additional one under the Workplace Relations Act for giving false or misleading information to an inspector.
A TELECOMMUNICATIONS firm has been fined 2,500 at Dublin District Court for making unsolicited calls to a member of the public.

Virgin Media Ireland Limited pleaded guilty to making the calls for the purpose of direct marketing.

Solicitor Clare McQuillan for the Data Protection Commissioner told the court that there were two charges.

The company, with offices at Eastpoint Business Park, Clontarf, Dublin 3, was charged with making two phone calls on March 16, 2016 and May 27, 2016.

Assistant Data Protection Commissioner Tony Delaney told the court that he got a complaint from a member of the public who received a call from the company in January, 2015.

The woman told them not to call her again but they rang her all of the week beginning March 14. The court heard the woman is a Virgin Media customer but is entitled to opt-out.

Defence solicitor Peter McCarthy said due to human error the process was not properly followed but that they have procedures in place.

He told the court that a full investigation took place and hoped a conviction could be avoided.

Judge John Brennan said the charges were serious but noted the plea of guilty.

He also noted that the charges arose out of human error and immediate action had taken place.

However he said that he would have to record a conviction and imposed fines of 2,500 in total for the two charges against the telecommunications firm.
A mother who lost her only daughter to cancer is pleading with the public to "not take their kids for granted" and to help raise funds for other families in need.

Brendan and Terry Ring set up the Cliona Foundation after their fifteen-year-old daughter Cliona passed away from cancer in 2006.

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"One day when she was seven she walked into the blackboard at school and we thought it was very strange because she should have seen it.

"We noticed her eyes were crossed and we took her straight away to the doctor. It was confirmed that she had a brain tumour and doctors said that it was inoperable.

"It was a huge shock to our family. It was absolutely horrendous."

Terry, who has an older son named Colm, said that the family had no financial support and that medical expenses quickly added up.

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"We had great friends and family around us but we were financially drained."

Cliona underwent 18 months of chemotherapy but sadly passed away at fifteen-years-old in December 2006.

"A loss of a child is not God's wish, it's not a family's wish.

"We all distantly remove ourselves from the thought, not knowing when it's going to knock on your door."

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After Cliona's passing, friends and family wanted to do something in her memory and so they set up the Cliona Foundation to help other families.

"We were inspired by other families we met. We provide financial support and expanded into counselling servcies.

"We're doing it completely independent from the state."

Terry said that fundraising usually dries up in the summer time as it can be a costly time for parents.

"We wish we had the support when Cliona was sick. It was a difficult time when we heard our child had an inoperable brain tumour, we could have done without the stress of the financial costs.

"When you're in a deep and dark place with your child, the last thing you want to worry about is money."

The Cliona Foundation has supported over 430 families with 13 cheques gone out to families last weekend alone.

The foundation also provides support for "shadow children" who are often ignored because their parents have a very sick child.

"They also experience the trauma and can act out or misbehave. They witness their siblings going into cardiac arrest or having fits and they need to be looked after too," said Brendan.

"Don't take your children for granted. Be grateful for every moment you spend with them and every holiday you get to bring them on. We'd be very grateful if people could help us by donating."

Mother-of-three, Sharon Forsyth, praised the Cliona Foundation for the "tremendous" support that they provided to her family.

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"My youngest daughter Lorna was diagnosed with a rare metabolic condition when she was eight-months-old.

"Our lives were turned upside down. We were constantly in and out of hospital and we have two other daughters too aged seven and five, so it was very difficult. It's hard being stuck in hospital away from your other kids."

Sharon said that the last thing a family with a sick child needs, is to worry about money.

"You're trying to get your head around the diagnosis and don't have time or energy to fill our forms for a carer's allowance.

"We were in financial distress because of the trips to the hospital and basic things like parking and childcare."

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Sharon said she found out about the Cliona Foundation through the Jack and Jill foundation.

"I'll never forget the day a cheque for 1,500 came in the post from the Cliona Foundation. I didn't know it was coming and I burst into tears."

The mum-of-three explained how spending time with her sick child in hospital made her feel "so alone".

"I was so alone. Metabolic conditions are so rare that Lorna didn't fit under any umbrella. Opening that cheque made me feel as though someone was listening to me.

"The foundation doesn't jsut provide financial support, it's emotional support too. Hopefully some day we can do something in return for Terry and Brendan. They're amazing people. They've gone through it first-hand and they understand."

Mum-of-two Kellie Sweeney also praised the Cliona Foundation for their help after her baby Thomas passed away.

"My son Thomas was born very sick. He was baptised the day he was born and was sent from Limerick to Temple Street.

"Thomas had a rare syndrome that made his body insulin repellent. He was the first person in Ireland to be diagnosed with it. We knew something was wrong with him during my pregnancy but we didn't know how awful it would be."

Kellie said that the Cliona Foundation was invaluable to her family during the stressful time.

"You don't realise how much money you go through. Thomas unfortunately passed away but a couple of months later we received a cheque from the Cliona Foundation, which helped us immensely with our bills.

"We were able to pay off hospital and creche bills. They were amazing."

Kellie has since had another baby girl, Ciana, and while there was a high risk that the baby would be born with the same syndrome, the 13-week-old is "flying".

Donations to the Cliona Foundation can be made online at www.clionasfoundation.ie or by calling the office with details at 061 331333.
Richard Roche (5) went missing from People's Park in Dun Laoghaire for three hours on Sunday evening

The father of a young boy (5) who went missing yesterday, prompting a large garda search, has spoken of the "gut-wrenching" moment he realised his son was gone.

Aidan Roche, from Co Wexford, was in Dublin with his wife and young kids when the nightmare occurred at the People's Park in Dun Laoghaire yesterday afternoon.

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His five-year-old son, Richard Roche, disappeared from the play area and was nowhere to be seen for three hours.

Yesterday evening, a massive garda search was launched to help find the missing boy.

Both the local gardai and members of the Coast Guards were called to help trace the five-year-old.

Aidan told Independent.ie that he was still so shaken up about the incident that it took him three attempts to answer our call.

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He was in the play area with his older brothers and he just disappeared.

My brother-in-law and my wife were taking turns watching him, and then one moment he was gone. My mother-in-law turned around and said Richard is missing.

At first I didnt really believe it, we were helpless," Aidan told Independent.ie.

He was gone an hour, and our stomachs just dropped. Then two hours and then three, we really started to panic."

A huge search was launched and after three hours, the young boy was found by local woman Emer Fitzgerald, hiding in his parent's car.

He told us after that he couldnt see anyone in the park so he left, and went out to the car park. At first he climbed and hid under my van, and then climbed into the window of my wifes car, which was a few cars down.

The park was surrounded by a large six-foot fence, so we couldnt understand how he got out.

I looked in the van, around my wifes car, under the car, but I never thought about checking inside the car. I just presumed it was locked," Aidan added.

The relieved father thanked everyone who helped him find his son, including the gardai and the Coast Guards.

The guards were incredible, and Id like to thank Emer and Clare who were the ones who found Richard. We are so glad he was found safe.

"No matter how much you watch your kids or how vigilant you are, you can just turn around and they're gone. It was gut-wrenching but we can't describe how happy we are to have him home safe."

Local woman Emer Fitzgerald, who found little Richard hiding in his mum's car, told Independent.ie that her "motherly instincts" kicked in.

After hearing about the missing boy, Emer drove around the area and spotted a small head popping out of the back of a parked car.

It was mothers instinct. When you know, you know.

He was petrified. He was bawling his eyes out crying. All he wanted was his mummy and daddy, Emer told Independent.ie.

With the help of a passer-by she helped Richard out of the car and got the attention of the gardai and Coast Guards.

The young boy was so warm that passer-by's had to give him some water.

The rescue services and the public were brilliant. The relief was just amazing, she added.

Richard was taken to the local Garda Station where he met up with the rest of his family.
Long-time anti-smoking campaigner Professor Luke Clancy said the Government must deal with the entire issue of roll-ups if it is ever to achieve its stated aim of a smoker-free Ireland by 2025. Stock picture

Health Minister Simon Harris has been urged to ban so-called "combi-packs" of roll-your-own tobacco and cigarette papers.

Anti-cancer and smoking campaigners argue that the convenience packs especially target poor and young people, luring them into smoking. The combi-packs are condemned by the campaigners as "alco-pops of tobacco" and a "cynical device to make more money for big tobacco companies".

The crackdown calls come amid new data which has shown an increase in the use of roll-your-own tobacco after persistent tax increases on conventional or ready-made cigarettes. EU statistics show fewer than one in five Irish people now smoke, against an average of more than one in four across the 28 member states.

But there has been a marked increase in the use of 'roll-your-own' tobacco - up from 3.5pc in 2003 to almost 25pc in 2014. There is evidence this is especially prevalent among young people and people in poorer areas.

Now the spotlight has fallen on combi-packs. The Health Minister is being urged to make it an offence to produce or sell cigarette papers and/or filters with loose rolling tobacco in a one unit pouch or box.

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Long-time anti-smoking campaigner Professor Luke Clancy said the Government must deal with the entire issue of roll-ups if it is ever to achieve its stated aim of a "smoker-free Ireland by 2025". In practice, this means getting the number of smokers below 5pc, down from the current level of 19pc.

Dr Clancy said all the experience showed a need for further tax increases to deal with the differential between loose tobacco and cigarettes. But he also singled out the combi-packs for special attention.

Prof Clancy said quantitative research showed better-off and better educated smokers were not fans of the combi-packs. But these packs were popular with poorer and less educated people living in disadvantaged areas. "I think these kits are just a cynical device by the tobacco companies to make more money," Dr Clancy told the Irish Independent.

An Irish Cancer Society spokesman said taxation policies had been shown as effective in reducing rates of smoking - but roll-ups now required attention and especially combi-packs. "There is clear evidence that these packets are targeting young people and people living in disadvantaged areas," the Irish Cancer Society spokesman said.

A Healthy Ireland report has also reported a higher level of hand-rolled cigarette smoking among 15 to 34-year-olds. Campaigners insist it's clear that young people are being targeted with combi-packs as DIY starter packs. Research shows that 78pc of smokers start before the age of 18.

The Health Minister is being urged to use the Public Health Tobacco Act to see if he has the power to ban combi-packs.
David Franks is under no illusions about the main challenge facing Irish Rail. It needs a lot of money to maintain the current network, and to add services.

He is keen to highlight the role that railways can play in meeting climate change targets and reducing congestion. But to do that, more trains are needed.

And he says houses must be built along existing lines, particularly in Dublin and other major cities, to provide a viable alternative to the car.

"Railways are very good at moving large volumes of people in built-up areas, "he says. "We had this conversation at our board meeting, about ensuring we contribute sufficiently to the debate [on housing], and on the potential improvements necessary from public transport to service any future development.

"We have been in a space where there hasn't been any money. There hasn't been opportunity to demonstrate visionary thinking. Now we see things picking back up, we see opportunity to consider these things carefully.

"People need to think a little bit bigger than 'we have to build more houses'. There's certainly scope on the Kildare route to handle more numbers. Our only constraint is rolling stock, and that should not be the biggest issue in the world. It's not that expensive in the context of a 30-year investment, and the benefits can be significant."

Although the company has received additional State funding in recent years, it's way below what is needed. Notwithstanding the current pay claim, he acknowledges the role that staff have played, particularly in driving energy efficiency and other cost-saving measures.

Irish Rail has hit its Government target to be 33pc more energy efficient, way in advance of the 2020 deadline. "We've been achieving a huge amount of things in terms of general efficiency across the company over the period since the recession kicked in," he says. "When you have no money, you become incredibly creative. Energy efficiency has been one of our best achievements, one of the things I hold up as a serious gold star.

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"It started with 'When a train's not in use, why don't you just shut it down'? We've made colossal savings."

Despite the financial problems, passenger numbers are rising. This is due to the improving economy, with more people back at work, use of the Leap card - although he believes fares are too low and it is "weird" to offer cheap prices at times of high demand - and ticketing initiatives.

Some 50pc of all intercity journeys are now booked online, and an airline-style booking system has been in place since May. Over time, passengers with a "bit of flexibility" on travel arrangements will be able to book cheaper tickets on lesser-used services.

The system will analyse booking patterns, and offer cheaper fares on quieter trains. Customers will also be able to print tickets at home, or scan a barcode on their mobile phones in stations.

"If you're prepared to be flexible, you can pay less. It's all about spreading the loads and getting better value."

Part of encouraging people to travel by rail is ensuring they have confidence in its safety record. Last December, safety watchdog the Commission for Railway Regulation warned the Government of "strategic safety" issues over time, unless senior management changed the way it dealt with regulations.

"We have a robust but professional relationship with them generally," he says. "Some requirements have been onerous and expensive, and you would expect us to challenge some of those, which we do. That's all I'll say.

"The network is incredibly safe. We're the safest railway in Europe at the minute as set out by the European Railway Agency

"The way a safe railway operates is you have systems to prevent things going wrong. When systems aren't functioning, you rely on humans to do the job for them. The risk is human error creeping in. We do not operate a railway when it's unsafe."

Irish Rail was forced to cut services to and from Limerick for three weeks earlier this year due to signalling issues, and there were problems in Cherryville in 2016. The lack of money meant routine upgrades could not be completed. Other problems are looming,

"We need 100m every year just to invest in the asset base. We've made it very clear there will be a deterioration in the quality of service, we will end up doing things with people instead of systems.

"With track, we just put speed restrictions on the first instance. There's a period of time before we get into serious problems. But signalling works or doesn't. It's electronic. One day it can be working and the next it will be broken. We have signalling systems coming to the end of their asset life. Our maintenance base is being enhanced to try to deal with deterioration as best we can.

"In my time we had Cherryville which broke, Limerick broke, we know we have issues at Kilkenny which have to be dealt with and issues around the corner in Cork, and there are other parts of the network where we're close to critical in terms of needing to spend money.

"If we are not to find ourselves having a deteriorating quality of railway, we do need that money."
Under a new system flat rate fees will be banned, meaning households which only use the black bin to dispose of waste will pay higher charges (Stock photo)

Dublin City Council will write to the Government calling for the formation of a national waste regulator, a waiver scheme for poor families and for the new bin charging regime to be scrapped.

An emergency motion at the council meeting last night, in response to a new bin charging structure, received the support of 37 councillors.

Among those to support the Sinn Fein proposal that the Lord Mayor write to Environment Minister Denis Naughten, was Fine Gael councillor Naoise O Muiri.

"It's ironic that we have a National Lottery regulator and not a waste regulator," he said.

The motion also asked the minister to introduce more measures to reduce, reuse and recycle waste.

A motion that waste management services be taken under the control of the local authority, proposed by People Before Profit, also passed by 36 votes to seven.

Last week, the minister, announced plans to ban flat rate bin charges.

While the exact effect of this remains unclear, it has been estimated bin charges will rise by at least 30 a year for the average family under the new charging regime.

Half of all families are expected to be hit with the initial rise, with warnings of more price hikes to come.

Under the new pricing regime, coming into force in September, customers currently paying a flat-rate fee - around half of all households - can expect to be hit.

Initial increases are understood to be likely in single-digit percentages, but could grow.

Over the weekend, it emerged briefing documents for ministers warned there was a "perceived and real risk" of domestic waste companies dramatically increasing charges for a "significant number of households" once the new charging regime was introduced.

Ahead of tonight's council meeting a small protest took place outside City Hall, organised by Sinn Fein.

Newly appointed Lord Mayor of Dublin, Micheal Mac Donncha, and the party's deputy leader Mary Lou McDonlad were among those who attended.

Daithi Doolan tabled an emergency motion that the council should write to Environment Minister Naughten to stop the new charges.

Speaking at the protest, the councillor said there were people who could not afford to pay any increase.

"What we really need here is a comprehensive view of waste management, rather than heaping cost upon cost of already burdened households.

"This is another tax hard pressed families have to deal with and this is a charge too much," he said.

"What the Government should do is stop these extra charges ease the burden on ordinary families and indeed look back at putting it back into the hands of public ownership".

He described as "Dickensian" the situation of consumers coming home from shops and being left with bags of waste that have to be processed.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has said 75 a year will be paid to people with long-term illness who must use incontinence pads.
Thousands of people took part in the annual 'Rally for Life' march but were met by pro-choice groups campaigning to repeal the Eighth Amendment

Thousands of people took part in the annual Rally for Life march today, which called for the Eight Amendment to be saved.

The event was organised by the Life Institute, who do not want our abortion laws to be changed.

Over two hours people marched from Parnell Square through Dublin City Centre before reaching Merrion Square.

As they made their way up O'Connell Street they were met by around 200 pro-choice groups, who lined either side of the road as they passed.

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The All Ireland Rally For Life Facebook page has also shared messages of support from people in places including Boston, New York, Malta and Madrid.

Among those who attended in support of retaining the Eight Amendment were TD Mattie McGrath and Bishop Denis Nulty.

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The Eight Amendment prohibits abortion here by giving equal rights to the mother and the foetus.

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The Citizen's Assembly has recommended that a vote on the Eight Amendment is held and Health Minister Simon Harris has said that he hopes this will happen in 2018.
Production of Farmak largest pharmaceutical manufacturer not affected by cyber attack

The June 27 cyber attack has not affected production of public joint-stock company Farmak (Kyiv), the largest pharmaceutical manufacturer in Ukraine, the company has reported on its website.

"The cyber attack did not affect production processes. The company continues operating as usual," the company said.

The company said that its IT service cooperates with leading vendors and cyber security exerts. The company takes measures to prevent these attacks.

The Arterium pharmaceutical corporation told Interfax-Ukraine that some difficulties are seen now over the cyber attack.

"Our specialists are settling them," the corporation said.

According to media reports, the Borys clinic and Feofaniya hospital suffered from the virus.

Farmak is a large pharmaceutical company in Ukraine with the share of total sales in the country in money terms of around 6.5%. The company has 19 production lines meeting GMP requirements.

Farmak produces 220 different medicines.

Annually Farmak brings up to 20 new products to the market. Its products are exported to 20 countries.

Arterium Corporation includes the Kyivmedpreparat manufacturer of antibiotics and Lviv-based Galychpharm, a leader in the production of plant-based drugs.
Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes says the time is right to sell the State's stake in Bank of Ireland. Picture: Tom Burke

The Government should move promptly to sell off its 14pc Bank of Ireland stake - which would net 1bn at current share prices - and use the proceeds as the cornerstone of a planned "rainy day fund".

The proposal comes from former junior finance minister and Dublin Fine Gael MEP Brian Hayes. He argued that the entire focus on selling Allied Irish Bank shares risked missing an important opportunity for taxpayers and to help establish an emergency fund to cope with the Brexit fallout and the pensions' shortfall crisis.

Mr Hayes said the "rainy day fund" planned for 2019 would benefit from this Bank of Ireland windfall. He acknowledges that such a sale would require a change in the Programme for Government, but argues that this should be done.

"The Government's 14pc stake is worth more than 1bn based on the current share price. Given that we expect to put 1bn into our rainy day fund every year, this is the ideal way to start the process and build up our savings to protect against the risks of Brexit and other potential economic shocks. We also are facing a massive pension liability into the future as people are living longer and demographics are changing," Mr Hayes said.

The Fine Gael MEP said the problem facing the Government was that the commitment in the Programme for Government only allowed for a 25pc sell-off in any bank until the end of 2018.

"This needs to be reconsidered - the Government needs to have the flexibility to be able to go to the markets if there is opportunity to get value-for-money for the taxpayer on the Government shareholding in the banks," he said.

Mr Hayes said that there was currently good value for a stock market flotation. Bank of Ireland's share price had recovered from the shock of the Brexit referendum, and eurozone growth again looked steady, creating an opportunity to get a good return for taxpayers, he said.

"On top of that, given that Bank of Ireland is the most exposed bank to the UK market, it may be prudent to offload the stock before the oncoming uncertainty of Brexit."

Bank of Ireland has recorded annual profits of more than 1bn for both 2015 and 2016 and it has reduced its non-performing loans by 4.1bn, or 34pc, since December 2015.

Milestone

Its so-called "tier 1 capital" has increased rapidly in recent months to more than 12pc and the bank is expected to pay dividends later this year or early next year.

"It would be a positive message for the Government and for the Irish economy if we can soon state that one of our pillar banks has been fully returned to the private sector and is free of Government influence. This would be a significant milestone after the scale of our banking collapse," Mr Hayes argued.

"It is not in Ireland's long-term interest to have large State holdings in the banking sector. It doesn't help competition in the sector. It discourages new entrants from coming into the banking market, offering new products and competing with the pillar banks for business. If ever we need new entrants, it is now.

"Minister Donohoe has many issues to consider in coming to a conclusion on the disposal of its shareholding in both AIB and Bank of Ireland. Timing the sale of the bank shares requires good judgement and a measure of luck."
Paddy Hill (centre) of the Birmingham Six and founder of the Miscarriages of Justice Organisation with Jobstown defendants (from the left) Kieran Mahon, Michael Murphy, Paul Murphy and Frank Donaghy at a rally yesterday. Picture: Collins

A government TD has said she will move to strengthen contempt of court rules to curb social media comments during criminal trial proceedings.

Deputy Josepha Madigan said she found some online commentary during the recent Jobstown water charge protest trial had been menacing and may have constituted an effort to influence the jury in the trial.

Solidarity TD for Dublin South West Paul Murphy and five others were acquitted after an eight-week trial, which was later described by all sides "as heavily politicised".

The move by Ms Madigan came as anti-water charge campaigners, including Mr Murphy, vowed to switch their energies to a campaign against bin charges.

Yesterday, the junior minister responsible for urban issues, Damien English, said that the change in the charging regime, now due to happen in September, may very well not cause spiralling prices.

Fine Gael TD Ms Madigan, who represents Dublin Rathdown and is also a solicitor, said she was concerned that the same criminal trial comment restrictions, which already apply to traditional media, should be in force for social media.

Ms Madigan said her move was not just motivated by the events surrounding the Jobstown trial.

"This applies to all trials and is an effort to ensure fairness for everyone. I was very concerned by the recent comments posted on social media during that trial.

"We cannot know how much such commentary is seen by jurors and what effect it might have. But we must protect the independent reputation of all juries," Ms Madigan told the Irish Independent.

The Fine Gael deputy, who is an expert in family law and has already tabled divorce law changes, said she is currently researching material for a private members' bill. She said the Law Reform Commission has already done work on the issue and produced a paper in 2016, while others had also done research.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has also said he does not think the treatment of former tanaiste Joan Burton and her adviser, Karen O'Connell, during the water charges protest in Jobstown, Dublin, was "in any way acceptable".

Speaking in Galway at the weekend, Mr Varadkar said it was important to respect the Jobstown trial outcome.

"But just because somebody wasn't convicted of false imprisonment doesn't mean that their behaviour, or the way they treated Joan Burton and Karen O'Connell, was any way acceptable," Mr Varadkar said. "And I don't think it was acceptable."
Northern Ireland Secretary James Brokenshire has confirmed that no power-sharing deal has been reached in Northern Ireland.

Thursday's deadline had been extended to 4pm today. Mr Brokenshire said progress had been made between Sinn Fein and the Democratic Unionist Party and that a deal remains achievable but warned that time is running out.

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Mr Brokenshire said that since the election in March, civil servants not politicians have been making decisions in Northern Ireland  a hiatus he said could not continue indefinitely.

He said the Westminster Government may have to step in to allow money to be spent.

He also said the Government intended to bring forward legislation forcing Northern Ireland parties to declare the sources of their funding from 1 July 2017. Sinn Fein currently receives large donations from foreign donors, particularly in the US, an arrangement that is outlawed for UK political parties outside Northern Ireland.

As Mr Brokenshire spoke at Westminster, the main parties at Stormont continued to blame each other for the impasse.

DUP leader Arlene Foster claimed Sinn Fein was more concerned with adding to its shopping list of demands rather than seeking compromises to restore power-sharing.

Ms Foster said her party wanted to see devolution up and running again but was not prepared to sign off on a one-sided deal that would leave the unionist community feeling short-changed.

Sinn Fein have a shopping list, a shopping list that seems to get longer every time we meet with them, she said.

That is very disappointing for all of the people of Northern Ireland, who make it very clear to us that they want to see devolution back up and running again on a fair and proportionate basis.

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She added: The onus is really on Sinn Fein now. Whether they want to continue with this political grandstanding or whether they want to get back to the job of work that we need to do.

I think it's long past the time when we should be back in government.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney has urged the parties to "stretch themselves" to find mutual accommodation.

"The Northern Ireland Secretary of States statement in Westminster this afternoon underlines that time is short to secure agreement on the formation of a powersharing Executive and on the implementation of outstanding commitments from previous agreements," he said.

"The Stormont talks are ongoing and the parties continue to engage. The next 24 hours will be vital if progress is to be made before advent of the summer holiday period.

"The key issues to be resolved will be no easier in the autumn than they are now. Indeed, with the passage of time, they may become more intractable as the hiatus in governance increasingly impacts on the welfare of citizens."

Earlier, Sinn Fein negotiator Conor Murphy again accused the DUP of refusing to budge on a series of outstanding disputes.

The republican party is demanding DUP movement on a proposed Irish Language Act; a bill of rights for the region; legalisation of same sex marriage; and measures dealing with the legacy of the Troubles.

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We don't see any urgency in terms of the DUP approach to this and we don't expect and don't think it is likely that there will be a deal in the short term because there is that lack of urgency, he said.

Reflecting on the upcoming Twelfth of July, the mainstay of the loyal order marching season, he added: We are in the bizarre situation, I'm sure its unique to here, that over the summer time we have to break because the atmosphere becomes too hostile for political negotiations.

Mr Murphy continued: Now we find ourselves up against the Twelfth of July where the atmosphere becomes so hostile that the DUP are even less likely to move on some of these issues.

In regard to the Irish language, Mrs Foster said her party was willing to support proposals that would find favour among the majority of Gaelic speakers.

She claimed Sinn Fein was pressing for much more, accusing the party of wanting to assert "cultural supremacy" over other sections of the community.

Mr Brokenshire said progress had been made on language, culture and identity issues but gaps remained between the parties.

The Government remains committed to working with the parties and the Irish government to find a way to close those gaps quickly.

I continue to believe that a deal remains achievable and if agreement is reached I will bring forward legislation to enable an executive to be formed, possibly as early as this week.

He reiterated time was short.

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It is six months since a full executive was in place to represent the people of Northern Ireland.

It is civil servants, not politicians, who have made decisions.

Without political direction it is not possible for strategic decisions to be made about priorities in areas such as education and health."

The devolved institutions imploded in January when Ms Foster was forced from office after Sinn Feins then Deputy First Minister, the late Martin McGuinness, quit.

That was in protest at the DUPs handling of the renewable heat incentive (RHI), a scheme that left the administration facing a 490m overspend.

One of the main current sticking points is over Sinn Fein's call for an act officially protecting the Irish language.

The DUP is prepared to legislate, but only if there are reciprocal protections for Ulster-Scots speakers.
A woman risked serious injury and her life after she walked past a suspicious object moments before a controlled explosion was carried out.

The device - found to be an elaborate hoax - was left on a path in a housing estate in Derry on Sunday afternoon.

Police evacuated families from 20 homes in Glengalliagh Park at around 5pm and the Army bomb squad sent to examine the device.

Police sources told the Belfast Telegraph it looked like a black box with wires and a timer on the outside of it.

Army ammunition technical officers (ATO) dispatched a bomb disposal robot to carry out a controlled explosion. Moments before a controlled explosion was carried out, a woman emerged from one of the evacuated houses and walked directly past the scene. Scores of people watched on in horror.

She was left shaken, but uninjured, police said.

After the controlled explosion, the robot overturned on the grass verge and was left immobile for some time.

A second robot had to be dispatched to finish dealing with the device.

Police reminded people of the importance of following officers' advice around security alerts.

"Security operations of this nature bring significant disruption to the community and present challenges to the PSNI as they attempt to minimise disruption whilst keeping the community safe from harm," said a PSNI spokeswoman.

"We attended the area following reports of a suspicious object and ATO were tasked. We called to a number of homes in Glengalliagh Park and advised residents to leave their homes. Some residents agreed to leave their homes however a number of residents declined and were advised to remain inside their homes and take appropriate precautions.

"A resident left their home and walked past the suspicious object while attempts were ongoing to make the object safe.

"We spoke to the resident immediately after and, although she was shaken, she was uninjured.

"Our investigation into the hoax device is ongoing and we would appeal to anyone with information to contact us on 101."
Some friends come and go, and others are for life.

The latter is definitely true for these five mates  and they have the photographic evidence to prove it.

Meet, from left, John Wardlaw, Dallas Burney, Marke Rumer, John Molony and John Dickson.

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Dickson and Burney met when they were six or seven, and the other pals joined their gang when they teenagers at Santa Barbara High School in California, where they graduated as part of the class of 1981.

Wardlaw said: We spent our weekends make Super 8 movies. For the uninitiated, thats a type of motion picture you could make using Super 8mm film cameras, which were first manufactured by Kodak.

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As friends often do, they took a squad photo when they were staying at a cabin on Copco Lake in 1982 when they were all aged about 19.

"In 1987 we realised we would all be at the cabin again and I suggested it would be a great idea to reproduce it," Wardlaw said.

"It was fun but we still didnt plan on doing it ever again."

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But once again, the friends all managed to find themselves in the same place five years later so they took another photo, thinking it would be the last time they would be reunited at the cabin.

Wardlaw said: "In 1997 we decided it would be great to keep doing this for as long as we could, and we made a vow to keep it going every five years."

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And they have indeed managed to keep the tradition up  taking the same poses in the same place, every five years and posting the new pictures on Twitter.

While some things remain constant, much hasnt. Wardlaw said: "For us personally, the things that have changed the most are hair lines, waistlines, hair colour and all those things that come with age."

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And its not just the guys themselves who have changed over time. Wardlaw said: "For the world the biggest change is the internet. We are now able to stay in touch because of email, Facebook and other online methods of chatting.

"When we first came to the cabin there was no TV, barely any radio and the phone was a party line (a local telephone circuit shared by many people). We still dont have cell reception at the cabin, but we have internet now.

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"Now we all live in separate cities and rely on emails and texts and those trips to the cabin, which some of us do more often than just the five year photo," Wardlaw said.

"We just didnt allow ourselves to drift apart."

And in case you were wondering what was in the jar Molony is clutching, in 1982 it was a cockroach that the boys had caught. Wardlaw said: "He was hungry so we gave him a butterscotch. We also though he would be lonely so we gave him a photo of actor Robert Young (From the very old shows Marcus Welby MD and Father Knows Best)."

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In later photos, the jar was empty, but in 2012 the friends put in a butterscotch, another picture of Young and a plastic cockroach in homage. After the five went on the NBC Today Show they promised to put a picture of its host Matt Lauer in instead, so thats what is in the 2017 jar.

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Theyve even got a mock-up of what the gang will look like in 3017  and its not the cockroach thats in a jar now.

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But dont get too ahead of yourself just yet  wait for 2022 first.
Twenty-seven weeks and five days. That is exactly how long I was pregnant with my much longed-for second child when I was informed that my baby's heart had stopped beating.

Only two days earlier, on the Wednesday of that week, I had sat down with my boss to work out my maternity leave dates. I worked a five-day fortnight in a well-known insurance company and, as I headed for the Dart home that evening, I felt exhilarated about the impending new arrival and about the week at home with my two-year-old son.

On Thursday, I headed off to Blanchardstown Shopping Centre with my little boy, Adam, to buy some maternity clothes. I remember that day so well as it was the last day I felt so happy before everything changed. My husband had a new well-paid job, I was now working part-time, which suited family life so much better. We had another baby on the way and we were about to move back to Malahide, the area we had both grown up in and loved so much.

When I got into bed that night, I mentioned to Mark that the baby wasn't kicking as it usually did in the evening, but I wasn't unduly worried and I slept soundly.

Even when I woke the next morning, and didn't feel the familiar kicks, I wasn't panicked. I assured Mark that I would wait a few hours and drink some cold drinks. I had a pile of ironing to do so I would be at home anyway and, if I was concerned later, I would phone the doctor.

It was noon when I made the call. My parents were away in Portugal for the weekend so my mother wasn't around to accompany me. I had reassured Mark that I would be fine going alone and would phone him afterwards. I later found out that he bumped into his mam at the bank that morning and he was very upset, so he must have had a sense of impending doom.

I have known my GP for many years and he wasn't his usual cheery self when I arrived at the surgery. He set me up with a tracer belt to monitor the baby's heartbeat and, after adjusting it several times, he advised me to go to Holles Street to be sure because he wasn't getting a proper trace and they had more sophisticated machines. To this day I can recall the look on his face as he said those words - he wasn't reassuring me even though I wanted to believe that's what he was doing.

I can't remember if the doctor had given me a letter to present on arrival or if he phoned ahead to advise Foetal Assessment that I was coming in. All I know is that we waited for an inordinately long time to be seen.

Expand Close Sonya Reilly pictured with her husband Mark and their boys, Evan (11), Adam (17), Elliot (9) and Alex (14) at their home in Malahide. Photo: Frank McGrath / Facebook

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Whatsapp Sonya Reilly pictured with her husband Mark and their boys, Evan (11), Adam (17), Elliot (9) and Alex (14) at their home in Malahide. Photo: Frank McGrath

Eventually the nurse placed a tracer belt around my waist. After a few minutes, she said she wasn't getting a "proper reading" so we would just go ahead and do a full scan. At that point we were joined by a female doctor. As I lay back on the bed and felt the cold gel on my belly, I couldn't help being excited about seeing the baby on screen again. Mark squeezed my hand tightly as our baby appeared on the screen and we smiled as the doctor pointed out the baby's head and limbs until she focused on the heart and uttered the words "and there's your baby's heart and I'm afraid it's not beating".

Only then did our little world cave in. A terrible wail escaped from both of us as the enormity of what was happening finally hit us.

The doctor offered her condolences and left us in the care of the nurse who took us to a quiet room. All day I had refused to give in to the notion that anything serious was wrong so the shock and grief was overwhelming.

The nurse came back with tea to talk us through our options which, let's face it, were few. Basically, the hospital could let me go home and let nature take its course or they could schedule me to come in for an induction of labour to deliver the baby. We opted to spend the next day at home to try to process the loss of our baby and to come back on Sunday for labour to be induced.

By the time we collected Adam from Mark's parents and went home that Friday night, we were exhausted yet sleep eluded us. At 5am, I recall bringing crackers and cheese up to bed. With all of the drama we had forgotten to eat any dinner. I don't remember us talking that much, just crying and holding each other.

That Sunday, on arrival at the hospital, we were escorted to a room of our own to begin the induction of labour. However, several doses of Misoprostol failed to have any effect and, that night, the Master of the hospital visited me to explain that they couldn't administer any more of the drug for fear of rupturing my womb. He said that I could go home the next morning and, if I didn't go into labour myself during the week, we would try again the following Sunday.

I can safely say that was one of the worst weeks of my life. I lived in a kind of limbo; my body still looked healthily pregnant but I knew the baby it carried was lifeless. Each time I saw my reflection the grief hit me afresh and I had a gnawing worry about what the birth would be like.

I worried if I would be strong enough to bear the pain of labour knowing there would be no joy at the end. I worried about what my baby was going to look like after being dead for so long before its birth. I worried about needing to go anywhere that week because the goodwill and kindness of strangers towards pregnant women would cause me to breakdown if someone congratulated me or asked when my baby was due. I saw only my husband, my family and close friends. Mark and I held each other tightly every night and cried frequently, both together and separately. It was a very difficult time for my sister-in-law, Patricia, who was pregnant too. In fact, both of our babies were due to be born that May and I know that what was happening to me was very stressful for her too.

The following Sunday I was readmitted to Holles Street. Mark stayed with me constantly and we were visited by the hospital chaplain, Sr Theresa. She helped allay our fears by preparing us for what the baby's appearance might be like and by explaining that we would be able to hold our baby and keep him or her with us overnight. I was attended by a lovely nurse named Margaret who also talked to us about what to expect. She was such a support to us that I wrote to her afterwards to thank her.

This time the drugs worked and I went into labour that evening. Our son, Karl James Reilly, was born on Sunday, March 10, 2002. When he emerged only my husband and I were in the room because our midwife had popped out, perhaps to organise some pain relief for me. Mark panicked because we didn't know what to do and ran to call the midwife. I was afraid to look until she came back. The silence in the room was deafening - no whoops of joy, just stillness and sadness.

Karl was perfectly formed down to his little fingernails, despite his small size, and weighed about 3lbs. Sr Theresa had warned that his skin would be a little loose after so many days in the womb after his death and I felt anxious when Mark touched his face because I was afraid of disturbing his tiny features. Very shortly after he was born we heard the shouts of delight from the suite next door where a healthy baby had just been delivered and I thanked God that at least I had experienced that before.

We stayed that night in our hospital room; just me and Mark and our son in his crib beside us. The following morning our families came to visit and, when they saw Karl, they were as distressed as we were. The hospital presented us with a little booklet with his footprints in ink and some of his hair clippings. The chaplain helped us to make the decision about where he would be buried and we decided on the Little Angels plot in Glasnevin cemetery. Allowing us to spend this precious time with our son helped us to grieve openly. My heart bleeds for those women in the past whose grief was not acknowledged and who had to return to normal on leaving hospital after an extremely traumatic event in their lives.

We agreed that the hospital could perform an autopsy to see if any cause could be found for what had happened and we left the hospital that Monday afternoon to return home empty-handed. We had arranged with Sr Theresa that a short service would take place that Thursday in the hospital mortuary before the burial in Glasnevin.

Thankfully no cause was found for Karl's death. I say thankfully because the doctors explained it was just one of those things that happens in nature. They said that this was good news for me because it meant I didn't have any pre-existing conditions that would jeopardise future pregnancies.

We had another opportunity to be with Karl in the mortuary chapel after the autopsy, and then again on the day of the service when his little coffin was open. Sr Theresa had advised us to write our feelings about him in a letter and include the letters and some family photos in his coffin. I thought I physically had no more tears to cry until I sat down to write that letter and tell my son how much I loved him and mourned him, about the big brother who had been waiting eagerly for his arrival and, most of all, about his wonderful dad who had barely left my side throughout the whole ordeal. To this day Mark is my absolute rock and I will never forget how he supported me when he was grieving so hard himself.

The funeral service, attended by our families and our closest friends, was beautiful. We chose to remain behind afterwards to close Karl's coffin ourselves which was the most difficult part as we knew that was the last time we would see his little face.

The priest who married myself and Mark met us at the graveyard and said a few words before Mark handed our son's coffin to the gravedigger who stood in the opened grave.

And then it was time to leave. We went back to our house and later our families and closest friends gathered for lunch at a local hotel. It's a sick joke that nature plays but the day of the funeral was the day my milk started to come in and I took painkillers throughout that day for the pain of the engorgement.

Because my baby died after 24 weeks in the womb, he was considered a stillbirth and not a miscarriage. This meant that I was entitled to maternity leave, which I decided to take. I am glad that I had those months at home to grieve.

Soon afterwards, I attended the bereavement counsellor in the hospital, after receiving an invitation to do so, and all I did was cry. I couldn't believe I could feel like this about a child I hadn't met yet. I felt anxious all of the time and I wondered aloud how I could ever cope if anything happened to my husband and son. "It would be extremely difficult but you would cope because life goes on," she said. "But how will I get over this?" I railed. She explained gently that grief is a process and that we don't get over it. We have to go through it, and it takes time.

Those words make a lot of sense to me now, even if they didn't at the time. I didn't get over Karl's death, but Mark and I lived through it with the unending support of our parents and siblings. We lived through it with the support of wonderful friends who dropped in regularly. But most of all, we lived through it with each other, and the bond between us became even stronger.

The following April, I gave birth to a healthy baby boy and we named him Alex Patrick Reilly. Since then we have been blessed with two more sons: Evan, born in 2005, and Elliot, born in 2008.

All of my sons know about their brother Karl and have been to visit his grave in Glasnevin. Last year, my youngest son's teacher called me aside to tell me that when they were drawing family trees in school, Elliot had included Karl "his brother who died". This type of thing has happened with my other sons' teachers over the years and I love that Karl is not a dark secret but a shared memory.

My sister-in-law Trish bought me a beautiful keepsake box. I keep the photos and mementoes of Karl in it as well as all of the lovely cards and letters we received at the time.

I don't feel the need to look in the box very often now but it is there to honour Karl and to document his existence and I believe in the old saying that "it is better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all".

We loved Karl and we lost him before we could get to know him, but he has made us appreciate our lives and the lives of our beautiful healthy sons all the more. We will always carry him with us in our hearts.

INM has a dedicated section independent.ie/babyloss where parents of all ages can share their stories of miscarriage, stillbirth and neonatal death. The section will serve as a testament to the women and men who share their stories, a memorial for the babies lost and as a resource for other people who have gone through or are going through the experience. Your stories can be anonymous or on the record and nothing will be published in any format without prior consultation with you. If you would like to be part of this and tell your story, email Yvonne Hogan at yhogan@independent.ie
Fionnan Sheahan

Ireland Editor at Mediahuis. Fionnan writes news, analysis and comment on current affairs and politics for the Irish Independent and Independent.ie. He is a weekly columnist with the Irish Independent and a presenter of InFocus, the current affairs podcast from Independent.ie. A native of Thurles, Co Tipperary, Fionnan has won several awards for print and digital journalism from Newsbrands Ireland, the Law Society and the National Newspapers of Ireland, including National Journalist of the Year. Prior to his current role, Fionnans positions included Editor and Political Editor of the Irish Independent. He is a regular commentator on TV and radio.
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John Downing Opinion New British prime minister Rishi Sunaks succession proves an important milestone in British political inclusivity

There is an old saying in British politics that goes: The right looks for converts while the left seeks out traitors. It comes to mind when one reflects upon the election of Rishi Sunak as the UKs first non-white prime minister in a party traditionally seen as most opposed to mass immigration and the dilution of national identity via multiculturalism.
ICU investment group has launched Ukraine Recovery Fund to invest in Ukraine distressed assets and seeks to raise around $200 million to the fund, ICU Managing Director and Partner Makar Paseniuk has said.

"Fundraising is rather good. We want to raise around $200 million," he told reporters in Kyiv last week.

Paseniuk said that the fund was registered in May 2017 on Cayman Islands.

He said that the fund will operate for seven years. The smallest sum for investment is $1 million.

He said that Ukraine Recovery Fund will focus on investment in medium- and large-sized businesses. The size of investment in one project is restricted with 20% of the fund capital. The key directions are agriculture, FMCG, food and specialized retail, mining and property.

Paseniuk said that ICU sees the Individuals Deposit Guarantee Fund, banks that are optimizing their portfolios, including international banks that want to remove 'Ukrainian risk' from their balance sheets, as key sellers of these distressed assets.

Asked about the expected yield, he said that expectations from these investments in the world are 15-20%, and for Ukraine the minimum figure for entering a project is 20%.

ICU Group was established in June 2006. It provides services for trade in securities, investment banking services, and manages the assets of joint investment institutions. It includes Investment Capital Ukraine LLC, AMC Investment Capital Ukraine, Bank Avangard and AMC Troika Dialog Ukraine (all based in Kyiv). Previously the co-owner and the head of the board of directors in the group was Valeriya Gontareva, whom, at the proposal of President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko, the parliament approved at the post of head of the National Bank of Ukraine in June 2014.

Afterwards Gontareva sold her stake in ICU, while the main partners of the group remained Makar Paseniuk and Kostiantyn Stetsenko with the shares of 41.7%, as well as Oleksandr Valchishen and Volodymyr Demchyshyn, who headed the Ministry of Energy and Coal Industry of Ukraine, who own 6.58% and 9.99% respectively.
The furore surrounding the Jobstown Six trial has pushed the real issue to the sidelines.

Two women were confronted by an angry mob because of one woman's job and decisions made in that job.

The then tanaiste Joan Burton was subjected to the most foul and coarse language and assaulted with a water balloon. Gardai "asked" the rabble to stand back, afraid to use their batons.

A simple question to readers: If that was your mother, daughter, sister, wife, girlfriend, and you were in front of that car, in possession of a baton - what would you do?

Put yourself there ...

I am a middle-class woman, in other words, from the group in society who cannot be seen to criticise the 'working class'.

I must not be seen as confrontational, should compromise and show empathy.

Well, unlike Paul Murphy, with his pseudo working-class principles, my father was working class, as was his father.

They had values and principles, and while they railed against the injustice of taxes and annual budgets which gave them very little, it would be unthinkable that they would call any woman a c***, threaten or intimidate her, because they disagreed with her decisions. If they were in the presence of people who behaved as such, they would challenge them and defend the woman, as opposed to mealy mouthed smirking and sneering.

It is an insult to associate working-class people with those at the Jobstown protest. Those present may hide behind such language as "right to protest", but make no mistake, what we saw in Jobstown was a crowd of unprincipled thugs, influenced by louts with political power.

In plain terms, Irish people, both working and middle classes, are intimidated by political correctness, which is the modern equivalent of censorship.

We need to call a spade a spade, open our eyes and speak up.

Fiona Barry

Thurles, Co Tipperary

Cancer cuts news is ill-timed

The latest revelations that thousands of breast cancer survivors who have had radical surgery face added financial hardship, stress and anxiety, following a HSE decision to cut vital supports is deeply distressing (Irish Independent, July 1).

This a scandal of the highest order and penny-pinching in the extreme. It comes in the wake of the decision to limit the supply of vital post-operation body-enhancing products that help to improve a patient's altered physical image and crucial self-esteem.

This simple and low-cost scheme is being targeted and undermines the pledge to support all cancer survivors.

The HSE attempted to justify the policy by stating that the new scheme will give every woman the same service countrywide, and end the problem of some health areas having limited or no supports, regardless of gender.

Dr David Fennelly, an oncologist at St Vincent's Hospital Dublin, said women who are recovering from breast cancer surgery are anxious to get back to a normal life as quickly as possible, and should have instant access to the best supports available.

There is also an ever-increasing awareness that more needs to be done for people who are cancer survivors, in terms of psycho-oncology support, with a much greater geographical spread throughout the country for all those on the cancer journey.

Tom Towey

Cloonacool, Co Sligo

Simpler solution to schools issue

It was interesting to read Education Minister Richard Bruton's piece on primary schools admissions (Irish Independent, July 1).

Recently, along with more than 200 others, including the minister, I attended a national forum on the role of religion in primary school admissions.

In the plenary reporting back session from the many groups was the common assertion that many of the problems of school oversubscription arose from the simple fact of multiple applications by a great many parents. While the minister's plan seeks to address the problem of parents holding several offers, it fails to follow the simpler solution of a common centralised admissions clearing house procedure for the Dublin area and its perceived shortage of places.

In my time as principal of two quite different English church schools, I experienced local government-operated systems which respected and successfully co-ordinated admissions for both denominational and secular schools. With such co-ordination, schools were able to operate their distinctive ethos criteria and children were best matched to their preferred choice. Almost always the final deciding objective factor within each criterion was that of distance from home to school. There is no reason why such a system would not work for the greater Dublin area.

The Government seems to want to wash its hands of all administrative responsibilities and instead foist obligations upon underfunded and poorly resourced boards of management. The minister's present (and perhaps unconstitutional) proposal has the potential to alienate parents, overburden managers and undermine any meaningful sense of ethos.

Alan Whelan

Killarney, Co Kerry

Our reasons to toast Canada

The visit of Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and his family to Ireland is to be warmly welcomed.

This year, Canada celebrates the 150th anniversary of Confederation which has been designated 'Canada 2017,' by the Canadian Government. I hope our public representatives will honour that event during the visit.

As well as Ireland's many cultural and trading links with Canada, there is also a significant historic political connection. The freedom and political rights enjoyed by Canada under its 'dominion status' provided a model for the signatories of the Anglo-Irish Treaty signed on December 6, 1921. The treaty stated specifically that the new Irish Free State was to have the same status "as the Dominion of Canada".

This Canadian reference in the treaty, as well as the reports of the Imperial Conferences of 1926, 1929 and 1930, in which the representatives of the Irish Free State played an active role - culminating in the Statute of Westminster Act of 1931, may be said to be the real 'stepping stones' to Irish political and economic freedom envisaged by Michael Collins and those who supported the treaty.

The announcement, whether by accident or design, by Taoiseach John A Costello in 1948 of his intention to repeal the External Relations Act of 1936 - effectively declaring an Irish Republic - "in Ottawa of all places", as he is reported to have said himself, is yet another interesting connection between Canada and this Republic, which subsequently came into being on April 18, 1949.

Let us hope that Mr Trudeau and his family enjoy their trip here.

Dan O'Leary

Clonakilty, Co Cork
US model Jeremy Meeks poses as he arrives for the amfAR's 24th Cinema Against AIDS Gala on May 25, 2017 at the Hotel du Cap-Eden-Roc in Cap d'Antibes, France. / AFP PHOTO / ALBERTO PIZZOLIALBERTO PIZZOLI/AFP/Getty Images

A page has been made to raise money to pay for the legal costs for Jeremy Meeks, the handsome man whose mugshot recently went viral, has been started up by his mother and has already been shared 1,400 times.

Model Jeremy Meeks the runway for the Philipp Plein collection during New York Fashion Week: The Shows at New York Public Library on February 13, 2017 in New York City. (Photo by Albert Urso/Getty Images for New York Fashion Week: The Shows)

Where did they even meet?

Topshop heiress Chloe Green has debuted her apparent new romance with 'hot felon' Jeremy Meeks (33) after the pair were pictured together kissing on a super yacht in Turkey.

Expand Close The image of Jeremy Meeks that went viral. / Facebook

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Pictures of the 26-year-old, who previously dated Jennifer Lopez's ex-husband Marc Anthony, and the male model, who recently finished a two-year jail sentence for illegal possession of a firearm, are breaking the internet as fans scratch their heads over this new unlikely pairing.

Despite his convictions (he was previously imprisoned for grand theft of a person in 2002), Meeks has since cleaned up his act and is embracing fame as he was given a lucrative modelling contract after his mugshot went viral in 2014. But there is one obvious hiccup to this budding relationship - he is reportedly still married.

He was pictured kissing his wife of eight years Melissa last month. Green shared a photo of her and Meeks with his manager Jim Jordan alongside the caption, "Just the Beginning We appreciate all the love and the hate."

While he now considers himself a "God-fearing Christian",

Expand Close Fashion moment: 'Hot felon' Jeremy Meeks / Facebook

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He was banned from entering the UK earlier this year and was detained and escorted back on a flight to the US on his arrival at Heathrow Airport in April. However, he had no problems accessing the south of France as she and Chloe ar believed to have met at the Cannes Film Festival in May, where he was working.

"Im in a place where I will be able to provide for my family and really change my life,' Meeks told ABC News from a Nevada prison last February.

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"I never thought that everyone in the world would recognize me for my looks, so I feel extremely blessed and very thankful."

Police have previously described Meeks as "one of the most violent criminals in the Stockton area".

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(L-R) Alison Hewson, honoree Bono, actress Eve Hewson, and Jordan Hewson attend Glamour Women Of The Year 2016 at NeueHouse Hollywood on November 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Jordan Hewson and Eve Hewson attend the Edun Spring 2016 fashion show during New York Fashion Week at Spring Studios on September 13, 2015 in New York City. (Photo by Craig Barritt/Getty Images)

(L-R) Alison Hewson, honoree Bono, actress Eve Hewson, and Jordan Hewson attend Glamour Women Of The Year 2016 at NeueHouse Hollywood on November 14, 2016 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images)

Bonos eldest daughter Jordan is making sweet music with a hunky Spanish actor.

The rock stars daughter is loved-up with thespian Diego Osorio (31), having met him through mutual friends in New York.

The photogenic pair have been dating for more than six months and have even met each others families as a sign of how serious things are New York-based businesswoman Jordan (28) has introduced him to her famous father and mother Ali and he has even holidayed with her large family at their luxury home in Eze in the south of France.

Diego has also said that he likes to talk politics with her famous father.

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In a recent interview, the Madrid native said that, while he never hid the fact that they were dating, she decided to go public with their romance after posting a picture of them together on her Instagram account.

He described Jordan to Spains Vanitatis Magazine as very intelligent, very funny, very committed, and that she supports him in his work.

Our relationship is private and certainly in New York, she doesnt have the press following her down the street, he said.

What I do say is that I am happy. Where is this feeling going to lead me? I dont know, but its all very good. She is the woman in my life today.

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Describing Bono as a very committed man, Diego attended one of the opening nights of U2s Joshua Tree tour in America with Jordan last month as the pair continue getting to know each other.

In addition to spending last new year together in Dublin, they have also been photographed in a variety of exotic locations as they continue pursuing their romance.

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Last month, Jordan confirmed the romance on Instagram after posting a picture of the actor leaning against his motorbike clutching a dog, captioned: When this picks you up from the office #TGIF.

Recently included in a list of influential young women, Jordans job title is described as a social entrepreneur after she founded a new start-up called Speakable.

Expand Close (L-R): Ali Hewson, musician Bono, Eve Hewson and Jordan Hewson attend 2016 the Glamour Women Of The Year Awards / Facebook

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Clearly one lady with a social conscience like her famous father, last October she released her companys first product, which was called Action Button and connects news readers to polls, petitions and charitable causes.
Trump was accused of inciting violence with the tweet (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

Stars have reacted with outrage after Donald Trump tweeted a video of him attacking a man with a CNN logo over his head.

The US president was accused of encouraging violence against reporters by the American broadcaster on Sunday after he shared the clip that harks back to when he took part in a wrestling event.

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The logo appears over the face of WWE chief executive Vince McMahon as Mr Trump body-slams him to the floor before landing a flurry of punches during Wrestlemania XXIII.

Harry Potter author JK Rowling tweeted a dignified quote from former president George Washington: To persevere in ones duty, and be silent, is the best answer to calumny.

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Actress Mia Farrow defended the press and the law that guarantees freedom of expression.

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Musician John Legend simply tweeted 25th Amendment, the legislation that allows a president to be impeached.

Chelsea Clinton, the daughter of Mr Trumps election opponent Hilary, drew a comparison with a past government event as the country prepares to celebrate Independence Day.

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Mr Trumps message, which also included the hashtag FraudNewsCNN, is the latest in a long line of attacks on the media, which he frequently accuses of being a dishonest industry that peddles fake news.
Donal Logue has appealed for help to trace his missing daughter (AP)

US actor Donal Logue is asking for the public's help in locating his teenage daughter, who was last seen a week ago in New York City.

The star of TV series Gotham wrote on Facebook that the "net had been flung far and wide" since 16-year-old Jade Logue disappeared.

Mr Logue said he has the New York Police Department, FBI and others involved in the search.

He asks that whoever may be with his daughter to "just drop her off", adding she would be taken back "with hugs and no questions asked".

Jade Logue was last seen in Brooklyn on June 26. She is transgender and was previously known as Arlo Logue.

New York City police said they have found no signs of foul play and they so far consider the teenager a runaway.

AP
Pete Frates, the man who inspired the Ice Bucket Challenge, is back in hospital but alive.

It had been reported that the 32-year-old, who was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) in 2012, had died, but he responded defiantly from his bed at Massachusetts General Hospital  with a bit of help from a Pearl Jam classic.

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The song is called Alive  and it was met with a warm reception.

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Also known as Lou Gehrigs disease, Petes condition weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning and has no known cure.

The Ice Bucket Challenge got people around the world to dump freezing water over themselves to help fund research into the disease  raising more than $220 million (170 million) after taking off in 2014.

Some of Petes friends and family took to Twitter to complain about the false reports of his death  but he responded with his infectious optimism and playfulness.

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Whilst some of his friends sent him messages of support, with one sending him an entire Pearl Jam playlist to help him pull through.

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A journalist who reported Pete had died said he was deeply sorry for the mistake.

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Petes family said on Facebook he is battling this beast ALS like a Superhero.

Update on Pete  July 3rd! Pete's family wants everyone to know that Pete is resting comfortably at MGH as the Doctors, Posted by Team FrateTrain on Monday, July 3, 2017

You can follow Petes story on his Twitter page, or on the Facebook page dedicated to his fight against his disease, Team Frate Train.
A parody Twitter account is bringing the world a different view of Donald J Trump  as a nice person.

Whether you agree with him or not, its safe to say that the 45th presidents social media exploits are a departure from the standard world leader approach of recognising national days and spreading good wishes.

Heres a selection of his best/worst bits:

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One Twitter account is stepping in to offer an alternative reality. Nice Donald Trump imagines a world where the president tweets nothing but positive messages.

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The account praises police officers and citizens and imagines Trump indulging in walks around Camp David, metal detecting jaunts and watching Eurovision.

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The whimsical account was set up in December 2016, just before Trumps inauguration, and is clearly going down well. It has more than 8,500 followers who engage with nice Trump on the platform.

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Chinese state media reported on a phone call between Mr Xi and his US counterpart (AP)

Chinese president Xi Jinping has warned Donald Trump that "some negative factors" are hurting US-Chinese relations, as tensions flared between the two nations.

Mr Xi's comments during a phone call with the US president follow Beijing's displeasure over American arms sales to rival Taiwan, US sanctions against a Chinese bank over its dealings with North Korea and, most recently, the sailing of a US destroyer within the territorial seas limit of an island China claims.

Beijing was also irritated after the US state department gave Beijing a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report.

As reported by state media, Mr Xi told Mr Trump that Beijing expects Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the "one China" principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

"Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-US relations have achieved important outcomes," state broadcaster CCTV reported, referring to Mr Xi's meeting with the American leader in Florida in April.

"At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the US."

Seeking to lighten the message, Mr Xi also said that China-US relations had achieved "important outcomes" since the Florida meeting.

It is unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G20 summit in Germany this week at which Mr Trump and Mr Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.

It now appears that China is pushing back against the US pressure, setting the stage for a potential confrontation.

China's foreign ministry accused the US of violating Chinese sovereignty and disrupting "peace, security and order of the relevant waters" after the US Navy destroyer USS Stethem sailed within 12 nautical miles of the tiny Triton island in the South China Sea, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

China's defence ministry issued a similar statement, saying it would bolster patrols and take precautions commensurate with the threat level to safeguard "national sovereignty and security".

Mr Trump and his top advisers have done little to hide their irritation over what they see as the reluctance by China, North Korea's main economic partner, to tighten the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programmes.

Until lately, US officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the US mainland with nuclear weapons.

However, last month Mr Trump hinted at a loss of patience, tweeting that his bid to secure a tougher Chinese approach "has not worked out".

Asked about the state of ties, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said it was normal to encounter "some issues in the process of developing the bilateral relationship".

He added: "We believe that the significance of our bilateral relationship has already exceeded the bilateral scope and is exerting important influence on the development of the whole world.

"On our part, we are willing to develop the bilateral relationship based on non-confrontation, mutual benefit and mutual trust, expand cooperation and properly manage differences between the two countries so as to further advance the bilateral relationship."

AP
The British Government is withdrawing the UK from an arrangement that allows foreign countries to fish in British waters, it has announced.

Ministers will trigger withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the European Union, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

What is the London Fisheries Convention?

The convention allows vessels from Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UK's coastline.

It sits alongside the EU Common Fisheries Policy which allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

Why is the UK government withdrawing the agreement?

Ministers claimed the move would help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, as it will no longer be bound by existing access agreements, and enable the country to become fully responsible for fisheries management.

UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in the waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

How will it affect Ireland?

The decision by the British government to withdraw the UK from the London Fisheries Convention could "wipe out" the Irish fishing industry.

According to the CEO of Irish South and West Fish Producers Organisation, Patrick Murphy, the long-term impact could be "catastrophic" for fishermen and women.

The move will mean that trawlers from the Republic of Ireland will no longer be allowed to fish within 12 nautical miles of the UK coastline.

"If this full withdrawal goes ahead, it could wipe out the Irish fishing industry," Mr Murphy told the Irish Independent.

"If you take, for instance, an average day last week where we would have taken in just over 200,000 tonnes of product, 100,000 of that would have been coming from English waters.

"We disagree with this withdrawal fundamentally, we will suffer the most."

Francis O'Donnell, CEO of Irish Fish Producers Organisation, said that Northern Irish fishermen would be the "big losers" in the withdrawal.

British ministers will trigger withdrawal from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before the UK joined the EU, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

Mr O'Donnell said that the withdrawal was an "early indication of what to expect" in the aftermath of Brexit.

Howth Fisherman Shaun Doran told RTE's Morning Ireland that he wasn't expecting the UK to withdraw the agreement "so soon".

"There has been talk in the industry that the UK is going to pull some things out of the hat but this is a surprise. I wasn't expecting it so soon.

"The UK just flexes its muscles to see what reaction it's going to get and how far it's going to go. Fishing is an old industry but we'd like to see our guys doing something similiar. I know we don't have any convention but we'd like to see our guys saying 'hold on a minute'. We've talked around the issue for years but nothing tangible has ever happened. We want a serious piece of our industry back."

He added that the fishing industry is being used as a pawn in the wider economic negotations.

"We're a fragmented industry because we've so many different types of fishing. No one fisherman can elect a TD so we're not important in Dail Eireann. We're not a huge industry but we're a very important industry."

Shaun O'Donoghue, CEO of Killybegs Fisherman's Organisation told RTE's Morning Ireland that the UK is "determined to have a hard Brexit".

"I wasn't surprise but when it comes to fishing, the UK is determined to have a hard Brexit.

"The access that really matters to us is the immediate line between us and the UK.

"We as an industry have been lobbying the minister and the former Taoiseach and we got a commitment that fisheries would be a priority in the negotiations, especially as fish swim freely between the UK and Irish waters."

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Mr O'Donoghue said that it's important not to separate the fishing negotiations from the trade negotiations.

"On average we need 30 per cent access to UK waters. We're dependent in the UK waters for fish such as mackarel. If the UK decide that we will no longer be able to access their waters, there will be significant job losses across the country. Everybody will be affected. This has to become a priority. We're in a very vulnerable state."

How has the world reacted to the decision?

Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: "Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy.

"It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

"This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union - one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK."

Barrie Deas, chief executive of the National Federation of Fishermen's Organisations, said: "This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone."

The UK fishing industry was made up of more than 6,000 vessels in 2015, landing 708,000 tonnes of fish worth 775 million.

Some 10,000 tonnes of fish was caught by other countries under the convention, worth an estimated 17 million.

Will McCallum, Greenpeace UK head of oceans, warned that pulling out of the London Convention would not alone deliver a better future for the UK fishing industry.

"For years, successive UK governments have blamed Brussels for their own failure to support the small-scale, sustainable fishers who are the backbone of our fishing fleet," he said.

"If Brexit is to herald a better future for our fishers, the new Environment Secretary Michael Gove must keep the 2015 Conservative Party manifesto commitment to re-balance fishing quotas in favour of 'small-scale, specific locally-based fishing communities'."

Environmental law firm ClientEarth consultant Dr Tom West said the move appeared to be an aggressive negotiating tactic.

"As a country outside the EU we need to consider how we can best co-operate with our neighbours rather than unilaterally withdrawing from all agreements in the hope that standing alone will make us better.

"Many fish stocks in UK waters are shared with our neighbours and so need co-operation and shared management."

He also warned of the need to put in place strong laws to protect marine wildlife, or there was a risk the UK would row back on hard-won environmental protection over the last 40 years.

Ben Stafford, head of campaigns at WWF, said: "Achieving sustainable fishing is about a lot more than which country fishes where.

"It is about ensuring that fishermen use the right fishing gear, that fishing takes place at levels that maintain sustainable stocks and that we pioneer ways to monitor what is happening at sea in order to understand the impacts of fishing.

"Leaving the EU means we could get these things right, but we will still need to co-operate with our neighbours, as fish do not recognise lines on a map."

Scotland's Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: "The UK Government's decision to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention is a move we have been pressing for some time now.

"Our priority is to protect our fishing industry and allowing unrestricted access to our waters to remain through this convention clearly would not be doing that.

"We cannot rely on the UK Government to do that, having regularly put the interests of fishing communities elsewhere in the UK ahead of those in Scotland.

"It is vital therefore that all powers over policy be repatriated to Scotland and current EU funding for fisheries be matched and transferred to Scotland in full."

How will it impact the EU free trade deal?

Labour's shadow environment secretary Sue Hayman said the "provocative" move could risk talks on a free trade deal.

"Labour opposes a hard Brexit that would jeopardise jobs, environmental sustainability and the future prosperity of the British fishing industry," she said.

"The London Convention predates British membership of the EU by a decade and has arguably been superseded by the Common Fisheries Policy which the UK will withdraw from automatically following our leaving the EU.

"Given that the majority of fish caught by UK vessels are within the Atlantic (fishing area 27) which includes the edge of Greenland to North Russia and as far south as the bottom of Spain/Portugal, it is vital that any Brexit deal does not jeopardise access to these waters for our British fishing fleet.

"This provocative decision at this stage of the negotiations puts at risk those necessary and far more valuable fisheries management arrangements we will need to agree on leaving the EU as well as a tariff-free trade deal so vital to our British fishing exports. It is another example of the Tories' reckless approach to Brexit."
Billa continues operating in Ukraine, could close stores in regions

Germany's REWE Group, developing the Billa supermarket chain in Central and Eastern Europe, does not plan to leave Ukraine.

"Billa continues operating in Ukraine and would be successfully present on the Ukrainian market. We do not plan to leave Ukraine," Rewe International AG, the subsidiary of the German concern, told Interfax-Ukraine.

The company confirmed that the chain could close one or several stores in the regions of the country.

"As each retail company, we are regularly analyzing our store portfolio. It could happen that we would close a regional store outside Kyiv," the company said.

Enterprise with foreign investment Billa-Ukraine develops Billa stores in Ukraine.

Billa-Ukraine was founded in 1998 by Austria's Billa, a subsidiary of Germany's REWE Group, which was founded in 1927 in Cologne.

In Ukraine, the first Billa supermarket opened in Kyiv in February 2000.

According to a posting on the website of Billa-Ukraine, as of June 30, 2017 the chain unites 34 supermarkets in the country.
A woman screams while fleeing with her family through a destroyed alley, as Iraqi special forces continue their advance against Islamic State in Mosul (AP)

Islamic State has struck back as Iraqi forces close in on victory in Mosul, sending women suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle for the country's second-largest city nears its end.

At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq.

The attacks underscore the intense violence still plaguing the battered nation and the perils that will remain even after IS militants are pushed out of Mosul.

On Monday morning in Mosul's Old City - the scene of IS's last stand, where soldiers are fast closing in on the last remaining pocket of militants - two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops, killing one soldier and wounding several others.

At a camp for displaced people in Iraq's western Anbar province, a suicide bomber dressed in a woman's robe killed 14 on Sunday evening, a provincial official said.

After days of fierce battles, the militant-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with IS now controlling just over one square kilometre in all, or just under 0.40 square miles.

Lt Col Salam Hussein, of the Iraqi Special Operations Forces, said most of the suicide bombers in Mosul are now women, with seven blowing themselves up on Monday alone.

He said: "Seven women faced our units but thank god our units stopped these women suicide bombers. Some women exploded themselves on fleeing families.

"This is an evil and cowardly attempt by terrorists to inflict the greatest losses on civilians and security forces."

Using women as suicide bombers is apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt Ali Abdullah Hussein said.

He said: "They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up."

One attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces' push last week.

Over the past three days, Sgt Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets.

After the explosion on Monday, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons. They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.

IS overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The US-backed offensive to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

The 12th century mosque is hugely symbolic - it was from a pulpit of this mosque that IS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the IS caliphate in July 2014.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri Mosque, prime minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to IS's so-called caliphate and pledged victory was "near".

The suicide bombing in Anbar took place at dusk on Sunday, as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the IS-held town of Qaim, in western Iraq, according to local councillor Taha Abdul-Ghani.

He said a police colonel was among the 14 dead, and at least 20 were wounded in the explosion.

The death toll could have been higher, Mr Abdul Ghani said, but the colonel had become suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him - presumably to reduce the number of casualties - as he detonated his explosives.

Iraqi forces have pushed IS out of most of Anbar, and though there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the camp attack, it had all the hallmarks of IS, which has in the past months staged large-scale attacks elsewhere in Iraq to distract from its losses in Mosul.

AP
Children look at the wreckage of vehicles after the suicide bomb near the old city of Damascus. REUTERS/Omar Sanadiki

Security forces chased three suicide bombers in cars through Damascus, stopping two but failing to intercept a third who killed at least 20 people when he detonated his explosives.

Officials said the bombers had been prevented from reaching their intended targets, otherwise the casualty toll would have been higher.

In a letter to the UN secretary general and the head of the security council, the foreign ministry said the blast that killed 20 people in the Bab Touma area near the Old City had also wounded dozens of women and children.

State media said the bomber had been spotted and pursued by the security forces and set off the bomb after he had been encircled in the area.

It was the first such bombing in the Syrian capital since a series of jihadist suicide attacks in March.

Damascus was hit by two separate, multiple suicide bomb attacks in March, one of them claimed by Isil and the other by the Islamist insurgent alliance Tahrir al-Sham.

Damascus has enjoyed relative security in recent years even as the six-year-long civil war has raged on in nearby areas.

Syria's minister of local administration Hussein Makhlouf said the response marked a "major success in foiling a plot" to cause mass casualties.

Footage broadcast by state TV from the blast that caused the fatalities showed roads scattered with debris, several badly damaged cars, and another one that had been turned into a pile of twisted metal.

Other footage showed what appeared to be the remains of a person and badly damaged vehicles outside a mosque in the Baytara traffic circle near the Old City.

On March 15, two suicide bomb attacks in Damascus killed several dozen people, most of them at the Palace of Justice courthouse near the Old City.

Isil claimed responsibility for that attack.

On March 11, a double suicide attack in the capital killed scores of people, most of them Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims.

That attack was claimed by the Tahrir al-Sham alliance of Islamist insurgents, which is spearheaded by a jihadist group formerly known as the Nusra Front.

Syrian government forces, which have defeated rebel fighters in several suburbs of Damascus over the last year, are currently battling insurgents in the Jobar and Ain Tarma areas on the capital's eastern outskirts.

A rebel group accused the army of using chlorine gas in the fighting on Saturday. The army denied the claim as fabrications.
The threat posed by North Korea was a key topic in phone calls between U.S. President Donald Trump and the leaders of China and Japan, along with trade issues, the White House said on Sunday.

Trump spoke with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of expected meetings with the leaders of Asia's two biggest economies at a Group of 20 nations summit in Germany later this week.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," the White House said of Trump's call with Xi from his resort property in Bridgewater, New Jersey, where he is spending a long weekend.

"President Trump reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with Americas trading partners," it added.

Trump has become increasingly frustrated with China's inability to rein in North Korea, and the reference to trade was an indication the one-time New York businessman may be ready to return to his tougher-talking ways on business with Beijing after holding back in hopes it would put more pressure on Pyongyang.

China's state media reported that Trump and Xi had discussed the "peace and stability of the Korean peninsula", the report said, without elaborating.

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"Negative factors" have affected Sino-U.S. relations, and China has already expressed its position to the United States, Xi told Trump, according to a read-out of a telephone call between the leaders carried by state television.

China hopes the United States can handle the Taiwan issue appropriately, in accordance with the "one China" principle, Xi told Donald Trump, the state television report said.

On Thursday, the United States targeted a Chinese bank and sanctioned Chinese individuals and a firm for dealing with North Korea and approved a $1.42 billion arms deal with Taiwan - decisions that angered Beijing.

Trump and Abe, in their call, reiterated their commitment to increase pressure on North Korea.

"They reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea," the White House said in a statement.

Trumps separate conversations with the two Asian leaders followed White House talks with South Koreas new president, Moon Jae-in, last week in which the U.S. leader called on Asian powers to implement sanctions and demand North Korea "choose a better path and do it quickly."

During and after a Florida summit with Xi in April, Trump praised his Chinese counterpart for agreeing to work on the North Korea issue and has held back on attacking Chinese trade practices he railed against during the presidential campaign.

But Trump has recently suggested he was running out of patience with China's modest steps to pressure North Korea, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States, and has been considering moving ahead on trade actions.

Trump has been weighing new quotas or tariffs on steel imports for national security reasons and plans to discuss his concerns at the G20. Washington sees excess global production capacity, particularly in China, administration officials say.

And on Sunday a U.S. warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea claimed by China, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Trump, who held talks with Abe earlier this year at the presidents Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, has forged a united front with the Japanese leader on the need to exert pressure on North Korea to curb its nuclear and missile development.
The female doctor shot dead in a New York hospital by a disgruntled medic in a gun rampage had been covering someone else's shift and should not have been there on the day.

Dr Henry Bello sent his former colleagues diving for cover at Bronx Lebanon Hospital while he repeatedly opened fire at the weekend, killing one and injuring six other people, including a patient.

The new details of Bello's rampage emerged along with an email rant against colleagues he blamed for forcing him to resign from the hospital amid sexual harassment allegations two years earlier. The email was sent to the 'New York Daily News' just two hours before the shooting on Friday afternoon - Bello killed himself after the rampage.

"This hospital terminated my road to a licensure to practice medicine," the email said. "First, I was told it was because I always kept to myself. Then it was because of an altercation with a nurse."

He also blamed a doctor for blocking his chances at practicing medicine.

Bello had warned his former colleagues when he was forced out in 2015 that he would return someday to kill them.

Expand Close Bello had warned his former colleagues when he was forced out in 2015 that he would return someday to kill them / Facebook

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Whatsapp Bello had warned his former colleagues when he was forced out in 2015 that he would return someday to kill them

Bello arrived at the hospital with the assault rifle hidden under his lab coat and asked for a specific doctor whom he blamed for his having to resign, but the physician wasn't there at the time.

It was not clear if Bello knew Dr Tracy Sin-Yee Tam (32), who was killed in the shooting on the 16th and 17th floors of the hospital and was, like him, a family medicine doctor. Hospital officials said that Dr Tam normally worked in one of the hospital's satellite clinics and was covering a shift in the main hospital as a favour to someone else.

"It makes you think that anything can happen to anybody," said Dr Tam's neighbour, Alena Khaim (23), who saw the medic's sister outside her home overcome with grief, shaking and unable to walk.

"She was such a sweet girl. You would never think something like that would happen, but it happened."

Judy Beckles-Ross (46) said she's not surprised Dr Tam volunteered to cover the shift.

"She never said no," said Ms Beckles-Ross, a friend from medical school who knew her for 11 years. "She had a good heart. Anybody that needed help, she would help them."

The six others who were injured - a patient, two medical students and three doctors - largely suffered gunshot wounds to the head, chest and abdomen. One doctor remained in critical condition and the rest were stable.

Authorities said Bello set off a fire alarm when he attempted to set himself ablaze. But the flames were extinguished by sprinklers. Hospital vice-president Errol Schneer said: "Many of our staff risked their own lives to save patients."

His former co-workers described a man who was aggressive, loud and threatening.

"All the time he was a problem," said Dr David Lazala, who trained Bello as a family medicine doctor. When Bello was forced out in 2015, he sent Dr Lazala an email blaming him for the dismissal.
Gilliam had previously described the claims as "nonsense"

Portuguese authorities have rejected a television programme's claims that one of the country's most cherished historic monuments was damaged during the shooting of a film by Monty Python star Terry Gilliam.

The General-Directorate for Heritage said an investigation has found that the 12th-century Convent of Christ suffered only "insignificant" damage during a recent location shoot for The Man Who Killed Don Quixote.

The report said a programme by public broadcaster RTP alleging wider damage "lacked rigour and revealed a lack of scientific knowledge".

Gilliam has previously called the allegations "ignorant nonsense".

The convent was a stronghold of the Knights Templar, a Christian military order founded in 1119, and is classified as a World Heritage site by Unesco.
Singapore's prime minister has addressed his family feud in parliament, saying his siblings' accusations that he misused government power are "entirely baseless".

Lee Hsien Loong said he would not sue his brother and sister over the dispute, which centres on claims of bullying, nepotism and the legacy of their father, Singapore founder Lee Kuan Yew.

The rare political spectacle has riveted Singapore, with people standing in line to enter the parliament's public gallery.

Business executive Lee Hsien Yang and Dr Lee Wei Ling, a well-known neurosurgeon, have accused their brother of using the "organs of the state" against them to preserve a house belonging to their father, who died in 2015.

His seventh and final will indicated a family bungalow should be demolished once his daughter moves out.

Dr Lee and her brother have claimed that the prime minister secretly wanted the house preserved to "inherit the faith Singaporeans had in Lee Kuan Yew through the visible symbol of the house".

They alleged that their brother lobbied a government committee and that his wife, Ho Ching, improperly obtained artefacts belonging to their late father.

They also said that the prime minister and his wife wanted their son, Li Hongyi, to have a political career.

Lee Hsien Loong called the allegations "entirely baseless" and said they could affect Singaporeans' confidence in the government.

Under "normal circumstances," he said, he would have sued over the allegations.

"But suing my own brother and sister in court would further besmirch my parents' names," he said.

"At the end of the day, we are brothers and sister, and we are all our father's children."

He also took aim at the idea that the family home "enhances my aura as prime minister".

"If I needed such magic properties to bolster my standing after 13 years as prime minister, I must be in a pretty sad state," he said.

His father, a self-proclaimed authoritarian, led Singapore for more than three decades and is credited with transforming the resource-poor island into a wealthy, bustling financial hub with low crime and almost zero corruption.

But he also jailed some political rivals without trial for decades and brought defamation lawsuits against journalists and opposition politicians, which chilled dissent.

Lee Hsien Loong is the secretary-general of the People's Action Party, which has led Singapore since independence in 1965.

It holds 83 out of 89 seats in parliament.

Low Thia Kiang, leader of the Workers' Party, which holds all six opposition seats, said the family dispute is a distraction for the government and should be handled in court.

"Settling this in court would enable everyone to put forward their sides of the story with evidence and with dignity," he said.

AP
Ukraine increased transit of natural gas through its gas transportation system by 21.8% year-on-year in January-June 2017 to 45.704 billion cubic meters (bcm), PJSC Ukrtransgaz said in preliminary data.

Gas transit through Ukraine to Europe in the past six months amounted to 44.355 bcm and to Moldova - 1.348 bcm.

Transit in June 2017 grew by 19% year-on-year to 7.448 bcm. Gas transit through Ukraine to Europe last month was 7.321 bcm and to Moldova - 127 million cubic meters (mcm).

Ukraine increased natural gas imports 2.3-fold in h1 2017 to 6.961 bcm.

According to Interfax-Ukraine calculations, this includes 5.646 bcm imported from Slovakia in H1 2017, from Hungary - 739.3 million cubic meters and from Poland - 576.3 million cubic meters.

Last month 1.008 bcm was imported compared to 19.7 million cubic meters last year.

Ukraine has not imported gas under the contract with Gazprom since November 26, 2015 and buys gas from its Western border.
Princess Cristina's husband Inaki Urdangarin was sentenced earlier this year to six years and three months in prison for fraud and tax evasion

A prosecutor has asked Spain's supreme court to increase the sentence handed down to the brother-in-law of King Felipe by up to eight years.

Inaki Urdangarin was sentenced earlier this year to six years and three months in prison for fraud and tax evasion.

The case centred on accusations that he embezzled about six million euro (5.3 million) in public funds.

His wife, Princess Cristina, was absolved in the case but ordered to pay a fine.

The state prosecutor appealed the verdict before the supreme court and on Monday called for Urdangarin's sentence to be raised to up to 14 years and six months, chiefly for embezzlement.

The 2016 case was the first time a member of Spain's royal family has been put on trial since the monarchy was restored in 1975.
The remaining differences between the two sides are mainly regarding trade in cheese and cars (AP)

Japan and the EU could forge a trade agreement later this week, officials said.

Cecilia Malmstrom, the European Commissioner for trade, told reporters in Madrid she was hopeful the two sides would resolve their remaining differences and announce a deal when Japan's prime minister Shinzo Abe meets EU leaders in Brussels ahead of a G20 summit in Germany.

Ms Malmstrom said: "The Japanese don't agree with some of the key technical issues (in the deal) which are fundamental for the EU, especially those referred to investment."

Japanese foreign minister Fumio Kishida said over the weekend that he was hopeful the two sides would resolve remaining differences, mainly over trade in cheese and cars, and was ready to visit Brussels this week to help the talks along.

Talks on the proposed Economic Partnership Agreement for two of the world's biggest economies ended late on Saturday in Tokyo with officials saying they believed a deal was within reach.

Such a deal will require fine-tuning regarding Japan's protections for its dairy farmers, whose home market is protected by tariffs of up to 40% on processed cheese.

Japan wants the EU to lift tariffs on cars, a demand that EU officials said was difficult to carry out immediately.

Both sides are asking the other to open their markets to each other's wines, and there are a few other issues still yet to be resolved, Japanese media said.

It is unclear just what the potential for compromise on cheese might be, given Japanese farm minister Yoji Yamamoto's rejection of a EU request for Japan to match its commitments for relaxing its trade rules on cheese imports to match those it agreed to in negotiations with members of the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

That trade pact was cast into question by US president Donald Trump's decision to pull out of the formerly US-led Pacific Rim trade initiative.

However, the 11 remaining members have been discussing ways to pursue a revised version without the US as the anchor.

Australia and New Zealand, the biggest exporters of cheese and other dairy products to Japan, fought hard to persuade Tokyo to gradually open its market over a 15-year period.

Both Japan and the EU have a tradition of protecting their politically powerful farming sectors, and dairy products are an especially sensitive issue for the EU, with its long traditions and half the world's market share for cheese.

Japanese eat only about 1lb of cheese per person a year, a lot less than Europeans, partly because of different tastes and food cultures, and partly because costs are so high.

A small, chocolate-bar sized block of imported Parmesan costs more than 5 and a similar amount of Swiss cheese at least 4.50.

Costs are relatively high thanks to a complicated system that is engineered to ensure the country's 17,700 dairy farmers, overwhelmingly small family businesses, continue to provide a stable supply of raw milk, even though their average costs are double those of farmers in Europe and the US.

About a quarter of the cheese imported into Japan is reprocessed and repackaged so as to "add value" before products reach consumers.

A glut in milk production in the past two years in the US, Europe and Oceania has helped push prices lower and boosted imports, according to a recent US department of agriculture report.

It also has lent urgency to the EU's efforts to win easier access to Japanese consumers.

AP
Authors note: I am either on vacation or undergoing court-ordered anger management classes. Please enjoy this previously published and slightly edited column from long ago.

Its a sad day when we, the people of this great nation, are no longer impressed by someone who eats fire.

I blame the left, the right, the Russians, the fake news media  all the usual suspects  for creating an atmosphere in this country in which a fat guy in a rhinestone vest receives only lukewarm applause for dousing a flaming stick on his tongue.

What happened to our sense of wonder?

I think I saw it slip away one rainy afternoon under the big top, which was only the size of half a dozen funeral home tents sewn together but still qualified as a big top by traveling circus standards. This wasnt Ringling Bros., but its as close as it gets for a mud and kudzu lot between Burger King and the bypass.

The woman from the high-wire threw a coat over her leotard and sold cotton candy when she was back on the ground, and the ringmaster barked out a steady stream of unintelligible gibberish through a sound system on par with the cracked AM radio speaker in the 76 Gran Torino station wagon I drove when I was 16 years old.

Still, I was in awe, just as I was more than a quarter of a century ago when, at my very first circus, I saw a man hammer an ice pick into his nasal cavity. It was then I realized that circuses are magical places where humans and animals do things they wouldnt ordinarily do, thanks to an appreciative audience and, quite often, a whip.

There was no ice pick hammering at this circus, but a llama did leap over a camel, something that occurs very rarely in nature. A large African elephant named Baby or Bobby  it was difficult to tell from the ringmasters static-filled introduction -- marched around the sawdust, responding to commands from the guy in the rhinestone vest. Baby/Bobby made a few passes, deciding this wasnt the right time to go insane, attack the crowd and make the six oclock news. He lumbered out the back and relaxed in the kudzu.

The man in the rhinestone vest, introduced as either an amazing fire eater or a lazy wife beater came back a short time later for his act, which I hoped was eating fire because the alternative wasnt something I was going to stand for. Thankfully, he commenced to eat fire.

As are most things that involve flames and combustible liquids, this was highly entertaining. He put the lighter-fluid soaked, flaming sticks in and out of his mouth, registering no pain as the ringmaster warned children not to try this at home or fly off to Rome or something no one could quite make out.

It was an impressive act, on par with a llama leaping a camel though slightly less remarkable than someone hammering an ice pick into his nasal cavity.

As the scent of lighter fluid and seared tongue wafted into the bleachers, I looked around at my fellow circus-goers, ready to share their amazement at the miracle we were witnessing.

Blank faces.

A man in a tank top looked at his watch. A kid with a sno-cone scratched his chigger bites. There was only a smattering of applause when the guy in the rhinestone vest doused the final flame against the roof of his mouth.

Its sad, I thought, that we have come to this. A man in rhinestone vest eating fire is treated with indifference. A performer risks igniting his entire face for our viewing pleasure, and in return we offer him the weakest of applause before digging back into our cotton candy.

I blame the left, the right, the Russians, the fake news media  all the usual suspects. But I dont blame the brave man in the rhinestone vest who ate the fire. I salute him.

Scott Hollifield is editor/GM of The McDowell News in Marion, N.C. and a humor columnist. Contact him at rhollifield@mcdowellnews.com.
Omaha police were investigating a shooting early Monday that left a 34-year-old man with a nonlife-threatening injury.

Police said officers reported to Nebraska Medical Center around 2:05 a.m. after the gunshot victim, Roberto Torres, arrived at the hospital.

Torres was uncooperative with officers, police said, but he did tell authorities that he was shot near South 13th and Martha Streets.

Officers checked the area for a shooting scene, police said, but they did not find any evidence.
NCLAT issues clarifications under Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code, 2016

The National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) recently clarified what constitutes the existence of a dispute under the Insolvency & Bankruptcy Code, 2016.

As per the Apellate Tribunal, the term dispute includes proceedings initiated or pending before consumer courts, tribunals, labor courts, or subject to mediation or conciliation.

Further, the ambit of dispute will also include any action undertaken by a person identified as a corporate debtor, such as replying to a legal notice or to a clarification sought regarding the quality of goods and services provided by the operational creditor.

Other clarifications concern the grounds for rejection or satisfaction of an insolvency application by an operational creditor, that is, to whom the debt is owed.

RELATED: Audit and Financial Review Advsiory

Business class travelers to submit GSTIN to avail tax benefits

It is mandatory for those traveling on business class air tickets for business purposes to submit their companys Goods and Services Tax Identification Number (GSTIN)  if they wish to avail tax benefits under the GST regime, which came into force on July 1.

The new indirect tax regime provides for input tax credit only in the case of business class tickets  the provision is not applicable to economy class fares. The GST rate on first class and higher class air tickets is 12 percent, which can be claimed back.

The three domestic airlines that offer business class seats  Air India, Jet Airways, and Vistara  have already notified their business class customers that they will need to provide their company information at the time of booking.

RELATED: Filing GST Returns in India

GST launched, inter-state logistics to become easier

As the GST came into force on July 1, states across India have gradually begun dismantling their border check-posts. Under the new system, the tax liability will be calculated centrally and through the GST portal, meaning that stopping at physical barriers to pay taxes will no longer be necessary. This will smoothen the movement of logistics in the country, reducing travel time and costs, not to mention the traffic on inter-state highways.

States are currently waiting on the governments clarification on the Electronic Way Bills (for movement of goods), which will make truck movement easier across the country.

Related Reading:

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An Introduction to Doing Business in India 2017 is designed to introduce the fundamentals of investing in India. As such, this comprehensive guide is ideal not only for businesses looking to enter the Indian market, but also for companies who already have a presence here and want to stay up-to-date with the most recent and relevant policy changes.

In this issue of India Briefing Magazine, we discuss payroll processing and reporting in India, and the various regulations and tax norms that impact salary and wage computation. Further, we explain Indias complex social security system and gratuity law, and how it applies to companies. Finally, we describe the importance of IT infrastructure, compliance, and confidentiality when processing payroll in India.
A day heavy in green Indian equity markets saw a day, heavy in green, today. Nifty 50 ended, up by 321.5 points. Sensex ended, up by 1181.34 points. Top Gainers today were HDFC, HDFC Bank, Infosys. Top Losers ... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 3:43 pm

In early trade, Rupee rises 71 paise to 80.69 / $ Early on Friday, the rupee strengthened 71 paise to 80.69 against the dollar as investors' attitudes were bolstered by easing US CPI data and a decline in the dollar index. Forex traders claime... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 2:24 pm

Sensex zooms over 1,100 pts; Nifty above 18,300; IT index top contributor Domestic benchmark indices in the fast lane today led by IT and Metal stocks outperforming. Both the Sensex and Nifty benchmarks were nearly 2% higher amid positive global cues. On the se... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 2:00 pm

NIBE receives order of Rs11.88 crore from Goa Shipyard; Stock slips 1% Nibe Limited stocks in focus as the company announced the receipt of purchase orders. As per the regulatory filing, it has received two purchase orders dated November 08, 2022 from G... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 12:53 pm

Ashoka Buildcon receives provisional certificate for NHAI road project; Stock up 2% Ashoka Buildcon Limited has informed the declaration of October 26, 2021 as the Commercial Operation Date (CoD) for its Hybrid Annuity Mode (HAM) Project of National Highways Authority of ... November 11, 2022 | 11-11-2022 12:26 pm
Surplus of balance of payments in May 2017 shrinks to $357 mln

Ukraine in May 2017 saw a surplus of the balance of payments for the second consecutive month, having posted $357 million compared to $970 million a month before, the National Bank of Ukraine said on Friday.

"This was facilitated by a substantial net inflow of funds in the financial account, which compensated for the current account deficit in the balance of payments," the NBU noted.

The current account deficit in May, according to early reports, amounted to $194 million, there was a surplus of $293 million in May last year, the NBU said. The National Bank explains this deterioration by a significant increase in the volume of energy imports, which led to the expansion of the deficit of foreign trade in goods to $702 million against $133 million in May last year.

The NBU said that in May exports of goods grew by 21.4% year-over-year from 8.2% in April, reaching $3.204 billion, first thanks to resumption of growth of exports of metal products. Exports grew in all key commodity groups, in particular, food (30.2%), ferrous and nonferrous metals (18.7%), mineral products (29.3%), engineering products (12.2%) and chemical products (4.9%).

Imports in May rose by 40.9% year-over-year, to $3.906 billion, from 11.4% in April first due to a rise in imports of energy, the NBU said. Imports of mineral products in May soared by 2.1 times, which was linked to growth of imports of natural gas (by 7.3 times) and coal (2.4 times). Growth of imports of non-energy goods (by 27% year-over-year) was related to the increase in imports of engineering products (48.1%), chemical products (32.4%) and food (21.6%).

In January-May 2017 exports of goods grew by 27%, to $15.9 billion, while imports increased by 23.1%, to $18.32 billion.

In January-May 2017 the deficit of the current account of the balance of payment remained almost at the level of January-May 2016 - $1.065 billion compared to $1.034 billion, the NBU said.

The central bank said that net inflow of funds to the financial account totaled $556 million in May compared to $69 million in May 2016. The funds were injected to the private sector.

Off-bank cash currency fell by $378 million, net raising for portfolio investment decreased by $151 million and net debt on trade loans grew by $361 million, the NBU said.

In January-May 2017, net inflow to the financial account grew by 80% year-over-year, to $1.8 billion.

Thanks to the surplus of the consolidate balance of payment in May Ukraine's forex reserves continued growing and reached $17.6 billion as of June 1, 2017 or 3.7 months to cover imports.
24-year-old Sana Dua is much more than a pretty face. The 24-year-old Kashmiri beauty is a Miss India runner-up and has dreams of sharing the screen space with Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh. Apart from her plans after the crown, she has other issues on her mind too. Like, peace in her state. Talking to PTI, she said,

"Peace in my state first. It's time my triumph changed the face of the state".

Talking about secularism, Sana said,

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"I have a Muslim name Sana. And at the pageant, when my friends and colleagues would ask me what religion I was, I said I am a pa'aji. Pa'aji because I am born to Sikh parents. But, after knowing my name's meaning and origin, my friends began to address me as bhaijaan. Yet, I felt proud that the modern India is secular."

Sana's father, who is an army officer is one of the reasons for her secular beliefs. She said,

"All thanks to our father who served the Indian Army. We are proud of him. Both of us siblings worshipped Sikh gurus at home, went to Vaishno Devi temple in Jammu, and wish each other on Eid. We may be from a strife-torn area which has a religious divide but for us a secular India comes first."

Talking about her education and how her perspective broadened, she said,

Fbb Colors Femina Miss India First Runner up 2017 - Miss India Jammu & Kashmir @missindiaorg Can't go without thanking each one of you for your support and love! #speechless A post shared by Sana Dua (@duasana) on Jun 25, 2017 at 4:48pm PDT

"When I took up law course at Panjab University in Chandigarh, the desire was to be aware of my rights. But soon, I felt that I could change the life with the laws that women of this country not know of."
Some 1.2 million crocodiles are kept on more than 1,000 farms in Thailand. Thailand is home to some of the world's biggest crocodile farms, where tourists can see the giant reptiles lounging in the hot sun, chomping on chicken, or swarming in emerald green pools.

They do everything from raising crocodiles to slaughtering, tanning and exporting crocodile products. Crocodile leather products include Birkin-style handbags, which sell for up to 80,000 baht ($2,356) each and crocodile leather suits, which fetch around 200,000 baht ($5,885), Wichian said.

Crocodile meat is sold for as much as 300 baht per kg (2.2 lb). The bile and blood of the reptile, made into pills because they are believed to have health benefits, are worth 40,000 baht and 500 baht per kg, respectively.

1. Crocodiles eat chicken heads at Sriracha Tiger Zoo in Chonburi province, Thailand.

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2. Newly hatched crocodiles are seen at Sriracha Crocodile Farm.

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3. Crocodiles are seen at Sri Ayuthaya Crocodile Farm, one of Thailand's biggest, which has been operating for 35 years.

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4. Workers feed crocodiles at Sri Ayuthaya crocodile farm in Ayutthaya province, Thailand.

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"We're an all-in-one farm, creating jobs for the people, creating income for the country," said Wichian Rueangnet, the owner of Sri Ayuthaya, which has an estimated 150,000 crocodiles.

5. A worker holds young crocodiles at Sri Ayuthaya Crocodile Farm.

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Sri Ayuthaya is registered with the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), allowing it to legally export products made from the critically endangered Siamese freshwater crocodile, including to top buyer China.

6. A worker polishes a wallet made from crocodile skin at Sri Ayuthaya Crocodile farm.

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Crocodile leather products include Birkin-style handbags, which sell for up to 80,000 baht ($2,356) each and crocodile leather suits, which fetch around 200,000 baht ($5,885), Wichian said.

7. Workers process crocodile meat at a slaughterhouse on the outskirts of Bangkok.

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Crocodile meat is sold for as much as 300 baht per kg (2.2 lb). The bile and blood of the reptile, made into pills because they are believed to have health benefits, are worth 40,000 baht and 500 baht per kg, respectively.

8. Dyed crocodile skins are displayed at Sriracha Crocodile Farm.

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The industry has been facing a setback as exports of Thai crocodile leather products fell more than 60 percent in 2016 to 13 million baht ($382,578) from 34 million baht ($1.00 million) in 2015, commerce ministry figures show.

9. A zoo worker places crocodile eggs inside a hatchery at Sriracha Tiger Zoo.

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10. A worker helps a baby crocodile out of its shell at Sriracha Crocodile Farm.

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11. Newly hatched crocodiles are seen in a basin at Sriracha Crocodile Farm.

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12. A crocodile eats a chicken head at Sriracha Tiger Zoo.

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13. A zoo performer reacts as he puts his head between the jaws of a crocodile during a performance for tourists at Sriracha Tiger Zoo.

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14. Dyed crocodile skins hang at a crocodile leather tannery in Samut Prakan province.

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15. Chinese tourists touch a dyed crocodile skin at Sriracha Crocodile Farm.

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16. A Chinese tourist tries on a jacket made from crocodile skin at Sriracha Crocodile Farm.

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17. Crocodiles are seen at Sri Ayuthaya Crocodile Farm.

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Germany became the 23rd country in the world to legalise same-sex marriage. The country's parliament voted in favour of legalising last week, but Chancellor Angela Merkel openly opposed the decision. Here are some pictures of the celebrations that followed.

1. A couple is seen kissing as people celebrate Germany's parliament legalising same-sex marriage in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany.

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2. Volker Beck of Germany's environmental party Die Gruenen (The Greens) celebrates after a session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag voted on legalising same-sex marriage.

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The move brings Germany into line with many other European nations including France, Britain and Spain and follows Merkel's surprise decision this week to allow her lawmakers to follow their own conscience rather than the party line on the issue. Merkel, daughter of a Protestant pastor, voted against the bill.

3. People celebrate German parliament legalizing same-sex marriage in front of the Brandenburg Gate in Berlin.

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Hundreds of gay activists, some with painted faces, celebrated outside the Bundestag lower house of parliament after the vote, waving rainbow flags and placards that read "Marriage for all - make love for all".

4. A woman takes a photograph of a cake in the SPD faction headquarters.

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"This is simply a historic day for Germany," said Soeren Landmann, a marriage equality activist. "Today, thousands of same-sex couples were given equality, and the two-class society in matters of love was abolished. Germany can really rejoice today."

5. An unidentified couple kisses after a session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag.

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The vote has particular resonance in Germany as it unwinds a legacy of virulent homophobia. Earlier this year parliament agreed to grant compensation to thousands of gay men jailed under a 19th century law that was strengthened by the Nazis and only dropped in 1969 when homosexuality was decriminalized in West Germany.

6. People celebrate in front of Germany's lower house of parliament Bundestag.

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A survey by pollster INSA for daily Bild showed this week that three quarters of Germans favoured the legalization of same-sex marriage. Lawmakers voted by 393 votes in favor of same-sex marriage to 226 against, with four abstentions.

7. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and members of the lower house of parliament cast their votes.

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Merkel, who is seeking a fourth term in a national election on Sept. 24, said she had voted against the bill because she believed that marriage as defined under German law was between a man and a woman. But she said her decision was a personal one, adding that she had become convinced in recent years that same-sex couples should be allowed to adopt children. "I hope that the vote today not only promotes respect between the different opinions but also brings more social cohesion and peace," she said.

8. Visitors follow a debate during a session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag.

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Same-sex marriage became a hot election topic after three parties - the Social Democrats (SPD), the pro-business Free Democrats and the Greens - each made it a condition for joining any future coalition with Merkel's conservatives, effectively forcing her hand. The SPD is part of the current coalition.

9. A demonstrator is seen in front of Germany's lower house of parliament Bundestag.

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At an event hosted by women's magazine "Brigitte" this week Merkel spoke of a "dramatic experience" when she told a lesbian in her home constituency how she had struggled with the idea of same-sex couples adopting children. Merkel said the woman had responded: "I tell you what, come and visit me in my home, where I live with my lesbian partner and eight foster children. The foster children have been with us for many years, and I think they are doing well."

10. Mechthild Rawert of the SPD Party takes a picture with her phone as she attends a session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag.

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The same-sex bill will likely be signed into law by President Frank-Walter Steinmeier some time after July 7.

11. Erika Steinbach of the CDU attends a session of the lower house of parliament Bundestag.

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Erika Steinbach, an independent lawmaker who quit Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in protest over her open-door policy towards asylum seekers, accused the chancellor of betraying the party's values in pursuit of electoral advantage. "It runs against the CDU's own party program, which sees marriage as being between a man and a woman, so CDU decisions are clearly not worth the paper they are written on. It would be hard to exaggerate how excruciating this is," said Steinbach.

12. A cake is seen as Germany's environmental party Die Gruenen (The Greens) celebrate.

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The right-wing, anti-Islam Alternative for Germany (AfD) party, which opposed marriage equality, accused Merkel of "abandoning the last conservative nuances her party had". The Catholic Church said it regretted the decision. "An appreciation of same-sex cohabitation can also be expressed by a different institutional design," said Archbishop Heiner Kochof of Berlin.

13. A man smiles as people celebrate the historic vote.

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14. People demonstrate in front of Germany's lower house of parliament Bundestag while the delegates vote.

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After a family was refused a hearse van to carry a girl's corpse in Chattisgarh, they carried her from a hospital in Rajnandgaon on a hand cart to her home in Bakhru.

The 17-year-old girl's burnt body was brought to a district hospital on Sunday after she allegedly committed suicide.

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The family was asked to cough up Rs 750 for autopsy and when the family refused to pay, the examination was delayed for several hours, reports NDTV.

Once the autopsy was conducted, the hospital also refused to provide an ambulance to the family. After waiting for another couple of hours, the family decided to pull the body on a hand cart. It was when they were on their way did the hospital authorities arrived in the van. The family, however, refused their services.

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This incident just adds to a string of other incidents that came to light after Dana Majhi's visuals had spread like wildfire across India.

Congress officials protested against the hospital's glaring apathy. District Collector Bhim Singh said, "We had asked the family to wait for some time as both the vehicles (available at the hospital) were busy. We released the body at 2.45 and they carried the body on a hand cart. We reached them at 3.15 pm, but they refused to avail the service."
Following a letter written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi by Dhaurahra constituency MP Rekha Arun Verma, seeking financial aid for two patients of Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur districts, Rs 3 lakh was sanctioned by the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) under the Prime Minister's National Relief Fund, (PMNRF).

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Som Krishna Srivastava, 43, a resident of Aldishpur village in Kheri has been suffering from oral cancer. He approached MP Verma in May and requested for financial relief to undergo further treatment. According to reports, Rs 3 lakh was transferred for his treatment at the Rajiv Gandhi Cancer Institute & Research Centre in New Delhi.

Similarly, Pradeep Jaiswal from Hargaon village in Sitapur district, who has been suffering from renal failure, was moving from pillar-to-post seeking financial aid for a kidney transplant.

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Like Srivastava, he too received Rs 3 lakh after he met Verma and sought relief for the expensive procedure. Jaiswal's transplant will be done at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi.

MP Verma told TOI, "I am really happy that the PM accepted my request and granted relief to both the persons. I only performed my duty and forwarded their requests to the PM."
On Saturday, in Bengaluru, the controversy over the use of Hindi words in Namma Metro Station intensified. Hindi words on signs at two stations  Kempegowda interchange at Majestic and Chikpet were masked out. This move was taken by authorities and was not an outcome of vandalism.

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Upparpet police were apparently alerted that pro-Kannada organisations had planned to blacken all Hindi signage at Kempegowda and Chickpet stations.

Sources said, In order to prevent any untoward incident, the police reportedly advised Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) officials to do away with Hindi signboards.

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The two stations were guarded with heavy security by both the local police and Karnataka Industrial Security Force personnel.

A senior police official said, We were requested to provide security by the BMRCL and we have deployed our policemen besides the KISF personnel."

It hasnt yet been made clear if the BMRCL wants to mask out Hindi signage at all metro stations.
During a training session for its first set of transgender recruits, officials from the new metro rail company in Kochi asked them if they had any concerns.

They had just one: bathroom access.

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The project construction was complete by then and the stations were ready, said Reshmi Chandrathil Ravi, a spokeswoman for Kochi Metro Rail, a new network in the port city launched at the weekend by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

So we are now turning the big bathrooms for the differently-abled into all-gender bathrooms to be shared with the disabled, she told the Thomson Reuters Foundation.

The washroom signs have now been removed and sent for a fresh inclusive design. And the company has allowed its transgender recruits to choose a male or female uniform.

Kochi Metro Rail is the first government-owned company to recruit staff from the transgender community as part of Kerala states initiative to give the marginalised group better access to job opportunities.

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Since the Supreme Court gave transgender people third gender recognition in 2014, a growing number of Indian companies have actively hired transgender people and drafted policies to ensure they are not discriminated against in the workplace.

Indias 2011 census recorded half a million transgender people but campaigners estimate the number at about 2 million. Less than half are literate and even fewer have jobs, according to the census.

Traditionally, transgender have been confined to the margins of society. But attitudes are slowly starting to change.

At least 12 to 13 of our member companies already have all-gender bathrooms. This started happening since last year, said Rashmi Vikram, senior manager with Community Business, a charity that supports firms seeking to be more socially inclusive.

Some companies have turned the disability restroom to all gender, all-abilities restroom, promoting it in a way that there is no stigma attached to it. It didnt require a big infrastructural change, but it sent out a positive message.

Reuters/Representational Image

A handful of firms have gone beyond ensuring bathroom access.

Global technology firm ThoughtWorks hired a transgender person in its Bangalore office as part of a diversity initiative last year and went on to provide an office buddy and an external counsellor to its new employee to smooth the settling-in period.

And in a first, IBM  named as the worlds most LGBT-inclusive company by Amsterdam-based Workplace Pride Foundation  will from this year cover gender affirmation surgery under its corporate health benefit plan, a spokeswoman for IBM India said.

Another major Indian IT firm that opened a new campus in Mumbai last year ensured at the planning stage it would have a unisex bathroom following requests from transgender employees.

Some firms are also hand-holding transgender staff during the initial employment period and keeping their identities discreet on request, but campaigners say the trend is restricted to big companies.

Nyra Dsouza, a transgender woman, never took a bathroom break when she worked at a Mumbai outsourcing firm  uncomfortable in the mens washroom and not allowed in the womens facility.

It meant holding on for 15 hours before she reached home.

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At job interviews, she had been told to consider fashion, beauty or films for a job where I could be myself.

But when she was interviewed at Mumbai-headquartered Godrej  a leading Indian conglomerate with interests ranging from consumer goods to real estate  she was asked about her work experience, not gender.

This, a Godrej spokeswoman said, was in tune with the companys policy to make all interactions gender-neutral.

Such experiences are limited only to big companies, not small, said Ms Dsouza, who finds others from her community struggling to find jobs, or dignity in the workplace if they do.

After the Supreme Court ruling, campaigners said more companies are coming forward to recruit transgender people, but are reluctant to make adaptations.

Over the past year, we have got nearly 15 requests from companies that wish to hire a transgender, but they retreat when I ask them about bathroom access, said Koninika Roy of the Mumbai-based Humsafar Trust that works with the LGBT community and tries to match them with jobs.

The trust had one successful placement in the last year.

Reuters/Representational Image

But Solidarity Foundation, a Bangalore-based rights group that works with sexual minorities, had more success  it placed 15 transgender people over the last year.

Companies are becoming more open and talking about these issues, but integration is still not part of their DNA, said Shubha Chacko, executive director of Solidarity Foundation.

Ms Chacko cited the case of a transgender person detained at the office gate by security guards on his first day at work.

The biggest challenge in India is the mindset. They connect transgender to people who beg on the streets, do sex work or sing at weddings, said Vikram of Community Business.

We still have a long way to go. A lot more work needs to be done.
With Reliance Jio, Airtel, and Vodafone all battling it out to attract customers with unlimited data offers, BSNL has no plans to sit by and do nothing. The state-owned telecom service provider has now announced a new smartphone plan for postpaid subscribers, offering incentives to customers to keep itself in the competition.

With the new offer, BSNL postpaid customers will receive additional perks alongside their existing plans. BSNL customers subscribing to Plan 99 will now receive 250 MB of monthly data, as compared to the previous zero benefit. Those under the Plan 225 will get 1GB of data instead of 200MB and Plan 325 subscribers will get 2GB as opposed to 250MB. In addition, Plan 525 and 725 subscribers will get 3GB and 5GB of monthly data respectively, instead of the earlier 500MB and 1GB limits.

Unfortunately, that means postpaid subscribers with the Rs 799, Rs 1,125, or Rs 1,525 plan will receive no extra perks, instead sticking with the already included 10, 20, and 30 GB monthly data respectively. If you already have one of the plans eligible for an upgrade, youll receive the additional benefits without having to separately activate them. And remember, theres no additional call or SMS discounts, just more data at your disposal.

The move comes shortly after BSNL announced a Sixer 666 plan for prepaid subscribers. Under this scheme, customers would receive 2 GB of data every day for a period of 60 days.
China's Shandong Qingneng Power is considering the issue of building a biofuel thermal power plant (TPP) in Dobromyl, Lviv region, the press service of the regional state administration has said.

According to its data, the partners of Shandong Qingneng Power in the project could be Dobromyl woodworking plant and JV Ukrlisholding.

The deadline of implementing the project and other details are not given.

As reported, China's Xi'an ShaanGu Power is considering the construction of a biofuel thermal power plant with a capacity of 6.7 MW in Zhytomyr region.
Ever since scientists first theorised that a meteor strike could have been possible for the extinction of the dinosaurs, the worry has been that a similar rogue accident could happen again. But what exactly can humanity do to protect itself from the wrath of Mother Nature.

Concept image of the DART spacecraft - NASA/JHUAPL

Now, NASA is putting together its first-ever mission to just that, by demonstrating a plan to deflect oncoming asteroids away from Earth. Called the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), the planetary defence is finally moving from concept development to a preliminary design phase, following NASA approval on June 23.

DART would be NASAs first mission to demonstrate whats known as the kinetic impactor technique  striking the asteroid to shift its orbit  to defend against a potential future asteroid impact, said Lindley Johnson, planetary defence officer at NASA Headquarters in Washington. This approval step advances the project toward an historic test with a non-threatening small asteroid.

DARTs target is an asteroid that will be on a distant approach to Earth in October 2022, and again in 2024. Called Didymos, its actually a binary asteroid system consisting of two bodies; Didymos A, about 780 m wide, and Didymos B, about 160 m wide. DART is intended to impact ad shift only the smaller of the two.

Didymos B is large enough to be a useful test, as its determined to be the same size as an asteroid typically capable of devastating effect, should it hit Earth. A binary asteroid is the perfect natural laboratory for this test, said Tom Statler, program scientist for DART at NASA Headquarters. The fact that Didymos B is in orbit around Didymos A makes it easier to see the results of the impact, and ensures that the experiment doesnt change the orbit of the pair around the sun.

Once launched, the refrigerator-sized DART would fly to Didymos and use an on-board autonomous targeting system to aim itself at Didymos B. Then, it would strike the smaller body at about 6 kilometres per second, roughly nine times faster than a bullet. The idea isnt to try and shatter an asteroid or even bounce it away, but to preemptively make a minor course correction so it passes by Earth harmlessly over the course of its predicted passes.

While current law directs the development of the DART mission, its not identified as a specific budget item in the Administrations Fiscal Year 2018 budget. However, the test is still important. DART is a critical step in demonstrating we can protect our planet from a future asteroid impact, said Andy Cheng of The Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory in Laurel, Maryland, the DART investigation co-lead. Since we dont know that much about their internal structure or composition, we need to perform this experiment on a real asteroid. With DART, we can show how to protect Earth from an asteroid strike with a kinetic impactor by knocking the hazardous object into a different flight path that would not threaten the planet.
Just a few days after celebrating the first anniversary of its orbit around Jupiter, NASAs Juno spacecraft is ready to hit another milestone in its timeline.

Images courtesy: NASA/JPL

The orbiter is all set to make its first pass directly over Jupiters Great Red Spot, the 16,000km-wide storm on the face of the gas giant. This maneuver will also be the first time humanity will be able to take a close look at the storm feature, one that weve known about and monitored since 1830.

Despite having our eyes on it for close to 200 years, scientists believe the storm is actually much older, closer to 350 years old. Jupiters mysterious Great Red Spot is probably the best-known feature of Jupiter, said Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio. This monumental storm has raged on the solar system's biggest planet for centuries. Now, Juno and her cloud-penetrating science instruments will dive in to see how deep the roots of this storm go, and help us understand how this giant storm works and what makes it so special.

The examination of the Great Red Spot will be Junos sixth data-gathering flyby over Jupiters cloud cover. Perijove (the point at which an orbit comes closest to Jupiter's center) will be on July 11, at 7:25 am IST. At that, Juno will be about 3,500 kilometers above the planet's cloud tops. Eleven minutes and 33 seconds later, the orbiter will have covered another 39,771 kilometers and will be directly above the crimson clouds of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The spacecraft will pass about 9,000 kilometers above the Giant Red Spots cover.

The success of science collection at Jupiter is a testament to the dedication, creativity and technical abilities of the NASA-Juno team, said Rick Nybakken, project manager for Juno from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory. Each new orbit brings us closer to the heart of Jupiters radiation belt, but so far the spacecraft has weathered the storm of electrons surrounding Jupiter better than we could have ever imagined.
Toyota recently debuted its first automated helper, the Human Support Robot. In an in-home trial, the Japanese company demonstrated how the HSR is designed to help people with disabilities function on their own, using the bot to perform everyday tasks.

Toyota

In this demo, the HSR was tested out with a paraplegic US Army veteran, who had the robot fetch him a glass of water, open doors, and even help interact fully with his son. The robot has an articulated torso and movable arms, as well as a video calling feature. So far, its largely been used in Japanese hospitals, to help care for the countrys large aging population.

Romulo Camargo is a decorated war veteran, wounded during the campaign in Afghanistan, leaving him paralyzed from the neck down. Toyota had him try out the robot, believing it can be used to improve the quality of life for people like him. At Toyota, we have a commitment to enriching lives by advancing mobility for all  whether its around town or across your living room, said Toyotas senior manager for Technology for Human Support, Doug Moore. This includes developing technology solutions to assist people with limited mobility. We see our research with Romy and the HSR as a natural extension of our work as a mobility company that helps people navigate their world.

The HSR uses QR code-like symbols to help it recognise everyday objects. Then, the user can give it instructions using a touchscreen (with their fingers if they can or by using a pen in their mouth). This is, you know, a big game-changer for everybody that has a disability, Camargo mentions in the video. If I can help in anyway, the better my life will be just because satisfaction.

Toyota launched its Robot Partner program in 2007, to develop robots they want to integrate into our everyday life. Later in 2015, it set up the Toyota Research Institute, with the aim to funnel in $1 billion towards developing self-driving cars and robot helpers.
Two persons were killed and properties worth millions of Naira were destroyed last Thursday when two communities, Iloffa and Odo-Owa communities in Oke-Ero Local Government Area of Kwara state clashed over new yam festival in a market.

Though relative calm has returned to the two neighbouring communities, many shops and stalls remained under lock.

The crisis, which erupted from a market bordering the communities resulted in the killing of two persons and destruction of properties.

The crisis was said to have escalated due to disagreements among the community leaders over the introduction of the traditional new yam festival in the said market.

Meanwhile, the state government had imposed curfew on the two warring communities as part of measures to curtail the crisis.

Alhaji Isiaka Gold, the Secretary to the State Government, announced the curfew

in a statement after an on-the-spot assessment of damages in the communities.

He announced a 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew with immediate effect.

Gold stated that with the curfew, all human and vehicular movement in the two affected communities had been barred.

According to him, the state government is also ordering the suspension of any activities relating to the yam festival in Oke Ero Local Government Area of the state.

A correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) who monitored the situation on Sunday reports that many houses and shops remained under lock.

A combined team of police and army were seen patrolling the metropolis to forestall any breakdown of law and order.

Gold added that the curfew was to assist security agencies to contain and prevent the escalation of the conflict, as well as restore peace.

He reaffirmed governments determination toward ensuring adequate security for citizens and urged residents of both communities to remain calm and continue to conduct their lawful affairs in peace.

He, however, warned that the full weight of the law would bear on any individual or group found to have initiated, participated or otherwise contributed to the violent conflict between the neighbouring communities.

Government had resolved to institute a judicial commission of inquiry to unravel the immediate cause and perpetrators of the act, he added.

Source: Naijaloaded
A youth group, identified as the Nigerian Youth Advocate for Justice has given President Muhammadu Buhari an eight-week ultimatum to either resign or form an interim government following his absence from the country for more than 53 days.

The group warned that if the president fails to comply with the ultimatum, it would lead seven million youths in 22 states to force him out of office, Guardian reports.

The groups chairman, Seriki Olorunwa, said the prevailing health condition of the president had made it impossible for him to govern the country.

We urge the Senate, House of Representatives, state house of assemblies and parastatals to persuade Mr. President to resign and hand over to an interim president in the interest of Nigerians, group said.

Though the youths pledged not to shed any blood, they however noted that they were prepared to fight than to live as slaves.

We are speaking with one voice for the masses because we want the progress of the people.

The group said the All Progressives Congress (APC) had subjected Nigerians to humiliation because of its self-serving activities.

The youths complained that killing, kidnapping and robbery have become the order of the day in the present-day Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the APC has said President Muhammadu Buhari is fast recovering from his illness contrary to allegations that he is on life support.

The national chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, gave the assurance in Abuja on Friday, June 30, while speaking with newsmen at the end of a meeting between the party`s national working committee (NWC) and state governors elected on the partys platform.

Oyegun, however noted that Buhari will only return to the country after his doctors abroad certify him fit to do so, The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

Source: ( PM News )
Acting President Yemi Osinbajo this morning left Nigeria for Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, for the 29th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the African Union.

His Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Laolu Akande, made this known in a statement.

Akande said after representing Nigeria at the summit, the acting president would later today return to the country.

He said Osinbajo would be joining heads of states and governments from all over the continent as well as other invited global and continental leaders.

According to Akande, the theme of the session is Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth.

He said the session would also discuss the report on the Institutional Reform of the AU; peace and security issues as well as the reform of the United Nations Security Council.

Sourec:( PM News )
The State Agency of Automobile Roads of Ukraine (Ukravtodor) is negotiating with the World Bank to raise a loan to finance the construction of the northern bypass road near Boryspil.

According to the press service of the agency, this project provides for the construction of a new section of the road with a length of 3 km, the reconstruction of the existing road 12 km long to category 1-A.

The new roundabout way of about 15 km will allow completely freeing Boryspil from transit traffic, providing convenient access from Kyiv along international highway M-03/E-40 towards Poltava and along national road N-08 in the direction of Kremenchuk and Cherkasy. Time saving will be up to 30 minutes on each trip compared to the time that drivers spend on following the main street of Boryspil-Kyiv Way (Kyivsky Shliakh).

"The M-03 route is one of the most important corridors for domestic and international transportation. Now the section of the road running through Boryspil is one of the busiest roads in the country with a traffic intensity of more than 30,000 cars a day. The construction of a new bypass road will significantly improve the environmental situation in the city, make travel around the city more convenient, and also significantly reduce the number of accidents," Ukravtodor head Slavomyr Novak said.
Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, again, on Sunday, left Nigeria for London in the United Kingdom, to visit her husband, Muhammadu Buhari, who has been receiving medical attention in the British capital since May 7, Punch reports.

She will however have a stopover in Addis Abba, Ethiopia, before continuing her journey to London on Tuesday.

This marks the second time Mrs. Buhari would be visiting her ailing husband since he embarked on his second medical vacation of the year close to 60 days ago.

According to a statement by the Director of Information to the Wife of the President, Suleiman Haruna, on Sunday, the Presidents wife would use the opportunity of her latest visit to convey the best wishes of Nigerians and their prayers to her husband.

Mrs. Buharis stopover in Addis Abba will afford her the opportunity to attend a meeting of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS which will hold on Monday (today).

The statement read, Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari, left for London, the United Kingdom, on Sunday, July 2, 2017, to visit her husband who is on medical vacation. She will convey to the President the best wishes of Nigerians and their fervent prayers for his quick recovery. She is expected to have a stopover at Addis Ababa, to make a symbolic appearance at the meeting of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS on Monday, July 3, 2017. She will join other members to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the organisation, and use the opportunity to restate the voting rights of Nigeria in the upcoming elections of the organisation. She will continue her journey to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 4, 2017.

Mrs. Buhari had, on May 30, travelled to London to join her husband, three weeks after he embarked on his latest medical vacation.

She returned to the country in the early hours of June 6 after spending one week in London.

She had said the President would soon return to join Nigerians as, according to her, he was recuperating fast.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress, on Sunday, said it had no immediate plans to send any delegation to visit Buhari in London.

The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said this while responding to inquiries from The PUNCH on the subject in a telephone interview.

He explained that the party was currently pre-occupied with keeping the nation running in line with the Presidents agenda than with photo-opportunities.
The first lady of Nigeria, Mrs. Aisha Buhari left for London, United Kingdom on Sunday to visit her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari who has been on medical vacation since 7 May, 2017.

She last visited on 30 May and returned 6 June, with reports of President Buharis appreciation of the prayers by Nigerians for his quick recovery.

According to her itinerary, she is expected to stop over at Addis Ababa, to make a symbolic appearance at the meeting of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) on Monday 3rd July, 2017.

She will also join other members to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the organization, and use the opportunity to reiterate the voting rights of Nigeria in the upcoming elections of the organization.

She will continue her journey to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, 3rd July, 2017.

Source: ( NAN )
Former Nigeria Permanent Representative to United Nations (UN), Maitama Sule is dead.

Sule died in Cairo, Egypt in the early hours of Monday.

The former Minister of Petroleum took ill last weekend and was flown out to Egypt on Saturday where he gave up the ghost.

Sule would be buried in Kano on Tuesday.

His corpse is expected to arrive Nigeria on Tuesday by 2pm

Funeral to be conducted at the Kano Central Jumaat mosque, Emirs palace at 4:30pm.

Sule is survived by a wife and nine children.

The late Sule was the Danmasanin Kano. He was aged 88.

Source: ( Punch Newspaper )
Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has urged Nigerians to stay away from all forms of violence, criminal acts and behaviour capable dividing the country.

This he said on Sunday in Sokoto at a one-day National Prayer Rally organised by Nigeria Prays.

We should value the lives of our fellow human beings that God has created for a purpose. May we never take lives with impunity.

We are offering fervent prayers that Nigerians will never raise their hands against one another.

They should love one another irrespective of religious, ideological, political and ethnic affinities, he added.

Gowon, the National Convener, Nigeria Prays, appealed to Nigerians to collectively pray for the speedy recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also urged Nigerians to pray for the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and leaders at all levels

He solicited for sustained prayers for peace, unity and socio-economic prosperity of Nigeria.

Gowon said: Prayer can solve problems better and faster than soldiers, as well as physical weapons of war.

I have no doubt in my heart that God will honour our collective prayer and intercession for our dear nation, as well as heal our nation of insecurity.

May we experience abundance of Gods mercy and showers of blessings over our lives and our nation as we raise our voices in heartfelt prayers today in Sokoto,  he said.

The former head of state commended Sokoto State Government for its support, involvement and generosity to ensure the success of the rally.

The North-West Zonal Coordinator of Nigeria Prays, Bishop Godwin Okafor, said the rally was organized to seek for sustained peace, unity and stability of Nigeria.

Source: ( PM News )
Facts emerged at the weekend as to why end may not be in sight to the menace of Badoo cult group in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The group, according to a top security source, sells the handkerchief, which the terror group use to clean the blood of their victims, for a whooping N500,000 to some highly placed Nigerians.

We heard they sell one handkerchief containing the blood of their victims for N500,000 to highly placed Nigerians. The police must urgently investigate this lead in order to put an end to this menace, so that residents can sleep with two eyes closed in Ikorodu.

The police, which is now investigating the veracity of that information, engaged in joint operations with the Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Department of State Services (DSS), Lagos State Task Force, the Oodua Peoples Congress (OPC) and local vigilance groups to raid the dreaded groups black spots at Igbobo/Bayeku, Ibeshe, Ijede and Imota at the weekend.

This came few days after a closed-door emergency stakeholders meeting was held between officials of the Lagos State police command and National Leader of the OPC, Otunba Gani Adams, with leaders of other vigilance groups over the security challenge in Ikorodu.

The operation was led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of Operations, Edgal Imohinmi, with over 100 suspected members of the cult group arrested during the raid.

There was a brief meeting with the security agencies and local vigilance groups at Ipakodo division before the raid took off from Ibeshe, where majority of the suspects were arrested.

An OPC member, Mr. Abiodun Akerejola, a.k.a. Ojolebua, who spoke to crime reporters, said the raid was a welcome development.

The issue of Badoo and other cult activities in Ikorodu and environs should give everyone some concern and not only the police. We do not know the next family or person they may attacked, Akerejola said.

Mr. Balogun Moses, a resident in one of the communities, said:

If the raid is maintained on a regular basis, crime rate would be drastically reduced. We commend the effort of all the security agencies and local vigilance groups, who know the terrain. Everyone can have some respite now. For the past eight months, Ikorodu was on the news daily for negative stories.

Meanwhile, angry residents went berserk in the early hours of yesterday, lynching three suspected members of the Badoo cult in Odogunyan area of Ikorodu.

The suspects were caught around 2a.m. in an SUV and were flagged down by residents who were doing stop and search around Odogunyan junction. It was gathered that a big stone, diesel and a cutlass were found in the vehicle.

The suspects reportedly could not offer any explanation as to what they used the objects for and where they were heading. They were subsequently beaten up and burnt to death together with the vehicle.

The Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olarinde Famous-Cole, confirmed the incident, urging residents to desist from jungle justice.

The PPRO confirmed that over 100 Badoo suspects had been arrested across Ikorodu, adding that investigations were ongoing to screen out innocent persons among them.

He said: We can confirm the arrest of 100 suspected members of the dreaded cult group, and they are helping with ongoing investigation into the activities of the gang. Government is on top of the situation and we like to use this medium to caution the people to desist from jungle justice.

We also like to assure residents that they are free to go about their normal activities without let or hindrance, as the police and other security agencies in the state are poised to make Lagos uncomfortable and hot for criminal elements to perpetrate their nefarious activities.

Also, it was reported that in another incident, a heroic dog prevented suspected Badoo members from carrying out an attack in Ikorodu yesterday.

According to a resident of the area, who shared the story on his social media page and posted images of a wounded dog, he wrote:

In spite of the recent raids, lets be vigilant. Badoo deadly group are still at work. Around 1a.m. on Sunday, they wanted to enter a house in my area at Ojogbe, but their dog stopped them by barking loudly. In frustration, they stabbed the dog. Am not sure the dog is going to survive the stabbing because it has been bleeding seriously all day. May God continue to guide and protect us. At this stage, it is only God that can help us in Ikorodu.

Despite the declaration of traditional rituals by Ikorodu chiefs and traditionalists on Friday to halt the activities of the killer gang, they stormed the Jumofak area of Igbo-Oluwo in Ikorodu around 1a.m.

This time, the gang of three ran out of luck as local vigilance team arrived the scene as they were trying to break into one apartment near a gas station in the area.

The vigilance team, however, apprehended one of the suspects while the other two took to their heels.

Eyewitnesses account said the trio were naked and rubbed their bodies with engine oil but it could not be ascertained if they were in possession of objects like hammers, white handkerchiefs and grinding stones that the gang was noted for.
A Nigerian Air Force (NAF) personnel has emerged the overall best graduating doctorate student at the Babcock University, Ilishan Remo, Ogun State.

The award was presented to the NAF personnel, Master Warrant Officer Enem Theophilus Aniemeka, during the Universitys graduation ceremony, which held on 4 June 2017.

According to reports, Aniemeka graduated with the highest Cumulative Grade Point Average (CGPA) of 4.67 to receive the award.

MWO Aniemeka defied all odds to enroll for the PhD Program in Computer Science (Networking Telecommunication) in 2012 after having earlier bagged a Master of Science degree in Information Technology from the National Open University of Nigeria.

The title of his thesis was Transmission Control Protocols Initial Congestion Window for Web Latency Reduction and Speedy Flows. The research work was able to propose solution to the problem of short lived connections in Internet network in Nigeria. This would potentially enable internet users in Nigeria to have better service by improving page loading time.

MWO Aniemeka, who is is one of the beneficiaries of the NAF school release programme, is currently the Supervisor of the Computer Centre at 051 Personnel Management Centre at the NAF Base in Ikeja, Lagos.

Source: Naijaloaded
Beautiful Nigerian Actress Chika Ike, has revealed that she just got accepted by famed Institution, Harvard University for her Masters degree Programme.

Chika Ike said that for Five Years she had been rejected, but finally she would have the opportunity to hone her business skills from the mother of all business schools so she can have a sustainable company.

She posted the Photo below with the caption ;

I finally got accepted into Harvard business school for my masters. After trying for 5 years and getting rejected..Yes ! The prestigious Ivy League University Yippee .Im super excited.The good part is its an executive study so I can work ( as an actress, Tv host and CEO )  and schoolI started business at age 17 and Ive been doing this solely on self knowledge and instincts , I think its time to hone my business skills from the mother of all business schools so I can have a sustainable company . . God is awesome, he has done so much for me , looking at all my achievements so far .His grace has been with me all through. Doors that people said will never open , opened for my sake .May he give you a blessing that looks like a lie such that people will question your blessings because of its magnitude . May your Enemies be confused and in awe of your blessings . May he give you reasons to smile as you rise in style and in glory .God is no respecter of man and doesnt care how anyone feels about your blessings. My story so far has truly been his divine Grace one advice Never ever give up!#harvard #EMBA #africadiva
The federal government has fine-tuned plans to punish and possibly jail entertainers who evade taxes after the nine-month grace period set out by the recently launched voluntary asset and income declaration scheme (VAIDS).

TheCable learnt that for 15 months, the federal government via various agencies and departments, to include the private sector, has been gathering information on tax compliance of many celebrities and high net worth individuals in the country.

Highly qualified agents of the federal ministry of finance have worked with the banks, Nigeria Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU), bureau de change (BDCs), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), to monitor the degree of tax compliance of many celebrities and high net worth individuals.

The government has also reviewed land ownership, ownership of exotic cars, yatchs, private jets and other luxurious properties to understand the earnings and assets of many of these persons, relative to their taxes.

Following massive revelations, the government launched VAIDS, a scheme that allows these celebrities and other Nigerians to declare their assets and income, and pay necessary taxes without interest, penalty or investigation.

TheCable understands that the scheme, which will run for nine months, is a grace period for the celebrities to make amends or face the full wrath of the law, which could include jail term of up to five years.

For celebrities with houses in exotic locations worth millions of naira, and a tax record not consistent with the value of the property, the goverment advises that such celebrities complete form VA1 and clarify sources of income for the house and pay necessary taxes within July 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.

Celebrities who do not take advantage of the scheme risk up to five-year imprisonment, get severe extra penalties: up to 100% of the outstanding tax due, a compound interest at 21% per annum, and forfeiture of such assets.
A Nigerian medical doctor in the United States has shocked people after invading a hospital to shoot a woman dead before injuring about seven people.

More facts have emerged about Dr Michael Henry Bello, the gunman who shot seven people at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Centre, New York on Friday; identified as a native of Auchi in Estako West Local government in Edo state.

Dr. Bola Omotosho, the Community Board Chair for The Bronx 5, New York, told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Bello, 45, shot dead a woman on the 17th floor and injured six others on the 16th floor, before allegedly killing himself, the New York Police Department Commissioner James ONeil, said.

He went into the hospital, his former workplace, wearing a white lab coat with an AR-15 machine gun hidden underneath and asked for a specific doctor on the 16th floor.

However, when he was told the doctor was not there, he started shooting at everyone and tried to set himself on fire before allegedly committing suicide.

Omotosho said: He (Bello) is a Nigerian, hes from Auchi, virtually not that I knew him personally but he had his medical education in the Caribbean, came back here  U.S.

He left the hospital and up till recent, was working with the HRA  Human Resources Administration  here in the Bronx, after he left the hospital.

But he left that place, the HRA where he was working, unceremoniously. The relevance of this is there are several Nigerians in the HRA, New York City Human Resources Administration.

So he just abandoned the job and when he did not show up after a couple of weeks even up to a month, he was recently terminated from there about two or three weeks ago or so.

But of course, he must have had his own challenges, while he was planning something.

And in addition to that, very recently, as at this past week, less than two weeks ago, was when they notified the HRA Police as part of precautionary measure.

That any ex-staffer who has been dismissed or terminated, should not be allowed into the building; just this past two weeks or less than that.

It is unfortunate that hospital has no metal detector; we dont use metal detector in the office.

Thats the last place you expect a disgruntled worker to come back and do such a heinous crime or retaliation.

Omotosho, who has been elected the Community Board Chair for Bronx 5 for 10 years, just got re-elected during the City Council election on June 21.

Ive held that position now for 10 years. Ive been re-elected every year; this is the eleventh year, the Nigerian-born medical doctor told NAN.

According to him, when the incident involving Bello occurred, he responded as the Committee Board Chair, as it was part of the process expected of him as the representative of the people.

The officer from my 46 Precinct, who responded to the 911 call, is in my District.

So part of the verification process is for the Public Affairs Officer to call me, being the Committee Board Chair, that this is whats going on, somebody is killed in your District.

Meanwhile, there have been some controversies as to whether Bello killed himself or was actually shot dead.

It was believed that shooters who committed suicide usually shot themselves on the head and not on the chest as it was in Bellos case.

At Bellos home in the Bronx, investigators recovered the box the rifle had been packed when he bought it on June 20, reports said.

Of the six people wounded in the shooting, two had been transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital by Sunday as they had injuries to the brain and liver and remained in critical but stable condition.

Four patients  medical residents, a medical student and a patient  remained at Bronx-Lebanon, where they were in stable condition recovering from injuries to the abdomen, neck, thigh and hand, hospital officials said.
It was time to say goodbye to the world for Nigerias academic and literary critic, Professor Francis Abiola Irele who was confirmed dead at 81.

Irele, once described as the doyen of Africanist literary scholars worldwide, died in the United States on Sunday.

He was born in Ora (present Edo State, Nigeria) in 1936 and once served as the Provost of Kwara State University in Ilorin, Nigeria.

Before moving back to Nigeria, Irele was a Visiting Professor of African and African American Studies and of Romance Languages and Literatures at Harvard University.

Though born in Ora, Irele moved to Enugu very early in his life. While he was Edo and was born in an area in which Ora was predominantly spoken, the first language he learned was Igbo; he learned Igbo from the servants who worked for his father and took care of him growing up.

After moving to Lagos in 1940, he began to speak Yoruba. In 1943, after a fight between his parents, Irele returned to Ora with his mother where he picked up Ora and developed a fluency in the language over the course of a year.

However, after returning to Lagos in 1944 to live with his father, he began to predominantly speak Yoruba and maintained it as his ethnic identification.

Ireles first encounters with literature was through folk tales and the oral poets that recounted raras in the streets. During the years of his formal education, Irele began to read more English literature.

He helped to expound upon the understanding of Negritude first theorized by Leopold Sedar Senghor in his article What is Negritude? featured in Tejumola Olaniyan and Ato Quaysons African Literature: An Anthology of Criticism and Theory.

In his article, Irele defines Negritude as the literary and ideological movement of French-speaking black intellectuals, which took form as a distinctive and significant aspect of the comprehensive reaction of the black man to the colonial situation.

In his collection of essays Negritude et condition africaine, Irele explores the question of African thought. He begins by rejecting the notion of ideological difference between anglophone and francophone Africa. He aims to root African progress in the present and not in a romanticized past.

Source: ( PM News )
The adoption of a joint statement following the Ukraine-EU summit to be held in Kyiv on July 12-13 is currently at risk, a diplomatic source has told Interfax-Ukraine.

"It is due to the Netherlands' blocking a possible inclusion in the joint statement of a clause on the recognition of Ukraine's European ambitions by the European Union," the source said.

This stance is believed to be related to the process of forming a new ruling coalition and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte's intention to once again play the 'Ukrainian card' in attempt to solve problems in the domestic policy, according to the source.

Such behavior by the Dutch side "causes disappointment and confusion both in European capitals and in Ukraine," the source said.
A dubious Nigerian man has landed in trouble after he swallowed condoms with $90,000 hidden inside it.

Nigerian man has been arrested in eastern France after being found with condoms stuffed with 79,000 euros ($90,000) hidden in his stomach, customs officials said Monday.

According to AFP, the yet to be identified Nigerian man was arrested Saturday in Strasbourg, had another 13,000 Swiss francs (11,900 euros, $13,500) concealed in his clothes, the officials said.

The man told customs agents that he lived in Spain and worked as a dishwasher at a restaurant in the Balearic Islands. Things went from bad to worse after a sniffer dog also detected marijuana on the banknotes hidden in his clothing.

That led to an X-ray that revealed the presence of nine condoms stuffed with bank notes in the mans intestines.

He has been charged with laundering drug money and lying to customs authorities.
Extra-time goal from Adrien Silva helped Portugal come from behind to beat Mexico 2-1 in the Confederations Cup third-place play-off in Moscow on Sunday.

The midfielder converted a penalty after Pepe had snatched an equaliser in stoppage time to cancel out an own goal from Luis Neto.

Andre Silva had missed from the spot in the first half before Mexico claimed their fortuitous breakthrough and Juan Carlos Osorios side looked set to end their campaign in Russia in winning fashion before their late collapse.

Fernando Santos men came into the match off the back of a shoot-out defeat to Chile in the semi-finals, in which all three of their spot-kick takers saw their efforts saved by Claudio Bravo, and there was to be a similar penalty problems at Spartak Stadium.

Veteran Rafael Marquez was punished for a poor challenge by a VAR referral but Andre Silva, who was handed the responsibility with Cristiano Ronaldo having been allowed to travel home to be with his new twins, saw his effort brilliantly saved by Guillermo Ochoa.

Portugal were the more attacking of the two teams for much of the opening hour but they were dealt a major blow when Neto inadvertently deflected Javier Hernandezs cross into the net.

Santos men applied the pressure and found an equaliser in second-half stoppage time, Pepe poking home his first competitive international goal since June 2012, before Adrien Silva kept his cool to seal the win with both sides finishing a man light due to red cards for Nelson Semedo and Raul Jimenez.

Portugal spurned the chance to cap their strong start with the opening goal when Ochoa saved well from Andre Silvas spot-kick.

The AC Milan striker was scythed down by Marquez six yards from goal, but although referee Fahad Al Mirdasi awarded the penalty after a VAR consultation, Ochoa dived low to his right to keep out Silvas effort.

Nani headed over when unmarked in front of goal from the resulting corner as Portugal tried to keep up the early pressure, but it took a fine one-handed save from Rui Patricio to stop Mexico snatching the lead through Hernandez.

Gelson Martins had been one of Santos more lively attackers and he almost broke the deadlock in fine style just after the break, latching onto a clever chip from Andre Silva before volleying just wide of the left-hand post.

The European champions had looked unsteady at the back, though, and a dreadful mix-up saw them fall behind through Netos own goal.

Hernandez drove to the byline to the left of the area and drilled the ball back across goal and, when Patricio failed to intercept, the ball cannoned off Netos shin and into the net.

Portugal went straight in search of an equaliser and missed three clear chances in quick succession. Andre Silva rolled a shot wide from just inside the area before Ochoa produced a brilliant one-handed save to keep out a Martins header, and Nani nodded wide when he met the resulting corner completely unchallenged six yards from goal.

Hernandez was denied by a good Patricio block on the break as Portugal committed more men to the attack and their pressure told in injury time, when Pepe stretched a leg to prod in Ricardo Quaresmas cross from the right.

And Portugal made no mistake with their second penalty of the match 15 minutes into extra-time, Adrien Silva converting confidently after Miguel Layun had blocked Martins flick with a raised arm.

Semedo and Jimenez both picked up second yellow cards for high boots in the closing stages but Portugal held firm for the bronze-medal position in their first appearance at this tournament.

Source: ( PM News )
The situation between former Crown bros JAY-Z and Kanye West isnt good.

Hov took multiple shots at Ye on his new album 4:44, one of which suggests Kanye has lost his mind.

Then we learned this morning that West thinks Jay and Tidal owes him $3 million, and it looks like the parties are going to go to court to hash it all.

Gossip site Hollywood Life is reporting that all the drama between Jay and Ye has Kim Kardashian pissed at Hov.

She gets very protective of her husband, like a mama bear, a source tells HollywoodLife.com EXCLUSIVELY. She thinks it was a low blow to diss Kanye and throw around words like insane after all hes been through. Kanye had a real difficult time last year and is still coming out of it, so to hit him like that wasnt cool. Kim would like nothing more than to drop the whole feud and move on with their lives, the source continues. She likes Bey and JAY and would love to be friends  but it has to be a two-way street. If they arent interested then so be it.

So it looks like Blue Ivy and North West are back to not hanging out.
Acting Chairman of the EFCC, Mr. Ibrahim Magu disclosed on Friday, June 30, 2017 that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has recorded 113 convictions in six months from its operations nationwide. According to Magu, corruption is the greatest threat to Nigeria and her development.

Despite known challenges that we face, the Commission has recorded 113 convictions in the past 6 months across the zonal offices in the country.

This was made possible by contributions and support we enjoy from people like you. We will not fail to bring to book those who have stolen our commonwealth and who thrive in destabilizing our anti-corruption initiatives. I will not relent.

I will fight for the interest of our citizens and our childrens future; Magu said.

Source: Naijaloaded
Here are some Photos of cutlass-wielding residents securing their area over the incessant Badoo attacks that has crippled some community in Ikorodu.

Here are some pictures of residents of Ojogbe (Beach Road) in the Ikorodu area of Lagos state, all fully armed with their cutlasses and other things they could lay their hands on while they watch over their neighborhood.

They all decided to come out en masse, due to the incessant attacks and killings of the innocent by the deadly badoo secret cult members.

According to reports, the Badoo cult members attacked their community on Saturday night but couldnt successfully execute their task, because a dog did not allow them. The dog barked tremendously that everyone in the community rushed out with weapons and light.

Although before the notorious killers ran away, they hit the dog with their weapons and on Sunday morning, the dog was confirmed dead.
The federal government has fine-tuned plans to punish and possibly jail entertainers who evade taxes after the nine-month grace period set out by the recently launched voluntary asset and income declaration scheme (VAIDS).

TheCable learnt that for 15 months, the federal government via various agencies and departments, to include the private sector, has been gathering information on tax compliance of many celebrities and high net worth individuals in the country.

Highly qualified agents of the federal ministry of finance have worked with the banks, Nigeria Financial Intelligent Unit (NFIU), bureau de change (BDCs), Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC), to monitor the degree of tax compliance of many celebrities and high net worth individuals.

The government has also reviewed land ownership, ownership of exotic cars, yatchs, private jets and other luxurious properties to understand the earnings and assets of many of these persons, relative to their taxes.

Following massive revelations, the government launched VAIDS, a scheme that allows these celebrities and other Nigerians to declare their assets and income, and pay necessary taxes without interest, penalty or investigation.

TheCable understands that the scheme, which will run for nine months, is a grace period for the celebrities to make amends of face the full wrath of the law, which could include jail term of up to five years.

For celebrities with houses in exotic locations worth millions of naira, and a tax record not consistent with the value of the property, the goverment advises that such celebrities complete form VA1 and clarify sources of income for the house and pay necessary taxes within July 1, 2017 and March 31, 2018.

Celebrities who do not take advantage of the scheme risk up to five-year imprisonment, get severe extra penalties: up to 100% of the outstanding tax due, a compound interest at 21% per annum, and foreiture of such assets.

Source: Naijaloaded
Cocoa Prices Retreat on Pre-Weekend Profit Taking Barchart - 6 minutes ago December ICE NY cocoa (CCZ22 ) on Friday closed down -38 (-1.49%), and December ICE London cocoa #7 (CAZ22 ) closed down -56 (-2.71%). Cocoa prices Friday posted moderate losses. NY cocoa fell back from... CCH23 : 2,518s (-1.45%) CAH23 : 1,971s (-3.00%)

Sugar Gains on a Weak Dollar and Decline in Brazil's Sugar Production Barchart - 11 minutes ago March NY world sugar #11 (SBH23 ) on Friday closed up +0.23 (+1.18%), and Dec London white sugar #5 (SWZ22 ) closed up +11.40 (+2.05%). Sugar prices Friday extended their 2-week rally, with NY sugar climbing... SBH23 : 19.64s (+1.18%) SWH23 : 538.70s (+1.56%)

NY Coffee Prices Fall on a Rebound in Arabica ICE Inventories Barchart - 14 minutes ago December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) on Friday closed down -0.90 (-0.53%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF23 ) closed up +9 (+0.49%). Coffee prices Friday settled mixed. NY coffee prices were undercut by... KCH23 : 168.10s (+0.24%) RMF23 : 1,836s (+0.49%)

AMD VS NVIDIA - Gaming Pays Off OTOS Inc. - Fri Nov 11, 12:10PM CST AMD VS NVIDIA - Gaming Pays Off NVIDIA (NASDAQ: NVDA ) has long been a respected name in the gaming community. Known for its high-performance graphics cards or GPUs, the company has been a staple provider...

NY Coffee Prices Fall as Arabica ICE Inventories Recover Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 11:45AM CST December arabica coffee (KCZ22 ) this morning is down -0.90 (-0.53%), and Jan ICE Robusta coffee (RMF23 ) is up +9 (+0.49%). Coffee prices this morning are mixed. NY coffee prices saw support from a rebound... KCH23 : 168.10s (+0.24%) RMF23 : 1,836s (+0.49%)

Mixed Hog Market Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 11:36AM CST Lean hog futures are trading mixed on the board with losses of as much as 65 cents, and gains in the deferred contracts trading 5 to 35 cents higher. The USDA National Average Base Hog Price was $4.01... HEZ22 : 84.350s (-0.62%) HEJ23 : 94.100s (-0.13%) KMZ22 : 94.750 (-0.79%)

Cotton Up By Triple Digits Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 11:36AM CST Front month cotton prices are up 128 points to 149 points through the midday session. USDAs FAS reported 147,795 RBs of cotton was sold for export during the week that ended 11/3. That was down 24%... CTZ22 : 88.20s (+2.11%) CTH23 : 86.33s (+2.09%) CTK23 : 85.56s (+1.89%)

Wheats Higher so far for Friday Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 11:36AM CST Midday wheat prices are trading in the black into the last trade day of the week. CBT SRW 4 1/4 cents to 5 3/4 cents in the black. Front month KC HRW prices are double digits higher with gains of as much... ZWZ22 : 813-6s (+1.28%) ZWH23 : 835-2s (+1.15%) ZWPAES.CM : 7.4644 (+1.39%) KEZ22 : 943-4s (+1.97%) KEPAWS.CM : 9.0182 (+2.07%) MWZ22 : 945-6s (+1.53%)

Cattle Fading into Weekend Barchart - Fri Nov 11, 11:36AM CST Front month cattle futures are fading with $0.65 to $1.25 losses so far. Feeders are down by triple digits $1.72 to $2.25 on the board. USDA reported cash sales from $149 to $150 in the South on Thursday... LEZ22 : 151.525s (-1.01%) LEG23 : 153.250s (-1.14%) LEJ23 : 157.050s (-0.91%) GFX22 : 176.950s (-0.94%) GFF23 : 178.575s (-1.72%)
Deputy Prime Minister of Ukraine for European and Euroatlantic Integration Ivana Klympush-Tsintsadze has said it is necessary to bring Ukraine-NATO partnership to a new level.

"We think that we must bring our partnership to a new strategic level. That means parliament must give a green light for all legislation aimed at introducing standards necessary for accession to NATO," she said during a special Rada session celebrating Ukraine-NATO partnership.

Klympush-Tsintsadze said Ukraine must strengthen and systematize cooperation with NATO in the sphere on national security, defense and other key areas.

Independent Ukraine's first and second presidents, Leonid Kravchuk and Leonid Kuchma, respectively, along with government leaders took part in the session, as well as foreign diplomats.
Update 7/12/17  The measure to rezone a portion of the Route 4 greenbelt to allow a self-storage development is off the table after Teaneck officials learned the wooded lot is protected under the New Jersey Green Acres program and cant be sold. Instead of voting on the rezoning plan last week, the town council took the first steps to have the greenbelt strip designated as a historic district, according to the source.

Though Teaneck officials are still waiting for the results from a formal title search, the Green Acres designation effectively prevents the town from pursuing the storage project. That title report has not come back, but we did get a letter from Green Acres with a deed that showed a cloud on the title, to say the least, that we will not be able to have a viable zoning ordinance or any kind of thing that could be built on there that would bring value to Teaneck, Hameeduddin said during the meeting. Pretty much, its dead in the water at this point.

The rezoning faced stiff opposition from residents. David Scharf, who lives in the neighborhood near the site of the proposed self-storage facility, presented the council with a petition with nearly 800 signatures in support of protecting the greenbelt and a historic designation, the source reported.

The council agreed to eventually allow a third lane on either side of Route 4, before passing a resolution to preserve the greenbelt and pursue listing it on the New Jersey and national historic registers.

7/3/17  Officials in Teaneck, N.J., are discussing a measure that would rezone a portion of State Route 4 to allow development, including a proposed self-storage facility. Though a 2.5-mile stretch of the highway has historically been preserved as a greenbelt with parks and open spaces, the township is considering development as a way to generate additional tax revenue and provide relief to homeowners, according to the source.

The planning board was scheduled to review the rezoning issue yesterday, which would affect a section along the eastbound lanes of the highway and allow a self-storage project on the site of an existing law office, the source reported. The site is adjacent to wooded property owned by the township.

The measure potentially faces pushback from residents who consider the largely undeveloped area historically significant. We dont want development, and we certainly dont want a self-storage facility, said Marie Warnke, chair of the Teaneck Greenbelt Committee, a community organization.

State Sen. Loretta Weinberg, a Teaneck resident, wants town officials to tread gingerly. The greenbelt existed in Teaneck long before I moved here in 1964. It was held sacrosanct then, and I dare say it is still held sacrosanct now, she told the source. It has served a unique purpose in terms of the message it sends about what kind of community we are, its historical value and its environmental value. If thats going to be changed in any way, we need a very public and robust discussion.

Town planner Richard Preiss has estimated the self-storage facility would generate about $300,000 a year in taxes compared to $20,000 generated by the law office. Ive been a supporter of the greenbelt for years, said Elie Katz, deputy mayor. But right now, my concern is more for the Teaneck residents being able to continue to afford to live here.

Mayor Mohammed Hameeduddin noted that the law-office site isnt listed on the Teaneck Recreation Open Space Inventory, which allowed it to be developed. Much of the land on either side of the highway is also owned by the board of education, the source reported.
Merlin, ON (July 02, 2017)- South Buxton Raceway celebrated Canadas 150th Birthday in style Saturday night. Assistant Track Manager Hayden Ross presented each Feature Race Winner with an exclusive Canada 150 Feature Winner Parking Space Sign.

Kyle Gill #87 drove an incredible Auto Tech Sales and Service Bomber Feature race. Gill, who is no stranger to the Winners Circle, started in the first row and maintained his incredible lead despite all of the cautions throughout the race.

I didnt think I was going to win it, I could hear them behind me, I wasnt sure I could keep my lead Gill said of his competition.

Gill thanked his sponsors and crew before heading to the Pits to celebrate another feature win.

Every now and then, youve got to give them a good spanking Sunparlor and Trailers Sport Stock Feature Winner Rob Young #48 said in the Winners Circle.

Young, who started at the front of the pack battled hard against Willie Vyse #2 and Eren Vanderiviere #67 for first place.

Rudy (VanDewyncal #6) and I are the oldest drivers out here, those young guys better take note an excited Young said while being surrounded by his family and friends.

Young thanked his fans, crew and family for all of their support. Vyse, who also drove an incredible race challenging Young for his number one position brought home second and Brad Bloomfield #11 brought home third.

The Schinkels Gourmet Meat Modified Feature Race had fans on the edge of their seats for all twenty laps. Veteran Racers: Louis Clements #3C and Jim Dale Jr. #00 were neck to neck for 18 incredible laps.

With two laps left in the race Dale Jr. finally managed to pass Clements to maintain the lead only to be passed again with one lap remaining. With a restart after a caution bringing the race down to one final lap, Dale and Clements were involved in an unfortunate caution which brought Dale Jrs night to an end. On the final restart of the race, Clements luck ran out as damage from a previous caution also ended his night of racing.

Drew Smith #87 who battled hard throughout the race was able to avoid major cautions and drive his car into the Winners Circle. Smith, was excited to have his first Feature victory in two years. Smith, thanked all of his crew, family and

fellow racers who allowed him to borrow racing parts.

Without them, this wouldnt have happened.

Eugene Hoekstra #36 brought home second and #313 Clayton Smith brought home third.

There was a familiar face in the Chatham Pro Stock Mini Mod Feature Winners Circle.

Dylon Wolters #54 was the feature winner for the second week in a row. Wolters, who at one point held an incredible two second lead on the second place position, drove a controlled and deliberate race maneuvering track traffic .

When asked if Wolters was considering going back to drag racing he replied  Not if I keep winning.

Wolters thanked his father for building him the baddest motor out here as well as his other crew and family members for their support every week.

Second place went to backup driver Chris Ross #81. Ross, who started the feature at the fourth row patiently held his position at the middle of the pack and slowly crept ahead by weaving in and out of traffic driving home a second place finish.

West Bertozzi #K9 who battled a hard race to maintain his top three position brought home third.

Gregg Haskell #RH21 was the West Side Performance Plus Late Model Feature Winner. Haskell, who began the race at the front of the pack drove the race battling last weeks winner Mike Lewis #05.

Haskell thanked his crew members for all they do each week and his sponsors for their support.

Lewis, who began the race in the fourth position fought hard to make his way up front to battle Haskell and take home second place. Jim Jones #34 who started the Feature in seventh position showed the fans that the veteran racers still have it. He

drove an incredible race and brought home third.

By: Kerri Wright

Race Late Model A-Feature 1-09:41PM:

1) #RH21 Gregg Haskell  Lm

2) #05 Mike Lewis

3) #34 Jim Jones

4) #7 Brent Colby

5) #28K Tate Oleary

6) #38 Jake Hooker

7) Data unavailable

8) #RH94 Jason Haskell

9) #77 Brett Reaume

10) #70 Brandon Windsor

11) #11 Paul Rivait

12) #1A Brad Authier

13) #00D Jim Dale Jr  LM

14) #16 Jordan Lawrence

Race Mini Mod A-Feature 1-09:15PM:

1) Data unavailable

2) #81 Tim Mackenzie

3) #K9 West Bertozzi

4) #1 Elliot Wilton

5) #31 Marshall Hereygers

6) #91 Austin Pickering

7) #28 Caleb Oleary

8) #17 Gerry Rivait

9) #7X Andrew Pfahler

10) #7 Larry Hart

11) #23D Joel Desjardins

12) #16 Evan Bonner

13) #41 Dan Loveday

14) #25 Jason Turkingten

15) #27 Shawn Jones

16) #62 Harlie Hornick

17) #N64 Dylan Bonner

Race Modified A-Feature 1-08:51PM:

1) #86 Drew Smith

2) #36 Eugene Hoekstra

3) #313 Clayton Smith

4) #90 Mark Glassford

5) #6 Justin Mills

6) #14 Mario Toniolo

7) #43 Brad McLeod

8) #26 JJ Beaulieu

9) #5 Gerald Martin

10) #3c Louis Clements

11) #00 Jim Dale Jr  MOD

12) #98P Patrick Lajeunesse

13) #69 Denis DeSerrano

14) #RH21 Gregg Haskell  Mod

15) #47B Joe Brousseau

Race Sport Stock A-Feature 1-08:18PM:

1) #48 Rob Young

2) #2 Willie Vyse

3) #11 Brad Bloomfield

4) #67 Eren Vanderiviere

5) #38 Doris Lajeunesse

6) #66 Tyler Lozon

7) #6 Rudy VanDewyncal

8) #22 Angela Young

9) #23 Mitch Moody

10) #72 Marcel Gaudet
British Ambassador to Ukraine Judith Gough has expressed the opinion that Ukraine needs to lobby the British government much more on visa liberalization.

"The best advice I can give: firstly its not particular to Ukraine, we have similar regimes with a number of countries around the world. And if you don't like it, your government needs to lobby my government much more on these issues, "Gough said during the round table titled "Foreign Policy Audit: Ukraine-the United Kingdom" in Kyiv on Monday.

"You need to be very clear what you want of a visa regime and communicate it back to London," she added.
Fredericton, NB  (July 2, 2017) Greg Fahey (St. Stephen, NB) dominated the Canada Day 150 edition of the Cummins 150 on Sunday afternoon at Speedway 660. Fahey, in his #29 McLaughlin Roof Trusses Ltd Chevrolet, took the lead from Dylan Gosbee (Cornwall, PE) on lap 34 and never looked back. The Speedway 660 regular led by half a lap at the end of race over Gosbee and Dylan Blenkhorn (Truro, NS). Cole Butcher (Porters Lake, NS) and Shawn Turple (Enfield, NS) completed the top five.

Atlantic Tiltload Heat Races determined the starting grid for the Cummins 150 which saw Gosbee, Greg Proude (Springvale, PE) and Butcher victorious. Eventual winner, Fahey, led a total of 117 laps to take home the Linde Most Laps Led Award. The King Freight Lines Future Winner went to Devin Snell (Saint John, NB) after his career high sixth place finish. The Exide Batteries Rookie of the Race Award was taken home by Nicholas Naugle (Dartmouth, NS) after finishing in 10th place.

Blenkhorn extended his point lead on Turple by points at the Cummins 150, while Gosbee closed the gap on Turple by 12 points after a strong finish and gaining valuable bonus points by leading the first 33 laps of the race. Butcher and Proude remain in positions four and five in the overall standings.

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is off next weekend as the drivers and teams prepare for the IWK 250 presented by Steve Lewis Auto Body taking place the following Saturday, July 15 at Riverside International Speedway. Fans will not want to miss the stars of the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour going head to head with NASCAR Legend Mark Martin. Tickets are still available, to purchase visit www.riversidespeedway.ca.

Visit www.maritimeprostocktour.com for complete event details and coverage.

About Cummins:

Cummins Inc., a global power leader, is a corporation of complementary business units that design, manufacture, distribute and service diesel and natural gas engines and related technologies, including fuel systems, controls, air handling, filtration, emission solutions and electrical power generation systems. Headquartered in Columbus, Indiana, (USA), Cummins currently employs approximately 48,000 people worldwide and serves customers in approximately 190 countries and territories through a network of approximately 600 company-owned and independent distributor locations and approximately 6,800 dealer locations.

About the Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour:

The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour (PST) is considered the highest level of stock car racing in Canada. The Tour is recognized in the industry as one of the healthiest stock car racing series in North America. PST visits five tracks throughout the Maritimes during its May through September season. The Parts for Trucks Pro Stock Tour is owned and operated by Maritime Pro Stock Tour Limited. For more information, call our administration office at 902.481.2531 or click www.maritimeprostocktour.com . You can also follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/prostocktour and like us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/prostocktour
The British territory on the tip of Spain is hoping to attract big business in the wake of Brexit, according to its minister of commerce.

Gibraltar, the British territory on the southern tip of Spain, is seeking to reinvent itself as a gateway to the U.K. for fund managers and insurers after the U.K. leaves the European Union in 2019.

The Gibraltarian government is in the process of reviewing regulations to make the enclave attractive to insurers wanting a piece of the growing bulk annuity market. It is also researching new fund structures and consulting on financial technology rules to appeal to asset managers seeking alternative fund structures and financial blockchain firms seeking a regulated market. It is hoping that the new measures will be sufficient to entice insurers to establish new offices in Gibraltar and fund managers to domicile new funds there, too.

The pitch appears to be working: Gibraltars commerce minister, Albert Isola, tells Institutional Investor Gibraltar has already attracted new applications from 26 insurers, fund managers and financial technology firms since the U.K.s referendum on European Union membership.

The applications are predominantly from insurers looking to obtain a license to write regulated business under Gibraltarian law and from fund managers looking to establish funds in alternative asset classes. Isola hopes to attract life insurance groups who want to win a slice of the UKs burgeoning bulk annuity market. In a bulk annuity transaction, an insurer takes on a companys pension obligations in exchange for a fee.

For insurers, the attraction of Gibraltar is clear. Under Gibraltarian Protected Cell Company rules, they can operate corporate structures that allow them to underwrite insurance risks without these risks affecting their profitability.

U.K. corporate pension schemes are increasingly outsourcing their future pension liabilities to insurance companies through these transactions. A report by investment consultants LCP, released at the end of last year, said 70 billion ($90.7 billion) of UK retirement assets had been transferred to insurers over the past 10 years, accounting for some five percent of the total assets in the defined benefit pensions market.

We already have a lot of insurance firms in Gibraltar but we are looking to see how some of our products  Protected Cell Companies, for example  can be used to support the life and pensions sector, Isola says.

In fund management, Isolas team is also hoping to attract fund firms looking for new structures that will accommodate new asset classes. In July, Gibraltar became the first European jurisdiction to regulate an exchange-traded fund investing exclusively in bitcoin, according to a Reuters report.

Isola says while most European governments have been lobbying to encourage the relocation of business from London after Brexit, Gibraltar is focusing on giving European firms access to the U.K. market after Brexit, when passporting rules will no longer apply. Passporting refers to firms being allowed to sell financial products cross-border throughout the European Union. As it stands, the U.K. will no longer be included in this when the Brexit negotiations conclude in 2019. Isola says the British government has made assurances that Gibraltar will continue to enjoy equivalent regulatory status to the U.K. through its regulator, the Gibraltar Financial Services Commission.

Gibraltar has been a British overseas territory since 1713, but Spain has always contested British rule. Since the U.K. voted to leave the European Union, Spain has said it would use its veto power for any plans that will give Gibraltar special treatment after Brexit. The European Councils guidance on Brexit negotiations, however, states that Gibraltar is a separate issue for Spain and the U.K. to negotiate separately.

Financial technology companies and organizations specializing in blockchain technology have been attracted to Gibraltar because of forthcoming legislation that will regulate these businesses, according to Isola.

Reputable businesses are looking to be regulated in that space. By early next year we hope to be in a place to start regulating DLT business, he says. We have an innovation team at the regulator and they acknowledge that if we dont innovate it is going to be difficult for us to get ahead.

Mark Maloney, chief executive of investment firm Gibraltar Asset Management, says he believes the appeal of being regulated in Gibraltar as opposed to London is down to the level of access firms have to the local regulator, which can make it easy to check rules, set up businesses or apply for authorization.

If you look at the companies that Gibraltar now attracts, these are big companies, he says.
This is the sixth fintech referral deal the Australian regulator has entered, following agreements with the UK, Singapore, Ontario, Hong Kong, and Japan.
Property and casualty insurer Chubb is reportedly looking at moving to Dublin when the UK leaves the European Union, but the US-headquartered firm has yet to confirm its plans.



A decision to pick Dublin would boost Irelands confidence amid previous announcements by insurers who have chosen the likes of Brussels (Lloyds of London, QBE) and Luxembourg (CNA Hardy, RSA, AIG) as their post-Brexit hub, according to a report by The Times, which cited sources with information about the supposed consideration.



However, an official from the agency responsible for the attraction and development of foreign direct investment in Ireland recently said relocation agreements have been reached with several banks and finance houses based in London.



A number of these groups have privately decided they have selected Dublin but wont announce until they conclude discussions with the regulatory regimes in Britain, Ireland, the European Central Bank, and regulatory authorities in the US, said Kieran Donoghue, head of international financial services at IDA Ireland, as quoted in the report.



Last month, a source quoted in The Times said Ireland is losing out on opportunities related to Brexit due to insufficient expertise in the Central Bank as well as a lack of engagement by senior cabinet ministers. The lack of political engagement at cabinet level is a factor for the insurance companies, who feel the red carpet is being rolled out in Brussels and Luxembourg, but not in Dublin, the source claimed.



A spokesperson for the regulator denied the allegation, saying the Central Bank has a deep level of expertise that it is deploying in the context of Brexit relocation activity.



Financial institutions such as insurance companies have until 14 July to reveal what they intend to do with their London operations following Britains withdrawal from the EU.





Related stories:
A Pennsylvania doctor is headed to federal prison for insurance fraud after accepting kickbacks of at least $2.3 million, a report from NBC affiliate WJAC said.John H. Johnson, 55, was sentenced to seven years in prison and ordered to pay restitution of $2.3 million to the Department of Health and Human Services and $722,476.55 to the Internal Revenue Service.He pleaded guilty last month to accepting kickbacks as part of a scam orchestrated by medical laboratory Universal Oral Fluid Labs (UOFS), WJAC reported. Johnson, who owned a string of pain-management clinics throughout Western Pennsylvania, accepted millions in kickbacks for referring patients  including Medicare and Medicaid patients  to UOFL for drug testing and screening.According to prosecutors, UOFL, in turn, made millions from third-party payers because of Johnsons referrals. The lab made about $3.4 million from Medicare and $1.1 million from Medicaid, WJAC reported.
An insurer whose client drove her car into a crowd at a homecoming parade, killing four people and injuring dozens, has asked a judge to divide $100,000 from her policys liability coverage among the victims. Farmers Insurance was the auto insurance provider for Adacia Chambers, who in 2015 plowed her vehicle into a crowd during Oklahoma State Universitys homecoming parade, according to a report by The Oklahoman. Chambers, who pleaded no contest in January to four counts of second-degree murder and 39 counts of assault and battery, is now serving life plus 10 years in prison.Farmers filed a request that the Payne County District Court decide how to divide $100,000 between more than 50 individual victims and about a dozen medical care and insurance providers. The victims suffered medical expenses ranging from hundreds to thousands of dollars. However, Chambers auto policy capped her liability coverage at $100,000 for bodily injury and $50,000 for property damage, The Oklahoman reported.Nobodys going to get a lot of money, Mark Smiling, an attorney for the insurer, told the paper. Its totally up to the judges discretion how hes going to divide those proceeds.Chambers had only a little more than minimum coverage, according to Smiling. He said that he hoped the incident would highlight the importance of having uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage. Several of the victims did have that coverage, which paid part of their damages, he said.
Non esiste altra via al di fuori della pace. E cio in cui crede Paul Moore, un musicista inglese residente in Israele fondatore del progetto interreligioso non profit Ukuleles for Peace di Gerusalemme, citta santa per tutte e tre le principali religioni monoteistiche. Il progetto ha come obiettivo quello di promuovere la convivenza tra bambini ebrei con bambini palestinesi e le loro rispettive famiglie. Il suo sogno e di fare della musica uno strumento di pace per realizzare un concreto cambiamento sociale.

Lo strumento regina del progetto di Moore e  lo dice anche il nome dellorganizzazione non profit  lukulele, un piccolo strumento a quattro corde che ha la forma di una chitarrina in miniatura adattamento hawaiano di uno strumento di origine portoghese reso famoso al grande pubblico dal musicista Israel Kamakawiwoole come accompagnamento delle canzoni Somewhere Over the Rainbow e What a Wonderful World.

Moore ha iniziato coinvolgendo nel progetto nel progetto Ukuleles for Peace due scuole pilota: la El Najach School in Tira e la Democratic School in Hod Hasharon. Oggi la sua proposta e presente anche in Italia con i ragazzi del Centro diurno socio riabilitativo Arcobaleno di Borgotaro, in provincia di Parma. Lobiettivo e quello di costruire una piccola orchestra di ukulele formata dai ragazzi del centro.

Aspetto il giorno in cui potra esserci una partita di calcio fra Israele e Palestina  scrive Moore nel proprio sito Ukuleles for Peace  dove allentrata nessuno si preoccupera di bombe, pistole o coltelli, con un pubblico intento a godersi lamichevole rivalita agonistica, pronto ad applaudire le gesta di ciascuna fazione. E alla fine chi uscira sconfitto, potra tornare a casa serenamente, in pace. Amici miei, io dico che la coesistenza e lunica via.
The Ukrainian Consulate General in Milan has filed a motion with a court in the city of Pavia seeking grounds and circumstances of Ukrainian citizen, National Guard serviceman Vitaliy Markiv's detention in Italy and the provision of the opportunity for a consular employee to visit the detainee shortly.

"The consul has got in contact with the detainee's lawyer and has agreed on the algorithm of further actions. Markiv's family members are informed about his detention. The Foreign Ministry's Consular Service Department and the Ukrainian Consulate in Milan are keeping the case over Ukrainian citizen Markiv's detention under special control," the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry's Consular Service Department said on Sunday.

Ukrainian serviceman Markiv, whom the Italian side suspects of the murder of Italian photojournalist Andrea Rocchelli committed near the city of Sloviansk, Donetsk region, in May 2014, was arrested in Italy, Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor General Yevhen Yenin said on Saturday.

Markiv was detained on Friday, June 30, Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction member Andriy Antonischak said. He is being held in prison in the Italian city of Pavia. Ukrainian diplomats are not allowed to visit him on the reason of his Italian citizenship. The Italian side provided Markiv with a lawyer, but the Ukrainian side refused from him and plans to hire its own.
Dublin City Councillors have voted against plans to change how we pay for our waste disposal.

According to the Irish Times, the authority is calling on the Government to bring rubbish collection back under its remit.
Ireland should give "serious consideration" to following Britain out of the EU, a right-leaning UK think tank said.

The Republic could opt to remain with the UK in a customs and free trade area, while negotiating as favourable as possible trade and investment terms with the remaining 26 member states, Policy Exchange added.

Former Taoiseach Enda Kenny firmly rejected any suggestion that Ireland should leave the EU, saying the foundation of Ireland's prosperity and the bedrock of its modern society was membership of the European Union.

But this report by the influential British research organisation said: "In the circumstances, Ireland must give serious consideration to other options, including Irexit."

The document was drawn up by Ray Bassett, a former Irish diplomat and commentator.

It said Ireland faced a huge choice.

"Whatever the outcome of the Brexit negotiations, there will be a price to pay. For Ireland, there is really no upside to Brexit," it said.

"The question to be raised is what price is Ireland willing to pay to stand in solidarity with the remaining 26 EU countries?

"If the Irish Government is willing to pay that price, will the Dail, and possibly the population in a referendum, be equally willing to do so?"

The report said: Access to the Single Market need not be synonymous with full EU membership.

The EU is facing "huge problems" and its future direction is unlikely to be in Ireland's interests.

The DUP's central role in Brexit negotiations as part of its relationship with the Tories should facilitate strong cooperation across Ireland.

"Simply sitting on the sidelines and allowing the EU to negotiate for Ireland is essentially untenable.

"The first duty of the EU negotiators is to act on behalf of the European Union as an institution.

"This is prioritised in their guidelines, approved by the European Council.

"The type of deal that Ireland's interests requires, however, including free trade with the UK, is directly in contradiction with the Union negotiators mandate that anything relating to Ireland and her border which emerges from the Brexit negotiations, must 'maintain the integrity the Union's legal order', i.e., no exceptions to the customs union."

The consensus in Ireland favours remaining in the EU.

A recent poll suggested that 88% of Irish people think Ireland should stay in, although that was commissioned by an NGO which works to develop links between the Republic and EU.

PA
A Limerick man has been found guilty today at the non-jury Special Criminal Court of assaulting another man.

Larry McCarthy (37) was among a number of people who threatened to use "unlawful violence" and assaulted David Foran (33), who earlier that month had been knocked down and then offered compensation by a motorcyclist.

Mr McCarthy, with an address at Tower Lodge, Crossgalla, Old Cork Rd in County Limerick had pleaded not guilty to assaulting Mr Foran at Cornmarket Villas on November 25, 2014.

He had also denied that he and two other people threatened to use "unlawful violence" at the same place on the same date. The court also found him guilty of this offence.

During the trial, the court heard that on November 14 2014 Mr Foran was cycling to his mother's house when he was knocked down by a motorcyclist.

The motorcyclist later approached Mr Foran, asking him to not go to the guards and offering compensation.

He eventually offered Mr Foran 5,000 Euro and on the day of the assault called him, telling Mr Foran to go into Limerick town to pick up the money from another man.

The court heard statements Mr Foran made to gardai. The prosecution had applied to the court to hear the statements after noting "inconsistencies" between the victim's evidence and his statements.

Delivering judgement today, presiding judge Ms Justice Isobel Kennedy said that Mr Foran's statements to gardai and evidence in court had been consistent until reaching a certain point, which was the identification of his attacker.

In a statement, Mr Foran told gardai that he went into Limerick city, met the man as instructed by the motorcyclist and they both walked to Cornmarket Villas, where there were a "few fellas with their faces covered with scarves".

Mr Foran said that one of the men said he was Larry McCarthy and that his face was uncovered. "He was stocky, with red hair, unshaven like me," the victim said.

The court heard that Larry McCarthy said, "I know you're David Foran, what are you doing demanding money off my cousin?"

Mr Foran said that he asked what was he on about. He said he told him that the motorcyclist had knocked him down and wanted to settle out of court. "I asked where was the money," Mr Foran told gardai.

He said that Larry McCarthy told him he was "getting no money".

Mr Foran said that he then got a "slap off a baseball bat into the back of the head".

He said that he started to get an "unmerciful beating".

Mr Foran told the gardai that Larry McCarthy stabbed him in the leg with a knife.

"They were all dragging out of me. Larry McCarthy said, 'Fuck, we're after leaving DNA'. They were pulling at my vest, trying to get it off," he told the gardai.

Mr Foran said that he saw the knife, picked it up and waved it round, and the men then all backed off.

Mr Foran said, "I told Larry come out and fight me one-on-one. He said I've some mouth."

Mr Foran then went home.

Ms Justice Kennedy, sitting with Judge Gerard Griffin and Judge Gerard Haughton, remanded McCarthy in custody until July 24, when he will be sentenced.
At least one person has been killed after a fire broke out in a Syrian refugee camp in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley.

Ahmed Salloum, a member of the local emergency services, said the fire turned the tent camp near Qab Elias town into "ashes".

He said firefighters and emergency workers struggled for over two hours to contain the fire that broke out around midday on Sunday.

Temperatures have been soaring in Lebanon's Bekaa region, and Mr Salloum, an electricity technician, said he suspected an overload of power was to blame.

"The settlement has turned to ashes. Even the iron melted," Mr Salloum said.

Only the bathrooms at the edge of the settlement were left standing. The explosion of gas canisters could be heard from a distance.

George Ketteneh, of Lebanon's Red Cross, said initial reports indicate that over 100 tents burned down and one person died.

Mr Ketteneh said that about 97 families, or an estimated 700 people, live in the informal settlement. He said at least six were wounded.

Lebanon is home to over 1 million registered Syrian refugees, who reside largely in settlements in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley, near the border.

The fire comes two days after Lebanese authorities rounded up nearly 400 Syrian refugees following an attack on military troops conducting raids in refugee camps in Arsal, another town near the border with Syria.

The authorities said the raids followed a tip that a terrorist attack was planned out of the camps. But Syrian activists and refugees criticised the raids, saying they were excessive and that detainees were abused.

The Lebanese military denies the allegations of abuse.

AP
New figures show 89,686 passengers were on board liners which stopped at either the cruise ship terminal in Cobh or the deepwater berth in Ringaskiddy in 2016  down from 102,217 the previous year.

The decrease in visits to Cork from cruise ship passengers last year is unexpected as in overall figures 2016 was a record year for Irish tourism with the number of overseas visitors up 8.8% to more than 8.7 million. The total number of cruise ships stopping in Cork remained the same as in 2015, at 57 vessels.
The 2.4bn fine on Google by the European Commission for allegedly abusing its dominance in internet search services, may be the least of its worries.

The fine would be enough to sink most other companies, but it represents a small fraction of Googles costs. It spends 16bn alone on research and development.

The real worry for Google is that it now has only 90 days to formally responded to the competition charges and show how it will cease the anti-competitive practices or face further penalty payments of up to 5% of Alphabets (parent company) daily worldwide turnover. This could lead to a further 12bn in fines.

How Google responds to these demands has been left to the company. The size of its European sales is not broken down but we do know that through its Irish operation which controls sales into most of Europe, Middle East and Africa, it recorded profits of 341m on revenues of 22.6bn.

However, Google has spent a lot of funds building its European search engine services and now has 92% of the EU internet search market. Microsofts Bing and Yahoo and others fight over the remaining crumbs. In the US, Google has an estimated one-third of the market. In the long term, Google would hope to turn this dominance in the European engine search market to expand its ad placement service AdSense and its mobile Android product. However, these Google services too are under scrutiny by the commission and could spell more trouble for the company.

Googles AdSense, which is used to place advertisements on Google and third- party websites, is being investigated over concerns the company placed unfair restrictions on the ability of third-party websites to display search advertisements, according to the commission.

It also alleges Google abused its Android market dominance by placing restrictions on Android manufacturers and mobile network operators. At issue is that it uses its Android mobile operating system as a Trojan horse to promote its own products and services at the expense of rivals. Specifically, the complaint centres on its requirement to pre- install Google Search and its Chrome browser on devices.

Experts and some of the companys competitors claim any changes would most likely require greater oversight of Googles products, including a potential independent monitor over its search services in Europe, particularly its algorithms which are the key to the success of its search engine, to guarantee it continues to comply with the competition ruling.

Googles dilemma will now take centre-stage as the tech giant fights doggedly to protect its crown jewel  its closely guarded search algorithm  from the prying eyes of regulators and competitors, but also show it to be compliant with the commissions demands.

The commissions heavy-handed anti-competition ruling against Google will ruffle the feathers of other US tech companies, including Apple, Facebook and Amazon. The EUs attempts to regulate the internet market will feed US president Donald Trumps paranoia that Brussels is unfairly targeting US companies. That European tech companies have mostly failed to keep pace with their US rivals should concern all Europeans.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine has collected enough evidence to strip six people's deputies of Ukraine of immunity, requests on whom have been submitted to the Verkhovna Rada, Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has said.

"We have enough evidence to convince unbiased deputies in the need to remove immunity and continue the pretrial investigation," the Prosecutor General said in an interview with Channel 5 on Sunday evening.

He said that documents, video and audio recordings would be demonstrated during the consideration of requests for the removal of immunity.

As it was reported, On June 21, the Verkhovna Rada received requests for removal of parliamentary immunity from prosecution from five lawmakers: Andriy Lozovy (the Radical Party faction), Oles Dovhy (the People's Will group), Yevhen Deidei and Maksym Poliakov (both of the People's Front faction) and Boryslav Rozenblat (the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction).
Aldi and its German discounter rival Lidl have become giants in European retail, challenging Irelands and the UKs grocery retail markets, and are challenging US retailers as well.

Aldi Norths sister chain Aldi South announced plans last month to invest $3.4bn (3bn) to expand its US store base to 2,500 by 2022, raising the stakes for rivals caught in a price war. Bild am Sonntag said that Aldi North planned to finance its multi-billion-euro investment from existing cash rather than by taking on debt. However, the paper said the project still needed the approval of one of the three foundations that control the company, which has been the subject of a family feud.
In its first tranche of investigations, the tribunal will also try and establish whether or not senior gardai used these files as part of an alleged campaign to discredit the whistleblower.

The tribunal  chaired by Mr Justice Peter Charleton  has broken up its terms of reference into five sections, the first dealing with issues concerning Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

The task under reference d states: To investigate the creation, distribution and use by Tusla of a file containing false allegations of sexual abuse against Sergeant Maurice McCabe that was allegedly sent to Gardai in 2013, and whether these false allegations and/or the file were knowingly used by senior members of An Garda Siochana to discredit Sergeant McCabe.

A witness schedule for the next two weeks has been published.

In his opening statement on June 14, tribunal barrister Diarmuid McGuinness SC said allegations made against Sgt McCabe lay the foundation of other aspects of the tribunals work.

In July 2013, a woman undergoing counselling referred to a past allegation of sexual assault against Sgt McCabe, in which the DPP had ruled no prosecution.

The counsellor used a template from a previous case to fill in the womans allegations but did not delete the details of that previous case  which contained far more serious allegations of digital penetration.

Mr McGuinness said: It may be that the inclusion of this allegation was a genuine mistake made initially by Rian counsellor Laura Brophy, which was compounded and repeated by a series of further errors and omissions on the part of Tusla personnel despite her best attempts to rectify this; or it may be that there was a deliberate attempt to keep matters live at a time when Sergeant McCabe was a household name, and that the ongoing pursuit of this matter by state agencies was part of the overall aim of discrediting Sergeant McCabe and destroying his reputation.

It should be noted that this latter possibility has been canvassed with all the Tusla witnesses involved to date and no knowledge or evidence of such seems to have emerged to date.
The health minister has strongly denied that being kept in the Department of Health was worse than a demotion and is now determined to overhaul the crisis hit system.

Mr Harris, who backed the unsuccessful Simon Coveney in the Fine Gael leadership bid, has said he has a good relationship with Taoiseach Leo Varadkar, despite rumours to the contrary.

In an interview with the Irish Examiner Mr Harris said: My personal relationship with the Taoiseach has always been very good. I consider us to be friends, the Wicklow TD said, saying Mr Varadkar has been invited to his upcoming wedding.

Mr Harris is due to marry his partner of eight years, Caoimhe Wade, later this month.

Opening up about his relationship, he said: Its relatively well known that I am marrying a nurse, which does give me another insight into another aspect of the health service other than being Minister for Health.

Its also very nice to have a private relationship whereby you can have a different perspective on life other than just the political one. We are both looking forward to getting married this summer, the 30-year-old said.

And while, Mr Varadkar may be getting an invite, the rumours that neither men see eye to eye have long swirled around Leinster House and went into overdrive when Mr Harris became one of Mr Coveneys strongest and most high- profile supporters in the recent leadership contest.

Leadership elections are interesting and they generally lead to chit chat and noise at times, but thats all that was.

I heard lots of rumours during the election campaign, including rumours that I wouldnt be in the Cabinet so they arent always correct, said Mr Harris, who could be seen pacing anxiously around Leinster House in the hours before Mr Varadkar announced his senior ministers.

Asked if he thought being kept in health  which was famously dubbed Angola by Brian Cowen  was a form of punishment for not supporting Mr Varadkar, he said it was disappointing that commentators would think that being here in Health is not a very important role in Government.

When you have a Taoiseach that prioritised health and said it is going to be a great priority for his Government, I consider it a great honour that he has given me the opportunity to work with him on it, he said.

As the youngest member of Cabinet, Mr Harris could already be dubbed a high achiever, but he now wants to achieve what some might say is the impossible.

I believe we can crack this and fix the health service. I would really like to fix the health service, genuinely, I really would, saying it is his intention to prove this to the public. While he admits no country will ever have a 100% perfect health service, major improvements are possible.

If I leave politics whenever that is, and have made an improvement on the Irish health service, have begun to implement the Slainte health report and people can actually look aback and said we need improvements here, waiting times fell, staffing went up, nurses came home from abroad, we treated people with respect and dignity, be they patients or staff, I would be very proud to have achieved that. So thats my priority right now.
Keynote speakers at this years event, which runs from September 7-9 in New Ross, Wexford, include one of Americas most seasoned political campaigners, Bob Shrum. He will be joined by the man behind former President Barack Obamas speeches, Cody Kennan, as well as Ian Paisley Jnr.

RTEs Washington correspondent Caitriona Perry will also be on hand as part of a series of public interviews.

Ms Perry gained international attention last week after being singled out by President Donald Trump in the Oval Office who told her she had a nice smile, sparking a global row about sexism.

More than 35 guest speakers have been lined up to participate on a wide range of issues, with Irish-US relations and Brexit expected to feature prominently.

The summer school

will also bring together a panel of historians to assess the legacy of US president John F Kennedy, 100 years on from his birth.

NUI Galway law lecturer and US political pundit, Larry Donnelly is co-director of this years programme. He said this years event moves to a whole new level.

Inevitably, we have a detailed session on the turbulent Trump presidency, and we are bringing over some of the top US political experts.

We are also bringing Irelands top correspondent there, Caitriona Perry, to try to interpret what is going on and what it means for Ireland.

The other 2017 co-director is historian and author Brian Murphy, who believes Brexit and budget preparations will dominate Irish politics this autumn.

The Kennedy Summer School has gathered a collection of high-profile speakers from across the island who, along with voices from Brussels and from a cross-section of political parties, will give their perspectives to date, he said.

Brexit And Borders will be a key topic up for discussion at an event with ex-Taoiseach Bertie Ahern. He will be joined by former leader of the SDLP, Mark Durkan, president of the Irish Road Haulage Association, Verona Murphy, and RTE Europe editor Tony Connelly.

Regina Doherty, Mary Lou McDonald, Joan Burton and Lisa Chambers are among the politicians who will also offer their thoughts on Budget, Brexit and Better Politics.
It comes as Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams admitted a deal to restore powersharing is unlikely within the agreed timeframe.

Mr Adams said the door was still open but there had been no sense of urgency around piecing together an agreement.

A series of deadlines have been missed to restore multi-party devolved government in the North.

I dont believe that there is going to be a deal by Monday. The DUP are showing no urgency or no real inclination to deal with the rights-based issues which are at the crux and the heart of these difficulties which we are talking here about.

He said those included republican demands for an Irish Language Act, a Bill of Rights, marriage equality, and dealing with the legacy of decades of past violence.

Unless they step-change I just cannot see. I just cannot see how, and we told them this directly, how a deal can be put together by then.

The UK Government extended the talks process until today despite Stormont parties missing Thursdays deadline set in law. In the absence of agreement, the options open to Mr Brokenshire include setting another deadline for the talks process, calling a second snap Assembly election, or re-imposing some form of direct rule from London.

The institutions imploded in January when DUP leader Arlene Foster was forced from office after Sinn Feins then deputy first minister, the late Martin McGuinness, quit. That was in protest at the DUPs handling of the renewable heat incentive, a scheme that left the administration facing a 490 million (558m) overspend.

One of the main sticking points is over Sinn Feins call for an act to officially protect the Irish language.

Republicans argue that bestowing the status on the language would represent a major step towards respect and equality for all in the North. The DUP has said it supported Irish-medium school education during years of devolved government and has accused Sinn Fein of politicising its use.

Mr Adams was one of thousands attending a marriage equality rally on Saturday in Belfast. He added: If there is a step change, part of that step change is for everybody to understand that equality and respect has to be at the heart of the institutions.

Mr Brokenshire told Q Radio he could see where areas of compromise may lie.

But we are not there yet and time is running short, he said.
Tore Jenssen, the chief executive of Dublin-based Norwegian Air International (NAI), was speaking as aviation history was made in Cork on Saturday with the take-off of NAIs inaugural flight from Cork to TF Green in Providence, 90-minutes south of Boston.

We have been waiting more than three years for this, Mr Jenssen said.

We have been battling left, right and centre for this and its fantastic to be in the Rebel county to launch the first service  it all makes sense to launch this out of Cork.

NAI will operate the Cork-Providence service three times a week, year round.

Also on Saturday, it launched a daily service from Dublin to Stewart International in New York state, and yesterday launched its five-times a week service to Providence. Its twice-weekly service from Shannon to Stewart Airport launched yesterday, and it will today launch a twice-weekly Shannon-Providence service.

Mr Jenssen said they have already sold 150,000 tickets on the flights out of Ireland.

After an aircraft delivery delay, NAI has been forced to use Boeing 737-800s on the new routes.

But it took delivery of two of the larger and more fuel-efficient 737-Max aircraft on Saturday. They burn up to 15% less fuel. It will take delivery of four more Max aircraft over the next three weeks and will introduce them on the Irish routes soon.

Mr Jenssen said once they have completed initial performance tests, they will make a decision on the proposed Cork-New York route, amid concerns that the length of Corks runway may be an issue.

Airport managing director, Niall MacCarthy, praised all who had helped, on both sides of the Atlantic, the campaign to secure NAIs licence.

I am proud to say that we are Irelands and Europes newest transatlantic airport, he said.

Foreign Affairs Minister Simon Coveney hailed NAIs investment in Ireland, but said it was a particularly great day for Cork which is now part of the transatlantic story.

Now that it is part of that mix, we may well see other airlines looking at Cork because Norwegian have shown the way, he said.

This is going to be a very successful route. Many were sceptical at the start but the combination of the ambition of Norwegian Air, and the determination of management here at the airport to put a package together to make the business case, means people here have a fantastic new option at competitive cost to travel to the US.

And he said while pre-clearance facilities at Cork would be helpful, they are not essential because systems at Providence airport are so efficient.

FF Cllr Tom ODriscoll, who tabled a motion for City Council in 1992, calling for Shannon stopover to be amended to allow transatlantic flights to operate out of Cork, also hailed the new US service.

This is the start of a new era for Cork Airport, and a new era for transatlantic travel out of Ireland, he said.

READ MORE: Up, up and away for Cork airports historic take-off
Dave Roche, a founder member of the Cork LGBT Pride Festival, the CEO of the Cork Gay Project, a board member of the National LGBT helpline, and a driving force behind the Yes Equality Cork campaign and LGBT Awareness Week, died from a suspected heart attack while working on a DIY project at home in Terelton, near Macroom in Co Cork, on Saturday. He was in his 50s.

Arthur Leahy, a founder of the Cork Gay Community Development Project, knew Mr Roche for over 30 years and worked closely with him on advocacy in the 1980s, when homosexuality was criminalised. There is still a huge sense of shock. He was such a vibrant character, so full of fun and energy, said Mr Leahy.

He recalled how Mr Roches early style of advocacy involved kicking the door in, shouting and roaring but said as the years advanced, his friend honed his approach to become one of the most influential and effective advocates for LGBT rights in Ireland. He also paid tribute to Mr Roches partner, Paul OShea, who he said had been a hugely positive influence in his life.

Colette Finn, the chairperson of the Cork Gay Project, worked with Mr Roche since 2014 and said: It was a privilege to work with him. He was a joy to be around.

She paid tribute to his advocacy work over three decades which culminated in a Yes vote in the same-sex marriage referendum two years ago. Mr Roche played a key role in canvassing rural Ireland in the months before the vote, fronting the Yes campaign in towns across north Cork.

People like Dave did this work in the days when it wasnt easy to come out and acknowledge your sexuality, she said.

Marriage equality was a huge milestone but there are still people struggling with being gay. Dave was still working on that, helping young people coming to terms with the fact that they are gay, and working with parents and spouses groups.

Clive Davis, who worked with Mr Roche in the Cork Gay Project for eight years, said the community was at the heart of everything he did, and that his pioneering work with young gay men through support groups like Unite, and his talks in secondary schools, helped create a new generation of leaders and campaigners.

Senator Jerry Buttimer said the city has lost an inspirational advocate of courage who challenged us to think differently and to act accordingly.

Mr Roche is survived by his mother, brothers and sisters. Funeral arrangements are expected to be finalised later today.
The British government will trigger exit from the London Fisheries Convention, signed in 1964 before joining the EU, to start the two-year process to leave the agreement.

The convention grants rights to neighbouring countries to fish in each others fishing zones based on historic fishing activity. It allows vessels from Ireland, France, Belgium, Germany and the Netherlands to fish within six and 12 nautical miles of the UKs coastline.

The Irish fishing fleet has access to parts of the UK six to 12-mile zone, as has the UK fleet to parts of the Irish zone.

These access rights were incorporated into the EU Common Fisheries Policy.

Sean ODonoghue, chief executive of the Killybegs Fishermens Organisation, said it is an aggressive measure by the British.

We are not surprised, we did expect it, he said. The access for us is huge but the access between six and 12 is not our greatest priority, our access is between 12-mile limit and 200 UK-wide limit. That is the important one.

The EU Common Fisheries Policy allows all European countries access between 12 and 200 nautical miles of the UK, and sets quotas for how much fish nations can catch.

The Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Michael Creed, said: The announcement by the UK Government is unwelcome and unhelpful.

It is a part of Brexit and will be considered by the EU 27 member states and the (Michel) Barnier team when the negotiations commence.

Mr Creed said: Brexit poses very serious challenges to the seafood sector, and this announcement will form part of the negotiations.

However, British ministers claim the move will help take back control of fishing access to UK waters, as it will no longer be bound by existing access agreements, and enable the country to become fully responsible for fisheries management.

UK vessels will also lose the right to fish in the waters six to 12 nautical miles offshore of the other countries.

British Environment Secretary Michael Gove said: Leaving the London Fisheries Convention is an important moment as we take back control of our fishing policy.

It means for the first time in more than 50 years we will be able to decide who can access our waters.

This is an historic first step towards building a new domestic fishing policy as we leave the European Union one which leads to a more competitive, profitable and sustainable industry for the whole of the UK.

Barrie Deas, chief executive of the British National Federation of Fishermens Organisations, said: This is welcome news and an important part of establishing the UK as an independent coastal state with sovereignty over its own exclusive economic zone.

The UK fishing industry was made up of more than 6,000 vessels in 2015, landing 708,000 tonnes of fish worth 890m.

Some 10,000 tonnes of fish was caught by other countries under the convention, worth an estimated 20m.

Scotlands Fisheries Secretary Fergus Ewing said: The UK Governments decision to withdraw from the London Fisheries Convention is a move we have been pressing for some time now..
The curious thing is that when women give up alcohol, they cant get over it.

Its such a breach with the natural order of things, or at least the natural order of their things, that it somehow inveigles itself into unrelated conversations.

Thus it was, last week, chatting to a top executive in a multinational corporation, that she suddenly told me she and her husband had given up the drink for the last two years.

Not that theyd ever had a problem, she added.

Not really. Just at the weekend, Netflix and a couple of bottles of wine, you know yourself.

Then one of them suggested to the other that maybe they werent giving the best example to their teenage twins.

He  because it was the husband  fended off incipient resistance on her part by agreeing, before he was asked to, that neither of them had ever been falling-down drunk in front of their 16-year-olds.

Never. It was just, she filled in, the word relaxation was never uttered in their house without alcohol attached. Ditto the word socialising.

Its probably too late to give good example now, she said sadly. But better late than never, right?

Right on both counts. Relatively few of the teenagers and young adults who seriously abuse alcohol come from non-drinking families.

The old Do as I Say, not as I Do device has never worked where alcohol is concerned.

But quitting alcohol completely, if the couple does it right, could acquaint their kids with the mind-blowing concept that a happy, successful and intensely social life is possible in the absence of alcohol.

Possible? Nay, probable. More probable, in fact, than with alcohol added.

The other person who announced her departure from the alcohol lounge last week is around the same age as the couple mentioned: late thirties, early forties.

Alcohol has been her friend since her teens and has wrecked more than one relationship, because of her tendency, in the late Carrie Fishers words, to take a dinner party hostageonce she had a few on board.

Which she always ensured she did, by priming her personal pump before leaving her apartment.

Her reason for quitting?

The fact that gin is making a comeback. You may not have noticed the hard marketing round the drink which, historically, has done more spectacular damage to the poor of one generation than arguably any other, but its going on, and with some anecdotal success.

I suddenly realised I was saving all these gin supplements from newspapers, my informant said.

Worse, I was reading them and stocking up on gin and on the various additions that are supposed to make it contemporary.

By contemporary, I assumed she meant that the way gin is now being marketed moves it from being the half-remembered G&T of leather-faced elderly Brits who used to live in the colonies.

So appealing was its new currency, that, in addition to studying the freebie glossy marketing material and acting upon it, she was discussing the new trend with her peers.

Gin, they agreed, is a thing.

She has no idea what decided her to give away her newly purchased bottles of gin and tonic, bitter lemon and other accompaniments to friends, but, on a self preservative instinct, thats what she did, to their delighted puzzlement.

She, on the other hand, admits that shes now struggling with the emptiness of days without the promise of a tall glass of something alcoholic as a reward or as a de-stressor at the end of every day.

The other struggle shes having is telling her friends that shes given up the booze.

Its a struggle because although she feels better without it and wants to be teetotal, she is finding that announcing yourself to be a non-drinker, in this country at this time, makes you only marginally more popular than Typhoid Mary.

You used to drink, didnt you? she asked me. I nodded. What did you tell your friends when you gave it up?

I gave it up when I was seventeen, so most people assumed Id never drunk alcohol in the first place.

Which is not to say that I didnt have problems as a non-drinker.

Non-drinkers have just as many problems as drinkers do, although they have the advantage of not killing you.

When I cut out the booze, it was in the distant past, long before the Designated Driver was invented, for the very good reason that as long as people could lurch to their cars, it was considered only grand that they should drive home.

The Designated Driver role is a useful cover for the non-drinker.

They can say thanks but theyre driving everybody else so tonight theyre not drinking, and everybody moves on.

But before that role was developed, a teetotaler at a party was like a weird cross between a Revenue Commissioner and a nun: out to get the drinkers on moral grounds and always watching.

If you were a teenager, the drinkers believed it was their duty to enforce the rite of passage whereby you would puke your way to adulthood.

If you were older than a teenager, what the hell was wrong with you?

Having survived those years, sober and unbowed, I was startled to find that drinker-terrorism still exists.

I found out watching the TV series Cant Cope Wont Cope where two young women from Cork but working in Dublin commit themselves to supporting the alcohol industry in so big a way that the definitive photograph from the programme is one of the two of them knocking back shots.

The moment of drinker-terrorism happens when a female American visitor is cross hackled by one of the main characters when she says, on a night out, that shell have orange juice or coffee rather than alcohol.

Oh, is she on antibiotics, comes the question. Followed by unsubtle pressure to be one of the group and get outside something alcoholic.

Eventually, the non-drinker is forced into confession of being an alcoholic because the young woman in front of her cannot imagine that someone on a night out would not set out to get themselves locked.

If the two drinkers in that series follow a pattern Im seeing, theyll have decided to give up the booze before it becomes a dominant problem in their lives, or, having recognised that it IS a dominant problem, have gone through a 12-step programme and be sussing out other problem drinkers to bring them to a meeting.

Smokers seem to give up around 30.

Drinkers a decade later. Although, to give them their pathetic due, committed smokers dont harass those whove quit, trying to persuade them to re-offend.

The RCPI, having already established that cirrhosis, which used to be a disease of old men, is now frequently seen in young women, might turn their powerful attention to the deep-rooted anger within drinkers directed at those who dont drink.

Although Amanda Byram may single-handedly have tipped the scales, no pun intended, when she recently announced she was teetotal because alcohol poses such a weight-gain threat. Lets hope she also tells drink-terrorists to back the hell off.

On her own and all teetotalers behalf.
Ukraine, aiming at a political and diplomatic solution to the aggression of the Russian Federation, needs lethal weapons to reduce military and civilian losses, Deputy Prime Minister for European and Euro-Atlantic Integration of Ukraine Ivanna Klympush-Tsintsadze has said.

"We have never asked NATO servicemen to protect us on our territory. We are ready to protect our state every day and will continue to actively do it. At the same time, while aiming at a political and diplomatic solution to this conflict - the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine - we ask support and solidarity, because the Russian Federation understands only the language of power ... and only systemic joint pressure can ensure Russia's return to respect for international law. We ask for lethal weapons to protect ourselves ... to have fewer military and civilian casualties," Klympush-Tsintsadze said during the 95th Rose-Roth seminar titled "Security and stability in Ukraine and the Black Sea region" in Kyiv on Monday.

She recalled that since the beginning of this year in Ukraine 120 soldiers have been killed and about 900 injured as a result of the armed conflict in Donbas. "We have 47 killed civilians and we have more than 100 civilians injured during this time," she said.

Klympush-Tsintsadze also said that Ukraine needs NATO membership not only to obtain an external guarantee of Ukraine's state sovereignty and territorial integrity, but in order to "have the opportunity to jointly defend common values."
The American Institute of Stress estimates that workplace stress costs U.S. organizations over $300 billion per year due to accidents, absenteeism, turnover, diminished productivity and direct medical, legal and insurance costs. Ensuring your IT workers are happy, healthy and stress-free can go a long way in saving your company money and running an efficient business.

TEKSystems surveyed IT workers for its annual IT Worker Stress Test and Work/Life Balance survey, tracking trends in IT stress levels and work-life balance since 2015. While reported instances of stress have declined since 2016, IT workers still report issues with work-life balance, including finding time to unplug on vacation and stress-related health issues.

Overall, its still a great time to be a tech pro. Most IT workers are experiencing lower stress levels than in the past, and they dont feel like their jobs require them to be accessible outside of reasonable times, says Jason Hayman, research analyst for TEKsystems.

[ Retain your best by knowing the 9 reasons good employees leave  and how you can prevent it. | Keep up on the latest CIO insights with our CIO Daily newsletter. ]

But if youre not mindful of the stress level your IT pros encounter in the job, you could be exposing your teams to burn out or pushing them to new employers who can other better work-life balance and a less stressful working environment.

IT doesnt have to be a high-stress gig

If your IT staff is showing signs of consistent stress, you may be opening your organizations to retention issues, as IT pros in the industry at large are finding themselves less stressed at work these days.

Of those polled, 6 out of 10 said they are less stressed now than at any point in their careers, while 83 percent said they would still choose IT as a career, says Hayman.

When asked if they consider their work to be the most stressful of their careers, only 14 percent agreed, which is 2 percent less than in 2016; meanwhile, 61 percent said they disagreed with the statement.

IT workers leave for low-stress environments, even over pay

If you dont find ways to reduce stress levels in your workplace, IT pros will reduce it themselves  by finding work elsewhere.

In 2016, when asked if stress at work ever motivated you to seek employment elsewhere, or made you consider taking a new, less stressful job for less pay, 58 percent and 43 percent said yes, respectively.

But in 2017, those numbers took quite a leap; 66 percent said they have looked for another job to get away from stress and 51 percent said theyd even accept lower pay for less stress. If your business is losing IT workers at a rapid pace, it might be time to reevaluate the work-life balance on offer at your organization.

Weve seen for some time that its a sellers market if youre an IT pro, so theyre less likely to put up with a more stressful environment when they know the opportunity is out there to find something better, less stressful, even if its for less money, says Hayman.

Fewer workers are expected to be on-call after hours

If you expect your IT workers to be available around-the-clock, youre in the minority  only 9 percent of IT workers said theyre expected to be available at any hour, with no excuses. Thats down from 18 percent in 2016. Similarly, only 5 percent said theyre expected to be accessible from 6 a.m. to midnight.

As for extended hours, 19 percent said theyre expected to be accessible from 6 a.m. to 8 p.m., up from 15 percent in 2016. And 67 percent said theyre accessible between 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., up from 62 percent in 2016. These numbers suggest that many IT workers are able to maintain a healthy work-life balance at their companies, which is vital to satisfaction and retention, says Hayman.

Wellness efforts can help alleviate inevitable IT stress

Although the survey revealed that many IT workers report satisfaction in their roles, plenty still say they experience stress over work-related issues. When asked the most stressful aspect of being an IT worker, 28 percent said work-life balance, down from 30 percent in 2016. Similarly, 28 percent also cited keeping up with organizational requests or workload, down from 35 percent last year.

There are several health issues that IT workers report because of experiencing a stressful situation at work. The most common include sleeplessness (65%), anxiety (55%), irritability or short temper (48%) and weight gain or loss (42%). While it might be unrealistic to avoid stressful situations at work, IT leaders can take measures to allow for wellness accommodations or alleviate workloads if employee health begins to suffer.

Over half of IT workers cant (or wont) completely unplug

One avenue for establishing improved work-life balance is to check in on your companys culture around performing work-related activities during vacation and downtime. It may not be a directly expressed expectation, but queues and habits may be perpetuating the impression that IT workers should check in even when theyre off the clock.

Technology makes it all too easy to answer calls or check email on vacation; 42 percent of respondents said they check work-related communications on vacation, but only respond to critical requests and emergencies. Another 9 percent check email and messages, but wont respond, while 3 percent said they continue most aspects of their job on vacation. Less than half (46%) said they do not keep tabs on work-related emails or messages, and choose to completely log off for vacation.

Although more than half of IT workers say they keep up on work-related communication on vacation, the majority (85%) said they werent expected to be accessible while on vacation. And, of the 54 percent who keep tabs on work while out of the office, 40 percent say it causes friction with their family or friends, leading 25 percent to admit they hide their work activities on vacation.

When it comes to their vacation time, theyre reporting that its possible to disconnect completely. Looking at those who choose to stay connected, it appears it doesnt aid in keeping stress down, says Hayman.

It is often the responsibility of upper management to set the precedent for the rest of the department, so if youre not logging off on vacation, your employees might feel they need to do the same. As with any workplace culture, executives need to lead by example to cultivate a low-stress work environment throughout the organization.

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Prosecutor General of Ukraine Yuriy Lutsenko has said that a request on People's Deputy from Opposition Bloc faction Vadym Novinsky could be submitted to the Verkhovna Rada.

"We continue investigating pretrial inquiry into People's Deputy Novinsky. And now we are analyzing his other actions, which are likely to lead us to a second appeal to the Verkhovna Rada that will be connected with economic crimes," Lutsenko said at a meeting of the parliamentary committee on Monday, answering the question why, after Rada provided permission to remove immunity from Novinsky, he still hasn't been served with charges.

The Ukrainian Prosecutor General's Office suspects Novinsky of aiding illegal imprisonment of Metropolitan Oleksandr (Drabynko) of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytsky and Vyshnevsky of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) organized by the former Ukrainian government, as well as complicity in abuse of office or powers by an official of a law enforcement agency.

On December 8, 2016, the Verkhovna Rada satisfied the motion of the Prosecutor General to give consent to prosecute Novinsky. The parliament partially stripped Novinsky of his parliamentary immunity upholding the prosecutor general's motion and permitting criminal prosecution against him. However, law enforcement agencies will be able neither to apprehend nor use a restrictive measure in the form of arrest against Novinsky, because this requires further permission from the Verkhovna Rada.

On February 15, 2017, Lutsenko said that the Prosecutor General's Office would soon notify Novinsky of suspicion and send his case to court. "With regard to Novinsky, we received very important data about an attempt to poison Metropolitan Volodymyr," he said.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
The task of Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) in the case in Italy involving National Guard of Ukraine Vitaliy Markiv is to defend his legal interests during trial, Ukrainian Deputy Prosecutor General Yevhen Yenin has told the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency.

"We are working with Markiv's lawyer and with Italian law-enforcement authorities The task of defending Markiv involves cooperation with Ukraine's SBU Security Service and National Guard (in which Markiv serves) to help him, to present materials showing Markiv's non-involvement in the murder of [Italian photojournalist Andrea] Rocchelli," Yenin said on Monday. He added that Ukraine's PGO is monitoring the case to ensure it is as transparent as possible and to ensure the charges are objective.

"Our task is to ensure Markiv's legal interests are protected in Italy. We are working with him and the Italian police," he said, adding that on Tuesday, July 4, a court hearing to determine pretrial confinement for Markiv will be held.

As earlier reported Markiv was detained on June 30 in Italy on suspicion of killing an Italian photojournalist. He is deputy platoon commander in the battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine named after General Serhiy Kulchytsky, according to member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction and coordinator of the Kulchytsky battalion Andriy Antonyschak has said.

According to Antonyschak, Markiv has "both Italian citizenship and Ukrainian citizenship", because at a young age he and his mother left Italy for Ukraine.

According to the MP, Markiv took part in the Revolution of Dignity and at the same time he "restored his passport and his Ukrainian status."

Antonyschak said that the Italian side provided Markiv with a lawyer, but the Ukrainian side will turn him down... and will hire their own lawyer.

He noted that now, together with the Ukrainian Consulate General in Italy, they are working to ensure that Markiv is released from prison before trial and in court they will be proving his innocence.

He noted that on May 2, 2014, at 04:00, Sloviansk was stormed by the Kulchytsky battalion, with the participation of the 95th Airborne Brigade of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Markiv was in one of the special groups that were on the Mount Karachun. And when the column was blocked, representatives of Russia Today and Italian journalists appeared on the bridge. According to the MP, the photojournalist could not have been killed from the Karachun Mountain, and in addition, the Ukrainian military did not have mortars, but only small arms.
British Ambassador to Ukraine Judith Gough has expressed the opinion that London should simplify the visa regime with Ukraine.

"We have a relaxed visa regime with some countries in the world, and I will persuade my government to apply it to Ukraine," Gough said during the round table titled "Foreign Policy Audit: Ukraine-the United Kingdom" in Kyiv on Monday.

The ambassador said that she needed to coordinate Ukraine's expectations of the visa regime with the UK, after which she would be able to discuss the details with the British authorities.
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Prime Minister of Ukraine Volodymyr Groysman will head the Ukrainian delegation at a conference in London on July 6, which will be devoted to reforms in Ukraine, British Ambassador to Ukraine Judith Gough has said.

The conference will be an important event this week. Your delegation will be headed by the premier and he will take several Cabinet members with him , she said at the round table titled "Foreign Policy Audit: Ukraine- the United Kingdom" in Kyiv on Monday.

The diplomat also said that the conference was an initiative of the UK to demonstrate the success of Ukrainian reforms and strengthen international assistance.

We are very concerned that the news about Ukraine in the world's media is very negative: you can always see that there is war, crisis, corruption. But there is a very positive story, which is necessary to be communicated to people: huge reforms have been carried out for three years, more than any previous governments had done, even despite the situation in which the government came to power. We want to demonstrate the success of Ukraine and strengthen international assistance to Ukraine, Gough said.

As reported, there will be a conference on Ukraine's reforms in London on July 6.
DURHAM  In-house investigators at Duke University believe a former lab tech falsified or fabricated data that went into 29 medical research reports, lawyers for the university say in their answer to a federal whistleblower lawsuit against it.

Dukes admissions concern the work of Erin Potts-Kant, and a probe it began in 2013 when she was implicated in an otherwise-unrelated embezzlement. The lawsuit, from former lab analyst Joseph Thomas, contends Duke and some of its professors used the phony data to fraudulently obtain federal research grants. He also alleges they ignored warning signs about Potts-Kants work, and tried to cover up the fraud.

The universitys lawyers have tried to get the case dismissed, but in April, a federal judge said it can go ahead. The latest filings thus represent Dukes first answer to the substance of Thomas allegations.

Up front, it said Potts-Kant told a Duke investigating committee that shed faked data that wound up being included in various publications and grant applications.

The committee reviewed at least 36 research reports, and in many cases found that shed tinkered with data before sending it along other investigators. In a few, she simply made things up, Duke said.

Potts-Kant worked in a School of Medicine lab led by Michael Foster, a now-retired pulmonologist. She operated a machine researchers use to gauge the lung function of mice in projects seeking insight on human respiratory ailments like asthma.

As it happened, the lab was a core facility that professors from across Duke and from other Triangle universities relied on for measurements. Thomas contends that pretty much all the lab work Potts-Kant did in her eight years at Duke was bogus, and that it compromised grants worth $112.8 million to Duke and a further $120.9 million to institutions like UNC-Chapel Hill and N.C. State University.

His lawsuit invokes the federal False Claims Act, which a whistleblower can use to alert prosecutors to a potential fraud and, if the case is successful, receive a reward for having spoken up. Lawsuit targets are at risk of getting hit with a damages award up to three times the size of the alleged fraud.

Previous filings in the Duke case indicate that federal prosecutors are also investigating, and that they and Duke officials have discussed a potential out-of-court settlement.

While it concedes the falsification of data, Duke denies that it engaged in any sort of cover-up. But it admitted that it gave the federal government progress reports on the research program and a grant-extension application for the lab, using some of the data turned in by Potts-Kant after her work was already under review.

The university also denies knowing whether or not its true that there were warning signs about Potts-Kant that may have surfaced early this decade, when Thomas contends a Johns Hopkins University researcher questioned a paper shed co-authored and a professor at Duke asked that she be kept in the dark about what one of his experiments was driving at.

Meanwhile, Potts-Kant and Foster also submitted answers to the lawsuit. Neither admitted that any of the research papers Thomas lawsuit has singled out included phony data.

In most cases, they said they dont know enough to form an opinion one way or another. But Potts-Kant specifically denied that she hadnt actually performed experiments for two papers that Duke said included falsified data.

Foster denied allegations of falsified or fabricated data covering two papers, and also denied an allegation that Potts-Kant didnt do an experiment for a third. One of those denials covers a paper Duke believes included falsified data; the other two address allegations the university isnt sure about for one reason or another.

Potts-Kant admitted that shed generated experiment data that was altered, and that to the extent she altered it, she knew the altered experiment data was false, according to the answer filed on her behalf by Chapel Hill-based lawyer Amos Tyndall.

But she denies she had any knowledge, intent or control over its use, Tyndalls filing said.

In his lawsuit, Thomas has argued that Foster at the least failed to monitor Potts-Kants work and at the worst was in on the fraud.

Foster has hired Charlotte lawyer Richard Glaser to mount his defense, and Dukes working with a group of mostly out-of-state attorneys. But its team also includes Jim Cooney, a prominent criminal-defense lawyer from Charlotte whose practice also covers a lot of civil court matters.

Thomas is being represented by a group of Roanoke, Virginia lawyers that includes his brother, John Thomas Jr.
STRASBOURG, France -- The European Union, whose parliament meets here on the French border with Germany, has not exactly been popular in recent years.

Complaints about unelected bureaucrats, lack of transparency, compromised sovereignty, unrestricted migration and costly member obligations have all fueled Euroskepticism.

But it seems the EU has finally gotten its groove back.

Two new surveys find that over the past year, citizens of member countries have decided that maybe this whole European idea -- the ambitious postwar project to promote continental peace and prosperity -- isn't so terrible after all.

The first survey, from Pew Research Center, polled people in 10 EU countries. In all but one, fond feelings for the union increased, most by a sudden huge amount. Here in France, favorability rose from 38 percent last year to 56 percent this spring. Across the border in Germany, it went from 50 percent to 68 percent. Even in Brexiting Britain, positive sentiment for the EU climbed from 44 percent to 54 percent.

The other survey, from the European Commission's Eurobarometer, also found an upswing in the share of European citizens who view the EU positively and have trust in it. Again, the upswing occurred in virtually every country.

What's going on? How did the EU turn its reputation around?

To some extent, Europeans may simply be realizing that the grass isn't actually greener on the other side -- the other side being, in this case, life outside the European Union.

Britain's upcoming exit has led to political chaos and economic uncertainty, not to mention sagging consumer confidence and departing jobs. Tens of thousands of jobs may leave London's financial sector alone.

The same Pew survey found that majorities of nearly every country say Brexit will be bad for both the EU and Britain. Even a plurality of Brits believe Brexit will end badly for them. (Greece, which was threatening to "Grexit" the euro zone before departure portmanteaus were cool, is the only surveyed country in which a plurality believes Britain will be better off.)

Perhaps other EU members have watched Britain's isolationist dysfunction and started to better appreciate the European project, even with its many flaws.

Not just coincidentally, in no country that Pew surveyed did a majority of respondents say they want to leave the European Union. This finding jibes with other recent polls.

Nonetheless, even though they don't want to leave, in nearly all of the countries at least half of respondents still want to hold a referendum to vote on whether to leave.

This may seem peculiar, given that Britain got such an unwelcome surprise when it held its own referendum. But this desire to hold a vote may reflect frustration with the lack of a say in what happens in Strasbourg (and Brussels, Luxembourg and Frankfurt, where other major EU business gets done). A referendum could be viewed as a way to gain more leverage over EU officials, even if the vote is really a bluff.

"People think that voting will empower them," says Luigi Zingales, a University of Chicago professor who has studied economic and public opinion trends in the EU. "Most Europeans are happy with the idea of some form of European integration and the common market. They just want more voice in the process."

Zingales also argues that a force bigger than Brexit may be more important in reviving the EU's reputation: the fact that finally, a decade after the global financial crisis struck, so many European economies are actually improving.

Zingales notes that in the Pew data, only his home country of Italy hasn't started feeling more warmly toward the EU. Italy also happens to be the only surveyed country whose citizens are more pessimistic about their economy today than they were a year ago.

"When things go poorly, you blame everybody: your government, the EU government, probably also the United Nations," he says. "When things go well, maybe you're now sort of OK with everything."

Lending credence to this theory is that trust in the EU government and trust in national governments have been rising in virtual lockstep, according to the Eurobarometer data.

In other words, a healing economy may lead to less scapegoating, more political stability. As things get better, people realize they overreacted, and their far-right, anti-immigrant, anti-internationalist, burn-it-all-down feelings subside.

If economics are indeed what's driving the retreat from insularity in Europe, that bodes well for the United States, too. Our recovery, after all, is light-years ahead of most of Europe's. Maybe our fever will break soon as well.
Journalists from the ezine Strana.ua have issued a statement addressed to the ambassadors in Ukraine of G7 countries and the EU presidency regarding pressure on them from Ukrainian government officials.

Strana.ua Editor-in-chief Ihor Huzhva and his deputy Svetlana Kriukova read the statement during a press conference in Kyiv on Monday.

"Pressure is being put on appeals court judges in order that they adopt harsher measures involving pretrial confinement for Huzhva. New criminal cases are being opened. They want to close us, destroy us and create a precedent for the journalist community. They want to force journalist to fear the authorities," the statement says.

"We are not fighting not just for the existence of our ezine, but for freedom of speech in Ukraine. If the authorities are able to destroy us, pressure will grow on other Ukrainian media," the statement says.

As earlier reported, Huzhva was arrested in Kyiv on Thursday, June 22, 2017.

According to Ukraine's Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko, Huzhva demanded $10,000 in exchange for not publishing compromising material on a politician. According to the PGO, photographic and video evidence backs up charges of impropriety. Dmytro Linko, a Verkhovna Rada deputy from the Radical Party faction, confirmed on Friday morning that Huzhva had demanded money from him.

The same day, the Kyiv city prosecutor's office reported that Huzhva and his mediator had been detained on suspicion of large-scale extortion under Article 189, part 3, of the Criminal court of Ukraine.

On June 24, Kyiv's Shevchenkivsky District Court chose a preventive measure for Huzhva and placed him in custody for two months with an option of a bail in the amount of UAH 544,000.

Huzhva has been summoned by prosecutors for questioning on July 19 about shootings on Independence Square during the Revolution of Dignity during February 2014.
The Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine (PGO), and the Specialized Anti-Corruption Prosecutor's Office (SAPO) together with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau (NABU) are investigating a number of proceedings related to the events of recent years at PrivatBank (Kyiv), Prosecutor General Yuriy Lutsenko has said.

"I know that SAPO jointly with NABU, and the Prosecutor General's Office are now actively investigating a number of proceedings related to the events of recent years at PrivatBank," he told journalists in Kyiv.

Lutsenko noted on Monday he had a meeting on two key episodes regarding PrivatBank.

"In December, after the National Bank of Ukraine had made the decision on the connectedness of two firms with the leadership of PrivatBank, they were refinanced for a huge sum, for billions of hryvnias, which were not returned," the prosecutor general said.

According to him, the investigators also have questions to the members of the National Bank's credit committee, who have been questioned in the last two weeks, as well as NBU representatives, who were supposed to supervise the process of re-registration of loans.

"The investigator asks similar questions one and the other side, and after carrying out appropriate examinations or audits, the Prosecutor General's Office will be ready to put forward a suspicion," Lutsenko said.
NATO advocates solving the situation in eastern Ukraine peacefully and continues to regard the referendum held in Crimea in 2014 as illegal, Deputy NATO chief Sorin Ducaru has said.

"NATO has repeatedly said the so-called March 2014 referendum in Crimea is illegitimately and that NATO supports a peaceful solution in eastern Ukraine, respecting Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Ducaru said in Kyiv on Monday at a special parliament session marking the 20-th anniversary of Ukraine-NATO partnership.

Ducaru said NATO and Ukraine have never worked more closely than today. He said NATO support reform of Ukraine's security and defense sectors.
The Ukrainian side has not received from Italian law-enforcement agencies motions for international assistance in the case involving the murder of Italian photographer Andrea Rocchelli, Deputy Prosecutor General's Office (PGO) head Evhen Yenin has said.

"We are cooperating actively with Italian law-enforcement agencies, but we have not received yet any request for extradition of any actions involving international legal assistance from the Italian side," Yenin said at a press briefing on Monday in Kyiv.

Yenin added that the PGO has not received any requests to conduct investigatory actions in Ukraine.

As earlier reported, on Saturday, July 1, 2017 Yenin said Ukrainian guardsman Vitaly Markiv was detained on June 30 in Italy on suspicion of killing an Italian photojournalist. He is deputy platoon commander in the battalion of the National Guard of Ukraine named after General Serhiy Kulchytsky, according to member of the Petro Poroshenko Bloc faction and coordinator of the Kulchytsky battalion Andriy Antonyschak has said.

Ukraine's General Consulate in Milan on July 2 asked the Italian court in Pavia, Italy, to provide information about the circumstances of his arrest. Ukraine's Interior Ministry has expressed concern about the matter.

Italian prosecutors in Pavia have begun a criminal investigation into the death in 2014 of the Italian photojournalist and his Russian interpreter, journalist Andrey Mironov in the Anti-Terrorist Operation (ATO) zone in Donbas. The information was provided by a French journalist, who, in addition to providing video evidence, said National Guard of Ukraine members from Markiv's unit fired on the journalists. Ukrainian investigators said Rocchelli and Mironov had perished after being shelled by combined Russian-separatist forces in the ATO zone.
HOLDREGE  Five Harlan and Phelps County businesses failed alcohol compliance checks Thursday.

According to a Nebraska State Patrol press release, the patrol conducted compliance checks at 13 businesses, including liquor stores, bars, grocery stores, convenience stores and restaurants. The five businesses that sold alcohol to a minor did not check the minors ID.

Two out of the three business checked in Phelps County sold alcohol to a minor. Three of the 10 businesses checked in Harlan County sold alcohol to a minor.

The effort was thanks, in part, to an $880 grant from Region 3 Behavioral Health Services.

These businesses failed compliance:

- Gourmet House Chinese Restaurant in Holdrege

- Pump & Pantry in Holdrege

- Municipal Golf Course in Alma

- Pump & Pantry in Alma

- Harlan County Steakhouse in Republican City
WOOD RIVER  Controlling invasive trees will be the focus of Saturdays workday from 9 a.m. to noon at The Nature Conservancys Platte River prairies south of Wood River.

Volunteers should meet at the Derr House about two miles south of Interstate 80 exit 300. Those arriving late should call Steve Schafer at 402-310-1503 to find out where the group is working.

Bring sturdy shoes, heavy-duty leather gloves, a hat, water bottle, work clothes, sun screen and insect repellent.

If you plan to help, contact Mardell Jasnowski at mjasnowski@tnc.org or Schafer at steven.schafer@tnc.org.
President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko has held a meeting with a bipartisan delegation of the U.S. Congress, during which the parties discussed the strengthening of investment, trade and economic cooperation between the countries, assistance in strengthening Ukraine's defense capability and sanctions against the Russian Federation.

"Poroshenko expressed hope the U.S. House of Representatives will support the recent legislative initiative of the U.S. Senate, which, in particular, provides for the strengthening and expansion of sanctions against Russia," the press service of the Ukrainian president said.

In this context, the parties also discussed the issues of strengthening Ukraine's defense capability, including the appropriate funding for the security aid to our state in the U.S. budget, as well as strengthening investment and trade-economic cooperation.

Poroshenko notified the congressmen about the situation in Donbas and the continuation of permanent violations of the ceasefire regime on the part of militants controlled by the Russian side.

"In this regard, the parties noted the need to preserve and strengthen international sanctions against the Russian Federation until the full implementation of the Minsk agreements by the country, as well as the restoration of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, including Crimea," the report reads.

The United States, in turn, highly appreciated the results of the Ukrainian president's visit to Washington on June 20-21 this year.
Nearly a half-million people could descend on the total eclipse zone in Nebraska on Aug. 21, according to an analysis by a veteran eclipse chaser and map expert.

Michael Zeiler, who created the Great American Eclipse website, based his forecast on the countrys road networks, population distribution and his estimation of how far people would be willing to drive to see the spectacular event.

Nebraska is the closest, most convenient state for motorists from Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, South Dakota and North Dakota to view the eclipse, he said.

He predicts anywhere from 117,000 to 466,000 visitors will drive into the 70-mile-wide, 500-mile-long zone in Nebraska where the moon will totally block out the sun for a couple of minutes.

The analysis does not include people who are flying in from other states or countries.

Zeiler created what he calls drive-shed maps, which he said are analogous to maps of river systems. A watershed map models how drops of rain accumulate on the surface, and how they flow through rivulets, streams and then rivers, he said.

The same thing will happen with traffic, Zeiler said. People coming from all over are naturally going to take the shortest path or the near-shortest path to their destination. So theyre inevitably going to get funneled on certain Interstates and highways.

His analysis predicts potential traffic choke points in extreme southeast Nebraska, where the center line of totality runs just south of Falls City. The duration of the eclipse is longest on the center line.

In South Carolina, the intersection of Interstate 95 and the center line is the closest point for almost a third of the U.S. population, making it an absolutely predictable nightmare area, he said.

He predicts that Missouri, Oregon and Tennessee will also see major impacts because of the proximity of populated areas.

Nationally, between 1.85 million and 7.4 million people will travel to the totality zone that runs from Oregon to South Carolina, he said.

Zeiler, a writer and analyst for the geographic information system mapping company Esri, said his estimates should be viewed as an initial approximation. Actual traffic patterns will be influenced significantly by weather and the buzz generated around the event on social media, he said.

For a majority of Americans, this is not on their radar yet, he said. But I think that this being the first total solar eclipse in the social media era for this country, it will have a huge impact. This is exactly the kind of event that will go viral on social media.

Zeiler, who lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico, said he has personally observed eight solar eclipses.

He has reservations to watch this one in Wyoming, but will be flexible enough to race to Idaho or Nebraska if necessary to avoid a storm system. Hes been chasing eclipses since 1991.

He said the goal of his analysis is not to scare people about traffic snarls but to help them plan.

Theres plenty of room inside the path of totality if people distribute themselves well, he said. The other piece of advice is to arrive early and, in fact, try to arrive the day before  unless youre just outside the path  and preferably two days before.

People should try to be as self-sufficient as possible, he said. Bring tents, sleeping bags, food, water and toilet paper, he said.

Most hotels inside the path are booked, but there may be other options, he said.

I get emails every day from farmers or landowners that tell me Ive got this piece of land that Im going to set up as a temporary campground,  he said. So there are going to be a lot of pop-up camping sites for the eclipse.

Nebraska is attractive to eclipse chasers because of its good highway system and favorable weather in the western half, he said. A 225-mile stretch of Interstate 80, between Lincoln and North Platte, lies within the totality zone.

To create the maps, Zeiler estimated that a person living 200 miles away would have a .5 percent to 2 percent probability of driving into the path of totality. For people living 400 miles away, he cut that probability in half. He halved it again for those 800 miles away.

He said he is scheduled to meet with transportation officials from several states in a few weeks to help them plan.

He said transportation officials, including those in Nebraska, have looked at his numbers and consider them plausible.

Now, nobody can be a hundred percent certain about my results, because theres some intangibles that are just about impossible to quantify, he said. But this is the best estimate that I can make with the geographic data that I have.

Officials with the Nebraska Department of Transportation have looked at his estimates.

Trouble is, the numbers are only estimates, said Jeni Lautenschlager, the departments communication services manager. Nobody really knows how many people are going to show up, she said.

We know theres going to be a lot of cars, she said.

That could particularly be true along I-80, she said. But what if a big storm blocks the view that day? Will Nebraskans be driving to Wyoming or Missouri instead? Thats a question impossible to predict right now.

The department plans to use its 511 road conditions phone system, alert signs, an app and a special website to keep motorists informed, she said.

We anticipate using our dynamic message boards over the Interstate to help communicate that day so as people are driving down they at least can look up on a sign and say Oh, yes, eclipse is coming today, so at least theyre somewhat prepared for it if they arent already notified of it, she said.

The department is hoping, however, that people plan ahead and dont pull off on the Interstate shoulder to watch, Lautenschlager said.

John Ricks, executive director of the Nebraska Tourism Commission, said Zeilers estimate is the only one hes seen on potential visitors.

We have been keeping the pulse anecdotally talking to people, Ricks said. But Im pretty sure if you did a survey of hotels anywhere near that midline  if you called hotels across the state  theres nothing available.

Zeiler said a total solar eclipse is absolutely the most spectacular phenomenon you can see in nature.

You really cant prepare yourself for the magnificent sight, he said. Its like nothing youve seen before in your life. Its as if for a couple of minutes youve been transported to an alien surface, because it just looks so different.

The next solar eclipse to hit the United States will be on April 8, 2024. Its path runs from Texas to Maine, clipping the southern ends of Missouri and Illinois. It wont go through Nebraska, so it will be Nebraskans turn to travel.
Senior airport official at Kiev's Boryspil Airport Yevhenii Dykhne speaks to The Associated Press, Monday July 3, 2017, at the departure terminal of the airport outside of Kiev. Dykhne told the AP about a third of airport computers are still offline following the recent cyberattack, but the extent of the damage and disruption following the international ransomware cyberattacks is still unclear. (AP Photo/Dmytro Vlasov)
As we honor our independence this Fourth of July, we enjoy the freedom to live and work where we choose. Children and adults with disabilities have the same right. The Senates health care reform bill threatens this right.

The Congressional Budget Office, providing non-partisan analysis, found the Senates bill would cut Medicaid funding by $772 billion and 22 million Americans would lose health insurance over the next decade. While one in five Wisconsinites  nearly 1.2 million people  benefit from Wisconsins 20 different Medicaid programs, Wisconsin spends more than two-thirds of its Medicaid funds on children and adults with disabilities and older adults. Forty percent of Medicaid supports innovative programs like Family Care, I.R.I.S., and Community Options that keep older adults and people with disabilities in their homes and out of expensive institutions, supporting them to work, volunteer, and contribute to the economy.

Call the loss of $772 billion a cut or a cap or flexibility  whatever the name, a 26 percent loss in Medicaid funds will force states to consider eliminating programs, cutting provider rates, reducing benefits, or establishing waiting lists for the extensive Medicaid services people with disabilities rely on.

As you celebrate, remember the children and adults with disabilities who rely on Medicaid to give them the freedom to live and work where they choose. There is a better way to save and improve upon our health care system than eliminating public funding for people with disabilities. The values of a moral and compassionate society dictate no less.

Mary Cerretti

Kenosha
NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Paolo Alli is confident that Ukraine will join NATO.

The NATO PA was sure that Ukraine would be able to join NATO and the Parliamentary Assembly would support it in this, Alli said at a joint press briefing with Verkhovna Rada Speaker Andriy Parubiy in Kyiv on Monday.

"Ukraine's joining NATO is a strategic goal for the Ukrainian state and the Ukrainian nation" and it is "a hard-won objective," Parubiy said.

"Are our partners ready for the union with Ukraine? The events of the recent years confirm this. And these are not hollow statements, it is humanitarian, primarily medical aid to the Maidan, it is assistance to our reforms and steps for reforming the country, it is the most important aid to our army on the frontline, as well as our joint training in the International Peacekeeping and Security Center (Yavorivsky training grounds) and joint involvement in peacekeeping missions and security missions," Parubiy said.

The issue of Ukraine's hosting of a NATO Parliamentary Assembly session will be discussed in autumn this year and this session may take place in the spring of 2019, he said.

"As far as we know, this issue should be considered in autumn at one of the meetings of the Parliamentary Assembly committees. And we very much hope that a NATO Parliamentary Assembly meeting may be possibly held here, in Kyiv, in the spring of 2019, as well as the latest one in Tbilisi, Georgia," Parubiy said.

In turn, Alli thanked Parubiy for the proposal to hold a NATO Parliamentary Assembly session in Ukraine.

Alli said it had been the holding of the NATO PA session in Ukraine, which the parties were discussing now, and he hoped that they would have an opportunity to arrive here as members of the Assembly's full composition and to hold its meeting here shortly.

The issue of Ukraine's joining NATO is not discussed, but the programs of cooperation between the alliance and Kyiv are being successfully promoted within six trustee funds, an official from the NATO division dealing with cooperation with Ukraine said at a press briefing on terms of anonymity earlier on June 29.
Ukrainian police said that they had detained 'a major-general', who was in command of the Cossack regiment in the self-proclaimed Donetsk People's Republic (DPR), at a roadblock near Volnovakha, Donbas.

"It was established that the active major-general from the DPR regional Cossack association faced law enforcers [...] Operatives and investigators of the Volnovakha police station are interrogating the main DPR Cossack," the press service of the Ukrainian National Police main department in Donetsk region reported on its official Facebook page on Monday evening.

During the detention the 66-year-old man had a certificate of the DPR ataman and a permit to carry Cossack weapons (sabers, a dagger and whips) on him.

The ataman said that he had taken command of a regiment, which comprised 90 Cossacks in 2011, the Cossacks joined DPR armed units in 2014, the Ukrainian police said.

The police did not reveal the name of the detainee, but said a criminal inquiry was launched on the count of assistance to members of criminal organizations and concealment of their criminal activity that involves a penalty of up to five years of imprisonment.
A formal twinning between Kilkenny City and the north Italian town of Formigine could take place in May next year, local councillors have heard.

A friendship agreement between the two was signed last year. In May, a delegation from Kilkenny including local councillors and officials visited Formigine, which has a similiar population size to the Marble City.

At a recent meeting of the Kilkenny City Municipal District, Cllr Malcolm Noonan, who was part of the recent visit to Formigine, said the trips were worthwhile. The delegation brought a number of local food and drink products with them, such as from Highbank Orchard and Costellos Brewery, for their hosts to sample.

The key thing for members on twinning trip is not just the certificate on the wall,said Cllr Noonan.

This can have a very positive knock-on effect for social and economic benefits. It is important we continue that engagement.

Then-mayor Patrick O' Neill, who also visited Formigine, said there was a bit of cynicism around twinning sometimes, but there was potential at present for a lot of exciting projects. He said that a designated member of council staff that can work on the issue of twinning might make things more efficient.

As councillors, it can be hard for us to push it over the line, he said.

But they are beneficial to both communities.

Director of services Tim Butler said he concurred with a lot of the comments. However, he noted, there was no specific funds set aside for it. He said it was important to get the benefit  economic, social  out of such arrangements, but a budget was needed for it.

Cllr Sean Tyrrell wondered how many people were encouraged to visit as a result of twinning arrangements.

Cllr O' Neill responded that nearly everyone in Moret-sur-Loing has been to Kilkenny at this stage. Cllr Tyrrell also suggested that local schools could be encouraged to consider twinned towns as possible school tour locations.
Glanbia Ireland is considering another major construction programme to cope with the increase in milk production among local farmers.

Recently, the Kilkenny city -based global food giant, received planning permission for a major extension of its existing milk production plant outside Ballyragget.

It has around 850 suppliers in Kilkenny and about 170 in Carlow.

It recently undertook a census of its 4,500 milk suppliers, including Kilkenny and Carlow who have indicated their intention to increase their milk supply to the company by approximately 30% by the year 2020.

As such, we are currently looking at a number of alternatives and have sought planning permission on a number of sites in order to provide the Glanbia business and our suppliers in the region with a range of options to support growth over the next number of years, Pat O Keeffe, Head of Farmer Relations with Glanbia said.

At this point no final decision have been taken by the Board of Glanbia on whether to proceed with any specific project but a successful planning application will streamline the decision making process, he added.

Meanwhile the new dairy processing plant in Belview, in the deep south of the county is in its third year of operation.

Mr O'Keeffe said he facility had a very successful year in 2016, processing 459 million litres of milk, almost 50% more than in its first year.

Meanwhile a series of 'town hall' style meeting with dairy suppliers continues.

The permission in Ballyragget is for an extension to the existing milk powder processing plant and extensions to the existing administration building to accommodate an enlarged food preparation area, additional personnel facilities, offices and a laboratory.

The development will also include alterations to existing roads, car parks, drainage system, services and landscaped areas, a new 97 space car park, truck loading and unloading bays, paved areas and all associated drains and services including site lighting and landscaping works.

The existing facility holds an industrial emissions licence issued by the Environmental Protection Agency.

Farming News, page 21
A Kilkenny man who dismissed a team of lawyers during his trial for murder, and recalled his own nephew to cross-examine him himself, has had his conviction quashed on appeal.

Tadhg Butler (36), with an address at Seafield in Tramore, Co Waterford but originally from Kilkenny had pleaded not guilty at the Central Criminal Court to the murder of Michael O'Dwyer (25) at that address on January 10, 2014. Butler dismissed his legal team on day six of his trial for murder and recalled his nephew, Mr Anthony O' Grady, which saw a 'radically different version of events put to him' by Butler compared to what had been put to him earlier by Butler's lawyers on his instructions.

The latter version alleged that Butler had accidentally stabbed the deceased when struggling to take a knife off Mr O'Grady - a suggestion which was vehemently denied by Mr O' Grady.

Butler was unanimously found guilty by a Central Criminal Court jury after two hours and 26 minutes of deliberations and he was given the mandatory life sentence by Mr Justice Patrick McCarthy on May 15, 2015.

He successfully appealed his conviction today, with the Court of Appeal holding that the trial judge ought to have advised him that the new version of events he put to his cousin in the witness box could not have been considered by the jury without hearing sworn evidence in relation to it.

Giving judgment in the Court of Appeal, Mr Justice Alan Mahon said the trial judge was entitled to use his discretion to insist the trial should continue in the interests of justice at a time when the prosecution's case had almost closed. The decision to force Butler's hand in this way did not result in the his trial becoming unfair.

However, there was an onus on the trial judge, 'over and above that which is present when an accused is legally represented, to ensure, as far as reasonably practicably possible' that the accused would not take any step which might weaken any line of defence he had clearly adopted.

Mr Justice Mahon said it was clear Butler's line of questioning was intended to establish that he had accidentally stabbed the deceased.

In his closing speech to the jury, Butler recounted again the new version of events put by him to his nephew.

It was almost certainly the case Butler did not understand that in order for the jury to consider his version of events, it was necessary that they should hear it as sworn evidence," Mr Justice Mahon said.

While such would have been in the basic knowledge of a lawyer it is unlikely to have been known by a lay person.

Mr Justice Mahon said the Court of Appeal was in no way suggesting that a trial judge should step into the shoes of an accused's discharged legal advisor.

He said the trial judge was correct in his instruction to the jury that unsworn statements made by Butler in the course of the trial, either when cross examining Mr O' Grady or during his closing speech to the jury, were not evidence, and could not be considered as such by the jury.

He said the trial judge correctly told the jury that it could not consider as evidence Butler's suggestion that his stabbing of the deceased was accidental because Butler had not given that evidence under oath.

In these particular circumstances, the trial judge ought to have gone further than reminding Butler of his entitlement to give evidence under oath. The trial judge should have advised him that if he did not do so, or call other evidence on his behalf, the jury could not consider the new version of events as they had not heard sworn evidence in relation to it.

On that basis, Mr Justice Mahon, who sat with Mr Justice George Birmingham and Mr Justice John Edwards, said the court was satisfied that the conviction ought to be quashed.

Mr Justice Mahon said the Court of Appeal would in due course hear submissions on wether a re-trial should be ordered.

Giving background, Mr Justice Mahon said four men, on the date in question, were drinking in a house in County Waterford when a row broke out. It was alleged that Butler fatally stabbed Mr O' Dwyer in his side.

Another of the men present, Mr Anthony O'Grady made a statement claiming that he had witnessed Butler stabbing the deceased but at trial Mr O' Grady professed a lack of memory and his statement was admitted by direction of the trial judge under Section 16 of the Criminal Justice Act 2006.

There was also evidence from Butler's ex-partner to the effect that when visiting Butler in jail, he told her that he had stabbed the deceased.

On day six of his trial for murder, Butler 'parted company' with his legal team, led by Brendan Grehan SC, and sought an adjournment to appoint a new team of lawyers.

The trial judge offered Butler the choice of either re-engaging his legal team or proceeding with the case and representing himself.

Mr Grehan, having consulted with Butler, sought leave that he and his team be permitted to discharge themselves from the case because their new instructions were 'radically different' to his pre-trial instructions on which he had conducted the trial up to that point.

Counsel indicated that Butler now wished to recall the prosecution witness, Mr O'Grady, and put a 'totally different' version of events to him. In pressing for an adjournment to engage a new legal team, Butler said he was unable to represent himself and did not wish to do so.

He told the trial court: I feel that I am not getting a fair trial because of the evidence that I have heard in this case and I should have said this, you know, from the start, but I didn't actually know the way this case was going to play out and there is... my life is at stake here in this case and I feel that I need more time for, to put a proper defence, to be able to have a fair trial in this case.

Prosecution counsel, Denis Vaughan Buckley SC, requested the court to direct the trial to continue.

The trial judge ruled: I take the view that the case should proceed. At this juncture you must take responsibility for the course which you have adopted and it is your responsibility.

Butler then recalled Mr O' Grady and cross examined him which saw a radically different version of events put to him by Butler compared to what had been put to him earlier.

Counsel for Butler in the Court of Appeal, Michael Bowman SC, maintained that he was 'clearly unfamiliar with basic legal concepts' including the principle that evidence is not made up of submissions or comment from the body of the court but is given under oath in the witness box and that the jury could not rely upon comment or submissions in arriving at its verdict.

This misapprehension led to a situation where the accused did not call any evidence to support the defence 'raised belatedly', as he believed that this was not necessary and that references he made in his closing speech to the jury, did not constitute evidence for consideration by the jury.
Kingstree, SC (29556)

Today

Cloudy with occasional light rain throughout the day. High 76F. Winds SSW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 80%..

Tonight

A shower is possible early. Cloudy skies early, then partly cloudy after midnight. Low 61F. Winds SW at 10 to 15 mph.
July 3 (Reuters) - Australian shares were poised for a higher open on Monday as stronger commodity prices looked to charge up resources stocks.

Oil rose for a seventh straight session on Friday on a declining U.S. rig count and stronger demand data from China, while iron ore prices headed for their biggest gain for the month of June since 2009. Coking coal prices extended gains on Friday, after soaring nearly 8 percent the previous day. The local share price index futures rose 0.4 percent, a 51.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark ended 1.7 percent lower on Friday.

Traders in Australia would also be gearing up for their central bank's policy meeting on Tuesday, where the bank is seen to stand pat on its cash rate, according to a Reuters poll of economists. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index inched up 0.1 percent or 8.88 points to 7620.32 in early trade.

(Reporting by Anusha Ravindranath in Bengaluru; Editing by Sandra Maler)
Eight people were wounded in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon in an incident police consider to be a settling of scores rather than a militant attack, regional newspaper La Provence reported on Monday.

Reuters was unable to immediately confirm the report, which cited a judicial source as saying police are "not at all treating it as terrorist related" and suspected instead a dispute between youths.

The newspaper also cited witnesses as saying that one of two gunmen with their faces covered had fired shots around at 10:30 p.m. as people were coming out of the mosque before the two fled the site.

The incident comes after a man was arrested on Thursday after trying to drive a car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Creteil in an incident in which no one was injured.

France is on high security alert following a series of militant attacks in recent years.

(Reporting by Leigh Thomas in Paris; Editing by Sandra Maler)
July 4 (Reuters) - Australian shares are set to open higher on Tuesday, lifted by a solid boost in oil prices and ahead of a central bank meeting where the Reserve Bank of Australia is expected to stand pat on its cash rate.

Oil prices gained over 2 percent on Monday as U.S. output diminished while iron ore futures matched up, jumping over 3 percent, supported by data showing a recovery in China's manufacturing activity. Australia's central bank is seen holding the cash rate at a record low of 1.5 percent in its policy meeting later in the day, according to economists polled by Reuters. The local share price index futures gained 0.6 percent, or 35 points, a 14.5-point discount to the underlying S&P/ASX 200 index close. The benchmark fell 0.7 percent at the close of trade on Monday.

The benchmark is also expected to be cheered up by gains in Wall Street led by energy and bank stocks. New Zealand's benchmark S&P/NZX 50 index edged up about 0.1 percent, or 9.77 points, to 7,598.2 in early trade.

For a summary of overnight action across global markets, double click on For a digest of the day's business stories in Australian newspapers, double click on (Reporting by Hanna Paul in Bengaluru; Editing by Lisa Shumaker)
Editor's Note: Kitco readers, have your say! Check out our newest feature  KITCO CHAT!  where you can share your comments and ask questions directly to us.

Commercial production has been achieved at Pretium Resources Inc.s (TSX, NYSE: PVG) Brucejack Mine in British Columbia, the company says. Under a credit agreement with lenders, the date of commercial production date is the first day of the month immediately following the first calendar month during which the process plant processes ore at an average rate of 60% of one-twelfth of yearly nameplate capacity (985,500 tonnes per year or 2,700 tonnes per day). During June, the process plant at Brucejack processed 70,805 tonnes of ore (87.4% of one-twelfth of yearly nameplate capacity) for an average of 2,360 tonnes per day, the company says. Higher-grade ore has begun to be introduced to the process plant as work continues on optimizing recoveries in the gravity and flotation circuits, the company adds.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Barrick , Shandong Complete Sale, Form Joint Venture

Barrick Gold Corp. (NYSE, TSX: ABX) has completed the previously announced sale of a 50% interest in the Veladero mine in Argentina to Shandong Gold Mining Co., Ltd. for $960 million. The April agreement also calls for the two companies to form a 50-50 joint venture at Veladero. As a result, the two companies have also formed a working group to explore the joint development of the Pascua-Lama deposit, Barrick says. As a third step, Barrick and Shandong will evaluate additional investment opportunities on the highly prospective El Indio Gold Belt on the border of Argentina and Chile. Proceeds from the sale of 50% of Veladero will be used primarily to reduce debt, Barrick says.

By Allen Sykora of Kitco News; asykora@kitco.com

Great Panther Silver Complex Purchase Of Peruvian Mine

Great Panther Silver Ltd. (TSX: GPR; NYSE MKT: GPL) announces the closing of its previously announced acquisition of the Coricancha gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper underground mine and mill complex, located in Peru, from subsidiaries of Nyrstar N.V. "The project has excellent potential to be a new mine for the company, and we are immediately ramping up our evaluation toward that goal," says Robert Archer, president and chief executive officer. Coricancha is a fully permitted mine that has been on care and maintenance since August 2013.
ZURICH, July 3 (Reuters) - Swiss smart meter maker Landis+Gyr said on Monday it plans an initial public offering (IPO) in the third quarter as its owner, Japanese conglomerate Toshiba , scrambles to raise funds to cover losses at U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse.

Toshiba and the Innovation Corporation Network of Japan (ICNJ) plan to sell their entire stakes, Landis+Gyr said in a statement, with the shares to be listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange.

Toshiba had previously spurned a nearly $2 billion offer to buy Landis+Gyr from CVC Capital Partners and Hitachi , Reuters has reported. (Reporting by John Miller)
Following are news stories, press reports and events to watch that may affect Poland's financial markets on Monday. ALL TIMES GMT (Poland: GMT + 2 hours):

MANUFACTURING PMI

Markit will release its manufacturing PMI for Poland at 0700 GMT.

JSW Coking-coal producer JSW will pay out a one-off benefit to 21,000 of its workers in September, totalling 130 million zlotys ($35 million), Gazeta Polska daily said on Saturday.

BGK

Polish state bank BGK has asked the finance ministry for a 2 billion zlotys capitalisation, the Dziennik Gazeta Prawna newspaper reported, quoting unnamed sources.

REIT

Poland's central bank is against launching Real Estate Investment Trust (REIT) on the Polish market, as planned by the finance ministry, Puls Biznesu reported, citing a central bank document sent to the ministry.

****Reuters has not verified stories reported by Polish media and does not vouch for their accuracy.****

For other related news, double click on: Polish equities E.Europe equities Polish money Polish debt Eastern Europe All emerging markets Hot stocks Stock markets Market debt news Forex news For real-time index quotes, double click on: Warsaw WIG20 Budapest BUX Prague PX ($1 = 3.7082 zlotys)

(Reporting by Warsaw Bureau; Editing by David Goodman)
DOHA, July 3 (Reuters) - Qatar's central bank is suspending its monthly auction of Treasury bills, which would normally occur at this time of month, a source familiar with the matter told Reuters.

Sanctions against Qatar by other Gulf Arab states have pressured liquidity in the Qatari money market; last week the three-month Qatar interbank offered rate rose as high as a multi-year peak of 2.44 percent, from below 2 percent before the diplomatic crisis erupted on June 5.

At its last bills auction a month ago, the central bank sold 690 million riyals ($190 million) of T-bills.

(Reporting by Tom Finn; Writing by Andrew Torchia)
HANOI, July 3 (Reuters) - Here's a snapshot of Vietnamese dong exchange rates in the official and unofficial markets, indicative SJC gold prices in Hanoi and interbank offered rates at 0406 GMT.

July 3 USD/VND mid-point 22,431 USD/VND interbank 22,699/22,767 USD/VND unofficial 22,760/22,780 SJC gold (mln dong/tael) 36.15/36.37

Interbank offered rates Overnight 1.4-2.3

1 week 2.0-2.5

1 month 3.1-3.4

3 months 4.0-4.5

NOTES: As of Jan. 4, 2016 the State Bank of Vietnam has begun setting the mid-point rate on daily basis, allowing dollar/dong transactions to move in a band of +/- 3 percent around the mid point. The dong's exchange rate against other currencies is not restricted by a band. Interbank offered rates are the latest indicative bid/ask prices, quoted from market sources.

One tael is equivalent to 37.5 grams or 1.21 troy ounces. SJC gold prices are quoted by state-owned Saigon Jewelry Co.

For more interbank rate fixings released at 0400 GMT, click on .

For Vietnam market overview click on: Vietnam's bonds market auctions: Bonds auction results: (Compiled by Hanoi Newsroom)
ZURICH, July 3 (Reuters) - The Swiss blue-chip SMI was seen opening 0.1 percent higher at 8,914 points on Monday, according to premarket indications by bank Julius Baer .

The following are some of the main factors expected to affect Swiss stocks:

LANDIS+GYR

The Swiss smart meter maker said it plans an initial public offering (IPO) in the third quarter as its owner, Japanese conglomerate Toshiba , scrambles to raise funds to cover losses at U.S. nuclear unit Westinghouse. VONTOBEL Swiss bank Vontobel could buy a business with 20 billion Swiss francs ($20.9 billion) in assets under management, Chief Executive Zeno Staub tells Sonntagszeitung, although it does not need to make any acquisitions at present. For more news, click COMPANY STATEMENTS * Zurich Chief Executive Mario Greco told German daily Handelsblatt that the insurer is not interested in large takeovers. * Roche announced the CE-IVD launch of the cobas MRSA/SA nucleic acid test for use on the cobas Liat System for the qualitative detection and differentiation of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) and Staphylococcus aureus (SA) at the point of care. * Julius Baer announced the appointment of Ashish Gumashta as chief executive officer of Julius Baer Wealth Advisors (India) Private Limited. * Cicor and EMS signed a new syndicated loan facility on June 30 with a financing framework to the amount of 75 million Swiss francs. * ABB said Chunyuan Gu, Managing Director of ABB China, will become President of the company's Asia, Middle East and Africa (AMEA) region. * Schweiter Technologies said it is selling its SSM Textile Machinery division to Rieter , with the overall transaction resulting in a book profit of approximately 90 million Swiss francs. * Alpiq has acquired Diamond Lite S.A., the Swiss specialist for hydrogen gas production facilities. * Arbonia said it intends to sell its industrial services division. * Valiant Holding will continue to cooperate with Zuercher Kantonalbank (ZKB), with ZKB now free to continue holding a 3.01 percent stake in Valiant. Valiant also said it now owns 97.4 percent of Triba shares. * Vaudoise said it had concluded the takeover of Berninvest AG and Dr. Meyer Asset Management AG. * EFG International said Marcelo Coscarelli, member of its executive committee, will take responsibility for the Latin America region as of July 1, bringing the region under sole leadership. * Sika said Ivo Schaedler will assume responsibility for the Europe, Middle East and Africa (EMEA) region and will join Sika's Group Management. He succeeds Paul Schuler, who was appointed Chief Executive Officer in May. * WISeKey reported consolidated (unaudited) preliminary revenue of approximately $20 million in the first half of 2017. ECONOMY * Swiss retail sales for are due to be released by the Federal Statistics Office at 0715 GMT.

* The Swiss purchasing managers' index for June is due to be released at 0730 GMT.

* The Swiss National Bank releases sight deposit data at 0800 GMT.

(Reporting by Zurich newsroom)

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By Jeff Mason

BRIDGEWATER, N.J., July 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday and discussed the threat posed by North Korea, while putting pressure on Beijing over trade.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula," the White House said of Trump's call with Xi.

"President Trump reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners," it said.

Trump has become increasingly frustrated with China's inability to rein in North Korea, and the reference to trade was an indication that the one-time New York businessman may be ready to return to his tougher-talking ways on business with Beijing after holding back in hopes that it would put more pressure on Pyongyang.

Trump and Abe, in their call, reiterated their commitment to increase pressure on North Korea.

"They reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea," the White House said in a statement.

The phone calls, ahead of meetings he will hold with both leaders at the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, on July 7-8, come at a time of heightened concern over North Korea's nuclear and missile programs.

'DO IT QUICKLY'

Trump's separate conversations with the two leaders followed White House talks with South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in, last week in which the U.S. leader called on Asian powers to implement sanctions and demand North Korea "choose a better path and do it quickly."

During and after a Florida summit with Xi in April, Trump praised his Chinese counterpart for agreeing to work on the North Korea issue and has held back on attacking Chinese trade practices he railed against during the presidential campaign.

But Trump has recently suggested he was running out of patience with China's modest steps to pressure North Korea, which is working to develop a nuclear-tipped missile capable of hitting the United States, and has been considering moving ahead on trade actions.

Trump has been weighing new quotas or tariffs on steel imports for national security reasons and plans to discuss his concerns at the G20. Washington sees excess global production capacity, particularly in China, administration officials say.

On Thursday, the United States targeted a Chinese bank and sanctioned Chinese individuals and a firm for dealing with North Korea and approved a $1.42 billion arms deal with Taiwan - decisions that angered Beijing.

And on Sunday a U.S. warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea claimed by China, drawing a rebuke from the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Trump, who held talks with Abe earlier this year at the president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, has forged a united front with the Japanese leader on the need to exert pressure on North Korea to curb its nuclear and missile development.

(Reporting by Jeff Mason in New Jersey and Matt Spetalnick in Washington; Editing by Bill Tarrant)
(Adds details)

By Chijioke Ohuocha

LAGOS, July 3 (Reuters) - Etisalat Nigeria Chairman Hakeem Belo-Osagie has resigned after talks to renegotiate a $1.2 billion loan collapsed and prompted a major foreign shareholder to exit the telecoms company, two company sources told Reuters.

Etisalat Nigeria is the biggest foreign-owned victim of dollar shortages plaguing the country due to lower oil prices and economic recession, leaving the company struggling to make repayments to lenders and suppliers.

Abu Dhabi state investment fund Mubadala , which had a 40 percent stake in Etisalat Nigeria, pulled out of the country's fourth-largest mobile operator by market share after it failed to restructure the loan with Nigerian banks, the central bank said in June. The sources said the lenders had retained Etisalat Nigeria Chief Executive Matthew Wilshire but that talks continued on the use of the brand.

Wilshire told Reuters by phone that he was in the office on Monday and that his contract was with the Nigerian firm.

Talks of Mubadala leaving Nigeria started last year, one of the sources said, adding that the fund and parent company United Arab Emirates' Etisalat had been unhappy with the performance of the Nigerian business.

"Hakeem had been negotiating hard ... but ... it wasn't the optimal solution so he had to resign," the source said.

The lenders initiated changes in Etisalat Nigeria's shareholding structure last month. Etisalat said it was carrying its 45 percent stake at nil value. "The biggest mistake the company made was taking a loan in dollars," one of the company sources told Reuters. "It sounded like a good idea at first."

Rival MTN , Nigeria's biggest telecoms firm, had been sourcing loans in dollars but decided to switch to naira, one of the sources, who had worked for the South African firm, said.

In 2015 Etisalat started to cut down dollar payments but it was late, the sources said. It restructured its business, slashed jobs and sold off its towers to IHS Towers, the mobile phone tower managers, and leased them back but also linked payments to dollars.

The original loan was a seven-year facility to refinance a $650 million loan and fund expansion of Etisalat Nigeria's network. The company missed payments in February after sharp falls in the Nigerian naira bloated the loan's value, making repayments difficult.

A former Etisalat employee said the telecoms firm had contracted global accountancy firm PwC to manage staff salary payments for the past three months.

Nigerian regulators have said they want to protect Etisalat's 4,000 workers and would hold talks with lenders and IHS Towers as well as other suppliers. They tried to prevent lenders placing the telecoms firm in receivership in March to avoid a wider debt crisis.

Etisalat Nigeria has a 14-percent market share in the country's mobile market, behind MTN with 47 percent, Globacom with 20 percent and Airtel - a subsidiary of India's Bharti Airtel - 19 percent.

(Reporting by Chijioke Ohuocha,; Editing by Louise Heavens and Susan Thomas)
(Updates with statement, background)

MILAN, July 3 (Reuters) - Italy's Banca Carige approved a series of measures aimed at rebuilding its balance sheet on Monday, including a cash call of up to 500 million euros ($568 million) and a 1.2 billion euro sale of bad loans.

Carige, the country's ninth-biggest bank, has been told by European supervisors to shed bad debts and shore up its core capital, which does not meet the regulator's minimum requirements.

Restructuring at the regional lender was delayed earlier this year by a row over how to fix the bank's problems that led the bank's top investor, a local businessman, to squeeze out the former chief executive.

In a statement on Monday, Carige said it aimed to complete its capital increase by the end of the year after selling the bad loan portfolio and disposing of assets worth at least 200 million euros.

The cash call is guaranteed by Credit Suisse and Deutsche Bank in their roles as joint global coordinators and joint bookrunners, it said.

Carige's move comes days after Italy started to wind up two failed banks in the Veneto region in a deal that could cost the state up to 17 billion euros.

Rome is also waiting for a final green light to pump 6.6 billion euros of state money into Banca Monte dei Paschi di Siena to help keep the troubled lender in business.

Italian banks are struggling with bad debts that stood at some 350 billion euros at the end of last year and are striving to shift them off their balance sheets to boost profitability.

Carige, heavily exposed to the northwestern Liguria region where it is based, has lost nearly 2 billion euros in the past four years because of big loan writedowns and slumping revenues.

But with assets of 26 billion euros and a capital gap of 600 million euros, Carige is expected to be much less of a headache than the two Veneto-based banks. Carige's capital increase, its third cash call since 2014, had originally been penciled in for this summer but the removal of former CEO Guido Bastianini and his replacement by former UniCredit executive Paolo Fiorentino has cost time.

The bank said it had appointed Andrea Soro as its new Chief Financial Officer. ($1 = 0.8800 euros)

(Reporting by Gianluca Semeraro and Stephen Jewkes; Editing by Catherine Evans)
(Adds details, background)

KINSHASA, July 3 (Reuters) - Fighting between the Congolese army and a local militia in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has forced Banro Corp's Namoya gold mine to suspend all operations and temporarily evacuate its staff, the company said on Monday.

Twenty-three trucks belonging to a contractor of the mine were caught in cross-fire between soldiers and a local self-defence militia - identified by the army as Mai-Mai Yakutumba - near the town of Lulimba, Banro said in a statement.

Local army spokesman Captain Dieudonne Kasereka told Reuters on Monday that Mai-Mai Yakutumba fighters seized several towns from Congolese forces last week but that the army had mounted a counter-offensive to reclaim them. Ten militiamen and two army soldiers have died in fighting since Sunday, he added.

The drivers of the trucks were all safe but the militiamen have not yet cleared the release of the trucks, Banro said.

Desire Sangare, a Banro vice president, told Reuters that some workers had returned to Namoya on Monday following Saturday's halt to work and that the remaining staff were expected back by Wednesday.

The fighting is the latest security episode to hit Banro's operations in eastern Congo, home to dozens of militia groups that have continued to prey on the local population and exploit its vast mineral resources since the 2003 end of a regional war that killed millions.

Militiamen kidnapped five Namoya workers - who were later released - in March and three police officers were killed in a raid on Banro's Twangiza gold mine in a neighbouring province in February. (Reporting by Aaron Ross; Editing by Nellie Peyton/Keith Weir)
The Herald editorial:

The Labour Party leader owes his position to the votes of affiliated trade unions and it is beginning to show.

Its called the pay off.

Andrew Little has announced a policy for industrial law that would represent a considerable step backwards for this country.

It goes far far beyond what we had during Helen Clarks Government (in fact National has hardly changed the law). Their policy is all the way back to the 1970s style national awards and de facto compulsory unionism.

If Labour becomes the government in September it will reinstate industry awards by a different name. It will call them fair pay agreements that will set the minimum pay and conditions in each industry.

They do this in Australia also. Unless the employer donates to the Labor Party, they get told by the Government how much to pay their staff.

To force all employers in an independent industry to come together and negotiate minimum rates and conditions would take a great deal of competitiveness out of the New Zealand economy.

It would destroy much competition.

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North Korea on Monday celebrated the anniversary of its strategic force in charge of missile development, saying that its missiles can hit any target in a speedy and accurate manner.



But this year, Pyongyang refrained from delivering a bellicose message against the United States as it is apparently gauging Seoul and Washington's new North Korea policy direction in the wake of the allies' summit last week.



North Korea's rubber-stamp parliament announced last year that it will designate July 3 as the Day of Strategic Force to mark its creation in 1999.



"The Strategic Force, which is beloved by people, is the nation's pride and power. It has provided the country a reliable nuclear force," said the Rodong Sinmun, the main organ of the ruling Workers' Party of Korea.



It said that missiles developed by the force can hit any target on Earth and cannot be tracked due to its speedy launches and flights. Their launches are always successful, it added.



North Korea unveiled the existence of its strategic rocket forces for the first time at a military parade in 2012 to mark the centennial of state founder Kim Il-sung's birth. In 2013, the country set up the strategic forces by expanding the rocket forces.



North Korea is working on developing a nuclear-tipped intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of hitting the U.S. mainland. Pyongyang has conducted five nuclear tests since 2006 and launched around 30 ballistic missiles last year alone.



It has fired ballistic missiles, including the Hwasong-12 intermediate-range missile on five occasions, since liberal South Korean President Moon Jae-in took office in May.



But at the anniversary, the North did not send a message full of war rhetoric against the U.S. Last year, it threatened that it will engulf U.S. military bases in a sea of fire.



Moon and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump held their first summit last week, during which North Korea's nuclear issue was one of the main agenda items.



They agreed to leave the door for dialogue with North Korea open "under the right circumstances," a joint statement said.



It showed that Trump "supported President Moon's aspirations to restart inter-Korean dialogue on issues, including humanitarian affairs," and hailed South Korea's "leading role" in creating the conditions for the peaceful reunification of the two Koreas.



North Korea's state media has yet to unveil its response to the outcome of the summit.(Yonhap)




Chinese President Xi Jinping and his US counterpart Donald Trump discussed Taiwan and the upcoming G20 summit in Germany this week in a phone call on Monday.

Taiwan issue

President Xi said the China-US relationship has made fruitful results since his meeting with Trump at the Mar-a-Lago resort in April and admitted that bilateral ties have been influenced by some negative factors.

(Photo by Xinhua)

"We value the fact that President Trump has reiterated his adherence to the one-China policy, and hope the US can stick to the commitment to it, as well as the three Sino-US joint communiques and cautiously and properly handle Taiwan-related issues, " Xi said.

On Thursday, the US State Department approved a 1.4-billion-US dollar arms sale to Taiwan, the first such deal with the Chinese region since Trump took office. China expressed strong opposition and urged the US to stop any weapons deal with Taiwan.

Trump, for his part, reaffirmed in the call that the US government did not change its stance on the one-China policy. The US president said the two countries enjoy broad common interests and can benefit from each other.

G20 summit in Germany

The two leaders also exchanged their views on the upcoming 12th G20 summit, which will take place in Germany's Hamburg on July 7-8.

Xi pointed out the world economy faces tough challenges and China and the US, together with other members of the group, should make joint efforts to enhance the function of the G20, so as to push the summit to generate more results to boost the world economy.

(Photo by Xinhua)

Trump said this year's summit had a wide range of topics for discussion and expected to have a deep exchange of views on major issues of common concern with Xi and other leaders.

The two leaders also discussed issues related with the DPRK and reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula.

Trump also called Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on the same day, and the two reiterated their commitment to increase pressure on the DPRK.

"They reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea," the White House said in a statement.

Trump's separate conversations with the two leaders were followed by his talks with South Korea's new president, Moon Jae-in, last week, in which the US leader called on Asian powers to implement sanctions and demand the DPRK "choose a better path and do it quickly".


Trump hints at renegotiating free trade deal

By Kim Rahn

WASHINGTON, D.C.  President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump had "frank and serious" discussions on North Korea, a free trade deal and other issues in their first meeting over dinner at the White House, Friday, according to Cheong Wa Dae.

After the meeting, Trump wrote on Twitter that he discussed with Moon a "new trade deal," indicating the U.S. request for a renegotiation of the countries' bilateral free trade agreement.

Yoon Young-chan, Moon's top press officer, refused to elaborate on this, only saying, "The leaders agreed to resolve the North Korean nuclear issue, establish peace on the Korean Peninsula and ensure economic prosperity for both nations based on their strong alliance."

It was the first time that Trump has invited a foreign head of state and the spouse to dinner at the White House since his inauguration in January, Cheong Wa Dae said. First lady Kim Jung-sook and U.S. first lady Melania Trump were also present.

When the two leaders first met before dinner, they shook hands, although Trump did not show his usual powerful grip. They instead tapped each other's shoulder and arm lightly in a friendly manner.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in, left, and U.S. President Donald Trump make comments after their first summit at the White House, Washington, D.C., Friday. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn

WASHINGTON, D.C.  U.S. President Donald Trump vowed to resolve the "trade imbalance" with South Korea, saying he would seek a new trade deal as the current South Korea-U.S. free trade agreement is causing a trade deficit with his country, during the first summit with South Korean President Moon Jae-in at the White House in Washington, D.C., Friday.

He even hinted at renegotiation of the FTA.

"We are renegotiating a trade deal right now with South Korea, and hopefully it will be an equitable deal," Trump said at the beginning of the one-on-one meeting with Moon at the Oval Office, which was later followed by a meeting involving more officials in the Cabinet Room.

"It will be a fair deal for both parties. It's been a rough deal for the U.S., but I think that it will be much different and will be good for both of us."

In remarks after their summit, Trump also said, "We are also working to create a fair and reciprocal economic relationship." He added that since the FTA was signed in 2011, the U.S. trade deficit with South Korea has increased by more than $11 billion, calling for measures for a trade balance especially in automobiles and steel.

"I'm encouraged by President Moon's assurances that he will work to create a level playing field so that American workers and businesses and especially automakers will have a fair shake dealing with South Korea," the U.S. president said.

Regarding Trump's comments, however, Moon only said that economic cooperation between both nations is important for the alliance's future development. "The two countries agreed on making joint efforts for economic growth and job creation so the people of both can enjoy more reciprocal results," he said after the summit.

Trump also hinted at having South Korea share more of the burden in defense costs. "We will always defend our allies. As part of that commitment, we are working together to ensure sharing the burden fairly in support of the U.S. military presence in South Korea," he said.

On North Korea's nuclear program, the two allies reaffirmed strong deterrence to its nuclear provocations. "We agreed that strong security makes peace possible," Moon said, adding the North Korea issue would be the two leaders' top agenda.

"We agreed to resolve the issue fundamentally through a phased and comprehensive approach by using both sanctions and dialogue. I hope Pyongyang will not underestimate the two nations' strong will to address the issue."

Trump also said the era of strategic patience is over.

"The U.S. calls on other regional powers and all responsible nations to join us in implementing sanctions and demanding that the North Korean regime choose a better path and do it quickly and a different future for its long-suffering people," Trump said.

The leaders also condemned the Kim Jong-un regime's brutality, especially about the recent death of a U.S. citizen, Otto Warmbier, saying they would try to improve human rights in the North.

They also said they established a strong bond and trust during the summit. "We discussed various issues frankly and seriously including the North Korean issue and other issues of mutual interest," Moon said. "It was a good opportunity for us to build trust and friendship and to reconfirm that the two countries are walking together on the same path toward a great alliance."

Moon invited Trump to come to South Korea within the year, which the latter accepted.
Kilaparti Ramakrishna, director of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) East and North-East Asia Office / Courtesy of UNESCAP





By Rachel Lee

With Korea's phenomenal progress in the past 40 years, reaching per capita income similar to the European Union average, it is vital for Korea to harness fully the potential of people, particularly women, in the Fourth Industrial Revolution era, says the U.N. sub-regional Office for East and North-East Asia director.

Kilaparti Ramakrishna, head of the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP) East and North-East Asia (ENEA) Office in Incheon, Korea, praised Seoul for achieving significant development in gender equality.

"Korea has graduated from many of the gender-related development issues that developing countries are facing, such as achieving near universal literacy and enrolment in primary and secondary education," Ramakrishna told The Korea Times.

"It also has a record of substantial improvement on its gender gap in professional and technical workers."

But the director said this did not mean Korea had a gender-equal society.

While Korea ranks 17th of 188 countries in the U.N. Human Development Program's Human Development Index, it ranked only 116th out of 144 countries in the World Economic Forum (WEF)'s Global Gender Gap in 2016.

According to WEF data, the labor participation rate for women is 73 percent that of men, and wage equality for similar work is 52 percent of men's. Women account for only around 10 percent of legislators and senior government officials.

"While both men and women may be given equal job opportunities in legal terms in Korea, the differences in labor market participation suggest some involuntary causes that discourage women to participate in the labor market," he said.

He also pointed out females made up half of Korea's population last year.

The life expectancy at birth for women was 85.5 years in 2014, 6.5 years longer than that of men.

Compared with other Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) countries, Korea stood considerably lower, indicating there was room for changes in customs and systems to secure sustainable development and improved quality of life, the director said.

"Discrimination on the basis of gender is a challenge faced by all countries. That is why the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) include gender equality as SDG 5, so that all countries can address this challenge in a more collaborative way and we can learn from each other."

Goal 5 is about achieving gender equality and empower all women and girls, according to the organization.

One of the targets for this Goal is Target 5.5: Ensure women's full and effective participation and equal opportunities for leadership at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life, with indicator 5.5.1: Proportion of seats held by women in national parliament and local governments. As for the score of this indicator, the Republic of Korea ranks low  lower than the average of developing countries.

"It appears necessary to make continuous and structural policy efforts to reduce gender discrepancies in the areas of decision-making. Furthermore, it is fundamental to promote policies to structurally reduce the number of victims of serious crime to enhance gender equality in the safety sector," he added.

In order to address the persistent gender gaps in labor force participation and the continued barriers faced by many women in exercising their rights to decent work in Asia and the Pacific, ESCAP has focused its efforts on advancing women's economic empowerment, including through entrepreneurship.

ESCAP has been working with governments in the region to foster the adoption of legal and regulatory measures that remove barriers to women's entrepreneurship, as well as increase women's access to financial services, markets and information and communication technologies.

Most recently, against the backdrop of the ASEAN Economic Community, ESCAP has launched a publication entitled, "Fostering Women's Entrepreneurship in ASEAN: Transforming Prospects, Transforming Societies."

"ESCAP is also championing the integration of gender concerns into national planning and budgetary processes. To date, ESCAP has provided technical assistance on gender-responsive budgeting to several countries, including Cambodia, China and Lao PDR," the director said.

"ESCAP plans to expand its provision of technical assistance in order to enhance the capacity of senior officials in ministries of finance, planning and various line ministries to apply gender-responsive budgeting in their respective countries."

With a view to addressing the low visibility of women in leadership roles in political, economic and social spheres in the region, ESCAP is also supporting measures to promote women's transformative leadership, the director said.

"ESCAP asserts that efforts must go beyond merely increasing the numbers of women in leadership at all levels of society, but also prioritize the impact and quality of leadership," he added.

With this in mind, ESCAP is currently leading a U.N. taskforce to develop an analytical publication, which aims to provide an evidence base to advocate for policy interventions and investment to promote women's transformative leadership.

Before joining ESCAP, Ramakrishna, a climate policy leader and environmental lawyer, worked for the Woods Hole Research Center (WHRC) in a threefold position: holder of Sara Shallenberger Brown Chair in Environmental Law and Policy; director, WHRC Policy Program, and vice president.

He is an Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) lead author of assessment.

Since its inception, the ENEA office, working closely with our substantive divisions in Bangkok, has developed and strengthened sub-regional networks to promote sustainable development across its member States.

Under the framework of NEASPEC, the ENEA Office has helped member states launch the North-East Asia Marine Protected Areas Network and worked on trans-boundary air pollution and tackling desertification in Mongolia. The Asia Carbon Footprint Network was created to promote sustainable consumption and production through carbon labelling initiatives.
Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars, second from right, poses at a reception to celebrate Midsummer Day at the embassy in Seoul on June 22. / Courtesy of Embassy of Latvia





By Rachel Lee

Latvian Ambassador to Korea Peteris Vaivars hosted a reception to celebrate Midsummer Day at the embassy in Seoul on June 22.

Fifty Latvians, Lithuanians and Estonians, including Estonian Ambassador to Korea Jaak Lensment and the Latvia friends' group, joined the inaugural event.

Vaivars said he hoped to hold the event regularly as a Baltic celebration in Seoul.

Jani, Midsummer Day, is the most popular Latvian festivity. It is a day when cities empty and every civil servant and bank clerk shows their pagan side. It originated as an ancient fertility festival celebrated after sowing crops and before gathering the harvest, according to the embassy.

Latvians sing, dance, eat and are merry during Jani, according to the embassy.

"Cheese with caraway seeds, meat patties and beer are a must for every table. People light bonfires, jump over them and celebrate until the sunrise. Romantic couples leave the crowd to look for the flower of the fern,' which is alleged to bloom only in the night of Jani."

Lensment, who resides in Tokyo, expressed gratitude to the Latvian Embassy for organizing the day and hoped regular events would be held for Baltic people in Korea.

The embassy imported cheese, rye bread, Latvian bear and other Latvian food for the event. Guests and hosts prepared homemade food and joined in the singing and dancing.

The celebration used to take place during the longest day and shortest night of the year, June 21.

The Christianization of Latvia moved the date forward to the eve of June 24, St. John Day. Soviet authorities prohibited the celebration in the 1960s.

Many defied the ban and went on to express their national identity through the traditional festivities.
By Rachel Lee



Korean conductor Chung Myung-whun will receive a prestigious medal from Italian President Sergio Mattarella for his contribution to developing culture and art in Italy.



The Order of the Star of Italy was formed in 2011 out of the Order of the Star Italian Solidarity, which was established in 1947.



"Maestro Chung is recognized as the person who has contributed to the development of culture and art in Italy and international exchanges in the world," the Italian Embassy in Korea said.



"Italian people love Maestro Chung. For the past decades, he has conducted many leading orchestras in Italy, such as La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra, Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome and the Teatro La Fenice Orchestra. He has enhanced the reputation of Italy through music."



The medal honors individuals who contribute to friendly and cooperative relationships between Italy and other countries, the embassy said.



Chung has received many awards, including the Arturo Toscanini prize in 1989 and the Premio della critica musicale Franco Abbiati, from the Italian Music Critic Association, twice  1988 and 2015.



He came into the spotlight when he conducted the La Scala Philharmonic Orchestra at the special concert for the G7 summit in Taormina, Sicily, in May, the embassy said.



"That demonstrates how much this country that produced many eminent conductors loves and trusts him," the embassy said.



Chung said he felt greatly honored and would try his best to improve cultural exchanges between Italy and Korea.



The award ceremony will take place at the embassy, Thursday. Italian Ambassador Marco della Seta will present the medal on behalf of the Italian president.



Chung, following his studies at Mannes College and the Juilliard School in New York, became Carlo Maria Giulini's assistant in 1979 at the Los Angeles Philharmonic and two years later was named associate conductor.



Since then, he has conducted virtually all the most prominent European and American orchestras at major opera houses. From 1984 to 1990, Chung served as music director of the Saarbrucken Radio Orchestra in Germany.



From 1989 to 1994, he was music director of the Paris Opera and from 1997 to 2005 the principal conductor of the Santa Cecilia Orchestra of Rome.



Since 2000, he has been the music director of the Orchestre Philharmonique of Radio France, music director and chief conductor of the Seoul Philharmonic Orchestra and music director of the Asia Philharmonic Orchestra, which he founded in 1995. In 2011, he was appointed as Principal Guest Conductor of the Dresden Staatskapelle.



Chung, long committed to humanitarian causes, has launched several music programs dedicated to youth development. As a UNICEF Goodwill ambassador, he traveled to Benin in 2010, where he pledged his time to programs in HIV/AIDS, water sanitation and education.



Through the Miracle of Music Foundation, which he founded in 2008, Chung continues to bring together the worlds of humanitarian causes and music.




A Korean couple found a suspicious-looking fire detector installed in the Airbnb house they rented for their trip to Japan. / Courtesy of Luliweb



By Lee Han-soo

A Korean couple found a hidden camera disguised as a fire detector in their Airbnb house in Japan.

The couple said they noticed the camera when they realized the detector was in an odd position with a tiny hole facing the bed, according to an online post by the couple on June 28.

The man, who uploaded the post, said he and his girlfriend initially joked about the detector being a hidden camera.

However, becoming suspicious, the man examined the fire detector only to realize it was a hidden camera.

He dismantled the fire detector and found a small camera attached to a micro SD card, as well as an on/off switch.

"It was a relief we hadn't done anything that night," said the man who shared the post. "However, we rented the same Airbnb house during an earlier visit in January."

The couple immediately reported the matter to the police with the help of the South Korean Embassy in Japan.

"The embassy gave us a lot of help," the man said. "The police immediately searched the house and confiscated the hidden camera. Although the case is set for a trial, I think it will only be punished as a misdemeanor."

He said he would lodge a strong complaint with Airbnb.

Airbnb official said they have removed the host from its site.

"We take privacy issues very seriously and have no tolerance for such behavior," an official said. "We immediately removed the host and provided maximum support to the affected guests."
Jung Woo-hyun

By Lee Kyung-min

The prosecution summoned former chairman of Mr. Pizza Jung Woo-hyun, Monday, over allegations he engaged in unfair business practices that violated fair trade regulations.

Before entering the Seoul Central District Prosecutors' Office for questioning, he said he was sorry for causing any problems.

"I will sincerely answer the questions asked by prosecutors," he said. However, he declined to answer a barrage of other questions.

The summon comes a week after he resigned as chairman of the company he founded over claims that he abused his superior position over his franchisees and forced them to meet unfair demands. According to the prosecution, Jung forced his franchisees to buy expensive cheese and replace store signs using companies owned by his relatives. He had franchisees pay for advertising costs of the headquarters and buy his autobiography.

He opened a new store near one that had cancelled its franchise contract, intending to hurt its business, the prosecution added.

Prosecutors raided the group's head office last week and secured corroborating evidence that "proved" the allegations.

Last year, Jung was indicted after punching a night watchman who locked the front door of a building in Seodaemun when he was still inside inspecting one of his newly opened restaurants.
From left, So Byung-chul, Mun Moo-il, Oh Se-in and Cho Hee-jin / Yonhap



By Jung Min-ho

Four current and former prosecutors have been nominated to be the country's next top prosecutor, the Ministry of Justice said Monday.

According to the ministry, a special committee narrowed the list down to four candidates  So Byung-chul, Mun Moo-il, Oh Se-in and Cho Hee-jin  "after examining their experience, ability, ethics and leadership."

The ministry will pick one of the candidates through its own evaluation and recommend the person to President Moon Jae-in.

With the minister post still vacant, Vice Minister Lee Geun-ro will likely perform the job. Given that President Moon pledged to reform the prosecution, the candidates' willingness to keep in line with his policy will likely be a major evaluation factor.

Once Moon approves the ministry's recommendation, the National Assembly has to hold a confirmation hearing within 20 days.

Among the candidates, So started his career earliest in 1986. After leaving the prosecution in 2013, he has been working for the Agricultural Cooperative University as a professor.

Mun is the head of the Busan High Prosecutors' Office. Throughout his 30-year career, he has focused mainly on investigating high-profile corruption cases, including the Sung Wan-jong scandal which eventually forced former Prime Minister Lee Wan Koo to step down.

Oh, head of the Gwangju High Prosecutors' Office, is known for having more experience in investigating North Korea-related cases than other candidates.

Cho, head of the Uijeongbu District Prosecutors' Office, is one of the few women serving in high-ranking positions in the prosecution.

"The acting minister will make the decision promptly," the ministry said in a statement.

The most critical task of the next prosecutor general will be regaining public trust by making the prosecution a more transparent, politically-independent institution.

If Park Sang-ki, professor at Yonsei University's law school, survives a confirmation hearing at the National Assembly, the next prosecutor general is expected to embark on the mission immediately.

In his columns in the past, Park pointed out that the current system, in which prosecutors can intervene and direct police investigations, is problematic and needs a major reform.

To reform the prosecution, President Moon promised mainly two things. First, he said he will remove all or part of its investigative powers. Also, he said he will set up an independent organization that is empowered to investigate and indict high-ranking government officials, including senior prosecutors.




By Doug Bandow





Newly elected South Korean President Moon Jae-in visited Washington. The result could have been a tense meeting with President Donald Trump. Moon mixes skepticism of the THAAD anti-missile system with support for dialogue with the North.



Since taking office the South Korean leader has tried to minimize perceived differences with America, claiming that his views are consistent with President Trump's policy of "maximum pressure and maximum engagement." But while Moon pragmatically tempered his views during the recent campaign, he is an avid supporter of the so-called Sunshine Policy toward North Korea.



Indeed, President Trump reportedly was angered by Moon's criticism of THAAD, which the former declared warranted a billion dollar payment to America. Worse, administration officials suggested the possibility of military strikes on the North, anathema to most South Koreans.



The central challenge for the alliance is North Korea, which has continued to pursue ever longer-range missiles and more sophisticated nuclear weapons. Unfortunately, Washington and Seoul are bereft of useful ideas on how to convince the Democratic People's Republic of Korea to disarm.



Certainly not negotiation. I visited Pyongyang in June. Officials reaffirmed that the DPRK does not intend to surrender its nuclear weapons. North Koreans blamed America's "hostile policy" and promised to match "nuke with nuke." There was not the slightest hint that the North might be willing to bargain away weapons assembled at great cost and risk.



No doubt North Korea has multiple reasons for acquiring nukes. They provide the regime with international status, create a useful tool for extortion, and cement military loyalty to the Kim dynasty.



Still, North Koreans made an impassioned claim of self-defense. They complained that they had faced American nuclear threats going back to the 1950s, noted Washington's penchant for regime change, and cited ongoing threats, including bomber overflights and annual military exercises.



Of course, this account ignores Pyongyang's behavior. Nevertheless, given the fate of Moammar Ghadafi, Kim Jong-un would be foolish to rely on Secretary Rex Tillerson's assurances that the Trump administration does not seek regime change.



What if America's "hostile policy" ended, I asked? The North would consider joining the other nuclear powers if they yielded their nukes as well, I was told. Obviously, if there are talks involving Pyongyang, they won't begin with a DPRK commitment to disarm.



Military action isn't a viable option either. Sen. Lindsey Graham felt reassured since, as he told NBC: "It would be terrible but the war would be over [there], wouldn't be here." The conflict would not "hit America." In fact, the U.S. would be involved and the casualties would be high. Moreover, the war would "hit" South Korea very hardlikely leaving the capital of Seoul in ruins.



Nor are sanctions likely to do the trick. China isn't prepared to join in, since the U.S. has yet to give Beijing a convincing reason to effectively hand over its one ally in East Asia. Anyway, a North Korean collapse would create its own set of international dangers. Moreover, the regime might resist and survive: it endured the starvation deaths of a half million or more people in the late 1990s.



Which leaves the U.S. and ROK to confront a growing North Korean nuclear threat. Once the DPRK develops a reasonably accurate ICBM, the U.S. will be risking Los Angeles, Seattle, and perhaps much more to protect Seoul.



It would be better if Washington and South Korea acknowledged the North's nuclear status and sought to make a deal freezing the DPRK's missile and nuclear programs. The U.S. and allied states can manage a world in which North Korea has 20 nuclear weapons and limited delivery options. If the latter's arsenal expands to, say, 100, along with the range of its missiles, the North's potential for harm will grow exponentially.



Offering to suspend annual military exercises, previously suggested by the DPRK, is one option. Proposing negotiations over a peace treaty and phased withdrawal of U.S. military forces from the South is another. Halting North Korean missile and nuclear development is worth the price. Along the way the allies should explore what Beijing would require to take a more active role.



There are no good options for dealing with the DPRK. Which suggests setting more modest objectives while looking toward a longer-term transformation of the North Korean state. The sooner the allies face nuclear reality in Northeast Asia, the better.





Doug Bandow is a senior fellow at the Cato Institute and a former special assistant to President Ronald Reagan. He is the author of "Tripwire: Korea and U.S. Foreign Policy in a Changed World" and co-author of "The Korean Conundrum: America's Troubled Relations with North and South Korea."
President Moon Jae-in has returned home from his first trip to the United States. But the ruling and opposition parties are still confronting each other over pending issues.



They continued to trade barbs over the weekend on whether three minister nominees were qualified. As a result, the 11.2 trillion won ($9.8 billion) extra budget remains stuck at the National Assembly.



The governing Democratic Party of Korea is urging the opposition to hurry to end the parliamentary confirmation hearing procedure and embark on discussing the budget proposal. Ruling party officials warn that opposition parties will face harsh accusations if they hamper the new President's reform drive.



On the contrary, the main opposition Liberty Korea Party and other oppositionists are sticking to their stance that suspicions about the three nominees have deepened in the course of parliamentary hearings.



Defense Minister nominee Song Young-moo is accused of receiving an exorbitant amount in advisory fees from a law firm as a lobbyist for defense contractors. Education Minister nominee Kim Sang-kon and Labor Minister nominee Cho Dae-yop are facing pressure to resign voluntarily because of plagiarism and drunk driving, respectively.



With nearly two months having passed since Moon took office, the formation of his inaugural Cabinet is making slow progress. Moon's Cabinet formation could drag on further because he will leave for Germany this week for the Group of 20 summit.



Moon is reportedly set to go ahead with appointing the three, buoyed by his high approval ratings. But there will be a strong backlash if he appoints ''defective'' nominees again, citing public opinion.



After all, it must be none other than the President who ties the Gordian knot. Moon needs to withdraw his nominations for some of the three candidates in question whose ethical lapses are serious. He ought to apologize for the personnel fiasco, if necessary, and seek the public's understanding sincerely.



The opposition parties, for their part, should ditch their outdated political practice of ''opposition for opposition's sake'' and let the new administration work. It is time for the President and the parties to end the current deadlock.








Thomas Derksen (DW/J. Qian )

Twenty-eight-year-old German-born Thomas Derksen (@Thomas), an online celebrity with millions of Chinese fans on Weibo and Meipai and other social networks, recently posted a public letter to German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Weibo and Facebook, calling for the promotion of a cashless economy in Germany.

Having lived in Shanghai, China, for ten years, Derksen has witnessed the rapid development of Chinese innovation, such as bike sharing, mobile payment, and the expansion of various Alibaba products.

Thomas Derksen (DW/J. Qian )

In his public letter to Merkel, Derksen spoke highly of Chinas booming cashless economy in particular. No matter [if] I want to pay the taxi driver, buy flowers for my wife, buy a bottle of water, or even pay my electricity bill, I can do all that with my mobile phone, he wrote. Mobile payment not just helps us save time, is safer and more convenient for customers and vendors, but also is more sanitary and economical.

Last year, Derksen made a daytrip from Shanghai to Hangzhou using only his mobile phone for payments. His story, which is posted on Weibo, was widely shared, and attracted tens of millions of Chinese fans.

According to a recent survey, 70% of mainland netizens say they dont need cash for everyday life. Alipay, the most used mobile payment system in China, plans to make China cashlessy within five years.

Thomas Derksen (DW/J. Qian )

As a qualified bank clerk in Germany, I experienced how important cash still is for the Germans, said Derksen. Germans are very conservative, fearing the potential risks of new things. Chinese people, on the contrary, are very willing to try something new.

Most Germans are used to paying with cash, and no more than five percent of Germans have used mobile payment. Hamburg, Germany, will hold this years G20 Summit from June 7 to 8, which could be a great opportunity to call on the German government to promote a cashless economy like Chinas, Derksen told The Global Times.

I believe that the German diligence and reliability, together with the Chinese flexibility and strive for innovation will lead to good results in engineering, economy and culture. I am sure that under your guidance, cashless economy can become more and more popular in Germany and can make the life of Germans easier and more convenient, Derksen wrote in his letter to Merkel.
By Lee Min-hyung



Samsung Electronics plans to invest 10 billion won ($8.72 million) this year to fund nonprofit organizations dedicated to social welfare here.



The company has teamed up with the Community Chest of Korea, the nation's largest charity organization, to select the fund winners in four areas of social, environmental, cultural and global welfare.



Depending on the project, the firm will give up to 500 million won for three years.



Samsung started the social campaign called "Sharing and Dreams" last year to financially underpin organizations for those in need. This is a part of Samsung's group-wide policy to enhance its corporate social responsibility (CSR) to give back to the community.



"More than 1,000 nonprofit organizations took part in our campaign last year," Yoon Ju-hwa, president of the Samsung CSR Committee, said. "We hope more nonprofit entities suggest great ideas to resolve social problems for this year's program as well."



Any nonprofit organizations doing welfare business here can apply for funding from July 10 to Aug. 25. Samsung is set to select 50 nonprofit bodies in December, after document reviews and interviews.



Last year, the company picked 51 nonprofits from 1,045 applicants.



Community Chest of Korea Chairman Hur Dong-soo also pledged to spare no efforts to support the nation's largest charity campaign.



To be specific, applicants for social welfare need to propose ideas to resolve such issues as social polarization, unemployment and the "educational gap." Those applying for environmental welfare can pitch ideas about ways to improve the quality of life of underprivileged people suffering from air or water pollution.



Global welfare applicants need to present specific measures to improve education or healthcare infrastructure in developing countries, Samsung said.



Samsung Electronics is one of the biggest donors in Asia's fourth-largest economy.







CSR activities in Asia



It has also carried out various CSR activities across the world including Asia.



Last December, Samsung Electronics gave 1,000 motorcycle helmets to students in Cambodia. Through what it calls the "Helmet Campaign," the company said it aimed at tackling a serious traffic safety problem in Cambodia. About 70 percent of traffic accident victims are involved in motorcycle crashes. But only 22 percent of Cambodia's motorcycle riders wear helmets.



Last September, a Samsung Electronics volunteer team went to Uzbekistan to provide information technology education to high school students and collegians in the country. It was the third consecutive year for the company to send volunteers to the country.




By Yoon Ja-young







The Qualcomm chairman reportedly expressed dissatisfaction over a fine levied by Korea's antitrust watchdog in a meeting with President Moon Jae-in last week.



He made the complaint at the Korea-U.S. Business Summit, which was jointly hosted by the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce in Washington D.C. last Wednesday during President Moon's visit to the country, according to reports.



President Moon as well as the heads of the two chambers of commerce and some Korean and American major business leaders, including Qualcomm Chairman Paul Jacobs, were at the closed meeting before the official dinner.



Those who attended the meeting said that the participants took turns to make greeting remarks. Most of them stressed economic cooperation between the two countries and the overall atmosphere was friendly.



Jacobs also said that Qualcomm will play important role in future of info-tech development along with Korean companies. But he also said that Korean Fair Trade Commission's (FTC) penalty on Qualcomm was "unfair," that it doesn't suit the Korea-U.S. Free Trade Agreement (KORUS FTA).



Korea's antitrust watchdog imposed a 1.03 trillion won ($898 million) administrative fine on Qualcomm last December. The step was based on a decision that the U.S.-based chipmaker abused its monopolistic power to hamper competition through years-long unfair licensing contracts with local handset manufacturers.



It also pointed out that while refusing to offer its patent rights, Qualcomm forced mobile phone makers to share their patent rights for free.



Qualcomm immediately objected the decision. Back then, Qualcomm Vice President Don Rosenberg said that the company strongly believes that "the Korean FTC findings are inconsistent with the facts, disregard the economic realities of the marketplace, and misapply fundamental tenets of competition law."



He claimed that Qualcomm's repeated requests during the Korean FTC's investigation for basic due process rights such as access to the case files and the right to cross examine witnesses were denied.



"These rights and others are supposed to be guaranteed to U.S. companies under the KORUS FTA, yet the Korean FTC declined to implement these fundamental procedural safeguards," he said.



Regarding its chairman's recent comment while meeting with President Moon, a spokesman for Qualcomm in Korea said the company has nothing to comment on the issue. Qualcomm took the case to the court in February.



Despite Qualcomm's appeal, the firm is facing similar investigation by antitrust regulators in the EU and Taiwan, and global companies like Apple, Intel and Samsung Electronics are confronting Qualcomm.



In addition, there are questions over whether or not it is a discourtesy to raise such a specific issue about Qualcomm's interests with the President who visited the U.S. for a summit.




An Aeromexico Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which flies between Incheon and Mexico City. / Courtesy of Aeromexico



By Jung Min-ho

Travelers who want to fly to Mexico from Korea can now do so nonstop.

According to Incheon International Airport Corporation (IIAC), Monday, Aeromexico has officially started operating direct flights between Incheon and Mexico City, the Central American country's capital.

"The new flights are expected to boost networks between the two countries," said Lim Byung-kee, head of the IIAC's hub strategy division.

Mexico hopes to take advantage of the Asian outbound tourism boom, of which Korea is very much at the forefront.

Aeromexico said 350,000 travelers visited Mexico from Asia last year. Of these, 76,000 were from Korea.

From January to May, about 28,000 Koreans have visited the country, up 2.1 percent from the same period last year. The company hopes the number will continue to rise.



The company said the direct flights will cut the flight time to 14 hours, compared with 18 hours when planes had to stop in the U.S. or Canada before reaching Mexico.
On July 3, the former US President Barack Obama attended the 8th Asian Leadership Conference hosted by Chosun Ilbo at the Walkerhill Hotel in Seoul. During the conference Obama lectured about his eight-year experience at the presidency and the topic of "Leadership to Change the World."

During the lecture, Obama talked how delighted he was to be back in Seoul for the first time since finishing his presidency. He mentioned the strength of the alliance between South Korea and the United States and how soldiers from both nations fought to protect the freedom of the Korean peninsula.

He talked about the progress that South Korea has made over time the decades, thanks to the Korean people's dedication to innovation and work ethic. He said that South Korea's trade and commerce with the rest of the world has made the future get better with every generation.

Speaking of exports and exchange, the lecture turned to South Korea's pop culture reaching the rest of the world. Obama commented on the popularity of the boy group SHINee with the American youth.

"Some of our young people in America have even learned to speak some Korean so they can keep up with the band "SHINee."

"In exchange, I understand SHINee has developed a passion for America's In-N-Out Burgers."

Kpop fans reacted to Obama's speech by pointing out that Obama was very specific about SHINee rather than mentioning Kpop in general.

For years, there have been jokes and fan edited photo that made Obama look like a fan of the group. However, with Obama referencing SHINee in his speech, maybe the fans were not far from the truth at all.

Regardless, if Obama is really a fan or not, it is nice that SHINee is being recognized for their ability to captivate fans international by the former U.S President himself.


The Grand Mansion Gate will tour the country after its premiere in Beijing.

(Photo: China Daily)

The Grand Mansion Gate, the story of the Beijing-based Bai family through one of the most politically tumultuous periods of modern Chinese history, reappears in a new avatar. Chen Nan reports.

It has been 16 years since Chinese director and scriptwriter Guo Baochang made Da Zhai Men, or The Grand Mansion Gate, a 72-episode TV drama based on the story of his adoptive father.

Considered a classic with a star-studded cast, including Chinese filmmakers Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige and Jiang Wen, The Grand Mansion Gate is the story of the Beijing-based Bai family through one of the most politically tumultuous periods of modern Chinese history, spanning from the late Qing Dynasty (1644-1911) up until World War II.

Now, the story has been adapted by Li Zhuoqun, a 30-year-old director and scriptwriter, into a Peking Opera of the same name.

The show premiered at Beijing's Tianqiao Performing Arts Center over June 17 and 18.

It will go on a national tour, followed by shows in Japan and South Korea.

"When I got the idea of writing The Grand Mansion Gate decades ago, I thought of Peking Opera first rather than TV. But I did not pursue the opera option then because I could not find the right people," says Guo, 77, who is a big fan of Peking Opera and used lots of Peking Opera elements in the TV drama.

About two years ago, he saw Li's first directorial work, Yan Xijiao, which is about a love triangle comprising Yan Xijiao, a concubine, district official Song Jiang and Yan's secret lover, Song's apprentice Zhang Wenyuan.

Guo was impressed by Li's approach, which blends traditional techniques with a contemporary interpretation of the ancient art.

So, Guo decided to work with the young director.

Then, along with Li, he co-directed the Peking Opera version of The Grand Mansion Gate.

Li, who was born in Linfen, Shanxi province, to a family who worked in local folk opera, is credited with creating a market for Peking Opera shows in small theaters.

Fans say that her plots are simple and there are fewer characters to keep track of.

Li has been working with Jingju Theater Company of Beijing, which was founded in 1979, since her graduation from the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts about 10 years ago.

Recounting her reaction when she was approached by Guo, she says: "I was flattered when he came tome. I had watched the TV drama many times and was a big fan."

Peking Opera, known as jingju in Chinese, has a history of more than 200 years and was declared an intangible cultural heritage by UNESCO in 2010.

Recalling the challenges she faced, Li says that the first one was the script.

"Guo said he wanted to do a show about the family but different from the TV version. So, we discussed the story over and over again. He wanted me to be original and creative," says Li.

In the TV drama, the focus is on Bai Jingqi, who is a rebellious and ambitious young man. He carries the hopes of his family, which runs a traditional Chinese medicine store in Beijing.

The original story comprises four chapters, which are named after the four seasons, but the Peking Opera version opens with Yang Jiuhong, the prostitute who Bai falls in love with.

Despite his family's objections, he marries Yang and brings her into the family, where she faces rejection.

Speaking about her role, Peking Opera actress Dou Xiaoxuan, who plays Yang, says: "It is a big challenge because most of the roles I have played before are women of high social status. The role of Yang is tragic and requires lots of emotion."

Dou had studied under famous Peking Opera actresses such as Du Jinfang and Li Weikang at the National Academy of Chinese Theater Arts.

The 30-year-old says that He Saifei, who plays the role of Yang in the TV drama, inspires her.

"She has a strong personality. She guards her love and endures lots of pressure from the big family. In the end, she almost goes crazy but she still loves Bai," says Dou.

Li says that the average age of the team is about 27, which means that the Peking Opera version of The Grand Mansion Gate has a young feel.

"Making the ancient art popular with the young is what I have always dreamed of," she says.
Remember the road-straddling bus that hit north China's Qinhuangdao last summer?

One year has passed since the road congestion-easing project gained global attention and it has been proven to be a hoax. The project developer was detained on grounds of illegal fund raising, according to Beijing police late Sunday.

The Transit Elevated Bus (TEB) rolled off production line last July, with claims it could carry hundreds of passengers and was able to ease chronic traffic congestion as it drives over vehicles.

The project's test launch was high profile, with videos and pictures going viral at that time.

According to the police, Beijing-based e-finance company Huaying Kailai was behind the hype, and advocated its crowd funding, claiming it would be a public-private partnership (PPP) supported by the local government.

Bai Zhiming, the CEO of Huaying Kailai, together with 31 others, was detained by the police in late June for illegal fund raising.

The TEB was relocated to a nearby parking garage on June 21, and the 300-meter testing tracks were removed by local officials. The website of the developer, TEB Technology Development, also controlled by Bai, was later found being taken off.

Investigation into the case continues.
New data have been released contradicting Republican propaganda about the failing Affordable Care Act. What may be more embarrassing to the hardliners pushing repeal is that it comes from the government, specifically the Department of Health and Human Services.

Under Secretary Tom Price, the department has been a fount of anti-ACA rhetoric. But in an annual report about the ACAs risk-management provisions issued Friday, Health and Human Services established that the key programs are working as intended, protecting insurers from unexpectedly large risks and moderating premiums for consumers.

Not only that, the data would seem to refute the commonly held belief that the marketplace population is becoming sicker, observes health economist Timothy Jost, writing in Health Affairs. In fact, according to the figures from 2016 in the latest report, the customer base is getting healthier and the risk pools have been stabilizing.

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Both the transitional reinsurance program and the permanent risk adjustment program are working as intended.  Department of Health and Human Services

The report covers the ACAs permanent risk adjustment program and its temporary reinsurance program, which ran from 2014 through the end of last year and then expired.

The first program imposes a charge on plans with lower average risks and transfers those funds to the higher-risk plans. Its designed to be neutral within each state, and the HHS data show thats exactly what has happened. Among Californias 15 eligible insurance carriers, about $392.7 million appears on both sides of the ledger for 2016.

The idea of risk adjustment is to remove the incentive for insurers to cherry-pick healthy customers. Although the ACA requires that insurers in the individual market sell insurance to all applicants without surcharging them for pre-existing conditions or their medical histories, there are many ways for insurers to discourage sicker patients from signing up  for instance, they can drop certain drugs from their prescription formularies or assemble narrow physician networks that skimp on certain specialties. Thanks to risk-adjustment, the more successful such plans are in achieving low-risk enrollment pools, the more theyll get dinged for a payment each year.

Reinsurance was designed to protect insurers from individual high-cost enrollees. It was limited to the first three years of the individual exchanges, 2014-16, on the reasoning that by the end of that period insurers would have enough experience and sufficiently large customer bases to cover high-cost outliers without assistance. The provision was to pay out $20 billion to insurers via assessments on the industry over its three-year life. Payment requests came to about $7.5 billion for 2016.

Programs like these are anything but novel. Theyre permanent features of Medicare Part D, the prescription drug program that was championed by Republican lawmakers when it was enacted in 2003. Part D also includes a risk-corridor provision, which places an assessment on insurers collecting large profits from the program and pays them out to insurers with commensurate losses.

The ACA also has a risk-corridor provision, but it was seriously hamstrung by congressional Republicans, who suddenly decided that it was an insurer bailout even though they wrote it into their Part D legislation. Weve reported before on the flagrant hypocrisy of this act (were looking at you, Marco Rubio, R-Fla.), which merely drove up costs for consumers.

But Jost correctly observes that the risk management programs have worked, as is documented in Fridays HHS report and the previous annual surveys. In 2016, reinsurance is estimated to have reduced net claim costs by 4%-6%. Its termination, Jost writes, has been a major driver of premium increases for 2017 and 2018. As a result, both the House and Senate Obamacare repeal bills include more reinsurance funds for the individual market.

The conclusions in the Department of Health and Human Services report confirm that the ACA marketplace was stabilizing through 2016, despite GOP claims to the contrary. In fact, the marketplace did better than expected.

There were a number of reasons to believe that risk scores would be higher for the 2016 benefit year relative to the 2014 benefit year, HHS reported. Among other factors, the average enrollee spent more months on the exchanges in 2016 than in previous years. That typically leads to higher claims, because it produces increased numbers of reported diagnoses, higher risk scores, and greater paid claims amounts per member, even when the risk profile of the membership is held constant. Despite these factors, risk scores were stable in the individual market and decreased by 4 percent in the small group market.

What will the ACAs enemies in Congress, the White House, and the office of HHS Secretary Tom Price make of this report, since it gives the lie to the argument that Obamacare is in a death spiral (House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc.)? The betting here is that if they cant distort its findings to say the opposite of whats there in black and white, then you wont be hearing much about it at all.

So far, thats the case: Price, who was last heard praising the Senate GOPs incompetent and malevolent Obamacare repeal bill, has been silent on his own agencys data showing that Obamacare is working as designed, and that its helping Americans get healthier and stay that way.

Keep up to date with Michael Hiltzik. Follow @hiltzikm on Twitter, see his Facebook page, or email michael.hiltzik@latimes.com.

Return to Michael Hiltziks blog.

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Dave McClure, the sandals-and-T-shirt-wearing founder of business mentorship program 500 Startups, resigned on Monday from his firm amid allegations of sexual harassment.

McClure was stripped of his chief executive title earlier this year following an internal investigation into his behavior toward women, but that wasnt made public until the New York Times published entrepreneur Sarah Kunsts accusations on Friday. Managing partner Christine Tsai will serve as the new CEO.

McClure, a longtime tech worker whose company has helped software firms such as Twilio and Behance, was accused by Kunst of sending an inappropriate message on Facebook.

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As she sought a job at 500 Startups in 2014, McClure reportedly wrote to her: I was getting confused figuring out whether to hire you or hit on you.

In a blog post published Saturday  titled Im a Creep. Im sorry.  McClure apologized for making inappropriate advances toward several women in work-related situations, with specific regard to Kunst.

To all those I let down, and especially to those I directly offended and hurt: Im very sorry, he wrote.

McClures original plan was to assume a limited role as a general partner, but late Sunday night, Kunst called for his resignation on Twitter  a call soon echoed by others in the industry.

I fully support and am heartened by founders and investors calls for Dave McClure to resign completely from any role with 500 Startups, Kunst wrote. The women hurt by his actions deserve to know that they did not speak up for naught.

After LaunchVic, an investment arm of an Australian state that partnered with 500 Startups in March, threatened to pull its support on Monday, McClure resigned.

LaunchVic has put 500 Startups on notice, and will monitor the change in culture, LaunchVic said in a statement.

In a note published Sunday, Tsai apologized for keeping the investment body in the dark about the allegations surrounding McClure and sending him to Australia on behalf of the company during the internal investigation.

It is unacceptable 500 Startups hadnt reported these issues to us, and that Dave McClure was allowed to travel to Australia to represent 500 Startups, said LaunchVic in its response.

McClures departure is the latest in a wave of executives resigning due to sexual harassment accusations  and the second one of the day. It was also announced Monday that Jamie Horowitz, head of Fox Sports programming, had been fired amid a sexual harassment probe. Last month, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick resigned amid a torrent of scandals, and last week, Binary Capital co-founder Justin Caldbeck resigned after six women accused him of sexual harassment.

Times staff writer Paresh Dave contributed to this report.

jack.flemming@latimes.com

Twitter: @jflem94

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Sexual harassment claims prompt venture capitalists to apologize, change policies and head to counseling

Fox News Co-President Bill Shine resigns amid criticism of his handling of sexual harassment claims
CBS S.W.A.T. reboot will take on the Trump years, #BlackLivesMatter, says Shemar Moore By Meredith Blake Stephanie Sigman and Shemar Moore (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Dont let the funky theme song or the 70s origins fool you. While technically a remake  of both the original series and the subsequent 2003 film based on it  CBS upcoming cop drama S.W.A.T. is very plugged into the current moment, according to its cast and creators. In the series, former Criminal Minds star Shemar Moore plays a native Angeleno who runs a tactical unit for the LAPD and finds his loyalty torn between his fellow officers and the community in which he was raised. As co-creator Aaron Rahsaan Thomas told reporters Tuesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour, the series was inspired by his experiences growing up in Kansas City, which have helped him understand both sides of the raging debate over police violence. I grew up in a neighborhood that had a very complicated view towards police officers, said Thomas, who created the series with veteran showrunner Shawn Ryan. On one hand, a 12-year-old kid who was a neighbor of mine was shot and killed by a police officer. On the other hand, another neighbor of mine was an actual police officer. Moore, best known for his long run on the CBS procedural Criminal Minds, noted the diversity of the cast and creative team and added that, while the show is primarily designed to entertain, it will also resonate politically. Were taking on the Trump years, he said. I dont care who you voted for. Its just whats happening today. Its Black Lives Matter. As much as some people dont want to hear it, its All Lives Matter. Its not just black versus blue or black versus white. Its every ethnicity. Its fear. Its racism. Its terrorism. Its subject matter of today. Ryan, who created the groundbreaking drama The Shield, about corrupt Los Angeles police officers, said he was excited about the chance to examine the often charged relationship between law enforcement and the communities they serve. Los Angeles is such a diverse, amazing community, and seeing an officer who kind of lives in the city and sort of sees the people that are being policed as humans and as neighbors and as friends was really important to me. Facebook

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Netflix getting A Little Help from Carol Burnett By Libby Hill What do you get when you pair up a living legend with a bunch of little kids? Comedy gold, if Netflix has its way. The online streaming service announced Monday that comedy icon Carol Burnett will be returning to television with A Little Help With Carol Burnett, an original unscripted series that pairs Burnett with children to tackle lifes dilemmas. Someone once asked me how old I am inside, Burnett said in a statement Monday. I thought about it and came up with, Im about 8. So its going to be a lot of fun playing with kids my age. Kids ages 4 to 8 will join Burnett as celebrities and everyday folks bring their real-life problems to the show to get advice in front of a live studio audience. Were thrilled Carol is bringing her unique sensibilities to Netflix, Bela Bajaria, the services vice president of content acquisition, said in Mondays announcement. Carol is truly a legend in the entertainment industry with unprecedented success and fandom across TV, film and the stage, and we are both honored and excited to work with her. A Little Help With Carol Burnett will be produced by Dick Clark Productions and is the companys first Netflix project. This is the second television project announced this year for Burnett, 84. In February, ABC ordered a pilot for the multi-camera comedy Household Name, starring Burnett, though the series has not been picked up in its current iteration. Debuting in 2018, A Little Help With Carol Burnett will feature 12 half-hour episodes. Facebook

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Ken Burns explains why his Vietnam War documentary is more relevant than ever By Libby Hill Ken Burns in Beverly Hilton on Sunday. (Richard Shotwell / Invision) History doesnt repeat itself, Ken Burns told a room of journalists gathered Sunday at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour in Beverly Hills Were not condemned to repeat what we dont remember, Burns explained. Its that human nature never changes. Its a curious statement from the storied documentarian, particularly given his latest project, the 18-hour, 10-part documentary series The Vietnam War, directed with Lynn Novick. But just because humanity isnt trapped in a constantly repeating cycle doesnt mean that the echoes of modern strife arent plentiful throughout the upcoming PBS series. This is a story about mass demonstrations all across the country against the current administration, Burns said in response to a question about what the youth of America will find relevant in The Vietnam War. About a White House obsessed with leaks and in disarray because of those leaks, about a president railing against you, the news media, for making up news. Its about asymmetrical warfare, which even the mighty might of the United States Army cant figure out the correct strategy to take, and its about big document drops of classified material thats been hacked, that suddenly is dumped into the public sphere, destabilizing the conventional wisdom about really important topics and accusations that a political campaign reached out to a foreign power at the time of a national election to influence that election. This is the film we started in 2006, and every single one of those points are points about the Vietnam War having nothing to do with today, Burns concluded. By creating a fully-formed picture of Vietnam, Burns hopes to shed light on the rancor and alienation defining this present moment, he explained. For Novick, the thematic relevance only serves to help teachers who have long struggled in tackling the Vietnam War. Weve had great response from teachers already that the Vietnam War is difficult to teach because its controversial and unsettled history and theyre looking forward to using the film in the classroom, Novick said. Those resonances that Ken is talking about, those will be assignments for students. Were not going to have to work very hard with teachers to come up with those themes, and students are curious about whats happening now. The Vietnam War premieres Sept. 17 at 8 p.m. PDT Facebook

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Goodbye, MTV Moonman trophy. Hello, Moon Person By Emily Mae Czachor MTVs token space cadet just scored an identity revamp  and gender didnt make the cut. In a recent interview with the New York Times, MTV President Chris McCarthy said the networks iconic Moonman trophy has been discontinued. From now on, the metallic figurine  whose impenetrably opaque helmet has become the unofficial face of MTVs Video Music Awards  will go by Moon Person instead. Because who knows whats really going on beneath that lacquered astronaut getup, anyway. Why should it be a man? McCarthy told the Times. It could be a man, it could be a woman, it could be transgender, it could be nonconformist. This new development is just the latest installment in MTVs string of efforts to do away with gender norms during its awards proceedings. The network eliminated gender-specific categories at its MTV Movie & TV Awards earlier this year, where all nominees were placed in neutral categories (i.e. best actor in a show, best actor in a movie). And the network isnt going to stop there. McCarthy also announced a new MTV reality series  still in development called We Are They about a group of gender-nonconforming young adults coming of age. With Katy Perry hosting, the VMAs will broadcast from the Forum in Inglewood on Aug. 27. Heres the full list of nominees. Facebook

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Sam Shepard: Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, actor and ... avant-garde drummer? By Randall Roberts Sam Shepard in 2014. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times) Sam Shepard, whose death at 73 was announced on Monday, will be remembered for his cross-discipline versatility. As a Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright, he penned classic off-Broadway plays including True West, Buried Child and Fool for Love. An Oscar-nominated actor, he starred in films including Days of Heaven, The Right Stuff, Crimes of the Heart and The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford. To fans of underground music, however, Shepard served a lesser-known role as the drummer for seminal New York avant-garde folk band the Holy Modal Rounders, with whom he performed on the crucial late 1960s albums Indian War Whoop and The Moray Eels Eat the Holy Modal Rounders. The band is best known for its song If You Want to Be a Bird, which plays during the classic scene in Easy Rider in which Dennis Hopper, Peter Fonda and Jack Nicholson roar down the highway on their motorcycles. Thats Shepard playing drums as Rounders founders Peter Stampfel and Steve Weber whoop and yowl. It was in his capacity as a percussionist, in fact, that he drew the attention of a young Patti Smith, who, in her 2010 memoir Just Kids, recounted their first early 70s meeting at seminal music club the Village Gate. Escorted to the club by Todd Rundgren, who had just issued his album Runt, Smith described the Holy Modal Rounders set as like being at an Arabian hoedown with a band of psychedelic hillbillies. I was fixed on the drummer, who seemed as if he was on the lam and had slid behind the drums while cops looked elsewhere. Smith, who at the time was freelancing for Crawdaddy magazine, introduced herself to this drummer, who said his name was Slim Shadow. The two started hanging out, wrote Smith, describing his tales as being even taller than mine. He had an infectious laugh and was rugged, smart, and intuitive. In my mind, he was the fellow with the cowboy mouth. Only later did she learn Slims real identity when a friend pulled her aside after seeing them at a restaurant together. As recounted in Just Kids, Smith wrote that her friend asked, What are you doing with Sam Shepard? Sam Shepard? I said. Oh, no, this guys name is Slim. Honey, dont you know who he is? Hes the drummer for the Holy Modal Rounders. No, corrected her friend, Hes the biggest playwright off-Broadway. He had a play at Lincoln Center. He won five Obies! Once she learned of his reputation and acclaim, Smith and Shepard continued to see each other -- despite his being married at the time -- and eventually collaborated on a play called Cowboy Mouth. Smith described telling him of nervousness at writing for the stage, which she had never done. But Shepard urged her on, Smith wrote, telling her that you cant make a mistake when you improvise. Replied Smith: What if I screw up the rhythm? You cant, Shepard explained. Its like drumming. If you miss a beat, you create another. 7:15 a.m. Updated to correct the title of Smiths memoir, Just Kids, and to identify the Holy Modal Rounders co-founders, Stampfel and Weber. Facebook

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Lady Gaga subpoenaed in producer Dr. Lukes lawsuit against pop singer Kesha By Randall Roberts The ongoing offstage drama between the pop singer Kesha and her former producer Dr. Luke has entangled another platinum superstar: Lady Gaga. On Saturday, attorneys for Dr. Luke, whose real name is Lukasz Gottwald, issued a statement regarding their attempt to depose Lady Gaga about relevant conversations she may have had with Kesha. The artist, who was born Kesha Sebert, is the subject of a defamation suit filed in New York by Dr. Luke stemming from allegations of sexual misconduct, which the producer vigorously denies. The statement reads: Dr. Lukes counsel served a subpoena on Lady Gaga because she has relevant information regarding, among other things, false statements about Dr. Luke made to her by Kesha. This motion has become necessary because Dr. Lukes counsel has not been able to obtain, despite repeated request [sic], a deposition date from Lady Gaga. The protracted legal battle between Dr. Luke, left, and Kesha has brought Lady Gaga into the fray. (Kevin Winter / Getty Images) Representatives for Gaga, whose real name is Stefani Germanotta, said in a statement issued to The Times on Monday morning: As Lady Gagas legal team will present to the court, she has provided all of the relevant information in her possession and is at most an ancillary witness in this process. Dr. Lukes team is attempting to manipulate the truth and draw press attention to their case by exaggerating Lady Gagas role and falsely accusing her of dodging reasonable requests. Among the information Lady Gaga has provided are copies of text messages that were, according to a report on TMZ, heavily redacted. Lady Gaga has been a vocal Kesha supporter. Last year, Gaga wrote about her peers plight in an Instagram post: The very reason women dont speak up for years is the fear that no one will believe them or their abuser has threatened their life or life of their loved ones/livelihood in order to keep their victim quiet and under control. What happened to Kesha has happened to many female artists, including myself, and it will affect her for the rest of her life. The news comes at a particularly crucial moment for Keshas career. On Aug. 11, she will release her highly anticipated new album, Rainbow. The record, featuring songs such as Learn to Let Go, will arrive via Dr. Lukes imprint, Kemosabe, a situation Kesha sought to avoid in a 2014 lawsuit of her own, which she later dropped. Facebook

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Ride on, genius: Celebrities mourn the loss of Sam Shepard By Emily Mae Czachor Acclaimed actor and playwright Sam Shepard died July 27 at age 73. (Charles Sykes / Associated Press) Sam Shepard  Oscar-nominated actor and critically acclaimed playwright, author, screenwriter and director  died on July 27 after suffering complications from ALS (Lou Gehrigs Disease). When news of his death broke Monday morning, Twitter erupted with posts to mourn, honor and remember one of show business beloved renaissance men. View Instagram post This story was updated with additional reactions. Facebook

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Macaulay Culkin got his first tattoo with goddaughter Paris Jackson, and its a match By Emily Mae Czachor For Paris Jackson, getting inked is nothing out of the ordinary. With more than 50 tattoos already under her belt, the 19-year-old daughter of late pop king Michael Jackson collects body art like postage stamps. According to E! News, the budding actress got her latest over the weekend: an understated sketch of a red spoon, just below the crook of her left arm. A new tattoo might be old-hat for Jackson, but it wasnt for Macaulay Culkin, Jacksons 36-year-old godfather -- and first-time tattoo patron -- who emerged from West Hollywoods Tattoo Mania with a matching spoon on his own forearm. Though neither Jackson nor Culkin spoke to the meaning of the double-inking, the design is supposedly meant to represent a kind of chronic struggle. And thats not the only news that Culkin made recently. The Internet nearly lost its collective mind last week when a new photo emerged of the Home Alone actor looking healthy and happy. E! News even declared that Culkin definitely just won 2017s greatest makeover. Your eyes aren't deceiving you. Macaulay Culkin definitely just won 2017's greatest makeover (thus far, at least). https://t.co/IdKjxii5KZ pic.twitter.com/SOAuSx57oU  E! News (@enews) July 27, 2017 Facebook

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Alex Jones products are almost as bad as his conspiracy theories, says John Oliver By Meredith Blake Over the last year, conspiracy theorist and influential radio host Alex Jones has come under intense scrutiny for his fringe beliefs, most notably his claim that the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School was a hoax perpetrated by the government. On Sundays Last Week Tonight, John Oliver noted that Jones status as a Sandy Hook truther qualified him for an Easy Pass to hells version of the champagne room. But he spent most of his time on a relatively overlooked aspect of Jones conspiracy empire -- the wide range of products that he sells in order to fund it. According to Oliver, Jones spends nearly a quarter of his airtime plugging InfoWars-branded merchandise, including Wake Up America Patriot coffee to Combat One Tactical Bath Wipes and a powder called Caveman True Paleo (made from chocolate and domesticated bird corpses, Oliver joked). As the comedian pointed out, it just so happens that many of the products Jones sells, often at a significant markup, purport to address the conspiracy theories with equally wild-eyed zeal. Think: water filters to remove chemicals that supposedly turn frogs gay or vitamins to boost your immunity and ward off germs from allegedly disease-ridden refugees. Jones even has his own in-house expert, Dr. Edward Group, with dubious qualifications (and equally questionable hair) to back up his various outlandish claims. InfoWars is essentially a QVC for conspiracy, Oliver argued. So in the spirit of InfoWars, Oliver decided to introduce his own personal care product, John Oliver Moisture-Armored Tactical Assault Wipes, available via Infowipes.com. The price? A mere $1 million. Worth every penny, were sure. You can watch the complete segment here. Facebook

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Vintage Casablanca poster sells for $478,000 By Trevell Anderson How much would someone pay for a vintage movie poster? Well, if that film is Casablanca, one persons answer is $478,000. Thats how much a bidder coughed up Saturday for the only known surviving Italian-issue poster for the 1942 film starring Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman. The poster sold through Heritage Auctions of Dallas. The buyer has just set a world record and acquired what we in the poster collecting world would equate to a masterpiece, said Grey Smith, Heritages director of vintage posters. The stunning artistry put into this poster makes it stand head and shoulders above any paper produced for the film. The poster, measuring 55.5 inches by 78.25 inches, was produced in 1946. The film opened in Italy on Nov. 21 that year, almost four years after its U.S. premiere. Featuring artwork by Luigi Martinati, the poster is considered the best of the pictures numerous advertisements, Smith said. Previous Italian-issue posters for the film have sold for as much as $203,000. A U.S.-issue of the poster has fetched $191,200. The auction featured other rare posters for the film, with a half-sheet going for $65,725, and a postwar Spanish-release poster selling for $35,850. ---------- For the Record An earlier version of this article misstated the purchase price of the Casablanca poster sold Saturday as $487,000. Facebook

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There is no Plan B for public broadcasting without federal funding, PBS president says By Libby Hill Paula Kerger, chief executive of PBS (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images) PBS President and Chief Executive Paula Kerger wasnt pulling any punches Sunday at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour in Beverly Hills. When people say, What is the Plan B for [loss of federal funding]? There is no Plan B for that, Kerger said of the potential budget crisis public broadcasting faces under the Trump administration. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting has been under fire for months, with President Trumps proposed budget axing the institutions $450-million budget. Though its easy to suggest that budget cuts would threaten Big Birds livelihood, the true victims of defunding would be far more human. Kerger explained that of PBS $450-million budget, one-third goes to radio. Of the television budget, most goes to community service grants that local stations use for up to 50% of their operating budgets. PBS itself will not go away. But a number of our stations will. If you are a station for whom 30 or 40 or 50% of your funding is suddenly pulled away, theres no way you can make up that money, Kerger said. You will find big parts of the country that will suddenly be without public broadcasting. The fate of public broadcasting is currently in flux, waiting for the end of Congress August recess for resolution. Currently, the House Appropriations Committee has approved the bulk of the PBS budget, while the House Budget Committee recommended doing away with funding altogether. Budget concerns aside, Kerger also addressed other unresolved PBS matters. The second seat of PBS NewsHour has been vacant since the untimely death of co-host Gwen Ifill in November 2016, leaving Judy Woodruff as the shows sole anchor. We have encouraged [executive producer] Sara Just and Judy Woodruff and the team at NewsHour to take their time and think very carefully about who that right person [to replace Ifill] is, Kerger said. Im hopeful that they will be making an announcement sometime over the next few months of a new anchor. Kerger also announced an upcoming project aimed at inspiring the country to come together in celebration of literature. The Great American Read is an eight-part series launching in spring 2018 that explores the nations 100 best-loved books, chosen by the American people and culminating in the first-ever national vote to choose Americas Best-Loved Book. Facebook

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AMC Visionaries adds Eli Roth, Roots, Gibney for new docu-series By Meredith Woerner Robert Kirkman, left, and Eli Roth at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour in Beverly Hills. ( Tommaso Boddi/Getty Images for AMC) AMC announced several additions to its upcoming Visionaries docu-series Saturday at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour in Beverly Hills. Writer-director-actor Eli Roth (Cabin Fever, Hostel) will be offering a deeper look into his signature style of genre filmmaking with Eli Roths History of Horror (working title) and Ahmir Questlove Thompson, Tariq Black Thought Trotter (founding members of The Roots) and Alex Gibney (Going Clear, History of the Eagles) will executive produce a series called Rap Yearbook (another working title). The cable network also has three other installments in development: History of Video Games, Outlaws of the Internet, and History of Martial Arts. The new Visionaries members join the previously announced programs Robert Kirkmans Secret History of Comics and James Camerons Story of Science Fiction. Kirkman and Roth were present at the AMC panel with Cameron appearing via satellite to show sneak peeks from the comics and sci-fi iterations of the series. A sizzle reel for the Secret History of Comics utilized plenty of classic panel pages and a sort of motion comic-like animation to illustrate the early days of Marvel Comics, going all the way back to the Stan Lee and Jack Kirby days. But the real treat was a collection of cameos, famous faces opining about their love of the form including Lee himself, J.K. Simmons, Kevin Smith, and Method Man, who earnestly revealed, You have to be born a comic book fan, I think. And there are plenty more talking heads to come, the AMC press release promised Patty Jenkins, Lynda Carter, Famke Janssen, Michelle Rodriguez, and Todd McFarlane. The second clip shared a look at Camerons love letter to science fiction. Today, science fiction is mainstream but it didnt used to be that way, the director explained. When I was a kid science fiction wasnt cool, but I thought it was cool. Cameron wants to focus on closing the gap between current fans knowledge of modern day sci-fi to the pioneering works of literature that inspired the blockbuster offerings of today. The Terminator and Avatar director noted that without Jules Verne and H.G. Wells there would be no Avengers, Star Wars or his own works. The series will be divided by theme -- space travel, time travel etc.-- and include appearances from Paul W. Anderson, Roland Emmerich, Paul Verhoeven, Bryan Singer, Keanu Reeves, Jonathan Nolan, David Gerrold and D.C. Fontana. When asked how their respective series would showcase diversity -- the footage screened was very male-centric -- Kirkman responded that History of Comics would have two episodes devoted to diversity. One will focus on the women who helped Wonder Woman creator William Moulton Marston steer the course of the hugely famous female superhero, and another highlighting people of color titled The Color of Comics. The episode explores the history of black characters, and the lack of black characters in the comic book industry, said Kirkman. which touches on the creation of Black Panther  the Marvel character  and does a really cool focus on this company called Milestone Comics that was founded by a group of African American comic book creators to create characters that appealed to them and represented them, because there was a huge lack of representation in comics even in the 90s. You wouldnt have horror without Mary Shelley and Frankenstein, Roth added. He cited the late George Romero as an example of how he wants to break down the themes within the horror genre. At the height of the civil rights movement [Romero] puts an African American as the lead of Night of the Living Dead and at the end of the movie hes shot by a bunch of rednecks. Not because of the color of his skin, but because they think hes a zombie. But you can read into the implications of that. What [Romero] was doing with using genre to explore racism was so ahead of its time. its just as potent today as it was 50 years ago. Its absolutely something were going to be discussing. Roths urgency to document the horror masters was apparent. It was the death of Scream moviemaker Wes Craven that inspired Roth to get involved in Visionaries. The panel then took a turn for the analytical when the creators were asked how their series would reflect the world today. The fact that dystopian science fiction has come back, especially in television and in movies, is very important, said Cameron. It means that in the age that we live in right now the challenges that face us are technological. Theyre science challenges: climate change, genetics, artificial intelligence, things like that. These are really on our horizon as major, existential threats. The best horror reflects whats going on in our times, said Roth. He used Jordan Peeles Get Out  which addressed modern day racial tensions as a reference. Its no accident that movie coming out right now is making over $200 million at the box office. You can tell its really resonating with people. Bouncing off Camerons dystopia revelation, Roth then turned his lens onto the current political climate, I dont think weve ever seen a cast of characters like this in our White House thats straight out of WWF wrestling in the 80s. When [Anthony Scaramucci] is coming out with things that would make Rowdy Roddy Piper in his heyday blush. This is a farce, is this actually happening? When will we start seeing this dystopian outlook on the current political climate in the movies? Possibly before Roths series, which will air sometime in 2018, after History of Comics and the Story of Science Fiction in 2017. Facebook

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President Trump got a fan letter from a young boy this week. Stephen Colbert introduced another young fan Friday By Greg Braxton Stephen Colbert, host of CBS The Late Show. (Michael Loccisano / Getty Images) White House Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders took time during a White House briefing this week to read a fan letter to President Trump from a 9-year-old boy named Dylan who has the nickname of Pickle. Sanders read part of the letter to reporters: Youre my favorite President ... I dont know why people dont like you. Sanders interjected, Neither do I, Dylan. The letter continued, You seem really nice. Can we be friends? Sanders assured Pickle that she had spoken directly to Trump about him, and the president would be more than happy to be your friend. Stephen Colbert on Friday brought another young fan of Trumps onstage Friday night to read her own letter during his CBS Late Show. Dear President, my name is Norah, but everybody calls me Mustard, the little girl recited. She continued, Youre my favorite current president. Norah then presented some probing questions to Trump: I was wondering, does the attorney general enjoy your full support? And how do you plan to implement the ban on transgender people currently serving in the military? Will those on active duty be called home? Sounds like a logistical nightmare. She continued, One more thing: Are you a puppet of Vladimir Putin? I love puppets! I made one at camp! Love, Mustard. The Late Show audience cheered. Facebook

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Broadways Great Comet producer apologizes for controversial Mandy Patinkin casting By Nardine Saad (Jeff Schear / Getty Images) The producer behind Broadways struggling musical Natasha, Pierre & the Great Comet of 1812" has joined the apologetic refrain for the diversity uproar that followed the decision to bring in Mandy Patinkin to replace departing star Okieriete Oak Onaodowan, who is black. The production came under fire this week following its move to replace Onaodowan, who was in the original cast of Hamilton, with Tony Award winner Patinkin in a titular role. As part of our sincere efforts to keep Comet running for the benefit of its cast, creative team, crew, investors and everyone else involved, we arranged for Mandy Patinkin to play Pierre, co-producer Howard Kagan said in an official statement posted Friday on Twitter. Kagan said they had the wrong impression of how Onaodowan felt about Patinkins casting and how it would be received by members of the theater community, which we appreciate is deeply invested in the success of actors of color  as are we  and to whom we are grateful for bringing this to our attention. We regret our mistake deeply, and wish to express our apologies to everyone who felt hurt and betrayed by these actions, he said. The legendary Broadway star dropped out of the musical on Friday after the announcement that he would be replacing the African American star was met with disdain. Patinkin was to join the cast for a limited run from Aug. 15 through Sept. 3, but declined the part because he would never accept a role knowing it would harm another actor. I hear what members of the community have said and I agree with them. I am a huge fan of Oak and I will, therefore, not be appearing in the show, the Homeland alum tweeted. Another tweet on the shows account included an apology to Patinkin for any misunderstanding and said they understood his decision to withdraw from the show. Our deepest apologies. pic.twitter.com/Mks7XLGxbq  The Great Comet (@GreatCometBway) July 28, 2017 pic.twitter.com/vSZk6K2KOV  The Great Comet (@GreatCometBway) July 28, 2017 Onaodowan, who had replaced recording artist Josh Groban in the role of Pierre earlier this month, is scheduled to continue to perform through Aug. 13, after which, he stated Friday on Twitter, he will not return to the show. It is unclear if his decision to leave the production was his own or prompted by other factors. Show creator Dave Malloy, whose musical was inspired by a portion of Leo Tolstoys War and Peace, also apologized Friday on Twitter for how everything went down and missing the racial optics of their casting decision. They had previously asked actress Brittain Ashford to step aside for the casting of better-known singer-songwriter Ingrid Michaelson during the summer months and they didnt anticipate that Patinkins casting would be viewed differently, Malloy said. Despite 12 Tony Award nominations, Comet only received two wins -- for set and lighting -- at the June ceremony and ticket sales ebbed when Groban departed. Malloy said that sales for shows after Aug. 13, when Michaelsons run would also end, were catastrophically low. So they decided to cast Patinkin, hoping that his star power would help boost sales, because the weird show was in desperate shape and on the brink of closing. Facebook

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Eagles, Doobie Brothers will play Classic Northwest show Sept. 30 in Seattle By Randy Lewis The reconfigured Eagles, shown during a July 15 performance at Dodger Stadium, will continue with a Sept. 30 Classic Northwest concert with the Doobie Brothers in Seattle. (Kevin Mazur / Getty Images) The EaglesClassic music festival series will continue with at least one more stop, this time in Seattle. But unlike the inaugural Classic West bill July 15-16 at Dodger Stadium, which is having a Classic East encore this weekend in New York, the added Classic Northwest show on Sept. 30 will be just a single day and feature the Eagles and Doobie Brothers only. The Classic West and East shows teamed the Eagles, Steely Dan and Doobie Brothers on one day, with Fleetwood Mac, Journey and Earth, Wind & Fire on the second day of each. Tickets for the Classic Northwest bill go on sale Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. at Ticketmaster. At the outset of the Eagles portion of Classic West on July 15, co-founder Don Henley indicated it was still uncertain how much of a future his long-running band might have absent co-founder Glenn Frey, who died last year at 67. To make the Classic West and East shows possible, the group tapped Freys son, singer-guitarist Deacon Frey, and country music star Vince Gill to handle the lead vocals on the many Eagles songs that were originally sung by Glenn Frey. In case this is our last dance, Henley told the crowd at Dodger Stadium, where he was joined by longtime bandmates Joe Walsh and Timothy B. Schmit, we want to thank all of you in Southern California for all your support. Facebook

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In her new Hulu series, Sarah Silverman wants to love America -- seriously By Greg Braxton Executive producers Amy Zvi, left, and Adam McKay, star/executive producer Sarah Silverman and executive producer Gavin Purcell at Hulus I Love You, America panel at the TCA summer press tour. (Willy Sanjuan / Invision/Associated Press) From her stand-up act to her Comedy Central series to her Twitter account, comic-actress Sarah Silverman has a long history of courting laughs and controversy. Her outspokenness and sometimes absurd, sometimes acerbic views on everything from celebrity to culture to politics, particularly President Trump and his administration, have raised eyebrows. On her upcoming Hulu series, I Love You, America, Silverman is focused more on forming bonds than being provocative. In surveying the current political landscape and the comedy shows that skewer it, Silverman says she wants to reach out to all on the political spectrum. For me, [those shows are] great, but they really connect with more like-minded people. Theyre brilliant. Theyre funny. But Im hoping to, with this show, connect with un-like-minded people, Silverman said Thursday during a panel at the Television Critics Assn.'s summer press tour in Beverly Hills. The mission of the show is that were all the same. But whats important is that its funny. Although the exact format of the show is still being refined, Silverman did reveal some elements, including a monologue, a focus group in the studio and field pieces in which she travels around the country talking to people. For example, Silverman says she plans to go to Slidell, La., to meet a family that says they have never met a Jewish person. I cant help but have preconceived notions. They cant help but have preconceived notions, said Silverman. All I can do is just try to be open and brave and go into the situation. And same for them. Although Silverman and executive producer Adam McKay didnt make any sharp criticisms about Trump at Thursdays session, they did take exception to his attacks against so-called entertainment liberals or the Hollywood elite. What is he talking about? said Silverman. Im from ... New Hampshire. Everybody out here is from somewhere else. The goal of the show will be to seek common ground and understanding, she said: Ultimately were all the same. The thesis of the show is that everybody just wants to be loved. Facebook

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Jerry Seinfeld is Forbes highest-paid comedian; Amy Schumer still only woman to crack the top 10 By Nardine Saad If Jerry Seinfeld is this years king of comedy, then Amy Schumer is the queen. The Comedy Central star once again landed on Forbes list of highest-paid comedians, the financial magazine announced Thursday. She was the first woman comic to crack the top 10 last year and remains the only woman on the list this year. The Trainwreck and Snatched star made an estimated $37.5 million between June 2016 and June 2017 thanks to her Netflix show The Leather Special, her memoir The Girl With the Lower Back Tattoo and endorsement deals with Bud Light and Old Navy. That ranked the raunchy comic No. 5 on the list filled with veteran comedy heavyweights. Meanwhile, the Seinfeld and Comedians in Cars Getting Coffee star shot back to the top of the list this year, earning an estimated $69 million. Seinfeld was eclipsed last year by Kevin Hart, who this year dropped to the No. 6 spot with $32.5 million. Chris Rock trailed Seinfeld for the second spot on Forbes list, earning $57 million. His record-breaking $20 million-per-special contract with Netflix paved the way for several comics, including Seinfeld, to cut lucrative deals with the streaming service, which is poised to become the go-to-destination for comedy specials. In addition to touring, those deals significantly padded the incomes of several stars on Forbes list. In the third and fourth spots, funnymen Louis C.K. and Dave Chappelle, who earned $52 million and $47 million, respectively, also made expensive deals with the streaming service to make their millions. To see Forbes complete list, click here. For the record, 10:40 a.m.: A previous headline and version of this story said that Schumer was the first woman to make the top 10 list this year. Schumer was the first woman to make the top 10 last year. Facebook

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American Horror Story: Cult gets sickeningly sweet in official poster By Libby Hill We're just beneath the surface... #AHSCult pic.twitter.com/GvnMD1KieQ  AmericanHorrorStory (@AHSFX) July 27, 2017 What exactly is beneath the surface in American Horror Story: Cult? Bees, apparently. The seventh season of FXs hit horror anthology series is slowly revealing itself via its official Twitter account. On Thursday, the series shared the official poster for the series, and it is super messed up. The poster features a deathly pale woman who happens to be missing the top of her head and, for that matter, her brain. Instead, the inside of her head is a honeycomb, replete with bees and, of course, honey. This is creepy for so many reasons. Here are a few: This poor woman has had the top of her skull removed, bringing to mind that particularly gruesome dinner scene featuring Anthony Hopkins and Ray Liotta in the 2001 film Hannibal. Even more horrifying is that this poor, sweet woman is definitely dressed like a clown. The white makeup, lines through the eyes and exaggerated ruby red lips suggest that AHS: Cult is drawing inspiration from traditional grotesque whiteface clown makeup. Think more Pennywise, less juggalo. (And if none of that is enough to scare you, please enjoy this clown dating site I stumbled across while researching all of this.) FXs American Horror Story: Cult premieres on Sept. 5. Facebook

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Stephen Colbert had some [bleeped] thoughts on Anthony Scaramuccis NSFW rant By Yvonne Villarreal (Richard Boeth / Associated Press) Stephen Colbert took a cue from incoming White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci -- or the Mooch, as hes called -- by giving Thursdays episode of The Late Show a decidedly NSFW vibe. We got an incredible taste of unfiltered Mooch today, Colbert said during his monologue. He was, of course, referring to Scaramuccis disapproving -- and often vulgar -- comments about White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus and chief strategist Steve Bannon in a New Yorker article that sent social media tongues wagging Thursday. But to even discuss the matter, Colbert had to issue a warning to CBS censors: Youre going to want to break out the extra bleeps for this one, he said before diving in. (If only we could get our ellipses to put in some overtime!) In his colorful conversation with New Yorker correspondent Ryan Lizza, which took place Wednesday night,Scaramucci was trying to get to the bottom of who leaked that he had dinner at the White House with President Trump, the first lady, Sean Hannity and the former Fox News executive Bill Shine. Scaramucci described Priebus as a  ... paranoid schizophrenic who had blocked him from the White House for six months -- prompting Colbert to break out an impression of Scaramucci. Yes, the guys paranoid, OK? He thinks his own communications director is gonna stab him in the back again, Colbert said with an exaggerated Italian accent. Front stab! he added with a knifing gesture. The New Yorker article also detailed how Scaramucci accused Bannon of seeking to build [his] own brand off the  strength of the president and made some other inflammatory remarks that we cant fully detail. So well let Colbert take it from here. Facebook

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Longtime Disney imagineer Martin Sklar dies at 83 By Richard Verrier (Jae C Hong / Associated Press) Martin Marty Sklar, the pioneering Walt Disney Co. imagineer who played an instrumental role in the design of Disney theme parks, has died, the company announced Thursday night. He was 83. During his 54 years at Disney, Sklar worked closely with Walt Disney and led the creative development of the Burbank companys theme parks, attractions and resorts around the world, including the companys ventures in the cruise business, housing development and the redesign of Times Square in New York. Everything about Marty was legendary  his achievements, his spirit, his career, Disney Chief Executive Robert Iger said in a statement. He embodied the very best of Disney, from his bold originality to his joyful optimism and relentless drive for excellence. He was also a powerful connection to Walt himself. No one was more passionate about Disney than Marty and well miss his enthusiasm, his grace, and his indomitable spirit. Sklar was born in New Brunswick, N.J., and attended UCLA, where he was editor of the Daily Bruin newspaper when he was recruited to create the Disneyland News for Walt Disneys new Anaheim theme park in 1955. After graduating in 1956, he joined Disney full-time and would become Disneys lieutenant. He wrote speeches, marketing materials and a film showcasing Walts vision for Walt Disney World and the Epcot theme park in Florida. READ MORE> Facebook

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Is a happily ever after coming to The Mindy Project? By Yvonne Villarreal The Mindy Project creator/executive producer/star Mindy Kaling with executive producers Matt Warburton, left, and Ike Barinholtz at the shows Television Critics Assn. press tour panel. (Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP) Is there a happily ever after written in the stars for the final season of The Mindy Project? Series creator Mindy Kaling, who also plays the titular heroine at the center of the Hulu comedy, took the stage Thursday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills to discuss the shows swan song season. And when asked if Kalings rom-com-obsessed character, Mindy Lahiri, would get her storybook ending, the 38-year-old actress suggested it wouldnt necessarily be in the way viewers expect. I think that all of us would agree that we do have happily ever after, the connotations of it, said Kaling, who was joined onstage by executive producer and showrunner, Matt Warburton, and producer and star Ike Barinholtz (sporting a neck brace from a recent stunt gone wrong). But happily ever after isnt the same as no loose ends, she said. That everything is tied up neatly in a bow is something we arent super interested in. That side of it I think were trying to avoid, Kaling added, while also leaving the audience with the sense of feeling that it was about something and that it really was a project and that she had some growth in the end. And for fans wondering whether or how Danny Castellano (played by Chris Messina) would factor into all that, the season promises to shed some light on that. For the unitiated, Messinas Danny is Mindys former fiance and the father of her child. Messina, who hasnt been a series regular since Season 4, is set to return for multiple episodes. And while the Season 5 finale ended with Mindy marrying boyfriend Ben (Bryan Greenberg), hints were thrown that the new episodes would bring some clarity to the Mindy-Danny relationship. The one thing we can promise the audience is a little bit of clarity about where they stand, Warburton said. Its so great to see him back because weve always known theyre always going to be in each others lives  but its great to actually see what that means this season. Its complicated, added Kaling. Theyre both married to other people, so we went into that season with all of that, which makes things sort of fun and delicious. Other familiar faces set to return for the final season are Mark and Jay Duplass, Adam Pally and Glenn Howerton. Kaling, in discussing the decision to end the series, promised a good finale. The decision to end the show was our decision, and I think thats always very hard, Kaling said. It was like, God, should this be the end? ... I think right now the idea of doing a prequel or something like that just felt  we just have such a good finale. We have such a good finale that weve known about for awhile. The final season of The Mindy Project will start its rollout on Hulu in September. Facebook

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Tiffany Haddish clarifies controversial Bill Cosby remarks: Im not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf By James Reed Actress Tiffany Haddish has clarified her remarks about wanting to work with Bill Cosby. (Christina House / For The Times) A joke that Tiffany Haddish recently told The Los Angeles Times has backfired on the breakout star of the new film Girls Night. Talking to The Times Trevell Anderson, Haddish credited Bill Cosby as a comedy inspiration, seemingly unfazed by the multiple sexual-abuse allegations levied against the beleaguered, 80-year-old TV legend. I still want to work with Bill Cosby, I dont care, she told The Times earlier this month. Ill drink the juice. Ill take a nap. I dont give a damn. But seriously, I would love for him to play my grandfather in something. Her remarks raised eyebrows and ire on social media, with some fans questioning her intentions and a New York magazine story noting that the actress seems to have wandered into problematic fave territory. I've been rooting hard for Tiffany Haddish but I find nothing funny about her making light of Bill Cosby drugging women  Stephanie. (@qsteph) July 26, 2017 Twitter: "We loved Tiffany Haddish in #GirlsTrip. Sweetie is doing amazing!"



Tiffany Haddish: "I'd love to work with Bill Cosby."



Twitter: pic.twitter.com/X23DQWb2wi  hellresidentNY (@hellresidentNY) July 27, 2017 On Thursday, Haddish attempted to clarify those comments while speaking on a panel at the Television Critics Assn.'s summer press tour in Beverly Hills. What I said was a joke, she said, noting that when youre expected to be funny in promotional interviews, there are risks. Youre going to say some bad jokes. Haddish said her point had been that Im not afraid to do anything. Im not afraid of any kind of job. Im not afraid to play any kind of girl as long as it doesnt compromise my morals.... Ive been through things. Ive been victimized, she added. I dont agree with what he did or anything, but, at the end of the day, Im not afraid of the Big Bad Wolf. Thats what I was trying to say, and I was trying to do it in a humorous way. Times staff writer Sarah Rodman contributed to this report. Facebook

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Tracy Morgan thanks God, and Tiffany Haddish reflects on her success at Last O.G. panel at TCA By Sarah Rodman Tracy Morgan, left, Tiffany Haddish and Ryan Gaul of the new TBS comedy The Last O.G. at the TCA press tour in Beverly Hills on Thursday. (Frederick M. Brown / Getty Images) Thank God. Thats what Tracy Morgan had to say about what it means for the 30 Rock and Saturday Night Live alum to be returning to TV three years after the devastating accident that put him in a coma and resulted in the death of his friend James Jimmy Mack McNair. The stand-up comic and actor, whose new TBS comedy, The Last O.G. premieres Oct. 24, was full of gratitude and thoughts on starting over during the presentation for the show at the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour Thursday in Beverly Hills. Executive produced by Morgan, Jordan Peele and John Carcieri, The Last O.G. chronicles the adventures of Tray (Morgan). Newly sprung from prison after serving 15 years, he has to acclimate to the changed times, his gentrified Brooklyn neighborhood and his former girlfriend (Tiffany Haddish of Girls Trip) raising the children he didnt know existed with another man. This is a show about humanity, this is a show about second chances, this is a show about redemption, said Morgan, answering a question about whether it would explicitly explore African American issues. I wanted to transcend that... I wanted to deal with humanity. Haddish, naturally, fielded several questions about Girls Trip, the new comedy film that has minted her as a star. I feel like a foster kid whos been in the system for a long time and then turned 16 and somebody adopted them and said, You can go to college and you aint got to pay no school loans or nothing,  she said of how shes been feeling in the wake of the films superb box office. Im happy! Ive been accepted finally after all these years of hard work, blood, sweat and tears. Haddish said she was looking forward to her role in The Last O.G. since its a character who has gone through a transition in her life, just as she herself has. Her fellow cast mates, including Cedric the Entertainer, good-naturedly ribbed her about becoming a diva since shes now a movie star. But Morgan noted seriously that Haddish has been nothing but a pro: She comes to work. Haddish joked: My bank account, it dont show movie star yet. Im waiting on it. They say nine months; its like a baby. Im waiting for the delivery. Morgan said it was important to surround himself with scene stealers such as Haddish and Cedric and was clearly earnest in his appreciation of his collaborators and their sensitivity to his physical needs. They make sure I sit down... they dont ask me, they [say] sit down for a little while. So Im good. Im taken care of by my people, and I love them with my heart. Facebook

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It can be TGIF every day on Hulu: The service lands popular ABC programming block in SVOD deal By Yvonne Villarreal Every day can be Friday in the 90s with help from Hulu. The streaming service announced Thursday it has signed a deal with Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution for the exclusive streaming rights to programs that were part of the popular ABC programming block known as TGIF. The announcement was made during the streaming services day of panels at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills. The shows under the deal include Full House, Family Matters, Perfect Strangers, Step by Step and Hangin With Mr. Cooper. Nabbing the rights to Full House is particularly noteworthy considering Hulus rival Netflixs success with reviving the comedy, which is returning for a third season in September. With the Hulu deal, more than 800 episodes of the five sitcoms from the bygone family friendly lineup will be available beginning Friday, Sept. 29. These shows are more than just beloved hits, they were part of a cultural tradition to tune in every Friday night, said Craig Erwich, Hulus senior vice president of content in a statement. Facebook

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TV Academy announces which awards will be handed out during Primetime, Creative Arts Emmys By Nardine Saad Get your Emmys ballot ready  the Television Academy has announced which categories will be awarded during this years 69th Primetime Emmy Awards and the separate Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The main event will take place at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles on Sept. 17 and will be hosted by The Late Show star Stephen Colbert. Prizes will be awarded to comedy and drama series, limited series, reality competition, variety talk and sketch, television movie, acting, directing, and writing during the live telecast on CBS. HBOs Westworld and NBCs Saturday Night Live lead the nominees with 22 nods apiece, a total that includes several below-the-line categories to be doled out at the two Creative Arts Emmys ceremonies the week before. Honoring artistic and technical achievements that could make or break your play-at-home ballot, the Creative Arts Emmys will be held in the same venue on two consecutive nights on Sept. 9 and 10. Theyll be put together for one show, produced by Bob Bain, that will air on FXX on Sept. 16. The first night will cover categories that include animation, choreography, cinematography, costuming, make-up, hairstyling, documentary and nonfiction awards, editing, lighting, sound-mixing, technical direction, variety special and some writing awards. The second night will lean more heavily on front-of-the camera talent, awarding the likes of guest actors and actresses and stunt work, in addition to childrens programs, commercials, main title designs and theme music, music composition and supervision, prosthetic makeup and additional sound and editing categories. For a complete list of this years nominees, click here. Heres the complete list of the awards being handed out during the Primetime Emmys telecast: COMEDY SERIES

DIRECTING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

DIRECTING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

DIRECTING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

DIRECTING FOR A VARIETY SERIES

DRAMA SERIES

LEAD ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

LEAD ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

LEAD ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

LEAD ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

LEAD ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

LEAD ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

LIMITED SERIES

REALITY-COMPETITION PROGRAM

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A COMEDY SERIES

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A DRAMA SERIES

SUPPORTING ACTOR IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A COMEDY SERIES

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A DRAMA SERIES

SUPPORTING ACTRESS IN A LIMITED SERIES OR MOVIE

TELEVISION MOVIE

VARIETY SKETCH SERIES

VARIETY TALK SERIES

WRITING FOR A COMEDY SERIES

WRITING FOR A DRAMA SERIES

WRITING FOR A LIMITED SERIES, MOVIE OR DRAMATIC SPECIAL

WRITING FOR A VARIETY SERIES Facebook

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Kesha finds redemption in new song: The past cant haunt me if I dont let it By Emily Mae Czachor For Kesha, Learn to Let Go is not just an aptly titled track off her upcoming Rainbow LP. Its become one of my mantras over the last few years, she said in a remarkably uplifting letter that the singer published Thursday to accompany a new video for the song. (This is her new M.O., it would seem.) Learn to Let Go, which Kesha co-wrote alongside her mother, Pebe Sebert, is a heartrending chronicle of redemption. Had a boogeyman under my bed/ Putting crazy thoughts inside my head, she sings, while real home-video footage of a whimsical young Kesha cuts between clips of a grown Kesha frolicking through the forest. The chorus rings like a self-empowered anthem: The past cant haunt me if I dont let it. My mom is always telling me how you have to learn to accept that you cant try to control everything, she wrote in the letter. When you realize that you are not the one in control and you stop holding onto regrets  its liberating. Your past only has as much effect on your future as you want it to, Kesha continued. Its about embracing your past, but not letting it define you. Her new album, Rainbow, will be released Aug. 11. Facebook

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Stephen Colbert to bring animated Trump series to Showtime By Meredith Blake Stephen Colbert has ridden anti-Trump sentiment to the top of the late-night ratings. Now hes riding it all the way to premium cable. On Thursday, Showtime announced it had ordered 10 episodes of an as-yet-untitled animated series featuring cartoon renderings of the president, his family and inner circle. The satirical half-hour series, executive produced by Colbert and The Late Shows show runner Chris Licht, will debut on Showtime this fall. According to the network, turnaround on the series will be quick in order to incorporate current events. Stephen and Chris have an uncanny genius for deconstructing the world of President Trump, and this series opens a new realm for them, Showtime President David Nevins said in a press statement. Tim Luecke, who co-created the animated version of Trump who frequently appears in Late Show bits  including a recent segment from the notorious presidential suite of the Moscow Ritz-Carlton  will serve as lead animator. The announcement caps off a period of good news for Colbert, who racked up six Emmy nominations this month and will be hosting the awards in September. The recently concluded Russia Week, in which the comedian traveled to Moscow and St. Petersburg, brought The Late Show its biggest margin over The Tonight Show since its premiere in 2015. While The Late Show airs on CBS, Colbert has also developed ties with his corporate cousins at Showtime. Many point to his riveting election night special Stephen Colberts Live Election Night Democracys Series Finale, which aired on the premium network, as a turning point after an uneven transition from The Colbert Report. For its part, Showtime has invested heavily in political content over the last 18 months, most notably the documentary series The Circus, from journalists Mark Halperin and John Heilemann. Facebook

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Matt Damon gets punched right in the face in George Clooneys Suburbicon trailer By Nardine Saad  Matt Damon, Oscar Isaac and Julianne Moore star in the trailer for George Clooneys Suburbicon. In George Clooneys latest directorial effort, Suburbicon, the pleasantries of a 1950s town are undone when a home invasion exposes the communitys criminal subculture and racial tensions. And Matt Damons Gardner Lodge gets stuck in the thick of it -- defending his young son, making death threats, killing mobsters and getting popped square in his bespectacled face at the office -- as seen in the first trailer that Paramount unveiled Thursday. Did we mention this is a comedy? The dark, screwball kind from the minds of screenwriters Clooney and frequent collaborators Ethan and Joel Coen and Grant Heslov? Well, it is, in case that wasnt clear from the previous description. These animals took everything from us, a blood-splattered Gardner tells his son Nicky (Noah Jupe) at the dinner table. I have to make decisions like whats best for the family. After Gardners wife is murdered, he invites Auntie Margaret (Julianne Moore) to come live in the manicured suburban community to help with his son. Meanwhile, he gets mixed up with a loan shark that sets him on the warpath of a formidable, coffee-swilling collector named Roger (Oscar Isaac). The film is based on a script that the Coen brothers wrote years ago that Clooney found, and they agreed to have him direct it, according to Moore. Paramount acquired the U.S. rights to the film, billed as a comedy, crime and mystery, at the Berlin Film Festival last year. It will be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival in September and hits theaters on Oct. 27. Facebook

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Woody Allens Wonder Wheel to complete Amazons turn to full-service distribution By Mark Olsen Woody Allen at the American Film Institutes Life Achievement Award tribute to Diane Keaton on June 8, 2017, in Los Angeles. (Christopher Polk / Getty Images for Turner) Thursday it was announced that Woody Allens latest film, Wonder Wheel, will have its world premiere as the closing-night film at this years New York Film Festival. The film stars Kate Winslet, Justin Timberlake, Juno Temple and James Belushi in a story set around Coney Island in the 1950s. But that wasnt the only Allen item of the day. Variety reported that Wonder Wheel will also be the first film fully distributed by Amazon when it opens in theaters on Dec. 1. The company has already made fast inroads to the movie business, winning Academy Awards this year for Manchester by the Sea and The Salesman, but has up to now worked with established distribution partners such as Roadside Attractions or Bleecker Street to help get those movies into theaters. Amazon released Allens 2016 film, Cafe Society, starring Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart and Steve Carell, in partnership with Lionsgate. The online giant also released Allens six-part Crisis in Six Scenes, in which he starred alongside Elaine May and Miley Cyrus, late last year via the Amazon Prime Video streaming service. The move by Amazon is yet another way the company is distinguishing itself in relation to streaming rival Netflix. Where Netflix has been seen as pulling back from theatrical distribution, opting for either extremely limited or no theatrical release at all of its titles to drive viewers to its own platform, this latest push by Amazon renews its commitment to traditional theatrical releases. The New York Film Festival slot for Wonder Wheel gives Amazon the three marquee spots at the showcase. Previously announced, Richard Linklaters Last Flag Flying will open the festival, and Todd Haynes Wonderstruck, which premiered at this years Cannes Film Festival, will show in the centerpiece slot. Other upcoming Amazon titles include Mike Whites Brads Status, starring Ben Stiller, and Luca Guadagninos remake of Suspiria, starring Dakota Johnson. Facebook

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Mick Jagger releases two new, politically charged singles By August Brown (Dave Gatley / Los Angeles Times) Mick Jagger has been looking to the past on recent albums and festival dates. But a pair of urgent new singles are firmly set in the present. On Thursday, the Rolling Stones frontman released two tracks, Gotta Get A Grip and England Lost, that describe, as he put it in a statement, the anxiety, unknowability of the changing political situation in a post-Brexit U.K. The production is resolutely modern, built on programmed drums and clanging guitar noise. The London grime artist Skepta even joins him for a verse on England Lost. Ostensibly, its about seeing an England football team lose, but when I wrote the title I knew it would be about more than just that. Its about a feeling that we are in a difficult moment in our history. Its about the unknowability about where you are and the feeling of insecurity, Jagger said in a statement. Its obviously got a fair amount of humour because I dont like anything too on the nose but its also got a sense of vulnerability of where we are as a country. The Girls actress Jemima Kirke also stars in a new clip for Gotta Get A Grip. The songs are Jaggers first new solo material since 2001s Goddess In the Doorway. Facebook

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Katy Perry to host 2017 MTV Video Music Awards By Libby Hill The MTV Video Music Awards are returning to California and getting a certified California Gurl to host. Katy Perry took to her Twitter feed Thursday to announce her upcoming gig hosting -- and performing -- at the VMAs in August. Ive been training with MTV in zero gravity, eating astronaut ice cream, and Im on a group text with Buzz Aldrin and Neil deGrasse Tyson, Perry said in a statement. Come August 27th, Ill be ready to be your MOONWOMAN! Brace for impact, kids. Perry will kick off the evening as the first announced performer for the ceremony. On Tuesday, Perry earned five VMA nominations for her video contributions over the last year, tying with the Weeknd, with only Kendrick Lamar earning more. Were thrilled to have global phenomenon Katy Perry as the host and a performer at the 2017 VMAs, said Bruce Gillmer, head of music and music talent for Global Entertainment Group, Viacom, in a statement from MTV. She is at the forefront of music culture and the perfect person to anchor this years show, which promises to be one of the most diverse and music-filled in VMA history. The 2017 MTV Video Music Awards will air from the Forum in Inglewood on Aug. 27. Find a full list of nominees here. Introducing your MOONWOMAN. Brace for impact! August 27th on @MTV @VMAs pic.twitter.com/WJsIYq7WiM  KATY PERRY (@katyperry) July 27, 2017 Facebook

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Turns out Larry David and Bernie Sanders are related! By Yvonne Villarreal Turns out Saturday Night Live was on to something when it cast Larry David to play Sen. Bernie Sanders. During his freewheeling appearance Wednesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills to promote the upcoming ninth season of HBOs Curb Your Enthusiasm, David revealed that the resemblance is rooted in reality: Sanders is a distant relative. Hes in the line ... like a third cousin, or something, he said. The genealogical discovery comes courtesy of Davids appearance in an upcoming episode of the PBS series Finding Your Roots. I was very happy about that, David said. I figured there was some connection. David played Sanders on Saturday Night Live through the 2015-16 election cycle and also appeared alongside the senator on the late-night sketch show. Its the kind of family secret that David isnt ashamed to admit. I love Bernie, yes, David said. I love Bernie. Facebook

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Trumps proposed transgender military ban turns late-night into hostile territory By Libby Hill If theres one upside to the Trump administrations early-morning Twitter proclamations, its that it gives late-night shows all day to craft their reactions. Wednesday began with President Trump announcing a ban on transgender individuals serving in the United States military and ended with late-night hosts uniformly blasting the policy decision in hilarious fashion. On The Late Show, Stephen Colbert had plenty to say about Trumps tweets, which ended with an uncharacteristic thank you. Thank you? Colbert responded, shocked, before offering his own profane two-word response to the president. Colbert went on to discuss what he saw as the greatest fallacy of the presidents reasons for banning transgender soldiers: increased medical costs. Though a 2016 study funded by the Pentagon found that military medical spending on transgender soldiers would increase anywhere from $2.4 million to $8.4 million, Colbert wanted to reframe those figures. To put that number in perspective, the military spends five times as much on Viagra, Colbert explained, And if your erection lasts for more than four hours, thats too bad, because youre stuck on a submarine for the next six months. On The Daily Show Trevor Noah had similar concerns about the presidents cost-related excuse, pointing out that taxpayers are paying $60 million for Trump to travel to his various properties throughout his presidency. Noah also pondered which of Trumps generals hed consulted with, given that the Pentagon was unaware of his proclamation, suggesting that perhaps hed spoken with The General Online. Late Night With Seth Meyers also invoked the cartoon general from the car insurance commercials, when Meyers opted to turn discussion of Trumps tweets over to four of his female writers. Today it might be trans people, but tomorrow its gay people, and then the next day its black people, and after that its women, and then its immigrants, the writers pointed out, all of those groups represented between them. On The Tonight Show Jimmy Fallon had the good sense to turn over a portion of his monologue to transgender comedian Patti Harrison, who had plenty to say about Trumps Wednesday announcement. When I saw the headline this morning, at first I just read, Donald Trump bans transgender people, and I was like, Yeah, that sounds like him, Harrison deadpanned. But then I realized it was just in the military and I was shocked, because I assumed he already did that. But it was James Corden who took a completely different take on the transgender military ban, opting for a stylish and heartfelt song and dance, expressing his love and appreciation for the LGBT community. Facebook

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Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr are on the road again in new song collaboration By August Brown Ringo Starrs new LP includes a collaboration with fellow former Beatle Paul McCartney. (Ethan Miller / Getty Images) Any time the surviving Beatles reunite on record is a historic occasion. But a new single from Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr packs in even more classic-rock star power. Starrs new song Were on the Road Again is one of several collaborations with his former bandmate on his new LP, Give More Love. The song also has guest appearances from Joe Walsh, Edgar Winter and Steve Lukather. Its a slightly goofy ode to life on the road, as Starr boasts that, We play really tight; we play really loud and cheekily references his own song Photograph. The two Beatles last recorded together on Starrs 2010 album, Y Not, and performed McCartneys Queenie Eye at the 2014 Grammys. Starr announced the McCartney studio collaboration back in February, thanking the fellow Beatle in a Twitter post. Thanks for coming over man and playing Great bass. I love you man peace and love.  pic.twitter.com/Z5kpyLLlkO  #RingoStarr (@ringostarrmusic) February 20, 2017 Set for release on Sept. 15, Give More Love will also feature cameos from Peter Frampton, Don Was, Richard Marx and Dave Stewart, among others. You can hear Starrs new track with Paul McCartney via Rolling Stone. Facebook

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Curb Your Enthusiasm returns this fall -- and you can expect a Pirates of the Caribbean vibe? By Yvonne Villarreal Actor-creator-executive producer Larry David speaks at the Curb Your Enthusiasm panel during the Television Critics Assn. summer press tour at the Beverly Hilton. (Chris Pizzello / Invision/AP) Larry David revealed the real reason Curb Your Enthusiasm is at last returning after a six-year hiatus: People wouldnt stop bugging him about it. The Seinfeld co-creator took the stage Wednesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills -- joined by his Curb cohorts Susie Essman, Jeff Garlin and J.B. Smoove and executive producer Jeff Schaffer -- to discuss the shows coming ninth season. So, why bring back the show now after all these years? Im not a misser, David told reporters. I dont really miss things, people that much, but I was missing it. I thought, yeah, what the hell. And I got tired of people asking me if the show was coming back. I couldnt get asked that question anymore and I wasnt ready to say, No, never. The often madcap and sometimes hilariously perplexing 30-minute panel -- led by Davids gruff wit and deadpans -- kicked off with a teaser for the season. There was David in a shower, David talking about constipation, David enduring the displeasure of middle-seat status on a flight. The amount of uncomfortable situations [real Larry David] has been in these last six years, Schaffer said, youre going to see it all. Its like were sitting in the Ft. Knox of awkward. As for TV Larry David, Schaffer said viewers will learn very quickly what hes been up to during the years that have passed. Once the show starts to air, it will be self-evident, he said. It goes to this really strange, fun, crazy place.... And you will never expect where it ends. The trip to that ending begins Oct. 1 when the comedy returns to HBO. The 10-episode season brings back Curb favorites like Cheryl Hines, as well as frequent faces Richard Lewis, Bob Einstein, Ted Danson and Mary Steenburgen. And what would a long-awaited return be without some guest stars? Elizabeth Banks, Ed Begley Jr., Carrie Brownstein, Bryan Cranston, Lauren Graham, Jimmy Kimmel, Nick Offerman, Nasim Pedrad and Elizabeth Perkins will get in on the fun. For those who still need something to pin their hopes on about what this season will entail, Garlin offered this absurdly brilliant comparison. It really thematically follows Pirates of the Caribbean. ... Its more like the last one than the first few. Facebook

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At TCA 2017, HBO defends Confederate, announces Jon Stewart special and says Deadwood movie is inching closer By Greg Braxton Casey Bloys, president of HBO programming, addresses reporters at the Television Critics Assn.'s summer press tour at the Beverly Hilton on Wednesday. (Chris Pizzello / Invision / Associated Press) HBO, which has the hottest show on television with Game of Thrones, recently came under fire with the announcement of a new series called Confederate from a team that includes Game of Thrones producers D.B. Weiss and David Benioff. The series revolves around events that lead to the Third American Civil War and examines an alternate reality in which the South seceded from the Union and thus, slavery is still legal. Casey Bloys, president of HBO programming, defended the project Wednesday during the premium networks session at the summer edition of the Television Critics Assn. gathering at the Beverly Hilton. Bloys said that, in hindsight, the announcement was mishandled because it lacked the context and the vision that he received from Benioff and Weiss in discussing the series. He admitted it was misguided to believe they could simply announce a series with such a sensitive and volatile subject matter. We could have done a better job with the press release, he said. There was no benefit of context. My hope is people will judge the actual material instead of what it could be or should be or might be, he said. Well rise or fall based on that material. He added that he felt the series, rather than being divisive, would be able to advance the racial discussion. Although the topic is controversial, he said he and the producers of the show all feel this is a risk worth taking. Bloys also stressed that the depiction of slavery would not echo Gone With the Wind and would not include whips and plantations. In other major HBO news, former Daily Show host Jon Stewart will perform a stand-up special at a date and time to be announced, and host the latest Night of Too Many Stars, an all-star benefit for autism. Also, a movie reboot of HBOs western Deadwood is closer to reality. Bloys said the shows creator, David Milch, has completed a script that will please fans of the series while also being accessible to those less familiar with the show. But, he said, reuniting the large cast, which included Timothy Olyphant and Ian McShane, may prove challenging. Facebook

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Two Jon Stewart comedy specials are coming to HBO By Yvonne Villarreal Jon Stewart, seen here presenting at the ESPYS, will return to HBO for his first stand-up special in two decades. (Chris Pizzello/Invision/AP) Jon Stewart will headline two stand-up specials for HBO. The news was announced Wednesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills. The former Daily Show host will get a stand-up special  his first since since 1996s Jon Stewart: Unleavened aired on the network. A date and location have not been confirmed. Were excited to bring Jon to the network with this pair of specials, said HBO programming president Casey Bloys in a statement. Weve all missed his uniquely thoughtful brand of humor. Im really thrilled to be able to return to stand-up on HBO, added Stewart in a statement. Theyve always set the standard for great stand-up specials. Plus, I can finally use up the last of the Saddam Hussein jokes left over from my first special. Stewart will also host the latest Night of Too Many Stars, the all-star benefit for Next for Autism, a nonprofit organization focused on people living with autism spectrum disorder. The special will air live this fall and will take place from the Theater at Madison Square Garden in New York. The specials are part of Stewarts four-year deal with the premium cable network. Facebook

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Angelina Jolie talks about difficult split from Brad Pitt By Nardine Saad A-lister Angelina Jolie is adjusting to the domestic growing pains of life as a single mom  making a proper breakfast, keeping house and picking up dog poop. I never woke up and thought, I really want to live a bold life. I just cant do the other. Its the same as I cant make a casserole. I cannot sit still, she said in a sprawling new interview with Vanity Fair, in which she discussed her high-profile split from actor Brad Pitt. Ive been trying for nine months to be really good at just being a homemaker and picking up dog poop and cleaning dishes and reading bedtime stories. And Im getting better at all three. But now I need to get my boots on and go hang, take a trip, the humanitarian said of her plans to head to Africa for a mission with the preventing Sexual Violence Initiative. Angelina Jolie opens up about putting her family first, life after Brad, health issues & her most personal film yet https://t.co/nKyf4dO8ls pic.twitter.com/WkXCgWR1PV  VANITY FAIR (@VanityFair) July 26, 2017 The Oscar-winning actress explained how and when her marriage devolved, though she didnt go into great detail about the breakup for the sake of their six kids. The marriage began suffering in the summer of 2016 while she was in post-production on her fifth directorial effort, First They Killed My Father, a film about Cambodias Khmer Rouge genocide, which hits Netflix in September. Things got bad, Jolie said. I didnt want to use that word. ... Things became difficult. The director became slightly defensive at the mention of the familys globe-trotting lifestyle, which reportedly had been grating on Pitt. "[Our lifestyle] was not in any way a negative, she asserted. That was not the problem. That is and will remain one of the wonderful opportunities we are able to give our children. ... Theyre six very strong-minded, thoughtful, worldly individuals. Im very proud of them. After 12 years together and a few years of marriage, Jolie filed for divorce from Pitt in September 2016. While her ex was couch-surfing, she and the kids spent nine months in a rental property before settling into a six-bedroom, 10-bathroom Los Feliz manse once owned by film legend Cecil B. DeMille. Its just been the hardest time, and were just kind of coming up for air. [This house] is a big jump forward for us, and were all trying to do our best to heal our family. The divorce filing came suddenly for the health of the family on the heels of a spat Pitt had with their 15-year-old son, Maddox. They reached a divorce settlement privately in January after battling publicly for months over custody of the kids. The Oscar-winning producer had been vilified with accusations of child abuse and having an affair with his Allied costar Marion Cotillard. But he arguably won over public opinion with his introspective GQ Style interview in May in which he admitted to sobering up after boozing too much. Last year, Jolie was diagnosed with hypertension and developed Bells palsy when nerve damage caused one side of her face to droop. She took up acupuncture to treat it. Sometimes women in families put themselves last, she said, until it manifests itself in their own health. Thats just the latest in her medical history. Following a preventative double mastectomy in 2013, she had her ovaries and fallopian tubes removed in 2015, which sent her into menopause. I cant tell if its menopause or if its just been the year Ive had, she said, quipping about her dry skin and the idea that she could still be considered a sex symbol. I actually feel more of a woman because I feel like Im being smart about my choices, and Im putting my family first, and Im in charge of my life and my health. I think thats what makes a woman complete. For the record, Aug. 4, 12:55 p.m.: A previous version of this story said that First They Killed My Father would hit Netflix this month. It debuts in September. Facebook

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Caitlyn Jenner questions why Trump isnt fighting for transgender service members By James Reed (Taylor Jewell / Invision/Associated Press) There are 15,000 patriotic transgender Americans in the US military fighting for all of us. What happened to your promise to fight for them?  Caitlyn Jenner, tweeting in response to President Trumps transgender military ban announced Wednesday Read More Facebook

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Robert Pattinson confirms hes kind of engaged to singer FKA Twigs By Nardine Saad (Mike Coppola / Getty Images for People) Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson says hes kind of " engaged to singer FKA Twigs. The actor addressed the engagement rumors Tuesday in a direct response to shock jock Howard Sterns questioning on Sirius XMs The Howard Stern Show. Youre engaged, right? Stern said after calling the edgy English songstress his fiancee. Yeah, kind of, Pattinson, 31, responded uneasily. The Good Time star, whose relationships have been intensely scrutinized since he dated Twilight co-star Kristen Stewart at the height of the teen vampire frenzy, agreed that hes been a bit protective of his romances. Hes been dating the Water Me singer, real name Tahlia Barnett, since 2014 and theyve been rumored to be engaged since April 2015. Save for public appearances together, Pattinson has kept pretty mum about the relationship. Its one of the most frustrating things in the world because you want to be able to show off a relationship, he told Stern. You kind of get stuck in this position where you have to make decisions whether you want to let the kind of crazy people in. Pattinson was referring to the Twi-hards or, as he called them, a crack troupe of crazies who believe every decision he makes is part of some big conspiracy. To protect [the relationship] you kind of think, I want to create a big boundary between it. But then it makes it difficult for your actual relationship, he said. Additionally, Pattinson also discussed the racial disparagement his fiancee faces on social media for dating him. He tries to tune out the hate when he can, but he isnt always successful. I think its like professional trolls, he said of rude commenters. They get so addicted to kind of just wanting to cause hurt and pain on someone and its just one of the most difficult things to know how to confront. Its a faceless enemy. ... It might seem fake to them, but its definitely real in your life. Pattinson said responding to hate can just be feeding into it. It makes me feel less powerful if youre trying to attack and make it go away. Its like trying to attack a reflection in the water or something. You just look crazy, he said. Facebook

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David Letterman cringes when late-night TV hosts refer to viewers as fans By Emily Mae Czachor A profoundly bearded David Letterman made a rare talk-show appearance Monday -- one of just a handful of public ventures since the end of his run on The Late Show in 2015. Only this time, Letterman arrived as a guest. In an unusual turn of events, the former late-night host played interviewee on the season premiere of stand-up comedian Norm Macdonalds podcast, Norm Macdonald Live. The longtime pals discussed a number of matters, from Lettermans first-ever hosting gig (a game show called Wordbusters) to the time he found himself face to face with Richard Nixon. The two also discussed late-night TVs changing landscape and how Letterman never felt comfortable thinking of himself as the star of his own show. I could not possibly, and still dont, consider myself a star, because I couldnt refer to myself as a star, Letterman said. Johnny Carson was a star, theres no question of that. So for me to adopt that -- Starring Dave Letterman -- that was just ridiculous. In the same way, I always cringe a little when people refer to the folks who watch their show as their fans, Letterman added. I just think thats a little too  you know, you kind of just stepped over the line of basic humility there. Macdonald commented on late-nights packed roster of big-name hosts -- none of whom he finds particularly unique, except Conan OBrien, who he thinks has changed it up a little. On any plans for a late-night return to the host seat, Letterman told fans not to expect too much. Ive done it for 30 years, he said. I dont want to do it anymore. Watch the full episode above (warning: some profanity). Facebook

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Olivia de Havilland, 101, files motion to expedite her Feud lawsuit By Nardine Saad Olivia de Havilland at her Paris home in 2003. (Jean-Marc Giboux / Getty Images) Citing her advanced age, legendary actress Olivia de Havilland has filed a motion in her Feud lawsuit for a preferential trial date this fall. De Havillands attorneys filed in Los Angeles Superior Court on Tuesday, requesting that the jury trial be set in November or no later than 120 days of her motion being granted. The 101-year-old is hoping that a judge will fast track the trial during her Sept. 13 hearing date, which is just days before Feud is expected to be a big winner at the Primetime Emmy Awards. (The miniseries is nominated for 18 awards.) The Gone With the Wind star sued FX and Feud showrunner Ryan Murphy last month over her depiction in the miniseries about rival actresses Bette Davis and Joan Crawford. The two-time Oscar winner, who was played by actress Catherine Zeta-Jones on the show, makes legal claims about violations of her common law and statutory rights of publicity, her right to privacy and unjust enrichment. Based on her unusually advanced age, resulting particular susceptibility to disease, and recurring health issues, there is a substantial likelihood that she, as with anyone at this advanced age, may not survive for any extended period of time, the motion said. It is likely that if a trial preference motion is not granted, Olivia de Havilland will be prejudiced, because on the normal schedule, trial would not be set within the next 120 days. Her team also argued that because she is the sole plaintiff, De Havilland is crucial to the trial. Olivia de Havilland has a substantial interest in the litigation as a whole here as her personal statutory right of publicity cause of action does not survive her death. ... Further, should Olivia de Havilland die before her trial date, she will not be able to enjoy the benefits which she would receive in damages, the motion said. De Havillands June 30 lawsuit said the show damaged her professional reputation for integrity, honesty, generosity, self-sacrifice and dignity. She claimed that FX, Murphy and Fox producers never sought or obtained her permission to be depicted in the series and that Zeta-Jones portrayal of her in an episode about the 1963 Oscars cast her in a false, hurtful and damaging light. The defendants have not yet responded to de Havillands initial filing. According to Deadline, the Paris-based actress will not be attending the September hearing but may return to Hollywood if the trial is expedited to November. Olivia de Havilland 101: Everything you need to know as the movie legend celebrates her 101st birthday Facebook

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Despacitos Luis Fonsi, Daddy Yankee call out Venezuelan president for using song to push agenda By Nardine Saad Luis Fonsi, left, and Daddy Yankee. (Sergi Alexander / Getty Images) Despacito singers Luis Fonsi and Daddy Yankee and co-writer Erika Ender have condemned Venezuelas President Nicolas Maduro for appropriating their international hit song for political gain. The chart-topping Puerto Rican recording artists and Panamanian songwriter on Monday called out Maduro, currently the subject of violent and sometimes fatal nationwide protests over his policies, for reworking their lyrics to appeal to voters during his weekly television show on Sunday. The revision promoted the leaders plans for a controversial citizens assembly to be elected on July 30 and tasked with rewriting Venezuelas 1999 constitution and bypassing the opposition-led legislature. Our call to the Constituent Assembly only seeks to unite the country ... despacito, Maduros version said. The term despacito means slowly in Spanish and in the original version of the song refers to the singers wooing techniques. Maduros supporters swayed to the remix dressed in matching T-shirts and baseball caps that brandished campaign slogans. the Associated Press said. The president was seen clapping along to the remix while the audience danced, according to the BBC. I DO NOT AGREE WITH THIS, Ender wrote in Spanish on Instagram, citing a news story about Maduros use of the song. I cannot see so much pain in people I love so much. Warrior people, people with iron will. Good people, who are fighting for freedom of rights and expression. ... I love Venezuela, a land that has given me true brothers and sisters. Brothers who suffer because of the situation that exists. Ender also lamented seeing the song she co-wrote be used without permission to advertise campaigns linked to a regime that has sowed so much discontent and suffering. View Instagram post On repeated occasions, I have said how much I enjoy the versions of Despacito that have been released on a global level. However there has to be a limit, Fonsi also wrote in Spanish on Instagram. I have never been consulted, nor have I authorized the use of or the change of lyrics of Despacito for political means, much less in the middle of the deplorable situation in a country I love so much, Venezuela. He added that his music is for everyone who wants to listen to it and enjoy it, not to use as propaganda that tries to manipulate the will of the people who are crying out loud for their liberty and a better future. View Instagram post Daddy Yankee took a much more blunt approach in his post, sharing an image of a news article about Maduro with a large red X superimposed on it. What can you expect of a person who has stolen lives from young dreamers and people who are looking for a better future for their children? the reggaeton rapper wrote in Spanish. That you illegally appropriated Despacito does not compare to the crimes you commit and have committed in Venezuela. Your dictatorial regime is a mockery not only for my Venezuelan brothers, but for the whole world. With that nefarious marketing plan, you will only continue to highlight your fascist ideology, which has killed hundreds of heroes and injured more than 2,000. View Instagram post Millions of Venezuelans joined a general strike last week amid economic turmoil and a shortage of food and medicine in the country. Government opponents dealt a symbolic blow on Sunday to Maduro, casting votes in an unofficial referendum that rejected his plan for the constitutional overhaul. The government denounced the opposition balloting as illegal and seditious, according to The Times, but turnout appeared high at thousands of makeshift voting places set up throughout the country and abroad. Facebook

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Netflix invests in Matt Groenings Disenchantment By Libby Hill Matt Groening is ready to take another crack at this television thing. The creator of The Simpsons, which debuts its 29th season on Fox this fall, has a new show courtesy of Netflix. The streaming service provider announced Tuesday that it had ordered 20 episodes of Disenchantment, an adult animated comedy series set in a deteriorating fantasy kingdom. The show centers around a hard-living young princess named Bean, voiced by Abbi Jacobson (Broad City), her elf companion, Elfo (Nat Faxon), and personal demon Luci (Eric Andre). Ultimately, Disenchantment will be about life and death, love and sex, and how to keep laughing in a world full of suffering and idiots, despite what the elders and wizards and other jerks tell you, Groening said in a statement Tuesday. Matt Groenings brilliant work has resonated with generations around the world and we couldnt be happier to work with him on Disenchantment,  Cindy Holland, vice president of original content for Netflix, said in a statement. The series will bear his trademark animation style and biting wit, and we think its a perfect fit for our many Netflix animation fans. The series joins Netflixs Bojack Horseman in aiming for an audience unafraid of exploring the less-savory aspects of adulthood. Disenchantment will premiere on Netflix 10 episodes at a time, beginning in 2018. Facebook

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Broad City stars talk about the decision to bleep President Trumps name on the show By Yvonne Villarreal Abbi Jacobson, left, and Ilana Glazer of the series Broad City speak at the Television Critics Assn. press tour at the Beverly Hilton on Tuesday. (Chris Pizzello / Invision/Associated Press) Broad City creators and stars Ilana Glazer and Abbi Jacobson consider the bleeping out of President Trumps name from the comedys upcoming fourth season a different kind of joke. The two appeared onstage Tuesday at the Television Critics Assn. press tour in Beverly Hills to discuss the new season and how they reworked the show in the wake of Trumps election. We just got to a point where in real life were talking about the current administration, were talking about Trump  and it sounds so gross every day saying it so many 
With the year more than half over, The Times film critics, Kenneth Turan and Justin Chang, sat down to discuss their cinematic highlights so far from 2017. The picks range from major studio offerings such as Get Out and Cars 3 to indie darlings The Big Sick and Personal Shopper. And in a nod to the ever-evolving way we watch films, two of our critics choices  Okja and War Machine  debuted on Netflix concurrent with limited theatrical release.

KENNETH TURAN: The halfway point in calendar 2017 is upon us, and that provides an excellent moment to look back on the movie year and figure out what was memorable, to highlight the best of the big films that everyone saw as well as the small gems that might have gotten by audiences. In general terms, how does the year strike you so far?

For the record: An earlier version of this post said Sigur Ros did the score for Dawson City: Frozen Time. The documentarys score is by Alex Somers. It also stated the documentary I Called Him Morgan is about jazz trumpeter Frank Morgan. It is about Lee Morgan.

JUSTIN CHANG: So far its been a fine, promising year at the movies, and Im certainly glad its not over yet. Films released between January and June are so often forgotten or passed over for recognition at years end, but in some corners of the Internet there have already been whispers of Oscar buzz for Get Out and Wonder Woman, two critically and commercially successful studio releases that, both in their own ways, told stories that we havent seen 100 times before already.

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TURAN: Theres no telling what the academy will do, but for me the year so far was a mixed bag at best, with the studio offerings, not surprisingly, being especially weak tea. I definitely enjoyed Cars 3 and was impressed by the seriousness Logan brought to the superhero genre, but for me, much as I admired and enjoyed Gal Gadot in the title role, I wished Wonder Woman didnt go on for so long. Are there any studio films Im forgetting?

CHANG: If so, theyre probably best left forgotten. I am glad you reminded me of Logan, which is so thoughtful and gripping and well acted Im still not sure what held me back from embracing it fully. On a different note, the summer has just gotten a terrific shot of adrenaline from Baby Driver, a category-defying car-chase musical that confirms Edgar Wright as one of our most talented genre mix-masters.

TURAN: Havent caught up with that yet, but it certainly sounds energetic if nothing else. The other summer film I want to single out, which I know you are a fan of also, is The Big Sick. Its a wonderful independent film that debuted at Sundance and delivers the kind of humor and emotion that studio films provided once upon a time but no longer.

The other Sundance drama that has stayed with me is Alex and Andrew Smiths Walking Out, which IFC is releasing in the fall. Does anything from the festival stand out for you, or from the indie world in general?

CHANG: Its gratifying to see the all-around embrace of The Big Sick, which both honors and deepens the American romantic-comedy tradition, and also confounds our usual notions of big films versus small films. The movie may be modest in form and budget, but its so full of life and warmth and wit that it fills the screen more fully than some tentpoles I could name.

Another film that did that for me, albeit very differently, is A Quiet Passion, Terence Davies marvelous portrait of Emily Dickinson, who is played by Cynthia Nixon in a fiercely felt performance that I hope to see remembered at years end. Between Nixon and Kristen Stewart in Olivier Assayas splendidly spooky Personal Shopper, its already shaping up to be an excellent year for actresses.

TURAN: I agree about both, just wonderful performances. There are a couple of other independent films I want to highlight. Why dont we start with a light-on-its-feet effort with an ungainly name, Norman: The Moderate Rise and Tragic Fall of a New York Fixer, a completely involving moral fable starring Richard Gere and directed with enviable flair by Israeli director Joseph Cedar in his first English-language film.

I also want to put in a good word for a film starring Brad Pitt that almost no one saw in a theater because it was released by Netflix. That would be War Machine, a blistering satire on the U.S. presence in Afghanistan. Netflix is really serious about revolutionizing the way movies are seen.

CHANG: Whether that revolution will be to the good of the movies has, of course, been the subject of much recent debate. Im curious to hear the audience response to Bong Joon Hos thrilling animal-rights fable, Okja, whose existence is a credit to Netflix, but which absolutely deserves to be seen on the big screen.

So, for that matter, does James Grays lush and enveloping historical epic The Lost City of Z, which enjoyed a well-deserved theatrical release courtesy of Netflix rival Amazon Studios. I dont always love Grays movies, but this one, starring a revelatory Charlie Hunnam as the real-life explorer Percy Fawcett, has stayed with me in the best possible way.

TURAN: Films like Okja, with its considerable Korean-language component, remind me that 2017 has seen some excellent foreign-language films. Most recent was the German Stefan Zweig: Farewell to Europe, but there was also the Finnish Cannes prizewinner The Happiest Day in the Life of Olli Maki, the unexpected Israeli The Womens Balcony, even the French-language, Swiss-animated My Life as a Zucchini, which was a total charmer.

When people tell me there are no good films out there, I wish they had seen these. The problem is that the dynamics of theatrical exhibition are such that they rarely stay in theaters for more than a week, which is not enough time for most people to fit them into their lives.

CHANG: Or for them to build the necessary word of mouth. I wish more audiences had seen After the Storm, a deeply moving family drama that some have (wrongly) dismissed as a minor effort from the Japanese master Hirokazu Kore-eda. And Ill also speak up for two French films that could scarcely be more different: Stephane Brizes beautifully acted 19th century character study, A Womans Life, which is adapted from a Guy de Maupassant novel, and Julia Ducournaus supremely grisly cannibal thriller Raw, which is decidedly not adapted from a Guy de Maupassant novel.

TURAN: So glad you mentioned After the Storm; I wish more people knew how exceptional a director Kore-eda is. And speaking of under-the-radar phenomena, I wish audiences were more tempted by some of the outstanding documentaries that appear and disappear with regularity. Some of the best of the year so far were I Called Him Morgan, the haunting story of jazz trumpeter Lee Morgan; John Ridleys potent look at the Los Angeles riots, Let It Fall; Steve James Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, about a feisty Chinatown bank that fought back against unjust federal charges; and Settlers, an unnerving look at the situation on Israels West Bank.

And that doesnt even mention the twin tentpoles of doc transcendence: Bertrand Taverniers magisterial My Journey Through French Cinema and Bill Morrisons brilliant, unclassifiable Dawson City: Frozen Time. You could do a lot worse than spend your moviegoing time on films like these.

CHANG: I have you to thank for sending me to Dawson City: Frozen Time, which is one of the most spellbinding experiences Ive had in a theater recently and has a magnificent Alex Somers score to boot. And Ill echo your praise for Abacus: Small Enough to Jail, which is one of the best real-life courtroom thrillers Ive seen in a while, as well as a rightly infuriating portrait of our justice system going after the scrupulous because it cant possibly convict the guilty.

A number of fine documentaries and narratives have already premiered at the Sundance and Cannes film festivals, and will be opening in the second half of 2017. Besides Walking Out, which you mentioned, are there any that youd suggest our readers keep an eye out for?

The film that stood out for me at Cannes was Noah Baumbachs The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Psychologically complex as well as funny.  Kenneth Turan

TURAN: The film that stood out for me at Cannes was Noah Baumbachs The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected). Psychologically complex as well as funny, it stars a bearded Dustin Hoffman as an impossible father opposite Ben Stiller and a completely surprising Adam Sandler as his battling sons. Its one Im looking forward to seeing again. And a couple of fine Sundance docs are about to come out: Step, about the empowering effect being on the step dance team has on a group of Baltimore high school students, and Take Every Wave: The Life of Laird Hamilton, Rory Kennedys in-depth look at the iconoclastic surf legend. If that doesnt say Endless Summer, I dont know what does.

CHANG: Speaking of endless summers, my Sundance highlight was Luca Guadagninos Call Me By Your Name, an intoxicating first-love story starring Timothee Chalamet and Armie Hammer and set in the sun-drenched Italian countryside; its opening Nov. 24 through Sony Pictures Classics. And the best film I saw at Cannes was Sean Bakers stunning The Florida Project, which A24 is releasing Oct. 6. Much like Bakers previous film, Tangerine, it finds hilarity and raw, heartrending truth in a world few of us know, and there are few better things one can expect from a movie than that.

justin.chang@latimes.com

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Movie recommendations from critics Kenneth Turan, Justin Chang and other reviewers.

Baby Driver Edgar Wrights exuberant, one-of-a-kind vehicular-action-thriller-musical-romance stars Ansel Elgort as a tinnitus-afflicted, music-loving getaway driver alongside a superb supporting cast that includes Kevin Spacey, Lily James, Jamie Foxx, Jon Hamm and Eiza Gonzalez. (Justin Chang) R.

Beatriz at Dinner Salma Hayek gives perhaps the best performance of her career as an empathetic holistic healer who comes face-to-face with a rotten billionaire real-estate mogul (a marvelous John Lithgow) in this queasily funny and suspenseful dark comedy from director Miguel Arteta and screenwriter Mike White. (Justin Chang) R.

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The Beguiled Superbly acted by an ensemble that includes Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst and Colin Farrell, Sofia Coppolas Southern gothic chamber piece brings artful precision and a deft, distinctive feminist reading to a Civil War-era story previously adapted in 1971 by Don Siegel. (Justin Chang) R.

The Big Sick Kumail Nanjiani and Zoe Kazan are terrific as a young couple navigating the challenges of interracial romance and Muslim immigrant identity in director Michael Showalters delightful, serious-minded comedy, which also features powerhouse supporting turns from Holly Hunter and Ray Romano. (Justin Chang) R.

Churchill Brian Cox, in a towering, Oscar-caliber performance, proves the literal beating heart of this superb look at iconic statesman Winston Churchills torturous days leading up to the pivotal D-day landings of June 6, 1944. (Gary Goldstein) PG.

Dawson City: Frozen Time An aesthetic knockout thats crammed with amazing facts, a documentary thats also a detective story, a history of a particular place that turns into an examination of an entire art form, this Bill Morrison documentary inspired by the Klondike gold rush and a legendary cache of silent films will make you swoon. (Kenneth Turan) NR.

It Comes at Night Confirming the filmmaking skill of writer-director Trey Edward Shults (Krisha), this nightmarish post-apocalyptic thriller about two families seeking refuge in the wilderness is a tour de force of narrative economy, etched in dim light and implacable shadows. (Justin Chang) R.

The Lost City of Z Based on David Granns nonfiction bestseller about British explorer Percy Fawcett (well played by Charlie Hunnam), James Grays rich, meditative and deeply transporting adventure epic is the sort of classical filmmaking that feels positively radical. (Justin Chang) PG-13.

My Cousin Rachel Daphne du Mauriers melodramatic thriller of a novel is turned into a triumphant exercise in dark and delicious romantic ambiguity courtesy of an extremely persuasive performance by Rachel Weisz. (Kenneth Turan) PG-13.

My Journey Through French Cinema A passionate, opinionated, drop dead fascinating documentary essay about key decades in that countrys film history put together by clear-eyed enthusiast Bertrand Tavernier. (Kenneth Turan) NR.

Okja A parable of friendship, an environmental fable and corporate satire, Bong Joon Hos film is something truly special and to be celebrated wherever and however you may discover it. (Mark Olsen) NR.

The Ornithologist Portuguese writer-director Joao Pedro Rodrigues cheerfully blasphemous 21st-century retelling of the life of St. Anthony of Padua follows an explorer named Fernando (Paul Hamy) on an entrancingly strange and beautiful wilderness odyssey. (Justin Chang) NR.

Wonder Woman With forthright emotion, spirited humor and a surprisingly purposeful sense of spectacle, director Patty Jenkins and her superb star, Gal Gadot, have made a thrilling new superhero saga that might just save the typically nonthrilling DC Extended Universe. (Justin Chang) PG-13.

See the most-read stories in Entertainment this hour 

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From late-night lasagna in Chinatown to a sushi speakeasy in Encino, heres whats happening in the Los Angeles food and drink world:

More cheese please: The next time youre in the mood for some hot, cheesy lasagna after 10 p.m., head to Chinatown. Chef Royce Burke will open a late-night lasagna restaurant called Secret Lasagna on Broadway in Chinatown (just south of the late Pok Pok) on July 19. Burke was formerly the executive chef at Chimney Coffee and also has a hot sauce brand called Wyldefire Hot Sauce. For Secret Lasagna, Burke will be serving lasagna by the slice and tray (there is a vegan option as well), along with burgers and duck casserole out of a walk-up window. There are a couple seats outside  or you can have your lasagna delivered via Uber Eats. The window will be open from 5 p.m. to midnight Thursday through Sunday with delivery until 3 a.m. 970 N. Broadway, Unit 114, Los Angeles, secretlasagna.com.

For the record: This story lists the wrong address for Surfas. The correct address is 8777 W. Washington Blvd., Culver City.

Hidden sushi: Chef Phillip Frankland Lee is busy building his restaurant empire in Encino. Now hes added sushi to his Scratch Restaurants Group, which currently includes Franklands Crab & Co., Scratch Bar and Woodley Proper, all located next to each other in an Encino shopping center. Sushi Bar is a new omakase speakeasy behind Woodley Proper. Lees take on sushi includes a yellowtail brushed with sweet corn pudding over rice with sourdough breadcrumbs. Theres also a boozy tea service with matcha and yuzu. The 16-course menu is $110 per person with an optional $55 beverage tasting. 16101 Ventura Blvd., Encino, (818) 906-9775, scratchrestaurants.com.

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Follow that duck fat: Surfas, the store that has been a culinary haven for home cooks and chefs since it opened in Culver City in 2005, where you could wander the aisles and lust after iron tortilla presses and containers of rendered duck fat, will close on July 15. The adjacent cafe, known for its pressed sandwiches, salads and caneles, closed on June 30. Owner Les Surfas is looking for a new location for the store and plans to reopen soon. Surfas sold the property about 2 years ago; it will become part of the HBO headquarters. Surfas also plans to return to Culver City in two years with a cafe and a consolidated store that will sell what he calls the best of Surfas. Surfas Culinary District, 8825 National Blvd., Culver City, (310) 559-4770, surfasonline.com.

Truffle up: Mix & Match Burger, a new burger restaurant in Glendale just off Brand Boulevard, is now open. The restaurant has a set menu of burgers that includes a truffle burger, a crispy fried chicken sandwich and a falafel burger (think a patty made out of a giant ball of falafel), or you can build your own. Sliders are $3, 6-ounce burgers are $6, or you can order a double (two six-ounce patties) for $9; prices are set, regardless of the toppings you pile on. The restaurant also serves milkshakes, fries and onion rings. 112 W. California Ave., Glendale, (818) 396-4965, mixmatchburger.com.

Flying high: The Proud Bird, the aviation-themed restaurant with a view of the LAX runways, has reopened as a food hall and restaurant after closing in February 2016 for renovations. Chef Ted Hopson and Ann-Marie Verdi of the Bellwether in Studio City were menu consultants for the hall, which features six self-service kitchens where diners can walk around and select food from different stations. One of the kitchens is serving barbecue ribs, brisket and pulled pork from Bludsos BBQ. The bar program at the Mile High Club Bar and Lounge inside the hall features aviation-themed cocktails such as the Aviator Martini and the Captains Mule. 11022 Aviation Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 670-3093, www.theproudbird.com.

Still hungry? McConnells Fine Ice Creams is the newest shop to join the upcoming Caruso Palisades Village project, scheduled to open in 2018. Ayara Thai in Westchester has closed for four months of renovations but will open a pop-up, Ayara Luk, down the street on Sepulveda Boulevard on Thursday. Chef Jessica Largey, formerly of Manresa, and of the upcoming Simone in L.A., will be cooking at Winsome in Echo Park on July 16. Westbound in the downtown L.A. Arts District is now serving boozy milkshakes by Coolhaus. Tsubaki in Echo Park now has happy hour and delivery via the Caviar app.

Jenn.Harris@latimes.com

@Jenn_Harris_

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A South Pasadena man accused of killing his 5-year-old son, whose remains were found recently at a Santa Barbara County recreation area, pleaded not guilty Monday to murder.

Aramazd Andressian Sr., 35, who wore a padded anti-suicide smock that cant be torn or folded into a noose, appeared at a brief arraignment hearing at an Alhambra courthouse. His bail was set at $10 million.

Andressians attorney, Ambrosio Rodriguez, said outside the courtroom that his client is being evaluated by psychologists. Andressian is in a state of emotional shock, he said.

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This is a horrible day, Rodriguez said.

Shaun Estevez, Aramazd Andressian Jr.s uncle, said his family is devastated over the boys fate. His sister is Ana Estevez, the boys mother.

We never wanted this result, he said before the hearing. I think the main question the family has is Why?

The elder Andressian was arrested June 23 in Las Vegas, where he had stayed off and on since his sons disappearance. Sheriffs investigators said they had noticed he had lightened his hair, shaved his beard and was preparing to travel to a country where he could avoid extradition. He was flown back to California, arriving at Long Beach airport on Friday.

On the same day, authorities discovered the boys remains in the Cachuma Lake area after weeks of frantic searching. Aramazd Andressian Jr. was last seen April 21 about 1 a.m. as he was leaving Disneyland with his father, aunt and grandmother.

The next day, after the boy was to be handed off to his mother, his father was found unconscious in a South Pasadena park, his gray BMW doused in gasoline. Authorities believe that Andressian had tried to kill himself by taking prescription pills.

Andressian initially was detained, then released because of a lack of evidence. He told sheriffs detectives that he had gone with his son to the Cachuma Lake Recreation Area in Santa Barbara County.

The detectives found evidence that Andressian was at the lake April 21, but there were no sightings of his son. Authorities suspect the child had been killed shortly after leaving Disneyland, before the father went to the lake.

After the boys disappearance, officials used scent dogs and drones to comb Arroyo Park, where the father was found. Divers searched Cachuma Lake.

But it was not until Friday, when sheriffs homicide detectives followed new leads back to the Cachuma Lake area, that Aramazds body was found.

Detectives said they believe Andressian killed his son because of tumultuous divorce proceedings with his estranged wife.

After the hearing, Shaun Estevez addressed the media with tears in his eyes.

He was just a great 5-year-old, Estevez said. I cant even remember anytime him getting into trouble.

Times staff writers Cindy Chang and Richard Winton contributed to this report.

nicole.santacruz@latimes.com

For more news on homicide in Southern California, follow me on Twitter: @NicoleSantaCruz.

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UPDATES:

2:45 p.m.: This article was updated with more family quotes.

9:25 a.m.: This article was updated with Andressian pleading not guilty.

This article was originally published at 5 a.m.
The human toll from Californias dangerous river conditions climbed again last weekend after authorities reported a boy drowned and another person missing and the bodies of two others pulled from swift, cold waters in the Sacramento and Central valleys.

First responders and law enforcement agencies in the states low-lying communities have been sounding the alarm for months that as the state transitioned into spring and now summer, the historic snowpack in the Sierra Nevada was going to melt and create deadly conditions downstream.

Please dont become a statistic, the Turlock Rural Fire Department put it bluntly on Facebook this weekend, after the second drowning in two weeks.

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But more deaths were reported.

On Saturday morning, the West Sacramento Fire Department pulled the body of an unidentified man out of the American River under a railroad bridge. About an hour later, authorities said they were searching for another person who jumped into the river the previous night.

That same day and an hours drive south, a 7-year-old boy swimming with his twin brother drowned in the Sacramento River in Solano County. The boy was swimming at Sandy Beach County Park when he drowned, reported KTXL. Theres no lifeguard at the beach, so visitors are swimming at their own risk there, officials said.

Rescue 20 crews help @SacPolice CSI to investigate fatality on Am. River. Officers lowered down to document area where body was found. #CSI pic.twitter.com/kpUpxwF3qf  Sacramento Fire (@SacFirePIO) July 2, 2017

In Stanislaus County on Sunday, the Turlock Rural Fire Department said it was investigating a possible drowning in a channel fed from the Tuolumne River. The body was recovered once the canal flow was reduced.

We would like to remind the public that Turlock Irrigation District Canals are private property. The canals are at peak flow and are very cold, the department said. They are NOT for swimming or playing near. This is the second drowning in the Turlock Rural District in 2 weeks.

Some areas in Californias rivers can be enjoyed safely if the right precautions are in place, as recreational companies will attest.

That wasnt the case in Oakdale on Sunday however, where a group of nine whitewater rafters narrowly avoided catastrophe when their raft overturned and the group fell into the fast-moving river, according to the Modesto Bee.

The nine had rented the raft without a tour guide familiar with the rivers layout, the paper reported. It took two boats to fish them all out, and authorities credit their survival to the fact they were all wearing life jackets. The rivers current and scattered debris can play a role in pulling a person beneath the water and holding them there until its too late, experts say.

The states Department of Public Health was compelled to make a public plea for caution on Monday as the casualty count continues to climb.

We can enjoy all the summer fun California has to offer when we put safety first. My message is simple: no more drownings. Not this summer, not any summer, Public Health Officer Karen Smith said in a video first published last year. No more drownings. Not one more.

joseph.serna@latimes.com

For breaking California news, follow @JosephSerna on Twitter.

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Chinese president says relations with Russia at "best time in history"

BEIJING, July 3 (Xinhua) -- Chinese President Xi Jinping reiterated on Monday that China-Russia relations are at their "best time in history," saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks during an interview with Russian media ahead of his state visit to Russia.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese president said, noting that China and Russia have completely resolved their border issues left by history, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship between the two peoples.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi added.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

"I will start a state visit to Russia at the invitation of President Putin. I believe the visit will inject new impetus to the development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture has been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached an important consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

According to the Chinese president, the two countries are also working together to tap their cooperation potential and foster new growth areas in bilateral cooperation.

"The fast-growing, pragmatic cooperation has become the locomotive in the continuous development of the China-Russia relations," Xi said.

Meanwhile, Xi said that the two countries have also witnessed rapid development of people-to-people and cultural exchanges. They also maintained close strategic coordination on global and regional affairs, serving as a ballast stone in safeguarding global and regional peace, security and stability, Xi added.

Looking into the future, Xi said he is confident about the development of the China-Russia comprehensive strategic partnership of coordination, and he is ready to work with President Putin to help guide and promote the continued and healthy development of China-Russia ties.
Judges have broad authority in refusing to lighten the sentences of three-strike inmates, despite recent ballot measures aimed at reducing the states prison population, the California Supreme Court ruled Monday.

In a 4-3 decision, the court said judges may freely decline to trim sentences for inmates who qualify for reductions under a 2012 ballot measure intended to reform the states tough three-strikes sentencing law.

Justice Leondra R. Kruger, an appointee of Gov. Jerry Brown, joined the more conservative justices to reach the result.

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The decision aimed to resolve questions posed by two ballot measures in recent years to reduce the population of the states overburdened prison system.

Proposition 36 allowed three-strike inmates to obtain sentence reductions if their third strike was neither serious nor violent.

Judges were entitled to refuse a reduction if they believed the inmate posed an unreasonable risk of danger to public safety. They could consider the inmates history, disciplinary record in prison or other evidence.

Two years later, voters passed another ballot measure to reduce the prison population. That measure, Proposition 47, created a definition of a safety risk that judges were required to apply.

Inmates could be denied a sentence reduction only if they were deemed to pose an unreasonable risk of committing certain crimes, including a killing, a sexually violent offense, child molestation or other serious or violent felony punishable by life in prison or the death penalty.

The court majority, led by Chief Justice Tani Cantil-Sakauye, said Monday that definition did not apply to three-strikers, who have been sentenced to 25 years to life for repeated crimes.

If it had, Cantil-Sakauye wrote, it would result in the release of more recidivist serious and/or violent offenders than had been originally contemplated under Proposition 36.

Cantil-Sakauye noted that none of the ballot materials for Proposition 47 mentioned that it would affect three-strike prisoners. Proposition 47 allowed judges to reduce some nonviolent felonies to misdemeanors.

Based on the analysis and summary they prepared, there is no indication that the Legislative Analyst or the Attorney General were even aware that the measure might amend the resentencing criteria governing the Three Strikes Reform Act, the chief justice wrote.

The ruling came in appeals filed by David J. Valencia and Clifford Paul Chaney, who were both sentenced to 25 years to life under the three strikes law and both eligible for reduced terms under Proposition 36.

Valencias criminal history included kidnapping, making criminal threats and striking his wife. Chaneys record included armed robbery and three convictions for driving under the influence.

A Tuolumne County judge refused to reduce Valencias sentence, calling him a risk to public safety, particularly to women.

An Amador County judge refused Chaneys resentencing application, saying Chaney was likely to drive again while intoxicated.

Both inmates argued that the judges should have based their decisions on the more restrictive definition of safety risk.

Justice Kathryn Mickle Werdegar and Browns two other appointees  Justices Goodwin Liu and Mariano-Florentino Cuellar  noted in dissents that Proposition 47 clearly stated that the definition would apply throughout the criminal code.

The more restrictive definition advanced the goal of concentrating state corrections spending on the most dangerous offenders, Cuellar wrote, and gave three-strike prisoners only a marginally stronger basis for winning sentence reductions.

Liu said the court majority had concluded that the drafters of Proposition 47 pulled a fast one on an uninformed public.

But it is also possible that voters, unhappy about the huge amounts of money being spent on prisons, knew exactly what they were doing, Liu wrote.

Mondays ruling disserves the initiative process, the inmates who are now its beneficiaries, and the judicial role itself, he said.

maura.dolan@latimes.com

Twitter: @mauradolan

UPDATES:

3:10 p.m.: This article was updated to include details of the safety risks spelled out in Proposition 47 that judges had been required to apply in deciding whether to reduce sentences for three-strike inmates.

This article was originally published at 1:30 p.m.
Americas top diplomat, Rex Tillerson, spent much of last week working on a single issue: how to defuse the potentially explosive crisis in the oil- and gas-rich Persian Gulf after the Trump administration unexpectedly sided with one U.S. ally, Saudi Arabia, against another, Qatar.

Tillerson did not get very far.

It didnt help that his boss, President Trump, undermined him, seemingly at every turn.

U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson delivers a statement regarding Qatar at the State Department on June 9, 2017. (Drew Angerer / Getty Images)

In meetings with senior officials from Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Kuwait and other nations, Tillerson urged all parties to remain open to negotiation but failed to push them closer.

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At the core of the issue is a 13-point list of demands that Saudi Arabia and its three partners have slapped on Qatar. Monday was to be the deadline for Qatars response. At Kuwaits request, the deadline was moved to Wednesday, but Qatari officials issued a defiant response nevertheless.

Qatari Foreign Minister Sheik Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al Thani was dispatched to deliver the letter from the emir, Sheik Tamim bin Hamad al Thani, to the Kuwaiti ruler, Sheik Sabah al Ahmed al Jabbar al Sabah, according to Qatars official news agency.

Mohammed said earlier that the demands were extreme and made to be rejected.

Everyone is aware that these demands are meant to infringe [on] the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, shut the freedom of speech and impose [an] auditing and probation mechanism for Qatar, the foreign minister said.

Even State Department officials say privately that the demands are over the top, including the closing down of the Arab worlds prime television news channel, the Qatari-based Al Jazeera, which is often critical of the regions potentates.

It would be like Trump demanding closure of the BBC.

More broadly, however, the diplomatic showdown involves fighting terrorism and countering Shiite Muslim-led Iran. The Sunni Muslim governments of the gulf, led by Saudi Arabia, accuse Qatar of being too cozy with Tehran and supporting militant groups.

Trump lent enthusiastic support to Saudi Arabia, backing its move, made along with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt, to cut off Qatari airspace, seal its land and sea borders and suspend diplomatic ties. (Kuwait did not join the blockade and is attempting to mediate.)

Trumps decision to turn on Qatar  just days after boasting that he had brought Arab nations together in historic unity to fight terrorism  has stunned diplomats here and abroad.

Qatar, like Saudi Arabia, is a long-standing ally of the United States. Unlike Saudi Arabia, Qatar is also home to the largest U.S. military base in the region, with about 11,000 troops near the capital, Doha. It has been the launch point for numerous U.S. Air Force bombing missions against Islamic State militants. The tiny emirate has an independent streak, tends to follow its own foreign policy line and is more liberal than its neighbors  all of which angers its much larger neighbor, powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

A man checks his phone in Qatars capital, Doha, on July 2, 2017. (AFP/Getty Images)

Unlike the more authoritarian gulf states, Qatar praised the so-called Arab Spring protests against entrenched rulers and has even welcomed Israelis to Doha, while most of the rest of the Arab world officially shuns Israel.

Trump took an exceedingly positive view toward Saudi King Salman and the newly minted crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman, and U.S. diplomats suspect the father and son were able to sway Trump into believing their criticisms of Qatar. His praise, in turn, gave the Saudis a green light to act harshly, and Trumps May visit to the Saudi capital, Riyadh, was used to announce millions of dollars in U.S. weapons sales to the desert kingdom.

The confusion within the administration was no more evident than on June 9. Tillerson made conciliatory public comments and called on Qatars neighbors to ease their crackdown. Less than an hour later, Trump marched into the Rose Garden, sang the Saudis praise again and called Qatar a funder of terrorism at a very high level.

Tillerson and Defense Secretary James N. Mattis have been trying to repair the damage since.

Qatar acknowledges that it has given haven to groups such as the Muslim Brotherhood, a pro-Islamist organization banned in Egypt, and other militants. But Qatari officials say that is their democracy.

In Doha we have an Israeli trade office, and we have a Hamas representative office, Mohammed, the foreign minister, told a group of reporters and academics in Washington last week. Hamas is a militant group that rules the Gaza Strip. We have an open-door policy.

Another of the Saudi-led quartets 13 demands is that Qatar cut off or reduce diplomatic relations with Iran. The foreign minister said that was an impossible demand, in part because the two countries share a massive offshore gas field. We have to have a relationship, he said.

The foreign minister said his country was shocked when Trump and the Saudi group turned on it, on the heels of the Riyadh meeting.

One day we are united to fight and defeat terrorism, he said. Suddenly two days after this, we see a diversion from one target to another target: Qatar.

He said he felt Trump was listening too closely to the blockading nations and should consult his own nations intelligence services to get the full picture of Qatars dealings with militants.

Trump on Sunday spoke to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar, but tweeted only about the conversation with the Saudi king, Salman:

Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 3, 2017

A White House statement continued Trumps hard line on Qatar, saying he underscored that unity in the region is critical but believes that the overriding objective of his initiative [from the Riyadh meeting] is the cessation of funding for terrorism, a clear swipe at Qatar.

Qatar is warning that the crisis could undermine the stability of the Gulf Cooperation Council, arguably one of the most effective and important regional bodies in the Middle East.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel Jubeir said last week that the 13 demands are not negotiable. The Saudi-led bloc will convene its foreign ministers in Cairo on Wednesday to examine Qatars response to the list.

The economic and political sanctions are having dire consequences in Qatar, something that Tillerson pointed out in public statements.

Qatars neighbors have restricted its access to air and sea ports, while its only land border  with Saudi Arabia  has been shut in a de-facto land blockade of the country. As much as 40% of Qatars food comes from Saudi Arabia.

The economic isolation spurred fear of shortages among the countrys approximately 2.6 million people, of which a scant 11% are Qataris. During the last month, Turkey and Iran have dispatched planeloads of foodstuffs to cover the shortfall.

The fracas has kicked up a wide-scale media war, with Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini outlets launching daily broadsides on Qatar. One Emirati daily, Roya, put a Blackbeard-like pirate on its front page to represent Doha, with the words Qatar Terrorism Mafia.

Saudi commentators have even touted their countrys superior dairy products, claiming food brought in from Iran and Turkey has caused food poisoning among Qataris.

The crisis has also raised the specter of a military invasion of the country, which is home to Al Udeid air base, the forward headquarters of U.S. Central Command, where more than 11,000 U.S.-led coalition forces are stationed.

Turkey, whose support for the Muslim Brotherhood and Syrian rebels has led to cooperation with Doha, deployed troops and ratified plans to establish a base on Qatari soil so as to boost military cooperation, according to the Turkish state news agency Anadolu.

The Saudi-led bloc has demanded that all Turkish soldiers leave the country.

On Sunday, Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al Attiyah said in an interview on the Sky News channel that although he hoped matters would not escalate to the point at which a military intervention [was] made, Doha was ready to put up a vigorous defense.

Qatar is not an easy country to be swallowed by anyone. We are ready, he said.

We stand ready to defend our country.

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Times staff writer Wilkinson reported from Washington and special correspondent Bulos from Beirut.

tracy.wilkinson@latimes.com

For more on international affairs, follow @TracyKWilkinson on Twitter
Jeff Lee and his wife, Ann Martin, have worked at the Tattered Cover bookstore in Denver for years, quietly nursing a dream that seemed far beyond their reach.

Avid lovers of books and nature, they conspired to marry the two in a vast library woven into the Western landscape  a literary refuge where patrons could spend the night among the books, attend lectures and maybe catch a trout.

The seemingly quixotic pursuit crossed the boundary into reality four years ago when they got hold of Buffalo Peaks Ranch in rural South Park, a lucky break that fueled their grand vision and inspired hundreds of others who shared it.

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From the archives: A photo essay about the librarys origins 

Books are powerful tools that help us understand the world around us, Lee said. And we wanted to help people form a connection to the land.

The nascent Rocky Mountain Land Library sits 10,000 feet above sea level in an emerald valley studded with snowy peaks 60 miles southwest of Denver. Majestic Reinecker Ridge runs behind the 1,500-acre ranch while the Middle Fork of the South Platte River tumbles along the edge.

Elk and pronghorn antelope wander the hills. Low-slung badgers shuffle through the grass. Rustic buildings  a bunkhouse, horse barn, sheep barn, cooks house, corral and a main house  dot the rolling landscape.

Jeff Lee surveys a barn that he hopes will one day house a collection of books. (David Kelly / For The Times)

Each will house a collection of books, with rooms dedicated to mining, railroads, ranching, the fur trade, natural history, Native Americans and literature.

We started with the assumption that we would build a big library out here. But over the years we came to a different conclusion, said Lee, 62. We decided wed build the library into existing structures.

The couple has sunk $250,000 of their own money into the place and recently raised more than $140,000 in a Kickstarter campaign. Grants and donations have flowed in, allowing them to repair a roof here, paint a building there. But there is still no plumbing or electricity, and the library probably wont have regular hours for three years. The final price tag may hit $5 million.

The sheer scope of the project occasionally prompted the couple to wonder whether erecting a shrine to the printed page, albeit a beautiful one, is viable in a world of iPads, Kindles and short attention spans.

I was not optimistic for a while, but then things started changing and it seemed more and more people were interested in books again, Lee said. In fact, Im surprised by the number of young people who come out to help us. I know how much I love the land and know others do too.

One of those people is Ben Sherrill, 30, who drove from Denver on a recent Saturday to help set up some book rooms.

I think there is a pushback against technology among many young people, he said, sitting on a porch facing a bank of willows near the river. Books are making a comeback like vinyl records.

Jeff Lee and his wife, Ann Martin, love books and nature, they said, and their Rocky Mountain Land Library is a logical out growth of those interests. (David Kelly / For The Times)

The collections at the Rocky Mountain Land Library focus on the West. The library would tell the story of the land, Jeff Lee said. (David Kelly / For The Times)

Andrew Spencer, executive director of heritage, tourism and community development in Park County, said his office is getting more requests from young people, especially millennials, for experiences that go beyond the computer or smartphone.

We are living in a high-tech, social media world, and here Jeff and Ann are providing an authentic, timeless experience, he said.

The idea came to the couple after visiting St. Deiniols Library in Wales in the 1990s. Now known as Gladstones Library, the residential library is a sort of hotel hybrid where visitors can rent a room for the night.

We stayed in this Harry Potter-like dorm along with all these other travelers, Martin said. You slept among the books. So Jeff and I said, Why cant we do this in the Rockies?

The concept seemed simple enough.

The library would tell the story of the land, Lee said.

And they already had the books, a personal collection of nearly 40,000 stashed in their Denver basement.

But they needed property. And buildings. And, most of all, money. They floated the idea to librarians and experts on the West. One professor finally told them to just start doing stuff.

Then they heard the city of Aurora owned a ranch in South Park, best known for the irreverent cartoon created by Colorados Trey Parker and Matt Stone.

Aurora bought the land, which included the empty Buffalo Peaks Ranch, to gain access to a nearby reservoir. The couple saw their chance. They pitched the library idea and the city went for it, leasing them the ranch at a steep discount.

Lee and Martin are big-idea people, romantics even, who admit to being not the slightest bit handy when it comes to fixing things up. A small army of volunteers, and fundraisers, have helped them transform the place building by building.

The local rodents apparently have a taste for literature as well. On one building, a sign beside a cow skull reads, Critters love books too  please close door when done!

Lee, originally from Connecticut, trained as a geologist. Martin, 55, grew up in a family of readers in Colorado. They visited libraries often and books were the favored gifts on special occasions. Both adored the Western landscape.

As they walked around the ranch, they pointed out the seemingly endless rehabilitation projects  fences that sagged, gates that didnt open properly. But that didnt stop them from imagining the future.

We plan on having a dining hall and bunkhouses, Martin said. We may have tents or yurts for people to sleep in.

Martin stepped over elk dung and wandered into an old barn. Swallows darted in and out.

This is my favorite building, she said.

It may become the natural history library.

Jeff Lee near the main house, which he hopes will become the welcome center for the still evolving Rocky Mountain Land Library in South Park, Colo. (David Kelly / For The Times)

Though not officially open to the public, the library holds regular workshops and lectures by artists, authors and photographers that draw people from Denver, Colorado Springs and Fort Collins. Visitors drop in all the time.

Lee and Martin returned to the main house and resumed shelving books. It was an eclectic array: Ranch Gates of the Southwest, Mustangs and Cow Horses, The Bare-Toed Vaquero and Charles Goodnight  A Man for All Ages.

Lee, a quiet, impeccably polite man, seemed happiest when his hands were holding a book.

He looked approvingly at one richly illustrated volume titled Beautifully Grotesque Fish of The American West.

A book can really be an object of beauty, he said, placing it gently on the shelf.

Binoculars hang near a shelf of books on birding at the Rocky Mountain Land Library and a reminder of the wildlife in the area surrounding the library. (David Kelly / For The Times)

Kelly is a special correspondent.
Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Its Monday, July 3, and heres whats happening across California:

TOP STORIES

Where the waste goes

At the San Onofre nuclear power plant, theres 1,800 tons of radioactive waste with an ocean view and nowhere else to go. The facility is closed, but Washington, D.C., has yet to find a lasting solution for this radioactive material and the other 79,000 tons of spent fuel spread across the nation. It doesnt make any sense to store the fuel at all these sites, said Thomas Palmisano, chief nuclear officer at the Southern California Edison plant. The public doesnt want the spent fuel here. Well, the fuel is here. Los Angeles Times

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The gender gap

Among those who fight fires, a wide gender gap remains, with women holding about 13% of the permanent wildfire-suppression jobs in the Forest Service. But last month an exclusive group took part in a Women in Wildland Fire Basic Training Camp  the first to be held in Southern Californias Angeles National Forest. Los Angeles Times

A day at the races

About 1 p.m. this afternoon, for the 91st time since Santa Anita started its racing season the day after Christmas, a group of horses will break from the gate and run on a unique racecourse in the United States. They will start gaining velocity as they head downhill on the grass, flatten out for a few strides before heading slightly uphill for a couple of jumps and then make the only right-hand turn in American racing. Los Angeles Times

L.A. STORIES

Sworn in: Mayor Eric Garcetti had his inauguration for a second term Saturday. Considered a politician with a future in national politics, he may find that his soaring ambition could also meet a sobering reality when taking stock of what he has accomplished. Los Angeles Times

Keeping up or catching up: The Los Angeles Unified School District has online and compressed credit-recovery courses to give students more, and often much speedier, ways to pull their grades up from failure. But its hard to know whether they are getting the same level of education as they would in a regular class, or even as their peers in other credit-recovery courses. Los Angeles Times

Plus: A new curriculum is teaching students in rural California about the dangers of human trafficking. CNN

Minimum wage upped to $12: More than half a million Angelenos got a raise this weekend, making the city the latest testing ground in the drive to boost the incomes of bottom-rung workers. Los Angeles Times

IMMIGRATION AND THE BORDER

Trump supporter faces deported: Jorge Ramirez, an Oceanside minister and immigrant who is in the country illegally, didnt think he would end up in line for deportation when he encouraged his U.S. citizen daughter to vote for now-President Trump. Now he could be booted from the country. San Diego Union-Tribune

POLITICS AND GOVERNMENT

At a crossroads: As Gov. Jerry Brown approaches the end of his tenure, the prospects of twin tunnels beneath the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta to carry Sacramento River water southward and a north-south bullet train are in jeopardy. The two projects are central to his legacy. CalMatters

All debts are paid: Orange County on Saturday delivered its last payment on the $1 billion worth of bonds it used to get out of bankruptcy. With interest, the repayment totaled about $1.6 billion. Los Angeles Times

Fight between behemoths: The conflict between California and Texas isnt new, but Trumps inauguration has aggravated the rivalry on several different fronts and turned it into an all-out war. Politico

CRIME AND COURTS

Boys body discovered: The remains of a 5-year-old South Pasadena boy have been found at a Santa Barbara County recreation area, capping weeks of searching. Los Angeles Times

Going back in time: Learn the story of Kevin Sherbondy  who went to jail for owning an antique gun and later earned his release after several wealthy Bay Area socialites advocated for him. San Francisco Chronicle

Across L.A.: Two women and a man were killed in three unrelated slayings overnight in Carson, Lancaster and Palmdale, authorities said Sunday. Los Angeles Times

THE ENVIRONMENT

Deadly river: Authorities say a 22-year-old Los Angeles man jumped into the fast-moving Kern River and drowned. CBS LA

Out on the bay: A U.S. Geological Survey research team looking under the San Pablo Bay has found that the two major Bay Area faults connect beneath the body of water. Mercury News

Not much beach: With water levels of Lake Tahoe at an unprecedented high, theres less space on the sand at the lakes most popular beach. San Francisco Chronicle

CALIFORNIA CULTURE

Wild stuff: Go inside Alejandro G. Inarritus VR border drama at LACMA. What you see might make you cry. Los Angeles Times

A makeover for the times: Disneyland plans to revamp a section of the popular Pirates of the Caribbean attraction that depicts a parade of women being put on the auction block  under a decidedly un-PC banner that reads Auction, Take a wench for a bride. Los Angeles Times

Linking up: This sperm donor is connecting with the 19 children hes fathered through the years. Orange County Register

The winner is...: Cal Poly senior Jillian Smith, a 22-year-old native from Grass Valley, was crowned Miss California during Saturday nights competition at Saroyan Theatre in Fresno. Fresno Bee

Who makes the fireworks? Behind the patriotic hoopla of Americas birthday celebration, five generations of Souzas have built a logistics powerhouse that mounts 400 Independence Day spectacles a year, including the Rose Bowls, the L.A. Coliseums, downtown L.A.'s and the countrys biggest, Macys 4th of July Fireworks in New York City, broadcast nationwide on NBC. Orange County Register

Five decades later: This year marks the 50th anniversary of the Summer of Love. For many, the Monterey Pop Festival in June 1967 is when it all began. Thats when Bay Area acts such as Jefferson Airplane, the Grateful Dead and Janis Joplin shot to international fame with three days of riotous rock. NPR

In Montecito: Gwyneth Paltrows plans to build a 14,000-square-foot mansion in Montecito, Calif., are even less popular than the jade vagina eggs she sells on Goop for $66. New York Post

CALIFORNIA ALMANAC

San Francisco and Los Angeles area: sunny Monday, partly cloudy Tuesday. San Diego: sunny Monday and Tuesday. Sacramento: sunny Monday and Tuesday. More weather is here.

AND FINALLY

This weeks birthdays for those who made their mark in California: Former Los Angeles Mayor James Hahn (July 3, 1950), attorney Gloria Allred (July 3, 1941) and former Rep. Sam Farr (July 4, 1941).

If you have a memory or story about the Golden State, share it with us. Send us an email to let us know what you love or fondly remember about our state. (Please keep your story to 100 words.)

Please let us know what we can do to make this newsletter more useful to you. Send comments, complaints and ideas to Benjamin Oreskes and Shelby Grad. Also follow them on Twitter @boreskes and @shelbygrad.
The Fourth of July used to be a happy occasion. It smelled like chlorine and tasted like rocket pops. For a time, it looked like Barack and Michelle, dancing together for the first time as president and first lady as Beyonce sang At Last by Etta James. When the Supreme Court legalized same-sex marriage in 2015, it sounded like a roar of triumph that echoed from coast to coast. That year, the fireworks, and our future, never seemed so brilliant.

When Barack Obama was president, there was a growing sense among us young progressives that the arc of the moral universe was indeed starting to bend toward justice. It was slow and it was imperfect, but our fitful progress along it endowed many of us with a sense of pride. The flag looked a little different. It looked like something that could be ours.

This year, the holiday weekend finds many of us in a darker mood. It is our first Fourth of July with President Trump. The refugee ban is back on. And somewhere in America, Paul Ryan is cracking another cold one while 22 million Americans are at risk of losing their health insurance. The arc isnt bending as fast as we thought.

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America is far bigger than Donald Trump. In fact, it is 2.8 million voters bigger.

In light of so much injustice, how should we observe Independence Day? Should we dismiss the holiday all together  roll up our flags and boycott the barbecues? Like Los Angeles considering scrapping Columbus Day for Indigenous Peoples Day, we could scrub the Fourth of July and give it a makeover. Instead of red, white and blue, we could don black.

Such a response would be in line with recent trends. Over the last year, patriotism has been dropping sharply among Democrats. According to a Gallup poll from March, 67% of Democrats said they are very proud to be an American, compared with 92% of Republicans.

While denouncing the Fourth may be emotionally satisfying, cognitive science suggests it would be politically unwise. As UC Berkeleys George Lakoff preaches, people are drawn to positive messages far more than negative ones, even when the negative ones are backed up with facts. According to Lakoff, this is why Trump won the election.

It is also why we cant afford to be downers on the Fourth.

If Lakoff is right, we should salute the flag instead of burning it. Instead of railing against Trump, we should talk about why we care so much about the Constitution. If our uncle shows up wearing a This is what a REAL patriot looks like! shirt, we should put one on, too. The point is not mimicry, but reframing.

For too long, progressives have relinquished the word patriot to conservatives and freedom-fry hawkers. In doing so we concede defeat. If we say we arent proud of our country, then we are letting someone else define what our country is. America is far bigger than Donald Trump. In fact, it is 2.8 million voters bigger.

If the left can learn to make the stars and stripes its own, it will appeal to some Trump voters, too. As social psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues in his book The Righteous Mind, conservatives vote based on certain moral values that liberals do not typically articulate. Among these are loyalty, sanctity and authority  all of which Trump played to with his Make America Great Again message. The standard liberal response  America was never great  was correct from a civil rights perspective, but also continued to portray liberals as fundamentally irreverent. If Democrats want to win another election, this is an image they must change.

This Fourth, lets show weve learned our lessons, and are ready for 2018. Fly the flag. Take back the power.

We, too, are America.

Cassady Rosenblum is an intern in The Times Opinion section.

cassady.rosenblum@latimes.com

@cassadyariel

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion or Facebook
To the editor: I firmly believe that displaying Christianitys texts on public property  other than, say, in a museums religious artifacts section  violates the 1st Amendments prohibition on government endorsement of religion. (Destruction of Arkansas Ten Commandments monument places spotlight on separation of church and state, June 28)

Still, theres no excuse for an addled vandals destruction of the Arkansas state capitols Ten Commandments monument. He should be held fully responsible for his crime. Though some fellow agnostics may welcome that monuments destruction, I urge them to join me in underwriting a replacement.

Just one proviso: That replacement must be positioned away from public property. Lawns of churches, monasteries, convents, parsonages and the like would seem ideal. There, such monuments can be designed and sized to please sectarian tastes.

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Best of all, they would be revered by most all who viewed them, and the venerable church-state wall would be kept intact.

Gary Dolgin, Santa Monica

..

To the editor: Presumably, Robert Tate Reed allegedly drove his vehicle into the Ten Commandments monument to communicate his view about the separation of church and state. While expressing his opinion is protected speech, no one really thinks he has the right to destroy public property and endanger others in pursuing his expressive display.

Why not? Because one cannot express oneself via conduct that a state regards as harmful to others and regulates via its civil and criminal laws. This is black-letter law under the 10th Amendment, which reserves police power to the states to decide what conduct is harmful to its residents.

Why then would anyone countenance a bakers conduct in refusing to prepare a cake for a gay couple when the state in which this conduct occurred has banned such discrimination? Answer: hypocrisy.

Michael Weinbaum, San Clemente

..

To the editor: Im born and raised in the Bible Belt, Republican state Sen. Dave Wallace said Wednesday. I, for certain, dont see anything wrong with it.

Well I do, sir. I wont argue the esthetics of the monument or the issue of separation of church and state. I do take offense, however, that the Protestant version of the Ten Commandments was chosen, not the Jewish or Catholic version.

I know that many American and Western  and Muslim  ideals are based on the teachings of the Bible and the Ten Commandments in particular. But how, Sen. Wallace, can public officials decide that one version of the Commandments is more legitimate and worthy of placement on state property than another?

Ellen Scharlin, Encino

Follow the Opinion section on Twitter @latimesopinion and Facebook
Donald Trump is a crude buffoon who spends his days picking Twitter fights with people he sees on TV. He displays no skill, sophistication or capacity for subtle nuance in foreign or domestic policy. But Trumps personal ineffectualness has not kept his administration from rapidly reversing the direction of the federal government in key areas, thanks to a few deft players who are implementing an aggressive ideological agenda.

Perhaps the most disturbingly effective person on the Trump team is Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt. In the few months since Trumps inauguration, Pruitt, has transformed the EPA into a supine lap dog for the oil, gas and coal industries and is well on his way to erasing years of environmental policy built on scientific research.

As Oklahoma attorney general, Pruitt sued the EPA to block regulations that business interests found annoying. Industry lobbyists frequently provided him with draft letters that Pruitt signed and sent off to federal regulators as if they were his own words. And his coziness with the people the EPA is supposed to regulate has not changed since he took over as the nations chief environmental officer.

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1 / 51 la-1491523602-y7ephyarj1-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 2 / 51 la-1491368625-0bgh58ihw8-snap-image (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 3 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 4 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 5 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los angeles Times) 6 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 7 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 8 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 9 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 10 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 11 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 12 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 13 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 14 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 15 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 16 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 17 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 18 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 19 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 20 / 51 Trump inspires millions to take to the streets -- to oppose him. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 21 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 22 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 23 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 24 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 25 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 26 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 27 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 28 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 29 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 30 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 31 / 51 Top of the Ticket cartoon (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 32 / 51 Cartoon caption contest winner at the DENT conference in Sun Valley, Idaho: Jon Duval, executive director of the Ketchum Community Development Corporation. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 33 / 51 Old radicals and big media descend on Selma (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 34 / 51 Horsey imagined the creation of the Ann Coulter phenomenon in this cartoon from 2007. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 35 / 51 This David Horsey drawing is a reconfiguration of a cartoon he first published in 2006. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 36 / 51 Donald Sterling, owner of the L.A. Clippers, should give Cliven Bundy a call. After Sterling loses his NBA franchise and the deadbeat Nevada rancher loses his cattle, the two old racists will both need a buddy. Maybe they can team up together and open an all-white rodeo. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 37 / 51 Besides sending a chill up the spine of the international community, Vladimir Putin has accomplished one other thing by seizing Crimea and threatening the rest of Ukraine: Putin has brought back the bear. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 38 / 51 The right-wing insurrection at the Bundy ranch in Bunkerville, Nev., has taken another weird turn with new revelations about the family history of Cliven Bundy. (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 39 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 40 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 41 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 42 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 43 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 44 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 45 / 51 David Horsey / Los Angeles Times (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 46 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 47 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 48 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 49 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 50 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times) 51 / 51 See full story (David Horsey / Los Angeles Times)

A Freedom of Information Act request filed by the New York Times revealed that the calendar of the EPA boss lists one meeting after another with executives and lobbyists from agribusiness, the chemical industry and, of course, oil companies. He regularly attends dinners and conferences hosted by industry organizations, such as the American Petroleum Institute and the American Farm Bureau Federation. Just days before the EPA reversed a ban on a dangerous pesticide that is known to have ill effects on children, Pruitt huddled with the chief executive of Dow Chemical, the manufacturer of the pesticide. It is not difficult to imagine what they talked about.

Ignoring scientists and specialists within his own agency, Pruitt seeks counsel outside the EPA from lobbyists, lawyers and longtime allies who share his pro-industry attitude. The result has been dramatic. Pruitt has loosened, delayed or sought to repeal a wide range of environmental rules covering concerns that include spills and explosions at chemical plants, methane leaks from oil and gas drilling sites and pollution of waterways.

Pruitt has become Trumps lead man in attacking climate science and dismantling American compliance with the Paris accord on climate change. A specific target is President Obamas Clean Power Plan that sought to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the United States.

According to a new report in the Washington Post, Pruitt may soon be instituting a competitive debate within the EPA about whether human activity contributes to climate change, a debate that could be expanded to other agencies, such as the Department of Energy and NASA. While this may seem like a reasonable idea  what does it hurt to talk things over?  the reality is that it is a stalling tactic. The overwhelming scientific consensus is that the pace of climate change is being increased by human exploitation of fossil fuels. An open-ended internal debate pitting real scientists against shills for industry has only one purpose: prevent government agencies from doing anything about the biggest environmental danger threatening our country and the world.

Pruitt is cleverly undermining the role of science in his agency in other little noticed ways. In May and June, he dismissed 47 members of the EPAs Board of Scientific Counselors, a group of respected scientific experts who advise the agency. Now, only 11 members are left, and all meetings for the summer and fall have been canceled. If the board is reconstituted, the expectation is that it will be stacked with industry-friendly replacements.

Pruitt has said that he wants to shift the EPAs focus to tangible pollution. One would assume, then, that a successful, ongoing project like the cleanup of Chesapeake Bay would have his support. Instead, funding for the EPAs Chesapeake program that is protecting one of Americas most abundant fisheries is being zeroed out in the Trump administrations budget plan. Similar projects around the country are also facing drastic budget reductions. At this rate, there will be plenty of tangible pollution for the EPA to deal with in the years to come.

If friends of the environment think the way to stop this assault on the nations land, water and air is to somehow drive Trump from office, they may want to think again. Pruitt is not Trumps man; he is his partys man. As long as so many Republicans continue to betray the legacy of that great Republican president, Theodore Roosevelt, and even the legacy of the lesser Republican president who created the EPA, Richard Nixon, nothing will be different.

Dont expect President Mike Pence to save the planet.

David.Horsey@latimes.com

Follow me at @davidhorsey on Twitter
Kamala Harris works to forge relationship with Central Valley

Sen @kamalaharris talking grapes with Fowler Packing Co president Dennis Parnagian in the fields outside metro Fresno pic.twitter.com/smVuRfbSpQ  Cathleen Decker (@cathleendecker) July 5, 2017

The drought may be over in the minds of urban Californians, quite literally washed away by huge accumulations of rain last year that filled reservoirs and left the states mountains covered with snow even now.

But the farmers and others in the Central Valley, veterans of multiple drought-and-flood cycles, know the reprieve is only temporary. On Wednesday they pressed new U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris to work to ensure a more reliable source of water for the nations most bountiful farming region.

This area is drying on the vine, Ryan Jacobsen, executive director of the Fresno County Farm Bureau, told Harris during a roundtable with Central Valley officials.

A long-term solution can only come through federal and state action to protect the areas water supply, he said.

Jason Phillips, chief executive of the Friant Water Authority, said recent rainfall had done little to stem problems caused by nearly a decade of drought.

A canal that runs from Fresno to north of Bakersfield sunk in some places as much as 2 feet in two years, he said, wreaking havoc on a system that operates on the force of gravity.

We cannot get all the water to our growers, he said.

The meeting between Harris and nearly two dozen agriculture and water officials was meant to ease what is typically a fraught relationship between the states Democratic leaders  all of whose power bases are in metropolitan areas  and the mostly Republican Central Valley powers that traditionally look at them with skepticism.

Sen. Dianne Feinstein has worked for two decades to aid the agricultural industry  at the roundtable, several nodded as Harris referred to the senior senator as an incredible warrior for the area.

But Harris predecessor, former Sen. Barbara Boxer, was allied more with environmental groups that have fought dams and other water systems. As a result, she was viewed negatively by many here.

Harris was intent Wednesday on persuading the Central Valley representatives of her interest in places beyond her base in Alameda and San Francisco counties.

They, on the other hand, worked to convince her to be more in the Feinstein mold on issues important to the area  from reliable water to immigration programs to environmental protections that take into consideration the areas needs.

President Trump was highly popular in much of the Central Valley, apart from Fresno County, which leans Democratic because of its metropolitan shadings. But some issues important to the valley cut in politically unorthodox ways.

Republicans here are more concerned than those elsewhere with passing a plan that would give legal status to immigrants, on whom agriculture depends. With undocumented workers worried about deportation, and the border tightening to those not yet here, the labor supply has already shrunk, farmers said.

Theyre out there working, being productive people, said farmer Joe Del Bosque. They work hard for us, and we have nowhere to reach.

Del Bosque said he recently held a training session for new workers. Of the 200 people who showed up, only a handful were born in the United States, he said.

Environmental regulations prized by Democrats elsewhere are often frowned on by some party members here and blamed for the areas water difficulties.

Several of the participants lobbied Harris for her support of dams that have long been under consideration by federal and state officials, particularly the Temperance Flat Dam, which would be constructed on the San Joaquin River.

Harris offered no assurances on the topic to the group on Wednesday. Afterward, speaking to reporters, she also did not take a position.

One of the things that were going to have to figure out ... is what is the right solution for that, she said of a plan to construct the Temperance Flat Dam and several others. Is it going to be about the building of dams? Is it also going to be about looking at  also looking at  other sources of renewable and sustainable reliable sources?

Both sides signaled they did not expect an alliance on all fronts. But Harris said she would serve as an advocate for farmers during the crafting of a new farm bill and other measures before the Senate.

William Bourdeau, executive vice president of the politically influential Harris Farms, told the senator he wished the majority of her supporters who reside in urban areas would have a better understanding of the risks and challenges of farming.

We need somebody to explain the symbiotic relationship we have, he said.

I agree with you completely, she replied.
As we celebrate Americas 241st birthday, its sad that increasing numbers of us arent bothering to vote. Especially in California.

Voting arguably is our most valued right and first duty as citizens.

But dont fret. This isnt going to be a long, finger-wagging lecture. If someone thinks voting is a drag or meaningless, thats fine. Go play with your iPhone. Ill vote for you. The more who dont vote, the more potent my ballot becomes.

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Just dont gripe about politicians when you pass up an opportunity to give them the boot.

This came to mind when I picked up a new report titled Californias Missing Voters: Who Is Not Voting and Why. It was prepared by the nonpartisan Public Policy Institute of California.

In California, it reported, theres a long decline in voter registration compared with other states. And theres declining voter turnout in non-presidential elections.

Why? The fastest growing ethnic groups, Latinos and Asian Americans, are registering to vote at lower rates than whites and blacks.

The registration problem is especially pronounced among Latinos and Asian Americans more closely connected to the immigrant experience, the report reads. Those are people who are naturalized citizens or children born to noncitizen immigrant parents.

As for fewer voters showing up in midterm elections, thats because young people arent as interested in statewide offices as they are in the White House. It shouldnt have taken much research to figure that out.

But this is intriguing: Young people are voting in midterms at much lower rates than two decades ago.

Presidential elections are cultural touchstones that attract far more attention than midterms, the report says, so a gap between turnout in presidential elections and  midterms is historically normal. But the gap in California has been growing.

For what reason? The reports author, former University of Oregon political science professor Eric McGhee, says he doesnt know.

Heres my guess: Young people find Californias gubernatorial races increasingly boring. Certainly Gov. Jerry Browns reelection jog against a token Republican candidate in 2014 was a yawner.

Some basic numbers, dug out by Paul Mitchell, who heads Political Data Inc.: Of Californias 19.5 million registered voters, nearly 25% are Latino and 9.4% are Asian. Roughly 61% are white. So California voters still are disproportionately white, even though Latinos now slightly outnumber whites in total population.

The latest U.S. census breakdown for California: Latinos 38.8%, whites 37.8%, Asians 14%, blacks 5.6%.

Latino voting strength isnt what it should be, Mitchell says, because theyre younger. And young people tend to kiss off elections. Even among Latinos who are registered, he says, 27% are millennials. Only 14% of whites are.

Heres a sorry fact: In the last gubernatorial general election, only 30.9% of Californias voter-eligible population cast ballots. When Brown was elected governor for the first time in 1974, 46.5% of the eligible population voted. There were fewer Latinos then.

I called Secretary of State Alex Padilla, whose parents were Mexican immigrants, and asked why Latinos vote in smaller percentages than whites and blacks.

If youre raised in a household where your parents are regular voters, chances are huge that youll grow up to be a voter, Padilla told me.

Updates from Sacramento 

When I was growing up [in Pacoima], my parents never talked about who they were going to vote for. They immigrated legally in the 1960s and didnt apply for citizenship until the 1990s  until after Proposition 187.

That nasty initiative motivated many Latinos. The 1994 measure sought to eliminate public services, including schooling, for immigrants here illegally. Voters passed 187 overwhelmingly, but it was thrown out by the courts. It propelled many Latinos into politics, including Padilla.

I got out of college and 187 was on the ballot, Padilla recalled. I realized I had to get involved. Five years later I was running for [Los Angeles] City Council. He won and later was elected to the Legislature.

Proposition 187 turned many Latinos forever against the GOP because Republican Gov. Pete Wilson was its chief advocate.

Another reason Latinos often dont vote, Padilla said, is because many are poor. Its a matter of priorities, the Democrat said. When youre trying to put a roof over your head and food on the table, youre not tuning into the political debate.

Padilla and other politicians  mainly Democrats  are trying to make voting easier.

Starting next year, citizens will be automatically registered to vote when they obtain or renew their drivers license. Kids can currently pre-register at age 16 so they can vote the minute they turn 18. You can now register on election day. Next year, some counties will mail ballots to everyone whos registered. All counties will be allowed to do that in 2020.

The demographic shift has hurt the Republican Party in California. State party Chairman Jim Brulte reminds Republican groups that the decline in the GOPs share of registration  down to just under 26%  parallels the decline in the white portion of the population.

The trends may eliminate our ability to be competitive in many of the legislative and congressional districts unless we can significantly increase our registration numbers among millennials, Hispanics and Asians, he warns.

One thing to keep in perspective during this national birthday party: The only people allowed to vote after that original July 4th were white, male property owners. Weve come far, even if too many Americans shrug off it off.

george.skelton@latimes.com

Follow @LATimesSkelton on Twitter

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For Kayla Chai, fresh from posing with her college diploma, theres only one spot to rush to for a treat  Diamond Jamboree.

At the bustling shopping and dining destination, she entered 85C Bakery Cafe one Friday and, grabbing a tray and tongs, moved through the display to satisfy her cravings with garlic and cheese bread, washed it down with pick-me-up sea salt coffee.

Its my favorite, said the newly minted UC Irvine graduate, a psychology major. This is one of those places that you come to every chance you get.

Others share the same idea. Countless families at the Irvine hotspot say theyre regulars, even if on many weekends, every parking space  all 747  are full.

Diamond Jamboree spokeswoman Suzie Won says customers constantly ask her:  What time of day is best to visit for best parking? 

As for business owners, they clamor to hear about restaurant vacancies.

Were so lucky people come back again and again, says Diamond Jamboree owner Alethea Hsu. We exist to give the consumer a taste of Asia. And since Irvine has changed to be so much like Asia, were meeting the need, but we never knew it would be so crowded.

Hsu, who also owns Diamond Plaza in Rowland Heights, bought the 12-acre Jamboree property in 2003, opening it in 2009 with tenants who now sell tempting bites from taro balls and gogi sliders to amberjack and bluefin toru. Folks head upstairs for laser skin treatments while downstairs, every manner of service from Asian banks to jewelers to wig and hair restoration is on offer.

Anchoring the center is H Mart, a Korean grocer thats home to fresh ingredients needed for beef seaweed soup, along with favorites such as dragon fruit, Thai desserts and Japanese green tea cake.

Thai Phi and Kenny Cheng from Toronto select their food from an electronic menu at the Kula Revolving Sushi Bar restaurant at Diamond Jamboree. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

In Irvine, boasting a population of more than 262,000, with 45% Asians, Hsu doesnt worry about future sales. She walks around the center weekly, taking photos of areas that could use touch-ups and sending them to her staff.

A city needs a gathering spot, says James Zarsadiaz, an assistant professor of history at the University of San Francisco whose research involves ethnic enclaves. This is that for Irvine, which has transformed in ways that are similar to how San Gabriel Valley transformed. Its now solidly on the map for communities of Asians to venture to because its set up to offer them everything.

And, he adds, people come back to a place that fills their longing, and its a longing of what theyve experienced, what they used to have, or what they once treasured where they came from.

The multicultural center has become so popular that visitors from across the globe say whenever they mention Irvine, friends ask if they want to meet up at Diamond Jamboree.

Toronto tourists Kenny Cheng and Thai Phi, both information technology consultants, squeezed in a recent stop, noshing on sashimi at the revolving Kula Sushi, where dishes slide on a conveyor belt, allowing guests to pick the plate they want.

Totally, I couldnt miss it, says Cheng, 31, of the cuisine, before heading to an Angels game.

Weve only been here half an hour, and we couldnt believe how crowded it is, adds Phi, 27.

A few doors down, Alex Hy, 85C Bakery supervisor, says his staff sells more than 1,500 loaves of tender, fragrant brioche a week, each for $2.25  an item almost as popular as berrytale, a blueberry and cream cheese pastry at $1.50 a pop. The store touts 85-cent Mondays, when its famed sea salt coffee is heavily discounted to that price, sparking lines as long as an hour.

Sweets just draw people, he said, grinning.

Julian Lai, 8, and his mom, Fiona Kwei, look at the pastries at 85C Bakery Cafe at Diamond Jamboree. (Scott Smeltzer / Daily Pilot)

The nook to the left of the bakery houses Lollicup, a beverage vendor selling the peachee lychee and the anteater, a concoction of milk tea and Thai tea mixed in honor of the mascot at nearby UC Irvine.

The top businesses at the center, aside from the bakery, include Tokyo Table, Kula Sushi, Ajisen Ramen and Capital Seafood, tied for fifth with the 24-hour BCD Tofu.

This is a city known for housing, but now it has more attractions, says Barry Payne, an advertising executive in his 40s whose office is a short drive from the center and who stops by weekly for a sushi lunch. In the beginning, I saw all these Asians and since Im not, I thought I would stick out. I found that actually, everyone comes for the food. They pay more attention to flavor.

Iranian Monica Shrif, a UC Irvine business major, says she too cant resist swinging by for sushi. Everyone talks about waiting for a quiet time  but theres hardly quiet time, adds the 28-year-old. This is a like a downtown.

Palace Beauty owner Jay Bae says foot traffic convinced him to stay open every day of the year. You never know who will show up, he said. People celebrate during the holidays, and theyre ready to eat and spend.

Rita Bai, shopping for skin potions one evening at Baes store, pops in whenever shes in town. At 24, shes studying for a masters degree in fashion management at Englands University of Southampton and misses the lures her Irvine hometown has to offer.

This place is really central and it has all the products from Asia  and by that, I mean everything you need for daily life from karaoke to groceries to cosmetics, she says. I feel like, why dont people go to other plazas? Why do they all come here?

anh.do@latimes.com

Twitter: @newsterrier
After more than 20 years with the city of Laguna Beach, Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse will retire in August, the city said in a news release Friday.

LaTendresse is the citys 18th fire chief and has served in the role since October 2012, the release said.

We very much appreciate the service and dedication Chief LaTendresse has provided to the community, city manager John Pietig said in the release. His passion for the fire service and protecting the community is exceptional.

I have been thinking about it for some time and was able to work it out so that the city manager [John Pietig] could get an interim chief to line up with my retirement, LaTendresse wrote in an email. It has been a very rewarding career.

During his years with Laguna, LaTendresse responded to many fire events and significant disasters, including the 1997-98 floods, the 2005 Bluebird Canyon landside and the 2010 floods, according to the release.

LaTendresse worked with Pietig, members of the fire department and the City Council to expand paramedic services to all fire engines and hired a civilian fire marshal, the release said.

He started his career in 1982 as a fire explorer with the Redondo Beach Fire Department. LaTendresse, who served as a firefighter in the United States Air Force, also worked for Cathedral City and Indio fire departments.

Kirk Summers will be appointed as interim fire chief, beginning Aug. 7, according to the release.

Summers has 37 years of experience in fire service, including stints as fire chief of the Chino Valley Independent Fire District, and interim fire chief of San Gabriel.

bryce.alderton@latimes.com

Twitter: @AldertonBryce

UPDATES:

2:45 p.m. July 5: This article was updated with a statement from Fire Chief Jeff LaTendresse.

This article was originally published at 12:29 p.m. July 3.
Cruising along the rivers of southern Africa, passengers will feel as though theyre on their own private yacht once the African Dream sets sail in December. They may even find themselves recalling the adventures of Bogie and Hepburn aboard a similarly named vessel.

The African Dream, being built in Harare, Zimbabwe, will host a mere 16 passengers. The itinerary takes guests along the Chobe and Zambezi Rivers through Botswana, Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Nine-day adventures begin in Johannesburg and end at Victoria Falls. The overnights are divided between the boat and two remote lodges run by CroisiEurope, a French-based river cruise company that is just beginning to offer voyages in Africa.

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Prices start at $5,749 per person. That includes air transportation from Johannesburg to Kasane, Botswana (where the cruise begins), and excursions such as a visit to a Namibian school to meet the students and teachers.

Dont expect all of the amenities available on typical cruise ships. The African Dream will be just 131 feet long and 26 feet wide. In contrast, at roughly 1,200 feet, Royal Caribbeans Oasis-class ships are nine times longer.

Eight staterooms await passengers, and at 194 square feet, theyre a smidge on the small side compared to those on the much bigger, distant cousins. All rooms have balconies.

Guests will be served by a crew of eight in a restaurant, a lounge and on a rooftop terrace.

The digs are a far cry from those aboard the fictitious (but similarly named) African Queen, which  along with the cantankerous Humphrey Bogart and Katharine Hepburn  was the star of the 1952 movie. And unlike the real-life ride along rivers in southern Africa, the film is set in German-controlled East Africa during World War I.

CroisiEurope is so confident its new African tour will be a success that a second boat is already being planned for 2018.

travel@latimes.com

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Protesters returned to the streets of Kabul on Monday waving pink flags and demanding the resignations of top security officials in the wake of the deadliest month in Afghanistan in years.

The demonstration was a continuation of weeks of sit-ins and protests in Kabul after a massive truck bombing killed at least 150 people on May 31. Days later, security forces opened fire on demonstrators, killing at least seven, and eventually dismantled the protest camp by force, resulting in another death.

At least 230 people died during the holy month of Ramadan, which ended last week. But the protests are only one manifestation of a political crisis that is threatening President Ashraf Ghanis government.

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Ghani is already under fire for security failures and the inability of security forces to contain the Taliban insurgency. President Trump is considering sending as many as 5,000 additional U.S. troops to Afghanistan in the coming months to prop up the flailing Afghan army and police.

The crisis has taken on an ethnic dimension in a country where ethnicity plays a major role in politics. Critics have long accused Ghani of favoring a clique of people from his own Pashtun ethnicity, widely believed to be Afghanistans largest, although no census has been conducted since 1979.

The frustration culminated on Saturday in a highly publicized meeting in Turkey among leaders of three ethnic minority groups, who announced they were forming a coalition calling for reforms and greater inclusivity in the government.

The members of the coalition  an ethnic Tajik, an ethnic Hazara and an ethnic Uzbek  all hold top government positions but believe they have increasingly become marginalized.

In April, Ghani fired Ahmad Zia Massoud, a Tajik, from the post of special representative for reforms and good governance for what the presidential palace said was weak performance.

Then Abdul Rashid Dostum, an ethnic Uzbek who is Ghanis estranged vice president, left the country for Turkey in May after Ghanis government began investigating allegations that Dostum ordered sexual abuse of a political rival. Dostums aides said he left Afghanistan for health reasons, but there is widespread speculation that he is trying to avoid prosecution in the assault case.

Ghani started cracking down on these personalities, said Tahir Qadiry, a senior adviser to Atta Mohammed Noor, an ethnic Tajik and chief executive of Jamiat-i-Islami, the largest political party in Afghanistan. The clique wanted to get rid of these people.

Noor, the governor of the northern province of Balkh, was in talks to join Ghanis government in Kabul but those talks fell apart after Ghanis advisers began spoiling the discussions, Qadiry said.

Ehsan Qaane of the Afghanistan Analysts Network, a Kabul-based research group, said ethnic leaders believe Ghani is not giving them enough authority. People think he is trying to remove Uzbeks and Tajiks from power, he said.

When civil society groups took to the streets after the May 31 attack and security forces opened fire on them, the ethnic leaders saw a chance to put pressure on Ghanis government.

That has led to a heated debate playing out on Afghan social media. Mainly Pashtun supporters of the government accuse the protesters of being thugs and claim that Jamiat-i-Islami, as the largest force within the opposition, is paying them.

A civil society movement that organized the protests, called Uprising for Change, denied that it was backed by the opposition coalition.

This movement is a self-organized, civic and independent movement made up of citizens who are educated and dont belong to any political parties in Afghanistan, said organizer Asar Hakimi.

Qaane says the protesters and the coalition are not linked, even if some of them might have links to political parties.

The protesters are coming from the grassroots level, they are made up of youth, he said. Their demands are legitimate and according to the law.

Ghani has repeatedly vowed to reform the security sector and promised an inquiry into the killings of protesters, although no tangible steps have been taken. Najibullah Azad, a Ghani spokesman, said his government includes people of all tribes, languages, regions and religions and accused the opposition coalition of being based on personal interests.

We want every politician in and out of government and political party to stand with the elected government of Afghanistan against the common enemy of the government and people, Azad said.

Liuhto is a special correspondent. Times staff writer Shashank Bengali contributed to this report from Istanbul, Turkey.

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A British appeals court ruled Thursday that an upcoming terrorism trial can be held mostly in secret, despite objections from civil-liberties groups and news organizations that argued for public access and from prosecutors who wanted the entire proceeding kept confidential.

Britains Court of Appeals said the case was an exceptional one, and agreed with government lawyers that, if the trial was open to the public, national security would be endangered. Exactly how was not explained.

The bulk of the trial of two men suspected of plotting a terrorist attack can therefore take place behind closed doors, the court ruled. The trial is scheduled to start next Monday.

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But in a partial rebuke to prosecutors, the judges said that the names of the defendants could be released and that a portion of the proceedings could be attended by a small group of journalists. The court expressed grave concern over the adverse effects that holding a trial in secret and keeping defendants anonymous would have on Britains judicial system.

Open justice is both a fundamental principle of the common law and a means of ensuring public confidence in our legal system; exceptions are rare and must be justified on the facts, the court said. Any such exceptions must be necessary and proportionate.

The ruling reversed a lower courts decision in favor of government lawyers who had demanded that nearly everything about the case be kept confidential. Prosecutors said they would sooner drop the case than open the trial to the public, so as not to compromise national security.

But news organizations, including the Guardian newspaper, appealed the decision, arguing that an entirely secret trial would be unheard of in Britain and would set a bad precedent.

Isabella Sankey, policy director for the civil-rights group Liberty, said the appellate judges were right to affirm the principle of open justice but that the conditions they imposed Thursday were still too restrictive.

Faced with a blacked-out trial, we now have a few vital chinks of light, Sankey said in a statement. But their wholesale deference to vague and secret ministerial national security claims is worrying. Shutting the door on the core of a criminal trial is a dangerous departure from our democratic tradition.

The prosecution said it would abide by the appeals courts ruling.

The two suspects, Erol Incedal and Mounir Rarmoul-Bouhadjar, were arrested last year. Incedal faces charges of preparing an act of terrorism and collecting useful terrorist information. Rarmoul-Bouhadjar is accused of collecting terrorist information and possessing false identity papers.

The appellate ruling said that the swearing in of the trial jury, the presiding judges preliminary remarks, part of the prosecutions opening argument and announcement of the verdicts and of any sentences would have to take place in open court.

A small number of reporters will be allowed to attend most of the daily proceedings but will have to surrender their notes at the end of each day.

For coverage of news from Europe follow @HenryHChu
A bus carrying German seniors on holiday burst into flames Monday after slamming into the back of a truck that had slowed for a traffic jam, fatally injuring at least 18 people on a major highway in Bavaria, authorities said.

More than two dozen people were hurt but escaped the bus before it became fully engulfed, police said. By the time the blaze was out, only the vehicles charred, twisted frame remained.

The bus from the eastern state of Saxony rear-ended the trailer-truck on the A9 near Muenchberg, north of Nuremberg and not far from the Czech border. Of the 30 people injured, at least two were reported in life-threatening condition, authorities said.

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After we got there, nobody else got off the bus, Muenchberg firefighter Andreas Hentschel told the DPA news agency.

The accident occurred about 7 a.m., when there was no rain and visibility was good. The investigators, who included prosecutors, were looking into what type of cargo the truck was hauling, police said.

The bus driver was among the dead. The truck driver was not injured, police said.

The rest of the fatalities were men and women between 66 and 81 years old, police said.

A total of 48 people were on the bus, including two drivers. The passengers were primarily from Saxony.

About 200 first responders rushed to the scene, and five helicopters whisked the injured to nearby hospitals. Simple wooden coffins were wheeled in for the remains recovered from the bus.

When firefighters first arrived, the fire was so hot that they could not get anywhere close to the burning bus to rescue those stuck inside, Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters at the crash site.

All they could do was extinguish the fire, he said.

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UPDATES:

5:15 p.m.: This article was updated with information confirming the deaths and other information.

This article was originally published at 6:45 a.m.
The new party of the Japanese capitals populist governor appeared headed for a thumping victory Sunday over Prime Minister Shinzo Abes scandal-laden ruling party in a Tokyo assembly election that could alter national politics, with Abes historic defeat probably making it difficult for him to achieve his agenda.

Gov. Yuriko Koikes Tomin First no Kai, or Tokyoites First party, won 49 of the 127 assembly seats, a victory for all but one of the candidates it fielded, Japanese television stations reported Sunday evening after the voting ended.

Abes Liberal Democratic Party, meanwhile, took a beating for recent scandals and an increasingly criticized high-handed approach. The LDP won only 23 seats  down from its current 57, and even fewer than its previous record low of 38 seats set in 1995 and 2009, according to national broadcaster NHK. The LDP fielded 60 candidates.

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Koikes party and the Komei party  Tomin Firsts new ally and the LDPs longtime coalition partner in parliament  together secured 72 seats, comfortably exceeding the majority of the assembly, making it easier for Koike to push through her political agenda. All of Komeis 23 candidates won.

For Abe, the results mean it will be more difficult for him to achieve his goals: to stay as prime minister until the 2020 Olympics and to attain his long-cherished revision to the war-renouncing constitution.

Although official results were not expected until Monday, Koike declared victory as she decorated the names of her partys projected winners on a white board with flower-shaped ribbons in the shade of green  her signature color.

We are certain to become the leading party in the assembly, she said, adding that the results had exceeded her expectations. I believe our policies from the perspective of the Tokyo residents won a mandate from voters.

Opinion polls ahead of the election predicted a big win for Koikes party, with Abes Liberal Democrats taking a hit after being buffeted by scandals and gaffes.

Shigeru Ishiba, a senior LDP lawmaker seen as a possible successor to Abe, called the results a historic defeat for the party. The results underscored that not many Tokyo residents thought the LDP was modest and sincere, Ishiba said.

Television coverage showed Abe emerging from a restaurant after meeting with top officials from his party Sunday night, but the prime minister briskly walked away, refusing to comment.

The result of the Tokyo assembly election has in the past set the tone for national elections. Koike is rumored to be eyeing a return to parliament to run for prime minister.

A former TV newscaster, Koike became Tokyos first female leader last summer and earned a reformist image after repeatedly clashing with the male-dominated city government. She portrayed the LDP-dominated assembly as a place of murky politics run by an anti-reform old boys club that is interfering with her agenda, including cost-cutting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has approval ratings of about 60%.

Koike, 64, had shifted parties until settling with the LDP in 2002 and since then held key party and Cabinet posts, including that of defense minister. She angered party seniors when she abruptly ran for Tokyo governor last year, but did not officially leave the party until last month to head her own. She keeps friendly relations with Abe, prompting speculation that she may eventually run for his job.

Abe had long enjoyed stable approval ratings since taking office in 2012, but he and his party have been hit by a series of scandals in recent months.

Most recently, Defense Minister Tomomi Inada was grilled over her questionable remark at an election rally for a local LDP candidate when she asked for support from her ministry and the Self-Defense Forces, which was seen as violating laws stipulating neutrality of civil servants and the military.

Abe is also embroiled in his own scandal, in which he is accused of having influenced an approval of a school run by his friend. He has repeatedly denied the accusation and has rejected intensifying calls from opposition lawmakers and civil groups for an investigation or to provide further explanation in parliament.

Throughout the Tokyo assembly election campaign, Abe stayed behind the scenes, reportedly out of concern that his presence would not help his partys image. On Saturday, when he made his first appearance during a street rally, he faced a big crowd that yelled, Step down, Abe!
Jul 3, 2017, 8:39am ET

VW's French operations falsified sales figures

French division gave inaccurate information about roughly 800,000 sales.

Sales of nearly a million Volkswagen vehicles tallied in France have been called into question as a report has revealed that the company's French division provided "inaccurate information" to headquarters.

German news magazine Der Spiegel reported Friday that Volkswagen's French division misreported sales data for roughly 800,000 units sold dating back as far as 2010, Reuters says. The magazine cites a report by Volkswagen's corporate auditors claiming that it was done to inflate sales performance figures.

The audit determined that some vehicles were not actually registered by customers for long periods of time (ranging from months to years in some cases) after they were supposedly sold, and that some alleged sales were not corroborated by contracts.

It is not clear from this report whether any of the company's quarterly or yearly sales figures have been rendered inaccurate as a result of these misleading figures.

Volkswagen spokespersons declined to comment on the report, citing its internal nature. Jacques Rivoal, head of Volkswagen's French operations, resigned after the auditors' report was delivered to VW Group CEO Matthias Mueller.
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Leicester Cathedral has responded to a petition to stop two performances of William Shakespeare's controversial Richard III later this month.

The Dean of Leicester, the Very Reverend David Monteith, has written to the organisers of a petition handed over to the clergy last week.

The decision to stage Shakespeare's Richard III at Leicester Cathedral has caused controversy.

Performances are due to take place on July 19 and 20 by the Antic Disposition theatre group.

They will depict the Bard's play about the rise and demise of the last Plantagenet king of England.

However, a petition with more than 1,300 signatures is demanding church leaders scrap the cathedral dates.

Members of the Richard III Society, who launched the petition, believe Shakespeare's take on Richard is Tudor propaganda that falsely paints the king as a child-killing villain.

They said it was disrespectful to stage the play within yards of where Richard's remains had been laid to rest.

(Image: Beth Walsh)

Joanne Larner, the member of the society who handed over the petition, said the play depicted the king as "evil personified" and had "no place in Leicester Cathedral".

She described Shakespeare's play as "inappropriate, disrespectful and dishonourable," and placed Leicester in a negative light, adding that cathedral clergy should respect the sanctity of this "sacred space".

Ms Larner said there were many heartfelt comments on the petition, which showed the strength of feeling on the issue.

The Richard III Society denounced the decision as "insensitive".

Society chair Dr Phil Stone told the Mercury the play was not "historically correct."

"However, it's the venue that is particularly upsetting  within yards of the king," he said.

"There are other venues where the play could easily be staged."

An international society, called Richard III's Royal Supporters, also criticised the decision, claiming it "perpetuates the destruction of a man's character within the very place which houses the real man's tomb".

Philippa Langley, a key member of the campaign to dig up a car park in the search for the king's remains, also denounced the venue for the play, stating: "No play or film considered derisive or humiliating to the memory of the king should go ahead near his tomb."

Society members are planning to be at the cathedral ahead of the performances to hand out leaflets to theatre-goers telling the "true" story of King Richard III.

Antic Disposition theatre group is touring the play and will also perform in cathedrals at Peterborough, Ely, Gloucester, Bristol, Salisbury and Temple Church, London.

Directors Ben Horslen and John Risebero have said that: "Shakespeare's Richard III is a great play, but bad history.

"Written by a Tudor playwright under a Tudor queen, it's hardly surprising that it paints the last Plantagenet king in a negative light.

"By bringing our production to Leicester, one of our aims is to enable the audience to explore the wider story around Richard  a more balanced and nuanced version than Shakespeare's."

"We hope that performing this wonderful play, a core work of English literature, in the remarkable setting of Leicester Cathedral, will present a unique opportunity for a wide audience to engage with Richard III, both the man and the myth, and the real history behind Shakespeare's story."

What the Dean of Leicester wrote to protesters

I acknowledge safe receipt of a signed petition relating to the staging of Shakespeare's Richard III in Leicester Cathedral.

I am grateful that you have undertaken this piece of work in order to enable those who have concerns about this matter to put their views to us.

We have read through the names and comments  both those pertaining to this matter and others relating to a wide range of other things.

King Richard III was commended to God's safe keeping in 1485 and again at his reinterment here. Day by day, we ensure others recognise his tomb to be a grave rather than a "tourist attraction".

Countless individuals and groups are moved by his story and we are helped to see our own fallibility and mortality.

I notice that a number of petition comments note the play is a work of fiction (influenced by Tudors).

The dramatist also helps us reflect on the painful shadow side of humanity.

The play will be seen again in this cathedral in a world where power continues to corrupt, where innocents are made victims and the reputation of the good is maligned.

These themes and more arise from this drama in a complex interplay between truth and fiction.

Some petition comments accuse us of only being interested in money.

There will hopefully be a modest surplus after expenses, which helps us to ensure free access for others to our building.

That is not the prime purpose of these performances. Rather it is about engagement.

Decisions like this are not made by referendum.

However, please note that whilst some such as you have voiced concern, many others welcome our decision.

The publicity which has been generated means the play is sold out but, more importantly, it has ensured that a debate about the nature of the "real Richard III" continues.

The dignity and honour which Richard III has been afforded here needs to be extended to the many who share experiences of humiliation today.

Our efforts focus on that as we serve the homeless, refugees and asylum seekers and those maltreated today in countless ways.

We hope that the energy released by this decision here can be turned to such wider advocacy.

Yours sincerely

Very Reverend David

Monteith, Dean of Leicester
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The brutal British & Irish Lions turned Warren Gatland's white flag into a massive red herring to square the Test series with New Zealand in Wellington.

The Lions turned their flimsy first-Test tight game on its head to triumph 24-21 at the Westpac Stadium, and send the three-match series into a decider at Auckland's Eden Park this weekend.

The tourists buckled 30-15 in the opening All Blacks clash, wilting under intense New Zealand pack pressure.

Steve Hansen then poked the Lions once too often with his taunts about physicality after New Zealand's first Test victory.

The All Blacks boss rubbed opposite number Gatland's nose in it after his side's win. New Zealand's gritty tight game had been so imperious that Hansen felt fully confident in turning the screw.

The former policeman shot out: "I always find it amusing when teams say they are going to beat us up in the tight-five," in lording it over old rival and fellow Kiwi Gatland.

The tourists' boss then appeared to wave the white flag in the mind games, not least when responding to the New Zealand Herald depicting him as a clown  for the second time in six months.

(Image: PA Wire)

Gatland looked circumspect in admitting the Lions were not only well beaten in the first Test, but also at being mocked in his homeland.

The ruse fooled everyone  even the All Blacks. Because the Lions boss was not shell-shocked, and his men not beaten and bested.

Battered yes, but not cowed  and the tourists then spent the week bashing lumps out of each other in a bid to restore their physical acumen.

Yes, Sonny Bill Williams' first-half red card left the All Blacks with a mountain to climb in the second Test, a man light for the best part of an hour.

Yes, the Lions won by only three points despite that glaring advantage.

And yes, Beauden Barrett missed three regulation penalty shots at goal.

But Taulupe Faletau and Conor Murray snared tries to turn the tide for the punchy Lions, who so nearly blew it through flummoxing indiscipline.

Former All Blacks No.8 Zinzan Brooke had hit out at Faletau for lacking the "mongrel edge" to succeed in this series.

But the Wales back-rower again mocked that statement with another stunning showing.

The Lions' first win in New Zealand since 1993 not only keeps this series alive, it also acts as a huge boon to an organisation that remains constantly forced to justify its existence in the professional era.
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Leicester City are set to sign Sevilla midfielder Vicente Iborra in a deal worth around 12million, according to reports in Spain.

The Spanish club have now received a second bid of 14m euros (around 12m) only 48 hours after a first bid of 12m euros (10.5m) from City was rejected on Friday.

Iborra, who played in both legs of the Champions League tie against City last season, arrived at Sevilla on a five-year deal from Levante for 6m euros in August 2013.

The 6ft 3in is apparently determined not to demand an exit but is tempted by the bigger salaries on offer in the Premier League, according to the respected Spanish media outlet Marca.

They report that Sevilla are ready to accept the 29-year-olds departure and expected a deal to be done in the coming hours.

Marca report; Naturally, the La Liga side are disappointed to lose a player of his magnitude both out on the pitch and in the dressing room, but have already formulated plans to sign a replacement.

Diario de Sevilla suggest that man could be Guido Pizarro, nearing a transfer from Mexican club Tigres for 5.3m euros.

Iborra came on as a substitute in Citys away leg in Sevilla and played the full 90 minutes in midfield of the return leg at the King Power Stadium.
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The new Miss England will be crowned at a glamorous event later this month.

Sapphire Carter, who became Miss Leicestershire in March this year, will be among the hopefuls competing to take the crown.

She will be up against 49 other women in the battle for the Miss England title on July 14 at the Vox Conference Centre within Resorts World at the NEC in Birmingham.

The 19-year-old wowed judges for the Miss Leicestershire competition earlier this year thanks to her eco outfit, which she created from recycled materials inspired by the dress worn by Julia Roberts in the film Pretty Woman.

Sapphire, who lives in the city centre and is a dance student and part time waitress, said at the time: Winning the Miss Leicestershire title was so surreal.

"This is the second time I've entered. I tried so hard this year and it paid off. Going from fourth place last year to winning this year has made my 2017."

If the teenager wins the Miss England title, she will go forward to the Miss World contest, which is taking place in China in December 2017.

Sapphires interesting fact about herself is that she has a rare blood subtype and gives blood every four months.

The Miss England winner will be decided by a panel of judges, with a public vote acting as one judge.

To vote for Sapphire, text 'MISS ENGLAND44' to 63333 or call 0901 307 0199.

Calls costs 52p plus standard network rate and texts cost 50p plus the standard network rate.
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Police have released a man from Leicester on bail after he was arrested on suspicion of terrorism offences.

West Midlands Counter Terrorism detectives issued an update to say the man, who was arrested at Heathrow Airport with another man from Birmingham, has strict conditions.

The pair were arrested on Saturday.

They will return for further questioning on July 28.

West Midlands Police said the men, both aged 21, were arrested on suspicion of preparing for terrorist acts.

A force spokesman said the arrests were intelligence-led and there was no immediate threat to the public.

Anyone with information about terror-related acts should call 101 or the the Anti-Terrorist Hotline on 0800 789 321.

Police say in an emergency always dial 999.
(Photo by CGTN)

Representatives, experts, and scholars from 22 higher education institutions in the BRICS countries (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) are meeting in the central China city of Zhengzhou to discuss ways to collaborate to improve educational standards and research.

The two-day BRICS Network University (NU) General Conference that began on Sunday in the capital of Henan Province, is themed "Pragmatic Cooperation and International Education." The meeting provides a platform for the university presidents to participate in the BRICS NU project and seek inter-college collaboration and activities for their students.

Zhu Qingmeng, Director of Henan Provincial Department of Education said, The BRICS NU is an effective mechanism to promote collaboration in higher education in BRICS countries. And it provides more opportunities to carry out collaborative research and train highly-qualified professionals.

(Photo by CGTN)

Ahmed C Bawa, the CEO of the University of South Africa thought the NU project was very important for the BRICS. It focuses on critical grand challenges that face humanity. So its very important for us to meet on the regular basis to take talks on the progress that has been made to result some of the challenges that we face, he said.

Diane Yarlcer, Deputy Director of the South Africa General University Education expressed her expectations for the conference. Im really hoping that this conference will enable us to engage on pragmatic program of action, one that will take us forward in terms of mutual understanding and development that something very practical in terms of international collaboration between the five countries, she said.
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An elderly motorist who crashed into a cyclist and killed her while sneezing has escaped a jail term.

Great granddad Leonard Pigram, 77, pleaded guilty to causing the death of Valerie Reed, 55, by driving a Range Rover carelessly.

The incident happened in Swepstone Road, near Heather, in north west Leicestershire, at 11am on Sunday May 29, 2016.

What the judge said

Judge Philip Head said: There was a total failure to slow down or manoeuvre sufficiently to give her a proper wide berth.

She was amply visible for a substantial distance and for whatever reason he failed to drive his car in a way that was appropriate or prudent.

Sentencing, the judge told Pigram: Nothing that I or anyone else can say can restore the precious life that has been lost by your actions or can comfort those who grieve for Valerie Reed.

My sentence doesnt, in any way, equate to value of that lost life.

Ive read a deeply moving victim personal statement from Shaun Reed, of the tragic and lasting impact it had on him, her only son, and her family.

I intended to pull out to overtake, but I sneezed

(Image: Google Maps)

The judge said that Pigram initially claimed that he had pulled out and was overtaking Ms Reed when a sudden sneeze caused him to deviate back to the nearside of the road.

However, that was disproved by accident investigators.

The defendant then accepted he had not pulled out.

The judge quoted Pigrams basis of plea: I saw the cyclist travelling in the same direction and cars coming towards me.

A car went by me on the opposite side of the road.

I intended to pull out to overtake, but I sneezed before I began to overtake and (the next thing he knew was) the bike was on my bumper.

I accept youre deeply and thoroughly remorseful

(Image: Mike Sewell)

The judge said: The deceased would have been visible for not less than 125 metres ahead and the defendant said he did see her but cannot say how far ahead or how soon that was before the accident.

The defendant at no point moved away from close to the nearside of the verge position, because of oncoming traffic.

He at no stage slowed down to any appreciative degree.

He approached her in a line that, if continued, would strike her and he must have got so close that, if he did sneeze, the momentary episode must have happened at the point of impact.

Judge Head also told Pigram: Since you retired 10 years ago youve volunteered five days a week to help those less fortunate than you  handicapped children and adults and you have positive character references.

I accept youre deeply and thoroughly remorseful.

How is the public interest best served?

There is a minimal to non-existent chance of you reoffending.

You are to be banned from driving for five years, but thats theoretical given the medical revocation of your licence.

Your voluntary work over the last 10 years has spoken loudly for you.
Kildare South Fine Gael TD Martin Heydon has met with Minister for Housing Eoghan Murphy to push for publication of the a report commissioned following the fire in Millfield, Newbridge.

SEE ALSO: COMMENT: Where is the Millfield Manor, Newbridge, fire report?

The report, "Framework for enhancing fire safety in dwellings where concerns arise", includes a case study on Millfield as part of it.

SEE ALSO: Call for Kildare's Millfield fire report to be released by the Government

"This meeting follows a number of parliamentary questions I had submitted to Minister Murphy and his predecessors.

The minister explained that the report has been finalised and is currently with the Attorney General for legal advice.

He assured me that he wants to publish it as soon as he can.

"I am happy that he understands the concerns I raised on behalf of the residents of Millfield and many others, he took them on board and he committed to trying to publish the report in the near future.

SEE ALSO: Kildare residents still living in fear two years after Millfield fire
Sir Robert Walpole (Whig 1721-1742) was the first prime minister in the modern sense. Ever since major UK parties have always had one leader. But Walpole and his successors, whether prime ministers or opposition leaders, were not subject to the relentless pressure of 24/365 broadcast news until the mid-1990s. Perhaps John Major (1990-97) was the first to suffer. Since Majors day media outlets have multiplied, coverage has become shallower, more sensationalised, more knee-jerk. Meanwhile social media abounds, analysing whats been said (and sometimes, whats not been) syllable by syllable. Today, the media demands on any party leader are immense and even, perhaps, inhumane.

Does this matter to the Liberal Democrats? It does. Were looking for a new leader. Tim Farron was eviscerated by the media for his personal and religious beliefs, diverting him from electoral themes to the detriment of us all. And its not only a matter of inquisitional pressure, its time pressure too. Being ready to respond at  almost  any hour of the day or night to the medias agenda and external events strains family relationships and even health It also deprives a leader of time to manage the party, to think and to recharge.

We are now choosing a new leader who will be under the same pressures. We have to accept that within the parliamentary party we dont have a superstar capable of resisting these pressures and conveying our appeal to the full-spectrum electorate. We must consider if it is reasonable to subject our choice to such demands. If not, how we can ameliorate the problem while still being well led. We should think outside the box that has existed since Walpole. We should ask whether a single leader is appropriate in todays environment. We should consider if two heads are better than one.

I visualise joint leaders, splitting the role either by time (a week on, a week off?) or by speciality (one foreign, one domestic?). A duopoly would allow leaders to spend more time with their families, to be out of the limelight a little, to think, to listen to colleagues, to rest and relax.

Would the electorate buy it? I believe they would. Its self-evident that the existing system puts enormous strain on party leaders and senior politicians. Liberal Democrats should not slavishly follow the path beaten over the last two centuries by right and left parties but should offer a sensible alternative. One way of signalling that would be with joint leaders; especially if there is a gender split. One woman and one man would appeal to different constituencies and could deliver nuanced messages more effectively than a single leader. Nows the time show the British public that the Liberal Democrats are not like other parties. We are better than them.

* Ken Mumm is a passionate pro-European, loves cosmopolitan life and was politicised by the Brexit question. He joined the Lib Dems as the only sensible place to fight those bent on destroying the future for ourselves and our children.
In his Sky interview on Sunday (quoted by Caron Lindsay in her earlier post), Sir Vince Cable warned that the Wimbledon tournament is hit by a serious strawberry crisis. British strawberry fields will (forever?) remain unattended because the people (EU workers) needed to pick the fruit have scampered home, afraid of the uncertainties of staying in the UK where both May and Corbyn keep pursuing a hard Brexit, never mind Mays sweet-talking at the recent Brussels summit (which was roundly dismissed, if not disbelieved by Juncker, Tusk and German prime minister Merkel).

In the Dutch liberal quality newspaper NRC Handelsblad of Saturday 1st July, the anthropologist and journalist Joris Luyendijk (famous for his Guardian blogs and international bestseller Swimming with sharks about the worrying ways of thinking and operating in the City of London banking sector) gives an assessment of the mood among well-educated, professional EU citizens that should alarm any Briton who wants the British economy to flourish.

And in the biggest Dutch daily, de Telegraaf of 23d June, Dutch expat and former Telegraaf UK correspondent Arnoud Breitbarth (now working in the British musical industry) voices frustration (were treated like second class citizens from the moment the Brexit Referendum was announced) and despair at possibly having to leave the UK where theyve lived for decades.

Both Luyendijk and Breitbarth say they dont know any EU citizen who is not considering leaving; and Luyendijk adds that there is an incentive to leave early, before the Dutch jobs market is inundated with former expats brandishing British work experience.

Luyendijk points out that Dutch, Slovak, and Baltic laws all exclude the possibility of dual citizenship; so parents with children in school or in university face the possibility of having to apply for British citizenship to give their children the chance to stay studying and working in the UK. In the Telegraaf, Dutch expats complain about excessive demands (health insurance; 65-page application forms; Kafkaesque procedures and correspondence); and Luyendijk quotes expats: they cant give their own people affordable housing, but should be able to properly process millions of residency and citizenship applications?.

And EU expats arent sure their residence status wont be revoked (or altered substantially) once the British tabloids start another xenophobic campaign after Brexit is realized in 2019. All have the distinct impression of being mere bargaining chips for a government which, as Bagehot points out in The Economist, has weakened its international position by cutting of its European nose to spite its face. And as the reaction by EU government leaders to Mays offer to expats showed, the scepticism about how much London will really help EU residents is shared by their home governments.

And not only are Nick Cleggs Dutch mother and Spanish wife affected by Brexit, but also Cables Slovak daughter-in-law

* Dr. Bernard Aris is a historian, a D66 parliamentary researcher and a LibDem supporting member.
Vince Cable recently said that if Lib Dems can occupy that enormous ground in the middle of politics weve got tremendous opportunity.

Hes only part right. To occupy is to inhabit a space that is otherwise vacant. There is a missing middle in British politics but thats the point  its missing. Theres nothing there to inhabit. First it needs to be built in terms of a reality in Parliament and an idea based vision. This requires leadership.

So before Vince gets carried away with talk of the political winds blowing in the Lib Dems favour he would do well to remember that 7.4 per cent of the vote and 12 MPs isnt much to work with. Its a stump  and the centre ground cannot be rebuilt by it in its current form. He should then ask: Who are the Lib Dems? What are they for?

Here are the answers he should come up with. The Liberal Democrats are the party of the radical centre, not some confused wet-lettuce centrism.

They stand for a democracy that is devolved to powerful cities and regions because when politics is closer to the people its more responsive to the people.

They stand for a reformed electoral system that is representative rather than discriminatory.

They stand for an elected upper chamber because the House of Lords is bloated and undemocratic.

They stand for legalising cannabis not so everyone can spend their days smoking hash but to regulate a market that takes the dangerous stuff off the streets, helps those with addictions and removes the profit for gangs. All this whilst tax receipts flow to the exchequer.

They stand for radical long-term settlements on care and the NHS because playing the Were promising more money than the others game solves nothing. (Broader thinking is needed on entitlements more generally so that those who gain more pay more. Its unfair that poorer taxpayers subsidise something from which they dont benefit).

They stand for maintaining close ties with the EU and its single market because its stupid to bang on about the unreality of taking control of our money, laws and borders whilst ignoring the economic and regulatory realities of trade.

They stand for an economy that combines enterprise with equality because thats how a free-market economy fosters a free, open society.

In the election campaign little was made of most of these principles. The electorate couldnt answer the Who? and the What for? questions. If the next leader is to have a chance in rebuilding the centre-ground then they must start with vision and dispense with plucky gimmicks. Proudly giving the case for the partys main standing points would be a start.

That wont be enough. It is imperative that the new centre-ground takes stock of the political psychology behind seemingly intolerant backlashes. Brexit was a response from those who have a group based identity; who fear rapid change; who feel removed from a de-industrialised country where having a degree is the only ticket to success; who are geographically immobile thus unnerved by immigration. Their worries have been left, festering for too long. The result? We are living through it. Political chaos.

Therefore, for the new middle to emerge it must (as political psychologist Jonathan Haidt argues) empathise with the moral tenets: group loyalty, authority and the belief that sacred ideas that should be off-limits. Connecting with issues of injustice and suffering is important but it ought be combined with action that understands more conservative feelings.

However, there is little purpose in developing such a vision without the numbers in Parliament. The potential is there and the ground fertile. One commentator rightly argued that the election result was not a vote for two-party politics but rather none of the above politics  people are screaming for something different.

Labours success in the election was based on sentiment. Corbyn was the beacon of hope against Mays cold detachment. Class based loyalty is on the ebb with Labour winning over the wealthy middle class and Conservatives gaining with the working class. In short, the glue is melting and support is fickle.

Centre rooted MPs are frustrated. Tory moderates are at a loss, watching the party shoot each other over Europe, ignoring domestic plights  and the suffering behind them. Meanwhile, so-called blairites witness, jaws-dropped, their leadership throw away the case for remaining in the single market.

The people are there. They just need a real alternative. The likes of Heidi Allen, Anna Soubry, Liz Kendall and Alison McGovern, all preach from similar hymn sheets.

So Vince. You are right about the opportunity in the missing middle, but occupation is a big word for a small party.

The Liberal Democrats have risen from the ashes before. Still, if the party really wants to occupy the centre ground its got to build it first.

We must, we can  so we will.

* Will Parker is a Liberal Democrat member in Winchester. He is studying History and Politics at the University of Exeter and also writes at notboliticspolitics.
The theme for this years conference The Retreat from Globalisation  was conceived 6 months ago. The country had voted for Brexit and the US had elected Donald Trump, albeit on fewer votes than Hillary Clinton. Since then however Liberals have seen off the threat from the far right in both Holland and France, but more recently in the UK general election both of the pro Brexit parties, the Tories and Labour, made big gains.

So how do we make sense of what is going on and where do we go from here? There are no simple answers so I would like to invite you to our day conference in London on Saturday 15th July. At the time of writing it looks like Vince Cable will be confirmed as our new leader soon unless a surprise candidate puts themself forward. Vince has confirmed that he will be attending and for most of us this will be the first opportunity we have to find out the direction he wants to take the party. In return we can ask questions which, depending on you, may or may not include a controversial matter that the Radical Association has (successfully?) campaigned on recently.

The day starts with the William Beveridge Memorial Lecture given by Lord William Wallace, who has been involved in the peers Left Behind group looking at how the Brexit vote highlighted social division. We then look at the threat of terrorism to a Liberal society and how to avoid the mistakes being made in foreign policy in tackling this. The ever present threat of global warming  probably the most important issue facing us today which is likely to destroy life on earth  is scandalously ignored by the media in general election campaigns. However Ed Davey was asked about the momentous decision made by Donald Trump to abandon the Paris Climate Change agreement and he will be a speaker on this topic at our conference.

In the afternoon we will be analysing the general election results and trying to find a way forward for the party with contributions from David Howarth (former MP for Cambridge), Sarah Olney (former MP for Richmond), Daisy Cooper (former party presidential candidate), Caron Lindsay (from LDV), Joyce Onstad (candidate Hammersmith), Helen Flynn (chair SLF) and Seth Thevoz (historian and number cruncher).

And finally Vince Cable will give us his ideas for the way forward for the party. After the 2015 general election the party had suffered a big loss of MPs and our saving grace was the huge number of new members that joined the party under Tims leadership. Can we keep those members and recruit more? What impact will the politics of Brexit have as it divides Labour and the Tory parties? And what about us in the Lib Dems?

The Early Bird rate for conference ends on Wednesday, so please book now via the SLF website.

* Geoff Payne is the former events organiser for Hackney Liberal Democrats
Since June 9th, Ive been keeping a little spreadsheet to show the exact majority of the government.

First of all, the question arose: What is the working majority of the government? That is, if the DUP dont vote with the government but simply abstain (because they dont want Jeremy Corbyn to become Prime Minister). My calculations suggest this working majority is four, based on the following assumptions:

As you can see, I assume that Sylvia Hermon would abstain, given her similar opposition to Jeremy Corbyn in Number Ten. Im also assuming that the Deputy Speakers would abstain.

If we then go to the governments majority with DUP support, it is fourteen, as follows:

Please let me know any errors I have made, either in rationale or maths, in the comments below.

The question then arises: How long will the governments majority, working or otherwise, last?

This often boils down, unfortunately, to an actuarial discussion.

The John Major government 1992-1997 suffered a high amount of by-election losses for various reasons. It is said that Theresa May will not suffer such a high rate of attrition in her team, due to it being somewhat younger. I can only find six Tory MPs over the age of 70 (Clarke, Bottomley, Cash, Beresford, Chope and (Glyn) Davies). Please enlighten me if you can correct me on that.

How does this compare to the Tory MPs elected in 1992 that Major was dealing with? I suspect there were more over the age of 70, but currently I cannot find an analysis of the 1992 Parliament by age. If anyone can spot one, please let me know in the comments below. However, we should bear in mind that none of the MPs who sadly died, causing by-elections, during the 1992-1997 parliament were older than 63 years old. The youngest was only 45 years old.

John Major started in 1992 with a majority of 21. He lost nine MPs through death (the final vacancy at Meriden did not have a by-election because it was so close to the eventual 1997 general election) and three MPs via defections.

Any other comments about the likely longevity of the Conservative government are also welcome. I cant help thinking the Northern Ireland dimension is likely to banjax the government, or at least Theresa Mays leadership. We may find out more about that today.

* Paul Walter is a Liberal Democrat activist and member of the Liberal Democrat Voice team. He blogs at Liberal Burblings.
There has been plenty of analysis and commentary on the Liberal Democrats at the 2017 election. There were significant positives from some great seat gains. But it is difficult not to be disappointed by the low vote share nationally.

Much has already been said as to why, which I wont repeat here. Id like to instead focus on three specific areas which pose  the third especially  a broader long-term question for the party. Namely that of how the public perceive us, and what they think we are truly for.

The first point concerns increasing polarisation. Of course there is still a centre ground. However, its clear that an increasingly large number of people do support the Conservatives hard-Brexit, continued austerity and increasingly nationalistic swing to the right. Likewise theres an increase in those in favour of Jeremy Corbyns brand of socialism and high public-service spending, funded by significant tax hikes to higher earners and UK businesses.

Secondly, it seems many more moderate voters voted against who they didnt want in power  rather than for who they did. On doorsteps, many voters told me they were terrified of Corbyn at No.10, while others were furious at Teresa Mays government. Unfortunately, except in target seats where we stood a real chance, nationally this simply pushed more anti-Corbyn votes to the Tories, and anti-conservative votes to Labour.

But the third point is what I really want us to stop and think about. We all know long-standing moderate, pro EU conservative voters who were angry at the government. And we all know traditional Labour voters who are unhappy about Labours current direction. Many liked what the Lib Dems had to say  but ultimately most held their nose and voted as they always do, rather than switching.

There are many reasons why (including the anti-voting above). But I believe a large part of this is the historic, wider perception of what the Conservatives and Labour are for. For many decades, the Tories have been portrayed as the party of business and entrepreneurs, and the party who look after the older generations and keep the country safe. Those who follow politics can see that current Conservative actions and policies (e.g. leaving the single market, Dementia Tax, attitude to the Triple Lock) make that perception a nonsense. But across the country those ingrained perceptions remain.

The same is true for Labour. The party for working people. Protecting workers rights. The party for the NHS and public services. The fact that Labours Brexit plans will be so damaging for those people and services, and that Lib Dem tax and spending plans were lauded as being fairer and more effective by experts, simply isnt enough to shift those decades-old perceptions.

Its good and right that we focus on the key policies of the day, and our Pro-European voice is much needed. We are rightly proud of our partys beliefs and values. But to rebuild longer-term success, we need a far larger core of voters who will vote Lib Dem election after election because of their perception of what we are really for. We need to actively build that image and public perception.

* Greg Ardan joined the Liberal Democrats shortly after the 2015 General Election and is a member of Reigate Liberal Democrats, where he has stood as a local council candidate in 2016 and 2017.
Chinese experts urged parties participating in the Belt and Road Initiative to pay strong attention to religious factors, as more of the world's companies and institutes are jumping on the bandwagon for peace and prosperity.

On July 1, in Beijing, a panel of top academics in China called on actors in the geographically sprawling Belt and Road Initiative to uphold religion inclusiveness as a stimulus for friendship and affluence, and increase preparedness to avoid turning possible religious mishaps into crises.

The Belt and Road Initiative is a China-proposed development plan that aims to connect central Asia to Europe via land; and Southeast Asia to India, the Middle East, and Africa via sea. According to the panelists, the plan basically touches on all countries and regions that suffer from religious conflicts, religious politics, or the threat of extremism.

In Southeast Asia, a key maritime trade route for China, Buddhist extremists are on the rampage in Myanmar and ISIS is a growing threat in Singapore, the Philippines, and Indonesia.

In South Asia's Pakistan, China has invested $46 billion on the ChinaPakistan Economic Corridor and on securing Gwadar Port as its first road link to the Indian Ocean, while Pakistan is under threat from ISIS, Taliban, and drug trafficking violence. In India, Hindu nationalists are shaping populist policies, stirring political upheavals from Christians, Sikhs, and other minorities.

In Central Asia, China's crucial source of energy imports and future partner in agriculture and logistics industry, Islamic, Slavic, Chinese-Mongolian, Indian, and Buddhist civilizations have long mingled and arm-twisted; and ethnic separatists and religious extremists, especially in Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan, are gaining strength.

Panelists attending the counter-terrorism seminar in Beijing, July 1.

Arab countries share enthusiasm for the Belt and Road Initiative too, with cooperation in infrastructure, nuclear energy, aerospace, and other high-tech sectors with China high on the agenda. China has invested heavily in a free trade zone in Egypts Gulf of Suez, in Qatars Doha New Port Project, and in an industrial park at Duqm Port in Oman. Kuwait has also proposed to build a skyscraper called Silk City by the year 2035. However, competition for religious authority has created a fragmented geopolitical landscape in the region and led to diplomatic turmoil, a potential disturbance to business operations, said Tan Xiuying, the editor-in-chief of the Journal of International Security Studies.

Wang Chuan, a retired Chinese army officer who heads a counter-terrorism studies center at the Knowfar Institute for Strategic & Defense Studies, called on security managers in Chinese SOEs to acquire professional training on how to deal with relations among different religious groups.

Previously, Huang Ping, a professor at the School of International and Public Affairs at Shanghai Jiaotong University, urged related parties to mobilize religious groups in cementing public opinion in local communities.
LIMERICKs new metropolitan mayor Sean Lynch believes the new Project Opera development could be akin to a Silicon Valley environment in the city.

Limerick Twenty Thirty DAC has formally sought planning permission for a major redevelopment of the site around Patrick Street.

The site is to be developed as a massive dynamic economic hub space, with three high rise office buildings, plus smaller retail in a move which could bring thousands of jobs to the urban area.

The planning application comes more than five years after the former Limerick City Council bought the site, and Cllr Lynch believes the patience and resilience of Limerick people is finally paying off.

Im looking forward to seeing the Silicon Valley of Limerick city here. Making it attractive and competitive for international investment, he said. Its great for Limerick and its people, and will represent a huge economic boost.

Labour TD Jan OSullivan, who assisted the council with the purchase when her party was in government, said there was a sense of relief across the city that it is finally getting off the ground.

I thought it would be a lot quicker than it would be in terms of it becoming a reality. It has been a dismal part of Limerick for quite some time now. One thing I would hope is that the university brings in a faculty or establishes a presence in the city. I would hope this is a strong consideration, she said.

We already have LIT with the fashion students in the centre of the city. But we need a presence from UL. Its a very significant university.

Sinn Fein TD Maurice Quinlivan has expressed concern at basement car parking space being provided for just 180 people, when potentially up to 3,000 people could eventually be employed in this area.

He also echoed Deputy OSullivans views on the need for UL to have a presence on the site.

It would be disappointing if there was no university element. It would be much more beneficial if there was a residential element to the site. It would bring in a bit of life to that part of the city which come 6pm each night is derelict and quite empty, he said,

We need more people living in the city centre if we are to attract more foreign direct investment.

Chamber CEO Dr James Ring said this planning application makes a big statement about the Limerick 2030 urban renewal programme, the Opera Centre element of which forms the cornerstone.

He said: Its long overdue. Im delighted to see the momentum getting behind 2030, and were starting to see the realisation of a plan which was for too long just sitting there.

I always felt it would happen. It was frustratingly slow, but I knew from talking to senior staff in the council that there was always the will to make it happen. I think people were getting demoralised that it wasnt happening though, he said.

A public consultation process on the plans is now under way, and will continue until August 25. Since its a public project, it will be the job of local councillors to rubber-stamp it. This will likely happen in the autumn.
THREE Polish men who were involved in a violent altercation in Limerick city in broad daylight have each received suspended prison sentences.

The three defendants were prosecuted before Limerick Circuit Court in relation to an incident at the skateboard park, Steamboat Quay, shortly before midday on June 11, 2015.

Lukasz Pryba, aged 32, who has an address at Crossley House, Dock Road, and Damian Choros, aged 34, of Courtfields, Dooradoyle each pleaded guilty to a charge of assault causing harm while Pawel Nidecki, aged 38, who has an address at St James Mews, Alphonsus Street pleaded guilty to theft.

Judge Tom ODonnell was told gardai were alerted to the incident at around 11.50am and that the three defendants were apprehended a short time later.

Garda Aoibheann Prendiville said it was established that Mr Nidecki had arranged to meet another man as he owed him money and that the other two had come along for protection.

A fight then broke out during which Mr Choros and Mr Pryba beat the victim who was aged 22 at the time. Mr Nidecki admitted taking the mans wallet after he was knocked to the ground by his co-accused.

Garda Prendiville said there was excellent CCTV footage of the incident but that the injured party had not co-operated with gardai and that medical reports were not available to the court.

She added that the injured party, who is also from Poland, had given gardai a false name and address and was the subject of a European Arrest Warrant at the time.

Mr Choros and Mr Nidecki have no previous convictions while Mr Pryba has a number of minor convictions.

It was accepted by gardai that all three defendants have a strong work ethic and that none of them were on the garda radar prior to the incident.

Imposing sentence, Judge ODonnell said what happened was a classic situation of two wrongs dont make a right.

He said he accepted the assault was not pre-meditated and that it was out of character for the three men.

Mr Pryba and Mr Chorus were received two year prison sentences while a 12 month sentence was imposed on Mr Nidecki.

All of the sentences were suspended.
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A CAMPAIGN has been launched by hundreds of young people appealing to Pope Francis to keep an inspirational Limerick priest in the diocese.

Fr Chris ODonnell, of the youth ministry at the Limerick Diocesan Pastoral Centre on Denmark Street, is due to be relocated to Dublin later this year after 12 years in Limerick.

A litany of tweets have now been sent to @Pontifex, the Popes Twitter account, where he counts over 11 million followers, under the hashtag #keepourhero.

@Limerick_Leader please help us out by tweeting @pontifex to stop our beloved priest from being relocated out of Limerick #keepourhero  Maggie Mulcair (@maggiemulcair_) June 29, 2017

@Pontifex not often a priest has such an impact on young people so please ask the bishop not to fix what's not broken #keepourhero  Olly Deegan (@ollydeegan_97) June 29, 2017

@Pontifex please stop our favourite priest from being relocated, he is an inspiration to all the youth in Limerick #keepourhero  Claire Holland (@clairemholland) June 29, 2017

#KeepOurHero Chris has had the most profound impact on my faith and 100s of other young people in Limerick.  aoife (@aoifMarieEliz) June 29, 2017

An online petition has also been launched, where over 1,200 signatures have been collected, pleading with His Holiness to keep their beloved" and "favourite priest" from being relocated.

Fr ODonnell, a former primary school teacher, is relocating to Dublin this September for up to a year to help write a sixth class religion book produced by Veritas.

The 43 year-old priest from Adare said he is not on Twitter and has not seen the campaign on social media, adding "I'd probably be mortified, I'm sure."

"The young people I work with are great. It's a gift and a privilege to work with them. As much as they love me, I love them, and I think that the reaction in the last few days is a reflection of the work we do in the youth ministry as much as the personalities involved," he told the Limerick Leader.

"I fully appreciate their sentiments - it's typical of good people and it's lovely to see that fondness is there.

"I also have to be open to new challenges; that's the life of a priest. I'm not being sent against my will or forever, but I will miss the daily contact with them. I don't know the finer details of my role in Dublin at present, but I trust in the bigger picture," he said.

Fr O'Donnell joked that in the meantime he "will be watching as much Fair City as I can and practicing my Dublin accent."

Praised for reinvigorating the Church amongst the youth in Limerick, he is involved in a number of programmes, which he says "provide young people with experiences in faith and in life."

The pilgrimages to Lourdes, he said, are regularly "over-subscribed", as are youth programmes with Anois, a leadership training programme for secondary school students, and waiting lists apply to both.

"Praise is due to the Limerick diocese, as not every diocese prioritises young people as much as they have done, particularly Bishop Leahy and Bishop Donal Murray," he added.

The Bishop of Limerick, Dr Brendan Leahy, said he has certainly noted the response of young people across the diocese to Fr O'Donnell's departure, before it was officially confirmed by the diocese.



To see such an outpouring of affection for Fr Chris speaks volumes about his relationship with them and the connection that young people can have with their Church and priests, he said.

The petition outlined that Fr Chris has touched the lives of many young people and has been an integral part of youth development in Limerick.

Limerick can not afford to lose this amazing man and we must petition together and try to keep him it states.

What Chris has done for my life cannot simply be put in words, wrote Brian Curtin, one of those behind the campaign, to the Pope.

At a time in my younger life when it could have gone one way or another, I was introduced to him and it shaped the rest of my life. I can credit to him my close group of friends for life and the direction my life has taken under his friendship and guidance.

To move him, especially at such a pivotal time for the future of Limerick, would be unwise and frankly irresponsible. His place is with us, and always will be.

Others made a plea to the Bishop Leahy, highlighting the decline in priests in the Limerick diocese in recent years and more especially young priests who can relate to the youth.

Fr Chris is a class act and is likely the primary reason that many of us are returning to the Catholic Church, wrote another.
UNIVERSITY Hospital Limerick has been significantly the most overcrowded in the country so far this year, new figures reveal.

Additionally, UHLs emergency department was the busiest facility in the country in the first month of operations.

According to figures released by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation this Monday morning, there were 4,120 patients treated on trolleys at UHL since January this year. This is 489 patients more than Cork University Hospital and 634 more than the third most overcrowded facility, University Hospital Galway.

This significant overcrowding in the January to June time period is the highest ever recorded since records began. The lowest recorded was 679 patients, between January and June 2007.

UHLs new emergency department was also the most overcrowded facility in the country in June, with 640 patients treated on trolleys. The second most overcrowded facility was University Hospital Galway, with 566 patients on trolleys.

This June overcrowding is just 13 patients less than the hospitals record, which was met in June 2015 with 653 patients on trolleys.

Speaking this morning, INMO general secretary, Liam Doran said:

These figures represent further evidence that our health service, through inadequate bed and staffing levels, simply cannot cope with the demands being placed upon it.

The legitimate attempts to reduce waiting lists has only exacerbated the levels of overcrowding, with the indignity and loss of privacy that result, now taking place, in this peak summer period, in Emergency Departments and Wards across the country. These figures confirm that hospitals cannot deal with both planned and emergency admissions at the same time confirming that our health service remains far too small.

The new emergency department, which is three-times the size of the previous facility, officially opened its doors on May 29, and was launched by Minister for Health Simon Harris on June 13.

Top emergency consultants at UHL have argued that overcrowding at the Dooradoyle campus will persist until its bed deficit problem is sorted. This is why UHL has sought 25m from the HSE and the Department of Health to deliver a new 96-bed block facility. It has secured 1m for its design phase, which is due to start in the coming months.
TWO Limerick punters are celebrating windfalls at the weekend  with one walking away with 18,780 from a 20 punt on the Lotto.

Bookmaker BoyleSports is reporting that one lucky Limerick Lotto player correctly predicted three numbers in Saturdays main Lottery draw, placing a 20 and 10 treble on the same three numbers, 11, 38 and 41.

The 20 treble returned a whopping 12,520 with the 10 treble returning 6,260, resulting in total winnings of 18,780.

Meanwhile, a Limerick punter walked away with 7,866 thanks to their Lucky 15 at the Curragh on Saturday.

What a weekend it has been for Limerick with two BoyleSports customers walking away with fantastic windfalls. The first was on Saturday when a customer won 7,866 for their 1 Lucky 15 on four horses at the Curragh, said Aoife Heffron, BoyleSports spokesperson.

The second lucky customer won a staggering 18,780 for their two Lotto bets, that had an overall stake of 30, on three numbers. We want to wish both the lucky Lotto punter and the savvy racing punter the very best with their winnings.

It comes after two punters won won 30,000 and 33,000 respectively after betting on the outcome of the EuroMillions draws last week.
THREE members of the same family who engaged in mob rule by terrorising the occupants of a local authority house have been warned they may go to prison.

Judge Tom ODonnell made his comments in the case of the three men who admitted smashing a number of windows at a house in Thomondgate during an incident on November 28, 2015.

Brothers Patrick OHalloran, aged 28, and Bobby OHalloran, aged 26, both of Stenson Close, Farranshone and their cousin Andrew OHalloran, aged 26, of Cashels Lane Thomondgate each pleaded guilty to charges of criminal damage while Andrew OHalloran and Bobby OHalloran also admitted possession of a hammer on the same date.

Garda Gavin Fisher said gardai were alerted to the incident at Altimira Court at around 10am and that when he arrived he observed the living room window and front door has been smashed.

The defendants were quickly identified as suspects as gardai were aware of a dispute between them and one of the occupants of the house.

Limerick Circuit Court was told there were a number of people in the house when the defendants arrived  including a number of young children.

John OSullivan BL, prosecuting, compared what happened to something out of the Vikings in Medieval times saying: It was a ferocious attack during which windows were put in and weapons used.

Garda Fisher said the defendants were identified by a young woman who was in the house at the time and that fragments of glass from the broken windows were similar to fragments found in clothing seized from Bobby OHalloran.

The court was told there have been no further incidents since and that the cost of reparing the doors and window was almost 2,000.

Lawyers representing each of the defendants said their clients were apologetic and that their guilty pleas were significant. They also confirmed that 1,500 has been raised in compensation.

Giving testimonial evidence in support of the three defendants Linda Ledger, manager of St Munchins Community Centre, said all three men volunteer at the community centre and have come on a lot in recent times.

Judge ODonnell noted there appears to be local knowledge of the incident and that he was concerned that the condemnation of what they did is somewhat reticent.

He said it was unacceptable that the house had been subjected to mob rule because the defendants wanted to interview one of the occupants.

Adjourning the matter to October he warned he is keeping all of my options open.
Apr 28, 2021, 3 AM

The Isle of Man issued a set of six stamps June 29 celebrating the work of the Manx BirdLife census. The designs show the oystercatcher, eider, little tern, fulmar, black guillemot and razorbill.

By Linns Staff

New stamps issued June 29 by the Isle of Man feature designs by wildlife artist Jeremy Paul. This is the 11th Manx stamp issue to picture Pauls artwork.

The set includes six stamps celebrating the work of the Manx BirdLife census. The designs show the oystercatcher, eider, little tern, fulmar, black guillemot and razorbill.

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Paul said: The Island is a great place to observe coastal and seabirds so I was delighted to be asked to produce this series. The main problem was to decide which birds to choose. I think the selection reflects some of the variety we see around the Island and it was a pleasure to work on the paintings. It is always a thrill to see the first set of stamps  I always think of them as tiny limited edition prints which travel the world!

Joh. Enschede printed the stamps by offset in sheets of 15.

For more details, visit the website of the Isle of Man Post Office.
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Zhang Yingying

Brendt Christensen, who kidnapped the 27-year-old visiting Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), will appear in federal court on Monday. Analysts say that the tragedy of the kidnapped visiting Chinese scholars reveals that China is much safer than the U.S.

Christensen was a graduate student in physics, but it is not clear if he was still studying at the university when he was arrested. Investigators believe Zhang Yingying, the visiting Chinese scholar, is dead, although her body has not been found.

The information has saddened many Chinese who are following the case from half a world away in China.

The tragedy can be partly attributed to the difference between the two countries police systems: Chinese police put more emphasis on criminal cases while their American counterparts make civil cases a priority.

According to Chinas Peoples Police Law, the police are required to protect citizens personal safety. As a result, Chinese police officers spare no effort to save victims before anything bad can happen.

The US police system stresses cracking down on cases, and the safety of the concerned people in the cases is not the top priority.

China runs a system of peoples democratic dictatorship with strong top-down control, whereas the US is a federal system featuring high autonomy.

The Chinese government balances different regions public services by making fiscal adjustments, whereas functions of the US government rely on local taxation.

Therefore, Chinas police force is generally distributed equally, in accordance with population, whereas Americas police force is based on local wealth. The wealthy suburbs of the US are usually equipped with a strong police force due to high-fiscal revenue, but the same is not true for some of Americas poorest areas.

With more citizens attracted to the wealthy suburbs, local governments can raise more revenue and provide better public security, thus attracting more wealthy dwellers. However, poor communities suffer from a vicious cycle: worsening public security caused by decreased tax revenue after the wealthier residents flee.

Under the current system in China, fiscal revenue is distributed more equally. As a result, the typical wealthy suburbs found in the US rarely exist in China. In other words, the Chinese police system offers more equality.

Chinese police attach great importance to cases involving foreigners, some of whom even take this as the name card of the city. However, Zhangs case is not prioritized, because shes neither a US citizen nor a tax payer.

According to the United Nations, China enjoys one of the lowest crime rates in the world, even though it is still a developing country.

In addition, the problem of terrorism is more severe in China than in other countries because of Chinas geographical location. Even so, terrorist attacks are never a major issue for the country because of its advanced police system and respectable police force.

Analysts believe this is an example of the superiority of the socialist system. "After all, the Chinese are protected by the people's police, as opposed to US police."
For people who care about China's Long March-5 Y2 carrier rocket and space industry, 7:23 p.m. on July 2, is a shocking moment. An anomaly occurred during takeoff, which made the launch unsuccessful.

The second launch of the Long March-5 carrier rocket was a test. The unsuccessful launch may delay Long March-5's commission in Chinas space transportation system.

Setbacks and failures are not rare in the history of manned spaceflight, but dreams of flying out of the atmosphere never stopped because of them.

Real courage and wisdom is shown in how people deal with unsuccessful missions or even failures. Failure is upsetting, but it also helps people to acquire hard-won experience. Sometimes, failure is more important than successthis is the experience of Mr. Qian Xuesen, the father of China's space program.

Chinese aerospace engineers have never been afraid of failures, nor have they lost confidence, for six decades now. Facts show that the team is honorable.

Time will not pass in vain. This night will be recorded in the historical record of China's aerospace industry, said a reporter when he saw the calm expression on the face of Long Lehao, an eminent rocket scientist, after the launch failed on the night of July 2.
Six Chinese smart phone brands are listed in the top ten in the global smartphone market in the first quarter of 2017 due to relatively low price and high quality, according to a analysis by IDC, an market research institute in China.

Chinese domestic mobile phone makers Huawei, Oppo, and Vivo ranked among the top three in the domestic market, with a market share of 20.0 percent, 18.2 percent, and 14.1 percent, respectively, in the first quarter of 2017.

Global smartphone shipments of Huawei totaled 34.55 million during the period, up 21.6 percent on year-on-year basis, with a market share increase to 9.8 percent. Oppo and Vivo saw growth in shipments of 93 percent and 82 percent, respectively, reaching 25.5 million and 22.7 million during the corresponding period.

Analysts noted that the high performance and reliability of Chinese smartphones have brought enormous pressure to Samsung and Apple. Although global shipments of Samsung and Apples smart phones made the top two in the first quarter of the year, their growth rate of 1 percent and minus 1 percent, respectively, is unimpressive.

Analysts also pointed out that breakthroughs made in global standards for mobile communications in recent years and long-term investments in product research and development have contributed to the rapid development of China-made smartphone brands.

Taking Huawei as an example, its smartphones nowadays are attracting more users due to relatively low price, beautiful appearance, long life battery, dual cameras, and crash-proof cases.
Bill Hutchinson / The Chronicle

Three visitors to San Francisco were robbed of a camera, lens and phones while admiring the view and taking pictures at the Twin Peaks overlook on Saturday, police said.

The victims  a 22-year-old woman and two men, ages 25 and 30  were not tourists, but they were visiting San Francisco from elsewhere in the Bay Area, according to Officer Robert Rueca, a spokesman for the San Francisco Police Department.
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The midweek timing of the Fourth of July holiday led to fewer hotel room bookings in San Antonio this weekend even as drive-in visitors like Idahos Joan Herr flocked to the city.

More than 3.2 million Texans were projected to travel more than 50 miles during the Fourth of July weekend, according to an AAA Texas estimate.

But the holiday itself fell on a Tuesday, leaving local hotels with many empty rooms, said Bill Petrella, board chairman of the San Antonio Hotel and Lodging Association. Bookings were slower than normal this weekend because conventions and business travel did not make up for the holidays odd timing, Petrella said, leaving hotels to cut room rates in an attempt to compete more aggressively for leisure guests.

Everyone is kind of chasing the same leisure piece of the pie, Petrella said.

A line to gain admission to the Alamo stretched from the monuments church building to E. Crockett St. on the complexs South Side Monday morning.

Many of those guests had driven in for short stays. Herr and her 25-year-old daughter Jody swung through San Antonio as part of a 10-day road trip that included stops in Dallas and Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge. Joan Herr  who lives in Eagle, Idaho, a suburb of Boise  said she hadnt seen the Alamo since the 1980s and wanted to share the experience with her daughter. After spending Sunday night in San Antonio, the mother-daughter duo set off for Austin to visit the University of Texas campus Monday.

She (Jody) hasnt spent a lot of time on Texas history so itll be good to get a refresher on that, Joan Herr said of the Alamo visit.

Moses Akongnui, a 32-year-old General Services Administration employee, said he drove from Fort Worth to visit friends and see the Alamo and River Walk but wasnt sure if hed stay overnight. Akongnui said hes meant to see San Antonio for years but often meets his friends in Austin rather than spending another hour-and-a-half in the car.

Both of them are fun towns, Akongnui said. Why go the extra mile?

He added, But Austin doesnt have the Alamo.

Paula Arbaiza, 54, said she and her friend Herbert Herrera, 51, made plans at the last minute to drive from Houston on Sunday morning. Herrera had never seen the Alamo, Arbaiza said Monday, and the two rarely get time off, leading to the spur-of-the-moment trip.

The Fourth of July weekend is typically the Alamos busiest each year, said Becky Dinnin, executive director of the Alamo Endowment. About 181,000 visitors stepped through the Alamo churchs doors in June, Dinnin said, a significant uptick from the 127,000 visitors who flocked to the Texas Revolution monument in June 2016.

Some of that increase is owed to a malfunction in the Alamos visitor counting system last year, Dinnin said. But boosted interest among international travelers sparked by the attractions designation as a U.N. World Heritage site and a steady convention calendar also account for a 10-percent growth in visits year-over-year, Dinnin said.

That is our bread and butter, Dinnin said.

Despite a downturn during the Fourth of July weekend, area hotels have otherwise had a strong year, said Paul Vaughn, senior vice president of San Antonio-based Source Strategies which monitors the hospitality industry. Room occupancy in San Antonio ticked up 1.6 percent during the five months of this year while room rates and revenue per available room rose 4.8 percent and 6.5 percent, respectively, Vaughn said.

But a weak convention calendar and political headwinds may depress the local tourism market in the coming months, Petrella said. The three-day 70th Annual Texas Bandmasters Association Convention and Clinic and four-day RBC pharmaceutical conference in July are each slated to bring in at least 7,000 convention-goers that will populate local hotels. But the convention calendar in July and August is otherwise bereft of gatherings that will generate room bookings for hotels outside the immediate area surrounding the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Petrella said.

Leaders in the states tourism industry are also nervous that Texas lawmakers could enact a bill restricting transgender bathroom use. The legislation died during legislators biennial 140-day session earlier this year, but lawmakers are scheduled to tackle the issue again in the special session, which starts July 18.

Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick named the legislation one of his top priorities for the regular session while Gov. Greg Abbott, both Republicans, called on lawmakers to hammer out a deal on the proposed law in the special session. House Speaker Joe Straus, also a Republican, has been the biggest hold-out on the bill. Straus told New Yorker magazine he rejected a compromise from Patrick, telling two emissaries he was disgusted by all this. Tell the lieutenant governor I dont want the suicide of a single Texan on my hands.

jfechter@express-news.net

Twitter: @JFreports
Most likely, a great white isn't going to kill you. Neither is a serial killer, terrorist, grizzly bear or a lot of other nightmare-inducing predators.

What should be keeping you up at night is much smaller and a lot more common. The new Discovery documentary "Mosquito," which airs Thursday, provides plenty of reasons why we should be alarmed by the faintest buzzing sounds.

"Everything is in place for the perfect storm of disease," narrator Jeremy Renner says during the film. "And yet almost no one sees the dark clouds gathering."

Are you scared yet? You should be.

The tiny blood-suckers we often write off as pesky nuisances during the summer months are the deadliest animals in the world, killing roughly 750,000 people annually.

The movie shows the human side of the worldwide problem, with the story of a Brazilian mother whose son has microcephaly after she contracted Zika while pregnant; an African boy suffering from malaria; a New York woman who's permanently disabled after a bout of West Nile; and a husband and wife in Florida who have quarantined themselves in their house, in fear of Zika, after she became pregnant.

Scarier, these awful stories may become more common for a number of reasons, one of which is globalization.

As Discovery Channel group president Rich Ross put it during a recent phone conversation, mosquitoes "have unrestricted air travel, and they don't have to pay for luggage. They fly for free."

The insects - most of which are not deadly - can be stowaways on commercial flights or end up alongside exports leaving Africa for the United States. They're a byproduct of international trade and the uptick in personal and professional air travel, and they don't need much to survive.

As the movie explains, it took three centuries for dengue fever, yellow fever and malaria to make their way from Africa to the Americas and only an additional 16 years for three other mosquito-borne illnesses - West Nile, Zika and Chikungunya - to traverse the globe.

"In rich countries, there's almost a naivete about these things," Bill Gates says during the film. "People are surprised if you have an infectious disease coming in to an area."

Globally, malaria is not a disease of the past - it still kills hundreds of thousands of people a year, mostly children. And new illnesses can spread quickly. Zika was only barely on the radar when Canadian director Su Rynard began working on the movie less than a year and a half ago.

"It was kind of a footnote - nobody really knew about it, and in the course of this last year while making the film, it went from something people had never heard of to a crisis according to the World Health Organization," said Rynard, who also made "The Messenger," another documentary about the way humans are altering the natural world. "That speaks to the speed of change and it speaks to the future. I think that's not a one-off - this is how things are going to go."

Part of that speed is due to changing temperatures. Climate change is about more than a polar bear on an ice floe, Rynard said. It's also about diseases ending up in places they've never been before. Deadly mosquitoes used to only live around the equator, but as temperatures rise around the globe, the insects are able to survive farther north than they ever could.

"Humans are driving many species to extinction, but we're making the world a better place for the mosquito, so mosquitoes are actually on the rise," Rynard said while in town for the AFI Docs film festival. "The way we live is really creating a problem for ourselves."

It's an important moment to consider the problem, as President Trump's proposed budget will take money away from the Centers for Disease Control and the National Institute of Health, among other scientific agencies.

Former CDC director Tom Frieden has been critical of the potential cuts.

"If the president's budget went through, it would endanger the lives of Americans," he said before a recent screening of "Mosquito," in which he appears. "We would basically have to pull back from the front lines of terrible organisms that we're helping to keep in check."

Frieden believes that movies and pop culture can help people comprehend the magnitude of the danger. For example, after George W. Bush read John Barrie's historical book "The Great Influenza," about the deadly 1918 flu outbreak, the president made disease preparedness a priority. And movies like "The Hot Zone" and "Contagion" give some sense of the terrifying repercussions of a pandemic, even if the latter was "a little too optimistic about how quickly we'd get a vaccine out there," according to Frieden.

"The real point is that public health is about public safety," he said. Our country's security depends on more than tanks and ammo.

Frieden does understand why people might get lackadaisical about mosquitoes and their potential to harm on a massive scale. For one thing, they're tiny and they're everywhere. It seems hopeless. It's also difficult to do anything about the problem, which necessitates a multi-pronged approach that would entail work on a local level as well as the cooperation of countries around the globe.

The key is to remember that, even though we can barely see mosquitoes, the threat is still there.

"We live in this interconnected world and a disease anywhere is a disease everywhere," Rynard said. "There's no borders or walls we can put up to protect ourselves from disease."

"Mosquito" airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on Discovery.
Chinese student Lin Na (not her real name) got hooked on a laughing gas while studying in the U.S., resulting in serious injury.

(Screenshot of Lin's Diary)

The scientific name of laughing gas is nitrous oxide and is not for human consumption. It is commonly used in canned whipped cream.

However, some youth use the gas to make dizzy balloons, because they like the pleasurable feeling they receive after inhaling it. Lin said the gas is easy to get in Seattle, Washington, as many tobacco stores sell it.

Lin started using laughing gas out of curiosity. Many of her friends used it and told her it was fun and was less harmful than smoking or drinking. So Lin bought four or five cans of laughing gas, a cream whippier, and some balloons. It felt like I was dancing, she said. She consumed a hundred balloons her first time, and was soon addicted to the happy gas.

(file photo)

Lin sometimes spent over a thousand dollars a day on cases of laughing gas, with one case costing about 180 dollars and containing about 24 containers of gas. She felt delirious and fell asleep after inhaling it.

At a month, she found it hard to fall asleep naturally and her heartbeat was faster. Several months later, she noticed physical and mental changes. She got easily upset and hungry and had many small red bumps on her chest and stomach.

(the boxes of laughing gas)

Lin said she tried to stop for two months. However, she started inhaling the gas again, and this time her addiction was much stronger and she began to think someone was chasing her. Long-term and heavy-use of the gas destroyed her motor nerves. Days later, when her friend found her in her apartment, she could not even control her bladder.

Till today, she still cannot walk by herself and is being treated in a hospital. After being navigated out to Beijing International Airport in a wheelchair, Lin realized the damage came more to her spirit than her physical health.
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1 of 3 Gabrielle Lurie/Freelance Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Carlos Avila Gonzalez/Staff Photographer Show More Show Less 3 of 3
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As mayor, Pete Saenz represents about 257,000 people in Laredo, over 95 percent of whom are Hispanic or Latino. An unknown but real number are undocumented immigrants.

But Saenz doesn't always come out to fight on "border" issues that this city faces while a nation under President Donald Trump looks on.

The issue of the moment is whether Laredo should join the lawsuit against Texas' Senate Bill 4, which permits local peace officers to ask the people they detain or arrest about their immigration status, and furthermore punishes local officeholders who would stop police from asking these questions. The law is set to take effect in September.

El Cenizo became the first city in Texas to join this lawsuit, which is now bolstered by cities like San Antonio, Houston, Austin, and as of Tuesday, El Paso, Texas' largest border municipality.

El Cenizo Mayor Raul Reyes said SB 4 is the most anti-law enforcement and anti-immigration law in the U.S. today.

Attorney Lee Gelernt, who is representing El Cenizo in this suit, told a federal judge on Monday that the vague language in this law will lead to peace officers questioning almost every minority's immigration status so as not to inadvertently violate the provisions, the Texas Tribune reported. This, Gelernt said, will destroy the rights of Texans.

"As community leaders it is very important to send a clear message: We will not let this hate and divide spill into our communities," Reyes told LMT.

RELATED: Get to know Laredo Mayor Pete Saenz

Yet Saenz is hesitant to sign off on this missive out of fear of the repercussions of being labeled a "sanctuary city," he told LMT Wednesday. The day before, he posted on Facebook that City Council will soon vote on whether Laredo will join the lawsuit, and included some questions for his constituents to consider:

"Should violent people be arrested and placed behind bars, including violent undocumented felons?"

"Should jailers (Sheriff Officers or others) be mandatorily required to further detain arrested illegals upon receipt of a detention order from the feds?"

"Will Hispanics or others, in general, be targeted or subject to racial or ethnic profiling, whether directly or indirectly, as a result of enforcing SB-4?"

Considering these questions, Saenz said he thinks the city should take a middle-of-the-road approach and avoid being labeled a sanctuary city.

"The City should not join the lawsuit but rather take a stance by way of Resolution, or other means short of directly intervening; the City should clearly state that it is not a 'sanctuary city' under any definition, whether by statute or common law; and, the City should state it favors clarification and/or changes to some provisions of SB-4. Particularly, clarifications to: the potential dangers of targeting or racial profiling, fear of immigrant victims and/or witnesses coming forward to report crimes, and other various perceived constitutional violations," Saenz wrote.

READ MORE: Laredo city officials voice stance on 'sanctuary cities' lawsuit

When asked about the optics of a border city declining to join this lawsuit, Saenz didn't seem perturbed.

"People are going to construe what they want to construe. By way of resolution we're lending support in spirit," Saenz said. "And council very well could say to go out and join the lawsuit."

Saenz said he is worried about losing federal and state money in Laredo if it is deemed a sanctuary city. This would not happen explicitly, he's afraid, but in shrouded political moves.

"I'm told that money coming from the Department of Justice, Homeland Security could be at risk. I have fears about this $96 million (FAST) grant. We don't know. Politics is politics," he said.

Mayor Reyes said this issue is not about money, but about doing what's right.

"Every city should have the right to make their own determination, but other cities with a smaller percentage of Hispanic population are standing up against this. And Laredo is waiting on the sideline. No dollar amount is more important than standing up for our people and doing the right thing," Reyes said.

Voting for Trump

In another move that could seem discordant in these times, Saenz voted for Trump in November.

A major facet of Trump's campaign was focused on keeping undocumented immigrants out of the country with a border wall and reworking NAFTA, Laredo's bread and butter, to favor the working class of the Rust Belt who lost their jobs to outsourced manufacturing.

Trump addressed these promises through several executive orders signed within his first days in office, throwing Laredo and many other border communities into a panic. Still, Saenz, an Independent, does not regret his vote.

"The value I saw (in Trump) was he was more for religious freedom. That was very important to me. I also voted for him on the matter of appointing conservative Supreme Court justices. I disagree with him on other issues," Saenz said. "... But the rest were secondary."

In the days after Trump signed these executive orders, Saenz came out to say that, as the mayor of Laredo, he does not want a border wall here. And since so much of Laredo's livelihood depends on the interchange of goods that cross the city's border, Saenz is adamant about keeping the North American Free Trade Agreement intact.

Mayor Saenz is also especially protective of Laredo's relationship with Mexico, he told LMT. And he is very dissatisfied that Trump hasn't addressed anything involving comprehensive immigration reform, something that would go hand-in-hand with SB 4.

"I think that's the answer to many issues we have here locally. And I think that would correct many of these real issues of throwing good people out," Saenz said. "Splitting families, I'm totally against that too  the family unit has to remain intact.

"... These people need peace. The sooner we address that the better. There's room for these folks, not necessarily as citizens, but through work visas. We need consumers and workers, and I'm very much in favor of that."

Julia Wallace may be reached at 956-728-2543 or jwallace@lmtonline.com
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The man accused of striking three women with his car in May told authorities he did it out of frustration because he was "upset with women in general," according to an arrest affidavit recently obtained by Laredo Morning Times.

Court documents further state Lorenzo Alonso Romero, 24, targeted at least one woman after she filed a police report against him two years ago but wanted to let out his frustration with other women.

Romero, who has been deported from the country twice, remains in custody at the Webb County Jail. He's been behind bars since his arrest May 28.

That day, police responded to reports of an auto-pedestrian incident at 7:57 a.m. at Washington Street and San Francisco Avenue. Paramedics took a woman to Laredo Medical Center for treatment for abrasions and bruises she sustained.

READ MORE: Laredo police not revealing potential motive for serial hit-and-run suspect

Two hours later, a second auto-pedestrian incident was reported in the 1800 block of North Milmo Avenue. A black four-door car had run over a woman twice. Police later learned the suspect vehicle matched in both cases. She too was taken to LMC.

Then, a third call was made to 911 reporting that a black car had struck another woman. EMS crews took her to LMC as well. Authorities went to the hospital to speak with the women.

One woman told investigators the car accelerated in her direction when she was crossing the street. She landed on top of the hood.

A second woman stated she was jogging by Lamar Middle School while listening to music on her headphones when the car struck her from behind. She told police the vehicle intentionally reversed to run her over a second time.

The third woman stated she was on her way to Arbol de Vida Church on Meadow Avenue and Clark Boulevard when she noticed a black car following her. She told police the vehicle struck her from behind.

Oldsmobile Aurora

During the investigation, authorities obtained surveillance video from some homes in the area of Buena Vista Avenue. A lookout was issued on a possible Oldsmobile Aurora. Soon thereafter, an off-duty officer called authorities saying he was following a car matching the description of the suspect vehicle.

The driver, Romero, was detained. While being questioned, Romero admitted to hitting the three women with the vehicle, police said.

"Lorenzo indicated that he was upset over the fact that approximately two years ago, his neighbor had filed a report against him, in which he was arrested for an aggravated assault, claiming the allegations to have been false," states the criminal complaint.

RELATED: Suspect in series of Laredo hit-and-runs was previously arrested on violent crime charges

"When asked why two years later he was still upset, he stated he was just upset with women in general and was taking out his frustration on random women he would encounter."

The complaint adds, "Lorenzo took responsibility for have intentionally and knowingly struck all three women with his vehicle, a black 2001 Oldsmobile Aurora, which he borrowed from the car lot where he is employed at."

Criminal record

Romero has had encounters with local and federal authorities. U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement recently said Romero has been deported twice. Currently, he is held at the county jail on an immigration detainer.

He too has a prior arrest with LPD.

On June 8, 2015, he allegedly tried to stab a man who was with his wife or girlfriend, authorities said. While investigating that case, police said they discovered Romero had been involved in two other assaults involving two women.

MORE FROM LMTonline: Pedestrian seriously injured in hit-and-run in downtown Laredo

In one case, police said he grabbed a woman by the neck after she told him to stop drinking alcohol. Authorities said Romero attempted to stab another woman in the second case.

He was arrested and charged with aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated assault with a knife or cutting instrument and assault, family violence in connection with the incidents.

Court documents show the charges were dismissed Aug. 26, 2015 due to insufficient evidence.
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Charges filed in a local federal court against a man accused of possessing child pornography videos have been dismissed, records state.

It's unclear why the U.S. Attorney's Office did not respond to a request for comment. The Federal Public Defender's Office and Webb County Sheriff's Office declined to comment on the case.

In February, the attorney for the defendant, Ricardo Elias Fernandez, asked for a continuance in the case due to a pending report from a psychiatrist. Two months prior, Fernandez underwent a psychological evaluation.

The case was scheduled for a competency hearing in June. However, the prosecution filed a motion to dismiss the case before the hearing took place. U.S. Senior District Court Judge George P. Kazen granted the motion to dismiss without prejudice, meaning the prosecution may file charges against Fernandez again in the future.

READ MORE: Girlfriend of gunman who shot and killed SAPD officer shares photos, his text messages

An investigation first began in June 2015, when Homeland Security Investigations received information from the Webb County Sheriff's Office and HSI-El Paso that an individual residing in the 2500 block of Jackson Street was allegedly in possession of child pornography.

Records state HSI special agents and local law enforcement executed a federal search warrant at the residence on Jackson on May 11, 2016.

Agents discovered multiple videos of what appeared to be child pornography in Fernandez's computer at the residence, a criminal complaint filed in the case states.

RELATED: Suspected drug house near Laredo elementary school raided

The investigation led to the indictment of Fernandez in June 2016. He was charged with receipt, distribution and possession of child pornography.
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A woman has been indicted in state court after she allegedly admitted to pocketing more than $60,000 from a local bank in late 2014, records state.

Karla Patricia Ramos, a Rio Bravo resident, was indicted May 24 on a charge of theft of property between $20,000 and $100,000.

She is scheduled to appear Thursday before 406th District Court Judge Oscar J. Hale Jr. for an initial hearing in her case.

An investigation into Ramos, 24, began on Dec. 9, 2014, when the vice president of Rochester Armored Company filed a police report claiming a bag of money had been stolen.

He told police that employees had picked up several money bags from the local Dillard's. The bags were deposited at Wells Fargo, 1100 Matamoros St.

On Nov. 12, 2014, a Dillard's bookkeeper notified the Rochester Armored Company vice president that one of the five bags picked up Nov. 4 was not deposited into their account.

READ MORE: Affidavit: Suspect in series of Laredo hit-and-runs was 'upset with women in general'

Records state the missing deposit bag contained $52,099.81.

On Nov. 25, three employees from Rochester Armored Company underwent a polygraph exam. The results showed "no deception," records state.

Police caught a break in the case when a senior investigative agent from Wells Fargo in San Antonio called them May 19 and stated she was coming to Laredo for a separate investigation into a teller, who was later identified as Ramos, according to the criminal complaint.

"(The agent) stated that Karla Ramos ... was suspected of taking money from the bank," the complaint states.

At the time, Ramos had been placed on administrative leave pending the results of an investigation, records state.

"(The agent) advised (the investigator) that Ramos was suspected of changing the foreign currency value and taking the leftover amounts.

RELATED: Charges dismissed in Webb County child porn case

(The agent) also stated that (Ramos) was also being investigated for coming out short $9,500 in her box and was suspected of taking the money," states the complaint.

The complaint alleges Ramos "admitted to everything."

"Ms. Ramos stated she was sorry and wanted to pay the money back. (She) went on to say she did take the Dillard's deposit," according to the complaint.

Ramos also provided a statement to the bank admitting to the thefts, the complaint adds.

If convicted, Ramos faces up to 10 years in prison.
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Two men arrested in December during a seizure of over 900 pounds of pot have been sentenced in federal court Tuesday to serve prison time, records state.

Samuel Carreon-Hinojosa and Fermin Reyes III pleaded guilty Feb. 7 to charges of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute marijuana.

An indictment filed against the duo in December charged them with conspiracy to possess and possession with intent to distribute 996 pounds of marijuana.

U.S. District Court Judge Marina Garcia Marmolejo dismissed the possession charges Tuesday as part of plea agreements reached with the prosecution.

Marmolejo sentenced Carreon-Hinojosa to serve 37 months in prison followed by two years supervision upon his release, records state.

READ MORE: Police: Laredo man posted nude photos of ex-girlfriend on Facebook

As a special condition, Marmolejo ordered Carreon-Hinojosa not to return to the United States illegally.

Reyes received a 27-month sentence with two years supervision. He was ordered to undergo substance abuse treatment and testing as well as complete his GED, records state.

Surveillance of the two men began on Dec. 2, when authorities said they received information of possible illegal drug trafficking at a warehouse in the 8500 block of San Gabriel Drive.

Agents said they saw Reyes and Carreon-Hinojosa at the warehouse and several passenger vehicles leaving the location, records state.

After receiving consent to search the warehouse, authorities discovered multiple marijuana bundles wrapped in clear cellophane, foil and powder detergent hidden inside a box trailer behind a pallet, according to a complaint filed in the case.

RELATED: 3 sentenced in Laredo in smuggling case involving high-powered rifle, Zetas drug cartel

The bundles totaled 540 pounds of marijuana, authorities said.

A white Ford F-150 seen leaving the warehouse was later abandoned by Sierra Vista Boulevard and Roque Loop.

Laredo police said a search of the vehicle yielded 456 pounds of marijuana.

In total, LPD seized 996 pounds of pot with an estimated street value of $796,800.

Both Reyes and Carreon-Hinojosa admitted to loading marijuana in vehicles at the warehouse, the complaint states.
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Amid a sea of news reports and information spread on social media about the June 2 slaying that later led to a shootout, the homicide victim, Reyna Gonzalez Zamora, was absent, said Sister Rosemary Welsh.

Welsh, executive director of Casa de Misericordia and founding member of the Webb County Domestic Violence Coalition, said in a letter that little attention was given to Gonzalez, who was fatally shot by her boyfriend before he wounded three police officers in the shootout.

"Reyna Gonzalez Zamora. Let's say her name," read the beginning of the letter. "The recent central Laredo shootout has filled traditional media and social media with headlines and status updates focused primarily on the suspect and the brave officers hospitalized after the alarming incident."

Welsh told Laredo Morning Times that the brave actions of the Laredo Police Department should not be minimized.

READ MORE: Laredo police under review for procedures, policies during June shootout

"In no way are we trying to devalue their work or minimize what happened. The officers were the true heroes, but she turned into an anonymous person," Welsh said. "Every life matters, but we also want to inform our community about domestic violence and how this issue also costs lives."

Gonzalez was found dead June 2 in her central Laredo apartment. She had been fatally shot in her upper torso. Police believe her boyfriend, Antonio Rodriguez, killed her. Later that day, police encountered Rodriguez in a convenience store parking lot.

He opened fire on several officers. Three were wounded by gunfire. During the shootout, Rodriguez was fatally shot. Whether Rodriguez shot himself is under investigation.

The day after the shootout, Gonzalez's coworkers told LMT that Rodriguez was jealous and aggressive.

Although Gonzalez never confided in her coworkers, the signs of abuse were evident. Rossy Morin and Alejandra Lopez worked with Gonzalez and had known her for about 25 years. They said Gonzalez would insist that she was fine when they offered to help.

"She never said, 'yes, he mistreats me,' but it was details like the bruises she had," Morin said.

"We didn't think it would escalate to the point where he would kill her," Lopez said. "We would tell her that one day she was going to end up at the hospital."

RELATED: Girlfriend of gunman who shot and killed SAPD officer shares photos, his text messages

In her letter, Welsh discussed the imminent danger behind domestic violence.

"As a community, we should not miss the opportunity to acknowledge that domestic violence, family violence and dating violence can escalate to death  to the victim, to the abuser and also to our first responders," reads her letter.

According to the Texas Council on Family Violence, one in 3 women in Texas will experience some kind of domestic violence in their lifetimes. This violent behavior can be predictable and preventable.

Welsh advised that if anyone in the community is aware of a domestic violence situation, they should tell the victim to seek help at Casa de Misericordia. The organization provides a 24/7 hotline. All the information shared with staff remains anonymous.

"In some cases, I'm asked to call the victim of domestic violence, but if I call or I go visit the victim myself, I could put them in danger. That's why whoever needs help should call or visit us," Welsh said.

Welsh also explained that due to current immigration policies, victims are afraid to make a domestic violence report or ask for help out of fear of deportation.

"All the cases are different, and there is not one general answer. Nonetheless, we want everyone to know that there is help available. We have case administrators and counselors who can orient and help a victim before they must seek refuge at Casa de Misericordia."

When talking to family and friends, Welsh said people should be alert to the following signs of domestic violence: persistent and escalating jealousy, control of the victim's daily activities, a recent increase in physical violence, any history of rape or sexual assault within the relationship, threats to use a weapon against the victim, threats to kill the victim, access to firearms or guns, history of strangulation or impediment of breath, and a recent separation, breakup or divorce.

Welsh stated that the most dangerous time for a victim is often after ending an abusive relationship.

To report a case of domestic violence or for more information, call 956-712-9591, 1(877) SU-CASA-2 or visit casademisericordia.com. If in danger, call 911.

"The Texas Council on Family Violence reports that 158 Texan women were killed by a male intimate partner in 2015. In 2017  Reyna Gonzalez Zamora became one of those slain victims right here in Laredo," Welsh said in her letter.
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Laredo police raided a suspected drug house Thursday afternoon on Clark Boulevard, about a block away from Ryan Elementary.

Marisol Riebeling Lopez, 33, and Manuel Rodriguez, 37, were arrested and charged with manufacture, delivery of a controlled substance.

RELATED: Drug house discovered in Las Lomas neighborhood during felony warrant serving

LPD's narcotics unit assisted by the SWAT team executed a search warrant at about 5:30 p.m. at a home in the 2600 block of Clark. Authorities said the search resulted in the seizure of 1.1 pounds of cocaine and $12,000. Four children in the home, ages 6 to 16 years old, were turned over to a relative, according to police.

Shortly after the raid, LPD used its Facebook page to tell the community to avoid the area.

"The scene is contained and there is no need for alarm nor is there a risk to safety in any way to the surrounding community. We are asking the community to avoid the area in the meantime to allow for the flow of traffic to resume to normal," the post reads.

Lopez and Rodriguez remained behind bars at the Webb County Jail as of Friday afternoon.
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New York

The assault rifle Henry Bello used against his former co-workers at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital had been purchased less than two weeks earlier from a Schenectady gun store, police sources told the N.Y. Daily News.

Bello, forced from a New York hospital because of sexual harassment accusations, returned on June 30 with an assault rifle hidden under a lab coat and shot seven people, killing one woman in the attack and injuring six others, authorities said.

Of the six who were injured, one remained in critical condition Saturday and the rest were stable, hospital officials said Saturday. A call Sunday to the hospital for an update was not immediately returned.

The AM-15, concealed under Bello's white lab coat as he entered the building Friday, was bought from Upstate Guns and Ammo in Schenectady on June 20  just 10 days before the deadly rampage. The box for the gun was found in Bello's apartment, sources said.

The owner of the store, Craig Serafini, declined to answer questions at his home, the newspaper reported.

"Take a walk," he said before shutting the door on the Daily News reporter.

A doctor who appears to have been the intended target of Bello said he has no idea why he would have been singled out.

Dr. Kamran Ahmed told the New York Post he wasn't the only one Dr. Henry Bello had a problem with.

However, "he never argued with me," Ahmed said. "I don't know why he put my name."

A law enforcement official told The Associated Press that Bello arrived at Bronx Lebanon Hospital and asked for a specific doctor whom he blamed for his having to resign.

The physician wasn't there at the time. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the person was not authorized to discuss an ongoing investigation.

Ahmed, who specializes in the early detection and treatment of dementia, said Bello "had a problem with almost everybody, so I'm not the only one. That's why they fired him, because so many people complained."

Authorities said Bello went to the 16th and 17th floors and started shooting anyway, killing Dr. Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, 32, who, like him, was a family medicine doctor.

Hospital officials said that Tam normally worked in one of the hospital's satellite clinics and was covering a shift in the main hospital as a favor to someone else.

"It makes you think that anything can happen to anybody," said Tam's neighbor, Alena Khaim, who saw Tam's sister outside the home Friday night overcome with grief, shaking and unable to walk. "She was such a sweet girl. You would never think something like that would happen but it happened."
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Los Angeles

Thousands of protesters marched in downtown Los Angeles on Sunday, chanting, "Down, down, down with Trump  up, up, up with the people" as they urged Congress to impeach the president.

John Meranda, 56, of Long Beach, held a sign showing Trump's face on the body of a chubby baby, with the word "impeach" spelled out in wooden blocks.

"Every day when I wake up, something is more terrible than it was yesterday," Meranda said. He has attended all five of the recent local anti-Trump marches and plans to keep coming, he said.

He said he's been most recently frightened by the Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars from the Medicaid program. Meranda is insured privately, he said, "but I have friends who are kept alive by it."

The Los Angeles march was one of several similar gatherings Sunday across California and the nation. One rally took place in Austin, Texas, the state's capital.

Organizers say they believe the president has violated the U.S. Constitution and obstructed justice.

Allen Levenson, 55, of Redondo Beach, and two of his friends clutched a plastic frame supporting a 15-foot-long banner reading, "Illegitimate Corrupt Puppet."

Levinson has cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy, but chose to attend the march Sunday because showing his displeasure with Trump  "who aspires to be a despot"  and the Republican Congress "is that important," he said.

The march was one of dozens planned across the country.

At a counterprotest before the pro-impeachment march, about three to four dozen Trump supporters gathered on the sidewalk outside Los Angeles Police Department headquarters, in an area roped off by yellow police tape.
Qatar given 48 more hours to respond to demands of boycotting countries

Four Arab states accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed Monday to a proposal by Kuwait to extend the deadline for Qatar's response to the demands list by 48 hours, the official Saudi news agency SPA reported.

With the deadline expiring at the end of Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt decided to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands after a request by Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the Gulf crisis.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah on Monday.

On June 23, the four Arab states issued a list of 13 demands to end the rift with Doha including closing Al-Jazeera television and cutting diplomatic ties with Iran.

They severed ties with Qatar on June 5 over its alleged support for terrorism. One day later, the four Arab countries imposed a partial land, sea and air embargo on Qatari-owned means of transport, including state-owned Qatar Airways.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands, which include ejecting Turkish troops based there, should be rejected.

However, the Qatari foreign minister noted that Qatar is willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue.

The crisis has drawn worldwide concern. Further measures reportedly would be imposed if Qatar fails to yield, which might include steps against Qatari companies and financial institutions and expelling Doha from the Gulf Cooperation Council.

UAE Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash on Wednesday reiterated in Germany that the stance of the four Arab countries is that Qatar must give in and fulfill the 13 demands.

It is reported that UAE Ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash had said that 59 individuals and 12 entities based in Qatar have been accused of extremism and terrorism, and these people were also listed as terrorists by the United States, the European Union and the United Nations.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel has called for a dialogue to end the crisis as he is starting a tour of the Arab states on Monday, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

He said that Germany is worried about the distrust and disunity in the region.
The Edwardsville Police Department is likely to continue conducting alcoholic liquor enforcement checks with local businesses again this year.

As discussed at last weeks Public Safety Committee meeting, as of last year, the city entered into an agreement with the Illinois Department of Revenue for six officers to train and conduct standard compliance inspections of liquor license holders in the area. This years resolution will again permit the mayor to sign into the contractual agreement if approved.

As stated in the $5,400 agreement, EPD officers who conduct these inspections will receive compensation. The city will collect $75 per each check completed, which will cover the costs of the officers salaries, including overtime.

Edwardsville Police Chief Jay Keeven said with the enforcement checks, officers will be looking to make sure liquor license holders are in compliance with state laws and regulations.

Theyre looking for fruit flies in open bottles, theyre looking for that which are prevalent, they are looking for cleanliness of the tappers, theyre looking for general cleanliness of the bar, theyre looking to make sure that their license information is up to date and that their records are correct. Illinois liquor license holders must buy their liquor and beer from a licensed distributor and not down to the local Target store, Keeven said.

Last year, the EPD requested payment prior to conducting the checks. However, Keeven said this years contract has changed.

Last year, I had requested that we be paid before we do the inspections. This year, they are requesting  which they did oblige  this year, they are requesting that we are paid half upfront and half when we are finished. We did have to return $75 to the Illinois Department of Revenue because Bin 51 had changed locations. They were not open for business until after July 1st. So although they still hold a liquor license, we truly cant do an inspection because theyre not open for business yet, he said.

The half up front and the half when were done actually makes it a little easier. Well be able to do the math in case anything changes  businesses close down during the year, which we dont anticipate but itll make it a little easier to do the checks, Keeven added.

If approved by Council, the agreement will be active until June 30, 2018.

Keeven said with last years checks, most businesses seemed to be cooperative and in compliance with state requirements.

(Common issues found included) Not having paperwork in order. We have found some fruit flies in bottles, but very rarely. Most of our businesses are passing the inspections with flying colors, he said.

Discussion came to a close and alderman Janet Stack made the motion for approval. It was seconded by alderman SJ Morrison.

With none opposed, all were in favor of its approval.

The resolution will be forwarded to the City Council to review at Wednesdays meeting.
Francesca's, which offers casual women's clothing, bags, shoes, accessories and gifts, opened in Beaumont's Parkdale Mall on Saturday.

The new store is located across from the Victoria's Secret expansion, according to a news release from Parkdale Mall.
Maryland will not provide data on the state's registered voters to President Donald Trump's election commission, a top state elections official said Monday, joining more than two dozen other states that have partially or entirely rejected the request.

"Disclosure of some of the information encompassed by your request may be prohibited under State and/or federal law," Linda Lamone, the state administrator for the State Board of Elections, wrote in a letter sent Monday to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. "Accordingly, I am denying your request."

The commission, which is chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach, R, asked states to provide voter names, dates of birth, portions of Social Security numbers, voting histories and, if possible, party identifications as part of a broad inquiry in Trump's allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election.

The Maryland elections board sought advice from state Attorney General Brian Frosh, D, on how to respond to what elections experts called an unprecedented request. The commission also asked states for evidence of voter fraud, convictions for election-related crimes and recommendations for preventing voter intimidation - all within 16 days.

Frosh, who last month filed a lawsuit against the president alleging that payments by foreign governments to Trump's businesses violate the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, called the commission's request a "repugnant" maneuver to "intimidate voters and to indulge President Trump's fantasy that he won the popular vote."

He said two assistant attorneys general in his office determined that the request was prohibited by Maryland law.

"Repeating incessantly a false story of expansive voter fraud, and then creating a commission to fuel that narrative, does not make it any more true," Frosh said in a statement. "There is no evidence that the integrity of the 2016 election in Maryland - or any other state - was compromised by voter fraud."

In neighboring Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D, declared Thursday that he had "no intention of honoring this request."

"Virginia conducts fair, honest and democratic elections, and there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in Virginia," McAuliffe said.

Trump responded to the backlash from states on Saturday, tweeting, "What are they trying to hide?"

Both Common Cause Maryland and the ACLU of Maryland had raised questions about turning over the data.

Damon Effingham, legal and policy director for Common Cause Maryland, said Maryland law allows only registered state voters to make a request to inspect voter roll information. The voter has to submit a statement that the information will not be used for commercial purposes or purposes unrelated to the electoral process.

"Secretary of State Kobach is a registered voter in Kansas," Effingham said in a statement. "And the request . . . does not include any indication of how the data will be used, let alone the required statement of intent under Maryland law. In fact, the Commission has stated its intent to release this vast trove of data to the public, creating significant concerns with how that data will ultimately be used."

Frosh called on Gov. Larry Hogan, R, and state elections officials to speak out against the commission's effort and any other attempt to "intimidate voters and obtain their personal information." Hogan so far has not done so.

A Hogan spokeswoman, Amelia Chasse, indicated last week that it was not the governor's role to make a decision on the request.

After the state board's decision became public Monday, Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said the governor agreed with the decision. "As for any such request, the state Board of Elections should supply no more information than is required of them under the law," Mayer said in an email.

Ben Jealous, one of several Democrats vying for the nomination to challenge Hogan in 2018, joined community leaders in Baltimore at a news conference Monday morning to urge Hogan to condemn what Jealous called an attack to suppress votes.

"We have others who have said, 'Go jump in the gulf'," said Jealous, a former head of the NAACP. "Instead, we are stuck with a governor who is painfully silent, one who tries to pawn it off."
Photo by CGTN

Todays Christmas Eve, the outside world is bustling. Then I saw the piss and shit all over my bed, I realized Ive got problems with incontinence. The air is now filled with the rotten smell of food mixed with a stench, Lin Na wrote in her diary.

Lin is the girl who caught the widespread attention of Chinese netizens after publishing her abuse experience with nitrous oxide in Seattle which eventually deprived her of the ability to walk.

It started off from pure curiosity caused by the buzz amongst Chinese students in America on WeChat, a popular Chinese social network.

Lin decided to give it a try. After all, nitrous oxide was easily available at any corner tobacco stores. The gas-inhaling experience was typical weekend fun for well-heeled young students just like her.

The high that ensued was an intense feeling of euphoria shed never had before. Lin was immediately enchanted by the gas, without realizing the cheap pleasure would soon turn into a nightmarish addiction.

After days of heavy abuse, she began to suffer from insomnia and an increased heart rate, but that didnt hold her back from seeking the intoxicating rush.

The addiction then completely enslaved her. Lin stopped going outdoors and instead lived amongst piles of gas canisters. She was light-headed all day long and her fingers and feet went numb, to the extent she couldnt even hold a glass.

(Photo provided by Lin Na.)

Hallucination swallowed her. Lin became suspicious and scared of the world. She was afraid of being hit by cars, or eaten up by her dog, or even poisoned to death from drinking water.

Indications of her decaying health were alarming: Red patches appeared on her body, and the skin on her hands were peeling, but she paid no attention. I looked at the body that didnt seem to belong to me with apathy, as if it wasn't important at all, Lins diary read.

Worried friends persuaded her to go outdoors for a while, but it wasn't long before she fell at her feet and realized she couldn't walk. In the following days, Lin started to lead a life like an animal. She wrote, I crawled to the toilet and crawled to get my takeout, I know Im destitute of dignity.

A visiting friend was astonished to find her living in her dump-like bedroom. She was then taken away by an ambulance, with feces and urine all over her clothes.

Lin was finally sent back home, in wheels, met by her heart-struck parents at the airport, who blamed themselves for neglecting their daughter who was living overseas for years.

I'm also sad. How I wish I had never touched the balloons (of gas), Lin said.

Lins diary was an instant hit, garnering over 100,000 clicks within 24 hours after it was posted on Wechat. Her story shed light on a new popular legal drug with ignored lethal risks that has secretly gone viral among young teenagers in Western countries, and also eventually Chinese students studying abroad.

(Sina Weibo Photo.)

Nitrous oxide, otherwise known as laughing gas, is more commonly known as hippy crack. Its the second most popular recreational drug after cannabis among party goers. The drug is usually used as an anesthetic and painkiller to reduce patients anxiety at the dentists office, but it is also sold in small cartridges that are intended for use in making whipped cream, which are widely available on the internet, as well as on the street.

Long-term and heavy-use of nitrous oxide is highly detrimental. It can lead to vitamin deficiency and anaemia as a result of the inactivation of vitamin B12 in the body, which may cause serious and irreversible nerve damage, affect the spinal cord, and cause numbness and pains in the fingers and feet and other affected areas. In worse cases like Lins, one could lose the ability to walk.

(Sina Weibo Photo.)

Lins story also brought the issue of underage Chinese students studying abroad to public view once again.

Lin, who has been studying in the US for 10 years since secondary school, belongs to a growing population of Chinese teens who head overseas without their parents to continue their education. In the US, the population of Chinese students enrolled in American high schools approached 40,000 in 2014, a 60-fold increase compared to 2005, which was 641, according to the US Institute of International Education.

The kids, often called "parachute kids", however face the risks of a hard landing. While some flourish and move on to excel in their respective colleges and jobs, others struggle to fit in and go down a bumpier road. Behavior problems with the kids free from parental restraints have become an increasingly severe cause of concern for both parents and educators, in light of the recent headlines of violent bullying incidents and cheating scandals, or shocking self-indulging cases such as Lins.

Lin is grateful that her loving parents are now at her side, encouraging her all the way to her recovery.

Lying in the hospital, I realized Im still youngthere are so many things on my bucket list awaiting me, Lin wrote at the end of her diary, I wish there's still time to finish them all.
Political leaders across the country were outraged last week following Donald Trump's tweets attacking "Morning Joe" co-host Mika Brzezinski, but that clearly didn't stifle Trump's Twitter war with the media.

On Sunday morning, Trump posted a video of himself beating up a man in a suit with a CNN logo over his face. The video, posted directly on Trump's official Twitter account, is modified footage from his appearance at Wrestlemania 23 in 2007. In the real event, Trump attacked WWE boss Vince McMahon, husband of his Small Business Administration leader Linda McMahon.

THE PLOT THICKENS: The strange saga of Trump and 'Morning Joe' now involves the National Enquirer

Attacks on the media were a staple of Trump's presidential campaign and have remained prominent since he took office. He often refers to any critical media organization as "fake news" and has held particular animus towards CNN.

Following Trump's tweets attacking the hosts of "Morning Joe," spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders told gathered press that "the President in no way form or fashion has ever promoted or encouraged violence."

However, violence did often break out at Trump campaign rallies and the president rarely spoke out against it. In the moment, he often seemed to encourage it.

At one Iowa rally, Trump said, "There may be somebody with tomatoes in the audience. So if you see somebody getting ready to throw a tomato, knock the crap out of them, would you? Seriously. Okay? Just knock the hell I promise you, I will pay for the legal fees."

MIKA AND JOE RESPOND: Donald Trump is not well

At another rally in Nevada that same month, he responded to a protester who was being removed from the audience by saying, "I love the old days, you know what they used to do to guys like that when they were in a place like this? They'd be carried out on a stretcher folks. ... I'd like to punch him in the face."

At a similar situation in Michigan in March 2016 he said of a protester, "Try not to hurt him. If you do I'll defend you in court, don't worry about it."

This may not be the last footage of Trump in wrestling situations that comes up. The president made a number of appearances in the WWE and was inducted into the organization's Hall of Fame in 2013.

You can see more images from Trump's WWE appearance in the gallery above.
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TANL nonsense

Heather Rogan, convener New Zealand Fairy Tern Charitable Trust

Its hard to credit the assertions made by TANL (MM July 5) that their illegal weir on Te Arai Stream has had no negative impacts on fish, birds and flooding. Auckland Councils ecologist, Councils consultant ecologist and another independent ecologist have all expressed concerns about the significant adverse effects of the weir on the stream environment, fish migration and spawning, and consequently on the NZ fairy tern population. Another independent researcher who has observed NZ fairy tern foraging in Slipper and Spectacle Lakes states that it is important that Te Arai Stream, which links these two lakes to the sea, is not obstructed by anything that could hinder or block fish passages. What makes it even worse is that this illegal weir has been constructed in the middle of a public reserve, which was established to protect the areas high ecological values!

We applaud Auckland Council for serving the abatement notice on TANL and look forward to seeing action taken to restore the area to its natural state.

Damn the dam

Glen Bowmar, Mangawhai Heads

Having read the article (MM July 5) concerning the weir across the stream at Te Arai, I wish to refute some statements made by David Lewis of Te Arai North Limited. I have fished this stream and one of its tributaries that comes out of the Te Arai lakes for 14 years. I never sell my catch but eat some and give others to friends and family. Mr Lewis says that fish are able to cross the weir as they have for years. Yes, years ago before the weir was raised to become what I would call a dam, they could cross the weir. The original weir created only a minimal drop in height, which I know from personal experience enabled the whitebait to pass through. The reason for raising the weir, as I understand it after having spoken to workers involved in the construction work, is to raise the level of the water at the pump intake upstream. This is to keep the intake off the bottom of the stream and stop it being clogged up. In fact, last September when the weir had been breached on the north side, the intake was left high and dry above the stream level. So the real reason for the weir/dam is to provide deep enough water for their irrigation.

Double standards

Chris Rowe, Sandspit

Whats the difference between an unconsented weir at Te Arai (MM July 5) and an unconsented weir at the Sandspit Marina? The Te Arai weir has attracted an abatement notice from Auckland Council, which is great news. The unconsented weir at Sandspit Marina  which dams the Brick Bay Stream  has been ignored by Auckland Council for 18 months and is one of a number of compliance issues at the marina. This is the marina which was opened to great fanfare a year ago. As the All Blacks coach says in relation to rugby referees: All you ask for is consistency. Why the double standard Auckland Council?

Vexed by Vaxxed

Cindy Lynch, Warkworth

I am writing today in response to an article (MM July 5) written by Eugene Sims of Warkworth Natural Therapies. I am incensed that by publishing this potentially damaging piece, your publication has inferred a degree of credibility to Mr Sims views. Until now, I have enjoyed reading your largely informative, community-focused newspaper. However, the decision to print this nonsense without providing some balance is beyond my comprehension. While the writer repeats his assertion that he is not attempting to influence anyones decision and is merely trying to help people gather information, he finishes by adding a link to an independent website which is so demonstrably anti-vaccine, it would be laughable if the subject matter were not so potentially harmful. Ideally this garbage should not have been printed but unfortunately, it was. While you inexplicably chose not to provide an alternative view at the time of printing, I will now supply you with links to credible sources completely debunking the myths peddled in the Vaxxed mockumentary (produced and directed by the discredited fraud that is Andrew Wakefield). luckylosing.com/2017/04/30/vaxxed-debunked-a-selection-of-references/

(MM provides a forum for all points of view, not just the ones that we, or our readers, necessarily agree with. As long as those opinions dont breach normal standards of decency and respect, we will continue to do so  Ed)

Digging deeper

Jacob Le Car, Warkworth

Fantastic news that Mahurangi River is getting some much needed attention (MM May 30)  it really is the jewel in Warkworths crown  but there were a few points missing from the story:

Trustee Peter Thompson owns Clearwater Dredging and is being paid (by the Trust) to do the work  no other tenders were sought  in the interests of transparency this should have been disclosed.

The wider initiative to improve the ecology of the river and riparian planting sounded like all care, no responsibility. More information should be sought on what the Trust intends doing to collaborate with others on sediment control in the wider catchment, otherwise the dredging job could be the gift that just keeps on giving.

Where was the expert ecological commentary about the impact of dredging on ecosystems and biodiversity of the Mahurangi River, or is MAG and Iwi support, and Councils granting of the consent, supposed to be sufficient assurance to readers that this has been carefully considered?

In the interests of the full story, perhaps MM would like to dig a little deeper.

Mahurangi River Advisory Board chair, Penny Webster, responds:

The resource consent was granted by the Auckland Council after about 12 months of the Trust working with the officers and others, and that process would have looked at effects, etc. of dredging the river.

Obviously we would love to work with community groups about upstream cleaning and planting. I have actually discussed with the Chair of the Environment Committee how to involve others in the way that the Mahurangi Action Plan was implemented.

As for Peter getting the dredging job, we have documented prices from several others to ensure we are getting a fair price. The benefits for Warkworth outweigh any negatives.

Thumbs up MM

Warwick Spicer, Auckland

(Warwick Spicer is the former editor of the Auckland Star  Ed)

Thank you Mahurangi Matters reporter Ben Donaldson for the publicity accorded to the Omaha Beach Bowling Club (MM July 5). Recognition of achievements within community groups, such as the Omaha club, is so important to developing the spirit that drives those involved and, hopefully, encourages others to join in. That has been a vital function of suburban newspapers, since the metropolitans have favoured becoming a vehicle for columnists rather than a record of news.

Targeted rates OK

John and Barbara Maltby, Point Wells

We would support a targeted rate for specific projects (MM June 14). The rate would have to be applied to properties in the area of benefit and could be used to raise loans, which would be underwritten by the targeted rate. Ms Houlbrookes suggestion that at the same time the transport levy over Rodney properties, for which we get negligible benefit, be abolished is fair. Of course, there is little chance that the Auckland Council would ever agree to relinquishing control to the local board or give up the revenue stream that they happily take out of Rodney. By far the greatest hope we have of gaining control over Rodneys rates is to support the Northern Action Group campaign to form a separate Unitary Council for North Rodney. This campaign is entering a very interesting phase this election year and is not dead in the water by any means.

Back off Goff

John Clements, Orewa

I read with dismay and alarm (MM June 14) Mayor Goffs alleged ultimatum to Cr Sayers that there would be future consequences for Sayers and his constituents if he did not support Goffs so-called pillow tax. Whether one agrees with the tax or not, Sayers was doing what he was supposed to do  representing the people that elected him. Thats democracy at work. Mayor Goffs response was an attack on it. Its a bad omen.

Salute to Sayers

Alan Kendall, Snells Beach

Fantastic to read that Cr Sayers is fighting hard for Rodney. It looks like he has a tough battle to get Mayor Goff to loosen the purse strings for Rodney. However, I admire the way hes standing up against the Mayor and fighting so hard for us. It cant be easy. Keep up the good work Cr Sayers.

Callous employers

Sarndra Urwin, Warkworth

When the fire siren goes and the ambulance is on its way, our first thoughts are usually of our family and friends and hope its no one we know. But not so, apparently, to many employers. I was astonished to learn that most employers do not allow their employees, who are volunteers for these emergency services, to attend during their working hours. I wonder if the employer would be so reluctant if they thought it may be their house on fire, or their family in the crash? What sort of message is this sending to our up and coming young adults?

Call me old-fashioned, but as an employer myself I would be honored to have such a community spirited employee, who spends their free time training to save lives instead of watching telly.

Limiting speed

George & Christina Winch, Matakana

We believe the current speed limit of 100kph on open roads is unsafe and should be reduced to 80kph, especially on State Highway One.

From Warkworth to the tunnels, it is highly dangerous with its narrow winding roads, particularly at peak times, after dark and in bad weather.

Can someone tell me why the speed limit on this dangerous stretch of road is 100kph, the same as the motorway which has two lanes and a safety barrier?

Speed is the main cause of serious accidents, but the authorities and police dont want to know. If they were serious about reducing our shocking road toll, they would reduce the speed limit.

Instead, they always take the easy way out by reducing the alcohol limit and then waiting outside hotels, etc., instead of patrolling the main highways, making it difficult for people to enjoy going out to dinner.

Wellsford to Warkworth is mainly an 80kph zone  why cant we have an 80kph zone between Warkworth and the tunnels to keep our families safe?

Sloppy drivers

Nikki Amiss, Kaipara Flats

I have just read the article titled Safety questions surround intersection (MM Jun 1). The problem is not the intersection, which is clearly and very visibly marked with Give Way signs, but driver inattention. The only thing I would add to this road issue is the large hedge, on the corner of Mansel and Woodcocks by Mitre 10, which blocks the view of vehicles coming out of Mansel Drive, giving drivers on Woodcocks Road no time to react to any careless driving.
Vaccination is a subject that often results in strongly divided opinions, heated debates and much controversy. So much so that when the recent Vaxxed movie was screened it was shut down in some places. The purpose of this article is not to scaremonger or express my opinion, but to help people to gather information so that they can make an informed choice with respect to vaccination.

The movie Vaxxed describes the alleged cover-up of results by the CDC (Centre for Disease Control) in the US. The thread of the movie is weaved around the recollections of a supposed whistleblower who was involved in the alleged cover-up of a link to autism. While I have no authority to comment on the validity of the allegations, there are some interesting other findings from the documentary that are harder to dismiss as just potential conspiracy theory.

The statistics for children developing autism (in the US) has exploded exponentially. This is seriously alarming, whatever the cause. I use the word developing autism as in all the reported cases where parents have come forward they watch their normally developing children regress with development. Many have video footage to back up these changes.

Many parents (with autistic children) report seeing their children regress directly after vaccination. The children in these cases have had a fever followed by seizures which occurs shortly after vaccination.

It is also interesting to note that in California there are attempts to make vaccinating children compulsory. Currently, in NZ, there is no legislation that makes vaccination compulsory and public schools/early childcare facilities are not permitted to refuse entry to children based on their vaccination status. However, if there is an outbreak of a disease (that can be vaccinated for) then the children are asked to stay away for a period of time.

It should be noted that there is no compulsory reporting process with respect to side effects of vaccinations. So, if a child has a bad reaction, this may well not be recorded in any useful way. Also, vaccines do not have to be tested as rigorously as normal medications, so how we can be informed of any potential risks is hard to ascertain.

I would like to repeat that I am not attempting to influence anyones decision about vaccination, but to assist in information gathering. Currently, the majority of all readily available information comes from the manufacturers of the vaccines, so obviously this is not part of a balanced information gathering process. As with any information, I suggest always assessing who is providing the information, how credible the source is and what their motives are. The latter being the hardest to establish. All I suggest to people is to do as much research as possible from multiple sources and make your own decision. A useful organisation for a view independent of the vaccination manufacturers is vaccinationinformationnetwork.com.
Ahuroa School hopes to complete a $150,000 outdoor learning space by mid 2019.

The outdoor classroom has been in its planning phase for 18 months and stage one of three is set to be finished early next year.

Principal Michelle Nell says the classroom is a joint project with herself and the students.

The students have designed their ultimate outdoor space, Mrs Nell says. The process included looking at the site, deciding what was to be kept and what needed to go, and then putting their ideas on paper to be given to a landscape architect.

The facility will include almost 200 square metres of wooden decking, a bridge and tube slide.

It will be used for play time and classes, particularly environmental lessons, with the addition of a nature trail.

As a Trees for Survival school, we will be providing plants that we have grown ourselves.

The new building will be attached to existing classrooms, with access through bi-fold doors, and will include a set of stairs.

So far, $15,000 has been raised for the project with $10,000 coming from the schools annual Fair, Feast and Fireworks event held in March.

The remaining $5000 came from a fundraising day at Gibbs Farm, on the Kaipara Harbour, in April.

The school will apply for grants to meet the remaining cost and the timing of work could be brought forward if any large financial contributions are secured.

Mrs Nell says the school community is looking forward to turning the concept into a reality.
Public Private Partnerships and a regional fuel tax will be vital to fast-tracking transport and roading improvements for a city that is growing faster than predicted, Auckland Mayor Phil Goff said in Orewa last month.

Speaking to media just prior to a Hibiscus Coast & Bays Local Board meeting, Mr Goff said with 800 to 900 extra cars on Auckland roads every week, the city did not have time on its side.

It takes years for these projects to come to fruition so we need to bring projects like Penlink forward or were going to be gridlocked, he said.

Despite the generally negative response by Government to a fuel tax, Mr Goff remained confident that regardless of the outcome of the General Election in September, the tax had a good chance of being supported.

The money raised from the tax will be used solely for transport projects and this should provide some assurance to Government that Im trying to keep our spending under control.

Im prepared to take the flack for putting a 10 to 20 cents a litre road tax across the whole of Auckland because my policy has always been that we need a better way to fund infrastructure than by rates or borrowing.

Mr Goff said alternatively the Government might decide, for example, to implement a road tax nationally and then allocate proportionally to areas where the tax was collected.

That might be a tidier way to do it. I dont really care how it is done, but everybody has to pay their share. If we dont, the city will grind to a halt.
Wellsford Lions stalwart and Tomarata dairy farmer Frank King-Turner has two reasons to celebrate this month  not only has he become the new regional Lions District Governor, but his induction took place as part of the 100th International Lions Convention in Chicago.

More than 42,000 Lions members from across the globe converged on the US city for five days of centennial celebrations from June 30 to July 4, including banquets, a grand parade and concerts by The Beach Boys and Chicago.

Nearly 30 members from local District 202K were there to support Frank, who is now head of the biggest Lions district in the world, stretching from the Coromandel north to the islands of Fiji, Tonga, Samoa and American Samoa.

His rise through the Lions ranks has been rapid, which he puts down to a background of service as a Salvation Army minister in the past.

I joined Lions in 2009 and have gone straight through the system, he says. When I arrived up here from the west coast of the South Island, it was a great way to get to know people in the community.

I joined and became secretary in two months, was secretary for three years, then vice president, president, zone chair, 2nd and 1st vice district governor, and now district governor.

He will spend his year at the helm visiting many of the 79 clubs in the district, as well as trying to boost membership and get the Lions message of service to the community across.

For me, my motivational thing is getting younger people into Lions. We have all got older and while younger people are coming in, there are not quite enough, he says.

Weve almost got a generation that doesnt know how to give to the community.

To mark the Lions centenary, the Wellsford branch will be providing a new path at the historic Minniesdale Chapel, near Port Albert, which celebrates its own 150th anniversary this year, as well as its regular fundraisers, the biggest of which will be the Roaring Truck Show in February. New members are always welcome.

Info: lionsclubs.org.nz (search for Wellsford)
Wentworth Colleges Fleming House students decided to collect food for the Hibiscus Coast Community Houses foodbank last month, to help local people in need.

The initiative is part of regular fundraisers organised by the schools house groups.

Little did the Fleming House students know that their timing could not have been better, with stocks running low at the foodbank due to high demand.

Donations of non-perishable food from students, staff and the school community filled 23 banana boxes to the brim in just a few days.

The food was collected by Judith Pearce on June 16. Judith said the process had obviously given the students a sense of what it could be like to have no food for their family. Every student generously took part in this opportunity to help others and we were overwhelmed by their generosity and graciousness. All the donations are exactly what we use in our everyday parcels and were extremely well thought out, Judith said.

She told the students that the foodbank has had record numbers requiring assistance in the last two months and was struggling to meet the demand  the Fleming House contributions saved the day.

The shelves are now stacked to overflowing and we look forward to being able to assist many families over the coming months.
Leigh School will open two new classrooms this month, replacing rotting prefab classrooms, which had been on site since the early 1990s.

The $400,000 upgrade was first discussed with the Ministry of Education in 2014, but due to a number of other school projects underway, work didnt start until mid-2015.

The rooms will contain modern technology and furnishings, and cater for students from Years 2 to 6.

Leigh School spokesperson Melissa Crockett-Joyoue says the school chose to wait for new classrooms that would be customised to their needs, rather than use prefab rooms from another school.

We used the waiting time we had to plan what the new spaces would look like and how they would operate as classrooms, Melissa says.

The Ministry has funded the entire cost of the rooms, but the school is planning a number of working bees to meet the landscaping costs.

Principal Julie Turner says teachers and students are both looking forward to moving into the new rooms.

They will free up space so we can refurbish the library and transform the senior classroom into a resource room, Melissa says.

She says the challenges of the new build were assembling the six parts correctly, as they came in reverse order, and transporting them over the one-way bridge in Whangateau.
Willie Hewitt

After working locally for 10 years, Westmoreland Homes owner/director Willie Hewitt is used to navigating the highs and lows of the building market.

Although the company was established in Mangawhai building spec homes, it now builds between 30 and 35 houses a year for clients from Dairy Flat to Whangarei.

Were absolutely flat out, Willie says. Last year we were getting a lot of enquiries that werent going anywhere, but this year the enquiries are serious and genuine.

Aucklanders, who are cashing up and moving north, are fuelling the building boom.

Two years ago an average home cost $450,000 to build. For that same home today, you are looking at over $600,000.

Some of the added cost reflects increased construction costs, but home owners are also spending more on their homes, putting in the added extras such as heat pumps, fireplaces and fancy kitchens.

They are also building bigger, with 250sqm to 300sqm homes not uncommon.

Willie says land prices in Mangawhai have risen sharply over the last 18 months, albeit that they came off a very low starting base.

He says a section that cost $100,000 18 months ago is now selling for $275,000 to $300,000.

Thats if you can find one. Every spare bit of land has gone and the developers are struggling to keep up with demand, and this is pushing up prices as well. I think were starting to see a bit of resistance from the public to these higher prices, though.

Willie says one of the frustrations for customers at the moment is the lead-time before building can start.

Draughtsmen, engineers and Council are all busy, and some delays just cant be helped.

A building inspection in Auckland has to be booked at least two to three weeks in advance and you can double that time if, for some reason, they have to come back and do a second inspection.

There can be delays in getting building materials and getting title on a new subdivision is taking four to six months.

Richard Denton

Richard Denton, of RD Construction, says one of the biggest issues builders are dealing with at the moment is the necessity of pricing plans for clients before consent has been issued.

They require a cost before submitting plans to Council for consent, but the problem with this is that there are often alterations made to plans by Council that require you to then have to alter the price you originally gave, he says. And sometimes the material costs have gone up in this time, too, and that requires re-pricing.

It is very difficult to get sub-contractors to spend time on pricing something that may not even happen. We are all very busy so it has to be done at night and on weekends. People dont understand the time that is involved in putting together a price.

Richard says material costs are continuing to push the price of a build up.

This can definitely limit the choices that clients have regarding the finish and so on. Consent costs also continue to rise and compliance costs, which builders have to pass on, are driving up prices. This includes things like scaffolding, edge protection, fall protection and hazard protection programmes.

Richard Wilcock

Richard Wilcock, of Richard Wilcock Builders, laments there are not enough skilled tradesmen around to cope with burgeoning demand.

The Mahurangi East-based builder says trying to find skilled labour is impossible.

I know the plumbers and the electricians are having problems as well. I think its across the board.

So rather than recruit new people, Richard prefers to concentrate on maintaining a single reliable team of four or five old hands.

He also finds having a single team means he can more closely monitor quality standards.

But it also means that he has major challenges in meeting demand, particularly when subcontractors supplying things like trusses, frames and concrete are similarly struggling to keep up.

The lead times on all that sort of stuff is stretched out right now, he says.

If he were to receive a new job today, Richard anticipates he would not be able to attend to it until the middle of 2018.

In addition to new homes, Richard also notes an upturn in demand for alterations, such as removing walls to create more space and improving insulation.

He notes that building costs have gone through the roof, with steep rises in the price of timber, steel and concrete and the cost of complying with New Zealand building codes.

But higher costs have not slowed growth.

I can see this area turning into another Whangaparaoa already, especially with the motorway coming through. Its very good for business, he says.
The Auckland Marklin Clubs model train show, which it has been putting on at Whangaparaoa Hall annually since 2015, has become so successful that it is now the major event on the clubs calendar.

Local Auckland Marklin Club member Philip Wrigley says the hall is a great venue, and the show gets tremendous support from the community.

The Marklin Club is all about model trains, which chuff and wind their way through detailed scenes made by members. However, the show is also open to different kinds of modeling, so that local groups such as Hibiscus Radio Flyers, can participate.

Graeme Beeson of Gulf Harbour will be there again with his warship models. A feature this time will be his 2.5m-long model of the battlecruiser HMS Repulse. Graeme will also have a ship under construction so that visitors can watch the painstaking process of building an exact replica.

New to the show is Gulf Harbour Radio Yacht Club with its radio-controlled vessels and the Auckland Central Model Railway Club. Hibiscus Radio Flyers will be back with a selection of powered model aircraft.

The North Shore Model Rail Club, the largest north of the bridge, will have a bigger layout of track this time, local n-gauge enthusiasts will run their personal layouts and there will be train displays that children will be able to operate.

Marklins own display will have new segments, including a narrow-gauge logging railway running above the main line and a city scene behind the main station giving nearly 2m of perspective behind the running trains.

Philip says that the fiddle yard, where trains are assembled, was popular with children last year and will be included again.

The Model Train Show is on July 15 & 16 at Whangaparaoa Hall, 10am4.30pm. More info: see Whats On.


Auckland Northland Architecture Winners Announced

A secluded bach, an overhauled mock Tudor residence and two sensitively updated heritage villas were among the designs celebrated at the 2017 Auckland Northland Regional ADNZ | Resene Architectural Design Awards, held in Mission Bay, Auckland on Friday night [30 June, 2017].

Every year, the ADNZ | Resene Architectural Design Awards recognise outstanding, creative and innovative residential, commercial, alterations and multi-use projects designed by ADNZ (Architectural Designers New Zealand) members throughout New Zealand.

David Maurice of LTD Architectural of Silverdale, Auckland, was the big winner on the night. He came away with four awards for three projects. He received the Residential New Home between 150m2 and 300m2 and Residential Interiors Architectural Design Award for his simple bach design, tucked away in the bush-clad hills of Puhoi. With its basic form comprising a wedge shape which opens out onto decking designed for holiday enjoyment, judges described the home as a strong building fit for a tough landscape.

The interior feels calm, clean, and filled with filtered light, a haven despite the wild, back country outside, the judges said.

David Maurice also received an award for his transformation of a dated mock Tudor residence in Mairangi Bay, North Shore. Receiving the Residential Alterations and Additions Architectural Design Award, the judges recognised the clarity that was achieved in the building by removing distracting, dysfunctional features. The addition of generous outdoor spaces has turned the tired house into a luxury home. David Maurice was also awarded a Commended for a garage, studio and walkway project in the Residential Alterations and Additions Architectural Design category.

Another project awarded a Commended was the restoration of a Ponsonby villa by Allan McIntosh of Buildology. This design also won the Resene Colour in Design Award for its celebration of original character.

A Highly Commended and Commended was awarded to Mark McLeay and Mark Callander of Creative Arch for designs in Hekerua Bay and Grannys Bay respectively. Lynda Murphy of Paperspaces Architectural Design received a Commended for a restored Epsom villa.

ADNZ CEO Astrid Andersen congratulated the winners saying Auckland region members had once again produced examples of breath taking, innovative design.

In particular this years winners, through their exceptional designs, have demonstrated an understanding of context and place, and celebrating the unique environments the Auckland region has to offer. We are very proud to acknowledge our designers and were delighted for them to receive the recognition they deserve, Andersen said.

Regional ADNZ | Resene Architectural Design Awards will be held across the country from June through to mid-August in the lead up to the national awards. National award winners and the Supreme Award winner will be announced on Friday 27 October 2017.

BACKGROUND

Architectural Designers New Zealand (ADNZ) is a leading professional body for architects and architectural designers in New Zealand. Visit www.adnz.org.nz for more information. The 2017 ADNZ | Resene Architectural Design Awards panel included Michael Davis  Director of Architecture Programmes at the University of Auckland, new judge Melanda Slemint and past ADNZ Supreme Award winner, Graeme Boucher.

CONTACT

For further information or more images please contact Fiona McLeod fiona@cherryred.co.nz or 021 544 982. The full list of winners, descriptions and judges citations are available below.

To view and download images of each award-winning design.

AUCKLAND/NORTHLAND WINNERS

Awards: Residential New Home between 150m2 and 300m2 Architectural Design Award and Residential Interiors Architectural Design Award

Designer: David Maurice of LTD Architectural

Project: Back Country House

Location: Puhoi, Auckland

Description:

Located on a secluded bush-clad site this house plays on the uniquely New Zealand typology of the back-country hut. Aiming at simplicity it comprises a single volume for living/cooking/ eating and a lean-to annex housing the lower floor service/sleeping areas. The spaces are open and shared and the experience is one of enhanced connection with each other, and to the surrounding environment. The living area opens fully on two sides, having the feel of an outdoor room, and the fire and baths located on the deck draw daily activities out of the house and into nature.

Judges comments:

The project presents a clear hierarchy of primary wedge form to secondary deck, fireplace and lean-to structures. The result is a strong building fit for a tough landscape. The building uses distinctly New Zealand cladding materials, including a free-standing large exterior fireplace, which reflects the back-country tradition.

The interior feels calm, clean, and filled with filtered light, a haven despite the wild, back country outside.

Simple systems and spatial devices effect flexible spaces within a clever, compact plan.

Award: Residential Alterations and Additions Architectural Design Award

Designer: David Maurice of LTD Architectural

Project: Brady House

Location: Mairangi Bay, Auckland

Description:

The original faux Tudor design sat uncomfortably on this North Shore residence and was deteriorating badly. As well as a style re-think, outdoor verandah and pergola deck areas extending from the living area enable enhanced use and expands the living area of the house three-fold. Extensive roof windows replace 'pokey' dormer windows on the upper level, allowing light to flood in. The new style has a bungalow feel that sits more comfortably in its coastal setting, and the cedar shingle will weather naturally as the house settles into its environment.

Judges comments:

A clear design proposition has worked around concerns for solar access and effective connection of the building and its occupants to the site. Dated design features are erased from the original house. The addition of two exterior spaces effects a public/private interface. The clarity achieved in the building through the removal of distracting, dysfunctional aesthetically predetermined features is complemented by a reduction in the amount of paved space given over to cars in the front yard. The home is now much more comfortable in its context and period. It has been unified by a shingle roof and bay windows, use of flush skylights, a large timber veranda and adjoining outdoor room. Generous wide timber steps connect the home to lower level lawns. A much more comfortable and luxurious home.

Award: Resene Colour in Design Award and Commended in the Residential Interiors category

Designer: Allan McIntosh of Buildology Ltd

Project: 17 ONeill

Location: Ponsonby, Auckland

Description:

Situated among rows of traditional villas in the heart of Ponsonby, 17 ONeill Street was built circa 1900s. The existing layout was tight and maze like, with all the North facing sun wasted on non-living area rooms. A late addition lean-to was opened up and an open plan living space designed in line with Auckland Councils Special Character zoning overlay.

Judges comments:

A villa worthy of heritage retention. Restoration has attempted to respect some of the original character, via architrave retention and showcasing original floorboards. Further improvements have been made by evening out of ceiling heights, allowing more light into the living areas, and re-use of existing bricks as a feature wall.

Resene judges comments:

What a beautiful Villa! The neutral palette flows effortlessly throughout to create a fresh and inviting space. It is clearly evident that precise consideration has been taken to piece together all of stunning elements. The consistent smoky tones contrast with each other to create a beautiful and harmonious home.

Award: Highly Commended in the Residential New Home between 150m2 and 300m2 category

Designer: Mark McLeay and Mark Callander of Creative Arch

Project: Hekerua Bay Residence

Location: Waiheke Island, Auckland

Award: Commended in the Residential Alterations and Additions category

Designer: Mark McLeay and Mark Callander of Creative Arch

Project: Grannys Bay Residence

Location: Hillsborough, Auckland

Designer: David Maurice of LTD Architectural

Project: Lake House Garage, Studio and Walkway

Location: Waimauku, Auckland

Designer: Lynda Murphy of Paperspaces Architectural Design Ltd

Project: Before and After

Location: Epsom, Auckland
Local News, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 03 2017

Gregory presented the Legislatures Employee Excellence Award to Kevin Markham of Huntington and Jacqueline M. Brown or Ridge.

Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory, second from right, and Legislators Sarah Anker, third from right and William Spencer, third from left, congratulate Jacqueline M. Brown and Kevin Markham on being named Outstanding Employees at the Suffolk County Legislatures June 20 meeting in Riverhead.

Suffolk County, NY - July 3, 2017 - Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory and Legislator William Spencer presented the Legislatures Employee Excellence Award to Kevin Markham of Suffolk County Presiding Officer DuWayne Gregory and Legislator William Spencer presented the Legislatures Employee Excellence Award to Kevin Markham of Huntington and Jacqueline M. Brown of Ridge , employees within the Suffolk County Sheriffs Office at the June 20, meeting held in Riverhead

Kevin, an Auto Mechanic IV and Fleet Manager, and Jacqueline, an Administrator 1, were nominated for the honor by Sheriff Vincent DeMarco and Chief Deputy Sheriff Sharkey for their outstanding efforts on behalf of Suffolk County and its residents.

Kevin has been managing the fleet for six years, ensuring the inventory of 450 vehicles, including 270 patrol vehicles, ATVs, trucks and military surplus equipment, is kept in service. He oversees a staff of four civilian mechanics that are supplemented by inmate labor while working cooperatively with corrections staff.

Kevin has years of private sector experience which has been instrumental in his implementing a computerized system that tracks vehicle maintenance, inventory control and future service dates. He has assisted in the layout and design of the new Ford Interceptors, facing numerous challenges that come with an increased amount of equipment and technology being installed each year.

In addition to everyday maintenance, Kevin is responsible for ensuring equipment and vehicles procured for emergency use, are always available. He carries out his responsibilities with a positive attitude and impeccable work ethic and contributes to the successful completion of the Sheriffs Office mission, said Sheriff DeMarco.

Kevins dedication and engagement for the valuable role he plays in the county is admirable. Its my pleasure to join Presiding Officer Gregory in recognizing Kevins daily contribution to the operations of the Sheriffs Office and present to him and Employee Excellence Award, said Suffolk County Legislator William R. Spencer, M.D.

Jacqueline began her career with Suffolk County in 1994 as an Account Clerk with the Department of Public Works and has earned several promotions to Senior Account Clerk, Principal Account Clerk, and Head Clerk toward becoming an Administrator 1 in 2010.

Her normal duties require her to provide assistance to the Sheriff, Under Sheriffs, Chiefs, Warden and Accounting and Personnel Bureaus. She is conscientious, honest, hard-working and dedicated to fulfilling her job responsibilities, said Sheriff DeMarco in his nomination. She is consistently dependable and punctual in reporting to work, helpful and cooperative. Her positive attitude towards superiors and co-workers contributes to the success of the Sheriffs Office.

Jacqueline goes above and beyond the requirements of her job, taking initiative on additional responsibilities and tasks. She utilized her accounting experience by managing approximately $3 million in yearly funding and assets in the Sheriffs Office Grants Bureau. She handles the Grans Bureaus financial accounting and reporting including processing all grant orders and entries of payment vouchers. She also provides assistance to the Sheriffs Accounting Bureau by auditing their expense and payment vouchers to verify accuracy.

She performs the additional work while still completing her regular assignments on time and with the highest quality possible. Her dedication and high work ethic makes her a true asset to the Suffolk County Sheriffs Office and deserving of this recognition award.
Local News, Crime, Politics

By Long Island News & PR Published: July 03 2017

Changes Will Improve New York State's Criminal Justice System; Improves Protections for the Accused, Helps Prevent Wrongful Convictions.

Albany, NY - July 3, 2017 - Governor Andrew M. Cuomo today announced that effective July 1, juries in New York State will be allowed to consider the most reliable evidence that identified the perpetrator of a crime: a photo array shown to a witness by police. Previously, State law prohibited photo arrays from being introduced as evidence at trial. New York State also has adopted a standard protocol for law enforcement to follow when showing photos to witnesses for purposes of identifying the perpetrator of a crime. This identification procedure reform law includes safeguards to protect innocent people from arrest and conviction and represents another milestone in Governor Cuomo's efforts to improve the fairness, transparency and effectiveness of the State's criminal justice system.

"This administration has fought tirelessly to ensure our criminal justice system works for all New Yorkers, and today we have taken another step forward, Governor Cuomo said. Photo identification evidence can be a powerful tool to convict a perpetrator and protect the innocent, and these new procedures lay out a fair and effective path to help ensure criminals are caught and justice is served."

Research indicates that photo identification is most reliable when conducted closest to the time of a crime or initial sighting and when it is the first procedure used to identify a suspect. Photo arrays can be highly effective at confirming whether a person was, in fact, involved in a crime. This helps to protect innocent people from arrest and conviction, and holds guilty individuals accountable.

ID procedure reform was included in the enacted State budget, which also required the State Division of Criminal Justice Services to establish the standard protocol for law enforcement. The protocol adopted by the State includes a number of safeguards, including requiring an investigator who does not know the identity of the suspect or where the suspects photo is located within a photo array to show the photos to a witness.

The Division of Criminal Justice Services used an identification procedure model policy previously approved by the State's Municipal Police Training Council as the basis for the protocol and worked with criminal justice stakeholders to ensure it aligns with the latest research, protects against misidentifications and meets the needs of police as they conduct investigations. The Council, composed of representatives from law enforcement agencies and academia, endorsed the protocol as its new model policy, which agencies can use to create their own written policies.

Governor Cuomo included identification procedures reform  and a mandatory requirement of police to video record interviews with individuals in custody for serious offenses, including homicide, sexual assault and kidnapping  in his Executive Budget. Both reforms were supported by the District Attorneys Association of New York State, the Innocence Project, and the New York State Bar Association. The legislation requiring video recording takes effect on April 1, 2018.

Rockland County District Attorney Thomas P. Zugibe, who also is President of the District Attorneys Association of the State of New York, said, "A prosecutor's sworn duty is to ensure that the guilty are tried and convicted with fairness and the innocent are exonerated. This can only be achieved by utilizing the most reliable evidence available. It is widely recognized that photo arrays offer the best opportunity to obtain fair and accurate identifications. DAASNY appreciates the efforts of the Municipal Training Council to update the policies and protocols concerning photo identification procedures. This will ensure that law enforcement and prosecutors understand the recent changes to the criminal procedure law and have guidance on best practices concerning the use of the identification procedures."

Barry Scheck, co-director of The Innocence Project, which is affiliated with Cardozo School of Law, said, "The Innocence Project has worked tirelessly to advocate for changes that will prevent wrongful convictions. We have advocated for these reforms and believe they are an important step toward achieving that goal. We commend Governor Cuomo for championing these reforms; they will make a difference."

Yates County Sheriff Ronald G. Spike, who serves as Chairman of the Municipal Police Training Council, said, "Identification procedures must have proper protocols to ensure just and fair investigations, and the Municipal Police Training Council's model policy has now been enhanced to meet the new law's requirements. I commend everyone who assisted the Council by providing thoughtful and relevant feedback to ensure the policy and protocol will benefit all police agencies as they seek to implement the new requirements."
China again urges India to immediately withdraw its border guards that have crossed the boundary, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said on Monday.

The Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been defined by the Anglo-Chinese Convention of 1890, Geng said, noting that the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed that there is no objection.

"It is the basic principle of international law to abide by the treaty," said Geng. The Indian side has violated the existed treaty by crossing the border, which also goes against the United Nations Charter and basic principle of international law. Geng noted that "it is a very serious issue."

China urges India to respect boundary treaties and China's territorial sovereignty, and immediately withdraw the border guards.
In macOS High Sierra, third parties will have a more difficult time sharing any tracking information via Safari. Its all part of Apples approach to privacy, and its not just lip service. While such policies certainly helps the company from a marketing standpoint, theyre also routinely turned into product features.

The new feature seems to have the potential to make it harder for unrelated sites to follow you around the internet. But some experts believe that, while a noble technology to deploy, the action has already shifted to a different front that Apple cant help with directly.

Youre the product

Apple has long taken the stance that it doesnt treat our private data and online behavior as property it can sell or lease to others. This notion is partly in reaction to Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others who make their money in different ways than Apple, all of which have led them to push at the legal and ethical limits of harvesting our personal lives.

When was the last time you remember any of those sites making a change that you felt increased your privacy? Meanwhile, you can list court cases, features, options, and under-the-hood technology that Apple has pursued to prevent unwanted or unwarranted access to your data and private life.

In iOS 9, Apple added content-blocking Safari extensions, and brought the same technology to macOS in Sierra the next year. App developers could create rulesets that prevented content from specific domains, containing certain formatting elements, or in various media formats from loading at all.

This seemed like an awfully hostile move, even though 11 percent of all internet users currently use ad-blocking software, according to PageFair. But ad blocking largely isnt about advertising. Rather, its about page bloat, load time, popovers, auto-play videos, bandwidth usage, a sites usability, and unintentionally delivered malware. Most users dont necessarily complain about all these factors at once, but those who install Ghostery, 1Blocker, and other desktop and mobile filters do so from frustration. (Yes, some people just object to ads qua ads, but ads pay the bills.)

Apples latest move, announced at WWDC, doesnt block ads at all, but it tries to prevent unwanted pathways between user behaviors and tracking, often used for targeted advertising.

Apples latest move, announced at WWDC, doesnt block ads at all, but it tries to prevent unwanted pathways between user behaviors and tracking, often used for targeted advertising. Those pathways allow tracking systems to follow you by storing information in your browser that the browser then sends when you visit other sites that use the same trackers.

Intelligent Tracking Prevention (ITP) is Apples term for the new technology going into WebKit, the open-source engine Apple developers that underlies Safari for macOS and iOS, as well as third-party browsers. At this stage, Apple has discussed ITP only as a macOS feature.

Trackers work by generating a unique token stored in the browser. This is typically done with cookies, but tracking systems that are nominally scrupulous may use other storage mechanisms, too, creating  evercookies. Evercookies drop tracking IDs in all the nooks and crannies in a browser that allow any form of data storage or caching, making it almost impossible to root out. The only way to avoid them in Safari is by using private browsing.

ITP attempts to recognize tokens designed to identify you across sites, rather than those used for routine single-site-based interaction. It watches how remote resources are loaded, and how you interact with them, including whether you tap, click, or enter data into forms. Because its Apple, the statistics and actions gathered arent sent back to the cloud, but are stored locally to build up a profile for your Safari on your Mac. (Its possible Apple will send certain limited and anonymized data back using differential privacy, but that wasnt announced.)

The system is smart enough to differentiate between first-party and third-party visits. A first-party visit happens when you go directly to a site, like macworld.com; a third-party visit counts any non-macworld.com scripts, images, video, or other resources that load from macworld.com.

ITP does allow limited use of cross-site tracking for the first 24 hours after you visit a first-party site. Apples example is a site called Account.com that handles the logins for SiteA.com, SiteB.com, and SiteC.com. Visiting Account.com and logging in sets a cookie at Account.com that the other sites can retrieve by loading a script from Account.com, letting them validate your login.

After 24 hours, however, Apples system will stop allowing those third-party cookies and other data to load. While your browser data related to Account.com itself can be retrieved for up to 30 days through a first-party visit to that domain, the sites with other domains can no longer access that information.

A site developer would need to create a simple redirect to refresh the first-party connection: youd go to SiteB.com, it would redirect you to Account.com, and then back to SiteB.com. This should be fairly seamless, and some sites make use of this today. For user tracking, however, embedded scripts and resources in a web page cant create those redirects and thus wont get information after 24 hours.

For domains identified as tracking you across sites, Safari will dump all cookies and website data associated with the domain after 30 days with no first-party visit. While Apple hasnt provided details about which data is removed, I hope its all the locations that evercookies rely upon. Otherwise, this purging doesnt truly stop browser-based tracking. (You can read a more technical rundown of the system at the WebKit site.)

This all sounds pretty slick. It allows short-term use of cross-site data for limited purposes and medium-term use for more focused uses, while it rejects data intended to persist over long periods across unrelated parties.

But theres a problem. Its only effective on the browser side.

What lies beneath

Alexander Hanff, a privacy activist, deflated the ITP bubble a bit with a post describing the limits of browser-side control of cross-site tracking. In brief, anything a third-party script or resource loaded on a web page can do, so can the first party serving the page up. Tracking code can be run in such a way that its handled by the domain that a user is visiting, short-circuiting the utility of blocking third-party tracking.

The first-party site can use the data it acquires and communicate server-to-server with tracking networks to associated a user with other visits. Its not perfect, because it relies on identifying unique session characteristics of the browser and its network location, but it can used with a high degree of accuracy. Hanff and others note that the trend towards first-party server-side tracking isnt new, and that Apples move will only accelerate that approach.

Thats not to say Apple shouldnt implement ITP, Hanff says and I agree. Not every site has the capability or interest in hosting server-side tracking, and thus ITP can have a broad impact against casual but widespread unsophisticated tracking. Many sites incorporate analytics, ad-serving, and other tracking code without understanding the privacy implications (or even being aware there are any to think about, depending on the site). And the lack of perfect browser tracking using first-party server tools reduces the value of that tracking, too. Low-hanging fruit can be picked off.

Apple will also add let High Sierras Safari prevent auto-play videos, the scourge of the net. And an upcoming version of Google Chrome reportedly will block ads that dont conform to an industry consortiums rules for acceptable ads.

Hanff argues that only regulation and enforcement can make a difference, because of the server-side shift. But I believe that the extensive use of ad blockers and these upcoming Apple and Google plans mean that the air supply for borderline and unethical behavior is being cut off. This, in turn, will lead publishers to make better decisions about what to include on their pages, because it will be a difference between users blocking all advertising or being able to tolerate ads that respect their bandwidth, time, and intelligence. ITP is another piece in this process.
The act of Indian border troops recently crossing into Chinese territory was described as "very serious" by a Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Monday.

"The current situation is totally different from previous confrontations between the two countries' border troops, which happened at an undefined China-India boundary," spokesperson Geng Shuang said.

The latest crossing occurred at the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary that had long-been demarcated, Geng said, noting this section had been defined in the Convention Between Great Britain and China Relating to Sikkim and Tibet in 1890.

According to the convention, the border line commences at Mount Gipmochi in the east and follows the water-parting until it meets Nepal, Geng told a routine press briefing.

Geng said successive Indian governments had acknowledged the demarcation in writing and agreed to the border between Sikkim and Tibet.

Documents between the Chinese and Indian governments show former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru admitted several times that the Sikkim-Tibet border was defined by the 1890 convention, on behalf of the Indian government, Geng said.

In a letter to then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai on March 22, 1959, Nehru said the border of India's protectorate Sikkim and China's Tibet was defined by the 1890 convention and marked by both sides on the ground in 1895.

In another letter from Nehru to Zhou on Sept. 26 the same year, Nehru repeated the information, adding there was no dispute regarding the border between Sikkim and Tibet.

"These documents show India's current move runs counter to the consistent position of the Indian government," Geng said.

Geng said that Indian border troops overstepped the mutually recognized boundary line and crossed into the Chinese territory, and that India's move violated the 1890 convention, as well as the basic norms of the UN Charter and international laws.

China has lodged protest to India several times, asking the country to observe the existing boundary convention, respect China's territorial sovereignty, and immediately withdraw its border troops that crossed into China, Geng said.
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For several years now, Bulgari watches have occupied another dimension, and the Octo range has become an iconic collection with its own distinctive personality. The new bold and elegant styling owes nothing to other watch brands; it is a tribute to masterpieces of Italian architecture, subtly blending refinement and masculinity and combining a confident Roman aesthetic with the technical mastery that has enabled this jewellery brand to beat the big boys at their own game. Bulgari is now one of the few watch brands to create a genuine buzz at Baselworld. The Octo Finissimo Automatic has won the coveted record for the worlds thinnest automatic watch: its 2.23 mm deep movement is perfectly designed to fit into its ultra-thin (Finissimo!) 5.15 mm case.



Exit 6 and 12, enter 16

While the model launched at Baselworld 2017, which is available this summer, logically features a figure 12 at the 12 oclock position and a 6 at the bottom of the dial, the titanium dial of the one-off piece created to celebrate WorldTempuss 16th birthday is an even more stripped-down. The only Arabic number on the dial is a 16, at 4 oclock. The result is aesthetically balanced, as it mirrors the position of the small seconds counter. Its very rare for Bulgari to modify its dials. But Guido Terreni, CEO of Bulgari watches, agreed to create this unique piece in honour of WorldTempuss 16th anniversary because the concept, as well as being original, was also a good fit with the DNA of the Octo Finissimo.





Octo Finissimo Automatic, unique piece  Bulgari

An intrinsic complication

Ultra-thin movements are a complication in their own right. As Guido Terreni points out: Each element, down to the smallest, must be designed and calculated from the outset in terms of its place in the extremely slender body of this exceptional timepiece. This means not only the components of the automatic movement, but also all the case and dial elements. As one would expect at these extremes of watchmaking excellence, the new 2017 model available this summer is driven by a manufacture movement fitted with a platinum micro-rotor, which despite its thinness is powerful enough to provide a 60-hour power reserve. The movement decorations can be appreciated through the sapphire back of the titanium case, whose harmonious fusion of volumes and shapes is one of the standout features of this icon of contemporary watch design. The sensuality of the Octo Finissimo Automatic extends to its undeniably tactile appeal, particularly in the version with a titanium bracelet. The amazingly supple articulated links feel light and playful on the wrist. The obvious value for money this watch represents serves only to enhance its seductive appeal.

Anyone interested in purchasing this unique watch should send an email to WorldTempuss director, Brice Lechevalier (brice.lechevalier@worldtempus.com), co-creator of this one-of-a-kind model and your personal contact for all requests.





Octo Finissimo Automatic

case: sand-blasted titanium, titanium crown with ceramic insert, sapphire back, water-resistant to 30 m

diameter: 40 mm (5.15 mm thick)

movement: automatic mechanical movement (calibre BVL 138 Finissimo, 60-hour power reserve), Geneva striping, chamfered bridges, circular-grained baseplate, 2.23 mm deep

functions: hours, minutes, small seconds

dial: titanium, black PVD hands, number 16 at 4 oclock

strap: titanium bracelet with folding clasp or black alligator strap with titanium pin buckle

Exclusive offer for members of the Fine Watch Club
Raised by parents who have Hokkien and Shanghainese lineages, Luo Ren is proud of her culture and descent. Interestingly, her respect for heritage and tradition prompted her to visit both sides of her parents ancestral villages in China. It was a humbling and illuminating experience, enthuses the married woman. Her upbringing was very liberal and her folks have always been supportive of her passion for dance. Dance and choreography is something Ive always enjoyed. Ive organised several non-profit dance performances, which gives non-professionals an opportunity to be creative. Just because we are no longer in school, doesnt mean we can no longer dance and perform! Im always interested in connecting with people who are interested to give dance a shot  everybody can dance, no experience required, laughs Luo Ren.

Just like working in the tech industry, one may have the academic credentials but nothing beats hands-on experience in real-world situations. I think when I started my early years working in tech, the ability to take action quickly based on customer insights excited me, beams the amiable Luo Ren. She started her career at The Walt Disney Company before eventually moving to a start-up that was acquired by Food Panda; thereafter, she joined RedMart. She cites, There was a steep learning curve when I began working in a start-up, but I enjoyed the ride! In such an organisation, everyone wears many hats and when we encounter a problem we roll up our sleeves together to solve the problem.

Today, Luo Ren is proud of her achievements and is thankful that she had the foresight to switch to the tech industry to get closer to consumers, a decision that has started to pay off. Luo Ren is a Senior Product Lead at RedMart who manages a team of mostly male engineers. Working at RedMart forces her to keep up with different technologies in the fast-paced, digital economy. Her advice to women wishing to begin a career in the tech industry? Have more confidence and less self-doubt! In our 20-minute interview, we discover how Luo Ren ticks.

What is your opinion of a woman in todays context?

Luo Ren: This question is a little weird to me, there should be no difference from a man in terms of capability, expectation, home responsibilities, etc. Many women today have similar aspirations as men  at least most educated woman who come from a fairly non-conservative background. I dont think we are more empowered or more capable than men in any one area.

What gives you drive to come to work every day?

L.R.: I manage a consumer-facing product at RedMart (i.e. RedMart.com, mobile apps and the supporting API  application programming interface). The need to solve customer pain points (and fix bugs!) and make their user experience better pushes me forward.

How do you feel that the tech sector is a male-dominated industry?

L.R.: As a woman, you can be hyper-conscious of the fact you are different. But Ive faced this through my entire career, even before I joined tech. I was often the only Asian female, if not the only female, at board meetings and senior executive meetings. I didnt feel odd being the only woman, just that I felt different. However, I intentionally put aside that aspect and focused on the work. My point is, this is the same situation in tech and beyond, which I think is important so we dont make generalisations about tech.

What do you think are some strengths a woman should have working in todays digital economy?

L.R.: Intuition and empathy  which are often female-attributed strengths if I can generalise  are critical to understanding the customer to ensure we are building the right product.

Working in this sector, what do you think a woman can do differently that a man cant?

L.R.: Nothing, just as there is nothing a man can do differently/better than a woman.

What are some of the challenges you face at work?

L.R.: Hiring great engineers, especially in Singapore, and getting good data to understand customer behaviour holistically.

Whats a recent interesting project youve been working on?

L.R.: Many RedMart customers have been asking for a loyalty program for years. Working with the Lazada team enabled us to bring LiveUp, our recently launched membership program, to provide our consumers with much more compelling benefits than if we did this alone. We put together our resources across RedMart and Lazada and leveraged partnerships to offer rewards not only across Lazada and RedMart but also Netflix, Uber/UberEATS  a win for our consumers.

What advice would you give to a woman wanting to work in this sector?

L.R.: Ive seen several cases of women who perform as well as their male counterparts, but they question their abilities and performance more than men do. In a nutshell, women need to work on their confidence level. This would help them focus their energy on work, and help them perform better.

How do you balance work and life?

L.R.: Taking vacations often helps to clear the mind. I also have a supportive husband.

What kind of change would you like to see for women working in the tech industry?

L.R.: More women in leadership roles, which starts with stepping up in small ways, e.g., volunteering to drive a project, being more vocal when they have suggestions, pushing forth their ideas to help the team.

If there were more women working in the tech sector, do you think it would be better?

If so, how?

L.R.: Absolutely. We would feel less different, there would be more diverse perspectives on how to solve problems. and women would have more opportunities to build a better support network.

Are there any other interesting tit-bits about yourself?

L.R.: I am born and bred in Singapore, and I love Singapore and chose to come home after having lived in New York, Hong Kong and Paris. Singapore is still awesome!

Interview contributed by Joseph Lim.

* Joseph pursued lifestyle journalism despite having a background in Computer Science. In 1999, he was a technology writer but switched to writing and editing for luxury periodicals under the Singapore Tatler Group in 2007. At home, he is an avid home cook all thanks to his Peranakan lineage. He digs all things vintage and old school like vinyl and cassette tapes.

Read more:

Fast, Femme and Furious: An inspiring interview with Eeleen Tan, a woman in tech

Midas Touch: An inspiring interview with Zhao Jing Yuan, a woman in Singapores tech sector

Interview: HSBC Womens Champions Winner, Inbee Park
If you follow financial media lately, you might be under the impression you ought to be steeling yourself for some new protectionist measures from the Trump administration. Any day now Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross is expected to announce findings from an investigation-permitted under Section 232 of the Trade Expansion Act of 1962-that could argue for tariffs on steel, allegedly based on national security concerns. This all plays right into longstanding fears that Trump is a trade disaster waiting to happen, triggering headlines claiming "Trump's plan to slap tariffs on steel imports carries big economic and political risks" and warning they "could set off global trade wars." But despite the sensational rhetoric, steel tariffs are nothing new and, in our view, are unlikely to live up to pundits' fears.

President Trump's positions on trade have stoked these fears. On the campaign trail, Trump was a sharp critic of trade, in particular the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) and China. He frequently said on the stump he would use executive branch powers to "protect" American jobs and specifically that he believes steel imports are "killing our steelworkers and our steel companies." (Hence, why we say Commerce's investigation is allegedly based on national security concerns.) Trump's protectionist rhetoric is a major reason why Wall Street feared him winning, and why some economists and pundits argue his policies are bad for the economy.

But regardless of those fears, what the Trump administration is proposing is nothing new. Basically every administration since President Lyndon Johnson has enacted some variety of steel tariff, even if the justification slightly differs now.

Exhibit 1: Presidents Like Protecting Steel

Source: National Bureau of Economic Research, as of 6/29/2017. For the record, Obama implemented steel tariffs twice (2014 and 2016). Our table cites the recent move.

So media, in hyping what Trump might do, is overlooking the fact virtually all recent presidents have done the same. Heck, we just saw this 16 months ago, when the Obama administration imposed similar tariffs on China, South Korea and five other nations.

While protectionist measures are a risk for markets, industry-specific (and usually small in scope) policies like this generally lack the scale to be bearish for broader markets. The Commerce Department reported the value of all US steel imports amounted to only 1.0% of total US imports last year. On its own, this shouldn't prove problematic for stocks. For those who want to blame China for US steel's woes, consider: China, in part due to existing tariffs, only accounts for 4% of US steel imports. Producers in Canada, South Korea, Brazil, Mexico and Japan account for a far bigger share.

Industry-specific tariff actions are fairly common and don't usually impact markets much. Why? Scale. To wallop the economy would likely take a negative worth trillions in economic activity. Getting to that scale would seemingly necessitate a broad-based trade war, the likes of which we have not seen since the 1930s, when the sweeping Tariff Act of 1930 (aka Smoot Hawley) passed. Intended to bolster agriculture, the bill wound up slapping large tariffs on hundreds of manufactured goods. Nearly 900 US imports were hit with new tariffs, and within a couple years, US imports were down roughly 40%. Now, part of that was due to generally weak global economic conditions brought by the Depression. But folks respond to incentives too, so it would be a mistake to think a tariff jacking up import prices had nothing to do with it. After Smoot Hawley, many of our major trading partners-the UK, France, Italy and Canada (our largest partner then and now)-responded with tariffs of their own. While its government stayed neutral, Swiss consumers boycotted US products.

Although it is possible steel tariffs could spur retaliation that spreads like wildfire, it is beyond a stretch to say that is probable or certain to follow whatever Commerce does. Even if the rumors of retaliation play out, the more likely outcome is a minor tit-for-tat-not an outright trade war. There just doesn't seem to be enough economic heft involved here for steel tariffs to trigger a broader downturn.

This policy shift probably would create winners and losers in a small segment of the global economy-as with any government meddling in free markets. US steel producers might notch a small, near-term win. The benefits are questionable-remember, we've seen this over and over, yet politicians still argue steel needs their "help." Consumers of steel could in theory face higher prices, which they may pass on to their customers; to the extent they have the ability to pass costs on. Producers in affected countries would suffer a bit.

But for markets, all the media hype bakes fear into stock prices, setting up a potential positive surprise. Take April's Canadian lumber saga, for example. Fears ran high when Secretary Ross unveiled a tariff on softwood imports from our northern neighbor, culminating a decades-old dispute. Many news articles presumed this was bad, but markets had oodles of time to price in opinions and fears over how bad the tariff could be. In the end, the tariff didn't live up to the fear baked into stock prices-and the stocks impacted jumped. Now, this isn't an argument to buy non-US steelmakers-the impact here was very short-lived. Our point, however, is a microcosm of how trade war fears play out.

The same thing has been happening at a macro level for much of 2017, and in our view-one reason why global and US stocks are having a nice year. For example, Mexican stocks and the peso were pounded after Trump won, due to that anti-NAFTA talk. Yet six months in, talk is much friendlier-and Mexican stocks and the peso have bounced back sharply. Moreover, according to campaign rhetoric, China should have been dubbed a currency manipulator roughly 160 days ago (on "day one") of a Trump administration. Yet here we are, and no such declaration. All these positive surprises on trade suggest fearing big fallout now is a very speculative bet. With all the media chatter about steel tariffs triggering a trade war, it seems unlikely reality matches those fears. That should be another positive surprise on trade, further bolstering global equities.

Until we get clarity from Secretary Ross, there is nothing to stop media from painting all sorts of scary what-if scenarios recalling the 1930s. But buying the hype seems unwise.
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Springfield will auction off the former St. Thomas Church in Huntington on July 20 with the help of West Springfield-based Aaron Posnik & Co.

The auction is set for 1 p.m. at the property at 2 East Main St. It will be open for inspection on the day of the sale from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It is the first time the Springfield diocese has auctioned a former church building, spokesman Mark E. Dupont said. He said the auction is an experiment and the diocese might do more auctions in the future for properties it has had a hard time moving.

Other Catholic dioceses around the country, including the Archdiocese of Philadelphia, have auctioned real estate following church closings.

Colebrook Reality Services, of Springfield, has St. Thomas listed for sale with an asking price of $189,000.

St. Thomas, Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Russell and St. John Mission in Chester merged in 2010 and the new parish worships at the former Our Lady of the Rosary Church as Holy Family Parish. Unlike other church closings, the merger came at the suggestion of parishioners, according to a story in The Republican at the time.

The Springfield diocese, which covers Berkshire, Franklin, Hampden and Hampshire counties, had 21 churches for sale six years ago following a wave of closings. It closed 65 Roman Catholic churches in the 2000s. Of those, the diocese put 13 church buildings to use, often as sites for new, merged parishes.

The list of churches for sale is down to nine and includes the former St. John Cantius Parish at 10 Hawley St., Northampton, where a sale to a developer has been pending since February 2016. Michael R. Sacenti of East Longmeadow, a principal with New England Urban Senior Living, and David L. Sanders, founder of HPD Cambridge in St. Louis, plan to build about 60 one- and two-bedroom senior living apartments at the site.

Sacenti said last month he is still working out details of the project. The church remains listed by Colebrook Reality Services.

St. Mary of the Assumption Church at 3 Elm St. in Northampton went on sale through a realtor a few months ago.

The for-sale list does not include Mater Dolorosa in Holyoke, where the diocese supports a plan by the Mater Dolorosa Church Preservation Society to buy the church despite the diocese's stated fears that the building is unstable.

The diocese had sought permission to demolish Mater Dolorosa.

Huntington officials have also attempted to preserve St. Thomas. In 2012, the town created a one-building historic district to protect St. Thomas from demolition or from significant alteration, according to town documents.

The 3,700 square-foot St. Thomas building, located about 12 miles west of Westfield just off Route 20 and overlooking Huntington's village center, sits on a third of an acre.

Built in 1890, the church is assessed at $201,400.

When the Diocese sells a church, the proceeds go to the parish or whatever parish took over responsibility for the former church's geography.

Huntington Church Auction by Jim Kinney on Scribd
America's leading organic yogurt maker, founded 34 years ago in New Hampshire, will soon be under new corporate ownership.

After a 15-year run, the French food giant Danone Group has agreed to sell Stonyfield Organic to Groupe Lactalis for $875 million, Danone announced Monday.

Lactalis, based in France, is the world's largest dairy corporation, and represents cheese brands such as President, Sorrento, Precious, rondele, and Galbani.

Danone in April acquired WhiteWave Foods, maker of Horizon Organic milk and Silk soy milk, for $12.5 billion. As part of the deal, the U.S. Department of Justice forced the Stonyfield sale to forestall monopoly control of the organic milk market.

Under Danone, Stonyfield, already successful, saw its sales skyrocket.

Gary Hirshberg and Samuel Kaymen started Stonyfield in 1983 to help support their non-profit farming school. Starting with a herd of seven cows, family members produced their goods from a small dairy in Wilton.

With a popular product in hand, in 1988 Stonyfield built a production center in Londonderry. Within a decade, sales had boosted to $78 million. Kaymen retired in 2000, and Danone bought a 40 percent share. Danone purchased Stonyfield outright in 2013. Hirshberg stepped down as chief executive in 2012, but remains on Stonyfield's advisory board.

It hasn't been easy for Stonyfield to compete in the burgeoning Greek yogurt market, reports the Boston Globe. Several years ago, Chobani upset the dairy aisle with its creamy cups, and Greek yogurt now accounts for half of the $7.6 billion yogurt market. The food fad took traditional yogurt makers by surprise.

However, Stonyfield's identity as a trusted, eco-friendly brand remains a plus.

Reached Monday, a Stonyfield spokesperson said she'll have to more to share in the coming days. In the meatime, protecting the environment through organic agriculture "is part of our DNA," wrote communications manager Kristina Drociak.

"We're looking forward to continuing more of this work as we move forward as part of the Lactalis organization," Drociak wrote. "We're eager to begin working with Lactalis to continue moving forward with our mission in even bigger and better ways together."

As Stonyfield enters its new chapter, she said, "we'll continue making the delicious, organic yogurt our fans know and love while remaining true to our mission: healthy planet, healthy food, healthy people."

It remains to be seen if Lactalis will shift sourcing from small farms to large corporate dairies. Stonyfield purchases milk from a domestic network of Organic Valley farms, and runs a direct organic dairy supply program in the Northeast. Its employees enjoy perks such as six-months paid maternity leave, on-site chiropractic and massage therapy, and free organic fruit.

For its part, Lactalis touts its "social commitment to sustainability," and states that its "constant focus on eco-friendly policies and practices is essential."

The sale, which must be approved by federal regulators, is expected to close in the final quarter of 2017.

Mary Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com
All 10 people injured when a taxi plowed through a rest area at the Logan Airport taxi pool this afternoon were cab drivers, a state police official said a press conference.

One was seriously hurt and the other nine suffered less severe injuries, State Police Major Francis McGinn said at the scene shortly after 3 p.m. The victims have been taken to area hospitals including Massachusetts General Hospital and Tufts Medical Center.

The crash occurred around 1:40 p.m. after a 56-year-old taxi driver lost control of his cab and plowed through a break area where other drivers were standing. The crash appears to have been unintentional and is not being considered an act of terror, police said.

The driver had no known history of violations and is cooperating with police, McGinn said. His cab has been seized by investigators, and the State Police Collision Analysis and Reconstruction Section and Crimes Scene Services Section are assisting with the investigation.

"He is known to be a very nice gentleman, it appears," McGinn said.

The crash took place near Porter Street and Tomahawk Drive in East Boston, where taxi drivers wait to be dispatched to pick up passengers from the airport.

Footage from news helicopters appears to show a damaged taxi resting amid a pile of debris next to a building at the taxi pool site.
The Commonwealth Museum will display one of the first copies Declaration of Independence and Bill of Rights, as well as other historic documents this July 4 holiday.

The state-run museum on Morrissey Boulevard in Boston shares history typically unique to Massachusetts and the state's role as "a leader in the quest for equal rights and opportunities," according to the museum's website. Exhibitions share the Bay State's history throughout different American time periods, such as colonialism, the revolutionary era and 19th century reform movements.

The museum's "Treasures Gallery" holds the Massachusetts Archives exhibition, including the "Charters of Freedom," the "1629 Charter of Massachusetts Bay" and the Constitution of Massachusetts penned by John Adams.

The Treasures Gallery will display one of the original copies of the Declaration of Independence this Tuesday, July 4 from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m. The copy on display at the museum was sent by the Continental Congress to Massachusetts during the Revolutionary War and is signed by John Hancock, according to the Boston Globe. Philadelphia printer John Dunlap is believed to have printed hundreds of copies of the Declaration, though only 26 copies survive today.

The historic document will be placed in a climate-controlled case alongside the museum's other charters. Other exhibitions on display include the Revolutionary-Era flag and African-Americans and Maritime History.
CHICOPEE -- One day longtime business owner Don Roy lamented that none of his children were interested in continuing the auto body company he and his wife had been running -- only to learn he wasn't entirely correct.

His middle daughter, Karen Rattell, piped up and said, "I think I do."

So after more thought, she left her job in social work and mental health, studied and passed the state test to earn her car appraisal license and is now working side-by-side with her father as the family celebrates its 25th year in business on Granby Road.

About two years ago Roy decided it was time to scale back, in part so he could spend some time in Florida in the winter. On Jan. 1, 2015, he officially turned the business over to his daughter and she became his boss and the owner of Don Roy's Auto Body.

"One of the best things is to meet new people and teach them and get them to know what to expect and they become customers for life," Rattell said.

The company is a one-stop shop for anyone who needs a repair. When someone is in an accident, the first step is to appraise the damage. After that, Rattell said, she educates her customers on what the next steps are, works with their insurance company, helps set up a rental, orders parts and finally has the car fixed to meet the customer's needs and wants.

Don and Irene Roy began Don Roy's Auto Body in 1992 in Springfield but moved the business to their hometown of Chicopee when their present location, 1416 Granby Road, opened up in 1995.

The idea wasn't completely foreign. Don Roy's father Wilfred Roy, who was better known as Babe, was a mechanic and owned Roy's Garage on Gladdu Avenue, where he did mechanical repair. He started learning auto body work from hanging around with his older brothers, who would have him fetch tools and generally help them as they worked on cars.

Later Roy worked on the business side and became a vice president of an auto body shop until he took a chance and opened his own shop.

"I wanted a small, controllable shop where we could produce good quality work," he said.

The slogan "Quality work, Great service" continues today.

The company soon became a family business when Irene Roy left her job as a dental hygienist and became a business partner with her husband. It turned out that her experience handling insurance and working with customers helped when managing the business.

"I was scared," she said. At the time the couple had three daughters getting ready to head to college and they had to refinance their house to get the business started.

At first it was also an adjustment to work for her husband, but the two quickly developed a partnership at work as they did at home, she said.

The couple recounted many experiences in the business over the years.

One of the strangest was when a man came in to see if they could do body work of a different kind -- on his wife's prosthesis. It turned out she hated the fake leg because the color did not match her own skin. They had the woman come in, matched color chips with her skin and painted the leg and she left happy, Don Roy said.

Karen Rattell said she was just 12 when she started helping out at her father's business. At first she tried to do some office work but there wasn't much for her to do and she became bored so she took on cleaning duties.

She never planned to make a career out of the business, and after graduating high school she headed to the University of Massachusetts Amherst earned a degree in psychology and women's studies and started a career in mental health and social work.

When she first decided to join the business, Rattell took courses so she could officially estimate the damage on cars and then passed the state test to become an appraiser. She also attended a Master Auto Body seminar in Chicago and returned with new ideas on how to improve the business.

She now does everything in the business from estimating repairs and dealing with insurance companies to ordering parts and managing employees. She jokes that her former career in mental health helps when working with employees and upset customers.

She now oversees three auto body technicians, two painters and one detailer. There are also two other people who work in the office.

"I call her a computer wizard," Don Roy said. All the equipment, such as the paint mixing machine, is computerized and all records are kept on computer, so those skills are vital.

Rattell said she has no formal computer training but enjoys troubleshooting computer problems and learned a lot by teaching people in her previous job. Recently she took a day and set up an entirely new computer for her father at the business.

She also learned how to market the business better and now does a series of radio ads on WMAS-FM for the business and keeps up an active Facebook page.

"I learned don't assume people know your name," she said. People don't think much about auto body repairs until they are in an accident, so when they need the service she wants them to be familiar with her business.

While more women are getting involved in automotive and construction fields, they are still a tiny percentage of the people who do the work. Rattell said she was the only woman in her group who took the test to become an appraiser and was one of the few who attended the Master Auto Body seminar in Chicago.

"Some of the guys think it is cool. People get a kick out of it," she said.

Others are shocked when they walk into the office looking for help and she is the one who picks up the clipboard and starts to examine their vehicle. "Some of the guys say, 'What's a pretty girl like you want to do in this business?'" she said.

In looking toward the future, Rattell said one of the biggest challenges is to keep current with the latest advances in the industry, including changes in vehicle body types.

"The computers and technology has advanced so quickly and we will need to invest in new equipment," Rattell said.

Rattell has one 5-year-old daughter, who she said now loves to visit her mother and grandfather at work and likes to say hello to all the technicians. Rattell is married to City Clerk Keith Rattell.

Irene Roy has officially retired but Don Roy still spends plenty of time in the shop. One of the advantages is he can fill in on any job so if one of the auto body technicians or the production manager or his daughter is on vacation he can sub in with no problem.

On the side, one of his pet projects is restoring old cars. Right now he is working on a 1931 Model A Ford that he has completely taken apart.

Roy said he has also joined a number of nonprofit organizations such as the Chicopee Chamber of Commerce and has helped out the Galaxy Community Council and the Rotary Club, to name a few.
Standing near the taxi cab rest area off Porter Street in East Boston, a short distance from Logan International Airport, Oshodi Aki heard a screeching noise.

The 52-year-old driver was shocked to see a taxi cab take off at top speed. The cab hit an outdoor rest area for cab drivers waiting for calls to get people at Logan Airport.

People were dragged under the vehicle, he added.

"A guy was pinned on the side," he told MassLive.com. "I saw someone's bone," protruding from his leg, Aki added.

Police officials said the incident is not considered an act of terror. The driver, whose name hasn't been released, is cooperating with police.

Ten people were injured, all cab drivers. All were taken to Boston area hospitals.

The driver who allegedly hit them is considered a "very nice gentleman" by fellow drivers, State Police Major Frank McGinn told reporters. He apparently lost control of his vehicle.

Almost two hours after the incident, the chaos had largely dissipated. A Todisco tow truck rolled up to the scene at 3:48 p.m.

Inside the air-conditioned cafeteria for taxi cab drivers, next door to the accident scene, things were returning to normal.

Two cab drivers played a card game by the windows while others, who all have roots in Morocco, Somalia and Haiti, sat at tables and watched CNN on a television screen.

A burly supervisor walked through the door. "Anybody got cabs, we're ready to go," he shouted.

"I need cabs moving," he said as drivers rose from their seats and walked to their cabs outside.
BOSTON -- Competition among three offshore wind developers begins this week after Massachusetts utilities on Friday jointly issued their first clean energy solicitation under a new state law.

Deepwater Wind, Bay State Wind, and Vineyard Wind are expected to respond to Friday's request for proposals from Eversource, National Grid and Unitil. The RFP calls for at least 400 megawatts of capacity from offshore wind turbines planned on the outer continental shelf.

Proposals are due December 20, and contracts will go before the Department of Public Utilities in late 2018. It could be another two years before the winning bidder, or bidders, begin construction.

The contracts will be evaluated according to a set of hard and soft criteria. For instance, proposals must help reduce winter electricity price spikes, and bring jobs and other economic benefits to Massachusetts.

The Energy Diversity Act signed by Gov. Charlie Baker in 2016 calls for the state's utilities to procure 1,600 megawatts of offshore wind power by 2027. That's enough to power up to a million homes.

The 400-megawatt number in Friday's RFP is significant because the three wind developers had disagreed on how big the initial procurement should be.

Bay State Wind -- a partnership of DONG Energy and Eversource Energy -- had lobbied for an 800-megawatt offering, arguing that economies of scale would best benefit ratepayers.

Deepwater Wind and Vineyard Wind had said such a large initial bid -- half of the total procurement -- would kill competition, introduce too much risk, and undermine the organic growth of a regional supply chain and trained labor force.

Under the RFP, contracts up to 800 megawatts will be considered if they are "superior to other proposals ... and likely to produce significantly more net economic benefits to ratepayers." Proposals as low as 200 megawatts are allowed, but each

bidder is required to submit at least one proposal at 400 megawatts.

The firms will be subject to liquidated damages if they fail to deliver.

Each company had initially wanted to build their own underwater transmission line, according to Commonwealth Magazine. But the final solicitation states that each bid must contain an "expandable, non-discriminatory transmission proposal" to allow for the full, 1.6-gigawatt procurement.

That means an offshore switching station may be constructed. The transmission must connect properly to the ISO New England power grid. The generation may be paired with energy storage systems.

The companies have agreed to use a state-owned, custom-designed $113 million marine terminal in New Bedford to stage their projects.



Friday's joint solicitation was issued with the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources, and is the first step in a staggered procurement. Each successive contract must show a price reduction.

Other states may contract for the capacity if it doesn't hurt Massachusetts ratepayers. A Rhode Island utility and the state of Connecticut have expressed interest in procuring Massachusetts offshore wind.

Since Eversource Energy hopes to build a facility with Bay State Wind, and then contract for its power as a utility, the RFP bars most communication between the separate branches of the publicly-traded company.

Avangrid Renewables in May purchased a 50-percent interest in Vineyard Wind, a company already working with Copenhagen Infrastructure Partners. The Providence-based Deepwater Wind, which developed Block Island Wind Farm, is backed by the D.E. Shaw group, a global investment firm.

The three developers in 2012 won competitive long-term leases from the U.S. Bureau of Ocean Energy Management for an area 15-20 miles off the coast of Martha's Vineyard. The area has been dubbed the "Saudi Arabia of wind" for its potential.

New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Delaware are also planning offshore wind farms.

Massachusetts has been ordered by the state's highest court to meet greenhouse gas reduction goals mandated by its Global Warming Solutions Act. Decarbonizing the power sector is seen as an important step in forestalling climate change.

Mary C. Serreze can be reached at mserreze@gmail.com
SPRINGFIELD -- Springfield School Committee member Rosa Perez has resigned her seat as District 1 representative, citing her family's plans to move out of state this year.

In a letter addressed to City Clerk Anthony Wilson, Perez said her husband's work promotion is the reason for her resignation.

"This decision was not taken lightly," said Perez, who will vacate the seat on July 16. "It has been a pleasure being a part of the Springfield School Committee."

School Committee Vice Chairman Peter Murphy said he is sorry to see Perez go.

"Rosa did a great job of representing her constituents on the council," he said.

Now the committee must decide how to fill the impending vacancy. The next-highest vote-getter in the last election (2013) would fill the seat, which represents Wards 1 and 3, but that person is already on the committee.

Norman Roldan, who lost to Perez in the 2013 election for the District 1 seat, was later appointed to the School Committee after members voted in October 2016 to have Roldan, a former school committee member, fill an at-large seat after Rev. Calvin McFadden resigned with 14 months remaining in his four-year term.

The committee's next regularly scheduled meeting is not until the end of August, so the board would have to schedule a special meeting to vote on how to proceed, and then schedule a public input meeting to give residents in Wards 1 and 3 the opportunity to apply for the vacancy, Murphy said.

"I am going to talk to my colleagues about the process, and see what the proper procedure is in this situation," he said.

So far, the only person to take out nomination papers for the District 1 seat is Maria Perez (no relation), the founder and president of Women on the Vanguard, a grassroots organization that has focused on issues like the Gerena Elementary School tunnel repairs.

If a preliminary election is necessary, it will take place on Sept. 19. The regular election will take place on Nov. 7.

The last day to take out nomination papers is July 28. Certified nomination papers must be returned by Aug. 1.
The foreign ministers of Egypt, UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are set to meet in Cairo on Wednesday to decide on next steps in the standoff against Doha

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt have extended the deadline by which they insist Qatar must meet certain demands to Wednesday, at the request of mediator Kuwait.

Ten days ago the bloc presented Qatar with a 13-point list of demands, with a deadline of the evening of Sunday 2 July, which include cutting ties with Iran, halting support for groups such as Hezbollah and Daesh as well as shutting down AlJazeera TV network.

On 5 June the four countries severed diplomatic relations with Qatar, accusing it of supporting Iran and terrorism, which Doha has denied.

"In response to a request from the Amir of state of Kuwait Shiekh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Al Sabah to extend the grace period offered to Qatar to 48 hours, based on the affirmation of the Qatari government to his Highness that it will send its official response regarding the list of demands addressed to it by Monday, the four countries announce their approval to the Emir of Kuwait's request, the four countries said in a joint statement, as reported by the Saudi official news agency SPA.

"The response of the four states will then be sent following the study of the Qatari government's response and assessment of its response to the whole demands," the statement added.

Late on Sunday, before the postponment, US President Donald Trump spoke to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in the UAE separately to voice his "concerns about the ongoing dispute."

"The president also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit's goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability," the WHite House said in a statement adding that "President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism."

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain are set to hold a meeting this Wednesday in Cairo to decide on next steps over Qatar.

In a statement on Sunday evening, Egypts foreign ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said the meeting comes at an invitation from Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry to his Gulf counterparts.

The meeting comes in the frame of coordinating stances, and consultations between the four countries to decide on future steps on dealing with Qatar, as well as an exchange of visions and evaluation over international and regional calls over the matter, the statement read.

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State police arrested a 22-year-old Holden man Sunday morning, charging him with driving 122 mph -- nearly twice the posted speed limit -- on Interstate 495, police said.

The driver, Plutarco Castellanos, was arrested just before 9 a.m. after his car was stopped near Exit 25 in Marlboro. He was charged with driving negligently to endanger, marked lanes violation, failure to signal and speeding.



He is scheduled to be arraigned in Framingham District Court.

Police have also filed notification with the Registry of Motor Vehicles, seeking to have Castellanos declared an immediate threat and have his license revoked.

According to police, Trooper Eric French was patrolling I-495 in Hopkington when he spotted a dark colored BMW sedan driving at a high rate of speed near exit 21. The trooper's LIDAR gun, which uses laser light to measure speed, displayed a reading of 122 mph.

The highway is posted at 65 mph.

The trooper also spotted the car weaving in and out of traffic and driving recklessly.

Trooper French did not activate his lights and sirens out of fear that it would cause the driver to speed away even faster, police said. Instead he followed from some distance behind, and only activated his lights when the car slowed for a construction zone near exit 25 in Marlborough, police said.

The 122 mph is among the highest speed-limit violations for anywhere in New England in recent memory.

The highest is the 18-year-old Maine driver who a year ago was stopped on I-95 traveling at 146 mph.

Earlier this year, Connecticut State Police caught a 21-year-old New Hampshire man driving 136 mph on I-84 near Manchester.

And in 2015, an 18-year-old Vermont driver was flagged for driving 135 mph on I-91 in Rockingham
BOSTON - A trial in a civil lawsuit that challenges the legality of Massachusetts to set a voter registration deadline prior to elections is scheduled to begin Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Court.

The suit, filed last November by the Massachusetts chapter of the American Civil Liberties Union, charges that the state laws requiring new voters to register with the local election office within 20 days of an election or primary is both unconstitutional and arbitrary.

It charges that the deadline bars thousands of people from being able to vote each election.

The trial is scheduled to open Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. in the Suffolk County Courthouse. For now, the trial is scheduled to last three days although it could be extended.

Since 1993, Massachusetts has required new voters to register with their local city or town clerk, the Registry of Motor Vehicles or online through the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office at least 20 days before the nearest election.

The suit was filed by the ACLU on behalf of Chelsea Collaborative and MassVote, two nonpartisan organizations that focus on issues involving voter registration. It names three plaintiffs, Edma Ortiz of Chelsea, Raphael Sanchez of Somerville and Wilyeliz Leon of Revere.

It names names Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin and the election commissioners for the cities of Revere, Chelsea and Somerville as defendants.

Ortiz, Sanchez and Leon last fall each registered to vote in Massachusetts, but because each missed the Oct. 19 registration deadline were not allowed to vote in the presidential election on Nov. 8.

Just before the election last fall, Associate Superior Justice Douglas H. Wilkins granted an emergency injunction allowing Ortiz, Sanchez and Leon to cast provisional ballots in the election, but did not issue a ruling on the legality of the 20-day deadline.

More than a dozen states, including New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine have same-day voter registration.

The ACLU position is that Massachusetts could substantially expand it's voter-registration period by doing away with the 20-day deadline.

The state Attorney General's Office and the Secretary of the Commonwealth have each argued that a voter-registration deadline is necessary for insuring orderly elections.

Attorney General Maura has said that she favors same-day registration but believes a change should come through an act of the legislature and not through the courts.
BOURNE - A 61-year-old woman was killed and a teenager suffered life-threatening injuries in a three-vehicle crash on Sunday afternoon near the Bourne Bridge.

The crash in the northbound lanes of Route 28 was reported at around 4:07 p.m., according to state police, when a 2012 Freightliner truck rear-ended a 2014 Honda CR-V.

One occupant of the Honda was killed and four were injured.

A 61-year-old woman was taken by ambulance to Tobey Hospital in Wareham, where she was pronounced dead. Her name has not been released.

A 15-year-old girl was flown by Boston MedFlight helicopter to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., with life-threatening injuries.

Three other occupants of the Honda suffered minor injuries.

The driver of the Freightliner, a 43-year-old man from Lynn, was not injured.

State police said a 2011 Acura MDX was also involved in the crash, but no further details were available.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
BOURNE - State police on Monday released the name of the woman killed in a weekend crash near the Bourne Bridge.

Deborah Carney, 61, of Middleborough, was one of the occupants of a 2014 Honda CR-V that was rear-ended by a 2012 Freightliner truck at around 4:07 p.m. on Sunday.

Carney was taken by ambulance to Tobey Hospital in Wareham, where she was pronounced dead.

A 15-year-old girl in the Honda was flown by Boston MedFlight helicopter to Hasbro Children's Hospital in Providence, R.I., with life-threatening injuries. Three others suffered minor injuries.

The driver of the Freightliner, a 43-year-old man from Lynn, was not injured.

State police said a 2011 Acura MDX was also involved in the crash, but no further details were available.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation.
The White House formed a commission with the goal of making it harder for some people to vote. It didn't expressly say that, of course, and didn't name it in a way that made that clear, but the facts speak for themselves.

The so-called Presidential Advisory Commission on Voter Integrity might be better termed the Group in Search of a Solution to a Problem that Doesn't Exist.

President Donald Trump, whose grasp of the facts, the truth, is based not on reality, but on his own whackadoodle non-reasoning, believes, completely without evidence, that there's a massive amount of voter fraud taking place all across our land. He thinks, or has made himself believe, that it was this fraud that cost him to lose the popular vote to Hillary Clinton, the Democratic Party's presidential nominee last year.

He began this nonsense talk before the election, which he clearly believed he'd lose, claiming that the results would be "rigged," and that millions of illegal immigrants were certain to cast ballots. After he prevailed in the electoral college, which is all that matters in picking a president, he nonetheless felt the need to persist with his claim of voter fraud.

In Trump's fact-free universe, where truth is what he believes, there's no disputing his claim. Why let the facts get in the way of his tale of woe.

So he formed the foolish commission and filled it with folks who think more or less as he does.

But a funny thing happened on the way to the foregone conclusion: More than two dozen states - Republican- and Democratic-led alike - balked at the commission's request, made last week, for voter data. Some said no, plain and simple. Some said they'd go along with parts of the request, but not others. And some were vehement in their objections.

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican, said he hadn't yet received a request for voter data from the commission. But if one came into his office, he had an answer at the ready.

"My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great state to launch from," he said in a prepared statement.

Here's what the commission is asking of the states: The names and party affiliation of the 200 million registered voters across the land; their dates of birth; any felony convictions; voting history for the past decade; and the last four digits of voters' Social Security numbers.

And this information would be for what, exactly?

To ferret out voter fraud. Or so the White House claims. What it would almost certainly be used for is to find reasons to pass more restrictive laws that will keep more and more people from the polls. Think of it as an anti-voter rights commission.

Looked at in another way: Since the commission is Trump's creation, it's the increasingly unmoored reality TV star who wants to know your party identification and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

Those citizens who want Trump to have that information should feel free to send it to the White House. The rest of us, those who see this exercise for what it is, can tell Trump and his voter-suppression commission to go fry ice.

Every state should refuse this. Vehemently. Unhesitatingly. Conclusively.

Trump, of course, will continue to maintain that their refusal demonstrates clearly that the states have something to hide. His remaining supporters, still fervent, for some bizarre reason, will believe what their man says.

The proper response from the states and those in touch with the facts: Whatever.
Massachusetts still doesn't have a spending plan for fiscal year 2018, which started just several days ago.

The fiscal new year began on Saturday, July 1 and runs through June 2018.

But Massachusetts lawmakers from the House and Senate headed home on Friday without sending a state budget to Gov. Charlie Baker's desk.

They also couldn't come to an agreement on a rewrite of the state's marijuana laws passed by voters. Baker had asked them to get a rewrite to his desk by June 30.

The State House was open on Monday morning, but largely empty. Even if lawmakers were in the building, they would be meeting behind closed doors, as they frequently do in their attempts to craft a compromise.

Lawmakers had been eyeing a $40 billion state budget, but revenues may not support that figure, forcing them to grapple with cuts.

In June, they passed and the governor signed an interim budget totaling $5.5 billion, helping keep the state's lights on through the month of July.

In a Friday interview with the State House News Service, an independent news organization covering politics and policy on Beacon Hill, Baker appeared to shrug off the budget situation.

"Some years the budget lands on June 22, some years it lands on July 22, some years it lands on Aug. 22," Baker told the News Service. "The commonwealth still manages to find a way to function."

The situation could be worse.

The Associated Press reported on Saturday that Massachusetts is one of 11 states without a budget, a high number. And while Massachusetts, which has a Republican governor and a Democrat-dominated Legislature, is running late, New Jersey appears to be in a stalemate.

Republican Gov. Chris Christie is battling with Democratic lawmakers, and state government is shut down.

As a result, parks were closed for the July 4th holiday weekend. But that didn't stop Christie from heading with his family to a beach at one of the parks.

NJ.com sent a photographer to capture the governor lounging on a beach closed to the public.
Montanas legislators voted on hundreds of bills this session that would directly benefit the businesses they run outside the state Capitol. Yet many do not see that as a problem.

More than a dozen state leaders said it is not unethical to bring bills that would advantage their professions or properties so long as others received the same gain and the link is openly shared. Most lauded the fact Montana has a part-time, citizen Legislature where farmers sit on agricultural committees, lawyers craft state criminal laws, teachers tweak education policy, and business owners set industry regulations. Experience makes them experts, they say.

JAYME FRASER [email protected]

Full Story: http://mtstandard.com/news/government-and-politics/legislature-is-rife-with-conflicts-of-interest-and-they-re/article_f6cc582f-bb73-53df-a5e6-3fd24cefe026.html
Egypt condemned on Monday a suicide bomb attack on an Iraqi refugee camp that killed 14 people.

On Sunday, a suicide bomber disguised as a woman killed 14 people at a camp for the displaced in Anbar province.

No group has yet claimed responsibility for the attack that comes as Iraqi forces continue with operations to drive Daesh militants out of Mosul.

The Egyptian foreign ministry in a statement expressed its full support and solidarity with Iraq in combating terrorism that aims to shake its security and stability, as well as its support for all measures taken to combat terrorism and violence.

The statement reiterated the necessity of international efforts coming together to face the phenomenon of terrorism, and confront those who provide support to terror groups and help in spreading extremist ideas.

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Combine broadband with a 3-D printer, and you transform data into objects that can fix a tractor or help a child thrive. Rural communities are showing that high-speed access isnt just a theoretical benefit  it has measureable results in the physical world.

By Craig Settles

Full Story: http://www.dailyyonder.com/imagining-broadband-high-speed-access-delivers-impact-not-just-data/2017/07/03/20123/
Les membres du gouvernement ont pris note que le Industrial Property Bill sera introduit au Parlement, de la signature prochaine dun Memorandum of Understanding entre Mauritius Ports Authority et Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co Ltd, du changement de nom du National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Foundation en celui National Social Inclusion Foundation entre autres.

1. Cabinet has agreed to the introduction of the Industrial Property Bill into the National Assembly. The main objects of the Bill are to :

(a) expand the scope of protection of industrial property to cover utility models, layout-designs of integrated circuits, breeders rights and geographical indications, and thereby promote innovation and creativity, the introduction and development of new, improved and innovative plant varieties in Mauritius and the protection of products which have a specific geographical origin and possess qualities, characteristics or a reputation which are essentially due to that origin;

(b) bring together under one enactment the provisions of the law relating to the protection of industrial property rights namely, patents, utility models, layout-designs of integrated circuits, breeders rights, industrial designs, marks, trade names and geographical indications, and to provide for related matters; and

(c) enable Mauritius to accede to the Patent Cooperation Treaty, for the filing of international patent applications, the Hague Agreement concerning the International Registration of Industrial Designs and the Protocol Relating to the Madrid Agreement Concerning the International Registration of Marks, and to comply with its obligations thereunder following accession.

The Bill also :

(a) makes better provision in relation to the Industrial Property Office of Mauritius, which shall be headed by a Director, and in relation to the Industrial Property Tribunal; and

(b) provides for the setting up of an Intellectual Property Council the role of which shall be mainly advisory, and which shall ensure coordination among the public and private sectors in the formulation of intellectual property policies and enforcement of intellectual property rights.

2. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding between the Mauritius Ports Authority and the Ningbo Zhoushan Port Group Co Ltd of the Peoples Republic of China for collaboration in areas of port development, promoting transshipment traffic, knowledge transfer and exchange of information necessary for accelerating and facilitating flow of commercial goods. The Memorandum of Understanding provides for a collaborative framework to promote the trade and shipping business of both ports. The main benefits to be derived by the Mauritius Ports Authority include, among others :

(a) an increase in carrier services between Ningbo Zhoushan Port and Port Louis and in import and export cargo volumes between China and Mauritius;

(b) fostering international shipping business activities between the two ports for the purpose of realising economies of scale;

(c) fostering collaborative efforts for enhancing port productivity; and

(d) technical training and personnel improvement to enhance port performance including proper use of tugs and hands on training through extensive ship simulation exercises.

3. Cabinet has agreed to the signing of a lease agreement between the Ministry of Housing and Lands and the Victoria Station Ltd for the implementation of the Victoria Urban Terminal project which would include :

(a) an overhead bridge linking the Victoria Bus Terminal to the Metro Express Terminal;

(b) the bus terminal and hawkers area; and

(c) the remaining amenities such as office space, commercial facilities, among others.

4. Cabinet has agreed to the change in appellation of the National Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) Foundation into the National Social Inclusion Foundation as announced in Budget Speech 2019-2020. Cabinet has also agreed to amendments being brought to the Charter of the National CSR Foundation in the context of the new National Social Inclusion Foundation.

5. Cabinet has taken note that the Sports Complex and Stadium (Control) Regulations would be amended to incorporate new stadiums and sports complexes which have come into operation since 2003 onwards so as to enable the Police to effectively control and manage crowd behaviour in stadiums and sports complexes during the forthcoming Indian Ocean Islands Games.

New sports disciplines, namely Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Beach Volley, Cycling, Cricket, Equestrian, Fencing, Gymnastics, Jujitsu, Kyokushinkai, Motorcycling, Ringball, Rugby, Sailing, Sumo, Triathlon and Wushu are being included in the Regulations.

6. Cabinet has taken note that the Ministry of Public Infrastructure and Land Transport would organise a three-day Regional Workshop on the theme Strengthening the Regional Disaster Risk Reduction Capacity, from 16 to 18 July 2019, in collaboration with the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA), the Indian Ocean Commission and the European Union. The main objectives of the Workshop would be to create a new regional platform among participating countries to tackle regional disaster risks, enhance the capacity to identify loopholes in management of disaster risks in the countries of the region and embark on the outlines of future projects and/or partnerships with a view to making Mauritius more resilient to natural phenomena. The themes to be considered during the Workshop would include, among others, weather observations, flood control and landslide management.

7. Cabinet has agreed to pilgrims proceeding on Hadj 2019 pilgrimage being exempted from payment of the Terminal Expansion Fee and Passenger Solidarity Fee in addition to the Passenger Service Charge and Passenger Fee.

8. Cabinet has taken note that United Nations International Day of Cooperatives would be celebrated on Saturday 6 July 2019. The theme chosen this year is Inclusive development and decent work with the slogan, Coops 4 Decent Work.. The Ministry of Business, Enterprise and Cooperatives would organise, among others, the following activities :

(a) a Gathering for Cooperators at Octave Wiehe Auditorium, University of Mauritius on 6 July 2019 where some 1,000 members of cooperative societies are expected to be present. The ceremony would comprise, inter alia, the launching of the Top 100 Cooperatives magazine and National Cooperative Awards competition, an exhibition on the theme Coops 4 Decent Work and a cultural programme; and

(b) a three-day National Cooperative Market Fair at Reduit with the participation of some 200 cooperators including 20 from Rodrigues.

9. Cabinet has taken note that the Annual Report of the National Housing Development Co Ltd for the year ended 31 December 2017 would be laid before the National Assembly shortly.

10. Cabinet has taken note of the reconstitution of the Agalega Island Council with Mr Gino Alfred as Chairperson.

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The daughter and son-in-law of Islamist cleric Youssef El-Qaradawi were arrested by Egyptian police and detained for 15 days on Sunday pending investigations on charges of planning terrorist attacks that target security forces.

Ola El-Qaradawi and her husband Hossam Khalaf, a leading member of the Islamist Wasat Party, are also being investigated for joining a banned group, a reference to the Muslim Brotherhood which was designated by Egypt as a terrorist group in 2013.

Cairo has been demanding that Qatar hand over Youssef El-Qaradawi, 90, who is considered the spiritual leader of the Brotherhood and is wanted in Egypt in connection with various criminal cases related to terrorism and inciting against the government.

Some members of the Wasat Party, which was formed by members who split from the Brotherhood in 1996, are in jail on terror-related charges.

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A Giza criminal court sentenced on Monday 55 individuals to 15 years in prison and acquitted 31 others in the storming of Atfeeh police station in August 2013 following the dispersal of two major sit-ins supporting ousted Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.

The court also sentenced 31 people to five years in prison in the case.

The defendants were found guilty of using violence, rioting, possessing weapons and attacking public and private property.

The sentences can be appealed.

Following the dispersal of the sit-ins by police, rioters stormed police stations and burned a number of churches.

Hundreds of people have been convicted in similar cases since 2013.

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Morgan County Veterans Day Parade slated Nov. 11 Audio Article The Morgan County Veterans Day Parade will be held on Friday, Nov. 11. The parade will form at the Commons, in McConnelsville, at 9:30 a.m. and set out at 10 a.m. The American Legion Post 24 will render honors at the monuments at the Commons, Riecker Building, the Square, at...

A concert with two purposes Audio Article Wednesday, Nov. 30, a concert with dual purposes is being held at the Twin City Opera House in McConnelsville, Ohio. Its a thank-you to healthcare workers, who can attend for free, and its a benefit for the Lymphoma and Leukemia Society. In September 2021, Rick Shriver contracted COVID-19. He collapsed...

BOE reminder of early voting hours and polling location change Audio Article Remaining early voting hours at the Morgan County Board of Elections are as follows: from 8 a.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday, Nov, 2 through Friday, Nov. 4; 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 5; from 1 to 5 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 6; and from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m....

Lions Club announces annual Wreaths Across America Audio Article On Saturday, Dec. 17, the Chesterhill Lions Club will be joining with National Wreaths Across America in the laying of wreaths at each of the seven cemeteries located in Marion Township. The mission is to honor the local veterans who have served our nation so their families can rest assured...

Governor DeWine awards $6.7 million for domestic violence survivor programs Audio Article Ohio Governor Mike DeWine has announced that he is awarding $6.7 million to support the work of the Ohio Domestic Violence Network (ODVN) to offer mobile and health advocacy services and temporary residential services for domestic violence survivors across the state. The announcement comes during National Domestic Violence Awareness Month....

CDC committee vote wont change Ohio school vaccine requirement Audio Article Ohio Department of Health Director Bruce Vanderhoff, MD, MBA has released the following statement: The CDCs Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendation for the COVID-19 vaccine to be added to the formulary or schedule of vaccines for children does not mandate this vaccine for school children. Ohio law determines...
Egypts High Administrative Court ruled on Monday that the ministry of interior must disclose the whereabouts and location of citizens reported missing.

The court made the ruling in a case dating back to the disappearance and alleged police detention of a doctor in Upper Egypt in 2014.

The court said, in the first ruling of its kind, that the interior ministry must "investigate and reveal the whereabouts of any citizen, alive or dead, in missing persons cases."

The most important duty of the Ministry of the Interior is the preservation of citizens' lives and the protection of their persons and properties from any attack," the court said, adding that "the interior ministry and all state authorities [should perform these duties] within the law, or risk compromising the legitimacy of their actions."

In April 2014, following the disappearance of Asmaa Khalaf, a female resident doctor at Assiut University Hospital, her family accused police of detaining her without notification.

The police maintain that they have no information about the whereabouts of Khalaf, who is still missing.

Following the court's verdict, the Egyptian Organisation for Human Rights, a non-governmental organisation, issued a statement calling on the ministry to abide by the court's verdict and publically reveal the names of forcibly disappeared persons.

Despite reports by a number of Egyptian rights groups  including the semi-governmental National Council for Human Rights (NCHR)  maintaining the existence of forced disappearances, Egypt's interior ministry has repeatedly denied involvement in the practice.

Interior ministry officials have said that some people who are reported missing join terrorist organisations and are killed as a result, while others drown at sea after boarding migrant ships.

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Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi said during a meeting with Hungarian Prime Minister Victor Orban on Monday that Egypt's ongoing fight against terrorism guarantees Europe's security and stability.

El-Sisi arrived in Budapest on Monday to attend a summit by the Visegrad Group, which is a cultural and political alliance of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia.

The two leaders held a press conference following their meeting, where Orban expressed his country's respect and appreciation for Egypt's war on terrorism, saying that Europe should help preserve the political and economic stability of Egypt in return for its counterterrorism efforts.

The Egyptian president also stressed that Egypt does not discriminate based on religious background, and that maintaining the safety of all citizens is one of the key duties of the state.

Speaking on Egypt's economic reform programme, El-Sisi said that Egyptians have faced the impact of the recent tough economic measures with understanding.

El-Sisi also said that Egypt exerts an effort to provide for refugees in the country, stressing the necessity of putting an end to disputes that displace millions in the region, especially in Libya and Syria.

The president also stressed the importance of reaching a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, which should play a pivotal role in resolving crises in the region.

The meeting between the Egyptian President and Hungarian Prime Minister is the third since El-Sisi assumed office 2014.

El-Sisi and Orban met for the first time in 2015 in Budapest to discuss boosting bilateral relations and economic ties.
The connection between slowed walking speed and declining mental acuity appears to arise in the right hippocampus, a finger-shaped region buried deep in the brain at ear-level, according to a 14-year study conducted by scientists at the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public Health.

The finding, published in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology, indicates that older patients may benefit if their doctors regularly measure their walking speed and watch for changes over time, which could be early signs of cognitive decline and warrant referral to a specialist for diagnostic testing.

"Prevention and early treatment may hold the key to reducing the global burden of dementia, but the current screening approaches are too invasive and costly to be widely used," said lead author Andrea Rosso, Ph.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in Pitt Public Health's Department of Epidemiology. "Our study required only a stopwatch, tape and an 18-foot-long hallway, along with about five minutes of time once every year or so."

Rosso and her colleagues assessed 175 older adults ages 70 to 79 when they enrolled in the Health, Aging and Body Composition (Health ABC) study in Pittsburgh or Memphis, Tennessee. At the beginning of the study, the participants were all in good mental health and had normal brain scans. Multiple times over 14 years, the participants walked an 18-foot stretch of hallway at what they deemed a normal walking pace while a research assistant timed them. At the conclusion of the study, the participants were tested again for their mental acuity and received brain scans.

As previous studies have shown, slowing in the participants' gait, or walking speed, was associated with cognitive impairment. However, Rosso's research determined that participants with a slowing gait and cognitive decline also experienced shrinkage of their right hippocampus, an area of the brain important to both memory and spatial orientation. It was the only area of the brain where the researchers found a shrinking volume to be related to both gait slowing and cognitive impairment.

Rosso's study also found gait slowing over an extended period of time to be a stronger predictor of cognitive decline than simply slowing at a single time point, which is what other, similar research evaluated. All the participants slowed over time, but those who slowed by 0.1 seconds more per year than their peers were 47 percent more likely to develop cognitive impairment. The finding held even when the researchers took into account slowing due to muscle weakness, knee pain and diseases, including diabetes, heart disease and hypertension.

"A fraction of a second is subtle, but over 14 years, or even less, you would notice," said Rosso, also an assistant professor in Pitt's Clinical and Translational Science Institute. "People should not just write off these changes in walking speed. It may not just be that grandma's getting slow - it could be an early indicator of something more serious."

While the team noted that slowing gait speed is not a sensitive enough measure to diagnose a cognitive issue, they argue that it should be included in regular geriatric evaluations to determine if there's a need for further testing. If cognitive decline can be detected early, there are therapies that can delay its onset, and the extra time could allow patients and families to plan for the eventual need for assisted care.

"Typically when physicians notice a slowing gait in their patients, they'll consider it a mechanical issue and refer the patient to physical therapy," said Rosso. "What we're finding is that physicians also should consider that there may be a brain pathology driving the slowing gait and refer the patient for a cognitive evaluation."

Article: Slowing gait and risk for cognitive impairment, Andrea L. Rosso et al., Neurology, doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000004153, published online 28 June 2017.
Egypt announced on Monday the results of the first round of bidding for its first international gold and associated minerals tender in Sinai and the Eastern Desert, awarding mining rights to four companies, including two foreign companies.

In statements reported by Al-Ahram Arabic news website, petroleum minister Tarek El-Molla said that Resolute Egypt won two concessions, while the British Veritas Mining Limited, Ghassan Spain Investment, and Egypt's East Gas Company each won a concession following a round of bidding in January.

El-Molla added that the ministry considers developing mineral resources a priority, with the aim of implementing new strategies to best utilise the countrys mineral resources and turn the sector into a major pillar of the Egyptian economy.

Centamin, the largest gold mine operator in Egypt, which began operations in 1995, said in January that it would not bid on the country's new gold exploration tender because the terms were not commercially practical.

Centamin's principal asset is the Sukari Mine, a project started in 2007 in the Red Sea city of Marsa Alam, with the first gold bar made in 2009.

In 2016, the mine produced 551,036 ounces of gold.

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A car bomb killed 20 people in Damascus on Sunday and wounded dozens more, the Syrian foreign ministry said, the first such bombing in the Syrian capital since a series of jihadist suicide attacks in March.

The authorities said it was one of three car bombs that were meant to be blown up in crowded areas of the capital on Sunday, the first day back to work from the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Security forces pursued and destroyed the other two.

Officials said the bombers had been prevented from reaching their intended targets, otherwise the casualty toll would have been higher.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Damascus was hit by two separate, multiple suicide bomb attacks in March, one of them claimed by Islamic State and the other by the Islamist insurgent alliance Tahrir al-Sham.

In a letter to the U.N. secretary general and the head of the security council, the foreign ministry said the blast that killed 20 people in the Bab Touma area near the Old City had also wounded dozens of women and children.

State media said the bomber had been spotted and pursued by the security forces and set off the bomb after he had been encircled in the area.

Damascus has enjoyed relative security in recent years even as the six-year-long civil war has raged on in nearby areas.

Footage broadcast by state TV from the blast that caused the fatalities near the Old City showed roads scattered with debris, several badly damaged cars, and another one that had been turned into a pile of twisted metal.

Footage from another of the blast sites showed what appeared to be the remains of a person and badly damaged vehicles outside a mosque in the Baytara traffic circle near the Old City.

On March 15, two suicide bomb attacks in Damascus killed several dozen people, most of them at the Palace of Justice courthouse near the Old City. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.

On March 11, a double suicide attack in the capital killed scores of people, most of them Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims. That attack was claimed by the Tahrir al-Sham alliance of Islamist insurgents, which is spearheaded by a jihadist group formerly known as the Nusra Front.

Syrian government forces, which have defeated rebel fighters in several suburbs of Damascusover the last year, are currently battling insurgents in the Jobar and Ain Tarma areas on the capital's eastern outskirts.

A rebel group accused the army of using chlorine gas in the fighting on Saturday. The army denied the claim as fabrications.

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N. KOTZIAS: We agreed on Friday that today we would discuss two questions submitted by Mr. Eide on the security system in Cyprus and, more specifically, on what the prospects will be and what will happen with the current system. We had said that we would look at the mechanism for monitoring and implementation, that we will discuss the questions concerning troops, especially the occupation troops. But the discussion didn't start that way today. It started with procedural matters, and we saw a tendency from some to be in a rush for the Prime Ministers to come. We explained, once again, that a substantial discussion has to be carried out, because we have reached the sixth day of the negotiations and we haven't started the discussion. All sides have submitted texts, and we will be receiving those shortly. We will study them and come back late this afternoon to talk based on everything we will have read. The Greek side maintains its stance that there cannot be rights of intervention. We wrote it again. That the occupation troops must leave. We wrote it again. That a friendship pact has to be drawn up for the cooperation of the states in the region, with an important role for Cyprus itself. That there has to be a Treaty that provides for the manner of and procedure for the withdrawal of the troops. There is also an extensive proposal, which seemed very reasonable to us, from the Cypriot side, regarding the mechanism for monitoring and implementation of what is agreed on. As regards this monitoring and implementation mechanism, Greece is interested and involved as to the point concerning the monitoring of the withdrawal of occupation troops.

JOURNALIST: Regarding what issue was the presence of the Prime Ministers discussed, Mr. Minister?

N. KOTZIAS: There is a certain haste that I used Greek folk wisdom to describe: There are those who want to put the cart before the horse. They should let the negotiation horse do its work, and afterwards we can agree on any cart we want.

JOURNALIST: Does Mr. Eide want this, Mr. Minister?

N. KOTZIAS: There was a thought from various sides in this direction. I think some people are in a hurry, whether because it's difficult for them to negotiate, or because they don't want to negotiate on the particular issue, or because they want to present the Prime Ministers with accomplished facts, or to ensure that the negotiations weren't carried through to the end. The Greek side insists on, wants, is pursuing and working on existing, real results and a solution to the Cyprus issue. On this criterion, the Greek Prime Minister  in the context of the very good collaboration we have in the Greek government  will decide to come when, in his assessment and in the assessment of our Delegation, we have reached the point where his presence is needed, and not because some parties are in a hurry and don't want to sit for days to carry out a negotiation on the two treaties, of guarantees and troops. This negotiation has to be carried out.

JOURNALIST: Did any discussion take place, or was there simply a submission of documents? Do you have anything on the Turkish proposal?

N. KOTZIAS: No. It submitted its document in an envelope of pretty colour. Thank you very much.
Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected".

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Gulf states, called for "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

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The Syrian army said on Monday it would suspend combat operations in southern Syria until Thursday to help a new round of peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

The army general command said in a statement carried on state television the ceasefire began at midday (0900 GMT) on Sunday and was to support "reconciliation efforts", in the second such unilateral ceasefire in the last two weeks.

Russian-sponsored talks are planned in Astana on Tuesday. The last round of Astana talks in May led to the signing of an agreement between Iran, Russia and Turkey to create four de-escalation zones in Syria, one of which is in the south.

But fighting has continued in frontline areas, including in Deraa city in southern Syria, with hostilities expanding to the border province of Quneitra along the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.

A rebel official said the latest ceasefire was a ploy to drag the opposition to Astana. The rebel side has already expressed deep misgivings about the de-escalation zones, which they say benefit the Syrian army by freeing forces to allow them to make territorial gains elsewhere.

"This ceasefire is an attempt by the Russians and the regime to bring back the opposition to Astana and give them assurances on the ground they will stop the shelling on condition they attend," said Sohaib Alraheel, spokesman of Liwa al Fuqan, a faction of the rebel Free Syrian Army (FSA) operating in southwest Syria.

A spokesman for the Southern Front, a coalition of Western-backed FSA rebel groups, cast doubt on whether the Syrian government army and its Iranian-backed allies would halt attacks on the front lines in Deraa and in Quneitra province.

"The Free Syrian Army are very distrustful of the regime's intentions in abiding by the ceasefire. It will be like the previous one," Major Issam al Rayes told Reuters.

The latest announcement for the first time extends the ceasefire to the whole of southern Syria, including the southwestern Quneitra province near the border with Israel and Sweida province in the southeast.

The United States and Russia have quietly held talks on creating a "de-escalation zone" in southern Syria, Western diplomats and regional officials said in early June.

The Israeli army has in recent days launched strikes against Syrian army outposts in the southwest, where the Iranian-backed Hezbollah has a strong presence, saying it was retaliating for errant fire from Syrian positions that landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

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The captain of a Turkish-flagged freight ship claimed Monday that his vessel had come under fire from the Greek coastguard after he refused to comply with calls to dock at a Greek port in the Aegean Sea.

"The ship has 16 bullet holes," Haluk Sami Kalkavan told CNN Turk television.

The ship left the port in Iskenderun in southern Turkey and was heading to the Gulf of Izmit in the west.

The Turkish foreign ministry would not confirm the incident, with a spokesman saying only: "We're in contact with other institutions."

Kalkavan said the Greek coastguard ordered him to dock at the port of Rhodes "immediately".

"They said they would inspect the ship but we didn't accept that. They said they would shoot if we did not stop and they did what they said," he added.

He said the Greek coastguard fired as his ship was heading back to Turkish waters.

The Greek port police said they had received an "anonymous call" saying the ship was "transporting drugs".

"The port authorities immediately spotted the ship in the northeast of the Rhodes island in Greek waters," they said, adding the captain did not obey calls to stop, leading the port police to fire "warning shots".

It added that they had informed Turkish authorities of the incident.

The state-run Anadolu news agency reported that there were no injuries among the ship's crew.

The Turkish coastguard sent two boats while the naval forces command dispatched one assault boat to the scene to investigate the "allegation", Anadolu said.

Relations between Turkey and Greece have been fraught with territorial disputes in the Aegean, with the two NATO allies nearly going to war in 1996 over uninhabited islands.

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Fresh from a landslide election win in April, Hungary's powerful premier Viktor Orban was formally sworn in as prime minister Saturday, and hailed his controversial reforms as revolutionary.

"Since coming to power (in 2010), a revolution has happened in Hungary," Orban told several thousand supporters at a celebration rally afterwards outside the parliament building in Budapest.

"Not on streets or squares, or with swords, but in people's hearts and minds, the post-communist period is now closed," he said to cheers.

On April 6 Orban's right-wing Fidesz party won its second two-thirds majority in a row, granting it further legislative carte blanche to amend the constitution and fast-track new laws.

During his previous term Orban used the supermajority to write a new constitution and launch a legislative blitz that opponents said tightened his control over democratic institutions and restricted checks and balances.

Critics including the Organisation for Security and Co-Operation in Europe said new election rules brought in by Orban tilted the vote in his favour, but an appeal by one opposition party challenging the result was thrown out by the Supreme Court.

After taking the oath of office the 50-year-old premier told deputies in the ornate 199-seat parliament that the election result reinforced the changes implemented since 2010.

Despite the two-thirds majority, Orban, who served a first term as prime minister between 1998 and 2002, said his new government will always "represent three-thirds, in other words every Hungarian".

Outside, Zoltan Koves, an Orban supporter in the crowd holding a banner reading "Keep going Viktor!" told AFP he hoped Orban would be around "for many years to come".

"He's the only one capable of fixing the problems left behind by the Socialists (who governed for eight years before Orban)," he said.

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French President Emmanuel Macron is vowing to lift a state of emergency that has been in place since 2015, but also to harden permanent security measures to fight Islamic extremism and other threats.

He insisted on the need to "guarantee full respect for individual liberties" amid concerns that new measures would allow police too many powers.

Speaking at a special parliamentary session Monday in Versailles, Macron promised to "restore the freedoms of the French" after nearly two years under a state of emergency. He promised to lift it in the autumn.

He promised tougher new measures to prevent any new attack "without pity ... without weakness."

He spoke two days after authorities charged a young man with plotting a possible attack against the president or minority groups.

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Camp Lejeune Town Halls Aim to Help Those Exposed to Toxic Water. Heres How You Can Go.

Retired Marine Master Sgt. Jerry Ensminger made it his mission to tell the world that if they lived or served on Camp Lejeune...
SOUTHWEST ASIA -- For airlift crews out of 386th Air Expeditionary Wing, business as usual is moving thousands of pounds of gear a day in and out of combat zones. But transport specialists with the unit are also tasked with moving much more precious cargo.

And while transferring supplies -- such as ammunition, tactical equipment, building materials, fuel, food and blood packs -- is important, there's another mission these transport specialists hold nearer and dearer to their heart: preparing fallen service members for transport back to their families in the United States, a mission the military calls dignified transfer.

Senior Airman John Cox, an air transportation specialist with the 386th Expeditionary Logistics Readiness Squadron, has been a part of at least one dignified transfer since he deployed to the Middle East in February. Military.com sat down with Cox to learn more about the cargo transfer process after flying on a 12-hour operation in a C-130 Hercules to several locations in Iraq.

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Many times, the ground crews don't even know who was killed, or how they died. But that doesn't take away from the utmost care and respect they give to swiftly get someone back home to the U.S., Cox said.

"It's a very difficult thing to deal with, because it definitely puts you on a realistic level," Cox said, alluding to the fact the U.S. is still active in warzones.

Cox said the operations tempo in the Middle East has cargo crews busy as can be day in and day out. But a dignified transfer becomes a chance to focus on the reality of war, one that may not always be seen from a cockpit, 10,000 feet above the battlefield.

Since Operation Inherent Resolve, the Pentagon's name for the anti-Islamic State fight, began in 2014, there have been 42 U.S. military deaths overseas, according to the Defense Department's casualty analysis database. That number includes not only military combat deaths, but also deadly non-combat incidents ranging from training accidents in theater to untimely deaths.

The 386th has only seen a "limited" part of the dignified transfer mission -- and often, the transportation specialists don't know where the remains will travel next.

"It's a process, though," Cox said.

When remains arrive, whatever seems to be going on that day or night quickly turns to a somber moment. Cox said the usual hustle and bustle of the flightline gets quiet.

Time stands still.

"Sometimes we -- I can speak from experience from being in the Air Force, I don't see [it like] a soldier in the Army or a grunt in the Marines would see -- but it definitely brings it home when you take someone off [or put someone on] an aircraft."

He continued, "We'll all stand at attention, salute, and we'll have a few bearers that carry the coffin off of an aircraft ...with a flag draped over the top."

"It's definitely a humbling experience. It brings it all in for you."

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
South Korean President Moon Jae-in brought with him to the U.S. last week his mother's vivid memory of her rescue by the Americans in what is often called "The Forgotten War" on the peninsula.

Moon's mother, Kang Han-ok, was one of 14,000 refugees fleeing the horrific battle at the Chosin Reservoir in what is now North Korea who had crammed aboard the SS Meredith Victory, the "Ship of Miracles."

"According to my mother, who is now 90 years old, on the 24th of December (1950), halfway through the voyage, American soldiers handed out a candy droplet to each refugee on board as Christmas presents. I believe this story has not yet been told," Moon said.

"Although it was but one droplet, I will always be grateful to the U.S. service members with such caring hearts for giving Christmas presents to so many refugees in the middle of a devastating war," Moon said through a translator in a moving ceremony last Wednesday at the National Museum of the Marine Corps in Quantico, Va.

To several survivors of the battle, and at least one surviving crew member of the Meredith Victory at the ceremony, Moon gave thanks for the "SS Meredith Victory's voyage toward freedom and human rights."

"Honorable veterans, the Republic of Korea remembers. Our memories of gratitude and respect will continue forever," Moon said. "This is why I do not doubt the future of our alliance."

Moon spoke before the monument to the Chosin Reservoir campaign, called Jangin in Korean, of Nov. 27-Dec. 10, 1950, in which the 1st Marine Division and elements of the Army's 7th Division fought off the encirclement of an estimated 120,000 Chinese in sub-zero temperatures.

In his remarks, Gen. Robert Neller, the Marine Commandant, spoke directly to Moon, noting that the battle "bears special significance to you. Your family shares a personal bond with our Marine Corps. Thank you, for honoring that legacy today."

"The iconic story of the Jangin Reservoir is the ultimate story of overcoming insurmountable odds," Neller said. "Yet, despite these odds, the Marines fought their way out over 78 miles of harsh terrain to the port of Hungnam, where they held off the Chinese while more than 100,000 troops and an estimated 100,000 refugees were evacuated by 193 Navy and Merchant Marine ships.

A major part of the operation, Neller said, was "the largest evacuation of refugees ever by a single ship -- 14,000 on the SS Meredith Victory."

According to the Korea War Memorial Foundation, Capt. Leonard LaRue of the Meredith Victory ordered weapons and cargo dumped overboard to make room for the refugees, who were crammed standing-room-only on the deck and in five cargo holds.

Not one refugee was lost, and the population actually increased by five during the three-day voyage to Koji Island near the port of Pusan. All five babies were delivered by First Mate D.S. Savastio, who had nothing more than basic first aid training.

At the ceremony, Moon singled out for praise Robert Lunney, who was a 22-year-old staff officer aboard the Meredith Victory and was present with other veterans of the conflict at the monument.

In a 2003 interview with Stars & Stripes, Lunney said that several Army colonels had boarded the Meredith Victory to ask LaRue if he would take on refugees. "LaRue said he'd take as many as he could."

"As far as we could see, there was a mass of humanity on the beach," Lunney said. "The poor people were being threatened with annihilation. Many of them were being wiped out in the village because they were accused of cooperation with the UN forces, especially the Americans. They were fleeing for their lives."

LaRue said years after the war that "I think often of that voyage. I think of how such a small vessel was able to hold so many persons and surmount endless perils without harm to a soul" as the ship passed unharmed through enemy minefields.

"And, as I think, the clear, unmistakable message comes to me that on that Christmastide, in the bleak and bitter waters off the shores of Korea, God's own hand was at the helm of my ship," LaRue said.

Two years after the Meredith Victory brought his mother to safety, Moon was born. "Had it not been for the warriors of Jangin Reservoir, I would not be here today," he said. "How could I ever put into words, therefore, the gratitude I have for your sacrifice and devotion."

Moon said Lunney had told him that "he would like to see a re-unified peninsula before passing away. This is my dream, as well."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
Marzouk Al-Ahmady in Gamaliya district has been closed to worshippers because of the collapse

The Marzouk Al-Ahmady Mosque in the Al-Gamaliya district of medieval Cairo has been reinforced by the antiquities ministry after the collapse of part of the roof.

Mohamed Abdel-Latif, the deputy minister of antiquities, told Ahram Online that the partial collapse was due to the impact of erosion elements and heavy rain over a period of time.

An archaeological committee led by El-Saeed Helmy, the head of the Islamic and Coptic Antiquities Section at the ministry, has inspected the mosque and closed it to worshippers due to safety concerns.

Helmy said that there were plans to restore the mosque, which dates to the Ottoman era, but it has not yet been implemented due to lack of funds.

According to Article 30 in the antiquities law, he pointed out, the Ministry of Religious Endowments is required to fund the restoration.

The mosque contains the mausoleum of a clergyman from Yemen. It also boasts a distinguished minaret that combines Ottoman and Egyptian architectural styles.

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SUPERIOR TOWNSHIP, MI - The businesswoman behind Ann Arbor restaurants Sava's and Aventura is planning her next business in a well-known restaurant spot in Superior Township.

The building formerly known as The Lord Fox and Roger Monk's has been purchased by Sava Farah's umbrella company, SavCo Hospitality, with plans to transform the rundown space into a Hamptons, Napa and beach-inspired farm restaurant.

"We're excited to get our hands in here and give this place some love," said Farah, standing in the main dining room during a tour of the property Friday, June 20. "I want something to sink my teeth into."

Farah remembers eating at Roger Monk's Tavern last summer before the birth of her son and being told the air conditioning had been broken for two weeks. She told her husband it would be closing soon; the restaurant closed its doors at the end of July just after she gave birth.

Bright green grass now laces the bricked sidewalk approaching the 5,300-square-foot main building at 5400 Plymouth Road, vacant for more than a year since it was purchased by Adam Finch and Mike Rautiola of RFC Financial Planners.

The company bought the 6-acre property for $420,000 from EKLF, LLC, according to township records. The taxable and assessed value is $213,000.

The initial plan was to renovate the buildings, with office occupying some of the space and the rest leased to a small restaurant or tavern-style business, but it was soon apparent the space was meant to continue as a restaurant, Finch told The Ann Arbor News.

"At the end of the day, we thought it was best for everyone," Finch said. "A restaurant works best for the community."

The purchase agreement with Farah includes the property, buildings and the liquor license. Additional financial details were not released.

RFC Financial Planners is in the process of closing on a property just up the road from the restaurant, which Finch said he anticipates opening by the end of the year. He expects he and his employees will visit Sava's new venture every once in awhile for lunch.

Farah agreed with Finch's statement that the property was meant for a restaurant, and said she looks forward to continuing that trend with a new vision.

From talking with township officials and her own experience living in the area, Farah knew it was important to have a full-service restaurant in the area and a place for community residents to gather.

"My gut was telling me this was the right thing for us and for them," Farah said about RFC Financial Planners.

The paint is peeling on the exterior and the interior is lined with dust and dated wallpaper, but Farah said she is excited to get in and make her mark on the property. The original barn structure dates to the 1880s and multiple additions have been put on over the decades.

Renovation plans include the removal of a wooden spiral staircase at the front entrance to create vaulted ceilings, replacement and enlargement of outdoor deck areas and an entire demolition and rebuild of the kitchen area.

At least 1,500 square feet would be added in the process, and Farah said she and her team are focusing on sustainable and environmentally-friendly practices throughout the renovation.

"We're looking at peeling it apart and getting to the bones," Farah said. "Anything that's in quality shape that can last will stay but the idea is to make it a restaurant for another 80 years."

She plans to eventually create outdoor spaces for families to gather and share picnics near Fleming Creek and to host events like weddings and celebrations with help from her catering business.

She is also in communications with the Huron River Watershed Council about Fleming Creek that borders her property and the possibility of a trail or walkways to connect to other nature preserves and parks in the area.

The outdoor dining area, which Farah said will be all-season with floor-to-ceiling glass windows, can seat up to 100 people and an additional 80 people in the main dining room area.

Thinking about the menu, the new restaurant will include favorites from other restaurants Farah owns along with stone oven-baked pizza. She wants to offer carryout service, along with a family-friendly menu to go along with the welcoming atmosphere she envisions for the space.

"We need food, we need pizza and ice cream and a breakfast joint," Farah said.

It's the same atmosphere that defines SavCo Hospitality, the umbrella company she operates that includes the Sava's and Aventura restaurants and Tavolina Catering & Events.

With the purchase of the new restaurant space, Farah had to make a decision on whether to continue with the babo retail brand which recently expanded to a shared space in Ypsilanti's Depot Town and has operated in the Nickels Arcade for years.

Her restaurants are starting to dominate the brand, and Farah said she has realized the retail opportunity offered by babo is no longer a good fit.

"Our journey is really focused on restaurants and hospitality," Farah said. "We kept tripping on the retail."

The babo location on Washington has since been leased to her brother, Fred Lelcaj, whose South University business was closed due to ongoing construction in the area.

The other locations, on Boardwalk and in the Nickels Arcade, are now fading from the brand. The shared space in Ypsilanti will maintain some babo products, Farah said, but not as much as before.

"We just made a decision it wasn't going to drive us and didn't make any sense for the brand," Farah said.

Farah is aiming at a spring 2018 opening for the new restaurant. There's a lot of work to do, but it's the kind of work she relishes, pointing out one of her first restaurant, Aventura, was purchased in July and open by that November.

For now, her main focus is on the latest restaurant to be added to the SavCo Hospitality and the atmosphere she is looking to achieve in the community of Dixboro.

"The feeling I want to achieve here is a relaxed, Napa feeling," Farah said. "I see what I think it can be and the finished product."
Tom McCollum's return to the Detroit Red Wings organization after a one-year absence adds insurance and some intrigue to what the goalie situation will be next season.

McCollum, traded Saturday from Calgary for a conditional seventh-round pick in 2018, is expected back in Grand Rapids where he played seven seasons and became the Griffins' all-time goalie leader in games played (226), saves (5,653) minutes (12,737) and second in wins (103).

The trade was not a complete surprise to McCollum, who played well in a late-season opportunity with the Charlotte Checkers.

"I knew from talking to some players and from a few people in management I know that there was some interest," he said Sunday. "But I was still surprised. At the same time, I think it bodes well for myself that they wanted to bring me back."

McCollum said he plans to compete with Jared Coreau, just as the two did in 2015-16. Eddie Pasquale, who backed up Coreau last season, signed over the weekend with the Edmonton Oilers' organization.

McCollum's return also provides insurance within the organization. Coreau has been discussed as backup-ready to Jimmy Howard with the Red Wings, a scenario only possible if the team moves Petr Mrazek, who was left exposed in the expansion draft after a disappointing season.

The 6-foot-6, 220-pound Coreau showed glimpses last season in 14 games with the Red Wings last season, and he helped the Griffins win the Calder Cup Trophy.

After McCollum was left unsigned after 2015-16, he bounced from the organizations of the Los Angeles Kings and Calgary Flames and played mostly in the ECHL. But the Stockton Heat, the Flames' AHL affiliate, loaned McCollum to the Charlotte Checkers in early March and his season took off. He appeared in 17 games in the regular season with a 2.10 goal against average and .926 save percentage and then started five playoff games, including against the Griffins with a 2.87 GAA and .910 save pct.

In his last season with the Griffins in 2015-16, McCollum played in 30 games with a 2.42 GAA and .923 save pct.

"I'm definitely excited,' McCollum said. "The good thing for me is I know the entire franchise and still have a lot of good friends and great relationships throughout the organization and so I'm definitely looking forward to it."
YORK TOWNSHIP, MI - A crash involving a jackknifed semi-truck closed a portion of southbound U.S. 23 on the evening of Sunday, July 2.

The incident was reported about 6 p.m. blocking the southbound U.S. 23 exit ramp to Willis Road, exit 31, according to the Michigan Department of Transportation.

Further information on the crash was not immediately available.
BAY CITY, MI -- Bay City Commissioner Andrew Niedzinski, 3rd Ward, is a finalist for a village manager job in the Thumb.

Niedzinski, 31, who was elected to the City Commission in 2013 and is running for re-election this fall, is one of five finalists for the Cass City village manager job, he confirmed.

Niedzinski joins former Cass City Village Council member Nancy Barrios, Ted Andrzejewski, Mike Greene and Deboria Powell as a finalist, according to the Huron Daily Tribune. Powell was the executive assistant to former Bay City Manager Robert Belleman.

The Cass City Village Council is hiring a manager to replace Peter Cristiano, who resigned in January after 12 years on the job. Lou LaPonsie has served as interim manager for the 2,300-person community since February.

The position was advertised with a salary between $65,000 and $75,000, LaPonsie said. Interviews are scheduled for Saturday, July 15.

Niedzinski, who works as a safety director for Michigan HRDI, is currently finishing up a master's degree in public administration from Central Michigan University. He's expected to graduate in August.

"I would like to use everything I've learned on the City Commission and transition that into a leadership position in a smaller community," Niedzinski said.

Niedzinski said he hasn't "thought that far ahead" when asked if he would keep his commission seat if he is ultimately hired in Cass City.

"I'd like to fulfill my commitment to the Bay City community," he said.

He goes up against former Bay City Commissioner Dennis Banaszak in the November election.
MONITOR TWP, MI -- Two crows found in Bay County's Monitor Township have tested positive for West Nile Virus (WNV) following routine disease surveillance from the Bay County Mosquito Control, officials said Monday, July 3.

In response, extensive control efforts have taken place in the area to reduce adult and larval mosquito populations, officials said. Mosquito Control staff will continue to monitor West Nile until Oct. 1 by testing mosquito samples and dead crows or blue jays.

"Since 2002, when WNV was at its peak, positive birds and mosquitoes have been detected nearly every year in Bay County," said Rebecca Brandt, Bay County Mosquito Control manager.

Residents should call Mosquito Control at (989) 894-4555 to report dead crows or blue jays, officials said. The birds should be dead less than 24 hours and in good condition (no rotting odor or presence of maggots).

Officials said if one finds a dead bird, they are advised to not handle the bird with bare hands. They should always wear gloves or scoop the bird with a plastic shopping back. Homeowners may dispose of other dead bird species either in an outside garbage can or by burying the bird, officials said.

Bay County Mosquito Control officials said to further lessen the risk of acquiring WNV, follow these recommendations:

Eliminate sources of standing water on property (i.e., wading pools, old tires, buckets, containers) by dumping water where possible to prevent mosquito eggs from hatching or larvae from developing into biting adults.

Avoid being outdoors when mosquitoes are most active, especially between dusk and dawn.

When possible, wear long-sleeved shirts, long pants, and socks when outdoors and apply insect repellent according to label instructions. Consult a physician or visit the

Make sure doors and windows have tight-fitting screens.

Officials said Bay County residents should not panic about this information.

WNV is transmitted through the bite of a mosquito that has picked up the virus by feeding on an infected bird, officials said. The virus is well-established throughout the state and country.

Michigan has reported no human cases for the 2017 season, officials said. Only two people in 10 who are bitten by an infected mosquito will experience any illness, which is usually mild and includes fever, headache, and body aches. Officials said about one in 150 people suffer serious illness, such as encephalitis and meningitis.

Reducing the number of mosquitoes around your home and taking personal precautions to avoid mosquito bites are the best way to prevent WNV or any other mosquito-carried illness, officials said.

For more information on WNV, visit the following:
FENTON, MI - The Flint Bishop Airport police officer who was stabbed in the neck while on duty last month will be honored in the Freedom Festival Parade through Fenton on Tuesday, July 4.

Lt. Jeff Neville will ride alongside Herman Ferguson, who will be pulling a float in the parade to bring awareness for Ferguson's "Concern Over Police Safety" organization. Ferguson started the organization two years ago after Michigan State Trooper Chad Wolf was killed in 2015.

When Neville was stabbed last month while working at Bishop Airport, he was wearing one of Ferguson's "Concern Over Police Safety" wristbands. Ferguson said Neville's eyes were locked on the bracelet during the attack.

"A week ago I went up to Hurley Hospital and took (Neville) a T-shirt and more wristbands," Ferguson. "He was happy and he felt really honored that he did that when it was the other way around. He's one of the most positive upbeat people that I've ever met in my life."

The parade begins at 10 a.m. in Fenton and starts at Industrial Way Drive, heads east on Shiawassee Avenue to North Leroy Street, then travels north on North Leroy Street to Caroline Street and goes west on Caroline Street to West Street.

Neville was released from Hurley Medical Center on June 26.

The FBI has said Amor M. Ftouhi, 49, of Quebec, Canada, walked up to Neville while he was on duty at Bishop on June 21, stabbing him in the neck with a knife while referencing killings in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan.

The FBI has said Ftouhi yelled "Allahu Akbar," which translates to "Allah is the greatest," during the attack.

Ftouhi faces a charge of committing an act of violence at an international airport.

Investigators have not said what brought Ftouhi to Flint.

He is scheduled to appear again in Flint U.S. District Court on Wednesday, July 5 at 1:30 p.m.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - The Kent County Health Department is urging parents and guardians to make sure their summer plans include making an appointment to get their children immunized so they can return to school.

Michigan law bars students who do not have an up-to-date immunization history or a valid waiver from attending classes. It's a restriction aimed at preventing the outbreak of disease and saving lives.

Some Kent County public school parents have a shorter window to arrange for vaccines. Fifteen of the 20 school districts in the Kent Intermediate School District are starting the new school year in August instead of after Labor Day.

"Parents need to make an appointment now to get in to get the vaccines their children need for school and the ones recommended for their age to be protected," said Mary Wisinski, the immunization program supervisor for Kent County.

"My goal is to protect all the kids, so we have to keep our herd immunity high.''

When a high percentage of a community is immunized against a contagious disease, it is more difficult for infectious diseases to spread, she said.

Each student in public, private and parochial schools must possess a certificate of immunization for entry into kindergarten, seventh grade, or into a new school district, according to the law. Childcare status is also tracked.

Michigan children must show proof of immunization for measles, pertussis, polio, mumps, rubella, hepatitis B, chicken pox, diphtheria and tetanus.

Parents can waive getting the vaccine for medical, religious and philosophical reasons. Michigan typically has one of the highest vaccine-waiver rates in the country.

For example, Michigan's childhood immunization rate is among the nation's worst -- ranking 43rd lowest in the United States for children ages 19 to 35 months, according to the state citing a 2015 National Immunization Survey.

A new rule from the Michigan Department of Health and Human Services (MDHHS) took effect in 2015 requiring parents seeking a waiver to first meet with a county health professional. A form is signed, which includes a statement of acknowledgement they could be putting children at risk by refusing the shots.

In March, a new statewide public health education campaign, "I Vaccinate," launched. The campaign includes TV, radio, print, outdoor and digital ads, and a new website.

Representatives from the MDHHS, Michigan Health and Hospital Association, and the director of the National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, were among those present at the launch to discuss giving parents needed information to protect their children.

Wisinski said Kent County has usually been among the counties with the lowest number of waivers, ranging from 2 to 3 percent over the years.

"Any increase in waivers is significant, if it is your child that gets a vaccine preventable disease and has to go into the hospital,'' she said. "I Vaccinate is parents talking to parents and is a credible resource to answer questions honestly."

Wisinski said 824 waivers granted out of more than 32,000 students, for the 2016-17 school year, is up 148 from the 2015-16 school year. She said 229 childcare waivers were issued out of approximately 14,000 students, up 15 from last year.

The vast majority of the school waivers were for philosophical reasons - 577 of the 824.

Michigan is one of 20 states that allows parents to obtain a waiver for reasons beyond religious or medical concerns.

Wisinksi said the primary concerns raised by families seeking waivers include vaccine ingredients, vaccine safety and vaccine schedule.

She said the purpose of the waiver meetings are for health care professionals to provide information and answer questions, not to make a convincing argument.

State officials say the mandatory waiver meetings have had an impact. Waiving vaccines dropped by more than a third under the state rule change in fall 2015. There were nearly 8,000 fewer vaccination waivers that year, down 39 percent from the number granted in 2014.

Legislation introduced in the House and Senate in April would end the additional requirements for parents seeking a waiver.

The Kent County Health Department only handles waivers for religious and philosophical reasons. Medical waivers are provided through family physicians.

Data from the Michigan Care Improvement Registry show that only 54 percent of children ages 19 to 35 months and 29 percent of teens 13 to 18 years old are up-to-date on all recommended immunizations.

July and August are busy months for appointments, so officials encourage parents call 616-632-7200 now to schedule an immunization or waiver.

The health department has four clinic locations:

700 Fuller Ave. NE in Grand Rapids

121 Franklin St. SE, Suite 130, in Grand Rapids

4700 Kalamazoo Ave. SE in Kentwood

4388 14 Mile Rd. NE in Rockford.

School district start dates:

Seven Kent ISD districts are starting Aug. 21:

Grandville, Godfrey Lee, Godwin Heights, Kent City, Comstock Park, and Thornapple Kellogg.

Lowell, Wyoming and Kentwood resume classes on Aug. 22.

Six districts are resuming school Aug. 28:

Grand Rapids, Forest Hills, Rockford, Caledonia, Kenowa Hills and Northview.

Five schools are opening after Labor Day, Sept. 4:

Cedar Springs, East Grand Rapids, Kelloggsville, Sparta and Byron Center.
COMSTOCK PARK, MI -- Last year, Judy Corner and Ashley Winner were working at healthcare facilities.

Now, the mother-and-daughter team are behind a new Polish-American restaurant, Balinski's, at 4255 Alpine Ave., in Comstock Park, that is quickly gaining a following.

The restaurant is named after Marilyn Balinski, the women who taught the women much of what they know about Polish cooking.

"If she was alive, she would be thrilled," said Corner of her mother.

Balinksi's dreamed of owning her own restaurant. Many of the traditional recipes are based on recipes handed down in the family.

Winner, a talented baker, inherited her grandmother's culinary talents.

"My passion has always been with cooking and baking. I loved working in the medical field helping others, but something was always missing," Winner said. "I started to pick up baking skills from my grandma Balinski and soon after that, cooking. After she passed on Christmas day 6 years ago, we wanted to open this restaurant in her honor."

Corner credits her daughter for coming up with a menu of traditional favorites like golomki (stuffed cabbage rolls) and perogies (filled dumplings) along with a few fusion entrees like Polish pizza, made with Kielbasa, wild mushrooms and sauerkraut.

Everything is cooked up from scratch and all the kielbasa comes from Lewandoski's Market.

"We make our pierogi, paczki (pastries), angel wings and Polish apple pies daily," Corner said.

The restaurant has sold close to 2,000 perogies in three weeks. They come with a choice of four fillings: cheese and potato, seasoned ground pork,onion and cheese, sauerkraut and mushroom, and Philly cheese-steak.

The most unusual order was for three gallons of Bigos, a hunter's stew.

The kudos are stacking up on the Balinski's Facebook page.

One customer wrote: "Absolutely delicious, authentic polish food right down to the dessert. It brought me back to the days of my Mimi putting together pierogies and angel wings. The service was outstanding. .. we will definitely be repeat customers!"

The restaurant has been asked to make food for the Polish Festival on Aug. 25-27 in Rosa Parks Circle in downtown Grand Rapids.

Corner, 57, describes herself as more of the dishwasher and utility person in the operation. She wanted to help her daughter launch the business before she retires in a few years.

She left her position as a housekeeper in American House in Jenison, and Winner quit her job as a medical assistant at Pilgrim Manor in Grand Rapids.

The 45-seat eatery in a strip mall near Walmart is so busy that reservations are now accepted. Balinski's opened Father's Day weekend with a full house, according to Corner.

The duo hope to eventually move to a bigger location with a bar and closer to Grand Rapids West Side, a neighborhood known for its concentration of Polish Americans.

The Comstock Park storefront, between Empire Buffet and Pro Fireworks, was an affordable starting point for the women. They signed a three year lease.

"We wanted to keep it as close to the West Side as we can get," Corner said.

Balinski's is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Sunday.
MONTMORENCY COUNTY, MI - A 7-year-old boy died of his injuries after a weekend house fire in Northern Michigan.

The fire broke out early Saturday in a Hillman Township home along M-32.

A 45-year-old woman was in the home, babysitting the boy and a 4-year-old girl, when she awoke to smoke about 3:15 a.m., according to UpNorthLive.

The 7-year-old boy, identified only as Daniel, died later at an area hospital, according to the Montmorency County Sheriff's Department, the news site reported.

The woman and the young girl were not injured. The children's parents were not home at the time, police said.

The cause of the fire has not been determined.
A provision in the state budget to penalize schools that sue the state is a "punitive action" aimed to discourage districts from using the legal system to address potentially unconstitutional laws, opponents say.

Under the provision, districts using state dollars to finance a lawsuit against the state would see their state funding reduced by the same amount they're spending on the lawsuit. The budget has been approved by the state Legislature and is awaiting the signature of Gov. Rick Snyder.

At this point, it's unclear how the provision would be enforced or who would enforce it, but at least three school districts are currently suing the state: Saginaw Public School District, Kalamazoo Public Schools and Detroit Public Schools Community District.

Rudy Patterson, president of the Saginaw board of education, said he wasn't surprised to see the punishment included, because when "you mix litigation and politics, anything can happen."

Still, he said he's disappointed with the provision, because in his view the "money belongs to the schools from the point it's given to us."

"Whether it's state funds or whatever, all the money is from taxpaying citizens," he said. "Their voices should be heard."

Saginaw, Kalamazoo and Detroit sued the state School Reform Office earlier over efforts to close 38 low-performing schools, some of which were in their districts. The closures were eventually abandoned.

Kalamazoo is also a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the state over the inclusion of $2.5 million in the 2017 budget to reimburse private schools for complying with state health and safety mandates. The groups claim the funding doesn't pass legal muster because Michigan's constitution prohibits the state from using public dollars to fund private schools.

The penalty against districts suing the state was added to the budget by the House subcommittee on School Aid and Education. The committee's chair, Rep. Tim Kelly, R-Saginaw Township, said the provision was added after Detroit, Kalamazoo and Saginaw decided to sue the state over the prospect of school closures.

"I don't think it's right to have the money taken out of the classroom to sue the state to get out of the accountability system," he said.

Kelly said the provision does not prohibit school districts from suing the state. It simply says they cannot use state money to do so, and must finance their lawsuits through fundraising or local dollars.

As of now, Kelly said he's unsure how the provision would be enforced or who would be tasked with enforcing it. Those details would be worked out later assuming Snyder signs the budget, he said.

Jennifer Smith, director of government relations at the Michigan Association of School Boards, said the provision penalizes students for decisions they didn't make.

She also raised concerns over the legality of the provision, and said it could be difficult to determine the source of the funds districts are using to finance their lawsuits.

"It would be difficult to discern once the money has been appropriated," she said.

Kalamazoo Public Schools spokesman Alex Lee declined to comment when asked about how the provision would impact the district. Nor did he respond when asked how much money Kalamazoo had spent on its two lawsuits. Kalamazoo board president Patti Sholler-Barber also declined to comment.

Patterson, Saginaw's board president, said he did not immediately know how much funding his district had spent on the lawsuits. District spokesperson Cynthia Brackett declined to comment.

Rep. Jon Hoadley, D-Kalamazoo, said the lawsuit penalty is "absurd" and meant to discourage school districts from using the legal system to address state laws that "may be in violation of the state constitution."

"They want to be able to potentially pass unconstitutional legislation and then remove the resources from school districts to sue," he said, adding that the penalty would fall hardest on districts that lack other funding sources to finance legal bills.

"If you don't' have the resources to access justice, that's justice denied."

But Kelly said school districts involved in lawsuits are the ones hurting students, because they talk about how "we are underfunding schools on a daily basis and yet they're willing to take money out of the classroom to sue the state."

"Where does it stop," he asked.

Because the provision is part of the budget's "boilerplate" language and is not a funded line item, it cannot be vetoed on its own, Smith said.

When asked if Snyder had a comment on the provision, his spokesperson, Anna Heaton, said: "He will review that provision along with the entire budget, once we receive it from the Legislature."

Kristi Bowman, vice dean for academic affairs and an education law scholar at Michigan State University College of Law, said her first reaction to the provision was that it is "unusual and perhaps even a bit bizarre."

"At the same time, I think it's fairly limited," she said. "Not many school districts sue the state and there are incentives on why you would not do that - why bite the hand that feeds you?"

She added that the provision could be difficult to enforce because money is fungible. Could districts, she asked, avoid the penalty by simply using local dollars to pay for their legal expenses and shift state dollars into areas previously covered by the local funds?

"The money is all green and it all goes into the same pot," she said.
HANOVER TWP., MI - A Jackson County sheriff's deputy shot and injured a dog described as a pit bull mix on Saturday in the village of Horton.

The deputy fired when one of two dogs, loose on Moscow Road, charged at him, Undersheriff Chris Kuhl said.

Police had been called about 12:45 p.m. July 1 to the 7700 block of Moscow Road because the dogs were running free in the small unincorporated community in Hanover Township.

The animal's condition was not clear. Kuhl said the dogs were returned to their owner, who lives in the area, and he took the injured animal to see a veterinarian.

Kuhl said deputies are allowed to defend themselves against aggressive animals.

The owner was cited for having dogs at large, Kuhl said.
JACKSON, MI - A bystander to a traffic crash shot at least one tire of a vehicle that was leaving the scene of the accident around 10 a.m. Monday, July 3, Jackson police said.

Police said a white van was traveling south on business I-127, or North West Avenue, when it disregarded a traffic sign and stuck a black car near the intersection of Boardman Road, police said.

The van continued south for two blocks then left the roadway near the Flagstar Bank at Sparks Street and struck a small tree.

A bystander fired at least one shot and hit a tire on the van. The bystander holds a valid concealed pistol license, police said.

The driver of the van was suffering a medical emergency prior to the crash and was transported by ambulance to Henry Ford Allegiance Health for the emergency, police said.

No one else involved in the crash was transported to a hospital.

The prosecutor's office will determine if charges will be brought against the bystander who fired the gun, police said.

Shooting at vehicles is not recommended, police said.
NORTON SHORES, MI -- Mona Shores Public Schools has been nationally recognized for its music education program.

The school district was designated one of the Best Communities for Music Education from the National Association of Music Merchants Foundation for its commitment to and support of music education.

Mona Shores Public Schools is one of 4 percent of districts across the United States to receive the designation in 2017, according to a news release.

The designation is granted to school districts that demonstrate achievement in their efforts to provide music education and access to all students.

To qualify, Mona Shores school officials answered questions about community music-making programs, funding, facilities, graduation requirements, music class participation, instruction time and support for the music program.

Responses were verified with other school officials and reviewed by The Music Research Institute at the University of Kansas.

Superintendent Greg Helmer said in a statement the performing arts is what separates Mona Shores from many other school districts.

"Our long lasting tradition, outstanding music directors, supportive community and talented students are appreciated and valued in West Michigan, and recognized across the country," Helmer said.

Becoming designated also recognizes Mona Shores as a leader in music learning opportunities, as outlined in the new federal education legislation, the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA).

The legislation, which was signed by former President Barack Obama in December 2015 and is awaiting state implementation, designates music and the arts as elements of a well-rounded education.

"I am proud of this particular award because music education is not only embraced at Mona Shores, it's embedded into our culture," Helmer said.

The NAMM Foundation is a nonprofit that seeks to advance participation in music making by supporting scientific research, philanthropic giving and public service programs.
MUSKEGON, MI - Muskegon has been chosen to be a part of the Standup for the Cure paddle-board event for the third consecutive year.

The event is scheduled for 8 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday, July 8 at Harbour Towne Beach. Registration for the event is set for 8-9:45 a.m.

Ginger Zee, a Rockford native and meteorologist for "Good Morning America" and "ABC World News Tonight," is expected to attend the event, according to organizers.

The paddle-board fundraiser will raise money for breast cancer awareness, education, diagnostics and research, and was originated Newport Beach, California four years ago. The event has also expanded to Miami and Atlanta.

Participants will receive paddle board instructions from professional instructors from Hawaii and will have the opportunity to compete in a 5K event as well as relay races.

One of the highlights of the event is the "sea of pink" that is created on Muskegon Lake when many paddle-board participants get out on the water together. The "sea of pink" follows the Hawaiian blessing of breast cancer survivors at 10 a.m.

Hundreds of people from throughout West Michigan attended the second annual event last year. The 2016 event raised $75,000 for Susan G. Komen's breast cancer research and awareness efforts in West Michigan.

Registration for the paddle board event is $35 and includes lunch, a silent auction and free breast cancer screenings from Mercy Health, among other incentives and activities. In 2016, the event raised just north of $75,000 in Muskegon, according to a press release.

Free breast cancer screening and free melanoma screening will be conducted on site.

All registration fees and donations will go directly to Susan G. Komen for the West Michigan service area. Susan G. Komen is one of the largest breast cancer organization in the country and has funded more than half a million dollars for breast cancer services in Muskegon County, according to the release.
A fiery bus crash in Germany left 18 people dead and left more than two dozen people injured on Monday, July 3 on the A9 highway near Muenchberg.

The bus was carrying 48 people in all, which included a majority of passengers between the ages of 66 and 81 years old. The Associated Press reports the bus crashed into the back of a truck that had stopped for a traffic jam on a major Bavarian highway and burst into flames.

A.P. notes that when the fire was put out, only the bus' "charred, twisted frame remained."

"After we got there, nobody else got off the bus," responding firefighter Andreas Hentschel told the DPA news agency, via A.P.

The crash happened around 7 a.m. Monday, when the weather was reportedly clear and visibility conditions were fine. Police told media outlets that one of the two bus drivers on board was among those killed, and that the truck driver was not injured.

"We know that there are a large number of victims and also a large number of injured. Our thoughts are at these hours among the victims of the victims, and we naturally wish all those who were injured a heartfelt recovery," Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a translated statement.

"We thank the rescue team. We know that their work is very important in such terrible situations."

Most of the fatalities were those between 66 and 81 years old, A.P. reports. The bus carrying German seniors had come from Saxony and rear-ended the truck near the Czech border.

A.P. reports that around 200 first responders were at the scene, five helicopters and prosecutors were on the scene.

"All they could do was extinguish the fire," Alexander Dobrindt, the country's transport minister, said, via A.P. "The heat was so intense that it destroyed the entire bus and everything inside except for the steel frame."
The question of who owns the stretch of sand, land or rocky shore immediately adjacent to Lake Michigan is an issue now headed to the Indiana Supreme Court.

An Indiana couple are claiming their lakefront property rights extend to the very edge of the lake, and that no one can walk on the beach near their home without permission, according to The Associated Press.

But the state has said it owns the land up to the lake's ordinary high water mark, and public access is allowed between the water and that mark.

An earlier appeals court ruling was deemed unsatisfactory by both sides, so now the state's Supreme Court is expected to hear arguments on the case later this year. A decision may not come until 2018.

At issue is whether visitors will be able to walk along the shore and use the typically narrow beach area between the water and privately-owned lakefront properties.

In Michigan, this issue was decided in 2005 in favor of beach walkers. The Michigan Supreme Court ruled that the public has a right to walk along the lakeshore, as long as they stay below the lake's high-water mark.
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The Axis Bank's open loop based EMV contactless card launched this month for the Kochi Metro may also be introduced for the Kolkata Metro.

"Dialogue with Kolkata Metro is on for a co-branded open loop based card which can be used for Metro Railway and in all merchant outlets for electronic payment," an Axis Bank official told PTI.

This will be a prepaid card and not a savings bank account linked debit card.

"People with no account in Axis Bank will be able to procure such a card for Metro railway travel and make electronic payment," the official said.

The Kolkata Metro currently offers a closed loop electronic card to commuters to avoid buying tickets daily and these can be loaded at Metro booking counters only.

But the new open loop cards will allow a commuter multiple options to load money.

The Metro Railway is also discussing revenue sharing model with the Axis Bank, Kolkata, Metro Rail Corporation Limited Chairman Vishwesh Chaubey had earlier said.
Microsoft India on Monday signed an agreement with National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) to offer Microsoft Aspire School Program (MASP) Pro Plus to over 55,000 member schools.

MASP aims to equip schools with technology and innovative learning solutions, modernise campuses, and prepare future- ready students, among others.

With this partnership, schools across 23 states can now avail MASP Pro Plus.

NISA brings together budget private schools (BPS) from across the country to give them a unified voice to address their concerns about legislations.
Aadhaar Enabled Payments Systems (AEPS) which is aimed at promoting digital payments in rural India, has risen more than six-fold within the five months of the currency swap, reports Economic Times.

The AEPS was initiated by the government under the umbrella organisation National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) to move the country towards the digital economy. It allows people to make digital payments where smartphone-based payments cannot work using the Aadhaar authentication at Point of Sale (PoS) or micro ATMs.

The AEPS transactions reached more than 6 million in April against less than a million in October, a month before demonetisation was announced, according to NPCI data.

Banks have already deployed around 1.3 lakh micro ATMs in the country, of which more than 1 lakh terminals are interoperable, AP Hota, chief executive officer of National Payments Corporation of India (NPCI) told Economic Times.

The date shows a rise in financial inclusion as the number of transactions increased to 6.1 million in April from about 2 million transaction in December.

An AEPS transaction requires an interoperable micro ATM, which allows customers to use any bank account to transact on any device like ATMs, where cards of any bank can be used on any machine.

Such payments reduces the complexity of transactions that require one time password (OTP) and password.

"Aadhaar-based payments is the right technology for rural India where literacy about security features for digital payments like OTP and password are lacking, Hota added.

According to Economic Times, Hota said that the success of the AEPS programme lies in the ability of the regional rural banks (RRBs) to deploy such solutions for their customers.

We already have 53 RRBs offering interoperable AEPS services out of the total 56, and our target is to make all of them interoperable as soon as possible, Hota told Economic Times.

Apart from allowing digital payments in rural India, micro ATMs facilitates banks to take banking to rural India in a cost-effective manner.

The cost-to-serve through a micro ATM is lower than that of a traditional bank branch. Hence, this network can be quickly ramped up and can enable digital financial inclusion at scale, Rajiv Lall, the founder chief executive officer of IDFC Bank told Economic Times.

However, around 70 percent of these digital transactions are still for only cash withdrawal or deposits and the rest for balance enquiry and fund transfer.

IDFC Bank, which has deployed around 4,139 micro ATMs in the country for AEPS transactions, plans to increase the number to 30,000 terminals and another 75,000 Aadhaar Pay merchants over the next two years, Economic Times reported
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Throughout the course of her pregnancy, Sarita Bansals reporting manager was constantly in touch with her, giving her updates about the new projects and targets being set at the workplace and also apprised her about the new joinees in her team. When she came back though, Bansal had to taste a bitter medicine when new members in her team werent too pleased. Not only were some of them unhappy with reporting to a female boss, some even requested the HR to shift them to a newer team.

Unconscious biases at the workplace are not a unique phenomenon in the Indian workplace. While board policies across India Inc prohibit gender discrimination or making any sexually coloured remarks against women, incidents have cropped up. To deal with this that often leads to women dropping out from senior positions at companies, training across the board to remove biases is being administered.

Shachi Irde, Vice President and Executive Director at Catalyst India WRC said that overall the labour force participation rate for women is falling, from 37 percent in 2004-05 to 28 percent in 2016. Catalyst is a global non-profit organization accelerating progress for women through workplace inclusion.

In 2015-2016, women comprised 26.7 percent of all rural workers while they comprised 16.2 percent of all urban workers. Further, data from Catalyst showed that 13.4 percent of Indian working women have a regular salaried job (2013) compared to 21.2 percent (2011-2012) of working men (aged 1559).

Irde said that while the pace of change in India is slow, several companies are taking efforts to deal with the situation through structured programmes.

For instance, Genpact realised that removing the obstacles driving womens attrition first necessitates a shift in mindset. The companys Building Safe Spaces series is a networking forum for employees to engage with leaders both inside and outside Genpact. The company has held these forums in over 25 sites around the world, reaching thousands women.

It also recently launched an unconscious bias training e-module for managers to help foster a more inclusive environment, and has made this training a mandate for all senior leaders, hiring teams, HR, and front-line managers.

On one hand, while the aim has been to increase the number of women in the workplace, employees have not always been receptive. According to the Randstad Workmonitor survey by human resources firm Randstad, 70 percent of the male respondents from India mentioned they prefer a male as direct manager.

In reality, a vast majority (87 percent) actually have a male manager currently. Among women, only 41 percent of the female respondents prefer a male as direct manager and 50 percent actually have one currently.

Senior human resource heads in organisations cite many instances where such biases tend to creep in. We had a case wherein a male zonal manager was not in favour of a lady being promoted as a branch manager because she was the only woman in the entire branch. We had to do a lot of convincing to get him to agree, said a senior HR head with a mid-sized bank.

Leadership teams across companies also agree that sensitizing the male workforce is also equally important so that they do not feel left out in the system.

Accounting firm EY India has created a web-based learning module to help employees increase awareness of their own unconscious biases as well as the biases of others. It also aims to provide solutions for counteracting biases to improve decision-making around talent; help employees build richer and more meaningful client relationships; and help ensure that talent reviews result in fair and equitable evaluations.

To further ensure that unconscious bias does not play a role in performance appraisal decisions, the firm put up posters that provide tips for counteracting bias at all review meetings. Compared to other firms which focus on women leadership, EY also aims at engaging men.

The EY GDS India Diversity Council comprises members of the Executive committee, both men and women, all of whom lead the firms various Service Lines. The Council drives accountability and demonstrates leadership to help fully capitalize on the talents, strengths, and assets of diversity in order to be an employer of choice and build the highest performing teams.

The manufacturing sector which is generally considered to be a slow mover in the gender diversity space is also taking steps to ensure that employees (male and female) have a high rate of retention.

At Tata Motors, market research has shown that 70 percent to 80 percent of passenger vehicle purchasing decisions are made by women. In order to take advantage of this diverse groups choices, Tata management made a choice to include women employees in the value chain of product development, operations, sales, and services.

The Annual Gallup surveys help track engagement of women employees and create annual action plans with special emphasis on increasing womens engagement. Examples include role clarity, goal setting and performance management, and individual development activities.

Even at the board level, there is a dearth of women who are ready for the roles. Irde said that companies are not able to find many board ready women.

CEOs are not stepping up and nominating women who are board-ready in their team. We maintain a registry to have board-ready women and they should be nominated by CEO. However, we havent seen many CEOs nominating women who are board-ready, she added.

Going forward, having a better system of reintegration is what will help women stay engaged, even when they are on maternity leave. We have seen from research that if they are integrated better, they stay in a company for several years, even if the pay that they draw is lower than that of competitors, she added.
Non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) and mutual funds take the credit cake in the financial system as bad loans continue to haunt banks to remain cautious on lending.

Against asset quality concerns, credit intermediation by public sector banks (PSBs) has retrenched and that by NBFCs and mutual funds has increased significantly. Going forward, growth is expected to pick up further, said the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the Financial Stability Report released on Friday.

However, the central bank also pointed out that, "Retrenchment of credit by public sector banks is partly offset by NBFCs, mutual funds and the capital market but they cannot fully substitute for banks in a bank-based financial system like ours. Hence, steps to restore the health of the banks assume urgency."

While the aggregate balance sheet size of the NBFC sector expanded by 14.5 percent during 2016-17, their net profit was down by 2.9 percent.

As of March 2017, there were over 11,500 non-banking financial companies (NBFCs) registered with the RBI, of which 179 are deposit accepting and 220 systemically important non-deposit accepting NBFCs.

Their loans and advances increased by 16.4 percent and investments increased by 11.9 per cent in March 2017. In terms of borrowings, commercial paper outstanding rose by 70.3 percent and debentures outstanding increased by 28.3 percent as on March 31, 2017, while, bank borrowings declined by 3.7 percent.

Banks credit growth grew at 6.02 percent to in the fortnight ended June 9 this year from a year ago. In the fiscal ended March 31, 2017, banks' credit growth had plunged to a multi-year low of 5.08 percent.

Karthik Srinivasan, Senior Vice-President at ICRA rating agency, said, "With 3/4th of banking system not being able to grow due to constraints, the demand for credit to some extent has to be met with. Therefore, SMEs (small and medium enterprises) and retail would continue to grow through NBFCs as they have enough capital and lower NPAsThere is opportunity for them."

However, this is because insurance and mutual funds are getting strong inflows from the capital markets and hence they can deploy those funds.

"Though unlikely, tomorrow should markets turn bad or flows to insurance sector slow, hypothetically, there could be a slowdown in these NBFCs to raise funds and grow their balance sheets. But since bulk of the fund raising is through good credit and higher rated firms, so they are not below the credit curve," Srinivasan said.

NBFCs were the largest net receivers of funds from the financial system with scheduled commercial banks accounting for 41 percent, followed by asset management companies managing mutual funds (AMC-MFs) at 35 percent and insurance companies at 20 percent. Pension funds accounted for nearly 2 percent of the net borrowings by NBFCs from within the financial system, the RBI data said.

Moreover, gross non-performing assets (NPAs) of the NBFC sector as a percentage of total advances declined from 4.9 percent to 4.4 percent between September 2016 and March 2017. And net NPAs also declined from 2.7 percent to 2.3 percent.

Hence, experts believe that NBFCs will continue to grow given they are well capitalized, there is opportunity and hence will continue to grow in the 18-20 percent range.
Union minister M Venkaiah Naidu today slammed the Congress for boycotting the Parliamentary session for GST roll out and said the opposition party has been isolated as people are "very happy" with the uniform tax structure.

Naidu said though Congress was instrumental in introducing the Goods and Services Tax Bill, it is now opposing it.

"People are supporting Prime Minister Narendra Modi for taking good decisions. People are very happy about the GST. It is unfortunate that Congress, which was instrumental in introducing the Bill, decided to boycott the session for no reason." Naidu told reporters here.

He was here to take part in the valedictory function of 'Textiles India 2017', held at Mahatma Mandir here.

"There was no reason for Congress to boycott the function. Congress was totally isolated, as several allies of past UPA regime, such as Samajwadi Party, were also present. I appeal Congress leaders not to trivialize the issue," Naidu told reporters after his speech at the function.

He also slammed Congress for fielding Meira Kumar as the opposition presidential candidate against NDA's Ram Nath Kovind.

"Presidential election is all about the capacity, conduct and commitment towards the Constitution. However, Congress says they are fighting a battle of ideologies. Which ideology they are referring to? The ideology of imposing emergency on people or failing to alleviate poverty?" he asked.

"Since many non-NDA parties, such as JD(U) and YSR Congress, are with us, we are confident that Kovind will win the election. Congress will only get disappointment," Naidu added.
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Piyush Goyal as the power minister has been in a firefighting mode ever since the time he has taken up the job. After tackling coal supply related issues in thermal power plants, the minister set his eyes on launching UDAY (Ujwal Discom Assurance Yojana) and bringing state governments on board. Making use of low-cost LED as a mission statement, his ministry focussed on reducing power consumption. He can be credited with putting India on the renewable power map, though there is still a lot of work to be done as far as wind power is concerned. Now, he is eyeing the hydel power sector.

Reports say that the Power Ministry has finalized the hydropower policy which has been sent to the Finance Ministry for vetting before cabinet gets to approve it. The policy aims to provide Rs 16,709 crore support to revive 40 stalled hydel power projects which can add 11,639 megawatt (MW) capacity.

The key change in the policy is that the incentives that were accorded to smaller hydro power plants of less than 25 MW will be available to bigger projects. Post clearance of the policy the distinction between large and small hydro plants would disappear.

Presently, smaller hydro power plants are classified as renewable energy which entitles them to various incentives. The bigger plants, which are stuck, will now be entitled to these benefits.

The policy entails that the government provides interest subvention of 4 percent during construction for up to 7 years and for 3 years after the start of commercial operation to all hydro power projects. The policy also asks for the Power Ministry to engage with bankers and financial institutions for modifying lending terms and conditions for hydro power projects.

Reviving stuck projects, which have already been delayed and have cost overruns would result in generation of high-cost power.

However, while the monitory aspect of hydel power has been tackled in the policy, there are operational hurdles that need to be addressed to make the sector vibrant once again.

Recently, big corporate names have walked out of hydel power projects in the state of Himachal Pradesh as there was no infrastructural help given by the state government for construction of these projects as well as evacuation of power.

Such delays result in higher cost of power generation which makes the entire project unviable. Take the case of L&Ts 2 projects on the Chenab basin in Himachal Pradesh. As per the working of the company, its cost of power is working out to Rs 9.90 per unit. The company is naturally not interested in starting the project unless the state government signs a power purchase agreement (PPA). It would be difficult for the state government to sign such a PPA as it is presently buying power at the rate of Rs 2.50-3.

Further, as per the policy, commissioning of hydel power will come at the cost of thermal power. The policy proposes to impose a coal cess which will help capitalise the Hydro Power Fund under the Power Ministry for providing funds to the projects under the policy. The policy also provides for Hydro Purchase Obligation (HPO) for hydro projects of over 25 MW capacity, under which discoms would be required to buy a proportion of power from these plants. Compulsory purchase of hydel power will, however, come at the cost of thermal power which has to bear the brunt.

While thermal power plants are still running at low capacity utilisations, the good part about these hydel power projects is that they would still take between 5-7 years to be complete. By then one hopes that the demand for power shoots up to accommodate the excess capacity, else thermal power will have to take the fall despite subsidising the commissioning.
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Eicher Polaris, which manufactures and markets personal utility vehicle 'Multix', will begin to ship the product to Nepal and Bangladesh this month.

Following the rising demand for Multix since its launch in June 2015, the company is increasing its footprint into the metros and to all states by adding more dealers.

It also launched two BS-IV variants in March this year with higher engine capacity of 650-cc. The first vehicle comes with a 500-cc BS-III engine.

"We have already shipped a few units to Nepal. The commercial sales in the Himalayan nation will begin from this week. We also have orders from Bangladesh. Shipping will start from the second week of this month," Pankaj Duney, the chief executive and managing director of Eicher Polaris, told PTI over phone.

He said they are also tapping the Central American (Guatemala to begin with), African and Sri Lankan markets.

On domestic expansion, Duney said though sales so far have been slower than expected as focus had been on small towns, this year the same is growing at over 20 per cent over last year. But citing company's policy, he refused to quantify the numbers.

Asked about the new model development, he said they are working on two-three new models, but refused to share details and timelines.

On dealership expansion, he said they will almost double the count to 100 this year. The year started off with 55 and has now gone to 77, with the latest dealership coming up at Karad in Maharashtra last week.

"We are present in 16 states now but will cover all the states by the year-end, with almost 100 dealers," he said, adding that going forward the focus will be metros too and the company already entered Delhi and Mumbai this year.

Eicher Polaris is an equal joint venture set up in 2013 between the Delhi-based Eicher Motors and the US-based Polaris Industries Inc, which is a globe leader in all-terrain vehicles. The US firm also runs a separate company in the country, Polaris India, which sells its all-terrain vehicles.

The JV has made Rs 350-crore investment, equally chipped in the partners to manufacture Multix, and a 60,000-unit per annum plant at Kukas near Jaipur.

He said the company is sourcing almost fully locally helping it sell at lower prices. The new Multix variants are priced between Rs 3.19 lakh and Rs 3.49 lakh.

Duney also said that GST will have a neutral impact on the company's business.
India will soon have an Intellectual Property (IP) Exchange akin to that in Hong Kong and the United Kingdom. IP Exchange is where intellectual property rights of individuals and commercial units in India and foreign countries can be bought and sold across a variety of sectors.

The Ministry of Science and Technology will develop the IP Exchange via the National Research Development Corporation (NRDC). The idea came around two months ago and has already received an in-principle approval from the ministry.

Intellectual property is the outcome of ideas and inventiveness into a product that can be bought and sold. Person(s) or entity which come up with innovative products can have the ownership rights on their inventions under the IP rights for a certain period. These rights include copyrights, patents, trademarks, and trade secrets.

The process will take around 8-9 months for collecting data and setting up the exchange. We are already undertaking exercise of collecting necessary data and information on patents filed worldwide on multiple technologies, predominantly on agriculture and allied sectors, the NRDC chairman and managing director H. Purushotham told Mint

In India, IP rights are given by Controller General of Patents, Designs and Trademarks (CGPDTM). In 2015-16, 3,41,086 applications were filed for IP rights as against 2,35,306 in 2011-12 indicating a 30 percent increase.

Purushotham pointed out the "commercial viability of patents" get expired in India due to the lack of avenues to sell. Every year around 2 lakh entities lose out on attaining the benefits of IPR.

It will help to cut down bilateral and arbitrary negotiations between parties, bring transparency and simplify the buy/sell/license process., Vaibhav Vutts, founder of Vutts & Associates, a Delhi-based boutique IP firm, told Mint.

Tracking and verification of patents being bought, sold or licensed are some of the problems that can occur.
Representative image

The Maharashtra cabinet on Monday decided to give an exemption to energy company Ratnagiri Gas and Power Limited (RGPL) from various taxes and transmission charges for the next five years.

The state government's concessions to RGPL come in the backdrop of the Centre deciding to review this project under the Power System Development Fund scheme to save it from becoming a Non-Performing Asset (NPA), an official from the Chief Minister's Office (CMO) said.

RGPL will now be exempted from payment of Value Added Tax (VAT), Central Sales Tax and transmission charges.

The Cabinet also decided to amend the Maharashtra Prohibition Act of 2016 to facilitate setting up of Gram Rakshak Dals.

Accepting social activist Anna Hazare's demand, the state government had decided to set up 'Gram Rakshak Dal' at a village level.

Members of this Dal will help police in curbing the sale of illicit liquor in villages.

The cabinet also granted revised administrative approval to Krishna-Koyna lift irrigation project worth Rs 4,959.91 crore to complete the remaining work.

The state cabinet also decided to strengthen the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme in remaining 15 districts by starting 236 projects.

An amount of Rs 210.96 crore will be spent on this ICDS strengthening scheme, with state's share being Rs 50.52 crore, an official said, adding that it is already implemented in 20 districts.

ICDS is a welfare programme which provides food, pre-school education and primary healthcare to children under 6 years of age and their mothers.

In another decision, the cabinet decided to hand over 44 acres of land at Ambazari in Nagpur to the Maharashtra Tourism Development Corporation (MTDC).

The land is currently in possession of Nagpur Municipal Corporation.

Also, the Cabinet approved handing over Kondhane project in Karjat taluka of Raigad district to Cidco in Navi Mumbai for drinking water facilities to 270 villages.

The cabinet also decided to promulgate an ordinance to amend Shree Sai Baba Sansthan Trust Shirdi Act of 2004 in view of centenary celebrations.

With this amendment, financial powers of the executive officer have been increased and he would now be called Chief Executive Officer.
business CBDT sends names of 12 CAs indulging in tax evasion to ICAI; govt mulling stricter penalties Under Income Tax Act, Section 278, any CA found indulging in tax evasion or helping others evade tax can be prosecuted and can be punished with an imprisonment ranging from six months to seven years.
A man walks past the NSE (National Stock Exchange) building in Mumbai, India, December 27, 2016. Picture taken December 27, 2016. REUTERS/Shailesh Andrade - RTX2WSSY

3:30 pm Market Check: Equity benchmark indices ended the session on an extremely strong note, with the Nifty closing above the crucial 9600-mark.

The Sensex closed 300 points higher at 31221.62, while the Nifty closed 94.1 points higher at 9615.

ITC, Hero MotoCorp and Bharti Infratel were the top gainers on both indices, while NTPC, Kotak Mahindra Bank and Jaypee Infra lost the most.

3:20 pm Nomura on Infratel: Nomura has maintained its neutral rating on Bharti Infratel but raised target price to Rs 396 (up 20 percent from Rs 330 earlier) on higher earnings forecast and derived intermediate growth rate of 7 percent (versus 6 percent previously) and terminal growth rate of 3 percent (against 2.5 percent), and a WACC of 9.7 percent (10 percent). The stock rallied nearly 7 percent intraday.

The research house raised FY18/19 EBITDA forecasts by 7/11 percent and profit after tax forecasts by 1/6 percent. It also expects FY17-20 EBITDA/EPS CAGR at a healthy 9/12 percent.

3:03 pm Market Check: Equity benchmarks remained strong in afternoon trade with the BSE Sensex up 298.36 points at 31,219.97 and the NSE Nifty up 92.35 points at 9,613.25.

2:59 pm Buzzing: RBL Bank share price gained nearly 3 percent intraday ahead of board meet to consider preferential allotment.

The private sector lender's board of directors will meet during the week to discuss preferential allotment, reports CNBC-TV18 quoting unnamed sources.

The bank is likely to raise Rs 1,500-1,700 crore and may dilute nearly 9-10 percent via preferential allotment.

However, RBL refused to comment on preferential allotment plan.

2:40 pm Interview: VST Tillers Tractors declared a good set of June sales numbers. In an interview to CNBC-TV18, KU Subbaiah, CEO said he expects tractor sales to be around 11,000-12,000 units in FY18.

"As on date we have not increased the prices but going forward depending on the demand and how the commodity prices behave, maybe we will take a look and adjust the prices if necessary. As on date, we are not thinking of any price revision," said Subbaiah.

According to him, the company will take one-two years to consolidate the export markets.

2:20 pm Market Check: Equity benchmarks maintained uptrend in afternoon trade, with the Nifty hovering around 9,600 level led by ITC that held its 6 percent gains.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 266.61 points at 31,188.22 and the 50-share NSE Nifty was up 74 points at 9,594.90.

The broader markets also participated in the rally, up 0.9 percent on strong breadth. More than two shares advanced for every share falling on the BSE.

2:00 pm Auto sales: Hero MotoCorp shares rose nearly 2 percent intraday after the world's largest two-wheeler maker reported a 14 percent growth in June sales.

"With sales of 6,24,185 two-wheelers in June 2017, the company registered a growth of 14 percent over the corresponding month of the previous fiscal when it sold 5,49,533 units on strong growth in both motorcycles and scooters," Hero said in its filing.

It sold 5,47,185 units of motorcycles in June, a growth of 13 percent over the corresponding month last year while it sold 77,000 scooters in June, registering a 22 percent growth over the corresponding month in 2016.

Hero MotoCorp announced record sales performance for the first quarter of FY18.

"Registering strong sales, the company sold 18,49,375 units in first three months (April-June 2017) - the highest-ever sales by Hero MotoCorp in any quarter," it said.

1:44 pm Buzzing: DB Realty share price rallied 12 percent intraday after its subsidiary signed an agreement with Sanjay Chhabria Venture for construction of residental project in Mumbai.

"Subsidiary Neelkamal Realtors Tower has entered into a development management agreement with Indo Global Soft Solutions and Technologies for the development of its Orchid Heights Project admeasuring 19,434.10 square meters at Mahalaxmi in Mumbai, Maharashtra," the Mumbai-based real estate developer said in its filing.

Indo Global is a Radius Group Company which is a Sanjay Chhabria Venture.

1:25 pm Market Check: Benchmark indices were trading after posting strong gains in the morning session, while the Nifty continued to hold 9600.

The Sensex was up 274.76 points at 31196.37, while the Nifty was up 83.10 points at 9604.00. The market breadth was healthy as 1729 shares advanced against a decline of 720 shares, while 142 shares were unchanged.

ITC, Maruti Suzuki and Bharti Infratel gained the most on both indices, while NTPC, Kotak Mahindra, and HCL Tech were the top losers.

1:10 pm New listing: GTPL Hathway, which offers cable TV and broadband services, is all set to make a debut on exchanges on July 4. The issue price is fixed at Rs 170 per share.

The listing is likely to be around its issue price, given the tepid response to the public issue and grey market premium of around of Rs 2-4 over the IPO price.

The initial public offering, which was opened for subscription during June 21-23, was oversubscribed 1.53 times as the reserved portion of qualified institutional buyers was oversubscribed only 1.48 times and non institutional investors 2.85 times. The portion set aside for retail investors was subscribed 99 percent.

12:58 pm Order win: JMC Projects (India) won an order worth nearly Rs 700 crore. In addition to that they have a board meeting scheduled today to mull fund raising options.

With this Rs 700 crore, at the June end, we will be close to around Rs 7,000 crore of order book. This is a mix of water pipeline and commercial orders, Manoj Tulsian, Whole-Time Director & CFO of the company told CNBC-TV18.

12:45 pm Oil update: Oil markets edged up on Monday, lifted by the first fall in U.S. drilling activity in months, although price gains were capped by reports of rising OPEC output last month even as the group has pledged to cut supply.

Brent crude futures had climbed 13 cents, or 0.3 percent, to $48.90 per barrel by 0643 GMT, after jumping 5.2 percent last week in their first weekly gain in six weeks.

U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 17 cents, or 0.4 percent, to $46.21 per barrel, adding to last week's 7-percent gain.

Bajaj Auto's domestic two-wheeler sale was under pressure in the month of June, while export sales fared relatively better but there was still a decline of close to 4 percent. Meanwhile, commercial vehicle sales continue to be

weak, in-line with the industry.

The impact of sales in June could have been mainly because of transition to the new tax regime due to which all bikes under 350 CC have seen price reduction in most states and so customers must have postponed their buying for post GST, said S Ravikumar,

President - Business Development in an interview to CNBC-TV18. The price reduction were around 2 percent on an average, because it was different for different states, he added.

12:15 pm Market Check: The market continued to gain strength from the morning session, with the Nifty trading above 9600, while the Sensex continued to gain over 300 points.

The Sensex was up 314.81 points at 31236.42, while the Nifty was up 90.95 points at 9611.85. The market breadth was positive as 1699 shares advanced against a decline of 653 shares, while 135 shares were unchanged.

FMCG stocks gained strength, while midcaps too advanced further. Meanwhile, pharmaceutical stocks were trading flat with a negative bias.

ITC, Maruti Suzuki and Bharti Infratel were the top gainers on both indices, while NTPC, Wipro and HCL Technologies lost the most.

11:45 am Management at banks: Banks Board Bureau (BBB) has recommended to the government names of 15 general managers of various public sector banks for appointment as executive directors.

Sources said the recommendations were made by BBB Chairman Vinod Rai and other members of the bureau.

The list would be sent to the Department of Financial Services to get Appointments Committee of Cabinet (ACC) clearance, sources said. The ACC is headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

11:30 am GST impact: Chartered accountants and tax consultants have bumped up their consultant fees after the increased pressure in compliance, tax returns and maintaining books under the new Goods and Services Tax (GST) regime.

The Institute of Chartered Accountants of India (ICAI) expects an increase of Rs 15,000 crore from consulting fees.

The heat will be felt by the three lakh sales-tax accounting practitioners, that help the small and micro businesses, as well as the 1.5 lakh Chartered Accountants in India.

11:10 am Buzzing Stock: Shares of Hindustan Construction Company (HCC) surged 4.7 percent intraday Monday as its joint venture company has bagged an order worth Rs 798 crore.

The company in the joint venture with URC Construction has been awarded Rs 797.29 crore contract by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation.

The company has 51 percent share in the joint venture which is approximately Rs 406.61 crore of the total contract value.

The said project is to be completed in 36 months.

11:02 am Market Check: The equity benchmark indices extended its gains, which is majorly contributed by ITC, which has rose 9 percent in intraday trade.

The Sensex was up 302.73 points at 31224.34, and the Nifty was up 86.25 points at 9607.15. About 1618 shares have advanced, 525 shares declined, and 112 shares are unchanged.

ITC, M&M, Maruti Suzuki, Tata Steel, HUL, Bharti Infratel, Hindalco and Vedanta were the top gainers on the indices, while top losers include NTPC, Wipro, Bajaj Auto, Sun Pharma, Kotak Mahindra Bank and HCL Tech.

10:45 am Benefits passed on: Hero Motocorp is passing on the benefit of GST to its customers with a reduction in the prices of models across its product portfolio in most of the states w.e.f. July 1, 2017. The quantum of reduction ranges from Rs 400 to Rs 1800 on mass-selling models.

10:30 am Market Check: Equity benchmark indices regained strength and was trading at high points of the day, with the Nifty comfortably placed over 9550.

The Sensex was up 207.08 points at 31128.69, while the Nifty was up 57.15 points at 9578.05. The market breadth was positive as 1553 shares advanced against a decline of 536 shares, while 91 shares were unchanged.

ITC, Maruti Suzuki and Hindalco were the top gainers on both indices, while NTPC, Wipro and HCL Technologies lost the most.

FMCG sector is the top gainer on the Nifty, while metals and auto followed suit. Midcaps continued to gain as well, gain around half a percent.

10: 15 am Expert Speak: On the first trading session post the roll out of GST, benchmark indices were trading strong on the back of leads by index heavyweights such as ITC.

The government, over the weekend, scrapped excise and additional excise on cigarettes. As a result, cigarette manufacturer ITC gained over 9 percent in the opening trade.

Kotak Institutional Equities further said that there was no incremental negative for cigarette taxation. On competitive dynamics against bidis, the incremental position of cigarettes look better, Sanjeev Prasad of Kotak Institutional Equities told CNBC-TV18 in an interview.

Materially, Colgate stands to benefit from the GST rates and will look to pass the benefit to customers, Prasad added. He also expects the competitive position for the company to improve.

9:50 am Buzzing Stock: Ashok Leyland rallied as much as 4.9 percent in morning trade on Monday after the Indian commercial vehicle manufacturer registered sales growth of 11 percent on a year-on-year (YoY) basis to 12,330 units for the month of June 2017.

The company had sold 11,108 units in June 2016 as reported in a BSE filing.

9:32 am Market Update: Equity benchmarks' opening gains reduced by more than 50 percent due to correction in HDFC Group, oil, infra and select technology stocks.

ITC also erased some opening gains but still maintained its top position in the buying list among Sensex stocks, up 6 percent.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 130.52 points at 31,052.13 and the 50-share NSE Nifty rose 30.75 points to 9,551.65.

About 1,067 shares advanced against 438 declining shares on the BSE.

9:25 am Fund flows into India: Sanjeev Prasad of Kotak Institutional Equities said listed fund flows to India continued to be net buyers since the beginning of CY17.

India has received USD 1.8 billion of inflows, driven by USD 943 million of ETF inflows and USD 856 million of non-ETF inflows, he added.

He further said Global Emerging Market (GEM) funds saw USD 988 million of inflows, led by USD 617 million of ETF inflows. India-dedicated funds saw an inflow of USD 614 million, he added.

Allocations to India and China constitute more than one-third of the average Asia ex-Japan fund portfolio. Allocation to India by Asia ex-Japan funds has come down to 13.3 percent in May from 13.6 percent in April.

Fund allocation to India by GEM funds remained around 11 percent. Allocation by Asia ex-Japan non-ETF funds to India came down to 13.9 percent from 14.2 percent in the previous month, Prasad said.

9:15 am Market Check: Equity benchmarks started off the week on a strong note, with the Sensex surging nearly 300 points driven by ITC but immediately erased some gains due to correction in select banks and technology stocks.

The 30-share BSE Sensex was up 157.16 points at 31,078.77 and the 50-share NSE Nifty rose 38.30 points to 9,559.20.

ITC rallied 8 percent after the Central Board of Excise and Customs (CBEC), over the weekend, removed excise and additional excise duty on cigarettes, while the National Calamity Contingent continued to remain.

HUL, ICICI Bank and Infosys were other gainers while Wipro, HDFC, HCL Technologies, TCS and Reliance Industries were under pressure.

Nifty Midcap gained 0.35 percent on positive market breadth as about three shares advanced for every share falling on the NSE.

Emami Infra, Zandu Realty, Godfrey Phillips, Kalpataru Power, JMC Projects, Shiva Cement, Dilip Buildcon, MEP Infra and Jaiprakash Associates were up 1-6 percent while Jet Airways fell over 2 percent followed by InterGlobe Aviation.
Dave McClure, (in-pic above: in center).

Moneycontrol News

Dave McClure, the founder and CEO of world's largest startup accelerator 500Startups stepped down as CEO from his company after reports by women startup founders of inappropriate gestures and remarks. McClure (pic above- in center) has been behind investments in over 1200 global companies till date.

McClures stepping down comes just weeks after Uber CEO Travis Kalanick was asked to step down by his board post a blog by Susan Fowler, a women engineer who claimed that the company had become a hostile workplace.

In India, investors such as Mahesh Murthy and startup founders such as TVF CEO have been exposed on social media by various women who alleged harassment. TVF CEO Arunabh Kumar stepped down last month.

McClure would also be replaced by 500Startups co-founder Christine Tsai, who would lead the incubator and its activities around the world.

Here is a statement by DaveMcClure in a blog titled Im a Creep. Im Sorry :

By now you may have heard that people are calling me a creep.

While Id like to believe that Im not a bad or evil person, regardless its clear that some of my past actions have hurt or offended several women.

And I probably deserve to be called a creep.

So, what did I do?

I made advances towards multiple women in work-related situations, where it was clearly inappropriate. I put people in compromising and inappropriate situations, and I selfishly took advantage of those situations where I should have known better. My behaviour was inexcusable and wrong.

With respect to the NYT article above and Sarah Kunst specifically, Id like to sincerely apologise for making inappropriate advances towards her several years ago over drinks, late one night in a small group, where she mentioned she was interested in a job at 500. While I did not offer her a job at the time, a few days/weeks later I did refer her to my co-founder Christine Tsai to begin a formal interview process with 500, where Christine and others on the team met with her. Ultimately, 500 decided not to offer Sarah a job. Again my apologies to Sarah for my inappropriate behaviour in a setting I thought was social, but in hindsight was clearly not. It was my fault and I take full responsibility. She was correct in calling me out.

For these and other incidents where I have been at fault, I would like to apologise for being a clueless, selfish, unapologetic and defensive ass.

To all those I let down, and especially to those I directly offended and hurt: Im very sorry.

Im ashamed I didnt change my behaviour until I was forced to do so by circumstance and by others. The reality is, I was stopped from further bad actions by those who spoke up about my offences, at substantial risk to their personal and professional reputations and subsequently, by Christine and others on the 500 team. I wont try and thank any of those folks right now or act like I wanted that ass-kicking. But yeah guess I kinda needed that.

When confronted about what happened, I was at first defensive. What did I do wrong? We were just hanging out! Why are people so upset? I tried to present my crappy behaviour in the best possible light. I didnt have much empathy for the people I hurt and offended, and rather than face up to my own shallow motivations, I rationalised my actions and came up with reasons to find blame in others, rather than solely with me.

After several tough conversations with Christine and senior management at 500, I realised that  guess what?  *I* was the problem. I wasnt full of goodness and light as I thought, and I needed to take a closer look at the stranger in the mirror staring back at me. Somewhere, I had lost the plot.

As a result of the above intervention, I agreed to hand over day-to-day management of 500 to Christine, and she is now leading 500 in the new role of CEO. My role has been limited to focus on fiduciary obligations to our investors as a general partner of our funds. Along with the above, I also started regular counselling sessions about a month ago to address my shitty behaviour and poor judgement. I dont expect anyone to believe I will change, but Im working on it.

Id like to state clearly that my past actions are most certainly my own fault and responsibility. Until recently, Christine and other senior management at 500 were unaware of my actions. Once they did become aware, they took steps quickly to investigate and prevent further inappropriate behaviour. You can place the blame squarely on me, not Christine or anyone else at 500.

In the next few days as I get feedback from many (many) people, I plan to speak further with Christine and the 500 management team, our investors and advisors, and others to figure out the best possible outcome for 500. As this is a group of hundreds of people and companies, I would not want my individual interests to overshadow what is best for them (not me). I am also cognizant that many people outside 500  including those I have hurt or offended  have strong opinions as well, and I am doing my best to listen.

My personal failures aside, 500 has long supported a diverse community of entrepreneurs including women, minorities, LGTBQ, international, and other overlooked founders. Despite my many mistakes, I sincerely hope 500 will be able to continue that mission. To the extent my actions have now made that more difficult, I am truly sorry to Christine and the 500 team, to our founders and investors and partners, to the larger global tech community, and again most specifically to the women I have hurt or offended, all of whom I have clearly failed.

And I know sorry means absolutely nothing right now.

Again, what I did was wrong. It wasnt and isnt acceptable. Im working on behaving differently in the future. If you have suggestions or feedback or criticism, Im open to hearing all of it. Im guessing you probably have some.

Thanks again to everyone who has ever helped me/us along the way to 500.

Please continue that journey.  Dave McClure

(Blog edited for Moneycontrol)
An illustration picture shows the logo of car-sharing service app Uber on a smartphone.

The advent of Goods and Services Tax (GST) has brought cheer to users of cab aggregators such as Uber and Ola, as both the companies have decided to pass on the 1 percent benefit of lower taxation.

Transport services have been included in the lowest bracket of 5 percent under GST. Cab fares were being taxed at 6 percent earlier. While Ola communicated its users about lower prices for its cabs over a message, Uber India has also passed on the price difference to its consumers.

The new rate structure at 5 percent as compared to the previous service tax rate of 6 percent is a step in the right direction by the government. Starting July 1, 2017, we will be charging 5 percent tax on trips instead of the earlier 6 percent, Uber India spokesperson said in response to an e-mail query sent by Moneycontrol.

However, both the cab aggregators have raised concerns over a rise in leasing rentals.

Leasing of cars will now attract a tax of 29 to 43 percent - depending on the car  compared to the earlier tax levy of 14.5 percent.

Drivers associated with the leasing programs of both the cab-hailing companies used to pay about Rs 800 a day as a part of the rental fee, which amounts to Rs 25,000 a month, for a financing period of 3-4 years.

We run a leasing program for tens of thousands of driver-partners who may not be able to afford to buy a car of their own. They will have to bear GST rates of 29 to 43 percent on the cars already leased, as an outcome of double taxation on existing leases, Shalabh Seth, CEO of Ola Fleet Techologies, said.

This will have an adverse impact on their livelihoods, setting them back by over Rs 200,000 to 100,000 for the remaining period of the lease, making it unviable to sustain their business, he added.

A few drivers attached to Uber and Olas lease program Moneycontrol spoke to also expressed helplessness. Suresh, an Uber driver in Bangalore feels he will have to give up the car and look for some other source of income.

This taxation hike for a large number of Uber-Ola drivers, who thrive on leased car model, may result in widespread protests. It is also likely that the leasing program of both companies could fear a major jolt with a hike in GST.

According to RedSeer Consulting, both Ola and Uber lost 25 percent of cabs associated with them in the March quarter.

durba.ghosh@nw18.com
business Young Turks: The Fundamentum Partnership In an interview to CNBC-TV18's, Shereen Bhan, Nandan Nilekani and Sanjeev Aggarwal talk about their new USD 100 million fund called The Fundamentum Partnership. The duo are calling this a scale up platform and will lead investment rounds between USD 10-25 million in companies that have attained product market fit and have an initial momentum and are looking to scale up.
In what can be called a bizarre incident, a 30-year-old man was left with a hole in his stomach after he mistakenly drank liquid nitrogen at a bar in Gurugram two months ago.

The man downed a drink served to him in a single gulp, not realising that it had to be consumed after the vapour had subsided.

He was rushed to Columbia Asia hospital in Gurugram after he complained of extreme pain, breathlessness and abdominal swelling.

He was rushed to the hospital's emergency section in drowsy and restless condition. Dr. Amit Deepta Goswami told Hindustan Times that "his heart rate, blood pressure and oxygen saturation were all haywire."

The doctors put him on a ventilator after a CT scan showed a tear in the stomach or the intestines.

The surgeons found a huge hole in the middle and lower parts of his stomach which they said looked like an "open book".

The man remained on a ventilator for three days until he recuperated.

Liquid nitrogen is used to instantly freeze food and drinks. It is also used to cool computers and by doctors during surgeries involving cancerous tissues. The colourless liquid has a boiling point of -195.8 degree Celsius. It freezes everything that it comes in contact with.

While the liquid is used in edible products such as drinks and ice-creams, they are to be consumed only after the nitrogen evaporates.
Think Bangalore, think startups. The city has firmly established its Silicon-Valley-of-India image in the last couple of years. But Priyank Kharge, Karnatakas IT minister is far from done. After creating a proactive incubation, mentoring, and funding infrastructure for startups, the 39-year old minister is now burning the midnight oil to diffuse the concentration of startup innovation from Bangalore onto other parts of the state.

His vision for the state, tackling IT layoffs head on, and working closely with IT behemoths to find a solution to the looming threat of automation, are all clearly articulated.

Read the young ministers take on Karnatakas IT industry in the following edited excerpts from an exclusive interview with Moneycontrol.

How are the synergies between the Centre and the State on Digital India?

I think Karnataka is far ahead in the digital ecosystem, compared with elsewhere in the country.

Be it about providing mobile services or citizen services through mobile, revenue system, billing system, citizens guaranteed services, all are digitised.

Also with respect to connectivity in rural areas, we have done some very good work. All birth and death certificates are digitised; land records are digitised, and can be obtained within 30 minutes. The incentives and subsidies due to the farmers are directly credited to their bank account, which brings financial inclusion.

Our ecosystem is vibrant and progressive, and by this year end, all our gram panchayats will be connected by high-end broadband to ensure complete delivery of all government schemes at the Panchayat level.

From Panchayat we are also talking of last mile connectivity to a village level entrepreneur, schools or any other government services that may be required.

Which other areas in Karnataka are being developed as IT hubs apart from Bengaluru?

It is very difficult to develop an IT hub from the scratch, until and unless there is some ready ecosystem. Just opening a park wouldnt entail anything. Fortunately, Karnataka has a lot of traction when it comes to tech and innovation.

We have an aerospace park in Belgaum that is incubating startups only in this space if they are interested. In Mysuru we have hardware accelerators coming up. Hubli gets a lot of traction in services. Mangaluru is getting popular for gaming and animation.

All these centres are being groomed as next IT destinations, but in different verticals. Recently, I as informed that startups in Hubli, Mangaluru, Mysuru combined got $22 million in funding in last few months. ITeS export from these regions is also over Rs 4,000 crore. There is also sustained effort to boost innovation in biotech. Its a difficult task but we are at it.

There has been talk of mass layoffs at IT companies. Have you been having conversations around that? What is the situation on ground?

The mass layoffs that have been predicted is yet to happen. In the past month and a half the volume of retrenchment has come down. But it is an issue, and upgradation of skills is an issue, and we are speaking to all stakeholders  employees and employers. They have their concerns, and we are trying to be a bridge between the two.

Of course, investments are important, and we will not go for any policy that will hurt it. At the same time we cannot have a completely industry-favouring or investor-based policy, which will be regressive for employees. I am a custodian of this industry and its my job to create a favourable environment for employment. Its difficult but we are trying.

How are you speaking to the employees?

I have spoken to employee forums and I have told them that it is not the old economy where employee unions can form, and our policies dont have any provision for it. But as a custodian I have to listen to their concerns. So I have asked each forum to come back with their concerns in a written format.

They have little or no legal help, so I have offered corporate legal help, because corporate laws are more dynamic. This may help them position their demands more legitimately. It also helps me negotiate with the employers in a better way.

For example, if they are complaining about maternity leave, we have rules for that, if it is about sexual harassment at the workplace, we have the Vishakha judgement. But issues around appraisal systems being opaque of branding people as non-performers, need to be tackled differently.

Bengaluru did not make it to the smart cities shortlist last year. Do you plan to leverage startups to build smart cities solutions?

Smart city is high on rhetoric and hype. Rs 100 crore is all you get. Its not enough for me to even lay a drainage pipe. We are not restricted by the tag. Instead, we do a grand challenge of our own where we leverage startups for problems plaguing governance such as water re-treatment, malnutrition, and the upcoming one will probably be about traffic and mobility. We understand that not all startups need funding. Some are here just to get their idea validated. That is something we do, and others dont. We take up an approved idea and let them test it on the field. That gives a proof of concept to the startups.
bipin Rawat_army

The Indian troops have been locked at Doklam near Sikkim for almost a month now in what has been the longest such impasse between the Indian and Chinese armies since 1962.

Doklam, or Donglong as the Chinese call it, is at the tri-junction border of India, China and Bhutan and is the flashpoint of the conflict between the Asian giants.

"India is deeply concerned at the recent Chinese actions and has conveyed to the Chinese government that such construction would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India," an External Affairs Ministry statement said in New Delhi.



Chinaa PLA makes inroads into Doklam, Bhutan and India alerted



Indian government has expressed deep concern over Chinas construction of a road in the disputed Doklam area, near Sikkim on June 18 and has conveyed to Beijing that such an action would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications.



China: Its India once again on our lands



The Royal government of Bhutan has also lodged a protest against the Chinese government on the 20 of June. The road is inside Bhutanese territory which is a direct violation of the treaty.

China has released a map to back its claim that Indian troops transgressed into the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector, which it asserts is part of its territory. The map released by the Chinese Foreign Ministry shows a blue arrow with markings in Chinese that points at where Indian troops allegedly entered the area.

China has pointed out to an 1890 treaty between Sikkim and Tibet to bolster its claims to the Doklam area of the tri-junction, and India believes Beijing is misrepresenting Delhis position as well as prior agreements between the two countries. China provided Bhutan with archival documentary evidence that claimed it was receiving a herding tax from Bhutanese in the area even until 1960.



Indian Journalists Trip and Kailas Yatra Cancelled



China has sought a meaningful dialogue with India over the border row in the Sikkim sector and asked it to withdraw its troops from Doklam, insisting that Beijing has indisputable sovereignty over the area, as per Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kangs statement.

China has also cancelled off a trip of Indian journalists to Tibet as per the Chinese Embassy in New Delhi gave out a statement on Sunday. The cancellation comes in the backdrop of the stand-off between Indian and Chinese troops in the Doklam area of Sikkim sector.

They also conveyed to the Indian side that visas of another batch of 50 yatris had also been cancelled, the sources said, describing the move as an indication of "increased tempers" in Beijing.

The Sikkim route to Mansarovar, which is in Tibet, was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

Xinhua,the Chinese news agency, gave out a statement on Sunday saying that "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty".

China has demanded immediate withdrawal of troops amidst warmings from Beijing that future visits to the Kailas Mansarovar would depend on the results of the standoff.

"Our position to uphold our territorial sovereignty is unwavering. We hope the Indian side can work with China in the same direction and immediately withdraw the personnel who have overstepped and trespassed into Chinese border," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had told the media in Beijing last week.

4. Indian Army Chief Rawat to visit Sikkim on Thursday

Army chief Gen Bipin Rawat is himself slated to visit Sikkim on Thursday for a first-hand review of the ground situation.

The Army Chief said that India is ready for security threats posed by China, Pakistan as well as by internal threats.

"Such rhetoric is extremely irresponsible. We hope that the particular person in the Indian Army could learn from historical lessons and stop such clamoring for war," he had said.

Arun Jaitley, made New Delhi's stand clear when he said the India of 2017 was different from that of 1962.



Modi-Xi Jinping to meet soon in BRICS



"If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and the India of 2017 is different," Jaitley had said when asked about China's warning.

Prime Minister Modi will meet Chinese President Xi Jinping in a BRICS group meet on the sidelines of the G-20 Summit in Hamburg next week. But it is yet to be ascertained whether there will be a bilateral pull-aside over this issue.

In 2012, the special representatives of India and China had worked out a written understanding that "tri-junction boundary points between India, China and third countries will be finalized in consultation with the concerned countries. Any attempt, therefore, to unilaterally determine tri-junction points is in violation of this understanding."

Whats Indias stand?

Indian troops do not plan to leave anytime soon because any sign that India condones Chinese construction activity would endanger Indias security in the Siliguri corridor, popularly known as Chickens Neck, and could cut off Indias northeast at a pinch.

What are the implications for India?

India is set to lose a great strategic advantage in the region if the road is constructed as the Doklam opens into the strategic Chumbi Valley.

There is also a looming threat of China extending the road till the Chickens corridor barely 50 kilometres away in West Bengal, which is crucial for India as it connects it with rest of the north-east states, in case China manages to extend the road till the tri-junction, as per a report in The Hindu.

Government loyalists are of the opinion that India is in a better position now than in 1962 when today it is in a much better position to take on the PLA. Many within the Indian forces also want to get back at Beijing.
The cracks in the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar once again surfaced on Sunday after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lashed out at Congress party in a meeting with Janata Dal United (JDU) leaders.

Sources told CNN-News18 that Kumar accused Congress of "dumping Mahatma Gandhi's ideology", adding that he had nothing to learn from the grand old party. "We do not follow anyone, we are clear with our principles," Kumar reportedly said.

Read More: http://www.news18.com/news/politics/cm-nitish-kumar-hits-out-at-congress-says-party-dumped-mahatma-gandhis-ideology-1449525.html
A group of NATO Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence (CCD COE) researchers have concluded that the global outbreak of NotPetya malware on June 27 could likely be attributed to a 'state actor'.

In a press release on June 30, Bernhards Blumbergs of NATO CCD COE said, "In the case of NotPetya, significant improvements have been made to create a new breed of ultimate threat."

NATOs Secretary General reaffirmed on June 28 that a cyber operation with consequences comparable to an armed attack can trigger Article 5 of the North Atlantic Treaty and trigger responses responses through military means, the release said.

If the operation could be linked to an ongoing international armed conflict, then law of armed conflict would apply, at least to the extent that injury or physical damage was caused by it, and with respect to possible direct participation in hostilities by civilian hackers, but so far there are reports of neither, said Tomas Minarik, researcher at NATO CCD COE Law Branch.

Minarik further said that this can give the targeted states options to respond with countermeasures.

"A countermeasure could be, for example, a cyber operation sabotaging the offending states government IT systems, but it does not necessarily have to be conducted by cyber means. In any case, the effects of a countermeasure must not amount to a use of force or affect third countries," he said.

NotPetya comes at a very unfortunate time.

The global community already has its hands tied with geopolitical tensions in the middle-east, and the conflict between US and North Korea. If that was not enough, the alleged hacking efforts made by Russia in the 2016 US Presidential Elections has kept bilateral ties tense between the US intelligence community and the Kremlin.

The assumption made by NATO CCD COE researchers of a 'state actor' being behind the cyber attack seems more plausible now as many cyber security firms have concluded that NotPetya was meant for destructive purposes rather that financial gains.

Followed by Kaspersky Lab and Comae Technologies, security firms Cisco Talos, F-Secure, and Malwarebytes are also now supporting the theory of NotPetya being a wiper disguised as a ransomware which was designed to cause chaos.

The scale and nature of this attack is so large that cybersecurity experts dub it as 'WannCry, but done by pros' and say that 'NotPetya is the most hazardous ransomwares in cyber history'.

After an analyses, cybersecurity firm Kaspersky concluded that NotPetya was not designed for financial gains.

What does it mean? Well, first of all, this is the worst-case news for the victims  even if they pay the ransom they will not get their data back. Secondly, this reinforces the theory that the main goal of the ExPetr attack was not financially motivated, but destructive, Kaspersky said in their blog.

"Given the circumstances of this attack, Talos assesses with high confidence that the intent of the actor behind Nyetya was destructive in nature and not economically motivated," Cisco Talos said.

NATO also said that cyber criminals are not behind this as the method for collecting the ransom is poorly designed and the ransom would probably not even cover the cost of the operation.

The attackers have demanded USD 300 in Bitcoin in exchange for the decryption key, and have left the email ID: wowsmith123456@posteo.net as part of the contact details.

Apparently, the attackers have had their email address blocked by the provider due to which not much money has been sent as ransom.

As shown in the image above, the hackers got only around 4 bitcoins (~USD 10,000) as ransom money.

"According to our current knowledge, the malware is intentionally corrupt in a way that the Salsa key was never meant to be restored. Nevertheless, it is still effective in making people pay ransom. [...] If you are a victim of this malware and you are thinking about paying the ransom, we warn you: Dont do this. It is a scam and you will most probably never get your data back," Malwarebytes said.

Unlike WannaCry, Petya encrypts MFT (Master File Tree) tables for NTFS partitions and overwrites the MBR (Master Boot Record) with a custom bootloader that limits the access of its victims only to the ransom note and prevents the infected computers from booting. Due to this, Petya can be considered more dangerous and intrusive compared to WannaCry or any other strains of ransomware, says Souti Dutta, Lead Threat Analyst, SOC Services at Paladion.

NotPetya malware is behind what is quickly emerging as another devastating global ransomware incident, one with the potential to be even more damaging than WannaCry, says Kobi Ben Naim, Senior Director of Cyber Research, CyberArk Labs.

Initially thought to be a strain of the powerful Petya ransomware, NotPetya is spreading using the incredibly efficient infection method used by WannaCry - a worm that quickly spreads the ransomware using the eternalblue SMB vulnerability in Microsoft systems. The combination is potent and has the potential to inflict massive damage on scales we have not witnessed before, Naim adds.

Most ransomware infections target and encrypt files on the hard disk but the victim can still use the operating system (OS), whereas, Petya takes it a step further as it locks portions of the hard drive itself which makes it impossible to access anything on the drive, including the Windows OS.

While many now term NotPetya as wiper but strictly speaking it is not one. Instead of wiping the data, what it has done is simply locked the PCs of its victims and thrown away the keys.

Whether state sponsored or not, such cyberattacks cost organisations a lot of money. By 2021, cyber crime damages are expected to cost the world around USD 6 trillion annually. If it leads to a war, then these costs can jump exponentially.
Cyber security is one of the key areas of cooperation to be discussed with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said ahead of his Indian counterpart's visit to Israel.

"Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here", Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

Terming Modi, as "one of the most important prime ministers of the world", Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including in cyber.

"For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime minister's of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fields -- water, agriculture, health and also in cyber. And he has a good reason to do so", the Israeli Prime Minister told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office.

Modi will be on a three day visit to Israel starting July 4 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a "technology giant", is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of "my friend Narendra Modi".

Outlining steps taken by his government to strengthen Israel's cyber security apparatus, Netanyahu argued the need for such an investment by saying that it was not only a "serious threat", but also a "serious business".

"A few years ago, I decided to establish Israel as one of the five leading powers in the world and I think by all accounts, we are there but the jury on security is always out. And it's a constant challenge. Cyber security is a serious business. It's a serious business for two reasons - the first reason is that it's a serious and growing threat. And it's a growing threat everywhere because every single thing is being digitised", he said.

The Israeli Prime Minister underscored the exponential rise in the need for cyber security, as all governments grapple with finding the ways to protect confidential information of security organisations, the critical infrastructure, businesses, and every single organisation "as we enter the world of internet".

Netanyahu credited himself for creating the National Cyber Defense Authority -- to streamline information sharing between government, the private sector and various organizations -- to combat cyber threats.

Hundreds of organisations are said to have joined this cybernet as it not only tries to facilitate secure communication between them and with others but also guides them as to how to prevent or respond to cyber attacks.

The Israeli leader reached out to other countries to join this initiative by saying that "in general, again with some reservations, we are better together".

The second reason, he said, as to why cyber security is a serious business, is because it is a fast growing market and an "endless business".

"It's growing geometrically because there is never a permanent solution. It's an endless business. The battle for market share in the fast growing market is open to anyone although there are certain requirements, certain barriers to entry. This produces an endless crop of companies," Netanyahu said.

"We, in Israel, have 600-700 start ups and they are constantly added and weeded out. This is a fast geometrically rising market," he added.

The Israeli Premier also talked at length about how Israel's reputation as a centre of advanced technology and hub of cyber security has led to countries that once boycotted it, now embrace it.

"There used to be a thing called the Arab boycott. Remember that. Well that has dissipated for many many reasons - strategic and others but the prominence of Israel in the technological field and in the cyber field has made Israeli companies very very attractive", he said.

If we look at the figures of 2016, we have about 20 per cent share of total cyber security investment around the world, Netanyahu said.

Beginning tomorrow, Modi's Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian Premier. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN- related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.
Deputy Prime Minister of Vietnam Pham Binh Minh and Singapore's Senior Minister of State for Defence and Foreign Affairs Maliki Bin Osman will be among the leaders who will attend the 9th India-ASEAN ministerial dialogue on July 4 with an aim to intensify and broaden political, strategic and economic cooperation in the region.

Also known as 'Delhi Dialogue', the conference has emerged as an important forum at which political leaders, policy makers, researchers, academicians, business leaders and media persons converge for brainstorming on a range of issues pertaining to ASEAN-India relations.

Coming in the backdrop of evolving security and economic scenario in the region, the meet will also provide an opportunity to leaders to explore ways to boost cooperation in these key areas and also in the field of connectivity and tourism.

Relationship with the ASEAN grouping is one of the cornerstones of India's foreign policy and Act East policy, which has deepened across the three pillars of politico- security, economic and socio-cultural cooperation.

ASEAN-India dialogue relations have grown rapidly from a sectoral dialogue partnership in 1992 to a full dialogue partnership in December 1995.

The relationship was further elevated with the convening of the ASEAN-India Summit in 2002 in Phnom Penh, Cambodia. Since then the ASEAN-India Summit has been held annually.

The leaders are also expected to have bilateral meetings with the leadership here.

Apart from Singapore and Vietnam, the other ASEAN countries are Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao PDR, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Thailand.
Representative image

The US state department has issued the necessary license for the export of 22 predator Guardian drones to India, a government source here said, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump had their first bilateral meeting at the White House.

The state department has "issued the DSP-5 Guardian export license" for India, the source told PTI.

A DSP-5 category license is issued for permanent export of military hardware as found in the US Munitions List which is defined by the International Traffic Arms Regulations.

The Guardian drones will enhance India's maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean region and their sale was announced by Trump on June 26 after he met Modi for their first face-to-face meeting.

The drones are estimated to cost around USD 2 billion and are being built by General Atomics, considered a pioneer in the unmanned aerial vehicles domain.

The speed with which the Trump administration decided on India's request for the drones, the source said, is reflective of the desire in White House to strengthen India's military capabilities in the Indo-Asia Pacific region, where China's aggressive diplomatic and military posture has unnerved other countries.

"We are extremely pleased that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have had excellent deliberations and the path forward for a game-changer in US-India defence relations has been charted," said Vivek Lall of General Atomics.

Lall, who in his previous capacity at Boeing, was instrumental in the sale of high-tech military hardware to India, is believed to have played a role in convincing the Trump administration to accelerate the sale of the drones.

"Given the Sea Guardian's capabilities, such a response to the Indian Navy's request demonstrates a major change in US policy as this type of aircraft capability is only exported to a very select few of America's closest defence partners," he said.

"This represents tangible implementation of US Congress' designation of India as a 'Major Defence Partner'," said Lall.

On Tuesday, Lall met US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the annual US-India Business Council summit, when Pence endorsed the deal to provide India with Apache attack helicopters, C-17 transport aircraft, besides the drones.

The deal is seen as the biggest tangible takeaway from the Trump-Modi meeting towards the operationalisation of the major defence partner relationship.

The India Navy requested for the drones early last year.

But no tangible action was taken under the previous Obama administration, apparently because of the stiff opposition from the state department, which argued that this could upset Pakistan, America's ally in war against terror in Afghanistan.

The Trump White House spearheaded the inter-agency process to make a significant policy change in favour of India by granting this technology based on government-to-government interactions, the source told PTI.

India had been eyeing the Predator technology for years, and it was only the Trump-Modi combination that they were able to move the decision to this point, the source said.

Pakistan is said to be actively lobbying Washington against the sale of the drones to India. However, the White House overruled all objections, paving the way for a new phase of India-US defence relationship.
Vasan MS

From a small beginning of three services accounting for Rs 450 crore of tax revenue in 1994 to 120 plus services garnering Rs 211,414 crore in 2016, the Services Sector has contributed substantially to the exchequer of the Central Government. The dominant sector per se with an array of establishments employing largely unskilled people, it also accounts for 53.66 percent of India's overall Gross Value Added (GVA) of Rs 137.51 lakh crore.

This golden goose of the Central Government  tax revenue from the Services Sector  will be shared between the States and Centre, with effect from July 1, 2017 equally, according to a four-tier GST rate structure  5 percent, 12 percent, 18 percent and 28 percent. The bulk of the services will be taxed at 18 percent, likely increasing revenues further. However, the sector is expected to witness a challenging period in the initial stages of the GST regime.

Dual GST framework poses compliance challenges

Under GST, the revenue collections are going to be shared between the States and Centre, with Maharashtra likely to be the single-largest beneficiary state. The Centralised Registration concept has been done away with, and state-wise registration and compliance will be initiated. Hence all taxpayers must pay taxes in the respective states where they operate from, irrespective of where they are headquartered. Multiple registrations for a pan-India operator, when compared to a Centralized Registration with only two half-yearly returns, is a big compliance burden.

Name of Tax Return Periodicity Location No. of Tax Returns GSTR 1 Monthly 29 states +7 UTs 12x36 = 432 GSTR 2 Monthly 29 states +7 UTs 12x36 = 432 GSTR 3 Monthly 29 states +7 UTs 12x36 = 432 Annual Return Annual 29 states +7 UTs 1x36 = 36 GSTR 5 (As applicable) Annual 29 states +7 UTs 1x36 = 36 GSTR 6 (As applicable) Annual 29 states +7 UTs 1x36 = 36 Total Returns 1,404

Example: If a taxpayer is present in 29 states and 7 union territories, he shall file a whopping 1,404 returns in 36 places. Refer to the table below for details.

Under the GST regime, the location of the supplier and the recipient of services along with the place of supply is essential to determine whether the supply is an inter-state or an intra-state supply. It will be doubly challenging when there are bundled services of clearing, warehousing and forwarding services, banking and insurance services, financial products and leasing, works contract services and real estate services, wherein the pre-dominant object test has to be applied to determine the taxability of the supply.

For instance, when a construction company ABC Ltd does carry out projects in multiple states, the attribution for value of goods and services inter-state vs. intra-state itself is a challenge. Adding further to this segregation and attribution, if bundled services are offered for commercial & industrial construction and Erection & Commissioning, predominance test at each of the states and IGST billings will be more perceived, leading to valuation challenges. Can standard cost basis be a more appropriate and acceptable method for similar activities/ projects carried out across states and multiple works contracts simultaneously?

Banking & Financial Services, Insurance, Telecom, Airlines, Third Party Service Providers / sub-contractors, Transportation and logistics services will see a major impact in terms of valuation of the services, payment of taxes in each of the states they operate and complying with the filing of tax returns and audit.

The time of supply and attribution of value for services in case of a bisected or vivisected or continuous supply contracts is very critical to determine the date for taxability of the supplies. Transaction value shall be the price to be adopted when the transaction takes place between unrelated parties. However, if both the provider and receiver are related to each other, then cost based valuation method shall be followed. Adding to this, GST shall be payable under reverse charge by the recipient of services, if availed from goods transport agency, taxi or cab operator through e-commerce operators, sponsorship services and services received from non-taxable territory etc.

Nature of Service Presence in States Compliance Requirement Banking companies All India State-wise Registration, Identification of services / composite services, Billing, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns Insurance companies All India State-wise Registration, Identification of services / composite services, Billing, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns Financial institutions & Leasing companies All India State-wise Registration, Identification of services / composite services, Billing, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns Telecom Operators All India State-wise Registration, Identification of services / composite services, Billing, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns Airlines Operators All India / Sector Specific State-wise Registration, Identification of services / composite services, Billing, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns Works Contract Services Project based / PAN India State-wise Registration, Identification of services / composite services, Billing, payment of taxes and filing of tax returns

The following services sectors which cater to pan India will face a huge challenge in managing its tax compliance and tracking the Split vs. composite, Pre-dominant vs. incidental, Bundled vs. unbundled, Taxable vs. exempt, Transaction Value if price being the sole consideration vs. related party transactions & no consideration situations.

By retaining all the provisions made available under the Service Tax Rules, the interpretative disputes are going to remain and aggravate, given that there is a multiple state registration process in a decentralized environment from States to Centre looking through the data.

Input Tax Credit  Raising questions

The sweeping definition of Services in Finance Act, 2012 that any activity carried out by a person for another for consideration and includes declared services except few exceptions brought every activity under the service tax net without leaving any scope for interpretation.

Under GST, there is lot more flexibility to avail Input Tax Credit, as it states that any supply of services performed or agreed to be performed for a consideration by a person in the course or furtherance of business. There is no direct nexus required between the Input Services and the Output Services. However, the course of business or furtherance of business shall put the brake and be restrictive, for use only by that registered taxpayer. For example, ABC Ltd.,s branch A of TN holds a sales conference in a hotel in Bangalore. It may not be eligible to take Input Tax Credit if it does not have a registration in Mumbai, even if the ABC Ltd.s branch B is situated in Bangalore.

The Input Tax Credit shall not be available if the services are used for any personal use or for the consumption by employees. The question arises  How will one segregate the personal angle to Partners or Directors or employees expenses?

On July 1, 2017  the appointed day, every taxpayer who is registered shall be entitled to take credit of Input Tax within 90 days of the appointed day, submit a declaration electronically in Form GST TRAN- 1. Upon verification and approval only, the same shall be available to off-set against the Output Tax Liability.

With rate of tax increase and Input Tax Credit available getting deferred, the service providers might be put to hardship to increase working capital, under GST environment. The service receivers will clear the invoices only after verifying the same from the GSTN portal and taking Input Tax Credit, irrespective of the due dates mentioned in the contract.

GST  Access to technology

Since the entire GST ecosystem is an electronic-based upload and download of tax information, are we self-sufficient in terms of IT and bandwidth requirements?

Large companies have the bandwidth to invest in the technology upgrades to support their ERP platform in the process of being GST compliant, of course subject to errors in data entry. However, the big challenge in front of small and medium players who are mostly in the unorganized sector, is to upload invoices well before the 10th of the following month and ensuring Input Tax Credit for their service receivers by 15th of the following month. Not to mention that many of these establishments are in rural India.

The Government must come up with a simple and easy solution for migration and process follow-up. GSTN could mandate Suvidha Providers nearer to their place of business to support smooth transition into GST by these players, rather than leaving it open for them to spend on building an IT capability and infrastructure to comply with, which they are not used to.

Author is Senior Vice President  Global Taxation, Hinduja Global Solutions

Disclaimer: The views expressed by investment experts on moneycontrol.com are their own and not that of the website or its management. Moneycontrol.com advises users to check with certified experts before taking any investment decisions.
By CNBCTV18.COM

The private survey came in at 50.4, marking a three-month high. It was up from May's 49.6, which was an 11-month low, and beat a Reuters poll forecast for 49.5.

The Caixin China manufacturing purchasing manufacturers' index (PMI) for June beat expectations, offering another signal that the world's second-largest economy continues to defy expectations for a slowdown.

The private survey came in at 50.4, marking a three-month high. It was up from May's 49.6, which was an 11-month low, and beat a Reuters poll forecast for 49.5.

Levels above 50 signal an expansion, while levels below 50 indicate contraction.

The Caixin PMI tends to focus on smaller, private companies, while the official data tends to focus on larger, often state-owned companies.

The rise was spurred by stronger increases in production and new orders, prompting companies to increase purchasing activity by a tad, even as muted client demand pushed manufacturers to cut inventories and reduce their workforce numbers.

The Australian dollar wobbled, slipping as low as $0.7670 after the release, compared with as high as $0.7695 before the release. The Aussie dollar was fetching $0.7683 at 10:47 a.m. HK/SIN.

China is a key destination for Australia's exports of commodities.

The June Caixin PMI wasn't all positive, with the release saying the optimism toward the business outlook touched its lowest level so far this year.

Zhengsheng Zhong, director of macroeconomic analysis at CEBM Group, said in the Caixin PMI release was downbeat on the data.

"Based on the inventory trends and confidence around future output, the June reading was more like a temporary rebound, with an economic downtrend likely to be confirmed later," Zhong said.

But the improved data offered confirmation of the official PMI figures, released on Friday, which showed that manufacturing activity accelerated more than expected in June.

The official manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index rose to 51.7 in June, accelerating from May's 51.2 and beating a Reuters poll forecast for 51.0.

In the services sector, the official services PMI for June rose to 54.9 from May's 54.5.

While the manufacturing PMI data tends to be more closely watched, China's pivot toward domestic consumption and away from investment-led growth means the services sector accounts for a bigger slice of the mainland economy. The services sector includes consumer industries such as real estate, retail and leisure.

In the first quarter, China's GDP grew 6.9 percent on-year, slightly faster than the 6.8 percent forecast in a Reuters poll and the fastest pace since the third quarter of 2015.

The government is targeting growth of around 6.5 percent for this year, compared with last year's target of 6.5-7 percent, Reuters reported, noting that 2016's growth was at 6.7 percent, the weakest for 26 years.

Concerns over China's economy have grown as policy makers' stimulus efforts have also spurred a leverage buildup, but the latest PMI data may indicate a somewhat healthier picture.

In a note on Monday, Nomura estimated that China's outstanding non-financial sector debt hit 191.3 trillion yuan ($27.96 trillion), or 251 percent of gross domestic product (GDP) in the first quarter, up from 158.3 trillion yuan, or 231 percent of GDP, at the end of 2015.

Last month, Moody's Investors Service expressed concern that China's effort to support economic growth would spur higher debt levels, and the ratings service downgraded the mainland's sovereign credit rating to A1 from Aa3, changing its outlook to stable from negative.
The deadline by the Saudi bloc to Qatar to meet its terms has been extended by 48 hours. The decision though does not seem to make any change in pacifying the present crisis as Qatar is set to reject the thirteen point ultimatum.

The Gulf region is seeing a new crisis since a number of gulf countries along with Egypt severed all the diplomatic ties with Qatar accusing the kingdom of aiding terrorist groups.

The countries who had imposed sanctions against Qatar had sent an ultimatum having 13 points and a 10-day deadline, which was supposed to end today. The diplomatic communications were being carried out through Kuwait, and had raised hope of a resolution.

However, Qatar termed the conditions laid down in the thirteen point ultimatum as unreasonable. The requirements included terms such as shutting down the news agency Al Jazeera, breaking all aids to terrorist outfits like Muslim Brotherhood and shutting of the Turkish military base near the capital Doha.

The terms drew sharp criticism from Qatar with government communications director Sheikh Saif bin Ahmad Al-Thani saying that the blockade is not aimed at fighting terrorism but at impinging on Qatar's sovereignty and interfering in its foreign policy.

Earlier in the morning, the foreign minister of the kingdom had flown to Kuwait to hand over the reply. The immediate return of the foreign minister had confirmed the speculation that the response has not been positive.

However, the 48-hour extension in the deadline by the Saudi-led bloc may indicate a scope for diplomatic intervention if both sides agree to come to the negotiation table.
July 02, 2017 NYT, WaPo Send Top Reporters To Stenograph Five O'Clock Follies When the U.S. military takes a bunch of journalists on a press junket to a foreign country it has a certain intention and prepares every detail in advance. There will be witnesses and local people who are briefed for their two minute talk with the journalists. They will convey exactly what the military wants them to convey. After enjoying local flair, for ten minutes max, some U.S. diplomat or general will treat the journos to good whiskey and a genuine local steak. The official will speak a few prepared lines on the record that will reinforce the story the locals were tasked to tell. The outcome is predictable. The stories the journalists will write will be the same. Michael Gordon in yesterday's New York Times and David Ignatius in yesterday's Washington Post both report of their latest junket, a visit of Tabqa in Syria. Gordon's piece: In a Desperate Syrian City, a Test of Trumps Policies The young man unburdened himself about the dark years of living under the Islamic State as a crowd of curious onlookers gathered in front of a weathered storefront in the town marketplace. The militants, said the man, a 22-year-old named Abdul Qadir Khalil, killed many residents, doled out precious jobs and severely limited travel to and from the city. ... He ticked off a list of the things Tabqa needs: electricity, water, fuel and a sizable bakery. Then, laughing about his new freedom to openly denounce the militants, he said, If they ever come back, they will slaughter all of us. The Ignatius' piece: As the Islamic State falls in Syria, one city offers a preview of the countrys future A boisterous group of young Syrian men is gathered outside a tire and vehicle-parts shop across from the warehouse. American military advisers arent sure at first that its safe to talk with them, but the men press eagerly toward two visiting reporters. Abdul-Qadr Khalil, 22, dressed in a bright blue-nylon jacket, speaks for the group. He complains that theres not enough food, water, gas or bread, and there are no jobs. But he dismisses the idea that the Islamic State will ever take hold here again. No, never! says Khalil, and the young men around him nod in unison. It will be impossible to live if they come back. They will kill all of us. Gordon: .. small children greet visitors with a V sign for victory. Ignatius: Young children flash V-for-victory signs. Gordon: A fundamental problem in our society is that ISIS ideology has been implanted in little kids brains, which means it will carry on in the future, said Ahmad al-Ahmad, the co-president of the council. Ignatius: Ahmad al-Ahmad, the co-president of the newly formed Tabqa Civil Council, ... Young boys who were indoctrinated at Islamic State training camps are trying to find their balance in a new world where beheadings and the chanting of Islamist slogans are over. Gordon: Nearly 50 tons of flour, paid for by the Pentagon, were trucked in from Iraq to an American-funded warehouse on Wednesday. Ignatius: At a warehouse near the town center, the first shipment of American food arrived on Wednesday; sacks of flour and rice are stacked on pallets, ready for distribution, ... Gordon: We are not going to get beauty; its about pragmatism, said Maj. Gen. Rupert Jones of the British Army, the deputy commander of the coalition force. Ignatius: This is not a work of beauty. This is pragmatism, says Maj. Gen. Rupert Jones, the British deputy commander of coalition forces in Iraq and Syria .. I agree with the British general. The reporting in the Washington Post and New York Times is not a work of beauty but pragmatism. These highly paid journalists do not want to get their new desert dress dirty. They pragmatically repeat what the well briefed (and bribed) locals say, picture the children that make V-signs (and receive the promised candy) and they stenograph whatever the military or some diplomats say. No real reporting, no thinking and no dirty boots are required for their job. The military wanted to convey that nearly everything is now fine in Tabqa. The people love the U.S. occupation and all that is needed now are a few billion $$$ for some minor nation building. The journalists eat up the prepared bites and transmit exactly what the military wanted them to say. The mainstream media want their readers to believe that their narratives from war zones are genuine reporting. The above examples show that they are not. Their journalists are simple recording highly choreographed shows the Pentagon and State Department press advisors made up and the local press officers prepared in advance. A modern version of the Vietnam war's five o'clock follies. Richard Pyle, Associated Press Saigon bureau chief during the war, described the [military press] briefings as, "the longest-playing tragicomedy in Southeast Asia's theater of the absurd." Back then most media did not fall for the nonsense. Now they willingly join in. Posted by b on July 2, 2017 at 19:09 UTC | Permalink Comments next page  next page 
The top performing funds over the past three years include both growth- and value-biased approaches, reflecting recent market conditions.

Hermes Global Emerging Markets focuses on identifying high quality companies that exhibit attractive growth, momentum and valuations. The latter highlights the strategy of buying companies when they trade at a discount to fair value, thus providing a margin of safety. However, the overall portfolio will tend to show growth and quality characteristics in terms of relatively high P/E and return on invested capital, while debt levels are generally slightly lower.

ESG assessment is part of the process and the fund scores an Above Average Morningstar Sustainability Rating. The manager, Gary Greenberg, is an experienced investor and has been at Hermes since 2010. He prefers to run a portfolio of 50-75 holdings and has the flexibility to allocate across regions to reflect the best opportunities. As at 31 March 2017 there were clear biases of around 10 percentage points to IT and consumer discretionary relative the benchmark, while country-level deviations were slightly more muted at 4.4 percentage points overweight to India and a 5.4 percentage points underweight to South Korea.

A quantitative process is behind the Goldman Sachs Emerging Markets CORE Equity fund. The CORE investment process is used on a suite of products covering a range of geographies. This process has been developed and refined over time and is backed by considerable resources covering research, implementation and trading. The process looks to combine fundamental factors with behavioural aspects and aims to be differentiated through identifying relatively unique factors and factor combinations.

The assessment of risk and transaction costs is integral to the process. As at 31 March 2017 the portfolio showed a bias to value factors relative to the index and in contrast to peers was underweight the consumer sectors. At the country level there was also differentiation with overweights to South Korea and Taiwan as well as China.

UBS Global Emerging Markets Opportunity is managed by head of EM and Asia Pacific Equities Geoffrey Wong. The manager draws on an analyst team of around 13 individuals and follows the groups price to intrinsic value approach. The fund is driven by bottom-up research and is unconstrained.

Stock level research involves a structured assessment of quality, together with the cash-flow-based intrinsic value calculation, with the managers then assessing these factors together with macro inputs to build the portfolio. Around 30 stocks are held and although deviations from the index are not excessive, there is some differentiation in this fund, with an underweight to the popular Indian market and an overweight to Thailand that stands at over 5 percentage points.

3 Largest Emerging Market Funds

Some of these large funds have seen lead manager changes recently, but the established investment processes remain intact.

Despite the retirement of long-standing manager Vincent Strauss in 2016, the Comgest Growth Emerging Markets fund remains highly regarded, holding a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Gold. The investment approach remains in place, and the current management team includes Wojciech Stanislawski, who has been part of the team since 1999, providing further continuity. The investment approach is very clearly focused on sustainable growth stocks and the portfolio is built bottom-up from this stock level research.

Most cyclical stocks are excluded from the investment universe and the names that make it into the fund tend to be held for the long term. The portfolio is concentrated in around 40 names, but it remains reasonably diversified with the largest sector deviations, as at 31 March 2017, being the 7.2 percentage points underweight to materials and 6.9 percentage points overweight to consumer staples. At the country level there were clear biases to Brazil, India and China.

JPM Emerging Markets Equity has also had a lead manager change, with Leon Eidelman officially taking control from Austin Forey in July 2016. Eidelman has considerable experience at the group, having joined in 2002, and continues to use the established bottom-up process that has a quality growth bias at the stock level but may look to take advantage of short term macro-weakness to provide attractive entry points.

The manager draws heavily on the considerable resources at the group, particularly the GEM and China analyst teams that total 28 individuals. All of these analysts share a structured investment process that provides assessment of company quality and stock upside. The portfolio is reasonably diversified with 70-80 names and the largest sector level deviation at 31 March 2017 was the overweight to financials at overweight 6.3 percentage points. Country level deviations can, however, be more significant, with a 12.7 percentage point overweight to India. The fund holds a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze.

Fidelity Emerging Markets, which also holds a Morningstar Analyst Rating of Bronze, is built from the bottom-up and has a clear growth bias. The manager since 2009 has been Nick Price, who sits at the top of a considerable sized resource that feeds into this product. A team of over 40 analysts located across the globe feed research into regional portfolio managers, who then provide Price with three regional portfolios that are the primary universe for this fund.

Price will take this input, but also conducts a lot of his own due diligence on individual companies, working alongside the relevant analyst. The portfolio shows expected growth characteristics as well as quality aspects in terms of lower debt and higher margins than the index. At the sector level the fund shows limited exposure to utilities, energy, telecoms and real estate, while there is an overweight versus the index of almost 17 percentage points to consumer discretionary, an area that has been a persistent favourite.
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Read our editorial policy to learn more about our process.
Long-haul airline Etihad said it welcomed the decision by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, which comes "subject to enhanced security measures" at Abu Dhabi International Airport. That airport already has a U.S. Customs and Border Protection facility that allows passengers to clear screening they'd otherwise have to go through when landing in America.

The capital of the United Arab Emirates became the first city to be exempt from a U.S. ban on laptop computers being in the cabins of airplanes coming from the Mideast, the country's flag carrier said Sunday.

Homeland Security spokesman David Lapan said U.S. officials already had seen that "the measures have been implemented correctly and to the full extent required" in Abu Dhabi. He said American monitors would make further visits to ensure the checks were being done properly.

"The enhanced security measures, both seen and unseen, include enhanced screening of passengers and electronic devices," Lapan said, declining to elaborate. "We commend Etihad for working swiftly to implement these additional measures. Their efforts are a model for both foreign and domestic airlines."

Abu Dhabi International Airport did not respond to a request for comment. The airport is home to Etihad, which has over 120 planes in its fleet and 204 aircraft on order. It operates 45 flights a week between Abu Dhabi and six cities in the U.S.

The U.S. ban, first announced in March as a security measure, now applies to nonstop U.S.-bound flights from nine international airports in Amman, Jordan; Kuwait City; Cairo; Istanbul; Jeddah and Riyadh, Saudi Arabia; Casablanca, Morocco; Doha, Qatar; and Dubai in the UAE.

In late May, Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly said he was considering banning laptops from the passenger cabins of all international flights to and from the United States. Kelly's comments came after U.S. President Donald Trump shared highly classified intelligence about the Islamic State group wanting to use laptops to target aircraft with senior Russian officials visiting the White House.

The laptop ban, as well as a Trump administration travel ban on six predominantly Muslim nations, has hurt Gulf carriers. Dubai-based Emirates has slashed 20 percent of its flights to America in the wake of those decisions. The airline also has been trying to get the laptop ban lifted for its direct flights to the U.S. It did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Dubai International Airport, Emirates' home, is the world's busiest international air travel hub. Meanwhile, long-haul carrier Qatar Airways has been hurt amid a diplomatic dispute with Arab nations that has seen its own routes in the region cut off.

All this also comes amid a wider dispute between Gulf airlines and American carriers, which accuse the Middle East airlines of flooding the market with capacity while receiving billions of dollars of unfair government subsidies. The Gulf carriers all vigorously deny that.
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The $23 billion merger of Houston oil field services firm Baker Hughes with the oil and gas division of industrial giant GE closed on Monday morning, the companies said, creating the second largest oil field services firm in the world and changing the trajectory of one of Houstons biggest employers.

The company, which will have dual headquarters in Houston and London, will be traded on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol BHGE.

Lorenzo Simonelli, the former chief executive of GE Oil & Gas and new chief of Baker Hughes, a GE company, said the combination will join Baker Hughes oil field expertise with GEs industrial computing power and transform the industry. The new company, he said, will have the capacity to expand into all parts of the oil and gas business, from the wellhead to the pipeline to the refinery  and even into power generation.

So, what does Baker Hughes do for us? Simonelli said in an interview with the Chronicle on Friday. It really helps to complete the full integration of what weve done, full-stream.

RELATED: GE chief steps down as feds OK Baker Hughes merger

Simonelli reiterated his commitment to Houston, saying he will keep a home here, and be a hands-on boss. Still, he acknowledged Houston will almost certainly lose some employees in the deal.

Look weve always said this is a complementary transaction, and we feel good about the two portfolios coming together and being additive to our customers, Simonelli said. That being said, there are cost synergies.

The company aims to cut at least $1.2 billion out of its combined expenses by 2020, including the closure of some of the 40 facilities here in Houston.

The mergers integration team is working through specifics now, Simonelli said. We clearly need a lot of those properties, he said. Is there people impact? Yes.

RELATED: When GE met Baker Hughes: SEC filings tell their story

The merger essentially doubles Baker Hughes size, to 70,000 employees in 120 countries, by creating the new BHGE. The new company will break into four divisions: Oilfield Services, Oilfield Equipment, Digital Solutions, and Turbomachinery and Process Solutions.

Baker Hughes shareholders overwhelmingly approved the deal on Friday to create the new firm, Baker Hughes, a GE company.

The shareholder vote was the last of three major hurdles that the merger had to clear. It secured approvals from the European Union in May and the U.S. Justice Department earlier this month.

Analysts, while split on the potential effectiveness of the merger, don't doubt that it will help both companies. Baker Hughes struggled through the oil bust. And its failed merger with Houston oil field services provider Halliburton  scuttled last year after the Justice Department sued to block the deal  left it further weakened, despite Halliburton's $3.5 billion breakup payment.

Simonelli will serve as CEO of the new company. Baker chief Martin Craighead will become vice chairman. And GE, which had revenue of $123.7 billion in 2016, will add new resources to a company that had become a distant No. 3 in the sector, behind Halliburton and global energy services leader Schlumberger.

The new Baker Hughes now trails only Schlumberger in revenues and headcount.
Oil patch activity continued to rise as the year reached its midpoint. But the drop in crude oil prices recently has put a damper on industry enthusiasm.

The main thing that stood out to me was the increase in uncertainty, Michael Plante, senior research economist with the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas, said in a phone interview from his Dallas office.

He was discussing his quarterly energy survey, which was being compiled as prices began their swoon. Uncertainty among oil firms jumped to more than 46 percent in the second quarter from 33.8 percent in the first quarter of the year.

Plante also cited a softening in company outlook, which he said continued to improve, but not as much as in previous quarters. Company expectations fell 25 points to 20.3 in the second quarter.

Business activity -- the surveys broadest measure of conditions facing energy firms in the banks Eleventh District -- remained robust, but at 37.3 was slightly below the 41.8 reading of the first quarter.

The outlook is a little murkier due to the oil price decline, Plante said. Many of the comments (accompanying the survey) expressed concern or pessimism about oil prices. I am curious about how the price decrease will play out in the third-quarter survey.

One respondent commented, We are in the initial phase of a drilling program on the North Basin platform in the Permian Basin, and I am having real concern at $45 oil that the margins are so skinny we may need to delay our program, especially with costs escalating.

Plante said its unlikely the recent price decline will significantly alter producers plans for the rest of the year, as long as prices dont fall too far below $45 a barrel.

On average, those participating in the survey expect West Texas Intermediate prices to rise to $48.79 by the end of the year, down from the expectation of $53.49 in the first quarter. Price expectations range from $30 to $65 per barrel.

Oil and natural gas production posted a third consecutive quarterly increase, according to those at exploration and production firms participating in the survey. The oil production index was 10.2, down from 13.1 in the first quarter, and the natural gas production index dropped seven points to 10.6, indicating production is rising at a slower pace than in the first quarter.

The second half wont grow as fast. The first half saw a big ramp-up, Plante said. Theres more production in the pipeline, companies are adding rigs.

A lot of future activity and production depends on the price of oil. Prices falling into the $30s would certainly bring a good portion of the oil patch to a standstill, he said.

Plante said it is apparent that the service sector is benefiting from the rise in activity.

We are seeing significant delays for some materials, which took us a bit by surprise, was one comment from a service company. We have found other suppliers to meet our timelines thus far, but it seems to be tighter and faster this time around.

Another comment from a service company respondent was: There is not enough time in the day to cover all the due-diligence jobs due to the acquisitions and divestitures between companies. Ive had to put on extra crews to handle different areas and to handle all the requests, and there is still plenty to go around. Nice problem to have!

The surveys business activity index for oilfield service firms reached its highest reading since the first quarter of 2016, hitting 49.3 in the second quarter. Equipment utilization jumped to 45.4 from 26 in the first quarter.

Service firms also led the growth in employment, with the second quarter employment index at 40.3 for services firms and 5.7 for exploration and production firms. A similar gap was seen in the employee hours indexes, with 43.3 for service firms and 8.7 for exploration and production firms.

Plante said that the second quarter survey was the third consecutive one to measure the industrys expectations for a balancing of the oil market. He said most respondents think the market is either coming into balance or will come into balance next year. He said respondents keep pushing back those expectations. And the 10 to 15 percent decline in prices since mid-May got their attention, he said.

Its become more evident how productive the Permian Basin is. Companies have cut costs and rationalized how they do business and also improved upon technology and how they drill and complete wells.

For all the concerns about prices, Plante said there is still activity and optimism in the oil patch.

As one operator commented: The exploration and production industry needs to get used to the paradigm that oil prices will be set for the next several years by the breakeven prices needed to drill Permian Basin shale wells because there is a lot of tiger in this tank!
Voters in the Japanese capital cast ballots Sunday in an election that could spell trouble for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, who is suffering from slumping support because of a scandal over suspected favoritism for a friend doing business.

On the surface, the Tokyo Metropolitan assembly election is a referendum on Governor Yuriko Koike's year in office, but poor showing for Abe's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) will also be taken as rebuke of his 4-year-old administration.

Past Tokyo elections have been bellwethers to national trends. A 2009 Tokyo poll in which the LDP won just 38 seats was followed by its defeat in a general election that year, although this time no lower house poll need be held until late 2018.

 Koike and Reformist Message

Koike, a media-savvy ex-defense minister and former LDP member pushing a reformist message, hopes her Tokyo Citizens First party and allies win a majority in the 127-member assembly, to end the LDPs domination of the chamber.

Among her allies is the Komeito party, the LDP's national coalition partner. A strong showing by Koike's party would fuel speculation that she will make a bid for the nation's top job, though probably not until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It could also widen cracks between the LDP and the Komeito while damaging prospects for the opposition Democratic Party.


'The big truck is still on ...
A solar-powered drone backed by Facebook that could one day provide worldwide internet access has quietly completed a test flight in Arizona after an earlier attempt ended with a crash landing.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg's long-term plan for the drone, called Aquila, is to have it and others provide internet access to 4 billion people around the world who are currently in the dark.

"When Aquila is ready, it will be a fleet of solar-powered planes that will beam internet connectivity across the world," he wrote on Facebook.

The drone's second flight was completed in May at Yuma Proving Ground, The Yuma Sun reported. The drone flew with more sensors, new spoilers and a horizontal propeller stopping system to help it better land after the crash in December. It was in the air for an hour and 46 minutes and elevated 3,000 feet (910 meters).


A judge in Miami says the updated version of the "Stand Your Ground" law that was approved this year is unconstitutional.

Updated Stand Your Ground law shifts burden of proof to prosecutors

Judge says legislature overstepped its bounds

FL Counstitution says court rules and procedures decided by the courts

RELATED: Read Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Hirsch's ruling (.PDF)

The new version of the law puts the burden on prosecutors to prove a suspect did not shoot in self-defense under the Stand Your Ground law.

In the 14-page ruling, Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch said when the law was first passed in 2005, the Florida Supreme Court ruled the defendant was the one who needed to prove self-defense under SYG in order to be granted immunity, and during a pre-trial hearing.

The court said this was consistent with other types of immunity in the state. For example, if someone was to claim diplomatic immunity for a crime, the burden of proof is on the defendant, on the prosecutors.

The reason this happened was because if the burden was placed on the state, the defendant would be able to file a motion to dismiss, and be able to get a look at the State's entire case against the defendant. Prosecutors would also have to prove its case twice, costing a lot of time and money.

That's what prosecutors have criticized all along about the changes to the Stand Your Ground law.

Hirsch also said that in the Florida Constitution, the state supreme court adopts the procedures and rules of the courts. Because of that, he said state lawmakers overstepped their boundaries by making changes to the procedural law established by the courts.

Hirsch said the Legislature is able to override the state court's ruling by a two-thirds majority vote.

The ruling will likely be appealed in appellate courts and the Florida Supreme Court.

Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
This week's Traffic Inbox submission was from Sherryl Socie, a Pine Castle resident who thinks that Orange Avenue just north of Sand Lake Road is already too busy and can't handle any more growth.



"There are no plans to widen the road," she wrote. "It's backed up for great distances in the morning and afternoon and people are cutting through our neighborhood. We need some help to see what can be done for road improvements prior to construction so we can proactive instead of reactive!"



When we visited the area, we found that if one thing is true about Orange Avenue, it's heavily traveled.

Cars and buses are constantly zipping through on their way to the airport, but there are also large, heavy trucks that need this road as well.

Several people who I talked to but wished to remain anonymous told me that they actually fear getting on to Orange Avenue during the day, especially when it requires crossing lanes of traffic.

As it turns out, Orange County and the Florida Department of Transportation have had their eyes on this Orange Avenue corridor for some time. The catalyst for their joint efforts began with the imminent arrival of a SunRail station. Now their goals are to make the area safer for pedestrians and enhancing mobility for Orange Avenue.

The Florida Department of Transportation and Orange County each did their own studies of the area and concluded that there should be more addressed besides adding more lanes to the road. In fact, when I reached out to Orange County, they told me that "simply widening the the road (which is cost prohibitive) would not be consistent with the needs of the community" while noting meetings have been held and continue to be held. You can even see some of these notices posted along the sides of the road.

The proposed mobility enhancements will eventually include median modifications, operational improvements, signalization, pedestrian and vehicular modifications.

Orange County says there is "no one project associated with thisit's planning for sustainable growth within a transit area."

Because there are so many moving parts, Orange County as of yet is not giving out a timeline for the area's completion, but they are scheduling another public hearing in the area soon and could have more updates for the public then.

So stay tuned and thanks for your submission! And if you have a traffic issue or question at home that you want looked at, go to mynews13.com/trafficinbox and just fill out the simple form.




Weekend thunderstorms might have interrupted the slumber of residents throughout the region both Saturday and Sunday nights, but the resulting showers left most agricultural producers in a good mood.

I havent heard of any serious damage from the latest activity, reported Blayne Reed, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension-IPM agent for Floyd, Hale and Swisher counties. Theres some sorghum and corn goosenecking, which they should grow out of, and a little green snap that might become an economic issue. We encourage our farmers to check their fields closely, but it looks like we got just what we really needed.

Reed said late Monday morning thatrainfall totals across his three-county area ranged from 0.80 inches to 4.50 inches.

We like to see some cotton blooms by the Fourth of July, but I dont think we will this year, he said. Were running a tick or two behind, but were still within a good window as long as we stay with an average freeze date.

The moisture came at a good time, but now warm open weather is needed. Cotton is beginning to square off pretty good, and we are at a time when I like to see the crop build some growth, especially in the root zone. While this crop started a little slow, some fields are kicking into gear and now working to get over some of the early damage we experience. Unfortunately we havent very many calm days, which has put additional stress on the plants.

Pressure from most crop pests have been light to this point, Reed said. Flea hoppers have been detected, but not yet at economic threshold levels. Spider mites have been found in corn, and once the crop enters the tassel stage, its environment will be more conducive to population growth. They are out there and we have few natural predators at this time to slow them down, Reed says. If we keep getting moisture, then we could see the development of a natural fungus that will help keep them in check. But producers still need to closely monitor fields.

Sorghum producers need to be vigilant for the sugarcane aphid, which has been detected in Lubbock County. We havent found any in our counties, but we need to be prepared for their arrival.

According to the National Weather Service, two-day rainfall totals for selected area cities include: Abernathy, 0.55; Floydada, 0.73; Hart, 1.03; Lubbock, 0.75; Olton, 0.68; Plainview Water Treatment Plant, 1.00; Plainview Herald, 0.95; Silverton, 0.70; and Tulia, 0.60. Mesonet totals include: Aiken, 1.07; Caprock Canyons, 0.02; Dimmitt, 0.65; Floydada, 0.97; Plainview, 0.84; Silverton, 0.71; Tulia, 0.79; and Turkey, 1.18 inches.

Area reservoir levels are static, with Lake Mackenze at 15.0 percent capacity, unchanged from a month ago and down from 15.5 percent a year ago. Lake Meredith is at 24.2 percent capacity, down from 24.6 percent a month ago and 26.4 percent a year ago.

The current U.S. Drought Monitor map was released Thursday, showing the development of an area of severe drought to the east of the region surrounded by a band of moderate drought. All of Cottle County is in severe drought, which has spread into Childress, Hall, Motley and King counties. Lamb, Floyd and Swisher show adequate soil moisture, with parts of Briscoe, Lamb and Hale showing abnormally dry conditions. Among counties just outside the Heralds circulation area with areas of moderate drought are Lubbock, Hockley, Terry, Yoakum, Cochran, Hall, and Motley counties.

The National Weather Service in Lubbock reports that high pressure over Arizona and New Mexico will keep the South Plains in a northwest flow through Tuesday night before the ridge begins to spread eastward. That movement will shift the flow to the northeast by late Wednesday.

While that shift will sharply reduce rain chances after Wednesday, it will help keep temperatures from rising significantly. Wheres a chance for late afternoon and evening thunderstorms to Tuesday night, but forecasters say the trough looks to be weakening and the flow will be less favorable than in recent days.
Manny Pacquiao lost his WBO welterweight world title to Jeff Horn in a stunning, unanimous points decision in a Sunday afternoon bout billed as the Battle of Brisbane in front of more than 50,000 people.

The 11-time world champion entered the fight at Suncorp Stadium as a hot favorite but got more than he bargained for against the 29-year-old former schoolteacher. Still, Pacquiao dominated the later rounds and had Horn wobbling at the end of the ninth.

Top Rank promoter Bob Arum said the result was a close call after some close rounds late in the bout as both fighters looked for a decisive blow. "It was a close fight, it could have gone either way," he said. "A couple of close rounds, but you can't argue with the result."


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Walk through the doors. Head to the front of the room. Lock your gaze on the steely black eyes of the lobsters and crabs swimming in a wall of display tanks. And then whisper, I want to eat you.

Smashin Crab, one of several San Antonio eateries capitalizing on the unmistakable swampy flavors of the bayou to open in recent months, inspires such seafood longings.

And they do it in a tidy dining room with friendly service. Sure, the tables are lined with paper instead of linens. But given the mess youre about to make, you can hardly blame them for that.

Fast facts: Want a hurricane with your mudbugs? Youll need to find a good recipe. Smashin Crab has applied for full bar permits, but the restaurant is a BYOB establishment until those are approved.

On the menu: This newcomer is at its best when dishing up the fairly spectacular live seafood theyve gone to some lengths to secure: imposing Dungeness crabs from Washington, delicate little neck clams from Virginia, feisty blue crabs from the Texas Gulf Coast and, of course, the downright surly but oh-so-edible crawfish synonymous with Louisiana.

All are prepared boil-style with the customary corn, potatoes and sausage available as an add-on for a buck or two. Seafood prices and selection vary with the market and availability, but on a recent visit most fell between $9 to $20 per pound.

Customers chose from one of three flavors  Cajun, citrus pepper or garlic; combine all three into a blend billed as Trinity  and desired level of spice. Moments after ordering, a plastic bag of piping hot deepsea delight is presented in a metal bucket. Bib up, dive in and toss those shells right back in the bin.

As with a visit to any joint hanging its hat on seafood, it pays to be curious and ask questions. Where fresh, live clams ($13) delighted when doused in the Trinity sauce, ho-hum imported Peruvian shrimp did little to make the poboy sandwich ($10) theyre served in a memorable one. Farmed catfish was transformed into serviceable battered and fried strips, but upstaged by exemplary onion rings ($10 with a $1 up-charge for the rings) in one of several baskets.

In addition to boils, baskets and poboys, Smashin Crab serves a few other Cajun and Creole classics such as red beans and rice ($4), jambalaya ($7) and gumbo ($7).

And it would hardly be a seafood joint without an oyster option. Smashin Crab was shucking up Gulf-born bivalves during our visit, and doing so admirably. Clean tasting and meaty with a mild brininess, served raw ($9 for 6, $18 for 12), they required little more than a squeeze of lemon and shot of Crystal hot sauce to bring a smile.

Location: 8910 Bandera Road Suite 305. 210-509-7702, SmashinCrab.com. Facebook: Smashin Crab.

Hours: 11 a.m.-10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday, 11 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday-Saturday
Looking to swipe right on Tinder or message someone on Match.com? Go right ahead; the Alamo City was ranked the safest city to online date in the country in a new report by HighSpeedInternet.com and SafeWise.com.

Using violent crime and STD data, researchers at the two companies compiled a list of where to use the most caution when looking for love online.
Richard Ludwick officially took the helm of the University of St. Thomas last week. The new president mcomes to Houston after leading the Independent Colleges of Indiana, a group of that state's 31 private, nonprofit colleges and universities.

St. Thomas has had a tumultuous year. Alumni and faculty questioned if administrators were emphasizing science, technology, engineering and math over the universitys liberal arts core as former president Robert Ivany withheld contracts from tenured English and philosophy faculty. Faculty later received contracts after protest from graduates, students and professors.

Ludwick spoke to the Houston Chronicle about that controversy, bolstering enrollment, financial aid and the role of a Catholic university in Houston on Thursday in the historic Link Lee building. Excerpts of his interview with Chronicle higher education reporter Lindsay Ellis follow:

Q: Ideally, what is the University of St. Thomass role in Houston? How do you get to that point?

A: I see the University of St. Thomas in Houston as a community leader. That means we lead in ways by example. For instance, when you walk across our campus, you see reflected the face of Houston. You also see a call to conscience thats infused with Catholic social teaching. We honor life and we honor the dignity of each person. We do so in a benevolent and loving way, calling people to at least understand the core principles of the university: goodness, knowledge, discipline and community. Those are all elements we think are appropriate to society regardless of whether youre Catholic or not. Thats an important role for us to serve.

Q: What segment of the population are you looking to educate?

A: I would say look out the window. Thats really it. When you look at our institution, as a Catholic institution, the word Catholic means universal. Thats really the kind of student were interested in. Its more about, are the students really serious about finding within themselves that which they are. We can help them be that. We can help them be that. It really is about helping students find themselves.

Q: Do American universities still have the luxury of helping students find themselves?

A: Thats one of the things that makes St. Thomas really distinct. If you look at the outcomes of our students in terms of the rates of going to medical school, to law school, and the success that they have, its clear that they are prepared for the next destination well. But  those jobs are going to be changing and evolving. Its the inner core, the human element, the dignity of each person, which we hope our core course load helps develop.

This is not a new conversation. But we have a distinct way of balancing the two that not only honors the two competing interests, if you will, but also accelerates them. We dont make that choice. We put them together and we say, this is the right way. You can get a good education and skills in a lot of places. But what is unique about the University of St. Thomas is that you get that good education, those skills, but you also get so much more. Thats what our students find so rewarding. Theyre ready for that job market but theyre also prepared for a life that is very full.

Q: How do you go about enrollment growth?

A: Its not a sales job. Its not a numbers game. Its about the human person and how we are successful in communicating with them. When the student finds resonance with what we say, then there is a match. And the really good part about that is the affordability piece that we know is so critical really works out well for students who make a choice for a private nonprofit college. The reality is the experience that students get a St. Thomas or a college like it is significant. The cost is far exceeded by the benefit and the experience that happens here.

Q: Is it sustainable to subsidize tuition across the student body?

A: What is sustainable is finding the future business model for this institution. We have a really good start on that. The numbers look very strong for our incoming class this year, in terms of number of students. And the work that the board and the prior administration has done in terms of fiscal question really puts on a footing that lays out a plan so that were going to be stronger in the future.

Q: Whats the pitch? How do you say, St. Thomas is the right fit for you?

A: Its hard for me to really capture the essence of that. Its one of those things that students will know it when they see it and they will feel it. Ive been at a lot of colleges. I know about transformational experiences. But when you do that in the context of a 2000-year intellectual tradition in the Catholic church that is a richness that permeates this institution and makes it distinct among institutions of higher learning. Its going to resonate. The other piece of that, the practical piece, the money  that is something thats well worth the money and its more affordable than you can understand.

Q: How have you been approaching the debate as to English and philosophy departments last spring?

A: I was 1,000 miles away when all of that was unfolding. I only saw what was in the media. Even the conversations I had with the prior administration werent detailed in any real way. What I can tell you is that philosophy is integral to our kind of education and English certainly is. I ask people what is the most used tool of the world. Its the English language. That is the way that business gets done. That is the way that people communicate.

In one sense Ive been around higher education a long time. Ive seen a lot of different institutions. That kind of a conversation is one that happens frequently. I think the intensity of that conversation here is a strength of the institution because it shows that there is that passion. And it shows that there is an opportunity for people to express their opinions. Thats something that I think is behind us. Faculty have their contracts. We move forward. And what we move forward to is really exciting, and thats the vision we put in place for the future. We will build on the past. And we will carve out for ourselves a new way forward that the community will inform.

Q: Clearly the conversations last spring touched a nerve. How as an institutional leader do you help different constituents through those kinds of questions?

A: Change is something that continues all the time. If you dont change youre probably dying. That doesnt mean that you leave your core principles at all. In fact, I think change has to be driven by your core principles. As I look forward to these conversations with faculty and with alumni and frankly our friends and our donors  I think thats what will guide us. Our principles, goodness, discipline and community  they will form the foundational core of how we express it in this age, really for the foreseeable future for St. Thomas. Everyone will have a voice in that conversation. It must be so.

Q: Faculty had been wondering whether the Center for Thomistic Studies -- the only U.S. graduate philosophy program focused on St. Thomas Aquinas' thought -- would continue within the philosophy department.

A: As far as I know, there isnt any plan to do anything else. I certainly dont have any plans for that.
Before the summit, there had been fears in the U.S. that Moon's North Korea policies could weaken the united front that the international community needs to present in pressuring North Korea.

Moon was referring to a joint statement with Trump on Friday which said the U.S. president "supported President Moon's aspirations to restart inter-Korean dialogue on issues including humanitarian affairs."

"We have secured the United States' support for us to lead the resolution of the Korean Peninsula problem through dialogue," Moon said on returning to Korea on Sunday. But he added, "We now have to start a long journey to build a structure of lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula."

President Moon Jae-in succeeded in winning support from U.S. President Donald Trump to play a leading role in resuming talks with North Korea during their meeting in Washington on Friday.

A government official here said, "It's true that there were some worries that it may undermine sanctions on North Korea" but the summit dispelled them and laid the groundwork for Moon to push his North Korea policy "with more confidence."

But the two presidents drew clear lines in the sand. They "affirmed their commitment to fully implement existing sanctions and impose new measures designed to apply maximum pressure on North Korea to compel Pyongyang to cease its provocative actions and return to sincere and constructive talks," the statement said.

They also agreed to set up a new "Extended Deterrence Strategy and Consultation Group" to discuss North Korean issues together.

Meanwhile, Moon was also able to win a nod to his aim of transferring full operational control of South Korean troops within his term in office. The statement said the two countries will "work to expeditiously enable the conditions-based transfer of wartime operational control of [South Korean] forces."

But Trump extracted a heavy price. "We are renegotiating a trade deal right now... and hopefully it will be an equitable deal, it will be a fair deal to both parties. It's been a rough deal for the United States, but I think that it will be much different and will be good for both parties," he told reporters.

However, the written joint statement later did not specifically mention the bilateral free trade agreement that went into force in 2012.

There was no mention of the deployment of a Terminal High-Altitude Area Defense battery here, which had stirred up plenty of controversy in the run-up to their meeting.
1 Road rage: A Pennsylvania man was in custody Sunday for what a prosecutor called the savage and senseless death of a recent high school graduate shot in the head during a road rage confrontation as the two tried to merge in a single lane. Police said David Desper, 28, of Trainer turned himself in accompanied by an attorney early Sunday and was charged with first- and third-degree murder in Wednesdays death of 18-year-old Bianca Roberson in West Goshen Township. Witnesses reported seeing Robersons vehicle jockeying for position with a red pickup truck where the road narrows from two lanes to one lane. After Roberson was shot, her car veered off the road, struck a tree and was found in a ditch. The shooter fled.

2 Body found: A missing 13-year-old Texas girl who was reported abducted and a man have both been found dead inside a Dallas home, authorities said Sunday. Shavon Randle was identified as one of two bodies inside the house, FBI agent Eric Jackson said. The area around the small home was cordoned off Sunday. The girl was reported abducted Wednesday from a home in Lancaster, about 15 miles south of Dallas. A relative told officers she received a call from an unknown man who said the girl was being held against her will and had threatened to harm her. Lancaster police and FBI agents arrested two men Saturday, Devontae Owens, 24, and Laquon Wilkerson, 30. Both are held on $500,000 bond and charged with aggravated kidnapping.
Montgomery County Sheriff's detectives are hoping the public can help identify a man accused of hitting and killing a father at a Fourth of July party early Sunday.

Ray Jasso, of New Caney, was at a party with his children in the 18200 block of Emerald Court when he and another person were struck by a tan 2000's model Chevrolet Suburban or Tahoe which fled the scene. The two were taken to an area hospital where Jasso later died.
Editors Note: In the new podcast Masters of Scale, LinkedIn co-founder and Greylock partner Reid Hoffman explores his philosophy on how to scale a business -- and at Entrepreneur.com, entrepreneurs are responding with their own ideas and experiences on our hub. This week, were discussing Hoffmans theory: There are many good company cultures and many bad company cultures, but a winning company culture only emerges when every employee feels they personally own the culture. Listen to this week's episode here.

Tech company culture has been ripped apart in the news lately, slammed for a lack of diversity, the promotion of top executives despite their HR track records, and a host of other complaints from employees and contractors. Despite the frantic news cycle, there are many tech companies with solid, valuable cultures that are rooted in integrity and kindness.

Related: Netflix's Company Culture Scares Off Some Potential Hires -- and That's a Good Thing

But, how do you get everyone in your tech company on board with the company culture? How do you get them to own it, and share it on their own, not just because youre telling them to? The idea seems ephemeral, but it really begins with the executive team. Ive laid out some ideas below that will help show you just how to create a strong, inclusive company culture that will keep you out of the news for anything less than your incredible success.

1. Be inclusive.

You dont want to create a company with people who are all just like you, of course, so promoting a company culture has to come from a place of inclusion, first and foremost. It is vital in promoting a healthy company culture to take feedback from employees, and welcome diverse viewpoints, especially from women and people of color who are woefully underrepresented in tech companies. Inclusion also asks that you celebrate personal differences, not just merely accept them.

2. Live your values.

Values are set by the personality of the leadership, full stop. How you deal with your team internally, how you treat your staff and how you live your life are a direct reflection of the company culture. When you treat your team (and also your family, friends and perfect strangers) in an honest, kind and helpful way, those values will be mirrored by those who are watching you. Those values need to come personally from the leadership team in the company, who demonstrate what the company culture is all about.

Related: Uber's Woes Teach Us the Cost of a Work Culture Without Empathy

3. Extend company culture to your customers, and have employees do the same.

Its not enough to demonstrate your values only with staff and your immediate team -- your company culture becomes stronger when its extended to the way you deal with customers and customer relations. If you deal with a customer in a dishonest or shady way, how will your staff feel that you are treating them when theyre not looking?

If you want to be a company that cares, you actually have to care and value your customers. How the executive team deals with customers shows everyone in the company not only how to treat customers with respect and dignity, but how to treat each other with respect and dignity, too.

Moreover, the best way to empower your employees to take ownership of the company culture is to encourage them to do the right thing by customers. They feel like they can actually deliver the company culture, and therefore feel ownership over the company culture. You can tell people about the company culture all you like, but if your employees cant deliver it, they wont ever really be part of it.

Related: 3 Proven Ways to Keep Employees Happy

4. Embrace the negatives.

We all mess up and make mistakes -- part of human nature is trying and failing. But, if your executive team is hiding failures, shying away from apologies and sweeping mistakes under the rug, youre going to have a company culture that quickly becomes toxic.

Its up to you to model admitting failure with grace, and repairing as quickly as possible. This makes it safe for your team to come to you with mistakes and admit failure. This bolsters your company culture in multiple ways, the least of which is that embracing failure fosters innovation. Also, without admitting mistakes, nothing can be learned or repaired.

5. Hire for strong principles.

Hiring is the best way to make sure that youre creating a strong company culture. When your team is hiring, be clear to them about the values you are looking for so they hire principled people and principled suppliers, no matter what their personal preferences or diversities are. Celebrating personal differences in the company culture does not conflict with or preclude maintaining the professional values that underlie good business: honesty, integrity, care, kindness, communication, transparency and leaving the planet better than you found it.

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Conroe resident Daniel Vinson, 26, enlisted in the U.S. Army in 2010 at the age of 19 and served a tour in Afghanistan with the infantry. When he returned, he could count on the American Legion Post 411.

"I didn't have a lot of prep time to learn to be an adult outside of the military," Vinson said. "They had someone there to give me advice and to work through my issues."

The Post has made a difference in Vinson's life by also connecting him to a moving company where he now coordinates moving high-end furniture which matched a skillset he had acquired through his military experience.

"It's been really helpful," Vinson said. "I definitely wouldn't be here today with two children and a wife and a plan for the future if it wasn't for the Post or (Incoming Commander Doug Burrell)."

On Sunday, Vinson joined the Post to help out with its third annual Hot Dog Give-a-Way, which aims to foster awareness in the community about the Post.

"It's great," Vinson said. "It's nice to know some people like me know the service doesn't end when you get out. No one relieved you of your duty."

The event is co-hosted by Storage 105 & Mail, who lets the Post, who does not have a physical location in Conroe, hold their meetings at the Poplar Business Park.

"We are so proud to be a part of a group of community service veterans," said Sherri Schmidt who accepted an award on behalf of the business.

A few dozen people sat at Tejas Bingo at noon Saturday, where the 500 free hot dogs were ready to be served. By the end of the day, Burrell said more than 300 hot dogs were served and the remaining 200 were provided to the Conroe police and fire departments.

Once a member of the American Legion Post in Porter, Cut and Shoot resident Allene Hill, 92, attended and stayed after the event to play bingo with her son Clifford Hill, who enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1968 and served for four years.

"It was good," Allene Hill said, describing the hot dog giveaway. "There were quite a few people when I was here and more after we got here.  I joined because I believed in what (the American Legion Post in Porter) was doing to help people."

Four years ago 15 members entered into a reconstruction phase to revamp the inactive American Legion Post 411 in Conroe that was first chartered in 1938. Today, the Post boasts 300 members who are not only supported by a variety of services, but continue to serve the community.

Aside from the giveaway, the Post hosts a variety of events and fundraisers, such as Memorial Day and Veterans Day ceremonies. The members also support youth through the Little League, Junior Shooting Club, and Oratorical Scholarship contests. Although veterans have already served their country, they still feel the need to serve the community.

"It is a deep-seeded need to maintain that oath to defend, to serve, to protect, not only the constitution in America but the communities where we live." Burrell said.

In addition to serving the community, the Post offers guidance for veterans, whether they are a member or not, through benefit paperwork, college, jobs, and health needs.

For example, if a member needs an oxygen tank, a wheelchair, or a trip to the Veteran Affairs Center the Post will find the items and arrange transportation.

There's only one things holding the Post back from exploding in growth and offering more support to veterans, according to Outgoing Commander Steven Merrel-a home. The Post is planning to start a Capital Funds Campaign and is in the process of applying to the list of charities at Tejas Bingo.

"We are doing what should have been done (when the Post was inactive)," Merrel said noting the progress in four years. "There was a need for veteran assistance ... We are looking for a home; we need a home.  Someone could walk in and we could have someone there to meet them."

While the Post has served several generations of military men and woman, whether or not they have served in combat, Burrell acknowledged new challenges for those who have served in wars since the September 11 attacks, like Vinson.

This generation, Burrell said, may have served in multiple tours, endured mental strain, and then are thrust back into normalcy with a need to support a family, difficulty finding a job, a daycare, or enrolling in college-which the Post assists with by connecting the veteran to tools and resources, like computers, daycares, and the Military Veteran Peer Network.

The Post connected Vinson to a job fair.

"If you are a veteran it doesn't matter if you served in the combat zone or not, just join the Legion," Vinson said. "It's good networking, good sense of community and they can help you out if you are in trouble. They have the resources."

For more information or to donate, visit http://www.americanlegionconroe.org or call 361-549-8057 or email CDR@AmericanLegionConroe.org. Meetings are held on the 2nd Tuesday of the month at 7 p.m. at Poplar Business Park, 13614 Poplar Circle Suite 201 in Conroe.
As Entergy Texas inches closer to moving dirt on its nearly $1 billion project, many local entities are throwing support behind the proposed plant.

Most recently, Montgomery County commissioners passed a resolution in support of the plant, which will be located west of Willis near the company's existing Lewis Creek substation. The city councils of Montgomery and Willis have also passed resolutions showing their support for the plant.

Oak Ridge North, Roman Forest, Woodbranch Village and The Woodlands Area Chamber of Commerce have also filed resolutions in support of the plant, according to filings with the Public Utility Commission of Texas (PUCT).

The proposed Montgomery County Power Station is a combined-cycle gas plant that would help serve Entergy's 434,000 customers in 27 southeastern Texas counties that primarily sit to the north and east of Houston. The Entergy Texas region operates as an integrated monopoly outside of the primary, deregulated Texas grid.

The proposed 993-megawatt power plant would cost an estimated $937.3 million and go into service in 2021 after beginning construction in early 2019. Entergy Texas just filed an application with the state's Public Utility Commission for permission to build the plant. One megawatt powers at least 200 homes on the hottest Texas days.

Entergy spokesperson Kacee Kirschvink said local support means a lot to the company.

"We work very hard to establish good relationships with our customers, our communities and our government entities we work with closely," Kirschvink said. "To know these groups are supporting us in our efforts to provide affordable, reliable power to our customers is very important to us. It lets us know that they're supporting our efforts and they also recognize the need for additional power to serve the customers."

The next step for the plant is for the PUCT to review and approve additional paperwork filed by Entergy Texas for the plant. If all goes well, Kirschvink said the company should start construction on the new plant in early 2019.
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Achieving a feat most officers only dream of, two Montgomery County law enforcement officers recently graduated from the FBI National Academy Program at Quantico, Virginia.

Conroe Police Lt. Dorcy McGinnis and Precinct 3 Constable's Capt. Dan Zientek were among about 230 graduates of the academy June 7. The academy is a 10-week program teaching law enforcement officers from around the world advanced communication, leadership and fitness training.

In Montgomery County, both McGinnis and Zientek are able to bring back what they learned to help better their respective departments. But it's not only what they've learned that aids them moving forward - it's the connections they made.

"Since I've been back, we had a particular case that required some processing of evidence that the state lab does not have available," Zientek said. "It was not more than one phone call to the FBI, and that evidence has been sent out to Quantico to help us with the case."

National Academy graduates are a network of more than 50,000 law enforcement officers worldwide. In the most recent class, there were officers from large organizations like the New York Police Department and small departments with only about 20 members.

Some of the international officers were from Pakistan.

"You have all that knowledge in the room and high level of leadership in law enforcement throughout the country (and world)," Zientek said. " Beyond the classrooms and curriculum, you have is these discussions that are very valuable."

For McGinnis, attending the National Academy has been a lifelong goal.

"I feel a great sense of accomplishment," McGinnis said. "I know it was a sacrifice for the police department and my family, and I can't thank them enough for allowing me the opportunity to participate in such an endeavor."

Having known Zientek for years, she enjoyed attending the class with him and building a partnership between their agencies.

McGinnis looks forward to bringing back what she learned to Conroe PD.

"Leadership is more than directing and managing people," McGinnis said. "It's about bringing out the best in each person individually for the good of all. Understanding how to determine what motivates and inspires others will help me relate more effectively both at CPD and the within the community."
Cheong Wa Dae told reporters that the statement would be distributed first before a joint press conference of the two leaders, but it was delayed almost half a day, which Cheong Wa Dae said was due to "administrative procedures."

Normally, such statements are passed out to the news media before the summit even starts, because key areas are agreed upon by both sides prior to the meeting.

It took seven hours for a joint statement to be released after Friday's summit between President Moon Jae-in and U.S. President Donald Trump after the two ended their talks.

There were apparently two reasons for the delay. One was a tug-of-war over the wording. After the White House dinner a day before the summit, Trump tweeted that "a new trade pact was necessary" between Korea and the U.S. The U.S. apparently wanted to include a clear reference to renegotiating the bilateral free trade agreement, which went into effect in 2012.

Both Moon and his staff rebutted Trump's concerns with their own figures and insisted that it would be problematic to include specific references to a renegotiation. As a result, the statement merely said the two sides will be "further committed to foster a truly fair and level playing field, including working together to reduce the global overcapacity of such basic materials as steel, as well as non-tariff barriers to trade."

Another reason may have been an intentional delay by White House Chief of Staff Reince Priebus, who refused to sign the statement for release. A Foreign Ministry source mentioned Trump's leadership style, which has been somewhat haphazard.

The U.S. has issued joint statements with six countries since Trump's inauguration. A joint statement with Vietnam was released the evening after the summit, and a joint statement with Saudi Arabia took three days. However, joint statements with Japan and India were released immediately after the summits.
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An Alamo Heights family was left devastated Friday night after a horrific rollover crash in the Hill Country left two dead and three hospitalized.

The Kilian family was traveling on U.S. Hwy 83 in a Ford F-350 pickup truck near Junction, roughly 115 miles Northwest of San Antonio, when a Chevrolet Camaro veered into the Northbound lane going the wrong direction around 7 p.m. Friday, striking a vehicle being towed behind the Kilian's truck, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

John Kilian, 57, was driving the truck when he swerved to the left to avoid the Camaro, which then struck the Kilian's towed vehicle and caused their F-350 to spin, flip over and land in a ditch, according to DPS

READ ALSO: Video: Erratic driver swerves on Texas highway moments before striking church bus, killing 13

Travis Kilian, 20, who graduated from Alamo Heights High School in 2015, and his mother, Carla Kilian, 55, were both killed in the collision, according to an Alamo Heights ISD email sent to parents.

Zachary Kilian, 17, who is currently a senior at Alamo Heights High School, and his father, John Kilian, were both hospitalized in the crash, the district said. John Kilian was wearing his seat belt, DPS said.

"Zachary is currently recovering at University Hospital here in San Antonio," reads an email from AHISD. "His progress is encouraging as he is conscious and talking, though he still has a long recovery ahead. His father, John, shared his sincere appreciation for the outpouring of love and support for his family from the Alamo Heights Community."

On Facebook, tributes to Travis and his mother began to trickle in Monday.

RELATED: If released on bond, driver in deadly Uvalde crash would have numerous restrictions

"Travis Kilian was the sweet guy in your class who always said hello, always complimented you on your hair, your outfit, your smile," reads one post. "His laugh was always easy to recognize from its goofy tone, and he laugh loud and he laughed often, and I wish I had taken more time to laugh with him and talk with him while he was around."

The driver of the Camaro, 21-year-old Jorge Luis Marroguin, of Rio Grande City, was also hospitalized in the crash, according to DPS. He was wearing a seat belt at the time of the crash.

It is unknown at this time if Marroguin will face charges.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
The Hidalgo County Sheriff's Office apprehended nearly a dozen suspects last week accused of a myriad of charges including making a terroristic threat, driving while intoxicated and assault, among others.

On June 28 and 29, officials in the South Texas county conducted "Operation Palm Harvest," an initiative to locate and arrest "specific gang-affiliated individuals" who had warrants out, they said on Facebook.
About 2,000 students were involved in fights at schools in the San Antonio-area, according to the most recently available data.

School districts across the state report offenses and disciplinary actions taken during a given year to the Texas Education Agency.
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It took one Facebook post and several strangers to get Officer Julio Cavazos what he needed after suffering a gunshot wound last week  a gift for his daughter's 6th birthday.

Cavazos was with fellow Officer Miguel Moreno Thursday, June 29 when they approached two men near San Antonio College. Upon exiting their patrol car, Andrew Bice, 34, opened fire on the officers, striking Moreno in the head and Cavazos in the chin.

Moreno died Friday morning from his wounds. He was 32.

In critical condition at the hospital, Cavazos needed help getting a birthday present for his daughter, whose 6th birthday was June 30. As of Monday, Cavazos was listed in fair condition, said a spokesman at Brooke Army Medical Center.

RELATED: SAPD chief voices his anger with the 'police haters'

And that's when Yolanda Delgado, whose husband has been with SAPD for almost 14 years and works at the Central Substation, stepped up to help.

Word of the birthday gift request made its way through Lt. Leo Alonzo, who spoke to Cavazos at the hospital, and the police community grapevine. After consulting with her husband and fellow police wives, Delgado reached out on Facebook to see if anyone wanted to contribute a gift for Sophia's birthday.

"I'm asking if anyone would like to drop off a gift to show her our love and support city, or nationwide," she said. "If you can drop the gift off at the Central Substation at off Frio or if you need me to pick up, let me know. Thank you for all your love and support, please share this post."

Her post has been shared more than 200 times since and more than 100 gifts have been dropped off for Sophia, Delgado told mySA.com.

RELATED: SAPD stunned by recent officer slayings: 'It seems like we just went through this'

"His main concern was his daughter and his wife," Delgado said of Cavazos.

Roughly 30 minutes after posting to Facebook on Friday, Delgado said five gifts had already been dropped off downtown, a number that has quickly grown to more than 100 presents. There are so many gifts that the haul had to be moved from an office space to another area for extra storage.

The gifts will be presented to Sophia when her dad gets home, Delgado said, adding that Cavazos has no idea about the stack of presents accumulating for his daughter.

"It hurts me that it had to be done this way, but it brings me joy that there's still good people in this world that appreciate these men and women and what they do," Delgado said.

SAPD shared a photo of an office crowded with presents on Facebook, which has spread onto. Hundreds have shared the post and commenters were inspired to drop off a gift.

"We live in the greatest city on earth," said one commenter. "We always support our first responders."

RELATED: Texas law enforcement send condolences, prayers for SAPD officers killed, injured in shootout

Delgado said she hoped the gifts would be a good distraction for Sophia.

"Being distracted from this whole evil act of a human being... this baby does not need to know," Delgado said, adding that hopefully Sophia will be able to know there is still good in the world. "To me, evil never wins and it never will. All these first responders make sure the evil doesn't stick around."

Delgado said she's heard from people in Las Vegas, and Arizona wanting to help out. A group of San Antonio officers pitched in to get Sophia a Barbie car and officials who work in dispatch purchased her a bike and helmet.

"It's amazing," Delgado said.

kbradshaw@express-news.net

Twitter: @kbrad5
Five North Koreans fled to South Korea in a small boat on Saturday afternoon by crossing the de-facto maritime border in the East Sea, a government official here said on Sunday.

The coast guard sent a ship to rescue them in remote waters northeast of Gangneung, Gangwon Province and escorted the boat carrying four men and one woman to South Korean waters. All aboard said they do not want to go back. But a Unification Ministry official said further questioning is needed to make sure that they really want to defect.

In the past, North Koreans fishermen have often drifted into South Korean waters by mistake and asked to return to their home country.

The latest escape is one of a rash of recent defections. In early June, two of a four-man North Korean crew rescued in the East Sea decided to stay here, and two North Korean soldiers crossed the military demarcation line on June 13 and 23. On June 18, a North Korean man in his 20s swam down the Han River to Gimpo.

A security official here said the surge is unprecedented. "Many people seem to have decided to flee because the regime is forcing fishermen to meet steep quotas and because food shortages get worse at this time of year," he said.

Morale among ordinary soldiers appears to be at an all-time low as leader Kim Jong-un pours all of the country's meager resources into his missile and nuclear programs. That makes them more vulnerable to South Korean propaganda being blasted by loudspeaker across the demilitarized zone. "Our propaganda broadcasts... seem to have touched a nerve with a new generation of North Korean soldiers," the official speculated.


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Two people, a pedestrian and a driver, were killed Sunday night in separate traffic accidents on the West Side.

The first incident occurred around 9:30 p.m. when a driver in a pickup truck hit a 38-year-old man who was walking across the road in the 1300 block of Bandera, according to police. According to a preliminary police report, the victim was drunk at the time.

The pedestrian was rushed to University Hospital in critical condition but later died.

RELATED: SAPD: Man found stabbed under downtown bridge

Police said the driver is not facing any charges at this time, though traffic investigators are looking into the incident.

In the second incident, 23-year-old Javonte McElvain was killed around 11:10 p.m. near Culebra and Potranco Roads after he crashed into a median while arguing with a passenger in his vehicle, police said.

McElvain had allegedly been drinking before the crash and was arguing with a woman in the front seat over past relationship issues, police said. At some point during the argument, according to police, punches were exchanged between both parties.

During the fight, McElvain's orange Dodge Charger struck a guardrail on the vehicle's passenger side, veered across all lanes of traffic on Cluebra, went over a median, crossed over all lanes of oncoming traffic and finally came to a stop at the opposite guardrail. Police said there was no apparent attempt to brake throughout the crash.

RELATED: Girlfriend of gunman who shot and killed SAPD officer shares photos, his text messages

Neither McElvain nor the other passenger were wearing seat belts at the time of the crash, police said.

McElvain was transported to University Hospital in critical condition but was later pronounced dead. The passenger in his vehicle was also transported to University Hospital for treatment.

Police are currently investigating the accident.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
A San Antonio woman having a "psychotic attack" allegedly bit a 30-year-old man in the face and chest last month at a Northwest Side apartment complex shortly before his death, according to police records.

The San Antonio Police Department has listed Javier Angulo Fernandez de Lara's passing as an apparent sudden death, but said it could be a possible case of homicide given the circumstances.

RELATED: South Texas flea market vendors allegedly sold fake Chanel, Gucci items to undercover agents

Officers found Fernandez de Lara around 1:30 a.m. on June 21 at an apartment complex in the 12000 block of Vance Jackson. Emergency crews were responding to a call from a man who claimed there was woman having a "psychotic attack" and that his face and body hurt.

When officers arrived at the caller's apartment, a naked woman answered the door. Behind her, Fernandez de Lara sat unconscious in a chair with blood in his mouth and a bite marks on his face and chest, according to a preliminary police report on the incident.

Paramedics came to the scene and determined Fernandez de Lara was having a heart attack. They attempted to revive him but were ultimately unsuccessful.

During an interview with police, the woman, who has not been identified, allegedly admitted she had hit Fernandez de Lara in the face and bit him during an argument.

RELATED: SAPD: Man stabbed while sleeping at homeless camp under downtown bridge

"She stated that she had taken off her clothes to show she could be free of him and had gone outside naked at least once," according to the police report.

Police say the woman showed signs of mental illness, so they placed her under emergency detention, which police use when someone is suffering from a mental illness or crisis and need immediate medical attention.

According to the preliminary report, police are investigating Fernandez de Lara's case as a homicide pending a ruling from the Bexar County Medical Examiner's Office. Such a ruling had not been made by Monday.

A GoFundMe page for Fernandez de Lara's funeral expenses provided a touching tribute to his life.

"You are an exemplary person, a singular and irreplaceable friend. Your loss leaves a void in every one of our souls, but I know that your smile will always rule in our hearts," a translation of the page reads.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
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Funeral arrangements for the 32-year-old San Antonio Police Officer who was killed in a shootout north of downtown will take place Thursday and Friday, according to department officials.

The viewing for Ofc. Miguel Moreno will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Porter Loring funeral home downtown in the 1100 block of McCullough Avenue. Following the viewing, a service will be held at the same location. The public is invited to attend until 9 p.m., after which only officers are allowed in.

RELATED: Details of Miguel Moreno's life revealed through memories of friends and family

On Friday, law enforcement authorities will conduct Moreno's funeral procession from the Alamodome Parking Lot B to Community Bible Church in the 2400 block of North Loop 1604 East. Assembly for the procession begins at 7 a.m. and will depart from the parking lot at 8 a.m.

A memorial service will be held at Community Bible Church following the conclusion of the procession. The service is scheduled for 10 a.m.

Police Honors will take place after the service, and a private burial will follow the honor ceremony. The public is invited to the memorial service and police honor ceremony. The burial is reserved for family and authorized SAPD personnel.

RELATED: Social media tributes pour in for slain SAPD Officer Miguel Moreno

Moreno was shot in the head Thursday near Evergreen and Howard Streets after attempting to stop Andrew C. Bice and another man during a "directed patrol" focused on preventing car burglaries.

As soon as he and his partner, Ofc. Julio Cavazos, stepped out of their vehicle, Bice opened fire, striking Moreno in the head and Cavazos in the chest.

Cavazos was able to move Moreno to safety and return fire on Bice, striking him in the buttocks. Bice made his way to the corner of Evergreen and Howard, where he killed himself by gunshot to the head, according to authorities.

As of Monday, Cavazos was listed in fair condition, said a spokesman at Brooke Army Medical Center

Both Moreno and Cavazos were 9-year veterans of the department at the time of the shootout.

The San Antonio Police Officers Association has set up the Miguel Moreno Memorial Account at Generations Federal Credit Union. It also has set up a benefit account for Cavazos. Donations may be made in person at any Generations FCU branch or online. For more information, go to www.mygenfcu.org.

In addition,Richard A. Miller, president of the 100 Club of San Antonio, announced Monday that they are taking donations to directly help the families of both Moreno and Cavazos as well as the families of other fallen officers and firefighters through its survivors fund.

The organization is a resident-based group that traditionally offers monetary help to families of an officer or firefighter immediately after a death.

Miller said they will be presenting a monetary gift to help the families with travel and other expenses.

Deputy Chief Joseph MacKay said numerous people have been offering condolences and shows of support at the Public Safety Headquarters downtown.

Its so overwhelming the incredible support we get from our citizens, MacKay said. With stuff like that, I know I live in the right city.

Text "NEWS" to 77453 for breaking news alerts from mySA.com

Staff Writer Jacob Beltran contributed to this report.

cdowns@mysa.com

Twitter: @calebjdowns
U.S. President Donald Trump said after his summit with President Moon Jae-in on Friday that he wants to ensure a "fair" division of the cost of keeping 29,000 American troops in Korea. Trump stressed that a fair sharing of the costs is "very important."

The comments were absent from the written joint statement the two leaders issued after their summit, but Trump often talks off the cuff, perhaps to play to his core support base.

One diplomatic source said, "The comments may have been for domestic consumption, but they did confirm that Trump is determined to raise Korea's share of the costs." As a result, Seoul could face pressure to shoulder more of the costs in annual defense talks scheduled late this year.


Of those from whom little is expected, much is forgiven. And of those from whom much is expected, little is forgiven. Such are the standards by which Donald Trumps deliberate assaults on the news media need to be understood and feared.

I write this following Trumps latest tirades against the Fourth Estate, including an early morning tweet Tuesday denouncing Fake News CNN for having been caught falsely pushing their phony Russian stories. That was followed 17 minutes later by a larger eruption, in which the president named NBC, CBS, ABC, The Washington Post and The New York Times as all Fake News!

CNNs sin is to have published a story, based on anonymous sourcing, which alleged that New York financier and Trump ally Anthony Scaramucci had ties to a Russian investment fund supposedly under investigation by the Senate.

The story failed to undergo CNNs usual vetting procedures and was later retracted. For good measure, the three journalists behind the story resigned and the network apologized to Scaramucci, who was gracious in accepting it.

As for this White House, graciousness becomes it about as well as napalm becomes an igloo.

Yet before dismissing Trumps rants as evidence of his mental state, its worth taking them seriously as proof of political acumen. Recently, Gallup released its latest annual survey on confidence in institutions: It found that confidence in the presidency had fallen since last summer, to 32 percent from 36 percent.

That may be bad news for Trump, but it compares well against the 24 percent confidence level in TV news and 27 percent newspapers (although both are a bit up over a year ago). Among Republicans, just 14 percent of respondents had confidence in TV news, and just 12 percent in newspapers, but 60 percent had confidence in the presidency.

If nothing else, Trump has the bullys cunning to pick on a target more unpopular than he is. And like a bully, he knows that his mark suffers the additional weakness of being susceptible to moral reproach. Preserving  even cultivating  a capacity for shame, the news media are easily shamed. The shameless, having none, are only too glad to participate in the shaming.

Thats why it was a mistake of CNN to let the three journalists responsible for the Scaramucci story go. The political success of Trumps assault on the press depends on his conflation of mistakes with dishonesty, of fallibility with fakery.

Assuming no dishonesties were involved in CNNs actions, cashiering the journalists does less to uphold the networks reputation for probity than it does to advance Trumps work. No news organization is going to pass an infallibility test. Journalistic honesty is better measured through corrections than dismissals.

Thats a lesson that bears repeating now, as the White Houses media vilification strategy comes to resemble a war on truth itself. Ive noted elsewhere that Trumps notion of truth is whatever he can get away with, at any given moment, for any given purpose.

No serious news organization can stand for it, which is why this president and the press would be destined for an adversarial relationship even if their ideological leanings were more in sync. Call it truth as a construct of facts versus truth as a collection of wants and wishes. And never the twain shall meet.

In the meantime, the news media ought to take care not to underestimate the threat they face from this White House. We have set ourselves up as guardians of Truth, a hard job in any circumstance, made additionally difficult by our inevitable errors in judgment and reporting, by an earnestness often mistaken for arrogance, and by our conviction that we are owed answers to whatever questions we wish to ask.

On the other side is a president who believes in none of this; who commands a following that believes in none of it; and who knows the power of holding the media accountable to their stringent standards and holding himself accountable only to his own.

How do you shame the shameless? You cant. But you can at least deny him the right to shame you. Something to consider over at CNN.

Bret Stephens writes a column for the New York Times.
Kevin Durants selfless approach has made him an ideal fit with the Warriors, on the court and off. Now, to keep the core of the NBA champions roster together, he is doing something seldom seen from superstars in their prime: taking a pay cut.

The belief entering free agency was that Durant would re-sign with Golden State for a little less than $32 million next season, which would have been a 20 percent bump from what he made in 2016-17. But according to an ESPN report, he instead will ink a two-year, $53 million deal with the Warriors.

Durant, who will have a player option on the second year, is expected to opt out again next summer.

Many initially thought he would sign for roughly $4 million less than the maximum possible extension he could ink, which would enable Golden State to not renounce its rights to any other free agents. Durant ultimately went significantly lower, which is why the Warriors will be able to re-sign Andre Iguodala to a three-year, $48 million deal and Shaun Livingston to a three-year, $24 million contract.

Though agreements can be reached, no contracts can be signed during the NBAs moratorium period, which ends Thursday.

Durant, who has made more than $135 million in his career (not including endorsements), effectively gave up part of his potential earnings so the Warriors could return next season to defend their title with essentially the same cast. His $25 million salary for 2017-18 is $9.5 million less than the max he could have made, $6.8 million less than was expected and $1.5 million less than he made in 2016-17.

According to ESPN, had Iguodala left, Durant was willing to take even less to help restock the roster. The Warriors reportedly were eyeing Rudy Gay, who averaged 18.7 points and 6.3 rebounds with Sacramento before tearing his right Achilles tendon in January, as an option if they couldnt re-sign Iguodala.

In addition to helping Golden State keep its roster stable, Durants decision alleviates some of the teams tax burden. His decision to take less could save the Warriors millions by dropping them to a lower luxury-tax-penalty bracket. Golden State is on pace to be approximately $13 million over the luxury-tax threshold of $119 million  the next penalty bracket begins at $15 million over that.

As of Monday afternoon, Golden State had 11 players secured for next season: Durant, Iguodala, Stephen Curry, Livingston, David West, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Patrick McCaw, Damian Jones, Kevon Looney and rookie Jordan Bell. Zaza Pachulia, Ian Clark, JaVale McGee, Matt Barnes and James Michael McAdoo are still free agents.

Pachulia is intent on sticking with Golden State, even if that means leaving money on the table for the second straight year. Odds are that Clark and McGee, both of whom figure to warrant far more than a minimum deal, will parlay productive seasons into sizable offers from other clubs.

According to ESPN, the Warriors are optimistic about retaining McGee, who has drawn interest from the Clippers, Suns and Heat. Barnes and McAdoo probably could be brought back on minimum contracts, but it remains unclear whether the Warriors want to use two of their final roster spots on them.

Connor Letourneau is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cletourneau@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @Con_Chron
The Foreign Ministry stressed to U.S. officials that the alliance must not show any cracks at this sensitive time. A government official said national security adviser Chung Eui-yong visited Washington early last month and right before the summit to discuss the THAAD issue beforehand so that it did not throw a monkey wrench in the works.

The omission seems to have been the result of strenuous efforts by the government here, which was wary of getting off to a rough start with the notoriously volatile Trump.

President Moon Jae-in and his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump during their summit Friday managed to skirt the contentious issue of the deployment of a THAAD anti-missile battery in Korea.

Moon has ordered a procedural review of the deployment, which was rushed through in the dying days of the Park Geun-hye administration. In interviews with the international media, he has tried to dispel concerns, saying the review does not mean he wants to send the battery back. And in meetings with U.S. senators and representatives, Moon offered assurances that he does not intend to backtrack on the agreement.

But the controversy is far from over. Korea experts in Washington point out that Moon never set a date for the THAAD deployment to be completed. At the moment, two launchers are up but another four sit in storage pending an environmental evaluation, and protesters are still blocking the access road.

Moon is in a dilemma. On the one hand, the U.S. wants the deployment to be completed as fast as possible, on the other hand China does not want the THAAD on its doorstep at all, and both countries have been putting heavy pressure on Seoul.

Moon will sit down with Chinese President Xi Jinping on the sidelines of the G20 Summit in Germany this week. One former high-ranking diplomat said, "If Moon takes an ambiguous stance at that meeting, he could end up being viewed with suspicion by the U.S."
President Emmerson Mnangagwa is studying a forensic audit report on Zimbabwe Manpower Development Fund (Zimdef) amid indications that more than $3 million could have been taken from the fund in suspicious circumstances.

Higher and Tertiary Education minister Amon Murwira told NewsDay the report was now with Mnangagwa and action will be taken after his approval.

A lot of issues were raised and recommendations made, but at the moment, I cannot divulge as to what will be done to anyone until the President has finished studying the report and given directions. This is a forensic audit and by its nature, it makes recommendations, Murwira said.

The audit was undertaken amid suspicion that former Higher and Education minister Jonathan Moyo had abused the fund for personal gain.

In the run up to the audit in December, Murwira sent six top managers at Zimdef on forced leave to allow the probe to go on without challenges.

The managers include chief executive officer Fredrick Mandizvidza, principal finance director and administrator Nicholas Mapute; human resources manager Ignatius Kanjengo; chief accountant Ropafadzo Mukamba and senior revenue manager, James Gombarago.

Moyo, currently in self-imposed exile and his former deputy, Godfrey Gandawa were accused of siphoning over $400 000 from Zimdef.

Zimdef funds are meant to support students at tertiary institutions.

At one point, Gandawa allegedly bought personal furniture using Zimdef funds, while Moyo confirmed buying bicycles for his then Tsholotsho North constituency. The Zanu-PF youth league then led by Kudzanai Chipanga was also a big beneficiary of Zimdef funds.

Information at hand also suggested that auditors unearthed questionable procurement of some properties by Zimdef.

It was alleged that the parastatal purchased Pandhari Lodge for $2,2 million after outbidding other potential buyers, and also bought another property along Tongogara Street in Harare for over $2 million.

The auditors were also reportedly interested in knowing how Zimdef monies were spent on the Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) programme.

In 2016, ZITF related gobbled $1 million compared to $22 000 in 2015 and these are some of the documents that were requested by the auditors, a preliminary report read.

It is also believed that managers were allegedly getting 460 litres of fuel per month, $2 500 school fees per child with a maximum of three children being covered, $300 telephone allowances and $120 airtime per month.

 NewsDay

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WASHINGTON  While vanilla ice cream continues to reign supreme as America's favorite, chocolate-filled flavors dominate the top five bestselling ice cream flavors according to a recent survey of ice cream makers and retailers across the United States.

According to the survey, America's top five flavors are: vanilla, chocolate, cookies n' cream, mint chocolate chip and chocolate chip cookie dough. The International Dairy Foods Association (IDFA) released the results to launch its celebration of National Ice Cream Month, which runs throughout the July.

"Vanilla has long been the best-selling ice cream flavor not only because it is creamy and delicious, but also because of its ability to enhance so many other desserts and treats," said Cary Frye, IDFA vice president of regulatory and scientific affairs and nationally respected expert on ice cream and frozen desserts. "It tastes great topped by whipped cream and fudge sauce in a sundae, with root beer in a float or atop a warm slice of apple pie."

When asked to name their most daring and creative flavors, the respondents listed less traditional options including lemon poppyseed muffin, black sesame and a bourbon- and caffeine-spiked concoction called Exhausted Parent.

Survey results also confirmed that many ice cream makers and retailers have family-owned businesses, have been in operation for more than 50 years and primarily market their products locally and regionally.

From neighborhood scoop shops to national brands, the ice cream industry in the United States contributes more than $39.0 billion to the national economy and creates more than 188,000 jobs nationally.

The Great Lakes region, which includes Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin, is a hot spot for the chilled treat. For respondents who market their products regionally, the area earned the top spot for the most successful and the most served market.

Respondents also ranked the Southwest, Plains and the Mideast regions as their next most successful markets, helping to answer the often-asked question: "Which region consumes the most ice cream?"

When asked about ingredients added to ice cream, the majority of those surveyed said that pecans are the most popular nut or nut flavoring, while strawberries are the most popular fruit added to their frozen treats.

Waffle cones and sugar cones were voted as equally popular containers with consumers, while ice cream sandwiches came out on top as America's favorite novelty product. Respondents voted the ice cream sandwich as their best-selling novelty over ice cream cups, pops, cones and bars respectively.

In 1984, President Ronald Reagan designated July as National Ice Cream Month and the third Sunday of the month as National Ice Cream Day. In the proclamation, President Reagan called for all people of the United States to observe these events with "appropriate ceremonies and activities." This year, National Ice Cream Day is Sunday, July 16.

Read more about convenience retail trends and industry insights in a recent NACS Magazine Category Close-Up on the ice cream/frozen novelties category.
IRVINE, Calif.  Brides and grooms will soon have another option of venues to host their Las Vegas wedding. Taco Bell unveiled that beginning August 7, folks will be able to tie the knot Taco Bell-style at the brand's flagship Las Vegas Cantina restaurant.

On June 25, Taco Bell hosted its inaugural wedding for the winners of the previously announced Love and Tacos Contest, in which couples across America entered to win an all-expense paid trip to wed at the Las Vegas Cantina. Following more than 150 entries and nearly 17,000 votes, Dan Ryckert and Bianca Monda won the contest, and they celebrated the wedding of their Doritos Locos Taco-filled dreams.

Now that Dan and Bianca have paved the way, starting August 7, more couples can have their own Taco Bell wedding, which they can walk in and order right off the Las Vegas Cantina menu. Ringing in at $600, the wedding package is complete with a ceremony performed by an ordained officiant, a private reception area for up to 15 guests, custom merchandise for the bride and groom, Taco Bell branded champagne flutes, a Taco 12 Pack, a Cinnabon Delights cake and, last but certainly not least, a sauce packet bouquet.

For more information on how to get married at Taco Bell visit tacobell.com/feed/how-to-get-married.


This Real News Network interview with Sabine Jessen, National Director of the Oceans Program for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, discusses the Trudeau governments plans to increase offshore oil exploration even though such a policy will undermine protection targets included in international agreements Canada has signed.

D. LASCARIS: This is Dimitri Lascaris for The Real News.

On June 18th, the party of Frances new president, Emmanuel Macron, won a large majority of seats in Frances parliamentary elections. Although the importance of that victory was diminished somewhat by a record low turnout, President Macron wasted no time in announcing an ambitious policy in the battle to address potentially catastrophic climate change. His new ecological transitions minister, the popular environmentalist Nicolas Hulot, stated that France will issue a moratorium on new oil and gas exploration licenses. Among other things, the moratorium will essentially kill development of fracking in mainland France and in the countrys overseas territories.

Meanwhile, another young and telegenic Western leader, Justin Trudeau, made a very different sort of announcement. On Friday of last week, Canadas Trudeau government proposed to allow oil and gas exploration in a new marine protected area that it plans to establish where the Gulf of St. Lawrence meets the Atlantic Ocean. The establishment of the marine protected area is part of Trudeaus promise to set aside 10% of Canadas coastal waters by 2020 for protection. But environmental groups and ocean scientists argue that Ottawa is undermining the effort by allowing future oil and gas exploration in that zone.

Now here to discuss this with us is Sabine Jessen. Sabine is the national director of the Oceans Program for the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. She also serves as the marine conservation director for the British Columbia chapter of the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, and she has served as an advisor to Fisheries and Oceans Canada, BC Parks, the British Columbia Commission on Resources and Environment, and the Economic Council of Canada. Sabine joins us today from Vancouver. Thanks for joining us, Sabine.

SABINE JESSEN: A pleasure to be here.

D. LASCARIS: Sabine, last year you coauthored a study that examined the progress that has been made in protecting North Americas marine environment. The study found that in North America, Canada is the furthest behind in protecting the ocean, and it also stated as follows, Based on our analysis, our overall conclusion is that there remains a long way to go in reaching national and international targets to protect at least 10% of the ocean estate in North American countries. Overall, less than 1% of continental North Americas ocean estate is protected and only 0.04% is in fully protected areas that scientists say are the best hope to protect ocean ecosystems for the long term. My question, Sabine, is what is the ocean estate, and why is it important that the ocean estate be protected?

SABINE JESSEN: The ocean estate basically goes from a countrys coastline out to the 200-mile limit of the exclusive economic zone, so it takes in two parts of the ocean territories: the territorial sea and the exclusive economic zone. In Canada, we have the longest coastline in the world, and we have a very large ocean estate, but we have in the past done very little despite those commitments weve made to actually protect it through marine protected areas.

D. LASCARIS: Lets talk about those commitments for a moment. Canada is a signatory to the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity. What are the main obligations that this convention imposes on Canada?

SABINE JESSEN: In 2010, under the convention the signatories including Canada agreed that by 2020 we would protect at least 10% of our ocean estate. As you noted, in our report last year, we were at less than 1%. Now the Trudeau government when it came in, they did make significant commitments to actually meet those targets. Weve had the targets for a while, and they actually said theyre going to meet them. In fact, they actually set themselves a very ambitious interim target of protecting 5% by the end of this year.

D. LASCARIS: Right. What is the actual extent of the protection today?

SABINE JESSEN: With some recent announcements, we are at, if you count everything regardless of how well its protected, we are at 1.54%.

D. LASCARIS: If I might just focus on the phrase that are protected to some extent, I think you said-

SABINE JESSEN: Yeah.

D. LASCARIS: [inaudible 00:04:41] to the convention, you talked about the amount of ocean estate that must be protected under the convention. The convention specify exactly what protection means, and if so, what does it say about that?

SABINE JESSEN: The whole purpose of a Convention on Biological Diversity is to halt the decline in species and habitats both on land and in the ocean. The commitment applies to the land, as well as the sea because we are seeing biodiversity decline globally at a huge rate, so the convention is all about getting countries to do more to stop that decline.

One of the best tools to do that, not the only tool but one of the best tools, is through protected areas that protect all elements of biodiversity in a particular place. That means if youre protecting all of biodiversity, youre not allowing industrial uses, youre not allowing things in the ocean like industrial-scale commercial fishing because those are the things that really significantly impact the species and the habitats that youre trying to protect.

D. LASCARIS: To a layperson like myself, protecting 10% of the ocean estate does not sound like a particularly ambitious goal because it implies that 90% of the ocean estate is unprotected.

SABINE JESSEN: Yes. Yes.

D. LASCARIS: Is protecting 10% of the ocean estate, lets talk about the science, not political reality, truly adequate from a scientific perspective to ensure the long-run health of marine ecosystems? Or a 10% threshold simply the best outcome the signatories to this convention could agree upon given the political realities of the time?

SABINE JESSEN: I think its very definitely the 10%, and is at least 10%, that that very much is a political target because globally we were just so far behind protecting the ocean compared to the land, although the land target is only 17%. But youre absolutely right. From a scientific perspective and everything we know, the science on the ocean side is its at least 30% that needs to be protected. Theres a growing global movement to say we should really be protecting at least half. Surely, its enough for us to use half as one species that we share the planet with and allow half for the rest. So that is something that is being talked about quite a bit now internationally.

D. LASCARIS: A very recent study in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution concluded that oil and gas exploration will cause significant damage to the marine environment. What type of damage would that type of exploration likely cause in the Gulf of St. Lawrence where this particular marine protected area is situated?

SABINE JESSEN: What that study addressed was the use of seismic exploration techniques, which is basically sending sound waves into the ocean, and that helps them map and find non-renewable resources buried in the seabed. We have known for a long time that seismic activities are very harmful to marine mammals, but what this study showed is that its also very harmful to the zooplankton, the smallest creatures that live in the ocean that sustain the entire food web. They were shocked at their results, and they are very concerned that by allowing seismic activity in the ocean, we are actually undermining the entire marine food web.

D. LASCARIS: Of course, if youre going to conduct  Theres no point to conducting exploration unless youre going to actually exploit any economically viable reserves that you find, and that presumably is going to create a whole range of other negative effects upon the marine protected area.

SABINE JESSEN: Of course, yeah. Because if you do find something, then youre getting into drilling and the potential for spills and all the other things that are associated with oil and gas development in the offshore.

D. LASCARIS: I understand that there are offshore petroleum boards for the Canadian Maritime Provinces of Nova Scotia and Newfoundland. What authority do these boards have over marine protected areas, and what influence, if any, does industry have over the boards themselves?

SABINE JESSEN: The boards themselves, the legislation establishing those boards gives them supremacy over every other piece of legislation that applies to the ocean. So if the board wont agree to a prohibition on oil and gas activity in, say, a proposed marine protected area, then, for example, Fisheries and Oceans Canada cant prohibit it because its up to the board. So in the example, recently Canada established St. Anns Bank off Nova Scotia, in that case, offshore oil and gas was prohibited. But in the case of Laurentian Channel in Newfoundland offshore region, the board, I guess, has declined to allow for a prohibition in that marine protected area.

D. LASCARIS: Do industry representatives or persons with close links to, for example, the fossil fuels industry, do they sit on these boards?

SABINE JESSEN: The boards are governed by the province. Its a joint board between the province and the federal government, so its established by those two levels of government to govern how oil and gas exploration and development occurs in the joint areas.

D. LASCARIS: I want to just conclude our discussion by going back to the statements I made at the outset about the recent announcement by the French government. I talked about the French governments moratorium on new oil and gas exploration licenses. France produces far less oil and gas than Canada but has a population that is almost twice as large as Canadas. Also, Canada is a country that is really no less wealthy than France. In light of these facts, I wonder if France can impose a moratorium on new and oil and gas exploration, why cant Canadas Trudeau government do the same thing?

SABINE JESSEN: I dont know. I have no idea why we havent done that and why, even in the areas that were saying that were trying to protect for biodiversity, we cant even prohibit it in those areas. I really dont understand this thinking.

D. LASCARIS: This has been Dimitri Lascaris speaking to Sabine Jessen about the Trudeau governments announcement that it is going to allow oil and gas exploration in the marine protected area in the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Thank you for speaking to us today, Sabine.

SABINE JESSEN: Thank you.

D. LASCARIS: And this is Dimitri Lascaris for The Real News.
By Jerri-Lynn Scofield, who has worked as a securities lawyer and a derivatives trader. She now spends much of her time in Asia and is currently researching a book about textile artisans. She also writes regularly about legal, political economy, and regulatory topics for various consulting clients and publications, as well as scribbles occasional travel pieces for The National.

Early Tuesday June 27 just before midnight, as a matter of fact, I went to Kolkatas international airport to board a 2:00 a.m. Thai Airways flight.

I was quite excited travelling still does that for me, and thats part of the reason I continue to do so much of it. I was en route to Hong Kong to visit an old Oxford friend and celebrate my birthday. I also had some meetings lined up.

I intended to check in two hefty pieces of luggage, carrying what I needed for what will be a three-month journey before I return to my Brooklyn home in September.

When I travel, I always opt for inexpensive, well-made luggage choosing unique pieces, so theres no chance that someone else will mistake my bags for theirs. This time, I had a mid-size wheeled bag, covered in orange leatherette printed with a map of the world the replacement for a much nicer bag that Egypt Air had ripped the wheels off on a Cairo-Port Ghalib flight on New Years Day. The orange leatherette bag a tacky and tasteless example that no self-respecting chic person would be caught dead with was the best replacement I could find, and perfect for my purposes. Ill use it, until some airline inevitably rips its wheels off at some future date, it meets with some other accident, or simply wears out. Then Ill replace it with something similar.

My second bag a blue and white printed cloth duffel bag was about to take its maiden airline voyage. The duffel was heavily packed including some diving gear, several books, clothing, my favorite pair of leather lace-up walking shoes, toiletries, a dental retainer, a bag of adaptors and chargers, among other items.

At the last minute, I also tossed about a dozen cloth-bound notebooks into the duffel bag. When I visit a country, I carry a notebook for jotting down notes about my journey, and when I plan on revisiting a country, the notebook for that place comes along with. I also included notebooks I needed for pending work.

Now, attentive readers can sense where this is going and ask, why didnt I throw the notebooks in my carry-on? A good question.

Well, that already contained my laptop, a camera, two lenses, my birding binoculars, and a couple other vital things And, I know from experience that weighs at least 12-15 kilos, and I just didnt want to fight with anyone to allow me to carry my notebooks onboard.

So I did what one should never do: put something irreplaceable into checked baggage.

Check In Kolkata: Day One

The check in experience in Kolkata was not seamless. I asked for a paper tag to put on my new bag and was told, No need, Madame. We will tag the bag.

At this point, faint alarm bells were ringing. Which I ignored.

Since at this point in Kolkata a small airport no other check-in desks were open at midnight, so there was no place to procure a paper tag.

The flight routing Id chosen made a connection in Bangkok. Id opted for a Kolkata-Bangkok-Hong Kong routing on Thai Airways, rather than a direct Cathay Pacific flight, as I could pay for the Thai flight with American Express miles, rather than lay out cash for the more expensive Cathay Pacific non-stop.

I can easily sleep on any flight, but I decided that since the non-stop flight was only 4 hrs, I wouldnt really get enough sleep to make it work my while to pay cash for the flight, so chose Thai Airways.

Big big mistake.

Im about to tell you why.

The agent checked me in, and handed me a boarding pass to Bangkok only and started to tag my bags.

Wait I said. Im going to Hong Kong. Oh. Several minutes passed, and a couple of other gate agents were roped in to help correct his error.

A bit stroppily, he asked where was my visa? That was a reasonable question, because most people who fly from Kolkata to Hong Kong are Indian nationals, and therefore require advance visas to visit Hong Kong.

I have a US passport I said politely. I qualify for a visa on arrival.

Oh.

Several minutes passed while the agent searched for confirmation of this fact, and then he handed me my boarding passes Kolkata-Bangkok, Bangkok-Hong Kong.

Given the confusion, you can be sure I watched very carefully as he took the old baggage checks off my bags, tagged them properly to Hong Kong, and added bar codes as well.

The rest of my journey was uneventful. Thai Airways actually has nice large seats in steerage, the service was polite, the food edible.

The first flight took off and landed on time, I had plenty of time to reach the gate for the second, and that, too, took off and landed on time.

Arrival In Hong Kong

My nightmare began not during either flight but after I landed in Hong Kong, at the luggage carousel. My orange leatherette suitcase arrived, no problem. I waited for the blue and white duffel. And waited. And waited.

I watched as other passengers collected their bags.

Finally, I realized I had a problem, found an agent, and was escorted to the desk to fill out a lost luggage report. I described my bag as a blue, soft bag, without wheels and pointed to something similar. Its not a suitcase I say.

The paperwork was completed quickly and efficiently. Although the reporting form was headed Thai Airways, the actual agent listed on the form is SATS HK Limited Baggage Service. Here the crapification begins.

I provided the address of the friend I was visiting, her phone number, and the phone number of her Hong Kong helper. I hadnt opted to buy a Hong Kong SIM and my dumbphone remained switched off. The agent told me that the bag probably hadnt made it onto the plane, but there were three or four more Thai Airways flights that day, and my bag would be loaded onto one of those, and Id likely have it before the end of the day.

Without any working phone of my own and knowing that my friends a doctor so not always able to pick up her mobile during the day I called the SATS HK Limited Baggage Service number a couple of times. I was told that they cannot find any record of my bag having passed through Bangkok And theyd yet to hear from Kolkata either.

I spoke to my friend, who told me not to worry. She had flown on Cathay Pacific two weeks previously. Her bag went missing in Rome, there was no record of it either. Nonetheless, Cathay called her several times a day notice Cathay called her telling her they were looking for the bag. And then three days later, it simply appeared with all its tags intact, and no explanation about what had happened.

Day Two

Today was my birthday and Id made plans for the evening. With most of my clothes missing, I was arrayed in a rather zaftig fashion. I called SATS HK Limited Baggage Service number a couple of times. One time, I was asked whether I had a pair or shoes in the outside pocket of my wheeled suitcase. No, I explained again, its not a wheeled suitcase, but a blue and white duffel bag, quite heavy, filled with books, etc. I explained that not only do I need my notebooks, I also have dental retainers, and some special toothbrush, etc., in the bag, that Im supposed to use every day. The toothbrush would be quite pricey to replace and the manual thing I picked up at the 7/11 is not adequate.

Dont worry, well find your bag. I made a couple of more calls before anyone admitted that SATS HK Limited Baggage Service had yet to receive any report from either Kolkata or Bangkok about the bag. Had anyone checked the lost luggage section of either airport? No, we cannot reach anyone in either place.

I checked out the Thai Airways website. Major crapification. Please click on the Feedback page. And try and submit feedback. Guess what? You cannot. The first item tells the user to Select subject. But you cannot Select Subject. (When I subsequently pointed this out to someone from SATS HK Limited Baggage Service, they said, yes, we know, we can never get through to them that way.)

I asked the SATS HK Limited Baggage Service people about compensation for stuff I need to buy, they replied that I need to speak to Thai Airways. I called Thai Airways HK Airport customer service number, and was told I need to call a number that of sa SATS HK Limited Baggage Service.

I called them again and am told they havent heard from either Kolkata or Bangkok.

I found a number for Thai Airways Kolkata Airport- where I knew Id find an English speaker called the airport, get a person, who told me to call back in a half hour and in the meantime, hed check for the bag.

I called back: no bag here Madame.

Day Three

More of the same. I called the SATS HK number again, Im told again no one can reach Bangkok, and thered been no response from Kolkata. I explained Id called Kolkata and was told there was no bag there.

Thats what they always tell customers. Well, I asked, could you call Kolkata for me? Maybe theyll tell you the truth.

Several calls to SATS HK followed, and each time I was there was no response from Bangkok, and there was no record of the bag as having made it there.

I tried the Hong Kong Customer Service number again, and was referred to the SATS HK Limited number.

Then, I called Thai Airways Kolkata again, this time opting for a sales and ticketing number, and reached a baggage supervisor. He seemed to know what he was doing, promised to follow up with Bangkok and to get me the name and number of a person I could talk to in Thai Airways customer service in Hong Kong.

Day Four

Basically, more of the same. Still no news from Bangkok.

I decided to take the day off and enjoy Hong Kong.

When I returned to my friends flat, an email awaited me from the Thai Airways baggage supervisor person in Kolkata. He assumed I had my bag by now. I responded: I dont. And rang him to ask him, again,to provide me with a contact at Thai Airways customer service in Hong Kong.

An email soon arrived with a name and number of a person for me to speak to, but by the time I could call, he was gone of the day and the following day is a national holiday, the twentieth anniversary of the Hong Kong handover.

I also spoke to SATS HK Limited Again, and this time, insisted they take my email. I received an email shortly thereafter.

Day Five

Next morning, another email arrived from SATS HK Limited, this time, with pictures of bags attached. None of these is blue and white, nor are they duffle bags.

This message followed from SATS HK:

Thanks again for your email, as we already rechecked in HKG and Negative found, please give us a little time to contact with Bangkok stations and it hard to get through to them. Please call back to us within 01-02 hours later. We apologize for all inconvenience caused to you.

Today found me scheduled to fly to Ho Chi Minh City.

I arrived at the airport early, found the booking desk for Thai Airways shared with about 20 other airlines and met a Customer Service Manager for SATS Gateway. He was very cordial, and escorted me to their office, where I met various people Id been speaking to and corresponding with for the last several days.

They seemed to have a different conception of what a duffel bag is than I do I pointed to a picture that resemblesd my missing bag, and there followed a flurry of typing of what I was told was a message to Bangkok. I was also told they still hadnt received any replies to their earlier messages, and no one had yet to pick up the phone when they rang Bangkok. Baggage office is always very busy. I told them I was on my way to Ho Chi Minh City, but when they found the bag, they should deliver it to my friend, who would hold it for me until I could swing back through Hong Kong and collect it.

At this point, they handed my 780 HKD in compensation [roughly 100 USD]. Not much for whats now day five without my bag. I signed for the money, insisting this is only an initial payment for the compensation I expect to receive, which is laid out in the Thai Airways contract of carriage. SATS provided a claim form but this was neither the time nor place to quibble about compensation; and anyway, I knew I must take that issue up with the airline.

Although I was told SATS HK would forward the bag to me when it was found, I said I didnt want to do that, due to my concern that would be just a license to pilfer the bag (not that theres anything of real value to anyone else in it, but one never knows what will catch someones fancy).

If my bag were to be sent onto Ho Chi Minh City, and anything subsequently went missing, there would be much finger-pointing and no accountability. If instead I later collect it in Hong Kong and anything is then missing, I would know the theft had occurred somewhere between Kolkata and Hing Kong.

The SATS HK Limited people promised to email me regularly with updates at least twice daily and I said if they did that, Id avoid calling much until theres further word.

Day Six

Day dawned in Ho Chi Minh City, and shortly thereafter, I received a message for the SATSHK people:

Thanks again for your email, we still not received any feedback from Bangkok station, we apologize for all inconvenience caused to you. We will chase Bangkok stations again, once we received any feedback and will inform to you directly by email. All of my colleagues know about your cases and will follow up and action every day.

No real news, but at least they were communicating.

It was now six days and counting since Id reported the bag missing, and I was still being told we still not received any feedback from Bangkok station. That to me says: no response.

No one had yet found a barcoded, missing, blue and white cloth duffle bag.

I remained pretty sure no one see snared the bag. Reason one: I waited for it at the Hong Kong baggage carousel when I picked up my first bag. and didnt see it Reason two, its a blue and white printed cloth duffle bag, and doesnt look like its worth stealing e.g., not an expensive piece of designer luggage. I really am known for having bags that no one else would be caught dead with. Reason three: I bought it from a small boutique in Jaipur, India, and it has a distinctive design so its not a standard black suitcase that someone might grab by mistake. Reason four: the bag has no wheels, but contains several notebooks, paperbacks, and clothing. In other words, its unwieldy, and heavy, and any thief would think twice about trying to muscle it out of the airport. And reason five: If its indeed somewhere in Bangkok the only place that no one seems to have received a response from no member of the public should have had access to the bag anyway, which was supposed to be transferred from one plane to another.

AMEX to the RescueNOT

Sometime late on Sunday night, after a short email with Yves where she suggested I write this post about the crapification of Thai Airways baggage tracking service outsourced to this SATS HK Limited Baggage Service, which doesnt seem to be able to get any other baggage service, either in Kolkata but especially in Bangkok to respond to its calls or messages.

This stood in contrast to my doctor friends experience, also flying into Hong Kong, where Cathay Pacific was in charge of its own luggage arrangements, and kept her fully and regularly apprised of what was going on.

I remembered that not only had I booked this flight with American Express Travel, but I had used points Id collected on my Platinum Amex card to do so. Ive been a cardholder since 1988, when I first started attending law school.

So, I thought: maybe American Express might be able to use some of its muscle to help find my bag.

I know, I knowbefore I get skinned by the commentariat the American Express card is pricey, and the annual fee is going up to $550 this year. Is it worth it?

Sadly, my experience makes it clear that the Platinum Card aint what it used to be, and the service I received in trying to get my bag suggests that Amex has decided to engage in a race to the bottom in the further crapification of its flagship product. Let me tell you my Amex story, gentle readers, and perhaps you can vote on which baggage tracing service sounds crappier the Thai Airways system managed through SATS HK Limited or the help Ive received so far from Amex.

So, first step, was to call Amex. I explained my problem. Got placed on hold elevator music.

Finally got a human a man who was rather obnoxious. One pet peeve of mine is that I hate being referred to by my first name which no one ever gets right anyway but by a title.

When did these American companies shift to using first names anyway? To me, its an obvious ploy to establish intimacy, when what the company should be doing, is providing excellent, arms length customer service. Were not chums, after all, so lets not try and get all chummy.

Anyway, I asked respectfully to be referred to by title, and was told that, since the title wasnt on my booking, the agent couldnt use one. I kid you not. At this point, I admit I got stroppy, and said perhaps I would cancel the card then, and the rep said wait for it he could put me through to a number and I could do just that.

Indeed.

Well, I can and do occasionally lose my temper, but rather than doing something genuinely stupid, I just hung up. It had been a rather long and trying week.

Called Amex again. Explained the problem again. Much warm fuzziness, apologies from Amex.

This time, I was on hold for more than an hour, waiting for a supervisor. Extended symphony of exceptionally insipid elevator music. The rep occasionally checked back in. I finally said I couldnt wait any longer, gave her a deadline by which time I had to ring off, and when 15 minutes after said deadline, no one came back onto the line, I hung up. Total time on second call: About an hour and a half.

Called Amex again. At this point, Ive made two calls, spent more than 2 1/2 hours on the phone, and spoken to at least three or four people none of whom has made any notes about nor has has any record of the previous calls.

This time, however, Im lucky. The rep realizes this is a matter that can be handled by their Premium Global Assist Department. Within about ten minutes, Im put through to a human, and this time, she seems to know what shes doing. She collects some details, and promises me an email reply w/in 5-7 hours.

Great! Except, upon reflection, the following question occurs to me: Amex is no doubt mining my data and collecting info all the time about me. So, why, when I initially called with this request for help, did it take three calls, at least five reps, and 3/12 hours on the phone for someone to put me through to the dedicated department that deals with this issue so that I could log my problem. Now, maybe I should have known what department to ask for. Not! I mean, after all, who knows what services and add-ons are attached to credit cards anyway. Its not like I make a habit of losing my bags and therefore know this system inside and out.

But, at least I went to bed thinking I had got somewhere.

Day Seven

Until the a.m., when I received the following reply:

I hope you are well despite the delay in luggage. I have spoken with Thai Airways and the representative has advised there is no new information in regards to your luggage. They are still currently in the process of looking for it. We will reach out to them again tomorrow and will update you as soon as we have spoken with them. They ask if you have questions regarding compensation to contact them at 0116622887138, they are open from 9am-4pm. If you have any questions, please contact us at 800-345-2639 or internationally at 715-343-7977 and refer to your case number. You can also respond to this e-mail. Thank you and safe travels,

So much for the vaunted Premium Global Assist service. And the Amex muscle. Which seems to consist of Amex making one call getting no info and then telling me to call a Bangkok general number. No extension. No name of live human who can help me.

Incidentally, Bangkok is the wrong place to call as I was actually never really in Bangkok. I never cleared immigration. I simply walked from one gate to another in the airport.

And then, Amex will reach out to them tomorrow. The email, incidentally, was signed first name, last initial again trying to foster that illusion of intimacy, rather than focusing on dong anything such as provide competent customer service.

Well, I fired off a reply, where I made these and a couple other points. Ill spare readers that as Ive summarized the main ideas here, and this post is already too long. But I did chide Amex for essentially saying, Your bags still missing, no one has any idea where, and well follow-up tomorrow.

And then received the following reply a couple of hours later:

I understand your frustration and concern that Thai Airways did not have more information on the status of your missing bag. In hopes that I can clarify what we are able to do on your behalf in this situation, Id like to explain the Missing Luggage Assistance benefit. When your luggage is delayed and/or the airline may have misplaced it, Premium Global Assist Hotline can help track its status. Premium Global Assist Hotline will contact the airlines on a daily basis to check the status of the luggage. We will continue to follow up with you and the airline on the status of your luggage, and provide you with a daily update. While the airline that the claim is filed with is ultimately responsible for finding and getting the luggage back to the passenger, we can also help to coordinate return of on your behalf. We do make every effort to obtain, clarify, and verify information from the airlines regarding the whereabouts of the missing luggage, and advocate on your behalf. I have had our Lost Luggage team attempt to reach out to Thai Airways several times this morning to see if they had any updated information. At this point, we have not been able to reach a representative from Thai airways. We will continue to reach out the Thai airways for an update, and will update you again at that time.

Note that this message seems to contradict the earlier message, where I was told someone spoke to Thai Airways: I have spoken with Thai Airways and the representative has advised there is no new information in regards to your luggage. The second message says: At this point, we have not been able to reach a representative from Thai airways.

So what is it: did they, or didnt they?

Leaving me to wonder: Why was I wasting time with Amex anyway? Independently, Id managed to speak to a helpful Thai Airways baggage supervisor in Kolkata, and he had actually helped a bit. And was still taking my calls and suggesting avenues that I could follow up on. Whereas Amex wasnt doing anything but providing compassion theater and no actual help.

I Finally Manage to Connect with a Thai Airways Customer Service Rep

Turning away from Amex, I realized that the SATS HK people I spoke to in Hong Kong on Saturday had failed to honor their promise to send me twice daily emails. So, I had no update on the status of their efforts to call or get a response from anyone in Bangkok.

But with the Hong Kong national holiday and the weekend over, I tried again to call the Thai Airways HK customer service person whose number the Thai Airways Kolkata baggage supervisor had provided to me.

And guess what? He answered his phone. So, on day seven of this ordeal, I finally managed to connect with Thai Airways customer service in Hong Kong and spoke to another real live human who works for Thai Airways.

After explaining my problem, he told me I had to write them an email, explaining my issue, including an attached copy of the Property Irregularity Report I had filed on the June 27, as well as a copy of tag for the missing bag.

I was tempted to ask why he didnt call SATS HK Limited Baggage Service in the Hong Kong airport, who had been (mis)handling this issue from the get go, but hell, I still hope to recover my bag.

So I eschewed venting and instead thanked him profusely for his help.

And then immediately sent an email. And waited.

I copied my email to several of the colourful cast of characters whose email addresses Id collected during this sad and sorry tale. No immediate replies. Just before the close of the Hong Kong day, I decided to call to make sure that my email had been received.

So I again called the Thai Airways HK customer service person Id first spoken to earlier during the day. Since the email had gone to his colleague and not to him directly, he had no idea whether it had been received. Please wait. I said, no problem, Ill ring you back in 10 minutes.

And I did to find that the email had been received, but now to be told that theyd only just today become aware of the problem. Yes, he actually said that.

So, now I had to be patient and wait for people whose job it was to handle queries such as this in the Thai Airways HK customer service department to call, telex, etc on the trail of my bag.

Five minutes later, I received this email from his female colleague:

Thank you for your e-mail and please accept our sincere apologies for the inconvenience caused. We would like to inform that you baggage is still under tracing and you will be in contact again soon. [Jerri-Lynn here: I think they meant we.]

Of all the people involved in this sad and sorry tale, the Thai Airways baggage supervisor in Kolkata has been most helpful and responsive. So I thought that I at least owed him a heads up that I was about to post my Never Fly Thai post.

He said hes still hopeful the bag might be found, and said that its not a bad airline. Its unusual for bags to be lost this long, but they do sometimes turn up.

He also understood why I was writing this post. He asked me to provide scanned copies of my boarding passes, and that I shortly thereafter did

And just a little while ago, this arrived from the SATS HK Limited customer services manager (supervisor) in HK:

Thank you very much for your email.

I know how you feel during the absence of your bag.

We are still trying our best to locate your baggage despite of negative response from the airports involved. One of my colleagues responsible for tracing will email you the latest result of our work.

Please rest assure that we will keep you updated in regard to the location of your baggage.

Your understanding is highly appreciated.

Kind regards.

Bottom Line

Oh, what a fool I have been! I should have paid up for that Cathay Pacific flight.

Because at least in that case, if my friends experience last month is any guide, that airline would be diligently looking for my bag, and calling me periodically with updates.

Instead of sending me messages telling me that havent received feedback, or saying We are still trying our best to locate your baggage despite of negative response from the airports involved.

And in the meantime, I sit and wait, and wait, and wait not in Casablanca, but in Ho Chi Minh City yearning not to receive my letters of transit, but for someone to find my missing bag or at least for Bangkok to start looking for it.
Quantum probes dramatically improve detection of nuclear spins (Nanowerk News) Researchers at the University of Melbourne have demonstrated a way to detect nuclear spins in molecules non-invasively, providing a new tool for biotechnology and materials science.

Important research in medicine and biology relies on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, but until now, it has been limited in spatial resolution and typically requires powerful microwave fields. A team led by Professor Lloyd Hollenberg at the University of Melbourne has used a quantum probe to perform microwave-free NMR at the nanoscale. The results were published today in Nature Communications (DOI: NCOMMS15950).

A nitrogen-vacancy (dark blue) quantum probe in diamond (light grey) performing nanoscale nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) on molecular hydrogen sitting on the diamond's surface. A green laser controls the quantum state of the probe, which is tuned to the resonant frequency of target nuclear spins. The probe responds to the nuclear spins of the hydrogen atoms and provides a direct measurement via the red light emitted. (Image: David A. Broadway)

"This quantum probe delivers a dramatic improvement in NMR technology. In addition to being able to detect NMR in far smaller samples than conventional machines, our technique does not require the application of microwave fields that might disrupt biological samples" said Hollenberg, who is Deputy Director of the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC 2 T) and Thomas Baker Chair at the University of Melbourne.

"In NMR the goal is to detect the magnetic signal from the nuclei of the atoms comprising molecules. But the signal from the nuclear "spin" is very weak and conventional NMR machines require many millions of nuclear spins to detect anything. However, using the quantum properties of a 'defect' in diamond, our technique can detect much smaller volumes down to only thousands of spins."

The discovery may overcome significant limitations with conventional NMR methods, which depend on machines that can exceed 10 tonnes.

"The problem with the large NMR machines in widespread use today is that the signals we're trying to detect are extremely small, and the distance from the measurement device to the object being measured is very large," said Dr. Alastair Stacey, a CQC 2 T postdoctoral researcher.

"This creates two problems: The machine can only see a larger collection of molecules, reducing the accuracy of the measurement. It also has to use very strong microwaves and magnetic fields to reach the sample, but these processes are invasive and can affect delicate bio-samples, just like the microwave in your kitchen, particularly when trying to see the molecular structure of liquids."

Lead author James Wood describes the technique as "a dramatic simplification of the nuclear detection process, where we essentially shine light on an atomic-sized defect in diamond and observe its natural response, at a fundamentally quantum level, to the target nuclear spins nearby".

"A great benefit of our approach is that we don't interfere with the sample when imaging it."

The technique offers new opportunities for researchers.
Premier Li Keqiang viewed an exhibition of cutting-edge technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) and quantum chips on June 22, saying that China must ride the tide of new technological revolution.

As the Premier stepped into the exhibition, he was identified and greeted by a smart checking system based on facial recognition technology, with the words of welcome showing on a screen.

There was also a pay-with-your-image vending machine, at which Premier Li bought a 180-ml cup of coffee.

A few steps away was a holographic projection displaying the clinical use of stem cells and regenerative medicine, which can treat serious diseases such as Parkinsons and spinal cord injuries.

Other exhibits included a structure model of nano chromatin, space cold atomic clock, equipment from the Beidou navigation system and a superconductive quantum CPU  the brain of the futures quantum computer. They were all part of the latest achievements by Chinese researchers.

The same day, Premier Li also chaired a State Council study symposium and talked with four top Chinese scientists about the technological revolution, Al, quantum science and gene editing.

We are living in a time of profound technological and industrial revolution. We must seize the opportunity and innovate research mechanisms to better adapt to changes, he said.

Pan Yunhe, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, agreed with the Premiers point that scientific innovation should be promoted by mechanism innovation. You have touched on the fundamental factor, he said to the Premier.

Premier Li said to the attending scientists: Every country is striving to lead the scientific research. I hope you all try your best.
Nanomedicine for patients with lung disease (Nanowerk News) Scientists based at Imperial College London have tested a new type of nanoparticle called metal organic frameworks (MOF)  tiny metal cages less than 100 nanometres across that can be loaded with drug molecules  which they believe could potentially be used to treat patients with a devastating condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

In PAH the blood vessels of the lungs constrict and thicken, increasing blood pressure and causing the right side of the heart to work harder and harder, until it eventually fails. The condition is rare but devastating and can affect people of all ages, including babies, young adults and the elderly. Patients in the late stage of the disease have few treatment options beyond transplant, with a mean survival time of around five years following diagnosis.

While there is no cure for PAH, existing treatments work by opening up these blood vessels. These drugs act on blood vessels throughout the body, however, causing blood pressure to drop and resulting in a number of side effects  which means the dose at which these drugs can be given is limited.

Metal organic frameworks can expand to create pores where drug molecules can be stored, releasing them where they are needed. (Image: Imperial College London)

In their latest study, published online in Pulmonary Circulation ("Chemical and biological assessment of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) in pulmonary cells and in an acute in vivo model: relevance to pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy"), the multidisciplinary group at Imperial describes how it has taken the first in a number of steps to develop nanoparticles which could deliver drugs directly to the lungs, showing that the basic structures are not harmful to cells.

Professor Jane Mitchell, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial, who led the research, said: The hope is that using this approach will ultimately allow for high concentrations of drugs we already have to be delivered to only the vessels in the lung, and reduce side effects. For patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, it could mean we are able to turn it from a fatal condition, to a chronic manageable one.

Metallic cages for drug delivery

The tiny metallic structures  composed of iron  were made in the lab of Professor Paul Lickiss and Dr Rob Daviess, from the Department of Chemistry and by Dr Nura Mohamed during her PhD studies at Imperial. Dr Mohamed, who was funded by the Qatar Foundation, made the structures so existing drugs used to treat PAH could fit inside them.

These structures were tested in human lung cells and blood vessel cells, which were grown from stem cells in the blood of patients with PAH. The team found that the structures reduced inflammation and were not toxic to the cells.

Further tests showed that the MOFs were safe in rats, with animals injected with MOFs over a two-week period showing few side effects  other than a slight build-up of iron in the liver.

One of the biggest limitations in nanomedicine is toxicity, some of best nanomedicine structures do not make it past the initial stages of development as they kill cells, said Professor Mitchell. We made these prototype MOFs, and have shown they were not toxic to a whole range of human lung cells.

MOFs are an area of interest in nanomedicine, with engineers aiming to develop them as carriers which can hold onto drug cargo, releasing it under specific conditions, such as changes in pH, temperature, or even when the nanostructures are drawn to the target area by magnets outside the body.

Beyond the finding that their iron nanostructures were non-toxic, the team believes the MOFs may have additional therapeutic properties. There was evidence to suggest anti-inflammatory properties, with the MOFs reducing the levels of an inflammatory marker in the blood vessels, called endothelin-1, which causes arteries to constrict. In addition, iron is also a contrast agent, meaning it would show up on scans of the lungs to show where the drug had reached.

The MOFs have not yet been tested in patients, but the next step is to load the tiny metallic structures with drugs and work out the best way to get them to target their cargo to the lungs. The researchers are confident that if successful, the approach could move to trials for patients, with a drug candidate ready to test within the next five years. The MOFs could potentially be delivered by an inhaler into the lung, or administered by injection.
Find the newest releases to watch from National Geographic on Disney+, including favourite documentary series and films Free Solo, The Rescue, Shark Beach with Chris Hemsworth and The World According to Jeff Goldblum.
(Natural News) A committee of the European Space Agency (ESA) has given the green light on its PLAnetary Transits and Oscillations of stars (PLATO) mission, enabling the initiative to transition from blueprint to construction. The project was first introduced three years, with an estimated cost of about 600 million euros. PLATO serves as the agencys third medium-class celestial operation under its Cosmic Vision program.

PLATOs primary goal is to gain more knowledge about a large number of exo-planetary systems that are located within the habitable zone and may potentially accommodate life. The project also aims to determine the properties of terrestrial planets that orbit in the habitable zone around sun-like stars. This will help astronomers gain better understanding of how the universe works. Aside from this, the initiative was designed to examine the seismic movements of stars. This in turn will allow scientists to make precise classifications and determine the age of planets surrounding a host star.

PLATO will for the first time fully characterise these stars and their planets with regard to mass, radius, and age. This will revolutionise the study of the evolution of exoplanets and their host stars, said Professor Laurent Gizon, director of the Max Planck Institute for Solar System Research in Gottingen, Germany.

The launch of PLATO will no doubt facilitate us with a golden opportunity to have a say in some of the most remarkable discoveries of the next decade. It will help us answer the primary questions about the existence of the world, its formation, and twin-stars, and will eventually lead us to the finding of extraterrestrial life, said Don Pollacco, a mission associate and professor of Physics at Warwick University.

PLATO will be launched 1.5 million kilometers into space and is slated to examine and monitor thousands of stars. The observatory of the PLATO initiative will make use of 26 telescopes that will work simultaneously. The telescopes will be housed on a single platform and will be used to cover a large portion of the sky. The telescopes will work by searching for slight dips in light when a planet passes between the star it orbits and the powerful telescopes monitoring it. As planets do not emit their own light, they would appear to be dark specs crossing their bright stars, the experts explained. The project will look for planets in the Goldilocks zone, an area that is neither too near nor too far from the stars that they orbit. This indicates that the planets conditions would be not too hot or too cold, and may potentially hold water to support life.

According to the ESA, the PLATO project is slated for launch in 2026.

Other projects that were instrumental in exoplanet search

PLATO was only the most recent space initiative slated to search for exoplanets. The project is set to follow the National Aeronautics and Space Administrations (NASA) Kepler observatory, which has found more than 3,400 confirmed exoplanets so far. Thirty of these exoplanets were less than twice the size of Earth and were located within the habitable zone.

NASAs Hubble Space Telescope and several dozen ground-based observatories have also made significant contributions in exoplanet search. Discover more news about space exploration at Space.news.

Sources include:

Express.co.uk

Phys.org

SciExaminer.com
Monday, July 03, 2017 by: Robert Jonathan Tags: Anti-terrorism , extremism , Google , terrorism This article may contain statements that reflect the opinion of the author

(Natural News) Google is not exactly going out on limb with an announcement that it will block terrorist content on YouTube, but its new initiative certainly appears commendable from a national and international security perspective.

In a Google in Europe blog post authored by its general counsel, the search engine behemoth explained that it is adopting four new guidelines for tackling the issue of online extremism that will combine ramped-up technology with the human element.

In addition to boosting its screening software technology to better identify videos that need to be taken down, YouTube will get an assist from its so-called Trusted Flagger cohort of Google-funded independent experts who will help police the platform.

Google is already working with various government agencies to address violent extremism.

Google also says its getting tougher with inflammatory religious or supremacist content by including warning labels, demonetizing the videos, and otherwise minimizing the opportunity for user engagement. That sounds reasonable and appropriate on its face.

Some controversy over YouTube demonetizing certain political videos has already emerged, effectively implementing a form of revenue-loss censorship. With that said, it remains to be seen how broadly or arbitrarily the term inflammatory will be interpreted as a practical matter.

Perhaps most significantly, Google says it is partnering with its Jigsaw subsidiary across Europe for what might be called a form of counter-radicalization programming.

This promising approach harnesses the power of targeted online advertising to reach potential ISIS recruits, and redirects them towards anti-terrorist videos that can change their minds about joining. In previous deployments of this system, potential recruits have clicked through on the ads at an unusually high rate, and watched over half a million minutes of video content that debunks terrorist recruiting messages.

Google also explained that it will collaborate with other social media platforms such as Facebook and Twitter as well as software giant Microsoft for additional ways stop the spread of terrorism-related content across the web.

U.K. lawmakers, in particular, have apparently been pressuring tech companies to do more about terrorist-related material online, particularly after terrorist attacks in London and Manchester. According to the Daily Mail, Technology firms, including Google and its video site YouTube, have been accused of dragging their feet and failing to remove extremist material quickly enough.

This raises questions as to why Google was so quick to blacklist Natural News for about six days on a flimsy pretext earlier this year. At the time, Naturals News founder Mike Adams expressed these thoughts.

I continue to believe that Natural News was targeted by Google due to the content of our speech which supports President Trump and that the sneaky mobile redirects issue was merely the justification used by Google to de-list the entire NaturalNews.com website. Google no doubt disagrees with this assessment and says it was just a technical issue, yet we are not aware of any other situation in which a minor technical issue on a subdomain resulted in Google blacklisting the entire ROOT domain of a major publisher, with 140,000+ pages of quality content.

Google has also been accused of down-rating other independent journalism and natural medicine sites that dont share its progressive worldview and destroy their web traffic in the process. Last year, The Intercept reported that Google execs and lobbyists were regular visitors at the Obama White House on a weekly basis and that at least 250 individuals participated in revolving door employment between Google and the Obama administration. (Related: Read more about search engine manipulation at Journalism.news.)

Accused last year of manipulating search results to help the Hillary Clinton 2016 presidential campaign, Google is now also deciding for its users what news is real or fake, with the help of leftist fact-checkers.

Sources include:

NaturalNews.com

Blog.google

DailyMail.co.uk

Inquisitr.com

TheIntercept.com
The race to be the very first nation to put man in Mars is joined by many countries and private organization. However, a conspiracy theory claims that there are already humans in the Red Planet and it is not scientists or astronauts as one expects.

During his guest appearance on Alex Jones' InfoWars, the so-called "CIA Insider" Robert David Steele claimed that there are some sort of slave camps in Mars that serve as home to kidnapped children.

"We actually believe that there is a colony on Mars that is populated by children who were kidnapped and sent into space on a 20-year ride, so that once they get to Mars, they have no alternative but to be slaves on the Mars colony," said Steele during the show.

Aside from being slaves in other planet or sodomized by older people, Steele also noted that children are being murdered for their blood, bone marrow and organs.

Despite the claim being too far-fetched for many, NASA decided to deny it once and for all.

"There are no humans on Mars. There are active rovers on Mars. There was a rumor going around last week that there weren't. There are," said Guy Webster, a spokesperson for Mars exploration at NASA, in a report from The Daily Beast. "But there are no humans."

During the show, InfoWars host decided to pitch in some of his conspiracy theory regarding NASA. "Look, I know that 90 percent of the NASA missions are secret and I've been told by high level NASA engineers that you have no idea," said Jones. "There is so much stuff going on."

This is not the first time that topics regarding child slavery or trafficking comes out of the show. During the 2016 campaign, Jones decided to hype up a Reddit conspiracy theory linking Hillary Clinton to an alleged child-sex ring operating in the basement of a pizzeria in the suburban D.C.


Family and friends held "one last ride" Sunday to honor a woman allegedly run over and killed by her friend last week in Campbell.

Sally Hernandez died last Tuesday and her childhood friend, Elsie De La Rosa, is behind bars. De La Rosa faces murder and felony hit-and-run charges.

Hernandez was a dedicated member of San Jose's lowrider community, and on Sunday in San Francisco, some of her friends had what they called, "one last ride for Sally." The group put decals of Hernandez on their cars so that she could ride with them.

Police said Hernandez and De La Rosa traveled to a Campbell neighborhood together in the same car Tuesday. They got into a fight after a long night of drinking. That's when De La Rosa allegedly rammed into Munoz and left her to die, police said.
A taxi crashed into a group of pedestrians Monday at Logan International Airport in East Boston, injuring 10 other cab drivers, according to Massachusetts State Police.

The cab hit the victims, who were in a sitting area by the airport's taxi pools on Porter Street at Tomahawk Drive.

Ten people were injured after a taxi plowed into a crowd of people at Logan International Airport Monday.

State police said none of the injuries were believed to be life threatening. The most seriously injured was a 43-year-old Cambridge man who was taken to Massachusetts General Hospital in serious but stable condition.

The other 9 victims were also taken to Boston area hospitals for treatment. Two victims at Tufts Medical Center are said to be in good condition and two are in serious condition. One victim has been released.

Four victims were taken to Boston Medical Center where their exact conditions are unknown.

[NATL-BOS] Taxi Crashes Into Group of Pedestrians at Logan Airport

The driver, 56-year-old Lutant Clenord of Cambridge, is employed by Metro Cab. He remained on the scene and is cooperating with police.

Clenord tells NBC Boston it was an accident, and that there was some kind of mechanical problem with his car that caused it.

In 23 years of driving a cab, Clenord says he has never experienced anything like this. He says as he was pulling into the taxi pool, his car suddenly accelerated and the brake would not work, appearing to be stuck.

"When I see Im going to hit something... I thought Im going to die," Clenord recalled. "I cant stop. More spinning."

Within seconds, he says he was speeding toward the building, unable to swerve before he crashed into the crowd in front of him.



State police said the cause of the crash is ongoing but it does not appear that the incident was deliberate.

Police said the investigation will determine if charges are warranted against Clenord.

"I tried to explain everything, what happened, not my fault, they have to find out what the problem was in the car," Clenord said.


A 27-year-old Indiana woman was arrested on prostitution charges after an operation conducted by the Indiana State Excise Police, authorities announced Sunday.

The operation, which was conducted at CTs Adult Book Store in Gary, IN, was launched after an investigation into acts of prostitution allegedly taking place at the establishment, according to a press release issued by police.

Gonzalez was arrested on a preliminary charge of prostitution and was issued a summons for possession of marijuana, according to authorities.

Police investigating the establishment said that they found Viagra and Oxycodone in the offices of the business.

Officers issued a string of violations and charges against the establishment, including public nudity, promoting prostitution, and possession of narcotics.

Gary Police assisted Excise Police in the execution of the search warrant.
A man died after jumping into Lake Michigan Monday afternoon to try and save his nephew, his family said.

James Hammond, 31, was pulled from the water near 63rd St. Beach on Chicagos South Side, his family and fire officials said.

Authorities said Hammond was on a boat with his 7-year-old niece, his nieces friend and his 11-year-old nephew when the boy fell into the water around 1 p.m.

Hammond "went in and went under" to rescue the boy, who was wearing a life jacket, fire officials said. Hammond was not wearing one at the time, family said.

Rescue crews first found the child, who was taken to Comer Children's Hospital in good condition, according to fire officials.

Hammond was pulled from the water and taken in extremely critical condition to an area hospital, where he later died, according to his family.

Witness Charles Marks was hanging out on the beach when he heard an emergency whistle and saw the lifeguards on duty spring into action.

Two of the lifeguards jumped in the boat and pushed out and started rowing to him, Marks said. As we looked in the distance we saw a young man floating, he had a life vest on, so he went and got him. When they brought him back in, the girl said, No my uncle, my uncle's still out there.

In a panic on the boat, the girl called her father, Michael David Hammond, who rushed to the beach as soon as he heard.

She was real frantic, saying she was on a boat with her friend, he said. Her cousin fell over and my brother went into get him.

Hammond said his brother was married but had no children himself.

"Aint no words, man, I'm not gonna lie to you, he said. Theres no words."

63rd St. Beach remained closed for several hours following the incident, authorities said.
Families of the nearly 30 members of the Connecticut Air National Guard's 103rd Airlift Wing who were deployed in Southwest Asia since February welcomed them home on a special day, the Fourth of July.

Approximately 100 members of the unit are returning this week and the first group came in to the Bradley Air National Guard Base today, where Gov. Dannel Malloy greeted them as they came off the plane.

Then, the National Guard members were greeted by the waiting arms of their wives, husbands, children, mothers, fathers, girlfriends, boyfriends, grandparents, siblings and other loves ones.

"I'm trying really hard not to ball my eyes out. I'm trying not to cry," Bailee Graveline, of Prospect, said.

She said it was difficult to be away from her little sister.

"I missed her crawling, I missed her walking and her first words, so it was a little tough, but you know it's good to be home now. She recognizes me, which was awesome and she just wanted to be held, so it was awesome," Graveline said.

TSgt. Ryan Sullivan, of Wethersfield, was greeted with a giant banner welcoming him home Tuesday.

"I'm really happy, especially on July Fourth. It's extra special," Sullivan said.

The Airmen were deployed to several locations in Southwest Asia and supported Expeditionary Combat Support operations that included tactical airlift, maintenance, security and logistics support, according to the Connecticut National Guard.

"As we celebrate the nation's independence this week, we also celebrate the return of over 100 Connecticut Air Guard members from overseas deployment in support of C-130 flight operations," Maj. Gen. Thaddeus J. Martin, the Adjutant General and commanding officer of the Connecticut National Guard, said in a statement.. "These Airmen have much to be proud of as they have successfully completed the 103rd Air Wing's first overseas deployment flying the C-130 aircraft."

Of the nearly 300 Airmen who began to deploy in late 2016, more than 200 have returned safely and those still deployed will return throughout the summer, according to the Connecticut National Guard.
After a New Britain man and his family fell victim to what police are calling a possible hate crime, city and state officials gathered to send the message that hate crimes will not be tolerated.

NBC Connecticut interviewed Omer Abdelgader on Thursday, a day after a shirt with references to September 11 and ISIS was found hanging outside of his Arch Street home.

On the shirt were messages asking the Sudan native and president of the Islamic Association of Central Connecticut: what is your plan? are you supporting or possible terrorism? And questions of extremism.

In the center, it says 9/11 was not a joke.

The back on of it says ISIS or ISOL.

What is really hurting me and making me feel sad (is) that my message of love and peace and doing good by my community hasnt got through to everybody yet, Abdelgader said during an interview Thursday.

In less than 24 hours since that story aired, the Islamic Association of Central Connecticut arranged a news conference denouncing the possible hate crime.

Since your report, Ive been showered with calls, Abdelgader said during the news conference. To be honest, I felt that my message is getting though.

That message is one of peace, regardless of race or religion.

We want to say that New Britain has no place for hate! said Mongi Dhaouadi of the Connecticut Council on American Islamic Relations.

CAIR-CT was one of the many organizations and agencies that stood with Abdelgader, along with city, state, and faith leaders.

New Britain Police Chief James Wardwell said the police department will continue to investigate the incident, which they are calling a possible hate crime.

For something like this to happen is so rare, but I will tell you it absolutely will not be tolerated, Wardwell said.

The incident happened Wednesday on Arch Street between 1 p.m. and 1:40 p.m. Police are asking for anyone with information to call them, even if it is an anonymous tip.

Abdelgader said he forgives the person who wrote the messages on this shirt.

I just want them to come, step in and see the amount of good were doing by our community, he said.
Hundreds of people gathered outside a federal courthouse Monday as the suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois made his first appearance since being arrested last week.

During the nine-minute hearing, 28-year-old Brendt Christensen acknowledged to the judge that he understood his rights, but did not say anything else. U.S. Magistrate Eric Long ordered Christensen held without bond in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities say facts in the case indicate the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body hasn't been found.

Long ordered Christensen to return to the court in Urbana on Wednesday to determine bond. A preliminary hearing was set for July 14, but that would be waived if a grand jury returns an indictment before then. The federal kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to a U.S. attorney's office spokeswoman.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported that about 45 people attended the hearing Monday morning, with another crowd in the courthouse lobby and yet more people across the street, many chanting "Justice for Yingying."

After the hearing, Christensen's attorney Evan Bruno said he has talked to Christensen a few times, but that "this case is very young and we haven't had a really full opportunity to develop everything yet."

Bruno asked the public to "be patient, to keep an open mind, wait till the evidence comes in."

He described his client as a "very intelligent guy" who has no criminal history. "He has a speeding ticket, I think, but that's about it," Bruno said.

Bruno added that Christensen is married, but that he and his wife do not have any children, according to the newspaper. He said Christensen, who recently earned a master's degree in physics from the University of Illinois, is not employed but has been looking for a job.

Zhang, who received her master's degree in environmental engineering in China last year and hoped to eventually land a professorship and help her family financially, went missing on June 9. Her father traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search.

Authorities announced that they believed she was abducted after viewing surveillance video showing her climbing into a vehicle. Authorities charged Christensen on Friday after federal agents heard him tell someone that he'd kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.

Authorities say Zhang was trying to hurry to an apartment to sign a lease and had been unsuccessful in flagging down a bus when a car stopped. The video shows a woman authorities have said is Zhang climb into the vehicle in Urbana, 140 miles (225 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.

Since then, details have emerged about Christensen and the events leading up to Zhang's disappearance.

According to authorities, a website that hosted an "Abduction 101" forum linked Christensen to the kidnapping of Zhang. The federal complaint says Christensen's phone was used April 19 to visit that website, FetLife.com, including to view threads titled "Perfect abduction fantasy" and "planning a kidnapping."

FetLife describes itself as "the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community," stressing in online policy statements that it is a place for consenting adults to trade advice and images of themselves, and to arrange to meet. The acronym BDSM stands for bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. Users provide their ages, genders and roles they wish to play, but otherwise remain anonymous.
Rescue crews worked to free a construction worker trapped in a collapsed trench near a North Dallas country club Monday morning.[[432280993,R]]

Dallas Fire-Rescue was called to site site near the Northwood Club in the 6500 block Alpha Road after 9:30 a.m.

DFR spokesman Jason Evans said the worker was 10 feet down the trench when it collapsed on him. He communicating with the paramedics during the rescue.

Crews pulled the worker out of the trench at about 11:45 a.m.

The worker was flown to a hospital via CareFlite helicopter for evaluation, according to Evans.



No further information was available.



Check back and refresh this page for the latest update. As this story is developing, elements may change.
New Mexico authorities said a North Texas married couple found fatally shot in a pickup parked along a New Mexico interstate Thursday died from a murder-suicide.

New Mexico State Police said they identified the couple as 32-year-old North Dallas High School teacher Ursula Tammy Kokotkiewicz and her 31-year-old husband Jacob Kokotkiewicz, both of Flower Mound.

A police statement did not specify which victim killed the other, but the statement said Jacob Kokotkiewicz was found with a handgun between his legs.

The statement said there was no evidence that anybody else was involved and that investigators will check electronic devices found in the vehicle as they try to determine a motive.

A State Police officer found the bodies of the couple on Interstate 40 near Albuquerque after stopping to check the welfare of the occupants of the vehicle.

It was parked on the eastbound shoulder with its engine running.


This story was originally published on July 2, 2017.

After a dramatic manhunt that lasted several days and spanned multiple states, Chester County, Pennsylvania, authorities have charged David Andrew Desper, 28, with first-degree murder for the road rage killing of recent high school graduate Bianca Roberson.

Desper, of Trainer, Pennsylvania, turned himself in Sunday morning around 2 a.m., officials said.

Police recovered the defendants red pickup truck at a location in Delaware County and Despers firearm from his bedroom. He has a license to carry and purchased the gun legally, according to court documents.

He was also charged with third-degree murder, criminal homicide, recklessly endangering another person and possession of an instrument of crime with intent to use it criminally.

Desper is being held at Chester County Prison without bail, and his preliminary hearing is set for July 13.

Roberson's parents sat quietly in the room, sobbing, while officials announced the arrest. They lost another child, an adult son, four years ago to heart disease.

On June 28, Desper and Roberson played what investigators previously called a game of "cat and mouse" while attempting to merge into the same lane on Route 100 in Chester County around 5:30 p.m., officials said. Roberson was heading home from a shopping trip. She would have left for college later this summer.

Instead, she was shot in the left side of the head in an apparent road rage attack.

Her car was found in a ditch. She was pronounced dead at the scene.

[[431859203, C]]

"This is a story of a savage and senseless murder," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said during a news conference Sunday.

The shooters car fled the scene "at a high rate of speed on the shoulder of the spur before eventually crossing traffic and continuing southbound on the shoulder of Route 202," charging documents said.

[[432020563, C]]

A witness described hearing a loud noise and then seeing one car, which belonged to Roberson, swerving off the road while another sped away, officials said.

A portion of the round that struck Roberson was recovered from her skull during an autopsy. The bullets markings indicated it came from a Smith & Wesson .40 caliber semi-automatic handgun.

A similar firearm was recovered from Desper's bedroom after he turned himself in to police. Ammunition was found in a nearby trashcan. Desper reportedly purchased the weapon in November of 2015, according to charging documents.

Using video surveillance from the scene and later recordings of a red pickup truck, police recovered Despers car in Glen Mills. It matched the description of the pickup seen moments after the incident.

Desper's attorney was not available for comment. Roberson's family declined to comment, but previously told NBC10 the death of their daughter is "surreal."

"How can you just shoot a baby, an 18-year-old girl, on her way to college and then just speed off like it was nothing? She didn't deserve to die like this," Roberson's mother, Michelle, said.

Roberson's aunt Joyce Chester said she remains heartbroken but relieved that an arrest was made.

"We just had the graduation for the school and the kids were so full of hope. Hope and excitement," Chester said. "I said, 'Are they ever going to get this truck and this guy?' And my friend said, 'They're going to get him. They're going to get him. They'll get the truck and they'll get the guy.' I said, 'How do you know?' He said, 'They just will.'"



Desper's neighbor Gerry Szper told NBC10 he heard about Roberson's murder but was shocked the suspect lived so close to home.

"It's just crazy," he said. "I just don't know. I'm shocked."



Rodney and Michelle Roberson still cant believe their daughter, Bianca, 18, is gone after a murderous road rage driver shot the recent West Chester high school graduate on Route 100 during rush hour Wednesday evening. They want police to bring to justice quickly the man who shot their daughter after jostling for a lane on the highway. A suspect, who...
An Oceanside Minister who supported Donald Trump as he ran for president now faces deportation.

Jorge Ramirez, an Oceanside Apostolic minister, has been in the U.S. since he was 11 years old.

His wife, Silvia, says they feel betrayed by the president.

He said he was going to deport people with criminal records, bad people. My husband is not a bad person; he doesn't have a criminal record, she told NBC 7.

Ramirez was detained on May 31 and has been in the Otay Mesa Detention Center since then. Ramirezs wife and three children were inside their home sleeping when Ramirez was detained while getting ready for work.

We're hard-working people, she said. Were just trying to live here with our kids.

Silvia said the couple supported Trump for religious reasons.

We didnt think about the immigration side  but now that hes in this situation  he [Trump] lied to us, she said.

Attorney Ruben Salazar said they will file a motion to advance the bond hearing set for August 4 to July 17, the same day as Ramirez's deportation hearing.

He's been here for over 30 years, he's a tax-paying home-owning individual, Salazar said.

Silvia says she wants to be strong for her children.

We're just waiting and having faith in God, she said. [Trump] needs to change the law.

In November 2015, Trump told MSNBC's "Morning Joe," "You're going to have a deportation force, and you're going to do it humanely."

A Customs and Border Protection spokesperson responded to NBC 7s request for comment, saying:

Jorge Ramirez-Navarrete was arrested by the U.S. Border Patrol on May 31, 2017 after agents had established that he was illegally residing in the U.S. and determined he had not previously filed immigration petitions or changes made to his immigration status on his behalf.
A San Diego family of hikers stranded for days on Baja Californias highest peak said there were times on that treacherous terrain when they werent sure if they would come out of the ordeal alive  or if help was even coming.

It was looking grim, Claire Fox, 25, told NBC 7 on Saturday. It was definitely one of the best moments of my life knowing that we were going to come back [to San Diego] and see my mom.

There were definitely times when we were scared for our safety, added her sister, Maura Fox, 20. And all of us with our limited water; we were definitely concerned if we were going to be rescued  if people were coming.

Claire and Maura, and their father, Morgan Fox, 61, left for a hiking excursion in Baja California on June 20.

The trio planned to hike the challenging trail of San Pedro Martir Park known as "Picacho del Diablo," or the Devil's Peak, located south of Tijuana and the U.S.-Mexico border.

At over 10,000 feet, it's the highest peak in Baja California.

[[431885793,C]]

Morgan's wife and the women's mother, Debbie Milligan-Fox, told NBC 7 on Friday that her husband was very familiar with the area, having hiked it four times prior. He had even made it to the summit of the Devil's Peak twice before.

Morgan had vowed he would one day take his daughters there.

"Its a pristine area, and I promised the girls that we would go down there and do a backpacking trip," he said. "That area of Baja California is one of the most beautiful areas in the world."



The father and his daughters were supposed to hike to the summit on June 23 and return to their home in San Diego's East County by June 25.

Their return date came and went.

Morgan said it had been 20 years since he descended into the canyon. The trail, he said, was not quite how he remembered it.

The terrain had changed quite a bit, so I think that threw me off a little, Morgan told NBC 7. And some of those small mistakes eventually led to the larger rescue operation.

When Debbie didn't hear from her family on June 25, she became concerned and contacted authorities in Mexico. By Monday afternoon, a search had been organized.

In those days they were stranded, Claire said they tried a few different routes to get themselves out of the canyon, to no avail. With their water and food supply diminishing, they had to make big moves.

Our water supply was running low; we only had a few packets of oatmeal left, she said. So my sister and I just made the decision that we want to make it to the top of this mountain so that were visible to helicopters and a little more out in the open.

Ramon Galindo/NBC 7

On Monday night, not knowing their fate, Maura said they went into survival mode, figuring out ways to let people know they were stranded on the trail.

We got to the top, and we immediately made a fire  a signal fire, she explained. My sister and I were just trying to get that prepared.

By Tuesday morning, Mexican authorities had 10 people searching along the remote trail. That same day, a helicopter spotted the trio stranded on a steep canyon off the trail.

Maura said their father had told them to bring reflective emergency blankets on the trip. She said those blankets were crucial in their rescue.

[[431318513,C]]

Honestly, without the shiny safety blankets that my dad told us to bring, we wouldnt have been seen; so, thats my dad there, she said.

The helicopter dropped six liters of water to the Fox family. Search and rescue crews also delivered food, water, and a glucose meter, as Morgan has diabetes and needs insulin.

Radio communications between the search crew and the family were conducted from the air because the terrain was steep and rocky, and it was not safe for the helicopter to land.

The rescue proved challenging. Finally, rescuers on the ground were able to make contact with the trio.



The father and his daughters were taken to a base camp on San Pedro Martir Park at around 6 a.m. Thursday. They spent the night in a hotel; Morgan was taken to a hospital in Mexico but checked out in good health.

[[432013973,C]]

By Saturday, they were back in San Diego, grateful to be alive, together.

We experienced a lot together, said Claire. Im glad we were all together; strong family unit.

Strong before  now its stronger, Maura chimed in.

Were glad to have our mom back with us, Claire added.

Were a group of four  it needs to be like that, Maura said.

Morgan nodded his head, looking at his daughters with pride.

These girls did so good, said Morgan. He hugged his daughters close and fought back the tears.

Morgan said he will forever be grateful to the volunteers in northern Baja who came to their aid.

[[431135903,C]]

We want to express all of our gratitude for all the hard work and effort, he said.

We owe our lives to the Mexican people, Maura added. And, in a politicized time, I think community and family  thats really at the heart of everything. I think, if anything, the connection between our two nations should be even stronger.

I cant wait to get back down and share a meal with all of them, said Claire.

[[431132743,C]]

The Fox family said that perhaps one day, they will set out on that hike again and finish the trek successfully. Claire said some of the rescuers in Mexico even offered to hike with them next time.

So next time well bring our new friends and well definitely be hiking; its something we love, she said.

I am eager to get down there and finish the hike we always intended, added Maura.

For now, theyre happy to be home.
Thousands of people gathered to call for the impeachment of President Donald Trump Sunday in downtown Los Angeles, part of a series of similar events held nationwide.

The Los Angeles Impeachment March began at noon at Pershing Square before continuing to Fletcher Bowron Park.

A smaller group of several dozen pro-Trump demonstrators were also on hand, gathering at LAPD Headquarters to voice their support for the president, many holding American flags.

The LAPD did not provide information on arrests, but the event was thought to be largely if not completely peaceful, with nothing worse than some heated arguments reported on social media.

Rep. Brad Sherman, D-Sherman Oaks, rallied the crowd by touting his proposed Article of Impeachment against Trump.

"Every day, Democrats, Republicans, the entire world is shocked by the latest example of America's amateur president," Sherman said.

Organizers believe Trump has "been in blatant violation of the Constitution from the day he was sworn into the office of President," according to the group's website at www.impeachmentmarch.org. They accuse Trump of making presidential decisions that benefit his business interests, among other alleged abuses.

An Impeachment March also took place in Orange County today at Sasscer Park in Santa Ana.
The Dallas County Medical Examiner's Office says Shavon Randle, the 13-year-old Lancaster girl whose body was found early Sunday following an Amber Alert, died from gunshot wounds.

In a report released Friday, the medical examiner says Randle's manner of death was homicide.

Crews from numerous agencies are still at a home where a missing Lancaster girls body was found Sunday morning.

Randle was reported missing Wednesday, June 28, from a home in the 1300 block of Southridge Drive.

Police issued an Amber Alert that day, indicating she may be in grave or immediate danger.

Police said she was taken from her home by an unknown man who they said later called a member of the girl's family.[[432086013, R]]

"They confirmed that they knew who the victim was and they said, 'Well, we have her,'" Lancaster Police Department Det. Joseph Brickett said. "Then they called back later on the victim's cell phone and said, 'If you call law enforcement, then we'll harm her.'"

Brickett said investigators were able to trace Randle's cell phone location for a while before it was turned off.

Early Sunday, police were led to an abandoned home in the 2200 block of Kiest Boulevard just before 3 a.m. after receiving tips.

In addition to Randle's body, police also found the body of 19-year-old Michael Titus, who was initially named as a person of interest in the girl's disappearance.

Titus's death has also been ruled a homicide from a gunshot wound, officials said this week.

DISCONTINUED AMBER ALERT for SHAVON LE'FEYE RANDLE FROM LANCASTER, TX, ON 07/02/17 pic.twitter.com/4Hqrby8Ax3  Texas Alerts (@TX_Alerts) July 2, 2017

Five people are in custody facing a variety of charges related to Randle's disappearance, but as of Friday afternoon none is charged in the deaths of Randle or Titus.

A growing memorial of flowers, balloons and teddy bears has been set up outside the home where their bodies were discovered.
The originator of the famous Ice Bucket Challenge, Pete Frates, is back in the hospital and still alive despite a false report otherwise.

Frates, who has raised millions for Lou Gehrig's disease research, tweeted a video Monday showing himself in a hospital bed as the Pearl Jam song "Alive" plays in the background.

"In the words of my friend ed," he tweeted, in a reference to Pearl Jam frontman Eddie Vedder.

in the words of my friend

ed pic.twitter.com/g7iIR4rfmT  Pete Frates (@PeteFrates3) July 3, 2017

The tweet came after journalist and commentator Mike Barnicle had incorrectly tweeted that Frates had died. He later said a family friend had given him bad information and he was "doubly wrong to tweet it."

On Sunday, Frates' mother Nancy shared a post on the Team FrateTrain Facebook page asking that supporters keep Frates in their prayers while he battles "this ALS like a Superhero."

On Monday morning, she shared another Facebook post saying Frates was resting comfortably.

[[432252923, C]]

Frates, 32, was diagnosed with ALS in March 2012, at the age of 27. Since his diagnosis, the entire Frates family has taken an active role in raising awareness and funds for ALS research.

There is no known cure for ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord and weakens muscles. The disease affects about 20,000 Americans.

Frates' Ice Bucket Challenge helped raise $220 million to fight the disease since the campaign took off on social media in 2014, The Associated Press reported.

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh was among those tweeting a show of support for Frates.
A Cessna jet that took off from Chicago early Saturday morning crashed in northern Wisconsin, killing six people on board, police said.

Two of the victims were identified on Saturday night as Bensenville School District employees, according to NBC 5. Charles Tomlitz, a maintenance director with the district, and Thomas DeMauro, a P.E. teacher at Tioga Elementary, were among the six killed when the plane crashed at approximately 3:21 a.m. Saturday morning.

According to investigators, both Tomlitz and DeMauro's sons were also onboard the aircraft when it crashed on the way to a fishing excursion in Canada.

"The DeMauro family would like to express our gratitude for the outpouring of support after the tragic loss of Tom and Kyle," a statement from the DeMauro family read. "We deeply mourn their loss and both will be dearly missed. We would especially like to extend our gratitude to the first responders and community of Price County, Wisconsin, and our family and friends in Bensenville as we struggle to process this unfortunate loss."

Funeral services for Thomas and Kyle DeMauro will be determined at a later date, the family announced.

In the aftermath of the crash, colleagues and friends of the victims shared fond memories and their stunned sadness following the tragedy.

"I know they've taken this trip before," Vince Gaudio, a coworker of the men, said. "It's just tragic. (Tom) was full of energy, and he was very enthusiastic. He always had a smile on his face."

The crash occurred near the city of Phillips, the Price County Sheriff's Office said. The plane had left from Chicago and was heading to Canada, according to the sheriff's office.

Police could not release the identities of the remaining two victims until families were notified, Price County Sheriff Brian Schmidt told NBC-affiliate WFJW. The sheriff did confirm that all six victims of the crash were adults.

The NTSB and FAA are investigating the crash, WFJW reported. Debris from the plane scattered around a quarter-mile radius from the crash site, and anyone who finds debris is encouraged to call police.
A man in Leesburg is dead after being attacked by a man with a machete.

According to WESH, the NBC-affiliate in Central Florida, Gary Mosley, Sr. died Saturday morning from his injuries.

Investigators said Mosley was home Thursday with a friend inside of a screened in porch, when Carlos Reyes allegedly walked to the home and tried to enter it. Mosley and his friend tried to stop Reyes by using pepper spray on him.

Reyes is accused of grabbing a machete and causing severe injuries to Mosleys head, torso and arm, which nearly amputated his hand.

The suspect fled the scene. Mosley was taken to the hospital and then flown to a trauma center, where he died two days later.

When a relative of Reyes found out about the attacks, he called police and told them that he was likely the suspect. The relative told police that Reyes had recently become violent and had been using illegal drugs.

The arrest report says Reyes gave conflicting stories on what happened, but did say he used a machete to strike someone during a dispute.

Reyes was originally arrested and charged with attempted murder and was held without bond. Leesburg Police say they are now working with the State Attorneys office to file more serious charges since Mosley died.
The Trump White House no habla espanol. Well, un poquito.

After a succession of administrations that embraced Spanish-language content, President Donald Trump's White House is all but ignoring Spanish speakers even though he has a robust online presence in English.

His administration has yet to offer a Spanish White House website. It has eliminated the position of director of Hispanic media outreach. And its Spanish-language Twitter account is heavy with English text and features sloppy translations.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said in January that the administration had its "IT folks working overtime" to roll out a new Spanish language site after WhiteHouse.gov/espanol went dark in the hours after Trump took office.

"Trust me, it's going to take a little bit more time, but we're working piece by piece to get that done," Spicer said at the time. More than five months later, the site still urges readers to "STAY TUNED."

The White House's Spanish twitter account, @LaCasaBlanca, is also far less active in the Trump era.

The account has tweeted just 41 times since Trump's inauguration; more than one-third of those posts came on the day of his address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 28. Of the 41 tweets, about half were written in English. The Spanish tweets are sprinkled with typos  11 in all. While most mistakes are minor flubs such as missing accents, those accents often change the meaning of words significantly. For instance, they turn "medical" into "medicate" or "is" into "this."

Notably, one of the first agencies to expand Spanish-language content during the Trump era has been U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The agency better known as ICE is responsible for carrying out deportations. Last month, it announced that it was expanding the Spanish section of its website and started a new Spanish twitter feed, @ICEespanol.

The White House director of media affairs, Helen Aguirre Ferre, said she expects a Spanish website to launch later this year. She noted the Obama administration took nine months to launch its version, adding that "the priority remains to improve the English language website."

She said there was no plan to hire a press officer solely dedicated to Spanish-language media at this time. She said she and another staffer in the communications operation are bilingual and conduct interviews in Spanish. Spanish-language media are also invited to participate in press briefings, background briefings and other events, along with their English-language colleagues, she said.

Former President George W. Bush began the tradition of a Spanish-language website. The Obama administration followed suit.

Luis Miranda, director of Hispanic media at the White House during the Obama administration, said the Obama-era Spanish-language website was not just a translation of the English site, but included information geared to Latinos on topics such as immigration, health issues, banking and veterans affairs.

"For us it was important that all of our constituents across the board were getting as much information as possible about what we were doing," he said.

Still, the Obama White House received some criticism for using Spanglish in its initial website on his health overhaul.

Activists see the lack of Spanish content as part of a larger pattern by Trump and the administration.

"I believe they have written off the Latino vote as, 'I'm never going to get it, so why should I even bother?'" said Luis A. Miranda Jr., a Democratic strategist who has worked for Democrat Hillary Clinton as well as Republican Rudy Giuliani, the former mayor of New York. (The two Mirandas are not related.)

During his campaign, Trump turned off many Latinos with his harsh anti-immigration rhetoric. He criticized rival Jeb Bush for answering a reporter's question in Spanish, saying the former Florida governor "should really set the example by speaking English while in the United States."

"We have a country, where, to assimilate, you have to speak English. And I think that where he was, and the way it came out didn't sound right to me," Trump said during one Republican primary debate.

Trump still won about 28 percent of the Latino vote, similar to Mitt Romney in 2012, according to exit polls.

Roberto Izurieta, director of Latin American Projects at George Washington University, said that since Trump began his campaign, his rhetoric has been "very aggressive and very anti-Hispanic."

"The president decided on Day One to stay with his electoral base. It means he will keep his divisive rhetoric and stay with his base, which is anti-immigrant," he said.

Javier Palomarez, president of the U.S. Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, was a vocal critic of Trump during the campaign. But he said he has been pleasantly surprised by the administration's other Hispanic outreach efforts.

While Spanish-language communication is "important in terms of optics," he said, "at the end of the day, where the rubber meets the road for us and what matters to us is what kind of policy are you enacting, are you engaged with us."

He said his members' conversations with the White House have been "constant, consistent and ongoing," with numerous in-person meetings with White House and Cabinet officials, including Trump's daughter, Ivanka Trump, and weekly phone calls with Jennifer Korn, deputy director for the White House Office of Public Liaison.

"They have been more than willing to talk to us and engage us," he said. "This is the same level or more access that we had with the Obama administration."
What to Know A gunman shot six staff members inside Bronx Lebanon Hospital, one of them fatally, before taking his own life.

The gunman has been identified as Dr. Henry Michael Bello, a former family doctor at the hospital who resigned in 2015

Dr. Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, 32, was killed in the shooting. She normally worked in the clinic but was covering a shift for another doctor.

The six surviving staffers of Friday's rampage shooting at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital all suffered "horrendous injuries," including assault rifle wounds to the head and neck, but their conditions are improving - a testament to the heroic effort of the trauma teams to keep them all alive, officials said Monday.

A physician shot in the neck when 45-year-old former employee Henry Bello stormed the facility, an AM-15 rifle hidden under a white lab coat, was discharged from Bronx-Lebanon on Monday afternoon, authorities said.

Oluwafunmike Ojewoye, 29, is a family medicine doctor at the hospital. A photo provided to News 4 on Monday shows Ojewoye with hospital staff and others as she is discharged from the hospital.



Three others remain hospitalized there but are in stable condition. Two are out of the intensive care unit, while the last patient remaining there is eating and walking around, officials said. A medical student hospitalized at Mt. Sinai with a brain injury has been taken off a ventilator and is in good spirits.



Hospital staffers and nurses who worked on the victims described a herculean effort to save lives. One life, though, could not be saved.



Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, 32, usually worked in the clinic but was covering a shift at the main hospital as a favor to someone else when Bello, bent on killing a doctor sources said he had blamed for getting him terminated from the house physician job he held at Bronx-Lebanon from August 2014 to February 2015, used his old ID to gain access to the building and opened fire.



Friends of Tam have raised more than $22,000 toward the young woman's funeral expenses as a memorial for the physician grows outside the Queens home she shared with her mother. The GoFundMe page popped up Sunday. By 11 a.m. Monday, the page had raised $22,930, 92 percent of its $25,000 goal.



A doctor who worked with Tam closely for years and went to medical school with her created the page, calling her "an exceptional, and an extremely compassionate physician" who "touched the lives of many."



"She worked extra hours without incentive just to hold hands of patients that are about to pass or just to talk to them and listen to their needs," friend and colleague Ahmed Rezk wrote on the page.



Tam died when Bello, enraged that a specific doctor he had asked for was not there, opened fire. Bello shot himself to death on the 17th floor of the hospital after failing to set himself on fire.



NBC 4 New York exclusively reported Bello had been fired from a city job a week before the shooting spree. The latest termination was another setback for Bello, who had recently moved out of a men's homeless shelter on 30th Street in March and into his own apartment.
Three people were arrested while a fourth received a citation during a fight between anti-Trump and pro-Trump protesters outside a bar in Center City Sunday afternoon, according to police.

Both a group of anti-Trump protesters and a group of Trump supporters held separate events Sunday morning. The anti-Trump group held a demonstration at Peoples Plaza at Independence Mall around 10 a.m. and called for Trumps impeachment while the pro-Trump group marched from the Constitution Center to Dilworth Plaza.

After the demonstrations, a group of Trump supporters tried to enter a bar at 16th and Cuthbert streets around 12:30 p.m., according to investigators. Police said they were met by several anti-Trump protesters and an altercation between the two groups ensued. During the fight, two anti-Trump protesters attacked one of the Trump supporters, causing him to suffer a minor mouth injury, police said. Investigators also say a responding police officer was attacked during the incident.

After the fight was broken up, three people, including the two anti-Trump protesters accused of attacking the man, were arrested and one person was issued a citation. Police have not yet revealed their identities. They continue to investigate the incident.




Two children walked into an overworked Chester County police department Monday and thanked officers for their long hours leading up to the arrest of a suspect in the high-profile Pennsylvania road rage murder of Bianca Roberson.

West Goshen police posted this photo of a card giving thanks from two kids named Emma and Trevor. The gracious children also brought in some donuts and coffee for the cops.

We want to thank Emma and Trevor who brought in a thank you card and treats for the Officers. pic.twitter.com/C9Ds3w3REI  WestGoshenPD (@WestGoshenPD) July 3, 2017

Roberson, 18, of West Chester, died from a gunshot wound to the head during rush hour last Wednesday along Route 100. The man arrested for allegedly shooting her, David Andrew Desper, of Trainer, was taken into custody Sunday after a four-day manhunt.

That dragnet spanned three states and tips poured in from the public as West Goshen police and Chester County law enforcement released several images and video clips of the red pickup truck that at least one witness identified as allegedly driven by Roberson's killer.

Life of Teen Fatally Shot in Road Rage

Those tips stretched from New Jersey to Texas.

But the epicenter of that search was West Goshen, a suburban Philadelphia town of roughly 20,000 that hasn't made national news since it was previously called one of the best places to live in America by Money Magazine. It's most known locally as home of the television sales giant, QVC.

"West Goshen Township has a lush, suburban feel, with quiet, tree-shaded residential areas, lovely parks, and a full slate of community activities," Money said of the township in 2013, when it was ranked 10th best place to live in the country.

Desper, 28, is being held without bail on a first-degree murder charge and other related charges. His preliminary hearing is set for July 13.

Roberson's parents sat quietly in the room, sobbing, while officials announced the arrest. They lost another child, an adult son, four years ago to heart disease.

On June 28, Desper and Roberson played what investigators previously called a game of "cat and mouse" while attempting to merge into the same lane on Route 100 in Chester County around 5:30 p.m., officials said. Roberson was heading home from a shopping trip. She would have left for college later this summer.

The shooters car fled the scene "at a high rate of speed on the shoulder of the spur before eventually crossing traffic and continuing southbound on the shoulder of Route 202," charging documents said.
Maryland has joined a growing number of states that are refusing to give President Donald Trump's voting commission personal information on voters.

Maryland's attorney general says the state is prohibited by law from releasing the information. Plus, he added, he finds the request "repugnant."

"It appears designed only to intimidate voters and to indulge President Trumps fantasy that he won the popular vote," Brian Frosh said in a statement. "There is no evidence that the integrity of the 2016 election in Maryland -- or any other state -- was compromised by voter fraud."

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe had rejected the request the day after it was made.

"At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trump's alternative election facts, and at worst is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression," McAuliffe said in a statement.

D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser has also rejected the request, citing the need to protect voters' privacy.

D.C. Councilmember Charles Allen, who chairs the Council committee that oversees elections, said "the District of Columbia will not be party to this blatant effort to intimidate voters" and has pledged to introduce emergency legislation to make sure the D.C. Board of Elections is not forced to turn over the data.
A manhunt has ended in Northern Virginia after a man escaped from immigration officials.

Marlon Carlos Rivas-Mendez, 27, fled from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) custody as he was facing deportation and being driven to Washington Dulles International Airport, law enforcement sources tell News4.

He is now in law enforcement custody, ICE told News4 Monday afternoon.

Rivas-Mendez escaped from a car traveling south on Dulles Toll Road near Old Ox Road in Sterling, sources say. He ran into a wooded area.

Loudoun County police say Rivas-Mendez is a Sterling resident who initially was arrested Monday morning. He was transferred into ICE custody about 11:10 a.m. without incident.

But in federal custody "Rivas-Mendez assaulted the transport personnel and escaped custody on the Dulles Toll Road," a statement from the Loudoun County Sheriff's Office said.

ICE, Virginia State Police, Fairfax and Loudoun county police and Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority officers all hunted for Rivas-Mendez.

Video from Chopper4 showed the extensive search underway.



Finally, more than three hours after he was taken into ICE custody, he was found about four miles away, near Mercure Circle and Old Ox Road.

He was taken back into custody without incident, Loudoun County police say.

Rivas-Mendez now faces local charges of assault and battery, and he is in ICE custody.

Sources said Rivas-Mendez stands 5-foot-11, is Hispanic with fair skin and was wearing a white T-shirt, camouflage shorts and no shoes. He had a handcuff around one wrist.

Anyone with information on Rivas-Mendez's whereabouts was asked to call 911 or 703-777-1021.
Hockey preview: All you need to know about Irish vs. Minnesota
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump in an early Monday phone call that "some negative factors" are hurting U.S.-China relations, as tensions flare anew over a slew of long-standing sore points.

Xi's comments in a phone call with Trump follow Beijing's displeasure over U.S. arms sales to rival Taiwan, U.S. sanctions against a Chinese bank over its dealings with North Korea and, most recently, the sailing of a U.S. destroyer within the territorial seas limit of a Chinese-claimed island in the South China Sea.

Trump also spoke on the phone with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Monday, reaffirming their shared commitments to dealing with North Korea.

Beijing was also miffed after the State Department gave Beijing a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report.

As reported by state media, Xi told Trump in their call that China expected Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the "one China" principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.

"Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-U.S. relations have achieved important outcomes," state broadcaster CCTV reported, referring to Xi's meeting with Trump in Florida in April. "At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the U.S."

Seeking to lighten the message slightly, Xi also said China-U.S. relations had achieved "important outcomes" since the Florida meeting.

It's unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G-20 summit in Germany at which Trump and Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.

But it now appears that China is pushing back against the U.S. pressure, setting the stage for a potential confrontation.

China's foreign ministry accused the U.S. of violating Chinese sovereignty and disrupting "peace, security and order of the relevant waters" after the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Stethem sailed Sunday within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of tiny Triton island, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

The defense ministry issued a similar statement Monday, saying it would beef up patrols and take precautions commensurate with the threat level to safeguard "national sovereignty and security."

Trump and his top aides have done little to hide their irritation over what they see as the reluctance by China, North Korea's main economic partner, to tighten the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.

Until lately, American officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons.

However, last month Trump hinted at his loss of patience, tweeting that his bid to secure a tougher Chinese approach "has not worked out."
Police in Colchester, Vermont, are asking for the public's help locating a woman who went missing from a camp Sunday night.

Cynthia Whalen, 52, was at a camp on Niquette Bay Road and wandered away around 11:20 p.m. The disappearance was reported to police after midnight.

Whalen is 5'8", has blonde hair and was last seen wearing khaki-colored cargo-type shorts and a tan top.

She has known medical issues.

A picture of Whalen was not immediately available.

Anyone with information is asked to contact police.
While thousands of state employees wonder about their next paycheck, and Maine lawmakers work overtime to come to a budget agreement and end a government shutdown, Gov. Paul LePage is planning to take a break of sorts.

Republican Senate President Mike Thibodeau and Republican Senator Roger Katz said LePage notified legislative leaders Monday morning that he would be going on vacation. He had said he would be leaving the state for at least 10 days.

"It is the biggest abdication of responsibility I have ever witnessed," said Democrat Speaker of the House Sara Gideon.

The government partially shut down Friday at midnight, closing state services such as court houses and motor vehicle bureaus. Lawmakers have been working weekends, and plan to work the July 4th holiday, to come to a budget agreement and end the shutdown.

LePage has blamed the speaker for the budget stalemate.

Later Monday afternoon, LePage told WSCSH-TV political analyst Phil Harriman he had no plans to leave the state, and that his pen would be vacationing instead.

While the governor is able to sign or veto legislation while out of the office, he signaled that he may not exercise that ability. In a Facebook video posted Monday morning, LePage said he will neither sign nor veto a budget bill that includes a tax increase.

"The Constitution allows me 10 days before the bill becomes law," said LePage. "If they put a tax increase in, the bill will sit on my desk for 10 days and it's going to cause a two-week shutdown."

There are about 12,000 state employees in Maine. More than 200 of them protested at the State House Monday, urging lawmakers to pass a budget so they can get back to work.

"Without pay, it's a huge hardship," said Allison Perkins, a worker at DHHS who just had a baby. "Not knowing if I'm going to get paid again this month is huge."

Augusta Mayor David Rollins said the government shutdown is already having an impact on local businesses. He said if state employees aren't getting paid, they're not spending income.

"This is having an impact on our city," said Rollins. "Lunch counters, shop owners, gas stations  theyre going to feel the impact if this goes on too long."
A request for detailed information about every voter in the U.S. from President Donald Trump's voting commission is getting a rocky reception from states  and he's not happy about it.

Some of the most populous states, including California and New York, are refusing to comply. But even some conservative states that voted for Trump, such as Texas, say they can provide only partial responses based on what is legally allowed under state law.

"Numerous states are refusing to give information to the very distinguished VOTER FRAUD PANEL. What are they trying to hide?," Trump said in a tweet Saturday.

Given the mishmash of information Trump's commission will receive, it's unclear how useful it will be or what the commission will do with it. Trump established the commission to investigate allegations of voter fraud in the 2016 elections, but Democrats have blasted it as a biased panel that is merely looking for ways to suppress the vote.

New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner, a Democrat who is a member of Trump's Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity, defended the request Friday. He said the commission expected that many states would only partially comply because open records laws differ from state to state.

"If only half the states agree, we'll have to talk about that. I think, whatever they do, we'll work with that," said Gardner, adding that the commission will discuss the survey at its July 19 meeting.

He said he has received calls from unhappy constituents who said they didn't want Trump to see their personal information.

"But this is not private, and a lot of people don't know that," he said.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders blasted the decision by some governors and secretaries of state not to comply.

"I think that that's mostly about a political stunt," she told reporters at a White House briefing Friday

It's not just Democrats bristling at the requested information.

Mississippi Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann, a Republican serving his third term, said in a statement he had not received the commission's request.

If he does receive it?

"My reply would be: They can go jump in the Gulf of Mexico, and Mississippi is a great state to launch from," he said. "Mississippi residents should celebrate Independence Day and our state's right to protect the privacy of our citizens by conducting our own electoral processes."

In a federal court case after a contentious U.S. Senate primary in Mississippi in 2014, a group called True the Vote sued Mississippi seeking similar information about voters. Hosemann fought that request and won.

No state election official planned to provide the commission with all of the information requested  even Kansas, where commission vice chairman Kris Kobach is secretary of state. He sent the letter asking for the names, party affiliations, addresses, voting histories, felony convictions, military service and the last four digits of Social Security numbers for all voters.

A spokeswoman for Kobach's office said the last four digits of Social Security numbers are not publicly available under Kansas law and would not be handed over. That was the case in many other states, noted in statements from top election officials and responses to queries from reporters for The Associated Press.

Officials in 10 states and the District of Columbia said they would not comply at all with the request. Those states are California, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Minnesota, Mississippi, New Mexico, New York, South Dakota, Tennessee and Virginia.

Oklahoma, where nearly two-thirds of the vote in the November presidential election went to Trump, will provide nearly all the commission's request, save for one bit of information: Social Security numbers.

"That's not publicly available under the laws of our state," said Bryan Dean, spokesman for the Oklahoma State Election Board.

Dean said the commission's request will be treated like any other from the general public. The election board will tell the panel to fill out an online form asking for the information. Oklahoma's voter roll is routinely provided to political campaigns, the press and other groups that ask for it.

The letter from the presidential commission gives secretaries of state about two weeks to provide the voter data and other information, including any evidence of fraud and election-related crimes in their states. It also asks for suggestions on improving election security.

Some Democratic officials have refused to comply with the data request, saying it invades privacy and is based on false claims of fraud. Trump, who created the commission through executive order in May, lost the popular vote to Democrat Hillary Clinton but has alleged without evidence that up to 5 million people voted illegally.

Ramer reported from Concord, New Hampshire. Associated Press writers Jill Colvin in Washington, D.C.; Roxana Hegeman in Wichita, Kansas; Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey; Blake Nicholson in Bismarck, North Dakota; and Kyle Potter in St. Paul, Minnesota, contributed to this report.


If genes are selfish, why are some animals, such as meerkats, altruistic? And to what extent is human behaviour different from that of other social animals? This fascinating topic was discussed before an audience of over 60 people by Dr Peter Woodward, a theologian embedded in Cambridge Universitys zoology department. At the talk in Norwich on July 3 organised by Science and Faith in Norfolk, Dr Woodward explored the interface between scientific, philosophical and religious interpretations of morality and ethics in human behaviour, particularly in relation to altruism.



He began by noting that Richard Dawkins famous description of genes as selfish should not be taken literally. It does not mean that genes have thoughts or intentions. Rather, in biology selfish means benefitting the agent at the expense of others, while altruistic means benefitting others at the expense of the agent. In fact, altruistic behaviour is very common in social animals such as ants, birds, baboons, and meerkats.



How is such altruistic behaviour to be explained, when it is costly and so might threaten to make the genes of the altruist do less well than others in the struggle to survive and reproduce? In such cases, the apparent altruistic behaviour, e.g. of meerkats, can help genes survive and reproduce because these animals tend to help their kin who share their genes, or because other members of the group will help them reciprocally. In this way, genes for cooperation will gradually become more common in social animals through the process of evolution by natural selection.



This leads to deep questions for philosophers and human behaviourists. Are cooperative and altruistic behaviours in humans also to be interpreted as the consequence of our genetic make-up  the end-product of our evolution as social animals over millions of years? Can the same principles by which we explain behaviour in social animals also explain human dispositions to help others and to care about their well-being? And where do ethics come from - our moral values and our beliefs about which actions are right and wrong?



As with most things in biology, our behaviour seems to be the outcome of an interplay between nature and nurture. On the one hand, humans and other social animals, e.g. monkeys and meerkats, are hard-wired to express some basic traits of empathy and even fairness and equal rewards; for example, Capuchin monkeys have been shown to object to a food reward if it is not equal to the reward that their peer had received for the same task.



On the other hand, it is possible to argue that humans are different from any other living species. Humans are the animal with reason, as Aristotle put it. In addition to our instincts to be social, we also possess a capacity for self-reflective and self-critical evaluation of our instincts, our beliefs and our reasons. Presumably, this ability to reason about our behaviour is distinctive.



Dr Woodward argues that our intellectual capacity, and not strictly our biology, has shaped the moral and ethical lives of humans and human societies. Thus, human altruism is quite distinct from other aspects of biological cooperation for genes, cells, insects, fish, birds, or even mammals and primates. Our moral judgments may be rooted in our biological nature, but they are also the product of our intellectual capacity to reflect on our experience and to reason critically about our desires and actions.



To put it another way, humans have a natural motivation to help each other and to develop altruistic behaviour. This is based on our socio-biology  the product of millions of years of evolution by natural selection. However, our natural pro- (and anti-) social dispositions are guided, enhanced, and channelled by self-reflective evaluation. This aspect of behaviour is based on our appreciation of ethics, religion and morality, which is the product of our cultural heritage. It dates back only a few thousand years in the cultural history of humankind, rather than in the millions of years of genetic evolution which preceded it.



In summary, we can ask the question: are moral and ethical beliefs and behaviours simply part of a biological strategy that will enable humankind to survive and reproduce more successfully, or do they help us to recognize values that transcend these biological needs? This is not a scientific question that can be answered with more empirical evidence and better experiments. Rather, it is a philosophical or theological question about God, evolution and ethics. Is our concept of cooperation and altruistic action as a moral good, overriding self-interest, an illusory by-product of evolution, fobbed off on us by our genes? Alternatively, is it the sign that the long course of natural evolution has prepared humans to recognise real moral goods and to take responsibility for realising them? Unsurprisingly, Dr Woodfords interdisciplinary talk stimulated lively discussion and raised many further scientific and theological questions.



The meeting was organised by Science Faith Norfolk (SFN), a Norwich-based group affiliated to Christians in Science. The next open lecture/discussion will be held on Monday 6th November (7.30  8.45 pm). Dr Amanda Ogilvy-Stuart, Clinical Director of Rosie Hospital, Cambridge, will give a talk and lead a discussion entitled  Caring for the weakest: Ethical challenges in managing sick and premature babies. It will be held at Trinity Meeting Place, Holy Trinity Church, Essex St. Norwich NR2 2BJ. For further information contact Professor Nick Brewin (07901 884114); sfnorfolk1@gmail.com.




Kings Lynn churches plan to launch night shelter Kings Lynn churches plan to launch night shelter

With rising levels of homelessness in Kings Lynn, a public meeting was held on June 28 where it was announced that King's Lynn Churches Together, in partnership with the Purfleet Trust and Imagine Norfolk Together, will pilot a winter night shelter from October 2017.

On Wednesday, June 28 a public meeting was held at London Road Methodist Church in Kings Lynn to discuss issues of homelessness in the town, with speakers from organisations involved in serving homeless people across Norfolk.


Appeal for Latitude Festival Pastors prayer support Appeal for Latitude Festival Pastors prayer support

Town Pastors from 11 projects across Suffolk and Norfolk will be helping to ensure the safety of the 35,000 people attending the Latitude music and arts festival in Suffolk in mid July.
Video preview: Follow the light spectacular tonight

BE the first to see a new ear and eye-popping spectacle before the world catches on.

At 9.45pm this Friday, as dusk falls, follow the exuberant percussion rhythms of Worldbeaters, samba-style, as they parade through town and discover huge illuminated puppets  gentle giants Dundu and Baby Dundu.

This collaboration between Germanys outdoor arts specialists and the UKs LED-lit high-energy percussion band has been developed at the Corn Exchanges 101 creation space at Greenham.

West African Kora and Latin American riffs and rhythms roll into one in this one-off night-time premiere of Sense of Unity, before it tours the UK and beyond. The parade starts in Northbrook Street.

Enjoy a sneak peak of what to expect.
Put yourself forward for a Newbury Weekly News Best in Business Award

CALLING all entrepreneurs. You have just over a week to enter the first Newbury Weekly News Best in Business Awards as the July 7 deadline is fast approaching.

The awards follow on from the West Berkshire Business Awards (WBBA) which had been held for the past four years.

The aim of the awards is to recognise and celebrate business success in West Berkshire and North Hampshire.

There are nine categories this year, each sponsored by a local business.

The winner of each category will go head-to-head to win the overall Best in Business 2017 award which is being sponsored by The Vineyard Group.

Entrants for the digital and entrepreneur categories are particularly being encouraged to enter.

NWN chief executive, James Gurney, said: I am really excited to be picking up the baton for the awards.

The Best in Business Awards will allow us to truly celebrate everything that is great within the local business community.

Commerce thrives in this part of the world and to be able to open the doors and share some of its incredible success can only enhance local businesses.

The nine categories are: Innovation (sponsored by Santander), Small Business (PBA Accountants), Start Up (new) Business (Dick Lovett), Not for Profit/Charity (Greenham Trust), Rural (West Berkshire Brewery), Independent Retailer (Newbury BID), Digital and Social Media (Apple Print & Creative) and Entrepreneur (Jones Robinson).

More than 50 companies have entered so far.

The winners will be announced at a black tie gala dinner at Newbury Racecourse on November 3.

To enter go to http://www.bestinbusinessawards.co.uk/
Gurbir Singh By

Express News Service

On June 23, Urban Development Minister M Venkiah Naidu announced another batch of 30 cities that will be developed as smart cities. The list includes state capitals like Thiruvananthapuram, Shimla, Patna and Dehra Dun. After competitive bidding involving various parameters of growth and performance, the fourth tranche of cities have qualified pushing up the total to 89 of the originally planned 100.

It was a visionary move when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley first announced in his Budget speech in June 2014 the plan to develop 100 smart cities. A sum of `7,016 crore was allocated for the planning process. In the chaos of the urban jungle, a focussed policy that transforms a few key cities by revolutionising infrastructure, connectivity and housing is one way of making rapid progress, rather than casting the net too wide and ultimately doing nothing.



A Few Kick-Off Smart Projects

The Smart Cities Mission that is overseeing this focus area envisages urban growth as a Centre-state-private partnership. The Union Cabinet has allocated `98,000 crore as the central contribution so far. On the ground, however, there has been very little progress. After three years of the announcement, 89 cities have been selected, but with little to show in urban transformation.

There are a few cities that have taken the task seriously. Pune has begun by raising funds through the issuance of municipal smart city bonds. Bhubaneswar has launched a railway multi-modal hub, a hi-tech transport signal system and an urban knowledge centre. The New Delhi Municipal Corporation has started implementation of mini-sewerage plants, wi-fi activated smart street lights and city surveillance systems through a command and control centre.

But, most cities are still struggling at a primary planning stage, and financial closure to projects is still a long way off. More importantly, the third leg of the Smart City Mission  private investment  has hardly been identified and defined. The problem is, foreign investors who have been wooed, have no idea how and when to enter and exit.

A Drop In The Ocean

The allocations sound big. As of now, the investment envisaged from government  both centre and state  for the 80 cities slated for development is `1.91 lakh crore (about $30 billion). However, considering that around $5 trillion (or over 150 times the current allocation) is required to develop 100 cities comprehensively, what we have is a drop in the ocean. The planning process started with looking at developing existing and new satellite cities; when the financials proved too daunting, smart city planners veered around to considering retrofitting existing cities to make them modern avatars.

Transforming entire cities, too, was found to be equally forbidding, and the Smart City Mission finally settled on targeting small areas in each city as icons of growth. This would trigger more funding and new growth plans, it was hoped. The Area Based Development approach  development of a sewage system somewhere, or a web of roads in another city  will cover just about three per cent of the urban areas associated with these smart cities, a study has found. But, more than being a drop in the ocean, how does the ADB approach make it any better than any other piecemeal planning we have been used to?



Too Many Definitions

In Europe, the term Smart City has evolved to mean the use of modern technology to create efficient urban infrastructure and comfortable living standards. In practice, in India smart city planning is a set of shifting goalposts with as many definitions as there are planners. Serious city planners have also expressed concern that the concept of Smart Cities is more to do with erecting shiny glass edifices as icons of corporate well being, rather than providing affordable housing and making commutes for the poor easy.



A hundred is too big a number. Perhaps, when one has limited funds, an easier and speedier route is to take five big cities or 10 small ones at a time, and transform them comprehensively. Planned and sustainable urbanization requires transforming civic infrastructure, building mass housing, and providing cheap and accessible transport. These are the basics of making a city pro-people. Making them smart is the next step. If doing five big cities in three years give a new life to its inhabitants, one can be sure the next 10 cities will not be short of funds and drive.

Taking three years to choose the cities who will qualify to become smart seems a wasted opportunity.

The author can be contacted at gurbir1@gmail.com

Starting troubleMost cities are struggling at primary planning stages, and financial closure to projects is still a long way off

On June 23, Urban Development Minister M Venkiah Naidu announced another batch of 30 cities that will be developed as smart cities. The list includes state capitals like Thiruvananthapuram, Shimla, Patna and Dehra Dun. After competitive bidding involving various parameters of growth and performance, the fourth tranche of cities have qualified pushing up the total to 89 of the originally planned 100. It was a visionary move when Finance Minister Arun Jaitley first announced in his Budget speech in June 2014 the plan to develop 100 smart cities. A sum of `7,016 crore was allocated for the planning process. In the chaos of the urban jungle, a focussed policy that transforms a few key cities by revolutionising infrastructure, connectivity and housing is one way of making rapid progress, rather than casting the net too wide and ultimately doing nothing. A Few Kick-Off Smart Projects The Smart Cities Mission that is overseeing this focus area envisages urban growth as a Centre-state-private partnership. The Union Cabinet has allocated `98,000 crore as the central contribution so far. On the ground, however, there has been very little progress. After three years of the announcement, 89 cities have been selected, but with little to show in urban transformation. There are a few cities that have taken the task seriously. Pune has begun by raising funds through the issuance of municipal smart city bonds. Bhubaneswar has launched a railway multi-modal hub, a hi-tech transport signal system and an urban knowledge centre. The New Delhi Municipal Corporation has started implementation of mini-sewerage plants, wi-fi activated smart street lights and city surveillance systems through a command and control centre. But, most cities are still struggling at a primary planning stage, and financial closure to projects is still a long way off. More importantly, the third leg of the Smart City Mission  private investment  has hardly been identified and defined. The problem is, foreign investors who have been wooed, have no idea how and when to enter and exit. A Drop In The Ocean The allocations sound big. As of now, the investment envisaged from government  both centre and state  for the 80 cities slated for development is `1.91 lakh crore (about $30 billion). However, considering that around $5 trillion (or over 150 times the current allocation) is required to develop 100 cities comprehensively, what we have is a drop in the ocean. The planning process started with looking at developing existing and new satellite cities; when the financials proved too daunting, smart city planners veered around to considering retrofitting existing cities to make them modern avatars. Transforming entire cities, too, was found to be equally forbidding, and the Smart City Mission finally settled on targeting small areas in each city as icons of growth. This would trigger more funding and new growth plans, it was hoped. The Area Based Development approach  development of a sewage system somewhere, or a web of roads in another city  will cover just about three per cent of the urban areas associated with these smart cities, a study has found. But, more than being a drop in the ocean, how does the ADB approach make it any better than any other piecemeal planning we have been used to? Too Many Definitions In Europe, the term Smart City has evolved to mean the use of modern technology to create efficient urban infrastructure and comfortable living standards. In practice, in India smart city planning is a set of shifting goalposts with as many definitions as there are planners. Serious city planners have also expressed concern that the concept of Smart Cities is more to do with erecting shiny glass edifices as icons of corporate well being, rather than providing affordable housing and making commutes for the poor easy. A hundred is too big a number. Perhaps, when one has limited funds, an easier and speedier route is to take five big cities or 10 small ones at a time, and transform them comprehensively. Planned and sustainable urbanization requires transforming civic infrastructure, building mass housing, and providing cheap and accessible transport. These are the basics of making a city pro-people. Making them smart is the next step. If doing five big cities in three years give a new life to its inhabitants, one can be sure the next 10 cities will not be short of funds and drive. Taking three years to choose the cities who will qualify to become smart seems a wasted opportunity. The author can be contacted at gurbir1@gmail.com Starting troubleMost cities are struggling at primary planning stages, and financial closure to projects is still a long way off
By Reuters

DUESSELDORF: Thyssenkrupp workers oppose the idea that the German industrial group could be the junior partner in a possible steel joint venture with India's Tata Steel, group works council chief Wilhelm Segerath told Reuters on Monday.

Thyssenkrupp and Tata have been in discussions since last year to combine their European operations in a joint venture to remove overcapacity from the market and cut costs, and had so far said to be planning a 50-50 venture.

But on Sunday, German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Thyssenkrupp aimed to hold less than half of the potential venture so it can deconsolidate the business from its balance sheet.

"I don't believe in a minority stake. We reject that idea," Segerath said, adding that such a move would make the steel business entirely dependent on a foreign investor whose intentions for jobs and sites were uncertain.

Labour bosses at Thyssenkrupp have long opposed a possible merger of the two companies' European steel businesses, fearing such a deal would destroy jobs without making the business more sustainable.

Thyssenkrupp's steel works council chief, Guenter Back, said last month that finance chief Guido Kerkhoff had said the company would decide by the end of the 2016/17 fiscal year, which runs through September, whether to proceed with a merger.

DUESSELDORF: Thyssenkrupp workers oppose the idea that the German industrial group could be the junior partner in a possible steel joint venture with India's Tata Steel, group works council chief Wilhelm Segerath told Reuters on Monday. Thyssenkrupp and Tata have been in discussions since last year to combine their European operations in a joint venture to remove overcapacity from the market and cut costs, and had so far said to be planning a 50-50 venture. But on Sunday, German business daily Handelsblatt reported that Thyssenkrupp aimed to hold less than half of the potential venture so it can deconsolidate the business from its balance sheet. "I don't believe in a minority stake. We reject that idea," Segerath said, adding that such a move would make the steel business entirely dependent on a foreign investor whose intentions for jobs and sites were uncertain. Labour bosses at Thyssenkrupp have long opposed a possible merger of the two companies' European steel businesses, fearing such a deal would destroy jobs without making the business more sustainable. Thyssenkrupp's steel works council chief, Guenter Back, said last month that finance chief Guido Kerkhoff had said the company would decide by the end of the 2016/17 fiscal year, which runs through September, whether to proceed with a merger.
By Express News Service

BENGALURU: Bowing to threats from Kannada activists, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) blocked out Hindi from signboards at Kempegowda and Chickpet Metro stations. The knee-jerk reaction from Metro took place on Saturday evening. Of the two entries presently open at Kempegowda Metro station, the name of the station in Hindi printed on a signboard outside the south entry (opposite Shantala Silks) vanished out of trace. All the words are printed using stickers and we peeled off the Hindi portion. However, the Metro subway across has all the words embossed in metal.

So we were forced to conceal the Hindi words using brown tape as a temporary measure, said a Metro official. At the west entry of the Metro station (opposite the City railway station), the signboard did not have Hindi words on it. At Chickpet Metro station, Hindi words were camouflaged with the help of thermocol and brown tape on Saturday.

An official source said that platoons of policemen had visited the Kempegowda Metro station on Saturday evening and warned officials that Kannada activists were planning to use black paint on the signboards to hide the Hindi words. They suggested that we take quick action to avert major chaos. So the staff at Kempegowda station took the help of homeguards to hide the Hindi words, the source said. They also alerted Metro officials at Chickpet and asked them to do the same.

However, a senior police official denied that police had suggested any such action to Metro officials. When we reached Kempegowda Metro station, the Hindi words were already plastered over.

Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently said the state would protest against the imposition of Hindi on Namma Metro as it was not a Central government project. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike, which was at the forefront of the campaign claimed success for its efforts. The Kannada Development Authority too issued a notice to BMRCL regarding the use of Hindi on signboards.

BENGALURU: Bowing to threats from Kannada activists, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) blocked out Hindi from signboards at Kempegowda and Chickpet Metro stations. The knee-jerk reaction from Metro took place on Saturday evening. Of the two entries presently open at Kempegowda Metro station, the name of the station in Hindi printed on a signboard outside the south entry (opposite Shantala Silks) vanished out of trace. All the words are printed using stickers and we peeled off the Hindi portion. However, the Metro subway across has all the words embossed in metal. So we were forced to conceal the Hindi words using brown tape as a temporary measure, said a Metro official. At the west entry of the Metro station (opposite the City railway station), the signboard did not have Hindi words on it. At Chickpet Metro station, Hindi words were camouflaged with the help of thermocol and brown tape on Saturday. An official source said that platoons of policemen had visited the Kempegowda Metro station on Saturday evening and warned officials that Kannada activists were planning to use black paint on the signboards to hide the Hindi words. They suggested that we take quick action to avert major chaos. So the staff at Kempegowda station took the help of homeguards to hide the Hindi words, the source said. They also alerted Metro officials at Chickpet and asked them to do the same. However, a senior police official denied that police had suggested any such action to Metro officials. When we reached Kempegowda Metro station, the Hindi words were already plastered over. Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had recently said the state would protest against the imposition of Hindi on Namma Metro as it was not a Central government project. Meanwhile, on Sunday, the Kannada Rakshana Vedike, which was at the forefront of the campaign claimed success for its efforts. The Kannada Development Authority too issued a notice to BMRCL regarding the use of Hindi on signboards.
By Express News Service

CHENNAI: Three college students drowned at Kovalam in two different incidents on Saturday.

In the first one, Prithiviraj, 29, of Kelambakkam, a post graduate medical student, went for a bath in the sea at Kovalam along with two friends around 7 am on Saturday. When the men were bathing in the beach, Prithiviraj drowned. His friends searched for him, but in vain. They alerted police who along with fishermen tried to trace the body, but in vain, said a police official.

However, on Sunday morning, his body washed ashore near Uthandi about 7 km from the place of the incident. Locals who spotted the body alerted police who sent it for post-mortem.

Police said Prithiviraj was pursuing post-graduation at Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute at Kelambakkam. He stayed with his friends in the same locality.

In another incident the same evening, two engineering students from a private college near OMR went missing at Kovalam. Second year B Tech students Henry Joseph and Rakesh, both aged 20 and hailing from Andhra Pradesh went missing at the beach on Saturday evening, sources said.

Eight B Tech students from Sathyabama University had gone to Kovalam beach and were playing in the waters behind a mosque. Around 7 pm, six students returned to the shore, while two were missing. They informed local police, said a police source. As three students drowned the same day, a Coast Guard helicopter was pressed into service to trace the bodies. On Sunday, Josephs body was recovered at Kanathur beach, while the other youth is feared drowned. Kovalam police have registered a case and are investigating.

CHENNAI: Three college students drowned at Kovalam in two different incidents on Saturday. In the first one, Prithiviraj, 29, of Kelambakkam, a post graduate medical student, went for a bath in the sea at Kovalam along with two friends around 7 am on Saturday. When the men were bathing in the beach, Prithiviraj drowned. His friends searched for him, but in vain. They alerted police who along with fishermen tried to trace the body, but in vain, said a police official. However, on Sunday morning, his body washed ashore near Uthandi about 7 km from the place of the incident. Locals who spotted the body alerted police who sent it for post-mortem. Police said Prithiviraj was pursuing post-graduation at Chettinad Hospital and Research Institute at Kelambakkam. He stayed with his friends in the same locality. In another incident the same evening, two engineering students from a private college near OMR went missing at Kovalam. Second year B Tech students Henry Joseph and Rakesh, both aged 20 and hailing from Andhra Pradesh went missing at the beach on Saturday evening, sources said. Eight B Tech students from Sathyabama University had gone to Kovalam beach and were playing in the waters behind a mosque. Around 7 pm, six students returned to the shore, while two were missing. They informed local police, said a police source. As three students drowned the same day, a Coast Guard helicopter was pressed into service to trace the bodies. On Sunday, Josephs body was recovered at Kanathur beach, while the other youth is feared drowned. Kovalam police have registered a case and are investigating.
By Express News Service

VIJAYAWADA: AP Health and Medical Education department Minister Kamineni Srinivas Rao announced the State ranks for NEET UG 2017 at NTR Health University on Sunday. A total of 32,392 candidates from Andhra Pradesh and 27,075 candidates from Telangana region have qualified in NEET.

The counselling schedule would be published on the health university website on Monday. Out of the 11,38,890 candidates who had registered for the examination, 10,90,085 students appeared for the test. Among them, 6,11,539 candidates qualified in the entrance test which was held on May 7.

N Manvita from Proddutur, who secured All India rank 14 in NEET 2017, topped in State rankings of Andhra Pradesh which were released on Sunday. P Sai Swetha from Visakhapatnam stood second in the State by securing 36th rank in All India category. B Phanisri Lasya who secured rank 51 in NEET stood at 3rd place in the State, followed by G Manoj Pawan Reddy (4th) and D Vamsi Krishna (5th).

Addressing the gathering, Minister Kamineni Sinivas Rao said that the government will look after each and every aspect of counselling procedure and see that no student gets affected in any manner. Be it the convenor quota or management quota, everything will be filled based on the NEET ranking.

The students need not pay a single rupee in cash. The paymode in all the medical colleges of the State will be made only through Demand Draft (DD). Right from next year we are planning to go for a national pool with an amendment to article 371 D, which is already in proposal state. Our ultimate aim is to help benefit the large number of students from Andhra Pradesh, he added.

As of now, the candidates of particular areas where they belong or have studied for 7 years will be considered as local and will be eligible to get admission in the colleges that are present in their locality.

The candidates who wants to join in a college in any other area would have to reserve a seat for himself in the 15 percent quota for non locals. For instance, if a Kadapa boy wants to join a college in Andhra, he has to get admission in the 15 per cent quota reserved for non-locals.

According to the ranks and reservation, 2927 seats would be filled under convener quota, 730 seats under Management quota and 343 seats would be filled under NRI quota. Candidates who secure admissions in private colleges under convener quota would have to pay the same fee of Rs 10,000, similar to those studying in government colleges. The counselling schedule and other required information would be uploaded on NTR Health University website on Monday and candidates are advised to access the website and take down the particulars of the counselling process.

Key points

Total number of students qualified in NEET from AP 32,392

Total number of seats available in State colleges 4,000

Online counsellingJuly 3-4th week

Commencement of classes August 1

July 2nd week - Merit list published on university website

Candidates scoring more than 130/720 in NEET are eligible to apply in open category

VIJAYAWADA: AP Health and Medical Education department Minister Kamineni Srinivas Rao announced the State ranks for NEET UG 2017 at NTR Health University on Sunday. A total of 32,392 candidates from Andhra Pradesh and 27,075 candidates from Telangana region have qualified in NEET. The counselling schedule would be published on the health university website on Monday. Out of the 11,38,890 candidates who had registered for the examination, 10,90,085 students appeared for the test. Among them, 6,11,539 candidates qualified in the entrance test which was held on May 7. N Manvita from Proddutur, who secured All India rank 14 in NEET 2017, topped in State rankings of Andhra Pradesh which were released on Sunday. P Sai Swetha from Visakhapatnam stood second in the State by securing 36th rank in All India category. B Phanisri Lasya who secured rank 51 in NEET stood at 3rd place in the State, followed by G Manoj Pawan Reddy (4th) and D Vamsi Krishna (5th). Addressing the gathering, Minister Kamineni Sinivas Rao said that the government will look after each and every aspect of counselling procedure and see that no student gets affected in any manner. Be it the convenor quota or management quota, everything will be filled based on the NEET ranking. The students need not pay a single rupee in cash. The paymode in all the medical colleges of the State will be made only through Demand Draft (DD). Right from next year we are planning to go for a national pool with an amendment to article 371 D, which is already in proposal state. Our ultimate aim is to help benefit the large number of students from Andhra Pradesh, he added. As of now, the candidates of particular areas where they belong or have studied for 7 years will be considered as local and will be eligible to get admission in the colleges that are present in their locality. The candidates who wants to join in a college in any other area would have to reserve a seat for himself in the 15 percent quota for non locals. For instance, if a Kadapa boy wants to join a college in Andhra, he has to get admission in the 15 per cent quota reserved for non-locals. According to the ranks and reservation, 2927 seats would be filled under convener quota, 730 seats under Management quota and 343 seats would be filled under NRI quota. Candidates who secure admissions in private colleges under convener quota would have to pay the same fee of Rs 10,000, similar to those studying in government colleges. The counselling schedule and other required information would be uploaded on NTR Health University website on Monday and candidates are advised to access the website and take down the particulars of the counselling process. Key points Total number of students qualified in NEET from AP 32,392 Total number of seats available in State colleges 4,000 Online counsellingJuly 3-4th week Commencement of classes August 1 July 2nd week - Merit list published on university website Candidates scoring more than 130/720 in NEET are eligible to apply in open category
A Sharadhaa By

Express News Service

Director Nagashekar who will be helming Vikram Ravichandrans debut venture has now approached Akshara Haasan to play the female lead. A bilingual film made in Kannada and Tamil, the director felt that the character of the heroine fits Akshara perfectly.

He has sent a proposal for the film to her and is awaiting a reply. Talks are still in the initial stages. Like any other director, I am also keen to choose the right cast and felt Akshara will suit the role, says Nagshekar

Akshara Haasan



The script is in the process of being finalised and the music recording will start shortly, says Nagshekar. Today might be the final sitting with the hero for the script, before it is locked, he tells us.

Vikram



The director also says that he is looking forward to meet the heros father and actor, Ravichandran. I am a big fan and he is our guru, from who I always seek for advise, he adds.



Nagashekar as of now has roped in Sathya Hegde as the films cinematographer and has also finalised the locations.

We will be shooting half the portions of the movie in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu while the rest of the shoot will take place in England, Ireland and Spain, he says.

Director Nagashekar who will be helming Vikram Ravichandrans debut venture has now approached Akshara Haasan to play the female lead. A bilingual film made in Kannada and Tamil, the director felt that the character of the heroine fits Akshara perfectly. He has sent a proposal for the film to her and is awaiting a reply. Talks are still in the initial stages. Like any other director, I am also keen to choose the right cast and felt Akshara will suit the role, says Nagshekar Akshara Haasan The script is in the process of being finalised and the music recording will start shortly, says Nagshekar. Today might be the final sitting with the hero for the script, before it is locked, he tells us. Vikram The director also says that he is looking forward to meet the heros father and actor, Ravichandran. I am a big fan and he is our guru, from who I always seek for advise, he adds. Nagashekar as of now has roped in Sathya Hegde as the films cinematographer and has also finalised the locations. We will be shooting half the portions of the movie in Karnataka and Tamil Nadu while the rest of the shoot will take place in England, Ireland and Spain, he says.
A Sharadhaa By

Express News Service

Sandalwood is raising the historical bar when it comes to period drama with the Darshan starrer

Kurukshetra. The film has been generating a lot of buzz among the film fraternity and film enthusiasts, who are eager to know everything about it. City Express gives you the lowdown of the details from the movie, which is now in the pre-production stages.

Duryodhana costumes for Darshan get ready

Around 10 departments are working for the film, before shooting starts from August. At present the busiest people are the art directors and costume designers, says a member from the production house.

Darshan

The production house has specially hired a company, which will be in charge of the costumes. They have been working on the project over the last one month and are now ready with Darshans Duryodhana outfits. Now they will start with the designing of Ravichandrans costumes, who is playing Krishnas character, says a member from the production



Darshans commitment towards his 50th film

Darshan who is said to be shooting for Tarak abroad is simultaneously getting ready for his epic role. He is said to be taking a lot of interest at a personal level and is building up his physique to play the mythical character.

His dedication towards the film started right from the day he accepted the project. He has even taken his dialogue sheets for the film with him to Italy where he is presently shooting for Tarak. Some of his dialogues are a mix of Sanskrit and he felt that it would be better to perfect them early on. Thats the actors commitment to the film, the member informs us.



Visualising the world of Kurukshetra

The production team is also concentrating on the visual effects and have hired a set of technicians who worked in Baahubali. The makers have roped in a company from Mumbai which is working on the pre-visualisation effects.



V Harikrishna has been roped in as the music director, Big Southern stars in film?

The team is in the process of finalising other characters and technicians for the film. Talks are still on with many top artistes and actors from the Southern film industry. It is also said that



Nayantara is one among the actresses who has been approached to play the character of Draupadi. However, no final decision has been taken as yet.

This is not just an ordinary movie and we cannot cast just any hero, heroine, villain, comedians for the film. It needs a lot of thinking from the directors and actors end. When various artistes are finalised, the production house would want to make an official announcement, our source says.

Sandalwood is raising the historical bar when it comes to period drama with the Darshan starrer Kurukshetra. The film has been generating a lot of buzz among the film fraternity and film enthusiasts, who are eager to know everything about it. City Express gives you the lowdown of the details from the movie, which is now in the pre-production stages. Duryodhana costumes for Darshan get ready Around 10 departments are working for the film, before shooting starts from August. At present the busiest people are the art directors and costume designers, says a member from the production house. Darshan The production house has specially hired a company, which will be in charge of the costumes. They have been working on the project over the last one month and are now ready with Darshans Duryodhana outfits. Now they will start with the designing of Ravichandrans costumes, who is playing Krishnas character, says a member from the production Darshans commitment towards his 50th film Darshan who is said to be shooting for Tarak abroad is simultaneously getting ready for his epic role. He is said to be taking a lot of interest at a personal level and is building up his physique to play the mythical character. His dedication towards the film started right from the day he accepted the project. He has even taken his dialogue sheets for the film with him to Italy where he is presently shooting for Tarak. Some of his dialogues are a mix of Sanskrit and he felt that it would be better to perfect them early on. Thats the actors commitment to the film, the member informs us. Visualising the world of Kurukshetra The production team is also concentrating on the visual effects and have hired a set of technicians who worked in Baahubali. The makers have roped in a company from Mumbai which is working on the pre-visualisation effects. V Harikrishna has been roped in as the music director, Big Southern stars in film? The team is in the process of finalising other characters and technicians for the film. Talks are still on with many top artistes and actors from the Southern film industry. It is also said that Nayantara is one among the actresses who has been approached to play the character of Draupadi. However, no final decision has been taken as yet. This is not just an ordinary movie and we cannot cast just any hero, heroine, villain, comedians for the film. It needs a lot of thinking from the directors and actors end. When various artistes are finalised, the production house would want to make an official announcement, our source says.
Namita Bajpai By

Express News Service

LUCKNOW: After a video of UP policewoman Shrestha Thakur standing up to BJP workers went viral last week, she has hit the headlines again as reports emerged of deputy superintendent of police Thakurs transfer  along with a few other deputy superintendents  to Bahraich district.

DSP Shreshtha Thakur created a buzz yet again by putting a post about her new posting to Bahraich on her Facebook account here on Sunday.

Shrestha Thakur

What was being seen as a reaction to her transfer following her argument with the BJP leaders, Thakur, reportedly wrote in her post: Got transfer to Bahraich, its Nepal border. Dont worry my friends, Im happy. I accept it as a reward for my good work. Her reported post on Facebook was no more available after creating a buzz in the social media circles. It was either removed or blocked through privacy settings.

Thakur, who was part of the Syana circle, has been transferred to Bahraich in Central Uttar Pradesh.

A section of media reported that her transfer came as a consequence of her altercation with BJP men. But the highly placed police sources rejected the reports saying the transfer was part of a routine priocess.

Thakurs transfer, however, comes a week after a video went viral showing her confronting slogan-shouting men after a local BJP worker, Pramod Lodhi, was slapped with a challan for not carrying necessary documents while driving a motorbike in Bulandshahr.

Gang-rape victim attacked for the fifth time

A gang-rape and acid attack survivor has once again been attacked with acid in Aliganj locality. This is the fifth attack on the woman. The incident took place on Saturday night near a hostel where she resides. She was rushed to a hospital where her condition was stated to be stable. She has sustained burn injuries on her face and neck. No FIR has been registered yet.

LUCKNOW: After a video of UP policewoman Shrestha Thakur standing up to BJP workers went viral last week, she has hit the headlines again as reports emerged of deputy superintendent of police Thakurs transfer  along with a few other deputy superintendents  to Bahraich district. DSP Shreshtha Thakur created a buzz yet again by putting a post about her new posting to Bahraich on her Facebook account here on Sunday. Shrestha ThakurWhat was being seen as a reaction to her transfer following her argument with the BJP leaders, Thakur, reportedly wrote in her post: Got transfer to Bahraich, its Nepal border. Dont worry my friends, Im happy. I accept it as a reward for my good work. Her reported post on Facebook was no more available after creating a buzz in the social media circles. It was either removed or blocked through privacy settings. Thakur, who was part of the Syana circle, has been transferred to Bahraich in Central Uttar Pradesh. A section of media reported that her transfer came as a consequence of her altercation with BJP men. But the highly placed police sources rejected the reports saying the transfer was part of a routine priocess. Thakurs transfer, however, comes a week after a video went viral showing her confronting slogan-shouting men after a local BJP worker, Pramod Lodhi, was slapped with a challan for not carrying necessary documents while driving a motorbike in Bulandshahr. Gang-rape victim attacked for the fifth time A gang-rape and acid attack survivor has once again been attacked with acid in Aliganj locality. This is the fifth attack on the woman. The incident took place on Saturday night near a hostel where she resides. She was rushed to a hospital where her condition was stated to be stable. She has sustained burn injuries on her face and neck. No FIR has been registered yet.
By Express News Service

PATNA: A farmer in Jharkhands Ranchi district died on Sunday, three days after he consumed pesticide following alleged harassment by officials of a bank for repaying his loans. This is the fourth suicide of debt-ridden farmers in the state in less than a months time.

Rajdip Nayak, 35, a resident of Bijang village in Ormanjhi block, died at Medanta Hospital in Ranchi, said SK Suman, the SHO of Ormanjhi police station.

He had consumed pesticide in a bid to commit suicide on Thursday and was under treatment. He died, said Suman.

He was being harassed by bank officials for not repaying the loans. He did not want to lose the tractor he had purchased with a bank loan. He was under tremendous pressure and killed himself, said Pradip Nayak, his grieving brother.

Sources said Rajdip Nayaks family owns four acres of land. He had to pay two loans worth about ` 4 lakh. Some bank officials had reached his house to take away his tractor on Thursday. He hid the tractor and took poison an hour after they left, said a villager.

The authorities were, however, unwilling to admit that Nayaks suicide was the result of his debt-ridden condition and pressure from banks to repay the loans.

Kaleshwar Mahto, a debt-ridden farmer from nearby Pithoria block, hanged himself from a tree on June 10 while Baldeo Mahto, also from the same block, killed himself by jumping into a well on June 15.

Another farmer, Domna Oraon, of Lohardaga district, committed suicide by consuming pesticide on June 26 allegedly due to the same reasons.

PATNA: A farmer in Jharkhands Ranchi district died on Sunday, three days after he consumed pesticide following alleged harassment by officials of a bank for repaying his loans. This is the fourth suicide of debt-ridden farmers in the state in less than a months time. Rajdip Nayak, 35, a resident of Bijang village in Ormanjhi block, died at Medanta Hospital in Ranchi, said SK Suman, the SHO of Ormanjhi police station. He had consumed pesticide in a bid to commit suicide on Thursday and was under treatment. He died, said Suman. He was being harassed by bank officials for not repaying the loans. He did not want to lose the tractor he had purchased with a bank loan. He was under tremendous pressure and killed himself, said Pradip Nayak, his grieving brother. Sources said Rajdip Nayaks family owns four acres of land. He had to pay two loans worth about ` 4 lakh. Some bank officials had reached his house to take away his tractor on Thursday. He hid the tractor and took poison an hour after they left, said a villager. The authorities were, however, unwilling to admit that Nayaks suicide was the result of his debt-ridden condition and pressure from banks to repay the loans. Kaleshwar Mahto, a debt-ridden farmer from nearby Pithoria block, hanged himself from a tree on June 10 while Baldeo Mahto, also from the same block, killed himself by jumping into a well on June 15. Another farmer, Domna Oraon, of Lohardaga district, committed suicide by consuming pesticide on June 26 allegedly due to the same reasons.
The political activist said the need of the hour was to bring together different energies in the country.
Ramananda Sengupta By

Express News Service

The Sino-Indian standoff in Doklam, a 296 sq km plateau on the Sikkim-Tibet Autonomous Region-border intensified further on Sunday with both nations rushing reinforcements to the remote region. The border standoff has flared into the longest one since the 1962 war.

The trouble began last month when Indian troops challenged a Chinese road-building party in Bhutan near the tri-junction, forcing it to stop. The area, close to Indias strategically critical Siliguri corridor - is held by Bhutan, but claimed by China.

A senior official revealed that while talks at the highest levels were being held to defuse the situation, both sides had strengthened their positions on ground, although chances of an armed intervention by either side is unlikely at the moment, with the troops being sent in non-combat mode.

On Sunday, China released maps showing Doklam as its own territory, and State run-Xihnua News agency accused India of ignoring international law and seriously interfering with Chinas construction activities on its own soil. An earlier commentary had even asked India to recall the 1962 debacle, when Chinese troops invaded India in a two pronged attack and almost reached the plains of Assam before unilaterally withdrawing behind the line of control.

As our Defence Minister pointed out, this isnt 1962, retorted the official. Perhaps we should remind them about 1967, when we gave the Chinese a bloody nose in Nathu La, not far from Doklam.

There are a few firsts in this current stalemate, says Nitin Gokhale, a national security analyst. For once China is projecting itself as the aggrieved party. Two, Beijing has retaliated by cancelling the Mansarovar Yatra, one easier confidence building measure. Three, China has called India to withdraw its troops for any further talks to commence. A far more assured and confident India reacted to the barrage of intemperate statements with a measured one.

Despite the belligerence displayed by some Indian military veterans from the safety of TV studios, both New Delhi and Beijing have the wisdom and sagacity to resolve the dispute calmly, he added.

The Sino-Indian standoff in Doklam, a 296 sq km plateau on the Sikkim-Tibet Autonomous Region-border intensified further on Sunday with both nations rushing reinforcements to the remote region. The border standoff has flared into the longest one since the 1962 war. The trouble began last month when Indian troops challenged a Chinese road-building party in Bhutan near the tri-junction, forcing it to stop. The area, close to Indias strategically critical Siliguri corridor - is held by Bhutan, but claimed by China. A senior official revealed that while talks at the highest levels were being held to defuse the situation, both sides had strengthened their positions on ground, although chances of an armed intervention by either side is unlikely at the moment, with the troops being sent in non-combat mode. On Sunday, China released maps showing Doklam as its own territory, and State run-Xihnua News agency accused India of ignoring international law and seriously interfering with Chinas construction activities on its own soil. An earlier commentary had even asked India to recall the 1962 debacle, when Chinese troops invaded India in a two pronged attack and almost reached the plains of Assam before unilaterally withdrawing behind the line of control. As our Defence Minister pointed out, this isnt 1962, retorted the official. Perhaps we should remind them about 1967, when we gave the Chinese a bloody nose in Nathu La, not far from Doklam. There are a few firsts in this current stalemate, says Nitin Gokhale, a national security analyst. For once China is projecting itself as the aggrieved party. Two, Beijing has retaliated by cancelling the Mansarovar Yatra, one easier confidence building measure. Three, China has called India to withdraw its troops for any further talks to commence. A far more assured and confident India reacted to the barrage of intemperate statements with a measured one. Despite the belligerence displayed by some Indian military veterans from the safety of TV studios, both New Delhi and Beijing have the wisdom and sagacity to resolve the dispute calmly, he added.
By PTI

KOLKATA: Fire broke out in an empty operation theater in the main building of the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital here this morning but there was no casualty.

Two fire tenders were put into service to douse the fire which caught at around 9.20AM, a Kolkata Police official said.

"Nobody was injured as the operation theater was empty. Going by the primary investigation it seems that the fire was due to a short circuit probably inside the air conditioning system there," he said.

Meanwhile, a release by the hospital authorities claimed that the in-house safety team responded and doused the fire swiftly.

The authorities and fire department were informed after the blaze was noticed and was controlled even before the fire brigade team arrived, the release said adding that all the patients and people in the building are safe.

KOLKATA: Fire broke out in an empty operation theater in the main building of the Apollo Gleneagles Hospital here this morning but there was no casualty. Two fire tenders were put into service to douse the fire which caught at around 9.20AM, a Kolkata Police official said. "Nobody was injured as the operation theater was empty. Going by the primary investigation it seems that the fire was due to a short circuit probably inside the air conditioning system there," he said. Meanwhile, a release by the hospital authorities claimed that the in-house safety team responded and doused the fire swiftly. The authorities and fire department were informed after the blaze was noticed and was controlled even before the fire brigade team arrived, the release said adding that all the patients and people in the building are safe.
By IANS

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that he was not in the race to become the Prime Minister in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and that the state's ruling Grand Alliance was very much intact.

Describing his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) as "a small party", Nitish Kumar told the media here: "Hamari party choti hai aur hum PM pad ke race mein katai shamil nahi hai."

He said that he never lived in illusion. "My party is a regional party and I am not at all in the race for the post of PM."

Nitish Kumar also downplayed his earlier comments holding the Congress responsible for the "current mess" in the opposition ranks.

He said all was well in the 'Mahagathbandhan' - Bihar's Grand Alliance of JD-U, the RJD and the Congress led by him.

"The Mahagathbandhan is intact... There is no issue now, it is all based on interpretation of the media."

Nitish Kumar said the alliance was a result of a definite agenda which was endorsed by the people of Bihar and wasn't merely based on opposition unity.

"It is our priority to implement the agenda of the Mahagathbandhan government."

Nitish Kumar's remarks came a day after he had purportedly said during a party meeting that the Congress alone was to blame for the current mess in the opposition ranks.

He had also attacked the party for not taking the JD-U into confidence for the Presidential polls.

Nitish Kumar's JD-U was the first among the opposition parties to lend support to the NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, a former Bihar Governor.

"On Presidential election, different parties have their own opinions and thought processes, and they make their decisions accordingly.

"The Presidential elections are being projected in such a manner that the farmers' issues have taken a back seat."

Nitish Kumar said he had said earlier that the Congress was a big party and it had every right to set the agenda and inform all the opposition parties.

The Congress should start work on an agenda only after the approval from other opposition parties, he said.

"Opposition parties have to decide their role and they should start preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the opposition needs an alternative narrative, just a reactive narrative wont work."

The JD-U leader also said that opposition parties should be united at the national level.

In a reply to a question, Nitish Kumar said he did not attend the GST unveiling in Parliament because he was not invited.

"If I had got the invitation from the central government, I would have attended the GST meeting in Delhi."

He said the Goods and Services Tax regime was a good system and he had supported it since the beginning.

"Whatever issue is in the interest of the people and the country, I always support and always stand for it."

PATNA: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday declared that he was not in the race to become the Prime Minister in the 2019 Lok Sabha election and that the state's ruling Grand Alliance was very much intact. Describing his Janata Dal-United (JD-U) as "a small party", Nitish Kumar told the media here: "Hamari party choti hai aur hum PM pad ke race mein katai shamil nahi hai." He said that he never lived in illusion. "My party is a regional party and I am not at all in the race for the post of PM." Nitish Kumar also downplayed his earlier comments holding the Congress responsible for the "current mess" in the opposition ranks. He said all was well in the 'Mahagathbandhan' - Bihar's Grand Alliance of JD-U, the RJD and the Congress led by him. "The Mahagathbandhan is intact... There is no issue now, it is all based on interpretation of the media." Nitish Kumar said the alliance was a result of a definite agenda which was endorsed by the people of Bihar and wasn't merely based on opposition unity. "It is our priority to implement the agenda of the Mahagathbandhan government." Nitish Kumar's remarks came a day after he had purportedly said during a party meeting that the Congress alone was to blame for the current mess in the opposition ranks. He had also attacked the party for not taking the JD-U into confidence for the Presidential polls. Nitish Kumar's JD-U was the first among the opposition parties to lend support to the NDA's Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, a former Bihar Governor. "On Presidential election, different parties have their own opinions and thought processes, and they make their decisions accordingly. "The Presidential elections are being projected in such a manner that the farmers' issues have taken a back seat." Nitish Kumar said he had said earlier that the Congress was a big party and it had every right to set the agenda and inform all the opposition parties. The Congress should start work on an agenda only after the approval from other opposition parties, he said. "Opposition parties have to decide their role and they should start preparation for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. But the opposition needs an alternative narrative, just a reactive narrative wont work." The JD-U leader also said that opposition parties should be united at the national level. In a reply to a question, Nitish Kumar said he did not attend the GST unveiling in Parliament because he was not invited. "If I had got the invitation from the central government, I would have attended the GST meeting in Delhi." He said the Goods and Services Tax regime was a good system and he had supported it since the beginning. "Whatever issue is in the interest of the people and the country, I always support and always stand for it."
By PTI

LUCKNOW: Eight persons, including a retired IPS officer, were arrested here today for staging a demonstration against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh.

"Retired IPS officer S R Darapuri and seven others were arrested as they attempted to take out a rally at a public place without permission. They were arrested from the Chowk area," said Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi.

In a related development, over 20 protesters were placed under arrest in Jhansi. "In all, 31 people have been arrested in connection with the protests so far," said Tripathi.

Those arrested were protesting against the recent violence in Saharanpur. Some of them had assembled at the Roomi Gate (in Old Lucknow), while the others, including Darapuri, had gathered near the UP Press Club, he added.

After retiring from the police service, Darapuri had joined the All India People's Front (Radical), a political outfit. He had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Robertsganj.

LUCKNOW: Eight persons, including a retired IPS officer, were arrested here today for staging a demonstration against the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh. "Retired IPS officer S R Darapuri and seven others were arrested as they attempted to take out a rally at a public place without permission. They were arrested from the Chowk area," said Additional Superintendent of Police (Lucknow West) Vikas Chandra Tripathi. In a related development, over 20 protesters were placed under arrest in Jhansi. "In all, 31 people have been arrested in connection with the protests so far," said Tripathi. Those arrested were protesting against the recent violence in Saharanpur. Some of them had assembled at the Roomi Gate (in Old Lucknow), while the others, including Darapuri, had gathered near the UP Press Club, he added. After retiring from the police service, Darapuri had joined the All India People's Front (Radical), a political outfit. He had also contested the 2014 Lok Sabha election from Robertsganj.
By PTI

AHMEDABAD: The tea stall in Gujarat's Vadnagar where Prime Minister Narendra Modi once sold tea during his childhood is all set to become a tourist spot with the Centre deciding to give it a face-lift.

The stall is located on one of the platforms of the Vadnagar Railway station.

Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat on the world tourism map.

Officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the town yesterday.

The team of officials was led by Union Culture Mahesh Sharma, who later announced that the original charm of the tea stall will be preserved while giving it a modern touch.

"Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre having famous Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. ASI had recently found remains of a Buddhist Monastery during excavation, which is still going on," Sharma told reporters at Gandhinagar yesterday.

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often mentioned that he used to sell tea during his childhood at the Vadnagar railway station along with his father.

"Inside the Vadnagar railway station, there is a small tea stall, from where our PM had probably started his life's journey. We also want to develop that tea stall as a tourism spot. We will try to preserve the original charm of the tea stall while giving it a modern touch. Our aim is to put Vadnagar on world tourism map," Sharma said.

Earlier, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ahmedabad division Dinesh Kumar had said the entire project of developing Vadnagar and adjoining places in Mehsana district would cost over Rs 100 crore.

"The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the Ministry of Tourism has given Rs eight crore to the state Tourism Department to develop the railway station," Kumar had said.

AHMEDABAD: The tea stall in Gujarat's Vadnagar where Prime Minister Narendra Modi once sold tea during his childhood is all set to become a tourist spot with the Centre deciding to give it a face-lift. The stall is located on one of the platforms of the Vadnagar Railway station. Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat on the world tourism map. Officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the town yesterday. The team of officials was led by Union Culture Mahesh Sharma, who later announced that the original charm of the tea stall will be preserved while giving it a modern touch. "Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre having famous Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. ASI had recently found remains of a Buddhist Monastery during excavation, which is still going on," Sharma told reporters at Gandhinagar yesterday. Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often mentioned that he used to sell tea during his childhood at the Vadnagar railway station along with his father. "Inside the Vadnagar railway station, there is a small tea stall, from where our PM had probably started his life's journey. We also want to develop that tea stall as a tourism spot. We will try to preserve the original charm of the tea stall while giving it a modern touch. Our aim is to put Vadnagar on world tourism map," Sharma said. Earlier, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ahmedabad division Dinesh Kumar had said the entire project of developing Vadnagar and adjoining places in Mehsana district would cost over Rs 100 crore. "The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the Ministry of Tourism has given Rs eight crore to the state Tourism Department to develop the railway station," Kumar had said.
By Express News Service

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday said that the Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind is seeking support of all who are part of the electoral college cutting across party lines. Kovind, who is embarking on two days visit to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karanataka, will also be extensively campaigning in the Northeast from July 6-7.

We have given a very good candidate who has a high credential. A number of non-NDA political outfits, including JD (U), TRS, YSR Congress, AIADMK, INLD, have come out in the open in support of Kovind. We have come across scores of Independent MLAs expressing support for Kovind in the Presidential election. He is seeking support of everyone cutting across party lines, a senior BJP leader told reporters on Monday during an informal interaction. He added that at least six Independent MPs of the Rajya Sabha have also assured support to Kovind, which includes the likes of Amar Singh, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Subhash Chandra.

Kovind is travelling to Hyderabad tomorrow for separate meeting with legislators of the TRS and TDP, while he will leave for Vijaywada in the afternoon where he will interact with the legislators of TDP and YSR Congress. On the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana part of his travel, Kovind will be accompanied by Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao, said the BJP leader, who added that the Presidential nominee will visit Bengaluru on July 5.

Kovind will extensively campaign in the Northeast where the BJP is hoping to cut through the Congress base to give a leg up to the winning margin of the Presidential nominee. Kovind will head to Arunachal Pradesh from Guwahati on July 6. In Guwahati, he will hold extensive interactions with legislators from neighbouring states, while afterwards he will visit Nagaland and Manipur. The NDA convenor for the Northeast and Assam minister Hemanta Bisse Sharma is looking after Kovinds campaign in the Northeast, said the BJP leader.

A day before the Presidential election, Kovind will meet members of the Parliament on July 16 in the national capital.

ENDS

NEW DELHI: The BJP on Monday said that the Presidential nominee Ram Nath Kovind is seeking support of all who are part of the electoral college cutting across party lines. Kovind, who is embarking on two days visit to Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karanataka, will also be extensively campaigning in the Northeast from July 6-7. We have given a very good candidate who has a high credential. A number of non-NDA political outfits, including JD (U), TRS, YSR Congress, AIADMK, INLD, have come out in the open in support of Kovind. We have come across scores of Independent MLAs expressing support for Kovind in the Presidential election. He is seeking support of everyone cutting across party lines, a senior BJP leader told reporters on Monday during an informal interaction. He added that at least six Independent MPs of the Rajya Sabha have also assured support to Kovind, which includes the likes of Amar Singh, Rajeev Chandrashekhar, Subhash Chandra. Kovind is travelling to Hyderabad tomorrow for separate meeting with legislators of the TRS and TDP, while he will leave for Vijaywada in the afternoon where he will interact with the legislators of TDP and YSR Congress. On the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana part of his travel, Kovind will be accompanied by Union Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, BJP national general secretary Muralidhar Rao, said the BJP leader, who added that the Presidential nominee will visit Bengaluru on July 5. Kovind will extensively campaign in the Northeast where the BJP is hoping to cut through the Congress base to give a leg up to the winning margin of the Presidential nominee. Kovind will head to Arunachal Pradesh from Guwahati on July 6. In Guwahati, he will hold extensive interactions with legislators from neighbouring states, while afterwards he will visit Nagaland and Manipur. The NDA convenor for the Northeast and Assam minister Hemanta Bisse Sharma is looking after Kovinds campaign in the Northeast, said the BJP leader. A day before the Presidential election, Kovind will meet members of the Parliament on July 16 in the national capital. ENDS
By PTI

PATNA: Three police officials, including two superintendent-rank officers, in Bihar were today issued show cause notices for allegedly fiddling with their mobile phones during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's address at an event last week.

Some policemen were caught on camera by TV channels playing games on their phones during the June 28 event organised by the Economic Offences Unit of the state police on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking.

"Show cause has been issued to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj, Patna City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushawaha and Pankaj Raj, who is waiting for posting," Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal told PTI.

"The three police officers have been given reasonable time of 2-4 days to reply to the show cause and, based on their reply, necessary action would be initiated," he said.

The ADG said senior police officials are expected to show high order of conduct which some of them did not do during this event.

In his speech at the function, the chief minister had emphasised on expanding the scope of Money Laundering Act by giving state governments the power to seize property of up to Rs five crore amassed through illegal means.

Kumar had counted virtues of total prohibition in Bihar imposed since April last year and stressed on the need to further intensify its enforcement.

Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, state police chief P K Thakur and Principal Secretary Home Amir Subhani were present at the function.

PATNA: Three police officials, including two superintendent-rank officers, in Bihar were today issued show cause notices for allegedly fiddling with their mobile phones during Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's address at an event last week. Some policemen were caught on camera by TV channels playing games on their phones during the June 28 event organised by the Economic Offences Unit of the state police on the International Day Against Drug Abuse and Illicit Trafficking. "Show cause has been issued to Patna Senior Superintendent of Police Manu Maharaj, Patna City Superintendent of Police Chandan Kushawaha and Pankaj Raj, who is waiting for posting," Additional Director General of Police (Headquarters) S K Singhal told PTI. "The three police officers have been given reasonable time of 2-4 days to reply to the show cause and, based on their reply, necessary action would be initiated," he said. The ADG said senior police officials are expected to show high order of conduct which some of them did not do during this event. In his speech at the function, the chief minister had emphasised on expanding the scope of Money Laundering Act by giving state governments the power to seize property of up to Rs five crore amassed through illegal means. Kumar had counted virtues of total prohibition in Bihar imposed since April last year and stressed on the need to further intensify its enforcement. Chief Secretary Anjani Kumar Singh, state police chief P K Thakur and Principal Secretary Home Amir Subhani were present at the function.
Valson Thampu By

Valson Thampu

Former principal of St Stephens College, New Delhi

Email: vthampu@gmail.com

As of now, neither the nomination of a Dalit presidential candidate nor the desperation to counter its political after-effects has any bearing on the Dalit predicament. Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar are primarily weapons in a political battle and only incidentally Dalits. An analogy might help illustrate the situation clearly. If I were to throw a loaf of bread at someone in order to show my anger against him, the loaf of bread is, in the given context, not a nutrient but a missile. Bread it may be, but it has no reference to the victims hunger. That truth will not change if, because I miss my target, my intended victim, being hungry, chose to make a meal out of it. Its nourishment value is purely accidental and irrelevant, even contrary, to my intention.



But we should not push the intention factor beyond a measure; all the more so in case of a multifactorial event of extensive public significance, as the presidential election is. One of the safe generalisations we can make about history is that human intentions get re-shaped, indeed re-configured, by forces and purposes beyond the conscious intentions of corresponding agents of action. This too invites illustration.



We talk metaphorically of opening the Pandoras box. In Greek mythology, Zeus, the principal God, gave a box to Pandora, the first woman on earth, expressly commanding her not to open it. She disobeyed and a host of evils leapt out of the box, turning the beneficiary into a victim.

The intuition lurking in this myth is valid for the genius of history in all periods and contexts. Even God loses control over situations the moment the public element is introduced into them. Zeus control over the box ceases at the point of handing it over to Pandora.



Hegel gave this desideratum of history a curious name, the cunning of reason.

In so far as the nomination of a Dalit for what is symbolically the highest constitutional office in the country is a significant fact in the public domain, there is a case for considering its significance, immediate and otherwise, in the continuing unfolding of the culture and texture of our country. It is necessary that we set aside the intentional fallacy even to make a beginning in this regard.

We do not know for sure if Ram Nath Kovind was nominated because he is a Dalit. But there is something we do know; he would not have been, if he were not a Dalit.



Why is it crucial to take into account this basic fact in reading the tectonic shifts this might bring about in the days to come? The answer lies in the essence of the Dalit predicament. While Kovinds nomination could have been made as a concession to political expedienceor, without any sincere or conscious intention to ameliorate the Dalit predicamentit is almost inevitable that it impacts the social matrix of Dalit-ness in significant ways.



The pain of Dalit-ness is social degradation, resulting in internalised and institutionalised inferiority for a whole group of people. Those who have worked in this field, or encountered relevant situations on the ground, would know how deep-seated presumptions of inferiority and superiority are in this regard. Two factors, among others, contributed to the aggravation of negativity towards Dalits. First, the absolutisation of merit, understood in a clinical and socially purblind fashion, made Dalits who seem, apparently on objective grounds, to be wanting in merit, look inferior items of mortality. Second, reservationcontinued well beyond the shelf life envisaged for itwidened the social and mental cleavages further. The logic of reservation can be rooted only on admitted inequality which is, in public perception, a synonym for inferiority.



So the Dalits are inferior. But are they? That is the question that the nomination of Ram Nath Kovind raises in a fashion that can no longer be dodged. Or, how are we to understand the inferiority and merit-deficit ascribed to Dalits? Did it inhere in them, or was it inflicted on them? This issue, once raised, will serve as our political Pandoras box for the years to come. Time will prove that Modi and Shah have, in this instance, very likely overreached.



What George Bernard Shaw said about the plight of African Americans is critically relevant here. The white American relegated, he said, the black to the rank of shoeshine boy, and then concluded that blacks were only good for shining shoes. The manifest inferiority of the blacks, according to Shaw, amounts to an indictment of the whites who consigned them callously to inferiority. How Kovind conducts himself in the office of the President of India the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the countrycould be the seed of a social revolution in this country.



Are Modi and Shah aware of this? Even more importantly, has the RSS establishment paid any heed to such an eventuality? It is hard to say. To me it is a miracle that flies in the face of the ideology and theology of the RSS that a Dalit is thus showcased as an embodiment of extreme merit. It is a most welcome thing and it has not come a day too soon. But this needs to be seen as an inaugural event, not a valedictory function.



What augurs well for the Dalit predicament, ironically, need not prove a happy honeymoon for Kovind. Every day in office, his Dalit-ness will be put to the test. How he sees issues pertaining to social justice and Dalit aspirations will exalt or expose him as a Dalit icon or a counterfeit coin vis-a-vis Dalit-ness. Be that as it may, the Pandoras box will remain open, once it is opened. Discounting this on the excuse that we have had a Dalit presidentK R Narayananonce before and it proved a damp squib is like saying, Well, the Vesuvius has not erupted for thirty years, so well build our mansions on its slopes. All it proves is that the eruption is nearer by thirty years.

Valson Thampu Former principal of St Stephens College, New Delhi Email: vthampu@gmail.com As of now, neither the nomination of a Dalit presidential candidate nor the desperation to counter its political after-effects has any bearing on the Dalit predicament. Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar are primarily weapons in a political battle and only incidentally Dalits. An analogy might help illustrate the situation clearly. If I were to throw a loaf of bread at someone in order to show my anger against him, the loaf of bread is, in the given context, not a nutrient but a missile. Bread it may be, but it has no reference to the victims hunger. That truth will not change if, because I miss my target, my intended victim, being hungry, chose to make a meal out of it. Its nourishment value is purely accidental and irrelevant, even contrary, to my intention. But we should not push the intention factor beyond a measure; all the more so in case of a multifactorial event of extensive public significance, as the presidential election is. One of the safe generalisations we can make about history is that human intentions get re-shaped, indeed re-configured, by forces and purposes beyond the conscious intentions of corresponding agents of action. This too invites illustration. We talk metaphorically of opening the Pandoras box. In Greek mythology, Zeus, the principal God, gave a box to Pandora, the first woman on earth, expressly commanding her not to open it. She disobeyed and a host of evils leapt out of the box, turning the beneficiary into a victim. The intuition lurking in this myth is valid for the genius of history in all periods and contexts. Even God loses control over situations the moment the public element is introduced into them. Zeus control over the box ceases at the point of handing it over to Pandora. Hegel gave this desideratum of history a curious name, the cunning of reason. In so far as the nomination of a Dalit for what is symbolically the highest constitutional office in the country is a significant fact in the public domain, there is a case for considering its significance, immediate and otherwise, in the continuing unfolding of the culture and texture of our country. It is necessary that we set aside the intentional fallacy even to make a beginning in this regard. We do not know for sure if Ram Nath Kovind was nominated because he is a Dalit. But there is something we do know; he would not have been, if he were not a Dalit. Why is it crucial to take into account this basic fact in reading the tectonic shifts this might bring about in the days to come? The answer lies in the essence of the Dalit predicament. While Kovinds nomination could have been made as a concession to political expedienceor, without any sincere or conscious intention to ameliorate the Dalit predicamentit is almost inevitable that it impacts the social matrix of Dalit-ness in significant ways. The pain of Dalit-ness is social degradation, resulting in internalised and institutionalised inferiority for a whole group of people. Those who have worked in this field, or encountered relevant situations on the ground, would know how deep-seated presumptions of inferiority and superiority are in this regard. Two factors, among others, contributed to the aggravation of negativity towards Dalits. First, the absolutisation of merit, understood in a clinical and socially purblind fashion, made Dalits who seem, apparently on objective grounds, to be wanting in merit, look inferior items of mortality. Second, reservationcontinued well beyond the shelf life envisaged for itwidened the social and mental cleavages further. The logic of reservation can be rooted only on admitted inequality which is, in public perception, a synonym for inferiority. So the Dalits are inferior. But are they? That is the question that the nomination of Ram Nath Kovind raises in a fashion that can no longer be dodged. Or, how are we to understand the inferiority and merit-deficit ascribed to Dalits? Did it inhere in them, or was it inflicted on them? This issue, once raised, will serve as our political Pandoras box for the years to come. Time will prove that Modi and Shah have, in this instance, very likely overreached. What George Bernard Shaw said about the plight of African Americans is critically relevant here. The white American relegated, he said, the black to the rank of shoeshine boy, and then concluded that blacks were only good for shining shoes. The manifest inferiority of the blacks, according to Shaw, amounts to an indictment of the whites who consigned them callously to inferiority. How Kovind conducts himself in the office of the President of India the Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces of the countrycould be the seed of a social revolution in this country. Are Modi and Shah aware of this? Even more importantly, has the RSS establishment paid any heed to such an eventuality? It is hard to say. To me it is a miracle that flies in the face of the ideology and theology of the RSS that a Dalit is thus showcased as an embodiment of extreme merit. It is a most welcome thing and it has not come a day too soon. But this needs to be seen as an inaugural event, not a valedictory function. What augurs well for the Dalit predicament, ironically, need not prove a happy honeymoon for Kovind. Every day in office, his Dalit-ness will be put to the test. How he sees issues pertaining to social justice and Dalit aspirations will exalt or expose him as a Dalit icon or a counterfeit coin vis-a-vis Dalit-ness. Be that as it may, the Pandoras box will remain open, once it is opened. Discounting this on the excuse that we have had a Dalit presidentK R Narayananonce before and it proved a damp squib is like saying, Well, the Vesuvius has not erupted for thirty years, so well build our mansions on its slopes. All it proves is that the eruption is nearer by thirty years.
By PTI

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today rejected the charge by Tamil Nadu political parties that the state had submitted "false details" to the Centre on the proposed Mekedatu dam project across the Cauvery river.

"When will Tamil Nadu accept the truth? The balancing reservoir that we intend to construct near Mekedatu will not affect Tamil Nadu. It also does not violate the tribunal order," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hassan.

He said the intention behind the balancing reservoir is to facilitate release of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal order.

Siddaramaiah was reacting to a question about Tamil Nadu parties alleging that Karnataka had sought the approval for the project by submitting "false details".

The PMK and MDMK had yesterday strongly opposed Karnataka's efforts towards constructing a reservoir at Mekedatu and urged the Centre not to sanction the project.

Karnataka has submitted the detailed project report of the Rs 5,912 crore worth Mekedatu project to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for clearance, last week.

Siddaramaiah said the state government was ready to start the project work at Mekedatu as soon as the approval from the CWC is obtained.

Asked whether the CWC will approve it amid Tamil Nadu's opposition, he said "they will approve, why they will not?

Objection is by Tamil Nadu, but the CWC is government of India."

Defending the recent release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said Karnataka government will not spare water against the state's interest.

He said "....we are releasing water in some quantity as there is a tribunal award, we are not just releasing all the water that is flowing in, we are releasing some quantity of what is flowing in."

"If we don't release, they (Tamil Nadu) will go to the Supreme Court...we will not release water to anyone by creating problem for ourselves. Last time despite the Court order, we said we don't have water," he added.

Traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway was affected yesterday for a brief period as farmers blocked it to protest the release of Cauvery water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam to Tamil Nadu.

A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra on March 21 had said all interim orders of releasing 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water by Karnataka would continue to be in force till further orders.

Following this, Karnataka had expressed its inability in supplying Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in line with the apex court's directive, saying the state itself is facing a shortage of drinking water.

The Supreme Court on July 11 will commence the final hearing of the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal on sharing of water for 15 consecutive workings days.

BENGALURU: Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah today rejected the charge by Tamil Nadu political parties that the state had submitted "false details" to the Centre on the proposed Mekedatu dam project across the Cauvery river. "When will Tamil Nadu accept the truth? The balancing reservoir that we intend to construct near Mekedatu will not affect Tamil Nadu. It also does not violate the tribunal order," Siddaramaiah told reporters in Hassan. He said the intention behind the balancing reservoir is to facilitate release of water to Tamil Nadu as per the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal order. Siddaramaiah was reacting to a question about Tamil Nadu parties alleging that Karnataka had sought the approval for the project by submitting "false details". The PMK and MDMK had yesterday strongly opposed Karnataka's efforts towards constructing a reservoir at Mekedatu and urged the Centre not to sanction the project. Karnataka has submitted the detailed project report of the Rs 5,912 crore worth Mekedatu project to the Central Water Commission (CWC) for clearance, last week. Siddaramaiah said the state government was ready to start the project work at Mekedatu as soon as the approval from the CWC is obtained. Asked whether the CWC will approve it amid Tamil Nadu's opposition, he said "they will approve, why they will not? Objection is by Tamil Nadu, but the CWC is government of India." Defending the recent release of Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu, the chief minister said Karnataka government will not spare water against the state's interest. He said "....we are releasing water in some quantity as there is a tribunal award, we are not just releasing all the water that is flowing in, we are releasing some quantity of what is flowing in." "If we don't release, they (Tamil Nadu) will go to the Supreme Court...we will not release water to anyone by creating problem for ourselves. Last time despite the Court order, we said we don't have water," he added. Traffic on Bengaluru-Mysuru Highway was affected yesterday for a brief period as farmers blocked it to protest the release of Cauvery water from the Krishnaraja Sagar (KRS) Dam to Tamil Nadu. A Supreme Court bench headed by Justice Dipak Misra on March 21 had said all interim orders of releasing 2,000 cusecs of Cauvery water by Karnataka would continue to be in force till further orders. Following this, Karnataka had expressed its inability in supplying Cauvery water to Tamil Nadu in line with the apex court's directive, saying the state itself is facing a shortage of drinking water. The Supreme Court on July 11 will commence the final hearing of the appeals filed by Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Kerala against the 2007 award of the Cauvery Water Dispute Tribunal on sharing of water for 15 consecutive workings days.
By Express News Service

KASARGOD: CPM leader and public works minister G Sudhakaran on Sunday evening bristled at the media's criticism of the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, especially in relation to tardiness in rebuilding roads.

"This LDF government is doing a great job. Bad roads are being rebuilt overnight, but the media won't see that," he said at a function in Kanhangad on Sunday evening.

And he went on to examine the media's treatment of the Saritha S Nair story last year. "What wrong did Saritha do? She only tried to start a business. Is it wrong to conduct talks for the purpose? Those who harmed her should be blamed," he went on to say.

Saritha Nair's role in the Kerala solar panel scam was the big story of 2016, when the LDF dislodged the UDF from power. Ironically, the Saritha Nair episode was used by the LDF as the biggest campaign issue against the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government.

In the Aruvikkara bypoll election campaign, the present chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, then the CPM state secretary, made full use of the Saritha Nair issue, stating that Oommen Chandy cabinet was filled with "dirty ministers" and that the 2013 solar sam exposed the "brothel culture prevailing in the cabinet".

KASARGOD: CPM leader and public works minister G Sudhakaran on Sunday evening bristled at the media's criticism of the Pinarayi Vijayan government in Kerala, especially in relation to tardiness in rebuilding roads. "This LDF government is doing a great job. Bad roads are being rebuilt overnight, but the media won't see that," he said at a function in Kanhangad on Sunday evening. And he went on to examine the media's treatment of the Saritha S Nair story last year. "What wrong did Saritha do? She only tried to start a business. Is it wrong to conduct talks for the purpose? Those who harmed her should be blamed," he went on to say. Saritha Nair's role in the Kerala solar panel scam was the big story of 2016, when the LDF dislodged the UDF from power. Ironically, the Saritha Nair episode was used by the LDF as the biggest campaign issue against the Oommen Chandy-led UDF government. In the Aruvikkara bypoll election campaign, the present chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan, then the CPM state secretary, made full use of the Saritha Nair issue, stating that Oommen Chandy cabinet was filled with "dirty ministers" and that the 2013 solar sam exposed the "brothel culture prevailing in the cabinet".
By Express News Service

JAGATSINGHPUR: The tall claims of the State Government to strengthen weather forecasting network in calamity-prone districts before the rainy season have fallen flat. Though it has been almost two weeks since the monsoon marked its onset, there are no signs of the Manual Surface Observatory and Early Warning Dissemination Systems (EWDS) which the Government had promised to instal in disaster-prone Jagatsinghpur district.

It is alleged that negligence of Government officials and the construction agency has led to the delay.

The Government had decided to instal EWDS at 12 places in 27 villages of the district which are identified as tsunami-prone areas. The surface observatory was to be set up at the district headquarters town.

Jagatsinghpur is a district which bears the brunt of natural calamities every year. Considering the districts vulnerability to disasters, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had proposed to instal a Manual Surface Observatory in Jagatsinghpur as well as other coastal districts.

After IMD signed an MoU with the Revenue and Disaster Management department for the purpose, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) in April last year had asked the district administration to provide land for the observatory.

Similarly, L&T company, the construction agency, had conducted a survey and identified 12 places to instal EWDS in September last year. However, though 10 months have passed, not a single system has been installed in the district. The systems would be installed at two places under Paradip Municipality, seven in Erasama and three in Balikuda block.

Contacted, Deputy Collector, Emergency Satyanarayan Das said, As per the direction of SRC, the administration had identified land last month for installation of the observatory. However, no progress has been made on its installation. Similarly, platforms have been erected and generators installed for EWDS . However, installation of the systems has not been completed yet, Das admitted.

The meteorological observatory, which is manually operated by IMD staff or trained experts, measures specific and detailed weather parameters like temperature, wind speed and humidity as well as cloud coverage. This system helps in making better weather forecast daily and issuing severe weather warnings.

Similarly, the EWDS helps in communicating tsunami and cyclone warnings to coastal population directly from the State Headquarters.

JAGATSINGHPUR: The tall claims of the State Government to strengthen weather forecasting network in calamity-prone districts before the rainy season have fallen flat. Though it has been almost two weeks since the monsoon marked its onset, there are no signs of the Manual Surface Observatory and Early Warning Dissemination Systems (EWDS) which the Government had promised to instal in disaster-prone Jagatsinghpur district. It is alleged that negligence of Government officials and the construction agency has led to the delay. The Government had decided to instal EWDS at 12 places in 27 villages of the district which are identified as tsunami-prone areas. The surface observatory was to be set up at the district headquarters town. Jagatsinghpur is a district which bears the brunt of natural calamities every year. Considering the districts vulnerability to disasters, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had proposed to instal a Manual Surface Observatory in Jagatsinghpur as well as other coastal districts. After IMD signed an MoU with the Revenue and Disaster Management department for the purpose, Special Relief Commissioner (SRC) in April last year had asked the district administration to provide land for the observatory. Similarly, L&T company, the construction agency, had conducted a survey and identified 12 places to instal EWDS in September last year. However, though 10 months have passed, not a single system has been installed in the district. The systems would be installed at two places under Paradip Municipality, seven in Erasama and three in Balikuda block. Contacted, Deputy Collector, Emergency Satyanarayan Das said, As per the direction of SRC, the administration had identified land last month for installation of the observatory. However, no progress has been made on its installation. Similarly, platforms have been erected and generators installed for EWDS . However, installation of the systems has not been completed yet, Das admitted. The meteorological observatory, which is manually operated by IMD staff or trained experts, measures specific and detailed weather parameters like temperature, wind speed and humidity as well as cloud coverage. This system helps in making better weather forecast daily and issuing severe weather warnings. Similarly, the EWDS helps in communicating tsunami and cyclone warnings to coastal population directly from the State Headquarters.
By PTI

BEIJING: Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doklam area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency today asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations.

Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current standoff, Xinhua news agency in a commentary said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty".

"After India's independence, the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed it in writing, acknowledging that the two sides have no objection to the border between the two sides of the Sikkim section," it said.

The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doklam area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing ChinaIndia relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue.

While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi in a statement yesterday said that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".

"Further discussions regarding finalisation of the boundary have been taking place under the Special Representatives framework," it had said.

But, Xinhua said there were a lot of evidence, including images, that the Indian military has violated the historic treaty and the commitment of successive Indian governments.

It also referred to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's release of two photographs and a map on the issue. The map shows Doklam, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan, as part of Chinese territory.

Referring to the MEA statement, the commentary said "the Indian side has claimed that China's activities pose a 'serious security impact' to India, and it is untenable".

So far China has not officially responded to India's statement on this issue.

This is the second commentary by Xinhua today.

The earlier one said India should shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival.

The CPEC is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative.

India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

On the Sikkim standoff, the Xinhua commentary claimed that China is engaged in normal activities on its own territory.

"How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China's construction activities," it said.

"On a higher level, the cross-border behaviour is a further departure from the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries on the development of China-India relations," it said.

Quoting India's former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon as saying in an article recently that cooperation between India and China is good for the core interest of both the countries, the commentary said the trust can only be established with the people and the countries should be more honest.

"On the issue of border crossing by the Indian army, the Indian side should comply with the requirements of the historical treaty, earnestly implement the consensus that both sides have to respect China's territorial sovereignty, immediately withdraw the border troops to the border side of the Indian side and avoid escalating the situation," it said.

Stating that the "over the years, as two major countries on the Asian continent, China and India have reached many consensus on how to develop good bilateral relations", it said.

"China always attaches great importance to the development of Sino-Indian relations and is willing to work with India jointly promote the sustained and healthy and stable development of bilateral strategic partnership," it added.

China also emphasizes that the two sides should properly control and handle differences and sensitive issues, it said.

"The Indian leader also said recently that in a complex and volatile international situation, good India-China relations can play a stabilising role," it said, apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments made during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) last month.

"Both sides should tap the potential of cooperation, respect each other's core concerns and properly handle differences. These agreements are a strong guarantee for the smooth development of China-India relations.

"Since India has promised to 'properly deal with the differences' and India's foreign ministry recently said it 'cherishes peace and tranquillity in the India-China border region', why has it still allowed the Indian Army to cross the border? Why would it not acknowledge the mistake after the event? On the contrary why blame others while India itself is to be blamed? This is clearly paradoxical," the commentary said.

It also accused the Indian media of being "irresponsible" by hyping China threat, unjustly smearing China by "dividing" India-China relations.

"In today's world, win-win cooperation is the main theme, and 'dancing with the dragon' is the rational choice that meets the trend of the times," it said.

"China and India are two of the world's most prominent emerging economies, the common interests far greater than differences and with a pragmatic attitude, long-term view and aggressive attitude to expand and deepen bilateral partner is the right thing to do," it added.

BEIJING: Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doklam area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency today asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations. Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current standoff, Xinhua news agency in a commentary said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty". "After India's independence, the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed it in writing, acknowledging that the two sides have no objection to the border between the two sides of the Sikkim section," it said. The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doklam area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing ChinaIndia relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue. While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi in a statement yesterday said that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'". "Further discussions regarding finalisation of the boundary have been taking place under the Special Representatives framework," it had said. But, Xinhua said there were a lot of evidence, including images, that the Indian military has violated the historic treaty and the commitment of successive Indian governments. It also referred to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's release of two photographs and a map on the issue. The map shows Doklam, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan, as part of Chinese territory. Referring to the MEA statement, the commentary said "the Indian side has claimed that China's activities pose a 'serious security impact' to India, and it is untenable". So far China has not officially responded to India's statement on this issue. This is the second commentary by Xinhua today. The earlier one said India should shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival. The CPEC is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. On the Sikkim standoff, the Xinhua commentary claimed that China is engaged in normal activities on its own territory. "How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China's construction activities," it said. "On a higher level, the cross-border behaviour is a further departure from the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries on the development of China-India relations," it said. Quoting India's former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon as saying in an article recently that cooperation between India and China is good for the core interest of both the countries, the commentary said the trust can only be established with the people and the countries should be more honest. "On the issue of border crossing by the Indian army, the Indian side should comply with the requirements of the historical treaty, earnestly implement the consensus that both sides have to respect China's territorial sovereignty, immediately withdraw the border troops to the border side of the Indian side and avoid escalating the situation," it said. Stating that the "over the years, as two major countries on the Asian continent, China and India have reached many consensus on how to develop good bilateral relations", it said. "China always attaches great importance to the development of Sino-Indian relations and is willing to work with India jointly promote the sustained and healthy and stable development of bilateral strategic partnership," it added. China also emphasizes that the two sides should properly control and handle differences and sensitive issues, it said. "The Indian leader also said recently that in a complex and volatile international situation, good India-China relations can play a stabilising role," it said, apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments made during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) last month. "Both sides should tap the potential of cooperation, respect each other's core concerns and properly handle differences. These agreements are a strong guarantee for the smooth development of China-India relations. "Since India has promised to 'properly deal with the differences' and India's foreign ministry recently said it 'cherishes peace and tranquillity in the India-China border region', why has it still allowed the Indian Army to cross the border? Why would it not acknowledge the mistake after the event? On the contrary why blame others while India itself is to be blamed? This is clearly paradoxical," the commentary said. It also accused the Indian media of being "irresponsible" by hyping China threat, unjustly smearing China by "dividing" India-China relations. "In today's world, win-win cooperation is the main theme, and 'dancing with the dragon' is the rational choice that meets the trend of the times," it said. "China and India are two of the world's most prominent emerging economies, the common interests far greater than differences and with a pragmatic attitude, long-term view and aggressive attitude to expand and deepen bilateral partner is the right thing to do," it added.
By PTI

DHAKA: Bangladesh's Supreme Court in a landmark verdict today declared void a 2014 constitutional amendment empowering parliament to impeach apex court judges, a ruling which the government said could "undermine" the sovereign parliament's authority.

"By unanimous decision, the (government) appeal is dismissed," Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced as a seven-member apex court bench unanimously upheld a previous High Court judgment calling the 16th amendment to the constitution illegal.

He said the seven-member apex court bench dismissed the appeal "with some findings" after hearing the arguments for and against the government appeal against the High Court decision for over 11 days.

The verdict came amid a visible conflict between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League government and the Supreme Court over the apex court jurisdiction in disciplining lower judiciary judges.

Attorney-General Mahbebey Alam expressed his "frustration" over the judgment fearing it could undermine the "sovereign parliament's authority" but said he could take steps to seek its review by the apex court itself on consultation with the government.

Several lawyers said the verdict would automatically restore the previous provision of Supreme Judicial Council, comprising the chief justice and two senior most apex court judges, in removing Supreme Court judges on moral or health grounds. Alam, however, tended to contradict the idea saying legal complicacies might not allow automatic restoration of the previous provision.

The Supreme Court in unitary Bangladesh has two divisions  the Appellate Division and High Court Division  unlike countries with federative structures like India. The parliament passed the amendment in September 2014, repealing the provision of the Supreme Judicial Council authorising the judicial body to investigate allegations against judges and recommend their removal to the President as the head of state.

Bangladesh's original 1972 constitution had empowered parliament to remove Supreme Court judges but a 1975 amendment entrusted the President with the authority while a subsequent amendment in 1978, when a military regime was in power, bestowed the authority on the Council.

The apex court earlier appointed nine senior lawyers or jurists as "amici curiae" or "friends of court" for giving their opinions on the matter while one but all suggested repealing of the 14th constitutional amendment.

The apex court earlier in 2010 scrapped the fifth constitutional amendment that validated all activities of the first martial law regime when it, however, condoned the introduction of the Judicial Council.

On a writ petition by a Supreme Court lawyer, the High Court in 2016 declared void the 16th amendment calling it a "colourful legislation" and contradictory to the principle of separation of judiciary and basic spirit of constitution. It also described the original constitutional provision of 1972 as an "historic accident".

DHAKA: Bangladesh's Supreme Court in a landmark verdict today declared void a 2014 constitutional amendment empowering parliament to impeach apex court judges, a ruling which the government said could "undermine" the sovereign parliament's authority. "By unanimous decision, the (government) appeal is dismissed," Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced as a seven-member apex court bench unanimously upheld a previous High Court judgment calling the 16th amendment to the constitution illegal. He said the seven-member apex court bench dismissed the appeal "with some findings" after hearing the arguments for and against the government appeal against the High Court decision for over 11 days. The verdict came amid a visible conflict between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ruling Awami League government and the Supreme Court over the apex court jurisdiction in disciplining lower judiciary judges. Attorney-General Mahbebey Alam expressed his "frustration" over the judgment fearing it could undermine the "sovereign parliament's authority" but said he could take steps to seek its review by the apex court itself on consultation with the government. Several lawyers said the verdict would automatically restore the previous provision of Supreme Judicial Council, comprising the chief justice and two senior most apex court judges, in removing Supreme Court judges on moral or health grounds. Alam, however, tended to contradict the idea saying legal complicacies might not allow automatic restoration of the previous provision. The Supreme Court in unitary Bangladesh has two divisions  the Appellate Division and High Court Division  unlike countries with federative structures like India. The parliament passed the amendment in September 2014, repealing the provision of the Supreme Judicial Council authorising the judicial body to investigate allegations against judges and recommend their removal to the President as the head of state. Bangladesh's original 1972 constitution had empowered parliament to remove Supreme Court judges but a 1975 amendment entrusted the President with the authority while a subsequent amendment in 1978, when a military regime was in power, bestowed the authority on the Council. The apex court earlier appointed nine senior lawyers or jurists as "amici curiae" or "friends of court" for giving their opinions on the matter while one but all suggested repealing of the 14th constitutional amendment. The apex court earlier in 2010 scrapped the fifth constitutional amendment that validated all activities of the first martial law regime when it, however, condoned the introduction of the Judicial Council. On a writ petition by a Supreme Court lawyer, the High Court in 2016 declared void the 16th amendment calling it a "colourful legislation" and contradictory to the principle of separation of judiciary and basic spirit of constitution. It also described the original constitutional provision of 1972 as an "historic accident".
By PTI

BEIJING: China today dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying it too is different and warned that Beijing will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Jaitley, who responded to China's oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different." He had also said the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitley's remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different." He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty. "I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," he warned.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan trijunction for almost a month.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only State which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up" for the "illegal entry" into the Dokalam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government. "In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutan's independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral ties between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse."

Geng said the Bhutanese side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Dokalam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side.

Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing.

The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth," he said.

Ahead of the Foreign Ministry briefing, state-run Global Times quoted experts as saying that China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war. As the standoff at the Dokalam area continued for the third week, the longest between the two sides, the official media and the think-tanks here said that "war is possible if the conflict between India and China is not handled properly".

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. "China is also different from what it was in 1962," Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, told the daily, reacting to Jaitley's comments.

Wang claimed India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both nations share many similarities such as huge populations and both are developing countries. "There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border," the Global Times report said.

"In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers," the daily said.

Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said. "Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war," Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper. He said a conflict between the two sides may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US. "India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides," Wang said.

The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that India's Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an "all-weather railway corridor" with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry. "India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence," Zhao said.

BEIJING: China today dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying it too is different and warned that Beijing will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty. Jaitley, who responded to China's oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different." He had also said the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing. Responding to Jaitley's remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different." He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty. "I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," he warned. China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan trijunction for almost a month. Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only State which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region. Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up" for the "illegal entry" into the Dokalam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government. "In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutan's independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said. He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral ties between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse." Geng said the Bhutanese side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Dokalam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side. Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing. The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth," he said. Ahead of the Foreign Ministry briefing, state-run Global Times quoted experts as saying that China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war. As the standoff at the Dokalam area continued for the third week, the longest between the two sides, the official media and the think-tanks here said that "war is possible if the conflict between India and China is not handled properly". Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim. "China is also different from what it was in 1962," Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, told the daily, reacting to Jaitley's comments. Wang claimed India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both nations share many similarities such as huge populations and both are developing countries. "There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border," the Global Times report said. "In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers," the daily said. Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said. "Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war," Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper. He said a conflict between the two sides may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US. "India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides," Wang said. The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that India's Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an "all-weather railway corridor" with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry. "India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence," Zhao said.
By AFP

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping told US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday that Sino-US relations have been hit by "negative factors" in a phone call following days of US actions that have vexed Beijing.

Trump held separate calls with Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that focused on tensions on the Korean peninsula, but China's foreign ministry said Xi also invoked the thorny issue of Taiwan.

Trump infuriated Beijing last week when he approved a $1.3 billion arms sales to Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing considers a breakaway province awaiting reunification.

The US administration also imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash, voiced concern about freedom in semi-autonomous Hong Kong and placed the country on a list of the world's worst human trafficking offenders.

The latest irritant came on Sunday when the USS Stethem destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP.

The series of moves have marked a sharp reversal from the friendly tone struck by Trump since his meeting with Xi at the US president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April.

In their phone call, Xi acknowledged that Sino-US relations "have achieved important results" since that meeting, the foreign ministry said.

But Xi also warned that relations "have been affected by some negative factors".

Xi said he hoped the US president will "properly handle" Taiwan issues in accordance with the "One China" principle.

The Chinese leader insisted that the two sides should follow the "consensus" reached at Mar-a-Lago and adhere to the principle of mutual respect.

- N.Korea a 'growing threat' -

In its readout of the conversation, the White House said Trump and Xi discussed efforts to denuclearise North Korea and improve US-Chinese trade relations, but the US statement did not mention Taiwan.

"President Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes," the White House said.

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," it said.

Trump, who berated Beijing over trade during the US election campaign, also "reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners".

The two leaders discussed "a range of other regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest" and indicated the two would meet at the Group of 20 summit in Germany this week, the White House said.

Trump has pressed Xi to use China's diplomatic and economic clout over North Korea to pressure the Stalinist state to abandon its nuclear programme, but the US leader tweeted last month that Beijing's efforts had failed.

- 'Serious provocation' -

The phone call came hours after the "freedom of navigation" operation in the South China Sea, an operation meant to assert the right to sail in disputed waters.

The move prompted China to deploy military vessels and fighter jets, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement late Sunday, calling the US operation a "serious political and military provocation".

It was the second operation of its kind carried out by the United States since Trump took office.

The latest US exercise came as Beijing continues muscular efforts to cement its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.

China has rapidly built reefs in the area into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes.

On May 25, a US guided-missile destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from a disputed reef -- within the distance commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass.

BEIJING: Chinese President Xi Jinping told US counterpart Donald Trump on Monday that Sino-US relations have been hit by "negative factors" in a phone call following days of US actions that have vexed Beijing. Trump held separate calls with Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe that focused on tensions on the Korean peninsula, but China's foreign ministry said Xi also invoked the thorny issue of Taiwan. Trump infuriated Beijing last week when he approved a $1.3 billion arms sales to Taiwan, a self-governed island that Beijing considers a breakaway province awaiting reunification. The US administration also imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash, voiced concern about freedom in semi-autonomous Hong Kong and placed the country on a list of the world's worst human trafficking offenders. The latest irritant came on Sunday when the USS Stethem destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP. The series of moves have marked a sharp reversal from the friendly tone struck by Trump since his meeting with Xi at the US president's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in April. In their phone call, Xi acknowledged that Sino-US relations "have achieved important results" since that meeting, the foreign ministry said. But Xi also warned that relations "have been affected by some negative factors". Xi said he hoped the US president will "properly handle" Taiwan issues in accordance with the "One China" principle. The Chinese leader insisted that the two sides should follow the "consensus" reached at Mar-a-Lago and adhere to the principle of mutual respect. - N.Korea a 'growing threat' - In its readout of the conversation, the White House said Trump and Xi discussed efforts to denuclearise North Korea and improve US-Chinese trade relations, but the US statement did not mention Taiwan. "President Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes," the White House said. "Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearised Korean Peninsula," it said. Trump, who berated Beijing over trade during the US election campaign, also "reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners". The two leaders discussed "a range of other regional and bilateral issues of mutual interest" and indicated the two would meet at the Group of 20 summit in Germany this week, the White House said. Trump has pressed Xi to use China's diplomatic and economic clout over North Korea to pressure the Stalinist state to abandon its nuclear programme, but the US leader tweeted last month that Beijing's efforts had failed. - 'Serious provocation' - The phone call came hours after the "freedom of navigation" operation in the South China Sea, an operation meant to assert the right to sail in disputed waters. The move prompted China to deploy military vessels and fighter jets, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement late Sunday, calling the US operation a "serious political and military provocation". It was the second operation of its kind carried out by the United States since Trump took office. The latest US exercise came as Beijing continues muscular efforts to cement its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan, the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam. China has rapidly built reefs in the area into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. On May 25, a US guided-missile destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from a disputed reef -- within the distance commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass.
By AFP

PARIS: France, Germany and Italy said on Monday that they have agreed to draw up a "code of conduct" for charities operating boats in the Mediterranean to rescue migrants crossing from Africa to Europe.

The code would be an attempt to regulate operations in the sea where the Italian coast guard, European border patrol forces and NGOs currently operate vessels which pick up stranded migrants.

Italy has also been pushing for other European countries to open up their ports to rescue ships to share the burden around.

More than 83,000 people have been rescued and brought to Italy so far this year after attempting the crossing from Libya, while more than 2,160 have died trying, the UN and the International Organization for Migration says.

The three nations' interior ministers, who met on Sunday in Paris, also agreed to look into ways to support the coast guard in Libya and help the UN refugee agency to set up more camps in the war-ravaged north African country, a statement from the French interior ministry said.

Their plan, to be presented to all 28 members of the EU at the end of the week, would also suggest ways of improving the process of returning economic migrants to their countries.

PARIS: France, Germany and Italy said on Monday that they have agreed to draw up a "code of conduct" for charities operating boats in the Mediterranean to rescue migrants crossing from Africa to Europe. The code would be an attempt to regulate operations in the sea where the Italian coast guard, European border patrol forces and NGOs currently operate vessels which pick up stranded migrants. Italy has also been pushing for other European countries to open up their ports to rescue ships to share the burden around. More than 83,000 people have been rescued and brought to Italy so far this year after attempting the crossing from Libya, while more than 2,160 have died trying, the UN and the International Organization for Migration says. The three nations' interior ministers, who met on Sunday in Paris, also agreed to look into ways to support the coast guard in Libya and help the UN refugee agency to set up more camps in the war-ravaged north African country, a statement from the French interior ministry said. Their plan, to be presented to all 28 members of the EU at the end of the week, would also suggest ways of improving the process of returning economic migrants to their countries.
By ANI

LAHORE: Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin, who has been branded as a global terrorist by the United States, admitted in a TV interview to having carried out terror attacks on Indian soil.

Till now our focus was on Indian occupation forces. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces, Salahuddin said in an interview with Geo TV.

Asserting that Kashmir was his home, the Hizbul chief stated that the Valley was witnessing an uprising since the killing of Burhan Wani.

Further revealing that he has many supporters in India, Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it.

Informing that he carried out many operations in India, Salahuddin stated that the international scenario changed after 9/11.

If we would have taken our operations out of Kashmir at that time, India would get a chance to label Kashmir-e-Tehreek a terrorist organization. We have support and we can target any place in India, at anytime, he said.

On June 26th, the U.S. Department of State designated Salahuddin, as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist'.

"Department of State has designated Mohammad Yusuf Shah, also known as (AKA) Syed Salahuddin, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. As a consequence of this designation, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin's property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked," the State Department said in a statement.

Salahuddin is the senior leader of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. In September, 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces."

Under Salahuddin's tenure as senior Hizbul leader, the terror outfit has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014 explosives attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people.

LAHORE: Hizbul Mujahideen Chief Syed Salahuddin, who has been branded as a global terrorist by the United States, admitted in a TV interview to having carried out terror attacks on Indian soil. Till now our focus was on Indian occupation forces. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces, Salahuddin said in an interview with Geo TV. Asserting that Kashmir was his home, the Hizbul chief stated that the Valley was witnessing an uprising since the killing of Burhan Wani. Further revealing that he has many supporters in India, Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it. Informing that he carried out many operations in India, Salahuddin stated that the international scenario changed after 9/11. If we would have taken our operations out of Kashmir at that time, India would get a chance to label Kashmir-e-Tehreek a terrorist organization. We have support and we can target any place in India, at anytime, he said. On June 26th, the U.S. Department of State designated Salahuddin, as a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist'. "Department of State has designated Mohammad Yusuf Shah, also known as (AKA) Syed Salahuddin, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist (SDGT) under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (E.O.) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of U.S. nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States. As a consequence of this designation, U.S. persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin's property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked," the State Department said in a statement. Salahuddin is the senior leader of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen. In September, 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces." Under Salahuddin's tenure as senior Hizbul leader, the terror outfit has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014 explosives attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people.
By Associated Press

MUZAFFARABAD, (PAKISTAN): A prominent Kashmir rebel leader recently blacklisted as a terrorist by the United States vowed on Saturday to continue fighting until India relinquishes control of the disputed Himalayan region.

"We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India," Syed Salahuddin, who heads the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, said amid tight security in a news conference in Muzaffarabad, the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir.

The U.S. State Department classified 71-year-old Salahuddin as a "global terrorist" on the eve of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington last month, a decision the militant leader said was only made to appease India. He said Hizbul Mujahideen only targets Indian forces and that the Islamic State group and al-Qaida have no presence in Kashmir.

"Donald Trump's decision will be thrown out if anyone challenges it in American courts," he said. "No other Western nation has endorsed what this crazy Donald Trump has done," he said.

WATCH: Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin 'denounces' U.S. global terrorist designation

Salahuddin called on the United Nations to implement its resolutions and give Kashmir's people the right to vote on independence or merging with Pakistan. He said Hizbul Mujahideen may consider peace talks with India if Russia or China can guarantee that such talks would produce results.

Salahuddin later led a rally in the city and praised Pakistan for continued support in Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of backing Kashmir insurgents in the region split between the two nations, a charge Islamabad denies. The nuclear-armed South Asian rivals claim the territory in its entirety, having fought two of their three wars over it since 1947.

Salahuddin is based in Pakistan's part of Kashmir and often addresses public rallies there.

On Monday, Salahuddin had called for a "Week of Resistance," including two days of strikes starting July 8. That's the anniversary of last year's killing of Burhan Wani, a young protest leader whose death enraged people across Kashmir.

Islamabad on Saturday handed over to New Delhi a list of 546 Indian prisoners being held in Pakistan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. Under an accord, Pakistan and India routinely exchange lists of each other's prisoners on July 1.

MUZAFFARABAD, (PAKISTAN): A prominent Kashmir rebel leader recently blacklisted as a terrorist by the United States vowed on Saturday to continue fighting until India relinquishes control of the disputed Himalayan region. "We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India," Syed Salahuddin, who heads the Hizbul Mujahideen militant group, said amid tight security in a news conference in Muzaffarabad, the Pakistani-controlled part of Kashmir. The U.S. State Department classified 71-year-old Salahuddin as a "global terrorist" on the eve of Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington last month, a decision the militant leader said was only made to appease India. He said Hizbul Mujahideen only targets Indian forces and that the Islamic State group and al-Qaida have no presence in Kashmir. "Donald Trump's decision will be thrown out if anyone challenges it in American courts," he said. "No other Western nation has endorsed what this crazy Donald Trump has done," he said. WATCH: Hizbul chief Syed Salahuddin 'denounces' U.S. global terrorist designation Salahuddin called on the United Nations to implement its resolutions and give Kashmir's people the right to vote on independence or merging with Pakistan. He said Hizbul Mujahideen may consider peace talks with India if Russia or China can guarantee that such talks would produce results. Salahuddin later led a rally in the city and praised Pakistan for continued support in Kashmir. India accuses Pakistan of backing Kashmir insurgents in the region split between the two nations, a charge Islamabad denies. The nuclear-armed South Asian rivals claim the territory in its entirety, having fought two of their three wars over it since 1947. Salahuddin is based in Pakistan's part of Kashmir and often addresses public rallies there. On Monday, Salahuddin had called for a "Week of Resistance," including two days of strikes starting July 8. That's the anniversary of last year's killing of Burhan Wani, a young protest leader whose death enraged people across Kashmir. Islamabad on Saturday handed over to New Delhi a list of 546 Indian prisoners being held in Pakistan, according to a Foreign Ministry statement. Under an accord, Pakistan and India routinely exchange lists of each other's prisoners on July 1.
By AFP

NIAMEY: Nine people were killed and dozens kidnapped after an attack in southeastern Niger by suspected members of Boko Haram, local authorities said today.

The attack happened last night, between 2100-2200 GMT.

"About 30 to 40 women and children were taken by the assailants," local mayor Abari El Hadj Daouda told AFP, adding that Nigerien authorities were headed to the area to investigate.

The attack took place in Kabalewa, a village near the southeastern Niger city of Diffa, which is close to Nigeria the second such attack in the village in a week.

On Wednesday, two women bombers blew themselves up in a refugee camp in the town, killing two other people and injuring 11, in an act also blamed on Boko Haram Islamists.

Boko Haram's insurgency began in northeast Nigeria and has spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger, claiming more than 20,000 lives and displacing 2.6 million people.

The group's members have since 2015 been staging regular attacks in the Diffa region, where Niger has declared a state of emergency.

There are more than 300,000 refugees and displaced people sheltered in the area, but authorities said they are planning to transfer thousands of refugees and displaced to camps farther from Nigeria's border.

NIAMEY: Nine people were killed and dozens kidnapped after an attack in southeastern Niger by suspected members of Boko Haram, local authorities said today. The attack happened last night, between 2100-2200 GMT. "About 30 to 40 women and children were taken by the assailants," local mayor Abari El Hadj Daouda told AFP, adding that Nigerien authorities were headed to the area to investigate. The attack took place in Kabalewa, a village near the southeastern Niger city of Diffa, which is close to Nigeria the second such attack in the village in a week. On Wednesday, two women bombers blew themselves up in a refugee camp in the town, killing two other people and injuring 11, in an act also blamed on Boko Haram Islamists. Boko Haram's insurgency began in northeast Nigeria and has spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger, claiming more than 20,000 lives and displacing 2.6 million people. The group's members have since 2015 been staging regular attacks in the Diffa region, where Niger has declared a state of emergency. There are more than 300,000 refugees and displaced people sheltered in the area, but authorities said they are planning to transfer thousands of refugees and displaced to camps farther from Nigeria's border.
By PTI

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court today held hearing on a petition seeking a court order for stopping the Pakistan government from "pardoning or reducing the sentence" of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav.

Petitioner Mahmood Ahmed Naqvi also pleaded the court to order the hanging 46-year-old Jadhav without any further delay, saying that the convict had confessed his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan.

"Kulbhushan Jadhav is a RAW agent and his confession that he had committed terrorism in Pakistan leaves no room for any concession to him," he said and requested the court to issue an order stopping the Nawaz government from giving any concession like pardoning or reducing his sentence.

Justice Shahid Karim sent the petition to the chief justice for constitution of another bench to hear it as he (judge) was going on leave.

On June 22, Jadhav had filed a mercy petition before Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.

In a statement, the Inter Services Public Relations, media wing of Pakistan military, has claimed that Jadhav has admitted to his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions. "Jadhav is seeking forgiveness for his actions and he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," it said.

Jadhav had earlier filed an appeal to the Military Appellate Court, which was rejected. His mercy petition to military appellate court was also rejected. He had been sentenced to death by a military court in April for espionage and terrorism. International Court of Justice in May halted the execution on India's appeal.

In a hearing of the case on May 18, a ten-member bench of the International Court of Justice restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav. Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.

LAHORE: The Lahore High Court today held hearing on a petition seeking a court order for stopping the Pakistan government from "pardoning or reducing the sentence" of Indian prisoner on death row Kulbhushan Jadhav. Petitioner Mahmood Ahmed Naqvi also pleaded the court to order the hanging 46-year-old Jadhav without any further delay, saying that the convict had confessed his involvement in subversive activities in Pakistan. "Kulbhushan Jadhav is a RAW agent and his confession that he had committed terrorism in Pakistan leaves no room for any concession to him," he said and requested the court to issue an order stopping the Nawaz government from giving any concession like pardoning or reducing his sentence. Justice Shahid Karim sent the petition to the chief justice for constitution of another bench to hear it as he (judge) was going on leave. On June 22, Jadhav had filed a mercy petition before Pakistan army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa. In a statement, the Inter Services Public Relations, media wing of Pakistan military, has claimed that Jadhav has admitted to his involvement in espionage, terrorist and subversive activities in Pakistan and expressed remorse at the resultant loss of many precious innocent lives and extensive damage to property due to his actions. "Jadhav is seeking forgiveness for his actions and he has requested the Chief of Army Staff to spare his life on compassionate grounds," it said. Jadhav had earlier filed an appeal to the Military Appellate Court, which was rejected. His mercy petition to military appellate court was also rejected. He had been sentenced to death by a military court in April for espionage and terrorism. International Court of Justice in May halted the execution on India's appeal. In a hearing of the case on May 18, a ten-member bench of the International Court of Justice restrained Pakistan from executing Jadhav. Pakistan claims it arrested Jadhav from restive Balochistan province on March 3 last year after he reportedly entered from Iran. However, India maintains that he was kidnapped from Iran where he had business interests after retiring from the Indian Navy.
By AFP

BERLIN: US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet in Hamburg on Thursday, the eve of a Group of 20 summit, Merkel's spokesman said.

"Indeed a meeting with the US president is planned before the G20 summit, most probably in the early evening of Thursday," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a press briefing on Monday.

Transatlantic differences on climate change, trade, refugees and other issues are expected to flare at the July 7-8 meeting of world leaders from major industrialised and emerging economies in the northern port city.

Last week Merkel met with key European leaders and vowed to make a stand for climate protection and open markets at the meeting with Trump, who has said he will take the US out of the Paris climate deal and pursue a protectionist "America First" policy.

Merkel said last Thursday that "the differences are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up. That I won't do."

She also said the US exit from the 2015 Paris climate pact had made Europe "more determined than ever" to make the accord a success.

More than 20,000 police will be on duty in Hamburg for the meeting, whose participants include China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More than 30 anti-capitalist protests have been scheduled for before and during the meeting.

A day before the G20, Trump will head to Warsaw for a summit meeting of central and eastern European leaders likely to include Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has sparred with western European leaders, especially on the refugee issue.

BERLIN: US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet in Hamburg on Thursday, the eve of a Group of 20 summit, Merkel's spokesman said. "Indeed a meeting with the US president is planned before the G20 summit, most probably in the early evening of Thursday," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a press briefing on Monday. Transatlantic differences on climate change, trade, refugees and other issues are expected to flare at the July 7-8 meeting of world leaders from major industrialised and emerging economies in the northern port city. Last week Merkel met with key European leaders and vowed to make a stand for climate protection and open markets at the meeting with Trump, who has said he will take the US out of the Paris climate deal and pursue a protectionist "America First" policy. Merkel said last Thursday that "the differences are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up. That I won't do." She also said the US exit from the 2015 Paris climate pact had made Europe "more determined than ever" to make the accord a success. More than 20,000 police will be on duty in Hamburg for the meeting, whose participants include China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan. More than 30 anti-capitalist protests have been scheduled for before and during the meeting. A day before the G20, Trump will head to Warsaw for a summit meeting of central and eastern European leaders likely to include Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has sparred with western European leaders, especially on the refugee issue.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: The United States and Japan are united in their efforts to clamp down on North Korea's "growing threat," as the regime ramps up its nuclear drive and other belligerent efforts, the White House said Sunday.

During a phone call, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend (against) and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea", the White House said in a statement.

It added that the pair expressed "unity with respect to increasing pressure on the regime to change its dangerous path."

During a separate phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said it was Trump who "raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs."

"Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula."

But the White House made no mention of possible discussions between Trump and Xi over disputed islands in the South China Sea, even though the call took place just hours after a US warship sailed near an island in the waterway.

Beijing termed the incident a "serious political and military provocation."

The destroyer, the USS Stethem, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP.

On the call, Trump also "reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners," the White House said, a reference to the US administration's aggressive stance on trade matters, especially as concerns China.

- Pinning hopes on China -

The Trump administration has been growing increasingly exasperated with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, which has staged a barrage of missile tests in recent months.

Trump had been pinning his hopes on China -- North Korea's main diplomatic ally -- to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang, but declared last week that their efforts had failed.

He has presented sanctions as the best way to proceed with the hermit state, opting for that approach over dialogue with the regime.

During talks with South Korean leader Moon Jae-In -- who has pushed for a policy of engagement with Pyongyang -- on Friday, Trump called for a "determined response" to the North. But the pair failed to map out a joint strategy on how to handle North Korean threats.

"The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed, many years it has failed. Frankly, that patience is over," Trump said.

There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma earlier this month. He died several days later.

WASHINGTON: The United States and Japan are united in their efforts to clamp down on North Korea's "growing threat," as the regime ramps up its nuclear drive and other belligerent efforts, the White House said Sunday. During a phone call, President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe "reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend (against) and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea", the White House said in a statement. It added that the pair expressed "unity with respect to increasing pressure on the regime to change its dangerous path." During a separate phone call with Chinese President Xi Jinping, the White House said it was Trump who "raised the growing threat posed by North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programs." "Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula." But the White House made no mention of possible discussions between Trump and Xi over disputed islands in the South China Sea, even though the call took place just hours after a US warship sailed near an island in the waterway. Beijing termed the incident a "serious political and military provocation." The destroyer, the USS Stethem, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP. On the call, Trump also "reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with America's trading partners," the White House said, a reference to the US administration's aggressive stance on trade matters, especially as concerns China. - Pinning hopes on China - The Trump administration has been growing increasingly exasperated with North Korean leader Kim Jong-Un's regime, which has staged a barrage of missile tests in recent months. Trump had been pinning his hopes on China -- North Korea's main diplomatic ally -- to bring pressure to bear on Pyongyang, but declared last week that their efforts had failed. He has presented sanctions as the best way to proceed with the hermit state, opting for that approach over dialogue with the regime. During talks with South Korean leader Moon Jae-In -- who has pushed for a policy of engagement with Pyongyang -- on Friday, Trump called for a "determined response" to the North. But the pair failed to map out a joint strategy on how to handle North Korean threats. "The era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed, many years it has failed. Frankly, that patience is over," Trump said. There was also deep anger in the United States after Otto Warmbier, an American student who was detained in North Korea on a tourist trip around 18 months ago, was returned home in a coma earlier this month. He died several days later.
By AFP

WASHINGTON: US forces launched a fresh strike at Al Shabaab militants in Somalia over the weekend, the second such attack in a month, defense officials said Monday.

The attack Sunday was a "kinetic strike operation," Patrick Barnes, a spokesman for the US Africa Command said.

That term usually indicates a strike from an airplane, helicopter or drone, though officials would not provide any details.

"We are currently assessing the results of the operation, and will provide additional information as appropriate," Barnes said.

"US forces remain committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia, the Somali National Army and our AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) partners in defeating al-Shabaab and establishing a safe and secure environment in Somalia."

It was the second US strike on Shabaab Islamist militants since President Donald Trump authorized the Pentagon in March to take counter-terrorism actions, whether airstrikes or ground raids, when it sees necessary to support the Somali government against the insurgents.

The first action under the new permissions, on June 11, was a raid on a Shabaab training center southwest of Mogadishu.

Before Trump broadened the Pentagon's authorities, US military actions in the eastern African country each required high-level review by different agencies.

US special forces have been deployed in Somalia for years. Drone and missile strikes have also been used against Shabaab commanders and foot soldiers.

Since 2007, Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda linked group, has been fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia.

WASHINGTON: US forces launched a fresh strike at Al Shabaab militants in Somalia over the weekend, the second such attack in a month, defense officials said Monday. The attack Sunday was a "kinetic strike operation," Patrick Barnes, a spokesman for the US Africa Command said. That term usually indicates a strike from an airplane, helicopter or drone, though officials would not provide any details. "We are currently assessing the results of the operation, and will provide additional information as appropriate," Barnes said. "US forces remain committed to supporting the Federal Government of Somalia, the Somali National Army and our AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) partners in defeating al-Shabaab and establishing a safe and secure environment in Somalia." It was the second US strike on Shabaab Islamist militants since President Donald Trump authorized the Pentagon in March to take counter-terrorism actions, whether airstrikes or ground raids, when it sees necessary to support the Somali government against the insurgents. The first action under the new permissions, on June 11, was a raid on a Shabaab training center southwest of Mogadishu. Before Trump broadened the Pentagon's authorities, US military actions in the eastern African country each required high-level review by different agencies. US special forces have been deployed in Somalia for years. Drone and missile strikes have also been used against Shabaab commanders and foot soldiers. Since 2007, Al-Shabaab, an Al-Qaeda linked group, has been fighting to overthrow the internationally backed government in Somalia.
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Hrithik Roshan marks dad's 50 yrs in B'town with sweet post

New Delhi , July 1 : Hrithik Roshan is celebrating his father Rakesh Roshan's 50 years in Bollywood film fraternity.





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To mark his half-a-century, the 43-year-old actor took to his Twitter handle and posted a picture with his father, captioning it as, "Celebrating 50yrs of dads journey in cinema. But he's in office working 2wards 100.Thanks dad,4setting d impossible example 4us. #weluvyoupapa"After years of working behind the screen, Rakesh made his acting debut in 1970 with 'Ghar Ghar ki Kahani.'Be it 'Khatta Meetha' or 'Paraya Dhan' or sci-fi series 'Krishh' for that matter, the actor turned director has been working non-stop to entertain.On the work front, the 67-year-old is currently gearing up for the fourth installment of the 'Krrish' franchise.
FICCI lauds Ministry of Petroleum, Natural Gas, says initiatives will boost sector

New Delhi , July 1 : Lauding the Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Gas over the launch of the Open Acreage Licensing Policy (OALP) and National Data Repository (NDR), the Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FICCI) on Friday said these initiatives are set to give India's oil and gas exploration a big push.





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"These initiatives launched under the new Hydrocarbon Exploration and Licensing Policy (HELP), are major steps in India's journey towards achieving energy security. This is also a big step to incentivise the domestic exploration and production activities in the country; the bidding being done after a gap of seven years," said Pankaj Patel, President, FICCI.Earlier in the week, the Centre announced the launch of the Open Acreage Licensing process, which will enable firms to identify suitable locations for hydrocarbon hunting."As much as 52 per cent of India's sedimentary basins are still unappraised and the last seismic data acquisition of the unappraised sedimentary basins was undertaken by the government nearly 25 years ago," said Union Petroleum and Natural Gas Minister Dharmendra Pradhan, while addressing the inaugural event of the National Data Repository.Pradhan also said the government is also formulating new policies for enhanced oil recovery under the HELP.The next round of bidding under the Discovered Small Field policy is beng scheduled and the finalisation of block and invitation of bids will take place on December 15.According to reports, the bid submission window is slated to be open for 10 weeks from then. Bid evaluation and declaration of results will be underway in the following ten weeks.
Max presents Elite Model Look 2017

New Delhi , July 2 : Max Fashion, the country's largest fashion forward brand and Elite, global talent management company, is back with 'Elite Model Look 2017'.





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Modelling is not just a hobby anymore. It's a serious career option. The modelling world is constantly evolving and today there are enormous opportunities for models. There has never been a better time than now, to get noticed by a top International modelling agency and live your dream of becoming an international model.Max brings this opportunity to your door step by collaborating with Elite Model Look, a contest that will help streamline career paths for aspiring models. This is the fourth year of the contest in India. For the past three years, Max has been nurturing and guiding young models who want to make it big on both Indian as well as International runways.For the 34th consecutive year, Elite is organising the most prestigious modeling contest in the world offering thousands of girls and boys (between the age of 16 and 22), the opportunity to achieve their dreams and follow in the footsteps of top models such as Cindy Crawford, Stephanie Seymour, Gisele Bundchen, VittoriaCeretti, Constance Jablonski, Benjamin Benedek, Matthew Bell and Serge Rigvava.Max Fashion and the Elite team are touring India (Hyderabad, Bangalore, Delhi, Kolkata, Pune, Mumbai and Goa) with seven castings that will take place from July 16 to August 19, 2017, aiming to offer a maximum of opportunities for girls and boys to participate in the most renowned modelling contest and become a part of the world's most prestigious agency.At the end of the regional castings, selected contestants will participate in the national casting that will be held on August 30 at Mumbai. The winners are not only selected based on their photogenic qualities, their personality and their natural beauty but also for their potential to correspond to current fashion trends.At the end of the casting, the Elite Model Look jury will choose contestants who will participate at the Grand Finale at Goa September 15. The ultimate goal is to win a place in the prestigious Elite Model Look World Final and to secure a 2 year contract with the Elite agency worldwide.To take part in one of the Elite Model Look castings, applicants must be -Female between the ages of 16 and 22 - At least 5'7 in or 172cm tallMale between the ages of 16 and 22 - At least 6' or 183cm tallIf the candidates are under eighteen, they must bring a parental authorisation letter with them to the casting. The girls should have as little make-up as possible and wear something close fitting such as skinny jeans or leggings and a t-shirt. Male applicants should wear something close fitting such as skinny jeans, a t-shirt and no cap or hat.Casting Dates -July 16 - Hyderabad - Forum Sujana MallJuly 23 - Bangalore - Phoenix Market CityJuly 28- Delhi - DLF Promenade, VasantKunjAugust 6 - Kolkata - Salt LakeAugust 9 - Pune - Max Store, Phoenix Market CityAugust 12 - Mumbai - Infiniti MaladAugust 19 - Goa - Mall De Goa
Taliban storms mosque in Afghanistan, killing 13 people

Kabul [Afghanistan], July 2 : Heavily armed Taliban insurgents stormed a mosque in northern Balkh province of Afghanistan, killing at least 13 people in an attack claimed by the Taliban.





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The incident took place on Saturday in the vicinity of Chemtal district.The provincial public health officials confirmed that the bodies of thirteen people, riddled with bullets, were shifted to Ibn-e-Sina hospital.The Taliban group spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid claimed that an attack was carried out on a gathering of the militia forces in Chemtal district, Khaama Press reported.As soon as the Taliban entered the mosque intense clashes erupted which Zabiullah claimed that twelve people including three commanders of the local militia forces were killed and another one was wounded.Mujahid also claimed that several weapons, ammunition, and grenades were also seized during the clashes.Rejecting the claims by the Taliban insurgents, MP representing the northern Balkh province in the parliament Gulalai Noor Sapai said that all those killed in the attack are ordinary civilians and had no links with the government or security institutions.The local residents are saying that the deceased individuals were having links with a former Jihadi leader.
Kanye West reportedly walking away from Jay-Z's Tidal

Washington D.C. [USA], July 3 : The rift between Kanye West and JAY-Z has taken another turn as it is being reported that the 'Life of Pablo' hit-maker has quit the subscription-based music streaming service Tidal in a dispute over money.





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According to TMZ.com, sources revealed that the 40-year-old rapper "complained the company owes him money - more than $3 million" and his lawyers sent a letter to the company telling them they were "in breach and the contact was terminated."The insiders added that West's lawyers sent another letter two weeks after the first one after the conflict failed to be resolved.The issues stemmed after West's Saint Pablo album brought in nearly 1 and a half million new subscribers to Tidal, for which he was supposed to receive a bonus, and the company didn't pay him.The company also reportedly went back on their promise of reimbursing him for music videos, but Tidal stated that he "didn't deliver the videos required by contract."Tidal have since sent a letter back, stating they "still have an exclusive contract with Kanye and if he goes to another streaming service they'd sue him."
Qatar-Saudi tensions 'political not military', says Saudi envoy

Istanbul [Turkey], July 3 : A Saudi envoy has said that the recent tension between Riyadh and Doha is political and not military in nature.





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"Our disagreement with Qatar has never been a military one but political and its (Qatar's) sovereignty never been targeted at all," Anadolu quoted Saudi ambassador to Turkey Walid bin Abdulkarim Al-Khuraiji as saying.He said that the principle of sovereign states protects Qatar and allow it to do politics."But the Qatari acts threaten the security of its neighbors and [other] countries in the region.""Doha's acts should be interpreted as a stance which has been settled through years," said Al-Khuraiji."That's why, the steps against Qatar are taken to protect itself from such acts with unnoticed results," he added.Khuraiji stressed that Arab states' decision to end their diplomatic ties with Qatar must not be interpreted as blockade on the region."Normally a blockade is subject to United Nations resolutions, yet severing relations is a sovereign right of each country to protect its national security. Look, there have been over hundreds flights from Turkey to Doha in order to transport Turkish products to Qatar," he said."We care about Qatar and its people, we belong to each other. Sooner or later, this crisis will be sorted out and our relations will get back on track," he added.The situation in eh Gulf region became volatile after Saudi Arabia, Egypt, the United Arab Emirates (U.A.E.), Bahrain and Yemen severed tier diplomatic ties with Qatar, accusing it of giving support to terrorist groups and interfering in the domestic affairs of other countries.A blockade was also imposed on Qatar's a land, sea, and air routes.However, the Qatar Government has rejected these assertions and emphasised that the blockade was in violation of international law.
Air India passengers left gasping for breath after A.C. malfunctions onboard

New Delhi , July 03 : The Air Conditioning (AC) system in a New Delhi-bound Air India flight AI-880, an Airbus 320 which took off from West Bengal's Bagdogra malfunctioned yesterday, leaving passengers gasping for breath.





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In a video that has gone viral, the livid passengers can be seen fanning themselves and complain to the staff onboard about the malfunction, but to no avail.Reportedly, the passengers complained to the flight cabin crew and were assured that the ACs would be back on after some time, but the matter was not resolved.The flight took off with 168 passengers on board at 1:55 p.m. After 20 minutes into the flight, passengers complained about the ACs malfunctioning.Few passengers also tried to put on the oxygen masks, but these too were reportedly not working.In a video shot by one of the angry passengers, the fliers could be seen fanning themselves with pamphlets or magazines.Some passengers protested and some took to Twitter to complain about the AC problem in the flight.According to reports when contacted, Air India said that it was a technical matter and an investigation would be initiated.The embarassment came after the government decided on Wednesday to privatise debt-laden Air India, the first step of a process that could see the government offload an airline struggling to turn a profit in the face of growing competition from low-cost rivals.Air India, once the country's biggest airline, has seen its domestic market share shrivel to 13 percent as private rivals such as IndiGo and SpiceJet have expanded.
Home Ministry rejects reports of J-K Guv N.N. Vohra offering resignation

New Delhi , July 3, : The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) on Monday rejected reports of Jammu and Kashmir Governor N.N. Vohra offering his resignation.





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"So far Home ministry has not received any proposal from Jammu and Kashmir Governor N. N. Vohra offering to resign," said MHA spokesperson.Reports are rife that Vohra has offered to step down as Jammu and Kashmir Governor and has also written a letter to the Centre demanding the same.Some sections of media reported that Vohra sought his resignation citing health issue.The home ministry, however, clarified that they did not receive any letter regarding it.Vohra was appointed Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 2008 and was offered second term in 2013.Earlier, he had also served as Defence Secretary and Union Home Secretary.Vohra, a Padma Vibhushan awardee, had also served as Principal Secretary to Prime Minister I.K. Gujral during 1997-98.:
Canadian PM under radar for forgetting Alberta during 'Canada Day speech'

Ottawa [Canada], July 3 : On the occasion of Canada's 150th birthday, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau forgot to mention the name of a major Canadian province Alberta, during his speech while making a mention of the country's other territories.





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"We may live in British Columbia, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Nunavut, Ontario, Quebec, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Nova Scotia or Newfoundland and Labrador, but we embrace that diversity while knowing in our hearts that we are all Canadians", the CNN quoted Trudeau, as saying.Right before the event was wrapped u, Trudeau realised his mistake and expressed his love for Alberta.He said, "Let me just start by saying I'm a little embarrassed. I got excited somewhere over the Rockies. Alberta, I love you. Happy Canada Day."Sadly, the natives of Alberta couldn't spare him and lashed out at him on twitter.Later, Trudeau went on twitter to apologise.He wrote, "Got too excited somewhere over the Rockies. Sorry Alberta, I love you. Happy Canada Day!"Saturday marked the 150th anniversary of the day, it officially became a country. Britain had ruled it before 1867.
Experts not sure why China, India border dispute has boiled over again

Hong Kong [China], July 3 : Chinese and Indian analysts believe the military face-off between China and India along an unmarked border in the remote tri-junction of Sikkim, Tibet and Bhutan over the last three weeks again shows the complexity of border disputes, which remain a major source of instability in bilateral ties.





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According to the South China Morning Post, these analysts are not sure why the border dispute has boiled over again, but do admit that the stand-off underlines the tense relations between China and India while both jostle for dominance in the region.The daily further states that it remains largely unclear what exactly has happened along the unmarked border to have as many as 3,000 troops being deployed by each side in what it quoted Indian media, as saying as a "virtually eyeball-to-eyeball confrontation", citing army sources.The South China Morning Post cites diplomatic observers from both countries as being surprised over the biggest military stand-off between the Chinese and Indian Armies in years in the Doklam or Donglang area.Both sides are accusing each other of trespassing into their territory and stirring up tensions."There is actually a lot of confusion as to where this incident happened. It is not even clear if it was on the Sino-Indian border," the SCMP quotes Rajeswari Rajagopalan, a senior fellow at the Observer Research Foundation in New Delhi, as saying, and adding that the timing of the incident "cannot be a mere coincidence".Mohan Guruswamy, chairman of Centre for Policy Alternatives Society, an Indian think tank, was quoted, as saying that he believes "a clear pattern is now emerging", although adequate details to ascertain which side did the provoking were not forthcoming."The Indian public believes it is China that is ratcheting up the tensions. I hope it is a coincidence, but it strains one's credulity," he adds.Wang Dehua, director of the Institute for Southern and Central Asian Studies at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, said the Sikkim border between China and India has been a source of diplomatic and military tensions in bilateral relations."But it is nothing short of a miracle that the Sino-Indian frontier has been largely quiet, without a single shot fired for over two decades" apart from periodic incursions and scuffles, he said.He noted that China has yet to unequivocally accept Sikkim - where for centuries China claimed suzerain authority - as part of India."Along with a flurry of intense manoeuvrings targeting China, including the planned naval exercise with the US and Japan in the Bay of Bengal later this month, India apparently wanted to put pressure on China before Modi's Washington trip to extract concessions from Beijing on the border issue," Wang said.Jagannath Panda, head of the East Asia Centre of the Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses in New Delhi, however, is quoted, as saying, "China is trying to make a statement that it is high time India accords priorities to address the matters relating to China, including the boundary issue."According to Indian scholars, the Chumbi Valley in the Donglang region, located in Tibet's Yadong county, is a disputed territory between China and Bhutan. It holds immense strategic importance for both China and India as it could be used to sever Delhi's access to its northeastern states.China has rejected Bhutan's allegation that it violated its territory, saying its troops operated on "Chinese territory" and also asking India to "correct" its "wrongdoing".Rajeev Ranjan Chaturvedy, a research fellow at the Institute of South Asian Studies of National University of Singapore, said, "China's incremental territorial grab is not new and it does not appear to be a coincidence. China is upset about India's standing up for Bhutan at Doko La. When China expects others to respect Chinese territorial sovereignty, such intimidating behaviour will complicate the situation further and may amplify the trust deficit further."
Russia running out of patience with U.S. over the 'diplomatic property seizure'

Moscow [Russia], July 3 : The Russian government is losing patience over the United States unnecessarily prolonging the situation surrounding the confiscation of Russian diplomatic property in their country.





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According to Tass, Russian President Vladimir Putin's press secretary Dmitry Peskov on Monday said, "As for the principle, we have spoken about the principle of reciprocity. As for Russia's patience on that matter running out, it has also been said at various levels. As for nuances, it is rather a matter of our foreign ministry."In the late December 2016, former U.S. President Barack Obama had imposed sanctions on Russian officials and intelligence services in retaliation for Russia's alleged interference in the 2016 U.S. presidential election by hacking American political sites and email accounts.The State Department had expelled 35 Russian diplomats from its embassy in Washington and consulate in San Francisco, giving them and their families 72 hours to leave the United States.The diplomats were declared persona-non-grata.Russians were prohibited to access the two Russian government-owned compounds in New York's Maryland.Despite the tension between the two countries, the Russian president Vladimir Putin would meet his U.S. counterpart Donald Trump on the sidelines of the G-20 summit in July in Hamburg, Germany.
Netanyahu to receive PM Modi in Tel Aviv

New Delhi , July 3 : In a special gesture, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be received by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on his arrival at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv tomorrow evening.





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Till now, this gesture has only been accorded to U.S. presidents, including President Donald Trump recently and the Pope.Prime Minister Netanyahu will also accompany his Indian counterpart to all events during his historic visit to the country between July 4 and July 6.The Indian Prime Minister is undertaking a visit to Israel to mark 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two nations.In a series of tweets ahead of Modi's visit, the Israeli Prime Minister tweeted:"Tomorrow, my friend Indian Prime Minister @NarendraModi will arrive in Israel; India is the largest democracy in the world. (sic)""I will accompany Prime Minister @narendramodi at many events during his visit as befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world. (sic)"He said the 'historic' visit attests the close Indo-Israel relations.Netanyahu added," This visit will deepen cooperation in a range of areas - security, agriculture, water, energy, almost every field in which Israel is engaged"Prime Minister Modi will be the first ever Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.During the visit, the Indian leader will have detailed discussions with his Israeli counterpart on all matters of mutual interest and will also call on President Rivlin.The visit also includes high-level bilateral meetings and other various components which reflect the fabric of the Indo-Israeli relations.Earlier in November last year, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin came to India on a week-long state visit - the first by an Israeli President in nearly 20 years.
N Chandrasekaran appointed Tata Global Beverages Chairman

New Delhi , July 3 : Tata Global Beverages Ltd. on Monday appointed Tata Sons' head Natarajan Chandrasekaran as the Chairman of its board with immediate effect.





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Chandrasekaran will succeed Harish Bhat, who was appointed in place of former Tata Sons chairman Cyrus Mistry in November last year.As per reports, the appointment of Chandrasekaran as Additional Director and chairman of the company board was approved in a board meeting held earlier today.Along with this appointment added to his kitty, Chandrasekaran functions as the Chairman of group operating companies including Tata Power, Tata Motors, Tata Steel and Tata Consultancy Services, and continues to be the first non-Parsi to take over reigns of the country's most diversified business group.Chandrasekaran joined TCS in 1987 after completing his master's in computer applications from Regional Engineering College, Trichy, Tamil Nadu. Under his leadership, TCS has become the largest private sector employer in India with the highest retention rate in a globally competitive industry.TCS remains the most valuable company in India with a market capitalisation of over USD 70 billion. Under Chandrasekaran's leadership, TCS was rated as the world's most powerful brand in IT services in 2015 and recognised as a Global Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute across 24 countries.A techno-preneur known for his ability to make big bets on new technology, Chandrasekaran has been driving TCS's strong positioning in the emerging digital economy with a suite of innovative digital products and platforms for enterprises, some of which have since scaled into sizeable new businesses.He has been playing an active role in the Indo-US and India-UK CEO Forums. He is also part of India's business taskforces for Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Japan and Malaysia. He served as the Chairman of Nasscom, the apex trade body for IT services firms, in India in 2012-13 and continues to be a member of its governing executive council.
PM Modi to attend G-20 Summit in Germany

New Delhi , July 3 : Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Hamburg in Germany from July 6-8 to attend the 12th G-20 Summit.





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In a series of Facebook posts from his account, the Prime Minister said:"On the evening of July 6, I will commence my visit to Hamburg for the 12th G-20 Summit hosted by Germany. Over two days on 7th and 8th July, I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability."It said that the platform will review progress on decisions reached at the last year's summit in Hangzhou, China and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, women's empowerment, and partnership with Africa.The theme for this year's summit is "Shaping an Inter-connected World".The G-20 is an international forum for the governments of the 20 major economies.
MP Cabinet gives nod to seventh Pay Commission; to benefit 6.5 lakh employees

Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh) , July 3 : Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan's cabinet on Monday gave approval to Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC), benefitting 6.5 lakh employees for increased wages.





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The seventh pay scale proposal was approved in the Cabinet meeting which was held in Bhopal.On June 29, the Centre had announced an increase in allowances by allowing recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission (CPC)."The seventh pay commission was approved by the NDA government much earlier. Now it has been made a reality. Lakhs of people will be benefitted by this scheme," said BJP leader S. Prakash.The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on June 28 announced handsome increase in allowances by allowing recommendations of the Seventh Central Pay Commission on allowances with 34 modifications.Union Finance Minister Arun Jaitley told media that the Cabinet, which met under the chairmanship of the Prime Minister, has decided to increase allowances to pensioners, soldiers and officers posted in Siachen and nurses and ministerial staffs of hospitals."Fixed medical allowance for pensioners is increased from Rs.500 per month to Rs.1000 per month. Constant attendance allowance on 100 percent disablement is increased from Rs.4500 per month to Rs. 6750 per month," said Jaitley while addressing a press conference last Wednesday.The government also doubled the allowances to soldiers and officers posted in Siachen.Now, the soldiers posted in Siachen will get Rs. 30000 per month as allowance. Earlier, they used to get Rs. 14000 per month. The officers will now get monthly allowance of Rs. 42500, which was earlier Rs. 21000.The Cabinet has also increased allowances paid to nurses & ministerial staffs of hospitals. The nursing allowance has been increased from Rs.4800 to Rs.7200 per month.Operation theatre allowance is increased from Rs. 360 to Rs. 540 per month. Hospital patient care allowance (HPCA) is enhanced from Rs. 2070 to Rs. 4100 and patient care allowance (PCA) from Rs. 2100 pm to Rs.5300 per month.The Seventh Central Pay Commission recommendations have been modified and HPCA and PCA to continue for Ministerial staff.
Bhutan to supply hydropower to Bangladesh via India

New Delhi July 03 : Leaders of India, Bhutan and Bangladesh may soon formally sign and join hands to build a 1,125 MW hydropower project in Bhutan as trilateral memorandum of understanding (MoU) on this has been finalised by the three Asian countries.





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Bhutan would export the power to Bangladesh produced from this project, via India.Bangladesh plans to invest in the 1,125 megawatt Dorjilung hydropower project in Bhutan's Lhuentse district. The Government of Bangladesh earlier approved $1 billion for investment in Bhutan's hydropower.The project could boost Bhutan's plan to become a hydroelectric power juggernaut and battery for surrounding countries, because two of its neighbours have almost come close to sign off a trilateral agreement to construct this hydropower project in Dorjilung, Bhutan.Hydropower projects in Bhutan are a source of clean and affordable electricity for its neighbors in the region. Bhutan's export revenues are a primary source for government spending on socio-economic development, supporting social services such as health, education, and rural development.The construction work on the US$1.25 billion Dorjilung hydropower project will start soon after signing off the trilateral MoU in this regard.According to sources, the draft of MoU was finalised by India and Bhutan last week in Delhi after long discussions and deliberations.Bhutan drafted the MoU for the project last year in January 2016 and sent it to India and Bangladesh for acceptance. After a month, Bangladesh largely accepted the Bhutanese version of the MoU with almost no change and sent it back only adding that the time period to form the steering committee after signing the MoU should be 30 days. Bhutan accepted this minor change.India took a bit longer time in finalising and responding on the draft of MoU and after almost a year sent it in early 2017 to Bhutan and asked for significant changes.Government officials of India and Bhutan recently had a long discussion on the MoU and the Indian side agreed in principal to the latest Bhutanese version of the MoU which would set the stage for the leaders of the three countries to sign it. The Bhutanese government had sent a response to India around two months ago, stressing more on the original points in the Bhutanese MoU.A Bhutanese government delegation led by the secretary for the Ministry of Economic Affairs, Dasho Yeshi Wangdi along with other concerned officials from the MoEA and Foreign Ministry, had detail discussions with an Indian delegation of a similar composition on June 22 in New Delhi.Bhutan's delegation also proposed a tariff hike in the 336 MW Chukha project and sought clarifications on India's Cross Border Electricity Trade (CBTE) Guidelines.The Chukha Project is next to only Tala project in terms of hydro project revenue, especially since it paid of its loans in 2007. On an average, the project generates around Nu (ngultrum) 4 billion a year in hydro revenue.The last hike was given in February 2014 when the rate was increased from the Nu 2 per unit to Nu 2.25 per unit meaning an additional Nu 450 mn a year in revenue. It was made effective from January 1, 2013.The Bhutanese delegation proposed for a hike during the meeting, which the Indian side accepted in principle.However, since there was no adequate modalities in past, unlike Tala project, the Indian side also proposed certain fixed modalities or basis of a hike which will be worked out.On Chukha, the only broad understanding has been that a hike would be given around every four years and it would depend on factors like project financing cost, deprecation rates, number of projects etc.India on one hand had given generous hikes on occasions even before the four year period there was also a period from 2005 to 2013 when there was no hike given.Given that Chukha has the highest tariff rate, almost all of this power is exported as Bhutan uses power from other projects like Tala, Kurichu and Basochu.In the meeting with Bhutan government officials, the Indian side clarified that the CBTE (Cross Border Trade of Electricity) would not apply to or impact government to government projects and that for non government projects there was a provision for case by case clearance given in the CBTE.In fact, there was some confusion in Bhutan after the Indian Ministry of Power issued guidelines on CBTE on December 5, 2016. There were apprehensions in Bhutan's hydropower sector due to several provisions which were seen to be restricting the type of hydropower investment in Bhutan and also hydropower trade.
Swaraj meets Nepal Deputy Prime Minister

New Delhi , July 3 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj met Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal Krishna Bahadur Mahara on Monday.





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Mahara, who landed here yesterday, will be here till July 4.This is the first high-level visit from Nepal after the formation of new government under Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.It is also the first visit abroad of Mahara after being appointed as the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal in June 2017.Swaraj held discussion with Mahara on wide range of bilateral matters of mutual interest, including ongoing connectivity and development projects.Both the Ministers reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors and to deepen the traditionally close and friendly relationship between the two countries.Both the Ministers expressed satisfaction at the bilateral engagement at various levels including political exchanges, and reviewed upcoming high-level exchanges.Mahara also spoke about the recently concluded second phase of local level elections in Nepal and his government's efforts to take all stakeholders on board in the constitution implementation process.Swaraj also hosted a dinner in the honour of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs of Nepal.
What's next for Chase Marina? RIDEM has received plenty of proposals

Bob Ballou, assistant to the director of RIDEM, spoke about the goal of establishing a state port in Tiverton similar to Newports State Pier #9.
Columnist

Tom Kacich is a columnist and the author of Tom's Mailbag at The News-Gazette. His column appears Sundays. His email is tkacich@news-gazette.com, and you can follow him on Twitter (@tkacich).
Reporter/Columnist

Julie Wurth is a reporter covering the University of Illinois at The News-Gazette. Her email is jwurth@news-gazette.com, and you can follow her on Twitter (@jawurth).
According to a latest study published last Friday in the Journal Pediatrics, children who are breastfed for over two years are more likely to develop caries or cavities.

Inspection of the oral cavity dental dentist. Image Credit: Oleg Malyshev / Shutterstock

For the study the researchers looked at breastfeeding behaviors and sugar consumption among 1,129 children in Pelotas, Brazil born in 2004. The community has a public fluoridated water supply. Fluorides help in preventing teeth decay and cavities. Information regarding breastfeeding was collected at several intervals viz. - 3 months, 1 year and 2 years old. Sugar consumption was noted at ages 2, 4 and 5 years. For sugar consumption, a list of food items in a questionnaire was used. Zero or less than twice daily consumption was termed as low sugar consumption. High sugar consumption meant two or more times daily.

At the age of five years, the children were taken to see a dentist. They were examined for decayed teeth, missing teeth and milk teeth that had required a filling due to cavities. Severe cavities and severe early childhood caries cases were also recorded. Severe early childhood caries is usually denoted by six or more decayed, missing and filled milk tooth surfaces.

Results showed that among the participating children, nearly a quarter of the kids (23.9%) had severe cavities and nearly one in two (48%) had at least one tooth surface that was affected by a cavity. Mathematical calculations correlating eating behaviors including breastfeeding showed that children who were breastfed for two years or longer had a 2.4 times higher risk of having severe cavities when compared to those children who were breastfed for less than a year. The study noted that breastfeeding between 12 and 23 months was not linked to a higher risk of cavities. In the study only around a quarter children were breastfed for 24 months or longer.

Dr. Karen Glazer Peres, lead author of the study and associate professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia explains that there is a reason why this trend is seen. She said that most children, who are breastfed beyond two years, tend to feed on demand at night. Night feeds mean that the children do not get their teeth cleaned after the demand feed. This could mean stagnation of the milk within the mouth and this could lead to cavities. Breastfeeding along at two years of age or more is not the culprit say experts in the field. The contributors are also excess consumption of sweets and candies.

The study also explored the socioeconomic connections that could lead to an increased risk of dental caries. For example risk of caries and severe cavities was higher among children who come from a family of low income or those with a mother who has had less schooling.

Peres said that there have been similar studies in the past. While some of these have shown a positive correlation between prolonged breastfeeding and dental caries, some have failed to show any connection. She said that this particular population may be at risk. The results may not be applicable to other populations around the world. Other factors such as exposure to fluorides in water and environment could also play a role she explained.

Peres herself led another study when she had found that exclusively breast feeding for 6 months meant that babies are 72% less likely to have crooked teeth. Baby bottle tooth decay is another condition that affects bottle fed babies and breast fed babies are spared of this. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends breastfeeding babies for a year and continuing for longer if the mother and child wish to. The World Health Organization recommends breastfeeding up to two years or longer citing benefits of breastfeeding both for the baby and the mother.
The World Health Organization (WHO) declared the end of the latest Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) last Saturday. This comes at 42 days after the last confirmed case of Ebola. The experts have said that two incubation period cycles of 21 days have passed with no new cases and thus it can be safely said that the outbreak has ended.

The last confirmed patient was in the affected Bas-Uele province and tested negative for the disease for the second time. WHO has assured that surveillance would continue as before in the country and the teams would be prepared to handle and manage outbreaks of Ebola.

Microscopic view of the Ebola virus (Illustration). Image Credit: jaddingt / Shutterstock

Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus, WHO Director-General said that this end of the epidemic of Ebola signifies that Democratic Republic of Congo is capable of controlling and combating the deadly Ebola virus. The efforts against the disease were early and in a efficient and coordinated way he said. This outbreak killed 4 persons while 4 more persons survived. Of these 8 cases, 5 were confirmed in the laboratory. There were total of 583 contacts of these 8 persons who were deemed to be at risk. They were closely monitored for this period. However none of them developed Ebola virus infection or signs and symptoms of the condition.

WHO was notified on the 11th of May this year by the Ministry of Public Health that there was presence of a cluster of undiagnosed illnesses leading to deaths. Many of them had signs of bleeding or hemorrhagic complications. The cases came from Likati Health Zone. Likati is a difficult to reach area near the borders of Central African Republic and two other provinces of DRC. More cases and their reports came from four health districts. This was the eighth outbreak of EVD since 1976 when the virus was first detected.

As soon as the initial reports came in the team of healthcare workers were prepared to take up the challenge. The local authorities alerted the team of suspect cases. There was immediate laboratory blood testing for the virus and an announcement could be made by the government as soon as positive results came in. Local and national health authorities along with international help and a good access to laboratories and funding responded immediately. WHO Health Emergencies Programme provided local support at the sites of action. An Incident Management System was set up within 24 hours of the outbreak being announced. Over 50 experts in the field were deployed by the WHO to work with local health care providers.

Dr Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO Regional Director for Africa, praised the efforts of the country and its commitment to initiate response and to strengthen the local capacities. She added that partnering with effective and efficient teams would only strengthen the health care delivery system and also raise the preparedness at different levels. Not only treatment was provided to the victims, but also screening for the infection among contacts, psychological support, counseling and general public education and awareness was also focused upon. She had visited DRC in May after the initial reports.

Dr Oly Ilunga Kalenga, the countrys Minister of Health, announced the end of the outbreak stating that this was the time to strengthen the health care system in Bas- Uele province. The province had been badly hit and strengthening would ensure effective surveillance.
A new study of IVF couples, conducted in the USA, finds the effects of the age of male partners in cumulative live birth outcomes. The results clearly state that there can be a significant reduction in the chances of live births owing to the increased age of the male partner, also seen with certain younger female age groups whose age has less potency on the effects.

Unlike women, men have no menopause or evident and predictable reduction of fertility. Thus, in predicting a couples chances of conception in both natural and assisted pregnancies, the females age is considered as the dominant factor. Although there have been previous studies that have shown chances of natural conception to be affected by the male partners age, certain celebrity examples have kept alive the notion of everlasting male fertility.

This study calculated the cumulative incidence of live births and is the first of its kind to allow the simultaneous calculation of male and female ages by stratifying the ages into various bands.

"Our study found an independent effect of male age on the cumulative incidence of live birth," said investigator Dr. Laura Dodge from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. The study's results are expected to be presented at the 33rd Annual Meeting of ESHREin Geneva on Tuesday by Dr. Dodge.

In the study, analysis of nearly 19,000 IVF cycles were performed between the years 2000 and 2014 on 7,753 couples in a large IVF center in Boston region. The stratification of the female ages was under four bands30, 3035, 3540, and 4042 years, whereas the male age stratification included an additional band of 42 and above.

The measurements from up to six cycles gave an anticipated result of the lowest rate of cumulative live birth among couples with the female partner in the age group of 4042; here, the lack of impact of the male partners age indicates the dominant disadvantageous nature of female age. Yet, the male partners age has a significant effect on the cumulative occurrence of live birth in other female bands and a decline by increase in the males age was also noticed.

For instance, in couples where the female falls under the band of under 30 and male partner in 40-42, the rate of cumulative incidence was significantly low (46%), whereas for the same band of females with a male partner aged 3035, the rate was 73%. Likewise, a higher rate of live birth was seen in couples with younger male partners for females under the age group of 3540 years (30% relative improvement than partners with the same age) than older ones.

Dr. Dodge said: "Where we see significant decreases in the cumulative incidence of live birth is among women with male partners in the older age bands. For women age 30-35 having a partner who is older than they are is associated with approximately 11% relative decreases in cumulative incidence of live birth - from 70% to 64% - when compared to having a male partner within their same age band."

Dr. Dodge, commenting on the results, explained that increased male age is related with decreased incidence of pregnancy, increased time to pregnancy, and increased risk of miscarriage in natural conception. She added that even though the mechanisms are unclear, fertilization, implantation, and embryo development may be affected with impaired semen parameters, increased DNA damage, and epigenetic alterations in sperm.

The results of this study along with many previous studies conclude that the female partners age still has a bigger impact on fertility than the male partners age. When we looked at the effect of female age alone, we saw a 46% relative decrease from ages under 30 to 40-42, but when we looked at male age alone, we saw a 20% relative decrease over the same age span," explained Dr. Dodge.

On the question of whether men with younger female partners can do anything to compensate for the effects of age in IVF, Dr. Dodge said that it is hard to comment without the precise mechanisms involved. Most preconception advice for men focuses on semen quality, though studies suggest that this likely cannot fully ameliorate the effects of male reproductive ageing. So in the absence of clear evidence of the mechanisms, the best preconception advice we can offer is to maintain a healthy lifestyle."
Men, unlike women, do not have a menopause or a predictable and detectable decline in their fertility. Female age is thus the dominant factor in predicting (or explaining) a couple's chance of conception, whether natural or assisted.

A few studies have found that the chance of natural conception can be affected by the age of the male partner, particularly in the genetic health of sperm cells, but the celebrity examples of Charlie Chaplin or Luciano Pavarotti have kept alive the notion that male fertility goes on forever.

Now, a new study from the USA in IVF couples shows quite clearly that live birth outcome is clearly affected by the age of the male partner and that in certain younger female age groups, where the effect of age is less potent, the chances of live birth can be appreciably reduced by the man's increasing age. "Our study found an independent effect of male age on the cumulative incidence of live birth," said investigator Dr Laura Dodge from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Dr Dodge will present the study's results on Tuesday at the 33rd Annual Meeting of ESHRE in Geneva.

The study was an analysis of all IVF cycles performed at a large IVF centre in the Boston region between 2000 and 2014, a total of almost 19,000 cycles performed in 7753 couples. The female partners in these cycles were stratified according to four age bands: under 30, 30-35 years, 35-40 years, and 40-42. Men were stratified into these same four age bands, with an additional band of 42 and over.

As expected, the cumulative live birth rate (measured from up to six cycles of treatment) was lowest in those couples where the female partner was in the 40-42 age band, and in this group the age of the male partner had no impact, demonstrating the dominant detrimental effect of female age. However, within the other bands of female age, the cumulative incidence of live birth was significantly affected by male partner age and was found to decline as the man grew older.

For example, in couples with a female partner aged under 30, a male partner aged 40-42 was associated with a significantly lower cumulative birth rate (46%) than a male partner aged 30-35 (73%). Similarly, in couples with a female partner aged 35-40 years live birth rates were higher with a younger than with an older male partner.

"Generally," explained Dr Dodge, "we saw no significant decline in cumulative live birth when women had a male partner the same age or younger. However, women aged 35-40 did significantly benefit from having a male partner who is under age 30, in that they see a nearly 30% relative improvement in cumulative incidence of live birth when compared to women whose partner is 30-35 - from 54% to 70%.

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"Where we see significant decreases in the cumulative incidence of live birth is among women with male partners in the older age bands. For women age 30-35 having a partner who is older than they are is associated with approximately 11% relative decreases in cumulative incidence of live birth - from 70% to 64% - when compared to having a male partner within their same age band."

Commenting on the results, Dr Dodge noted that in natural conceptions increasing male age is associated with a decreased incidence of pregnancy, increased time to pregnancy, and increased risk of miscarriage. The mechanisms, she added, are unclear but may include impaired semen parameters, increased DNA damage in sperm, and epigenetic alterations in sperm that affect fertilisation, implantation, or embryo development.

"However," said Dr Dodge, "both the results of this study and prior work show that female age has a larger effect on fertility than male age. While the effect of female age on fertility is overwhelmingly due to increased rates of chromosomal abnormality, the proposed mechanisms in the effect of male age on pregnancy are more subtle. When we looked at the effect of female age alone, we saw a 46% relative decrease from ages under 30 to 40-42, but when we looked at male age alone, we saw a 20% relative decrease over the same age span."

Can men with younger female partners do anything to compensate for this age effect in IVF? "It's hard to say without knowing the precise mechanisms involved," said Dr Dodge. "Most preconception advice for men focuses on semen quality, though studies suggest that this likely cannot fully ameliorate the effects of male reproductive ageing. So in the absence of clear evidence of the mechanisms, the best preconception advice we can offer is to maintain a healthy lifestyle."

This is the first study to calculate the cumulative incidence of live birth while jointly stratifying on multiple bands of both male and female age, allowing calculation of both male and female age simultaneously.
A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood.

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, completed a clinical study of the device, which is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system's response, without any need to process the blood.

This can help doctors identify sepsis at its onset, monitor infected patients and could even point to a prognosis, said research team leader Rashid Bashir, a professor of bioengineering at the U. of I. and the interim vice dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Sepsis is triggered by an infection in the body. The body's immune system releases chemicals that fight the infection, but also cause widespread inflammation that can rapidly lead to organ failure and death.

Sepsis strikes roughly 20 percent of patients admitted to hospital intensive care units, yet it is difficult to predict the inflammatory response in time to prevent organ failure, said Dr. Karen White, an intensive care physician at Carle Foundation Hospital. White led the clinical side of the study.

"Sepsis is one of the most serious, life-threatening problems in the ICU. It can become deadly quickly, so a bedside test that can monitor patient's inflammatory status in real time would help us treat it sooner with better accuracy," White said.

Sepsis is routinely detected by monitoring patients' vital signs - blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature and others. If a patient shows signs of being septic, the doctors try to identify the source of the infection with blood cultures and other tests that can take days - time the patient may not have.

The new device takes a different approach.

"We are looking at the immune response, rather than focusing on identifying the source of the infection," Bashir said. "One person's immune system might respond differently from somebody else's to the same infection. In some cases, the immune system will respond before the infection is detectable. This test can complement bacterial detection and identification. We think we need both approaches: detect the pathogen, but also monitor the immune response."

The small, lab-on-a-chip device counts white blood cells in total as well as specific white blood cells called neutrophils, and measures a protein marker called CD64 on the surface of neutrophils. The levels of CD64 surge as the patient's immune response increases.

The researchers tested the device with blood samples from Carle patients in the ICU and emergency room. When a physician suspected infection and ordered a blood test, a small drop of the blood drawn was given to the researchers, stripped of identifying information to preserve patient confidentiality. The team was able to monitor CD64 levels over time, correlating them with the patient's vital signs. Researchers found that the results from the rapid test correlated well with the results from the traditional tests and with the patients' vital signs.

"By measuring the CD64 and the white cell counts, we were able to correlate the diagnosis and progress of the patient - whether they were improving or not," said Umer Hassan, a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois and the first author of the study. "We hope that this technology will be able to not only diagnose the patient but also provide a prognosis. We have more work to do on that."

Bashir's team is working to incorporate measurements for other inflammation markers into the rapid-testing device to give a more complete picture of the body's response, and to enable earlier detection. They also have a startup company, Prenosis Inc., that is working to commercialize the device.

"We want to move the diagnosis point backward in time," Bashir said. "The big challenge in sepsis is that no one knows when you get infected. Usually, you go to the hospital when you already feel sick. So the goal is that someday you can be testing this at home, to detect infection even earlier if you can."

The Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology Innovation in Boston supported this work through a Point-of-Care Technology Research Center in Primary Care grant. Additional support came from Carle Foundation Hospital and the University of Illinois.
Girls as young as nine are undergoing surgery to have their labia reduced due to insecurities stemming from social media and pornography, according to leading doctors.

Credit: WAYHOME studio/Shutterstock.com

Gynecology specialist Naomi Crouch said she is worried about the increasing numbers of girls GPs are referring for labioplasty  a procedure to shorten or reshape the lips of the vagina.

Crouch, who chairs the British Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Gynecology, says that in her work for the NHS she is yet to see a girl who actually needs the operation and that it should only be performed when girls have a medical abnormality.

In 2015, more than 200 girls aged under 18 had the surgery on the NHS and more than 150 were aged under 15.

I find it very hard to believe there are 150 girls with a medical abnormality which means they needed an operation on their labia," Naomi Crouch, Gynecology specialist

Crouch points out that there are uncomfortable parallels between labioplasty and female genital mutilation (FGM)  a procedure that is illegal in the UK.

General Practitioner, Paquita de Zulueta, blames the unrealistic images girls are seeing when they are exposed to socal media and pornography.

"I'm seeing young girls around 11, 12, 13 thinking there's something wrong with their vulva - that they're the wrong shape, the wrong size, and really expressing almost disgust. Their perception is that the inner lips should be invisible, almost like a Barbie, but the reality is that there is a huge variation. It's very normal for the lips to protrude."

For the past few years, clinical commissioning groups have only been allowed to make referrals for labioplasty when patients are experiencing physical pain or emotional distress. However, girls know that if they want the surgery, they may have to overstate that their sex life or ability to engage in sport, for example, is being affected.

The majority of labioplasties are carried out by private cosmetic surgeons for women who are older than 18 and the cosmetic surgery industry has been blamed for normalising the procedure.

Plastic surgeon Miles Berry defends the surgery and says it can change the way women feel about themselves, boosting their confidence and self-esteem: "I have seen patients aged between 16 and 21 who have never had a boyfriend because they are so concerned about this."

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists says the operation should only be carried out on women after the age of 18, when they have finished developing.

Sources
For patients with colorectal cancer that has metastasized to the liver, having a primary tumor on the left side, as opposed to the right side of the colon, is known to be a significant advantage in terms of treatment response.

But now a new study, presented here at the ESMO 19th World Congress on Gastrointestinal Cancer, suggests this imbalance may be at least partially redressed.

Reversing the usual pattern, patients whose liver metastases had spread from right-sided primary tumors (RSP) had a 36% better survival rate after treatment with a combination of first-line chemotherapy and selective internal radiation therapy (SIRT) using Y-90 resin microspheres, compared to chemotherapy alone, according to the study.

This same treatment combination was no better than chemotherapy only in patients with left-sided primary tumors (LSP).

"These findings are good news for patients with right-sided primary tumors, who have a much worse prognosis and fewer treatment options than patients with left-sided tumors," said study investigator Guy van Hazel, MD, from the University of Western Australia in Perth, Australia.

"We are excited because hitherto no treatment apart from the addition of bevacizumab to chemotherapy has improved the dismal outcome of liver metastases coming from right-sided primary tumors."

The analysis included 739 patients from two completed studies called SIRFLOX (SF) and FOXFIRE-Global (FFG).

All patients had liver-only or liver-dominant metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), and had been randomized to receive either standard chemotherapy alone, or combined with SIRT. The chemotherapy regimen was mFOLFOX6, and most patients received bevacizumab as well.

Information on the patients' primary tumor location was recorded at the start, with 24% having right-sided and 73% left-sided disease (the remaining 3% had primary tumors on both sides of the colon, or the primary tumor site was unknown).

Overall, outcomes were not different between the chemotherapy alone and chemotherapy plus SIRT groups, with median overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) around 24 months and 11 months, respectively.

However, when the investigators examined patients with RSP and LSP separately they saw a clear difference.

Patients with liver metastases from RSP had significantly better OS when SIRT was added to their chemotherapy compared to those who had chemotherapy alone (22.0 vs. 17.1 months, respectively; p=0.007; Hazard Ratio [HR]: 0.64 [95% CI: 0.46-0.89]), but this was not the case for patients with LSP (24.6 vs. 25.6 months; p=0.279; HR: 1.12 [0.92-1.36]).

"That means that RSP patients treated with chemotherapy plus SIRT have a 36% reduced risk of dying at any time point," said van Hazel.

There was also a 27% improvement in PFS, although this was not statistically significant.

"This is the first time that location of primary tumor has been linked to radiation therapy," said van Hazel, and although it's possible that it may only apply to patients receiving first-line therapy, he said it opens a new treatment option for these patients.

There were no differences in side effects between patients with RSP and LSP tumors, and although patients who had both chemotherapy and SIRT did experience more side-effects than those who had chemotherapy alone, these were "predictable and manageable," said van Hazel.

Commenting on the study, ESMO spokespersons Dirk Arnold, from Instituto CUF de Oncologia in Lisbon, Portugal and Eric Van Cutsem, University Hospitals Leuven, Belgium, said that these findings contribute to the recent debates on both the biological heterogeneity of colon cancers and tumor localisation.

"It remains to be confirmed whether these results mean that right-sided tumors are more sensitive to this kind of radiotherapy - or whether this is simply related to the fact that the molecular characteristics of right-sided tumors allow less treatment options, because they have more mutations," they explained. "Additionally the well-known worse prognosis of right-sided tumors increases the relative importance of a non-systemic treatment option. More data on the molecular factors determining these results are warranted."

Source: http://www.esmo.org/Press-Office/Press-Releases/Right-sided-Colorectal-Tumours-An-Internal-Radiation-Advantage?hit=ehp
Continuing its upward sales momentum in fiscal 2017-18, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. closed June 2017 with positive numbers while successfully migrating to GST regime.Overall Honda 2Wheelers India sold a total of 444,713 units in June 2017 with 4% growth compared to 427,222 units in June 2016. Hondas maintained its market share of 26% while Honda and its business partners including vendors and sales network underwent the successful planned migration of all systems to Goods & Services Tax (GST) regime.Hondas domestic two-wheeler sales (scooter + motorcycle) grew 2% from 407,979 units in June16 to 416,498 units in June17. Leading the scooterization of India, Hondas automatic scooter sales clocked 271,017 units in June17 compared to 265,361 units sold in June16.Honda continued to consolidate its position as No. 2 brand in domestic motorcycle segment for three consecutive months. Hondas motorcycles sales grew 2% from 142,618 units in June16 to 145,481 units in June17.Paralelly, Honda 2Wheelers Indias exports jumped by 47% to 28,215 units in June17 from 19,243 units in the same period a year ago.Sharing on Hondas growth post GST era, Yadvinder Singh Guleria, Senior Vice President - Sales and Marketing, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India Pvt. Ltd. said, In June 2017, customers preferred to buy Honda 2Wheelers even though many in the industry offered pre-GST discounts. Starting July 1, Honda is passing on the GST benefit applicable in most of the states to our valued customers who now get significant savings going up to Rs. 5,500 depending on the model and the state of purchase.
New Delhi: Infosys co-founder Nandan Nilekani has partnered venture capital veteran Sanjeev Aggarwal to set up a USD 100 million fund that will focus on building "enduring technology companies" out of India, specially consumer technology.



Called the 'The Fundamentum Partnership', the platform will lead investment rounds ranging between USD 10-25 million in companies that are looking at scaling up and have attained a certain product market fit.



"In a marked departure from industry practice, Fundamentum founders will not be charging any fund management fee or carried interest," it said in a statement. Aggarwal -- who had also founded of BPO firm Daksh -- will continue to also actively manage the portfolio of Helion Venture Partners (which he co-founded) along with other co-founders.



"Fundamentum will have an initial corpus of USD 100 million but it will be extended to USD 200 million if good opportunities come along," the statement said.



It added that the capital will also be contributed by a select set of long-term institutional investors.



While the focus is on consumer technology businesses, a portion of the capital will also go into enterprise technology/outsourcing companies serving global corporations. Both Nilekani and Aggarwal have played key roles in building technology companies.



Nilekani has made personal investments in a clutch of start-ups including ShopX, RailYatri, LetsVenture, Sedemac and Power2SME.



Going forward, he will not make any more direct start-up investments and Fundamentum will be the sole platform for his engagement with the start-up ecosystem.



Nilekani will be actively engaged in selecting and mentoring the chosen companies.



"India continues to be blessed with phenomenal entrepreneurial talent and the attempt with this platform will be to see how we can amplify their success," he said. Aggarwal, on the other hand, has a strong record of 'scale up' investing at Helion with names like MakeMyTrip, ShopClues, BigBasket among others.



"Ten years ago, with Helion, the attempt was to participate in creating a 'startup' ecosystem in India and now with Fundamentum, we want to help build a much needed 'scale up' ecosystem in the country," he said.
New Delhi: The finance ministry on Monday said there is no distinction in the GST law based on religion and asked people not to circulate wrong messages on social media.



"There are some messages going around in the social media stating that the temple trusts have to pay the GST while the churches and mosques are exempt. This is completely untrue because no distinction is made in the GST law on any provision based on religion," the finance ministry said in a statement.



It also appealed to people not to start circulating wrong messages on social media as there are no religion-based distinction in the Goods and Services Tax (GST).



The government has rolled out the GST from July 1 with a view to introduce uniform indirect taxation system throughout the country.
New Delhi: The National Stock Exchange (NSE) may have to re-file papers for its Rs 10,000-crore IPO after addressing issues related to alleged preferential access given to some brokers, watchdog Sebi's Chairman Ajay Tyagi on Monday said, terming the co-location case as "a serious matter".



The leading stock exchange had submitted to Sebi its draft prospectus for the public offer in December, but the approval has been hanging fire due to issues surrounding the ongoing probe into the NSE co-location case where some brokers allegedly got preferential access to the exchange's systems.



A probe is under way to quantify any unlawful gains made by the brokers, allegedly in connivance with some NSE officials, due to this preferential access.



To a query on whether NSE will have to file a revised financial statements and DRHP, Tyagi said, "That is for them to decide... It is a serious matter. If I was an issuer, I will see that these are addressed and then only go back to DRHP."



Asked whether it is regulatory requirement to file a revised DRHP (Draft Red Herring Prospectus), the Sebi chief said, "I think they themselves will do it."



Tyagi was speaking to reporters on the sidelines of an event organised here by the Standing Conference of Public Enterprises (SCOPE).



In the high-profile NSE co-location case, Sebi wants its forensic audit to quantify unlawful gains made by some brokers, even as the exchange is trying to reach a settlement of the case through consent mechanism.



Regulatory sources had earlier said Sebi decided to get an independent forensic audit done to quantify the alleged unlawful gains as probes conducted by the NSE itself and through an exchange-appointed auditor have failed to answer some very important points.



The regulator will also engage with various shareholders of the exchange as well as the government and other major stakeholders in the capital market, given the enormity of the case.



The Securities and Exchange Board of India is looking to complete its probe at the earliest on the matter, which was first brought to its notice in 2015 by a whistleblower, but the investigation gathered pace only in recent months.



The case relates to some brokers allegedly getting preferential access through co-location facility at the NSE, early login and dark fibre, which can allow a trader a split- second faster access to data feed of an exchange.



Even a split-second faster access is considered to result in huge gains for a trader. Pending investigations, Sebi has directed that all revenues emanating from co-location facility, including the transaction charges on the trades executed through such facility, be placed in a separate bank account.



Accordingly, the NSE has transferred Rs 375.51 crore to a separate account for September 2016 to March 2017. The regulator also wants to ascertain what component of this amount could have had an impact on the alleged preferential access to some brokers, sources said.



The probe is casting a shadow on the long-pending initial public offer of the exchange while it has already seen a flurry of top-to-medium level executive exits.



Sebi has recently issued 14 show-cause notices in the co-location case, including to the NSE. In its notice, Sebi observed that the exchange did not co-operate with it or the forensic auditor appointed by the NSE on the regulator's direction. Also, the exchange failed to provide requisite information as sought by Sebi, the regulator said.
New Delhi: Soon after Nitish Kumar took potshots at Congress, the grand old party tried to downplay reports of a rift in the Mahagathbandhan in Bihar, saying that its alliance with JD(U) and the RJD is strong and intact.



Congress spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi on Monday said the issues that arose between the Congress and JD(U) were restricted to the choice of a presidential candidate, which, he added, was now a closed chapter.



He also said one should not attach much importance to Nitish Kumar's remarks in which he had blamed the Congress for the ongoing mess in the opposition and for not forming an alliance in Uttar Pradesh and Assam.



Whatever had to happen has happened, as far as presidential election is concerned. It has absolutely no effect on our relationship as far as the JD-U and Congress and other parties are concerned in Bihar, Singhvi said, adding that the coalition is strong and stable, and everybody stands by each other.



There has been speculation about a rift in the state government - a coalition of the JD(U), RJD and the Congress - after Nitish Kumar decided to support the NDA presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind instead of the oppositions nominee from the Congress.



Nitish, earlier on Monday, again took a dig at the Congress and the RJD, saying the opposition should not object to all government moves just for the sake of opposition unity. We should not oppose everything the NDA government does just to keep opposition unity. People are looking for alternative agenda. The GST is an example. I openly welcomed it as this tax reform will be very beneficial for the state, Nitish said.



The Bihar Chief Minister added that he would continue to take decisions independently. When asked about the future of the alliance, he gave a cryptic answer, saying

I cant say what will happen.



Singhvi, however, said questions that arose on the alliance related merely to the presidential poll. That now is a chapter which is over, he said. Singhvi said on the question of presidential candidates, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said a few days ago that these decisions were taken entirely by individual parties.



The decision is that party's alone and there is complete autonomy in such decision-making, unless the parties chose to agree with each other, he quoted Gandhi as saying.



Meanwhile, Kumar in Patna also dismissed reports about becoming the opposition's prime ministerial candidate and stressed the need for "alternative narratives" against the NDA.



The JD(U) president, who asked the opposition to move beyond reactive narratives, also dispelled fears about fissures in Bihars coalition government and said it would fulfil its commitment to the people in time by providing them with "good governance".



Dismissing reports that he could be pitched as a prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, Kumar said, "We are a small party and very well know the futility of nourishing prime ministerial ambitions."



He added, "It is seen that the candidate whose name is in circulation never gets to the post."

More than focusing on a face, the opposition should have "alternative narratives" against the ruling party at the Centre on key issues such as farmers' problems, he told reporters.



(With inputs from PTI)
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that cyber security would be one of the key areas that would be discussed with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, when the latter visits the country on Tuesday."Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here", Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.Terming Modi, as "one of the most important prime ministers of the world", Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including cyber security."For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime Minister's of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fields  water, agriculture, health and also in cyber. And he has a good reason to do so", the Israeli Prime Minister told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office.Modi will be on a three day visit to Israel starting July 4 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.Netanyahu stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a "technology giant", is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of "my friend Narendra Modi".Outlining steps taken by his government to strengthen Israel's cyber security apparatus, Netanyahu argued the need for such an investment by saying that it was not only a "serious threat", but also a "serious business"."A few years ago, I decided to establish Israel as one of the five leading powers in the world and I think by all accounts, we are there but the jury on security is always out. And it's a constant challenge. Cyber security is a serious business. It's a serious business for two reasons - the first reason is that it's a serious and growing threat. And it's a growing threat everywhere because every single thing is being digitised," he said.The Israeli Prime Minister underscored the exponential rise in the need for cyber security, as all governments grapple with finding the ways to protect confidential information of security organisations, the critical infrastructure, businesses, and every single organisation "as we enter the world of internet".Netanyahu credited himself for creating the National Cyber Defense Authority  to streamline information sharing between government, the private sector and various organizations  to combat cyber threats, reported PTI.Hundreds of organisations are said to have joined this cybernet as it not only tries to facilitate secure communication between them and with others but also guides them as to how to prevent or respond to cyber-attacks.The Israeli leader reached out to other countries to join this initiative by saying that "in general, again with some reservations, we are better together".The second reason, he said, as to why cyber security is a serious business, is because it is a fast growing market and an "endless business"."It's growing geometrically because there is never a permanent solution. It's an endless business. The battle for market share in the fast growing market is open to anyone although there are certain requirements, certain barriers to entry. This produces an endless crop of companies," Netanyahu said."We, in Israel, have 600-700 start ups and they are constantly added and weeded out. This is a fast geometrically rising market," he added.The Israeli Premier also talked at length about how Israel's reputation as a centre of advanced technology and hub of cyber security has led to countries that once boycotted it, now embrace it."There used to be a thing called the Arab boycott. Remember that. Well that has dissipated for many reasons  strategic and others but the prominence of Israel in the technological field and in the cyber field has made Israeli companies very attractive", he said.If we look at the figures of 2016, we have about 20% share of total cyber security investment around the world, Netanyahu said.Beginning on Tuesday, Modi's Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian Premier. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the side lines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.(With inputs from PTI)
: In round three of the Legislature Vs media debate, the two editors, whose arrest had been ordered by the Karnataka Legislative Assembly, have appealed to Assembly Speaker K B Koliwad to review the order.The editors, who have evaded arrested over the last ten days, appeared before the Speaker to file their petition on Monday. This came after the government gave an undertaking to the High Court last week that they would not be arrested if they personally appeared and filed their review petitions.The case relates to the Assembly resolution on June 21, the last day of the monsoon session, where the MLAs resolved to punish the two journalists with one year's jail term and Rs 10,000 as fines, for publishing defamatory articles against three MLAs  BJP MLA S R Vishwanath, Congress MLA B M Nagaraj and the Speaker K B Koliwad (also a Congress MLA) himself. They were accused of 'breaching the privilege' of these MLAs with their articles in 'Yelahanka Voice' and 'Hi Bangalore'.Their lawyer, S Shankarappa, told the Speaker that the breach of privilege law applies against MLAs within the House or premises of the Legislature  that acts committed outside would not come under this law.Anil Raj (left), editor and publisher of Yelahanka Voice, is seen wearing black denim and a red t-shirt. ("Here in the case of Ravi Belagere (editor of Hi Bangalore) and Anil Raj (editor of Yelahanka Voice), the act wasn't committed within the premises of the Assembly, nor it is about anything that happened in the Assembly, nor has any MLA been prevented from attending any event of the Assembly," Shankarappa told the Speaker.This, however, was not accepted by the Speaker, who brushed it off saying privilege applies to offences committed outside the House too.Shankarappa told reporters that the Assembly had also not considered the unconditional apology tendered by one editor  Raj. Nor the fact that the MLA who had complained against him had filed a civil suit regarding the same in a court."We have requested to review the previous resolution and provide me an opportunity to place our plea/ grievance. It is important to hear those charged before they are sentenced," he told newspersons, adding that the order of the Assembly was passed without giving the editors a hearing.This again was refuted by the Speaker, who said summons had been issued many times to editors, and they had refused to heed it  whatever representations they wished to make, they should have made before the Privileges Committee when notices were served."They have given me a petition, argued before me. I have received it, I will decide on it based on my conscience and knowledge of rules," Koliwad told reporters after the meeting.The facts of the case were not for him to judge. He was merely executing a decision of the House, so he would have to refer it back to the Assembly at the next session before the review plea is decided on, Koliwad said."What is to consider here? This petition, they have submitted, but I have no powers to consider or review. The power to review or modify or cancel or accept this plea rests only with the House, he said.If it has to be placed before the Assembly, the next regular session will be held in November. However, a special session could be convened before that if need be.
The commander-in-Chief of Hizbul Mujahideen, Syed Salahuddin , has in an interview to a Pakistan news channel boasted of having carried out attacks in India and claimed to have the means to carry them out again This was Salahuddins first interview after the US branded him a global terrorist in the run-up to Donald Trump  Narendra Modi meet. Salahuddin, a native of Budgams Soibagh area, spoke in Urdu with a thick Kashmiri accent, while the photograph of Burhan Wani was displayed over Hizbuls insignia on his side.Salahuddin not only claimed to have supporters throughout the country  who at his behest have carried out attacks in the past  he also claimed that no one who supported security forces was beyond Hizbuls cross-hairs, this included the Abdullah and the Mufti families . He even hinted at targeting Israel, over its growing ties with India.Khud India ke andar hamare bohot saare supporters hain, jo hamse hamdardi karte hain. Humne chand kaarvaiyan karke dikhai hain. Lekin 9/11 ke baad international scenario badal gaya. Humne chaha ki hamari kaarvahi Kashmir ke baahar rahe... kyunki India ko mauka milega Kashmir ki tehreek par terrorism ka label chaspaan karne ki. (Even in India we have a lot of supporters who sympathise with us. We have carried out a few operations earlier. But the scenario changed after 9/11. We wanted to carry out operations outside Kashmir... [but we didnt do so] because it would have given India the opportunity to label the Kashmir movement as a terrorist movement.), said Salahuddin.On being asked by the interviewer Salahuddin claimed that Hizbul had the ability and efficiency to hit any target in India at will.He went a step further and claimed that Hizbul had supporters, sympathisers not just in India but in other countries as well and issued a subtle warning to Israel. Jis tarah Israel India ko support kar raha hai... Bahri duniya mein hamare bohot supporters hain (The manner in which Israel is supporting India we to have a lot of supporters in the outside world).Salahuddin was then asked why Hizbul hadnt ever targeted the big political families of Kashmir. To this Salahuddin said that whoever works for security forces, by aiding or spying for them, was not beyond the reach of Hizbul Mujahideen.The Hizbul supremo was also asked about why he had continued to carry out a bloody militant movement in Kashmir for so long, given that it hadnt achieved much. Since Salahuddin had once contested elections in India, he was asked whether continuing to fight poll battles would instead have been a more practical anti-state movement.I challenge India to remove their forces from Kashmir for three days and then fight the elections there. Only then will you see how Kashmiris will vote. You will see whether Syed Geelani, Mirwaiz, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yaseen Malik or Syed Salahuddin will come out as the leader or someone else entirely. The whole world will know who the genuine leader of Kashmir is.Salahuddin also said that Pakistan, where he stays, wasnt doing enough to support the cause of Kashmir.On being asked whether the US branding him a global terrorist had affected his own health or the health of the terrorist outfit, Salahuddin said, My health and that of my outfit has increased quite a bit since then. You must have yourself seen how flower petals were showered at me after the announcement was made.Salahuddin was on June 26 branded by the US as a global terrorist . Born Yusuf Shah in Budgams Soibagh area, Salahuddin was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami who went on to become a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and then its emir. Hizbul Mujahideen is the biggest militant outfit active in Kashmir right now.
Bengaluru: The city woke up on Monday to find Bengaluru Metro signboards with Hindi letters on them vandalised. Hindi letters on the boards of Chickpete and Majestic stations were covered with paper and taped carefully.



These metro boards are in Kannada, English and along with and Hindi but only the parts with Hindi were covered.



This comes after a social media campaign to remove Hindi from signs  #NammaMetroHindiBeda  which has been gather steam.



The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is tight lipped about the developments and has refused to comment.



Pro-Kannada groups say that they are not responsible for this act. While they threatened to paint black ink on such boards, activists are yet to protest on ground.



Sources in Bangalore Police confirmed to News18.com that no FIR has been registered for vandalising public property. Police is of an opinion that maybe the Metro officials themselves resorted to such action.







More than 24 hours later, BMRCL has not removed the paper and tape off the letters. Protesters allege that Metro officials themselves covered the boards as pressure was mounting on them.



Earlier, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah came down heavily on the Centre trying to impose Hindi in Karnataka and other Southern states. Siddaramaiah said that State government funds more than the Centre and it cannot claim ownership of the project.
With India expressing deep concern over China constructing a road in Doklam - a disputed area between China and Bhutan - China, on Monday, cancelled an annual sponsored journalists' trip to Tibet., professor of Centre for East Asian Studies and a former member of the National Security Advisory Board of the Government of India tellswhy it was about time India looked at a comprehensive, long term policy on China.The issue is far more complex than tough signaling because Modi is meeting Trump. China is certainly apprehensive about the kind of understanding that the US and India might be working towards, which could have a bearing on its own concerns. This, it has expressed in several articles, statements and even some official pronouncements. So that is nothing new - in fact at this point there is much uncertainty about the US commitment to India. When the news broke out, we had the Indian Army spokesmen playing this down, while Chinas defence ministry continues to hurl very strong accusations of the Indian side violating the existing agreement in the matter. The formal statement from the Indian side was carefully worded to bring out Indian concerns because of the change in status quo whereas there was a major statement accusing India of violation of the Chinese border in a press briefing in Beijing. And to top it all, the current controversy involves Bhutan as well, though the Chinese have so far carefully avoided mentioning them - but also hitting out at India for acting on behalf of other sovereign countries.If one were to compile the "skirmishes" "intrusions" "incidents" occurring on the border, before or during high level visits - that would be an interesting narrative by itself. The difficulty with connecting these incidents with every - or almost every - high level visit is, that it gets more than the usual media coverage, gives rise to more speculation and conspiracy theories (all uncorroborated by any official quarter) and gets further irrationally linked to all other ongoing issues of tension or differences. High level visits - intending to promote the overall relationship, then get mired in controversies and generate only cynicism, legitimate concerns and problems regarding the undefined nature of the boundary, which are surfacing very frequently, become embroiled in ugly face-offs. Politically, the message from Indian government sources (and here one includes all governments, the bureaucracy, the military), on all occasions in the past is not to blame any side directly but to emphasize the undefined nature of the boundary - which leads to these transgressions.Not in the least. Here I would argue that we have been keeping careful track of what all the Chinese are doing to enhance their capabilities. There is considerable hand-wringing in the Indian defence and security establishment (and within the strategic community) about how further ahead the Chinese are, how much of a better infrastructure do they have, their installations in Tibet, their military strategy, etc. In fact, what is worse is that the Chinese media has started to taunt India about this asymmetrical scenario. However, I would like to add that we give very less thought to what kind of a power China is. How do they think in terms of power? How do they intend to utilize their power? These are the questions weve not paid much heed to. Our neighbours are inheritors of a tradition which spoke of winning the battle without fighting. There is a tendency in India to paint a black and white picture - but I think there are more than fifty shades of grey.I dont think so. This is a rather unwarranted stretch of the imagination. The Pakistan border has been a near continuous and near permanent hot stretch. The earlier incident during Xi Jinping's visit and prior to that, just before Li Keqiang's visit - appeared to be far more serious. The Army chief is winging his way to Sikkim, presumably to get in touch with his counterpart on the other side of the border, (and of course parley with the Bhutanese) and defuse the situation. India-China relations will have to deteriorate to an alarming extent before the two-front nightmare could be seriously considered. I do not believe that the ongoing tensions - NSG membership, Masood Azhar, CPEC, OBOR - are of the order that they threaten to derail the overall trajectory of the relationship.There needs to be continuous, consistent and serious dialogue. That is the only way forward. Let us do some serious study of the boundary settlement disputes that other countries have had with China. One must seriously discuss the possibility of compromises wherever convergences are possible. We have to keep ourselves open to possibilities. Above all, public opinion has to be shaped by informed, rational and objective discourse of the problems regarding the highly contested and historically very tangled boundary disputes. Above all let us bear in mind that these borders and frontiers in the trans-Himalayan areas have extremely rich cultural, economic and spiritual legacies. We need to build on them, foster and promote them in the interests of the extremely diverse populations inhabiting those areas.
Beijing: Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doklam area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency on Sunday asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations.



Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current standoff, Xinhua news agency in a commentary said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British treaty."



"After India's independence, the Indian government has repeatedly confirmed it in writing, acknowledging that the two sides have no objection to the border between the two sides of the Sikkim section," it said.



The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doklam area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing China-India relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue.



While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi in a statement yesterday said that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".



"Further discussions regarding finalisation of the boundary have been taking place under the Special Representatives framework," it had said.



But, Xinhua said there were a lot of evidence, including images, that the Indian military has violated the historic treaty and the commitment of successive Indian governments.



It also referred to the Chinese Foreign Ministry's release of two photographs and a map on the issue. The map shows Doklam, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan, as part of Chinese territory.



Referring to the MEA statement, the commentary said "The Indian side has claimed that China's activities pose a 'serious security impact' to India, and it is untenable." So far China has not officially responded to India's statement on this issue.



This is the second commentary by Xinhua today. The earlier one said India should shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival.



The CPEC is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.



On the Sikkim standoff, the Xinhua commentary claimed that China is engaged in normal activities on its own territory. "How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China's construction activities," it said.



"On a higher level, the cross-border behaviour is a further departure from the consensus reached between the leaders of the two countries on the development of China-India relations," it said.



Quoting India's former national security advisor Shivshankar Menon as saying in an article recently that cooperation between India and China is good for the core interest of both the countries, the commentary said the trust can only be established with the people and the countries

should be more honest.



"On the issue of border crossing by the Indian army, the Indian side should comply with the requirements of the historical treaty, earnestly implement the consensus that both sides have to respect China's territorial sovereignty, immediately withdraw the border troops to the border side of the Indian side and avoid escalating the situation," it said.



Stating that the "over the years, as two major countries on the Asian continent, China and India have reached many consensus on how to develop good bilateral relations", it said.



"China always attaches great importance to the development of Sino-Indian relations and is willing to work with India jointly promote the sustained and healthy and stable development of bilateral strategic partnership," it added.



China also emphasizes that the two sides should properly control and handle differences and sensitive issues, it said.



"The Indian leader also said recently that in a complex and volatile international situation, good India-China relations can play a stabilising role," it said, apparently referring to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's comments made during his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping at Astana on the sidelines of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) last month.



"Both sides should tap the potential of cooperation, respect each other's core concerns and properly handle differences. These agreements are a strong guarantee for the smooth development of China-India relations. Since India has promised to 'properly deal with the differences' and India's foreign ministry recently said it 'cherishes peace and tranquillity in the India-China border region', why has it still allowed the Indian Army to cross the border? Why would it not acknowledge the mistake after the event? On the contrary why blame others while India itself is

to be blamed? This is clearly paradoxical," the commentary said.



It also accused the Indian media of being "irresponsible"by hyping China threat, unjustly smearing China by "dividing" India-China relations.



"In today's world, win-win cooperation is the main theme, and 'dancing with the dragon' is the rational choice that meets the trend of the times," it said.



"China and India are two of the world's most prominent emerging economies, the common interests far greater than differences and with a pragmatic attitude, long-term view and aggressive attitude to expand and deepen bilateral partner is the right thing to do," it added.
Beijing: China on Monday said the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated and the Indian Army's action there is a "betrayal" of the position taken by successive Indian governments.



"Former Indian Prime Minister, Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to the then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing.



He said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back troops immediately from Doklam.



"The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by the Indian governments," he said.



China accused Indian troops of transgressing into the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector, which it claims as a part of its territory.



Bhutan also claims the area as a part of its territory. China also said it has closed the Nathu La route in Sikkim for Kailash Mansarovar pilgrims from India.



"The other route to Tibet through Lipu lake is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute, Geng said.
I will accompany Prime Minister @narendramodi at many events during his visit as befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world.  PM of Israel (@IsraeliPM) July 3, 2017

Hope the Indo-Israel coopreration brings in actual benefits in terms of Defense & Technology as opposed to empty rhetoric.  Abhishek Singhvi (@DrAMSinghvi) July 3, 2017

: Yuval Rotem, Director General of Foreign Affairs, Israel, on Monday said that Israel was looking forward to welcoming Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is embarking on a visit to Israel, first by an Indian Prime Minister, on Tuesday.In an unprecedented move, Rotem said that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will accompany PM Modi during his three-day visit. "This is not a practice we extended to other dignitaries," he said, adding the visit will also see "a lot of digital diplomacy" between the two countries.Israeli Prime Minister was the first foreign dignitary to congratulate PM Modi when he arrived at the helm of affairs in India in 2014.PM Modi, in an interview to an Israeli newspaper, Israel Hayom, said that the two countries were ready to "take the relationship to a new level", calling Israel a "technological powerhouse.""Israel has braved many odds, and has many accomplishments to his credit," he said, adding that bilateral ties between India and Israel had always been strong.Modi's three-day visit is aimed at commemorating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and will also see discussions between him and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.The two sides are expected to sign number of agreements in the field of innovation, development, science and technology and space.The defence ties between India and Israel have often drawn worldwide attention and acquired strategic dimensions. It is believed that Modi's visit would further solidify security ties as Israeli defence industries have shown greater inclination towards participating in joint ventures to give a boost to the National Democratic Alliance government's 'Make in India' campaign.The Indian prime minister would also be meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and the leader of opposition Isaac Herzog on July 5.Modi will not be travelling to neighbouring Palestine during the visit, a clear signal of de-hyphenation of its ties with the two West Asian nations.President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016 visited both the countries. Modi's visit will be the first by an Indian premier to Israel.Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Ezer Weizman visited India in 2003 and 1997 respectively. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had also paid a visit to India in November last year.(With inputs from PTI)
: Meira Kumar, the Opposition 's nominee for the presidential election , on Monday deplored the "atmosphere of fear" prevailing in the country, and insisted she was fighting for "freedom of expression and freedom of press".Terming the incidents of lynching of people over suspected cow slaughter or consumption of beef "extremely unfortunate", she pitched for a consensus to end that atmosphere of fear."There is so much of fear about what one should eat. There is fear about what one should say. I am also fighting for freedom of expression, freedom of press...," Kumar, who was here to canvass support for her presidential bid, told journalists.The former Lok Sabha speaker said she is "not alone" in the fight and that she had the support of a number of parties and also a large number of countrymen."It is extremely unfortunate. It pains me and pains all of us, these instances of lynching. We have to come to an understanding and reach a consensus. Because, this atmosphere cannot go on," she said."Not just the parties, what we stand for, has the support of maximum number of my countrymen and women... I think I stand on a very solid ground," Kumar, whose defeat the presidential poll watchers have concluded is a foregone conclusion given the support the BJP-led NDA has in the electoral college, said.Kumar said she has written to all the electors asking them to vote for her as per their "conscience". Kumar, who has been pitted against Ramnath Kovind, the NDA nominee and a fellow Dalit, said she is fighting an "ideological battle" and that it should not been misconstrued as a Dalit versus Dalit contest.She made a pitch for due respect to be shown to Dalits and the poor.The country has achieved tremendous progress in various sectors, but the "fundamental issue" still remains...the concern showed for disadvantaged sections, she said."No matter how much progress we make, but the fundamental issue is how much we respect the Dalits, the fundamental issue is how much we do for the rights of the poor...," she said."This is 2017, in which we live. For our supreme position, if we are still talking about Dalit versus Dalit, then we should look within ourselves and decide what kind of a mindset we have," she said and wondered if that mindset was in sync with modern times."This Presidential election is going to be a powerful articulation of the value system which has been held close...which is now under threat," she said.Telangana Congress president N Uttam Kumar Reddy said they have left a message at Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao's office saying that Kumar would like to speak to him. The ruling TRS has already declared its support to the NDA's nominee.As part of her campaign, Kumar met MLAs and MPs of Congress and the Left in Telangana, besides some intellectuals.
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday said that Hizbul Mujahideen commander Syed Salahuddins brazen admission of perpetrating attacks on India is further proof of Pakistans continuing policy of cross border terrorism.



In his first interview to a Pakistan news channel after being declared a global terrorist by the United States, Salahuddin boasted he had carried out several attacks in the past and had the means to carry out more such strikes in the future.



His confession of assistance in such activities from Pakistan also affirms the complicity of Pakistans state structure in using terrorist proxies as a matter of policy against the neighbours, said MEA spokesperson Gopal Baglay.



Baglay said the interview only highlights the unabashed manner in which terrorist organisations and leaders enjoy freedom of operations in Pakistan, including access to terror financing and procurement and supply of weapons for terrorism.



It is a matter of deep regret that senior Pakistan functionaries continue to justify and defend the activities of such internationally designated terrorist entities and leaders who are responsible for killing thousands of innocent civilians over the past three decades, he added.



Pakistan must give up its policy of cross-border terrorism, fulfill its obligations under international resolutions and stop all activities of terrorists from the territory under Pakistan's control, Baglay said.



Home ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad said the government had been describing Salahuddin as a terrorist all along, and his own remarks had confirmed that.



"His designation as a global terrorist by the US is well deserved," he told reporters here. Prasad said Salahuddin was also "instrumental" in providing funds to terrorists and separatists and giving other kinds of assistance to the terrorists.



Salahuddin, in the interview, not only claimed to have supporters throughout the country  who at his behest have carried out attacks in the past  he also claimed that no one who supported security forces was beyond Hizbuls cross-hairs. This included the Abdullah and the Mufti families.



He was then asked why Hizbul hadnt ever targeted the big political families of Kashmir. To this, he said that whoever works for security forces, by aiding or spying for them, was not beyond the reach of Hizbul Mujahideen.



He went a step further and claimed that Hizbul had supporters and sympathisers not just in India but in other countries as well. He also issued a subtle warning to Israel, over its growing ties with India.



Jis tarah Israel India ko support kar raha hai... Bahri duniya mein hamare bohot supporters hain (The manner in which Israel is supporting India we to have a lot of supporters in the outside world), said Salahuddin.



The Hizbul supremo was also asked about why he had continued to carry out a bloody militant movement in Kashmir for so long, given that it hadnt achieved much. Since Salahuddin had once contested elections in India, he was asked whether continuing to fight poll battles would instead have been a more practical anti-state movement.



I challenge India to remove their forces from Kashmir for three days and then fight the elections there. Only then will you see how Kashmiris will vote. You will see whether Syed Geelani, Mirwaiz, Shabbir Ahmed Shah, Yaseen Malik or Syed Salahuddin will come out as the leader or someone else entirely. The whole world will know who the genuine leader of Kashmir is.



On being asked whether the US branding him a global terrorist had affected his own health or the health of the terrorist outfit, Salahuddin said, My health and that of my outfit has increased quite a bit since then. You must have yourself seen how flower petals were showered at me after the announcement was made.



Salahuddin was on June 26 branded by the US as a global terrorist. Born Yusuf Shah in Budgams Soibagh area, Salahuddin was a member of Jamaat-e-Islami who went on to become a commander of Hizbul Mujahideen and then its emir. Hizbul Mujahideen is the biggest militant outfit active in Kashmir right now.
: The Trinamool Congress on Monday dissociated itself from its six MLAs in Tripura who expressed support for NDA's presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind, saying it would have no truck with them in future."The stand taken by six MLAs from Tripura is in no way the stand of our party. We have extended our support to Congress candidate Meira Kumar . From now on we will have no relation with these MLAs. They don't belong to our party," TMC secretary-general Partha Chatterjee told reporters.He said the legislators were Congress MLAs. Only last year they joined the TMC and "they have sold themselves before money power."Trinamool Congress legislators in Tripura on Sunday decided to vote in favour of Kovind instead of Kumar saying that they would not like to vote for someone who is supported by the CPI-M.Meanwhile, party vice-president Mukul Roy, who was in charge of party affairs in Tripura, has been replaced by TMC leader Sabyascahi Dutt.
The woman police officer, who was shunted after standing up to unruly behaviour by BJP workers, has taken the transfer order in her stride and said she sees it as a reward for her good work.In a Facebook post, circle officer Shreshtha Thakur confirmed the reports of her transfer to Bahraich, which touches the Nepal border. Got transfer to Bahraich. Its along the Nepal border. Dont worry my friends, I am happy I accept it as a reward for my good work... You all are invited to Bahraich, she wrote.Giving things a poetic turn, she added, Jahaan bhi jayega, roshni lutaega. Kisi chirag ka apna makaan nai hota (Wherever it is kept, it will spread its light; a lamp does not have a home of its own).The officers positive spirit has won appreciation on social media from people who had praised her bravado in dealing with bullying by a group of BJP workers, after she had arrested one party leader for riding a motorcycle without the necessary permits. She had also fined five others for obstruction of duty. The video of the incident had gone viral. In the clip, Thakur can be seen confronting and admonishing the mob of BJP workers, who raised slogans against the police. She shut them up, accusing them of goondaism and of bringing a bad name to their party. She can be heard telling them she will add additional sections for creating public disorder.You please go and get written orders from the Chief Minister that the police have no right to check vehicles... that we cant do our job, she had told the leader of the mob.Her Facebook post on her transfer has created a lot of transfer buzz as her new-found online fans offered support and wished her luck for the new posting. Many others also expressed disappointment that she was shifted.The Yogi Adityanath government had transferred Thakur, who was posted in Bulandshahars Syana district, on Saturday, after local BJP leaders complained against her. A delegation of 11 MLAs and an MP reportedly had raised the issue with Yogi Adityanath.
Chinese experts have warned of war if the standoff between New Delhi and Beijing at the Doklam area , the longest between the two countries, is not handled properly. Speaking to the state-run Global Times, the experts added that China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war."There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border," the Global Times report said."China is also different from what it was in 1962," Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies told the daily, reacting to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's comments that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962. "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and the India of 2017 is different," Jaitley had said."India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both countries share many similarities. For instance, they are both developing countries with huge populations," Wang said."In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers," the daily said.Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said. "Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war," Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper. "A conflict between the two may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US," he said. India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides," Wang said.The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that India's Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an "all-weather railway corridor" with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry. "India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence," Zhao said.(With PTI inputs)
New Delhi: Filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, who has told of the events that led to India's Partition, through her forthcoming film Partition: 1947, says she is confident that Mahatma Gandhi would have loved the film as it is in sync with his philosophies.



"When I finished the film and I looked at it, I realised that it is a film that Gandhiji would have liked. It is totally on Gandhiji's philosophy. He was completely sidelined by that point (of Partition)," the British filmmaker of Sikh origin told IANS over phone from Mumbai.



It is a story that is deeply personal to Gurinder, whose own family was caught up in the tragic events that unfolded as the British Raj came to an end. The film narrates story of the trauma that people went through due to the division, and how it changed their life.



Gurinder has also brought in British side of the story, and showed what role did Lord Mountbatten play in all of it. She took lead from Narendra Singh Sarila's book "The Shadow of the Great Game" for film.



Looking back at the whole process that went behind the making of the film, Gurinder said: "It was very hard (making the film). There were times when I used to get upset, and there were times when I felt like I don't think I can make this film'. It is so upsetting."



She says she would pause for sometime, but "every time I halted, something came and pushed me to the next day. Something new happened like when Sarila telephoned" to inform that he got some new evidence.



"In India, the whole film relied on whether we got Umaid Bhawan as a location because it is a very busy hotel and they said that you will not get it. But we got the location. So, it was like everything just came together."



The Indian and Pakistani cast of the project, which released internationally as "Viceroy's House", is led by Manish Dayal, Huma Qureshi and the late Om Puri. The roles of the principal political leaders are played by Tanveer Ghani (Jawaharlal Nehru), Denzil Smith (Muhammad Ali Jinnah) and Neeraj Kabi (Mahatma Gandhi).



The British cast is led by Hugh Bonneville as Lord Mountbatten, Gillian Anderson as his wife Lady Mountbatten, Lily Travers as their daughter Pamela, and Michael Gambon and Simon Callow as key civil servants.



The film examines the division of the country through the prism of a marriage -- that of Mountbatten and Edwina Mountbatten -- and a romance -- that between a young Hindu servant, Jeet, and his intended Muslim bride, Aalia.



It is scheduled to release in India on August 18.
Patna: The cracks in the ruling Mahagathbandhan in Bihar once again surfaced on Sunday after Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar lashed out at Congress party in a meeting with Janata Dal United (JDU) leaders.



Sources told CNN-News18 that Kumar accused Congress of "dumping Mahatma Gandhi's ideology", adding that he had nothing to learn from the grand old party. "We do not follow anyone, we are clear with our principles," Kumar reportedly said.



CM Kumar, however, refused to say anything about or against the Rashtriya Janata Dal supremo Lalu Prasad Yadav's rally "BJP hatao, desh bachao", scheduled for August, where Lalu is expected to take on Prime Minister Narendra Modi.



Kumar also said that he is open to attending the rally, provided he is invited. "We will definitely participate in the rally if RJD extends its invitation to our leader Nitish Kumar," Bihar JD(U) chief spokesperson Sanjay Singh told reporters.



Earlier in the day, JD-U General Secretary Shayam Razak had told the media that JD-U as a party would not attend the event but Chief Minister Nitish Kumar may in his personal capacity if he was invited by the RJD.



The JD-U and Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) along with the Congress are part of the ruling Grand Alliance in the state.



The differences between the two major partners of the alliance surfaced ever since the JD(U) unilaterally announced its support to former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind, NDA's presidential candidate, without waiting for the united candidate of the Opposition.



Congress president Sonia Gandhi, though, cleared the air, saying she was not upset with Nitish's decision to back the NDA candidate, Ram Nath Kovind.



Lalu, on the other hand, trained guns on Nitish Kumar, saying Bihar chief minister had committed a "historical mistake" by extending support to Kovind.




Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar swore by the mahagathbandhan a day after he hit out at ally Congress, but then at a press conference on Monday ended up taking potshots more at his partners than at rival BJP.Taking a dig at the Congress and the RJD, the JD(U) leader said the opposition should not object to all government moves just for the sake of opposition unity. We should not oppose everything the NDA government does just to keep opposition unity. People are looking for alternative agenda. The GST is an example. I openly welcomed it as this tax reform will be very beneficial for the state, Nitish said.Nitish also took on the Congress for ignoring regional parties and reminded the Lalu Prasad-led RJD to not become a mere follower.He tried to downplay the differences within the Grand Alliance, but said he would continue to take decisions independently. At present, I do not see any danger to our alliance. But I cant say what will happen in the future. To defeat the BJP, the opposition must have an alternative agenda which I cant see for now.Nitish Kumar also reminded the RJD that the mahagathbandhan came to power in 2015 not only because they fought the election together but because people kept in mind the previous work done by the government, referring to his first two terms in office when he was part of the NDA.Kumar also sought to deny speculation on the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. "I am not the prime ministerial face for 2019 elections. Have you seen of late that those who get projected in the media never make it."The JD(U) and the RJD along with the Congress are the partners in the ruling grand alliance in the state. The differences between the two major partners of the alliance surfaced ever since the JD(U) unilaterally announced its support to former Bihar Governor Ram Nath Kovind , NDA's presidential nominee, without waiting for the united candidate of the Opposition.Another point of contention within the Mahagathbandhan was the JD(U)s decision to attend the launch event of GST in Parliament at the midnight stroke of June 30. Senior JD(U) leader and Bihar Energy Minister Bijender Prasad Yadav attended the special session, while the RJD and the Congress had boycotted it.
Bihar was the last frontier in the Hindi heartland which remained out of the BJPs grasp even at the peak of the Ram Temple movement. Mostly because OBC champion Lalu Yadav remained well-entrenched in his pocket borough through the 90s and early part of the next decade.That was when the feeling grew within the BJP that without naming a CM candidate and an alternative face to the RJD in Bihar, it would be difficult for the Samata Party-BJP alliance to make any breakthrough. The BJP was more than willing to concede the space to its junior alliance partner. The problem, however, was within the Samata Party.Party president and veteran socialist George Fernandes wanted his protege and Samata Party co-founder Digvijaya Singh to be the CM face. After a prolonged tug-of-war, LK Advani during the Bihar campaign announced the BJPs support for Nitish Kumar. The rest is history.In 2017, almost a decade-and-a-half later, it seems Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar would want the Congress party to make that difficult choice the BJP made without much fuss.For the record, the JD(U) president has repeatedly maintained that he is not in contention for the PMs post  he has even called JD(U) a small party with its own limitations. But then, in politics, leaders dont seek posts or nominations. The demand must come from outside. And heeding to those voices, leaders dedicate themselves to a larger cause.Power is sought through sacrifice. Such has been the template of Indian politics For the four-time Bihar CM and former Union railways minister, there is only one pedestal to aim for in national politics. That opportunity would present itself in 2019, and with the opposition in disarray, he emerges an obvious choice.Hes from the Hindi heartland. He comes from a backward community. He has got impeccable administrative credentials as the chief minister of Bihar. And all along, he has maintained a centrist line even when the Congress seemed to be going on a reactionary trajectory.In the last six months, his party has also made attempts to reach out to the Congress and lay the foundation for a national alliance. In Delhi, Punjab and Bihar, sources say, he was willing to canvas in support of the Congress if his party was accommodated in these states.But Congress is not BJP. Its a hard bargainer. Look at what they did to the Samajwadi Party in UP  extracted 105 seats out of Akhilesh Yadavs party when probably they did not have as many serious candidates.In the past, the Congress, even when it has struck a pre-poll alliance for general elections, has pledged support to a non-Congress leader as PM candidate. In fact, it has never even named its own PM candidate in the past. Any support to a non-Congress leader has been post-poll, and out of political compulsion.At the same time, never has the Congress been in such bad shape in the past. And never has the Congress faced such a mighty adversary holding power at the Centre.The JD(U)s expectations emanate from altered ground realties in the national politics. And with less than two years left for the polls, Nitish Kumar would obviously feel that time is running out.Congresss ineffectual attempt at mobilising support on the farmers agitation and against beef lynching is making the JD(U) and even some other allies impatient.For Nitish, the issue here is not the survival of the Bihar government. It is the leadership issue for 2019 elections. And, in the last one month, the Bihar CM, it seems, has put his point across to the Congress.He will wait for another six to 12 months before making a choice.
"Since there is no candidate other than Ram Nath Kovind and Meira Kumar, we might support the BJP (Bharatiya Janata Party) led NDA (National Democratic Alliance) candidate. The picture would be clear within the next few days," Saha said.

Saha said: "It was not yet decided that the TMC MLAs would join BJP. We want a united fight in the next year's assembly elections in Tripura to oust the CPI-M led Left Front government from power."

"We have served a show cause notice to Ratanlal Nath last month (May) for his closeness with BJP leaders, including Biplab Deb," Tripura state Congress President Birajit Sinha said.

: Six Trinamool Congress (TMC) legislators in Tripura are likely to cast votes in favour of NDA nominee Ram Nath Kovind in the July 17 presidential poll, a party leader said on Sunday."We have held a meeting here on Saturday night and decided not to cast our votes in favour of Congress-led opposition-backed presidential candidate Meira Kumar since she is also supported by the CPI-M," Tripura TMC President Ashish Saha told IANS in Agartala.Saha, one of the six TMC legislators, said that "it is final that all the six party legislators in Tripura would not cast their votes in favour of CPI-M (Communist Party of India-Marxist) supported nominee".The TMC, led by West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, is officially supporting opposition-backed contender Meira Kumar, the former Lok Sabha Speaker.There are media reports that BJP General Secretary Ram Madhav and Assam's powerful BJP minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, who is also the convenor of North East Democratic Alliance (NEDA), have urged the TMC legislators in Trip-ura to vote for Kovind.According to media reports, all the six TMC legislators ae likely to join the BJP this month."We might do any sacrifice to vote out the Left parties in the next assembly polls," he added.Last week, BJP's Tripura unit President Biplab Kumar Deb said that the party's doors are shut for the nine TMC and Congress legislators.Deb had told reporters: "In consultation with the party's central leaders, we had earlier announced a deadline of May 31 for the entry of the nine TMC and Congress MLAs into BJP. That deadline being over, the doors are also accordingly shut for them.""It is, however, open for other leaders and workers of the TMC, Congress and other parties but not for the nine sitting MLAs," he added.Six Congress MLAs, led by Sudip Roy Barman, resigned from the party last year and have joined the TMC in protest against the Congress' electoral alliance with the Left parties in the West Bengal assembly elections.Another Congress legislator, Jitendra Sarkar, resigned from the Tripura assembly and re-joined the ruling CPI-M, reducing the Congress' strength in the state assembly to three. Sarkar joined BJP last month.The TMC's Tripura unit former President and former Minister and also the former President of the Tripura Pradesh Congress Committee, Surajit Datta, party's Tripura unit coordination committee chief Ratan Chakraborty, TMC's Tripura unit's founder-chairman and incumbent Vice-President Arun Chandra Bhowmik and many other state committee members had joined the BJP in the past few months.Besides, several thousand workers from the Congress, TMC and CPI-M also walked over to the BJP, making it (BJP) the main opposition party in Tripura. The state goes to elect a new assembly in about eight months.Meanwhile, the Congress has also recently served a show cause notice to senior legislator Ratanlal Nath for "anti-party activities and meeting BJP leaders, including party President Amit Shah".According to Congress sources, Nath might be expelled from the party after the presidential election on July 17.
Pakistan intelligence and security officials reacted angrily on Monday to the release of a memoir by ex-CIA contractor, Raymond Davis, saying his 2011 acquittal in a high-profile murder case and subsequent return to the US was an arrangement between Pakistan and the US , not among individuals.Davis made headlines this week when his book exposed the alleged role of Pakistan's former spy chief Shuja Pasha in quashing a murder trial against the CIA contractor by paying $2.4 million to the families of two men Davis killed while working for the CIA in Pakistan in 2011.The incident triggered a diplomatic crisis when police arrested Davis for the killings. But, seven weeks later, the families of the slain men told a court that they pardoned Davis, ending a tense showdown between the US and Pakistan, America's ally in the war on extremism Monday's reaction came after Davis released "The Contractor: How I Landed in a Pakistani Prison and Ignited a Diplomatic Crisis." In the book, Davis says he considered the two Pakistanis a threat when they rode their motorcycle near his car and one of them had a gun in his hand."I had never killed anyone before," he writes. "Thankfully, all ten rounds I fired found their intended targets." Pakistani intelligence official acknowledged the country's spy agency helped the CIA to remove Davis from Pakistan, but said that no such help would be given the CIA in the future. The intelligence official spoke on the condition of anonymity in accordance with agency policy."(Davis') release was an arrangement between two states and not two individuals. It was based on goodwill between two agencies or two states and it helped the CIA get their man out through legal means, but in a confidential arrangement," said the official.A security official familiar with the interrogation of Davis after his arrest confirmed that Pakistan helped to facilitate Davis' release. He said he was also angry over the publication of the "scandalous memoir." He, too, spoke on condition of anonymity as he was not authorized to speak to the media on the record."If the objective was to turn Pakistani and (its spy agency's) favour into a vilification campaign, then Raymond Davis and his sponsors achieved it for a short period. But Pakistan and its intelligence agencies will not be obliged to repeat such favours in future," the intelligence official told The Associated Press.
A delegation of bipartisan US senators, led by John McCain, met Pakistan Prime Ministers Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz on Sunday. The delegation asked for closer bilateral cooperation in confronting peace and security challenges while appreciating Pakistans contribution in the fight against terrorism.The five-member delegation visited Pakistan days after the US blacklisted Syed Salahuddin , the chief of Kashmiri militant outfit Hizbul Mujahideen, as a "global terrorist".The US decision is a severe blow to Pakistan which has been projecting 71-year-old Kashmiri separatist leader as a "freedom fighter".McCain, thanking Aziz on behalf of the delegation that included senators Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren and David Perdue "appreciated the contributions and sacrifices made by Pakistan in the fight against terrorism," the Pakistan Foreign Office said in a statement."He said that continued engagement with Pakistan, a close friend and ally of the US, was important, it said. The Senators agreed with the need for the US and Pakistan to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond, the statement said.Welcoming the US Senators, Aziz underlined the importance of regular high-level contacts and appreciated McCain, Graham and Whitehouse for their continued engagement and regular visits to Pakistan to promote understanding and cooperation between the two countries.Aziz underscored the significance of the long-standing cooperation between the two countries and the need to make this partnership diverse and multidimensional."The strategic partnership between Pakistan and the US is critical to achieve peace and stability in the region and beyond," he said.Aziz also apprised the US Senate delegation about Pakistan's "success" in combating terrorism and said that the "terrorist networks have been dismantled, their sanctuaries eliminated under the overarching National Action Plan."Aziz said Pakistan remained committed to support efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan. "Pakistan looked forward to constructive engagement with the US on all efforts and initiatives that would lead to a stable and prosperous Afghanistan," he said.He said that Pakistan was also ready to strengthen and deepen its partnership with the US to counter the new and emerging terrorism threats including the expanding footprint of ISIS in the region.In the meeting, he also raised concern over the alleged "human rights violations" in Kashmir and "international communitys silence" on the issue. He stressed that Pakistan "firmly" believed in the "legitimacy of the Kashmir cause and the peaceful struggle of the Kashmiri people.(With inputs from PTI)
: China on Monday said India was using Bhutan to "cover up" the illegal entry by Indian troops into "Chinese territory" and demanded their immediate withdrawal. China said India's first Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru had accepted the 1890 treaty, a pact Beijing has sworn by to claim Donglong, which is disputed between China and Bhutan.The Chinese Foreign Ministry said India's action went against the "basic principles of UN charter and the international law and infringed upon Chinese territorial integrity".Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang cited letters by Nehru to then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai. China and India have refused to budge from their positions over the standoff between their troops in Donglong, which the Chinese claim as their territory and which India calls a disputed region between China and Bhutan.Tensions have been building up between the two Asian giants. A Chinese expert said that war between the two countries could not be ruled out."In order to cover up the illegal entry by Indian troops into the Chinese territory, the Indian side even wants to infringe upon Bhutan's sovereignty that is futile," said the Foreign Ministry spokesperson.China says India should not interfere in the dispute between Thimpu and Beijing. However, Bhutan has opposed China's building the road in the disputed Donglong."We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse."The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," Geng said.Asked what he thought about Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that the India of 2017 was not the India of 1962, Geng said: "To some extent, he is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from the India in 1962, just like China is also different."Last week, after China had warned India to learn from its military debacle of 1962, Jaitley had said that the India of 2017 was not the India of 1962."Donglong is located on the Chinese side of the boundary and belongs to China. By entering into Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese military troops' normal activities, the Indian side has violated existing convention," Geng said."We have noted the statement from the Indian side; (it) evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China and Tibet."Indian Prime Minister Nehru on behalf of the Indian government explicitly recognised that the 1890 convention has defined the boundary."Geng cited two letters by Nehru to Zhou En Lai in 1959, stating that 1890 defined the border as demarcated."The action taken by India is undoubtedly a betrayal of the consistent position held by successive Indian governments," Geng said. "We request India to respect the treaty and pull back the border troops immediately."
Riyadh: Saudi Arabia and its allies on Monday said they had decided to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade.



With the deadline expiring at midnight on Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.



The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.



The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah on Monday.



Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.



They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.



On June 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply. Riyadh's demands include ending Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.



The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar's response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait.



Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands. "The list of demands is made to be rejected," Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saturday in Rome.



"The state of Qatar... is rejecting it as a principle, "he said, adding: "We are willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue."
A deadline was extended on Monday for Qatar to accept 13 demands by several Arab states in return for lifting a de facto blockade. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and issued their demands on June 22. The 10-day deadline was extended by 48 hours at the request of the Kuwaiti emir who has been acting as mediator in the crisis Here are the key demands:The Qatar-based Al-Jazeera news channel has long been a source of conflict between Doha and its neighbours, who accuse it of bias and fomenting unrest. One of the world's largest news organisations, it has been repeatedly banned. Egypt accuses it of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which it blames for violence after the military ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013. The United Nations said the demand to shut Al-Jazeera and "other affiliated media outlets" was "an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion".The Arab countries also demand that Doha cut ties with groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, which Saudi Arabia and its allies blacklist as a "terrorist" organisation. They also called on Qatar to hand over opposition figures based in Doha. The emirate has long hosted exiled Brotherhood figures, including the movement's spiritual leader, Egyptian preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Khaled Meshaal, former head of the Brotherhood-linked Palestinian movement Hamas. Western governments have concerns about the Brotherhood but have not listed it as a foreign terrorist organisation  nor has the UN.Another key demand is the closure of a Turkish military base in Qatar set to give Turkey a new foothold in the Gulf. Turkey sees Qatar as its top Gulf ally but is also keen to improve relations with regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia. However, Turkey's parliament approved a troop deployment to the Qatar base just two days after the crisis broke out. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the demands were "against international law".Riyadh and its allies want Doha to downgrade its warm diplomatic ties with Tehran, Saudi Arabia's key regional rival. They accuse Qatar of supporting Iranian-backed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah movement  a charge Doha denies.Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran sit on opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Qatar was part of an alliance fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels until the crisis broke out. Riyadh regularly accuses Tehran of interfering across the Middle East, linking it to instability in the kingdom's east, where minority Shiites live. But not all Riyadh's Gulf neighbours share its hostility towards Iran.Oman and Kuwait retain warm diplomatic ties with Tehran, while the UAE hosts a large Iranian expat population and has strong commercial ties with the Islamic Republic. Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his country wants to bolster relations with Doha. When Saudi Arabia closed the emirate's only land border  vital for its food imports  Iran shipped in tonnes of fruits and vegetables.
Baghdad: A suicide bomber attacked a camp for displaced Iraqis in Anbar province on Sunday, killing 14 people, a police major and a doctor said.



The blast at the 60 Kilo camp west of Anbar capital Ramadi also wounded 13 people.



The doctor and the major both said that most of the victims were women and children, but the officer also told AFP that two security personnel including a captain were among the dead.



Adnan Fayhan, the head of the local council in the Al- Wafaa area, where the camp is located, said that there were 110 people residing in it when the attack occurred.



"All the displaced people in the camp will be brought to the 18 Kilo camp west of Ramadi," as it is "safer and receives more aid," Fayhan said.



"The 60 Kilo camp will be closed after all the displaced people have been brought to the 18 Kilo camp," he said.



There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the Islamic State jihadist group frequently carries out suicide bombings targeting civilians in Iraq.



Iraqi forces retook the cities of Ramadi and Fallujah from IS, but the jihadists still hold areas in western Anbar, and the province still faces major security challenges. IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led air strikes and other support have since regained much of the territory they lost.
New Jersey: US President Donald Trump spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar on Sunday to discuss his "concerns about the ongoing dispute" between Qatar and its Gulf and Arab neighbors, the White House said.



Trump, who is spending a long weekend at his property in New Jersey, spoke to Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz, as well as Abu Dhabi's crown prince Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed al-Nahyan, and Qatar's Emir Sheikh Tamim Bin Hamad Al-Thani.



"He reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology. The president also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit's goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability," the White House said.



"President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism," it said.



Qatar faces possible further sanctions by Arab states that have severed ties with Doha over allegations of links to terrorism. A deadline to accept their demands was originally expected to expire on Sunday night before Saudi Arabia and three allies agreed to a request from Kuwait to extend it by 48 hours.



Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the demands were made to be rejected, adding that the Arab ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country's sovereignty.



Gulf countries have insisted the demands were non- negotiable.



The United Arab Emirates ambassador to Russia has said that Qatar could face fresh sanctions if it does not comply with the demands.



The feud erupted last month when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran, charges that Doha denies.



The rift opened days after Trump met Arab leaders in Riyadh and called for unity against regional threats such as Iran and hardline Islamist militant groups.



A State Department official said on Sunday the United States encourages "all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions. We are not going to get ahead of those discussions. We fully support Kuwaiti mediation".
Beijing: The passage of a US warship close to a disputed island in the South China Sea was a "serious political and military provocation", Beijing said, one that could further strain relations between the superpowers.



The destroyer, the USS Stethem, sailed less than 12 nautical miles from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which is claimed by China as well as Taiwan and Vietnam, a US official told AFP.



The distance is commonly accepted as constituting the territorial waters of a landmass. The operation, meant to demonstrate freedom of navigation in disputed waters, came just hours before a scheduled phone call between President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping.



China had dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response, foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said in a statement late yesterday, according to state news agency Xinhua.



"The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate China's sovereignty and threaten China's security," the spokesman said.



The statement added that Beijing would continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.



It was the second operation of its kind carried out by the United States since Trump took office and comes days after his administration took a number of steps that seemed sure to strain US-Chinese relations.



Trump on Thursday authorised a USD 1.3 billion arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province. The same day, the US Treasury Department imposed sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash.



Also Thursday, the State Department expressed concern about Beijing's respect for freedom in Hong Kong, on the 20th anniversary of Britain ceding the territory back to China.



And two days earlier, the State Department placed China on a list of the world's worst human trafficking offenders. All those steps added up to a sharp reversal in tone from April, when Xi travelled to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida for a first face-to-face meeting that Trump later said had helped build an "outstanding" relationship.



Further positive signs had followed, including an agreement in May on exporting US beef and natural gas to China. Trump had praised China's efforts to bring pressure on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. But when those efforts failed to produce results -- Pyongyang conducted new missile tests in violation of UN Security Council resolutions -- the American president made his frustration known.



Those efforts had "not worked out," Trump tweeted on June 20, adding, "At least I know China tried!" Trump is scheduled to speak with Xi today at 8:45 pm, 45 minutes after speaking with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.



The latest US "freedom of navigation" exercise comes as Beijing continues muscular efforts to cement its claim to nearly all of the South China Sea, parts of which are also claimed by Taiwan and Southeast Asian nations including the Philippines, Brunei, Malaysia and Vietnam.



The United Nations says countries can establish the reach of their territorial waters up to a limit of 12 nautical miles.



China has rapidly built reefs in the area into artificial islands capable of hosting military planes. Freedom of navigation operations are designed to challenge the sovereignty of countries with claims to disputed territory. Washington has challenged annexations of South China Sea islets while advocating for a diplomatic settlement.



On May 25, the USS Dewey guided-missile destroyer sailed less than 12 nautical miles from Mischief Reef -- part of the disputed Spratly Islands in the South China Sea, south of the Paracel Islands.
The US administration has told India that Westinghouse Electric Co will emerge from bankruptcy and be sold by the year end, industry and diplomatic sources have said, raising the prospect of a Washington-supported sale or bailout for the nuclear firm.India, like other nuclear nations, has been closely watching the fate of Japanese-owned Westinghouse, which filed for Chapter 11 in March after an estimated $13 billion of cost overruns at two US projects, casting a shadow over the nuclear industry.There has been debate over potential US support for the reactor maker since owner Toshiba, the laptop-to-chips conglomerate, announced the blow-out at Westinghouse last year.Some form of US backing or involvement, industry experts say, could avoid a Chinese or Russian buyer unpalatable to Washington, which would prefer to keep Westinghouse's advanced nuclear technology out of the hands of its foreign rivals. The White House declined comment."We were told that, by the end of the year, Westinghouse would really rework its situation and really be back in business," India's foreign secretary, Subrahmanyam Jaishankar, told a briefing, referring to an exit from bankruptcy.Civil nuclear cooperation has been a cornerstone of US-India relations, and the proposed construction of six Westinghouse AP1000 reactors in Andhra Pradesh, announced in 2016, crowned more than a decade of diplomatic efforts. The achievement was left in limbo by Westinghouse's troubles.The project, however, found specific mention in the Indian government's joint communique from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's first meeting with President Donald Trump in Washington a week ago.The two leaders "looked forward to conclusion of between Westinghouse Electric Company and the Nuclear Power Corporation of India for six nuclear reactors in India and also related project financing," the communique said.Sources familiar with the matter said the statement was backed by U.S. guidance that Westinghouse would be sold to a US investor after emerging from Chapter 11 proceedings, in turn paving the way to close the reactor deal in 2018.Elaborating, one industry source with direct knowledge of Westinghouse's talks with India said: "Both sides are engaged and once Westinghouse comes out of bankruptcy we would look to conclude the contract." The source, who was not authorised to speak to media, requested anonymity.A diplomat involved in preparations for the Modi-Trump meeting corroborated this timeline, saying: "The bankruptcy is on track and should wrap up by year end."Westinghouse and India's Department of Atomic Energy did not respond to emailed requests for comment. The state-owned Nuclear Power Corporation of India could not be reached for comment.Toshiba said it wasn't in a position to predict when Westinghouse would emerge from Chapter 11. Because the bankruptcy court has not yet approved a restructuring plan, no decision has been taken on searching for a buyer, it said.US Energy Secretary Rick Perry, whom diplomats say plans to lead a business delegation to India in October, last week left the door open to a potential deal."This is a lot bigger issue than just allowing the United States a couple of plants in the southern part of the United States," he told reporters. "This is a massively important issue for the security of America and the security for America's allies."Perry declined to elaborate on potential acquirers.But former Westinghouse executives have told Reuters that they have been approached by private equity funds to help them assess a possible deal to buy the company.Paving the way for a deal, Toshiba has agreed on a liability cap on one of the US projects, the unfinished Vogtle power plant in Georgia that is being led by Southern Co.If a similar agreement can be reached for the VC Summer plant in South Carolina, which is co-owned by SCANA Corp, that would clear the path to an exit from Chapter 11, say people familiar with the matter."The administration is hoping that the reconfigured company will be back in operation later this year  with a US buyer  and the deal with India can be closed next year," said Washington-based analyst Ashley Tellis, an authority on nuclear policy and former Republican official.Tellis, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, was instrumental in negotiating a civil nuclear accord with India during the George W Bush administration although, more than a decade on, it has yet to yield actual nuclear deals.Trump's pick for US ambassador to India, Kenneth Juster, helped lay the ground for the talks on the civil nuclear accord. He would play a "critical role" in bringing the project to completion, added Tellis.Ahead of Modi's visit, a US official had said the United States was "looking forward to US-built nuclear reactors contributing to India's energy security"."We very much support continued negotiations between Westinghouse and its Indian partners, recognising that deals on this scale can take time," the official said.Westinghouse has said it will concentrate on reactors only - and not construction - meaning it would require partners for its Indian and other projects.In India, its favoured partner would be Larsen & Toubro, industry sources say."We are capable of doing this, but of course the technology transfer has to happen," said SN Roy, head of L&T's nuclear business, who confirmed L&T had been approached by Westinghouse about being the general contractor.
Ahmedabad: India's opposition candidate for the Presidential election Meira Kumar tries her hand on a spinning wheel during her visit to Gandhi Ashram before the start of her campaign in Ahmedabad, India, Friday, June 30, 2017. The Presidential election is scheduled be held next month. (Image: AP)
Voters in November will see a familiar name on their ballots.

The Republican candidate challenging Attorney General Mark R. Herring, the Democratic incumbent, is John Adams.

This John Adams, a 43-year-old father of four from Chesterfield County and a lawyer at one of the states most powerful firms, is a descendant of the same Massachusetts family as the nations second president. His views on social issues like gay marriage and the role of the attorney general are the opposite of Herrings. The two sparred in a recent debate and will continue through November as Herring seeks to hold his seat in a state that has been trending Democratic in statewide contests.

Adams is making his first run for public office and is already feeling the sting of Virginia politics. Some of his words in the debate were so twisted by Herrings campaign, he said, that his words became the exact opposite of his position.

The fact that so early his team and his supporters are pushing a narrative that is just objectively false tells me that Im doing a good job, Adams said. Tells me that theyre scared.

So who is John Adams, and why does he want to be the states top lawyer?

Adams was born in Richmonds Chippenham Hospital. His father was a business manager and lobbyist for a telephone company, and his mother was the daughter of a Kentucky coal miner.

Adams paternal grandfather, the Rev. Theodore F. Adams, relocated his family to the Richmond area from Toledo, Ohio, in the 1930s to become the pastor at First Baptist Church. The minister became so well-loved that he was featured on the cover of Time magazine.

Adams, the youngest of four boys, grew up in Midlothian and graduated from Midlothian High School. Virginia Military Institute was the only college he applied to. While there, he became executive officer of the VMI Corps of Cadets.

He lived in Pearl Harbor and Virginia Beach while serving five years in the Navy, then went to law school at the University of Virginia. He clerked for Judge David B. Sentelle of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit, who recommended he clerk for a U.S. Supreme Court justice.

Adams clerked in 2006 and 2007 for Justice Clarence Thomas, whose son had attended VMI with Adams. From there, he worked as an associate counsel in the White House of President George W. Bush in 2007 and 2008 before moving back to Richmond near the end of the Bush administration to become an assistant U.S. attorney.

Adams said he does not come from an overtly political family but was naturally a Republican. He knows of no one in his family whos ever run for office before.

As a prosecutor, he handled the case of John W. Forbes, a former state finance secretary who was sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2010 for defrauding the state tobacco commission of $4 million.

In 2010, Adams left the U.S. Attorneys Office to join the law firm McGuireWoods in Richmond, and his friend and neighbor Mike Gill, also an assistant U.S. attorney at the time, handled Forbes sentencing. The two worked on several cases together. Gill went on to become chief of staff for the Drug Enforcement Administration and is now a director at the law firm Hancock, Daniel, Johnson & Nagle.

He is one of the most intelligent, hard-working guys that Ive ever known, Gill said of Adams. He worked hours on end in that job on the cases, and he was very passionate about the cause, doing the right thing. And I really developed a deep respect for that. And also how he treated people. Hes got a great sense of whats right.

Gill added: I was very excited when I found out that he wanted to run for attorney general because I think that he is one of the most solid, grounded individuals Ive known.

Adams is on unpaid leave from McGuireWoods, whose law firm and consulting wing are one of the most powerful political entities in the state, and a national presence.

Most of Adams work in white-collar criminal defense at McGuireWoods was in other states. His brother Tray Adams is senior vice president of state government relations with McGuireWoods Consulting. The law firms chairman is Richard Cullen, a former state attorney general and U.S. attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia whose current clients include Vice President Mike Pence.

John Adams work for the firm included representing banks, accounting firms and corporations under federal investigation. He rose to head the firms government investigations and white-collar litigation department.

A lot of what I do is representing clients who are in sometimes difficult spots, so I tend not to talk about it, he said. One of the things about being a lawyer is respecting your clients privacy.

Adams handled the defense of Simon Hounslow, who was the only one of five defendants a jury acquitted in 2013 in a vast federal fraud trial in Norfolk involving the Bank of the Commonwealth.

Adams is a friend of U.S. Sen. Mike Lee, R-Utah, who clerked for Supreme Court Justice Samuel A. Alito while Adams clerked for Thomas. Lee, as a senator, has suggested Adams run for office. And I always said no, Adams said.

Adams, who has supported Republican candidates, said, I never actually thought I would be running for office.

What changed, he said, is how Herring has handled the job. Adams announced his run in January 2016. At the time, state Del. Robert B. Bell, R-Albemarle, was already running for the Republican nomination.

When I saw the way that Mark Herring had politicized the office, and then when he said that he was going to run for re-election, thats when I decided that I could do something about it, Adams said. And the reason I got in  I had a lot of respect for Rob Bell, who I knew was running  but I thought because of what had happened in the Attorney Generals Office, a candidate who wasnt a career politician would have the strongest argument for running against Mark.

Bell ended his campaign in November 2016, citing his duties as a father to two young children, one with special needs. Virginia Beach attorney Chuck Smith did not qualify for the June primary ballot, leaving Adams unopposed for the Republican nomination.

Among people Adams asked for advice was Jerry Kilgore, a Republican who served as Virginias attorney general from 2002 to 2005. I had never done anything like this, Adams said.

When asked for examples of how Herring had politicized the office, Adams first cited the states law requiring voters to show a photo ID. Herring opposes the law on policy grounds, but defended it in court via outside counsel. Adams said that cost taxpayers extra, though, and Herring should have defended the law  which has withstood challenges  himself.

Adams also criticizes Herring for not defending the states ban on gay marriage, which Virginia voters approved in 2006. The U.S. Supreme Court later made gay marriage the law of the land. But Adams says he would have defended the ban and any law passed by voters or the legislature because its the attorney generals job.

We have an attorney general whos not enforcing or defending the laws of Virginia, he said.

Adams is opposed to gay marriage, while Herring, who opposed it as a state senator, has championed it as attorney general.

I have a religious faith that tells me that marriage is a sacred institution between a man and a woman. Thats what I believe, Adams said.

Among other critiques, Adams noted that Herring has filed briefs in court opposing right to work  the laws that say workers cannot be forced to pay union dues as a condition of employment. Virginia has such a law, making it a right to work state.

And he said Herrings political activism in the areas of gun control and his opposition to President Donald Trumps proposed travel bans from certain Muslim majority countries are further examples of politicization of the office. Adams backs Trumps position.

The two candidates held their first debate June 17 in Virginia Beach. Herring painted Adams as a defender of embezzlers and money launderers, said Adams would ban abortion in all cases and had fought against womens access to birth control.

The reference was to Adams work on behalf of Hobby Lobby.

The retailer won a 5-4 decision in 2014 at the U.S. Supreme Court, which ruled that requiring family-owned companies to pay for contraception for employees violated religious freedom. Adams said his position was that the government should not tell an employer to violate its own religious beliefs  and that he was not interested in limiting womens access to birth control.

Fundraising emails by Herring, however, selectively pulled part of his comments from the debate, creating the impression Adams did not care about the issue at all.

I dont care about limiting it, Adams said in an interview. It was very clear to anybody who was in the room.

Do people really think Im running for attorney general to limit womens access to birth control? Thats crazy, right?

These social issues will be debated until November.

Herring campaign manager Adam Zuckerman said in an email: John Adams cannot credibly say he doesnt care about limiting womens access to birth control when he volunteered to fight twice in federal court to do just that. The Supreme Court itself said our decision in these cases is concerned solely with the contraceptive mandate and Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg said the courts decision would deny legions of women who do not hold their employers beliefs access to contraceptive coverage.

Meanwhile, the GOP ticket is excited about Adams. He joined gubernatorial nominee Ed Gillespie  who worked in the Bush White House at the same time as Adams  and lieutenant governor nominee Jill Holtzman Vogel on Saturday morning at kickoff events for GOP field offices across the state.

Adams wife, Lisa, and their sons Thomas, 12, Daniel, 10, Andrew, 6, and Henry, 5, joined.

At the field office in Chesterfield, state Sen. Amanda F. Chase, a Republican who represents the area, said she and Adams had the same government teacher.

Hes so smart and so capable and the fact that hes from Chesterfield is incredible, Chase said.

State Del. Roxann L. Robinson, R-Chesterfield, told Adams, Were proud that you kind of came out of nowhere and said, Im going to do this.

Hes taking on the giant, she said.
PM fires Marlene again

She was yesterday summoned to the Prime Ministers Residence at St Anns to face Rowley, but afterwards flatly refused to take questions from reporters .

At 1.08 pm yesterday media houses received notification of her firing in a statement emailed in the name of the Governments Press Secretary (Arlene Goring-George), just 48 hours after her return to Cabinet last Friday .

Prime Minister Dr the Honourable Keith Rowley has today advised President Anthony Carmona to revoke the appointment of Ms .

Marlene McDonald, Minister of Public Utilities with immediate effect .

Ms McDonald was recently sworn in as Minister in the Ministry of Public Utilities after a sixteen (16) month period of absence from the Cabinet. The President has also been advised that the portfolio of Public Utilities should be assigned to the Prime Minister who will now assume these duties in addition to his other responsibilities. The statement did not say why she was dismissed, and Newsday yesterday could not contact any Government Member to defend Rowley, not even he himself .

Last Friday Mc Donald was sworn in by President Anthony Carmona and then took her place in the House of Representatives as Minister of Public Utilities, but speculation ran rife that the very swearing-in ceremony carried the seeds of her dismissal .

The advocacy group, Fixin T&T in an online post raised red flags about guest, Sea Lots personality Cedric Burke, whose presence reportedly alarmed Special Branch officers at the event and reportedly incensed Rowley upon his learning of it later on .

Previously Mc Donald had served as Minister of Community Development in the Rowley Administration but was fired over a year ago. Questions had arisen over her alleged recommendation of public housing for her male companion, Michael Carew .

She was also queried over donations from her ministry when she was minister in 2010 of $375,000 and $200,000 plus another sum to the Calabar Foundation, of which Carew was said to be a director. Mc Donald had assured all was above board .

Kamla: Govt is inept Yesterday, Opposition Leader Kamla Persad-Bissessar in a statement said the episode shows the Governments ineptness, plus Rowleys unfitness for office. The problems Rowley now faces within his Cabinet are because of his lack of vision, leadership and judgement when choosing these individuals .

The Prime Minister restored Ms McDonald to ministerial office even as she was under active investigation by both the Integrity Commission and the police and whilst concerns continued to be expressed about her fitness for office .

It appears that nothing has changed since Ms McDonald was removed as a Minister and the Prime Minister should have already known his MP had questionable associations .

The re-appointment of Ms Mc- Donald highlighted the absence of capable and skilled personnel available to the Prime Minister. It took just three days for the Prime Ministers reshuffle to be confirmed as a misdeal. I expect that in the coming days, more questions will be raised regarding the prudence of other choices the Prime Minister made during his Cabinet reshuffle and appointments. Persad-Bissessar hit Mc Donald for breaching protocol by having at her swearing-in someone known to the police, even as the country is besieged by violent crimes .

It is increasingly evident that the Rowley regime has collapsed in office because of the Prime Ministers incompetence as a leader, which is highlighted by his lack of skill, compassion and commitment to take Trinidad and Tobago out of its current critical state. Persad-Bissessar said Rowley should now resign and seek a fresh mandate. Yesterday Opposition MP for Oropouche East Dr Roodal Moonilal told Newsday that Mc Donalds sudden re-hiring and firing was unheard of before .

She was sworn in on Friday, sworn at on Saturday, and sworn out on Sunday. Dr Rowleys actions have brought the Peoples National Movement (PNM) as a party into disrepute. Moonilal also said it was untenable for Rowley as Prime Minister to run the Ministry of Public Utilities. This is a mega ministry which needs a 24/7 hands-on approach. I imagine he is in a holding position, searching for another minister. Moonilal also alleged that Mc Donald may have committed an act tantamount to an act of treason by breaching the security of President Carmona by the presence of Burke (although she has denied inviting him) .

Ghany: Saga absolutely incredible Political analyst Dr Hamid Ghany said the saga reflected badly on Rowley, saying it was absolutely incredible for Mc Donald to be appointed on Friday and fired on Monday. Ghany said, I think that when he made the appointment he knew he was taking a risk and he said that if anything further came up with the Integrity Commission he will be prepared to act. That signalled to me that he was prepared to dismiss her again, if anything adverse came up .

I dont think he gambled it would have happened this soon, and that it would have been something totally unrelated to the Integrity Commission. His thinking was he that would dismiss her again, and that is where my problem lies because that really is not the way to run a government. You cant run a government on the basis that if something comes up I will act. Ghany said Rowley may not have said why he dismissed her but he said concerns have been raised in the media that top military and intelligence officials were alarmed at Burkes presence. I dont know the nature if their alarm but if it anything related to security, Dr Rowley is chair of the National Security Council and he obviously may know of certain things that the rest of us may not know anything about, and that may have caused him to take action .

But it is hugely embarrassing to him personally, because Stuart Young (Minister in the OPM) on Saturday said that these matters are the sole domain of the Prime Minister, so there is no-one else to whom you can point a finger on this fiasco but the Prime Minister. Ghany said while Mc Donald would have earned her spurs by having prior ministerial and parliamentary experience, she had problems at her screening for the 2015 General Elections, arising from Fixin T&Ts claims, for which she was ultimately dismissed in 2016 .

It was an old story that eventually caught up with her by March 2016 .

There are Integrity Commission issues still up in the air, which the Prime Minister knew about, which he commented on and which he said that if something came up he would act. So he baked into the cake the fact that he was prepared to dismiss her again and that is where my problem lies with it. That is a governance challenge because when a prime minister says I will be prepared to dismiss my minister again if something embarrassing comes up, it raises questions about judgement and about the whole governance/management issue .

That is my real concern .

This is something that didnt have to happen, on two fronts .

Firstly, the Prime Minister didnt have to appoint her, so I dont know what the pressure was or what the internal issue was that led him to appoint her. Secondly, Ghany said the confusion over the guest-list she obviously wanted to add persons to her guest list and Presidents House is saying she was going to supply the names and the names were not supplied and the gentleman was there on the day in question. A number of things were said in the media but they are mere allegations. What would have caused Dr Rowley to take this action. If it is related to the guest then he is NSC chairman and he must now why it would be so serious that he would have to dismiss her two days or 48 hours after appointing her. This was absolutely incredible that she was sworn in on Friday and dismissed on Sunday. Burke silent Efforts to reach Mc Donalds controversial guest Cedric Burkie Burke yesterday were futile. Newsday visited his home in Sea Lots but was told he was asleep .

ACP in charge of crime Irwin Hackshaw told Newsday Burke was known to police for his affiliation with the Rasta City gang, as well as other criminal activities. He did not give specifics .

In 2011, Burke was among several people who were arrested in the Eastern Port of Spain area, for gang affiliation, however he was subsequently released without charge .

Burke was again arrested in Sea Lots in April 2013 along with 12 other people after police conducted a dragnet in response to a rash of gang violence a month before .

Burke has defended himself, saying he is a legitimate businessman who owns several construction and security companies. I am a businessman and I have all the proof to prove I am a legitimate businessman .

I have never been convicted in this country or any country for anything whatsoever, he said in 2013 .

(With additional reporting by Sasha Harrinanan and Ryan Hamilton-Davis)
No One Will

Ever Smash

Stuff Quite

Like He Did
A mother in Amarillo, Texas, has become a social media hero after fighting off an attacker early Friday. Jessica Collins, 27, says she was punched in the nose by a man in the parking lot of her apartment complex at 2:30am after going out to her car to retrieve a phone charger, KPRC reports. Thankfully, Collins' own mother had taught her a self-defense tactic years before from a women's TV documentary: Carry your keys between your fingers. So Collins punched the man in the neck with a right hook, stabbing him with those keys, and he fled, holding his neck.

Collins immediately went to the police to report the attack and officers were able to collect the assailant's DNA from her keys. Collins posted a picture of her face and keys on Facebook on Friday in the hopes of educating other women about the value of the self-defense technique. "I am just trying to raise awareness so many women and girls these days don't pay attention or think (until) it's too late," Collins wrote. "So I'm not only trying to inform people but maybe even save lives." As of this writing, Collins' Facebook post had been shared 67,000 times. Her assailant remains at large. (Elsewhere, kidnappers learned that it's unwise to mess with a sharpshooter.)
Your mission, dolphins, should you choose to accept it: Rescue a rare porpoise threatened with extinction. That's the assignment for a group of US Navy-trained dolphins that Mexican officials hope will save the endangered vaquita, the BBC reports. The plan is for the dolphins to find the pint-size porpoises, who are known for their smirks, and herd them to safety at a marine refuge. At only 55 inches long, the vaquitas, or "little cows," are the smallest and most threatened marine mammal, per the AP. There are fewer than 40 of them left in the world, which means in the Gulf of California, their only habitat. The dolphin mission is set to deploy in September.

"We've spent the past year working alongside the US Navy with a group of dolphins they had trained to search for missing scuba divers," Mexico's environment minister tells Formula Radio, per the BBC. Now the dolphins are being retrained to hunt for vaquitas. In another bid to protect the porpoise, Mexico last week permanently banned fishing with gill netsalso called ghost nets, as they're nearly invisible to marine life, notes the APin the upper Gulf. The nets are used to catch fish such as the totoaba, valued in Chinese medicine for its bladder, by trapping their heads but not their bodies. Illegal use of the nets has drawn the condemnation of conservation groups and a foundation run by Leonardo DiCaprio, who tweeted the ban was "great news." Mexico is the first country to ban gill nets. (A totoaba bladder can fetch more than $4,000.)
A chilling find deep under old Mexico City has experts rethinking the Aztec practice of human sacrifice, Reuters reports. Archaeologists who discovered a tower of more than 650 skulls and fragments were stunned to see the crania of women and children. The new find is believed to be part of the Huey Tzompantli, a fabled tower of skulls that terrified the conquistadores, the BBC notes. A soldier who was part of Cortes' conquest of Mexico in 1521 noted tens of thousands of skulls, thought to be the severed heads of captured warriors. The team of diggers who began their work below the Metropolitan Cathedral in 2015once the site of the Aztec Templo Mayorexpected to find the skulls of "just men, obviously young men, as warriors would be," says archaeologist Rodrigo Bolanos.

But finding the skulls of women and kids added a whole new twist to the Aztec practice of human sacrifice made as an offering to the sun. "Something is happening that we have no record of, and this is really new," Bolanos adds. The skulls would have been formed into the creepy tower, around 19.5 feet in diameter, after a period of public display. It was once part of the chapel of Huitzilopochtli, Aztec god of the sun, war, and human sacrifice. So far, the team has found 676 skulls and the excavation is continuing. (Digging for Rome's new subway was described as a "Pompeii-like scene.")
The pilot of a Cessna 421 and all five passengers were killed early Saturday when the aircraft crashed in a forest in northern Wisconsin, authorities say. National Transportation Safety Board investigators say the pilot mentioned a "weather phenomenon" to air traffic controllers shortly before the plane dropped off the radar near the town of Phillips, USA Today reports. The Price County Sheriff's Office says the plane was carrying a group of men heading from Chicago to Canada for a fishing trip, the AP reports. The Tioga Elementary School in Bensenville, Ill., has identified two of the victims as physical education teacher Thomas DeMauro and maintenance director Charles Tomlitz.

Price County Sheriff's Lt. Gabe Lind says a volunteer who owned a helicopter helped rescue workers locate the wreckage, reports the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel. Volunteers spent the night searching an area that included thick woods and swamp, the Chicago Tribune reports. Sheriff Brian Schmidt says local bar owner Sandy Jensen went "above and beyond" when she heard about the hungry volunteers and sent over dozens of cheeseburgers, along with candy from the Fourth of July parade. "That's what the world's all about is people helping people," she tells WSAW. (On Friday, a Cessna crashed on a California freeway.)
Melanie Wilkes wasn't a "petty gossip," and neither was the actress who portrayed her on Gone With the Wind, per an invasion-of-privacy lawsuit filed involving FX's Feud: Bette and Joan miniseries. Olivia de Havilland, who turned 101 over the weekend, says in her complaint against FX Networks and Ryan Murphy Productions that the character based on her real-life persona, played by Catherine Zeta-Jones in the FX series, was a "false" portrayal of her and of events that took place, Courthouse News Service reports. Specifically, de Havilland disputes an interview with her that was purported to have taken place at the 1963 Oscars, and which was reenacted in the FX show. The suit is looking for damages for "emotional harm" and "harm to her reputation," per the New York Times.

This portrayal "creates the public impression that she was a hypocrite, selling gossip in order to promote herself at the Academy Awards," which is "false," the suit says. De Havilland, who says the show can't hide behind First Amendment protections, also takes exception to the depiction of her character calling her now-deceased sister Joan Fontaine a "bitch," as well as saying Frank Sinatra sucked down all of the backstage booze at the Oscars. As the one person depicted in the show who's still alive, de Havilland was especially chagrined not to be contacted for her take before it aired, the Hollywood Reporter notesa fact Murphy himself acknowledged in an April interview with the magazine. "I didn't write Olivia because I didn't want to be disrespectful and ask her, 'Did this happen? Did that happen?'" he said at the time. (Amelia Earhart's plane was foundin an old Joan Crawford movie.)
Arab nations extended a deadline early Monday for Qatar to respond to their list of demands in a diplomatic crisis roiling the Gulf, saying Kuwait's emir requested the delay as part of his efforts to mediate the dispute. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, and Bahrain cut off ties with the country on June 5, restricting access to their airspace and ports and sealing Qatar's only land border, which it shares with Saudi Arabia. They issued a 13-point list of demands to end the standoff June 22 and gave the natural-gas-rich country 10 days to comply. The new deadline will expire late Tuesday or early Wednesday, the AP reports.

"We stand ready to defend our country," Qatari Defense Minister Khalid bin Mohammed al-Attiyah told Sky News. "I hope that we don't come to a stage where, you know, a military intervention is made." Qatar's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, showed no signs of backing down in during a press briefing in Rome on Saturday, saying the demands were never meant to be accepted and that his country "is prepared to face whatever consequences." Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has tried to resolve the dispute, with the US last week urging Saudi Arabia and its allies to stay "open to negotiation." (Read more Qatar stories.)
The Sileri Crater, one of Indonesia's most active volcanoes, erupted Sunday, but although there were injuries, no one perished as the mountain spewed its lava, ash, and mud up to 165 feet in the airuntil, that is, a rescue helicopter was sent in to help those at the site. CNN and the AP report that eight members of the country's emergency services team died when a National Search and Rescue chopper went down while on its way to help out. Injury reports are still murky, with the Antara News state agency saying four tourists at the volcano were hurt during the eruption, while ABC Australia reports at least 10 were injured. The number of visitors at the scene at the time has been listed as being between one and two dozen. "We were all panicking," one sightseer tells the Jakarta Post. "It was terrifying."

The helicopter slammed into a cliff on nearby Mount Butak, just three minutes before it was set to arrive at the Dieng Plateau, the Guardian reports. Four navy officers and four rescue workers died, per an NSR director, who added the Dauphin AS365 made in Indonesia was safe to fly. The Jakarta Globe, which notes the helicopter crashed at around 5pm local time, reports a group of journalists had been on board the helicopter earlier in the day, but they were dropped off at an airport before the chopper headed to the eruption site. The bodies of those who died are said to have been retrieved by their families from a Semarang hospital. The volcano is closed for now to tourists due to the eruption, which Antara says was caused by "gas pressure," per CNN. (There's an Italian supervolcano scientists are keeping a wary eye on.)
The US is "deliberately [stirring] up troubles" in the South China Sea, a rep from China's Foreign Affairs Ministry said Sunday in a statement, referring to an incident it's calling a "serious political and military provocation." Per the BBC, that alleged provocation was the USS Stethem warship sailing within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, a disputed piece of land located in the Paracel Islands (the Chinese refer to the archipelago as the Xisha Islands). Although a US defense official tells the AP the ship was simply carrying out a "right of innocent passage" exercise near the islandwhich is claimed not only by China, but also by Vietnam and Taiwanthe Chinese responded by dispatching military vessels and fighter planes to the area.

The ship's presence "violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace ... and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands," the ministry rep noted. Twelve nautical miles is an internationally agreed-upon territorial limit, meaning the Stethem's voyage indicates the US doesn't recognize China's claim on the island, Reuters notes. The AP reports that, in a Monday phone call, Chinese President XI Jinping told President Trump "some negative factors" were damaging the US-China relationship. That call was not only preceded by the Stethem incident, but also by US sanctions on a Chinese bank with North Korea ties and sour feelings from the US selling arms to Taiwan, per the AP. (Are there weapons on China's man-made islands?)
/

When ISIS Is Beaten in Syria and Iraq, Then What?

Without a clear strategy, it's a 'dangerous situation,' says one analyst
When the Supreme Court wrapped up its current term, all eyes were on Anthony Kennedy amid rumors that he'd announce his retirement. He did not do so, but the rumors are gaining steam once again thanks to an NPR story. The focus of the piece was on new Justice Neil Gorsuch, but Rick Hasen at the Election Law Blog saw "big news" hiding in the midst of it, specifically that Kennedy has been warning potential clerks for the October 2018 term that he's considering retirement.

Hasen points out that could mean Kennedy would step down just before the 2018 midterm elections, leaving Senate Republicans with a choice: try to confirm a new justice before the elections or deliberately wait in a bid to boost GOP turnout. The hiring of clerks isn't necessarily a surefire way to make predictions about justices, observes a post at New York. But it notes that Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who wouldn't want President Trump to name her successor, has her clerks selected through 2020. (Read more Anthony Kennedy stories.)
Following President Trump's latest tweet controversy, many are flocking to Twitter to suggest the POTUS be banned from the social media service, Elite Daily reports. Users are suggesting that Trump's tweets, including the recent one showing a WWE wrestling video in which he appears to clobber "CNN," violate Twitter's terms of use due to cyberbullying, harassment, and abuse. Some are calling for other users to report Trump's account, with the hashtag #TwitterBanTrump gaining popularity. Newsday points out that some of Trump's tweets, like those against Morning Joe co-host Mika Brzezinski, do seem to violate this line in the Terms of Service: "You may not incite or engage in the targeted abuse or harassment of others." But Twitter reviewed at least one of Trump's recent tweets (the WWE one) and told CNN Sunday it doesn't violate any rules.

So, at least for now, Trump's account won't be suspended. Adrienne LaFrance writes for the Atlantic that Trump is testing the social media site's harassment policy, laying out the entire policy (which also includes clauses against "violent threats" and "hateful conduct"). "Whats a company like Twitter to do when one of its userswho is also the president of the United States, by the wayincessantly publishes attacks against individuals?" she writes. "Nothing, apparently. At least nothing yet. The thornier question is: What should it do? Only rarely would any news organization turn down the opportunity to exclusively print or broadcast a message from the president." Trump himself responded over the weekend to critics complaining his tweets aren't presidential: "My use of social media is not Presidential - its MODERN DAY PRESIDENTIAL. Make America Great Again!" (Read more President Trump stories.)
"We want to make what's intimate, public." So says 23-year-old Victor Hugo Prada, who is gearing up to marry the two loves of his life after Colombia agreed to legalize a three-way union between Prada and his two boyfriendsperhaps the first such legalized "throuples" union not only in the South American country, but in the world, the Guardian notes. The paperwork joining Prada, Manuel Bermudez, and John Alejandro Rodriguez, which has already been signed off on by a Medellin notary, makes them a bona fide family unit in the eyes of the law, including for inheritance purposes, per News Corp Australia. "We wanted to validate our household ... and our rights," Prada said in a video making the rounds in Colombian media on Monday.

German Rincon-Perfetti, the lawyer behind the groundbreaking document, is careful to note this isn't considered a "marriage" under Colombian law. "A marriage is between two people, so we had to come up with a new word: a special patrimonial union," he says, per the Guardian. Bermudez and Rodriguez were the first to enter into the relationship 18 years ago, as well as the first male gay couple in the nation legally recognized in 2000 for their union. There was originally a fourth member in this polyamorous relationship: Alex Esneider Zabala, who started a relationship with Bermudez and Rodriguez in 2004. Zabala died of cancer three years ago, however, just one year after Prada also entered the picture. "There are a lot of throuples [around the world], but it is completely clandestine," Rincon Perfetti notes. A ceremony for the three men is being planned to take place in the next few months. (Read more Colombia stories.)
French authorities say a man has been hit with preliminary terrorism charges for plotting an attack on President Emmanuel Macronat a time when President Trump would be visiting. A Paris prosecutor's office spokeswoman says that the 23-year-old suspect's plans were vague and that he appeared to be acting alone. She said the man was arrested in the Argenteuil suburb Thursday, and told police of a plan to attack Macron on Bastille Day on July 14. Macron will oversee a military parade in Paris that day alongside Trump, per the AP. It wasn't clear whether Trump's presence was a factor in the alleged plot.

The suspect was given preliminary charges Saturday of individual terrorist activity. Police found three kitchen knives in his vehicle and said he'd been looking up potential targets on the internet. Police say he also expressed nationalist views, voicing a desire to attack "Muslims, Jews, blacks, homosexuals," per AFP. The man previously spent time in prison for condoning terrorism by praising the 2011 attack by Norwegian Anders Breivik that left 77 people dead. (Read more Emmanuel Macron stories.)
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New Delhi:

Nawazuddin Siddiqui does justice to every character he plays on screen and the actor says he consciously takes up roles that can be stereotyped.



The 43-year-old actor says categorising is a bad practice in Bollywood. He believes the hero is the most typecast character as he keeps rehashing the same character.



In an interview with PTI, Nawaz says, "If one has to, at all, one should put the roles played by our heroes in boxes. Because, sadly, it is the hero who has been typecast... He keeps doing the same character again and again. Actors, like us, cannot be put in boxes."



Nawaz has an impressive list of performances to his credit in films such as "Gangs of Wasseypur" series, "Te3n", "The Lunchbox", "Talaash", "Badlapur" and "Bajrangi Bhaijaan".



Most of his roles veer towards negative to gray but the actor says irrespective of the genres, they are never one-shaded.



"I like doing grey roles more... they have more depth, more complexity. I can't do these larger-than-life hero or villain-like characters because they don't interest me. I hate these two extremes in this world, as they don't have any shades in them.



"Because I observe characters from real life, I know people have both good and bad characteristics in them. When you put both of them together, what you get is a complete human being."



Nawazuddin will next be seen in thriller-drama "Mom", featuring Sridevi in the lead role. He essays the role of Dayashankar Kapoor in the movie, releasing this Friday on July 7.



"He is someone whom you would have come across in real life but would not have paid attention to. Such people appear normal but if they come in front of you, they possess a quality to take you in their confidence."



After Ravi Udyawar's directorial debut, Nawazuddin has two more releases ihn 2017-- "Munna Micheal" and "Babumoshai Bandookbaaz".



The actor, who has been working round-the-clock for a long time, says he has no fear of overexposure and boring the audience with his constant presence on the celluloid as he has an unending stock to tap into.



"I have done over 2,000 characters in theatre in seven years. I have a lot of 'masala' to show. I have this confidence, which allows me to try different roles in every film I do next.



"The ones who get scared are those who feel they have nothing else left to show. I have a lot of characters stored in my bank," says Nawazuddin.



He is rapidly gaining fans with each of his performances but the actor says he keeps travelling to his village to get a reality check and believes stardom will not be a roadblock for him.



"If you go out and see, there are thousands of characters with their own story, uniqueness and behaviour. If you observe someone closely, you will get a lot of material from there. If you have shut yourself behind glass doors, then it will be a problem."



'Mom' also features Akshaye Khanna and Pakistani actors Sajal Ali and Adnan Siddiqui.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

In a shocking incident, the national carrier Air India's flight from Bagdogra to Delhi took off with a faulty air conditioning system on Sunday, causing suffocation to passengers.



The flight took off on Sunday at 1.50 PM from Bagdogra and landed in Delhi 25 minutes before scheduled time (of 4.05 PM) at 3.40 PM.



A passenger on the flight made a video during the flight, which shows passengers in discomfort. Several people can be seen using their flight manuals as fans for some respite. Passengers complained of suffocation and discourteous behaviour of the flight attendants, in the video.

#WATCH Air India Delhi-Bagdogra flight took off with faulty AC system, passengers protested complaining of suffocation pic.twitter.com/3nibvSrb1E  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Also read:

Air India cautions its employees from speaking against airline on social media

Cabinet gives in-principle approval for disinvestment of Air India



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New Delhi:

All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) legislator Akbaruddin Owaisi made some shocking statements during a speech on Monday.The younger Owaisi, who's known for his provocative speeches alleged that Parliament and assemblies pass laws against Muslims.

Akbaruddin, floor leader of AIMIM in the Telangana assembly, also used offensive language against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his speech.

"People of VHP and Bajrang Dal, Narendra Modi listen: This country is not your father's property," he said. "This country belongs to me as much as it belongs to you," he further added.

He called for unity of Muslims and said his brother Asaduddin Owaisi, MP and National President of AIMIM, can win enough votes to increase the presence of Muslims in Parliament, and consequently ensure laws are made that can give them their rights.

ALSO READ: Asaduddin Owaisi dares Amit Shah to contest from Hyderabad seat

The laws that destroy Muslims are not made on roads, marketplaces or grounds but in Parliament, Assemblies and municipalities. If Muslims want and if they all come together then we will not need anybodys mercy or help or actions. Our brother himself with his vote can win Indias 50 Parliament seats, Owaisi said in a video footage.

READ: PMs statement on cow vigilantism was mere lip service, says Owaisi

The controversial leader had in the past spent 40 days in jail in a case registered against him for hate speech at an election rally.

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New Delhi:

Samajwadi Party leader and daughter-in-law of Mulayam Singh Yadav, Aparna Yadav on Monday replied over allegations of allocation of 86 percent of government fund to Jeev Ashraya NGO which is being operated by her.

Aparna Yadav said if an NGO is working for the welfare of the animal, it must be given financial grants.

So, what is wrong in it? If some organisation is doing good work for the welfare of animals then why should it not be backed financially, she asked.

So what is wrong in it? If some org is doing good work for welfare of animals then why should it not be held financially?: Aparna Yadav pic.twitter.com/HSNn5Qmrnl  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 3, 2017

Nearly 86 per cent of the grant sanctioned by the SP government for organisations working for cow welfare in Uttar Pradesh went to an NGO run by the then chief minister Akhilesh Yadav's sister-in-law Aparna Yadav, an RTI reply has revealed.

To a query by activist Nutan Thakur, the UP Gau Sewa Aayog replied that from 2012 to 2017, it sanctioned Rs 9.66 crore, of which Rs 8.35 crore (86.4 per cent) went to Jeev Ashraya, the NGO run by Aparna Yadav.

Also Read: Akhilesh Yadav celebrates 45th birthday, party workers hold various programmes in Uttar Pradesh

Aparna is the wife of Prateek Yadav, the step-brother of Akhilesh Yadav. Her NGO runs a gaushala at Amausi in Lucknow district.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
Mumbai:

The case of rioting against Indrani Mukerjea, the prime accused in the Sheena Bora murder case, and some 200 other inmates of Byculla womens prison in central Mumbai, has been handed over to the Mumbai crime branch.

Sanjay Saxena, Joint Commissioner of Police (crime), said yesterday that the crime branch had taken over the case from Nagpada police station.

Mukerjea, who is accused no 1 in this case, instigated other inmates to rioting after the death of a convict, the police had claimed earlier.

The 44-year-old former media executive was among the nearly 200 inmates of the Byculla Jail booked by the Nagpada police for rioting and other offences after they staged a protest over the death of convict Manju Govind Shette.

Shette (45) died at the government-run J J Hospital on the night of June 23 after allegedly being beaten up by jail officials.

The next day, enraged women inmates rose in protest, some of them went up to the prisons roof, while others made a bonfire of newspapers and documents on the premises to express their anger, a police official said.

The inmates alleged that Shette was mercilessly beaten up by the woman prison official which led to her death.

Indrani instigated the inmates, police had claimed.

Six jail personnel were suspended in connection with

Shettes death. They were arrested on Saturday on the charge of murder.

Indrani, lodged in the prison after her arrest in August 2015, and the other inmates were booked for rioting, unlawful assembly, assault on public servant and other relevant sections of the IPC.

The jail houses 251 inmates.

Indrani, her former husband Sanjeev Khanna and ex-driver Shyamvar Rai are accused of killing 24-year-old Sheena, Indranis daughter from an earlier relationship, on April 24, 2012.

Also read: Sheena Bora murder case accused Indrani Mukerjea lodges police complaint against Byculla jail officials

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Beijing:

China on Monday dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying it too is different and warned that Beijing will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.



Jaitley, who responded to Chinas oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from historic lessons, had said, If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different.



He had also said the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing. Responding to Jaitleys remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different.



He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.



I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.



China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, he warned. China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan trijunction for almost a month.



Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.



Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a cover up for the illegal entry into the Dokalam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.



In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile, Geng said.



He said China has no objection to normal bilateral ties between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse.



Geng said the Bhutanese side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Dokalam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side.



Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing.



The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth, he said.



Ahead of the Foreign Ministry briefing, state-run Global Times quoted experts as saying that China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war.



As the standoff at the Dokalam area continued for the third week, the longest between the two sides, the official media and the think-tanks here said that war is possible if the conflict between India and China is not handled properly.



Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.



China is also different from what it was in 1962, Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, told the daily, reacting to Jaitleys comments.



Wang claimed India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both nations share many similarities such as huge populations and both are developing countries.

ALSO READ | Sikkim standoff: Indias actions in Doklam effort to show US its firm determination to constrain Chinas rise



There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border, the Global Times report said.



In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers, the daily said.



Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said.



Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war, Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper.

ALSO READ | Sikkim standoff: China posts map showing India, Bhutan territory as its own part of land



He said a conflict between the two sides may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US. India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides, Wang said.



The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that Indias Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an all-weather railway corridor with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry.



India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence, Zhao said.

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New Delhi:

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to quash the money laundering case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and son.



The court dismissed the petitions of Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and another person Chunni Lal.



The petitions are devoid of substance, consequentially the same are dismissed, Justice R K Gauba said.



The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier summoned 83-year-old Singh, his wife and son for questioning in this regard.



The ED had in September 2015 lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.

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New Delhi:

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday advised young IAS officers to avoid getting into a mindset that resists change, and fill Indias administrative system with the energy of New India.

Addressing IAS Officers of the 2015 batch at the Inaugural Session of Assistant Secretaries, the Prime Minister began by asserting that India has not progressed as much as it should have. He said countries that achieved independence after India, and faced greater resource constraints than India, have touched new heights of development. He said boldness is required to drive change, and added that a fragmented administrative arrangement does not allow the collective capabilities of officers to deliver to the optimum level. He said dynamic change is needed to transform the system.

Read more: Israel gets ready to host PM Modi, talks on cyber security expected

He said that this three month programme of Assistant Secretaries, is now into its third year, and would have a great impact. He urged the young officers to interact freely with the senior-most officers of the Union Government over the next three months, so that the system could benefit from the combination of their energy and fresh ideas, and the administrative experience of Secretary-level officers.

The Prime Minister asked the young officers to recall their life upto the day of the UPSC result, the challenges they faced; and use the opportunities they will now have, to bring about positive changes in the system, and the lives of the common people.

The Union Minister of State for Personnel, Public Grievances and Pensions, Dr. Jitendra Singh and senior Government Officers were present on the occasion.

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New Delhi:

The rift in the Bihar's Grand Alliance seems to be widening, even as JDU chief Nitish Kumar on Sunday expressed interest in attending anti-BJP rally in Patna on August 27.



The tensions in the 'hit formula for Bihar' became apparent when Nitish Kumar decided to back the NDA candidate for the Presidential Election Ram Nath Kovind against the 17 party alliance candidate Meira Kumar.



Recent rumours that Bihar CM will not attend the anti-Bhartiya Janta Party rally organised by RJD chief Lalu Prasad Yadav further added fuel to the fire. Nitish Kumar, however, cleared the air on Sunday by stating that he will attend, provided Lalu Prasad acts as a bigger man and invited him.



Addressing the party's executive committee members, Nitish also revealed the real reason why he decided to skip the June 22 meeting of the opposition parties to discuss its presidential candidate. Reportedly, Congress general secretary (Ghulam Nabi Azad) said something which he should not have at an iftar dinner in Patna on June 21.



Azad had said that the Congress was a party of ideology and principles that did not change its stand. It was a reference to the Bihar CM who'd announced support to the NDA's nominee Ram Nath Kovind after talking of an opposition candidate and even discussing this with Congress chief Sonia Gandhi. Congress has since accepted that the comment was avoidable.



"The JD(U) is not 'pichhlaggoo' (follower) of any party. We work in line with our principles and move on and we will continue doing so," said Nitish.



Nitish heads the JDU, RJD and Congress alliance government in Bihar. Yet, he is well known for taking independent and unpredictable stand when it comes to political alliances or support.



Will his recent actions aggravate the tensions in alliance and jeopardise his seat in the state or not is going to depend on what transpires in the August 27 anti-BJP rally.



RJD chief Lalu Yadav has already announced that rally will be attended by West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati.

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New Delhi:

The Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, designated global terrorist, has reportedly admitted on a Pakistan TV channel that he carried out terrorist attacks on Indian soil.

Speaking during an interview on Pakistani news channel Geo TV, Salahuddin asserted that he has many supporters in India. Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it, a report said.

"Till now our focus was on Indian occupation forces. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces," Salahuddin said in an interview with Geo TV.



Asserting that Kashmir was his home, the Hizbul chief stated that the Valley was witnessing an uprising since the killing of Burhan Wani.



Informing that he carried out many operations in India, Salahuddin stated that the international scenario changed after 9/11.



"If we would have taken our operations out of Kashmir at that time, India would get a chance to label Kashmir-e-Tehreek a terrorist organization. We have support and we can target any place in India, at anytime," he said.



United States put Salahuddin in the 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' list after Prime Minister Narendra Modi met US President Donald Trump during India-US Summit in Washington late last month.



Pakistan slammed the decision and said that 'US'designation of the individuals supporting the right of self-determination of Kashmiris as terrorists as completely unjustified'.



Pakistan shall continue to extend political, diplomatic and moral support for the just struggle of the Kashmiri people for the realisation of the right to self-determination and the peaceful resolution of the Jammu and Kashmir dispute in accordance with UN Security Council Resolutions, the Foreign Ministry said in Islamabad in a statement.



The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified, a ministry spokesperson said in a statement without naming Salahuddin.



The 70-year long indigenous struggle of Kashmiris remains legitimate, the spokesperson claimed.



Hizbul Mujahideen chief Mohammad Yousuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, who was on Tuesday declared a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist' by the United States, is wanted in over 50 terror cases in India, including Jammu and Kashmir, reports said on Wednesday. The cases include hawala funding, assassination, abduction and attacks on security forces.



Investigating agencies have filed charge sheets in some cases, while the probe is still on in few others. Since Salahuddin has been absconding, little headway has been made in these cases.



The 71-year-old politician-turned-terrorist leader is based in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) since 1993. He is also the head of the United Jihad Council, an umbrella group of over a dozen terrorist outfits based in PoK. In 2013, the National Investigation Agency (NIA) court had declared him as a proclaimed offender in a Rs 80 crore terror funding case. Also, an Interpol Red Notice is pending against Salahuddin.

(Read full profile here)

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Guwahati:

India and Bangladesh should fight their common enemies like poverty and terrorism together, said Assam Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal at India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue.

We have common enemies, problems and threats. Those have to be combated and fought together. Our common enemy is poverty and together we have to fight that. Our common threats, which of course are also a global threat, are terrorism and fundamentalism, Sonowal said.

He was addressing the inaugural programme of the 8th Round of India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue in Guwahati.

Territories of India and Bangladesh should not be allowed to be used for activities inimical to the interest of either of the countries, Sonowal said.

He also highlighted the need to improve market access and remove barriers of trade, including port restrictions, to ensure smooth movements of goods.

Union Minister of State for External Affairs M J Akbar said both the countries were showing a model relationship for mutual growth.

He said 35 agreements were signed during Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas visit to India and 22 pacts were inked during her Indian counterpart Narendra Modis visit to Bangladesh.

Of these agreements, 13 were commercial in nature, which were expected to bring industrial growth in both the countries, Akbar said.

Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs Shahriar Alam said both the countries need to cement ties for mutual growth.

Stating that a prosperous Bangladesh can contribute to the growth of India, he requested the India government to provide market access for their products.

Also read: Assam: CM Sarbananda Sonowal reviews preparedness as heavy rains affect 60,000 people

Also read: Assam CM Sonowal meets Chinese Ambassador to India Luo Zhaohui

Assam Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue, Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs, m Chief Minister, Sarbananda Sonowal, India-Bangladesh Friendship Dialogue, Shahriar Alam, Bangladesh State Minister for Foreign Affairs, India news

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New Delhi:

Ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis scheduled visit to Israel on July 4, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Monday said that bilateral support on cyber security will be an important agenda during the talks with PM Modi.

Netanyahu said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi is most important Prime Minister in world and he wants many bilateral cooperation in the field of cyber security.

Netanyahu said that earlier it was negative to call that we belong to Israel but now when we talk about cyber and advanced technology, it is positive thing to say that we belong to Israeli company. He added that whole world is now approaching us.

Israeli PM said that India is third fastest growing economy and PM Modi wants support in many fields including water, agriculture, health etc.

On the occasion of completion of 25 years in India-Israel political relations, PM Modi is slated to visit Israel on 3-day tour on July 4.

Also read: PM Modi is world's most important prime minister, says Israeli daily ahead of his visit

Also read: Benjamin Netanyahu: Israel faces dozens of cyber attacks every month



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New Delhi:

Indian Army, Police and CRPF in a joint "cordon and search" operation on Sunday found no terrorists in Malangpora area of Pulwama in Jammu and Kashmir. The operation was carried out by the forces to nab the terrorists.

In a similar incident, Security forces on Saturday gunned down two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including commander Bashir Lashkari in Kashmirs Anantnag district on Saturday, police said. Bashir Lashkari was behind the killing of six policemen last month.

Two civilians, 44-year-old Tahira and 21-year-old Shadab Ahmad Chopan, were also killed during the operation in Brenti-Batpora village in Dialgam area of the district, police said. The encounter is over. Two militants have been killed, Director General of Police S P Vaid said.

Also read: Jammu and Kashmir: Army begins joint cordon and search operation with CRPF, police to nab terrorists in Pulwama

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New Delhi:

An eminent lawyer and a constitutional expert, Kottayan Katankot Venugopal also known as KK Venugopal has succeeded Mukul Rohatgi to become the new Attorney General of India following the latters decision to step down as the top law officer.

Born in 1931, Venugopal has over 60 years of experience and is highly regarded in judicial circle. Venugopal began his career in 1954. In the 1960s, the 86-year-old moved to Delhi after practicing in Chennai.



In 1972, he got the status of Senior Advocate, thanks to his rising prominence and stellar track record. He remained a Senior Advocate for 45 years. In 1977, he was the solici



He has been a senior advocate for 45 years. He was the solicitor general in the Janata Party government in 1977. Venugopal has been involved in many high-profile cases. The Royal Government of Bhutan took his services as an advisor for drafting the countrys constitution because of his firm grip on Indian constitution.



In the 2G spectrum case, Venugopal was the amicus curiae. He has also been involved in the Babri case and presented LK Advanis case recently. In 2015, he was awarded Padma Vibhushan, the second highest civilian award, by the Indian government for his excellent services in the legal field. Venugopal is the recipient of Padma Bhushan as well.



He has become a law officer for the second time after being an Additional Solicitor General during the Morarji Desai government during the seventies.



He also represented the Madhya Pradesh Government during the hearing of National Judicial Appointments Commission Act in which he supported the validity of the central law to do away with the collegium system of appointment of judges for the higher judiciary.



However, his association with the BJP regime goes back to the Ayodhya movement when he had appeared for the then Kalyan Singh Government in Uttar Pradesh by assuring the Supreme Court that the disputed medieval structure would be protected.

ALSO READ | KK Venugopal succeeds Mukul Rohatgi to become next Attorney General of India



Later, on December 6, 1992, he had appeared before a bench of then Chief Justice M N Venkatachaliah at his residence in the evening.



He has also appeared for P J Thomas when his appointment as the Chief Vigilance Commissioner by the erstwhile UPA government was challenged in the apex court which had set aside the governments decision.



He also appeared for Dandi Swamy Sri Vidyanada Bhartiji and J Jayalalithaa, the then Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, in 2008 in the Sethusamudram case, popularly known as Ram Sethu matter, against the construction of the ambitious shipping canal project of the previous UPA government.



The Supreme Court had stayed the construction of the controversial Ram Sethu or Adams Bridge project, a barrier located southeast of Rameshwaram, which connects Talaimanar coast of Sri Lanka.



(With inputs from PTI)

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New Delhi:

KK Venugopal took over as next Attorney General of India on Monday. Venugopal replaced Mukul Rohatgi to become latest Attorney General of India.

On 30 June, 2017, Venugopal was appointed as the Attorney-General of India under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Venugopal has appeared in many high-profile cases. Most significantly, he was appointed by the Royal Government of Bhutan to serve as the Constitutional adviser for drafting of the Constitution of Bhutan.

Mukul Rohatgis three-year tenure ended on June 19. He had earlier asked government not to consider him for reappointment to the post.

Rohatgi told earlier that he had written to the government in May conveying his wish to discontinue as Attorney General and return to private practice.

Also read: Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi asks govt not to consider him for reappointment to post

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Bhopal:

The Shivraj Singh Chouhan Cabinet in Madhya Pradesh on Monday gave a go ahead to the 7th Pay Commission. The Madhya Pradesh government's decision will benefit as many as 6.5 lakh employees. However, the government will have to bear the burden of around Rs 4,000 crore.



The 7th Pay Commission was approved at a cabinet meeting held in Bhopal on Monday. There will be a 14 per cent increase in the salary of employees.

The employees will get the benefits of the 7th Pay Commission from January 1, 2016. The employees will get arrears in three instalments every year. The arrears in total cost around 5,742 crore.

ALSO READ | 7th Pay Commission: Centre approves recommendations on allowances with 34 modifications, HRA increased

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Mumbai:

The Shiv Sena on Monday blamed its ally BJP of taking away credit for the farm loan waiver decision in Maharashtra, saying robbing credit has now become a part of political ideology.

The Sena has often taken on lead partner BJP over the issue of farmers and urged the government to waive their loans.

Last month, farmers in Maharashtra had been on a warpath to press for their various demands, including loan waiver. Later, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis announced to waive their outstanding loans up to June 30, 2016.

Politics today is played keeping profits and losses in mind. Schemes are launched to confuse people. What happened to garibi hatao (scheme) or acche din has become a subject of research now, an editorial in Sena mouthpiece Saamana said.

Notably, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had extensively used the acche din (good days) slogan during the last Lok Sabha elections.

Who fought for the loan waiver and who is enjoying by giving full page advertisements, taking credit for the decision. Snatching and robbing credit has become a part of the political ideology today, the Sena said.

However, despite the rush to take credit, the public is aware of the truth which is a respite, the ally said.

Also Read: Shiv Sena jabs PM Modi on continued terror post-surgical strikes

The Shiv Sena had recently said that the loan waiver decision was due to its constant throttling of the Maharashtra government and that it has opted to remain in power to shake chairs of lazy person.

The party also asked the chief minister to revive the Zunka Bhakar Kendra scheme, which was started during the Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state in the 90s, to provide traditional food to the poor at Re 1.

You may take credit for this as well if you wish to.But at least people will benefit from the scheme, the Sena said.

The schemeproviding zunka, a Maharashtrian dish prepared with gram flour and water, and bhakar, a chapati made of rice flour or bajrawas stopped by the previous Congress-NCP government.

Also Read: Shiv Sena questions BJPs ability to resolve Kashmir conflict

The scheme had envisaged addressing the states socio-economic problem by allotting stalls to the unemployed throughout the state. However, the stalls were later occupied by commercial ventures.

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Beijing:

The verbal spat between China and India on Monday escalated as Beijing said the Indian Armys action to stop Chinese troops from constructing a road in an area near Sikkim is a betrayal of the stance taken by successive Indian governments and India must withdraw from the region.



Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated.



By entering into the Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese troops normal activities, India violated the existing convention on the boundary and basic principle of the international law and obstructed peace and stability of the boundary area, Geng told reporters in an extensive briefing.



We require the Indian side to withdraw their troops to the Indian side of the boundary and create conditions for the restoration of peace and stability in the relevant areas.



China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction for almost a month in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962, when the two countries fought a brief war.



Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state with a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on an 1898 treaty signed with China. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.



Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back its troops immediately.



He dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was during the war with the communist nation in 1962, saying China too is different and will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.



Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this, he said.



The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by (successive) Indian governments, he said.



What has happened is very clear, the Sikkim section of the boundary has already been defined by the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China. Doklam belongs to China.



Asked if there was a possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Hamburg in Germany this week, Geng said he has no information at the moment about the arrangements for bilateral meetings between Xi and leaders of other countries.



He, however, said the line for diplomatic communication between India and China is open and smooth.

ALSO READ | China dismisses Arun Jaitley's remarks; says just like India, it is also different from 1962



Indias National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who is the Special Representative for the India-China border talks, is to visit Beijing on July 26 to attend the meeting of the NSAs from BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He is expected to discuss the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.



The standoff first came to public notice when China denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. Beijing initially said it stopped the Yatra due to damage to roads in Tibet after rains and landslides. But soon signalled the matter was related to the standoff between the two armies near Sikkim.

The Sikkim route to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.



The other route to Tibet through Lipulekh pass is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute over boundary between India and China, Geng said.



On the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement on Friday that construction of the road by Chinese troops would represent a significant change of status quo with serious security implications for India, the Chinese official said they have noted the statement by India.



(The statement) evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. But it is this convention which has confirmed the alignment of the boundary between the two sides at the Sikkim section. This convention has been recognised by successive Chinese and Indian governments and has been confirmed by the Indian governments in written form, he said.



Prime Minister Nehru has affirmed in his letters to Premier Zhou Enlai, that the convention must be observed. That is the basic principle of international law. It is an obligation must be fulfilled by the Indian side, he said.

ALSO READ | Sikkim standoff: Indias actions in Doklam effort to show US its firm determination to constrain Chinas rise



The Chinese official cited two letters Nehru wrote to Zhou - first on March 22, 1959, and on September 26, 1959 - to say that the border between Sikkim and Tibet China is defined by the 1890 Convention and demarcated on the ground in 1895.



There is no dispute on the border between Sikkim and Tibet, he said, adding that the trespass by Indian troops happened at the defined Sikkim section.



This is different from frictions and confrontations between the two sides at undefined boundary, Geng said.



He also accused India of using Bhutan as a cover, but skirted questions on Bhutans protest against the construction of the road, saying the area is Bhutanese territory.



In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile, the Chinese official said.



We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to Indian side infringing up Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse. The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side, he said.

ALSO READ | Sikkim standoff: China posts map showing India, Bhutan territory as its own part of land



Geng also claimed that Bhutan did not know that Indian border troops had entered into the Doklam area which is not in line with what has been claimed by the Indian side.



We will work with Bhutan without interference of any external forces in maintaining peace and tranquillity of border area and resolving the boundary question, he said.



Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China. It is supported militarily and diplomatically by India. And this is not the first time that such a transgression has happened in Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there.



Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.



Since the standoff on June 6, when PLA bulldozers destroyed bunkers of the India Army claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several pieces warning India for escalating border tension and reminding the Indian Army about the 1962 war.

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New Delhi:

Bihar Chief Minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar on Monday said that there was no invitation to him for GST launch event and hence there was no question of attending or skipping.

Nitish said that the Opposition needs an alternate narrative just reactive narrative wont work. He added that he had already said that Congress is bigger party and they should set alternate narrative or agenda.

What I said during party meeting yesterday was in a particular context, don't interpret it differently, said Nitish.

I have said earlier also that I am not the PM face of opposition in 2019, neither am I eligible, said Bihar CM.

On being asked on Sushil Modis allegations, Nitish said that Modi has a habit of giving statements daily, neither he reads nor he has any interest.

Also read: War of words ails Grand Alliance in Bihar: Nitish Kumar reveals real reason why he did not attend Opposition meet on June 22

Also read: Bihar CM Nitish Kumar says he would attend Lalu Prasad Yadav's anti-BJP rally, if invited



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New Delhi:

UP minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday softened his stance after meeting chief minister Yogi Adityanath, and decided not to hold dharna against Ghazipur DM.

Rajbhar said out of 19 demands, the chief minister has accepted 17 of it, therefore, he would not hold any dharna against the District Magistrate.

Earlier, he had threatened to resign if his demand for transferring the Ghazipur district magistrate was not met immediately.

Om Prakash Rajbhar had said that he had spoken to him but nothing had been done.

"If my demand is not met, I will resign from the government. What is the use of remaining in the government if a minister is not heard," Rajbhar had said. He is national president of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBJP), a BJP ally that won four assembly seats in the 403-member House.

Also Read: 50 Gujarati dalit men on their way to gift 125 kg soap to UP CM deboarded from train at Jhansi

The backward and handicapped welfare minister had earlier announced he would sit on dharna in Ghazipur on Tuesday to press for his demand for DM Sanjay Kumar Khatri's transfer.

UP Minister & BJP ally SBSP chief OP Rajbhar suspends holding dharna against Ghazipur DM after meeting with UP CM Yogi Adityanath  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 3, 2017

Khatri, he alleged, was not paying heed to the problems of the people.

Also Read: 'Lady Singham' of UP's Bulandshahar, Shrestha Thakur who took on BJP leader transferred

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New Delhi:

Two terrorists were gunned down in a joint "cordon and search" operation by Indian Army on Monday morning in Jammu and Kashmir's Pulwama district. There was another terrorist trapped in the region, but he managed to flee after the stone pelting by locals distracted the security forces.

The killed terrorist was identified as Kifayat and while another body is yet to be recovered, IG Kashmir confirmed. The search operation has now ended.

Earlier reports suggested that one of the trapped terrorists was a known wanted extremist Jahangir.

"Acting on a specific information, one militant killed in the operation by the Army at Bahmnoo Pulwama. Police and CRPF have joined in. The operation is going on," an official statement said in an earlier statement.

J&K: One terrorist has been gunned down by security forces in Pulwama's Bamnoo, two others trapped. Operation continues (visuals deferred) pic.twitter.com/noyTSYyg3U  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Another joint CASO was launched by Army, Police and CRPF on Sunday night in Pulwama, which was cancelled later. (Read full story here)



In a similar incident, Security forces on Saturday gunned down two Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) militants, including commander Bashir Lashkari in Kashmirs Anantnag district on Saturday, police said. Bashir Lashkari was behind the killing of six policemen last month.



Two civilians, 44-year-old Tahira and 21-year-old Shadab Ahmad Chopan, were also killed during the operation in Brenti-Batpora village in Dialgam area of the district, police said. The encounter is over. Two militants have been killed, Director General of Police S P Vaid said.

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New Delhi:

Jupiter's 'Great Red Spot' has been the subject of interest for scientists for decades and now NASA's Juno spacecraft is ready to explore this 16,000-kilometer-wide storm, possibly existing for more than 350 years.

Juno and its cloud-penetrating science instruments will dive in to see how deep the roots of this storm go, making this humanity's first up-close and personal view of the gigantic feature that has been under the scanner since 1830. All eight of the spacecraft's instruments as well as its imager, JunoCam, will be on during the flyby.



Scott Bolton, principal investigator of Juno from the Southwest Research Institute in San Antonio said, "Jupiter's mysterious Great Red Spot is probably the best-known feature of Jupiter. This monumental storm has raged on the solar system's biggest planet for centuries".

The data collection of the Great Red Spot is part of Juno's sixth science flyby over Jupiter's mysterious cloud tops.

Read more: NASA sounding rocket creates colourful artificial clouds

Perijove that defines the point when at which an orbit comes closest to Jupiter's centre will take place on July 10. At this point of time, Juno will be about 3,500 kilometres above the planet's cloud tops.

Eleven minutes and 33 seconds later, Juno will have covered another 39,771 kilometres and will be directly above the coiling crimson cloud tops of Jupiter's Great Red Spot. The spacecraft will will fly directly over the giant planets most famous feature at an altitude of only about 9,000 kilometers.



On July 4, Juno will celebrate its first anniversary in the Jupiter orbit. At the time, the spacecraft will have chalked up about 114.5 million kilometres in orbit around the giant planet.

"The success of science collection at Jupiter is a testament to the dedication, creativity and technical abilities of the NASA-Juno team", said Rick Nybakken, project manager for Juno from NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in the US.

Read more: Uranus magnetic field flips on and off like a switch: Study

"Each new orbit brings us closer to the heart of Jupiter's radiation belt, but so far the spacecraft has weathered the storm of electrons surrounding Jupiter better than we could have ever imagined", he further added.

For all the Latest Science News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Making Prime Minister Narendra Modis Israel visit a special gesture, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will receive the former at Ben Gurion Airport on Tuesday. Prime Minister Netanyahu will escort PM Modi on all locations in his 3-day visit that has been never extended to other dignitaries.

Such gestures have been witnessed in past for US presidents, including President Trump and Pope.

Yuval Rotem, DG, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Israel said that the nation is happy to receive the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Rotem said PM Modis visit is going to be historic as there is no other visit like the nation has witnessed in the last few years.

The DG informed that Prime Minister Netanyahu will escort PM Modi on all locations in his 3-day visit that has been never extended to other dignitaries.

PM Netanyahu to escort & accompany PM Modi during his 3-day visit; not a practice we extended to other dignitaries: Yuval Rotem, DG, MoFA pic.twitter.com/5oEvKLmx5g  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

He said it shows that how PM Modis visit is important for them. Both PMs enjoy great friendship and this will play its role publicly and politically, he said.

It is part of the indication from our perspective indicating the importance we attach with this visit: Yuval Rotem, DG, MoFA Israel pic.twitter.com/4DGkCcrJiq  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Rotem said that 25 years of relationship will lead to the next 25 years. He said water and agriculture sectors are of great importance that would be discussed during the meeting.

Also Read: Indian Navy inks USD 630 million deal with Israel firm to make surface to air missiles in India

For all the Latest World News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
2017-07-03 21:23:03

A lengthy parliamentary report on American intelligence activities in Germany was presented last week in Berlin, but was condemned by opposition parties as insufficient and incomplete, prompting calls for a new investigation. The parliamentary probe was initiated in 2013, following a series of revelations by Edward Snowden, a former employee of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and greeknation



 
It's officially summertime, and small companies everywhere are feeling the heat. In fact, a 2017 survey of 400 employees by TSheets found that 30 percent of employees polled said they would take a vacation with their paid time off. Nearly the same number -- 28 percent -- said they'd use that time to spend with family.

Related: Is 'Paid Time-Off' Actually Possible?

Chloe Mitchell, director of talent relations at The Social Select, an influencer marketing agency in Los Angeles, said that in her experience the summer months are the most popular time for vacations. "Last week, we had three out of four members of our talent rRelations team out of the office," Mitchell reported via email.

"Because we have a shared team calendar on which everyone indicates their vacation time, we were aware of this weeks prior and had time to devise a plan."

Preparing for employee vacations is key, Mitchell pointed out. It ensures that the company will operate smoothly and that employees can enjoy worry-free time off. "Once the three employees arrived back from their time off, we met as a team and discussed how things went, in an effort to improve the process for next time," she added.

When running a small company, having multiple employees leave on vacation simultaneously can be disruptive. However, preparing ahead of time as a means to ensure employees enjoy their time off leads to a successful summer for everyone.

With summer under way, here are four ways to handle your own company's vacation scheduling.

1. Rally the troops.

The worst thing employers can do during the summer vacation months is take on all the work themselves. That's why Andrew Schrage, CEO at Denver-based Money Crashers, a personal finance website, suggests rallying the troops.

"Since you'll usually know about these vacations in advance, it's a good idea to conduct a meeting. Take some time and plan out which employees will be taking on specific responsibilities," Schrage suggested via email.

Make sure your entire team is on the same page, by handing out specific duties. Once everyone knows who will cover what tasks, schedule a time for each "fill-in" person to meet with the employee taking vacation. This will help team members understand what is expected of them and give them the opportunity to ask any questions.

Also, providing direction and details to those filling in will help employees relax and enjoy their time off even more.

Related: Give Us a Break: Millennials Are Suffering From 'Vacation Shame'

2. Stay transparent.

One employee's vacation time is another's extra-busy work week. David Cancel, CEO of Drift, a marketing and sales messaging service in Boston, helps his team push through the "summer slump" by keeping everyone informed.

"We made sure everyone's vacation time was documented multiple weeks, if not months, in advance," Cancel explained in an email. "We also make sure we message our upcoming time off to each other in Slack. A month out, you might send a Slack message to your team: 'Just a reminder; next month I'll be out during this week.' Then, two weeks out, you can send another reminder."

Drift's vacation transparency policy doesn't just help everyone remember who is off and when, but also holds everyone accountable to ensure that work doesn't suffer.

To stay organized, use an all-in-one HR platform like Wurk, a one-stop shop for tracking employees' vacation time, communications about their time off and payroll issues. With an online system like that, employees can eliminate paperwork and let one another know their time-off requests.

To help ensure transparency on this issue, set deadlines by which employees must enter their vacation times into the system. This will prevent co-workers from feeling overwhelmed or caught off guard by a last-minute vacation update.

3. Go above and beyond.

Employees who pick up the slack for their vacationing co-workers are true team players. Gary Beckstrand, vice president of O.C. Tanner, an employee-recognition company in Centerville, Utah, went above and beyond to celebrate the team members who helped out when a fellow employee took an extended vacation.

"Honestly, we had a couple of intense days, but it did build camaraderie and strengthened relationships," Beckstrand reported. "I built in a budget for food and drinks as a token of my appreciation. I also spent a lot of time encouraging, by saying 'thanks' and acknowledging those who went above and beyond, with formal recognition, as well."

When it comes to showing employees appreciation, Niki Jorgensen, manager of HR services at Insperity, a strategic HR services company based in Houston, suggests that companies host special events for employees.

"A few examples might include hosting a pizza party or buying lunch for workers," Jorgenen suggested. "Some companies host a visit from animals at a local dog shelter whereby employees can interact with the animals and even consider an adoption. Workplace games and competitions can also be a good way to keep employees engaged and energized during the summertime."

4. Offer shorter weeks

Shorter weeks during the overflow of vacation time are another way to reward employees and give them a reprieve from extra work.

"As an organization, a clear and consistent policy must be implemented so that the company's business is not disrupted," Jay Starkman, CEO of Engage PEO, an HR solutions company in Hollywood, Fla., told me via email. "Companies may want to consider allowing seasonal perks such as compressed work weeks, revised work schedules, flextime or shorter hours on Fridays to help employees achieve a better work/life balance."

Starkman isn't the only one giving his team seasonal perks. In fact, a recent Gartner poll of 220 HR leaders found that 42 percent of the organizations sampled said they are offering their employees "summer Fridays" off this year.

So, think about these policies for your company: Sit employees down to discuss a flexible summer scheduling policy, and ask what will help them relax and refocus this summer. Find out what will give them the motivation to be more productive.

Related: Being a Work Martyr Doesn't Help You Advance Your Career, Study Finds

The policies they suggest, once implemented, will help them feel less overwhelmed when their colleagues take off; and supervisors will likely find that they're also better able to manage workflow.

Related:

4 Tips to Make Sure Your Company's Vacation Schedule Doesn't End up a Hot Mess

9 Things to Do to Have a Work-Free Vacation (Infographic)

More Companies Are Offering This Cheap Work Perk to Keep Staff Happy During the Summer



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


In a search engine optimization (SEO) campaign, the ideal result is a steady, ongoing and reliable increase in organic traffic -- meaning the measure of the number of people visiting your website after finding it in organic searches.

Related: 5 SEO Techniques You're Doing All Wrong

At some points, you might reach a plateau where your organic traffic levels off and refuses to increase further; this is generally temporary and acceptable, a natural effect of the long-term landscape of an SEO campaign, which has hundreds of factors at play.

However, you may also encounter a more troubling effect: an active decline in the organic traffic your site is receiving. A small dip is no immediate cause for concern (it may just be a temporary drop in consumer interest); but if that dip lasts for more than a few weeks or turns into a more significant drop, youll need to troubleshoot the problem to see whats going on.

Check for a manual penalty.

First, youll want to check for a manual penalty. Its rare and highly unlikely that youll face a manual penalty from Google, but its the most identifiable root cause of the problem. If you are facing such a penalty, your organic traffic will steeply and instantly drop, and youll receive a notification in Google Search Console saying that your site has been penalized.

If you dont see both of those signs, youre probably in the clear. But if you have received a penalty, youll need to correct the problem that caused it, such as bad or plagiarized content, or spammy, "black-hat" optimization tactics. Then you should appeal the penalty with Google or wait for it to be lifted.

Pinpoint specific traffic drops.

If you arent facing a manual penalty, your next step is to determine the main areas of your traffic drop. Though your entire site may be experiencing a cumulative drop, its more likely that the drop can be traced to a handful of specific pages, or specific keyword terms.

You can use this information to guide the rest of your examination; if theres one page for which traffic has disappeared, for example, you can narrow your focus to that pages competition, links, and content, as youll see in the following sections.

Related: These 9 SEO Tips Are All You'll Ever Need to Rank in Google

Examine the competition.

Next, take a look at your competition and how it may have changed in the past few months; this is especially important for startups in new industries, tech companies and any other business where the competitive landscape can turn on a dime.

To do this, examine your search positions for various keywords, and see where youve experienced a drop in rankings. If you have, are there any new competitors that have emerged on the scene to displace you? Have some of your older competitors recently stepped up their game, with better content and new inbound links?

Note that there are two potential effects here. First, your competitors may be investing more in their own SEO campaigns, outperforming you in the process. If this is the case, your main course of action will be to invest in more head-to-head competition, or to target different, more specific terms, if you want to avoid competing altogether.

Second, your own site could have declined for other reasons, giving your competitors the opportunity to improve their positions. Youll be able to determine if this is the case by studying your performance in two key areas, link-building and onsite content.

Audit your link profile.

The quality and quantity of links you have pointing to your site has a direct bearing on how highly it ranks in organic search results. So, a sudden, unexpected change in your link profile could cause a drop in rankings, and, therefore, in organic traffic. Use a link-profiler like Mozs Open Site Explorer to analyze the links you have pointing to your site, and determine whether either of two trigger points (described below) accounts for a drop in search visibility.

First, look for any new links from spammy sources. Are there any new links you yourself have built (or that have appeared mysteriously) on dubious websites? Second, are there links that appear spammy?

Either of these could make your website look less trustworthy to search engines. If this is the case, youll need to remove those links by contacting the appropriate webmaster and making a request. If that fails, ask Google to disavow the link.

Next, look for opportunities to build new, strong links to boost your link profile and site authority.

Audit your on-site content.

If manual penalties, competition and links arent the source of your drop in organic traffic, the cause could be the quality of your on-site content. For example, if youve recently removed some top-performing content, that could decrease the overall value of your site (though its unlikely youve intentionally removed high-quality content).

If youve decreased your content budget, or are publishing too much content that nobody is reading or sharing, that too could cause a similar drop. The solution here is long-term: Youll need to root out any low-quality content and start investing in higher-quality material. I've listed some of my favorite tools for this purpose.

Make corrections and improvements.

Unfortunately, there are no quick fixes for a drop in organic traffic. However, there are some straightforward ones; sometimes, removing enough bad links or building new, strong ones is enough to correct the problem, but it usually still takes weeks to months for Googles search index to reflect your changes.

Related: 7 Reasons You Should Stop Managing Your SEO and Hire a Pro

Stay committed to best practices, and learn from any mistakes youve made; and, eventually, youll find yourself back on a trend of positive organic traffic growth.

Related:

Is Your Organic Traffic Falling? Here's What to Do.

How Start-ups Should Approach Digital Marketing to Survive This Cut-Throat Competition

How the Founder of Moz Went From Severe Debt to Over $40 Million in Revenue



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


You may have many of the traits of a successful leader -- decisiveness, persistence and a knack for problem-solving -- but can you translate those skills to a virtual setting?

Among the crucial traits for leaders is effective communication, a skill that can be difficult to master via technology. When collaborating over email or instant messaging, you cant read someones body language, just the words they send. Online communication comes with its own set of etiquette and understanding of how to convey emotion and nuance. But even if you can master those elements, its important to be able to communicate quickly. Thats according to researchers at the University of Iowa, who recently conducted a study and found that fast typers are more likely to be perceived as leaders by their colleagues.

The researchers set out to determine how an individuals ability to communicate might influence his or her likelihood of being seen as a leader by his or her team. Specifically, they sought to see how a persons text-based communication skills would factor into his or her role within a remote-working team.

Related: Why CEO Really Means Being Chief Communication Officer

They divided 344 participants into teams of four. Some teams were dispersed into four rooms, while some were paired up in two rooms and some were in a group of three with the fourth member located in another room. The teams pretended to be Hollywood studio execs and were tasked with reading marketing studies to help them decide which scripts to produce. Team members placed in different rooms could communicate with their assigned colleagues only via text.

Afterwards, the participants answered a series of questions, including one in which they rated the leadership abilities of their colleagues. The researchers observed that those with a stronger typing ability (taking into account both speed and accuracy) were more likely to be perceived as leaders.

"One explanation is that individuals who can type fast are simply able to communicate more information within a given period of time," said study leader Steve Charlier, who is now an associate professor at Georgia Southern University, in a summary of the findings. "In turn, adept users of electronic communication are more likely to set strategy, drive conversations and influence work teams as a whole."

Related: 7 Communication Skills Every Entrepreneur Must Master

To level the playing field, encourage any teams youre a part of or that you oversee to use videoconferencing tools when possible for matters that require more in-depth discussions. The best leaders understand how to choose the most appropriate medium, be it email or instant messaging, based on the context and urgency of the conversation. Also, dont make the mistake of hoarding information out of fear that youll inundate your team with too many messages or in an attempt to maintain control. Share information freely and transparently to build trust with your team, and use collaboration tools such as Google Drive or Dropbox to help.

Related:

To Grow Your Business, Really Understand Customer Requirements

Ask the Etiquette Expert: How to Handle a Hugger

4 Tips to Make Sure Your Company's Vacation Schedule Doesn't End up a Hot Mess



Copyright 2017 Entrepreneur.com Inc., All rights reserved



This article originally appeared on entrepreneur.com


TORONTO, April 10, 2017 /CNW/ - BDC Capital, the investment arm of the Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), is pleased to announce the appointment of Michelle Scarborough as Managing Director, Strategic Investments and Women in Tech.



Ms. Scarborough will lead the origination and execution of strategic investments initiatives led by BDC Capital to support the innovation ecosystem across Canada. She will also be responsible for managing BDC's $50-million investment in women-led technology start-ups, announced in November 2016 and other initiatives to support women in tech and venture capital.

"I am delighted to welcome Ms. Scarborough to our team," says Jerome Nycz, Executive Vice President, BDC Capital. "She brings very impressive credentials to the position. She is a highly experienced Canadian venture capitalist and a widely recognized leader in the investment community, with an outstanding track record in the energy and technology sectors."

Ms. Scarborough will join BDC on April 17 and will be based in Toronto. She joins BDC Capital from Kensington Capital Partners Limiteda Canadian alternative asset management firmwhere she was Senior Vice President responsible for the management of Kensington's fund of funds and direct investment activity in Western Canada including venture capital, private equity and infrastructure as well as their energy technology investments.

Ms. Scarborough is well positioned to champion BDC Capital's support for women entrepreneurs. She is Past Chair of the National Angel Capital Organization, a founder of the Women's Angel Network in Canada and an advisory member for Women in Energy and Private Equity. She led the establishment of the Ontario Emerging Technologies Fund and founded a number of start-ups, thus acquiring a deep understanding of the venture capital ecosystem in Canada and the United States.



Prior to joining Kensington, Ms. Scarborough was a Founder and Managing Partner of Fronterra Ventures, an oil and gas technology venture fund. An experienced entrepreneur, she also served as the Managing Director and Entrepreneur in Residence of the Regional Innovation Centre for Ottawa and Eastern Ontario, where her team worked with over 400 high-potential companies raising close to $100 million for portfolio clients to support scalable global growth projects.



Ms. Scarborough holds a Bachelor of Science and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Calgary and has her Institute of Corporate Directors Designation from the University of Toronto Rotman School of Management. She currently sits on the Board of Horseshoe Power.



About BDC Capital

With more than $2 billion under management, BDC Capital is the investment arm of BDC, serving as a strategic partner to Canada's most innovative and high potential firms. It offers a range of equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions to help Canadian entrepreneurs scale their businesses into global champions. To find out more, visit bdc.ca/capital.

About BDC

BDC is the only bank dedicated exclusively to entrepreneurs. It promotes Canadian entrepreneurship with a focus on small and medium-sized businesses. With its 110+ business centres from coast to coast, BDC provides businesses in all industries with financing and advisory services. Its investment arm, BDC Capital, offers equity, venture capital and flexible growth and transition capital solutions. To find out more, visit bdc.ca.

SOURCE Business Development Bank of Canada

For further information: Maria Constantinescu, BDC, [email protected], 1-844-625-8321

Related Links

http://www.bdc.ca


Japanese star Ryoko Yonekura returns to the Broadway production of Kander & Ebb's Tony Award-winning musical Chicago tonight, reprising the lead role of Roxie Hart for a total of 11 performances until 13 July, 2017. She previously made her Broadway debut in the role in July 2012. Following this Broadway engagement, she will join the U.S. national touring company for an international engagement at the Tokyo Theater Orb in Japan from August 2 to 13, 2017.

Ryoko Yonekura originated the role of 'Roxie Hart' in the Japanese-language production of Chicago in 2008 and reprised the role in 2010. Her other theatre credits include the role of Scarlet O'Hara in the Japanese stage adaptation of 'Gone With The Wind,' as well as playing Motoko Haraguchi in 'Kurokawa no Techo.' Her screen credits include "The Negotiator," "Arisa Matsui," "Nasake no Onna", "Monster Parent" and the roles of Samantha in the Japanese version of "Bewitched" and Surgeon Michiko Daimon in the hit Japanese TV series "Doctor X."

The principal Broadway cast currently includes Ryoko Yonekura (Roxie Hart), Amra-Faye Wright (Velma Kelly), Tony nominee Tony Yazbeck (Billy Flynn), Raymond Bokhour (Amos Hart), LaVon Fisher-Wilson (Matron Mama Morton), and R. Lowe (Mary Sunshine).

Chicago features a score by John Kander and Fred Ebb, with a book by Bob Fosse & Fred Ebb. This revival production is directed by Walter Bobbie, with choreography by Ann Reinking.

The Broadway revival of Chicago began previews at the Ambassador Theatre on October 23, 1996, officially opening on November 14, and is currently booking through to January 21, 2018.

Synopsis: "Chicago follows not your usual housewife, Roxie Hart, who gains dubious notoriety when she kills her boyfriend, invents her defence and manipulates everyone from her trustworthy husband to the fickle media and the unsuspecting public." The show features such showtune classics as 'All That Jazz,' 'Razzle Dazzle' and 'Mr. Cellophane.'

The creative team features scenic design by John Lee Beatty, costume design by William Ivey Long, lighting design by Ken Billington and sound design by Scott Lehrer.

Chicago is the winner of six 1997 Tony Awards including Best Musical Revival and the Grammy Award for Best Musical Cast Recording.
Human skulls unearthed beneath the heart of Mexico City has raised new questions about the culture of sacrifice in the Aztec Empire after crania of women and children surfaced among the hundreds embedded in the forbidding structure.Giving a glimpse, perhaps, into a practice of human sacrifice by the Aztecs, archaeologists working in Mexico City have discovered more than 650 skulls.The skulls were encrusted in lime near a main temple in the Aztec capital Tenochtitlan, as Mexico City formerly was known.The crania include those believed to have been of children and women, Reuters reported.Experts say the tower of human skulls evidently is linked to Huey Tzeompantli, which horrified Spanish conquerors when, let by Hernan Cortes, they took over the city.Prior to the Spanish conquest, severed heads of defeated warriors were displayed on skull racks, Foxnews said.We were expecting just men, obviously young men, as warriors would be, and the thing about the women and children is that youd think they wouldnt be going to war, said Rodrigo Bolanos, a biological anthropologist investigating the find, to Reuters.Something is happening that we have no record of, and this is really new, a first in the Huey Tzompantli, he added.Raul Barrera, an archaeologist who worked at the site, believes the skulls were placed in the tower after being displayed on the tzompantli.Barrera expressed certainty that the tower is one of several skull groups discussed by a Spanish soldier who accompanied Cortes in the 1521 conquest of Mexico, Reuters reported.Barrera expects the number of skulls to rise as the excavations continue.Human sacrifices were a ritual of the Aztecs and other Mesoamerican peoples who used the practice to make offerings to the sun.




The Indigenous people of Nigerias Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, have warned that should the country eventually break up, they will seek an independent status.They said they would ask the United Nations to govern the 8,000sq kilometres territory through a transitional arrangement until it can become an autonomous city-state with socio-political and economic sovereignty.They however, declared their support for a united Nigeria based on proper devolution of governmental powers rather than dismemberment of the nation as canvassed by separatist groups.Their resolution was contained in a statement by the President of the Original Inhabitants Development Association of Abuja, OIDA, Pastor Danladi Jeji, and signed by the Media Adviser, Sumner Shagari Sambo.According to OIDA, We have watched with dismay as federal authorities and security agencies look on as separatist and expulsionist groups have a field day calling for dismemberment of Nigeria or giving quit notices to fellow Nigerians. We condemn all of these shady characters and agitations in strong words.Nigeria is bigger than all of us but it is also not non-negotiable as erroneously believed in some quarters, especially by those in power. Abuja natives believe that we can re-negotiate the content of the Nigerian constitution and structure of the federation by devolving more powers to the states and other constituent parts such as the FCT.Abuja natives believe in correcting state-sanctioned injustices in Nigeria through peaceful, political, legislative or judicial methods rather than unilateral declaration of secession or expulsion of non-indigenes through violent means hence our recent approach to sue the federal government last year at the ECOWAS Court of Justice for forceful usurpation of our ancestral lands and denial of several human and democratic rights by the 1999 Constitution (as amended). The judgment of which we await.We have in years past canvassed for decentralization of powers to natives and residents so that we can freely elect our own governor, have an FCT House of Assembly, an FCT judiciary and expand the democratic space through more representatives in the National Assembly rather than the present military contraption in which a minister, who knows half to nothing about the area, is appointed to govern the Territory while the 1999 Constitution sametime refers to the President as Governor of FCT (see Section 299). This has often led to neglect of satellite towns, suburbs and rural communities in the territory as a result of the activities of the city-centred minister and decadent administrative structure. This shows that Nigerias grundnorm is faulty and needs urgent amendment.We are minorities consisting of nine tribes and bourgeoning residents who have a right to self-determination hence none of the majority regions or ethnicities should think that we will go with them. We urge more peace and unity at the moment but should the Nigerian federation be dissolved, we shall have no choice than to seek an independent status from the northern or southern groups agitating for separate countries at the moment. Like Kosovo, we shall seek the United Nations administrative, civil and military support to declare an autonomous status of self-government.In our earlier memoranda to the National Assembly and National Conference, we asked for a constitutional amendment to allow for more governmental structures, proper interpretation and implementation of Sections 147, 299, 300, 301 and 302 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) so that FCT natives and residents can elect their governor, have a minister, have three senators, six House of Representative Members, seventeen area councils and an FCT House of Assembly among other demands. Also, we demanded that the demolition and confiscation of homes, settlements and farmlands belonging to original inhabitants of Abuja should be stopped forthwith, unless where and when compensation and resettlement is duly undertaken in accordance with the provisions of Sections 44 and 297 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended).The group also kicked against the recent decision of the FCT Minister, Mohammed Bello to close down all zonal land allocation offices in the six area councils within the FCT describing the action as callous and non-consultative but with the capacity to infuriate natives thereby leading to a breach of public peace. We maintain that these lands are within the purview of the local councils and their chairmen.It added, We call for an immediate reversal of the policy by the FCT administration as it will be too burdensome for our people to always be coming from interior communities to Area eleven for minor land disputes that should ordinarily be settled by land officials at local levels. Moreover, this action runs contrary to the provisions of the Land Use Act of 1978 and several judgments against the FCT administration in the past.The Supreme Court has clearly stated in its judgment that Customary Land Title has not been abolished by the FCT Act via case number SC/187/2000 filed by Abaji Area Council against the Ministry of Federal Capital Territory with judgment delivered on 27th November 2000 by Justice SMA Belgore. Hence, there is no justifiable reason for closing down such zonal land offices in the first instance.The group demanded that the Minister include FCT natives in the FCT Land Allocation Committee and advised him to always consult with all relevant elected, traditional and civil society organizations like OIDA before taking such critical decisions so as to prevent public disorder.
I have no hand in any case filed against the police and I did not speak with any lawyer or my father to file a case on my behalf. All I will say is that they should temper justice with mercy he said According to him, even if he was allowed to go home by the police, he would not go because those he has kidnapped and collected millions of Naira as ransom from would most likely try to kill him.

Notorious kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans, says he is not aware of the two fundamental Human rights lawsuits filed on his behalf by one lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje , against the IGP and three others.The lawyer had approached the Federal High Court in Lagos last week claiming that Evans had asked him to challenge his continuous detention without trial by the police. But Evans says he's not aware of this. Olukoya listed the Commissioner of Police in Lagos Fatai Owoseni, the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos Command and the Nigeria Police Force as the respondents in the suits.In one of the suits, Olukoya claimed Evans was asking for N300 million in damages for alleged illegal detention and unconstitutional media trialBut in an exclusive interview with Channels Television today from police detention, Evans described the lawsuits as an attempt by some persons to put him in more trouble.
An organisation advancing the course of Nigerians in U.S, has condemned the shooting on Friday of seven people at the Bronx-Lebanon hospital Centre in New York by Nigeria-born Dr Michael Henry Bello.Bello, 45, shot dead a woman on the 17th floor of the hospital and injured six others on the 16th floor, before allegedly killing himself, the New York Police Department Commissioner James ONeil, said.The Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN), in a statement issued by its President, Mr. Solomon Bakare, said the Nigerians in the U.S. are the best of their kind.The Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN, Inc.) condemns, in strongest terms, the senseless and shocking shooting of seven innocent people by Dr Henry Bello at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital on Friday, June 30, 2017.On behalf of the Nigerian Community in New York City, we offer our sympathies and condolences to the family of Dr Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, the physician whose life was unjustly taken by this senseless shooting.Our thoughts and prayers also go to the other victims, most of whom are still undergoing treatment for their injuries, as well as to the entire staff and patients of the Bronx Lebanon Hospital, who have been needlessly traumatized by Dr Bellos heinous act.We like to state categorically that Dr Bellos dastardly act is by no means reflective of the exemplary service and professionalism of thousands of Nigerian physicians and other health care practitioners all over the United States, who have dedicated their lives and careers to saving lives and are highly respected in the medical field.Founded over 25 years ago, the OAN is a New York based not-for-profit organization that represents the interests of Nigerians in the Diaspora.The Nigerian organization has also been at the forefront of encouraging Nigerians to make positive contributions in the U.S.OAN is also the arrowhead of the Nigerian Independence Day Parade Committee, which is a coalition of Nigerian religious, professional, and socio-cultural organizations that plans the annual Nigerian Independence Day Parade in New York City.These organizations include Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, Nigerian Nurses Association, Nigerian Lawyers Association, Nigerian Social Workers Association, and various religious and Nigerian ethnic associations.OAN also sponsors seminars and symposia on various topical issues, and has received several awards, proclamations, and citations from City, State, and Federal elected officials for its work, the statement read.Bello, who hailed from Auchi, Edo State, was going to be fired by the hospital, after reports of sexual harassment, but instead chose to resign in February 2015 in lieu of termination.He went into the hospital, his former workplace, wearing a white lab coat with an AR-15 machine gun hidden underneath and asked for a specific doctor on the 16th floor.However, when he was told the doctor was not there, he started shooting at everyone and tried to set himself on fire before allegedly committing suicide.Of the six people wounded in the shooting, two had been transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital by Sunday as they had injuries to the brain and liver and remained in critical but stable condition.Four patients  medical residents, a medical student and a patient  remained at Bronx-Lebanon, where they were in stable condition recovering from injuries to the abdomen, neck, thigh and hand, hospital officials said. (NAN)
Hundreds of followers of renowned self-styled prophet David Owuor took to the street of Nakuru town Kenyaafternoon to celebrate his alleged resurrection of a woman in West Pokot county, Nairobi News reports.

It was reported the woman had died for two hours last Thursday before the intervention of Prophet Dr Owuor, who allegedly prayed and successfully resurrected her.

Some were seen carrying copies of the July 1 Daily Nation and Taifa Leo newspapers which published the story of the alleged resurrection of a woman only identified as Mama Rosa.

The church members chanted  Yehovah amefufua Mama RosaSio kuchanganyikiwa, ni Mungu among other slogans.

Mama Rosas husband Samson Rotirakori said he believed that his wife had died for about two hours and that she regained life after he sought prayers from the prophet.

My wife fell very sick on Wednesday . She became very weak and collapsed. By midnight , her situation had worsened and she was unable to walk and experienced a lot of difficulty in breathing. I called a senior pastor asking him to request a prayer from Prophet Owuor and immediately after the phone call Rosa stopped breathing and stretched out her hands and legs," he said during the thanksgiving ceremony.

Her daughter, Irvine Chesang, who also spoke during the ceremony, said immediately she stopped breathing she screamed alerting their neighbours who turned out to see what was happening.

The husband said at 12:51 am , he received a text message from Prophet Owuor saying it is well.

He said two hours later Rosa suddenly begun coughing and sneezing, then asked who has brought me back.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people and a long convoy of vehicles have been trooping to the remote village since the alleged resurrection of Mama Rosa. Residents of Cheparten village in Pokot South Sub-County were joined by hundreds who headed to the home of the woman.

Nearby schools were also temporarily closed as learners rushed to the home.

Chanting praises of their prophet, the followers sung and danced across the streets as they waved twigs and placards.The followers, drawn from various branches of the of Dr Owuors Kings Outreach Church in Nakuru, Baringo and West Pokot counties, later converged at Railway police station grounds where they continued the celebrations.
One hundred suspected members of the dreaded cult group, Badoo who have been terrorizing residents of the State, especially in the Ikor...

One hundred suspected members of the dreaded cult group, Badoo who have been terrorizing residents of the State, especially in the Ikorodu axis have been arrested.The suspects were arrested in a joint operation carried out by men of the Lagos State Police Command, Rapid Response Squad (RRS), Odua Peoples Congress (OPC), as well as local vigilantes including Onyabo in Ikorodu on Saturday.The team, in the operation which started early on Saturday morning , moved around Ikorodu and combed the suspected hideouts of the members of the gang from streets to streets.The combined security team led by Deputy Commissioner of Police in charge of Operations, Lagos Police Command, Mr. Imohimi Edgal and the RRS Commander, ACP Olatunji Disu, specifically combed black spots and suspected areas like Ikorodu, Ibeshe, Ita Maja, Ijede, Ipakodo and other areas, arresting about 100 suspects for questioning.The exercise was a follow up to a meeting which the National Coordinator of Odua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams and Onyabo leaders held with security chiefs in the State last Friday.Confirming the operation, Public Relations Officer of Lagos State Police Command, ASP Olarinde FamousCole said about 40 police and RRS vehicles were used for the operation, adding that the exercise was part of the ongoing efforts to rid the State of the activities of the dreaded cult group.We can confirm the arrest of 100 suspected members of the dreaded cult group, Badoo and they are helping with ongoing investigation into the activities of the gang.Government is on top of the situation and we like to use this medium to caution the people to desist from jungle justice.We also like to assure residents that they are free to go about their normal activities without let or hindrance, as the police and other security agencies in the State are poised to make the State uncomfortable and hot for criminal elements to perpetrate their nefarious activities, FamousCole said.
The wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday left for London, United Kingdom to visit her husband who is on medical v...

The wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday left for London, United Kingdom to visit her husband who is on medical vacation. A statement signed by Mrs. Buharis Director of Information, Suleiman Haruna said that she would convey to President Muhammad Buhari the best wishes of Nigerians and their fervent prayers for his quick recovery.The statement further disclosed that Mrs. Buhari is expected to stop over at Addis Ababa, to make a symbolic appearance at the meeting of the Organization of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) today.She will join other members to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the organization, and use the opportunity to reiterate the voting rights of Nigeria in the upcoming elections of the organization. She will continue her journey to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, 3rdJuly, 2017, the statement said.
Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed Alexandre Lacazette's move to Arsenal should be completed "within the next day o...

Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas has confirmed Alexandre Lacazette's move to Arsenal should be completed "within the next day or two". Arsenal's opening bid of 39m was turned down last month, but significant progress has been made in talks between the clubs.Aulas confirmed the deal is worth up to 43.8m (50m), meaning it would eclipse the club-record 42.5m Arsenal paid for Mesut Ozil four years ago.Aulas told French outlet Le Progres: "Alexandre Lacazette's transfer to Arsenal could be actioned within the next day or two."The figure reported by the English media of around 67m (including 12m in add-ons) is impossible and not realistic. Arsenal's first offer was around 45m, the transfer will be concluded in the range of 45m to 50m."It constitutes, without doubt, a record transfer fee for Arsenal, [sic] and for Lyon of course!"Last month, Lacazette said he would only move to a club who are playing in Europe's premier club competition but it appears the 26-year-old's stance on the matter has softened.Lacazette had verbally agreed to join Atletico Madrid this summer but the move fell through after the Court of Arbitration for Sport confirmed on June 1 that Atletico would be banned from registering players during this window.The free-scoring striker netted 37 times in 45 games last season and has two years left on his existing Lyon deal.Lacazette boasted the highest chance conversion rate in Europe's top five leagues last season (38.9 per cent). His record of 28 league goals last term was more than the combined tally of Arsenal quartet Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott, Danny Welbeck and Lucas Perez.(Sky Sports)
The police have said the rate of kidnapping has reduced since they apprehended kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as...

The police have said the rate of kidnapping has reduced since they apprehended kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, popularly known as Evans.





Police spokesman, Moshood Jimoh, also disclosed that the International Police (Interpol) was investigating Evans activities.

He said: When we paraded him (Evans) in Lagos, I told the public that the arrest of Evans marked the beginning of the end for kidnapping.

Since that day, the rate of kidnapping has seriously gone down and that shows that we were able to hit the right target.

As for keeping him (in custody), we have been able to secure three months remand warrant from the Federal High Court, Abuja to enable us round off our investigations.

At present, the contacts and crimes he committed in other countries, including Ghana and South Africa, are of interest.

We have series of complaints that border on murder, several kidnappings and armed robberies against him and these are all capital offences that are not bailable at the level of the police.

They are not even ordinarily bailable in the courts.

Moshood also explained that it wont be sensible to rush to court, stating that Evans case was peculiar.

In his alleged offences, the lives of Nigerians were at stake and we must be able to get everything to ensure that we dont lose the case in the courts.

For any sensible police force, it wont be appropriate to rush to court in a complex case like this because investigation is a scientific approach to actually situate a suspect at the scene of crime and convince the court that this is the person that did this and that.

That is why it is important that we are meticulous in putting details together and explaining how someone committed atrocities such that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be happy with us if the suspect is convicted for all the offences he committed alongside other members of his gang.

Nigerians will not be happy with us if we rush to court and lose the case on mere technicalities.

We are mindful of that as well as his fundamental human rights. That is why we approached the courts for a three-month remand warrant to keep him in police custody, Jimoh stated.

He added: We are very active on the platform of Interpol. If you can recall, it was revealed that he (Evans) has a Ghanaian international passport and the passport is still very valid.

There are clear indications of the level of criminality that goes across the border.

So, we will do what is just in that circumstance and after completing investigations, we will be able to know where we will share experience and ideas with various jurisdictions involved and we will all know how to deal with the matter.

Yes, Interpol is already fully involved and we are all out to do a thorough job and it is in the interest of the public because such high level suspects should not continue walking the streets and committing such atrocities.

We hope to ensure that the cause of justice is served at the end of the day, Jimoh said.
Former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ambassador Maitama Sule is dead.

Former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Ambassador Maitama Sule is dead.

Sule was said to have been flown out of Kano two days ago to Cairo, in Egypt. The foremost diplomat was reported top have died of a heart-related disease.

Yusuf Maitama Sule was a Nigerian politician, acclaimed orator and diplomat. In 1976, he became the Federal Commissioner of public complaints, a position that made him the nation's pioneer ombudsman.

In early 1979, he was a presidential candidate of the National Party of Nigeria but lost to Shehu Shagari.

He was appointed Nigeria's representative to the United Nations after the coming of civilian rule in September 1979. While there he was chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.
CNNs anchor, Isha Isatu Sesay, has narrated how Nigerian doctors and nurses in a Lagos hospital saved her mothers life.

CNNs anchor, Isha Isatu Sesay, has narrated how Nigerian doctors and nurses in a Lagos hospital saved her mothers life.

Sesay, who is a Sierra Leonian, said her mother could not be treated in Sierra Leone and had to be transferred to Nigeria.

She was admitted in Lagoon Hospitals, Marina Road, Apapa Lagos, where she stayed in intensive care unit for three months until she became better.

She, however, didnt state the nature of the ailment.

When my mother took ill in Sierra Leone last Dec I had to take her to Nigeria. Im so grateful for Nigerian nurses & docs who saved her life.

Many have asked which hospital my mum was admitted to in Nigeria. It was Lagoon hospital in Apapa. She was in ICU for 3 mths #gratitude.

I am thankful there were medical options in Nigeria for my mother because I had none available in Sierra Leone.

Thank you for all the well wishes for my mothers speedy recovery. The kind words and prayers are really appreciated.#gratitude, she tweeted.
The Indigenous People of Biafra has said it had uncovered a plot, allegedly masterminded by the Department of State Services, to turn Christians against its leader, Mazi Nnamdi Kanu.IPOB spokesman, Comrade Emma Powerful, who made the claim in a statement, said the plot involved the portrayal of Kanu as messiah, saviour and in some instances, as Jesus Christ, on various social media platforms.He also alleged that the security agency had planted some enemies within the pro-Biafra group to facilitate the execution of the plot.According to him, the alleged plot was hatched after the IPOB leader reportedly declared that there would be no election in Anambra State, where gubernatorial elections have been scheduled to hold in November, unless the Federal Government accede to demands for a referendum in the South-East.Powerful, who claimed that the DSS was collaborating with unnamed politicians in the alleged plot, said, We, the members of the Indigenous People of Biafra, under the leadership of Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, have observed with great dismay the plan by the DSS and some politicians to cause misunderstanding and confusion between the IPOB leader and Christians in Igbo land.Since the announcement of the election boycott in Anambra State, the Federal Government and its agent, the DSS, has mapped out strategies to destroy and tarnish the image of Nnamdi Kanu and IPOB in general.Those using his name as saviour, messiah and Jesus are misinformed because he never asked them to do so.Nnamdi Kanu has said he should not be compared with God Almighty and nobody can prove that he wants people to compare him with Jesus Christ  it is dangerous comparing him with God Almighty or Jesus Christ.It is the work of enemies planted within us by DSS and some politicians.Those involved in this ridiculous defamation of character will fail.Nnamdi Kanu has never in his life challenged the authority of God Almighty who created Heaven and earth or Jesus Christ, the son of God.It is very pathetic that the enemies of Biafra, IPOB and Mazi Nnamdi Kanu will use his name on Facebook and other social media platforms to cause disunity with the Christian faith.
The immediate past governor of Edo State Governor, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, has denied asking a former military president of Nigeria, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), to apologise to Nigerians, instead of joining the call for restructuring.Oshiomhole had during the 5th Triennial Delegates Conference of the Petroleum and Natural Gas Senior Staff Association of Nigeria held in Abuja last week, reportedly said that Babangida owed Nigerians an apology for allegedly helping to bring the country to its current economic state.The former governor, who was represented by General Secretary of the National Union of Textile, Garment and Tailoring Workers, Mr. Issa Aremu, as a guest speaker at the event, was quoted to have said, I thought that he (IBB) should have apologised to the whole country, but there is nothing like that from him.But it is now fashionable for him to talk about restructuring. It was under him that the economy was restructured. He devalued the currency and downsized workers.But Oshiomhole, in a statement made available to journalists by his media aide, Mr. Victor Oshioke, on Monday said that views expressed by Aremu were not his (Oshiomhole).According to the statement, It is true that there was no prepared speech handed over to Mr. Issa Aremu but the conversation Adams Oshiomhole had with him spelt out the scope of the issues to be discussed. There was nowhere during the conversation that the name of former Military President, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida (retd.), featured with respect to his comments on restructuring or otherwise.We were surprised, therefore, to read news report credited to Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, asking IBB to apologise to Nigerians, instead of asking for restructuring. We wish to state, unequivocally, that the view so expressed is entirely that of Mr. Issa Aremu and does not in any way represent the views of Mr. Adams Oshiomhole.When a speaker is representing another speaker in any public speaking engagement, the rules are very clear. If the representing speaker wants to deviate from the mandate and brief given to him, he will clearly inform the audience without lumping his thoughts and views as though they represent those of the real speaker, he added.The former governor explained that the present situation in the country was a time for sober reflections when the nation needed the voices of all elder statesmen and leaders of thoughts, especially former presidents, to speak out in their collective efforts and commitment to take the country to greater heights.He stated that though Nigeria was in a trying period, the country would come out stronger and more united.
Evans The notorious billionaire serial kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans, has denied filing any suit against the police.

Evans

The notorious billionaire serial kidnapper, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike aka Evans, has denied filing any suit against the police.A motion ex parte was filed before the Federal High Court Lagos on Wednesday, where the suspect was said to have alleged grave constitutional infraction perpetrated against him.According to the suit, he was reported to have averred that he ought to have been charged or arraigned before the court.He listed the Inspector General of Police, the Nigeria Police Force, the Commissioner of Police in Lagos, and the Special Anti-Robbery Squad, Lagos Command as the respondents in the suit.Barely 24 hours after the suit, Evans filed a fresh suit in which he claimed the sum of N300 million as general and exemplary damages against the police for alleged illegal detention and unconstitutional media trial.However, to told Channels Television on Sunday from police detention, that the lawsuits were attempts by some people to put him in more trouble.I have no hand in any case filed against the police and I did not speak with any lawyer or my father to fill a case on my behalf. All I will say is that they should temper justice with mercy, he said.The suspect noted further that even if he was released by the police, he would not go because those he has kidnapped and collected millions of naira as ransom from would kill him.The Federal High Court in Lagos had on Friday dismissed the suit filed by the said lawyer Olukoya Ogungbeje.The Counsel was ordered to pay N500,000 for frivolity.
Lyon striker, Alexandre Lacazette, is expected to finally travel to London this week, to undergo his medical examination with Arsenal and finalize his move to the Emirates.Manager Arsene Wenger, has turned his focus to the 26-year-old, after not making much progress in his pursuit of Monaco striker, Kylian Mbappe.The Gunners saw their first bid turned down, but Lyon president Jean-Michel Aulas, has hinted that a deal could be done in one or two days.The first offer made by Arsenal was 45m. The deal will happen for something between 45m and 50m.To be close to 50m is something unique, and will be without a doubt a record for Arsenal and a record for Lyon absolutely, he told French media on Sunday.LEquipe reports that Lacazette will now fly to London on Tuesday or Wednesday.
The Peoples Democratic Party has faulted the sacking of the transition committees of the 17 local government areas by Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State, describing it as an attempt to delay the election.Our correspondent reported that Lalong had directed the chairmen and management committee members to immediately hand over the running of affairs of the local government councils to their directors of personnel management pending further action, in line with the provision of law.But the opposition party said chairmen and management committee remained the viable option when it comes to governance in Plateau State.The position of PDP was contained in a statement by its State Publicity Secretary, John Akans.The statement read in part, The just expectations of our people will not be short-circuited.The PDP in Plateau State wishes to state unequivocally that the sacking of the transition committees of the 17 LGAs by the state governor is nothing but another retrogressive tactics to further delay the local government elections.This is an anti-climax to the rising expectation of the generality of the people of Plateau State to hear that an election date has been fixed and announced to finally decide who will represent them at that critical level of governance.This decision adds nothing of democratic value to this ill-fated and crassly incompetent APC administration.
The Kano State Government has declared Tuesday, July 4, as work-free day in honour of late Dr Yusuf Maitama-Sule who died in the early hours of Monday.This is contained in a statement signed by the Commissioner of Information, Malam Mohammed Garba and issued to newsmen in Kano on Monday.He said the declaration of the work-free day was to enable residents attend the funeral prayer for the late elder statesman which is scheduled to hold on Tuesday, July 4.The commissioner said that the funeral prayer of the late elder statesman would be conducted at the Emirs Palace around 4pm local time.Maitama Sule died at a hospital in Egypt, Cairo where he was receiving treatment for an undisclosed illness.
State governors and members of the National Assembly from the South-East; the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo; traditional and religious leaders and other leaders of thought from the zone ended their meeting in Enugu on Sunday with a declaration that Ndigbo were for a united Nigeria.A communique issued at the meeting, read by the Chairman of the South-East Governors Forum, Ebonyi State governor, Dave Umahi, stated that the Igbo leaders concluded that the Igbo were in full support of a united Nigeria.The South-East stakeholders meeting, which held at Nike Lake Resort in Enugu, commenced on Saturday night and ended in the early hours of Sunday.The regional leaders also called on the Federal Government to start the process of restructuring the country without delay.It was learnt that issues surrounding the agitation for Biafra, including the three-month ultimatum to quit, given to Igbo in the northern part of the country by some youth groups, informed the decision to convene the meeting.The governors of the five South-East states were in attendance as well as all the National Assembly members from the zone, led by the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, and the Chairman of South-East Caucus of the National Assembly, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe.The leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo, led by the President-General, Chief Nnia Nwodo, was also at the meeting.The Igbo leaders, in the same vein, insisted on the restructuring of the country, and asked the Federal Government to begin the process of actualising the restructuring of the nation within a reasonable time frame.They also demanded the implementation of the recommendations of the 2014 national conference.Part of the communique read, Ndigbo are in full support of a united Nigeria, where peace, love, fairness, justice, equity and equality of opportunities are paramount, regardless of creed, ethnicity, gender or political affiliation.We condemn all hate speeches and misconduct from any segment of the country.Igbo leaders lend their full support to the restructuring of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on the platform of fairness and equity.We therefore call on the Federal Government and all Nigerian leaders to commence a process of dialogue among Nigerians on the modalities of achieving this pressing question within a reasonable time frame.Ndigbo supports the report of the National Conference of 2014 and we urge the Federal Government to set up structures that will enable the implementation of the same within a reasonable time.The Igbo leaders at the meeting, also resolved to constitute official organ that would, henceforth, speak on behalf of the Igbo.The South-East governors, members of the National Assembly, leadership from the South-East and the leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo shall henceforth constitute the official organs that shall speak on behalf of the Ndigbo.South-East leaders, in consultation with other parts of the country, will set up a committee to engage the Federal Government on all issues that concern Ndigbo, the communique added.In the same vein, the Igbo leaders stated that they were taking steps to ensure the safety of the lives and property of the Igbo in all parts of Nigeria.They also guaranteed the safety of lives and property of all Nigerians living in the South-East.Religious and traditional leaders at the meeting include the Catholic Bishop of Nsukka Diocese, Prof. Godfrey Onah; the Enugu Archbishop of the Anglican Communion, Dr. Emmanuel Chukwuma; and Chairman, South-East Traditional Rulers Council/Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Nnaemeka Achebe.Others at the meeting are a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; a former Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria, Prof. Chukwuma Soludo; a former Governor of Ebonyi State, Senator Sam Egwu; National Chairman, United Progressive Party, Chief Chekwas Okorie; a former power minister, Prof. Barth Nnaji; a former Chief of General Staff, Commodore Ebitu Ukiwe (retd.), and a former Minister of Women Affairs, Mrs. Josephine Anenih.MASSOB leader, Comrade Uchenna Madu, who spoke for the secessionist group, described the decisions reached at the Enugu meeting as insensitive.He stressed that the outcome of the meeting would not derail the struggle for realisation of Biafra, saying the position of the leaders could only postpone the inevitable.Madu stated, The Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra berates Igbo religious, traditional, political and opinion leaders for their nonchalant and insensitive attitude towards the current agitation for Biafra.Why is it that whenever these self-acclaimed Igbo leaders meet among themselves or with the Nigerian Presidency, they always sideline the primary and principal reasons and cause of the Biafra agitation?Yesterdays meeting of Igbo leaders in Enugu is tactically helping the Nigerian government in postponing the explosion of the inevitable and unstoppable ticking time bomb which Nigeria is comfortably sitting on.Their decisions are not the true minds and positions of the people of Biafra  we want Biafra and nothing but Biafra.Nigeria must disintegrate; her faulty foundation has broken beyond repair.Majority of Igbo leaders have brazenly betrayed Igbo cause and interests in Nigeria.We wish to inform Ndigbo that the reawakening of the spirit and consciousness of Biafra among the people can never be demoralised again  the Biafra revolutionary struggle can no longer be betrayed by personal or group interests.The MASSOB leader expressed regrets that the Igbo elite, who, according to him, had gained a lot from the pro-Biafra agitation, did not appreciate the activists.In this struggle, numerous sacrifices have been made, supreme prices have been paid.We have been tortured, mesmerised, killed and incarcerated for the sake of Biafra and the glory of Ndigbo, yet we are neglected, abused and abandoned by people who benefit from our exploits, he said.
The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has called on Christians to rise up and Christianise Nigeria instead of comp...

The Catholic Archbishop of Abuja, John Cardinal Onaiyekan, has called on Christians to rise up and Christianise Nigeria instead of complaining that Muslims want to Islamise the nation.The News Agency of Nigeria reported that Onaiyekan made the call in his homily at a mass to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation at Our Lady of Perpertual Help Parish, Gwarinpa II on Sunday in Abuja.So, let nobody deceive you, I dont think there is anybody who has plan to Islamise Nigeria, but even if they do, they have every right to do so.They have every right to do so provided they also know that I have the right to Christianise the whole of Nigeria.The answer is not in complaining and crying; stand up like a man and Christianise Nigeria, the Cardinal said.He said that Christians had the mandate to preach Jesus Christ to everyone without being distracted with materialism.Onaiyekan urged Christians to defend their faith by preaching the gospel in words and deeds without comprising the message of the cross.He said that the disciples of Christ preached the crucified Christ, accepted persecution and that many even died for their faith.People complain that Christianity is being persecuted, they are saying that some people want to Islamise the nation. Just know that nobody can Islamise you unless you agree to be Islamised.For as long as you are not ready to stand up and carry the cross, you are on the verge of losing your faith; if you dont want to lose your promotion for Christ sake, you are also not worthy to be a Christian.
The Acting President, Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, will on Monday be representing Nigeria that the 29th Ordinary Session of the African Union in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.According to a statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mr. Laolu Akande, the Acting President will be joining heads of states governments from all over the continent and other invited global continental leaders at the summit.The session is themed Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investments in the Youth, but will also discuss the report on the Institutional Reform of the AU, peace and security issues, and the reform of the United Nations Security Council among other topics on the summit agenda.Prof. Osinbajo leaves Nigeria this morning and is expected back later today, the statement read.
The race for the next occupier of the Agodi Government House in Oyo State is getting tougher, as the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has reaffirmed his commitment to take over from the incumbent Governor Abiola Ajimobi as the next governor of the state in 2019.The minister dropped the hint, weekend, while featuring on a private radio programme in the state capital, monitored by Vanguard, where he said, other gubernatorial aspirants in the All Progressives Congress in the state would join him in winning the election.Shittu, who was a former Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice in the state, opined that his political maturity and experience would make other aspirants to work for him to become the next governor of the state.I am not afraid of other aspirants. I have the experience, I have been in politics since I was a student and I have been serving the government too. So I have what others do not have and I am sure those things will work for me, he boasted.The minister did not overlook the incumbent Governor Ajimobi, but lauded his developmental strides in the state, saying that in fairness the governor has done well.Apart from Gen. Jemibewon, Ajimobi recorded tremendous success in terms of infrastructural development and in other sectors.But despite that, I will succeed him and do better to take the state to greater heights. I have programmes and plans that will enhance agricultural development, education, health and other sectors in the state and by the grace of God, my administration will change Oyo State for the better, he averred.While delving into the issue of Oke-Ogun, Barr. Shittu pointed out that since the region could be producing deputy governors for the state, the region should be allowed to produce the next governor as well.He disclosed that the support expressed by Governor Ajimobi for Oke-Ogun to produce the next governor, was in appreciation of the support accorded him in the last election by voting for him massively by people of the region due to the love they have for the party and President Muhamadu Buhari, adding that, that was why the governor was assuring his support.
No fewer than 100 people suspected to be members of the dreaded Badoo cult were arrested over the weekend during a raid on their hideout by...



No fewer than 100 people suspected to be members of the dreaded Badoo cult were arrested over the weekend during a raid on their hideout by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of Lagos State Police Command, Anti-Robbery operatives, members of the Oodua Peoples Congress, OPC, and members of vigilante groups in Ikorodu.

Police sources disclosed yesterday that one of the Badoo suspects said that each ritual handkerchief used to wipe blood from the victim's skull after it's been broken was sold for N500,000. Those who make demands for the handkerchief include herbalists and some prominent Nigerians. The suspects are being interrogated to determine the extent of their involvement and those who patronise them.Sources told Vanguard that some of the suspects confessed to being a mere errand boys. They added that grinding stones were the weapons used in killing their victims by cracking their skull because it ensures the efficacy of the money rituals. Over 30 people have been killed in this way, most of them family members, of which some were children.The raid was carried out on Sunday after a meeting between the National Co-ordinator of Oodua Peoples Congress, Chief Gani Adams, and Onyabo leaders, with security chiefs held in the state on Friday. Areas where the joint raid, led by the Deputy Commissioner of Police, Operations, Edgar Imohimi, were made included Ibeshe, Ita-Maga, Ijede, Ipakodo, Igbogbo/Bayeku and Imota, among others.The Badoo cultists operate by storming the home of residents during ungodly hours and as the families slept, the cultists would smash their heads with a grinding stone then use a handkerchief to clean the blood and brain before leaving the scene. They usually left without taking any valuables.
More facts have emerged about Dr Michael Henry Bello, the gunman who shot seven people at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Centre, New York on Friday; identified as a native of Auchi in Estako West Local government in Edo state.Dr. Bola Omotosho, the Community Board Chair for The Bronx 5, New York, told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that Bello, 45, shot dead a woman on the 17th floor and injured six others on the 16th floor, before allegedly killing himself, the New York Police Department Commissioner James ONeil, said.He went into the hospital, his former workplace, wearing a white lab coat with an AR-15 machine gun hidden underneath and asked for a specific doctor on the 16th floor.However, when he was told the doctor was not there, he started shooting at everyone and tried to set himself on fire before allegedly committing suicide.Omotosho said: He (Bello) is a Nigerian, hes from Auchi, virtually not that I knew him personally but he had his medical education in the Caribbean, came back here  U.S.He left the hospital and up till recent, was working with the HRA  Human Resources Administration  here in the Bronx, after he left the hospital.But he left that place, the HRA where he was working, unceremoniously. The relevance of this is there are several Nigerians in the HRA, New York City Human Resources Administration.So he just abandoned the job and when he did not show up after a couple of weeks even up to a month, he was recently terminated from there about two or three weeks ago or so.But of course, he must have had his own challenges, while he was planning something.And in addition to that, very recently, as at this past week, less than two weeks ago, was when they notified the HRA Police as part of precautionary measure.That any ex-staffer who has been dismissed or terminated, should not be allowed into the building; just this past two weeks or less than that.It is unfortunate that hospital has no metal detector; we dont use metal detector in the office.Thats the last place you expect a disgruntled worker to come back and do such a heinous crime or retaliation.Omotosho, who has been elected the Community Board Chair for Bronx 5 for 10 years, just got re-elected during the City Council election on June 21.Ive held that position now for 10 years. Ive been re-elected every year; this is the eleventh year, the Nigerian-born medical doctor told NAN.According to him, when the incident involving Bello occurred, he responded as the Committee Board Chair, as it was part of the process expected of him as the representative of the people.The officer from my 46 Precinct, who responded to the 911 call, is in my District.So part of the verification process is for the Public Affairs Officer to call me, being the Committee Board Chair, that this is whats going on, somebody is killed in your District.Meanwhile, there have been some controversies as to whether Bello killed himself or was actually shot dead.It was believed that shooters who committed suicide usually shot themselves on the head and not on the chest as it was in Bellos case.At Bellos home in the Bronx, investigators recovered the box the rifle had been packed when he bought it on June 20, reports said.Of the six people wounded in the shooting, two had been transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital by Sunday as they had injuries to the brain and liver and remained in critical but stable condition.Four patients  medical residents, a medical student and a patient  remained at Bronx-Lebanon, where they were in stable condition recovering from injuries to the abdomen, neck, thigh and hand, hospital officials said.
The Nigerian Army has reiterated its loyalty to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. The Army also said it would ever remain apol...

The Nigerian Army has reiterated its loyalty to the President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. The Army also said it would ever remain apolitical.

It maintained that it was capable of defending the territorial integrity of the country when threatened.

Chief of Army Staff, COAS, Lt General Tukur Buratai, said this yesterday in his goodwill message to the Nigerian Army Day interdenominational church service held at the All Saints Military Church, Mogadishu Cantonment, Abuja.





Buratai maintained that the army, under his leadership, was totally loyal to the President and also committed to the sustenance of the countrys growing democracy.

Buratai charged officers and men of the Nigerian Army to remain focused, disciplined and loyal to constituted authority, while ensuring that they carried out their roles effectively.

According to the COAS, I want to, on behalf of officers and soldiers of the Nigerian Army, reiterate our unalloyed loyalty to the President and Commander- In- Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Army will continue to remain apolitical while ensuring the sustenance of democracy.

Buratai, who was represented on the occasion by Chief of Policy and Plans, Army Headquarters, Major General Chris Jemitola, reassured them that issues bordering on their training and welfare were being taken seriously.

He added, We will continue to do our best to ensure the comfort of our officers and soldiers, including their families.

He also acknowledged and thanked all officers and soldiers for their tireless contributions in making the Nigerian Army victorious in the fight against insurgents and in other internal security operations.

You have shown commitment, dedication, courage, resilience and the will to succeed. You have all done very well and I am proud to be your Chief of Army Staff.

However, I will charge you to remain focused, disciplined and loyal to constituted authority while ensuring that we carry out our roles effectively, he said.
CARLSTADT - Fire broke out at the popular The Balcony Restaurant and Lounge early Sunday following a Fourth of July party, according to a reports.

The blaze began inside the attic located above the VIP section of the restaurant and bar on Broad Street, Sgt. John Cleary of the Carlstadt Police Department told NorthJersey.com. The building was locked at 2:50 a.m. and a neighbor reported the fire at 3:25 a.m., police said.

Firefighters from South Hackensack were called shortly after 4 a.m. for mutual aid. No injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is under investigation.

According to NorthJersey.com, the business has drawn complaints from residents for years over parking issues and noise. The owner recently obtained zoning board approval to demolish the structure and build condominiums, according to the report.

Anthony G. Attrino may be reached at tattrino@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @TonyAttrino. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Angelina Fay is the family matriarch, a widow who always tries to be there for her children, grandchildren and extended family.

So when the Belleville woman, 89, heard she won a $700,000 sweepstakes prize, she was thrilled. It was a chance to help her family.

It happened last week when she came home and found a message on her phone.

The message said: "We have a package for you at Los Angeles Airport which needs to be picked up. You must call the airport back immediately to gain access to the package."

She said she immediately called the number -- (323) 306-7864 - and heard what sounded like a very official-sounding recorded greeting from the Los Angeles International Airport. The message had several options to key in to reach certain departments.

But at the end of the message, a live person picked up the line.

The person identified himself as John Cane, and he knew Fay's name and address.

Angelina Fay holds one of her phones. She said a scammer tried to trick her in a sweepstakes scam.

"Congratulations, you are the second prize winner of our sweepstakes," Fay said she was told.

Cane had instructions: Fay needed to call "U.S. Customs and Border Protection at Los Angeles Airport" to verify her identity.

Fay was given a new number to call - (866) 438-0228.

When she called, there was another official-sounding message, this one from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection's office of the director at the airport.

After the message, someone who called himself Sargent Bill picked up the line.

"Bill explained that I won $700,000 in a certified check and $50,000 in cash, which were in the box waiting for me at the airport. He even gave me a tracking number," said Fay, who said figured the winnings were from one of the many Publishers Clearing House contests she'd entered over the years. "By this time, I was so excited and I was planning on how my family could benefit from the money."

Bill said to get her winnings, Fay needed a background check. This was because of changes in law after Sept. 11, designed for those who win more than $50,000 to make sure the money doesn't get into the wrong hands, Fay said she was told.

She'd have to send a $975 cashier's check to pay for the background check.

"You must not fill the check out to anyone," she said she was told. "It must be left blank."

The check would go to a post office box in Florida.

"I explained to Bill that my family was not going to believe me," Fay said.

Bill's reply?

"Yes - many families don't believe it. There are many scammers out there - this is not a scam. You did win and if you don't claim it, the money will go to the next person in line. So you have to act fast. Get to that post office."

Fay explained she didn't have much money, but Bill promised she'd get a refund when the background check was complete.

"He got me so excited about the money and he assured me over and over again that this was the real thing," Fay said. "It had to be true. They were so convincing and genuine."

After passing the background check, Bill explained, Fay would be picked up by a Brink's truck. It would bring her to the bank to deposit her winnings.

Fay said she again told Bill her family wouldn't think it was true, and she asked what she should do.

Get to the post office, Bill told her.

Fay asked her grandson for a ride.

When he heard why, he Googled the numbers Fay called.

"He found multiple people reporting this very same number and scam," Fay said. "He explained it to me but I refused to believe him."

Fay's grandson went to his mother - Fay's daughter - and she, too, told Fay it was a scam.

"She actually called the number and pretended to be someone else with a different name - and they told her that she had won and gave her the same instructions," Fay said.

Still, Fay said, she didn't want to believe it.

Still excited, Fay called her other daughter, Jina Oveissi, who set up a conference call with Fay and Bill.

On the call, Oveissi tried to get any kind of confirmation it was the real thing. Other than being told it was the "American Sweepstakes," they learned nothing.

She asked for a supervisor and was given a number to call.

On a new conference call, they listened to the official-sounding airport message, and Oveissi tried to select several of the options. None worked, she said, and when the message ended, someone named Brian Thompson came on the line.

A screen shot of AmericanSweepstakes.com. The website is registered to an Australian company and none of the sections link to any other page.

Oveissi asked for the company address. Thompson wouldn't offer one, but said she could check AmericanSweepstakes.com (a site with only one screen that leads nowhere, and Bamboozled learned is registered to a company in Australia) or the website for the Los Angeles airport.

Then Thompson said they had an office on the third floor of the MGM Grand casino in Las Vegas.

Oveissi made it clear she knew this was a scam, and they disconnected the call.

The scammers tried to call Fay a few more times, but she learned how to block the number.

"I'm a pro at blocking calls now," she said.

She said wanted to share her story so others won't fall for similar tricks.

"If you don't recognize a number or a person who is calling you - please don't trust anyone," Fay said. "Always be skeptical. If you won something, you shouldn't have to put any money out."

She warned others to always get information in writing.

Angelina Fay has some wise words for others who may fall victim to a phone scam.

"If you have someone you can talk to or relatives - please check with them before sending any money to these scammers," Fay said. "And learn how to block numbers on your telephone or cell."

Fay's words are very wise, and we have a few items to add.

Scammers are crafty. Many have a talent for reading their would-be victims. They extract small bits of information from their intended prey, and they use those nuggets to sound more convincing.

They use official-sounding names, logos and even recordings to give the appearance of legitimacy to their fraud.

They cast a wide net and try to take advantage of the vulnerable: older folks who may be lonely, younger people who lack financial savvy and experience, and those who for whatever reason are in financial distress and searching for a way out.

Please talk those you imagine could fall for a scam, and take extra care with the older folks in your life.

Encourage them not to answer the phone if they don't recognize the number.

If they're concerned it's an important call, tell your loved one to write down the number and you can return the call.

Tell them that if they do answer and someone tells them they've won a prize, they're in trouble with the IRS or law enforcement, says their family member is in trouble and needs money or threatens or scares them in any way, they should hang up.

Help your loved ones to play offense by looking into services like Nomorobo, which eliminates most unwanted robocalls.

And help them activate call blocking features offered by their phone carrier.

Help them become anti-scam experts -- just like Angelina Fay.

Have you been Bamboozled? Reach Karin Price Mueller at Bamboozled@NJAdvanceMedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @KPMueller. Find Bamboozled on Facebook. Mueller is also the founder of NJMoneyHelp.com.

Stay informed and sign up for NJMoneyHelp.com's weekly e-newsletter.
JERSEY CITY - A 12-year-old child was among four people injured in a shooting on Wilkinson Avenue Sunday night, multiple sources said.

The shooting was reported at about 9 p.m. outside a home between Ocean Avenue and Martin Luther King Drive.

Police sources say the 12-year-old victim was shot in the stomach. Two other victims were shot in the arm and stomach. A short time later, a fourth victim arrived at Jersey City Medical Center with a gunshot wound to his upper arm, sources said.

At least one of the victims was rushed into surgery, but none of the injuries appeared to be life threatening as of Sunday night, the sources said. All victims are believed to be under 25 years old, with a second child possibly among those injured.

Residents who live near the shooting say the neighborhood is crippled with gun violence. Many said the sounds of gunshots mixed with fireworks residents were setting off.

"This (expletive) needs to stop," one woman said. "All I know is I was sitting on my porch, I thought it was fireworks. That's all I heard, next thing I know I see all the kids running."

Hessie William, who organizes Mothers in Pain, said the past few nights Wilkinson Avenue has been a hot spot. There have been multiple reports of shots fired and shooters are hiding in the narrow alleyways in the neighborhood.

"When is somebody going to do something, this is sad," she said. "Four days in a row, this area should have been patrolled."

Another woman, who only identified herself as a 63-year-old resident, said she feels as though the neighborhood is being neglected. With an election upcoming, city officials need to do more to curb violence plaguing Ward F, she said.

"I'm getting out of here," the lifelong resident said. "I'm moving."

A city spokeswoman could not be reached for comment.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
New Jersey Special Olympians will just have to do with a little less this year.

Calling it an "unfortunate" situation, New Jersey Special Olympics President and CEO Heather Andersen said this afternoon that the Statue of Liberty 5K -- which was expected to raised roughly $40,000 for the state's Special Olympians -- has been canceled because of the state shutdown.

"We just couldn't wait any longer," Andersen said.

The 5K would have featured 373 participants running around Lady Liberty on Liberty Island, but because state lawmakers and Gov. Chris Christie could not come up with a new state budget, Liberty State Park and other state parks are closed. The closure means there is no ferry service from the park to Liberty Island.

Race participants could have been asked to catch a ferry from Battery Park in lower Manhattan, but Andersen decided against that option.

"While some people are coming from out of state, most of the participants are from New Jersey," Andersen said earlier. "We don't like the idea of making then go to New York to get there."

Andersen said the participants -- who had each raised at least $100 for the organization -- were going to be notified by email that the race has been cancelled. The monies raised go toward training, competition and leadership opportunities for the Special Olympics competitors, officials said.

Andersen said she is going to ask the participants to put the money they raised toward next year's race.
JERSEY CITY -- Asked about his achievements since he was elected mayor four years ago, Steve Fulop produced a nearly four-page document listing each item he's proud of and why.

A stable city tax rate since 2013, credit upgrades, large-scale real-estate development away from the waterfront, hiring hundreds of new police officers ... and those items are on just the first half-page.

"We've been busy," Fulop told The Jersey Journal. "While it hasn't been perfect, I think it would be hard to argue that we haven't moved Jersey City forward."

Fulop's predecessors were either starting their new terms or returning to civilian life four years after becoming mayor. But Fulop, who was sworn in on July 1, 2013 after unseating longtime rival Jerramiah Healy, had his term extended by six months when voters agreed to move the city's quadrennial mayoral and City Council races from May to November starting this year. He is seeking a second term on Nov. 7.

In an interview inside his City Hall office, Fulop said he has largely kept his promises from the 2013 campaign and said "even critics" have to admit the city has progressed.

TALE OF TWO CITIES

One of the major themes of Fulop's 2013 campaign was "a tale of two cities" -- the idea that city government over the years has contributed to a divide between upscale Downtown neighborhoods and the rest of the city, particularly neighborhoods south of Communipaw Avenue that struggle with poverty and violence.

Fulop said his administration has focused on bridging the divide by sending police recruits to the city's most violent police precincts; building the City Hall annex, a $20 million project on Martin Luther King Drive that he believes will spur economic development in that area of the city; finishing Berry Lane Park, an 18-acre park that runs along Garfield Avenue; and attracting real-estate development to Journal Square, Greenville and Bergen-Lafayette.

Some of these neighborhoods have seen "decades of neglect," the mayor said.

"I don't think anybody thinks you're going to snap your fingers and overnight correct it or even maybe in one term but you want to kind of put it on the course of being corrected over the long term. And I think we're doing that," he said.

His critics disagree about the Fulop administration's attempts to address the "tale of two cities." Bill Matsikoudis, Healy's corporation counsel, has made this issue one of chief complaints about Fulop as he seeks to unseat the mayor in November.

"Jersey City has seen development for well over 20 years, but the mayor has done nothing to address the side effects of that development, namely the exponential rise in the cost of living," Matsikoudis said. "In fact he's exacerbated it with his million-dollar marketing campaign. The result is that people who were born and raised in Jersey City can't afford to live here anymore.

CRIME

On the public safety front, Fulop touted the size of the police force, which has risen from about 780 members four years ago to 930 today (the city said it has hired 303 officers since Fulop became mayor). Declines in almost every major crime category can be attributed to the larger force, plus change like investment in new security cameras, the mayor said.

Comparing 2016 to 2012, the final full year of Healy's term, robberies, aggravated assaults, burglaries, larcenies and motor vehicle thefts are all down, according to statistics from the Jersey City police website. Rapes are up, from 45 in 2012 to 86 last year. The number of murders last year, 24, are double what they were in 2012.

Fulop said he believes the city is "turning a corner" on homicides -- he said the same about city violence in 2013 and in 2014 -- and said murders that stem from domestic violence situations are "obviously tough to get in front of." Fulop and his public safety director, James Shea, have tried in recent years to distinguish between murders that stemmed from domestic violence and those that did not.

Authorities have said domestic violence led to three murders this year (out of 12 total) and six in 2016.

"That said, every homicide is obviously a catastrophe, a disaster that we've tried to drive down to zero," he said. "I think we're moving in the right direct on that front."

Councilman Rich Boggiano, a retired police detective, has been a persistent critic of the Fulop administration, especially on police issues. He said "no way whatsoever" is the city safer now than it was four years ago. Regarding the police's statistics, he said they don't reflect that some residents "don't want to report things that are happening" because they do not believe it will matter.

"The leadership in the police department has been horrible," Boggiano said. "We need some improvement."

MURALS AND MORE

Other accomplishments Fulop said he's proud of: creating the only non-Downtown historic district on the city's West Side; expanding the city's health plan to include transgender workers; launching the prisoner re-entry program run by former Gov. Jim McGreevey; eliminating two autonomous city agencies; the city's mural program.

The mayor acknowledged, with some prodding, that he hasn't kept all of his campaign promises. He pledged four years ago that every department director would live in Jersey City and currently the business administrator does not (the recently retired police chief also did not, and neither did one of Fulop's DPW directors). He also only recently addressed the issue of tax abatements contributing no revenue to the local school district, an issue he said in 2013 he would tackle "immediately."

"When you look at what we campaigned on in 2012 and 2013 I think for the most part we followed through on that stuff," he said. "Somebody's always going to say, well he could have done this better or he could have done that better. I'm sure that maybe that's true, but you know we put everything we have into this job over the last four years and I think that, you know, we'll stand in front of the voters and ask for another opportunity."

Terrence T. McDonald may be reached at tmcdonald@jjournal.com. Follow him on Twitter @terrencemcd. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
The Jersey City Police Department and a former mayor's son are at the center of a multi-million dollar police brutality lawsuit that alleges a man was beaten so viciously he suffered permanent brain damage.

The allegations stem from a 2012 assault outside Healy's Tavern on Newark Avenue involving off-duty police officers and the bar's owner Jeremiah S. Healy, a Jersey City firefighter and son of then-Mayor Jerramiah Healy.

Hector Mejias is seeking damages for pain, suffering and emotional distress for the Sept. 29 incident.

Motions to dismiss the lawsuit were denied by an Essex County Superior Court judge in June. The case was transferred out of Hudson County because at least one person listed in the complaint has a relative working in the Hudson courthouse. The next hearing in the case is Aug. 14.

According to the lawsuit, Mejias was driving home when he saw a group near the bar beating another man in the middle of the street. Mejias told the attackers to stop beating up the victim and said he was going to call the police, the lawsuit says. When he took out his phone, the men doing the beating said they were cops.

Those officers, who were off-duty and are identified in the lawsuit as detectives Chris Heger and Mark D'Ambrosio, appeared "highly intoxicated" and approached Mejias, the suit says.

In the lawsuit Mejias says he went back to his car, but Healy Jr. tried to stop him from driving away. Meijas later bit three of Healy's fingers in self-defense, the lawsuit said.

Heger and D'Ambrosio ripped Mejias from the vehicle and continued to "beat him and kick him violently," the lawsuit indicates.

Meijas was brought to the hospital for treatment and was then arrested on assault charges. Officials said a grand jury declined to indict Mejias in April 2013.

Authorities, however, painted a different picture of the incident in 2012. Police reports indicated Mejias hit the off-duty officers while he was trying to defend his friend, who was being subdued by the detectives. Healy tried to take Mejias' keys so he couldn't get away from the officers, police said.

Those reports were not accurate and were intentionally "misleading" to "cover up the actions" of Heger, D'Ambrosio and Healy, who lied to the on-duty cops who responded to the fight, the lawsuit claims.

The on-duty officers involved in the alleged cover-up are Stephen Wilson, Samantha Pescatore and Sgt. Timothy Ackerley, the lawsuit said. Those officers were not involved in the physical altercation, according to the filings.

Mejias, meanwhile, is permanently disabled because of his injuries. The lawsuit says he suffered a concussion and has developed a seizure disorder. His eye socket was severely damaged and he cannot return to his job as a truck driver, the filings state.

The lawsuit also wants Healy's Tavern held accountable for allegedly serving alcohol to Heger and D'Ambrosio, who were already drunk. Judy Taboada, the attorney representing the tavern and Healy, did not return a call seeking comments on the lawsuit.

Jersey City spokeswoman Jennifer Morrill declined to comment on the case, but did stress the "all events precede (Mayor Steve Fulop's) administration."

Mejias' attorney Mario Blanch declined to discuss the specifics of the lawsuit, but said the "actions of the Jersey City Police Department were aggressive and heinous" and Mejias is looking forward to his day in court.

While the West New York attorney could not discuss how much money Mejias is seeking, filings indicate the lawsuit will not exceed $10 million.

Earlier this month, the City Council approved a $45,000 settlement for a 2011 beating outside a house party. That settlement came as the department faces new allegations of police brutality after video surfaced of officers kicking an innocent man in the face after a police pursuit ended in a fiery crash.

Caitlin Mota may be reached at cmota@jjournal.com. Follow her on Twitter @caitlin_mota. Find The Jersey Journal on Facebook.
7 fun things to do with your family this weekend on the North Shore
Welcome to nonleaguedaily.coms news provision, your go-to source for all non league updates, rumours, interviews, and much more besides.

Founded by a team with a genuine passion for the world of non league football, nonleaguedaily.com understands exactly what supporters of the so-called lower leagues are looking for. You want the high-quality reporting, in-depth analysis, and match reporting that matches that is more commonly found in the journalism for the top flights, but with the focus firmly fixed on the national leagues.

We understand that your passion, interest, and dedication is constant, and we believe you need a news service that matches that commitment with its own dedication and thoroughness  so thats what you can expect from our site.

The latest non league news, as and when it happens

Conventionally, non league news has always travelled fairly slowly, especially when compared to the instantaneous, constant breaking news cycles found in the upper leagues. Tales are told on terraces, rumours passed between pub patrons and circled between supporters at the latest game, often forced to remain somewhat local initially before word eventually spreads to other locales.

For us, this slow spread may be fairly organic in nature, but it simply isnt compatible with the modern football environment. Its also not conducive to the current fast-paced, always-available media landscape, nor the way that people tend to consume news nowadays. Thats why we have put together a non league news source that fans can turn to for the latest updates, as and when they happen, and as and when you want to read them. Non-league news now is the only acceptable speed at Betting.co.uk.

We update our non-league football news coverage constantly, bringing you all the latest developments and seeking to spread the word as quickly and accurately as possible. So if youre wondering whats happening both with your local team and with the lower leagues as a whole, you can visit us for non league news now, and be confident the stories you find are completely up to date.

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Our efforts to bring you the very best non league football news are undeniably a professional concern, and one that we take seriously. We are  if youll excuse the uncharacteristic tooting of our own horns  good at what we do, and we know that the efforts we make in this regard are one of the reasons our site has enjoyed such success thus far.

However, everyone who writes for us also shares our readers enthusiasm for non league football. Were not just churning out content in the hopes of cashing in on a professional dream; were here because we want to be, and will always be dedicated and committed to non league football as an entity and thriving in the experience of being able to talk about our favourite subject whenever we can. We create non-league news now that is written by genuine fans and enthusiasts, for fans. We know what you want to know and what matters most to an ardent non league supporter, and we always ensure that focusing on these elements is our guiding principle as we seek to solidify our status as an online non league paper fans can always rely on.

When compiling non league news, we think with the mind of a fan first and foremost. We cover the angles and stories that we find compelling and that we know our fellow non league enthusiasts also care about. News doesnt have to be dry and formulaic, in our opinion. When its written by people who are genuinely as fascinated by the stories they are reporting on as their readership will be, we believe news can be interesting, compelling, and even have a sense of personality and humour.

News content written with passion and expertise

We believe that thanks to our dedication, insightfulness, and commitment to our subject matter of non league today, we are offering the best of both worlds to those searching for an online non league paper. We give you the professional approach we feel is appropriate for news about one of the most intriguing aspects of UK football; an aspect that we genuinely feel does not receive the interest and plaudits that it should be generating. Nevertheless, we dont let that professionalism take over everything we do: we remain committed fans, nurturing our own personal interest in non league football and ensuring every word we compose is infused with a sense of passion and dedication that enhances the posts we create.

Its therefore obvious that our non-league content today isnt ever going to be dry, basic, or put together by a tired staff writer who has never heard of any team below the Championship before they rush off to the pub for the evening. Our writers are genuine experts: were covering non league football because we want to, because we believe in it, and because its where our strengths lie. The result is informed content that capitalises on our deep knowledge of the history, as well as the present-day realities, of non league football in the UK.

Beyond news: the nonleaguedaily.com interview series

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As our commitment to providing interesting interviews amply demonstrates, we want to be involved in breaking the stories that everyone then talks about, rather than following along and focusing solely on what everyone already knows. If youre looking for leading content that you cant find anywhere else, and that goes right to the centre of the non league world, then you can turn to nonleaguedaily.com for all the benefits of a conventional non league paper, but in electronic, easily-accessed form.

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From an office in Nottingham, Solutions for Retail Brands develops and supports technology that is used by many of the UKs supermarkets so they can be closer to suppliers and customers for own-brand products. As the firm continues to grow on the back of several rounds of investment, Dan Robinson finds out from managing director James Butcher how the software works

Whether its Tesco Finest, Sainsburys Taste the Difference or Asda Extra Special, supermarkets own-brand labels continue to grow in significance.

More shoppers than ever are filling their baskets with treats from both the luxury and value lines on shelves, with premium product sales growing by 13 percent during the final three months of last year compared to 2015.

But with a wide range of suppliers behind every loaf of bread, tin of soup and ready-meal  and sometimes several manufacturers involved in each item  it can be easy for everyone to pull in different directions.

As with most industries in this day and age, technology can rectify this, and for S4RB  or Solutions for Retail Brands to give the company its does-as-it-says-on-the-tin full name  it is finding a rapidly-growing market.

Software developed at its Nottingham head office is used to bring retailers and suppliers closer together through a dashboard system providing analysis, insights and other key information.

Asda, Waitrose, Co-op and US giant Walmart are among the major supermarket clients, while Boots became a customer two years ago.

S4RB managing director James Butcher says: Own-brand labels continue to be really important but the trend is growing in the premium own-brands in particular.

For that to be successful, you have to focus on the product performance  and the way to do that successfully is to work with your suppliers as one team.

We have those tools and a unique understanding of who those retailers are and their private brand model.

Because there might be four manufacturers for that same product, the complexities mean you need to understand the dynamics and scale.

Its a problem thats unique to private brands and we know that market very well.

The one team terminology pops up frequently as James describes the company philosophy.

Even the business in its current guise came about as a meeting of minds, he says.

Founded by Kieran Forsey and Jan Fura in September 2006, it started as a consultancy that worked with retailers to make sure they had systems in place for compliance with product labelling.

James recalls: When own-brands started many years ago, it was a cheap product. Its evolved to become very sophisticated since then and there are now tiers according to quality.

Its really transformed the market but the retailers are responsible for the product, even though someone else is making it for them. The labelling and task of declaring information about allergens is all down to them.

What Kieran and Jan witnessed was the challenges that retailers had to work with.

They have tens of thousands of products from hundreds, if not thousands, of suppliers, for everything from food to washing powder. Theyre very dependent on those suppliers to do what they need.

James and Mark Fowkes, whose background was in selling software to manufacturers, joined about five years ago and helped to take the business forward.

They were able to put the shoe on the other foot and recognise the problems manufacturers faced with retailers.

S4RB came to the realisation that encouraging collaboration between the two parties would be fruitful.

Its software tools focused on better communication and engagement, to get more done thats right, first time and on time.

Its not a traditional supplier management tool and not a stick to beat people with, says James. Its about giving people the tools to do the job right.

All the suppliers have a shared interest. Their success is dependent on a retailers success.

Our tools show them easily how they are performing. A retailer might only have 15 technical managers but when you bring all the suppliers into the equation, you might have 500 technical managers.

Its getting people to work as one team because theyre trying to compete with brands like Heinz, which are one team.

With James and Mark on board, the business changed from being a consultancy to one that produced consultancy-led software.

Rather than the service ending with the sale of its technology, S4RB staff work alongside the retailers before and after installation to make sure its benefits are maximised.

It provides visual management dashboards so technical managers can spot any trends that need to be dealt with, such as a growing number of complaints about an individual product, which might otherwise go under the radar.

James explains: The retailer is getting all this different information about their product  from complaints, returns and social media  and all those different bits are quite silo-based because theres thousands of products and millions of pieces of data.

We basically said that if we can pull all those bits into one view for product performance, then theres more actionable insights for the own-brand label team.

By simply sharing this information in a much more helpful way with suppliers, it can reduce complaints by maybe 10 percent, which has an impact on customer satisfaction and sales.

Its the customer experience element that James believes is more important than the cost reduction. S4RB has coined its own term of Unified Brand Experience (UBX), which aims to turn customers into brand advocates and suppliers into brand champions.

Its UBX Cloud Services software puts retailers and their own brands in the middle, and links them with customers and suppliers.

The philosophy of creating a single community between suppliers, retail teams and customers even led to the company publishing its own a book of the same name in May that is circulated to retail clients to help create an understanding.

James says: Its a new, game-changing way of thinking thats going back to putting the product at the heart of what people think.

Everyone knows that online and convenience shopping is increasing, but overall brand loyalty is decreasing.

Therefore the product matching that brand experience is pivotal.

One example of how UBX has been deployed is in helping Waitrose to focus on artisan and local produce by making shelf-edge labels more personalised.

Its software could be used to create the customised label text for particular products, such as a Castle Rock beer sold in a Nottinghamshire store, and get it on the shelf quickly and efficiently.

James says this has helped to boost sales of such products by 25 percent.

The programme also enables frontline retail staff to exchange up-to-the-minute information with suppliers so they can resolve customer complaints quickly, as well as drive product improvement and innovation. Once again, its about the one team philosophy and ultimately helps retailers cut costs and increase nutritional value or quality.

UBX was launched in 2015 following funding from the Nottingham Technology Grant Fund (N'Tech), set up by Nottingham City Council, which James believes has turbo-charged the next phase of its growth.

More funding has followed, including a seven-figure package from the Foresight Nottingham Fund last year and a six-figure capital boost from the N2 Business Growth Programme in March.

The investment has enabled S4RB to grow from a home-based company to one with more than 40 staff working from its head office at Karlsruhe House, in Queensbridge Road. The latest round of funding is expected to create nine new jobs over the next 18 months.

As well as expanding on to a second floor last year, the firm has also built a network of field-based staff across both the UK and a new United States office in Fort Worth, Texas, which will help to accelerate its cloud services programme.

S4RBs multi-million pound turnover has increased at an average of 35 percent annually over the past five years, while it scooped the excellence in international trade award at the East Midlands Chamber Nottinghamshire Awards 2016.

James, who has watched the workforce double in the past half-decade since he joined, adds: Its a relatively small market because we deal with huge retailers, so in terms of growth its about continuing with our customers.

Half of groceries in the UK are own-brand products. In North America its 20 percent so the USA is looking to the UK on how to do own-brand well.

Were in a good position to provide the help. Retailer profits largely come from their own-brands so getting this right is critical to them and were trying to bring in a different mindset around working as one team.
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Tucked away on a Ruddington business park is a company, complete with clinic, which helps drug discovery firms identify if new medicines will work. Richard Tresidder met the chief executive, Dr Mark Egerton

"Help Develop Medicines of the Future," declares a poster at the Lace Market tram stop. "Healthy adults aged 18 to 55."

A company providing sophisticated services to the drug development sector was looking for recruits to take part in clinical trials, offering two separate eight-night stays for 2,870 plus expenses.

Quotient Clinical is just down the road on Ruddington Fields Business Park in Nottingham where it has its own mini-hospital to try out on volunteers drugs which are in the later stages of development.

Dr Mark Egerton, the 54-year-old chief executive of Quotient, is hugely enthusiastic about supporting drug discovery. It is his dream job.

At school and university, he wanted to be a professor and could have been. But after a degree in biological sciences at Leicester and a PhD in biochemistry at Edinburgh, he went off to work for a company in Switzerland, was quickly smitten by the pharmaceutical industry and never looked back. It was just so much more relevant, he recalls.

Operating from five sites in the UK and the US and employing 600 staff, Quotient provides early-phase drug development services to the pharmaceutical industry. It turns over 35 million in the UK, and pharmas go to Quotient to manufacture a new drug which is turned into a formula to be administered to volunteers staying in its 85-bed clinic.

The service is sought after because it integrates small-scale drug manufacture and clinical trials in the same building helping accelerate development of new medicines.

About 150 leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies worldwide use Quotients skills.

The company began life as Pharmaceutical Profiles, a spin-out from the University of Nottingham led by Professor Bob Davis, Dr Ian Wilding and Dr Steve Newman. The business was sold in 2004 to a management team backed by a private equity company which put in a new chairman and new CEO.

Mark quickly joined and spent 18 months getting to know the business and shaping a vision. Pharmaceutical Profiles helped pharmas understand issues about getting a drug into the human system.

But underneath, there were impediments. Mark said: Customers really disliked having to work with us. By accepting they were going to work with us, they had to accept that they would run into an issue, that the drug development timeline would be longer and they would have to spend more money which was not budgeted for to solve the problem. We had exactly the wrong selling message: Come to us, you can extend your timeline and pay more than you expected.

Mark encapsulated the difficulty with an example. We did some absolutely fantastic work, elegant science, for a Californian company. They loved the programme of work and gave us great reviews. But then the leader of the team looked at me and said I hope we never have to do that again.

Mark said he quickly realised Pharmaceutical Profiles had something special. It became the basis for re-inventing the business.

We do very tightly integrated programmes of work that combine drug product manufacturing with clinical testing, he said. We quickly realised we could go to a customer and say we could save them time and money.

The selling message was turned 180 degrees. That was the beginning of the reinvention.

Quotient works for pharmaceutical and biotech companies globally. About 55 percent is for pharmas based in the US, with 40 percent in Europe and the tail-end in Japan.

Said Mark: We are a service business and they will ask us to deliver projects for them. We work in development, not discovery which they have done but want to take the molecule into clinical trials or further clinical trials.

There will be something specific they want us to do using our integrated manufacturing and clinical approach. We do nearly all our work on healthy volunteers, not patients, so the type of molecules we work on can be across any therapeutic area.

Mark continued: We have done a lot of work for medications in hepatitis C, HIV, antibacterials, molecules for oncology and immunomodulatory diseases, substances affecting the functioning of the immune system.

Whether a drug works or not is not Quotients responsibility but its customers, the pharma company.

The extensive drug product manufacturing business occupies the first floor of its Trent building. The clinic for volunteers is on the ground floor. As Mark explained, that is unusual in itself.

These two activities, in the industry in general  drug manufacturing and clinical testing  are siloed into very different organisations; they never come together. Not only have we brought them together but the way we have integrated them and created our processes has proved really innovative.

The manufacturing unit makes drugs in any format for delivery  simple solutions of suspensions, simple or complex tablets, immediate-release tablets or complex with different coatings or more than one ingredient .

We are trying to be more sophisticated about where the drug is released as it goes through the digestive tract. Drugs may be inhaled or delivered intravenously, whatever the customer wants.

A bit of corporate history saw its equity stakeholder, 3i, sell in 2008 to Quotient Bioresearch and five years later, a chance came for the clinical division to stand on its own as Quotient Clinical, an independent business led by Mark and financially supported by a new equity backer, Bridgepoint.

Two very successful years followed but Quotient needed fresh investors if it was to take the business to the States. In 2015 GHO Capital, familiar with the US market, replaced Bridgepoint. In February this year, Quotient acquired QS Pharma, a manufacturer in Philadelphia, and Seaview Research, a clinical trials business in Florida. Six weeks into the acquisition at the time of this interview, Mark was busy  itself an understatement  with journeys across the Atlantic to its recent acquisitions.

Today, Quotient employs 350 in the UK, mostly across four buildings in Nottingham. More than half the staff are scientifically qualified at some level. Trent houses the manufacturing and clinic. Volunteers and their recruitment are handled from a second building.

A third is a new 1 million-plus 7,500sq ft laboratory with open-plan offices above.

There are more offices on the ground floor of a fourth building, where Mark has his own small, plain, almost utilitarian office.

An office in Edinburgh employs 50 people. All the data coming out of the clinical trials has to be put on to a database and analysed, largely in Edinburgh.

If all goes to plan, our headcount in the UK will rise close to 500, added Mark.

Quotient recently acquired Co-Formulate, located in MediCity on the Boots campus in Beeston. With a team of about a dozen, it was founded by two former Boots scientists, Huw Jones and Nazim Kanji, and specialises in formulation development, trying to understand ingredients to put together into a tablet, solution or a suspension to get the active drug into the body efficiently.

Nottingham has a really strong critical mass of pharmacy and pharmaceutical science capabilities which can serve pharmaceutical companies globally, said Mark.

His early career took him to ICI  subsequently Zeneca  in Cheshire but an itch to work in the US was fulfilled when he joined a Californian bio-tech company. I absolutely loved it, the business ethos, the sense of entrepreneurialism.

In California, you have an idea in the shower or walking to work. I am an extrovert in my thinking so I have a pre-formed thought but I need people to help me build it. By lunch time I would have 10 ways to make my idea better. Do that in the UK, you have 10 reasons why an idea wouldnt work.

Jobs in Cambridge, then Oxford, followed before Mark was offered the position of CEO at what was then Pharmaceutical Profiles. He readily admits he never thought he would stay 12 years with Quotient but I absolutely love it  its a blast.
DYER  Police declined comment Sunday night on reports they and the Northwest Regional SWAT team were conducting a raid here.

Detective Cmdr. Don Foley said he couldn't talk when reached shortly before 10 p.m. for comment about reports the Northwest Regional SWAT armored vehicle was seen on U.S. 30 near U.S. 41 in Schererville earlier and later in Dyer.

The Regional team is a multi-jurisdictional emergency response group composed of officers from: Merrillville, Crown Point, Schererville, Dyer, Griffith, Hobart, St. John, Munster and Lake Station Police Departments.

They respond to reports of armed and barricaded gunmen, hostage situations, according to the website.

Check back with nwi.com for updates.
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner says he will veto an income-tax increase the House has approved.

The House voted 72-45 Sunday to increase the personal income tax rate by 32 percent. It's designed to start repairing the fiscal calamity caused by the nation's longest budget stalemate since the Great Depression.

Rauner issued a statement that decried "the largest tax hike in history and continue out of balance budgets with no real reform." The first-term governor insists on business-friendly changes and a statewide property tax freeze in return for agreement on a budget.

The tax increase goes back to the Senate for concurrence.

The House followed the tax bill with approval of an annual spending plan.

The vote was 81-34 for a budget that spends about $36 billion. Democrats point out that it's about $800 million less than what Rauner proposed last winter.

The 32 percent increase in the personal income tax rate means the rate would go from 3.75 percent to just under 5 percent. It passed with one more vote than necessary to take effect immediately.

Democratic Rep. Greg Harris, of Chicago, sponsored the measure. He says the increase is necessary to avoid financial catastrophe. Bond-rating houses have threatened to downgrade Illinois' creditworthiness to "junk" status without action.

More than a dozen Republicans voted for the measure. But some argued that lawmakers need more financial restraint.

Rauner and Democrats who control the General Assembly have locked horns since Rauner took office in 2015. The governor won't agree to a budget until he gets "structural" business- and political changes he says will boost commerce, as well as a statewide property tax freeze to help homeowners.

The mood was markedly different from Friday, when Democrats and Republicans alike overwhelmingly voted for a $36.5 billion spending plan. It was a preliminary test, but both sides assumed talks would continue and a final vote on spending would follow Saturday and then a vote on tax increases.

Chicago Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan announced negotiations would be the focus of the weekend session, not votes, but he reversed himself after a raucous demonstration from Republicans who called on him to capitalize on Friday's momentum.

On Sunday, Republicans accused Madigan of slowing the process down, and of switching to a new spending plan less than the $36.5 billion presented Friday with additional money for the prison system and less for higher education, among other changes.

Rep. Michael Zalewski, a Democrat from the Chicago suburb of Riverside, said that's inaccurate. Since the legislative session began in January, and particularly in the 12-day special session which continues, Zalewski said, "There's been a clear directive to work with these guys."

"It's consistently been a miscalculation by some that the 'cookie' we get is a vote for an income tax increase," Zalewski said. "It's not a political boon to your career, but it's the right thing to do. And we need to get it done."
CROWN POINT  An interactive art project inspired by an artist's vision for the streets of Los Angeles could be coming to Crown Point.

Colette Miller created the Global Angel Wings Project in the streets of Los Angeles in 2012 and in a statement said they were "painted to remind humanity that we are angels of this earth." They are human-sized angel wings with which people take photos, thus becoming part of the work.

Miller has gone on to paint wings globally including in Kenya, Australia, Taiwan, France, Cuba and Mexico. But it was the Los Angeles wings City Councilwoman Carol Drasga saw on a trip to the City of Angels that inspired her to do something similar in downtown Crown Point.

She discussed her plan with the Historic Preservation Committee, which would have to approve the project because it would be in an historic district.

"You stand inbetween the wings and you are an angel of the earth" Drasga said. "Not only does it introduce art to our downtown, it brings in foot traffic. If you can go to the sites where these wings are, it is jam packed with people photographing themselves between the wings."

Drasga said the downtown statues project, which she spearheaded and is now in its third year, has tripled foot traffic to the square.

"Foot traffic is critical for the life of our downtown," she said.

Drasga's plan is to have the wings painted on the Antiques on Main building on the wall facing the alley across from Diamond Jim's.

"It's a very safe alley," she said. "There is no restaurant there demanding deliveries. You have to be careful, but there is plenty of room."

Drasga was joined at a recent meeting by Antiques on Main owner Cindy Walsh, who told the commission she approves of the project and the use of her wall. Drasga said she has contacted the art department at Crown Point High School and plans to have students work with Walsh on creating the design for the angel wings  one for adults and one for children.

Drasga said the project would make a statement and be part of a global movement. As for the paint, Drasga said she's talked with a professional painter who said there is a paint that can be used which is "permanent until you remove it." At some point the paint could be power-washed off or if the wings remain, repainted in about five years.

Several commission members expressed concern about vandals or those who think they can start painting walls anywhere. They also said they've turned down murals in the past and were concerned about what would occur if they approve the wings project.

"My hope is you would see value of art downtown, and maybe it is time to look at our downtown and say 'is this art and is it of value,'" she said. "When you see some of our walls they can all use murals. They are a terrible eyesore. Art is an attraction. That's not a bad thing."

Commission member Dan Rohaley said the way to approach it is as a temporary art project that, if there were to be a lot of blowback, "the plug could be pulled."

"I just think it's a good idea," he said. "It's innovative. It's a great idea to bring traffic downtown. I think people love the statues and they'll love this."

Drasga said if approved, the project would probably begin in the fall. She plans to return to the commission's meeting in August with more information.

Miller, when contacted by The Times about the proposed wings in Crown Point, said she has a hand in the project because Drasga was inspired to bring the project to the city, but she said the global angel wings project isn't about her.

"It was for the people  humanity  and they responded spontaneously and it took flight of its own," she said.
PINE TOWNSHIP  From the top of the platform, visitors would be hard pressed to guess that what they were looking at was once farmland.

Now covered with water, with reeds and trees shooting up and a croaking bullfrog in the background, visitors to the Carol Cook Wetland Overlook have a chance to spot an egret, heron or variety of ducks on any given day.

The approximate 2-acre parcel is owned by the Porter County chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America. It is one of five properties the group has either purchased or received through donation that they are not only preserving, but also using as an educational tool in their conservation efforts.

The overlook, at 582 E. CR 1200 North, actually overlooks wetlands reclaimed by Jim Phares, an Ikes member, about 30 years ago.

"This protected wetland is in our tool box of conservation education," said club President Jim Sweeney. "You can enjoy the view and see a lot of wildlife. You can learn that wetlands are important to clean water and to habitats."

The platform is under construction thanks to Boy Scout Troop 929 of Chesterton, which is undertaking the construction as part of an Eagle Scout project. They'll also be installing a walkway. The Discovery 4-H club will soon be building and helping to erect an osprey platform.

The Porter County Ikes, said member Bill Iltzsche, is different. It doesn't have a clubhouse, and is strictly conservation- and education-minded.

The group was founded in 1958. Founding members Herb and Charlotte Read initiated the chapter in addition to their efforts in helping establish the Indiana Dunes National Lakeshore.

Since its inception, the club has gathered five parcels of property under its wing. In addition to Carol Cook Wetland Overlook  named after an artist and Save the Dunes member  the club owns Bedenkop Spring Run, a 50-acre total quality deer management area just around the corner from Carol Cook; the 60-acre Frame Family Little Calumet area at the confluence of Reynolds Creek and County Line Road; Missauga, a 10-acre parcel also on County Line Road and the newest addition, the Terry McClosky Ravine Nature Preserve adjacent to the Purdue University Northwest Westville campus.

Most of the property was purchased through Enbridge line 6B mitigation funds matched with state money. The Missauga property was donated as part of a mitigation agreement.

While only the Carol Cook area is officially opened to the public for now, the Ikes host events at the Frame property and recently dedicated the first phase of a nature playground there.

The playground, said member Annette Hansen, will allow children to have fun while learning about nature.

Iltzsche said they also bring their education efforts into the classroom, putting on programs in Duneland Community Schools and in some Valparaiso Community Schools during Family Nature Nights.

"We are doing conservation on the ground, getting dirty, getting wet. We want to share our efforts with the public and get more kids outside," said Sweeney.

Hansen said they have also been working with a group of computer engineering interns from Valparaiso University to build a new website for the group. Anyone interested in more information or in helping the group can contact them through nwiconservation.org.

(Editor's note: This story was edited from its original version.)
Staff members at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital are opening up about their experiences during last week's shooting.

During a press conference Monday, hospital officials say they took every possible step to protect patients during the incident.

Babies were born, and surgeries were performed even as the crisis unfolded.

While shots rang out, staff say they stayed with patients and continued to provide essential care.

"I had to get up from underneath the bed and put the oxygen on her face. And I told her just to breathe, just keep breathing. And I looked outside and all the police started coming. As far as I could see on the Grand Concourse there were police. So I said the police are here, you're gonna be fine. So I still stayed there beside the bed calming down the patient, and afterwards they came and they knocked on the door. When I looked up there were like four police officers looking at me with their guns pointed," said Donnelly Perkins, a registered nurse at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital.

Physician and Queens resident Tracy Tam, 32, was shot and killed by the gunman.

Six patients were also shot and wounded.

One is scheduled to be released from the hospital Monday.

Another is in intensive care, while the rest are in stable condition.

Dr. Henry Bello opened fire with an assault rifle at Bronx-Lebanon on Friday before turning the gun on himself.

He worked at the hospital for six months before he was forced to resign in 2015.

According to the city, Bello was hired to work for the city's Human Resources Administration in September last year.

A series of arrests that police sources say included sex abuse, burglary, and turnstile jumping did not show up on the Administration's criminal background check, because he had pleaded guilty to a lower charge.
New research shows that war and terrorism are the top global concerns of Kiwis but many domestic fears involve housing.



With the election edging ever closer, New Zealanders are concerned about several domestic issues including the poverty gap and homelessness.



Housing issues are high on the agenda of many of the Kiwis surveyed by Roy Morgan Research, including house prices, housing affordability & housing shortages.



New Zealand heads to an election in under three months and housing issues are a huge concern for New Zealanders with just under 14% of respondents mentioning house prices or housing affordability and a further 10% mentioning housing shortages and homelessness, said Michele Levine, CEO Roy Morgan.



These issues are most prominent in Auckland and Wellington.



Overall, economic issues were mentioned as concerns by 26.7% of respondents while housing issues were on the mind of 23.3%. The gap between rich and poor is on a par with house prices, mentioned by 14% of respondents while just 3% are concerned about unemployment.



Other things that were high on the agenda of concerns among the 1,000 New Zealanders polled were social issues such as crime, social welfare and youth issues (18%) and government, public policy and human rights issues (13%).



The research was conducted in May.
Auburn High Schools Blake Busbin was selected last week as the 2017 Alabama History Teacher of the Year, gaining statewide recognition for his innovative work with the Auburn High School Veterans Project.

Busbin, an AP history teacher, was nominated for the award by a panel of teachers, administrators and scholars from Alabama. The award is presented annually by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to one K-12 teacher from each state, the District of Columbia, Department of Defense schools and United States territories.

Busbin now will compete nationally with 53 other finalists for the $10,000 National History Teacher of the Year Award. Finalists are chosen based on their use of primary sources in the classroom, ability to teach using innovative methods and use of oral history and historical sites, Busbin said.

Over the last four years, Busbin has been the catalyst for the Auburn High School Veterans Project, a student-driven oral history project that has documented hundreds of area veterans stories and submitted them to the Library of Congress.

After Busbin was nominated, part of the application process included a 15-page explanation of a long-term project done in the classroom, which Busbin dedicated to the AHS Veterans Project.

 In his 10-year career with Auburn City Schools, Dr. Busbin has facilitated student learning in so many wonderful ways, said Karen DeLano, Auburn City Schools superintendent. More recently, through the AHS Veterans Project, he has been able to successfully connect local citizens with his students, creating an environment where history is being shared on a realistic and personal level.

 Truthfully, I feel this is a community award, Busbin said. Theres no way I wouldve received this without the work of the students, what theyve done with this project, and with the support of the veteran community.

Stories from the Civil Rights Movement

Though this spring marked the last set of interviews for the project, Busbins sights are set on his next project, Land of Freedom: the Civil Rights Movement in East Alabama.

Busbin recently submitted a grant in conjunction with two Auburn University professors, David Carter and Keith Hebert, with the Alabama Humanities Foundation for the project that would tell the stories of those involved in the movement. Busbin expects to find out whether they received the grant later this summer.

 We feel that its a story thats yet to be told, Busbin said. Everyone knows about Alabama in the Civil Rights Movement, but when you think about it, you think about Montgomery or Birmingham or Selma. Every single community has a story to be told. I think it helps us better understand the holistic view of the Civil Rights Movement and see how it plays out in each community.

The project would begin next spring and would be broken down into three years, the first focusing on before the movement, the second on during and the last on how things are today.

Busbin received support from Auburn Mayor Bill Ham and Opelika Mayor Gary Fuller, who both wrote support letters for the grant. The Auburn Public Library has agreed to host symposiums next spring where students will explain what theyve learned, and curators from the Jule Collins Smith Museum of Fine Art have agreed to speak with students about creating displays.

 Its really taken on very much a community project as well as collaboration with the university, Busbin said. This is just a further step of the students being able to become historians and building those positive relationships with those in the community.
#NZ murder suspect Court OKs extradition of 'suitcase' murder suspect to New Zealand A Seoul court on Friday approved the extradition of a woman believed to be the mother of two children whose bodies were found in suitcases in New Zealand in August. The Seoul H...

#KBO Landers starter Kim Kwang-hyun wins top KBO pitching award After making a successful return from a two-year stint in the majors, SSG Landers starter Kim Kwang-hyun was named the winner of South Korea's top professional pitching award on Fr...
Agricultural News

Dr. Derrell Peel Marvels at the US Beef Industry and It's Place Among the 4th of July Celebration

Mondays, Dr. Derrell Peel, Oklahoma State University Extension Livestock Marketing Specialist, offers his economic analysis of the beef cattle industry. This analysis is a part of the weekly series known as the "Cow Calf Corner" published electronically by Dr. Peel and Dr. Glenn Selk. Today, Dr. Peel muses on beef's place as part of our celebration of Independence Day as well as our everyday lives, and the thought and planning that goes into maintianing a steady supply of product for hungry consumers throughout the year.





"As we celebrate Independence Day and the freedoms we enjoy in this country-often with a grilled hamburger-think also about the vast and varied cattle industry across the country. The U.S. cattle industry is very complex in no small part as a result of the tremendous variety of environments and climates in which cattle production takes place. I have the privilege to visit and learn about cow-calf, stocker and feedlot operations in many different locations and situations.







"I am endlessly fascinated and impressed by the many shapes and sizes of the cattle industry across the country. Every operation is part of the same broad industry that collectively satisfies the wide range of demands for countless beef products. The underlying economic principles that drive the industry are the same for all producers. And yet, those economic principles lead to very different answers about the optimal way to manage production in environments that range from subtropical to subarctic. The industry uses a vast array of forage and feed resources in very dynamic markets which make efficient management a constantly moving target.







"In just the past two weeks I traveled from the Mexican border on the southernmost part of New Mexico to within 100 miles of the Canadian border in Western Montana. This covers extensive production in arid regions of the Southwest with stocking rates of 60+ acres per cow to intensive irrigated pasture and hay production in western Montana that use about 2 acres per cow. In such a range of production conditions, the marginal economic decisions that optimize production result in very different answers for many production factors such as cow size, calf weaning weight, weaning percentage, etc. and a variable focus on cow-calf and/or stocker production. The cattle industry is unique among livestock industries because production must be figured out in every region. Though the questions are the same, there certainly is no one set of right answers to be found in any book that fit all regions of the country.







"Included in a few examples that I have visited in recent months is cattle production in the swamps of Florida with very unique challenges of nutrition, disease and health management in the subtropical climate. Preconditioning calves is often impractical in such an environment so the majority of calves are shipped west at weaning. In contrast, the cattle industry in the Northeast operates somewhat apart from the rest of the country with feeder cattle flowing north from Virginia for finishing in feedlots and under bank barns. The Sand Hills of Nebraska provides an ocean of grass, shoulder high on a horse, for cow-calf production while farther south the Flint Hills in Kansas is home to early intensive summer grazing for many thousands of stockers. Wheat pasture in the Southern Plains provides a winter home for millions of stocker cattle. Cattle move from widely dispersed cow-calf production all over the country towards increasingly concentrated stocker and feedlot production in the middle of the country.







"I continue to be amazed that a single industry can look so different in different settings and even more amazed that markets are able to efficiently coordinate all of this diversity with market forces to provide a steady flow of beef products that is competitive in domestic and international protein markets. As you celebrate July 4 with those hamburgers on the grill, don't forget to celebrate the hard work of cattle producers in all parts of the country who figure out how to produce in every environment and the incredible markets that guide and coordinate it all so that consumers everywhere can take for granted the availability of fresh beef all year around."













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So far this summer, its been pretty quiet on the insect front.

But with the outdoor activities of July Fourth and plenty of summer yet to come, health officials say the time is right to get in the habit of protecting ourselves from mosquitoes and ticks.

Both can carry diseases  West Nile virus and others in the case of mosquitoes. While tick-borne illnesses arent as common in Nebraska and western Iowa as in other parts of the country, officials still urge people to take precautions.

Travelers also should beware, particularly those heading to areas where such diseases are more common.

Nebraska officials received their first report of West Nile from any source on Friday. The Four Corners Health Department, which covers Butler, Polk, Seward and York Counties, reported its first human case in a blood donor by routine screening conducted by blood collection agencies.

Iowa officials detected the virus in captured mosquitoes last week for the first time this season.

Health agencies also have added traps for mosquitoes that carry the Zika virus. While most who are infected suffer mild illness, the virus has been linked to severe birth defects in children of women infected while pregnant.

The primary mosquito responsible for transmitting Zika, however, is not established in Nebraska. Another species considered a less-effective carrier has been found previously in very limited numbers in southeast Nebraska. Surveillance in Iowa last year found neither species established there.

In addition to trapping mosquitoes, the Douglas County Health Department also is using larvicide briquettes to kill mosquitoes in breeding ponds and collecting dead birds, where the virus spends part of its life cycle, for testing.

Dr. Tom Safranek, Nebraskas state epidemiologist, noted that West Nile varies from year to year. At its peak year in 2003, the state recorded nearly 2,000 cases and 27 deaths. Last years tally was more average: 95 cases and one death.
Authorities on Monday identified the person of interest in the death of a Schuyler, Nebraska resident.

Fidelgarin Valdez, 55, died Friday evening, apparently from a self-inflicted gunshot wound, as law enforcement prepared to arrest him, authorities said.

An arrest warrant for Valdez had been issued Friday afternoon in connection with the death of Janner Ramon Torres Diaz, 33, according to the Colfax County Attorneys Office.

Torres Diaz died from multiple gunshot wounds that he suffered shortly before 2 a.m. June 27 at the Schuyler Inn, said Schuyler Police Chief K.C. Bang. Officers dispatched to the motel found the wounded Torres Diaz on a second-story balcony of the motel, where he lived. He later was pronounced dead at the local hospital.

Law enforcement set up a perimeter around Valdezs residence after he was identified as a person of interest in the case. As officers closed in, they heard what they thought were two gunshots. A Nebraska State Patrol robot was deployed and confirmed that Valdez was dead.
An effort to crack down on underage drinking during the College World Series resulted in six arrests on suspicion of a minor in possession of alcohol, six arrests on suspicion of driving under the influence of alcohol and three arrests on suspicion of having an open container of alcohol in a vehicle, Omaha police announced Sunday.

Other arrests during the operation, funded by a grant from the Nebraska Office of Highway Safety: five on suspicion of having an altered or fake identification; three drug-related; one weapons-related; and 37 on suspicion of misdemeanor or traffic offenses.

The enforcement ended with the College World Series on Tuesday and was focused on the area around TD Ameritrade Park.
A fireworks blast injured three people Sunday night near Two Rivers State Park, including a man who lost part of one finger, according to initial 911 dispatch reports.

A woman suffered cuts from the blast, according to the dispatch reports, and a second man may have suffered minor burns.

All three were taken to Lakeside Hospital with injuries that were not considered life-threatening.

The incident happened about 9:45 p.m. Paramedics were called to 2080 Campanile Road.

Seven people were treated and released for fireworks injuries overnight Sunday at CHI Health hospitals in the Omaha area, said spokeswoman Kathy Sarantos Niver.

On Saturday night, at least two people were injured by fireworks. One was treated at Creighton University Medical Center-Bergan Mercy and the other at Immanuel Medical Center, Sarantos Niver said. Neither was admitted to the hospital.

Six people were admitted to the Nebraska Medical Center over the weekend for fireworks injuries, a spokeswoman said. One person sustained burns to the arm and chest area, another suffered burns to the hand.

World-Herald staff writer Michael O'Connor contributed to this report.
With the blood of the slain woman on his fingers and right shin, Ernesto Lugo told authorities he shot Rachel Ham.

He said it was an accident.

He said he wanted to fire the .38 revolver into the air, but it slipped down and went off  into the back of Hams head.

A witness told police a different story: that Lugo raised the gun and fired at Ham, 32, as she was walking away. A coroner said the revolver was within inches of the back of Hams head.

Lugo, 53, will stand trial on charges of first-degree murder and use of a gun to commit a felony, Judge Sheryl Lohaus ruled Monday. Lugo is being held in jail without bail.

Police officers found Ham dead a block east of 16th and Yates Streets on May 31. A homeless encampment, where Lugo lived, is at the bottom of a hill at the end of Yates Street.

A man told police he saw Lugo and Ham, whom he knew as Raquel, arguing that night, Omaha Police Detective Brandon Hahn testified at a preliminary hearing. The man said Lugo was jealous and mentioned methamphetamine. As Ham walked away, Lugo shot her and ran, the man told authorities.

The next morning, police did a second search of the area and found Lugo in the bushes. Lugo had a spot of blood on his right shin and reddish fingers. Preliminary DNA testing matched the apparent bloodstains to Ham.

Police interviewed Lugo with the aid of a Spanish interpreter. Lugo said he had been doing work at a house, Hahn said, and that he was told he could take anything from the house. Lugo found a .38 Smith & Wesson revolver and a box of ammunition. He told police he had the gun for three days; the witness said Lugo had it for about a month.

Lugo told police he threw the gun near a pathway to the homeless encampment, nicknamed The Jungle. Hahn estimated that the gun was found about 75 yards away from Hams body.

Hams mother, Jamie Lesley, and a half-dozen other people started sobbing Monday when they heard that Ham had been shot from close range.

For him to say it was an accident, especially after what I just heard about how close he was to my daughter, it wasnt an accident, Lesley said after the hearing. I just want to make sure he spends the rest of his life in prison, because thats where he belongs.

She acknowledged that her daughter had some issues but also said Ham helped the people in the homeless encampment; she taught them how to read and write, helped fill out job applications and brought them food and clothes.

If the argument was about drugs, Lesley said, its no reason for her daughter to be killed.

That gives him the right to shoot her in the back of the head like an animal? Its not right, she said. He took my daughter away from me, my friend away from me.

Monday would have been Hams 33rd birthday. In Plattsmouth, a group of loved ones released two dozen colorful balloons into the sky.

Along with a video of the balloon tribute, Lesley wrote on Facebook: I miss you so much. ... I just wish you were here. Have a 1st Happy Birthday in heaven. Mama misses you.
Dekow Sagar doesnt remember much from those early years in Somalia.

He has snippets of memories of chasing monkeys from his village of Bardere and of splashing in the Juba River  against his mothers advice.

But he distinctly remembers the fear he saw on his parents faces when the sounds and realities of the Somali Civil War reached Bardere in 1991. He was 7 years old.

After six months of moving to avoid militiamen, of bribing soldiers, of coming upon and hearing of horrific scenes of death and pillaging, Sagars parents, Sagar and his eight siblings returned to their village. By then his father  once a farmer and animal herder  had lost almost everything. Still, the militiamen demanded more. The men walked Sagars father to the edge of the village, the barrel of a rifle held against his back. They bound his hands and his ankles, tied him to a tree and repeatedly beat him with the butts of their guns. Sagar stood by and watched, wiping tears.

Finally, when the soldiers walked off to the latrine, Sagar cut through the ropes and freed his father.

That night Sagars family planned an escape  one that turned into a 45-day, 370-mile trek to the Dadaab refugee camp in Kenya. That camp, with no running water and often just one meal a day, became Sagars home for the next 16 years.

For 16 years I was denied the opportunity to follow my dreams, said Sagar, 34. I finally got that opportunity in America through the refugee resettlement program.

Sagar arrived in Des Moines in 2007, and moved to Omaha about three years ago. For the past year and a half he has worked as the program coordinator at Lutheran Family Services.

Its really my dream job, my passion, Sagar said. I can now say that Ive been on both sides of the refugee story.

Last month, Sagar spent three days in Washington, D.C., for the Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services annual Migrant and Refugee Leadership Academy. There, Sagar and 49 other resettled refugees networked and attended seminars on grass-roots advocacy and community organizing. On World Refugee Day, June 20, the attendees visited Capitol Hill to meet with members of Congress about refugee and migrant issues.

It was such an honor, Sagar said. I came back with many ideas.

He plans to present some of what he learned at the academy to other Lutheran Family Services employees and then organize a meeting with city and local leaders of various immigrant populations.

This is a welcoming community, but we can do more, he said. He added that he sees a need for more programs for young people who come here as refugees.

Todd Reckling, vice president of program at Lutheran Family Services, said Sagar is someone who turns talk into action.

Thats evident in his academic resume. Since coming to the U.S. with just a seventh-grade education, Sagar has gone on to earn degrees from Grand View University in Des Moines, a masters in public administration from Drake University and an MBA from West Texas A&M University.

Now hes hoping to get the money together to complete an online degree in international human rights law from Oxford University.

My motivation and the motivation of many refugees comes from knowing desperation, Sagar said. We understand the opportunities in America.

Sagar is quick to say he understands why some people are wary of welcoming refugees into the country.

I know how people can be fearful of their neighbors  its a human tendency, Sagar said. But I want to encourage them to reach out of their comfort zone and learn the plight of their neighbors.

One of the themes of the academy was finding ways to share refugee stories in the community. Sagar has written a draft of his memoir and hopes to encourage other refugees to share their own stories.

I think understanding sometimes just takes more listening, he said.

Though Sagar said many of the memories of his journey are incomplete, he said he never will forget what it meant to leave the refugee camp and come to the U.S.  to become an American by choice.

I am so lucky, Sagar said. And so lucky to be able to give back, too.

Reckling insists that it is Lutheran Family Services officials who are fortunate, in having Sagar on the staff.

Dekow is outstanding, Reckling said. He has walked in those shoes  he knows the refugee experience firsthand. He brings that empathy and that heartfelt passion to work every day.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump is pressuring wavering senators to back a Republican bill to repeal and replace former President Barack Obamas health care law but is holding open a repeal-only option if Republicans cant reach agreement over the July 4 recess, Trumps top legislative aide says.

Marc Short, the White Houses legislative director, said Trump was making weekend calls and believed senators were getting close on passing a bill. But Short maintained that Trump continues to believe that repeal-only legislation should also be considered. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., has dismissed the suggestion.

McConnell says he intends to proceed with GOP legislation being negotiated during the weeklong recess. He has previously said if Republicans dont reach agreement, he will have to turn to Democrats, who want to fix Obamas health care law without repealing it.

Our preference is to pass the bill the Senate has right now, Short said. But he added: If the replacement part is too difficult for Republicans to get together, then lets go back and take care of the first step of repeal.

Thats an option, Short emphasized.

Trump on Friday tweeted the suggestion to repeal the Obama-era law right away and then replace it later, an approach that GOP leaders and the president himself considered but dismissed months ago as impractical and politically unwise. The tweet came amid continuing signs of GOP disagreement among moderates and conservatives over the bill. Republicans hold a 52-48 majority in the Senate. Just three GOP defections would doom the legislation, because Democrats are united in opposition.

Trumps suggestion had the potential to harden divisions within the GOP as conservatives complain that McConnells bill does not go far enough in repealing Obamas health care law while moderates criticize it as overly harsh in kicking people off insurance rolls, shrinking the Medicaid safety net and increasing premiums for older Americans.

Its not easy making America great again, is it? McConnell said late Friday.

Short said the White House remained hopeful after Senate Republicans submitted two versions of the bill to the Congressional Budget Office for scoring over the recess. Texas Sen. Ted Cruz is pushing a conservative version that aims to aggressively reduce costs by giving states greater flexibility to create separate higher-risk pools. The other seeks to bolster health care subsidies for lower-income people, perhaps by preserving a tax boost on high earners.

Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price said negotiations over the Senate bill were focusing on ways to address the issue of Medicaid coverage so that nobody falls through the cracks, combating the opioid crisis, as well as giving families more choice in selecting their insurance plan.

We think that Leader McConnell and his senators within the Senate are working to try to get this piece of legislation on track, Price said.

But conservative Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., said he didnt think a repeal-and-replace bill could win 50 votes. Both he and Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., have been urging McConnell to consider a repeal-only bill first.

I dont think were getting anywhere with the bill we have. Were at an impasse, Paul said. He said Senate leaders were unwisely seeking to win over moderates with multibillion dollar proposals to combat the opioid epidemic and boost tax subsidies to help lower-income people get coverage.

The bill is just being lit up like a Christmas tree full of billion-dollar ornaments, and its not repeal, Paul said. I think you can get 52 Republicans for clean repeal.

Even before Trump was inaugurated in January, Republicans had debated and ultimately discarded the idea of repealing the overhaul before replacing it, concluding that both must happen simultaneously. Doing otherwise would invite accusations that Republicans were simply tossing people off coverage and roil insurance markets by raising the question of whether, when and how Congress might replace Obamas law once it was gone.

But at least nine GOP senators expressed opposition after a CBO analysis last week found that McConnells draft bill would result in 22 million people losing insurance over the next decade, only 1 million fewer than under the House-passed legislation that Trump privately told senators was mean.

Paul said Senate Republicans can do a repeal-only bill concurrently with a bill they can call replace.

Sasse, meanwhile, said he would like to see a bill that would repeal Obamacare with a delay.

If we can do a combined repeal and replace over the next week, thats great, Sasse said. If we cant, though, then theres no reason to walk away.

I would want a delay, so that we could get straight to work. And then I think the president should call on the Senate to cancel our August recess, Sasse said.

Short and Paul appeared on Fox News Sunday, Price was on NBCs Meet the Press, and Sasse spoke on CNNs State of the Union.

Copyright 2017, the Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
During this years mayoral campaign, Mayor Jean Stothert and challenger Heath Mello spent enough money to buy each person who voted in the May 9 election a nice dinner at Johnnys Steakhouse or a pair of tickets to the Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium.

Between them, they spent about $38 per voter, or $3.8 million overall.

And for the fourth time in the past six city elections, Omahas mayoral candidates surpassed the previous spending record.

In 1997, Hal Daub and Brenda Council claimed a record after they spent a combined $1.1 million. Four years later, Daub and Mike Fahey blew past that, spending a combined $3.5 million.

In 2013, Mayor Jim Suttle, Stothert and three other challengers spent more than $4 million.

And this year, Stothert, Mello and their primary opponent Taylor Royal surpassed that record with nearly $4.1 million spent.

Stothert and Mellos combined $3.8 million in spending also surpassed the record Daub and Fahey set for the most spending by the top two candidates.

And on top of that, outside groups spent an additional $750,000 to try to sway voters one way or the other.

In the end, Stothert, a Republican in an officially nonpartisan seat, won re-election with 52,509 votes to Democrat Mellos 46,761.

Paul Landow, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska at Omaha and a former Fahey staffer, said Omahans can expect the cost of the Omaha mayors race to keep growing.

He said the tab for the 2021 mayoral election could top $5 million, especially if Stothert follows precedent and steps down after her second four-year term.

Landow said the influx of money into local Omaha elections follows a national trend. And he doesnt think its a good one.

A few years ago a campaign contribution for $100 or $250 wouldve been considered a nice contribution that was meaningful and worthwhile, said Landow, a Democrat who contributed to Mellos campaign. Today a contribution like that doesnt even register with the politician.

The breakdown:

 Mello spent $1.6 million between his August announcement and the final campaign finance report, which covers a period through June 13.

 Stothert spent $2.2 million between her 2013 election and June 13.

 Royal spent $260,000 before losing in the April primary.

Mello, 37, has not said whether hell seek another elected office.

The former state senator said he was proud of his campaign.

I think we are able to make it a competitive race by raising as much money as we did, he said.

Stothert said she expects the trend of high-cost races to continue.

A real vibrant TV campaign is real expensive, she said. And its really what you need to do now.

Stothert, 63, said she hasnt decided whether to seek a third term or seek another elected office, though she said she plans to restock her diminished campaign coffers.

Ive got to prepare for whatever Im doing in the future, she said. I cant even think about that right now.

Donations paid for items such as payroll for campaign employees, printing and postage for mailers and television advertising  standard items for political campaigns.

Of the outside groups, Firefighters for Better Government, a political action committee affiliated with the Omaha fire union, was the biggest spender, with nearly $200,000 spent to oppose Stothert and an additional $50,000 to support Mello. On top of that, the group donated nearly $30,000 directly to his campaign along with thousands of in-kind donations.

A political action committee headed by City Councilwoman Aimee Melton and former legislative candidate Gwenn Aspen, Dont Go Back, spent $100,000 to support Stothert.

And the state political parties got involved as well. The Nebraska Democratic Party spent about $230,000 to support Mello, and Douglas County Democrats added $25,000 more. The Republican Party spent almost $35,000 on the race to support Stothert and oppose Mello.

Overall, Mellos top donor was Johanna Lutton, who gave $55,000. Her online LinkedIn profile lists her as the chief marketing officer of OTB Destination, the company that is working to develop Crossroads Mall.

(OTB gave $32,500 to Stothert and $10,000 to Mello. Its owner, Rod Yates, gave $2,000 to Mello.)

Other top Mello donors included Norm Waitt Jr., founder and chairman of Waitt Co.; the Nebraska League of Conservation Voters; local businessman and former MECA board member Dana Bradford; and Mike Yanney, chairman emeritus of the Burlington Capital Group.

Stotherts top donor during this election cycle was Swain Construction, a local company that does business with the city. Mello raised questions about the donations during the election and in particular the companys status with the city as a small and emerging business.

The extra scrutiny does not appear to have deterred the company, which continued to donate to Stotherts campaign even after Mello brought up the issue in a post-primary debate.

Other top Stothert donors included Scott Noble; Union Pacific Railroad Co.; Hawkins Construction Co.; Charles Herbster, a Falls City cattle feeder and agribusiness owner; HDR Inc.; Gov. Pete Ricketts; and CH2M Hill Engineers.

Spending by top two candidates for mayor

1997 Hal Daub and Brenda Council $1.1 million 2001 Hal Daub and Mike Fahey $3.5 million 2005 Mike Fahey and Dave Friend $1.4 million 2009 Jim Suttle and Hal Daub $2.1 million 2013 Jim Suttle* and Jean Stothert $2.7 million 2017 Jean Stothert and Heath Mello $3.8 million

*Does not include spending on the 2011 recall vote
We didnt start the fire.

The heated debate over immigration in the U.S., in fact, has been raging for years, according to Heather Fryer, PhD, director of the American Studies Program and associate professor in the History Department at Creighton University.

At every point in history, Americans have struggled with two competing sentiments about immigration that remain very strong, Fryer says. The first is a deep sense of pride in the United States origins as a nation of immigrants from Europe, and continued pride in this heritage of openness and inclusion.

Equally powerful, however, is the persistent fear that the United States characteristic openness leaves the nation unguarded from external enemies poised to destroy it, she says.

America got its start as a diverse nation. America gets its dynamism from working with the tension between finding a unifying national identity and appreciating the strength and innovation that have come from the combined contributions of Americans from across time and around the world.

Fryer, the Fr. Henry W. Casper, SJ Professor of History at Creighton, has been studying this ideological divide for years, poring over government documents, journalistic records and personal correspondence.

Her research revealed something that may be surprising: Anti-immigration sentiment existed even in the original American colonies. Colonies established by immigrants.

Having taken the risk to leave the homes they had known and form a new society, early colonists bonded over their similarities. A colonial identity soon formed, Fryer says, as the newcomers viewed themselves as different from both the tyrannical societies of old Europe and what they viewed as the uncivilized, savage societies of the indigenous people.

Benjamin Franklin, himself a son of immigrants (his father was an English-born soap and candlemaker; his mother, a Massachusetts native with family roots to the first Pilgrims) and a Founding Father, often considered an enlightened Renaissance man of the time, opposed the immigration of swarthy Germans into the American colonies.

Why should Pennsylvania, founded by the English, become a Colony of Aliens, who will shortly be so numerous as to Germanize us instead of our Anglifying them, and will never adopt our Language or Customs, any more than they can acquire our Complexion, Franklin wrote.

While there were surely opposing views, such as Thomas Paine describing the colonies as the asylum for the persecuted lovers of civil and religious liberty from every part of Europe, it was Franklins stance that found its way into the Naturalization Act of 1790.

The act established the first official rules regarding U.S. citizenship. It said   any Alien being a free white person, who shall have resided within the limits and under the jurisdiction of the United States for the term of two years, may be admitted to become a citizen thereof.

What the act did not do, according to Fryer, was create a path to citizenship for slaves or non-white Europeans based on fear of alien subversives. It wasnt until after the Civil War  with the passage of the Civil Rights Act of 1866  that citizenship was extended to include all persons born in the United States (excluding Indians not taxed) without regard to race, color or previous condition of slavery or involuntary servitude.

View the rest of the article, and learn more about waves of American immigration from 1820 to today.

Creighton University offers a top-ranked education in the Jesuit, Catholic tradition. Read more about the university, and connect with Creighton on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
20 including journalists, retired HC judge paid through hawala to fuel Kashmir unrest

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The security forces along with the Intelligence Bureau have prepared a list of 20 persons including journalists and a retired High Court judge who have been fueling unrest in the Valley.

The list of 20 was prepared with the help of the Intelligence Bureau. In the list there are officials in the Jammu and Kashmir government too. An IB official informed OneIndia that a close tab is being kept on these officials, a retired High Court judge, journalists and writers.

Operation Clean up Kashmir: Is Rajiv Mehrishi, next Governor of the state?

These are the persons who are spreading the ideology apart from urging the youth to take up arms and fight against the Indian government. When asked if these persons will be arrested, the IB officer said that they are on the watch list. They will be acted upon for sure as the Centre has directed the security forces to up the ante against militants and separatists in the state.

These persons in the list of 20 are being paid through hawala channels to incite violence. It is these persons who urge the youth to attend militant funerals in large numbers.

Fai days are back: How journalists, writers fueled the ideological war in Kashmir

There are a few journalists who are on the pay rolls of the ISI. Their job is to specifically create a propaganda to show that the entire state is with Pakistan. They are the ones who have been dishing out the pro-azadi sentiments in the Valley.

The IB and the CID's Special Branch which prepared the list has sent the same to the Union Home Ministry. The ministry on the other hand has told the forces to go all out against them. Not just the militants on the ground, but the ideology needs to be crushed too.

In a recent editorial in the Dawn, it was stated that Pakistan has failed to cope with the Modi era. It also stated that Modi has decided that Kashmir must be crushed and Pakistan has not been able to cope with the same.

OneIndia News
New working pattern

Currently, state government employees work six days every alternative week. They have been pressing for a five-day week for over a decade but it has always been turned down citing workload and inconvenience to the public as reasons. In the past, the government had suggested that employees work that extra half an hour for five days but the employees' unions had rejected it. But this time, they have accepted the proposal.

30 minutes extra

These 30 minutes will be divided into two parts. Employees will have to resume 10 minutes earlier in morning and leave office 20 minutes later than their current timing in the evening. The unions have accepted this formula, which is why the CM has also indicated his acceptance, sources said. "Since the working hours of Saturday would be adjusted with half an hour extra work during the weekdays, there won't be any inconvenience to people," said Subhash Gangurde, general secretary of the Maharashtra state employee's confederation.

No increase in retirement age

The government is however not in favour of increasing the retirement age from 58 to 60. The CM has not given any indication about agreeing to this demand. The employee's union is clear that it would keep following up the issue with the government.

Implement 7th Pay Commission

Meanwhile the employees have decided to go on strike over the implementation of the 7th Pay Commission. They are demanding the state accept January 1, 2016 as the implementation date for the pay commission. If the government fails to accept this demand by July 12, they have threatened to go on strike.
Amit Shah creates BJP's internal intelligence army with Vistarak Yojana

India

oi-Anusha

By July 17, BJP National President Amit Shah will have a comprehensive report on what the results of 2018 elections will be in Karnataka. The BJP already has a sense of how many seats it will win as a sure shot from Gujarat, all thanks to the party's Vistarak Yojana. With elections in mind, the BJP has created its own intelligence wing from within party ranks.

With the Vistarak program, the BJP is deputing its workers to unfamiliar booths for 15 days in a year, some within the state and some across. In Karnataka alone, more than 11,000 BJP workers have already undertaken the Vistarak program. While the party maintains that it is aimed at seeking selfless service from members, what it is not putting in words is how it has turned its members into an army of intelligence officers.

Selfless service or a spy mission?

"For 15 days in a year, a worker has to go out of his/her constituency and work for the party in unfamiliar grounds. I believe in taking a cue from the party president who started from Naxalbari. If I work in my constituency or the one next to it, I am basically strengthening my vote bank and follower base but the point of the Vistarak program is to get members work for the party selflessly. There is nothing you get in return except gather strength for the party," said a BJP office bearer who is all set to go on the Vistarak program.

As part of the Vistarak program, the party is also sending special pairs of eyes to gauge the mood of the people, their response to the BJP and other parties and probable candidates from the constituency and on the whole, 'if the BJP has a chance to win from the booth'. The hoard of information will then be used to choose the candidate for the constituency.

"Despite being in power for such a long time in Gujarat, the BJP leadership is not worried about the assembly elections. The target of 150 seats that Amit Shah has set for Gujarat is not a wild target but a well assessed one. The Vistarak program has done a great deal of good to the party here. Even if there are early elections in Karnataka and it clashes with polls here, the BJP won't worry. For us, battle in Gujarat is already half won," said a BJP leader assessing the situation in Gujarat.

Why Congress should be worried

The Congress in Karnataka is relying on their internal survey and police intelligence report currently and claim that they will win a comfortable majority. The BJP, on the other hand, is relying on its own tactics to assess the situation at hand. Amit Shah's brain child, the Vistarak Yojana is much like the RSS' Pracharak concept.

"The party neither wants to spend nor wants the Vistaraks to spend money. Idea is to travel with as little baggage as possible. Vistaraks will not stay in hotels but will be hosted by party workers in every booth. Food will also be served by other party workers. The concept is to let go of my personal as well as political life for 15 days and dedicate it for party development," said a BJP leader.

The information that the Vistaraks will collect will be comprehensive since it is from every single booth across the state. There is neither question of influence or favour since the booths will be unfamiliar territory for the Vistaraks. There is just one rule, 'report what you see and what you hear'.

"Imagine the quality of election material we will acquire. Information from every single booth will help us assess where we stand. With this we have the time to take corrective measures in places where we lack," said another BJP office bearer. The information from Karnataka will be compiled and handed over to Amit Shah when he visits the state in August. This is the BJP's plan of internal/external survey ahead of elections in poll-bound states. And this being the centenary celebration year of BJP ideologue Pt Deen Dayal Upadhyay, the yojana Vistaraks pay tribute to him.

OneIndia News
Tuesday is now No Meeting Day in Haryana and officers to be with people on Friday

30 per cent down: How Haryana aced the decrease in stubble burning

Haryana panchayat polls: Public holiday in several districts on Nov 9 and 12

Ballabgarh lynching case: Police announces reward of Rs 2 lakh

India

oi-PTI

Chandigarh, Jul 3: Haryana police on Monday announced a reward of Rs two lakh for information on identity of those involved in the killing of a Muslim youth inside a train near Ballabgarh in Haryana.

Any person having information about the culprits can inform the Haryana Railway police chief, the Faridabad Railway additional deputy chief and the Faridabad GRP station house officer, an official spokesperson said.

"The police will provide a reward of Rs two lakh to the person helping it to identify the culprits," the spokesman said.

The identity of the person providing the information will be kept a secret, he said.

The police has so far arrested five persons in connection with the killing of 17-year-old Junaid onboard the Delhi- Mathura passenger train between Ballabgarh and Mathura stations on June 22.

Junaid was stabbed to death while his brothers, Hashim and Sakir, were injured by a mob which also allegedly hurled slurs against them.

His brothers said the attackers had taunted and repeatedly called them "anti-nationals" and "beef eaters".

The police had earlier announced a reward of Rs one lakh to anyone giving credible information leading to arrest of the accused in the case.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 16:39 [IST]
'Pollution not a state problem': As Delhi chokes, AAP leader passes the buck to Centre

Why Punjab farmers burn stubble at this scale when others do not

In the killing of those protecting Hindus in Punjab, a massive ISI plot revealed

BJP seeks action over Khalistan hoardings in Punjab

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Chandigarh, July 3:Questioning the Congress government in Punjab's silence over provocative hoardings across the state, the BJP has demanded immediate action against controversial hoardings seeking a 'freedom referendum' in Punjab.

The hoardings, which have come up at various locations across Punjab, talk of "Freedom" and a "Punjab Independence Referendum" in 2020.

The hoardings also prominently carry the photograph of militant-separatist leader Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale, who was killed in the Army's 'Operation Bluestar' action inside the Golden Temple complex in Amritsar in June 1984.

The hoardings have been put up at prominent locations in Rajpura in Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's home district Patiala, Barnala, Fatehgarh Sahib and Rupnagar (Ropar) in Punjab.

Neither the state government nor the district authorities or police have taken any action on the matter even though the hoardings have been around for three to four days.

The BJP had on Sunday demanded that the provocative hoardings should be removed by the Punjab government immediately.

"These hoardings have been put up to disturb the peaceful atmosphere in Punjab and to encourage hardliners. The Punjab government should immediately get these removed and take action. We don't understand why the Punjab government is not doing anything," BJP Punjab Vice President Harjit Singh Grewal told the media on Sunday.

"We cannot allow such anti-national elements to further Pakistan's agenda and disturb peace in Punjab," Grewal and other BJP leaders said.

The hoardings have been put up on behalf of Sikhs For Justice (SFJ) activist Gurpatwant Singh Pannu, who is based in the US.

The SFJ, a US-based pro-Khalistan organization, on Monday warned the Bharatiya Janata Party leadership in Punjab not to demand the removal of the hoardings.

IANS
Child Right's Commission summons Gurung to Kolkata

India

oi-Amitava

Darjeeling: Despite an earlier show cause notice by the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR), a defiant Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) on Monday held a rally for Gorkhaland in Darjeeling town in which children took part. GJM Chief Bimal Gurung has been summoned by the WBCPCR to Kolkata on July 11.

Incidentally on June 28 the GJM had organized a rally in which children from the age group of 3 years to 13 years had participated. While some of the children were dressed in traditional clothes, some were bare bodied and sported symbolic shackles with slogans like "We want Gorkhaland" painted on their body.

On June 29, the WBCPCR show caused the GJM stating that the Commission has taken suo moto cognizance of the matter. In the show cause notice to the GJM the commission stated that children in shackled condition were exposed to violent activities and used in a political process by the GJM on 28/6/2007.

Children dressed in traditional clothes and carrying pro-Gorkhaland placards were seen in Monday's rally in Darjeeling. When questioned on Monday's rally with children, GJM General Secretary Roshan Giri stated "Even children want separation from West Bengal. We do not have any future in West Bengal. They have come out for Gorkhaland."

Gautam Deb, Tourism Minister, Government of West Bengal labeled this as a barbaric act. "The GJM do not have any regard for the law of the land, the judiciary and directives of the courts." stated Deb.

Annanya Chakroborty, Chairperson, WBCPCR stated "This is a clear violation of a Calcutta High Court order that children cannot take part in any political activities even on holidays. Today being Monday is a school day. It is against rights to education. The situation is highly volatile in Darjeeling and the children are unsafe in such rallies on the streets. We have summoned Bimal Gurung to be present at our Kolkata office on July 11."

The youth and women's wing of the GJM demonstrated on Lebong Cart Road in front of the District Collectorate in Darjeeling on Monday. The GJM has clamped an indefinite bandh in the Hills of North Bengal since June 15. Ridiculing Government employees who are attending office, Nari Morcha activists offered "Khadas" (traditional scarves on the lines of garlanding.) "Hope you all want Gorkhaland too" scorned the Nari Morcha activists while offering Khadas.

"We also support Gorkhaland but we are compelled to attend office. The Government has threatened employees with no work no pay along with service break for all who do not attend office. We are helpless" stated an employee requesting anonymity.

The GJM has demanded Central intervention to resolve the ongoing impasse. "The centre should immediately initiate dialogues for Gorkhaland" stated Giri. The GJM General Secretary had met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh in Delhi on June 15. However the Centre is yet to respond to GJM's pleas.

"We will launch fast unto death in Delhi and Darjeeling after July 6 if the Centre continues turning a deaf ear" warned Amrit Yonzon, General Secretary, Gorkha Janmukti Yuva Morcha (youth wing of the GJM.)

The day saw alleged GJM activists torching a police vehicle at 6th Mile near Ghoom. Another police vehicle was torched on Rohini Road in Kurseong. Police arrested 4 persons from Kurseong in connection with the attack on the Fire Station at Kurseong and torching of 3 fire engines on July 1 night.

OneIndia News
China's actions in Doklam are of serious concern, may lead to war: Defence expert

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

With Bhutan strongly objecting to the road construction work by China in Doklam region, Defence expert P.K. Sehgal has said that Beijing is creating serious tension in the region and may lead to war if it does not pull back troops.

Sehgal said Bhutan has serious objections to China's action in the region. He said there was an agreement between the two countries that no unilateral action would be taken till the border is delineated.

"If they do not pull back, this could result into war," he told news agency ANI.

Even India's Ministry of External Affairs had earlier said that positive steps should be taken to resolve boundary issues and warned Beijing of 'serious security implications' if it goes ahead with the road construction.

"We have conveyed Chinese Government that such construction will represent significant change of status quo with serious security implications," MEA said in a staement on June 30.

Bhutan last week accused China of directly violating an agreement between the two countries by constructing a road inside its territory. In a strongly worded statement, Bhutan asked China to stop constructing the motorable road from Dokola in Doklam area towards the Bhutan Army camp at Zompelri, which it says affects the process of demarcating the boundary between the two countries

On the other hand, China has accused Indian troops of transgressing into the disputed Doklam area of the Sikkim sector.

In an unprecedented move, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang on Thursday displayed two photographs of the alleged Indian "incursion" into the area during a media briefing.

It is not the first time that such a transgression by the Chinese troops has happened at Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there. Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet.

By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 9:38 [IST]
CISF bags award for best airport security

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

The Central Industrial Security force (CISF) which provides security at the Delhi airport has bagged the award for the best airport security. The award was announced by the World Quality Congress (WQC).

The award will be given to the CISF at WQC's annual event in Mumbai on July 6. This is for the first time that a central paramilitary force has won this award. The WQC recognised the standards and professionalism in providing security.

This is a great achievement for the CISF. The award comes three months after the Airport Council International's airport service quality (ASQ) rating found that security at Delhi airport was better than Heathrow, Dallas, Los Angeles, Dubai and Paris airports.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 7:57 [IST]
Crush them, spare none, Centre tells security forces in Valley

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Crush them is what the latest directive from the centre is to the forces in Jammu and Kashmir. The directive from the Union Home Ministry to the security forces says that a new strategy needs to be put in place to crush militancy in the Valley.

Following the directive the security forces have taken an even more aggressive stance in the Valley.

Further a three pronged strategy has been devised to crush militancy in the Valley. A top official in the Home Ministry told OneIndia that the forces have put in place a new strategy.

The war against militancy in the Valley will not just be fought with guns. We will also crush the ideological war which has been launched by some people. The noose against the separatists too will be tightened the official said.

The Centre will now ask the Governor of Jammu and Kashmir N N Vohra to oversee the combat operations in the state. The Army which has already launched, "Operation clean up," in the Valley will focus heavily on area such as Pulwama, Shopian, Kuglam and Anantnag.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 7:42 [IST]
2 suspects arrested in connection with blast outside Hafiz Saeed's house in Pak

26/11: As India grieved, Saeed grew in Pak, while Lakhvi fathered a child in jail

Falah-e-Insaniyat, a wing of Hafiz Saeed's JuD raises Kashmir fund

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

A fund-raising campaign was organised in the name of Kashmir by Falah-e-Insaniyat in Rawalakot, Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK). Falah-e-Insaniyat Foundation (FIF), is a wing of Mumbai terror attacks mastermind Hafiz Saeed's Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD).

Rawalakot(PoK): Falah-e-Insaniyat, a wing of Hafiz Saeed's JuD organized a donation camp in the name of Kashmir pic.twitter.com/f3BpaP22dR  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

The fund-raising activity continued after Pakistan banned 'Tehreek-e-Azadi Jammu and Kashmir', a front for terrorist Hafiz Saeed's JuD, amid international pressure to act against terror outfits and their funding. Tehreek-e-Azadi gained prominence as a JuD front when it held rallies and displayed banners and streamers across Pakistan on February 5, days after Hafiz Saeed was put under "house arrest" for 90 days in Lahore.

Rawalakot(PoK): Falah-e-Insaniyat, a wing of Hafiz Saeed's JuD organized a donation camp in the name of Kashmir pic.twitter.com/4kqFZ04zPW  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

However, the Kashmir fund is not being raised for the first time. The FIF, a welfare wing of the JuD- has set up a camp in the Blue Area, the main business district of Islamabad, to collect cash donations in the name of a 'Kashmir Fund' in 2016

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 16:11 [IST]
UP police arrest con bride, who robbed men of their valuables, in the name of love

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Lucknow, July 3: The story of "con bride" Renu Sagar a.k.a Anshu Singh looks straight out of a masala Bollywood flick. All these years, she was befooling gullible men in the pretext of love and tricked them to part away with their valuables.

Finally, police in Moradabad, Uttar Pradesh, managed to arrest Renu based on a false case she had lodged against one of her 'victims'.

The 'fraudster' woman in order to take revenge against her 'prey', Raghav Sharma, decided to lodge a false complaint against him. Renu accused Raghav of assaulting her. The con woman wanted to see Raghav behind the bars as he did not agree to fulfill her demands.

The police, during its investigation, found out that it was not Raghav but Renu, who is the real culprit. The officials found that Renu is known to be a notorious criminal who in the past has trapped many men in love and robbed them of their savings.

Raghav met Renu during his visit to a hotel in March 2016. At that time, Renu was working as a kitchen designer in the hotel. Immediately, they hit it off.

Renu convinced Raghav to give her Rs 5 lakh. He also gave the con woman a house in Mansarover area of Moradabad. During their trip to Haridwar, Renu took some intimate pictures with Raghav which she furnished as a proof against him in the police station.

However, this time she failed to fool the cops and got arrested.

OneIndia News
90 Percent of Indias Online Skill Gaming Industry Says 28 Percent GST over GGV Will Be Catastrophic

GST collections up by 16.6% to Rs 1.52 lakh crore in October, says Centre

GST levy: Around 1,000 theatres shut in Tamil Nadu

India

pti-PTI

Chennai, July 3: Nearly 1,000 cinema halls across Tamil Nadu remained shut on Monday after theatre owners decided to go ahead with the strike against imposition of 30 per cent local body tax apart from additional tariffs under the new Goods and Services Tax regime.

"We are against the Corporation Tax which is 30 per cent. This is in addition to the GST rates. We are not against the GST. We welcome it," Tamil Nadu Theatre Owners and Distributors Association, President, Abhirami Ramanathan said.

He had sought the withdrawal of 30 per cent local body tax while pointing out that the Kerala government has withdrawn it.

"The tax of 30 per cent is in addition to the GST Tax rates, theatres are shut due to our inability to pay taxes," he told PTI.

Besides the GST, which came into effect from last Saturday, 18 per cent has been fixed for tickets below Rs 100 and 28 per cent for tickets above Rs 100.

The Association had also called on Chief Minister K Palaniswami on July 1 seeking his intervention on the issue.

Meanwhile, the Tamil Nadu Film Producers Council has requested the theatre owners to reconsider their decision considering the film producers.

The Council President and actor Vishal Krishna in a statement had expressed inability to support the decision taken by the theatre owners, saying a suitable time be given to the state government to look into the demand raised by the members of film fraternity.

"It is due to this reason, the Producers council cannot extend its support to the strike call given by the theatre owners. We also request the theatre owners to reconsider their decision," he had said.

As the theatres are shut from today, film producers took to social networking sites to ask the government to sort out the issue.

"We expect Govt of TN to remove the local tax and address the concerns of the theatre owners so that the film continues," two time National award-winning writer and film producer, Dhananjayan Govind, said.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 14:51 [IST]
Hindu woman 'married' to Muslim man commits suicide, no takers to body due to 'lack of proof'

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

Assam police caught in a predicament as they are clueless about last rites of a Hindu woman who allegedly committed suicide over a tiff with her Muslim husband in Tinsukia district.

Das, 23, had eloped four months ago with Bitu Ali, 27, though they lived together in Tinsukia town, there are no records to suggest if they got married or either of them converted to the other's faith, police said, according to Hindustan Times.

Now, both Muslim and Hindu communities not ready to cremate woman's body. Muslim community refused to bury the body due to "lack of proof" of her wedding with Ali and Hindus denied cremating her because she had "married" outside the faith.

But Ali was not allowed to bury his wife's body in Tinsukia and Margherita as he didn't have any documentary proof of his wedding as per Muslim rituals. Even in his wife's home town, Digboi, local people refused to cremate her.

Puna Gogoi, in-charge of Tinsukia police station, said till a decision is taken, the body will be kept at the police station or shifted to a government hospital morgue.

OneIndia News
International news brief: Floods trap many in Florida; Royal Mint unveils first coins and more

In flood-hit Assam, officials bank on expertise of local boatmen, swimmers to rescue victims

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Guwahati, July 1: In any natural calamity--earthquake or flood--it is the local people, because of their knowledge of the surrounding terrain, act as experts in the rescue and rehabilitation process.

However, most often visiting officials and members of the disaster management teams forget to use the local expertise to reach out to the maximum numbers of victims.

Lately, in flood-hit Assam, officials have realised the importance of local boatmen and swimmers that they can play a major role in saving lives. Thus these local men have been hired as a part of the official rescue mission.

As floods created havoc in Assam once again, this year, Majuli district administration and the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA), decided to hire local boatmen and swimmers in their official rescue teams.

Because of regular floods and erosion, Majuli, the 480 square km river island district in Upper Assam, not only have witnessed loss of lives and properties, but the island is in the verge of extinction.

Now, for the first-time, Majuli's boatmen and swimmers have become officially part of the disaster management plan. Around 90 country boats have been hired by the district administration and the ASDMA for rescue operation in the island.

Moreover, six swimmers have been provided training to assist them in case of drowning or if people get stuck in flood waters.

"This time, we have tried to involve the community by training and making area-wise groups with officials, boatmen, swimmers and local youths to help the administration in rescue and relief operations besides rehabilitation. We have held 12 meetings of people living near the embankments to make them aware of the vulnerable stretches so that they can inform the rescue team in case of possible breaches and ensure that people can be shifted immediately. We had a meeting with the boatmen and swimmers on May 23 so that they can help us in rescue work," Majuli deputy commissioner Pallab Lochan Jha told The Telegraph.

Officials are conducting regular meetings with gaonburhas (village headmen) to take stock of the problems in their villages. According to officials, special attention is given to Majuli during floods, as out of the 141 revenue villages, 62 are most-vulnerable to floods and erosion every year.

"The country boats have been requisitioned for deployment near the vulnerable villages so that the boatmen can rush there in case of drowning or rescuing people stuck in floods. The gaonburhas will either inform the disaster management cell in the deputy commissioner's office or the boatmen directly to carry out rescue operations," said Papori Boruah, field officer of the District Disaster Management Authority (DDMA), Majuli.

According to statistics, because of erosion Majuli's size has reduced to 480 square km in 2014 from 1,245.12 square km in 1950. A total of 4,301 families have been affected because of erosion since 2000, while 11,076.81 hectares of crop area have been affected during the same period.

In Assam, floods have affected more than 2.68 lakh people in Barpeta, Lakhimpur, Jorhat, Karimganj, Cachar, Dhemaji, Karbi Anglong and Biswanath districts, this monsoon.

The ASDMA's report said 453 villages have been inundated and over 5,272 hectares of crop area damaged by the swirling flood waters.

Karimganj is the worst hit with 1.53 lakh sufferers. 76,000 people have been affected in Lakhimpur. 5,670 people have taken shelter in 269 relief camps set up in four districts.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 7:34 [IST]
India pushes more troops in Doka La, Sikkim: Longest standoff since 1962

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

In a bid to strengthen its position in an area near Sikkim, India has pushed in more troops in a 'non-combative' mode. India has been locked in a standoff with Chinese troops for almost a month now in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962.

India brought in more troops after the destruction of two of its bunkers and "aggressive tactics" adopted by the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA), sources said. In a "non- combative mode", the nozzle of a gun is placed downwards.

Giving details for the first time about the events that preceded the face off between the two armies, the sources said the PLA on June 1 asked the Indian Army to remove the two bunkers set up in 2012 at Lalten in Doka La, which falls in the vicinity of Chumbi Valley at the corner of India-Bhutan- Tibet tri-junction.

The Indian Army, which had been patrolling this area for many years, decided in 2012 that two bunkers would be positioned there as a backup option, besides providing security to the Bhutan-China border.

The Indian Army forward positions informed Sukna-based 33 Corps Headquarter in North Bengal about the Chinese warnings on the bunkers, the sources said.

However, during the night of June 6, two Chinese bulldozers destroyed the bunkers, claiming that the area belonged to China and that India or Bhutan had no right over it, the sources said.

Indian troops on the ground prevented the Chinese men and machines from doing any further damage or transgressing into the area, they said.

Additional forces from nearby brigade headquarters, located 20 km from the face off point, were moved in on June 8 during which a scuffle led to soldiers on both sides suffering minor injuries.

PLA troops were rushed in from its 141 division located in the area, prompting the Indian Army to also strengthen its position.

This is the longest standoff between the two armies since 1962. The last one, which carried on for 21 days, occurred at Daulat Beg Oldie in the Ladakh division of Jammu and Kashmir in 2013, when Chinese troops entered 30 km into Indian territory till the Depsang Plains and claimed it to be a part of its Xinjiang province.

They were, however, pushed back.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898.

After the India-China war of 1962, the area where the Indian troops are stationed was placed under the Indian Army and the ITBP, which is the border guarding force and has a camp 15 km from the international border.

As the scuffle broke out between the two sides, the Indian Army rushed an officer of the Major General rank to the area and a flag meeting was sought with the Chinese counterparts.

China rejected two such requests from the Indian side, but accepted the third call for a meeting, where it asked the Indian Army to withdraw its troops from the Lalten area, which falls in Doka La.

Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it to be part of its Donglang region.

As a fallout of the standoff, the Chinese refused to allow the first batch of 47 pilgrims, who were to conduct the annual Kailash Mansarovar Yatra, into Tibet. They also conveyed to the Indian side that visas of another batch of 50 yatris had also been cancelled, the sources said, describing the move as an indication of "increased tempers" in Beijing.

The Sikkim route to Mansarovar, which is in Tibet, was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

It is not the first time that such a transgression has happened at Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there.

Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

China has also increased diplomatic pressure on India and lodged a protest over the alleged "crossing of boundary" by Indian troops in the Sikkim section.

They demanded their immediate withdrawal, as Beijing warned that future visits of Indian pilgrims to Kailash Mansarovar would depend on the resolution of the standoff.

"Our position to uphold our territorial sovereignty is unwavering. We hope the Indian side can work with China in the same direction and immediately withdraw the personnel who have overstepped and trespassed into Chinese border," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang had told the media in Beijing last week.

People's Liberation Army spokesman Col Wu Qian also spoke a tough language while making a reference to the 1962 Sino- India conflict, saying that New Delhi should "learn historical lessons".

Qian described Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat's remarks that India was ready for a "two-and-a-half front war" as "extremely irresponsible" and asked him to "stop clamouring for war".

Rawat had said India was prepared for security threats posed by China, Pakistan as well as by internal threats.

"Such rhetoric is extremely irresponsible. We hope that the particular person in the Indian Army could learn from historical lessons and stop such clamouring for war," he had said.

The Defence Minister, Arun Jaitley, made New Delhi's stand clear when he said the India of 2017 was different from that of 1962. "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and the India of 2017 is different," Jaitley had said when asked about China's warning.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 5:51 [IST]
Talented, driven and great potential: President Putin is all praise for India and Indians

Twitter fires over 200 employees in India, left with a dozen staff

Russia not reliable for energy or security, US warns India

The Western bias and why it cannot digest Indias success

India successfully test-fires indigenous short range missile along Odisha coast

India

pti-PTI

Odisha, July 3: India on Monday successfully test-fired its indigenously developed quick reaction surface-to-air short range missile from a test range along the Odisha coast.

The sophisticated missile was test fired at about 11.25am from a truck-mounted canister launcher from launch complex-3 at the Integrated Test Range at Chandipur near Balasore, official sources said.

It was the second developmental trial of the state-of-the-art missile with an aerial target. The missile has been developed by the Defence Research and Development Organisation and other establishments.

The first test launch of the missile was conducted on June four, 2017 from the same base.

The missile, which has a strike range of 25 to 30 km, is capable of engaging multiple targets.

Designed to be a quick reaction missile, it involves an all-weather weapon system capable of tracking and firing.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 14:27 [IST]
IndiGo promoters to discuss plans for Air India with investors

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 3: Promoters of no-frills airline IndiGo will discuss with investors this week its interest in buying Air India as well as the plans for long haul operations.

Days after expressing its interest to buy out the debt- laden national carrier, IndiGo said it would hold a conference call with investors and analysts to discuss the proposal on July 6. Run by InterGlobe Aviation, the airline operates more than 900 flights daily to destinations in India and overseas.

The conference call is to discuss "IndiGo's expression of interest in the privatisation of Air India as well as to discuss IndiGo's plans and strategy regarding long haul international operations," InterGlobe Aviation said in a filing to the stock exchanges.

The airline also said the call would be limited to the discussion on these topics and that questions on the current quarter outlook or its financial performance would not be addressed. IndiGo founders -- Rahul Bhatia and Rakesh Gangwal -- would discuss the plans and strategy during the hour-long call, the filing added. Soon after the Cabinet gave its in-principle approval for Air India disinvestment on June 28, IndiGo evinced its interest to acquire the operations of the national carrier.

In a letter to the Civil Aviation Ministry last week, IndiGo's President and Whole Time Director Aditya Ghosh said it was keen on snapping up the international operations of Air India as well as its profitable low-cost arm Air India Express.

As an alternative, the budget carrier is "equally interested" in buying out all the operations of Air India and Air India Express, as per the letter. Even though Air India is in the red, it has lucrative tangible and intangible assets varying from aircraft to prime slots at major international airports.

Besides, the airline has rights to fly to a large number of overseas destinations, including main American and European cities. IndiGo, which started operations in August 2006, has the largest number of aircraft on order, with more than 450 to be delivered in coming years. Shares of InterGlobe Aviation jumped over 2 per cent to close at Rs 1,191.70 on BSE.

PTI
After 'The Kashmir Files', Agnihotri back with 'The Vaccine War'

Indrani Mukherjea's prison riot case handed over to crime branch

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

The allegations of instigating a riot in Byculla prison against Sheena Bora murder case accused Indrani Mukherjea will now be probed by Mumbai crime branch, said reports. The crime branch took over the case from Nagpada police station on Sunday.

Mukherjea was booked along with several other women for instigating riots in Mumbai's Byculla jail.

The prisoners of the Byculla jail were agitated after a 45-year-old woman inmate was allegedly beaten to death by jail officials.

Mukherjea had last week accused the jail officials of assaulting her after which her lawyer demanded that her statement be recorded and medical examination done.

[Byculla prison violence: Court allows Indrani to lodge plaint against prison officials]

After being accused of instigating a riot in Byculla prison, Mukerjea appeared before the court to testify about the death of another inmate Manjula Shetye which led to the protests in the jail.

['Prison staff assaulted Indrani Mukerjea', claims her lawyer]

45-year-old Manjula Shetye was allegedly beaten to death by a sub-inspector and five prison guards. A separate probe has been launched into that matter in which six prison officials have been arrested.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 13:12 [IST]
Kambala is now legal in Karnataka, President promulgates ordinance

India

oi-Anusha

In a massive victory to Karnataka and Kambala enthusiasts, President Pranab Mukherjee promulgated the ordinance legalising the sport. A communication from the top office said that the President has approved the promulgation of the prevention of cruelty to animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017. Now, Kambala is officially legal in Karnataka.

The approval comes as a massive victory to those fighting for the cause of the traditional sport. In February, the Karnataka government had passed a bill to legalise Kambala, the traditional buffalo race as well as bullock cart race in the state. Earlier in June, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice had cleared the bill.

The state government was compelled to pass an ordinance legalising Kambala after Tamil Nadu government took the ordinance route to legalise Jallikattu, another traditional sport. The demand for Jallikattu and Kambala had swelled into a people's movement Karnataka and Tamil Nadu respectively.

The ordinance was piloted by Karnataka Animal Husbandry Minister A Manju who maintained that no cruelty was involved in Kambala. The bill was modified at the centre's behest before being sent to the President for approval for the second time. The modification ensured that no other sport was included in the bill. The first bill had a phrase "subject to such other conditions as may be prescribed" and the Centre had asked the State to omit the same.

The President has now approved the Bill that seeks to exempt Kambala and bullock-cart racing from the ambit of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (PCA) Act, 1960.

OneIndia News
Kapil Mishra marshalled out of assembly for third time after calling speaker 'Dhritarashtra'

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

New Delhi, July 3: Rebel Aam Aadmi Party legislator Kapil Mishra was marshalled out from the Delhi assembly for the third consecutive day of the four-day session on Monday.

While Mishra was being forced out, he called Speaker Ram Niwas Goel "Dhritarashtra", referring to a blind king from "Mahabharata" who was indulgent with his sons despite their wrong-doing.

During discussions under Rule 280, in which members can raise in the House issues related to their constituency, AAP MLA Rituraj Govind and others interrupted the discussion by raising the issue of a tweet by Mishra.

Responding to this, Mishra walked into the well of the house, asking for discussion on 'Simran' and continued walking towards Speaker Goel. The Delhi assembly on Thursday had referred to the Privileges Committee the incident of Simranjit Kaur Bedi allegedly using abusive language for the AAP legislators in the MLA lounge of the assembly.

The Speaker on Thursday said that the "woman" was seen leaving the assembly premises with Mishra in his car. As Mishra neared the Speaker's chair, Goel ordered him to be marshalled out of the house. Simranjit was part of the AAP till she slapped senior party leader Sanjay Singh.

IANS
Should Kashmir be given to Pakistan: Row erupts after this question appears in MP civil service exam

Kashmir separatist Shabbir Shah to be arrested this week

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Kashmir separatist Shabbir Shah is likely to be arrested soon after the Enforcement Directorate obtained a non-bailable warrant against him. He has been accused of allegedly receiving money from Pakistan through hawala channels.

The ED sought for a non-bailable warrant after he dodged summons on 8 occasions. An officer with the ED said that he had been given enough opportunity to appear before the agency and put forth his case. He will be arrested this week, the officer also confirmed.

Shah has been accused of acquiring property in and around Delhi. It was found that the property was acquired with unaccounted money. When he was asked to join the probe to explain the source of money, he refused to turn up.

The Delhi Police had in 2005 filed a case against Shah following the arrest of a hawala dealer. The dealer had told the police that the Rs 63 lakh seized from him was to be delivered to Shah in Srinagar.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 8:45 [IST]
Modi's visit 'important and landmark' for bilateral ties: Israel envoy

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

A day before Narendra Modi leaves for Tel Aviv, Israel's Ambassador to India Daniel Carmon on Monday termed the Prime Minister's tour to Israel as 'important and landmark' for bilateral ties.

"In this visit we celebrate 25 yrs of relationship between people, business and farmers of two countries...There will be emphasis on development, innovation, agriculture,water and the connect between our people," news agency ANI quoted Carmon as saying.

Modi will on Tuesday leave for his two-nation tour of Israel and Germany.

During his Israel visit, Modi will hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on all matters of mutual interest. The Prime Minister will also address a crowd of around 4,000 people of Indian origin in Tel Aviv. The event is set to be held on Wednesday evening at the Tel Aviv fairgrounds.

The visit is expected to focus on terrorism and counter-terrorism cooperation.

The two sides are also expected to set up a high-level mechanism for water management, agriculture and innovation and sign agreements on cyber security, science and technology and space. The Prime Minister is visiting Israel on the occasion of establishment of 25th year of India-Israel diplomatic relations.

Modi will also meet 10-year-old Moshe and his grandparents, and part-time nanny Sandra, who had saved the boy during the 26/11 attacks on Chabad House in Mumbai.

Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that Cyber security is one of the key areas of cooperation to be discussed with Narendra Modi. Netanyahu stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a technology giant, is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of my friend Modi.

Modi's Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian Prime Minister. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 15:18 [IST]
Modi set to become first Indian PM to visit Israel

India

oi-Vikas

By Vikas

Prime Minister Narendra Modi will leave for his two-nation tour of Israel and Germany on Tuesday. He will first visit Israel after which he will travel to Hamburg in Germany for the 12th G20 Summit. Modi's visit might appear largely symbolic as it comes soon after a spate of high-profile visits between New Delhi and Tel Aviv. His visit will be a first for an Indian Prime Minsiter.

During his Israel visit, Modi will hold talks with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu on all matters of mutual interest. The Prime Minister will also address a crowd of around 4,000 people of Indian origin in Tel Aviv. The event is set to be held on Wednesday evening at the Tel Aviv fairgrounds.

The visit is expected to focus on terrorism and counter-terrorism cooperation.

The two sides are also expected to set up a high-level mechanism for water management, agriculture and innovation and sign agreements on cyber security, science and technology and space. The Prime Minister is visiting Israel on the occasion of establishment of 25th year of India-Israel diplomatic relations.

Modi will also meet 10-year-old Moshe and his grandparents, and part-time nanny Sandra, who had saved the boy during the 26/11 attacks on Chabad House in Mumbai.

In 1950, India had recognised Israel as a country, while in 1953 India granted Israel the permission to open first consulate in Mumbai.

President Pranab Mukherjee and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj have visited Israel in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

Modi will be the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel.

OneIndia News
Relief for Mallya as bank grants him more time to pay for London home

India to get Swiss banking details of its nationals from today

No claimants for dormant Swiss accounts of Indians, some may get liquidated soon

Money in Swiss banks: India at number 88, UK on top

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

India now stands at the 88th position in terms of money parked at the Swiss banks. United Kingdom tops the list.

The money officially held by Indians with banks in Switzerland now accounts for a meagre 0.04 per cent of the total funds kept by all foreign clients in the Swiss banking system, as per an analysis of the latest figures compiled by the SNB (Swiss National Bank) as on 2016-end.

India was placed at 75th position in 2015 and at 61st in the year before that, though it used to be among top-50 countries in terms of holdings in Swiss banks till 2007. The country was ranked highest at 37th place in the year 2004.

India was ranked in top-50 continuously between 1996 and 2007, but started declining after that -- 55th in 2008, 59th in 2009 and 2010 each, 55th again in 2011, 71st in 2012 and then to 58th in 2013.

The latest data from Zurich-based SNB comes ahead of a new framework for automatic exchange of information between Switzerland and India to help check the black money menace.

The funds, described by SNB as 'liabilities' of Swiss banks or 'amounts due to' their clients, are the official figures disclosed by the Swiss authorities and do not indicate the quantum of the much-debated alleged black money held by Indians in the safe havens of Switzerland.

SNB's official figures also do not include the money that Indians, NRIs or others might have in Swiss banks in the names of entities from different countries.

There is a view that the Indians alleged to have parked their illicit money in Swiss banks in the past may have shifted the funds to other locations after a global clampdown began on the mighty banking secrecy practices in Switzerland.

Swiss banks have also said Indians have "few deposits" in Swiss banks compared to other global financial hubs like Singapore and Hong Kong amid stepped-up efforts to check the black money menace.

The total money held in Swiss banks by foreign clients from across the world, incidentally rose by a small margin from 1.41 trillion Swiss francs (CHF) to CHF 1.42 trillion during 2016.

In terms of individual countries, the UK accounted for the largest chunk at about CHF 359 (over 25 per cent) of the total foreign money with Swiss banks.

The US came second with nearly CHF 177 billion or about 14 per cent. No other country accounted for a double-digit percentage share, while others in the top-ten included West Indies, France, Bahamas, Germany, Guernsey, Jersey, Hong Kong and Luxembourg.

Indians' share is not even one-hundredth of the total money.

India is now ranked 88th with 676 million Swiss francs (about Rs 4,500 crore) -- a record low after falling for three consecutive years amid a continuing clampdown on the suspected black money stashed behind their famed secrecy walls.

The share of Indians' money in the total foreign funds of Swiss banks also fell to 0.04 per cent (from 0.08 per cent in 2015).

Pakistan continued to remain placed higher than India at 71st place (although down from 69th in 2015) with about CHF 1.4 billion.

India was also the lowest ranked among the BRICS nations - Russia was ranked 19th (CHF 15.6 billion), China 25th (CHF 9.6 billion), Brazil 52nd (CHF 2.7 billion) and South Africa 61st (CHF 2.2 billion).

Among these five, only China has moved up. Others ranked higher than India included Mauritius, Iran, Morocco, Kenya, Nigeria, Kazakhstan, Ukraine, Angola, the Philippines, Malaysia, Indonesia, Canada and Mexico.

A number of offshore financial centres are also ranked higher including Cayman Islands, Panama, Cyprus, Marshall Islands, Bermuda, Seychelles, Isle of Man and Gibraltar.

Among India's neighbouring countries, Bangladesh was ranked 89th (CHF 667.5 million), while Nepal was 150th (CHF 312 million), Sri Lanka was 151st (CHF 307 million) and Bhutan was way below at 282nd (about half a million Swiss francs).

The total money belonging to the developed countries fell to CHF 824 billion, while those from developing nations actually rose marginally to CHF 208 million.

The money from developing economies in Asia-Pacific region rose to CHF 50 billion.

The funds parked in Swiss banks from offshore financial centres rose to CHF 389 billion.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 6:46 [IST]
Money laundering case: Delhi HC quashes Virbhadra Singh's plea

India

oi-PTI

New Delhi, July 3: The Delhi HC on Monday refused to quash money laundering case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh and others.

Justice R K guaba heard the arguments in the case.

A chargesheet was filed by CBI on March 31, when the high court refused to quash the FIR lodged against the chief minister and his wife in the disproportionate assets case. After which, in September 2011, a case was registered under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) against Singh after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.

The high court also rubbished Singh's claim that the FIR was the result of a political vendetta. Singh after getting bail had said, "It's a political vendetta. It's a long battle and I will fight and win the case." Earlier, in May, CBI told the court that, "Virbhadra is king of the state and is involved in corrupt practices. His medical issues are common, so medical ground shouldn't considered".

The ED had termed Singh's plea for quashing of the money laundering case proceedings as premature. It has said that seeking a stay on the proceedings was not maintainable as the inquiry into the matter was at a preliminary stage.

Singh and his family has been accused of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011, when he was the Union minister of steel. Assets worth about Rs 14 crore have also been attached in this case under the PMLA. In July 2016, Anand Chauhan, LIC agent was arrested by the ED as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case. It has been alleged that Singh has invested a lot in the name of Chauhan.

The chargesheet, which is over 500 pages and includes the statements of 225 witnesses and 442 documents, accuses Singh of allegedly amassing assets worth nearly Rs 10 crore during his tenure as a Union minister, between 2009 and 2011, which were disproportionate to his total income. The CBI had also charged Virbhadra with forgery and corruption.

PTI
Next President of India: Meira Kumar seeks support of electoral college, TRS

India

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Hyderabad, July 3: Opposition presidential candidate Meira Kumar has written letters to all members of the electoral college, seeking their support in the July 17 election.

She visited Hyderabad on Monday as part of her campaign. After garlanding the statue of her father Babu Jagjivan Ram in the city, she told reporters that she wrote letters last week to all members of the electoral college.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker said that she had also made a written appeal to Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), the ruling party in Telangana which has already announced its support to her rival and NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Meira Kumar, who addressed the members f Parliament and state legislators of the Congress, said that she would take necessary steps as a follow-up to the letter sent to the TRS.

State Congress chief Uttam Kumar Reddy said they left a message with the personal secretary of TRS President and Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao that she would like to speak to him over phone.

The Congress has been demanding the TRS should vote for Meira Kumar given her role in the formation of a separate state of Telangana.

Recalling that she was the Lok Sabha Speaker when Telangana was formed, Meira Kumar said the formation of a separate state was a historic development and it fulfilled the long-pending demand of the people and met their aspirations.

While wishing the people of Telangana happiness and prosperity, she said no matter how much progress the state makes and the development it achieves in terms of infrastructure and Information Technology, it would mean nothing without social justice.

"What is important is how much respect we give to Dalits, poor, tribals and minorities. This is basic and we have to focus on this. These are the principles on which I am contesting the elections," she said.

Meira Kumar claimed the political history of India has witnessed a very important development during the last eight to nine days with 17 major opposition political parties coming together on one platform and unanimously deciding to contest the Presidential election.

"This Presidential election is going to be powerful articulation of the value system, the principles and the philosophy which has been held so dear by most of the people of this country and which is now under threat," she said.

She thanked the opposition parties for reposing faith in her and assured them that she would leave no stone unturned to fulfil the responsibility that they have given.

"They (opposition parties) came together on firm ideological position. This unity is welcome and it has been welcomed everywhere," said Meira Kumar, who started her campaign from Gujarat and has visited Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Kerala.

She said ideology was very dear to her and not empty words like for those in power today.

She claimed that three important goals -- political freedom, economic freedom and social emancipation -- were set on the agenda during the freedom struggle under Mahatma Gandhi's leadership.

The former Lok Sabha Speaker said while political freedom was achieved on August 15, 1947, they had been working for economic freedom and social emancipation.

"For us social justice means so much. It's justice for poor, Dalits, tribals, backwards and members of minorities in multi-religious country, for all humble, weak and feeble cutting across all caste and creed. We are working tirelessly for their dignity, their rights and for their welfare. This is our ideology and I have made this value system the plank of my campaign," she added.

IANS
Now, gau rakshaks attack drivers of vehicles carrying cattle in Assam

India

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Guwahati, July 3: The strong statements made by Prime Minister Narendra Modi against attacks and killings in the name of cow protection recently have failed to deter cow vigilantes (gau rakshaks) from carrying forward with their nefarious activities.

The attacks in the name of cow protection continue unabated across the country. On Sunday, drivers and helpers of three vehicles ferrying cattle in Assam have been attacked by a Hindu group. The attack was allegedly carried out by a little-known Hindu group, Hindu Yuba Chhatra Parishad.

The attackers beat the drivers and helpers of the vehicles in spite of them showing valid documents allowing them to ferry the animals.

The incident took place near the outskirts of Guwahati city in the state. According to a police official, a truck and two tempos were carrying the cattle near the Sonapur area of Guwahati district.

"We got the information that the members of the Hindu Yuba Chhatra Parishad's Dimoria unit have stopped three vehicles transporting cattle. We dispatched a police team which took control of the vehicles and the persons," the official told PTI.

The official said the transporters had proper challans for transporting the cattle. The truck was coming from Tinsukia in Upper Assam while the two tempos returned from the Jagiroad market, he said.

"On checking, we found that there were some irregularities in the permits of the vehicles only. We have sent the vehicles to the Transport Department for proper verification," he added.

While local TV channels aired visuals of the drivers and helpers being thrashed by the vigilantes, the police official did not confirm it.

"The drivers themselves drove the vehicles to the office of the District Transport Officer and nobody complained of any physical assault. No one has filed any complaint. We cannot confirm any assault," the official said.

Guwahati Police Deputy Commissioner (East) Mohneesh Mishra too declined to confirm the beating up of the drivers and helpers as no one filed any complaint with the police yet. Asked if this was a case of cow vigilantism, Mishra said it was being examined.

In April, two Muslim men were beaten to death by a mob for allegedly smuggling cattle in Nagaon district. Moreover, several northeastern states including Meghalaya, Mizoram, Arunachal Pradesh and Nagaland have strongly protested against the recent ruling of cattle sale and slaughter in animal markets across the country.

Critics of the latest rulings say that the ruling BJP is trying to ban beef across the country through back door means by coming up with strict rules and regulations.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 9:22 [IST]
I am not a PM face for 2019 elections, says Nitish Kumar

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

Patna, July 3: Ruling out any desire to be the opposition's face for Prime Minister in 2019, Janata Dal (U) leader Nitish Kumar on Monday said it was the Congress party's job to set a coherent opposition agenda that is "non-reactive".

To say that differences between Nitish and the Congress leadership have been apparent lately is an understatement, but on Monday Nitish for the first time spelled out exactly what his problem with the main opposition party is.

"Just talking of unity among opposition parties is not enough," the Chief Minister said, "there must be a narrative - not just in reaction to what the BJP offers, but an alternative narrative."

At a meeting of leaders, Nitish said that the Congress alone was 'responsible for the current mess' in the opposition.

"The Congress is a big party and it has its own thought process and we have to work accordingly, if it wishes to challenge him effectively in the general election in 2019," Nitish said.

What i said during party meeting yesterday was in a particular context, don't interpret it differently: CM Nitish Kumar pic.twitter.com/MJst5LwQ6H  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Talking about supporting the GST, he said, "We have always supported GST as it will provide transperancy to the system. It is a reform and it has to eveolve with the time, minor issues will have to be sorted out. There is no point in asking me why I did not attend it, there was no invitation then, where is the question of attending or skipping? he added.

On Sushil Modi, he said that, 'he has a habit of giving statements daily', I don't read and neither do I have interest.

OneIndia News
Remove Haji Ali encroachments or face 'serious consequences': SC to Maha govt

India

pti-PTI

New Delhi, Jul 3: The Supreme Court on Monday granted the last opportunity to the Maharashtra government to remove illegal encroachments on 908 square metre area on the approach road near the historic Haji Ali Dargah shrine in south Mumbai.

A bench comprising Chief Justice J S Khehar and Justice D Y Chandrachud granted two weeks to the concerned authorities to remove these encroachments and asked the deputy collector to ensure that its order is complied with.

The direction came after the Haji Ali Dargah trust, which had earlier volunteered to remove the encroachments, expressed inability in completing the task. The court made it clear to the deputy collector of Colaba zone of south Mumbai that "serious consequences" would follow if its order for removing encroachments is not complied within two weeks from today.

On May 9, the apex court had lauded the efforts of the Dargah Trust in its attempts to remove encroachments. The Haji Ali Dargah was constructed in 1431 in the memory of a wealthy Muslim merchant, Sayyed Peer Haji Ali Shah Bukhari, who gave up all his possessions before making a pilgrimage to Mecca.

The Trust had on April 13 relented to the tough stand taken by the apex court against large-scale encroachments around the historic Mumbai mosque and volunteered to remove them by May eight. The offer to remove and demolish the encroachments had come after the apex court made it clear that only the mosque, located on an area of around 171 sq meter since 1931, would remain protected while the rest of the area, measuring 908 sq meter, has to be cleared of squatters.

Appreciating the offer, the bench had allowed the trust to complete the task on or before May 8 subject to the satisfaction of two authorities indicated in February 10 order of the Bombay High Court.

The High Court had ordered the formation of a joint task force comprising the Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai and the Collector to remove the illegal encroachments on the approach road leading to the Haji Ali Dargah.

The High Court was hearing a petition filed by Sahayak, a socio-legal and educational forum, seeking immediate removal of the encroachments on the approach road to the dargah which is located on the sea. The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai was of the view that the land on the approach road to Haji Ali fell in the Collector's jurisdiction and therefore the Collector should remove the encroachments.

PTI
Imran Khan discharged from hospital, to resume long march from same point where he was shot

Samjautha blasts case: Pak seeks 4 months time to produce witnesses

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Pakistan sought more time to send 13 witnesses in the Samjautha Express blast case. A special court of the NIA at Panchkula had issued summons to 13 persons and handed over the same to Pakistan.

Through diplomatic channels, Pakistan has conveyed to India that it would need at least another 4 months to decide on producing the witnesses before the special NIA court.

On March 17, the NIA court directed the witnesses to appear before it on July 4. With Pakistan seeking more time, the decision would now be conveyed to the court by the prosecution. Hearing in the case resumes tomorrow. So far, the statements of 249 witnesses out of 299 have been recorded on the blast, in which 68 people had died on February 18, 2007.

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 5:56 [IST]
SC refuses to hear Justice Karnan's bail plea

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Supreme Court today refused to accord urgent hearing on a plea of former Calcutta High Court judge, Justice C S Karnan, seeking bail and recall of the order convicting him for contempt.

Justice Karnan had requested the apex court to recall the seven-judge bench order. He was sentenced to six months' imprisonment for contempt of court by a seven-judge bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of India J S Khehar, on May 9.

Last month, he moved a petition before the governor of West Bengal seeking bail or parole. He appealed to Governor Kesri Nath Tripathi that he should "exercise the jurisdiction invested in your excellency and enlarge the prisoner Shri Justice C S Karnan on bail/parole in the interest of justice and equity".

Karnan, 62, who was lodged at the Presidency Correctional Home here on June 21 following his arrest in Tamil Nadu a day earlier, is at present undergoing treatment at the state-run SSKM Hospital.

Retired as a judge of the Calcutta High Court on June 12 as a fugitive, Karnan was arrested on June 20 from Coimbatore in Tamil Nadu after evading the police for more than a month.

(With agency inputs)

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 11:40 [IST]
Arundhati Roy says India of today is like a plane moving in the reverse

SC stays criminal contempt proceedings against author Arundhati Roy

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar

By Chennabasaveshwar

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the criminal contempt proceedings against writer-activist Arundhati Roy in connection with her article supporting former Delhi University professor GN Saibaba. The case was being heard by the Nagpur bench of the high court.

In 2015, the Bombay High Court had issued a contempt criminal notice against Roy for criticizing its decision to reject G N Saibaba's bail plea. In an article published by the Outlook, Roy expressed reservations on his arrest too.

Justice Choudhari had issued a notice to writer Roy on an intervention plea filed by advocate Bhandarkar, who had blamed Ms.Roy for "interference with the administration of justice" for writing an article in the Outlook magazine.

Saibaba was arrested in 2014 by the Maharashtra police for his alleged links with Maoists. He was awarded life imprisonment along with five others for his links with Maoists, under the Unlawful Prevention of Atrocities Act (UAPA) in March 2017.

(With agency inputs)
Supreme Court stays Madras HC directive to waive farm loans

India

oi-Anusha

The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the Madras High Court's order on farmer loan waiver. The High Court in April had directed the Tamil Nadu government to waive off farmer loans from cooperative societies but the same was stayed by the Apex Court.

The Supreme Court's order comes as a major setback to Tamil Nadu farmers who have been holding protests both in the state and in Delhi demanding a loan waiver over crop loss due to drought. A division bench of the Madras High Court comprising Justices S Nagamuthu and M V Muralidharan had asked Tamil Nadu government to waive off farmer loans. The state government had earlier waived off loans from cooperative banks for farmers owning up to 5 acres land.

While passing directives asking the Tamil Nadu government to waive off farmer loans, the Madras High Court made a few observations. The Court noted that that state government was already single-handedly shouldering the burden of Rs 5,780 crore and another waiver would mean an additional burden of Rs 1,980.33 crore. While directing the government to waive off loans, the court observed that the Centre should come forward to extend financial help to Tamil Nadu.

Farmers in Tamil Nadu had protested in Delhi with skulls drawing the attention of the nation towards their plight. Their demands included state drought package of Rs 40,000 crore, waiver of farmer loans and formation of Cauvery management board.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 13:11 [IST]
Survey predicts big win, increased vote share for Modi-led NDA if elections are held now

India

oi-Anusha

A National tracker poll by an agency has predicted a massive win for the NDA if elections are held now. The study by VDP Associates says that three years of Modi government has helped increase the NDA's vote share from 38.5 percent to 44 percent. However, the survey predicts only 315 seats for the NDA as against its 336 seats in 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

VDP Associates' tracker poll was aimed at predicting the mood of the nation. The Narendra Modi government has been in power for three years now and according to the survey, 69 percent of voters were satisfied with overall performance of the Prime Minister. The states where the survey was conducted included Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, West Bengal, Bihar etc.

The survey was conducted region-wise as well and predicted vote share of 33 percent and 27 percent for NDA and UPA respectively in South India. In East and Northeast, the vote share projection was 42 percent for NDA and 29 percent for the UPA. In Western India, the survey claimed that NDA would have a 50 percent vote share and the UPA 36 percent. In the northern part of the country, the NDA is predicted to have 51 percent vote share as against 33 percent vote share of the UPA, according to the survey.

The NDA is predicted to win 315 Lok Sabha seats and the UPA is predicted to win 62 seats according to the survey by VDP associates. Incidentally, the NDA's largest vote share is predicted to be from Gujarat with 53 percent, Madhya Pradesh and Maharashtra with 52 percent. Karnataka, the only major state where the Congress is in power is predicted to contribute 47 percent vote share to the NDA.

The nationwide survey was carried out in 15 states having more than 14 Lok Sabha seats. A total of 12,826 responses were recorded from social profiles ranging from rural, urban, caste, religion and occupation variations. The survey also rates Piyush Goyal and Sushma Swaraj as the top performing ministers in the Modi cabinet

OneIndia News
Indias hiking tariffs on 19 items will hurt its consumers, say Chinese experts

President Trump completes 2 years: US retreat from globalism has become rule of the day

'Global terrorist' Salahuddin admits to having carried out terror attacks in India

India

oi-Deepika

By Deepika

New Delhi, July 3: Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits on a Pakistan TV channel that he and his outfit the Hizbul Mujahideen have carried out terror attacks in India.

"Till now our focus was on Indian occupation forces. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces, We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India," Salahuddin, told a TV channel in Pakistan, reports ANI.

Further, Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it. Hizbul Mujahideen is biggest terror outfit active in the Kashmir Valley especially in the southern regions.

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits on a Pakistan TV channel to carrying out terror attacks in India (file pic) pic.twitter.com/YHLuX5WyBq  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Salahuddin is the HM chief who last year year threatened to turn the Kashmir valley into a graveyard for Indian forces.

US sanction on Salahuddin

A day after US President Donald Trump's meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi, US declared Syed Salahuddin as a "specially designated global terrorist."

But, Pakistan does not seem to deterred with increasing sanctions on Syed Salahuddin and his Hizbul Mujahideen.

According to reports, Salahuddin recently attended a public function at Muzaffarabad in PoK. His free movement puts question mark on the Pakistan's commitment to fight terror.

Pakistan had last week called the US action completely unjustified because it involved an individual "supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination".

OneIndia News
Tea stall where Modi sold tea to be developed as tourist spot

India

pti-PTI

Ahmedabad, Jul 3: The tea stall in Gujarat's Vadnagar where Prime Minister Narendra Modi once sold tea during his childhood is all set to become a tourist spot with the Centre deciding to give it a face-lift.

The stall is located on one of the platforms of the Vadnagar Railway station. Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat on the world tourism map.

Officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the town yesterday. The team of officials was led by Union Culture Mahesh Sharma, who later announced that the original charm of the tea stall will be preserved while giving it a modern touch.

"Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre having famous Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. ASI had recently found remains of a Buddhist Monastery during excavation, which is still going on," Sharma told reporters at Gandhinagar yesterday.

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often mentioned that he used to sell tea during his childhood at the Vadnagar railway station along with his father. "Inside the Vadnagar railway station, there is a small tea stall, from where our PM had probably started his life's journey. We also want to develop that tea stall as a tourism spot. We will try to preserve the original charm of the tea stall while giving it a modern touch. Our aim is to put Vadnagar on world tourism map," Sharma said.

Earlier, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ahmedabad division Dinesh Kumar had said the entire project of developing Vadnagar and adjoining places in Mehsana district would cost over Rs 100 crore.

"The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the Ministry of Tourism has given Rs eight crore to the state Tourism Department to develop the railway station," Kumar had said.

PTI
Telangana: 17-year-old girl gangraped by 4 classmates at friend's birthday party

India

pti-PTI

Hyderabad, July 3: A 17-year-old student was allegedly raped by her four classmates in a house in Khammam city where she had gone to attend a common friend's birthday party on Sunday, police said on Monday. The accused also videpgraphed the act.

The girl, a degree student of a private college, today lodged a complaint at Khammam III Town police station accusing her four classmates, all major, of raping her two days ago at the house she had visited to attend the birthday bash, police said.

According to a senior police officer, the girl stated that the entire incident was filmed and she was threatened to not disclose the matter to anyone.

"After the girl lodged the complaint, a case on the charge of gangrape under the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and relevant sections of the POCSO (Protection of Children from Sexual Offences) Act was registered," the official told PTI over phone.

When asked if anyone was taken into custody or was being questioned, the official declined to comment saying the matter is under investigation.

PTI
40 down and counting: Forces on the verge of wiping out Pakistani terrorists in Valley

2 terrorists gunned down in Pulwama, J&K

India

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

Fresh firing on in South Kashmir's Pulwama district Bamnoo on Monday. Earlier today, two terrorists have been gunned down by security forces in Pulwama. An operation was carried out early this morning at Bamnoo in Pulwama. The operation is underway. The slain terrorist has been identified as Kifayat. The encounter is underway as two more terrorists remain trapped at the encounter site.

Security forces carried out cordon and search operations in Pulwama following intelligence reports regarding the presence of terrorists in the area. It is still unclear as to how many terrorists are there in the area. The operation is underway and we have gunned down one terrorist, an officer said.

On Saturday, Lashkar-e-Taiba commander Bashir Lashkari -- who was behind the killing of SHO Feroz Dar last month -- and his accomplice were gunned down in an encounter in south Kashmir.

Monday's offensive in Pulwama came barely 10 hours after civilian protesters helped a group of militants to escape a cordon in Malangpora village in the same district.

OneIndia News
Tripura TMC MLAs back Ram Nath Kovind, Mamata disassociates from them

India

oi-Anusha

The Trinamool Congress on Monday announced that it has decided to disassociate itself with party MLAs from Tripura. The decision was taken after MLAs announced that they have decided to vote for NDA candidate Ram Nath Kovind as the next President of India.

Defying the party's decision to back opposition's unanimous candidate Meira Kumar, six TMC MLAs from Tripura ha publicly announced that they would vote for Kovind in the July 17 elections. Sudip Roy Barman the chief of TMC in Tripura on Sunday had said that they would not support Meira Kumar who was being backed by the CPM.

"We have decided not to vote for Meira Kumar as she is the Congress candidate enjoying support from the CPM. We want to oust CPM from power in Tripura during next year's Assembly elections and it would not be possible for us to vote for a candidate who is enjoying CPM's support," he said.

A day after MLAs from Tripura made their decision public, the TMC has dissociated itself from them. The MLAs while speaking to reporters on Sunday said that they were not indulging in anti-party activities since no whip was issued regarding the Presidential election. No political party can issue whips asking their MPs and MLAs to vote for a particular candidate in the Presidential election.

OneIndia News
Flyers can carry electronics on board Etihad flights now

International

oi-Vicky

By Vicky

US bound passengers can now take electronics on the Abu Dhabi-based Etihad, the airline said on Sunday. The announcement came after America "fully lifted" the ban on electronic devices on its flights from Abu Dhabi to the country.

The US had on March 25 banned electronic devices larger than a mobile phone in passenger cabins of direct flights to the country from 10 airports in the Gulf, North Africa and Turkey, including Emirates, Etihad, Qatar and Turkish. These devices have to be checked in on these airlines' nonstop flights to America.

In a mail to its passengers, Etihad said,"If you are planning to travel to the US in the near future, we wanted to let you know that you can now take all your electronic devices on board (in hand bag) our US flights from Abu Dhabi. The US Immigration facility at Abu Dhabi Airport not only enables you to clear US immigration before you fly to the US, but with the additional security checks in place, you can now take all your electronic devices safely on board with you."

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 6:50 [IST]
Gunmen open fire outside a mosque in France, 8 injured

International

ians-IANS

By Ians English

Paris, July 3: A shooting incident in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon on Sunday night left eight people wounded, local media reported.

The authorities have ruled out the incident being a terror attack, said reports.

Citing La Provence newspaper on Monday, Xinhua reported that authorities are not considering the incident as a terrorist attack. Police suspected the shooting was due to a dispute between young people.

Four people were wounded outside the mosque while a family of four in their apartment some 50 meters away were hit by shrapnel.

The newspaper report also quoted witnesses as saying the shooting began at around 10:30 p.m. local time on Sunday when one of the two gunmen with their faces covered fired shots around as worshippers were leaving the mosque.

The shooting comes two weeks after a man attacked worshippers outside a Finsbury Park mosque in London, killing one and injuring nine.

IANS
Fact Check: PM Modi did not take pleasure in peoples suffering post demonetisation

When PM Modi stopped by on Bengaluru street to greet crowd | VIDEO

Israel can be a tech partner in India's transformation

International

oi-Madhuri

Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director-General for Asia and the Pacific Mark Sofer on Monday said that its huge and symbolic significance of visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.

What Indians hv done to extent what Israel does, de-hyphenated relation with Israel from relation with anyone else-M Sofer,Israel #Palestine pic.twitter.com/3uMCjmytgz  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

He said,''It's huge symbolic significance of visit of PM of India, first visit ever to Israel.''He also said that Israel can be a tech partner in India's transformation. Foreign Ministry has taken emphasis on Indian PM's visit.

Sofer further said,''what Indians have done to extent what Israel does, de-hyphenated relation with Israel from relation with anyone else.'' The Foreign Ministry of Israel further added that 3 agreements will be signed during Indian PM's visit which is crucial for future technology.

Modi's visit is aimed at commemorating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

OneIndia News

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 19:24 [IST]
In regular touch, trying for consular access: MEA on detention of 8 Indians in Qatar

Saudi-led demands: Qatar hands response to Kuwait

International

oi-PTI

Kuwait City, Jul 3: Qatar on Monday handed its official response to a list of demands by Saudi Arabia and its allies to the emir of Kuwait.

The response was delivered by Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani who made a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator to resolve the diplomatic rift, the Gulf official said, requesting anonymity.

The official KUNA news agency reported that Sheikh Mohammed arrived in Kuwait earlier in the day to deliver a message from Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim18:22:22 bin Hamad Al-Thani.

No details were provided about the Qatari response but the foreign minister said on Saturday that the demands by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt "were made to be rejected."

The Qatari response was delivered hours after the four nations accepted a call by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah to extend the 10-day deadline for another 48 hours.

The demands include Qatar ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

PTI

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 18:22 [IST]
In regular touch, trying for consular access: MEA on detention of 8 Indians in Qatar

Saudi and allies extend deadline for Qatar by 48 hours

International

oi-PTI

Riyadh, Jul 3: Saudi Arabia and its allies on Monday have decided to extend by 48 hours the deadline for Qatar to accept their list of demands to lift a de facto blockade.

With the deadline expiring at midnight yesterday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands. The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, today. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied. On June 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

Riyadh's demands include ending Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar's response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait. Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands.

Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saturday in Rome, "The list of demands is made to be rejected."

"The state of Qatar... is rejecting it as a principle," he said, adding that Qatar was willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue.

PTI
Thousands march across US cities for Trump's impeachment

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Los Angeles, July 3: Protesters gathered in numerous cities across the United States on Sunday to call for the impeachment of US President Donald Trump. One of the largest marches took place in downtown Los Angeles, where thousands of people took to the streets to call on Congress to impeach the president.

Demonstrators hoisting signs and chanting anti-Donald Trump slogans marched through downtown Los Angeles to urge Congress to impeach the president.

Demonstrators gathered for "Impeachment Marches" in 45 cities across the country that were held two days before Independence Day. "Donald Trump has been in blatant violation of the Constitution from the day he was sworn into the office of President," notes the event's website.

Organisers say they believe the president has violated the US Constitution and obstructed justice.

One banner called the president an "Illegitimate Corrupt Puppet." Marcher John Meranda tells the Los Angeles Times he has attended five recent anti-Trump marches.

The 56-year-old says he's most recently frightened by the Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars from the Medicaid program.

A smaller group of pro-Trump protesters gathered nearby outside Los Angeles police headquarters. The Trump supporters say they're unconcerned about allegations that Trump tried to thwart an FBI investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

(With agency inputs)

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Story first published: Monday, July 3, 2017, 9:37 [IST]
US urges for peace talks between India and Pakistan on Kashmir issue

International

oi-IANS

By Ians English

Islamabad, July 3: The visiting US Congressional delegation led by Senator John McCain in Islamabad has urged both India and Pakistan to resolve the Kashmir issue through dialogue and asserted that peace in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistan's help.

The US delegation on Sunday met Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz and discussed bilateral issues, including terrorism, Pakistan's relations with India and Afghanistan and regional peace, Dawn newspaper reported.

Other members of the US delegation were Senators Lindsey Graham, Sheldon Whitehouse, Elizabeth Warren and David Perdue.

Pakistan's Foreign Secretary Tehmina Janjua was also present during the meeting.

After the meeting, McCain, Chairman Senate Armed Services Committee, said that Pakistan had a significant role for establishment of peace and stability in Afghanistan.

"Peace and stability in Afghanistan is not possible without Pakistan's help. Kashmir problem should be resolved in a peaceful way through negotiations."

He said that the US wanted an end to violence in Kashmir, adding that his country would continue its policy on the issue because no change had been made in this regard.

The US delegation said that both America and Pakistan need to forge closer cooperation in confronting the peace and security challenges in the region and beyond, the daily reported.

Aziz also underscored the significance of the longstanding cooperation between the two countries and the need to make this partnership "diverse and multidimensional".

He further said that Islamabad remained committed to supporting efforts for lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan.

Aziz said that Pakistan was also ready to work with the US to counter the emerging terrorism threats, including the expanding footprint of the Islamic State group in the region.

IANS
We're also not the China of 1962: Beijing hits back at Arun Jaitley

International

oi-Oneindia

By Oneindia Staff Writer

Beijing, July 3: The Chinese foreign ministry on Monday dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962,saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

China also called India's actions at the Sikkim border a "betrayal", China on Monday reiterated that the boundary section between the two countries was well demarcated. "The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by the Indian governments,"Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a media briefing.

[China resolute in protecting sovereignty at Indian borders]

Jaitley who responded to China's oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different."

He had also said that the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitley's remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different."

He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty. "I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

(with agency inputs)
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A few hours to the end of his reign as Ogun State helsman, embattled Governor Ibikunle Amosun contacted the states Commissioner of Police, Bashir Makama, confessing that he had thousands of arms and millions of ammunition in store at a secret armoury in Government House, and that he had decided to hand them over to the police.

Mr Amosuns anointed candidate for the March 9 governorship election, Adekunle Akinlade of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM), had been roundly defeated by Dapo Abiodun of the All Progressives Congress and the governor was now desperate to clear the Government House of any incriminating material as Mr Abiodun moved in to take charge.

Shortly after he was contacted, Commissioner Makama raced to Government House with some of his subordinates. On arrival, truckloads of arms and ammunition were brought out of a nondescript amoury inside the Ogun State Government House.

And then begun a short hand-over proceeding during which the governor surrendered at least four million rounds of ammunition, 1,000 units of AK47 assault rifles, 1,000 units of bulletproof vests and an armoured personnel carrier (APC).

At the event, Mr Amosun said he procured the arms and ammunition to check the widespread insecurity in his state of 3,751,140 residents, according to the 2006 census. He said he decided to keep them at the Government House Armoury to ensure they were not allocated indiscriminately by security agencies.

The speech making over, the arms and ammunition were driven to the police command headquarters in the Elewe-Eran area of Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.

Four weeks after the event, top Nigerian security operatives remained alarmed that a civilian governor would create an armoury and store thousands of arms there. The agents are also wondering why Mr Amosun has not been arrested and prosecuted for violating sections of the Nigeria Firearms Act.

The law forbids individuals and civilian institutions from illegally operating armouries or possessing prohibited firearms, including artillery, apparatus for the discharge of any explosive or gas diffusing projectile, rocket weapons, bombs and grenades, machine-guns and machine-pistols, military rifles (namely those of calibres 7.62 mm, 9 mm, .300 inches and .303 inches), revolvers and pistols whether rifled or unrifled (including flint-lock pistols and cap pistols).

It remains unclear how Mr Amosun obtained the weapons. Authorities are wondering how he imported the weapons, and how he transported them to Government House and stored them for prolonged periods without being detected.

Some security experts say they are suspicious he might have acquired far more weapons than he gave up to the police and that some of them might be in wrong hands already.

The former governor, now senator, declined to give his own side of the story. He did not answer or return telephone calls made to him over five days. He also did not respond to text and WhatsApp messages sent to him.

[PREMIUM TIMES]
Benedicte Gravrand, Opalesque Geneva: The Amundi Group, one of Europe's largest asset managers, has finalised its acquisition of Pioneer Investments. The group had been preparing the integration for the last six months, which will cost 150m. Giordano Lombardo, group CEO and CIO of Pioneer Investments, a global investment manager headquartered in Milan, Italy, will be leaving the Group now that the transaction has been finalised. He has made significant contributions to the development and growth of Pioneer Investments over the past 20 years, including helping to stabilise the company's assets over the past several years as the sale of Pioneer Investments was being worked out. He also played a leading role in the process of joining up with Amundi and actively contributed to overseeing the integration preparatory work. Amundi's renewed organisational structure will be supported by the following pillars: 1. Two divisions focused on Amundi's two major client segments: a retail clients division and an institutional and corporate clients division.

2. The investment management platforms, which provide the full range of investment solutions dedicated to each client segment. The contribution of Pioneer Investments will enhance asset class coverage and expand the solutions offered by Amundi. The management platforms will be headed by Pascal Blanqu, Group CIO, assisted by Vincent Mortier, Deputy CIO.

3. The Operations, Services and Tech...................... To view our full article Click here
Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Market Share 2017 Canada, China, India, United States, Russia, France

Flax Seed & Milled Mlax

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Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Market Research ReportA market study  Global Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Market  examines the performance of the Flax Seed & Milled Mlax market Size 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Flax Seed & Milled Mlax market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Flax Seed & Milled Mlax market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Market 2017 report includes Flax Seed & Milled Mlax market Size, Revenue, market Share, Flax Seed & Milled Mlax industry volume, market Trends, Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.Request For Sample Report:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Market 2017: Canada China India United States Ethiopia Bangladesh Russia Ukraine FranceFirstly, the report covers the top Flax Seed & Milled Mlax manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Flax Seed & Milled Mlax report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Flax Seed & Milled Mlax industry, Flax Seed & Milled Mlax industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Flax Seed & Milled Mlax Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Inquiry Before Purchasing Report:The Flax Seed & Milled Mlax research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Flax Seed & Milled Mlax market revenue worldwide.Finally, Flax Seed & Milled Mlax market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Lithium Citrate Market Size 2017 Green Stone Switzerland, SHANGHAI LI INDUSTRIAL, HAOXIN LIYAN, Leverton-Clarke

Lithium Citrate

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Lithium Citrate Market Research 2017A market study  Global Lithium Citrate Market  examines the performance of the Lithium Citrate market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Lithium Citrate market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Lithium Citrate market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Lithium Citrate Market 2017 report includes Lithium Citrate market Revenue, market Share, Lithium Citrate industry volume, market Trends, Lithium Citrate Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Lithium Citrate Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Lithium Citrate Market 2017: Leverton-Clarke Green Stone Switzerland HAOXIN LIYAN SHANGHAI LI INDUSTRIAL Shanghai Energy Lithium IndustrialFirstly, the report covers the top Lithium Citrate manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Lithium Citrate report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Lithium Citrate industry, Lithium Citrate industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Lithium Citrate Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Lithium Citrate research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Lithium Citrate market revenue worldwide.Finally, Lithium Citrate market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Contactless Payment Market Value Share, Analysis and Segments 2017-2027

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Contactless payment is the mode where in secure payment transactions are done using technologies such as bluetooth, infrared, radio frequency identification (RFID), and near field communication (NFC). Contactless payment takes almost one-tenth of the time taken by the traditional electronic transaction making it more hassle-free for the customers. The need to make payment more securely and the convenience to pay fast without having any cash or identity details is making contactless payment mode popular game changer. Initially, contactless cards were used in the form of travelling tickets only; it has evolved and is helping consumers to make payments for almost anything. Contactless payment has an upper limit to amount paid and number of transactions per day.Contactless Payment Market: DriversA number of factors are contributing to the growth of contactless payment systems such as advancement in contactless payment technology, rising awareness of plastic money among the buyers, increasing frequency of purchases and the need for fast transaction time without any inconvenience of standing in long queues. Contactless payment is further evolving, making itself a useful interface between the consumers and retailers, advertiser, and marketers.Request For Report Sample@Contactless Payment Market: RestraintsThe initial installation cost, government limitation to number of contactless payment transactions per day and the amount limitation that can be transacted per day are few shortfalls of contactless payment which are hindering the contactless payment market growth. Risk of spyware, malware and virus attacks due to usage of numerous systems is limiting the adoption of contactless payment globally. Low awareness of this mode of payment, especially across Asia Pacific and Latin America, is further restricting the contactless payment market growth.Contactless Payment Market: SegmentationContactless payment market can be segmented on the basis of type, mode of payment, end user, technology and region. On the basis of type, contactless payment market can be segmented into hardware and software. Hardware can be sub-segmented into smart-cards, point of sale (POS) terminals and smart-card readers. The software segment can be sub-segmented into smartcard reader drivers, POS software, application programing interface (API), software development kit (SDK) and mobile applications. On the basis of mode of payment, contactless payment market can be segmented into smart card, smart wearable, smartphone and others. On the basis of end user, contactless payment market can be segmented into Banking, Financial services and Insurance (BFSI), retail, public sector, transportation and logistics, hospitality, and others. On the basis of technology, contactless payment market can be segmented into infrared based, Bluetooth based, NFC based and RFID based. On the basis of region, contactless payment can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan, Japan, and Middle East and Africa.Request For TOC@Contactless Payment Market: Regional OutlookAs of 2016, contactless payment system has high penetration in North America. The market in Europe is expected to grow considerably in the near future. Asia Pacific is contributing to the contactless payment market with growing purchasing power of people in the region, and also due to increasing acceptance of this mode of payment.Contactless Payment Market: Competition LandscapeThe key players in the contactless payment market include ACS (Advanced Card Systems) Ltd., Chip & Pin Solutions Ltd., Mifare Pty Limited, Ingenico Inc., Gemalto N.V., Verifone Systems Inc., Heartland Payment Systems Inc., On Track Innovations Ltd., Castles Technology Co. Ltd., and Bindo Labs Inc. These companies are investing in updated technologies to improve the existing system and a few of them are following the strategy of mergers and acquisition to upgrade their payment system. Increasing innovation in the contactless payment mode and initiatives to enhance awareness of contactless payment technology is anticipated to drive the contactless payment market.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Emerging Opportunities in Eco-Friendly Plasticizers Market with Current Trends Analysis

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In early times, dioctyl phthalate (DOP) was used as an ingredient in the manufacturing of plasticizers. Owing to the rising concerns over these plasticizers due to their potential migration out of PVC compounds and release into the human body or environment, manufacturers moved towards environment-friendly plasticizers, which use ingredients such as di-isononyl phthalate (DINP), dipropyl heptyl phthalate (DPHP), and dioctyl phthalate (DOP). The major trend is to shift toward less migratory phthalates and high molecular weight.Eco-friendly plasticizers are organic esters, which can be compounded into polymers to improve flexibility and toughness of the end product using internal modification of polymer morphology, and also to facilitate processing. They are typically inactive materials with high boiling points and low vapour pressure. Commercially, the flexible polyvinylchloride (PVC) application accounts for more than 3/4th of plasticizer consumption.With advanced technological innovations, raw materials utilized in the construction industry have improved. Growing urbanization has set the pace in the construction industry, hence the market for eco-friendly plasticizers has also experienced a steady shift.Request For Report Sample@Global Eco-friendly Plasticizers Market: SegmentationThe global eco-friendly plasticizers market can be segmented on the basis of raw materials and applications.Based on raw materials, the global eco-friendly plasticizers market can be segmented into:Di-isononyl phthalate (DINP)Dipropyl heptyl phthalate (DPHP)Dioctyl terephthalate (DOTP)Based on applications, the global eco-friendly plasticizers market can be segmented into:Flexible polyvinylchloride (PVC)OthersGlobal Eco-friendly Plasticizers Market: DynamicsRising need for residential buildings to provide accommodation for ever increasing population is a matter of concern for any countrys construction industry. Amidst the escalating demand for plasticizers, theres an increasing awareness towards the utilization of eco-friendly plasticizers which could eliminate the risk of harmful chemicals. Eco-friendly plasticizers are utilized in the construction sector to improve the fluidity and plasticity of concrete. Moreover, these plasticizers are utilized to reduce water content from slump. The aforementioned reasons are expected to propel the demand for eco-friendly plasticizers and thus, in turn drive the global eco-friendly plasticizers market.On the other hand, the production cost of eco-friendly plasticizers is high as compared to that of traditionally used plasticizers, owing to increase in the scarcity of feedstock isononanol (INA), which is used in the manufacturing of di-isononyl phthalate (DINP). This is one of the major challenges faced by the manufacturers of eco-friendly plasticizers and thus, is restricting growth of the global eco-friendly plasticizers market.Request For TOC@Owing to the tough environmental requirements for plasticizers and their wide usage in the rubber manufacturing industry, eco-friendly plasticizers can be used in tyre blends that are obtained by propane deasphalting of solvent extracts.A key trend identified in the global eco-friendly plasticizers market is the inclination of manufacturers towards eco-friendly plasticizers in the place of traditional plasticizers. Owing to the reason that the utilization of phthalate based plasticizers is either restricted or banned in some applications.Global Eco-friendly Plasticizers Market: Region-Wise OutlookOn the basis of geography, the global eco-friendly plasticizers market is segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ), Japan and, Middle East and Africa (MEA).Asia-Pacific is expected to hold the major market share in terms of value as well as volume. The global eco-friendly plasticizers market is expected to register substantial growth in India and China during the forecast period, owing to established end-use industries and rising demand in the construction sector. The demand for the eco-friendly plasticizers in APAC is expected to grow at a significant CAGR over the forecast period.Global Eco-friendly Plasticizers Market: Market ParticipantsExamples of some of the market participants in the eco-friendly plasticizersmarket identified across the value chain include BASF SE, REMEI Blomberg GmbH & Co. KG, Zhejiang Jiaao Enprotech Stock Co., Ltd., Eastman Chemical Company, Innua, EEGGTT Chemical, etc.ABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Good Growth Opportunities in Global Adaptive Optics Market Till 2017-2027

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Growing importance for improving the quality of optical systems by utilizing adaptive optics technology is the key factor contributes the growth of global adaptive optics market. Adaptive optics is a technology integrated with the optical systems for beam propagation, communications and microscopy. Adaptive optics technology commonly used in telescopes to enhance the atmospheric aberrations, and also used across various applications including biological research, laser communication and retinal imaging. Adaptive optics systems consists of three main components: a wave front corrector to compensate for the distortion, a wave front sensor to measure distortion, and a control system to calculate the required correction and necessary shape to apply to the corrector.Global Adaptive Optics market: Market DynamicsIncreasing demand for high resolution microscopy, growing importance for utilizing adaptive optics in free-space laser communications, expanding research and development investment for integrating adaptive optics technology into various applications including laser beam shaping, optical communications, data storage, ophthalmology and microscopy, are the key factors drives the growth of global adaptive optics market. Additionally, increasing focus on utilizing adaptive optics technology for various retinal imaging applications, and increasing demand for high-resolution microscopy in various biomedical research operations, accelerates the growth of global adaptive optics market. Also, continuous focus on utilizing adaptive optics for long range target identification in military applications and rising interest on using adaptive optics technology for data storage, further fuels the growth of global adaptive optics market. However, technical complexity in construction of adaptive optics based products and stringent regulations for product approvals, are the factors identified as restraints likely to deter the progression of global adaptive optics market.Request For Report Sample@Global Adaptive Optics market: Market SegmentationThe global adaptive optics market is segmented on the basis of component, end-user industry, and by region. On the basis of component, the global adaptive optics market can be segmented into modulators, sensors and control systems. On the basis of end-user industry the global adaptive optics market can be segmented into astronomy, consumer electronics, healthcare & biomedical, military & defence, manufacturing, communication and others. On the basis of region global adaptive optics market can be segmented into North America, Latin America, Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Middle East & Africa (MEA), Asia Pacific excluding Japan (APEJ) and Japan.Global Adaptive Optics market: Regional OutlookNorth Americaadaptive optics market is expected to dominate the market, due to continuous investment to enhance healthcare technology and rising demand for adaptive optics in various military applications. Asia Pacific adaptive optics market is identified as the fastest growing market, due to expanding astronomical practices and increasing investment for research and development across various sectors, including biomedical and healthcare.Request For TOC@Global Adaptive Optics market: Competition LandscapeSome of the prominent vendors in the global adaptive optics market, includes NORTHROP GRUMMAN CORPORATION, Iris AO, Inc., Holoeye Photonics AG., Adaptica s.r.l., Hamamatsu Photonics K.K., Boston Micromachines Corp., Baker Adaptive Optics, AgilOptics, Inc., EOS Technologies, Inc., and CILASABOUT US:Future Market Insights (FMI) is a leading market intelligence and consulting firm. We deliver syndicated research reports, custom research reports and consulting services, which are personalized in nature. FMI delivers a complete packaged solution, which combines current market intelligence, statistical anecdotes, technology inputs, valuable growth insights, an aerial view of the competitive framework, and future market trends.CONTACT:Future Market Insights616 Corporate Way, Suite 2-9018,Valley Cottage, NY 10989,United StatesT: +1-347-918-3531F: +1-845-579-5705Email: sales@futuremarketinsights.comWebsite:
Market Size of Airborne Telemetry Market to Escalate at a Rapid Scale Through 2017 - 2025

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The airborne telemetry systems gather and process the critical information on onboard spacecraft, UAVs, projectiles, and aircraft. These solutions are built to function under the most severe conditions of defense and aerospace applications. Due to the influx of smart weapons and systems into the modern warfare, the requirement for efficient transmission of data is increasing and subsequently contributing to the growth of airborne telemetry market. Based on technology, the wireless telemetry is expected to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period owing to the increase in the number of aircraft deliveries which has led to the growth in demand for airborne telemetry. These are mainly used for navigation and communication and the real-time positioning of the aircraft.To view complete report @Global Airborne Telemetry Market: Drivers and RestrainsFactors such as growing use of software defined radio technology, an emergence of modern electronic warfare and network-centric warfare systems, and the increasing use of wireless and cloud computing technologies are expected to surge the growth of airborne telemetry market during the forecast period.Further, the market is driven by huge R&D investments in technological advancements for defense operations which is expected to be one of the key factors to drive the market during the forecast period. Growth in network-centric military communication and increased use of cloud computing in telemetry are a few other factors expected to enhance the market for airborne telemetry. Moreover, increasing mergers and acquisition have allowed the companies to expand, and this has created various opportunities in the market.A sample of this report is available upon request @Global Airborne Telemetry Market: Market SegmentationThe global airborne telemetry market is segmented into five sections namely, by technology, by component, by platform, by the sensor, by geography. On the basis of technology, the global airborne telemetry market is segmented into: Wireless Telemetry, Wired Telemetry. Global Airborne Telemetry Market: Segmentation Overview: Fixed Wing, Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, Rotary Wing, Parachute. On the basis of the platform, the global airborne telemetry market is segmented into: Weather Prediction, Torque, Load cell, GPS. On the basis of the sensor, the global airborne telemetry market is segmented into: Antenna, Transmitter, Receiver.On the basis of the component, the global airborne telemetry market is segmented into:The wireless telemetry is expected to dominate the airborne telemetry market in 2016 and is anticipated to maintain its dominance during the forecast period due to the rise in aircraft deliveries. Further, the data provided by the aircraft to air traffic control towers is in real-time, with the continuous flow of information such as location, destination, speed, and other information.Load cells are anticipated to account for the highest growth rate in global airborne telemetry market during the forecast period.Based on the platform, parachute segment is anticipated to witness the highest growth rate during the forecast period due to the increased usage of parachutes for tourism and weather monitoring.Global Airborne Telemetry Market: Regional OutlookNorth America is estimated to be the largest region in airborne telemetry market in 2016 and is expected to maintain its dominance during the forecast period Emerging economies such as China, and India are estimated to drive the APEJ market during the forecast period, due to the factors such as increasing disposable income of the population. Moreover, India and China are building modern and advanced aircraft carriers, and the countries such as Vietnam and Philippines are procuring modern communication systems for homeland security, further enhancing the demand for airborne telemetry systems in APEJ.To view TOC of this report is available upon request @Global Airborne Telemetry Market: Key PlayersThe Airborne Telemetry Market is fragment ed and competitive, with a large number of players operating at the regional and local level. Some of the major key players in the market includes,BAE Systems PLC Honeywell International Inc. L-3 Communication Holdings, Inc. Rockwell Collins, Inc. Cobham PLC. Leonardo S.p.A.About UsPersistence Market Research (PMR) is a third-platform research firm. Our research model is a unique collaboration of data analytics and market research methodology to help businesses achieve optimal performance.To support companies in overcoming complex business challenges, we follow a multi-disciplinary approach. At PMR, we unite various data streams from multi-dimensional sources. By deploying real-time data collection, big data, and customer experience analytics, we deliver business intelligence for organizations of all sizes.Contact UsPersistence Market Research305 Broadway7th Floor, New York City,NY 10007, United States,USA - Canada Toll Free: 800-961-0353Email: sales@persistencemarketresearch.comWeb:
Global Bee Products Market 2017 : Health & Love, Polenectar, Baoshengyuan & Baihua

Bee Products

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The Market Research Store report offers majority of the latest and newest industry data that covers the overall market situation along with future prospects for Bee Products market around the globe. The research study includes significant data and also forecasts of the global market which makes the research report a helpful resource for marketing people, analysts, industry executives, consultants, sales and product managers, and other people who are in need of major industry data in a ready-to-access format along with clear presentation of graphs and tables.The report comprises the current size of the Bee Products market. It also provides with different types of product segments of the global market. Furthermore, the Bee Products market research report gives an in-depth information about the overall market and various product segments and their growth trends. The future market forecasts about the global Bee Products market are also covered in the research report. In addition, the overall market potential is further described in the report along with different countries around the globe.Browse Complete Report with TOC @The latest and the newest trends of the Bee Products industry are also included in this report. Moreover, overall global market size, the market size by product segment, growth rates of the global market along with and different product segments of the market, and various product segments with their value and volumes evaluation are also included in the research report.The Market Research Store report offers the global market potential rates of the Bee Products market along with various product segments. The research report provides an overview of the current market situation, historic development, and future outlook of the Bee Products market. It also tracks the industry developments trends and identifies the global market opportunities. The report helps to plan and develop precise marketing, market expansion, market-entry, and other business strategies through identifying the major market prospects and opportunities.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The data in the report is clearly presented which can be easily integrated into presentations and internal reports.MarketResearchStore.com is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Global Winter Clothing Market 2017 : H&M, J.C. Penney, American Eagle Outfitters & Factory Green

Winter Clothing

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The Market Research Store report offers majority of the latest and newest industry data that covers the overall market situation along with future prospects for Winter Clothing market around the globe. The research study includes significant data and also forecasts of the global market which makes the research report a helpful resource for marketing people, analysts, industry executives, consultants, sales and product managers, and other people who are in need of major industry data in a ready-to-access format along with clear presentation of graphs and tables.The report comprises the current size of the Winter Clothing market. It also provides with different types of product segments of the global market. Furthermore, the Winter Clothing market research report gives an in-depth information about the overall market and various product segments and their growth trends. The future market forecasts about the global Winter Clothing market are also covered in the research report. In addition, the overall market potential is further described in the report along with different countries around the globe.Browse Complete Report with TOC @The latest and the newest trends of the Winter Clothing industry are also included in this report. Moreover, overall global market size, the market size by product segment, growth rates of the global market along with and different product segments of the market, and various product segments with their value and volumes evaluation are also included in the research report.The Market Research Store report offers the global market potential rates of the Winter Clothing market along with various product segments. The research report provides an overview of the current market situation, historic development, and future outlook of the Winter Clothing market. It also tracks the industry developments trends and identifies the global market opportunities. The report helps to plan and develop precise marketing, market expansion, market-entry, and other business strategies through identifying the major market prospects and opportunities.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The data in the report is clearly presented which can be easily integrated into presentations and internal reports.MarketResearchStore.com is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Global Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display Market 2017 : Texas Instruments, Panasonic, Newhaven Display & Matrix Orbital

Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display

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The Market Research Store report offers majority of the latest and newest industry data that covers the overall market situation along with future prospects for Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display market around the globe. The research study includes significant data and also forecasts of the global market which makes the research report a helpful resource for marketing people, analysts, industry executives, consultants, sales and product managers, and other people who are in need of major industry data in a ready-to-access format along with clear presentation of graphs and tables.The report comprises the current size of the Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display market. It also provides with different types of product segments of the global market. Furthermore, the Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display market research report gives an in-depth information about the overall market and various product segments and their growth trends. The future market forecasts about the global Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display market are also covered in the research report. In addition, the overall market potential is further described in the report along with different countries around the globe.Browse Complete Report with TOC @The latest and the newest trends of the Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display industry are also included in this report. Moreover, overall global market size, the market size by product segment, growth rates of the global market along with and different product segments of the market, and various product segments with their value and volumes evaluation are also included in the research report.The Market Research Store report offers the global market potential rates of the Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display market along with various product segments. The research report provides an overview of the current market situation, historic development, and future outlook of the Vacuum Fluorescent Phosphor Display market. It also tracks the industry developments trends and identifies the global market opportunities. The report helps to plan and develop precise marketing, market expansion, market-entry, and other business strategies through identifying the major market prospects and opportunities.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The data in the report is clearly presented which can be easily integrated into presentations and internal reports.MarketResearchStore.com is a single destination for all the industry, company and country reports. We feature large repository of latest industry reports, leading and niche company profiles, and market statistics released by reputed private publishers and public organizations.Joel JohnSuite #8138, 3422 SW 15 Street,Deerfield Beach, Florida 33442United StatesToll Free: +1-855-465-4651 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-386-310-3803
Paper Tablewares Market 2017 - GreenWare, Tianjin HGHY, Quanzhou Far East, Shanghai Jianmiao Canju

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Paper Tablewares Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Paper Tablewares Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Paper Tablewares industry, and estimates the future trend of Paper Tablewares market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Paper Tablewares Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportDongguan City Lvheng PaperGreenWareTaizhou Kingsun Green Paper TablewareShenling Environmentally Friendly Packing MaterialsTianjin HGHYQuanzhou Far EastShandong Haiyun Ecological PaperQingdao Wonderful Paper ProductsJinhua Zhongsheng Fiber ProductsYantai Xingda Paper Pulp ProductsShanghai Jianmiao CanjuThe market research report explores the Paper Tablewares market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Paper Tablewares Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Paper Tablewares market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Paper Tablewares. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Paper Tablewares market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Paper Tablewares is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Paper Tablewares market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Paper Tablewares market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Paper Tablewares market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Paper Tablewares production volume, data pertaining to demand and Paper Tablewares supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Paper Tablewares along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Paper Tablewares across the world.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Technological Advancements : LMS Market in the US Rise at a CAGR of 24.57% by 2020

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Albany, New York, July 1, 2017 : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of "LMS Market in the US 2016-2020" globally.The growing digitization of learning followed in educational settings has given way to deploying solutions that complement e-learning. Already student know-how is being upgraded through mobile and cloud technology by using education solutions such as big data analytics and LMS. The adoption of LMS enables seamless extraction of optimal solutions for online learning methods. Through such developments the entire process of imparting education has become more systematic.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Technavios analysts forecast the LMS market in the US to grow at a CAGR of 24.57% during the period 2016-2020.Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the LMS market in the US for 2016-2020. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated through subscription, licenses, and maintenance fees charged for the tool. Apart from this, the overall revenue calculation includes the professional services that are offered to the customers.Technavio's report, LMS Market in the US 2016-2020, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendorsInstructureITG AmericaitslearningSchoologyOther prominent vendorsArticulateBlackboardD2LEdmodoEducomp SolutionsFocus School SoftwareHaiku LearningN2N ServicesPearson EducationSaba SoftwareMarket driverRising adoption of advanced learning methodsFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMake an Enquiry of this report @Market challengeIncreased threat from open-source LMSFor a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trendIncreased use of cloud-based LMS usageFor a full, detailed list, view our reportKey questions answered in this reportWhat will the market size be in 2020 and what will the growth rate be?What are the key market trends?What is driving this market?What are the challenges to market growth?Who are the key vendors in this market space?What are the market opportunities and threats faced by the key vendors?What are the strengths and weaknesses of the key vendors?ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMoz90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States
Global Mining Chemicals Market Professional Survey Report 2017 - BASF SE, Clariant AG, Chevron Phillips Chemical Company

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Albany, New York, July 1, 2017 : Recent research and the current scenario as well as future market potential of " Global Mining Chemicals Industry : Key Trends, Challenges and Standardization 2017 " globally.This report studies Mining Chemicals in Global market, especially in North America, China, Europe, Southeast Asia, Japan and India, with production, revenue, consumption, import and export in these regions, from 2012 to 2016, and forecast to 2022.This report focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, coveringAkzonobel N.V.BASF SEClariant AGChevron Phillips Chemical CompanyKemira OyjDOW Chemical CompanyHuntsman CorporationOrica LimitedArrmaz Products L.P.Snf Floerger SasCytec Industries Inc.Air Products and Chemicals, Inc.Exxonmobil.Cheminova A/SCharles Tennant & CompanyHychem, Inc.Zinkan EnterprisesDyno Nobel, Inc.Get PDF for more Professional and Technical insights @Nalco CompanyNasco Chemsol International FZESQMAeci Ltd.Ashland Inc.Arizona Chemical CompanyBeijing Hengju Chemical Group CorporationBy types, the market can be split intoBase MetalsNon-metallic MineralsPrecious MetalsRare earth MetalsBy Application, the market can be split intoMineral ProcessingExplosives & DrillingWater & Wastewater TreatmentOthersBy Regions, this report covers (we can add the regions/countries as you want)North AmericaChinaEuropeSoutheast AsiaJapanIndiaTable of Contents1 Industry Overview of Mining Chemicals1.1 Definition and Specifications of Mining Chemicals1.1.1 Definition of Mining Chemicals1.1.2 Specifications of Mining Chemicals1.2 Classification of Mining Chemicals1.2.1 Base Metals1.2.2 Non-metallic Minerals1.2.3 Precious Metals1.2.4 Rare earth Metals1.3 Applications of Mining Chemicals1.3.1 Mineral Processing1.3.2 Explosives & Drilling1.3.3 Water & Wastewater Treatment1.3.4 Others1.4 Market Segment by Regions1.4.1 North America1.4.2 China1.4.3 Europe1.4.4 Southeast Asia1.4.5 Japan1.4.6 IndiaMake an Enquiry of this report @2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Mining Chemicals2.1 Raw Material and Suppliers2.2 Manufacturing Cost Structure Analysis of Mining Chemicals2.3 Manufacturing Process Analysis of Mining Chemicals2.4 Industry Chain Structure of Mining Chemicals3 Technical Data and Manufacturing Plants Analysis of Mining Chemicals3.1 Capacity and Commercial Production Date of Global Mining Chemicals Major Manufacturers in 20163.2 Manufacturing Plants Distribution of Global Mining Chemicals Major Manufacturers in 20163.3 R&D Status and Technology Source of Global Mining Chemicals Major Manufacturers in 20163.4 Raw Materials Sources Analysis of Global Mining Chemicals Major Manufacturers in 2016ResearchMoz is the one stop online destination to find and buy market research reports & Industry Analysis. We fulfill all your research needs spanning across industry verticals with our huge collection of market research reports. We provide our services to all sizes of organizations and across all industry verticals and markets. Our Research Coordinators have in-depth knowledge of reports as well as publishers and will assist you in making an informed decision by giving you unbiased and deep insights on which reports will satisfy your needs at the best price.ResearchMoz90 State Street,Albany, NY 12207,United States
Cancer Gene Therapy Market share to hit $4.3bn by 2024

Global Market Insights, Inc.

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The research report Cancer Gene Therapy Market Size By Type [Gene Induced Immunotherapy (Cytokine Gene Delivery, Tumor Antigen Gene Delivery), Oncolytic Virotherapy (Adenoviruses, Lentiviruses, Retrovirus, Adeno Associated Virus, Herpes Simplex Virus, Alphavirus, Vaccinia Virus, Simian Virus), Gene Transfer/Gene Replacement (Naked/Plasmid Vectors, Electroporation, Sonoporation, Magnetofection, Gene Gun)], Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, China, Japan, Mexico, Brazil, South Africa, Saudi Arabia), Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024, by Global Market Insights, Inc., says Cancer gene therapy industry revenue, which was assessed at USD 805.5 million in 2015, is projected to hit USD 4.3 billion by 2024.A significant rise in the number of cancer incidences has led to the deployment of genome technologies, which will spur Cancer Gene Therapy Market size. As per WHO estimates, the number of cancer cases is estimated to increase by 70% over the coming two decades, which will stimulate the introduction of new gene therapies. Heavy funding by the government for cancer research programs and beneficial schemes favoring cancer screening programs are expected to produce lucrative avenues for cancer gene therapy market.Request for a sample of this research report -The differentiating factor of Cancer Gene Therapy market report by Global Market Insights, Inc. when compared with other, similar syndicated research studies includes a 360-degree synopsis of trends for a period of more than 10 years including historic information as well as future outlook. Business focussed multiple trends for Cancer Gene Therapy industry are discussed along with regional trends to offer an overall view of the market. The industry insights chapter of this research provides the most comprehensive analysis of Cancer Gene Therapy market covering segmentation, size, forecasts, ecosystem analysis and more. Industry impact forces (regional and global) that cover growth drivers and challenges, growth potential analysis, a strategy dashboard for competitive landscape of Cancer Gene Therapy market support this sector specific data and information points.Order This Report by calling Global Market Insights, Inc. at 1-888-689-0688 (Toll Free) or 1-302-846-7766.Considering the regional trends, cancer gene therapy industry in China, which accounted for 35% of Asia Pacific cancer gene therapy market share in 2015, is projected to record a CAGR of 21% over the next few years, having collected a revenue of USD 99.6 million in 2015. Rapid commercialization of drugs required for cancer gene therapy coupled with enhanced developments in healthcare services will drive the regional expansion.UK cancer gene therapy industry, which was assessed at USD 92 million in 2015, is set to grow at an annual rate of 20.8% over the coming seven years, subject to high frequency of cancer among the nations population along with the acceptance of modern treatment methodologies. Cancer gene therapy market in Japan, worth USD 78.2 million in 2015, is projected to expand at a CAGR of 20.9% over the period from 2016 to 2024.Browse key industry insights spread across 105 pages with 125 market data tables & 6 figures & charts from this 2017 report Cancer Gene Therapy Market in detail along with the table of contents at:U.S. cancer gene therapy industry, which contributed more than 95% of North America cancer gene therapy market revenue in 2015, is projected to grow at a rate of 20.9% over the coming seven years. It had amassed an income of USD 235 million in 2015. Innovation in biotechnology and the rising acceptance of new gene technologies for cancer treatments is expected to boost the regional revenue.Cancer gene therapies comprise gene transfer, oncolytic virotherapy, and gene induced immunotherapy. Gene transfer market size, which accounted for more than 46% of the cancer gene therapy market revenue in 2015, is projected to record a CAGR of 20.9% over the coming timeframe. This therapy helps to permanently alter the nuclear genome of the host cell and is widely deployed across the medical sector, stimulating the overall market.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Gene induced immunotherapy industry, which contributed to 14% of cancer gene therapy market share in 2015, is slated to surpass USD 592.7 million by 2024. The growth can be attributed to its ability to effectively fight cancer cells through new gene insertion in the tumors.Global cancer gene therapy market is highly fragmented with small biotech firms holding a chunk of the overall industry share. Key business expansion strategies such as deployment of advanced technologies, copyrights & patenting of products, strategic collaborations, and joint ventures adopted by major industry participants will help them in retaining their positions in the global business space. NewLink Genetics Corporation, ZIOPHARM Oncology Incorporation, Shenzhen Sibiono GeneTech Company Limited, Genelux Corporation, Gradalis Incorporation, Altor Bioscience Corporation, Shanghai Sunway Biotech Company Limited, Amgenen Incorporation, MultiVir Incorporation, Aduro Biotech Incorporation, OncoGeneX Pharmaceuticals Company, GlobeImmune Incorporation, MolMed S.p.A., and BioCancell Therapeutic Incorporation are the few of the established players of cancer gene therapy industry.Browse Related Reports:Cancer Biological Therapy Market Size By Product (Monoclonal Antibodies [Naked Monoclonal Antibodies, Conjugated Monoclonal Antibodies, Bi-Specific Monoclonal Antibodies], Vaccines [Preventive, Therapeutic], Cancer Growth Blockers [Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitors, Proteasome Inhibitors, mTOR Inhibitors], Blood Cell Growth Factors [Lenograstim, Filgrastim], Cytokines [Interferons, Interleukins]), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook, Application Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2023About Global Market InsightsGlobal Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market Analysis and Product Research Report

Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market Research Report, added on ReportsMonitor.com provides insights of the industry.

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Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market Research Report, added on ReportsMonitor.com provides insights of the industry over past 5 years and a forecast until 2022. The Report studies, the Market status and future trend in the Global market, splits by type and by applications, to fully and deeply researched and reveal the market situation and future forecast.The Automotive LCD Dashboard Market report would come in handy to understand your competitors and give you an insight about sales; volumes, revenues in the industry, assists in making strategic decisions. It reduces the risks involved in making decisions as well as strategies for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Both established and new players in the industry can use the report to understand the market.Get Full Access of Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market Research Study @Automotive LCD Dashboard Market: Type wise segment: - Mileage Dashboard Pressure DashboardAutomotive LCD Dashboard Market: Applications wise segment: - Construction Industry Mining OtherType wise and application wise consumption figures are given. With the help of supply and consumption data, the gap between these two is also explained.Get a Sample PDF of Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market Research report @This Market report contains proven analysis by regions, especially in North America, Europe, China, Japan, Southeast Asia and India, focusing top manufacturers in the Global market, with Production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer, covering following top players ABB Visteon Faurecia Johnson Controls and many more.On competitive landscape, this report includes complete profiles of the Market key players. For each player contact information is given. Their product details, capacity, price, cost, gross and revenue numbers are provided for better understanding.Some key points of Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market research report: -1. What is the status of the Market? This Overview Includes Analysis of Scope, Prospect, Growth trend, Sales by regions, manufacturers, types and applications.2. What Is the Market Competition considering Manufacturers, Types and Application?3. Who Are the Market Key Manufacturers?4. The Manufacturing Cost Analysis - Analysis done by considering prime elements5. The Market Effect Factor Analysisa) Technology Process/Risk Considering Substitute Threat and Technology Progress In the Industryb) Consumer Needs or What Change Is Observed in Preference of Customer of the Market6. What is the Market forecast (2017-2022) Considering Sales, Revenue, Growth rate, Price and Trends for Regions, Types and Applications?With Experts Interview, Market Breakdown and Data Triangulation, Primary & Secondary Sources and Research Center data, the Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market research report guides you towards exponential growth.Get Full Access of Global Automotive LCD Dashboard Market Research Study @About Reports MonitorReports Monitor (ReportsMonitor.com) is a platform for companies looking to meet their market research and business intelligence requirements. Our aim is to change the dynamics of the Market Research industry by providing quality intelligence backed by data. Your requirement for market forecasting is fulfilled by our exclusive quantitative and analytics driven intelligence. We have a vast collection of reports, covering maximum industries worldwide. Our process is meticulously planned and executed in order to use maximum resources and explore the market for getting genuine insights. The prime focus is to get reliable data, Decision makers can now rely on our distinct data gathering methods to get factual market forecasting and detailed analysis.Contact UsINDIA OFFICE:008, Mihir Co-operative,Above Bharat Suzuki showroom,Fatima Nagar,Pune - 411013,Maharashtra,IndiaJay MatthewsDirect: +1 513 549-5911Email: sales@reportsmonitor.comWebsite:
Biopreservation Market share to grow at 13.4% CAGR from 2016 to 2024

Global Market Insights, Inc.

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The global industry report "Biopreservation Market Size By Product (Equipment, Media, Laboratory Information Management System), By Application (Regenerative Medicine, Biobanking, Drug Discovery), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, UK, Germany, Japan, China, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024" by Global Market Insights, Inc. says Biopreservation market is slated to record a double-digit annual growth rate of 13.4% over 2016-2024, with a projected revenue of USD 9.7 billion by 2024.Integration of modern technologies in food processing to maintain the microbiological food safety standards is pushing biopreservation market globally. The market has been gaining a remarkable traction in the recent years as biopreservation defines an ecological approach that improves the safety and shelf life of the foods. Increasing consumption of precooked foods that are prone to temperature abuse has led to an increase in food related diseases across the world. Statistics depict that morbidity due to foodborne diseases accounts for a major portion. Not only lifestyle diseases, chronic illnesses like cancer, cardiovascular disease, hypertension has opened up new opportunities for biopreservation market growth. Heightening expenditures on medical services, increasing consumers disposable incomes, and the growing demand for regenerative medicines have significantly favored the overall biopreservation industry expansion.Request for a sample of this research report -The favorable initiations by the government bodies in the form of funds, grants, and financial assistance have significantly accelerated research activities in the health care sector. Growing number of biobanks across the world for the preservation of DNA, stem cells, plasma, and tissue along with the increased acceptance of ART (assisted reproductive technology) is further complementing biopreservation market dynamics. The overall industry share from bio banking dominated the application landscape in 2015 and is anticipated to continue its prominence over 2016-2024. The combined efforts by the renowned regulatory bodies including WHO, FDA, and ISBER for promoting bio preservative facilities have further provided a major impetus to the biopreservation market.Browse key industry insights spread across 105 pages with 50 market data tables & 6 figures & charts from this 2017 report Biopreservation Market in detail along with the table of contents at:Asia Pacific market will chart a profitable roadmap from the bio banking sector. Increasing incidence of chronic diseases, spreading awareness about preservation of umbilical cord cells, and the unmet health care needs are the major driving factors thriving the regional biopreservation market. The regions encouraging projects on biopreservation and bio banking are quite commendable. Some of the prominent organizations who are involved in these programs include Korea Bio-bank Project, Asian Cancer Research Group, China Kadoorie Bio-bank, International Cancer Genome Consortium, and Asian Pharmacoepidemiology Network. With China and India at the growth front, APAC biopreservation market is expected to witness appreciable growth in the coming time frame. U.S. biopreservation industry is also estimated to attain substantial revenue over the years ahead, having had a dominant position in the global landscape in 2015.Considering the product landscape, biopreservation equipment market led the industry in 2015, by accounting for almost 80% of the overall share. Growing deployment of biopreservation equipment in health care laboratories and research centers are the factors that can be given the credit for the market expansion. Other products of the market which represents a significant share encompass LIMS (laboratory information management system) and media. Biopreservation media market will also experience steady gains owing to the technical interference in tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Overall biopreservation market from regenerative medicine is expected to record the highest growth over the coming seven years.Make an inquiry for purchasing this report @Mergers and acquisitions and product renovations are the major strategies adopted by the market players to sustain their position in the market. However, lack of proper regulations and funding with respect to medical data export in some of the geographies is hampering the market penetration in those regions. Nonetheless, the legislations pertaining to this market imposed by some of the renowned organizations like FDA will help biopreservation market to attain a remarkable valuation in the years ahead.Prominent biopreservation industry participants include Thermo Fisher, Atlanta Biologicals, Lifeline Scientific, VWR International, and Biolife Solutions.Browse Related Reports:Biotechnology Market Size By Technology (Fermentation, Tissue Engineering and Regeneration, PCR Technology, Nanobiotechnology, Chromatograpgy, DNA Sequencing, Cell Based Assay), By Application (Biopharmacy, Bioservices, Bioagriculture, Bioindustrial), Industry Analysis Report, Regional Outlook (U.S., Canada, Germany, UK, France, Italy, China, India, Japan, South Korea, Brazil, Saudi Arabia), Growth Potential, Price Trends, Competitive Market Share & Forecast, 2016  2024About Global Market Insights:Global Market Insights, Inc., headquartered in Delaware, U.S., is a global market research and consulting service provider; offering syndicated and custom research reports along with growth consulting services. Our business intelligence and industry research reports offer clients with penetrative insights and actionable market data specially designed and presented to aid strategic decision making. These exhaustive reports are designed via a proprietary research methodology and are available for key industries such as chemicals, advanced materials, technology, renewable energy and biotechnology.Contact Us:Arun HegdeCorporate Sales, USAGlobal Market Insights, Inc.Phone: 1-302-846-7766Toll Free: 1-888-689-0688Email: sales@gminsights.comWeb:Blog:
Packer Bottles Market 2017 - Mpact Limited, Comar, LLC., Amcor Ltd., Gerresheimer AG, CL Smith Company

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Packer Bottles Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Packer Bottles Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Packer Bottles industry, and estimates the future trend of Packer Bottles market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Packer Bottles Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportMpact LimitedComar, LLC.Amcor Ltd.Gerresheimer AGBerry Global Group Inc.Maynard and Harris Plastics Ltd.CL Smith CompanyBerlin Packaging, LLCGraham Packaging Company L.P.O.Berk Company, LLCBeatson Clark LimitedKG International, Inc.Avantis Packaging, Inc.Jiangmen K. K. Plastic Factory Ltd.Xuzhou Das Packing Solution Co., LtdAlpha Packaging, Inc.Shanghai Hopeck International Trade Co., Ltd.Dongguan Fu Kang Plastic Products Co., LtdAndler Packaging GroupAaron Packaging, Inc.The market research report explores the Packer Bottles market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Packer Bottles Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Packer Bottles market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Packer Bottles. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Packer Bottles market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Packer Bottles is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Packer Bottles market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Packer Bottles market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Packer Bottles market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Packer Bottles production volume, data pertaining to demand and Packer Bottles supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Packer Bottles along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Packer Bottles across the world.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
Melamine Formaldehyde Market 2017 - Toho Tenax Co. Ltd., Hexcel Corp., SGL Group, Saneco S.A., Euchora S.R.L.

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Apex Research, recently published a detailed market research study focused on the "Melamine Formaldehyde Market" across the global, regional and country level. The report provides 360 analysis of "Melamine Formaldehyde Market" from view of manufacturers, regions, product types and end industries. The research report analyses and provides the historical data along with current performance of the global Melamine Formaldehyde industry, and estimates the future trend of Melamine Formaldehyde market on the basis of this detailed study. The study shares "Melamine Formaldehyde Market" performance both in terms of volume and revenue.Get Free Sample Copy of Report Here:Top Manufacturers Analysis of This ReportToray Industries, Inc.Teijin LimitedMitsubishi Rayon Co. Ltd.Hyosung CorporationCytec Industries Inc.Honeywell International, Inc.E. I. du Pont de Nemours and CompanyBASF SEOwens Corning3B-The Fiberglass CompanyJushi Group Co., Ltd.Bast Fiber LLCAgroFiber SASNFC Fibers GmBhNJR Steel Holdings (PTY) LtdTaishan Fiberglass, Inc.CPIC Brazil Glass Fiber Company LimitedToho Tenax Co. Ltd.Hexcel Corp.SGL GroupFormosa Plastics Corp.PPG Industries, Inc.Kolon Industries, Inc.Saneco S.A.Euchora S.R.L.The market research report explores the Melamine Formaldehyde market across the globe along with major regions and countries. The research report provides a detailed study on each and every aspect of "Melamine Formaldehyde Market". The research report studies the entire value chain from raw material to end user industries. The report also shares import/export statistics along with production and consumption for all major regions and countries. Moreover, the research study classifies the Melamine Formaldehyde market based on major product types, application and end users industries of Melamine Formaldehyde. Besides, the report also covers geographical segmentation for Melamine Formaldehyde market. The report further provides production, capacity, price per region, gross margin, production cost, for all major regions and countries listed in report.The competitive landscape of the global market for Melamine Formaldehyde is determined by assessing the major industry participants, production capacity, production capacity utilization rate, Melamine Formaldehyde market's production chain, pricing by each manufacturer and the revenue generated by each manufacturer in the Melamine Formaldehyde market globally.Enquire Before Buying @The worldwide Melamine Formaldehyde market 2017 is further analyzed on the basis of product pricing, Melamine Formaldehyde production volume, data pertaining to demand and Melamine Formaldehyde supply, and the revenue garnered by the product. The report provides upstream and downstream analysis covering major raw material used in manufacturing of Melamine Formaldehyde along with detailed manufacturing sources. The report also shares list of major raw material manufacturers along with their manufacturing locations. Detailed raw material price trend analysis along with manufacturing cost analysis is also incorporated into the report. Various methodical tools such as investment returns, feasibility, SWOT analysis and market attractiveness analysis has been implemented in the research study to present a comprehensive, detailed study of the industry for Melamine Formaldehyde across the world.About UsApexResearch offer reports from top publishers and update to serve you with immediate on-line access to professional insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends. Customers can buys different reports across various categories such as Chemical and Material, Biotechnology, Healthcare, Food and beverages, Automobile and various sectors. Our Website offers safe and secure online ordering experience, convenient payment options.Contact UsFrank ValadezBusiness Development Executive| sales@apexresearch.biz
The Cards and Payments Industry in Argentina: Emerging trends and opportunities to 2020

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Latest industry research report on: Cards and Payments Industry in Argentina Market | Industry Size, Share, Research, Reviews, Analysis, Strategies, Demand, Growth, Segmentation, Parameters, ForecastsDownload Sample copy of this Report at :GlobalDatas "The Cards and Payments Industry in Argentina: Emerging trends and opportunities to 2020", report provides detailed analysis of market trends in the Argentine cards and payments industry. It provides values and volumes for a number of key performance indicators in the industry, including credit transfers, cheques, cash, payment cards and direct debit during the review period (2012-2016).The report also analyzes various payment card markets operating in the industry, and provides detailed information on the number of cards in circulation, transaction values and volumes during the review period and over the forecast period (2016-2020). It also offers information on the country's competitive landscape, including the market shares of issuers and schemes.Complete Report Details @The report brings together GlobalDatas research, modeling, and analysis expertise to allow banks and card issuers to identify segment dynamics and competitive advantages. The report also covers details of regulatory policy and recent changes in the regulatory structure.The report provides top-level market analysis, information and insights into the Argentine cards and payments industry, including -- Current and forecast values for each market in the Argentine cards and payments industry, including debit, credit and charge cards.- Detailed insights into payment instruments including credit transfers, cheques, cash, direct debit and payment cards. It also, includes an overview of the country's key alternative payment instruments.- E-commerce market analysis.- Analysis of various market drivers and regulations governing the Argentine cards and payments industry.- Detailed analysis of strategies adopted by banks and other institutions to market debit, credit and charge cards.Scope- To improve financial inclusion and increase competition between banks, in 2016 the central bank introduced guidelines for convenient account opening and switching between providers. As per the new guideline, wage accounts can be opened directly by individuals rather than upon request by their employer. Individuals can open and close their accounts and cancel their credit cards through online banking, without the need to visit a bank branch. To increase financial access for citizens, the central bank relaxed the regulatory requirements for opening new bank branches in 2016. In H1 2016, 97 new branches were provided with authorization, an increase of 44 over H2 2015.- The government move to abolish the tax on credit card payments made in foreign currency in December 2015 is anticipated to drive credit card transactions. In December 2013 the government had increased the tax on all credit card purchases made abroad from 20% to 35%. Consumers were also charged with a 50% tax on online purchases of more than $25 (ARS201.90) from foreign websites. The restrictions on online shopping and use of payment cards abroad was an attempt to control the drop in foreign currency reserves, which fell by 29% in 2013 to $30.9bn (ARS168.7bn), a seven-year low.- To promote inbound tourism in the country, in September 2016 the Argentine government abolished value added tax (VAT) on hotel charges for foreign travelers if they paid using a debit or credit card issued overseas. Hotels must now refund foreign tourists the VAT charged on hotel stays. This move is anticipated to push up tourist numbers by 120,000 and increase spending by $90m (ARS1.3bn), thereby driving the payment card transaction value and volume.Reasons to buy- Make strategic business decisions, using top-level historic and forecast market data, related to the Argentine cards and payments industry and each market within it.- Understand the key market trends and growth opportunities in the Argentine cards and payments industry.- Assess the competitive dynamics in the Argentine cards and payments industry.- Gain insights into marketing strategies used for various card types in Argentina.- Gain insights into key regulations governing the Argentine cards and payments industry.About usMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Contact UsState Tower90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-621-2074Website:Email: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
Switch Socket Market Size 2017-22: GELAN, Feidiao, CHNT, LS, SIEMENS, Schneider, DELIXI

Switch Socket

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Switch Socket Market Research 2017A market study  Global Switch Socket Market  examines the performance of the Switch Socket market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Switch Socket market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Switch Socket market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Switch Socket Market 2017 report includes Switch Socket market Revenue, market Share, Switch Socket industry volume, market Trends, Switch Socket Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Switch Socket Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Switch Socket Market 2017:1. DELIXI2. Legrand3. Schneider4. Bull5. CHNT6. Gamder7. GELAN8. SIEMENS9. Feidiao10. LSFirstly, the report covers the top Switch Socket manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Switch Socket report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Switch Socket industry, Switch Socket industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Switch Socket Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Switch Socket research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Switch Socket market revenue worldwide.Finally, Switch Socket market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Vacuum Capacitor Market Size 2017-22: Highhope, MEIDENSHA, GLVAC, Jennings, Richardson Electronics

Vacuum Capacitor

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Vacuum Capacitor Market Research 2017A market study  Global Vacuum Capacitor Market  examines the performance of the Vacuum Capacitor market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Vacuum Capacitor market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Vacuum Capacitor market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Vacuum Capacitor Market 2017 report includes Vacuum Capacitor market Revenue, market Share, Vacuum Capacitor industry volume, market Trends, Vacuum Capacitor Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Vacuum Capacitor Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Vacuum Capacitor Market 2017:1. COMET2. Jennings3. MEIDENSHA4. Richardson Electronics5. Highhope6. GLVACVacuum Capacitor Market : By Application Radio Communication Equipment Semiconductor Equipment High-frequency Industrial Equipment Medical Instruments High Energy Physics Equipment Electric EquipmentVacuum Capacitor Market : By Type Fixed Vacuum Capacitor Variable Vacuum CapacitorFirstly, the report covers the top Vacuum Capacitor manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Vacuum Capacitor report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Vacuum Capacitor industry, Vacuum Capacitor industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Vacuum Capacitor Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Vacuum Capacitor research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Vacuum Capacitor market revenue worldwide.Finally, Vacuum Capacitor market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Background Music Market 2017 Trend, Analysis and Forecast to 2021

ReportsWeb

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Background music plays an important role in modern commercial and residential spaces. Retail stores, public transit, elevators, and malls are some of the major users of background music. This kind of music is intended for passive listening and helps in improving the ambience of places. It also positive influences a customer's mood, resulting in better shopping experiences for customers and retailers. The global background music market is fragmented with the presence of a large number of small and large vendors.Publisher's analysts forecast the global background music market to grow at a CAGR of 3.69 % during the period 2017-2021.For more information about this report:Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global background music market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenue generated from the use of background music by the following end-users:- Hospitality sector- Retail sector- Commercial buildings- Public infrastructure- OthersPublisher's report, Global Background Music Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Almotech Media Solutions- Imagesound- Mood Media- NSM Music Group- PlayNetworkRequest Sample Copy atOther prominent vendors- CSI Music Services- Easy On Hold- HIBOU MUSIC- Nimbletank- SBA Music- Sunflower MusicMarket driver- Increase in hotel construction- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- Increased adoption of digital music- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Increase in number of concerts and live performances- For a full, detailed list, view our reportInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
Fingerprint Biometrics Market 2017 Trend, Analysis and Forecast to 2021

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Biometrics involves the authentication and identification of an individual on the basis of one or more unique biological traits such as fingerprint, facial, iris, voice, and vein recognition. Furthermore, biometric technologies are considered to be more reliable when compared with authentication via numeric codes and physical devices.Publisher's analysts forecast the global fingerprint biometrics market to grow at a CAGR of 11.78% during the period 2017-2021.For more information about this report:Covered in this reportThe report covers the present scenario and the growth prospects of the global Fingerprint Biometrics market for 2017-2021. To calculate the market size, the report considers the revenues generated from fingerprint hardware, software, and integrated solutions.The market is divided into the following segments based on geography:- APAC- Europe- North America- South AmericaPublisher's report, Global Fingerprint Biometrics Market 2017-2021, has been prepared based on an in-depth market analysis with inputs from industry experts. The report covers the market landscape and its growth prospects over the coming years. The report also includes a discussion of the key vendors operating in this market.Key vendors- Gemalto- BIO-key International- Crossmatch- HID Global- M2SYS Technology- NEC- OT-MorphoRequest Sample Copy atOther prominent vendors- Anviz Global- BioEnable- BioLink Solutions- DERMALOG Identification Systems- Diamond Fortress Technologies- Fingerprint Cards- FingerCheck- Fulcrum Biometrics- Futronic Technology Company- IDEX ASA- Inception Technologies- Liteon- Precise Biometrics- SecuGen- Suprema- Trac-Tech- ZKTecoMarket driver- Increase in cybercrime- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket challenge- High scope for inaccuracies- For a full, detailed list, view our reportMarket trend- Evolution of multimodal biometrics- For a full, detailed list, view our reportInquire for Report atContact Us:Call: +1-646-491-9876Email: sales@reportsweb.comReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
United States Small Drone Market Analysis by Regions, By Applications (Commercial, Military, Others), Types, 2017 Forecast Report

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"The Latest Research Report United States Small Drone Market Report 2017 provides information on pricing, market analysis, shares, forecast, and company profiles for key industry participants. - MarketResearchReports.biz"About Small Drone MarketThis report studies sales (consumption) of Small Drone in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringFinancial HighlightsLockheed Martin CorporationIsrael Aerospace IndustriesAerovironmentElbit SystemsDA-Jiang Innovations Science and TechnologyParrot SA3D RoboticsMicrodronesBAE SystemsThe Boeing CompanySAAB ABThales GroupTextronGet Sample copy of this Report @Market Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisSplit by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoFixed WingRotary WingOthersView Report @Split by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Small Drone in each application, can be divided intoCommercialMilitaryOthersTable of ContentsUnited States Small Drone Market Report 20171 Small Drone Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Small Drone1.2 Classification of Small Drone1.2.1 Fixed Wing1.2.2 Rotary Wing1.2.3 Others1.3 Application of Small Drone1.3.1 Commercial1.3.2 Military1.3.3 Others1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of Small Drone (2011-2021)1.4.1 United States Small Drone Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.4.2 United States Small Drone Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 United States Small Drone Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Small Drone Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Small Drone Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Small Drone Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Small Drone Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Small Drone Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Small Drone Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 United States Small Drone Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by States (2011-2016)3.1 United States Small Drone Sales and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.2 United States Small Drone Revenue and Market Share by States (2011-2016)3.3 United States Small Drone Price by States (2011-2016)4 United States Small Drone Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) by Type (2011-2016)4.1 United States Small Drone Sales and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.2 United States Small Drone Revenue and Market Share by Type (2011-2016)4.3 United States Small Drone Price by Type (2011-2016)4.4 United States Small Drone Sales Growth Rate by Type (2011-2016)5 United States Small Drone Sales (Volume) by Application (2011-2016)5.1 United States Small Drone Sales and Market Share by Application (2011-2016)5.2 United States Small Drone Sales Growth Rate by Application (2011-2016)5.3 Market Drivers and OpportunitiesMarketResearchReports.biz is the most comprehensive collection of market research reports. MarketResearchReports.Biz services are specially designed to save time and money for our clients. We are a one stop solution for all your research needs, our main offerings are syndicated research reports, custom research, subscription access and consulting services. We serve all sizes and types of companies spanning across various industries.Mr. NachiketState Tower90 Sate Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-621-2074Website:E: sales@marketresearchreports.biz
United States Specialty Printing Consumables Market Report 2017 - DIC, Canon, Xerox, HP, Eastman, Flint Ink

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This report studies sales (consumption) of Specialty Printing Consumables in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, coveringDICCanonXeroxHPEastmanFlint InkNazdar Ink TechnologiesMarket Segment by States, coveringCaliforniaTexasNew YorkFloridaIllinoisSplit by product types, with sales, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, can be divided intoTonerInkSpecialty SubstrateChemicalsOtherSplit by applications, this report focuses on sales, market share and growth rate of Specialty Printing Consumables in each application, can be divided intoOffice and ProfessionalCommercial Printing and PublishingOtherGet a Free Sample Copy of this Research Report @Table of Contents1 Specialty Printing Consumables Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Specialty Printing Consumables1.2 Classification of Specialty Printing Consumables1.2.1 Toner1.2.2 Ink1.2.3 Specialty Substrate1.2.4 Chemicals1.2.5 Other1.3 Application of Specialty Printing Consumables1.3.1 Office and Professional1.3.2 Commercial Printing and Publishing1.3.3 Other1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Volume) and Revenue (Value) of Specialty Printing Consumables (2012-2022)1.4.1 United States Specialty Printing Consumables Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Specialty Printing Consumables Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)2 United States Specialty Printing Consumables Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Specialty Printing Consumables Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Specialty Printing Consumables Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Specialty Printing Consumables Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Specialty Printing Consumables Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Specialty Printing Consumables Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Specialty Printing Consumables Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionQYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
United States Mobile Pet Care Market Report 2016 - Aussie Pet Mobile, Dial a Dog Wash, My Pet Mobile Vet, Haute Pets, Pampered Tails

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This report studies sales (consumption) of Mobile Pet Care in United States market, focuses on the top players, with sales, price, revenue and market share for each player, covering4 Paws Mobile SpaAussie Pet MobileDial a Dog WashHollywood GroomingMy Pet Mobile VetThe Pooch Mobile USAAlpha Grooming Pet SalonAussie Mobile VetBonkersHaute PetsJones Mobile Veterinary ServiceJungle Pet SpaPampered TailsPet Calls Mobile VeterinaryPurrFurred Pet StylingThe Shot SpotGet a Free Sample Copy of this Research Report @Table of ContentsUnited States Mobile Pet Care Market Report 20161 Mobile Pet Care Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Mobile Pet Care1.2 Classification of Mobile Pet Care1.3 Application of Mobile Pet Care1.4 United States Market Size Sales (Value) and Revenue (Volume) of Mobile Pet Care (2011-2021)1.4.1 United States Mobile Pet Care Sales and Growth Rate (2011-2021)1.4.2 United States Mobile Pet Care Revenue and Growth Rate (2011-2021)2 United States Mobile Pet Care Competition by Manufacturers2.1 United States Mobile Pet Care Sales and Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 United States Mobile Pet Care Revenue and Share by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.3 United States Mobile Pet Care Average Price by Manufactures (2015 and 2016)2.4 Mobile Pet Care Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.4.1 Mobile Pet Care Market Concentration Rate2.4.2 Mobile Pet Care Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.4.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, ExpansionQYresearchreports.com delivers the latest strategic market intelligence to build a successful business footprint in China. Our syndicated and customized research reports provide companies with vital background information of the market and in-depth analysis on the Chinese trade and investment framework, which directly affects their business operations.QYResearchReports1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United StatesToll Free: 866-997-4948 (USA-CANADA)Tel: +1-518-618-1030Web:Email: sales@qyresearchreports.com
Saloon Car Market Size 2017-22: Chevrolet, Great Wall, Ford, NISSAN, KIA, Hyundai, Honda

Saloon Car

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Saloon Car Market Research 2017A market study  Global Saloon Car Market  examines the performance of the Saloon Car market 2017. It encloses an in-depth Research of the Saloon Car market state and the competitive landscape globally. This report analyzes the potential of Saloon Car market in the present and the future prospects from various angles in detail.The Global Saloon Car Market 2017 report includes Saloon Car market Revenue, market Share, Saloon Car industry volume, market Trends, Saloon Car Growth aspects. A wide range of applications, Utilization ratio, Supply and demand analysis are also consist in the report.It shows manufacturing capacity, Saloon Car Price during the Forecast period from 2017 to 2022.To Get Sample Report Click Here:Manufacturers Analysis and Top Sellers of Global Saloon Car Market 2017: Toyota Volkswagen Hyundai NISSAN BUICK Honda Ford Chevrolet KIA Great WallFirstly, the report covers the top Saloon Car manufacturing industry players from regions like United States, EU, Japan, and China. It also characterizes the market based on geological regions.Further, the Saloon Car report gives information on the company profile, market share and contact details along with value chain analysis of Saloon Car industry, Saloon Car industry rules and policies, circumstances driving the growth of the market and compulsion blocking the growth. Saloon Car Market development scope and various business strategies are also mentioned in this report.Browse Full Report Here:The Saloon Car research report includes the products that are currently in demand and available in the market along with their cost breakup, manufacturing volume, import/export scheme and contribution to the Saloon Car market revenue worldwide.Finally, Saloon Car market report gives you details about the market research findings and conclusion which helps you to develop profitable market strategies to gain competitive advantage.About Us:"Spire Market Research" is a leading market intelligence team which accredits and provides the reports of some of the top publishers in the field of technology industry. We are as a firm expertise in making extensive reports that cover all the necessary details about the market assessments such as major technological improvement in the industry.Contact Us5001 Spring Valley Road,Suite 400 East,Dallas, TX 75244, USA
Smart Home Devices Market - Global Trends, Market Share, Industry Size, Growth, Opportunities, and Market Forecast 2017-2022

ReportsWeb

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ReportsWeb.com added Global Smart Home Devices Market Research Report 2017 to its vast collection of research Database. The report is spread across 110 pages and supported by 15 company leaders.The Global Smart Home Devices Market Research Report 2017is a professional and in-depth study on the current state of the Smart Home Devices industry. In a word, This report studies Smart Home Devices in Global market, especially in United States, EU, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan, focuses on top manufacturers in global market, with capacity, production, price, revenue and market share for each manufacturer. Key companies included in this research are Samsung, BSH, GE, Whirlpool, LG, Electrolux, Panasonic, Miele & Cie, Philips, IRobot, Ecovacs, Neato, Haier, Midea and Hisense.Browse complete report @Market Segment by Region, this report splits Global into several key Region, with sales, revenue, market share and growth rate of Smart Home Devices in these regions, from 2011 to 2022 (forecast), like United States, EU, China, Japan, South Korea and Taiwan. Firstly, Smart Home Devices Market On the basis of product, this report displays the production, revenue, price, market share and growth rate of each type, primarily split into Smart Air-Con and Heater, Smart Washing and Drying, Smart Refrigerator, Smart Large Cookers, Smart Dishwashers and Others. On the basis on the end users/applications, this report focuses on the status and outlook for major applications/end users, consumption (sales) , market share and growth rate of Smart Home Devices for each application, including Cooking, Food Storage, Cleaning, House Maintenance and Others.Request for Sample @Major points from Table of Contents:1 Smart Home Devices Market Overview2 Global Smart Home Devices Market Competition by Manufacturers3 Global Smart Home Devices Output, Revenue by Regions4 Global Smart Home Devices Supply (Output) , Consumption, Export, Importby Regions5 Global Smart Home Devices Output, Revenue, Price Trend by Types6 Global Smart Home Devices Market Analysis by Applications7 Global Smart Home Devices Manufacturers Profiles/Analysis7.1 Samsung7.1.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.1.2 Smart Home Devices Product Category, Application and Specification7.1.2.1 Product A7.1.2.2 Product B7.1.3 Samsung Smart Home Devices Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.1.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.2 BSH7.2.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.2.2 Smart Home Devices Product Category, Application and Specification7.2.2.1 Product A7.2.2.2 Product B7.2.3 BSH Smart Home Devices Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.2.4 Main Business/Business Overview7.3 GE7.3.1 Company Basic Information, Manufacturing Base, Sales Area and Its Competitors7.3.2 Smart Home Devices Product Category, Application and Specification7.3.2.1 Product A7.3.2.2 Product B7.3.3 GE Smart Home Devices Capacity, Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)7.3.4 Main Business/Business Overview8 Smart Home Devices Manufacturing Cost Analysis9 Industrial Chain, Sourcing Strategy and Downstream Buyers10 Marketing Strategy Analysis, Distributors/Traders11 Market Effect Factors Analysis12 Global Smart Home Devices Market Forecast13 Research Findings and ConclusionList of Tables and FiguresFigure Global Smart Home Devices Market Size (Million USD) , Comparison (KUnits) and CAGR (%) by Regions (2012-2022)Figure United States Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure EU Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure China Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Japan Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure South Korea Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Taiwan Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Capacity, Production (K Units) Status and Outlook (2012-2022)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Major Players Product Capacity (K Units) (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Capacity Market Share of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2016Figure Global Smart Home Devices Capacity (K Units) of Key Manufacturers in 2017Figure Global Smart Home Devices Major Players Product Production (K Units) (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Production (K Units) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Production Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)Figure 2016 Smart Home Devices Production Share by ManufacturersFigure 2017 Smart Home Devices Production Share by ManufacturersFigure Global Smart Home Devices Major Players Product Revenue (Million USD) (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) by Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Revenue Share by Manufacturers (2012-2017)Table 2016 Global Smart Home Devices Revenue Share by ManufacturersTable 2017 Global Smart Home Devices Revenue Share by ManufacturersTable Global Market Smart Home Devices Average Price (USD/Unit) of Key Manufacturers (2012-2017)Figure Global Market Smart Home Devices Average Price (USD/Unit) of Key Manufacturers in 2016Table Manufacturers Smart Home Devices Manufacturing Base Distribution and Sales AreaTable Manufacturers Smart Home Devices Product CategoryFigure Smart Home Devices Market Share of Top 3 ManufacturersFigure Smart Home Devices Market Share of Top 5 ManufacturersTable Global Smart Home Devices Capacity (K Units) by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Capacity Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Capacity Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure 2016 Global Smart Home Devices Capacity Market Share by RegionTable Global Smart Home Devices Production by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Production (K Units) by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Production Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure 2016 Global Smart Home Devices Production Market Share by RegionTable Global Smart Home Devices Revenue (Million USD) by Region (2012-2017)Table Global Smart Home Devices Revenue Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Figure Global Smart Home Devices Revenue Market Share by Region (2012-2017)Table 2016 Global Smart Home Devices Revenue Market Share by RegionFigure Global Smart Home Devices Capacity, Production (K Units) and Growth Rate (2012-2017)Place a Direct Purchase Order of Complete Report @Contact Info:Name: Sameer JoshiEmail: sales@reportsweb.comOrganization: ReportsWebPhone: +1-646-491-9876ReportsWeb.com is a one stop shop of market research reports and solutions to various companies across the globe. We help our clients in their decision support system by helping them choose most relevant and cost effective research reports and solutions from various publishers. We provide best in class customer service and our customer support team is always available to help you on your research queries.505, 6th floor, Amanora Township,Amanora Chambers, East Block,Kharadi Road, Hadapsar, Pune-411028
United States Copper Foil Market by Manufacturers, States, Type and Application, Forecast to 2022

Copper Foil Market

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Copper foil is a foil form of copper less than the thickness of 150m and there are two types, a rolled copper foil and an electrolytic copper foil. Normally, a rolled copper foil is made by rolling and annealing electrolytic copper continuously and there is a restriction of the length. In contrast, an electrolytic copper foil has no restriction of the length. Copper Foils are mostly used for printed circuit boards, flexible printed circuit boards, and lithium-ion batteries.Request for Sample Copy Scope of the Report:This report focuses on the Copper Foil in United States market, to split the market based on manufacturers, states, type and application.Market Segment by Manufacturers, this report covers Fukuda Mitsui Mining & Smelting Hitachi Cable, Furukawa Electric JX Nippon Mining & Metal Products Olin Brass Circuit Foil 3M, LS Mtron Iljin Materials CCP NPC Co-Tech LYCTh Jinbao Electronics Kingboard Chemical KINWA Tongling Nonferrous Metal ProductsMarket Segment by States, covering California Texas New York Florida IllinoisBrowse Full Report @Market Segment by Type, covers Type 1 Type 2Market Segment by Applications, can be divided into Printed Circuit Board Lithium-ion Batteries Electromagnetic Shielding OtherThere are 17 Chapters to deeply display the United States Copper Foil market.Chapter 1, to describe Copper Foil Introduction, product type and application, market overview, market analysis by States, market opportunities, market risk, market driving force;Chapter 2, to analyze the manufacturers of Copper Foil, with profile, main business, news, sales, price, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 3, to display the competitive situation among the top manufacturers, with sales, revenue and market share in 2016 and 2017;Chapter 4, to show the United States market by States, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, price, revenue and market share of Copper Foil, for each state, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 5 and 6, to show the market by type and application, with sales, price, revenue, market share and growth rate by type, application, from 2012 to 2017;Chapter 7, 8, 9, 10 and 11, to analyze the key States by Type and Application, covering California, New York, Texas, Illinois and Florida, with sales, revenue and market share by types and applications;Chapter 12, Copper Foil market forecast, by States, type and application, with sales, price, revenue and growth rate forecast, from 2017 to 2022;Chapter 13, to analyze the manufacturing cost, key raw materials and manufacturing process etc.Chapter 14, to analyze the industrial chain, sourcing strategy and downstream end users (buyers);Chapter 15, to describe sales channel, distributors, traders, dealers etc.Chapter 16 and 17, to describe Copper Foil Research Findings and Conclusion, Appendix, methodology and data source.Check for Discount @Some points from TOC:-1 Market Overview1.1 Copper Foil Introduction1.2 Market Analysis by Type1.2.1 Type 11.2.2 Type 21.3 Market Analysis by Applications1.3.1 Printed Circuit Board1.3.2 Lithium-ion Batteries1.3.3 Electromagnetic Shielding1.3.4 Other1.4 Market Analysis by States1.4.1 California Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Texas Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 New York Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Florida Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Illinois Status and Prospect (2012-2022)..ContinuedEnquiry before Buying @About Global Info Reports:GIR Market Research is a company that simplifies how analysts and decision makers get industry data for their business. Our unique colossal technology has been developed to offer refined search capabilities designed to exploit the long tail of free market research whilst eliminating irrelevant results. GIR Market Research is the collection of market intelligence products and services on the Web. We offer reports and update our collection daily to provide you with instant online access to the worlds most complete and current database of expert insights on global industries, companies, products, and trends.Contact us:+1-888-376-9998 (US)Email- sales@globalinforeports.comWeb-Blogs-
Global Synchrophasor Market Professional Survey Report 2017 : NR Electric, Arbiter Systems, Vizimax, Macrodyne

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Synchrophasor Sales Market Report 2022 to its huge collection of research reports.The global Synchrophasor market is examined in the report from all angles. A clear assessment of the global Synchrophasormarket is provided in the report through solid analysis of the markets historical growth pattern and present condition. The development trajectory of the global Synchrophasormarket till its present condition is examined to derive actionable insight into the markets development patterns. The gathered market data is subjected to industry-standard analysis tools such as SWOT analysis.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The key factors affecting the growth of the global Synchrophasormarket positively as well as negatively are described in the report. The extent of their impact on the global Synchrophasormarket in the coming years is provided in the report through reliable estimations. The economic factors affecting the Synchrophasormarket are also assessed in detail in the report. Conditions regarding the regulatory frameworks in various regions and their impact on the global Synchrophasormarket are also elaborated upon in the report.The performance of various segments of the global Synchrophasormarket is described in the report to provide readers a clear understanding of the granular structure of the market. The leading product and application segments of the global Synchrophasormarket are profiled in the report to reveal the impact of key changes on them. The leading regional markets for Synchrophasorare also assessed in the report, which helps readers get an idea of where the most promising opportunities lie. The economic and regulatory factors determining the direction of the regional markets are also examined in detail in the report.Table of Content1 Synchrophasor Market Overview11.1 Product Overview and Scope of Synchrophasor11.2 Global Synchrophasor Market by Applications/End Users21.2.1 Global Synchrophasor Sales (Units) Comparison by Applications (2012-2022)21.2.2 Power Station31.2.3 Transforming Station31.3 Global Synchrophasor Market by Regions41.3.1 Global Synchrophasor Consumption Value (Million USD) Comparison by Regions (2012-2022F)41.3.2 North America Synchrophasor Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)41.3.3 China Synchrophasor Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)51.3.4 Europe Synchrophasor Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)61.3.5 Japan Synchrophasor Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)71.3.6 India Synchrophasor Status and Prospect (2012-2022F)81.4 Global Synchrophasor Sales and Consumption Value (2012-2022F)91.4.1 Global Synchrophasor Sales (Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2022F)91.4.2 Global Synchrophasor Consumption Value (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2022F)10Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Synchrophasor Competition by Players, Type and Application122.1 Global Synchrophasor Market Competition by Players122.1.1 Global Synchrophasor Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) of Key Players (2016 and 2017E)122.1.2 Global Synchrophasor Revenue and Share by Players (2012-2017E)142.2 Global Synchrophasor Sales and Revenue by Regions172.2.1 Global Synchrophasor Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017E)172.2.2 Global Synchrophasor Consumption Value and Market Share (%) by Regions (2012-2017E)192.3 Global Synchrophasor Sales by Application213 North America Synchrophasor (Consumption, Consumption Value and Price)243.1 North America Synchrophasor Consumption and Consumption Value (2012-2017E)243.1.1 North America Synchrophasor Consumption (Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017E)243.1.2 North America Synchrophasor Consumption Value (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017E)253.1.3 North America Synchrophasor Price (USD/Unit) Trend (2012-2017E)263.2 North America Synchrophasor Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications264 Europe Synchrophasor (Consumption, Consumption Value and Price)284.1 Europe Synchrophasor Consumption and Consumption Value (2012-2017E)284.1.1 Europe Synchrophasor Consumption (Units) and Growth Rate (%) (2012-2017E)284.1.2 Europe Synchrophasor Consumption Value (Million USD) and Growth Rate (2012-2017E)294.1.3 Europe Synchrophasor Price (USD/Unit) Trend (2012-2017E)304.2 Europe Synchrophasor Sales (Units) and Market Share (%) by Applications30QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Market Report 2017

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Market Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The market intelligence report examines the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket offers insights concerning the growth prospects over the next few years. The expected forecast and figures on the basis of value and revenue have been given in the scope of the research study considering 2017 to 2022 as the forecast period. The key factors that are anticipated to influence the overall development of the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket have been discussed in the scope of the research study. In addition to this, the growth prospects, opportunities, and the current trends in the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket have been provided in the report.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @In order to provide a strong understanding regarding the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket, the research study has addressed several queries related to the growth prospects and limitations in the market. Some of these questioned have been mentioned below:What is the expected growth rate of the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket in the next few years?Which regional segment is likely to experience a strong growth in the coming years?What are the key application of Robotic Vacuum Cleanersin the global market?Which latest trends and opportunities in the market are likely to accelerate the growth of the market?Which are the prominent players operating in the Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket across the globe?Which factors are anticipated to encourage the growth of the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket in the near future?Furthermore, the research report, in order to offer a clear picture of the global Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket, throws light on the competitive landscape. A detailed list of the prominent players operating in the Robotic Vacuum Cleanersmarket across the globe has been provided in the scope of the research report.Table of ContentGlobal Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Market Report 20171 Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Robotic Vacuum Cleaners1.2 Classification of Robotic Vacuum Cleaners by Product Category1.2.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Size (Sales) Comparison by Type (2012-2022)1.2.2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Size (Sales) Market Share by Type (Product Category) in 20161.2.3 Single Function1.2.4 Multifunction1.3 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market by Application/End Users1.3.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales (Volume) and Market Share Comparison by Application (2012-2022)1.3.2 Household1.3.3 Restaurant1.3.4 Other1.4 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market by Region1.4.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Size (Value) Comparison by Region (2012-2022)1.4.2 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Europe Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Japan Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 Southeast Asia Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.7 India Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value and Volume) of Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (2012-2022)1.5.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2022)1.5.2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2022)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Competition by Players/Suppliers, Type and Application2.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Market Competition by Players/Suppliers2.1.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Market Share of Key Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.1.2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Revenue and Share by Players/Suppliers (2012-2017)2.2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (Volume and Value) by Type2.2.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.2.2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)2.3 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (Volume and Value) by Region2.3.1 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.3.2 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Revenue and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)2.4 Global Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (Volume) by Application3 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (Volume, Value and Sales Price)3.1 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Value (2012-2017)3.1.1 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.2 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)3.1.3 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)3.2 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Volume and Market Share by Players3.3 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Volume and Market Share by Type3.4 United States Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Volume and Market Share by Application4 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners (Volume, Value and Sales Price)4.1 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Value (2012-2017)4.1.1 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.2 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Revenue and Growth Rate (2012-2017)4.1.3 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Price Trend (2012-2017)4.2 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Volume and Market Share by Players4.3 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Volume and Market Share by Type4.4 China Robotic Vacuum Cleaners Sales Volume and Market Share by ApplicationQYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. We provide market research reports on various categories such as Energy, Chemicals, Alternative and Green Energy, Manufacturing, Machinery, Pharmaceuticals and Materials, and Glass.1820 AvenueM Suite #1047Brooklyn, NY 11230United States
Development of Computer Graphics market in global growth and status 2017 - Intel Corporation, Mentor Graphics, Microsoft, Nvidia

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Qyresearchreports include new market research report Global Computer Graphics Market Research Report 2017 to its huge collection of research reports.The research report sheds light on factors that shape the global Computer Graphics markets functioning. The impact of these factors on the global Computer Graphicsmarket at present is assessed and forecasts based on these findings for the markets development are presented in the report. Information related to the key drivers, restraints, trends, and opportunities has been collated and presented in the report. The study provides in-depth analysis of the global Computer Graphicsmarket by segmenting it on the basis of various parameters such as type and application. It also includes a comprehensive coverage of the underlying economic and technological factors influencing the market.To Get Sample Copy of Report visit @The report aims to provide a strategic analysis of the global Computer Graphicsmarket along with the revenue and growth forecasts. This report also provides a list of recommendations for new entrants and existing market players to establish a strong presence and to help them make strategic decisions. The Computer Graphicsmarket report includes snapshots that provide information about various segments of the market along with an elaborated executive summary.The Computer Graphicsmarket study also profiles the major players in the market and provides information such as company overview, product portfolio, business strategies, financial overview, and recent developments. An analysis of company market share is included in the report, which provides insight into industry competition, market dynamics, and key strategies adopted by leading players in the global Computer Graphicsmarket. All these factors would help players create new business strategies and plans to strengthen their position in the market.Table of ContentGlobal Computer Graphics Market Research Report 20171 Computer Graphics Market Overview1.1 Product Overview and Scope of Computer Graphics1.2 Computer Graphics Segment by Type1.2.1 Global Production Market Share of Computer Graphics by Type in 20151.2.2 Cad/Cam1.2.3 Visualization/Simulation1.2.4 Digital Video1.2.5 Imaging1.2.6 Modeling/Animation1.3 Computer Graphics Segment by Application1.3.1 Computer Graphics Consumption Market Share by Application in 20151.3.2 Small & Medium Businesses1.3.3 Enterprises1.3.4 Others1.4 Computer Graphics Market by Region1.4.1 North America Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.2 Europe Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.3 China Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.4 Japan Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.5 Southeast Asia Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.4.6 India Status and Prospect (2012-2022)1.5 Global Market Size (Value) of Computer Graphics (2012-2022)Browse Complete Report with TOC @2 Global Computer Graphics Market Competition by Manufacturers2.1 Global Computer Graphics Production and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.2 Global Computer Graphics Revenue and Share by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.3 Global Computer Graphics Average Price by Manufacturers (2015 and 2016)2.4 Manufacturers Computer Graphics Manufacturing Base Distribution, Sales Area and Product Type2.5 Computer Graphics Market Competitive Situation and Trends2.5.1 Computer Graphics Market Concentration Rate2.5.2 Computer Graphics Market Share of Top 3 and Top 5 Manufacturers2.5.3 Mergers & Acquisitions, Expansion3 Global Computer Graphics Production, Revenue (Value) by Region (2012-2017)3.1 Global Computer Graphics Production and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.2 Global Computer Graphics Revenue (Value) and Market Share by Region (2012-2017)3.3 Global Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.4 North America Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.5 Europe Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.6 China Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.7 Japan Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.8 Southeast Asia Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)3.9 India Computer Graphics Production, Revenue, Price and Gross Margin (2012-2017)4 Global Computer Graphics Supply (Production), Consumption, Export, Import by Regions (2012-2017)4.1 Global Computer Graphics Consumption by Regions (2012-2017)4.2 North America Computer Graphics Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.3 Europe Computer Graphics Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.4 China Computer Graphics Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.5 Japan Computer Graphics Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.6 Southeast Asia Computer Graphics Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)4.7 India Computer Graphics Production, Consumption, Export, Import (2012-2017)5 Global Computer Graphics Production, Revenue (Value), Price Trend by Type5.1 Global Computer Graphics Production and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.2 Global Computer Graphics Revenue and Market Share by Type (2012-2017)5.3 Global Computer Graphics Price by Type (2012-2017)5.4 Global Computer Graphics Production Growth by Type (2012-2017)QYResearchReports.com is an unimpeachable source of market research data for clients that comprise acclaimed SMEs, Chinese companies, private equity firms, and MNCs. 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Marine Fuel Management Market SWOT Analysis Of Top Key Player Forecasts To 2024

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Global Marine Fuel Management Market: SnapshotThe rising cost of fuel is having the most prominent impact on the global marine fuel management market. As marine fuel management systems assist significantly in calculating the exact amount of fuel oil burnt at any particular vessel speed or engine rpm, their usage in ships and marine vessels has increased substantially, which, as a result, is reflecting positively on this market. Apart from this, the rising number of stringent government regulations intended to curb pollution at sea is also impacting this market greatly. However, the current decline in the oil prices and the subsequent slowdown in the oil and gas industry is likely to restrict this market from growing steadily in the near future.The overall revenue generated in the global marine fuel management market in 2015 was US$3.82 bn. Burgeoning at a CAGR of 4.10% between 2016 and 2024, the market is projected to reach US$5.43 bn by the end of 2024.View Report @Fleet Management to Remain Key Contributing Application AreaFuel consumption, efficiency level, fleet management, viscosity control, other systems, such as shore side reporting, cross fleet standardization, and cargo delivery verification are the prime application areas of marine fuel management systems. Among these, fleet management surfaced as the most prominent application segment with a share of 25.49% in 2015. This segment is anticipated to maintain its lead; however, with a slight decline in its market shares.The demand for marine fuel management systems is expected to increase substantially from the fuel consumption segment over the next few years on account of the rising need for reducing the fuel consumption to save operational expenditure.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Marine Fuel Management Market Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Asia Pacific to Continue as Leading Regional MarketOn the basis of geography, the global market for marine fuel management is classified into Europe, Latin America, North America, Latin America, Asia Pacific, and the Middle East and Africa. With a share of more than 40%, Asia Pacific led the global market in 2015. Thanks to the increase in shipbuilding activities, flag conversions, and the replacement of old vessels with new marine fuel management systems, Asia Pacific is likely to emerge as a highly attractive market for marine fuel management over the forthcoming years, maintaining its dominance over the global market.Europe, being the global center for suppliers and traders of shipping and bunker fuel, has been providing good opportunities to marine fuel management manufacturers. Analysts expect the Europe marine fuel management market to remain seated in the second position in the years to come. The market in North America, on the other hand, will witness a slowdown in the near future as it approaching towards maturity. The marine fuel management markets in Latin America and the Middle East and Africa are exhibiting great potential for future growth, thanks to the increase in exploration activities in these regions.Emerson, DNV-GL AS, ABB, Siemens AG, Eniram, Krill Systems Inc., Nautical Control Solutions LP, Nautical Control Solutions LP, Banlaw Systems Ltd., Kaminco, Mustang Technologies, Marorka, INTERSCHALT Maritime Systems GmbH, BMT Group, and AquaMetro AG are some of the prominent participants in the global marine fuel management market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Aerospace Composites Market Expand to CAGR of 8% By 2021

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Study Objectives of Aerospace Composites Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the Global Aerospace Composites Market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyse the Global Aerospace Composites Market based on various factors- price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia, and Rest of the World (ROW) To provide country-level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country-level analysis of the market for segment by types and applications To provide strategic profiling of key players in the market, comprehensively analysing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market To track and analyse competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments in the Global Aerospace Composites MarketGet a copy of Sample Report @Market Synopsis of Aerospace Composites MarketThe Global Aerospace Composites market is expected to grow at a CAGR of around 8% during 2016-2021. This growth is driven due to significant demand for aircraft weight reduction and fuel efficiency and high corrosion resistance.As per the MRFR analysis, demand for aircraft weight reduction and fuel efficiency and reduction in need for MRO necessity are one of the key drivers for global aerospace composites market. The challenges associated with the market are the complex design process and high acquisition and operation cost of autoclave systems.APAC is leading the global aerospace composites market with 40% market share. With the growing procurement of next generation aircraft and increased backlog, the region is likely to outpace other in the forecast period.Key Findings The APAC is predictable to lead the aerospace composite market in 2021 with a market share of 43% The carbon fiber segment is predictable to lead the aerospace composite market in 2021 with a share of around 50%, followed by glass fiber and aramid fiberGet a well Discount @Key PlayersThe leading market players in the global Aerospace Composites market primarily include Cytec Industries, Hexcel, Koninklijke Ten Cate (TenCate), Mitsubishi Rayon, Owens Corning. The other prominent players include Hartzell Aerospace, Hyosung, Kaman, SGL Group and Teijin Aramid.Browse Full Report Details @The market report for Aerospace Composites of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different market segments and regions.ContinueWe are thankful for the support and assistance from Global Aerospace Composites Market Research Report- Forecast to 2021 chain related technical experts and marketing experts during Research Team survey and interviews.About Market Research Future:At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.Media Contact:Akash Anand,Market Research FutureOffice No. 528, Amanora ChambersMagarpatta Road, Hadapsar,Pune - 411028Maharashtra, India+1 646 845 9312Email: akash.anand@marketresearchfuture.com
Home Rehabilitation Products and Services Market Research Report | Key Growth Factors and Forecast 2023

Home Rehabilitation Products and Services Market

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Rehabilitation programs help patients to improve, maintain, and restore physical strength and mobility in institutional and home care settings. This study provides market analysis for various rehabilitation products and services that are provided within home care settings. The stakeholders of this market study comprise established rehabilitation product manufacturers, distributors, and rehabilitation service providers as well as new participants who wish to enter the global rehabilitation products and services market.This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the global rehabilitation products and services market and helps in identifying several market governing factors that influence the market both positively and negatively. The market overview section provides exhaustive information on trends in the usage of home rehabilitation products and services, market trends such as drivers, restraints, and growth opportunities that presently regulate the dynamics of the overall market. Competitive analysis tools such as Porters Five Forces analysis and geographical market attractiveness analysis have also been incorporated in this report to provide analysis about the level of competition within the home rehabilitation products and services market.Furthermore, a section analyzing the business to customer and therapist to customer models provides the overall business mechanism of the market. Competitive intelligence tools such as market share analysis have also been included in the market overview section of the report to deliver a broad spectrum of the overall scenario in the market at global level. Market share analysis thus provided in this study is in context with the major product manufacturers, distributors, and service providers operating in the market which would help new players to understand the key business models and frameworks to identify the specific product lines of existing companies to establish a strong foothold in the home rehabilitation products and services market.This exhaustive report includes 9 data tables and 41 figures to give readers a 360 view of the Home Rehabilitation Products and Services Market. Browse through this 115-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2015-2023Executive summary of the report encapsulates comprehensive insights about every segment considered in this study. It includes a market snapshot offering an insight into the current scenario of the home rehabilitation products and services market in terms of current and future market size along growth rate.The global home rehabilitation products and services market has been segmented based on various products and services used in home settings. The home rehabilitation products market has been categorized into major products used for providing rehabilitation services in home settings such as positioning devices, body support devices, general aids, wheel chairs, and others. The others segment is analyzed cumulatively, considering walkers, canes, crutches, arm and shoulder slings, bands, and other ancillary support products within this class. Based on service type, the market has been segmented into physical therapy services, occupational therapy services, speech therapy services, respiratory therapy services, and others (drug rehabilitation therapy, balance therapy, and other psychotherapeutic services). The market size for the period from 2013 to 2023 has been provided for each of the product and service categories mentioned above in terms of USD million. Along with the market size that were projected considering 2014 as the base year and 2013 as the historical year, the CAGR (%) of each market segment for the forecast period from 2015 to 2023 has also been provided.This market study concludes with profiles of key players in the global home rehabilitation products and services market. The report outlines the companies in terms of overview, financial overview, product portfolio, business strategies, and recent developments. Key enterprises profiled in this study include AliMed, Inc., Active Medical & Rehabilitation Services Pvt. Ltd., DJO Global, Inc., ergoline GmbH, Ekso Bionics, Hocoma AG, Invacare Corporation, Medline Industries, Inc., Prism Medical, RehabCare, Stryker Corporation, and TecnoBody S.r.l.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Home Rehabilitation Products and Services Market during 2015- 2023About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Market Research Report | Key Growth Factors and Forecast 2023

Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Market

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This report on the primary immunodeficiency diseases (PIDD) market studies the current as well as future prospects of the market. The stakeholders of this report include pharmaceuticals companies, diagnostic kits providers, distributors, care providers and insurance companies (payers) and other intermediaries engaged in PIDD as well as new entrants that are planning to enter in this segment. This report comprises an elaborate executive summary with a market snapshot providing overall information of various segments and sub-segments considered in the study scope. The executive summary also provides overall information and data analysis of the PIDD market with respect to the leading market segments based on Disease, Test, Treatment and Geography. The market revenue in terms of USD million for the period between 2013 and 2023 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2015 to 2023 are provided for all segments and sub-segments considered under the scope of study, considering 2014 as the base year. Pipeline analysis (qualitative) for Phase I, II candidates whereas a detailed quantitative aspect (US$ Mn) for III drugs are illustrated in the market overview chapter.The report analyzed the PIDD market from four prominent segments: by Disease, by Test, by Treatment and by Geography. In terms of market by disease the overall market is segmented into three broad categories: Antibody Deficiency, Cellular Immunodeficiency and Innate Immune Disorder. The antibody deficiency market is further analyzed and estimated for Agammaglobulinaemia, Common Variable Immune Deficiency, Selective IgA Deficiency, IgG Subclass Deficiency and Others. Whereas, cellular immunodeficiency market is sub-segmented into Ataxia Telangiectasia, Hyper IgM Syndromes, Wiskott-Aldrich Syndrome, DiGeorge Syndrome and Others. The innate immune disorder market include Complement Deficiencies, Hyper IgE Syndrome and Others. Moreover this report also studies the global market by test for diagnosis which encompasses blood test and prenatal testing. The global PIDD market by treatment include both qualitative and quantitative analysis for immunoglobulin replacement therapy, antibiotics therapy, stem cell and gene therapy and others.This exhaustive report includes a 360 view of the Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Market. Browse through this 117-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2015-2023Geographically the market is divided into four major regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World. The North America market incorporates The United States and Canada. The Europe region is accessed for Germany, United Kingdom and Rest of Europe. The Asia Pacific (APAC) market is sub-segmented into India, China and Rest of APAC. Rest of the World (RoW) include Latin America, Middle East and North Africa and Rest of RoWEach of the aforementioned segments has been analyzed in detail for market trends, recent developments, outlook, and opportunities. The market overview section of the report explores market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities that currently have strong impact on the global PIDD market which could influence the market in the future as well. Market attractiveness analysis has been provided in the market overview section in order to explain the intensity of competition between leading market players in the U.S. market. Porters five forces analysis is also explained in this section to understand the market in U.S. considering different parameters that have an impact on the sustainability of the companies operating in the market.The competitive scenario among different market players is evaluated through market share analysis in the competitive landscape section of the report. All these factors would help market players to take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and expand their respective market shares across the globe. The recommendations section included in the report would assist existing market players in targeting the end users and stakeholders of PIDD and also to those aiming to seek an entry. The report also profiles major players in the PIDD market based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, product portfolio, and recent developments. Some of the leading companies operating in primary immunodeficiency diseases market across the globe. These encompasses Baxter International, Inc., Biotest AG, CSL Behring LLC, Bio Products Laboratory Ltd., Kedrion S.p.A., LFB S.A., Octapharma AG and Grifols S.A.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Primary Immunodeficiency Diseases Market during 2015- 2023About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Retail Cybersecurity Market :- Global Industry Analysis By 2025

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Computer security or cyber security involves protection of computer systems from various theft or damage done to hardware or software along with saving systems from service related disruptions. It includes controlling the physical access to the hardware along with protecting against harm that might come via data and code injection or network access.Many a times, it is also seen that malpractices by operators either intentional or accidental leads to the IT security problems. System becomes susceptible to being tricked into other deviations from secure procedures through different methods.Cyber security that provides protection to systems, networks and data within cyberspace is an extremely important issue for all businesses and its smooth functioning in the long run.This is likely to gain more importance with growth in internet penetration and application. Retail industry is experiencing huge growth along with rising advancements and application of technology that are used for maintaining the demand and supply of customers.Obtain Report Details:This has led to the application of cyber security in retail sector resulting in the growth of retail cyber security market. Segmentation for the global cyber security market has been done on the basis of solutions, security type and geography.Based on solutions, this market has been segmented into risk & compliance management, unified threat management, security and vulnerability management, web filtering, encryption and disaster recovery among others. Network, cloud, application and wireless security among others are the various segmentations for this global market based on security type.Global retail cybersecurity market on the basis of geography has been segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America and Middle East and Africa.Online retail industry is experiencing immense growth as customers nowadays are opting for faster technological solutions to purchase what they need that has been a major driver for this retail cybersecurity market.Time saving processes along with cost-effectiveness associated with the online retail industry has helped in the rising demand for this market. Along with this, the technological advancement has also lead to the rising chances of cyber-attacks leading to the loss of confidential information of customers that further boosted the demand for retail cyber security globally.Considering these drivers, there are certain factors that has negative impact on the overall market. Some of these factors include the technological risk associated with computer such as virus or malware along with the malpractices done by certain operators that has negatively impacted the global market.Post consideration of all these drivers and restraints, it is the growth of IoT (Internet of things) technology along with the prevention of computer systems from ransomware that is likely to provide opportunities for the growth of this market during the coming years.Geographically, it is North America that is expected to dominate the global market followed by Europe. The growth of online retail sector along with rise in application of IoT technology has been some major drivers to push the growth of this market.Asia Pacific has contributed to be another major region for this market along with accounting one of the fastest growth globally.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Retail Cybersecurity Market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market.Some major countries contributing to the growth in this region includes China and India among others. Rise in internet penetration along with growth of online retail sector has been some of the important aspects to have a positive impact on this market.Some of the key companies that are operating in the global retail cybersecurity market include Symantec Corporation (The U.S.), IBM Corporation (The U.S.), EMC RSA (The U.S.), Intel Security (The U.S.), Hewlett-Packard Enterprise (The U.S.), Cisco Systems, Inc. (The U.S.), Fireeye, Inc. (The U.S.), Rapid7, Inc. (The U.S.), Trend Micro, Inc. (Japan) and Sophos Ltd. (The U.K.) among others.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions.About TMRTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact TMR90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email:sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market Research Report | Value Chain Analysis and Forecast 2024

Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market

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Plasma derived proteins are biological medicines used extensively in the treatment of rare, life-threatening, chronic, and genetic diseases. This report on the global plasma protein therapeutics market analyzes the current and future prospects of the market. The report comprises an elaborate executive summary, which includes a market snapshot providing overall information on various segments and sub-segments. This section also provides complete information and data analysis of the global plasma protein therapeutics market with respect to the leading market segments based on product type, application, and geography. The report is a robust combination of primary and secondary research. Primary research formed the bulk of our research efforts with information collected from telephonic interviews and interactions via e-mails. Secondary research involved study of company websites, annual reports, press releases, stock analysis presentations, and various national and international databases. The report provides market size in terms of US$ Mn for each segment for the period from 2014 to 2024, considering the macro and micro-environmental factors. Growth rates for each segment within the global plasma protein therapeutics market have been determined after a thorough analysis of past trends, demographics, future trends, technological developments, and regulatory requirements.Factors such as wide applications of human immunoglobulins and albumin, wide therapeutic areas, growing investment in research and development of new plasma proteins therapies, rising demand and widespread off-label use of IG are some of the major factors contributing to the rising demand for plasma proteins. Stringent regulations, reimbursement issues, and complexity of biologic manufacturing requirements are the major factors likely to hamper the plasma protein therapeutics market growth.The market overview section of the report includes qualitative analysis of the overall plasma protein therapeutics market including the determining factors and the market dynamics such as drivers, restraints, and opportunities, along with Porters Five Forces Analysis. In addition, market attractiveness analysis by geography and competitive landscape by key players have been provided which explains the intensity of competition in the market considering different geographies. The competitive scenario between market players has been evaluated through market share analysis. These factors would help the market players take strategic decisions in order to strengthen their positions and increase their shares in the global market.This exhaustive report includes 20 data tables and 57 figures to give readers a 360 view of the Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market. Browse through this 139-page report to know what factors will shape the market during the period 2016-2024The global plasma protein therapeutics market has been segmented based on product type, application, and geography. Based on product type, the global plasma protein therapeutics market has been categorized into immunoglobulins, albumin, coagulation factor, C1 esterase inhibitors and others. Hemophilia, primary immunodeficiency disorder, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, secondary immunodeficiency, hereditary angioedema, and other indications form the major applications of the plasma protein therapeutics market. Market revenue in terms of US$ Mn for the period between 2014 and 2024 along with the compound annual growth rate (CAGR %) from 2014 to 2024 has been provided for all the segments, considering 2015 as the base year.Geographically, the plasma protein therapeutics market has been categorized into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of the World (RoW). The mentioned regions are further analyzed by major countries contributing largely to the market. The recommendations section included in the report are likely to assist the existing players to increase their market shares and new companies to establish their presence in the plasma protein therapeutics market. The report also profiles major players based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, product portfolio, and recent developments. Major players in the global plasma protein therapeutics market are Baxter International, Biotest, CSL Behring, GRIFOLS, S.A., Kedrion, Octapharma USA, Inc., Shire Plc. and China Biologics. CSL Behring is the market leader in the plasma protein therapeutics market, while GRIFOLS, S.A leads the global market for IVIG and Alpha 1 antitripsin.The global plasma protein therapeutics market has been segmented as follows:Geographically, the plasma protein therapeutics market has been categorized into five regions: North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, Latin America, and Rest of the World (RoW). The mentioned regions are further analyzed by major countries contributing largely to the market. The recommendations section included in the report are likely to assist the existing players to increase their market shares and new companies to establish their presence in the plasma protein therapeutics market. The report also profiles major players based on various attributes such as company overview, financial overview, business strategies, product portfolio, and recent developments. Major players in the global plasma protein therapeutics market are Baxter International, Biotest, CSL Behring, GRIFOLS, S.A., Kedrion, Octapharma USA, Inc., Shire Plc. and China Biologics. CSL Behring is the market leader in the plasma protein therapeutics market, while GRIFOLS, S.A leads the global market for IVIG and Alpha 1 antitripsin.Request a sample of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Plasma Protein Therapeutics Market during 2016- 2024About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Potassium Carbonate Market: Latest Trends,Analysis & Insights 2023

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A new research report by Transparency Market Research offers a comprehensive evaluation of the global Potassium Carbonate Market. The study, titled Potassium Carbonate Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends, and Forecast 2016 - 2023, is available for sale on the firms website.Potassium carbonate occurs as a white powder or granules that are soluble in water. It forms a strong alkaline solution when mixed in water. Potassium carbonate is an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide. It is known to be the chief constituent of potash and refined pearl ash or tartar. The other terms by which potassium carbonate is known include pearl ash, carbonate of potash, salt of wormwood, salt of tartar and dipotassium carbonate. Potassium carbonate melts at 891 degree celcius and is insoluble in alcohol. It is available in various grades that include food grade, industrial grade, light and heavy density among others.Browse Market Research Report @Potassium carbonate is produced commercially by electrolysis of potassium chloride, which is further carbonated with the help of carbon dioxide forming the end product potassium carbonate. This potassium carbonate is further used in the manufacturing of other potassium compounds. In its aqueous form, potassium chloride is used to remove carbon dioxide from ammonia production synthesis gas in the fertilizer industry. Potassium carbonate neutralizes acids exothermally to form salts and water. It reacts with specific metals such as zinc and aluminium to form oxides of hydroxides of the metal and even of gaseous hydrogen. It is also said to initiate polymerization in the polymerizable organic compounds especially in epoxides. It serves as a catalyst for most of the reactions and reacts when heated above 84 degree celcius with aqueous solutions of reducing sugars.The various applications of potassium carbonate include in the manufacturing of china products, glass and soap, to make a safe electrolyte for production of oxyhydrogen which is the commonly used electrolyte, as a buffer agent in the manufacture of wine or mead, used for softening hard water, used as a suppressant in extinguishing fryers, used in gunpowder as a stable source of energy, used as an ingredient in welding fluxes and arc welding rods and as an animal feed ingredient to satisfy requirement of potassium of broiler breeds.The growing demand for potassium carbonate from the glass industry is driving the potassium carbonate market. The glass industry is the largest consumer of potassium carbonate in manufacturing specialty glasses that also include television tunes among other glass products. The other industries which are anticipated to boost demand for potassium carbonate include pharmaceutical that include potassium carbonate in manufacturing medicines and agricultural where it is used as a fertilizer for crops that are sensitive to chloride ions.Health hazard is the major factor that may hamper the market growth of potassium carbonate in the near future. Potassium carbonate is known to be strong irritant to eyes and skin. It is harmful if swallowed, it may cause burns from mouth to stomach. If ingested in large amounts can lead to ulcerations, vomiting and death from shock.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Potassium Carbonate market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@North America, Europe, Asia Pacific and Rest of the World (RoW) are the major segments for potassium carbonate market. Asia Pacific is expected to be the largest market for potassium carbonate due to the large applications for food grade potassium carbonate in the food industry. The developed economies are also anticipated to boost growth for the market owing to the potassium carbonate consumption in the agriculture and pharmaceutical industries.Some of the key companies profiled for potassium carbonate market include: Armand Products, ACTH, Zhejiang Dayang, Wentong Group, Qinghai Yanhu, Shandong Lunan, Qinghai Yanhu and CCCL among others.This research report analyzes this market on the basis of its market segments, major geographies, and current market trends.Geographies analyzed under this research report includeNorth AmericaAsia PacificEuropeMiddle East and AfricaLatin AmericaThis report provides comprehensive analysis ofMarket growth driversFactors limiting market growthCurrent market trendsMarket structureMarket projections for upcoming yearsAbout UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Facial Rejuvenation Market Research Report | Value Chain Analysis and Forecast 2026

Facial Rejuvenation Market

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Facial Rejuvenation Market: OverviewWorldwide, every year billions of dollars are spent on facial rejuvenation products and services. Facial rejuvenation refers to a combination of cosmetic procedures that are carried out to restore the youthful appearance of the human face. Facial rejuvenation techniques can be either surgical or non-surgical.The global facial rejuvenation market can be segmented on the basis of end-user, product type, and region. In terms of product type, the market can be classified into topical products, dermal fillers, microabrasion equipment, botulinum, chemical peels, and equipment-based treatments such as ultrasounds and laser resurfacing.In terms of end-user, the market can be divided into dermatology clinics and hospitals.The analysis presented in this report is based on data collated from primary and secondary research and extensive interviews carried out with industry experts. The analysis of the report serves as a valuable tool for market stakeholders, product manufacturers, and research organizations. Using a lucid chapter-wise layout interspersed with an array of graphical representations and tables, the report systematically analyzes the dynamics of the global facial rejuvenation market.The report analyzes the facial rejuvenation market in a ground-up manner with a detailed assessment of the various growth drivers, challenges, and trends that will influence the growth of this market during the forecast period. Besides this, the report presents an overview of the regulatory policies that govern cosmetic procedures for consumer grievances.The report provides an executive-level blueprint of the competitive landscape in this market. It provides a detailed competitive profile of the leading vendors for the purpose.View Report-Facial Rejuvenation Market: Drivers and RestraintsAcross the world, rising economic prosperity and rising disposable incomes are the major factors boosting the facial rejuvenation market. Changing lifestyle, which often leads to early onset of aging also demands the need for rejuvenation procedures to remain youthful for competitive reasons.The increasing baby boomer population is also fuelling the demand for facial rejuvenation products. The wealth of this demographic segment along with the desire to stay youthful are driving the demand for aesthetic procedures.Other factors driving the growth of this market include easy access to treatments, rising awareness about innovative and less painful techniques, rising affordability, and deeper penetration of cosmetic products in the local markets.However, factors such as lack of trained personnel and limited evidence of the clinical success of these procedures are restraining the markets growth. Nevertheless, the implementation of international regulatory mandates for the standardization of cosmetic procedures is set to define new paradigms for the growth of this market.Facial Rejuvenation Market: Regional OutlookThe global facial rejuvenation market has been divided into the regional segments of North America, Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and Africa. Amongst these, North America is the leading market for facial rejuvenation accounting for a significant share of the global market. Asia Pacific and Latin America are expected to be the fastest-growing regional markets for facial rejuvenation.Major Companies Mentioned in ReportSome of the leading companies that operate in the global facial rejuvenation market are Merz GmbH & Co. KGaA, Revance Therapeutics Inc., Specialty European Pharma, Anika Therapeutics Inc., Cynosure Inc., LUMENIS, Biopolymer GmbH & Co., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Contura International A/S, Gal derma S/A, and Fibrocell Inc. The high-level analysis of the report throws light on the growth strategies that leading companies are focused on. This includes market consolidation initiatives, product development, and strategic alliances that these companies are entering into.The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.Request a brochure of this report to know what opportunities will emerge in the rapidly evolving Facial Rejuvenation Market during 2016- 2026About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather, and analyze information. Our business offerings represent the latest and the most reliable information indispensable for businesses to sustain a competitive edge.Each TMR syndicated research report covers a different sector  such as pharmaceuticals, chemicals, energy, food & beverages, semiconductors, med-devices, consumer goods and technology. These reports provide in-depth analysis and deep segmentation to possible micro levels. With wider scope and stratified research methodology, TMRs syndicated reports strive to provide clients to serve their overall research requirement.US Office Contact90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA  Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Rice Husk Ash Market: Global Industry Analysis,Trends and Forecast 2024

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A new research report by Transparency Market Research offers a comprehensive evaluation of the global Rice Husk Ash Market. The study, titled Rice Husk Ash Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size, Share, Growth, Trends and Forecast 2016 - 2024, is available for sale on the firms website.Global Rice Husk Ash Market: OverviewThe global rice husk ash market is expected to grow at a robust pace between 2016 and 2023. Factors such as the expansion of various end-use industries and the increasing demand for lightweight construction materials from the construction and building industry are expected to boost the global rice husk ash market.Huge quantities of rice husk is generated in rice mills during the daily milling of paddy. This rice husk is used as fuel in boilers for processing paddy. It is also used as a fuel in power generation. By weight, rice husk is 25% of the husk when burnt in a boiler.Browse Market Research Report @Based on application, the building and construction segment is expected to report the highest CAGR during the forecast period. Regionally, Asia Pacific is expected to dominate the global rice husk ash market. The region is poised to exhibit substantial growth during the forecast period. Asia Pacific is witnessing a rising demand for rice husk in the manufacturing of bricks and cement due to the rapidly increasing population in the region and the subsequent expansion of the construction industry.The report provides a comprehensive overview of the global rice husk ash market. The various factors driving and restraining the market during the forecast period are studied in detail. The report also profiles some of the leading vendors operating in the market. Their strengths and weaknesses are analyzed to study the prevailing competition in the market.Global Rice Husk Ash Market: Key Opportunities and ThreatsThe vagaries of nature and uncontrollable factors such as rainfall, the harvest period, and yield area hamper the growth of the global rice husk ash market. Directly dumping rice husk can have adverse impacts. Stringent regulations aimed at curbing the direct dumping of rice husk provide increased opportunities for its use in diverse industrial applications. Since rice producers in the developed markets of North America and Europe have to adhere to such regulations, these regions have been using rice husk ash more extensively than developing regions such as Latin America and Asia Pacific.The market is also significantly gaining from the low cost of the product, which makes it easily importable compared to substitutes such as silica fume. Using rice husk ash with cement enhances the stability and workability of concrete mixture. This helps reduce the chances of thermal cracking, plastic shrinkage of the material, and heat generation. Rice husk ash also increases the impermeability, durability, and strength of hydrated cement paste during its setting period by blocking large voids and modifying the pore structure. Thus, the intrinsic properties of rice husk ash help in improving the performance of bricks, cement, and other construction materials. This is a prime factor aiding the expansion of the global rice husk ash market.Global Rice Husk Ash Market: Vendor LandscapeSome of the key players operating in the global rice husk ask market are Guru Metachem Pvt. Ltd., Wadham Energy Limited Partnership, and Jasoriya Rice Mill. A majority of the leading enterprises operating in the market adhere to expansions and agreements as core strategies for gaining a competitive edge.The report profiles these companies and examines the threats and opportunities that they are expected to witness during the forecast period. The impact of government policies on their operations is also studied in the report in detail.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Rice Husk Ash market. Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market@The report offers a comprehensive evaluation of the market. It does so via in-depth qualitative insights, historical data, and verifiable projections about market size. The projections featured in the report have been derived using proven research methodologies and assumptions. By doing so, the research report serves as a repository of analysis and information for every facet of the market, including but not limited to: Regional markets, technology, types, and applications.The study is a source of reliable data on:Market segments and sub-segmentsMarket trends and dynamicsSupply and demandMarket sizeCurrent trends/opportunities/challengesCompetitive landscapeTechnological breakthroughsValue chain and stakeholder analysisThe regional analysis covers:North America (U.S. and Canada)Latin America (Mexico, Brazil, Peru, Chile, and others)Western Europe (Germany, U.K., France, Spain, Italy, Nordic countries, Belgium, Netherlands, Luxembourg)Eastern Europe (Poland, Russia)Asia Pacific (China, India, Japan, ASEAN, Australia and New Zealand)Middle East and Africa (GCC, Southern Africa, North Africa)About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a market intelligence company, providing global business information reports and services. Our exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trends analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMR's experienced team of Analysts, Researchers, and Consultants, use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.Our data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts, so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With a broad research and analysis capability, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques in developing distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit :
Palm Kernel Oil and Coconut Oil Based Natural Fatty Acid Market - Trends, Size, Share, Growth and Forecast 2015  2023

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Global Palm Kernel Oil and Coconut Oil Based Natural Fatty Acids Market: OverviewNatural fatty acids obtained from coconut oil and palm kernel oil are saturated, medium-chain oleochemicals which include myristic acid, capric acid, lauric acid, and caprylic acid. Non-toxic and possessing a long shelf life, these substances are expected to witness high demand across numerous applications on a global scale. The easy availability of palm kernel and coconut oil across several regions of the world has made the product a cost-efficient solution.Browse Palm Kernel Oil and Coconut Oil Based Natural Fatty Acid Market Research Report:Moreover, natural fatty acids obtained from coconut oil and palm kernel oil are not only biodegradable but also renewable. Consequently, the global market for natural fatty acids is likely to soar. However, presence of pricing issues and fluctuations in the prices of raw materials can restrict market growth. Some of the most widely used types of fatty acids are distilled fatty acids, fractionated fatty acids, stearic acids, and polyunsaturated acids.According to Transparency Market Research (TMR), the global market for natural fatty acids was valued at US$5.32 bn in 2014. Steadily advancing at a CAGR of 4.6%, the global natural fatty acids market is expected to reach US$7.97 bn by the end of 2023.Impelled by Growing Demand for Personal Care Products, Asia Pacific to Command Largest ShareAsia Pacific held the largest share in the global market for natural fatty acids in 2014. It is expected to register the fastest growth over the forthcoming period. The increasing purchasing power of people, increasing awareness pertaining to personal care and well-being, and rising inclination towards natural ingredients across several industries have catapulted the region to the forefront of the global market. The easy availability of coconut and palm kernel oil across Southeast Asia is a key growth driver of the market. China, Malaysia, and India are likely to emerge as key contributors.While North America displays moderate growth, Europe ranked second in the global market for natural fatty acids in terms of revenue in 2014. The countries in the Middle East and Africa are slated to exhibit attractive opportunities thanks to the availability of raw materials, vast consumer pool, and widespread consumption of natural fatty acids. Nigeria and Turkey might surface as key contributors of the market in the Middle East and Africa.Get exclusive sample of this report:By End user, Detergents Expected to Gain a Place in the SunThe global market for natural fatty acids can be segmented into personal care, rubber, detergents, plastics, oil and gas, pharmaceutical, and textile. In 2014, detergents emerged as the dominant end-use industry segment of the global market for natural fatty acids. The notable growth of this segment can be attributed to the extensive use of natural fatty acids in households, fabric care, and institutional and industrial detergents as a surfactant.The personal care industry worldwide is another segment bearing vast potential for growth. It is likely to emerge as the fastest growing end-use segment in the forthcoming years. Numerous hair care and skin care product manufacturers are switching to nature-based solutions. As a result, to ensure superior biosafety and biocompatibility, a number of beauty product brands are adopting natural fatty acids.Natural fatty acids are also being increasingly used in the plastics industry as a lubricant and plasticizer. These acids also play a key role in the process of rubber vulcanization. Also, the pharmaceutical industry is acknowledging the potential of natural fatty acids as antimicrobial agents. Spurred by these factors the demand for palm kernel oil and coconut oil-based natural fatty acids will continue rising through the forecast period.Kuala Lumpur Kepong Berhad, Wilmar International Ltd, Emery Oleochemicals, OLEON NV, and Kao Corporation are some of the leading companies operating in the global market for natural fatty acids market.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog : http://cmfeglobalreports.blogspot.com/
Coating Resins Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size 2024 | Research Report

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Coating Resins Market: SnapshotSteady infrastructural development and urbanization witnessed in Asia Pacific have created demand for advanced building materials. This provides remunerative opportunities for the coating resins manufacturers in Asia Pacific. The region is also reporting a significant rise in the construction activities in residential as well as non-residential sectors. This in turn is fueling demand for coating resins. Besides this, the market is also projected to gain from the rising demand from the automotive industry, states Transparency Market Research (TMR).This 155 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Coating Resins Market . Browse through to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market @Despite witnessing positive growth, volatility in raw material prices is expected to dampen the growth of the Asia Pacific coating resins market to an extent. Nevertheless, the rising infrastructural development and construction activities in Vietnam will fuel opportunities for the markets growth in the near future.According to TMR, the Asia Pacific coating resins market stood at US$4.3 bn in 2014. Exhibiting a CAGR of 5.9%, the market is expected to reach US$7.2 bn by the end of 2023.Rapid Urbanizations Fuels Coating Resins Demand from ChinaRegionally, China is currently the leading consumer of coating resins in Asia Pacific. In 2014 it was the leading revenue generator for the Asia Pacific coating resins market. China, with its strong infrastructure and huge population base, has thus proven to be a fertile ground for the sales of coating resins. These are the key factors driving the construction industry in the country, which is subsequently fuelling demand for coating resins. The increasing demand for ship repair and maintenance will also create lucrative prospects for the coating resins manufacturers in China. As per TMR, the marine industry in China is likely to report the highest demand for coating resins. By volume, China contributed over 59.5% to the coating resins market in Asia Pacific.Besides China, India will also emerge as one of the most lucrative markets for coating resins. The market in India will be driven by the development of innovative and environmentally sustainable technologies. The demand for coating resins is also rising at a considerable pace in Indonesia and Malaysia. As per TMR, robust construction activities and the expanding marine and automotive segments will fuel demand for coating resins in Vietnam.Rising Building and Construction Activities in Asia Pacific to Fuel Demand for Coating ResinsOn the basis of end users, industries such as marine, building and construction, electronics, furniture, automotive, and others report the highest demand for coating resins. Of these, the usage of coating resins has been significantly rising in the construction and building industry. It therefore emerged as the largest end user in 2014 holding over 38.2% in terms of volume. Rising construction activities in emerging economies such as India, China, Singapore, and Malaysia significantly contributed to the growth witnessed by the coating resins market in Asia Pacific.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Coating Resins Market . Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @The automotive industry also reports high demand for coating resins, and thus emerged as the second-largest end user segment in 2014. Economic growth across major economies has significantly boosted the demand from the automotive industry in the region. Since coating resins are applied to protect metal and plastic components in vehicles, their demand is expected to rise in response to the expanding automotive industry. However, TMR projects the marine industry to report the fastest growth during the course of the forecast period.Some of the leading companies operating in the market are PT. Inawan Chemtex Sukses Abadi, Nuplex Industries Ltd., Akzo Nobel N.V., Evonik Industries, BASF SE, Arkema S.A., DIC Corporation, Eternal Resin Co. Ltd., Royal Chemie Indonesia Tbk, Worldwide Resins & Chemicals Sdn Bhd, Royal DSM N.V., PT. Citra Resins Industries, and PT. Diachem Resins Indonesia.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
High Performance Anti-corrosion Coatings Market Key Trends, Share, Growth Factors and Industry Analysis 2015  2023

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Repair and Maintenance of Oil Vessels Generate Demand for High Performance Anti-corrosion CoatingsThe burgeoning oil and gas drilling and exploration activities are leading the global high performance anti-corrosion coatings market. This trend is especially pronounced in regions that are rich in oil such as Southeast Asia, Mexico, and the North Sea. As these activities remain on the rise, they are expected to boost the demand for repair and maintenance of oil vessels. High performance anti-corrosion coatings are used for making a protective coating on metal surfaces to prevent them from harsh climatic conditions and weathering. These coatings also protect the vessels, components, and the equipment from corroding over time, thus increasing their lifespan and durability.Browse High Performance Anti-corrosion Coatings Market Research Report:The incredible usefulness of high performance anti-corrosion coatings market is expected to reach US$18.22 bn by 2023 from US$11.95 bn in 2014, as the market exhibits a steady growth rate of 4.8% between 2015 and 2023. The infrastructural development in emerging economies of China, India, Japan, and Singapore are also expected to increase the usage of high performance anti-corrosion coatings in the near future. The construction and transportation industries in these countries will be the primary driver for this market in the Asia Pacific region.Oil and Gas End-Use Segment to Offer Lucrative Growth Opportunities to Overall MarketThe oil and gas segment was the leading end-user segment of the high performance anti-corrosion coatings market in 2014, accounting for nearly 32.1% in terms of volume. By the end of 2023, this volume share is expected to reach to 32.3%. This end-use segment is expected to create several growth opportunities for this market in the coming forecast period. The growing need for repair and maintenance in the oil and gas industry for oil drilling equipment, process vessels, transmission pipelines, and offshore installation machinery application is expected to boost the demand for high performance anti-corrosion coatings. The growing oil and gas market in the Middle East and Africa and Asia pacific are also likely to provide an impetus to this market.Asia Pacific to Lead Demand for High Performance Anti-corrosion CoatingsGeographically, Asia Pacific is the leading regional segment of the high performance anti-corrosion coatings market. The increasing foreign investments along with flourishing end-user markets such as power generations, tanks and pipes, construction, marine, and oil and gas are expected to drive this market to achieve unprecedented growth in the forecast period. Epoxy coatings product was the leading product segment in the Asia Pacific high performance anti-corrosion coatings market.Get exclusive sample of this report:However, the acrylic coatings product segment is showing clear signs of surpassing the share of epoxy coatings product segment as it will be popularly used by the marine, construction, oil and gas, and power generation industries. Between 2015 and 2023 the Asia Pacific high performance anti-corrosion coatings market will surge at a CAGR of 5.0%.The players deciding the trajectory of the global high performance anti-corrosion coatings market are The 3M Company, Akzo Nobel N.V., Nippon Paint Co., Ltd., The Sherwin-Williams Company, PPG Industries Inc., Chugoku Marine Paints, Ltd., Jotun A/S, and Hempel A/S. The majority of these players are entering strategic partnerships with regional companies to increase their geographical reach and build their distribution networks. Furthermore, to maintain a competitive edge, companies are also trying to launch sustainable coating products that are in line with the environmental protocols as well.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.Contact UsTransparency Market Research90 State Street, Suite 700Albany, NY 12207Tel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:Visit Blog : http://cmfeglobalreports.blogspot.com/
Fluorspar Market - Global Industry Analysis, Size 2024 | Research Report

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Infrastructural Developments Keep Demand for Fluorspar at All-time HighRising disposable income of consumers across the globe has led to a growth in the sales of air conditioners and refrigerators across the commercial and residential sector in recent years. The report by Transparency Market Research observes that rapid urbanization and growing research and development in the automotive sector to enhance cooling equipment have been driving the demand for fluorochemicals, of which fluorspar is an integral element. The rising temperatures resulting from global warming is also expected to trigger a demand for cooling equipment, thereby augmenting the global fluorspar market in the coming years.This 174 page report gives readers a comprehensive overview of the Fluorspar Market . Browse through to unlock the hidden opportunities in this market @The global fluorspar market was worth US$2,193.0 mn in 2014 and is expected to reach US$3,489.7 mn by 2023, as the market expands at a CAGR of 5.4% between 2015 and 2023. The global fluorspar market will also receive an impressive impetus from the steel and aluminum industries in Japan and China. Ongoing infrastructural developments in the developing regions of Asia Pacific require dependable transportation facilities and speed in construction activities. This is anticipated to spur the demand for fluorspar in the near future. The positive outlook in the steel industries in India, China, and Brazil will also boost the intake of fluorspar. The only restraint in the global market is the stringent government regulations such as the Montreal Protocol signed in 1987 to reduce the consumption of fluorspar so as to prevent its hazardous impact on the ozone layer.Asia Pacific Emerges as Leading Regional SegmentAsia Pacific has been the frontrunner in the global fluorspar market as of 2014, with a share of 61.4% in terms of volume. Research indicates that Asia Pacific has been the leading consumer and producer of fluorspar due to high reserves in Japan and China and stupendous manufacturing activities in recent years. The rise of steel and aluminum production in the developing countries of Asia Pacific has also been the reason behind the expansion of this regional market.Out of all the products, acidspar has been an extensively used product in the Asia Pacific market. The demand for electronics and steel items and the rise in building and construction activities across Asia Pacific all through 2023 will result in the demand for hydrofluoric acid, which primarily uses fluorspar. The demand for cooling equipment in this region will also augment the market during the forecast period.Thriving Aluminum Industry Continues to Augment Acidspar SegmentThe primary usage of acidspar is seen in the production of hydrofluoric acid, which is largely used in making hydrofluorocarbons (HFC) and hydrochlorofluorocarbons (HCFC). Currently, acidspar holds the leading share in the global market, accounting for nearly 55% of the share in the global market in 2014. The growing number of applications of acidspar such as in the aluminum industry and in the manufacturing of hydrofluoric acid is expected to keep this segment in the lead.Get accurate market forecast and analysis on the Fluorspar Market . Request a sample to stay abreast on the key trends impacting this market @Some of the important players in the global fluorspar market are British Fluorspar Ltd., Jianyang Shanshui Chemicals Industry Corp. Ltd., Kenya Fluorspar Company Ltd. (KFC), China Kings Resources Group Co., Ltd., Mexichem S.A.B. de C.V., and Mongolrostsvetmet LLC. These companies are expected to focus on building strategic partnerships to benefit in terms of geographical reach and manufacturing capacities. Analysts anticipate that focusing on developing affordable goods will attract a wider consumer base in developing regions.About UsTransparency Market Research (TMR) is a global market intelligence company providing business information reports and services. The companys exclusive blend of quantitative forecasting and trend analysis provides forward-looking insight for thousands of decision makers. TMRs experienced team of analysts, researchers, and consultants use proprietary data sources and various tools and techniques to gather and analyze information.TMRs data repository is continuously updated and revised by a team of research experts so that it always reflects the latest trends and information. With extensive research and analysis capabilities, Transparency Market Research employs rigorous primary and secondary research techniques to develop distinctive data sets and research material for business reports.ContactTransparency Market ResearchState Tower,90 State Street,Suite 700,Albany NY - 12207United StatesTel: +1-518-618-1030USA - Canada Toll Free: 866-552-3453Email: sales@transparencymarketresearch.comWebsite:
Global Native Starches Market Outlook, Overview, Trends, Analysis and Forecast to 2022

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Global Native Starches market Information- with respect to source (corn, wheat, cassava, potato, and others), form (powder, gel, and others) application {Food & Beverages (Confectionery, Processed food, Beverages, others), Non-Food (Corrugating & Paper making, Pharmaceutical, textiles, Personal Care, and others)} and Region - Forecast till 2022Native starch is manufactured by extracting starch from plant sources such as corn, cassava, potato, wheat and others. Native starches are starch granules isolated from plant source used as binders, texturizers, thickeners, stabilizers and setting agents. It is an essential ingredient for the food industry found in huge range of food products, as it improves the nutritional and sensory quality of food. In the food industry, starches are used as a thickener, gelling agent, or as a stabilizer to manufacture snacks, meat products, fruit juices and other food products.Request for sample copy @Due to its low cost, easy availability, native starch is extensively used in various non-food application. There is rise in demand from the personal care industry, native starches are widely used in personal care products, in cream emulsions, as talc substitutes, bio-degradable packaging material, and others. Globally the market for native starches is estimated to grow at the rate of about 3.02% from 2016 to 2022. The global native starches market is in the entire world; to name few regions where this market exist are North America, Europe, China and Asia Pacific. Among these APAC has the major market share followed by North America. Europe is projected to grow at the fastest rate in the coming years owing to increasing demand for natural and organic food additive. Due to the cheap raw materials & low production costs as well as less stringent environment regulations Asia-Pacific region is in a better position to produce starch at more competitive prices than developed countries in European and North American region.Native starches market has been segmented on the basis of source of native starches, market is segmented into corn, wheat, cassava, potato, and other sources. On the basis of form, market is segmented into powder, gel and others. On basis of application, market is segmented into food & beverages and non-food application, food application includes confectionery, processed food, beverages, and others. Non-food applications includes corrugation and papermaking, personal care, pharmaceuticals, textiles, and others includes mining & drilling, construction & building, adhesives, chemicals and animal feed.Complete Report Available atKey Players:The leading market players in the global native starches market primarily are Cargill Incorporated (U.S.) Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.) Ingredion Incorporated (U.S.) Tate & Lyle PLC (U.K.) Agrana Beteiligungs-AG (Austria) Grain Processing Corporation (U.S.) Roquette Freres (France)Target Audience: Native starches manufacturers Food and beverages manufacturers Textiles Pharmaceuticals Personal Care Retailers & wholesalers E-commerce companies Traders, importers and exportersKey Findings: Pharmaceutical making is expected to witness a highest growth rate 3.15% Rise in demand for confectionery from the range of food & beverage sector will grow at CAGR 3.94% In Asia-Pacific region Thailand dominates the market, followed by ChinaGet a discount atThe reports also cover country level analysis:North America US Canada MexicoEurope Germany France U.K. ItalyAsia  Pacific China India Thailand Japan South-East AsiaAt Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash AnandP: +1 646 845 9312W:
Global Canola Oil Market Size, Investment Feasibility and Industry Growth Rate Forecast 2023

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Global Canola Oil Market Information- by canola species (Brassica Rapa (Polish canola), Brassica napus (Argentine canola) and Brassica juncea (Brown mustard canola)),by processing (Refined, Modified, Hand Made, Crude and Others), by application (Cooking purpose, Processed foods, Lubricants, Personal care, Bio-diesel and Others), by packaging (Drum, Can, Plastic Bottle, Glass bottle and Others) by Region Forecast to 2023Global canola production has seen significant growth from last 20 years. In present scenario canola is the second largest oil crop produced across the globe. Canola oil which is obtained from crushing canola seeds is the third most produced vegetable oil globally. After soybean, canola meal is the second largest feed meal available in the world. Increased application of canola oil in processed foods especially in mayonnaise and salad dressing has boosted the market growth. Improving processing technology and harvesting practices are playing the key role in increasing demand of canola oil. Trends in the Canadian canola industry have a significant impact on production and processing of canola in the North America which has enhanced the market growth in North America region.Get a sample report atStudy Objectives of Canola Oil Market To provide detailed analysis of the market structure along with forecast for the next 5 years of the various segments and sub-segments of the global canola oil market To provide insights about factors affecting the market growth To analyze the market based on various factors - price analysis, supply chain analysis, porters five force analysis etc. To provide historical and forecast revenue of the market segments and sub-segments with respect to four main geographies and their countries- North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, and Middle East & Africa. To provide country level analysis of the market with respect to the current market size and future prospective To provide country level analysis of the market for segments by canola species, processing, application and packaging To provide overview of key players and their strategic profiling in the market, comprehensively analyzing their core competencies, and drawing a competitive landscape for the market. To track and analyze competitive developments such as joint ventures, strategic alliances, mergers and acquisitions, new product developments, and research and developments globally.Intended Audience Canola Oil manufacturers Food Industry Personal care product manufacturers Agriculture Industry E-commerce Retailers and wholesalers Traders, importers and exportersKey Findings: The top five importers of canola oil are U.S., Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium and France Europe and China are the major producer of canola oilBrowse Complete Report atCanola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of canola species which includes Brassica Rapa (Polish canola), Brassica napus (Argentine canola) and Brassica juncea (Brown mustard canola), Canola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of processing which includes refined, modified, handmade, crude and others , Canola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of application which includes cooking purpose, processed foods, lubricants, personal care, bio-diesel and others, Canola Oil market has been segmented on the basis of packaging which includes drum, can, plastic bottle, glass bottle and others, Brassica Rapa i.e. polish canola are in high demand due to its increased application personal care products and processed foods. Many key players are use refined and modified processing technique compare to other type of processing. Canola oil application in bio-diesel is growing at faster rate due to increasing demand of bio-diesel.Regional Analysis- The Global Canola Oil market is segmented into North America, Europe, Asia Pacific, and rest of the world (ROW). Europe has the major market share followed by Asia Pacific. Europe is one of the major producer of canola and support from government has made Europe a leading market for canola oil. China and India contributes maximum market share in Asia Pacific region and increased canola production in China and India has boosted the export in Asia Pacific region.Key Players Archer Daniels Midland Company (U.S.) Associated British Foods plc. (U.K.) Sunora Foods (Canada) Wilsons Foods (South Africa) JIVO WELLNESS PVT. LTD. (India) DALMIA CONTINENTAL PVT. LTD (India) ARLA FOODS AMBA (Denmark)Get a discount atThe Canola Oil market is segmented under the following regions mentioned below:North America US Canada MexicoEurope Germany France Netherlands Spain UK Rest of EuropeAsia-Pacific China India Australia Malaysia Rest of Asia PacificRest of the world Brazil Argentina Saudi Arabia South Africa OthersThe report for Global Canola Oil Market of Market Research Future comprises of extensive primary research along with the detailed analysis of qualitative as well as quantitative aspects by various industry experts, key opinion leaders to gain the deeper insight of the market and industry performance. The report gives the clear picture of current market scenario which includes historical and projected market size in terms of value and volume, technological advancement, macro economical and governing factors in the market. The report provides details information and strategies of the top key players in the industry. The report also gives a broad study of the different markets segments and regions.At Market Research Future (MRFR), we enable our customers to unravel the complexity of various industries through our Cooked Research Report (CRR), Half-Cooked Research Reports (HCRR), Raw Research Reports (3R), Continuous-Feed Research (CFR), and Market Research & Consulting Services.MRFR team have supreme objective to provide the optimum quality market research and intelligence services to our clients. Our market research studies by products, services, technologies, applications, end users, and market players for global, regional, and country level market segments, enable our clients to see more, know more, and do more, which help to answer all their most important questions.In order to stay updated with technology and work process of the industry, MRFR often plans & conducts meet with the industry experts and industrial visits for its research analyst members.Akash AnandP: +1 646 845 9312W:
As summer escapist fare with a subversive sepulchral streak, "The Addams Family," fittingly, kills it.

Over the weekend, the 2010 musical opened Broadway Rose Theatre Company's 26th season. The Tigard company usually goes big. But this blockbuster production of glorious, funereal-shaded eye candy -- 10-foot-high sets, puppet monsters, a hydraulic effect and a huge cast of ghouls -- rivals multi-bus road shows at the Keller Auditorium. (Add to this the dozens of detailed costumes. We're talking bespoke bathing suits for the zombies.)

Before writers Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice (the team behind "Jersey Boys") plopped Charles Addams' fearsome family onto the boards, they appeared in comic panels in magazines, a 1960s TV series, and movies in the 1990s. Brickman and Elice's script strings out a plot as thin as hair on a mummy's head, and every song in Andrew Lippa's score will be forgotten by the time the air conditioner cools your car seat on the drive home.

Show tunes succeed because of performances, not melodies. And there's a full bench of first-rate belters. For example, Morticia (Lisamarie Harrison, sewn into Morticia's signature vampress gown) opens Act II with the gallows confection "(Death Is) Just Around the Corner." For those tortured by younger siblings, "Pulled," a lungblaster from Wednesday Addams (Molly Duddlesten), is anthemic turnabout.

In fact, the entire eccentric Addams clan and their foil family of "normals" are so likeably realized by the cast you never want to leave this realm where black is the old, new and forever black.

Line of the night: "Life is a tightrope, my child. And at the other end is your coffin. Better?" says Morticia, trying to cheer up her son, Pugsley.

Strengths: If you dig Victorian lace, layers of mascara, and Siouxsie and the Banshees, and often hit Southeast Portland's Lovecraft Bar during its "Unhappy Hour" or Black Mass Dance Party night, you'll find this horror musical an especially lively scream. Given Portlanders' enduring adoration of Goth -- we also host the H.P. Lovecraft Film Festival & CthulhuCon, don't forget -- it's surprising "The Addams Family" isn't produced more, and outside of October. (The Broadway tour landed in Portland in 2013, and Beaverton Civic Theatre and Hillsboro Artists' Regional Theatre staged versions for recent Halloween seasons.)

Director and choreographer Peggy Taphorn has performed in and captained dance companies for Broadway shows, and she's tapped a geyser of inspiration here. The first number tracks the Addams ancestry with energized salutes to both the bunny hop and, of course, "Thriller." It's not enough to put her corps of corpses through their paces; later on, Taphorn plants Morticia in a kickline, defying her snug, fishtail skirting.

Weaknesses: The story is a question: Can two very different families come together for a marriage? It could be answered in a 22-minute network sit-com, yet this show teases matters to 2-1/2 hours. Stuffing the stage with Addams descendants is also a conspicuous and clumsy means to up the body count. When they're not dancing, the zombie kin are decor -- literally in one scene.

Many of the double-entendres Gomez Addams (Joe Theissen) aims for barely land as singles. The timely political and pop cultural gags are dead on arrival as well, because this family exists in its own timeless tomb of gruesome glee.

One of the most iconic family members, Thing, gets a pinky-sized cameo. For a show swarming with creature effects, this is baffling. Thing is not that tough to pull off. Step one: Cut a hole in a box. Step two: Put a hand in that box.

Most valuable performer: Isaac Lamb brings Uncle Fester to the hilarious, bubbliest boil during all of his duties, which include lead dancer, Greek chorus and emcee. His high-pitched cackle somehow splits your ears and warms your heart. Lamb should get something for this performance. Judging by how hard he's squeezing his voice, that something may be a hernia.

Takeaway: Guess what, Portlanders? The wonderfully weird exist everywhere, including Tigard.

-- Lee Williams for The Oregonian/OregonLive

***

"The Addams Family"

Where: Deb Fennell Auditorium, 9000 S.W. Durham Road, Tigard

When: 7:30 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, 2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday (except July 8) through July 23

Tickets: $30-$60; broadwayrose.org or 503-620-5262
Worldwide layoffs are reportedly about to hit Microsoft.

According to several news outlets, the software giant is set to cut thousands of jobs across the globe in an attempt to reorganize its sales force. The news could come as soon as this week.

The reorganization is going to include Microsoft's enterprise customer unit and one or more of its subject matter experts-focused divisions (SMEs), TechCrunch reported.

The move dovetails with the company's plans to focus more on marketing and selling its cloud software, Azure, according to Bloomberg.

For years the Redmond, Washington-based company had focused on selling software for desktops and servers. Now the company wants to put more effort into persuading customers to buy cloud services hosted by Microsoft data centers to be more competitive with market leader Amazon. (Amazon chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos also owns The Washington Post.)

Intel made a similar shift last year, eliminating 15,000 jobs across the company as it redirected its focus away from its core business in PCs and laptops and toward data centers and small, high-growth markets.

Microsoft makes its Surface Hub big-screen computer in Wilsonville and has a sales office in Northwest Portland.

Friday marked the end of Microsoft's fiscal year and the first under new executives Judson Althoff and Jean-Phillipe Courtois, who took over the company's sales and marketing divisions last summer after the exit of chief operating officer Kevin Turner, who held the position for 11 years. Over the years the company has usually announced staff reductions around this time.

In the third quarter of the fiscal year Microsoft announced that Azure nearly doubled its revenue growth from the previous quarter. At the time, the product saw a sales growth of 93 percent. Microsoft's growth in cloud revenue will be a key indicator of its progress in transitioning away from legacy businesses.

Last summer the Seattle Times reported that Microsoft would cut 2,850 jobs, with 900 coming from its sales force. Two months earlier, the software company had announced that it would lay off 1,850 staff members in its smartphone division. In July 2015 Microsoft cut 7,800 jobs after its acquisition of Nokia.

A report from the Puget Sound Business Journal said that Microsoft will announce its future plans on Wednesday.

Microsoft didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

-- The Washington Post
Oregon's two major corporate lobbying groups completed their merger Friday, establishing a new organization to serve as the primary voice of the state's business community.

Oregon Business & Industry replaces the state's oldest business organization, Associated Oregon Industries, and the 17-year-old Oregon Business Association. It claims 1,600 members, and says a larger organization will enable it to lower expenses and amplify its voice.

The two groups completed their merger as legislators wind down the current session, having abandoned plans to overhaul the state's corporate taxes with a new revenue tax that businesses had largely opposed. Both AOI and OBA opposed Measure 97, a business tax rejected by Oregon voters last fall.

OBA formed in 2000 as a more "progressive" alternative to AOI, with founding members that included Portland home remodeler Neil Kelly Co., clothier Norm Thompson, Powell's Books, Sokol Blosser Winery and hardware maker Rejuvenation.

When the two groups agreed to combine last fall, though, they said their interests had converged. OBI's board comprises an equal number of members from each of the prior associations and will retain offices in both Salem and Portland.

Sam Tannahill, chairman of A to Z Wineworks and prior chairman of OBA, chairs the new organization. OBI said it plans to announce a new director in September.

The Portland Business Alliance is also seeking a new director, with longtime leader Sandra McDonough planning to retire next year.

And other voices are emerging in the state's business community, such as Business for a Better Portland, an association of small businesses and tech companies in the metro area. That newly formed organization supports "grassroots social change," and backed the Legislature's efforts this spring to overhaul corporate taxes.

-- Mike Rogoway; twitter: @rogoway; 503-294-7699
Updated at 12:55 p.m.

Oregon will issue more than $100 million in state bonds to keep the Elliott State Forest in public hands and another $50 million to help the University of Oregon build a new science complex named after its most famous graduate.

Legislative budget writers approved with little comment a lengthy capital construction list Monday which includes more than $362 million for 29 projects on public university and community college campuses across Oregon.

State support for the Elliott State Forest and the UO science campus were two looming question marks as the legislative session raced to a close.

For the Elliott State Forest, the state bonds will free it of its state-mandated obligation to produce timber revenue for K-12 education. The State Land Board, comprising Gov. Kate Brown, Treasurer Tobias Read and Secretary of State Dennis Richardson, unanimously supported that plan at its May 10 meeting. Less than a year earlier, the state appeared close to selling the 82,500-acre Coast Range parcel to a private timber operator.

Sen. Fred Girod, R-Stayton, co-chair of the Committee for Capital Construction, said the forest bond measure was the one thing in the budget he "absolutely did not want."

"I find it sad that we make it so difficult to harvest timber," he said.

UO had requested $100 million for its Phil and Penny Knight Campus for Accelerating Scientific Impact after receiving a $500 million pledge from the Nike co-founder and his wife. Brown's recommended budget called for spacing out state support over several budgets, with $34 million set aside in the 2017-19 biennium.

But top budget writers disagreed and upped state support to $50 million this cycle, making the UO project the single largest funded university project in 2017.

"This is a wonderful start, and we're thankful for this investment," Patrick Phillips, acting executive director of Knight campus, said in a statement. "This funding proposal is a vote of confidence in the UO and a sign that elected leaders in this state see the Knight Campus as a game changing initiative that will fuel the economy for the benefit of all Oregonians."

The science campus will include three 70,000-square-foot buildings, and construction will begin on the first one this fall.

The couple's $500 million donation will be spaced out over a decade. The school plans to raise another $500 million from donors, plus the $100 million requested from the state.

UO publicized the project last October and immediately asked for state support. The request came after the Higher Education Coordinating Commission had already identified its priority list of projects, and the volunteer board had to hold a special meeting to include it.

The state's largest university did not fare as well on its capital construction requests.

Oregon State University had asked for more than $69 million to help grow its Bend campus. President Ed Ray, the longest-tenured active public university president in the state, has said publicly that OSU-Cascades should be treated as though it is the state's eighth public university. But budget writers approved just $9 million for OSU to prep a pumice mine adjacent to the Bend campus for future growth.

"This has been a session of minimal progress, missed opportunities and unrealized potential," Ray said in a statement. Though he thanked lawmakers for approving $9 million for a food and beverage studies building in Corvallis for the state's growing beer and wine industries, he was disappointed in the absence of OSU-Cascades support.

"There will not be at least one additional building on the OSU-Cascades campus to serve students. OSU will continue to work with the region as we approach future legislative sessions to impress upon legislators how significant this project is for Central Oregon," he said.

Portland State University won state backing for a public health school, a project being done in collaboration with Oregon Health & Science University, Portland Community College and the city of Portland.

The budget committee approved $45 million for the PSU-led project at the corner of Southwest 4th Avenue and Market Street in downtown Portland. The project also relies on an additional $6 million in state debt that will be repaid through rent and lease payments expected from commercial tenants.

The more than $109 million project will be the new home of the PSU Graduate School of Education, as well as the OHSU-PSU School of Public Health. PSU issued a statement saying the building was a "historic project" bringing together the various institutions.

Community colleges received more than $101.4 million for a number of projects, including a $8 million renovation of PCC's health technology building.

-- Andrew Theen

atheen@oregonian.com

503-294-4026

@andrewtheen
Like Ashland on the map of the state, the Southern Oregon city's July 4 parade is on the edge. It's an all-comers occasion, with marchers including service organizations, folks from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival, religious groups, the occasional drug treatment program, trick bicycle riders, classic cars, politicians and, at least one year, a woman who insisted, despite a court order, on roller-skating the parade route topless.

Because it's in Oregon, the day begins with a run, and because it's in America, it ends with fireworks.

Right now is a tricky time for any national celebration, with chaos in Washington and fighting in the streets of Portland, and free speech morphing into free screaming. We the people seem as polarized as a car battery, and public opinion researchers who used to ask Americans how they would feel about their children marrying someone of a different race now ask their subjects how they'd feel about their children marrying someone of a different party.

(Short answer: Not good, which suggests either some awkward family dinners or some sharply narrowed dating options.)

But it's still a time to shoot off fireworks, to mark the place we are and the place we want to be. July 4 - or as any self-respecting 19th century political orator would say, "the Glorious Fourth" - has its own deep roots in both time and localities, blooming above today's contemporary political unpleasantness. If the last thing you want to hear on this occasion is a speech from our current leaders, it's not necessary.

Nobody signed the Declaration of Independence with a D or an R after his name. Celebration of independence goes back a long way, not just before political parties but before the United States even had a president. Americans started holding public readings of the Declaration of Independence back when its authors were still alive.

Fireworks go back to before Europeans even came across America.

July 4 has deeper roots than other holidays, which often hang on cues from politicians or advertisers. Thanksgiving was started by a presidential proclamation - Lincoln didn't tweet - and has featured one ever since. (The current White House occupant may well issue a Thanksgiving proclamation urging Americans to be thankful for him.) Labor Day, at least in even-numbered years, is an occasion for campaign speeches, not to say back-to-school specials. Presidents' Day, having lost any connection with Washington's cherry tree or Lincoln profiles cut out of construction paper, is now mostly a moment for mattress sales.

But as the Ashland grass-roots celebration points out, American places have their own events and meanings for July 4. Portland has a blues festival, and this year the blues might have even deeper significance. St. Paul has a rodeo, a tradition that endures whoever is in office, and transcends any passing arguments about grain-fed or grass-fed livestock. Estacada has a Timber Festival, with a much healthier rendition of log-rolling than typically seen in Washington, D.C. Bend, since the 1930s, has had a Pet Parade ("No rabbits, cats or aggressive dogs"), making it the rare spot where independence from Great Britain is celebrated by llamas. The biggest fireworks show west of the Mississippi explodes out of Fort Vancouver, a fort in operation since 1825, or long before televised Senate hearings. Ulysses S. Grant was once stationed there, although he probably didn't have a holiday cook-out.

So Oregon has reason to celebrate the Fourth, and ways and means to celebrate the day, regardless of who's watching the national fireworks show from the White House lawn. It's also true regardless of who inhabits the state capitol or any city hall, although those folks are more likely to march in local parades - hopefully not behind the llamas.

Around the country, and in Portland particularly, there are newer traditions on July 4 and other holidays: massive expressions of free speech that fill up the streets and lead to considerable police overtime. This is maybe more related to today's news, although in Portland those kinds of demonstrations have been a tradition for decades, since before the current president ever fired anyone on television.

The Portland holiday tradition definitely needs to cut out the broken windows, fires, stopping freeways and MAX, and throwing things at police and other demonstrators. It's wrong, and it rightly angers people, and it overcrowds the Multnomah County jail.

But it's worth remembering, despite any current political conditions - or sometimes especially because of current political conditions - that July 4 is celebrating a seditious uprising, a group of angry Americans getting together to protest about politics, and to sign Thomas Jefferson's list of complaints.

As Franklin D. Roosevelt told the Daughters of the American Revolution in 1938, after noting the war record of his own 18th century ancestors, "Remember, remember always that all of us, and you and I especially, are descended from immigrants and revolutionists."

It's an idea that provokes fireworks.

David Sarasohn's column appears on the first and third Sundays of the month. He blogs at davidsarasohn.com.
CANYON CITY  Authorities are investigating a man's death at the Rainbow Family gathering in eastern Oregon.

Grant County Sheriff Glenn Palmer said in a news release Sunday that the man collapsed near a makeshift medical station. An emergency room doctor attending the festival southwest of John Day tried to save his life.

The East Oregonian newspaper reports the body was taken to John Day, where fingerprints were obtained in an effort to learn the identity.

The festival began Saturday in the Malheur National Forest, with up to 20,000 people expected. The counter-culture peace gathering began in 1972 and occurs each year in a different national forest.

More coverage of the Rainbow gathering:

-- The Associated Press
Texas senator and one-time presidential hopeful Ted Cruz spent his Independence Day weekend vacationing among the rivers and trees of central Oregon.

Many members of the U.S. Senate, including Oregon's, are taking time off before they're to vote on a controversial proposal to repeal ObamaCare, which could cause millions to lose health coverage. The vote could be as early as next week.

According to social media posts and eyewitnesses, Cruz visited the High Desert Museum, floated the Deschutes River and roomed at the upscale 400-acre gated community of Caldera Springs, 15 miles south of Bend.

Cruz's staff did not return requests from The Oregonian/OregonLive to confirm the senator's visit. Caldera Springs does not disclose its guests, per their privacy policy, staff said.

The senator's vacation comes as several of his Republican colleagues have taken vitriolic criticism from constituents for their support for the health care proposal. U.S. Sen. Bill Cassidy, R-La., spoke with constituents Friday about flood relief efforts, only to be interrupted by audience members wanting an explanation of his health care vote. Oregon's own U.S. Rep. Greg Walden, an architect of House Republican's health care plan, got an earful at town halls earlier this year, including during one in Bend.

Though spotted in Oregon Sunday, Cruz needs to be in Texas by Tuesday, as he has a town hall scheduled in the southern border town of McAllen.

-- Gordon R. Friedman

503-221-8209; @GordonRFriedman
CHICAGO -- Hundreds of people gathered outside a federal courthouse Monday as the suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois made his first court appearance since he was arrested last week.

During the nine-minute hearing, 28-year-old Brendt Christiansen did not speak other than to acknowledge to the federal judge that he understood his rights. U.S. Magistrate Eric Long ordered Christiansen held without bond in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities say facts in the case indicate the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body hasn't been found.

Long ordered Christiansen to return to the court in Urbana on Wednesday to determine bond. A preliminary hearing was set for July 14, but that would be waived if a grand jury returns an indictment before then. The federal kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to a spokeswoman for the U.S. Attorney's office.

The (Champaign) News-Gazette reported that about 45 people attended the hearing Monday morning, with another crowd in the courthouse lobby and yet more people across the street, many chanting "Justice for Yingying."

After the hearing, Christiansen's attorney Evan Bruno said he has talked to Christiansen a few times, but that "this case is very young and we haven't had a really full opportunity to develop everything yet."

Bruno asked the public to "be patient, to keep an open mind, wait 'till the evidence comes in."

Zhang went missing on June 9. Authorities announced that they believed she was abducted after viewing surveillance video showing her climbing into a vehicle. Authorities charged Christiansen on Friday after federal agents heard him tell someone that he'd kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.

Authorities say Zhang was trying to hurry to an apartment to sign a lease and had been unsuccessful in flagging down a bus when a car stopped. The video shows a woman authorities have said is Zhang climb into the vehicle in Urbana, 140 miles southwest of Chicago.

Since then, details have emerged about Christiansen, who had just earned a master's degree in physics from the U of I this year, and the events leading up to Zhang's disappearance.

According to authorities, a website that hosted an "Abduction 101" forum linked Christiansen to the kidnapping of Zhang. According to the federal complaint, Christiansen's phone was used April 19 to visit that website, FetLife.com, including to view threads titled "Perfect abduction fantasy" and "planning a kidnapping."

FetLife describes itself as "the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community," stressing in online policy statements that it is a place for consenting adults to trade advice and images of themselves, and to arrange to meet. The acronym BDSM stands for bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. Users provide their ages, genders and roles they wish to play, but otherwise remain anonymous.

Established in 2008 by Canadian software developer John Baku, it now claims more than 5 million registered members.

FetLife prohibited hundreds of fetish categories this year after it was cited in several criminal cases, Baku said in a February online note to members. He said he wanted to reduce legal liability and risks to the wider community.

FetLife policy guidelines stress that any interaction online or in person must be between adults and consensual.

"FetLife's community is ... open-minded and non-judgmental," it says, adding, "Our number one priority is to create a fun and safe place for kinksters."

Neither FetLife nor Baku responded to messages seeking comment.

Zhang's father traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search. Zhang, who received her master's degree in environmental engineering in China last year, was described by friends and family as bright and caring. She aspired to one day land a professorship so she could help her family financially.

-- Michael Tarm
TRENTON, N.J. -- Gov. Chris Christie is taking some hits on social media after saying he would go ahead with a planned family vacation in a state park during the government shutdown.

Christie on Saturday defended his plan to proceed with an extended holiday weekend at the governor's summer house in Island Beach State Park, despite closing beaches to the public amid the budgetary impasse in Trenton.

THIS MAN closed Liberty State Park so no visits to Ellis Island, Statue of Liberty this Holiday weekend! #NJshutdown pic.twitter.com/GOILNeqGwl  Linda  #IndictTheTrumpCrimeFamily (@knittinglinda) July 1, 2017

It is unclear, though, just how much of a vacation -- if any -- Christie actually is having.

He spent much of Saturday in Trenton dealing with the shutdown, which he ordered after failing to reach an agreement with Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto on the next state budget by the June 30 deadline.

While the shutdown stems from a spending battle with Prieto, a Democrat, the governor is the household name -- and as such is drawing much of the social media fire.

Put on the spot about his vacation, Christie said the beach house is separate from the park and that his family does not ask for any state services.

Christie, who is in his final months in office, added, "Run for governor, and you can have a residence there."

Josh Zeitz, formerly a spokesman for ex-Gov. Jon Corzine -- defeated by Christie in 2009 -- tweaked Christie by referring to his famous "get the hell off the beach admonition" as Hurricane Irene approached in 2011.

The shutdown, only the second in state history, has closed everything from state parks to motor vehicle services offices as the July 4 holiday weekend begins. It does not affect essential services, such as the New Jersey State Police and psychiatric hospitals.

Christie signed the order after Prieto blocked a vote on Christie's plan to dip into the reserves of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey to fund addiction treatment.

Some are expressing frustration at life in New Jersey in general, without pointing fingers.

What a joke. All NJ state parks are closed because the govt can't pass a budget. #njshutdown  Carl Wiley (@cdublu) July 2, 2017

The shutdown is only the second in New Jersey's history.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook
SALEM -- The U.S. Forest Service is seeking to limit the number of hikers in Oregon's wilderness by requiring permits for popular areas.

The plan announced this month by Willamette and Deschutes national forests would require a permit to hike or backpack in the Mount Jefferson, Mount Washington, Three Sisters, Diamond Peak and Waldo Lake wilderness areas, The Statesman Journal reported.

The goal is to limit crowds and damage by restricting numbers, officials said. But it would also represent a fundamental change in a state that for the most part allows people to venture as they please on public lands.

Salem photographer Jeff Green said it's frustrating that overcrowding has reached this point, but it's time for permits.

"I feel user experience will vastly improve with less shoulder-to-shoulder crowds and all the human impact and garbage that comes with it," Green said.

Other people were concerned with the permit pricing of $6 to $12.

"The permits are overpriced and there is little control over the system," said Matt Reeder, author of "101 Hikes in the Majestic Mount Jefferson Region." ''It is disappointing to see a permit to access a public area cost $12, all for the privilege of hiking on public property."

Hunters, however, were happy they would be exempt from the permit requirement after purchasing a tag.

Environmental groups said the episode demonstrated that Oregon needs more wilderness areas.

"It's supply and demand and Oregon has very little protected wilderness," said Erik Fernandez, wilderness program manager for Oregon Wild. "Oregonians love to visit our amazing wilderness areas. Until our elected leaders step up and protect more, this trend isn't going to go away."
The World War II medium bomber "Yankee Warrior" is coming to Gladwin July 7 and staying through July 9.

The B-25 Mitchell bomber is taking part in the Gladwin Zettel Memorial Airport Open House and will be offering Air Adventure rides through the weekend. The historic airplane, home-based in Ypsilanti, will be on station at Gladwin Zettel Memorial Airport, 735 South State St., Gladwin, arriving at about noon July 7.

"We are very excited to see the B-25 and her crew again," said Mike Hargrave, airport manager. "This is an excellent aircraft, restored and maintained to the highest standards. Michigan is fortunate to have this flying museum and we're proud to have her visit our community."

Hargrave said the Norlh American B-25 is the type of twin engine medium bomber that was used in the heroic "Doolittle Raid" on Tokyo 75 years ago on April 18, 1942. Sixteen of these mighty airplanes launched from the aircraft carrier USS Hornet in a one-way mission that was the first Allied bombing attack on Japan. B-25s were used for many types of missions especially providing close air support and for seeking out targets of opportunity to disrupt the enemy.

"The Yankee Warrior is a combat veteran, having flown eight missions out of Corsica, Italy," Hargrave said. "It's quite a thrill for us to have a B-25 at our facility for a couple of days. In fact, Yankee Warrior is the only '0' model 8-25 still flying, so this is a very rare plane."

There were 9,818 B-25s built during World War II and they were known for their sturdy construction, speed and ability to withstand the most punishing enemy fire.

"It's great we can bring our B-25 back to Gladwin Zettel Memorial Airport. She's a real crowd-pleaser," said Ray lIunter, chairman of the Yankee Air Museum's Board of Directors. "The hospitality in Gladwin is outstanding. Yankee Air Force crews always look forward to coming here.

"This plane is a living history book," Hunter continued. "People are always amazed when they step on board and see the inner workings of this aircraft. After a flight, they're smiling from ear to ear."

Hunter said it's impossible to keep planes like the Yankee Warrior 13-25 in pristine condition without community support at home and everywhere they fly. He credits support from Gladwin Zettel Memorial Airport and the community for making this mission possible.
The flooding in Midland, Isabella, Bay and Gladwin counties from June 22 to June 24 was some of the worst in memory.

The Tittabawassee River set a 32.15-foot crest by 7:13 p.m. Saturday, June 24  the second highest in history, according to National Weather Service records. Only the 33.89-foot crest surpassed that, during the flood of 1986. Flood stage is 24 feet.

And yet a single flood event  even one this significant  is not expected to affect dioxin levels in or along the river, according to the Environmental Protection Agency.

Past discharges from The Dow Chemical Co. resulted in elevated dioxin levels in sediment and riverbank soil. The Tittabawassee River and floodplain are part of the EPA's Superfund program, which aims to clean some of the nation's most contaminated land.

Dioxins are highly toxic and can cause cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, damage to the immune system, and can interfere with hormones. They can persist in the environment for decades, so dioxins from sources that were active in the 1800s and 1900s may still be present today, according to the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development.

Cleanup of the first of seven segments at the site started in 2012, for a three-mile stretch of the Tittabawassee River near the Dow plant. It involved removing and incinerating more than 4,000 gallons of dense non-aqueous phase liquid (DNAPL), an oily liquid heavier than water that does not dissolve, according to the EPA.

For Segment 2, a four-mile stretch of river downstream from the Dow plant, dioxin was the main contaminant. Cleanup began in 2015. Dow is paying for the cleanup.

During recent flooding the river swamped the usual low-lying areas like downtown and lurched into many residents' basements and homes around the county.

But, the EPA says it does not expect the flood to increase public risks from dioxin contamination exposure.

Dow, the EPA and Michigan Department of Environmental Quality routinely monitor dioxin levels in river sediment, and "when it is safe to do so, the riverbank and sediment remedies will be inspected to ensure that they are intact," an EPA spokesperson said in a statement.

Still, "all flood waters and mud or sediment left behind should be treated as if it may have sewage in it," the spokesperson said.

The EPA says monitoring is done at select cleanup locations to evaluate potential recontamination.

"These samples will be taken as soon as possible," the spokesperson said. "Based on testing after previous flood events, EPA does not expect these properties to require more cleanup, but the testing will be used to evaluate this."

Since 2015, Dow has been "systematically sampling floodplain properties to see if cleanup is necessary, and this will continue," according to the EPA.

Drainage issues continue in Midland in the week after the flood.

Dow on Thursday issued a statement regarding an overflow from the Dow Corning Corp. storm sewer, which resulted in a discharge of untreated sewage water:

"Dow Corning is notifying the public, per regulatory requirement, that an overflow from the Dow Corning Corp. storm sewer system occurred due to the rain event from Friday, June 23 (to) Saturday, June 24, 2017. The overflow was discharged into Lingle Drain, which is a tributary of the Tittabawassee River. The total overflow included a small percentage of untreated sewage, including sanitary sewer wastewater."

The city of Midland's sanitary sewer system is still taking on above normal flows due to the flooding. A significant rain event within the next several weeks could bring more sewer backups, according to the city.

"As of 12 a.m. this morning, the Wastewater Treatment Plant is no longer experiencing an overflow and storage capacity at the plant is beginning to increase. With the absence of any rain, the plant should return to normal operations with full storage capacity within two weeks," the city said in a news release.

The city said flood waters and sanitary sewer backups should have receded at this time, and encouraged residents who still have standing water in their home's lower level to call the city's Wastewater Treatment Plant at 989-837-3500.

On Friday, June 23, city officials said storm and sanitary sewer systems were full, but operating properly  a statement Interim City Manager David Keenan reaffirmed at Monday's city council meeting.

Keenan said a sequence of three significant storms, paired with waterways dumping loads into a rising Tittabawassee River, left nowhere for the water to go. Floodgates were opened to relieve pressure at Sanford Lake and Wixom Lake dams. That water rushed downstream to Midland.

"Our systems were working as hard as they could, we just couldn't suck it in and it couldn't make it out to the river fast enough," Keenan said.

Due to the unexpected flooding, Keenan said the city needs to re-evaluate its flood model and response procedures  particularly in the mall area, which has seen a lot of development since 1986.
A dozen high school students recently got an early taste of college life, all while Saginaw Valley State University educators exposed them to the exciting side of science studies.

The AT&T Great Lakes Bay Region High School STEM Residential Camp was funded in part by a $25,000 grant from the global communications company and was hosted at SVSU's campus.

SVSU educators and undergraduates exposed high school students both to campus life and a series of projects aimed at generating interest in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) studies. The students lived in SVSU's residential housing under the supervision of undergraduates.

Rajani Muraleedharan, SVSU assistant professor of electrical and computer engineering, served as the camp's coordinator. She said the participants were students with little exposure to higher education environments and opportunities. Muraleedharan hoped the experience inspired participants both to pursue an education beyond high school and to consider STEM studies when doing so.

"They are experiencing what life is like away from home, and that's important for this group," she said. "We also want to expose these students to different STEM fields to show them what may interest them."

The students spent mornings in classrooms, learning about different STEM topics. Later in the day, they participated in team-building exercises across campus meant to generate camaraderie between their peers. All of the activities were meant to demonstrate the fun involved in college life and STEM studies.

"Some of these students say, 'I'm not sure what I would want to do as an undergraduate,' and when you ask why they aren't sure, you discover they haven't been exposed to many of these fields," Muraleedharan said. "We want to give them that exposure; give them a career pathway."

On Monday, the students learned about astronomy and spectroscopy. Tuesday's lesson involved computer programming. On Wednesday, they learned about biology. Thursday's agenda involved health sciences and included a trip to the Kochville Farmers Market near campus. On Friday, an engineering- and robotics-based lesson included designing and building a rocket from a water bottle.

Muraleedharan said the camp has proven a success, and that participants have responded to the week's agenda with enthusiasm.

"It's been fantastic to see them show up with so much energy every morning," she said.

The students are from school districts including Bullock Creek Schools, Carrollton Public Schools, Freeland Community School District, Midland Public Schools, Marlette Community Schools, and Valley Lutheran High School.
Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming gives an interview to BBC Radio 4's live broadcast Today program on June 29. [Provided to China Daily]

Chinese ambassador to the UK Liu Xiaoming shared his views on the progress and achievement of the Hong Kong SAR since its establishment 20 years ago and the success of "one country, two systems" policy during an interview on the Today program of BBC Radio 4 hosted by John Humphrys.

On Hong Kong, the ambassador said the "one country, two systems" has been implemented with great success. "I can't agree with some of the interviews aired just before me saying that China did not deliver its promises. As a matter of fact, the Central Government of China delivered everything it promises, that is one country, two systems'."

He said during the June 29 interview that basically Hong Kong has maintained its social, economic system, way of life, rule of law, and Hong Kong now is much better placed compared with 20 years ago. So this is really an occasion for the Chinese people to have a grand celebration.

"I think in the past 20 years we've seen Hong Kong maintaining prosperity and stability, the GDP doubled, and foreign exchange reserve quadrupled. Hong Kong still remains a global center of finance, trade and shipping. The life expectancy of its people increased tremendously," he said, adding that"they are ahead of many developed countries. So I would say people in Hong Kong are now living longer and living happier".

Addressing Humphrys' question on Hong Kong Special Administrative Region's chief executive election, Liu said the political governance of Hong Kong today, including democratic governance has made great progress compared with 20 years ago.

"When you say one country, two systems', I think some people forget that this is one framework. You have to remember that Hong Kong is part of China, not part of UK, and not a so-called independent entity," he stressed.

In the past 20 years there were 5 elections in Hong Kong. Hong Kong's chief executive is elected according to the Basic Law, according to the Election Law in Hong Kong.

"You have to achieve this through incremental, gradual process and step-by-step. As we say, Rome or maybe London is not built overnight and Hong Kong is not built overnight," the ambassador said.

Humphrys said there was a report by the BritishForeign office released in February last year criticizing the mainland of constituting serious breach of the Sino-British Joint Declaration by undermining the "one country, two systems" principle.

Liu reacted: "I think when you read the report, first of all, we disagree with this so-called Report on Hong Kong, which was published twice a year. We think Hong Kong is an integral part of China, and Hong Kong's affairs are internal affairs of China. It's not for foreign governments to interfere.

"Having said that, even with this report, the British government commends the Chinese government for implementing one country, two systems' and they believe one country, two systems' is a great success."

He added that"there are some differences between China and the UK but on the whole we all believe that long-term stability, long-term prosperity in Hong Kong are in the interests of not only China but also Britain and the international community".

On the question of China's rising international role, Liu said: "I do not foresee that China will become a superpower in the foreseeable future. I believe China is still a developing country.

"Even when China becomes the largest economy in the world, it will take a long way for China to become so-called superpower. China is a large country, and there are great differences between regions."

He noted that "we are interested in improving the livelihood of the people, and addressing the disparity between regions. When people look at China, they like to focus on the coastal region, the eastern part of China - Beijing, Shanghai, Guangdong. They are very much developed. For example Guandong is the 15th-largest economy in the world. It's about the size of Spain. But if you look at other provinces - Gansu, Ningxia, they are rather backward."
FUNKS GROVE  The McLean County Sheriffs Department is investigating the death of a woman found Sunday night at Funks Grove as a homicide.

The woman has not yet been identified, according to information released Monday afternoon. The exact cause of death also was not released, but autopsy results show that the death was a homicide, according to the department.

Also released Monday were two pictures. One was of a gray necklace with white stones and blue connecting hearts. The second shows a tattoo on the womans left forearm which reads Leos Lady.

The woman was described as white, 45 to 50 years of age, 5 feet tall, weighing 103 pounds and having light brown hair, hazel eyes and a scar on her left wrist. She had bilateral tubal ligation, and may possibly have children, stated the release.

Sheriff Jon Sandage said the body was discovered around 6:30 p.m. Sunday by two people who were walking a trail at the nature preserve about 7 miles southwest of Bloomington.

On Monday morning, barricades remained around roads near the scene.

Because of the investigation, all Sugar Grove Nature Center buildings, trails, Imagination Grove and other properties will be closed to public access until dawn Wednesday, the center has announced on its Facebook page.

This includes all property and trails that extend to the Funks Grove Church and cemetery, said the post.

Anyone with information is asked to contact Detective Cory Beverlin at 309-888-5048 or 309-888-5030.

It was the third homicide of 2017 in McLean County.

Daniel Lyons, 22, of Normal, was indicted on two counts of murder in the May 31 shooting death of David Parks of Golfcrest Road in Normal. Lyons remains in McLean County jail.
FARMER CITY  The Illinois State Police has released plans for the procession following trooper Ryan Albins funeral on Thursday.

Few details of the accident have been released, though ISP said on Friday that Albin's squad car struck the rear of a commercial box truck on Interstate 74. The truck driver, from Normal, has not been charged.

The accident remains under investigation.

The procession, which will include law enforcement officials and first-responders, is projected to depart the high school around noon and will travel through parts of Farmer City, Mansfield and Bellflower. The procession will travel at a projected speed of 20 mph, according to a statement released by ISP on Monday.

Those that wish to view the procession are welcome to do so, said trooper Ross Green.

The estimated time of arrival is 12:20 p.m. for Mansfield and 12:55 p.m. for Bellflower, Green said.

From the high school, the procession will travel south on John Street to West Clinton Avenue (Illinois 54) to the intersection of U.S. 150. The procession will continue east on U.S. 150 into Mansfield where it will turn and go north on McKinley Street.

There is ample procession viewing opportunity along the entire route in Mansfield. The procession will continue north to the intersection of U.S. 136 where it will turn west onto Bellflower Road.

The procession will turn north and continue through Bellflower to the cemetery north of town. There also will be ample viewing opportunity along the route in Bellflower, said ISP.
SPRINGFIELD  The Illinois State Capitol fell silent Wednesday for the first time in two weeks, but House Democrats pledged to continue their efforts to override Gov. Bruce Rauner's budget vetoes to give the state its first spending plan in two years.

The respite gave Republican Rauner an opening. He scheduled an afternoon discussion with community leaders in a Chicago neighborhood to discuss a possible 32 percent increase in the income tax rate, which he has pinned squarely on Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan.

Lawmakers were in session for 14 straight days, capped by a flurry of activity on Tuesday, when the Senate sent a $36 billion spending plan to the governor funded with a $5 billion income tax increase. Rauner rapidly vetoed it, only to have the Democratic-controlled Senate just as swiftly override him.

But the House, which had approved the fiscal blueprint Sunday night with veto-proof majorities, has failed to summon enough members the last two days to take action. Fewer than 60 of the House's 118 members answered quorum calls on Tuesday or Wednesday.

Deputy Majority Leader Lou Lang, a Skokie Democrat, said the House intends to proceed with an override Thursday, but it depends on attendance.

"I can't answer for every member who's not here," Lang said. "If they were all here, this would have been done already.

Lang mentioned instances in which members are dealing with a family member's or a friend's death and the terminally ill relative of another.

"Legislators are people, too," Lang said. "I expect that we'll gather the necessary people here" Thursday.

Illinois' budget crisis is the longest in the nation since at least the Great Depression.

With a $6.2 billion annual deficit and $14.7 billion in overdue bills, disaster is around the corner. The United Way predicts the demise of 36 percent of all human services agencies in Illinois by year's end. Billions of dollars in road construction work is shutting down. Public universities have been cut to the bone and face a loss of academic accreditation.

Although there's no firm deadline, credit-rating houses have vowed to downgrade the state's creditworthiness to "junk," signaling to investors that buying state debt is a highly speculative venture. The bond houses predicted a downgrade without a fix by the July 1 debut of the fiscal year.

But Fitch Ratings and S&P Global Ratings gave Illinois some breathing room on Monday, issuing notices marking the House tax increase approval a day earlier and indicating they would not take immediate downgrade action.

Government has limped along for two years on the strength of court-ordered spending, but the state comptroller says the treasury will be $185 million short of what's needed to cover basic services by August.

The budget bills are SB6 and SB9 .
CHICAGO  A website that hosted an "Abduction 101" forum linked to a 28-year-old suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois bills itself as the most popular sexual fetish networking site on the internet  and it has faced pressure in recent months to be clearer about not tolerating behavior that could be regarded as criminal.

Brendt Allen Christensen, who earned a master's degree in physics from U of I this year, is charged in the June 9 abduction of 26-year-old Yingying Zhang, who investigators believe to be dead. The federal complaint says Christensen's phone was used on April 19 to visit the FetLife.com forum, including to view threads titled "Perfect abduction fantasy" and "planning a kidnapping."

Christensen remains jailed and is due to make an initial appearance Monday in federal court in Urbana, not far from the University of Illinois campus where Zhang conducted research in agricultural sciences. Christensen, who is from neighboring Champaign, was arrested Friday after agents monitoring him heard him tell someone he had kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.

FetLife describes itself as "the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community," stressing in online policy statements that it is a place for consenting adults to trade advice and images of themselves, and to arrange to meet. The acronym BDSM stands for bondage, dominance, sadism and masochism. Established in 2008 by Canadian software developer John Baku, it now claims more than 5 million registered members.

FetLife early this year decided to prohibit hundreds of fetish categories after it was cited in a few criminal cases, including one in Australia, Baku said in a February online note to members. He said that, among other things, he wanted to reduce any legal liability and risks to the wider community.

As of Sunday, however, the site still included multiple forums focused on abduction fantasies, and an "Abduction Play" group had more than 78,000 FetLife members expressing interest in the topic. Among the threads still available on the site was one called "Tools of the Kidnapper" and another titled "Original kidnapping Play."

Christensen kidnapped Zhang during the day as she headed to sign a lease for an apartment and was running late. She tried unsuccessfully to flag down a bus, and minutes later, is seen getting into a Saturn Astra the complaint says belonged to Christensen. While authorities say facts in the case indicate Zhang isn't alive, a body hasn't been found.

Zhang's father traveled from China to Illinois earlier this month for the search. Zhang, who received her master's degree in environmental engineering in China last year, was described by friends and family as bright and caring. She aspired to one day land a professorship so she could help her family financially.
In early April the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) sued Apple alleging it used a software update to disable iPhone which had cracked screens fixed by third parties. Today we're learning that Apple's controversial decision to order Westpac Banking Corporation to disable a mobile banking feature that let customers make payments in chat apps such as WhatsApp and Facebook Messenger has caught the attention of Australia's competition watchdog, amid concerns it could be attempting to remove rivals to its own upcoming service.

It was revealed last week by 'The Australian Financial Review' that Apple had written to Westpac to say its three-month old Westpac Keyboard feature would no longer be allowed on iPhones, with a vague explanation that keyboards should not be used for making payments.

While Apple may have security concerns about the Westpac payment system, the chairman of the ACCC Rod Sims stated that he'll be seeking a fuller explanation from Apple over the issue in order to assess if action is required to reverse Apple's position."

The Australian Financial Review added that "The timing of Apple's action is suspicious in light that they'll be releasing a similar service through iMessage with iOS 11." Well that may not be all that's suspicious and disturbing.



What's disturbing about the ACCC's decision to question Apple on this issue is that is back in March the commission set a global precedent by barring banks from forcing Apple to open up their Apple Pay APIs. Is the ACCC now trying to find a way to backtrack and assist Australian banks in forcing Apple to eventually open their API's? Was there political fallout for the chairman for backing Apple in March? Because Westpac was part of the Cartel that was attempting to force Apple to open their Apple Pay API's. So Westpac is obviously trying to find grounds to reopen the issue with the ACCC.

For now the commissioner has stated that the ACCC "will be making contact with both Westpac and Apple to fully understand the facts," because this is a complex issue. Yet it all stems back to Apple Pay. It shouldn't be complex for the ACCC who ruled on this issue. The fact that the door is opening on this issue again has the appearance of it being politically slanted. Stay tuned, this is likely far from over. You could check out the full Australian Financial Review report here.

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On June 21 Patently Apple posted a report titled "The Korean Press is Convinced that LG will Enter Apple's OLED Supply Chain by 2019." It was reported at that time by 'The Bell' publication in Korea that LG Display had secured two more Canon Tokki OLED machines which were key pieces of equipment for the display maker to beef up OLED production for the iPhone. Further, Patently Apple reported back in April that LG could make an announcement in June whether they'll enter Apple's OLED supply chain as requested by Apple. Fast forwarding to today, a new Korean report is claiming that Apple is now in talks with LG Display to invest about two billion dollars in equipment to secure OLED displays for Apple in LG's new plant that we reported on back in May.

The Korean report further noted that "the two firms have tentatively agreed on the investment plans, even though details, including investment timing and size, have not yet been finalized. The final decision is expected to be made after the company's board meeting later this month.

Apple's fresh investment is expected to be poured into LG Display's new plant, called E6, which has been widely rumored to be dedicated to iPhone orders. About 3.5 trillion won is needed for an OLED production line with a monthly capacity of 30,000 units of the sixth-generation OLED mother glass."

One source told the publication that "The funding form Apple is also expected to help LG Display reduce risks from the lower margin," adding that "Apple is known for slashing supply prices for parts makers."

At the moment the Korea Herald report was unclear as to when LG's OLED production for iPhones would begin.

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TOKYO -- Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike's new party and its allies scored a sweeping victory against Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in Sunday's Tokyo metropolitan assembly election.

"We must recognize this as an historic defeat," former defense minister and LDP lawmaker Shigeru Ishiba was quoted by public broadcaster NHK as saying.

Forces supporting Koike captured a total of 79 seats out of the 127 seats up for grabs, with Koike's Tomin First no Kai (Tokyoites First party) winning 49 seats, and its major ally in the metropolitan assembly the Komeito party securing 23 seats.

Meanwhile, Abe's ruling LDP won only 23 seats, its lowest-ever level in a Tokyo assembly election, according to local media.

The LDP has been suffering recently from a plunging public support rate for Abe's cabinet amid two school scandals implicating the prime minister as well as the ruling coalition's unorthodox way of forcing through a controversial legislation at the parliament.

Abe has been accused of using his position to make sure that a school operator, chaired by a close friend of Abe's, was selected to open a new veterinary department at a university in a special deregulated zone.

He has also been implicated in a scandal involving the school operator Moritomo Gakuen, which reportedly bought a 8,770-square-meter piece of land last June in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, for 134 million yen, equivalent to only 14 percent of its appraisal price, for building a new elementary school with Abe's wife Akie as its honorary principal.

The prime minister and his ruling bloc has also drawn staunch criticism from civic groups, lawyers, opposition parties and regular citizens for forcibly enacting the controversial "conspiracy" legislation, which, while criminalizing the planning of serious crimes, could cause serious infringement upon civil liberties, according to critics.

A public opinion poll conducted by Kyodo News last month showed that support rate for Abe's cabinet dropped to 44.9 percent, down 10.5 percentage points from a survey a month earlier, with the majority of the people saying they were not convinced by the government's explanations about the scandals implicating the prime minister.

A series of scandals involving close allies of Abe's exposed recently made the situation even worse for the LDP, as opposition parties demanded Defense Minister Tomomi Inada be sacked for violating the nation's Self-Defense Forces Law, which strictly prohibits political activities by its personnel, and former education minister Hakubun Shimomura was accused of mishandling political donations.

A total of 259 candidates contended for the 127 seats up for grabs in Sunday's election, which has been viewed by many as a barometer of national politics.

The LDP backed 60 candidates in the election, while Tomin First no Kai put forward 50. Both the Democratic Party and Komeito fielded 23 candidates each, while the Japanese Communist Party endorsed 37 candidates.

Before the election, the LDP held 57 seats at the Tokyo assembly, followed by the Komeito party with 22, the Japanese Communist Party with 17, the Democratic Party with seven and Tomin First six.

Koike, Tokyo's first female governor, had been a House of Representatives lawmaker with the ruling LDP before winning the Tokyo gubernatorial election by a large margin last July without the backing of her party.

She officially quit the LDP last month and became head of the Tomin First no Kai which was formed last September by Tokyo assembly members supporting Koike.

Voter turnout of Sunday's election stood at 51.27 percent, 7.77 percentage points higher than turnout of the previous election in 2013.
On Thursday Patently Apple posted a report titled "Apple's First Store in Taiwan Opens this Saturday in Taipei" and today some of the photos came in from opening day. Crowds of customers started gathering overnight at Taipei 101 for the grand opening of Apple's first store in Taiwan on Saturday. The curved, sliding glass doors opened at 11 a.m. as employees welcomed customers to come together, explore the store and get hands-on with Apple's latest products. Check out our five jumbo photos covering the joy of opening day in Taipei.

















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Reformist Ally: "Constructive Collaboration" With Iran's Parliament Will Aid Rouhani's Policy Battles

07/03/17

Source: Center for Human Rights in Iran

Iran's newly re-elected centrist President Hassan Rouhani should engage in "constructive collaboration" with Parliament to implement his policies amid increasing opposition from powerful hardliners, a reformist politician told the Center for Human Rights in Iran (CHRI). "One thing that could help the government a lot is constructive collaboration with Parliament, which has been growing day by day," said Mohammad Sadegh Javadi-Hessar, a member of the National Trust Party of Iran, in a recent interview.



Mohammad Sadegh Javadi-Hessar



"The two years or so left in this parliamentary term could become two golden years for Mr. Rouhani's government," he added.

Continued Javadi-Hessar: "The next parliamentary term [2020-24] may not be in his favor. Those who suffered heavy losses in the [2016] parliamentary elections and the [2017] presidential and council elections may very well make it harder [for Rouhani's allies to be voted] into Parliament and then he could face serious difficulties."

Moderates, reformists and independents made major gains in Iran's February 2016 parliamentary elections, putting an end to the conservative majority that had been in place since 2012.

"To make it through the next two grueling years [of the current parliamentary session], a positive collaboration with Parliament is something Mr. Rouhani should pay attention to because it will help the government realize some of the people's wishes," he added.







Iran's President Hassan Rouhani on cover of Ayandeh Roshan magazine



Asked about the escalating attacks on Rouhani since Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, who Rouhani formerly served as an advisor, began publicly criticizing him a few weeks before the presidential election on May 19, the reformist politician responded that Rouhani's opponents have been trying to widen the rift to advance their goals.

"The (conservative) opposition did everything to prevent Rouhani from winning, but came out empty handed" said Javadi-Hessar. "Now they want to wreck the government and slow down its progress. This will create disillusionment as people won't see their wishes come true."

"The government should go into survival mode," he continued. "Opponents should not be allowed to corner the government into a confrontation with the supreme leader. That's what they are really after.

"If they succeed in creating an open rift between the leader and Mr. Rouhani, then mobs would feel free to 'fire at will' and severely weaken the government," he added.

Javadi-Hessar was referring to a June 7 speech by Khamenei, who urged his followers to act in a "fire at will" fashion if the government-a veiled reference to the Rouhani administration-fails to do its job.

"The (conservative extremists) want to use the political crisis they created as an excuse to push toward impeachment," he added. "The reformist factions and supporters of the Rouhani government should not allow the road to progress to sink into quicksand."

At the same time, Javadi-Hessar cautioned Rouhani supporters to move slowly to prevent unnecessary confrontations that could benefit the president's adversaries.

"The government should act very wisely by using its loyal followers to solve problems along the way without playing into the hands of opponents who want to generate crisis after crisis," he added.
A 21-year-old woman has been placed in an induced coma at the Royal Brisbane and Womens Hospital after being found unconscious, suffering from serious burns, in a townhouse in the riverside suburb of Bulimba on Sunday morning.

Emergency services were called to the northeast Brissy home at about 10.30am on Sunday morning by a man police described as frantic requesting urgent medical help for the woman.

She was found unconscious on a bed with horrific and serious and possibly life-threatening injuries, according to Police Inspector Dan Bragg:

The female had sustained significant injuries to the whole of her body. She was immediately rushed to hospital by ambulance and is currently in a critical condition.

Her injuries were from head-to-toe on the front of her body.

Queensland Police currently have no suspects, and are looking to talk to friends and associates of the woman, including her boyfriend. Theyve also asked for the anonymous caller to come forward. Bragg said:

The matter is under investigation and there are still a lot of questions that need to be answered in relation to this, and police are treating it as suspicious. The exact nature of the injuries and how those injuries occurred, is yet to be established.

Police have ascertained that the Bulimba townhouse where she was found is not her home.

A neighbour, Paul, said that on Sunday he heard nothing coming from the flat, believed to be rented by a man in his 30s, until the ambulance arrived: Quiet neighbours  never had any trouble.

Nothing untoward at all.

A 21-year-old woman is in a critical condition at the Royal Brisbane Hospital following a serious assault at Bulimba. #9News pic.twitter.com/j0QdLeQ7I6  Nine News Queensland (@9NewsQueensland) July 2, 2017

Source: ABC / News.com.au / Brisbane Times.

Photo: Nine News.
We would be remiss if we didnt bring you news of any kind of the discovery of a vast pillar of skulls. And not that lame shit like the catacombs under Paris where they all died of disease  nah, man, we want the shit where they were sacrificed.

And now weve got it. A group of archaeologists working in Mexico City have uncovered more than 650 human skulls on the site of what was once the Aztec capital of Tenochtitlan  including, surprisingly, the skulls of women and children.

We were expecting just men, obviously young men, as warriors would be, and the thing about the women and children is that youd think they wouldnt be going to war, said Rodrigo Bolanos, a biological anthropologist who was part of the investigating team.

Something is happening that we have no record of, and this is really new, a first in the Huey Tzompantli.

Huey Tzompantli a skull rack believed to have been some 60 metres in diameter which scared the shit out of Spanish conquistadores when they captured the city back in the 16th century. The archaeologists are convinced it is absolutely one of these tzompantlis.

Exactly 676 skulls have been identified. Contemporaneous account claim there were more than ten thousand, and the archaeologists expect to uncover more as they continue digging. My take? That is a lot of skulls  possibly too many.

Source: BBC.

Photo: Reuters.
The commissioner of the Australian Border Force, Roman Quaedvlieg, has gone on leave thanks to an ongoing external investigation into his personal behaviour. Its just leave, though. Nothing suss. Hes definitely, positively just on leave.

insightful comment from the person speaking for the person who is speaking for the person who is speaking on the person on leave pic.twitter.com/3BpKOfwYmk  thomas violence (@thomas_violence) July 3, 2017

The Australian Financial Review has reported that the reason behind his absence has nothing to do with the damning fact that two Australian citizens were accidentally sent to the Christmas Island detention centre a few months ago by Border Force.

Sorry, what? And weve heard exactly nothing about this?

Instead, the Courier Mail reports, rumours are flying that Quaedvlieg was involved in a relationship with a coworker in her 20s. The bloke is 52. He is also married. The woman is alleged to have received a promotion.

A spokesperson for acting Immigration Minister Michael Keenan told reporters:

A matter is under consideration by appropriate authorities. There will be no further comment until that process is complete.

However, ex-immigration department media boss Sandi Logan has tweeted saying that Quaedvlieg is not on leave, but suspended. Hes also demanding answers.

.@DIBPAustralia co-boss @ABFComms long absence from duty arises from external investigation into his activities. Care to speculate? 1/2  Sandi Logan (@SandiHLogan) July 3, 2017

.@DIBPAustralia @ABFComm has other interests these days which may be compromising his integrity I hear. How much longer suspended? 2/2  Sandi Logan (@SandiHLogan) July 3, 2017

Quaedvlieg himself has been silent on the matter. Frankly, all we can say is: hachi machi.

Source: AFR / Courier Mail.

Image: Supplied.
Eight people have been injured after a shooting outside a mosque in southern France, including a family of four.

French newspaper La Provence reports that two gunmen opened fire on worshippers leaving the Arrahma mosque in Avignon, Provence, at around 10.30pm Sunday night.

Four people sustained gunshot injuries. The family, who were on the second storey of a nearby building, sustained shrapnel injuries.

Its reported the youngest victim is seven years old.

The men allegedly fired a handgun and a rifle from a hatchback, and fled the scene.

Police are not currently treating the shooting as a terror-related incident, but as a potential gang conflict.

A translation of the La Provence article, provided by The Mirror, states the faithful who were in front of the mosque were not targeted by the two shooters, but rather young people who were grouped in the street at that moment.

The shooting comes at a time of heightened tension in the nation. On Thursday, a man was arrested after attempting to ram his 44 through a crowd outside a mosque in a Paris suburb.

This incident also comes a fortnight after a man killed one and injured nine others by driving through Muslim worshippers leaving a service in the London suburb of Finsbury Park.

Source: The Telegraph / Sky News / The Daily Telegraph.
10,000 young Australians who are either unemployed or underemployed will be pushed into retail internships that will earn them as little as $200 per week, under a new deal struck between the Turnbull Government and the Australian Retailers Association.

Companies like Bakers Delight and the Coffee Club have already signed on to accept the internships, which are part of an expansion of the Governments PaTH internship program.

Jobless young people between the ages of 15 and 24 will be eligible to participate in the 12-week placements, that will net them the princely sum of $200 per week on top of their existing Centrelink benefits.

Bafflingly, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull insisted that the internships could indeed be the catapult needed to shoot a young person in Australia from unemployment towards being the next Captain of Industry.

They will get a start at a job and, you know what, they could go on to great heights. They could go on to, like many others before them, running big businesses, owning big businesses and employing lots of other people, realising their dreams.

Because lord knows the one thing holding young people back before this was being unable to be grossly underpaid for three months worth of slicing bread all day.

Interestingly enough, these base-level retail placements will require those who volunteer for them to undergo additional job training via Centrelink before theyre even able to walk onto the job. ARA chief Russell Zimmerman explains that noodle-scratcher thusly:

We need our young staff to have basic vocational skills and the mix of retail means you could need food training to tyre fitting qualifications before you can start on the job.

Meanwhile, Federal employment minister Michaelia Cash lauded the partnership as the best form of welfare, extolling its virtues as an apparently vital new tool to help combat spiralling youth unemployment.

It is a three-step program and it is all about getting our youth ready, giving them a go and getting them a job. When we say that the best form of welfare is a job, we mean it, and we will put both the resources and the programs behind it.

On the flip side, Australian Unions have gone absolutely batshit about the announcement, asserting that the move is a kick in the guts for young jobseekers and creates an environment where there is no incentive for companies to offer permanent positions at the conclusion of internship placements.

ACTU President Ged Kearney noted that work undertaken by people in these placements would be compensated at a rate of around $4 per hour, and that the impact of this decision would be devastating.

This program will do nothing for young people beyond churning them through short term, dead end placements. It will take away full wage paying positions, denying Australians decent work, and will entrench the current poor economic situation of soaring profits and stagnating wages. If there are 10,000 positions in retail available, then give people a real job.

Interns Australia also expressed concern that the placements risks normalising intern culture in the retail sector, noting that the work is not difficult to train for, and demands fair pay once productive work is being completed.

My first job was at Bakers Delight. I didnt need to do unpaid work experience for 12 weeks to learn how to do it. Nobody needs to. After a short period, you are performing productive work and deserve to be paid for it as an employee. It shouldnt be normal to pop into your local Coffee Club and see an intern waitress working for free.

So yeah. Paying unemployed kids $4 an hour to do entry-level retail work. According to the Government, thats a good thing that wont at all provide opportunistic retail corporations the green light to funnel temp-workers through a revolving door, paying them nothing and receiving Government incentive ($1,000 per person) along the way. And what, prey tell, happens to underemployed people relying on a handful of existing retail shifts to get by?

Its dumb, its short-sighted, and its indicative of this Governments shitty attitude towards youth employment in this country.

Couple that with a weekend that saw retail workers have their penalty rates officially cut, and its a bleak picture for people in need of work being painted indeed. That Turnbull et al has the gall to smile about any of this is truly staggering.

Source: Yahoo!7.

Photo: Stefan Postles/Getty.
This years massive Bravalla Festival in Sweden only finished up on Saturday, but organisers have already decided to can the 2018 event, after reports have emerged of a worrying rate of sexual violence.

Swedish authorities say that there was one rape and 11 sexual assaults at this years festival, held in the town of Norrkoping and featuring the Chainsmokers, the Killers, System of a Down, Die Antwoord, and a whole stable of other crazy-popular acts.

Last years gathering also resulted in multiple reports of sexual violence, with at least five cases of rape and 12 sexual assaults.

Its something that festival organisers are not willing to sweep under the rug. Theyve responded by cancelling future Bravalla events, explaining in a press release:

Words cannot describe how incredibly sad we are about this, and we most seriously regret and condemn this. This is not fucking okay. We do not accept this at our festival. We have done everything in our power to [provide a] safe festival experience for our visitors [] With that said, sexual abuse continues to occur. We have seen it at our and other festivals in recent years and it is a huge social problem that affects every part of our society. We are working actively to eradicate the darkness  everyone exposed to crime should receive the support and help they want and need. Some men  because we are talking about men  apparently cant behave. Its a shame. Therefore, we have decided not to [hold] Bravalla 2018. We will continue to work together for a better world. We hope you are with us in it. Lets take care of each other, choke hatred and violence, and let the music win.

Its a bold step for a festival to respond so clearly, and one that could be a model for others. Punters should know that if theyre going to behave abhorrently, theyre going to get their toys taken away.

Of course, itd be nice if everyone else didnt have to miss out on the fun as well.

Source: Huffington Post.

Image: Oskar Omne Photography / Facebook / Bravalla Festivalen.
Who among us can say we havent gone a little over budget while living our best lives on holiday? Sure, its a $700 t-shirt, but you got it from Omotesando! Treat yo self!

Still, this particular Australian bloke may not have meant to spend quite this much on his trip to Vietnam. The guy, who local media have identified as David John Caracciolo, apparently ran into trouble while grabbing a bite with some friends at a restaurant in Ho Chi Minh Citys District 1, called NightFall.

When it came to pay the bill (which still, astonishingly, came to about $1000  how do you spend that much money on dinner?!), the cashier deliberately swiped Caracciolos two credit cards a bunch of times, claiming that the machine was stuffing up.

that old chestnut

After returning to home soil, Caracciolo realised that the machine had in fact been 100% functional, and that hed been charged $39,429 for that one meal with mates  thats VND683,150,000. Thats NINE FIGURES.

Turns out that the cashier had been explicitly instructed by the restaurant manager, a guy called Tran Tuan Minh, to do the old multi-swipe trick. Minh, the sly dog, then went and got all the money out in cash, spent it, and avoided consequences for nearly a whole year before the law caught up with him last Thursday.

Oh, and he also tried to blame his sister, the restaurant owner, for all of it. Real great guy.

Caracciolo had brought a lawsuit against the restaurant, because $40k isnt pocket change even for someone who thinks a grand for dinner is totally reasonable, but after he was reimbursed he dropped the suit.

Local police, however, pursued charges, saying that Minhs actions carried a grave impact on Vietnams image and tourist industry. As such, hes been charged with employing electronic devices for the appropriation of properties.

The rest of us will be left to wonder just what the hell kind of meal is worth dropping $1,000 on, holiday or no. Was it just a pile of gold? Please, god, just this once, let it be a pile of gold.

Source: Traveller.com / Tuoitrenews.

Image: John S Lander / Getty.
Actor Donal Logue has taken to social media to ask for help in locating his teenage daughter, according to The Associated Press.

The star of "Gotham" penned an impassioned note on Facebook asking for anyone that might have information on the whereabouts of 16-year-old Jade Logue to contact the proper authorities.

The actor asks that whomever might be with her to just "drop her off ... we'll take her back, with hugs and no questions asked."

Jade Logue is transgender and was previously known as Arlo Logue. She was last seen in Brooklyn on June 26.
Manheim Township police are asking the public to help them find a man who tried to steal a backpack-load of shrimp and his possible female accomplices.

Police said the crime occurred around 6:45 p.m. Saturday at the Giant in the 1300 block of Columbia Avenue. A man was seen stuffing bags of shrimp into his backpack.

Store security confronted the man as he tried to leave without paying, but he abandoned the seafood and the backpack and ran away, police said.

Simultaneously, two women also fled when they were confronted about trying to smuggle shopping carts filled with merchandise out of the store, investigators said.

Anyone with information can call police at 717-569-6401 extension 0.
Opponents of Sunoco's Mariner East II pipeline project took another legal hit on Monday.

In the latest of a series of rulings in the controversy, a state Commonwealth Court panel has again refused to void Sunoco's condemnation of private land for the pipeline.

This time the land in question is in Delaware County. Charles and Karen Katz were trying to block the energy giant from taking a .08-acre tract along Heather Hills Lane in Glen Mills in Edgemont Township.

The Katzes appealed to the state court after a county judge dismissed their challenge to the condemnation.

The couple joined the list of landowners who have lost such appeals when the Commonwealth Court panel, in an opinion by Senior Judge Dan Pellegrini, rejected their argument that Sunoco lacks authority to condemn land for the project.

As his court has ruled before, Pellegrini noted the pipeline project has been designated by the state Public Utility Commission as being in the public's interest because it will transport propane to help meet the winter heating needs of Pennsylvanians.

Therefore, the company's condemnation rights are legitimate, Pellegrini found.
Robert Gutierrez Sr. came back from his vacation home in Delaware to find his Lancaster County residence condemned and partially destroyed by an explosion at his neighbor's home.

"It could have been a lot worse," Gutierrez said, referring to his son and his son's girlfriend being able to escape the blast.

Gutierrez and his family live on the 200 block of Springdale Lane, Manor Township, where an explosion -- likely caused by a gas leak -- leveled his next-door neighbor's home. A UGI employee was killed as a result of the explosion, said Blue Rock Regional Fire Commissioner Duane Hagelgans. The employee had not been identified late Sunday.

Hagelgans said two other UGI employees were taken to a local hospital and are expected to recover. A third person, an employee for Pennsylvania One Call System, was also injured. No updates on that person's condition were available.

A small fleet of UGI vehicles and a large number of staff surveyed the area near the blast well into Sunday afternoon to determine if there were any other leaks. Nine fire departments, seven EMS units, state police, Occupational Safety and Heath Administration, and the Pennsylvania Public Utility commission all were at the scene during some portion of the early investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board has taken over the investigation because the incident involved a fatality related to infrastructure.

A blanket of insulation across neighboring homes and a huge bed of rubble were all that was left of Jeannie Hughes' home of nine years. Several hundred feet down the road, a piece of mail with her address was found, a testament to the force of the blast. Hughes told LNP newspaper that UGI employees at the scene told her the gas readings in the house were near 100 percent prior to the explosion. Hagelgans said she was told to evacuate her home and subsequently found out half an hour later that her home had exploded.

She could not be reached for comment by PennLive.

Hughes told LNP she lost everything and felt bad for her neighbors, referencing the Gutierrez family who had just moved in on March 31. Still, she appeared optimistic in the wake of the destruction, describing herself as pretty lucky and grateful that she and her two sons weren't a home.

Hagelgans thanked the community for their support, helping crews move equipment, providing water and doing whatever was necessary to assist public safety officials and the explosion victims. Clayton Hollinger, who lives a few houses away from the explosion, said he was heartened by the community response following the horrific explosion.

Neighbors took photos of the home prior to its explosion Sunday afternoon.

Hollinger and his family watched the incident unfold after fire trucks arrived. They explained that the explosion wasn't so loud as much as a forceful percussion, like a feeling large fireworks or a mortar going off at close range, Hollinger said.

He pointed to damage such as broken windows on his own home several hundred feet away.

Gutierrez's home next door wasn't so lucky. Much of the structure was gone or showing visible signs of damage from blast wave. The entire backyard was covered in debris and the side closest to the blast looked like it had been hit by hurricane-force winds.

Seven people live at Gutierrez's house and he noted that he recently had around 50 people at his house for a pig roast. Gutierrez said he wasn't sure of what step was next, but he said it could be a while before his family is back in their home.

Explaining that nearly all of the Hughes' neighbors were on vacation, Hollinger said fewer people than normal were in the typically busy area of the cul-de-sac when the blast occurred. A 20-year resident of the neighborhood, Hollinger said he was in contact with his neighbors who were out of town to let them know what was happening at their homes.

Hollinger said he and his family will continue to help the displaced families in any way he can, though there isn't much they can do now that the devastation has settled. Both Hollinger and Gutierrez expressed their sympathies to the family of the UGI employee.

Public safety crews are expected to clear part of the scene Monday, while contractors sent by the homeowner's insurance companies will handle the bulk of the cleanup process.

Hagelgans described the blast as powerful, but said it had less kick than the gas explosion in Millersville in 2011 the fire company responded to, which damaged The Framery Etc. Noting the much stronger commercial building, Hagelgans said there wasn't as much visible damage in that incident even with the stronger explosion.

UGI issued the following statement after the incident:

"UGI is saddened to announce the tragic death of one of our coworkers who was killed in an incident at Springdale Lane, Manor Township.

Three UGI employees were responding to a gas odor call on Sunday, July 2, 2017 when an explosion occurred. One employee was killed and two employees were injured in the explosion. The two injured employees are hospitalized but are expected to fully recover.

The cause of the incident is under investigation and UGI is working with regulatory officials, fire and emergency responders to learn more about the cause of the explosion. As part of this effort, UGI crews have shut off natural gas to the affected area and are performing enhanced leak detection surveys to ensure the area is safe.

The entire UGI family is deeply saddened by this tragic event. Our thoughts are with the family of our fellow employee who lost his life as well as our employees who were injured, and their families. UGI is working through our employee assistance program to provide grief counseling to employees and employee family members, as well as the American Red Cross to provide assistance to individuals affected by the incident."
A Hanover man is accused of stealing a customer's car from a Turkey Hill parking lot in York County.

James Lawrence Putman 43 of Hanover, was charged Sunday by West Manheim Township police.

He is accused of taking a Chevrolet Aveo from the Turkey Hill on Baltimore Street while the owner was inside the store just before 10 p.m. Sunday, police said.

At midnight, the vehicle was seen driving into the Walmart lot at 1881 Baltimore Pike. Putman was stopped and got out of the vehicle, but refused to comply with the officer's instructions, police said. He got back in the vehicle and fled behind Walmart, where he abandoned the vehicle and fled into the store.

He was found hiding in the shopping cart staging area, and was arrested and transported to central booking for arraignment, police said.

Putman was charged with vehicle theft, receiving stolen property, recklessly endangerment, unauthorized use, DUI, possession of crack cocaine and paraphernalia, resisting arrest, flight to avoid apprehension and driving under suspension.
Four regional hospitals recently acquired by PinnacleHealth System will remain in the Capital BlueCross provider network, Capital BlueCross and PinnacleHealth announced.

PinnacleHealth last week completed the purchase of Memorial Hospital of York, Lancaster Regional Medical Center, Heart of Lancaster Regional Medical Center and Carlisle Regional Medical Center from Community Health Systems, based in Tennessee.

PinnacleHealth declined to provide information about the purchase price of the hospitals and their assets.

The health system has also signed an agreement to affiliate with UPMC. That is merger is awaiting state and federal regulatory approval.

I announcing the purchase Friday, PinnacleHealth said it was working with health plans/insurers -- such as Capital BlueCross -- to continue the contracts that were in place at each of the hospitals to support continued network participation.

Capital Blue Cross president and CEO Gary D. St. Hilaire in a news release promised that the transition of the hospitals to PinnacleHealth "will be a seamless experience for our customers."

PinnacleHealth said Monday it is working with other former CHS insurance company to make similar arrangements.
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PHOTOS: Petoskey celebrates Veterans Day 2022

Petoskey's American Legion taught local elementary students how to fold the flag during the Veterans Day ceremony on Friday, Nov. 11 in Pennsylvania Park.
Bloomberg/ Daniel Acker



The 46-mile pipeline to cross Texas-Mexico border, under wall. Presidential permits issued for three NuStar pipelines: State

HOUSTON/WASHINGTON

Petroleumworld 07 03 2017

What does energy dominance look like? A little like a 46-mile pipeline trickling modest volumes of gasoline and diesel into Mexico.

President Donald Trump on Thursday announced his plans for promoting U.S. energy, which included the approval of NuStar Energy LP's New Burgos Pipeline, a cross-border project capable of hauling 108,000 barrels day of gasoline, diesel and other petroleum products to Mexico from the southern tip of Texas. That's about 2 percent of the nation's current petroleum products exports.

My administration has just approved the construction of a new petroleum pipeline to Mexico, which will further boost American energy exports, and that will go right under the wall, right? Trump said during an Energy Week event in Washington. Have it go down a little deeper in that one section.

The pipeline could essentially displace the fuels that are currently hauled across the border in tanker trucks. It's planned to transport petroleum to Pemex's Burgos gas processing plant in Reynosa, Tamaulipas, in Mexico from Edinburg, Texas. The trucks it will displace would've had a much harder time moving past the wall anyway.

Every piece of infrastructure helps, said Robert Campbell, head of oil-products research for Energy Aspects Ltd in New York. This only goes just across the river into Mexico.

NuStar still needs to get commitments from potential shippers on the line before it moves forward.

NuStar is currently in negotiations with different customers to move the refined products in to Mexico, spokesman Greg Matula said by email. But receiving these presidential permits is a very important step in moving the agreements with the customers to completion.

The U.S. exported just over 5 million barrels a day of finished petroleum products in March, government data show. NuStar's line capacity would make up 2 percent of that total, if it gets fully booked by customers. But the specific project pinned to American dominance wouldn't have been possible without Mexico's historic 2014 energy reform that opened the market to private companies. Another San Antonio-based company, Howard Energy Partners , is also working to pipe refined products into northern Mexico if it can get the approvals.

I'm not convinced this is going to be some giant change, Campbell said by phone. This won't be the last -- I'd be very surprised if this was the last such project.






CSC Network CEO Rodman Ward III at his companys new headquarters outside Wilmington, Delaware. With 900 employees in two buildings here, and 2,600 worldwide, CSC is the largest of scores of firms in an unusual state industry that services the major corporate affiliates, investment partnerships, tax and legal shelters attracted to Delaware by the states business-friendly courts and low intellectual-property taxes. Read more

Among Delaware's distinctive industries, chemicals, credit cards, and chickens have shrunk or consolidated. But its corporations business is busy as ever.

"If there's a golden goose in Delaware, it's our corporations franchise," Gov. John Carney told the two-story crowd that filled the atrium entrance at the new 40-acre suburban Wilmington headquarters campus of one of the little state's biggest businesses, CSC, on Tuesday. The 118-year-old, family-owned company specializes in an arcane legal, accounting, and compliance business  the formation and care of business entities in key legal and tax-shelter centers. CSC employs 900 locally, a total of 2,600 worldwide, and claims a close working relationship with the government of what Ralph Nader once called the Company State.

Delaware has more corporations, partnerships, subsidiaries, and other business entities (more than a million) than people (it's about as populous as Montgomery County or Northeast Philadelphia). Most are "foreign" corporations  companies actually based in other states, or countries. They incorporate under Delaware law so they can send finance and ownership disputes to its business-friendly, precedent-setting Court of Chancery, to take advantage of its intellectual-property income-tax exemptions, and to use other pro-corporate laws routinely updated by a business-friendly legislature, even under the currently dominant Democrats.

So, as Carney and the General Assembly at Dover have been trying to plug a $400 million budget hole, lure back heavy industry by easing the Coastal Zone Act to encourage redevelopment of the former Claymont Steel, DuPont Edge Moor, and other blasted Delaware River sites as gasworks or export factories, and trim social programs beloved of Carney's predecessor Jack Markell, the state's leaders took a break to celebrate the corporations business. They joined CSC chief Rodman Ward III to thank him for his company's recent rapid growth, to applause from his assembled staff.

"When CSC is successful, Delaware is successful," Carney told the crowd. Corporate fees from companies that use Delaware as their legal home "make up 25 to 30 percent of our tax base," making it possible for Delaware to avoid imposing a retail sales tax  unlike Pennsylvania, New Jersey, or Maryland. (Delaware, like Philadelphia, does impose a gross-receipts tax on retailers  a sales tax consumers don't see when they patronize stores in "the Home of Tax-Free Shopping.") Most of the state also lacks municipal government, and school districts are regional, not town-based, which helps keep property taxes a fraction of what owners pay in suburban Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

The governor didn't point out that Delaware lawmakers lately agreed to increase the state's corporate franchise tax, boosting rates for the biggest companies to as much as $250,000 a year, from $180,000. It's the second hike in three years: in 2014, the General Assembly voted to boost the minimum yearly fee to $175, from $75. Still a bargain, compared with state income tax rates elsewhere, boosters insist.

Delaware used to tax local businesses more aggressively. But it agreed last year to extensive tax breaks for successors to the once locally dominant DuPont Co., which has been spinning off business units for years, and plans to break in three after merging with Dow Chemical Co. later this year. In exchange for what amounts to tens of millions in annual tax reductions, Dow and DuPont agreed to site two of their three proposed successor firms in Delaware  though the larger of the two, a proposed pesticide company, plans only a streamlined central office, with its research, development, and sales efforts largely in the Midwest and foreign farm centers.

Delaware has also been working to attract start-ups. In June, Carney popped in at NextFab Wilmington, the latest iteration of Evan Malone's growing Philadelphia-based chain of "maker spaces" where 3-D printers and other cool computer-controlled tools are available to dues-paying firm founders, hobbyists, grad students, and tinkerers. The state granted Malone's project, which is for-profit, $350,000 to help it get started, in a former furniture warehouse on the ragged eastern edge of the city's downtown.

(The original version of this column incorrectly used an older form of CSC's name.)
You may have seen the paper and website the other day when we shared letters from white people who were allowed a platform to say black people ruin neighborhoods.

For a minute, I wondered if someone had mined the trash heap that is my inbox.

In fact, I regularly hear from at least two of the letter writers, including Dale Porter, a grandmother from South Philly, who had most recently written me to angrily say that I was more hateful, divisive, and racist than President Trump, whom she had voted for.

This time, the 71-year-old widow of a Philadelphia firefighter was responding to a Brewerytown resident's opinion that the white people moving into her neighborhood were looking down their noses at longtime black residents.

She wrote:

"Regarding the letter about whites moving into Brewerytown, blacks have been doing this in white neighborhoods for years and, for the most part, ruining those areas."

Her letter was just slightly more pointed than that of another letter writer  Vito from Blackwood  who suggested blacks were drug-dealing gang-bangers.

"Is that not true?" Porter asked me as I sat with her the other day, in the same polite tone she had used when offering me a cup of coffee. I thought it would be good to sit down with her, to see what was behind her thinking.

If someone had looked through her window, they might have assumed that we were discussing the weather or the upcoming Fourth of July holiday, for which she had decked out her front porch.

But inside, I was struggling to reconcile this woman's kindly exterior with what was coming from inside her, the talk about the "changing" neighborhoods, the audacity of black and brown kids trick-or-treating on her street.

"I just don't understand. Don't they have their own neighborhoods to go around?" she asked, and explained why she has stopped giving out candy on Halloween.

They're kids, I pointed out. They're not sticking you up, they're just asking for candy.

But no matter how many lifelines I offered Porter, she just threw them right back at me.

Second thoughts about saying most blacks ruin neighborhoods? Never. Worried that she was stereotyping a whole group of people she admitted she's had little interaction with? Nah. Afraid of being labeled a racist? She was good with that, too.

Later, she wondered if it is possible to be "half-racist," since she didn't say all blacks ruin neighborhoods.

As possible as being half-pregnant.

Porter was angry that the Inquirer had run a delayed explanation about the letters for readers who found them as offensive as I had. She complained that the editors hadn't felt the need to explain the first letter, in which a Brewerytown resident had contended that whites moving in were staring down their noses at the longtime black residents.

"Now it's just OK to be reverse racist," she observed.

I asked if she had ever given consideration that a neighborhood's success or failure has less to do with the color of skin of the people who lived in it and more to do with deep-seated poverty, lack of educational and employment opportunities, and overwhelming negligence from developmental and government agencies.

She wasn't buying it.

I knew I'd regret it, but we waded into our country's discriminatory history. She was excited to talk about the disrespect people were showing the Confederate statues and flag. The history of slavery they represent? Not so much.

"C'mon, enough with slavery," she scoffed. "I don't know that all of them weren't well-treated, they had homes, they had food and clothes.  It's all you hear, 'They've been oppressed.' "

I have to admit, this is about the time I knew we were done. I'm hardly a newcomer to people spouting views like this, in my inbox or to my face. Around this time last year, Bill O'Reilly made headlines when he said slaves building the White House were "well-fed and had decent lodgings provided by the government."

But after an hour or so of talking in circles, we found little common ground other than maybe her love for all things pineapples, which she had plastered her living room with.

I realized that people on my side  and make no mistakes, everyone has chosen a side  are approaching this fight for our nation's conscience all wrong.

We keep trying to convince ourselves that this divide is about politics, when really, it's about who and what we value.

We keep telling ourselves that people with racist views are outliers, that they aren't our mothers, our grandmothers, our pleasant-enough co-worker and neighbor down the street. But that's as tone-deaf as that belief we held onto that there was no way Trump would win, that there is no way he'll remain president.

We keep thinking there is a way to find common ground, when I'm not convinced there is a bridge big enough to close that gap. We are so desperate not to be accused of being closed-minded, unwilling to even entertain the "other" side that we are going overboard to empower and elevate click-bait to debate.

We have to stop.

And no, this isn't up for debate.
Cash confiscated from a Michigan family at PHL last week prior to their flight to Qatar. Read more

A Michigan family flying to the Middle East learned a hard lesson about honesty last week at Philadelphia International Airport.

Officials with U.S. Customs and Border Protection said they found and confiscated $93,393 from a man, his wife, and their five children while they went through customs Wednesday to board a flight to Qatar.

They could have kept it all, too, customs officials said, if they had told the truth.

"The best way to keep all of your currency is to honestly report it all to Customs and Border Protection officers during inspection," Shawn Polley, acting CBP port director for the Area Port of Philadelphia, said in a news release.

Family members had reported that they were carrying $12,000 in cash, both in writing and when they were interviewed by officers at the airport, officials said. Upon inspection, officers discovered the $93,393 concealed on the bodies of the man, the woman, and their adult child.

No criminal charges were filed.

Officers returned $3,393 to the family and they were released, continuing to Qatar. The family was not identified.

CBP spokesman Stephen Sapp said Qatar was not the family's final destination. He declined to offer more details, saying the family could file a petition to have the money returned.

Qatar, a small peninsular nation in Persian Gulf, is connected by land to Saudi Arabia and has been in the news often over accusations that it harbors and aides terrorists. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Egypt have imposed diplomatic and economic blockades.

President Trump has also accused Qatar of funding terrorism.

On June 15, a traveler bound for Jamaica had $39,225 confiscated at PHL. That woman also under-reported the amount of cash she was carrying. No criminal charges were filed in that case.

The CBP says that, on a typical day in the United States, it seizes $289,609 in undeclared or illicit currency.
West Goshen Police Chief Joseph Gleason (left) stands by as Chester County District Attorney Thomas Hogan conducts a news conference to discuss the arrest of suspected shooter David Desper, of Trainer, Pa. in the death of Bianca Roberson. Read more

The bullet was fired by a man driving a red pickup truck on a Chester County highway last week, police said, striking and killing 18-year-old Bianca Roberson as she tried to merge lanes next to him.

And as authorities announced murder charges Sunday against the man who allegedly pulled the trigger, they said the bullet was a key piece of evidence in securing his arrest, because the fragment later pulled from Roberson's head during an autopsy matched the caliber of gun they found at his Delaware County house.

"This is the story of a savage and senseless murder," said Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan. "Somebody didn't want to give way. Somebody didn't want to merge into a lane of traffic. And because of that, a young woman is dead."

David Desper, 28, of Trainer, surrendered to police around 2 a.m. Sunday, Hogan said, ending a three-day manhunt for the road-rage murder suspect that spanned at least two counties and attracted national attention.

Roberson's family sat in the audience as Hogan and a team of police officials in West Goshen Township, where the slaying occurred, announced the charges against Desper, including first- and third-degree murder, possession of an instrument of crime, and reckless endangerment. The family did not want to speak afterward, and they were visibly distraught during the news conference, shaking their heads as the district attorney recounted the facts of the case.

Hogan said Roberson  a recent graduate of Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester who was headed to Jacksonville University in the fall  had "her whole summer in front of her. Her whole life in front of her."

Her father, Rodney Roberson, said last week that his daughter, who also worked at a retirement community in Newtown Square, was shot while driving home from a shopping trip in Exton with her mother and grandmother, picking up school supplies and groceries.

Police had been searching for leads since the killing Wednesday evening on Route 100. Hogan said investigators interviewed witnesses, collected video surveillance, and released to the public pictures of Desper's truck and a composite sketch of the suspect's face  an attempt to force the alleged killer to turn himself in.

The gambit ultimately worked, with Desper surrendering at the Media office of his lawyer, Dan McGarrigle.

McGarrigle declined to say Sunday why his client wanted to turn himself in or whether he had given a statement to authorities. Hogan also would not say whether Desper had told police anything about the crime.

Several of Desper's neighbors in Delaware County said they did not know him well; some said they would not have recognized him. No one answered the door at his home on Anderson Avenue, though Mark Halliday, 38, who lives two doors down, said he believed two or three men moved into the house about two years ago.

Fred Kinsler, 45, said he had known Desper as a kid. Kinsler knew that Desper drove a red truck but said he "didn't put two and two together" until he heard about the arrest.

"He was a good kid," Kinsler said. "It's a shame."

Hogan said Desper worked as a well and pipe driller for local businesses, though he declined to elaborate. He said Desper's parents were living with him at the house and were there when authorities searched it last week.

Attempts to reach Desper's family Sunday were unsuccessful.

6ABC's Annie McCormack reported finding this sign in a home said to belong to relatives of Desper.

Hogan suggested that the motive for Desper's actions was relatively cut-and-dry.

Desper and Roberson "jockeyed for position [while merging] and he wasn't happy," Hogan said. "So he pulled out a gun and shot Bianca in the head, killing her instantly."

"That's the same merge people in Southeastern Pennsylvania make thousands of times every day," Hogan said. "All across the region people do that without a problem."

The district attorney said there was "no indication that we're aware of that this was a race crime or a hate crime."

"This appears to be a savage, senseless, and brutal act from one human being to another human being," he said.

The shooting happened at 5:31 p.m. Wednesday in the southbound lane of Route 100 approaching Route 202, according to police. Roberson was driving a green 2009 Chevrolet Malibu, Desper a red Chevrolet Silverado pickup truck.

After Desper shot Roberson in the head, police said, her car veered off the road and crashed into a tree. One witness told police that just before seeing the crash, he "heard a loud noise that could have been a gunshot," according to a criminal complaint.

Hogan said surveillance footage showed that Desper's truck sped from the scene. Investigators "recovered a large amount of video evidence" showing Desper's truck traveling on Route 100, Route 202, Paoli Pike, and ultimately to Delaware County, the criminal complaint says.

After Desper turned himself in at about 2 a.m. Sunday, the complaint said, police recovered his pickup truck on Huntingdon Farm Drive, in Glen Mills. Hogan said that Desper was the truck's registered owner, and that it bore the same dent that could be seen on the truck in the surveillance tapes.

Police also searched Desper's home, the complaint said, and found a .40-caliber Smith & Wesson semiautomatic handgun, as well as .40-caliber ammunition in a trash can. Ballistics testing on the bullet fragment pulled from Roberson's skull indicated that the same caliber weapon and ammunition were used in her killing, according to the complaint.

Hogan said Desper legally purchased the handgun in November 2015 and had a permit to carry it.

West Goshen Police Chief Joseph Gleason credited teamwork between his officers and county detectives, saying he was proud of their cooperative work  as well as the response of the community. Alerts pushed out by police and the media resulted in hundreds of leads and tips, he said.

But in a somber note, the police chief took time to offer condolences to Roberson's family  who were struggling to cope with the sudden loss of their bright, young girl.

"This is such a tragedy that no one should have to endure," he said.
Yufna Soldier Wolf (right), of the Northern Arapaho, stands with tribal elders Crawford White Sr. (left), and her father, Mark Soldier Wolf. Little Chief, her great uncle, is buried in Carlisle. Read more

Next month, if all goes as planned, Little Chief will finally be going home.

Home to the rocky expanse of the Wyoming reservation he left as a boy of 14. Home to a family that, four generations later, still mourns his loss. Home from a cemetery on the grounds of what was the Carlisle Indian Industrial School, now the Army War College, where he lies among nearly 200 native children who died in a misbegotten experiment in forced assimilation.

"Each child has a story," said Yufna Soldier Wolf, the great niece of Little Chief, who has worked to return him and two compatriots to their Northern Arapaho lands. "Let those stories be told through their sacrifices, which were their lives."

After more than a year of hearings, studies, and planning, the Army has set an Aug. 8 date to begin turning over the remains of Indian children to their families and tribes. A Northern Arapaho delegation will travel to Carlisle to formally accept the first three.

Little Chief, the eldest son of Chief Sharp Nose, arrived at the school on March 11, 1881, accompanied by two friends, Horse, age 11, and Little Plume, 9.

Within two years, all three were dead. They weren't the first or last to perish.

The aim of the nation's first federal off-reservation boarding school, founded by former Cavalry officer Richard Henry Pratt, was to cleanse natives of their "savage nature" by erasing their names, languages, customs, religions and family ties. Beatings were common punishments.

Even as children succumbed to tuberculosis and flu, Carlisle became the model for dozens of Indian schools that spread across the United States and Canada.

Today, the trauma of the boarding-school system is largely absent from American school books, but fully present in the hearts and minds of the first Americans. Now they're working to locate and identify the remains of children who died in disastrous contacts with white authority:

 Scores of unmarked graves at the Chemawa Indian School in Oregon were discovered in 2015 after historian Marsha Small surveyed the campus cemetery with ground-penetrating radar.

 The Canadian Sto:lo tribe is searching for the graves of children who were stolen from their parents and taken to California by miners returning from the 1858 Fraser Canyon Gold Rush.

 South Dakota researchers checking an unmarked cemetery near the former Rapid City Indian School identified the remains of 10 students, and located an area where 40 others may be buried.

"It's a new idea that we want our children back, and that we are within our rights to actively seek this resolution," said Christine Diindiisi McCleave, executive officer of the National Native American Boarding School Healing Coalition. "It has taken generations for the majority of us to awaken to the full weight of what was done to us."

Last week, the coalition announced plans to file a United Nations petition seeking an accounting of all children who were "taken into government custody" at boarding schools and "whose fate and whereabouts remain unknown."

Native scholar Preston McBride estimates that figure could top 10,000. In Canada, a commission found, it was 6,000.

Experts say the drive for resolution took root 30 years ago, with the passage and codification of laws that gave Indians greater say over their dead. Each victory  including this year's return of the 9,000-year-old skeleton that scientists call Kennewick Man and Indians know as the Ancient One  builds toward the next.

"American Indians are very attuned to legal decisions that cement sovereign rights," said Villanova University history professor Paul Rosier, a specialist in native studies.

The percentage of natives with college degrees has nearly doubled in the last 35 years, and many have used law and archaeology degrees to advocate.

More tribes have hired historic-preservation officers, who see the search for lost relatives as crucial. Those efforts can extend across the sea, where Indians who died while performing with turn-of-the-century Wild West shows lie in European graveyards.

"People want the remains of their ancestors resting in their homelands," said David Beck, professor of Native American studies at the University of Montana, "even if their spirits have already made a journey to another world."

The Rosebud Sioux of South Dakota seek 10 children from Carlisle, Alaska natives also say they want their relatives, and other tribes are considering action.

Only recently has the Army agreed to surrender remains  a pivot in a tortuous, 140-year deliberation.

Early, internal Army discussions documented in 60 pages of correspondence at the National Archives show the cemetery was seen as an impediment to growth. Nowhere in the letters do Army officials suggest returning the children to their families.

In 1923, five years after the school closed and the military reclaimed the campus, memos began to ricochet among Army officers in Carlisle, Washington, and Baltimore. By fall 1926, Army Surgeon General Merritte Ireland had heard enough. He wanted the cemetery "gotten out of the way," preferably off the base, his aide wrote.

Carlisle Commandant Charles Reynolds, later to become surgeon general himself, saw the perfect solution: Move the children's remains to a government plot in Ashland Cemetery, south of the military base.

"I do not see how there can be any objection on the part of anyone to this arrangement," Reynolds wrote to Ireland.

In fact, there had already been plenty of objection to precisely that arrangement:

Amos LaFromboise, a 13-year-old Sioux, was among the first group of students to arrive at Carlisle in October 1879. Seven weeks later he became the first to die.

After a Christian funeral service  Carlisle compelled religious conversion  his body was borne to Ashland and buried near the graves of 500 unknown Civil War soldiers.

Pratt knew that more students would die at Carlisle. The day after Amos' funeral, he wrote to the War Department and asked whether more plots were available at Ashland.

His query prompted a judge advocate general to rule that, according to Ashland Cemetery bylaws, Indians could not be buried beside white people.

The remains of young Amos were dug up, carried back to the school, and reburied in a field  beside those of a 13-year-old Cheyenne boy, the renamed Abe Lincoln, who had died in the meantime.

Those two graves formed the core of what would become an expanding school cemetery, as nearly 100 students died in the first decade alone.

An aggressive push to move the graveyard took hold in January 1927, when Gen. Ireland told the Army Quartermaster that its location was simply unsuitable. The post needed the land, he wrote.

By August 1927, workers were digging, the job dirty, sweaty, and grim. Coffins tended to crumble when handled, exposing remains.

The cemetery was relocated to a distant spot on the base, by the rear gate near what was then Poor House Road. After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, security upgrades at the Carlisle Barracks turned the back gate into the front entrance.

Today most base visitors pass the well-kept lawn of the cemetery. But they don't see the name Little Chief on a headstone.

Like other students, a new, English name was imposed on him. Little Chief became Dickens Nor. Horse was renamed Horace Washington, and Little Plume was called Hayes Vanderbilt Friday.

Nearly 2,000 miles away, on the Wind River Reservation in Wyoming, Soldier Wolf has picked a burial place for her great uncle, a plot in the family cemetery. It's high on a hill thick with sagebrush.

The view, she said, is spectacular.
Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. delivered eight opinions and two dissents in the just-concluded Supreme Court term.

But none probably meant as much as the statement he handed down on a rainy, early June morning in a small New Hampshire town.

It was the ninth-grade commencement address for the Cardigan Mountain School, an elite boarding school for boys grades six through nine. Sitting up front under a large white tent as John Glover Roberts Jr. took the stage was graduating student John Glover Roberts III.

In Canaan, N.H., Head of School Christopher Day said, the 17th chief justice of the United States would always be known as the dad of "our Cardigan Cougar Jack."

You may remember Jack Roberts from his own moment on the national stage 12 years ago, when his father was chosen for the Supreme Court. As President George W. Bush revealed his choice in a formal White House ceremony, John and Jane Roberts struggled to simultaneously ignore and control the rambunctious boy in the short-pants ice-cream suit. His father later said Jack was pretending he was Spiderman, shooting webs from his hands.

Roberts' commencement address was not publicized in advance, but it was recorded by the school, uploaded to YouTube and is slowly gaining attention. Several readers emailed the link to me. One person wrote, "I'm a Democrat and I can't stand the guy's views, but I was in tears."

There is nothing about the Supreme Court or the law in the short speech, although each graduating Cougar received an autographed, pocket-size Constitution along with his certificate.

Instead, the address was personal, understated and popular probably because it touches on universal themes, such as a parent's worry about whether he or she is making the right decisions for their child.

Driving through the gates after leaving a student at Cardigan, Roberts said, parents travel a "trail of tears" to an "emptier and lonelier house."

Roberts is considered one of the Supreme Court's better writers, whose public addresses show a quick wit and professional timing. He first asked the Cardigan students to turn and applaud their parents and others who had guided them.

He joked that he would later be able to report that his speech was "interrupted by applause."

Success, he reminded them, comes to those who are unafraid to fail. "And if you did fail, you got up and tried again. And if you failed again, you got up and tried again. And if you failed again  it might be time to think about doing something else."

Roberts said commencement addresses customarily wish graduates success. He thought it better for them to experience challenges.

"From time to time in the years to come, I hope you will be treated unfairly," Roberts said, "so that you will come to learn the value of justice."

Betrayal "will teach you the importance of loyalty." Loneliness will instruct "don't take friends for granted." Pain will cause someone "to learn compassion."

"I wish you bad luck  again, from time to time  so that you will be conscious of the role of chance in life," Roberts said. "And understand that your success is not completely deserved, and that the failure of others is not completely deserved, either."

A commencement speech is supposed to offer "grand advice," Roberts said, so his first was to recognize the exalted perch from which they started  a school with a 4-to-1 student-teacher ratio, where students dine in jackets and ties, and tuition and board cost about $55,000.

Through his son, Roberts had come to know many of the students, he said, and "I know you are good guys."

"But you are also privileged young men, and if you weren't privileged when you came here, you're privileged now because you have been here," Roberts said. "My advice is: Don't act like it."

At their next school, he urged them, introduce themselves to the people "raking the leaves, shoveling the snow or emptying the trash." Learn their names, smile and call them by name. "The worst thing that will happen is you will become known as the young man who smiles and says hello," he said.

Another thing:

"You've been at a school with just boys. Most of you will be going to a school with girls," Roberts said.

Long pause.

"I have no advice for you."

In his speech, Roberts quoted Socrates, and, not surprisingly, he ended it with the words of "the great American philosopher, Bob Dylan."

Roberts has quoted Dylan in judicial opinions, and he's not alone. The New York Times a few years ago noted a study that found Dylan the most quoted songwriter in judicial opinions, and said Roberts had "opened the floodgates" by quoting the Bard of Minnesota in a 2008 dissent.

The song he quoted at the commencement speech, of course, was "Forever Young." Roberts is an unusual parent. Now 62, he and Jane married rather late in life. Their contemporaries are welcoming grandchildren, while they have two high-schoolers, Jack and his sister Josephine.

The wishes expressed by Dylan for his son, Jesse, are "beautiful, they're timeless, they're universal," Roberts said.

But the phrase that gives the song its title and refrain  forever young  is unrealistic, the chief justice said. It can't come true.

"That wish is a parent's lament," he said.
Once upon a time, Roadside America was one of the countrys great off-highway family attractions. Read more

The village of Fairfield teems with life. Yet the ballplayers, canoeists and construction workers have been frozen in place for more than half a century.

America in miniature, the sprawling nano-village was the lifelong oeuvre of Laurence Gieringer, who began building models as a boy in Reading. He added on and on, until the village was big enough to fill nearly 8,000 square feet in a building in Shartlesville, Berks County. It opened in 1953 as Roadside America, "The World's Largest Miniature Village!"

And today, although fewer cars may fill the parking lot, the town of Fairfield stands open to visitors just as Gieringer left it when he died in 1963.

"I don't change," said Dolores Heinsohn, the 69-year-old granddaughter of Gieringer who keeps Roadside America running today. "That's the key to me."

And Roadside America's consistency is a draw for visitors. "They know when they come back they're not going to be disappointed and they know it's not going to change," she said. "I say it's comfort food for the soul."

From cast-metal carriage wheels to zippy trains to architecturally true bridges, the miniature village is a wonder of artistry: every person, car and building intentionally positioned and no detail left untended. A blue sign hangs across the front door: "Who enters here will be taken by surprises  be prepared to see more than you expect!"

"It's very hard to explain to people what it is," Heinsohn said. "People think it's nothing, but when they walk in that door, they're shocked."

People such as the Violantes. For four years, Pete Violante and his daughters, 22-year-old Amy and 14-year-old Emily, had been driving by Roadside America's signature Pennsylvania Dutch couple that beckons to motorists on I-78 as the family shuttled between their home in Easton and Gettysburg College, where Amy was a student.

Last week, the family finally stopped.

"I expected a flat, train-set setup," said Pete Violante, 44.

Instead, the family saw a carefully scaled topography of mountains, valleys and lakes. About 350 buildings and hundreds if not thousands of people populate Fairfield  all built at 3/8 of an inch to a foot.

The movie house perpetually advertises Boys Town, vintage 1938, starring Spencer Tracy and Mickey Rooney. A band plays in a gazebo to an audience sitting on benches. The cathedral stands as a beacon, with light shining out of 44 hand-painted windows.

Visitors can push buttons to animate trolleys on tracks, children on swings, or wells in an oil field. Real fish swim underneath fishermen in boats, their lines bobbing in the water.

"It's one of those things you have to see once in your life if you live in the region  and even if you don't," said Lisa Haggerty, the marketing manager at Berks County's visitors bureau.

Gieringer spent months constructing single buildings, using wood from old furniture or produce crates. He built fire escapes from the family's curtain rods and nicked his daughter's dollhouse furniture.

He began making models at 9 and made some of the first pieces of Roadside America when he was an adolescent, crafting in the workshop his father built him.

In 1935, Gieringer and his wife opened their home for the public to see what would become Roadside America, which was already big enough to take over their living room.

Two years later, the miniature village  now 700 square feet  drew 58,000 visitors in eight weeks displayed at a firehouse in Reading.

After showing "Hobbytown" in various locations, Gieringer  who built homes, sold oil paintings, and made tombstones to support his family  moved to the current location. After two months of setup, the family celebrated Roadside America's grand opening on Aug. 5, 1953.

Gieringer kept adding to his creation until his death from cancer in 1963 at age 69. But from the administrations of John F. Kennedy to President Trump, not much has changed inside Gieringer's village.

Today, visitors come from around the world and closer to home. Some people drive by for decades before their curiosity gets the best of them. Others are frequent visitors. A few years ago, a man proposed to his girlfriend in a tunnel behind the waterfall.

Heinsohn welcomes close to 100,000 guests each year. The site's roughly 200 parking spaces used to be full with families taking day trips and school buses packed with children.

But in the 90s, "it started to take on this kitschy persona," Heinsohn said; people mocked it. "It was unsettling to me."

Now, though, she is beginning to see a resurgence in the general public's appreciation for and understanding of the place.

"This is the kind of thing that's missing in this country nowadays," said Heinsohn. "That's why, to me, it's so important to hang on to it tenaciously."

On Wednesday, about 35 people were inside as the twice-hourly "night scene" began in the mid-afternoon: Thanks to 170 buttons pushed consecutively, night fell over the village as a spotlight appeared on the American flag, painted on a wall. As "The Star-Spangled Banner" and "God Bless America" played, Fairfield went to sleep, and then the sun rose for a new day.

John Herczeg strolled around the village with his daughter and her boyfriend's 7-year-old son. Herczeg, 70, had last visited Roadside America when he was in sixth grade. He brought the boy hoping it would "widen his horizons."

"It kind of looks the same," said Herczeg, of Whitehall. "It's nice. It's quaint."

After Gieringer died, his wife decided to sell the attraction. As she was about to sign the papers, lawyer present, Heinsohn's mother put her hand on the paper. "Think about it," she told the widow.

That was the end of the deal, recounted Heinsohn. "The lawyer said, 'We flew in from Texas for this!' And my mother said, 'Well, you can fly right back.'"

At just 14, Heinsohn already saw in Roadside America her life's work. As she watched her grandmother consider selling, she worried: "Where is my future?"

Heinsohn has never forgotten that close call, and has avoided temptation to sell. She is certain Roadside America would not be standing today had her grandmother signed that contract.

And since, Heinsohn has dedicated her life to keeping Gieringer's work intact; now, one of her daughters and her son-in-law run it with her.

"Like my mother and my grandfather used to say, you've got to have fun with it," she said. "You've got to have that inner child in you."
New carbon filters that removed PFOS and PFOA from a contaminated well in Horsham were installed in March. Read more

By this fall, drinking water flowing into three communities should be free of the chemicals from nearby military bases that tainted it, but local residents will have to pick up part of the cleaning bill  at a cost that could exceed $25 million in one town alone in the next 10 years.

"What I'm hearing in my community, they're furious because their water bill doubled and tripled because they have to pay just for the clean water to come in, which is a problem they didn't create," said State Rep. Bernie O'Neill (R., Bucks). "They have to pay for the Navy's mistake."

Even though the military was responsible for the contamination from the former naval air stations, by law it isn't obligated to eliminate the chemicals from the drinking water. It has agreed to participate in the cleanup, but only to bring the level of contamination down to meet an Environmental Protection Agency guideline. But some experts and public officials say that level is inadequate.

The Department of Defense is testing nearly 400 bases nationwide for the contamination and plans a broad remediation  following EPA guidelines  that officials say will take years. Locally, the military is paying to install filters on public wells, has provided bottled water and public water hookups for private well owners, and is making plans to clean up groundwater. A spokesman did not respond to a request for comment last week.

Across the country, state lawmakers are attempting to hold the Army, Navy, and Air Force to stricter standards in areas with contamination from firefighting foams used at military bases. But because the military is part of the federal government and has limited legal liability, that's complicated.

Mark Correll, a high-ranking Air Force official, said in two interviews with the Inquirer and Daily News over the last 10 months that the Air Force would address any contamination for which it is responsible. The military has spent more than $150 million on this effort to date.

But when states want "to do things above and beyond the EPA requirements," he said in September, "from a fiscal standpoint, we have no authority to do anything other than what we're regulated to do."

Potentially dangerous levels of the chemicals, known as PFOS and PFOA, shut down private and public drinking wells in Horsham, Warrington, and Warminster Townships in 2014 near the former Willow Grove and Warminster naval air bases.

Alarm over the compounds, which have been linked to cancers and other health problems, spiked in May 2016 when the EPA created its more stringent guideline, an advisory level based on years of research about the contaminants, which recommend people do not drink water with more than 70 parts per trillion (ppt) of the chemicals.

In many places, residents or lawmakers want the military to go beyond the EPA guideline, which some scientists and lawmakers have questioned.

The new efforts evoke classic states' rights issues: Whether the federal government  which has sovereign immunity, meaning it can't be sued without its consent  ever has to follow state law is a longstanding debate. So far, state efforts haven't compelled the military to act.

In Pennsylvania, water bills have increased for residents in Horsham and Warminster and are set to increase this fall in Warrington as the communities switch entirely to water sources with no trace of the contaminants.

Water-company contracts and billing systems differ from town to town, but in Warminster, officials estimate that $26 million will be passed onto residents in their water bills over the next decade. In Warrington, only some customers will be affected, at an estimated average of $65.52 per customer per year, said a water official. Horsham officials estimate a $1.2 million-per-year total increase.

Last week, O'Neill introduced a bill that he said might help relieve that impact. It would grant Gov. Wolf the authority to declare a disaster emergency for communities that have contamination higher than 15 parts per trillion, a designation that would allow affected communities to receive state grants for state funding to clean up contamination.

State Rep. Kathy Watson (R., Bucks) also introduced legislation that would add the chemicals to the state's list of hazardous substances and make clear that no municipality or water authority is responsible for paying for remediation.

She acknowledged that the legislation would not necessarily force the military to pay for the additional cleanup efforts. But she said passing legislation might give the state an advantage when negotiating with the military.

"This gives us the leverage to take them to court in Pennsylvania and say, 'No, no, no, no, no. You operate in Pennsylvania. You are subject to this law,' " Watson said. "We've checked this with attorneys and they say this gives us better leverage."

Research into legislation and efforts in other states to confront the military over the contamination showed "more of what didn't work than necessarily what did," Watson said.

In Michigan, where public drinking water was contaminated around the Wurtsmith Air Force Base in northern Michigan, the state legislature passed a law requiring the state or federal government to provide alternative drinking water to affected residents if the government was the source of the pollution and the state health department has issued a health advisory.

But Defense Department officials have said the military does not have to follow the law, arguing it is discriminatory because it applies only to the state and federal government, according to local news reports.

The bill was "unnecessary because DOD is undertaking many of the measures contained [in the bill] already," wrote James R. Hartman, Department of Defense regional coordinator, in a letter to state lawmakers before the bill was passed. He claimed the law "would not be enforceable" and would not preclude the military's sovereign immunity.

A similar bill was signed into law in Vermont in June, though it was aimed at a plastics company that contaminated drinking water with PFCs. It requires any entity that has released PFOA to pay for alternative drinking water.

Other states have set their own advisory levels lower than the EPA's, but it is not yet clear whether the military will follow them. The Minnesota Department of Health set guidance levels of 35 ppt and 27 ppt for PFOA and PFOS, respectively. New Jersey officials created a 40-ppt advisory and have since recommended lowering it to 14. But at Joint Base McGuire-Dix-Lakehurst, the Air Force is using the EPA's guideline as it tests private wells near the base for contamination, a spokesman said Friday.

Meanwhile, Horsham, Warminster, and Warrington push ahead with changing their water sources. That's what the residents wanted, officials said. But they don't want to pay for it.

Watson said she won't give up. The military contaminated the water, she said, so the military should pay for all the remediation.

"Everybody pays for their own mess, is how I look at it."
For a long time, Sharif Cook-Riley thought he would become a statistic: He was a young black man with a criminal record and no high school diploma. But this week, he earned a piece of paper that has already served as a bridge to a better life.

Hector Ceballos left Mexico without finishing high school, in search of more opportunities in America. The equivalency credential he collected on Wednesday will allow him to pursue a future in the music world  something he has dreamed of for as long as he can remember.

The two men are among the 100-plus Philadelphians who earned the right to graduate this week in a ceremony honoring adult learners who successfully obtained Commonwealth Secondary School Diplomas  high school equivalency degrees, essentially.

In a city where nearly one in five adults lacks a high school degree and nearly half struggle to read, the achievement is meaningful on both a small and a large scale. Adults who earn their equivalency degrees increase their earning potential dramatically, by thousands a year.

Cook-Riley, 21, was born in Camden and moved around often, spending time in Atlanta, and Jacksonville, Fla. His father spent time in prison; his mother worked two jobs to make ends meet; and Cook-Riley "basically kind of raised myself."

He stopped going to school when his son was born, in 2013. A steady stream of trouble followed.

"I was breaking into people's houses, stealing cars," he said. "I was fighting a lot. I didn't respect anybody. It was me against the world."

His friends started going to jail, and so did Cook-Riley. When his best friend went to prison for a serious crime, that was his wake-up call. If Cook-Riley hadn't been in jail himself, he said, he surely would have been with his friend and facing a long prison stay as well.

So Cook-Riley made a decision: He would start over, moving to Philadelphia, where his grandmother offered a deal  a year to get a job or return to school. He chose the latter, eyes on providing for his son, who now lives with him.

"I won't open my hands," Cook-Riley said. "I won't ask anybody for money. I turned things around. I apologize to people, and I don't try to get in fights. I can't get in trouble anymore."

Through the Community Learning Center, a 30-year-old adult literacy nonprofit, Cook-Riley took placement tests and, in four months, zoomed through a program that takes many people a year or more to complete. Now, he's working in the technology industry, learning to code and other skills, in a paid internship program. On the horizon is steady work in an in-demand field.

"I want to raise my salary; I want to make sure my son can live so much better than I did," said Cook-Riley.

Finishing his equivalency was a high point.

"I always wanted to be a part of something like that," he said of the graduation ceremony. "Especially given the statistics as a black man."

Ceballos, who is also 21, took a different path. He was born in Mexico; he cannot remember a time when he did not play the piano. Eventually, he began studying at the National Conservatory of Music in Mexico City. Academic studies fell by the wayside as he became more serious about concerts and rehearsals.

When he was 18, Ceballos and his father moved to the United States. There were more opportunities for Ceballos here, he figured. He moved to Philadelphia to study piano with a teacher here, but knew that to advance to the places he dreams of  conservatories such as Juilliard, the Curtis Institute of Music, Oberlin  he first needed to earn his diploma.

He, too, found Community Learning Center, where for months, he spent nine hours a week in classes, tackling math, social studies, and English for the first time since he was 17.

"It was difficult  the knowledge was not fresh, and I had to organize my time with rehearsal and studying," said Ceballos. "But my teachers were so supportive."

A friend sat in the audience as Ceballos, who devotes most of his time to preparing for conservatory auditions, accepted his certificate on Wednesday. His father and sisters, in California, and his mother, in Mexico, could not be there, but they're cheering from afar, he said.

"They are very proud," he said.

And while Ceballos' and Cook-Riley's stories are unique, they matter in a larger context, too, said Diane Inverso, executive director of Philadelphia's Office of Adult Education.

"As a city that has high levels of poverty, it is something to be able to get more individuals on the track to finding a career so they are successful," Inverso said. "It impacts our economy. It impacts our families, as well. Each of these stories moves the city forward in a positive way."
Adrianne Gunter has Multiple Sclerosis and started sharing her story at panels and rallies to advocate for the ACA. Friday, June 30, 2017 in Barkan Park, near Gunters residence in West Philadelphia. Read more

Around the time President Trump was inaugurated in January, someone handed Adrianne Gunter a flier. It listed groups that had been organizing protests around the president's agenda, the kind that had been growing in strength and number since the election.

"One was called 'Tuesdays with Toomey,' '' Gunter, 32, recalled  the group of women who spend their lunch breaks protesting outside the Center City office of Sen. Pat Toomey (R., Pa.). "And they were saying, well, this Tuesday we're having people talk about Medicaid and health care. And I thought, oh, I wonder if it's too late for me to apply to speak?"

Gunter has multiple sclerosis, and for the last six months, she has told and retold the story she took to that first protest  about how, right out of college, she lost vision in her left eye and scrounged up $400 for an ophthalmologist to theorize that it might be MS. About the two years she went without insurance, treatment, or an official diagnosis. About her four rejected Medicaid applications, and the job search that became harder and harder as she lost mobility and energy and time. About the day in 2015 when she got a call: Gov. Wolf had signed Pennsylvania's Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Act, and she had been approved. Over and over, she told people outside Toomey's office and on teleconferences and on panels that she feared proposed cuts to Medicaid would cost her the coverage she relies on for treatment.

For her, like many of the protesters galvanized after the presidential election, the first half of 2017 has been something of a crash course in activism and health-care policy  learning to mobilize quickly and call lawmakers daily over bills that, some days, seem to change by the hour. There was the secretive drafting, failure, and subsequent passage of the House health-care bill. There was the secretive drafting, failure, and subsequent fevered speculation over the potential future passage of the Senate health-care bill.

And there was the ensuing uncertainty that, for people like Gunter, is a health concern in and of itself.

"I try not to get overwhelmed, because stress makes the symptoms worse," she said. "I try to stay calm."

Now, with the Senate bill tabled until after the congressional recess, she and other activists who have protested the bills for months are taking a deep breath  but not that deep.

"I think everyone took a minute to breathe a little sigh of relief and celebrate that this got pushed off, but that was short lived. It was a couple minutes before everyone got back to work," said Antoinette Kraus, the director of the health care advocacy group Pennsylvania Health Access Network. "This is still happening. And folks are pretty fired up."

Toomey, whose office at Second and Chestnut Streets still draws weekly protests, has argued that the concerns of Gunter and activists like her are unfounded; under the Senate bill that he helped draft, he wrote in the Inquirer last week, those who qualified for Medicaid under the expansion would still be eligible.

But the bill would put spending caps on Medicaid. And it will eventually require states to pay more of the cost for the program's expansion, to curb what Toomey called "uncontrolled, unsustainable spending growth." That, healthcare advocates fear, will lead to cash-strapped states like Pennsylvania cutting coverage. (Senators are now reportedly weighing amendments to the bill.)

For longtime activists, the fight over the health-care bill is a heightened version of one they've been waging for years. ADAPT, the national activist group for people with disabilities, sent dozens of people, some in wheelchairs, to the Capitol last week to protest the proposed changes to Medicaid  which they say could affect coverage for people with disabilities who rely on Medicaid-funded care to live at home. More than 40 were arrested outside Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's office, including several protesters from Philadelphia.

"A lot of people got really complacent in the Obama era  I'm not saying that I didn't have problems with Obama," said Liam Dougherty, a volunteer with ADAPT who uses a wheelchair because of a neuromuscular disorder. He was arrested at the Capitol this year, protesting the House bill, which he said would hurt friends who use Medicaid. "But the fights I did have to fight  they weren't superficial, but they weren't life and death."

Others say they've seen a new fervor among the activist crowd. "I'm gonna fight this, and if we lose, I will continue to fight it until we get what we have back," said Cassie James Holdsworth, 61, another ADAPT activist who has spina bifida, and who was arrested at the Capitol in her wheelchair last week. Holdsworth gets coverage under Medicare; her daughter, who has a heart defect, has Medicaid.

For Gunter, the Senate bill's tabling wasn't cause for much celebration. The House bill, after all, "came back stronger than ever," she said. So, though it takes her days to recover after leaving the house, Gunter has continued to speak.

"In school, we learned how to pitch our stories," Gunter said  she has a degree in film and television writing from the University of the Arts  "and it's very much like pitching a story. It's my story."

On days when even getting out of bed is difficult, "I tell myself, 'You made a promise. You have to show up. You can do this. Sit up. Roll your legs out of bed. Stand up. Grab your cane' " she said. "This is not a time to let down our guard."
Joe Khan (right) is campaigning to be selected as interim district attorney in Philadelphia, with the support of former Gov. Ed Rendell (left.) Read more

Joe Khan is  all of a sudden  a candidate for District Attorney in Philadelphia again.

Khan, the former city and federal prosecutor who finished second behind defense lawyer Larry Krasner in the May 16 Democratic primary election, is now seeking to be the interim district attorney who finishes the remaining six months of Seth Williams' second term.

And he has former Gov. Ed Rendell, who served as district attorney from 1978 to 1985 and endorsed Khan in the primary, working the phones in his favor.

Williams resigned from office Thursday, just before pleading guilty to a federal bribery charge, and is now behind bars, awaiting an Oct. 24 sentencing hearing.

The Board of Judges, made up of the city's 88 Common Pleas judges, will consider applications and then vote to select an interim district attorney.

Khan, who worked for six years as an assistant district attorney and then 10 years as an assistant U.S. attorney, is working his way through the judicial directory, calling judges to seek their support.

Rendell said he is also campaigning for Khan with "a few judges who are friends of mine."

He previously floated the idea of Krasner, who never worked as a prosecutor, bringing in Khan as his first deputy if Krasner wins the Nov. 7 general election. Rendell said Khan was also open to serving as Krasner's top aide.

Khan as interim district attorney could help Krasner "get a jump start" on restoring order to the office, Rendell said.

After 22 months of federal subpoenas and news stories about Williams' legal woes, many on the District Attorney's staff are scandal-weary, demoralized, and leery about a potential new boss who has never worked as a prosecutor.

There is plenty of talk about people looking for new jobs.

"It would have a perfect symmetry," Rendell said of Khan serving as interim district attorney and then first deputy. "He would stabilize losing some of those veteran prosecutors."

Khan said he would be happy to "right the ship" as interim district attorney but calls any post-election staff decisions the "prerogative" of the winning candidate.

"I would be more than happy to be a bridge between the Williams and Krasner administrations in a time of crisis," Khan said.

The Krasner camp has not exactly embraced Rendell's idea about Khan as first deputy.

"The only response I got from the Krasner people is he isn't going to be making those decisions until after the election," Rendell said.

Republican nominee Beth Grossman, who worked as an assistant district attorney for 21 years, has said the one-party rule of Democrats in Philadelphia needs a little GOP oversight to crack down on corruption. But the Democrats hold that one-party rule because they outnumber Republicans 7-1 in Philadelphia.

So Grossman faces long odds.

It's considered bad form to look past an election, to start planning for titles and seating charts and sizing up the office drapes before the ballots are counted.

The Krasner camp knows that.

Ben Waxman, a Krasner spokesman, says the focus now is strictly on the general election.

"That's the conversation we're having with everybody who has approached Krasner about serving in the administration," Waxman said. "There's a uniform policy that says we're not going to have those conversations until after November."
Protesters carry an image of Philando Castile as they march on Sunday, June 18, 2017, in St. Anthony, Minn., after the acquittal of the local police officer who shot Castile during a traffic stop. Read more

A bill passed unanimously last month by the New Jersey Assembly that would require schools to teach young people how to properly interact with police and avert confrontations mirrors "The Talk" that many African Americans say they often have with their children, according to a sponsor of the legislation.

But the effort is drawing resistance from Black Lives Matter.

The group and other critics fear that the bill, approved during a time of high-profile police-involved shootings and the failed prosecutions of many of the officers involved, would do little more than create a scapegoat for police brutality.

"Look, I'm just trying to save lives," said Assemblywoman Sheila Oliver (D., Essex), co-sponsor, of the motivation behind Assembly bill A-1114, which passed in a 76-0 vote on June 22.

Alexis Miller, lead organizer for the Paterson, N.J., chapter of Black Lives Matter, said the group is wary of the bill's concept. Black Lives Matter is calling for a no vote when the legislation reaches the Senate.

She said the bill ultimately places the onus of police interactions squarely on citizens while allowing "police to continue to evade accountability." Black Lives Matter is urging its supporters to sign a petition against the legislation and to call their state senators to discourage them from approving it.

"This bill is clearly designed to create a scapegoat for police brutality, and that scapegoat is New Jersey's children," Miller said. "It does nothing to address the laws already in place that protect the immense power of police departments. Students  children are expected to master the idea of respectability politics in order to protect themselves from officers."

Oliver, who is African American, said "The Talk" has long been a private conversation that many black parents have had with their children, especially as the children become old enough to begin driving and may have their first interactions with police in traffic stops.

"A lot of times kids want to know if they get stopped if they have the right to call their parents," Oliver said. "Can the police search their car? Do they have to get out of the car?  They have questions like these with the backdrop of being black and interacting with police. There may be a lot of fear instilled in them, a lot of potential panic."

Bringing that discussion into the schools and out into the open may ultimately better prepare children of all races and ethnicities for such encounters, she said.

"This is not a bill to teach kids to be subservient to police but to empower children, and ultimately adults, about their rights and their role in interacting with law enforcement," Oliver said. "I think young people need to have their consciousness raised about these issues."

Akin Olla, organizer of the Tubman-Hampton Collective, based in New Brunswick, said the bill "continues to allow police to evade accountability" and is "not a means of stemming police brutality."

Olla was among about 75 people who protested against the bill at the Statehouse on Friday.

"We want the public to really look at this bill and see it for what it is," Olla said. "If it does nothing beyond a civics lesson [about making] the streets safer for everyone, it's pointless."

Not until activists criticized the bill as previously written was a new component added that would require that students also be taught about their rights when interacting with officers.

The American Civil Liberties Union said it worked with Oliver and other legislators to recast the original version of the bill, introduced in 2016, that would have required only that children be taught about the "role and responsibilities of law enforcement in providing public safety" and an "individual's responsibilities to comply with a directive" from police. The new version would require that students be taught about the officer's responsibility and proper behavior, their own rights as citizens, and how to file a complaint, if necessary.

"The bill has come a long way in its current form from where it was," said Portia Allen-Kyle, a lawyer for the ACLU's New Jersey office in Newark. "As it stands now, we feel that there is an opportunity here to really empower students and educate them about their rights."

Allen-Kyle said the agency will keep close tabs on how the curriculum is developed by a specially appointed committee if the bill is signed into law.

Dan Keashen, a spokesman for Camden County Police, who patrol the city of Camden, said the department was reviewing the bill, but that officers already participate in programs to "create positive bonds" with the community. Officers visit classrooms, hold K-9 demonstrations, and host pop-up barbecues.

"We are consistently looking for ways to create a greater dialogue with the community and demonstrate our role as peacekeepers rather than warriors," Keashen said.

The vote in the Assembly came a week after Minnesota police officer Jeronimo Yanez was acquitted of second-degree manslaughter in the July 2016 fatal shooting of Philando Castile during a traffic stop after the motorist informed the police officer he possessed an open-carry permit for a gun he was carrying. The shooting, which occurred within seven seconds of Castile's having informed the policeman about the gun, was captured on cellphone video by the victim's girlfriend, who was in the car with her 4-year-old daughter.

According to the Washington Post, 963 people were killed by police in the United States in 2016, down from 991 in 2015. On Saturday, in a mid-year report, the Post said there were 492 police-involved killings in the first six months of this year.

Of those killed in 2016, 169 were unarmed civilians, six were under age 18, and 36 of them were between the ages of 18 and 24, according to the ACLU.

There were also 135 police officers killed in the line of duty last year, the most on-the-job officer fatalities in five years, according to an analysis by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.

Law enforcement officials and legislators across the country are looking into ways to work with communities to try to stem the tide of bloodshed.

Texas recently enacted a measure to require high school students, as part of their driver's education classes, to learn how to conduct themselves during a traffic stop. Illinois and Virginia have passed legislation mandating that driver's ed courses for all ages include that information. Mississippi, North Carolina, and Rhode Island are considering similar laws.

Oliver said the number of police-involved shootings has created mistrust of police in communities across the nation, and her bill, which must also pass in the Senate and be signed by the governor to become law, is meant to "help rebuild trust in police while simultaneously empowering the communities they serve."

Oliver said current programs that visit schools and encourage police and youth interaction  sponsored by organizations such as the New York Civil Liberties Union, the National Association of Black Law Enforcement Officers, and Jack and Jill of America, a service group formed during the Great Depression to strengthen African American children  have helped, but are not enough.

Patrick Colligan, president of the New Jersey State Policemen's Benevolent Association said his organization supports the Oliver legislation and calls it "a good policy that can benefit everyone."

"There is no training  no learning about something that can't be a benefit to everyone involved," Colligan said. "I think something like this provides everyone with the opportunity to look at, and perhaps understand, the situation from an entirely different perspective."
Happier times: New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno stands next to Gov. Chris Christie during a press conference in 2013. Read more

New Jersey Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno blasted her boss, Gov. Chris Christie, for his use of a state-owned beached that was closed to the public this weekend due to the government shutdown.

"If I were governor, I sure wouldn't be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didn't have access to state beaches," Guadagno wrote on Facebook on Monday. "It's beyond words."

Guadagno, the Republican nominee to replace Christie in the governor's mansion in November, has distanced herself from her boss throughout her campaign. She opposes Christie's plan to tax Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield, came out against his 23-cent gas tax increase and has publicly criticized his $300 million plan to renovate the statehouse in Trenton.

"We need to end the shutdown now. It's hurting small businesses and ordinary New Jerseyans," Guadagno continued. "Instead of political games, Governor Christie, Speaker Prieto and Senate President Sweeney should pass a budget that delivers property tax relief and puts taxpayers first."

Guadagno's comments came after NJ Advance Media released photos of Christie and his family relaxing on the beach Sunday morning. Christie told reporters during a news conference on Sunday he "didn't get any sun."

" 'I didn't get any sun,' " he told the media," photographer Andrew Mills wrote in a post explaining how he captured the viral images of Christie sunbathing with his family. "That wasn't true, and we had the irrefutable evidence."

Christie called into Fox 29's Good Morning Philadelphia Monday morning and defended his family's use of the governor's residence on Island Beach State Park, even as police continued to turn away cars, bicyclists, and joggers attempting to enter the popular beach.

"You can understand why a lot of people are upset," co-host Alex Holley told the governor. "They can't go to that beach, they want to be able to do what you're doing, and they can't."

"Well, I'm sorry, they're not the governor," Christie shot back.

The governor also tweeted out a photo of the New Jersey shoreline, noting that just 11 of the state's 130 miles of coastline are closed due to the government shutdown.
TRENTON  Tens of thousands of state workers are expected to be furloughed this week as New Jersey's government shutdown entered its second day Sunday without a budget deal in sight.

Gov. Christie, who flew by state helicopter to and from Trenton this weekend to the governor's residence at the closed Island Beach State Park, told reporters Sunday that "I'm a little frustrated, quite frankly at this point, that no one will send me any budget."

To try to break the impasse, Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester) called for Robert Marino, CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, to meet with him at 1 p.m. Monday at the Statehouse. Marino said he would attend the meeting.

"Here's another day wasted," Sweeney told reporters Sunday.

Christie, a Republican, has conditioned his support for Democrats' spending priorities in their $34.7 billion budget on the Legislature's passage of a bill that would restructure Horizon, the state's largest insurance company, and require the company to dedicate "excess" surplus to policyholders and public health programs.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto (D., Hudson) has refused to post that bill for a vote, calling it "extortion" and a "tax" on the insurer's policyholders. As a result, some Democrats would not vote to pass the budget, because they don't want Christie to veto additional school funding and other programs.

While state parks were closed to the public, Christie said at a news conference at the governor's office in Trenton on Sunday that he joined his family at Island Beach State Park this weekend, traveling by the taxpayer-funded state helicopter.

"I traveled there, and I traveled back, and I'll travel back again by helicopter," Christie said. "That's where my family is sleeping, so that's where I'll sleep tonight. When I have a choice between sleeping with my family or sleeping alone, I generally like to sleep where my family is."

The governor said there were no lifeguard or trash pickup services for his family. He would not say whether his family was able to swim without lifeguards present.

The shutdown began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday. The state constitution does not provide for short-term spending measures, meaning it must pass a budget for fiscal year 2018 for the government to reopen and provide full services.

Although Christie had called a special session Sunday, few lawmakers were present at the Statehouse. In the Assembly, where a voting session had technically been underway since Friday night, one lawmaker (Democratic Assemblyman James Kennedy) changed his vote on the budget to yes, bringing the number of yes votes to 27, but leaving the spending bill still 14 votes short. Most of those lawmakers likely will not change their minds without Christie's support.

"I think the dominoes will come down. Trust me," said Prieto, who remained adamant Sunday that he would not post the Horizon bill to be passed as part of a budget deal.

Addressing reporters on the Assembly floor, Prieto said some Assembly lawmakers "have an idea of crafting something" regarding Horizon, but he did not offer details of the alternate bill. He said he would be open to holding hearings in the next two weeks.

Christie called that a "fake, phony offer," saying that Prieto had not committed himself to actually passing any legislation and that lawmakers likely would not return to Trenton over the summer. "He needs to stop pouting and start leading," Christie said. (Prieto called Christie's speech Saturday urging lawmakers to back the Horizon legislation "shameful.")

At a separate news conference Sunday, Sweeney demanded a meeting with Horizon CEO Marino, Prieto, and Sen. Joe Vitale (D., Middlesex), who wrote the legislation that would establish a process by which the state would "determine an appropriate, efficient surplus range" for Horizon.

Sweeney said neither he nor Vitale had been able to get hold of Marino in recent days.

"I want to bring this to a head," Sweeney said. "Let's get in a room and get something done."

A Horizon spokesman said Marino would "absolutely attend the meeting and looks forward to hearing how our concerns and the concerns voiced by New Jersey's business, labor, and reform communities can be addressed, particularly with all the uncertainty about health care coming from Washington."

Spokesman Kevin McArdle added that "the last time Horizon leadership had a meeting in the State House it was an extortion attempt." Christie first proposed tapping Horizon's reserves during his budget address in February.

Prieto also said he would attend.

Horizon says it had $2.4 billion in reserve at the end of 2016. Under the bill that passed the Senate last week, if Horizon's surplus were to exceed the "efficient" range, it would be required to submit a plan to the state to dedicate "excess" surplus to benefit its 3.8 million policyholders and "improve the overall health status of all New Jersey residents."

A spokesman for Christie said Sunday that 30,000 to 35,000 state workers were expected to be furloughed. The governor has said they would not receive back pay.

State parks, motor vehicle offices, and other services deemed nonessential will remain closed.

Essential services such as the State Police, prisons, and the lottery will continue to operate.

Under state law, casinos and horse-racing tracks will stay open for seven days. Christie said he had asked the attorney general to review whether the governor may be able to extend that period.

Sweeney said he had "heard rumors that people were betting they're going to take us to where we have a casino shutdown because then I'll blink. This isn't a game of chicken."
Senate President Stephen Sweeney said Monday that the state government shutdown would last until at least tomorrow. Read more

TRENTON  The government shutdown in New Jersey is over.

Lawmakers in Trenton late Monday broke through the impasse that had kept them from adopting the state budget, triggered the shutdown over the weekend, and frayed tempers among the public.

"Everything will be open probably starting tomorrow," State Senate President Stephen Sweeney (D., Gloucester) told a hastily called 10 p.m. news conference at the Statehouse.

He said he and Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto, also a Democrat, had resolved their dispute over Gov. Christie's insistence on having legislation to restructure the state's largest health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, approved prior to signing the budget. Without such a measure, Christie had threatened to veto Democratic priorities in the budget.

Sweeney called the $34.7 billion spending plan for fiscal year 2018 "the best budget we've seen in 10 years."

Christie had demanded that "excess" surplus at Horizon be used in part to provide health care to underserved residents. Prieto and others objected, with the speaker at one point likening the governor's demand to "extortion." Sweeney was inclined to go along with Christie's demand.

At the news conference, Prieto said that any excess reserves now would be returned to policyholders and that the state would not be able to touch the company's money.

Legislators were expected to vote on the Horizon measure and the budget later in the night.

Speaking to reporters at 11 p.m. Christie declared he had reformed Horizon and said, "I'll sign the budget tonight."

The developments came hours after legislative leaders met with Robert Marino, CEO of Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield of New Jersey, the nonprofit at the center of the shutdown, which began at 12:01 a.m. Saturday after lawmakers failed to meet the constitutional deadline to pass the budget for the new fiscal year.

Around 9:45 pm, Horizon executive Bill Castner told reporters that Marino had met again with legislative leaders. Castner said he believed a resolution to the shutdown was in sight.

Lawmakers began trickling into the Statehouse for possible votes and legislative leaders scheduled their news conference.

The issue: Christie pledged to line-item veto Democratic-backed spending if lawmakers did not also pass a bill to reshape Horizon. Christie, a Republican, wanted to require the company to dedicate "excess" surplus to policyholders and public health programs.

But Prieto (D., Hudson) refused to hold a vote on the Horizon bill, calling the bill a "tax" on Horizon's policyholders. As a result, some Democrats did not vote on the budget, because they didn't want Christie to veto spending priorities such as school funding.

Earlier in the day Monday, after the meeting with Marino and Sweeney, Prieto told reporters that he had instructed his staff to draft legislation on Horizon.

"We're making progress," he said. "We will hopefully be voting on a budget soon."

Sweeney said he was hopeful of reaching a compromise on the Horizon legislation.

"It could move quickly if there's an agreement," he said.

In a statement after the settlement, Prieto said he had stood up for "sound public policy."

"Horizon ratepayers  a significant part of our state's population  will not be unfairly taxed, as previous plans allowed," he said.

State Sen. Joseph F. Vitale (D., Middlesex), a Sweeney ally and chairman of the Health, Human Services and Senior Services Committee, said in a statement he was offering legislation that would "expand transparency and accountability" at Horizon by adding two public members to its board, requiring enhanced financial reporting, and setting a cap on its reserves.

Between 30,000 and 35,000 state workers were estimated to be furloughed during the shutdown, according to Christie's spokesman. Christie has said they would not receive back pay.

State parks, motor vehicle offices, and other services deemed nonessential were closed, while services including the state police, prisons, and the lottery continued to operate.

Chief Justice Stuart Rabner ordered state courts closed for all except emergency or essential operations.

State Superior Court Judge Ronald Bookbinder, the assignment judge for Burlington County, said that the shutdown Monday had little impact on scheduled court business. "A day like today is normally calm because many people, whether it's lawyers or litigants, did not plan to come to court on Monday, July 3," he said, while sitting in his office at the county courthouse in Mount Holly.

"Essential operations"  arraignments and other emergent matters  were conducted Monday in a few courtrooms as planned, but also were minimal, he said. "We anticipated the possibility of a shutdown last week and we had meetings and were prepared. Now we're executing those plans," he said, adding that there was no confusion.

As the shutdown had unfolded Saturday, many visitors to local Motor Vehicle Commission agencies and campgoers denied access to state parks were among those taken by surprise.

"Everybody is very upset," said one camper from New York whose group was turned away at Wharton State Forest.

Christie defended his family's stay over the weekend at Island Beach State Park, which was closed to the public, but where the governor has a residence. Although Christie told reporters Sunday that he "didn't get any sun," a Star-Ledger photographer took aerial photos of the governor and his family on the beach earlier that day.

Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who is running to succeed Christie, said Monday that the photos were "beyond words."

Sweeney declined to comment on the governor's time at the beach. Asked whether he had got any sun, Sweeney, while not particularly tanned, quipped, "This is [from] my blood pressure."

Staff writer Jan Hefler contributed to this article.
With the Republican push to revamp the Affordable Care Act stalled again, even some allies of President Trump question whether he has effectively used the bully pulpit afforded by his office and are increasingly frustrated by distractions of his own making.

Trump has spoken out repeatedly during his tenure about the shortcomings of Obamacare, which he brands a "disaster." But he has made relatively little effort to detail for the public why Republican replacement plans  which fare dismally in public opinion polls  would improve on the former president's signature initiative.

The lackluster sales job, combined with recent controversial tweets and public statements targeting the media, has diminished the focus on the president's leading legislative priority at a key juncture in the Senate, allies and analysts say.

"It's a mystery," said Barry Bennett, a Republican operative who advised Trump's campaign last year and remains close to the White House. "I don't know what they're doing."

In recent days, Trump, who heads to Poland and Germany later this week, has seemed largely preoccupied by other things, including a Twitter feud with multiple news outlets. On Sunday, Trump sent around a video showing him body-slamming a CNN avatar, just days after calling an MSNBC host "dumb as a rock."

A top Trump lieutenant, Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price, was pressed Sunday on whether the media attacks are interfering with the president's push of the unpopular Senate bill.

"The fact of the matter is that he can do more than one thing at a time," Price said during an exchange with host Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press that grew testy at times.

Price argued that Trump has been holding "multiple meetings within the White House itself, with physicians, with small-business groups, with other folks who have been harmed by Obamacare, with patients, individual stakeholders from across this land who tell him and have told us repeatedly that the current system is collapsing."

Trump's public efforts to dismantle the health-care law, however, contrast sharply with President Barack Obama's efforts to build support in advance of its 2010 passage. Obama gave a joint address to Congress on health care. He fielded questions at town hall meetings around the country. And he even bantered on live television with hostile lawmakers at a Republican retreat.

Not only has Trump been unsuccessful at swinging public opinion toward the legislation, but also "he hasn't really tried that much," said George Edwards, a professor of political science at Texas A&M University and author of On Deaf Ears: The Limits of the Bully Pulpit.

"He hasn't been out there consistently making a case for the legislation," Edwards said of Trump.

It's not hard to imagine other things Trump could be doing to try to boost support for the GOP plan among the public and, by extension, on Capitol Hill, Bennett said.

Trump could make much better use of Twitter, urging his 33 million followers to call their senators and ask them to back the GOP bill, Bennett said.

Trump could have visited several states last week, holding events that highlight the sharp rise in premiums under Obamacare, he said. And Trump could mobilize his supporters to come to Washington and rally outside the Capitol, demanding passage of a bill.

Trump's seeming ambivalence about selling the GOP plan may reflect that he has always been more animated about getting rid of Obamacare than he has been about what should replace it.

To the degree he has discussed what the American health-care system should look like, Trump has talked about "insurance for everybody" and coverage that would be "much less expensive and much better"  standards that the bills produced by the House and Senate don't come close to achieving, according to analyses.

Trump's public statements about the bills, at times, have risked doing more harm than help, leading to questions about how dedicated he is to the task at hand  a view bolstered by Trump's head-scratching comments that he considered the House bill "mean" and that it would be unfortunate but "OK" if senators are unable to pass a bill.

Trump further muddied the waters last week by floating the possibility on Twitter that lawmakers could repeal the ACA now and replace it later  a view that Price on Sunday emphasized is not the administration's preference.

White House press secretary Sean Spicer said that there's no reason Trump should follow models used by Obama or other past presidents to build public support.

"You use the model that works for you," Spicer said, noting that Trump has advanced a health-care bill further in the process at this point in his term than Obama. The ACA did not pass until the second year of Obama's first term.

"We've been more efficient," Spicer said.

Marc Rotterman, a GOP consultant based in North Carolina, said Trump needs to be more repetitive when speaking to the public about why the bill should pass.

"When you push a measure, redundancy matters, and these constant tweets against the media distract from the real issue, which is getting health care done," said Rotterman, adding that he'd like to see Trump deliver an Oval Office address on the subject.

To bolster support for their initiatives in Washington, presidents often travel to friendly territory outside the Beltway to make their case. Trump has traveled outside of Washington several times lately, but those events have mostly focused on other issues, and when he has mentioned health care, he hasn't dwelled on it.

During Trump's recent travels to Ohio and Wisconsin, he staged secondary events meant to highlight "victims of Obamacare."

In a mid-June trip to Milwaukee, for example, Trump invited two local families to join him on Air Force One to talk about their struggles to pay for insurance under the ACA. Afterward, Trump and the families spoke briefly to the news media on the tarmac, with Trump telling reporters, "these citizens deserve so much better."

His motorcade then whisked him to a technical college to talk about workforce development and apprenticeships  an event that received the majority of local coverage.

At a Trump rally late last month in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, the president could have made an extended argument about the need for moving forward on health care. But Trump didn't discuss the issue in much detail as he pledged to deliver a bill with "heart."

He made at least as many headlines for pledging to crack down on the use of welfare by immigrants and to use solar panels to help pay for a promised wall on the U.S.-Mexico border.

Ari Fleischer, the press secretary to former president George W. Bush, said Trump to this point deserves "mixed" marks for his use of the bully pulpit on health care.

Fleischer credited Trump with having "kept his foot on the gas" while the House was struggling to pass its version of the bill in early May.

In the Senate, Trump seems to be hindered by his low job-approval ratings, which have undercut his ability to reach out to some conservative Democrats, in particular, Fleischer said.

If Trump were more popular, Fleischer said, a handful of those Democrats would probably be more willing to support the bill, out of fear of incurring the president's wrath. Instead, they're now worried about drawing a Democratic primary challenger if they work too closely with Trump.

Since the focus turned to the Senate in recent weeks, Trump has also delegated much of the lobbying to Vice President Pence and senior administration officials, who have more extensive knowledge of the bill and a better sense of how to bring senators on board.

Trump is also faced with the prospect of selling a very unpopular product. A Congressional Budget Office analysis of the Senate plan projected that it would lead to 22 million fewer Americans having coverage within a decade.

Only 17 percent of adults nationwide approved of the Senate health-care bill, while 55 percent disapproved. according to an NPR/PBS NewsHour/Marist poll released Wednesday.

Even among Republicans, support was tepid, with 35 percent voicing approval and 21 percent saying they disapprove. Other recent polls have had similar numbers.

Meanwhile, even as Trump has repeatedly railed about shortcomings of the ACA, public support for Obama's initiative has increased, polls have found.

In December, as Trump prepared to take office, 43 percent of American adults viewed the ACA favorably, while 46 percent viewed it unfavorably, according to a Kaiser Health tracking poll.

In the June poll, 51 percent viewed the law favorably, compared with 41 percent unfavorably. That was the best the ACA had fared since Kaiser started its polling in 2010.

The term "bully pulpit" was coined by President Theodore Roosevelt, who used the powers of the office to court reporters and deliver major speeches on legislation related to railroad regulation and food inspection.

Frances Lee, a government and politics professor at the University of Maryland, said presidents traditionally have poor records of changing public opinion when pushing unpopular initiatives, as Trump is attempting to do.

"Use of the bully pulpit is mainly effective when presidents are pushing Congress to do something the public already favors," she said, citing the wide latitude Bush had with Congress after that Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Still, there is no shortage of suggested initiatives Trump could be taking that he has not.

After the House narrowly passed its health-care bill in early May, Aaron Kall, the director of debate at the University of Michigan, penned a piece for the Hill newspaper, urging Trump to give an address to a joint session of Congress to bolster Senate support.

In an interview, Kall said he still thinks that would be helpful to Trump, given the large television audience such an address would command.

If Trump wants legislation to pass at this point, he "really needs to adopt some new tactics," said Kall, editor of Mr. Speaker, The President of The United States: Addresses to a Joint Session of Congress.

Kall suggested that Trump also make himself available for television interviews focused on health care with outlets beyond the friendly confines of Fox News.

"I think we've underestimated him sometimes," Kall said. "With a few days' preparation, I think he could withstand an interview on this subject. He has a persuasive story to tell. It just needs to be packaged in the right way."

Others say that Trump would be well-served by putting down his phone.

Asked Sunday whether Trump's tweets made it harder to work on health care, Sen. Bill Cassidy (R., La.) admitted that he gets "frustrated" when the media and lawmakers focus on what the president says on Twitter.

"Our focus cannot be on the tweet," Cassidy said on Meet the Press. "Our focus has to be on that kitchen-table family paying $20,000, $30,000 and $40,000 for their premiums, wondering how they're going to make ends meet."

The Washington Post's Jenna Johnson and Ashley Parker contributed to this report.

Everything is happening so fast  or at least that's how it feels trying to follow politics these days. You've seen the headlines about President Trump and his policies  but what do they mean for Philadelphia? What does that mean for you? We've launched a newsletter to explore just that. You can sign up to get the weekly Trumpadelphia newsletter in your inbox every Tuesday.
Elias Burstein, 99, formerly of Penn Valley, a longtime professor of physics at the University of Pennsylvania and a distinguished scientist whose research set the stage for the development of silicon semiconductors used in computer chips, died June 17, of heart failure at Beaumont in Bryn Mawr.

In 1958, he was appointed professor of physics at the University of Pennsylvania, where in 1982 he became the Mary Amanda Wood Professor of Physics. He retired in 1988 as professor emeritus.

At Penn's Department of Physics and Astronomy, he was one of the first to use lasers to conduct fundamental research on semiconductors and insulators. He came up with a way to increase the semiconductivity of the stable element silicon by combining it with impurities. The advance allowed the silicon to carry more charges than in the past, making it more efficient and thereby improving the performance of the computer chip.

"He's really more of a basic scientist in understanding the properties of silicon and how to manipulate the properties of silicon, the material that underlies all computer technology," said his Penn colleague A.T. Charlie Johnson. "This has paved the way for the modern computer chips that we have today."

Perhaps Professor Burstein's most high-profile contribution locally was as a member of the interdisciplinary team that in 1961 created the Laboratory for Research on the Structure of Matter at the University of Pennsylvania. The lab has hosted the annual Eli Burstein Lecture in Materials Science since 1994.

"This is one of the leading labs in the country," Johnson said. He said the lab has progressed from doctoring semiconductors to creating special carbon materials, and now is engaged in nanotechnology, the manipulation of individual molecules and atoms.

Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., Professor Burstein graduated from public high school there. He earned a bachelor's degree in chemistry from Brooklyn College in 1938, and a master's degree in chemistry from the University of Kansas in 1941.

He took graduate courses in chemistry and physics at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and in physics at Catholic University, but his doctoral studies were interrupted in 1945 during the last days of World War II.

Given a 4F draft classification, he couldn't serve in combat, but his skills were needed on war-related projects at the U.S. Naval Research Laboratory in Washington. He remained there until 1958, becoming a member, then head, of the lab's crystal branch, and then head of its semiconductors branch. His specialty was exploring the optical physics of condensed matter, otherwise known as solid state materials.

Professor Burstein taught and published widely. At various times between 1967 and 1996, he was a visiting professor at the University of California, Irvine; Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel; University of Parma in Italy; Chalmers University of Technology in Gothenburg, Sweden; and the University of California, Berkeley.

Although he never completed his doctoral degree, he received honorary doctorates from Chalmers Institute of Technology in 1981, Brooklyn College in 1985, Emory University in 1994, and Ohio State University in 1999.

He was a member of the Franklin Institute's Committee on Science and the Arts starting in 1995. He was a fellow of the American Physical Society and also of the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

He was founding editor of the international professional journal Solid State Communications. Over the course of his career, Professor Burstein mentored more than 30 doctoral and postdoctoral students.

"He influenced their careers, and collaborated with hundreds of scientists around the world," his family wrote in a tribute.

Professor Burstein loved music, especially classical guitar and opera. After moving in 2007 to Beaumont at Bryn Mawr, he initiated and ran an opera/musical theater program for the residents.

Because as an experimental physicist he had had to invent and build the equipment needed to carry out some experiments, he was a natural at home repairs, using whatever was available.

He and his family vacationed for 50 years in the northeast Pennsylvania community of Eagles Mere, where he loved to sail on a lake in small, swift boats.

He traveled many times to Europe, Israel, and Japan as part of his work, and became enamored of Japanese culture, including art, music, film, food, and literature. He and his wife had a small Japanese-style wing built onto their house in Penn Valley. It included a guest house and hot tub room, furnished and decorated with Japanese scrolls, mats, and a futon.

Professor Burstein outlived his three siblings and, in doing so, became the family patriarch. Many of his younger family members said that he and his wife, Rena Benson Burstein, a retired career counselor, acted as mentors to them.

"He was different and distinctive in every way," said his daughter, Mimi Burstein. "He was a very enthusiastic person, especially about music and the arts. He collected things, and he was quirky.

"He would get excited thinking about the way the mind works, in discussing intuition," she said. "A lot of his work was done in discussion with others. He liked to bat ideas around and shoot the scientific breeze."

Besides his daughter and his wife of 74 years, he is survived by daughters Joanna Mitro and Sara Donna, and two grandchildren.

Services were held on June 20. A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Wednesday, July 12, at Beaumont at Bryn Mawr, 601 N. Ithan Ave. Plans for a memorial event at Penn are pending.
New York City Ballets Tiler Peck is taking on a new role: curator. Announced this week, Pecks curatorial debut will come July 28-30 at BalletNOW 2017, a three-night run of classical and contemporary works featuring 24 international dance stars at the Music Centers Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. Peck, a Southern California native who trained in Los Angeles, falls in line with ABTs Isabella Boylston who is also returning to her hometown this summer to share her craft with new audiences.

The emphasis of BalletNOW is on the relationship between new and old. Pecks choices pair classical dancers with their contemporaries in other dance genres including hip-hop, tap, and vaudeville. The diverse repertoire includes classics such as Christopher Wheeldons After The Rain and George Balanchines pas de deux from Rubies.

New multi-genre works include two pieces commissioned by the Vail Dance Festival and developed with Damian Woetzel. The first is123456, an improvography created in part by tap extraordinaire Michelle Dorrance, and the second is vaudeville-style actor/dancer Bill Irwins Time It Was/116. Peck will further prove her versatility as an artist by dancing in both.

The cast of top-tier dancers come from companies including New York City Ballet, The Royal Ballet, American Ballet Theatre, Paris Opera Ballet, Miami City Ballet, Dorrance Dance, and televisions So You Think You Can Dance. Stars include Daniel Ulbricht, Taylor Stanley, April/May cover girl Indiana Woodward, Marcelo Gomes, Isabella Boylston, James Whiteside, Lauren Cuthburtson and many more. For a full list of pieces and dancers, click here.

These will be performances to remember, said Peck in a recent statement, and with the star-studded cast and varied repertoire that shes pulled together were sure that shes right. Were always excited to see dancers developing autonomy and taking on new challenges, and we wish Peck all the best on this different kind of debut.

BalletNOW

put together this compilation of the multi-faceted Peck:
The gunman who set an ambush last summer for police in Baton Rouge, La., had written about killing officers and had searched for officers home addresses before the attack, according to a new report released Friday by the local prosecutor.

Three law enforcement officers were killed and three others were wounded on July 17, 2016, near a convenience store close to police headquarters. It happened less than two weeks after Baton Rouge had erupted in protests after the fatal police shooting of Alton Sterling. The events had Baton Rouge on edge, with emotions raw, NPR reports.

The report includes video and still images of the shooter, 29-year-old Gavin Long, an Iraqi war veteran from Missouri. He's dressed in all black with a hood and face mask, armed with a rifle over his shoulder. The video shows him shooting officers in a 13-minute ordeal that ended when Long was killed in a gunfight with a special response team.

Investigators say Long had searched online for the home addresses of Baton Rouge policemen involved in the fatal shooting of Sterling. He had posted online video calling for bloodshed in response to police-involved killings before coming to Baton Rouge on July 12.
A Norfolk, VA, Police sergeant is out of the hospital after he was injured in a shooting that also left the suspect dead.

According to police, officers responded to an apartment in the Ocean View area of the city for reports of a person with a weapon around 11:15 p.m. Sunday.

When officers arrived, residents told them a man with a firearm entered a nearby home. As they tried to make contact with the individual, police say the armed man shot a sergeant who was standing outside the residence.

Police returned fire, hitting the man. Officers attempted to administer first aid, but the man died at the scene.

The injured officer was struck in his ballistic vest, and was transported to a hospital. He was treated and later released, 13 News Now reports.
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The angry movement under Donald Trump, the violent rhetoric he has openly engaged in, has put journalists in the same cross hairs as women, LGBTQ people, and minorities online.

Monday, Jared Yates, a journalist who has written for The New York Times and The New Republic, explained the rising threat under Trump to journalists.

Yates tweet storm began with this:

Jared Yates SextonVerified account @JYSexton

I'd like to give a little insight into what it's like being a journalist in 2017 and why Trump's rhetoric is incredibly dangerous 1/  Jared Yates Sexton (@JYSexton) July 3, 2017

Id like to give a little insight into what its like being a journalist in 2017 and why Trumps rhetoric is incredibly dangerous 1/

Yesterday I broke the news that the guy who made Trumps CNN gif also created an antisemitic meme and was obviously racist. 2/

In the wake of that, I received numerous threats. I was told people wanted to shoot, strangle me, hang me, throw me out of a helicopter 3/

Some assumed I was Jewish because I spoke out against antisemitism, others said I was a race-traitor. Got it on both sides. 4/

Now articles are showing up on Neo-Nazi websites, there are videos spliced with Goebbels telling me not to test his patience 5/

That one also has footage from Natural Born Killers of a journalist being executed by shotgun. 6/

On forums, under my tweets, theres a list of excerpts from newspaper articles about journalists being slaughter, the details gory. 7/

Meanwhile, people are claiming Im making up the threats and then immediately threatening me. In the same message. 8/

Over on Facebook Im getting messages from strangers about goyim and talking about what happened to Jews in the 40s. 9/

This environment is the creation of the man in the White House. There are valid criticisms of the media, many on point, this isnt that 10/

When you start calling a group of people enemies of the country, this is what happens. When you call them scum, this happens. 11/

This is what happens when you have Alex Jones calling mainstream media pedophiles and Satan worshippers, and threatening to crush them. 12/

This environment we have right now is volatile. Some of these threats are empty, but people who are unwell consume this stuff. 13/

Even as Im typing this Im getting antisemitic memes and messages. Its happening in realtime. 14/

And everyone keeps bringing up the shooting in Virginia. In a way, theyre right. Thats what happens in this environment. 15/

This shouldnt be a country where these violent instincts are cultivated and encouraged. Were at a real tipping point right now. 16/

But make no mistake, theres something growing in this country, and it is very, very ugly. 17/17

On Sunday after Trumps CNN tweet, Jared wrote, And for those who think theres nothing behind Trumps CNN gif today, Ive been told twice in past hour Ill be killed in a new Civil War. Trump may be hurling idle threats, and hes not, but there are people, unhinged people, who are preparing for conflict.

Lets stop with the both sides argument. Only one side has the leader of its party using violent rhetoric as regular speech from the bully pulpit, no less, and only one side has a leader who regularly tells his violent, unhinged supporters that the media are the enemy of the people.

The media has long sold the both sides do it narrative, and decided that even though Sarah Palin told her unhinged supporters not to retreat but to reload, complete with a map with gun sites over districts where the healthcare debate was particularly heated, and then a person who was mentally and emotionally vulnerable to such language and the environment it creates, shot Rep. Gabby Giffords but the media decried that the violent rhetoric had anything to do with this  the media is now the Democrat.

The media is now the Jewish person. The media is now the trans person, the gay person, the woman, the liberal, the vulnerable, demonized other.

This means that white men are now getting targeted as the vulnerable groups always have been- by the same people, I might add.

Violence is never okay. There are violence-prone, unstable people from both sides, but only one side has a crazy person in the White House, egging his unstable supporters on. Only one side is surrounded by elected officials who lack the courage to call out their own side, including their president/leader.

When one of Trumps supporters acts on his instructions, as they did during the campaign, maybe there will be an elected Republican with the courage to stand up and maybe there will be someone in the media who has the courage to point out that this is all coming from one direction.

Trickle down is a real thing, but not when it comes to tax breaks for the rich. Its a real thing when it comes to leaders inciting and inviting violence in their followers.
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Louisiana Secretary of State Tom Schedler called Trumps election integrity commission politicized while refusing to turn over the states voter data to the President.

Here is the full press release:

Secretary of State Tom Schedler announced today that he would not comply with the Presidential Commission on Election Integrity request to access voter information in Louisiana. He bases his decision on a long-standing, consistent belief that voters private information including social security number, mothers maiden name and date of birth should be vigorously protected by states.

The Presidents Commission has quickly politicized its work by asking states for an incredible amount of voter data that I have, time and time again, refused to release, said Secretary of State Tom Schedler. My response to the Commission is, youre not going to play politics with Louisianas voter data, and if you are, then you can purchase the limited public information available by law, to any candidate running for office. Thats it.

Louisianas public voter list includes only name, address, party affiliation and voter history. Voter history indicates voters participation in previous election cycles, NOT how they voted.

Schedlers response mirrors his prior efforts to defend Louisianas data against attempts by the Obama Administrations Department of Justice to obtain private, personal information through a lawsuit filed in the Middle District in July of 2011 claiming Louisiana does not register to vote recipients of state benefits with sufficient vigor. The Department of Health and Hospitals, as well as the Department of Children and Family Services, are co-defendants in the lawsuit with the Secretary of State. A discovery request by the Department of Justice demanded Schedler turn over Louisianas entire election database including the social security numbers, drivers license numbers, dates of birth and mothers maiden names of each and every registered voter, as well as the source code needed to manipulate the information contained in the database. The request for the data has since been withdrawn.

I denied the Obama Justice Departments request and Im denying President Trumps Commissions request because they are both politically motivated, noted Schedler. The release of private information creates a tremendous breach of trust with voters who work hard to protect themselves against identity fraud. Thats why it is protected by six federal laws and two state laws. This Commission needs to understand clearly, disclosure of such sensitive information is more likely to diminish voter participation rather than foster it. I have been fighting this kind of federal intrusion and overreach, and will continue to fight like hell for the people who trust me with the integrity of our election process, emphasized Schedler.

The Secretaries of State arent dumb. They immediately saw through what Trumps election integrity commission was trying to pull. The only reason why the administration would want sensitive personal information on voters was so that they could carry out a voter purge.

Schedler was correct. What the Trump commission is attempting to do is a classic example of federal overreach, which is exactly why the vast majority of states both red and blue are rejecting the commissions request.
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Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh called Trumps voter fraud commission illegal and debunked Trumps entire voter fraud conspiracy in a blistering statement.

Here is AG Froshs statement:

Frosh was correct on both of his main points. Trumps story about voter fraud costing him the popular vote is false, and what Trumps commission is attempting to do is an illegal invasion of privacy. Elections are the constitutional power of the states, so the reason why so many states that the President won are refusing his request of sensitive voter data is on the basis of states rights.

AG Frosh the other major concern. The Trump commission is asking for sensitive personal data to try to prove one of the Presidents fantasy conspiracy theories. If the federal government got the data on the nations voters, Trump would be able to find a reason to justify a massive purge of voters.

Frosh said what many Secretaries of State and election officials have been reluctant to express directly. The Trump voter fraud commission is an illegal fishing expedition that is trying to justify a presidential fantasy.

Trump is trying to turn a fake conspiracy into a very real voter purge, which is why election officials are across the country are telling the Presidents commission to get lost.
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You may be aware that neither Charles or David Koch hold an office in our government, as they are not American politicians empowered by votes of the majority of this country. The Koch brothers are wealthy businessmen and private citizens. However, this fact has not impeded their ascent as one of the most influential policymakers in Washington D.C. through their Americans for Prosperity Foundation.

The Koch brothers represent a problem that subverts and strangles the ideology of the democratic process. Charles and David Koch, owners of Koch Industries, have thrust themselves in the midst of our government with the root of all evil: Money. Make no mistake; they have been welcomed with open arms by a government short on ideas and long on greed.

Charles and David Koch are the personifications of the pay for play model of government, who have no interest in the well-being of Americans who dont reside within their exclusive tax bracket. They are fierce deniers of Climate Change, steadfast opponents of corporate regulations and dangerous loyalists and benefactors of the right wing Tea Party regime.

In 1980 David ran as the Libertarian Party vice presidential candidate. Almost 40 years ago the platform of David Koch consisted of such nefarious objectives as the elimination of the following: Medicare and Medicaid, Social Security, minimum wage, Environmental Protection Agency, Occupational Safety and Health Act, FDA, FAA, Welfare and Relief programs, Consumer Product Safety Commission, Department of Energy and Campaign Finance Laws.

Each one of these staples of his failed campaign would result directly in personal profits and place undue hardships on the average American. Upon further inspection, you will also see that these tenets mirror the objectives of the Trump administration. The Obamacare repeal is a personally funded vendetta of the Koch brothers. Deregulation of the business industry, denouncement of Climate Change, removal of criminal liability of executives involved in hazardous operations, Medicaid cuts and tax breaks for the rich? All legislation founded and funded by Charles and David Koch.

The strings are not being pulled from the shadows. The Koch brothers have announced that theyll be pledging upward of 400 million dollars to Republican candidates in 2018. Their desire to purchase favorable legislation is crystal clear. Our government is on the verge of being hijacked by the very same special interests that Donald Trump raged against during his presidential campaign. Hes once again been proven to be a shameless liar.

The voice of the middle-class American is being drowned out and buried by an avalanche of right-wing dollars designed to make profits for the right wing. Our government is not our government, it is however, a tool of manipulation used by the elite, for the elite. Our only recourse is to thoroughly vet our elected officials and vote for candidates that share our disdain and opposition to policy propelled by payment. We have to enact standards, laws, and protections from the rise of a tyranny funded by the few, ruling over the many. We must RESIST to put an end to the monopoly of OUR government by the likes of the Koch Brothers.
Tesco employees to obstruct business in Hungary

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Should currently ongoing wage talks fail, Tesco employees might resort to a unique form of obstruction as a demonstration, Jozsef Szaling, president of the Retail Employees Trade Union (KASZ) was quoted as saying in Monday's Magyar Nemzet. Workers will fill up stores with empty shopping carts so that customers will not be able to enter stores.

The workforce shortage is currently a huge problem in the retail sector, and could only be alleviated through wage hikes, Szaling said in the interview. The trade union will first announce a labor dispute, after which the warning strike can go ahead.



The number of retail workers in Hungary is more than 250,000, but the sector would need at least 20,000 more, according to Szaling.
Charleston, SC (29403)

Today

Showers and thundershowers likely. High 76F. Winds SSW at 15 to 25 mph. Chance of rain 70%. Higher wind gusts possible..

Tonight

Thunderstorms this evening, then skies turning partly cloudy after midnight. Low 64F. Winds SW at 10 to 20 mph. Chance of rain 60%.
Minnesotans have become accustomed to turbulence at the State Capitol, and this year is no exception. After vetoing the legislature's initial state budget bills during regular session, Gov. Mark Dayton called back lawmakers for a special session, in which the two sides agreed to a compromise budget.

However, despite signing the budget bills, the governor used his line item veto to defund the Legislature, a move that has raised constitutional questions and spurred a legal challenge.

In the midst of the noise and political machinations, it's easy to overlook the significant strides lawmakers made this year in several areas, including tax relief, transportation funding, and perhaps most of all, education reform. Spurred in part by four years of stagnant student performance, state lawmakers stepped up with an E-12 education bill containing historic advances in teacher licensure reform, teacher retention and early education -- all in addition to nearly $500 million in new funding for schools.

Rochester's Sen. Carla Nelson, as chairwoman of the Senate's E-12 Finance Committee, played a key role in making these positive changes happen for our students and schools.

Among the highlights of this year's education bill:

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Removing barriers to attracting, and retaining great teachers:Minnesota's teacher licensure system had become needlessly bureaucratic and, in the words of the nonpartisan Legislative Auditor, "broken." Further illustrating the point, last year a district court judge found the Minnesota Board of Teaching in contempt of court for failing to implement state law.

Lawmakers responded by listening and working over the past year to develop solutions that not only consolidate responsibilities into a new licensure board, but also streamline requirements through a new tiered licensure structure. This new tiered structure clarifies expectations for prospective teachers, and creates flexibility and incentives to attract talented teachers from other states and mid-career professionals looking to enter teaching. Overall, these changes raise expectations, are broadly supported and will help bring passionate and talented people to the profession.

Additionally, lawmakers provided funding for effective alternative programs that develop new and more diverse teachers, as well as loan forgiveness opportunities for teachers in shortage areas.

Finally, lawmakers also repealed the state's "last-in-first-out" (LIFO) default law, which mandated school districts layoff teachers strictly based on seniority  without regard to performance. Minnesota was one of only six states with this archaic law in place. Teacher retention policies will now be fully decided by districts and their teachers.

Bolstering early education scholarships for low-income families:Nelson has long been a key leader in recognizing the importance of quality early education in helping prepare children to succeed school and later in life. For example, research shows that for every $1 invested in helping low-income children access quality early education services we see nearly $16 in societal benefits. So it was heartening to see lawmakers increase funding for early education scholarships by nearly $21 million, a flexible, proven approach to meeting low-income families' early education needs.

Preparing students for career success:Funding was also provided to support the development of regional career and technical education consortiums  partnerships that can include school districts, employers and post-secondary institutions. Part of the goal for these consortiums is to raise high school student awareness about local career opportunities and to give them the education and training needed to successfully transition into employment and remain in their communities.

While there is no silver bullet for improving student achievement and closing achievement gaps, Minnesota made significant progress this year by focusing on attracting and retaining talented and diverse people to the teaching profession, giving more families access to effective early education services and helping ensure students are prepared for the opportunities that follow high school graduation.
This morning the Washington Post tweeted a news alert that said:

When a Muslim doctor moved to rural Minnesota, it just felt right. Then the town voted for Trump.

The tweet linked to this article by reporter Stephanie McCrummen. It tells the story of Dr. Ayaz Virji, a graduate of Georgetown University medical school who practiced family medicine in Florida and Pennsylvania before moving to Dawson, Minnesota, in 2014.

Dr Virji and his wife and children found Dawson, a town of 1,400 people, a remarkably welcoming place:

They arrived on a breezy fall day, and he remembered how it all seemed almost corny, from the park with little gnome figurines, to the wide streets named Oak and Maple, to the formidable Grace Lutheran church at the town center. The whole visit felt like one big welcoming parade. Welcome to our hospital and clinic, where the two other doctors, the nurses and other staff members were lined up to greet them. Welcome to the school, where the principal showed them around. Welcome to the two-block downtown, where there was a butcher, and a bowling alley, and a diner named Wandas, and as they walked along, Musarrat noticed something rare. She didnt feel people staring at her headscarf. They were saying hello and smiling. Ayaz remembered that it just felt right. Wholesome.

Of course, small towns often have trouble attracting doctors, and physicians who move to towns of 1,400 are generally welcomed. But the people of Dawson seemed to go beyond the call of duty in their kindness to their new Muslim neighbors:

When John and Jill Storlien, the local butchers, found out that Ayaz was driving all the way to Minneapolis to get his halal meat, they offered that perhaps they could manage. Their cows came in facing Mecca anyway, it turned out. Ayaz texted them the prayer to say as they butchered, and so one day in a tiny Midwestern town, two Lutherans spoke their first Islamic verses over the carcass of a cow.

The Post story notes that the Virji family lives in the nicest home in Dawson, and the Virjis enjoy travel, with China, Dubai and New York Citya few of their favorites. For most of Dr. Virjis western Minnesota patients, a trip to the state fair in St. Paul counts as exciting travel.

No wonder Dr. Virji wrote:

Is it difficult to practice your faith in a small community where you are the only Muslim family? Virji: Not in Dawson, where the people are so kind and sincere! We feel very much at home here. True faith is not in words or rituals, but in the heart of people. Dawson residents are the best!

But a shadow fell across the Virjis happiness in the form of the 2016 presidential election:

The morning after the election, he was shocked and angry, and when he looked up the local results before he went to work, the feelings only intensified. Not only had Trump won the county, he had won Dawson itself by six percentage points. By the time he got to the hospital, he was pacing up and down the hallways, saying he hoped people realized that they just voted to put his family on a Muslim registry, and how would he be treated around here if he didnt have M.D. after his name? People tried to reason with him. A colleague told him its not that people agreed with everything Trump said, and Ayaz said no, youre giving them a pass. He told the hospitals chief executive that he was thinking of resigning, and she told him to take some days to cool off.

The Virjis started feeling differently about Dawson, but did Dawson residents treat them any differently? Evidently not:

[T]he Virjis began feeling differently about the town. They wondered whether the people who had seemed so warm were secretly harboring hateful thoughts or suspicions about them. Musarrat told Ayaz that she noticed more silence from certain friends. Ayaz was stopped on a sidewalk by a woman who said, Jesus loves you

The horror!

and wondered what would happen if he said, Muhammad loves you. Another day, he ran into a patient who told him that a lot of farmers had voted for Trump because of sky-high health insurance premiums, not because of anything racial, and please, no one wants you to go.

The assumption that underlies the Post story is that Trump voters must be flawed peoplebigoted, ignorant or both. Someone who didnt begin with that presumption might say that the Virjis experience demonstrates that Trump voters are not, in fact, bigoted and ignorant, but that conclusion doesnt seem to have occurred to either the doctor or the reporter.

The Post story is sometimes laughable in its effort to put a sinister cast on the fact that rural Minnesota (like pretty much all of rural America) voted for President Trump:

On Thursday, he got home from the hospital and went to pick up Maya from school, hurrying along the sidewalk in the bright sunshine and shade of cottonwoods. Hi, Dr. Virji! someone called out from a front lawn. Hey! Ayaz called back to a woman he knew had voted for Trump. How are you doing? He crossed the street and headed toward the school. Hi, Dr. Virji! said a kid who had been over to their house often before the election, but not since. Hey there! Ayaz called back.

It must be tough to be surrounded by haters!

An intern working at the local Lutheran church named Mandy France persuaded Dr. Virji to give a talk about Islam in Dawson. He did so in February. His talk was attended by a remarkable 400 people, and was well received:

People applauded and even stood up, and when it was over, some of them submitted questions to be answered later in the community newspaper.

Some weeks later, Dr. Virji was invited to speak about Islam in Montevideo, a town of around 5,000 not far from Dawson. This time, while the much smaller crowd was generally friendly, several apparently hostile people attended:

[W]hen he arrived at the library, about 75 people were waiting, including several men with Bibles. As he began talking about how faith without deeds is meaningless, they began shouting verses at him. They yelled that they were praying for his salvation and called him the antichrist. Their tone became so hostile that Musarrat, who had brought their 9-year-old daughter, moved to the back of the room, closer to the exit. In the days after, people wrote letters to the local paper saying how embarrassed they were at the doctors reception, but Ayaz decided he was done with trying to explain Islam to rural Minnesota.

This is where the Washington Post enters the story. Dr. Virji accepted one more speaking invitation, in another small Minnesota town called Granite Falls. The Post sent a reporter, Stephanie McCrummen, and a photographer to spend time with the Virjis and cover the Granite Falls appearance. Is it overly cynical to believe that the Post was hoping for an outburst of rural ignorance and bigotry that it could document for its urban, liberal readership?

The Post story strikes a sinister note leading up to the Granite Falls event, with a nurse describing that town as a little bit rough and a neighbor of the Virjis offering, somewhat hilariously, the use of a bulletproof vest. The sponsors of the meeting arranged for two police officers to attend.

If the Posts reporter and editor were hoping for signs of bigotry, they were disappointed. Once again, the Minnesotans in attendance were remarkably friendly and respectful. It was Dr. Virji who started to go off the rails:

He glanced at his outline and made the point that of course Islam has its zealots, and he condemns them. But thats not what were talking about, he said. Because if you say, Thats Islam, then thats like me saying, Well, Christianity is David Koresh,  he said, referring to the cult leader.

One fact that shines through is that Dr. Virji, like many Muslims, resolutely refuses to admit that Islam has a problem. Terrorism? Extremism? Backward countries? Barbaric customs? Nothing to see here! Islam is just like Christianity, we all have our bad apples.

He began pacing a bit. People were listening. Do you guys know who the LRA is? he said, referring to the Lords Resistance Army, the cultish Ugandan rebel group blamed for the deaths of more than 100,000 people. How many of you knew about that? I want you to raise your hands. Two hands went up. How come you dont know about that? Ayaz said.

Probably because the Lords Resistance Army didnt bring down the World Trade Center, crash an airplane into the Pentagon, try to destroy the U.S. Capitol, murder 3,000 Americans, and follow up with dozens of terrorist attacks across Western Europe and the U.S.

How come only Islam has terrorism? The KKK had 5 million members in the 1920s. Lynching of black people was normal. It was routine. Why dont we look at ourselves, too, as well as others? You have alternative facts? Then go to a different lecture. No one was getting up to leave.

They were being polite. After a non sequitur like that, I would have been gone.

He quoted Koran verses to explain how there is no compulsion to convert people to Islam, how extremists who believe that hate me more than they hate you, and how Islam means peace, and soon, he began to veer.

Islam doesnt mean peace. It means submission.

So Islam is not what you see on TV, okay? he said. I know Fox News. Its not news. Its the WWF, okay? Dont use them as my spokesperson. When you say, These people are animals and we have to blow them up, dont say, This is Islam. Its not. And 99.9 percent of us will agree we need to condemn these people and it hurts us even more because theyre saying that God said this? Muhammad said this? Never in a million years. His voice was rising. He was getting angry. Mandy looked at him. Breathe, breathe, she said.

Dr. Virji continues with a flat misrepresentation that reveals the ignorance underlying his hatred of President Trump:

He began talking about Trumps former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who had referred to Islam as a vicious cancer. There are 1.6 billion Muslims in the world! Now, according to General Flynn, we have to purge them? We have to purge the world of Islam! he said in a mocking voice.

Of course, General Flynn never said any such thing. Referring to al Qaeda and the Islamic State, he said that Islamism is a disease inside the Islamic world, an -ism like Nazism, Communism, etc. and a vicious cancer that has to be excised. You can listen to Flynn here. Dr. Virji purports to be teaching lesser-educated Minnesotans, but in fact he is misleading them.

He was far off his outline now. You can sense Im angry about that, he said. Wasnt Jesus angry when he went into the temple and knocked over the tables of the money changers? He was angry. Injustice should make us angry! Okay? I am angry about the election. Because there is injustice there, and I have felt that within my family. And with the burning of mosques? And something like 150 bomb threats to Jewish synagogues? We should think.

What burning of mosques? It turned out that the bomb threats against Jewish institutions were made by a young Israeli who was paid in Bitcoin by foreign interests or governments, and by an African-American leftist here in the U.S. Virji was wrong to draw a connection between these events and the presidential election. Again, he misleads his audience.

He looked at Duane again, a neighbor he had considered a friend before the election but had barely spoken to since. Ill tell you. After the election, I was angry. And I was angry at my community for what they did. And I was ready to leave. Okay? I was ready to go and say you know what? Not my job. People think Im a terrorist? Im outta here. Fine. Find somebody else. The reason Im here is not because I want to  my faith is very personal to me. Im here because who else is going to do this, if not me? People were just sitting there, listening, not saying anything.

Again, Virji couldnt resist dragging President Trump into his discussion of Islam:

He moved on to what the Koran says about women, that they should be treated with dignity, and what Trump had said about grabbing women.

What did he say? What did he say? You know what he said.

Finally, after an hour and a half of such invective, during which not one person had left the room, Mandy France, the intern pastor, tapped him on the arm and whispered that he needed to finish.

How did the audience of rural Minnesotans react to Dr. Virjis tirade? With kindness and sympathy:

The lady in the back? Mandy said, and the woman stood up.

I want to thank you, she said. These conversations are very much needed.

***

He scanned the hands, and called on a man with short gray hair, who stood up. Um, I guess where Id want to go is simply   he began, then started over again. Part of what I want to share with you is this. He paused for a moment. I hear a lot of pain from you this evening. Ayaz was looking at him. He was listening. Um, Im sorry, the man said.

Dr. Virji evidently believes that the people of Dawson owed it to him to vote for Hillary Clinton. The Post records this exchange with his wife shortly before the Granite Falls appearance:

I think some people are coming from Dawson to be supportive, she offered. I know a way they could be supportive, he said, thinking once again of the vote. Maybe they are sorry, Musarrat said. Would be nice if they said it, Ayaz said. I dont think they regret it.

I dont know why they would. Apparently Dr. Virjis experiences have not caused him to re-think his assumptions about people who disagree with him about politics. The Post concludes on a somber note:

Soon it was dark, and their headlights were shining on the Welcome to Dawson sign, and the same streets with the same houses and the same people who had seemed to Ayaz so good and so genuine when his family first arrived. In the morning, he would walk to work as usual, and do his rounds as usual, and thats how he wished things could be. Only now, arriving back in Dawson, he still felt different, more and more like a stranger in a rural Midwestern town. He didnt want to feel that way. He hoped in time he wouldnt. He turned onto Pine Street, and then he was home.

The people of Dawson seemed good and genuine until they voted for the wrong presidential candidate. Who is the bigot? Who is blinded by prejudice? I see no sign that the Posts reporter understands that she and Dr. Virji are drawing the wrong lesson from the story they tell, but I suspect that a great many readers will take away quite a different point from the one that they intended.
Star Tribune reporter Stephen Montemayor decries the lack of help in prison for the malady that resulted in the incarceration of Zacharia Abdurahman, one of the nine Minnesota men convicted of conspiring to join ISIS in Syria. Zacharia pleaded guilty, but he is a hard case. He declined to cooperate in the prosecution of his friends proceeded who went to trial.

Judge Michael Davis sentenced Abdurahman to ten years in prison. Montemayor treats Abdurahman as some kind of a victim in After prison, will Minnesotas ISIS defendants come out better or worse?

I covered the trial and sentencing of the Minnesota men along with Montemayor. Whenever he expounds on the case Montemayor seems to me lost in a cloud of unknowing, of misplaced sympathy and of mind-numbing euphemism. This article has a little bit of all of them. As always, a little goes a long way.

The offense to which Abdurahman pleaded guilty derived from his devotion to Islam. He and his friends conspired at various mosques and elsewhere around the Twin Cities to make their way to ISIS, to live under the caliphate declared by ISISs leader and to wage jihad against the unbelievers. They longed to fight and die on behalf of Islam.

Beyond a reference to extremism, Montemayor never gets around to specifying Abdurahmans problem. If a newspaper article could be void for vagueness, like a criminal statute, Montemayors article would be declared unconstitutional. According to Montemayor, Abdurahman needs targeted services to unpack what attracted him to terrorism and guide him away from extremist views.

Hmmm, what might that be? Whatever it is, according to Mantemayor, it seems to be nothing an imam or two shouldnt be able to fix. At least Montemayor doesnt nominate the imam I wrote about in A tale of five Muhammads. The imam was removed from the defense team on which he served as a legal assistant for an attorney representing one of the defendants when the prosecutors cited the imams alleged instruction in the battlefield prayer for jihad as it appeared on undercover recordings of defendants. At the hearing Judge Davis called on the matter, the imam and the attorney for whom he worked resolved the issue by withdrawing from the defense.

As a result of the hearing called in response to the prosecutors notice regarding the evidence, we learned that the imam had sought to persuade one of the defendants who was not his client against pleading guilty in the deal his attorney had worked out for him. On the evening before this other defendant was to plead guilty, the imam counseled the other defendant that all the defendants should stick together and go to trial, and if they did, good things would happen. This legal assistant/imam holds down the fort at the Dawah institute in St. Paul, where he is presented as an Islamic community leader.

As I say, I covered the sentencing of Abdurahman and his co-conspirators by Judge Davis in November last year. Judge Davis has handled all the Somali terrorism cases here in federal court over the past ten years. He has taken the cases to heart and sought an answer to them. If there were an answer to the problem that Montemayor circles around in his article, Judge Davis would have taken account of it.

Short of such an answer, Judge Davis told the truth as he saw it at the sentencing hearings. I quoted him in my Weekly Standard article on the sentencings:

I have traveled the world trying to figure out what to do with this jihadist behavior, he said. Terrorists and their supporters should be incapacitated for a long period of time. His pronouncements were aimed variously at the defendants families and the broader Somali community, the defendants supporters, and Minnesotans generally. This community needs to understand there is a jihadist cell in this community. Its tentacles spread out. Young people went to Syria and died, he said at one hearing. Youre dealing with a terrorist organization thats the most dangerous this world has ever seen, he declared at another. Our own community wont even live up to it and understand that what is happening is something that must be prosecuted.

In my view, Montemayor and his colleagues at the Star Tribune are a part  a big part  of the problem that Judge Davis called out in his comments.
Hopes of reviving the strained union between Wedding Party actress, Ireti, and her actor/MC husband, Patrick Doyle, has dimmed further as the former has dropped her wedding band.

PREMIUM TIMES spotted the actress on the red carpet at the EbonyLife@4 celebration which also launched the TV series of Fifty a movie she starred in over the weekend.

This newspaper observed that the 50-year-old film star, who was wearing a floral sleeveless top on a long skirt, had a ringless finger. The wedding band, which was meant to be on the fourth finger of her left hand, was missing. When approached for an interview, she politely declined.

It was her first public outing since penultimate week when

news of their separation first surfaced online last week. But, the estranged couple is yet to issue any statement on the matter.

When contacted on phone, she said, I understand what you want to say. But Im driving right now and Im not using an earpiece. I suggest that you call me later or send me a text message containing your questions and I would respond to them.

Her husband did not respond to enquiries when PREMIUM TIMES contacted him.

The 15-year-old marriage, which produced six children, is said to be on the brink of collapse.

Sources close to the couple say they no longer live together.

The Tinsel star, Iretiola, has since moved into a new apartment in Anthony Village area of Lagos, living far away from her veteran broadcaster and actor husband and children.

While the reason for their break-up is still unclear, a source said Patrick and Ireti ended their relationship after thoughtful consideration and have chosen to remain friends.

Talking to some of their colleagues who worked with the duo while in NTA, many expressed surprise at this development.

Although the couple had not been stepping out together, before rumours of the separation spread, not a few could have guessed that the union was troubled.

When asked why they have not been spotted together in recent times, Ireti, said: We are both busy people and you find that, in any one given weekend, weve both been invited to three or four different events where all three or four people are expecting to see us so we play it smart, we share it; if youve seen one youve seen the other.

The actors got married shortly after Patricks first wife passed on and have been together for over two decades.

They share six children but lost one to a sickle cell in 1999.

Ireti had her first child, a daughter named Abimbola Ozofor back in her late teens. Now a grandmother, her daughter tied the knots three years ago at a grand ceremony in Lagos.

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The Syrian army has announced a unilateral ceasefire to last until Thursday in the southern parts of Syria, state media reported on Monday.

The truce, announced in an army statement, began on Sunday in the southern areas of Deraa, Queintra and al-Sweida and will remain in effect until midnight Thursday to support the peace process and national reconciliation.

The army added it would respond to breaches in an appropriate way, without elaborating.

Southern areas in Syria have borne the brunt of clashes between opposition groups and regime forces recently in the countrys civil war, which began with peaceful demonstrations in March 2011 against the rule of President Bashar al-Assad.

The situation on the border separating Syria and the Israeli-occupied part of the Golan Heights has been tense since the 2011 uprising.

Quneitra, located in a high valley in the Golan Heights, was hit by Israeli strikes recently after the country said shells fell on the Israeli side of the border.

(dpa/NAN)

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Qatar delivered its response on Monday to the list of demands issued by Arab countries that cut diplomatic ties with Doha after the Arab allies agreed to extend their deadline by 48 hours.

Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani met Kuwaiti Emir Sabah al-Ahmed and handed him a written letter by Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad with Dohas response, the Kuwaiti news agency reported.

Kuwait has been acting as a mediator to resolve the crisis which began in early June when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain and Egypt severed their relations with their small Gulf neighbour.

Al-Thani arrived in Kuwait, hours after the four Arab allies agreed to a 48-hour deadline extension proposed by Kuwait.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, the UAE, Bahrain and Saudi Arabia are scheduled to meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss future steps in dealing with Qatar.

Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir said during a press conference with German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel in Jeddah that Saudi Arabia and its allies have long had concerns about Qatari policies that are harmful to the world and have not seen much effort to reverse those stances.

The aim is to change Qatars policies, which we believe harm Qatar, the region and the world.

The latest diplomatic dispute was not the first, al-Jubeir added.

He noted that agreements signed in 2013 and 2014 designed to get Qatar to stop supporting terrorist powers.

The Qataris have made some progress, but certainly not sufficient progress to be satisfactory, he said.

Gabriel said he was doing his best to stay neutral in the matter, though he noted the different countries would take advantage of the crisis to work out a joint policy against terrorism.

It should be possible that the financing of extremist and terrorist organisations in the region can be stopped, Gabriel said, noting that, in his view, the best outcome of the crisis would be a a joint agreement against support for terrorism.

Al-Jubeir said he had yet to see the Qatari response handed to Kuwait.

We look forward to receiving the response. We hope the response is positive so we can reach a satisfactory solution to the crisis, he said.

In June, the Arab countries severed diplomatic ties and transportation links with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism, a charge that Doha denies.

Later, the four countries placed on terrorism lists 59 figures and 12 groups with alleged links to Qatar.

Doha has called the boycott a siege and collective punishment.

Qatar disclosed a list of 13 demands issued by the four countries, which included downgrading ties with Iran, a regional rival of Saudi Arabia; stopping support for Islamist groups; and shutting down the Doha-based broadcaster Al Jazeera and its channels.

In 2014, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Bahrain temporarily withdrew their ambassadors from Qatar, accusing it of breaching a regional security pact.

However, that dispute was resolved through Kuwaits mediation.

(dpa/NAN)

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The United Nations Population Fund, UNFPA, on Monday said not less than $12 million is earmarked to be spent annually on contraceptives for Family Planning (FP) in Nigeria.

The UNFPA National Programme Specialist, Olanike Adedeji, disclosed while briefing journalists on the line up programme to mark 2017 World Population Day in Abuja.

Mrs. Adedeji explained that the Nigerian government committed only $2 million for the procurement of contraceptives for FP until 2011, when the government proclaimed such FP commodities to be free in public health facilities.

She said that since that declaration, many donors like USAID, DFID and UNFPA contributed resources to ensure this pronouncement became reality.

According to her, all this effort was to ensuring that the commodities were all over public facilities in the country.

After the proclamation and MoU was signed, Nigeria started having between $12 to $16 million every year, she said.

The programme specialist said that UNFPA intervened to assist in distribution from the national warehouse to states to local government health facilities.

She added that USAID was also supporting in five to seven states in the country.

She said that UNFPA has engaged 5,000 health care workers to provide the services across the country.

Mrs. Adedeji stated that in 2012, Nigeria had a golden moment in London when it proposed to give $11.5 million annually, pointing out that the Federal Ministry of Health was expected to give $3 million while the then Sure-P programme would dole out $8.5 million

She noted that due to fall in oil prices Sure-Ps commitment was not realisable but had been depending on contribution from the ministry of health.

From 2012 till date what we have been getting is $3 million from the ministry of health and we have been pushing for review and recently we learnt the Federal Executive Council had increased it to four million dollars, she said.

The official explained that FP was not meant to reduce population as widely perceived in the country.

She said that it was meant to ensure basic needs of life like education, health infrastructural facilities were adequate or commensurate to the growing population.

Mrs. Adedeji noted that it depends on how it is used as population could be a blessing or a curse to any country.

(NAN)

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The spokesperson of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Bolaji Abdullahi, on Sunday said he did not know the health situation of President Muhammadu Buhari.



Channels Television quoted the partys spokesperson, Bolaji Abdullahi, as saying I dont know the health status of the presidentthe party (APC) does not know either when he appeared on a programme on the station Sunday evening.



Mr. Abdullahi later confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES in a follow up phone call that he informed Nigerians that he doesnt know how the presidents health was faring because he wasnt in a position to know.



I am not a government official and I am not a member of his family, so I wasnt in a position to know, Mr. Abdullahi, a former Minister of Youth and Sports, said. Those who should know would know.



Mr. Buhari has not been seen in public since he departed for London on a second medical leave May 7.



Many Nigerians heard his voice for the first time last Saturday when the State House released an audio message said to be from him. The message was recorded in Hausa to greet Nigerians for the Edi-el-Fitr holidays.



Unlike during his first trip when his political associates flocked to London to see him and beam the images of their visits back home, no one has distributed any pictures with the president in the latest trip, which passed the 50-day mark last week.



His wife, Aisha, said she saw him during a trip to London last month, but no pictures were circulated, fuelling rumours that she was prevented from seeing the president.

Governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti added to the rumour when he told journalists that he was sure Mrs. Buhari was prevented from seeing her husband.





Mrs. Buhari departed the country again on Sunday for Addis Ababa. She will be in London to see the President on Tuesday, her office said in a statement.



The APC Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, had said last week that the president was recuperating well and his doctors will say when he will return home at the appropriate time.

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Among Nigerias numerous national challenges, which do you think the next president should focus on first?  Premium Times (@PremiumTimesng) October 5, 2022 Support PREMIUM TIMES' journalism of integrity and credibility Good journalism costs a lot of money. Yet only good journalism can ensure the possibility of a good society, an accountable democracy, and a transparent government. For continued free access to the best investigative journalism in the country we ask you to consider making a modest support to this noble endeavour. By contributing to PREMIUM TIMES, you are helping to sustain a journalism of relevance and ensuring it remains free and available to all. Donate TEXT AD: Call Willie - +2348098788999 Please enable JavaScript to view the comments powered by Disqus.

In his interview with Channels, Mr. Abdullahi maintained that the administration was still on course to delivering on campaign promises, even though Mr. Buharis priority may be slightly different from that of the party.
More facts have emerged about Michael Bello, the gunman who shot seven people at the Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Centre, New York on Friday, and identified as a Nigerian.

Bola Omotosho, the Community Board Chair for The Bronx 5, New York, told the Correspondent of the News Agency of Nigeria that Mr. Bello hailed from Auchi, Edo State.

Mr. Bello, 45, shot dead a woman on the 17th floor and injured six others on the 16th floor, before allegedly killing himself, the New York Police Department Commissioner James ONeil, said.

He went into the hospital, his former workplace, wearing a white lab coat with an AR-15 machine gun hidden underneath and asked for a specific doctor on the 16th floor.

However, when he was told the doctor was not there, he started shooting at everyone and tried to set himself on fire before allegedly committing suicide.

Mr. Omotosho said: He (Bello) is a Nigerian, hes from Auchi, virtually not that I knew him personally but he had his medical education in the Caribbean, came back here  U.S.

He left the hospital and up till recent, was working with the HRA  Human Resources Administration  here in the Bronx, after he left the hospital.

But he left that place, the HRA where he was working, unceremoniously. The relevance of this is there are several Nigerians in the HRA, New York City Human Resources Administration.

So, he just abandoned the job and when he did not show up after a couple of weeks even up to a month, he was recently terminated from there about two or three weeks ago or so.

But of course, he must have had his own challenges, while he was planning something.

And in addition to that, very recently, as at this past week, less than two weeks ago, was when they notified the HRA Police as part of precautionary measure.

That any ex-staffer who has been dismissed or terminated, should not be allowed into the building; just this past two weeks or less than that.

It is unfortunate that hospital has no metal detector; we dont use metal detector in the office.

Thats the last place you expect a disgruntled worker to come back and do such a heinous crime or retaliation.

Mr. Omotosho, who has been elected the Community Board Chair for Bronx 5 for 10 years, just got re-elected during the City Council election on June 21.

Ive held that position now for 10 years. Ive been re-elected every year; this is the eleventh year, the Nigerian-born medical doctor told NAN.

According to him, when the incident involving Mr. Bello occurred, he responded as the Committee Board Chair, as it was part of the process expected of him as the representative of the people.

The officer from my 46 Precinct, who responded to the 911 call, is in my District.

So, part of the verification process is for the Public Affairs Officer to call me, being the Committee Board Chair, that this is whats going on, somebody is killed in your District.

Meanwhile, there have been some controversies as to whether Mr. Bello killed himself or was actually shot dead.

It was believed that shooters who committed suicide usually shot themselves on the head and not on the chest as it was in Mr. Bellos case.

At Mr. Bellos home in the Bronx, investigators recovered the box the rifle had been packed when he bought it on June 20, reports said.

Of the six people wounded in the shooting, two had been transferred to Mount Sinai Hospital by Sunday as they had injuries to the brain and liver and remained in critical but stable condition.

Four patients  medical residents, a medical student and a patient  remained at Bronx-Lebanon, where they were in stable condition recovering from injuries to the abdomen, neck, thigh and hand, hospital officials said.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian community in the U.S. has condemned the shooting.

The Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians, OAN, in a statement issued by its President, Solomon Bakare, said the Nigerians in the U.S. are the best of their kind.

The Organization for the Advancement of Nigerians (OAN, Inc.) condemns, in strongest terms, the senseless and shocking shooting of seven innocent people by Dr Henry Bello at the Bronx Lebanon Hospital on Friday, June 30, 2017.

On behalf of the Nigerian Community in New York City, we offer our sympathies and condolences to the family of Dr Tracy Sin-Yee Tam, the physician whose life was unjustly taken by this senseless shooting.

Our thoughts and prayers also go to the other victims, most of whom are still undergoing treatment for their injuries, as well as to the entire staff and patients of the Bronx Lebanon Hospital, who have been needlessly traumatised by Dr Bellos heinous act.

We like to state categorically that Dr Bellos dastardly act is by no means reflective of the exemplary service and professionalism of thousands of Nigerian physicians and other health care practitioners all over the United States, who have dedicated their lives and careers to saving lives and are highly respected in the medical field.

Founded over 25 years ago, the OAN is a New York based not-for-profit organisation that represents the interests of Nigerians in the Diaspora.

The Nigerian organisation has also been at the forefront of encouraging Nigerians to make positive contributions in the U.S.

OAN is also the arrowhead of the Nigerian Independence Day Parade Committee, which is a coalition of Nigerian religious, professional, and socio-cultural organizations that plans the annual Nigerian Independence Day Parade in New York City.

These organisations include Association of Nigerian Physicians in the Americas, Nigerian Nurses Association, Nigerian Lawyers Association, Nigerian Social Workers Association, and various religious and Nigerian ethnic associations.

OAN also sponsors seminars and symposia on various topical issues, and has received several awards, proclamations, and citations from City, State, and Federal elected officials for its work, the statement read.

Mr. Bello, who hailed from Auchi, Edo State, was going to be fired by the hospital, after reports of sexual harassments, but instead chose to resign in February 2015 in lieu of termination.

(NAN)

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The Nigerian Police Force on Monday said they were not under pressure in the handling of the case of suspected kidnap kingpin, Chukwudumeme Onwuamadike, also known as Evans.

The police spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood, said this on Monday morning while featuring on a talkshow on African Independent Television, AIT.

Mr. Moshood was reacting to concerns raised by Nigerians, especially on social media, about the seeming slow pace with which the police have handled the case thus far.

Evans and six of his co-conspirators were arrested and paraded at the Lagos State Police Command in June.

According to Mr. Moshood, the suspects were arrested after officers stormed the kidnappers den and engaged in a gun battle which lasted several hours.

The suspect was first declared wanted in August 2013 for the attempted kidnap of Vincent Obianudo, the owner of a Lagos-based transportation company. Mr. Obianudo survived the attempt, as police officers foiled the scheme, killing three of his gang members in the process.

According to the police, the gang primarily kidnapped victims in Lagos State but have also kidnapped prominent Nigerians from Northern states.

Since Evans arrest, he has made startling confessions about his alleged kidnapping exploits, among other criminal activities.

Many Nigerians have, however, raised concerns on why the Police are delaying his (Evans) prosecution.

But Mr. Moshood, in his reaction, said the police are not under any pressure over the case, saying there are related issues the police are still investigating, including criminal cases involving the suspect in Ghana and other African countries.

The spokesperson also advised Nigerians to be wary of social media reports, which he said were often based on hearsays and not authentic information emanating from the police.

While explaining that the police would do everything within its capacity to ensure proper investigation and prosecution of the suspect, Mr. Moshood noted that the police have no power over the decision of the court on the case.

He called on other Nigerians who may have evidences against the suspect to assist the police and the court in the administration of justice.

Mr. Moshood, however, noted that the police are not under any pressure from anywhere.

We are not under any pressure and we wont be, he said.

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But for high-level scheming during the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, nominating convention in 1978, Yusuf Maitama Sule who died on Monday would have picked the partys princely ticket ahead of close opponent, Shehu Shagari.

Though the two frontline candidates served in the cabinet of Nigerias first Prime Minister, Tafawa Balewa, some two decades earlier, Mr. Sule was seen as more urbane, outgoing and better connected than his major opponent. Those qualities earned Mr. Sule support and distaste in equal measure.

While he wooed delegates with his oratorical skills and flamboyance, he was mistrusted by power brokers who viewed him as too independent and unwilling to be controlled.

However, as was later recounted by Dahiru Yahaya, a professor of history who was NPN secretary in Kano State, Mr. Sules charge at the ticket was truncated by a conspiracy, with his own kinsmen from Kano at the centre of it.

When it was apparent that the politician may pick the nomination ahead of Mr. Shagari at the re-run primaries, politicians, some very close to him, were mobilised overnight to launch a door-to-door sophisticated de-campaigning exercise.

Those politicians moved round delegates rooms. They would give some money to each delegate and say; Maitama appreciates your support but he said you should vote for Shagari tomorrow, Mr. Yahaya recollected.

The next day, Mr. Shagari emerged victorious and went on to win the general election to become Nigerias first executive president in 1979.

In what was seen as a move to take the flamboyant politician out of the political cycle, Mr. Sule was appointed ambassador by Mr. Shagari and posted to the United Nations.

While at the UN, he chaired the United Nations Standing Committee Against Apartheid then ravaging South Africa.

A servants son liberated by education

Mr. Sule had risen from humble beginnings to attain national reckoning as one of the longest serving ministers in the truncated first republic and a favourite of the prime minister, Mr. Balewa.

The two shared a striking history. While Mr. Balewas father was a servant of Madaki of Bauchi, Mr. Sules father served the then powerful Kano kingmaker, Madaki Mahmudu.

It was after his masters father that Mr. Sules father named his only son, born in 1929, Yusuf.

Mr. Sule often made references to his family background and described education as what placed him shoulder high with the emir, instead of serving him.

Under benevolent guidance of his fathers master, Madaki Mahmudu, young Sule was enrolled at Shahuci Elementary School in 1937. He subsequently attended Kano Middle School and Kaduna College (now Barewa College).

Mr. Sule taught at his alma mater, Kano Middle School and played significant roles in social mobilisation, touring villages with then Emir Muhammadu Sanusi throughout the emirate, on health, literacy and tax campaigns.

The emir would later turban him as Dan Masanin Kano, in acknowledgment of Mr. Sules knowledge, wisdom and roles in public campaigns. True to his title, Mr. Sule remained a repository of Kano and Nigerias history as well as acclaimed public speaker with sharp wit.

PIONEER OIL MINISTER

Mr. Sule, who became minister of mines and power in 1954 at the age of 29, signed deals and contracts with Shell for oil prospecting and exploration in Nigeria.

He saw to the establishment of the Nigeria oil company and nominated Nigerian businessmen on the Nigeria/Shell joint board. Among Mr. Sules nominees were Louis Ojukwu, a prominent businessman and father of late Biafran leader Emeka Ojukwu, as well as Aliko Dangotes maternal grandfather, Sanusi Dantata.

For his fondness of the late politician, Mr. Balewa nominated young Sule to stand-in for him in a ball dance with visiting Queen Elizabeth. The young man had already started his rehearsals when the then powerful Finance Minister, Festus Okotie-Eboh, opposed the idea as disrespectful of the queen.

Mr. Sule relished telling this story and had his picture in bowtie bought for the purpose to show for it.

The octogenarian, also known by his traditional title, Danmasanin Kano, died in the early hours of Monday while on admission at a private hospital in Cairo, Egypt.

He was flown to the Egyptian hospital on Saturday after doctors at Kanos Nasarawa Hospital diagnosed him of pneumonia and chest infection.

Mr. Sules corpse is expected to back in the country by 2 p.m. on Tuesday for burial at 4:30 p.m. at the Kano Emirs Palace.

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Monday released the time table for the recall of the senator representing Kogi West, Dino Melaye on Monday.

The decision of the electoral umpire is coming amidst efforts by Mr. Melayes lawyer to stop the commission from kick starting the process.

INEC had last week acknowledged receiving a petition from Mr. Melayes constituents asking to recall him. About 52 per cent of registered voters in the lawmakers constituency are believed to have signed the petition.

The commission had also written to the senator intimating him formally of its receipt of the petition and that it would kickstart the process on July 3.

Earlieron Monday while speaking to PREMIUM TIMES over the telephone, spokesperson of INEC, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the commission would meet to decide on the timetable.

Yes, it is true we received a letter from his lawyer but that is just an intention to go to court, the case has not been heard so you cant say we should stop our process because he wants to go to court. He can go to court and pursue whatever he wants to, but well go on with our process, he said.

Mr. Melaye, had through his lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, filed a suit at a Federal High Court in Abuja with No. FHC/ABJ/CS/587/2017 challenging the bid to recall him.

Mr. Ozekhome, thereafter, wrote to INEC informing it of the suit and asking it not to commence the recall process until the matter is heard.

INEC however said instituting a suit alone is not enough to stop it.

In the timetable it released, INEC said it would verify the signatures of those calling for the recall on August 19 and publish the results same day.

See time table below:

S/No. ACTIVITY DATE REMARK 1 Notice of Verification 10 th July 2017 To be posted at the constituency (INEC LGA Office Lokoja) 2 Last day for submission of application by interested observers 31 st July 2017 INEC Headquarters 3 Last day for submission of names of verification agents for the member sought to be recalled and the petitioners 10 th August 2017 By a letter addressed and submitted to the REC indicating the Polling Unit verification agents arranged by LGAs as well as collation agents and where they will serve 4 Stakeholders meeting 15 th August 2017 INEC State office 5 Conduct of Verification 19 th August 2017 To be held in all Polling Units in the constituency 6 Declaration of the outcome of verification 19 th August 2017 At the Constituency (INEC LGA Office Lokoja)

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Hassan Danbaba, a businessman and grandson of late Premier of Northern Nigeria, Ahmadu Bello, has accused the Sultan of Sokoto, Saad Abubakar of plotting to jail him over chieftaincy tussle that led to exit of the former from the Sultanate Council.

In a statement he signed and circulated to journalists in Abuja on Monday, Mr. Danbaba insisted that he voluntarily left his position, even as he accused the Sultan of character assassination.

Mr. Danbaba had on Wednesday walked out of a meeting with the Sultan and declared that he was no longer interested in the Magajin Gari title which he had held for 20 years, following a bitter quarrel.

I am aware that Sultan is hell bent on having me jailed as he has confided in one of the council members. So, it should be noted that should anything happen to me, Sultan should be held responsible, he wrote in the statement.

Mr. Danbaba also described as false, claims that he wanted the Sultan to intervene in a case of purported abandoned contract with Ministry of Water Resources as well as investigation into the Paris Club refund scandal in which one of his companies was involved as consultant.

I challenge the Sultan or any of the council members to prove that I have ever begged them to intervene in any of my dealings, either at this trying moment or previously.

A Sultan who commoditizes caliphate services with a price tag, knows that I know his price, which I can as well afford, if I wanted his intervention in any matter.

Documents made available to PREMIUM TIMES show that the supposed contract awarded Mr. Danbabas company, Monarch Hydro-Works Limited, was awarded in 2004 and completed in 2013.

As for Paris Club consultancy service, I have never begged nor discussed the issue of EFCC with the Sultan. Let me also make it clear that I was never arrested or detained by the EFCC. As a responsible citizen, I honoured the invitation of the commission and after handling the matter in a professional way by taking my statement without humiliation or harassment, I was asked to go.

A letter signed by the chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Abdulaziz Yari, shows that the embattled businessman was hired into the team of the forums financial consultants in August, 2016.

Mr. Danbaba described as saddening and disheartening that a person holding an exalted throne will engage in peddling falsehood and lead a smear campaign against his council member by feeding editors with lies.

Reiterating how he relinquished his position, Mr. Danbaba explained:

For the purpose of setting the records straight, I voluntarily resigned my position as Magajin Garin Sokoto at a meeting with the Sultan, council members and some eminent personalities in our society such as former Governor Mallam Yahaya Abdulkarim, former Deputy Governor Mallam Chiso Dattijo and former Secretary to the Military Government, Makaman Sokoto Mallam Sani Dingyadi, among others.

This was the second meeting we held to resolve our differences with Inuwa Abdulkadir, and at no point during the two meetings the issue of EFCC was mentioned by my humble self or any other person present at the meeting.

I honourably resigned, walked out on the Sultan, retuned my staff of office, official vehicle and other title paraphernalia because I could no longer stand the Sultans verbiage, disparaging remarks and tacit attempts to humiliate my lineage.

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A nongovernmental group, SERAP, has criticised the move by the House of Representatives to pass a bill granting amnesty to treasury looters.

The bill was introduced by Linus Okorie, Ohaukwu/Ebonyi federal constituency of Ebonyi State, and read for the first time on June 14, and now awaits second reading.

The bill seeks to grant looters amnesty against probe, inquiry or prosecution after fulfilling certain conditions.

Those affected would also not be compelled by any authority to disclose the source of their looted funds. The scheme is to last for three years, but it could be extended at the instance of the Federal Government, the bill provides.

But SERAP, in an open letter signed by its executive director, Adetokunbo Mumuni, urged the speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, to use his leadership position to take without delay, all necessary measures to withdraw the bill to grant full and complete amnesty to suspected looters and allow them to keep their ill-gotten wealth.

In a letter dated June 30, SERAP urged the House to allow justice and accountability in corruption cases, and not impunity or immunity.

It further stated that the amnesty bill for suspected looters unquestionably conflicts with Nigerias obligations under the UN Convention against Corruption to establish territorial criminal jurisdiction over corrupt acts, prosecute alleged offenders, and apply prescribed sanctions through a fair trial.

According to SERAP, rather than propose amnesty for suspected looters of our commonwealth, the House of Representatives under Mr. Dogaras leadership should be promoting laws that would lead to the comprehensive and radical reform of the criminal justice system to ensure that those accused of grand corruption are not allowed to profit from their alleged crimes.

The proposed bill is neither necessary to prevent corruption nor end impunity of perpetrators, which has allowed corruption in the country to become widespread and systemic, the group said.

The bill is also counterproductive, especially at a time Nigerians are witnessing a sprawling gap in accountability for grand corruption, and high-ranking public officials accused of corruption are getting away with reduced punishment, and allowed to keep their ill-gotten wealth. The letter read.

SERAPs said granting amnesty to perpetrators of corruption violates the right of victims of corruption to an effective remedy.

An effective remedy entails access to justice, reparation for the harm suffered as a result of grand corruption, and access to the factual information concerning allegations of corruption, the group said.

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A Catholic priest, Philip Jamang, has described the rejection of Peter Okpalaeke by some members of Ahiara Diocese, Mbaise, in Imo, as a disgrace to the Catholic Church.

Mr. Jamang, parish priest of Church of Assumption, Chongo Pyel, Jos, told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) that it was particularly wrong for some priests to support those against a Bishop appointed by the Pope.

Their action is strange; it is an insult never heard of in the Catholic Church, he said on Monday in Jos.

Ahiara Catholic Diocese has remained without a Bishop, more than four years after the death of its pioneer Bishop, Victor Chikwe, a Rt. Rev., after the rejection of Mr. Okpalaeke, who was appointed and consecrated in 2012.

A section of Mbaise priests, supported by a segment of the laity, have remained opposed to Okpalaeke because of his birthplace.

In May, the Pope gave the diocese a 30-day ultimatum to accept Mr. Okpalaeke and apologise, or face sanctions.

The ultimatum expired last month without compliance.

Mr. Jamang, while reacting to the lingering disagreement, said the action of the priests and the laity had demeaned the Catholic Church and the sacred place of the Pontiff.

The Catholic Church is a united entity known for sanity and dignity. If today some sections of the Church, including priests in Ahiara, are rejecting a Bishop on the basis of clan, then something is really wrong.

Most of the Bishops are not natives of Dioceses where they serve. Bishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos, for instance, is from Jalingo in Taraba. Bishop Mathew Kukah of the Sokoto Diocese is from Kaduna State.

For any Catholic faithful to insist that his or her Bishop must be a native of the area he is posted, is very odd and strange, he said.

Mr. Jamang urged Catholics and other Christians to accept and support people ordained by God and sent to work with them as his ministers, and avoid actions that would bring shame to Christianity.

He also called on Christians to pray for the unity of the Church and Nigeria in general (NAN)

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A priest in a rural village of central Italy has started offering free alcohol to adults and crisps to children in a bid to boost Mass attendance, as part of a supermarket-style loyalty programme.

In a tongue-in-cheek post on his Facebook profile, Father Gianfranco Formenton of the Church of Saint Martin in Trignano, a hamlet of 1,500 near the Umbrian town of Spoleto, announced that the rewards scheme would apply from July 2.

Father Formenton offered prosecco from his home region of Veneto and crisps mixed with Communion wafers as snacks, but only to owners of a Mass Attendance Card.

He also stressed that the church premises are air-conditioned and available for hire for birthdays and other events.

In an interview with Il Messaggero newspaper, which first reported on the unusual initiative on Sunday, Father Formenton said the idea was born as a game, thought up with the youth members of the parish and mainly targeted towards them.

Every Sunday, at the end of Mass, I put a stamp on the card, to certify [the owners] attendance.

Its just a game, but it helps to remind everybody that faith is a commitment and, as such, it does not go on holiday, Formenton said.

The priest was not available for comment on Monday, but on Facebook, following national publicity for his unconventional pastoral methods, he wrote a message in the Veneto dialect, saying: All this fuss for a prosecco and a couple of crisps?(dpa/NAN)

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The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, on Monday released the much-anticipated timetable for the recall exercise of Dino Melaye, a senator from Kogi State.

The electoral umpire published the schedule despite acknowledging receipt of court process which Mr. Melayes lawyers filed to halt the recall.

Mr. Melaye filed the 34-page court papers at the Abuja Division of the Federal High Court last week, urging the court to order INEC not to proceed because the recall signatures submitted to INEC were fraudulent.

Mr. Melayes lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, filed the originating summons a day after INEC wrote the senator about an ongoing process by his constituents to recall him.

The electoral body also told Mr. Melaye that it will publish the modalities for the recall on July 3  today.

Recall campaigners say they submitted 188, 588 signatures, representing more than 54 percent of voters in the district, to INEC for verification.

See the five critical dates as published by Secretary to INEC, Augusta Ogakwu, below:

S/No. ACTIVITY DATE REMARK 1 Notice of Verification 10 th July 2017 To be posted at the constituency (INEC LGA Office Lokoja) 2 Last day for submission of application by interested observers 31 st July 2017 INEC Headquarters 3 Last day for submission of names of verification agents for the member sought to be recalled and the petitioners 10 th August 2017 By a letter addressed and submitted to the REC indicating the Polling Unit verification agents arranged by LGAs as well as collation agents and where they will serve 4 Stakeholders meeting 15 th August 2017 INEC State office 5 Conduct of Verification 19 th August 2017 To be held in all Polling Units in the constituency 6 Declaration of the outcome of verification 19 th August 2017 At the Constituency (INEC LGA Office Lokoja)

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The Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has explained his stance on restructuring Nigerias federal system.

Mr. El-Rufai, in a statement by his spokesperson, Samuel Aruwan, said his stance on restructuring has been consistent even before he emerged governor.

Making reference to an interview he granted on Channels Television, the Kaduna governor also explained his opposition to the implementation of the report of the 2014 National Conference, adding that the Muhammadu Buhari administration was already gradually restructuring the federation.

Read Mr. Aruwans full statement below.

While appearing on Sunrise Daily on Thursday, 29 June 2017, Malam Nasir El-Rufai clearly explained his position on restructuring. This is consistent with the views on restructuring that he has articulated in the past, including in newspaper interviews (for instance in ThisDay, August 2010) and articles like Federation without Federalism syndicated in print and online media in 2012.

As he developed his arguments on the matter, he stressed how the balance between federal and state power is being redressed in favour of sub-national entities by the Buhari administration. While more ought to be done to ensure that more powers and responsibilities are devolved to the states, El-Rufai pointed out that in areas like mining in collaboration with state governments, transfer of federal roads to states, coordinated land reforms and unprecedented participation of the state governments in the National Economic Council, there is already clear evidence of such recognition in practical terms beyond rhetoric by the APC federal government.

He cited at various times during the Sunrise Daily interview, the re-designation of two federal roads in Kaduna as state roads, at the request of the Kaduna State Government. He also mentioned instances the closer engagement between state and federal authorities on mining matters, a relationship that acknowledges state rights on the matter. On these matters, it is clear that the Buhari government has done more in practice to devolve powers to states than the latter-day converts who did not follow a similar direction when they had the power to do so.

Going further, Malam Nasir El-Rufai said that states also need to devolve responsibilities to the local government councils on matters like primary education and healthcare, as soon as it is clear that their structures are capable of taking charge of such functions.

El-Rufai spoke out against the posturing on restructuring, as well as the clear absence of substance or content to the repetitive declamations on restructuring by some politicians, careerists and former office holders. These same persons attempted a wholesale distortion of comments made on the same programme by Chief John Oyegun, national chairman of the APC, inferring differences that do not exist.

It is on record that in 2014, Malam El-Rufai opposed the national confab arranged by the Jonathan government. The APC as a national party also opposed it. To say that the APC will not have anything to do with the report of a conference it opposed is only logical. Attempts to push that confab report as some sort of standard manual on restructuring will not work. Rather let everyone state what restructuring means in clear detail, and let us advance towards codifying devolution in our constitution, laws and restore federalism in our country by redefining the balance of powers between the centre and the states.

Those who orchestrated the Jonathan confab and participated in it despite its composition not fairly representing or reflecting the demographics and diversities of this country may feel entitled to uphold its recommendations. But they cannot insist that others must accept it as scripture.

What Malam El-Rufai said on Channels Sunrise, citing practical instances of how federal-state relations are being redefined, is consistent with the national manifesto of the APC which commits the party to restructuring: To achieve this laudable programme, APC government shall restructure the country, devolve power to the units, with the best practices of federalism and eliminate unintended paralysis of the center.

That is a succinct expression of the direction in which restructuring can be achieved through federalism to better serve the interests of the peoples of this country. Many of those shouting about restructuring today never held these views when they should, and the other careerists are simply living off a concept which is desirable but which needs to be articulated into actionable detail to be beneficial. Let us all commit to supporting what the APC has committed to, and has actually started, without the posturing and hot air!

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Over six months after the commencement of investigation into cases of alleged medical negligence at a major hospital in Abuja, the Nigeria Medical and Dental Council, NMDC, has said the investigation is still ongoing.

PREMIUM TIMES had reported the cases of alleged medical negligence at the Federal Medical Centre, Abuja. The cases led to the death of at least three persons with one of them reporting to the NMDC.

While explaining that the investigation was ongoing, the Acting Registrar of the council, Tajudeen Sanusi, said he cannot say when the results will be released.

I cannot tell you that. I am not a member of the investigation panel. Like I told you before, the procedure for dealing with that kind of issue is such that when the affidavits are received, they are added to other such complaints and treated one after another, said Mr. Sanusi, a medical doctor.

The case being investigated by the council is the death of a 29-year-old woman, Sandra David.

A senior official at the FMC had in December told PREMIUM TIMES that the allegation of negligence in the case of Ms. David was already being investigated by the MDCN.

We have already been communicated by the (Ms. Davids) familys lawyers and the Federal Medical Council is already looking into the matter, so we cant talk to you about it, the official said.

As for the other people, we are not aware of any complaint, he added.

However, in a letter dated June 2 and received shortly after our visit to the MDCN, the council told PREMIUM TIMES that the results of the investigation will be released in due course.

The NMDCs letter was signed by the secretary to the councils investigation panel, Enejor Abdu.

The matter you referred to, is under investigation, by the medical and dental practitioners investigation panel. The outcome of the investigation will be communicated to the complainant in due course, Mr. Abdu said.

PREMIUM TIMES had approached the council, after a meeting with the Chief Medical Director of the FMC, Chinwe Igwilo, in March.

Mrs. Igwilo received our investigation team only after the intervention of the health minister, Isaac Adewole, demanding that she addresses the allegations contained in our December 31 story.

You cannot compel me to talk to you, if I dont want to. I did not think it was necessary to have a word with you because you have already written all that you have to say. I am not here for you, said an angry Mrs. Igwilo who accused PREMIUM TIMES of failing to give the hospital fair hearing.

Her allegations were, however, false as this newspaper made repeated efforts to get the hospital to speak before the story was published.

Mrs. Igwilo also confirmed that the MDCN was already investigating the allegations of negligence against the hospital with regards to late Ms. David. She however dismissed the other allegations contained in the story as no issues.

I do not know the details. This matter is where it should be; that is with the medical and dental council, she said. I carefully read through Sandra Davids case, but as for those other cases; as far as I am concerned they are no issues.

The CMD also responded angrily when asked about an allegation made by a couple, Mr. and Mrs. Negedu, whose case was also reported in our December 31 story.

I will not let you talk rubbish, this is an affront. In a hospital where you have six obstetricians and over 25 doctors. We have a reputation and no one can bring us down, she said.

Mrs. Igwilo was responding to an allegation by Mrs. Negedu that the hospital attempted to use a razor blade on her, while she was in her labour pains.

At the ward, they put a drip on me and abandoned me. There was an ongoing strike action at the time. It took over 40 minutes before they came to me. At that time my baby was already dead They were asking for blade to cut me up. Fortunately for me the placenta came out on its own, said Mrs. Negedu.

The FMCs head of Admin and management, Felix Rowland, a medical doctor, also denied allegations made by other victims, as told by this newspaper.

Eddy Pious, whose wife lost her pregnancy after 38 weeks and a few days, blamed the FMC of negligence, saying the hospital refused to attend to his wife, even after her water broke.

My wife was already 38 weeks pregnant, yet even with the pains, they refused to remove the baby, said Mr. Pious.

Responding, however, Mr. Rowland said it is not possible that a woman with such a delicate pregnancy as that explained by Mr. Pious was turned back after stating that her water had broken.

From what you have said, the baby was expected to have had an elective surgery and an elective surgery is always two weeks before the EDD; and that two weeks before the EDD, is the date usually given for elective surgery. Families expected to have elective surgeries are usually advised on danger signs that they should not wait at home with. One of those signs is seeing water and she could not have complained of seeing water and be turned back, Mr. Rowland said.

Mr. Rowland spoke further about another allegation, made by the family of Mr. and Mrs. John Paul. Mr. Pauls family accused the FMC of culpability in the circumstances that resulted in the still birth of their baby. He added that a similar condition like that experienced by his wife, was better managed the following year at the National Hospital, Abuja resulting in the survival of the baby.

The survival of such babies is neither here nor there; different conditions can lead to miscarriage, maybe she bled profusely. An older baby can die at the National hospital while a younger one survives here. Also, she said that her second baby survived a 27 weeks pregnancy at the national hospital, who is sure? It is the weight of the baby that can tell you who is likely to survive and who might die, Mr. Rowland said.

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Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday expressed profound sorrow about the news of the death of elder statesman, Maitama Sule.

Mr. Sule, a two-time minister and traditional title holder in Kano, died in Cairo, Egypt on Monday morning. He was 88.

His remains will be flown back to Nigeria on Tuesday, family sources told PREMIUM TIMES earlier.

While describing him as a national asset, Mr. Osinbajo said Nigerians home and away will miss the immense contribution of Mr. Sule for the forseeable future.

On behalf of President Muhammadu Buhari, the Government and the entire people of Nigeria, the Acting President conveys heartfelt condolences on this loss of a great national asset, Mr. Osinbajo said in a statement signed by his spokesman, Laolu Akande.

The acting president urged Mr. Sules family, friends and associates, to be consoled by the fact that his selfless commitment to the stability of Nigeria will not be forgotten and would always be honoured.

Alhaji Sule never relented applying his wealth of experience to advance the cause of unity, peace and progress of Nigeria, and his fatherly counsel to those in authority had always been bold, sincere and untainted, the statement said.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, described Mr. Sule as a colossus.

Undoubtedly, he was an icon of peace, transparency, a born orator, patriot and a distinguish statesman who gave his all for the unity and prosperity of Nigeria as one indivisible nation, the speaker said in a statement signed by his media aide, Turaki Hassan.

His death, is a monumental and huge loss to Nigeria and indeed the African continent in view of his contributions to the struggle against apartheid in South Africa.

Unfortunately, Maitama Sule died at a time when his elderly wisdom, experience, and deep sense of patriotism is much needed in our country given the fact that we are passing through a challenging phase in our history as a nation.

Our special and heartfelt condolences go to his immediate family, the people and government of Kano State even as we join all Nigerians and people of goodwill in mourning this monumental loss, Mr. Dogara said.

Born in 1929 in the old city of Kano, Mr. Sule was famous for his oration and flamboyance.

In the 1979 transition to civil rule, Mr. Sule vied for the presidential ticket of the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, losing to his opponent, Shehu Shagari, in a controversial re-run.

Mr. Sule was appointed ambassador by then President Shagari and posted to the United Nations.

While at the UN, he chaired the United Nations Standing Committee Against Apartheid then ravaging South Africa.

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The Tiv Paramount ruler, James Ayatse, on Monday advised his subjects against high bride price, saying that the practice was hindering young people from settling down.

Mr. Ayatse gave the advice in a statement issued by his Media Assistant, Freddie Adamgbe, and made available to the News Agency of Nigeria, NAN, in Makurdi.

According to the statement, the monarch spoke against the practice at a reception organised in his honour by his kinsmen, the Shangev-Ya Development Association in Kwande Local Government Area.

Mr. Ayatse said that the Tiv Area Traditional Council would soon partner the church and relevant stakeholders to cut down the exorbitant bride price in the land.

He also said that the council would make a law to prevent people from lavishing money for burial ceremonies.

He further said that only cultural values of economic and social benefit to the people would be promoted while those with retrogressive tendencies would be discouraged.

He challenged preachers of the Gospel to intensify the spread of the word of God in Tiv nation.

The Tor Tiv also cautioned youth against disrespecting elders and perpetrating violence in Tiv land and called for the cooperation and understanding of all and sundry.

He gave an assurance that the multifaceted challenges confronting Tiv nation would be properly addressed during his tenure.

The traditional ruler reiterated his earlier stance to remain apolitical and a father to all Tiv sons and daughters while urging other traditional chiefs to also remain neutral.

While enjoining his subjects to stand on truth and justice always, the Tor Tiv warned the warring communities of Mbaikyaa and Dzer to sheathe their swords or face sanctions.

Meanwhile, the National President, SHADA, Terkimbi Ulaka, described the emergence of Mr. Ayatse as the fifth Tor Tiv as divine.

Mr. Ulaka said that his antecedents are proof that he would take Tiv nation to the desired level.

(NAN)

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A Lagos-based lawyer, Malcom Omirhobo, has sued the Nigerian Police at a Lagos Division of the Federal High Court for allegedly threatening to arrest popular Nigerian musician, Tuface Idibia, over a mass protest he planned last February.

The lawyer, in a class action, sued for himself and on behalf of millions of Nigerians.

Joined as respondents in the suit are: The Inspector General of Police, The Attorney General of the Federation. The Commissioner of Police Lagos State and The Attorney General of Lagos State.

Last January, Tuface had called for a nationwide protest, themed OneNigeria, to raie awareness against worsening economic crisis across the country.

But the police, after initially promising to provide security, called on the musician to shelve the action in the interest of peace and security.

Two days to the protest, which had been scheduled for February 6th, Tuface announced the cancellation of the event citing security concerns.

The protest, however, went ahead on the planned date with civil society organizations and hundreds of Nigerians in Lagos and Abuja marching around the cities protesting against harsh living conditions.

In his suit marked FHC/CS/ 842/17, Mr. Omirhobo is seeking amongst other reliefs, a declaration that by the combined provisions of sections 39 to 41 of the constitution, it is the duty of the Police to provide security for intending protesters.

He avers that a failure of the police to provide the requisite security measures in favour of a planned protest which had been slated, but rather intimidate intending protesters, constitutes a breach of citizens fundamental right to peaceful Assembly.

On the day scheduled for the protest in Lagos, armed police officers had blocked access to the National Stadium, the start-off point for the protest. The officers, however, were forced to stand down after police commissioner, Fatai Owoseni, denied authorizing the action.

At the resumed hearing of the case on Monday, Mr. Omirhobo announced appearance for the applicant, while there was no legal representation for the respondents.

He informed the court that he had yet to serve processes on some of the respondents in Abuja, and urged the court for time to do the needful.

Consequently, the trial judge, Chuka Obiozor, ordered that all processes be regularised.

He adjourned the suit until October 11 for hearing.

In the suit, the applicant is seeking a declaration that the coercion and intimidation of 2face, by threatening to arrest him if he dared to lead the planned protest, amounts to a breach of his freedom of association, expression, and movement.

Mr. Omirhobo also seeks a declaration that the intimidation of 2face by the police, leading to a cancellation of the planned protest, which was meant to March against the rising wave of hunger and recession in the country, constitutes a breach of citizens right to freedom of expression.

He is, therefore, seeking an order of perpetual injunction, restraining the respondents from further preventing the applicant or other aggrieved citizens of Nigeria, from organising or convening peaceful assemblies, meetings or rallies.

He is also seeking an order of perpetual injunction restraining the respondents from further issuing threat statements to members of the public, and other interest groups from exercising their fundamental rights.

The applicant is also, calling for a public apology from the respondents to the generality of Nigerians, for frustrating a planned peaceful protest.

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The Lagos State House of Assembly has summoned Obafela Bank-Olemoh, Special Adviser to Governor Akinwunmi Ambode on Education; and the Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information, Fola Adeyemi, over a press statement perceived to be against a proposed law on Yoruba language.

The House directed the duo to appear before its committee on education to explain the statement credited to the Ministry of Education, seen to be against a bill on compulsory teaching of the language in schools.

The development followed a motion moved on the floor of the House on Monday by the Chairman, House Committee on Education, Olanrewaju Ogunyemi, condemning the statement issued by the ministry.

Mr. Ogunyemi said that the House had done so much to protect the native language from going into extinction and the press statement was unfounded.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the press statement issued by the Ministry of Education had condemned reports on social media that teaching of Yoruba language had been made compulsory in schools, starting from the 2017/2018 session.

The statement read in part: The reports trending on social media that the government has directed that teaching and learning of Yoruba are now compulsory from Primary to Senior Secondary Schools (SS.III) as from next session is false and unfounded.

The statement said the clarification became necessary following stories on the social media which have been generating reactions.

According to the statement, such reports are capable of misleading the pupils, students, education stakeholders and the general public.

The ministry reassured the public that Lagos State Government does not implement policies without far-reaching consultations and communication with relevant stakeholders.

The ministry, therefore, enjoined members of the public to disregard such stories trending on social media platforms.

Mr. Ogunyemi, however, considered the release of such a statement without consulting the House Committee on Education as a setback to its drive in preserving Yoruba Language from going into extinction.

The ministry of education cannot claim ignorance on what the House has been doing on the need to protect Yoruba Language from going into extinction.

We held a Public Hearing where Mr Speaker directed the ministry of education to sensitise all stakeholders, including the six education districts.

We must avoid unnecessary acrimony; we must not be seen by the public as working at cross purposes.

The release is in bad taste to undermine the efforts of the House, he said.

While supporting the motion, Rotimi Olowo, the Chairman, House Committee on Budget and Economic Planning, urged the House to set up an ad-hoc committee to look into the matter.

Mr. Olowo said: It is imperative we set up an Ad-Hoc committee to look into this. I see no reason why another organ of government should frustrate this effort.

Those behind it should be brought to book.

Meanwhile, the Speaker of the House, Mudashiru Obasa, who differed from the submission of members, said that such release should be disregarded since the House was in the process of making the law.

It does not matter what the release states, when the Bill is passed, we will send it to the executive and if they turn it down, we will come back here and do the needful, Mr. Obasa said.

He, however, agreed with members that the ministry of education ought to have consulted its counterpart in the House before issuing the statement and said the affected officers should appear before the committee.

The House adjourned its plenary until Tuesday.

(NAN)

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The Lagos State Police Command says it has begun screening of 138 suspected members of a dreaded cult group, Badoo, arrested on Saturday in Ikorodu area of Lagos State.

The commands spokesperson, Olarinde Famous-Cole, said that the command had embarked on screening of the suspects to identify those directly involved in the criminal activities in Ikorodu.

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the police, in conjunction with members of the Odua Peoples Congress, OPC, on Saturday raided the hideouts of suspected members of the group.

NAN reports that members of Badoo have been terrorising residents of the state, especially in Ikorodu axis.

Members of the group were fingered in the recent violent killings in Ikorodu axis, a development which prompted angry mob to embark on lynching of some suspected members of the group.

NAN also reports that residents of the area had on Friday lynched a suspected member of the group on the Ikorodu-Mile 12 Expressway.

The police team, in the operation which started on Saturday morning, moved around Ikorodu axis and combed the suspected hideouts of the members of the gang from street to street.

Mr. Famous-Cole said: We carried out the raid based on information and 138 suspects were arrested.

Screening is ongoing and those with no tangible explanation will be charged to court.

He said that the issue of confessions of the suspects as alleged in some social media does not arise as the screening of the suspects has yet to be concluded.

Also, the Chairman, Lagos State Neighbourhood Safety Agency, Israel Ajao, said that the agency would adopt the traditional method to unravel the mystery behind the cult killings.

Mr. Ajao, a retired deputy inspector general of police, said the killings had a ritual undertone, adding that there was need for security operatives to go beyond the conventional approach in tackling the ritual killings.

The Lagos State Government has cautioned residents to desist from carrying out jungle justice on any suspected members of the gang.

Mr. Famous-Cole had said, Government is on top of the situation and we like to use this medium to caution the people to desist from jungle justice.

(NAN)

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Families cheered, fireworks blasted, the orchestra boomed and freedom rang Sunday evening at the 25th annual Salute to America event at Greenfield Village.

The event brings together all the festivities one might find at a Fourth of July event, but anchors them in the American experience with the sights, sounds and fanfare quintessential to the countrys culture.

PHOTOS: 2017 Salute to America

It reminds you of what its all about, not just sparklers and cookouts, said 57-year-old Greg Donner of Dearborn Heights. Independence Day has history and honor.

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra played in the background with the Jazz Ambassadors of the United States Army Field Band, the premier touring musical representatives of the United States Army.

Hot dogs, red-white-and-blue banners, a fife and drum parade, and cannon blasts all set the scene as families gathered on blankets for picnics, played games as the sun set and strolled through the grounds. Servicemen were honored for their patriotism and sacrifice.

Jackie Yates, a mother of three from Livonia, said she enjoys the traditional setting and emphasis on patriotism for her young ones to see.

Its important to teach them that we fought and still do fight for our freedom, she said.

Her children said they were most excited for the fireworks  a common theme based on the number of heads tilted toward the sky once the show began.

Ending the evening on a high note, they exploded across the sky as the orchestra performed its rendition of Tchaikovskys 1812 Overture, complete with cannon blasts in harmony to the music.

Its one of the best shows around, Yates said.

Novi resident Tamra Vandenberg said she and her husband were invited by another couple who attends each year.

Its our first time, but we love it, she said. Its a great atmosphere, a good show, good music and good fireworks. Put them together and it doesnt get more impressive than that.

Visit thehenryford.org for more information about Salute to America or other events.
SOMERS POINT  Hundreds of people filled the pews and aisles of St. Josephs Roman Catholic Church Monday to celebrate the life of Atlantic City firefighter Albert Albie Mallen.

Mallen was honored with a traditional firefighters funeral, which included uniformed members of the Atlantic City Fire and Police departments saluting their fallen brother.

Celebrant Monsignor Michael J. Coyne performed the Mass and gave the homily, speaking directly to Mallens two sons, Ryan, 10, and Gavin, 8, and telling them to hold on to the memories they have of their father.

Reciting lines from the poem What to Bury, Coyne told the crowd to remember all the things Mallen accomplished during his life.

Atlantic City Fire Captain Frank Phillips told one of the many Albie Mallen stories his fellow firefighters had. Crediting his athletic background, Phillips told a story of Mallens unconventional firefighters radio calling style, which he said sounded more like a sports broadcaster.

Leading Holy Spirit High School to championships in 1987 and 1988, the former quarterback was remembered fondly for his love of sports.

Philips read the Firefighters Prayer to conclude the mass and placed Mallens helmet on the altar.

Mallens family carried the casket after the Mass, which was then transferred to pallbearers from the Atlantic City Fire Department, who placed Mallen on the back of the Engine 2 firetruck.

During the final salute, the Atlantic City Fire Department Sand Pipers Pipes & Drums played Danny Boy.

The funeral procession, including a police escort and fire vehicles, traveled to Holy Cross cemetery in Mays Landing, where Mallen was laid to rest.

Mallen was struck and killed June 26 on the tracks of an Atlantic City Rail Line train in Galloway Township.

The NJ Transit train was headed to Philadelphia from Atlantic City when Mallen was struck and killed, two miles north of the Absecon station, NJ Transit officials said Thursday.

NJ Transit officials identified Mallen the following day but have not provided any more information about the incident.
Skeptical of travel ban

Im not really in favor of a temporary travel ban of people from several predominantly Muslim nations, but if this administration wants to persist with it, shouldnt it include Britain, France and Belgium? This is where terrorists and violence are lately.

And if a terrorist is willing to give his life up for a cause and prepares months or years for a suicide action, would they really check off the box that says they are Muslim and create a red flag that would jeopardize their effort?

Philip Briglia

Linwood

Candidate says target forclosures, economy

Many of the elected officials in Atlantic County have failed to adequately address the issue of home foreclosures, an issue of deep concern to many in the area. Increasing poverty and unemployment rates have steadily taken their toll on the housing market, and without a push towards increasing economic opportunities in the area, many residents are unable to stay in their homes.

There has yet to be an actual foreclosure plan that will help residents stay in their homes. While the Hard Rock International deal has renewed optimism that the casino industry will be strengthened in upcoming years, the failure of many elected officials to act remains on display in the many vacant properties we see in the community.

Significant legislative and policy changes are needed, which bring about innovative ways to increase economic development and address housing foreclosures, or the county will continue to face these crippling challenges in the years to come. Atlantic County needs to diversify its economy and face the reality that in the ever-changing gaming industry landscape of the East Coast, the casino industry cannot continue to be the areas only major hope for economic prosperity.

Atlantic County residents are owed opportunities to succeed that reflect the current times, and better resources to enable them to stay in their Atlantic County homes.

Ashley Bennett

Egg Harbor Township

Freeholder District 3 candidate

Running mates culpable for offensive video share

As a Latino, I believe Colin Bell and John Armato should denounce their running mate, Vince Mazzeo, for sharing a Facebook video that is offensive to the Latino community.

Many in the Latino community are still upset that Mazzeo shared a racist post and then made up a lame excuse about not wearing his glasses to cover it up. To this day, Mazzeo still hasnt apologized to the Latino community.

Bell and Armatos silence is just as hurtful and racially insensitive.

Hector Vargas

Pleasantville
These suits allege that Tauron has committed unlawful and unethical acts in causing the termination of long-term agreements with wind farms for the purchase of electricity and so-called "Green Certificates". The Polish Supreme Court condemned similar actions in a recent case against another state-controlled energy company. The Invenergy suits further allege the substantial involvement of former authorities of the Polish State Treasury in these actions.

Invenergy has been a substantial long-term investor in Poland since 2005, with investments in the country totaling PLN 2.2 billion (approximately $595 million) in eleven operating wind projects.

"We made a long-term investment in Poland with confidence that a legal framework existed to protect our investments from this type of behaviour. This case will test the assumptions of our original investment decision and signal to the market whether Poland is a country where investors can rely on the sanctity of contracts."  Michael Polsky, Founder and CEO, Invenergy, said.

In 2010, following direct negotiations with Tauron, Invenergy's affiliates signed long-term contracts with a wholly-owned and controlled subsidiary of Tauron, Polska Energia  Pierwsza Kompania Handlowa Sp. z o.o. ("PE-PKH"). Tauron had in fact insisted on making PE-PKH the contractual counterparty and assured Invenergy, its project partners and project lenders that it was a bona fide subsidiary. The contracts with PE-PKH included 15-year agreements for the purchase from the wind farms of both energy and Green Certificates, which verify the generation of renewable electricity and are a tradable commodity.

Shortly after executing the 15-year agreements, Tauron began a series of actions to release itself and its PE-PKH subsidiary of their obligations. These actions included the disposal of all significant assets of PE-PKH and the resignation, dismissal or transfer of key PE-PKH employees. Then, in July 2014, Tauron, as the sole shareholder of PE-PKH, adopted a resolution triggering the liquidation of PE-PKH with the intention of causing a de facto annulment of PE-PKH's contractual obligations. Invenergy challenged this highly unusual corporate maneuver in court, as Polish law prevents liquidation prior to settlement of contractual obligations. Tauron never formally completed the liquidation but has done nothing to reverse the overall damage caused.

In the new actions, Invenergy alleges the substantial involvement of former representatives of the State Treasury and Tauron in planning to enact through Tauron the termination of the commercial agreements between PE-PKH and the Invenergy affiliate companies. As the company's largest shareholder, the State Treasury effectively controls Tauron. A majority of Tauron's supervisory board is appointed by the State Treasury. As of 2014, the Polish Ministry of State declared Tauron to be of strategic importance to the country's economy, and today, Tauron is supervised by the Ministry of Energy.

Other energy companies similarly controlled and supervised by the Polish Government have engaged in similar attempts to bring about the improper termination of long-term agreements for the sale of energy and Green Certificates. The Polish Supreme Court has already condemned this, in the case of Energa-Obrot S.A., finding that the state-controlled utility had used a "pretext" to try to extricate itself from its contractual obligations "without valid reasons justifying it". (Supreme Court ruling dated 16 September 2016, IV CSK 751/15).

"Over several years, we made every attempt to work with Tauron and others in positions of authority to resolve this, and we asserted our rights in court cases against PE-PKH. We were met with nothing but delays, obstructions and, ultimately, silence. Today's legal actions are an unavoidable result of Tauron's refusal to honor contractual obligations and the rule of law."  Michael Blazer, Chief Legal Officer, Invenergy, said.

In the current legal actions, Invenergy is seeking compensation from Tauron for the damage caused by Tauron's actions, taken both directly and through other parties, and intends to seek such compensation for any future losses resulting from these actions. Invenergy is seeking damages under Polish regulations governing liability in tort, as well as under Polish unfair competition rules.

About Invenergy

Invenergy drives innovation in energy. Invenergy and its affiliated companies develop, own, and operate large-scale renewable and other clean energy generation and storage facilities in the Americas, Europe and Asia. Invenergy's home office is located in Chicago and it has regional development offices in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Japan and Europe.

Invenergy and its affiliated companies have developed 105 projects totaling more than 15,900 megawatts that are in operation, construction or advanced development, including wind, solar, natural gas-fueled power generation and energy storage projects. For more information, please visit www.invenergyllc.com.

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530114/Invenergy_Dobieslaw_Wind_Farm.jpg

Logo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530142/Invenergy_Logo.jpg

Related Links

http://www.invenergyllc.com



SOURCE Invenergy
The UK and Ireland have always been important export markets for New Zealand. They have been inextricably entwined since the very first ship left New Zealand's shores in the 1800s laden with frozen meat.

New Zealand shares deep personal and cultural links with Ireland with close cooperation on foreign policy issues such as climate change, disarmament and human rights. Around one in every six New Zealanders claim Irish descent and St Patrick's Day is widely celebrated throughout the country each year.

A mutual history is enjoyed between New Zealand and the UK with close connections in a range of areas including extensive trade, investment and commercial ties, with the UK remaining a significant export destination and source of tourists.

Auckland's economic growth agency, Auckland Tourism, Events and Economic Development (ATEED) has been partnering with other organisations, such as New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), to run a series of business events appealing to skilled talent, investor migrants and businesses aligned with Auckland high priority sectors such as technology, food and beverage and high value manufacturing.

Irish and UK businesses which have set up operations in Auckland are enjoying New Zealand's stable economic climate and ease of doing business.

UK multinational professional services firm, TMF Group, which helps businesses grow and operate seamlessly across international borders, has itself achieved significant growth since establishing in Auckland in 1999.

The consultancy with headquarters in London, has offices in more than 80 countries employing some 6,500 qualified accountants, lawyers, corporate secretaries, HR and other professionals.

TMF Group New Zealand Managing Director, John Thorman describes Auckland, New Zealand as a safe place to invest and do business in, with the time zone making it easy to connect around the globe.

"We have helped many foreign businesses set up in Auckland, and have ourselves experienced year-on-year double digit growth in the last five years," he says.

"Setting up a business in New Zealand is much easier than in other countries due to the stable economy, uncomplicated tax system, and extensive free trade agreements which make it an ideal place to export from.

"Auckland also has a strong technology and innovation capability to assist companies along their growth path, with the development of innovation precincts, hubs and clusters across the region," John Thorman says.

US software company, Workday which has offices in Ireland, set up in Auckland two years ago with just two employees, and now has a team of 80.

Founded in 2005, Workday delivers financial management, human capital management and analytics applications designed for the world's largest companies, educational institutions, and government agencies.

Workday's Auckland support centre joins support centres in Ireland and the US to provide global 24-hour support to customers.

Workday managing director Australia and New Zealand, Rob Wells, says Auckland was chosen over other locations in Asia Pacific because of its willing and talented workforce, and the New Zealand Privacy Act, which complements our privacy commitments to customers.

"In Auckland we have great access to talent, a great time zone in relation of our other support centre in Dublin, and ease of travel to the US. We are able to make the most of the capabilities and strengths of both New Zealand and Ireland to support customers around the world.

"We're proud to invest in New Zealand and create jobs that will help further develop the technology industry, as well as provide additional opportunities for expats wanting to return home," Rob Wells says.

Anika Forsman

Acting Media Manager

P +64 9 365 0523

M +64 220 261130

E anika.forsman@aucklandnz.com

Photo - http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530115/Auckland_at_sunset.jpg

SOURCE Auckland Tourism, Events & Economic Development (ATEED)
WASHINGTON, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire-HISPANIC PR WIRE/ -- Whether you are a part of the Millennial, Gen X or Baby Boomer generation, Unite Together Across America Town Hall brings together a panel of influencers to discuss the health, financial resilience and personal fulfillment (salud, dinero y amor) issues impacting Hispanics. The July 6th town hall will take place at the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center in San Antonio, Texas and will offer insights and tools on how to effectively manage these three key areas.

Panelists will lead a conversation on the growing importance of caregiving in the Hispanic community and its impact on the three focus areas. TV host, influencer and public speaker, Marco Antonio Regil will serve as a special guest who will share his experience as a male caregiver. The town hall will also offer helpful information for younger caregivers who want to ensure they are providing meaningful care for their older and less-able loved ones. The town hall will seek to increase awareness and education among the audience on the subject so that individuals, families, and communities can make informed decisions for themselves and those close to them.

"We work passionately to advocate for what matters most to those fifty plus and their families. Our focus on caregiving taps into one of the areas of greatest concern to Hispanic/Latinos," said AARP VP of Multicultural and Latino Strategy, Yvette Pena. "Our primary goal is to uplift and inspire those that are working hard to care for the ones they love. It is through activities such as Unite Together Across America Town Hall series that we encourage our fifty plus population to do more for themselves so they can do more for others."

Panelists will also discuss the significance of creating communities that are livable for all people. Features for making a community more livable include: ensuring safety and security; offering affordable and appropriate housing and transportation options; and access to vital services such as quality and affordable healthcare. Another important factor for Hispanics includes living within close proximity to loved ones.

"Among other salud, dinero y amor topics, the Unite Together Across America Town Hall series speaks to the importance caregiving and livable communities play on the lives of Hispanics 50-plus," said LULAC Chief Executive Officer, Brent Wilkes. "The panel will offer valuable insights and tools on how to thrive in these areas regardless of one's lifestage.We encourage all members of the community to attend this very important town hall."

WHO: Marco Antonio Regil, TV host, influencer and public speaker; Brent Wilkes, Chief Executive Officer, LULAC; Yvette Pena, Vice President Multicultural Leadership, AARP; Retired Judge John Vazquez, AARP Texas Executive Council; Lourdes Ramirez Castro, President, University Health System Foundation and Abigail Zapote, Executive Director, Latinos for Secure Retirement

WHEN: Thursday July 6, 2017 from 9:00-11:30 am

WHERE: Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center, Room 202, 900 E. Market Street, San Antonio, Texas 78205

Town hall attendees will have an opportunity to learn more about AARP from representatives and informational material available.

In addition to the Unite Together Across America Town Hall in San Antonio, AARP will host town halls in Houston on July 22, New York on July 27 and Chicago on July 29.

To learn more about how to take part in this exciting and free event, please register online at aarp-unite-san-antonio.eventbrite.com or contact LULAC at (202) 696-5143 for more information.

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org/espanol or follow @AARPenEspanol, @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

About LULAC

The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) is the nation's largest and oldest civil rights volunteer-based organization that empowers Hispanic Americans and builds strong Latino communities. Headquartered in Washington, DC, with 1,000 councils around the United States and Puerto Rico, LULAC's programs, services and advocacy address the most important issues for Latinos, meeting critical needs of today and the future. For more information, visit www.LULAC.org.

SOURCE AARP
WASHINGTON, June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AARP Executive Vice President Nancy LeaMond issued the following response to the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) report issued yesterday, which further analyzed the proposed Medicaid cuts, titled Longer-Term Effects of the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 on Medicaid Spending. The report follows the CBO score issued earlier this week of the Senate health bill that predicts 15 million people would lose health coverage in 2018. The number of uninsured people would rise to 19 million in 2020 and to 22 million in 2026. The initial CBO analysis on June 26 shows that, as predicted, older Americans ages 5064 would bear the brunt of the financial impact of this bill; yesterday's CBO report shows that the most vulnerable Americans would face even harsher cuts to Medicaid in the second decade if the bill became law.

"AARP remains steadfastly opposed to the Senate health bill. As with the House health bill, this Senate bill would cut Medicaid funding, impose an Age Tax by exorbitantly increasing insurance costs for older Americans, and does absolutely nothing to lower health care and drug costs.

"Yesterday's report by the nonpartisan CBO confirms that Medicaid would experience even more drastic cuts in the second 10 year period, with reductions of over one third of the program, or 35 percent.

"We recommit to holding accountable those who vote to give huge tax breaks to drug and insurance companies and then shift the costs of health care onto older Americans.

"AARP continues to oppose this Senate bill and we urge Senators to vote 'NO.'"

About AARP

AARP is the nation's largest nonprofit, nonpartisan organization dedicated to empowering Americans 50 and older to choose how they live as they age. With nearly 38 million members and offices in every state, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands, AARP works to strengthen communities and advocate for what matters most to families with a focus on health security, financial stability and personal fulfillment. AARP also works for individuals in the marketplace by sparking new solutions and allowing carefully chosen, high-quality products and services to carry the AARP name. As a trusted source for news and information, AARP produces the world's largest circulation publications, AARP The Magazine and AARP Bulletin. To learn more, visit www.aarp.org or follow @AARP and @AARPadvocates on social media.

SOURCE AARP

Related Links

http://www.aarp.org


NEW YORK, June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- AJC is urging Israeli lawmakers to reject a bill that will fortify the Orthodox monopoly on conversions conducted in Israel. Knesset consideration of the measure is expected after the Israeli Cabinet endorsed it.

When the bill was first proposed by Israel's Ministry of Interior, the Jewish Religious Equality Coalition (J-REC), initiated by AJC in 2014, warned that it would nullify Israel's recognition of Reform and Conservative conversions performed in Israel, as well as overturn Israel's High Court ruling requiring the Ministry to recognize Orthodox conversions performed by private rabbinic courts.

The proposed bill recognizes only conversions performed by the Chief Rabbinate and the rabbinical courts of Israel. As such, the proposed bill contradicts the High Court ruling in March 2016, allowing non-Israelis living in Israel who convert in private Orthodox rabbinical courts to be eligible for Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return.

Reform and Conservative conversions conducted in Israel are already recognized by the Interior Ministry for the purposes of registration as Jewish in the Population Registry, but not for the purpose of obtaining Israeli citizenship.

SOURCE American Jewish Committee

Related Links

http://www.ajc.org


HOUSTON, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- alliantgroup would like to applaud U.S. Representatives Mike Kelly (R-PA) and Ron Kind (D-WI) for the introduction of the Invent and Manufacture in America Act in the House of Representatives. This legislation is a House companion bill to the Senate version that was released last month by U.S. Senators Chris Coons (D-DE) and Pat Roberts (R-KS). If signed into law, this bipartisan tax bill would provide a tax cut for companies that conduct research and development in the U.S. and also domestically manufacture products resulting from this R&D.

Scientific and technological innovation accounts for nearly 50 percent of economic growth in the United States. However, investment in R&D has remained stagnant for more than a decade in the U.S., increasing at a pace of only 1.6 percent annually since 2000. Further complicating the nation's growth potential has been the ongoing offshoring of manufacturing operations, which has separated manufacturing facilities from where R&D is conducted. According to numbers released by the office of Senator Coons, companies are twice as productive in their R&D efforts when operations are co-located with a manufacturing facility, meaning it is in the nation's economic interest to bring domestic R&D and manufacturing together to stimulate job creation and growth.

"The introduction of this legislation in both the House and Senate is a clear sign that our elected officials are focused on revitalizing American manufacturing and innovation," said alliantgroup National Managing Director and former Senior Counsel to the U.S. Senate Finance Committee Dean Zerbe. "This is excellent news for American businesses and business owners."

"I applaud the bipartisan efforts of Representatives Kelly and Kind, as well as Senators Coons and Roberts," said alliantgroup CEO Dhaval Jadav. "This legislation would go a long way in reenergizing the manufacturing sector and in bringing high-paying manufacturing jobs back to the U.S."

alliantgroup's mission is one of education and awarenesswe exist to help industry organizations, U.S. businesses and the CPA firms that advise them properly identify, claim and take full advantage of all available federal and state tax incentives. Our government has legislated these powerful incentive programs to keep high-paying technical jobs in the U.S. and to help businesses grow and successfully compete both domestically and internationally. We are proud to have helped over 20,000 businesses claim more than $5 billion in tax incentives. alliantgroup's headquarters is in Houston, Texas, with offices across the country including New York, Boston, Chicago, Orange County, Sacramento, Orlando, Indianapolis and Washington, D.C. For more information on our services, please follow alliantgroup on LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter.

Media Contact:

David Rosen

alliantgroup

713-350-3167

[email protected]

SOURCE alliantgroup

Related Links

http://www.alliantgroup.com


SAN DIEGO, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Shareholder rights law firm Johnson & Weaver, LLP (J&W) has launched an investigation into whether the board members of Bankrate, Inc. (NYSE: RATE) breached their fiduciary duties in connection with the proposed sale of the Company to Red Ventures. Bankrate operates as a publisher, aggregator, and distributor of personal finance content on the Internet.

On July 3, 2017, Bankrate announced it had signed a definitive merger agreement with Red Ventures. Under the terms of the agreement, Bankrate stockholders will receive $14.00 per share in cash.

The investigation concerns whether the Bankrate board failed to satisfy its duties to the Company shareholders, including whether the board had adequately pursued alternatives to the acquisition and whether the board obtained the best price possible for Bankrate shares of common stock. Nationally recognized Johnson & Weaver is investigating whether the proposed deal price represents adequate consideration. The deal may undervalue the Company resulting in a loss for many long term shareholders.

If you are a shareholder of Bankrate and believe the proposed buyout price is too low or you're interested in learning more about the investigation or your legal rights and remedies, please contact lead analyst Jim Baker ([email protected]) at 619-814-4471. If emailing, please include a phone number.

About Johnson & Weaver, LLP:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP is a nationally recognized shareholder rights law firm with offices in California, New York and Georgia. The firm represents individual and institutional investors in shareholder derivative and securities class action lawsuits. For more information about the firm and its attorneys, please visit http://www.johnsonandweaver.com. Attorney advertising. Past results do not guarantee future outcomes.

Contact:

Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Jim Baker, 619-814-4471

[email protected]

SOURCE Johnson & Weaver, LLP

Related Links

http://johnsonandweaver.com


MILAN, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Boole Server, Italian provider of data-centric solutions, helps private users to protect their personal documents and sensitive data. Today, everybody sends e-mails and shares files, but there is an urgent need to do it in a secure way  as all the recent cases of cyberattacks have shown. Since the goal of Boole Server is to guarantee total privacy and security, for Summer 2017 it will offer its BooleBox Cloud Individual at a special price of $9.99/month.

Boole Server

BooleBox Cloud is the most complete, innovative and reliable data storage and file sharing solution. Thanks to user-friendly protection tools and military-level encryption, users can always have their data under control and safe from prying eyes.

Unlike other typical public cloud services, the solution offers complete privacy and control over data, including the possibility to set and use Personal Keys to encrypt and unlock files and data controls while sharing and securing both documents and emails.

BooleBox Cloud Individual guarantees:

1TB of storage available

Safe and controlled sharing: Watermark, Anti-Capture, Expiry, Activity Logs

Immediate activation

No installation required

Desktop and Mobile App

Guaranteed Military level of encryption

BooleBox Cloud is meant to grant total protection and meet storage, sharing and security needs of both individuals and enterprises. Boole Server is indeed number 1 to provide security solutions to S&M businesses and large companies as well, with BooleBox Cloud Business and On-Premises solution.

Boole Server is an Italian provider of data-centric solutions. BooleBox technology, secure sync and share platform are able to give full control of the user's data, helping to avoid non-authorized access thanks to innovative protection tools and military-level encryption. Boole Server products are now distributed in over 25 countries, through a growing partners network. Boole Server can count on over 180 premium customers  among them Qatar Airways, Riyad Bank, State of Jersey Police, Giorgio Armani and Ferrero  and more than 100,000 worldwide users.

For more information, please visit www.boolebox.com.

Media Contact:

Boole Server Srl

Martina Casiraghi

+39 02 87383213

Mailto. [email protected]

SOURCE Boole Server

Related Links

http://www.boolebox.com


SAN FRANCISCO, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- ElectrIQ Power, an energy management company developing hardware and software technologies for the cleantech space, will be attending the 2017 Intersolar North America event in San Francisco on July 11th-13th.

Intersolar North America 2016 hosted over 550 exhibitors and more than 18,000 visitors attended the event. This year's conference is expected to host 260 speakers and 22 workshops. Since being founded, Intersolar has become the most important industry platform to connect manufacturers, suppliers, distributors, service providers, policy makers, start-up founders, financiers, installers and partners in the global solar industry.

ElectrIQ Power will be showcasing their all-in-one energy storage system, the IQ System, which will be located at Booth 8116. The IQ System offers many benefits for homeowners and small businesses such as:

Modular and scalable to any energy or power need.

and to any energy or power need. Highly efficient inverter with a 93% Round-trip efficiency .

. Energy automation to reduce energy costs and analytics to provide insight.

and analytics to provide insight. Integrates easily with existing solar or can stand alone for a new solar installation.

with existing solar or can stand alone for a new solar installation. Doesn't require solar or any other renewable energy resource to function.

or any other renewable energy resource to function. Microgrids, self-consumption, and rate arbitrage -- it does it all!

The IQ System comes complete with everything needed for an installation including both hardware and software.

ElectrIQ Power is on a movement to make clean and affordable energy a new standard. Their mission is to replace the production of carbon-based emissions with sustainable power.

For more information visit https://electriqpower.com.

To use our Press Kit, please follow this link: https://electriqpower.com/download/499/

About ElectrIQ Power, Inc.

ElectrIQ Power resides in the technology capital of Silicon Valley. All of our components are engineered and assembled in the U.S.A. We are dedicated to developing best-in-class energy solutions for a cleaner, more proactive world.

For more information, visit www.electriqpower.com and follow us on Facebook & Twitter: @electriqpower.

About Intersolar North America (July 11-13, 2017, San Francisco, CA)

Since its establishment in 2008, Intersolar North America has become the most attended solar event and the premier networking platform for the North American solar industry. Co-located with ees North America and SEMICON West, Intersolar North America takes place annually at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, in the heart of the United States' pioneering solar market.

For more information on Intersolar North America, please visit: http://www.intersolar.us

SOURCE ElectrIQ Power
VANCOUVER, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - Canada Day Weekend, 2017  Fineqia International Inc. (the "Company") (CSE: FNQ) (OTCPink: FNQQF) (Frankfurt: FNQA) has announced today that its U.K. subsidiary Fineqia Limited ("Fineqia") is launching a beta version of its new debt and equity platform that brings crowd investors carefully selected and risk-mitigated opportunities, many of which were previously only available to large financial institutions.

Fineqia aims to provide investors with an information advantage and more importantly, a way into carefully selected deals. Being highly selective, only a few quality deals will be shown at any given time.

The Company's Chairman Martin Graham said: "We offer a unique combination of what we believe are quality and low risk offerings only, which would typically only be available to large institutional investors. Our platform is essentially designed to deliver a priority pass for better returns."

The platform is currently running as a beta version and deals will be made available once the site status has changed from a beta to an officially open site.

Fineqia has partnered with JOI Media ("JOI") to develop the platform. JOI's crowdfunding software facilitates the entire investment process from deal origination to investor tax reporting. JOI has already developed compliant crowdfunding platforms in more than 20 countries.

About Fineqia Limited

Fineqia is a U.K. subsidiary of the Fineqia International Inc. It provides a platform and associated services to support security issuances and manage administration of debt securities such as minibonds. It acts as a broker bringing an issuing company's minibonds to market, by distributing and marketing minibonds to the crowd, as well as transparently highlighting the risks and objectively outlining opportunities involved. For more information visit www.fineqia.com

About Fineqia International Inc.

Fineqia International is a listed entity in the Canada (CSE: FNQ), US (OTCPink: FNQQF) and Europe (Frankfurt: FNQA). Fineqia International outlines the Company's corporate governance, culture, processes and relations by which the Company and its subsidiaries are controlled, directed and governed. Fineqia International oversees and ensures the overall success, planning and growth of the Company and all of its subsidiaries. For more information visit https://investors.fineqia.com/news

About JOI Media Inc.

Headquartered in Calgary, Canada with locations across three continents, JOI Media is one of the leaders in enterprise software and software related services. They work with reputable organizations across the private, public and social sectors. For more information visit www.joimedia.com.

NEITHER THE CANADIAN SECURITIES EXCHANGE NOR ITS REGULATORY SERVICE PROVIDER HAS REVIEWED AND DOES NOT ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY FOR THE ADEQUACY OR ACCURACY OF THE CONTENT OF THIS NEWS RELEASE.

RISK WARNING

Investing in start-ups and early stage businesses involves risks, including illiquidity, lack of dividends, loss of investment and dilution, and it should be done only as part of a diversified portfolio. Fineqia Limited is targeted exclusively at investors who are sufficiently sophisticated to understand these risks and make their own investment decisions. You will only be able to invest via Fineqia Limited once you are registered as sufficiently sophisticated. This page is communicated by Fineqia Limited and has been approved, as a financial promotion by Kession Capital Ltd. Fineqia Limited is an appointed representative of Kession Capital Ltd who are authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Investment are not offers of guaranteed returns and investments can only be made by members via Fineqia Limited on the basis of information provided in the pitches by the companies concerned. Fineqia Limited takes no responsibility for this information or for any recommendations or opinions made by the companies. Your capital is at risk.

STATUTORY STATEMENT

Fineqia Limited (FRN: 757772) is an appointed representative of Kession Capital Limited (FRN: 582160) which is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority in the UK.

SOURCE Fineqia International Inc.

Related Links

www.fineqia.com


TSX: GPR

NYSE MKT: GPL

VANCOUVER, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ - GREAT PANTHER SILVER LIMITED (TSX: GPR) (NYSE MKT: GPL) ("Great Panther" or the "Company") announces the closing of its previously announced acquisition of the Coricancha gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper underground mine and mill complex (the "CMC") from subsidiaries of Nyrstar N.V. ("Nyrstar"). The CMC is located in the central Andes of Peru, approximately 90 kilometres by paved highway east of the city of Lima.

The acquisition was completed effective June 30, 2017 as a share purchase whereby the Company's wholly owned Peruvian subsidiary ("GP Peru") acquired all of the shares of Nyrstar Coricancha S.A. ("Coricancha") from subsidiaries of Nyrstar. Coricancha owns a 100% interest in the CMC. The acquisition was completed pursuant to the Amended Share Purchase Agreement announced on June 14, 2017, subsequently amended to address certain follow-on agreements (the "Final Share Purchase Agreement"). Under the terms of the Final Share Purchase Agreement, Great Panther will pay a purchase price to Nyrstar comprising US$0.1 million to be paid shortly following closing, and earn-out consideration of up to US$10.0 million. Under the earn-out, Nyrstar will be paid 15% of the free cash-flow generated by the CMC during the 5-year period after which the CMC is cumulative free cash-flow positive.

"The acquisition of Coricancha represents a major milestone for Great Panther Silver, and the culmination of our search for the right asset to build a foundation in Peru," stated Robert Archer, President & CEO. "The project has excellent potential to be a new mine for the Company, and we are immediately ramping up our evaluation toward that goal."

The CMC is a fully permitted polymetallic mine that includes an operational 600 tonne per day flotation and gold BIOX bio-leach plant along with supporting mining infrastructure. The CMC has been on care and maintenance since August 2013. The CMC property comprises more than 3,700 hectares in the prolific Central Polymetallic Belt and production at the mine dates back to 1906. Gold-silver-lead-zinc-copper mineralization (approximately 80% gold-silver by value) occurs as massive sulphide veins that have been mined by cut and fill extraction methods.

Great Panther's plans include further evaluations of the current mine and processing infrastructure, mine rehabilitation and development in preparation for underground drilling, environmental studies, and the initiation of a preliminary feasibility study ("PFS"). Depending upon the outcome of the PFS, capital investments in support of restarting operations could commence in 2018. The Company is currently working on an updated mineral resource estimate for the CMC, which is expected to be completed towards the end of the third quarter of 2017.

Nyrstar has agreed to be responsible for the cost of reclamation work, and any associated fines, that Coricancha will undertake at the CMC, related to certain legacy tailings facilities, subject to agreed maximum amounts. In addition, Nyrstar will maintain the existing CMC mine closure bond for three years.

The technical information contained in this news release has been reviewed and approved by Robert F. Brown, P. Eng., consultant to the Company, who is the Qualified Person (QP) for the CMC under the meaning of NI 43-101. Aspects relating to mining and metallurgy are overseen by Ali Soltani, Chief Operating Officer for Great Panther.

ABOUT GREAT PANTHER

Great Panther Silver Limited is a primary silver mining and exploration company listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange trading under the symbol GPR, and on the NYSE MKT under the symbol GPL. Great Panther's current activities are focused on the mining of precious metals from its two wholly-owned operating mines in Mexico: the Guanajuato Mine Complex, which includes the San Ignacio Mine; and the Topia Mine in Durango. With the completion of the acquisition of Coricancha in Peru, the Company's activities will include efforts to return the CMC to production, and the pursuit of additional mining opportunities in the Americas.

Robert Archer

President & CEO

CAUTIONARY STATEMENT ON FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This news release contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the United States Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995 and forward-looking information within the meaning of Canadian securities laws (together, "forward-looking statements"). Such forward-looking statements include but are not limited to statements regarding: the timing and results of the PFS, timing and cost to the Company of reactivating the CMC, anticipated processing and production rates that may be achieved at the CMC upon reactivation, the ultimate cost of reclaiming legacy tailings facilities, results of exploration and potential changes to the CMC resource base, the availability of adequate financing, and involve known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors which may cause the actual results, performance or achievements expressed or implied by such forward-looking statements to be materially different. Such factors include, among others, risks and uncertainties relating to potential political risks involving the Company's operations in a foreign jurisdiction, technical and operational difficulties that may be encountered with reactivation of the CMC, uncertainty of production and cost estimates and the potential for unexpected costs and expenses, uncertainty in mineral resource estimation, physical risks inherent in mining and reclamation operations, currency fluctuations, fluctuations in the price of silver, gold and base metals, completion of economic evaluations, changes in project parameters as plans continue to be refined, permitting risks, the inability or failure to obtain adequate financing on a timely basis, and other risks and uncertainties, including those described in the Company's Annual Information Form for the year ended December 31, 2016 and Material Change Reports filed with the Canadian Securities Administrators available at www.sedar.com and reports on Form 40-F and Form 6-K filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and available at www.sec.gov. There is no assurance that such forward looking statements will prove accurate; results may vary materially from such forward-looking statements; and there is no assurance that the Company will be able to identify and acquire additional projects or that any projects acquired will be successfully developed. Readers are cautioned not to place undue reliance on forward looking statements. The Company has no intention to update forward looking statements except as required by law.

SOURCE Great Panther Silver Limited

Related Links

http://www.greatpanther.com


Speakers at the symposium shared their own perspectives and insights on commonalities between Eastern and Western cultures and the importance of cultural integration alongside financial and economic globalization. Participants included Professor Guo Yicai from Imperial College London; Professor Yuri Pines from Jerusalem Hebrew University; Associate Professor Zhang Xing from Peking University; renowned sinologist Jacques Pimpaneu; Renaud De Spens, former press officer to the French Embassy in China; Cyrille Javary, Director of the I Ching Paris Research Centre; and Gerard Hua, Director of the French China Foundation. HNA Group Vice Chairman Lu Ying, HNA Group Deputy Chief Executive Officer Zhang Ling, HNA Group Chief Operating Officer and Head of Human Resources Gao Jian, and Miao Weisheng from the HNA Economic Research Institute also participated in the event, which was held as part of HNA Paris International Week, a week-long series of events hosted by HNA Group to celebrate its global platform.

HNA Group's Vice Chairman Lu Ying said, "HNA Group's Paris International Week has been about celebrating our global achievements and encouraging a dialogue between Eastern and Western cultures, and a discussion of the 'DNA of HNA' was a fitting way to help bring the week to a close. We were pleased to host renowned academics and representatives from France and China to explore not only HNA Group's evolution but also the profound ways in which Eastern and Western societies are integrating and cooperating in order to produce a more harmonious global society."

"DNA of HNA" was originally published in China on 18th May 2017 by Zhonghua Book Company and will be distributed globally in seven languages. HNA Group plans to hold additional symposia and panel discussions in other locations later this year.

About HNA Group

HNA Group is a global Fortune 500 company focused on tourism, logistics and financial services. Since its founding in 1993, HNA Group has evolved from a regional airline based on Hainan Island in southern China into a global company with approximately $145 billion of assets, over $90 billion in annual revenues, and an international workforce of 410,000 employees, primarily across America, Europe and Asia. HNA's tourism business is a fast-growing, vertically-integrated global player with market-leading positions in aviation, hotels and travel services. HNA operates and invests in nearly 3,200 hotels with over 380,000 rooms across major markets, and has 1,250 aircraft carrying nearly 100 million passengers to 270 cities worldwide. HNA's Logistics business is a leader in logistics and supply chain management with capabilities in shipping and equipment manufacturing, maritime transportation, third-party payment platforms and project finance. In financial services, HNA is China's largest non-bank leasing company, and a leading provider of a diverse set of businesses in equipment leasing, insurance, asset management, investment banking and credit services.

SOURCE HNA Group
OAKLAND, Calif., July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- On July 1, Kaiser Permanente affiliate, Maui Health System, officially assumed management of community hospitals and associated clinics from the state of Hawaii. This will enable continued health care delivery serving all people on the islands of Maui and Lanai. Maui Health System is a wholly owned subsidiary of Kaiser Foundation Hospitals.

The move is intended to provide stability for the community health system and is a natural extension of Kaiser Permanente's mission of providing accessible, high-quality affordable health care services and to improve the health of its members and the communities it serves.

Maui Memorial Medical Center, Kula Hospital and Lanai Community Hospital will continue to operate as community hospitals, serving all patients and community residents. The hospitals will be supported by Kaiser Permanente's industry-leading technology and substantial scale and operational experience.

Kaiser Permanente is the nation's largest non-profit integrated health care system, operating 39 of its own hospitals as part of caring for its nearly 12 million members across eight states and the District of Columbia. Kaiser Permanente hospitals are among the highest rated in the country for quality care outcomes and patient satisfaction.

"We are honored to be working with the state of Hawaii, other health plans, the local medical community and local officials to support continued access to hospital care for the people of Maui and Lanai," said Mary Ann Barnes, regional president, Kaiser Permanente Hawaii. "Ensuring people can have access to health care  and live healthier lives  is at the heart of our mission."

Kaiser Permanente currently serves nearly 60,000 residents on Maui, which is more than one-third of the island's population.

In April 2015, state legislators passed legislation that Hawaii Gov. David Y. Ige signed into law that enabled privatization for the Maui Region of Hawaii Health System Corp. Kaiser Permanente was selected to operate and manage the community hospitals for a number of reasons, including its commitment to invest in the people, services, facilities and technology that are essential to supporting care on Maui and Lanai. Other key factors were its innovative care model and nearly 60-year history of caring for the people of Hawaii. The transfer agreement was signed in January 2016.

"It has been a long journey to bring us to this historic transition," Ige said. "We have a great appreciation for Kaiser Permanente's commitment to the people of Maui and Lanai. Improving health care infrastructure for our residents is the type of success that can be accomplished when public and private organizations come together. This transfer brings stability and new opportunities for quality, innovation and long-term sustainability for patients and the entire community."

Kaiser Permanente has had a presence in Hawaii since 1958, when industrialist Henry J. Kaiser opened a 143-bed hospital near Waikiki Beach on the island of Oahu. Kaiser Permanente currently cares for more than 250,000 members in Hawaii. Over the past several years, Kaiser Permanente has worked to increase accessibility on neighboring islands, including opening the Lihue Clinic on Kauai in February 2016 and Kona Medical Office on Hawaii Island in July 2014. Kaiser Permanente and its Moanalua Medical Center regularly are given top marks in national surveys of quality of care and patient safety.

About Maui Health System

Maui Health System, community hospitals and associated clinics affiliated with Kaiser Permanente, includes Maui Memorial Medical Center, Maui Memorial Outpatient Clinic, Kula Hospital, Kula Clinic, and Lanai Community Hospital, and associated clinics, and serves the people of Maui and Lanai. The facilities under Maui Health System are open to all patients regardless of health insurance coverage. Maui Health System is committed to delivering high quality, affordable, patient-centered health care and improving the health of the community. Maui Health System is supported by Kaiser Permanente's industry-leading technology systems, evidence-based medicine and nationally recognized care quality. For more information, go to mauihealthsystem.org.

About Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente is committed to helping shape the future of health care. We are recognized as one of America's leading health care providers and not-for-profit health plans. Founded in 1945, Kaiser Permanente has a mission to provide high-quality, affordable health care services and to improve the health of our members and the communities we serve. We currently serve more than 11.8 million members in eight states and the District of Columbia. Care for members and patients is focused on their total health and guided by their personal Permanente Medical Group physicians, specialists and team of caregivers. Our expert and caring medical teams are empowered and supported by industry-leading technology advances and tools for health promotion, disease prevention, state-of-the-art care delivery and world-class chronic disease management. Kaiser Permanente is dedicated to care innovations, clinical research, health education and the support of community health. For more information, go to: kp.org/share.

For more information:

Marc Brown

[email protected]

510-271-6328

SOURCE Kaiser Permanente

Related Links

http://www.kaiserpermanente.org


DULLES, Va., June 30, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Nordstrom today announced plans to close its Dulles Town Center full-line store in Dulles, Va., a suburb of Washington D.C. Originally opened in September 2002, the store will serve customers through Friday, September 8, 2017.

"Our strategy is focused on our customers. When it comes to store investments we feel it makes the most sense to look at the total market area versus individual stores. In looking at the greater D.C. market, we feel we can serve our customers better at our other area stores and online," said Jamie Nordstrom, president of stores for Nordstrom. "We've been fortunate to build great relationships with our customers and employees at our Dulles Town Center store for the past 15 years however, our operating agreement is set to expire and closing this store is the best decision for us."

The store closure will impact about 150 non-seasonal employees. "Given the number of stores in the area, we will be able to offer roles to anyone who wants to stay on with us," said Nordstrom. Eligible employees who work at the store through their last scheduled shift will be eligible for a separation package.

Nordstrom will continue to serve greater D.C. area customers at five other full-line stores: Tysons Corner Center, Montgomery Mall, Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, Annapolis Mall and The Mall in Columbia. The company also operates 12 Nordstrom Rack stores in the area: Dulles Town Crossing, Fair Lakes Promenade, Tysons Corner, Gaithersburg, Friendship Center, Springfield Town Center, Pentagon Centre, Downtown D.C., 12th Street, Potomac Mills, Columbia Crossing and Annapolis Harbour Center. Nordstrom will also continue to serve customers online at Nordstrom.com with free shipping and returns.

"Our local market assets, our stores, salespeople, product and services, represent the core of our brand. We're fortunate to have a high quality portfolio of full-line stores, with all of our stores open more than a year generating positive cash flow," said Nordstrom. Since 1990, Nordstrom has opened 298 stores and closed 17. The retailer has three full-line stores and 12 Nordstrom Rack stores scheduled to open this fall including a Rack store at Woodmore Towne Center in Glenarden, Md.

About Nordstrom

Nordstrom, Inc. is a leading fashion specialty retailer based in the U.S. Founded in 1901 as a shoe store in Seattle, today Nordstrom operates 354 stores in 40 states, including 122 full-line stores in the United States, Canada and Puerto Rico; 221 Nordstrom Rack stores; two Jeffrey boutiques; and two clearance stores. Additionally, customers are served online through Nordstrom.com, Nordstromrack.com and HauteLook. The company also owns Trunk Club, a personalized clothing service serving customers online at TrunkClub.com and its seven clubhouses. Nordstrom, Inc.'s common stock is publicly traded on the NYSE under the symbol JWN.

MEDIA CONTACT:

Jennifer Tice Walker

Nordstrom, Inc.

[email protected]

SOURCE Nordstrom, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.nordstrom.com


RALEIGH, N.C., July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- North State Consulting (NSC), the provider of market-leading strategy consulting, outbound sales, and talent development today announced two additions to its executive team because of exponential growth in two strategic categories. Chelsey Lambert, Chief Strategy Officer, Legal will oversee all efforts in the Legal Industry. Drew Gascoigne, VP of Sales Operations will oversee all outbound sales teams.

North State Consulting, LLC

NSC has seen a tremendous response in the legal technology space requiring additional resources to accommodate growth. That industry is evolving every day with new technologies, new categories, and new vendors. It can be increasingly difficult to get the market's attention but the time is now. NSC has an expert level of understanding of the industry and can assist vendors of all sizes with their go to market strategy. Once the strategy is in place, NSC can build an outbound sales organization from scratch or supplement an existing team. NSC clients can even hire their sales people if there is mutual interest.

"The addition of Chelsey Lambert to our team is a huge milestone for NSC. Chelsey brings a wealth of knowledge, experience, and integrity matched by very few in the industry. She has seen the industry for 11 years from many angles. I am absolutely thrilled to have her on board. I am equally excited to partner with Lex Tech Review. Adding Chelsey and this partnership allows us to offer a full suite of marketing services. We can now start with the strategy and close the loop speaking to our client's prospects in many ways. We want to offer a turnkey solution. It is all about execution." -Bill O'Boyle, CEO

Highly effective outbound sales teams are essential for a company's growth. North State Consulting has added six new sales teams in the last four months alone and expects that pace to increase for the foreseeable future. As O'Boyle explains, "Outbound sales and lead generation teams are extremely difficult and time-consuming to start from the ground up yet highly effective if properly executed. They require an expert level of experience in hiring, sales and product training, sales operations, compensation models, patience, and accountability. Our infrastructure and processes are turn key. It allows our clients to rapidly expand their business. This is a high-growth category for us and we needed an executive that understands how to far exceed our client's expectations, accommodate our rapid growth, and develop the best talent in the area. Drew brings all of that to the table and we are delighted to have him.

"This is a very exciting time for our clients, our employees, and our model. We are very pleased to welcome both to our leadership team and look forward to them driving lucrative returns for our clients."

Lambert, Founder of Lex Tech Review brings more than eleven years of experience in the legal technology marketplace. Prior to joining North State Consulting, she served as a Practice Management Advisor for the Chicago Bar Association, followed by her role as Vice President of Marketing at Smokeball, a leading provider of case management software for small law firms.

Prior to North State Consulting, Gascoigne founded and successfully exited Synergy Consulting after nine years. Synergy is a customer-focused business and technical consulting group which specialized in flexible staffing solutions, operational efficiency, and business analysis, ensuring increased profitability and decreased cost for clients of all sizes from start-ups to Fortune 50 organizations. Prior to Synergy, Drew led the deployment of $116M in capital for Verizon over a two-year period.

About North State Consulting

North State Consulting provides strategic business development, sales development, and people development services. This unique model ensures our clients have the proper go to market strategy, executive level representation in the market, the ability to execute with a world class sales team, and can always recruit top-notch employees pre-trained on their product and culture. To learn more about North State Consulting, visit www.NorthStateConsultingLLC.com.

Press Contact

Bill O'Boyle

CEO, North State Consulting, LLC

252 292 0807 | [email protected]

Related Files

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North State Consulting

Lex Tech Review

SOURCE North State Consulting, LLC

Related Links

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New data center to be built in province with next-generation cloud capabilities

TORONTO, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- OnX Canada, a part of the leading global technology services and solutions company OnX Enterprise Solutions, has been awarded a contract to secure and back up Nova Scotia provincial government data in a new center to be built in the province.

OnX, which has headquarters in Toronto and New York City, will build a certified Tier 3 data center that will bring world-class cloud capacities to the province. This will be built and financed in partnership with the First Nation community of Millbrook. The multi-million dollar, seven-year contract includes two years for construction, implementation and transferring data and five years of operation. In addition to the base contract, there are two two-year renewal options for a total possible engagement of 11 years.

"The province is pleased to be working with such a well-known company as OnX," said Sandra Cascadden, Associate Deputy Minister and Chief Information Officer for the Nova Scotia Department of Internal Services. "We are excited to see the creativity they have already demonstrated in establishing their relationship with Millbrook, which will result in new jobs in the province. By working with OnX, we are innovators and incubators for other businesses who can also take advantage of this state-of-the-art data centre facility."

The data center will provide backup and disaster recovery services for the provincial government in the event of an emergency, such as flooding or a major power outage. This will allow the government to continue to provide critical services to its citizens. The data center will be built to the strictest security standards to protect government data against cyberattack.

"OnX has been supporting businesses in the Maritimes for years, providing them with services to help them grow and compete," said OnX CEO Tom Signorello. "We're deepening our commitment to Nova Scotia by bringing the same cutting-edge technology to the provincial government, providing next-generation cloud capabilities that will protect the government and its constituents in the event of an emergency."

OnX will establish its Atlantic Canada headquarters in Nova Scotia to serve as the center of its operations in the region; specifically, cloud migration professional services.

"This further deepens OnX's commitment to Atlantic Canada, a fast-growing region for the company," said Paul Khawaja, President, OnX Canada. "We expect the new data center will attract additional business from other government bodies, which can take advantage of the same pricing as the provincial government."

OnX began serving Atlantic Canada in early 2012 and grew quickly as it added Professional Services and Managed Services offerings. It has more than 25 full-time and contractor staff in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador, a number which will increase with the new center.

To learn more about OnX and the solutions it provides, visit www.OnX.com.

About OnX Enterprise Solutions

OnX Enterprise Solutions is a leading technology service and solution provider. The company assesses, designs, builds, secures and manages complete technology environments with specific expertise in cloud and managed services, digital application services and infrastructure solutions. For more than 30 years, OnX has helped clients overcome business challenges and achieve exceptional business results through technology. OnX's team of more than 600 IT professionals work at OnX offices throughout North America and in the U.K., with global headquarters in Toronto, Canada, and U.S. headquarters in New York, N.Y. For more information about OnX and career opportunities, visit www.OnX.com.

SOURCE OnX Enterprise Solutions

Related Links

https://www.onx.com


BEIJING, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The International Polymer Colloids Group Conference (IPCG2017) was held in Arantzazu, Spain, on 25th-30th June, 2017. More than 140 well-known scholars from over 40 countries were invited, as well as experts from industrial companies, such as from BASF and Oriental Yuhong. One of the conference co-chairs of IPCG2017 is Dr. Willie Lau, a chief scientist of Oriental Yuhong.

The International Polymer Colloid Group (IPCG) was established in 1972 to provide a platform for academic and industrial researchers engaged in polymer colloids to communicate and share research results and innovative ideas. Since its founding, the organizers held IPCG in North America or Europe every other year, with more than 40 years of history. The global leading chemical experts hold the post of conference co-chairman in turn. The theme of this conference is the synthesis and performance studies of complex colloids, and the application of advanced colloid monitoring techniques.

Polymer colloid is widely used in the coatings, adhesives, bio-medicine, food and other fields. As the largest waterproof system providers in Asia, Oriental Yuhong has several long-term and in-depth scientific achievements. Prof. Serji Amirkhanian, from South Carolina Asphalt Laboratory of Oriental Yuhong, made a speech of Polymer Modified Asphalt, a Non Aqueous Colloid, sharing the research results and problems with the experts in the field all around the world.

The doctoral student Hao Huang from Lehigh University won a prize for the Best Academic Speech. His presentation is a cooperated research program of Oriental Yuhong and Lehigh University. And another three scholars got the Poster Prize sponsored by Oriental Yuhong.

SOURCE Beijing Oriental Yuhong Waterproof Technology Co., Ltd.
HAILEY, Idaho, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- POWER Engineers Incorporated (POWER) announced today that it has closed a deal to acquire Sega Inc., a Kansas City-based consulting engineering firm with deep experience in power generation and power delivery.

"We're very pleased to be able to welcome Sega's employees to the POWER team," said POWER CEO Bret Moffett. "Our combined company will allow us to provide a greater range of services to our clients while strengthening our regional presence."

With this acquisition, POWER will become a stronger U.S. presence in power engineering markets while offering robust environmental services. Sega, a 130-person firm, focused mainly on power plant and electrical transmission line and substation engineering services.

Sega's experts will help POWER continue to offer a world-class suite of services across the full spectrum of the power generation and delivery industries. Meanwhile, Sega's existing clients will be able to work with the same teams they know and trust while enjoying the expanded service offerings and resources provided by POWER's 2,100-person staff.

"We are very pleased to be part of two great independent firms joining forcesour cultures and strategies are a terrific match," said Derek Jacobs, Sega's former CEO. Jacobs will become Vice President of Generation Engineering in the new organization.

The two companies previously announced their intention to explore a deal in February. Sega's current office in Overland Park and POWER's office in Lenexa will remain open for the foreseeable future.

About POWER Engineers: POWER Engineers is a global consulting engineering firm specializing in the delivery of integrated solutions for energy, food and beverage facilities, communications, environmental, and federal markets. POWER Engineers offers complete multidiscipline engineering and program management services. Founded in 1976, it is an employee-owned company with more than 2,100 employees and over 40 offices throughout the United States and abroad.

For more information about POWER Engineers Incorporated, please visit www.powereng.com or contact:

Janet Metzger

Communications Manager

[email protected]

(208) 288-6132

SOURCE POWER Engineers, Inc.

Related Links

www.powereng.com


LONDON, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --

The Roskill group is pleased to announce that as of July 1st 2017, it has acquired the business of Heinz H. Pariser Alloy Metals and Steel Market Research, with the new business to be known as Roskill Pariser.

(Logo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20150909/264974LOGO )



The market research of Heinz Pariser and his team has been a long-standing source of information in the stainless steel, special steel and related raw material industries. Over the last 30 years, Pariser has established itself as a leading source of information on market trends and forecasts, end-use statistics, and in-depth consulting work in the chromium, nickel, stainless steel, stainless steel scrap, and special steel markets.

Combining Roskill and Pariser will bring together Pariser's expertise in steel and alloys and Roskill's coverage of raw materials including nickel, chromium, vanadium, niobium, manganese, silicon, molybdenum and titanium. Roskill's Chairman, Neil Seldon, comments that the combination of businesses will provide clients with a deeper insight of the value chains of metal industries and allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the drivers that affect current and future markets.

Roskill Pariser will continue to operate out of Xanten, Germany. Heinz Pariser, Beatrix Pariser-Nowak and the rest of the Pariser team will continue to form the core of the business, with added global support from Roskill.

Pariser's in-depth market reports covering various aspects of the industry will be complementary to Roskill's current multi-client product offering. Pariser's Weekly Fax Service, covering trends in stainless steel, nickel, chromium, and stainless steel scrap, will continue. As one of the industry's most recognisable and relied-upon research products, Roskill will be working with Pariser to further develop this product.

The Roskill Pariser team will, under its new name, be attending a number of conferences and events over the coming months and welcomes opportunities to exchange views on the market with other industry participants. For more information on Roskill and the newly-combined business, please visit www.roskillpariser.com.



Neil Seldon is the Chairman and Board Member of Roskill Information Services and Robert Baylis is the Managing Director



Enquiries concerning this press release should be directed to Robert Baylis at [email protected] or +44-(0)-20-8417-0087

SOURCE Roskill Information Services
Eye tracking is crucial to both virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. When applied to VR and AR, the resolution of the part of the display screen being viewed by the user's eyes at any given time is sharpened, while the resolution for all other parts is reduced: this process is called "foveated rendering".

Several other technologies will be applied to the Exynos 3, in addition to the company's eye-tracking technology, including hand tracking, voice recognition, and facial expression recognition.

Visual Camp attracted significant attention for its VR eye-tracking technology at the Samsung Electronics booth at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017 (MWCS 2017), held from June 28 through July 1 in Shanghai. At the event, Samsung Electronics revealed its new Exynos 3 and VR reference platform.

With its mobile HMD-optimized eye-tracking technology, Visual Camp has now truly become a global player. Because its technology can be applied to both smartphone-connected and all-in-one HMD devices and features lower electricity consumption and prevents smart phone CPUs from overheating, Visual Camp has a clear comparative advantage over its competitors.

A measurement of the CPU power consumption of Samsung Electronics' Exynos 8890 chip resulted in the relatively low (average) figure of less than three percent, proving the product's outstanding performance.

Visual Camp CEO Suk Yunchan said, "By collaborating with Samsung Electronics, our technology was internationally recognized at MWCS 2017, enabling us to secure a bridgehead for future global marketing efforts. Now, we will continue promoting the high quality of Korean startup technologies and products overseas."

Chief Executive Director Kim Jong-kap of the Born2Global Centre said, "The recent buyouts by Apple, Google, and Facebook of companies that possess eye-tracking technology show that this technology is receiving a great deal of interest within the VR industry. We therefore have high expectations for the future of Visual Camp, which has demonstrated its highly promising VR-related technology."

The company is already widely recognized for its technological competitiveness and growth potential. After its inclusion on the 2015 Red Herring Asia 100 list, which has featured prominent industry names such as Google, Facebook, Alibaba, and Kakao, Visual Camp was also included on the G-Startup Seoul Top 15, which is a ranking which involves the participation of over 200 outstanding startup companies from all over the world.

Contact Person:

Jina Lee

Email: [email protected]

SOURCE K-ICT Born2Global Centre
NEW YORK, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), announced today that it will host a webcast and conference call on its second quarter 2017 earnings on Wednesday, August 2, 2017, from 10 a.m. to 11 a.m. (ET). Voya will issue a press release announcing the company's financial results for the second quarter of 2017 after the market closes on Tuesday, August 1, 2017.

When issued, the press release, along with the company's investor supplement for the second quarter of 2017, will be available on the company's investor relations website at http://investors.voya.com.

The conference call webcast, which will include a slide presentation, will be streamed live on the company's investor relations website at http://investors.voya.com. Please log on to the webcast at least 15 minutes prior to the start of the conference call to download and install any necessary software. A replay of the webcast will be available at http://investors.voya.com , starting at approximately 1 p.m. (ET) on August 2, 2017.

Media Contact:

Kristopher Kagel

(212) 309-6568

[email protected]

Investor Contact:

Darin Arita

(212) 309-8999

[email protected]

About Voya Financial

Voya Financial, Inc. (NYSE: VOYA), helps Americans plan, invest and protect their savings  to get ready to retire better. Serving the financial needs of approximately 13.6 million individual and institutional customers in the United States, Voya is a Fortune 500 company that had $11 billion in revenue in 2016. The company had $505 billion in total assets under management and administration as of March 31, 2017. With a clear mission to make a secure financial future possible  one person, one family, one institution at a time  Voya's vision is to be America's Retirement Company. Certified as a "Great Place to Work" by the Great Place to Work Institute, Voya is equally committed to conducting business in a way that is socially, environmentally, economically and ethically responsible and has been recognized as one of the 2017 World's Most Ethical Companies by the Ethisphere Institute, as well as one of the Top Green Companies in the U.S., by Newsweek magazine. For more information, visit voya.com. Follow Voya Financial on Facebook and Twitter @Voya.

SOURCE Voya Financial, Inc.

Related Links

http://www.voya.com


"Yolanda is a class act and I am thrilled she is joining WBNS alongside Jerry Revish," says Kelly Frank, Director of News and Digital Content. "Her professional demeanor as an anchor combined with her warmth and strong local roots will complement the strongest and most talented news team in Central Ohio."

Harris has 23 years of broadcasting experience and was most recently the early and late evening anchor at WSYX/WTTE.

"Yolanda is personable and credible. She has very strong ties in Central Ohio," says John Cardenas, President and General Manager. "She has a very loyal fan base and really connects with our community. Yolanda is a perfect fit for 10TV."

Harris is from Central Ohio. She graduated from Gahanna Lincoln High School. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Broadcast Journalism from nearby Bowling Green State University.

"It's an honor to be a journalist in the place where I grew up in my hometown," says Harris. "I care about this community because it's my community."

WBNS-10TV is owned and operated by The Dispatch Printing Company, a highly respected, awarding-winning organization which includes WTHR, WBNS-10TV, 97.1 The Fan, 1460 ESPN Radio, and Ohio News Network Radio.

For More Information, Contact:

Kelly Frank, Director of News & Digital Content

614.460.3903

[email protected]

SOURCE WBNS-10TV
LONDON, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Dozens of entrepreneurs from China and the UK convened in London to discuss investment and business opportunities in 2017 China-United Kingdom Entrepreneurs Summit from June 20 to June 26, 2017. Prince Michael of Kent, Lord Jacob Rothschild and Goodwill Ambassador UK/CHINA Rupert Hoogewerf were present at the summit. Prince Michael of Kent expressed his vision for advancing the economic and trade relations between China and the UK. To begin with, he welcomed Chinese investment in the UK at this opportune time for the UK as a market. In addition, President Xi's Belt and Road Initiative facilitates the exchanges between nations. Also, China's rapid development propelled the growth of many start-up companies. It would be mutually beneficial if Chinese start-ups are to communicate more with their UK counterparts which also excel in their own industries.

Toasting a glass of Dream Blue at the House of Lords

Lord Jacob Rothschild, 4th Baron Rothschild, shared with the room personal tales and stories of his family. He said his team highly values the potential of the market, and expects deeper cooperation with Chinese entrepreneurs. Representatives from China raised questions concerning the economy, investment, culture, health and philanthropy. "I work for an established distillery in China. I assume Lord Jacob Rothschild is a connoisseur of red wine, but how much do you know about Baijiu, the traditional Chinese distilled spirit? Do you think our two drinking cultures can be blended?" asked Zhu Zhaoxin, marketing director of Jiangsu Yanghe Distillery. "If you shall grant me a taste of your Baijiu, then the two types of alcohol will blend in my veins, and I'll know the culture of Baijiu better," retorted Lord Jacob Rothschild wittingly.

The summit culminated at a reception dinner at the House of Lords on the last day. Representatives continued their discussions about investments over glasses of Dream Blue, a Chinese brand of Baijiu. "In China, practicing the art of drinking is a must for business associates, because many deals are closed while drinking alcohol," said an old China Hand from the UK.

The summit is another large-scale exchange of entrepreneur visits since President Xi's state visit to the UK in 2015. The UK will embrace new opportunities of development after Brexit, while China stays one of the fastest developing economies in the world. We should capture the opportunities bestowed upon us to usher in a golden era for China-United Kingdom relations, and make new contributions to the economic development of China and the UK.

Contact: Sonny, +44-07827-798802, New Meta Ltd

SOURCE Yanghe
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London, June 27 : The British Queen's income is set increase to over 82 million pounds ($104 million) due to a government decision to increase her funding to cover "essential works" to Buckingham Palace, the media reported on Tuesday.

The increase comes after the Crown Estate, a collection of lands and holdings belonging to the Queen, made a 328.8 million pounds profit in the year to the end of March 2017, an 8 per cent increase on the previous year, reports the Guardian.

The Queen's sovereign grant, the amount she receives from taxpayers, is calculated as a percentage of Crown Estate profits. In November, it was announced that the percentage would rise for 10 years from 15 to 25 per cent.

The Queen's share of last year's profits will amount to 82.2 million pounds, but she will have to wait until 2019, as her income from the estate is paid two years in arrears.

Last year the Queen's take was 42.8 million pounds, and in 2012 it was 29.1 million pounds.

The rise was agreed to fund the refurbishment of Buckingham Palace, including replacing the ageing electrical and plumbing systems, the Guardian reported.

Details of the increase were released as Buckingham Palace accounts revealed the royal family last year spent 4.5 million on travel.

The most expensive journey was aboard the new government Voyager "state jet".

It cost an estimated 154,000 pounds for Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall to hire the jet on charter for a week-long trip to Romania, Italy and Austria.

Other travel costs also included Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's official tour of India, which cost 97,703 pounds in charter and scheduled flights.
New York, June 28 : A 46-year-old Uber driver was charged with raping a female passenger while she was unconscious at a motel in southern California, officials said.

Alaric Spence faces up to 15 years to life in prison if convicted, according to the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office, Xinhua news agency reported.

Spence, who was arrested last week and charged on Tuesday, has five prior drug-related felony convictions and had worked for Uber for the past six months, according to Los Angeles police.

Investigators released images of Spence and his vehicle, a 2015 silver four-door Nissan Sentra. Police said Spence picked up a 24-year-old woman in downtown Los Angeles on Friday and was supposed to drop her off in Hollywood, the police said.

Spence, instead, drove her to a North Hollywood motel, where he allegedly raped her and left her there. The woman was intoxicated at the time of the attack, the prosecutor said.

The woman may have passed out in the back of his car while en route to Hollywood. Spence is suspected of driving the woman to the motel and then carrying her from his car into the room, according to City News Service.

The woman woke up alone, not knowing where she was or how she got there, and called police, the Los Angeles Police Department's official said.
Lindau (Germany), June 28 : Excited over Prime Minister Narendra Modi's upcoming visit to Israel, Israeli Nobel laureates have called him "courageous" and "honest" and expressed confidence in his abilities to "fix" India.

Modi's three-day visit beginning on July 4 is in commemoration of 25 years of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

Israel's first woman Nobel laureate Ada Yonath lauded the Indian Prime Minister for taking charge of a country fraught with internal issues.

The 78-year-old scientist, honoured with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2009 for her pioneering work on ribosomes (the site for protein synthesis), has been to India several times and met Modi thrice.

"He is very, very clever. He is courageous because he is ready to go into difficult points in Indian education and economy. He changed all that money (demonetisation)," Yonath told IANS during the ongoing 67th Nobel Laureates Meeting here.

Yonath, who shared the Nobel with Venkatraman Ramakrishnan and Thomas A. Steitz, stressed: "To be the Prime Minister of a country like India today, which has different internal issues, must be very difficult. I wish to meet him when he is in Israel but I have to be in China."

Yonath's counterpart Dan Shechtman admitted to liking Modi during his meeting with the Prime Minister in 2015. The Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Shechtman in 2011 "for the discovery of quasicrystals".

"I think he is a good man. He came with honest, unbiased notions. I don't think he is there to make money, he is there to fix India. I don't think he is corrupt," the noted materials science expert told IANS, adding he liked Modi.

"I told him that relationship between India and Israel is very important to India and Israel as well," he said.

Heaping praise on Indian science, especially on experts who expanded the sphere of work post his discovery of quasicrystals, Shechtman, who follows Chinese progress in science "closely" and has also met Chinese Premier Xi Jinping, believes India should "measure up" not against the US or Europe but against China.

"I think you should measure yourself not against the US or Europe but against China. China is rising very, very fast and they started much slower than India.

"I follow China very closely. Their science is improving every year but India is different than China in so many ways. You are a disordered democracy and China is a ordered non-democracy yet China has made headway," he said.

Hungarian-born Israeli Nobel laureate Avram Hershko, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2004 with Aaron Ciechanover and Irwin Rose, has never been to India but is keen to travel to New Delhi and meet Modi.

Hershko, however, disagrees with Shechtman on the India-China comparison.

"No, I don't think you should (measure up) with China. By size you may compare with China but not in others. You two are very different in national characters.

"Maybe they are a bit more organised. If India does good education and science, then more Nobel prizes will come. But that should not be a priority," the 79-year-old said.
New Delhi, June 28 : Israel on Wednesday said it warmly welcomes Prime Minister Narendra Modi on his visit - the first by an Indian Prime Minister - to Israel on July 4-6 at the invitation of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

"The visit will include a call on Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, and a working meeting and dinner with the Israeli Prime Minister. It will also include high-level bilateral meetings and other various components which reflect the fabric of the Indo-Israeli relations," a statement from the Israeli embassy here said.

"This significant visit, the first by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel, takes place in the backdrop of marking 25 years of diplomatic relations between India and Israel, and will further upgrade the ever growing partnership between the two countries," it said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu on June 25 had announced the visit in a tweet, saying "Next week, the Indian Prime Minister, my friend, @NarendraModi will arrive in Israel, This is an historic visit to Israel."
Chandigarh, June 28 : Police have arrested four more people in connection with the killing of 17-year-old Muslim youth Junaid on a train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana's Faridabad district. But the main accused, who stabbed the victim, continues to be at large.

With this, the total arrests in the case has gone up to five, including a 50-year-old man. A few people were being questioned in this regard though no fresh witnesses have come forward.

A Haryana Police officer told IANS here on Wednesday that raids were being conducted, following investigations, to nab the main accused and others involved in the killing of Junaid on board the Mathura-bound train from Delhi.

The official said the older man had got into an argument with the victim and his brothers on the train over seat sharing which ultimately led to the murder.

Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Monday finally condemned the incident. Haryana has a BJP government since October 2014.

"The state government has provided financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the victim's family," Khattar said.

On Thursday night, Junaid and his friends Hasib, Shakir and Mohsin were returning to their village on a Mathura-bound passenger train after shopping at Delhi's Sadar Bazaar.

In his police complaint, Hasib said at least 15-20 persons boarded the train at Okhla railway station and asked them to vacate the seats for them.

All four were thrashed all the way from Tughlakabad (in Delhi) to the Ballabhgarh railway station and were attacked with sharp-edged weapons and later thrown out of the train at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district.

Junaid succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night in a hospital. His three friends who were injured, two of them critically, are warded at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences Trauma Centre in Delhi.

Media reports earlier said the murderous attack followed rumours about beef eating by the four youths.
Islamabad, June 28 : The death toll in the oil tanker fire in Pakistan's Punjab province has risen to 162, officials said on Wednesday.

Aamir Bukhari, director of Emergency at the Victoria Hospital Bahawalpur, told Xinhua news agency that the death toll rose after four injured, including the driver of the oil tanker and two children succumbed to injuries at different hospitals in the province.

The official said the death toll might rise further as 18 out of 107 injured were in critical condition.

He said 125 unrecognisable bodies were buried on Tuesday evening.
Washington, June 29 : The White House said that US President Donald Trump had accepted French President Emmanuel Macron's invitation to visit France on Bastille Day next month.

"President Trump looks forward to reaffirming America's strong ties of friendship with France, to celebrating this important day with the French people, and to commemorating the 100th anniversary of America's entry into World War I," said a statement by the White House on Wednesday.

"The two leaders will further build on the strong counter-terrorism cooperation and economic partnership between the two countries, and they will discuss many other issues of mutual concern," Xinhua news agency cited the statement.

The French invitation came amid public disagreement between Macron and Trump on Trump's decision to pull the US out of the Paris Agreement signed by 196 parties in Paris.

Shortly after Trump announced his decision early this month to withdraw from the Paris Agreement, Macron hit back in a televised speech with a call to "make our planet great again", a direct jab at Trump's campaign slogan to "make America great again".

Macron also appealed to US scientists and other US citizens disappointed by Trump's decision to "come and work here (in France) with us to work together on concrete solutions for our climate".
New Delhi, June 29 : The Election Commission on Thursday announced that the election of India's next Vice President will take place on August 5. The term of Vice President M. Hamid Ansari ends on August 11.

"The date of polling, if required, will be August 5. Counting, if required, will be done on August 5," Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi told the media here.

The last date for filing nominations was July 18 while scrutiny of nomination papers would take place on July 19, he said.

The notification would be issued on July 4, while the last date for withdrawal of nomination would be July 21.

Ansari was the Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from August 11, 2007, to August 10, 2012. He was re-elected to the post on August 11, 2012.
Mumbai, June 29 : Reliance Group Chairman Anil Ambani on Thursday said the Goods and Services Tax (GST) that will be rolled out on July 1 is just "not another piece of reform or transform" but "our economic freedom".

"GST is not just another piece of reform or transform, however significant. GST is the liberation of our economic imagination. It is our economic freedom," Ambani told an event of the Association of Mutual Funds in India here.

He said what Prime Minister Narendra Modi had done in three years on GST could not be done in the previous 30 years.

"The real promise of GST is that promise of economic liberation. The promise of `One Nation. One Tax. One market'," Ambani added.

"From insolvency code to NPA (non-performing assets) resolution, the present government has undertaken a fundamental overhaul of India's financial infrastructure while consolidating and strengthening the banking sector."

He said India was today in the midst of a massive digital revolution, which was allowing young ambitious entrepreneurs to think big and execute bigger.

The spectacular rise of e-commerce and related businesses in recent years was a testimony to what technology can help achieve, he said.

"It is time to learn from that experience. If e-commerce can exploit the power of technology to reach out to India's hinterlands and create better consumer experience, so can India's financial sector," Ambani added.
Canberra, June 29 : Australian Cardinal George Pell, the Vatican's financial chief, said on Thursday that he is looking forward to appearing in court and is innocent of the child sex abuse charges pressed against him in his country.

Earlier on Thursday, Australia's Victoria State Police charged Cardinal Pell, 76, with multiple sex offences and summoned him to court in July, reports Efe news.

Pell, a senior representative of the Australian Catholic Church, is suspected to have sexually abused children when he served as a priest in the city of Ballarat (1976-80) and as Archbishop of Melbourne (1996-2001).

The Cardinal complained that he had been subjected to "relentless character assassination" during a two-year investigation into the "false" claims.

He told a news conference at the Holy See: "I'm looking forward finally to having my day in court."

"I am innocent of these charges, they are false. The whole idea of sexual abuse is abhorrent to me," the BBC quoted Pell as saying.

He said the Pope had granted him a leave of absence to fight the charges.

Victoria Police Deputy Commissioner Shane Patton said the charges were presented to Pell's representatives in Melbourne with a request for the Cardinal to appear before a city court on July 18.

Pell is based in the Vatican and is considered the third-ranking official in the Holy See.

In October 2016, Pell was questioned in Rome by Australian police officers about the accusations of sexual assault committed between 1976 and 2001.

Among the allegations is the case of two men who claimed that Pell touched their private parts in the 1970s, while another man said he has seen Pell expose himself to young boys.

This is not the first time the senior Vatican official has been accused of sex offences.

In 2002, a man claimed to have been sexually abused by the cardinal in 1961, when he was 12 years old and Pell was training to become a priest.

Investigators acquitted Pell, who in February gave testimony via video conference to an Australian government commission probing child sexual abuses in religious, public and social organisations and institutions.
New Delhi, June 29 : Election for India's next Vice President, to succeed M. Hamid Ansari, will be held on August 5 and counting of votes will be done on the same day, the Election Commission announced on Thursday.

Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi said, "The date of polling, if required, will be August 5. Counting, if required, will be done on August 5."

Zaidi said the election will be held between 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The Chief Election Commissioner said that filing of nomination will begin on July 4 with the issue of notification. The last date for filing nomination is July 18, while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 19. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is July 21.

Hamid Ansari has been Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha from August 11, 2007. He won the second term on August 11, 2012. His current term ends on August 10.

"The EC is mandated to ensure that the election for the office of Vice President of India is free and fair," Zaidi said.

Zaidi said the Vice President is elected by members of the Electoral Collage consisting of members of both houses of Parliament in accordance with the system of proportional representation by means of a single transferable vote.

He said the nominated members of Lok Sabha as well as Rajya Sabha are also eligible to be included in the Electoral College and therefore entitled to participate in the election.

"For the Vice President's election in Rajya Sabha there are 233 members and 12 nominated members. Similarly, in Lok Sabha there are 543 members and nominated members are two.

"The total number of members of the Electoral College is 790," Zaidi said.

Zaidi said a nomination paper has to be backed by at least 20 electors as proposers and at least 20 electors as seconders.

The Chief Election Commissioner said the electors will be provided "special pens" to cast their ballot and use of any other pen will render the vote invalid.

The Chief Election Commissioner said the Vice Presidential election will take place through secret ballot and political parties "cannot issue any whip" to their respective MPs.

The Election Commission in consultation with the government has decided to appoint the Secretary General of the Rajya Sabha, Shumsher Sheriff, as returning officer for the election.
Ahmedabad, June 29 : Breaking his silence, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday said that killings in the name of 'gau bhakti' (cow worship) is not acceptable even as a man accused of carrying beef was beaten to death in Jharkhand's Ramgarh district.

"Today I want to say a few words and express sadness on some of the things going on. As a society, there is no place for violence. Killing people in the name of 'gau bhakti' is not acceptable. This is not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve," Modi said while addressing the 150th birth anniversary celebrations of Shrimad Rajchandraji, Gandhi's guru, at the Sabarmati Ashram here.

Asserting that India was a land of non-violence, he said: "We are the land of Mahatma Gandhi. Why do we forget that?

"No person in this nation has the right to take the law in his or her own hands in this country. Violence never has and never will solve any problem," he said.

Modi's remarks assumes significance in the wake of criticism that he and his government have maintained silence about the violence by cow vigiliantes who have been accused of lynching muslim men in Jaipur and Alwar in Rajasthan, Ballabhgarh in Haryana, Jamshedpur in Jharkhand -- in the name of protecting the animal revered by Hindus.

In the Jharkhand incident on Thursday, Alimuddin alias Asgar Ansari, who was beaten to death, was allegedly carrying "banned meat" in a van, police said.

A group of people stopped him near Bajartand village and brutally attacked him, the police said. His van was set on fire too.

Police personnel rescued him and took him to a hospital where he died during the course of treatment.

"It's premeditated murder," Additional Director General of Police R.K. Malliksaid.

This is second such incident in Jharkhand in the last three days. In Giridih district, a mob thrashed a person and set on fire his house after a cow head was found.

Modi said no one spoke about protecting cows more than Mahatma Gandhi and Acharya Vinoba Bhave. "Yes, it should be done," he said.

"Let's all work together. Let's create the India of Mahatma Gandhi's dreams. Let's create an India our freedom fighters would be proud of," Modi said.

He also said that Swachhata (cleanliness) had to become a 'swabhav' (habit). "What can be a greater tribute to Mahatma Gandhi than this? I urge people from all over to come and visit the Sabarmati Ashram."

He also said that Mahatma Gandhi's thoughts have the power to mitigate the challenges the world was facing today.
Beijing, June 30 : Underlining the importance of "strategic communication" between China and India, a Chinese expert said in comments published on Friday that leaders of both countries must discuss bilateral problems in a bid to resolve them.

Hu Shisheng, the Director of the Institute of South and Southeast Asian and Oceania Studies at the China Institutes of Contemporary International Relations, said strategic communication between China and India was necessary for the two countries.

He said in a commentary published in the state-run Global Times that India's refusal to attend the Belt and Road Forum Summit in Beijing "exposed the strategic discord between the two" countries and said "strategic mutual suspicions seem to be increasing".

Hu said: "China and India should take efforts to remove and clear the suspicions as soon as possible. Enhancing bilateral trust will greatly benefit Sino-Indian relations and bilateral cooperation in the region."

According to Hu, at present interactions among top leaders of China and Russia, the US and Europe were very effective.

"It is hoped that the Sino-Indian interaction between the two countries' leaders can reach the same level.

"The interactions among top leaders should not only involve the main content of strategic communication but also establish a friendly tone and direction for strategic communication and cooperation.

"Besides, the working relationship among Chinese and Indian departments is important. When prominent events occur, the two countries' ministries and military forces should enhance communication.

"In normal times, India and China can use the existing bilateral mechanisms to solve specific problems between them.

"In addition, India and China can carry out think tank dialogues at bilateral, regional and global levels, and launch reports for these dialogues."

Hu's comments, based on a speech delivered by him, come at a time of heightened tensions between India and China over several issues including their dragging border row.

Hu said attention should be paid to several aspects of the strategic communications between China and India.

"One is not revisiting old issues or disputes on which both have reached consensus already... And leaders of the two countries should take the initiative to discuss solutions to specific problems."
New Delhi, July 1 : Automobile major Tata Motors on Saturday reported that its total sales including exports during June declined by nine per cent to 40,358 units from 44,525 vehicles sold during the same month last year.

The automobile major said its domestic sales for last month fell by five per cent to 36,854 units from 38,718 units sold in June 2016.

"Mixed consumer sentiments in June 2017 towards the implications of GST have impacted the passenger vehicles business sales, while the commercial vehicles business grew on month-on month basis, due to BS4 production ramp-up," the company said in a statement.

According to the company, its domestic passenger vehicles sales declined by 10 per cent to 11,176 units compared to 12,482 units sold in June last year.

The domestic sale of its commercial vehicles stood at 25,678 units, down by two per cent over the corresponding period of 2016.

The company's exports declined by 40 per cent to 3,504 units in June 2017 owing to supply constraints.
New Delhi, July 2 : The Puducherry government plans to approach the courts to settle the issue of powers of the Chief Minister of the Union Territory vis-a-vis the Lt Governor, giving a new twist to the raging battle of power between incumbent Chief Minister M.V. Narayanasamy and Lt Governor Kiran Bedi.

Sources said the government may approach the Madras High Court on the lines of a similar action taken by the Aam Admi Party (AAP) government in Delhi in the battle between Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and former Lt Governor Najeeb Jung, before he quit last year. If the High Court does not rule in its favour, then the Union Territory with state assembly may approach the Supreme Court, the sources said.

Narayanasamy, who has met President Pranab Mukherjee, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Rajnath Singh earlier and complained to them about Bedi's "overreach", says he plans to meet Modi again and discuss the issue with him.

"I will meet the Prime Minister and tell him about her activities," he told IANS in an interview.

Asked what the Centre's attitude was regarding his complaints about Bedi, Narayanasamy said: "The Centre is not supporting her nor encouraging her. She is doing what she is doing on her own."

Contending that the Constitutional provision in Art 239, 239(A) and 240 provides the road map for governance of the Union Territory of Puducherry, under which the Governor has no role in the day-to-day administration of the government, Narayanasamy said that Law and Order and Services of the government rest with the elected government in Puducherry.

In the National Capital Territory of Delhi, these issues lie with the Government of India and the Home Ministry.

He said in Chapter 3 of the Business Rules, on the state list the Lt Governor acts on the aid and advice of the council of ministers. As far as Chapter 4 (concurrent list) is concerned, the Lt Governor is to take decisions in consultation with the Chief Minister. Under Chapter 5 of the Business Rules, on the central list, the Government of India has powers.

"What the LG is doing is to interfere in the day-to-day administration of the government," Narayanasamy said, citing examples of her surprise field visits to constituencies and talk about the local problems like water and sanitation which, he contended, is the job of the elected government and MLAs.

"It is primarily the job of the minister concerned. But she issues orders like executive about on-going schemes and order officials without the knowledge of the minister concerned or the Chief Minister," he said.

"She is also not returning the files sent by the Chief Minister for waiver of cooperative loans and free education for Dalit students, increasing freedom fighters pension and free power to farmers, all coming under my jurisdiction and all promises made during election," Narayanasamy said.

He said she was also writing to the Central Bureau of Investigation and Central Vigilance Commission on administrative issues alleging corruption.

Recently, the Chief Minister said, Bedi wrote to the National Green Tribunal seeking punishment for officials in the matter of a project relating to segregation of garbage. "The NGT had wanted removal of garbage. After some complaints were made, the judge hearing the case recused," he said.

The Chief Minister claimed that the Election Commission had reprimanded her for violating the Model Code of Conduct during the byelection in his constituency Nellithope. It was curious, he said, that the Lt Governor wanted to "punish" her own government.

"I have brought all this to the notice of the President, the Prime Minister and the Home Minister. They have promised that they will go into the matter," he said.

(V.S. Chandrasekar can be reached on chandru.v@ians.in)
Panaji, July 2 : A day after BJP President Amit Shah addressed a party meeting at Goa's Dabolim International Airport premises, a lawyer has filed a complaint alleging misuse of an airport controlled by the Indian Navy for political purposes.

In a complaint addressed to Secretary of Civil Aviation and Goa Chief Secretary and Director General of Police, lawyer-activist Aires Rodrigues has alleged that holding a party meeting, which was attended by over 2,000 people, was a violation of Section 141 (Unlawful assembly) of the Indian Penal Code and put passengers at the airport to inconvenience.

"People who were arriving or departing from the airport were restrained by the blockage due to the public meeting, as also the airport being considered a security installation, no public meeting could have been held and that it also amounted to a violation of the other enactments covering vital installations like airports," the complaint reads.

Congress Rajya Sabha MP Shantaram Naik has also demanded that the Civil Aviation ministry should file a FIR against Shah and Goa Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar for hosting the "illegal" meeting.

"Since the land occupied by the Airport Authority of India and is operated by the ministry of Defence, Defence Minister Arun Jaitley should invoke the Defence of India Act, apart from the provisions of the Indian Penal Code and file another FIR," Naik has said in a statement issued here.

While BJP spokespersons were unwilling to comment on the issue, a party leader said the meeting, which was held on Saturday morning to welcome Shah, was organised "after getting all due official clearances". Shah is currently on a two-day visit to Goa.
Washington, July 2 : US President Donald Trump will make back-to-back phone calls to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe and Chinese President Xi Jinping on Sunday, the White House has announced.

Trump and the Japanese leader will speak at 8 p.m. Eastern Time. The US President's call with his Chinese counterpart will come 45 minutes later, according to a White House statement.

No further information was provided on subjects the calls would cover, CNN reported.

On Friday, Trump met South Korean President Moon Jae-in in Washington and speaking alongside Moon at the White House declared that US patience with the North Korean regime "is over".

The remarks were the latest sign that the Trump administration is growing increasingly frustrated with the lack of progress in curbing North Korea's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes, the report said.

The US President has been seeking more pressure from China to curb the threats from North Korea, which has its biggest trading relationship with Beijing.
Lucknow, July 3 : Five men gang raped two minor girls in Uttar Pradesh, police said on Monday. A manhunt is on to nab the accused.

The girls, aged 14 and 15 years, were gang raped on Saturday night when they went out to answer nature's call in a field, the victims said in a police complaint registered on Monday.

They said the attackers, who were from their village, abducted them and then took turns to rape them inside a school building.

They told the police that the five men -- Raees, Samru, Fatte, Yasu and Sohail -- then dragged them into a car and raped them again inside the moving vehicle.

They were then dumped on the Delhi-Badaun highway, some 15 km from the village.

Superintendent of Police (City) Praveen Ranjan Singh said that a case has been registered. The girls were sent for medical examination.
Los Angeles, July 3 : Thousands of people took to the streets in marches and demonstrations convened in 46 US cities to ask Congress to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

The Sunday marches, called by rights activists, also served as an opportunity for people to protest against Trump's immigration policies, his business ties abroad and possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Efe news reported.

Suspicions that Trump obstructed justice and has violated the foreign emoluments clause would both be constitutionally valid reasons for Congress to investigate and impeach the President, said Tudor Popescu of the Indivisible CA D-39 group, the main organiser of the march here.

The Los Angeles demonstration was the largest of those called around the US with about 10,000 participants, according to organisers.

Protesters held signs that read "Worst President Ever" and chanted "Down, down, down with Trump - up, up, up with the people" as they urged US Congress to impeach the President, showed images and video footage from the scene.

Organisers believe Trump has "been in blatant violation of the Constitution from the day he was sworn into the office of President".

Trump "has committed Constitutional breaches, consistently lied, cheated, and enforces laws that primarily benefit him and his billionaire friends at the expense of the country", said the organisers' website.

However, the great majority of the other 46 marches had only scanty turnout.

One of those was in New York where only a few dozen people showed up to protest in front of the Trump International Hotel, where they were joined by a group showing support for the President. No incidents or altercations developed.

In Palm Beach, Florida, marchers ended up in front of Trump's Mar-a-Lago exclusive club, where the President has spent a number of weekends since being inaugurated.

Among the dozens of other cities which held marches were Atlanta, Austin, Chicago and New Orleans.
Tokyo, July 3 : Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, South Korean President Moon Jae-in and US leader Donald Trump will hold a trilateral meeting at the G20 summit to discuss increasing pressure on North Korea.

Abe agreed in a telephone call on Monday with Trump to hold the meeting after a previous conversation with Moon, Japanese government spokesperson Yoshihide Suga said at a press conference.

The trilateral talks will take place within the framework of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany, which begins on Friday and will also be attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping, Efe news reported.

"The meeting is necessary to coordinate the response to North Korea's provocations," said Suga, who also pointed to the need for China to be part of the solution to the crisis on the Korean Peninsula.

Moon and Trump already highlighted the need to intensify pressure on North Korea last week in Washington during the first meeting between the two leaders.

In recent months, North Korean leader Kim Jong-un's regime boosted its challenge to the international community with frequent missile tests that escalated tension in the region.

In response, the Trump administration hardened its rhetoric towards Pyongyang, even hinting at the possibility of a pre-emptive strike against North Korea.

Moon's government, meanwhile, is seeking to resolve tension through rapprochement, while maintaining a firm stance towards Pyongyang's continued weapons tests.
Beijing, July 3 : Chinese President Xi Jinping touted the relationship between China and Russia at "best time in history", saying the two nations are each other's most trustworthy strategic partners.

Xi made the remarks in an interview with the Russian media ahead of his July 3-4 visit to Moscow where he will meet President Vladimir Putin, Xinhua news agency reported.

The two countries have built high-level political and strategic trust, the Chinese President said, noting that both countries have completely resolved their border issues, turning the 4,300-km boundary line into a bond of friendship.

China and Russia have also established healthy mechanisms both for high-level exchanges and for cooperation in various fields, Xi said.

"President (Vladimir) Putin and I have built good working relations and a close personal friendship," Xi said.

As for bilateral cooperation, Xi said that China-Russia cooperation in various fields, including energy, trade, investment, high technology, finance, infrastructure and agriculture, had been growing rapidly since he and Putin reached a consensus on aligning the Belt and Road Initiative with the Eurasian Economic Union.

He added that joint cross-border infrastructure projects such as the building of an international transport corridor and the North Polar sea-route would help promote interconnectivity to inject new vigour into the cooperation.

According to a Kremlin statement, the two leaders will ink a number of bilateral agreements following the talks.

The Chinese President also said that the Syrian crisis can only have "a political solution".

"China's position on the Syrian issue has been consistent," said Xi. "Syria's sovereignty and territorial integrity should be protected and respected, and its future decided by its own people."
Jerusalem, July 3 : Israel is preparing for "a historic visit" by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Monday.

"This is a historic first visit by an Indian Prime Minister to Israel in 70 years," Netanyahu told his weekly cabinet meeting, reports Xinhua news agency.

Referring to Modi as "my friend", Netanyahu said he would "accompany the Prime Minister at many events during his visit".

Modi is expected to land at the Ben Gurion Airport outside Tel Aviv on Tuesday afternoon for a three-day trip before going to Germany, where he would attend the G20 Summit in Hamburg.

Modi's visit "attests to the fact that our relations with India have become closer in recent years", Netanyahu said, adding that he hoped the trip "will deepen cooperation in a range of areas".

Modi's visit would focus on cooperation in the areas of security and defence, agriculture, water and energy, according to a statement released by the Israeli Prime Minister's Office.

The visit comes 25 years after the two countries established full diplomatic ties and 14 years after the late Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in New Delhi.

The Modi visit comes at the backdrop of billion dollars weapons and security deals signed between Israel and India over the past months, according to Israeli media reports.

In April, India signed a $1.6-billion deal with the Israel Aerospace Industries (IAI) to buy a missile defence system called MRSAM (Medium-Range Surface-to-Air Missile.)

The system is designed to defend against all types of airborne threats and is composed of launchers, missiles, radar systems and communication and control systems. It was reportedly the largest-ever deal signed by IAI.
New Delhi, July 3 : The Supreme Court on Monday asked the Maharashtra government to remove encroachments over 908 sq.mt area around the historic Haji Ali Dargah shrine within two weeks.

Directing the clearing of all the encroachments spread over 908 sq.mt, as also directed by the Bombay High Court, the bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud said: "We are going to take very stern action, if you don't implement our direction. There is a high court order, now supported by us."

"Do it now. Demolish unauthorised structures. It is our direction," Chief Justice Khehar said, warning that "serious consequences will flow if direction is not carried".

The court also noted that even the Haji Ali Dargah Trust was supporting the removal of encroachments.

"You have to do it, they (Haji Ali Dargah Trust) are helping you do it," the bench observed.

The court directed the Deputy Collector (Encroachment/Removal) to be present in the court on the next date of hearing.

Deputy Collector (Encroachment/Removal), Colaba, had issued notice on March 22, 2017, for the removal of encroachments.

The court asked the officer to remove the encroachments after Haji Ali Dargah Trust informed the court that it could not clear the encroachments, as directed in the last hearing of the matter on May 9.

The apex court on May 9 asked the Haji Ali Dargah Trust to remove encroachments around the historic shrine, failing which the Joint Task Force (JTF) constituted by the Bombay High Court would clear the area.

The trust managing the shrine built in 1431 had at the last hearing told the court that the shrine was spread over an area of 171 sq.mt and there were encroachments in the area around it.

The trust is managing the shrine since 1930.
Bengaluru, July 3 : Tata Power Solar, Indias largest integrated solar company, has won India Solar Week Excellence Awards 2017 in 100-MW or below project based category.

A company release said on Monday that the award was given for "excellence in commissioning" 100 MW solar project for the NTPC in Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh.

The release said the 100-MW solar power project is the biggest commissioned using domestically manufactured solar cells and modules.

The project spread over 500 acres has been set up in partnership with the National Thermal Power Corporation (NTPC).

The release said the project was executed nearly three months ahead of the deadline and is designed to produce nearly 160 million units (kWh) of energy annually. This will help offset approximately 1,10,000 tonnes of CO2 in the first year.

Founded in 1989, Tata Solar Power was originally formed as a joint venture between Tata Power and British Petroleum Solar (BP Solar). It now operates independently as a wholly owned subsidiary of Tata Power.

The release said that Tata Power Solar is one of the pioneering solar manufacturers in the world and India's largest specialised Engineering, Procurement and Construction (EPC) player.

It has a production capacity of 400 MW of modules and 300 MW of cells.
New Delhi, July 3 : Describing terrorism as a global menace, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is set to visit Israel from Tuesday, has said that New Delhi and Tel Aviv can "cooperative even more closely" in battling terror.

Modi also told the newspaper Israel Hayom in an interview that his three-day visit to Israel, the first by any Indian Prime Minister, had its own significance and would further strengthen bilateral ties.

Asked if Israel and India were facing the same threat of terrorism, Modi replied: "Terrorism is a global menace. India and Israel are not immune to it either. We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish.

"Cross-border terrorism is a major challenge for us. Divisive forces across our border are trying to disrupt the unity of our nation. These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions.

"Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion. India and Israel could cooperate even more closely and complement each other's efforts to fight with the menace of terrorism," the Indian leader added.

Modi was asked if his visit was a reset or an upgrade in India-Israel relations.

"My visit has its own significance... I am confident (it) will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation," he said.

The Indian leader added that he was sure to visit Jerusalem.

India, Modi said, believed in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully.

"A final-status agreement should respect the sentiments and address demands of all affected parties. The key to finding a solution to this issue lies with the affected parties.

"India supports all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem."

Modi recalled that he had visited Israel in 2006 as the Chief Minister of Gujarat. "I am happy to return after more than a decade, and I look forward to seeing the developments and advances Israel has made in this time."

He said Israel was perceived in India as a technological powerhouse, a country that has braved many odds.

"The way you transformed yourself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country; the manner in which you made your deserts bloom, are all amazing accomplishments. All these images have made a deep imprint on my mind."

Modi said India-Israel ties had always been strong, and over the years they had been continuously expanding and diversifying.

Asked if his decision to visit Israel implied a more pro-Israel posture in the UN, he said: "Our positions at the UN are based on the merit of specific issues and driven by our core values and principles... India is not in favour of singling out any country at the UN."

The Indian leader said he was was not looking at a traditional import-export relationship with Israel.

"It is more than a buyer-seller relationship. We are more interested in a tech-based partnership with an emphasis on 'Make in India.'

The Israeli industry has been fairly positive to many of our flagship schemes like 'Clean Ganga.' There is tremendous scope for deepening the extent of partnership in India's flagship schemes."
New Delhi, July 3 : The Supreme Court on Monday sought Gujarat government's response to the plea seeking admission to children belonging to disadvantaged and weaker sections of society.

The plea seeks to fill up 63,610 seats under the Right to Education Act. The seats have been held back by fudging of number of students in each of over 9,000 schools.

The bench of Chief Justice Jagdish Singh Khehar and Justice D.Y. Chandrachud issued notice that is returnable next week as senior counsel Colin Gonsalves told the court that "a good number of schools were showing zero intake of students in the first standard to frustrate 25 per cent admission to children belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged groups".

He said that while schools were showing zero intake, in fact they were admitting the students and not showing it to frustrate the provision of the RTE Act that mandates 25 per cent admissions to children belonging to weaker and disadvantaged sections of society.

"The modus operandi followed by the over 9,000 schools in Gujarat in order to avoid ensuring that 25 per cent of the strength of each class is of children belonging to the weaker sections and disadvantaged groups, is to hide the strength of the class i.e. the total number of children in a particular class", the court was told by petitioner Sandip Harshadray Munjyasara.

Appearing for the petitioner, senior counsel Colin Gonsalves said: "If the total strength is understated, then the 25 per cent is also understated and the schools are then able to violate the mandate of the Right to Education Act by admitting very few children belonging to the weaker sections and disadvantaged groups."

Munjyasara has challenged April 20, 2017, order of Gujarat High Court, that declined his plea.

Besides other prayers, he has sought direction to the Secretary, Gujarat Education Department, to furnish the list of the schools in the state together with the sanctioned strength of Class I of each school and the actual enrolment of each school in Class I for academic years 2014-2015, 2015-2016, 2016-2017 and 2017-2018.

The petitioner has also sought the list of the students enrolled in four academic years belonging to general category and those belonging to weaker sections and disadvantaged sections.

He has also sought direction to the Gujarat government to ensure that the enrolment of Class I students in every school was not less than the sanctioned strength for the Classes 2 to 8.
Shimla, July 3 : A 14-day joint military training excerise between India and Thailand started in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, a defence official said.

The joint exercise of the Indian Army with the Royal Thailand Army commenced at Bakloh in Chamba district, the official said.

The aim of this exercise is to build and promote closer relations while exchanging skills and experiences between the two armies.

"Exercise Maitree 2017 is a continuation of a series of joint exercises between the Indian Army and the Royal Thailand Army. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Krabi in Thailand in 2016.

"It will be conducted in a manner so as to acquaint both contingents with each other's operating procedures in the backdrop of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism environment," an official statement said.

The Maitree series of bilateral exercises has been one of the major defence cooperation initiatives between India and Thailand.

Earlier, a joint training exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman, named Al Nagah-II 2017, was held at Bakloh in March.
New Delhi, July 3 : The Indian Railways on Monday said that it will soon allow foreign nationals to book tickets 360 days in advance in order to promote tourism.

"Now the foreign nationals or NRIs (non-resident Indians) can book their tickets under foreigners quota in 360 days advance," a Railway Ministry official told IANS.

As of now, foreigners are allowed to book ticket 120 days in advance of their planned travel.

The official said the new facility would be officially announced on July 7 or July 12.

Under the new facility, foreign nationals can book first AC, second AC and executive class tickets in premium trains like Rajdhani Express, Shatabdi Express, newly launched Tejas Express and Gatimaan Express.

Foreign nationals would require to give details of their passport, visa and their mobile numbers through the IRCTC site.

"IRCTC would charge Rs 200 per ticket as service charge from the foreign national passengers," he said.

The official added that for cancelling the ticket, existing rules would apply.
Chandigarh, July 3 : Having failed to make any headway in arresting the main accused in the killing of Junaid last month, the Haryana Police on Monday announced a reward of Rs 2 lakh for information leading to identification of the accused who stabbed him to death.

The stabbing took place on an EMU train going from Ghaziabad to Mathura on June 22.

"The identity of the informer will be kept secret. Five accused have already been arrested in this case," a spokesman said. Among those arrested so far, two were identified as Delhi government employees, including a 50-year-old man.

The Haryana Police, which is under the BJP government in Haryana, has drawn flak for its handling of Junaid's killing and not being able to nab the main accused.

Junaid, a Muslim youth, was stabbed to death on the train near Ballabhgarh in Haryana's Faridabad district.

Junaid and his friends Hasib, Shakir and Mohsin were returning to their village on the train after shopping at Delhi's Sadar Bazaar.

Hasib claimed that at least 15-20 persons boarded the train at Okhla railway station and asked them to vacate the seats.

All four were thrashed and attacked with sharp-edged weapons and later thrown out of the train at Asaoti railway station in Palwal district.

Junaid succumbed to his injuries in a hospital. His three friends who were injured. Media reports had even said that the murderous attack followed rumours about beef eating by the four youths.

The Haryana government had announced financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to the victim's family.
Hyderabad, July 3 : AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi on Monday said that by skipping Palestine during his visit to Israel, Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was strengthening the Jewish state's occupation of Palestinian territories.

With Modi set to become the first Indian Prime Minister to visit Israel, the Hyderabad MP said his three-day tour would mark a major shift in India's foreign policy on Palestine.

Owaisi said support to Palestinian cause had been the cornerstone of India's policy for over seven decades.

He said by not visiting Palestinian territories occupied by Israel and by not meeting Palestinian authorities, Modi would help Israeli propaganda effort and strengthen its occupation of West Bank and Gaza.

He recalled that whenever Indian authorities visited Israel, they also visited Palestine. He termed as "very unfortunate" India's decision to abstain from voting at the UN Human Rights Council which found that Israel had committed war crimes.
Addis Ababa, July 3 : Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said on Monday that he is ready for a historical peace deal with Israel based on a two-state solution.

"We are waiting for Israel to respond to the initiative of US President Donald Trump for a historical peace deal based on a two-state solution," said Abbas, addressing the 29th African Union Summit in the Ethiopian capital.

Abbas said that Trump's early interest in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict gave hope for peace, stressing that a just solution to the Palestinian cause will be the key to peace, security and prosperity in the region and the world.

"It will pull the rug from under the feet of terrorist groups that use the Palestinian issue to justify their actions," he said.
Kohima, July 3 : Chief Minister Sharhozelie Liezietsu on Monday lamented that due to the prolonged Naga insurgency, many developmental activities have been affected in Nagaland.

However, he said that very soon the problem would reach an acceptable settlement which will lead to progress and development of the mountainous state.

Liezietsu was interacting with a team of 20 IPS Probationers and two faculty members from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel National Police Academy, Hyderabad, as part of Bharat Dharshan at the Chief Minister's Office.

Liezietsu said Nagaland attained statehood 50 years back but the state could not progress in many ways.

However, he pointed out that the Naga political problem was a genuine national problem and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was doing his best to bring about a solution.

"We are talking to the (Naga) outfits in a hard and truthful way in order to move towards a solution," the Chief Minister said.
New Delhi, July 3 : The CBI has questioned two army officers and two hawala operators in its ongoing probe into the alleged transfer racket being run from the Army Headquarters here, an official said on Monday.

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) recorded the statements of a Hyderabad-based army officer Purshottam and Bengaluru-based Barracks and Stores Officer S. Subhas in the case at its headquarters in south Delhi's Lodhi Colony area.

The agency on June 2 registered an FIR in the case and the next day it arrested Lt. Col. Ranganathan Suvramani Moni, posted in the Personnel Department at the Army Headquarters, and a middlemen Gaurav Kohli in the national capital following a tip-off.

Both were arrested when Kohli visited the Lt. Col.'s house to deliver him Rs 2 lakh, a part of the Rs 5 lakh bribe, for the transfer of army officer S. Subhas.

CBI teams had also conducted raids on the premises of the accused and others at over 10 locations in Delhi, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Thiruvananthapuram, and seized Rs 10 lakh in cash and several incriminating documents.

The agency had registered the case against Moni, Purshottam, Subhas and Kohli.
Ghaziabad, July 3 : The bail plea of a senior Jet Airways official arrested on charges of grabbing municipal land in Ghaziabad was not taken up on Monday because his name was wrongly spelt in official documents, his lawyer said.

The Chief Judicial Magistrate has summoned Avneet Singh Bedi on Tuesday to hear the bail plea.

After his arrest early on Sunday from Delhi, Bedi was produced before a magistrate who sent him to judicial custody.

On Monday, defence lawyer Sudhir Tyagi filed an application before the court saying that the name of the accused had been wrongly stated in the arrest memo as Avneet Singh Seth instead of Avneet Singh Bedi.

The court accepted the documents filed by the lawyer, who told IANS that it was very important to correct the name before the case could be taken up.

Bedi has been accused of land grabbing municipal land in Ghaziabad district.

Ghaziabad Municipal Commissioner C.P. Singh said: "Our officer has found illegal possession on our land."
Chennai, July 3 : One more person working in the Kodanad Estates belonging to late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa was found dead under mysterious circumstances, according to reports reaching here.

On Monday, Dinesh Kumar was found hanging at his house. Some months back, a security guard was murdered by a group at the estate.

Subsequently, two men suspected of involvement in the killing of the security guard met with separate road accidents, leading to the death of one of them.

Spread over 900 acres, the Kodanad Estate in Nilgiri district was used by Jayalalithaa as a retreat.
New Delhi, July 3 : External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj on Monday met Nepalese Deputy Prime Minister Krishna Bahadur Mahara, who is on a visit to India from July 2-4, an official said.

This is the first high-level visit from Nepal after the formation of new government led by Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba. It is also the first visit abroad by Mahara since he assumed the post of Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs in the newly formed government.

Sushma and Mahara held discussion on a wide range of bilateral matters of mutual interest, including the ongoing connectivity and development projects, said a statement.

Both the ministers reiterated their commitment to further strengthen bilateral cooperation in diverse sectors and to deepen the traditionally close and friendly relationship between the two countries.

They also expressed satisfaction at the bilateral engagement at various levels, including political exchanges, and reviewed upcoming high-level exchanges, a statement said.

Mahara spoke about the recently concluded second phase of local level elections in Nepal and his government's efforts to take all stakeholders onboard in the Constitution implementation process.

Sushma Swaraj also hosted a dinner in Mahara's honour, the statement added.
New Delhi, July 3 : After putting up a presidential nominee, the opposition parties are now contemplating to field a candidate for Vice President's election, which will be held on August 5 to elect the successor of M. Hamid Ansari, said Congress sources.

An informal opposition grouping of 17 opposition parties, except Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's JD-U, have fielded former Lok Sabha Speaker Meira Kumar as the candidate for the presidential election to contest against NDA's candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Kumar has announced his support for Kovind, who is former Bihar Governor.

"Opposition parties may put up a candidate for vice presidential election, and this time they will be one step ahead of the government," said a Congress leader.

On fielding their nominee for a "losing battle", the leader said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) had been fielding candidates every time, even though their defeat was certain.

Election for India's next Vice President will be held on August 5 and the counting of votes will take place the same day.

Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Nasim Zaidi said: "The date of polling, if required, will be August 5. Counting, if required, will be done on August 5."

The election would be held between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m.

The CEC said that filing of nomination would begin on July 4 with the issuance of poll notification.

The last date for filing nomination is July 18, while scrutiny of nomination papers will take place on July 19. The last date for withdrawal of nomination is July 21.

Hamid Ansari has been Vice President and ex-officio Chairman of the Rajya Sabha since August 11, 2007. He won the second term on August 11, 2012. His current term ends on August 10.
New Delhi, July 3 : The presence of a Chinese submarine in the Indian Ocean region has nothing to do with stand-off between the Indian and Chinese troops along the border in Sikkim, informed sources said here on Monday.

They confirmed the presence of a conventional Chinese submarine in the Indian Ocean region for a while.

The Indian Navy, too, said "the submarine's presence has nothing to do with the present situation and it has been present in the Indian Ocean for a while now".

"Usually, Chinese submarines have three-month long deployment in the Indian ocean. This is routine," a Navy official said.

According to the informed sources, this is the same Yuan-class submarine that was "picked up" by Indian Navy's Poseidon-8I long-range maritime patrol aircraft as soon as it crossed the Malacca Strait on April 19-20.

The submarine of China's People's Liberation Army Navy's (PLAN) anti-piracy fleet had sought permission to dock at a Sri Lankan harbour in May but Sri Lanka declined it.

The submarine then headed towards Karachi and was reported to have docked there.

A recent report from Pentagon also confirmed that China continued to send submarines to the Indian Ocean in 2016. The report said "it appeared to be in support of its counter-piracy patrols".
London, July 4 : A major fire broke out on Monday at an indoor paintballing centre in Britain, fire and rescue service announced.

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said there were reports two people had entered the "Desert Storm" building on Borough Road but had not yet come out, Xinhua news agency reported.

A spokesman said: "Crews were alerted at 5.00 p.m. (local time) and were on the scene at just before 5.05 p.m. Fire Crews arrived to find a large building with an area of around 20 x 30 metres well alight. There have been reports of two people who have entered the building and have not yet come out. There are six fire appliances in attendance."

Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service said on twitter that Borough Rd, Prescot Rd and Eccleston St in the St Helens Town Centre area are closed due to ongoing Paintball Centre fire.
Angel EQT, Angel Business Club, & Angel Equity International all part of the Angel group This initiative offers a unique and unprecedented chance for individual investors to get involved [...] in a significant project which could result in a very positive ROI for them as well as being of substantial national importance for Britain.

Angel EQT, born out of the Angel Business Club, has announced its inaugural partnership investment venture with Britannias Gold Ltd, which is on an important quest to recover substantial cargoes of Britains gold and precious metals which were lost at sea during World Wars I and II.

Britannias Gold will utilise funding provided by Angel EQT investors to finance the bespoke survey and salvage operations. Working with James Fisher and Sons and Bourbon Shipping, Europes two leading subsea and salvage companies, BGL will seek to recover researched and targeted shipwreck cargoes and return them to the UK for the combined benefit of HM Government, investors and merchant marine charities. Raising 10m from equity share capital will enable Britannias Gold to finance the entire first salvage programme. If successful, more are planned as BGL has highly developed research on over 700 target gold carrier wrecks.

The Angel Business Club was founded in 2015 to transform the way in which people undertake and manage their investments. Angel EQT, born out of The Angel Business Club, was created to reach a wider private investor community audience. The intention is to offer investors the opportunity to access curated investments already backed by the Club and its members, and to hear about emerging, dynamic new businesses and projects of which they would otherwise be probably unaware.

Angel Group CEO Dominic Berger says: We are delighted to welcome Britannias Gold as our first Angel EQT equity investment partner. This initiative offers a unique and unprecedented chance for individual investors to get involved at the earliest stage in a significant project which could result in a very positive ROI for them, as well as being of substantial national importance for Britain.

Angel EQT offers the general public and existing Angel Business Club members the chance to harness a unique blend of human and financial capital (Angel Capital), through full transparency, together with interaction and communication between investors and companies. Investors can benefit from the interactive online support services provided by Angel Business Club. These include a state-of-the-art investment management section with a tracking tool, ongoing news and data flow, educational webinars, discussion forums, clear roadmaps for exit strategies and a bespoke Stock Trading tool. Equally important, investors will receive exclusive alerts for new curated investment opportunities of which BGL is the first exciting example.
America Dying on the Vine: a collection of essays offering solutions for fed-up Americans looking for change. America Dying on the Vine is the creation of published author Gary Heesch, a US Air Force veteran who lived and taught among the Navajo people in the late 1950s, which gave him an insight into a world within the United States that he didnt know existed. After a career in the field of medical research, he retired to Utah with his wife and now writes as a hobby.

Published by Christian Faith Publishing, Gary Heeschs new book is a provocative look at government institutions in the context of American history, and offers the authors perspective and life experiences to suggest actions leading to new and brighter future.

View a synopsis of America Dying on the Vine on YouTube.

Readers can purchaseAmerica Dying on the Vine at traditional brick and mortar bookstores, or online at Amazon.com, Apple iTunes store, Kobo or Barnes and Noble.

For additional information or inquiries about America Dying on the Vine, contact the Christian Faith Publishing media department at 866-554-0919.
With over 60 years of industry experience, Hawthorne Cat provides quality service and solutions you can count on.

Hawthorne Cat, the exclusive Cat equipment dealer in San Diego, the Hawaiian Islands and the Pacific Region, announces new financing offers for the summer season. Purchase a new Cat machine by September 30, 2017 and receive 1.9% financing for 72 months or 0% financing for 48 months. The offer also includes a complimentary equipment protection plan.

Eligible machines for the 3 year/1,500 hour powertrain and hydraulics equipment protection plan include Skid Steer Loaders, Multi Terrain Loaders, Compact Track Loaders, Compact Wheel Loaders, and Mini Hydraulic Excavators. An extended 3 year/3,000 hour powertrain and hydraulics equipment protection plan is available for Backhoe Loaders, Small Wheel Loaders, Small Track-Type Tractors, and Telehandlers.

According to Sales Manager Ross Farmer, Get ready for the summer season and upgrade your fleet with a new Cat machine. Farmer continues, Hawthorne Cat will help you get the equipment you want with the protection you need.

Shane Oliveira, Hawaii Region Sales Manager, says, With over 60 years of industry experience, Hawthorne Cat provides quality service and solutions you can count on. Oliveira continues, Our personalized customer experience and the best selection of industry-leading products make us the best choice for your business. Give us a call so we can show you The Hawthorne Cat Difference.

Visit the Hawthorne Cat website or call 800.437.4228 to learn more.

About Hawthorne Cat

Hawthorne Cat is the authorized dealer for Cat construction and power equipment in San Diego, Hawaii, Guam, Saipan and American Samoa. Hawthorne sells, rents, provides parts and service, training and emission solutions to various industries including general building construction, landscaping, marine, paving and power generation. For more on Hawthorne Cat, visit http://www.hawthornecat.com.
MTA VIETNAM 2017 will be held from July 4 to 7 at the Saigon Exhibition & Convention Center (SECC) in Ho Chi Minh City. The yearly exhibition has been consecutively held for the past 15 years, with its scale expanding every year. This event has become the largest professional international exhibition in Vietnam. It is estimated that this year the number of exhibitors will exceed 420 and attract more than 12,000 professional buyers from around the world.

Taiwan Pavilion is the largest of all participating countries in the exhibition, as well as largest foreign country in this event. The number of Taiwanese vendors participating in this event is the highest in the last three years, and this clearly demonstrates optimism from industry vendors for the Vietnamese market.

A "Taiwan Machinery Exhibit Area" will be set up in the exhibition focusing on automotive, mold and heavy machinery industry. This gives buyers the opportunity to learn the advantages and applications of Taiwan machine tool industry. It will also serve to show off Taiwanese manufacturers's development prowess and product quality. A "Taiwanese Excellence Presentation and Press Conference" will be held on the first day of the exhibition. A number of excellent Taiwanese vendors will gather at the event to explain the strategy and present leading products from Taiwan's machine tool industry.

This year, 32 exhibitors will be participating in this event, which also makes this the largest in history.

The exhibiting vendors include CHMER, United Technologies Taiwan, Da Jie Electricity, Sen Mei, Gemtool, Maximart, Fintek, B2Benchmark, Lantech, TBI Motion, Chu Weir Technology, Honor Gear Pumps, Jia Meng Electric, Chungear, Perfect Machine, Kinwa Lathe, Matech, Jiuh-Yeh, Minchuen, Yih Shen Machinary, Taiwan Asahi Diamond Industrial, Syntec Technology, Palmary Machinery, HANS Tools, Chii Chyuan, Pin Hong, Best Quality Wire, Oly Torque Equipments, Peiping Precision Enterprise, ChengHui Tools, Turnhow, and Bo-Shiong.

The exhibit items from these vendors cover tools, accessories, and various types of CNC machinery.

Amongst all vendors, CHMER is the world's fifth largest electric discharge machine (EDM) company known for their innovative research and development. Their products focus both on processing accuracy and speed, and are able to meet the needs of complex parts processing. Their wire cutting machines and EDMs have consistently won Taiwan Excellence Awards and the National Industrial Innovation Awards and is globally known for its "CHMER" branding.

TBI Motion focuses mainly on precision transmission products, including ball screws, splines, and linear slides. Their products are key components in automated industrial equipment and are widely used in semiconductors, smart phones, and solar energy industries. In addition, the cutting tools, lathes, grinders and various types of machine tool spare parts, are all premium choices in their relevant industry supply chains. It is expected that these exhibiting items can provide complete and total solutions to buyers.

In order to effectively assist the manufacturers to use e-commerce to expand overseas markets, Taiwantrade, established by the International Trade Bureau of the Ministry of Economic Affairs, is a portal which provides the most comprehensive listing of Taiwanese exporter information with national level support. It is the preferred website for foreign buyer searching for Taiwanese products.

Taiwantrade will be joining the exhibition again this year under the theme of "smart machine" supply chain, featuring product catalogs from 20 selected Taiwantrade members at the exhibition. Also, in the Vietnamese section on Taiwantrade (vi.taiwantrade.com), the Taiwan Pavilion is also featured in the main section, combining virtual and real world promotions to enhance the exposure of the participating exhibitors.
The Dallas/Fort Worth Kellogg and Northwestern (NU) Alumni Clubs announced plans today for the 12th Annual Summer Soiree, supporting the essential work of Big Brothers Big Sisters throughout Greater Dallas. The brainchild of Cheryl Clifford, Sean Lofgren and other longtime Kellogg/NU Club leaders and volunteers, this innovative charitable effort harnesses the ingenuity and energy of Dallas-area business professionals who graduated from Northwestern, a school on the shores of Lake Michigan  and far from the banks of the Trinity River.

Over the past several years, the innovative Summer Soiree has raised more than $200,000 for Big Brothers Big Sisters and provided meaningful opportunities for club members to significantly change the lives of at-risk children across North Texas. Everyone who cares about making a positive impact in the Dallas community, regardless of college or graduate school affiliation, is warmly invited to join in a celebration of Mediterranean summer in the Roman style at 3015 Trinity Groves on Sat., Aug. 12, 2017, at 7:00 p.m. Bid on fabulous auction items as you enjoy open-bar drinks, dinner buffet and free valet parking  with your date or a group of fun, philanthropic friends.

The Summer Soiree, presented by the DFW Kellogg Alumni Club, offers a unique opportunity for sponsors, said Bill Krueger, co-chair of this years event with Teri Gordon. Attended by more than 250 Dallas area executives, entrepreneurs and professionals, this unique event benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Dallas. Its the perfect opportunity for brands to support and celebrate the power of mentoring in partnership with some of the regions most dynamic and successful business leaders.

We are tremendously grateful for the generous and sustained efforts of the Kellogg and Northwestern Clubs, said Bill Chinn, president of Big Brother Big Sisters Greater Dallas. Thanks to their investment and goodwill, we are able to build brighter futures for the children who need it most in our area.

NU/Kelloggs Dallas alumni are inspired by the win-win impact they are making through involvement with Big Brothers Big Sisters, as well as the positive ripple effect in their own businesses as social entrepreneurs  modeling the value of cause-related initiative at the grassroots level.

We at 7-Eleven are proud to be part of this important project, because we know 1-to-1 mentoring works, added Kellogg alumnus and 7-Eleven CEO Joe DePinto. According to a study by the Pew Charitable Trusts, children involved with BBBS are more confident in their schoolwork and get along better with their families. Studies show that 98% of children matched with a mentor for six months or more were promoted to the next grade level or graduated.

Servant leadership is a core value of our MBA education, said Holly Duncan, current DFW Kellogg Alumni Club president. The most effective leaders enhance their organizations, as well as their communities. While it was the Kellogg Alumni who started the Soiree tradition, DFW alumni from all of Northwestern Universitys undergraduate and graduate schools are involved. The Summer Soiree is a big-impact event that everyone wants to support enjoy, said Flann Harris, President of the Northwestern Alumni Club of Dallas-Fort Worth.

12th Annual Summer Soiree Benefiting BBBS Event Details:



Date/Time: Sat., Aug. 12, 2017 | 7:00 - 11:00 p.m.

Theme: Celebration of Mediterranean Summer, Roman Style

What to Wear: Fancy dress or dressy costumes with Roman Flair. See https://www.kelloggsummersoiree.org/roman-attire-is-encouraged for some ideas

Tickets: https://www.kelloggsummersoiree.org (First 100 tickets: $100 ($125 after that)

Venue: 3015 at Trinity Groves

Entertainment: Music by Fusion DJ Jeff Mitchell, Founder of Decks in The Park in collaboration with Rene B Rodriguez and his Events Moderne team.

Auction: Experience Packages and more. Check the website closer to the date for previews and early bidding news.

Visit https://www.kelloggsummersoiree.org or contact Bill Krueger and Teri Gordon, Summer Soiree co-chairs, at contact(at)kelloggsummersoiree.org for more information about participating as a sponsor, making auction donations or booking tables. And follow the Soiree on Facebook at http://bit.ly/2t6BEsN.

About Big Brothers Big Sisters Lone Star

Big Brothers Big Sisters, the nation's largest donor and volunteer supported mentoring organization, holds itself accountable for children in its program to achieve measurable outcomes, such as educational success; avoidance of risky behaviors; and higher aspirations, greater confidence and better relationships. Partnering with parents/guardians, schools, corporations and others in the community, Big Brothers Big Sisters carefully pairs children ("Littles") with screened volunteer mentors ("Bigs") and monitors and supports these one-to-one mentoring matches. Big Brothers Big Sisters provides children facing adversity with strong and enduring, professionally supported one-to-one mentoring relationships that change their lives for the better, forever. Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Dallas is part of the Big Brother Big Sisters Lone Star organization, which impacts over 6,200 children across Texas. Learn how you can positively impact a child's life at http://www.bbbstx.org

About the Kellogg Alumni Club of Dallas-Fort Worth

The Kellogg Alumni Club of Dallas/Fort Worth serves more than 700 members in the DFW area who attended various graduate business degrees programs offered by Northwestern Universitys Kellogg School of Management in Evanston, Illinois. Regular Club events include the acclaimed Leadership Symposium, held annually in February; the Summer Soiree, the high-octane charity event held in August that benefits Big Brothers Big Sisters Greater Dallas  as well as a full calendar of professional, charitable and social activities throughout the year. Regardless of your affiliation, please engage with us on our Facebook or LinkedIn pages.

About the Northwestern University Alumni Club of Dallas-Fort Worth

The Northwestern University Alumni Club of Dallas-Fort Worth serves more than 2,800 alumni in the metropolitan area. The club aims to provide diverse programming to appeal to alumni who come from different backgrounds of study. The club focuses on social events to keep Wildcat alumni connected throughout the region. Find us on Facebook for more information.
Taipei, July 3 (CNA) As the mercury continues to soar around Taiwan, a survey has found that more than six out of 10 employees are reluctant to go to work on particularly hot days and nearly 70 percent think the government should introduce rules to allow "heat leave," during excessively hot weather.
Public Service Credit Union (PSCU) was recently named in Advisory HQs nation-wide list of the Top 11 Best Credit Unions for Business (http://www.advisoryhq.com/articles/top-credit-unions-for-business/).

AdvisoryHQ (http://www.advisoryhq.com) is a global independent agency with a focus on the everyday consumer that provides research, reviews, and rankings of firms and products. According to the report, credit unions are becoming a more popular choice for businesses.

Among the key factors noted by AdvisoryHQ was PSCUs Free Business Checking with no monthly account maintenance fees or minimum monthly balance requirements. PSCU was also recognized for having business-savvy offerings such as a Business Debit Mastercard, Business Mastercard Credit Card, and Small Business Loans from $25,000 to $250,000.

PSCU offers a robust business services suite, including online and mobile banking, electronic statements, bill pay, check imaging, remote deposit capture (RDC), and optional text and email alerts.

PSCU is passionate about supporting the success of locally-owned small businesses in our communities, said Sarah Collins, VP of Business Services at PSCU. Helping our local economy thrive is very important to us, which is why we service nearly 10,000 small businesses in Colorado.

About Public Service Credit Union (http://pscu.org)

Public Service Credit Union has been safe, secure, and insured since 1938. Today, with assets in excess of $2 billion, and more than 200,000 members, PSCU provides a full array of financial products and services, including savings, checking, loans, mortgages, and online and mobile banking options. Members can access their accounts and conduct transactions at PSCUs 28 branch locations, and at over 200 shared branch locations throughout Colorado. In addition, through the credit unions partnership with the CO-OP network, members have surcharge-free access to more than 30,000 ATMs across the country.

Contact Information

Media Contact: Joe Greene, VP, Marketing

Company Name: Public Service Credit Union

Email Address: joeg(at)pscu(dot)org
Dental365 at 1946 Middle Country Rd. in Centereach. I am excited to open our third location in Suffolk County. We look forward to serving the neighborhood with compassionate and convenient dentistry in a beautiful environment.

Centereach residents have a new dental office in the neighborhood. Dental365 was established with the patients comfort and convenience in mind. Located at 1946 Middle Country Road in the same shopping center as Starbucks, Dental365 gives patients high-quality, affordable routine and walk-in emergency dental care. Dental365 is also open evenings and weekends so that visits to the dentist fit into their patients busy schedules. The company also gladly works with most insurance plans.

As all other Dental365 locations, this brand new office provides a storefront walk-in experience with state-of-the-art equipment and the latest technology with patient comfort being at the center of the office design. Each exam room is complete with a smart television for the patient including Netflix and Pandora along with many other patient amenities including hot towels. With many locations throughout the New York metropolitan area, patients are able to visit Ronkonkoma, West Islip, or any Dental365 office seamlessly.

Dr. Scott Asnis, founder and CEO of Dental365, started the practice as one of the countrys first high-quality, affordable dental offices offering routine and walk-in emergency dental care seven days a week. In addition to providing general and emergency dental services, Dental365 specialists are available to provide excellent care to our patients unique dental needs.

Dr. Asnis comments on the opening of Dental365 in Centereach: I am excited to open our third location in Suffolk County. We look forward to serving the neighborhood with compassionate, affordable, and convenient dentistry in a beautiful environment. I invite the community to come take a tour of our new beautiful office and say hello.

Dental365s goal is to service the communities they are in with the latest technology in oral healthcare and wellness. As an added convenience, their brand new, inviting offices focus on all areas of dentistry, so patients never have to go elsewhere for dental treatment. Dental365 accepts walk-ins with little or no waiting time for adults and children and offers everything from emergency extractions to routine exams, including cosmetic restorations and implants, periodontal procedures and Invisalign all in a state-of-the-art, beautiful environment where your comfort is a top priority. For more information about Dental365 or to schedule an appointment call 631-676-2500 or visit GoDental365.com.
Chef Works Cares Awards Grant to Paving Great Futures

Chef Works Cares, the charitable initiative from global uniform designer and manufacturer Chef Works, is pleased to announce a $25,000 funding grant to San Diego-based community nonprofit, Paving Great Futures. This is the largest grant from Chef Works to date.

Dedicated to empowering the community through personal economic development, Paving Great Futures programming emphasizes financial freedom through entrepreneurship training. Their Culinary, Hospitality, Administration, and Management Program (C.H.A.M.P.), offers business development, job training, and mentorship for at-risk individuals who are trying to improve their lives. In their newly outfitted commercial training kitchen, the 9-month program teaches not only basic kitchen skills and food handling techniques but also managerial and professional development skills, giving mentees the tools to confidentially enter the workforce and the limitless possibility to start their own ventures. With a 100% graduation rate during their first year, C.H.A.M.P. is poised to become a guiding force for those who may have otherwise felt without a way to economically advance themselves. C.H.A.M.P. paves the way for unlimited financial stability.

Our intent is to create opportunity and financial sustainability while stimulating social change through community involvement, says Armand King, Founder of Paving Great Futures. As an executive chef and long-time member of the foodservice industry, I have been a fan of Chef Works for many years. This newfound partnership is not only an honor, its a dream come true. This gift helps us advance our mission to positively change even more lives.

With their newly awarded $25,000 grant from Chef Works, Paving Great Futures will jumpstart their mobile operation and catering program, an extension of the established C.H.A.M.P. program.

Paving Great Futures is a perfect example of an organization that truly provides a working solution to the root causes surrounding economic instability and the invisible barriers to financial attainment felt by our fellow community members. By providing this contribution to their mission, Chef Works positions ourselves as a willing partner committed to enacting grassroots, on-the-ground change with a culinary emphasis. At the end of the day, our partnership benefits the overall hospitality industry, Says Neil Gross, CEO of Chef Works, We hope this is only the beginning for Paving Great Futures, and cannot wait to cheer their successes throughout our partnership.

Fueled by the Gross Familys passion for supporting worthy causes, Chef Works Cares was established in 2014. Chef Works Cares focuses on three strategic arenas to promote their philanthropic endeavors: the elimination of children living in poverty, children and adults living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and protecting and improving the environment. Led by the charitable giving committee comprised of Chef Works employees, Chef Works Cares has donated to such causes as Kitchens for Good, Special Olympics, Living Coast Discovery Center, and the ALS Association. Grant applications are accepted between September 1st and December 1st, and can be completed online via the Chef Works website.

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ABOUT CHEF WORKS, INC.

Established in 1964 when Joseph Gross founded a small uniform company in South Africa, Chef Works has evolved into a global force as a solutions based company, supplying culinary apparel to over seventy countries. Chef Works dresses back of house and front of house staffs for a diverse range of customers including, international hotel chains, award-winning restaurants and bars, culinary schools, food service companies, laundries, and assisted living facilities. Headquartered in San Diego, California, the family-operated corporation has helped pave the way for the current culinary uniform movement by working directly with chefs and culinary personnel to develop innovative, fashion-forward garments. For more information, visit chefworks.com, follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.

ABOUT PAVING GREAT FUTURES

Paving Great Futures is a nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering the community through personal economic development and provides individuals with the necessary tools for financial freedom through entrepreneurship training, business development, and job training.
Khalil El-Ghoul, DC Metro Area #1 Broker For Sales Transactions Its incredibly gratifying to help customers find their dream homes as well as help them sell their properties quickly and for the highest price possible. I couldn't do it without my amazing network and support staff.

Khalil Alexander El-Ghoul, principal broker at Glass House Real Estate, was named one of Americas top real estate professionals by REAL Trends, as advertised in The Wall Street Journal. He is now a member of the The Thousand Top Real Estate Professionals, a prestigious national awards ranking sponsored annually by REAL Trends and advertised in The Wall Street Journal. El-Ghoul is now ranked in the top one-half of 1 percent of the more than 1.25 million Realtors nationwide.

The Thousand real estate professionals was announced on June 23, 2017, with four separate categories honoring the top 250 residential agents and agent teams for excellence.

According to The Thousand, El-Ghoul had transaction sides totaling 135, ranking him #1 in the DC Metropolitan Area and #208 in the nation . He also ranked #5 for the DC Metropolitan Area in Individual Sales Volume with a total of $73,630,183.00 in sales in 2017.

The best individual agents and teamsincluding El-Ghouls award-winning effortswere nothing short of phenomenal considering the challenges in todays complex housing market, said Steve Murray, founder of REAL Trends, a Denver-based consulting, publishing and communications company and The Trusted Source that complies the yearly, third-party verified list.

I am absolutely thrilled to be named to The Thousand, said Khalil El-Ghoul who serves clients in Northern Virginia, DC, and MD. "Its incredibly gratifying to help customers find their dream homes as well as help them sell their properties quickly and for the highest price possible. I couldn't do it without my amazing network and support staff.

The ranking of The Thousand can be found at

http://www.realtrends.com/rankings/rt1000.

About Glass House Real Estate: Glass House Real Estate is a Full-Service Real Estate Brokerage that leverages technology, streamlines the process, and passes the savings on to their clients. Home buyers get up to 2% cash back and sellers can sell for as low as 4% total commission. At Glass House, Khalil El-Ghoul and the hardworking staff are great at what they do and you will save money along the way, its that simple. Contact Glass House today to discuss the modern real estate process!
AGRO Merchants Group Acquires Poland Services Transport  Logistyka

GDAN AGRO Merchants Group, a global leader in cold storage and logistics solutions, announced today the acquisition of Poland Services Transport  Logistyka (PTSL). This acquisition represents a significant entry for AGRO into a new market and expands its geographic reach and service offerings throughout Europe. The PTSL management team, led by industry leaders Slawomir and Krzysztof Samonek and Bart Mol, will continue to lead the current business and planned expansion initiatives.

Established in 2007 as a transport service provider, PSTL quickly expanded into freight forwarding and customs clearance services, and in 2015 built a state-of-the-art 58,000 cubic meter frozen warehouse that is located less than a kilometre from the Gdansk DCT terminal. The Port of Gdansk is currently the fastest growing deep-sea terminal in Europe, and a major international logistics hub that serves as key gateway for trade between the largest ports in Europe, Middle East & Africa. Gdansk benefits from excellent road access to Central and Eastern Europe, and a recent expansion doubled the Ports container handling capacity.

PSTL is internationally known for its superior service quality and commodity expertise in handling protein products for export. The company specialises in storage, value-added services and logistics of frozen meat, poultry, seafood and other goods such as frozen fruit, vegetables and dairy products. PSTL manages the movement of their customers products through the supply chain. This includes transportation using owned fleet assets, or strategic subcontractors, freight forwarding, customs clearance, along with complete export documentation and cargo insurance.

This acquisition reflects AGROs commitment to grow our footprint in core import/export markets, said Jan Harthoorn, AGROs Vice President of Strategic Development for Europe. PSTL is a great fit for us in terms of culture, customer-focus and value-added services, plus were adding a top-class management team. Poland and Eastern Europe are very important geographies for AGRO, and this acquisition allows us to expand significantly our presence and services into this key market.

Sawomir Samonek, Managing Director of PSTL, said We believe in the great potential of the Polish market. Our company is young and combined with previous experiences and the AGRO team, this is a great step for us to grow further with our customers and offer end-to-end solutions. We have seen the Port of Gdansk expand immensely and we look forward to also expanding locally, nationally and internationally as part of the AGRO Merchants network.

AGROs acquisition of PTSL fits into a broader investment strategy focused on key European trading hubs. In January 2017, the company celebrated the opening of a new 18,000-pallet-space facility in Rotterdam-Maasvlakte. This was followed up in February with the acquisitions of Frissul and Frigomato, which together are the leading cold storage operator in Portugal and a key part of the Iberian food supply chain.

About AGRO Merchants Group

AGRO Merchants Group owns and operates 61 facilities in 11 countries in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific. AGRO is dedicated to delivering superior fresh and frozen food handling solutions through our international facility network using local market knowledge with a focus on customer care and sustainability. AGROs vision is to be the leading partner in temperature-controlled logistics for the global food industry, recognized for innovative thinking, commodity expertise and ability to integrate businesses, driven by an entrepreneurial spirit and respect for its rich heritage.

For additional information, please visit AGROs website at http://www.agromerchants.com.
Orphaned herbarium collections are just the type of acquisitions we had in mind when we moved into our new headquarters, said Ed Schneider, executive director of BRIT. Safeguarding specimens for research and education is our Institutes mission.

The Botanical Research Institute of Texas (BRIT) is pleased to announce the nonprofit has been selected to receive almost half a million plant specimens that have been orphaned by the University of Louisiana at Monroe (ULM). This acquisition will increase the total number of specimens housed by the institute to more than 1.3 million and will place BRITs herbarium among the top ten (in specimens housed) in the United States.

The ULM collection represents more than 99 percent of the species in Louisianas vascular flora and is considered to be the states most complete record of plants. Due to funding issues, however, the University would have been forced to destroy it if its herbarium staff hadnt found a home for the collection by the end of July, 2017. Due to the size and breadth of this collection, its loss would have seriously impaired botanical scientific research not only locally within Louisiana but also nationally and even internationally.

BRITs herbarium was designed to house over two million plant specimens, said Ed Schneider, president and executive director of BRIT. Orphaned herbarium collections such as this one are just the type of acquisitions we had in mind as our headquarters building was being designed. Safeguarding and protecting plant specimens for research and education is our Institutes mission.

Rescuing the Universitys herbarium from destruction will help conserve the natural heritage of Louisiana and the surrounding regions in which collections were made. Louisiana is considered uniquely vulnerable to a suite of environmental threats, including extreme weather, land subsidence, wetlands loss, and ocean acidification. Securing the collections at BRIT ensures that they will continue to be available as a resource for science and the public and be maintained and protected in a modern facility for scientific specimens.

The ULM specimens will join BRITs extensive collections of US and world plants, providing a wealth of scientific information to students and researchers.

All preparations for the move will be completed within the first half of July, 2017. The move will proceed during late July-early August. The specimens will be transferred in temperature-controlled trailers equipped with freezers capable of reaching -29C to eradicate all insect threats. Once in Fort Worth, the plants will remain inside the freezers for an additional seven days, prior to being incorporated into BRITs herbarium.
The Oracle ACE Program has promoted Wayne Van Sluys from Oracle ACE Associate to Oracle ACE at the ODTUG Kscope17 Conference. Oracle ACEs are established Oracle advocates who are well known in the community and they must have a history of demonstrated community activism in certain qualified areas, book authorship, and an established social media profile. interRel is also home to Oracle ACEs Opal Alapat and Robert Gideon, and Oracle ACE Directors Glenn Schwartzberg, Tracy McMullen, and Edward Roske.

The Oracle ACE Program was founded in 2003 as a way to recognize and reward members of the Oracle technology and application communities for their contributions, as well as help Oracle make its products more efficient and effective. Members of the program are technologically adept and eager to share their knowledge and experience.

I am truly grateful to the Oracle Technology Network and Oracle ACE Program for the recognition, said Wayne Van Sluys, Senior Consultant at interRel. I am honored to be promoted from Oracle ACE Associate to Oracle ACE.

Van Sluys is a certified implementation specialist in Oracle Business Intelligence Foundation Suite 11 and has over 15 years of Business Intelligence experience. One of his most recent accomplishments is coauthoring interRels latest book in the Look Smarter Than You Are series, Look Smarter Than You Are with Oracle Analytics Cloud Standard. This is the first-ever book on Oracle Analytics Cloud (OAC) and is currently available on Lulu.com. Van Sluys currently serves on the Oracle Spatial and Graph SIG Board and has been the BI Track Lead at Kscope, on the ODTUG Kscope BI Track Content Selection Committee, and on the ODTUG BI Community Leadership Team. In addition to speaking at ODTUG Kscope, he has also presented at Oracle OpenWorld and the IOUG BIWA Summit. He authors a popular Oracle Business Analytics blog (Beyond Just Data), hosts webcasts, creates educational Play It Forward videos, and is an active member of the EPM/BI community on Twitter (@wvansluys).

Van Sluys and the rest of the interRel team look forward to attending Kscope18 in Orlando, Florida from June 10-14, 2018.

About interRel Consulting

Founded in 1997, interRel Consulting is the longest-standing Hyperion partner dedicated solely to implementing Oracle Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) Cloud and Oracle Business Intelligence (BI) solutions for Fortune 500 and mid-size companies. interRel is the only winner of Oracles Global Cloud Partner of the Year for EPM and the only four-time winner of Oracles North America Partner of the Year for EPM and BI. The company is a nine-time Inc. 5000 honoree committed to education with a platform that includes 10+ books in its best-selling technical reference series, Look Smarter Than You Are with Hyperion, free, twice-weekly webcasts, the free-access video education platform, Play it Forward, on YouTube, and multi-track Oracle EPM/BI Road Shows across North America. Home to six members of the Oracle ACE program, interRel frequently participates in Oracle Technology Network international tours in developing markets. To learn more about interRel Consulting, please visit http://www.interRel.com.

Contact

Rachel Holle, Communications Coordinator

(972) 735-8716

rholle(at)interrel.com
Vicky McPherson, a shareholder in the Washington, D.C. office of international law firm Greenberg Traurig, LLP, will be a panelist at a two-day symposium in Georgetown, Guyana on Public Corruption and the Curse of Oil: Lessons from Developing Countries. The symposium, on July 5 and 6, is a partnership between the Caribbean Institute of Forensic Accounting, the Guyana Oil & Gas Association, and the African Business Roundtable.

The symposium will explore why the oil industry in the overwhelmingly majority of developing countries is associated with widespread corruption, procurement and other forms of fraud, institutionalized tax evasion, and a range of other ingenious means to steal government revenue. McPherson will participate in panel discussions on how to protect sovereign interests and avoid these typical pitfalls. For more information about the conference, click here.

McPherson focuses her practice on commercial transactions. She is an integral member of the firm's Africa Practice. She represents both private sector companies and sovereign interests in oil and gas transactions at various development stages  exploration and development, diversification, privatization, and sales. As part of her sovereign representation practice, she advises state owned enterprises concerning public private partnerships to develop the countrys natural resources.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Nikki Lewis Simon, a Miami shareholder at international law firm Greenberg Traurig, P.A., began a one-year term on June 29 as president of the Gwen S. Cherry Black Women Lawyers Association (GSCBWLA).

The association, which originally formed in 1985 as the National Bar Association Women Lawyers Division Dade County Chapter, states that its mission is to address the concerns of women lawyers, and to address the legal, social, and economic needs of the Black community, and the community-at-large. Simon was installed at the organizations annual ceremony, which took place at the Hyatt Regency in Coral Gables, FL.

I have served as a board member of the GSCBWLA since 2009 and it is an honor for me to be installed as president of this important organization, Simon said. Having practiced and served clients in Florida and beyond for more than 17 years, and serving GSCBWLA's members and supporters, it is clear to me that our mission to advance women Lawyers and our communities is just as critical today as it was at our founding in 1985. I look forward to working with our network of attorneys to help them in both their professional and personal growth.

Simon has been recognized in the South Florida Legal Guide, "Top Up and Comer," Florida Trend's "Legal Elite" and in Diversity Journals "Women Worth Watching." She received a law degree, cum laude, from University of Miami, and a Bachelors of Print Journalism, cum laude, from Florida A&M University.

Simon serves as the firms Director of Client Development and Corporate Social Responsibility. As part of this evolving role, she works to strategically align the firms diversity and inclusion programming and initiatives with client needs thereby serving as an integral component of the business development function on a global scale, among other responsibilities. For more than 15 years, she primarily represented her cross-industry clients business objectives by protecting their capital, whether human, intellectual or financial, against claims of wrongdoing in complex commercial litigation. Simon has represented clients in claims for discrimination, defamation, fraud and misrepresentation, professional negligence and malpractice, breach of fiduciary duty, securities law violations and wrongful death.

About Greenberg Traurig, LLP

Greenberg Traurig, LLP (GTLaw) has more than 2,000 attorneys in 38 offices in the United States, Latin America, Europe, Asia and the Middle East and is celebrating its 50th anniversary. One firm worldwide, GTLaw has been recognized for its philanthropic giving, was named the largest firm in the U.S. by Law360 in 2017, and among the Top 20 on the 2016 Am Law Global 100. Web: http://www.gtlaw.com Twitter: @GT_Law.
Get ready for even more summer fun with ban.do and Starbucks. Coming off of their successful launch in May, the lifestyle brand thats serious about fun and coffee giant will release a second limited edition collection of drinkware and accessories. And just like last time, its exclusive to Starbucks, packed with feel-good vibes, and is only available in select Starbucks locations in Asia Pacific.

The first ban.do x Starbucks summer collection went viral around the globe with thousands of customers buzzing over the co-brand on social media. In some markets the collection sold through 75% in-stores within the first day, and generated serious excitement within the media. To engage and reward American fans, ban.do hosted a giveaway to win the coveted collection which generated over 26,000 entries from domestic fans who were eager to get their hands on it.

The success of our first collaboration with Starbucks was everything wed hoped for, said Lana Hansen, Chief Operating Officer at ban.do. The customer response reaffirmed that the desire to have fun in the summer is a global phenomenonwhich is great because its something were constantly building upon.

The upcoming 8-piece collection will feature two new printsbeach stripe, a retro color block print, and summer icons, a pattern featuring a mix of items that nod to both brands idea of a fun day in the sun (Frappuccinos! roller skates! really cute sunglasses!).

We're thrilled by customers' response to Starbucks first regional collaboration with ban.do across Asia, said Michele Waits, vp Marketing & Category, Starbucks Coffee Asia Pacific Limited. Today, were delighted to offer a fresh new set of exclusive merchandise which invokes a youthful spirit of eclectic fun. Invigorated by summer, this playful collection celebrates positive vibes and individuality.

The collection will launch July 4th exclusively at select Starbucks locations in Australia, Indonesia, Singapore, Thailand, Hong Kong, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, and China. But wait! ban.do is set to host a second giveaway for fans of the brand. And given the success of the partnership, the brands already have plans to work together in the (very near) future. For more information on the release, please contact meghan(at)bando.com

about ban.do

Founded in 2008, ban.do is a lifestyle brand based in sunny Los Angeles that designs clothes, accessories, bags, stationery, gifts, and tech. Their products can be found globally in over 3,000 department stores and boutiques, as well as online at bando.com. Theyre inspired by self-expression, the power of friendship, and all things FUN.
I look forward to partnering with the entrepreneurial and innovative HealthSmart team, said Luu.

HealthSmart, the nations largest independent benefits administrator, is pleased to announce the appointment of Martino Luu (RPh, MBA) as Senior Vice President and General Manager of HealthSmart Rx Solutions. In this newly created position, Luu will be responsible for managing all of HealthSmarts pharmacy benefit solutions. Luu will report to Bill Wallace, Executive Vice President of HealthSmart.

Most recently, Martino was a member of the senior leadership team at DaVita Rx, the specialty pharmacy unit of DaVita, which is the largest provider of kidney care in the United States. He previously held senior leadership positions at Diplomat Specialty Pharmacy (Vice President of Innovation), the nations largest independent specialty pharmacy, and Medco Health Solutions (Business Process Champion), then the largest Prescription Benefits Manager in the country.

We are very excited to have Martino joining our senior leadership team, said Bill Wallace. His exceptional expertise in clinical and pharmacy operations combined with his knowledge of cross-functional leadership make him the ideal person to help us take HealthSmart Rx Solutions to its next level of success.

I look forward to partnering with the entrepreneurial and innovative HealthSmart team, said Luu. HealthSmart Rx Solutions will continue to be an industry leaderdelivering services that improve member outcomes and provide significant savings for self-insured health plans.

Martino graduated from pharmacy school at Rutgers University and completed his MBA in Entrepreneurship at Fairleigh Dickinson Universitys Silberman School of Business.

###

About HealthSmart

For more than 40 years, HealthSmart has offered a wide array of customizable and scalable health plan solutions for self funded employers. HealthSmarts comprehensive service suite addresses individual health from all angles. This includes claims and benefits administration, provider networks, pharmacy benefit management services, business intelligence, onsite employer clinics, care management, a variety of health and wellness initiatives and webbased reporting. The Companys headquarters is in Dallas, Texas, with regional hubs throughout the country. HealthSmarts mission is to improve member health and reduce healthcare costs.
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The move is "to ensure that Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) can continue offering banking services to clients with no disruption once the UK leaves the EU," the company said in a statement.

The move relates to the company's core banking and investment banking arms, and it will establish a wholly-owned subsidiary for both in Frankfurt.

The Nikkei business daily reported on Saturday that some SMFG employees will be moved from London to Frankfurt, although it did not specify how many. SMFG currently employs around 1,000 people in London.

The UK is widely expected to lose financial passporting rights after its EU exit, which would represent a huge blow to its financial services industry. The EU's passporting rules allow businesses to sell services across the union from anywhere within it and only require companies to be regulated in one country, rather than everywhere they operate.

Frankfurt has been vying with Dublin, Paris, and Luxembourg to position itself as an attractive destination for banks who wish to maintain a satellite within the passporting zone.
"The first thing I want from young people is to stop calling me old," Obama said in 2015. "When I came into office, I had no gray hair, and now I have a lot. I don't dye my hair, and a lot of my fellow leaders do. I won't say who, but their barbers know, their hairdressers."

Indeed, despite his close-cut hairstyle, it was impossible not to notice the trademark presidential graying, as the president's short black hair had become more of a salt-and-pepper color.

And though some dermatologists maintain that Obama was the latest victim of an expedited aging process in which presidents appear to age faster because of the stress of the office, others say that it's more attributable to natural aging than stress.

Other studies, including a comprehensive analysis of elections dating back to the 1700s, have found that heading a nation can take years off a leader's life. The analysis, from the Harvard Medical School, found that elected heads of government, on average, had lives almost three years shorter than those of the candidates they defeated.

Heres how the countrys past presidents have looked near the beginnings and ends of their respective terms.

Obama taking the oath of office on Inauguration Day, January 20, 2009.

The president wrapping up a National Security Council meeting in December 2015.

George W. Bush making a phone call shortly after the 2000 election.

Bush fielding questions during his final White House press briefing on January 12, 2009.

Hillary Clinton whispering to Bill Clinton at a dinner several days before his first inauguration in 1993.

Clinton giving a brief speech toward the end of his term in October 2000.

Appearing without his trademark glasses, then-Vice President George H. W. Bush answering a question at the second presidential debate in October 1988.

Bush addressing a crowd of veterans during a ceremony at the Korean War Memorial in June 1992, several months before losing the presidential election.

President Ronald Reagan and first lady Nancy Reagan greeting fans in Washington at his first inauguration, in January 1981.

Reagan returning to Washington after his final trip as president to Camp David, in January 1989.

Jimmy Carter emerging from a Georgia voting booth on Election Day in November 1976.

An Associated Press photographer captured Carter preparing for his farewell address to the nation in January 1981.

President Richard Nixon giving a press conference in the East Room of the White House several weeks after being sworn in in 1969.

In this photo, a glassy-eyed Nixon delivers a final speech for White House staff and members of his Cabinet.

President Lyndon Johnson proclaiming a day of mourning for deceased President John F. Kennedy shortly after being sworn in.
As Guzman stews in his cell, largely isolated from the outside world, the cartel he guided to the top of Mexico's narco hierarchy has seen its power and reach erode, according to Mexican government data.

No Mexican criminal organization has spread as far as the Sinaloa cartel or been as successful at resisting government efforts to bring it down.

At its most powerful, it was thought to have had influence in 24 of Mexico's 32 states and reportedly had operations in up to 50 countries.

At the time of Guzman's capture in January 2016  the third time he was arrested, after his second jailbreak  the cartel was present in 11 states, according to Animal Politico, citing data from the Mexican attorney general's office.

In the year and a half since, that presence has shrunk to seven states. The cartel has lost territory in Colima, Nayarit, and Jalisco states on the Pacific coast as well as in the state of Yucatan on Mexico's Caribbean coast.

The Sinaloa cartel functions more like a federation of allied groups rather than a traditionally hierarchical cartel. Those groups tended specialize in specific areas of the drug trade, with Guzman and some of his close associates in leadership positions, often refereeing disputes. But since 2015, the Sinaloa cartel has also seen the number of criminal groups partnered with it fall from 10 to seven, according to Animal Politico.

The territory the Sinaloa cartel has lost on the Pacific coast has largely been taken over by the Jalisco New Generation cartel. The CJNG is a relative newcomer among Mexican cartels. It emerged from a split within a faction of the Sinaloa cartel led by the uncle of Guzman's current wife after he was killed in 2010.

The CJNG has used a mix of brutality, financial cunning, and corruption to speed its rise, turning against the Sinaloa cartel after Guzman's capture in February 2014.

After its initial expansion east into the state Veracruz (a faction of the cartel called Los Mata Zetas, or the Zetas killers, is thought to have executed 35 members of the Zetas cartel there in 2011), the CJNG has moved north, sparking violence and increased homicide levels in states like Guerrero, Colima, Baja California.

The fight for influence between the CJNG and elements of the Sinaloa cartel has been exacerbated by the battle for succession within Sinaloa.

Since Guzman's 2016 arrest, several factions have been vying to assume command, including one led by Guzman's former right-hand man, Damaso Lopez Nunez, and another helmed by Guzman's sons, nicknamed Los Chapitos. (Lopez was captured in Mexico City in May.)

Guzman's mother came under attack last summer in a Beltran Leyva-led assault on Guzman's hometown in Sinaloa state. His sons have also come under fire. Two of them were kidnapped in Jalisco state in August, reportedly at the behest of the CJNG and Lopez, and they say Lopez led a near fatal ambush on them in Sinaloa in February.

Some of the most intense violence related to this feud has taken place in Sinaloa state, where the CJNG and remnants of the Beltran Leyva Organization, a one-time Sinaloa partner that went to war with Guzman in the 2000s, have joined with factions of the Sinaloa cartel to fight for control of the organization Guzman left behind.

The hours between June 30 and July 1 appear to have been some of the most deadly in the state in years.

At least 30 people were killed in different locations in the state over that period, though some reports put the total around 35.

The violence started on Friday night, when gunmen arrived a community near Mazatlan, in southwest Sinaloa, where they attempted to kidnap a local man, killing two or three people in the process.

Local police were alerted to the incident, and military and federal forces arrived soon in support. The resulting clash on a nearby high left 17 gunmen dead and five police wounded.

Authorities called the confrontation one of the fiercest the state has seen in recent months, and Sinaloa's state-security secretary attributed the initial incident to a dispute between local traffickers.

Relatives of the 17 killed have alleged the deaths were in fact police executions.

On Saturday, a man and a woman  and by some accounts a child  were reportedly gunned down with assault rifles in a car near Culiacan, the state capital.

That was followed by gunmen entering a private clinic in the city and killing a patient. Other bodies  some with signs of torture  were found throughout the day in Culiacan and the nearby city of Navolato.

According to the state prosecutor, Sinaloa had 182 homicides in June, the second most in a month this year after May's 184, pushing the state's total to 907 homicides this year. If that total is confirmed when official homicide data for June is released at the end of July, it would be a roughly 73% increase over the 524 homicides during the same period last year.

Local authorities have been overwhelmed and are not equipped to deal with the rising violence.
To correct that, Staff Sgt. Joe Bastian  a former active-duty sniper who is now a sniper observer/controller/trainer with the First Army's 1st Battalion, 335th Infantry Regiment  designed a special 10-day training course for snipers during the 33rd Infantry Brigade's Exportable Combat Training Capability, or XCTC, at Fort McCoy in Wisconsin.

XCTC is the Army National Guards program to provide an experience similar to an Army combat-training center at a home station or a regional training center, like Fort McCoy. Soldiers from the 502 Infantry Regiment stood in as opposition forces.

"I had to call in a couple of favors because of the scope of this course," Bastian said. "My two co-trainers bring a breadth of knowledge and experience that is unparalleled and gives these soldiers an opportunity that they won't get otherwise."

Source:

"The Army has a multitude of systems and professionals to continually train everyone, except snipers," Peterson, one of the co-trainers, said. "When these guys go back to their units, there's not a lot of personnel that can train them properly. This course will help them continue their education and properly train themselves."

Source:

Spc. Johnny Newsome, a sniper with Headquarters, Headquarters Company, 1st Battalion, 178th Infantry Regiment based in Chicago, during a stress-shoot exercise.

"It's a force multiplier getting multiple sniper teams together to train and gain the knowledge they need for success," Brady, the other co-trainer, said. "Over this 10-day period they'll realize how much work it will take them to learn how to conduct their own training, and we'll give them the knowledge they need to do so."

Source:

The XCTC Exercise is coordinated by the Illinois National Guards 33rd Infantry Brigade Combat Team and Joint Forces Headquarters-Illinois. Here, soldiers from the Illinois National Guard prepare vehicles for gunnery training.
The Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) announced its verdict on the controversial data sharing-agreement between DeepMind and the Royal Free London NHS Trust on Monday after a year long investigation.

The agreement  quietly signed in September 2015 and revealed in full by New Scientist in April 2016  gave the Google-owned artificial intelligence (AI) lab access to 1.6 million NHS patient records across three North London hospitals without patient's prior knowledge.

The deal (replaced with a new one last November) was signed to help DeepMind test and develop a kidney monitoring app called Streams, which sends an alert to a clinician's smartphone if a patient's condition deteriorates. It also allows clinicians to view a patient's medical records and see where patients are being looked after. It doesn't use any of the AI that DeepMind is known for. Through the agreement, DeepMind was able to see whether people are HIV-positive as well as details of drug overdoses and abortions. DeepMind insists that it has never shared patient data with parent company Google.

DeepMind and the Royal Free tried to justify the data-sharing deal by saying that "implied consent" was assumed because the Streams app was delivering "direct care" to patients.

But the ICO, which launched its investigation last May after receiving at least one complaint from the public, said it found several shortcomings in how the data was handled, including that patients were not adequately informed that their data would be used.

While the ICO found the deal to be illegal, it has no plans to punish the Royal Free or DeepMind. The regulator has the power to give out fines of up to 500,000 and last October it fined UK telecoms firm TalkTalk 400,000 for security failings that allowed a cyber attacker to access customer data "with ease".

Elizabeth Denham, Information Commissioner, said in a statement: "There's no doubt the huge potential that creative use of data could have on patient care and clinical improvements, but the price of innovation does not need to be the erosion of fundamental privacy rights.

"Our investigation found a number of shortcomings in the way patient records were shared for this trial. Patients would not have reasonably expected their information to have been used in this way, and the Trust could and should have been far more transparent with patients as to what was happening.

"We've asked the Trust to commit to making changes that will address those shortcomings, and their co-operation is welcome. The Data Protection Act is not a barrier to innovation, but it does need to be considered wherever peoples data is being used."

ICO says there are lessons to be learned

The ICO  who published a blog titled "Four lessons NHS Trusts can learn from the Royal Free case" to coincide with her ruling  has ordered the Royal Free to establish a proper legal basis for the deal and to set out how it will comply with its duty of confidence to patients in any future trial involving personal data. The trust must also commission an audit of the trial and share the results with the ICO.

Following the ruling, the Royal Free said in a statement on its website: "We accept the ICO's findings and have already made good progress to address the areas where they have concerns."

DeepMind said in a blog post on its website: "We welcome the ICO's thoughtful resolution of this case, which we hope will guarantee the ongoing safe and legal handling of patient data for Streams.

"Although today's findings are about the Royal Free, we need to reflect on our own actions too. In our determination to achieve quick impact when this work started in 2015, we underestimated the complexity of the NHS and of the rules around patient data."

We underestimated the complexity of the NHS and of the rules around patient data.

DeepMind also acknowledged that it underestimated the potential fears about a well-known tech company (Google) working in health.

"We were almost exclusively focused on building tools that nurses and doctors wanted, and thought of our work as technology for clinicians rather than something that needed to be accountable to and shaped by patients, the public and the NHS as a whole," the company added. "We got that wrong, and we need to do better."

The ICO was advised by the National Data Guardian (NDG) Dame Fiona Caldicott, the UK health data regulator, during its investigation.

A leaked letter from Caldicott to the Royal Free in May revealed that the she considered the deal to be "inappropriate".

"It is my view," Caldicott wrote in the letter dated 20 February, "that the purpose for the transfer of 1.6 million identifiable patient records to Google DeepMind was for the testing of the Streams application, and not for the provision of direct care to patients."

"Given that Streams was going through testing and therefore could not be relied up for patient care, any role the application might have played in supporting the provision of direct care would have been limited and secondary to the purpose of the data transfer."

The deal has attracted criticism from academics, lawyers, and privacy campaigners.

For example, the "Google DeepMind and healthcare in an age of algorithms" paper  coauthored by Cornell University's Julia Powles and The Economist's Hal Hodson  questioned why DeepMind was given permission to process over a million NHS patient records so easily and without patient approval. It concluded that the deal was riddled with "inexcusable" mistakes.

Review panel set up to scrutinise DeepMinds work with NHS

DeepMind set up its own independent review panel last year to scrutinise the work it is doing with the NHS.

The panel is reviewing DeepMind's data sharing agreements, its privacy and security measures, and its product roadmaps. It is due to brief journalists about the findings of the report at the Science Media Centre in London on Tuesday, before releasing it on Wednesday.

"Working in healthcare requires regular and independent oversight," DeepMind writes on its website. "We have asked a number of respected public figures to act in the public interest as unpaid Independent Reviewers of DeepMind Health."

DeepMind cofounder Mustafa Suleyman defended the data-sharing agreement last year, saying: "As Googlers, we have the very best privacy and secure infrastructure for managing the most sensitive data in the world."

Two other NHS trusts have signed deals with DeepMind to use its Streams app. Imperial College NHS Foundation Trust announced a deal with DeepMind in December 2016 and Taunton and Somerset NHS Foundation Trust announced another in June 2017.
At a suspense-filled final encounter for the three-month-long promotion held at West Hills Mall at the weekend, an unassuming Lorenda Lerber, stepped forward and picked a ticket which ended up giving her seven-member family its very first car  the latest edition of the Chevrolet Cruze saloon car valued at Ghc120, 000.00.

That lucky pick eluded some 64 other finalists who had qualified from among more than 40,000 entries made in the promo since it was launched on April 1, 2017.

This is a unique consumer promotion designed to ensure that every single one of the participating shoppers took home something or won some kind of a prize; during these past three months, every customer who made the requisite minimum shopping at our mall was a winner, Marketing Manager, Michael Oduro Konadu told Journalists.

Indeed, over the ensuing three-month period, all West Hills Mall customers who shopped to the tune of a minimum of Ghc200 received scratch cards which doled out a wide range of high-value gift items as instant prizes on a daily basis. The items included LED TV sets, Kitchen microwaves, electric irons, blenders, smart phones, food flasks, and shopping vouchers.

READ ALSO: Man commits suicide over misunderstanding with girlfriend

However, aside from the gift items won instantly, if shoppers were lucky to find the inscription Cruise Finalist on their scratch cards, they automatically qualified to participate in the final phase of the promotion  a suspenseful game of chance to determine which shopper drove home the ultimate prize  the brand new Chevrolet Cruz car that had been on display at the mall for three months.

Although the winner, Miss Leber, was rather nonchalant during that fateful pick at the final event, her entire family looked on as though they were the source of her good fortune - her three siblings and her parents Julius Vedzesu Leber, a security consultant and mother Josiana Leber, a musician.

When journalists asked her, in the heat of jubilation, whether she did a Ghc 200 shopping by herself, she sniggered, pointed at her parents and said, We all come here to shop all the time  me and my family. We are seven and we live in Tetegu; we buy everything, everything we need  from water to clothing - at this mall. We shop together all the time and I picked this ticket for all of us, so this car now belongs us!

Mother, Josiana who is said to have declined doing the pick said later that she was a shy person by nature and usually not so lucky with games of chance so she nominated Lorena to pick for the family.

All 65 finalists received consolation prizes of shopping vouchers worth Ghc300 and after handing over the keys to the young winner, Mr Kofi Sekyere, Chairman of the Board of West Hills Mall said he was very happy that it was a family that won the ultimate prize.

Mr. Sekyere told journalists in an interview later that the level of participation and enthusiasm demonstrated by patrons and customers in the Cruze promo and the fact that it was a real family which eventually won the ultimate prize, is an endorsement of the growing preference for West Hills Mall as the best destination for family shopping and recreation.

Our motivation for such promos? Well, the primary purpose is to increase foot traffic to the mall and stimulate consumer to spend, but it is also the sworn objective of the West Hills Mall Board and Management to add value and enrich the total shopping experience of our customers. We do this by regularly infusing exciting and rewarding consumer packages and promotions into our marketing strategies. said Mr Sekyere.

West Hills Mall, reputedly Ghanas most popular address for family shopping and recreation, is just over two years old but has already rolled out three promotions that gave away brand new cars to lucky loyal customers.

Previously, in May 2015 a young shopper from Pink FM won a KIA Rio Saloon Car after spending Ghc230 in the Shop N Win promotion and in November last year the mall handed keys to a brand new Chevrolet Sparkle Light saloon car to a shopper from Osu who had spent just Ghc150 in the Festive Sparkle promotion.
The meeting of the heads of state will take place from July 3 to July 4, 2017, under the theme: "Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through Investment in the Youth".

Issues to be discussed and agreed on include institutional reforms of the AU, roadmap of practical steps to silence guns in Africa by 2020, the Continental Free Trade Area (CFTA), and the implementation of Agenda 2063  the strategic framework for the socio-economic transformation of the continent over the next 50 years".

Nana Akufo-Addo was accompanied by the First Lady, Mrs Rebecca Akufo-Addo, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shirley Ayorkor Botchway, and officials of the Presidency and Foreign Ministry.
The beleaguered MD of BOST, Alfred Obeng, has been accused by the Minority in parliament of disposing off the fuel under strange circumstances.

They estimated that Ghana may have lost about $7 million through the sale of the fuel to Movempiina without competitive bidding.

The Majority, last Friday, called for the investigations to be expanded to cover the tenure of the former BOST MD, Awuah Darko.

At a press conference, they accused Mr Darko, who was the National Democratic Congress Parliamentary Candidate for the Ayawaso West Wuogon, of setting aside a slash fund to the presidency.

They also launched an attack on former president John Mahama and his Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, of taking questionable money from BOST.

Under the 8-member committee formed by the minister of energy, the committee is expected to among other things determine the circumstances that created the off-spec product.

The committee will also ascertain if the product can be corrected, if not determine the alternative use for the product and further review the transaction.

Meanwhile, staff of the Bulk Oil Storage and Transportation (BOST) have claimed that the controversy surrounding the contaminated fuel deal is being fueled by insiders to cover-up financial malfeasance under the previous management.
The former president was accompanied by the Minority leader Haruna Iddrisul, Minority Chief Whip, Alhaji Mohammed Muntaka Mubarak and the former chief of Staff Julius Debrah to the residence of the Chief Imam Sheikh Dr. Osmanu Nuhu Sharubutu.

Mahama, who was out of the country during the Ramadan could not host Muslims to the annual IFTAR (breaking of fast) and today, July 3, decided to "spend time with them and wish them happy Sallah".

The former President has for the past years hosted the Muslim community to IFTAR to fraternize with them and offer payers for the country. However, this year the program had to be postponed due to his absence in the country.

The organizer of the program, Alhaji Bature Iddrisu, explained that the program, though not the annual IFTAR, will be an improvement over previous years.
READ MORE: Court discharges 26 suspects

I must, perforce, commend you highly on your professionalism and discipline that shone through during the recent traumatic event of the murder of Major Mahama, and the national revulsion and outcry that it ignited. It was a trying time for the whole country, and the matured handling of the situation has certainly enhanced your reputation, he said.

He added: You have won the respect of your fellow citizens, and positioned yourselves as an institution whose standards are worthy of emulation by the larger society. You continue to earn the gratitude of a nation for whose defence you are prepared to lay down your lives.

READ MORE: Family of lynched soldier visits Denkyira Obuasi

Major Mahama was lynched by a mob in Denkyira Obuasi after he was mistaken for a thief by the residents.

He died as a Captain in the army but was posthumously promoted to the rank of a Major by president Akufo-Addo.

He died leaving behind two kids and a pregnant wife.

Last week, the family of the slain soldier visited Denkyira Obuasi in the Central region, after the gruesome murder of the soldier.

The mother of the deceased, father, brother and some family members from Tumu as well as family members of the widow were in the town to see where the Army officer was killed a month ago.
The award is in recognition of his efforts in fighting for gender equality at the continental level.

The Chairman of the African Union and President of Guinea, Alpha Conde disclosed this on the floor of the Nelson Mandela Plenary hall during the opening ceremony of the 29th Ordinary Session of African Heads of State summit which is underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

It will be recalled that in July last year, Ghana won the 2016 African Gender Award at the Summit of the African Union in Kigali, Rwanda.
According to him, he is yet to receive full payment for the show.

READ MORE:Ghana At 60

In a new Facebook post Sunday, July 2, 2017, Moomen warned that he will not countenance Mr Amankwahs utterances about him.

He said: "Thank you all for helping to highlight our crisis situation. Unfortunately, all that cry for help fell on deaf ears. I didnt and still havent received any official communications from the committee.

What I have, however, heard is the Chairman of the Committee spewing spurious and ill- informed utterances to people that seeks to impugn my integrity.

And that I will absolutely not countenance! I have already suffered enough indignities at his hands. About two months ago when I went to see him about our plight, he was so patronizing and condescending I left very angry, disappointed and truly quite sad.
Then Chairman of the Committee, James Avedze has denied any wrongdoing but the matter interest as more and more civil society groups call for a probe.

Executive Director of ACEPA, Dr Rasheed Draman, says any probe into the matter should not be limited to the NLA bribery scandal.

He told Accra-based Citi FM: I think that the probe is in order but we must also widen the scope of that probe to look at why is that over the years Parliament has abdicated this responsibility of ensuring that it has enough resources to enable its committees to do their work effectively because that is the root cause.

What we are seeing with regards to the Finance Committee is just a manifestation of symptom of that structural problem so we should investigate that as well because that is what will put a stop or find a solution to the problem.

Last week, three anti-corruption civil groups; the Ghana Integrity Initiative (GII), Centre for Democratic Development-Ghana and the Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition have demanded an independent probe into the matter.

In a joint statement, the three anti-graft bodies said that the claims, if not investigated, will gradually ruin the reputation of parliament.

"This revelation, coming on the back of the unsatisfactory handling of Honourable Mahama Ayariga, Member of Parliament (MP) for Bawku Centrals bribery allegation presents a further challenge to the already dented image of Parliament and growing eroding trust in politics and the political class in the Fourth Republic, they noted in a statement.

They further argued that there should be the setting up an independent body outside of Parliament possibly chaired by someone of the reputation of Mr. Emile Short, former Chairman of the Commission on Human Rights and Administrative Justice (CHRAJ) or someone of similar standing, to look at the alleged bribery case, to investigate this issue, review the payment practices in Parliament and make clear recommendations for regulating these processes.

But the Director of Public Affairs at Parliament, Kate Addo, has indicated members of the Finance Committee who received money from the NLA to deliberate on a Lottery Law cannot be sanctioned.
Cabinet will then submit the report to the Minister of Justice and Attorney General for her to work on it, he said.

He made the comments when he addressed the media in Koforidua in the Eastern Region.

In the next 10 [days] to 2 weeks, I should complete [the report] and submit it before Cabinet. Then cabinet will submit it to the Minister for Justice and Attorney-General to convert everything into a legal language, Mr Saddique said.

He further said he expects the bill to get parliamentary approval when it is laid before the parliament.

He assured that Ghanaians will begin to see the benefit of the Zongo Development Fund once parliament approves it.
In fiery statements, Maryland and Delaware both blasted President Donald Trump's commission on election integrity and said they would not comply with its request to turn over voters' personal information, including their names, birthdays, party affiliations and the last four digits of their social security numbers.

The two states join a growing list of more than two dozen states that have pushed back against the White House commission, headed by Vice President Mike Pence and Kansas Secretary of State Kobach and tasked with investigating instances of purported voter fraud.

Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh said he found the commission's request "repugnant," and said it appeared to be "designed only to intimidate voters and to indulge President Trump's fantasy that he won the popular vote."

"Repeating incessantly a false story of expansive voter fraud, and then creating a commission to fuel that narrative, does not make it any more true," Frosh said in a statement. "There is no evidence that the integrity of the 2016 election in Maryland  or any other state  was compromised by voter fraud."

Delaware hit back equally hard, suggesting the White House would use the information it gathers in efforts to suppress the vote.

"Releasing this information to the White House would not serve the mission of safeguarding the fairness and integrity of elections in Delaware and would not be in the best interest of Delaware voters," state election commissioner Elaine Manlove said in a statement.

Delaware secretary of state Jeffrey Bullock said the state "would not be part of any effort to turn back the clock on the progress we have made."

"Delaware will not be a party to this disingenuous and inappropriate campaign against one of the nation's foundational institutions," he said.

The Presidential Commission on Voter Integrity requested the data from all 50 states last week and gave a two-week deadline for compliance.

The request concerned some experts, who feared the information would be used to justify Trump's unsubstantiated claims of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election. In the days following Trump's victory, he claimed millions of people had voted illegally, and attributed Hillary Clinton's popular-vote win to the supposed fraud.

Adding to states' alarm was the selection of Kobach, one of the nation's strongest proponents of tighter voting regulations, to lead the commission.

"At best this commission was set up as a pretext to validate Donald Trumps alternative election facts, and at worst is a tool to commit large-scale voter suppression," Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a statement last week announcing he would not comply with the commission's request.
The legislation initially stalled last month when House Republicans said its language did not comply with a constitutional requirement that bills generating revenue originate in the House.

The Senate tweaked the language last week and sent it back to the House. But Republican Rep. Pete Sessions, who represents Texas' 32nd Congressional District, told CNN last weekend that the bill should not be moved to the floor for a vote because some of its provisions could cause "huge problems to companies in Dallas, Texas, that I represent."

"The bill bypasses jurisdictional elements and puts an ability for any member of Congress to become engaged in data and information that today is considered proprietary and private that is material to people who do overseas business," Sessions said.

Reached for additional comment, a representative for Sessions said the congressman "feels that in current form the bill would inflict unintended consequences and put American energy companies at a disadvantage."

When asked to list which companies Sessions feared would be hit hardest, his representative said, "The energy industry as a whole in Texas," adding that Sessions was "specifically concerned" with sections 216 and 223 of the sanctions bill.

Section 216 of the legislation would require the president to inform Congress before taking any action that could alter US sanctions on Russia. That provision has been a point of contention for the White House, which has been pushing House Republicans to weaken the bill so President Donald Trump isn't inclined to veto it if it reaches his desk.

White House officials are wary of how it would look if Trump  whose campaign team is the subject of an investigation into possible collusion with Russia  vetoed a bill punishing Moscow for meddling in the election. But they also argue that the bill would "inadvertently impair the Treasury's ability to wield its sanctions tools" and "weaken the administration's ability to credibly signal that it would calibrate our sanctions in response to Russian behavior," a White House official told Business Insider.

Sessions sponsored and passed a rule in September 2015 that provided for the passage of a bill that would have suspended President Barack Obama's authority "to waive, suspend, reduce, provide relief from, or otherwise limit the application of sanctions pursuant to an agreement related to the nuclear program of Iran." Every House Republican voted for both the rule and the bill.

Section 223 relates more directly to Sessions' stated concerns about the sanctions bill making American energy companies uncompetitive.

It calls on the Office of Foreign Assets Control to prohibit "the provision, exportation, or reexportation, directly or indirectly, by United States persons or persons within the United States, of goods, services (except for financial services), or technology in support of exploration or production for deepwater, Arctic offshore, or shale projects  (1) that have the potential to produce oil; (2) in which a Russian energy firm is involved; and (3) that involve any person determined to be subject to the directive or the property or interests in property of such a person."

Sessions' concerns about US energy companies feeling squeezed by the sanctions are not unfounded. When Obama levied sanctions on Russia over its annexation of Crimea in 2014, American exporters complained they were losing revenue by not being able to sell to Russian companies.

Radi Al-Rashed, the CEO of International Chem-Crete Co. of Dallas, which lies in Session' district, told USA Today at the time that his company had "worked hard for two years to increase our exports and now we have this crisis and ... we don't know what's going to happen." He said a decline in Russian sales risked cutting his company's revenue by about 20%.

More recently, the US tech industry lobbied the government earlier this year to soften its restrictions on doing business with Russia's Federal Security Service because the agency "doubles as a regulator charged with approving the import to Russia of almost all technology that contains encryption," Reuters reported. Alexis Rodzianko, the president of the American Chamber of Commerce in Russia, told Reuters that the sanctions would have meant the Russian market was "dead for US electronics."

But Russia has never been a lucrative source for US exports. The European Union relies far more on Russia than does the United States, whose goods exports to Russia totaled $11 billion in 2013, or less than 0.1% of US gross domestic product.

Sessions floated the possibility in his interview with CNN that Senate Republicans made a mistake when it came to the drafting the language leveling new sanctions on Russia's energy industry. But a Senate Republican aide said the Senate didn't expect to make further changes to the bill.

"The bill passed the Senate 98-2," the aide said. "Minor technical changes were made last week, and the legislation has been transmitted to the House. We do not expect further changes to be made by the Senate at this time and are hopeful the bill will be considered in a timely manner when the House returns from the Fourth of July break."
According to a Sky News report, the $93 billion (72 billion) Softbank Vision Fund is reportedly in talks to invest in the food delivery startup.

One source told Sky that a successful deal could make Deliveroo London's latest tech "unicorn", the nickname given to startups with a valuation of more than 1 billion.

According to Sky, Softbank is interested in taking a stake but it might be weeks before the deal is finalised. Sources told the broadcaster that Deliveroo would probably raise a similar amount to its last round in August, when it raised $275 million (210 million) from private equity firm Bridgepoint, DST Global, General Catalyst, and Greenoaks Capital.

Deliveroo was founded in 2013, and competes with services like UberEats and Just Eat to deliver food to people's homes from local restaurants. Its main differentiator is that it delivers food from restaurants which don't normally offer a takeaway service, using couriers who deliver by bicycle or motorbike.

The company has become a poster child for the gig economy. Deliveroo says its couriers are self-employed, meaning they don't get benefits on offer to full- or part-time employees. Some of its couriers are considering legal action over their employment status, and the company had to update its employment contracts after MPs criticised a clause that prevented riders from taking the startup to tribunal.
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The sad incident was reported on Sunday, July 2, 2017. It was reported that the actress' beautiful daughter passed away due to complications from sickle cell.

Pulse Celebs reached out to the actress' representative, Emiralty, who said the actress is doing well.

According to him, "she's doing fine. Remi Surutu is doing fine. thank you so much." When asked about the burial arrangements he said, "we are yet to conclude arrangements on that hopefully later today we should know the bearing."

Remi Oshodi Surutu, lost her daughter, Ayo, after a sickle cell crisis at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital (LASUTH).

The sad passing away of the young lady was announced on social media by Nollywood actor, Yomi Fabiyi who expressed his shock.

He wrote, "Rest in Peace AYO. May God grant your mum @therealremisurutu the strength to bear this loss. She did all she can, omg! Aunty Remi, please take heart.

"Seeing your lifeless body now caused me more pain and it is because I value the friendship we shared. Journey well. In serious pain now."

The sad incident came barely 24 hours after Surutu's Instagram post where she shared prayers concerning God's protection on her children as well as others.
A friend of the late comedian, Ajibolade Oluwafemi who posted the sad news on his Facebook page, said Paul was one of the three young men who were set ablaze in the early hours of Saturday, July 1, 2017, after they were mistaken for Badoo members.

Oluwafemi narrated that the deceased and his friends were accosted in an SUV shortly after he came back from a talk show hosted by Ikponmwosa Osakioduwa also known as IK.

Oluwafemi added that MC Think Twice's car had broken down and he had to get his mechanic to go and tow the vehicle but unfortunately, they were accosted by some vigilante members and their explanations fell on deaf ears.

They were beaten and burnt to death on the suspicion that they were members of the Badoo cult group that has been terrorizing residents of Ikorodu for a long time now.

See Oluwafemi's posts on his Facebook wall here.

Shortly after the featuring on the IK Talk Show, the late Think Twice had tweeted about his appearance with a photo he took with IK, not knowing it would be his last tweet.
He said that the military would soon record resounding victory over the insurgents.

Usman, a Major in the army, made the predication while delivering a sermon at an inter-denominational service to mark the 2017 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADEL) in Maiduguri.

This is the year of victory as the end of the enemy has come. Our time of victory has come, he said.

Usman urged officers and men of the Nigerian Army to surrender their lives to God for the victory to manifest.

The officers and men of the Nigerian Army must return to God for the victory to take place.

They must return to God just like Joshua did in the Bible, he added.

Quoting from the Bible, Usman that Joshua conquered Jericho without firing a single shot; but by the power of God.

The walls of Jericho collapsed and gave victory to Joshua by the power of God.

The walls of Boko Haram will soon collapse if the Nigerian Army surrenders itself to the will of God, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that during the service prayers were offered for the peace and progress of the nation.

Prayers were also offered for fallen soldiers who died in the service of the nation.

In his goodwill message, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, the General Officer Commanding (GOC) 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, also expressed optimism that the military would soon uproot the remnants of the insurgents in the North- East for peace to reign.

Yusuf was represented by Brig.-Gen. John Ochai the Chief of Staff 7 Division.

On Friday, a special Jumat service was held to mark the Nigerian Army Day Celebration.

ALSO READ: Sect members arrested trying to enter Nigeria from Cameroon

During the service, Major Muhammad Idris, the Chief Imam of Maimalari Cantonment Central Mosque, offered prayer for the quick recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.

He also offered prayers for the well-being and victory for the Nigerian Army especially those fighting insurgency in the northern region of the country.

Personalities that attended the prayers include the GOC 7 Division of the Nigerian Army, Brig.-Gen. Ibrahim Yusuf, commanders, principal staff officers, senior officers of the Theatre Command Operation Lafiya Dole, 7 Division Nigerian Army as well as civilians.

NADCEL is annual celebration of the Nigerian Army to commemorate the beginning of the civil war.
The group gave the President an eight-week ultimatum to step down or face forceful removal by seven million Nigerian youths in 22 states.

Buhari returned to the United Kingdom for medical follow-up on May 7, 2017. He had spent 49 days in London on his first trip.

The youth group's chairman, Seriki Olorunwa, said the prevailing health condition of the president had made it impossible for him to govern the country.

"We urge the Senate, House of Representatives, state house of assemblies and parastatals to persuade Mr. President to resign and hand over to an interim president in the interest of Nigerians," Olorunwa said.

He noted that Nigerian youths are ready to fight than to live as slaves, but assured that they would not shed blood.

ALSO READ: Aisha Buhari travels to London to visit President
The Executive Director of SEYP, Mrs Jennifer Ero, made the call during a sensitisation workshop on human trafficking held at Auchi, headquarters of the Etsako-West Local Government Area of Edo.

Ero said that the rural area had been identified as a source and destination for the recruitment of young females for sexual exploitation, and young people for labour exploitation.

She said that the programme was to enlighten the community on the negative effects of journeys taken by Edo people in search for greener pasture overseas.

The workshop is aimed at enlightening the public on the scourge of human trafficking, the dangers it poses to the nations existence and to share ideas on how best to end the problem."

We must create an enabling environment for our girls and our young ones not to look back again and engage in trafficking, she said.

Ero emphasised the need for Nigerians to speak up against the problem and to expose the syndicates responsible for the menace.

She expressed dismay over the situation faced by victims enslaved by human traffickers after such journeys.

SEYP is aimed at creating awareness and sensitisation to save the young ones from the grip and stronghold of organised criminal devices used by human traffickers."

Our mandate is to free victims trapped in ignorance, underdevelopment and abuse and help to reduce the stigmatisation of such victims, she said.

Ero, however, called for the collaboration of stakeholders to fight the menace.
The holiday was declared in a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Mallam Mohammed Garba.

The statement read, "The death has occurred today (Monday) of Alhaji (Dr.) Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.

"Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule died at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, where he was receiving treatment for an illness.

"Funeral prayer for the deceased will be conducted tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Emirs Palace, Kofar Kudu, by 4:00pm.

"Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has declared tomorrow Tuesday a work  free day in the state to mourn the death of the elder statesman."

ALSO READ: Former Minister dies in Egypt

Maitama Sule, a former Minister for National Guidance of the Federal Republic of Nigeria died in a hospital Cairo, Egypt.

According to the Punch, his son, Alhaji Mukhtar Maitama Sule, confirmed that he died 24 hours after his arrival at the hospital.
Abubakar, who stated this in a statement on Monday in Abuja, described public service records as one of the deceaseds greatest and most indelible virtues.

Atiku noted that the deceased was one of Nigerias greatest and most remarkable politicians whose vast experience, knowledge and wisdom were invaluable and immeasurable.

He described the late Sule as an epitome of selfless service to the people, saying that politicians of his generation were dedicated to service with integrity and quality.

The former Vice President, however, said that the virtues portrayed by the deceased had been;  significantly eroded since the end of the first republic.

He also noted that Sule was a walking encyclopedia of knowledge who had dedicated his entire life to the promotion of peace, unity, peaceful coexistence, tolerance and good governance.

He stressed that the deceaseds only wealth was his integrity because the accumulation of wealth was never his preoccupation throughout his public service records.

Atiku extended his condolences to the Government, the family and the people of Kano State on the death of "this illustrious and remarkable politician."

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Sule died (88) at the early hours of Monday while on admission at a private hospital in Cairo, Egypt.

He was said to have been flown to the Egyptian hospital on Saturday after doctors at Kanos Nasarawa Hospital diagnosed him of pneumonia and chest infection.

His corpse is expected to be flown back to the country on Tuesday for burial at the Emir of Kano Palace.

Sule became minister of Mines and Power in 1954 at 29 and signed deals and contracts with Shell for oil prospecting and exploration in Nigeria.

The deceased contested the presidential ticket of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1979 and was widely acclaimed for his oratory prowess which endeared him to many Nigerians and politicians across board.

Sule was enrolled at Shahuci Elementary School in 1937 and subsequently attended Kano Middle School and Kaduna College (now Barewa College).
Obaseki has described the late Maitama Sule as a great leader, who contributed immensely to peace, development and security in the country while he served as Minister for National Guidance in 1983, a portfolio established to assist the then President Shehu Shagari in tackling corruption.

In his condolence message endorsed by his Chief Press Secretary, John Mayaki, Obaseki recalled that the former minister actively engaged in the promotion of peace and security in the continent.

Mourning Alhaji Sule, the governor explained that words were unable to express his importance to the polity of Nigeria while he lived, adding that the elder statesman was a great leader full of wisdom.

ALSO READ: Osinbajo mourns Maitama Sule

He said, "On behalf of the Government and the People of Edo state, and myself, I wish to convey our deepest sympathies and condolences to the Government and People of Kano state and the entire Nation on the demise of Alhaji Maitama Sule".

Obaseki said the late elder statesman played a crucial role in promoting and facilitating the country's fight against corruption, while promoting growth and development.

"He contributed immensely to the steering of the country to economic prosperity just as he's a great example to be emulated by the rest of Nigeria and other leaders in the sub-saharan Africa.
The former minister died in Cairo, Egypt, 24 hours after he was rushed to a hospital according to his son Alhaji Mukhtar Maitama Sule.

ALSO READ: Former Minister dies in Egypt

Relaying his condolences through the government handle @NGRPresident, Osinbajo extended his "deep & heartfelt condolences" to the deceased's family.

The handle tweeted, "On behalf of Pres MBuhari, AsoRock and the people of Nigeria, AgP expresses heartfelt condolences on the death of Alhaji Maitama Sule."

In another tweet, it posted, "AgP extends deep & heartfelt condolences to his family, friends, associates, & Kano State Govt, praying that the Almighty God comforts all"

In a final tweet, the handle tweeted, "AgP ProfOsinbajo's prayer is that Allah will bless his memory, and grant the family and all Nigerians the fortitude to bear the loss."

In reaction to his death, the Kano state government has declared Tuesday, July 4, 2017, as a public holiday to mourn him.

ALSO READ: Kano govt declares public holiday for deceased former minister

The holiday was declared in a statement signed by the State Commissioner for Information, Mallam Mohammed Garba.

The statement read, "The death has occurred today (Monday) of Alhaji (Dr.) Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.

"Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule died at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, where he was receiving treatment for an illness.

"Funeral prayer for the deceased will be conducted tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Emirs Palace, Kofar Kudu, by 4:00pm.

"Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has declared tomorrow Tuesday a work  free day in the state to mourn the death of the elder statesman."
Zorro said this when Volker Turk, the United Nation Humanitarian Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), Assistant High Commissioner for Protection, visited the Minister of Interior in Abuja.

Zorro urged the UNHCR to investigate the reasons why the Nigerian refugees in Cameroon were repatriated back home and make this public and to make sure that Cameroon implemented the tripartite agreement.

He, however, said that the national assembly was ready to support the commission and the ministry in making sure that the present challenge was resolved.

As you are aware, our refugees from Cameroon that are coming back to Nigeria continued to suffer double displacement.

In the first instance, they were displaced and dispersed when they crossed over the border and upon their return they have found themselves again in internally displaced camps.

This calls for very urgent humanitarian protection and assistance which the UNHCR always provide the expertise to manage such situation.

We at the national assembly level, are always ready, willing and cannot wait to complement the efforts of the executive arms of government and UNHCR to resolve this case.

The chairman, however, commended the minister and the commissioner for their efforts in bringing a lasting solution towards the issue s of refugees and IDPs in the country.

I commend the minister for hosting this session that is very crucial towards finding solutions to the refugees situation both in Nigeria and Cameroon.

 I also commend the efforts of UNHCR who have continued to come to this region in other to explore lasting solution toward refugees and internally displaced persons. 

Also speaking, Hajiya Saiya Farouq, Federal Commissioner, National Commission for Refugees, Migrants and Internally Displaced Persons (NCFRMI) appealed to UNCHR to find out what was happening in Cameroon.

She said that Nigeria had a signed agreement with the Cameroon government and has kept its part of the agreement, tasking Cameroon to implement their own part.

Farouq said that she hoped that the visit of the commissioner to Cameroon would bring a lasting solution to the present challenges.

What is happening to our people in Cameroon and why they are flying back to Nigeria, as we have signed the agreement?

We expect that the principle of the agreement should be respected by both parties; on our own part we have a capable leader.

We are very disturbed by the situation and we hope that by your visit there, we will see some kind of improvement on the part of the Cameroon,  she said.
THE GUARDIAN

Army restates loyalty to democratic government

The Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. General Tukur Buratai has said the Nigerian Army would remain apolitical in the discharge of its duties for the sustenance of democracy.

FGs N140b debt threatens PenComs N7.2tr target

A plan by the National Pension Commission (PenCom) to boost funds contributions from N6.4 trillion to N7.2 trillion by the end of 2017 may be jeopardised by the current pension outstanding estimated at N140 billion.

Igbo leaders seek implementation of confab report, restructuring

Igbo leaders yesterday affirmed support for the implementation of the report of the 2014 national conference and restructuring of the country on the basis of fairness and equity to check rising agitations threatening the unity of the nation.

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THE NATION NEWSPAPER

Buharis wife leaves for UK to see President

Wife of the President, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, again, on Sunday, left Nigeria for London in the United Kingdom, to visit her husband, Muhammadu Buhari, who has been receiving medical attention in the British capital since May 7.

Banks suffer fraud cases worth N16.5bn in three years

The banking sector recorded 31,736 fraud cases involving the sum of N16.5bn between January 2014 and December 2016, figures obtained by our correspondent from the Central Bank of Nigeria have revealed.

MASSOB insists on break-up as Igbo leaders support united Nigeria

State governors and members of the National Assembly from the South-East; the leadership of the Ohanaeze Ndigbo; traditional and religious leaders and other leaders of thought from the zone ended their meeting in Enugu on Sunday with a declaration that Ndigbo were for a united Nigeria.

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VANGUARD NEWSPAPER

Police, OPC nab 100 Badoo cult members

No less than 100 suspected members of the dreaded Badoo Boys cult were arrested weekend, during a joint raid on the groups hideouts by operatives of the Rapid Response Squad, RRS, of Lagos State Police Command, Anti-Robbery operatives, members of the Oodua peoples Congress, OPC, and members of vigilante groups in Ikorodu.

2 teachers rape, infect 10 students

Doctors in an undisclosed hospital are treating 10 secondary school students of a Lagos State government secondary school in Epe, who were infected with Sexually Transmitted Diseases, STDs, after allegedly being raped by two of their teachers.

Igbo leaders demand restructured but united Nigeria

Igbo Leaders of Thought, including governors, members of the National Assembly, leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, traditional rulers and church leaders, met at Enugu, yesterday night, and pledged their support for a restructured but united Nigeria where there would be justice, equity and fairness.

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THE THISDAY NEWSPAPER

Igbo Leaders Meet, Back a United Nigeria, Restructuring

Igbo leaders from the South-east zone, including its governors, National Assembly members and leadership of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, rose from a closed-door meeting early yesterday in Enugu, restating the zones commitment to a united Nigeria.

Elumelu Lauds Afrexim Bank for Contributions to Cross-border Trade

At the just concluded Annual General Meeting of the African Export-Import Bank (Afreximbank) held in Kigali, Rwanda, the Chairman of Heirs Holdings and the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Mr. Tony Elumelu congratulated Afrexim for the critical support that the bank, led by the President, Dr. Benedict Oramah, provides for African businesses and its significant contribution to the development of cross-border trade and investment in Africa.

Ranch Your Cattle or Leave Benue Before November, Ortom Tells Herdsmen
As we head into the second half of the year 2017, it's time to take a look at what the year has offered so far in forms of feature and short films.

While we would love to include Tope Alake's "Picture Perfect," were only ranking movies that were released before July 1, 2017.

There are still a number of outstanding productions expected to grace our screens in months to come, but, for now, let's focus on the best so far, in no particular order.

This list also features stand-out Nigerian short movies.

1. "Isoken"

In her debut feature movie, Jade Osiberu tells the story of the universal and overwhelming pressure women and even men, face to get married, with Dakore Akande leading a star-studded cast.

Despite being a familiar and exhausted topic in Nigeria, "Isoken" still fleshes out the issue of marital pressure in all of its raw, hilarious, messy, and complicated glory

The laughs are accompanied by insights into friendship, love, societal pressure, self-confidence, courage and stereotypes.

"Isoken" explores a lot of topical issues. Maybe not in-depth, but enough to kick off conversations on various social media platforms.

A tribute to those coping with the loss and effects of losing a loved one, Kunle Afolayan's "Roti" is a psychological drama that explores the pain and loss felt by parents who lose a child they waited 10 years to have.

Kate Henshaw and Afolayan give great performances of grief-stricken parents on a journey of recovery, with Henshaw absorbing herself in the character, so much that her pain is almost real.

Its treatment of a sensitive topic such as mental illness is applaudable. It takes away spiritualism and tackles mental instability in the best way possible.

3. "Ojukokoro"

Dare Olaitan's "Ojukokoro" captures the brutality that comes with violence, and still finds a way to play it simultaneously with funny scenarios and witty conversations.

The movie features an ensemble cast that inadvertently merges together to give viewers a clear understanding of their different characters.

Mixed with violence and humour, the comedy/crime-heist about a money-strapped manager of a shady Petrol Station who decides to rob his employers, but along the line, finds out in a sudden twist that he is not alone in his ambition, is an entertaining watch.

4. "Slow Country"

A hybrid of the romance and action genre, the Eric Aghimien movie follows the story of a homeless teenage mother, Kome, who finds herself trapped in prostitution and drug trafficking for seven years in order to secure a good life for her son.

On the basis of stunts and special effects, "Slow Country" is a visual delight. It is rich with apt acting and stunning cinematography.

Not every movie has a moral lesson and "Slow Country" is one of those without one. It's simply a well-made action thriller that highlights the plight of some single mothers and prostitutes.

Short Films

The Asurf Oluseyi's short movie doesn't justify, support or condemn homosexuality. It simply starts a necessary conversation about homophobia, sexuality and religion in Nigeria.

"Hell or High Water" tells the story of a young married pastor, who is loved and adored by the members of his church.

Things take a different turn for him when he has to confront his sexuality - an act that breaks him spiritually, emotionally and psychologically.

Perfectly interpreted by Enyinna Nwigwe and Daniel K Daniel, the film avoids popular cliches that are usually seen in Nollywood movies with homosexuality themes.

A short film set in the mid-90s in a ghetto brothel in Lagos, Ifeoma Nkiruka Chukwuogo's "Bariga Sugar" is an emotional one that conveys the deep sense of humanity.

The film tells the story of an 8-year-old Ese, who lives in Bariga Sugar, a ghetto brothel owned by Madam Sugar in Lagos.

One day, 10-year-old Jamil and his mother Hanatu move into the brothel. Often neglected, lonely and socially awkward, Ese and Jamil begin an unlikely friendship.

Its beauty is not in its 'high quality' production, but in its original story and setting.

7. "Through Her Eyes"

A well interpreted short film, "Through Her Eyes" plays out like a prospectus for a feature. The director Nadine Ibrahim uses the movie as a springboard to address a very topical issue; the rise of child terrorists.

In "Through the Eyes," Azeeza, a young girl abducted by a terrorist group is forced to witness and do things that tarnish her life forever.

Out of the daily heartbreaking life events, Nadine carves out a thought provoking screenplay worth applauding.
The ministers are members of the crisis-ridden Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

It was gathered that the major agenda of the meeting is to deliberate on the future of the party with the 2019 presidential election in view.

"Ex-PDP ministers from 1999 to 2015 are to meet in Abuja on Monday to chart a way forward for the party. The tendency for the forum to deliberate on the 2019 elections and the possibility of working out mechanism towards filling or supporting a candidate for the forthcoming presidential election is there," one of the ex-ministers told Punch.

"Prof. Jerry Gana and other senior high ranking ex-ministers are expected at the meeting."

It was reported that the forum would also search - among them or beyond - for suitable and acceptable presidential candidate ahead of 2019 polls.

At the meeting, the former ministers would also consider the option of shopping for another political party if the ongoing legal leadership battle does not favour them.

The majority of the forum members are allegedly behind the Ahmed Makarfi-led PDP national caretaker committee.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), based on the Court of Appeal judgment, had declared Ali Modu Sheriff the authentic national chairman of the party.

Some loyalists of Makarfi have since registered another political party, Advanced Peoples Democratic Alliance, hoping to migrate there if the Supreme Court judgment upholds the Appeal court's decision.

ALSO READ: Igbos should have a go at the Presidency in 2019 - Obasanjo

Some of the ex-ministers are said to be in support of the new party as a fallback option.

A former minister said, "We wont put all our eggs in one basket as we did in Ondo State during the last governorship election.

"We are waiting for the Supreme Court to pronounce its judgement then Nigerians will know what we are up to."
In a tweet by the electoral commission, it stated the activities as well as processes with which it intends to go about the recall of the Senator representing Kogi West Senatorial District.

The procedure, which will kick off on July 10, 2017 with the notice of verification will be concluded with the declaration of the outcome of verification by August 19, 2017.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Wednesday, June 21, 2017, took delivery of signatures from electorates in Kogi state for Melayes recall.

The signatures contained in six bags were submitted at the Headquarters of Nigerias electoral umpire in Abuja.
It is time to say goodbye to PDP", Okupe wrote.

He continued: "It is with deep regret that I publicly announce my resignation from the It has to be public because the PDP no longer exists in my ward as a single unified party; it was when I joined it.

My resignation is based on periods of long introspection and some of the following reasons: It is no longer news that the PDP has been embroiled in a fratricidal internal crisis brought upon it by itself.

Its current direction is difficult to discern and I'm convinced that even when the much expected judgement from the Supreme Court is given, the future of the party is not likely to be significantly affected whichever way the judgement goes.

ALSO READ: Okupe dumps PDP

Okupes announcement could well have been made in an empty market square. All the major newspapers in the land handed Okupes announcement the cold shoulder--at least on their front-pages.

It is a testament to how insignificant Okupe has become in the nations political firmament.

Hes become a speck. In truth, he was never a politician to pull a crowd; never one to be reckoned with.

Okupe served as Senior Special Assistant on Public Affairs to former President Goodluck Jonathan. Soon after Jonathan was sent packing from Aso Rock, Okupe was all on fours before Chief Olusegun Obasanjo in profuse apologies.

After engaging Obasanjo in all sorts of verbal battles as one of Jonathans spokespersons, Okupe showed up in the Abeokuta home of the former president to say he was very sorry. And he had to roll on the floor to show contrition.

Okupe also served as Obasanjos aide and was chased out of the Villa for gross misconduct.

Jonathan brought him back into national reckoning as an attack dog and Okupe was no more than one. He was the attack dog who said the darndest things and engaged in the silliest of battles with a mouth that often went before him.

Okupe remained a political lightweight even in his own State of Ogun until he announced his exit from the PDP yesterday.

In no way will the PDP miss him whether at local or national level. Okupe added little or nothing to the collapsing edifice that has become the PDP.

Like any politician without a base to his name; like every politician without an ideology or shred of principle affixed to his politics, Okupe was always going to bow out into ignominy any way, once the PDP and his benefactor were kicked out of the corridors of power.

I have therefore decided to withdraw a bit and study the political situation more critically and thereafter take a decision soonest on my next political move, Okupe said, leaving a small window for himself should the political atmosphere become favourable enough so he can return to eat. .

I will miss my friends, associates and co-travelers on this tortuous political journey and adventure, Okupe added.

No one will miss him, though, and it is difficult to recall at what point Okupes political journey was tortuous or adventurous.
Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, APC National Publicity Secretary said in a statement on Monday in Abuja, adding that Nigeria had indeed lost a distinguished public servant and a patriot.

He also said the deceased, also known by his traditional title as Danmasanin Kano was a patriot who espoused the God-given strengths and positive attributes of all the constituent ethnicities in the country.

Abdullahi commiserated with the late Sules immediate family, Emir of Kano, the people and Government of Kano State, the Federal Government and the international community over the loss.

The APC spokesman also recalled the late Sule`s exemplary services as two-time minister and pioneer head of the Public Complaints Commission (PCC).

He said that as former Nigerian Permanent Representative to the United Nations, the late Sule chaired the important United Nations Standing Committee Against Apartheid then ravaging South Africa.

Indeed, Nigeria has lost an eminent son whose life and work and memories will be forever celebrated and remembered,  Abdullahi, said.

He prayed the Almighty God to give the deceased eternal rest and his family, the strength to bear the loss.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the late Sule became Minister of Mines and Power in 1954 at the age of 29.

He signed deals and contracts with Shell for oil prospecting and exploration in Nigeria and contested the presidential ticket of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) in 1979.

The deceased was widely acclaimed for his oratory prowess which endeared him to many Nigerians and politicians across board.

The late Sule died at 88, at the early hours of Monday while on admission at a private hospital in Cairo, Egypt.

He was said to have been flown to the Egyptian hospital on Saturday after doctors at Kanos Nasarawa Hospital diagnosed him of pneumonia and chest infection.
Reykjavik is named the Best MICE Destination in Europe 2017 by Business Destinations Magazine. The Business Destinations Travel Awards, now running for a consecutive six years, rewards businesses in a variety of categories for their exceptional contribution and excellence in services in the world of business and travel.

Icelandic service providers have had great success at the awards over the past years. Harpa Concert Hall and Conference Center won the award as the Best Meeting and Conference Centre in Europe 2016 and 2015 the Icelandic DutyFree store Frihofnin was selected as the Best Airport Tax-free Shopping Service Providers.

It has been our goal sins 2012 when Meet in Reykjavik was founded to be come one of the leading MICE destinations in Europe, so we are extremely proud of this recognition, Says Thorsteinn Orn Gudmundsson managing director of Meet in Reykjavik (Reykjavik Convention Bureau).

Reykjavik has many advantages as an event destination. Icelands capital is famous for interesting people, its closeness with nature and spectacular scenery, not to mention the Aurora Borealis. Conferences, meetings and events in Reykjavik are always likely to attract a big crowd. Reykjavik has a high-tech infrastructure, security, short and frequent access by air from over 80 cities across Europe and North America. All this combined make Reykjavik one of the top destinations for international Conferences worldwide.

I am very honoured that Reykjavik has been named the best MICE destination in Europe in 2017 by the distinguished company Business Destinations Magazine. Since 2011 one of the pillars in our Tourism Strategy has been to promote Reykjavik as an ideal destination for international conferences, incentives and meetings. Our city is situated in the midway between Europe and North America and known for being a friendly city with strong infrastructure, without the stress that usually follows a cosmopolitan metropolis, says Ashildur Bragadottir, director of Visit Reykjavik and chairman of the board of Meet in Reykjavik.
The Osun West senatorial seat became vacant after the sudden death of the occupier, Late Senator Isiaka Adeleke in April.

This was contained in a letter dated 16th of June, 2017 with the reference no INEC/LEG/DR/91/1/34 from the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Names of registered political parties expected to participate in the by-election are Action Congress of Democrats (ACD), All Progressives Congress (APC), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Labour Party (LP), Mega Progressive Peoples Party (MPPP), National Conscience Party (NCP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and United Democratic Party (UDP).

Already eight of the political parties have organized themselves into a coalition under the name of the Alliance of Collaborating Political Parties (ACPP).

The parties in the coalition are Action Congress of Democrats (ACD), All Progressives Congress (APC), Green Party of Nigeria (GPN), Labour Party (LP), Mega Progressive Peoples Parties (MPPP), National Conscience Party (NCP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and United Democratic Party (UDP).
The forum made the call in a communique at the end of its meeting held on Monday in Abuja.

Reading the communique, Chairman of the group, Alhaji Taminu Turaki, said members had observed with concern, the deteriorating security situation in the country, particularly the increasing spate of kidnapping and armed robbery.

He said that the forum was also worried over the unchecked menace of herdsmen who were regularly killing, raping and vandalising farmlands in communities across the country.

The forum also notes that as a result of the inept leadership of the APC-led Federal Government, Nigeria has never been so polarized along regional, tribal, ethnic religious and other divides.

We feel that this is really most unfortunate. PDP made the supreme sacrifice to make Nigeria one and ensured that our indivisibility as a people and as a country was not compromised.

That was why our presidential candidate in the 2015 election conceded defeat to President Muhammad Buhari, and made Nigeria, contrary to the expectation of pessimists, to remain one country, Turaki said.

He condemned what he described as unwarranted invasion of the residence of immediate past Vice President, Alhaji Namadi Sambo and continued harassments, persecution and detention of key opposition members.

Turaki also reaffirmed the forums confidence in Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of PDP, saying it was playing commendable role in keeping the partys members together and upholding the partys tenets and visions.

The forum commended the various efforts, especially our Boards of Trustees, Governors Forum, NASS caucus and Jerry Gana-led Strategic Review Committee for the repositioning of our great party.

We have resolved to remain committed to the ideals of visions and mission of the PDP, and we are determined to join other organs of the party in revitalising it into a virile and more constructive opposition.

He prayed for recovery of Buhari and for him to return to the country.
On Sunday, July 1, 2017, the comedian revealed in a long Instagram post that he had graduated from the University of Kiev with a degree in Medicine.

We all know Craze Clown as one of the first faces that offered us undiluted comedy in the form of skits on social media. According to the post, the comedian had first written matriculation examinations, JAMB and failed at several hurdles, before getting admitted to University of Legon, only to be withdrawn as he could not meet the increase in school fees.

At returning to Square One, he added, he finally got a visa to the Ukraine where he enrolled to study Medicine at the University of Kiev.

Even here, he faced the task of finding balance between his craft and his studies while managing personal tragedy with the death of his father in 2005. It was a journey that spanned almost 10 years.
Cyprus is one of the world's longest-running political crises and the talks that began in the Alpine resort of Crans-Montana last week have been billed as the best chance for a lasting solution.

The east Mediterranean island has been divided since 1974 when Turkish troops invaded and later occupied its northern third in response to an Athens-inspired putsch seeking union with Greece.

At the end of last week, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres hailed the talks as "highly constructive" and "a historic opportunity to reach a comprehensive settlement to the conflict that has divided Cyprus for too many decades."

But on Monday the sides seemed to take a less than conciliatory line.

"The Greek position remains that ... the occupying troops must leave," Kotzias said following a morning meeting in Crans-Montana, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Turkey maintains more than 35,000 troops there, and any prospects of reunification largely hinge on a drastic reduction of Ankara's military presence.

But Turkish Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus told media in Ankara Monday that "Turkey will not step back on the issue of security and guarantees."

"Our position on this issue will not change," he insisted.

Several previous peace drives have stumbled over the issue, with Greek Cypriots demanding a total withdrawal of what they say is an occupying force and minority Turkish-speakers fearful of ethnic violence in the event of a pullout.

A diplomatic source told AFP before the talks began that Ankara was prepared to slash its troop numbers by as much as 80 percent, but Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu flatly denied that any such withdrawal was planned.

Kotzias also lamented Monday the slow pace of the discussions, which are being headed by President Nicos Anastasiades, the Greek-Cypriot leader, and his Turkish-Cypriot counterpart Mustafa Akinci.

They are joined at the discussions by delegations from Cyprus's so-called guarantor powers of Greece, Turkey and Britain.

"We agreed on Friday to discuss two questions posed by (UN envoy Espen Barth) Eide on the security issue, ... but the (in-depth) discussions have not started. We started with procedural issues," Kotzias said.
The code would be an attempt to regulate operations in the sea where the Italian coast guard, European border patrol forces and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) currently operate vessels that pick up stranded migrants.

Italy has also been pushing for other European countries to open up their ports to rescue ships, in order to share the burden around, but the request was declined by France calling it "counterproductive".

It risked encouraging more migrants to attempt the trip, an aide to French Interior Minister Gerard Collomb told AFP on condition of anonymity.

One of the rescue organisations, SOS Mediterranean, which runs an aid vessel along with Doctors Without Borders (MSF), has said that forcing rescue boats to go to other European ports instead of Italian ones would be logistically difficult.

More than 83,000 people have been rescued and brought to Italy so far this year after attempting the crossing from Libya, while more than 2,160 have died trying, the UN and the International Organization for Migration says.

The three nations' interior ministers, who met on Sunday in Paris, also agreed to look into ways to support the coast guard in Libya by increasing financing and training.

They also pledged extra support for the UN refugee agency to improve and expand facilities in its camps in the war-ravaged north African country, a statement from the French interior ministry said.

"The idea is to help slow down arrivals of economic migrants at the departure point," the aide to Collomb told AFP, while "helping the Italians manage arrivals."

Their plan, to be presented to all 28 members of the EU at the end of the week, would also suggest ways of improving the process of returning economic migrants to their countries.

The European Union has struggled to put in place a common refugee policy agreed in 2015 that would have seen around 160,000 asylum seekers distributed around the bloc to take the pressure off Italy and Greece where most of them arrive.

Only about 20,000 have been relocated while Hungary, Poland and the Czech Republic have refused to take part.
The decision to extend the ceasefire from July 2 to October 31 comes days before the United States is expected to announce if it will permanently lift a 20-year trade embargo on Khartoum.

Sudan's official news agency SUNA said Bashir signed on Sunday an order to extend the ceasefire until October 31, describing it as "part of the government's initiative to bring peace to Sudan".

In June 2016, Bashir declared a unilateral four-month truce in the three regions, where fighting between government forces and rebels has killed tens of thousands of people.

He extended it in October 2016 to the end of the year and again for a month on December 31. On January 15 he further extended it by six months.

The administration of US President Donald Trump is due to decide on July 12 whether to permanently lift the sanctions imposed on Khartoum in 1997 for its alleged support for Islamist militant groups.

Now slain Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden was based in the Sudanese capital from 1992 to 1996.

Former US president Barack Obama eased the sanctions in January, but made their permanent lifting dependent on Khartoum making progress in five areas during a six-month review period that ends next week.

'Positive' steps

These conditions include improved access for aid groups, halting support for rebels in neighbouring South Sudan, an end to hostilities in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan, and counterterrorism cooperation with US intelligence agencies.

The top US envoy to Sudan, charge d'affaires Steven Koutsis, told AFP last month that Khartoum has made "positive" steps towards meeting these five conditions and shown "extreme restraint" in responding to rebel attacks over the past year.

"We have seen that the government has shown extreme restraint even in circumstances where they could have responded under the genus of self-defence," he said in an interview.

Koutsis also said he was hoping that ahead of July 12, Khartoum would extend its unilateral ceasefire "for a minimum six more months".

The conflict in Darfur -- a region of the size of France -- erupted in 2003 when ethnic minority rebels took up arms against Bashir's Arab-dominated government, accusing it of marginalising the region.

Similar conflicts also erupted in Blue Nile and South Kordofan states after neighbouring South Sudan broke away in 2011.

At least 300,000 people have been killed and 2.5 million displaced in Darfur since the conflict began, the UN says.

Thousands more have been killed in Blue Nile and South Kordofan.
A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

Kuwait, which has been acting as a mediator in the crisis, has received assurances that "Doha would submit its official response to the demands to Kuwait on Monday," the statement said.

Doha said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani would deliver its response by hand to Kuwait's emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah.

The demands include Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected".

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy producers and several key Western allies hosting US military facilities.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Gulf states, called for a "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Trump calls leaders

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari companies and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAE's ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as expelling Doha from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, the Arab states could tell their economic partners to choose between doing business with them or with Qatar, he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis. Kuwait, which unlike most of its GCC neighbours has not cut ties with Doha, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabi's crown prince and the Qatari emir on his concerns over the dispute, the Abu Dhabi said.

Trump "underscored that unity in the region is critical," the statement said, but also "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology."
The Sunday visit by members of the influential Senate Armed Services Committee, including top Republican John McCain, came days after Islamabad slammed Washington's decision to sanction a Kashmiri militant leader.

The relationship between the US and Pakistan has been strained at times with some in Washington believing Islamabad has not done enough to bring its influence to bear to persuade the Afghan Taliban to renounce violence.

McCain described US engagement with Pakistan in the region as "important" in his meeting with Foreign Affairs Adviser Sartaj Aziz, according to a foreign ministry statement.

Aziz for his part vowed Pakistan remained committed to "constructive engagement" with the US in the efforts to create a "stable and prosperous" Afghanistan.

He said Islamabad was ready to deepen its partnership with Washington in the fight against militancy, including against the expanding footprint of the Islamic State group in the region.

Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa also called US cooperation a "key factor" in security, as McCain agreed on the importance of coordination between Pakistan and Afghanistan, a military statement said.

Pakistan has received billions in US aid since the invasion of Afghanistan in 2001. Washington is actively considering sending more troops to the war-torn country to help struggling Afghan forces beat back the resurgent Taliban, with American commanders requesting thousands of extra boots on the ground.

The Senate Armed Services Committee has legislative oversight of US military affairs. Other members of the delegation, which arrived Sunday and is due to leave Monday, included Senator Lindsey Graham, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator David Perdue and Senator Sheldon Whitehouse.

Last week, the US imposed sanctions on Syed Salahuddin, senior leader of the Kashmiri militant group Hizb-ul-Mujahideen, to the dismay of Pakistan after a meeting between Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Trump.

Kashmir has been divided between India and Pakistan since their independence from Britain in 1947, but both claim the territory in its entirety.
Turkish Cargo, providing service to 120 countries in the world, continues to expand its cargo flights network to satisfy the expectations of its customers. Cargo flights, to be operated to Kano by Turkish Cargo, will be launched on July 4, 2017.

Schedule details for Istanbul (IST) Kano (KAN)  Dakar (DKR) Istanbul (IST);

Flight Number Date Route Departure Arrival Day Aircraft Type 6507 4.07.2017 IST-KAN 05:35 09:30 Tuesday A330F 6507 4.07.2017 KAN-DKR 11:30 14:30 Tuesday 6507 4.07.2017 DKR-IST 16:30 03:05 Tuesday

*LMT

*The flight schedule may be revised based on the schedule permits.

Increasing the frequency of its cargo flights to Dakar on weekly basis from one to two upon launch of flights to Kano, Turkish Cargo will increase its operations across the region.

As the second destination after Lagos in Nigeria to which Turkish Cargo will operate cargo flights, Kano stands out with its processed leather products exported to especially European countries. Appealing other important markets such as India and Sudan, all products, which have been manufactured in Kano but transported via Lagos before, will now be able to be transported right from the location of manufacture.

Detailed information regarding Turkish Cargo and its flight schedules are available on www.turkishcargo.com.tr and can be obtained by dialing +90 850 333 0777, the Call Center hotline.
Kevin and Karen Urick are touring the Quad-Cities one meal at a time for the column Dinner for Two. The Geneseo couple love everything about food. They grow food, travel the world for food, enjoy eating all styles of food and look forward to sharing their passion with readers! The column will appear periodically in the Life section. If you know of a place you want them to review, email them at quadcitiesrestaurants@gmail.com.

 Captain's Table, 4801 River Drive, Moline, IL 61265, 309-736-9188

Finally, food matches the location at this longtime Moline standby. This place has been our favorite to sit and watch the Mississippi on the Illinois side of the river. It overlooks Marquis Harbor boating marina with a wonderful outdoor patio to enjoy the views. Whether you're riding or walking along the bike path, it is a great place to stop, or to make a destination for a lunch or evening out. We now can enjoy great food in addition to the great views.

Beginning in fall 2016, and getting into full swing this spring, Rob Egger has taken over the helm as general manager at Captains Table. Rob has years of experience in the food business, most recently as the owner of the former Paddle Wheel on the opposite side of the river, at the foot of the Interstate 74 bridge. Faced with closing because of development in the area, he brought his much needed expertise to the Illinois side. He has revamped the menu, tweaking the old favorites, and adding his own touches. What a difference it has made. The online menu has not caught up with new in-house menu because of proprietary constraints, so be sure to stop in to see what is new and fresh.

The food is what Rob refers to as Craft. What a great word to describe his approach to good food; a process of making things by hand. His menu now features items that represent food as it should be, made fresh, not from something pre-prepared or frozen. They have added more casual items with a great looking burger and sandwich menu. The senior menu, for ages 55 and older, served from noon to 6 p.m. daily, features sandwich specials for $7.99 and dinner specials for $8.99. You even can add on a Manhattan or Old Fashioned for $3.50.

The lunch menu, Monday through Saturday, has sandwiches, appetizers and salads at a reasonable price. The service has been improved, and we enjoyed being served by the likable Travis Smith, who makes a comeback to the Quad-Cities dining scene after a stint in Las Vegas.

We were here for dinner and anxious to try out the dinner menu. Starting with a couple of their menu items, we ended up wanting to try more of their selections, and took home a lot of leftovers. We began with the calamari appetizer served with chili ancho sauce. They were different than any we have had in the QCA. Unlike the frozen rings, made from the tentacles that can be like chewing a rubber band, these start with the calamari steak. A calamari steak is a large, flat piece of squid meat. They slice the meat into strips, tempura batter them, then fry. They were tender and delicious.

Saving the blue cheese mushrooms, for our next trip we opted for the shrimp and crab dip. Laced with lots of shrimp and crab, held together with mozzarella cheese, it is served bubbling hot with fried tortilla chips. To accompany the appetizers, we had one of their featured drinks, watermelon punch, which was reminiscent of a watermelon Jolly Rancher. It has a large slice of watermelon immersed in it and is dangerous. It slipped down easily, and its alcohol content is deceiving! Sitting on the patio, a Summer Shandy also was in order.

Before making our dinner decisions, we sampled both the clam chowder and the spinach and shrimp bisque, often featured as their soup of the day. The clam chowder was a New England style, with the unique addition of a dash of Merlot. It was a delicious rendition on an old classic. The bisque was loaded with spinach and shrimp, you could taste the craft in this soup.

The dinner menu features the classic steak, turf and pasta options. Prices range from $6.99 for their homemade garlic and Parmesan mac-n-cheese, to $27.99 for the 20-ounce Porterhouse. We tried items from all of the categories, starting with the seafood pasta, on to the brown sugar salmon and finishing with the pork chops hunter. All of them had the fresh taste that Rob is striving for.

The seafood pasta for $23.99, had plentiful sea scallops and shrimp that were pan seared with fresh garlic, deglazed with wine and lemon, tossed with al dente pasta, spinach and a Parmesan butter sauce. Yep, the description is a good as the taste.

One of the Captain's Favorites is brown sugar salmon for $19.99. It features a filet of Scottish wild caught salmon, broiled with Boetjes mustard, brown sugar and finished with crispy onions. The brown sugar and mustard are a great complement to the moist salmon. To accompany the salmon we had au gratin potatoes that are made with their beer cheese soup. We can see why this is a favorite.

Finishing with the pork chops hunter for $16.99, we were impressed on how good each category of the menu really is. The large center cut chops are pan seared with mushrooms, apples and garlic, and deglazed with white wine and cream. We chose the cheesy mashed potatoes to soak up the sauce. The two thick cut chops were tender and moist, and equally as good when we heated them up as leftovers the next day.

On Sunday evenings from 5 to 9 p.m. you can listen to music in their gazebo and enjoy their outdoor grill featuring burgers by the outside bar. Captain's Table is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday through Thursday and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, with the bar being open later. You are equally comfortable in your shorts and flip flops on the deck in the summer, as you are are dining in their restaurant. This has become a great place for dining and relaxing.

He said: Things have certainly changed at the Captains Table. Their expanded sandwich and entree menu is a plus. From the bubbling shrimp and crab dip, to the calamari strips and ultra moist salmon, every item was a treat.

She said: I am glad this place now has food to match its location. I enjoyed all aspects of their menu and look forward to coming back to relax on a Sunday night, while listening to a band and having a burger.
WASHINGTON (AP)  President Donald Trump has barged into Senate Republicans' delicate health care negotiations with a suggestion bound to muddle things: If you can't cut a deal on repealing the Obama-era law, then repeal it right away and then replace it later.

Trump is trying to revive an approach that GOP leaders and the president himself considered but dismissed months ago as impractical and politically unwise.

And it's likely to further complicate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell's task as he struggles to bridge the divide between moderates and conservatives. Senators have left Washington for the Fourth of July break without voting on a bill as planned.

"If Republican Senators are unable to pass what they are working on now, they should immediately REPEAL, and then REPLACE at a later date!" Trump wrote early Friday.

Later that day, McConnell told reporters after an event in his home state of Kentucky that the health bill was challenging but "we are going to stick with that path."

He added: "It's not easy making America great again, is it?"

The president tweeted his message shortly after Sen. Ben Sasse, R-Neb., had appeared on Fox News Channel's "Fox & Friends" to discuss a letter he'd sent to Trump suggesting a vote on repealing former President Barack Obama's health law, followed by a new effort at a working out a replacement.

Trump's suggestion has the potential to harden divisions within the GOP as conservatives like Paul and Sasse complain that McConnell's bill does not go far enough in repealing Obama's health care law while moderates criticize it as overly harsh in kicking people off insurance rolls, shrinking the Medicaid safety net and increasing premiums for older Americans.

McConnell has been working to make deals with members of both factions in order to finalize a rewritten bill lawmakers can vote on when they return to the Capitol the second week of July. Even before Trump weighed in, though, it wasn't clear how far he was getting. Trump's tweet did not appear to suggest a lot of White House confidence in the outcome.

"McConnell's trying to achieve a 50-vote Venn diagram between some very competing factions," said Rodney Whitlock, a veteran health policy expert who worked as a Senate GOP aide during passage of the Democrats' Affordable Care Act.

"So what the president tweeted takes one side of that Venn diagram and pushes it further away, and actually puts on the table an option that will probably drive that group away from seeking compromise with the other side of the Venn diagram."

Even before Trump was inaugurated in January, Republicans had debated and ultimately discarded the idea of repealing the overhaul before replacing it, concluding that both must happen simultaneously. Doing otherwise would invite accusations that Republicans were simply tossing people off coverage and would roil insurance markets by raising the question of whether, when and how Congress might replace Obama's law once it was gone.

The idea also would leave unresolved the quandary lawmakers are struggling with now, about how to replace Obama's system of online insurance markets, tax subsidies and an expanded Medicaid with something that could get enough Republican votes to pass Congress. House Republicans barely passed their version of a replacement bill in May, and the task is proving even tougher in the Senate, where McConnell has almost no margin for error.

Moderates were spooked as the week began with a Congressional Budget Office finding that McConnell's draft bill would result in 22 million people losing insurance over the next decade, only 1 million fewer than under the House-passed legislation which Trump privately told senators was "mean." But conservatives continue to insist that the bill must go further than just repealing some of the mandates and taxes in Obama's law.

"It's distressing to see so many Republicans who've lied about their commitment to repeal," Ken Cuccinelli, president of the Senate Conservatives Fund, said in a conference call Friday.

Underscoring the fissures within the GOP, conservative group leaders on that call welcomed Trump's suggestion but said it didn't go far enough because it could open the door to a subsequent bipartisan compromise to replace Obama's law. At the same time, a key House Republican, Rep. Kevin Brady, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, rejected Trump's suggestion, contending that it "doesn't achieve what President Trump set out to do."

"I really think the Senate's approach  certainly in the House  of not simply repealing but to start to put into place the elements that can make health care affordable, that's what the president set out to do," Brady said in an interview on C-SPAN's "Newsmakers" program.

___

This story has been corrected to reflect that McConnell said during an appearance in Kentucky on Friday night, "It's not easy making America great again, is it?" The quote that has been replaced in the story had used "American" instead of "America."
Great loos in tourism destinations become talking points, encourage repeat visits and can be a positive indicator of how the host community respects tourists. When visitors stop to spend a penny, they usually spend more than that and end up boosting the local visitor economy and creating jobs.

Those are the findings based on research by Carolyn Childs and Bronwyn White, co-founders of MyTravelResearch.com. The duo organized the inaugural 2017 International Toilet Tourism Awards to show the clear link between toilets and tourism success.

30 entries were received by deadline day 15 June. Prizes will be going to six winners in Australia, United States and New Zealand. There were 30 entries  including a place where you can do the business overlooking a creek with crocodiles and an art studio where guests pull up chairs to admire the toilet doors.

The winning tourism toilets across all six categories are:

Best Economic Contributor  The Loos at the Southern Highlands Welcome Centre (the former Mittagong Visitor Information Centre), Main St, Mittagong, NSW, Australia. Refurbished in late 2015, the makeover at the Southern Highlands Visitor Centre loos included flowers, posters, audio reel, and quirky fact stickers and free Wi-Fi. Since then, visitation to the centre increased from 60,000 to 72,000 2015/16. Local product sales in the SHWC have risen 19%. Regional visitor expenditure has increased from $250m to $261m. Visitor expenditure contribution to the region has helped sustain 2500 jobs (up 9%). And the loos and the centre have achieved a customer satisfaction rating of 93%.

Judges comment: Despite a very small decorating budget for the toilets, the SHWC has been wonderfully innovative with their colourful, fun and informative loos concept. And this shows in the direct and indirect economic returns when visitors stop to spend a penny and then see whats available locally.

Best Location  Cliffhanger Loo with a View, overlooking the sea, Cobourg Peninsula, Garig Gunak Barlu National Park, Northern Territories, Australia. The loo is on a cliff overlooking the pristine beach and waters of the Cobourg Marine Park. In the privacy of the toilet the occupant can marvel at the lagoon water ten metres below where crocodiles bask on the sand and reef sharks hunt for prey. The WC is waterless, odourless and converts fresh waste into organic humus. A guest said: Its like watching a National Geographic documentary while sitting on the loo.

Judges comment: Cheeky, audacious, simple and environmentally sound, the cliffhanger loo has capitalized on its location perfectly and has become an attraction in itself.

Best Design (Joint Winner): Hahei Holiday Resort, Coromandel, New Zealand. The new toilet and shower block here is part of a glamping backpacker lodge designed to personify eco beachfront coast chic using as much reused and carbon friendly products as possible. Easy access ramps with sensor lighting and native plants in an atrium lead to oversize showers and loos. The conveniences have light opaque roofing for natural light, open trusses and external gable ventilation, with plenty of recycled native timber featured, including LED lights in old beer bottles and ceramic sinks from a hospital.

Judges comment: The beautiful approach to the toilet and shower block and the light and airy design using local products has made the loos at Hahei Holiday Resort an exemplary lesson in design.

Best Design (Joint Winner): The Kathleen Buzzacott Art Studio, Alice Springs, Central Australia, Australia. Built in 2016, the loos were added for the convenience of tourists visiting Kathleens studio. Her husband, who painted the loos, is a traditional owner of the land. The beautiful toilets complement the stunning landscape and highlight the connection to native heritage and culture through the story-telling toilet doors, which feature indigenous central desert dot paintings.

Judges comment: Unpretentious, simple and elegant. The design of these toilets perfectly complements the existing artist studio. A harmonious balance of architectural design and artistic creativity has produced this visually spectacular work of art. The building is an extension of the artists creative space. People pull up chairs to sit and admire the toilet doors, which tell their own Aboriginal stories.

Quirkiest Toilet Experience  Dunnies with a Difference, the Toowoomba Portable Toilets, Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia. The people with the orange toilets design and manufacture public toilets for events. Most notable is their prestige range  Dunnies with a Difference  which includes the Rustic Cottage, the London Telephone Box, Brighton Beach House, and the VIP unit. Each one includes hand sanitation, hand wash and sunscreen stations.

Judges comment: The Dunnies with a Difference range transform toilets from something you hide at outdoor events into wonderful quirky attractions that add real value because they are so pretty, functional, hygienic and mobile.

Toowoomba Portable Toilets are also the overall winners in the awards. MyTravelResearch.com will donate $2000 to UN Toilet Day on their behalf.

Best Accessible Toilet  Arthurs Seat Public Toilet, Arthurs Seat Park, Victoria, Australia, run by Parks Victoria. Opened in January 2017, the toilet amenities building has been thoughtfully designed to meet the toileting needs of a diverse range of visitors to Arthurs Seat State Park such as tourists with disabilities, mobility limitations, visitors with young children, older people and tourists from culturally diverse backgrounds (e.g. theres an Asian squat toilet).

Judges comment: Beautifully designed; thoroughly functional, modern and inclusive; a highly impressive addition to the destination experience. I have never seen anything quite like this accessible toilet. Its a gold star, best practice example.

Special mention  Wisconsin Department of Tourism, USA. Wisconsin offers tourists a trio of toileting triumphs. Each 4th of July weekend at the Perkinstown Outhouse Challenge competitors race 4x4ft specially decorated outhouses round an obstacle course. Its a race with a toilet, not to a toilet. The female bathrooms at the SafeHouse Bar & Restaurant in Milwaukee feature a portrait of a very exposed (and young) Burt Reynolds with a strategically placed red heart. If any of the ladies try to take a peek behind the heart a siren goes off alerting the whole restaurant as to whos been inquisitive. Then theres the great wall of China, a two-story wall made of 177 toilets stacked floor to ceiling in the Kohler Design Center, which attracts 150,000 tourists, builders and architects to its Disney world of plumbing each year.

Judges comment: Wisconsin is a destination that celebrates the power of the WC as a tourism attraction. We love the Perkinstown Outhouse Challenge with its Prettiest Potty award and TP Toss and Plunger Relay, all of which raises funds for a local recreation club.

Judging for the 2017 inaugural Toilet Tourism Awards was conducted by Carolyn Childs and Bronwyn White of MyTravelResearch.com. Together they have conducted focus groups and quantitative research on the impact of public toilets in tourism destinations. They were helped by fellow judge Dick Teaken, an avid world traveller who has experienced toilets on six continents and is currently writing a book about toilets of the world.

Prizes: The overall winner (Toowoomba Portable Toilets) will receive a AU$2000 donation contributed to World Toilet Day in their name and a copy of every MyTravelResearch.com research publication in 2017 (worth AU$8000), and access to tourism research events. Other category winners will receive the same, minus the donation to World Toilet Day
SACRAMENTO, Calif.  Democrats in the California Legislature never shy away from hyping their state budgets as responsible and visionary. But the rhetoric surrounding this years proposal, signed into law Tuesday, has sounded more like a call to arms.

It is the latest sign that the era of President Donald Trump has done more than change the mood of the majority partys lawmakers in Sacramento. Its changed their approach to governing the nations most populous state.

This is a budget that does things for people, not to people, said Assembly Speaker Anthony Rendon, a Democrat, as lawmakers debated the plan on June 15.

Assembly Democrats nicknamed their proposal the protect and persist budget, the latest example of their seething anger over Trumps efforts to shift the nations priorities rightward. While the $183.2 billion spending outline only rarely veers into direct confrontations with federal policy, legislative leaders nonetheless see it as a national example  an alternative view on the role of government.

Its surprising that more folks dont want to emulate what were doing, said Democratic Assembly Budget Chairman Phil Ting. Theres no question that Californias actions are in direct contrast to D.C.

The budgets most visible rebuke of Trump is its use of $45 million in state taxpayer dollars to services for those in the country illegally. The appropriation is triple what those efforts normally receive, and is scheduled to last at least through the early summer of 2020. A portion of the money  $545,000  was earmarked to help boost the legal services to people facing deportation.

Were a state that welcomes immigrants and doesnt demonize them, Ting said.

Republicans in the state Capitol were unsurprisingly critical over such items being included in a budget over which they had little say.

Negotiated behind closed doors, this budget shows the Democrats priorities, and clearly, the taxpayers of California are not high on that list, said GOP state Sen. Jim Nielsen.

While those dollars are small in comparison to the overall size of what it takes to run Californias government, they were funds that in other years could have gone to different services.

That amount of money matters, said Chris Hoene, executive director of the California Budget and Policy Center, which advocates for programs aimed at low-income families. Its a choice that comes with trade-offs.

Lawmakers also set aside a portion of revenues generated by last falls tobacco tax increase for family-planning services  help, but not total relief, in the event that Trump and congressional Republicans make good on promises to scrap federal funding for Planned Parenthood.

Elsewhere, the Legislatures liberal Democratic leaders used the budget to play defense by offering help for those they believe are vulnerable to Trumps proposed cuts in federal programs. It includes new money for subsidized child care and preschool, and it expands Californias earned income tax credit for the working poor.

Legislators believe the federal version of the earned income tax credit may not be safe once Congress has to pay for the presidents plans for new tax cuts.

It seems to be the only tax credit that Washington doesnt like, Ting said.

Other cuts could also be coming. The White House has proposed new, strict eligibility rules for food stamps (and a new rule for matching state government dollars) and as much as a $10-million reduction in federal affordable housing help for California.

What lawmakers couldnt do in crafting a new state budget, however, was to free up enough money to fill the gigantic hole that would be created by a retrenchment of Medicaid, the federal subsidy that helps provide free health care based on a persons or familys income. The states Medi-Cal program relies heavily on Medicaid money, even more so since the expansion of federal funding under the Affordable Care Act.

Although Congress remains divided on what a repeal and replace plan for the 2010 law will look like, both the House and Senate versions would leave California recipients and elected officials in a quandary.

You would end up with a choice of who you cover and how you cover them, Hoene said.

On Wednesday, California officials estimated the latest GOP proposal, promoted by Trump but still in limbo with some senators, would cut $115 billion from federal health care money sent to the state in just the first seven years. The first-year reduction alone is estimated at $3 billion  more than one-third of the money in the states rainy-day reserve fund.

Legislators in Sacramento were asked time and again over the winter and spring whether they would craft even a partial backup plan, but insisted it would be premature to act without more information. The budget signed by Gov. Jerry Brown that runs through June 30 of next year is balanced on the presumption of $68.9 billion in federal health care funds.

In some ways, say legislative staffers and advocates, the biggest impact of Trumps nascent presidency and its proposals for less federal spending may be that it was a wake-up call to the financial challenges ahead. For more than two years, Brown has urged legislators not to commit to new long-term spending. His warnings have been that an economic slowdown  or even a mild recession  is almost certainly somewhere on the horizon.

The president, some believe, has given lawmakers a more visceral way to view the threats to Californias balanced budget. As such, frequent demands in the past by legislators for more spending were noticeably absent in the state Capitol this year.

The governor has kept warning about a downturn, Hoene said. The federal unease suddenly gives that a bit more reality.



(c)2017 Los Angeles Times

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The study, which will be completed in December 2017, will analyse the feasibility of upgrading the existing standard-gauge line to achieve full compliance with the Rail Baltica project and other key technical parameters. The study is expected to provide a cost-benefit analysis for the potential solutions on this section, as well as the alternative solutions and alignment options for reaching speed, capacity, and technical parameters to meet Rail Balticas project specifications as part of the North Sea - Baltic TEN-T network corridor.

Lithuania completed the section between the Polish/Lithuania border and Kaunus in 2015, and is continuing to construct the Jiesia - Rokai, Rokai - Palemonas, and Palemonas - Kaunus sections in the Kaunus area. However, the section has a maximum design speed of 120km/h, but Rail Baltica specifications require a speed of 240km/h for passenger trains. The Rail Baltica project also calls for double-track rather than the Lithuanian sections single track, and needs to be equipped with ERTMS.
Macron said the technological success of the two new lines which opened on July 1 was not in doubt and he congratulated those who built them plus the politicians who supported and authorised the projects. He went on to say his governments new approach would seek to prioritise getting existing infrastructure up to par so it enables peoples daily journeys to be smoother, more predictable and possibly quicker.

Making it clear he does not favour major new projects such as additional LGV lines he stated: I am telling you the dream of the next five years should not be a new big project like this one but that a key priority for his government was to improve daily life for French citizens and offering simpler more reliable transport systems were part of this.

He announced that a national council of all France's regions planned for mid-July would start the process of prioritising activities and Macron made it clear that this would result in de-prioritising or stopping some projects, saying choices have to be made, that a five-year plan for investment would be created.

He added that the state cannot make any new financial commitments before there is clarity on future transport policy and its funding. A new transport law, which will cover financing and will give the five-year prioritised plan a legal basis, is planned for early 2018. Mr Macron said this new law will also include measures to allow and encourage innovation across the transport sector.

Addressing the rail sector specifically, Mr Macron said his new government would look at rail differently with the aim of improving rail. He stated the large debt accrued by French National Railways (SNCF) had to be addressed and that change was necessary in the rail sector. He suggested that SNCF must become a champion of mobility in the 21st century, and that this would involve peoples jobs changing, singling out ticket offices as one area where existing roles may not have a long-term future.
The EC250 only reached a top speed of 100km/h, but the tests proved it could operate successfully in the tunnels climatic conditions.

Tests on the Velim circuit will involve gradually increasing the speed of the train, and is part of the commissioning procedure, pre-commissioning safety inspection, and network approval for the train. Further testing will take place in Austria, Germany, Italy and Switzerland, where the train will operate.

The 202m-long train was presented to the public in Bussnang, Switzerland, in May, and is designed with a focus on comfort, highlighted by its low-floor access and areas for people with restricted mobility.

There are plug sockets at every seat, large luggage racks, and a 3G/4G mobile communications amplifier.
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On April 27, 2017, Andrew Hoehn delivered a commencement address at his alma mater, the University of Pittsburgh Graduate School of Public and International Affairs (GSPIA). The school presented him with its Distinguished Alumnus Award. Below are excerpts from his speech.

I can't tell you how very honored I am to be here with you today. [My wife] Robin and I both look back fondly at our time at GSPIA more than 30 years ago, and the experiences we gained here.

I often reflect on how GSPIA prepared me for my career. First briefly in journalism, then for a lengthy time in government, and now in policy research. All of these roles had very different demands. The one thing they had in common is that they all drew upon the preparations I received at this school.

When I thought about what I might say to you this afternoon, I began by thinking how different your world is from when Robin and I were students here.

So much really has changed over the last 30 years.

When we entered as students in the early 1980s, the United States was involved in a fierce competition with the Soviet Union. It had been underway for nearly 40 years. We knew it as the Cold War. It was the focus of our studies, and it commanded the attention of the nation and the world. Conflict trends were up. Those studying international development did so in the context of that competition. Even those that tried to sit outside the competition defined their roles by what they weren't: nonaligned. Closer to home, U.S. education policy was influenced by what our leaders thought were the skills the population needed to win the Cold War. We really did feel that the future of the world held in the balance.

Americans were divided over many things in the early '80s but not over their commitment to a U.S. leadership role in the world.

Americans were divided over many thingsthe direction of the economy, taxes, education, and health carebut they were not divided over their commitment to a leadership role in the world. Polling data from the time makes that clear. When asked about the U.S. role in the world, a clear majority spoke out in favor of active involvement.

We all know the story of how the Cold War ended. Yet it was hardly evident at the time we were students that the struggle which so defined our era would be over in just a few short years. Indeed, it was two years after I graduated that Ronald Reagan uttered his famous challenge, Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall. And it was a few years after that that a group of courageous East Germans did tear down the Berlin Wall.

Closer to home, the U.S. was struggling as the industrial era was breathing some of its last gasps. We were yet to learn the terms information age or postindustrial era. Globalization had not yet entered our vocabulary. Climate change would not be debated for some years to come.

The U.S. unemployment rate the year I started at GSPIA was 9.6 percent. It wouldn't get that high again until 2010. Pittsburgh in particular faced bleak prospects. From the 1970s to 2000, the United States steel industry lost some 375,000 jobs. In the year I began my studies at GSPIA, the unemployment rate in the Pittsburgh area was 18.2 percent. Just think about that for a moment. Today, the unemployment rate in Allegheny County is under 5 percent, the same for the country as a whole. That's good news for those of you entering the job market.

At GSPIA, we had a computer lab but no PCs, and it would be another decade before laptops would come on the scene. I did use my first Apple computer when I was a graduate assistant for Dr. Joe Coffey in the University Center for International Studies. I remember thinking to myself, What's the big deal with Apple? So much for my ability to look ahead. No one had a cell phone, and there were still pay phones throughout the campus. A call cost 10 cents. Photocopies cost 5 cents.

A great deal has changed since we were GSPIA students.

Globalization really did seem to be lifting all boats.

The Cold War ended and the U.S. was very much in resurgence. Or so it seemed. The information economy took hold, offering nearly endless promise. Globalization really did seem to be lifting all boats. Lest we forget, nearly 3 billion people have entered the global economy since the Cold War came to an end. During this time, more people moved out of poverty than any previous time in human history. A spectacular achievement by any measure.

But Americans would soon experience the twin shocks of the last decade: 9/11 and the 2008 global financial crisis. Just when we were supposed to be transcending history as we'd known it, the United States found itself in the longest wars of its history and trying to emerge from the deepest recession since the Great Depression. And while the competitions of the past may have ended, new ones clearly are emerging. Tensions are now evident in Europe, the Middle East, and the Far East.

The end of history that [Francis] Fukuyama contemplated as the Cold War was winding down seems in retrospect to be something of a quaint dream. Instead of the democratic peace that many thought so possible, it is looking more like a dim and distant hope. Populism is clearly on the march, here in the United States and across the globe. Many of the certainties of even the recent past seem much less so now. Including the idea of the United States maintaining a leadership role in the world.

In short, this country and the world are at a crossroads.

That leads me to offer several reflections as you conclude your time here at this great institution.

Photo by Denmarsh Studios

The World Needs You

Just as much, perhaps more so, than it did when Robin and I were preparing to enter the workforce. The challenges today are different but not fewer or less demanding than when Robin and I were students at GSPIA. Our world was arguably more dangerous, but to borrow from one of my former bosses, it was a world filled with many knowns. Yours is a world of unknowns. And one in which change is accelerating. I believe our opportunities could well exceed any threats we face. But we need to be in search of those opportunities, even as we contend with threats. Your role is to help find those opportunities and help navigate the change that is coming.

Over the last several years, I have spent time each year on this campus, and I think you are better prepared than we were. Not only through your classroom instruction, but through the many splendid learning experiences the school has made available to you. Your internships, your travels, your specialized study programs, the conversations you have with professors that, trust me, you will think back on years later. Cherish those experiences. And to those of you who are continuing at GSPIA, seek them out. Pursue every chance you can get to work with the amazing faculty and students GSPIA has attracted. Don't ever doubt yourselves or your preparation.

Truth in Today's World Is Under Assault

Not everywhere, but certainly in the world of policy. From all directions. At home and abroad. Politics has a role to play in the making of policy. That is how civil societies function. But good policy can't emerge absent a commitment to the proposition that decisions must be based on the best available facts and evidence. We can argue about solutions, and we must. But we need to put an end to the debates about competing opinions. Otherwise, you get what my current boss [RAND president and CEO Michael Rich] calls Truth Decay.

Don't despair, truth isn't under assault everywhere. Businesses across the globe depend upon timely and accurate data to make decisions. They are willing to pay large sums of money for more precise information because they understand the value of accuracy. That kind of commitment to evidence and accuracy needs to return to the public sector. You have a role in helping bring about that return. Yours is not to be passive bystanders in the struggle for truth. Yours is to help produce a renaissance in the search for truth. Demand it in all you do. Do not be satisfied with anything less.

Be Ready to Be Surprised as You Pursue Your Careers

You heard me say that my professional life has brought me to the fields of journalism, government, and policy research. Your careers will almost certainly be more varied and diverse than mine. Something brought you to the study of public and international affairs. Those interests and passions can be satisfied in a host of different ways. If you are looking for the single path to a career filled with impact, you may not find it. But I can assure you that multiple paths, with changes in direction every now and then, can be a whole lot more interesting. Be ready to be surprised.

This Is Now Your World to Lead

Others will fill the void if you don't. So step up. You are ready. Step up knowing you have been well prepared. But do so with humility. Hard problems rarely have easy answers. Leaders almost never solve hard problems on their own. They catalyze, inspire, and organize groups of people to tackle them together. Step up with a commitment and a passion to help improve people's lives. After all, that is what brought us here in the first place.

Andrew Hoehn is senior vice president for research and analysis at the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation.

Commentary gives RAND researchers a platform to convey insights based on their professional expertise and often on their peer-reviewed research and analysis.
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Price: $ 29,900 Property Address: 112 Columbus Hill Road Seller State of Residence: New York State/Province: New York Zip/Postal Code: 13411 City: Columbus Number of Bedrooms: 5 Number of Bathrooms: 2 Property Type: House Sale Type: Foreclosed Homes Setting: Rural, Country Year Built: 1880 For Sale by: Owner Location: 134**, New Berlin, New York

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Massachusetts firearm company Smith & Wesson just completed the purchase of Idaho silencer manufacturer Gemtech.

Forums lit up With rumors over the holiday weekend, but today, Ron Martinez, CEO of Gemtech, responded to an inquiry from RECOIL with this statement:

Gemtech, the World's Leader in Silencers, now has the backing of the most powerful company in the firearms industry: Smith & Wesson. Combined with the outstanding companies of American Outdoor Brands Corporation, this strengthens the decades old team that is Gemtech.

We anticipate a press release with more details from Smith & Wesson in the coming days.

In the meantime, visit Gemtech online here and Smith & Wesson online here.
The commercial vehicle business is one of the mainstays for the Tata group, highlighting the importance of Girish Wagh's appointment.

Abhineet Kumar reports.

IMAGE: Girish Wagh has worked on many milestone projects, including the Nano. Photograph: Kind courtesy Tata Motors/Twitter

Girish Wagh admits he is not an automobile enthusiast like some of his colleagues.

Yet, for Tata Motors, he is the man to ride the company out of the challenges it is currently facing.

Tata Motors reported a 51.2 per cent share in the medium and heavy commercial vehicles market in 2016-2017, about 7 per cent lower than in 2013-2014.

Its competitors, meanwhile -- including Ashok Leyland, Mahindra and Mahindra and Eicher -- have grown their sales with products that offer better load capacity and fuel efficiency.

"Tata Motors' reaction to the competition in the commercial vehicles segment has not been adequate," says a Bombay House insider reacting to changes at Tata Motors.

Last month, Ravindra Pisharody, executive director (commercial vehicle), resigned citing personal reasons. He was elevated to this position in June 2012 after joining as vice-president (commercial vehicles) in 2007.

The commercial vehicle business is one of the mainstays for the Tata group, says the insider, highlighting the importance of Wagh's appointment as head of the commercial vehicle business earlier this month.

Wagh, who was heading the product line of the medium and commercial vehicle business, has also been included in the executive committee at Tata Motors.

Wagh, 46, is a mechanical engineer from the Maharashtra Institute of Technology in Pune.

He joined Tata Motors in 1992 straight from the campus of the S P Jain Institute of Management and Research, where he did a post graduate programme in manufacturing.

In his 24 years at Tata Motors, Wagh has been part of several landmark projects: The company'first passenger car, Indica, small truck, Ace, and its biggest product design effort, the Nano.

His initiation in Tata Motors was with the trucks division where he had his first brush with product design.

Later, he transitioned from manufacturing to vendor development.

In 1998, he was selected for the company's executive selection scheme programme and moved to business excellence.

In 2000, when Ravi Kant, then the managing director, asked him to move on to full scale product design with mini truck Ace, he was reluctant.

But Kant managed to convince him and Ace rolled out in May 2005, beating a recession in the commercial vehicle market.

IMAGE: Wagh, as the Nano project head, shared the stage with Ratan Tata and Ravi Kant when the Nano was unveiled at the Auto Expo in 2008. Photograph: Sanjay Sawant/Rediff.com

His efforts were noticed not only by Kant, but also by Ratan Tata.

He was moved to the small car division in August 2005.

Wagh, as a project head, shared the stage with Tata and Kant when the Nano was unveiled at the Auto Expo in 2008.

Though the Nano has not been a success for Tata Motors, with only 7,591 units sold in 2016-2017, it did establish the company's ability to innovate.

It also made Wagh the 'go-to man' for new products and design.

In his new role, Wagh has his work cut out for him.

Last year, Tata Motors set a goal to get into the top three global commercial vehicle makers club by 2019. It is currently in the top 10.

That will not be achievable unless the competition at the domestic front is handled successfully. \

The company also wants to be among the top three passenger vehicle makers globally by 2019.

His moves will be closely watched not just by Tata Motors Managing Director Guenter Butschek, but also Bombay House, the headquarters for the $104 billion Tata group.

The challenge with the company though goes beyond products and will require Wagh to summon his business skills.

"The company needs to compete with better products in each segment with the help of better technology and understanding changing customer aspiration," says Abdul Majeed, partner, Pricewaterhouse.

"Basically a holistic approach is required taking all elements, including distribution and service, if it has to get into top three club globally."
Parag Milk Foods, Prabhat Dairy, Hatsun Agro and other dairy companies are sharpening their gaze on the retail space and buttering up their customers with new offerings be they butter, cheese, flavoured lassi or ice cream.

IMAGE: Consumption of dairy products is going up in India's urban areas. This Chandigarh farmer, while he waits to sell his wheat crop, enjoys his ice cream. Photograph: Ajay Verma/Reuters.

As customers across the country shift from unpackaged to packaged dairy products, be it butter, yoghurt, ghee or, ice-creams and consumption of value added dairy products such as cheese goes up in urban homes, private dairies are out to milk the phenomenon.

From being vendors to big brands like Amul, Mother Dairy, Nestle and others, more and more dairies are focusing on the business-to-consumer segment to improve margins and ride the rising consumer interest in branded dairy.



Luring companies in, is the promise of better margins. The business-to-consumer (B2C) segment accounts for far better margins (around 20-25 per cent) compared to the business-to-business (B2B) segment (where margins are lower at 8-11 per cent although this varies widely among the players).





IMAGE: Customers across the country shift from unpackaged to packaged dairy products. Cans of evaporated milk are being packed in this Nestle plant at Moga, Punjab. Photograph: Munish Sharma/Reuters.

Companies are further encouraged by changing consumption habits. Consumers are switching from unbranded to branded ware in categories such as yoghurt and ghee.

According to a report by Euromonitor on Indias dairy sector (December 2016), consumers in smaller cities are shifting from unpackaged or local dairy yoghurt to packaged yoghurt. In urban areas, growing health consciousness is driving sales of flavoured yoghurt.

Also consumption of butter, cheese, buttermilk, lassi and value-added dairy is growing in urban homes. And that is the reason why many dairies are whittling down their B2B divisions.



At Parag Milk Foods, B2B accounts for just 13 per cent of revenues today as compared to 32 per cent five years ago. At Prabhat Dairy, the share of B2C products is being pushed up to 50 per cent from 30 per cent and Hatsun Agro says that more than 90 per cent of its products are direct to customer.





IMAGE: Many dairy companies are looking at launching new ice cream brands. This Delhi ice cream vendor, who takes shelter from the rain inside his cart, sells a wide variety of ice cream. Photograph: Anindito Mukherjee/Reuters.

Maharashtra-based Parag has a diversified product portfolio with over 170 stock keeping units and four established brands; Gowardhan, GO, Pride of Cows and Topp Up. Last quarter it launched two new brands, Milkrich and Avvatar to enter the dairy whitener and whey protein powder categories respectively.

Bharat Kedia, chief financial officer, Parag Milk Foods, said that the B2C segment is indeed the focus. The B2B segment comprises mainly skimmed milk powder and is only 13 per cent of the company's revenues and has been steadily going down year-on-year for the last six years. It was around 32 per cent six years back.



Kedia said that in FY17, however, the share has grown marginally. The procurement of milk has grown over the years and this has been one of the reasons why we had an opportunistic sale of skimmed milk powder in this year.

"Generally, we are not focused on the sale of skimmed milk powder, but on sale of consumer products and fresh milk, Kedia said. Even on the export front, the company is focused on branded consumer products, but exports are a very small portion of turnover for Parag, at around three per cent.





IMAGE: Diversification by dairy companies has radically grown the selection of cheese available in the market like in this Mumbai grocery store. Photograph: Vivek Prakash/Reuters.

Another listed private dairy player, Prabhat Dairy recently said that it is expecting to draw 50 per cent of its business from B2C products by 2020 from 30 per cent at present. Prabhat is working on building new categories in B2C. It recently launched two ice-cream brands, which it sells through retail outlets and modern trade. Other B2C products include liquid milk, cheese, paneer, curd etc. However, as of now, 70 per cent of its business comes from B2B, which includes supplying to Mondelez, Abbott, Parle, Nestle and Future Group, among others.



At an analysts call in May this year Vivek Nirmal, joint managing director, Prabhat Dairy said that the company, over the next three years, could see aggressive consumer business growth and that he has bolstered his managerial team to take on the challenge. He said that the company had just launched Volup ice cream and would come up with new brand launches mainly in milk-based beverages, cheese, and such products. We are in process of revamping Prabhat Dairy brand identity, he said.

Increasing the B2C component will help enhance capacity utilisation at Prabhatfrom 60 per cent to 85-90 per cent in the next two years. Accordingly, the company is looking at doubling the number of retail outlets in the next two years to 200,000.



South-based Hatsun Agro draws more than 92 per cent of its business from B2C segment. We do some institutional sales of SMP, however, that is negligible. We even do not do institutional sales of our ice creams or other products like cheese etc, said R Chandramogan, managing director of Hatsun Agro. His brands include Arun Ice Cream and Arokya milk.





IMAGE: From the B2B model to the B2C: More and more dairy companies sell directly to the customer rather than to another company. South-based Hatsun Agro says it draws more than 92 per cent of its business from B2C segment. We do some institutional sales of skim milk products. That is negligible. We even do not do institutional sales of our ice creams or other products like cheese etc, said R Chandramogan, managing director of Hatsun Agro. Photo representational Photograph: Navesh Chitrakar/Reuters.

The country's largest dairy player, Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation which owns the Amul brand, however, feels that one cannot ignore the B2B segment altogether. Amul draws 16-17 per cent of its revenues from the B2B segment. For certain product categories, share of B2B is quite high; in cheese it is 45 per cent, for butter it is 10 per cent while for ice creams it is about 20 per cent.



R S Sodhi, managing director of GCMMF says, With additional capacity coming up in cheese, the share of HoReCa (hotel, restaurant, catering) is likely to rise.

He, however, admits that the B2B segment is very price conscious and hence the margins are low. No wonder the consumer is king.
'When Modi was having his maiden meeting with Donald Trump, China is up to its old tricks again, by causing a distraction on the Doklam plateau,' says B S Raghavan, the distinguished civil servant.

This commentary is not so much about the recent furore caused by Chinas attempt to construct a road in the Doklam (or Donglong) Plateau as on the mindset that makes China go berserk from time to time over its purported claims over various parts of land and sea.

It is to express puzzlement over a several millennia-old civilization insensitively relapsing into bully-like behaviour without regard to the susceptibilities of sister nations.

As a member of the United Nations, China is pledged to adhere to 'justice and respect for the obligations arising from treaties and other sources of international law' and 'to practice tolerance and live together in peace with one another as good neighbours'.

I wish to ask China through this article how it so conveniently forgets the code of conduct arising from that membership by unilateral acts of adventurism, negating norms of international relations.

Whether it is the question of borders with neighbouring countries, or the South China Sea, or the Senkaku Islands, it is quick to adopt a stance of My Way or the Highway and presumes to lay down the law as if decision-making on any disputed claim is its sole preserve and prerogative.

It proclaims on its own a set of ever expanding core interests, a sort of surrogate Monroe Doctrine, which the world would ignore only at its peril.

Actually, regulation of relations between nations is not so radically different from that of inter-personal relations in complexion and character.

Maintenance of peace and harmony among nations requires that if there is a difference of opinion, honest or otherwise, or dispute, justified or otherwise, the first step is to avoid provocative actions which would further exacerbate feelings, and seek a solution by listening to both sides with patience and an open mind, or submit it to mediation or arbitration by tribunals established for the purpose and accept the verdict with grace.

It has become a set pattern of Chinese conduct over the years to keep the disputes on the boil, indulge in intimidatory tactics and attempt to create faits accompli.

The only concession to civilised behaviour it has made is giving up the use of obnoxious labels of 'reactionaries', 'paper tigers', 'Japanese devils', 'hegemonists', 'imperialist wolves', 'running dogs of imperialism; and the like all of which it used in the past at the drop of a hat.

The insults it heaped on Jawaharlal Nehru who went all out to befriend China and make it a respected member of the comity of nations can never be forgiven.

It came very close to an atavistic throwback to that tendency when it rubbed in the so-called 'lessons of history' of the 1962 debacle suffered by India at the hands of China in its angry response to the statement of the Indian army chief about India's preparedness to meet whatever threat to its security.

Further, in its utter contempt for finer feelings of other nations, it stages outrages at the most inopportune moments such as State visits, or some important event.

Just when Jawaharlal Nehru was extending his friendly hand to China, it gobbled up Tibet without so much as with your leave.

In 1979, just when Atal Bihari Vajpayee, as the foreign minister, was on a visit to China to strengthen relations, it invaded Vietnam, forcing him to break off the visit and then prime minister Morarji R Desai to express 'profound shock and distress'.

Just when poor Narendra D Modi was entertaining Xi Jinping on the swing in Ahmedabad, China makes a massive incursion with its troops into the Chumar sector of eastern Ladakh, compelling Modi to tell his guest that such incidents could impact the biggest of relationships 'just as a little toothache can paralyze the entire body'.

Even 24 hours after Xi saying that the People's Liberation Army had been asked to withdraw, the troops stayed put, falsifying Xi's promise.

Now, when Modi was having his maiden meeting with US President Donald J Trump, China is up to its old tricks again, by causing a distraction on the Doklam (Donglong) plateau.

One of the age-old tests of nobility in valour is that if you want to flex your muscle, you had better pick on someone your own size: China, in a small-minded way, picks on Bhutan to transgress into a territory which the latter genuinely believes to be its, and tries to impose its will, instead of resolving the difference in a decent manner appropriate to a great power.

In the process, it needlessly stokes the embers of suspicion and fears with reference to the Chumbi Valley and the 'chicken's neck' -- the narrow corridor which is the only point of entry for India to the north-eastern states.

By the way, lending credence to Bhutan's stand on the Doklam plateau is the fact that in the various discussions on delineating the Sino-Bhutan border, China had been asking Bhutan to exchange the north-western areas of Bhutan within which the Doklam plateau falls for the central areas next to the Chumbi Valley tri-junction, thereby tacitly accepting Bhutanese right of possession.

Indias concern arises from the fact that this plateau has a dominating effect on not only the Chumbi Valley, but also on the Siliguri corridor called the 'chicken's neck' mentioned earlier.

China already has some six roads leading to the north and north-western areas of Bhutan.

I want to ask the Chinese leaders: Is this what your great sages and philosophers have taught you?

As an ancient civilisation, and a great nation making rapid strides on the world stage, shouldn't you be a role model of propriety, restraint and prudence, instead of being a bull(y) in a China shop?

B S Raghavan is a former member of the Indian Administrative Service, and currently Patron of the Chennai Centre for China Studies.

He plays an active role in the Indo-Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry and is a frequent commentator on national and international affairs.

The views expressed are personal.

IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping at the BRICS summit in Benaulim, Goa, October 2016. Photograph: PTI Photo
'The Chinese forces in the narrow Chumbi Valley are currently in the line of sight and fire of Indian forces poised on the ridges along the Sikkim-Tibet border.'

'Aware of this vulnerability, the Chinese have been eyeing the Doklam plateau,' explains national security expert Nitin A Gokhale.

As the military stand-off over Doka La (or the Doklam plateau) between India and China spills over into its second month, it is important to understand both the military and geo-strategic reasons behind the incident.

Technically the Doklam plateau is Bhutanese territory, but New Delhi, as Bhutan's closest friend in the region, has an obligation to stand up for Thimphu against the aggressive posturing by China, notwithstanding the subtle change in the language of an updated treaty signed in 2007 at the advent of parliamentary democracy in Bhutan.

Article 2 in the earlier treaty, clinched in 1949 had said: 'The Government of India undertakes to exercise no interference in the internal administration of Bhutan. On its part the Government of Bhutan agrees to be guided by the advice of the Government of India in regard to its external relations.'

This clause was amended in 2007 to read: 'In keeping with the abiding ties of close friendship and cooperation between Bhutan and India, the Government of the Kingdom of Bhutan and the Government of the Republic of India shall cooperate closely with each other on issues relating to their national interests. Neither Government shall allow the use of its territory for activities harmful to the national security and interest of the other.'

However Article 1 has remained constant. It reads in both treaties: 'There shall be perpetual peace and friendship between India and Bhutan.'

India thus does have an obligation to defend Bhutan from any aggression.

China, in keeping with its policy of creeping advancement against smaller neighbours, has been pressuring Bhutan to settle the boundary dispute between the two countries.

The boundary dispute exists in three pockets (see map), but for China, the one at tri-junction, is military, the most vital.

The Chinese want to gain control of the Doklam plateau for tactical military reasons by building a road into the Doklam plateau.

The People's Liberation Army has been trying to build a road up to Gyemochen, which is towards the lower end of the tri-junction.

China claims Gyemochen is the tri-junction between India, China (Tibet) and Bhutan whereas Survey of India maps of 1956 show Batang La, north of Gyemochen, as the tri-junction.

The Batalang tri-junction at the narrow end of the Chumbi Valley -- wedged between East Sikkim and West Bhutan -- leaves China very little depth or width to deploy its forces.

The border, as it stands today between both India and China and between China and Bhutan, affords India a tactical advantage since its forces based in north and north-east Sikkim can easily cut off the Chinese deployment in the narrow Chumbi Valley should China try any misadventure here.

The Kalimpong headquartered 27 Division can easily employ mechanised forces in north and north-east Sikkim and press home the advantage against the Chinese in the Chumbi Valley (towards the town of Yadong or Yatung in Tibet), the Gangtok-based 17 Division is well-poised to take care of any Chinese deployment from east Sikkim.

These formations have their tasks clearly defined to cut off Chinese forces by deploying rapidly from north, north-east and east Sikkim towards Bhutan.

The Chinese forces in the narrow Chumbi Valley are currently in the line of sight and fire of Indian forces poised on the ridges along the Sikkim-Tibet border.

Aware of this vulnerability, the Chinese have been eyeing the Doklam plateau since any troops stationed there will be away from visible observation and beyond the artillery range of Indian forces either based in north or north-east Sikkim.

Moreover, once the Chinese gain control of the plateau, they can easily roll down the Zimplri ridge and undermine Indian defences in the Siliguri Corridor that connects the rest of India to the seven north-eastern states.

That is why India has kept a close watch on Chinese activities around the Doklam plateau since it has anticipated the possibility of the Chinese attempting to get behind Indian defences through Bhutan.

The Chinese did try to alter the ground reality once in 2008, but were unsuccessful.

This time, the standoff began in late May and peaked on June 5-6 when Indian troops alerted by their Bhutanese counterparts, blocked the Chinese construction party from extending the road into the Doklam plateau.

Tactical military compulsion apart, there is a geostrategic reason why China chose to up the ante.

That Beijing made its first public statement on the standoff at a time when Prime Minister Narendra D Modi was in the US for his first meeting with President Donald J Trump clearly shows China's annoyance with India's perceived tilt towards the US.

Peeved with India's refusal to join the Belt and Road Initiative, Beijing chose to make a series of aggressive statements against India including one that sought to remind India of the 1962 war between the two, which India lost.

The remark on 1962 received a riposte from Defence Minister Arun Jaitley that '2017 is not 1962.'

Indeed, 55 years after the 1962 war, one can confidently say that the Indian Army has firmly exorcised the ghost of 1962, thanks to a deeper understanding of the Chinese psyche and decisive victories in two major military face-offs since then -- one in 1967 and the other in 1987.

In fact, the stand-off at Nathu La, not very far from the current impasse in 1967, gave the Chinese a bloody nose, just five years after 1962.

The other eyeball to eyeball confrontation at Sumdorong Chu in Arunachal Pradesh, exactly 30 years ago too, forced the Chinese to back down from its creeping encroachment.

There are a few firsts in the current stalemate.

For once China is projecting itself as the aggrieved party.

Two, Beijing has retaliated by cancelling the Mansarovar Yatra through Nathu La, one of the more easily implementable confidence building measures.

Three, China has called India to withdraw its troops from what it calls Chinese territory for any further talks to commence.

A far more assured and confident India reacted to the barrage of intemperate statements by China with a measured statement and offered Beijing a way out.

The statement said in conclusion: 'India has consistently taken a positive approach to the settlement of its own boundary with China, along with the associated issue of the tri-junctions.'

'India cherishes peace and tranquility in the India-China border areas. It has not come easily.'

'Both sides have worked hard to establish institutional framework to discuss all issues to ensure peace and tranquillity in the India-China border areas.'

'India is committed to working with China to find peaceful resolution of all issues in the border areas through dialogue.'

The belligerence displayed by some of India's military veterans from the safety of television studios notwithstanding, both New Delhi and Beijing have the wisdom and sagacity to resolve the latest dispute calmly.

By standing firm and helping a weaker friend militarily, India has displayed its resolve.

Now it's time to get down to some deft diplomacy.

BharatShakti.in Co-founder Nitin A Gokhale is one of India's leading experts on strategic affairs.

IMAGES: TOP: An Indian soldier tries out his martial arts on a Chinese trooper during the India-China military exercises in Kunming, south-west China, October 2015. Photograph: Kind courtesy The Indian Army. BOTTOM: China's border dispute with Bhutan. Map: Kind courtesy: BharatShakti.in
'Vaghela has said he is with the Congress.'

'The controversy that he may switch to the BJP is a creation of that party to create confusion in the Congress.'

IMAGE: Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi and Shankersinh Vaghela, second from left, offers prayers at the Umiya Mata temple, Unjha, Mehsana, Gujarat. Photograph: ANI

Ashok Gehlot -- the Congress general secretary in charge of Gujarat affairs -- talks to Amit Agnihotri amid speculation over party veteran Shankersinh Vaghela's recent parleys with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Shankersinh Vaghela wants to be projected as the party's chief ministerial face for the upcoming assembly polls. Have you taken a call on the matter?

The Congress will not project a chief ministerial face in Gujarat.

That decision will be made by the elected lawmakers after the polls.

That has been the practice in the party for long and I don't think we are likely to make any changes this time.

Besides, Vaghela has said he is with the Congress.

The controversy that he may switch to the BJP is a creation of the saffron party to create confusion in the Congress.

But in the Punjab elections, the party did project Amrinder Singh as its CM candidate. Why not in Gujarat?

Punjab was a different case and Amrinder's name had been floated much earlier.

So there was no harm in going public with the choice.

You recently assumed charge of Gujarat. How do you assess the Congress' prospects in the state?

Well, I can tell you that the people want a change.

There is a strong anti-incumbent mood against the ruling BJP in the state.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP chief Amit Shah are bullish about their party's prospects in the coming polls.

What is your plan to bring the Congress back in power in the state?

Modi is good at marketing and managed to win elections with his marketing skills.

The BJP mainly practises the politics of polarisation, instead of pursuing development.

There is no idealism in the saffron party.

In contrast, our leaders like prime ministers Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi have sacrificed their lives for the nation.

Mahatma Gandhi belonged to the state, but the problem is that the youth are not aware of his legacy.

We need to educate them. The Congress will highlight good governance under its rule in the past, inclusive growth, and pro-poor policies.

The BJP, it seems, will try to counter the Congress on the beef ban issue, especially the public slaughter of a calf by some Kerala Youth Congress activists to oppose a central law on cattle.

(Congress Vice-President) Rahul Gandhi immediately clarified his and the party's stand on the slaughter and the controversy should have ended there.

But the BJP is highlighting the issue because it wants to keep it alive ahead of the assembly polls.

When are you likely to roll out the party's poll campaign?

I have asked all four AICC secretaries helping me in Gujarat to travel in the state and interact with local leaders.

These interactions will be done community-wise and block-wise.

They will also reach out to party workers.

This is like the initial stage of our campaign, a warm-up exercise.

A detailed campaign roll out will follow well in time.

Will there be any campaign role for Vaghela?

No specific role for him has been decided, but since he is the Congress legislative party leader, Vaghela will be an important element in the party's campaign strategy.

The Congress has been communicating with community leaders like Hardik Patel who led the Patidar reservation movement to counter the BJP. Is he on board?

Those who believe in the Congress ideology and policies are welcome to join forces with us.

No final decision on making Hardik Patel an ally has been taken.

However, our state unit has been in touch with him.

Is the Congress thinking of a pact with the NCP (the Nationalist Congress Party) and the JD-U (Janata Dal-United) in the state?

We are open to an alliance with these parties, but it is too early to comment on the issue.

The party was considering announcing the candidates in advance. Is it likely to happen?

There has been a suggestion on naming party candidates early, but no decision has been taken so far.

Is that because of infighting among the state leaders?

Your predecessor Gurudas Kamat even started a dinner diplomacy initiative to bring them together.

Any success?

The Congress is a big national party, so some differences are bound to be there, but there is no vertical division in the state unit.

Dinner diplomacy was one way of defusing tension between Vaghela and some state leaders, but that issue is over now.

Is the Congress showing some signs of recovery after the 2014 national poll loss?

Is Rahul Gandhi taking over as party president?

I think the current arrangement of Sonia Gandhi as party chief and Rahul Gandhi as vice- president is fine.

Anyway, Rahul is taking all the decisions, so it hardly makes a difference when he takes over the organisation.

The party's internal polls have been announced and new office-bearers will be in place by October.

The Congress is trying to build Opposition unity for the 2019 Lok Sabha polls to counter the BJP.

Will Rahul be the coalition's PM nominee?

Opposition unity for the 2019 polls is a good move.

All Opposition parties need to tell the BJP that they are opposed to its ideology.

As for the PM nominee of the alliance, the issue can be decided later, either before or after the Lok Sabha polls.

As a former chief minister, you are a key player in Rajasthan politics.

How you do assess the Vasundhra Raje government in the state?

The BJP came to power in the state in 2013 with a thumping majority, but the Raje government has proved to be non-functional.

People are dejected with the state government and are asking the BJP if it was their fault to have voted for the saffron party.

Can the Congress come back in Rajasthan in the 2018 polls?

Yes, the party can win the next polls in the state.

Though I have to focus on Gujarat, I will remain active in Rajasthan as well.
The Delhi high court on Monday refused to quash the money laundering case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and son.

The court dismissed the petitions of Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and another person Chunni Lal.

"The petitions are devoid of substance, consequentially the same are dismissed," Justice R K Gauba said.

The Enforcement Directorate had earlier summoned 83-year-old Singh, his wife and son for questioning in this regard.

The ED had in September 2015 lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the Central Bureau of Investigation.

The court had earlier reserved the judgment after hearing arguments of the counsel for ED, Singh and others on the petitions.

The CBI had filed a charge sheet on March 31, hours after the high court refused to quash the FIR lodged against Singh and his wife in the disproportionate assets case.

The high court, which had rubbished the chief minister's claim that the FIR was the result of a 'political vendetta', had paved the way for criminal proceedings which were stalled due to an October 1, 2015 order of the Himachal Pradesh high court restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating and filing the charge sheet against the accused.

The ED had earlier termed as 'premature' Singh's plea for quashing of the money laundering case proceedings.

It had said the plea seeking a stay on the proceedings was 'not maintainable' as the inquiry into the matter was at a preliminary stage.

The agency is probing allegations against Singh and his family members of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union minister of steel.

It has also attached assets worth about Rs 14 crore in this case under the PMLA.

In July 2016, Life Insurance Corporation of India agent Anand Chauhan was arrested by the ED under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case.

The probe agency had alleged that Singh, while serving as the Union minister, had invested huge amounts in purchasing LIC policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan.
It also dismissed Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different.

The ongoing verbal spat between China and India on Monday escalated as Beijing said the Indian Army's action to stop Chinese troops from constructing a road in an area near Sikkim is a "betrayal" of the position taken by successive Indian governments and India must pull back its soldiers.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated.

"By entering into the Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese troops' normal activities, India has violated the existing convention on the boundary and basic principle of international law and obstructed peace and stability of the boundary area," Geng told reporters at a briefing.

"We require the Indian side to withdraw their troops to the Indian side of the boundary and create conditions for he restoration of peace and stability in the relevant areas."

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan trijunction for almost a month in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962, when the two countries fought a brief war.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back its troops immediately. He dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

"Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to the then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this," he said.

"The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by (successive) Indian governments," he said.

"What has happened is very clear, the Sikkim section of the boundary has already been defined by the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China. Doklam belongs to China."

Asked if there was a possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Hamburg in Germany this week, Geng said he has "no information at the moment" about the arrangements for bilateral meetings between Xi and leaders of other countries.

He, however, said the line for diplomatic communication between India and China is "open and smooth".

The standoff came to notice when China denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. At first, Beijing said it stopped the Yatra due to damage to roads in Tibet after rains and landslides.

Later China signalled the matter was related to the standoff between the two armies near Sikkim. The Sikkim route to Mansarovar was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

On Monday, Geng said the other route to Tibet through Lipulek pass is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute over boundary between India and China.

On the Indian ministry of external affairs statement on Friday that the construction road by Chinese troops in the disputed Doka La area would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India, The Chinese foreign ministry official said they have "noted" the statement by India.

"It evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. But it is this convention which has confirmed the alignment of the boundary between the two sides at the Sikkim section. This convention has been recognised by successive Chinese and Indian governments and has been confirmed by the Indian governments in written form," he said.

"Prime Minister Nehru has affirmed in his letters to the Premier Zhou Enlai that the convention must be observed. That is the basic principle of international law. It is an obligation must be fulfilled by the Indian side," he said.

He also accused India of using Bhutan as a cover.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

"We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to Indian side infringing up Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse. The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," he said.

This is not the first time that such a transgression has happened at Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian Army bunkers there.

Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

Since the standoff on June 6, when PLA bulldozers destroyed bunkers of the India Army claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several peices warning India over escalating tension and "reminding" the Indian Army about the 1962 war.

IMAGE: Chinese and Indian troops during a 'joint tactical exercise' held last year in Ladakh. Photograph: @SpokespersonMoD/Twitter
In an interview to pro-government daily Israel Hayom, the PM said his visit -- the first ever by an Indian premier -- was based on the deep centuries-old connection between our two peoples.

IMAGE: Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi hug each other after reading the joint statement at Hyderabad House in New Delhi in 2016. Photograph: Adnan Abidi/Reuters

Support India on terror, ours not a friendship to hide: Israel Prez

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday described Indias ties with Israel as special and said his visit -- the first-ever by an Indian premier to the country -- will lead to further cementing of bilateral ties and cooperation in key areas including counter-terrorism.

My visit comes at a special moment --we mark 25 years of the establishment of relations between India and Israel this year, Modi said on the eve of his three-day visit to Israel.

In an interview to the pro-government daily Israel Hayom, Modi said his visit was based on the deep centuries-old connection between our two peoples.

I share the opinion of many of my people, who see Israel as a beacon of technology, as a country that has managed to survive even though the odds were against it.

Modis visit is expected to focus on forging new defence and cyber security ties, two areas in which Israel has sought to portray itself as a world leader, the daily said.

Separately, in an e-mail sent to Israelis who subscribe to his newsletter, Modi said Indias ties with Israel are special.

Modi said his visit will lead to further cementing the ties between the two countries, according to Jerusalem Post.

India is the worlds biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers. Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than $1 billion in defence deals each year.

Modi said his government is determined to improve ties between India and Israel and raise them to new levels.

Noting that the frequency of high-level exchanges has gone up over the last three years, Modi said that no Indian president or prime minister had visited Israel before President Pranab Mukherjee visited in 2015.

My visit has its own significance as this is the first time ever that an Indian PM is visiting Israel. I am confident that my visit will lead to further strengthening of our relations in different areas and also open up new priorities for cooperation, Modi told Israel Hayom.

Our goal is to conduct dialogue with Israel in a manner that improves the lives of the citizens of both countries, said Prime Minister Modi, who last visited Israel a decade ago when he was chief minister of Gujarat with a delegation to learn about Israeli agriculture.

I am happy to return after more than a decade, and I look forward to seeing the developments and advances Israel has made in this time, Modi said.

He lauded Israel for transforming itself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country and hailed its other amazing accomplishments.

Asked whether Israel and India facing the same threat of terrorism, Modi said that terrorism is a global menace and two countries are not immune to it either.

We are in full agreement that elements which perpetrate violence on innocent people should not be allowed to flourish. Cross-border terrorism is a major challenge for us. Divisive forces across our border are trying to disrupt the unity of our nation.

These troublemakers often misuse religion as a tool to misguide youth in our country and our regions. Terrorism should not be equated with any particular religion. India and Israel could cooperate even more closely and complement each others efforts to fight with the menace of terrorism, he told the Israeli daily.

When asked whether he is ardent supporter of the capitalist system and wants to liberalise the economy, Modi said he does not believe in any isms.

I, and my government work with the motto of Together with all, development for all, he added.

Modi said Israel could be a technology partner in the process of Indias transformation.

Israels capabilities offer a good match for our flagship schemes like Clean Ganga and SmartCities. Israeli technologies could also be used to improve the quality of lives of hundreds of thousands of people in our country if Israeli innovators remodel their products according to the needs of our rural population, he added.

We are not looking at a traditional import-export relationship with Israel. It is more than a buyer-seller relationship. We are more interested in a tech-based partnership with an emphasis on Make in India, he added.
Pakistan on Monday dismissed the United States designating Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin a global terrorist, saying it was not a United Nations decision but a move by the Trump administration to appease India.

Alleging that India was offering its services to the US to pressurise China, Pakistan Prime Ministers Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time.

Talking to a delegation from the Kashmir Journalists Forum, he said Salahuddin being designated a terrorist by the US was an attempt by the American administration to appease India.

Pakistan was not bound to follow the decision as it was not a United Nations declaration, Dawn newspaper quoted Aziz as saying.

The US declared Salahuddin a global terrorist just before Prime Minister Narendra Modis first meeting with President Donald Trump on June 26 in Washington.

In a notification, the State Department said Salahuddin, who hails from Kashmir and is based in Pakistan for the last 28 years, has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.

Aziz said that India has been trying to downplay the Kashmir issue for a very long time, but the agitation at the local level had completely changed the Indian narrative.

Aziz reiterated that the struggle was being led by Kashmiris and Pakistan was only providing political, diplomatic and moral support to them.

Aziz also highlighted ceasefire violations by India, claiming that India had violated the ceasefire more than 400 times in the past years, which was a violation of a 2003 agreement between the two nations.

He said that Pakistan was willing for a dialogue on all issues with neighbouring countries as a part of its vision for a peaceful neighbourhood, but a dialogue with India without Kashmir on the agenda was out of the question.
Lifestyle winner

Jody MacDonald, Canada

When I was young I used to look through National Geographic magazines and dream of adventures like this: train-hopping through the Sahara on one of the worlds longest trains. I had dreamt of the oceans of sand, the loud noises of the train, the cold, the wind, the scorching sun, the unknown smells and sounds of the desert, and the discomfort that goes with it. So when I was asked to dream up and photograph a trip in harsh conditions, a 700-kilometre journey through the Sahara desert in Mauritania came to mind.

After weeks of planning, our journey began in the capital of Nouakchott. From there my brother and I moved north through the interior to board the Mauritania Railway. Our risky rail journey started from the iron-mining center of Zouerat in the Sahara, and snaked through the barren desert toward the port of Nouadhibou on the Atlantic. We wanted to get to the coast to try to find some unexplored surf breaks and capture the spirit of adventure and exploration through this incredible landscape. Having only a few minutes to hop on the train in the middle of the night, we spent 15 long hours slithering through the desert on the three-kilometre train that transports approximately 84 tons of iron ore across a country crippled by terrorism, slavery, and poverty.

Photograph: Jody MacDonald/Red Bull Illume
On the eve of his unprecedented visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday said he will discuss with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu the common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6 before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

In Israel, he will also meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.

He will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.

Modi will also pay his respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of Indias... As the first Indian prime minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer, he said in a statement.

I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties, he tweeted.

The prime minister said he will have in-depth talks with Netanyahu on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism.

This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations.

My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples, Modi said.

On the economic side, he said, I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground.

In addition, he said, I hope to get insights into Israels accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits.

On July 6, the prime minister will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8.

The theme chosen for this year is Shaping an Inter-connected World.

I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability, he said.

We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, womens empowerment, and partnership with Africa, Modi added.

As in the past, he said he looked forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.
A group of Dalits from Gujarat, upset over an incident in Kushinagar in Uttar Pradesh some time back, tried to lodge their protest in a unique way but failed to do so.

Over 40 Dalits wanted to visit Lucknow to present a 125-kg soap to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath because the Kushinagar district administration had purportedly distributed soaps and shampoo in a Dalit locality ahead of the chief ministers visit to the area in May.

The activists of Dr Ambedkar Vichar Samiti and Nav Srijan Samiti from Ahmedabad were taken into custody on Sunday night and sent back home, officials said.

They were stopped from proceeding towards the state capital in apprehension of a breach of peace at the railway station and were sent back to Ahmedabad by Sabarmati Express this morning, said City Magistrate C P Misra.

Retired IPS officer S R Darapuri, who is the president of the All India Peoples Front (Radical), said in Lucknow that the activists from Gujarat were on their way to the state capital to take part in a seminar on Dalit atrocities and hand over the soap to Adityanath as a mark of protest.

He added that the 125-kg soap had a bust of Lord Buddha engraved on it.

It was to be presented to the chief minister as the Dalits in Gujarat reportedly felt insulted after soaps were purportedly distributed among the members of the Musahars (scheduled caste) community, ahead of Adityanaths visit to Kushinagar, so that they could cleanse themselves before meeting him.

By gifting it to Adityanath, we wanted to tell him that the Buddha-soap will not only help him cleanse his body, but also his mind, said Darapuri.

On May 24, Adityanath had visited the Musahar Basti in Kushinagar district, where a majority of the residents are known as rat-catchers and are allegedly discriminated against for being untouchables.

Image: The Dalit activists said the soap engraved with the bust of Lord Buddha was to help the UP CM cleanse not only his body but also his mind.
China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war, Chinese experts warned on Monday, amid a standoff between the two nations in the Sikkim sector.

As the standoff at the Doka La area continued for the third week, the longest between the two countries, the official media and the think-tanks here said that 'war is possible if the conflict between India and China is not handled properly'.

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

China will resolutely safeguard its border sovereignty in conflicts with Indian troops even at the cost of war, state-run Global Times daily quoted Chinese experts as saying.

'China is also different from what it was in 1962,' Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies told the daily, reacting to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's comments that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962.

"If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and the India of 2017 is different," Jaitley had said.

'India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both countries share many similarities. For instance, they are both developing countries with huge populations,' Wang said.

'There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border,' the Global Times report said.

'In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers,' the daily said.

Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said.

'Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war,' Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper.

'A conflict between the two may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US,' he said.

'India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides,' Wang said.

The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that India's Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an 'all-weather railway corridor' with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry.

'India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence,' Zhao said.

The daily quoted experts saying that in the event of a China-India war, the United States is unlikely to directly get involved, though it may sell weapons to India.

'An attempt to impress Trump'

Another article in the Global Times said that Indias objection to China building the road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the United States was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its firm determination to constrain Chinas rise.

Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India, but also strengthen Indias advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China, the article said.

The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US Indias firm determination to constrain China's rise, the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.

For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modi's visit to the US, it said.

In addition, the Indian government has started an anti-dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing Chinas rise.

Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.

Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modis two-day visit to the US, people link Indias bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting, it said.

The daily also downplayed Modis visit, saying it was not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved.

At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a relatively harmonious relationship with Trump.

Photograph: Petar Kujundzi/Reuters
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Brazil

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Brazil, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ecfea.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BRAZIL: TIER 2

The Government of Brazil does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Brazil remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by passing a comprehensive anti-trafficking law, investigating and prosecuting suspected traffickers under the new law, conducting more prevention campaigns, beginning the development of a centralized judicial database to track trafficking cases, and making efforts to reduce demand for forced labor. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not report the total number of final convictions its courts issued during the year or the number of victims that received assistance in the latter part of 2016. Further, the government did not provide specialized shelters for victims of trafficking or adequate long-term care. The lack of adequate care left victims vulnerable to re-trafficking.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BRAZIL

Vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking cases and convict and punish traffickers, including complicit officials; prosecute labor traffickers in criminal courts; increase funding for specialized services, including housing for victims of sex trafficking and forced labor; improve federal and state law enforcement cooperation and communication on trafficking cases; enhance efforts to identify child victims in domestic servitude and sex trafficking; robustly implement the anti-trafficking law and make full use of institutions and mechanisms already in place; train federal, state, and municipal law enforcement officials on proactive identification of victims; amend the 2016 anti-trafficking law to criminalize child sex trafficking without elements of force, fraud, or coercion; update referral mechanism guidance to reflect the provisions covered under the new law; increase specialized services for child trafficking victims, including case management assistance and oversight of local guardianship councils; collect judicial case data from all states to improve and better understand the response to trafficking cases; increase efforts to investigate cases of labor trafficking and add more labor inspectors trained to recognize and report indicia of forced labor; and finalize and begin implementing the third national action plan for the elimination of trafficking.

PROSECUTION

The government maintained law enforcement efforts. In October 2016, the government passed law 13.344, a comprehensive anti-trafficking law that criminalizes all forms of trafficking in persons and updated existing statutes to generally harmonize the definition of trafficking with international law. Article 149a of the new anti-trafficking law criminalizes brokering, enticing, recruiting, transporting, transferring, buying, harboring, or receiving a person by grave threat, violence, coercion, fraud, or abuse for the purpose of organ removal, forced labor (any kind of servitude or conditions analogous to slavery), illegal adoption, or sexual exploitation. Although article 149a does not appear to include an exemption from force, fraud, or coercion for the sex trafficking of children, article 244A of the child and adolescent statute criminalizes inducing a child to engage in sexual exploitation, without the need to prove that means of force, fraud, or coercion were used. Article 149 prohibits trabalho escravo, or reducing a person to a condition analogous to slavery, defining forced labor to include degrading work conditions and exhausting work hours, going beyond situations in which people are held in service through force, fraud, or coercion. While not all individuals in trabalho escravo are forced labor victims, many are. In 2016, Brazilian lawmakers introduced legislation to redefine trabalho escravo to only include instances of forced labor. The new anti-trafficking law increases prescribed penalties to four to eight years imprisonment and a fine, which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. The sentence can be reduced by one-to two-thirds if the defendant is a first-time offender, acted alone and not as part of a criminal organization. Penalties can be increased by one-third to one-half if the crime was committed by a public official; the victim is a minor or a disabled person; there is a personal or familial relationship with the victim; or if the victim was removed from the country.

Contrary to previous years when law enforcement data might have included state and federal efforts, the 2016 investigation and prosecution data only includes information under federal jurisdiction. In 2016, authorities reported 103 new and ongoing investigations under articles 231 and 231a, 22 new and 20 ongoing investigations under article 149, and 22 investigations under article 149a of the new anti-trafficking law (compared with 374 ongoing and 97 new investigations under articles 231 and 231a, and 296 investigations under article 149 in 2015). The government reported 104 new or ongoing prosecutions under articles 231 and 231a; 31 ongoing prosecutions under article 149; and six new prosecutions under the new anti-trafficking law, three under article 149 and three under article 149a (compared with 97 new or ongoing prosecutions under articles 231 and 231a, and 65 under article 149 in 2015). Authorities reported one final trafficking conviction in a higher court and 22 convictions by lower courts, compared with 12 convicted traffickers in lower courts in 2015. The government did not report the number of investigations and prosecutions in the lower courts. Most sex and labor traffickers convicted by lower courts appealed their convictions; there were 29 appeals related to trafficking cases in federal court system in 2016 (compared with 43 in 2015). The appeals process lasted years and hampered Brazil's overall law enforcement efforts. Authorities estimated 102 million cases were pending review in the Brazilian court system in 2015 and rulings in eight of every 10 cases were not enforced due to recurring appeals. The government did not report the length of sentences given; however, most convicted traffickers served these sentences under house arrest or by spending only nights in prison while being free during the day. The government treated forced labor as a distinct crime from sex trafficking. The Ministry of Labor's (MOL) inspectors, prosecutors, and courts handled cases of trabalho escravo. This resulted in uneven interagency coordination of anti-trafficking efforts. Labor inspectors and labor prosecutors could apply only civil penalties, and the government did not report criminal prosecution of any trabalho escravo cases. The MOL conducted 5,376 inspections in 2016, a decrease from 7,263 inspections in 2015, following eight months of strikes by labor inspectors.

The Brazilian Federal Police (DPF) had a unit in every state and was involved in the investigation of most trafficking crimes. In some states, the DPF worked efficiently with state and municipal law enforcement entities; however, law enforcement cooperation and communication among the DPF and state and municipal entities was generally insufficient. Law enforcement units at all levels had insufficient funding, expertise, and staff to investigate trafficking. NGOs indicated that, for the most part, the DPF competently handled identified trafficking cases; however, specialized training for all law enforcement entities on trafficking indicators was lacking. In Sao Paulo, the municipal government trained the police to detect signs of trafficking. During the reporting period, the government collaborated with an international organization to provide a five-day training for several judges and prosecutors on the implementation of the new anti-trafficking law. In 2016, the National Justice Council (CNJ) launched FONTET a national forum tasked with increasing judicial efficiency in the handling of trafficking cases and ensuring that victims are not penalized for crimes committed as a result of being subjected to human trafficking. CNJ and FONTET jointly began centralizing judicial case information into a database where the status of all cases pending in Brazilian courts, including trafficking cases, would be available; however, the database did not include data from all states. In December 2016, the Inter-American Court for Human Rights ruled against Brazil in a historic case where for the first time it fined a country for failing to prevent slavery within its borders and ordered the government to pay $5 million to 128 farm workers who were enslaved from 1988 to 2000 and to reopen the investigation. Some cases of official complicity remained open. The investigation of an elected official, who in October 2016 was removed from his position in Parana state after allegations of involvement in a child sex trafficking ring, remained ongoing. An appeal by the prosecution of an inadequate sentence given to a civil police investigator for his involvement in a prostitution ring involving children remained ongoing. After filing a habeas corpus petition, courts released a former state legislator sentenced to 12 years imprisonment for trafficking crimes after four months.

PROTECTION

The government maintained efforts to protect victims, although it was difficult to assess victim identification and assistance efforts as government entities used different definitions of trafficking. Authorities continued to use guidance provided by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for all federal, state, and local governments on victim identification and assistance, but the government did not report updating the guidance to reflect requirements and provisions of the new legislation. Law 13.344 mandates the government to provide victims with temporary shelter, legal, social, and health assistance, and protection against re-victimization. In 2016, the government, in conjunction with an international organization, developed specific guidance for assistance to migrants, refugees, returned Brazilians, and trafficking victims in border areas. Sixteen of 27 state governments operated state-level anti-trafficking offices (NETPs) that referred victims to social assistance centers (CREAs). NETPs varied in effectiveness and generally only referred victims of sex trafficking crimes. CREAs also worked with victims of sexual abuse, exploitation, and domestic violence. Specialized MOL divisions provided victims of forced labor job training services, three months of unemployment pay, and limited counseling services. Observers indicated some of the NETPs had effective assistance and coordination teams comprised of police offices, prosecutors, and mental health professionals, whereas other state offices were not as well equipped to assist victims. The anti-trafficking offices that are located in major points of transport, like airports and bus stations, and NETPs released their semester report for the first half of 2016 and reported monitoring 237 trafficking cases, providing services to 383 individuals, including 233 children and adolescents, and reaching 10,183 individuals through seminars, lectures, and trainings. For the same period in 2015, the government reported providing services to 528 potential sex trafficking and 176 potential labor trafficking victims. MOL mobile inspection units identified 885 laborers in situations of trabalho escravo in 2016, (1,010 in 2015 and 1,509 in 2014) more than 50 percent in agriculture and ranching. Officials did not report the number of victims of domestic servitude or commercial sexual exploitation of children identified in 2016.

The federal government did not fund specialized or long-term shelters for trafficking victims; instead, it often placed them in shelters for victims of domestic violence or centers for migrant assistance. There were no specialized services for male and transgender sex trafficking victims. Specialized shelters for child sex trafficking victims were lacking, and guardianship councils often did not have the expertise or resources to identify child victims correctly and refer them to services. General victim services and shelters varied in quality from state to state and generally remained underfunded and inadequate. The state of Sao Paulo maintained a shelter where female victims of trafficking and their children could receive health benefits, education, food, and housing for three to six months. Another shelter in the same state provided temporary assistance for refugees and trafficking victims, but the government did not report how many victims stayed at the shelter. In 2016, there were 2,521 specialized social assistance centers across the country where psychologists and social workers assisted vulnerable people (compared with 2,374 centers in 2015.) In 2016, many centers remained underfunded; however, 988 centers were certified to assist trafficking victims an increase from 675 centers in 2015. Authorities reported assisting 843 trafficking victims (598 men, 182 women, 33 boys, and 30 girls) in 2016, compared with 673 trafficking victims assisted in 2015 (363 men, 185 women, 55 boys, and 70 girls.)

Most identified victims of trabalho escravo remained vulnerable to re-trafficking due to lack of adequate assistance and limited employment options; however, the government sought to address this issue by offering vocational training. State governments in Mato Grosso, Bahia, Rio de Janeiro, and the "Bico do Papagaio" region continued to offer vocational training to victims of trabalho escravo. The ministries of labor and social development continued to provide trabalho escravo victims access to public services by including the victims in the registry for social programs, granting them priority access to a cash transfer program, unemployment insurance, subsidized low-income housing, a 60 percent discount on energy bills, and technical assistance all implemented at municipal-level centers for social assistance.

During the reporting period, the MOJ reported the judicial system began incorporating live video testimony into trials to encourage victims of crimes to testify against their perpetrators and do so from the location of their choice. Authorities indicated video testimony had not been used in a trafficking trial yet. Sex trafficking victims serving as witnesses were eligible for a short-term protection program, although authorities did not report how many victims received protection in 2016, compared with two trafficking victims who received protection in 2015. Foreign sex trafficking victims were entitled to permanent visa status, but authorities did not report how many victims received it in 2016, compared to one victim in 2015. The government provided repatriation assistance for Brazilian nationals subjected to trafficking abroad, as well as for foreign nationals who were subjected to trafficking in Brazil who wish to return to their country of origin. It was unclear how many victims received repatriation assistance in 2016. There were no reports of victims penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking.

PREVENTION

The government increased prevention efforts. The 2013-2016 second national action plan for the elimination of trafficking expired in December 2016. The anti-trafficking inter-ministerial group held consultations with civil society to discuss lessons learned and met to analyze progress made on the second national action plan. In coordination with civil society, the government began planning a third national action plan. Coordination among agencies working on anti-trafficking initiatives at the national and state level was uneven and varied in efficacy. State and federal authorities reported reduced budgets and other pressing government priorities limited, and will continue to limit, their ability to implement anti-trafficking efforts. Federal, state, and municipal entities undertook anti-trafficking initiatives and awareness efforts. The government continued to participate in the Blue Heart campaign focused on raising awareness on the plight of trafficking victims and gaining political support for the prosecution of traffickers. Municipal and state governments hosted workshops, trainings, performances, and roundtable discussions to commemorate World Day Against Trafficking. In Rio de Janeiro, the state government, in collaboration with an NGO, conducted awareness campaigns to educate the public on the dangers of false employment opportunities. In March 2017, the MOL resumed publication of the lista suja, or dirty list, after a nearly three-year legal dispute over its release. The list identified individuals and businesses responsible for trabalho escravo. Businesses listed were denied access to credit by public and private financial institutions. In 2017, the list included 68 businesses, compared with 609 businesses listed in May 2014, when it was last released. Authorities continued efforts against child sex tourism by enhancing law enforcement cooperation and information sharing with foreign governments; however, the government did not report any new investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of child sex tourists in 2016. In collaboration with a network of religious leaders in 26 states, the government launched a campaign to promote general awareness of trafficking in persons and preventing sex tourism. Military troops received anti-trafficking training prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions. The government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Brazil is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Brazilian women and children are exploited in sex trafficking within the country; federal police report higher rates of children exploited in sex trafficking in the north and northeast regions. Brazilian women are subjected to sex trafficking abroad, especially in Western Europe and China. Women and girls from other South American countries, including Paraguay, are exploited in sex trafficking in Brazil. Transgender Brazilians are forced into prostitution in Brazil. Brazilian men and transgender Brazilians have been exploited in sex trafficking in Spain and Italy. Child sex tourism remains a problem, particularly in resort and coastal areas; many child sex tourists are from Europe, and to a lesser extent, the United States. Some Brazilian men, and to lesser extent women and children, are subjected to trabalho escravo and debt bondage in rural areas, including in ranching, agriculture, charcoal production, logging, and mining. Exploitation of workers is sometimes linked to environmental damage and deforestation, particularly in the Amazon region. Brazilians are also found in trabalho escravo in urban areas in construction, factories, and the restaurant and hospitality industries. Brazilian women and children, as well as girls from other countries in the region, are exploited in domestic servitude; approximately 213,000 children are employed as domestic workers in Brazil. Some Brazilian trafficking victims are forced to engage in criminal activity, including drug trafficking, in Brazil and neighboring countries. Brazilian forced labor victims have been identified in other countries, including in Europe. Men, women, and children from other countries including Bolivia, Paraguay, Haiti, and China are subjected to forced labor and debt bondage in many sectors, including construction; the textile industry, particularly in Sao Paulo; and small businesses. NGOs and officials report some police officers ignore the exploitation of children in sex trafficking, patronize brothels, and rob and assault women in prostitution, impeding identification of sex trafficking victims. Government officials and former officials have been investigated and prosecuted for trabalho escravo.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Botswana

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Botswana, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ecff12.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BOTSWANA: TIER 2

The Government of Botswana does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Botswana remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by investigating and prosecuting more trafficking cases than in the previous reporting period and obtaining its first trafficking conviction under the 2014 Anti-Human Trafficking Act. The government also identified more victims of trafficking, established a specialized anti-trafficking unit, and appointed two officials, trained on human trafficking, to monitor the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not amend the 2009 Children's Act to include in the definition of child trafficking, the commercial sexual exploitation of children without requiring the means of force, coercion, or movement. The government's efforts to protect victims were uneven. In the government's first trafficking conviction, the trafficker served only eight months of an 18-month sentence in prison, although the government's appeal of that sentence was pending at the end of the reporting period.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOTSWANA

Formalize the system to refer victims to social services and ensure all victims receive protective services; amend the anti-trafficking laws to ensure penalties are sufficiently stringent by eliminating fines in lieu of prison time and disallow suspended sentences when sentencing convicted traffickers; increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers; implement formal victim identification procedures for all stakeholders, including law enforcement and immigration officials, and train officials on the procedures; continue to encourage victims to participate in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers through formal procedures; develop guidelines for specific protective services for trafficking victims, to be provided either directly or in partnership with NGOs; continue to conduct awareness campaigns, particularly in rural areas; and provide anti-trafficking training to diplomatic personnel.

PROSECUTION

The government increased anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. The 2014 Anti-Human Trafficking Act criminalizes all forms of trafficking, essentially tracking international law and making it a crime to use force, fraud or coercion for the purpose of exploitation. The 2014 Act defines "exploitation" broadly to include not only forced labor and prostitution, but also forced or child marriage and child labor. The Act prescribes penalties for sex and labor trafficking of up to 25 years imprisonment or a fine of 500,000 pula ($46,852), which are sufficiently stringent; however, allowing for a fine in lieu of imprisonment for sex trafficking is not commensurate with the penalties for other serious crime, such as rape. Similarly, provisions of the Children's Act criminalize various forms of child trafficking, subject to fines or imprisonment of both. Sections 57 of the 2009 Children's Act makes it a crime to induce, coerce or encourage a child to engage in prostitution, subject to two to five years imprisonment and/or a fine of 50,000 pula ($4,685). Section 114 of the Children's Act makes it a crime to abduct or sell any child or to use any child to beg, subject to a fine of between 30,000 ($2,811) and 50,000 pula ($4,685), imprisonment of five to 15 years, or both.

The government investigated 12 trafficking cases and prosecuted 18 defendants under the 2014 Act, compared with five investigations and seven prosecutions in the previous reporting period. The government secured its first ever trafficking conviction, which was under the Anti-Human Trafficking Act. The High Court sentenced the trafficker, a South African woman, to 18-months imprisonment, nine of which were suspended. The Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) appealed the sentence to seek a more stringent penalty; the appeal was pending at the close of the reporting period. The DPP established a specialized anti-trafficking unit and appointed two trained focal points, one law enforcement officer and one prosecutor, to monitor the investigation and prosecution of trafficking cases. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of officials complicit in human trafficking offenses.

In June 2016, the Ministry of Defense, Justice, and Security (MDJS) and a consortium of international organizations and donors hosted a course for trainers of criminal justice practitioners and law enforcement on employing a victim-centered approach in investigations and prosecutions. The government provided transportation for law enforcement officers stationed countrywide to participate in the training. In December 2016, the DPP conducted a one-day workshop on the Anti-Human Trafficking Act for judges of the Industrial Court responsible for labor disputes, Additionally, the police service included in its curriculum a section on human trafficking to educate recruits on the anti-trafficking law, victim identification, and investigation of human trafficking cases. The government requested mutual legal assistance and completed joint investigations with Zimbabwe, Zambia, and Kenya on trafficking cases.

PROTECTION

The government maintained uneven efforts to identify and protect trafficking victims. The government identified 27 victims during the reporting period four child sex trafficking victims, three child victims of forced labor, and 20 adult victims of forced labor an increase from six victims identified during the previous year. However, the government's referrals of victims for assistance were limited. It referred four girls to an NGO-run shelter to receive protective services. The government did not provide formal written procedures to guide social service, law enforcement, or immigration officials in proactively identifying victims of trafficking among vulnerable populations. The NGO-run shelter used its own assessment process for victim eligibility for admission to the shelter and access to care services. The government had not fully operationalized the victim referral measures detailed in the 2014 Act. The government paid for legal expenses and repatriation of a Motswana child trafficking victim exploited in Canada during the reporting period. The government was not known to have penalized trafficking victims for crimes committed in relation to being subjected to trafficking. The government encouraged victims to assist in the investigation and prosecution of traffickers by providing housing and food throughout the period of investigation. All trafficking victims voluntarily provided written testimony as evidence. However, due to a slow judicial process, one foreign child victim had to remain in Botswana for a prolonged period of time to testify during the lengthy trial process.

PREVENTION

The government increased prevention efforts. In December 2016, the MDJS conducted a workshop for recruitment agencies to raise awareness of human trafficking and highlight potential vulnerabilities in liaising with international recruitment agencies. The ministry also issued a press release following the training to advise citizens and agencies to consult with government officials if they encountered a dubious employment offer. In January 2017, MDJS, in collaboration with an international organization, hosted training for civil society, which included a session on law enforcement and civil society cooperation on anti-trafficking advocacy and awareness raising. MDJS officials also held awareness and capacity building sessions on human trafficking with social workers, district council members, and students throughout the country. The DPP trained nationals of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and Swaziland on anti-trafficking. The Anti-Human Trafficking Committee, established under MDJS in the previous reporting period in accordance with the 2014 act, met four times during the reporting period. The committee and MDJS did not complete a national action plan, which it began drafting during the previous reporting period. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor during the reporting period. It did not provide anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Botswana is a source, transit, and destination country for women and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Residents of Botswana most vulnerable to trafficking are unemployed women, the rural poor, agricultural workers, and children. Some parents in poor rural communities send their children to work for wealthier families as domestic servants in cities or in agriculture and cattle farming in remote areas, increasing their vulnerability to forced labor. Young Batswana serving as domestic workers for extended family may be denied access to education and basic necessities or subjected to confinement or verbal, physical, or sexual abuse conditions indicative of forced labor. Batswana girls and women are possibly exploited in prostitution within the country, including in bars and by truck drivers along major highways. Some women may be subjected to trafficking internally or transported from neighboring countries and subjected to sexual exploitation. Officials confirmed adults and children of the San ethnic minority group are subjected to labor conditions on private farms and cattle posts in Botswana's rural west that might rise to the level of forced labor. Undocumented migrant Zimbabwean children might be vulnerable to trafficking in Botswana. There has been no comprehensive international or domestic study of trafficking trends within the country.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bosnia and Herzegovina

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bosnia and Herzegovina, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed014.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA: TIER 2

The Government of Bosnia and Herzegovina does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Bosnia and Herzegovina remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by the Federation Parliament's adoption of a human trafficking law consistent with the laws of the state, Republika Srpska, and Brcko District. The state and Brcko District courts sentenced officials complicit in human trafficking offenses and continued law enforcement cooperation with foreign governments. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The victim referral mechanism lacked formal procedures and did not establish roles and responsibilities for relevant actors. Victims required official recognition from authorities to access support and assistance.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BOSNIA AND HERZEGOVINA

Vigorously investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, including complicit officials, and impose sentences that reflect the serious nature of the crime; formalize a multidisciplinary national referral mechanism with established roles, procedures, and responsibilities for relevant actors, including NGOs; provide assistance to all victims regardless of whether their traffickers are prosecuted; standardize victim assistance throughout the country and provide specialized assistance for male victims; develop financial policies that effectively allocate funding for victim assistance; train judicial authorities on a victim-centered approach to prosecution; train first responders on victim identification and referral, particularly for those subjected to forced labor and forced begging; and integrate Romani groups into decision-making processes regarding victim protection.

PROSECUTION

The government increased law enforcement efforts. Bosnia consists of two entities within the state, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and the Republika Srpska (RS). Each entity has political, legislative, and judicial authority. The Brcko District (BD) is a self-governing unit under the jurisdiction of the state. Entity-level authorities address domestic trafficking offenses internal to their territories and state-level authorities address cases with international aspects. During the reporting period, the Federation Parliament adopted articles 210a and 210b, making the trafficking laws consistent with the state, RS, and BD. Article 210a criminalizes sex trafficking, forced labor, and trafficking of a child with a minimum prescribed penalty of five years and a minimum of 10 years for trafficking of children. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Article 210a also criminalizes the use of services from a trafficking victim with imprisonment for six months to five years. Article 186 of the state-level criminal code prohibits sex trafficking and forced labor if the victim is exploited in a country in which he or she does not reside or have citizenship; the law punishes these crimes with a minimum of five years imprisonment. Article 186 also prescribes a mandatory minimum of 10 years imprisonment for offenses committed involving a child. RS and BD prohibit sex trafficking and forced labor with minimum prescribed penalties of three and five years respectively. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.

The State Prosecutor's Office launched an investigation against one suspect, the same number as in 2015, issued no indictments, and suspended two separate investigations of two suspects. This was a decrease from one person indicted in 2015 and 13 persons indicted in 2014 for subjecting 672 persons to labor trafficking; the latter case Bosnia's largest indictment for trafficking in the country's history remained ongoing during the reporting period. The state convicted two persons, compared to zero convictions in 2015 and 2014; both traffickers received sentences of three years imprisonment. RS, BD, and Federation authorities increased law enforcement efforts overall. Federation authorities investigated 25 trafficking suspects prior to the adoption of Article 210a and 210b and investigated four suspects under the new article, compared to 10 suspects investigated in 2015. Federation prosecutors indicted 21 persons, an increase from four in 2015. Federation courts convicted six persons, compared to eight in 2015. One person received four months imprisonment, two persons received three years, and three persons received a two-year suspended sentence. RS authorities investigated 12 trafficking suspects but issued no indictments, compared to investigating five trafficking suspects and indicting two persons in 2015. RS did not report statistics on convictions. BD courts convicted two persons to eight months of imprisonment and acquitted one person, compared to 0 convictions in 2015. Cases in which perpetrators received sentences less than those for other serious crimes undermined the government's record of vigorously investigating and prosecuting traffickers.

All three police academies maintained basic and advanced courses on trafficking and the national state government continued to provide basic training for prosecutors and judges on trafficking cases. The state, in partnership with OSCE, trained prosecutors and judges on labor trafficking and on interviewing techniques for child trafficking victims. However, the government reported the low understanding of forced labor and forced begging among relevant actors remained an issue. Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns. During the reporting period, the state court and a Bosnian consular official entered a plea bargain for involvement in trafficking-related crimes and was sentenced to 11 months imprisonment; the Bosnian consular official, based in Paris, was charged with sustained abuse of position for issuing travel documents to facilitate the movement of potential labor trafficking victims in exchange for money. In another case, Federation courts convicted a Federation police officer and sentenced the officer to three years and three months of imprisonment for enticement to prostitution for coercing his partner to provide sexual services to clients in exchange for money.

The government increased law enforcement cooperation with foreign governments; however, the lack of bilateral agreements regarding witness protection created obstacles for witnesses and victims to participate effectively in international investigations. During the reporting period, state authorities in coordination with law enforcement in Serbia and Germany conducted synchronized raids and arrested 11 members of an organized crime group in Serbia and Bosnia and Herzegovina for trafficking and recruiting young women and girls from Bosnia and Herzegovina and Serbia for exploitation in Germany. State prosecutors assisted the Netherlands and Austria in a joint investigation of a Bosnian and Croatian married couple forcing six Roma children to pickpocket in the Netherlands. Bosnian and French law enforcement officials, with the support of the EU's Judicial Cooperation Unit, maintained a joint investigative team.

PROTECTION

The government maintained victim protection efforts. The government identified 44 trafficking victims in 2016, an increase from 31 victims in 2015. Of these, six were victims of sex trafficking, 32 of forced labor, and six of both sex trafficking and forced labor, compared to seven of sex trafficking and 24 of forced labor in 2015; 26 were female and 18 were male, compared to 23 and 8, respectively, in 2015; 10 were children, compared to 14 in 2015; and there were four foreign victims compared to zero in 2015. The state coordinator acknowledged there were additional victims who likely did not come to the attention of authorities.

The Ministry of Human Rights and Refugees allocated 60,000 marks ($32,327) for assistance to domestic trafficking victims, the same amount as in 2015. Domestic victims did not have to stay at the shelters to receive reintegration assistance. The Ministry of Security allocated 70,000 marks ($37,716) for assistance to foreign victims, a significant decrease from 120,000 marks ($64,655) in 2015. Funding for victim assistance was disproportionately lower for domestic victims, although they constituted the majority of identified victims. The funds to assist foreign victims were returned to the state budget when no foreign victims were identified and were not reallocated for domestic victim assistance. An international organization reported the victim's ability to access assistance and support were contingent on law enforcement initiating an investigation and a prosecutor providing official victim status. Observers reported the victim referral mechanism lacked formalized procedures, roles, and responsibilities for relevant actors. Authorities referred 13 victims to NGO-run shelters; officials provided assistance to victims only if they proactively requested it. The state amended regulations allowing foreign victims to voluntarily leave shelters without a chaperone. Shelters accommodated male trafficking victims but did not offer them specialized services. Seven government-run social welfare centers provided assistance to children involved in begging or working on the streets and identified 28 potential child trafficking victims. Law enforcement identified most trafficking victims, but other identification channels included drop-in centers operated by NGOs for street children, mobile teams, hotlines, and interaction with officials from schools and clinics. Labor inspectors were newly included in the referral process.

Observers reported law enforcement and prosecutors were often unwilling to pursue investigations and prosecutions against a child's parents, particularly with Roma families, even if they were involved in subjecting the child to trafficking; shelters would subsequently return the child to their parents. Furthermore, GRETA documented child victims were intimidated during trials and authorities did not use available legal protections to shield them from threats and re-victimization. Sub-state laws against enticement to prostitution permitted law enforcement to treat children 14 years and older as juveniles willingly engaged in prostitution instead of victims of rape or sex trafficking crimes; however, during the reporting period, there were no reports of victims detained, fined, or otherwise penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking. Criminal codes of the state, BD, and Federation contain provisions exempting trafficking victims from prosecution for such acts. Foreign victims were eligible for a humanitarian visa allowing them to temporarily live and work in Bosnia and victims were permitted a 30-day reflection period to determine whether they wanted to request a visa. Trafficking victims could seek restitution through criminal or civil suits. During the reporting period, a district court upheld an appeal made by an NGO that filed the first lawsuit for non-material compensation on behalf of four trafficking victims and returned the case before the district court.

PREVENTION

The government maintained efforts to prevent trafficking. The government continued to implement the 2016-2019 national anti-trafficking action plan, including specific efforts, in partnership with OSCE and NGOs, to improve identification and protection of trafficking victims. A nationwide interagency taskforce met monthly to monitor the progress of trafficking investigations and prosecutions. Regional monitoring teams also met regularly to monitor the referral process. The government incorporated labor inspectors, mental health centers, and representatives of daily centers for children into the regional monitoring teams. State and entity-level governments, in partnership with OSCE and NGOs, organized two multidisciplinary trainings with a human trafficking component for 85 labor inspectors. The government allocated $5,500 to16 NGOs for activities associated with the 2016 European Anti-Trafficking Day. The Ministry of Defense continued to provide training on identifying and reporting trafficking to peacekeepers in the country. The government continued public prevention campaigns targeting the demand for commercial sex acts. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Bosnia and Herzegovina is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. In 2016, victims from Cuba, Gambia, and Serbia were subject to trafficking in Bosnia. Bosnia is a transit country for Ukrainians subjected to trafficking in Germany. Bosnian women and girls are subjected to sex trafficking within the country in private residences, motels, and gas stations. Economically marginalized Romani children are subjected to forced begging and involuntary domestic servitude in forced marriages. Foreign women and girls from European countries are vulnerable to sex trafficking within the country. Bosnian victims are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in construction and other sectors in countries across Europe including Croatia, France, Serbia, Slovenia, and Austria. Corruption creates an environment enabling some trafficking crimes.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bhutan

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bhutan, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed03e.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BHUTAN: TIER 2

The Government of Bhutan does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Bhutan remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by identifying its first potential trafficking victims and investigating and prosecuting the first case under its trafficking law. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government's laws do not prohibit all forms of trafficking, and while the government continued to work with an international organization to draft standard operating procedures (SOPs) on victim identification and referral, it had not finalized the SOPs by the end of the reporting period. Understanding of trafficking crimes remained low and it was unclear if identified victims received protection services.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BHUTAN

Amend section 154 of the penal code to refine the definition of human trafficking to conform with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol such that the purpose of the crime is "exploitation" rather than "any illegal purpose"; finalize and disseminate SOPs for proactive victim identification and referral to protection services; vigorously investigate and prosecute trafficking cases; train officials on the implementation of anti-trafficking laws and victim identification and referral procedures; take steps to eliminate all recruitment fees charged to workers by recruitment agents; undertake and publish a comprehensive assessment of all forms of human trafficking, including labor trafficking of men; continue to fund NGOs that provide protective services to trafficking victims; continue to conduct human trafficking awareness events and disseminate awareness materials among vulnerable populations; and accede to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

PROSECUTION

The government increased anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. Article 154 of the penal code criminalizes a person who "recruits, transports, sells or buys, harbors or receives a person through the use of threat or force or deception within, into, or outside of Bhutan for any illegal purpose." This definition departs from the 2000 UN TIP Protocol definition because it requires the purpose be otherwise "illegal" rather than "exploitation," such as forced labor or sex trafficking. Bhutan also defines trafficking to include buying, selling, or transporting a child for any illegal purpose, and engaging a person in prostitution if the defendant transports, sells or buys the person within, into, or outside of Bhutan, in articles 227 and 379 of the penal code, respectively. Bhutanese law also prohibits all forms of child trafficking "for the purpose of exploitation" in article 224 of the Child Care and Protection Act of 2011. The punishments for these offenses range from three years to life imprisonment. The Labor and Employment Act of 2007 prohibits most forms of forced labor with penalties from three to five years imprisonment. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. For the first time, the government investigated and prosecuted one defendant under article 154. Authorities apprehended the alleged trafficker before the victims could be sent to a foreign country to work. The verdict remained pending at the end of the reporting period. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking.

While the government participated in efforts to train officials and increase their awareness of trafficking, its response to human trafficking remained limited by a general lack of understanding of the crime. In partnership with an international organization, the National Commission for Women and Children (NCWC), an autonomous agency funded by the government, held an event with officials, including parliamentarians, to launch and disseminate a report on Bhutan's laws and policies related to human trafficking. The Royal Bhutan Police maintained three women and child protection units and eight women and child desks, responsible for coordination with other agencies on matters relating to women and children and ensuring acts related to their protection are implemented. Through coordination with NCWC, an international organization held a multi-day training on an anti-trafficking toolkit for 25 officials, including prosecutors, police, and immigration officers. Attendees acknowledged the continued need for training.

PROTECTION

The government increased efforts to identify victims while maintaining modest efforts to provide protective services. For the first time, the government reported identifying two potential trafficking victims, intercepted before being subjected to exploitation abroad. In partnership with an international organization, NCWC continued to draft SOPs on victim identification and referral, which it shared with 10 government agencies and an NGO for final review at the end of the reporting period. The government continued to fund an NGO to provide shelter to women and child victims of crime, including human trafficking, and rehabilitation and reintegration services to men, women, and children. It is unclear whether trafficking victims utilized these services during the year. There was no shelter facility for men. The immigration department mandated the reporting of suspected cases of trafficking of foreign women and children to NCWC before initiating deportation for immigration violations; it is unclear if similar policies existed for potential foreign male victims. The law did not provide legal alternatives to removal of trafficking victims to countries in which victims would face retribution or hardship.

PREVENTION

The government maintained efforts to prevent human trafficking. The government did not have a national action plan to combat trafficking. NCWC functioned as the government's main anti-trafficking coordination body. NCWC's mission, however, encompassed only women and children, which was recognized as a hindrance to combating adult male trafficking. The government continued to actively collaborate with an international organization on a project designed to enhance government and civil society responses to trafficking. The Bhutan Labor and Employment Act of 2007 required labor recruitment agencies to be licensed and abide by the same labor laws as employers. The government registered migrant workers, monitored working conditions, and produced and disseminated pamphlets advising migrant workers of their rights in Bhutan, including employer-paid medical exams, full and prompt payment of wages, and entitlement to retain personal identity documents. The labor ministry licensed and monitored five employment agencies to assist Bhutanese citizens over age 21 seeking work overseas and produced a pamphlet on their rights. Government regulations on overseas employment agents allow agents to charge Bhutanese migrant workers a recruitment fee of one month's salary and most recruitment expenses, except for costs associated with a visa or work permit; reportedly these fees may only be collected after successful placement with an employer. During the reporting period, the government terminated the license of one agency for violating the regulations. An international organization designed public awareness materials in cooperation with NCWC, though the materials had not been finalized and approved at the end of the reporting period. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel. Bhutan is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the last five years, Bhutan is a source and destination country for men, women, and children vulnerable to forced labor and sex trafficking. Bhutanese girls working as domestic servants and entertainers in drayungs or karaoke bars may be subjected to sex trafficking and labor trafficking coerced by debt and threats of physical abuse. Rural Bhutanese are transported to urban areas, generally by relatives, for employment in domestic work, which at times involves forced labor. While most domestic workers in Bhutan are young girls from poor, rural areas of the country, Indian women and girls also seek employment in this sector. An expanding construction sector continues to increase demand for low-skilled foreign labor, primarily men from India who are vulnerable to trafficking. Bhutanese who migrate overseas for work are vulnerable to human trafficking by unlicensed or unscrupulous recruitment agents.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Benin

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Benin, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed053.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BENIN: TIER 2 WATCH LIST

The Government of Benin does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated significant efforts during the reporting period by identifying more victims, establishing an ad hoc inter-ministerial committee to coordinate trafficking efforts, and increasing training for law enforcement officials. However, the government did not demonstrate increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. The government decreased the number of reported prosecutions; did not report conviction of any traffickers; and did not systematically investigate allegations of trafficking of adults or provide protective services to adult victims. Anti-trafficking legislation including provisions to prohibit and penalize the trafficking of adults remained pending review by the Ministry of Justice (MOJ) for the fifth consecutive year. Inadequate funding and staffing for the Ministry of Interior's Office for the Protection of Minors (OCPM), the Ministry of Family (MOF), and the Ministry of Labor (MOL), now merged as the Ministry of Labor, Civil Service and Social Affairs (MLCSSA), continued to hinder anti-trafficking efforts. Therefore, Benin remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the second consecutive year.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BENIN

Finalize and enact legislation to criminalize all forms of trafficking consistent with the 2000 UN TIP Protocol; increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and adequately sentence offenders of sex and labor trafficking of adults and children, including illegal recruitment agencies; develop systematic procedures for proactive victim identification including of adults and victims of forced labor and their subsequent referral to care; train law enforcement officials on identification and referral procedures; increase funding to OCPM and MLCSSA to provide adequate support to victims; establish measures to assist adult trafficking victims; reinvigorate the efforts of the national anti-trafficking coordinating committee; improve efforts to collect law enforcement data on trafficking offenses and make it publicly available; and launch a nationwide anti-trafficking awareness campaign.

PROSECUTION

The government decreased its anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. Existing laws do not prohibit all forms of trafficking. The 2006 Act Relating to the Transportation of Minors and the Suppression of Child Trafficking (act 2006-04) criminalizes child trafficking but focuses on movement of children rather than their ultimate exploitation and prescribes penalties of six months to two years imprisonment or fines if children are moved for the purpose of labor exploitation; these penalties are not sufficiently stringent. The penal code outlaws procuring or offering a person for prostitution and the facilitation of prostitution with punishments of six months to two years imprisonment. The labor code prohibits forced labor and prescribes punishments of two months to one years imprisonment or a fine. None of these punishments are sufficiently stringent or commensurate with punishments prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Comprehensive anti-trafficking legislation that would criminalize all forms of trafficking, including the trafficking of adults, has been pending MOJ review since September 2012.

During the year, OCPM a specialized unit responsible for all criminal cases involving children investigated 48 child abuse cases, although the government did not specify how many were child trafficking cases, compared with 49 cases of child trafficking and 12 cases of exploitative child labor in the previous reporting period. The government intercepted 19 adult female victims at the Cotonou airport en route to Lebanon and Kuwait, reportedly for domestic servitude; the government arrested one suspect in connection with these cases, but a judge released him, unable to charge him under existing trafficking prohibitions. The government did not systematically investigate the trafficking of adults or take action against potential illegal recruitment agencies. OCPM referred six suspects, five of child trafficking and one of adult trafficking, to the courts for prosecution, compared with 12 suspects in the previous reporting period, though the adult trafficking case was ultimately dismissed. The government did not report the conviction of any traffickers, compared with four offenders convicted for child trafficking during the previous reporting period. Lack of a specific law to prosecute adult trafficking cases has led judges to reduce adult trafficking cases to misdemeanors in previous years. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offenses. With assistance from a foreign donor, OCPM and the MLCSSA Office of Childhood and Adolescence trained four judges and 26 police officers on child trafficking, including the trafficking legal framework and addressing challenges in the field. Senior police officers received training in child trafficking law enforcement techniques as part of the police academy's training curriculum.

PROTECTION

The government increased efforts to protect victims. OCPM identified 223 potential trafficking victims, including 201 children and 22 adults, in 2016, compared with 131 in 2015. OCPM provided temporary shelter and legal, medical, and psychological services to all identified potential victims before their transfer to long-term NGO shelters; however, the government failed to provide financial or in-kind support to NGOs providing care. The government did not have formal written procedures to guide officials in proactive identification of trafficking victims or a formal mechanism for screening trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, including persons in commercial sex.

The MLCSSA and ministries of justice and interior worked with an international organization and NGOs to coordinate placement of child trafficking victims with host families, who provided additional care to children prior to reintegration into their home communities. Government social workers provided counseling for such children, while an NGO provided financial support to cover their basic needs. Through their general support for victims of crime and vulnerable groups, 85 centers for social promotion under the MLCSSA offered basic social services, food, and temporary shelter to trafficking victims throughout the country, particularly in rural areas where such services were scarce, and assisted with reintegration of victims into their home communities. These centers reunited an unknown number of Beninese child trafficking victims with their families or placed them in long-term shelters if their families could not be identified. During the reporting period, the government provided in-kind donations of 19 million West African Franc (CFA) ($30,390) to OCPM to assist in providing care for all victims of crime, including trafficking victims. The government, with support from an international organization and an NGO, established two counseling and leisure centers (baraques) in the markets of Zakpota and Abomey in central Benin. These centers offered counseling and education to 106 children during the reporting period, including children exposed to labor exploitation. Officials and NGO stakeholders in destination countries noted re-trafficking was an issue once victims returned to Benin, with parents often sending child victims or their siblings back to the trafficker to uphold an initial agreement. A draft cooperation agreement between Benin and Gabon on child trafficking remained pending for the third consecutive year. Benin did not provide legal alternatives to removal of trafficking victims to countries in which victims would face retribution or hardship.

The government did not make systematic efforts to identify adult trafficking victims. The government intercepted 19 potential adult victims at the Cotonou airport en route to Lebanon and Kuwait and identified three other adult victims, but did not report on protections provided to adult victims. The government acknowledged that adult sex trafficking exists in the country, but did not screen individuals in commercial sex for trafficking, which may have left victims unidentified in the law enforcement system.

PREVENTION

The government increased efforts to prevent trafficking in persons. In October 2016, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and cooperation established an ad hoc inter ministerial committee to discuss ways to better combat trafficking and coordinate anti-trafficking efforts in Benin; the committee began meeting during the reporting period. However, the existing anti-trafficking coordinating body the Trafficking and Exploitation Technical Working Group of the National Monitoring and Coordination Working Group for Child Protection did not meet during the year. The government worked to finalize an action plan to support the implementation of the National Policy of Child Protection.

The MLCSSA conducted several prevention activities with support from an international organization. It conducted a survey in two cities on the extent of child sex trafficking. The government held a workshop to train 50 labor inspectors and child protection agents on prevention of child labor, including on how to address child labor at the community level. The MOL conducted a number of awareness raising activities on child labor including targeting religious leaders to decrease the practice of exploiting talibes, or Quranic school children, in forced begging. Additionally, the government began establishing civil registration centers (offices of vital records) in smaller towns and neighborhoods to encourage registration of births. The MOL's general directorate of labor conducted labor inspections in three markets during the reporting period to assess the working conditions of children and found that 1,278 children under the age of 14 were victims of exploitative labor in the markets a population that likely included many trafficking victims. However, it did not take law enforcement action to investigate or penalize labor law violations. The government made no efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor. It provided its troops with anti-trafficking training, conducted by a foreign donor, prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has a code of conduct for diplomats that prohibits Beninese nationals deployed abroad to engage in or facilitate trafficking in persons; however, the government did not report providing anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Benin is a source, transit, and destination country for women, children, and men subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Most identified victims are Beninese girls subjected to domestic servitude or sex trafficking in Cotonou and across Benin's southern corridor. Some families send children to wealthier families for educational or vocational opportunities, a practice called vidomegon; some of these children are subjected to domestic servitude. Children from Benin and neighboring countries are forced to labor on farms, in commercial agriculture (particularly in the cotton sector), in artisanal mines, at construction sites, or as street or market vendors. A 2013 study cited more than 7,800 children subjected to labor exploitation in the markets of Cotonou, Porto-Novo, and Parakou. Togolese girls are exploited in commercial sex in Benin. Cases of child sex tourism involving both boys and girls along the coast and within the department of Mono have been reported in previous years. A 2016 survey conducted in the cities of Cotonou in southern Benin and Malanville in northern Benin indicated that girls are subjected to sexual exploitation, including potential sex trafficking, in these two cities. In northern Benin, as in other countries in the region, some unscrupulous marabouts, Quranic teachers, exploit Beninese Quranic school children in forced begging. Most Beninese child trafficking victims are from rural areas in the northern regions; many are recruited and transported to neighboring countries, where they are forced to labor in homes, mines, quarries, restaurants, markets, and on cocoa farms. The department of Oueme in southeast Benin was reportedly a primary area of recruitment for child trafficking victims subsequently exploited in the Republic of the Congo. Most child victims intercepted in Benin, either from Benin or other West African countries, are exploited or en route to exploitation within the country. Benin is the largest source country for trafficking victims in the Republic of the Congo; Beninese victims are also subjected to trafficking in Nigeria, Gabon, and Lebanon. West African women are exploited in domestic servitude and forced commercial sex in Benin. Young Beninese women are recruited from Benin by unlicensed Beninese and Lebanese recruiters for domestic work in Lebanon and Kuwait; reportedly, some are subjected to domestic servitude or forced into commercial sex. OCPM reports that traffickers no longer travel with child victims being moved internally or to nearby countries. Victims now travel alone and are met by traffickers or their accomplices once they reach their destination. This tactic makes investigations more difficult.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Belize

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Belize, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed068.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BELIZE: TIER 3

The Government of Belize does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking and is not making significant efforts to do so; therefore, Belize remained on Tier 3. Despite the lack of significant efforts, the government took some steps to address trafficking, including the identification of two trafficking victims; and the investigations of 10 trafficking cases and two continued prosecutions initiated in a previous year. However, the government did not begin any new prosecutions or convict any traffickers. The government did not investigate or prosecute any public officials for alleged complicity in human trafficking-related offenses, despite reports of a significant level of official complicity. Despite the government's raids on commercial sex establishments, few trafficking crimes were uncovered due to limited intelligence-gathering, inconsistent application of formal victim identification procedures, and suspected complicity among some law enforcement officials.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BELIZE

Consistently implement formal procedures to identify and refer to care victims of sex and labor trafficking among vulnerable groups, and involve Spanish-speaking social workers, NGOs, or victim advocates in the process to ensure trafficking victims are not penalized for crimes committed as a direct result of trafficking; implement victim-centered procedures during raids, including conducting interviews in a safe and neutral location and separately from immigration inquiries; implement the anti-trafficking law by vigorously investigating and prosecuting suspected sex and labor traffickers, including complicit officials, and imposing adequate penalties on convicted traffickers; consider implementing measures to expedite trafficking prosecutions; continue to provide specialized victim care, in partnership with NGOs, and increase efforts to reintegrate victims; update and implement the national anti-trafficking plan; investigate and prosecute child sex tourists; amend laws to ensure penalties are commensurate with those prescribed for rape or kidnapping; and develop and implement a targeted campaign to raise awareness among clients of Belize's legal sex trade about the links between prostitution and trafficking.

PROSECUTION

The government maintained minimal anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. The Trafficking in Persons (Prohibition) Act 2013 prohibits all forms of trafficking and prescribes penalties of one to eight years imprisonment for the trafficking of adults and up to 12 years imprisonment for the trafficking of children or a fine in lieu of imprisonment. When allowing for a fine in lieu of imprisonment, the prescribed punishment is not commensurate with those for other serious crimes, such as rape. The 2013 Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (Prohibition) Act criminalizes the facilitation of prostitution of children younger than 18. This law, however, does not prohibit adults from engaging in sexual activity with 16-and 17-year-old children in exchange for remuneration, gifts, goods, food, or other benefits if there is no third party involved leaving children of this age group vulnerable to sex trafficking.

The government reportedly investigated 10 trafficking cases compared to seven in 2015, but for the second consecutive year did not initiate any new prosecutions. Authorities continued two prosecutions from 2015. The government did not convict any traffickers in the reporting period. Observers reported that a lack of communication and coordination between law enforcement and prosecutors hindered law enforcement efforts. The government did not provide detailed information on the pending investigations or prosecutions.

The government's enforcement activity against suspected trafficking consisted of referrals from other government agencies and NGOs as well as raids on venues in Belize's sex trade. Few trafficking crimes were uncovered during these raids due to limited intelligence-gathering, inconsistent application of formal victim identification procedures, and suspected complicity among some law enforcement officials. Many off-duty police officers provided security for sex trade establishments, which may have inhibited police from investigating allegations of trafficking in the sex trade and may have dissuaded victims from reporting trafficking. The government did not investigate, prosecute, or convict any officials for complicity in trafficking crimes despite reports of complicity. The government provided anti-trafficking training to new law enforcement officers, and prosecutors attended workshops financed and delivered by an international organization.

PROTECTION

The government decreased efforts to protect trafficking victims. Authorities identified two victims in 2016 compared to seven sex trafficking victims in 2015 and 10 victims in 2014. The government identified 10 additional potential child sex trafficking victims, who were offered protection services. Although the government had formal written procedures to guide officials in identifying victims, in practice, officials did not consistently follow these procedures. The government did not report screening for indicators of trafficking of women and girls apprehended in raids on commercial sex establishments. There were anecdotal reports of women and girls, potentially including trafficking victims, arrested, jailed, or deported for immigration violations following raids. Victims' fear of detention or deportation may have contributed to their reluctance to report trafficking to law enforcement officers. The government partnered with NGOs and international organizations to provide training to teachers, national utility workers, social security board inspectors, and private employers in the tourism sector on human trafficking, victim identification, and reporting.

Identified victims could be referred to the Department of Human Services, although officials made decisions for protection on a case-by-case basis. In past years, adult victims were typically referred to an NGO shelter, while children were placed in foster homes. Experts questioned the appropriateness of placing victims in foster homes because of a lack of education about human trafficking for some foster parents, uneven coordination and communication between government agencies and foster parents, and limited availability of psycho-social care for victims. NGOs were the main providers of limited medical care and psychological counseling for victims. The government encouraged victims to assist in investigations by providing witness protection and coordinating lodging; court delays and fear of retaliation by traffickers may have led foreign national victims to decline or withdraw cooperation with law enforcement and return to their home countries. The government had a policy to grant temporary residency status to victims willing to cooperate in investigations or prosecutions, seven potential trafficking victims received this benefit in 2016; one foreign victim identified in 2014 remained in the country and participated in a prosecution. Victims could apply for work permits, but the cost of 500 Belizean dollars ($250) to obtain such permits imposed a significant barrier. Belize's anti-trafficking law exempts victims from punishment for crimes committed as a result of being subjected to trafficking; however, NGOs reported that victims not formally identified by the government were commonly arrested, jailed, and deported.

PREVENTION

The government maintained minimal prevention efforts. Its anti-trafficking council met quarterly and reportedly began work on a new national action plan; the 2012-2014 anti-trafficking national strategic plan remained largely unimplemented. The government, in partnership with an NGO, expanded its awareness campaign through television, posters, and billboards in English, Spanish, and Mandarin. Authorities continued to disseminate public service announcements on child sexual exploitation and the links between tourism and the demand for commercial sex, but did not investigate, prosecute, or convict any child sex tourists. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

Belize is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. The UN Special Rapporteur on Trafficking in Persons reported family members facilitate the sex trafficking of Belizean women and girls. In tourist regions, foreign child sex tourists, primarily from the United States, exploit child sex trafficking victims. Sex trafficking and forced labor of Belizean and foreign women and girls, primarily from Central America, occur in bars, nightclubs, brothels, and domestic service. LGBTI men, women, and children are vulnerable to sex and labor trafficking. Foreign men, women, and children particularly from Central America, Mexico, and Asia migrate voluntarily to Belize in search of work and are often exploited by traffickers who recruit victims using false promises of relatively high-paying jobs. Some migrants are subjected to forced labor in restaurants, shops, agriculture, and fishing or to sex trafficking. Trafficking-related complicity by government officials remains a problem.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Belgium

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Belgium, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed07a.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BELGIUM: TIER 1

The Government of Belgium fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore, Belgium remained on Tier 1. The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts by prosecuting and convicting more traffickers and training police, lawyers, and judges on advanced techniques for investigating trafficking cases and collecting and preserving evidence. The government developed new training programs to assist financial institutions in identifying transactions related to trafficking, and maintained strong prevention efforts. The government trained staff at asylum centers on identifying and assisting trafficking victims in migrant populations and circulated administrative notices on referral procedures to prosecutors, police, health care workers, migration staff, and other stakeholders. Although the government meets the minimum standards, it did not allocate a regular budget to NGO-run shelters despite complete reliance on these shelters for the majority of victims' services. Sentences for convicted traffickers continued to be suspended, with most traffickers receiving little to no prison time.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BELGIUM

Allocate regular funding for NGO-run shelters for trafficking victims; enhance training of law enforcement, prosecutors, and judges to improve the conviction rates of traffickers and ensure dissuasive sentences; increase awareness-raising efforts among migrant populations, including asylum-seekers; enhance training of relevant professionals to increase the number of trafficking victims identified, including child victims; continue to improve security at reception centers to prevent traffickers from recruiting asylum-seekers; increase efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor and international child sex tourism by Belgian nationals travelling abroad; revise the definition of human trafficking under Belgian law to more closely align with the definition in the 2000 UN TIP Protocol; and provide disaggregated prosecution and conviction data for cases involving force, fraud, or coercion.

PROSECUTION

The government increased law enforcement efforts. Belgium prohibits all forms of trafficking through a 2005 amendment to the 1995 Act Containing Measures to Repress Trafficking in Persons. The law's maximum prescribed penalty 20 years imprisonment is sufficiently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Belgium's definition of trafficking in persons is broader than the definition in the 2000 UN TIP Protocol. The failure of an employer to meet prevailing wage, hours, and working conditions can constitute "exploitation" under Belgian law, and these cases are included in the government's prosecution data. Contrary to the definition of trafficking under international law, coercion is considered an aggravating factor rather than an integral part of the base offense for adults. Belgian law does not require evidence of any form of coercion to secure a trafficking conviction. GRETA reported the overbroad definition may lead to confusion between trafficking and other criminal offenses and possible difficulties in mutual legal assistance with foreign governments that use a definition more consistent with the UN TIP Protocol.

The government prosecuted 324 defendants, compared to 299 in 2015, including 184 defendants for sex trafficking offenses, 126 for labor trafficking, and 14 for forced criminality (151 for sex trafficking and 124 for forced labor in 2015). Authorities convicted and sentenced 125 individuals under the trafficking statute, including 231 counts of aggravating circumstances, compared with 93 in 2015. Most who were convicted received no prison time or a partially or fully suspended prison sentence. The government sentenced 113 convicted under the trafficking statute to prison terms (of which 79 were suspended or partially suspended), compared to 88 prison sentences (52 of which were suspended or partially suspended) in 2015. Prison sentences ranged from one to five years imprisonment; 11 offenders were sentenced to one year, 55 were sentenced to one to three years, 33 were sentenced to three to five years, and 14 were sentenced to five years or more. The government continued efforts to prosecute eight members of the Abu Dhabi royal family for allegedly subjecting 17 girls to forced servitude while staying at a Brussels hotel in 2008. The government trained police, lawyers, and judges who handled trafficking cases on advanced investigations and collection and preservation of evidence. The government provided basic training to all local and federal police officers, as well as advanced training for officers specializing in cases of labor and sexual exploitation. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offenses. In 2016, the government cooperated on three extraditions requests, including the extradition and conviction of a Belgian citizen for offenses related to child sex tourism in Cambodia.

PROTECTION

The government maintained efforts to protect victims. The government identified and assisted 144 victims (including 69 victims of labor trafficking, 56 victims of sex trafficking, seven victims of forced criminality, and 12 victims of other forms of exploitation), compared to 152 victims in 2015 (93 victims of sex trafficking and 43 labor trafficking). First responders followed formal written procedures on proactive victim identification; however, observers reported challenges in accurately identifying victims. The government trained staff at asylum centers on identifying and assisting trafficking victims in migrant populations. The government circulated administrative notices on referral procedures to prosecutors, police, health care workers, migration staff, and other stakeholders and updated regulations to improve referral procedures for Belgian trafficking victims and victims of forced begging. While NGOs referred many victims to the shelters, most victims were identified by law enforcement, social workers, and medical professionals. To qualify for victim status, victims must have broken off all contact with traffickers and agreed to counseling at a specialized trafficking shelter.

The government allocated approximately 430,000 ($453,109) to each of the three specialized NGO-run shelters. NGO-run shelters also received various amounts of funding from regional governments. Despite complete reliance on these three NGO-run shelters for the majority of victims' services, the government provided ad hoc rather than dedicated funding. NGO-run shelters carried the administrative burden of requesting funding each year from different levels of government (region, community, federal). NGO-run shelters provided specialized, comprehensive assistance to trafficking victims, including psycho-social, medical, and legal care. The shelters were open to all victims regardless of gender, immigration status, or nationality. The government also funded two shelters for children; child trafficking victims shared these facilities with victims of other crimes. Adult victims could leave the shelter unchaperoned. The government reportedly did not penalize identified victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking; however, victims who were not properly identified, particularly child sex trafficking victims, were vulnerable to such penalization. The government granted most identified foreign victims residence and employment permits and protective services; however, full protection status and the residence permit were conditional on the victim assisting in the prosecution of their trafficker. Victims who were not citizens of EU member states could only obtain permanent residency upon the successful prosecution and sentencing of traffickers, although residence permits for indefinite periods of time were available without conviction if authorities established a formal charge of trafficking. During the year, the government issued or renewed 216 residence permits to trafficking victims. Although government-supported NGOs provided some legal representation to victims, such support was limited due to a lack of steady funding. Victims can claim compensation through the same mechanism that allows any victim of crime to claim compensation at local courts; however, observers reported victims faced expensive legal fees.

PREVENTION

The government maintained strong efforts to prevent trafficking. The Inter-Departmental Coordination Unit (ICU) continued to coordinate government-wide anti-trafficking efforts and monitored the implementation of national action plan for 2015-2019. The government continued awareness campaigns targeting businesses and vulnerable populations. The government developed new training programs to assist financial institutions in identifying transactions related to trafficking and coordinated with the Netherlands and Luxembourg to produce common awareness-raising materials. ICU integrated trafficking awareness trainings into programs in schools and juvenile justice institutions. Awareness-raising flyers were available in the consular sections of Belgian embassies and consulates abroad. The national rapporteur produced its own report on Belgian trafficking efforts. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts during the year; however, the government continued to implement programs to reduce the demand for forced labor, such as a widely-used program that subsidizes the wages of maids and domestic assistants. Belgian law permits the prosecution of Belgian citizens who sexually abuse children outside of Belgium. The government convicted offenders under this law; however, observers reported Belgium nationals engaging in child sex tourism in many countries, including Guinea-Bissau, Cambodia, Brazil, and Romania. In response to the dramatic increase in asylum-seekers in the country, authorities took measures to identify and reduce exploitation at reception centers, including training for reception center staff and awareness-raising among the migrant population; however, authorities and the national rapporteur identified vulnerabilities in securing these centers during the reporting period. The government trained diplomatic personnel on trafficking issues and disseminated trafficking pamphlets to staff at Belgian diplomatic posts.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Belgium is a destination, transit, and limited source country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Foreign victims come primarily from countries in Eastern Europe, North and sub-Saharan Africa, among them Romania, Morocco, India, Nigeria, Albania, Hungary, and Thailand. Male victims are subjected to forced labor in restaurants, bars, sweatshops, horticulture sites, fruit farms, construction sites, cleaning businesses, and retail shops. Belgian girls, some of whom are recruited by local pimps, and foreign children including Roma are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Forced begging within the Romani community in Belgium also occurs. Foreign workers are subjected to forced domestic servitude, including in the diplomatic community assigned to Belgium. In 2015 and 2016, approximately 63,000 people applied for asylum in Belgium, a dramatic increase over previous years. Experts anticipate migrants whose asylum applications are denied will be highly vulnerable to trafficking, but very few such migrants were confirmed trafficking victims during the reporting period. Individuals pose as family visitors to recruit asylum-seekers waiting in reception centers for low-paid work and prostitution and potentially subjected to trafficking.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Barbados

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Barbados, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed0a6.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BARBADOS: TIER 2

The Government of Barbados does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Barbados remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by creating a new anti-trafficking law, which includes stringent penalties commensurate with other serious crimes and allows for victim restitution. The government also increased training for officers in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade and employees in the hotel and tourism industries. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not initiate new prosecutions, had difficulty obtaining victim cooperation to prosecute traffickers, did not provide adequate resources to government agencies or relevant NGOs for training or furthering anti-trafficking efforts, and did not provide sufficient resources for victim care.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BARBADOS

Provide adequate funding to train law enforcement and prosecutors in proactively identifying, obtaining, preserving, and corroborating evidence to reduce dependence on victim testimony; while respecting due process, investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, including complicit officials, and apply stringent sentences that deter future trafficking crimes; provide resources for training relevant government agencies to proactively identify labor and sex trafficking victims among vulnerable populations; provide adequate funding to organizations that assist trafficking victims; enact a national action plan to combat trafficking; complete the government-wide anti-trafficking manual; codify provisions for victims' legal alternatives to their removal to countries in which they would face retribution or hardship; and make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor.

PROSECUTION

The government maintained efforts to prosecute traffickers in 2016. During the reporting period, the government repealed the Transactional Organized Crime (TOC) Act of 2011, which did not prohibit all forms of human trafficking and did not prescribe penalties for trafficking that were sufficiently stringent. In June, the Trafficking In Persons Prevention Act (TIPPA) was enacted. The TIPPA criminalizes all forms of human trafficking and is generally in line with the definition of international law, defining "exploitation" broadly to include slavery, practices similar to slavery, forced labor, domestic and sexual servitude, and the exploitation of the prostitution of another or other forms of commercial sexual exploitation. It also requires "means" of force, fraud or coercion, except with regard to the exploitation of children. The TIPPA covers transnational as well as domestic trafficking crimes, makes evidence of past sexual behavior inadmissible, disallows the defense of consent, and makes withholding or destroying travel documents a crime. The punishment for labor or sex trafficking of adults is the same: 25 years in prison, a fine of one million Barbados dollars (BDS) ($495,050), or both penalties. Labor or sex trafficking of children is punished by a fine of two million BDS ($990,099), life imprisonment, or both penalties. The maximum sentences prescribe punishment that is sufficiently stringent to deter, and the penalties for sex trafficking are commensurate with those for rape. However, by allowing for a fine in lieu of imprisonment, the prescribed punishment is not commensurate with those for other serious crimes, such as rape.

Authorities conducted two raids on nightclubs in 2016. Police identified eight victims in the two raids; all were immigrant women, seven Jamaicans and one Guyanese. As in 2015 and 2014, all of the victims refused to cooperate with law enforcement and requested to be returned to their home countries. Outside of the two raids, the police investigated one additional sex trafficking case involving a woman who came to Barbados under the guise of a modeling job. After further investigation, the director of public prosecutions chose not to bring charges under the TIPPA, and instead charged the perpetrator with unlawful confinement, rape, assault, and theft; the prosecution was pending at the close of the reporting period. The 2016 investigation record compared with six trafficking investigations in 2015, eight in 2014, and three in 2013. There were no new prosecutions initiated under the TIPPA during the reporting period, as there were none in 2015 and 2014. A prosecution that was ongoing in 2014 against two suspected traffickers is scheduled for a hearing in April 2017. A 2013 case involving an immigration official charged with complicity and misconduct in public office was cleared of charges; the individual was moved to another unit. To date, the government has not convicted any traffickers under the TIPPA.

The government did not report any new investigations or prosecutions of government employees complicit in human trafficking offenses and has never reported any convictions of government employees complicit in such offenses. The government supported training sessions for law enforcement and judicial personnel. A police officer and an attorney from the director of public prosecutor's office attended a seminar in El Salvador on the prosecution of human traffickers. An additional 12 officers attended training on victim identification and prosecution of cases in Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, Barbados, and Turks and Caicos. The government provided per diem allowances for attendees; an international organization covered the cost of travel. The government continued to train and re-train law enforcement officers in 2016 at levels consistent with last year's reporting period.

PROTECTION

The government maintained efforts to protect victims. Officials identified eight foreign adult female potential sex trafficking victims, compared with 12 in the previous reporting period. Authorities did not refer any of the eight victims to care facilities, reportedly because they chose to leave the country. The gender affairs bureau was designated to coordinate assistance with local NGOs. The government provided some funding to an NGO crisis center that provided shelter and psychological, medical, and reintegration services to female and child victims of violence, including potential trafficking victims; the government had a separate agreement with an NGO to shelter male victims. This organization and the government's gender affairs bureau cooperated with other NGOs to offer additional services, although some experts noted that the referral process could be improved to make sure that relevant NGOs are contacted and involved for specialized services. Experts reported that some victims self-identify to NGOs, but those who are foreign nationals were afraid to go to law enforcement or receive government-funded services for fear of being deported. The government maintained an informal policy allowing foreign victims to receive temporary legal status as an alternative to their removal to countries where they would face hardship or retribution; the minister of national security can authorize victims to remain and work in the country for the duration of the criminal prosecution against traffickers.

The government stated that it has encouraged victim participation in the prosecution of traffickers by speaking with victims and by providing safeguards for their identities and those of their families, providing authorizations for work permits, as well as transportation and security during legal proceedings. Over the past three years, however, all foreign victims have refused to cooperate with law enforcement. According to government policy, victims are allowed to leave the country and return for hearings. The government cooperated with the countries of origin of the eight foreign victims identified in order to facilitate repatriation. The government acknowledged having insufficient funding to support multiple victims for long periods of time. Although the new TIPPA law provides victims with the right to pursue restitution from a trafficker after a conviction, there were no restitution cases in 2016. The government did not detain, jail, incarcerate, fine or deport, or otherwise penalize trafficking victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking. The government provided sensitization training to 40 members of the national hotel and tourism association. Experts, however, noted a need for more resources to support training across relevant government agencies and NGOs.

PREVENTION

The government maintained efforts to prevent trafficking. The attorney general led the government's anti-trafficking taskforce, which met monthly and included permanent secretaries from several ministries. The government developed its national anti-trafficking action plan, covering 2016 through 2020, in collaboration with various government agencies and NGOs; the plan was pending formal adoption by the Cabinet at the close of the reporting period. Relevant government agencies and NGOs were already implementing activities within the action plan. No formal monitoring or data collection efforts were conducted during 2016. A sensitization campaign on human trafficking was conducted for 15 employees of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor or commercial sex acts.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Barbados is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Authorities and NGOs report foreign women have been forced into prostitution in Barbados. Foreigners have been subjected to forced labor in Barbados, most notably in domestic service, agriculture, and construction. Legal and undocumented immigrants from Jamaica and Guyana are especially vulnerable to trafficking. Child sex trafficking occurs in Barbados. There are anecdotal reports by authorities and NGOs that children are subjected to sex trafficking, including by parents and caregivers. Previously, traffickers operated as part of an organization; more recently they appear to operate individually. Authorities have noted an increased use of social media as a means of trolling for victims.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bangladesh

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bangladesh, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed0ba.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BANGLADESH: TIER 2 WATCH LIST

The Government of Bangladesh does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated significant efforts during the reporting period by finalizing and adopting the implementing rules for the 2012 Prevention and Suppression of Human Trafficking Act (PSHTA) in January 2017 and drafting an implementation roadmap for the 2015-2017 national action plan. However, the government did not demonstrate increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. The government's investigations, prosecutions, and convictions of trafficking crimes decreased. Official complicity in trafficking crimes remained a serious problem, yet the government did not make efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict allegedly complicit law enforcement, border, and manpower officials. The number of victims identified by the government decreased. The government remained without a formal mechanism to refer trafficking victims to protective services and, protection services, when acquired, did not provide rehabilitation services designed for trafficking victims' specific needs nor were they provided for adult male victims. NGOs reported victims were frequently re-trafficked due to insufficient care. While the government maintained labor export agreements with several countries that aim to tackle recruitment fees, the government's continued allowance of high recruitment fees combined with insufficient efforts to address illegally operating recruitment sub-agents left workers vulnerable to trafficking. Therefore, Bangladesh was downgraded to Tier 2 Watch List.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BANGLADESH

Take steps to eliminate all recruitment fees charged to workers by licensed labor recruiters and instead ensure they are paid by employers; increase prosecutions and convictions, particularly of labor traffickers and fraudulent labor recruiters, while strictly respecting due process; establish guidelines for provision of adequate victim care and standard operating procedures for the referral of victims to such services; thoroughly investigate credible allegations of government complicity in trafficking and prosecute officials who are suspected of being complicit; enhance the training provided to officials, including law enforcement, labor inspectors, and immigration officers, on methods to identify trafficking cases and refer victims to protection services; expand the support services available to victims, including adult male victims, within Bangladesh and at Bangladesh's embassies abroad; expand the Ministry of Expatriate Welfare and Overseas Employment's (MEWOE) mandate to include the regulation of sub-agents; improve quality of pre-departure trainings, including sessions on labor rights, labor laws, and methods to access justice and assistance in destination countries and Bangladesh; and accede to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

PROSECUTION

The government decreased investigations, prosecutions, and convictions but finalized implementing rules for its anti-trafficking law. The 2012 PSHTA generally prohibits and punishes all forms of human trafficking. Prescribed penalties for labor trafficking offenses are five to 12 years imprisonment and a fine of not less than 50,000 Bangladeshi Taka (BDT) ($633); and prescribed penalties for sex trafficking offenses range from five years imprisonment to the death sentence. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. The government finalized and in January 2017 officially released the implementing rules for the PSHTA; the government disseminated these rules but planned training sessions for relevant officials had not yet started.

The government investigated 122 sex and 168 labor trafficking cases in 2016 a decrease from 181 sex and 265 labor trafficking cases in 2015. Of the forced labor cases, 31 cases were specifically investigated for bonded labor. Authorities prosecuted 302 alleged traffickers in 2016, compared with 481 in 2015, under the PSHTA. The government convicted three traffickers in 2016, compared with four in 2015 and 15 in 2014. The courts sentenced the convicted traffickers to 14 years imprisonment and a fine of 25,000 BDT ($316). Observers stated convictions remained rare because the government had not dedicated adequate resources to pre-trial investigations and short timelines for the completion of cases led to inadequately prepared and subsequently unsuccessful prosecutions. The government's tribunal on human trafficking, proposed in the previous reporting period to specialize in trying trafficking cases, was not yet functional. An established tribunal, the Woman and Children Violence Protection Tribunal, heard trafficking cases in the interim; however observers commented the prosecutors were overburdened and lacked expertise in trafficking cases. In 2016, the government trained 29,889 police officers 186 training programs on anti-trafficking, funded through the government, NGOs, and international organizations. Some NGOs reported information about the PSHTA had not been circulated widely among district and local officials.

Complicity of officials in trafficking offenses remained a serious problem. Observers reported police took bribes and sexual favors to ignore potential trafficking crimes at brothels. Observers accused officials from district employment and manpower government offices of facilitating trafficking and border guards of ignoring potential trafficking crimes at maritime embarkation points. Observers stated some traffickers in rural areas were politically-connected and therefore operated with impunity. In September 2016, a federal court in New York entered a default judgment against a former Bangladeshi consular officer and his wife and ordered them to pay approximately $920,000 to a Bangladeshi citizen in a suit in which the plaintiff alleged violations of the TVPA as well as federal and state labor laws. The consular officer appealed the case, judgment has not been paid and the consular official, who left the United States, remains in the Bangladeshi foreign service. During the reporting period, the government investigated, prosecuted, and convicted a Bangladeshi official on a peacekeeping mission of sexually exploiting a child; he was dismissed from service and sentenced to one year imprisonment. The government did not report any additional investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials allegedly complicit in human trafficking offenses in 2016.

PROTECTION

The government identified a decreased number of victims and its victim services were not comprehensive or specific to trafficking. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), the government's lead agency for combating trafficking, had standard operating procedures for the proactive identification of trafficking victims; however, it is unclear how widely they were disseminated or used. The government reported the identification of 355 victims in 2016; of those identified, 212 were men, 138 women, and five children. This was a significant decrease from the 1,815 and 2,899 victims identified in 2015 and 2014, respectively; experts commented the decrease may be due in part to the application of a more accurate definition of trafficking. Police directly recovered from exploitation 204 of the 355 victims identified in 2016. The government did not provide services specifically designed for trafficking victims, but children and adult female victims could access support services for vulnerable people through nine multipurpose shelters, drop-in centers, and safe homes administered by the Ministry of Social Welfare (MSW). The government placed an unknown number of female and child victims in these shelters in 2016; however, NGOs stated government services at these centers did not meet minimum standards of care and insufficient rehabilitation resources contributed to victims being re-trafficked. The government did not provide shelter or rehabilitation services to adult male victims; NGOs provided male victims with some services, although shelter was not available. The government continued to lack a formal mechanism for authorities to refer victims to care. Police referred victims to NGO-provided shelter and services specifically for trafficking victims on an ad hoc basis.

The government continued to operate safe houses for female Bangladeshi workers fleeing abusive employers in Jordan, Saudi Arabia, and United Arab Emirates. The government maintained 29 labor offices in embassies and consulates overseas to provide welfare services to Bangladeshi migrant workers, including legal and interpretation services; however, observers reported one Bangladeshi labor attache in the Middle East told migrant workers to return to work without addressing their complaints, suggesting that not all complaints were addressed. NGOs reported not all victims were aware of available opportunities for restitution. The arbitration process provided victims with restitution, but there was no parallel criminal process to address illegal activities, including alleged fraud by licensed recruitment agencies.

The Governments of Bangladesh and India reportedly continued to implement their 2015 MOU on human trafficking, which included coordination on the rescue and repatriation of Bangladeshi victims. The PSHTA provides for victim protection during judicial proceedings, including police security and the ability to testify via video, but it is unclear how frequently officials employed such protections. NGOs noted insufficient protection resulted in traffickers threatening victims not to pursue cases against them. NGOs reported some Bangladeshi trafficking victims being moved on land and sea routes, instead of being detected as victims, were instead detained and fined for failure to carry a passport. Unregistered Rohingya refugees, including potential trafficking victims, may have been at risk of indefinite detention because of their lack of documentation. The government did not provide legal alternatives to the removal of foreign victims of trafficking to countries where they might face hardship or retribution.

PREVENTION

The government maintained some efforts to prevent trafficking, but did not adequately address the issue of high recruitment fees. The government continued to allow the Bangladesh Association of International Recruiting Agencies (BAIRA) to set recruitment fees sufficiently high to render many migrant workers indebted and vulnerable to trafficking. The 2013 Overseas Employment and Migrants Act prohibits fraudulent recruitment and unlawful recruitment fees, and outlines procedures through which Bangladeshi migrant workers, originally hired through the Bureau for Manpower, Education, and Training, could lodge complaints with MEWOE upon their return to Bangladesh and seek government arbitration for labor and recruitment violations, including allegations of forced labor. MEWOE reported 165 complaints were settled during 2016; it is unknown if any of these complaints involved forced labor. MEWOE suspended 13 recruitment agencies' licenses in 2016 for false advertising and charging fees above the legal maximum and referred three cases to the police for prosecution. The government initiated 229 cases against illegally operating dalals, unregulated sub-agents who operate in rural locations and connect prospective migrant workers to licensed employment agencies.

The government continued to use a number of bilateral labor agreements, in part intended to try to protect Bangladeshi workers abroad. For example, the government continued to use a bilateral labor agreement with Saudi Arabia for female migrant workers that mandated employers cover travel costs and domestic workers be employed by a third party rather than the private households in which they work, but the agreement did not stipulate the maximum cost or eliminate the processing fee charged to the migrant by recruitment agencies. During the reporting period, Saudi Arabia lifted its seven-year ban on male Bangladeshi migrant workers and Bangladeshi females performing any job other than domestic work; MEWOE set the maximum recruitment cost for migrant workers to Saudi Arabia at 165,000 BDT ($2,090), although media reported dalals charged intending migrant workers three to four times that amount. In February 2017, the governments of Bangladesh and Malaysia began to implement an inter-governmental agreement signed in the previous reporting period to facilitate the migration of Bangladeshi workers to Malaysia. The agreement aimed to mitigate the impact of private recruitment agencies' high fees and sometimes unscrupulous practices for an initial 5,300 Bangladeshi workers by removing agents from the migration process. The government continued to require pre-departure training, including safe migration and anti-trafficking components, for some migrant workers, including a 30-day pre-departure training course for female domestic workers which focused on learning practical skills and included modules on trafficking awareness and self-protection.

In June 2016, the MHA, along with other agencies and NGOs, created an implementation roadmap for the 2015-2017 national action plan, launched in the previous reporting period. MHA published its annual report on human trafficking. Some district-and sub-district level counter-trafficking committees allocated funding for coordination and victim support while others were not functioning. The government continued to conduct awareness campaigns, at times in partnership with NGOs. In October 2016, the government passed the Foreign Donations (Voluntary Activities) Regulation Act, placing stricter control over the foreign funding of NGOs and enacting punitive provisions for those NGOs that make "derogatory" comments regarding the constitution of the country, its founding history, or constitutional bodies (i.e., government institutions and leaders). International NGOs that assist Rohingya refugees and work with organized labor reported difficulties in meeting stringent government administrative requirements in order to carry out programs protecting vulnerable populations from various forms of exploitation. In May 2016, the government initiated a census of undocumented Rohingya and stated its intent to distribute information cards to participants that would provide protection and improve access to basic services and work opportunities; at the end of the reporting period, the government had not yet released the results of the census and had since re-initiated the census to include the Rohingya who fled Burma towards the end of 2016. The government trained military personnel to recognize and prevent trafficking in persons prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping missions and provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor. Bangladesh is not a party to the 2000 UN TIP Protocol.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Bangladesh is primarily a source and, to a lesser extent, a transit and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Some Bangladeshi men and women who migrate willingly to work in the Middle East, Southern and East Africa, South and Southeast Asia, Europe, and the United States face conditions indicative of forced labor. Before their departure, many migrant workers assume debt to pay high recruitment fees, imposed legally by recruitment agencies belonging to BAIRA and illegally by unlicensed sub-agents; this places migrant workers at risk of debt bondage. Some recruitment agencies and agents also commit recruitment fraud, including contract switching, in which they promise one type of job and conditions but then change the job, employer, conditions, or salary after arrival. Bangladesh is host to an estimated 32,000 registered Rohingya refugees and up to 500,000 undocumented Rohingya, whose stateless status and inability to receive aid and work legally increases their vulnerability to human trafficking. Though numbers of such migrants were significantly fewer than in previous years, some Rohingya and Bangladeshi migrants who travel by boat to Southeast Asian countries are subject to exploitation when they are unable to pay ransoms and are instead sold into forced labor. Women and girls who migrate for domestic work are particularly vulnerable to abuse. Some women who migrate through Bangladeshi recruitment agencies to Lebanon or Jordan for domestic work are subsequently sold and transported to Syria and subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Some women and children are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in India and Pakistan.

Within the country, children and adults are subjected to sex trafficking, domestic servitude, and forced and bonded labor, in which traffickers exploit an initial debt assumed by a worker as part of the employment terms. Street children are sometimes coerced into criminality or forced to beg; begging ringmasters sometimes maim children to increase their earnings. In some instances, children are sold into a form of bondage by their parents, while others are induced into labor through fraud and physical coercion, including in the domestic fish drying industry, or exploited in sex trafficking. Bangladeshi children are vulnerable to forced labor in tanneries. According to an international expert on debt bondage, Bangladeshi families and Indian migrant workers are subjected to bonded labor in some of Bangladesh's brick kilns; some kiln owners sell bonded females into prostitution purportedly to recoup the families' debts and some Bangladeshi families are subjected to debt bondage in shrimp farming. Some ethnic Indian families are forced to work in the tea industry in the northeastern part of the country. NGOs allege some officials allow human traffickers to operate at brothels, at India-Bangladesh border crossings, and at maritime embarkation points.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bahrain

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Bahrain, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed0c13.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

BAHRAIN: TIER 2

The Government of Bahrain does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Bahrain remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by developing a national referral mechanism and disseminating the strategy to relevant government and civil society stakeholders. It investigated potential trafficking cases and continued its anti-trafficking training for various officials during the year. It took some concrete steps to amend elements of the sponsorship system that increase workers' vulnerability to forced labor and debt bondage. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. It convicted fewer traffickers and made minimal efforts to proactively identify potential forced labor victims. Reports of official complicity persisted, and enforcement of curbing the "free visa" scheme laborers who work for a non-sponsor employer and subsequently have illegal working status remained weak throughout the reporting period.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR BAHRAIN

Increase efforts to investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers, particularly cases involving forced labor or allegedly complicit officials; abolish or significantly amend provisions of the sponsorship system, and strengthen efforts to eliminate the "free visa" scheme; vigorously investigate potential trafficking cases involving passport retention and non-payment of wages; systematically implement formal procedures to identify trafficking victims among vulnerable groups, such as domestic workers and women in prostitution; fully implement the national referral mechanism for law enforcement and other officials to refer identified victims to protection services; expand the flexible work permit pilot program to a broader range of eligible beneficiaries beyond workers with terminated or expired work permits; extend to and actively enforce labor law protections for domestic workers; make efforts to ensure identified trafficking victims are not punished for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking, such as illegal migration or prostitution; broaden training for officials on the anti-trafficking law and victim identification; conduct a national anti-trafficking awareness campaign on trafficking issues, strategically targeting migrant and domestic workers.

PROSECUTION

The government demonstrated uneven law enforcement efforts. Bahrain's anti-trafficking law, Law No.1 of 2008, prohibits all forms of trafficking and prescribes penalties ranging from three to 15 years imprisonment, plus a fine of between 2,000 and 10,000 Bahraini dinar ($5,310-$26,530) and the cost of repatriating the victim(s), which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with penalties prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Article 325 prescribes imprisonment of two to seven years for forced prostitution and three to ten years if the victim is a child. Passport retention is a crime punishable under article (395) of the Bahraini penal code. Additionally, it is a crime to limit or otherwise control any persons' freedom of movement in accordance with article (19) (b) of the constitution of Bahrain. In order to enforce this prohibition, laborers may file a grievance for passport withholding with the police or Labor Market Regulatory Authority (LMRA); a worker may also register a complaint to the court directly if the employer refuses to return the passport.

The Ministry of Interior (MOI) reported investigating 29 potential trafficking cases during the reporting period, of which five were for forced labor, 19 for sexual exploitation, and five involved domestic workers, compared to 18 investigations the previous reporting period. Of the 29 investigations, Justice officials received 25 for consideration, one of which involved a domestic worker. The government referred four domestic worker cases to criminal courts as labor disputes rather than trafficking cases due to insufficient evidence. It convicted and sentenced three traffickers to five years imprisonment; in 2015, the government convicted 17 sex traffickers and imposed 10-year prison terms plus fines and deportation. At the close of the reporting period, five trafficking cases, and four from the previous year, remained ongoing. Officials reported three government employees were allegedly complicit in potential trafficking crimes. Two of these cases remained under investigation and one was in the trial phase at the conclusion of the reporting period. The media reported the arrest of two police officers one former and one current for their role in the sex trafficking of foreign women; however, it was unclear if the government and media were reporting the same two cases.

Cases of unpaid or withheld wages, passport retention, and analogous abuses that are indicators of forced labor were typically treated administratively as labor law violations and resolved through arbitration; however, if arbitration was unsuccessful a worker could file a grievance against the employer in a labor court. These cases were not often investigated for trafficking crimes despite exhibiting indicators of the crime. In 2016, the government reported closure of 39 recruitment offices and revocation of their licenses, and canceled an additional 25 licenses for non-compliance with Bahraini labor law. The public prosecutor received referrals from the LMRA of 13 recruitment offices allegedly involved in forced labor, compared to four such cases in 2015. The LMRA's Enforcement and Inspection Department employed 70 inspectors in enforcement of employment contraventions under its purview such as worksite inspections. The MOI continued to fund periodic training for all 59 members of the MOI Anti-Trafficking Division in various programs at the Royal Police Academy, and in other training programs by an international organization. Six prosecutorial personnel received anti-trafficking training via the Judicial and Legal Studies Institute.

PROTECTION

The government made modest efforts to protect victims, but did not report how many victims it identified; in 2015, it identified 90 trafficking victims. The government used standard procedures to identify potential trafficking victims. The government reported 1,523 individuals of various nationalities and professions predominantly women received assistance from the LMRA's Expatriate Protection Unit (EPU), which provided shelter to 392 for an average of 39 days; among this population, 25 were trafficking victims. Other protective provisions included food, clothing, medical care, religious and psycho-social support, transportation, legal counsel, familial reunification, translation assistance, and information on labor rights. The EPU maintained onsite offices for medical and mental health professionals and a representative from the police anti-trafficking unit, and provided a training room for training shelter residents and a conference space for the national anti-trafficking committee. Several embassies of labor-sending countries reported they temporarily housed some victims who refused to go to the EPU or were unable to reach it. The EPU received referrals from diverse sources, including the police, government offices, NGOs, health services, and embassies. During the reporting period, the government, in cooperation with two international organizations, developed a national referral mechanism to streamline the proactive identification of potential trafficking victims, ensure proper documentation of cases, accurately refer cases to the MOI anti-trafficking division and public prosecutor's office for an official determination as a trafficking case, and provide sufficient protections to victims until case resolution or voluntary return to their respective countries of origin. The government disseminated the 30-page, dual English-Arabic mechanism to relevant civil society and government stakeholders.

Labor Law No. 36 of 2012 provides some protections for domestic workers, requiring employers to provide a labor contract specifying working hours, annual leave, and bonuses, and to pay workers at least monthly; the government did not report any efforts to implement the law. The LMRA was responsible for coordinating with other relevant ministries, referring trafficking cases for prosecution, and conducting interviews to officially identify victims in collaboration with respective embassies. Upon receiving claims of abuse from domestic workers who fled employers, some police stations reportedly investigated immediately, while others sometimes delayed launching an investigation. Inspection agencies cited difficulties conducting unannounced inspections of domestic worker accommodations and investigating allegations of abuse in the absence of an official complaint, which may have left some victims at risk of exploitation and without protective provisions. According to a local NGO, police referred some victims to its shelter; however, police implementation of standardized procedures to identify victims remained inconsistent across different stations. Many law enforcement officials in Bahrain did not systematically or proactively identify victims among vulnerable groups, such as domestic workers who fled abusive employers or women arrested for prostitution. There were no reports victims were punished for crimes committed as a direct result of their being subjected to trafficking; nonetheless, victims likely remained unidentified in the law enforcement system.

NGOs reported workers who entered the country illegally or under pretenses often did not benefit from Bahraini legal protections. Some migrant workers who fled abusive situations chose not to contact police to report the abuse due to being a "free visa" holder. Cases could be complex or expensive to resolve, and workers who could not do so were sometimes deported. Bahraini officials provided full assistance to trafficking victims regardless of their willingness to participate in investigations and court proceedings of their traffickers. The government reported it informed all victims of full evaluation of the case and their legal right to restitution in the event of a conviction. Victims were permitted to testify in person, via written correspondence, video recording, a closed-circuit live video, or in private. The labor law allows foreign workers to change sponsors during investigations and court proceedings; however, among individuals residing temporarily at the shelter only five domestic workers transferred employment during the year. Workers rarely filed complaints against employers due to distrust of the legal system, protracted court processes, inability to afford legal representation, lack of interpretation and translation services, concern over potential loss of residence permits during proceedings, and fear of additional maltreatment due to employer reprisal. The government funded the repatriation of an unknown number of third country nationals to their countries of origin during the reporting period.

PREVENTION

The government maintained efforts to prevent trafficking. Despite historical pledges, the government did not take concrete steps to abolish the sponsorship system, which increased workers' vulnerability to forced labor and debt bondage. During the reporting period, the national committee maintained its focus on expanding victim assistance, broadening training for government personnel, and raising awareness among Bahraini society and labor-sending communities. The national committee reported its budget was roughly 528,300 Bahraini dinar ($1.4 million) for daily operations and 265,000 Bahraini dinar ($702,920) for awareness and outreach programs. The LMRA continued to provide booklets outlining labor rights in 13 languages common among expatriate and migrant worker populations and provided mobile phones with SIM cards and the hotline number to each foreign worker upon arrival at Bahrain International Airport. The hotline was active and served as a resource to educate workers about their rights and available services in Hindi, Telugu, Sinhalese, Tamil, Urdu, Malay, Arabic, and English. During the reporting year, the hotline received an average of 677 calls per month, of which an average of 39 per month were directly related to the EPU's services; it was unclear how many calls constituted instances or indicators of trafficking. The EPU provided information and services for potential and identified trafficking victims. During the year, officials ratified the "Arab Convention against Transnational Organized Crime" and signed an agreement with India on bilateral cooperation related to combating trafficking. The government had MOUs with several labor exporting countries, including Nepal, Sri Lanka, and India, which focused on oversight of recruitment agencies and protection of migrant workers in Bahrain. A 2014 royal decree prohibiting and penalizing the falsification of immigration documents enables authorities to prosecute Bahraini companies that illegally obtain work permits; however, the government did not report efforts to implement the decree during the reporting period. The government did not make discernable efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex. The government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Bahrain is a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking. Men and women, primarily from Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, Philippines, Nepal, Egypt, Jordan, Yemen, Thailand, Syria, and Kenya, migrate voluntarily to Bahrain to work as domestic workers or as laborers in the construction and service industries. The greatest influx of workers during the current reporting year came from Bangladesh. A significant percentage of foreign workers borrowed money or sold property in their home countries to secure their jobs, increasing their vulnerability to debt bondage. Some foreign workers are subjected to forced labor in Bahrain; indicators of forced labor include passport retention, strict confinement, contract substitution, non-payment of wages, threats or intimidation, and physical or sexual abuse, which preclude employees from reporting instances of abuse and exploitation. Nationals of countries without diplomatic presence in Bahrain are particularly vulnerable to trafficking, as are domestic workers, who are only partially protected under Bahraini labor law and cultural norms and existing legal infrastructure avert private home inspection. Government and NGO officials report physical abuse and sexual assault of female domestic workers are significant problems in Bahrain. Bangladeshi unskilled workers are reportedly considered by employers to be exploitable as they typically refrain from contesting hazardous work environs or low pay. Some unscrupulous employers continue to lure migrant workers into the labor market under the "free visa" scheme laborers who work for a non-sponsor employer after leaving the employment of the employer who sponsored their entry into the country thereby rendering them vulnerable to exploitation. Some migrant workers do not possess their employment contracts and are generally unaware of the terms of employment. Women from Asia, the Middle East, and Eastern European countries are subjected to forced prostitution in Bahrain.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Austria

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Austria, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed0f11.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

AUSTRIA: TIER 1

The Government of Austria fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore, Austria remained on Tier 1. The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts through an increased number of prosecutions and convictions, by bolstering rights for victims, and increased funding for victim services. Law enforcement collaborated with neighboring countries on cases and worked closely with NGOs on victim care. The government improved its efforts to identify trafficking victims among refugees, irregular migrants, unaccompanied minors, and asylum-seekers by providing new training in victim identification to border officials and NGOs providing care to migrants and asylum-seekers. Although the government meets the minimum standards, in some cases courts partially or fully suspended sentences for convicted traffickers or accepted fines instead of imprisonment.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AUSTRIA

Sentence convicted traffickers to penalties proportionate to the seriousness of the crime to ensure convicted traffickers serve time in prison; strengthen or revise existing criminal code articles, particularly article 217, to better differentiate between trafficking and smuggling; establish a comprehensive national referral mechanism for adult victims; increase efforts to identify victims among women engaged in prostitution, the physically and mentally disabled, children exploited in prostitution and forced begging, and men working in sectors vulnerable to labor exploitation and prosecute their traffickers; continue efforts to identify trafficking victims among irregular migrants, asylum-seekers, and individuals in prostitution; continue cooperation with foreign governments to uncover and prosecute trafficking rings; and consistently apply laws for granting legal residence to trafficking victims including those who choose not to participate in legal proceedings.

PROSECUTION

The Austrian government sustained vigorous law enforcement efforts. Article 104a of the criminal code criminalizes all forms of sex and labor trafficking consistent with the international law definition, with penalties ranging up to 10 years imprisonment, which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Article 104 also criminalizes slavery, with penalties ranging from 10 to 20 years imprisonment. In addition, article 116 criminalizes the exploitation of foreigners illegally in the country, with a penalty of one to 10 years. Article 217 also makes it a crime to bring a person into Austria for prostitution, regardless of the means used, but provides enhanced penalties when a foreign person is induced to engage in prostitution by deception, coercion, or force. Article 217 penalties range from six months to 10 years imprisonment.

The government investigated 139 trafficking suspects in 2016 (one under article 104, 77 under article 104a, and 61 under article 217), compared with a total of 118 investigations in 2015. The government prosecuted 39 trafficking defendants in 2016 (19 under article 104a and 20 under article 217), an increase from 35 prosecutions in 2015. Courts convicted 26 traffickers in 2016 (10 under article 104a and 16 under article 217), an increase from 15 convictions in 2015. The 10 convictions under article 104a were for labor exploitation; the 16 cases under article 217 were for sexual exploitation. Prison sentences ranged from six months to five years in 2015, the most recent year for which sentencing data was available, but courts partially or fully suspended some sentences and accepted fines instead of time served. The government provided specialized training to prosecutors and judicial personnel. Training was included as part of the standard curriculum for law enforcement. National and local governments cooperated with authorities from other countries to investigate and prosecute trafficking cases. Cooperation with central European governments was especially effective in uncovering and prosecuting trafficking rings.

PROTECTION

The government increased already strong protection efforts. NGOs reported good cooperation with government agencies and reported police identification was generally effective. The government increased efforts to identify victims among migrants and asylum-seekers and in shelters for unaccompanied minors, providing training to border officials, NGOs, and directly to migrants. Police conducted raids and screenings in brothels, red light districts, and massage parlors to find victims proactively. Police and other government institutions, in cooperation with NGOs, identified and assisted 288 female and 60 male foreign victims in 2016, an increase from 271 female victims and 30 male victims in 2015. According to the government's national implementation plan, between July 2015 and December 2016, officials and NGOs identified 15 trafficking victims among migrants transiting through or remaining in Austria.

The government disbursed approximately 892,220 ($940,169) to specialized anti-trafficking NGOs to assist and house victims, an increase from 831,760 ($876,459) disbursed in 2015. The government also disbursed 400,000 ($421,496) to two NGO-run counseling centers for male trafficking victims and undocumented migrants, on par with funding in 2015. Government funding comprised the bulk of these organizations' budgets. The center for male victims assisted 60 victims, of which 20 were provided accommodation, and all 60 were provided counseling; this is twice the number of cases compared to 2015. A government-run center for unaccompanied minors was available for child trafficking victims and offered legal, medical, psychological, social, and language assistance. There were cases of suspected trafficking among minors assisted by the center. Government-funded NGOs provided adult trafficking victims with emergency shelter, medical care, psychological care, language assistance, and legal assistance; some NGOs offered specialized services for victims with physical or mental disabilities. Foreign victims were entitled to the same care available to domestic victims. NGO staff helped victims prepare for court proceedings and assisted foreign victims with repatriation.

The government amended its criminal procedural code in 2016 to establish minimum standards on the rights, support, and protection of victims of crime (including those exploited in trafficking), expanding and strengthening victims' rights, specifically in criminal and court proceedings. The new law provides that victims in particular need of protection may, in order to minimize re-traumatization, be accompanied by a trusted person or be afforded special interview methods during the investigation phase. The national trafficking taskforce finalized a comprehensive national referral mechanism and guidelines for the identification of child victims. Government officials from multiple agencies and NGOs used guidelines and checklists to identify trafficking victims proactively. The government trained law enforcement, the labor inspectorate, military, diplomatic services, detention centers, asylum centers, revenue authority, and social services to proactively identify victims.

Under the asylum law, the government-provided right of temporary residence status for trafficking victims and benefits was not linked to victims' participation or testimony in criminal trials. According to one observer, however, the government failed to grant legal residence to victims if they do not assist police and testify in legal proceedings. The government granted 16 foreign victims temporary residence permits in 2016, compared to 14 in 2015; these permits allowed them unconditional access to the labor market. Identified victims were granted a 30-day reflection period to receive assistance and decide whether to cooperate in investigations. Austria led an international working group that discussed strategies for improving the non-punishment of victims in Balkan countries. The justice ministry developed guidelines for prosecutors on non-punishment of victims. Victims can testify via video conference, provide anonymous depositions, and enroll in witness protection programs. The justice ministry reported 120 victims assisted with prosecutions during 2016. Victims, including those without legal residence, are able to file civil suits for damages and compensation against traffickers, even in the absence of a criminal prosecution. According to the justice ministry, victims obtained restitution in nine criminal cases and six victims of trafficking received government compensation as crime victims. Victims were entitled to legal aid in the form of financial assistance and legal representation if they cannot afford their legal costs. The government did not report any cases of trafficking victims being detained, fined, or jailed for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking.

PREVENTION

The government continued robust efforts to prevent trafficking. A national anti-trafficking coordinator headed a taskforce that coordinated the government's anti-trafficking efforts and included NGOs. The government published a detailed annual report on its website on the implementation of its action plan for 2015-2017. The government hosted several international conferences on trafficking, including labor exploitation and trafficking in the context of the migration crisis. The government subsidized several publications and television programs on trafficking and child sex tourism and funded campaigns to inform women in prostitution of their legal rights. The government also continued school exhibitions, with accompanying teacher handbooks, to sensitize Austrian youth to trafficking. The interior ministry continued to run a 24-hour trafficking hotline and email service. The taskforce distributed leaflets on child trafficking to government authorities and the military, and the men's shelter had an online brochure that provided information on its services. An NGO collaborated with the Austrian trade union organization to organize information campaigns on trafficking for harvest workers, and workshops during immigration integration and language classes. The government reissued the "Global Code of Ethics for Tourism" to tour operators, hotels, and restaurants to combat child sex tourism. Austrian embassies and consulates in source countries informed visa applicants of the potential dangers of trafficking. The government provided anti-trafficking training to its diplomatic personnel. The foreign ministry hosted events for employees of diplomatic households, increasing workers' awareness of their rights and sensitizing them to trafficking. The government required foreign domestic workers in diplomatic households to appear in person to receive their identification cards. Austrian troops received government-funded anti-trafficking training conducted by NGOs prior to their deployment abroad as part of peacekeeping missions. As part of its efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, the government subsidized and distributed a brochure, published in seven languages, which raised public awareness about trafficking within commercial sex. The government worked with business and labor organizations in awareness training on labor exploitation. The government changed its public procurement guidelines to avoid goods and services provided by exploited workers.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Austria is a destination and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Victims primarily originate from Romania, Bulgaria, Hungary, Slovakia, Bosnia, and Serbia, with some victims coming from Nigeria, Southeast Asia, China, and South America. Vienna has the majority of trafficking cases. Most identified victims are foreign women subjected to sex trafficking. Traffickers sometimes lured women by offering fictitious positions, including au pairs, cleaners, waitresses, and dancers. Domestic workers in diplomatic households and workers in restaurants, construction, cleaning companies, and agriculture were subjected to labor exploitation. Children and physically disabled persons are the primary victims of forced begging. A growing number of victims from Nigeria and China are abused for sexual exploitation, some in massage parlors and brothels. Traffickers are primarily male and largely are Austrian or are the same nationality as their victims.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Australia

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Australia, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed113.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

AUSTRALIA: TIER 1

The Government of Australia fully meets the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking. The government continued to demonstrate serious and sustained efforts during the reporting period; therefore, Australia remained on Tier 1. The government demonstrated serious and sustained efforts by increasing investigations of suspected trafficking cases, identifying and referring more victims to the government-funded support program, and implementing changes to its visa policies intended to better address the needs of foreign trafficking victims. Although the government meets the minimum standards, screening procedures for indicators of labor trafficking among vulnerable groups remained insufficient. Authorities did not obtain any convictions under the trafficking provisions of the criminal code for the third consecutive year; courts convicted only one trafficker for dealing in proceeds of a crime under Division 400 of the criminal code, but fully suspended his sentence.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR AUSTRALIA

Further strengthen efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenses, with increased focus on labor trafficking, and convict and stringently sentence sex and labor traffickers; increase efforts to train police and other front-line officers to recognize indicators of trafficking and respond to suspected cases of both sex and labor trafficking; increase training for prosecutors and judges on Australian trafficking laws; continue to strengthen efforts to proactively identify trafficking victims among vulnerable groups, such as undocumented migrants or workers filing civil grievances; ensure initial screening interviews with potential victims are conducted in a safe and neutral location, and in the presence of a social service professional; increase funding to NGOs for robust victim protection services; consider establishing a national compensation scheme for trafficking victims; continue to implement or fund awareness campaigns, particularly among rural communities and migrant populations; strengthen efforts to prosecute and convict Australian child sex tourists; increase efforts to investigate and hold accountable foreign diplomats posted in Australia suspected of complicity in trafficking; and develop a targeted campaign to raise awareness among clients of the legal commercial sex industry about the links between prostitution and trafficking.

PROSECUTION

The government increased investigations, but convicted only one trafficker. Divisions 270 and 271 of the Commonwealth Criminal Code prohibit sex and labor trafficking and trafficking-related offenses and prescribe maximum penalties of 12 to 25 years imprisonment and fines of up to 197,000 Australian dollars ($142,238). These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious offenses, such as rape. The criminal code also prohibits forced labor and prescribes penalties of nine years imprisonment, and the Migration Act of 2007 prohibits exploitation of migrant workers through forced labor, sexual servitude, or slavery, and prescribes penalties of up to five years imprisonment and various fines. Under the law, prosecutors cannot recommend prison sentences a factor that may contribute to insufficient penalties for traffickers prosecuted under lesser criminal charges.

The Australian Federal Police (AFP) investigated 105 cases of alleged trafficking and related offenses, an increase from 61 cases investigated in 2015; roughly a third were suspected forced marriage cases, and the government did not report how many involved sex or labor trafficking. The government initiated prosecutions of four defendants for suspected labor trafficking offenses and one defendant for suspected sex trafficking offenses, compared to four prosecutions in 2015 and nine in 2014. Authorities continued prosecutions from previous reporting periods against three individuals suspected of forced labor offenses. One individual allegedly subjected 23 foreign nationals to forced labor and was charged with "causing a person to remain in servitude." In a separate case, authorities initiated the prosecution of two individuals for the alleged long-term exploitation of a foreign national brought to Melbourne in 2007 to perform domestic labor. The government opened one investigation into alleged labor trafficking in the household of a foreign diplomat, but reported being unable to pursue prosecution due to diplomatic immunity provisions.

For the third consecutive year, the government did not convict any sex or labor traffickers under the trafficking provisions in the criminal code. In 2016, authorities convicted one sex trafficker on the lesser offense of dealing in proceeds of a crime under division 400 of the criminal code and fully suspended the prescribed prison sentence; this was a decrease from six convictions in 2015, also under lesser charges, culminating in prison sentences for five offenders. The courts also convicted three defendants for traveling overseas to engage in child sex tourism, compared to one in 2015. Authorities often opted to pursue labor or employment violations in lieu of trafficking charges due to a perception that it could increase the success rate of prosecutions; however, offenders often faced only civil penalties. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offenses. The government-funded and facilitated training on trafficking investigations, legal provisions, and victim support for 26 police and immigration officers.

PROTECTION

The government slightly increased efforts to protect trafficking victims. Authorities identified 36 potential victims, including 22 for sex trafficking and forced labor, and 14 for which the form of exploitation was unclear, compared with 35 in 2015. Authorities provided accommodation, living expenses, legal advice, health services, vocational training, and counseling to 83 victims including some identified in previous years through the support program, for which the government continued to allocate approximately one million Australian dollars ($722,021). Only AFP had the legal authority to refer victims to the support program; NGOs provided services for additional victims who were either not formally recognized by AFP or who chose not to communicate with law enforcement. The government also repatriated six potential Australian trafficking victims from abroad, three of whom were returned to Australia to receive protective services through this program, compared to one in 2015. There were no government-run shelters for trafficking victims; one known trafficking-specific shelter run by an NGO received funding from an NGO operating partially on government funding to accommodate participants in the Support Program. In 2016, the government reported providing temporary stay visas to 33 foreign trafficking victims, compared to 29 the previous year, although it did not report how many of these constituted cases of forced marriage. The government began implementing visa policy reforms enacted in 2015 intended to address the needs of foreign trafficking victims, such as by extending access to its adult migrant English programs, which in prior years were only available to permanent visa holders. These services were provided to 11 trafficking victims in Australia on temporary stay visas during the reporting period. It also granted to six victims and their immediate family members referred stay (permanent) visas, compared to four in 2015, which required victims to assist with an investigation or prosecution of a trafficking offense. Victims identified by authorities were not detained, fined, or penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking; however, given underdeveloped screening efforts among vulnerable populations, some unidentified victims may have been arrested, prosecuted, or deported.

The government made limited efforts to identify and refer victims of forced labor to services; authorities did not routinely screen for indicators of labor trafficking among vulnerable groups, but established new mechanisms for doing so. Authorities identified most victims through the efforts of joint agencies, taskforces, and cooperative action with foreign governments. Some victims may have been reluctant to communicate with law enforcement officers due to fear of detainment and deportation. The government did not ensure social service professionals were present during initial screening interviews, although procedures were in place for law enforcement officials to bring them in at their discretion. Although the government expanded certain benefit schemes for trafficking victims, it did not have a centralized victim compensation system.

PREVENTION

The government increased efforts to prevent trafficking. It continued implementation of its five-year national action plan to combat trafficking, launched in 2014, and created new interagency and regional taskforces, working groups, and other mechanisms for the purpose of expanding the scope of its research on, and strengthening its ability to respond to, trafficking offenses. In furtherance of the national action plan, the Australian Interdepartmental Committee on Human Trafficking and Slavery delivered its annual report on government anti-trafficking efforts to Parliament in December 2016. The government continued to fund anti-trafficking initiatives and deliver trainings in the Asia-Pacific and Middle East regions. In May 2016, the Fair Work Ombudsman (FWO) established the Migrant Worker Strategy and Engagement Branch to coordinate and develop strategies for engagement, education, and compliance activities focusing on workplace rights and entitlements in migrant worker communities. In April 2016, the FWO introduced an online platform to facilitate the anonymous reporting of labor law violations. It continued to conduct awareness-raising campaigns on migrant workers' rights and pursued and concluded long-term inquiries into potential labor abuses committed against migrant workers in the retail and hospitality industries, although none of these appeared to culminate in trafficking victim referrals or investigations. The government also facilitated training on trafficking in persons for 535 immigration officials during the reporting period. The government continued to publish materials for passport applicants outlining the application of Australian child sexual exploitation and child sex tourism laws to Australians overseas. In 2016, authorities convicted three defendants for traveling to other countries to engage in child sex tourism, compared to one in 2015, with sentences ranging from six months imprisonment to five years and three months imprisonment. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts, but it created a ministerial labor exploitation working group and migrant workers taskforce aimed at reducing the demand for forced labor. The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade conditioned the departure of diplomatic personnel to overseas posts on compliance with Australia's anti-trafficking legislation, and the government provided anti-trafficking training to military and law enforcement personnel prior to their deployment on international peacekeeping missions.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the last five years, Australia is primarily a destination country for women and girls subjected to sex trafficking and for women and men subjected to forced labor. A small number of children, primarily teenage Australian and foreign girls, are subjected to sex trafficking within the country. Some women from Asia and to a lesser extent Eastern Europe and Africa migrate to Australia to work legally or illegally in a number of sectors, including commercial sex. After their arrival, some of these women are coerced to enter or remain in prostitution. Some foreign women and sometimes girls are held in captivity, subjected to physical and sexual violence and intimidation, manipulated through illegal drugs, obliged to pay off unexpected or inflated debts to traffickers, or otherwise deceived about working arrangements. Some victims of sex trafficking and some women who migrate to Australia for arranged marriages are subjected to domestic servitude. Unscrupulous employers and labor agencies subject some men and women from Asia and several Pacific Islands recruited to work temporarily in Australia to forced labor in agriculture, construction, hospitality, and domestic service. Some identified victims are foreign citizens on student visas who pay significant placement and academic fees. Unscrupulous employers coerce students to work in excess of the terms of their visas, making them vulnerable to trafficking due to fears of deportation for immigration violations. Some foreign diplomats allegedly subject domestic workers to forced labor in Australia.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Argentina

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Argentina, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed153.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ARGENTINA: TIER 2

The Government of Argentina does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Argentina remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by identifying and assisting more victims, opening two regional anti-trafficking offices, increasing the number of investigations, and providing more training and outreach to improve protection and awareness-raising efforts. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. Despite the increase in investigations and convictions, the number of prosecutions declined. In addition, the government did not confirm how many convicted traffickers served time in prison or how many victims it identified or assisted. Official complicity continued to be a significant concern, inhibiting law enforcement efforts.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ARGENTINA

Strengthen efforts to investigate, prosecute, convict, and punish traffickers with dissuasive sentences, including complicit officials; continue funding specialized shelters, provide services for male victims, and increase legal, medical, and employment services for victims; provide victim identification training to law enforcement officials and labor inspectors focused on specific vulnerable populations, such as domestic workers; draft and implement the anti-trafficking plan with an adequate budget; strengthen coordination among the federal and provincial governments and NGOs; improve efforts to collect data on victim protection efforts and assistance; and increase awareness campaigns targeting vulnerable populations.

PROSECUTION

The government maintained law enforcement efforts. Law 26842 of 2012 prohibits all forms of human trafficking and prescribes punishments of four to 10 years imprisonment. These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Inconsistent with international standards law 26842 establishes the use of force, fraud, and coercion as aggravating factors rather than essential elements of the crime. The law also includes as the crime of trafficking, facilitating or profiting from the prostitution of others and the illegal sale of organs without regard to the use of force, fraud, or coercion. Some provincial authorities investigated and prosecuted trafficking cases under different statutes related to exploitation and pimping, making it difficult to collect comprehensive data. Authorities did not report the total number of trafficking cases investigated by police in 2016. The government decreased prosecutions, but investigated and convicted more traffickers than in 2015, although it was unclear how many of the reported cases were for trafficking as defined by international law. The anti-trafficking prosecutor's office (PROTEX) opened 1,089 preliminary investigations in 2016, compared with 358 in 2015 and 200 in 2014. The government prosecuted 54 suspected traffickers (32 for sex trafficking and 22 for labor trafficking), compared with 98 (47 for sex trafficking and 51 for labor trafficking) in 2015, and 92 for sex and labor trafficking in 2014. Despite the three-fold increase of investigations, prosecutions dropped nearly half. The government obtained convictions of 46 traffickers in 2016, compared with 35 in 2015 and 67 in 2014. Fifty-four percent of sentences ranged from two to five years imprisonment; however, under Argentine law, defendants sentenced to less than three years for any crime automatically have their sentences suspended; it was unclear how many sentences were suspended. Corruption and official complicity in trafficking crimes remained significant concerns, although the government continued to investigate and prosecute cases involving public officials. During the reporting period, PROTEX successfully appealed a case leading to the reopening of an investigation after allegations surfaced that one of three judges assigned to the case was involved in covering up trafficking crimes. In another case, investigations revealed members of the security forces and the judiciary were believed to be involved with three human trafficking networks; authorities indicted 26 individuals accused of sexual exploitation, and the case was pending at the end of the reporting period. In addition, the government indicted a provincial mayor and superintendent for allegedly protecting a sex trafficking organization. Despite several ongoing investigations and formal indictments, including cases from the previous year, there were no convictions of complicit officials. The government provided numerous anti-trafficking trainings to law enforcement, prosecutors, and judicial officials, among others, including virtual training courses.

PROTECTION

The government increased protection efforts. The Program for Rescue is the government office responsible for coordinating emergency victim services nationwide; in 2016, it reported identifying 666 potential trafficking victims, compared with 424 in 2015. This includes all individuals discovered during anti-trafficking law enforcement raids, some of whom were likely in exploitative labor situations that may not rise to the level of forced labor. Federal officials had formal procedures for victim identification and assistance; however, in practice, the procedures to identify victims among vulnerable populations varied by province. Some front-line responders had limited understanding of trafficking; the government did not make efforts to identify victims of domestic servitude. Regional governments in the provinces of Chaco, Santa Fe, La Pampa, Mendoza, and La Rioja operated anti-trafficking centers, which provided psychological, social, medical, and judicial assistance to trafficking victims. In 2016, the government opened two more centers, in the provinces of Chubut and Rio Negro. A government-funded NGO operated two shelters that assisted trafficking victims, one in Buenos Aires, and one in Tucuman. The Secretariat for Children, Adolescents, and Families also operated two shelters, one for children and one for women. There were no specialized shelters for male victims; therefore, the government often placed male victims in other government-funded shelters or in hotels for temporary housing, while others returned to their country or province of origin. The Program for Rescue reported all identified victims could receive emergency assistance during the early stages of the investigation and during the initial testimony for the courts; the Ministry of Social Development provided mid-term and long-term care assistance. NGOs reported a need for long-term housing, skills training and employment, childcare and legal assistance. Foreign victims had the same access to care as Argentine nationals; however, victims were sometimes unaware of services available. Authorities did not report how many received assistance during the reporting period. The government did not report the number of victims who received repatriation assistance. There were no reports of identified victims jailed or penalized for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of their being subjected to trafficking. Authorities organized 50 training courses on victim identification and assistance, reaching 2,257 individuals, including officials, members of civil society, students, teachers, and health professionals.

The government encouraged the participation of victims in trials of their traffickers by assisting victims throughout the initial testimony and during any subsequent appearances. The Program for Rescue provided tribunals with reports on the psychological state of victims and what requirements they might have to assist in the prosecution of their traffickers. Other support for victim testimony included the possibility of video testimony and the use of recorded testimony. It was unclear how many victims received such assistance during the reporting period. In 2016, a victim of sex trafficking filed and won a civil suit against her traffickers and the municipality where the abuse occurred, marking the first time that a trafficking victim was awarded restitution from her traffickers and the state.

PREVENTION

The government maintained prevention efforts. In June 2016, the federal council on human trafficking, which included federal government entities, provincial officials, and a smaller executive council that implemented the initiatives of the federal council, met for the first time. During the reporting period, the government held sessions to draft a national action plan and identify NGOs to include on the federal council. Despite these efforts, NGOs advocated for improved interagency coordination. Some provincial governments undertook prevention efforts, such as awareness campaigns focused on students and teachers. NGOs and municipal authorities continued to express concern about child sex tourism, though there were no reported investigations or prosecutions related to this crime. The government continued proactive efforts to register informal workers and employers in rural areas and investigate non-compliance with labor laws. The government launched a new campaign to increase public awareness of trafficking indicators and to encourage the public to report cases of potential trafficking. The government made efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for forced labor. The government provided anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel. Argentine troops received anti-trafficking training prior to their deployment abroad on international peacekeeping operations.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Argentina is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Argentine women and children are subjected to sex trafficking within the country, as are women and children from other Latin American countries. To a more limited extent, Argentine men, women, and children are subjected to sex and labor trafficking in other countries, mostly in Europe. Men, women, and children from Argentina, Bolivia, Paraguay, Peru, and other countries are subjected to forced labor in a variety of sectors, including sweatshops, agriculture, street vending, charcoal and brick production, domestic work, and small businesses. Chinese citizens working in supermarkets are vulnerable to debt bondage. Argentine officials report isolated cases of foreign victims recruited in Argentina and subjected to trafficking in third countries.

Vulnerable women and girls who live in extreme poverty, a violent family environment, or suffer from addiction are among those most vulnerable to trafficking; a significant number of them, originally from Bolivia and Paraguay, and to a lesser extent from the Dominican Republic, Uruguay, and Brazil, are subjected to sex trafficking in Argentina, as are Argentine women and girls from rural areas and the northern provinces. Traffickers from across Argentina bypass regulations that ban brothels by establishing "mobile brothels" in vans and trucks where sexual exploitation occurs, making raids more difficult; this practice is particularly prevalent in the northern area of the country. Street vendors may subject migrants from neighboring or African countries to forced labor. Transgender Argentines are exploited in sex trafficking within the country and in Western Europe. Official complicity, mainly at the sub-national levels, continues to hinder the government's efforts to combat trafficking. In 2016, the Municipality of Ushuaia was ordered to pay restitution to a victim after being found complicit of facilitating trafficking by failing to adequately regulate brothels.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Antigua and Barbuda

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Antigua and Barbuda, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed16a.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA: TIER 2 WATCH LIST

The Government of Antigua and Barbuda does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated significant efforts during the reporting period by initiating the prosecution of a trafficking case, revising its national action plan, training relevant government personnel, increasing funding for anti-trafficking efforts, and providing some assistance to victims. However, the government did not demonstrate increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period. The government did not report significant law enforcement efforts, reported fewer victims identified and fewer investigations of suspected cases, and continued to issue administrative penalties for suspected complicit police officers rather than charging them with crimes. The government has never reported any trafficking convictions. The government did not allocate sufficient funding, services, and human resources for victim needs, law enforcement and prosecutions, and public awareness campaigns. The government also suffered from a lack of coordination and cohesion in its efforts to combat trafficking due to personnel rotations at the working and ministerial levels and the lack of a dedicated office or personnel for anti-trafficking efforts. Because the government has devoted sufficient resources to a written plan that, if implemented, would constitute significant efforts to meet the minimum standards, Antigua and Barbuda was granted a waiver per the Trafficking Victims Protection Act from an otherwise required downgrade to Tier 3. Therefore, Antigua and Barbuda remained on Tier 2 Watch List for the fourth consecutive year.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANTIGUA AND BARBUDA

Provide increased prioritization, coordination, robust funding, and human resources across all agencies to adequately combat human trafficking; vigorously prosecute trafficking offenses and convict and punish traffickers, including complicit officials; improve the capacity of investigators and prosecutors to expeditiously process trafficking cases; train law enforcement and prosecutors in the relevant legislation and proactively identifying, obtaining, preserving, and corroborating evidence using victim-centered approaches with a special emphasis on identifying trafficking victims in establishments selling sex; consider creating a dedicated trafficking unit with seconded personnel from relevant agencies; develop joint and agency specific standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all government agencies and relevant NGOs; increase training for relevant immigration, labor, medical personnel, and NGOs; improve data collection on prosecutions, convictions, and victim identification and care; and increase public awareness campaigns.

PROSECUTION

The government increased prosecution efforts. The Trafficking in Persons (Prevention) Act, 2010, which was amended in 2015 to vest jurisdiction for trafficking cases to the High Court of Justice, prohibits all forms of trafficking and prescribes punishments of 20 to 30 years imprisonment and fines of 400,000 to 600,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars ($148,148 to $222,222). These penalties are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape.

Authorities reportedly investigated three cases of trafficking; however, conflicting government accounts made it difficult to determine the number of cases, nature of the crimes, and the nationalities of the victims. The government reported investigating 10 cases of trafficking in 2015 and two cases in 2014. The 2016 cases remained open at the close of the reporting period. The government initiated its first prosecution since 2011 for a case of sex trafficking that occurred in December 2015. The government has never reported any trafficking convictions. Experts noted the prosecutor's office had limited staff and resources and were concerned the police were not undertaking proactive raids to uncover sex trafficking cases. Experts noted investigations of suspected trafficking cases were slow due to overburdened investigators. The police worked closely with Interpol and police from victims' countries, which included Jamaica and Guyana. The police incorporated anti-trafficking training into the standard curriculum for all new officers. The immigration department also conducted training for officials in coordination with an international organization.

The government did not report any new investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in human trafficking offenses. Authorities continued to review the case of three police officers suspected of involvement in trafficking crimes; the police standards committee is reviewing the case for disciplinary action, but did not prosecute the officers. Over the past two years, the police force has administered administrative sanctions for officers suspected or implicated in trafficking, rather than charge them with a crime under the country's trafficking laws.

PROTECTION

The government maintained protection efforts, although there was not sufficient funding to adequately provide for victim needs. There was no standardized database available to track trafficking cases across all departments, although the government continued to develop a shared database. The government completed drafting SOPs for referral procedures in trafficking cases, including for law enforcement, healthcare, and gender offices. With the assistance of an international organization, the government held a four-day, multi-agency training session in October 2016.

Conflicting government accounts made it difficult to determine the number of victims identified and circumstances of their victimization. The government reported identifying four foreign female trafficking victims: two of the victims were reportedly subjected to labor trafficking and two other cases were under investigation; one of the victims was a minor. In 2015, the government reported identifying 10 victims. The gender affairs department was responsible for providing care to victims, such as counseling, health care, shelter, food and clothing, assistance to communicate with families, travel arrangements, and assistance with employment, work permits, and immigration relief, through a referral process. The gender affairs department obtained in-kind contributions for victim care donated from businesses, including hotel stays and groceries. For the reporting period, one victim received shelter, food, and personal items. The other three victims requested repatriation assistance but declined other victim services.

Experts noted problems in how the government identified and provided suitable shelter for victims and payment for medical services involving foreign nationals. Medical providers were trained during the reporting period on trafficking indicators to understand the type of psychological care and sensitivity required for victims. Experts were concerned that the government was unable to keep information on victims confidential due to the paperwork circulated among several public offices. The government did not issue residency benefits or provide long-term shelter during the reporting period. The government assisted with repatriation of three victims. The gender affairs department and police encouraged victim participation in investigations and prosecutions; all victims cooperated with police. The 2010 anti-trafficking act protects identified victims from punishment for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of having been subjected to trafficking. There were no reports of trafficking victims being detained or fined for illegal acts committed as a result of trafficking. Per the anti-trafficking act, a victim can file a civil suit for restitution from a government official complicit in trafficking; however, the government reported no civil suits during the reporting period.

PREVENTION

The government maintained modest prevention efforts, which were hampered by a lack of leadership, funding, and coordination. According to the Ministry of National Security, the 2016 budget for anti-trafficking efforts was 109,405 Eastern Caribbean dollars ($40,520), an increase from 66,000 Eastern Caribbean dollars in 2015 ($24,444). It was unclear how this funding was allocated. All government agencies reported a lack of funding for anti-trafficking efforts and victim care. Experts noted a shortage of funding and human resources for public awareness campaigns. The government conducted an eight-day awareness-raising campaign, including radio and television interviews, two school presentations, and a street fair and awareness march. The anti-trafficking committee met 10 times during the reporting period and continued to oversee implementation of the three-year national action plan, which expires in 2018. There was no full-time working-level staff member within the Ministry of National Security to lead anti-trafficking efforts, and frequent personnel rotations among the working and leadership levels, contributed to problems in leadership, coordination, knowledge, and training among government agencies. The government released a 2015 annual report on the efforts of the anti-trafficking committee during the reporting period. The government revised its 2016-2018 action plan to include more specificity of tasks and assessment plans for government agencies and NGOs. The government included diplomatic staff in its anti-trafficking training sessions. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts or forced labor.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Antigua and Barbuda is a destination and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Documented and undocumented immigrants from the Caribbean region, notably from Jamaica, Guyana, Haiti, and the Dominican Republic, as well as from Southeast Asia, are most vulnerable to trafficking. Sex trafficking has been reported in bars, taverns, and brothels. Recruitment of victims has often involved the promise of opportunities, such as a job offer to work as a dancer in a club. There are anecdotal reports of children subjected to sex trafficking, including by parents and caregivers. Forced labor occurs in domestic service and the retail sector. There have been concerns about trafficking-related complicity by police officers.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Angola

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Angola, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed17f.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ANGOLA: TIER 2

The Government of Angola does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Angola remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by issuing its first convictions with stringent sentences for three sex traffickers. It identified an increased number of trafficking victims for the third consecutive year, and referred the majority of victims to protective services. The government cooperated with three foreign governments on investigations of Angolans exploited abroad and with international organizations to provide protective services and facilitate repatriation for foreign victims. The inter-ministerial commission met periodically throughout the year, undertook robust prevention efforts, and worked to identify best practices to improve its efforts to combat trafficking. However, the government did not meet the minimum standards in several key areas. The government did not adequately fund protection mechanisms, including shelters, legal, medical, and psychological services. It did not conduct any investigations of allegations of official complicity despite credible reports of some law enforcement officers' involvement in trafficking. Border security guards forcibly detained and deported illegal migrants without adequate screening procedures to identify potential trafficking victims.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ANGOLA

Increase investigations and prosecution of forced labor and sex trafficking offenses, including those involving allegedly complicit officials; train law enforcement officials on the 2014 money laundering law's anti-trafficking provisions; implement procedures for identifying trafficking victims, and train officials on such procedures; investigate labor trafficking in the Angolan construction sector; develop uniform and systematic referral procedures for all provinces; increase efforts to provide shelter, counseling, and medical care for adult victims, including men, either directly or in partnership with NGOs; collect and analyze anti-trafficking law enforcement data; and tailor nationwide anti-trafficking public awareness campaigns to vulnerable populations.

PROSECUTION

The government increased law enforcement efforts. The 2014 money laundering law criminalizes all forms of trafficking in persons and prescribes penalties of one to 15 years imprisonment, depending on the specific offense; which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes. Trafficking is criminalized in chapter III, articles 18, through 23. Article 18 criminalizes slavery and servitude as well as the buying and selling of a child under 14 years of age for adoption or for slavery. Article 19 criminalizes the trafficking of adults and children for the purpose of sexual exploitation, forced labor or trafficking in organs by means of force, fraud or coercion, with a penalty of three to 12 years imprisonment. Article 19 makes it a crime to receive services or organs that are provided by those means, subject to a lesser penalty. Article 20 makes it a crime to entice or force a person to practice prostitution in a foreign country. Article 21 also appears to make sex trafficking a crime; entitled "pimping," it makes it a crime to use violence, threats or fraud to promote the exercise of prostitution, subject to a prison sentence of one to 6 years. Article 22 makes it a crime to pimp children under the age of 18, without regard to means of force, fraud or coercion which is the definition of sex trafficking of children in international law with a penalty of two to 10 years imprisonment; for the use of force, fraud or coercion with a child less than 14 years old, the term of imprisonment is 5 to 12 years. Article 22 makes it a crime to entice children to engage in prostitution in a foreign country, with sentences of three to 12 years imprisonment; with force, fraud or coercion, the sentence is three to 15 years imprisonment. These sentences are generally commensurate with the penalties for other serious crimes, such as rape.

The government investigated two potential child sex trafficking cases, compared with 12 potential trafficking cases in the previous reporting period. The government initiated one prosecution of a suspected trafficker and continued the prosecution of three suspects initiated during the previous reporting period, which led to the government's first conviction and sentencing of traffickers. The Luanda Provincial Court sentenced three Vietnamese citizens, two women and one man, to eight, nine, and 10 years imprisonment, respectively, for the sex trafficking of five Vietnamese women and for the indentured servitude of three Vietnamese and one Chinese man the first trafficking convictions in Angola under the 2014 money laundering law. The government initiated prosecution of one Congolese woman for trafficking of four Congolese children, ages 11 to 14, in Zaire province. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in human trafficking offenses despite credible reports of some law enforcement officers owning brothels in Luanda suspected of involvement in trafficking. Some law enforcement officials were also accused of trying to undermine anti-trafficking efforts by harassing anti-trafficking activists. There were allegations that corruption may have hindered law enforcement anti-trafficking efforts.

The government, at times in partnership with international organizations, trained 119 magistrates and local level officials from the justice, interior, and labor ministries on identifying and processing trafficking cases. The government trained labor inspectors on child labor laws. National police academy training continued to include human trafficking provisions. The government cooperated with French, Portuguese, and Brazilian authorities in the investigation of potential trafficking crimes involving Angolan citizens abroad; these investigations remained ongoing at the close of the reporting period. The government cooperated with the Vietnamese authorities in the investigation that led to the conviction of three Vietnamese citizens on trafficking charges in Angola, involving Vietnamese and Chinese victims. The government maintained a labor agreement with the Government of China, which requires Chinese companies to follow Angolan labor laws; and Angolan authorities investigated construction companies and employers, including Chinese-run operations, for alleged forced labor abuses during the reporting period.

PROTECTION

The government increased its efforts to identify and protect victims. The government identified 91 trafficking victims, including 77 children, five women, and 15 men; this represents an increase for the third consecutive year compared to 55 in 2015 and 17 in 2014. The government referred all 77 children to either government shelters or private shelters recognized by the government for care. The government did not provide information regarding the care of nine adult sex trafficking victims, whose case resulted in Angola's first trafficking convictions. In two recent cases involving victims from the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Kenya, the government partnered with an international NGO to provide protective services and facilitate repatriation. The government did not adequately fund protection mechanisms, including shelters and legal, medical, and psychological services; however, the government drastically reduced its spending across all sectors, particularly the health and social services sector, due to an economic downturn.

The National Institute of Children (INAC) received referrals of child victims and managed child support centers in all 18 provinces, which provided food, shelter, basic education, and family reunification for crime victims younger than age 18; however, it was unclear how many children such centers assisted during the year. The Ministry of Social Assistance and Reinsertion (MINARS) and the Ministry of Family and Women's Affairs (MINFAMU), which managed a national network of safe houses for women, received referrals of female victims. Both networks of shelters provided legal and psychological assistance to victims. MINARS, MINFAMU, and the Organization of Angolan Women operated 30 counseling centers, seven multipurpose shelters, and 52 children's shelters, which trafficking victims could access. The inter-ministerial commission developed guidelines for referring potential trafficking victims to the provincial attorney general's office and representative for the Directorate for Human Rights, and for liaising with INAC and MINFAMU.

Law enforcement and social services officials lacked a mechanism for screening vulnerable populations, including foreign workers and persons in prostitution. The government may have arrested and deported individuals for unlawful acts committed as a result of having been subjected to trafficking, including immigration and employment violations. To stem the flow of illegal migrants crossing into Angola, particularly from the DRC, border security forces detained and deported individuals without screening to identify any potential trafficking victims. Furthermore, a UN official expressed concern over allegations that Angolan security forces harassed, detained, and denied legal services to irregular migrants. Authorities who found workers without work permits during labor inspections fined the employers and arrested and deported the workers. On previous occasions when authorities identified trafficking victims among foreign laborers, the Angolan government routinely repatriated them to the source countries without providing care or ensuring proper treatment upon their arrival. Angolan law does not provide foreign trafficking victims with legal alternatives to their removal to a country where they may face hardship or retribution. The national police, with the assistance of social workers and psychologists as appropriate, used victim testimony for investigation and prosecution of traffickers.

PREVENTION

The government maintained its efforts to prevent human trafficking. The inter-ministerial commission established in 2014 under the direction of the Ministry of Justice and Human Rights and the Ministry of Social Assistance and Reintegration was instrumental in encouraging increased collaboration between national police and provincial government officials. The commission was comprised of provincial commissions to combat trafficking in Benguela, Huila, Namibe, Uige, and Zaire, which informed national level efforts by sharing information with the national commission in order to identify trafficking cases. Resistance from the national police to share information in their national crime database has slowed the inter-ministerial commission's analysis of trafficking in Angola. During the reporting period, it produced and distributed 1,000 copies of a manual entitled "Trafficking in Persons: Prevention, Protection, and Assistance to Victims" and continued to meet periodically. In August 2016, the government issued Presidential Decree No. 155/16, the New Legal Framework on Domestic Work and Domestic Services Employees' Social Protection, which entitles domestic workers to paid leave, eight-hour work days, the right to retirement, holidays and maternity leave. Decree 155/16 complements article 3 of the General Labor Law, Law No. 7/15, which prohibits minors to serve as domestic workers; however, government did not widely enforce the decree. The Office of the Attorney General organized a meeting with the Association of African Attorneys to discuss best practices to combat trafficking. The government-funded two public information radio campaigns to raise awareness of trafficking. The government sought technical assistance from two international organizations to review Angola's anti-trafficking legislation, identify state and non-state actors that work on counter trafficking, and to provide recommendations to help develop a new national anti-trafficking policy. In November, the inter-ministerial commission started a bilateral working group with Mozambique's national coordinating body to discuss regional trafficking concerns and share best practices. The commission continued to draft a formal national action plan; however, it did not finalize or adopt it for the second consecutive year. The government did not report any efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex or forced labor. The government did not provide anti-trafficking training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Angola is a source and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Angolans, including minors, endure forced labor in the brick-making, domestic service, construction, agricultural, and artisanal diamond mining sectors within the country. Angolan girls as young as 13 years old are victims of sex trafficking. Angolan adults use children younger than age 12 for forced criminal activity, because children cannot be criminally prosecuted. The provinces of Luanda, Benguela, and the border provinces of Cunene, Namibe, Zaire, and Uige are the most high threat areas for trafficking activities. Some Angolan boys are taken to Namibia for forced labor in cattle herding, while others are forced to serve as couriers to transport illicit goods, as part of a scheme to skirt import fees in cross-border trade with Namibia. Angolan women and children are subjected to domestic servitude and sex trafficking in South Africa, Namibia, and European countries, including the Netherlands and Portugal.

Women from Namibia, the DRC, Vietnam, and Brazil engaged in prostitution in Angola may be victims of sex trafficking. Some Chinese women are recruited by Chinese gangs and construction companies with promises of work, but later are deprived of their passports, kept in walled compounds with armed guards, and forced into prostitution to pay back the costs of their travel. Chinese, Southeast Asian, Brazilian, Namibian, Kenyan, and possibly Congolese migrants are subjected to forced labor in Angola's construction industry; they may be subject to withholding of passports, threats of violence, denial of food, and confinement. At times, workers are coerced to continue work in unsafe conditions, which at times reportedly resulted in death. Chinese workers are brought to Angola by Chinese companies that have large construction or mining contracts; some companies do not disclose the terms and conditions of the work at the time of recruitment. Undocumented Congolese migrants, including children, enter Angola for work in diamond-mining districts, where some endure forced labor or sex trafficking in mining camps. Trafficking networks recruit and transport Congolese girls as young as 12 years old from Kasai Occidental in the DRC to Angola for labor and sex trafficking.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Algeria

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Algeria, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed194.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ALGERIA: TIER 2 WATCH LIST

The Government of Algeria does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government made key achievements during the reporting period; therefore, Algeria was upgraded to Tier 2 Watch List. These achievements include the investigation and prosecution of 16 alleged traffickers and the identification of 65 potential forced labor victims, both significant increases from the previous reporting period. Despite the identified victims' illegal immigration status, the government provided them temporary housing, medical aid, and other basic services at a migrant transit center. The government's newly demonstrated political will to address trafficking included the issuance of a September 2016 presidential decree formally institutionalizing the inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee and assigning it a dedicated budget to implement its mandate. Despite these achievements, the government did not systematically identify trafficking victims among vulnerable populations, nor did it provide adequate protection services for all trafficking victims. It did not have a standardized mechanism to refer potential victims to government-or NGO-run protection services. Furthermore, due to a lack of identification efforts, authorities continued to punish potential trafficking victims for acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking, such as immigration violations and prostitution.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALGERIA

Vigorously investigate, prosecute, and convict sex and labor trafficking offenders and punish them with sufficiently stringent penalties; establish formal procedures for victim identification and referral to care, and train law enforcement, judicial, and healthcare officials and social workers on these procedures; develop formal mechanisms to provide appropriate protection services, either directly or through support and partnership with NGOs and international organizations, including adequate shelter, medical and psycho-social care, legal aid, and repatriation assistance, to all trafficking victims; ensure victims do not face arrest, deportation, or other punishment for acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking; ensure the safe and voluntary repatriation of foreign victims, including through collaboration with relevant organizations and source-country embassies, raise public awareness of the indicators and risks of trafficking, including on the difference between human trafficking and smuggling; and implement the national anti-trafficking action plan.

PROSECUTION

The government increased efforts to investigate and prosecute trafficking offenders. Algeria prohibits all forms of trafficking under section 5 of its penal code. Prescribed penalties under this statute range from three to 20 years imprisonment, which are sufficiently stringent and commensurate with those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. Law No.14-01, which criminalizes the buying and selling of children younger than the age of 18, provides for prison terms of three to 20 years imprisonment for individuals and groups convicted of committing or attempting to commit this crime; however, this law could be interpreted to include non-trafficking crimes such as human smuggling or illegal adoption.

The government remained without an effective system to collect and report nationwide anti-trafficking law enforcement data. However, the government reported it investigated six individuals in September 2016 including three Nigeriens, two Algerians, and one Malian allegedly involved in a trafficking network, who forced undocumented adult and child migrants from Niger to beg in cities in northern Algeria. The government arrested and charged these alleged offenders with human trafficking offenses, among other crimes. The case was transferred from a court in Tamanrasset to a specialized court in Ouargla and remained pending at the end of the reporting period. Police continued to search for four members of this alleged trafficking network who remained at large at the end of the reporting period. The government also investigated two other human trafficking cases involving a total of 10 alleged perpetrators and 33 victims. These 16 prosecutions represent an increase from zero prosecutions in the previous reporting period. However, for another consecutive year, the government did not report convicting any trafficking offenders. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government officials complicit in trafficking offenses. The General Directorate for National Security maintained six police brigades to monitor illegal immigration and human trafficking and provided staff specialized training. It also maintained 50 brigades specializing in combating crimes against children, including trafficking crimes. The government partnered with an international organization to hold two anti-trafficking training workshops for law enforcement officers, members of the national anti-trafficking committee, and Algerian journalists in May and September 2016. In March 2017, the government provided in-kind support for an anti-trafficking workshop led by an international organization, which trained more than 25 judges and prosecutors from several regions of the country. The government also sent two representatives from its national anti-trafficking committee to an international workshop on human trafficking in Oman in December 2016. As of the end of the reporting period, the Ministry of Interior was in the process of planning training sessions on human trafficking for provincial and local government officials.

PROTECTION

The government increased efforts to identify and provide protection services to trafficking victims. In September 2016 as part of its investigation of an alleged forced begging ring in Tamanrasset, the government identified 32 potential trafficking victims, including 17 children. The government also identified 33 additional potential victims in two other investigations of alleged trafficking. This compares to zero victims identified in 2015. The government did not have a formal mechanism to refer potential victims to protection services, but officials referred potential victims to basic services on an ad hoc basis. After authorities broke up the trafficking ring, police, local officials, and a governmental aid organization in Tamanrasset partnered to provide the victims with temporary housing, food, clothing, and medical services at a migrant transit center. Authorities recognized that the victims although undocumented migrants were entitled to protection services and freedom of movement rather than criminal punishment, which represented a significant step towards providing victim-centered protection.

Despite the various protection services provided to trafficking victims, the government did not systematically identify victims and provide necessary services, such as appropriate shelter, rehabilitation, psycho-social care and legal assistance, or repatriation support for victims who chose to return to their home countries. The government did not have formal standardized identification procedures for officials to screen for and identify victims among vulnerable groups. Government officials admitted difficulty distinguishing trafficking victims from irregular migrants and identifying trafficking victims among ethnically cohesive migrant communities. Officials continued to rely on victims to report abuses to authorities; however, trafficking victims among the migrant populations typically did not report potential trafficking crimes to the police for fear of arrest and deportation. Police officers reportedly used a worksheet to identify potential victims among those detained at police stations, while gendarmerie brigades were under instructions to refer potential trafficking cases to a representative in the national anti-trafficking commission for review. However, it was unknown whether officials used these procedures regularly or throughout the country during the reporting period. Thus, potential trafficking victims among migrant populations continued to face punishment, such as arrest and deportation, for crimes committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking, such as illegal migration. For example, authorities in the migrant transit center in Tamanrasset, where 5,000 migrants transited in 2016 before being repatriated, made no effort to identify potential trafficking victims proactively among those in the center, nor did officials distinguish or separate potential trafficking victims from alleged traffickers. Additionally, during a government operation to repatriate to Niger an estimated 1,000 undocumented sub-Saharan migrants from Mali, Guinea, and other West African countries in December 2016, authorities did not proactively screen for or identify trafficking victims among deportees.

The anti-trafficking law encourages victims to participate in investigations or prosecutions of offenders through the provision of financial assistance, housing, and medical care, but there were no reports that victims participated in investigations in 2016. Additionally, trafficking victims were legally entitled to file civil suits against their offenders, but the government did not report cases in which victims did so during the reporting period. The government did not provide foreign victims with legal alternatives to their removal to countries where they faced retribution or hardship.

PREVENTION

The government made some efforts to prevent human trafficking, which it increasingly acknowledged as a problem in Algeria, and developed institutional frameworks to respond to the crime. In September 2016, a presidential decree formally institutionalized the inter-ministerial anti-trafficking committee placing it under the auspices of the prime minister's office and provided it a dedicated budget. The committee was composed of 20 members from various government ministries and institutions to coordinate the government's anti-trafficking activities, including implementation of the government's 2015 national anti-trafficking action plan. This committee met nine times during the reporting period. Although the presidential decree instructed the national committee to organize awareness activities, the government did not do so during the reporting period. The government took actions to reduce the demand for commercial sex acts. The government took limited measures to reduce the demand for forced labor. The government provided anti-trafficking training as a part of its broader human rights training for its diplomatic personnel.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Algeria is a transit and destination country and, in very isolated cases, a source country for children subjected to sex trafficking and men subjected to forced labor. Undocumented sub-Saharan migrants, primarily from Mali, Niger, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Guinea, Liberia, and Nigeria, are most vulnerable to labor and sex trafficking in Algeria, mainly due to their irregular migration status, poverty, and language barriers. Unaccompanied women and women traveling with children are also particularly vulnerable to exploitation. Sub-Saharan African men and women, often en route to neighboring countries or Europe, enter Algeria voluntarily but illegally, frequently with the assistance of smugglers or criminal networks. Many migrants, impeded in their initial attempts to reach Europe, remain in Algeria until they can continue their journey. While facing limited opportunities in Algeria, many migrants illegally work in construction or engage in prostitution to earn money to pay for their onward journey to Europe, which puts them at high risk of exploitation. Some migrants become indebted to smugglers, who subsequently exploit them in forced labor and sex trafficking upon arrival in Algeria. For example, female migrants in the southern city of Tamanrasset the main entry point into Algeria for migrants and for the majority of foreign trafficking victims are subjected to debt bondage as they work to repay smuggling debts through domestic servitude, forced begging, and forced prostitution. Some migrants also fall into debt to fellow nationals who control segregated ethnic neighborhoods in Tamanrasset; these individuals pay migrants' debts to smugglers and then force the migrants into bonded labor or prostitution. Tuareg and Maure smugglers and traffickers in northern Mali and southern Algeria force or coerce men to work as masons or mechanics; women to wash dishes, clothes, and cars; and children to draw water from wells in southern Algeria. Victims also report experiencing physical and sexual abuse at the hands of smugglers and traffickers. Many sub-Saharan migrant women in southern Algeria willingly enter into relationships with migrant men to provide basic shelter, food, income, and safety, in return for sex, cooking, and cleaning. While many of these relationships are purportedly consensual, these women are at risk of trafficking, and migrants in Tamanrasset reported instances of women prevented from leaving the home and raped by their "partner." Foreign women and children, primarily sub-Saharan African migrants, are exploited in sex trafficking in bars and informal brothels, typically by members of their own communities, in Tamanrasset and Algiers.

Nigerien female migrants begging in Algeria, who often carry children sometimes rented from their mothers in Niger may be forced labor victims. Nigerien children, ranging from 4 to 8 years old, are brought to Algeria by trafficking networks with the consent of their parents and forced to beg for several months in Algeria before being returned to their families in Niger. Media and civil society organizations reported in 2015 that some sub-Saharan African migrant women working in domestic service for Algerian families experience physical abuse, confiscation of passports, and withheld pay. In 2014, the media and an international NGO reported Vietnamese migrants were forced to work on construction sites for Chinese contractors in Algeria. In 2015, civil society organizations reported isolated instances of foreign and Algerian children in sex trafficking and in forced labor on construction sites.
2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Albania

Publisher United States Department of State Publication Date 27 June 2017 Cite as United States Department of State, 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report - Albania, 27 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/5959ed1ac.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

ALBANIA: TIER 2

The Government of Albania does not fully meet the minimum standards for the elimination of trafficking; however, it is making significant efforts to do so. The government demonstrated increasing efforts compared to the previous reporting period; therefore, Albania remained on Tier 2. The government demonstrated increasing efforts by prosecuting and convicting more traffickers and using for the first time its "special fund" towards victim protection from assets seized from traffickers. The government increased funding to the Office of the National Anti-Trafficking Coordinator (ONAC) and regularly convened stakeholders of the national referral mechanism and national anti-trafficking committee. However, the government did not meet minimum standards in several key areas. Police continued to illustrate a limited understanding of human trafficking and failed in some cases to identify trafficking victims among individuals involved in forced prostitution or domestic servitude. The government investigated two victims and punished one victim for unlawful acts committed as a result of being subjected to trafficking, although the law exempts victims from punishment for crimes committed as a result of their exploitation.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR ALBANIA

Implement the law that exempts victims from penalties for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to trafficking, particularly sex trafficking victims exploited in prostitution; train police, labor inspectors, and other front-line officials on proactive identification of victims; continue to vigorously investigate, prosecute, and convict traffickers under article 110(a) and 128 (b); establish sustainable funding mechanisms for mobile units operated by law enforcement and civil society groups to identify victims; increase protection for victims from threats and intimidation during court proceedings by facilitating participation in the witness protection program and expanding training for prosecutors dealing with victim witnesses; increase funding to NGO-run shelters for trafficking victims and provide funding on a regular basis; improve the capacity of border and migration police to screen irregular migrants for trafficking indicators; and increase efforts to screen street children for signs of trafficking.

PROSECUTION

The government maintained anti-trafficking law enforcement efforts. Articles 110(a) and 128(b) of the criminal code prohibit sex and labor trafficking and prescribe penalties of eight to 15 years imprisonment; these are sufficiently stringent and exceed those prescribed for other serious crimes, such as rape. The state police investigated 69 cases with 69 suspected traffickers in 2016, compared to 80 cases with 90 suspects in 2015. The government did not disaggregate law enforcement data to demonstrate efforts against sex trafficking and forced labor, but did track whether the victims were adults or children. Twenty-one of these suspects in 2016 were investigated for child trafficking and 48 for adult trafficking. The Serious Crimes Prosecutor's Office prosecuted 18 suspected traffickers, compared to15 in 2015. Nine of these suspects were prosecuted for child trafficking, compared to two suspects in 2015. Courts convicted 24 traffickers, compared to 11 in 2015. Eleven of these traffickers were convicted for child trafficking, and 13 for adult trafficking. All convicted traffickers received prison sentences, which ranged from two to 25 years. Authorities continued to prosecute some traffickers for the lesser crime of exploitation of prostitution. Authorities reported the confusion between overlapping elements of exploitation of prostitution and trafficking and at times applied the lesser charge because it required less specialization and time or due to the false belief that trafficking crimes required a transnational element. Traffickers charged with exploitation of prostitution could receive lighter penalties than those charged with sex trafficking.

In 2016, the government trained 75 judges and 20 police officers on investigation and prosecution of traffickers and victim protection. The government did not report any investigations, prosecutions, or convictions of government employees complicit in trafficking offenses. Transnational law enforcement efforts increased. The government cooperated in two joint investigations with Italian and Spanish law enforcement. In 2016, eight Albanians were arrested in the Netherlands, Germany, Greece, and Italy for suspected involvement in trafficking; three of these suspects were extradited to Albania. Albania extradited eight suspected foreign traffickers to Italy, Macedonia, and Moldova.

PROTECTION

The government maintained victim protection efforts. The government and NGOs identified 95 trafficking victims and potential trafficking victims, compared to 109 in 2015. Of these, 55 were adults and 44 were children (61 adults and 48 children in 2015), 11 were male and 84 were female (22 male victims and 87 female victims in 2015), and eight were foreigners (four foreign victims in 2015). Sixty-two were identified as potential victims and 33 officially identified as victims, a status provided after a joint interview held by representatives from both law enforcement and state social services. The law guaranteed equal services for both potential victims and officially recognized victims.

Three specialized NGO-run shelters and one state-run shelter provided assistance to trafficking victims, including food, counseling, legal assistance, medical care, educational services, employment services, assistance to victims' children, financial support, long-term accommodation, social activities, vocational training, and post-reintegration follow-up. NGO-run shelters supported 75 trafficking victims and potential victims and the state-run shelter supported 30, of which 10 were from 2015. The government provided 21.7 million leks ($169,231) to the state-run shelter, a decrease from 23,970,000 leks ($186,900) in 2015. The government provided 15.3 million leks ($119,093) to NGO-run shelters to support 24 staff salaries, an increase from 10 million leks ($77,972) to support 12 staff salaries in 2015. For the first time, the government added 4.7 million leks ($36,647) to the budget from seized criminal assets to fund reintegration and support services. Food support for NGO-run shelters decreased to 1.8 million leks ($14,035) from 3 million leks ($23,392) in 2015. NGO-run shelters continued to operate under financial constraints and relied on outside sources for operating costs. Financial mechanisms used to fund these shelters annually remained complicated and open to manipulation by local governments. Government funding for the three NGO-run shelters was delayed by two months and one shelter never received funding for food. NGO-run shelters allowed adult victims to leave the shelter voluntarily, but the state-run shelter required victims to seek approval from the director of the shelter. The government provided free vocational training, textbooks for child victims, and health cards that provided free access to health care. Only one NGO-run shelter provided specialized services for child victims under the age of 16. Male victims were provided with rented apartments, where they received assistance from NGOs. Foreign victims had access to the same services as domestic victims, including legal assistance.

First responders followed a standard operating procedure for identifying and referring victims to services; however, the government deactivated mobile identification units because international donors no longer provided support and the government lacked the funds to continue the units. NGOs reported law enforcement jailed victims for unlawful acts committed as a direct result of being subjected to human trafficking. For example, a female trafficking victim was convicted of prostitution and sentenced to 16 months imprisonment, of which she served nine months. Another victim was sentenced to 18 months probation but won her case on appeal. NGOs reported police often associated trafficking with movement and were unlikely to identify victims recruited and exploited in the same region of the country. Observers reported cases of border guards and immigration officials not carrying out standard screening procedures. The government, in cooperation with an international organization, trained 388 officials in 12 regions on victim identification, referral, and assistance. The law provided foreign victims a three-month reflection period with temporary residency status and authorization to work for up to two years, although the government had yet to grant this status to a victim. Victims could obtain restitution from the government or file civil suits against traffickers; three victims filed for compensation but their cases were still pending during the reporting period. Observers reported threats were made to victims and their families during court proceedings. Courts allowed testimony via video conferences and victims who testified against traffickers had access to the witness protection program, but no trafficking victims participated in the program.

PREVENTION

The government increased efforts to prevent trafficking. The government increased funding for the ONAC to 5.7 million leks ($44,444) from 5.2 million leks ($40,546) in 2015. The government adopted a revised national action plan after an assessment by ONAC in cooperation with an international organization. ONAC continued to publish regular activity reports on its website and convened stakeholders involved in the national referral mechanism. Twelve regional anti-trafficking committees (RATC) comprised of local officials and NGOs worked on prevention and victim assistance. The prime minister issued an order to strengthen the RATC by formalizing reporting, establishing deadlines, and increasing local awareness-raising efforts. ONAC and national anti-trafficking coordinators from Montenegro and Kosovo signed a joint declaration ensuring the application of a unified standard operating procedure for victim protection and assisted voluntary repatriation. The government sponsored awareness campaigns on exploitative labor practices; an international organization reported only 28 of 47 private employment agencies were operating legally. ONAC trained over 1,000 government workers, judges, prosecutors, and civil society partners on trafficking issues. The government did not make efforts to reduce the demand for commercial sex. The government provided anti-trafficking guidance for its diplomatic personnel, and the national coordinator briefed Albanian diplomats stationed in nine cities on human trafficking regulations.

TRAFFICKING PROFILE

As reported over the past five years, Albania is a source, transit, and destination country for men, women, and children subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor. Albanian women and children are subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor within the country, especially during tourist season. Traffickers use false promises such as marriage or employment offers to force victims into sex trafficking. Traffickers increasingly use social media to recruit victims. Children are commonly forced to beg or perform other types of compelled labor such as selling small items. Albanian children, mainly from the Romani community, are exploited in Turkey for seasonal work. There were also instances of children forced to work in cannabis fields in Albania and some traffickers are likely involved in drug trafficking. Albanian victims are subjected to sex trafficking in countries across Europe, particularly Kosovo, Greece, Italy, and the United Kingdom. NGOs report an increase in the number of Albanian children subjected to forced labor in Kosovo and the United Kingdom. Foreign victims from European countries, Philippines, and Nigeria were subjected to sex trafficking and forced labor in Albania. Irregular migrants from Asia are increasingly employed as domestic workers by wealthy families where they are vulnerable to domestic servitude. Middle Eastern, Central Asian, and African migrants transit Albania to reach Western Europe and are vulnerable to trafficking.
High Commissioner Grandi urges more solidarity with Italy

Publisher UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) Publication Date 3 July 2017 Cite as UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), High Commissioner Grandi urges more solidarity with Italy, 3 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a226c4.html [accessed 11 November 2022]

"What is happening in front of our eyes in Italy is an unfolding tragedy. In the course of last weekend, 12,600 migrants and refugees arrived on its shores, and an estimated 2,030 have lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year.

Let me stress that saving lives remains a top priority. Search and rescue by all those involved, including by NGOs, the Italian Coast Guard, and government authorities, is critical. We are only at the beginning of the summer, and without swift collective action, we can only expect more tragedies at sea.

Italy is playing its part in receiving those rescued and providing asylum to those in need of protection. These efforts must be continued and strengthened. But this cannot be an Italian problem alone. It is, first and foremost, a matter of international concern, requiring a joined-up, comprehensive regional approach.

Europe in particular needs to be fully involved through an urgent distribution system, increased external engagement and additional legal pathways of admission. And the response to the immediate crisis must be matched by broader efforts by all concerned, to address the root causes behind migratory pressures, create better protection for people in transit, and address smuggling and trafficking."

ENDS

Background

In total, 83,650 people have reached Italy by sea since the beginning of the year, which represents an increase of almost 20% compared to the same period last year. Close to 200,000 accommodation places are available for refugees and migrants across the country, but are nearly all full.

Among those arriving, many require special care and support. There is alarmingly high rate among arrivals of unaccompanied children or victims of sexual and gender based violence. Many have suffered extremely traumatic events, including extortion, kidnapping, sexual violence, and abuses back home and in countries on their way to Europe.

The number of unaccompanied and separated children went up by 109 per cent between 2015 and 2016, to reach 25,846 at the end of last year.
Disclaimer

This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.
SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was sentenced Monday to five years in prison for punching his 12-year-old son.

JT Ring, 36, pleaded guilty in Woodbury County District Court to child endangerment resulting in bodily injury. Charges of domestic abuse assault and serious assault were dismissed as part of a plea agreement. Prosecutors also dismissed a habitual offender enhancement, which would have increased Ring's prison sentence to 15 years.

Iowa man charged with punching, choking 12-year-old son SIOUX CITY | A Sioux City man was arrested Monday on charges that he punched and choked his 

District Judge Duane Hoffmeyer ordered Ring's sentence to be served at the same time as his parole violation for the completion of a 15-year prison sentence for operating while intoxicated and other offenses.

Ring's most recent arrest occurred on May 29 at a lot at 5309 Highway 75 N., where family members reported that Ring was intoxicated and was yelling, calling them derogatory names and threatening to assault them.

Ring became upset when his son took away his alcohol for his own safety and punched him in the face, cutting the boy's lip and mouth. Ring also had been accused of assaulting other family members.
China: End Restrictions on Gravely Ill Nobel Laureate

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, China: End Restrictions on Gravely Ill Nobel Laureate, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a32194.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The Chinese government should immediately lift all restrictions on Nobel Peace laureate Liu Xiaobo and his wife, Liu Xia, Human Rights Watch said today. The couple should be able to go where they wish for medical treatment, and have unfettered access to family, friends, journalists, and foreign diplomats. Chinese authorities should also stop harassing and intimidating Liu's friends and others who have voiced support for him.

"Chinese President Xi Jinping has shown astonishing disdain for Liu Xiaobo's life, from his wrongful imprisonment to his treatment after being transferred to a hospital," said Sophie Richardson, China director. "President Xi could still mitigate some of the harm to his reputation by allowing Liu and his wife to go wherever - and meet with whomever - they wish."

On June 26, 2017, Liu Xiaobo's lawyers told the media that Liu, who had been imprisoned since 2009 for his pro-democracy activities, had been "released on bail for medical treatment" and transferred to a hospital in Shenyang, Liaoning province, for treatment of advanced liver cancer. Liu was admitted to the hospital under a pseudonym, preventing journalists and others from locating him.

Other than Liu Xia and her brother, Liu Hui, it is unclear whether family members have been allowed to visit Liu at the hospital. Several people who have tried to visit the hospital describe security as extremely tight. Authorities have told Liu's family and friends that they are prohibited from speaking to the media. A lawyer for Liu said the authorities had rejected Liu's request to go abroad for treatment, but the Chinese government has not confirmed this.

Since Liu's illness became public, more than 1,500 people in China and abroad have signed an open letter calling for his full freedom, despite stringent censorship of news about him on Chinese social media. Police across the country have harassed more than 20 people who signed the letter, ordering them not to speak publicly about Liu, Human Rights Watch has learned.

Fei, a businessman in Zhejiang province, was detained in a police station for nearly 20 hours after he signed the petition in support of the couple. Police in Guangdong province raided a law office and installed a surveillance camera in front of the home of poet Wu Mingliang, known as Lang Zi, after two lawyers and the poet added their signatures to the petition. Guangdong authorities also blocked the incoming phone calls of Wu Yangwei, a dissident writer known by his pen name Ye Du, preventing him from giving interviews about Liu to foreign media.

Beijing police went to the home of Bao Tong, former secretary of the deceased premier Zhao Ziyang, warning him not to publish articles or give interviews to the media. Beijing police also forced activist Zhou Tuo and his wife out of the city. Hu Jia, another Beijing activist, said he has been under house arrest since the morning of June 27 to prevent him from trying to visit Liu Xiaobo in Shenyang. He too had signed the open letter.

Authorities have released little information about Liu's medical condition. The Shenyang City Bureau of Justice issued a notice stating that prison authorities discovered Liu's cancer following a routine physical on May 31, and that Liu had been treated by a team of eight experts. On June 28, a video of edited clips surfaced on the internet showing Liu receiving medical exams. In it, Liu praised prison officials and said that he is "very grateful" for the attention paid to his health. The circumstances surrounding the clips are unclear, including whether Liu had consented to the filming, when they were taken, or the precise nature of the exams.

In recent years, media outlets linked to the Chinese government have released videos showing purported confessions of detained activists or clips of them appearing physically well, to dispel criticism of their arrests or suspicions that they were tortured. Some activists, after being released, denounced their statements as forced. Such videos violate basic due process rights and may be connected to torture or other ill-treatment.

"Liu Xiaobo will be remembered for promoting freedom, democracy, and human rights in China," Richardson said. "President Xi should demonstrate basic human decency and end these cruel, baseless restrictions."

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Kenya: Intimidation Reports as Voting Nears

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 3 July 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Kenya: Intimidation Reports as Voting Nears, 3 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a32ae4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Kenyan authorities should urgently investigate allegations of threats and intimidation between community members in Nakuru county's Naivasha area, as the August, 2017 elections approaches.

Human Rights Watch interviewed opposition and ruling party supporters, victims of threats and intimidation, a national government official, and human rights activists about the campaigns and their concerns in advance of the presidential and general elections. Many people in the town of Naivasha described threats and intimidation between community members, but said that police have failed to investigate the threats, prosecute the culprits or protect residents. Naivasha was among the areas with the worst 2007-2008 post-election violence, in which inter-ethnic rivalries over land and power, stoked by politicians, left over 1,100 people dead.

"All Kenyans should be able to take part in free and fair elections in August without fear of violence," said Otsieno Namwaya, Africa researcher at Human Rights Watch. "Kenyan authorities should do more to prevent a repeat of the 2007 bloodshed in Naivasha."

Some real or perceived opposition supporters in Naivasha said that they have begun to pack up their belongings to flee the area out of fear of a return to ethnic conflict. As registered voters in Naivasha, they would not be able to vote in other parts of the country.

During the violence that followed the 2007 presidential election, more than 650,000 people were displaced across Kenya. Naivasha subcounty in Nakuru county was hit hard, with supporters of the then-ruling party beating, killing, and forcefully circumcising opposition party supporters. The 2007 attacks and killings were never adequately investigated or prosecuted. One woman in the town of Nakuru told Human Rights Watch, "When elections come, old wounds are revived and people turn on each other when politicians incite them."

On June 10, 2017, Kenyan media reported that Maurice Muhatia, head of the Nakuru Catholic Diocese, had expressed alarm over the rate at which families were fleeing the county ahead of the August elections. "Some families are first transporting their children, then wife and personal effects to their rural areas ahead of the election," he was quoted as saying. "We have vowed as Nakuru residents that we shall neither allow any form of violence in this county, nor go back to 2007."

Human Rights Watch documented at least six incidents of direct threats against opposition supporters, with people from both sides of the political divide saying that such threats were increasingly prevalent. Eight opposition supporters said a group of young men in the Kinamba and Kihoto neighborhoods of Naivasha, who they said they believed were behind some of the 2007 violence, have repeatedly told them to stay away from polling places if they do not intend to vote for the ruling party.

Historically, politics in Kenya is largely ethnically driven, with voters rallying behind candidates from their ethnic group. Although Human Rights Watch did not hear that ruling party supporters were receiving threats or vacating opposition strongholds - for example in western Kenya and the coast region - some media reports have suggested there is tension between ruling party and opposition supporters in those areas.

Naivasha's senior assistant county commissioner, Richard Aguoka, told Human Rights Watch that more security officers have been deployed in Naivasha and that the government had created peace committees to encourage communities to coexist peacefully. "We have put together a multi-agency security team comprising all armed services that is patrolling the area regularly and enforcing the law," he said. "We also hold regular peace meetings and talk to elders from all communities. We just need political leaders to be responsible, because tension here is usually caused by reckless utterances by politicians."

Aguoka denied that people were fleeing the area. He said that, while there have been unconfirmed reports of tension and fear in Naivasha, no one has left the area out of fear in recent months. He said the only departures he was aware of took place a year ago after opposition demonstrations. "The threats are a political tactic by local politicians and have nothing to do with the presidential elections," he said. "It is caused by the fear of losing."

The residents of the Kinamba, Kihoto, and Karagita neighborhoods who talked to Human Rights Watch appeared to doubt the ability of the peace committees and security forces to respond effectively or to contain the situation if violence erupts in August. The residents said that poor police-community relations and the limited number of police could undermine their ability to respond to violence.

A 34-year-old mother of two and a member of the peace committee in Kihoto, said that people are afraid of talking about the threats they face in the area. She said that they fear being targeted by gangs of youths from communities with opposing political views and lack confidence in the ability of police to protect them. "Police rarely respond effectively when people report these threats and this undermines the confidence of the people in them," she said. "But police also need to improve their relations with communities so that people can feel free to report."

A 27-year-old man in Kinamba said: "I will stay indoors on the voting day. There is no need to risk my life just to vote and yet police will not protect me."

"Kenyan police should be investigating allegations of interethnic threats, and police accountability mechanisms, such as the Independent Police Oversight Authority, should be actively investigating allegations of discriminatory policing country-wide," Namwaya said. "Showing that people can have confidence in the police could help to ensure that people feel they can vote without fear and reduce the risk of violence during and after the elections."

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Iraq: New Abuse, Execution Reports of Men Fleeing Mosul

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Iraq: New Abuse, Execution Reports of Men Fleeing Mosul, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a39584.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Allegations are emerging of Iraqi forces beating and unlawfully killing men and boys fleeing Mosul in the final phase of the battle against the Islamic State (also known as ISIS), Human Rights Watch said today.

Four witnesses told Human Rights Watch that they saw Iraqi forces beat unarmed men and boys fleeing the fighting within the last seven days, and said they also obtained information about Iraqi forces executing unarmed men during this time period.

"As Iraqi forces are poised to retake the entire city of Mosul, allegations of unlawful killings and beatings significantly raise concerns for the civilians there who have been living under ISIS control," said Lama Fakih, deputy Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Iraqi forces are promising liberation, but they need to find out what's happening now and stop any abuse."

One witness said that three Emergency Response Division and Iraqi Security Force (ISF) members on a key route for civilians fleeing the city boasted to him that they were executing captured unarmed men who were thought to be ISIS-affiliated instead of detaining them. The Emergency Response Division and ISF fighters, stationed three kilometers from the heaviest fighting in the Old City, said they made an exception for elderly men, the witness said.

Two other witnesses said they saw Iraqi uniformed soldiers pick at least six men and boys out of crowds of fleeing civilians at a checkpoint, beat them, and drive them away. They said they saw soldiers pick out another man, beat him, and then move him into a building they were using as a base. One of the witnesses said that soldiers later said they had killed him.

"I have heard of countless abuses and executions in this battle," one witness said. "But what's changed is that in this final phase fighters are no longer hiding what they are doing and are comfortable allowing us to witness the abuses first-hand."

The same witness said that earlier this week, he heard three screams coming from a building being used by the elite Counter Terrorism Service (CTS), after which fighters from the unit ushered him away. That afternoon in another neighborhood of west Mosul, the witness saw two CTS fighters take down the corpse of an alleged ISIS fighter that had been strung up to an electrical pole, and stone the body before taking a few photos of each other posing with it.

That night, he said, a CTS fighter also showed him a video of a severely beaten man who the fighter said was an ISIS prisoner. In the video the CTS fighter shoots and kills the unarmed detainee, he said.

In the days before, the man said he saw five Iraqi soldiers at a checkpoint pick out at least 10 men over a period of an hour, beat them, and drag them toward a building the soldiers were using as a base. He said that one of the men the soldiers were beating was wounded and that he had arrived with his family from a front-line field hospital. The witness said that as he was leaving the area he saw the soldiers single out more and more men, beat them and take them away, but lost count of how many.

An article published in a Swedish outlet on June 28, 2017, by a Swedish journalist who was on the front-line says that a Federal Police officer boasted about decapitating at least 50 men with knives and beating others, with fellow officers watching, cheering, and sometimes filming. The article said the Federal Police backed up these claims with photos and videos.

Throughout the operation to retake Mosul, Human Rights Watch has documented Iraqi forces detaining and holding thousands of men and boys in inhumane conditions without charge, and in some cases torturing and executing them, under the guise of a screening them for ISIS-affiliation. In May 2016, Iraqi forces retook the city of Fallujah from ISIS, but in the operation committed horrific abuses, including executions, torture, and the disappearance of over 600 men whose bodies have yet to be found.

Human Rights Watch has raised concerns regarding allegations of ill-treatment, torture, and executions numerous times in meetings with Iraqi officials in Baghdad as well as with representatives from US-led coalition member countries. Human Rights Watch does not know of a single transparent investigation into abuses by Iraqi armed forces, any instances of commanders being held accountable for abuse, or any victims of abuse receiving compensation.

Iraqi criminal justice authorities should investigate all alleged crimes, including unlawful killings and mutilation of corpses, committed by any party in the conflict in a prompt, transparent, and effective manner, up to the highest levels of responsibility. Those found criminally responsible should be appropriately prosecuted. Extrajudicial executions and torture during an armed conflict are war crimes. Despoiling dead bodies and other outrages on personal dignity are violations of the laws of armed conflict and may amount to war crimes.

"Reports of unlawful executions and beatings by Iraqi soldiers should be enough to raise concern among the highest ranks in Baghdad and among members of the international coalition combatting ISIS," Fakih said. "Iraqi officials should translate that concern into accountability for war crimes."

Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
Qatar/Saudi Arabia: Allow Man Trapped at Border to Enter

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 3 July 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Qatar/Saudi Arabia: Allow Man Trapped at Border to Enter, 3 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a3e584.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Qatar should admit a man trapped on the border with Saudi Arabia since June 17, 2017, Human Rights Watch said today.

Qatari authorities claim the man, Zayed al-Marri, is a Saudi citizen. But he says he is a Qatari who was stripped of his citizenship and has lived in Saudi Arabia since 1996. Qatar should allow him entry to review the decision to strip him of his citizenship, and if it was arbitrary, restore his citizenship and the accompanying rights. On June 5, 2017, Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates cut off diplomatic relations with Qatar and ordered the expulsion of Qatari citizens and the return of their citizens from Qatar within 14 days. Saudi Arabia's expulsion of Qataris is arbitrary and inhumane, and should be reversed without delay.

"Qatari grievances in the gulf dispute are no justification for stranding vulnerable people in the desert," said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. "Saudi Arabia and Qatar should not treat human lives like ping pong balls to hit back and forth."

A member of Qatar's National Human Rights Committee told Human Rights Watch that al-Marri's case is one of at least 10 of families from the al-Gufran clan, whose citizenship is disputed. The other members of the clan have crossed through the Saudi Salwa border crossing and been allowed to enter through the Qatari Abu Samra crossing. The committee said that Qatar has permitted all to enter except al-Marri, who Qatar claims is a Saudi citizen.

Al-Marri told Human Rights Watch that Qatar revoked his citizenship in 1996, and he provided a photo of his expired Qatari passport. He said the family had lived semi-nomadically in Saudi Arabia since then. In 2004, Qatar also stripped approximately 6,000 members of the same al-Gufran clan of their citizenship. Two representatives of the clan told Human Rights Watch that they believe the action was related to participation of some members of the clan in a failed 1996 coup against then-Emir Hamad Al Thani, who had deposed his father, Khalifa Al Thani, the year before.

"When the crisis hit, the Saudi government said to me, 'Go back to your country,'" Al-Marri told Human Rights Watch. "So, I came to Qatar [on June 17], and they said my passport is expired and so now I'm stuck between the Saudi border and the Qatari one." He contended that Saudi border authorities would not have permitted him to cross the border to the Qatari side if they believed he held Saudi citizenship.

On June 20, he said that Qatari border authorities had provided him with food and water and treated him at the border clinic for sunstroke: "I was feeling terrible. A guy passing through took me to the Qatari border, and I was treated at the clinic. The doctor said I had to be transferred to a hospital inside Doha but the guards wouldn't let me. They said I don't have identification and sent [me] back here  I can't take it anymore, not one minute more." A family member told Human Rights Watch that Qatari authorities took him from the border to a hospital in Doha for treatment on the evening of June 22, but returned him to the border zone the next day.

He said that he had attempted to re-enter Saudi Arabia after Qatar denied his entry, but that a Saudi border guard told him, "You are Qatari, how are we supposed to let you in?" and told him to go back to the Qatari border guards and ask them to let him in.

Qatari authorities provided Human Rights Watch a copy of a Saudi passport for a man bearing the name Zayed Nassar H. Al Mari. Al-Marri disputes that he is a Saudi citizen, and the expired Qatari passport he provided carries the name Zayed Nasser H. Shafah, though he acknowledges Al-Marri as his family name. The birth dates on the two documents do not match. Al-Marri told Human Rights Watch that he shares a similar name with the individual holding the Saudi passport but denies that it is his.

Human Rights Watch maintained telephone contact with al-Marri between June 18 and 23, after which he apparently lost access to his mobile phone. He remains stuck on the Abu Samra border, but Human Rights Watch does not know whether he is permitted to stay indoors. Temperatures in the border area reached as high as 49 degrees Celsius (120 Fahrenheit) in June.

Al-Marri is likely on Qatari territory, as the Qatari Abu Samra crossing is over eight kilometers from the Saudi Salwa crossing. As such, Qatar has an obligation to ensure his right to freedom of movement and access to basic rights such as food, water, and shelter. Every person also has a right to a nationality.

Human Rights Watch also spoke with another family of denationalized Qataris from the al-Gufran clan whose members were stranded in the border area between June 13 and 15, after which Qatari authorities permitted them to enter. The family of eight, including four children as young as 5 and a woman who is eight months pregnant, said they waited near the Qatari side of the border in temperatures reaching over 45 degrees Celsius (113 degrees Fahrenheit) for two days without regular access to food and water.

A member of the family said that his family was originally Qatari but has lived in Saudi Arabia since 2006. In 2004, he said, Qatar withdrew nationality from his entire family and thousands of members of his extended al-Gufran clan. He said that he and his family members do not hold Saudi citizenship, and faced difficulties trying to attend school and to work in Saudi Arabia without legal documentation. He said: "We lived in Saudi just like the bidun [stateless people in the Gulf]. We were not recognized. We don't study, we don't own any property, we can't marry, and we can't work freely."

He said that he fled to the border on June 11, 2017, fearing that he would be detained in Saudi Arabia, which has initiated a broad campaign to locate and expel foreigners in violation of residency laws. His mother and six siblings joined him at the border at 3 p.m. on June 13. His two youngest siblings are 5-year-old twins.

He said that when he arrived at the border, the Qatari border authorities would not allow him to enter and that a Saudi border guard would not let him re-enter the country.

"Gulf countries need to take a step back and see the hardships that this dispute is arbitrarily imposing on people attempting to live their lives in peace," Whitson said. "These countries should put people's welfare - and their right to a nationality - ahead of political disputes."

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Hong Kong: Chief Executive Should Defend Autonomy

Publisher Human Rights Watch Publication Date 28 June 2017 Cite as Human Rights Watch, Hong Kong: Chief Executive Should Defend Autonomy, 28 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a3f614.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Hong Kong's incoming Chief Executive Carrie Lam should vigorously defend Hong Kong's autonomy as guaranteed by the "one country, two systems" arrangement enshrined in the Basic Law, Human Rights Watch said in a public letter today. Many in Hong Kong have expressed their discontent with the failure of political reform and other issues through repeated protests since the handover.

July 1, 2017 marks the 20th anniversary of Hong Kong's transfer from British to Chinese control, and the inauguration of Lam, who was selected as chief executive of Hong Kong by a committee of 1,200 electors heavily influenced by Beijing.

"Fears of a militarized Chinese encroachment on Hong Kong have not materialized, but that doesn't mean key human rights aren't at serious risk in the territory," said Sophie Richardson, China director at Human Rights Watch. "Carrie Lam and other Hong Kong political leaders must use their position and power to resist Beijing's pressure on the legal system, the press, and diverse political views - while they still can."

The letter notes Beijing's rhetorical attacks on the "one country, two systems" arrangement, repeated failures to honor pledges of democracy to Hong Kong, and inference in the territory's press freedom and judicial independence. Human Rights Watch also highlights the Hong Kong government's increasing harassment of opposition political parties and the deterioration in freedom of expression as a worrying trend. Human Rights Watch calls on Lam to:

Use President Xi Jinping's visit to Hong Kong in July to publicly assert that Hong Kong will retain control over all issues other than foreign affairs and defense;

Publicly challenge President Xi on issue of cross-border abductions and clarify the nature of cooperation with mainland security agents in Hong Kong;

Restart the political reform process by submitting to Beijing a report making clear the need for greater democratization;

Drop charges against protesters and pro-democracy leaders for their peaceful activities;

Approve the registration applications of pro-democracy political groups; and

Uphold press freedom and freedom of expression, and allow greater access to government events and facilities.

"Since 1997, hundreds of thousands of Hong Kong people have repeatedly taken to the streets over threats to education, political rights, and human rights abuses in the mainland," Richardson said. "The new chief executive should recognize that her best chance to govern is to defend the rights and autonomy of Hong Kong to Beijing."



Copyright notice:  Copyright, Human Rights Watch
'Clear understanding' in ongoing talks between Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot sides  UN

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, 'Clear understanding' in ongoing talks between Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriot sides  UN, 1 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a41574.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has met with the leaders of the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities and their backers at the Conference on Cyprus in Switzerland, saying there is now an understanding of what is needed for a possible settlement on the Mediterranean island.

In a statement from his spokesperson, the Secretary-General said he held a positive, results-oriented meeting last night with the heads of the delegation, including Greek Cypriot leader Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci.

A clear understanding emerged of the essential elements of a package that might lead to a comprehensive settlement in Cyprus, the spokesperson said, adding that the talks are continuing today at the political level.

The Secretary-General remains fully engaged in these efforts to deliver a comprehensive settlement to the people of Cyprus, said the spokesperson.

Also attending the UN backed Conference, which began on 28 June in the Swiss town of Crans-Montana, are the three guarantor powers  Greece, Turkey and the United Kingdom  and a European Union representative, as an observer.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974. The negotiations have come down to six main areas, which include new territorial boundaries, power-sharing and the economy.
UN refugee chief urges greater solidarity with refugees in Italy

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN refugee chief urges greater solidarity with refugees in Italy, 1 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a41df4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Italy needs more international support to assist the waves of migrants and refugees crossing the Mediterranean, the United Nations refugee chief today urged.

What is happening in front of our eyes in Italy is an unfolding tragedy, said Filippo Grandi, UN High Commissioner for Refugees.

He stressed that this cannot be an Italian problem alone. It is, first and foremost, a matter of international concern, requiring a joined-up, comprehensive regional approach.

Some 12,600 migrants and refugees arrived on Italian shores in the course of last weekend, the UN refugee agency (UNHCR) said.

Mr. Grandi said that Europe in particular needs to be more involved through an urgent distribution system, increased external engagement and additional legal pathways of admission.

He also called for broader efforts by all concerned to address the root causes behind migratory pressures, create better protection for people in transit, and address smuggling and trafficking.

The stop priority remains saving lives, the UNHCR chief said, highlighting the critical search and rescue work being done by all those involved, including by NGOs, the Italian Coast Guard, and government authorities.

He warned, however, that we are only at the beginning of the summer, and without swift collective action, we can only expect more tragedies at sea.

An estimated 2,030 drowned in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year, according to UNHCR.
On anniversary of Somalia's independence, senior UN official urges political unity

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 1 July 2017 Cite as UN News Service, On anniversary of Somalia's independence, senior UN official urges political unity, 1 July 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a422d4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Marking the 57th anniversary of Somalia's independence, the top United Nations official in the country today urged all Somalis to seize a moment of opportunity and work towards peace and stability.

This celebration comes at a moment of political opportunity, and of hope. It should not be taken for granted; such moments don't happen often in a nation's history, said the Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General for Somalia, Michael Keating.

The challenge, he said, is to garner strong and inclusive leadership, as well as meaningful commitment and cooperation, from the people who have the power and influence to make a difference.

Personal agendas must not undermine collective progress, underscored Mr. Keating, who is also the head of the UN mission in Somalia (UNSOM).

He urged all national leaders  whether in the public or private sector  to work together, and reiterated the support of the UN and its international partners to for federal and state initiatives to promote justice and human rights, step up humanitarian aid efforts, and develop more transparent and accountable institutions.
STORM LAKE | Police in Storm Lake are investigating what they believe to be a drowning incident after local law enforcement and rescue agencies recovered the body of a missing person Monday.

Multiple area public safety agencies responded to Awaysis Beach in Awaysis Park, 1409 E. Lakeshore Drive, around 11:45 a.m. Monday to a report of a missing person, according to a news release issued Monday afternoon.

The release said agencies later recovered the missing person and have classified the incident as a drowning. An investigation is underway.

No additional information about the victim or the incident has been released.

Agencies assisting at the scene included the Buena Vista County Sheriffs Department, the Buena Vista County Joint Dive Team, the Storm Lake Fire Department, the Buena Vista County EMS, an Iowa State Patrol aircraft, the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the Buena Vista County Medical Examiners Office.

 Ian Richardson, Sioux City Journal
'Important work ahead,' Security Council says, as UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire concludes

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, 'Important work ahead,' Security Council says, as UN mission in Cote d'Ivoire concludes, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a42b14.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Recognizing the efforts of the United Nations Operation in Cote d'Ivoire (UNOCI) in promoting peace, stability and development, the UN Security Council today marked the closing of the mission by underscoring the importance of action by the Government to address the remaining challenges in the country for the benefit of all Ivorians.

In a statement read out by Ambassador Sacha Sergio Llorentty Soliz of Bolivia, which holds the Council presidency for June, the 15-member body also emphasized that the departure of the mission did not mark the end of the UN's support to the country.

In addition, the Council welcomed progress in the West African nation, including the consolidation of peace and stability, improvements in economic prosperity and the successful holding of presidential and legislative elections in 2015 and 2016, respectively.

At the same time, it noted that "there is important work ahead" in tackling remaining challenges - including in the fight against impunity, the advancement of national reconciliation and social cohesion, security sector reform and other critical areas.

It also noted that the Government had indicated that the UN would continue to be an important partner in the next phase of Cote d'Ivoire's development, and in that regard, encouraged the international community, including bilateral and multilateral donors, to assist the activities of the UN Country Team - the group of all UN agencies working in Cote d'Ivoire - and to consider providing funding for its transition plan.

Also in the statement, the Security Council requested the Secretary-General to undertake a study on UNOCI's role in Cote d'Ivoire, and expressed its intention to take its findings into account in ongoing efforts to enhance the overall effectiveness of UN peacekeeping efforts.

The UN mission was deployed to Cote d'Ivoire in 2004 when the country was divided in half by an armed conflict. During its time in the country, the mission helped protect civilians, enabled inclusive political dialogue and supported the Government in disarmament, demobilization and reintegration of nearly 70,000 former combatants.

It also supported social cohesion through about 1,000 quick impact projects, resulting in the decrease in inter-communal conflicts by 80 per cent.
After 'successful' visit to Haiti, Security Council notes window of opportunity for reforms

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, After 'successful' visit to Haiti, Security Council notes window of opportunity for reforms, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a45294.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Haiti has a window of opportunity to implement reforms necessary to bring the Caribbean country onto a path of stability and development, the United Nations Security Council President said today.

Recounting the Council's recent visit to Haiti, Ambassador Sacha Sergio Llorentty Soliz of Bolivia, which holds the presidency for the month of June, pointed to opportunities to cement positive change in the country.

"Haiti is at political crossroads. The window of opportunity is open to promote the reforms the country needs to respond to challenges," he said. These include strengthening the rule of law, reforming the security sector, providing basic services, and creating jobs.

Mr. Llorentty led the Security Council mission to Haiti from 22 to 24 June, to get a first-hand look at how the UN could best contribute to stability and development in the country.

"The mission of the Security Council to Haiti was successful because of the large amount of information we obtained in face-to-face meetings, and the better understanding of concerns and expectations that Haitians have about the drawdown of MINUSTAH and the transition to the new mission," Mr. Llorentty said, using the acronym for the UN Stabilization Mission in Haiti.

In April, the Council extended MINUSTAH's mandate for a final six months, deciding to transition it into a smaller follow-up mission, known as the UN Mission for Justice Support in Haiti (MINUJUSTH), which would assist the Haitian Government to strengthen rule-of-law institutions, its security sector and human rights monitoring.

"The information gathered will be useful when defining the nature of implementation of the new mission," said Mr. Llorentty.

During the visit, the Council members met with President Jovenel Moise, members of his cabinet, parliamentarians, national police, judicial officials and civil society and private sector representatives.

The main issue which came up at every meeting, and which requires the Council's attention, Mr. Llorentty said, was cholera. Concerns over cholera were vital to all aspects of Haiti's future, from water and sanitation concerns to its development and stability, he noted.

In December 2016, then-Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon put forth a New Approach to Cholera in Haiti, which demonstrated the Organization's commitment to eliminating the disease in the country.
Colombia: With arms laid down, focus now on reintegration, UN envoy tells Security Council

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Colombia: With arms laid down, focus now on reintegration, UN envoy tells Security Council, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a456c4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Highlighting progress in the Colombian peace process, especially the completion of the laying down of arms by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC-EP), the United Nations envoy for the country has called for shifting the momentum to other aspects of the historic peace deal.

In his briefing to the UN Security Council today, Jean Arnault, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Colombia, recalled the conviction expressed by President Juan Manuel Santos and Timoleon Jimenez, the head of the FARC-EP Secretariat, at a ceremony for the final laying down of weapons - that the half-century-long armed conflict was over.

"I cannot but quote President Santos when he said that 'reaching that day, living that day had made it worthwhile to be President of Colombia'," said Mr. Arnault.

Attention should now shift to other aspects of the peace agreement, including the reintegration of FARC-EP combatants and militias, "among whom a deep sense of uncertainty prevails as to their physical security following disarmament and their socio-economic future," he noted.

"No effort can be spared in the prompt implementation of that agenda," he added.

He also highlighted that in addition to the reintegration of combatants, the peace process must also respond to the needs and expectations of the more vulnerable sectors of Colombian society and recalled the priority areas identified by the Colombian Government: rule of law and increased security; providing access to goods and services to areas that did not have access to it; and prompt delivery of justice to victims of the conflict.

"We welcome the fact that together with reintegration these were precisely the priorities indicated by the Government to the [UN] Peacebuilding Fund, and we call upon the international community to support the achievement of these goals," said Mr. Arnault.

In this context, Mr. Arnault, who is also the head of the UN Mission in Colombia, expressed that it was an honour to be requested by the Government and the FARC-EP to establish a second verification mission focused on reintegration and wider security guarantees, and to begin as soon as possible.

"Like the first mission, the second one will be as much about fostering cooperation and building confidence as it will be about verification as such," he said, noting that the Mission believes that the trust that has been established between it, the two parties, state institutions and civil society can be brought to bear on the success of the second mandate.

The UN envoy also informed the Council of the impact of the Tripartite Monitoring and Verification Mechanism as an effective tool to maintain and strengthen confidence between the parties.

"Its presence at the local level will help ensure that incidents that may occur in the coming weeks and months can continue to be dealt with cooperatively."

As to the steps after the laying down of arms, Mr. Arnault also informed the Council that the UN Mission and the FARC-EP, with the support of the armed forces and the police, will now focus on the disposal of hundreds of arms caches, the collection of weapons in them, and the destruction of explosives and unstable armament.

"The disposal of arms caches is undoubtedly a difficult process, but we are encouraged by the willingness of FARC-EP and the armed forces to move forward, and we are confident that if not all, at least a high percentage of the caches can be dealt with [within set timeframes]," he stated.
Venezuela bans Attorney General from leaving country; UN rights office voices concern

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Venezuela bans Attorney General from leaving country; UN rights office voices concern, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a45af4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Amid the ongoing violence in Venezuela, the United Nations human rights office today expressed concern about a decision by the Supreme Court to null the appointment of the Attorney General, freeze her assets and ban her from leaving the country.

"We are concerned that the Supreme Court's decisions appear to seek to strip her Office of its mandate and responsibilities as enshrined in the Venezuelan Constitution, and undermine the Office's independence," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), addressing journalists in Geneva.

The Venezuelan Supreme Court on 28 June decided to begin removal proceedings against Attorney General Luisa Ortega, freeze her assets and ban her from leaving the country. It also transferred some of the Attorney General's, until now, exclusive functions to the Ombudsperson.

Mr. Colville said that the dismissal of judicial officials should be subject to strict criteria "that do not undermine the independent and impartial performance of their functions."

UN Guidelines on the Role of Prosecutors stipulate that governments should ensure that prosecutors can do their jobs without intimidation, harassment or improper interference, among other things.

OHCHR noted that since March, the Attorney General has taken "important steps to defend human rights, documenting deaths during the wave of demonstrations, insisting on the need for due process and the importance of the separation of powers, and calling for people who have been arbitrarily detained to be immediately released."

According to the Attorney General's Office, 75 have been killed and some 1,419 injured so far in the two months of protests.

Mr. Colville urged "all powers of the Venezuelan State to respect the Constitution and the rule of law," and called on the Government to ensure that the rights to freedom of peaceful assembly and freedom of opinion and expression are guaranteed.

"We also call on all people in Venezuela to only use peaceful means to make themselves heard and urge all parties to renounce violence and harassment of opponents," he continued.
Iraq: UN warns against 'collective punishment' of population with alleged ISIL ties

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Iraq: UN warns against 'collective punishment' of population with alleged ISIL ties, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a46344.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations human rights office has expressed concern over forced evictions of people alleged to have ties with the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant (ISIL/Da'esh) terrorist group, noting that such actions may amount to collective punishment that is in clear contravention of the Iraqi Constitution as well as human rights and humanitarian law.

"As Mosul is increasingly liberated from ISIL, we are seeing an alarming rise in threats, specifically of forced evictions, against those suspected of being ISIL members or whose relatives are alleged to be involved with ISIL - threats that have also been made in other areas," said Rupert Colville, spokesperson for the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), at today's press briefing in Geneva.

Fighting in Mosul is becoming ever more intense and concentrated as Iraqi national security forces, supported by the international coalition, push to retake the whole of the city from ISIL.

"We are extremely concerned at the situation of civilians in Mosul," Mr. Colville said, reminding all parties to the conflict of their obligation to distinguish between civilians and combatants in armed conflict.

He said that OHCHR received reports of "night letters" left at families' houses or distributed in neighbourhoods, including in Sharqat in Salahadin Governorate, Al Heet City in Al Anbar and Al-Qayyarah in Ninewa, as well as in Mosul City.

These letters typically warn people to leave by a particular date or face forced expulsion. Many of these threats are the result of tribal agreements that explicitly demand that families of ISIL-affiliated members be excluded from the area.

"People are at real risk of forced eviction from their homes and losing access to basic necessities, including adequate housing, food, access to health services and education," Mr. Colville said, urging the Iraqi Government to take action to halt such imminent evictions or any type of collective punishment.

"Illegal forced evictions are acts of vengeance that are detrimental to national reconciliation and social cohesion," he added.

On Thursday, Peter Hawkins, the representative of the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) in Iraq, called for the protection of children trapped in the Old City neighbourhood of western Mosul.

"Children are facing multiple threats to their lives. Those stranded in the fighting are hiding in their basements, fearful of the next onslaught. Those who try to flee, risk being shot or wounded," he said in a statement.

"The plight of these children and their survival must remain a top priority now and in the weeks and months to come," he added.
Challenges abound as 'significant' numbers of displaced return within Syria, warns UNHCR

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, Challenges abound as 'significant' numbers of displaced return within Syria, warns UNHCR, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a46984.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

Citing "significant" returns of displaced persons to and within Syria, the United Nations refugee agency said today that while it will be scaling up its response to assist those coming back, it can neither promote nor facilitate returns given the security and humanitarian situation in the war-torn country.

According to estimates, more than 440,000 internally displaced people have returned to their homes during the first six months of this year. During the same period, the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has recorded over 31,000 Syrian refugees returning from neighbouring countries.

Seeking out family members, checking on property, and, in some cases, a real or perceived improvement in security conditions in parts of the country were the primary factors influencing those who decided to return, Andrej Mahecic, a spokesperson for the UN agency, told reporters in Geneva.

"While there is overall increased hope linked to the recent Astana and Geneva peace talks, [we] believe conditions for refugees to return in safety and dignity are not yet in place in Syria," he said, voicing concern over the sustainability of security improvements as well as significant protection risks in many return areas.

"At this stage, and while UNHCR will be investing to help, with other partners, to improve conditions in accessible areas inside Syria, refugee returns from host countries can neither be promoted nor facilitated by UNHCR at this stage," he added.

In particular, access to displaced populations inside Syria remains a key challenge, noted Mr. Mahecic, highlighting that aid convoys are still unable to access regularly those areas that have become newly accessible.

Other challenges include limited livelihood opportunities, shortages of food and water, and sporadic or non-existent health, education, social and other basic services. Many of Syria's schools have been damaged or destroyed and offer no possibility for education.

In the midst of this complex situation, UNHCR is pursuing a number of preparatory steps, in anticipation of the time when conditions for voluntary repatriation of refugees in conditions of safety and dignity are in place. However, resources remain a major constraint, hindering its efforts.

Of the $304 million appeal for its operations to assist the displaced inside Syria in 2017, only $103 million (about 33 per cent) has been received by UNHCR.

It is also seeking an additional $150 million in 2017 to ramp up its delivery inside Syria to support both the displaced, returnees and other vulnerable people, and to help improve conditions in potential return areas.

The Syrian conflict, now into its seventh year, has claimed the lives of hundreds of thousands, displaced some 6.3 million within the country and forced 5.1 million to flee outside its borders. Also, more than 13.5 million Syrians are in need of humanitarian assistance, including nearly 4.5 million in besieged and hard-to-reach areas.
UN refugee agency 'extremely worried' about renewed violence in Central African Republic

Publisher UN News Service Publication Date 30 June 2017 Cite as UN News Service, UN refugee agency 'extremely worried' about renewed violence in Central African Republic, 30 June 2017, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a470f4.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The United Nations refugee agency has voiced concern over a flow of people fleeing renewed violence in some parts of the Central African Republic, a country that has already seen a half million people internally displaced and another half million taking refuge in neighbouring countries.

The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) is extremely worried over the resurgence of violence being seen in parts of the Central African Republic, said UNHCR spokesperson Andrej Mahecic at today's press briefing in Geneva.

He said renewed violence has erupted in the towns of Zemio, Bria and Kaga Bandaro in southern and northern CAR as clashes are reported between self-defence groups and other armed groups. Civilians and humanitarian workers are also being targeted.

Clashes between the mainly Muslim Seleka rebel coalition and anti-Balaka militia, which are mostly Christian, plunged the country of 4.5 million people into civil conflict in 2013. Violence in CAR has uprooted some 503,600 people inside the country, including more than 100,000 in 2017, and more than 484,000 have been registered as refugees in Cameroon, the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), Chad and the Republic of Congo.

Mr. Mahecic noted that in Zemio, close to the border with the DRC, UNHCR workers have reported intense heavy weapons fire since Tuesday. Some houses close to UNHCR's office were burnt down. Over 1,000 people have fled their homes. Many are seeking refuge in a Catholic church in the town, while some 66 people have sought safety in the UNHCR compound  among them terrified women and children in fear of their lives, he added.

In the town of Bria, several hundred kilometres northeast of the capital, Bangui, clashes were reported on June 20 that continued for three consecutive days, he said.

Reports suggest a camp hosting some 2,400 internally displaced people in the Ndourou IV district is now completely empty with its whole population having fled the recent attacks.

Indiscriminate attacks in Bria have left some 136 people dead and 36 wounded, with 600 houses burned and an additional 180 looted.

In a separate incident, unidentified armed men tried to break into UNHCR accommodation in Kaga Bandaro in the north of the country on Wednesday night with the intention of attacking staff and looting belongings. The attack was thwarted by the UN peacekeeping forces there.

UNHCR teams were able to distribute relief items including plastic sheets, blankets, mats, mosquito nets, kitchen sets, buckets and soap to more than 5000 households in accessible parts of Bria over the past three weeks - despite the fragile security situation.

UNHCR renews its call on all parties to the conflict in the area to immediately end attacks against civilians and aid workers. UNHCR is also seeking immediate and unhindered humanitarian access to assist those affected by the recent wave of violence, Mr. Mahecic said.
Title In Harm's Way: Women human rights defenders in Thailand

Publisher International Federation for Human Rights

Publication Date 3 July 2017

Country Thailand

Citation / Document Symbol N 694a

Cite as International Federation for Human Rights, In Harm's Way: Women human rights defenders in Thailand, 3 July 2017, N 694a, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a486d4.html [accessed 11 November 2022]

Comments This report is a revised and updated version of the joint shadow report submitted by the Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders (an FIDH-OMCT partnership), Protection International (PI), and the Asia Pacific Forum on Women, Law and Development (APWLD) for the 67th session of the UN Committee on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in Geneva on 5 July 2017.
Integrating Islamic Trends in Kyrgyzstan

Publisher Institute for War and Peace Reporting Author Timur Toktonaliev Publication Date 3 July 2017 Citation / Document Symbol RCA 814 Cite as Institute for War and Peace Reporting, Integrating Islamic Trends in Kyrgyzstan, 3 July 2017, RCA 814, available at: https://www.refworld.org/docid/595a4c934.html [accessed 11 November 2022] Disclaimer This is not a UNHCR publication. UNHCR is not responsible for, nor does it necessarily endorse, its content. Any views expressed are solely those of the author or publisher and do not necessarily reflect those of UNHCR, the United Nations or its Member States.

The role played by Islam in Kyrgystan has been steadily growing ever since independence in the early 1990s. Although it remains a secular republic where religious parties are banned, analysts say that Islam is likely to play a part in upcoming presidential elections.

There are also fears of radicalisation, with at least 600 Kyrgyz nationals known to have travelled to fight in Syria and Iraq.

Alexey Malashenko, chief researcher at the Dialogue of Civilizations (DOC) think-tank, spoke to IWPR about the likely impact this trend may have on the future direction of the state.

IWPR: Do you think growing interest in Islam among the Kyrgyz population will lead to the Islamisation of politics, and then of the state itself?

AM: The growth of Islam in society is inevitable, and is taking place across the entire Muslim world. To some extent, it is more about re-Islamisation - Islam has always been there, and nobody got rid of it. This re-Islamisation means that people become more interested in religion, its doctrines, and more strictly observe Islamic traditions and norms of behaviour, including restrictions and prohibitions. But [it also means] that Islam is politicised, becoming not only a religion but also an ideology, which is radical to some extent.

Islam is increasingly being used by politicians as an instrument for achieving personal success. It becomes a political factor, which, as is known from the experience of many countries, contributes to destabilisation. The state's actions play a significant role. On the one hand it must properly monitor and restrain the process of such re-Islamisation, but, on the other hand it must not resort to systematically harsh methods to suppress it. Otherwise, it will provoke a response.

We should acknoweldge that Kyrgyzstan is a kind of miracle: with the highest political and even revolutionary activity of any society in Central Asia, religion has not become a serious political factor, which could have happened. And it is to the state's great merit that it has managed, not without difficulty, to develop a reasonable approach to Islam.

If the secular system fails to demonstrate its effectiveness, what would it look like if the state adopted some Islamic principles? Would it be like Malaysia or Indonesia or should we expect something more radical?

The mixture of secular principles of government with religious attitudes, including even some Shariah norms, is inevitable. However, a lot of complex collisions can arise and different countries solve them differently. It should be noted, however, that even in the 28 Muslim countries where Islam is a state religion, the constitution takes priority, even when it appeals to Islamic traditions.

In this context, Kyrgyzstan can be compared with Malaysia and Indonesia. I would add Algeria and even Egypt, which, despite the successes of Islamists at the beginning of the second decade of our century, still retain a de facto secular nature of government.

Kyrgyz politicians are increasingly using Islamic rhetoric for their own purposes. What is the likelihood that purely Islamist political parties will emerge, and how would the population perceive them?

Serious 'Islamic parties' will most likely not appear in Kyrgyzstan. The ship has sailed, as they say. They would have needed to have been created earlier on. However, marginal groups - they could declare themselves to be parties - might emerge that would be capable of organising loud rallies but would not have public support. People do not want riots. Moreover, there is the experience of the middle east, which shows what religious extremism can lead to.

As for specific politicians, I do not yet see charismatic personalities that could successfully use Islam as a rallying call. We don't have that political culture or tradition. The emergence of such a kind of personality is possible only amid chaos. But I don't see it coming.

What about other countries in Central Asia? How much does Islamisation influence their policies, or is Kyrgyzstan in a unique situation?

I think the most difficult situation has developed in Tajikistan, where the state and the president, in an effort to establish complete control over Islam, have gone too far [in clamping down on Islamist parties] which sooner or later will evoke a response.

In general, the re-Islamisation I describe will continue, as well as the inevitable politicisation of Islam to some extent. The authorities and ruling elites are scared of it. However, on the other hand, they have gained some experience not just of struggle, but a kind of communication with Islamists. They keep an eye on some, and take harsh measures against others prone to action.

The influence of Islamism persists because it is mainly the response to domestic economic, social and other challenges. Moreover, except for Kyrgyzstan, in the rest of the region Islam is actually the only form of protest, since there is no real opposition there.

Are there any examples in the world when a secular country gradually adopts some Islamic norms? How successful has this proved to be?

The world has experience of the coexistence of religious and secular systems. Sometimes, let's take Russia, for example, the secular law turns a blind eye to Sharia. For example, in Muslim regions, first of all in the North Caucasus, polygamy takes place. Everybody knows about this - from President Putin to the local policeman.

The head of Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, used to justify polygamy saying that during the two wars in Chechnya, many men were killed.

So, the compromise between the secular law and religious tradition is quite possible and even necessary.

Copyright notice:  Institute for War & Peace Reporting
DAVENPORT | A woman who once was the executive director of the School Nutrition Association was arrested Wednesday on a felony theft charge after a state audit discovered more than $166,000 missing from the organizations accounts.

Norma Jean Adams, also known as Norma Jean LaMantia, 74, Davenport, faces a prison sentence of up to 10 years if she is convicted on the felony charge.

Under the name of Norma LaMantia, Adams was the executive director of the statewide School Nutrition Association until she resigned June 30, 2016, after members of the associations board discovered irregularities in her financial transactions for the organization.

State Auditor Mary Mosiman conducted an audit for the association that took in the time period of Jan. 1, 2010 through July 31, 2016.

A report of that audit was released June 1. In that audit, Mosiman reported a total of $166,898.25 of undeposited collections.

The undeposited collections identified include checks submitted to or collected by Ms. LaMantia for the association but not properly deposited to the associations bank accounts, according to the auditors report. Instead, Ms. LaMantia deposited the checks in personal bank accounts or bank accounts she established in a name which caused them to appear to be held by the association. The disbursements from the bank accounts to which the checks were deposited were personal in nature. The bank accounts Ms. LaMantia established were not authorized by the association and association officials were not aware of the bank accounts.

Of the $166,898.25 of undeposited collections identified, $122,758.25 was deposited to a bank account established at Wells Fargo on January 8, 2013, according to the audit. The account was closed on July 1, 2016.

The undeposited collections identified also included $44,140.00 improperly deposited to various accounts held at IH Mississippi Valley Credit Union. The deposits were made between February 3, 2010 and July 9, 2012, according to the audit.

The audit found that LaMantia deposited a $10,650 personal check to the associations authorized bank account on June 26, 2014. The documents LaMantia prepared for the deposit described the check as fees from a vendor who rented booth space at the associations annual conference.

According to the audit, during an interview LaMantia stated she deposited the personal check to the associations account because I felt so guilty.

The checks that she deposited came from dozens of school districts and food companies to pay fees for association events.

LaMantia (Adams) admitted to taking the money in an interview with auditors and a Davenport police detective, saying she had blown through her personal funds "and then I took some money from the association," according to the report.

According to the audit, the association is a "statewide, nonprofit, professional organization representing more than 950 members employed by school districts who provide meals to students across the state. The Association works to ensure all children have access to healthy school meals and nutrition education.

Adams was booked into the Scott County Jail at 9:49 a.m. Wednesday. She was released at 10:17 a.m. after posting a $1,000 cash-only bond.

An arraignment on the charge is scheduled for 11 a.m. July 20 in Scott County District Court.
Body cameras for the Mooresville Police Department have arrived. Find out when they will be used.
SIOUX CITY | Friday marked the first night of the Fourth of July weekend, and this is the first year of a new Sioux City fireworks discharge ordinance.

Sioux City Police have added extra patrol officers who are solely focused on investigating firework violations after the set curfew.

From June 25 to June 30 adult residents were able to set off fireworks from 1 to 10 p.m. From July 1 to July 4 they are able to be fired from 1 to 11 p.m. Violators will be fined $250 if caught on private property discharging after hours, and $500 if caught on public property. Recreational use is never allowed in parks and on streets and sidewalks.

Police Lt. Chris Groves said the special enforcement allows district officers to concentrate on routine service calls generated during a busy holiday weekend.

A Journal reporter was able to ride along with Officer Josh Tyler on the first night the department issued the special assignment Friday.

According to the police call log, there were more than 30 calls of fireworks violations over the night. Groves said officers cited four suspects during the shift.

"We know we are going to see it over this weekend," Officer Tyler said. "Whether it is legal or not, whether you describe it as patriotic or however you choose to perceive the activities of fireworks, I get it. Our goal isn't to make something attended to be patriotic a criminal act. Our big thing is just safety, reason and, really, common sense."

10:10 p.m. | Tyler says he spotted children lighting fireworks in the Grandview Park area on his way to start his shift. Upon arrival, remains of spent fireworks were found in a nearby trash can. Burn marks on the street indicated that fireworks were ignited there, he said.

"At least they picked up. A lot of times they don't," Tyler said.

10:22 p.m. | Nearly a dozen firework calls are holding in the Morningside area while Tyler investigates reports closer to his location on the north side. He says every call needs to be investigated.

10:36 p.m. | He clears all the reports in the area, and is unable to find any suspects. He files paperwork for each report in a parking lot and then begins driving to the Morningside area to tackle a load of calls waiting.

10:42 p.m. | While en route, a large firework booms near the area of Westcott and First streets.

10:44 p.m. | He finds subjects outside the area with fireworks lying on the ground. The officer rolls down his window and warns them of the city's new ordinance. They say they will comply.

10:50 p.m. | A few blocks away, Tyler makes contact with a man carrying a spent firework into a home. He too is given a verbal warning and says he will stop.

11:02 p.m. | While Tyler fills out paperwork in a nearby lot, a large display of fireworks rapidly explodes in the sky near the area where he warned the first group of people.

"What did I just tell them?" he says.

11:04 p.m. | Tyler arrives outside the home near the area of Westcott and First streets and confronts the same subjects standing outside.

"Come on, officer, we were doing the big finale," one of the men says to Tyler. He is searched for weapons and asked to sit in the back of the police vehicle.

"I thought fireworks are legal now," the man says.

"Under certain time restrictions," Tyler answers.

In a post-Miranda interview, the man admits he was setting fireworks off on the sidewalk before Tyler arrived -- turning a $250 fine into a $500 one. The man is cited, given a court date and released.

11:38 p.m. | Reports of firework violations keep pinging Tyler's computer in his vehicle. He begins searching the area where they were reported in Morningside.

11:50 p.m. | A firework is seen shooting in the air near Gordon Drive. Tyler investigates the area and cannot locate any suspects. He begins driving back to the police station to drop off the Journal reporter.

"We gave one citation, made contact with five or six people in a short amount of time," Tyler says of his first night on the special enforcement. "I think we did pretty good."
Cambodias government on Monday closed all checkpoints along its border with Thailand to anyone other than Cambodian migrant workers returning home from the neighboring country, drawing criticism from residents who say their livelihoods depend on traveling between the two nations.



The move follows a royal decree passed by Thailand at the end of last month which imposed jail terms of up to five years and hefty fines on illegal workers in the country.



The decree was suspended for 120 days on June 30 after facing a backlash from employers and migrant advocates, but thousands of Cambodians are still being deported, including nearly 1,000 last week alone, according to a report by the Phnom Penh Post.



On Monday, Cambodia indefinitely closed all checkpoints along the border with its western neighbor to anyone who is not a Cambodian migrant working returning from Thailand, citing a need to curb unlawful crossings.



Roath Veasna, an official at the Tumnup Dach border checkpoint in Au Bey Choan commune, in Battambang provinces Au Chrov district, told RFAs Khmer Service that the order was initially given on July 1, but fully implemented Monday, and aimed at preventing illegal workers from crossing into Thailand in search of jobs.



Only workers who are returning from Thailand will be allowed to cross into Cambodia, he said.



No one from Cambodia is allowed to cross into Thailandeven to buy commodities in Thai markets and vice versa.



While Cambodias government claims the move will stymie illegal migration, people who live along the border and civil society groups told RFA that a prolonged closure of the checkpoints will damage the livelihoods of local residents.



A villager from Au Bey Choan commune named Loeum No said that the effect of the border closure has yet to be seen and urged the government to rescind the ban on crossings as soon as possible.



I would like the border crossing to be re-opened soonit cant be closed for too long, he said.



When all the border crossings are closed, our lives are severely impacted. We need to cross the border into Thailand to buy commodities.



Sum Chankea, coordinator for the rights group ADHOC in neighboring Banteay Meanchey province, echoed Loeum Nos concerns about how a prolonged border closure could affect local residents.



Many Cambodians earn a living by going to work in Thailand and they should be allowed to return home after their days labor, he said.



The authorities should be focusing their actions against those who illegally bring workers to Thailand, he said.



The Phnom Penh Post cited Dy The Hoya, of labor rights group Central, as saying that Cambodias government should pressure Thailand to grant more time to adjust regulations and regulate recruitment agencies better.



According to the report, Cambodias Labour Ministry issued a letter on Friday asking the Information Ministry to ban recruitment agencies advertisements, which it said usually deceive our residents  to convince them to go to work in Thailand.



Seeking work



Thailand has been criticized for its treatment of migrant workers who are often at the mercy of unscrupulous employers and labor brokers.



Thailand is a source, destination, and transit country for men, women, and children subjected to forced labor and sex trafficking, the U.S. State Department wrote in its 2017 Trafficking in Persons Report.



While migrant workers are at risk, they are still drawn to the country as Thailand is a wealthy nation compared to its neighbors.



Human traffickers charge Cambodians as much as U.S. $100 per person to illegally transport them across the border from the northwestern part of the country, human rights groups told RFA last year.



Workers, who do not have passports, pay 300,000 to 400,000 riel (U.S. $75 to $100) each to help them cross over the border in Banteay Meanchey and Battambang provinces.



Thailands economy grew at an average annual rate of 7.5 percent in the late 1980s and early 1990s, creating millions of jobs that helped pull millions of people out of poverty, according to the World Bank, but that growth has slowed in recent years.



According to the Office of the Social and Economic Development Board, workers from Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, China and ethnic minorities from Southeast Asian countries, have cut into businesses reserved for Thais.



In September, an official from Banteay Meanchey province told RFA that Thai authorities were cracking down on illegal immigrants and sending thousands of migrant workers back to Cambodia and Vietnam each day, with more than 4,000 Cambodian workers deported during August alone.



A crackdown by Thailands military regime on undocumented migrant workers in 2014 saw tens of thousands of Cambodian migrant workers flee from Thailand to Cambodia amid fears over government measures.



Reported by Hour Hum for RFAs Khmer Service. Translated by Nareth Muong. Written in English by Joshua Lipes.
Heavy rain and flooding in central and southern China left dozens dead or missing on Monday as hundreds of thousands of people were evacuated from their homes, official media and local residents reported.



In the southwestern region of Guangxi, 16 people were reported dead and 10 others missing after rainstorms triggered widespread flooding in the region, state news agency Xinhua reported. Some 90,000 people were evacuated in the region, it said.



In the central province of Hunan, five people died and four were still missing following a mudslide on Saturday, while the authorities moved in to evacuate more than 300,000 people with more than 6,000 homes destroyed by floods, Xinhua said.



A resident surnamed Luo of Qiaotouhe township near Hunan's Loudi city said his hometown has been left devastated by the storms.



"A few people were washed away in the floods," he said. "The waters were so fierce when they came pouring in; my son and the neighbors had to run like crazy. They didn't have time to save any belongings; they just ran."



"Out of a village of about 100 households, 25 homes have been destroyed," Luo said. "Those who have friends and family have gone to stay with them."



"There's no water or electricity here right now, so how we are supposed to eat I don't know," he said. "My elderly mother is nearly 80, and we have to go out to eat a bowl of noodles and buy some snacks to eat."



He said local rescue workers had handed out some bottles of water, but little else.



"I am at my wits' end," Luo said.



'Everything is under water'



In Hunan's provincial capital Changsha, where the Xiangjiang river engulfed parts of the city, swamping neighborhoods and uprooting trees, a resident surnamed Sun said the floods had mostly receded in the downtown area on Monday.



"There are still some places where it's still pretty severe," Sun said. "In some areas on the outskirts, the water was coming up from the drains rather than going down them."



"Everything is under water [in those places]; it's pretty deep."



Repeated calls to the Changsha municipal government offices rang unanswered during office hours on Monday.



Flood monitoring authorities said that water levels in more than 60 rivers in southern China were above danger levels on Monday, as the rains continued to batter the Yangtze river basin.



"The disaster wreaked havoc on the lives of 1.05 million people, inflicting direct economic losses worth nearly 2.9 billion yuan (U.S.$428 million)," Xinhua news agency said.



Reported by Wong Lok-to for RFA's Cantonese Service, and by Shi Shan for the Mandarin Service. Translated and edited by Luisetta Mudie.




Migrant workers sort fish in a port in Mahachai on the outskirts of Bangkok, June 30, 2015.

Tens of thousands of foreign workers have left Thailand after it adopted tough new labor regulations in late June that penalize undocumented migrants, traffickers who smuggle them in and employers who hire them, a government official told BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.

Adopted by the Thai junta on June 23, the new rules call for a sentence of up to 10 years in jail and a fine of 1 million baht (U.S. $29,418) fine per each person convicted on trafficking charges. Employers charged with hiring undocumented workers could face fines of 400,000 baht ($11,766) to 800,000 baht ($23,532) for each employee.

Those entering the country and working illegally could face a sentence of up to five years and a fine of up to 100,000 baht ($2,941).

We recorded about 20,000 workers, but that was just a portion of those returning home. They went back home voluntarily, Sutha Saiwanich, the deputy governor of Tak, a province in northwestern Thailand that borders Myanmar, one of the neighboring countries from where thousands of workers migrate for largely menial and low-paid jobs.

Mae Sod district in Tak province is about 500 km (310 miles) northwest of Bangkok. It serves as a major transit point for illegal border crossings into Thailand across a river that separates the two countries.

The Labor Ministry reported that Thailand has about 2.7 million registered migrant workers, mainly from Myanmar and Cambodia. Of them, 1.4 million have work permits and are not affected by the law, while another 1.3 million are allowed to work temporarily until March 2018, pending verification of their identities.

The ministry estimates that another 2 million migrants are working without papers.

PM establishes grace period

Last week, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-o-cha told reporters that migrants affected by the new regulations could continue to work temporarily, pending verification of their identities.

These people have problems because they are not authenticated yet. They are temporary workers, Prayuth said. They cannot change workplaces. Their countries of origin must have proof of identity for them.

I did not mean to cause hardship to anyone, but the law cannot be revoked, Prayuth said.

He will establish an executive order to allow a 120-day grace period for migrants to obtain verification without being arrested.

The president of the Fisheries Association of Thailand, whose industry employs many migrants, said the grace period was needed.

The foreign labor decree is a good law for controlling the labor force, but the government must let them have [four] months to get paperwork done, Mongkol Sukcharoenkana told BenarNews. After that, it can stop registration of workers for good.

Extortion and Instigation

A source in Mae Sod district told BenarNews that police exploited loopholes to extort money from employers and migrant workers.

Police took a chance to raid a furniture business in Mae Sod town, asking for 4 million baht ($117,647) as a settlement. But the owner did not accept the deal and said he would rather be jailed than pay a bribe, said the source who requested anonymity for security reasons.

Hearing of the allegations, National Police chief Gen. Chakthip Chaichinda threatened to severely discipline any officers who attempt to extort money from workers or employers.

Meanwhile, labor rights activist Andy Hall said the effort to force registration was likely planned and instigated by corrupt and powerful officials, agents and brokers.

After a decade and more monitoring migration in Thailand its clear to me tens of thousands of migrants only move like this with instigation. Mass profit is to be made in a short time and from panic and commotion, Hall said in text message to BenarNews from Europe.

Hall fled from Thailand in November 2016 following his conviction on a defamation charge resulting from a lawsuit by the Natural Fruit company regarding a television interview in Myanmar. He alleged migrant workers faced adverse work conditions at the companys pineapple processing plant in Thailand.

Many migrants are fleeing Thailand voluntarily at a high cost. Some employers cover the cost, but many also are unceremoniously fired without compensation, he said.

Reported by BenarNews, an RFA-affiliated online news service.
Vietnamese Catholics from Con Nam church in Quang Minh village, Badon town, in central Vietnams Quang Binh province march to the local Peoples Committee office to demand compensation for the Formosa disaster, July 3, 2017.

About 1,000 Roman Catholics from a village in central Vietnams Quang Binh province marched to the local Peoples Committee office on Monday to demand compensation for lost livelihoods caused by a toxic waste spill that occurred along the countrys central coast more than a year ago, a priest who led the gathering said.

A quarter of the 4,000 parishioners of Con Nam church in Quang Minh village of Badon town called on local administrators to pay them for losses they have suffered from the spill that polluted more than 125 miles of coastline along four coastal provinces, including Quang Binh, said Father Truong Van Thuc.

The April 6, 2016, environmental disaster killed an estimated 115 tons of fish and left fishermen and tourism industry workers jobless.

Two months later, Taiwan-owned Formosa Plastics Group acknowledged it was responsible for the release of the chemicals from its massive steel plant located at the deep-water port in Ha Tinh provinces Ky Anh district.

The company voluntarily paid U.S. $500 million to clean up and compensate those affected by the spill, but the slow and uneven payout of the funds by the Vietnamese government has prompted protests which continue to be held more than a year after the disaster.

We are in the area that has been affected by Formosa, Thuc, who is in charge of Con Nam church, told RFAs Vietnamese Service.

According to decision No. 1880 of the government, there are seven job categories on the compensation list, and in this area people who catch crabs and snails are eligible for compensation, he said.



They did not answer

Parishioners of Con Nam church are upset because those affected by the disaster in Ha Tinh province have been eligible to receive 17.4 million-35.5 million dong (U.S. $755-$1,541) in compensation, while only four families who live in the five hamlets comprising Quang Minh village have received only 8 million dong (U.S. $347) each.

During the protest outside the Peoples Committee office, officials avoided the crowd because no one wanted to respond to their demands directly, Thuc said.

We demanded that payments be made to us via the hamlet office, but the village did not address that demand, he said. We wanted to hear an answer from them, but they did not answer. They did not address the issue directly and told us that they have not received approval from above.

Vietnams Deputy Prime Minister Truong Hoa Binh, who is overseeing the governments compensation process for those affected by the Formosa disaster, told the media in June that all payments would be issued by the end of that month.

At a central government meeting on June 7, Truong Quoc Cuong, the deputy health minister, told Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc that fish from the affected areas along the countrys central coast appeared to be safe to consume, and that tests in deep-sea waters between June 2016 and March 2017 showed no indications of toxicity.

Thugs hired by local police have beaten Catholics in other parishes in the four provinces affected by the toxic waste spill, and vandals believed to be paid by local authorities have damaged church property in retaliation for their protests over the handling of the payouts.

Reported by RFAs Vietnamese Service. Translated by Viet Ha. Written in English by Roseanne Gerin.
PRIMGHAR | An estimated 200 people attended a burial some 73 years in the making on Saturday as the graveside service for U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Byron Nelson played out under brilliant blue skies at Pleasant Hill Cemetery one mile northwest of Nelson's hometown, Primghar.

It was something that a crowd that size -- nearly one-fifth the population of the O'Brien County seat -- came to pay respects to an nose gunner shot down by German fighters over Italy on April 25, 1944.

Nelson was 28 at the time; a son, a husband, and father to a 2-year-old girl.

He was first buried by local residents in a cemetery near Fognano, Italy. His remains, which were unable to be positively identified, were re-interred as "Unknown X-190" on May 26, 1949 in the Florence American Cemetery in Florence, Italy.

New historical investigations and advances in DNA technology led officials with the U.S. Department of Defense's Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency to disinter the remains again in August 2015. DNA analysis and circumstantial evidence were used to identify Nelson's remains late last year.

Grandson Ron Reifenstahl, of Seattle, Wash., answered an email request a couple of years ago that ultimately led to his submitting of saliva and a blood sample in the DNA investigation, proving that the remains where those of his late grandfather, a man he's not sure his late mother ever remembered.

"I only wish my mom, Judy (Nelson) Reifenstahl, and my grandmother, Thelma Lewis, could have been here," he said, noting that both women have since died.

Reifenstahl, whose DNA samples were used along with those provided by Nelson's great nephew, Travis Mullen, of Toledo, Iowa, said he believed it was best for his grandfather's remains to be laid to rest in the cemetery near Primghar.

"This is where my grandfather's family was from," said Reifenstahl, a U.S. Army veteran himself.

Byron Nelson was buried on Saturday at the foot of the grave of his parents, Charles and Mabel (Faulkner) Nelson.

Nelson, who served with the 721st Bomber Squadron, 450th Bomber Group, 15th Air Force, U.S. Army Air Corps, was last seen on April 25, 1944 as his unit conducted a bombing mission over Varese, Italy.

His B-24G "Liberator" was one of two that became separated from the formation while flying through dense clouds. German fighter aircraft shot it down, but not before eight crewmembers parachuted from the aircraft.

Decades later, sailor's remains returned to Titonka mother TITONKA | William H. Kennedy went missing during the Pearl Harbor attack of Dec. 7, 1941, bu

Six evaded capture and returned to friendly lines, while two were taken prisoner by German forces.

Nelson and Sgt. John E. White were officially declared deceased, but their remains were never recovered until the American Graves Registration Service investigated and disinterred the remains from the cemetery in Italy.

Family members expressed their gratitude to the people of Italy for burying Byron Nelson in the first place. They went on to thank researchers and military personnel who remain vigilant in seeing that every soldier, airman, sailor and Marine has the chance to come home.

"The U.S. will not rest until every soldier who serves is accounted for," said U.S. Army Reserve Brigadier General Greg Mosser, who presented Nelson's folded U.S. flag to Reifenstahl. "It is an honor to bring Staff Sgt. Nelson home after 73 years."

"This was a tremendous honor," said Chaplain Cory Van Sloten, a captain in the Iowa Army National Guard. "I've been with the Iowa Army National Guard for 24 years and this is a first. With the advancements (in science and technology), these things will continue to happen and we'll get more and more of these men home."
EMPORIA  Bobby Wrenn loves the Fourth of July.

I asked if its his favorite holiday, and he replied, Absolutely.

It started when he was a kid, and his mother always decorated up for the Fourth with flags and such. Then there was that memorable Fourth in 1947 when Wrenn, then 16 years of age, was in Charlottesville and saw President Harry Truman at the University of Virginia.

I ran across the campus and hollered, and he turned around and waved to me, recalled Wrenn, the longtime clerk of court for Greensville County. Youd probably get shot if you do something like that now.

For the past five decades, Wrenn hasnt traveled much farther than his backyard on the Fourth. He and his wife, Ann, and their children, Randi and Bob (and, in more recent years, their spouses and children), host a neighborhood Fourth of July celebration, which has become a local tradition with guests usually numbering between 100 and 200.

We thought it would be good to have something patriotic, Wrenn said. Weve had a really interesting time through the years with it.

And there have been a lot of years: Tuesday will mark their 50th annual Church Street celebration.

Fifty consecutive years. No missed years. Not even a rain-out.

Its never totally been rained out, but it has a rained a couple of times, Wrenn said. Once, the party resumed after a downpour. Years later, he went back to watch a video from that day, and he said, We looked like a bunch of drowned rats.

The General Assembly commended the Wrenns for their holiday tradition in a joint resolution in February.

Photographer Bob Brown and I drove to Emporia to see Wrenn the other day. I told him we would arrive at 11. Wrenn said that would be fine. Since he typically arises at 4:45 a.m., 11 oclock is practically mid-afternoon for him.

After waking early, Wrenn often heads to the local YMCA to exercise, then returns home to ride his bike  4 to 8 miles on weekdays, and 30 miles on Saturdays and Sundays.

I ride every day unless its sleeting or snowing, (but) I ride in the rain, he said. I feel like if I start making excuses, itll be real easy to stop.

For his birthday each year, he pedals 100 miles  which is pretty amazing, even if you didnt know he turned 86 in June. He collected his 100 miles for his 86th on the Virginia Capital Trail.

This was the 16th year Ive done 100 miles on my birthday, and I will admit it seems farther than it used to, he said with a laugh. The last little bit was slow going, but we had a good time.

Going the distance seems to be a recurring theme for Wrenn. He and Ann have been married for almost 65 years, theyve lived in their current house for nearly 50 years, and he was first elected clerk in 1967. His father, Sol Wrenn, served as clerk for 38 years before that, though Wrenn did not succeed his father in office.

After his father suffered a stroke, Wrenn dropped out of college to come home and work as deputy clerk for more than a year, but he was ineligible for election to office because he was not yet 21. So he left Emporia.

I was in the Navy for two years, then I went off to see the world and moved to Suffolk and then Petersburg, he said.Id seen enough of the world, so I came home.

At age 36, he ran for clerk and won. He was most recently elected in 2015, so hes less than two years into an eight-year term.

In anticipation of the Fourth, the Wrenns fill the backyard with American flags and unfurl a particularly large one from the second-story windows on the back of the house.

For the afternoon party for their neighbors, the Wrenn family prepares hundreds of hot dogs, pots of baked beans and gallons of lemonade. Watermelons are sliced, and neighbors bring desserts. There is patriotic music and group singing, and Stephen Walker, the mayor of Charlotte Court House, dresses in Colonial costume and offers a history of the Declaration of Independence. A firetruck takes children for a ride around the neighborhood. Everyone recites the Pledge of Allegiance.

We have a good time with this thing, he said.

Wrenn hopes their neighborhood tradition might inspire others to do the same thing in their communities.

There seems to be a lack of patriotism, he said. We need to focus on it more.
Problems are mounting across the public housing communities that nearly 10,000 of Richmonds poorest residents call home, and the cash-strapped agency that oversees the properties doesnt have $150 million for needed repairs.

Sewage lines break, mold gathers around leaky windowsills, and rickety heaters sputter and fail in the January cold. Concrete foundations are deteriorating and appliances give out. Emergencies drive expenses.

Richmond Redevelopment and Housing Authority officials say things will only worsen with time, as the roughly 4,000 units age and federal subsidies used to keep them up dwindle.

At some point youre going to have very serious health and safety problems, agency CEO T.K. Somanath told the authoritys board last week.

The long-range vision of the board is to redevelop all of the so-called big six housing communities, but board members say the agency needs help now to stabilize the apartments while it plans for the future.

To that end, officials are weighing asking the federal government for permission to convert the courts  Gilpin, Hillside, Mosby, Fairfield, Whitcomb and Creighton  from the federal public housing program to the Section 8 housing choice voucher program.

The authority would retain ownership and operation of the communities, and officials say residents would not see substantive changes, but Somanath estimated it would net the agency an extra $7.5 million annually to apply toward property maintenance and planning for large-scale redevelopment.

Thats because federal payments for Section 8, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Developments main program for providing public assistance in the private housing market, are higher than they are for the public housing program.

Authority officials estimated that the agency could see about $35 million in revenue annually under the Section 8 program.

In the 2016 federal fiscal year, the public housing program had a net revenue of about $26.3 million, which included a federal operating subsidy of $16.6 million, tenant income of $8.4 million and a $1.3 million transfer from the capital fund.

The agencys chief real estate officer, Marcia Davis, said the authority has about $750 per unit to work with annually for repairs and upkeep.

A physical needs assessment of its properties dated May 2016 found the agency needed nearly $19,000 per unit to make all necessary fixes.

The authoritys Board of Commissioners could take up the issue as soon as this month. Davis said that other localities had pursued conversions for individual properties but was unsure whether anything of this scale had been pursued to date.

Richmonds housing authority is not alone in its struggles to stay on top of repairs. About 10,000 of the nations roughly 1.2 million units of public housing go offline annually because theres not enough money for repairs and maintenance, according to HUD, which oversees public housing and administers federal dollars to local housing agencies.

If things continue along the same path, in about four to five years, all of us public housing authorities will be facing almost bankruptcy  thats the bottom line in this, Jeffrey K. Lines, a Boston-based consultant and owner of TAG Associates  which provides services to public housing agencies  told the Board of Commissioners at a meeting last week.

Lisa Wolfe, a regional spokeswoman for the federal housing department, said the agency would not comment on discussions about converting Richmonds public housing units to Section 8.

The RRHAs chief operating officer, Carol Jones-Gilbert, asked board members to take the issue to residents and explain that it was part of a long-range plan.

My concern is that we need to get the buy-in of the people whose lives are going to be most impacted by this, Jones-Gilbert said. If we dont have their buy-in, I dont see how we can do this.

Board Chairman Robley S. Jones said he was eager to get to work.
French English

Independent Survey Results Presented at the 5th Global Congress on Prostate Cancer (PROSCA) Indicate Untapped Market Potential for SelectMDx

NEWS RELEASE / REGULATED INFORMATION / INSIDE INFORMATION



IRVINE, CA, and HERSTAL, BELGIUM - 07:00 CEST, July 3 2017 - MDxHealth SA (Euronext: MDXH.BR) today announced that results from an independent urology survey identify lack of knowledge on the new generation biomarker tests for Prostate Cancer. Survey data were presented on June 28th at the fifth Global Congress on Prostate Cancer in Lisbon, Portugal.

In his keynote presentation "Biomarkers in 2017," Prof. Nicolaas Lumen, MD, PhD, Head of Clinic Urology at University Hospital Gent, Belgium, reported that almost half of urologists do not recommend any diagnostic biomarker tests to patients. Survey data identified that the limited utilization figures result from a lack of familiarity with the clinical advances offered by new generation tests. Of the 300 urologists participating in Dr. Lumen's survey, biomarker test utilization would nearly double (to 90%) if the urologists had access to a test with a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for clinically significant cancer.

"The results of this survey highlighted that urologists are more familiar with older biomarker tests like PCA3 that do not have such a high NPV for significant prostate cancer," said Prof. Dr. Lumen. "The new generation biomarker tests are more accurate to identify clinically significant prostate cancer and are valuable tools for further risk assessment to determine whether or not to proceed with biopsy."

"Dr. Lumen's survey clearly identifies a significant untapped market for our SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer test." said Dr. Jan Groen, CEO of MDxHealth, "SelectMDx is an affordable non-invasive liquid biomarker test with a 98% NPV for Gleason score 7 or greater prostate cancer and is available for use in Europe and the US."

A recording of Dr. Lumen's survey data presentation and his full lecture will be available on www.ProstateMDx.org.

About SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer

Of the more than 2 million prostate biopsies performed each year in the US and Europe, less than a third find cancer. Most of these men could have avoided a painful and invasive prostate biopsy procedure, with its associated complications and costs. SelectMDx for Prostate Cancer is a proprietary urine-based, molecular diagnostic test that offers a non-invasive 'liquid biopsy' method to assess a man's risk for prostate cancer. SelectMDx helps identify men at increased risk of harboring aggressive, potentially lethal, prostate cancer who may benefit most from a prostate biopsy and earlier detection. The test delivers a negative predictive value (NPV) of 98% for clinically significant disease, helping to reduce diagnostic procedures, such as MRI and invasive prostate biopsies, by approximately 50%, thereby reducing healthcare costs.

About MDxHealth

MDxHealth is a multinational healthcare company that provides actionable molecular diagnostic information to personalize the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The company's tests are based on proprietary genetic, epigenetic (methylation) and other molecular technologies and assist physicians with the diagnosis of urologic cancers, prognosis of recurrence risk, and prediction of response to a specific therapy. The Company's European headquarters are in Herstal, Belgium, with laboratory operations in Nijmegen, The Netherlands, and US headquarters and laboratory operations based in Irvine, California. For more information, visit mdxhealth.com and follow us on social media at: twitter.com/mdxhealth, facebook.com/mdxhealth and linkedin.com/company/mdxhealth.

For more information:

Shalon Roth, EVP Corporate Communications

MDxHealth

+44 (0)7393 906278

shalon.roth@mdxhealth.com

This press release contains forward-looking statements and estimates with respect to the anticipated future performance of MDxHealth and the market in which it operates. Such statements and estimates are based on assumptions and assessments of known and unknown risks, uncertainties and other factors, which were deemed reasonable but may not prove to be correct. Actual events are difficult to predict, may depend upon factors that are beyond the company's control, and may turn out to be materially different. MDxHealth expressly disclaims any obligation to update any such forward-looking statements in this release to reflect any change in its expectations with regard thereto or any change in events, conditions or circumstances on which any such statement is based unless required by law or regulation. This press release does not constitute an offer or invitation for the sale or purchase of securities or assets of MDxHealth in any jurisdiction. No securities of MDxHealth may be offered or sold within the United States without registration under the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or in compliance with an exemption therefrom, and in accordance with any applicable U.S. securities laws.

NOTE: The MDxHealth logo, MDxHealth, ConfirmMDx, SelectMDx, AssureMDx, PredictMDx and UrNCollect are trademarks or registered trademarks of MDxHealth SA. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.
President Donald Trump, announcing a new five-year oil and gas leasing program that could include the Atlantic Ocean, singled out the energy executives in the audience for a round of applause.

Its wonderful to be here with so many pioneers and visionaries from Americas energy industry  great industry. I want to thank the leaders of our great energy companies for joining us today and for supporting our efforts to bring true wealth and prosperity to our people, the president said. Come on, give yourself a hand. ... You deserve it. Youve gone through eight years of hell.

Thursdays event, called Unleashing American Energy, was part of Trumps Energy Week and marked the latest steps on a road that opponents fear could lead to drilling rigs off the coast of Virginia and other Atlantic states.

The truth is we have near limitless supplies of energy in our country, said Trump, who talked up energy dominance and whose administration has broken sharply with that of his predecessor, Barack Obama, on fossil fuel and climate policy.

In May, the Department of the Interior reversed a decision by the Obama administration that ordered the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management to deny applications from companies seeking permission to conduct seismic surveying for oil and gas reserves in the Atlantic.

The department said the testing would gather crucial, updated information on oil and gas resources and seafloor hazards as well as potential sand and gravel resources for beach replenishment and potential archeological resources.

We are really in the driving seat, and we dont want other countries to take away our sovereignty and tell us what to do and how to do it, Trump said Thursday. This vast energy wealth does not belong to the government, it belongs to the people of the United States of America.

But what about the people who dont want it drilled?

Its all hands on deck, said Laura Wood Habr, a Virginia Beach restaurant owner and co-founder of the Business Alliance for Protecting the Atlantic Coast, which represents thousands of East Coast businesses. By remaining silent, youre giving permission to do it. So we need everyone in an elected position to say, We dont want this. 

Habrs organization has a map of the U.S. Atlantic coast that shows scores of local governments from Islamorada, Fla., to Red Bank, N.J., that have adopted resolutions opposing Atlantic drilling and seismic surveys.

The Southern Environmental Law Center says more than 120 coastal cities and towns and hundreds of businesses, trade groups and tourism associations oppose drilling and seismic testing.

Virginia Beach joined that group recently, with the City Council adopting a resolution opposing seismic testing and oil and gas exploration off of the citys pristine coastline and reversing a stance the council adopted in 2010, when it supported exploration and royalty payments to the states.

We havent found anyone to tell us why its a good idea and what the benefit is to us, Habr said.

And on Wednesday, a bipartisan group of 100 U.S. representatives, including four Virginia Democrats, urged Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke not to issue permits for seismic surveying.

Opening the Atlantic to seismic testing and drilling jeopardizes our coastal businesses, fishing communities, tourism and our national security, they wrote. It harms our coastal economies in the near term and opens the door to even greater risks from offshore oil and gas development down the road.

Several Virginia Republican members of Congress have pushed legislation to make it easier to drill off Virginias coast, The Washington Post has reported.

***

Have oil and gas producers in the U.S., which led the world in petroleum production in 2016, gone through eight years of hell?

I certainly would not use those words, said Miles Morin, executive director of the Virginia Petroleum Council, part of the American Petroleum Institute. Im not going to comment on his specific statement. ... We are a technology-driven industry. We are innovating. We are increasing production. ... Even bad policies havent been able to impede the American energy renaissance.

Morin pointed to renewable fuel standards, limits on offshore lease sales that made about 94 percent of the Outer Continental Shelf unavailable for oil and gas exploration, and emissions regulations, among others, as examples.

Offshore oil and gas exploration could bring a big boost to the Hampton Roads area and can be done safely, Morin said, thanks to lessons the industry has learned since the 2010 explosion of the Deepwater Horizon in the Gulf of Mexico, triggering a leak that went uncapped for 87 days and totaled 4 million barrels before it was finally sealed.

Morin cited the Center for Offshore Safety in Houston, an industry-sponsored group focused on developing and adopting standards for offshore drilling, and the Marine Well Containment Co., founded by four large oil companies to respond to a well leak several thousand feet below the surface.

We think we wont see anything like the Deepwater Horizon again, he said.

On Monday, the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management will publish in the Federal Register a request for information and comments from state and local governments as well as the general public, industry, environmental groups and others on the proposed leasing plan.

In a news release Friday, Sierra Weaver, an attorney with the SELC, called on governors to be champions for the coastal communities they were elected to serve and make clear that offshore drilling has no place off our coast.

The SELC says the Trump administration has already issued draft incidental take authorizations, exemptions for ocean activity that affects marine mammals and other ocean life.

This move is a precursor for companies to conduct seismic blasting to test for offshore oil and gas through dynamite-like blasts every 10 seconds for weeks on end. Even before drilling is underway, seismic blasting would causes significant harm to the commercial fishing industry and endangered whales in the Atlantic Ocean, the SELC said in a statement.

The Interior Department says seismic surveys are not expected to have significant impacts on marine mammal populations or the environment given the use of advanced technology and other safeguards that are currently required.

Virginias gubernatorial candidates are split on the issue. Lt. Gov. Ralph S. Northam, a Democrat, opposes offshore drilling. GOP nominee Ed Gillespies campaign has said he supports offshore drilling as long as it is conducted in an environmentally responsible manner.
Big Brother Is Watching You Vote could be the unofficial slogan for the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Kris Kobach, who is heading up the commission, recently sent a letter to all 50 states asking for a list of all their registered voters  along with their addresses, birth dates, political party registration, voting history, felony status, military status, and the last four digits of their Social Security numbers.

The commission wants to make all that information public.

Gosh, what could possibly go wrong?

Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe wisely has said no.

The commission was created in response to allegations of voter fraud. Contrary to the assertions of many Democrats, voting fraud is hardly a myth; it happens, more often than it should. But contrary to the assertions of many Republicans, the incidents are rare enough to be statistically meaningless. As a share of all votes cast, the number of fraudulent votes cast is infinitesimal.

The commissions demand, therefore, highlights a phenomenon that is all too common: Government exploits problems to expand its power vastly more than the problem requires, and it then retains that power long after the problem has been solved. (For a book-length discussion of this dynamic, you could not do better than Robert Higgs Crisis and Leviathan.)
English French

Bone Therapeutics Strengthens Board of Directors

Steve Swinson elected as Chairman of the Board of Bone Therapeutics

Dirk Dembski appointed as Non-Executive Director, bolstering the Board with additional orthopaedic and biotechnology expertise

Michel Helbig to remain as a Non-Executive Director

Gosselies, Belgium, 3 July 2017, 7am CEST - BONE THERAPEUTICS (Euronext Brussels and Paris: BOTHE), the bone cell therapy company addressing high unmet medical needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases, today announces that Steve Swinson has been elected as Chairman of the Board of Directors. He will replace Michel Helbig, who has stood down as Chairman but will continue as a Non-Executive Director.

Bone Therapeutics has also continued to strengthen its Board with the appointment of Dirk Dembski as a Non-Executive Director. The appointment of Dirk, a seasoned executive with expertise in orthopaedics and biotechnology and experience in sales, marketing, business development and medical education for global life sciences companies, complements the recent appointments of Steve Swinson and Damian Marron, who both joined the Bone Therapeutics Board in May. These appointments significantly increase the breadth of specialist orthopaedic and regenerative therapy expertise at the Company and will help support the new management team, led by Chief Executive Thomas Lienard.

Steve Swinson has served in a number of senior roles in orthopaedic medical technology and electronics, including general management, senior strategy, sales, marketing and commercial operation positions at Medtronic. At Medtronic, he led the Spine and Biologics division for Canada and Western Europe, and was Vice President and General Manager for the international spine division. with substantial revenue responsibility. In a 30-year international business career covering Asia, US, Europe and Africa, he has also held senior positions in the diagnostic and medical divisions of General Electric and Hewlett Packard. Steve has a PhD in electrical engineering from the University of Manchester and a MBA from the University of Chicago. Steve Swinson is currently chairman of the board of Vexim, a medical device company specializing in minimally invasive treatment of vertebral fractures and is also on the board of directors of Acteon Group, a leader in dental equipment and imaging products.

Dirk Dembski has held a variety of roles in biotechnology, orthopaedics and medical companies and has built and driven global sales and marketing operations and served in business development positions. He is currently serving as Managing Director of bricon Group, the German business unit of Naton Medical Group, one of China's largest Medtech companies, where he completed several acquisitions and drives the international business. He also worked as Vice President of Sales, Marketing and Business Development at Olympus Biotech for EMEA, Asia Pacific and Latin America, where he successfully marketed a portfolio of bone growth factors, cell technologies and innovative biomaterials. Dirk has also worked as director of sales and marketing for Small Bone Innovations, a bone medical technology company which was acquired by Stryker.

Marc Nolet de Brauwere van Steeland, stepped down as a Non-Executive Director on 30 June having served on the Bone Therapeutics Board since 2015.

Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive of Bone Therapeutics, said: "With the election of Steve Swinson as Chairman, and the appointments of Dirk Dembski and Damian Marron, we have a world-leading Board to support Bone Therapeutics as we approach critical inflection points for our allogeneic cell therapy platform. Our new Board members bring a unique and highly complementary set of skills and expertise in the development and commercialisation of orthopaedic and cell therapy products. I would like to welcome Steve and our other new Board members and also to thank Michel Helbig for his four years of service to Bone Therapeutics. Michel has provided calm and judicious guidance to the company through key strategic developments, including helping to steer the Company through its 2015 Initial Public Offering. Michel was instrumental in building the strong management team that will prove critical as the Company advances its allogeneic cell therapy platform towards commercialization, as well as in the development of the board since IPO. He has also played a key role more recently in recruiting top-level board members with strong international experience in the field in which Bone Therapeutics operates. We are delighted that he will remain on the Board to provide continued support."

Steve Swinson, Chairman of Bone Therapeutics, commented: "I feel excited and privileged to be taking the role of Chairman at Bone Therapeutics. This is the most advanced Company in regenerative therapies for bone diseases which I believe has the potential to transform medical practice in this field. I hope to be able to apply my deep experience in medical technology to support Thomas Lienard and his team, alongside my colleagues on the Board, as we move this key product platform towards commercialization."

Dirk Dembski added: "I feel my previous experience and expertise wil be invaluable to Bone Therapeutics as it develops into a commercially ready company. I look forward to working with Steve and the rest of the Board to help steer the company as it brings its exciting technologies to market."

About Bone Therapeutics

Bone Therapeutics is a leading cell therapy company addressing high unmet needs in orthopaedics and bone diseases. Based in Gosselies, Belgium, the Company has a broad, diversified portfolio of bone cell therapy products in clinical development across a number of disease areas targeting markets with large unmet medical needs and limited innovation.

Our technology is based on a unique, proprietary approach to bone regeneration which turns undifferentiated stem cells into "osteoblastic", or bone-forming cells. These cells can be administered via a minimally invasive procedure, avoiding the need for invasive surgery.

Our primary clinical focus is ALLOB, an allogeneic "off-the-shelf" cell therapy product derived from stem cells of healthy donors, which is in Phase II studies for the treatment of delayed-union fractures and spinal fusion. The Company also has an autologous bone cell therapy product, PREOB, obtained from patient`s own bone marrow and currently in Phase III development for osteonecrosis and non-union fractures.

Bone Therapeutics` cell therapy products are manufactured to the highest GMP standards and are protected by a rich IP estate covering nine patent families. Further information is available at: www.bonetherapeutics.com.

Contacts

Bone Therapeutics SA

Thomas Lienard, Chief Executive Officer

Wim Goemaere, Chief Financial Officer

Tel: +32 (0)2 529 59 90

investorrelations@bonetherapeutics.com

For Belgium and International Media Enquiries:

Consilium Strategic Communications

Amber Fennell, Jessica Hodgson and Hendrik Thys

Tel: +44 (0) 20 3709 5701

bonetherapeutics@consilium-comms.com

For French Media and Investor Enquiries:

NewCap Investor Relations & Financial Communications

Pierre Laurent, Louis-Victor Delouvrier and Nicolas Merigeau

Tel: + 33 (0)1 44 71 94 94

bone@newcap.eu

Certain statements, beliefs and opinions in this press release are forward-looking, which reflect the Company or, as appropriate, the Company directors` current expectations and projections about future events. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions that could cause actual results or events to differ materially from those expressed or implied by the forward-looking statements. These risks, uncertainties and assumptions could adversely affect the outcome and financial effects of the plans and events described herein. A multitude of factors including, but not limited to, changes in demand, competition and technology, can cause actual events, performance or results to differ significantly from any anticipated development. Forward looking statements contained in this press release regarding past trends or activities should not be taken as a representation that such trends or activities will continue in the future. As a result, the Company expressly disclaims any obligation or undertaking to release any update or revisions to any forward-looking statements in this press release as a result of any change in expectations or any change in events, conditions, assumptions or circumstances on which these forward-looking statements are based. Neither the Company nor its advisers or representatives nor any of its subsidiary undertakings or any such person`s officers or employees guarantees that the assumptions underlying such forward-looking statements are free from errors nor does either accept any responsibility for the future accuracy of the forward-looking statements contained in this press release or the actual occurrence of the forecasted developments. You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements, which speak only as of the date of this press release.
Chris Gavaler writes his congressman every day.

Frustrated by the outcome of the 2016 presidential election, the assistant professor of English at Washington and Lee University has written more than 200 emails to Rep. Bob Goodlatte since December.

After Donald Trump won the presidential election, Gavaler, 51, was angry. He found himself having imaginary shouting matches with people he assumed were Trump supporters at the grocery store and while running other errands.

The election was upsetting, he said. The first time I voted in an election, it was for Walter Mondale. I did not become a grassroots political activist because Walter Mondale lost. Same for [Michael] Dukakis, none of them triggered me to becoming politically active.

Its very specific to Donald Trump.

While most of Gavalers concerns stem from the leader of the executive branch, hes channeling his political activism toward his local politicians.

On Dec. 4, 2016, Gavaler started submitting daily emails through the contact form on Goodlattes congressional website. Gavaler has submitted so many emails the website thinks hes a spambot.

In the past, Gavaler was never particularly politically active. He wrote the occasional letter to the editor and got roped into making get-out-the-vote calls every once in a while. The Democrat who identifies as a progressive didnt know he lived in the 6th Congressional District and he had never contacted Goodlattes office before.

Many of the emails chronicled on Gavalers Dear Bob blog center on questions about where Goodlatte, R-Roanoke County, stands on certain policy initiatives. Mostly, the emails challenge Goodlatte on replacement of the Affordable Care Act and oversight of the executive branch.

Ultimately, Gavaler  who also writes a superhero comics blog stemming from his professional research  is trying to clarify what he sees as contradictions between what Goodlatte says and what Goodlatte does.

Goodlatte, who is in his 13th term, is chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee that is charged with overseeing courts, administrative agencies and law enforcement on the federal level and is responsible for impeachments of federal officials.

A sampling of the subject lines on the emails include: ethics? Please audit the President-elect grabbing a woman by her genitals? Michael Flynn mean and grounds for impeachment?

Gavaler also posts the responses from Goodlattes office, which are often form letters on specific topics.

Several members of Goodlattes staff have met with Gavaler and tried to respond to his requests, said Goodlatte spokeswoman Beth Breeding.

Congressman Goodlattes office receives upwards of 5,000 constituent letters, emails, and phone calls each week, Breeding said. Responding to constituent mail is just one of the many responsibilities of staff. Congressman Goodlattes staff has met with Mr. Gavaler on several occasions, and we are well aware of his communications. Congressman Goodlatte welcomes the input of all Sixth District constituents. Even though they may not agree on each and every issue, it is an important part of our representative democracy.

The organizer of 50 Ways-Rockbridge  a group of citizens in Rockbridge County working to educate themselves on political issues  is careful about the tone of his emails. As he writes, Gavaler tries to use reasonable rhetoric instead of adding to the divisive, partisan speech that he calls ubiquitous.

A lot of progressives are shouting and hurling insults, he said. Im trying to do the exact opposite. Im trying to present common, reasonable, principled American values of how a democracy is supposed to work.

Gavaler, like many of the Indivisible groups in the 6th District, has requested Goodlatte hold a town hall meeting so the congressman and his constituents can talk.

Goodlatte, who meets with constituents when hes in the district and holds Facebook Live question-and-answer sessions and telephone town halls, has said in-person town hall meetings are not conducive for having substantive civil discourse.

Gavalers anger from the election has somewhat subsided. The emails and corresponding blog have allowed him to channel his negative energy positively, he said.

When Gavaler started the project, he vowed to write letters every day for a year. He has never met Goodlatte.

Theres certainly frustration, but frustration was built into the project from step one, Gavaler said. I did not start out with the belief that Bob Goodlatte was ever going to respond to me.
A Henrico County circuit judge has ruled that state lawmakers are not individually subject to the states Freedom of Information Act, agreeing with an argument by attorneys for state Sen. Siobhan Dunnavant, R-Henrico, that only a public body, not an individual public official, has a duty to respond.

While Senator Dunnavant is indeed a public official, she is not a public body within the meaning of FOIA, Judge James Yoffy wrote in a June 14 ruling. He ruled that a FOIA request for some of Dunnavants records was not valid because the states FOIA law for records relates only to requests made to public bodies.

For years, Virginia residents havent always known where to go to submit FOIA requests and often dont know how various governments are structured. The ruling could add to confusion about how to request records from elected officials.

Megan Rhyne, executive director of the Virginia Coalition for Open Government and one of the states foremost authorities on FOIA, said she had never before heard the argument put forth by Dunnavants lawyers, which the judge agreed to.

The very foundation of FOIAs records provisions is that it applies to everyone in government, not just the entities as organizational wholes, she wrote in a blog post. The logical extension of the courts ruling is that no individual member of a board of supervisors, city council, school board, etc., would be subject to FOIAs records provisions. That is simply not the way FOIA has been understood and applied for nearly 50 years.

While the open-meeting rules within the states Freedom of Information Act apply to public bodies, the records rules clearly apply to individual government officials, Rhyne wrote.

For example, the law says, The General Assembly ensures the people of the commonwealth ready access to public records in the custody of a public body or its officers and employees.

Brian Davison, a software developer from Loudoun County, made the FOIA request by email to Dunnavant on Jan. 17 after some of his comments on her Senator Siobhan Dunnavant Facebook page were deleted, according to his court filing. He sent the request to her Senate email address.

Davison said he has been trying to educate government officials that they must save social media content as a public record. He said hes worried that if the content isnt saved, government officials could conduct public business secretly. For example, a lobbyist could lobby a senator through Facebook messages and the conversation could never be made public, he said.

Dunnavant didnt respond to his FOIA request until 17 days after he made it, when her lawyer said no records existed, according to the complaint.

Davison said he filed the March 6 complaint in court because he wanted a judge to find that her Facebook content was indeed a public record, and find that she violated the law by not responding to his FOIA request within five days, which the law requires.

Dunnavants lawyers are William Tunner and Michael Matheson of ThompsonMcMullan P.C. in Richmond. They argued that Facebook content was not a public record because it was not prepared for or used in the transaction of public business, as required by law.

They further argued that Davison couldnt take action in court against Dunnavant because Dunnavant is not a public body. 

They also introduced a new argument about who should be handling FOIA requests.

The General Assembly in 2016 passed a law requiring public bodies to designate a Freedom of Information Act officer to make sure officials understand the law. The FOIA officer can also handle record requests for a government agency.

But Dunnavants lawyers said it is the FOIA officers duty to respond to public record requests for a body.

If a public official must be named, the designated FOIA officer is the real party in interest, because it is the FOIA officers statutory duty  not Dunnavants  to respond to requests for public records, they wrote.

They noted that the Senate of Virginia has designated Clerk Susan Clarke Schaar and Assistant Clerk Rose Ramsey as its FOIA officers.

Rhyne, with the Virginia Coalition for Open Government, said thats wrong. While the FOIA officer may be the person who responds to a request, nowhere in the statute does it say that the FOIA officer must be the sole person who responds.

Del. Jim LeMunyon, R-Fairfax, sponsored the bill that changed the law to add the FOIA officer requirement.

I can tell you unequivocally there was no intent to make that person the exclusive person that a FOIA request would need to be directed to, he said.

Additionally, Rhyne said, if Dunnavant is talking about her work as a senator on her Facebook page, then thats public business and qualifies as a public record.

The Library of Virginia advises government agencies to retain social media posts if they are public records  meaning they were received in the transaction of public business such as receiving comments about the agency or its programs. That also applies to elected officials, according to the library.

The question of whether Dunnavant broke the law by not responding within five days or whether she broke the law by not turning over public records was not resolved.

Because Yoffy ruled Dunnavant couldnt even be subject to an FOIA request in the first place, the court need not delve into any further analysis of the elements of Mr. Davisons claim, the ruling said.

Dunnavant said that after receiving the FOIA request, her office sent it to the states Division of Legislative Services.

During Senate orientation we were advised if we received a FOIA request to send it over to DLS and they would handle it, she said in an email. We were not aware until we received further correspondence from Mr. Davison that a response had not been sent.

Although the judge did not rule on whether he believed her Facebook posts were a public record, Dunnavant said they are not. She said the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council, which offers guidance and advisory opinions on FOIA, concurred with her.

No official government business is conducted on my Facebook page. Government business is done by the governing body, the Senate, she wrote in her email to the Richmond Times-Dispatch.

Senate records are available through FOIA and the clerk of the Senate. My Facebook page is solely a political page. No tax dollars are used. No public funding is used. It was set up during my campaign using my campaign logo, slogan, Twitter tag, etc. I use it to promote political events, my own candidacy, express endorsements and promote fundraisers.

The definition of a public record in state law is not dependent on whether accounts or devices are subsidized by tax dollars or public funding, however. The content is what matters.

The medium upon which such information is recorded has no bearing on the determination of whether the recording is a public record, state law says.

Davison filed a motion asking the judge to reconsider. The Senate clerk, meanwhile, contacted the Virginia Freedom of Information Advisory Council.

The FOIA Council advised that Senator Dunnavant is the correct person to whom your FOIA request should have been directed, Schaar wrote to Davison in a June 21 email. As we advised previously, this office is not in possession of any social media records of any members of the Senate nor are we required to possess copies of same.

The FOIA Advisory Council was already scheduled to study technology issues this year, including how public records are handled when they come via email, text message or social media site.

LeMunyon said the council will review the judges ruling in this case at its Aug. 14 meeting.

Aside from all this, its not easy to get records from a member of the Virginia General Assembly. The lawmakers created an exemption in the Freedom of Information Act for working papers of themselves or their legislative assistants. That means they can already deny many FOIA requests because theyre not required by law to turn over the documents.
English Dutch

Press Release

Regulated Information

Diegem, 3 July 2017 at 7:00 a.m. CET.

VGP sells its VGP Park Nehatu (Estonia) for  54 million

VGP has sold its VGP Park Nehatu located in Tallinn (Estonia) for  54 million to East Capital Baltic Property fund III, a fund managed by East Capital.

The transaction covers a total of 5 modern logistics buildings with a total of more than 77,000 m2 of lettable area.

Jan Van Geet, CEO of VGP, said:

"This deal underlines the quality of what we have realised in the past few years in Estonia and we are particularly pleased that we have been able to conclude this transaction with East Capital. This transaction marks the second transaction with East Capital in Estonia, the first one being the sale in 2012 of newly built logistic properties totalling 40,000 m located on the south side of Tallinn. The transaction will allow us to further expand our activities in our other more core markets i.e. Germany, Eastern Europe and Spain."

The sale to East Capital is scheduled for completion during the third quarter of 2017, subject to the fulfilment of contract terms and regulatory approval.

For more information

Mr Jan Van Geet Mr Dirk Stoop CEO CFO Tel. + 420 602 404 790 Tel.+32 2 719 00 45 E-mail: jan.van.geet@vgpparks.eu E-mail: dirk.stoop@vgpparks.eu
The Ministry of Economy of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) revealed the cutting and polishing and jewellery industries performance data for 2016. The slide in the cutting and polishing industry - in USD terms - was 35%, and in the jewellery industry 30.5% as compared to the performance in 2015. It indicates that this segment in the processing industry is still in a crisis state since 2011. As the polished diamond manufacture and sales are only an intermediate diamond pipeline segment where the end segment is diamond jewellery sales, so here we give the performance data on both the diamond manufacturing and jewellery industries (Table 1).

Table 1

The performance of the cutting and polishing and jewellery industries of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2010-2016

In 2016, only six cutting and polishing units were really operating in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia). Three of them  OAO Nurbinsky Yuvelirny-granilny zavod (Nurba Jewellery and Cutting Factory), OOO Pokrovsky granilny zavod (Pokrovsky Cutting Factory) and Yakutskaya Almaznaya kompaniya (Yakutia diamond company) - went bankrupt and OOO RPC EPL Diamond moved its head office to Moscow and re-registered there (Figure 1). In addition to it, AK ALROSA (PJSC) has cutting and polishing units, and taking into account that the Company is registered in Yakutia, we think that in spite of the fact the Groups diamond cutting and polishing units are located in other regions of Russia, their performance data should be considered in comparison with the Yakutias cutting and polishing industry performance (Table 2).

Figure 1. Diamond cutting and polishing companies in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in 2016.

Table 2

The goods output by the major polished diamond manufacturers in the Russian Federation in 2010-2016

The data shows that all the major Russian cutting and polishing industry units decrease their figures starting from 2011. Even such a renowned industry leader like OAO PC Kristall was in a deep crisis in 2016.

In 2013, the ALROSA Company renounced the idea of vertical integration and uses the cutting and polishing units for the rough diamond price monitoring.

In spite of having unique rough diamond resources, the cutting and polishing industry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) cannot fully realize its potential due to some objective and subjective reasons.

However, when you look at the diamond cutting and polishing industry of the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) and the Russian Federation on the whole, you can see a significant potential for its development taking into account that the share of the Russian cutting and polishing sector accounts for under 2% of the global production and the diamond jewellery manufacture accounts for about 1% (Table 3).

Table 3

The position of the rough and polished diamond industry of Russia and the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia) in the global diamond market in 2014-2016

The main reasons of the slowdown in the cutting and polishing industry in Russia on the whole and in Yakutia in particular

First, diamond cutting and polishing and jewellery manufacture relate to the production of the non-essential goods but of the luxury ones and depend on the consumers buying capacity, hence, depend on the standard of living of the people in a region and the country that holds back their discretionary spending.

Second, the legislation that regulates the activity of the enterprises and organizations related to the diamond cutting and polishing as well as jewellery manufacture and sales do not facilitate their efficient development. Besides, so far there is no clear long-term strategy and coherent policy of the development of the cutting and polishing and jewellery industries for the future in the Republic of Sakha (Yakutia).

Third, the companies in the cutting and polishing and jewellery industries in the region in spite of their evident interrelation develop separately and do not enjoy the advantages of the co-operation in the diamond jewellery market. The goods sales and the management are the weaknesses of the cutting and polishing units in the Republic.

In my opinion, the products made by the cutting and polishing units in the Republic are not competitive in the international market due to their small volume, and in the domestic market  due to the lower demand, that is why the industry enterprises face challenges that could be overcome with the help of the government support only.

Yuri Danilov, Ph. D., Director of Expert Information and Analysis Center at Ammosov North-Eastern Federal University




The Donald Trump administration has broken decades-long White House tradition of celebrating Ramadan with Iftar dinner.

The first presidential Iftar dinner, a meal on Eid al-Fitr, which marks the end of Ramadan, is said to have been hosted by Thomas Jefferson in 1805.

The tradition was restarted in the modern era by Hillary Clinton, who hosted about 150 people for a reception when she was First Lady in 1996.

It has been a regular annual White House event since 1999 and the Bill Clinton, George Bush and Barack Obama administrations invited legislators, diplomats and leaders within the US Muslim community for the sunset dinner.

This year, President Donald Trump confined his Ramadan gesture to issuing a statement, which read: "On behalf of the American people, Melania and I send our warm greetings to Muslims as they celebrate Eid al-Fitr."

He noted that as Muslims in the United States and around the world commemorate Eid with family and friends, they carry on the tradition of helping neighbors and breaking bread with people from all walks of life.

"During this holiday, we are reminded of the importance of mercy, compassion, and goodwill. With Muslims around the world, the United States renews our commitment to honour these values".

Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who reportedly rejected a recommendation by the State Department's office of religion and global affairs to host an Iftar reception, issued a brief statement of Ramadan greetings.

The President, who ordered US entry ban on citizens from six Muslim majority countries, had once called for surveillance of US mosques.

At the same time, he had made it clear that he is not anti-Islamic, but against propagating terrorism in the name of Islam, which poses a potential threat to the United States.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Iran plans to sign a formal contract with energy giant Total SA (TOT,TTA.L) and China National Petroleum Corp. or CNPC on Monday, according to media reports.

Total Chief Executive Officer Patrick Pouyanne will be in Tehran for the signing of the formal agreement, Parastoo Younchi, the Iranian oil ministry official in charge of foreign media relations, reports said Sunday.

Total holds a 50.1 interest in the South Pars project with state-owned China National Petroleum Corporation owning 30 percent and Iran's Petropars 19.9 percent.

Total spokesman reportedly said Sunday the project is in strict compliance with French and international law, and the produced gas will supply the Iranian domestic market starting in 2021.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Singapore's house prices continued to decline in the second quarter, the flash estimate from the Urban Redevelopment Authority showed Monday.

House prices dropped 0.3 percent sequentially, following a 0.4 percent fall in the previous quarter. Prices have fallen for 15 straight quarters.

Prices of non-landed private residential properties fell by 0.9 percent in Core Central Region, while it increased 0.5 percent in the Rest of Central Region.

Prices in Outside Central Region slid 0.4 percent. Prices of landed residential properties also dropped by 0.4 percent.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Economic News

What parts of the world are seeing the best (and worst) economic performances lately? Click here to check out our Econ Scorecard and find out! See up-to-the-moment rankings for the best and worst performers in GDP, unemployment rate, inflation and much more.
BGEO Group PLC (BGEO.L) said that it plans to demerge BGEO Group into a London-listed banking -Bank of Georgia Group PLC; and a London-listed investment business-BGEO Investments Plc.

Bank of Georgia will comprise the retail banking and payment services (Retail Banking), corporate and investment banking and leasing services (CIB) and wealth management operations of BGEO Group, as well as its banking operations in Belarus.

The property and casualty insurance operations of BGEO Group , "Aldagi", are expected to be transferred to BGEO Investments, which will allow Bank of Georgia to focus more closely on its core banking business, and Aldagi to develop its business independently in the still very much underpenetrated Georgian insurance market.

The senior management team of Bank of Georgia will continue to be led by Kaha Kiknavelidze as CEO, and will be unchanged from its current structure. Neil Janin, currently the Non-Executive Chairman of BGEO Group, will become the Non-Executive Chairman of Bank of Georgia.

Once demerged, BGEO Investments will be the only publicly listed Georgia-focused investment platform. It will comprise BGEO Group's stake in Georgia Healthcare Group PLC; Georgia Global Utilities; BGEO Group's stake in Teliani Valley.

In addition, it is expected that, following the demerger, BGEO Investments will hold A 9.9% stake in Bank of Georgia. The largest property and casualty insurance company in Georgia - Aldagi. Giorgi Baratashvili will continue to lead Aldagi as CEO.

The senior management team of BGEO Investments will be led by Irakli Gilauri as Chairman and CEO. The Board of BGEO Investments will maintain strong corporate governance standards and a talented team of high calibre independent directors.

The Board expects the demerger, which will be subject to shareholder approval, to take a number of months to implement and the process is currently expected to complete in the first half of 2018.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Walt Disney Co. is making some significant changes to one of the biggest attractions at its theme parks, by ending the 'wench auction' on the "Pirates of the Caribbean" ride after 50 years.

The characters depicted as wenches in the "wench auction" sequence will now be reconfigured to show a mix of male and female animatronic characters standing in a line to auction off their personal goods such as jewelry and clocks. Earlier, the scene featured a group of women tied together and standing in a line to be sold off as slaves.

The proposed new banner will now read as "Auction, Surrender Yer Loot", instead of "Auction - Take a Wench for a Bride."

One of the redhead wenches will join the pirates ranks in the new display and help the people unload their valuables at the auction.

In the 1990s, the pirates were changed by Disney from being shown as pursing female victims to chasing food in the possession of these women.

The new changes will be made at three of Disney's Parks - first in Paris in July, followed by Disney's marquee locations in Orlando and Anaheim in 2018.

Disney announced the changes in a blog post that includes an artist's rendering of the new Walt Disney World and Disneyland Resort scenes.

"Captain Barbossa, from the blockbuster films, will appear in the attraction for the first time, joining a skeletal crew in a scene unique to Disneyland Paris. Also, ghostly visages of Davy Jones and Blackbeard will warn that "dead men DO tell tales!," Dinsey said in the blog post.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
A United Express aircraft's engine caught fire moments after the aircraft landed at Denver International Airport on Sunday afternoon. However, the 59 passengers and four crew members on board the aircraft were evacuated safely without injury.

The SkyWest Airlines aircraft, operating as a United Express commuter flight, was heading from Aspen to Denver on Sunday. The twin-engine Bombardier CRJ700 aircraft reported engine trouble after making a normal landing and its left engine caught fire soon after.

The crew called for airport emergency vehicles to meet the aircraft and all the passengers as well as crew were safely evacuated.

First responders were mobilized to put out the fire. Videos and pictures of the incident were posted by passengers on Twitter.

By late afternoon, the plane was taken to a hangar for further investigation. Airport officials said the National Transportation Safety Board was notified of the incident.

For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com

Business News
Dear Editor,

I found the letter from Wendy Wonder about religion in Samoa in your newspaper yesterday very interesting.

Hahaha I always think why are so many Christians especially Samoans seem to believe whatever they believe is the only one true religion?

You see, wherever I walk around town or any function, its like a pain to my ears that many people I meet and the first question is o fea eke loku ai (which church you go to).

Is that a Samoan custom or what?

I have not heard other religions ask questions like that.

And its so sad they want to confront you if you are not a member of their church.

Some people tell you that you need to be born again, and so much trash coming out of their minds but little they know these people of their religion are committing a lot of crimes and ending up in prison.

We should have a law to stop preaching against other religions and stop witnessing because some of these witnessing people I call them bullies.

Why cant you go do something good for you and your family rather than trying to persuade people to join your church business?

You will be better off than trying to say that you are the only true religion.

I also have to say that there is no true religion, its all man made.

I can make my own if I wanted to. Enough is enough.

Fili
Taro farming is good.

But if you want to make serious money, you might have to rethink your plans.

There are far too many taro suppliers in Samoa and the market is flooded.

So says Telea Siusiu, 45-years-old from Matautu Lefaga and Saleimoa.

He said its not a bad thing that people are planting taro.

But the law of supply and demand is key.

If people all plant taro, who needs to buy it then? he said. Which means we have a problem.

The biggest problem for him is the cost of living.

The cost of living is very expensive and when we dont sell enough taro because there are too many taros in the market, then we dont know what to do.

Everyone is affected by this especially families trying to make ends meet.

Telea said its not as if people took up farming as an option.

You see the reason why all these people work at the plantation is because there are no job opportunities out there, he said.

We didnt just wake up and say we wanted to be farmers. We are farmers because there are no jobs.

Parents dont know how they can put their children through school so they turn to plant taro. The only solution left for them is to develop the plantation but as a result, the market now is flooded. There are so many taro farmers.

Telea said the government should look at helping farmers.

Every voice should be heard, Im a farmer and I know how hard weve worked. I spent five years looking for a job and when I couldnt find one, I became a farmer.

We may have seen how developed our country is in terms of building but let me tell you something, people and families are still struggling. We are still trying to put food on the table, we are still borrowing money from everywhere. Its hard.

Telea said the government should look into the problems and see what they can do.

The government shouldnt turn a blind eye to the truth because this is what we have been saying so many times and they should find ways to solve the problem

I saw how a lot of young people are roaming around because they dont have jobs.

Ive also seen a lot of elderly fathers sleeping at the market to sell their crops because some are told that they are too old to work at companies or businesses.

These are very serious issues that should be considered very carefully for the future.
On Monday last week, 26 June 2017, Parliament passed the law aimed at taxing pastors of all church denominations, around Samoa.

It was endorsed by the Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi, on 30 June 2017.

Now, that may sound confusing to some, and even quite pedantic to others most likely, but then if they feel that way, we cannot blame them.

Why?

Because just recently, Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaois government had been quite adamant in its decision to declare this country a Christian nation, even though it is quite clear in Samoas Constitution that it had been so declared right from the start, when it became politically independent 55 years ago.

Indeed, that was also when it was made succinctly clear by the same Constitution - as its Framers had conceived it should so remain till the end of time - that Samoa was a country Founded on God.

What followed was that during all those years, pastors of all religious denominations in this country were accepted without question as Gods messengers, whose role was to spread the word of kindness, as well as love one another, and they would ask for nothing in return.

In other words, they would neither work for a living nor pay taxes to the state like everyone else, and instead they would depend on their adherents who would provide for them, and take care of their everyday needs.

Now that was the unwritten agreement that had been mutually respected and adhered to over the years, until today.

Since today, it looks as if Samoas standing as a Christian nation that has been made enduring all this time by its inherent dogma as a country Founded on God, is about to be by swept away by mans hunger for power that will surely remain unquenched.

In early June, Parliament passed the Constitutional Amendment Bill (No. 2) 2017, which aim was apparently to make Samoa a Christian State.

Supported by 43 M.P.s, no one opposed the bill.

The Head of State, His Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi has endorsed the bill.

Now the questions are: How deteriorating was the law previously so that an amendment was needed?

Indeed, was it in a barbaric - or a pagan state then - so that an amendment was absolutely necessary?

At the time though, when Attorney General, Lemalu Hermann Retzlaff, spoke on the matter, he assured that any suggestion the new law would endanger freedom of religion in Samoa, should not be taken seriously at all

In a statement, he said: The amendment did not amend, alter or change the rights of individuals within Samoa, to exercise their religious beliefs as they deem fit.

This individual right is outlined in Article 11 of the Constitution, Freedom of Religion and it remains untouched.

So while the national religion is now confirmed as Christianity, the individual freedom of religion of all citizens within our nation; remains intact.

Now is that so?

So what exactly is the reason the law is amended if the religious freedoms it had been designed to protect in the first place, had neither been touched - nor would it be touched at any time in the future - anyway?

Thats what we want to know.

Never mind that a total of 43 M.P.s supported the Constitutional Amendment, and no member opposed.

Everyone knows that with the rather obnoxious majority the government is commanding in Parliament these days, it can pass any law it wants.

It would be interesting therefore to know how those pastors who have in the past, been depending on the generosity of their adherents for their upkeep, are going to behave now.

Indeed, how will they react when Prime Minister Tuilaepas bill will have become law, and the taxman comes around, asking for their taxes? What happens if they refuse to pay?

According to the Minister of the Inland Revenue Department (I.R.D.) Tialavea Tionisio Hunt, the law is clear.

He said: The Church Ministers will have to register and they will fill out a tax form, similar to what the businesses use.

And if they refused to pay, he explained: There are penalties and fines the pastors will have to pay if they violate the law.

How much the fines and the penalties would be he did not explain.

Another M.P., Sulamanaia Fetaiai Tuivasa, made what sounded like a sad prediction saying the $2 million the government anticipates to collect from taxing church Ministers, will be funded by church members.

He said the $2 million would not only affect the Church Ministers but also their entire families.

According to Tuilaepa though, there are many church ministers who have been paying their taxes, except for Church ministers who are pastoring in the villages.

As for the much expressed criticism, that it was wrong to suggest that pastors and church ministers should be taxed, Tuilaepa objected saying: There is nowhere in the Bible which prohibits Church Ministers from paying taxes. (In fact) many pastors are happy to pay taxes.

He also said: They are thankful now that every faifeau will be paying taxes. The law is clear. Treat everyone equally.

Tuilaepa went on to remind that if the faifeaus salary is $15,000 or less, then he will not pay taxes.

This applies to everyone, including the faifeau.

Also, Tuilaepa pointed out to the M.P that in his district, their pastors make between $100,000 to $200,000. Now thats a significant salary. So they should also contribute to the developments of the roads.

Tuilaepa went on to remind that taxes are peoples contribution to assist with health care, education and road developments, which everyone uses.

Still, why did the government wait for 55 years to demand that church ministers, should start paying taxes now.

And so the debate goes on.

Now, the point is that it really doesnt matter any more these days what anyone says, so long as one is not in opposition to Prime Minister, Tuilaepa Sailed Malielegaoi.

Indeed, with a lopsided majority of 49-3 in Parliament which enables the government of Prime Minister Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi to pass any law it has tabled there, who needs a Parliament?

Indeed, who needs a dud of a Legislative Assembly?

In fact, now that this countrys Constitution will be impossible to recognize by the time our government would have been through tearing it apart, how about changing it totally from Samoa Founded on God to one that is quite original such as Samoa Founded on Tuilaepa Sailele Malielegaoi from Lepa?

Just a thought.
Its official. Samoas Head of State, his Highness Tui Atua Tupua Tamasese Efi has signed into law, the bill which legalizes the taxing of Church Ministers and the Head of State. This is the first time for such a bill since Samoa became Independent 55 years ago.

The bill was signed on 30 June, 2017 three days after it was approved by Parliament.

This was confirmed by Minister of Revenue, Tialavea Tionisio Hunt.

He told Samoa Observer that numerous Church pastors were supportive of the measure while only a few did not support the bill.

The biggest challenge was facing the Church Ministers, said Tialavea. I had to face them, after all the move to levy taxes against the Church Minister and Head of State was my idea, not the governments, he said.

Secretary General of the Samoa Council of Churches, Reverend Ma'auga Motu remained neutral on the issue of taxing Church Ministers.

I am no longer receiving any alofa or peleti, so I cannot comment on that. However, I think the government should have given the public and Church Ministers ample time to accept their proposal.

Its too late now its been approved by Parliament.

Nonetheless, the governments approach of the issue was not properly carried out, that is why the public were against it.

I believe, that if the Church Ministers fully understood why the government wanted to tax them, it would have been an easier process. But that was not the case, they held public consultations and then within a year, the bill is passed by parliament, said Ma'auga.

The government says they need funds to develop roads, education system, access roads and healthcare, and this will benefit everyone, including the Church Ministers. Im sure if they were informed properly, there wouldnt be a problem, said Maauga.

The N.C.C Secretary was disheartened by the move to tax the Head of State. This is disrespectful to our Head of State. One of Samoas core values in our way of life is respect and I'm saddened that we have come to this.... its just plainly disrespectful, he told Samoa Observer.

During discussion of this bill last week, Member of Parliaments, Sulamanaia Fetaiai Tuivasa and Olo Fiti Vaai were vocal against the measure.

Sulamanaia said the $2million would not only affect the Church Ministers but also the entire families. The pastors, who are catering for the denominations are feeding the spiritual beings of people, the ones who will be affected. That is why I am keen on this issue.

During the process, there were consultations, in the villages and churches. And some churches have opposed this proposal, that is my concern, said the M.P.

Sulamanaia said the bill was not considered properly.

It appears the Minister is rushing the approval of this bill.

He commended the government for the development of Samoa but said the taxing of Church Ministers is a move in the wrong direction.

Sulamanaia found support from Olo Fiti Vaai who said the decision lacked foresight and wisdom.

I believe that if this was revealed in pre-election plan by the H.R.P.P, you would never win.

Olo suggested the government levy taxes on the Churchs annual tithes as opposed to the pastors income.

These annual tithing are collected once a year, people make loans for these. I think these annual tithing should be taxed but not the peleti/alofa for the faifeau, said Olo Fiti.

Tuilaepa during Parliament objected to the comments by Sulamanai noting there is nowhere in the Bible which prohibits Church Ministers from paying taxes. He insisted that many pastors are happy to pay taxes.

They are thankful, now every faifeau will be paying taxes. The law is clear, treat everyone equally.

Tuilaepa, reminded that if the faifeaus salary is $15,000 or less, then he will not pay taxes.

This applies to everyone, including the faifeau. Tuilaepa reminded that taxes are peoples contribution to assist with health care, education, road developments which everyone uses."

This is your contribution, said Tuilaepa.
A security guard that works for a mental institute has been arrested for raping a female patient at the facility.

The accused is under Police Custody and is facing criminal charges of rape and sexual connection.

The victim is a 36-year-old and was housed at the mental facility located in Faleata District. This is according to Acting Assistant Commissioner Salaa Moananu Salaa. He confirmed the criminal case during his weekly conference with the media.

The incident occurred at one of the mental facilities around the Faleata District, where the victim is a patient. According to Salaa the accused works at the facility as a security guard and he was on duty when the incident occurred.

According to police reports the incident occurred at night.

The victim was sleeping when the accused went to her bedroom and allegedly raped her.

The matter was reported to the police the next day. At the moment the accused is in custody until the 10 July, 2017 for his criminal mention in Supreme Court.

Salaa said the penalty for rape is the same as murder; it's life imprisonment.
Not working because of something negative in your past? Or think you lack the skills to fit into the innovative economy? Well, times have changed.

The excuses holding you back probably are all gone. San Diego is experiencing a tight job market. It has companies scrambling to find employees to fill open positions. As a result, employers are much more open-minded to candidates who may have only general skills, and less attractive backgrounds.

The jobless rate in San Diego in May was 3.6 percent. Some economists consider anything under 4 percent to be full employment. As good as the unemployment rate may look, the under-employment rate is also a challenge. If you want to be working more hours, this relates to you too. The labor market has become so tight that it has left hundreds of openings in manufacturing, production and transportation jobs. In order to fill these jobs, without disrupting production, there is a new attitude in human resources departments.

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A recent article published by the California News Group noted the growing trend by employers, many for the first time, to include acceptance of candidates with a criminal background, low level of education, and even candidates who are currently in homeless shelters. The new ban the box legislation, which mandates that firms not consider an applicants criminal history unless it directly affects the work being done, has also been helpful. Companies still look to candidates with the essential skills needed for the job - dependability, appearance, etc. - but may now overlook a tainted background.

How long this will last, no one knows. But how do you take advantage of this new transition?

First get off the couch! There are currently opportunities out there, but you have to go seek them out. You may have been told no from lots of resume submissions and interviews. You may have given up. Nobody loves me, everybody hates me; Im going to give up and stay home, you say. No one will hire you, you say, because they think you dont have proper skills, are lacking the degree, or perhaps you have a criminal record or lack a permanent address. Wrong! The San Diego economy is in a sweet spot for more companies being accepting to open their doors to more diverse candidates.

First, you have to get yourself out there and in front of employers. When you do, show a passion and energy to go to work. Make certain your appearance is clean and respectable. Use positive, straightforward communication. It seems pretty basic, but by showing the employer who you are, explaining your qualifications and talents with a willingness to learn will leave a lasting impression. At Manpower we have a couple of hundred job openings now that may offer an opportunity to get back to work.

This is the time to get any job, then get a better job, then get a career.

In California, and here in San Diego, the businesses you are looking to work for just might be able to provide training free as well because of grants offered by the Employment Training Panel (ETP). They provide funding to employers to assist in upgrading the skills of their workers through training that leads to good paying, long-term jobs. Even if that funding is not available right now, there are so many opportunities that just might work for you.

Again, holding off on the job market because you do not have a degree, or a past that has held you back, is no longer a major obstacle. With so many jobs available here, full-time, part-time or even temporary, now is the time to jump back into the job market.

By the way, I mentioned the ETP funding some training for businesses here in California. ETP also has been funding veterans for the last six years and is proud to recognize and support those companies that have stepped forward with a veterans training component.

Contact: pblair@manpowersd.com

Twitter: @PhilManpowerSD

FB: @Phil.Blair
A battle is coming to a head that may have major implications for the solar energy industry.

In one corner is a bankrupt maker of solar panels from Georgia that says a flood of inexpensive imports from countries like China are hollowing out whats left of solars manufacturing base in the U.S. and a global tariff needs to be imposed.

In the other corner is just about every other sector of the industry, saying a hike in the price of solar panels will lead to a dramatic downturn in sales that will result in thousands of lost jobs, especially in California.

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And, ultimately, the decision may end up in the hands of President Donald Trump.

This is a big deal, said Morten Lund, a San Diego attorney who specializes in energy cases for the Stoel Rives law firm. I guarantee you, anybody that works in solar at any level above hammer and nail knows about this. In my daily news briefing, its the top story every day.

At the center of the dispute is a company named Suniva. Based outside of Atlanta, it made high-efficiency solar cells and modules and was considered an industry success story. The company that employed 350 workers was praised by the Obama administration and last year was named Georgias manufacturer of the year.

But in April, Suniva filed to reorganize under Chapter 11 bankruptcy, complaining that competitors in southeast Asia have driven prices so low the company could not make a profit. By some estimates, prices of panels have dropped 60 percent in the past five years.

U.S. solar manufacturing jobs and the industry as a whole are on the brink of extinction, Sunivas executive vice president of commercial operations, Matt Card, said in an email.

Just days after the bankruptcy announcement, Suniva filed a petition with the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC), calling for a price floor of 78 cents per watt for solar panels made outside the U.S. and import duties of 40 cents per watt on solar cells.

Experts say solar cells currently sell for 25 cents to 33 cents per watt, depending on efficiency.

Suniva believes that with a global safeguard, all aspects of the U.S. solar industry  including manufacturing and its research and development  will have the opportunity to succeed, Card said.

But critics within the solar industry say imposing tariffs will have negative effects across the business chain.

We think it would cut demand significantly and create job losses all across the country, said Abigail Ross Hopper, president and CEO of the Solar Energy Industries Association (SEIA), the industrys biggest trade group. This has the potential to be devastating.

The solar industry employs an estimated 260,000 workers nationwide, with California accounting for more than one-third of that amount.

Forecasting that 88,000 jobs would disappear if the ITC grants Sunivas petition and California would lose 15,800 jobs, SEIA says increased prices for panels will scare off homeowners from installing rooftop solar systems and make utility-scale projects less affordable.

If (the price) gets higher you can see utilities perhaps say, no, Id rather go with conventional (energy sources) because natural gas is pretty low right now, said Beth Fox, who used to handle power procurement issues for Southern California Edison and is now an attorney for the Los Angeles firm of Manatt, Phelps & Phillips.

Theres also a potential political element involved in the case.

When Suniva filed its petition with the ITC, it invoked a little-used provision in trade cases called Section 201. Rather than basing a complaint against a specific country (like China), Section 201 cases look to determine if a global safeguard is warranted.

According to the rules, if the ITC decides domestic solar manufacturers deserve sweeping protection and recommends relief, its findings are then passed on to the U.S. president, who has final say.

Since President Trump has long complained about trade policies with China hurting U.S. manufacturers, there is plenty of speculation that should the ITC rule in Sunivas favor that Trump will OK the tariffs.

We have a president who clearly likes tariffs and doesnt like China and is not afraid of isolationist trade policies, said Lund. Also, he doesnt have to follow the recommendation of the ITC. They might recommend a 79-cent price and he could put in a $2 minimum price.

Ironically, Suniva is largely owned by a panel maker based in Hong Kong, Shunfeng International Clean Energy, whichbought nearly a two-thirds stake in the company in 2015.

Another financially ailing solar manufacturer, SolarWorld, earlier this month joined Suniva as a co-petitioner in the case.

SolarWorld has gone to the ITC twice, complaining about trade dumping and won each time, although the company did not invoke Section 201.

Tim Brightbill, SolarWorlds trade attorney, says the predictions of thousands of job losses nationally and in California are overblown.

Critics earlier claimed putting duties on China would lead to 50,000 American job losses in solar installation. Brightbill said. That never happened. Instead, demand for solar continued to increase, solar installations continued to increase and solar jobs continued to increase.

But Ross Hopper said Suniva and SolarWorld should have filed an anti-dumping case, rather than employing Section 201.

Im not persuaded that this method, this broad stroke and blunt instrument is the right way to go about this, Ross Hopper said.

ITC commissioners will hold a hearing Aug. 15 at their headquarters in Washington D.C., where the parties involved will make their cases.

The ITC will vote on the merits of the case by Sept. 22 and both sides are looking at the date anxiously.

We cannot just be a nation of installers of foreign solar panels, Brightbill said. If we want the next generation of solar products to be developed here in the United States, then we have to have manufacturing as an important part of our solar industry.

Brightbill said China has avoided paying duties by manufacturing solar panels offshore in places such as Malaysia and Vietnam.

Opponents say the real economic punch will be felt by the solar industry as a whole, particularly in California.

California has the most number of people employed in the solar industry because you have the most amount of solar, said Ross Hopper. So the impact is pretty significant in your state  If youre in the solar industry, your livelihood is at risk.

Card said Suniva has based its argument on the fact that solar cells and modules are being shipped to the U.S. from all over the world, not just from one or two countries.

Once U.S. solar manufacturing jobs and the industry as a whole are gone, they are not likely to come back because the investment in the industry will dry up leaving behind only fluctuating project-to-project and part-time construction jobs for solar panel installation, Card said.

SEIAs Ross Hopper said, I would push back on the narrative that manufacturing is on the decline, pointing to a census conducted by the Solar Foundation that reported there are 38,000 workers in solar manufacturing in the U.S. We actually have cell and module manufacturers in our organization, so they are similarly situated with Suniva and SolarWorld and they are opposing this case.

In the past year, Mission Solar, a Texas solar panel maker, laid off more than 200 employees but the company does not support the Suniva trade case.

For now, Sunivas factories are idle but Card said they can be restarted if the ITC and Trump rule in the companys favor.

People (in the solar industry) are quick to say that something must be done to protect U.S. manufacturing but when it comes to ideas on how to do that all we hear is silence, Card said.

The ITC case comes at a crucial moment for solar.

The industry has been boosted by a 30 percent federal tax credit but those supports are scheduled to be reduced. The credit drops 26 percent in 2020, 22 percent in 2021 and 10 percent in 2022 and beyond.

Generation from rooftop and other small-scale solar projects across the country nearly doubled between 2014 and 2016 and utility-scale installations have gone up 72 percent between 2010 and 2016, according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration.

As prices have come down, solar is the economically rational decision so we can compete on price against wind, against natural gas, against other forms of fuel, Ross Hopper said. Obviously, if you change the input on the price and double the price of solar panels, its not going to be an economic option.

The last time a president accepted a Section 201 recommendation from the ITC was in March 2002 when George W. Bush imposed a tariff on steel. He lifted the tariff in December 2003.

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rob.nikolewski@sduniontribune.com

(619) 293-1251 Twitter: @robnikolewski

ALSO

Solar powers growing pains in California

Can California really hit a 100 percent renewable energy target?

Irony alert: Kentucky coal museum installs solar panels
Santee has a balanced budget heading into the coming fiscal year, but future challenges for the growing city of 57,000 are mounting.

The Santee City Council on June 28 approved a $44.4 million operating budget for 2017-18. The council also OKd a $30 million capital improvement program budget for the next two years to pay for repairs, maintenance and upgrades.

City Manager Marlene Best and Finance Director Tim McDermott sent a strong warning to the City Council that future years show growing deficits, mostly because of rising pension costs and higher payments for law enforcement services.

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We definitely have fiscal challenges, McDermott told the council on Wednesday.

He said staff is working on strategies and scenarios to contain expenses and increase revenues.

One of those scenarios includes the possibility of a local sales tax measure for Santee. Local sales tax measures are currently in place in 176 of 482 cities in California, and in six of 18 cities in San Diego County.

In the budget report shared with the council, the citys annual deficit is projected to grow from $829,000 in 2018-19, to $1.5 million in 2021-22.

Changes in the California Public Employees Retirement System in the last few years have made it challenging for cities with unfunded liability costs. Santees pension costs will be twice as much by 2024 as they are now.

The citys retirement costs, estimated to be $3.6 million in 2017-18, will grow to almost $7 million by 2023-24. (The costs this year were $3.4 million.)

Santee contracts with the San Diego County Sheriffs Department for policing. The sheriffs contract will total more than $14 million in the coming year, which is nearly $800,000 more than this year. It reflects a 6 percent increase for the services of 52 sworn officers and three community service officers.

Annual increases in the contract with the sheriffs department will continue through 2021-22, reaching $17.2 million.

In September, the City Council agreed to 3.5 percent salary increases for most of its other employees.

Law enforcement is Santees highest cost, with fire and life safety next  $12.6 million, including $7.6 million for 39 emergency personnel workers  followed by $4.5 million for community services and $4.2 million for development services.

Santees budget for capital improvements are part of a five-year program for 72 projects. Total cost for the projects are about $205 million. Half of the funding for those projects has already been secured.

Projects slated to come in the next two years are expected to cost the city $11.6 million in 2017-18, and $19.2 million in 2018-19.

They will include repairing streets and sidewalks, upgrading street lighting, fixing or replacing corrugated metal pipe storm drains citywide, making park improvements, retrofitting the bridge on Carlton Oaks Boulevard and the maintenance of public facilities.

Property taxes provide Santee with the biggest chunk of its revenue at 41 percent. The city expects $16.7 million next year, an increase of more than $806,000 from 2016-17. Sales tax revenue is estimated to be $13 million next year, an increase of more than $325,000 from this year.
Demonstrators bearing protest signs and papier-mache effigies called for the impeachment of President Donald Trump at a march and rally at the San Diego waterfront Sunday.

About 1,500 people joined the demonstration downtown, which began at Waterfront Park and wound around surrounding neighborhoods, according to a sheriffs official, while about 75 counter-protesters proclaimed support for Trump at the largely peaceful event.

Were here to send the message to Donald Trump, said organizer Mohamed Abdallah. Were fighting for the rights of all who are oppressed and suffering under his administration.

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Demonstrators gathered in front of the County Administration Center to hear speakers including Abdallah, other activists and former state Assemblywoman Lori Saldana, who urged marchers to hold our leader accountable for his words and actions.

Afterward they marched down Pacific Highway and back up Harbor Drive, filling one side of the street for about two city blocks, as bystanders watched and photographed the event.

We protested the Vietnam War, so we love this, said Willie Grant, visiting from Tucson with her husband, Grant. This gets things done.

Trump protesters walk along Harbor Boulevard during a March for Impeachment near the Embarcadero in San Diego on Sunday, (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

The march was one of dozens planned across the country, including demonstrations in Fresno, Orange County, Ventura and San Francisco. Demonstrators said they were outraged by Trumps efforts to overhaul federal health care laws and restrict immigration, and chafed at his coarse remarks about women.

Hes destroying our country, said Judy Silberman of Point Loma, who said she was incensed by comments such as Trumps recent tweets berating MSNBC co-host Mika Brzezinski and claiming she was bleeding badly from a face-lift.

I get sick to my stomach every night, Silberman said. This thing he has with blood and women. Its ridiculous.

Trump has said his travel ban would protect the country from potential terrorists. The president also has made repealing Obamacare one of his priorities.

Many waved banners with Trumps image over slogans that referenced popular culture, or Trumps own remarks.

One caricature of the president titled Despicable He compared him to a childrens movie villain, while another sign depicted Trumps face on a Ben & Jerrys ice cream carton, labeled with the mock flavor Im-Peach-Mint.

Counter-protesters waved American flags, and appeared poised for confrontation. Some wore black gloves and riot helmets, but said they were dressed defensively in case violence broke out, and hoped for dialogue instead.

I would hope an exchange of ideas would happen, said Chris Eagan, who traveled from Orange County to voice support for Trump. I dont want to be here to be honest. He said he worries his children wont have the same opportunities that he had growing up.

Trump supporters and protesters cross paths during a March for Impeachment at Waterfront Park at the San Diego County Administration Center on Sunday. (K.C. Alfred/The San Diego Union-Tribune)

In a few cases, protesters and Trump supporters aired their differences. As the crowd swirled around them, Mustafa Nizum of Vista debated Trumps plan to ban travelers from predominantly Muslim countries with Trump supporter Adam Reis.

If you pull their papers, they lose their place in line, said Nizum, who argued that the ban discriminates against innocent visitors because of their religion.

Thats the narrative, but I dont believe it, argued Reis, from Los Angeles.

Both sides broadcast their messages musically as well; the anti-Trump demonstrators aired Bobby McFerrins rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, while Trump supporters played Toby Keiths anthem Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue.

deborah.brennan@sduniontribune.com Twitter@deborahsbrennan
Since 1979, Zagat has been on the forefront of identifying top restaurants and chefs in the United States. This year, the dining guide is changing course and launching a national list of 30 Under 30 hospitality professionals, a roundup of which has been focused only on select regions since its inception six years ago.

While San Diego has never had its own regional 30 Under 30, in the new format, two chefs from the area are among the top 45 nominees, which was recently narrowed down from an original 60 chefs.

San Diego nominees include Stefani De Palma, 28, chef de cuisine at Addison and Scott Cannon, 28, executive chef at The Cork and Craft.

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Names were gathered in an open call in January from readers, local editors, previous honorees and industry insiders. That list was then vetted by a panel of Zagat editorial experts who narrowed down the initial group to 60 semifinalists. The final 30 Under 30 list will be revealed in September.

According to the Zagat website, Qualifications for this years 30 Under 30 list include being under the age of 30 (duh), currently working at a restaurant/cafe/bar/brewery/distillery/farm/bakery, etc. and, finally, undeniable awesomeness.

Carlos Anthony, 28, lead line chef at Herb & Wood also made the initial cut of 60 semifinalists, which was announced back in April. San Diego was one of the leaders in nominations among other big foodie cities such as New York, Austin and Washington, D.C., which each had three nominees as well.
After a 75-year journey, a handful of World War II relics recently went home to Japan, thanks to a campaign launched by Pacific Beachs Jim Armstrong.

Seven engraved wooden sticks belonging to Shigenori Nishikaichi, a pilot who died in the war, were returned to family members during an emotional gathering on the Japanese island of Shikoku.

Its amazing, said Armstrong, who inherited these items from his father. Everyone is just thrilled to death.

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Known as nafuda, the sticks carried the names of Airman 1st Class Nishikaichis colleagues, the identifying markings of his Zero, and his administrative command.

On Dec. 7, 1941, his Zero crashed on Niihau, a Hawaiian island, after strafing Bellows Field during Japans attack on Pearl Harbor. Days later, he died in a fight with a Niihau resident.

His nafuda would be collected by another warrior, U.S. Army Air Corps Lt. Jack Armstrong  Jim Armstrongs father.

World War II remains the most violent war in human history, devastating dozens of nations and killing more than 60 million people. Millions more were physically or emotionally wounded, and these scars still mar relations between people and nations.

In that light, a few artifacts passed from one family to another  even families once dedicated to each others destruction  may seem insignificant.

Yet Ken DeHoff, a Vietnam War veteran who played a key role in this yarn, said the repatriation profoundly moved a wide circle of Americans and Japanese.

Everyone who has gotten involved in this is experiencing a whole new level of appreciation for peace and reconciliation and moving us forward, DeHoff said.

Its like these are jewels of healing.

A pilots fate

Airman Nishikaichi grew up on Shikoku, an island in the Inland Sea about 400 miles southwest of Tokyo. Months after receiving his wings, the pilot boarded the Hawaiian-bound aircraft carrier Hiryu.

Before that fateful mission, Nishikaichi soared over his younger brothers elementary school in Shikoku.

He circled several times, said DeHoff, executive director of the Pacific Aviation Museum Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. He rocked his wings back and forth and waved.

That was the last time Yoshitada Nishikaichi saw his older brother.

Inside the Pacific Aviation Museum, a diorama illustrates Airman Nishikaichis fate. The exhibit shows a shattered Zero, which crashed on Niihau after an American bullet pierced its fuel tank. Cooperation between aviator and islanders, few of whom realized that war had erupted, ended when Nishikaichi took a local woman hostage.

In the ensuing fight with the captives husband, Nishikaichi was killed. A Niihau resident of Japanese descent who had assisted Nishikaichi was another casualty, killing himself.

Days later, Lt. Armstrong arrived on Niihau to collect intelligence from the downed plane. He took the dead pilots nafuda as keepsakes.

After the war, Armstrong pursued careers in the Air Force and NASA. Eventually, he became convinced that his wartime souvenirs should be returned to Nishikaichis relatives.

When the veteran died in 1985, though, this remained unfinished business. His son inherited the nafuda, and his mission.

It was my fathers quest, Jim Armstrong said last year, and now its mine.

Overwhelmed

In a 2015 interview with the Union-Tribune, Armstrong discussed his parents, both eyewitnesses to the attack on Pearl Harbor; the nafuda; and his fathers desire to return these objects to the pilots family. The story caught the attention of the Japanese Consulate in Los Angeles and the Pacific Aviation Museum.

Mark Edward Harris also took notice. A photojournalist, he had once shot a portrait of Yoshitada Nishikaichi. Harris contacted a friend, a lawyer based in Osaka, Japan, and told her of Armstrongs wish to return the nafuda to the Nishikaichi family.

The lawyer informed the Nishikaichis. The Pacific Aviation Museum contacted Armstrong and offered to facilitate the exchange.

Last December, Amstrong took the nafuda and his own fathers flight suits to the museum for the ceremonies marking the 75th anniversary of Pearl Harbor.

DeHoff organized a service where the relics, tucked into a box of koa wood, were blessed by a Buddhist monk and a Hawaiian Christian kahu, or priest.

Last month, DeHoff and his wife, Tanja DeHoff, packed the koa box and flew to Japan. By jet, train, ferry and rental car, they traveled to Shikoku. Around 2 p.m. on June 22, they arrived at the home of Yoshitada Nishikaichi.

Through an interpreter, DeHoff presented the nafuda and charted their long, tangled journey. Nishikaichi seemed interested, but not emotional. Then DeHoff showed him photos relating to the Niihau incident.

When we got to the crash site, DeHoff said, Nishikaichi started crying.

That moment, Tanja DeHoff said, my heart broke for him, just imagining how sad it must have been to lose the big brother he was so proud of.

Together, the Japanese and the Americans visited a small cemetery, paying respects to a dead pilot who had helped push the United States into a global conflict.

Similar paradoxes cast shadows over other stops on this trip. The DeHoffs toured the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which honors the estimated 135,000 who died as a result of an atomic bomb dropped by an American plane. Reflecting on those deaths, Ken DeHoff also thought of the many Americans who perished at Pearl Harbor and other battlefields, as well as the millions of Chinese killed by Japans imperial forces.

I had real mixed feelings, he said. I wont say we righted a wrong, but we completed a circle.

The visit also seemed to overwhelm Yoshitada Nishikaichi.

Here was this big country, America, taking the time to bring these artifacts, his familys personal property, all the way to this little island, DeHoff said. He seemed somewhat in awe that we had really done this.

Yet this is exactly what Jack Armstrong wanted, his son said.

Im very happy about this, said Armstrong, who was unable to make the trip but received regular email dispatches from the DeHoffs. Its so amazing that everything fell into place the way it did.

Pearl Harbor 75th anniversary  On Now Pearl Harbor survivors relive the infamous day 12:34 On Now Pearl Harbor Veterans visit Hawaii elementary school 0:43 On Now 104 years young On Now Aircraft Warning Service Volunteer recounts her experience in after the Japanese attacked Pearl Harbor 2:40 On Now Returning WWII relics to Japan 3:10 On Now USS Pearl Harbor 3:11 On Now Video: Remembering Pearl Harbor: Mary Lou Mawhiney 3:14

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A Tucson Border Patrol agent is being charged with lying to a San Diego federal grand jury in connection with a military housing voucher fraud scheme, according to a complaint unsealed last month.

David Wayne Skinner was called to testify about his friend, who was a Camp Pendleton Marine, and another Marine  both reservists who had been on active duty.

Maj. Jason Wild owned a home in Oceanside while Lt. Col. Michael Strom owned a home in Laguna Niguel. As part of the scheme, both men falsely claimed to be renting the other persons home, according to court records. Both men filed travel expense vouchers with the military asking to be reimbursed for their lease payments, resulting in $147,715 in reimbursements going to Strom and nearly $60,000 to Wild, according to documents.

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Skinner was Stroms purported landlord at Wilds house, according to prosecutors.

In August 2009, Strom wrote Skinner a check for $1,000, which was deposited into the Border Patrol agents bank account after being endorsed by the agents wife, according to the complaint, filed under seal June 6 in San Diego federal court.

In December 2009, after phone calls between the three men, Strom emailed a scanned copy of a lease agreement to Skinner to rent Wilds home and asked Skinner to sign it. Skinner sent back a signed copy a week later, authorities allege.

When Skinner was interviewed by military investigators in Tucson in 2013, he denied ever seeing the phony lease before and said he never entered into such an agreement. In 2015, he also denied authorizing the lease document during a phone call with the U.S. Attorneys Office.

Months later, prosecutors offered Skinner an informal grant of immunity for his testimony to a grand jury, as long as he was truthful. Prosecutors say he was not  he denied receiving anything of value from Strom and denied seeing the lease prior to the investigation.

Skinner pleaded not guilty on June 16 and was set free on $10,000 bond. He was ordered to relinquish all firearms, a standard condition of release. A Border Patrol supervisor confirmed to the court that Skinner had handed over 13 firearms.

Both Marine reservists are serving prison sentences of nine months each. Strom pleaded guilty to wire fraud and making false claims, while a jury found Wild guilty of wire fraud. Wild is appealing his case.

kristina.davis@sduniontribune.com

Twitter: @kristinadavis
A naked woman who stabbed two people in an East Village motel was taken into custody after climbing out a window to escape Monday afternoon, San Diego police said.

Officers arrived at the Sara Frances Hotel on Tenth Avenue about 1:50 p.m. and found the woman, 30, in a lobby with a knife, police said.

When she saw the officers, she retreated to a room on the second floor and barricaded herself inside, Sgt. Tom Sullivan said. The officers forced their way in and the woman jumped out a window into an alley.

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She was taken into custody soon after and transported to a hospital for a mental evaluation. She also suffered minor injuries to her hands in the encounter.

The victims who were stabbed also suffered minor injuries, Sullivan said.

Twitter: @LAWinkley

(619) 293-1546

lyndsay.winkley@sduniontribune.com
Regarding Trump tweet attack draws rebuke (June 30): As a former nuclear weapons launch commander for the Minuteman III weapons system, I was subject to continuous monitoring under the provisions of the Department of Defense Personnel Reliability Program (PRP). PRP is the United States security, medical and psychological evaluation program, designed to permit only the most trustworthy individuals to have access to nuclear weapons.

Only those personnel who have demonstrated the highest degree of individual reliability for, among other things, conduct, behavior and responsibility shall be allowed to perform duties associated with nuclear weapons. While performing this duty you are continuously evaluated for adherence to PRP standards.

In light of President Trumps continuous infantile tweets attacking individuals personal characteristics, which the White House says are official statements, who is monitoring and evaluating the presidents fitness and adherence to PRP?

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After-all, as commander-in-chief, he alone can authorize the use of nuclear weapons.

Robert Tormey

Escondido

Do you know what is really worse than the presidents tweets? The fact that so many of his supporters and staff condone them by saying hes just hitting back harder than he is hit when criticized and claim hes new at politics.

Well, do you remember the vitriol, the insults, and the lies hurled at Barack Obama when he was president? Trump himself said Obama was not American (birtherism); others said he was a closet homosexual and Michelle was his beard; still others said he was a secret Muslim.

I remember seeing cartoons where Obama was vilified and called names. Did he send even one tweet? Did he ever rant and rave on TV about the insults and lies? NO! He was presidential and dignified all the way.

Trump could learn from his predecessors behavior.

Yolanda Emery

La Mesa

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Pharmaceutical giant Pfizer has donated $5 million to the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, much of which will be used to create an endowed chair in cancer immunology.

The gift is the largest private donation ever received by LJI, which has struggled to supplement federal and industry funding with philanthropy. That struggle contributed to LJIs decision last year to become an affiliate of UC San Diego. The university agreed to give the institute $36 million over a 12-year period.

LJI President Mitchell Kronenberg said in a statement, We believe that Pfizers visionary support validates our pioneering contributions in the field of immunology. It will allow us to initiate daring new projects that will help advance our understanding of the intersections of the immune system and cancer.

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An undisclosed portion of the $5 million will create the endowed chair, a position typically used to retain, reward or recruit prominent faculty. The chairs inaugural holder will be Anjana Rao, an immunologist whose groundbreaking work on proteins earned her election to the elite National Academy of Sciences. The rest of the money will also benefit cancer and immunology research.

Pfizer is a major force in San Diegos biomedical research industry. Over the years, the company has spent millions on collaborations and contracts with LJI, UC San Diego, the Scripps Research Institute, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, and the Sanford Burnham Prebys Medical Discovery Institute.
Fake news  including fake science news  is taking the world by storm. So much so that governments all over the world are now warning of action against fake news, some on the lines of what they did earlier to traditional media.



Sample these headlines:



Pope backs Trump

Hillary sells weapons to ISIS

Weather Channel founder tells CNN climate change is a hoax

Deodorant, vitamin E, chips, tomatoes increase chances of developing cancer.

Are genetically-modified crops Frankenstein foods?



The first two went viral on Facebook in the run up to the 2016 US elections and gained so much attention that BuzzFeed published an analysis on how they had outperformed real news on Facebook. [1] Fake news items such as these on regular and social media channels were swallowed by millions of people in recent months.



Examples of fake news include a research downplaying the fact that cigarette smoking and second-hand smoke are bad for human health. Ivan Oransky and Adam Marcus, co-founders of the website Retraction Watch, which detects fake news on academia, have also cited questionable findings published in scientific journals, including one that claimed jet plane vapour trails contain toxic materials, not just ice crystals.



Other hugely questionable studies include those that linked vaccines to autism, the connection of which has long been debunked, and one that claimed HIV doesnt cause AIDS. While all were eventually retracted by their publishers, it only raises the question of how they got published to begin with. [2]

Populations that are largely unschooled can be easily duped. This is especially the case in developing countries of Asia and Africa. Crispin Maslog

Fake news and propaganda

Fake news is fabricated with the intention of misleading readers, usually for political gain or economic profit. It has been defined as a catch-all term encompassing propaganda, misinformation, disinformation and hoaxing  including the spheres of science and medicine. [2]



Before the term fake news became popular, most people would often use the term propaganda. Propaganda has been used since ancient times for political gain. The Roman consul, Octavian, is said to have resorted to disinformation to win his wars against Mark Antony. [1] During World Wars 1 and 2, the US and British governments used propaganda effectively in the struggle against Germany.



Enter the Internet and the fake news economy. Here we see small groups of people taking advantage of sensational news items to build up readership for advertising and influence people. Propaganda and Internet fake news are similar in that both distort the truth for emotional persuasion, seeking to drive action. [1]



But Trump can be credited with popularising the term fake news. At his first press conference as President-elect in 2016, he railed at journalists interviewing him: You are fake news! Since then, Trump has been regularly accusing major media outlets of peddling fake news on his Twitter feed.



In Asia, fake news is spread mainly for political rather than economic or scientific reasons. [3]



In the 2015 Indonesian elections, fake news was used to portray Widodo as having an ethnic Chinese and a Catholic background in a Muslim state. But it did not affect his popularity and he was elected President. In the 2016 Philippine election, President-elect Rodrigo Duterte reportedly had an army of trolls to regularly post up propaganda. His trolls even received partial credit for his victory. [4] In India, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, once a spokesman for his Bharatiya Janata Party, is said to have come to power in 2014 through support from well-oiled troll machinery working on his behalf.

This makes it imperative for scientists and the science community to take every opportunity to expose fake news for what it is. Crispin Maslog

Analysts believe that the proliferation of fake news is fueled in part by lagging educational standards . Populations that are largely unschooled can be easily duped. This is especially the case in developing countries of Asia and Africa. Even in the US and developed countries of Europe, fake news more easily spreads among the less-educated sections of society.It is one small step from superstition to belief in fake news. Science illiteracy easily leads to false beliefs. Ignorance breeds gullibility.Fake news undermines scientific credibility, especially in underdeveloped countries with an unschooled public where public trust in science and scientists is low to begin with. Fake science news will erode public trust in science and scientists. [5]This makes it imperative for scientists and the science community to take every opportunity to expose fake news for what it is. In the US, some initiatives have been taken to teach students how to spot fake news. The National Academy of Sciences should take as their mandate a campaign against fake news and educate the public on science. The case for media literacy and science education therefore becomes urgent in the digital era, where 60 per cent of the population gets its information from social media.

This calls also for the providers of social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter, to strengthen efforts to police their ranks. Better self-policing than policing by government.



If self-censorship fails to stem the tide of fake news, there is a real danger of governments taking over social media regulations in developing societies. The signs are already there in South East-Asia, Indonesias Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono warns. [3]



Many governments in the region are labelling most media criticism as false, opening the way for state regulation of social media.



Singapore is now studying the possibility of introducing a law to force social media companies to remove misleading reports, says Singapore law and home affairs Minister Kasiviswanathan Shanmugam. [6]



Shanmugam says he was inspired by German Chancellor Angela Merkel to introduce legislation to force social media companies to withdraw fake news stories from the Internet as fast as 24 hours or else face penalties. [6]



That is the writing on the wall.



This piece was produced by SciDev.Nets Asia & Pacific desk.
A new study indicates that half a degree Celsius of global warming could lead to intense weather. This includes heightened heat waves and heavy rains.

The study was printed in the journal Nature Climate Change. It was led by Carl-Friedrich Schleussner from the Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research and other colleagues. The scientists compared two 20-year periods from 1960 to 1979 and the other period from 1991 to 2010. They discovered that the average global temperatures jumped 0.5Celsius (0.9F) and led to extreme weather conditions, according to Phys.org.

The team also stated that the hottest summer temperatures heightened by over 1C (4.8F) across a quarter of the land areas of the planet Earth. Meanwhile, the coldest winter temperatures are warmed by more than 2.5C (10.5F).

Schleussner said that they must rely on climate models to forecast the future. On the other hand, given that they now have observational evidence around 1Celsius warming, they could also look at the real-life impacts this warming has brought.

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) will provide a report for policy makers in September 2018 on the research of the 1.5Celsius target. It will also indicate the impacts that might be avoided. Eric Fischer, co-author of the study and scientist at ETH Zurich in Switzerland, stated that with the warming the world has already experienced, they can see very clearly that a difference of 0.5C really does matter.

Meanwhile, another new study published in the Writing in the Journal of Climate suggests that the level of warming was about a third higher at 0.174Celsius per decade between 1976 and 2016 compared to 0.134Celsius per decade. The scientists who based their research on the information given by satellites stated that the changes result in the global scale warming, which is bout 30 percent larger than their previous version of the dataset, as Independent noted.
The weather doesn't get much better than this for an extended July 4th weekend. Today is going to be warm, with a high in the upper 80s, and slightly humid thanks to a southwesterly breeze ahead of a cold front. The humidity and weak front may produce a shower or thunderstorm this afternoon.

The front will pass through the region tonight, ushering in drier air and mostly sunny skies for Independence Day. Tomorrow's high will be around 84 degrees, which is the long-term average high for almost every day in July. The dry weather will continue into Wednesday as high pressure over northern Quebec drifts slowly southward. Wednesday's high will be in the low 80s

Thursday is expected to still be dry and slightly cool with a high near 80 but mostly cloudy skies will presage the approach of another cold front toward the end of the week. That next front looks like it will take its time arriving, giving us a good chance of showers or thunderstorms on Friday and Saturday before giving way to drier weather on Sunday. Daily highs over the weekend and well into next week should hew very close to normal in the low to mid 80s.
The collision, which happened in the Dover Strait, left the Valles Steamship-owned Seafrontier with a gash in the hull above the waterline and damage to the superstructure. The 2011-built, 48,580-dwt tanker was carrying 38,000 tonnes of petrol.

The 2013-built, 75,500-dwt Chinese-owned bulker Huayang Endeavour was also damaged.

Although both vessels have been damaged, there is no water ingress and no pollution. There are no injuries and all of the crew are accounted for, a spokesperson for the Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) was reported saying.

Huayang Endeavour was enroute to Lagos in Nigeria and Seafrontier was sailing to Puerto Barrios in Guatemala.

Seafrontier has been taken under tow by a tug while Huayang Endeavour is anchored mid-Channel and would be taken to dock in the UK.

An investigation into the collision is underway.
This article is one of a series of stories about Michigans agricultural economy. It is made possible with funding from the Michigan Department of Agriculture and Rural Development. Read more in the series here Where can you go to buy carrots and a cupcake and leave with a good dose of community? A Michigan farmers market, of course. A local farmers market is where many Michiganders and tourists are headed this summer, many open year-round, whether its a rural market with a handful of merchants peddling farm-fresh produce under simple pop-up tents or a permanent city structure with dozens of vendors and a broad variety of offerings.While a farmers market used to be a place to buy some quality local produce and flowers from the people who grow them, todays Michigan farmers markets are all that and more. And while fruits and vegetables might be what draw people in, its the experience that brings them back.At the Flint Farmers Market , a visitor might pick out produce and specialty products, ponder which vendor makes the best homemade cinnamon roll, smell handcrafted soaps, savor a full lunch, partake in a cooking demonstration or attend a meeting. At what is one of the largest indoor farmers markets in the United States, that customer might, unknowingly or not, be part of something bigger  injecting money into the local economy, helping revitalize Flints downtown, supporting longstanding or fledgling businesses, and creating a sense of place.Karianne Martus, market manager at Flint Farmers Market, says how people choose to use the market is evidence of its importance in the community. We have space in our market also thats community space, she says. In a one-year period, Martus says it hosted 504 indoor or outdoor events. Memorial services, quinceanera, weddings, community fundraising events. You name it, weve rented it.We feel honored that they chose the market for something thats so important in their lives, she says.The Flint Farmers Market houses two incubator kitchens for use by startup businesses until they can afford their own commercial kitchens. Right now we have between 15 and 20 incubator kitchen users, Martus says. Some are caterers, some are market vendors, and others are selling another product. A third kitchen is used for everything from public cooking demonstrations to Michigan State University Extension nutrition lessons.Three years ago the Flint market moved less than a mile to a new location that better suits its needs and thats more squarely seated in the red-brick-street downtown area. The expansion has seen twice as many people flocking to Flint from near and far. The last two years weve had over 500,000 visitors a year, Martus says. We never anticipated that it would be this huge.Martus sounds wistful as she describes a feature of the Flint Farmers Market that cant be measured. Theres so much love in here for each other and for the community, she says. Its a safe place for people. Theres like a little magical spirit or something. I dont know how to describe it. Were lucky we have it.I really think a lot of it is the vendors, Martus explains. Theyve been with us a long time, they know everybody in the community, they love people in the community. It would be unusual to walk down an aisle and not hear somebody saying I love you to someone. What kind of place can you work where thats the case?That friendly farmers market vibe may be difficult to describe  Martus says its sort of just something you just have to stand in the middle of the aisle and soak up  but something she contends is a crucial part of her community.Traveling nearly 200 miles to the northeast takes a visitor to an attractive spot between downtown Traverse City and the bay where the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market entices customers with its own special appeal. The tent-based market, named after a local philanthropist, only accepts farm products that are 100 percent produced within seven adjoining counties, plus value-added agricultural items made from those products.Nick Viox of Downtown Traverse City exudes enthusiasm for the market he manages. I think the agriculture scene and agritourism have really grown in the region and I think our market has been a part of that.The most important thing that I think we do for community building is the food-assistance programs, Viox says. While some upscale farmers market offerings may appeal to higher-income consumers, he feels strongly that lower-income earners should also have access to fresh and local foods. We know that our region grows about 75 percent of the variety of Michigan products, so we want to make sure everybody has access to that at our market, he insists.A focus on getting fresh produce to those who need it most a common feature of Michigan farmers markets. The Sara Hardy market accepts five forms of food assistance. Markets commonly help low-income families access the Supplemental Nutrition Program (SNAP) with Double Up Food Bucks , Farmers Market Nutrition Program/WIC Project FRESH and Market FRESH. The Traverse City market also participates in Hoophouses for Health, an initiative that helps families purchase hoop house-grown produce through a voucher system.Im really passionate about our market, Viox says of the Sara Hardy Downtown Farmers Market. I think our farmers are some of the most passionate, creative and generally interested individuals that Ive ever met. They have so much passion for what theyre creating and it really shows. I encourage anybody to check out a market.Those in the Lansing area can check out a special Farmers Market at the Capitol hosted by the Michigan Farmers Market Association ( MIFMA ) on three Thursdays throughout the summer, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. July 27, Aug.24, and Sept. 21. Like the markets MIFMA represents, the Capitol markets feature Michigan products from fruit to flowers and prepared foods, along with a helping of community spirit. That spirit comes in the form of yoga classes and cooking demonstrations on the Capitols east lawn.The mission of the Farmers Markets at the Capitol, says MIFMA executive director Dru Montri, is to provide a thriving marketplace that showcases Michigan food and agricultural products in an effort to educate our state decision makers on the importance of supporting farmers, ag-based businesses, and farmers markets.Montri says the number of markets in the state has doubled over the last decade, from 150 when Michigan Farmers Market Association was formed in 2006 to more than 300 in 2016.The National Farmers Market Directory, maintained by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, pegs the precise number at 341 farmers markets in Michigan, making it the state with the third highest number of markets in the nation. That puts the Great Lakes State behind California and New York and slightly ahead of Ohio and Illinois.Aficionados pin the growing interest in farmers markets, in part, on consumers who want to connect more closely with their food. A sense of ownership in a farmers market and an interesting destination add to the interest. Farmers-market-friendly legislation has also played a role in the growth. The Michigan Cottage Food Law of 2010 allows residents to produce and sell low-risk foods that can be safely made in a home kitchen directly to customers, including through farmers markets. This has led to a boom in farmers market offerings such as breads and fruit jellies. In 2013, new legislation allowed small wineries the chance to apply for permits to offer wine tastings and sell wines at farmers markets. Now, Michigan craft distillers are seeking the same system to be able to sell local spirits at farmers markets.Whatever the mission of the farmers market, it is often a part of strengthening the local community, Montri says, and I think thats why so often you can feel that sense of community when youre in a farmers market setting.To find a farmers market near you, check this Michigan Farmers Market Association map . Those seeking to start or grow farmers markets will find help through Montris staff at MIFMA. Michigan State University Extension offers expertise through its Community Food Systems team, contact co-leader Julia Darnton.
Press Release

July 3, 2017 Sen. Leila M. de Lima's Statement on House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez' threat to file impeachment case vs. Supreme Court Chief Justice Maria Lourdes Sereno Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez must be drunk from all the power he wields if we are to go by his recent statements about Court of Appeals Justices, the Chief Justice and even the postponement of Barangay Elections. Typical of the so-called "leadership" style of this administration, when faced with opposition, his reaction was to lash out, curse and threaten the CA Justices with disbarment, the Chief Justice with impeachment, and even threaten the entire judiciary with the dissolution of the CA-all because a Division of the CA performed its duty by unanimously finding merit in a petition for habeas corpus. Last time I checked, that's a subject for a motion for reconsideration and, thereafter, appeal-not an opportunity to flex one's ego and political clout. For that is what this is: a show of political power. He is certainly not purporting to hold that much power by himself: instead, this is Alvarez throwing the weight of his borrowed influence as a henchman of a more powerful patron. That is where he gets the gumption to threaten the Chief Justice of the Philippines with impeachment. That is also where he gets the bloated confidence to announce the postponement of the Barangay Elections and that barangay officials will, instead, be appointed, as if such are already writ in stone simply upon his say-so. His statements are not just galling to hear, but also very disturbing. They are a manifestation of a grave threat to the Rule of Law and our democratic way of life, for they are geared towards making key institutions and officials vulnerable to undue threats and, ultimately, malleable to the whims and tantrums of bullies and dictators, whose capacity for conflict resolution ranges from inflicting ad hominem attacks, to doing their utmost to ruin the life and career of those who disagree with them. That is their obvious endgame. I can only hope that members of the Judiciary, as well as my fellow lawmakers in both Houses of Congress, will find the willpower to continue resisting such threats. I would be the first to say that it isn't an easy task. But it is possible because those who resist will also wield their own brand of power-the power of knowing that we are defending our people by doing what is right.
Juries in New York state are now allowed to consider the photo arrays shown to witnesses as evidence at trial, thanks to a reform tucked into the state budget passed in April.

Governor Cuomo hailed the reform, which went into effect this weekend, as "a fair and effective path to help ensure criminals are caught and justice is served."

Prior to this, state law prohibited prosecutors from introducing photo arrays, showing the faces of suspects alongside other head shots, from being used as evidence. The legislation also called on state criminal justice officials to come up with new guidelines for how investigators should present arrays to witnesses.

The state District Attorneys Association said in a statement that the reform will help protect innocent people accused of crimes, as well as helping to convict the guilty. The Innocence Project's Barry Scheck called it "an important step toward" stopping wrongful convictions.

There is still a lot of room for improvement, according to the Legal Aid Society's director of criminal defense training Peter Mitchell. Mitchell said that the legislation was written over the opposition of the state's public defender community, and gives prosecutors more ammunition to prejudice juries while leaving potential safeguards against misidentification essentially voluntary.

"Some of it we think is a mess right now," Mitchell said. "The defender community in general was not consulted at all on this bill."

Allowing juries to see photo arrays, Mitchell said, leaves them free to speculate about the potential criminal history of the suspect pictured in them, given that they tend to be assembled using mugshots. On the other hand, while the new state guidelines do strongly suggest that investigators perform double-blind--meaning the investigator either does not know who the target of an investigation is--the rules are not mandatory. As a result, identifications made without detectives following the double-blind rules can still be admitted as evidence provided they use a "blinded" technique, wherein witnesses are presented with arrays where a given investigator doesn't know the position of the suspect among the photos.

There is also, Mitchell noted, no requirement that in-person lineups be performed double-blind to prevent investigators from subtly suggesting a suspect to a witness, intentionally or not.

New Jersey, by contrast, requires double-blind photo arrays and lineups as the result of a 2012 state Supreme Court decision, following the reversal of manslaughter and attempted murder convictions that judges found were based on cops misleading witnesses into false identifications. Identifications performed contrary to these rules aren't admissible in court in the state, Mitchell said.

He called the lack of a requirement that officers record their identification sessions another missed opportunity for reform.

"One of the problems with this process is that the witness makes a tentative identification, and then that gets cemented by the police through repetition," he said. "That's a real danger."

The legislation does include language suggesting that interrogation during the investigation of certain serious felony crimes be video-recorded, although this standard too is not fully mandatory.

Presented with Mitchell's concerns and some other followup questions, Governor's Office spokesman Rich Azzopardi accused Gothamist of "like usual," "just going with whoever says the craziest stuff about our policies."

Update 8:45 p.m.:

State Division of Criminal Justice Services spokeswoman Janine Kava sent a statement saying, "The protocol is rooted in evidence-based principles and will help investigators solve crimes and prevent misidentifications that can lead to wrongful arrests and convictions." She noted that the state Bar Association also supported the reforms.
Press Release

July 3, 2017 Legarda Vows Senate Support in Funding for Marawi Rehabilitation Plan Senator Loren Legarda, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Finance, has committed her full support to restore political, social and economic stability in Marawi City through adequate funding for the government's rehabilitation plans to ensure that the city becomes prosperous again. Legarda said that as early as now, concerned government agencies led by the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council (NDRRMC) are responding to the immediate needs of the affected population in Marawi. Recovery and rehabilitation plans may be completed soon after the situation on the ground has stabilized. "Any plan to rebuild Marawi and make it prosperous should be anchored on a resilience plan, which should take into consideration the risks-from natural hazards, health hazards, and security and safety issues," she said. "Aside from the national budget, sources of funds can also come from Official Development Assistance and private sector funding, but unless a solid plan is in place, funding from private or external sources will be difficult. Risk mitigation mechanisms should also be in place to secure government and private sector investments," she stressed. The Senator also said that there are existing programs to hasten recovery and rebuilding of lives and communities in the aftermath of armed conflict or a disaster. The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) have funds for livelihood programs and support for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) for the entrepreneurial people of Marawi. "Through micro enterprises, we will be able to provide more opportunities for livelihood to more people. The DTI can help develop and market the products through its Shared Service Facilities (SSF) project which aims to improve competitiveness by providing machinery, equipment, tools, systems, skills and knowledge under a shared system," Legarda explained. "The government is also fully subsidizing irrigation fees for the farmers and we will make sure they are prioritized for the Department of Agriculture's (DA) extension services. The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and the Department of Tourism (DOT) can map out a plan to promote cultural tourism in the city," she said. Legarda also said she filed a bill to promote and develop Lake Lanao, which plays an important role not only in Lanao del Sur where Marawi City is located, but also in the entire Mindanao. Lake Lanao is vital in securing Mindanao's energy needs, supplying water for six of its existing hydroelectric power plants, collectively responsible for 70% of the island's energy needs. "Investments should be made toward making Marawi a safe and resilient destination to attract more investors and visitors. The government, however, cannot do it alone. It requires collective support and collaboration among stakeholders and private sector. As Chair of the Senate Committee on Finance, I will support the funding of programs to make Marawi prosperous again," Legarda concluded.
PDP Laban extends help to landslide victims in China

PDP Laban, the ruling political party in the Philippines, on Monday extended financial assistance for victims of a landslide in Sichuan Province in China.

The village of Xinmo was buried by a massive landslide that destroyed 40 homes in the village.

"This donation by PDP Laban is an affirmation of the friendship between the Philippines and China", said PDP Laban President and Senate President Aquilino "Koko" Pimentel III.

The donation was received by Chinese Ambassador Zhao Jianhua in a simple ceremony at the Ambassador's Residence.

The PDP Laban delegation was led by Party Vice Chair and DOE Secretary Alfonso Cusi.

The delegation included former Mandaluyong Mayor Benhur Abalos, Transco President and CEO Melvin Matibag, and the Chair of PDP Laban's Public Information Committee, Ron Munsayac.

Cusi said, "Our Chinese friends were there when we needed assistance for the displaced residents of Marawi. It is only proper that Filipinos also offer what we can to help during their time of need."

China donated ?15 million to help those displaced by the conflict in Marawi.

The reciprocal donations are indicative of the closer ties between China and the Philippines, as well as their ruling political parties.

PDP Laban and the Communist Party of China signed a Memorandum of Understanding in February, formalizing friendly ties between the two ruling parties.
Press Release

July 3, 2017 PASA LORD MOVEMENT

PASA LORD calls for Unity in Praying for Peace on 7-7-17 The Pasa Lord Prayer Movement is calling all Filipinos to unite in Praying for the Philippines at 12 noon on July 7. The interfaith group has come up with a universal prayer that seeks the Almighty's favour, blessings for our leaders, safekeeping of families and grace to live at peace with one another. It also asks for protection from foreign invasion, lawless acts, terrorism and war, and it seeks peace, unity, prosperity and transformation for the nation. "At 12 noon on 7-17-17, please stop whatever you're doing, turn to God and, in solidarity with us, say the Prayer for Peace in the Philippines," said Mrs. Bing Pimentel, President of the Senate Spouses Foundation, Inc. (SSFI) and the lead convenor of the prayer Movement. "All we're asking for is one minute of your time." She continued, "Everyone who joins us in prayer becomes a mustard seed. It only takes a little seed of faith to move a mountain. If we can combine out mustard seeds of faith, then we can tell the mountains of problems confronting our country to go away." The "Prayer for Peace in the Philippines" in English and Pilipino may be downloaded from https:///www.facebook.com/PasaLordMovement/. The Pasa Lord prayer will be launched on Wednesday, July 5, at the Senate and participants are urged to recite the prayer every 12 noon thereafter.
Ron Chapple/Getty Image

A 27-year-old man was shot Saturday near San Franciscos Sunnydale housing development while setting off illegal fireworks with a group of people, police said.

The man was setting off fireworks near the intersection of Sunnydale Avenue and Hahn Street when another group of people came charging at the group, according to police.
Thousands of people sporting patriotic costumes and toting hand-penned signs took a peaceful stroll in San Francisco under bright, clear skies Sunday afternoon to call for the impeachment of President Trump.

The crowd gathered at Justin Herman Plaza at 1 p.m. for speeches and then marched along the waterfront toward Fishermans Wharf while throngs of curious tourists looked on from sidewalks and cafes, many cheering support. After less than two hours, the protest was over, and the crowd dispersed, leaving behind three naked men standing in the plaza, the word Trump penned on their rumps.

The march was organized by several organizations, including Progressive Democrats of America, which said Trumps firing of FBI Director James Comey is just one of many actions that collectively mean Congress should seriously look into tossing the president out of office. It was one of many such protests across the country and around the world Sunday.

Nearly everyone carried a sign, many calling for impeachment and several insisting that Trump release his tax returns. Others questioned his relationship with Russia, including one protester who wanted the president to show us your rubles.

One man dressed in Uncle Sam gear with blue sparkly shoes and a cotton beard glued to his chin. He carried sign reading, Trump redefines the bully pulpit.

I feel like I need to be visible in my opposition to pretty much everything Trump is doing, said the marcher, 48-year-old Daniel Johnson of San Francisco. I want to be one of the people that can at least say, when everything goes south, I stood up, I did something.

Johnson called Trump reprehensible, callous, mean and unconcerned.

March organizers pointed to more than 1 million signatures on the site www.impeachdonaldtrumpnow.org as backing for their sentiment, and those who showed ranged across all ages and ethnicities  though it appeared few conservatives were pitching in. The mood was defiant but festive, and after reaching Battery Street, the throng turned around and headed back to Justin Herman Plaza.

Debra Stein sat on the steps as the protest wrapped up, a bright orange sign on her lap that showed a glitter-covered image of a peach with Trump-like hair. The signs edges were adorned with pom-poms.

I just want to get Trump out of office, she said. Its time to get him out.

Stein, like many of the marchers, said gathering with like-minded people is empowering.

Like-minded 6-year-old Ian Lee of San Francisco wore a Captain America T-shirt and toted a sign reading, in a shaky childs handwriting, Impeach Donald Trump.

He said he has friends at his school who are from different countries and are worried about what might happen to them under Trumps efforts to clamp down on immigration, and he didnt like that.

I just dont like Donald Trump, Ian said. He does bad stuff.

Chronicle staff writer Kevin Fagan contributed to this report.

Jill Tucker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: jtucker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @jilltucker
Michael Cardoza, a high-powered defense attorney and former prosecutor who has gained attention over the years as a TV legal analyst, is weighing a possible run to succeed disgraced former Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson.

I am giving it serious thought, Cardoza told us the other day after he was spotted at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club restaurant with a potential supporter.

I know this (D.A.s office) needs leadership, and I dont believe it should come from inside, Cardoza said. They are too in bed with the people there, and dont see all the real problems.

Two prosecutors have already announced their candidacies for Petersons old job  Deputy D.A. Paul Graves and former Deputy D.A. Patrick Vanier , who is now a prosecutor in Santa Clara County.

Peterson resigned June 14 after cutting a plea deal with state prosecutors who had charged him with 13 felonies connected to his use of $66,000 in campaign donations to pay for such personal items as meals, gas, clothes, movie tickets, hotels and phone bills.

The plea deal allowed Peterson to plead no contest to a single count of perjury for making false statements on state campaign disclosure forms.

Doug McMaster, chief assistant district attorney, is handling the offices day-to-day operation while the county Board of Supervisors takes applications for Petersons replacement. Its goal is to pick a replacement by mid-September.

That person can choose to run along with other candidates for a four-year term in the June 2018 primary, said Supervisor Karen Mitchoff.

McMaster has made it clear that he is not running and will not seeking the appointment. Graves and Vanier havent disclosed whether they are applying to the supervisors. They have until July 23 to decide.

Drought Map Track water shortages and restrictions across Bay Area Updated to include drought zones while tracking water shortage status of your area, plus reservoir levels and a list of restrictions for the Bay Areas largest water districts.

Whoever gets the job will have some work to do in bringing calm to the D.A.s office. The Peterson scandal came close on the heels of another case that had divided the department for years, in which a deputy D.A. was accused of raping a junior colleague in 2008. The criminal case against the deputy was eventually dropped and the prosecutor was allowed to return to work two years ago.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Hard to believe, but San Franciscos transit wonks were caught completely off guard by the ride-hailing revolution that now floods the city with thousands of cars daily.

In fact, when the city was drawing up its transportation Major Strategic Plan back in 2012, planners thought ride shares meant car pooling. So as the Municipal Transportation Agency drew up a blueprint for more bus- and bike-only lanes  and less space for cars  it was blind to the wave of Uber and Lyft cars that was about to inundate the streets.

I dont think anyone anticipated this would happen, including Lyft and Uber, said transportation agency chief Ed Reiskin.

Randy Rentschler of the Metropolitan Transportation Commission, which oversees regional transportation planning, said city officials may have fallen victim to their vision of how things should be instead of how they are.

Public policy often aims for a certain outcome  and as such, it can be harder to predict what you dont want to happen, so you dont see it, Rentschler said.

In fact, Uber and Lyft now carry 283,000 people per workday in San Francisco and make up 9 percent of all vehicle trips in the city, according to a recent survey by the city Transportation Authority.

And for the first time in years, Muni ridership has dropped.

City Hall is increasingly interested in ways to ease the congestion that some officials blame on ride hailing. City Attorney Dennis Herrera has subpoenaed documents from Uber and Lyft to try to determine whether the firms are complying with city traffic, disability access and environmental regulations. Supervisor Jane Kim has suggested a 20-cent-per-ride fee to raise money for unspecified anticongestion measures.

Uber has put out feelers that it would be willing to talk with the city. But it wants the conversation to include all aspects of congestion, including the surge in double-parked delivery trucks, the growth of bike lanes and other street reconfigurations designed to slow traffic.

The feeling (at City Hall) seems to be, If you cant beat em, tax em, but at this point Id just like them to give us more information so we can see what is really going on, said Supervisor Aaron Peskin.

Wouldnt we all.

Eric Risberg/Associated Press

On your marks: Michael Cardoza, a high-powered defense attorney and former prosecutor who has gained attention over the years as a TV legal analyst, is weighing a possible run to succeed disgraced former Contra Costa County District Attorney Mark Peterson.

I am giving it serious thought, Cardoza told us the other day after he was spotted at the Walnut Creek Yacht Club restaurant with a potential supporter.

I know this (D.A.s office) needs leadership, and I dont believe it should come from inside, Cardoza said. They are too in bed with the people there and dont see all the real problems.

Two prosecutors have already announced their candidacies for Petersons old job  Deputy District Attorney Paul Graves and former Deputy District Attorney Patrick Vanier, who is now a prosecutor in Santa Clara County.

Peterson resigned June 14 after cutting a plea deal with state prosecutors who had charged him with 13 felonies connected to his use of $66,000 in campaign donations to pay for such personal items as meals, gas, clothes, movie tickets, hotels and phone bills.

The plea deal allowed Peterson to plead no contest to a single count of perjury for making false statements on state campaign disclosure forms.

Doug McMaster, chief assistant district attorney, is handling the offices day-to-day operation while the county Board of Supervisors takes applications for Petersons replacement. Its goal is to pick a replacement by mid-September.

That person can choose to run along with other candidates for a four-year term in the June 2018 primary, said Supervisor Karen Mitchoff.

McMaster has made it clear that he is not running and will not seeking the appointment. Graves and Vanier havent disclosed whether they are applying to the supervisors. They have until July 23 to decide.

Whoever gets the job will have some work to do in bringing calm to the district attorneys office. The Peterson scandal came close on the heels of another case that had divided the department for years, in which a deputy district attorney was accused of raping a junior colleague in 2008. The criminal case against the deputy was eventually dropped, and he returned to work two years ago.

San Francisco Chronicle columnists Phillip Matier and Andrew Ross appear Sundays, Mondays and Wednesdays. Matier can be seen on the KPIX TV morning and evening news. He can also be heard on KCBS radio Monday through Friday at 7:50 a.m. and 5:50 p.m. Got a tip? Call (415) 777-8815, or email matierandross@sfchronicle.com. Twitter: @matierandross
Editor s note: Here are five Bay Area startups worth watching this week.

Inside a newly married couples Fillmore apartment are several wedding dresses waiting to go down the aisle. The gowns are elegantly crafted  some with beads, others with lace, a few with both.

But these gowns, created through the couples startup Anomalie, are for more than just a night of pictures: They are the beginning of a movement, the couple hope, to finally change a corner of the retail market that they say is continuously exploited for its sentimentality.

The idea to create a company that designs and sells custom bridal gowns came to Leslie Voorhees last year when she was shopping for her own wedding. The boutiques she went to would often hide the brands and prices, making it difficult to comparison shop.

It is such an antiquated process, said Voorhees, who quit her job at Apple to focus on Anomalie full time with her husband, Calley Means, who left a job at Zenefits.

The couple said they can offer customers a lower price on boutique-quality dresses because they handle factory operations themselves. Voorhees has spent much of the last few months at a factory in China where the dresses are made.

The wedding industry is often accused of price gouging. For a major life event fraught with emotion, it is easy for vendors to charge more for everything from gowns to caterers. While there are plenty of wedding-related websites, there is nothing that allows consumers to easily compare prices the way we check airfares on Expedia.

Its surprising that people havent come in and disrupted this market yet, Voorhees said. And we hope it will be us.

Of course, Anomalie charges a considerable sum for their dresses  because even startups need to make money.

But once they get more customers and can order in bulk, they hope to bring their prices down. Means said an average dress from Anomalie with no embroidery could cost around $1,000, which he said is both cheaper and of better quality than what you could find at a bridal store. They also say they can get brides their dresses in about three months; wedding website the Knot says a wait of four to five months is typical.

The company has grown tremendously since quietly opening last summer. It has made hundreds of dresses, the founders said, but declined to be more specific. The typical customers are working women  venture capital partners, lawyers, executives  who can afford to pay more, but just dont want to, Voorhees said.

Anomalie raised $1.5 million in seed funding in December. It probably gained extra attention this week because the wedding season is starting to pick up. Also, Voorhees said, many brides who wear Anomalie dresses have tagged the company on Instagram, creating a viral effect.

Voorhees and Means have about a dozen employees and are outgrowing their office (which doubles as their home) in the Fillmore district. On a recent afternoon, several young women sat around a table working on everything from customer service to managing orders. A bride would come in later that day to try on the dress she helped design  from the train to the neckline.

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As the company continues to expand, Means said, maybe one day it will tackle Indian wedding sarees or the traditional red Chinese wedding dresses.

But, for now, he said, the white dresses will do.

Also trending:

Rocket Lawyer

What it does: An online resource for custom legal contracts, documentation and legal advice from licensed attorneys.

What happened: The New Jersey Supreme Court recently found that the company was not properly registered as a legal service provider in the state. The company quickly complied, CEO Charley Moore said.

Why it matters: Laws are confusing and are often far behind todays rapid innovation. With more people looking for legal assistance online, the State Bar of California is considering amending its rules regarding lawyer referral services.

Headquarters: San Francisco

Funding: $46.15 million, according to Crunchbase. (Moore said the company has about $40 million more in funding, but declined to elaborate.)

Employees: 200

Instamotor

What it does: A used-car marketplace.

What happened: A spokeswoman for the company said in an email that the company is working on some major enhancements and now everyone is heads down.

Why it matters: The company says it can help avoid fraud and help buyers avoid getting scammed.

Headquarters: San Francisco

Funding: $5.53 million

Employees: Less than 10

Reduxio

What it does: Data storage management and protection. Its customers include the California Public Utilities Commission, Booking.com, the University of Georgia and Nissin Foods.

What happened: The company recently announced a new version of its product, which expands its storage ability and helps clients recover data faster and with minimal loss.

Why it matters: Ransomware attacks just keep happening. Companies have more reason than ever to invest in storage and data recovery.

Headquarters: San Francisco

Funding: $66 million

Employees: 80

Penguin Computing

What it does: Offers custom servers for customers with special hardware requirements.

What happened: The company, which could not be reached for comment, announced a renewed partnership with Asetek, a company with a San Jose office that creates liquid cooling technology for data centers.

Why it matters: Penguin Computing is one of the largest private suppliers of high-performance computing in North America, according to the company.

Headquarters: Fremont

Funding: $16.33 million

Employees: 51-100

Trisha Thadani and Isha Salian are San Francisco Chronicle staff writers. Email: tthadani@sfchronicle.com isalian@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @TrishaThadani

How we pick the companies

Every week, The Chronicle and Crunchbase, a San Francisco firm that tracks key businesses in technology, analyze private Bay Area companies based on their financial backing, employees and activity on Crunchbase. We feature five that are moving up in the ranks. For more information on the companies: www.crunchbase.com
Venerable slice joint Caesar's Palace Pizza will shut its doors permanently this week after 36 years on the Upper West Side, thanks to the arrival of a new management company that, according to owner Dimitri Vezrakis, sought to deliberately drive the store out of business.

Vezrakis told Gothamist that he was shocked after learning in late May that Vifast Realty, the company that took over his lease last year, planned to nearly double his rent and hike his late fee payments by more than 1,000 percent. He said that he'd been asking the management company to see the new lease for the better part of a year, but was only given a copy three weeks before his current lease expired. (Vifast Realty did not return a request for comment).

"When I opened the envelope I was heartbroken," Vezrakis recalled. "He said, 'Take it or leave it, it's time for us to make up our losses.' I was devastated emotionally, because this is not the way I planned to leave things."

However, the neighborhood pizza parlor will not be going down quietly. At 11 a.m. on Monday, Caesar's-supporters and other community advocates plan to stage a press conference at the Amsterdam and 84th Street storefront, where they'll call on the city to improve its policies protecting small businesses. The presser was organized by Mel Wymore, a City Council hopeful and former chair and current member of Community Board 7, which covers the Upper West Side.

"Our community is no longer welcoming to essential businesses like Caesar's, the kinds of businesses that weave our community together," Wymore told Gothamist. "Let's be clear about this: when community institutions like Caesar's die, it's not an accident or an unavoidable tragedy, it's a result of deliberate choices by our politicians to protect a system that favors big landlords over everyone else."

In June, Wymore called on the City Council to pass the Small Business Jobs Survival Act, which would create a program aimed at helping small businesses navigate the commercial lease renewal process. Wymore has also called for a temporary moratorium on evictions of small business and for landlords to be fined if they leave storefronts vacant for years.

According to a recent report released by the Manhattan Borough President's Office, more empty storefronts plague uptown than any other part of the city, and landlords are increasingly breaking long-held leases in search of higher-paying tenants.

That's something that Vezrakis witnessed firsthand, even before he was forced to shutter his business. "Within a five block radius [of Caesar's], I'm not kidding you it's like maybe 20 stores vacant, and they're all mom and pop shops who had their rent doubled or tripled," he said.

While Vezrakis has left open the possibility of reopening Caesar's Palace Pizza at a different location, he says that it's too late to hope for a solution at the current storefront. Still, he's glad that the press conference is happening. "It's for the future of the people who are still in business, so in my heart I feel like it's worth it to do this, because my best revenge would be to see someone succeed and not to lose their business because of a corporation."

"And to be honest, I never knew how much I was loved by my customers," Vezrakis added. "I had hundreds of customers hugging and kissing me. One good thing I'm going to take from this is the love of the people in the neighborhood I've served for so many years."
Ubers upheaval has helped propel its underdog rival, Lyft. The smaller ride-hailing company has surged by several measures, including market share, number of rides and ride revenue, according to reviews of U.S. credit card data from Second Measure and Superfly.

Lyft is currently gaining market share faster than they ever have, said Ben Horowitz, a partner at Andreessen Horowitz who sits on Lyfts board. The venture firm led a $60 million investment in the company in 2013 and, despite selling some of its shares last year, remains a major backer.

During Ubers recent months of scandals, a #DeleteUber campaign and corporate turmoil that led to the ousting of CEO Travis Kalanick, Lyfts growth accelerated, he said. Speeding things up: Lyft has expanded into more than 150 new markets nationwide this year.

Now Lyft is eyeing more ways to capitalize on the situation, seeking to raise awareness of its less well-known brand.

A very unusual opportunity appeared out of nowhere because Uber is ... a significantly weaker competitor than theyve been in the past, Horowitz said. That does create the opportunity to grow even faster ... and gain market share in a way we couldnt before.

Outside analysis shows a strong trajectory. Lyfts share of the U.S. ride-hailing market grew from 12.4 percent in January 2016 to 21.7 percent in June 2017, according to Second Measure. (UberEats, Ubers food-delivery service, is included in its numbers, exaggerating Ubers market share for rides.) By Superflys numbers, Lyfts U.S. market share went from 20 percent in January 2016 to 31 percent in June. Lyft says it has 30 percent of the U.S. ride-hailing market.

Even more striking, Second Measure shows that Lyft made significant gains in each of the countrys two dozen largest cities over the past 12 months. In Atlanta, for instance, Lyft almost doubled its share, going from 10.8 percent last May to just shy of 20 percent this May.

Its strongest market is Portland, Ore., where the year saw a 30.1 percent share turn into 46.8 percent, according to Second Measure. The next strongest are San Francisco (38.3 percent), Denver (34.4 percent), and Seattle (30.5 percent). Lyft says it has more than 40 percent share in several U.S. markets, but declined to name them.

Lyft now in many places in the U.S. can be quite competitive in user experience, said Jan Dawson, an industry analyst with Jack Daw Research. Lyft said its prices are on par with Ubers and its average wait time nationwide is three minutes. Thats a significant marker, as consumers are known to switch to whichever service will get them a ride faster.

Even without Ubers turmoil, Lyft would have had a growth spurt this year because it launched its service in about 160 new cities, entering smaller towns such as Springfield, Mo.; Jacksonville, N.C.; Dover, Del.; Erie, Pa., and the California towns of Redding, San Luis Obispo, Merced, Chico and Yuba City (Sutter County).

But Uber isnt exactly holding still. It hit a jaw-dropping milestone of 5 billion trips worldwide in late May  less than a year after reaching 2 billion trips. In other words, it gave more than 3 billion trips over the past year, despite all its travails.

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Some surveys, such as one last month from Kiip, a mobile-rewards advertising platform, show that many ride customers are indifferent to corporate shenanigans. Of 12,000 respondents, 70 percent said a companys reputation doesnt affect whether or not they use a ride-hailing service. Still, close to one-fifth (18 percent) said they follow the Uber scandals closely.

But for Bay Area riders steeped in the sagas of their hometown companies, reputation does matter, according to some drivers.

Charles Allison puts in 30 to 45 hours a week as a ride-hail driver in San Francisco. He noticed a drop in Uber rides after the #DeleteUber campaign in late January, and switched to driving Lyft exclusively.

My earnings on Lyft were all of a sudden a lot more consistent and higher than theyd been prior to that point, he said, so hes stuck with Lyft.

Since then, hundreds of passengers have mentioned Ubers issues, he said. Some people have really strong opinions and will bring up that theyve deleted Uber because they cant stand the stuff going on.

Erin Kennedy, who used to drive for both services, switched to Lyft only, in part because she was tired of riders asking her why she still drove for Uber. Many passengers have told her that theyve deleted Ubers app, but she wonders if that will last.

It reminds me of when customers boycott a store or restaurant like Chick-fil-A or Walmart for their stance on something, Kennedy said. They go as long as they can until thats the only restaurant in the area and they need to eat, or nowhere else has the pharmacy or tires they need.

Thats why Lyft is making moves to increase its ubiquity and position itself as the kinder, gentler alternative to Uber. In March, it began a campaign to allow riders to round up fares to the nearest dollar and donate the difference to a charity. It ditched its familiar pink mustache for Amp, an illuminated dashboard device with a sleeker, high-tech image. Late last year, before the Uber scandals erupted, it took direct potshots at its rival in TV ads mocking tech bros at a fictional Ride Corp.

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Will it go further this year to attack Uber? Lyft wont say, but observers said its better off taking the high road.

Lyft has been quite subtle in keeping with its positioning as the nice guy in the market, Dawson said. It will do best not by emphasizing Ubers troubles but by being as good a service as it can and promoting that.

In April, Lyft closed a $600 million funding round that brought its total backing to $2.6 billion and valued it at $7.5 billion. Uber is worth almost 10 times as much and has $8.8 billion in VC backing.

Observers say that both Lyft and Uber burn through venture capital by offering lucrative incentives for drivers and discounts for riders.

Horowitz said that Lyft is not subsidizing its market-share gains this year. Theyve not been buying these things, he said. Still, expanding into new markets is expensive, he acknowledged.

In mature markets, he said, individual rides are profitable. Overall Lyft is on track to turn a profit in 2018. He and Lyft did not respond to inquiries about whether it will be truly profitable, as opposed to achieving positive cash flow through ongoing operations, a measure that ignores some costs public companies must factor into their financial reports.

For all Lyfts successes, rumors persist that it could be an acquisition target. After Amazon bought Whole Foods last month, several observers said that the e-commerce giant might next scoop up Lyft to handle last-mile deliveries of everything from groceries to batteries. Or General Motors, already an investor, might buy the rest of Lyft to marry ride-hailing to the self-driving technology being developed by its Cruise subsidiary, also in San Francisco.

Whether Lyft ends up owned by someone or stays independent, its founders see robot cars as the future. While Uber is trying to create its own autonomous-vehicle technology, Lyft has positioned its ride service as a platform for other companies to deploy self-driving technology. So far, partners include Waymo, nuTonomy and Jaguar Land Rover, as well as GM.

We want Lyft to be the (operating system) for autonomous vehicles  the place where consumers come to access the best autonomous vehicles from a variety of partners, Lyft said.

Its a friendlier approach to partners, underscoring what may be Lyfts mantra: Nice guys can finish first.

Carolyn Said is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: csaid@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @csaid
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Electric automaker Tesla plans to deliver the first of its long-awaited Model 3 sedans on July 28 and expects to build 20,000 of the cars per month by the end of the year, CEO Elon Musk revealed late Sunday.

Rollout of the $35,000 Model 3, Teslas first car created for middle-class drivers, is widely seen as a make-or-break moment for the upstart auto company, which until now has focused on wealthy buyers.

Its also the fulfillment of Teslas long-term strategy. Under Musk, Tesla started by selling small but growing numbers of very expensive cars, using those to pave the way for a truly mass-market vehicle.

In a series of late-night tweets Sunday, Musk said the Palo Alto company is planning a hand-over party on July 28 for the first 30 Model 3 customers to receive their cars, although he didn't reveal the location.

The Model 3 passed all regulatory requirements for production two weeks ahead of schedule, Musk said. The first of the cars should roll off the line at Tesla's Fremont factory on Friday.

Tesla hopes to ramp up production of the Model 3 to 100 cars in August, 1,500 in September and 20,000 in December. If that prediction holds, it would far surpass Teslas previous guidance of building 5,000 Model 3 sedans per month by the end of the year.

Tesla has set a goal of building 500,000 vehicles next year and 1 million in 2020 (figures that include all of the companys car models, not just the Model 3). Tesla built 83,922 cars last year, a 64 percent jump from the 2015 total of 51,095. The company is planning to expand its Fremont factory to handle the extra load, while also making use of a constellation of other properties it holds in Northern California and Nevada.

And yet, Tesla has had difficulty ramping up production as quickly as planned.

The company reported Monday that it built 51,126 vehicles in the first half of this year, a slight increase from the 50,067 built in the second half of 2016. Tesla delivered 47,100 cars in the first half of 2017, almost unchanged from 47,073 in last years second half.

For the most recent quarter, which ended Friday, Tesla built 25,708 vehicles and delivered 22,000. Of those delivered, 12,000 were Model S sedans, while the rest were Model X SUVs.

Tesla blamed a severe production shortfall of 100 kilowatt-hour battery packs for its cars, a situation that wasnt resolved until early June. Meanwhile, the gap between the number of cars built and those delivered occurred because Tesla increased the number of test-drive vehicles at its stores and loaner cars at its service centers, according to the company.

Tesla has not recently updated the number of reservations that potential customers have placed for the Model 3, with each driver putting down $1,000 for a spot in line. In May of last year, the number stood at 373,000. The companys Web page warns that anyone placing a reservation now can expect delivery of their car in mid-2018 or later.

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The Model 3 is only Teslas fourth car model, joining the limited-edition Roadster, the Model S sedan and the Model X sport utility vehicle. The car, whose final design Musk unveiled last year, looks much like a smaller Model S and boasts 215 miles of range on a fully charged battery pack.

But Tesla has taken pains to distinguish between the two, saying the Model S will remain a premium product, with more available features and higher performance. The base price for a Model S ranges from $69,500 to $140,000, depending on the size of the battery pack and other optional features.

Although electric vehicle sales overall have experienced sluggish growth, analysts are waiting to see whether the Model 3 will bring new enthusiasm to the market. The car will certainly face increasing competition, as more automakers roll out electric vehicles. Most notably, Chevrolet late last year introduced its $37,500 electric Bolt, which can drive 238 miles on a charge and targets the same customers as the Model 3.

Anticipation for the Model 3 has fueled a sharp rise in Teslas stock price, which currently gives the company a higher market cap than Ford or General Motors. However, Teslas shares slid almost 2.5 percent Monday to close at $352.62.

David R. Baker is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: dbaker@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @DavidBakerSF
POTTER VALLEY, Mendocino County  This years historic gush of water through Californias rivers brings the dawning of a renaissance for lampreys, a peculiar fish that migrates upstream to spawn but without the fanfare of its salmon and steelhead compatriots.

On a recent afternoon in wooded hills some 150 miles north of San Francisco, dozens of lampreys  commonly called eels because of their snake-like figures  were doing something that can be startling to the uninitiated: They were using their sucker mouths and thorny teeth in an attempt to hoist their slippery bodies up and over the concrete face of 50-foot Van Arsdale Dam.

The climb at the Eel River, an appropriately named waterway that is just one of many the fish are storming this summer after years in the open ocean, marks the end of their far-reaching journey to the mountains to reproduce.

Protecting the unusual creature and its diminishing river runs across the West is the job of a group of researchers who are based on the Eel River but tromp through forests around much of the state. And this year, theyve got their hands full.

We really didnt think wed get this many of them, said Damon Goodman, a biologist with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, as he monitored the progress of lampreys last week at Van Arsdale Dam. Were getting calls from all over the place now.

From San Luis Obispo Creek to the Sacramento Valleys Feather River, reports are coming in of lampreys in numbers not seen for years, if not decades. While the critters nocturnal life and brown, camouflage bodies make them largely invisible to even the most veteran fishermen and paddlers, their sheer abundance has led to more sightings  and inevitably, more questions from those who havent seen one before.

Far from Mendocino County in the northern Sierra foothills, where the fish have been spotted for the first time in 30 years in some places, reaction has varied from awe to fear.

Because theyre so prehistoric and creepy-looking, theyre scaring people, said Jana Frazier, who leads tours of the state-run fish hatchery on the Feather River near Lake Oroville. Most people have never seen a lamprey, and they want to know if theyre going to be attacked.

Watching the lampreys scale the side of Van Arsdale Dam, or opt for an adjacent fish ladder built for spawning salmon, Goodman acknowledged that the fish are a bit off-putting. They use their round, funnel-like mouths and sharp teeth not only to climb but to latch onto other fish, even whales and sharks when theyre at sea, and feed on their blood.

An invasion of lampreys nearly a century ago in the Great Lakes literally sucked the life out of the commercial fishing industry. But Goodman, speaking while plucking a lamprey from the fish ladder and holding it in his hands, said theres nothing to fear in California.

The Pacific lamprey, native to the state and dating back to before the dinosaurs, doesnt bite humans and provides a slew of environmental benefits. Its food for the likes of bears and bald eagles, he said, and delivers nutrients when it dies and decomposes in the riverbed.

While biologists believe this years surge of lampreys is tied to high river flows after a near-record wet winter, the fact is they dont know for sure. Unlike salmon and steelhead, lampreys are not a major focus of fish research. Little monitoring has been done of the commercially valueless fish, and theres not a lot of historical data.

Our understanding of lamprey biology is like 50 years behind (that of) salmon, said Goodman, whose team is one of few in the state dedicated entirely to learning more about the fish. Were just starting to get a handle on the issue and understand how important they are.

The lack of attention means lampreys have missed out on river management practices that have helped other fish migrate upstream, like timed water releases from dams and the construction of fish ladders.

According to Goodman, lampreys arent very good at getting up the fish ladders  built more for jumping than climbing  posting a success rate of just 6 percent at Van Arsdale Dam. Those that do navigate the channel, which runs a few hundred feet, take two weeks on average.

And while lampreys have historically traveled to much higher spots in the mountains than salmon and steelhead thanks to their climbing prowess, theyre cut off today from a lot more of their native habitat than the other fish. Goodman estimates the lamprey population is half of what it once was.

An effort to list the fish as federally endangered and win special protections failed a little more than a decade ago. Though the lampreys distribution across waterways is substantial  it is generally found wherever salmon and steelhead live, from California to Alaska and around the Pacific rim  its numbers remain uncertain.

American Indian groups across the Northwest have been particularly concerned about the animals plight. The lampreys continue to be a traditional and beloved food source, rich in protein and available to fishermen when salmon are not.

My grandma would tell me that her family would camp on the river and come home with potato sacks full of eels, said Ted Hernandez, 49, tribal chair of the Wiyot community, whose members still live and fish near the mouth of the Eel River, in Humboldt County about 150 miles from Van Arsdale Dam. But like with salmon, were worried abut the population of the eel. We have some of us who live to be 100 years old, and they say its from the eels.

The efforts of Goodmans team to halt the lampreys decline focus less on government intervention and more on finding ways for the fish to overcome river obstacles. Over the past couple of years, theyve tried everything from running small culverts around dams to putting pickle barrels in fish ladders to help lampreys pull their way upstream. What works best, they say, are simple PVC tubes that serve as tunnels around trouble spots.

This is something thats applicable in other areas having lamprey issues, Goodman said as he pointed to his 250-foot-long experimental conduit up and around Van Arsdale Dam. Eventually, for a long-term solution, we can implement something more sturdy.

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This year, so many lampreys have been migrating up the 200-mile Eel River that Goodman and his team are installing a second PVC tube for fish passage.

Michael Macor/The Chronicle

The addition follows actions the group has taken elsewhere to accommodate large numbers of lampreys. In San Luis Obispo, the researchers helped restore a lamprey run that had virtually disappeared in a creek through the citys Mission Plaza park a few years ago. A newly-modified weir, they discovered, was hampering upstream migration, so they installed a ramp for climbing across the hurdle.

These are not major things we need to do, Goodman said.

After inspecting the PVC tube at Van Arsdale Dam, where Goodman has counted more than 3,000 lampreys moving upriver this year, he turned his attention downstream. He bushwhacked to a vantage point where he hoped to see how many lampreys were stopping short of the dam. Walking and wading, he finally arrived at a shallow pool that looked hospitable to fish.

At the sandy river bottom, a few male lampreys were waiting for females in nests made of small, round stones, like an underwater fire ring. The females will lay their eggs here for the males to fertilize, Goodman said.

The fish appeared alert and lively, whipping around the bottom of the river, even in the heat of the afternoon when theyre usually hidden beneath the mud. But these moments are among their last, Goodman said. The lampreys die shortly after they spawn.

Look at them dancing around in there, he said. Theres just not a lot of places you can observe this.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Firefighters were battling a blaze Sunday evening that destroyed 225 acres of wilderness along Highway 49 in the Sierra foothills, prompting road closures and evacuations in Mariposa County.

The fire started at 1:36 p.m. Sunday and raged into the evening as crews struggled against the steep terrain and thick vegetation. Flames leaped across Highway 49 at one point.
Federal wildlife officials gave the first approval last week to Gov. Jerry Browns decade-old plan to re-engineer Californias water system by building twin tunnels to ship water around the delta to cities and farms.

Its a regrettable step in a long, costly and politically charged approval process with an uncertain outcome. It doesnt make sense to spend $17 billion to move water instead of investing in water saving and reuse.

Within 72 hours, environmental groups and fishing interests sued, saying the agencies are failing to protect native salmon and allowing the river to degrade further.

An earlier draft of the biologic opinion suggested the 35-mile-long tunnels would harm endangered native species. The states offer to restore 1,800 acres (in addition to the 30,000 acres already planned) of delta wetland habitat apparently swayed the federal agencies. The opinion notes the tunnels wont further harm the delta smelt (which are nearly extinct) and the endangered winter-run Chinook salmon.

Federal approval of a step toward an enormous water project just days after the Trump administration rolled out infrastructure week probably should come as no surprise.

The state says the project will restore the natural flows in the delta where the powerful state and federal pumps reverse the river and suck in the endangered fish. By law, the pumps must shut down if too many smelt are killed, making water delivery unreliable.

The State Water Contractors, who will pay to construct the four-story high tunnels, applauded: This is a major step toward reaching a final consensus on the project. Weve known for 60 years that we need to construct alternative conveyance in the delta. The contractors customers, who would see their bills rise, should be less thrilled  along with Californians who appreciate the economic and environmental value of a healthy habitat for fish.
Mike Kepka/The Chronicle

Why now: When people flock out of town, that can be the best time to stay. That is the case this weekend when you can do an adventure by water  that is, by ferry to San Francisco, then a bay boat tour. On the Fourth of July, you can crown the trip by watching the fireworks from a party boat on the bay.

How to make it work: Take a ferry from Sausalito, Larkspur or Oakland/Alameda to the San Francisco Ferry Building. Exit the boat to the Embarcadero, turn right and walk along the San Francisco waterfront to Pier 33 and beyond to Fishermans Wharf. At the foot of Jones and Jefferson streets, between Castagnolas and Tarantinos restaurants, youll see a line of party boats in their moorings. The captains charge $15 for bay boat tours. No reservations, first come, first served.
Never let it be said that San Francisco's finest don't care about the city's feathered residents, as this video from Anthony Williamson shows.

On a quiet pre-July Fourth Sunday evening, traffic may have been light enough where no one worried about a brief stoppage for a pedestrian.
A 27-year-old man was shot Saturday near San Franciscos Sunnydale housing development while setting off illegal fireworks with a group of people, police said.

The man was setting off fireworks near the intersection of Sunnydale Avenue and Hahn Street when another group of people came charging at the group, according to police.
Sarah Ravani/The Chronicle

An 87-year-old man defended himself against a would-be bicycle thief who beat and sprayed him with a fire extinguisher early Sunday in the Mission District, police said.

The brutal robbery attempt occurred on the 1500 block of Guerrero Street about 7:09 a.m. Sunday, according to the San Francisco Police Department.
Dave McClure has resigned as general partner at 500 Startups, he confirmed Monday in a tweet.

In best interest of @500Startups & at request co-founder @christine_tsai, i am resigning effective immediately, he wrote.

McClure was removed from an executive role in the company a few months ago due to inappropriate interactions with women in the tech community, co-founder and managing partner Tsai said in a statement last week that followed a New York Times report on sexual harassment by Silicon Valley venture capitalists  including McClure.

McClure published a blog post on Saturday apologizing for his actions, which he called inexcusable and wrong.

I would like to apologize for being a clueless, selfish, unapologetic and defensive ass, the post read.

A letter from to the firms limited partners on Monday  posted by TechCrunch  stated that the company had investigated another report of sexual harassment by McClure.

Of course its a mistake what he did, but I think it should not reflect on 500, said Daniel Kravtsov, CEO of Improvado.io, which is a member of 500 Startups most recent batch of accelerator companies. Kravtsov feels that 500 Startups has shown a commitment to diversity, and said he and his team had a positive experience with the accelerator.

500 Startups has a history of funding female-led startups. In 2014, it launched a 500 Women Syndicate on AngelList, investing a total of $1 million in 10 companies with at least one female founder that year.

McClures resignation comes at a time of mounting pressure among Silicon Valley companies to address their treatment of women.

Last month, Binary Capital co-founder Justin Caldbeck resigned from the San Francisco firm after being accused of sexually harassing half a dozen women who work in tech; in a statement, he said he was grateful to the women for speaking up and deeply ashamed.

San Francisco ride-hailing giant Uber has also recently been rocked by allegations of harassment. Travis Kalanick, that companys co-founder and longtime CEO, stepped down last month following an investigation into the companys culture triggered, in part, by engineer Susan Fowler, who blogged about her experiences with rampant sexism at Uber.

Kelsey Cullen, the director of public relations at 500 Startups, also confirmed McClure's resignation.

Isha Salian is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: isalian@sfchronicle.com
Clear skies, bumpy ride

U.S. officials on Sunday exempted Etihad Airways from a ban on laptops and other types of electronics on some flights bound for the United States, but that will be of only limited value for San Francisco passengers. The flights were cleared because the airline, which is the national carrier of the United Arab Emirates, had begun conducting more rigorous passenger screening at Abu Dhabi International Airport. Alas, Etihad has previously announced that it will drop flights to San Francisco starting Oct. 29 because of disappointing passenger numbers and fares.

Color me Bluetiful

Crayola has the blues  five, to be exact. The crayon maker left it to fans to come up with a name for a new blue crayon replacing the recently retired Dandelion. After receiving nearly 90,000 submissions, Crayola narrowed it to five names: Dreams Come Blue, Bluetiful, Blue Moon Bliss, Reach for the Stars and Star Spangled Blue. Customers can vote for their choice on Crayolas website through Aug. 31.

Keeping up with ... doh!

Celebrity sisters Kendall and Kylie Jenner have apologized for creating $125 vintage T-shirts featuring images of artists like Tupac Shakur, the Doors, Metallica, Pink Floyd and the Notorious B.I.G. The shirts also featured photos or logos associated with the Jenners. After getting protests from people representing some of the artists, the two stopped selling the shirts.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. See more items and links at www.sfgate.com. Twitter: @techchronicle
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Hate crimes in California are increasing, particularly attacks on Muslims and gay men, after nearly a decade of decline, the state attorney generals office reported Monday.

There were 931 hate-driven incidents reported by local law enforcement agencies in 2016, an 11.2 percent increase over the 2015 total and a 20 percent jump from 2014, according to the states annual report on the crimes.

Before that, the statewide tally had dropped every year since 2007. Even with the recent upturn, last years report still showed a 34.7 percent decline in hate crimes from the 2007 total of 1,426.

The report corresponds with FBI data showing an unsettling increase in hate crimes nationwide, California Attorney General Xavier Becerras office said.

Just as disturbingly, his office said, new federal data indicate that more than half of violent hate crimes nationwide between 2011 and 2015 were not reported to police.

Shannon Minter, a lawyer with the National Center for Lesbian Rights in San Francisco, said the report was consistent with what appears to be a national atmosphere of increasing intolerance.

It started during the campaign and has only escalated since (President) Trump has been in office, Minter said. I think our country has become so much more polarized.

Becerra issued a statement that also appeared to refer to Trump, saying, Discriminatory rhetoric does not make us stronger but divides us and puts the safety of our communities at risk.

Hate crimes are those motivated by the victims race or national origin, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability.

More than half of the reported California hate crimes, 519, were motivated by race or national origin  a 21.3 percent increase from 2015  and 251 were against African Americans, more than any other group of victims cited in the report.

While reported crimes against black victims rose by 8.7 percent, racially motivated crimes reported against whites increased by 64.7 percent, from 34 to 56.

Crimes motivated by the victims sexual orientation totaled 207 in 2016, a 10.1 percent increase from 2015, and those aimed at gay men increased by 40.7 percent, from 108 to 152, the report said.

Minter said the disparity may be due to the fact that gay men tend to be more visible.

Reported anti-Muslim crimes declined slightly in 2016, from 40 to 37, but those figures still represented substantial increases from yearly totals earlier in the decade, which ranged from 11 to 22.

The largest number of religiously motivated hate crimes were aimed against Jews, the report said: 82 in 2016, compared to 97 in 2015.

Fewer than one-third of the reported hate crimes  307 out of 931  were referred by police to prosecutors, who filed charges in 220 such cases, the report said. So far, it said, 51 have resulted in hate-crime convictions, 45 in convictions for other crimes and 22 in acquittals or charges that were dismissed. The rest are still pending.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com
Hayward police seized what they said was a large stash of illegal fireworks on Friday from a home on the 29000 block of Holyoke Avenue where a teenager was accused of manufacturing and selling the materials.

The teen suspect, whose name has not been released, agreed to meet up with undercover detectives who had contacted him through Craigslist. He delivered fireworks and then fled when uniformed officers surrounded him, officials said.
PITTSBURGH  Nobody can argue with the fans on this choice. Buster Posey, who leads the majors in hitting at .339, was elected the starting catcher for the National League in the All-Star Game in Miami on July 11.

Posey received 3,368,263 votes to win the catcher election handily over the Cubs Willson Contreras, who got 1,561,151. No other Giants player finished in the top five at his position.

Posey thus becomes the first catcher to start three consecutive All-Star Games for the National League since Mike Piazza had a stranglehold on the spot from 1994 through 99. Posey will start his fourth All-Star Game overall in his fifth appearance.

For the first time since 2007, the Giants will have just one All-Star, which makes Poseys selection a tad bittersweet.

Of course, it would be more fun if a few of us were going from the team, Posey said.

But he will not be alone.

The All-Star Game is close enough to his Georgia home for his parents to visit. Posey will bring his wife, Kristin, and his twins, who turn 6 next month.

Posey will get to sit with his family on the field for the Home Run Derby next Monday, which he said was his favorite part of the All-Star experience.

I remember watching it as a kid, he said. Its fun for me now to be down there on the field, watching it.

Manager Bruce Bochy was pleased to hear of Poseys election.

This will be another milestone for him, even though its happened before, Bochy said. To be the starting catcher in the All-Star Game, thats such a great honor. And were lucky to have him.

Posey will have a tiring journey, flying from San Francisco to Miami after Sundays first-half finale against the Marlins, then boarding another flight to San Diego for the July 14 second-half opener.

I might spend as much time in the air as I will in Miami, he said.

Henry Schulman is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer.
MIAMI  Floridas updated Stand Your Ground self-defense law is unconstitutional, a Miami judge ruled Monday.

Miami-Dade Circuit Judge Milton Hirsch ruled that lawmakers overstepped their authority in creating the law this year that forces prosecutors to disprove a defendants self-defense claim at a pretrial hearing.

The judge ruled that under Floridas constitution, that change should have been crafted by the Florida Supreme Court, not the Legislature.

As a matter of constitutional separation of powers, that procedure cannot be legislatively modified, Hirsch wrote in a 14-page order.

The ruling is a victory for prosecutors who have firmly opposed the law they believe makes it easier for defendants to get away with murder and other violent crime.

The law, an update to the already controversial Stand Your Ground statute passed over a decade ago, was pushed by the politically powerful National Rifle Association. Gov. Rick Scott signed the new law into effect in last month.

First passed in 2005, Floridas controversial self-defense law has been criticized for fostering a shoot-first mentality. The law eliminated a citizens duty to retreat before using deadly force to counter an apparent threat.

More problematic for prosecutors, the law made it easier for judges  before ever getting to a jury  to dismiss criminal charges if they deem someone acted in self-defense.

The Florida Supreme Court later ruled that defendants, in asking for immunity from criminal prosecution, must be the ones to prove they were acting in self-defense.

In Miami-Dade, judges have dismissed several high-profile murder cases after pretrial immunity hearings, but have also allowed many more to go to a jury.

But the NRA-backed bill, passed in May despite fierce opposition by prosecutors and gun-control advocates, upended the legal framework.

Now, at those pretrial hearings, prosecutors shoulder the burden of disproving a defendants self-defense claim. Prosecutors argued that it essentially forces them unfairly to try the case twice, making it easier for criminals to skate on violent charges.

Under the law, prosecutors must prove by clear and convincing evidence that a defendant was not acting in self-defense.

Hirsch ruled on the case of Liletha Rutherford, who is accused of aggravated assault for pulling a gun on a couple during an argument, and Omar Rodriguez, who shot and killed a man after a confrontation over dog waste.

The separate immunity hearings will still be held in the coming weeks  but it will be up to Rutherford and Rodriguez to prove their self-defense claims.

Hirschs ruling likely sets up legal wrangling in the appellate courts, and the Florida Supreme Court.

Last year, Hirsch also ruled that a new death-penalty sentencing structure was unconstitutional, a decision that later proved prescient  the Florida Supreme Court ruled the same months later.

David Ovalle is a Miami Herald writer.
1 Kidnapping case: Hundreds of people gathered outside a federal courthouse Monday as the suspect in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois made his first court appearance since he was arrested last week. Brendt Christensen, 28, did not speak other than to acknowledge to the judge that he understood his rights. U.S. Magistrate Eric Long ordered him held without bond in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities say facts in the case indicate the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body hasnt been found. Zhang went missing on June 9 in Urbana. Authorities charged Christensen on Friday after federal agents heard him tell someone that hed kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.

2 Methane ruling: A federal appeals court in Washington on Monday ruled that the head of the Environmental Protection Agency overstepped his authority in trying to delay implementation of a 2016 rule requiring oil and gas companies to monitor and reduce methane leaks. The court said the EPA must move forward with the Obama-era requirement that aims to reduce the planet-warming emissions from oil and gas operations. EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt announced in April that he would delay by 90 days the deadline for oil and gas companies to follow the new rule.
Mexican eatery Citrico in Prospect Heights celebrates summer with some great deals on drinks throughout the month of July. Stop by from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Friday for $4 mezcal shots, with daily specials like $4 margaritas on Mondays and an all-night happy hour on Thursdays that includes $6 margaritas, $5 sangrias and micheladas, and $4 tequila and mezcal shots. While you're drinking your fill, you can also get dinner for $9.99 with special deals on any entree on the menu during the work week.

A post shared by Tavo (@tavo_nyc) on Jun 8, 2017 at 1:17pm PDT

If you're dining in Spain, it's all about the Jamon Iberico, thin slices of acorn-fed pork that's like prosciutto on steroids. Tavo in the West Village has begun a Monday night special celebrating the unique ham they're importing via Cinco Jotas. They'll be hand-slicing the Jamon Iberico de Bellota ham (see above) and selling a portion for $15 each Monday evening throughout the summer. Update: Because of a recent fire, Tavo is closed until further notice.

Williamsburg restaurant Rider welcomes a new outdoor seating area with some happy hour specials beginning on July 5th. Park yourself at one of the chairs on North 6th Street for $1 sausages, $1 oysters, and $8 glasses of wine every weeknight beginning at 4 p.m. and running 'til 7 p.m.



(fuku)

The new fuku in the Financial District finally opens for lunch service on Wednesday, July 5th. To mark the occasion the restaurant will be offering its spicy fried chicken sandwiches for just $5 from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. on opening day. They've also announced a new partnership with Wylie Dufresne's fledgling donut operation Du's, selling green apple peanut butter, coconut kalamansi and yuzu peach flavors at this fuku locations for $3.50 a pop.

Elsewhere in Du's news, the donut shop will collaborate with its neighbor at Williamsburg's William Vale Hotel, Mr. Dips, for a special July 4th weekend-only creation. The Dippity Du Da ($7.50) is a raspberry crumble-topped vanilla cone sitting on a Du's Donut with milk glaze, blueberry & raspberry icing. Stop by anytime through Tuesday to sample the dessert for yourself.
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Locals and visitors to Pier 39 in San Francisco on Monday were not too optimistic about the prospect of seeing the big fireworks show on the Fourth of July.

Its not because they wont try to see the pyrotechnic spectacle scheduled to be launched from barges off the pier at Fishermans Wharf, but because low clouds likely to blow in threaten to block the view.

The National Weather Service is forecasting low clouds will move into the Bay Area between 8 and 9 p.m. on Tuesday, just in time for the 9:30 p.m. fireworks show at Pier 39.

Low clouds could definitely be a problem, Matt Mehle, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service, said on Monday. Were not forecasting fog, but this time of year we get a lot of low clouds.

Andy Owens and Jalon Howard from Rochester, N.Y., were visiting Pier 39 on Monday and werent sure about their plans for Independence Day.

Im already lukewarm about the fireworks, Howard said. I dont know if its worth it. I guess it just depends on how foggy it is.

Howard said he and Owens plan to walk around the city during the day and then try to find a party at night. They considered the fireworks show, but it wasnt a priority.

I dont think Id be too bummed if I missed it, Owens said.

Clouds are expected around the Golden Gate Bridge, Angel Island and Treasure Island on Tuesday night. Mehle said the cloud cover could extend into the East Bay.

This could be a significant interruption for Pier 39s plans to launch their show at 9:30 p.m. But Djono Liawidjaja at Pier 39s California Welcome Center said the show usually goes on no matter the weather, even it means watching flickers of light through the clouds.

Hannah Emmett and Erin Heck, who live in San Leandro, were more optimistic about Tuesday nights potential.

They plan to make smores, bundle up and sit on their balcony, which offers views from the Bay Bridge to the San Mateo Bridge, Emmett said.

Its their last weekend before resuming classes at Life Chiropractic College West in Hayward.

Emmett said its usually clear enough to see everything over the bay, but she hasnt always had luck on Independence Day since arriving four years ago.

Three years ago, we couldnt see anything, she said.

To get better visibility, Mehle said the best idea is to head farther inland, where skies have a better chance of being clear. As of Monday morning, he wasnt forecasting clouds for San Jose, Mountain View, Santa Rosa or the Napa Valley, all of which have their own fireworks shows scheduled.

Those will be far enough from the bay to avoid visibility problems, he said.

The rest of the day should be mostly clear with temperatures about 65 in San Francisco, 85 in inland areas such as Livermore and 80 in San Jose. Mehle said people should expect clouds in the morning, but that it will clear up for most of the afternoon.

Alison Graham is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: agraham@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @alisonkgraham
SIESTA KEY, Fla. (AP)  The sand on Siesta Beach on Florida's Gulf Coast is as fine as powdered sugar, a pure, sparkling white and soft as a kitten's fur  all because it's comprised of 99 percent pure crushed quartz.

For that reason, and many others, it was selected this year as the best beach in America by a professor who's made a career ranking and studying beaches around the United States.

"The sand is outstanding," said Stephen Leatherman, aka Dr. Beach, a professor at Miami's Florida International University. "Every time I go there, I've got to take a bag home with me. It's almost sacrilegious to walk on it with shoes on."

Other beaches that made the list this year, in order of ranking, are: Kapalua Bay Beach in Maui, Hawaii; Ocracoke Lifeguarded Beach on the Outer Banks of North Carolina; Grayton Beach State Park on the Florida Panhandle; Coopers Beach in Southampton, New York; Coast Guard Beach on Cape Cod in Massachusetts; Caladesi Island State Park in Dunedin/Clearwater, Florida; Hapuna Beach State Park, Big Island, Hawaii; Coronado Beach in San Diego, California; and Beachwalker Park on Kiawah Island, South Carolina.

On a recent workday, Siesta Beach was packed with people, even though it wasn't particularly sunny. The turquoise water was still gorgeous, the sand still fine. The beach is about 200-300 feet (60-90 meters) wide in some places, which means people can stretch out and not feel crowded. The beach was last year's runner up and one of three in Florida on this year's top 10 list.

"It's nice and clean, that's what I look for," said Jamie Gaskin, a 59-year-old retiree from Lakeland, Florida, who was scoping out the beach for a family Memorial Day party. She especially liked the two-story pavilion, which boasts a snack bar and restrooms. It's only two years old and even offers sweet crepes for breakfast and tapas dishes in the early evening.

"There's plenty of tables to barbecue and to hang out. And the restrooms were nice and clean. I'd definitely recommend this," she said.

Siesta Beach is on a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico, and is located just southwest of downtown Sarasota. The water is placid on most days  Leatherman says you can measure the waves "in inches"  and is shallow and safe for swimming, with no sharp drop-offs. Added bonuses include lots of parking, a trolley service to and from the island's adorable downtown area and plenty of lifeguards. The beach also has natural dunes, which is a bit rare for Florida, and the fine sand is excellent for building sand castles.

"I look for kind of a balance between nature and a developed environment," said Leatherman, who lives on the other side of the state, closer to Miami Beach. "Fourteen million people go to Miami Beach every year. There's just too many people there. I think a lot of people are looking for more of a getaway."

Leatherman, who is director of the Laboratory for Coastal Research at Florida International University, uses about 50 criteria to assess and rank beaches across the country. In recent years, he has given extra points to beaches that prohibit smoking, saying cigarette butts are not only environmentally damaging, but can ruin the experience for beach-goers. Safety and environmental management are other major factors, he said.

He's rated beaches since 1991.

The Maui beach that came in at No. 2 on the list, Kapalua Bay Beach, is smaller than Siesta Beach. It's crescent-shaped and flanked by palm trees. Unlike lots of Hawaii beaches, there aren't many waves at Kapalua, he said, making it perfect for safe swimming.

"The coral reefs almost go right to the beach. There are tropical fish swimming all around."

The third beach on the list, Ocracoke, is unique in both history and location. Leatherman points out that it was once the pirate Blackbeard's old haunt. And it's only accessible by a state ferry.

"The only negative I have, it seems like too many cars," he said. "I wish they would turn car ferries to pedestrian ferries."

Leatherman says he tries to select locations that are a bit off the beaten path, yet immensely rewarding once visitors arrive. Siesta Beach, he points out, is an outstanding place to watch the sun dip below the Gulf horizon  one more reason why it made the top of this year's list.

___

Follow Tamara Lush on Twitter at http://twitter.com/tamaralush
PARIS  France, Germany and the European Union pledged more money Monday for Libyas coast guard and more support for Italy to cope with a surge of migrants arriving from Africa.

The U.N. refugee agency, meanwhile, reported that more and more people lured to Libya with the hope of finding jobs there end up trying to reach Europe.

The intensified European effort comes after the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Saturday decried an unfolding tragedy in Italy over the weekend with 12,600 migrants and refugees pouring onto its shores. Grandi noted that more than 2,000 people have lost their lives on the Libya-to-Italy sea route this year.

Officials appeared to be bracing for prospects of an accelerated flow of migrants as the Mediterranean weather warms, making often-perilous maritime journeys more attractive.

We are only at the beginning of the summer, and without swift collective action, we can only expect more tragedies at sea, Grandi said in a statement. Like many others in his office in recent months, Grandi repeated calls for an urgent distribution system for incoming migrants and refugees, and additional legal pathways to admission.

On Monday, the EU migration commissioner and the German, French and Italian interior ministers promised extra money and training for the Libyan coast guard and efforts to reinforce Libyas largely lawless southern border that people smugglers exploit. No further details, including how much more money was pledged, were immediately provided.

The officials held a crisis meeting in Paris on Sunday after Italy pleaded for European help amid the surge.

Grandis office said Monday that people smuggling and migrant flows in Libya were on the rise, and predicted Europe could face a greater influx in the future. UNHCR said patterns of movement through Libya have been changing, as organized crime rings have become internationalized and trafficking for sexual exploitation appears to be increasing.

UNHCR says 84,830 migrants and refugees have reached Italys shores so far this year from Libya, a 19 percent increase from a year earlier. Seven in 10 are economic migrants and the rest are people in need of protection like refugees and asylum-seekers.
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EDITORS' NOTE: This man's incredible survival story was published 15 years ago, but is still being shared and read today.

Richard Van Pham drifted and slept, slept and drifted -- for nearly four months and 2,500 miles -- from Long Beach to waters off Costa Rica.

He ate roasted turtle, tuna and a seagull and drank rainwater. And when he was finally rescued by the U.S. Navy, all he wanted was help fixing his broken mast and motor so he could sail on again.

Instead, the Navy sank his boat and dropped him off in Guatemala.

He was able to buy a plane ticket after sailors aboard the frigate McClusky took up a collection for his fare. On Tuesday, he arrived back in Los Angeles.

Pham said Tuesday night that every day, as he drifted at sea, he scanned the horizon for any sign of life, any sign of land.

"I see nothing," he said, describing his ordeal. "Then one day, I see a plane. I know I'm close to people. They tip their wings to say hello. Two hours later, a ship comes to my boat. I am very, very happy."

RELATED: Richard Van Pham rescued a second time

Capt. Terry Bragg, commander of Destroyer Squadron One in San Diego, which oversees the McClusky, said he had never heard a story of survival like Pham's.

"It's a three-hour cruise gone bad," Bragg said. "It's like a cross between 'Gilligan's Island' and 'Robinson Crusoe.' "

The Navy came upon Pham 300 miles off Costa Rica on Sept. 17, nearly four months after Pham had set off from Long Beach for a short, easy sailing jaunt to Santa Catalina Island.

Somewhere on that 22-mile journey, a storm blew in and whipping winds broke the Sea Breeze's mast. Then the outboard motor failed, and so did the radio, according to Navy officials.

"For two months the wind continued nonstop," Pham said. The breezes augmented the ocean currents that pushed him steadily south.

What's more, the 62-year-old Vietnamese immigrant, who told Navy officials he had no family, had not filed a float plan. No one reported him missing, so no one went looking for him.

So he drifted, alone in his 26-foot boat. He stayed below deck during the day to keep out of the sun.

Though barnacles collected on his boat's hull, his solar-powered generator worked, and sometimes he watched videos on his small television. He put out a five-gallon bucket to collect rainwater. He caught fish, eating some and hooking others to his broken mast to attract seabirds to roast. He tore the wood paneling off his boat and set up a makeshift grill. He netted a sea turtle that swam near his boat and salted the meat to store for times when food was scarce.

"If you travel at sea, you take what you find," Pham said. "If you are scared, you will die."

Gary Parriot, captain of the McClusky, still sounded flabbergasted Tuesday as he related the tale of the rescue via satellite phone to his commanding officer in San Diego.

The McClusky, a 453-foot guided-missile frigate, was finishing up six months of counter-narcotics patrol off the coast of Central America last week when a U.S. customs P-3 drug-hunting plane reported a broken-down sailboat bobbing in the water nearby, he said.

The frigate headed to the area at maximum speed, and an hour and half later spotted a very dilapidated sailboat.

The McClusky blew its whistle, and a skinny man came up on the deck of the Sea Breeze and began waving his arms frantically, Parriot said.

Sailors, along with a medic, lowered into a boat and sped over to him.

It was early afternoon, and they found Pham in the middle of fixing a lunch of roasted seabird on his homemade grill.

Pham was delighted to see the sailors, but he refused medical treatment, Parriot said. Instead, what he wanted was a new sail and help fixing his mast, so he could sail on. He thought he was somewhere near Hawaii.

Back on the frigate, Parriot said he listened to the radio transmissions from his crew with growing amazement.

"It was coming in in pieces," he said. "It was unbelievable . . . the guy had been lost at sea for four months."

Engineers on the McClusky told Pham it didn't look good for the Sea Breeze. The fuel was contaminated with water, the mast was beyond repair and the vessel was simply not seaworthy.

They persuaded Pham to go aboard the frigate. They thought about towing his boat but soon concluded that wasn't possible. Reluctantly, Pham gave permission for the Navy to sink the Sea Breeze. But he went below deck so he wouldn't have to watch as they loaded it up with smoke floats and set it aflame.

"He was pretty distraught," Parriot said. "The sad part is, he lost his home."

Pham told the sailors that he was retired and had been living on the Sea Breeze, docking it in Long Beach in between trips. He said he had come to the United States from Vietnam in 1976 as a refugee.

Pham said in an interview that after he came to this country in 1976, he became a successful businessman, owning furniture stores in North Hollywood, Culver City and Los Angeles and an auto mechanic shop.

But about 10 years ago, he said, a car accident left him in a coma for six months. He had suffered severe memory loss and had to relearn English and simple tasks such as taking the bus. The injuries left him unable to run his business, and the hospital bills exhausted his savings, he said. He lost everything.

Long Beach officials said Pham did not have a permanent slip in their city but had rented space for four days in May. Until January, Pham apparently lived in an apartment in downtown Los Angeles.

Aboard the McClusky, Pham slept in sick bay but took his meals with the sailors. A medical examination revealed that he had lost some weight but had no obvious health problems.

Crew members fussed over their new arrival. "They adopted him," the captain said.

They were captivated by his tales of adventure. How had he had the ingenuity to tie fish to the mast to attract birds? To bash sea turtles? To set aside some of the meat for salting?

"The ship McClusky, they're like my family," Pham said. "They treated me like a brother. I love them."

The crew members were touched and saddened to learn that the man was now homeless and did not have enough money to get himself back to the United States. Before the frigate stopped in Puerto Quetzal, Guatemala, to drop Pham off, sailors had taken up a collection and raised $800 for his plane fare.

Arriving at Los Angeles International Airport on Tuesday, Pham was directed to Traveler's Aid, which provided him with a room for the night.

His future is uncertain.
The federal Age Discrimination in Employment Act turns 50 this year -- about the age when many American workers begin to encounter the kinds of biases the law was intended to prevent.

At this "milestone of middle age," quipped Victoria Lipnic, acting chair of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, the law is grappling with new forms of age discrimination in the internet era.

Research by the EEOC, which received 20,857 claims of age discrimination last year, found that 65 percent of older workers say age is a barrier to getting a job.

The issue has taken on even greater importance as American workers delay retirement and stay in the workplace longer, pushing up the median age in the U.S. labor force.

Here's a look at some of the trends in age discrimination:

***

In job ads, some employers have begun listing "digital native" as a requirement for the position. The term, many say, is a "code word" for young workers who have grown up with technology and will be able to use new systems with ease.

This term plays into stereotypes that "digital immigrants" -- usually older workers who came of age before the internet -- will be slow to adapt to technology, reluctant to learn and costly to train.

Older workers are sometimes labeled as "technophobic," said Sara Czaja, director of the Center for Research and Education on Aging and Technology Enhancement.

But contrary to stereotypes, research does not show a correlation between age and work performance. If tasks are based on speed and accuracy, Czaja conceded that age may play a factor in an employee's productivity.

A 2010 study of adults ages 65 to 85 found that the majority of participants had a positive attitude toward using technology.

Of course, it is difficult to tell if companies are using the term "digital native" as a subtle form of discrimination or if they simply require an applicant proficient in certain technology skills.

Jacquelyn James, co-director of the Center on Aging and Work at Boston College, said most of the time people aren't conscious of their biases or stereotypes. "The acknowledgment that they are implicit, that we don't see them, we don't recognize them is the most important hedge against their negative effects," she said.

For something like a job description, James suggested putting together a team of people of different ages to ensure phrases such as "digital native" aren't giving off the wrong idea.

***

Although people of both genders struggle with age discrimination, research has shown women begin to experience age discrimination in hiring practices before they reach 50, whereas men don't experience it until several years later.

In a 2015 study examining the effect of a date of birth listed on a resume, researchers found all applicants over age 64 were less likely than younger applicants to receive a request for an interview or an inquiry. However, middle-aged women, ages 49 to 51, had a significantly lower callback rate than younger women, ages 29 to 31, while middle-aged men did not follow the same pattern.

The study also found discrimination toward older men was prominent in only select fields, but older women felt discrimination across the board.

And legal protections against age discrimination tend to skew more toward men. "Evidence suggests laws help older men more than older women," said Patrick Button, one of the authors of the study and an assistant professor at Tulane University.

As women age, they also see more disparity in wages, with women ages 20 to 24 receiving 90 percent of men's earnings while women over 65 make 74 percent of men's wages, according to a 2017 study from the American Association of University Women using Census Bureau data.

***

At the peak of job loss caused by the Great Recession, U.S. employment had fallen by 8.8 million jobs, according to an overview from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Many older workers who were laid off simply dropped out of the job market permanently.

But with an unemployment rate now down to 4.3 percent, the lowest level since 2001 and what many economists consider as full employment, companies are likely to try to lure back older, skilled workers to fill openings.

"We're at a time in our economy right now, nearing the end of an expansion, where unemployment is very low, so it's a time where change can occur. Companies dip into pools of workers that normally they ignore from discrimination," said John Challenger, chief executive of Challenger, Gray & Christmas Inc., an outplacement company. "The core fuel for our economy is not energy, it's particularly skilled workers."

As a result, the labor force participation rate for workers ages 65 and older is projected to increase to 21.7 percent by 2024, from 18.6 percent in 2014, according to a 2015 report from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. And older workers are expected to account for a higher share of the overall labor force.

***

Just as technology is causing barriers inside the workplace for older employees, online applications and search engines could be hurting older workers looking for jobs.

Many applications have required fields asking for date of birth and high school graduation, which many older workers leave off their resumes. The required field often deters older workers from completing the application because they worry they don't have a shot because of their age, and allows companies to screen out applicants based on age.

"Why would you need someone's date of birth? Do you ask them their sex, their race? No," said Cathy Ventrell-Monsees, senior attorney advisor to the chair at the EEOC. "If it matters when someone gets a job, perhaps because there are benefits, then you ask for date of birth when they get the job."

AARP wants the EEOC to make a required field for date of birth or graduation date unlawful because "anytime they're using age in those algorithms that is a violation of the ADEA," said Laurie McCann, an attorney with AARP Foundation Litigation.

Furthermore, McCann said, some search engines allow people to filter their search based on high school graduation date, thereby allowing employers and employees to screen people and positions out of the running.
CHICAGO  The 28-year-old Illinois man charged with kidnapping a Chinese scholar now believed to be dead was among a select few admitted to the University of Illinois' highly competitive physics graduate program in 2013.

Brendt Allen Christensen originally planned to earn a doctorate degree, but told his graduate adviser in 2016 he had changed his mind, Professor Lance Cooper recalled on Saturday. He didn't say why, and Christensen continued taking classes and teaching as a graduate assistant. He earned his master's degree in mid-May.

Christensen is in federal custody awaiting a court appearance Monday in the June 9 kidnapping of Yingying Zhang, the 26-year-old daughter of a working-class factory driver from China. Weeks ago, Zhang arrived at the university to conduct research in agricultural sciences and planned to begin work on her doctorate in the fall. Her body hasn't been found.

Hong Lei, China's general consul in Chicago, visited Zhang's family on Saturday when he expressed condolences. Hong condemned the cruelty by the suspect and urged the U.S. judicial system to hold a fair trial and mete out harsh punishment to the man charged in the case.

A criminal complaint accuses Christensen, of Champaign, Illinois, of abducting Zhang shortly after she stepped off a bus near the university campus. Video from nearby cameras showed Zhang, on her way to sign a lease for an apartment, trying unsuccessfully to flag down another bus. Minutes later, she's seen getting into a black Saturn Astra.

According to an affidavit filed in federal court, Christensen was under surveillance Thursday when agents overheard him explaining he had kidnapped Zhang. Authorities say agents believe Zhang is no longer alive based on that and other facts the investigation uncovered.

The charging document says his smartphone was used to visit an online forum in April called "Abduction 101." One of the threads on the forum, which was visited months before Zhang went missing, was entitled, "Perfect abduction fantasy." Another was about "planning a kidnapping."

Some 5,600 Chinese students are enrolled at the university  more than at any other college in the nation  and Zhang's disappearance fed anxieties of families of Chinese students studying in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the charges came as a shock to some who knew Christensen at the university. Cooper, a director of the graduate program, said he'd received no indication of anything unusual.

"There are many ways in which we find out there are problems with students," Cooper said. "We get reports they're not teaching well. We get reports from faculty that they're not doing well in classes, they're not showing up for classes. None of those flags were raised."

Former classmate Souvik Dutta said he was "dumbfounded" by the news, recalling Christensen as a normal guy and "very calm."

Public records show Christensen lived previously in Stevens Point, Wisconsin, and his LinkedIn profile states he graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2013 with bachelor's degrees in physics and math. Relatives couldn't be reached for comment or declined to speak to The Associated Press on Saturday.

Illinois Chancellor Robert Jones said in a statement the campus community is saddened Zhang is believed dead.

"This is a senseless and devastating loss of a promising young woman and a member of our community," Jones said. "There is nothing we can do to ease the sadness or grief for her family and friends, but we can and we will come together to support them in any way we can."

According to the criminal complaint, investigators determined 18 vehicles registered in Champaign County were similar to the one Zhang got in. One belonging to Christensen was first seen in an apartment complex parking lot June 12  days after Zhang went missing  and investigators questioned him. The affidavit stated that investigators noted Christensen couldn't recall what he was doing the day Zhang disappeared. They searched the vehicle but didn't remove anything.

Investigators later determined the car in the video had a sunroof and cracked hubcap, like Christensen's car, the affidavit states. When investigators interviewed Christensen again, he acknowledged driving around the campus and giving a ride to an Asian woman who said she was late for an appointment. Christensen said the woman panicked after he apparently made a wrong turn and he let her out in a residential area.

Christensen was placed under continuous surveillance June 16 and his apartment was searched. On Thursday he was captured on an audio recording explaining how he took Zhang to his apartment and held her against her will, according to the affidavit.

Zhang's father, Ronggao Zhang, traveled to Illinois from Nanping, China, to be closer to the search. On Thursday, he took part in a walk with students and university staff to the corner where his daughter was last seen.

Zhang graduated last year with a master's degree in environmental engineering from one of China's elite schools, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School. Friends and family said she dreamed of one day landing a professorship and helping her parents financially.
Contrary to what you may have surmised from the History Channel's Twitter feed, George Washington was not present at the Battle of Gettysburg.

The Father of Our Country had many talents, but time travel was not among them.
LONDON  Charlie Gard, who turns 11 months old on Tuesday, was born with an extremely rare genetic disease. He is blind and deaf, and he cannot breathe or move on his own.

The London hospital that is treating Charlie went to court to request permission to remove him from life support; his parents want to take him to the United States, where they believe that an experimental treatment has a chance  however remote  of saving his life.

Three courts in Britain agreed with the hospital, as did the European Court of Human Rights, which last week rejected a request by the parents to hear the case, in which they had argued that the hospital was violating the boys right to life.

Pope Francis and President Trump have now also weighed in, adding another dimension to an extraordinarily difficult bioethical and legal matter that pits Britains medical and judicial establishment against the wishes of the childs parents.

A Vatican spokesman, Greg Burke, told Vatican Radio on Sunday that the pope had been following the parents case with affection and sadness and praying that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored.

Trump wrote on Twitter on Monday that if the U.S. could help, we would be delighted to do so.

Charlie was born on Aug. 4, 2016, with encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He is thought to be one of only 16 children globally with the condition.

His parents, Connie Yates and Chris Gard, have been waging a long and emotionally wrenching legal battle to keep him alive, and they have raised more than 1.3 million pounds, or about $1.7 million, to help finance experimental treatment in the U.S.

Charlie has been treated at Great Ormond Street Hospital since October. The hospital said that it was acting in the childs best interests. When parents do not agree about a childs future treatment, it is standard legal process to ask the courts to make a decision, it said in a statement.

The hospital has not indicated when it would cut off life support.

In a detailed statement laying out the ethical and medical justification for not allowing Charlie to travel to the U.S., the hospital said there was no cure for his condition. It said it had concluded that the experimental treatment in the U.S. would not improve Charlies quality of life.

Dan Bilefsky and Sewell Chan are New York Times writers.
GREENUP -- A St. Louis woman was taken to an area hospital after losing control of her vehicle in an accident at 6:20 p.m. Friday at mile marker 112.5 on Interstate 70 east.

Illinois State Police reported that Olivia W. Slosson, 20, was driving a white 1999 GMC truck in the right lane of the interstate going eastbound at the time of the accident.

According to police, a witness stated that Slossons vehicle swerved left and then overcorrected back to the right. Wales' auto then reportedly left the roadway to the right and struck the guardrail south of the interstate, overturning onto its top in the right lane of the eastbound lanes of the interstate.

She was charged with improper lane usage. State police said Slosson was transported by helicopter to an area hospital.

The accident was followed by another collision soon after between two other vehicles. State police report that because of the initial crash, eastbound traffic was experiencing intermittent slowing and stopping due to traffic backup.

According to preliminary investigations, state police report that both Gilbert J. Sidener, 36, of Salem, driving a black 2000 Dodge Dakota truck, and Samuel E. Murray, 34, of Swansea, driving a black 2006 Jeep Grand Cherokee, were traveling at 8:25 p.m. that day eastbound on I-70 near mile marker 112.

Sidener told police that he did not notice Murrays vehicle in front of him slowing and stopping in time to slow down as well, the police report notes.

As a result, Sidener's auto collided with the rear end of Murrays vehicle that was then knocked off the roadway and came to rest in the center median, while Sidener's vehicle crossed lanes and came to rest down an embankment on the south side of the interstate.

April Lepes, 36, of Salem, who was a passenger in Sideners vehicle, was sent by ambulance to a regional hospital in Terre Haute, Ind., for injuries sustained during the crash.

A juvenile was also reported to be in Sideners vehicle. No one except for Lepes was reported to have been sent to a hospital. Sidener was cited for failure to reduce speed to avoid an accident, driving too fast for conditions and operating an uninsured vehicle.
BANGKOK  Fearful that Thailands new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers.

Labor regulations that took effect June 23 could give foreign workers without proper permits up to five years in prison, while their employers could face fines of up to 800,000 baht ($23,500).

Officials and workers advocates estimated Monday that roughly 30,000 workers have returned home since the rules took effect.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, under pressure from industries employing the migrants, says hell institute a 120-day extension of the deadline for worker registration.

Thailand has about 2.6 million foreign workers, mostly from its poorer neighbors Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Half are estimated to be working illegally. Many work in low-paying or dangerous jobs that Thais are reluctant to do, in fields such as construction, farming and fishing.

The regulations have caused the loss of 40,000 to 80,000 migrant workers from the construction industry, according to Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Thai Contractors Association. He did not say how many workers left on their own, or how many were pushed out by nervous employers.

We found that many workers were told to leave, some without being paid, by their employers. Now, with such a massive outflow, the government is talking about the grace period, said Patima Tungpuchayakul of the Labor Rights Promotion Network, which is involved in the protection of migrant workers. But the damage is already done. Poor migrant workers already are panicking and leaving the country. These are people who cant afford travel expenses or living without employment.

She noted that workers who left would face a new round of expenses should they seek to return to work legally, because they would have to come up with payment fees to employment agencies. This could force them to borrow money again, making their labor a way of paying off the debt, a cycle that is known as debt bondage.

Cambodias embassy in Thailand issued a statement over the weekend urging migrant workers to stay calm. It said the embassy and Labor Ministry officials were negotiating with Thai authorities, asking them not to crack down.

Kankanit Wiriyasajja is an Associated Press writer.
1 Ex-leader released: Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert left prison Sunday days after a parole board granted him early release from his 27-month corruption sentence. Olmert, 71, was whisked away by security and driven home after serving 16 months. He appeared gaunt and pale as he left the prison. The terms of Olmerts early release stipulate that for the next few months he must do volunteer work, appear before police twice a month and not give interviews to the media or leave the country. Olmert was convicted in 2014 in a wide-ranging case that accused him of accepting bribes to promote a real-estate project in Jerusalem and obstructing justice. The charges pertained to a period when he was mayor of Jerusalem and trade minister before he became prime minister in 2006.

2 Evacuation crash: A helicopter carrying eight people crashed Sunday while on the way to aid evacuations near a volcano that erupted on the main Indonesian island of Java, killing all eight people aboard, officials said. The eruption of the volcano, located in a popular tourist area, injured at least 10 people. The helicopter had four navy officers and four rescuers on board and reportedly crashed into a cliff just minutes before arriving at Dieng Plateau, where the volcano erupted Sunday. The helicopter went down near Candiroto village in Central Java provinces Temanggung district.
1 Philippines siege: The leader of the militants who laid siege to the southern city of Marawi is believed to be hiding in a mosque there, the Philippines defense chief said Monday, days after Isnilon Hapilon was reported to have fled the bombed-out town. According to our latest info he is still inside Marawi, said Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana. There is information we got this morning that he is hiding in one of the mosques there in Marawi. The militants aligned with the Islamic State group attacked Marawi on May 23 and are confined in a small area but still putting up resistance to government forces. The violence has left at least 459 people dead including 39 civilians, 336 militants, and 84 soldiers and police officers.

2 Cyberattack: A Ukrainian tax software company that is accused of being the patient zero of a damaging global cyberepidemic is under investigation and will face charges, the head of Ukraines CyberPolice said Monday. Col. Serhiy Demydiuk said M.E. Docs employees had ignored repeated warnings about the security of their information technology. They were told many times by various antivirus firms. ... For this neglect, the people in this case will face criminal responsibility, he said. Last weeks unusually disruptive cyberattack was mainly spread through a malicious update to M.E. Docs eponymous tax software program, which is widely used by businesses across Ukraine. The company says its cooperating with authorities.
Qatari officials arrived in Kuwait on Monday, carrying a letter from the countrys emir, Qatari state media said, in what was expected to be a defiant response to demands issued by a quartet of Arab nations led by Saudi Arabia.

Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammad bin Abdul Rahman al Thani was dispatched to deliver the letter from the emir, Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to the Kuwaiti ruler Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmed Al Jaber Sabah, according to Qatars official news agency.

Although the news agency did not say what the letter said, it was widely presumed to be a rejection of the conditions set by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt.

These demands of the countries (imposing) the siege were presented to be rejected, Mohammad Al Thani said at a news conference in Rome on Saturday. Everyone is aware that these demands are meant to infringe the sovereignty of the state of Qatar, shut the freedom of speech and impose auditing and probation mechanism for Qatar.

He added that his country was ready for dialogue.

The four other countries had extended a deadline by 48 hours for the tiny emirate to comply with their list of 13 demands. It is the latest chapter in a showdown that has seen a slew of Arab nations impose punitive economic and political sanctions on Qatar.

The Saudi-led bloc said in a joint statement that its response would be sent following the study of the Qatari governments response and assessment of its response to the whole demands.

The blocs foreign ministers are set to meet in Cairo on Wednesday.

Kuwait has been the main mediator in the almost monthlong crisis. Its leader has worked to placate the Saudi-led bloc, which has accused Doha of supporting adversaries such as the Muslim Brotherhood, meddling in countries internal affairs and maintaining relations with regional nemesis Iran.

Meanwhile, Qatars neighbors have restricted its access to air and sea ports, while its only land border with Saudi Arabia has been shut in a de facto land blockade on the country. (As much as 40 percent of Qatars food comes from Saudi Arabia.) Over the last month, Turkey and Iran have sent planeloads of foodstuffs to cover the shortfall.

Tracy Wilkinson and Nabih Bulos are Tribune Co. writers.
DAMASCUS, Syria  The Syrian military said Monday it has temporarily halted combat operations in the south ahead of Russian-sponsored cease-fire talks with rebels.

The announcement came after a large Syrian rebel faction in the south said it would not attend the talks in the Kazakh capital, Astana, because the government was not abiding by previous cease-fire agreements.

The two sides have held four previous rounds of talks in Kazakhstan since January in parallel to U.N.-brokered peace talks in Geneva. Neither process has made much progress. A cease-fire declared in May, which is built around de-escalation zones, has been repeatedly violated.

The military announcement, carried on Syrian state media, said the present pause would run until July 6, to support the peace process and national reconciliation.

Delegates are expected to begin meeting with a U.N. mediator and other diplomats in Astana on Tuesday.

Syrian Deputy Foreign Minister Faisal Mekdad, meanwhile, questioned the credibility of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, saying its inspectors had failed to visit key sites linked to a nerve gas attack that killed 89 people.

Mekdad dismissed an OPCW report released last week confirming the use of sarin gas on the opposition-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in April. He said the inspectors refused government invitations to visit the site of the attack in northern Syria or the military airport allegedly linked to it.

The report, which drew on samples taken to Turkey, did not say who was responsible for the attack. The results will be turned over to a joint commission with the United Nations to apportion blame. Syria insists it has never used chemical weapons.

The Pentagon said last week that intelligence showed the Syrian military preparing another chemical weapons attack at the same air base the U.S. said was used to launch the Khan Sheikhoun attack on April 4. President Trump ordered punitive missile strikes on the Shayrat air base less than a week after that attack.

Russia, a close ally of Syrian President Bashar Assads government, called the U.S. statement a provocation.

In a press conference Monday, Mekdad said the idea the Syrian government would use chemical weapons was impossible, given that it was already winning the war against its opponents.
The government will give $5 million to Emirates Team New Zealand as it prepares for the next America's Cup, so it can retain key staff.

Following the team's victory in the 35th America's Cup campaign in Bermuda last week, the government is keen for the regatta to return to New Zealand for the next round, which financial backer Stephen Tindall has said will be held in Auckland in 2021.

"While the location for the 36th Americas Cup has not been decided yet, we do know that hosting a regatta in New Zealand has the potential to generate significant economic benefits," Economic Development Minister Simon Bridges said. "This investment of $5 million will go some way towards protecting the valuable intellectual property, experience and skills that rest with key team members."

New Zealand hosted the regattas in 2000 and 2003, and Bridges said around half a billion dollars was added to the country's economy each time, particularly in the marine and tourism sectors.

"New Zealand Trade and Enterprise also held a successful business leverage programme at the 34th Americas Cup in San Francisco in 2013 which generated trade and investment deals for New Zealand worth $200 million and a further $120 million of new sales opportunities and investor interest," Bridges said.

(BusinessDesk)

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Z Energy shares dropped 3.6 percent after a government-commissioned report into fuel prices found areas of concern in petrol pricing.

In a statement released to the NZX, Wellington-based Z Energy said it had removed its main port fuel price (MPP) from its website this morning, one of the recommendations made by the study. The company said it has offered to provide the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment with more data including daily pricing data. The shares fell 28 cents to $7.61 in the first hour of trading, having gained 8.7 percent this year.

The study, released this morning, found New Zealand's fuel market "may not be consistent with a workably competitive market" with retail margins increasing over the past five years while more expensive petrol in the South Island and Wellington aren't explained by higher costs in those areas. The study couldn't conclude that prices are reasonable, and the authors said they had reason to believe they might not be.

The report found retail gross margins on fuel have increased significantly over the period under review, between 2013 and 2017. Fuel companies make the highest margins in Wellington, at around 31 cents per litre, with South Island margins about 30 cents per litre and North Island margins about 21 cents per litre.

The main recommendation was for the government to look further into the issue, including contracts for independent firms to access terminals around the country, and the reasonableness of prices, using price and volume data that companies should be able to provide on a consistent basis. It also recommended potential changes including a registry which would prevent major companies from seeing their competitors' market shares and the possible creation of a liquid wholesale market.

"Z is open to review around the transparency of industry borrow and loan arrangements and is not particularly interested in its competitors market shares as this information does not inform how Z sets prices," chief executive Mike Bennetts said. "Z demonstrated to the study that the New Zealand fuel industry was more competitive than it has ever been in the past; that Zs returns were reasonable and in-line with domestic and international peers; and that barriers to entry were sufficiently low."

NZX-listed Z Energy bought Chevron New Zealand in April 2016, adding Caltex to its local transport fuels business. At the time, the Commerce Commission said price coordination at some stations wasn't enough to reject the merger, but that competition was more robust in regions where budget brand Gull stations operated.

Gull's general manager, Dave Bodger, said the results of the study were no real surprise and he hoped this would mean improved pricing for consumers.

"We've seen price disparity between Wellington and the South Island and the rest of the country for some time," Bodger told BusinessDesk. "We've seen those prices increase in areas we're not operating. It's a positive for consumers in areas where prices have been higher, this is actually flashing the light on where prices are."

Bodger said the company had been consistently rejected by all the major fuel companies for supply contracts when it has looked into expansion into the South Island, and the regulator is aware of this.

Mark Lister, head of private wealth research at Craigs Investment Partners, said the market would have to "go away and digest the report" and consider whether there was more to come.

"There might well be - there's a lot of data limitation and misinformation out there. It's a really difficult industry to form any firm, concrete views on, or all the questions the study was asking," Lister said. "Z prices are off a little bit because the risks of the regulator and government taking a slightly more heavy-handed approach is there, the study on the face of it leaves that open for something more to develop, so it adds a bit of risk to the sector."

"Having said that, Z has had a pretty good run, the share price had a good performance during June so there's probably a bit of profit taking as well," Lister said. "The share price is back to where it was a month ago. It'll probably be a bit volatile in the short term while people get their head around the study."

In a Cabinet paper reporting back on the study, Energy and Resources Minister Judith Collins said she plans to ask the commerce minister whether "the Commerce Commission should undertake a further, competition-specific fuel market study using data which is comparable across companies" once the antitrust regulator is empowered to undertake indepth market studies.

BP, Mobil and Chevron weren't immediately available for comment.

(BusinessDesk)

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SPRINGFIELD  Illinois lawmakers are back to work after a dramatic vote in the House to increase income taxes by 32 percent.

Attention turns today to the Senate, where lawmakers will consider the budget measures approved by the House a day earlier. The tax legislation increases the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to just under 5 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

Republican Gov. Bruce Rauner already promised to veto it.

Also moving to the Senate is a $36 billion spending plan the House OK'd Sunday. It's about $1 billion less than the spending outline the Senate passed in May.

The House turns its attention to other matters such as a Senate plan to borrow billions of dollars to pay down overdue bills.

The proposed tax change would be the largest increase ever in Illinois. The House approval brought strong language from the business community.

"Illinois continues to lose good, high-paying manufacturing jobs while all of our neighboring states are growing because our elected officials continue to impose higher taxes and more regulations. It's a recipe for disaster," said Greg Baise, president and CEO of the Illinois Manufacturers' Association.

Fifteen Republicans joined majority Democrats in the 72-45 vote for the tax increases, providing one more than the three-fifths majority necessary for the law to take effect immediately. Rauner derided the proposals as lacking spending restraint or "structural" changes to he wants.

"Illinois families don't deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the Legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs," Rauner said.

State House Speaker Michael Madigan, D-Chicago, said GOP and Democrat lawmakers on Sunday "stood together to take a crucial step toward reaching a compromise that ends the budget crisis by passing a fully funded state budget" that is bipartisan.

"While none could say this was an easy decision, it was the right decision; its clear that a budget package that cuts billions of dollars in state spending and also provides new revenue is the only path forward," he said.

Mark Grant, state director of the National Federation of Independent Business, asked House members to reconsider the action.

"The permanent income tax increase and state budget that passed out of the House today doesn't do nearly enough to address the state's very serious financial crisis," he said. "The legislature failed to address skyrocketing property taxes and repair the state's broken workers' comp system. Instead, House leadership have saddled small businesses and their employees with a huge tax bill.

The revenue package now goes to the Senate for approval. The proposal would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.

"Today, we can change the awful trajectory of the past several years," said the bill's sponsor, Democratic Rep. Greg Harris of Chicago said before the vote. "We can vote. We can do our jobs we can get it done. The people in this room, the men and women in this room can save our state."

Lawmakers missed a critical Saturday deadline for a state budget, for the third years in a row. Without a budget, credit rating agencies have threatened to downgrade Illinois to "junk" status. The state comptroller will be unable by August to cover even the basic services ordered by courts and the $6.2 billion budget deficit and $14.7 billion in overdue bills would grow. Projects like Richland Community College's Student Success Center also are in peril.

Illinois is one of several states that don't have budgets in place as of July 1. Others are Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Oregon, Rhode Island, and Wisconsin, while in Pennsylvania and Michigan the budget has passed the Legislature and is on the governor's desk.

The Illinois impasse, however, is the longest state budget crisis since at least the Great Depression, with a $6.2 billion deficit and $14.7 billion in past-due bills.

Shortly after the tax-hike vote Sunday, the chamber voted 81-34 on fiscal blueprint that would spend about $36 billion. Democrats have said that is $800 million less than what Rauner himself proposed last winter.

Illinois Republican Party Chairman Tim Schneider called the tax increase the "product of insider deal-making between special interests and entrenched politicians."

"Next year, voters will hold those politicians accountable for choosing Madigan over the people of Illinois," he said. "Now more than ever, Republicans across Illinois are standing with Gov. Rauner and redoubling our efforts to end Madigans corrupt status quo."
Dear Dr. Roach: I'm almost 84, and all my life I have had a problem with sinusitis. Never headaches, just post-nasal drip and use of multiple tissues. (I really should buy shares in tissue companies, as I'd rather leave home without my clothes on than without a couple of tissues.) I blow my nose an awful lot.

Anyway, I have always thought that yellow mucus was a sign of infection, but recently my doctor assured me that the color is no longer considered an issue, unless it is a very dark brown. Do you agree with that opinion?

-- V.M.

A: Normal nasal secretions are nearly colorless, and they become colored due to the action of bacteria. So, in cases of bacterial sinus infection, the mucus is usually colored. However, bacteria that normally live in the nasal passages can turn the mucus to a yellow or light-brown color even in the absence of infection. The color intensity is due more to the amount of time the bacteria spend in contact with the mucus. Mucus color is not a reliable indicator of infection.

Atrial fibrillation

Dear Dr. Roach: My 73-year-old husband was diagnosed with atrial fibrillation about 10 months ago. His cardiologist feels that, at this time, all he needs to do is take an 81-mg tablet of aspirin each day, and when he turns 75, possibly take a medication such as Xarelto. My husband's only symptom is shortness of breath when he exerts himself, e.g. walking, mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, etc. Will this type of exercise or work cause him problems with the atrial fibrillation?

-- J.P.

A: Atrial fibrillation is a common diagnosis. I receive many questions about it. It is a lack of rhythm of the heart, and the heart rate also can become very fast, especially with exercise. The other major issue with atrial fibrillation is that clots can form in the atria, and these can migrate to critical organs, especially the brain, causing a stroke.

The two issues are treated differently. Stroke risk is assessed by the clinician, often using a scale such as the CHA2DS2-VASc score, a predictor of stroke risk. I suspect your husband's cardiologist is using this score, since it is at age 75 when the score becomes high enough to recommend an oral anticoagulant, such as warfarin or rivaroxaban (Xarelto). Some people with atrial fibrillation can be managed with aspirin, but many cannot.

The second issue is control of the heart rate. A few people with atrial fibrillation don't need medication (or any treatment) for heart rate, but many do. I am concerned that your husband's heart rate may be getting elevated during exertion. Hopefully his cardiologist has already evaluated this; if not, he should. A stress test or a 24-hour heart monitor are two of the most common ways to evaluate heart rate response to exercise. Heart rate can be controlled with medication.

An alternative is to try to get the person out of atrial fibrillation and back into a normal heart rhythm. This treatment strategy, called rhythm control, is not likely to be effective for people who have been in atrial fibrillation for many years and who have structural heart disease.

So, my answer is that a little shortness of breath may not be a bad thing, but your husband is at risk for having a fast heart rate, which should be checked.

* * *

The booklet on abnormal heart rhythms explains atrial fibrillation and the more common heart rhythm disturbances in greater detail. Readers can obtain a copy by writing:Dr. Roach, Book No. 107,628 Virginia Dr., Orlando, FL 32803. Enclose a check or money order (no cash) for $4.75 with the recipient's printed name and address. Please allow four weeks for delivery.
GANDHINAGAR: The Ministry of Textiles on Saturday signed as many as 65 MoUs in the textile sector on the second day of the first of its kind mega exhibition Textiles India 2017.

"The MoUs were signed between various domestic and international organisations from the industry and government," an official said.

The MoUs were signed in presence of Union Textiles Minister Smriti Irani and Minister of State, Textiles, Ajay Tamta.

The MoUs signed relate to exchange of information and documentation, research and development, commercialisation of handloom products and silk production, cooperation in geo-textiles, skill development and supply of cotton and trade promotion with overseas partners.

"In two days, we have signed 65 MoUs. We are hoping a large scale of investment. Here is a government which is here for redressal of your grievances. The government is also willing to listen the problems you face," Irani told a investors meet here after signing the MoUs.

She said that among 65 signed MoUs, three were signed with Australia, Bangladesh and China.

Irani said that the current age is a golden era for development of textiles industry.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- A jury will decide whether a 25-year-old former Fort Wadsworth resident, who is accused of shooting and wounding his girlfriend two years ago in a park and then trying to blame the crime on a fictitious black man, actually pulled the trigger.

Anthony Nicoletti has opted to go to trial in state Supreme Court, St. George. Jury selection is scheduled for Wednesday with opening statements planned for Monday, July 10.

Nicoletti is charged with attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault and other crimes stemming from the May 6, 2015 incident.

Nicoletti previously rejected prosecutors' offer to plead guilty to either of the two top counts against him in exchange for a 12-year prison sentence.

Nicoletti faces up to 25 years behind bars if convicted of either of those charges at trial.

The victim is expected to testify, based on prosecutors' statements Monday at a conference.

The shooting occurred about 4 a.m. in Van Briesen Park, Fort Wadsworth, according to police.

Nicoletti shot his 22-year-old girlfriend in the lower back and right wrist during an argument, authorities allege. When police arrived, they found him by a park bench, yelling that the woman had been shot, police said.

Officers said Nicoletti, who is white, told them that the couple had been hanging out at the park when a black man approached them, started shooting, and fled.

The woman initially only told responding officers she was in extreme pain. She was placed in a medically-induced coma, but she identified Nicoletti as the shooter on May 9 after undergoing surgery in Staten Island University Hospital, Ocean Breeze, said authorities.

He was arrested later that day.

Nicoletti is the younger brother of Ralph Nicoletti, who orchestrated a notorious 2008 Election Night hate-crime spree.

Ralph Nicoletti, 26, was released from federal prison in February of this year after serving a nine-year prison sentence for leading a racially-motivated rampage in response to Barack Obama's election in 2008.

He and three cohorts beat a 17-year-old Liberian immigrant with a metal pipe, and ran down another man with their car because they thought, incorrectly, he was black.

Anthony Nicoletti also has a criminal record. It includes an attempted-robbery conviction in August 2010 for which he was sentenced to 30 months in prison.

Assistant District Attorneys Lisa Davis and Brooke Baranoski are prosecuting the shooting case.

Mark J. Fonte represents Nicoletti.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Big ideas are pumping out of a tiny space on the North Shore.

Thanks to the creative minds of Kristin Wallace and Tom Ferrie from Randall Manor, matched by a grant from Staten Island Arts via the NYC Department of Cultural Affairs, a new platform for the borough to express itself is just a click away.

MakerPark Radio launched over the weekend in Stapleton.

Contrary to some media reports, this is not some former closet space: It's an internet channel broadcasting ambitious playlists of authentic Latin, rock, disco, house and "oldies" music -- to name a few featured genres.

"My inspiration came from when I interned at LUMEN [Fest with Staten Island Arts]," Wallace said. "I would see thousands of people pouring in and it got me thinking about how I wanted to do something for this community."

Point blank: "The community was there, if you only built it."

The station, based out of Staten Island MakerSpace, overlooks its namesake across the street: Maker Park, located on the corner of Thompson and Front streets.

THE NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

To introduce themselves to the neighborhood, the MakerPark Radio crew threw a free listening launch party Saturday in the lot across the way.

Flagship Brewing Co. in Tompkinsville donated kegs and cans of beer to the event, along with 80 burritos provided by Ho'Brah Taco in West Brighton. Plus: 5050 Skate Park provided a custom-made sign to hang in the station's studio.

Side note: Sources from MakerSpace say it took three-and-a-half years to get the lease for the lot next door and they plan on using the area for tons of outdoor workshops, activities and events this summer.

When it comes to the industrial surroundings, MakerSpace co-founder Scott Van Campen shares a clear message: "This is not a dumping ground. We make a lot of things over here and our goal is always to bring people together. Music should be something we could make here as well."

Billed as a "passion project that could," Maker Park Radio's creators aim to unite a "community of artists, advocates and creators."

LOTS OF HEART ON THE WAVES

What the studio lacks in physical sprawl, its inhabitants make up for in wide open hearts. Sure, the up-and-coming online radio station made its debut Saturday -- but it's been in the development process for months.

Wallace's one rule in booking talent: No politics, just good music.

The station streams live video from inside the booth as DJs and talk show hosts play their sets. On their debut date, Maker Park Radio attracted viewers and listeners from England, Dublin and Puerto Rico, as well as Staten Islanders.

"The video component is to engage people watching online," said Wallace. "It's like they're looking into the process and it, hopefully, makes them feel like they're a part of something."

The station is set to stream live 24/7, with more than 40 on-air DJs delivering a variety of talents from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m.

NOW FOR THE TALENT

MakerPark is much more than music: It's a landing pad for diverse local voices. Talk shows include PR guru Jaclyn Tacoronte's "Motivational Mondays," noted tattoo artist Magie Serpica's "MakeHER Space" and urban farmer Asher Landes' "Urban Farm Yarn" to their lineup.

@Empressgreeninc in the house tonight for practice week at the studio. So psyched for Urban Farm Yarn -- a show about urban farming! A post shared by @makerparkradio on Jun 29, 2017 at 9:40pm PDT

"Lak Nadha" is a Sri Lankan children's show airing Sundays from 9 a.m. to noon. The goal: "To teach children the modern language and how to connect with their culture," says show host Suranga Perera. (For the uninitiated, S.I. is home to the largest Sri Lankan population outside of, well, Sri Lanka.)

Here are some more show descriptions to help set the MakerPark mood:

Channels & Winds with Ray brings you an eclectic blend of today's Bottom 40 hits from all major genres, from Reptilian Disco to Sock-Hop Soul. Ray, your host, will engage a menagerie of wide-eyed guests in conversation about music, art, politics, culture, garbage, anger, and other elitist intellectual pursuits that you're sick of hearing about already.

Classical-ish with Nutmeg is an intrepid foray into the genre non-conforming outer edges of the classical universe, where women who make beautiful noise, non-Western modalities, sonic experimentation and composers of color are what's happening.

Clave Caleidoscope: Nelson Gutierrez has been a professional trumpeter in New York City for over 35 years. He has performed with many Salsa and Latin artists like Larry Harlow, Jose Alberto "El Canario", Celia Cruz, Ray Sepulveda and Tito Nieves where he was the Musical Director for over a decade.

This is his first venture into the DJ booth where he will play the music of his youth and music he grew to love. Clave Caleidoscope is on every Sunday morning from 10 a.m. to noon, playing lesser heard tracks of Latin jazz and salsa.

Dan Mackta, freeform music radio inspired by life on Staten Island's North Shore.

DJ Kinetic, discussing Hip Hop music and culture. DJ Kinetic will be playing indie bangers, classics, deep album cuts, & demos to find diamonds in the rough.

Greg Pesochin, aka Udachi, is a New York-based, electronic music producer whose visionary work fuses a wide-screen psychedelic approach, informed by Pink Floyd, to the dirty, low-end hum of what writer Simon Reynolds calls "the post-hardcore continuum."

His sound is the result of a journey as a person and DJ, from his place of birth in Ukraine in 1981, as a skater kid in the '90s listening to metal and hardcore through to the early 2000s when his ears were informed by the Staten Island roller rinks, with their disco and freestyle soundtrack, and the dance floors of New York bacchanals like The Tunnel, which were driven by heady blends of high velocity rave music and dark, driving progressive house.

Udachi's show is on Sunday nights from 6-8 p.m.

Rob Janicke is the founder and co-owner of SoundEvolution Music, a new independent record label and management company based in Staten Island, NY. SoundEvolution Music exists for the sole purpose of putting out music that should be heard.

Janicke, along with Brian Crowe from The End Studios at Kreischer Mansion, will be doing a show every other Sunday from 4-6pm.

Steve Piazza hosts a talk show "All About Food," that explains the ethics and the science of cooking and the eating.

Two Drink Minimum is a show about beer and making stuff -- whether that's music, sculpture or just more booze.

World Enrage, featuring Mike Pelle & Jeff "Enrage" Altieri, playing the best in metal, hardcore, punk & local music.

You Name It with local musician Rory Merola is a multi-genre, depth-delving show harkening in to lesser-known music spanning the '70s to the present. Disclaimer: You might learn something while enjoying the sounds.

MakerSpace is located between 450 Front St., between Front and Thompson. For more information, visit MakerParkRadio.nyc.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Boaters beware!

Sunken ships and abandoned moorings have become a safety hazard in Great Kills Harbor, particularly at night when there is limited visibility, boaters say.

"Somebody has to be responsible for this," said Fred Delise, who has been sailing out of Great Kills Harbor for more than 30 years. "It's a real danger for the boaters."

Delise said he contacted the city Parks Department, Harbor Patrol, the Coast Guard and the Department of Environmental Conservation, but no agencies would assume responsibility for the boats and moorings.

Delise said one sunken sailboat has been unattended for more than two months.

Complicating matters are moorings that have been abandoned by their owners, he said. In some cases, the chains connecting them to their anchors have rusted away, allowing them to float around the harbor outside of their assigned location.

And, in some circumstances, people have attached unattended boats to abandoned moorings thinking they're helping to station the vessel. Instead, the boats float around aimlessly until they eventually crash ashore.

"When somebody puts a boat on an abandoned mooring the chain sometimes can't hold the boat because it's rotted away and the boat goes floating through the harbor," Delise said.

ADRIFT SINCE SANDY

He said one boat had been drifting around the harbor since Hurricane Sandy, but it wasn't until it recently crashed on the shore that the Parks Department took action. The boat was moved up onto a ramp more than three weeks ago, but still hasn't been removed, he said.

"NYC Parks is not responsible nor resourced to address vessel and mooring abandonments in state-owned waters like Great Kills Harbor," said a Parks Department spokesperson. "Private boating clubs and individual permittees are responsible for maintaining and inspecting their moorings and related equipment in Great Kills Harbor."

But private boating clubs that distribute moorings in Great Kills Harbor, like Richmond County Yacht Club, claim that the responsibility falls on the individual owners.

"We know where most of the delinquent moorings are, but we can't accept responsibility for that as a corporation because of private ownership. Someone owns those boats and moorings," said Richmond County Yacht Club Commodore Tim Mahoney.

HELP ON THE WAY?

When the Advance asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers about the boats and moorings, a spokesperson said the agency would take on the responsibility of collecting items that are "a threat or impediment to navigation within federal waterways."

The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers conducts a drift collection program that removed more than 400,000 cubic feet of drifts and floatables from New York and New Jersey harbors last year.

To file a complaint, contact the program headquarters at the Caven Point Marine Terminal in Jersey City at 201-309-2350.

"This has been an ongoing problem that's been constantly pushed off from one agency to another," Delise said. "I'm not going to jump ahead and praise them until they actually do something about it."
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If you're one of the many Staten Islanders heading to a New Jersey beach for the Independence Day weekend, or are there already, you may know that New Jersey government has shut down all non-essential government facilities, including state parks and beaches.

A budgetary disagreement between Republican Gov. Chris Christie and Democratic Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto allowed the budget to expire at midnight on Friday without a new one in place, causing a shutdown of government services.

Christie and his family were spotted lounging on one of the closed beaches, Island Beach State Park, home to the governor's official retreat. The public is being turned away from the beach, but during the weekend, the Christie family got to enjoy the splendor of the beach all to themselves.

Asked by reporters about the reaction from the public, Christie said, as reported in the Asbury Park Press, "That's just the way it goes. Run for governor and you can have a residence."

Christie, like every New Jersey governor, has two residences: the Drumthwacket mansion in Princeton, which is the official residence, and the summer house. Before the shutdown, the governor said he and his family planned to celebrate their son's birthday at the summer house.

While a special session of the New Jersey Legislature was scheduled to begin Monday at 10 a.m., it's unclear when a deal might be reached or whether 30,000 to 35,000 non-essential state workers will be furloughed.

So if you're not the governor of the state of New Jersey where state parks and beaches are closed until state leaders reach a budget agreement, where can you go?

Here's what you need to know:

*State beaches Cheesequake and Island Beach are closed.

*Liberty State Park in Jersey City, where the annual 4th of July fireworks take place, is also closed. While the fireworks won't take place there under the shutdown, according to NJ.com, Jersey City Mayor Steve Fulop has committed to relocating the fireworks -- with a performance by Kool and the Gang -- at Exchange Place in downtown Jersey City if the shutdown continues through Tuesday.

*Municipal parks and beaches remain open, and local fireworks displays will continue as scheduled.

*State offices are closed, as well as travel and tourism welcome centers, with essential staff, like state police and state correctional officers and hospital employees remaining on the clock.

*Here's a complete list from NJ.com of all state parks that are closed.

What else remains open? The New Jersey tolling system, of course.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Likely named for her unique blond coloring, a 10-month old miniature Scottish highland heifer was recently donated to the Staten Island Zoo, and goes by the name of the most famous starlet and pin-up girl of all time, Marilyn Monroe.

With the generosity of the North Shore Rotary Club, the Zoo has acquired Marilyn Monroe -- who has a unique chocolate blond coloring that comes from her breeding -- from a farm in Wisconsin.

Just 32 inches tall now, Marilyn will only be about 3 1/2 feet when fully grown.

Like most breeds originating from the Shetland Islands, which is part of Scotland, the breed has a long, hairy coat, a characteristic attributed to the hard climate of the native environment.

WHERE TO FIND HER

Marilyn resides in the Big Barn corral with the alpacas and donkeys, part of the Zoo's Children's Center.

Miniature Scottish highland heifers are considered to be a "heritage breed," traditional livestock breeds that were raised in a bygone era, before industrial agriculture became a mainstream practice, according to the Zoo.

She may trace her heritage back to the Viking era.

"The North Shore Rotary Club is proud help fund the Staten Island Zoo where they can benefit children and adults alike," said Charles Di Bartolo, president of the North Shore Rotary Club.

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We all scream for ice cream! That popular saying is commonly heard around summertime when ice cream is the go-to item at summer gatherings and the perfect sweet treat on a hot afternoon. I learned while studying dairy trivia for Dairy Bowl that National Ice Cream Month is held each year in July; it always seemed fitting with warm weather outside and the delectable summer treat that ice cream is. Curious on the history, I decided to research how this special dairy celebrated month came to be.

According to the International Dairy Foods Association, President Ronald Reagan declared July to be National Ice Cream Month in the year 1984. He stated in his proclamation the strong economic output the ice cream industry yields for the United States economy. With the announcement of National Ice Cream Month and National Ice Cream Day (July 16, 2017, the 3rd Sunday in July), the president encouraged U.S. citizens to celebrate with appropriate ceremonies and activities.

We all know the dairy industry produces a ton of ice cream just by taking one glance at all the flavors and brands in the grocery freezer aisle. In 2015, production totaled 1,346 million gallons of ice cream and 1,474 million gallons of frozen dairy products (National Milk Producers Federation Dairy Data Highlights, October 2016). This data also shared that the average American consumed 19.6 pounds of ice cream (regular and less fat) in 2015.

As dairy farmers, enthusiasts, and promoters, it is our responsibility to advocate for the industry that drives our daily lives and actions. Sharing these ice cream facts with others in your community is a simple way to promote the dairy industry and play a role in this annual sweet celebration.
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"No. Listen to me, with all due respect," Price responded. "The American people are concerned about a health-care system that is not providing choices, where premiums are going up, where insurance companies are vacating markets all across this land. And that's what they want us to concentrate on. And that's what they want us to fix. And that's what I and the president are working on."
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A Canberra teenager who extorted gay men he targeted on a hook-up app has at most a year to show why he should not go to prison, after a magistrate deferred his sentence.

The 16-year-old, who cannot be named because of his age, pleaded guilty to blackmail after creating a profile on Grindr and arranging to meet with the victim in public, where he revealed his age (then 15), demanded cash and threaten to "out" him as a sex offender.

Victims of the alleged blackmail scam were contacted through Facebook and gay dating apps such as Grindr. Credit:Leon Neal

On Monday the teen faced a sentencing hearing in the ACT Children's Court where defence solicitor Paul Edmonds argued for leniency, citing his youth and his efforts so far at meeting bail conditions, including attending school.

The boy had expressed remorse, and while he had had "warped thinking" that conflated homosexuality and paedophilia he now understood that was wrong, he said.
Shares in retirement village giant Aveo slumped on Monday following news Australia's consumer watchdog will launch an investigation into the company.

Australian Competition & Consumer Commission (ACCC) chairman Rod Sims has said the agency will investigate some of the "more serious matters being raised" in relation to Aveo and that ASIC and state regulators would also need to get involved.

The share price fell 5.4 per cent on Monday, closing at $2.64.

A joint Fairfax Media-Four Corners investigation uncovered questionable business practices at Aveo, including churning of residents, fee gouging, and safety issues.
It's a pretty simple concept that some of corporate Australia is yet to grasp: companies that set and measure gender diversity targets are more gender diverse.

A research report, released by The 30% Club, analysed ASX 200 companies' annual reports and found that the more comprehensive the reporting, the greater the percentage of female board members.

The ASX 200 Director Snapshot, found that all ASX 200 companies with female chairwomen reported gender diversity results. The percentage of females heading ASX 200 boards is 5.5 per cent (as of May 31). But overall, less than 60 per cent of ASX 200 companies published a numerical gender diversity target (58.5 per cent).

This is despite the former Labor government in 2012 introducing legislation that requires non-public sector employers with 100 or more employees to report to the government against various gender equality indicators. These were controversially watered down by former prime minister Tony Abbott.
A little lateral thinking works wonders. Just as Bubblewrap was originally designed to be wallpaper rather than a finger-popping, parcel-protecting relaxation, Jaqui Fitch, of Newport, suggests an alternative use for C8 readers equipped with tea bag squeezers. "They are useful for getting small pieces of toast out of the toaster without electrocuting oneself." A toast to C8 bright sparks.

After an appalling service experience during weekend shopping, Bill Leigh, of West Pennant Hills, remonstrated with the shop manager about the lack of staff training. "He mounted a strange defence. 'What happens if I go to the expense of fully training them and they leave?'. I replied: 'What happens if you don't train them and they stay?'. The dogs keep barking as the caravan moves slowly on."

Nola Tucker, of Kiama, wonders if Joan Brown's response to scam callers (C8) will be known as the JB manoeuvre? "Are there any variations?" Richard Stewart, of Pearl Beach, suggests one. "Keep a whistle (Aussie Thrillers recommended) next to the phone. One short blast is all that is needed." Presumably, that's a sales pitch.

Bill Mirow, of Darling Point, shares another Spikeism. "On arrival by ship to perform in Sydney, Spike Milligan was asked by a reporter: 'How long will you be in Australia?'. Quick as a flash he replied: 'About 5 feet 6'." And Tim Bowra, of Rozelle, offers this from Spike in his latter years: "I don't mind going to heaven, but if Jeffrey Archer's there, I would prefer to go to Lewisham."

On "ageing firsts" (C8), Barry Riley, of Woy Woy, points out that age is in the eye of the beholder. "At age eight my son, taught to be polite to his elders, once prevented other kids getting on the bus, shouting: 'Let the old lady on first!' The 'old lady' was in her 20s." When William Williams, of Manly, asked his father, then in his 80s, his GP's prognosis following a consultation, his dad replied: "He suggested I should not start looking at serials." And Coral Button, of North Epping, recalls: "When he was about 98, the great Gough Whitlam was asked by an interviewer: 'And you have four children, sir?'. Gough's inimitable reply: 'So far'."
When Jeff Kennett founded beyondblue 17 years ago he did so with a vision that it would become an agent of mass social reform around mental health. What he has achieved is remarkable, with beyondblue now Australia's leading mental health organisation. I am deeply proud to succeed Jeff in the role of chair.

In many ways, I feel that in doing so my life has come full circle. My father was a psychiatric nurse. He worked with compassion and empathy with those living at Glenside hospital, and he never shied away from talking honestly to my sister Alison and me about the work he did. At least in our family, the crippling stigma that still too often surrounds mental health did not exist. In taking up this position, I am honouring the work of my father, and in my own way, continuing it too.

As chair, I intend to work closely with our excellent team at beyondblue to build on Jeff's fierce bipartisan advocacy and prevention work on depression, anxiety and especially suicide.

In building good mental health, one factor we cannot ignore is the importance of building resilience. As a former prime minister of our great nation  and one whose experience as the first woman held its own unique challenges  I understand deeply the importance of building resilience. I have always believed that resilience is like a muscle  the more you use it, the stronger it grows.
After decades of false starts and dashed hopes, the Sydney Fish Market looks set for a bright and better future. Premier Gladys Berejiklian has taken the next step in a $250 million plan to overhaul the precinct, announcing Danish architecture practice 3XN had been awarded the contract to design the new Sydney Fish Market. This followed submissions from more than 60 Australian and international design studios. 3XN will lead a design consortium that includes its innovation arm GXN in charge of sustainability, Sydney's BVN as executive architect, Aspect Studios as landscape architect and WallnerWeiss as public art specialist. "A fresh look for the iconic fish market is long overdue and we can now get on with the job that has been in the too-hard basket for too long," the Premier said. Building is expected to begin next year and should take two or three years to complete.

The development is part of a NSW government plan to transform 95 hectares of majority government-owned land along the harbour two kilometres west from the CBD into new residential and commercial space, including relocating the market and converting the disused White Bay Power Station in Rozelle into a tech hub.

Good food: Mackerel at Sydney Fish Markets. Credit:Edwina Pickles

Established in 1945, the Sydney Fish Market moved from the Haymarket to Blackwattle Bay, Pyrmont, in 1966, and remained highly regulated until the Coalition privatised the marketing of seafood in 1994. Regulations changed and fishing boat numbers dwindled, but the market received a new shot of life when al fresco dining became fashionable and now some three million tourists visit annually. Since the earliest days, there have been calls for redevelopment. Twelve years ago, a long-awaited master plan to modernise the site was approved until the then Labor government backed away from the project due to lack of funds. Plans for the reboot and relocation come after the collapse in April of plans by state agency UrbanGrowth to build new offices as part of the White Bay redevelopment.

The NSW government has yet to release specifics about how the multimillion-dollar project will be funded. With the $549 million cost blowout to the Sydney light-rail construction, and the shelving of plans to combat extra congestion from the new homes and shops, it is clear that the Berejiklian government has no money for new big projects. The Premier envisaged new uses of the current site would pay for the Sydney Fish Market relocation and development. That surely is code for selling the old site for apartment development.
The author of a landmark report into Australia's petroleum tax regime has warned replacing the existing tax would have damaging consequences despite claims Australia is missing out on billions of dollars in tax from multinational gas exporters.

Economist Michael Callaghan, who was selected by Treasurer Scott Morrison to chair a review into the petroleum resource rent tax, defended his findings at a Senate hearing on Monday.

"In an increasingly competitive marketplace for investment, I would place a high weight on avoiding policy changes that could potentially significantly damage Australia as an attractive investment location," he told the hearing by phone.
Melbourne has lost a fashion icon with the sudden death of Morry Fishman, the patriarch of the Miss Louise shoe empire.

Mr Fishman died over the weekend after suffering a heart attack while on a business trip to Italy with his daughter, Jacqueline.

Morry Fishman, founder of Miss Louise, died over the weekend from a heart attack while on a business trip in Italy.

Mr Fishman's son, Darren, said the family was in shock but his father died doing what he loved.

"He was very active. If he couldn't [go to work] it would have been a blow to him. For him to go at the top of his game and doing what he loved ... and living it up on Capri [was better]," he said.
The baby was born healthy and without complication in September, but then its health began to deteriorate rapidly.

Doctors - scrambling to uncover the cause of the infant's respiratory distress - transferred the baby to the neonatal intensive care unit and began a series of tests, according to a report released this week by the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, the United States' health protection agency. Those tests revealed a deadly blood infection known as late-onset group B Streptococcus agalactiae (GBS) bacteremia, which doctors treated with an 11-day course of antibiotics.

Knowledge about the effects of consuming the placenta for mother and child is still evolving. Credit:Michele Mossop

But after returning home, the baby contracted a second GBS infection and was rushed to another hospital. It was there that doctors discovered the cause of the recurring infection was the mother's own placenta.

The woman - who was not identified in the CDC report - had been ingesting her placenta for weeks after registering with a company that processes and encapsulates the organ, which connects the developing fetus to the mother's uterine wall. While she was ingesting placenta, the woman was also breastfeeding, which transferred the infection from mother to child.
It's not easy to get robotics equipment through customs in Afghanistan, but that didn't deter this plucky bunch.

For months, a team of six teenage girls has been scrambling to build a ball-sorting robot that will compete in an international competition. Other teams received their raw materials in March. But the box sent from America had been held up for months amid concerns about terrorism. So the young engineers improvised, building motorised machines from household materials.

The Afghanistan FIRST Global team. Credit:FIRST Global

They didn't have time to waste if they were going to compete in the FIRST Global Challenge, an international robotics competition to be held in Washington, DC, this month. Young teams from around the world face off against each other, in an effort to engage people in STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics).

To participate, the girls from the city of Herat in western Afghanistan needed permission to travel to the United States. So, after they convinced their parents to let them go, they made the 800-kilometre journey to the US embassy in Kabul to apply for their visas. They did this twice, even though that location was targeted by a deadly truck bomb.
The US 2018 elections promise to be the Year of the Woman, with more women planning to step into local, state and federal elections than ever before.

This represents a significant change. The United States has some of the lowest female political representation in the world. Only 24.8 per cent of state legislature seats are occupied by women. As more women consider entering politics in response to Donald Trumps sexist remarks during the election and the historic Hillary Clinton loss, findings from our study on voter attitudes offer a warning: Candidates shouldnt assume women will vote for other women.

More women are entering US politics after Hillary Clinton's historic election loss. Credit:AP

This was evident in the 2016 presidential election. Hillary Clinton worked to appeal to female voters but performed poorly among white women. Some have argued Clintons personality caused her inability to emotionally connect to voters.

However, our research indicates that Clintons failure to capture the white female vote is, in part, based in something more fundamental  marriage.
Private companies are gaining unprecedented access to students' personal and academic data, drafting NAPLAN questions and producing teaching and learning materials, prompting fears that businesses are dictating the focus of public education policy.

More than 90 per cent of public school teachers and principals are concerned about the privatisation of public education, including the ethics of private companies having access to student data, a new study of 2200 educators, including 1100 in NSW, has revealed.

A key area of privatisation in Australian education is the standardised NAPLAN tests, administered to students in year 3, 5, 7 and 9 at public and non-government schools, according to the report, which was commissioned by the NSW Teachers Federation and released on Tuesday.

Almost all elements of the NAPLAN tests have been contracted out to private companies such as multibillion global education provider Pearson, UNSW Global and British-based National Foundation of Educational Research, including the development of test questions, reporting on results and the final national performance analyses.
There's good news for the person who lost a suitcase full of cash in Western Sydney.

It's been found - by the Australian Federal Police.

Have you misplaced $1.6 million in cash? The AFP have found it. Credit:AFP

The AFP asked social media followers for assistance in finding the owner of $1.6 million dollars in cash.

"Have you misplaced a lazy $1.6 million in cash?" the post said.
The WestConnex motorway has attracted more than $1 billion in legal claims from companies hired to build the toll road, an internal document obtained by the opposition says.

The document says Roads and Maritime Services has received from the Sydney Motorway Corporation $1.05 billion in legal claims from contractors, arising from matters such as contaminated land, unforseen planning conditions and delays in obtaining planning approval.

But the government says there will be no blow-out to the $16.8 billion cost of the WestConnex motorway, nor will it be delivered later than its completion date of 2023.

The document, marked cabinet in confidence, was used by Labor leader Luke Foley to criticise the government's handling of the mega toll-road.
Police expect the young victim of a horrific assault in inner-city Brisbane to remain in an induced coma for days, hampering their investigations into who was responsible.

The 21-year-old Bald Hills woman was found covered from head to toe in injuries, including burns, after a "frantic" anonymous caller dialled triple zero on Sunday morning.

The young woman was rushed to hospital after being found with extensive life-threatening injuries. Credit:Shannon Marshall-McCormack (Nine News)

Paramedics rushed to a Bulimba townhouse and took the woman to hospital with life-threatening injuries after the 10.30am call.

A Queensland Ambulance Service spokeswoman said the crews were called to treat a medical condition but the woman was also suffering older injuries.
Leaders in the Australian start-up community issued a statement on Monday calling out sexual harassment following The Information's and New York Times' revelations of widespread sexual harassment in start-ups in the United States.

"Accounts of predatory behaviour by investors are not hard to find, even if acting on them fairly appears to have been far too hard for many organisations to respond to appropriately in past," the Statement on Sexual Harassment in the Australian Startup Community says.

Annie Parker co-ordinated the statement calling out sexual harassment in the Australian tech community. Credit:James Brickwood

Signatories to the statement say they will not tolerate inappropriate behaviour in their workplaces or community.

"We, the undersigned, declare the Australian startup community will, to the very best of our ability take action against the kind of behaviour that makes women feel exploited, secondary or unwelcome," it says.
"Are you sure Australia is completely rational?" asks Neil deGrasse Tyson, one of the world's best-known astrophysicists.

"Look at some of the topics on [ABC's] Q&A. The heated debates that go on there on subjects you think might have been settled long ago."

Neil deGrasse Tyson at the Sydney Observatory on Monday. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Dr Tyson, the director of New York's Hayden planetarium, is the author of more than a dozen science books and one of the world's best-loved science communicators. With nearly eight million Twitter followers, he's known for his dad jokes and passionate support for rationality and evidence in policy formation.

So while the largest cohort to emerge in the latest Australian census is people who have 'No religion', Dr Tyson doesn't think this automatically means increased rationality.
It took just one day after Victoria's new 40km/h speed limit when passing emergency vehicles was introduced before a big truck slammed into the rear of a small sedan north-west of Melbourne on Sunday.

Events leading up to the collision in Bacchus Marsh began when a police divvy-van stopped along the Melbourne-bound lane of the Western Highway near the Lerderderg River bridges to assist a broken down car about 7pm.

The toddler is in a critical condition in Sydney Children's Hospital. Credit:Fairfax Media

The driver of an oncoming Toyota saw police lights and proceeded to slow down, adhering to the new rule that came into effect on Saturday that requires drivers to slow to 40km/h when passing parked emergency vehicles.

But a big Hino truck travelling behind it failed to slow down and smashed into the rear-end of the Toyota at high speed.
Melbourne's Royal Women's Hospital has moved to sack a neonatologist over the deaths of two babies, and alleges the doctor made poor clinical decisions that contributed to the deaths.

The hospital alleges the doctor failed to diagnose and treat the illness sepsis in one of the babies, and poorly planned the removal of a breathing tube from the other newborn.

The two babies who died were being treated in the Royal Women's Hospital's intensive care unit for newborns. Credit:John Woudstra

That treatment, the hospital alleges in court papers, contributed to the deaths and was "inconsistent" with the neonatologist's continued employment at the hospital.

The babies, who were being treated in the hospital's intensive care unit for newborns, died in September 2015 and March last year. The hospital reviewed the death of the second child.
The Andrews government will take the unconventional step of buying the Heyfield timber mill in eastern Victoria in a bid to protect 250 jobs.

Fairfax Media understands Victorian Agriculture Minister Jaala Pulford will make an announcement on Monday confirming an in-principle deal that will eventually see the state government become the owner of the Australian Sustainable Hardwoods (ASH) timber mill.

It is believed the deal to save Australia's largest hardwood mill could cost taxpayers up to $50 million.

Earlier this year, owners Hermal Group threatened to close the mill in the small Gippsland town amid a heated dispute with the state-owned logging company VicForest over the amount of timber supplied to the mill.
Almost four months since becoming Western Australia's Premier, Mark McGowan remains confronted with the massive burden of repairing the state's finances but cannot keep blaming the Barnett government, analysts warn.

State debt is projected to exceed $42 billion by 2020, with a net operating deficit of about $3 billion forecast this financial year.

Premier Mark McGowan is facing an uphill battle with rising state debt. Credit:James Mooney

In an attempt to begin turning things around, one major decision made since the March election was to introduce public sector reforms, including capping pay rises and slashing the number of departments from 41 to 25.

But the amalgamations led to some senior public servants to indicate they would leave the bureaucracy.
Berlin: As anti-globalisation activists took to the streets in Hamburg ahead of this week's G20 summit, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said leaders will have to focus on sustainable and inclusive economic growth rather than their own prosperity.

In her weekly podcast, Dr Merkel said this year's G20 summit will delve into issues championed by protesters such as distribution of wealth and consumption of resources - alongside related issues like climate change, free markets, consumer protection and upholding social standards.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull will be attending the summit.

Hamburg police said 10,000 demonstrators marched peacefully in the rain in Hamburg on Sunday in a prelude to the July 7-8 gathering, where 21,000 police from across Germany will protect the meetings of the world's 20 largest economies.
Washington: The eyes of the world will be on Hamburg, Germany this week, as US President Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin - whose long-distance relationship has already sparked months of debate and speculation - will meet face-to-face for the first time.

But Trump's Russia policy could begin to take shape not at the Group of 20 meeting in Hamburg Friday, but in Warsaw beginning on Wednesday. There, Trump will meet with an important ally, and give what's being billed by the White House as a "major speech" to the Polish people about the future of America's relationship with Europe.

And he'll meet with the leaders of 12 eastern European countries as part of an emerging regional effort known as the Three Seas Initiative - an energy-driven economic partnership seen as a counterbalance to Russia.

"Warsaw provides a fantastic opportunity to provide the Trump vision of foreign policy," said Ian Brezinski, a senior fellow at the Atlantic Council.
Bekka Valley: A fire tore through a camp for Syrian refugees in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Sunday, killing at least one person and leaving two in critical condition, the United Nations refugees' organisation said.

Flames and thick clouds of black smoke rose from the site near the town of Qab Elias, around a hour's drive east of Beirut, in footage broadcast by Lebanon's MTV, and at least one explosion was seen.

Smoke billows from a Syrian refugee camp in the Bekaa Valley, Lebanon on Sunday. Credit:Qab Elias Emergency Services/AP

Reuters TV footage showed the blaze had virtually razed the camp as a fire truck doused down the still-smouldering ground. A Syrian refugee said many of the people living at the camp had come to Lebanon from the Raqqa area of Syria.

UNHCR spokeswoman Dana Sleiman said the camp had been home to 102 families.
London: Northern Ireland's political opponents have won a little more time for their fraught negotiations over forming a government.

But the deadlock between the Democratic Unionist Party and Sinn Fein may mean devolution is a "dead parrot, deceased of life", said the DUP's Ian Paisley MP  the son of the unionist firebrand who helped forge peace in the region and led the first devolved government.

The UK government warned on Monday that "very soon" Westminster may have to pass a budget law for the region, and start issuing instructions to its civil servants: a precursor to a return to 'direct rule' from the mainland.

This would add to rising threats to the Good Friday Peace agreement. There were already concerns that Brexit would raise new barriers between Ireland's north and south; and that the 'confidence and supply' deal between the UK Conservatives and the DUP has coloured Whitehall's position as an 'honest broker' between nationalists and unionists.
Dubai: Four Arab states which accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed to extend until late on Tuesday a deadline for Doha to comply with a list of demands.

Qatar has called the accusations baseless and says the demands - which include closing Qatar-based al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there - are so severe that they seem designed to be rejected.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have raised the possibility of further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with the 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator.

According to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA, the four countries agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sunday's deadline for compliance.
Boston: A taxi has crashed into a group of cab drivers near Boston's airport, injuring 10 people in what police said appeared to be a "tragic accident."

The 56-year-old driver's vehicle jumped a kerb around 1.40pm on Monday, police said, and struck a group of people gathered at an outdoor break area for cabbies. The area, known as the cab pool, is where drivers wait until they are called to pick up passengers at various locations around Logan International Airport.

A police official said it appears that the driver mistakenly pressed the accelerator instead of the brake, and that it was believed to be a case of "operator error".

The crash briefly raised fears of terrorism akin to attacks in Britain and France. But Massachusetts state police Major Frank McGinn said there "does not appear at this time to be any indication of an intentional act, but more just a tragic accident".
Teen arrested after gun found at Riley High School

A teenager was detained at the Juvenile Justice Facility on Friday after police say they brought a gun to Riley High School.
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Trump declares 'patience is over' with North Korea







Washington (AFP) June 30, 2017





President Donald Trump declared that the US had run out of patience with North Korea over its nuclear drive Friday as he welcomed South Korea's new leader Moon Jae-In to talks at the White House. While Moon has been arguing for greater engagement with Pyongyang as the best way to put the brakes on its nuclear and ballistic missile programs, Trump made clear that he was in no mood to pursue diplomacy with a regime he accused of having no respect for human life. And while Moon announced that Trump ... read more
A 32-year-old man who police believe is a suspect in the armed robbery at a South Side Culvers restaurant that led to the death of a contractor doing remodeling work there last week went on a crime spree as a 17-year old using similar tactics to what police and others say occurred during the incident at Culvers.

Nicholas A. Ivy, who has no permanent address, was arrested Monday on tentative charges of felony murder and armed robbery after DNA found at the Culvers, 2102 W. Beltline, matched Ivys, Madison police spokesman Joel DeSpain said.

Ivy was convicted in Dane County in 2004 of five counts of robbery and two counts of false imprisonment and burglary that resulted in a sentence of more than 12 years in prison for targeting area restaurants and bars and their employees during the 2002-03 crime spree, according to online court records. Ivy was released from prison last year after serving the entire term.

Ivy was taken into custody without incident Friday in Janesville by members of Madisons Violent Crimes Unit and a Janesville police SWAT team. He was jailed on a probation hold, DeSpain said.

Madison police continue to look for the second suspect in the incident that led to the death of Christ E. Kneubuehl, 56, of Twin Lakes, last Tuesday, according to DeSpain. They also are investigating whether Ivy and the second suspect were involved in any of the several unsolved armed robberies that have taken place in the area this year, he said.

Kneubuehl was working on a remodeling project with three crew members including his stepson around 3 a.m. last Tuesday when two armed and masked men entered the restaurant, police say. Family members said Kneubuehl was held at gunpoint for about 45 minutes and forced to use his power equipment to open the restaurants safe. He then had a heart attack and collapsed after he joined his crew in another part of the restaurant.

Police have said the robbers did not allow Kneubuehls crew to help Kneubuehl or call 911 for several minutes until after they finished grabbing all of the money out of the safe. Kneubuehl was pronounced dead at the restaurant after the robbers left and emergency medical people arrived, police said.

Police and court documents say that beginning in November 2002 and ending in February 2003, Ivy was masked and used either a handgun or a long-barreled pellet gun to rob Baileys Bar in the town of Blooming Grove; Antlers Tavern in Monona; Wendys Restaurant, 2431 S. Stoughton Rd.; the Dry Bean Saloon in Fitchburg; Licaris Tavern, 1405 Emil St.; and J.J.s Top of the Swamp in the town of Westport.

According to multiple news accounts, an employee at Baileys told Ivy to lock him in the bars cooler after Ivy swiped a bank bag with $700 from the bar. The news accounts said Ivy got into the bar by approaching the employee outside. That is how the suspects in the Culvers robbery gained access to Culvers, according to Kneubuehls brother, Tom Kneubuehl.

After robbing Antlers, Ivy struck next at Wendys and ordered the manager into the restaurants freezer after grabbing more than $1,000, the news accounts said. Ivy also worked with an accomplice and ordered an employee at Licaris into the bars cooler before fleeing with $1,000.

Ivy and an accomplice ordered two employees of the Dry Bean into a cooler at gunpoint before fleeing with the restaurants safe. They sawed it open, took about $5,000 from it and tossed it into Lake Monona, according to the news accounts.

While completing his sentence at Oregon Correctional Center, Ivy worked at Top Promotion in Middleton as part of a community custody program, according to a letter Ivy wrote to Dane County Circuit Judge Nicholas J. McNamara in 2015 that included a request to have his prison sentence shortened.

My past was selfish and cold, but after doing 12 years in prison at a young age I learned that I wanted more with my life, Ivy wrote in the letter to McNamara. I much happier on what I can do now for myself and others. Please keep in mind that I also have been inquiring ways to pay back my victim all the money I took when I was 17 years of age. I need to try to pay back my debt to society.
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Addis-Ababa (Ethiopia), July 3, 2017 (SPS) - The chairperson of the African Union Commission Moussa Faki Mahamat expressed Monday, in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), his concern with the current deadlock regarding the conflict in Western Sahara, which has been occupied by Morocco since 1975.

Even though we welcome the decrease in tensions around Al-Guerguerat in Western Sahara, the nomination of a new personal representative of the United Nations Secretary General and his intention to launch a new initiative to settle the political conflict, we remain concerned with the current deadlock, said Moussa Faki at the opening of the 29th African Union Summit.

We hope that the presence of both parties (Morocco and the Sahrawi Arab Democratic Republic) as members of our Union will facilitate a consensual solution, in conformity with international law, which will guarantee the Sahrawi peoples right to self-determination, he said, adding that the issues of peace and security continue to highly worry us.

On Sunday, the AU Executive Council reaffirmed, at the end of its 31st session held since Friday in the Ethiopian capital, its support to the Sahrawi cause by confirming the dispatch of an African mission for the evaluation of Human Rights, to the occupied Sahrawi territories despite Moroccos attempts to block a resolution in this regard. (SPS)

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Keeping on top of the latest innovations in horticulture can be difficult, but with over 120 exhibitors showcasing their latest products, visitors to Fruit Focus at NIAB EMR, on Wednesday 19th July are sure to get a great insight into the newest and best technologies.

Knowing where the future of mechanised horticulture is heading means producers can look at adapting their business to maximise productivity and therefore profit, says event director Jon Day. Whether youre considering increased mechanisation, frost protection, or affordable monitoring equipment, there is something on offer for all. Producers will be able to take away new ideas and products to help their businesses become stronger and more profitable in the years ahead.

Here is a taste of some of the newest equipment and innovations that will be on show at this years Fruit Focus.

Davis EnviroMonitor

Utilising the accessibility of phone applications, the Davis EnviroMonitor system measures, monitors and manages critical in-field data from remote locations through a network of sensors. Producers can get timely and meaningful information to mobile apps, detailing irrigation management, frost conditions, soil conditions, weather damage and crop management, explains managing director Jim Copeland. A mesh network of nodes can support multiple sensors, which can be added, removed or relocated with ease.

Micron Group

Maximising the benefits of sprays means having the right equipment to accurately apply the liquid suspension. This year, Micron Group will be showcasing its Enviro range of shrouded sprayers for weed control in fruit and vines. To fully minimise the risk of spray drift, the Enviro sprayers - available in high pressure nozzle and controlled droplet application (CDA) atomiser versions - incorporate a fully shielded design, says Haydn Beddows at Micron Group.

On display will be the Undavina and Spraydome models, which feature a freely rotating shield and spring loaded breakaway arm. This allows users to spray right up to the base of the tree or bush without causing mechanical damage to the target, producing excellent spraying results, adds Mr Beddows.

Visitors looking for a vehicle mounted solution might consider Turbofan  an air assisted CDA spray head for fungicide and insecticide applications. Highly suitable for use in soft and top fruit, where good crop penetration is desired, Turbofan features a hydraulically driven rotary atomiser and a built-in axial fan, which produces a powerful yet directed air steam to convey spray to the target, explains Mr Beddows. A range of hand held sprayers will also be on display.

Cocogreen

Tailoring coir substrate selection to an individual growing system can produce great results for growers. As the UKs soft fruit industry becomes increasingly hi-tech, crops are predominantly grown under protection and in soilless substrate, says Thomas Ogden, commercial director at Cocogreen. Production systems are becoming not only more sophisticated, but often tailored to the particular needs of the grower. To keep up, coir substrates need to become more technically sophisticated as growers are looking for greater consistency and higher performance.

To help growers optimise the capabilities of its substrates, Cocogreen has launched a product selector tool on its website, which can match substrates to the growing system. The team will be on hand to take visitors through the tool, as well as to showcase Cocogreens new mobile tray system for greenhouse strawberry production.

Brinkman UK

Removing spent strawberry and raspberry crops at the end of a season will be made much easier with the Bio Chopper compact, which will be on show from Brinkman UK. One of a number of machines that Brinkman UK supplies from Holland, ranging from small standard conveyors to a Mega Bio Chopper, they are all capable of pulling in 150m of spent crop, including grow bags.

The Bio Chopper compact shreds the crop and substrate into pieces 5-6mm in size, says Glenn Notley, managing director at Brinkman UK This reduces the size of the waste pile by as much as 80%, meaning the crop biodegrades quicker. The machine can handle coir, peat and plants.
Working from Tilhill Forestrys offices in Groombridge, Kent, Hugh Davies MICFor will cover Kent and Sussex. He has an MSc in Environmental Forestry from Bangor University and his wide range of experience includes being a Forest Manager and consultant for two private companies in the Midlands, a saw mill worker, a forest ranger and a professional tree inspector. Most recently Hugh was working with Forest Research at Alice Holt and has an interest in managing the impacts of pests and diseases.

Hugh, who lives in Brighton, said:

Im excited to be working alongside such a positive team and looking after a whole array of new woodland portfolios in the South East of England. There is so much scope to bring woodland under proper management and help owners to maximise the use of their properties both recreationally and financially.

Forest Manager Alex MacKinnon is based in Alton, Hampshire. He will be focusing on developing new business and managing a portfolio across predominantly Surrey and Hampshire, while utilising the experience he gained working with Tilhills Investment & Property team.
The scary clown menace that frightened America last summer might be making a repeat visit, at least in Madison.

Two girls, ages 9 and 11, were scared Sunday night while playing outside, because a person dressed as a clown and another person wearing a Halloween-type mask approached them, with both carrying knives.

It happened around 8:50 p.m. on Todd Drive near Ardsley Circle, Madison police said.

"The victims said the men spoke to them as they ran up the street," said police spokesman Joel DeSpain. "The frightened children immediately reported the encounter to trusted adults, and police were called."

No other reports were taken by police of a scary clown and a masked man.
I f anyone knew the solution to the growing rise of Muslim extremism and attacks in the name of the religion, wed bottle it and sell it  any savvy businessperson would.

Equally, we see the commercial consequences of not having an answer; just witness the crippling of trade for the stallholders, restaurants and bars around Borough Market by the horrific attack that shut us all down for 10 days.

A report published today by Citizens UK, The Missing Muslims  Unlocking British Muslim Potential for the Benefit of All, is the result of an 18-month study by a distinguished panel of commissioners chaired by Dominic Grieve MP. It has a wide range of recommendations for national and local governments, Muslim groups and mosques and also, for a change, businesses.

There is clear evidence that British Muslims are discriminated against in the labour market  19.8% of the Muslim population is in full-time employment, compared with 34.9% in the overall population, and 7.2% of Muslims are unemployed against 4% in the overall population.

This cant just be put down to the fact that many families of Pakistani and Bangladeshi origin live in areas of urban plight  just look at the borough of Tower Hamlets, sandwiched between the City on one side and the ever-growing Canary Wharf estate on the other  yet they are largely not participating in the upside of the regeneration happening all around them.

Alienation from a society and economy deemed not to welcome them often leads to a turn to criminalisation (the Muslim population in our prisons has doubled in the past five years). It must also be a contributory factor in routes towards radicalisation where promoters of this wretched narrative have an open goal to shoot at  the West rejects Muslims, which is why it doesnt employ us, which is why it locks us up and which is why it only bombs or bans Muslim countries.

Counter-extremism bodies such as Quilliam and public initiatives like Prevent are easily branded as toxic, but where does that get us and what should businesses be doing? For a start, lets all look at whether our workforces are reflective of the communities around us, and at all levels of the company.

Lets engage with companies that are part of Business in the Community, whose founding chief executive Sir Stephen OBrien was a commissioner in this report, to go out into Birmingham, Bradford and Brick Lane and speak face to face with people who invariably feel that they are not wanted in our organisations, and make sure our practices can actively change that feeling of alienation and suspicion.

This can cut both ways  Muslim-owned businesses also have a role to play in diversifying the nature of their workforces. Next time you go into your local Indian restaurant and see how few, if any, non-brown faces are working there, suggest to the owner that companies who have teams that accurately reflect their customer profile tend to commercially score higher than those that dont.

This would be an added and much-needed economic driver for social integration. If, as were constantly saying or having it said to us, were all in this together, lets go out and prove it.

Iqbal Wahhab OBE is the founder of London restaurants Roast and The Cinnamon Club
B ritain, in the wake of Brexit and a mis-called election, recalls the aphorist Sakis description of the people of Crete who unfortunately make more history than they can consume locally.

The more we gape at current events and describe them as extraordinary, the more the twists of the turbulent river of history spring to mind. But they only do so if we give them our attention. When we dont, politics becomes a fuzzy noise, disconnected from a wider epic of disasters and triumphs, miscalculations and reversals of fortune.

I spent the weekend in a Wiltshire field full of tents  akin to a medieval encampment  at the Chalke Valley History Festival, in the company of historians, strolling politicians, amateur enthusiasts and experts.

Yes, it is part of the book-selling circuit: todays historians are on a never-ending tour to match Bob Dylans. But the reason civilians queue patiently to sit on plastic chairs in a hot tent in the countryside and absorb a full week of history talks every July is that it enriches our understanding of what is happening around us now.

Austerity versus how much debt economies can carry without weakening themselves? Lets rewind to the same argument between 1840 and the end of the 19th century (debt levels after the Napoleonic Wars were deeper than those after the recent financial crisis).

Rewind back a few more centuries and we can revisit the Hundred Years War as a cautionary tale on why spats with the continent can take an awful long time to get over  and this one ended with a diplomatic French win.

Not One Day More protest: Thousands march on Parliament against Tories 1 /13 Not One Day More protest: Thousands march on Parliament against Tories Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott leads the 'Not One Day More' march Getty Images Protesters gather in Portland Square Getty Images Demonstrators carry placards during the 'Not One Day More' march Getty Images Thousands of people marched through central London Getty Images The march ended in Parliament Square Getty Images A dog joins in the march Getty Images A protester holds up Jeremy Corbyn placards Getty Images Anti-Theresa May placards at the march Getty Images Demonstrators carry placards during the Not One Day More march Getty Images Diane Abbott speaks to demonstrators Getty Images

The Reformation is a handy avatar for a divided country, rising up against a distant foreign institution with far-reaching consequences. More recently, if we think this last election is an unheralded surprise, let us recall the 1950/51 elections  a narrow Labour win, followed by a swing to the other side (these days we do it the other way around). The political historian Brian Brivati noted that 1951 was an oddity. It did not need to take place when it did  and in historical terms the winners agenda was set by the loser. Ring any bells, Theresa?

On the other side of the political equation, if we fail to grasp the impact of a reckless run of spending in the mid-Seventies, we underestimate the risks of unlacing the spending corsets too wantonly in a leap of Corbynomic faith.

Not One Day More protest: Thousands descend on central London for march against Theresa May

None of these comparisons can tell us what to believe. But they do remind us that our tussles are often a new iteration of much older arguments.

As the history festival devotees know, that doesnt make for fail-safe answers. It just makes the quest for them more fascinating.

Anne McElvoy is senior editor at The Economist
A good dictum in a crisis is that a plan beats no plan. Coined by the US Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner during the banking crash, it captures the age-old rule that people need leadership, and that any sense of direction is better than no direction at all.

Thats why this countrys previous government described its efforts to deal with the countrys fiscal crisis as a Long Term Economic Plan. The details changed with the circumstances but the concept of the plan endured and it anchored everything ministers did. The current government would be well advised to learn the lesson, fast, before people rumble to the reality that it appears to have no plan at all.

The reason is simple: the Conservative Party has lost its self-confidence. Gone is any faith in the future leadership of Theresa May  as this mornings ConHome survey of activist opinion reveals. That is not surprising after the election result.

What is alarming is that gone, too, is confidence in the programme of government that Conservatives have advanced for the past decade. In its place we have a free-for-all. Economic policy changes from one television interview to another. Public-sector pay is being determined by the collective indiscipline of ministers  they each say we should respect the outcome of the pay-review bodies while conveniently forgetting that it is the Cabinet that sets the overall remit those bodies must work within.

Meanwhile the Chancellor, Brexit Secretary and Foreign Secretary openly squabble about the transition arrangements for leaving the EU. Twenty years of higher-education policy is ditched on Saturday and resuscitated on Sunday. The abortion rights of women in Northern Ireland are advanced by parliamentary rebellion. Weve only had two days of voting in this parliament and already the best guide to the next government U-turn is the Speakers selection of parliamentary amendments to be debated. We can all now imagine what will happen when the complex and controversial Brexit legislation hits the floor of the House of Commons.

By contrast, the Corbynistas have a plan. As this paper revealed on Friday, they are securing the grip of the hard Left on the broad church of the Labour movement by purging the moderates. They are mounting extra-parliamentary action to undermine the legitimacy of our democratic institutions. They are encouraging militant unions to disrupt vital services. They are shaping the economic argument with their call for unrestricted spending and punitive taxation.

All of this is deeply unappealing and damaging for the country. But when it comes to setting the terms of the public debate, plan is beating no plan. This minority Conservative Government needs to discover discipline and direction. For we all know what happens in the end to headless chickens.

The Night Rail

WH Audens Night Mail brought the cheque and the postal order/ letters for the rich, letters for the poor. Londons new Night Rail  the Overground service that starts later this year  will also be a godsend for Londoners of all backgrounds: office cleaners, partygoers, waiters and chefs whose shifts end late, people leaving work after hours. That is, it will help the people who have to service the new night-time economy and who at present rely on night buses which are often overcrowded and infrequent and take far longer than the train. The service will run between New Cross Gate and Dalston Junction and will be extended to Highbury & Islington next year. London may be the city that never sleeps but we do need to get home afterwards.
I n evolutionary biology theres a theory called punctuated equilibrium. If I understand it rightly, it suggests  not to get too technical here  that rather than species evolving continually in a gradual way, nothing happens for ages and ages and then everything happens at once. Broadly the same idea shows up in intellectual history: Thomas Kuhns The Structure of Scientific Revolutions argued that science doesnt proceed by the gradual and even accumulation of new knowledge. Rather, an accepted world view will hold up against a new one for a long time  and then the dam will burst in one go.

I think something a bit like this is happening in politics. Look at the election. Look at the way in which Jeremy Corbyn, having been seen by the gradualists as a no-hoper, suddenly found himself catapulted from the East Finchley allotments on to the Pyramid stage at Glastonbury. Look at the way that the supposedly invincible Tory poll lead faceplanted into the Downing Street pavement: blood and teeth everywhere. And new polling now suggests that if we held fresh votes today, wed have a Prime Minister Corbyn and (oddly, given his position on the subject) a majority for reversing Brexit.

I blame the kids. Its a Thomas Kuhn damburst; its an abrupt and dramatic bout of speciation. The youth are on the march. People to whom the death of Brian Cant meant nothing at all are coming into the polis through the round window.

My theory is that for a long time, younger folk found politics boring because a) they had imbibed the gradualist idea that nothing changes very much or very fast and b) they thought the grown-ups seemed to have a lock on the whole thing, and as long as everything continued more or less tickety-boo why not leave them to it. They thought, in other words, that the established order was pretty well established.

But then the tickety-boo sort of evaporated: they noticed as one that the grown-ups had made a colossal balls-up of absolutely everything. This largely social-justice-supporting, Brexit-opposing, austerity-disliking, tuition-fee-sceptical demographic realised that all the things they were keen on were getting hammered and all the things they disliked were in the ascendant. And they thought: it might be time to roll up our sleeves.

Whats more  perhaps looking around the world at the series of astonishing election upsets and reversals and general gibbering catastrophes; at the professional political analysts screaming across our TV screens with their hair on fire  they thought: perhaps the gradualists are wrong. Inertia, rote block-voting, the utter dominance of the established order perhaps all thats baloney. We can move the proverbial dial. And they were right. A key part of this is the way they consume media. For God knows how many years, getting big newspapers behind you was a vital election-swinger.

Not One Day More protest: Thousands march on Parliament against Tories 1 /13 Not One Day More protest: Thousands march on Parliament against Tories Shadow Home Secretary Diane Abbott leads the 'Not One Day More' march Getty Images Protesters gather in Portland Square Getty Images Demonstrators carry placards during the 'Not One Day More' march Getty Images Thousands of people marched through central London Getty Images The march ended in Parliament Square Getty Images A dog joins in the march Getty Images A protester holds up Jeremy Corbyn placards Getty Images Anti-Theresa May placards at the march Getty Images Demonstrators carry placards during the Not One Day More march Getty Images Diane Abbott speaks to demonstrators Getty Images

But the yoof dont read newspapers in newspaper format (except for this one, I hope). Doing a podcast for The Spectator about diary columns the other day, it became clear that my younger colleagues had no idea what a diary column even was. The might of the press barons is growing less mighty by the day.

And those of us over 40 may think that some of the youths ideas are underdeveloped and overenthusiastic (as oldies, or semi-oldies, have done since time immemorial). But those ideas are growing a good deal stronger, whether we like it or not. And given that, as they will see it, weve chucked away their rights to live, work and study wherever in Europe they like, not to mention the rest of it, they are understandably hacked off. Old farts like me, and maybe you, dead-tree reader, will have to let them make their mistakes. But itll be their mistakes, not ours.

And I cant with hand on heart say Im confident that in the Great British Mistake-Off theirs will be worse.

Not One Day More protest: Thousands descend on central London for march against Theresa May

Just what do we have to look forward to?

One doesnt like to be gloomy, obviously. One likes to cast around for comfort where one can find it in dark times. The leader of the free world is busy tweeting violent memes culled from a Reddit user called HanAssholeSolo. Brexit forges on in a way that brings nothing to mind so much as Matthew Arnolds Dover Beach. And well, weve still got Wimbledon, havent we? Except Andy Murrays hip is shot. And weve still got good old Adele, havent we? Except her voice is knackered. And weve still got that enduring symbol of our countrys mid-century decency, Paddington Bear, havent we? Except Michael Bond has now gone to the Darkest Peru of the afterlife. Sheesh. As Doctor Evil would put it: throw me a frickin bone here!

Still, when all around is confusion, the integrity of the Great British Bake Off is intact. It has been announced that there will be no product placement whatever, not even for Shipton Mills excellent flour, in the forthcoming series. And whats more, it has that nice Prue Leith in it. Shes one to watch, if you ask me.
S ince there are three times as many Europeans in the UK than there are Britons in Europe, in a much bigger entity, Theresa May should have been asking for a major concession beyond the reciprocal recognition of citizens rights.

Accepting Europes negotiating basis perhaps precluded her having done that but its not too late. If the EUs chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, is demanding that a European court supervises any agreement on rights, Europe is therefore intent on imposing a hard Brexit without any deal, as David Davis is aware if he says no deal is better than a punitive one.

We must use what we have, and the number of EU citizens living in the UK gives us some leverage, since Europe is so keen to insist that its citizens rights here should be as if we had never left Europe.

This is a bargaining chip for May to use; EU citizens are not here for our good but their own. We should stop being maudlin about this issue when, politically, Europe seems determined to do us down too.

John Cairns



Obviously I feel sympathy for those EU migrants living in the UK who dont know what their future holds, but what about UK citizens living in Europe?

I have relatives currently residing in Spain who rightly fear that Theresa May will sacrifice their rights in an attempt to limit immigration into the EU. They deserve to know what the UK is trying to achieve in these negotiations if it is not to maintain the current agreement.

With more than 1.2 million British expats living in Europe, Im sure there would be a national crisis if Mays deal means they are no longer able to live there without being penalised.

Natalie Brown



Of the 3.3 million EU citizens living in the UK, almost 10 per cent are also citizens of the Republic of Ireland. We treasure the traditional amity that we and the Irish have long enjoyed. There is no reason why this should be strangled by red tape.

Post-Brexit, we will make our own immigration rules, and there should be no reason why we may not offer the republic a special relationship in respect of entry or residence.

James McGrory



As the true implications of Brexit sink in, Brexodus  the departure of well-educated, hard-working and ambitious EU nationals with the global job market at their feet  gets under way.

If I were one of Theresa Mays pawns, I would certainly try to get ahead of the herd and secure a job before the market is flooded by people with my specific set of skills. It would also allow me to get a better deal on my house and savings, rather than wait until the market reflects the full extent of the economic damage.

Dr John Cameron



Al-Jazeera TV has much to answer for

The demand to shut down Al Jazeera is not a bid to close down free speech, as John Simpson suggests [Western silence over the threat to Al Jazeera is just shameful, Comment, June 29].

Non-Arabic speakers need to know that Al Jazeera Arabic is different from Al Jazeera English. Al-Jazeera Arabic has a history of inciting hatred and promoting terrorism, and has pushed dangerous ideologies across the Arabic-speaking world.

Clerics have used the channel to call for the murder of European ambassadors and artists. Yousef al Qaradawi, spiritual leader of the Muslim Brotherhood, used his Al Jazeera show to call for a second Holocaust of the Jewish people. The network has been a mouthpiece for al-Qaeda, the Nusra Front, Hamas, Hezbollah, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and the Libyan Islamic Fighting Group, all of which are designated terrorist organisations in the UK.

The mother of one of the London Bridge attackers told The Times that her son was radicalised watching Al Jazeera  so the effects of this are clear.

Sulaiman Almazroui, UAE Ambassador to London



May has lost the plot over education

While a deluge of evidence against grammar schools could not halt Theresa Mays desire to reintroduce the two-tier education system, a poor election campaign and result, the deal with the DUP and a resurgent Labour Party has.

Education Secretary Justine Greening has confirmed that the policy is to be scrapped, meaning the ban on new grammar schools will continue. The news is welcome but not enough.

The Government must consider changes to its funding formula that will push schools to the brink of destitution. Schools are already under huge strain, with an eight per cent real-terms cut expected in the next few years, leaving schools unable to recruit or retain staff and forcing them to increase class sizes.

Parents, teachers and experts understand that schools must be properly funded. The Government needs to wake up to this reality.

Catherine West, MP for Hornsey & Wood Green (Lab)

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Red diesel subsidy is so out of touch

Closing the Treasurys red diesel consultation is a fantastic opportunity for the Government to address an outdated subsidy, which has allowed a tax loophole to emerge and is having a negative environmental and economic consequence.

Air pollution is the most pressing issue facing London. It is unacceptable that an estimated 40,000 people in the UK die early every year because of the air we breathe.

As we strive to address this challenge, it is clear that big solutions are needed and the Mayor should be applauded for his ambitious plans to tackle pollution. But we have to ensure that there are no exceptions.

While families face the prospect of having to pay to drive their older diesel cars into central London, businesses are allowed to use subsidised red diesel for a range of uses on our streets, including in construction, transport and logistics.

Removing this loophole will not overcome air pollution on its own but it will encourage businesses to use their machinery more efficiently. More importantly, it will let affordable, clean technologies compete on a level playing field, rather than losing out to subsidised diesel.

Michael Ayres, deputy CEO, Dearman

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Wimbledon will miss queen Serena

One fact that appears to have been lost in the Serena Williams-John McEnroe row [Letters, June 29] is that she won the Australian Open while she was pregnant. I could hardly imagine a male player coping with such a disadvantage and still winning a major tournament. She is an inspiration and it is a shame she cannot compete at Wimbledon this year.

I, for one, am simply looking forward to the action at SW19 which never fails to deliver drama, long rallies and, of course, the infamous rain delays  although I hope the tournaments later schedule this year will result in better weather.

Lets hope Andy Murray and Johanna Konta do us proud.

Lynn Parkes

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T wo million pounds of lottery money will be used to create a museum and memorial to the servicemen and women who won the Battle of Britain.

The cash will help pay for the planned development at Biggin Hill airfield, on the outskirts of south-east London, which is hoped to open next year.

Biggin Hill was a key base for fighter pilots charged with intercepting German bombers heading to the capital during the Blitz.

Winston Churchill was so impressed by the bravery of those stationed there that he described it as his strongest link in Britains chain of airfields. Plans for the site include new exhibitions and a scheme for volunteers to help preserve the memories of the men and women who served at the base. Biggin Hill is also home to a Grade II listed Chapel of Remembrance built shortly after the war.

Stuart Hobley, head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, said the development would be a fitting tribute: Biggin Hill has a history that is iconic, locally, nationally and internationally.

This museum will help future generations explore the impact of Churchills strongest link, form a significant part of the RAF 100 celebrations next year, and provide a suitable memorial to The Few. We are delighted National Lottery players are able to support this excellent project.
A new London venture is out to prove that a brilliant burger doesn't have to be a meaty affair.

The Vurger Co has today launched a crowdfunding campaign to open its first permanent restaurant, along with plans for a Bethnal Green pop-up by way of a taster.

The fast food restaurant will use vegetables, seeds, nuts and legumes to create entirely plant-based burgers.

Its Crowdfunding campaign is aiming to raise 180,000 to fund the launch of a restaurant in early 2018, building on the success which founders Rachel Hugh and Neil Potts have had at festivals and events.

The best restaurants for vegetarians in London 1 /32 The best restaurants for vegetarians in London The Dairy / The Manor Good for vegetarians Clapham For relaxed but fine veggie dining, its hard to top a trip to Claphams The Dairy, or sister venue The Manor. They are not exclusively vegetarian but will gladly whip you up a menu that is, consisting of dishes such as salt-baked beetroot with cobnuts and damson; toasted grains with wild mushrooms and salsify; or roasted artichoke with pear and truffle. As a bonus, some of the veg is grown on The Dairys roof. Visit the website Vanilla Black Entirely vegetarian the City The ne plus ultra of the London vegetarian scene has to be the Michelin-recommended Vanilla Black. The exciting menu has what it takes to entice even the most hardened of carnivores  try the yellow pea soup with Marmite dumplings, dried yeast and pumpkin terrine with orange puree, or brie ice cream and poached blackberries. The main menu is vegetarian, but both vegan and wheat-free options are also available. Visit the website The Palomar Good for vegetarians Soho From fattoush salad and homemade labneh to cauliflower steak and Londons best polenta, The Palomar serves a sprightly array of veggie dishes that even the most dedicated of meat-eater would happily devour. Not that they dont do equally good things with meat, of course... Visit the website Roast Good for vegetarians Borough Market Given the name, youd be forgiven for thinking Roast is just another pilgrimage spot for hard-core carnivores, but theres plenty to offer for vegetarians too. Theres actually a whole separate menu  quite a treat when considering the usual paltry couple of offerings added as an afterthought that you find all too often. You can tell that head chef Stuart Cauldwell has really thought about it; creating dishes that are exploratory, seasonal and flavoursome with superbly satisfying textures as well. The spinach and pine nut scotch egg (pictured) is a winner; as is the baked charcoal cheddar souffle. Follow either up with the black truffle and burrata parcels for a meal that even your meat-eating companions will be envious of. Visit the website Wild Food Cafe Entirely vegetarian Covent Garden Sprouting humous, 'living' breads and raw foods are the order of the day at this super-healthy Covent Garden stalwart. Try the Ayurvedic super salad: a saintly meal made with lamb's lettuce, amaranth, spiralized courgettes, hijiki seaweed, slices of artichoke hearts, avocado, cucumber, red pepper cubes, coriander and rocket with parsley pesto and mango salsa along with activated savory seeds (soaked to activate the germination process), flavoured with leafy greens and spices, and marinated shiitake mushrooms. Phew! That's a lot of veg. Visit the website Punjab Good for vegetarians Covent Garden There are no shortage of restaurants serving great vegetarian Indian dishes in London, but this is one of central Londons best. In 1951 the restaurant came to the area to be near the Indian Embassy, because many officers were homesick for authentic Punjabi vegetarian food. Although the restaurant now serves meat dishes too, the focus hasn't changed much and you'll still find great north Indian food at affordable prices  mains start at just 5.95. Visit the website The Wallace Restaurant Good for vegetarians Marylebone Romantically cocooned inside The Wallace Collection museum, this brasserie is housed in a glass-covered courtyard where the expanse of sky overhead makes you feel like you're on a Mediterranean holiday. Well, almost. Try the tortellini made with squash puree and pecorino. A great restaurant to take the special herbivore in your life to. Visit the website Grain Store Good for vegetarians Kings Cross Theres no shortage of meat on the Grain Store menu, but chef Bruno Loubet ensures vegetables are always the stars  and there are plenty of meat-free masterpieces. These span wild mushroom and Montgomery cheddar croquettes with truffle salt; baked beetroot ''carpaccio'' with fermented beetroot dressing and spiced labneh; and chili con veggie with mixed rice and sour cream. Visit the website Vantra Vitao Entirely vegetarian Oxford Street Vantra Vitao sits at the hardcore end of the meat-free spectrum and wont be for everyone  but it does warrant a mention. Its vegan, nutrition focussed and fond of raw dishes. Expect nut cheese, cold-pressed juices, sprouted salads and fermented foods galore. Visit the website inSpiral Entirely vegetarian Camden This longstanding canalside cafe, bar and restaurant is entirely gluten-free, vegan and all-natural with no MSG or the likes. Come for all manner of healthily made cakes and tarts along with homely bakes and twists on more classic dishes  layered lasagne without any pasta, for example. Regular live music adds to the always upbeat, friendly atmosphere. This is an institution worth checking out. Visit the website Nama Entirely vegetarian Notting Hill Nama is another one that will divide opinions. The raw, vegan food can come across as worthy and portions are seriously on the small side  but at its strongest the cooking is seriously clever. The range of healthy desserts (especially the fermented blueberry cheesecake, without cheese) are excellent as are the indulgent-tasting smoothies, while many also rate the takes on classics such as cannelloni, pad Thai and chilli. Visit the website Sagar Entirely vegetarian Covent Garden, Fitzrovia and Hammersmith Londons three branches of Sagar offer south Indian vegetarian cuisine , complete with vegan, nut-free, wheat-free, garlic- and onion-free options to please just about any diet. The range of dosas are a particular draw. Visit the website Ottolenghi Good for vegetarians Various locations Yotam Ottolenghis eponymous mini-chain is a well-deserved, if obvious, inclusion in any veggie-friendly recommendation list. His pack of deli restaurants major on perky, vibrant salads along with creatively spiced bakes and all manner of sweet treats. Meat also features for those who want it. Visit the website Nopi Good for vegetarians Soho Also from Ottolenghi is this stylish restaurant near Piccadilly Circus, where meat and fish options sit alongside fresh vegetable-led dishes of burrata with clementine coriander seeds and plum wine, or roasted cauliflower with saffron, salsify, sultanas and crispy capers. Visit the website Mildreds Entirely vegetarian Soho and Camden Mildreds is a Soho institution, and theres now a bonus branch in Camden too. It serves a vast array of vegetarian dishes ranging from chillies and curries to burritos and burgers, and has been doing so more than two decades. Dishes are unfussy and unrefined, but nonetheless well-flavoured and reliably well cooked. An added bonus is that while portions are big, prices are impressively small. Visit the website The Waiting Room Good for vegetarians Deptford This veggie and vegan cafe serves fresh sandwiches, soups and veggie leek, thyme and mushroom sausage rolls, often smothered in its delicious homemade spicy Deptford Death Sauce. Sweet treats include pancakes with fresh fruit and maple syrup, gluten-free salted caramel flapjacks and banana and Nutella bread. Visit the website The Modern Pantry Good for vegetarians Clerkenwell and the City Anna Hansens two Modern Pantry restaurants are far from veggie, but they do serve an almost unrivalled host of creative vegetarian dishes. Try a morning dish of poached eggs with wilted spinach on English muffins smothered in yuzu hollandaise, or a dinnertime celeriac, smoked tofu and cavolo nero tempura. Visit the website Manna Entirely vegetarian Primrose Hill This smart vegetarian restaurant is almost half a century old, and much of its menu is now also vegan and organic, with a bit of raw food thrown in for good measure. Intricate spicing and careful cooking ensures theres plenty of interest (even for carnivores), while the skills of the kitchen also mean that the raw and vegan dishes are among the most accessible of their kind in London. Visit the website Honey & Co Good for vegetarians Fitzrovia Lentil stews, spice roasted pumpkins, fresh doughy breads and feta fritters are the kind of fresh-flavoured Middle Eastern-inspired vegetarian dishes youll find at this small Warren Street spot. Visit the website Gauthier Soho Good for vegetarians Soho French restaurants would be considered a no go by some vegetarians, but at this high-end Soho spot chef Alexis Gauthier turns that logic on its head by offering an all-vegetarian tasting menu. It costs 65 for eight courses and has recently included a carrot and orange puree with wild rocket and dandelion leaves as well as a brown butter and parmesan risotto with fresh truffles. Visit the website Bonnington Cafe Entirely vegetarian Vauxhall Starting life as a squat, this south London restaurant, set in peaceful community gardens, strives to keep the caring-sharing vibe of its early days going. This means no service charge, no corkage charge for BYO, and great value food. A community of people take it in turns to play chef, and as such the quality of what you get can vary. Visit the website The Haberdashery Good for vegetarians Crouch End and Stoke Newington The menu here is split between veggie and non-veggie dishes so theres no need to feel guilty about inviting carnivorous pals along. Breakfast, brunches and lunches are served at both branches  the veggie breakfast features halloumi and splendid homemade hash browns to make up for bacon and sausages  while the Stokie venue also offers suppers. Visit the website Ethos Entirely vegetarian Fitzrovia This restaurant offers simple vegetarian soups and salads alongside sweets like doughnuts and cake pops. Be careful: the price is by weight not by dish, so don't go if you're feeling ravenous or you might bankrupt yourself. It's safer to snack here. For something filling, opt for the signature Aloo (potato) scotch eggs, perked up with a sweet and spicy ketchup. Visit the website Honest Burger Good for vegetarians Various locations You might not have been expecting to see a burger joint in this list  but who says vegetarians dont like a filled bap now and then? Honest Burger offers one of Londons best veggie burgers, featuring a spiced pakora-like patty of cauliflower, tomato, sweetcorn and shallots. Have it with a portion fo Honests signature rosemary chips. Visit the website

A range of rewards set up to entice investors include including a thank you dinner with the founders, a private tasting for 15, and a chance to dine free for life.

Dishes at The Vurger Co will include The Classic made with smoky black beans, peppers and corn topped with tomato, red onion and homemade Vurger sauce, The Mexican featuring a spiced jalapeno and pepper bean patty topped with hot salsa, chilli mayo and smashed avocado, and The Auburger made with a chipotle smoky aubergine, red onion and chickpea patty topped with cumin mayo and pickled cabbage.

Sides will include skin-on chips, sweet potato chips, truffle mac n cheese and slaw.

Visit thevurgerco.com/invest to back the campaign, and watch this space for news of a summer pop-up.
P enny Junor has a reputation for being as cold and sharp as ice, and has been described as evil, vile, poisonous (the tamer insults), and as Britains foremost hatchetess. Her detractors would depict her as a nib-wielding villain, drawing blood with every pen stroke. Shes glamorous: tall with a white Anna Wintour bob and glacial eyes, nails painted with absolute precision, clothes freshly drawn from a dry-cleaning sheath. Im thinking, Will she be chilly? as I shake her hand. So later, when we talk about her family (her father was the bellicose Fleet Street editor John Junor), she floors me by starting to cry.

Junor is, of course, the biographer accused of butchering the memory of Diana, Princess of Wales. She wrote as she saw: Diana was not a sacrificial virgin offered at the altar of the royal family but a complicated Sloane with a messy upbringing who fell into a terrible match. There followed books with prime time ITV titles  Charles: Victim or Villain? and The Firm: The Troubled Life of the House of Windsor  stonking bestsellers that forensically examined her subjects.

Today she is continuing to upend the view that pretty princesses are heroines with a flattering portrait of Camilla, the Duchess: The Untold Story. Camilla rescued Prince Charles from a rotten marriage, she argues, and is a well-adjusted, down-to-earth breath of fresh air in the household. She drinks, she smoked, shes funny, and shes sexy, says Junor.

Cue a landslide of hate mail. It comes via her website, by email, on Twitter. It congregates in the below the line comment sections on newspaper websites  the modern-day equivalent of a mob at the medieval stocks. Yesterday she received one that opened: You ugly f**king bitch, I hope you and your f**king horse face go to hell. Fortunately, at 67, shes adept at flicking such criticism from her shoulder pads.

Camilla is, says Junor, a role model at 70, in as much as she has made women feel that to be themselves at her age is OK. They dont need to go shoving Botox into their bodies and dressing in ridiculously young clothes. She went from housewife to duchess and took on one of the most full-time visible jobs in the country. Shell be working her socks off until she drops down dead.

Actually, Junor is uninterested in what Camilla thinks of the book (no skin off my nose) but says the Duchess of Cornwall was a delight to follow. I follow a lot of royals and some wont even look you in the eye.

'Role model at 70': The Duchess of Cornwall / Getty Images

Like who? Princess Anne. Throughout a five-day trip to Uzbekistan, she continues, Princess Anne didnt utter a word to her, even though they went to school together (Benenden).

Junors first book on Diana was published in 1998. But whats odd about her career is that she had zero passion or even interest in the royals. She was already a successful journalist, columnist and television presenter, and only took on Diana because she was rung up and asked. After it was published, I thought never again.

Her house in Wiltshire was besieged. Paparazzi lenses poked from hedges. I was on every front page that day and for days after, every news channel. People spat at me in the street, I got death threats.

So instead she wrote about Richard Burton, Margaret Thatcher and John Major  the last she adored but says she got too close to as a subject (although not as close as Edwina Currie). She says in hindsight that biographies are better when youre one removed, talking to family, friends and colleagues. Otherwise youre accused of writing a hagiography.

Although she ultimately sees them as a good thing, she long tried to shake off the royal beat. And then someone would ring me up  from the Today programme or a publisher  and drag me back.

Unflinching biographer: Penny Junor / Daniel Hambury/Stella Pictures

I wonder if its peculiar to the British psyche to deify non-religious heroes, seeing them wholly good as opposed to just human? Back then it was Diana; today it might easily be Jeremy Corbyn (whose fan base monsters even the mildest critic of the Marxist messiah). Diana was seen as superhuman, super- good, super-saintly with virginal innocence. In truth, she had a series of lovers. She was a fun, funny girl traumatised by childhood, married to the wrong man. Corbyn is considered a saint too by those who ignore all the things he says. People wont always see the full picture.

Junor is known for her fastidious research. She has written 16 books and her work is meticulously sourced, she tapes all conversations, transcribes them herself, and even shows the sources drafts of their words in context. She works in four- or five-month chunks, going into purdah in order to write eight to 10 hours a day, seven days a week (I used to do 12 hours, seven days but Im finding it harder).

Her husband James Leith, brother of cookerys Prue, is a Lamda-trained actor and a restaurateur. He brings her lunch and supper and basically sounds like a hero. My husband is brilliant, she laughs. He is such a nice man. They met at St Andrews University when she was 20, he proposed within three months and they married the next year.

At one time, Penny worked and James was a stay-at-home dad, helping with their four children (born in two batches 10 years apart). But this was way before anybody else, she stresses. Hed go to the school gate and be eyed with real suspicion by the other mothers. When I finished my book, he wrote one about being a house husband.

It did mean they lived in abject poverty for a time. But they made it fun. Junor started with an office in the cupboard under the stairs alongside the clutter and ironing board. She had a little desk and a typewriter, and while she immersed, James read, cooked, laundered, wiped noses, wiped bottoms and was present.

He even allowed her to bring up their three younger children as vegetarians after she read, while expecting, a story about a farmer who takes a cow to market. (The eldest child, Sam, got away with eating meat because he was already two, she says).

The wedding of Penny Junor to Jamie Leith at St Bride's Church

What moves her to write biographies? Because I am fascinated by people and what makes them behave the way they do. I think it is one of the most fascinating things in the world.

Im interested to know how much her own childhood  her father was prone to steaming rages  informed the way she sees people? A lot, she says. I had a very difficult father. I lived in a war zone. My parents were very unhappy and I lived through my mothers pain. Throughout my childhood I was constantly trying to protect her from my father.

Her mother Pamela, a painter, was soft, kind, a gentle sort of woman. Her father was controlling and bullying and unkind. Verbally he was violent. Odd things occasionally got thrown but it was violence of the words. And as a child I used to run upstairs and sob into my pillow, or run out to my pony and sob with my arms around her neck.

By todays definition it would be classed as domestic abuse. It would, yes. My mother had no escape. She had no money because they married young and he hadnt wanted her to work. She was utterly dependent on him.

Of course, she and her brother Roderick  five years older  tried desperately to please him. She tells me an elaborate story of her fathers attempts to manipulate her against her mother. He would take me out in the car and give me two bags of apples, red or green. My mother preferred green, my father red. So hed say: Which one? I took a red apple. And hed say: Well she prefers red apples, like me.

Roderick was never allowed a childhood. He was my fathers friend. He took him to the pub with him.

When politicians came to dinner  Ted Heath, Harold Wilson, Enoch Powell, Michael Foot  both children were expected to be there, even from quite a small age.

Finally Pamela discovered letters that proved her father was having an affair and started divorce proceedings. Junor, then 13, was at boarding school doing her confirmation and had just got God.

And so I freaked. I said, No, no, dont do it. I was such a stupid girl. My father was delighted. He didnt want a divorce. She wouldve been early 40s and beautiful and could easily have found someone else.

But he eroded her confidence, telling her she had no talent as an artist. They only separated when I had two children and moved to a house that was big enough to accommodate my mother.

I hated him because of what he did to my mother. So I had this terribly torn relationship with him.

How did it affect her brother? He became an alcoholic, she says. Eventually he went into rehab paid for by their father, although he wanted nothing else to do with it. He was not prepared to talk about it.

So it fell to Penny to co-operate with the counsellors. One exercise involved family members writing a list of damages done to them by Roderick when he was drinking, to be read out in family therapy as a way of helping him face it.

So I told some pretty nasty stories about things that he had done, she says, and my brother got up and walked out. He left. He was so embarrassed and ashamed. He never really spoke to me again. And I thought I was helping to make him better. And then he just drank himself to death. She stops, overwhelmed.

Both her father and brother died in 1997, the same year as Diana, Roderick on Christmas Eve. It was not easy, she says, but he was my only brother. I really miss the boy I grew up with. Its very sad.
T raditionally, surfers expect two things of their lodgings: a bed and proximity to water. But is this simple formula, which has satisfied young beach bums for decades, enough for the older, wealthier tourists taking up the sport by the tens of thousands each year?

John Malmqvist doesn't think so. A former competitive surfer for Sweden, John spied a gap in the market for a more luxurious surf holiday, with wine lists as well as wetsuits, and where surfers of all standards can unwind over gourmet food in premium accommodation.

"I realised that surfing was becoming more mainstream," says Malmqvist. "Which meant different people, not just young people, were doing it. I thought there would be people who would want a more luxurious, comfortable experience."

His Surfers Lodge, on the Portuguese peninsula of Peniche, 60 miles north of Lisbon, opened three years ago and has kicked up a roaring trade in one of Europe's great surfing centres. An artful concrete block on the Baleal side of the peninsula, the Lodge stands out amid the surrounding white houses and hostels.

The peninsula is renowned as one of the most reliable surf spots in Europe. The varied coastline caters for all abilities and beaches facing multiple directions near enough guarantees waves all year round.

Tobias Ilsanker

For beginners learning to get up, cliff-shielded beaches offer manageable waves, while advanced surfers can tackle Supertubos, a legendary spot so called because of the hollowed out cylinder of water created by the waves that break there.

"Peniche is booming right now, it's one of the fastest growing areas for surfing in the world. The (surf) season is getting longer. It has beaches in different directions which means there's always something to surf. Also there's the international surfing competition (the MEO Rip Curl Pro tournament) which comes here every year," says Malmqvist. "The Lodge is doing well. We get a great mix of guests: couples, singles, families, all ages too. It's not homogenous."

Surfer's Lodge

The Lodge's interior, replete with nautical antiques reclaimed industrial furniture, is more trendy urban bar than sandy surf shack. The restaurant serves seared tuna, gourmet burgers and boasts a wine list worthy of any top restaurant.

Despite the indulgences, it remains wholly devoted to surfing. Daily lessons are offered at novice, advanced and intermediate levels. Participants soon realise it's not only the accommodation which is of a higher standard; the surf rental, full of pristine boards and top of the range wet-suits, is advanced, too. Surfers can even chart their progress in a video playback room.

Useful if, like me, you sometimes struggle to know where you're going wrong.

The Beatles Suite

Peniche is also home to Nazare, one of the biggest waves in the world. It was here that British surfer Andrew Cotton was filmed surfing a record-breaking 80ft wave in 2014. Months prior to my visit, John had surfed Nazare for the first time after a year of training. The wave is so big, surfers need to be towed into it on a jet-ski.

"I'm glad I survived," he said.

What happens if you fall?

"Theoretically you could break your back or drown. But it was cool, I was fine."

Away from the seafront, Peniche is pleasant if unremarkable. A few excellent sea-food restaurants lie tucked away in unassuming residential streets. Marisqueira Mirandum, a small family-run place frequented by local politicians, specialises in simply but beautifully cooked fish plucked straight from the sea.

The influx of surfers has resulted in some interesting night spots opening in recent years. Surf tourists aren't, on the most part, a rowdy bunch, so dedicated are they to getting in the water early, but a range of bars in the town will satisfy those looking for a more raucous time.

If you're lucky your visit to the lodge will coincide, as mine did, with one of the rooftop parties laid on by John and his American wife. DJs entertain a diverse mix of locals and tourists with house music as the sun sets over the Atlantic.

"The locals like our bohemian sunset parties," says John, with a flicker of irony.

These parties, like so much else at the lodge, will also appeal to Londoners craving a dash of urban swagger with their surfer vibes.

Details

A one night stay at Surfers Lodge Peniche is from 179 Euro for a double room; surferslodgepeniche.com
CHICAGO  Hundreds of people gathered outside a federal courthouse Monday as a former UW-Madison student suspected in the kidnapping of a Chinese scholar at the University of Illinois made his first appearance since being arrested last week.

During the nine-minute hearing, 28-year-old Brendt Christensen acknowledged to the judge that he understood his rights but did not say anything else. U.S. Magistrate Eric Long ordered Christensen held without bond in the kidnapping of Yingying Zhang. Authorities say facts in the case indicate the 26-year-old Zhang is dead, although her body hasnt been found.

Long ordered Christensen to return to the court in Urbana on Wednesday to determine bond. A preliminary hearing was set for July 14, but that would be waived if a grand jury returns an indictment before then. The federal kidnapping charge carries a maximum sentence of life in prison, according to a U.S. attorneys office spokeswoman.

About 45 people attended the hearing Monday morning, with another crowd in the courthouse lobby and more people across the street, many chanting Justice for Yingying.

After the hearing, Christensens attorney Evan Bruno said he talked to Christensen a few times, but that this case is very young and we havent had a really full opportunity to develop everything yet.

Bruno asked the public to be patient, to keep an open mind, wait until the evidence comes in.

He described his client as a very intelligent guy who has no criminal history. He has a speeding ticket, I think, but thats about it, Bruno said.

Bruno added that Christensen is married with no children, according to The (Champaign) News-Gazette. He said Christensen, who attended UW-Madison as an undergraduate from 2009 to 2013 and recently earned a masters degree in physics from the University of Illinois, is not employed but has been looking for a job.

Zhang, who received her masters degree in environmental engineering in China last year and hoped to eventually land a professorship and help her family financially, disappeared on June 9. Her father traveled from China to Illinois in June for the search.

Authorities announced that they believed she was abducted after viewing surveillance video showing her climbing into a vehicle. Authorities charged Christensen on Friday after federal agents heard him tell someone that hed kidnapped Zhang and held her against her will.

Authorities say Zhang was trying to hurry to an apartment to sign a lease and had been unsuccessful in flagging down a bus when a car stopped. The video shows a woman authorities have said is Zhang climb into the vehicle in Urbana, 140 miles southwest of Chicago.

Since then, details have emerged about Christensen and the events leading up to Zhangs disappearance.

According to authorities, a website that hosted an Abduction 101 forum linked Christensen to the kidnapping of Zhang. The federal complaint says Christensens phone was used April 19 to visit that website, including to view threads titled Perfect abduction fantasy and planning a kidnapping.

The site, FetLife, describes itself as the Social Network for the BDSM, Fetish & Kinky Community, stressing in online policy statements that it is a place for consenting adults to trade advice and images of themselves and to arrange to meet. Users provide their ages, genders and roles they wish to play, but otherwise remain anonymous.
C hanelling James Bond on holiday just got a whole lot easier; Uber has launched a new speedboat service in Croatia.

The taxi app that brought us fast, affordable cars in minutes and a food delivery service, is now offering UberBOAT.

Users can choose between a point-to-point boat service around the islands between Split and Dubrovnik or an adventure tour to nearby islands.

Arriving just in time for peak summer season, the boat service is as straightforward as finding an Uber car ride. Simply request a boat for 8-12 passengers and you will be guided to meet the captain at a nearby pickup point.

Much like a regular Uber, it also allows you to split the fare  which ought to come in handy as a whole-day boat adventure starts from a whopping 980.

Davor Tremac, General Manager of Uber in Croatia and Southeast Europe, said: UberBOAT will offer locals and tourists a new way of exploring and travelling around the Croatian coast by providing a unique yet reliable and straightforward adventure to the islands around Split. Hvar and Dubrovnik.

We are confident that the service will greatly increase on-demand island travel while contributing the the overall growth of Croatian tourism.

Croatia - in pictures 1 /18 Croatia - in pictures 1. Rab Island Edward VIII took Wallis Simpson to little known Rab Island in 1936 and it's not hard to see why it was chosen. A secluded island off northern Croatia in the Kvarner Gulf, Rab has medieval rooftops and spires, enchanting golden-stone alleyways, lush green forests and endless sandy beaches and sheltered coves. Nudists should ask for the way to Kandarola Bay... Alamy Magical Rab Town Alamy 2. Dubrovnik Game of Thrones fans won't want to miss the medieval walled city of Dubrovnik - but nor will anyone else. The location is simple sublime: a walled city at the southern tip of the Dalmatian Coast dropping into the glistening Adriatic below. The Old Town is pedestrian-only and you can walk along the top of the old wall to get brilliant views. Chic five-star hotels and quality seafood joints make it the ideal coastal city break. For a real injection of glamour, stay at Villa Dubrovnik 10 minutes outside of town. The hotel has a vintage speedboat which will take you to and from the Old Town. Alamy At dusk The rooftops of Dubrovnik Old Town Alamy Golden age Dubrovnik is full of car-free golden square and alleyways to explore Alamy 3. Vis Further north from Dubrovnik, you'll the small but incredibly charming island of Vis. It used to be an important naval base in the former Yugoslavia, so Vis was out of bounds for tourists and it still feels largely undiscovered. The quiet island has stretches of vineyards and produces some of Croatia's best known white wines. It also has some of the best seafood to offer. If you're treating yourself, join the yacht brigade in the beautiful garden restaurant of Villa Kaliopa. Alamy Beach life Stiniva, a popular pebble beach is typical of Vis island Alamy 4. Telascica Nature Park Telascica is a bay on the southeastern part of the island Dugi Otok. A designated nature park 10km long, it is dotted with cliffs, islets and smaller bays, perfect for exploring by boat. It's not far from the mainland city of Zadar. Alamy 5. Lastovo Island A traditional way of life still reigns on the tiny paradise of Lastovo, making it a good choice for the more intrepid traveller. Beach life it ain't - instead you'll find thick forests, a wonderfully craggy coast and a walkers' paradise - the diving is good, too. In fact, the whole island is a dedicated nature park. On the southern side of the island is the Struga Lighthouse (pictured), where you can actually stay. You can get to Lastovo by ferry from Split. Alamy Still life Lastovo is a tiny paradise Alamy 6. Lopud Only half an hour's ferry northwest from Dubrovnik is Lopud, where the former's aristocracy used to sail to for weekend breaks in the 17th century. One of the Elaphiti islands, the island is full of derelict churches, chapels and monasteries and a sleepy village harbour that will make you feel as if you've stepped back in time. Head to Sunj for a bit of beach action. Alamy 7. Korcula Old Town The supposed birth place of Marco Polo, the walled old town of Korcula is well worth a visit. It juts out pleasingly into the Peljesac Channel and its architecture takes its inspiration from the Venetian Renaissance Alamy 8. Hvar Town The St Tropez of Croatia, Hvar Town is impossibly chic - dressed in the Venetian style with piazzas and a huge cathedral crowning the main square. Hvar is popular with both the super yachties and young party animals, so avoid peak season if you don't like crowds. Alamy 8. Mljet Prince Charles is a fan of the walking on this pretty island that is part national park and just a 90 minute ferry from Dubrovnik. It's also home to a Benedictine monastery (pictured) - accessible by boat - and several lakes you can swim in. Alamy

Now that island-hopping in Croatia has been made simpler, we think theres no better time to embark on a Balkans vacation.

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A convicted killer who throttled his elderly neighbour with a length of tape before stealing her jewellery in a violent burglary has been jailed for 15 years.

Terrence Rox, 52, attacked Barbara Palmer, 79, in her home of 20 years, taking valuables from her including a watch she was given for her 18th birthday.

The pensioner, who was found with blood over her face and bruising around her neck, has been moved to a care home for her own safety after the attack, the Old Bailey heard.

Jailing Rox for 15 years with an extended five years on licence, Judge John Bevan QC said today there was so little which is remotely positive that can be said about him.

You burgled your 79-year-old neighbour, a sweet old lady suffering badly from dementia, he said.

Attacking her was an act of cynical and entirely amoral abuse of a highly vulnerable victim, made worse by planned violence in that you took with you a roll of Sellotape and latex gloves.

The court heard Rox was locked up for four-and-a-half years in 1993 for stabbing a man repeatedly and then starting a fire to try to cover his tracks.

His barrister, Parveen Mansoor, told the court the manslaughter conviction came from a drugs dispute, after the victim had put a gun to Roxs head.

But Judge Bevan said he could not trust Roxs account of the killing, as he had told repeated lies during the burglary trial and put forward an absurd defence that another man was responsible.

The alarm was raised at midday on March 4 by a neighbour when Mrs Palmer was found with tape wrapped tightly around her neck and her face covered in blood.

She was able to name Rox as the attacker as he was one of her neighbours in the quiet cul-de-sac in Enfield.

Police quickly captured Rox later the same day, still with blood on his hands and with the stolen jewellery in his pockets, but he refused to accept he had been behind the violent raid.

He had forced his way into Mrs Palmers flat, throttled her with the tape and punched her in the face, leaving her with cuts and bruises and two loose teeth.

The thief, who has a catalogue of previous convictions, then swiped the pensioners jewellery and fled, dropping a ring behind as he made his escape.

Prosecutor Peter Walsh told the court Mrs Palmer has now had to leave her home of more than 20 years after this incident.

Because of the nature of this attack, she was moved and she is now in a residential care home, he said.

Judge Bevan ordered the police to make efforts to sell furniture from Roxs flat to pay up to 2500 in compensation to the pensioner.

Rox denied the charges but was found guilty by a jury on Friday of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm and burglary.

DC Joel Gregory, the investigating officer, said: This was one of the most shocking attacks on a vulnerable person that I have seen during my time in the police. Thankfully the victim of this incident did not sustain any long term injuries. As a result of her dementia, the victim remembers nothing of what she was subjected to.
A teenager who plotted mass murder at an Elton John concert on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks has been jailed for life.

Haroon Syed tried to get a suicide vest and machine gun and identified the Hyde Park event as a possible target.

But the 19-year-old was snared by Security Service agents posing online as a fellow extremist.

Syed was indoctrinated by Al-Muhajiroun, the banned group linked to jailed preacher Anjem Choudary, before planning the attack.

The Old Bailey heard a trigger for his radicalisation was the arrest of his older brother for plotting an Islamic State-inspired Poppy Day attack.

The teenager, from Hounslow, west London, admitted preparation of terrorist acts between April and September last year.

Judge Michael Topolski QC said the risk Syed posed warranted a discretionary life sentence and ordered him to serve a minimum of 16 and a half years.

The court heard how the teenager considered attacking an Elton John concert in Hyde Park / AFP/Getty Images

He told Syed: "Overall you were, and you remained, intent upon and committed to carrying out an act of mass murder in this country. You were not lured, you were not enticed, you were not entrapped.

"You became ... deeply committed to the ideology of a brutal and barbaric organisation that sought to hijack and corrupt an ancient and venerable religion for its own purposes and you wanted to be part of it."

Despite the risk around the time of his brother's arrest, Syed slipped through the net of the Prevent anti-radicalisation team although his passport was seized in 2015.

Home Office-approved deradicalisation expert and Bradford imam Alyas Karmani told the court there should have been earlier intervention.

Mitigating, Mark Summers QC said it was a "crude, ill-thought-out" plan made at the behest of others.

Syed now publicly rejects his past beliefs and condemned the recent bomb attack at the Ariana Grande pop concert in Manchester, the lawyer added.

Judge Topolski accepted Syed had been vulnerable and susceptible to radicalisation, but added: "Once you had found this new place to be, this stopped being a game, if it ever was one, and became something deadly serious.

The court heard how key evidence came from Syed's chat with a fake contact Abu Yusuf via mobile phone and social media.

Syed asked for "gear" for his "op" and when asked to give details, he said he needed a machine gun and an explosive vest "so after some damage with machine gun do martyrdom ... that's what I'm planning to do".

Initially he cried off meeting his contact, complaining that he was being followed by police who will "have eyes on me if I come".

An officer pretended to be Abu Yusuf when they did finally get together at a Costa Coffee in Slough, and their discussion was secretly recorded.

Syed repeatedly urged the officer to get him weapons for free as he was turned down for bank loans purporting to be for a motorbike, a wedding and home improvements.

On August 30, Syed stressed that he needed a "portable" device, saying: "I might put the bomb in the train and then I'm going to jump out so the bomb explodes on the train.

"So ask the brother if he can make that type of bomb with button."

Syed arranged to pick up the bomb in exchange for 150 the following week.

Commander Dean Haydon, of the Met's Counter Terrorism Command, said: "Our close working relationship with MI5 ensured we uncovered evidence that Syed was plotting to kill innocent members of the public.

"Today's sentence has ensured that a dangerous individual harbouring violent terrorist ambitions has been removed from our community."


A young man is fighting for life after being stabbed as a gang hurled bottles in a south London street.

Horrified bystanders called police after a group of men were seen throwing bottles close to Streatham railway station just before 6pm on Monday.

Witnesses reported a huge police presence, including helicopters, dog units and up to 20 police cars, in Madeira Road.

Detectives found the victim suffering critical stab wounds in nearby Oakdale Road just minutes later, Scotland Yard said.

Police cordon: Emergency services descended on residential streets / EJ Ward/Twitter

He was rushed to a south London hospital by paramedics from Londons Ambulance Service.

EJ Ward, who works for Sino news, described the dramatic moment emergency services descended on the area.

Critical injuries: Police closed off roads close to Streatham station / Twitter/EJ Ward

Residents claimed the victim, whose age is currently unknown, is the second person to be stabbed nearby in a week.

He said: I spoke to officers and witnesses who confirmed that there had been a youth on youth stabbing. (It is the) second one in the area in a week.

Another witness wrote on Twitter: Another teenage boy stabbed outside my house, five minutes earlier he was stroking my dog, apologising for his poor English.

Eight men have been arrested in connection with the incident and are currently being held at a south London police station.

Anyone with any information that may assist police should call detectives at Lambeth CID via 101 or, to remain anonymous, call Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
T his is a terrifying haul of lethal handguns destined for London crime gangs which were seized by officials at the Channel Tunnel terminal in France.

They were discovered in concealed compartments in a trailer attached to a Mercedes van as it prepared to enter the tunnel at the Coquelles terminal.

Border Force officials swooped after a joint investigation by the National Crime Agency and detectives from Scotland Yards organised crime unit.

Searches revealed a cache of 79 viable 4mm and 6mm handguns and a large quantity of ammunition, all hidden in specially adapted concealments in engine blocks.

Detectives believe the weapons had been smuggled from eastern Europe to be sold to organised crime gangs in London.

Seven people were arrested when the van was stopped in France but six, all Polish nationals, including four women aged 15, 17, 58 and 41, were later released without charge.

Police described the seizure as very significant and one of the largest of its kind.

Detective Chief Superintendent Michael Gallagher, of the Mets Organised Crime Command said: This joint operation highlights how we can work effectively with other agencies to combat serious and organised crime. I have no doubt that a number of these weapons were destined for the streets of London, where they would have caused misery and unspeakable damage to the community.

The operation comes as figures show a 28 per cent rise in the number of shootings in London in the 12 months to April, compared with the previous year.

Officials from the National Crime Agency say guns are being smuggled into the UK from eastern Europe where they are cheap and easily available.

While police stress that gun crime is relatively low in the UK, they say they are seizing more guns on the streets. There are growing fears that guns obtained by crime gangs could fall into the hands of terrorists.

Graham Gardner, NCA Deputy Director of investigations, said: This joint operation has resulted in a large number of viable firearms being taken out of circulation before they could reach the UK.

Whilst we are in the early stages of our investigation, I believe these weapons were intended for criminal use in either London or across the UK and it goes without saying the risk they would have posed to the public.

He said handguns were the favoured weapon of criminal gangs because they were easily concealed but still lethal.

Her added: These weapons are unusual because they are low calibre compared to other handguns but they are no less lethal. The bullets are small but they can still kill.

NCA officials say they are also seeing an increase in the number of weapons being ordered over the dark web and delivered to addresses in the UK via the parcel system.

Two men Janusz Michek, 59, a Polish national, who was arrested at the scene, and Denis Kolencukov, 23, originally from the Czech Republic but living in Slough, were charged with conspiracy to possess firearms.

They were due to appear at Uxbridge Magistrates Court this morning.
T wo women who helped a dangerous inmate after he broke out of crisis-hit Pentonville Prison have avoided jail.

Violent thug Matthew Baker was one of two men who escaped from the London prison in November last year.

The 29-year-olds girlfriend Chelsea Gibson, 35, of Bow, east London, and his sister, Kelly Baker, have both swerved jail time after assisting him.

Baker and James Whitlock, 32, sawed through the metal bar in their cell window and clambered on to the roof of the prison.

Pentonville: Two inmates escaped from the jail / PA

The two convicts then used bedding tied to a CCTV camera pole to descend down the perimeter wall to freedom.

The pair have again been locked up for a total of four and a half years after their daring break-out.

On Monday, Gibson was sentenced at Blackfriars Crown Court to eight months in prison suspended for 18 months after she admitted assisting her boyfriend.

Kelly Baker 22, of Ilford, was at the same court handed eight months in jail suspended for 18 months for harbouring an escaped prisoner. Both were given unpaid work as part of their sentences.

The court heard last month how Baker texted his girlfriend on a contraband mobile phone during the prison break to say "Got to get out.

Two days later he was found hiding under a bed at his sister's home with dyed hair.
T he Pope has called for parents of critically ill Charlie Gard to be allowed to "accompany and treat their child until the end".

In a statement, the Vatican said Pope Francis is "following with affection and sadness the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents".

"For this he prays that their wish to accompany and treat their child until the end is not neglected," the statement added.

Devastated parents Chris Gard and Connie Yates are spending the last days of their 10-month-old sons life with him after being given more time before his life-support is switched off.

Explained: The Charlie Gard case

The baby, who suffers from a rare genetic condition and has brain damage, is being cared for at Great Ormond Street Hospital (GOSH).

His case has been the centre of a lengthy legal battle between his parents, who wanted him to undergo a therapy trial in the United States. But specialists at the hospital who fought the bid said the treatment was experimental would not help him.

The couple released an emotional video on Thursday saying that they had been told Charlie would die the next day.

Chris Gard and Connie Yates lost their legal battle to take Charlie to the US for treatment / PA

On Friday the couple tweeted a picture of them sleeping on either side of their son in hospital alongside the hashtags #jesuisCharlieGard #charliesfight #letcharliegohome.

They said they had been denied their final wish to be able to take their son home to die and felt let down after losing their legal fight.

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Charlies parents, both in their 30s and from Bedfont, west London, had asked European court judges in Strasbourg, France, to consider their claim after judges in the High Court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court in London ruled in favour of GOSH doctors.

But last week the European Court of Human Rights refused to intervene.

On Sunday, campaigners carrying a banner that said Its Murder gathered outside Buckingham Palace to protest against the courts decision.

Other posters with pictures of Charlie said Where theres life, theres hope and parental rights.

The family have received donations totaling more than 1.3million.
L ondon Bridge station has been evacuated while officials respond to a fire alert.

Alarms sounded at London Bridge station shortly after 10.30am on Monday and crowds of people were herded outside.

Southern Rail and Thameslink services into and out of the station were disrupted following the fire alert.

On social media, video footage showed crowds of people rushing off the platforms after being told to leave the station.

Witness Basilio C Vieira said: "London Bridge Station is being evacuated.Fire alarm, they say."

Another named Amrin shared a video of Network Rail engineers congregating outside the station.

Transport for London said Tube services were not affected.

A Network Rail spokesman said the station was evacuated following a false alarm.

A spokesman for British Transport Police wrote on Twitter: "London Bridge station briefly closed whilst a fire alert was investigated. Station is now reopening."

The station reopened shortly after 11am.
A teenage girl fell to her death from a fourth floor window as she tried to escape a burning flat.

The 17-year-old girl was pronounced dead at the scene after falling from the window of an apartment block in Mile End where a fire had broken out early on Monday morning.

A team of 21 firefighters were called to St Pauls Way at just before 6am after the blaze started in a maisonette on the third and fourth floor above a parade of shops.

The street was cordoned off and 50 residents were forced to leave their flats as thick black smoke billowed from the building.

Blaze: Smoke billows from a fourth floor window after a fire breaks out in a maisonette / Atikur Rahman / @A71KUR

Two passers-by rushed to help the teenage girl after she leapt from the maisonette to escape the fire. They administered first aid but she died from her injuries.

Firefighters also rescued a man from the fourth floor of the maisonette, while two other people fled to safety before fire crews arrived at the scene.

Four people suffering from smoke inhalation were treated by ambulance crews. Scotland Yard said their injuries were not thought to be serious.

The London Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team also attended / LAS HART

A Met Police spokesman said: One female, believed aged 17, was found outside the property - she was pronounced dead at the scene.

Four other people received treatment - none of them are serious.

Enquiries into the circumstances of the fire are ongoing.

The fire was brought under control at 7.05am. The cause of the blaze is under investigation.
A n officer at a London police station has been taken off the beat for a year for allegedly eating a colleagues biscuits without permission.

The PC, based in Kingston, south west London, has been on restricted duties while Scotland Yards Department of Professional Standards carries out an investigation.

He is understood to have handed out the snacks to fellow officers after finding an open packet on a desk at the end of a busy night shift.

He was later accused of theft and has been on restricted duties since June last year while Scotland Yard s anti-corruption command, the Department of Professional Standards, probe the allegation.

A source told the Daily Mirror: They offered biscuits from an open packet at the end of a shift. The issue is the time it takes to conduct investigations, the average taking over a year.

The officers, who in most cases have done little or nothing wrong, work within restricted guidelines while watching colleagues burn out.

A Met Police spokesman said: The investigation has nearly concluded.
T ransport for London has launched a Siri-style travel bot in a bid to make journeys on the Tube network easier, but commuters seem more intent on sending it silly messages.

The new social media tool, which can be accessed through Facebook Messenger, provides service updates and Tube maps for those using the underground and buses.

The artificial intelligence-powered bot can chat with commuters and tell them when their bus is due to arrive and can link lost Londoners to a customer service agent.

But unimpressed first users of the new technology have shared the entertaining automated responses it has been giving when they ask for advice, along with the bizarre questions they asked.

One Tube user tweeted a screen grab of the bots response to his question, adding: Doesn't look like the @TfL TravelBot is gonna be replacing @Citymapper anytime soon.

When he asked TfLs new tool when the next train from London Bridge was, the bot replied: Im still learning, so right now I dont have information about stations.

Another Twitter user asked the bot, which officially named TravelBot, how it was spending its day. It replied: Couldnt be better.

One commuter even accused TravelBot of shirking its responsibilities after she was repeatedly directed to the journey planner page of TfLs website when she asked it questions.

TfL said that as more people use the service, it will learn and become more precise. And a spokesman for the rail operator will look to add more features to the technology in future.

Shashi Verma, TfLs director of customer experience, said: Millions of people already use our Journey Planner and social media channels to help them get around London, and we are constantly seeking new ways to make the process even easier.

This TravelBot will make it simpler for people using Messenger to get the information they need as they move around the city.

We think that this initial version will be a major step forward in how we provide travel information to our customers and we look forward to their feedback to help us improve the product over time.

To access the TfL TravelBot, you can search for TfL TravelBot on Facebook or visit facebook.com/tfltravelbot/ on a desktop computer.
H undreds of London-based EU employees could make a daily Brexit commute to Dublin rather than leave the capital, it was claimed today.

Ireland is bidding to be the new location for the European Medicines Agency, which will have to quit its site in Canary Wharf when Britain splits from Brussels in 2019.

The Irish government says a move to Dublin would be the least damaging for researchers and analysts at the EMA as families could stay in London.

The agency, which is responsible for monitoring the safety and effectiveness of drugs used in member countries, has 900 staff, who have a total of 648 school-age children.

Paris, Amsterdam, Barcelona and Stockholm are among the other major cities that have expressed an interest in the EMA. But Irish health minister Simon Harris said: The Irish government believes that Dublin is best positioned to provide a new home for the EMA. Relocation to Dublin will ensure business continuity and the continued protection of the health of 500 million Europeans, who rely on the agencys work in authorising and monitoring the safety of medicines.

Dublin is just a short flight from London and, with hundreds of flights a week between the two cities, it is possible for existing EMA staff to commute to Dublin on a short or long-term basis.

There are 714 flights a week between London and Dublin  with an average flight time of 75 minutes.

Prices start from 20 one-way with Ryanair making an annual cost of commuting about 9,200. A weekly commute to Dublin could cost as little as 1,900 a year.

The Irish authorities say the EMA could be based in the Dublin Airport Central office development, a few minutes walk from the terminal. At least 20 other EU members are bidding for the agency. Leading contenders also include Milan, Bratislava and Bonn.

Employees at the EMAs 23-storey building in Churchill Place today said they felt powerless as talks continue before a European Council vote on the relocation in October.

One said he had discussed moving to Dublin, but added: The only thing we know for certain is the EMA will have to move out and we will know by Christmas what happens next.

I have a family in London and would have to weigh up the disruption it would cause. I have two young children and my commitment is to them.

The only other EU agency in London is the European Banking Authority.
T he Duke and Duchess of Cambridge are to take their two children on a joint European tour.

Prince George and Princess Charlotte will join their parents when they travel to Poland and Germany later this month.

A Kensington Palace spokesman said: The option was there to take the children and they decided to take the opportunity to travel to the two countries as a family.

The children will not take part in any specific engagements but will be seen at arrivals and departures a few times.

A palace spokesman added: They were delighted that the programme worked out this time for George and Charlotte to join them.

The Duke and Duchess will stay at Belvedere Palace in Poland and at the British Ambassadors residence in Germany.

The royal couple will meet German Chancellor Angela Merkel on their visit to Berlin.

They will also take part in a boat race in Heidelberg - the German city twinned with Cambridge.

In Poland while in Gdansk the couple will meet the members of the Solidarity movement. It is not known if that will include former President Lech Walesa.

The couple will be based in Warsaw on the visit to Poland. They will visit Berlin, Heidelberg and Hamburg in Germany.
T he SAS is facing calls for a probe into allegations a unit went 'rogue' in Afghanistan, killing unarmed civilians and attempting to cover up evidence.

The shocking claims were uncovered in an investigation by the Sunday Times.

The newspaper said senior military police and defence sources said there was 'credible' evidence of war crimes by the SAS.

The Ministry of Defence has said no evidence of criminal behaviour by British armed forces in Afghanistan had been found. Veterans also warned of a legal 'witch hunt' against UK troops.

Investigation: Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn has called for a probe into the claims / PA

According to the newspaper, which quoted sources from a Royal Military Police (RMP) investigation, there is "strong evidence" SAS personnel killed rather than captured unarmed civilians suspected of being Taliban insurgents during night raids on their homes.

Following the allegations, Jeremy Corbyn has called for an independent inquiry into the evidence.

The Labour leader said there is a risk the British armed forces' "reputation for decency and bravery" will be undermined unless the "extremely serious" claims are investigated.

If we do not act on such shocking allegations we risk undermining that reputation, our security at home and the safety of those serving in the armed forces abroad," he said.

"There can be no question of a cover up. The Government must now establish an independent inquiry into what has taken place."

In February, Defence Secretary Sir Michael Fallon announced 90 per cent of misconduct cases involving British troops in Afghanistan would be dropped, amid controversy over a discredited probe into Iraq war veterans.

The RMP investigation  named Operation Northmoor  was looking into almost 700 allegations of abuse, many of which came from the same law firm behind multiple claims in the discredited Iraq investigation.

A Ministry of Defence spokesman said the RMP had full independence over the direction of Operation Northmoor, adding: "The RMP has found no evidence of criminal behaviour by the armed forces in Afghanistan.

They have discontinued over 90 per cent of the 675 allegations made and less than 10 investigations remain. Our military served with great courage and professionalism and we proudly hold them to the highest standards. Where allegations are raised it is right they are investigated."
A n extreme Right-wing terror suspect was in custody in Paris today after allegedly planning to assassinate French President Emmanuel Macron in front of Donald Trump.

The Day of the Jackal-style plot by the unnamed 23-year-old Frenchman was foiled when he tried to get a Kalashnikov assault rifle online.

Prosecuting sources in the French capital said the man was from the extreme-Right and wanted to murder Mr Macron, as well as blacks, Arabs, Jews and homosexuals.

He was indicted with terrorism offences last Saturday, with details of the case released today.

The suspect, who comes from the Paris area, planned to target Mr Macron as he took the salute at the Bastille Day celebrations on July 14th.

Prosecuting sources in the French capital said the man was from the extreme-Right and wanted to kill Macron in front of Trump / AFP/Getty Images

President Trump will be this years guest of honour on Frances national day, which recalls the storming of the Bastille fortress during the French Revolution of 1789.

One of the biggest security operations in French history will unfold on the Champs Elysee and the Place de la Concorde for the event, which will involve thousands of French and American troops.

The would-be attacker mentioned his search for a weapon on a video games forum that was being monitored by intelligence officers.

Edward Fox in the 1973 film The Day of the Jackal

When anti-terrorism police turned up at his flat in the suburb of Argenteuil last Wednesday, he threatened them with a kitchen knife.

He was overpowered and placed in custody, while searches of his car found further weapons.

What is The Day of the Jackal? Frederick Forsyths novel The Day of the Jackal was about a professional assassin contracted by far-Right terrorist group the Secret Army Organisation (OAS) to assassinate President Charles de Gaulle. It received critical acclaim when first published in 1971, and was turned into a hit film staring Edward Fox as the assassin and Michel Lonsdale as the detective who foils him, earning a 1974 Academy Award nomination. Political terrorist Carlos the Jackal was so named after a copy of Forsyths book was discovered near some of his belongings. The OAS did exist, campaigning against the loss of the French colony of Algeria in the early 1960s - and did make an attempt on de Gaulles life - but the rest of the plot is fiction. Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, and Sidney Poitier later starred in a remake, The Jackal, hailed by one critic as 1997s most tedious movie.

Prosecuting sources told the RMC radio station that the man was psychologically disturbed but determined.

His profile was said to resemble that of Maxime Brunerie, who fired at President Jacques Chirac during the Bastille Day parade in 2002.

Brunerie was a neo-Nazi who was sentenced to ten years in prison before being released in 2009.

President Macron, who became president in May aged only 39, has already received a number of death threats, including ones contained in menacing letters and emails.
P rotestors have taken to the streets across America to demand Donald Trumps impeachment as celebrities hit out at his bizarre wrestling Twitter attack on CNN.

There were as many as 45 marches across the nation, including in New Orleans, Seattle, Philadelphia and New York City.

Organisers accuse Mr Trump of violating the US Constitution and obstructing justice, following allegations he tried to thwart an FBI investigation into former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

We believe President Trump has committed constitutional breaches, consistently lied, cheated and enforces laws that primarily benefit him and his billionaire friends at the expense of the country, they said in a statement.

Donald Trump impeachment protests - In pictures 1 /8 Donald Trump impeachment protests - In pictures Demonstrators carry signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump in Los Angeles AFP/Getty Images Kyle Chapman (right) gets held back by supporters after an altercation with an anti-Trump supporte AP Demonstrators hold signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump in Los Angelse AFP/Getty Images A small group of protesters gathers at Piedmont Park during an 'Impeachment March' against US President Donald J. Trump in Atlanta, Georgia EPA Demonstrators hold signs during the Impeachment March to call for Congress to start impeachment hearings against US President Donald Trump AFP/Getty Images Anti-Trump supporters rally at the Texas State Capitol AP

The protests followed the Twitter posting by Mr Trump of a doctored video of his appearance at a Wrestlemania event in 2007, in which he jokingly tackled WWE Chairman Vince McMahon.

In the tweet, however, Mr McMahons head was replaced by a logo for CNN, which has been singled out by the president in his claims of fake news.

In Manhattan, demonstrators chanted outside Trump International Hotel and Tower at Columbus Circle and Central Park West.

In Los Angeles, marchers carried a black coffin draped in red, white and blue flowers, topped with a hand-written sign that read: The Presidency 1789-2017.

There were tussles with pro Trump groups in Austin, Texas, on the route from the state Capitol to City Hall. In San Francisco, the crowds chanted: What do we want? Impeachment! When do we want it? Now!

Protesters take to the streets in Austin, Texas / AP

Congressman Al Green, who first called for the presidents impeachment for obstruction of justice on the House of Representatives floor on May 17, repeated his call to action to hundreds of protesters yesterday in Austin.

I am here today because I love my country, he said. We cannot let others steal the notion that somehow theyre more patriotic than we are. We are patriotic Americans.D

Every single thing that comes out of this presidents mouth, and every action he takes, is contrary to what I believe, and frankly Ive had enough, one of the protesters, Mark Ransdell, told NBC in San Francisco.

Two anti-Trump protesters were arrested after a scuffle with a supporter of the president in Philadelphia. A police officer was also injured in the incident.

Donald Trump tweets mock video of himself beating up man with CNN logo

A social worker at the New York protest outside Trump International Tower said she did not expect swift action to remove the president, but she told CBS: Its a process, so I absolutely believe that the process should take forth, and then whatever the results of that, you know, will be determined.

Celebrities rallied against Mr Trumps wrestling tweet, with many saying it was degrading to the presidents position.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling quoted George Washington in a tweet, saying: To persevere in ones duty, and be silent, is the best answer to calumny.

This is not modern day presidential, this is prehistoric caveman behavior, tweeted former Star Wars actor George Takei.

Comedian Seth Rogen wrote: Remember the time the president photoshopped the logo of a news company on a person and then tweeted a vid of him fake wrestling that logo?

Dont be horrified by CNN wrestling tweet, its just practice, actor Albert Brooks tweeted ominously. Hes scheduled to wrestle Putin for control of the world.

CNN accused Mr Trump of engaging in juvenile behaviour far below the dignity of his office.

A White House aide insisted the tweet should not be seen as an attack on reporters.

I think that no one would perceive that as a threat, homeland security adviser Tom Bossert said.

I hope they dont. But I do think that hes beaten up in a way on cable platforms that he has a right to respond to.
T he deck of a luxury cruise ship has double the amount of air pollution found at Piccadilly Circus, new research has revealed.

Standing on the deck, downwind of a ships funnel, investigators from Channel 4s Dispatches found air pollution of 84,000 particles per cubic centimetre.

It is more than double the 38,400 ultrafine particles per cubic centimetre found at Piccadilly Circus and almost 20 times the 4,285 particles at Camber Sands beach in East Sussex.

The exhaust fumes belched out by boats at sea are not covered by regulations that limit emissions on land and the heavy fuel oil powering the ships engines contains 3,500 times more sulphur than road fuel.

The extremely small size of ultrafine particles mean they can be particularly damaging to health as they can cross the membranes of our lungs.

Congestion: Traffic near Piccadilly Circus / PA

Matt Loxham, a respiration biologist at Southampton University, told The Times that ultrafine particles were about a thousand times thinner than a strand of human hair.

He said: "Larger particles that we inhale usually get trapped in the airways by phlegm, or by hairs in the nostrils. But ultrafines can get right into the depths of the lung and distribute throughout the body."

"There are some areas of the ship deck that are affected by really quite high levels of particulate matter. These are levels you would expect in some of the most polluted cities in the world."

Almost two million people in the UK go away on a cruise each year. Luxury cruise liners, carrying more than 7,000 passengers and crew, are free to dump raw sewage 12 miles offshore.

There are no global regulations when it comes to flushing out grey water from sinks and showers which can contain pollutants such as cooking oil, detergents, soaps and food waste.

Dispatches said that grey water is believed to have similar environmental impacts to sewage and that it would be illegal to dump it in land rivers.
O ne of the largest online fashion retailers around, ASOS sells over 850 brands including high-street and designer labels.

Whether youre searching for an outfit to look the business at work or require a party-ready bodycon dress, the website offers a huge variety of styles  which could lead to plenty of payday sprees.

But before you embark on a massive haul, take a look at our list of money-saving shopping hacks for ASOS customers. Your bank balance will thank you later.

1. Buy multipacks

Buying more on ASOS can be a good way to spend less. On the websites Multipacks Save section youll find various clothing essentials, from basic t-shirts to Brazilian briefs, packed into multipack bundles of two or three.

Opting for multipacks instead of buying items separately could save you up to 20 per cent  score! And if clothing isnt enough, then youll also come across jewellery packs including chokers, ear studs and anklets as well as sunglasses.

Shop now: asos.com

2. Sign up to Premier Delivery

At just 9.99, this unlimited delivery option not only means you can receive your parcels quick and hassle-free all year round, but also means you wont have to worry about spending over 20 to get free delivery. It should come in handy for those last-minute outfit dilemmas, too.

Buy it now

3. Become an ASOS A-Lister

ASOS's new loyalty scheme launched in February this year, meaning shoppers can earn points when they spend. These points are then converted into ASOS A-List vouchers, which can be entered at checkout.

Shoppers can earn five points for every 1 spent, and once you have 500 cleared points you will be sent a 5 voucher via email. Whats more, youll even get treated to a 10 per cent discount code on your birthday.

Simply place an order to automatically become an A-Lister.

Read more: asos.com

4. Sign up to the ASOS newsletter

If you want to find about flash sales and special offers before anyone else, then its worth signing up to the ASOS mailing list. Other perks include being sent discount codes to treat yoself on those rainy days.

5. Save For Later

Sometimes its good to hold back. With the Save For Later button, you can move chosen items into a separate basket for 60 days  so if a discount code comes your way, your must-haves will be waiting and ready to shop.

Read more: asos.com

Online clothes shops - in pictures 1 /16 Online clothes shops - in pictures ASOS From boho dresses to the trendiest trainers, ASOS is your one-stop shop for of-the-moment pieces. Both men and women can browse through a helpful list of popular high-street, sports and designer labels including the likes of River Island, Nike and Moschino. To make your search easier, theres the option to shop by various edits including a Going Out-Out range and Workwear. ASOS, Shop now Missguided The ultimate e-fashion store for ladies on a budget. With pastcampaigns featuring the likes of singers Pia Mia and Nicole Scherzinger, the website offers various styles of affordable clothing and doesnt skimp on quality. Youll also come across pieces that resemble items recently worn by style-savvy stars including the Kardashians. Missguided, Shop now Net a Porter A leading name of online fashion, Net a Porter brings the latest catwalk styles to your fingertips. Its luxury range includes bridal wear, a vacation shop and theres a beauty section featuring popular cosmetic brands like Charlotte Tilbury. Net a Porter, Shop now Simply Be Simply Be is a popular name in plus-size fashion, offering cute on-trend pieces in sizes 10-32. British TV presenter Jameela Jamil can be spotted flaunting her own collection for the website, while theres an eclectic mix of trends to shop through. Featured brands include Coast, Joe Browns and Little Mistress. Simply Be, Shop now Amazon Fashion Looking for everything in one place? Amazon might be known as a one-stop shop for daily essentials, but the online giant is also becoming a go-to site for millennials searching for a stylish ensemble. Stocking heaps of high-street and designer labels, from Mango and New Look to Kate Spade and Michael Kors, Amazon Fashion is a great bet for those who regularly top up their wardrobe with the seasons key trend pieces. It also has a jeans store where you can shop denim pieces from iconic brands such as Levis. If thats not enough, then Amazon Prime members are able to order three or more items without paying upfront. Amazon Fashion, Shop now Rokit With reasonable prices and an incredibly easy search function, Rokit is the perfect online shopping destination for vintage fashion-hunters. From 50s tea dresses to 90s track tops, its quirky retro gems feature almost every single era and theres also a Recycled range. Rokit, Shop now Boohoo This website draws inspiration from some of the most stylish celebs of the moment. Whether its Kendall Jenners casual chic or the vibrant TOWIE style youre aiming for, theres a purse-friendly piece to suit different tastes. Click on the catwalk video to get a closer look of the items you've got your eye on. Boohoo, Shop now Secret Sales If youre all about discounts, then look no further than this private shopping club. Its hidden time-limited sales include up to 70 percent off designer brands like Gucci, Dolce & Gabbana and Prada. As well as clothing and accessories, there are also reductions on homeware and beauty goods. Secret Sales, Shop now Cloggs Footwear retailer Cloggs boasts some of the best footwear brands around and offers a 15 percent discount to students. With a free returns service, the easy-to-use website provides an A-Z brand directory as well as sections for men, women and kids. Cloggs, Shop now Figleaves This online lingerie retailer features a huge selection of lingerie, nightwear and swimwear from well-known underwear labels  think Heidi Klum Intimates and Triumph. Picky ladies have the option to find their perfect fit using the websites handy Bra Calculator, while brides-to-be can shop for those special essentials from the Bridal section. Figleaves, Shop now Young British Designers Explore the UKs up and coming fashion designers while shopping for quintessentially British pieces. Launched in 2010, this edgy website offers some of the best designs from the likes of Issi, J.W Anderson and Debra Hepburn. Young British Designers, Buy it now Zalando Belin-based online fashion retailer, Zalando, sells clothing styles for women, men and kids from more than 1,500 brands. With a sophisticated design, the website lets you shop the latest items from your favourite high-street labels and sought-after designer brands, from Topshop and New Look to Fendi and Ralph Lauren. It offers free home delivery and theres also a courier collection service for returns, which allows you to book a slot within the hour. Boohoo, Shop now

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J ustin Bieber reportedly mimed a number of songs during his British Summer Time concert after telling fans that he was suffering from a cold.

The Canadian superstar, 23, admitted that he wasnt in good shape as he took to the stage in Hyde Park on Sunday evening, telling the crowd that he was having a bad night and asking them not to judge him.

But despite his illness, the Sorry star was on time for the 8pm kick off and opened the show with an enthusiastic rendition of Mark My Words, followed by Where Are You Now?

Later on, he told the sea of fans that he had been using Vicks Vapour Rub in a bid to feel better, but had got some stuck up his nose.

I usually use Olbus oil. But I had to use Vicks here and now and it's stuck up my nose, he told the audience as he geared up for his next song. Life is worth living without Vicks in your nose.

While some fans were impressed by Biebers performance, others complained about his apparent miming on a number of his tracks.

Justin Bieber - In pictures 1 /74 Justin Bieber - In pictures Justin Bieber performs on stage during day one of Capitals Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard at Londons O2 Arena PA Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals Getty Images Justin Bieber performs on CBS News The Early Show on South Beach at Lummus Park on 5th February 2010 in Miami Beach, Florida Getty Images Justin Bieber performing at the Manchester Arena in 2013 PA Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber in London Justin Bieber/Instagram Honoree Justin Bieber speaks onstage at The Comedy Central Roast of Justin Bieber at Sony Pictures Studios on 14th March 2015 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Justin Bieber performs on stage during day one of Capitals Jingle Bell Ball with Barclaycard at Londons O2 Arena PA Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber attend The 2021 Met Gala Celebrating In America: A Lexicon Of Fashion at Metropolitan Museum of Art Getty Images for The Met Museum/ Justin Bieber and Hailey Baldwin kiss whildt out and about in St James Park in 2018 SplashNews.com Justin Bieber attends the 'China: Through The Looking Glass' Costume Institute Benefit Gala at the Metropolitan Museum of Art on 4th May 2015 in New York Getty Images Happy new year from the Bieber's on 31st December 2019 Instagram Justin Bieber pops up a wheelie in his supermoto on the streets of Beverly Hills August 2019 SplashNews.com Justin Bieber and Hailey Bieber have teamed up and stripped down to their underwear for Calvin Klein October 2019. Instagram Wedding Photo of Hailey and Justin Bieber posted on Instagram October 2019 Instagram Justin Bieber waits in the ring after the fight between KSI and Logan Paul at Staples Center on November 9, 2019 in Los Angeles, California. KSI won by decision Getty Images Justin Bieber pops a wheelie on his electric bicycle in Beverly Hills in November 2019 ENT / SplashNews.com Justin Bieber arrives at the skincare clinic in Beverly Hills in November 2019 ENT / SplashNews.com Justin Bieber leaving a SPA in Los Angeles July 2019 SplashNews.com Vogues March 2019 Cover Stars: Justin & Hailey Bieber Annie Leibovitz//Vogue Justin Bieber plays during the 2018 NBA All-Star Game Celebrity Game at Los Angeles Convention Center on February 16, 2018 Getty Images Justin Beiber and Hailey Baldwin are all smiles in 2018 whilst out walking in New York SplashNews.com Justin Bieber shakes hands with Luc Robitaille after the NHL All-Star Celebrity Shootout as part of the 2017 NHL All-Star Weekend at Staples Center on 28th January in Los Angeles, California Getty Images ustin Bieber performs at One Love Manchester benefit concert on 4th June 2017 in Manchester Getty Images Justin Bieber with James Corden in Carpool Karaoke on The Late Late Show for The 2016 Grammy's The Late Late Show Justin Bieber performs onstage during Z100's Jingle Ball 2016 at Madison Square Garden Dancers pose with a 'Wet Look' Justin Bieber wax figure which usually resides in Madame Tussauds Las Vegas but which has been transferred to their London space ahead of the pop star's upcoming performances at the O2 in 2016 PA Justin Bieber performs onstage during the Billboard Music Awards at T-Mobile Arena on 22nd May 2016 in Las Vegas, Nevada Getty Images Justin Bieber, winner of the awards for Best New Artist and Best Dance Song, poses in the press room during the iHeartRadio Music Awards at The Forum on 3rd April 2016 in Inglewood, California Getty Images Justin Bieber drinks champagne at the podium during the Monaco Formula One Grand Prix at Circuit de Monaco on 29th May 2016 in Monte-Carlo, Monaco Getty Images Justin Bieber and his brother, Jaxon, arrive at the 58th Grammy Awards in Los Angeles, California on 15th February 2016 Reuters Justin Bieber poses with his awards during the MTV EMA awards at the Assago forum in Milan, Italy in 2015 Reuters Justin Bieber performs onstage during the 2015 American Music Awards at Microsoft Theater on 22nd November 2015 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Justin Bieber celebrates his 21st birthday at Omnia Nightclub in Caesars Palace in Las Vegas, Nevada on 14th March 2015 Getty Images Justin Bieber and tennis player Eugenie Bouchard attend the 11th Annual Desert Smash hosted by Will Ferrell Benefiting Cancer For College at La Quinta Resort and Club, California on 10th March 2015 Getty Images Justin Bieber and model Laura Stone present onstage at Fashion Rocks 2014 presented by Three Lions Entertainment at the Barclays Center of Brooklyn on 9th September 2014 in New York Getty Images Model Lara Stone and singer Justin Bieber model for Calvin Klein jeans Calvin Klein Justin Bieber appears at a police station in connection with an alleged criminal assault in Toronto, Canada on 29th January 2014 Getty Images Justin Bieber waves from the top of a waiting vehicle after his release on bond from the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center in Miami, Florida 23rd January 2014 Miami Herald via Reuters Justin Bieber who was arrested early in the morning of 23rd January 2014 on charges of driving under the influence, driving with an expired license and resisting arrest following an alleged drag racing incident in Miami Beach, Florida on 23 January 2014 Miami Rehabilitation Deapertment via EPA A still frame grab from video released by the Miami Police Department on 26th February 2014 shows singer Justin Bieber (right) approaching a police officer (centre) while being given a sobriety test after his arrest for driving under the influence, driving with an expired license, and resisting arrest in Miami, Florida, USA on 23 January 2014 Miami Police Department via EPA Justin Bieber shows his tattoos at the police station after his arrest in Miami Beach, Florida. Bieber has pleaded not guilty to charges of driving under the influence, resisting arrest and driving with an expired license. He and R&B singer Khalil Amir Sharieff were arrested early on 23rd January 2014 during what police called an illegal street drag race between a Lamborghini and a Ferrari. Neither has been charged with drag racing Miami Police Department via EPA Floyd Mayweather Jr poses with Justin Bieber after defeating Canelo Alvarez during a 152-pound title fight on 14th September 2013 in Las Vegas AP Justin Bieber performs onstage during the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on 19th May 2013 in Las Vegas, Nevada Getty Images Justin Bieber performs at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on 30th September 2012 in Las Vegas Invision/AP Justin Bieber accepts the Male Summer Music Star award during the Teen Choice Awards at Gibson Amphitheatre on 22nd July 2012 in Universal City, California Getty Images Selena Gomez and Justin Bieber are pictured during the San Antonio Spurs at Los Angeles Lakers NBA basketball game in Los Angeles, California USA on 17th April 2012 EPA Justin Bieber and Selena Gomez attend The ESPY Awards at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on 13th July 2011 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Justin Bieber accepts the Digital Artist of the Year award during the Billboard Music Awards at the MGM Grand Garden Arena on 22nd May 2011 in Las Vegas, Nevada Getty Images Justin Bieber poses with his award for International Breakthrough Act at the 2011 BRIT Awards 2011 Getty Images Justin Beiber unveils his waxwork at Madame Tussauds on 15th March 2011 in London Getty Images Justin Bieber and Rihanna sit in the audience during the NBA All-Star game at Staples Center on 20th February 2011 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Justin Bieber and team West celebrate at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game at the Los Angeles Convention Center on 18th February 2011 Getty Images Justin Bieber, winner of T-Mobile Breakthrough Artist Award, Pop/Rock Favorite Male Artist Award and Artist Of The Year Award during the American Music Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on 21st November 2010 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Fans gather outside the Q102 radio station during an appearance by singer Justin Bieber on 8th March 2010 in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania. Getty Images Justin Bieber and mother Pattie Mallette arrive at the 52nd Annual GRrammy Awards held at Staples Center on 31st January 2010 in Los Angeles, California Getty Images Justin Bieber visits the Nintendo World Store on 1st September 2009 in New York Getty Images

@justinbieber Miming at BST Hyde Park!! Waste of time and money #JustinBieber, one concert-goer wrote on Twitter.

@justinbieber what a joke of a concert. Miming, short and really boring. Waste of 75!!!!! #fuming #wasteofmoney, wrote another.

However, one fan posted: Expected miming and moaning and yet Bieber was incredible live. Props to the lad! @justinbieber @BSTHydePark #Legend.

On Saturday night Bieber had been spotted partying until late at Tape London nightclub with friend Brooklyn Beckham.
U S actor Nick Offerman found uncanny parallels between his prescient new film about the creation of MacDonalds and whats going on in the world today.

The Parks and Recreations star, 47, said The Founder, co-starring Michael Keaton, is now more timely than ever in the wake of Brexit and the election of Donald Trump, which they were unaware of during filming.

The story of capitalism, the pros and cons of American capitalism, is always a timely story but when we made the film, neither Brexit nor Trump as a candidate had happened yet, he told the Standard.

It came to seem kind of prescient on the part of the filmmakers because the parallels are rather uncanny.

The Founder - Trailer

Offerman, best known for playing Ron Swanson in NBCs hit sitcom, plays one of the original Macdonald brothers, whose burger-flipping business was snatched out from under him by salesman Ray Croc and turned into the biggest fast food franchise in history.

Theres been a lot of conversation in the promotion of the film, around the question of If you achieve great success by telling falsehoods and focusing on profit over integrity then is that really success?, said Offerman.

Does it matter how much money you make it you lie to people or serve them unhealthy meals in the process?

Treading the boards? Nick Offerman and Meghan Mullally are keen to head to the West End Dave Benett) / Dave Benett

Offerman is set to star in Mark Pellingtons upcoming Nostalgia and recently optioned bestselling novel Lincoln in the Bardo, alongside wife Megan Mullally.

He is also keen to tread the boards on the West End stage, which he describes as his ultimate pipe dream.

We love London, its really our favourite city in the world and we spent a lot of time there and one of our absolute pipe dreams is to get to do theatre in London, he said.

My wife and I both come from theatre so we try and seek out the best writing. No matter what the genre, whether its TV, film or stage we look at what comes our way and its the writing that catches our eye.

Offerman said that, while he has a few dramatic projects coming out this year, he hasnt turned his back on comedy altogether.

Ive got a few films coming out this year that are more dramatic. Some of them you can still get a couple of laughs in there, he said.

The Founder is out now.


From swimming to ziplining, the YMCA Trails West Day Camp brings exciting adventures to kids all summer long.

While some children may spend their summer watching TV, the campers at Trails West participate in hands-on activities outdoors.

According to Trevor Coxbill, the camps director, the campers have the opportunity to go canoeing, ziplining, swimming, and climb on the Trails West challenge courses. The campers also get to play numerous games including dodgeball, freeze dance, and gaga, which is camper Brett Ayers favorite activity.

With around 75 to 95 kids a day, the day camp requires 14 staff members, including Coxbill.

Most staff members are either recent high school graduates, or they are currently in college. Staff members often get to do the camps unique activities but are thrilled to give the campers a great experience.

I love canoeing. Its my favorite thing to do with the kids, said Jenna Longmore, a college junior and staff member.

Staff member Jarron Rasnic said, Its fun to give these kids experiences that they wouldnt have otherwise.

The kids get to come out and learn important life skills. It keeps them active and out of trouble, and its nice to be a part of that, said Creighton Miller.

Campers range from ages five to 13, but the camps activities are great for all ages. When asked what their summer would be like without the Trails West camp, camper Marley Biery and Ayer both replied, Boring.

What you do at home is not what you do here. You go outside and do activities instead of staying inside and watching TV all day, Ayer said.

For those interested in the YMCA Trails West Camp, campers can either attend just for the day or for the week.

It is $25 per day and $85 per week for members of the YMCA, while it is $105 for non-members. Scholarships are also available for campers

The camp runs from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.
A white University of Kentucky student accused of physically assaulting a Black student worker while repeatedly using racial slurs says she will withdraw from the school. The decision announced Tuesday by a lawyer for 22-year-old Sophia Rosing came after hundreds of students rallied on campus the night before. News outlets report the students called for unity and for the university to quickly address the situation. Officials say Rosing has been charged with assault, public intoxication and disorderly conduct. She pleaded not guilty during an arraignment Monday afternoon. The altercation at Boyd Hall was captured on video and posted to multiple social media platforms.
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President Klaus Iohannis will participate on Thursday at the "Three Seas Initiative" Summit (the Baltic - the Adriatic - the Black Sea) to be held in Warsaw where the President of the United States of America, Donald Trump will also be present, as special guest.

At the meeting will also be present heads of state and their representatives from 12 Central and Eastern Europe: Austria, Bulgaria, Croatia, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia and Hungary, informed the Presidential Administration in a press release sent on Monday to agerpres.

"Three Seas Initiative" aims to provide political support for better cooperation and interconnection of the economies of the three states within the geographical area of the three seas - the Adriatic, the Baltic and the Black Sea - in domains such as energy, transportation, telecommunications and environment protection.
Facebook's small print may be the next big thing in European antitrust as watchdogs home in on how the world's biggest social network collects information from users that helps generate vast advertising revenues.

Germany's Federal Cartel Office is examining whether Facebook essentially takes advantage of its popularity to bully users into agreeing to terms and conditions they might not understand. The details that users provide help generate the targeted ads that make the company so rich.

In the eyes of the Cartel Office, Facebook is "extorting" information from its users, said Frederik Wiemer, a lawyer at Heuking Kuehn Lueer Wojtek in Hamburg. "Whoever doesn't agree to the data use, gets locked out of the social network community," he said. "The fear of social isolation is exploited to get access to the complete surfing activities of users."

The European Union's antitrust arm has grabbed the limelight with eye-popping penalties for U.S. technology firms it found fell foul of anti-competitive behavior. Last year, it ordered Apple to pay 13 billion euros ($14.9 billion) in back taxes and last week it fined Google 2.4 billion euros for allegedly skewing search results in its favor. But lawyers say the Cartel Office's probe is testing the boundaries of antitrust law  with ramifications far beyond Germany and Facebook as all kinds of powerful technology firms seek to find new ways to cash in on their trove of customer information.

It's "more radical" than the EU's Google case "because it asserts that privacy concerns can be antitrust concerns" and that consumers have a broader role than buyers of services in an economy, said Alec Burnside, an attorney at Dechert in Brussels.

The German probe comes as Facebook, which now has 2 billion members and made more than $27 billion in revenue last year, confronts heightened regulatory scrutiny in Europe. It's being investigated by numerous privacy authorities over its plans to merge data with the WhatsApp messenger application, faces a court battle over data transfers across the Atlantic and was fined in May for misleading the EU in a merger review of the WhatsApp deal.

Andreas Mundt, the Cartel Office's president, said last week he's "eager to present first results" of the Facebook investigation this year. Like the EU's Google investigation, he said the Facebook case tackles "central questions ensuring competition in the digital world in the future."

Facebook declined to comment on the possible outcome. The company has insisted it operates within applicable law and that it would cooperate with regulators.

When the German antitrust regulator disclosed the review in March last year, it said Facebook collects a large amount of personal user data from various sources and creates user profiles, allowing its advertising customers to better target their ads. Users must accept the terms while it's hard for them to understand to what extent they agree to surrender their personal information, according to the Cartel Office.

Personal data is a hot topic in Europe where internet companies have been criticized by privacy agencies for how they gather and use people's details. But in antitrust, it's still a contentious issue that the European Commission's competition authority in Brussels has largely so far side-stepped, saying its job is to focus on companies' economic power.

That could be changing should the German regulator embolden other authorities such as the EU to act. While the Google case focused on how the company abused its power to thwart smaller rivals, last week's decision also revealed how the EU is starting to dig deeper into what technology companies do with the personal information they gather from their users.

The commission pointed to how data collection creates and cements the power of technology giants. Sites such as Google that attract huge numbers of users also draw in advertisers who want to grab those eyeballs, generating profits that can be used to pull in even more users, the EU authority said. The data Google gathers also means it offers better results, which makes it even harder for competitors.

Some lawyers say the Facebook case is so daring in its approach to antitrust that the Cartel Office should have left the question of whether the company abuses users' data to privacy regulators. Those watchdogs  once relatively toothless  will be empowered next year when tougher EU data privacy rules take effect, allowing them to levy fines of as much as 4 percent of global annual sales.

"It may be difficult to show that Facebook is really misusing its market position" under antitrust law, said Daniel Wiedmann, an antitrust attorney at P+P Poellath + Partners, in Frankfurt. "It's likely users accept the terms not because Facebook is the dominant power on that market but because they're reflecting their preferences."

Facebook may have less to fear financially from a Cartel Office probe as, unlike Google, it may not be fined. The current terms of the investigation rule out a financial penalty. Instead, if it's found to breach antitrust rules Facebook would face an order to change how it operates.

"That's the right choice," said Wiemer. "In these complicated questions where you enter new territory, it makes sense to first ban a certain action without imposing fines."

Facebook's vast wealth may show, like Google, that few fines would be big enough to do it real harm. A warning to the most extensive social network that requires it to change how it hooks in users and targets advertising could make a bigger dent in the long run than any fine.

Bloomberg's Stephanie Bodoni and Sarah Frier contributed to this report.
Bankrate, an online publisher of personal finance content, said on Monday it would be acquired by digital marketing company Red Ventures for $1.24 billion.

Bankrate's shares rose 7 percent to $13.75 in premarket trading, slightly below the offer price of $14 per share.

The deal, expected to close in 2017, has an enterprise value of $1.4 billion.

Charlotte, N.C.-based Red Ventures' investors include Silver Lake Partners and General Atlantic.

J.P. Morgan is Bankrate's financial adviser and Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz is the legal adviser.

Bank of America, Barclays, Citigroup, Credit Suisse, Fifth Third Bancorp, Mitsubishi UFJ and PNC Financial are acting as financial advisers to Red Ventures, and are providing debt financing to the company.

Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP is Red Ventures' legal adviser.
The police chief in Louisiana, Mo., has been charged with drug trafficking and stealing from an evidence locker. Meanwhile, there's talk of impeaching the mayor. What now for this small, Mississippi River town?
The St. Louis teachers union swore in its first new president in more than a decade this weekend.

Sally Topping is a newcomer to union politics who has never before held office in American Federation of Teachers Local 420. According to Topping, the fact that shes starting this position fresh off a teaching job, rather than a union position, will help her show St. Louis Public Schools administrators what teachers need and how district policies really play out, for better or worse, in the classroom.

I really feel like the union is going to go in a new direction, she said after her swearing-in on Saturday.

Topping defeated Anitra Arms, AFT Missouri president and an officer for AFT Local 420, with 50 percent of the vote during the union election in May. Arms got 35 percent of the vote. The election had a low voter turnout: out of the unions approximately 2,300 members, only about 300 voted, according to outgoing AFT Local 420 President Mary Armstrong.

Topping has been a teacher at Herzog Elementary in north St. Louis for three years. She practiced law for 23 years before returning to school to become a teacher. She earned her teaching certificate at University of Missouri-St. Louis and has been teaching in the St. Louis district since 2008.

She has said on her Facebook campaign page that one of her priorities is to raise teacher salaries. The average St. Louis district teacher salary is the lowest when compared to St. Louis County districts. St. Louis teachers have not received a step increase since the 2009-2010 school year. Officials often say that low salaries are one reason the district loses scores of teachers in a year.

When asked about her plans for the presidency, Topping said she will prioritize improving technology access to meetings, including video-streaming meetings and creating text alerts for meetings and an updated website.

When asked what changes she will work for in the district, she said she will embark on a listening tour of district schools to hear concerns and suggestions from staff.

Topping will replace Armstrong, who is retiring after 14 years as union president and 47 years teaching in the district.

I think Ive done all that I could possibly do, Armstrong said while celebrating her last day of work on Friday at Yaquis on Cherokee Street. I like to think that we moved forward as a union and improved our relationship with the district.

Armstrong rejected the opinions of some who say the union has become too close with the district under her leadership. She said a closer relationship with the district has allowed the union to make gains it otherwise wouldn't have, while saving money.

During Armstrongs tenure, the union worked with the district to expand pre-kindergarten enrollment to more than 6,000 children, according to the union. The union helped cultivate the St. Louis Plan, under which the union works with the district to weed out and target teachers in need of improvement. The union also supported the concept of full-service community schools, which have since significantly declined in number because of a lack of funding.

But Armstrong said she was frustrated every year that teachers did not get significantly higher salaries.

That has really been the biggest issue, Armstrong said.
The kids of the 60s had the Apollo Mission to inspire them to a career in science and technology. Todays children in a long swath of Missouri will have a total solar eclipse, and schools are not letting this chance pass by.

For some St. Louis-area schools, eclipse lesson and logistics planning began more than a year ago. Multiple school districts are having all their teachers and staff dedicate Aug. 21, the day of the solar eclipse, to science activities.

Every generation has had something that has pushed kids toward science, said Karen Hargadine, a member of the St. Louis Eclipse Task Force who is overseeing education. This could be the impetus for a student going into those science and technology and STEM-related fields, which is just so critical in our world today.

The path of totality will favor schools south and west of St. Louis, but schools across the region are making the eclipse part of a district-wide curriculum.

School districts including St. Louis, Pattonville and Lindbergh have ordered eclipse glasses for all students and teachers. Some, like Parkway, bought glasses for all staff regardless of whether they are teachers, including nurses and bus drivers.

We wanted everybody to have the opportunity, really knowing that its this real-world opportunity within the context of our school day, said Stephanie Valli, a Parkway curriculum coordinator. So we were trying to capitalize on that for everyone.

Some schools are inviting parents to watch the eclipse with their children. Other schools are planning on busing their students to areas where the total eclipse will last longer.

For example, the Parkway School District, which has been planning for the eclipse since April of last year, plans to bus students from McKelvey Elementary, the only school in the district thats not in the path of totality, to another school to see the full eclipse. To research for eclipse planning, district officials had calculated the start and end times for the partial and total eclipse for each Parkway school and saw that McKelvey would get less than a second of total eclipse.

Theres high demand for the primary tool that every student will need to watch the eclipse: eclipse glasses. The St. Louis Eclipse Task Force invited schools and teachers to apply for free eclipse glasses by a June deadline, but it was flooded with requests for thousands more glasses than it had available.

The group has given out 36,000 free eclipse glasses to schools, but theres a waiting list of requests for at least 64,000 more. The group wont be able to give free glasses for those students unless it receives more donations or sponsorships. When distributing glasses, the group gives priority to schools with high percentages of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunches, a measure of poverty.

Id love to get glasses in the hands of every single student, Hargadine said.

The task force has also published a webpage of lesson plans, activity suggestions and other resources for teachers. Activities include having students measure temperature changes throughout the eclipse, because the disappearance of the sun will cool the Earth. Teachers can also have students measure changes in wind direction and wind velocity. Younger students can make their own pinhole viewers to watch the eclipse safely.

The Lindbergh School District, which has been planning for the eclipse since February, has created its own website for its teachers to plan their lessons.
SPRINGFIELD, Ill.  The Illinois House on Sunday approved a major income tax increase as several Republicans broke ranks with Gov. Bruce Rauner amid the intense pressure of a budget impasse thats entered its third year.

Rauner immediately vowed to veto the measure should the Illinois Senate approve it.

Under Speaker Madigans direction, legislators chose to double down on higher taxes while protecting the special interests and refusing to reform the status quo. Its a repeat of the failed policies that created this financial crisis and caused jobs and taxpayers to flee Rauner said in a statement.

Illinois families dont deserve to have more of the hard-earned money taken from them when the legislature has done little to restore confidence in government or grow jobs. Illinois families deserve more jobs, property tax relief and term limits. But tonight they got more of the same.

The measure, which needed 71 votes to pass and got 72, is designed to start digging the state out of a morass left by the lengthy stalemate. Pressure to act had built up amid the stalemate between the Republican governor and Democratic House Speaker Michael Madigan, as public universities and social services languished and the threat of road construction workers being laid off after the holiday weekend loomed.

Rauner, a former private equity specialist from Winnetka, had spent tens of millions of dollars on legislative campaigns and TV ads to prop up the Illinois Republican Party as a counterweight to Madigan and his labor union allies. And Republican lawmakers largely had stuck by their governor  until Sunday.

The fissure emerged, and a pair Downstate Republicans summed up the split.

For me right here today, this is the sword that Im willing to die on, said Rep. Michael Unes, a Republican from East Peoria. And if it costs me my seat, so be it.

Rep. Terri Bryant, R-Murphysboro, said while she hated taxes, as a fiscal conservative she could not stand by while the state can not pay billions of dollars in bills owed to small businesses.

Bryant teared up when explaining that she must do what is best for her district, which includes Southern Illinois University in Carbondale.

I hope you will help me bring my university back, said Bryant, who added that she expected to face a primary challenge because of her vote.

Democratic leaders portrayed the vote as an attempt to let rank-and-file lawmakers from both sides do something to show their seriousness about putting an end to the budget stalemate in the face of concerns the states credit rating will hit a first-in-the-nation junk status.

Republican leaders, though, saw it as a politically motivated attempt to force those in their ranks into a corner. Shortly before voting began, Democrats introduced revamped tax and spending plans, prompting House Republican Leader Jim Durkin to say the process had been hijacked.

We are going to be voting for the largest tax increase in Illinois, but we forget that there are people outside of this chamber who are going to pay for it, Durkin said.

Sponsoring Rep. Greg Harris, Madigans top budget negotiator, said it was time for lawmakers to rise above the partisan gridlock of the last several years that is likely to have repercussions for years to come.

Today, we can change the awful trajectory of the last several years. We can vote. We can do our jobs. We can get it done, Harris said. We all love this state and we know we cannot delay any longer.

Just two days earlier, nearly two dozen Republicans had joined Democrats to tentatively approve a $36.5 billion spending plan, with Madigan and Durkin telling lawmakers the vote was an expression of good faith as negotiations continued. State government currently brings in just $32 billion, meaning $4.5 billion in new taxes would be needed to make the books balance, although the state also has a large backlog of unpaid bills.

The proposal mirrors a plan the Senate passed earlier this year, which calls for raising the personal income tax rate from the current 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent.

Unlike the Senate measure, the tax hike would not be retroactive to Jan. 1 but instead would begin with the Saturday start of the budget year. That change, sought by Republicans, was designed to avoid having people pay even more in income taxes the rest of the year to catch up for the past six months. Also out is an expansion of sales taxes to some services. The tax hike would be permanent, against Rauners desire to make it temporary to match a temporary property tax freeze.

By Saturday morning, the tone of optimism that had briefly overtaken the Capitol had started to shift. Madigan announced that no voting would occur on Sunday, which would have given his members some time to go home for a few nights. Durkin accused Madigan of trying to slow momentum.

That dispute sparked angry outbursts on the floor. Rep. Grant Wehrli of Naperville shouted that Madigan was Speaker Junk, a reference to an anticipated credit rating downgrade to junk status as the state entered a new fiscal year without a budget in place.

Hours later, Madigan reversed course and announced his plans to put the tax plan up for a vote on Sunday, even though it was clear Durkin would not deliver the 30 GOP votes the speaker has asked of him. Democrats said it was time to see who was ready to vote for a tax hike, saying that some Republicans have expressed a desire to break from Rauner and support the plan.

Indeed, Rep. David Harris, R-Arlington Heights, voted in favor of the tax bill, saying Sunday that he was not elected to preside over the financial destruction of this state.

How many of our business people have told us they need stability? Harris said. This revenue bill gives them that and it ends some of the horrible dysfunction that has infected our government.

Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston, whose district is home to Eastern Illinois University, said he credited the states college tuition grant program for making it possible for him to attend college. He also noted that he is a business owner in Charleston and the financial troubles caused to universities by the state budget impasse have rippled into university towns.

Id like to save my university. Id like to save my town, Phillips said. And so although its against some of the principles that I came here for, I am going to vote for this bill.

While Rauner has said he could support a tax hike, his signature comes with a list of conditions.

Rauner is pushing for a property tax freeze in exchange for his approval of an income tax hike. Democrats are open to a four-year freeze, but the governor argues that if a freeze is temporary, the income tax increase should also be temporary. Democrats have opposed that, saying it will lead to more financial problems down the road.

Another holdup centers on Rauners push to overhaul the states workers compensation system. Rauner wants to cut fees doctors get for treating patients, which advocates say will help businesses control costs. Democrats say the fees were slashed several years ago and want tougher oversight of insurance rates, contending the industry hasnt passed along savings.

Rauner and his Republican allies have also pushed in negotiations to keep any eventual tax hike as low as possible. When House Democrats crafted their tax hike bill, they kept rates at the level that Senate Republicans had insisted upon when negotiations were taking place in the Senate.

That left some Democrats dissatisfied with the amount of money that would be available to fund programs and services that have been starved of cash for the past two years.

Rep. La Shawn Ford, D-Chicago, said the budget plan was not a compassionate budget, and was instead a compromise thats brought on by the threat of a junk bond rating not by the pain of the people.
JEFFERSON CITY  While Illinois residents face the prospect of paying higher income taxes to finance state government programs, Missouris tax rates are poised to head downward.

As part of a 2014 law approved by Missouris Republican-led Legislature, the states top personal income tax rate is positioned to drop to 5.9 percent from its current 6 percent beginning with taxes paid in 2018. It will drop to 5.5 percent over the next five years. There also will be a new 25 percent deduction on business income reported on individual returns.

The plan also would update the states tax brackets, which havent been changed since 1931, and increase by $500 the personal deduction for individuals with gross income below $20,000.

By contrast, Illinois residents could see higher tax rates as part of a deal designed to get a budget on the books for the first time in two years. The change would hike the individual income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent and the corporate income tax rate from 5.25 percent to 7 percent.

In Missouri, the decrease appears to have been triggered on Friday, the final day of the states fiscal year. As part of the 2014 law, the cuts would only go into effect if state tax revenues reached a specific threshold.

Last year, the tax rate reductions did not go into effect because revenue fell short by more than $70 million. This year, revenues grew by an estimated $229 million, triggering the cuts, which will remain in place regardless of future fluctuations in state revenue.

The governors budget office would not confirm Monday that the threshold was met, citing the long July Fourth holiday weekend.

Since the fiscal year ended Friday, we are starting our tabulations today, but with the holiday tomorrow we wont have them finalized until Wednesday, said Ryan Burns, spokeswoman for the Office of Administration.

But Rep. Scott Fitzpatrick, chairman of the House Budget Committee, said the final week of the fiscal year showed robust growth in revenues.

We had a really strong last few days, said Fitzpatrick, R-Shell Knob. It was better than I anticipated by quite a bit.

The lower tax rate package was approved over the objections of then-Gov. Jay Nixon. The Democrat argued that 52 percent of the tax savings would go to the top 7 percent of taxpayers, while a family making the median income of $44,000 a year would receive a tax cut of only $32.

The law is projected to cut income taxes by $620 million a year when it is fully phased in, though Nixon warned at the time that the tab could be much higher.

Budget writers anticipated the possibility of the tax cut going into effect when they projected revenue figures for the coming year. But Missouri Gov. Eric Greitens, a Republican, is still withholding dollars from a variety of programs because of concerns that tax dollars wont flow into the budget as predicted.

He also is weighing a new task force report calling for reforms to state tax credit programs, which, if enacted, could free up money for general purposes like schools and public safety.

On Friday, the governor signed the new budget and then cut $251 million in spending, including $24 million for higher education and $12 million to hospitals, nursing homes and in-home care providers.

In a statement, Greitens said, Politicians were trying to spend money we dont have. So were left with two choices: Raise taxes or cut spending. I will not raise your taxes.

Fitzpatrick said the governors cuts made sense, but his comments about politicians were a joke" because the budget approved by lawmakers was smaller than the one Greitens initially introduced.

I take exception to the comment that we were trying to spend money we dont have, Fitzpatrick said.

Tom Kruckemeyer, chief economist with nonprofit Missouri Budget Project, said Monday that the state budget will have to be lean for the foreseeable future, given the tax reductions and slow growth.

The state financial situation is pretty bleak, Kruckemeyer said. Its a pretty tight situation.
WASHINGTON  Rep. Ann Wagner of Missouri, who surprised the political world Monday by announcing she wont run for the U.S. Senate next year, made her decision after private talks with her family over the weekend  and after a hospital visit last week to House Majority Whip Steve Scalise, who was badly wounded by a gunmans attack on House members practicing on a baseball field last month, a source told the Post-Dispatch.

Upturning widely held expectations that she would attempt a challenge to Democratic Sen. Claire McCaskill next year, Wagner said she would instead run for re-election to the U.S. House in 2018.

Those who know me well know I put my family and my community first, Wagner, R-Ballwin, said in a statement. While I am grateful for the incredible support and encouragement I have received from across Missouri to run for United States Senate, I am announcing today my intention to run for re-election to the United States House of Representatives in 2018.

The Second District is my home, Wagners statement continued. Its where I grew up, went to school, have worked and volunteered, raised my kids, and attend church every week  there is no greater honor than representing a place and people that I love.

Wagners communications director, Ali Pardo, said that the congresswoman would let the statement stand.

The announcement, first reported Monday in the Washington Examiner, throws a huge, early curve into Missouris U.S. Senate race that both Republicans and Democrats expect to be a marquee election with national focus in the battle for control of the Senate in 2018.

Outside interest groups on both sides already have spent heavily on advertising. Republicans believe that President Donald Trumps strong 19-point victory over Hillary Clinton in Missouri last year makes McCaskill, a Clinton surrogate in that campaign, vulnerable to a strong challenger.

Attention now turns to other possible McCaskill challengers, including Attorney General Josh Hawley, who has been publicly encouraged to run by former Sen. John Danforth and others.

Danforth, a Missouri Republican Party elder, said Monday that Wagners announcement creates clarity in the race, and he predicted a renewed push in the party to get Hawley to run.

Danforth stressed his respect for Wagner but said her exit from the Senate race opens up the best chance that we have to elect a Republican senator.

I do believe this is going to create a lot of push from Republicans, now that Ann Wagners not running, (to say) Hawley is the guy, said Danforth. I think a lot of people are going to think this is probably a pretty clear choice now.

Other potential challengers to McCaskill include Rep. Vicky Hartzler, R-Harrisonville. She has not ruled it out, according to a statement from Hartzlers office. However, she is right now focusing on her effort in the House.

Austin Stukins, executive director of the Missouri Republican Party, said the party isnt favoring any candidate for the nomination. Thats what the primary is for, he said.

Instead, he said, the party will focus on Claire McCaskill and her record, which stands in contrast to the direction Missouri has been trending.

John LaBombard, a spokesman for McCaskill, said this in response to the Wagner announcement: One politician has taken a pass, were sure another politician will take her place.

Before Monday, Wagner had sent clear signals that she was running for the Senate. She had hired a full-time staffer to get campaign efforts underway. Interns were brought on to help with that process, and Wagner and surrogates had begun lining up county chairs for her campaign, a source close to Wagner said.

She had spent time raising money for a run and is expected to report that she has about $3.5 million in her campaign account when second-quarter fundraising totals are announced this month.

But events over the last three weeks changed the contours of the road ahead.

Wagner and her family gathered over the weekend and for the July Fourth holiday at Fort Stewart, Ga., where her son, Capt. Raymond Wagner III, a 2011 West Point graduate, is an infantry platoon leader. T

he source said Wagner discussed the Senate run with her family, and that afterward, the congresswoman decided that she would not run.

Her congressional staff learned of the decision Sunday night.

The source said that Wagner was told after her decision that no one would believe that it was made solely on family considerations, but that is what happened.

And a significant event last week led up to it.

Wagner visited Scalise, her close friend, in a hospital Wednesday, the source said. Scalise was shot and badly wounded while practicing for the annual congressional baseball game in Alexandria, Va., on June 14.

In an interview with the Post-Dispatch days after the shooting, Wagner said Scalises shooting had greatly affected her, and she spoke about threats made against her and her family.

She said she had tried to console and reassure four young interns in her office, whose families were worried about them.

I gave them a good motherly hug, and I asked if they had reached out to their families, she told the Post-Dispatch. They all said they had texted them like true 20-year-olds, or whatever. And then I said: No, you are all going to call your mothers.

At least four people had already expressed an interest in running for the 2nd District seat Wagner now occupies.
In March 2009, Ernesto Perez-Carrillo ended his nine-year tenure with General Cigar to establish his own family-owned boutique. He wasted no time in that endeavor. With a factory in Santiago and a work-in-progress website, the EPC Cigar Co. was up and running in time to debut its first blend at the IPCPR Trade Show that August.

Few in the industry doubted he would be successful in his new venture. That Perez-Carrillo has done well on his own over the past eight years is no surprise to anyone. One industry insider described him to StogieGuys.com as the tobacco worlds mad genius. And Alan Rubin of Alec Bradley calls him the original rebel.

Say what you will about Cigar Aficionado and its annual Top 25 list, but it must have been incredibly gratifying for Carrillo to see his Seleccion Oscuro Piramides Royal (6 x 52) capture the number four spot in 2016. Im sure the publicity didnt hurt sales, either.

In addition to Piramides Royal, there are three other vitolas in the line: Robusto Gordo (5 x 54), Small Churchill (5.5 x 50), and Especial No. 6 (6 x 52). All are made at the Tabacalera La Alianza factory in the Dominican Republic with a Mexican San Andres wrapper, an Ecuadorian binder, and loosely packed filler tobaccos from Nicaragua.

I recently picked up a 5-pack in the Especial No. 6 size for $41.50, which comes to $8.30 per cigar. Out of the cellophane, this cigar oozes pungent pre-light notes of cocoa and dried fruit, especially at the foot. The exterior is toothy and oily with only a few noticeable veins across its lumpy, rustic surface. The ornate, regal band of red, gold, and black is a nice improvement upon the design from the 2015 launch (you can see an example of the old band here; some of these are likely still on the market).

At the outset, the Especial No. 6 exhibits dry wood, black pepper spice, cayenne heat, and plenty of Nicaraguan zing. Its full-bodied and zesty with a leathery texture from the get-go. Then, after about half an inch, the profile mellows considerablynow its decidedly medium-bodiedand the flavor transitions to milk chocolate, cherry, raisin, marshmallow, and coffee. This is how the cigar remains until the end, with no increase in intensity at the finale.

Across the five samples I smoked for this review, four had near-perfect burn lines and one required a touch-up or two along the way to stay even. All had smooth draws and abundant smoke production. The resting smoke has loads of mouth-watering sweetness.

The Seleccion Oscuro Especial No. 6 is a solid addition to the impressive E.P. Carrillo portfolio. Aside from the first half-inch, this toro boasts less strength than you might expect and instead rewards you with balance, subtlety, cool smoke, and a delightful interplay between gentle spice and sweetness. For that, it earns four stogies out of five.

[To read more StogieGuys.com cigar reviews, please click here.]

Patrick A



photo credit: Stogie Guys
Prime Minister (PM) Nawaz Sharifs son Hassan Nawaz on Monday has said that the he has asked Panama Joint Investigation Team (JIT) to clearly tell about his fault and reasons behind incessant hearings.

Addressing the media at Federal Judicial Academy after a 2.45 hour-long third appearance before the team, Hassan Nawaz said that he has answered all the questions posed by JIT. He said that courts proceedings have ended while probe is still underway.

He said that the authorities only want to put pressure on PM Nawaz by calling his children.

The premiers son also announced to have presented all the relevant data to the JIT.

On the other hand, Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar will face the questions prepared by the JIT at 3:00pm today while PM Nawazs other son Hussain Nawaz and daughter Maryam Nawaz will appear before the JIT on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.

It is to be mentioned here that JIT probing offshore wealth of Sharif family in Panama Papers case will present its final report to SC on July 10.

Earlier on Sunday, PM Nawaz Sharifs cousin Tariq Shafi appeared before the JIT, saying that the JIT inquired about the Gulf Steel Mills and that he answered all the questions.

On the other hand, Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) had written a letter to the investigation team, stating that it is unable to provide more record of Sharif family and Ishaq Dar in addition to what it has already submitted.

The only wealth statement of Sharif family which is missing from the record is of the days when the family was not present in Pakistan, stated FBR.
Qatari Prince Hamad Bin Jassim Bin Jaber Al Thani on Monday has refused for the third time to visit Pakistan embassy to record statement in Panama Leaks case.

Sources told that the prince has asked the authorities to come to his house if they want his statement.

The decision to not appear before Joint Investigation Team (JIT), constituted by Supreme Court (SC), is not surprising, however, the expression of doubts in investigation procedure as well as raising the matter of transparency is a fairly recent development. The impression of doubt has been created in JITs interrogation with these reservations.

Qatari sources said that no witness can record the statements in such circumstances which appeared after the leaked photo of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharifs son while he was being questioned by JIT at the Judicial Academy.

It should be recalled that Qatari letter was produced before the Supreme Courts five-member bench to probe Panama case by Sharif familys lawyer. The document was dated Nov 5, 2016, from the prince who ruled Qatar from 2007 to 2013 as Prime Minister.

On the other hand, PM Nawaz Sharifs son Hassan Nawaz appeared before JIT today (Monday) along with all the relevant documents to present before the team.

Federal Minister for Finance Ishaq Dar will face the questions prepared by the JIT at 3:00pm today while PM Nawazs other son Hussain Nawaz and daughter Maryam Nawaz will appear before the JIT on Tuesday and Wednesday respectively.
Natural disasters: Connecting the dots  Comment View(s):

An illuminating discussion organised by the Sunday Times Business Club in Colombo on Tuesday on managing disasters (natural or man-made) reminded us of that popular fable where a little Dutch boy plugged a leak in a small dam and thereby saved his town.

While the moral of that 19th century tale is to put forward the simple theory that if people act quickly and even with limited resources disasters can be averted, in todays context, merely plugging holes in leaks in the management of natural disasters is not the way to go.

For years, Sri Lankan governments, politicians and administrators have been plugging leaks or papering the cracks in managing natural and man-made disasters with temporary solutions only to find that, a bigger disaster awaits around the corner.

While considering these issues, I was reminded, rather gently, by Kussi Amma Sera when bringing the morning tea that this is Lankawata apala kalayak.

Balanna Mahattaya, ekapeththaka watura ne. Anith-path-they, watura wedei. Mey avurudu dekke, Lankawata hari prasna.

She has a point: Sri Lanka is battling natures fury on one side and man-made disasters on the other inclusive of a growing number of brutal killings and murders. Adding to this tragedy are selfie deaths. Given the former Governments penchant for seeking the advice of astrologers which sometimes didnt work, that avenue of finding out what is wrong in Sri Lanka is (also) no more for politicians who believe in fortune or disaster tellers.

The disaster management issues are many but there are solutions. Implementable? Yes  if there is political will, an efficient bureaucracy and contingency planning.

World Bank official, Suranga Kahandawa  one of three experts on the Business Club discussion panel  spoke on a range of issues and efforts being considered together with the Sri Lankan Government to mitigate the fallout from disasters. His position was that while the country is losing economically every year due to disasters brought on by unpredictable weather which causes high intensity rain causing landslides and floods, there is a need to invest in mitigation measures. Preparing for disasters with contingency funds is a pre-requisite towards reducing the impact on affected communities.

The WB is working with state authorities in the area of flood forecasting which would help to alert families in case rivers start to swell and threaten to spill-over.

Veteran architect and urban planner Dr. Surath Wickramasinghe cited good examples of solid waste management from other countries and spoke of the need to channel excess water from rivers caused by heavy rain to the dry zone or catchment areas (without seeing it aimlessly flow into the sea) to be (like the phrase) used, to save for a rainy day.

He shared his thoughts and experiences on a range of issues like garbage piling up in the city; improper building construction; proper drainage flows in the city to prevent flooding which happens now even during a small shower; and other solutions.

When conservation scientist Dr. Eric Wikramanayake took the floor, his plea was simple: Reduce the cutting of Sri Lankan forests, save the coral reef and protect natural ecosystems (grasslands, biodiversity, etc). Backed by facts and figures, he related how Sri Lankas forest cover is rapidly declining and cited a recent study where even staff of tea estates concede that protecting the forests is important.

He frowned on short-term solutions to tackle issues that required long-term objectives, citing the example of using water bowsers to service areas affected by severe drought providing short-term relief. Thus, every time there is a drought, water bowsers are sent by the government or from private donors rather than looking at a long-term solution that would minimise the impact.

Sri Lankas forest cover is dwindling particularly on sloping land where communities are precariously perched causing landslides, and despite repeated warnings, people are reluctant to move fearing they wont get alternate land. Preserving trees on mountainsides or even adopting the 1-for-1 rule (plant a tree, if cutting a tree) reduces the number of natural disasters, which are increasing in intensity due to unpredictable weather. High-intensity rains which flood-out rice fields and, as seen in May, wash away plots of tea smallholders in the southern region, have not happened for the first time and certainly they will not be the last. So what happens next? Should Sri Lanka once again watch and wait while the next bout of high-intensity rains (likely in a years time or even earlier) washes away valuable lands and communities or do we come up with resistance models which minimise the harm to the land, protect communities and channel excess water to small reservoirs, catchment areas and eventually to the north which is starved of rain?

These issues boil down to a few dos and donts:

Preparation, proper advance warnings (current work in preparing flood-forecasting mechanisms is commendable) and emergency funds for an unforeseen calamity.

There is no one-size-fits-all solution. Rather, the problem in managing disasters lies in a number of steps that need to be taken together as they are all interconnected and dont stand in isolation.

The managing disasters discussion (proceedings are reported on Page 6 of the Business Times) illustrates that what the country needs is an integrated solution to tackle this issue by connecting the dots through:

Preserving forest cover which saves communities living at the foot of mountains

Increasing the use of organic fertilizer and reducing pesticide use (if that is possible), which would eventually save lives

Stringent building construction rules, in particular, saving natural drainage ways to channel rain water

Use of biodegradable material which helps in easier disposal of solid waste

Preserving the few swamps and water soakage areas in the city (and other areas earmarked for urban development) to reduce flooding.

Flooding in heavily-congested cities affects traffic flows and cost money and time to the economy

Dont think short term. Invest in conservation measures and mitigation which have long-term benefits.

While investment in long-term mitigation measures against natural and man-made disasters (including tight building construction rules) will amount to a few billions of dollars, disasters themselves have cost this amount. A recent study shows that disasters cost Sri Lanka an average US$380 million per year. That works out to Rs. 15 billion or Rs. 75 billion loss to the economy over five years. Need we say more!Conserving ecosystems have other economic benefits too: High-spending tourist arrivals with fewer countries able to provide a green landscape as good as Sri Lanka.
Come in your Bollywood best for a good cause and some fun View(s):

The Zonta Club 11 presents Bollywood Night on Friday July 7 at The Asylum at the Independence Arcade  the glamorous event is in aid of their project Mithuru Piyasa. Girls are invited to bring the men in their lives, and come in their best Bollywood outfits; there will be great food and wine and music and atmosphere to match as well as gifts for the one with the best moves and the most interesting outfit. Fun loving men and women of any age can dance with abandon and have an extravagant theme night, knowing that they will also have contributed to an excellent cause.

The Zonta Club 11 is fundraising for its MithuruPiyasa Counselling Centres that are attached to the Kethumathie Womens Hospital in Panadura and to the General Hospitals in Kalutara and Embilipitiya. The principal objective of the Counselling Centres is prevention of violence in homes. Women and their men and their families seek help at these centres.

Tickets are available at Nayana Salon on Flower Road, at Commons and also at the Asylum on Independence Arcade itself.
Many early childhood education centres serving food to children do not have menus that meet nutritional guidelines, according to research from the University of Aucklands Centre for Longitudinal Research.

New Zealand ECE regulations state that where food is provided by the service, it should be of sufficient variety, quantity and quality to meet the nutritional needs of each child while they are attending.

Researchers collected menus in an online survey of 257 licensed childcare centres in Auckland and Waikato. Only menus that comprised lunch plus two or more other snacks or meals each day for five days were included in the analysis. These were compared with requirements for half of a childs recommended daily intake and variety of foods across the week.

The mean score for the 57 full menus analysed was 6.8 (out of 10), however only three menus (5 per cent) met all 10 scoring criteria. The majority of privately run centres did not meet each of the scoring criteria, with the exception of daily recommendations for fruit.

Higher scores were associated with employing a cook, high or low (but not medium) neighbourhood deprivation, and participation in the New Zealand Heart Foundation Healthy Heart Award programme. There was no association with the cost of food.

The results of the survey were published in the Australia and New Zealand Journal of Public Health.
Teenage thrash metal band Alien Weaponry are shaking things up with the release of their third single, Ru Ana Te Whenua.

Aptly translated as The Earth Trembles, the song is about band members Henry and Lewis de Jongs ancestor, Te Ahoaho, who fought in the historic battle at Gate Pa, Tauranga.

In the 1864 battle, 230 Maori dug themselves into the hilltop at Pukehinahina and withstood the heaviest artillery bombardment the British army has ever delivered, resulting in a crushing defeat for the 1700 strong British forces and changing the course of history.

Now, the trio, including the de Jong brothers on drums and guitar/lead vocals, along with Ethan Trembath on bass, is set to change the course of history  with nearly a quarter of a million Facebook views in the 48 hours since the video was released on Friday, the song is set to become one of those iconic kiwi anthems that signals a new milestone in our musical landscape.

Singing entirely in Te Reo Maori, Alien Weaponry has managed to capture the imaginations of Maori and Pakeha, diehard metal fans and grandmothers alike with their unique combination of thrash metal and Te Reo Maori.

Here is what the fans on Facebook are saying:

Usually when Metal songs play, i change the song. I couldnt help but listen to the whole thing. I even rewind and played again!

Sick of seeing rappers and reggae representing Maori  so awesome to see Heavy Metal doing their bit too ... done Aotearoa proud boys.

I love heavy metal and this awesome group Alien Weaponry has nailed it. Maori Kiwi song music sounds has brought so much excitement tears joy to this old rocker soul of mine.

I use to think this genre of music was a joke....this is bloody awesome ...

Why cant we hear this at test matches instead of the haka?

The song is available now for download and streaming from all digital platforms.

Alien Weaponry will kick off a seven-date nationwide tour this Saturday, July 8< at the Totara St venue in Mt Maunganui; followed by shows in Palmerston North, Wellington, Nelson, Christchurch, Hamilton and Auckland in August and September.
A new film office has opened that will attract international big budget productions to the region, says Bay of Plenty Film director Anton Steel.

BOP Film is hoping to expand the screen media industry, which will benefit tourism, increase job opportunities, and attract and retain people skilled in digital communication platforms.

Anton Steel says the company has set their bar high, but the huge economic and social payoffs would be worth it.

Realistically, we will be taking progressive steps towards this goal, working first with New Zealand producers and productions to demonstrate just how cost effective and film friendly our region can be.

The funding for the new film office has been supported by Tauranga City Council, Bay of Plenty Regional Council, and Western Bay of Plenty, Whakatane, Kawerau and Opotiki District Councils.

Over the last 9 months BOP Film have established a showreel, website and business case for Councils and potential partnerships showing the work that the company will have to offer.

At times its felt like actually being on a film set with such pressing deadlines, juggling priorities and maintaining the highest of standards, but thats what we do and thats what we are good at.

BOP Film officially opened on Saturday, July 1, and is now looking for someone to fill the position of film office coordinator

He says the successful candidate will play a key role in delivering on BOP Films objectives with communication, administration and coordination roles.

More information and a full job description can be requested by emailing info@bopfilm.nz. Applications will close Tuesday, July 4.

Filming a recent U.S. commercial.
The First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones AM, arrived in Gibraltar late on Thursday, for a short working visit.

His visit took place against the background of the decision taken in the United Kingdom to leave the European Union, and came as the result of continuing contact between the government of Gibraltar and the devolved administrations in the United Kingdom with the objective of exploring common interests, including commercial and economic links.

Gibraltars chief minister, Fabian Picardo, and Jones have met several times in the past at Labour Party conferences, and in December last year the deputy chief minister, Dr Joseph Garcia, and a delegation from Gibraltar were hosted in Cardiff by the first minister of Wales and his team.

The programme for this visit to Gibraltar included a working dinner with Fabian Picardo on Thursday evening, and discussions with Dr Joseph Garcia, who holds the Brexit portfolio in Gibraltar, on Friday morning.

These talks were followed by a working lunch, hosted by the minister for Commerce, Albert Isola.

Jones also met with representatives of the Gibraltar Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Small Businesses, before flying home later in the day.

Brexit is generally assumed to be challenging for both Gibraltar and Wales. The Demos think tank said recently that as more than 60 per cent of exports from Wales go to EU countries, it is likely to be the most affected of nations and regions if tariffs are imposed, and by the potential loss of support from EU aid.
Torremolinos town hall has criticised its former mayor, Pedro Fernandez Montes, for irregularities in the planning and construction of the towns ill-fated museum.

The building has been at the centre of controversy since 2014 and the ruling Socialist council has blasted the towns former mayor for wasting tax payers money.

The museum project was refused in 2015, on the grounds that the asset quality of the towns collection was scarce and failed to provide sufficient content to class it a City Museum.

Maribel Tocon, councillor for Urban Planning, said that the project was doomed from the beginning, claiming that the Partido Poular (PP) left the town with a ghost building and a debt close to 200 million euros.

She also pointed out that work on the building is not complete and that they will need to spend another 800,000 euros to finish it.

Maribel Tocon said that the former mayor decided to build a large building of dubious architectural taste without following proper procedures. She also accused him of building a house from the roof down, claiming that the museum project did not have any logic whatsoever.

She also questioned how it was possible to squander more than 5.5 million euros on a building that was abandoned just five years later.

When the PP approved the museum project, they had already been warned that it was not economically viable, but the advice fell on deaf ears once again, the councillor said.

She agreed that Torremolinos deserves a museum and insisted that it will have one, but said that they must do the right thing and follow the legal procedures required by law for the creation of a museum.

The mayor dreamed of opening his great museum by requesting a loan without a project that endorsed the success of the destiny of that money. Therefore, Torremolinos never got a museum; what it does have is a vacant building that is costing a lot of money in maintenance and safety, she explained.

The town hall has now returned the loan of five million euros that the former council received from the Ministry of Tourism.

Although the PP wants to make us think that the building has been a gift, it was a loan, not a grant, Tocon pointed out.

The town hall now looks set to go ahead with its plans to use the building, which is situated in the Plaza Picasso, as the judicial headquarters of Torremolinos, a notion endorsed by the Asociacion de Abogados (association of lawyers), given the poor state of the current headquarters in the Avenida Palma Mallorca.
91155.JPG

This fence separated the refugees from Europe from the Oswego community. Refugees recounted being scared at first because the former Army camp looked like a concentration camp. However, local residents quickly befriended the refugees.

(Courtesy Safe Haven)

OSWEGO - During World War II, a fence topped with barbed wire greeted Jewish refugees fleeing the Holocaust when they arrived at the former military camp at Fort Ontario in Oswego.

For many refugees, the sight of the fence and barbed wire reminded them of the concentration camps they were fleeing, according to the Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum. Some at first refused to leave the trains, fearful of what awaited them inside.

But the fence became known as the "friendship fence," a place where local residents and the refugees would meet, talk and get to know each other.

Residents would pass clothing, food, shoes and candy over or through the fence. Refugees would go to the fence for these gifts, the latest news and, in some cases, to establish long-lasting friendships.

A section of the fence will now be included in a new exhibit at the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C., Oswego tourism officials announced Monday. The exhibit, "America's Response to the Holocaust," is scheduled to open in 2018 or 2019.

Refugees fleeing the Holocaust in WWII were temporarily housed at Fort Ontario in Oswego from August 1944 to February 1946, according the Safe Haven museum. In all, 982 refugees were housed there, according to the museum.

The refugee center in Oswego represents one of, if not the most, significant official government response to the Holocaust, Fort Ontario State Historic Site Superintendent Paul Lear said in the news release. For the most part, the U.S. turned its back on the plight of the Jews in Nazi-occupied Europe and made no official attempt for their rescue, he said.

The refugees made their way to Allied-occupied Italy and eventually to the United States as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's plan to convince other countries to accept refugees, Lear said.

"Their experiences with concentration camps made them terrified when they arrived here and saw the chain link and barbed wire fence that enclosed the 75-acre fort," Lear said.

This feeling changed during their first month of internment and quarantine at the fort because the fence became an emotional meeting place where refugees and local residents met, he said.

Heidi Miksch, a senior conservator of the state Parks Bureau of Historic Sites Resource Center at Peebles Island in Waterford, is working to clean, conserve and prepare the fence section for shipment and display in Washington.

Fort Ontario State Historic Site, 1 E. Fourth St., Oswego, is open from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Saturday and from noon to 4:30 p.m. on Sunday through Sept. 10. For fall hours, admission and other details, call 315-343-4711 or go to the site's website.

Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum, 2 E. Seventh St., Oswego, is open 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday to Sunday. For more information, call (315) 342-3003 or go to the museum's website.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The sheriff's offices in Onondaga and Cayuga counties issued water navigation hazard advisories Sunday.

Heavy rain and flooding throughout both counties has elevated water levels and washed large amounts of debris into the water, often floating just below the surface, officials said.

Boaters were advised to use extreme caution when navigating as conditions may be hazardous. Docks and moorings might be just below the surface.

Skaneateles Lake was especially hazardous due to debris, officials said.

The state Canal Corporation also issued a warning to boaters, saying it had temporarily closed the Erie Canal from Locks E-2 in Waterford to E-22 in Sylvan Beach. The Osweo Canal was also closed Sunday until further notice.
To the Editor:

Another legislative session has come to a close and the New York state Senate has still not taken any meaningful action to modernize the state's electoral system. Despite a voting participation rate of just 29 percent of the eligible population in 2014 and 57 percent in 2016. Despite holding the rank of 47th in the nation for voter turnout in 2014 and 41st in 2016. Despite 37 other states having already implemented such measures. Despite the New York state Assembly once again passing bills supporting voting reform. Despite all this, the Senate majority has again chosen to block early-voting, automatic registration, electronic poll books, and other commonsense measures that would vastly improve access to voting.

The blame for this inexcusable disgrace is to be divided between Gov. Andrew Cuomo; the Republican leadership of the Senate, including Sen. John DeFrancisco; and the Independent Democratic Caucus (IDC), including Sen. Dave Valesky.

Cuomo has repeatedly and publicly stated that he stands behind improvements to New York's antiquated election system. Words do not correspond to actions in this case, however, as he never manages to use his considerable influence to actually make reform happen. Without the "walk," a good "talk" is worse than meaningless.

As for the Senate Republicans: Under the false flag of "voter fraud," they have once more blocked all bills to improve the voting system. Let us freely admit that their true concern is nothing more than maintaining ruling status. As has been continuously demonstrated in numerous states, voting reform measures increase participation in elections. And increased participation in elections often leads to greater support for the Democratic Party. Ergo, if reform is enacted, turnout increases and the Republicans could very well lose their slim majority. They are, in a word, desperate to impede anything (i.e. voting reform) that might challenge their grasp of power.

But most insidious of all, is the IDC. These Senate "Democrats" possess the bewildering characteristic of staunch allegiance to the Republican Party leadership, and enable the Republicans to control the Senate despite the Democrats' numerical advantage. (In exchange for bigger salaries and bigger offices.) And it is their unwavering support of the Senate Republicans' self-serving priorities that has sabotaged voting reform yet again. If nothing else, perhaps they should update their party affiliation?

Refusing to make voting as accessible to the people as possible is cowardly, deceptive and tyrannical. It completely goes against the spirit of everything positive that this country was founded upon. Gov. Cuomo, the Senate Republicans and the IDC are there to serve the people -- not to stifle their voices. If they choose to block voting reform, it is time for the people to block their re-election.

Jennifer L. Yoshioka

Syracuse
Trump's promise of jobs from Saudi deals may fall flat

President Donald Trump, right, meets with Mohammed bin Salman, deputy crown prince and minister of defense of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, on March 14, 2017 in the Oval Office at the White House in Washington, D.C. Saudi Arabia is negotiating arms deals with the U.S. worth more than $110 billion. (Mark Wilson/Pool/Sipa USA/TNS)

(Mark Wilson/Pool)

WASHINGTON -- A subsidiary of PAR Technology Corp. of New Hartford has been awarded a subcontract worth up to $10.9 million to provide electronic security systems for the Royal Saudi Air Force in Saudi Arabia.

The PAR Technology subsidiary, Rome Research Corp., will monitor Paveway IV precision-guided bombs and F-15SA fighter jets at various Royal Saudi Air Force locations throughout Saudi Arabia, the company said.

Scientific Research Corp. of Charleston, S.C., selected Rome Research Corp. for the subcontract for up to five years of work.

Matt Cicchinelli, president of PAR's Government Business, said the contract will open new opportunities for the company in the Middle East as it seeks to expand its services globally.

President Donald Trump visited Saudi Arabia in May and signed an agreement that could lead to $110 billion in American arms sales and other investments. Last week, U.S. officials approved a $3.8 billion contract for Sikorsky Aircraft to supply UH-60 Black Hawk helicopters to Saudi Arabia.

PAR Technology is best known for its point-of-sales devices, the high-tech cash registers used by the restaurant, retail and government sectors. But the company and its subsidiaries have been growing as a defense contractor and provider of government services.

In 2013, the U.S. Army awarded subsidiary PAR Government Systems a contract worth up to $85 million for technology integration involving intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance work. The three-year contract was the largest in the history of the company.

Contact Mark Weiner anytime: Twitter | Facebook | 571-970-3751
The assault rifle used by a former doctor to kill and injure colleagues at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital last week had been purchased eight days earlier at a gun shop in Upstate NY, according to a new report from the New York Daily News.

Henry Bello, 45, of Manhattan, was fired from the hospital over sexual harassment accusations. He returned to the hospital on Friday with an AM-15 assault rifle on hidden under his lab coat and opened fire, killing one woman and injuring six others.

Who is Henry Bello? What we know about the Bronx Lebanon Hospital shooter https://t.co/6lVlg3y9Ed pic.twitter.com/S7rGWfUCja  Kevin W (@kwilli1046) June 30, 2017

A law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation told the Daily News that Bello purchased the gun from Upstate Guns and Ammo on State Street in Schenectady in mid-June.

A spokesperson for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms confirmed that the weapon was purchased legally, but would not verify where it was purchased.

Craig Serafini, the owner of Upstate Guns and Ammo, told a Daily News reporter to "take a walk" before closing the door.

Investigators are exploring why Bello travelled to the Capital Region to purchase the gun when he lives in Manhattan.

Bello killed himself with the gun after the shooting.
The two lanes were merging into one as 28-year-old David Desper and 18-year-old Bianca Roberson jockeyed for position during rush hour, police say.

It turned into a road-rage incident. A shot rang out. Roberson was killed when she was struck in the head, and Desper drove away.

Bianca Roberson.

Authorities released a sketch and surveillance images of the truck, hoping for a break in the case of the Chester County road-rage incident from Wednesday.

That break came today.

Desper turned himself in to police around 2 a.m., 6 ABC of Philadelphia is reporting.

His pickup truck was located in Glen Mills and hauled to the police station in West Goshen Township around that time, according to reports.

Along with the truck, investigators also found in Desper's bedroom a 40-caliber semi-automatic handgun they believe was used in the shooting, according to police.

"This is the story of a savage and senseless murder. Someone didn't want her to merge into a lane of traffic," Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said, according to reports. "So he pulled out a gun and shot Bianca in the head, killing her instantly."

Her car went off of Route 100 and struck a tree, and Desper fled, kicking off the four-day hunt for the dented, red truck.

Roberson was a recent graduate of Bayard Rustin High School in West Chester and was about to attend Jacksonville University.

A GoFundMe has been established to help Roberson's family with funeral costs. More than $32,000 had been raised as of Sunday afternoon.

Court records show Desper has been charged with first-degree murder, third-degree murder, criminal homicide, possession of an instrument of crime and recklessly endangering another person.

He is set for a preliminary hearing July 13.
A therapy-animal trend grips the United States. The San Francisco airport now deploys a pig to calm frazzled travelers. Universities nationwide bring dogs (and a donkey) onto campus to soothe students during finals. Llamas comfort hospital patients, pooches provide succor at disaster sites and horses are used to treat sex addiction.

And that duck on a plane? It might be an emotional-support animal prescribed by a mental health professional.

The trend, which has accelerated hugely since its initial stirrings a few decades ago, is underpinned by a widespread belief that interaction with animals can reduce distress - whether it happens over brief caresses at the airport or in long-term relationships at home. Certainly, the groups offering up pets think this, as do some mental health professionals. But the popular embrace of pets as furry therapists is kindling growing discomfort among some researchers in the field, who say it has raced far ahead of scientific evidence.

Earlier this year in the Journal of Applied Developmental Science, an introduction to a series of articles on "animal-assisted intervention" said research into its efficacy "remains in its infancy." A recent literature review by Molly Crossman, a Yale University doctoral candidate who recently wrapped up one study involving an 8-year-old dog named Pardner, cited a "murky body of evidence" that sometimes has shown positive short-term effects, often found no effect and occasionally identified higher rates of distress.

Overall, Crossman wrote, animals seem to be helpful in a "small-to-medium" way, but it's unclear whether the critters deserve the credit or something else is at play.

"It's a field that has been sort of carried forward by the convictions of practitioners" who have seen patients' mental health improve after working with or adopting animals, said James Serpell, director of the Center for the Interaction of Animals and Society at the University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine. "That kind of thing has almost driven the field, and the research is playing catch-up. In other words, people are recognizing that anecdote isn't enough."

Using animals in mental health settings is nothing new. In the 17th century, a Quaker-run retreat in England encouraged mentally ill patients to interact with animals on its grounds. Sigmund Freud often included one of his dogs in psychoanalysis sessions. Yet the subject did not become a research target until the American child psychologist Boris Levinson began writing in the 1960s about the positive effect his dog Jingles had on patients.

But the evidence to date is problematic, according to Crossman's review and others before it. Most studies had small sample sizes, she wrote, and an "alarming number" did not control for other possible reasons for a changed stress level, such as interaction with the animal's human handler. Studies also tend to generalize across animals, she noted: If participants are measurably soothed by one golden retriever, that doesn't mean another dog - or another species - will evoke the same response.

Even so, media headlines are often about the happiness bounce. Hal Herzog, a Western Carolina University psychologist who has long studied human-animal interactions, recalls a 2015 study on the health benefits for children of having a pet dog. "Here's a reason to get a puppy," NBC announced. "Kids with pets have less anxiety."

That's actually not what the study concluded. The authors did find that children with dogs had lower anxiety based on screening scores than children without dogs. Still, they cautioned that "this study does not answer whether pet dogs have direct effects on children's mental health or whether other factors associated with acquisition of a pet dog benefit their mental health."

It was a classic case of conflating correlation and causation, which Herzog says is common. Cherry-picked positive results also are a problem, as he says happens in promotional materials from the Human-Animal Bond Research Initiative (HABRI). The pet-industry backed organization funds research on the topic.

"The number of papers I see that start out, 'It is now well-established that there are health benefits from owning pets' - that drives me crazy," Herzog said. "Yes, there's literature that supports that. But there's also literature that doesn't find that."

HABRI Executive Director Steven Feldman takes a more positive view of the science while acknowledging that more research needs to be done. "Just like getting vegetables and getting exercise, I would say having animals in our lives is also an essential element of human wellness," he said.

To many animal lovers and pet owners, the back-and-forth might sound horribly wonky. There's something intuitive about the good feelings animals give us. Why over-analyze it?

Alan Beck does not disagree. Beck, who directs the Center of the Human-Animal Bond at Purdue University, cites one common theory.

"Throughout history, animals gave us some comfort. So if it works for you and me in a relatively normal environment, maybe it has a special role for someone who has a depression and stress disorder - that just makes sense," he said. "The literature does show it's not bad. And that's just as important."

Focusing too much on scientific support sometimes feels like a form of "physics envy," Beck added, "where you try to quantify everything without appreciating it."

But there are good reasons for rigorous research on animals and mental health. In 2012, the Department of Veterans Affairs said it would not cover costs of service dogs for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder, citing "a lack of evidence to support a finding of mental health service dog efficacy." The department is now in the midst of a multiyear study on the topic, which could lead to government funding for these pooches.

Another reason, the scientists say, is for the animals' sake. Crossman pointed to a 2014 incident at Washington University as an example of animal therapy gone wrong. A bear cub brought to campus during finals week nipped some students, causing a rabies scare that almost ended with the animal being euthanized. More generally, Serpell said, the popular idea that pets make you happier "is not a harmless distortion. ... If the public believes that getting an animal is going to be good for them, many times an unsuitable person will get an unsuitable animal, and it doesn't work out well for either."

The research is getting stronger, in part because funding is growing - from HABRI as well as from a public-private partnership between the National Institutes of Health and the Waltham Centre for Pet Nutrition. Crossman's recent study at the Yale Innovative Interactions Lab was among the work being supported.

It relied not just on the Labrador retriever Pardner but seven other certified therapy dogs. Several times a month over much of the past year, they hung out at the university for 15-minute sessions with children who had just finished two stressful tasks: spontaneously crafting stories and telling them to strangers, followed by doing math problems.

The strangers were the researchers, and their mission was to assess whether the kids, ages 10 to 13, would find their time with the dogs to be therapeutic. The study was designed to avoid some of the pitfalls that Crossman has seen elsewhere, which is why some of the 78 young participants got to play only with a fuzzy blanket - because tactile stimulation is known to reduce stress - and why others simply waited for the 15 minutes.

"Without the controls, the changes could be due to all kinds of things, like the fact that lots of time has passed," Crossman said. "Kids are actually pretty good at coping."

The children completed questionnaires to assess their mood and anxiety before and after; spit samples, to measure the "stress hormone" cortisol, were taken at three points. At the end, all the kids got a "junior scientist" certificate, lots of praise and an open play session with the dogs.

Crossman, who emphasizes that she is an animal lover, declined to reveal the findings before they're published. But "hopefully" they will show that dogs can affect children's stress, she said - before quickly offering a researcher's clarification.

"I say 'hopefully' not just because I think it works or hope it does, but because these programs are used so widely," she explained. "Kids are already participating in this on a huge scale. Ideally, the order goes the other way around: We test the idea, and then we implement."

(c) 2017, The Washington Post. Karin Brulliard wrote this story.
Renowned astrophysicist Stephen Hawking has warned that U.S. President Donald Trumps decision to exit the landmark Paris climate deal could result in irreversible climate change, driving Earth toward a future akin to that of hothouse planet Venus.

Hawking issued the warning in an exclusive interview with BBC News last Sunday, which coincided with his 75th birthday celebration. He didnt mince words detailing the catastrophic effects of Trumps climate stance.

Climate Change, And Earth In Grave Danger

"We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible, Hawking told BBC. Trump's action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of two hundred and fifty degrees, and raining sulphuric acid.

He highlighted climate change as among the great dangers in humanitys existence, yet one that can be prevented now. He hit Trumps pulling out from the climate agreement, saying it will lead to avoidable environmental damage to the planet and will endanger nature and future generations.

Hawking also feared the inbuilt aggression in humans, paired with new militarized technology and weapons of mass destruction.

I fear evolution has inbuilt greed and aggression to the human genome, he said, laying hope on forming space colonies for humans continued survival.

The scientist, confined to a wheelchair by a form of the motor neuron disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), pinned his hope on science to redeem humans and serve as his legacy.

His legacy: the discovery that black holes arent completely black. In the complex study of quantum science, Hawking believed that theres a way to resolve the paradoxes lying between quantum mechanics and general relativity.

Trumps Climate Position, CO2 Release Budget

Trump recently announced that the United States will back out of the Paris climate accord, which was signed at the conclusion of COP 21 in December 2015 by 195 countries. He deemed the agreement a threat to American sovereignty and economy, dubbing it draconian.

I was elected to represent the citizens of Pittsburgh, not Paris, said Trump, earning the ire of world leaders as he promised to negotiate a better deal for the country.

The deal aims to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 1.5 degrees Celsius above preindustrial levels, which scientists assert would notably reduce the risks and impact of global warming.

In a statement recently released, a group of scientists, private leaders, and policymakers warned that the world has three years to get climate change under control, or else it becomes impossible to contain the phenomenon within safe limits.

The group led by Christiana Figueres estimated that Earth has about a maximum of 600 billion tons more of carbon dioxide that can be emitted if humans want to have a good chance of holding temperature rise within the Paris-set limit.

Each year, 41 billion tons are emitted from energy consumption as well as other sources. This sets a 15-year timeline for the budget to get exhausted, yet emissions should be lessened right away since they cannot suddenly drop to zero after those 15 years.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Fifty concrete pyramids have been sunk in the Gulf of Mexico, off the coast of South Texas, as part of efforts to build an artificial reef for increasing fish habitat.

The initiative, which involves marine scientists in the Rio Grande Valley (RGV) and elsewhere who study reefs and snapper populations, is aimed at dramatically increasing the numbers of red snapper and other game fish in the area.

Shelter For Snapper Population

The RGV Reef project, backed by the grassroots group Friends of RGV Reef, features 50 three-ton, 8 to 10-feet-tall concrete pyramids immersed in water around eight miles off South Padre Island, Brownsville Herald reported.

The pyramids were sunk using 115-foot, Vietnam-era landing vessel Lil Mo from Lil Mo Marine Services, which donated time and the pyramids.

The structures contain cavities that will offer shelter for adult snapper.

According to Friends president Gary Glick, 42 of the concrete pyramids were positioned in groups of four to create a trolling trail. Cinderblocks, too, will be sunk around some pyramids as well as limestone rip-rap to see which more effectively enhance snapper productivity.

The eight remaining pyramids, on the other hand, were placed at the corners of a seafloor area where survival modules for juvenile snapper have been placed. These modules are concrete slabs with shells and rocks embedded in them as fish shelter.

Building Fish Habitat Protection

Data loggers inside the pyramids cavities record signals from sonic-pinging tags placed in fish stomachs by the biologists to learn more about predation habits and behavior. The technology will allow researchers to determine where the juvenile fish are most likely to be gobbled up by larger ones.

The South Texan seafloor typically lacks any features, thus offering little shelter to young snapper that seek protection from their predators. Predation is a major factor in dwindling snapper and game fish populations.

The group aspires to create 1,650 acres of artificial reef made up of the pyramids and other objects to protect fish from the juvenile to adult stages.

Lil Mo has already sunk some 6,000 pyramids for agencies such as the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Coastal Conservation Association.

Glick is confident that when things are right for the widely investigated snapper, the same goes for all other less-studied species in the scientific literature.

Dire Marine Animal Populations

Since early June, at least six North Atlantic right whales have turned up dead in the Gulf of St. Lawrence in Canada. While six may not seem like a great deal, the unprecedented death toll already equates to more than 1 percent of the endangered population.

In the U.S. West Coast, on the other hand, killer whales were listed as endangered in 2005, where their number is now down to just 78 from 140 some decades ago. The decreasing population of their food, the Chinook salmon, appears to affect the ability of these orcas to climb in numbers.

Researchers reminded that the nutritional, physiological, and reproductive health of these marine creatures is ultimately linked to their reproductive success.

 2022 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
"It is not the role of military commanders to comment on the political process, much less on the performance of republican institutions," Gleisi Hoffmann pointed out. | Read More
The children of Alton Sterling, a 37-year-old black man who was fatally shot by a white Baton Rouge police officer just under a year ago, alleged in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that the policeman who killed him ignored department policies and training during the deadly encounter.

Sterling's death during a struggle outside a North Foster Drive convenience store on July 5 fit into a pattern of entrenched racial bias and excessive force by some officers on the Baton Rouge Police Department, attorneys for Sterling's five children said Tuesday, pointing to a number of incidents stretching back more than a decade.

Officer Blane Salamoni, who fired six shots into Sterling at close range at the end of a struggle, is named in the lawsuit along with Officer Howie Lake II, who tased Sterling and helped wrestle him to the ground but did not fire his gun. The shooting occurred outside the Triple S Food Mart, where Sterling made a living by selling homemade CDs and DVDs.

Also named in the suit are the city of Baton Rouge, its Police Department and the police chief.

L. Chris Stewart, an Atlanta-based lawyer representing Sterling's oldest children, spoke at the press conference where he detailed a string of incidents at the Police Department stretching back to Hurricane Katrina that he said highlighted racist attitudes and an unchecked culture of using excessive force among some officers in the department.

"It's not all officers, Stewart said. It's the ones that get away with it and the department allows them to get away with it that leads to situations like this."

Two cellphone videos taken by bystanders captured the graphic conclusion of the roughly 90-second encounter. The videos were released publicly shortly after the fatal shooting and quickly spread online, focusing national and international attention on the incident and fueling protests over Sterling's death.

Salamoni can be heard yelling "gun" in the brief video clips just before the shooting. Salamoni fired three times into Sterlings chest and then three more times into his back when Sterling began to sit up and move.

Lake retrieved a loaded .38-caliber revolver from Sterling's pocket just after the shooting and both officers told investigators they thought Sterling was reaching for the weapon, according to federal authorities, who conducted a 10-month investigation into the shooting.

The U.S. Justice Department announced in May it would not file criminal civil rights charges against either officer, concluding that federal prosecutors couldn't prove Salamoni or Lake acted unreasonably and willfully during the final seconds of the struggle. Federal investigators turned the case over to Louisiana Attorney General Jeff Landry to determine if any state criminal charges are warranted.

The officers were responding to an anonymous 911 caller who claimed a man matching Sterling's description had threatened him with a gun outside the store, according to a summary of the federal investigation released by the Justice Department.

The lawsuit blames the policemen's handling of the encounter for his death and claims their "vicious, negligent and unreasonable fatal" actions left Sterling to die in agony. Michael Adams, one of the attorneys representing Sterling's three youngest children, said each officer violated "many, many of the Baton Rouge Police Department's own policies and procedures."

But a broader set of issues at the Police Department also created "an environment that allows this to happen," Adams said.

Stewart said he and other attorneys for the family have already spoken with former city police officers who will be called as witnesses in the case. Stewart said those officers relayed complaints about ongoing problems inside the department and can substantiate each of the Sterling family's allegations.

Sgt. Don Coppola Jr., a Baton Rouge police spokesman, declined to respond to the claims in the lawsuit, citing department policy against commenting on pending litigation.

The city will withhold comment due to pending litigation, said Janene Tate, a spokeswoman for East Baton Rouge Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome.

John McLindon, an attorney representing Salamoni in the pending criminal investigation, said he's not involved in the civil case but disputes "almost everything in there as it relates to Blane Salamoni. The evidence at trial will not bear out what they alleged in the lawsuit."

Fred Crifasi, Lake's attorney in the criminal investigation, declined to comment on the allegations in the lawsuit.

"In the course of the case, the appropriate opportunity for Officer Lake to specifically address each allegation will arise," Crifasi said.

Both officers remain on paid administrative leave.

Although additional details about Sterling's death emerged following the conclusion of the federal investigation, key pieces of evidence in the case remain under wraps as Landry's office reviews the case.

A store surveillance camera also recorded the incident in its entirety, according to sources with knowledge of the evidence reviewed in the case. Both officers' body cameras fell off during the encounter but captured at least some video and continued to record audio as the encounter rapidly escalated.

None of those videos have been publicly released. Federal and local law enforcement have denied repeated public records requests from The Advocate for the footage, citing the Attorney General's Office's ongoing review of the case.

Lake, who arrived first, ordered Sterling to place his hands on the hood of a car. Sterling didn't comply with those orders but also didn't display any overt signs of aggression, according to sources who spoke with The Advocate on condition of anonymity in order to discuss details of an ongoing investigation.

Salamoni, who arrived seconds after Lake, drew his handgun almost immediately, pointed it at Sterling's head and threatened between profanities to shoot Sterling if he didn't comply, sources told The Advocate. The lawsuit filed Tuesday details a similar account, quoting Salamoni as telling Sterling, "Bitch, I will f***ing kill you" and "I am going to shoot you in your mother****ing head."

Law enforcement sources who've viewed unreleased video of the encounter told The Advocate last month that Salamoni's decision to draw his weapon and threaten Sterling, who wasn't complying with orders but wasn't physically resisting, rapidly escalated the encounter.

Sterling placed his hands on the car hood immediately after Salamoni threatened him but soon lifted them from the hood as Lake struggled to get the man's hands cuffed behind his back. Lake then fired a stun gun at Sterling, knocking him to his knees, and tried to stun Sterling a second time as he tried to get up. Salamoni then holstered his gun and tackled Sterling to the ground, beginning a struggle on the pavement that ended with the sixth and final shot 27 seconds later.

Salamoni yelled at least twice during the struggle that Sterling  who was pinned onto his back by the officers but whose right arm appears in publicly released videos to be unrestrained  was "going for the gun."

Sterling's family disputes that in the lawsuit, contending that Sterling's right hand "was on the ground and not close to his right pockets."

Acting Baton Rouge U.S. Attorney Corey Amundson said at a news conference about the Department of Justice's decision that after an exhaustive review of evidence in the case, investigators couldn't conclusively determine whether Sterling was reaching for a gun when he was shot. None of the videos show the position of Sterling's right hand at the time of the shooting, Amundson said.

Two witnesses to the shooting told investigators Sterling wasn't reaching for a gun, but the Justice Department noted other inconsistencies in their statements and contradictions with the video evidence meant federal prosecutors couldn't rely on their accounts to disprove the officers' statements.

Officials with the Justice Department  including Amundson; Jeffery Sallet, special agent in charge of the FBI's New Orleans field office; Tamara Kessler, the chief of the Justice Department's Civil Rights Division; and Robert Moossy, the Civil Rights Division's senior career official  met privately with Sterlings family and their attorneys just before announcing their decision not to pursue federal criminal charges.

In the two-hour meeting in May, federal prosecutors and FBI officials disclosed details of the fatal encounter not disclosed in the Justice Department's public statements on the case, including the profanity-laced threat Salamoni made against Sterling shortly after the officer arrived at the scene. The federal officials, who unanimously agreed with the decision not to bring civil rights charges against the officers, also described some of Salamoni's actions as unacceptable.

Protests in the days after Sterling's shooting led to nearly 200 arrests. On July 17, days after Sterling's funeral, a lone gunman from Kansas City, Missouri, attacked officers at an Airline Highway stripmall near Baton Rouge Police Headquarters, killing two city policemen and an East Baton Rouge sheriff's deputy and wounding three other officers.
Rachel DiGregorio , 32, waits for her proton therapy treatment as technicians finish preparing the treatment area at the IU Health Proton Therapy Center in Bloomington, Ind.
The Australian National University has offered Canberrans a virtual tour through an upgraded Union Court via a digital fly-through prepared by architects behind the ambitious project.

Demolition work will begin this month ahead of the multi-million dollar development expected to be completed by 2019.

A pop-up village, which will replace existing Union Court services, will open Monday with an official launch slated for July 11.

The fly-through begins above the ANU before descending on University Avenue. It showcases Union Court's new student accommodation, likely to replace the existing Fenner Hall, as well as the new student hub, teaching space, culture and events building and health and wellbeing centre.
The ACT Opposition has accused the ACT government of allowing unions to "recruit" in public schools by letting them to brief work experience students on their rights in the workplace.

Liberal politician Andrew Wall said the presence of unions in schools could be seen as "inappropriate" and as "having a political motivation given the ideological ties that bind the ALP and the union movement".

Liberal MLA Andrew Wall skewered the Education Directorate in budget estimates over alleged "union recruitment" in schools.

In budget estimates on Friday, Mr Wall alleged a parent had voiced concerns to him about union members encouraging year 10 students at Campbell High "at length" to join the union.

"It has been suggested to me that unions have had access to ACT public schools on a regular basis, even going so far as to hand out membership forms and other propaganda material on some occasions," Mr Wall said in a later statement.
Well this is certainly one way to celebrate World Chocolate Day on Friday July 7.

Max Brenner is inviting customers to bring in anything to a store on the day, and it will get drizzled in their melted chocolate for free.

Avocado covered in chocolate? Get (almost) anything drizzled at Max Brenner for World Chocolate Day. Credit:Rocket K

Their suggestions of what to bring include a surfboard, avocado on toast, a burger, a magazine, or your boss.

So can you really drizzle anything?
Peter Tunnecliffe was a resident at the Southern Cross Aged Care facility in Garran.

Here's all the news you need to get your Monday going.

After a beautiful - but very cold - winter weekend in the capital, we're expecting a top of 11 degrees after a chilly overnight low of minus 4 .

Good morning Canberra and welcome to another working week.

Shocked doctors have raised the alarm about a Canberra nursing home after an elderly resident battling dementia arrived at hospital with maggot-infested wounds.

As Steven Trask reports, when Peter Tunnecliffe's family confronted nursing home staff, they said that maggots "were good for wounds" because they "cleaned them out".

The 77-year-old was a resident at facility in Garran when he was sent to Canberra Hospital December last year for the treatment of cancer lesions on his face and scalp.

The hospital has called for the government to investigate the facility in a joint letter to the Aged Care Complaints Commissioner.

Ainslie shops asbestos clean up coming soon
There has been a 600 per cent spike in demand for overnight shelter at Safe Shelter ACT so far this winter.

Biting cold weather stirs compassion for those forced to sleep rough, however shelter organisers said the dramatic increase was a warning to the ACT Government that current services were not catering to the city's most vulnerable.

Safe Shelter volunteers Andrew Walker, David Chen, and Trevor Gilbert prepare bedding for the evening. Credit:Sitthixay Ditthavong

Safe Shelter Coordinator, Richard Griffiths, said he and volunteers had seen many of the same faces fronting up at inner city Canberra Church Halls - an indication there were roadblocks for those seeking more permanent accommodation.

Mr Griffiths said extreme cold weather and shelter operating five nights, instead of three nights per week, were both factors, but but weren't a reasonable explanation for the huge spike.
Fairfax Media will continue with its plans to float and keep a majority stake in online real estate business Domain, after two unsolicited bids from US private equity firms melted away over the weekend.

The company will now remain in the hands of shareholders, which includes managed investment funds like Legg Mason, Ausbil, Perennial and Dimensional Funds.

Before the private equity bids, Fairfax shares were trading at 95 cents and got as high as $1.26 during the due diligence process, but they dropped 8.3 per cent to $1.10 on Friday when news of Hellman & Friedman's withdrawal surfaced.

Fairfax Media shares dropped 17 per cent on opening to 91.5 cents, then stabilised to close at 98.5 cents on Monday.
A union bid for 10 days of paid domestic violence leave for all employees has been rejected for a second time by the industrial umpire.

A full bench of the Fair Work Commission said it has taken the "preliminary view" that while it is necessary to make provisions for family and domestic violence leave, it had rejected an application for 10 days of leave to be covered under all modern awards for all employees.

Asked if Labor would overrule the independent umpire's decision following the party's commitment to restore Sunday penalty rates, acting Opposition Leader Tanya Plibersek said it had a long-standing commitment to legislate for five days of paid family violence leave.

"Back in 2015, Labor announced we would legislate for five days of paid family violence leave in the National Employment Standards," Ms Plibersek said.
The preferential treatment for the Catholic system meant that if you had two identical schools side by side but one was a Catholic school and the other Lutheran, the Catholic school would get more. There can be no good reason for that.

It should make no difference to the government. What if a bill was put before Parliament that varied your access to welfare depending on your religion? Rightly there would be an uproar. In essence that's what has been happening in education funding. The Catholics have been getting more just because they're Catholic. The Catholic education system has had a golden handshake from successive governments for a very long time.

For the sake of transparency let me say I went to an Anglican school and that my first stepfather, in what was then a very sectarian Adelaide, was a Catholic. I'm a non-believer who lives as best I can by Christian values. The differences between one denomination and another might be important to them but they are irrelevant to me. Your religion is your business.

The next election should prove interesting for a plethora of reasons. Not the least of which will be any campaign by the Catholic Church against the government over education funding. I thought Christians  Catholic, Lutheran, Anglican or otherwise  were committed to fairness.

They are a politically very powerful organisation. There are churches and parish schools all over the country. They are in marginal seats and have people and money that can be mobilised to those seats. That's probably why they've been able to hold on to the golden handshake for so long. Simon Birmingham sought to right that wrong and was successful. The drums have been beating for a battle in marginal seats. Really? It will be interesting to see how a Christian church argues in marginal seats that they should get more than another school in the same position.

Will they say their kids are more important? More meritorious? That message doesn't have an egalitarian, Christian ring to it. Will they say that school fees will have to go up? As that isn't true it would be a very risky business.

Being truthful and honest are important character traits one expects to find in Christians. If a Christian organisation went into lying to the public it would be a very bad look. They're getting more money, so they can't say their funding has been cut. So that doesn't leave a very strong public campaign.

If they choose to run a campaign from the pulpit they might have a bit more success, but I don't think so. Presumably people who go to church regularly have not only their faith but faith in their local priest as well. If the priests exert influence it may make a difference. But even though that would be a sotto voce campaign as opposed to a public political one, they will still be hamstrung by those essential Christian characteristics of fairness and honesty.

Can you imagine a local priest arguing to his flock that they should vote Labor because a Liberal government has decided to treat them equally rather than give them an advantage over others? Here's the short form: "Don't vote for them, they took away the unfair advantage we had over less well off." I can't see that happening.
Greens MPs have rallied behind party leader Richard Di Natale after rogue senator Lee Rhiannon labelled his leadership "disappointing", raising the stakes in the party's bitter internal conflict.

In an opinion piece for The Sydney Morning Herald on Monday, Senator Rhiannon said the Greens had been in a state of "mayhem" and called for national reform of the party, pointing to the groundswell of support for the left-wing policies of Bernie Sanders in the United States and Jeremy Corbyn in Britain.

"There is a compelling case for considering the idea of members, instead of the party room, electing the federal parliamentary leader of the Australian Greens," she wrote.
Australian universities have angrily rejected the Turnbull government's assertions they are receiving "rivers of gold" from the taxpayer and can easily absorb the funding cuts announced in the May budget.

As well as increasing student fees, the government wants to reduce university funding by $380 million by applying a 2.5 per cent "efficiency dividend" next year and in 2019.

Education Minister Simon Birmingham says universities have been receiving "rivers of gold" from the taxpayer over recent years Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Education Minister Simon Birmingham last week said: "Australian universities have been enjoying a serious flow of money  rivers of gold, if you like  since the demand-driven system for universities was put in place a number of years ago.
During the 2016 American presidential campaign, then-candidate Donald Trump was irritated by some pointed and dogged questions from (then) Fox News journalist Megyn Kelly. He vented his anger by saying "you could see blood coming out of her eyes, blood coming out of her wherever".

The usual outrage greeted his comments but, also as usual, he not only got away with them, but also went on to be elected President.

Some time after that, Russian President Vladimir Putin told interviewer Oliver Stone: "I am not a woman, so I don't have bad days." There was not so much outrage about these comments, despite them clearly referencing women's menstrual cycle; perhaps because we expect less of the leader of Russia than the leader of the US.

Then, just last week Donald Trump returned to his horror of bleeding women when he claimed he refused to spend New Year's Eve with MSNBC anchor Mika Brzezinski because she was "bleeding badly from a facelift".
Lynda and Graham Turner bought thousand of dollars worth of US and Canadian dollar travellers' cheques from American Express, but couldn't find anywhere to cash them.

They tried four banks at the start of their North American trip in Trail in British Columbia, who all said they could not cash the cheques over the counter, citing "fraudulent activity".

Lynda and Graham Turner on the ski-slopes in Canada earlier this year.

"Luckily, we had some Canadian and US dollars as well as a Westpac Global Currency card, or we would have found ourselves in dire straits," Lynda says.

Lynda, 56, is retired and Graham, 58, semi-retired with a small business.
A motorcycle rider who "had a strong dislike verging on hatred for cyclists" has been sentenced to at least 5 years in jail for killing a rider four years ago.

Ben Smith, 27, was found guilty in May of the manslaughter of Steven Jarvie, 62, who suffered fatal head injuries when he came off his bike as Smith sped past him on the Old Pacific Highway at Cowan, just north of Sydney, on February 17, 2013.

"The c--- f---ing deserved it," Smith, who didn't stop to help Mr Jarvie, later told another cyclist at a nearby cafe.

Mr Jarvie's partner says Smith left the father-of-three "dying on the side of the road like a piece of garbage".
A Lake Macquarie man has been ordered to pay $10,000 for yelling "I'm going to kill you faggot" while punching a man in a gay nightclub for allegedly making a move on a woman.

The NSW Civil and Administrative Tribunal found Paul Taufaao committed unlawful homosexual vilification during the assault at 3.30am at the ARQ nightclub on September 15, 2014, in addition to a Sydney court finding him guilty of assault causing actual bodily harm.

Police believe the men were not known to each other.

Taufaao told police he punched David Massa in the mouth after speaking with him for more than 20 minutes because he thought Mr Masa had touched his cousin's wife while on the dance floor.

Mr Massa said he fell to the ground unconscious for a short period and when he woke "I could taste blood in my mouth, I could feel the blood dripping down the front of me".
A man has died after fire tore through his unit south of Brisbane.

The fire broke out at the Logan unit complex just before 8am, engulfing one apartment and threatening others.

A Queensland Fire and Emergency Services spokesman said crews were able to stop the fire spreading to other units, bringing the fire under control about 8.30am.

A man living at the Waterford West address remained unaccounted for as fire crews searched the unit.
A Perth GP has become the third doctor in a week to be disciplined by the Medical Board, after it was revealed he failed to maintain proper professional boundaries with a female patient.

Sugan Appasamy was last month reprimanded for engaging in unprofessional conduct with a patient for around six months between October 2013 and May 2014, and ordered to pay $10,000 in costs.

A Perth doctor has been fined $10,000 for engaging in unprofessional conduct. Credit:Jim Rice

The then Yanchep based GP had fought the Medical Board's findings, leading the matter to be decided by the State Administrative Tribunal, but on June 22, the two parties reached a settlement.

They agreed Dr Appasamy made "numerous phone calls" and sent "numerous text messages" of a personal nature to a patient he had treated for gynaecological issues.
More than 100 previously undetected money laundering targets have been identified in just the past 12 months by the Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission.

ACIC chief executive Chris Dawson released the data to WAtoday this week to mark exactly one year of ACIC coming into force.

Australian Criminal Intelligence Commission chief Chris Dawson.

Mr Dawson said 118 previously unknown money laundering targets had been identified by ACIC since its formation on July 1 last year.

Previous research suggests more than $1.5 trillion of illegal funds is laundered worldwide every year.
London: Charlie Gard, who turns 11 months old on Tuesday, was born with an extremely rare genetic disease. He is blind and deaf, and he cannot breathe or move on his own.

The London hospital that is treating Charlie went to court to request permission to remove him from life support; his parents want to take him to the United States, where they believe that an experimental treatment has a chance - however remote - of saving his life.

Three courts in Britain agreed with the hospital, as did the European Court of Human Rights, which last week rejected a request by the parents to hear the case, in which they had argued that the hospital was violating the boy's right to life.

Pope Francis and US President Donald Trump have now also weighed in, adding another dimension to an extraordinarily difficult bioethical and legal matter that pits Britain's medical and judicial establishment against the wishes of the child's parents.
London: They have survived, against the odds, for more than a century on the seabed, carefully recovered one by one to preserve for future generations.

But the painstaking work of archaeologists to retrieve and protect the sunken treasures of the Titanic could be unravelled, they fear, as the right to explore the wreck may soon be auctioned off to the highest bidder.

A Ken Marschall painting of the Titanic on the ocean floor.

Premier Exhibitions, a US firm, is planning to auction off its 5500-strong collection of artefacts to wipe out debts estimated at up to 9 million ($15 million). It is reported the firm may also auction off salvaging rights to raise more money.

William Neill, who edited a 2013 book on the Titanic legacy, said: "I can just imagine salvage rights being offered to amateurs from China, Japan and Australia, who are interested in Titanic exhibitions. The most awful scenario would be to see bits of the hull being raised from the seabed which doesn't bear thinking about."
Mercedes-Benz at 2017 Goodwood Festival Of Speed

 Modern and classic AMGs climb Goodwood Hill in celebration of 50 years of AMG

 DTM World Champion, Bernd Schneider, drives Type S from 1927

LONDON - July 2, 2017:Mercedes-Benz has kicked off this years Goodwood Festival of Speed with a selection of modern and classic AMGs taking to the famous Goodwood Hill.

DAY 1 RECAP (Friday)

Mercedes-AMG, which is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, was represented by the new E 63 S 4MATIC Saloon; the 585 hp GT R, which made its debut at Goodwood last year; GT C Roadster; and the iconic SLS Black Series. For the second run of the day they were joined by the CLK 63 Black Series from 2007, the 2012 C 63 Black Series, plus the legendary 300 CE ?Hammer from 1987.

Showcasing Mercedes-Benzs motorsport heritage were the W 25 and W 125 ?Silver Arrows, plus the 1927 Type S driven by DTM legend Bernd Schneider. Two C-Class DTM cars from 1994 and 2005 also wowed the crowds as they made their way up the Hill.

The Mercedes-Benz stand showed: the history of AMG, with the 300 SEL  nicknamed the ?Red Pig; the present, in the shape of the new GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ Edition 1 Coupe (making its UK debut); and the future, in the sleek shape of the GT Concept.

DAY 2 RECAP (Saturday)

 Valterri Bottas wows crowds in F1 W05 Hybrid on the Hill

 Modern and classic AMGs put on display for Saturdays visitors

Formula One driver Valtteri Bottas wowed the crowds at todays Goodwood Festival of Speed, taking to the famous hillclimb in the 2014 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 W05 Hybrid. The Finnish driver also greeted crowds of fans on the Mercedes-Benz stand.

Saturdays visitors got to see some of the most powerful and iconic cars from Mercedes-AMGs 50-year history in action, from historic Black Series models to the latest new E 63 S 4MATIC+ Saloon; and GT C Roadster.

Meanwhile on the Mercedes-Benz stand, the stunning Mercedes-AMG GT Concept made its first UK appearance alongside the new GLC 63 S 4MATIC+ Edition 1 Coupe. The E 63 S Saloon and GT R were also on display for the crowds to admire. The historic 300 SEL, known as the ?Red Pig, which won the 24 hour race at Spa in 1971 was also on display.

Some of Mercedes-Benzs history was represented by the famous W 25 and W 125 ?Silver Arrows, the Type S  driven by DTM legend Bernd Schneider  and the Simplex from 1903.

DAY 3 RECAP (Sunday)

 Reigning Formula One champion Nico Rosberg takes to the hill in his 2014 F1 W05 Hybrid

 Modern and historic Mercedes-Benz models thrill the crowds

Formula One World Champion, Nico Rosberg, drove his 2014 Mercedes-AMG Petronas Motorsport F1 W05 Hybrid up Goodwood Hill in front of a packed crowd on Sunday.

Nico also visited the Mercedes-Benz stand for a short interview in front of a throng of excited fans, before heading back to the Hill for his final drive of the day.

For the final time, a selection of modern and historic AMGs impressed crowds at the 2017 Goodwood Festival of Speed. The E 63 S 4MATIC+ Saloon and GT C Roadster represented the current Mercedes-AMG range, while the C 63 Black Series; CLK 63 Black Series; and SLS Black Series perfectly wrapped up AMGs 50th anniversary celebrations at the Festival.

The iconic W 25 and W 125 ?Silver Arrows  the latter driven by Jochen Mass; the 1903 Simplex; and 1927 Type S (driven by DTM legend Bernd Schneider) made their final run up the Hill at the end of the day, concluding this years Festival of Speed for Mercedes-Benz.
 The George Bush Library and Museum is hosting the free College Station Lion's Club "I Love America" celebration from 5-9:30 p.m. Live music, games, food and a performance by the Brazos Valley Orchestra, followed by a fireworks show.

 Pebble Creek is hosting a neighborhood parade from 9-10:30 a.m. with participants set to gather in the Pebble Creek Country Club parking lot.

 Chappell Hill is hosting its 41st Annual Independence Day Parade, "America: Home of the Beautiful, the Brave and the Free," kicking off at 10 a.m. with other events going to 2 p.m.

 The City of Navasota is hosting its Independence Daze and Fourth of July Parade starting at 10 a.m. at Prosperity Bank. The parade route will head west down Washington Avenue to Brosig and will end at the Navasota Center, where food and activities will be provided. The Navasota Lions Club will provide free hot dogs and sno-cones.

 The All-American Plates fundraiser is set for 11 a.m. at the VFW Post 4692 at Fox Hole Lounge, 790 Harvey Mitchell Parkway. Plates of hamburgers and hot dogs, apple pie with all the trimmings and a cake wheel will be served. Hot dog plates cost $5; hamburger plates are $6.

 Washington on the Brazos State Historic Site presents Fireworks on the Brazos from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Buses will run from 1 to 10 p.m. to shuttle guests to the different areas of the park at no cost; free Blue Bell ice cream from 5 to 7 p.m., free live music by Wesley Westbrook from 7 to 9 p.m., a fireworks extravaganza at 9:30 p.m., food and craft vendors and more.

 The Brazos County District 2 VFD 14th Annual Kurten Fireworks Show & Fundraiser is set from 5-10 p.m. at the Kurten Community Center. The event is the primary fundraiser for the Brazos County District 2 Volunteer Fire Department or District 2 VFD. Admission is free and concessions are for sale, with free activities provided for children and fireworks will end the event. For more information, visit the event's Facebook page: http://bit.ly/2usZrlY

 The Mt. Zion Community Center's Fourth of July Celebration is set for 1 p.m. at the Community Center and includes a free barbecue.

 Bee Creek Park will host a Fourth of July Celebration at Adamson Lagoon from noon-6 p.m. featuring games every hour, duck derby and noodle races. For more information, visit cstx.gov/pools.

 The Foxfire Fourth of July Parade will have attendees gather at 8:45 a.m. at the Triangle Park on Foxfire Drive in College Station. The Pledge of Allegiance and national anthem are set for 9 a.m. with the parade beginning at 9:15 a.m.

 The Brazos Heritage Society's annual Independence Day Celebration is scheduled from 9:30 a.m.-noon at Heritage Park in Bryan. This free event will feature live music, a flag raising and tribute, and a children's parade.

 The annual Wheelock Fourth of July Parade and barbecue will have attendees gather at 8:45 a.m. at the Old Wheelock School House, with the parade beginning at 10 a.m.

 First Baptist Bryan is hosting a patriotic picnic at 5:30 p.m. featuring orchestra music and a choir, with a free picnic set for the conclusion of the concert. The event is free and open to the community.

 The city of Somerville will have its Fourth of July Celebration from 6-9 p.m. at Welch Park. The event will feature a performance by rock band Sweet Baby Mayhem set for 6 p.m. and the fireworks are scheduled for 9 p.m.

 The Iola Fourth of July Extravaganza is set for 8 p.m. at the Iola Community Center. The event is free of admission and will feature hot dogs, watermelon and drinks.

 Hermann Sans Life-Deanville Fourth of July Celebration is scheduled from 7 a.m.-5:30 p.m. at Deanville Hall. Barbecue and other food will be served beginning at 7 a.m. 979-596-1309.
It will also play a major role in reducing growing areas for agriculture - which is one of the most important sectors in the region.

The rising temperatures will keep increasing the pressure on crops and water resources, which will eventually lead to an amplified level of migration and risk of conflict.

The MENA region has experienced a tremendous amount of environmental hazards due to climate change effects.

Between 2006 and 2010, Syria experienced extreme droughts that turned 60 percent of the country into dry desert, making large regions to become economically impoverished.

In 2013 heavy and continuous rains in most of Sudan have led to floods that destroyed 25,000 homes and left hundreds of thousands of people with no work, home, or even family.

The UAE has also suffered a lot from climate change effects: in 2008 at least three people were killed and 350 injured in a horrific 60 vehicle pile-up due to heavy fog.

In 2016, Tunisias rainfall dropped by 30 percent causing agricultural losses of nearly two billion dinars.

It is clear now that the MENA region has no option but to go green. Adaptation along with mitigation measures will be essential to build up the resilience needed to cope with the changes.

There is an urgent need for governments to invest in new clean-energy innovations that will effectively reduce greenhouse gases emission and halt rising temperature.

Morocco has been a good example on this by making climate change adaptation a national priority and setting the country on a path to green growth.

The country made a strategy called Green Morocco Plan which is focused on agricultural adaptation and sustainable water and land management.

Tunisia is another good example of a country that is well on its way, since it recently decided to include the protection of environment in its new constitution.

Bahrain opened its first solar plant factory this year which shows the government interest in renewable energy investments.

MENAs climate is ideal for renewable energy technologies, the abundant sunshine and open spaces could be a perfect source for sustainable power sources such as solar and wind power.

Some countries in the region are setting good examples and moving forward with their plans for a better environment.

Others are still depending on fossil fuel industries as their main source of energy, with the leading role for this part going to Saudi Arabia, holding a large part of the region from tackling the issue in a proper way.

The people who have little to no contribution in the issue of climate change are the one suffering the most from its effects.

Therefore, tackling climate change should be every countries first priority, because by standing up against climate change we are laying the foundations for a more stable future and less poverty.

This is absolutely necessary if we want to make sure the next generation will have a chance to live in a good environment.

This Author

Lina Yassin is Climate Tracker's MENA Programme Manager. She is a chemical engineering student from Sudan

www.climatetracker.org
The GOP's red wave foundered nationally, but it swept away Democrats in Iowa

Republican operatives credit Gov. Kim Reynolds with generating enough enthusiasm to help pull down-ballot candidates across the finish line in Iowa.
NORWALK  Connecticut State Police are reminding state residents that, with the exception of sparklers and fountains, fireworks are illegal in Connecticut.

Connecticut General Statues 29-357 states: Only sparklers and fountains, which are non-explosive and non-aerial, are legal in Connecticut. Sparklers and fountains can only be legally purchased and used by persons 16 and older.
Heres an issue thats not getting nearly enough attention: President Trumps assault on refugees. Not only is it bad public policy, its a deeply immoral violation of the countrys most basic values.

The refugee issue has been largely overshadowed by Trumps inflammatory attempt to bar travelers from six Muslim-majority nations  a plan that was partly upheld by the Supreme Court. Barely noticed was the courts decision to sustain Trumps order blocking all refugees for 120 days and limiting Americas annual intake to 50,000.

Immigration lawyers think they can loosen those strictures by arguing that some refugees have bona fide attachments, in the courts language, to American relatives and institutions. But the bottom line is clear: At a time when the global refugee crisis is worse than ever, Trump is trashing the American tradition of welcoming the worlds most vulnerable outcasts.

The courts ruling will leave refugees stranded in difficult and dangerous situations abroad, said Hardy Vieux, legal director of the pro-refugee organization Human Rights First, to the New York Times. Many of these individuals may not have bona fide relationships, but have strong reasons to look to the United States for protection.

The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees documents the extent of this crisis. More than 65 million people worldwide have been forced from their homes. More than 22 million are classified as refugees, meaning theyve crossed international boundaries seeking sanctuary. More than half of those refugees are children.

The willingness of nations to work together, not just for refugees but for the collective human interest, is whats being tested today, says Filippo Grandi, the U.N. chief refugee official.

The Obama administration was slow to meet that test, but greatly accelerated its efforts to help refugees during its last months in office. For the fiscal year ending last September, the U.S. accepted 85,000 refugees, and announced a target of 110,000 for this year.

The new president, by contrast, is failing Grandis test. During Obamas final four months, the U.S. took in 32,000 refugees; during Trumps first four months, only 14,000 were admitted. Last October, 1,297 Syrians were accepted; in May, only 156. The figures for Somalis dropped from 1,352 to 294; for Iraqis, from 1,323 to 221.

Trump insists his policy protects national security. But there is no evidence  absolutely none  to support his claim that refugees pose a threat to the countrys safety.

The Migration Policy Institute examined almost 800,000 refugees who have resettled in the U.S. since 9/11 and concluded: Exactly three resettled refugees have been arrested for planning terrorist activities.

The reason is obvious, said the Institute: The refugee resettlement program is the least likely avenue for a terrorist to choose. Refugees who are selected for resettlement to the United States go through a painstaking, many-layered review before they are accepted. ... The process typically takes 18 to 24 months, with high hurdles for security clearance.

Trump is flat-out wrong. Refugees are a benefit to the country, not a threat. A new report by the think tank New American Economy says that refugees earned more than $77 billion in household income in 2015 and paid almost $21 billion in taxes. Rather than a drain on communities, the high rate of labor force participation of refugees and their spirit of entrepreneurship instead sustains and strengthens their hometowns, said the report.

A final point: The process of resettling refugees reflects the American virtue of community self-help at its very best. Local volunteers, most belonging to faith-based organizations, provide these refugee families with their basic needs, from jobs and rides to groceries and apartments.

In Bethesda, Md., the Washington suburb where we live, three different congregations  Presbyterian, Jewish and Muslim  jointly sponsored a refugee family from Afghanistan and raised enough money to support them for a year.

Hamdi Ulukaya, an immigrant from Turkey, founded the Chobani yogurt business in upstate New York and employs many refugees. The minute they get a job, thats the minute they stop being refugees, Ulukaya told 60 Minutes. They are the most loyal, hard-working people right now in our plant here.

As we prepare to celebrate our nations birthday, theres no doubt that Ulukaya understands the true spirit of America a lot better than Trump.
Why swing voters favored Democrats in a 2022 midterm destined for the GOP

Distaste for former President Donald Trump and wariness about the GOP's rightward shift led many swing voters in Pennsylvania to back Democrats.
Wrestling With His Angel: The Political Life of Abraham Lincoln Vol. II, 1849-1856

By Sidney Blumenthal

Simon & Schuster. 581 pp. $35

---

It was no small feat that Abraham Lincoln was able to maneuver his re-election in 1864. The last president to win a second term, Andrew Jackson, did so in 1832 with his party united and without the weight of a bloody, three-year-old war. Lincoln was, in the words of Doris Kearns Goodwin and others, a "political genius."

Sidney Blumenthal would agree. Blumenthal, a longtime journalist who worked for a president who won two terms, believes that Lincoln accomplished what he did because he was a politician from his toenails to the top of his stovepipe hat. How Lincoln balanced politics and principle is central to "Wrestling With His Angel," the second of Blumenthal's projected four volumes on Lincoln's political career. It follows last year's "A Self-Made Man," which examined Lincoln's first 40 years.

In that volume, Lincoln was a mostly a local politician who tried to stick to his party's principles while broadening its appeal, as Blumenthal's former boss Bill Clinton sought to do in the Democratic Party of the 1990s. Lincoln's efforts proved less successful. In 1849, he returned to Illinois as a one-term congressman, a capable lawyer and a minor cog in a creaky Whig political machine that soon disintegrated.

But just as Winston Churchill had his "wilderness years" to ready himself for bigger things, so did Lincoln. In 1860, five years after the Whig Party collapsed, Lincoln was elected president. How he emerged from that wilderness - how "he entered his wilderness years a man in pieces and emerged on the other end a coherent steady figure" - is the story Blumenthal tells with panache and understanding.

Lincoln grasped that "when the events changed he had to change to align himself with them." As Blumenthal puts it, "The self-made man educated himself in the politics of democracy," "apprenticed in logrolling," studied "peculiar nuances of power that could not be commanded by fiat" and belonged to "the first American generation innovating in party organization, mass media, and public opinion."

Blumenthal knows that world better than anyone else who has examined Lincoln. Two political figures - Sen.Albert Beveridge, an early 20th-century Progressive and biographer, and George McGovern, who carried the baggage of a Ph.D. in history when he ran for president - have written biographies of Lincoln, but they did not focus, as Blumenthal does, on Lincoln as the political operative who also wrote editorials and financed newspapers. Blumenthal has spent his life in the interconnected worlds of politics and journalism, and it shows: He grasps that political genius in ways others could not, making Lincoln more politically plausible.

In explaining Lincoln's transition from just another Whig to a rising Republican, Blumenthal keeps the man himself off the stage. Indeed, Lincoln was in the wings, watching and analyzing events as they unfolded. Blumenthal explains those developments and the personalities at the center of them, from the rigid and manipulative Jefferson Davis (Blumenthal clearly delights in discussing Davis' herpes, which caused serious vision problems, and his extramarital affair with an Alabama politician's wife) to the ceaselessly pandering Stephen Douglas, the longtime political rival whom Lincoln (and Blumenthal) disdained.

Blumenthal begins his story by explaining cholera, which ends up being crucial to Lincoln's - and America's - political evolution. In 1849, a cholera epidemic killed Mary Lincoln's father, Robert Todd, requiring Lincoln to go to Kentucky for a lawsuit over his estate. At the time, Kentucky was debating a new constitution. Pro-slavery forces defeated efforts for gradual, compensated emancipation led by allies of Henry Clay, Lincoln's "beau ideal of a statesman" and a friend of Mary's father.

Lincoln lost the estate case to some of those pro-slavery politicians. Blumenthal's understanding of politics leads him to the logical conclusion that losing the legal battle to those waging the political battle hardened Lincoln's views. "Lincoln was broodingly silent but smoldering for years" about the case. "The tragic death of his father-in-law as he was attempting to preserve the old Kentucky, the aggressive triumphalism of the pro-slavery forces in destroying it, and the definitive loss of the Todd family estate to the leader of that movement, fused in Lincoln's mind."

President Zachary Taylor died during that same cholera epidemic in 1850. His death empowered Whigs who supported slavery or were willing to compromise on its expansion. When Clay died in 1852, Lincoln, increasingly conscious of the key issue, gave a eulogy that made the Kentuckian sound more anti-slavery than he really was. But, writing to a Kentucky lawyer shortly afterward, Lincoln privately called Clay's view of slavery "bankrupt."

Lincoln's letter, Blumenthal observes, "transformed the Revolution into a slave revolt and the Declaration of Independence into a kind of Emancipation Proclamation." Indeed, Lincoln showed signs of emancipating himself from his party's attempts to compromise on slavery.

Ironically, Douglas enabled Lincoln to break his old shackles by brooking no compromise. In 1854, hoping to gain support from the increasingly rigid South, Douglas drove Congress to pass the Kansas-Nebraska Act, which obliterated existing limits on slavery and permitted it to extend north and west. He split the Democratic Party and prompted Northern anti-slavery men to plan a new party.

When Lincoln responded to Douglas in a speech at Peoria, Ill., in October 1854, he claimed the Founding Fathers and the Declaration of Independence on behalf of abolition. "Many had undoubtedly been spectators before at his amusing, sharp, and clever performances," Blumenthal writes. "But it was at this moment that the perception of Lincoln altered." Blumenthal calls it a "transfiguration," but the politician survived. Blumenthal shows how Lincoln maneuvered himself and others toward the new Republican Party without entirely leaving the Whigs, at least at first. Still a political warhorse, Lincoln mapped campaigns that seemed to benefit others more than himself.

Lincoln once said, "I am slow to learn and slow to forget that which I have learned." During the first half of the 1850s, he continued to learn about politics and about himself. Blumenthal guides us through what Lincoln learned and how he learned it as he wrestled with slavery and politics, and matured into someone who could find the better angels of our nature.

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Green is an associate professor of history at the University of Nevada at Las Vegas and the author of several books on the Civil War era, including "Lincoln and the Election of 1860," and on Nevada history.
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Linkedin Ary Hermawan (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017

The latest terrorist attack on Indonesian soil has sent a clear and chilling message to Indonesian Muslims: no matter how devout you are, you could easily be classified as infidels by extremists and therefore regarded as legitimate targets.

Adj. Comr. Dede Suhatmi and First Brig. M. Syaiful Bakhtiar had just finished their evening prayers at Falatehan Mosque across from the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta on Friday, when a man shouting Thogut! attacked them with a knife bayonet.

The officers are not members of the National Polices Densus 88 counterterrorism squad, which is directly involved in the bloody war against local militants. They are just ordinary Muslims who were carrying out their religious duty. But that did not stop the suspect, identified as 26-year-old Mulyadi, from attacking them.
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Linkedin EDITORIAL (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 08:24 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a771748 4 Editorial #Editorial,Marawi,military,Philippines,IS,Islamic-State,Rodrigo-Duterte Free

Controversy is brewing as to whether Indonesia should accept Philippine President Rodrigo Dutertes request for troops to help his government fight the terrorist group that now controls part of Marawi city on the southern island of Mindanao.

President Dutertes invitation is appealing as the military operation the Philippine Army is conducting directly impacts our national security, not only because of the involvement of dozens of Indonesian jihadists loyal to the Islamic State (IS) terrorist group in their first campaign outside of the Middle East, but also because of the conflicts possible expansion into Indonesia.

The IS threat, too, looms large at home as evinced by the attacks blamed on members of its affiliated groups, in particular against the police, since last year. Jakartans were shocked again late Friday following an attack on two policemen by a knife-wielding man who had prayed next to them at a mosque near the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta. Also, on the second day of Idul Fitri on June 25, two alleged IS supporters, one of whom spent six months in Syria in 2013, attacked North Sumatra Police headquarters in Medan, stabbing an on-duty officer to death.

Authorities also suspect that Indonesian-born IS leader Bahrum Naim, the alleged mastermind behind the January 2016 attack outside the Sarinah department store in Central Jakarta and of strikes in Jakarta, West Java and Central Java at the end of last year, will plot more terrorism acts while luring more youths to IS through his network here.

Unsurprisingly, Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Wiranto welcomed President Dutertes call. Wiranto said Indonesia will discuss international coordination with neighbors Australia, New Zealand, Brunei, Malaysia and the Philippines soon to eradicate IS in Southeast Asia.

While the IS is a clear and present danger for Indonesia and the region, a decision to send military troops to help the Philippines must consider several factors.

First, the Constitution says Indonesia should contribute to maintain world peace, meaning deployment of troops abroad is restricted to peacekeeping rather than combat; our role in the UN peacekeeping forces has gained international recognition. Dispatching forces abroad would need the approval of the House of Representatives, which would at least first review our laws including those on the military.

Second, the Indonesian Military (TNI) may lack training for urban warfare particularly in unfamiliar territory  an apparent difficulty facing the Philippine Army so far. Failed plans have cost us decades of war. In the mid-1970s military operations in the now independent Timor Leste were designed to last a few months at best to defeat the guerillas; similar predictions of a short war preceded the conflict against the Free Aceh Movement (GAM).

Third, a lack of preparedness for an overseas mission would sap the state budget needed for infrastructure and our defense system.

In aiding the Philippines we must first share stronger resources that are immediately available  such as by sharing information or participating in coordinated marine patrols to block the terrorist groups supply lines  for the sake of regional security.
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Linkedin Jessicha Valentina (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 15:37 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a793abf 1 Lifestyle 7-Eleven,#7-Eleven,convenience-store,food,#food,food-and-beverage Free

Convenience store chain 7-Eleven closed all its outlets in Indonesia on June 30.

PT Modern Internasional, the 7-Eleven franchise holder in Indonesia, cited limited resources as the reason for the closures.

Meanwhile, Japans Seven & I Holdings Co., Ltd, the parent company of the global 7-Eleven, has expressed an interest in reopening the convenience store brand in Indonesia. The company is reportedly looking for a new partner to restart the business.

With all the hullabaloo surrounding the business, 7-Eleven has left not only empty buildings but also a mark on its customers in Indonesia. Here are seven features of Indonesias 7-Eleven that will be missed by many.

24-hour service

Convenience stores are not a rarity in Indonesia. However, only a few brands offer 24-hour service, which makes it convenient for customers to buy an assortment of things, such as ice cubes for parties, even during the wee hours.

Meeting places

7-Eleven outlets were all strategically located, making them perfect meeting places. Furthermore, the relatively huge space made 7-Eleven outlets ideal places from where to order online transportation, such as Uber or Go-Jek.

Cheap hangout

Unlike 7-Eleven outlets in other countries, the local version came with chairs and tables for those wanting to linger. Here, customers could enjoy affordable food and beverages and sit for as long as they wanted. This feature made 7-Eleven a go-to place for those looking for a cheap hangout.

Read also: 7-Eleven loses steam due to alcohol ban, tight margin: Business group

Parking space

Compared to other convenience store brands, 7-Eleven outlets in Indonesia had more spacious parking areas. This feature saved customers from the hassle of finding a parking spot when visiting an outlet.

Rest room

Since they were designed as hangout places, local 7-Eleven outlets were equipped with rest rooms, making them convenient for toilet breaks.

Food

The local 7-Eleven outlets served a wide array of food, varying from hot dogs, bento and pasta to fried rice. When in a hurry, a quick visit to an outlet was a sure bet of being able to grab some filling food.

Drinks

The slushy frozen carbonated beverage called Slurpee is an icon of 7-Eleven. Since the outlets have closed, Slurpee lovers will need to travel to neighboring countries to buy the sweet drink. In addition to Slurpees, Indonesias 7-Eleven affordable beverages, such as the Rp 10,000 (75 US cents) coffee, will surely be missed too. (kes)
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Linkedin Juliana Harsianti (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 10:03 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a783424 4 Books batik,Book,nonfiction,history Free

She has a collection of more than 250 pieces, which are not only batik, but also other valuable [traditional] cloths from all over Indonesia, said Lucky Wijayanti, a batik expert and researcher who helped Kartini with the book, titled Batik Indonesia, Sepilihan Koleksi Batik Kartini Muljadi (Indonesian Batiks, Kartini Muljadis Selected Batik Collection).

Together, they decided to issue Kartinis selected batik collection first, so they could be more focused on the study and exploration of its significance.

Kartini has her own memories of batik.

My grandma used to carry me on the hip with a piece of batik, recalled Kartini.

After her mothers death, a young Kartini was cared by her grandmother. She vividly remembers her grandmother and many other women around her clad in batiks while engaging in daily routines.

As she grew up, Kartini began to understand the high philosophical value attached to the batik making process.

Every stroke drawn by a canting [spouted tool used to apply liquid wax] on a cloth is a form of prayer offered by the batik maker, said Kartini, who remains healthy at her advanced age.

More than just a sheet of fabric, a piece of batik is thus a symbol of love, prayer and hope conveyed by the maker to its future user.

Lucky said Kartinis batik collection was based on Indonesias historical periods, some being very rare and hard to find.

We can notice reflections of Indonesian history in batik, he added.

In the Dutch colonial era, Dutch girls also wanted to wear batik like their indigenous counterparts, but European elements blended with local designs.

The blue-white combination of Delft [in the Netherlands] pottery influenced local batik making, said the Jakarta Arts Institute (IKJ) textile lecturer.

More than just a sheet of fabric, a piece of batik is thus a symbol of love, prayer and hope conveyed by the maker to its future user.(JP/Juliana Harsianti)

Flower motifs called buketan were derived from Western bouquets.

Chinese elements also enriched local batik patterns, particularly those originating in coastal regions. They boast bright colors and motifs depicting gods, especially those used by Chinese temples to cover altars.

One of such altar covers can be found in Kartinis collection. This type of batik is not available to the general public, said Lucky, who aimed to show Kartinis dedication in collecting batik.

The other buketan batik is called Pagi-Sore (morning-afternoon), a design created during the Japanese occupation of Indonesia, with two sides bearing different patterns so that they can be worn on two separate occasions.

This trick was meant to overcome economic difficulties during the occupation, but again, only those better off could afford to order such batik, he pointed out.

In addition to Surakarta, Central Java, and coastal batiks, Kartinis collection also includes products by the late Iwan Tirta.

Iwan was known for his great passion for exploring and developing Indonesian batik by combining traditional and modern motifs. Around 40 pieces produced by Iwan are analyzed according to their patterns and dyeing techniques.

Through this book, Kartini wishes to see the younger generation better acquainted with batik, which is not mere cloths with motifs, but rather, constitute a series of techniques.

Batik is the entire cloth itself rather than just the motifs, so its very important to know how batik is crafted, said Kartini, describing only handmade and printed batik  as opposed to factory made batik  as genuine.

Triawan Munaf, head of the Creative Economy Agency (Bekraf), said the book compiled by Kartini and her team was a contribution to the younger generation interested in delving into Indonesian culture.

Through batik, we can examine the various instances of Indonesias acculturation, Triawan said.

Topics : batik Book nonfiction history
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Linkedin Masajeng Rahmiasri (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 15:05 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a792028 1 People zero-gravity-flight,gemala-cempaka-hapsari,space,My-Thesis-in-180-Seconds,Competition,France,French,IFI,technology,#technology,#competition,#France Free

Gemala Cempaka Hapsari has become the first Indonesian to take the Airbus A310 Zero-G flight on June 22 after winning the 2016 edition of My Thesis in 180 Seconds (MT180), a competition to present a thesis in French in 180 seconds.

The flight took Gemala, the only MT180 winner onboard, along with other regular passengers, to experience weightlessness from Bordeaux-Merignac Airport to Le Bourget Airport in France. Through precise piloting on a parabolic trajectory, the passengers experienced the zero, Martian and Lunar gravities with the guidance of the flight crew and Jean-Francois Clervoy, an European Space Agency astronaut who went on several NASA missions, including the 1999 mission to repair the Hubble Telescope.

Read also: Indonesian students' tempeh experiment arrives in space

Passengers and crew of the A310 Zero-G flight create a linked formation during their zero-gravity flight from Bordeaux-Merignac Airport to Le Bourget Airport in France on June 22.(Gemala Cempaka Hapsari/File)

I know you can pay to enjoy the flight if you have 6000 [US$6,856] to spend; which is not the case with me. I am proud to receive this flight as my prize from winning the national MT180 competition," Gemala recently told The Jakarta Post by email.

The third-year doctoral student at the University of Franche-Comte in France, whose research interests include microfabrication and mechanics of materials, considers the flight a life-changing experience. Although I didn't see the Earth from above as a real astronaut does, experiencing an out-of-this-world phenomenon has changed my life forever, she said.

Gemala said that she had been interested in becoming an astronaut since she was 5 years old, but decided to give up on the idea, as she felt that it was unattainable in Indonesia.

I may never become an astronaut, but I hope the struggle Ive done in my life to be where I am can inspire young Indonesians, especially young Indonesian girls, that your gender will never limit what you can achieve, she said.

Read also: Ten-year-old coder of Indonesian descent amazes Apple CEO

Last year, Gemala presented her PhD research project on the characterization and identification of sheet behavior laws in incremental microforming, and won the MT180 competition in Indonesia. Even so, she revealed that she initially did not have the confidence to enter the competition.

I thought my French was awful and that I wouldnt make a fool of myself in front of everyone. I was afraid that if I did something stupid, everyone would think that all Indonesians are as bad, she said, on why she did not participate in the MT180 competition in France.

However, Gemala eventually decided to join the Indonesian MT180 competition after being contacted by an official from the Institut Francais d'Indonesie (IFI). I was thinking if I won it, I could represent Indonesia, which is not a francophone country, against all representatives from francophone countries, she said, adding that she saw the competition as an opportunity to improve her French ability by challenging her skill against those of native speakers.

After winning the Indonesian MT180 competition, Gemala advanced to the international MT180 competition in Rabat, Morocco, on Sept. 29, 2016.

Read also: Indonesian students reach highest North American peak

Passengers and crew form an airborne huddle during their A310 Zero-G flight on June 22. Gemala (third right from bottom, counterclockwise), was awarded the zero-gravity flight for winning the MT180 Edition 2016 competition.(Gemala Cempaka Hapsari/File)

Gemala said that after obtaining her doctoral degree, she will seek a research job related to her specialization. In the long term, I hope I can be the bridge between Indonesia and France. I would love to create a project or at least be a part of micromechanics research between my two countries, she said.

She was given the zero-gravity flight prize through a cooperation between IFI, the French Embassy, the National Center for Scientific Research (CNRS) and the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).

The IFI-French Embassy scientific cooperation officer, Lea Roy, said that IFI was very proud to be able to give Gemala the chance to experience the flight. We want to give a prize that is way more meaningful than just money: the experience and sensation in becoming a one-day astronaut, said Roy.

This flight is hoped to be able to resonate the initial goal of the MT180, which is to valorize the quality of French research and innovation, Roy added. (kes)
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Linkedin Mark Heyward (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 09:25 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a775310 4 Books snow-over-surabaya,history,Book,#bookreview,nonfiction Free

Barleys witty and well-researched writing on the histories and cultures of Indonesia and the region never fails to entertain and inform. Snow Over Surabaya, published by Monsoon Books, does not disappoint.

In 224 pages of elegant prose, Barley takes us on a high adventure through the muddle and murk of Indonesias struggle for independence. Independence wars are often messy affairs, and this one was no exception.

In Snow Over Surabaya we find a country in disarray after World War II.

Among the various elements vying for the upper hand in both military and political arenas, we meet bloodied Indonesian nationalists, Islamists and communists; youthful romantics, idealists and opportunists; ambivalent Indian Gurkhas fighting for the British, Australian trade unionists siding with the Indonesians; and remnant Japanese forces fighting with the Dutch.

Along with Indonesian revolutionary heroes  Soetomo, Sukarno and Mohammad Hatta  we meet a foppish Dutch spy, a sadistic American agitator, a clownish pair of British intelligence agents in Singapore, a crafty Chinese fence in Jakarta and, of course, the star of the show, Muriel Stuart Walker, aka Manxi, KTut Tantri or Surabaya Sue  a larger-than-life character who breezes through the whole shebang, somehow surviving on a heady mix of brash wit and good luck.

The book reads a bit like a British caper story, a comedy of errors, The Italian Job goes east.

The real-life Muriel Stuart Walker was born in Glasgow, Scotland, in 1898. She spent some time in the United States, but fled Hollywood and her American husband to start a new life in Bali.

After running a small hotel and flirting with a Balinese prince, she became embroiled, first in the Japanese occupation of Indonesia during World War II, and then in the Indonesian independence war that followed.

She is best remembered for her work as a radio broadcaster for the Indonesian Republicans during the struggle. Western foreign correspondents knew her as Surabaya Sue. She died in a nursing home in Sydney, Australia, in 1997.

KTut Tantris memoirs were published in a book called Revolt in Paradise ( 1960 ). Her story is an odd mix of fact and fantasy, which Australian academic, Tim Lindsey, set out to unravel in his book, The Romance of KTut Tantri and Indonesia ( 1997 ).

Notwithstanding her colorful character and the fanciful nature of much of her book, the Indonesian diplomat, Suryono Darusman, confirmed key points of her story in his own memoir, Singapore and the Indonesian Revolution, 1945-50 ( 1992 ).

KTut Tantris story provides the basis for Barleys novel, Snow Over Surabaya. The author describes his work as, Although it deals with real events, this is largely a work of fantasy, provoked by another work of fantasy that it may well bring closer to the truth.

We do know that Ktut Tantri worked as a broadcaster for the Voice of Free Indonesia and as a speechwriter for president Sukarno. She also travelled to Singapore and Australia to publicize the Indonesian republican cause.

Notwithstanding these contributions to the nationalist cause, she was, according to Darusman, something of an embarrassment to the Indonesians, with her unorthodox lifestyle and her exaggerated claims for attention.

This is not the first time that Barley, a seasoned anthropologist and historian, has mixed fact and fantasy to produce an historical novel based in Indonesia.

In Island of Demons ( 2009 ), he gives Walter Spies a similar treatment. Spies was a Russian-born, German painter who lived in Ubud, Bali, in the thirties and played host to such luminaries as anthropologist Margaret Mead, artists Miguel Covarrubias and Rudolf Bonnet, writers Vicki Baum and Noel Coward, and actor Charlie Chaplin.

Sir Stamford Raffles is given a rather more sober treatment, though no less entertaining. In the Footsteps of Stamford Raffles ( 2010 ) is a mix of travel and history. However, here in the far East, where historical fact and fantasy can be difficult to untangle, some may argue that Barleys account is also based on fantasy  in this case, the mythical rather than the real Raffles, a product of the British colonial imagination and Singaporean nation building.

Regardless of whether it is fact or fantasy, history or fiction, Barleys writing is sure to entertain and inform.

As a result, the story is a far cry from the usual national creation myths taught in patchy Indonesian school textbooks and, as such, it may offer a kind of helpful restorative narrative.

Indonesia does need to unpack its history, to question the official mythology that is perpetuated through education and media.

If it is to grow and mature, the nation needs to come to terms with its bloody past, to develop a more critical and nuanced appreciation of its complex history, and Barleys account of KTut Tantri might just help that process.
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 10:18 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a786f8b 2 City commuter-line,commuter-trains,Bekasi,crystal-methamphetamine,shabu-shabu Free

A 15-year-old boy, identified only as WF, was arrested on Sunday for carrying 0.3 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) on a commuter train headed for Bekasi in West Java.

After the train arrived at the last station, a conductor woke WF up. He was taken to a security room for questioning as he was behaving suspiciously, commuter line operator PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KJC) spokesperson Eva Chairunisa said in a media statement on Sunday.

During questioning, methamphetamine was discovered in his pocket, Eva said, adding that WF had been sent to the Bekasi Police station to undergo further questioning.

Last year, then Jakarta deputy governor Djarot Saiful Hidayat, who is now the governor, said that nearly 3.5 percent of some 10 million Jakartans, including teenagers, had fallen victim to drugs.

President Joko Jokowi Widodo previously declared a drug state of emergency and all-out war on illicit substances amid a seemingly high number of drug offenders. (fac/wit)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 19:10 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a79a1ca 1 City Jakarta-administration,civil-servants,Idul-Fitri-2017 Free

Despite the Jakarta administrations threat to slash the regional performance allowance (TKD) of those who extended their Idul Fitri holiday without notice, thousands of civil servants did not appear on the first day of work on Monday.

Jakarta Employment Agency head Agus Suradika said that the electronic attendance machines recorded 1,527 civil servants who had failed to scan into work without notice.

Its possible that [the high number of absences] was caused by the [attendance] machine being offline. We will check again, Agus said on Monday, adding that he would also check each working unit (SKPD) to find out which one had to most absentees.

This was usually the education sector as schools were still on holiday, he said.

Nevertheless, Agus claimed that the number of absentees this year was fewer than that in 2016.

Almost 10 percent of civil servants were absent [on the first day back from Idul Fitri] last year. This year, the figure is only 0.6 percent, he said.

We gave them prior notice and clearly told them they were not allowed to extend their holidays. They could be given heavier sanctions if they continue to [ignore the rules]. (dra)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 15:20 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a792674 1 City shopping-mall,Depok,bomb-scare Free

A black bag left behind by a man in front of ITC Depok, a crowded shopping center, in Depok, West Java, on Monday morning caused panic among shoppers.

Depok Police spokesman Adj. Comr. Firdaus said the bag was suspected to contain explosives and the National Police had sent the Gegana bomb squad from the Mobile Brigade (Brimob) headquarters in Kelapa Dua to secure the area and the bag.

Gegana is [checking the bag] and we have secured the area. We are waiting for the results of the investigation, Firdaus said told The Jakarta Post on Monday.

Panic erupted after a shopper reported to the police that he saw a suspicious-looking man who had come from the nearby Depok bus terminal abandon a bag in front of the shopping center and walk away.

This is not the first time a bomb threat has rocked ITC Depok. In February 2015, a bomb explosion rocked the shopping center, which is located next to City Hall.

The explosion occurred in the rest room near a children's play area on the second floor. (hol/wit)
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Linkedin Winda A. Charmila (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3 2017

Twenty-five families living in the compound of a junior high school in West Jakarta are to be evicted after living there for more than 50 years.

The Jakarta Education Agency has told them to leave the homes they have established inside school buildings and in the compound of SMP 22 in Pinangsia as it plans to rebuild the school. The families will not be paid compensation.

Most of them are the second generation to live there as their parents used to be teachers or principals at the school in the late 1950s.

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Linkedin Suherdjoko (The Jakarta Post) Semarang  Mon, July 3, 2017 08:44 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a77275a 2 National helicopter,Crash,helicopter-crash,SAR-mission Free

A helicopter belonging to the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) crashed in Temanggung, Central Java, on Sunday afternoon, killing eight people on board.

The helicopter was on a rescue mission to the Dieng Plateau in Central Java where an active volcanic crater and famous tourist destination, Sileri Crater, erupted at 12 p.m. It was spurting cold lava and sending smoke 50 meters in the air.

The helicopter departed from the Central Javas provincial capital of Semarang at 4 p.m.

Basarnas operational director Maj. Gen. Heronimus Guru confirmed there were eight people on board the ill-fated helicopter, consisting of four crew and four rescuers.

Central Java Basarnas spokesman Zulhawary Agustianto told The Jakarta Post they predicted the helicopter hit a cliff in an area called Canggal in Candiroto district.

Central Java Police chief Insp. Gen. Condro Kirono said joint 100 joint personnel had reached the crash site.

At least 17 tourists were at the crater when the eruption occurred, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB). Ten of them who sustained injuries, which ranged from bruises to a fractured arm, were immediately brought to a nearby community health center to receive treatment.

The authorities asked visitors and residents to vacate the area because there was potential for the crater to erupt for a second time, BNPB spokesman Sutopo Purwo Nugroho said in a statement.

The phreatic eruption was caused by gas pressure under the ground, resulting in an explosion that sent out a mix of steam, water, ash and mud, Sutopo added.

According to the local disaster agency, Sileri Crater is the most active and dangerous crater in the volcanic Dieng Plateau, with six eruptions recorded from 1939 to 2009.

We were all panicking at the time. The eruption produced a lot of smoke and mud. It was terrifying, said Amin Abdurrahmah, a 17-yearold tourist from Banyumas who visited the site that day. (kuk/ary)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 14:32 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a78d133 1 Business Freeport-Indonesia,lay-off,warning,government,#FreeportIndonesia Free

The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry has sent a warning letter to gold and copper miner PT Freeport Indonesia after it laid off 4,000 employees.

The layoffs took place following a strike by Freeport Indonesia workers belonging to the All-Indonesia Workers Union Confederation (KSPSI) from May 1 to June 16 in Mimika regency, Papua, the site of the gold and copper mine.

The ministry has demanded that Freeport Indonesia act in accordance with labor laws , said the ministry's coal and mineral mining director general, Bambang Gatot Ariyono, on Sunday.

(Read also: Freeport Indonesia workers to extend strike for a month: union)

We have warned [Freeport] to abide by the law when dismissing [employees], Bambang said as quoted by tribunnews.com in Jakarta on Sunday.

Separately, Freeport has claimed it followed regulations when laying off the employees.

We took action in accordance with the guidelines and laws on industrial relations, said Freeport Indonesia spokesman Riza Pratama.

The company, for example, called on the striking employees to return to work, said Riza, adding that the law allowed a company to terminate employees who were absent and ignored a companys summons for five consecutive days.

Freeport said the company would not pay compensation to the laid-off employees.

Freeport Indonesia also let go 2,000 employees in February in a company efficiency program.

The employees, however, were offered early retirement packages and furloughs. (dea/bbn)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, July 3 2017

JAKARTA: Even though many residents of Bekasi, West Java, left the city last week to travel to their hometowns for Idul Fitri, the production of waste in the municipality has increased over the past few days, an official has said.

Bekasi Environment Agency head Jumhana Luthfie said that during the holiday the amount of waste disposed of at the Sumurbatu landfill reached 2,000 tons per day from the usual 1,800 per day as a result of increased holiday activities.

It was reported that 556,000 out of 2.4 million residents stayed in the city.

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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, July 3 2017

JAKARTA: A 15-year-old boy, identified only as WF, was arrested on Sunday for carrying 0.3 grams of shabu-shabu (crystal methamphetamine) on a commuter train headed for Bekasi in West Java.

After the train arrived at the last station, a conductor woke WF up. He was taken to a security room for questioning as he was behaving suspiciously, commuter line operator PT KAI Commuter Jabodetabek (KJC) spokesperson Eva Chairunisa said in a media statement on Sunday.

During questioning, methamphetamine was discovered in his pocket, Eva said, adding that WF had been sent to the Bekasi Police station to undergo further questioning.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 13:15 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a78b34e 1 Business FATF-Financial-Action-Task-Force,Indonesia,membership Free

The Finance Ministry has announced that Indonesia's membership in the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) will be discussed at an FATF plenary meeting in Argentina in October.

Most FATF members expressed support for discussing Indonesian membership during a plenary meeting on June 23 in Valencia, Spain, said Finance Ministry spokesman Nufransa Wira Sakti.

The FATF president, supported by a majority of FATF members, decided to immediately discuss Indonesian membership, Nufransa said as reported by Antara on Sunday.

(Read also: Indonesia joins global fight against tax dodgers)

He stressed that joining the task force was important for Indonesia in its fight against money laundering to prevent the transferring of funds for terrorism purposes and to fight other threats to the countrys financial system.

Previously, several institutions, including the Finance Ministry, the Foreign Ministry, the Indonesian Embassy in Madrid and the Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Centre (PPATK), were involved in lobbying FATF members for Indonesian membership.

Indonesia is eligible to join the group because it has a number of laws regarding the issue, such as the 2000 Money Laundering Law and the 2013 Terrorism Law. Indonesia is also a member of the Egmont Group and the Asia-Pacific Group on Money Laundering, which has a financial intelligence unit (bbn)
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Linkedin (The Jakarta Post)  Mon, July 3 2017

Jakarta : President Joko Jokowi Widodo distributed books to children at the Cipanas Palace in Cianjur, West Java, on Saturday.

Local residents reportedly flocked to the area after learning that the President would visit Cipanas.

The people, many of whom were spending the Idul Fitri holiday in the hilly tourist resort area, rushed to get close to the President and have their picture taken with him.

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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 19:01 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a7995b2 4 Business state-budget,deficit,Sri-Mulyani-Indrawati,comments Free

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said the state budget deficit may increase to 2.60 percent, up from the initial target of 2.41 percent because of changes in both spending and revenue.

Sri Mulyani said she would report to the House of Representatives about the increased deficit projection and promised to maintain the deficit to below 3 percent.

She said, as reported by tempo.co, the increase in the state budget deficit was caused, in particular, by the increase in urgent expenditure. She cited spending in two main sectors  education and health  that could not be delayed.

To contain the deficit, the government would seek to increase revenue from taxation as well improve efficiency in spending.

With the careful control of spending and by considering revenue sources, we hope to curb the budget deficit, she said.

She also stressed that the ministry would avoid sourcing funds from loans to finance basic expenditure.

If loans are necessary, the capital must be used for productive activities so we can repay the debt, she added.

She admitted the government debt had increased by 4.92 trillion (US$367 million) since April to Rp 3.67 quadrillion in May.

But she stressed that the condition of Indonesian debt was still safe because it was still below 30 percent of the country's gross domestic product (GDP). (bbn)
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Linkedin News Desk (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Mon, July 3, 2017 20:18 1957 4065a5a8898c7cc661d4adf97a79a1e3 1 City Depok,shopping-mall,bomb-scare Free

After a thorough investigation by the Gegana bomb-disposal squad, police finally said that an unclaimed black bag left by a man on a sidewalk in front of the ITC Depok mall on Monday morning did not contain the previously suspected explosives.

It was not a bomb, National Police spokesperson Martinus Sitompul said on Monday via a text message as he attached a picture that showed several clothes, a cellphone and a water bottle that police had taken from the bag.

Police are now examining the cell phone and a USB data storage device to discover the owner.

The bag, which was spotted and reported to police by Adi Saputra Tambunan, 30, had been left by two unidentified men in front of the shopping mall.

This is a good thing. We appreciated this kind of response, Martinus told The Jakarta Post.

The head of a special team that deal with gangs, the Jaguar team of the Depok Police in West Java, First Insp. Winam Agus, said he hoped that people would not be afraid to report suspicious things they see around them in the future.

We can be stronger to fight terrorism if we are together Winam said.

Jl. Margonda Raya, which was temporarily closed during the investigation, has been reopened to public traffic.

The incident happened only three days days after the stabbing of two police officers at a mosque near the National Police headquarters in South Jakarta and a month after bomb explosion on May 24 at Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta. (hol)
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Linkedin Sidney Jones (The Jakarta Post) Jakarta  Tue, July 4 2017

Indonesia can help the Philippines government fight the Islamic State (IS), not by sending troops but by helping map extremist networks.

One of the reasons the siege in Marawi has dragged on for so long is that the authorities in Manila never put the pieces of the extremist puzzle together. Detachment 88 has now been solving those puzzles for almost 15 years, and the Philippines desperately needs its expertise.

Marawi has been a disaster on the intelligence front. Philippine security agencies treated all factions of Abu Sayyaf the same, making no distinction between the kidnapping-for-ransom groups and their more ideological counterparts. They routinely labelled all Indonesians JI without trying to understand the distinctions between Jamaah Islamiyah and Jamaah Ansharud Daulah (JAD), or why it mattered.

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Beauty brand NARS, which prides itself on providing a completely 'cruelty-free' range of cosmetics, have just revealed plans to sell their products in China, a country where foreign cosmetic brands are required by law to have their products tested on animals.

This news hasnt gone down well with many of their beauty fans who are arguing, very publically, that NARS are putting their profits above their principles.

If you buy NARS products anywhere else in the world these will still be cruelty-free, but by opening up sales in China the cult beauty brand has also opened themselves up to a host of heavy criticism.

I must say in the past 13 years as a Makeup Artist I have never purchased a single item from @narsissist and not planning on it moving forward. After seeing that they're going back to testing their products on animals so they can sell in China where the laws require animal testing truly disgusts me. SHAME ON YOU NARS!!!#boycottnars PLEASE SHARE AND SPREAD THE WORD! #stopanimalabuse A post shared by FOUFOU (@foufoumakeup) on Jun 29, 2017 at 9:40pm PDT

"We want you to know that we hear you," NARS said, in a statement posted on Instagram.

The global elimination of animal testing needs to happen. We firmly believe that product and ingredient safety can be proven by non-animal methods, but we must comply with the local laws of the markets in which we operate, including in China.

"We have decided to make NARS available in China because we feel it is important to bring our vision of beauty and artistry to fans in the region."

It seems somewhat hypocritical for a brand like NARS to align themselves with the fight against animal testing, and then take their products to a country where this practice happens.

It is a concern which has been highlighted by a lot of NARS lovers, with people even sharing the hashtag #boycottnars to make their anger known.

NARS cosmetics are going back to testing their products on animals so they can sell in China where the laws require animal testing. It's a major disappointment for @joannakrupa and I and millions of other people. Greedy @narsissist shame on you! #boycottnars A post shared by Katarina Van Derham (@katarinavanderham) on Jun 29, 2017 at 6:03pm PDT

For a lot of people, it feels like a betrayal by their favourite makeup brand, for choosing to branch into a market that forces testing on animals. NARS isnt the only major makeup company that sells in China though; Benefit, LOreal, Maybelline, and Mac all sell their products there, too.

On their website Benefit explains they are deeply committed to the elimination of animal testing. But explains: "Our products are made in Europe and for imported cosmetics, the Chinese health authorities order some tests on animals.

To discover the remaining cruelty-free make up brands out there, Cruelty Free Kitty has an accurate and updated list here.


Speaking to the Bright Blue think tank, Green expressed that fees keep university education standards high and that the only alternative to maintain the quality of courses offered throughout the UK would be to increase taxes. During this years recent general election, the Labour party received a surge of votes from the younger generation, with several policies that were more favourable for the 16-25 age group. The most notable of these was a promise to scrap tuition fees in their entirety. University fees are currently capped at 9,250 a year, an increase from 3,000 that took place in 2010 following the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition, resulting in several riots in protest at the hike in fees. Green stated that in the long-term, weve got to show that [students] are getting value for the money. If we want to have 40% plus of people going to university and if we want those university courses actually to be valuable, which I think is where the strain is often taken in European universities  you actually look at the teaching that you get in some European universities, you have lecture halls with 600 people in and things like that  its not actually as good a teaching and learning experience as you get in this country/ If you wanted to say you want to reduce [fees] then either fewer people go to university or the experience would be less. Green also discussed other policies that could attract younger voters, opening that affordable housing and job creation should be at the centre of future Conservative party strategy.
(Niall Carson/PA)

Gay rights activists, trade unionists, civil servants, firemen, drag queens and same-sex couples turned up at Belfast city centre, waving rainbow flags and banners.Campaigners called for any new government to support marriage equality in a march that was led by the Lord Mayor of Belfast Nuala McAllister, Northern Ireland-born The Fall actor Bronagh Waugh and Rainbow Project director John ODoherty. ODoherty told political leaders nice words at election time were not enough, saying: We need action. Action to make communities safe, action to make schools safe, an over-arching commitment from all the public institutions to addressing the historical and current inequalities which prevent Northern Ireland from being the society that we all want it to be, he said.Together we are the future of Northern Ireland. We are the progressive majority and those who oppose us will lose, just like they did every time before. When we win this battle do not think that we are done. This campaign is not just about changing the law, we are about changing the world.
Social media is inextricably ingrained in the day-to-day lives of many. Online, we have the power to curate a life that is virtually perfect. With endless images of filtered smiles and smoothed skin, the online world is bursting with edited beauty.

There are undoubtedly a great number of positives of social media. Perhaps its greatest strength is that it can build and maintain countless relationships across the world, and its ability to shape and alter online lives also has the potential to boost self-esteems.

However, although social media can have positive effects, it can also greatly damage the relationships we have with ourselves. Online platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat are contributing to major body image issues in society, creating traps in which we compete and compare ourselves to others. "Likes" can be seen as ratings on images, placing pressure on people to have idealised appearances on social media.

The online illusions of perfection can be convincing, and there is an ever-growing expectation that we should hide, and even change, our human imperfections.

A report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, published last week (22 June), showed a link between social media and the rise in popularity of cosmetic procedures in the UK, reflecting developing trends in how people are physically and virtually changing their appearances.

There are concerns raised over how 'body dissatisfaction', worsened by social media, is affecting young people. Professor Jeanette Edwards from the University of Manchester chaired the Council's inquiry, and she is calling for 'walk-in' cosmetic procedures to be banned for people under the age of 18.

cosmetic surgery apps The Council recognised that, in addition to the growth of social media, there were other factors associated with the rise in body image issues such as celebrity culture and an abundance of airbrushed images, as well asaimed at children as young as nine.

In a similar way to social media, but with much more intrusive effects, a risk to consider with cosmetic procedures is that they may physically alter appearances, but they may not necessarily remove insecurities. Social media's culture of change and perfection may be contributing to increased levels of body dissatifaction, but these resulting insecurities will not necessarily be resolved by physical acts of change.

Social media has the potential to positively impact our lives and bring us together, but there needs to be a change in the way that we are trying to alter ourselves and our appearances. It is greatly worrying to see the online culture of self-editing filter into offline behaviour with body image issues on the rise.

Perhaps with more awareness of the wider social issue of body dissatisfaction, and with stricter regulations put in place for cosmetic procedures such as a minimum age, we can begin to work towards a society in which people feel less need to virtually and physically change themselves.
A lot of travel blogs nowadays focus on solo-travelling, but Yaya and Lloyd travel absolutely everywhere together.

Travelling as a pair is great! The best thing about it is that we can share everything together.

The downside is that we both have quirksYaya always hogs the armrest on the airplane seat, whilst I tend to strongly dislike sharing my food, Lloyd told us.

Sharing is caring, right boys?

Hand Luggage Only Lloyd and Yaya are old friends and have been travelling and working together since the launch of their website, so they know all the weird and embarrassing stories about one another.

Naturally, we asked Yaya to spill the details on one of his favourite stories.

[Lloyd] losing both of our clothes in Santorini (after taking a dip in the sea)we spent the next hour begging taxi drivers to take us back to our hotel in our underpants.

Yaya shares on their site that he is a huge foodie, and is always ready to try new things. Even the most bizarre.

Guinea pig. We visited Peru recently and one of their traditional dishes that dates back to the Incas, known as Cuy

It was most definitely one of the most outlandish things Ive eaten, he admits.

We also asked Lloyd to tell us his most and least favourite things about travel blogging, because it isnt all sunshine and grilled guinea pig!

The best thing about travel blogging has to be seeing the world and being able to visit new and exciting places each and every week.

It never gets tiring, boring, or anything close, as one would expect.

But being away from home for very long times has its downturns as well:

This seems trivial but its hard to plan things youd love to do at home;

I really wanted to see Adele in concert but never knowing exactly where youll be means that it can be hard to plan further than a few weeks in advance.

But at the end of the day, the boys from Hand Luggage Only have (arguably) the best job in the world!

I feel very lucky and fortunate, Lloyd says.

Lloyd and Yayas successful careers have taken them to some of the most magical places on earth, so we wanted to know which destinations stood out the most.

Yaya told us, it was our road trip from the Florida Keys to Los Angeles, it took us three weeks to drive but we managed to see so many incredible places it really was so special.

As for Lloyd, it would have to be exploring Peru. I was able to see Machu Picchu, testing myself to the brink whilst hiking up Rainbow Mountain and exploring a country that Id always wanted to visit.
The culinary experience is the hallmark of every travellers journey across the globe; to really immerse oneself in traditional culture is to taste its flavours where the nations heart and soul radiates, say the Filipinos.

Cuisine in the Philippines is an integral pillar of the national heritage and a massive asset to the cultural development of the country. Plus, its a very varied asset, given that a nation which boasts more than 7,000 islands has a large range of cultural nuances to choose from and an extensive conglomerate of varying geographical formations to bear fruits and vegetables and necessities of all sorts. The Philippines, in fact, can take pride in celebrating an array of indigenous flavours and a medley of international cuisines blended with influences from all over the world and all of their previous colonisers.

Taiwan I flew to the Philippines just shortly after visitingand whilst the former has a very heavily Chinese cuisine, which I appreciated but not as much as I had hoped, Filipino cuisine really topped all my expectations, offering a vast array of flavours from distant lands exploding in one single meal.

From what I experienced Filipinos tend to really cherish and enjoy the ritual of a meal. They tend to eat family dining style, hence sharing several different plates across the whole table in a loud unison of have some of this, no try this, more of this now!. Needless to say, I ate a lot and tried all sorts of things along the way.

Being the Philippines is an archipelago, the fish is absolutely stunning. You can try several different types of lobster and crab at every corner, as well as differing sorts of fish soups. Also, pork and rice is a must - no meal is complete without a big bowl of rice. Theres a strong Indian influence when it comes to the use of curry for example, and a strong Spanish influence with meat, sausage and meatballs.

But aside from these more traditional meals, heres a brief round-up of my culinary favourites between street food and desserts!

Street Food

Street food markets are quite the attraction across the islands of the Philippines and they offer very strange foods not often found in restaurants. The smell of the boiling oil, the people yelling, the summer late night atmosphere... Theres something slightly movie-like to it all.

Taho

Street vendors yelling Tahooooooo is a very common experience when roaming around the food markets of Manila. Taho is a snack/drink made of condensed milk with corn kernels or fresh soft/silken tofu and sago pearls, together with caramel and molten brown sugar.

Isaw

Isaw is made from barbequed pig or chicken intestines. This creepy delicacy is also accompanied with addidas, atay or balunbalunan - chicken feet, chicken liver, and chicken gizzard respectively, grilled and then skewed on a stick. Unless you actively think about the fact that youre eating intestines, it isnt creepy at all. The texture is very rubbery so itll be hard to keep that thought out of your mind.

Betamax

If you thought of a cassette when you read the above word, think again. In the Philippines Betamax is actually street-food slang for grilled chicken blood. As you may have picked up from the Isaw spiel, Filipinos like to make sure that none of their chicken goes to waste. Hence, they ended up learning how to coagulate chicken blood by leaving it to stiffen into a gelatinous substance and then grill it and, again, skew it on a stick.

Although it sounds everything but alluring, grilled chicken blood has no taste at all and best complemented with vinegar and chilli mixture.

Balut

Baluuuuuuut is something else youll hear being yelled left and right along the street markets in the Filipino evenings. This street speciality is actually a developing fertilised bird embryo from either a duck or chicken that is boiled and eaten from the shell.

The fertilised egg is incubated between 14 and 21 days, which means that the chick may be partially showing by this time. Whilst eating the egg it is common to find its formed feathers already.

Below is a video of me trying the delicacy.

Desserts

For those whove read my culinary reviews before, and/or are *lucky enough* to know me in real life, it comes as no surprise that, for me, in order for a nation to win at cooking, their desserts must be delicious.

Although South East Asia has a very strange way of doing desserts, I must admit that the Philippines currently deserve the medal for the best desserts.

Ice-cream

Filipinos enjoy a special rendition of ice-cream known as Sorbetes. It is uniquely made from coconut milk, unlike other iced desserts that are made from animal milk, and sold by street hawkers, providing you with a delicious escape from the scorching sun. Typical flavours served are along the lines of natural fruits rather than creams, like mango, avocado, melon, jackfruit, coconut and strawberry.

Other than the typical sorbetes, Filipinos also have ice-cream but their speciality is ube ice-cream, a creamy bright purple delicatessen. It is ice-cream made from purple yam, a very common purple rendition of a sweet potato.

Halo-Halo

Halo-halo literally means mixed together and as a dessert it is exactly that, a mix of many ingredients in one big bowl. It is a very popular and made of shaved ice and evaporated milk and then a random assortment of extras, which vary from sweet beans to the unmissable coconut, then tubers, fruits and jelly.

Halo-halo #foodie #foodblogger #halohalo #pinoy A post shared by Anne (@asplashofscrumptious) on Jun 25, 2017 at 8:59am PDT

Tupig

Tupig is one of the many native Filipino delicacies you give away to friends and relatives. It is a very ancient food prepared in a very simple manner in huts along the street. It is native to the region of Ilocos Norte, where indigenous cuisine blends with Spanish cuisine. Tupig is a sticky rice and coconut patty wrapped in banana leaves and grilled with brown sugar.

Speaking of coconuts, known as Buko in Filipino, the Philippines has a lot of them and does very many great things with them, too. Various types of coconut cakes and coconut drinks can be found across the island and delight your warm day with a bit of sweet freshness.
A police officer had a surprise when he pulled over a car for speeding to find what appeared to be an alien in the front seat.

The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported the motorcycle officer was greeted by the life-sized doll, seat-belt and all, after he had clocked the driver going at 84mph (135kph) in the US state of Georgia.

He did not mention as to why he had an out of this world passenger, said George Gordon, a spokesman for police in Alpharetta where the bizarre incident took place.

Of course, extra-terrestrial sightings such as this invariably cause a stir  so the little guy with the big head has had some reaction online.

Me asf when I get pulled over pic.twitter.com/5c4rbaRzB7  CoconutOilPapi (@Ibhrismoove) June 27, 2017

While many wondered what happened to the driver after he was pulled over.

So was the ticket "out of this world"?  Chris | WBTV Web (@ChrisDotWeb) June 26, 2017

I'm gonna assume he let him off with a warning lol. You can't give a man a ticket with an alien as a passenger lmao  Falcon Travis (@TravisSelvidge) June 27, 2017

Perhaps their passenger is a good luck charm for the driver after all, as police said he received just a verbal warning for his offence.
A mummified toe has been returned to its rightful owners after it was stolen from a Canadian bar.

The human remain  which is used in a popular sourtoe cocktail  was stolen from Downtown Hotel in the early hours of Sunday morning.

The toe itself is a replacement for the original, introduced to the bar in 1973, which was thought to have originated from a miner, Louie Liken, after he lost the digit to frostbite in the 1920s.

Liken preserved the toe in alcohol and it lay untouched until its redicovery 50 years later by another local, Captain Dick Stevenson, who decided he would take it to the Downtown Hotel and introduce it to the drinks of foolhardy customers as a stunt.

Thus, the Sourtoe Cocktail Club was born, and all new patrons are bound to drink the sour-toe concoction if they desire membership. Unfortunately, toe number one was swallowed by an over-enthusiastic customer in the 1980s and never recovered.

Dawson City Police were notified of the theft and were soon able to identify a male suspect, although they were unable to locate him.

On Tuesday, police received a call from the alleged suspect notifying them hed sent the toe back to the Downtown Hotel in the post. He also called the hotel to relay the message, adding a verbal apology for the inconvenience caused.

Police dropped by the hotel after it had received the envelope to ensure there was nothing nefarious enclosed. Luckily, the package only held the toe  which was said to be in good condition  and a letter further apologising for the incident.

No charges are expected to be filed.
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Watertown landowners will be involved in new Corps flood-control study

After 30 years, a new flood control feasibility study will include the input of landowners and supply a multitude of options other than a dry dam.
ATTLEBORO  A police officer is home recovering from injuries suffered in a violent struggle with a suspect, who will face a judge Monday on a


remaining of

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Under the tax reform proposals of both President Donald Trump and the House Republicans (the House Blueprint), the top corporate and individual tax rates would be lowered significantly. Trump proposed lowering the top corporate tax rate from 35% to 15%; the Blueprint would reduce the rate to 20%. The House Blueprint would lower the top individual tax rate from 39.6% to 33%, while Trump's proposal would lower it to 35%. Both proposals would lower the tax rate on the business income of passthrough entities and repeal the corporate and individual alternative minimum taxes.

Trump has said previously that he would propose a one-time, 10% repatriation tax on overseas corporate profitsalthough the tax reform outline the administration released on April 26 did not include a specific rate. The House Blueprint also calls for a mandatory tax on previously untaxed foreign earningsan 8.75% tax on untaxed foreign cash and cash equivalents and a 3.5% tax rate on untaxed foreign noncash assets (i.e., earnings reinvested in the business). The House Blueprint would require payment of the tax over eight years.

In general, planning to take advantage of optimal accounting methodsi.e., accounting methods that either accelerate deductions or defer revenuecan provide taxpayers with the benefit of deferring the payment of income tax to a future tax period. By comparison, rate reductions (if enacted) could provide taxpayers with additional opportunities to generate a permanent benefit for items that typically would result only in a temporary benefit via the time value of money.

Accounting method planning that accelerates deductions (e.g., for prepaid expenses or bad debts) or defers revenue (e.g., for advance payments or unbilled receivables) provides corporations with the potential to take deductions at the current 35% rate and recognize revenue at a proposed lower rate of 15% or 20% under Trump's plan or the House Blueprint, respectively. Implementing these planning techniques could provide significant permanent tax rate benefits and cash tax savings to corporations.

Owners of passthrough entities also should consider potential tax rate reduction opportunities. As noted above, both Trump's proposed plan and the House Blueprint include a flat tax on passthrough entities. Assuming enactment of such a proposal, passthrough entities may wish to similarly defer income and accelerate deductions.

Taxpayers also should analyze and optimize the accounting methods of their foreign corporations in light of the deemed repatriation provisions included in both the Trump and House Blueprint tax reform proposals. Through optimal accounting method planning, taxpayers may be able to manage earnings and profits (E&P) or correct impermissible methods to obtain audit protection.

Under current law, methods of accounting generally are adopted by a foreign corporation in the year in which its E&P becomes significant for U.S. federal income tax purposes under Regs. Sec. 1.964-1(c)(6). Once an accounting method has been adopted, the foreign corporation must follow rules similar to those of domestic taxpayers to change the accounting method for E&P purposes.

Under the Sec. 964 regulations, a U.S. multinational company may be able to "protect" the foreign corporation's historic E&P by voluntarily changing from an impermissible method to a permissible method or using the opportunity to change to a more favorable proper U.S. tax accounting method to either increase or decrease the foreign corporation's E&P, depending on its tax position. Any such method changes generally will require IRS consent. This consent may either be automatic or nonautomatic, based on the nature of the requested change.

In light of the proposal to tax accumulated and unremitted E&P of foreign corporations, taxpayers should consider the accuracy of their current E&P calculations and the potential to file method changes or implement other accounting method strategies to reduce their foreign corporations' accumulated E&P. Reducing accumulated E&P prior to the deemed repatriation tax may result in the ability to reduce taxes on offshore earnings. If repatriation is based on accumulated E&P at a point in time in the past (e.g., if the deemed repatriation occurs in 2018 based on accumulated E&P as of Dec. 31, 2016), taxpayers still can obtain audit protection on impermissible E&P methods and spread recognition of cumulative unfavorable adjustments over a four-year period.

If tax reform legislation along the lines proposed is enacted in 2017 and becomes effective for tax years beginning in 2018, then companies will want to implement the appropriate accounting method strategies in 2017 to maximize the opportunities from the reduction in tax rates. Accordingly, companies should begin immediately to evaluate their current accounting methods to determine what changes can be made to optimize the impact of potential tax reform and whether such changes can be made automatically. Companies also should consider whether each change can be filed up until the time the federal income tax return for the year of change is filed, or whether it must be filed on a nonautomatic basis that requires Form 3115, Application for Change in Accounting Method, to be filed no later than the last day of the tax year of change.

Similarly, companies should analyze what other accounting method planning opportunities should be taken that do not require Form 3115 to be filed but rather require other action. For example, companies should analyze their bonus plans to determine whether revisions to the plan would lead to accelerated deductions by creating a fixed liability at year end. Further, companies that can accelerate deductions by prepaying certain contracts before year end should consider whether doing so will allow the company to recognize a deduction at the 35% tax rate (rather than the proposed lower tax rate in future periods). Both opportunities highlight the importance of tax professionals' discussing the impact of potential tax reform with executives outside the tax department.

Regardless of the approach, through the use of an accounting method change or other corporate action, companies should analyze their current accounting methods and establish a list of opportunities to optimize their federal income tax position in the event that tax reform is enacted.

An earlier version of this item appeared in PWC's Tax Insights.

EditorNotes

Annette Smith is a partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, Washington National Tax Services, in Washington.

For additional information about these items, contact Ms. Smith at 202-414-1048 or annette.smith@pwc.com.

Unless otherwise noted, contributors are members of or associated with PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP.






Organisation: Danish Refugee

Council (DRC)

Duty Station: Uganda

About US:

The Danish Refugee Council (DRC) is a private, independent,

humanitarian organization working on all aspects of the refugee cause in more

than 36 countries throughout the world. The aim of DRC is to protect refugees

and internally displaced persons (IDPs) against persecution and to promote

durable solutions to the problems of forced migration, on the basis of

humanitarian principles and human rights. DRC works in accordance with the UN

Conventions on Refugees and the Code of Conduct for the ICRC and NGOs in

Disaster Relief.

Job Summary: The IT officer

will support DRCs West Nile field offices with the IT systems to maximize full

uptime. The IT officer will also organize the missions geographical

information system and to produce in real time a spatial analysis of the

situation in the field.



Responsibilities: Key Duties andResponsibilities:

Control and maintain IT systems such as to

minimize IT service downtime

Render support in performing software

installations and support day-to-day systems operations.

Trouble shooting the LAN.

Hardware and software support.

Performing preventive maintenance service

on the IT equipment on a scheduled basis.

Perform general repairs on IT equipments

and peripherals as instructed

Support to maintain an inventory schedule

of all IT equipment and software in use and in the store, through

diagnosing their status and performance.

Maintain a record of all equipment

received for repairs and maintenance.



Ensure that internet invoices are received

on time and forwarded to finance for payment

Provide help desk and technical support to

the users.

Provide Simple guidelines training to the

staff during service time.

Report on API on a monthly basis to the

Kampala co-ordination Office

Respond to and resolve IT service outages

by determining the probable cause, contacting the service providers where

necessary and escalating if necessary.

Serve as a direct liaison with staff to

identify GIS needs and develop appropriate GIS products.

Shall manage technical activities in

support to and in close collaboration with project teams.

Manage response and prioritization of

requests for map products and services.

Manage the development, quality control

and reproduction of products in appropriate formats.

Use and Advocate data and mapping

standards.

Identify, gather and incorporate external

datasets into the repository.

Maintain and expand the data repository

and related metadata;

Work with data to create themes and layers

for use in GIS;

Conduct analysis and relate separate

datasets to create analytical products.

Manage training and skills development

support to staff with simple mapping, Google Earth, use of GPS.

Participates in trainings at the request

of the line manager.



Experience: Qualifications, Skills andExperience:

The ideal candidate for the Danish Refugee

Council (DRC) IT officer job placement must hold a Bachelors degree in

IT/Computer science or any relevant field, with Geographical Information

System experience.

A minimum of two years experience in a

busy IT NGO environment.

Extensive knowledge of Windows Server

2008, 2012

A+, N+, CCNA certification

Web Design  HTML and CSS

Good communication skills.

Flexible person and ready to work on odd

hours.

Self-motivated.

Good team player.

GIS knowledge including the use of complex

databases and spreadsheets, and specific software such as ArcGIS; ability

to highly numerate and ability to

analyze data and statistics; the ability to work well under pressure.

How to Apply:

All suitably qualified and interested candidates should send their

applications online at the link below including;

A cover letter (1 page) in which you

explain why you are interested in the position and how you meet the

qualities and qualifications criteria

Concise and accurate CV (maximum 3 pages).

The CV should include information about your qualification, relevant

training courses, Work experience, name and contact details of 3 relevant

references.

th July 2017 Deadline: 12July 2017
Prime Minsiter Benjamin Netanyahu is taking it as a personal privilege and one of his greatest diplomatic achievementsto be able to host the prime minister of India on Israeli soil. He is ensuring that the visit goes on without even the smallest hitchso much that he is planning to accompany my friend, as he described Modi to his cabinet, to all possible events, except when Modi calls on the president of Israel and meets the leader of the opposition.

Netanyahu is planning to attend even the reception that Modi is being given by the Israeli Indian community, which is usually not done by the host. He is also planning to host a private dinner for Modi at his residence, which is also a very rare honour accorded to foreign visitors. This will be in addition to the official banquet.

The Israeli media are describing the preparations as equal to the the preparations for a visit by the US president or the Pope. One newspaper headlined the visit as by the world's most important prime minister.

Both Israeli and Indian officials are working hard to shift the focus of the visit away from defence and strategic relationships. While the Indian side expects much persuasion from Israel for opening a strategic dialogue, both sides are still wary of talking about it. Even the fact that Modi is not making a balancing visit to Palestine is not bandied about now, unlike earlier. In fact, there is lesser talk about it in the Israeli press than in the India media.

Apparently, Israeli political sensitivities are also at work. If Indian politicians have been extremely sensitive about the so-called minority votes in India and the vast labour market offered to Indian workers by the Arab countries, Israel, too, has political sensitivities of a similar kind. The Netanyahu government is currently trying to improve its relations with both the Palestine leadership and the Arab world, and would not like to make triumphalistic claims about keeping the Indian prime minister away from the Palestinians.

In fact, Israel has come to view India's close ties with the Arab world as an asset which could be put to use for Israel's attempts to build bridges with the Arab world. India's Arab obsession is no longer a matter of fashionable ridicule by commentators in the Israeli media.

Netanyahu expects Modi to extend him a return invitation, which he would grab at, and make the journey this year itself, thus marking the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations a year-long affair.

Both sides are expected to brush under the carpet the years of diplomatic distrust in the post-independence era till 1992. Even during that time, there had been secret contacts and both sides had understood the political sensitivities in withholding formal ties.

Though Israel is seeking a strategic dialogue with India, the latter is still learnt of being wary. There is likely to be an announcement of strategic partnership on non-defence cooperation, though no one is clear as to what it means.

The visit is expected to focus on further and enhanced cooperation in agriculture, irrigation and water management, need for a free-trade agreement, cooperation in science and technology, smart city programmes and cyber security. Defence deals, which already account for more than half the trade, are not likely to be talked about much. Incidentally, Modi is not visiting any defence facility at all during the three-day stay, except paying homage to the Indian soldier at Haifa Memorial.

Israelis are grateful that India was the only country that had never persecuted the Jews, though they had lived there for close to 2,000 years. Modi is expected to stress on this fact in his addresses. Similarly it was the Muslim soldiers of the Indian army who guarded the sacred Temple Mount after the capture of Jerusalem by the British forces exactly hundred years ago.

Modi's first outing in Israel will be to an agriculture facility. Israel wants to enter the Indian farm sector with its own innovative technologies and practices, many of which were developed by widely respected Eliyahu Bezalel, a Cochin Jew who still spends three months every year in his hometown in India. Bezalel, who was honoured with Pravasi Bharatiya Samman by former president A.P.J. Abdul Kalam, calls India his motherland and Israel his fatherland. Modi will also visit the Cochin Jews gallery in the Indian section of the Tel Aviv Museum.

Trade is currently heavily loaded in favour of Israel. While Israel exported goods worth $ 1,154 million last year to India, goods worth only $ 800 million travelled the other way. The figures exclude defence items, as also diamonds which are traded both ways.

One factor that blocks India-to-Israel exports is that two of India's strengths are also Israel's strengths. India exports pharmaceuticals to several countries, but hardly any to Israel, which makes its own drugs or gets its stuff from the west. In addition, the strict patent laws that govern Israel businesses also block the drugs developed under India's liberal patent laws.

Another Indian strengthsoftwaretoo has few takers in Israel which styles itself as an electronics wizard, though not a giant. Israel looks at itself as a laboratory which does not need huge manpower unlike the software manufacturing hubs in the west. Moreover, Israel is not a great labour market for India to send its software engineers. The only expat workers from India in Israel are a few thousand paramedics who take care of the aged in their homes, and a few diamond traders. Israel is not a labour market for India, or for that matter any labour-exporting country, unlike the Arab countries in West Asia which host millions of Indian skilled and semi-skilled workers.

Modi's focus on this trip is likely to be on businessespecially to invite Israeli companies to invest in his Make in India programme. Israel wants to be a partner in Modi's Make in India programme, but is prevented by India's demand to share technology which Israeli companies are loathe to. Both sides are expecting a few MoUs to be signed for addressing these issues.

There could be MoUs in science and technology, tourism and education. Israel universities would like to attract Indian students, but may not be willing to roll out the red carpet unlike the cash-starved European universities do. Israel would like to receive more Indian tourists who are reputed to be higher spenders than are the backpackers from the west. But then, Indian tourism managers find that the Israelis who come to India, too, are mostly backpackers. There could be MoUs on culture, tourism and higher education.
India and Israel will sign three agreements or MoUs on space cooperation and a clutch of deals in agriculture and water management, launch a CEO forum, and sign a strategic partnership in these and other civilian matters.

There is not likely to be a strategic partnership in security matters; no defence deal will be announced; the divergence of views over Palestine won't be an issue.

The threat posed by Iran to Israel and Middle East will be discussed, but it is not likely to figure in the joint statement.

There could be announcement over direct flights, and on easier visa regime, and cooperation in higher education, smart cities, desalination technology and so on.

Modi will not go to the Western Wall which is sacred to the Jews, but he will visit the holocaust museum, as also the Cochin Jews gallery in Tel Aviv Museum, visit agriculture technology centre and meet the CEOs.

These much are likely to be the outcome of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visitthe first by an Indian prime ministerto Israel which starts on Tuesday.

Israel Prime Minister Bejamin Netanyahu is making the success of the visit a prestige issue. He is accompanying his guest to almost all the events, except the call-on on the president and the meeting with the leader of opposition.

Not only will Netanyahu receive Modi at the airport, but he also will give the Indian leader a private dinner on Tuesday in his home, a rare privilege to any foreign dignitary.

I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

Indian and Israeli diplomats are working overtime to finalise a clutch of agreements over cooperation in agriculture, water management and space.

It is confirmed that there will be three agreements or MoUs over space. But the main focus of the visit will be co-operation for the next 25 years in agriculture and water management, said Israeli ambassador to India Daniel Carmon who has arrived here the other day.

Israel foreign ministry deputy director-general Mark Sofer, who was earlier ambassador to India, said that there will be a strategic partnership between the two countries over water management technologies and agriculture technologies.

It was clear from the joint briefing by the former and current ambassador that the visit will not deal with much on defence or strategic issues. When asked about strategic partnership in defence related issues, Sofer said the strategic relationship is going to be over civilian matters.

Another major development will be the launch of a CEO forum, which will discuss and deal with business ties.

India's voting over Palestine is not going to be an issue. Israel has taken note of the fact that in the last six or seven votes in the UN forums, India has abstained instead of voting with the Arab countries, noted Carmon. When pointed out that Israel had always voted with India on maters concerning Pakistan, Sofer said that Israel does not expect quid pro quo on all those. But he stressed that Israel sees Hamas, which is waging war against Israel, and Lashkar-e-Taiba as no difference from each other.

However, Sofer said that Israel does not expect a complete switch over from one side to the other. The relations have metamorphosed so much over 25 yearsand 25 years is a blip in history, said he.

Emphasising that the visit is to focus on agriculture and water management, Carmon pointed out that Modi will be taken straight from the airport to a farm technology centre.

Sofer admitted that the expectations are high in Israel. But when asked why Modi took more than two and half years to visit, whereas Israelis had expected him to come soon after his election, Sofer pointed to the difference in attitudes. We Israelis get ulcers if something expected does not happen immediately; India does not work like that," pointing to the slow and gradual manner in which Indian diplomacy works. "And it is not a matter of just getting into an airplane and landing at another airport.
Janata Dal (United) Chief and Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Monday asked the Congress to set an alternative narrative and agenda for the Opposition.

Addressing a press conference in Patna, Kumar said, "I have said earlier also that the Congress is a big party and should set alternate narrative and agenda. Opposition needs an alternate narrative and just reactive narrative won't work".

He also sought to clear the air on the controversy concerning him and the Congress, which is part of ruling Grand Alliance in Bihar.

On Sunday, it was reported that Nitish had held Congress responsible for the mess in the Opposition over the Presidential elections. His reported observation came after senior Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad had indirectly criticised Nitish Kumar for extending support to the National Democratic Alliance ( NDA) Presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind.

Without naming Nitish, Azad had said that people who believe in one principle make one decision, but those who believe in several principles make different decision.

The Congress leader also said that he (Nitish) had taken the first step for defeating a Dalit leader (Oppostion's Presidential candidate Meira Kumar) by extending support to Kovind.

Azad reacted after Nitish blamed Congress for fielding Bihar ki Beti (daughter of Bihar) only to lose.

Kumar blamed media for reporting without any context.

"Yesterday, there was a meeting of party's state executive, which is generally a closed door one and it is a forum where all the issues are discussed."

He said he didn't want to point out who leaked the proceedings of the party's state executive meeting, but lamented that such things shouldn't have happened.

The Bihar Chief Minister said that the JD (U) had given a reply to whatever Azad had said and the matter was limited to the Presidential elections only.

" Congress is a part of Maha Gadhbandhan (Grand Alliance) in Bihar and it is our priority to fulfill the programmes of the Maha Gadhbandhan," Nitish said.
The Supreme Court on Monday rejected a plea for a hearing on the bail of Calcutta High Court Judge Justice (Retd.) C.S. Karnan.

Justice Karnan had moved the apex court seeking his release and cancellation or suspension of the jail sentence in the contempt of court case.

Karnan who has been recently been arrested in pursuance of the apex court order awarding him 6 months, has requested early listing of his bail application.

His counsel conveyed to the top court that Karnan is already serving the jail term awarded to him, so his application has to be heard at the earliest.

Justice Karnan is facing jail term in contempt of court case and was arrested by the Kolkata Police in Coimbatore.

Earlier on June 7 as well, the apex court refused to grant relief to Justice Karnan in the contempt of court case where he was sentenced to six-month imprisonment.

The apex court earlier on May 19 rejected Justice Karnan's plea for recall of the six-month jail term for contempt of court, stating that the petition was "not maintainable" in the court.

"I am constrained, but to hold that the present writ petition is not maintainable. The relief, if any, lies somewhere else. I, thus, see no reasonable cause to receive the present writ petition for registration under the provisions of order XV, rule (5) of the Supreme Court rules, 2013," the Supreme Court Registrar said in the order.

The top court had taken suo motu cognizance of numerous letters written by him against judges of the Madras High Court and the apex court and restrained him from exercising administrative and judicial powers from February 8.

Karnan is the first ever sitting judge of a higher court in judicial history to be sentenced to jail term.
Reform Movement President in the United States Rabbi Rick Jacobs is applying pressure on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu not to acquiesce to chareidi demands in Knesset regarding an egalitarian prayer area and giyur. The members of the Reform community are major donors to the State of Israel and its institutions and they are using their money to threaten and pressure PM Netanyahu and other state leaders.

Reform and Conservative Movement leaders in the USA and Israel expressed outrage after the cabinet decision to freeze the situation at the Kosel, thereby bringing an end to plans to construct an egalitarian prayer area. However, they are not just accepting the decree, but this time around they have decided to fight back in the hope of creating new realities in Israel.

When PM Netanyahu announced on Erev Shabbos that the Conversion Bill was on hold for six months, he was clearly responding to mounting pressure of Jacobs and his colleagues.

Jacobs remains firm in his demands for equality at the Kosel announcing We dont want to pray at a second class Kosel

He accuses the chareidim of trying to continue their stranglehold over religious services, which he feels is destructive to other streams of Judaism. He warns against placing conversion exclusively in the hands of the chareidim. He announced last week that nothing will sever their ties with the State of Israel, as well as promising to turn up the pressure in the Reform Movements efforts to change religious realities in Israel.

Jacobs is backed strongly by Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, who has spoken out strongly against the decision to freeze the Kosel status, which he realizes delivers a blow to non-Orthodox Jews throughout the Diaspora. He is also backed by many opposition and coalition MKs in Knesset.

(YWN  Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Government has wrongly blamed landlords for rising house prices and a shortage of new homes available to first-time buyers, Professor David Miles has warned.

The former Bank of England economist was speaking at an event hosted by think tank New City Agenda last week and took the opportunity to reiterate damning criticism of the government's recent move to push up costs for landlords.

He called politicians' scapegoating of landlords for spiralling house prices 'profoundly wrongheaded' and said the move to make buy-to-let less attractive than homeownership would serve only to push up rents and make it even harder for young people to save for a deposit.

Miles: Damning criticism of government policy that penalises private landlords

He said: 'One response [to rising house prices], and in some ways it has been perhaps the most significant housing policy response in recent years, is to point ones finger at those buying properties to rent and to blame them for contributing to high house prices.

'My own view is that this is profoundly wrongheaded. I suspect that they will have a negative impact on the ability of young people to become homeowners, because those people are in the rented sector already and will probably pay more rent than they would have.'

The changes he referred to include the introduction of a 3 per cent surcharge in stamp duty payable on buy-to-let purchases from April last year as well as the start of a staged reduction in the tax relief they can claim from April this year.

Previously, private landlords who owned properties in their own names could deduct both mortgage interest and other allowable costs associated with a let property from their rental income before calculating how much tax is due.

This meant the income they had to declare to HMRC was much lower than their rental income, keeping their costs down and keeping many in a lower income tax bracket.

But since 6 April 2017 landlords have begun to see the amount they can write off for tax purposes drop by 25 per cent each tax year until 2020 when they will have to declare all of their rent as income, pay income tax on the total and then claim back for 20 per cent of it as a credit.

David Miles has been vocal in criticising the tax crackdown on landlords

Miles was formerly a member of the Bank of England's monetary policy committee and now serves as professor of financial economics at Imperial College London.

It is not the first time he has criticised multiple policy moves to make it less financially attractive to be a landlord.

Late last year he warned that landlords in the higher rate tax bracket might need their rental income to rise by somewhere between 25 and 30 per cent to maintain their return when both tax changes were taken into account.

Then in March he claimed that homeownership was moving out of reach for a generation.

His latest comments compound those arguments. He added: 'I think these measures to make renting less attractive were introduced in order to try to help make housing more affordable for people who want to buy them, but that they are wrongheaded.

'Making rental property more expensive, as is very likely if you reduce the attractiveness to suppliers of rented property, will probably make rents even higher. It is hard to see that as helping the people who are trying to become homeowners.'

Meanwhile the landlord trade body the Residential Landlords Association warned that tax hikes on the private rented sector are hurting tenants but failing to achieve their stated objective.

Research published today by the Local Government Association shows that the average private sector rent is now 852 a month across the country.

While this figure is a mean average rather than the more accurate median rent of 675 figure produced by the Valuation Office Agency, and so is heavily skewed by much higher rents in London, the RLA claimed it is a reflection of the 'supply crisis in rental housing'.

This, they said, is further demonstrated by sharp falls in buy-to-let mortgage applications.

According to the RLA the situation is likely to get worse as landlords feel the squeeze as mortgage interest relief is phased down to the basic rate of income tax.

RLA research has found that just 19 per cent of landlords plan to invest in new property over the next year, with 58 per cent considering reducing further investment in their rental properties due to recent finance changes because of tax increases.

RLA policy director David Smith said: 'Todays research from the LGA shows clearly the problem being caused by the governments tax increases in a softening economy.

'Individual landlords are stalling investment in new property as a result of the changes, whilst institutional investors are failing to come forward to provide the homes to rent we need.

'The government argued that the tax changes were about supporting first-time buyers. What has happened is that tenants cant find the homes to rent they need, whilst being unable to afford a home of their own.

'The rental housing tax hikes are simply hurting but not working for anyone. It is time to scrap them.'
FLUSHED OUT

Peter Mason, the chairman of Thames Water, will announce he is leaving this week after controversy over tax payments, leaks and pollution.

Sources at the firm insisted his decision was not connected to pressure from regulators.

Water way to go: Sources at the firm insisted Peter Mason's decision was not connected to pressure from regulators

NAVY DEAL

Defence giant BAE Systems has finally signed a 3.7bn deal to build three new frigates for the Royal Navy.

Construction will start on the 6,900-ton vessels next month.

FRAUD CASE

Four former bosses of Barclays, including ex-chief executive John Varley, are due in court on fraud charges today over a controversial multi-billion pound fundraising deal.

LISTING SURGE

Stock market listings have risen in the last three months in the latest sign of confidence returning to the City.

A total of 4.2bn was raised by 18 firms, say accountants Ernst & Young.

RETAIL ROW

Peter Cowgill, the boss of retailer JD Sports, could be called on to defend rival tycoon Mike Ashley in a 14m courtroom showdown with an investment banker.

ROBOT MEDICINE

Artificial intelligence will be used to discover new drugs by GlaxoSmithKline in a tie-up with Dundee design firm Exscientia.

FASHION OFFER

Whistles owner Foschini is said to have made a bid to buy fashion firm Hobbs from private equity owner 3i.

HIRE DEMANDS

Investors are said to be pushing troubled van hire firm Northgate to sell itself for 800m.

It comes after the companys shares plummeted 16.2pc after poor results last Tuesday.
Deal: French energy giant Total is to develop a giant gas field in Iran

IRAN DEAL Frances energy giant Total will develop a giant gas field in Iran, the first major Western investment in the countrys energy industry since sanctions were lifted in early 2016.

US SALE Water firm Severn Trent has sold its US business to private equity giants Alston Capital Partners and Public Pension Capital.

BEAN COUNTER Internet lender Funding Circle has named ex-Auto Trader bean counter Sean Glithero as chief financial officer.

TRACKER LAUNCH Investment firm Kames Capital has launched a tracker fund for pension schemes seeking to match returns in the UK commercial property market.

BATTERY BID Temporary power generator supplier Aggreko has purchased Younicos, a smart battery firm based in Germany and the US, for 40million.

NEW RADAR Defence giant QinetiQ and the Ministry of Defence are replacing Scottish island St Kildas two weapons-tracking radar as part of a 95million deal to modernise the militarys air ranges.

Around 180million is due to be spent modernising the MOD Hebrides weapons-testing site.

BETTER BET Spread-betting firm Plus500 surged 4.1 per cent, or 22.5p, to 568p, after predicting profits and revenues will significantly beat expectations in 2017 despite a clampdown on the industry by the authorities.

FIBRE FUND A government fund to boost Britains digital infrastructure by 1billion was finally launched yesterday.

It would be invested in small to medium-sized firms seeking to run more fibre broadband cables into homes.

BLOCK SALE Property investor Derwent London has sold an under-construction office block in central London for 165million to Hamburg-based Union Investment Real Estate.

BOLLYWOOD TIE-UP Indian fashion firm Koovs has struck a deal with Bollywood to sell clothes inspired by the When Harry Met Sally adaptation, Jab Harry Met Sejal.

SOLE SELLER American firm AIG has replaced British rival Aviva as the sole seller of Royal Bank of Scotlands life insurance products.

BOARD ROLE Insurance market Lloyds of London has appointed industry veteran Robert Childs as one of its three deputy chairmen.
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By Gina Martinez

FLUSHING  Police were hunting for a woman suspected of grand larceny in Flushing and Jamaica.

According to police, a black female entered two Chase branches, one at 110-36 Merrick Blvd. and one at 32-45 Francis Lewis Blvd. in Queens.

Police said she cashed two checks totaling $1,400 using a 45-year-old womans checking account information before fleeing.

Anyone with information in regards to this incident is asked to call the NYPDs Crime Stoppers Hotline at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477)
Sign up for our amNY Sports email newsletter to get insights and game coverage for your favorite teams

By Bill Parry

A Scandinavian innovation that reduces infant injuries and death could soon be adopted in New York state after both houses of the Legislature passed a bill sponsored by Assemblywoman Aravella Simotas (D-Astoria) last week. Her Newborn Health and Safety Pilot Program, also known as the baby box bill, will now be sent to Gov. Andrew Cuomo to be signed into law.

The goal of Simotas legislation is to reduce infant mortality in New York by having the state Health Department distribute a safe, portable sleeping space  literally baby boxes  for infants six months and younger in areas of the state with the greatest infant mortality rates.

This is a low-tech, inexpensive, yet highly effective way to save babies lives, Simotas said.

The baby boxes and similar apparatus are meant to discourage high-risk behaviors on the part of parents that are associated with Sudden Unexpected Infants Death. They are designed according to the safe infant sleep guidelines of the Academy of Pediatrics and the National institute of Child Health and Human Development.

Each baby box has a firm mattress with a fitted sheet and comes with essential baby care items and educational information for new parents on the dangers of co-sleeping and the risks when blankets, pillows, stuffed animals and loose bedding is used with sleeping infants. Many parents of newborns have no idea that these seemingly innocent items put a sleeping baby at risk.

We cannot ignore the reality for some new families where sleep deprivation and exhaustion, coupled with lack of money to afford a crib, means their babies are put to sleep in risky ways, Simotas said.

The use of baby boxes began in Finland in the 1930s and has recently gained new attention, with baby box projects underway in South Africa, South Asia, London, Canada, Australia, as well as San Antonio and Fort Worth, Texas and Philadelphia. Most recently, New Jersey received a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and it is the first state to offer baby boxes to all parents.

Simotas bill specifies that the state Health Department will monitor the program and within one year provide a report to the Legislature on the programs effectiveness.

The baby box bill advances our states commitment to support healthy parenting and reduce health disparities across different demographic groups, Simotas said. She noted that in 2015 the state adopted her legislation to designate pregnancy as a qualifying life event for the purposes of health insurance enrollment, which now guarantees access to vital prenatal care.
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By Naeisha Rose

New York Secretary of State Rosana Rosado and members of the Jamaica Center BID who want help to revitalize the downtown region spoke about the progress that the area has made and how much further it had to go at a meeting last wee.

The Jamaica Center Business Improvement District has not rested on its laurels this past year, Rosado said at the Harvest Room, located at 90-40 160th St. The state will directly support the renaissance of Jamaicas downtown area.

Executive Director Rhonda Binda spoke about the 3Ts that the BID has been trying to advance in Jamaica.

Our mission is to enhance, promote, develop and advocate for what is developing at Jamaica, Binda said. Weve been implementing the past few years a 3T strategy that centers around technology, transportation and tourism.

Binda considers technology to be the most important ground to cover for Jamaicas growth.

Earlier this year the BID received a commitment from Jukay Hsu, CEO of Coalition for Queens, to train adults in technology. His company teaches coding.

Jamaica resident Saeed Jabbar founded Inclusion, a web design and career skills class that teaches students coding at Queens Central Library, in conjunction with the investment banking firm of Goldman Sachs.

This year Jamaica Avenue will be included in a high-tech study about noise pollution in urban areas with the NYU Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development overseeing it.

Jamaica is involved in three more studies to enhance the area.

One is the downtown transportation study, the other is a streetscape plan that is under the Jamaica Now initiative, and there is also a Jamaica bicycle plan the DOT is looking at, Binda said.

Jamaica Now is an enterprise created by Mayor Bill de Blasio and Borough President Melinda Katz to engage the community to find ways to build up its assets.

Councilman I. Daneek Miller (D-St. Albans) and the BID are working on a free LIRR transfer for those that rely on the rails, subway and bus for travel.

Councilman Rory Lancman (D-Hillcrest)secured $1.7 million to give Rufus King Park a face-lift. The park has several concerts a year.

In partnership with the Greater JFK BID, the Jamaica Center BID joined the second annual New York Travel Festival to increase tourism in the area. Jamaica is now included in the nycgo.com webpage, a guide for tourists to navigate the city.

Jamaica welcomed 18 new businesses. Mac Shack, a mac-and-cheese food joint that has 16 Queens specific menu items, is owned by Kevin James. It is located at 168-18 Jamaica Avenue.

It was a no brainer when the opportunity came to come to Queens, James said. The community is nice and very diverse.

Valerie Stevens, director of business services & operations for JCBID, touted the importance of the 14 LinkNYC kiosks that add broadband to Jamaica and wants to bring more to the area.

Local businesses want to advertise on the Wi-Fi kiosk, Stevens said. This will help us leverage them.

Jamaica is home to 230,000 people, but in reality what is invested here affects hundreds of thousands of people in New York City, Rosado said. We know that revitalizing the area will reverberate throughout the borough, the state and even the country.
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Lake George

Lake George's downtown corridor is bustling these days, with a four-day holiday weekend, a strong economy and a brief respite from months of downpours pushing thousands of people into the region.

Already the area has had at least 1,500 people at its Beach Road Visitors Center, far outpacing the rate of visitors from last year, said Amanda Metzger, marketing director for the Lake George Regional Chamber of Commerce. More than 980 people came to the center on Sunday alone, she said, leading to times "when people were shoulder-to-shoulder."

"It's a revolving door in our office," she said. "The phone has been ringing off the hook for the past week."

Of course, the area's array of seasonal businesses are by now used to huge upticks in foot traffic that come with each July.

But this Fourth of July weekend has been a sort of perfect storm both in Lake George and nationally, with economic conditions and, for some people, four consecutive days off work making short weekend trips more appealing.

Last week AAA estimated a record 44.2 million people would make trips that are more than 50 miles from home over this holiday weekend, a 2.9 percent uptick since last year for which the auto club credited lower gasoline prices, continually strong economic growth and near-historic lows in the unemployment rate. At $2.295 a gallon, Capital Region gas prices are three-tenths of a penny lower than last year, though the difference at the pump is negligible.

But other factors may have spurred some of the northward travel as well. Saturday was the 150th anniversary of Canadian formation. Northbound traffic on the Northway was heavy on Friday, although many of those travelers might also have been heading to the Adirondacks. Amtrak's service from Albany to Montreal was sold out from Thursday to Sunday.

The Fourth of July also falls on the 200th anniversary of the beginning of construction on the Erie Canal, where special bicentennial events are planned through July 8.

Others are taking advantage of the back-to-back days of sunshine after an unusually wet May, June and early July that soaked  or worse flooded  parts of upstate New York.

That made for a slow start to the Lake George season, said Sasha Pardy, president and co-owner of Adirondack Winery. This year, she said Monday, foot traffic into her restaurant has increased, but has been a bit more spread out than it was last year, when the Fourth of July fell on a Monday.

In Albany, meanwhile, hotels and tourism officials are doing what they normally do this time each year: Preparing for the weeks ahead.

Annual fireworks and other events in and around the Capital Region draw tens of thousands of people to the area, said Michele Vennard, president and CEO of the Albany County Convention & Visitors Bureau. But most of those attendees are local, and thus don't cause an appreciable uptick for the tourism sector. And even if they did, the recent surge in the number of of area hotels would make it difficult to determine the impact, with the new supply diluting the market a bit.

The real uptick, she said, comes at the end of the month, when thousands of soon-to-be lawyers and attorneys head to Albany to take the bar exam.

"That's our big bump for July," she said.

RDownen@timesunion.com - 518-454-5018 - Follow @RobertDownenTU
The rifle used by a doctor to injure and kill his former Bronx-Lebanon Hospital colleagues in a Friday incident was legally purchased from a Schenectady gun shop last month, sources said Monday.

The gunman, 45-year-old Henry Bello of Manhattan, bought the AM-15 assault rifle in mid-June from Upstate Guns and Ammo on Schenectady's State Street, said a law enforcement source with knowledge of the investigation.
ALBANY  Federal prosecutors have asked a judge to sever the wide-ranging pay-to-play case against eight defendants involved in upstate development projects into two trials.

In court papers files Friday, prosecutors with the Manhattan-based U.S. attorney's office recommended that the complex case should be split between what have been termed the "Buffalo Billion" defendants and those involving allegedly illicit business conducted with Joseph Percoco, a former top aide and 2014 campaign manager for Gov. Andrew Cuomo.

Broadly, the probe involves alleged cash payments or other gifts made by executives with three development firms in exchange for government favors or business advantage.

All of the defendants have pleaded not guilty. Lobbyist Todd Howe, like Percoco a longtime confidant of Cuomo's, was involved in both alleged schemes. Howe pleaded guilty to multiple felonies last September and is cooperating with federal prosecutors. Alain Kaloyeros, the former president and CEO of SUNY Polytechnic Institute, faces a single charge of wire fraud for his alleged role in bid-rigging.

In addition to Percoco and Kaloyeros, the other defendants in the case are Peter Galbraith Kelly, who oversaw lobbying and public relations for Competitive Power Ventures; Steven F. Aiello and Joseph Gerardi, executives at the Syracuse-area development firm COR Development; and Louis Ciminelli, Michael Laipple and Kevin Schuler from the Buffalo development firm LPCiminelli.

Each of the defendants has asked for their case to be severed from at least some of the others on the grounds that they face the risk of prejudice inherent in a joint trial.

In court papers, prosecutors conceded that while the charges overall "share a substantial identity of facts and participants," the severance of the case into two trials is appropriate. The federal government wants one trial to consider alleged bid-rigging involving SUNY Poly-managed development projects, with Kaloyeros, Aiello, Gerardi, Ciminelli, Laipple and Schuler in the dock; the second trial, centered around bribes and favors allegedly funneled to Percoco, would involve him as well as Kelly, whose former firm is attempting to construct a controversial gas-fired power plant in Orange County, and COR executives Gerardi and Aiello.

The government's Friday filing  running to 175 pages plus exhibits  also attempted to knock down a flurry of motions from the various defense attorneys asking U.S. District Judge Valerie Caproni to move any trial out of Manhattan, suppress certain evidence and dismiss changes for reasons ranging from excessive broadness to prosecutorial misconduct.

At least one trial in the case is expected to begin as soon as this fall.
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HOOSICK FALLS  Village resident Michael Ryan and his family were about to sit down to dinner Saturday night when he heard a noise from the basement.

Behind the door was rising water mixed with heating oil. A look outside revealed a foot of water also climbing outside the two-story home at 4 Walton St. Ryan, his wife and 2 1/2-week-old daughter escaped the home shortly before 8 p.m. Saturday, and sought refuge at his parents house.

"I didn't think living that far from the hill would be a bad thing, but apparently it was last night," Ryan said, adding he was thankful everyone was safe. "Dirt can be taken care of."

Ryan's home was one of at least 10 evacuated Saturday in Hoosick Falls after torrential thunderstorms flooded portions of the village and the nearby towns of Hoosick and Pittstown.

More information GETTING HELP

On the web: Latest information on the Village of Hoosick Falls website.

The state Department of Environmental Conservation: DEC asks people who witness spills as a result of flooding to call (888) 459-8667; and, for those who have well systems that have been flooded and have questions, call (800) 457-7362.

Supplies and relief: Northeastern Baptist College President and village resident Mark Ballard is offering free Disaster Relief, as an extension of the Southern Baptist Convention. This can include flood recovery, mud out, and moving debris. If you are interested in this, contact Vermont Disaster Relief Coordinator Ed Lucas at 603-504-4955. See More Collapse

The flooding comes on the heels of residents and local officials of these Rensselaer County towns battling water contamination caused by PFOA.

The basement of the John J. Murphy Rensselaer County office building on Church Street, which holds a DMV and aging and mental health services, was flooded and will be closed until further notice, said Christopher Meyer, deputy county executive for Rensselaer County.

A sinkhole also opened up on Route 7 and kept that road closed Sunday, with state Department of Transportation crews working on repairs.

Hoosick Falls Central School and St. Mary's Academy were opened Saturday night as temporary shelters.

Meyer said there were residents in Pittstown who also had to be evacuated Saturday night because of concerns about the Hoosic River flooding.

Both Pittstown and the Village of Hoosick Falls declared states of emergency.

A sinkhole the size of two tractor-trailers opened up next to Church Street in the village, with flooding also leading to the evacuation of houses on Hall Street, said Hoosick Falls Mayor Robert Allen.

The following roads were closed Saturday into Sunday: Tamarac Road in Pittstown; River Road in Schaghticoke, and County Roads 102, 95 and 103 in the Town of Hoosick.

Various roads in the Town of Hoosick were also closed or reduced to one lane after an estimated 4 to 4.5 inches of rain fell within a few hours Saturday afternoon into Saturday evening.

The flooding in Hoosick Falls was caused by the swelling of Woods Brook creek, a small tributary that runs through many residents' backyards and often overflows its banks. Culverts that carry storm water under, and along, roads also were overwhelmed.

"I've spoken to people who have lived here for 50 years," Allen said Sunday. "They say they've never seen anything like this."

The National Weather Service in Albany said Hoosick Falls experienced isolated thunderstorms that kept re-forming over the area. Portions of Oneida and southern Herkimer counties  including a main highway into Utica  were also underwater Saturday. Hudson Falls in Washington County got the most rain Saturday in the Capital Region  5.1 inches worth. However, that area reported no flooding.

In Hoosick Falls, two other sinkholes opened up one near the creek, another by the former St. Mary's building.

Theresa Thurber used to have a side yard on Church Street. Thurber, who has lived on the street for 19 years, said she watched Saturday as the lush green yard slowly fell away. The sinkhole stopped just shy of her shed, she said.

"It's just property," Thurber said with a shrug, adding she feels bad for those who can't return home. "I've never, ever seen anything like this before. It's really amazing the force of water."

Allen said village fire and police were also just starting to evaluate Sunday how many residences experienced basement or first floor flooding. Some homes had power turned off manually because of flooding and electrocution concerns, Allen said.

A cost or timeline as to how long it will take to fix the damage were unknown, the mayor said.

As for the contamination of the chemical PFOA that is still polluting the village's groundwater, Allen said the flooding did not exacerbate the contamination. He said flooding did not compromise the municipality's water filtration system.

The situation became more tense Saturday night after an elderly resident on Hall Street experienced chest pain and had to be evacuated. Allen said rescue crews carried the resident across the rushing water on a lawn chair. The resident's outdoor propane tank had also broken free of its anchoring and was leaking.

Hall Street on Sunday was lined with sludge and debris that had been carried by the raging water, after a dam behind homes on the residential road became clogged and water diverted itself into the surrounding properties.

Resident Bonnie Bennett was alerted to the rising waters in her Hall Street home after her dog started begging to go outside.

"We all got out safe, but my home is destroyed," said Bennett, who has lived on the street for 19 years and said she has never seen such flooding. While her backyard was covered in riverbed stone and sludge, Bennett was thankful for the support she has received. "

I have a wonderful, supportive family, which makes a big difference when something like this happens," she said.

The Hoosick Falls Village Fire Department will be working with residents in the coming days pumping out flooded basements and other structures.

Police advise residents to not enter a flooded basement as it may contain hazardous free flowing chemicals or appliances that could cause electrocution. Rescue crews from across Rensselaer County, and neighboring departments from Washington County and Bennington, Vermont, assisted in road closure and evacuation efforts, in addition to help from the State Police.

lstanforth@timesunion.com or 454-5697
Separatists in the Kashmir Valley have projected themselves as being the only advocates for the people of Jammu and Kashmir, especially the Kashmir Valley. In...

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NEW SCOTLAND  Brian Warner is still working to clear out his childhood home in the wake of his father's death two years ago.

Warner's father was a professional photographer, and his grandfather a regular at auction and estate sales. So there was a lot of stuff.

After Warner's daughter, who recently moved into the house on State Farm Road, found yet another of her grandfather's boxes crammed into a nook under a bedroom dormer, she brought it to her father to go through.

What Warner found about two weeks ago, wrapped in a tiny bundle of handwritten documents from the 19th century, is what appears to be an original program detailing the city of Albany's Fourth of July celebrations in 1817.

The paper of the single-page document feels almost like fabric, similar to that of worn U.S. currency, its edges slightly tattered. The document details a procession that was "announced by a Gun at daybreak," and started at "Mansion House, Market-street," a hotel and tavern.

The program says the procession reached to the North Dutch Church, which is now First Church of Albany on North Pearl Street, and was overseen by Marshal Solomon Van Rensselaer, a New York congressman, Albany postmaster and War of 1812 veteran.

The parade also featured influential players of the time, like the governor and Supreme Court judges as well as groups whose names have long since faded, including "the Society for the Promotion of Useful Arts" and the "Association of Cordwainers." Cordwainer is an old-fashioned word for shoemaker.

Warner, 62, knew quickly what he found would be of interest to someone. But it didn't dawn on him until the last few days that the flier is exactly 200 years old.

The Times Union described the document to former state assemblyman and Albany historian Jack McEneny, who was away at his camp on Great Sacandaga Lake Monday. McEneny said the program sounds legitimate and that a number of Albany's historic sites will be interested in the document.

"(Records) pop up from time to time  but maybe not this particular one," McEneny said.

Warner said he is waiting to see if the Ten Broeck Mansion, home of the Albany County Historical Association, will contact him about accepting the document into its collections. Descendants of the Van Rensselaers lived at Ten Broeck. McEneny said Historic Cherry Hill would likely have great interest in the program, seeing as it was Solomon Van Rensselaer's home up until his death in 1852.

No one could be reached at Ten Broeck or Cherry Hill Monday the day before the holiday to comment on Warner's find.

"I figured, get it in the right hands, so other people could see it," said Warner, a retired Air Force master sergeant, who wants to donate the document to a worthy home.

He can't discern if there is any significance to the other documents that were in the same bundle as the program. Secured with a string and tag that said it was the personal monetary accounts of an unknown individual, Warner presumes his grandfather, Aaron Warner, bought it at an estate sale decades ago.

Warner's father's home was replete with other treasures.

Warner sold to a collector a Knight's Cross that was in its original box  a Nazi medal Warner's father, Frank, found when his Army unit was stationed in North Africa at the end of World War II. Warner also took a book of his father's war photographs to a publisher in Bennington, Vt., in hopes there will be wider interest in seeing Frank Warner's chronicle of wartime, including the planes he photographed while aboard them in flight.

lstanforth@timesunion.com or 454-5697
QUEENSBURY  Two downstate and one New Jersey resident are facing felony charges following a traffic stop in Queensbury.

State Police in Latham said Monday that Genesis Moreno, from Passiac, N.J., Keith Brewley, from the Bronx, and Christopher Clark, from the New York City area, all were charged with felony criminal possession of a controlled substance, after a traffic stop on Saturday revealed the three had quantities of heroin, ecstasy, marijuana and Fentanyl.
A new plan to breath life back into Tipperary towns struggling retail sector, was presented at this months Cashel Tipperary Municipal District meeting.

Town centre revival expert Mr David Fizsimons, CEO of Retail Excellence Ireland (REI), told Councillors that the main ways to revive a town are to concentrate at all times on doing things which will motivate locals to use their own town, define where the inner core of the town is and start there, establish a Town Team involving all stakeholders, and to design a deliverable town plan.

Mr Fizsimons said he would ban discussion regarding rates, parking fees, and pedestrianisation.

Cllr Tom Wood pointed out that in Cashel, 21 businesses had closed in the town centre: 20 years ago there were 26 pubs in town, now there are only 10. Some 16 beauticians or hairdressers operate in the town of Cashel, and while were delighted to have them its a sign that other businesses have left leaving empty premises. Were these businesses to leave, the town centre would be empty. You can see it on a Monday, when theyre closed.

In the next 20 years there will be little or less small businesses in the town centre. People simply cannot make a living. You have online shopping, which is massive. Within 10 years, even substantial businesses may close. In Cashel, the four major retailers in the country are located in the town centre, outcompeting smaller local shops. Our towns have to be residential. We have to get more people living in the town centre, said Cllr Wood.

Some solutions include boosting online support for small busineses, said Mr Fizsimons. Cllr Martin Browne said they need to think outside the box, and generate different types of business to attract shoppers back into the town core.

Cllr Denis Leahy said consumers want variety. That variety has declined. If you have economic stagnation, you will not have variety in the shops. We need to start from the beginning. We are a patient that is critically ill, that needs all the help we can get. I welcome this as the first step in reviving Tipp town, added Cllr Leahy.

Mr Fizsimons said parking charges need to be commensurate with the offer, and at the moment the offer in Tipperary is substandard.

Cllr Marie Hanna Hourigan said she had tried to help a Limerick businessman set up shop in Tipperary town, but rates of 20,000 meant he couldnt afford to.

Cllr Roger Kennedy said rates across the County are being harmonised, but Limericks are cheaper.

Mr Fizsimons said the problems impacting towns include: out of town retail preference, a weak town centre mix, greater consumer mobility, car parking charges and enforcement, mixed landlord base, accessibility, changing consumer behaviour, E-Commerce competition, planning policy, and being over-retailed.

Improving the town offer would include three strands, firstly: motivating retail and hospitality providers to open for business, innovative uses of buildings such as town creches, visitor offices, town galleries, and designating a part of the inner core as a rent and rates controlled zone and invite small artisan providers to come and trade.

Secondly, improving the public realm by appointing street ambassadors who would conduct street standard audits; painting, planting, and awning schemes, street furniture, and civic spaces.

Thirdly, create a citizen database and a town brand, send texts and alerts outlining reasons to come into town, and develop reasons for citizens to use their town, for example outdoor cinema nights, food events, family days, duck race, Halloween, Easter egg hunts and more.






The K-ICT Born2Global Centre, a major Korean government agency under the Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning (MSIP), announced that the VR eye-tracking technology of member company Visual Camp will be mounted on Samsung Electronics' next-generation all-in-one-type Exynos VR HMD (head-mounted display).

Eye tracking is crucial to both virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR) technologies. When applied to VR and AR, the resolution of the part of the display screen being viewed by the user's eyes at any given time is sharpened, while the resolution for all other parts is reduced: this process is called "foveated rendering".

Several other technologies will be applied to the Exynos 3, in addition to the company's eye-tracking technology, including hand tracking, voice recognition, and facial expression recognition.

Visual Camp attracted significant attention for its VR eye-tracking technology at the Samsung Electronics booth at Mobile World Congress Shanghai 2017 (MWCS 2017), held from June 28 through July 1 in Shanghai. At the event, Samsung Electronics revealed its new Exynos 3 and VR reference platform.

With its mobile HMD-optimized eye-tracking technology, Visual Camp has now truly become a global player. Because its technology can be applied to both smartphone-connected and all-in-one HMD devices and features lower electricity consumption and prevents smart phone CPUs from overheating, Visual Camp has a clear comparative advantage over its competitors.

A measurement of the CPU power consumption of Samsung Electronics' Exynos 8890 chip resulted in the relatively low (average) figure of less than three percent, proving the product's outstanding performance.

Visual Camp CEO Suk Yunchan said, "By collaborating with Samsung Electronics, our technology was internationally recognized at MWCS 2017, enabling us to secure a bridgehead for future global marketing efforts. Now, we will continue promoting the high quality of Korean startup technologies and products overseas."

Chief Executive Director Kim Jong-kap of the Born2Global Centre said, "The recent buyouts by Apple, Google, and Facebook of companies that possess eye-tracking technology show that this technology is receiving a great deal of interest within the VR industry. We therefore have high expectations for the future of Visual Camp, which has demonstrated its highly promising VR-related technology."

The company is already widely recognized for its technological competitiveness and growth potential. After its inclusion on the 2015 Red Herring Asia 100 list, which has featured prominent industry names such as Google, Facebook, Alibaba, and Kakao, Visual Camp was also included on the G-Startup Seoul Top 15, which is a ranking which involves the participation of over 200 outstanding startup companies from all over the world.

Contact Person: Jina Lee

Email: [email protected]

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170701/1888964-1-a

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170701/1888964-1-b

Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170701/1888964-1-c

SOURCE K-ICT Born2Global Centre
[July 03, 2017] Indian Schools Go Digital With EfeeOnline and Microsoft

BANGALORE, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- NISA's 55,000-member schools to adopt EfeeOnline, a future-ready payment solution Microsoft India today signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) to empower Microsoft Aspire School Program (MASP) Pro Suite's teachers and students. MASP Pro Suite - which combines the benefits of Microsoft's technology and e-payment solutions from EfeeOnline - is a value-based offering to equip schools with an integrated set of technology and innovative learning solutions. It also modernizes their campuses, drives transformation for enhanced learning experiences and prepares students for their future. With this partnership, the 55,000-member schools of NISA, spread across 23 states, can now avail MASP Pro Plus and EfeeOnline's next-generation payment solutions to enhance teaching and learning. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530108/Efee_Microsoft_Online_Fee_Payment_Solution_India.jpg )

EfeeOnline is integrated with the Microsoft Aspire School Program (MASP) as MASP Pro Suite. Additionally, EfeeOnline has a server-to-server connectivity with leading banks, providing solutions like payment from any device, at any time, with online receipts, school alerts, payment reminders and online dashboards to receive e-circulars from the schools. Kulbhushan Sharma, President, National Independent Schools Alliance, said, "We are delighted to partner with Microsoft India and EfeeOnline to offer MASP Pro Plus to our member schools. This partnership will help us in our mission to create an enabling ecosystem for budget private schools to improve accessibility, affordability and quality of education." According to Roshini Kumar, President, EfeeOnline, "EfeeOnline will empower parents to pay the school fee from anywhere, in anyplace, during anytime and on any device using multimode payment services. Schools will be able to integrate te fee collection seamlessly with different payment platforms on EfeeOnline, and knock down the barriers between the home and the educational institution."



Microsoft India and EfeeOnline will provide NISA's schools with MASP Pro Plus to offer distinct benefits to educators and students. The benefits for educators include: - Microsoft Empowered Teacher Sessions: Webinars for teachers to help in content creation, collaboration tools in classrooms, Windows apps and coding, new technology concepts such as Cloud and IoT.

- Virtual Master Training Programs: IT learning tools for educators to choose from. Students, on the other hand, can benefit from services such as: - Microsoft Student Associate Engagement: Access to a series of four webinars in a month. Themes for student webinars include Productivity tools, Office 365, Skype, Yammer, Windows apps, Azure Concepts, Big Data & Internet of Things, Entrepreneurship case studies and Gaming. - Developer Skills Curriculum access:The curriculum nurtures students' inquisitiveness and imagination, enabling them to access a wide variety of resources and information. - Access to Microsoft's ICT curriculum: This is aligned to the National ICT Policy. EfeeOnline offerings: - EfeeOnline ERP - on-premise / on-cloud, to create student's data, fee demands, fee receipts and e-Circulars. - The Parents Dashboard - for payment of fees and to receive e-Circulars from the schools - The e-Governance Dashboard - to give a complete single window reporting to the management - The mobile app - to allow parents to pay fee from anywhere, any place and on any device. EfeeOnline Value Adds: - Multimode Payment

- Debit Card

- Credit Card

- Net banking

- Direct Bank Collections - Server-to-server Connectivity

- UPI integration

- Mobile Payment

- Touch Card

- Digital Wallets About National Independent Schools Alliance: The National Independent Schools Alliance (NISA) is a platform that brings together budget private schools (BPS), from across the country, to give them a unified voice. It addresses their concerns about legislations and bye-laws, which apply to them, and to facilitate quality improvement in schools. As of today, NISA represents over 55,000 schools, from 23 state associations, which cater to the needs of 9.35 million children at an average of 250 children per school. About EfeeOnline: EfeeOnline is a bespoke payment solution to digitize school accounts. It benefits the parents and the educational institution by delivering a multimode fee payment service, with the following payment modes: -Payment Gateway: which accepts credit and debit cards from Master, Visa, Amex and RuPay -Net Banking: Payment through direct debit -Mobile Payment Gateway: Parents can pay their wards' fees using the mobile app -Cheque drop boxes or payments across bank counters: Efeeonline partnership with banks, enables the parents to pay the school fees by using the cheque drop facility payment across bank counters. -Digital wallet: e-Fee online comes integrated with the digital wallet It makes the school future-ready and makes it go digital and go green. Please visit http://efeeonline.com/ for more details. Media Contact:

Ali Sait

EfeeOnline

[email protected]

[email protected]

+91-7353901999



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In this episode of Business Today, watch the exclusive interview of Ray Dalio, Founder of the world's biggest hedge fund Bridgewater Associates, as he shares his views on the global economy, investment tips and much more.
[July 03, 2017] Atos recognized as Global Leader in Digital Workplace Services by ISG

PARIS, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Atos, a global leader in digital transformation, today announced it has been recognized by Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, as a Leader in Digital Workplace Services worldwide. According to the ISG Provider Lens Archetype report[1] on Digital Workplace Services, Atos was named a leader in all five Digital Workplace Services buyer categories, or "archetypes." The report assesses the relative capabilities of 25 global service providers based on the needs of enterprise clients as defined by five buyer archetypes: Ad-hoc, Transformation-Oriented, Cloud-enabled, Digital and Next Gen Sourcing*. Being a leader in all five of these buyer categories underscores Atos' ability to meet a large set of customer needs and expectations. The report also validates Atos' expertise in supporting businesses to create agile, secure and affordable digital workplaces in which employees can connect, communicate and collaborate efficiently, resulting in improved user experience and satisfaction, enhanced productivity and business performance. With its Atos Digital Workplace offering, Atos has developed a true end-to-end solution to transform the employee experience. Delivered through an enhanced partnership ecosystem, it includes: A highly secure workplace, available anytime, anywhere

Cloud services (Workplace-as-a-service based on Atos Canopy Digital Private Cloud)

Mobility and feature-rich communication and collaboration services (including Unify's Circuit product). With its Help & Interaction Center, Atos transforms how end-users are kept productive, offering an omnichannel support experience, bringing high levels of user self-elp, shift left and automation. These services are combined with virtual assistants (such as Atos Virtual Assistant (AVA), developed in partnership with Spanish start-up Cognicor and its next-generation artificial intelligence engine), underpinned by end-to-end journey analytics, to proactively minimize downtime and ensure a first-rate user experience.



"Atos has demonstrated experience in the end user and digital workplace services space. This experience, combined with its industry knowledge and expertise, has helped make Atos a leading choice for an end-to-end workplace transformation partner," said Jan Erik Aase, director and principal analyst with ISG Research. "Our research considers five buyer types when evaluating how each service provider meets their specialized needs. Atos scored very highly in all the dimensions." "Being positioned by ISG Research as a Leader in all of the five 'archetypes' worldwide validates our position as the preferred partner for business transformation and innovation in the Digital Workplace arena," says Peter Pluim, Executive Vice President for Infrastructure and Data Management at Atos. "We work in partnership with our clients to help them accelerate their digital transformation and create inspiring and engaging digital workplaces in which employees can thrive."

To download the full report, go to http://go.atos.net/LP=638. To find out more about how Atos Digital Workplace can help transform your business go to: https://atos.net/en/solutions/atos-digital-workplace. * Detailed description of the categories of user types ("archetypes"): Ad-hoc -- these clients usually have a legacy-heavy enterprise IT function that often has multiple silos and is disjointed from the business. These clients need proper advisory and consulting services for workplace transformation - Atos recognized as a leader.

-- these clients usually have a legacy-heavy enterprise IT function that often has multiple silos and is disjointed from the business. These clients need proper advisory and consulting services for workplace transformation - Transformation-Oriented -- these clients adopt digital workplace initiatives to improve their service delivery and operational efficiency. For them automation-focused IT service delivery is of paramount importance - Atos recognized as a leader.

-- these clients adopt digital workplace initiatives to improve their service delivery and operational efficiency. For them automation-focused IT service delivery is of paramount importance - Cloud-enabled -- These clients want to adopt cloud-based technologies for workplace delivery on any device any time. Cloud-based workplace, unified communication and workplace productivity tools will be key for these clients - Atos recognized as a leader.

-- These clients want to adopt cloud-based technologies for workplace delivery on any device any time. Cloud-based workplace, unified communication and workplace productivity tools will be key for these clients - Digital --These clients look beyond BYOD and anytime, anywhere access. Key requirements and competencies for these clients include advanced analytics use, automation and business process mobilization and an enterprise mobility practice - Atos recognized as a leader.

--These clients look beyond BYOD and anytime, anywhere access. Key requirements and competencies for these clients include advanced analytics use, automation and business process mobilization and an enterprise mobility practice - Next Gen Sourcing -- These clients have deep experience in sourcing their workplace services. These clients will look for a digital workplace solution that is oriented to business enablement and achieving business objectives - Atos recognized as a leader. About Atos Atos is a global leader in digital transformation with approximately 100,000 employees in 72 countries and annual revenue of around EUR12 billion. The European number one in Big Data, Cybersecurity, High Performance Computing and Digital Workplace, The Group provides Cloud services, Infrastructure & Data Management, Business & Platform solutions, as well as transactional services through Worldline, the European leader in the payment industry. With its cutting-edge technologies, digital expertise and industry knowledge, Atos supports the digital transformation of its clients across various business sectors: Defense, Financial Services, Health, Manufacturing, Media, Energy & Utilities, Public sector, Retail, Telecommunications and Transportation. The Group is the Worldwide Information Technology Partner for the Olympic & Paralympic Games and operates under the brands Atos, Atos Consulting, Atos Worldgrid, Bull, Canopy, Unify and Worldline. Atos SE (Societas Europaea) is listed on the CAC40 Paris stock index. [1] ISG Provider Lens Archetype, Digital Workplace Services - Global, Jan Erik Aase, director and principal analyst with ISG, 29th June, 2017 Photo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170629/1887988-1-a

Logo - https://photos.prnasia.com/prnh/20170629/1887988-1LOGO-b SOURCE Atos

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[July 03, 2017]

Securitas Enters the Australian Security Services Market

STOCKHOLM, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ --PSGA has been a partner to Securitas in Australia for many years, providing consulting and investigation services and guarding services to Securitas' global customers mainly in Sydney and Melbourne. The company has 120 employees and annual sales of approximately MSEK 81 (MAUD 12).

"We see opportunities to grow with our global customers in Australia, to establish a solid local business in the country, and at the same time develop the market over time into more electronic security-based solutions", says Alf Goransson, Securitas' President and CEO.

The Australian private security market, which includes on-site and mobile guarding, monitoring, cash In transit (CIT) and private investigations, is a mature market, estimated to be worth BAUD 6.2, with an expected annual growth rate of 2 percent over the next five years. It is estimated that the industry has more than 54 000 security officers and 6 000 active security companies. However, there has been a trend of consolidation in the market over the past decades. Geographically, the security services market in Australia is concentrated to Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane.

The acquisition is expected to be consolidated in Securitas in the third quarter of 2017.

This press release is also available at: www.securitas.com

Information:

Gisela Lindstrand

Senior Vice President Corporate Communications and Public Affairs

Securitas AB

mobile: +46-70-287-8662

email: [email protected]

Securitas is a global knowledge leader in security. We base our protective services on customer-specific needs through different combinations of on-site, mobile and remote guarding, electronic security, fire and safety and corporate risk management. Everywhere from small stores to airports, our 335000 employees are making a difference.

This information was brought to you by Cision http://news.cision.com

http://news.cision.com/securitas/r/securitas-enters-the-australian-security-services-market,c2301147

The following files are available for download:

To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/securitas-enters-the-australian-security-services-market-300482916.html

SOURCE Securitas
[July 03, 2017] Hospitalsuggest.com - A Paradigm Shift in the World of Healthcare Services

MUMBAI, July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Hospitalsuggest.com aims to bring a revolution in the Healthcare industry in India through its unique Healthcare Service activity like never before, where it facilitates to connect care seekers and care providers for all kinds of health issues. The Mumbai-based digital healthcare startup, was founded in April 2017 by Prassant Kumar and Co-founder Smita Kumar. (Photo: http://mma.prnewswire.com/media/530149/Hospital_Suggest_Co_founders.jpg )

Hospital Suggest - the Healthcare startup, is India's first Hospital Discovery and Recommendation platform. As the name suggests, it helps people in all their healthcare needs by connecting them to their choice of hospital, best suiting their expectations. To know more, kindly click on this video link. Now patients can make informed choices based on the information provided in Hospital Suggest. They can compare hospitals' offerings, features and facilities, doctors and also request for quotes and receive cost estimates too for their planned healthcare needs. Not only this, patients can also check other patient reviews, get assistance from a panel of medical experts who help patients by providing the best recommendation and connecting them with the right caregiver matching their requirements after completely understanding their condition. The patient then selects the hospital of his choice and also gets discounts on cost of treatment when routed through Hospital Suggest. Hospital Suggest covers 60+ different specialities from cardiac to orthopedics to gynecology, to cater to every patient's need. It is a virtual hospital based on marketplace model, where it enables digital interactions between healthcare providers and patients. As a platform, it has a combination of marketplace, digital communication, personal health records and health assistant; and hence, it helps a patient during his/her entire course of treatment. When it comes to surgeries and advanced treatment, people often have queries around the best surgeons, hospitals, and cost of treatment. "One consults friends and family, local doctors, and the Internet to discover this information. Almost everyone goes to the Internet to find or validate. We could not find any credible platform that answers these questions," says 39-year-old Prassant Kumar. "We have understood that the patient is extremely focused on what he is looking for, and does not want to experience an information overload. Keeping that in mind, we are creating experiences on hospitalsuggest.com. For example, a user selects his desired area, hospital location/hospital name, and desired treament as input and try to answer the top questions in his mind - comparison among hospitals, best quotes for treatment, best hospitals, best facility etc," expresses Smita, a hardcore techie and Co-founder of Hospital Suggest.



In India, connecting and following up with a doctor is a daunting task as 80% of the healthcare infrastructure resides in top 20 cities. And unavailability of personal health data and medical records make it even worse. With its technology and proposition, hospitalsuggest.com aims to disrupt the Indian Healthcare market of remote consultation, continuous care, follow-up and second opinion using chat, audio and video solution for better connect between healthcare providers and receivers. As per several reports, India is emerging as the world capital for diabetic and chronic patients; this validates the need of a system which can help a patient in continuous care and remote consultation. Driven by this urgent need, Hospital Suggest has designed a comprehensive information system as Electronic Health Record, wherein, among other utility functions like vital signs, Health Insurance Records, Emergency notifications, Medical address Book etc., one can store, update his/her total medical reports/prescriptions/history and retrieve the same when it is needed most simply with a click, saving precious time and money. Within a short span of time i.e., two months since its launch, the company has around 250 healthcare providers, over 6000 users with more than 45 consultations delivered using the platform. "We believe in a holistic approach and hence from day one, we have electronic health record, digital prescriptions, appointment system and health recommendation system along with digital consultation, which is our key offering," the company said in a statement.

The Founders Prassant, a pioneering healthcare IT serial entrepreneur, promotes Caresoft, India's leading healthcare IT enterprise. With over 15 years of professional experience in hospital management systems and building healthcare products, he has been into developing and managing digital innovations in the healthcare domain, including Data Analytics and Data Mining. Smita is a Co-founder of Caresoft with a rich 12-year experience in the healthcare domain. She also brings with her the experience of the Indian healthcare ecosystem. Her key expertise areas are product management, growth hacking and strategy planning. Current product offerings: Hospitalsuggest app - It is available for Android users. Hospital Suggest works as a virtual hospital, where users can see profiles of hospitals, compare their experience and expertise, service, amenities and connect online with medical specialists for health issues via chat, video consultation and audio consultation. It helps doctors to bring their practice online, enhance their credibility, building online reputation and connecting with patients across the world. Very soon it will be available for iOS users also. "We are trying to bring transparency in healthcare services by putting the patient in the center of continuum of the care circle. We offer online healthcare assistance through our web portal and mobile app that enhances patient reach through video consultation, e-prescription and other built-in features enabling digital consultation for all medical enquiries from anywhere including remote areas, villages of India, anytime," said Prassant Kumar. Funding and monetization hospitalsuggest.com, a unit of Janhvi Hospital Suggest Pvt. Ltd., is bootstrapped till now and is actively looking for external funding. It manages its service cost by charging minimal processing charges out of the discount offer on hospital bill from Healthcare providers. Future plans Going forward, the startup plans to add multiple specialties in Allopathy, Homeopathy, Ayurveda & Naturopathy; bringing Artificial Intelligence in healthcare is also on the list. AI in healthcare and medicine has the power to organize patient routes or treatment plans better, and also provide physicians with literally all the information they need to make a good decision. Further, it is looking to make partnerships with medicine delivery solutions providers. Immediate plan is to invite corporate houses to experience Hospital Suggest for its employees/members in terms of using the Electronic Health Record System offered free of cost. The company will add services like Symptoms Based Search, Real Time Doctor Consultation, iOS Applications, Personal Health Record Management, Health Recommendation Data Engine, Wearable Integration and Health Devices Integration. Market size equation According to a report by Equentis Capital, the Healthcare sector in India is expected to touch $158.2 billion in 2017 from $78.6 billion in 2012. The model of virtual consultation is also seeing several startups adopting it. As the trend stands today, the healthcare sector in India is expected to reach a market size of 280 billion dollars by 2020. To achieve this size, the industry will have to grow at a compound annual growth rate of more than 15% per annum for the next 10 years. This can only mean one thing - a robust growth in captive demand for skilled healthcare workers. Hospital Suggest is all geared up to sail with the trend - believes Founder Prassant Kumar. Media Contact:

Prassant Kumar

Director, Janhvi Hospital Suggest Private Limited

[email protected]

+91-9820233720



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[July 03, 2017] Jeep Wrangler and Cherokee Named Top-two 'Most American' Vehicles on Cars.com's American-Made Index

AUBURN HILLS, Mich., July 3, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Jeep Wrangler earns top spot on Cars.com's annual American-Made Index; Jeep Cherokee ranks second among all vehicles

Wrangler's domestic parts content was among the highest figures observed in this year's American Made Index: 74 percent for Wrangler 2-door and 75 percent for Wrangler 4-door Jeep Wrangler  the most capable and recognizable vehicle in the world  has earned the top spot on Cars.com's annual American-Made Index for 2017, while Jeep Cherokee ranks second among all vehicles. "As a descendant of the military Jeep that helped the Allies win World War II, the Jeep Wrangler already has strong American credentials," said Joe Wiesenfelder, Cars.com's executive editor. "In Cars.com's 2017 American Made Index, the Wrangler's American roots prove as deep as its image. The SUV has long been a Cars.com favorite for off-roaders and sun-lovers." To make the American-Made Index, vehicles are evaluated on five key criteria, including assembly location, domestic parts content, country of engine origin, country of transmission origin and U.S. factory employment. Cars.com determined that Wrangler's domestic parts content was among the highest figures observed in this year's American Made Index: 74 percent for Wrangler 2-door and 75 percent for Wrangler 4-door. Wrangler is assembled in Toledo, Ohio. "We are delighted to celebrate America's most patriotic day with the news that Cars.com's American-Made Index has ranked Jeep Wrangler and Cherokee as the two overall most-American vehicles for 2017," said Mike Manley, Head of Jeep Brand  FCA Global. "On this Fourth of July holiday we salute the dedicated employees who build Wrangler and Cherokee, as well as the loyal Jeep owners who drive them." Jeep Wrangler features a standard eight-speaker audio system and an optional nine-speaker Premium Alpine Audio Package that includes a subwoofer and a 552-watt amplifier. The Jeep Wrangler delivers unmatched off-road capability with legendary four-wheel drive and is produced with more than seven decades of 4x4 engineering experience. Wrangler continues to offer a body-on-frame design, front and rear five-link suspension system, live axles, electronic lockers and is one of the few mid-size SUVs that offer a six-speed manua transmission, in addition to its five-speed automatic.



For more information on the 2017 Cars.com American-Made Index, including a deeper dive into the data and methodology, visit www.cars.com/news. About Cars.com

Cars.com is a leading online destination that helps car shoppers and owners navigate every turn of car ownership. A pioneer in automotive classified, the company has evolved into one of the largest digital automotive platforms, connecting consumers with local dealers across the country anytime, anywhere. Through trusted expert content, on-the-lot mobile app features, millions of new and used vehicle listings, a comprehensive set of research tools and the largest database of consumer reviews in the industry, Cars.com helps shoppers buy, sell and service their vehicles. Cars.com companies include DealerRater, Auto.com, PickupTrucks.com and NewCars.com. The company was founded in 1998 and is headquartered in Chicago. For more information, visit www.Cars.com

About Jeep Brand

Built on more than 75 years of legendary heritage, Jeep is the authentic SUV with class-leading capability, craftsmanship and versatility for people who seek extraordinary journeys. The Jeep brand delivers an open invitation to live life to the fullest by offering a full line of vehicles that continue to provide owners with a sense of security to handle any journey with confidence. The Jeep vehicle lineup consists of the Cherokee, Compass, Grand Cherokee, Renegade and Wrangler. To meet consumer demand around the world, all Jeep models sold outside North America are available in both left and right-hand drive configurations and with gasoline and diesel powertrain options. Follow Jeep and FCA US news and video on:

Company blog: http://blog.fcanorthamerica.com

Company website: www.fcanorthamerica.com

Media website: http://media.fcanorthamerica.com

FCA360: www.fca360.com

Jeep brand: www.jeep.com

Jeep blog: blog.jeep.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jeep or https://www.facebook.com/FiatChrysler.NorthAmerica/

Instagram: www.instagram.com/jeep or www.instagram.com/FiatChrysler_NA

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jeep or www.twitter.com/FiatChrysler_NA

YouTube: www.youtube.com/thejeepchannel or www.youtube.com/pentastarvideo To view the original version on PR Newswire, visit:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/jeep-wrangler-and-cherokee-named-top-two-most-american-vehicles-on-carscoms-american-made-index-300483015.html SOURCE FCA US LLC

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Election results: Check out results from various races across the state
By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 2 (PTI) At least eight people were killed and 35 others injured today in a natural gas pipeline explosion in southwest Chinas Guizhou Province, authorities said.

The explosion occurred at around 10 am (local time) in the town of Shazi, Qinglong County. The injured, including four in critical condition, have been sent to hospital for treatment, according to rescuers.

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Days of heavy rain triggered a landslide, which crushed the pipeline operated by the China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and caused gas leak and ensuing blast, state-run Xinhua news agency reported.

The fire caused by the explosion was put out and residents nearby were evacuated, while further investigation continues. PTI KJV AJR

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A few weeks ago, when engineering firm Burns & McDonnell announced its proposal to finance and build a new billion dollar single terminal at the Kansas City International Airport, it was doing so alone. But on Friday the firm announced the addition of, "Some of the most recognized Kansas City firms in architectural design for airport terminals and aviation facilities" to their team.
Women issue plea for information on shooting that wounded them, and killed another Two victims of gun violence in Kansas City are asking for anyone with information to come forward. A Raytown man has been charged with last November's shooting that killed a young mother - and changed three other lives. But the case is far from closed.

We blame a of topics related to local crime on the political elite but a culture of silence has been part of Kansas City culture since the days of Pendergast and continuing into the current epoch of corporate no-bid corruption perpetrated against this town by corporate interlopers, developers and their consultants.Here's a street level example of this trend:








While locals plan celebrations of American Independence, there's no respite from Kansas City killing fields.Here's a round-up of local fear amid this weekend slaughter that's still going strong.Check the links:And this is where we'll take a pause for tonight, more good stuff and hopefully peace for the overnight . . .Developing . . .
Most news-watchers don't realize that City Hall funds a myriad of activists paid to report to crime scenes and community meetings.KCMO offers support to no less than a half a dozen groups who do little more than wear matching t-shirts and offer pithy quotes to "journalists" amid newscasts.Here's the latest example of this trend amid the recent Summer slaughter in KC . . .Still, as election season approaches and the murder count continues to soar, it's important for voters to remember that there are a great many activists on the KCMO payroll whose advocacy against the 2nd Amendment actually puts lawful gun owners in danger.You decide . . .
KANSAS CITY MURDERS HAVE SKYROCKETED THIS YEAR OVER LAST FOLLOWING A TRIPLE MURDER WEEKEND AND RAMPANT GUNFIRE!!!

Over the past few years Mayor Sly's legislative agenda has been dominated by a push for the downtown convention hotel, the new airport and support for the toy train streetcar and its extension with very little regard for the increased quotient of deadly violence in Kansas City under his watch.

IS IT TIME FOR KANSAS CITY TO DEMAND MAYOR SLY PAY MORE ATTENTION TO MURDER ON LOCAL STREETS RATHER THAN ENRICHING CORPORATE CRONIES?!?!

Everyone knew this was going to be a violent and deadly weekend leading up to the 4th of July but the level of carnage and gunfire in Kansas City over the past few days has shocked even the most cynical local observers.OnAnd now . . .Locals are playing games with the numbers but unofficially the homicide count stands at 72 compared to 51 at this time last year which is more than ausing basic mathone of those percentage increase calculators online.But let's go beyond numbers and talk priorities . . .At the outset of the weekendnear the park to talk with a Southland neighborhood about crime. The PR stunt was well-received and it's good to see Kansas City's top elected official interact with communities outside of the downtown loop . . .. . .Some claim the mayor doesn't care, many argue that his loyalty lies with corporate patrons while others suspect his interest in higher office after his term ends Kansas City . . . While venturing a guess at his motives is pure speculation, there is no denying that Mayor Sly James as worked much harder on behalf of corporate development interests than confronting the rising level of violence on local streets.In fact, under Mayor Sly's watch and during his tenure as a member of the police board,according to recent statements from Kansas City law enforcement union leaders.To wit . . .While not everyone in Kansas City uses the airport, the streetcar or downtown hotels; the level of local murder and violence impacts every resident throughout the metro. And so, Kansas City should ask if we need the mayor serving a select few developers or working to keepof the residents of this town safer.You decide . . .
The application process for the registration of the names "Halloumi"/"Hellim" as a Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) for the delicious Cypriot cheese is following its normal course, a senior European Commission source told CNA, denying a story published earlier by the Belgian Newspaper De Morgen on the implications of the PDO procedure on the Cyprus negotiations.

"After the preliminary scrutiny by the Commission, the application was published in the Official Journal in July 2015 and the three-month period for raising objections ended on 29 October 2015", the source noted and added: "As with similar application requests, several oppositions and reasoned statements of opposition were received by the Commission."

Read more here.

RELATED TOPICS: Greece, Greek tourism news, Tourism in Greece, Greek islands, Hotels in Greece, Travel to Greece, Greek destinations , Greek travel market, Greek tourism statistics, Greek tourism report

Photo Source: Wikimedia Commons Copyright: Ewan Munro License: CC-BY-SA

Source: CNA
Irans exports to European Union have increased 500 per cent to reach 3.4 billion euros ($3.9billion) in the first four months of the year compared to the same period in 2016, a report said.



According to the Statistical Office of the European Communities (Eurostat), the comparison also shows 127 per cent increase in commercial exchange between Iran and EU countries, reaching from 2.9 billion euros to 6.55 billion euros, reported Irna.



Europes exports to Iran also show a 44 per cent increase, reaching 3.15 billion euros. It was 2.17 billion euros in the first four months of 2016.



The changes are due to termination of oil sanctions and Europes restarting to buy oil from Iran, the report said.
French energy giant Total is to sign a contract worth close to $5 billion with the Iranian government for development of an offshore gas field in co-ordination with China National Petroleum Corporation, said a report.



Total and CNPC had signed a heads of agreement with National Iranian Oil Company in November last year to develop Phase 11 of the South Pars offshore gas field, a deal that was valued then at $4.8 billion, reported Bloomberg.



Total had then put the cost of the first part of the project at $2 billion, with its share being $1 billion. The Paris-based company was working on South Pars until sanctions forced it to withdraw in 2009.



A 20-year contract with very attractive terms will be signed by Total chief executive Patrick Pouyanne in Tehran today (July 3), stated the report citing Parastoo Younchi, the Iranian oil ministry official in charge of foreign media relations.



As per the deal, the French oil major will develop its share of the worlds biggest natural gas field - the first investment in the country by an international energy company since sanctions were eased last year.



Under the preliminary November accord, Total will control 50.1 per cent of the project, while CNPC will have a 30 per cent interest and Irans Petropars, 19.9 per cent.



South Pars is Irans section of the worlds biggest gas deposit, shared also with Qatar, and the Persian Gulf field lies at the center of a dispute embroiling Qatar and several Arab neighbours.



Saudi Arabia severed commercial links with Qatar last month, accusing it of cozying up to Iran. The planned signing of the South Pars contract will coincide with a deadline for Qatar to comply with 13 demands from the Saudi-led coalition, including a cutback in relations with Iran. Qatar has rejected the ultimatum, said the Bloomberg report.



Iran holds the worlds biggest gas reserves, estimated by BP at 33 trillion cu m, and is the third-biggest oil producer in the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries.



The producer is wooing companies such as Total, Royal Dutch Shell Plc and Russias Lukoil PJSC to invest in its oil and gas fields to boost output. Its oil production climbed 33 per cent last year after sanctions related to its nuclear program were eased in January 2016.
The aviation watchdog said that prima facie it appears that the pilot of flight AI-880 from West Bengal's Bagdogra to Delhi violated the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

Passengers of flight AI-880 complained of faulty AC system but the issue was not rectified. (Video grab)

By Poulomi Saha: A day after a video showing hassled passengers gasping for fresh air after the air conditioning system on their Air India flight developed a snag went viral, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today said it'll probe the incident.

The aviation watchdog said that prima facie it appears that the pilot of flight AI-880 from West Bengal's Bagdogra to Delhi violated the Standard Operating Procedure (SOP).

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FLIGHT TO HELL

The video showed passengers on board the flight were seen frantically fanning themselves with safety manual cards and in-flight magazines when the aircraft landed in Delhi on Sunday at about 4:05pm on Sunday (July 2).

Passengers speaking exclusively to India Today said they discovered even before take off that the AC wasn't functioning. But when they brought this to the notice of the Air India staff, they were told that the system would work just fine after the flight takes off. But nothing happened.

For the next two hours, they relied on whatever they could get their hands on - from newspapers to instruction manuals - to keep themselves from sweating and suffocating.

A few passengers also tried to put on the oxygen masks, but these too were reportedly not working.

ALSO READ:

Air India Delhi bound flight takes off with faulty ACs, leaves flyers gasping for oxygen

IndiGo first to show interest in buying debt-laden Air India

Before Tatas buy Air India, look at 5 bad decisions that brought the Maharajah down WATCH: Air India flight AC failure: Pilot violated SOP, DGCA to probe incident

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Vietnam has issued the Investment Registration Certificate (IRC) to Nam Dinh First Power Holdings, a Singapore-based joint venture incorporated by Saudi Arabias Acwa Power and South Koreas Taekwang Power Holdings, to implement the 1,200MW Nam Dinh 1 Thermal Power Project.



The ceremony of IRC granting was held today (July 3) in Nam Dinh City, Nam Dinh Province in the presence of representatives from Vietnam government agencies including the Ministry of Planning and Investment, Ministry of Industry and Trade, Nam Dinh Peoples Committee, State Bank of Vietnam, Embassy of Republic of Korea and the Investors.



The Investment Registration Certificate is one of the most important milestones for the Project pursuant to the Investment Agreement signed between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the Investors in January 2016.



The 1,200MW Nam Dinh 1 thermal power plant is being developed on a build-operate-transfer basis over a 25-year term with total project cost of approximately $2.3 billion, 25 per cent of which is funded with sponsors equity and the remainder with project finance from international financial institutions.



The project will use domestic anthracite coal provided by the state coal mining group Vinacomin. Electricity will be dispatched to the national 500kV grid and wholly purchased by Electricity of Vietnam.



At c. 7,800GWh, the project will make a significant contribution to power generation capacity in the northern part of Vietnam, in line with development strategy of power sector envisaged in Master Plan VII of Vietnam. The investment in Nam Dinh 1 project with international financing partners will support the governments endeavour to meet the projected growth in power demand from year 2020 onwards.



Paddy Padmanathan, president &CEO of Acwa Power said: While the granting of the IRC represents a significant step in the development of this project, more importantly it demonstrates the commitment of the Vietnamese government to protect foreign investors and to encourage the participation of private investors in infrastructure expansion in the country. We look forward to completing the financing arrangements and commence construction of the power plant to enable us to contribute to the development of Vietnam by delivering reliable, safe and cost effective electricity.



Rajit Nanda, chief investment officer at Acwa Power said: Ceremonies like the one taking place today reaffirm Acwa Powers commitment to Vietnam. The country has built a comprehensive plan for power delivery and paired it with a robust legal and economic system that encourages private international investment in critical infrastructure projects. We look forward to supporting Vietnam in meeting its energy needs over decades to come.



The project is scheduled to commence construction in early 2018 and the expected date of commercial operation will be 51 months for the first unit and 57 months for the power facility, from the date of commencement of construction.



Term of operation of the BOT contract is 25 years from the commercial operation date of the power facility, after which the project company will be responsible for transferring the power facility and related assets to Vietnam Government.  TradeArabia News Service
The Air India Air Transport Services Limited has released an employment notification inviting candidates to apply for the positions of Terminal Manager. The selected candidates will be getting a monthly salary of Rs 65,000.

By India Today Web Desk: The Air India Air Transport Services Limited has released an employment notification inviting interested, eligible candidates to apply for the positions of Terminal Manager -- Passenger Handling on contract basis at the Goa Airport. The job is transferable to any station in India.

Vacancy details

Name of the posts:

Terminal Manager (Passenger Handling)

Eligibility criteria

Educational qualification:

The candidates interested in applying for this post should be graduates in any discipline/faculty (minimum three years of duration) from a recognised university and must possess knowledge of basic computer operations.

Age limit:

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While there is no upper age limit the prospective candidate should be fit to carry out the duties of the post.

(Read: 762 vacancies at CRPF: Apply for posts of Medical Officer and Surgeon)

Pay scale

The selected candidates will be getting a monthly salary of Rs 65,000.

Selection procedure

The candidates will be selected on the basis of an interview. The Applicants will be shortlisted by the company based on its requirements and only shortlisted candidates will be called for the selection procedure (personal interview) at Goa or Mumbai.

How to apply

The candidates interested in these posts are required to mail their applications in prescribed format along with all other relevant documents to rftc.aiatsl@airindia.in

Important dates

The last date for submission of application is July 15.

Read: 280 Professor, Lecturer vacancies at Assam PSC: Salary upto Rs 39,000 per month, apply now

--- ENDS ---
Sandeep Rana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 2

It was a loss in the business at his mobile phone shop that made a regular devotee for eights years at the Sai Baba temple, Sector 29, commit a theft there.

Police investigation revealed that the prime accused, Amarjit Singh, alias Sonu, used to visit the temple daily at 10.30 am and pay obeisance. He committed a theft of Rs 3.47 lakh with the help of an accomplice. He used to come to the temple daily at 10.30 am and used to even take part in the langar sewa. He was devoted towards Baba, but after suffering a loss in his shop, he decided to commit a theft, said Narinder Patial, inspector of the operations cell.

Patial said the accused used to drink. Sonu had a love marriage and the couple have a small child.

He started remaining tense after suffering a loss in the business. He was looking for some alternative when during one of his visits to the temple, the idea of theft came to his mind," said a police official.

Baba wanted to teach him a lesson. People associated with us are not like this. I don't know what his compulsion was. I think it has more to do with the values given to children by their parents," said Ramesh Kalia, president of the Shirdi Sai Samaj.
Ishrat S Banwait

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 2

To ensure that Panjab University campus remains swachh, cleanliness in- charge of each building will be made. The idea is to have a designated head of cleanliness in each building of the PU, including academic and administrative ones. The in-charge will keep a check on the hygiene of washrooms, regular sweeping and overall cleanliness of the building.

Dean University (Instruction) Meenakshi Malhotra said, Currently, no one takes responsibility of cleanliness in their building. A designated in charge will ensure that the building does not lack on the cleanliness front. The in-charge will be a teacher in case of academic departments and will be changed from time-to-time on rotation-basis.

The primary job of the cleanliness in-charge will be to overlook work of sweepers and cleaners. He will ensure that the

sweeping is being done regularly. Also, he will ensure that there are ample dustbins in the building and if not, he will make sure that they are placed. Another important job of the in-charge will be to maintain hygienic and clean washrooms in the building.

The major challenge will be the cleanliness of hostels, especially the washrooms which are plagued with water shortage in summers. After cleanliness, the problem of waste disposal will also be a challenge as even now heaps of garbage can be found on the campus.

It indicates that after sweeping, collection of garbage is poor.

The university has installed green and blue bins in many areas following the UT move of segregation of wet and dry garbage. Once again, the challenge will be to implement the system well. Another great challenge will be the student elections when littering covers complete roads. A ban or fine on littering of party material needs to be imposed to keep a check on such practices.

In 2014, the UGC had asked the university to keep its campus clean and the varsity had made a committee for the same. The PU had allocated Rs 40 lakh for implementation of the Swachh Bharat Abhiyaan for the last financial year.
Chandigarh, July 3

Some records and office equipment were destroyed in a major fire which broke out on the top floor of the Punjab Financial Corporation building at the citys main commercial complex in sector 17-B on Monday.

It took eight fire tenders nearly 80 minutes to put out the flames in the four-storeyed building, near Bank Square, Station Fire Officer ML Sharma said, adding that no one was injured in the incident.

The fire broke out on the top floor of the Punjab Financial Corporation (a state government undertaking) building. The office in which it broke out was rented out to the Punjab Accounts and Treasury branch. The officials of the branch had hired labourers to shift the files from there to their new office in the city when the fire broke out, Sharma told PTI.

He added that the reason behind the fire was not immediately known.

Eight hydraulic ladders had to be used by the Fire Department officials to douse the flames, said Sharma.

Records, office equipment, including computers and wooden cabins, were damaged in the fire. During the fire-fighting operation, the compressor of an air-conditioner burst, as a result of which the window panes on the floor broke, but no one was injured as we had cordoned off the entire area, he added.

Sharma said while the upper floor was damaged in the fire, the rest of the building was safe to use.

It maybe recalled that a major fire in a four-storeyed building in Sector 17 in 2014 had led to its collapse.  PTI
Chandigarh, July 2

It will be yet another hot and humid day tomorrow. The monsoon is likely to hit the city on Tuesday.

The Director of the Met Department, Chandigarh, Surender Paul, said the monsoon arrived in some parts of Haryana today and was expected to touch the city on Tuesday. The weatherman has predicted that there will be no rain tomorrow; so residents may have yet another hot and humid day. The sky will remain partly cloudy, said Surinder Paul.

He clarified that the monsoon was not delayed. Some parts of Uttar Pradesh did not witness rain. We have noticed that clouds have covered the remaining patches in UP and are heading towards the North.

According to the forecast, the maximum temperature is expected to hover around the 35C mark tomorrow while the minimum temperature is expected to be around 26C.  TNS
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 2

A devotee and his accomplice have been arrested by the UT police in connection with the theft at the Sai Baba temple in Sector 29 within 36 hours of the incident. The police have recovered the stolen amount of Rs 3,47,062 and a toy air gun from their possession.

The police said since the cash had not been counted, earlier it was suspected that around Rs 10 lakh might have been taken away from the donation box, but it had now come to light that Rs 3.47 lakh was stolen. However, the police are yet to recover the hammer, gloves and masks used by the accused in the crime. The accused reportedly threw them into the Ghaggar in Panchkula.

The accused have been identified as Amarjit Singh, alias Sonu, a resident of Sector 29, and Ajay, a resident of Kajheri, Sector 52. The two became friends when Sonu used to run a mobile phone shop in Kajheri. According to Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Krishan Kumar, on June 23, Sonu purchased two SIMs from Burail on the basis of a fake identity and arranged two mobile phone sets to commit the crime.

On June 28, he planned the crime with the co-accused and did a recee of the temple. On the night intervening June 29 and 30, Sonu, wearing a plastic gown, a cap and gloves to hide his identity, entered the temple by breaking open a window of the first floor. He blackened CCTV cameras with paint and changed the direction of some of the cameras.

He then jumped to the place where three or four lockers were placed. He broke one of the donation boxes with the hammer and stole the cash and left. After this, he called up his co-accused, who took him in his Activa scooter.

There were eyewitnesses who saw him removing his mask before sitting on the bike while they sped away. Secondly, on the basis of a technical analysis of the mobile phone tower data near the temple, we were able to solve the case, said the DSP.

After the theft, both accused went to Sonus house and kept the stolen money in an Alto car (CH01 AG 6980). The team of the operations cell is also on the lookout for the owner of the documents, including a voter card, produced by the suspect/thieves to purchase the SIMs.

The police said on a tip-off, a naka was laid near the T-Point Community Centre, Sector 29, and the duo was apprehended in the Alto car.

The accused were presented before a local court, which remanded them in police custody till July 3.
Dera Bassi, July 3

A 23-year-old youth was killed when the motorcycle he was riding was allegedly hit by an i-20 car on the Ambala-Chandigarh highway on Sunday night.

The deceased has been identified as Amit Kumar, a resident of Baltana. Police sources said the incident occurred at 10 pm on Sunday when the victim, after donating blood at the Indus International Hospital situated on the Chandigarh-Ambala highway, was on his way back home. Sources said when the victim took a U-turn on the highway, the car coming from the Ambala side, reportedly hit the vehicle following which Amit sustained serious head injuries. He was rushed to the Indus International Hospital, Dera Bassi, where the doctors declared him brought dead. The police have arrested the driver Sant Ram and registered a case under various sections of the IPC at the Dera Bassi police station.  OC
Shyam Saran

The latest face-off between the Indian and Chinese security forces in Doklam, where the borders of India, China and Bhutan meet, brings a sense of deja vu. There was a similar extended face-off in the Depsang area in Ladakh in April 2013. There have been other incidents as well but the mechanisms in place to maintain peace and tranquillity at the border have eventually worked and the issues have been resolved. Both sides have remained committed to preventing escalation. One hopes that the Doklam incident will not be allowed to vitiate the relationship between the two countries, particularly in view of the fact that Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping reportedly had a friendly meeting on the sidelines of the recent meeting of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Almaty. Both leaders made a special effort to put relations back on a positive track after a somewhat prickly interlude, which included India's refusal to join the Chinese-led One Belt One Road initiative. This turnaround in relations must not suffer a setback as a result of the latest incident. This may impact the prospects of a possible bilateral summit when the leaders attend the forthcoming G-20 summit in Hamburg.

It is important to understand that as a result of sustained development of infrastructure at their common border, their border guarding forces are able to mount more frequent patrols and visit areas which were hitherto remote and barely accessible. This has multiplied the occasions when the patrols run into each other and wherever there are differences in perception concerning the alignment of the Line of Actual Control (LAC), face-offs become inevitable. This is what has been happening over the recent past and the bilateral measures to ensure peace and tranquillity need to be upgraded to take these developments into account. This is all the more necessary in order to avoid misunderstanding and unintended escalation in segments of the border which hold special sensitivity for either side.

The bedrock of the peace and tranquillity regime between India and China is the mutual commitment that neither side will seek to unilaterally alter the status quo at the LAC. Both sides are also committed to resolving any differences which may arise through consultations, beginning at the local level and then going right up to the senior-most levels. Of late, China has been resorting increasingly to unilateral actions seeking to alter the status quo. This is what has happened at Doklam and the Indian side had to respond in order to prevent an enhanced threat to the narrow land corridor which links the Indian North-East to the rest of the country. The Chinese side maintains that in the "Convention Between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet", the southern-most point identified as the peak of Gipmochi, is located on the Bhutan frontier but further south. On this basis, China has laid a claim to Doklam, but this has been contested by the Bhutanese side. The Chinese side has recognised this as disputed territory and even in the past its construction of mud tracks through this area had been resisted by the Bhutanese border guards. Although both China and India accept the alignment of the Sikkim-Tibet boundary as laid down in the Convention except for the so-called "The Finger" at its northern-most point, they have agreed that as far as the trijunction is concerned this can only be settled in consultation with Bhutan. Until then the commitment not to unilaterally alter the status quo, should be observed by all sides concerned. The current impasse has arisen because the Chinese side has gone further by attempting to build a defence class road through the area in place of the earlier mud tracks. This will significantly elevate the potential security threat to the Siliguri corridor which is a vital transport artery for both India and Bhutan. China should have shown greater sensitivity in this matter.

The Chinese side has demanded that the issue should be resolved by India withdrawing its security personnel from the Doklam area. In fact the issue can be defused by both sides agreeing to restore the status quo and mutually disengaging their forces. This is how earlier such incidents were resolved satisfactorily.

It is clear that the Indian side does not want the situation to escalate. It has been fairly muted in its reaction to the daily and harsh rhetoric emanating from the Chinese side whether from official sources or from the media. The Chinese action to suspend the Kailash-Mansarovar pilgrimage through the Nathu la Pass and its more recent cancellation of a visit of Indian journalists to Tibet are uncalled for. These will heighten tensions and lead to an adverse public reaction in India. In a charged public environment it becomes difficult to deal with issues in a sober and measured manner.

For India this incident has certain unique sensitivities as it involves not only China but also a very close neighbour and partner, Bhutan. India would not wish to do anything which embarrasses Bhutan or which complicates its relations with China. This is another reason to handle the incident in as discreet a manner as possible. This is the first time that Indian forces have engaged China from the soil of a third country and this cannot but be a sensitive issue for a proud and independent country like Bhutan. It is imperative that whatever India does to deal with the situation, it does so in close consultation with Bhutan. It will only be too easy for an impression to gain ground that India has dragged a reluctant Bhutan into its own disputes with China. Bhutan's press release confirming that it had lodged a protest against China's road building in Doklam has helped dispel the perception that it is India and not Bhutan reacting to the Chinese action but we should continue to emphasise that the two countries are acting in concert against a shared threat. India-Bhutan relations are far too important to be affected negatively by developments related to China.

We must acknowledge that India-China relations are undergoing a change. China believes that India should acknowledge the power disparity between the two sides and show appropriate deference to China. In the past it had tacitly acknowledged Indian pre-eminence in the South Asian region. It is no longer willing to do so and is seeking such pre-eminence for itself. In the Asia-Pacific region it believes that under Trump, the U.S. has abandoned any notion of a "pivot" to Asia . It also believes that its dominance of the South China Sea and South East Asia is now unchallenged. In this context, India is not seen as a constraint on China, which can pursue its interests, indeed its ambitions, more openly, more aggressively. In Chinese perceptions, therefore, India's refusal to join Xi Jinping's signature initiative, the One Belt One Road, is seen as impertinence. In dealing with China in Doklam, this overall context must be kept in mind. We need firmness of resolve but expressed through a measure of caution and prudence.

 The writer is a former Foreign Secretary. He is currently Senior Fellow, CPR, and is a member of its Governing Board.
By India Today Web Desk: Alia Bhatt and Ranbir Kapoor will share screen space for the first time in Ayan Mukerji's superhero film Dragon. The film had been delayed because of Ranbir's chock-a-block schedule (he had been busy with Jagga Jasoos and the Sanjay Dutt biopic). However, they may have sneakily begun shooting for Dragon.

Alia and Ranbir were clicked with Karan Johar leaving a bungalow in Pali Hill on Friday, and reports suggest that it was not just a meeting. Adding fuel to the fire was Ranbir's reluctance to be clicked. The actor usually has no problem posing for shutterbugs. However, the film's director Ayan Mukerji was not present.

Photo: Milind Shelte/India Today

Photo: Milind Shelte/India Today

Photo: Milind Shelte/India Today

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Dragon will be a three-part series, Alia had confirmed to DNA. She had said, "Dragon is a unique story about love, mixed with a lot of power. It's too early to reveal who has what superpower. But it's not a thriller. I don't know if we have seen anything like Dragon ever before. That's the beauty of the film."

ALSO READ: What made Alia and Ranbir's Dragon get delayed?

ALSO WATCH: Ranbir and Amitabh talk about stardom, cinema and acting on India Today Unforgettables

--- ENDS ---
NARENDRA Modi will break a long-held taboo for countries with substantial Muslim populations when he becomes the first Indian Prime Minister ever to land in Tel Aviv on Tuesday. Countries with liberal credentials too have hesitated from breaking bread with Israel because of its continuing human rights abuses of Palestinians, apartheid towards Arab Israelis and in the process, breaking several international covenants. India fell in both categories. Over the years India balanced its moral grandstanding for the Palestinian cause and the need for smart weapons from Israel by carefully calibrating ministerial visits. Care was taken to visit both Tel Aviv and Ramallah, the capital of the Palestinian Authority. Modi has decided to dispense with this formal genuflection.

This is a huge gesture for the Israeli Government committed to a hardline policy against the Palestinians despite worldwide criticism. Unlike Washington or Moscow, Tel Aviv is making much of Modis arrival, without Ramallah as an adjunct itinerary. The underlying reason for Modis gesture is understandable. Disinterested in politically accommodating the Muslims in India, Israels inhuman treatment of half its civilians personally does not affect him. But international politics is such that Modi did meet Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas in May. In return for overturning seven decades of Indian foreign policy, Modi should return with game-changing goodies from the busy scientists of Israel.

But that is unlikely. If one were to dissect the components of India-Israel relationship, agriculture and water have so far failed to enthuse Indian farmers. India has extracted most of what Israel had to give in defence equipment. It would try to gain from Israels oblique counter-terrorism methodologies. But Israels militaristic approach to all security issues hasnt brought lasting peace. Despite all its acclaimed commandos and technologies, even Israel has been unable to fully tame the malcontents and had to strike an uneasy peace with Hezbollah and Hamas. By going to Tel Aviv, PM Modi is bringing into the open what was being conducted behind closed doors. However, the relationship remains purely transactional  a huge Indian market for the Israel defence and counter-terrorism sector.
PUNJAB Congress legal cell members have challenged their own governments selection of law officers, alleging no test or interview has taken place. According to media reports, those selected include relatives of sitting and former judges, bureaucrats and politicians. More than pleading for a fair and transparent system of appointments, the Congress legal luminaries are irked at being left out from the distribution of spoils of office. Media reports suggest Capt Amarinder Singh has justified the selections, saying deserving candidates cannot be ignored just because they are related to someone in power. His predecessor, Parkash Singh Badal, also distributed posts to party loyalists without ever feeling the need to offer justifications. Haryana leaders are no different either.

Punjabs selection of judicial officers is in violation of the procedure specifically laid down for Punjab and Haryana by the Supreme Court in March 2016. The apex court had directed the two states to constitute a search committee which would recommend a panel of names to the Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice, who in consultation with other judges, would vet the list of candidates from which final selections would be made. The Supreme Court used quite strong words to pull up the two states for not having a fair and realistic assessment of the requirement of law officers or any procedure or guidelines to regulate the appointments other than the Advocate General. Such appointments, it said, were done for political aggrandisement, appeasement or personal benevolence of those in power towards those appointed. And these lead to erosion of the rule of law and administration of justice.

The admonition has made no impact on Punjab and Haryana. Media reports rather talk of the Punjab Governments plan of bringing in a law to scuttle the apex courts procedural guidelines. In the Budget session it could only undo the apex courts order on liquor consumption in hotels and restaurants on highways. Haryana too is harming the justice system; it has snatched away PCS (judicial) selections from the state Public Service Commission. Democratically elected leaders are not supposed to use their power arbitrarily. Otherwise, public faith in the fairness of the system would be shaken.
New Delhi, July 3

The Delhi High Court on Monday granted parole to Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Ajay Chautala till July 12 to appear in a postgraduate diploma examination.

Earlier, the high court granted custody parole to Chautala, a teachers recruitment scam convict, to attend his nieces wedding on June 28.

The high court also issued a notice to the Delhi Government seeking a reply over Chautalas plea against the governments decision to reject his parole.

Chautala had moved court against the Delhi Governments decision to reject his parole.

Chautala is serving a 10-year jail term in connection with a teachers recruitment scam case. He had filed a plea through Advocate Amit Sahni, seeking parole from June 28 to July 12.

He is pursuing a diploma in counselling and behaviour modification under distance education from Guru Jambheshwar University of Science and Technology, Hisar.

Former Haryana chief minister Om Prakash Chautala, his MLA son Ajay, and three other officials were sentenced to 10 years in prison in 2013 by a special Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) court on charges of illegally recruiting over 3,000 teachers in the state by using forged documents.

The scam was widely known as the JBT scam since it involved the recruitment of junior basic teachers. ANI
Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, July 3

Ready with its blueprint for undertaking restoration of the Bantony Castle, the summer palace of the erstwhile rulers of Sirmaur on The Mall, the Tourism Department has roped in conservation architects and other experts to convert the heritage structure into a museum and cafe.

The preparation of the detailed project report (DPR) for restoring the main wooden structure to its original condition has begun so that it can be put to re-use without altering its design.

The task of documentation, preparing the designs and culling out old photographs is being undertaken with the help of experts. The project to restore the property, taken over by the Department of Language, Art and Culture, will run into several crores and be funded by the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The department plans to set up a museum, cafe, galleries, theatre, audio-visual room and light and sound show on its expansive lawns. There are plans to create walking trails on its slopes, above the Rivoli bus stand.

The main motive is to restore the building to its original shape and put it to use so that the footfall of tourists increases. We want it to become a vibrant place not just during the day but also promote the concept of night tourism, said Kavita Jain, Conservation Architect from Jaipur.

She is currently here to document and research about the Bantony Castle. She has worked on similar conservation projects though in different architectural style in Uttarakhand, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.

Echoing concerns about the extremely dilapidated condition of the main building in the complex, Jain says a little more delay in starting work could have resulted in the structure being lost completely.

We will procure the same wood, lime surkhi mortar, stones and other material used in the building so that the original condition can be restored, she says.

The Himachal Institute of Public Administration (HIPA) had prepared the Social Impact Assessment Report of the property before a decision on its acquisition was taken.

It was on January 4, 2016, that the Cabinet gave nod for acquiring the 125-year-old Bantony Castle for Rs 27.84 crore, after holding negotiations with its owners. The entire property spreads over an area of 19,436.83 sq mts and has two buildings and sprawling lawns all around it.

The building is said to have been designed by TEG Cooper and before its construction began here in 1880, the site had a cottage belonging to Cap A. Gordon which housed army officers.

It had housed the office of the State Police since 1957. It was after the owners won the legal battle that the building was vacated by the police.
New Delhi, July 3

The Delhi High Court on Monday refused to quash the money laundering case against Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Virbhadra Singh, his wife and son.

The court dismissed the petitions of Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh, son Vikramaditya Singh and another person Chunni Lal.

"The petitions are devoid of substance, consequentially the same are dismissed," Justice R K Gauba said.

The Enforcement Directorate (ED) had earlier summoned 83-year-old Singh, his wife Pratibha Singh and son Vikramaditya Singh for questioning in this regard.

The ED had in September 2015 lodged the case against the chief minister and others under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed by the CBI.

The CBI had filed a chargesheet on March 31, hours after the high court refused to quash the FIR lodged against Singh and his wife in the disproportionate assets case.

The high court, which had rubbished the chief minister's claim that the FIR was the result of a "political vendetta", had paved the way for criminal proceedings which were stalled due to an October 1, 2015 order of the Himachal Pradesh High Court restraining the CBI from arresting, interrogating and filing the charge sheet against the accused.

The ED had earlier termed as "premature" Singh's plea for quashing of the money laundering case proceedings.

It had said the plea seeking a stay on the proceedings was "not maintainable" as the inquiry into the matter was at a preliminary stage.

The agency is probing allegations against Singh and his family members of having amassed wealth of Rs 6.1 crore disproportionate to his known sources of income between 2009 and 2011 when he was the Union minister of steel.

It has also attached assets worth about Rs 14 crore in this case under the PMLA.

In July 2016, LIC agent Anand Chauhan was arrested by the ED under provisions of the PMLA as he was allegedly not cooperating with the investigating officer of the case.

The probe agency had alleged that Singh, while serving as the Union minister, had invested huge amounts in purchasing LIC policies in his and his family members' names through Chauhan. PTI
Tribune News Service

Dharamsala, July 3

People in the state will get subsidised sugar at public distribution shops (PDS) from this month.

This was stated by Minister for Food and Civil Supplies, Transport and Technical Education GS Bali while addressing a press conference here today.

The minister said subsidised sugar was stopped at the PDS after the Union Government stopped levy sugar. However, now the state government had decided to bear the burden of subsidy. The state government would continue providing sugar at subsidised rates to the residents, Bali said.

The minister said the new bus stands being built in the state would have facilities of air conditioned waiting areas, playing areas for children, etc. He said the work on the construction of new bus stands was going on at a brisk pace. Manali bus stand was being built at a cost of Rs 75 crore, Kullu at a cost of Rs 30 crore, Una Rs 35 crore and Dharamsala at a cost of Rs 15 crore. All the said bus stands were being built in public private partnership (PPP) mode.

The state government had decided to build bus stands at Hamirpur, Nalagarh and Baddi on its own, he said.

Besides, Rohru, Theog, Nirmand, Chirganv, Swarghat, Badoh and Kotli in Mandi district were also being constructed. In Nagrota Bagwan in Kangra district, Rs 6 crore had been allocated for the construction of new air-conditioned hall in the bus stand. The work for the construction of the Chintpurni bus stand had been completed in a record timeand it would be inaugurated soon, he said.

He said the Himachal Pradesh Road Transport Corporation (HPRTC) had the highest number of luxury bus fleet in the entire country. The HPRTC would add 10 Volvo buses at main stations in the state. The HPRTC would also add 325 new buses in its fleet that included 250 small buses that would ply in rural areas of the state, the minister said.

He said architecture engineering classes would be started at Rajiv Gandhi Engineering College, Nagrota Bagwan, from the current academic session. The classes for the Hydro Engineering College, Bilaspur, would also be started at Nagrota Bagwan engineering college from this academic session, Bali said.
Sumit Hakhoo

Tribune News Service

Jammu, July 2

As the Valley unrest completes one year on July 8, the fear of stone-throwers has kept nearly 600 displaced Kashmiri Pandit employees away from the volatile districts of south Kashmir.

Employees engaged under the Prime Ministers Employment Generation Programme in 2010 who were posted in Pulwama, Anantnag, Kulgam and Shopian, are not willing to resume their duties after they were forced to leave the Valley due to repeated attacks by stone-throwing mobs on transit camps following the elimination of Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.

As per the figures provided by the All-Migrant Employees Association Kashmir, a group formed to raise the voice of Hindu employees working in the Valley, the employees are facing the apathy of the PDP-BJP coalition government as the situation in the Valley continues to remain grim with rising terror attacks and open public support to violence.

Moreover, transit camps at Haal (Pulwama) and Mattan (Anantnag) which were extensively damaged by mobs in July and August last year have not been repaired. These have now been abandoned. Though hundreds of employees joined their duties in Srinagar, Kupwara and Baramulla after pressure by their respective departments, they are living in constant fear.

Many of the employees who shifted to Jammu to save themselves from stone-throwing have not received salaries for months together, exposing the tall promises made by the BJP-led Central government.

I consider Kashmir unsafe to live. I was posted in Pulwama district and have some bitter memories. Further, my salary has not been released for the past 10 months. Nobody can give guarantee of our safety, said Sudhir Koul, a junior engineer in the Public Works Department who was posted on deputation as a Block Development Officer, Pulwama. Despite insistence by his department to join the duty, he has chosen not to return.

Despite directions of Chief Minister Mehbooba Mufti that employees would not be forced to resume duties till the situation got normal, the respective departments have repeatedly pressurised employees to join back.

There is no sense of security left in the Valley, especially for women employees. I have seen how stone-throwers, including children, used derogatory language against women employees outside our camp. Education of our children also suffers as schools remain shut for days together. It is difficult to join back, said Sarita Raina, a government teacher posted in Anantnag.

And those who have returned live a life full of anxiety. There is perpetual tension around as the fear of militants and stone-throwers keeps us worried. The government has abandoned us to our fate. A few days back, the boundary wall of our camp was damaged by a truck. Our plea to repair the wall is being ignored, said Rakesh Pandita, a government teacher posted in Baramulla who lives in Khanpura camp.
Tribune News Service

Srinagar, July 3

A special session of the state Legislature, which was adjourned after obituary references here on June 17, will resume here tomorrow to discuss the extension of the GST (Goods and Services Tax) to J&K, after reservations of the opposition parties over the issue.

The five-day session from July 4 to 8, including an off on Thursday, is going to be stormy in view of the strong opposition from the National Conference and Congress, fearing that the GST extension would erode the special status granted to the state under Article 370 of the Constitution.

While the state Assembly will have four working days, the Upper House or Legislative Council will be meeting for three days on Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday.

Assembly Speaker Kavinder Gupta on June 17 adjourned the House folowing recommendations of the Business Advisory Committee (BAC) as no consensus was reached over GST.

On the eve of the session, the National Conference president convened a meeting of the partys core group and discussed various current political issues, especially extension of GST.

The core group condemned the state governments complicity in a plan to erode the states special status and Article 370 through extension of GST in its present form, a spokesman said.

The Congress Legislature Party (CLP), at its meeting here today, also expressed its fears that extension of GST to J&K would pave way for weakening of the special status granted to the state under Article 370.

Meanwhile, the Jammu and Kashmir Coordination Committee (JKCC) of trade bodies formed with the civil society to oppose GST extension here today said the business establishments would hoist black flags from tomorrow and traders would also hold a sit-in against the extension of GST to the state.

Govt to move resolution

Srinagar: Seeking implementation of the GST in J&K, Finance Minister Haseeb Drabu will move a resolution before the special session of the Legislative Assembly on Tuesday. This House resolves that the J&K Government may give consent to the adoption of the GST regime by the application of relevant amendments made to the Constitution of India in a modified manner to safeguard the existing special constitutional position of J&K in the Union of India and the legislative powers under the Constitution of J&K, reads the Drabus resolution. TNS
Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 3

After almost two months, the city police claimed to have solved the house-theft case reported in Basant Avenue and arrested a Nepalese man.

The police also recovered a stolen weapon and some cash from the accused identified as Vijay Bahadur, a native of Nepal. However, Jai Veer, the key accused who was a domestic help at the house, is still at large and the police teams were conducting raids to arrest him.

The police also recovered .32 pistol, and 19 live cartridges, Rs14,500 cash from him. Notably on May 4 night, as the family was away to Amritsar, house servant Jai Veer Singh along with his two accomplices decamped with one licenced revolver with 24 live cartridges, two diamond sets, three gold bangles, Rs25,000 cash, arms licence, and a set-top box of a cable TV. The complainant had also taken up the issue before senior officials in Chandigarh alleging slow progress of investigation by the city police.

Additional DCP Surendra Lamba, at a press conference, said since the accused was still untraceable, the police was working on various theories to crack the case. Now, the aides of those arrested, including servant Jai Veer and one another, is still at large. The police will seek remand of the accused to trace the whereabouts of the remaining accused so that more cash and valuables can be recovered, he said.

Similar cases yet to be solved

Two similar incidents of thefts, involving Nepalese servants, were reported in the past and the same were unsolved. On April 20, a servant at a house in Arya Enclave in Thrike village fled with gold, cash and other valuables worth several lakhs. In yet another case, when the family members were at a marriage on May 21 night, servant Ramesh Nepali was left at home for supervision. But when the family reached home, they found the servant missing, who decamped with cash, valuables worth several lakhs.
Minna Zutshi

Tribune News Service

Ludhiana, July 3

The industrial hub of Ludhiana is apprehensive that post-GST, the cheaper imported garments will negatively impact the Textile and Apparel Industry.

In the case of apparel imports, the government had earlier levied the Special Additional Duty (SAD) as a protection for the domestic players. With the GST, this duty protection stands removed and imported garments would be 5-6 per cent cheaper, say sources.

The Textile Industry fears that there will be an increase in imports from countries such as Bangladesh and China, where the cost of manufacturing is lower due to the availability of cheaper labour.

Sonu Nilibar, the spokesperson for retail cloth merchants, in a letter addressed to Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, states: Prior to the GST, the countervailing duty included six per cent excise duty on cotton and 12.5 per cent with Cenvat credit on polyester. The optional duty of two per cent with abatement of 40 per cent on it (i.e. 0.80 per cent) meant effective duty of 1.2 per cent without Cenvat credit. Around 4 per cent Special Additional Duty (SAD), along with cess, educational cess and others worked out to 5.5 per cent. Prior to the GST, we had duty protection of 5.5 per cent from cheap import. After the GST, all duties have been subsumed in 5 per cent of the GST for both domestic manufacturers and importers. This, in effect, means no protection, as both domestic manufacturers and importers will be required to pay the same duty.

Meanwhile, Head of the Textile Division, FICO (Federation of Industrial and Commercial Organization), Ludhiana, Ajit Lakra, said he had written to the government, expressing the concern of the Textile Industry on the issue of cheap imports. The imported polyester fabric would be cheaper than the made-in-India polyester fabric. He said he had met Manpreet Badal in this connection and hopefully the anomaly would be addressed in the next meeting of the Tax Research Unit (TRU). My suggestion is that the GST on polyester yarn should be brought down from 18 per cent to 12 per cent. To protect our domestic industry, the government should impose anti-dumping duty, he said.
A rush of over 3,100 pilgrims left on day 5 of the 40-day long annual pilgrimage to commence the Amarnath Yatra on Monday amidst the unusual security arrangements.

By Indo-Asian News Service: Amid unprecedented security arrangements, a fresh batch of 3,133 pilgrims left Jammu on Monday for the Amarnath Yatra, an official said.

They left the Bhagwati Nagar Yatri Niwas in 88 vehicles for the Kashmir Valley, the official said.

Over 46,000 pilgrims have performed 'darshan' inside the cave shrine in four days.

On Monday 2,081 pilgrims were bound for the Pahalgam base camp, while 1,052 started the journey for the Baltal base camp, he added.

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The 40-day long annual pilgrimage that started on June 29, would end on August 7 on 'Shravan Purnima' coinciding with the Raksha Bandhan festival.

SPECIAL ARRANGEMENTS MADE FOR THE SECURITY

So far, 46,795 pilgrims have undertaken the 'yatra' and the rush of pilgrims was gradually picking up, the official said.

A multi-layered security grid consisting of the Army, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police, Sashastra Seema Bal and the Jammu and Kashmir police were guarding the route, transit camps, base camps, mountain tracks and the cave shrine.

CCTV cameras, drones, bullet-proof mobile bunkers were some of the equipment being used by these security forces to assess the threat perception based on intelligence reports.

The Union Home Ministry has provided 40,000 additional central armed forces to assist the state administration for peaceful conduct of this year's Yatra.

Situated at 12,756 feet above the sea-level in the Himalayas, the cave houses an ice stalagmite structure that wanes and waxed with the size of the visible moon.

Devotees believe the structure symbolizes mythical powers of Lord Shiva.

ALSO READ:

Jammu: 4,477 pilgrims leave for Amarnath Yatra

Amarnath Yatra briefly suspended due to heavy rainfall along way to shrine

Anantnag encounter: Top Lashkar commander among 2 militants killed, 2 civilians die in clashes

ALSO WATCH:

Terror threat to Amarnath Yatra: Pilgrims could be targeted

--- ENDS ---
Bengaluru, July 3

Two editors of Kannada tabloids, sentenced to one-year jail term by the Karnataka Assembly over their alleged defamatory articles, on Monday appeared before the Speaker and pleaded for a review of the House resolution that has triggered protests from the media.

Speaker K B Koliwad, however, told the editors -- Ravi Belagere and Anil Raju of "Hai Bangalore" and "Yelahanka Voice" respectively -- that he has no adjudicating powers to review the decision as it was unanimously taken by the House.

Koliwad said he would look at different options, including convening a special session of the Assembly.

The two editors visited the Speaker's office to seek review of the June 21 resolution passed by Assembly for their alleged defamatory articles against legislators.

Contending that the resolution was illegal and unconstitutional, the two journalists had sought its quashing by the High Court which had advised finding an amicable solution to the controversy.

On Saturday last, the High Court had disposed the petitions after the journalists said they would appear before the Speaker and seek revision of the resolution.

The counsel for the Speaker had told the Court that Belagere and Raju would not be arrested but they would have to appear before the Presiding Officer and submit a plea.

"The two editors have made their submissions before me and sought reviewing of the resolution, sentencing them for one year in jail. I just want to say, I will look into it," Koliwad told reporters after the counsel of the journalists, Shankarappa, made his submissions before him.

Asked about the options left for him to review the resolution, Koliwad said he has no powers to do that, but may convene a special session to consider the editors' plea.

"I have no adjudicating powers as the Speaker to review the sentencing, because the decision was unanimously taken by the House, after the Privileges Committee had recommended action against the editors," he said.

"A special session might be called, there is that one option," Koliwad added.

Asked whether he has kept in abeyance the resolution, he said, "that is left for you all (reporters) to interpret.

I have nothing to say."

The Assembly had awarded the sentence besides imposing a fine of Rs 10,000 each on Belagere and Raju based on the recommendations of Privileges Committee of the House.

The June 21 assembly resolution had led to protests from the media with the Editors' Guild of India terming it as a "gross misuse" of power which "violates" the fundamental right of freedom of speech.

The guild also had urged the Assembly to withdraw its resolution "without delay".

Belagere had published an article against Koliwad in September 2014 issue of 'Hai Bangalore'.

Former Speaker Kagodu Thimmappa had referred the issue to the Privileges Committee after Koliwad, then an MLA, had lodged a complaint against Belagere.

Congress and BJP MLAs, B M Nagaraju and S R Viswanath had raised the issue in the House and recommended action against the journalists. PTI
Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, July 3

Around 45 Dalits from Gujarat coming to Lucknow to present Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath a 125 kg soap bar were made to alight from the train in Jhansi and return to Ahmedabad.

The state government has also cancelled a convention of Dalit organisations, which the Gujarat delegation was to participate in, at Lucknows Press Club on Monday.

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The police have also laid siege to the Nehru Yuvak Kendra where around two dozen Dalit delegates from Chitrakoots Dalit Adhikar Manch had been put up after arriving in the capital to attend the convention.

ADG Law and Order Aditya Mishra said these were preventive measures as there were reports that there could be a law and order problem. You know there is a background to this, the ADG said.

The 45-member-strong Gujarat delegation comprising of representatives of around half a dozen Dalit organisations led by Navsarjan Trust were made to get off Sabarmati Express at Jhansi on Sunday.

According to the convener of the proposed Lucknow Dalit convention SR Darapuri, the delegation was told that to ensure their safety the administration would arrange to send them to Lucknow.

Unhappy at the manner in which they were made to get off the train the delegation sat on a dharna at the Jhansi railway platform.

Darapuri said the police took them to a dak bungalow where they were told that there were orders from above to send them back to Ahmedabad as under no circumstances they could proceed to Lucknow.

Early on Monday morning the police forcibly made them board a general compartment of the Saurashtra Express on their return journey to Gujarat, said Darapuri.

The delegation was bringing with them a 125 kg soap bar with Buddha embossed on it as a gift for CM Yogi.

Darapuri said this was in reaction to around 100 Dalit families at Manipur Deenapatti village in Kushinagar last month being given soap bars and shampoo sachets to clean themselves before attending a public meeting of CM Yogi.

Mondays meeting organised by the Dynamic Action Group was to be attended by Dalit organisations from various parts of the state as well as from Gujarat to discuss the future plan of action after the Saharanpur clashes.

In a related development, the Indigo flight bringing the founder of the Navsarjan Trust and Dalit human rights activist Martin Macwan to Lucknow for the Dalit convention was cancelled at Ahmedabad airport on Monday morning.

Speaking to this reporter, Macwan said that after waiting in the flight for an hour it was announced that it had been cancelled as the runway was under maintenance.

During April and May there have been several episodes of clashes between the upper-caste Thakurs and Dalits in Saharanpur district in which dozens of people were killed and houses of close to 70 Dalits burnt down.

Blaming the Bhim Sena for provoking violence the state government has arrested its founder Chandrashekhar Azad and all its senior leaders.

Later in the day, eight Dalit rights activists were arrested from the Press Club.
Bijay Sankar Bora

Tribune News Service

Guwahati, July 3

A seven-year-old girl was buried alive while she was waking to school on Monday morning due to a landslide that occurred near the railway line at Panikhaiti area in the outskirt of the city.

The landslide also damaged three houses in the area besides injuring another girl while two more bodies were recovered in the flood-affected state today.

Police said the girl, Dipika Barman, had been dug out by locals and rushed to Guwahati Medical College Hospital (GMCH) where she was declared dead.

Her lunch box, water bottle and the school bag were retrieved by the locals.

Senior officials of the district administration rushed to the site for inspection.

The state government has announced Rs four lakh compensation to the next of kin of the deceased girl.

A landslide also occurred at 12th Mile area near Jorabat at Umpher village along Guwahati-Shillong road on Monday morning and damaged a few houses in the area. Heavy rainfall from Sunday afternoon could be the immediate cause of landslides.

Meanwhile, an unidentified body was recovered from an inundated drain at Narangi area in the city this morning. Body of Mohendra Dekaroja, who was swept away by flood water at Lanka in Nagaon district on Sunday, was recovered from Dimaru river at Kaki by personnel of National Disaster Response Force.

The overall flood situation has remained grim in Assam, especially in Lakhimpur and Sonitpur districts and Barak Valley areas.

Flood water has breached embankments and many places in the state negating the claims of the state government to have repaired all the breaches on river embankments by Mach 31 this year.

The district administration in Kamrup (Metropolitan) has asked the encroachers who are precariously living in hilly areas in and around Guwahati city to leave their dwelling places in no time failing which a massive eviction drive will be launched soon.
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

Even as India and China continue to exchange sharp words over the ongoing military standoff at the Doklam plateau in Bhutan, Beijing has issued threats of war after almost three decades.

On its part, the Indian side dug in its heels, reminding about a similar event at Sumdrong Chu (October 1986 to May 1987) in the north-western part of Arunachal Pradesh  leading to a constant threat of war. Those eight months at Sumdrong Chu saw the longest standoff between the two armies. In comparison, the Doklam standoff is just three-week old, although things had been simmering since May this year.

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Beijings state-run daily Global Times said: China will resolutely safeguard its border sovereignty in conflicts with Indian troops even at the cost of a war. In October 1986, Chinese leader Deng Xiaoping had warned India that China would have to teach India a lesson.

Spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry Geng Shuang today responded to Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys statement that India of 2017 was different from the India of 1962. He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different, Geng Shuang said.

India must withdraw its soldiers who, he alleged, had entered the Chinese territory on the other side of the Sikkim border. China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty, he warned.

On the Indian side, indications are that it will let diplomacy prevail over the bayonets even as the standoff will continue till China stops its activities. The armies are at a civil distance from each other. The faceoff is between a small number of men and the rest are in layers forming the rear.

For New Delhi, this is a clear show of proactive military intent to help Bhutan a friend. The 89-square-km patch of territory at the southern tip of the Chumbi valley  between Sikkim and Bhutan  has been at the root of an unresolved boundary dispute between Beijing and Thimphu. The two countries have failed to resolve it despite 24 rounds of negotiations since 1984.

Indian troops have blocked a road under construction by China in a part of territory under dispute between Bhutan and China. China calls it the Donglang region, Bhutan Doklam Plateau while India calls it Doka La.

The same plateau extends to the India-Bhutan-China tri-junction at the southern tip of the Chumbi valley. The border with China is accepted by India along Sikkim, so there is no dispute between the two countries.

Army plays it down
New Delhi, July 3

The Air Conditioning (AC) system in a New Delhi-bound Air India flight AI-880, an Airbus 320, which took off from West Bengal's Bagdogra malfunctioned on Sunday, leaving passengers gasping for breath.

In a video that has gone viral, the livid passengers can be seen fanning themselves and complain to the staff onboard about the malfunction, but to no avail.

#WATCH Air India Delhi-Bagdogra flight took off with faulty AC system, passengers protested complaining of suffocation pic.twitter.com/3nibvSrb1E  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Reportedly, the passengers complained to the flight cabin crew and were assured that the ACs would be back on after some time, but the matter was not resolved.

The flight took off with 168 passengers on board at 1.55 pm. After 20 minutes into the flight, passengers complained about the ACs malfunctioning.

Few passengers also tried to put on the oxygen masks, but these too were reportedly not working.

In a video shot by one of the angry passengers, the fliers could be seen fanning themselves with pamphlets or magazines.

Some passengers protested and some took to Twitter to complain about the AC problem in the flight.

According to reports when contacted, Air India said that it was a technical matter and an investigation would be initiated.

The embarassment came after the government decided on Wednesday to privatise debt-laden Air India, the first step of a process that could see the government offload an airline struggling to turn a profit in the face of growing competition from low-cost rivals.

Air India, once the country's biggest airline, has seen its domestic market share shrivel to 13 per cent as private rivals such as IndiGo and SpiceJet have expanded. ANI
Ajay Banerjee

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

Far away from the much debated India-China military standoff in Bhutan, there has been an unusual surge in Chinese activities in the Indian Ocean in the past two months.

A submarine of the Peoples Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) is now a permanent fixture under the garb of anti-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. Seven such missions have been conducted in three years.

In the past two months, Indian surveillance machinery of warships, surveillance planes and satellites reported back the presence of 14 Chinese warships in the Indian ocean that include spy ships, a submarine support ship called Chongmingdao, a tanker carrying supplies and hydrographic vessels, specialising in mapping the sea bed.

Sources said this was an unusual surge forcing the Indian Navy to be on hectic pace of operations. The situation is termed not alarming though. These Chinese missions are for anti-piracy, a friendship tour of countries on the belt and road initiative of China and for joint exercises with other nations.

The US Department of Defence in its report Annual report to the Congress: Military and Security Developments Involving the Peoples Republic of China 2017 says: These submarine patrols demonstrate the PLANs emerging capability both to protect Chinas SLOCs (sea lanes of communication) and to increase Chinas power projection into the Indian Ocean.

China has been expanding its access to logistics in the Indian Ocean. Last year, Beijing announced a military base in Djibouti on the North-Eastern coast of Africa and is slated to establish additional hubs over the next decade.

Last year, China signed an agreement with Pakistan for the sale of eight submarines. The first four will be built in China, with the remaining four in Pakistan.
Lahore, July 3

Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who has been branded as a global terrorist by the United States, has admitted to having carried out terror attacks on Indian soil.

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Till now our focus was on Indian occupational forces. All operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these occupational forces, Salahuddin said in an interview with Geo TV.

Asserting that Kashmir was his home, the Hizbul chief said the Valley had been witnessing an uprising since the killing of Burhan Wani.

Claiming that he had many supporters in India, Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he had the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if hes paid for it.

Revealing that he carried out many operations in India, he said the international scenario changed after 9/11. If we would have taken our operations out of Kashmir at that time, India would have got a chance to label Kashmir-e-Tehreek a terrorist organisation. We have support and we can target any place in India, at anytime, he said.

On June 26, the US Department of State designated Salahuddin, as a specially designated global terrorist. In September 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers and vowed to turn the Kashmir valley into a graveyard for Indian forces.  ANI

Global terrorist tag well deserved: MHA
Tribune News Service

Lucknow, July 3

The Uttar Pradesh Government resorted to a series of repressive measures to prevent a symposium of Dalit organisations at the Lucknow Press Club today.

After cancelling permission for the event, the police arrested eight organisers as they reached the club for the symposium in the afternoon.

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Among those arrested were former ADGP and Dalit activist SR Darapuri, former professor of Lucknow University Ramesh Dixit and Dynamic Action Group founder Ram Kumar. All of them were released later in the afternoon after furnishing personal bonds of Rs 25,000 each.

UP Working Journalists Union president Haseeb Siddiqui said the Dynamic Action Group and the Bundelkhand Dalit Adhikar Manch had booked the club for the symposium on Vartman rajniti mein Daliton ki disha wa dasha (Situation of Dalits in the present political scenario).

The local intelligence unit informed the club authorities about the denial of permission. When the organisers came for the meeting, they were picked up, taken to the Police Lines and then to the Qaiser Bagh police station and released after formalities.

Earlier, around 45 Dalits from Gujarat, on way to Lucknow to present CM Yogi Adityanath with a 125-kg soap bar, were taken off a train in Jhansi and sent back to Ahmedabad. The Gujarat delegation was also scheduled to attend the symposium.

The police also laid siege to the Nehru Yuva Kendra where around 20 Dalit delegates from Chitrakoots Bundelkhand Dalit Adhikar Manch had been put up. They were allowed to leave for the railway station for their return journey in the evening.

Uttar Pradesh ADGP, Law and Order, Aditya Mishra said preventive measures were taken following reports that there could be a law and order problem. You know there is a background to this, he said.
Mumbai, July 3

The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the police not to file charge sheet against actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra in an alleged cheating case for two weeks till it hears the matter again.

A Division Bench of Justices R V More and Sarang Kotwal gave the direction to the police while hearing a joint plea by Shetty and Kundra for quashing of a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against the couple.

Do not file a charge sheet in the case till we hear this petition, said the Bench while also seeking the polices stand over the plea by the couple. It adjourned the matter for two weeks.

On April 27, the Bhiwandi police in neighbouring Thane district registered the case against Shilpa and Raj for allegedly duping a textile firm owner of Rs 24 lakh.

Shilpa and Raj were booked for allegedly committing the penal offences of criminal breach of trust and cheating, respectively under Sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

The IPC Section 406 entails a jail term up to three years while Section 420 attracts a maximum punishment of seven years on conviction.

The duo had been granted anticipatory bail by a Thane sessions court in May this year. They had then approached the high court for having the case quashed.

Shetty and Kundras lawyer Aniket Nikam said the complainant in the case and a company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, of which the accused (Shilpa and Kundra) were directors, were in a business partnership for over a year.

Best Deal had made a payment of over Rs one crore to the complainant in the past and hence it cannot be said that the accused persons had any intention to cheat the complainant, Nikam said.

He further argued that the case was civil in nature.

According to the complaint, Best Deal collected money from customers for sale of bed sheets on behalf of another company Malotia Textiles through TV ads, but allegedly did not pay the proceeds to the latter.  PTI
Jerusalem, July 3

Cyber security is one of the key areas of cooperation to be discussed with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said ahead of his Indian counterparts visit to Israel.

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Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here, Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

Terming Modi, as one of the most important Prime Ministers of the world, Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas, including in cyber.

For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime ministers of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fieldswater, agriculture, health and also in cyber.

And he has a good reason to do so, the Israeli Prime Minister told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office.

Modi will be on a three day visit to Israel starting July 4 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu stressed that Israels growing acceptance across the world, especially as a technology giant, is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of my friend Narendra Modi.

Outlining steps taken by his government to strengthen Israels cyber security apparatus, Netanyahu argued the need for such an investment by saying that it was not only a serious threat, but also a serious business.

A few years ago, I decided to establish Israel as one of the five leading powers in the world and I think by all accounts, we are there but the jury on security is always out.

And its a constant challenge. Cyber security is a serious business. Its a serious business for two reasons  the first reason is that its a serious and growing threat. And its a growing threat everywhere because every single thing is being digitised, he said.

The Israeli Prime Minister underscored the exponential rise in the need for cyber security, as all governments grapple with finding the ways to protect confidential information of security organisations, the critical infrastructure, businesses, and every single organisation as we enter the world of Internet.

Netanyahu credited himself for creating the National Cyber Defense Authorityto streamline information sharing between government, the private sector and various organizationsto combat cyber threats.

Hundreds of organisations are said to have joined this cybernet as it not only tries to facilitate secure communication between them and with others but also guides them as to how to prevent or respond to cyber attacks.

The Israeli leader reached out to other countries to join this initiative by saying that in general, again with some reservations, we are better together.

The second reason, he said, as to why cyber security is a serious business, is because it is a fast growing market and an endless business.

Its growing geometrically because there is never a permanent solution. Its an endless business. The battle for market share in the fast growing market is open to anyone although there are certain requirements, certain barriers to entry. This produces an endless crop of companies, Netanyahu said.

We, in Israel, have 600-700 start ups and they are constantly added and weeded out. This is a fast geometrically rising market, he added.

The Israeli Premier also talked at length about how Israels reputation as a centre of advanced technology and hub of cyber security has led to countries that once boycotted it, now embrace it.

There used to be a thing called the Arab boycott.

Remember that. Well that has dissipated for many many reasons - strategic and others but the prominence of Israel in the technological field and in the cyber field has made Israeli companies very very attractive, he said.

If we look at the figures of 2016, we have about 20 per cent share of total cyber security investment around the world, Netanyahu said.

Beginning tomorrow, Modis Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian PM. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone. PTI
By India Today Web Desk: A policeman and a civilian were injured as heavily armed terrorists opened indiscriminate firing on the security team deployed for Amarnath Yatra security in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag today. The cop, whose condition is stated to be serious, has been taken to Srinagar for specialised medical treatment.

In a separate incident, a militant was killed in an encounter with the security forces in south Kashmir's Pulwama district.

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Acting on specific information security forces carried out the operation in Bamnoo village in which the militant was killed. The Special Operations Group (SOG) Pulwama and 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of Army have cordoned off the area and a combing operation was underway.

Today's encounter in Pulwama came barely 10 hours after civilian protesters helped a group of militants escape a cordon and search operation in the Malangpora village of the same district.

The protesters had clashed with the security forces late on Sunday evening forcing them to call off the operation near the military air base in Koil.

ALSO READ:

Kashmir: Encounter in Pulwama, 1 terrorist killed, 2 holed up inside house

Jammu and Kashmir: After beheading of jawans, Indian Army prevents future attacks on troops

Encounter to flush out 3 Hizb militants in Pulwama; stone pelters urged to 'save brothers'

WATCH: Terrorists attack police team deployed for security of Amarnath pilgrims in Anantnag

--- ENDS ---
Simran Sodhi

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi begins his historic three-day visit to Israel tomorrow, skipping Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian authority and in effect signalling a new direction in Indias relationship with Israel and Palestine.

Edit: First PM in Israel

Israel, realising the de-hyphenation that Modi has set in motion, is getting ready to roll out the red carpet. In a special gesture, the PM will be received at the airport by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who will also accompany him to many of the sites during the visit.

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Modi, in an interview to newspaper Israel Hayom, reciprocated the warmth and said he was looking forward to visiting Israel that he had last visited in 2006 as Gujarat CM. Expressing his admiration for Israel, the PM said, The way you transformed yourself from being a water-deficient country to a water-surplus country; the manner in which you made your deserts bloom are all amazing accomplishments.

The PM spoke about the threat of terrorism and how Israel and India could cooperate to fight this menace.

Both the countries are likely to discuss the sale and production of missiles, drones and radar systems under Modis pet Make in India project.
Vishal Joshi



Tribune News Service



Kurukshetra, July 2

Only those who hold an MBBS degree and were registered either with the Medical Council of India or with medical councils of various states could sign diagnostic reports, the council said in a new order on Sunday.

In a communication sent to the Director, National Accreditation Board for Testing and Calibration Laboratories (NABL), the MCI has said that medical lab technicians or PhD scholars in various science disciplines are not authorised to sign or countersign medical test reports of laboratories.



NABL had wanted a clarification from the MCI. It also asked the council if those with doctorates in medical microbiology, medical biochemistry, life science, applied biology, cytogenetics and biotechnology could be permitted if they are co-authorised with a person registered with MCI or state councils.



The council said its executive committee had taken the decision on June 16. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has also been apprised of it.



Sources in the medical fraternity called it a landmark decision and paradigm shift in the policy.



According to the sources, many several hospitals and private diagnostic laboratories saw people with postgraduate degrees in science signing laboratory test reports.



National MSc Medical Teachers Association (NMMTA) had opposed the rules and written to all authorities concerned, including Union Health Minister, to reconsider.
Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to hear convicted former Calcutta High Court Judge CS Karnans plea for bail and suspension of sentence for contempt of court.

You are habitually inclined to disrupt the proceedings of this court. You say the same thing again and again. Declined We will not accept an oral request against the judgment, a Bench headed by Chief Justice JS Khehar told Justice Karnans counsel Mathew J Nedumpara.

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He has been put to grave injustice, Nedumpara told the Bench, adding that Justice Karnan had been in jail without a detailed judgment. One of the seven judges on the Bench that convicted him of contempt had already retired, he said.

Justice Karnan was arrested by the West Bengal Police on June 20 from Coimbatore after he was absconding for 42 days. He is currently lodged in a Kolkata jail.

A seven-judge Bench headed by CJI Khehar had on May 9 convicted Justice Karnan of contempt of court and awarded six-month jail to him for scandalising the judiciary by levelling baseless allegations of corruption against judges.

This is the second time since his arrest that the top court has declined to take up his plea.
New Delhi, July 3

Jailed former Calcutta High Court judge, Justice CS Karnan, on Monday again failed in the Supreme Court in getting an urgent hearing on his plea seeking bail and challenging the award of six month jail term for contempt.

"Declined. We will not accept an oral request against the judgment," a Bench comprising Chief Justice JS Khehar and Justice DY Chandrachud said when the counsel for Justice Karnan sought urgent listing of the petition saying "he has been put to grave injustice".

Mathews J Nedumpara, counsel for the former judge, said Justice Karnan has been in jail without a detailed judgement and moreover, one of the seven judges of the Bench that had convicted him had already retired.

"You are habitually inclined to disrupt the proceedings of this court. You (counsel) say the same thing again and again. Declined," an apparently irked Bench said.

Karnan was arrested on June 20 in pursuance of the apex court's judgement awarding him six-month jail term for contempt of court.

On June 21, a vacation Bench of the apex court had refused to entertain the plea of the arrested ex-high court judge saying it "cannot override" the seven-judge bench order in the case.

Karnan, 62, who retired on June 12 as Calcutta High Court judge, was arrested on June 20 by the West Bengal CID. He had been in Coimbatore since May 9 when the apex court held him guilty for contempt of court and sentenced him to six months imprisonment.

Karnan has the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court and also the first to have retired as a fugitive.

A seven-judge bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of India JS Khehar, had on May 9 directed the West Bengal director general of police to take the then serving judge into custody immediately.

Despite several attempts, Karnan has failed to get any relief from the apex court's vacation Benches, which have refused to hear his plea seeking a stay of its jail term order. PTI
Ramgarh (Jharkhand) July 3

Two more prime suspects in the June 29 lynching incident turned themselves in on Monday while three others seen in videos and photos were taken into custody for interrogation, senior policemen said on Monday.

In a joint press conference with Ramgarh Deputy Commissioner Rajeshwari B. and Superintendent of Police Kishore Kaushal said that Deepak Mishra and Chhotu Verma surrendered in Ramgarh court, like another one, Chhotu Rana, had done earlier.

The district administration had planned to attach their property, prompting them to tune themselves in, the SP said.

The latest brings the number of those arrested in the case to seven.

Mohammed Allimuddin, a meat trader from Manua village in Hazaribagh district, was beaten to death by a mob on June 29 on suspicion that his vehicle carried beef.

A special team constituted by the administration was reviewing video and photos that circulated on social media, the SP said, adding that although security had been relaxed, policemen remained deployed in the sensitive places.

Deputy Commissioner of Ramgarh Rajeshwari B said that the widow of the deceased would get widow pension. PTI
New Delhi, July 3

The Congress on Monday expressed concern over rising infiltrations along the border with China and asked the government what was its strategy to resolve the issue and deal with national security which was going through turbulent times.

The party said unfortunately, it appears that this government has been caught napping and has not been able to implement recent accords between the two countries signed by the UPA government, which have been violated.

AICC spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi said the Congress, however, stands solidly behind the government on issues of national security and on steps taken in national interest to resolve the current stand-off with China.

He also took a dig at the government for not having a full-time defence minister, saying we either have a reluctant defence minister or a part-time defence minister.

Unfortunately the nation has lurched from a reluctant Raksha Mantri to Part Time Raksha Mantri and vice-versa, he said.

National security under this government is going through very turbulent times in different facets...

When will this government take strong corrective measures on national security for national interest, with respect to our border situation.

Any right thinking person and certainly a responsible opposition would be alarmed and concerned as we are, he said.

The Congress leader said China blaming India and adopting the most aggressive postures, given the standard of Chinese aggression, and the chicken-neck which is an issue of territorial national integrity and security along with our ties with Bhutan, have come into focus due to this standoff.

We are highly alarmed and concerned because the responses of the government in one or two cases have been actually very-very pitiable, he said, citing Minister of State for Defences response to Parliament on a question when he said No Chinese incursions, only transgressions.

Taking a dig at the minister, Singhvi asked the Ministry of Defence to supply a dictionary to show the differences when one says No Chinese incursions only Transgressions and even a lawyer will blush with such a distinction.

He also cited Home Minister Rajnath Singh remark that incursions are only a perception and said when you have such a serious standoff or face-off, the responses by a very senior minister assume very great significance.

Singhvi said, We were able to contain and control the situation. We say this with great responsibility and restraint but we would be abdicating our responsibilities if we do not say this.

He said there have been 120 Chinese incursions in the past 45 days and 240 such intrusions have taken place in the first six months of 2017 itself.

The Congress leader said this is happening even when the Line of Actual Control in the India-China Border Area Agreement of April 2005 and the Border Defence Co-operation Agreement of 2013 exists between India-China.  PTI
New Delhi, July 3

Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that he would discuss common challenges such terrorism and ways to boost economic ties with the country as he embarks on his first visit to Israel.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6, before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

In Israel, he will also meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.

He will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history.

Modi will also pay his respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

"Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's... As the first Indian prime minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said in a statement here.

"I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties," he tweeted.

The Prime Minister said he would have "in-depth talks" with Israeli Benjamin Netanyahu

"on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism".

This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations.

"My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples," Modi said.

On the economic side, he said: "I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground".

In addition, he said: "I hope to get insights into Israel's accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits".

On July 6, the prime minister will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8.

The theme chosen for this year is 'Shaping an Inter- connected World'.

"I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability," he said.

"We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, women's empowerment, and partnership with Africa," Modi added.

As in the past, he said he looked forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest. PTI
Pune: A 40-year-old woman was allegedly killed following a tiff between neighbours over a cat at a chawl in Mhalunge area on the outskirts of the city on Sunday. Prabha Rangpise was killed after being hit on head and back with a stick during the scuffle. The police said the dispute began after a cat belonging to the complainant's sister sneaked inside the house of one of the accused, Raju Salve, who threw it outside the house. PTI
GS Paul

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 3

The SGPC has suspended the operation of the hi-tech LED system in the Golden Temple complex after devotees objected to the flashy lighting.

An SGPC official, preferring anonymity, said pilgrims had pointed out that the optical effects were not in keeping with the sanctity of the shrine.

The lights were being operated on a trial basis. We will try out other colour patterns. The project is nearing completion. We aim to launch it by July 20, he said.

Under the Rs 13-crore project, at least 1,700 LED lights have been installed at various locations, including the shrine, Akal Takht, Darshni Deori, bungas and the main entry point through the plaza. It is learnt that the total power load would be less than 10 kilowatt.

The colour effects, frequency and intensity can be varied at the click of a button. The technology has been imported from Germany and Italy.

Chandigarh-based Sikh scholar Ashok Singh Bagrian said the bright colour scheme did not gel with the spiritual ambience of the Golden Temple. I saw it during live telecast of Gurbani. The effects should be sober, he added.

Former SGPC secretary Kulwant Singh said, This is wasteful expenditure. The religious place is being converted into a tourist destination, which is against Sikh tenets.
In the wake of the killing of Hafiz Junaid, the 'National Campaign Against Mob Lynching' has drafted a bill, which they call 'Manav Suraksha Kanoon'.

By Mail Today Bureau: The Prime Minister might have exhorted against lynching in the name of gau raksha, but rights activists want a law be legislated in the matter.

In the wake of the killing of Hafiz Junaid and the consequent 'Not In My Name' protests, the 'National Campaign Against Mob Lynching' has drafted a bill, which they call 'Manav Suraksha Kanoon' (MASUKA) - a draft of which would be unveiled on July 7.

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"We are consulting people from a wide spectrum of professions for drafting the law. We want the law to be bipartisan and the Parliament to pass it. It shall apply to all states, whether they are ruled by BJP or other parties. In fact, we are in touch with several RSS leaders on the matter," said Congress leader Shehzad Poonawalla.

Poonawalla's brother's driver was beaten up by a mob under Malviya Nagar Police Station. "He is Hindu. But this shows a broader culture of mob violence is brewing in the country and very soon, it would not be confined to religious identities alone," he said.

ALSO READ | Pranab Mukherjee: When mob lynchings become uncontrollable, we must ask are we vigilant enough

Ballabhgarh lynching: Junaid's family feels threatened, demands security

ALSO WATCH | Are we vigilant enough to save tenets of country? Asks President Mukherjee over lynching fever

--- ENDS ---
Tribune News Service

Amritsar, July 3

Members of the Pakistan Sikh Gurdwara Parbandhak Committee (PSGPC) and the Evacuee Trust Property Board (ETPB), Islamabad, will stage a protest at the Wagah border against Indias denial to Sikh jathas visiting Pakistan to commemorate Gurpurbs.

Both bodies facilitate Sikhs visit to Pakistan and take care of their boarding and lodging on special occasions. Committee president Tara Singh said the protest will be held on July 7 against the government which deliberately discouraged Sikh pilgrims from crossing the border. Around 300 Sikh pilgrims, who were to board a special train to Pakistan to commemorate the death anniversary of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, were stuck at Attari railway station on June 28 despite having valid visas.

The pilgrims had been sent by various organizations, including Bhai Mardana Yaadgari Kirtan Darbar Society (Ferozepur), Delhi Sikh Gurdwara Management Committee (DSGMC), Khalra Mission Committee, SAD (Delhi-Sarna faction).

The special train sent by Pakistan was not allowed access by the Indian authorities at the eleventh hour due to security concerns.

We had procured visas for around 240 pilgrims without any hitch. The special train was ready on the Pakistan side, but was not given clearance to reach Attari station, said Harpal Singh Bhullar, president of Bhai Mardana society.

PSGPC general secretary Gopal Singh Chawla said, We fail to understand the constraints which prevented the SGPC to lodge its protest against the Indian government for denying Sikhs a pilgrimage to Pakistan.
Sanjeev Singh Bariana

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 3

In a move aimed at the integration of district development authorities under the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority (PUDA), the state government today issued a notification amalgamating the functions of finance, human resources, information and technology, and public relations of all special development authorities under the overall supervision and control of PUDA.

The notification has been issued under Section 40 of the Punjab Regional and Town Planning and Development Act, 1995, by Additional Chief Secretary, Housing and Urban Development, Vini Mahajan on the Governors orders. It implies that PUDA will be the central controlling authority for all existing projects of the Greater Mohali Area Development Authority (GMADA), Greater Ludhiana Area Development Authority (GLADA), Bathinda Development Authority (BDA), Jalandhar Development Authority (JDA), Patiala Development Authority (PDA) and Amritsar Development Authority (ADA).

The notification said: The Chief Administrators of the special development authorities are hereby designated as Additional Chief Administrator, PUDA.

In May, Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh had sought a report on the functioning of these bodies following reports of inconsistent implementation of rules and plans. PUDA was established in 1995 as the apex authority for providing planned residential, commercial and industrial spaces. The district authorities were set up later.

A PUDA official pointed out that multiple agencies working on related projects caused overlapping of functions, which led to lack of coordination and confusion in decision-making.

The official said the lack of control over district development authorities had led to mushrooming of illegal colonies across the state. Executive engineers were found exercising control over housing projects, leading to corruption, he added. District development authorities have been complaining that the government is not adequately sharing the earnings from the auction of government land under the Optimum Utility of Vacant Government Land (OUVGL) scheme.

District authorities wings clipped
Amaninder Pal

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, July 2

Even as nonagenarian freedom fighter Mohan Singh recently moved the High Court seeking compensation for the brutal death of his grandfather at Amritsars Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919, documents chanced upon during the digitisation of Punjab Archives show that the British had announced liberal compensation to the victim families of the massacre.

Even those who sustained injuries in the massacre, ordered by Colonel Reginald Dyer, were compensated.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

The compensation amount ranged from a few thousand rupees for some daily-wagers to Rs 1.01 lakh for the family of an Amritsar-based businessman whose annual income was calculated at Rs 9,000.

The British had sanctioned Rs 15,92,155 for families of those killed and Rs 3,50,762 for those injured. However, compensation was awarded to the families of only 218 of the total 376 documented as having been killed in official records  principally because no claimants could be found, or if found, they refused to appear (before committee).

Though liberal compensation was announced, till February 1921, just Rs 14,150 was paid to 19 families of Amritsar city, 13 of Tarn Taran tehsil and seven of Ajnala tehsil. Voices of concern, however, eventually led to the entire compensation being paid.

These facts are recorded in four files (1920-1922) of the Home Department of the British-administrated Punjab  found by staffers of the Chandigarh-based Punjab Digital Library (PDL) during the digitisation of official documents.

Can we even imagine that the British could have compensated the Jallianwala Bagh victims? These 300 pages offer documentary evidence about a little-known fact. Punjabs archives have lakhs of such pages with invaluable information about our past, says Devinder Singh, Executive Director, PDL.

Though the files are silent on what exactly led to the British ordering compensation, these do convey that the administrators were satisfied with the compensation amount ranging from Rs 200 to Rs 600 they had initially given to a handful of victim families in mid-1920.

A confidential letter sent to the Punjab Chief Secretary by Amritsar Deputy Commissioner HD Craik on February 9, 1921, reads: Rs 13,050 have been distributed to dependents of persons killed in Jallianwala Bagh. So far only two wounded persons have been compensated (Rs 1,100). But a further sum of Rs 5,000 has recently been placed at my disposal for distribution to persons permanently injured.

A February 28, 1921, communication from the Home Department to the Legal Remembrancer, Punjab, states, Amount paid to individuals ranged from Rs 200-Rs 600 is according to the circumstances of the recipients carefully enquired into by the DC.

However, rethinking on the compensation quantum had begun soon enough. Following a resolution moved by Jamnadass Dwarkadass in the Central Legislative Council, the Punjab Legislative Council on March 17, 1921, passed a resolution to propose adequate compensation to the families of those killed and injured at Jallianwala and other places during the Punjab disturbances of 1919.

On April 20, 1921, a committee was formed to assess the quantum of compensation in each case with Raja Narendra Nath, Maulvi Muharram Ali Chisti, Chaudhary Muhammad Amin (all members of the Legislative Council) and High Court lawyer Bakshi Tek Chand as its members.

Commissioner, Lahore Division, A Langley, was president of the committee, which submitted its report to the Chief Secretary on December 22, 1921.

Apart from the Jallianwala incident, the committee also proposed compensation to the victims of disturbances in Lahore, Kasur and Gujranwala, when martial law was imposed in these cities in 1919. A total compensation of Rs 22.66 lakh was proposed by the committee (including for the Jallianwala Bagh victims), which was disbursed by June 1922.

An amount of Rs 27,560 remained undisbursed and HP Tollinton, Commissioner, Lahore Division, on September 20, 1922, wrote to the Chief Secretary that the amount be credited back to the government account.

Dr Harish Sharma, retired Professor and Head of Department of History, GNDU, Amritsar, said, It is true that compensation was paid by the British to victim families. But I have never come across any research paper or book dealing in detail with this aspect of the Jallianwala Bagh tragedy. This fact has never become part of the historical narrative of the freedom struggle.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 3

Unhappy with the curbs imposed under the Compensatory Afforestation Fund (CAF) Act for the utilisation of funds accumulated under Compensatory Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA), state Forest Minister Harak Singh Rawat today said amendments should be made to the Act so that states could have the right to utilise the funds according their needs.

These funds belong to the states and they should be allowed to use the way they want for carrying out afforestation activities. The Act passed in July last year is too restrictive that we will approach the Central Government for bringing amendments to the Act, he said after participating in a meeting of the steering committee of the state CAMPA.

Another grouse that Uttarakhand continues to have against the Central Government was its inability to release accumulated funds for the state. They are yet to transfer accumulated funds of Rs 1,900 crore under CAMPA to us, said Rawat.

Rawat expressed annoyance at the manner in which the Central Government had refused its proposal to procure vehicles and set up a new zoo.

In our proposal, we had proposed for procuring 200 vehicles to be pressed into service for carrying out monitoring of afforestation activities in the state. But they have rejected our proposal, said Rawat.

Significantly, the last meeting of CAMPA was held in 2010 in Uttarakhand, though there are provisions for holding the meeting every year. During the meeting, the proposals for carrying out afforestation activities and wildlife protection proposals are passed and then forwarded to the Centre for the final approval.

In 2012-2013, Uttarakhand had received Rs 354.66 crore under CAMPA, but after that the funds were not released and remained accumulated.

In 2016, the CAF Act was introduced detailing the setting up of National Compensatory Afforestation Fund at Centre and the State Compensatory Afforestation Fund in the states.

The states have to deposit money collected from agencies as compensation for cutting trees and this is deposited in the National CAF, to be released to the states. The states are expected to receive 90 per cent of the share.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 3

The Char Dham yatra in the state was disrupted today due to the continuous rain in hill areas of the state.

The rain has been continuously lashing the state for the past three days resulting in occurrences of rain-triggered landslides. The Rishikesh-Badrinath highway was blocked at a number of places due to landslides. The authorities stopped pilgrims movement at Pandukeshwar, Joshimath and Badrinath for their safety.

Similarly, on the Yamunotri highway, debris of landslides blocked roads in Tunalka and Ojri areas causing inconvenience to pilgrims. Further, pilgrims on way Kedarnath also faced a challenge with debris blocking the road at Gaurikund.

Meanwhile, the Dehradun Met Office has forecast more rains in Uttarakhand in the next 24 hours. Apart from heavy rain in Rudraprayag and Chamoli districts, rain is also expected in other parts of the state. Dr Vikram Singh, Executive Director, Dehradun Met Office, said as the monsoon clouds had covered most parts of the state, more rains were expected in the state in the days to come.

In Kumaon division, several interconnecting roads were blocked in Pithoragarh, Champawat and Bageshwar districts. Heavy rain is further expected in Kumaon division of the state in the next few days.
Tribune News Service

Dehradun, July 3

Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal today recommended the lodging of an FIR against eight officers of Uttarakhand Seeds and Tarai Development Corporation Ltd (USTDC) for their alleged involvement in the Rs 16 crore wheat seed scam for Rabi season.

Based on prima facie evidence as indicated in the enquiry report submitted by Additional Chief Secretary, Department of Agriculture, Dr Ranbir Singh, I have recommended the lodging of an FIR against eight officers, the minister told reporters.

The Agriculture Minister said former chief engineer PK Chauhan had already been suspended and MD PS Bisht served a show-cause notice.

Subodh Uniyal said the financial scam had resulted in USTDC incurring losses to the tune of Rs 16 crore. I am also in favour of conducting an enquiry by SIT for which I will meet the Chief Minister tomorrow, he said.

The officers who have been nailed in the report for their alleged role included RK Nigam, company secretary, Deepak Pandey, chief executive marketing, deputy chief marketing officer AK Lohni and others.

According to the enquiry report, the rules were violated as the seeds were said to have been sent to the distributors in Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal and Bihar without taking advance payments at two stages in 2015-2016.

Later in December 2015, it was declared that the seeds had got spoilt in the warehouses, so the discount scheme was announced in which the seeds were sold at a discount of 30 per cent. Again in January 2016, another scheme was announced, this time it was for the farmers, who would get one bag of seeds free, if they bought two. But for both the schemes, it were the distributors who benefited, said Uniyal.

The minister further said the officials did not give any reason for launching the schemes. They should have informed that the distributors were refusing to procure the wheat, but they kept the corporation in the dark regarding the reasons behind the launch of the scheme, Agriculture Minister Subodh Uniyal added.
Dubai/Doha, July 3

Four Arab states which accuse Qatar of supporting terrorism agreed to extend until late on Tuesday a deadline for Doha to comply with a list of demands, as US President Donald Trump voiced concern to both sides about the dispute.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and says the demands, including closing Qatar-based al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there, are so severe that they seem intended to be rejected.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have raised the possibility of further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with the 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator.

According to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA, the four countries agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sundays deadline for compliance.

They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said, while Arab media reported that Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani arrived in Kuwait on Monday to deliver Dohas formal response to the Arab demands.

The four states cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar on June 5, accusing it of supporting terrorism, meddling in their internal affairs and advancing the agenda of regional foe Iran, all of which Qatar denies. Mediation efforts, including by the US, have been fruitless.

Trump spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi in the UAE to discuss his concerns about the ongoing dispute, the White House said.

President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism, the White House said.  Reuters

Gulf foreign ministers to discuss crisis in Cairo

Egypt will host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain on Wednesday to discuss the crisis with Qatar, Cairos foreign ministry said. The ministers will meet to follow developments concerning relations with Qatar

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain cut off ties with 2022 FIFA World Cup host Qatar on June 5, restricting access to their airspace and ports and sealing Qatar's only land border, which it shares with Saudi Arabia

They issued a 13-point list of demands to end the standoff June 22 and gave the natural gas-rich country 10 days to comply

Qatar hands over response to Kuwait, the mediator
Damascus, July 2

A car bomb killed 20 persons in Damascus on Sunday and wounded dozens, the Syrian foreign ministry said, the first such bombing in the Syrian capital since a series of jihadist attacks in March.

The authorities said it was one of three car bombs that were meant to be blown up in crowded areas of the capital on Sunday, the first day back to work from the Eid al-Fitr holiday. Security forces pursued and destroyed the other two.

Officials said the bombers had been prevented from reaching their intended targets, otherwise the casualty toll would have been higher.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack. Damascus was hit by two separate, multiple suicide bomb attacks in March, one of them claimed by Islamic State and the other by the Islamist insurgent alliance Tahrir al-Sham.

In a letter to the UN Secretary General and the head of the security council, the foreign ministry said the blast that killed 20 persons in the Bab Touma area near the Old City had also wounded dozens of women and children.

State media said the bomber had been spotted and pursued by the security forces and set off the bomb after he had been encircled in the area. Damascus has enjoyed relative security in recent years even as the six-year-long civil war has raged on in nearby areas.

Footage broadcast by state TV from the blast that caused the fatalities near the Old City showed roads scattered with debris, several badly damaged cars, and another one that had been turned into a pile of twisted metal.

Footage from another of the blast sites showed what appeared to be the remains of a person and badly damaged vehicles outside a mosque in the Baytara traffic circle near the Old City.

On March 15, two suicide bomb attacks in Damascus killed several dozen people, most of them at the Palace of Justice courthouse near the Old City. Islamic State claimed responsibility for that attack.

On March 11, a double suicide attack in the capital killed scores of people, most of them Iraqi Shi'ite pilgrims. That attack was claimed by the Tahrir al-Sham alliance of Islamist insurgents, which

is spearheaded by a jihadist group formerly known as the Nusra Front.

Syrian government forces, which have defeated rebel fighters in several suburbs of Damascus over the last year, are currently battling insurgents in the Jobar and Ain Tarma areas on the capital's eastern outskirts.

A rebel group accused the army of using chlorine gas in the fighting on Saturday. The army denied the claim as fabrications. Damascus has been spared the large-scale battles that have devastated other major Syrian cities during the countrys six-year civil war.

But dozens of people have been killed in bombings, particularly on the outskirts of the capital. Syrias conflict broke out in 2011, but has since evolved into a multi-front war that has killed more than 320,000 people.  Reuters
Mosul, July 3

The Islamic State group is striking back as Iraqi forces are on the cusp of full victory in Mosul, sending women suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle for the country's second-largest city nears its end.

At least 15 people were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq, officials said today.

The attacks underscore the intense violence still plaguing the battered nation and the perils that will remain even after IS militants are pushed out of Mosul.

Two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops, killing one soldier and wounding several others, in Mosul's Old City neighborhood  the scene of Islamic State's last stand, where soldiers are fast closing in on the last remaining pocket of militants  on Monday morning.

And at a camp for displaced people in Iraq's western Anbar province, a suicide bomber dressed in a woman's all-covering robe killed 14 on Sunday evening, a provincial official said.

After days of fierce battles, the militant-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with Islamic State now controlling just over 1 square kilometer in all, or about 0.40 square miles.

Using women as suicide bombers is apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press as he returned from the front line, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket.

"They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up," Hussein said of the two women bombers.

The attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces' push last week.

Over the past three days, Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosul's civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old City's congested streets.

After the explosion on Monday, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons. They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.

Islamic State overran Mosul in a matter of days more than three years ago. The US-backed offensive to retake the city was launched last October and has lasted nearly nine months, although Iraqi political and military officials had vowed that victory would be declared by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces launched the operation to retake the Old City in mid-June and after a dawn push last Thursday, they retook the area around the al-Nuri Mosque, which the militants had blown up just a few days earlier.

The 12th century mosque is hugely symbolic: it was from a pulpit of this mosque that Islamic State leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi proclaimed the so-called caliphate in July 2014.

After the Iraqi forces retook the landmark al-Nuri Mosque, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared an end to the so-called caliphate and pledged victory was "near". The suicide bombing in Anbar took place at dusk on Sunday, as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the Islamic State-held town of Qaim, in western Iraq, according to Councilman Taha Abdul-Ghani.

Abdul-Ghani said a police colonel was among the 14 dead, and at least 20 were wounded in the explosion. The death toll could have been higher, Abdul Ghani said, but the colonel had become suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him presumably to reduce the number of casualties as he detonated his explosives. AP
Mosul, July 3

The Islamic State group is striking back as Iraqi forces are on the cusp of full victory in Mosul, sending women suicide bombers to target soldiers as the battle for the countrys second-largest city nears its end. At least 15 persons were killed in the latest assaults across Iraq, officials said today.

The attacks underscore the intense violence still plaguing the battered nation and the perils that will remain even after IS militants are pushed out of Mosul.

Today morning in Mosuls Old City neighborhood the scene of IS last stand, where soldiers are fast closing in on the last remaining pocket of militants two women suicide bombers, hiding among a group of fleeing civilians, targeted Iraqi troops, killing one soldier and wounding several others. And at a camp for displaced people in Iraqs western Anbar province, a suicide bomber dressed in a womans all- covering robe killed 14 on Sunday evening, a provincial official said.

After days of fierce battles, the militant-held territory in Mosul is rapidly shrinking, with IS now controlling just over 1 square kilometer in all, or about 0.40 square miles.

Using women as suicide bombers is apparently the latest tactic by the militants, Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein told The Associated Press as he returned from the front line, his troops carrying the body of their slain comrade wrapped in a blanket.

They appeared from the basement (of a building) and they blew themselves up, Hussein said of the two women bombers.

The attack happened in the area of the destroyed al-Nuri Mosque, which was the focus of the Iraqi forces push last week.

Over the past three days, Hussein said at least four such attacks have targeted Iraqi forces as hundreds of Mosuls civilians are fleeing the battles in the Old Citys congested streets.

After the explosion today, another group of civilians appeared on the main road, prompting the Iraqi soldiers to immediately draw their weapons. They then yelled to the group of mostly women and children to back away and take another route out.  AP

Battle for Mosul
Mahadik cleared Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) examination last year and joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai for her training.

By Pankaj P. Khelkar: Wife of martyr Colonel Santosh Yashwant Mahadik who laid down his life battling militants in Kupwara region of Jammu and Kashmir in November 2015 is set to become an Army officer herself.

Mahadik cleared Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) examination last year and joined the Officers Training Academy (OTA) in Chennai for her training.

During the last rites of her martyred husband, Mahadik had decided to join the army and fulfill her husband's dream to help misled youth of Kashmir and retain peace in the Valley.

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Satara College graduate, Mahadik before leaving for Chennai last year had started her physical training at the Pune University playground.

The passing out parade (POP) at OTA is scheduled for the second week of September this year. Mahadik will then get her first posting as a Lieutenant in the Indian Army.

--- ENDS ---
Berlin, July 2

With an eye on anti-globalisation protests brewing in Hamburg before this weeks G20 summit, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Sunday leaders will have to focus on sustainable and inclusive economic growth rather than their own prosperity.

In her weekly podcast, the German chancellor said this years G20 summit will delve into issues championed by protesters such as distribution of wealth and consumption of resources, alongside related issues like climate change, free markets, consumer protection and upholding social standards.

Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched against the meeting in the rain in Hamburg on Sunday in a prelude to the July 7-8 gathering, where 21,000 police from across Germany will protect the meetings of the worlds 20 largest economies.

Without mentioning the protests that have German security officials worried about possible acts of sabotage this week in the countrys second-largest city, Merkel, seeking a fourth term in a September 24 election, noted that these non-traditional issues were forced onto the G20 agenda.

If we simply try to carry on as we have in the past, the worldwide developments will definitely not be sustainable and inclusive, she said. We need the climate protection agreement, open markets and improved trade agreements in which consumer protection, social and environmental standards are upheld.

Merkel promised to fight for free trade and press on with multilateral efforts to combat climate change at the summit, challenging the America First policies of US President Donald Trump.

The G20 meeting follows a G7 summit in Sicily a month ago that exposed deep divisions between other Western countries and Trump on climate change, trade and migration. Trump later announced he was pulling the US out of a landmark agreement to combat climate change reached in 2015 in Paris.  Reuters
Bridgewater, N.J., July 2

US President Donald Trump spoke separately to the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Abu Dhabi and Qatar on Sunday to discuss his concerns about the ongoing dispute between Qatar and its Gulf and Arab neighbours, the White House said.

He reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology. The President also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summits goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability, the White House said.

President Trump, nevertheless, believes that the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism, it said. Reuters
Beijing, July 3

China has scrambled naval ships and military jets to "warn off" a US missile destroyer sailing close to an artificial island built by it in the disputed South China Sea and denounced Washington's move as a "serious political and military provocation".

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang said in a statement late last night that China had dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel.

(Follow The Tribune on Facebook; and Twitter @thetribunechd)

Yesterday, the missile destroyer USS Stethem "trespassed China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands", state run Xinhua news agency reported.

The US behaviour constitutes a serious political and military provocation, Lu said, stressing that the Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed it.

Stethem passed less than 22 kms from tiny Triton Island in the Paracel Islands archipelago, which China calls Xisha islands. The island chain is also claimed by Taiwan and Vietnam.

While China claims sovereignty over almost all of the South China Sea, the other countries to partially counterclaim over the area are Vietnam, Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan.

This is the second US naval ship to have passed the disputed islands after President Donald Trump came to power.

The US has been periodically sending the naval ships and planes to the South China Sea to assert freedom of navigation challenging China's claims of sovereignty.

China comes out with similar reaction every time the US naval ships pass through the area.

Lu said the Islands are an inherent part of the Chinese territory, noting that in accordance with the Law of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Chinese government promulgated the baseline of the territorial sea off the Xisha Islands in 1996

"The relevant Chinese law has explicit provisions on foreign military vessels' entry into the territorial sea of China," Lu said.

Under the pretext of "navigation freedom," the US once again sent a military vessel into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without China's approval, Lu said.

He said the behaviour of US has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands.

China says there are problems for international navigation through the SCS but objects to defence vessels going through it.

Working together, China and ASEAN member states have cooled down and improved the situation in the South China Sea Lu said charging US of deliberately stirring up troubles in the South China Sea. The US is running in the opposite direction from countries in the region who aspire for stability, cooperation and development, he said.

"The Chinese side strongly urges the US side to immediately stop such kind of provocative operations that violate China's sovereignty and threaten its security," he stressed, saying the Chinese side will continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.

The US missile destroyer sailing close to the contentious island chain is the latest in a series of events that add to the growing unease in the relations between the two countries.

Last week, Trump authorised a new arms sale to Taiwan, which China considers a rebel province, besides slapping sanctions on a Chinese bank accused of laundering North Korean cash. PTI
Best known for her figurative paintings, Arpita Singh unveiled a series of early abstract works for her ongoing show, 'Tying Down Time', at New York's Talwar Gallery. All untitled, these drawings show an artist in the process of rethinking the basic means of her art, rethinking the whole meaning of deliberate mark-making, while mostly eschewing the seductions of colour, recognisable imagery and overt cultural references. It's like a poet eschewing rhyme, meter and story, learning how to make do with just the sounds of the letters themselves. This back-to-basics approach also gives Singh's drawings a timeless and seemingly universal eloquence that suggests the rough, intimate and spontaneously expressive quality of classic Chinese literati painting as well as of elder contemporaries like Henri Michaux or Philip Guston.

In many of her drawings from the 1970s, Singh seems concerned with how to impose an overall sense of structure on concatenations of marks that would otherwise conjure something like a nebulous field with no distinct architecture. Thus, in one piece from 1978, a multitude of crosshatchings, sometimes densely packed together, elsewhere quite loosely spaced, create a sort of humming, vibratory field that seems to come in and out of focus. This fluctuating space is traversed in turn by a skein of long, precise, wiry lines that hold it fast like a tight net. In contrast, in her drawings from the early 1980s, she seems confident enough to let her marks do as they will. Here, her marks are often blunt and forceful, yet always ready to shift in character from one passage to the next. They gather and disperse in storms and swells, according to some unaccountable rhythm.

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There's nothing delicate or fragile in this series of poignant, quietly courageous work. Sometimes stained or slightly battered, the drawings show their age proudly. This is art, after all, that survived the intensity of its own turbulent making.

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This years Blended Burger Project has attracted Oklahoma City-based Sonic Drive-In to the movement toward a healthier and more sustainable burger.

The popular fast-food restaurant will be the first large chain to test a blended burger on its customers, according to a story by Fast Company. Sonic will conduct a 60-day trial in limited markets before rolling out the mushroom-blended burger  served on a brioche bun with mayo, onions, lettuce, tomato, pickles  to its more than 3,500 locations.

Last year, a handful of Oklahoma restaurants participated in the James Beard Foundation and Mushroom Council challenge to create a burger with a portion of the patty made with mushrooms.

Tulsa restaurants, including The Tavern, Fassler Hall and Kitchen 66 Cafe, served their own renditions of the blended burgers. Other restaurants in Oklahoma City also participated in the contest. Docs Country Mart is continuing to participate in the project this year by offering ready-to-cook burger patties to its customers in Bixby, Glenpool and Coweta.

To participate in the nationwide project, the burgers must be made with at least 25 percent mushrooms. This is the third time for the Mushroom Council and James Beard Foundation to host the contest. The project is a move to encourage chefs and home cooks to incorporate mushrooms into their burger patties to lessen the burden of raising cattle for beef and to create a healthier burger.

For more information about the Blended Burger Project, visit jamesbeard.org or mushroominfo.com.

Twitter: @EatsEatsEats
Authorities said the deaths of two people found Sunday morning in a burned mobile home in the Lake Crest area of Wagoner County are considered suspicious.

Deputies and fire crews were dispatched to a home in the 33300 block of East 652 Drive early Sunday after someone called 911 to report the fire and said the homeowner could be inside, Wagoner County Deputy Nick Mahoney said in a news release.

Authorities discovered the first body soon after the fire was extinguished, and a second body was discovered later. Deputies found both bodies in the mobile homes bedroom.

The bodies have not yet been identified, and authorities are unsure of their age, race or gender, Mahoney said.

Investigators consider the deaths suspicious and are still investigating the cause of the fire.

Representatives from the Oklahoma Fire Marshals office, the Oklahoma Medical Examiners office and the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation were called to the scene to investigate the deaths.

An earlier version of this story appears below.
By PTI: By Anisur Rahman

Dhaka, Jul 3 (PTI) Bangladeshs Supreme Court in a landmark verdict today declared void a 2014 constitutional amendment empowering parliament to impeach apex court judges, a ruling which the government said could "undermine" the sovereign parliaments authority.

"By unanimous decision the (government) appeal is dismissed," Chief Justice Surendra Kumar Sinha pronounced as a seven-member apex court bench unanimously upheld a previous High Court judgment calling the 16th amendment to the constitution illegal.

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He said the seven-member apex court bench dismissed the appeal "with some findings" after hearing the arguments for and against the government appeal against the High Court decision for over 11 days.

The verdict came amid a visible conflict between Prime Minister Sheikh Hasinas ruling Awami League government and the Supreme Court over the apex court jurisdiction in disciplining lower judiciary judges.

Attorney General Mahbebey Alam expressed his "frustration" over the judgment fearing it could undermine the "sovereign parliaments authority" but said he could take steps to seek its review by the apex court itself on consultation with the government.

Several lawyers said the verdict would automatically restore the previous provision of Supreme Judicial Council, comprising the chief justice and two senior most apex court judges, in removing Supreme Court judges on moral or health grounds.

Alam, however, tended to contradict the idea saying legal complicacies might not allow automatic restoration of the previous provision.

The Supreme Court in unitary Bangladesh have two divisions ? the Appellate Division and High Court Division ? unlike countries with federative structures like India.

The parliament passed the amendment in September 2014, repealing the provision of the Supreme Judicial Council authorising the judicial body to investigate allegations against judges and recommend their removal to the President as the head of state.

Bangladeshs original 1972 constitution had empowered parliament to remove Supreme Court judges but a 1975 amendment entrusted the President with the authority while a subsequent amendment in 1978, when a military regime was in power, bestowed the authority on the Council.

The apex court earlier appointed nine senior lawyers or jurists as "amici curiae" or "friends of court" for giving their opinions on the matter while one but all suggested repealing of the 14th constitutional amendment.

The apex court earlier in 2010 scrapped the fifth constitutional amendment that validated all activities of the first martial law regime when it, however, condoned the introduction of the Judicial Council.

On a writ petition by a Supreme Court lawyer, the High Court in 2016 declared void the 16th amendment calling it a "colourful legislation" and contradictory to the principle of separation of judiciary and basic spirit of constitution.

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It also described the original constitutional provision of 1972 as an "historic accident". PTI AR AMS AKJ AMS

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Qatar has been given another 48 hours to respond to a list of demands, including the closure of Al Jazeera TV, by four Arab states.

Saudi Arabia, Bahrain, Egypt and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) have raised the possibility of further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with 13 demands.

The four countries agreed to a request by Kuwait, acting as a mediator state, to extend Sundays deadline by 48 hours.

The four states cut diplomatic and commercial ties with Qatar on June 5th, accusing it of supporting terrorism, meddling in their internal affairs and advancing the agenda of regional foe Iran, all of which Qatar denies.

Qatars Gulf critics accuse Al Jazeera of being a platform for extremists and an agent of interference in their affairs.

They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

Qatar says it is interested in negotiating a fair and just solution to any legitimate issues but says the demands are so strict that the four countries never seriously intended them as a negotiating position.

A US State Department official said the United States encourages all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions.

Gulf countries have insisted the demands are non-negotiable.

Al Jazeera screens in Australia via ABC, SBS and Foxtel.

Source: Reuters
The Voice grand final was Sundays most-watched show pushing Nine to a 35.1% network share last night.

1.31m metro viewers watched Judah Kelly crowned as the series winner over Hoseah Partsch with 1.18m watching the bulk of the show. Nine coded the show into 3 segments making direct comparisons with 2016 somewhat tricky but it was in the same ball park.

House Rules put up good competition for its 70 minute broadcast at 1.01m viewers. MasterChefs Japan visit, which was head to head for part of the broadcast was 780,000 -up on last Sunday.

Doctor Whos emotional finale was up on last week for ABC. but Poldark was down.

Nine network won with 35.1% then Seven 26.7%, TEN 17.2%, ABC 13.5% and SBS 7.5%.

Following The Voice for Nine were Nine News (1.22m) and 60 Minutes (786,000).

Seven News (1.29m) led for Seven then House Rules (1.01m) and Sunday Night (634,000). The Movie: Captain Phillips was just 209,000.

MasterChef Australia (780,000) was well in front of Modern Family (436,000 / 302,000) for TEN. Bull was 347,000, TEN Eyewitness News was 340,000 and Family Feud was 236,000. NCIS: NO was just 197,000.

ABC News (726,000), Doctor Who (461,000), Poldark (414,000) and Death in Paradise (272,000) comprised ABCs night.

On SBS it was Treasures Decoded (217,000), Tour de France (200,000), SBS World News (194,000) and Great British Railway Journeys (122,000).

9Lifes Fixer Upper topped multichannels at 190,000.

OzTAM Overnights: Sunday 2 July 2017
BBC Firsts Top of the Lake: China Girl will have its Sydney premiere at the Sydney Opera House on Tuesday August 1.

Season 2 of Jane Campions crime mystery had its international premiere at Festival De Cannes 2017 one of only two television series to ever premiere at the prestigious event.

Episodes 1 & 2 will be followed by a Q&A session with writer and director Jane Campion, director Ariel Kleiman (Partisan) and Campions co-writer Gerard Lee.

Sydney Opera House Head of Contemporary Performance, Danielle Harvey, says: Jane Campion is a masterful storyteller presenting unique and human stories for the screen. Its an honour to host this event as part of the Opera Houses Contemporary Performance program  a home for visionary storytelling in popular culture. We look forward to premiering the new series and welcoming the creatives, cast and crew of Top of the Lake: China Girl to our stages in conversation for this special event.

Produced by See-Saw Films it will air on BBC First later in August.

Top of the Lake: China Girl is a crime mystery story that finds Detective Robin Griffin (Elisabeth Moss) recently returned to Sydney and trying to rebuild her life. When the body of an Asian girl washes up on Bondi Beach, there appears little hope of finding the killer, until Robin discovers China Girl didnt die alone. Robins search will take her into the citys darkest recesses and closer than she could have imagined to the secrets of her own heart.

The new instalment of the Emmy and Golden Globe nominated mini-series, Top of the Lake stars Elisabeth Moss (Madmen, Truth) reprising her Golden Globe winning role, Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones, Star Wars: The Force Awakens) and Nicole Kidman (Big Little Lies, The Hours, Moulin Rouge!). The cast also includes David Dencik (Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Alice Englert (Beautiful Creatures, Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell) and Ewen Leslie (The Daughter).

The six-part season is produced by Philippa Campbell (Rain, Top of the Lake season one) and Libby Sharpe (Jewboy). Executive producers are Campion with See-Saws Emile Sherman and Iain Canning (Lion, The Kings Speech).
If you aren't careful with the products you use, their chemical compositions can harm you.

The most common chemical found in beauty products is cancer-causing paraben, used as preservative in deodorants, moisturisers, shampoos and makeup. Photo: Mail Today

By Karishma Kuenzang: Sure, cosmetics make you look good, but just like all things too good to be true, the positive benefits of using such products can take a toll on your health.

According to studies, the average woman uses 12 personal care products a day containing 168 different chemicals.

A recent study has revealed that the skin may absorb up to 60 per cent of the chemicals in products it comes in contact with.

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Another study, by the Northwestern University School of Medicine in Evanston, Illinois, has also revealed that complaints made against beauty goods more than doubled from 2015 to 2016, with haircare products topping the list.

According to the university, there were more than 5,000 events reported to the FDA from 2004 to 2016, with 1,591 incidents reported in 2016 alone.

Also Read: 4 morning rituals that will ensure healthy skin all through summer

Dr Rachna Jagia, MD, DNB, DAAAM-USA; head and senior consultant, Venkateshwar Hospital, Dwarka, says, "Beauty products may not impart the projected results. On the contrary, substandard quality, grade, harmful compositions can result in allergies, discolouration, texture alteration or permanent damage to the skin or hair. Increased usage and unregulated production has led to steep rise in side effects suffered by the consumers. I've seen the number of cases double, especially in the younger to middle aged patients."

Cosmetic products in India are regulated under the Drugs and cosmetics Act 1940 and Rules 1945 and Labelling Declarations by Bureau of Indian Standards (BIS). BIS has provided specifications for skin creams and lipstick in the Indian Standards (IS).

Photo: Mail Today

"But if the raw materials which need to be tested for heavy metals are evaluated in the early stages, then the manufacturer may not test the finished cosmetic for heavy metals and arsenic," says Dr Deepak Vohra, MD, (Skin and VD) and senior consultant, Dermatology, Fortis Hospital, Vasant Kunj.

The most common chemical found in beauty products is paraben, which is used as preservative in deodorants, moisturisers, shampoos, body wash and makeup, and increases the chances of breast cancer. Its chemical structure is similar to estrogen and it can be carcinogenic even in tiny amounts.

Men who use products containing parabens can have lower sperm counts and less testosterone. It could also cause endocrine disruption. Meanwhile, formaldehyde and formaldehyde releasers found in nail products, hair dye, hair straighteners, false eyelash adhesives, cosmetic glues and some shampoos, is also linked to causing cancer and can also damage the immune system.

Also Read: 10 natural ingredients that will help you retain perfect skin

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There's also ethanolamine, which contains impurities like nitrosamines and is usually not listed on product labels. It's actually a respiratory, skin and organ cancercausing toxicants, and is usually found in soaps, shampoos, hair conditioners and dyes, shaving creams, eyeliners, mascara, fragrances and sunscreens.

Dr Rohit Batra, dermatologist, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and Derma World Skin and Hair Clinic, points out that phthalates, found in hair sprays and lotions may cause reproductive birth defects in males and females, liver/kidney/lung damage and cancer.

Dr Amit Bangia, consultant dermatologist, Asian Institute of Medical Sciences, says, "Triclosan, found in most antibacterial soaps and deodorant, causes skin irritation and infection."

Photo: Mail Today

Dr Rachna adds, "Used as an antimicrobial agent in personal care products, it can act as endocrine disruptor and disturb thyroid, testosterone and estrogen regulation, leading to issues like early puberty, poor sperm quality, infertility, obesity, and cancer. If children are exposed to this at an early age, they have an increased chance of developing allergies, asthma and eczema."

Hydroquinone, usually found in skin-lightening products, certain cleansers and moisturisers, is another harmful drug which can cause ochronosis and hence leave 'disfiguring and irreversible' blue-black lesions on exposed skin.

Dr Rachna adds, "Many fairness creams also contain steroids which cause skin damage, thinning, redness, colour alteration and acne, apart from hydroquinone or mercury, which have been associated with cancers."

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Coal tar, ethoxylated surfactants and 1,4-dioxane (by-product obtained from adding carcinogenic ethylene oxide to make other chemicals less harsh, usually used in baby washes), lead (used in lipstick and hair dye, but never listed because it's a contaminant, not an ingredient), mercury (can impair brain development) and mineral oil (which creates a film that impairs the skin's ability to release toxins) are some of the other harmful ingredients used in manufacturing cosmetics.

Even basic products like hand sanitisers and hair straighteners can cause more damage than expected.

Dr Rohit explains, "Hand sanitisers are effective in killing germs but excessive use can also kill the good bacteria, exposing your skin to the allergic elements. So, use it in a limited amount."

Today, most of the baby wipes found in the market contain a chemical called methylisothiazolinone which causes skin allergies, rashes and irritation.

Pointing out the problematic chemicals found in deodorants and toothpaste, Dr Rohit says, "Most deodorants contain aluminium chloride hexahydrate and parabens which cause of cancer, Alzheimer's Disease, etc. Toothpaste is a major source of fluoride and if the quantity of intake is high, it can become a major cause of disfiguring dental fluorosis."

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While hair straighteners contain formaldehyde and hair dye ammonia, Dr Rachna says, "80 per cent of currently marketed hair dyes and colours consist of colourless dye intermediates' (aromatic amines) and dye 'couplers'. Darker colours are formed by using higher concentrations of intermediates. Semipermanent and temporary hair dyes are non-oxidative and include coloured compounds that stain hair directly. These compounds cause skin allergies."

Tattoos are another thing that can be a pain, if not looked after properly. Dr Rohit says, "Tattoos that contain PPhenylenediamine (PPD) can cause severe allergies to the sensitive skin." Most commonly, the red tattoo pigment contains mercury sulfide, while black tattoo pigment contains iron oxide So, what alternatives can you use to keep the chemical exposure to a minimum? Doctors recommend using baking soda, lemon or coconut oil as deodorants and toothpaste, and opting for hair dye and henna for a natural shine.

Dr Rohit says, "When it comes to beauty products, less is better! You are likely to damage your skin more by using all these products. Opt for a routine body check-up and use good alternatives to beauty products like an organic face wash instead of a chemical one, pomegranate seeds instead of lip gloss, aloe vera gels as great moisturising agent and coconut oil instead of harmful body lotions."

WATCH OUT FOR

DR ROHIT says, "Choose products that are labelled noncomedogenic as that ensures the product doesn't cause skin irritation. Opt for products with fatty alcohols like cetyl, cetearyl, lanolin or stearyl alcohol which works as good moisturisers.

Antioxidants are a must for beauty products, so rosemary, red tea, coenzyme Q10, Lycopene and parsley. Vitamin A and Vitamin C, are beneficial ingredients. Vitamin A is has ingredients like Retinyl Palmitate, Retinyl Acetate."

Dr Amit adds, "The products shouldn't contain parabens, formaldehyde, fragrance, petroleum, AHA and BHA and phthalates. Use products which contain natural ingredients like rose petal, sandalwood and aloe vera. Avocado is an ultra-moisturising fatty fruit and contains vitamins A, D and E that are able to penetrate the skin. It helps soothe sunburn, can boost collagen production and treat age spots."

Use coconut oil on both your skin and hair to help cleanse, moisturise, remove makeup, heal wounds or scars quicker, and prevent razor burns.

Coconut oil used internally is also beneficial. It contains antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, plus a lot of healthy fats that help nourish your gut and increase immune function. Honey makes a great homemade natural skincare product as a cure for acne because it can be used in facial cleansers even on sensitive or mixed skin types.

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A group of people gather inside a detention facility holding refugees and migrants in Tripoli, May 2017.  UNHCR/Iason Foounten

TRIPOLI, Libya  Fleeing death threats in his native Rwanda, 54-year-old Mihigo and his family embarked on an epic journey that took them to Burkina Faso, Mauritania, Morocco and Niger, before eventually reaching Libya four years ago.

Working from time to time in construction jobs in the capital, Tripoli, he has struggled to find a regular work. In his search he has been robbed, assaulted and racially abused, while his wife and daughters suffered sexual abuse.

I have faced all the problems: theft, bad treatment, discrimination, exploitation (and the) rape attempt of my wife and daughters, he says.

The familys desperate plight is unfortunately increasingly common among a growing number of refugees and migrants fleeing wars and hardship in Africa and reaching the North African country.

Among those arriving in Libya is Somali fisherman Hodan, 33, who slipped overland into the countrys southwest from Sudan with a smuggler, after an overland trek that took him through Ethiopia and Djibouti.

Once in the desert town of Rebyana, he was detained by unknown authorities for five days. In desperate need of both food and decent accommodation, he sees no alternative but to continue on his quest to reach Europe.

I cannot go back home because of the war in Somalia and the absence of the government."

I cannot go back home because of the war in Somalia and the absence of the government for over two decades, he said in interview in the town.

Mihigo and Hodan are among scores of voices in a new study on mixed migration trends through Libya, published today by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, which examines the rising flows of refugees and migrants passing through the North African country, and the multiple hazards they face.

Libya has for decades drawn people from neighbouring countries, as it offered the best employment opportunities and highest salaries in the region  although it has been increasingly roiled by instability and insecurity since the ouster of Muammur Gaddafi in 2011.

The study found that around half of those travelling to Libya do so believing they can find jobs there, but end up fleeing onwards to Europe to escape life-threatening dangers and difficult economic conditions plus widespread exploitation and abuse.

The foreign nationals going to Libya are part of mixed migration flows, meaning that people with different backgrounds and motivations travel together along the same routes. They include refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, unaccompanied minors, environmental migrants, victims of trafficking and stranded migrants.

In recent years, the number of people crossing the Mediterranean Sea from North Africa to southern Europe has increased. The indications are that this trend is likely to continue, along with the deadly risks.

This year alone, at least 2,030 people have died or gone missing on the voyage, with the greatest number of fatalities occurring along the so-called Central Mediterranean Route, through Libya.

A group of migrants and refugees drift in a rubber boat in the Mediterranean Sea, in November 2016. They were intercepted by a Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) vessel, the Phoenix.  UNHCR/Giuseppe Carotenuto

To reach Libya, the report found most refugees and migrants arrive irregularly overland. Those setting off from East Africa travel through Sudan, while those from West and Central Africa travel through Niger. To a lesser extent, those from West Africa pass through Algeria.

In a measure of the danger facing migrants and refugees crossing the Sahara Desert, reports emerged last month of 44 desperate travellers, including women and children, who perished after the truck carrying them broke down in northern Niger.

To reach its findings, the new study drew on interviews with hundreds of refugees and migrants themselves, as well as government officials, NGO workers and smugglers in Chad, Niger, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Italy.

Of particular concern, it found that almost all refugees and migrants coming to Libya irregularly seek the help of smugglers or criminal networks, who now charge fees of around US$5,000, just to reach the country.

With higher fees and greater volume, the smuggling industry has grown increasingly professional, transnational in reach, and hazardous, with armed groups playing an increasingly dominant role.

I have faced all the problems: theft, bad treatment, discrimination, exploitation.

Countries of origin and profiles of refugees and migrants have also evolved, it found. Many of those on the move are young men. In particular, flows from West Africa have increased, involving individuals usually travelling step-by-step, in a series of journeys often organized by the travellers themselves.

As a consequence of this evolving dynamic, the report found that refugees and migrants making the journey are ever more vulnerable, while support services have decreased and the security situation has deteriorated.

Trafficking for sexual exploitation seems to be increasing, affecting Nigerian and Cameroonian women in particular. The number of unaccompanied and separated children travelling alone in Libya is rising, now representing some 14 per cent of total arrivals in Europe via the Central Mediterranean Route, mainly from Eritrea, The Gambia and Nigeria.

To mitigate the growing risks for refugees and migrants passing to and through Libya, recommendations in the report for UNHCR and other organizations include providing direct relief in the form of mobile joint interventions in key hubs in the South -- such as Bani Walid, Rebyana, Tazerbu, and Kufra.

Other recommendations include accompanying border monitoring and rescue operations to provide support to refugees and migrants stranded in the desert.
A group of migrants and refugees drift in a rubber boat in the Mediterranean Sea, in November 2016. They were intercepted by a Migrant Offshore Aid Station (MOAS) vessel, the Phoenix.  UNHCR/Giuseppe Carotenuto

A study of mixed refugee and migrant flows by UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, has found that around half of those travelling to Libya do so believing they can find jobs there, but end up fleeing onwards to Europe to escape life-threatening insecurity, instability, difficult economic conditions plus widespread exploitation and abuse.

Foreign nationals going to Libya are part of mixed migration flows, meaning that people with different backgrounds and motivations travel together along the same routes, often with the help of ruthless people smugglers and criminal gangs. They include refugees, asylum seekers, economic migrants, unaccompanied minors, environmental migrants, victims of trafficking and stranded migrants, among others.

In recent years, the number of people crossing by sea from North Africa to southern Europe has increased. The indications are that this trend is likely to continue. Of the three main routes used by refugees and migrants to reach Europe  the Western Mediterranean route, the Central Mediterranean route and the Eastern Mediterranean route Libya has become the most commonly used one, and also the deadliest.

The study commissioned by UNHCR found that the profiles and nationalities of people arriving in Libya have been evolving over the past few years, with a marked decrease in those originating in East Africa and an increase in those from West Africa, who now represent well over half of all arrivals to Europe through the Central Mediterranean route from Libya to Italy (over 100,000 arrivals in 2016).

According to the study, refugees and migrants in Libya are predominantly young men (80%), aged 22 on average and travelling alone (72%). Women tend to transit towards Europe over a short period of time and many of them, particularly those from West and Central Africa, are victims of trafficking. The number of unaccompanied and separated children travelling alone is rising, and now represents some 14% of all arrivals in Europe via the Central Mediterranean route. These children come mainly from Eritrea, The Gambia and Nigeria.

Refugees and migrants in Libya tend to have a low level of education, with 49% having little or no formal education and only 16% having received vocational training or higher education. They come from diverse backgrounds but can be grouped into four different categories:

Nationals of neighbouring countries (Niger, Chad, Sudan, Egypt and Tunisia). Most of them report travelling to Libya for economic reasons, and many engage in seasonal, circular or repetitive migrations.

Nationals of West and Central Africa countries : mainly from Nigeria, Guinea, Cote dIvoire, The Gambia, Senegal, Ghana, Mali and Cameroon. They report having left largely for economic reasons. Some are victims of trafficking, in particular Nigerian and Cameroonian women, and some might be in need of international protection.

Nationals of Eastern Africa countries: from Eritrea, Somalia, Ethiopia and Sudan. They reported making the journey for a range of reasons, including political persecution, conflict and poverty in their countries of origin.

Individuals from other regions: Syrians, Palestinians, Iraqis, Moroccans, Bangladeshis and others. Some flee conflict and violence while others are looking for livelihood opportunities.

The study examined the changing dynamics and protection challenges affecting mixed migration flows to and within Libya and the evolution of migration trends, smuggling networks and routes. It also mapped out refugee and migrant communities, focusing on the situation in the south of the country.

In addition to Libyas strategic location, the conflict and instability in the country have contributed to create an environment where human smuggling and criminal networks flourish. At the same time, the collapse of the justice system and reigning impunity have led many armed groups, criminal gangs and individuals to participate in the exploitation and abuse of refugees and migrants.

The study was commissioned by UNHCR and done by Altai Consulting, a specialised consulting firm that focuses on research, monitoring and evaluation in fragile states; together with IMPACT Initiatives, a Geneva-based think-tank that assesses, monitors and evaluates aid programmes. The reports findings are primarily based on qualitative data - including interviews with refugees and migrants - collected in Libya, Algeria, Chad, Italy, Niger and Tunisia, between October and December 2016.

UNHCR is seeking to expand its activities in Libya to meet the increased humanitarian and protection needs of refugees, asylum seekers and Libyans affected by the ongoing conflict. It recently issued a funding appeal for US$75.5 million to strengthen protection monitoring and interventions in Libya, as well as advocacy on issues related to respect for human rights, access to basic services, asylum procedures and freedom of movement. UNHCR is also multiplying efforts in Libya and the neighbouring countries to provide credible alternatives, find durable solutions and establish legal pathways for refugees and asylum seekers, as an alternative to dangerous trips to Libya or over the Central Mediterranean Sea to Europe.



Link to the full report: Mixed Migration Trends in Libya: Changing Dynamics and Protection Challenges



For more information on this topic, please contact:
Google's Pixel 2 Android smartphones are highly anticipated to roll out in October with a rear trackpad feature. A patent filing made it known that the Google Pixel 2 series will feature a touchpad where most handsets have a brand logo.

The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office granted the search engine giant last week a patent. Google made it known that it would be fortunate to have an improved touch sensitive surface that comes along with additional modes of operation.

Also, the feature is expected to interpret and read user gestures, which suggest a unique functionality of the next-gen Pixel phones that will not be found on other flagship mobile devices, and that includes Apple's iPhone 8. Google's patent discussed the use of a surface acoustic wave touch sensor, a projected capacitance sensor, a resistive touch sensor, an infrared grid sensor, an optical imaging sensor, acrylic projection sensor, among others, BGR reported.

Meanwhile, the Google Pixel 2, which is dubbed as Walleye, will arrive with a 4.97-inch full-HD display. The Google Pixel 2 is expected to remove the 3.5mm headphone jack. Although the tech company hasn't officially confirmed the report yet, the upcoming mobile device is expected to be available with a single-lens camera on the rear panel, Blasting News reported.

The upcoming Google Pixel 2 will most likely arrive with Android O, Qualcomm's Snapdragon 835, at least 4GB of RAM as well as better water resistance standard from IP58 to IP68. The price of the upcoming Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL smartphones remain unknown. The release date of the devices is widely expected to be slated sometime in October.

The Google Pixel 2 series will be among the many exciting Android smartphones set to roll out in the coming months. The best upcoming Android handsets include LG G6, LG X Power 2, Galaxy Note 8, Nokia 9, Asus Zenfone AR, HTC U11, iPhone 8 and Xiaomi Mi 6.

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From Carl's Jr to Barcelos and Fork You, you can satiate your burger cravings at these restaurants.

By Shreya Goswami: Did your heart stop for a second (or more) when you heard that McDonald's outlets are being shut? If the main question that's been haunting you is 'where do we go for burgers now?', then let us help you out.

McDonald's did serve the cheapest burgers in town, but those were by no means the best. When you crave a bite of a large, juicy burger with a side of fries, you deserve the best. And when it comes to the best of burgers race in town, McDonald's doesn't shine one bit in comparison to these ten restaurants.

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Also Read: Here's why McDonald's outlets shutting down is not a bad thing at all

No, seriously, don't think about your pocket. When you want a good burger, price shouldn't come in the way. Just head to any of these ten places in the Capital, and your tummy will thank you like never before.

1. Hard Rock Cafe

Bacon, golden-fried onion rings, and layer of cheddar--that's what makes the Original Legendary Burger at the Hard Rock Cafe outstanding. If this one isn't good enough, they also have burgers from all over the world, from Tennessee to France and New Delhi!

Photo: K. Asif Photo: K. Asif

2. Carl's Jr

From their Mile High Burger to their Mutton Korma Burger, Carl's Jr ticks all the right burger-shaped boxes in our hearts. While this burger brand landed in Delhi only in 2015, their chargrilled burgers are worth a trip to their many outlets in the city.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/carlsjrindia

3. Burger Singh

Forget American and European burgers! Burger Singh will give you all the desi tadka you deserve. Their Amritsari Murg Makhani Burger will satiate your North Indian taste buds. And if you want something extra-large, just go for their Patiala Shahi Burger.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/burgersinghofficial

Also Read: These 3 burger biggies in Delhi make the best of your favourite junk food

4. Fork you

When you get to make your own burger with the choicest of gourmet ingredients, why would you even want to go somewhere else? If the 16 burgers on their menu aren't enough your your desi heart, try their keema or soya pao, or sandwiches and hotdogs.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/forkyoutoo

5. Monkey Bar

With 10 burger options, would you want to look at something else at this pub? Not a chance, especially if one throws in a MoBar Burger. It's heavy, stuffed with everything from bacon to Swiss cheese, and lip-smacking!

Picture courtesy: Instagram/varunpereira

6. Johnny Rockets

Whether you want little sliders or large burgers, this place has it all. The best thing? The Houston Burger, which is loaded with jalapenos and Pepper Jack Cheese. You can easily share this burger with your date, and not go hungry at all.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/azzfoodtravelshop Picture courtesy: Instagram/azzfoodtravelshop

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7. Barcelos

Yes, burgers do come in different colours. And yes, they're available in Delhi. Barcelos has a stunning Black Burger, and a beetroot-flavoured Red Burger. If the colours aren't enough, the Portuguese flavours will be.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/barcelosindia

Also Read: Can you look away from this burger that explodes melted cheese? Hell no!

8. Chili's Grill & Bar

Chili's serves a number of great dishes, and their Bacon Burger stands out among those. A tenderloin patty, smoked bacon and cheddar make this burger a delight for the daredevil foodies out there. We bet you to finish it in one go, without breaking into meat sweats!

Picture courtesy: Instagram/chilis

9. Cafe Delhi Heights

If you've been in town long enough, you'd have tried CDH's mighty Juicy Lucy Burger. If you haven't, you don't know what you're missing. Even Virat Kohli loves a bite of this burger with sesame seed buns and a juicy lamb patty! And so should you!

Picture courtesy: Instagram/cafedelhiheights

10. Hungry Monkey

If spice and all things Goan are what you need, then head to Hungry Monkey for their Goan Chorizo Sliders. These sliders, a bottle of beer, and you're set for a really relaxing time indeed.

Picture courtesy: Instagram/thehngrymonkey

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Association of Geoscientists and Engineers Honors UWs Grana

Dario Grana, a UW School of Energy Resources assistant professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, is a 2017 recipient of European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers Arie van Weelden Award. (UW Photo)

A University of Wyoming faculty member has been recognized by the European Association of Geoscientists and Engineers (EAGE).

Dario Grana, a UW School of Energy Resources assistant professor in the Department of Geology and Geophysics, is a 2017 recipient of EAGEs Arie van Weelden Award. It is presented to an EAGE member who has made a highly significant contribution to one or more of the disciplines in the association.

Though a young professional, Dario Granas career accomplishments would grace the CV of many a mature researcher, his citation reads.

Grana has written or co-written 15 peer-reviewed publications, a book chapter and a book, Seismic Reflections of Rock Properties. His research topics include reservoir characterization; geophysical inverse problems; seismic history matching; and rock physics.

He has won funding as a principal investigator (PI) or co-PI on five research projects, with two other grant applications in review.

His teaching experience includes 10 courses, and he supervises six Ph.D. students and three postdoctoral researchers.

Grana, who came to UW after earning his Ph.D. at Stanford, has received numerous honors. In 2016, he was recognized by the Society of Exploration Geophysicists (SEG) for his contributions to the field of rock physics with SEGs J. Clarence Karcher Award. In 2014, he won the Petroleum Engineering Junior Faculty Research Award from the Society for Petroleum Engineering, as well as the Eni Award from the president of Italy for developing an innovative method to obtain information about oil and gas reservoirs using seismic techniques.
Wyoming Public Radio News Receives National Awards

Wyoming Public Radio won three Public Radio News Directors Inc. (PRNDI) awards in Miami last weekend.

PRNDI recognizes excellence in public radio news.

Wyoming Public Radio (WPR) won two first-place national awards and one second-place award for reporting excellence in Division B.

News Director Bob Beck won first place for Best Use of Sound for his story on the achievements of University of Wyoming Choral Music Director Nicole Lamartine, who is setting world records as a weightlifter: www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/uw-choral-music-director-becomes-record-setting-power-lifter.

Micah Schweizer, cultural affairs and production director, won first place for Best Interview for his discussion with Neltje: www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/high-society-high-plains-neltjes-life-outside-lines.

Melodie Edwards, news reporter, won second place for Best Investigative/Enterprise story on Native American housing concerns on the Wind River Indian Reservation: www.wyomingpublicmedia.org/post/overcrowded-lives-first-series-reservation-housing-shortage.

WPR news continues to be highly respected by our peers across the nation, Beck says. These awards are very difficult to win, when you consider the great work by public radio stations across the country. In particular, its a thrill to get two first-place awards. It recognizes the great work that our listeners get to enjoy every day.

Wyoming Public Media is a service of UW. With transmitters and translators throughout the state, WPR reaches nearly every community in Wyoming. For more, go online to www.wyomingpublicmedia.org.
Newly released in India, Colson Whitehead's Pulitzer Prize-winning novel, The Underground Railroad, works well as a literary thriller of sorts, and is set in pre-Civil War America. With all the excitement of a physical chase, it's a cat-and-mouse game between the slave and the slave-catcher, with the latter closing in on his quarry all the time.

At the centre of the story is Cora, an African slave from a cotton plantation in Georgia. Cora, we learn, is 'an outcaste even among her fellow Africans' because her mother, Mabel, managed to escape slavery, leaving her daughter and her fellow slaves to their fate. Cora is welcomed to womanhood by four rapists who drag her behind the smokehouse to finish their job. Nobody intervenes. 'The Hob women sewed her up,' the narrator informs us clinically.

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When Caesar, a young slave from Virginia, decides to include Cora in his plans to escape slavery using the underground railroad, it does not take her long to throw in her lot with him-even though both of them are aware that being caught would mean a virtual death sentence. Their journey becomes even more perilous later in the story, after Cora is forced to kill a 'white boy' in order to escape his clutches.

The underground railroad is not simply a metaphor; it's an actual track with a box car led by a steam engine, which is occasionally used to harbour refugees and convey them to freedom. At one of the stations there is even a cave-in, 'a ruse to camouflage the operation below'. Close on Cora and Caesar's heels is Ridgeway, a most brutal slave-catcher who especially despises Cora because her mother managed to escape him. Help comes from unexpected quarters in unexpected ways-from Sam, Martin and Ethel Fletcher-amateur rescuers, sympathisers and raw abolitionists who eventually have to buckle before the powerful evil forces.

As a character says, 'And America, too, is a delusion, the grandest one of all?. This nation shouldn't exist... for its foundations are murder, theft, and cruelty.'

Whitehead's account of the horror of slavery is unsparing. He writes about it unflinchingly. And yet, one senses a distance between the writer and his work. The narrative lacks the psychological depth that would have hooked readers who demand more.

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Minus5 Ice Experience, the company that launched Americas first ice experience, is celebrating the summer season with the opening of its third Las Vegas location inside the Grand Canal Shoppes at The Venetian and The Palazzo Las Vegas.

Set to debut on Friday, July 21, locals and tourists alike will soon be able to beat the heat and enjoy three distinctive winter wonderland experiences in Las Vegas.

To kick off the opening, Minus5 will allow the first 50 guests on opening day (July 21) to chill out at the coolest experience in Las Vegas with complimentary entry into the 1,500 square-foot ice attraction made with more than 100 tons of 100% pure Canadian ice.
By: Dezan Shira & Associates

The Free Trade Agreement signed between Vietnam and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) has resulted in Russia announcing US$10 billion worth of deals with Vietnam. The EAEU is a trade bloc between Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and Russia, and has a GDP of US$2.2 trillion.

Russian President Vladimir Putin has announced that Russia and Vietnam have agreed on more than 20 high-profile joint investment programs, following a bilateral meeting with Vietnamese counterpart Tran Dai Quang in Moscow.

Relations between Moscow and Hanoi have been developing as the latter is one of the biggest consumers of Russian military equipment. Vietnam signed a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) on May 29, 2015. Bilateral trade between Vietnam and the EAEU is expected to rise to US$30 billion by 2030 from a previous base of close to zero.

RELATED: Vietnam in 2017: Spotting Opportunities for FDI

Vietnam is the first country to have negotiated a free trade agreement with the EAEU, and consequently, has the benefit of early bird status in both attracting investment from Russia in particular, and in exporting products to the EAEU. The EAEU bloc is strategically important as Belarus borders the European Union and goods entering the EAEU can easily be transported to EU markets. This is expected to be further enhanced as China, India, and Singapore are also all known to be negotiating free trade deals with the EAEU.

Assisting Foreign Investors into Russia

Dezan Shira & Associates Russian investment brochure offers an overview of the services provided by the firm  both foreign investment into Russia and Russian investment into Asia. It is Dezan Shiras mission to guide investors through Russias complex regulatory environment and assist with all aspects of establishing, maintaining and growing business operations in the region.

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.

Import & Export in Vietnam: Key Industries & Free Trade Agreements

In this issue of Vietnam Briefing magazine, we discuss the key aspects of Vietnams import and export landscape, focusing on textiles, telephones and computer products. We then analyze opportunities for Vietnam among its inclusion in multilateral regional trade blocs, before examining the European Union-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement.
Nam Dinh 1 thermal power plant received the investment certificate

The licensing ceremony was held on July 2 in the northern province of Nam Dinh. The event marks an important milestone for the delayed project, which should significantly contribute to Vietnams electricity supply in the future.

Paddy Padmanathan, president and CEO of ACWA Power, said, Being granted the investment certificate represents a significant step in the projects development and, more importantly, it demonstrates a commitment by the Vietnamese government to protect foreign investors and encourage the participation of private investors in the countrys infrastructure projects.

According to investors, after nearly nine years of development, getting the investment certificate is one of the most important milestones after the investment agreement was signed between the Ministry of Industry and Trade and investors in January 2016.

Rajit Nanda, chief investment officer at ACWA Power, said, Ceremonies like the one taking place today reaffirm ACWA Powers commitment to Vietnam. The country has built a comprehensive plan for power delivery and paired it with a robust legal and economic system that encourages private international investment in critical infrastructure projects.

He added that ACWA Power looks forward to supporting Vietnam in meeting its energy needs over the decades to come.

Nam Dinh 1 is the seventh foreign-invested power project licensed in Vietnam since the country opened its doors to foreign direct investment three decades ago.

The 1,200-megawatt (MW) plant is an independent greenfield power project to be developed on a build-operate-transfer (BOT) basis. It is part of the 2,400MW Nam Dinh thermal power complex.

The project is scheduled to commence construction in early 2018. The first unit will enter commercial operations within 51 monts, while the power facility will take 57 months.

The investment consortium will operate for 25 years. The project will be financed by Export-Import Bank of Korea and Korean Trade Insurance Corporation.

South Korean Posco E&C has been selected as a preferred bidder for the engineering, procurement, and construction (EPC) contractor of the project.

The plants annual production will be 7,800 gigawatt-hours, which will be a considerable contribution to power generation in northern Vietnam, in line with the development strategy presented in the nation's power development strategy.

The investment of the Nam Dinh 1 project with international financing sources will help ease the financial burden brought on by the increased power demand during the 2020-2025 period and later on.
China's statement came as it stepped up its claims on India "trespassing" at the Sikkim border.

By Ananth Krishnan: Responding to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's statement to India Today saying India in 2017 was different from 1962, Beijing retorted on Monday that "to some extent he is right in saying India in 2017 is different from India in 1962, just like China is also different".

China's statement came as it stepped up its claims on India "trespassing" at the Sikkim border.

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On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed that India was "using the excuse of Bhutan's interests to infringe upon China's territory" and suggested India had sent its troops into Bhutan without the latter's permission.

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that Indian troops entered Doklam which is not in line with what India claims," said spokesperson Geng Shuang, contradicting India's Friday statement that the Royal Bhutan Army had on June 16 protested the PLA's construction activities in Doklam, with the Indian Army two days later supporting Bhutan and asking China to stop altering the status quo.

China's Foreign Ministry also said that Jawaharlal Nehru "explicitly recognised" the 1890 Sikkim-Tibet treaty that Beijing is now citing to back its territorial claims.

In the very same March 22, 1959 letter, Nehru also reminded China of an 1842 treaty on Ladakh and the drawing of the McMahon line in Simla in 1914, which aren't recognised by China.

Citing the 1890 convention which fixes the India-China-Bhutan trijunction at Gipmochi, far south of where India and Bhutan do, the Foreign Ministry said the "illegal trespass of border troops goes against convention and is against basic principles of the UN Charter and international laws".

"The action taken by India is undoubtedly a betrayal of consistent position held by India," said Geng, adding that "Prime Minister Nehru explicitly recognised the 1890 convention between Tibet and Sikkim" in a March 22, 1959 letter to then Chinese PM Zhou Enlai.

India maintains the 1890 agreement only provides the basis of alignment of the boundary, and that the border needs to be finalised by the Special Representatives in maps and on the ground.

NEHRU'S LETTER READ

In the letter Geng cited, Nehru wrote that "The boundary of Sikkim, a protectorate of India, with the Tibet Region of China was defined in the Anglo- Chinese Convention 1890 and jointly demarcated on the ground in 1895."

However, in the same letter, Nehru also mentioned agreements on the boundaries in Ladakh and Arunachal, which China now rejects.

In fact, in the very same section of the letter, Nehru mentioned the following two agreements: "The Ladakh Region of the State of Jammu and Kashmir- A treaty of 1842 between Kashmir on the one hand and the Emperor of China and Lama Guru of Lhasa on the other, mentions the India-China boundary in the Ladakh region. In 1847 the Chinese Government admitted that this boundary was sufficiently and distinctly fixed. The area now claimed by China has always been depicted as part of India on official maps, has been surveyed by Indian officials and even a Chinese map of shows it as Indian territory."

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On the McMahon Line, Nehru wrote: "The McMahon Line-As you are aware, the so-called McMahon Line runs eastwards from the eastern borders of Bhutan and defines the boundary of China on the one hand and on the India and Burma on the other. Contrary to what has been reported to you, this line was, in fact, drawn at a Tripartite Conference held at Simla in 1913-1914 between the Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of China, Tibet and India. At the time of acceptance of the delineation of this frontier, Lonchen Shatra, the Tibetan Plenipotentiary, in letters exchanged, stated explicitly that he had received orders from Lhasa to agree to the boundary as marked on the map appended to the Convention." China, however, does not recognise those two treaties.

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Also read:

China will defend territory even at the cost of war with India, says Chinese daily

Beyond Doka La: 10 irritants in India-China relation

Sikkim stand-off: Modi-Trump meet emboldened India, says Chinese expert

Bhutan urges India, China to engage to de-escalate tensions

WATCH | China claims these photographs prove Indian Army crossed the border

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An Indonesian member of a search and rescue team holds parts of the wreckage of a helicopter that crashed in Temanggung on July 2, 2017. (Photo: AFP/STR)

The Indonesian Search and Rescue Agency's helicopter was carrying four rescuers and four Navy crew when it crashed into a cliff in Temanggung in central Java on Sunday.

All eight bodies have been recovered from the crash site and identified, the head of the agency, Muhammad Syaugi, told AFP.

The chopper was on a mission to oversee the situation in Central Java, where a volcanic crater erupted at the Dieng Plateau on Sunday afternoon.

About five people were lightly injured when the Sileri crater spewed cold lava, ash and mud as high as 50 metres (164 feet) into the sky, with officials quick to deploy officers to clear the popular tourist area.

Syaugi said his agency and the national transportation safety committee will investigate the cause of the crash.

Indonesia has experienced several air disasters in the past few months and has a poor aviation track record.

In December, a military helicopter crashed in a remote area in Indonesia's Borneo killing three people.
The Australian Department of Agriculture and Water Resource announced that the import suspension on uncooked prawns would lapse on July 6, 2017.- Photo ndh.vn

The department on January 7 imposed the suspension of prawn and uncooked shelled shrimp imports from Asian nations, including Viet Nam, fearing an outbreak of the white spot disease in Australia. The ban took effect on January 9 and lasted for six months.

According to the Viet Nams Ministry of Industry and Trade, Vietnamese businesses will face more difficulties in exporting prawn to Australia as of July 7, when Australia applies enhanced import conditions for human consumption to ensure safe trade of prawns and prawn products, to meet Australias appropriate level of protection (ALOP).

In a note released on Friday, the department said these import conditions were issued under the authority of the Biosecurity Act 2015. The imported food, including prawns and prawn products, must comply with the Imported Food Control Act 1992 and the Australia New Zealand Food Standards Code (FSC) in its entirety.

The enhanced import conditions apply to uncooked, peeled prawns (tail fans and last shell segment permitted); uncooked, peeled, wild caught Australian prawns processed overseas (tail fans and last shell segment permitted); and uncooked, peeled, marinated prawns (tail fans and last shell segment permitted).

The importers must obtain a permit to import all the uncooked prawns and prawn products into Australia for human consumption from the Department of Agriculture and Water Resources, before the goods are imported. All the imported uncooked prawns must be sourced from a country, zone or compartment that is recognised by Australia to be free of pathogenic agents of biosecurity concern, said the department.

Trade in uncooked prawns and uncooked prawn meat products will not occur until the department has confirmation from the competent authorities in exporting countries that they can meet Australias import conditions.

The department said it was working closely with trading partners to ensure trade can be resumed as quickly as possible. The department will provide further updates after trading partners provide confirmation they can meet the enhanced import conditions.

The department will contact importers of the products affected by the suspension individually to provide advice about their import permits over the coming days. Where import permits are not able to continue following the end of the suspension, the department will reissue new import permits when trading partners advise they can comply with the new import conditions.

Also, all the products that have received a notice of direction and are subject to the initial suspension, must test negative for White Spot Syndrome Virus (WSSV) at Australian Animal Health Laboratory (AAHL), before it can be released in the market. This accounts for the fact that it was not subject to the risk management measures required for future shipment.?

Prawns that test positive for WSSV at AAHL must be either exported, disposed of, or cooked. If product tests negative for WSSV at AAHL, the department will release it from biosecurity control, said the department.

Viet Nam last year exported US$114.6 million worth of shrimp products to Australia, of which processed shrimps made up 78 per cent of the total. In the last five years, the country has been the biggest shrimp product supplier to Australia, and the demand for prawn products in the country is expected to rise.
Workers are working at the Vina Mazda factory in the central province of Quang Nam. - Photo mardamotors.vn

These autos must be of good quality, reasonably priced and have competitiveness in the region and the world, he added.

Speaking with representatives of ministries and auto businesses at a conference on the automobile industrys development in Ha Noi on Wednesday, the deputy PM said the Government was encouraging local, potential and prestigious businesses to co-operate with strategic partners in the world to study, manufacture and assemble autos with Vietnamese brand name.

As for the support industry, Dung said it would not only meet the domestic market but also be competitive enough to take part in the global automobile manufacturing chain. For doing so, it must access and apply advanced technologies in the world.

The industry will expand several automobile industrial complexes and centres by re-organising and re-arranging production; strengthening co-operation among automakers, assemblers and part suppliers, in addition to setting up vocational training centres, and conducting research and application to improve the investment efficiency and specialisation.

To achieve the targets, Dung suggested that auto businesses and Vietnam Automobile Manufacturers Association must restructure the automobile industry to identify key products that would suit the countrys development trend, as well as the market demand.

Each automaker should invest in advanced manufacturing technologies, raise the capacity of management and trade to cut costs, reduce production price, increase capacity, quality and the competitiveness of the products.

The automakers, assemblers and part suppliers must take initiative, in co-operation with potential foreign partners, to expand manufacturing, as well as to develop the network of auto support industry that would meet international standards.

The deputy PM requested the MoIT to co-ordinate with relevant sectors and ministries to supplement and complete the legal corridor, create an impartially-competitive environment for domestic automakers and importers, and meet the market principles to match with the countrys international commitments.

It must define strategic partners in the automobile and support industries; encourage businesses to increase added value in auto manufacturing, especially of products carrying the countrys brand name; strengthen management and solve trade frauds in auto imports.

The import tax on auto parts and components must also be adjusted.

Dung has assigned the finance ministry to collaborate with relevant ministries to check and adjust import duties on auto parts and components, which would be in line with the Governments orientation and international commitments.

The ministries will study and propose preferential policies on taxes, fees and credit, ensuring the harmonisation of interests of people, the State and businesses. They need to strengthen the management of certificate of origin of complete built-up units, as per import types, which have surged in the recent time.

The transport ministry will check and fulfil the regulations relevant to quality, safety and technologies, in addition to environment protection in manufacturing and assembling vehicles, reform administration procedures, simplify registration procedures for locally-assembled autos and create favourable conditions for businesses, ensuring high standards, while protecting the rights and interests of consumers.

Meanwhile, the planning and investment ministry will work with other ministries to study and propose preferential policies to attract large-scale investment projects to Viet Nam, and encourage the development of products carrying Vietnamese brand names and other products suited to the customers preferences to increase export of autos to other countries of the ASEAN.
Manufacturing electronic components at the Japan-based Nidec Sankyo Ltd Co in the Saigon Hi-tech Park in HCM City. - VNA/VNS Photo Thanh Vu

To prepare for the new wave, many businesses have invested in buying modern machines and equipment and in training human resources. But in the Saigon Hi-tech Park, for example, high-tech firms still lack qualified staff to meet their demand. Deputy Director of the park Le Thanh Nhan said businesses in the park need workers capable of operating modern equipment and technology.

CEO of the Meetech Technology Joint Stock Company Pham Ba Khien said the number of high-quality workers who could map out ideas or operate modern equipment was limited. They mostly come from universities, but the rate of applied research for start-ups was low, he said.

Nguyen Van Thu, chairman of the Viet Nam Association of Mechanical Industry, said at a recent conference in Ha Noi that investing in human resources should be considered the most important task for local manufacturers, in addition to fostering technical innovation and enhancing co-operation among businesses to maximise efficiency and avoid overlapping investments.

To deal with the problem, the Training Centre of the Saigon Hi-tech Park has supported businesses in training workers to meet their demands for high-quality human resources.

Experts also warn that besides focusing on training high-quality human resources, it is also necessary to upgrade or reform training programmes and methods so that employees can meet the demands of Industry 4.0.

Tran Quang Binh from the HCM City Technical and Economic College said demands for a high-tech workforce were growing, while well-trained human resources supply capacity was limited.

Targeting demand

Head of HCM City Economic College Lam Van Quan said the labour market would face a serious gap between supply and demand. Vocational training must equip learners with basic skills and knowledge, together with creative thought and ability to adapt to challenges and jobs requirements.

Vocational training centres should strongly renovate from training activities to school management to create workers who are capable of working in a competitive and creative environment, he said.

Old training methods that targeted supply instead of demand are an obstacle to this reform, he said.

In response to rapid technological change, the General Department of Vocational Training said virtual training and digitalising education would be the trend of vocational training in the near future. Centres should shift to the models of training that the market needs, according to the department.

Experts say one of the most reasonable solutions for improving workforce quality is to co-operate with businesses.

ang Thi Nhat Minh from the HCM City-based Ly Tu Trong Technical College says vocational training schools should co-operate with businesses and scientists to analyse socio-economic conditions and build appropriate training models.

Businesses regularly invest in new equipment and employ professional and skilled experts, both of which could be placed at the disposal of students, he said. Students would also have opportunities to work and practice in a real working environment and directly learn from experts so their training meets business demand.

Minh Nguyen Logistics Joint Stock Company in HCM City, for example, has worked with universities to select qualified graduates. The company also regularly co-ordinates with strategic partners from the Republic of Korea and Japan to organise training courses for management staff and high-quality engineers.
Foreign lenders may prove the key to connecting Vietnamese SMEs with the larger world outside

It is the middle of the lychee harvest season in the northern provinces of Vietnam, which lasts for less than three spring-summer months.

For Son, 65, owner of a small lychee orchard in the northern province of Hai Duong, exporting the fruit has been an intriguing if difficult prospect. Son does not have the financial resources to invest in cultivation and post-harvest technologies, not to mention marketing and distribution.

With more than enough lychee to supply the domestic market, local lychee growers are looking abroad. In overseas markets, the return on such exotic fruits is far greater.

The Law on Supporting SMEs was passed by the National Assembly last month and will come into force on January 1, 2018. Local SMEs and household business owners like Son hope that the new law will help strengthen and expand their businesses in the months and years to come.

The law is expected to help foster the growth of the SME sector in Vietnam, which currently accounts for approximately 97 per cent of the countrys total enterprises, to reach the target of one million businesses by 2020.

Support for SMEs will come into two forms, including basic support services that apply more broadly, and specific support in terms of information and access to capital, land, and markets. Qualifying enterprises include new enterprises converted from household businesses, creative startups, and supporting businesses in various sectors.

Following footsteps

It may well be the beginning of a long road for the Vietnamese SME sector, yet the country can always learn from neighbouring nations who have been long focusing on promoting the sector.

Take Thailand, for instance. For the past 15-20 years, the countrys SME sector has profited from the opening of its economy and its WTO treaties, according to Manopchai Vongphakdi , Ambassador of Thailand to Vietnam.

Many of them have faced a lot of difficulties on how to adopt to the new environment and compete with the foreign companies that flock into Thailand, Vongphakdi said on the side-lines of the mid-June Vietnam Business Forum.

For the governments role, we have held a lot of seminars introducing new ideas to SMEs on company management and improving their personnel performance, as well as changes in some of the regulations that accommodate SMEs, he added.

From what I have been seeing in Vietnam, it is not much different from what has happened in Thailand. There is also competition coming from abroad, so a lot of Vietnamese companies, SMEs or whoever, have to adapt to the new environment. So what is happening [here] will be a similar process the private sector in many developing countries, even in Malaysia or inTaiwan, has undergone beforeit is the same thing.

Financial resources

Would-be exporters of agricultural products like Son can now have more than one option to access finances, which they would traditionally obtain from domestic lenders. International lenders are keen on lending a hand when it comes to helping scale up SMEs for export purposes.

If an SME buys in Danang and sells in Hue, Standard Chartered Bank is not the right bank for them. It would be better to go to a local bank, said Nirukt Sapru, CEO of Standard Chartered Bank Vietnam. It makes no sense for Standard Chartered Bank or any other international bank to get involved. There the local banks have to play a role.

But whenever these companies are buying or selling from international companies, that is when international banksnot just Standard Charteredcome in. So we have to look at the sectors, we cannot support everything.

Standard Chartered has been deeply involved in the Vietnamese SME sector for quite some time. It has had discussions with the government SME team to make policy recommendations around strengthening the role of the government in providing guarantees and support to SMEs.

Standard Chartered operates in 70 countries. In about 35 countries we have SME customers, so we have a lot of understanding of the politics [needed] to make SMEs succeed, said the CEO of the UK-based lender. Policy framework has to firstly enable SMEs to succeed. It could be things like providing guarantee schemes or helping create a business agency which supports particular SME sectors. So we, Standard Chartered, are helping the government think around that area.

My head of Commercial [Banking] recently went to Taiwan, again, to talk about connecting with the ASEAN. For SMEs typically, going to Europe or the US is more difficult, it is easier to stay within the intra-regional area.

This revolution does not stop with local SMEsit extends to the international companies who are investing in Vietnam to create domestic supply chains.

Sapru said, On this aspect, we have recently done a lot of work: we are doing what we call a vendor payment service. So these 300 local vendors, we are helping them to make direct payments. These vendors we are on-boarding as Standard Chartered Banks clients to help them grow, because this will then help the SME link up to a foreign company.

Indirect support

For French-backed BNP Paribas operating in Vietnam through its two branches in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi, lending to local SMEs is not part of its strategy. The banking group focuses on serving corporate clients, including large Vietnamese corporates, large Asian corporates with subsidiaries in Vietnam, and multinational companies.

We do not directly lend to SMEs in Vietnam, said Aymar de Liedekerke Beaufort, Ho Chi Minh City-based country head for Vietnam at BNP Paribas.

Nevertheless, BNP Paribas clients do embrace local suppliers, according to de Liedekerke Beaufort. We enter into programmes where we help our clients to finance their suppliers in an efficient way, in terms of costs and tenors. So we are indirectly supporting SMEs.

The current support from the lender to local SMEs is not direct, yet BNP Paribas is more than happy to assist those with larger ambitions, particularly those interested in being exporters to foreign countries, de Liedekerke Beaufort stressed.

I hope that Vietnams growing success will not only be measured by foreign direct investment, but also by the capacity of the Vietnamese corporates to export. And this might start with the corporates reaching out to other countries, he said.

Support from the government will always be essential, but alone it is not enough to help SMEs move beyond their roots. It now comes down to credit institutions, foreign ones to be specific, who can help local SMEs to better participate in the global supply chain, with their global experience and strong financial backbone.
Diplomatic crisis in the Gulf AFP/Gillian HANDYSIDE, Sophie RAMIS

With the deadline expiring at midnight Sunday, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt agreed to give Doha an extension to respond positively to their demands.

The move came after a request by the Kuwaiti emir who is acting as mediator in the Gulf crisis, according to a joint statement issued by the official Saudi SPA news agency.

The Kuwaiti government had requested the extension following Qatar's announcement that it was due to hand over its response to the emir, Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, on Monday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on Jun 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

On Jun 22 they presented a list of 13 demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply.

Riyadh's demands include ending Doha's support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.

The four countries indicated in their statement that they would study and evaluate Qatar's response before delivering their own reply to Kuwait.

Doha has so far indicated that it rejects the demands.

"The list of demands is made to be rejected," Qatar's Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani said Saturday in Rome.

"The state of Qatar... is rejecting it as a principle," he said, adding: "We are willing to engage in providing the proper conditions for further dialogue."
Demonstrators march behind an anti G-20 banner during a demonstration called by several NGOs ahead of the G20 summit in Hamburg, Germany. (John MACDOUGALL/AFP)

The Group of 20 (G20) comprises leaders of the world's major industrialised and emerging economies.

A police spokesman put turnout at the demonstration - the first of about 30 scheduled in the run-up to the Friday-Saturday summit - at around 8,000, while the organisers claimed there were "more than 18,000 people".

The protest was "completely peaceful," the police spokesman told AFP.

The gathering outside city hall took place under rainy skies and in parallel with protests by canoeists on the nearby river Alster, while in the port of Hamburg, Greenpeace staged a climate demonstration near a ship laden with coal.

At city hall, a number of speakers took the podium to call for "a different political approach", urging respect for the environment or criticising Trump.

"We need a fair distribution of wealth in Germany and across the world," said Stefan Korzell of the German Trade Union Federation (DGB).

'ONLY INTERESTED IN MONEY'

The demonstrators then marched through the streets carrying a giant banner calling for "fair international commerce", "climate rescue" and a "strengthening of democracy".

"We are here to support the G20 summit protesters," said 46-year-old Heike, who did not give his last name.

Michael, 50, said he was "against the G20 because the G20 is only interested in money."

Around 30 protests have been scheduled ahead of the summit with organisers hoping for a total turnout of more than 100,000 people.

Hamburg, where Chancellor Angela Merkel was born, is an anti-establishment bastion popular with leftwing radicals, with officials saying they are bracing for possible clashes and property damage.

In Sunday's edition of Bild, Interior Minister Thomas de Maiziere warned that any violence would be "nipped in the bud". "Freedom of assembly is only valid for peaceful demonstrations," he said.

Around 15,000 police will be deployed to protect the summit, in addition to 3,800 officers monitoring airport and train security.
HNX employees monitor stock trades in their Ha Noi office. - VNA/VNS Photo Huy Hung

The HNX issued the Decision 455/Q-SGDHN last week, which added two more notches to the discipline scales for listed companies. From now on, in addition to the previous penalties of temporary suspension of stock trade and limitation on traded stocks, two more sanctions in the forms of an initial reminder and an ultimate permanent ban from trading on the UPCoM will be applicable for all companies across all categories.

The reason for this new addition for the UPCoMs regulations is the rapid expansion of the stock market. In less than two years from December 2015 to June 2017, the amount of listed companies has increased by 2.2 times, from 256 to 571 stocks. Market capitalisation is currently VN440 billion (US$19.6 milllion) and markets liquidity is now VN200 billion ($8.9 million) per session.

As such, the actuality of listed companies on the UPCoM has become much more complex, with charter capitals ranging from hundreds of thousands dollar to billions of dollar, with huge corporations such as the Airports Corporation of Viet Nam, the Thermal Power Joint Stock Company in Hai Phong or the Viet Nam Steel Corp.

However, this also means the quality of business entities would fluctuate greatly across categories, from extremely high return to hinging on the verge of severe loss. Under the situation, it is necessary for the authorities to increase the complexity of management and regulations, in order to improve transparency and protect investors on the market, hence the issuance of Decision 455.

Out of the four discipline methods, the slightest which is simply an initial reminder, is used for those who fail to publish their annual or biannual financial reports 30 days later than the HNXs set date.

The next level of temporary trade suspension for a maximum of five sessions is applied should the company show any of the following anomalies: suspicious fluctuation of stock price and amount traded, failure to publish the companys annual financial report 45 days later than required and annual general meetings minute six months since the end of the financial year, as well as withholding any changes in business performance.

The third discipline tier, limitation on stock trade, is implemented in case the companys owners equity drops below zero, its production ceases for more than one year, its latest financial report spots any incongruence, its stocks become delisted or the company itself fails to amend the cause of its stocks delisting.

The final and most severe discipline method of stock trade ban is reserved for any company that fails to identify its headquarter as the same address given in its business certificate, or any company exposed by the HNX and other authorities to have committed frauds in their trade portfolio including false information affecting investors decisions and violation of information disclosure regulations on the stock market.

Most recently, on June 28, 2017, the HNX announced limitations on stock traded for seven companies on the UPCoM, in which they are only allowed to be traded during the weekly Friday session with a total amount of 91.2 million stocks, which equals to VN912 billion ($40.6 million).

The HNX said they would allow these companies, whose stock codes are listed as PPG, TNM, MCI, MMC, DCI, PXI and HBI, to resume normal trading as soon as they fix the cause of their failure to publish the relevant information regarding their company performance and financial reports.

Furthermore, the decision added to the existing regulations on stock price fluctuation to handle special cases in which newly listed stocks referential price is the same as its ceiling and floor prices, or when the referential price is as small as VN100 ($0.004).
Highly placed sources indicate the caution with which Bhutan is approaching the entire issue because it cannot 'afford' to upset either of the two nations.

By Geeta Mohan: With no let-off at the border and an unrelenting China continuing with its aggressive posturing, the Kingdom of Bhutan is feeling 'sandwiched' between two 'Asian giants'. Sources in Bhutan speaking to India Today say that the 'perception of a small state' usually makes the state 'vulnerable'.

While the disagreement over (Doka La) Doklam tri-junction continues, the strategic importance of the region is not lost on anyone. Speaking to a few people in Thimphu, India Today learnt that the internet data connectivity to Bhutan comes through Siliguri and any occupation by the Chinese could pose a great threat to Bhutan's internet connectivity and contact with the rest of the world. On the other hand, for India, any road construction by the Chinese in Doklam moving southwards towards the 'chicken's neck', an area that connects North-East of India to the rest of the mainland, is seen as a strategic hazard. Hence, it is important to maintain status quo till the final resolution of the boundary question.

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Highly placed sources indicate the caution with which Bhutan is approaching the entire issue because it cannot 'afford' to upset either of the two nations. Speaking to India Today a source said, "we only hope that the two powerful, responsible nations would have the sense of responsibility to de-escalate the situation at the border and bring back normalcy".

Boundary talks that have been going on since 1985 and that's how boundary issue should be resolved without any 'sudden changes' is what the Bhutanese side hope for.

India, China have engaged in a war of words where Bhutan the main stakeholder has been a silent participant. Barring one statement and a demarche to honour bilateral agreements between Bhutan and China, Bhutan has not said anything further. This even as India and China are disputing over violations of territorial integrity.

Also Read:

Beyond Doka La: 10 irritants in India-China relation

India, China should engage with each other; Bhutan needs to have diplomatic ties with Beijing: Karma Phuntsho

Also Watch:

China claims these photographs prove Indian Army crossed the border

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Funeral Announcements A daily list of current funeral annoucements as heard on KXRA 1490 AM/100.3 FM

News Updates The daily news, sports, and events delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.



Sports Update This current sports headlines delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Upcoming Events This email is the events of the area delivered daily from Voice of Alexandria.

Breaking News The big news. Sent only as it happens.
The Ministry for Heritage has announced that three new interpretation panels have been placed within our Old Town in order to provide information on our Medieval History, namely our Islamic and Spanish Periods.
Photo: Michael Loccisano/Getty Images

Jade Logue, the 16-year-old daughter of Gotham actor Donal Logue, has been missing since Monday, June 26. She was last seen in the vicinity of Barclays Center in the Fort Greene neighborhood of Brooklyn. Both the Sons of Anarchy actor and his ex-wife Kasey Smith have taken to Twitter and Facebook to ask for any information regarding their daughters disappearance. Many outlets reporting the story have noted that Logues daughter is transgender, though, as her mother observed in a video message also posted Sunday, her gender identity is not necessarily relevant to solving her disappearance. While Logue and Smiths posts have been largely directed at Jade herself, Logue tweeted a message on Sunday seemingly aimed at the person or persons who might be with Jade now. I love all people and have met tons, but honestly (Im biased) theres never been a more loving, innocent, cuddly child than Jade, he wrote. I love her and who she is and her tribe is strong (Ive met many wonderful people through Jade), but there are some predators who swim among their ranks knowing theyre dealing with sweet, trusting souls. Wrote the Law & Order: SVU actor, Whoever knows where she is, whoever may be with her  clearly this thing has become big and crazy. The net has been flung far and wide and luckily, I have dogged teams from the NYPD, FBI, and others involved. The point is, you may have had good intentions to help her, but Im sure you realize that this situation is bigger than you couldve anticipated. Its okay. Just drop her off. Concluded Logue, There is an out for this situation that works for all involved. We promise.
John Oliver has spent much of 2017 exploring little crevasses of despair in Trumps America, but on Sunday night, the Last Week Tonight host turned his attention to a seemingly apolitical institution: local news. As Oliver tells it, however, the days of trusting your citywide station for in-depth crime and weather reports and little else may soon be numbered. This is because of Sinclair Broadcast Group, the most influential media company youve never heard of, and their verging-on-successful effort to essentially co-opt the local news market for a specific kind of conservative agenda (i.e., the kind that uses Muslim and terrorist interchangeably). Oliver, ever the realist, could only leave viewers with a fairly bleak warning: Good luck with that shit.
By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 3 (PTI) The Chinese foreign ministry today dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Jaitley who responded to China?s oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different."

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He had also said that the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitleys remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different."

He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.

"I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," he warned.

Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up" for the "illegal entry" into the Doklam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse."

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," Geng said.

Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing."

"The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth," he said. PTI KJV NSA AKJ NSA

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WORLDWIDE EXCLUSIVE: @TomCruise just confirmed that Top Gun 2 is happening! "Im gonna start filming it probably in the next year". #sun7 pic.twitter.com/X17xvxz4Q4  Sunrise (@sunriseon7) May 23, 2017

Tom Cruise wants to soar back into our hearts with a Top Gun sequel he says is definitely happening. Appearing on the Australian morning show Sunrise, the Mummy actor confirmed rumors of a planned follow-up to the 1986 volleyball erotica high-flying blockbuster. Cruise told the hosts, and the world, Im going to start filming it probably in the next year. We already know Val Kilmer is ready and willing to suit back up for the gig, so maybe Maverick and Iceman will be reprising their student rivalry, but now as instructors at the Top Gun Naval Fighters Weapons School. Or maybe the two are old, grizzled fighter pilots who are pulled out of retirement by their shared need for speed? Whatever the case, lets just hope Meg Ryan is there.

Update (July 3, 2017): Paramount Pictures confirmed a July 12, 2019, release date for Top Gun 2, with Tom Cruise reprising Maverick, plus director Joseph Kosinski (of Tron Legacy), producer Jerry Bruckheimer, and a script by Peter Craig and Justin Marks, along with Ashley Miller and Zack Stentz.
By PTI: (Eds: Updating with more inputs)

By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 3 (PTI) China today dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was in 1962, saying it too is different and warned that Beijing will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

Jaitley, who responded to Chinas oblique reference to the war the two countries had fought 55 years ago and asking India to learn from "historic lessons", had said, "If they are trying to remind us, the situation in 1962 was different and India of 2017 is different."

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He had also said the current standoff between Indian and Chinese troops in the Sikkim sector was triggered by Beijing.

Responding to Jaitleys remarks, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said, "He is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from 1962, just like China is also different."

He said the border between the two nations in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated under the 1890 Sino-British Treaty.

"I would like the Indian side to respect the 1890 treaty immediately and pull back the border troops which have crossed into Chinese territory back to the Indian side of the boundary.

"China will take all necessary measures to safeguard its territorial sovereignty," he warned.

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan trijunction for almost a month.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state which has a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on a treaty signed with the Chinese in 1898. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Geng also accused India of using Bhutan as a "cover up" for the "illegal entry" into the Dokalam area over which Bhutan has lodged a protest with the Chinese government.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," Geng said.

He said China has "no objection to normal bilateral ties between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to the Indian side infringing on Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse."

Geng said the Bhutanese side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Dokalam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side.

Asked whether any talks are going on between India and China to resolve the Sikkim standoff, Geng said, "After the illegal entry of border took place, China has lodged solemn representations at different levels with the Indian side in Delhi and Beijing."

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"The line of diplomatic communication between two sides is open and smooth," he said.

Ahead of the Foreign Ministry briefing, state-run Global Times quoted experts as saying that China will resolutely safeguard its sovereignty in the border conflicts with India even at the cost of war.

As the standoff at the Dokalam area continued for the third week, the longest between the two sides, the official media and the think-tanks here said that "war is possible if the conflict between India and China is not handled properly".

Of the 3,488-km-long India-China border from Jammu and Kashmir to Arunachal Pradesh, a 220-km section falls in Sikkim.

"China is also different from what it was in 1962," Wang Dehua, a professor at the Shanghai Municipal Centre for International Studies, told the daily, reacting to Jaitleys comments.

Wang claimed India has been treating China as its biggest competitor since 1962, as both nations share many similarities such as huge populations and both are developing countries.

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"There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly, observers said, noting that China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border," the Global Times report said.

"In 1962, China fought a war with India after the latter encroached on Chinese territory, resulting in the deaths of 722 Chinese troops and 4,383 Indian soldiers," the daily said.

Experts called on both sides to resolve the conflict through dialogue and negotiations, it said.

"Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war," Zhao Gancheng, director of the Centre for Asia-Pacific Studies at the Shanghai Institute for International Studies, told the newspaper.

He said a conflict between the two sides may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US.

"India should change its hostile attitude toward China as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides," Wang said.

The Chinese experts also took exception to reports that Indias Defence Ministry is surveying the China-India border in order to build an "all-weather railway corridor" with broad-gauge network for swift movement of troops and weaponry.

"India is trying to catch up with China in the construction of frontier defence," Zhao said. PTI KJV NSA ZH AKJ ZH

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China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction for almost a month now.

By Press Trust of India: The verbal spat between China and India today escalated as Beijing said the Indian Army's action to stop Chinese troops from constructing a road in an area near Sikkim is a "betrayal" of the stance taken by successive Indian governments and India must withdraw from the region.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said that the Sino-India border in the Sikkim sector is well demarcated.

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"By entering into the Chinese territory and obstructing Chinese troops normal activities, India violated the existing convention on the boundary and basic principle of the international law and obstructed peace and stability of the boundary area," Geng told reporters in an extensive briefing.

"We require the Indian side to withdraw their troops to the Indian side of the boundary and create conditions for the restoration of peace and stability in the relevant areas."

STANDOFF BETWEEN TWO COUNTRIES

China and India have been engaged in a standoff in the Doka La area near the Bhutan tri-junction for almost a month in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962, when the two countries fought a brief war.

Sikkim, which became a part of India in May 1976, is the only state with a demarcated border with China. The lines are based on an 1898 treaty signed with China. Doka La is the Indian name for the region which Bhutan recognises as Dokalam, while China claims it as part of its Donglang region.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng said India needs to observe the treaty and pull back its troops immediately.

He dismissed Defence Minister Arun Jaitleys remarks that India of 2017 is different from what it was during the war with the communist nation in 1962, saying China too is different and will take "all necessary measures" to safeguard its territorial sovereignty.

"Former Indian Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru endorsed the 1890 Sino-British Treaty on Sikkim in a letter to then Chinese counterpart Zhou Enlai in 1959. Successive Indian governments have also endorsed this," he said.

"The India-China boundary in the Sikkim section is well demarcated. The action taken by India is a betrayal of the position taken by (successive) Indian governments," he said.

"What has happened is very clear, the Sikkim section of the boundary has already been defined by the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China. Doklam belongs to China."

G-20 SUMMIT

Asked if there was a possibility of a meeting between Prime Minister Modi and Chinese President Xi Jinping during the G20 Summit in Hamburg in Germany this week, Geng said he has "no information at the moment" about the arrangements for bilateral meetings between Xi and leaders of other countries.

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He, however, said the line for diplomatic communication between India and China is "open and smooth".

Indias National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who is the Special Representative for the India-China border talks, is to visit Beijing on July 26 to attend the meeting of the NSAs from BRICS - Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. He is expected to discuss the issue with his Chinese counterpart Yang Jiechi.

The standoff first came to public notice when China denied Indian pilgrims entry for Kailash Mansarovar Yatra through the Nathu La pass in Sikkim. Beijing initially said it stopped the Yatra due to damage to roads in Tibet after rains and landslides. But soon signalled the matter was related to the standoff between the two armies near Sikkim.

The Sikkim route to Mount Kailash and Mansarovar Lake was opened in 2015, enabling pilgrims to travel the 1500-km long route from Nathu La to Kailash by buses.

The other route to Tibet through Lipulekh pass is open as it is located in the middle section where there is no dispute over boundary between India and China, Geng said.

CHANGE OF STATUS QUO

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On the Indian Ministry of External Affairs statement on Friday that construction of the road by Chinese troops would represent a significant change of status quo with "serious" security implications for India, the Chinese official said they have "noted" the statement by India.

"(The statement) evaded the 1890 convention between Great Britain and China relating to Sikkim and Tibet. But it is this convention which has confirmed the alignment of the boundary between the two sides at the Sikkim section. This convention has been recognised by successive Chinese and Indian governments and has been confirmed by the Indian governments in written form," he said.

"Prime Minister Nehru has affirmed in his letters to Premier Zhou Enlai, that the convention must be observed. That is the basic principle of international law. It is an obligation must be fulfilled by the Indian side," he said.

The Chinese official cited two letters Nehru wrote to Zhou - first on March 22, 1959, and on September 26, 1959 - to say that the border between Sikkim and Tibet China is defined by the 1890 Convention and demarcated on the ground in 1895.

"There is no dispute on the border between Sikkim and Tibet," he said, adding that the "trespass" by Indian troops happened at the "defined" Sikkim section.

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"This is different from frictions and confrontations between the two sides at undefined boundary," Geng said.

INDIA USING BHUTAN AS COVER

He also accused India of using Bhutan as a cover, but skirted questions on Bhutans protest against the construction of the road, saying the area is Bhutanese territory.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of the Indian border troops, to distort the fact and even at the expense of Bhutans independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right from wrong, that is futile," the Chinese official said.

"We have no objection to normal bilateral relations between India and Bhutan but firmly opposed to Indian side infringing up Chinese territory using Bhutan as an excuse. The Bhutan side does not know previously that the Indian troops entered into the Doklam area, which is not in line with what is claimed by the Indian side," he said.

Geng also claimed that Bhutan "did not know that Indian border troops had entered into the Doklam area which is not in line with what has been claimed by the Indian side."

"We will work with Bhutan without interference of any external forces in maintaining peace and tranquillity of border area and resolving the boundary question," he said.

Bhutan, however, has no diplomatic ties with China. It is supported militarily and diplomatically by India. And this is not the first time that such a transgression has happened in Doka La. The Chinese forces had in November 2008 destroyed some makeshift Indian army bunkers there.

Defence experts believe China wants to exert its dominance over the Chumbi Valley, which is a part of the southern reaches of Tibet. By claiming the Doka La area, Beijing wants to maximise its geographical advantage so that it can monitor all movements along the India-Bhutan border.

Since the standoff on June 6, when PLA bulldozers destroyed bunkers of the India Army claiming the area belonged to China, Chinese media have carried several pieces warning India for escalating border tension and "reminding" the Indian Army about the 1962 war.

Also read: Doklam standoff: China tells Arun Jaitley it is also different from 1962

Also read: Border standoff with China: Congress says govt napping, part time Defence Minister won't work

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The Mexia Lions Clubs annual Red, White and Blue Car Show will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday at 206 W. Commerce St. in downtown Mexia.

The show is open to cars, trucks, motorcycles and tractors, from pre-1950 to present.

Show entry fee is $20 in advance or $25 the day of the show. The first 100 entries will receive T-shirts and dash plaques.

The event also will include a silent auction, a gun raffle, and food and drink.

For more information, call 562-3877, visit www.mexialionsclub.org or email cwflatt91@gmail.com.

Pancake breakfast

The Moody Community Library will host its annual July 4th pancake breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Tuesday in the Commons Area at Moody High School, 11862 S. Lone Star Parkway.

The menu will include all-you-can-eat pancakes, sausage, butter, syrup, juice, milk and a fruit cup.

For more information, call Jane Gates at 749-5691 or email janegates44@gmail.com.

Field of Flags in Mart

Williams Creek Baptist Church, 12525 Elk Road in Mart, will have its fifth annual Fourth of July Field of Flags event from 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Tuesday.

The event will include a flag display ceremony at 11:45 a.m., followed by hot dogs and homemade ice cream at 12:15 p.m. and a performance of patriotic songs by Phil Koester.

The ceremony will feature 53 flags, each representing a member of the armed forces, law enforcement or emergency services, and donated by a family in remembrance of someone who has served with distinction in one of these services.

For more information, call 863-5755 or 715-2309.

Old Oaks parade

The annual Old Oaks Neighborhood Fourth of July Parade will start at 10 a.m. Tuesday at 2525 Old Oaks Drive.

After the parade, there will be lemonade, cookies, singing and awards.

Award categories will include best pet, best stroller, best wagon, best motorized vehicle, best bike/scooter, best costumed adult and an overall judges choice award.

Spectators are welcome to bring chairs or blankets for their comfort.

Groesbeck holiday

The Groesbeck Chamber of Commerces annual July 4th Celebration will kick off with a parade at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday in downtown Groesbeck.

The parade will be followed by activities in Hawkins Park until 1 p.m. Free swimming will be available all day at Groesbeck City Park.

The event will conclude with live blues and classic rock from the group Knot Today at 6:30 p.m., with fireworks to follow at dark.
WAHOO  Lincoln Premium Poultry addressed the Saunders County Board of Supervisors Tuesday to answer questions and provide a basic status update of the chicken processing plant being built on the south of Fremont.

Jessica Kolterman, community relations, and Project Manager Walt Shafer provided information to the board regarding a construction timeline, work with area farmers building chicken houses, environmental issues and community impact.

Kolterman said Costco is building three buildings on the 400 acres south of Fremont that will house a processing plant, hatchery and feed mill.

The first chicken should go through the plant in April 2019, she said.

Saunders County Attorney Steven Twohig asked Shafer about the potential nuisance of odor.

Shafer said he personally grows chickens on four barns and unless you are in the barn, the odor is minimal.

The plant itself will not have an odor and the birds will be transported with enclosed trucks.

The nuisance of odor should not be an issue, he said.

He added there is a protocol they will go through with growers in the area as to how to manage the chicken houses, whether they have four or 12 houses.

The typical setup is four houses, with approximately 41,000 chickens per barn.

Once constructed, the plant will process 403,000 birds a week.

Supervisor Ed Rastovski asked about the overall impact in Saunders County.

Kolterman said there should be a positive economic impact as the average starting wages for workers will be between $13 and $15 per hour with full benefits.

Kolterman said there are people concerned in regard to water quality, but that they are committed to going above and beyond state and federal regulations.

Shafer said the litter from the chicken houses will replace some commercial fertilizer for corn and soybean growers in the area.

Shafer said there are nitrate fears out there in regard to chicken litter, but that in comparison to the overall commercial fertilizer used, its a drop in the bucket.

Shafer said the grower base for chickens will all be within a 60 mile radius of the facility  that transporta-tion is important to them.

Lincoln Premium Poultry plans to meet with community leaders June 29.

Supervisor Scott Sukstorf said Saunders County Zoning Administrator George Borreson should attend the meeting to discuss any potential zoning issues with the chicken houses that will be built in Saunders County.

Shafer said Lincoln Premium Poultry plans on having 488 63 by 600 foot chicken houses on 120 farms in surrounding communities.

Shafer said a positive economic impact for the area will be the corn for the feed mill.

The feed mill will process 15,000 tons of feed a week and 3,000 tons of soybean mill will be consumed per week.

Its why were here, Shafer said.

Lincoln Premium Poultry was employed by Costco to manage chickens.

Its about getting it pro-duced and produced efficiently, Shafer said. Weve adopted a model to do the right thing. Weve done it before. This will be the best poultry complex in the world.

Kolterman said they plan to go above and beyond in regard to federal, state and local regulations in regard to working with environmental impacts and working with growers.
WAVERLY  Waverly city council members plan to mull over a makeover for the Waverly water tower over the next few weeks.

At last weeks meeting, they learned WW Sandblasting, the company currently repainting the inside of the tower, discovered some irregularities. The exterior features some areas where the paint has started to crack, leaving primer visible.

Council Member John Hestermann said he spoke with the company, and they offered three options to tackle the issue.

They could just paint each troublesome spot, secondly they could paint the tower from the catwalk upward or they could paint the whole thing from top to bottom.

Painting from the catwalk up would cost roughly $42,000, while doing the whole tower would set the city back approximately $77,000. Hestermann said both options would save the city money, as the company is still on site at the tower. Starting from scratch would add about another $15,000.

During their discussion, the council seemed to agree that painting the whole thing may be the best option, as its likely been decades since the tower was last given a fresh coat of paint.

Repainting the tower would also give the city a chance to change its design, and the council discussed some possible changes to the structure.

Some members of the council said they would like to add the citys new logo, a silhouette of a tree, to the towers interstate-facing side. Whether the Viking logo should be brought back was another topic of discussion.

Mayor Mike Werner said he would be happy to see the new tree logo on the tower, as the city attempts to reach its goal of becoming a city of the first class. The tree logos tagline is A Great Place to Grow.

Id love nothing better than both sides having our tree logo, Werner said.

No official action was taken on the matter, but the council expects to see firmer numbers on WW Sandblastings proposition at the July 11 meeting.

In other water tower business, the council discussed a request by Verizon Wireless to place a panel antenna on the top of the tower. No action was taken, but the council expressed interest in learning more about the offer.

The council approved the final plat for the Riley fourth addition, allowing Waverly Development Co. to continue on with the next phase of home construction south of Amberly Road. This addition will see 25 more lots constructed.

The final plat for Anderson Parks fifth addition was also approved.

Both additions were approved by the city planning commission.

The council also approved the second reading of an ordinance that would alter the city comprehensive plans future land use map. The changes would redefine residential land near 148th Street and Waverly Road as industrial. It would also see the city planning to expand housing north of Bluff Road between 162nd and 148th streets.

The council will vote on a third and final reading of the ordinance at its next meeting.
By Ananth Krishnan: China would "resolutely safeguard" its border in conflicts with India "even at the cost of war", a hawkish Chinese newspaper said on Monday quoting Chinese strategic experts.

"China will resolutely safeguard its border sovereignty in conflicts with Indian troops even at the cost of war," the Global Times said, which is Party-run and published by the People's Daily, and known to reflect hardline views.

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On Finance Minister Arun Jaitley's remarks to India Today that India is different from 1962, the paper quoted a Chinese expert Wang Dehua, professor at the Shanghai Municipal Center for International Studies, as saying: "China is also different from what it was in 1962."

"There could be a chance of war if the recent conflict between China and India is not handled properly", the paper quoted observers as saying, adding that "China will resolutely defend its territory and safeguard the border."

At the same time, the paper called for dialogue. "Both sides should focus on development rather than conflict or war," said scholar Zhao Gancheng, "adding that a conflict between the two may give other countries a chance to take advantage, for example, the US."

"India should change its hostile attitude toward China", said Wang, "as a good relationship is beneficial for both sides."

Also Read:

Sikkim stand-off: Modi-Trump meet emboldened India, says Chinese expert

Bhutan urges India, China to engage to de-escalate tensions

Also Watch:

China claims these photographs prove Indian Army crossed the border

--- ENDS ---
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Melbourne-headquarted Paragon Premier Investment Fund wants to build a commercial airport between Koo Wee Rup and Lang Lang, to service Melbourne's booming south-eastern suburbs and the state's east.

A $7 billion proposal to build a privately-owned international airport for Melbourne's south-east will be presented to the Victorian government next week.

But the plan has taken an important step towards becoming a reality, with Paragon's chairman Alande Mustafa Safi saying he last week received a signed letter of intent from an infrastructure financier pledging to bankroll the estimated $7 billion airport.

Alande Mustafa Safi in front of the site of a proposed new airport near Koo Wee Rup. Credit:Daniel Pockett

"It will be funded privately, so we're literally going to build and say 'here it is'," Mr Safi said. "The funds are ready, the developers are ready."

Mr Safi would not disclose the identity of its capital partner before presenting the plan to the state government next week, but said it was a consortium based in Europe and the Middle East that had built a number of airports, including two in Europe.

The partner has funded $US58 billion ($75 billion) worth of government-backed projects around the world to date, he said.
The population living in tall towers in and around our central business districts has been on the rise for some time.

The 2016 census , released on Tuesday, showed we're opting for apartments and townhouses in unprecedented numbers.

Now there are more hard numbers on how our appetite for high-density living is transforming Melbourne and Sydney.

As Melbourne's skyline grows, retirees "occupying the crease" in desirable neighbourhoods are causing income patterns to shift. Credit:Vince Caligiuri

But a special breakdown of census figures completed by the Bureau of Statistics for Fairfax Media reveals how far the high-density trend has spread from those CBDs.

In inner Melbourne, an area taking in suburbs within a radius of about eight to 10 kilometres from the CBD, the share living in a unit or apartment has reached 46 per cent. Now just 30 per cent of the 815,000 people in that region live in a traditional detached house.

The analysis found that in inner Sydney  an area spanning about 15 kilometres south and west from the CBD and taking in most of the north shore and northern beaches  the share living in a unit or apartment has reached 49.2 per cent. Only 34 per cent of the 1.59 million people in that region live in a detached house.

The cottage and yard so long associated with the "Australian dream" has a become a curiosity in a growing number of suburbs.
The world has changed.

Change is ever afoot, of course, but in this past week something happened that was both unprecedented and enormous, those two words somehow too spindly and inadequate to convey the extent to which this particular event deeply, intimately rearranged the globe on its customary axis.

Social scientists will puzzle for years over what might have triggered things.

Was it climate change? Is it possible that the creeping fingers of warmth tickling the animal kingdom in its innermost parts (waking marmots early from hibernation, and playing hell with the flight schedule of the arctic tern) could also have brought about this entirely unanticipated aberration in human behaviour?
Over the past week I have been called a lot of things but the expression "road kill" is probably the most colourful and possibly the most accurate description of my situation.

The term gives a sense of the mayhem that has been left in the wake of the backgrounding by senior Greens sources, my suspension from the federal party room and the party room motion insisting the Greens NSW change its rules.

And it helps explain that little of the antics are about me. There is a much bigger agenda, one designed to reduce the democratic power of members in the Greens NSW.

The Greens NSW is rightly proud of the extent of its internal democracy. The way our state party handled the recent school funding bill was a case for celebration not condemnation. It was an excellent example of Greens members engaging with parliamentary politics and taking a position on how I should vote. What is wrong with that? I don't think all wisdom lies with MPs and I value my engagement with Greens members.
The Congress party today hit out at the government over the recent spike in border stand-off with Chinese troops along the Sikkim border and its 'part-time defence minister'.

By Supriya Bhardwaj: A belligerent Congress today hit out at the government over the border standoff with China, saying the establishment has been caught napping and a "part time" and "reluctant" Defence Minister will not work.

"China has adopted a very aggressive stand... There is a serious eyeball to eyeball confrontation going on at the borders. 120 Chinese incursions have happened. Unfortunately, this government is caught napping," senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi said.

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The question is whether this government's three years can be described as a part time Defence Minister or a reluctant Defence Minister," Singhvi said in a clear jibe at Arun Jaitley, who took over as Defence Minister after Manohar Parrikar took over as Goa Chief Minister. Jaitley also holds the crucial Finance portfolio.

Stressing that the Congress stands with the government over its standoff with China, Singhvi, however, added that the Congress is "alarmed and concerned" about the Chinese incursions happening along Uttarakhand and Sikkim borders.

"The significant accords that the UPA entered into (with China) have also not been used by this government," Singhvi said. "Even our longest-term ally Russia also extended support to China on the One Belt One Road issue," he said, citing it as a failure of the government.

WHAT IS INDIA-CHINA BORDER STANDOFF?

The border standoff between India and China over a plateau next to Sikkim, which borders China, has ratcheted up tension between the neighbouring giants, who share a 3,500 km frontier. China has accused Indian guards of crossing into China's Donglang region early in June and obstructing work on a road on the plateau.

Troops from the two sides then confronted each other close to a strategic valley controlled by China that separates India from Bhutan - a close Indian ally - and gives China access to the so-called Chicken's Neck, a thin strip of land that connects India to its remote northeastern regions.

While Beijing asked New Delhi to withdraw troops from Donglong region, it accused India of infringing upon Bhutan's sovereignty. It also said that India was using Bhutan to confuse right with wrong.

Last week, after China warned India to learn from its military debacle of 1962, Jaitley had said that the India of 2017 was not the India of 1962. Beijing responded today, saying neither is China.

Also read: China quotes Nehru on Sikkim, but ignores on Aksai Chin, McMahon Line

Also read: China will defend territory even at the cost of war with India, says Chinese daily

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Also read: How India counters China over Doka La face-off near Sikkim

Watch the video here: Centre napping, part-time Defence Minister will not work: Congress on border standoff with China

--- ENDS ---
By Ro Morse, WestKyStar Staff Jul. 02, 2017 | 08:02 PM | PADUCAH, KY

Trying to beat the sun coming over the floodwall Sunday morning in downtown Paducah, Herb Roe was sealing the recently repainted Kincaid floodwall mural. Jane Barrow, from St. Louis stopped by to talk with the artist. It was her first visit to Paducah to see the Dafford Murals.Barrow is a professor of art and design and head of the SIUE (Southern Illinois University at Edwardsville) painting program. She made a wise and educated observation that Roe heard for the first time in his twenty-one years painting in Paducah. She said, "I see two distinct styles of painting by two artists in these images. Did two different artists work together to create all of these images?" She was in awe of the magnificent three-blocks of art/history. Her comments were highly complimentary and spot-on.Robert Dafford and Herb Roe, who have painted together for over two decades, do have specific styles that complement each other. Dafford trained Roe in the 1990's and early 2000's as a Dafford muralist. Roe worked with Dafford from the beginning of the Paducah project (1996), researching, designing and painting portions or all of the over 50 murals. Just like every individual is distinct, his style has evolved and his attention to detail has become a noticeable trait in the Paducah Wall to Wall Dafford Mural project. The combination of their two styles has produced a flowing masterpiece bringing Paducah's rich history to life for admirers. If you have a trained eye, you may recognize each artist's specialty.Roe just finished repainting the Kincaid, updating with findings he's been working on with archeologists during the past ten years. Today he is working on repainting the church history mural which he painted with Dafford 19 years ago. Dafford arrives this week to paint with Roe as they finish this season's maintenance.A clear sealer has been applied to nine of the panels to give them an extra five or so years before they need repainting. Original creations generally last from 10 to 15 years before needing a repaint. The church mural made it 19 years. A grant of $1000 from the Community Foundation of West Kentucky funded a portion of the clear coating. Dafford and Roe created and now maintain the copyrighted images along the three-blocks of floodwall in downtown Paducah. The City of Paducah funds a large portion of the yearly maintenance of this magnificent 24/7 public art-history attraction.Paducah Wall to Wall, Inc.,a group of all-volunteers, continues to coordinate the project and has since 1996.

On the Net:
Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong told reporters the meeting will be chaired by Xi with China as the rotating chairmanship.

By Ananth Krishnan: China has said that President Xi Jinping will meet with Prime Minister Modi at Friday's G20 Summit in Hamburg at an informal leaders' meeting of the BRICS countries on the sidelines.

Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Li Baodong told reporters the meeting will be chaired by Xi with China as the rotating chairmanship. The informal meeting will be attended by the BRICS leaders, who will hold their summit in September in Xiamen, south China.

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Li also said Xi will hold a number of bilateral meetings.. It is not yet clear if he will meet PM Modi separately as the two leaders met only last month on June 9 at the SCO Summit in Astana.

The BRICS leaders' informal meet will at least ensure the two leaders meet away from the formal G20 summit and give them the opportunity to directly speak to each other.

With the on-going stand-off at the Sikkim section of the border, analysts say a meeting at the highest level could help deescalate the situation, as was the case in previous instances most notably during Xi's September 2014 visit to India amid a stand-off in Chumar in the western sector.

Also Read:

Beyond Doka La: 10 irritants in India-China relation

Sikkim stand-off: Modi-Trump meet emboldened India, says Chinese expert

Bhutan urges India, China to engage to de-escalate tensions

WATCH | China claims these photographs prove Indian Army crossed the border

--- ENDS ---
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By Jim Waters

Jul. 02, 2017 | LEXINGTON, KY

By Jim Waters Jul. 02, 2017 | 11:40 AM | LEXINGTON, KY

Kentucky's lawsuit against the manufacturer of OxyContin, heroin's chemical cousin, stretches back more than a decade and involves three attorneys general.



It began in 2007 during Greg Stumbo's stint as the commonwealth's top lawyer, who, when he wasn't busy indicting members of former Gov. Ernie Fletcher's administration, was crowing about how "a billion dollars wouldn't touch" what he could wring from Purdue Pharma.



Stumbo's lawsuit charged the company lied to doctors about the addictiveness of the prescription painkiller, causing them to overprescribe it with devastating results, particularly among the poor in Eastern Kentucky.



After Purdue insulted the commonwealth with a $500,000 offer as part of a national settlement, Stumbo rightly decided that Kentucky should opt out and pursue its own case against the giant company, which, according to Forbes, has made $35 billion off the drug.



But he failed to deliver.



A decade and a paltry $24 million settlement later  the amount agreed to by Jack Conway, Stumbo's successor  the case continues in the courts over what, if any, information related to that agreement should be publicly disclosed.



Purdue is imploring the courts to honor an agreement made with Conway's office toseal presumably damaging information about how it marketed its drug to doctors, patients and the public.



But First Amendment legal guru Jon Fleischaker, who's representing STAT, an affiliate of the Boston Globe, rightly urged the Kentucky Court of Appeals to uphold Pike County Circuit Judge Steven Combs' ruling unsealing the documents.



Combs, whose Eastern Kentucky court sits in a district where 51 people out of every 100,000 died from a drug overdose in 2014 and where a jury likely would render a judgement astronomically higher than the amount Purdue  which tried to get the case moved out of Pike County  agreed to pay, said the public has a right to "see the facts for themselves."



Fleischaker agreed, arguing: "the public's right to access cannot be controlled by two lawyers agreeing to keep certain records private."



He also noted that trial courts possess "great discretion, as long as it's not abused."



Nothing prevents the court from releasing only information relevant to the public's interest and right to know about this case while keeping documents revealing, say, sensitive proprietary information about Purdue under wraps.



While Purdue acted in a despicable manner, it's a privately-owned company and courts operate on precedent.



If a private firm's proprietary information  valuable only to competitors  is released in this case, it could have a chilling effect on companies' eagerness to cooperate and make it tougher to litigate such cases in the future.



However, granting Pharma's all-or-nothing demand would be an affront to Kentucky's open records laws.



Fleischaker vigorously asserted that citizens have a right to know how this settlement was reached: "How did the court behave? How did the attorney general behave? Was it settled for too little or too much? You're dealing with public offices and public trust in the system."



No doubt, Conway was all too happy to stick a feather in his settlement cap at the expense of a big, bad drug company.



Plus, there has been no "I object!" from his successor Andy Beshear, who, prior to becoming attorney general, worked at the law firm representing Purdue Pharma. Beshear's father, former Gov. Steve Beshear, now works at that same firm.



Andy Beshear's office issued a statement claiming, "the terms of the settlement and court orders preclude the attorney general's office from taking any position on the appeal."



I object, your honors!



It's understandable that the favorite position of Beshear  like most mediocre politicians  is to take no position.



However, nothing in the settlement prevents him from now advocating for the disclosure of public records, especially when the issues are so critical and implications so widespread.



Jim Waters is president and CEO of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, Kentucky's free-market think tank. Read previous columns at www.bipps.org. He can be reached at jwaters@freedomkentucky.com and @bipps on Twitter.
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By The Associated Press

Jul. 02, 2017 | SPRINGFIELD, IL

By The Associated Press Jul. 02, 2017 | 09:08 PM | SPRINGFIELD, IL

Gov. Bruce Rauner says he will veto an income-tax increase that the House has approved.



The House voted 72-45 Sunday to increase the personal income tax rate by 32 percent. It's designed to start repairing the fiscal calamity caused by the nation's longest budget stalemate since the Great Depression.



Rauner issued a statement that decried "the largest tax hike in history and continue out of balance budgets with no real reform." The first-term governor insists on business-friendly changes and a statewide property tax freeze in return for agreement on a budget.



The tax increase goes back to the Senate for concurrence.



The House followed the tax bill with approval of an annual spending plan.



The vote was 81-34 for a budget that spends about $36 billion. Democrats point out that it's about $800 million less than what Rauner proposed last winter.
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By The Associated Press

Jul. 03, 2017 | FRANKFORT, KY

By The Associated Press Jul. 03, 2017 | 03:07 PM | FRANKFORT, KY

Kentucky officials have altered their proposal to change the state's Medicaid program that would save state taxpayers an estimated additional $27 million over the next five years while projecting an extra 9,000 people to lose coverage.



Kentucky was one of 31 states that expanded its Medicaid program under the federal Affordable Care Act under former Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear. Republican Gov. Matt Bevin said the state can't afford the expansion as it currently exists. Last year, he asked the federal government for permission to change the program that insures more than a quarter of the state's population.



Bevin altered that proposal Monday. The changes don't require a new round of public hearings, but state officials are holding them anyway on July 14 in Somerset and July 17 in Frankfort.
City of Paducah inviting citizens to get involved through boards and commissions
CONGRESSMAN MEADOWS ANNOUNCES UPCOMING WNC VETERAN'S SEMINARS

DURING AUGUST.

FOR WESTERN NORTH CAROLINA VETERANS

Washington, D.C.  Rep. Mark Meadows has announced the locations and times for the Fourth Annual NC-11 Veterans Solutions Seminars.

This August, Congressman Meadows, in partnership with the Charles George VA Medical Center staff, the NC Division of Veterans Affairs, and the Veterans Affairs Winston-Salem Regional Benefit Office, will host a series of Veterans Solutions Seminars across the 11th district to provide practical assistance to those who have served our nation.

Veterans and their families will be invited to meet with members of Congressman Meadows staff, representatives from the VA hospital, the benefit office, and the NC division of Veterans Affairs at the seminars. The veterans will be able to learn more about available assistance with issues surrounding VA benefits, healthcare, and disability.

The details of each seminar are below:

Thursday, August 3: Haywood County Senior Resource Center

9:00am  12:00pm

81 Elmwood Way

Waynesville, NC 28786

Thursday, August 3: Fletcher Town Hall

1:00pm  5:00pm

300 Old Cane Creek Road

Fletcher, NC 28732

Friday, August 4: Foothills Higher Education Center

9:00am  12:00pm

2128 South Sterling Street

Morganton, NC 28655
58TH ART ON MAIN FESTIVAL WANTS NON-PROFITS

SEPTEMBER 30-OCTOBER 1

The Arts Council of Henderson County is extending an invitation for nonprofit organizations to participate in the 58th annual Art on Main fine art/fine craft festival, which will be held Saturday, September 30 and Sunday, October 1, on Hendersonvilles historic Main Street. Nonprofits will have an opportunity to educate the public about their organizations. The deadline for nonprofit organizations to confirm their acceptance is Monday, August 2. The number of nonprofit spaces is limited, and therefore on a first come, first served basis.

During Art on Main, more than 80 artists from throughout the southeast region will be exhibiting and selling their work along Hendersonvilles Main Street. Demonstrations by many artists will also be part of the show. Thousands of art lovers are anticipated throughout the weekend. Hours for the festival will be from 10am-5pm both days.

Nonprofits will be assigned to a space that is approximately 10x10. A canopy/tent is recommended but not required. Acceptance of the invitation may be made by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. , or by calling 828-693-8504. The web address is www.acofhc.org.

Art on Main is presented by the Arts Council of Henderson County with major support provided by Morris Broadband. In addition, the festival is supported in part by Henderson County Tourism Development Authority (www.visithendersonvillenc.org), the Dr. Minor F. Watts Fund at the Community Foundation of Henderson County, the City of Hendersonville, and Mast General Store.

For more information please contact the Arts Council at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or 828-693-8504. The web address is www.acofhc.org.

The Arts Council of Henderson County is a community organization that promotes, advocates for and nurtures the arts in Henderson County and western North Carolina. Its office is located at 401 North Main St., Ste. 302, Hendersonville, NC 28792. (Entrance on Fourth Avenue West.)

The Arts Council is supported in part by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural & Cultural Resources; funds administered by the Community Foundation of Henderson County, Henderson County, and Henderson County Tourism Development Authority.
The Chinese expert was also critical of the US move to designate Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist.

By Ananth Krishnan: As India and China grapple with the on-going border stand-off in the Sikkim sector, a Chinese strategic expert said on Monday that Delhi was emboldened to tackle China following last month's meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump in Washington.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe [against China] occurred around the same time as Modi's two-day visit to the US, people link India's bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," said Liu Zongyi, senior fellow of Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, in a commentary published on Monday in the hawkish Party-run tabloid Global Times.

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The stand-off began last month when Bhutan on June 16 objected to China building a road in the Doklam plateau near the India-China-Bhutan trijunction, which is disputed by Bhutan and China. When China ignored Bhutan's protests, Indian troops two days later approached the PLA and urged them to stop altering the status quo in the disputed region.

CHINA'S IRE ON INDIAN INVOLVEMENT

China, however, has turned its ire on India's involvement, saying Indian troops had "trespassed" across the India-China border into what China sees as its territory. Beijing has released several statements, photographs and maps and on Sunday, its official media said India had "violated international law".

Liu, the expert, wrote that "Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modi's visit to the US", which he said was "aimed to demonstrate to the US India's firm determination to constrain China's rise."

"Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China," he said.

Liu, however, argued that "despite Trump's respect for Modi, an India that lags far behind the US and China in national strength is unlikely to win Trump's affection. The US-India relationship has been beset by some thorny issues like the US trade deficit to India, the US restriction on granting H-1B visas and climate change since last year," he said.

The Chinese expert was also critical of the US move to designate Hizb chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, which he said "India pursued and accords with the US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement. Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," he said.

Also Read:

Bhutan urges India, China to engage to de-escalate tensions

Beyond Doka La: 10 irritants in India-China relation

Also Watch:

China claims these photographs prove Indian Army crossed the border

--- ENDS ---
China said on Sunday that the US missile destroyer trespassing China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands was "serious political and military provocation."

By Indo-Asian News Service: China said on Sunday that the US missile destroyer trespassing China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands was "serious political and military provocation."

Citing Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lu Kang as saying, Xinhua reported that China dispatched military vessels and fighter planes in response to warn off the US vessel.

Earlier on Sunday, the missile destroyer USS Stethem trespassed China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands.

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The Xisha Islands are an inherent part of the Chinese territory, Lu said, noting that in accordance with the Law of the People's Republic of China on the Territorial Sea and the Contiguous Zone, the Chinese government promulgated the baseline of the territorial sea off the Xisha Islands in 1996.

"The relevant Chinese law has explicit provisions on foreign military vessels entry into the territorial sea of China," Lu said.

Under the pretext of "navigation freedom," the US side once again sent a military vessel into China's territorial waters off the Xisha Islands without China's approval, Lu said.

He stressed that its behaviour has violated the Chinese law and relevant international law, infringed upon China's sovereignty, disrupted peace, security and order of the relevant waters and put in jeopardy the facilities and personnel on the Chinese islands.

The behaviour constitutes a serious political and military provocation, Lu said, stressing that the Chinese side is strongly dissatisfied with and firmly opposed it.

ALSO READ:

Trump calls for firm response to North Korea, targets Seoul on trade

Bhutan urges India, China to engage to de-escalate tensions

ALSO WATCH:

Indo-China border stand-off: Security officials hold meet with Home Ministry in Delhi

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Eds: Adds fresh reaction from BJP

Panaji, Jul 3 (PTI) The Congress today demanded a case of trespass to be registered over an "authorised" public meeting BJP chief Amit Shah was alleged to have addressed in the prohibited area of Dabolim airport here on Saturday.

Led by AICC secretary Girish Chodankar, Congress workers met the airport director B C H Negi to register their protest and later claimed the official admitted no permission had been granted for the event.

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The BJP, which earlier claimed it had permission for the meeting, today said the crowd that greeted Shah at the airport had gathered there spontaneously and that it was "not a planned meeting".

"We asked the airport director to show us the permission (for the meeting) after which he admitted none was given. We have asked the Airports Authority to India to file a formal police complaint of trespass against the people concerned," Chodankar said after Negi.

The airport at Dabolim is inside the Naval air base, he said, adding holding such a meeting there raised questions about the security at the facility.

Shah, who was on a two-day visit to Goa, allegedly held a meeting at the airport complex in the presence of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar and Union minister Sripad Naik. Social activist Aires Rodrigues has filed a complaint with the Union civil aviation ministry, Goa chief secretary and the states police chief, terming the meeting illegal and seeking registration of an FIR against Shah, the organisers of the event and all dignitaries present. The BJP had then claimed the party had the necessary permission for the meeting which took place "not inside the facility as claimed".

"No inconvenience was caused to anyone and the meeting lasted only for seven minutes," Goas Panchayati Raj Minister Mauvin Godinho had told reporters yesterday after the complaint by Rodrigues.

However, Goa BJP president Vinay Tendulkar today said, "People had gathered outside the airport on their own spontaneously to see Amit Shah. We had not planned any meeting."

Even the dais and chairs were set up by some people in the crowd, he claimed.

Shah, who arrived here by a regular flight, was in the airport building for 10-15 minutes as people thronged to greet him, Tendulkar said.

"The supporters arranged a welcome function impromptu," he said.

"If Congress wants, it can have a similar reception for Sonia Gandhi," he said.

When reached for comments, Negi said he was on leave on Saturday and was looking into the matter. PTI RPS DK KRK SK SK

--- ENDS ---
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 03/07/2017 (1957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The office of Canadas attorney general is defending itself against allegations arising from a Manitoba RCMP investigation into the death of a Peguis First Nation toddler in July 2014.

Manitoba RCMP were conducting a careful, cautious and conscientious homicide investigation into the death of 21-month-old Kierra Williams when they acted on the advice of the Crowns office and laid charges against the girls older sister, the attorney general argues in a statement of defence.

In January 2015, the RCMP laid criminal charges against the parents of Kierra and the girls sister, Jasmine Bushie, 23. Charges against Bushie, of manslaughter and failing to provide the necessaries of life, were dropped late last year.

Supplied Kierra Williams died in 2014.

Bushie filed legal action against the RCMP and Intertribal Child and Family Services, accusing them of wrongfully accusing her and damaging her reputation.

Bushie argues she wasnt living with her mother and stepfather in Peguis at the time of Kierras death and wasnt there when the girl died.

Her claim asks the court to award aggravated damages due to loss of education, employment and her reputation as a result of the criminal charges she faced.

No hearing date has been set for her lawsuit, which was filed in January, about a month after the Crown stayed charges against her.

The federal attorney generals office denies wrongdoing and argues Bushie was fully aware her sister was suffering and didnt help her.

The investigation was devoid of bad faith or any purpose inconsistent with the conduct of a full, fair and proper criminal investigation. The investigation was conducted in a careful, cautious and conscientious manner with the sole goal of gathering evidence and investigating the circumstances surrounding Kierras death, and determining who may, or may not, have been criminally responsible, the statement of defence states.

It goes on to accuse Bushie of showing wanton and reckless disregard for the safety and life of Kierra, arguing Bushie was not only participating in the neglect of her sister but knew she was being physically abused and malnourished and didnt report it.

The director of Intertribal CFS has also denied wrongdoing and argued Bushie has exaggerated the nature and extent of any injury, loss or damage she may have sustained.

Kierra was placed into CFS care at birth and was returned to her parents in July 2013. CFS continued to supervise the family until December 2013.

Kierra was pronounced dead after she was taken to hospital with broken bones, damage to internal organs and missing several teeth and part of her nose, the attorney generals statement of defence says.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 02/07/2017 (1958 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Details of an alleged fraud scheme that involved buying and shipping luxury cars overseas have been revealed, as part of a Winnipeg police investigation that has identified five suspects.

Local luxury auto dealerships lost more than $500,000 last summer when a group of young men allegedly used stolen identities to forge drivers licences, T4 employment slips and other documents in order to lease eight vehicles, effectively stealing them before the dealerships received regular payments.

Two of those vehicles, a Lexus and a Cadillac, were discovered by Canada Border Services Agency officials in a Montreal shipping container bound for Tanzania.

The alleged fraud ring went beyond expensive cars; it involved fraudulent bank accounts, stolen identities and credit card information that were used to buy laptops, cellphones and a big-screen TV.

The investigation just keeps mushrooming, Crown attorney Jocelyne Ritchot told court last week.

She said police continue to identify additional suspects.

The Winnipeg Police Service said it could not comment on the investigation.

Several dealerships complained to police last June after they discovered individuals had been using forged IDs and bank information to finance and drive away in luxury vehicles for which they hadnt paid.

Court was told one of the accused gave investigators valuable information after his arrest in early June about the hierarchy of the scheme. Three weeks later, he pleaded guilty.

Matthew Koziey-Lafreniere, 21, admitted to playing a bit part in a scheme to use fake IDs to obtain vehicles and open bank accounts.

While hes just a cog in the machine, it is a significant machine here. It seems to be quite well-organized, Ritchot told provincial court Judge Rocky Pollack after Koziey-Lafreniere pleaded guilty to fraud charges.

The judge agreed, sentencing Koziey-Lafreniere to eight months in jail plus probation, on charges that included a breach of probation, failing to appear in court and using stolen credit cards.

Six months of the total sentence were imposed specifically for his admitted involvement in the fraud scheme, particularly given the information that Mr. Koziey-Lafreniere gave the police, Pollack said.

The forged IDs allegedly used photos of the suspects and names and addresses of ID fraud victims.

Koziey-Lafreniere told police he was following instructions from TT and his people, who sent fake IDs to an address on Notre Dame Avenue for him to use.

Ritchot told court investigators identified TT as Amadou Diaby, a 25-year-old international student at Universite de Saint-Boniface, who is accused of being one of the leaders of the Winnipeg operation along with Bemy Nendaka, who is also charged.

Diaby, from Mali, is accused of more than 20 charges related to fraud, identity theft and participating in a criminal organization over the past two years. He was released on bail Thursday on several conditions, including that he not go to auto dealerships, not possess travel documents and abide by a nightly curfew.

As part of his bail order, a $10,000 surety was put up by a relative who is married to a Manitoba RCMP officer and agreed to supervise Diaby.

Diaby was arrested in early January after he was driving a $41,000 2012 Range Rover  the same one Koziey-Lafreniere has admitted to financing with stolen identity information that used his photo and a victims information.

A search warrant executed at Diabys home uncovered keys to three stolen vehicles and more forged identity documents, court was told.

No publication ban was imposed on the bail hearing and the suspects are presumed innocent.

Diaby denies the allegations, defence lawyer Alan Hogg told court during the bail hearing.

On the whole, the case isnt one that is so strong that we can really say that Mr. Diabys this criminal mastermind or a menace to society, he said.

katie.may@freepress.mb.ca Twitter: @thatkatiemay
Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 03/07/2017 (1957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A YEAR-LONG renovation at city hall has ended.

When city councillors return to work Tuesday, theyll be walking into new offices in the council chambers building.

This building is now more functional, without a doubt, said Coun. Jeff Browaty as he took time Friday to get a jump on unpacking office files.

BORIS MINKEVICH / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Coun. Jeff Browaty says while he originally questioned the cost of the new offices in the council chambers building, it appears to be money well spent.

Councillors were forced to relocate into temporary quarters in May 2016, across the city hall courtyard and into offices on the third floor of the administration building. Mayor Brian Bowman and his staff moved into space on the second floor of the administration building.

The $4.1-million project involved removing asbestos, installing a sprinkler system and improving the alarm system to meet current building codes. The main floor was gutted, councillors offices were redesigned and expanded and space on the east side of the building, which used to house the clerks staff, was redesigned to accommodate councillor offices.

Its not certain if the work was on budget. Officials from city halls municipal accommodations division were unavailable for an interview and a civic spokeswoman said the project team is determining the final cost.

Before the renovations, 12 councillors and their executive assistants were crammed into small offices along the buildings west wall and three councillors and staff had offices on the mezzanine.

Post-renovation, all councillors are on the main floor: eight councillors and their staff have offices along the east wall, and seven councillors and staff are assigned to the west wall.

There are lunch rooms and meeting rooms on each side. A shower and change room was installed.

I originally questioned spending that kind of money ($4.1 million) for office renovations, but it appears to be well spent, Browaty (North Kildonan) said as he toured the offices. Our old offices were cramped, and there was no privacy. The walls were so thin, you could hear conversations from the councillors office next door.

Bowman and his staff will be moving back into the space on the second floor of the council chamber soon.

Renovations of the 53-year-old council chambers building were prompted by a 2015 engineering report that said the roof was in poor condition and leaked, the windows needed to be replaced, and the Tyndall stone cladding needed to be repointed. That work was completed before councillors moved out.

The work was completed one month after its 12-month timeline.

Work continues on a $200,000 basement project involving the construction of a modern news conference theatre and media lounge.

aldo.santin@freepress.mb.ca
Opinion

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 03/07/2017 (1957 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

To borrow from Charles Dickens, it was the best of times, it was the worst of times.

It was the best of times because a paper published by my institute generated a few sparks at a parliamentary committee hearing where our findings were used to call the government to account over its policy on buying a new fighter jet.

It was the worst of times, however, because the Chief of the Defence Staff, Gen. Jonathan Vance, tried to bluff his way out of the questioning by essentially claiming his expertise was greater than that of our huge sample of all the experts in the country who study these things for a living. Pride goeth before a fall.

LARRY WONG / EDMONTON JOURNAL FILES The question of when to replace Canada's aging CF-18 fighter jets, and with which aircraft, is a contentious debate.

The point at issue was the governments claim that a newly discovered capability gap, combined with potentially five years needed to buy a replacement fleet for our aging CF-18s, meant that Canada couldnt wait, but had to buy 18 new fighter jets right away.

Our paper assembled a comprehensive list of recognized experts in the field of national defence, and air power and military procurement in particular, and asked these experts whether the governments rationale for an interim fighter purchase stood up to scrutiny. The bottom line? Nearly nine in 10 (88 per cent) of these experts agreed that the government should cancel the interim jet purchase and proceed immediately with buying a full replacement fleet for the CF-18s. A mere 6.6 per cent of the respondents agreed with the governments position.

Vance harrumphed that he is an expert, too. True. Expertise does not confer infallibility, however, and that is why we surveyed as many experts as we could, to ensure our conclusions were based on the entire body of expertise in the country, not just the knowledge of one individual.

No doubt Vance could rightly respond that he has access to a huge body of expertise within the Department of National Defence. It might be worth taking a moment, therefore, to look at the use the government has made of this vast in-house expertise to inform its decision to buy an interim fighter fleet.

Take the decision that Canada faces an immediate capability gap, or an inability to deliver on its commitments to both NATO and NORAD. Everything about the interim purchase hinges on the credibility of the capability gap. If there is no gap, we have the time to buy a proper full replacement fleet and avoid potentially high and unnecessary costs, especially if the interim fleet and the final CF-18 replacement fleet end up being different planes.

According to our survey of experts, the widely accepted number of fighter planes needed to fulfil operational requirements on a non-emergency basis has long been held to be 65. We currently have 77. And most experts surveyed think acquiring a permanent fleet would take much less than five years.

To make the credibility gap exist, it was necessary for the government to change a decades-old policy that our NATO commitment was on standby.

Yet, appearing before a parliamentary committee as recently as 2016, the RCAF commander, Lt.-Gen. Michael Hood, went to some pains to refute the idea that there is an urgent capability gap.

And, curiously for a man who rests complacently on his expertise in defending his suddenly discovered and compellingly urgent capability gap, Vance somehow neglected to consult his presumably expert colleague, the RCAF commander, who revealed he was not privy to the decisions behind the change.

Neither Vance nor the governments recently released defence review has offered detailed evidence why Canadians should agree that the strategy pursued by successive Canadian governments for decades has become so inadequate in the past year.

Perhaps most damning for a government that prides itself on evidence-based policy-making, the government has silenced the 235 military personnel and civilian bureaucrats directly involved in the fighter aircraft replacement program. They were forced to sign unprecedented lifetime gag orders  a curious thing if the government thought this considerable body of expertise would back the interim fighter decision.

Policy-making is, of course, the governments prerogative. It is likewise the prerogative of those who must live with those policies to ask tough questions about whether they are good for Canada, and to call on the best available expertise in the country in seeking the answer.

For Vance simply to claim hes an expert, too, is no answer at all.

Brian Lee Crowley is the managing director of the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, an independent non-partisan public policy think tank in Ottawa.
The app gives out information on cow urine and dung, and the business possibilities in bovine 'products'.

Rajlakshmi Joshi, an architect by profession who has had a long association with a cow protection cell in Mumbai, is on a mission, to rediscover the 'hidden wealth' of the Indian cow. Convinced there's a significant global market for cow urine and dung, she has roped in husband Mahesh Joshi and two family friends, K.G. Chari and Narendra Rao, to put together Cow-Connect, a mobile application that gives out information on the bovine and the business possibilities in its 'products'.

Positioned as "a bridge between cow lovers and traders", the app gives details on 38 indigenous cow breeds, their geographic distribution, addresses of cow shelters, available cow products, and contact info for traders.

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"People don't take cow protection seriously because they aren't aware of its usefulness," Mahesh says. "Our aim is to highlight the benefits." Rajlakshmi doesn't mind being called a gau rakshak but insists, "We are not vigilantes. Real gau rakshaks work to protect cows through non-violent means."

The idea of creating Cow-Connect came to the Joshi couple after attending a Mangala Gau Yatra, a gathering of 150,000 cow-lovers in Mangaluru, Karnataka, in January this year. It then took them a month to put it together. Chari said the foursome toiled day and night to complete the project. And they believe it is paying off-over 2,000 users in Assam, Karnataka and Maharashtra had downloaded the app within five days of its June 18 launch.

Part of the Virat Hindu Sangam, an organisation floated by BJP leader Subramanian Swamy, the Joshis and their friends see their app fostering e-commerce as a platform where farmers and traders can deal directly without middlemen. Citing the $400 million that India earns from beef (primarily buffalo meat) exports, Rao claims, "We will show that India can earn $4,000 million selling cow products without killing cows." It's more than a tall order but Mumbai's gau rakshaks-turned-innovators insist it can be done.

--- ENDS ---
Its been quite a surprise that some legislative Republicans are actually contemplating an idea that Ive been promoting for decades  getting the trucking industry to pay its fair share of the damage it does to the states roads and highways.

A mileage tax on heavy trucks traversing Wisconsin is in the mix as the GOP-controlled Legislature continues to wrestle with the problem of finding more revenue for the Department of Transportation so that something can be done about our deteriorating transportation infrastructure. Even Gov. Scott Walker is said to be open to the idea.

Throughout modern history, private for-profit trucking firms have used the public roadways  some might say have taken over some of those roads  but the fees they pay dont come close to the havoc they cause. Never have.

As Urban Milwaukees Bruce Murphy pointed out the other day, a federal study once determined that damage to a highway by one 18-wheel semi equals the damage done by 9,600 cars.

Yes, trucking firms and truckers themselves do pay higher fees for their licenses, but highway engineers estimate that those fees amount to about a third of the total damage the trucks cause to roads and bridges. In other words, passenger vehicles subsidize the maintenance costs caused by heavy trucks.

Dating all the way back to the 1960s when I was covering the Legislature, there were numerous attempts at getting the trucking industry to pay a bigger share for building and maintaining our roadways. But the trucking lobby was strong enough  and generous enough with campaign contributions  that most of those attempts failed. Instead, thanks to favorable court rulings and friendly legislation, heavy trucks were allowed to not only get heavier, but longer.

Meanwhile, many roads werent built to accommodate those heavier loads. Today, its not only the major highways that are being damaged, county roads and city streets are also being impacted. Note the increase use of tractor-trailers to deliver everything from beer to food to the citys bars and restaurants and convenience stores.

State Rep. Amy Loudenbeck, a Clinton Republican, suggested the per-mile truck fee in an effort to break the deadlock among Republicans who cant agree how to find more money for transportation. At the center is Scott Walker, who promises to veto any increase in the gas tax or vehicle fees.

Loudenbeck notes that four other states have enacted a mileage fee of between 2.85 and 4.6 cents per mile. The daily newspaper that circulates in her district, the Beloit Daily News, has endorsed her idea.

But the powerful moneyed interests have been lining up against the idea, including Wisconsin Manufacturers & Commerce, to whom most state Republicans are beholden.

Although this would be a good way to inject more fairness into how we pay for building and maintaining our roads, it has a slim chance of becoming law.
During this past week, artists from across the world known as the Walldogs descended upon Beaver Dam, leaving behind 15 historic murals. These talented individuals reunite annually to give a shot of life to small towns across America by bringing back a sense of community. The youngest Walldog to work at Beaver Dams Decorate the Dam mural festival was Shawn Durham.

Shawn is a 15-year-old from Marshall, Illinois, a city of approximately 4,000 people. He said he has been drawing since he was three and has dreams of becoming an architect, specifically a treehouse master.

At the age of 7 Shawn fell down a flight of stairs, suffered a severe head injury and spent several months in the hospital.

I had to learn everything over  how to walk and how to talk, he said.

Through the years, his interest in art never waned, and he especially enjoyed sketching and painting. After entering an art competition in his hometown Jennifer Bishop, one of the judges, encouraged him to paint with the Walldogs. Bishop is the executive director of the Marshall Area Chamber of Commerce and was instrumental in bringing the Walldogs to Marshall.

The Walldogs created 16 murals in June 2016 at the Marshall International Mural Event and Shawn was part of it. He worked with Noella Cotnams team on a mural depicting the high school mascot, the Marshall Lions. He enjoyed the event greatly and eagerly awaited a chance to work with the Walldogs again this summer.

To keep the communitys beautification momentum going, the Walldogs returned to Marshall last month to paint an additional mural. Shawn helped create the mural depicting the American Legion Auxiliary Choir. He also helped paint some of the 13 four-foot-tall fiberglass lions that will be placed around the city.

Shawn began selling his artwork door-to-door to raise money for a trip to Beaver Dams mural festival. He also crocheted bracelets and sold them for $1 each. But when a girl in his high school was diagnosed with leukemia, Shawn decided to donate all his earnings, more than $300, to help her in her fight against the disease.

I didnt know her. I just felt it was important to give, he said.

His selfless act didnt go unnoticed. The small town rallied around Shawn and helped his family finance their trip to Beaver Dam for the four-day festival. They also provided Shawn with the opportunity to attend Eastern Illinois University Art Camp later this July.

Shawn said he is grateful for the generosity of his neighbors in Marshall.
Downtown Beaver Dam has 17 murals, but how well do you recognize each one. See how well you can identify each mural up close.
June 18, 6:45 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a vehicle fire on Manning Street in the city of Columbus.

June 19, 2:05 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on Park Avenue in the city of Columbus.

June 20, 5:04 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded for mutual aid to Reeseville for a house fire.

June 23, 12:34 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with injuries on Highway 151 in the town of Elba.

June 24, 5:48 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a motor vehicle accident with no injuries on South Birdsey and West School Street in the city of Columbus.

June 28, 2:30 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded to a fire alarm activation due to malfunction on Highway 60 in the town of Hampden.

June 28, 7:20 p.m. The Columbus Fire Department responded throughout the city of Columbus to assist with power lines down and trees in the roadway from the severe weather.

Total fire calls for 2017: 80
What do a police lieutenant, senior vice president of a bank and co-founder of a restaurant franchise all have in common? They are three of eight local celebrities who will vie for the coveted mirror ball trophy and bragging rights while competing in Sauk Prairies own version of Dancing with the Stars on July 15.

The event will serve as a new fundraiser for River Arts Inc., said executive director Lindsey Giese-Juarez.

The television show has been very popular and Ive seen other communities do versions of the show and thought it was something we could pull off, she said.

The show will feature John Bachhuber of McFarlanes, Matthew Brennan of the Sauk Prairie School District, Greg Mauch of Ballweg: Family of Dealerships, Lt. Travis Hilliard of the Sauk Prairie Police Department, Roxi Maier of the bank of Prairie du Sac, Lea Culver of the Culvers Foundation, Diane Seder of Milwaukee Valve and Emily Udelhofen of EJ Movement.

Giese-Juarez said the event took a lot of time and effort to pull off, between finding local celebrities who were willing to compete and working around the participants busy schedules.

It took a little convincing but they are all excited about it now, Giese-Juarez said. I think we have a very diverse representation of the community. We are just going to have fun with it.

Hilliard said he was approached nearly a year ago to participate in the event and has been practicing for an hour-and-a-half each week with dance partner Sam Trinidad of the Samantha Trinidad Ballroom and Latin Dancing in Madison. The pair is dancing a salsa routine.

Were doing a ton of lifts, theres no room for error when doing this, Hilliard said. Right now Im just working on getting the routine down and studying the dance, what to do and how to do it. Its a huge cardio workout because you have to be in sync and have good rhythm and form.

Fortunately for Hilliard, he gets a little extra help and guidance from his daughter, who has been dancing herself since she was just three.

Its been a neat father-daughter journey; we did five weeks of ballroom dancing together, Hilliard said. I learned a little about what my feet are supposed to do.

Culver, co-founder of Culver Franchise System, said when Giese-Juarez approached her about an idea for a new fundraiser for River Arts, she was totally on-board.

She told me about this great idea and I kept reinforcing her, telling her it sounded like a great idea, Culver said. But then she said I needed to be one of the dancers. I told her, Im not a dancer.

But Giese-Juarez prevailed.

Lindsey is sweet; its hard to say no to her, Culver said. I figured I had a year to learn, but now that the event is two weeks away I am wondering why I agreed. Sometimes we will do anything to raise money for a good cause. Im just trying to have fun with it now.

Culver will be dancing the fox trot, which entails a lot of twirling.

The show, which will run approximately an-hour-and-a-half long, will be split into two halves with an intermission in between.

The first half of the show is really all about our celebrities and their dances, Giese-Juarez said. Our judges will weigh in with their opinion and the audience will be able to vote during the intermission at both performances. The second half of the show we will have other community groups dancing; some professional dancers will be doing their own numbers.

Giese-Juarez said the concept for both shows is the same, but the winner of each performance will ultimately depend on that shows audience.

So the winner could be different for each show, Giese-Juarez said. Winners will receive the coveted mirror ball trophy  and of course, bragging rights.

However Travis said when he wins both performances he will kindly donate one of the trophies to another contestant so they wont feel bad, Giese-Juarez said.

The judges for the show include Sherry Schad, who owns Center Stage Dance Academy in Sauk City, Meghan Grantin of Midwest Performing Arts out of Waunakee and Therese Clarke, a dance instructor who competes nationally in ballroom dance.

Judges will hold an elimination halfway through the show and narrow contestants down to the final three.

I definitely think this is a once in a lifetime opportunity to see these performers in a different light than through their business self, Giese-Juarez said. Its a nice collaboration of people, business and dance studios in the community.

Now that the event is getting closer, the contestants nerves are starting to get the better of them.

Theres a little bit of anxiety when trying something new, Hilliard said. But then my competitive nature comes out. I want to do well, but I do get nerved up a bit. I dont mind the crowd but I dont want to drop her. If I miss, its going to throw something off. So it is more of a technical nervousness.

I just want to look graceful; Im not sure if thats my image, Culver said. Sometimes I have trouble just standing up. Its hard to learn a routine and knowing all eyes are on you, it makes you a bit nervous.
Wisconsin Dells residents, Don and Donna Marsich, Wisconsin Dells High School Alumni, Class of 1961 are pictured presenting a $500 donation for the Class of 1961 Scholarship Endowment Fund to Bob Johnson, left, administrator for the Wisconsin Dells Education Foundation. Other donations for the Class of 1961 Scholarship Endowment Fund can be sent to the WDEF at P.O. Box 533, Wisconsin Dells or made on the foundation website at www.wdhsfoundation.org.
Melvin Cook

Mervin Cook, 84, of Baraboo, passed away peacefully at home Tuesday, June 27, 2017, surrounded by his loving family.

Mervin was born Feb. 6, 1933, in Baraboo, the son of George and Mildred (Putz) Cook. He was married in November of 1956 to Bette Lou (Howard) and lived a wonderful life with her until her passing in 2015.

Mervin enjoyed living a simple life and farmed during most of it, making sure to always work hard. He was an avid Packer and Badger fan and looked forward to game days.

I hate not knowing for sure what happens when you die, but I really love to believe there is a heaven past the sky where my dear wife, Bette is waiting for me.

Mervin is survived by his children, Corinne (Augie) Beck of DeForest, Kevin (Heather) Cook of Baraboo and Carrie (Scott) Cole of Baraboo. He is further survived by six grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; and one great-grandchild on the way.

He was preceded in death by his wife, Bette; and his parents, George and Mildred.

A private family celebration of his life will be held at a later date.

The Picha Funeral Home and Crematory of Wisconsin Dells assisted the family with arrangements. For online condolences and information, go to www.pichafuneralhome.com.
A group of cow vigilantes stopped three vehicles transporting cows and beat up the drivers on the outskirts of Guwahati while accusing them of cattle smuggling.

The men who belonged to Hindu Yuva Chhatra Parishad accused the drivers of smuggling cows. (TV grab)

By India Today Web Desk: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's stern warning to self-proclaimed cow vigilantes seems to have fallen on deaf ears as a group of men attacked a truck drivers transporting cows in Guwahati. The incident took place on Sunday (July 2).

According to reports, a group of cow vigilantes stopped three vehicles transporting cows and beat up the drivers on the outskirts of Guwahati. The incident took place near Sonapur some 30 km from capital Guwahati.

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The vehicles were coming from Tinsukia in Upper Assam when the members of the Hindu Yuva Chhatra Parishad's unit stopped them and asked the drivers to step out. The men then brutally thrashed the drivers accusing them of cow smuggling.

A Hindu Yuva Chhatra Parishad leader Bikash Bordoloi said, "These people smuggle cattle across the border to Bangladesh. They transport them in miserable conditions. We caught them red handed yesterday. In one vehicle they pack 40 - 50 cattles where there is space for only ten animals. We found some of the animals had their limbs fractured. But police remain blind to their plight and take bribe from these traders. We confiscated the vehicle and reported it to police but cops came two hours late."

Meanwhile, Assam Police Director General Mukesh Sahay assured that a probe was being conducted into Sunday's incident and the perpetrators won't be spared. However, the DGP also admitted that it was not possible for the police to prove adequate security to all cattle traders across the state and will be dealt with case to case basis.

'NOT ACCEPTABLE'

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had last week said that killing of people in the name of cow protection is not acceptable. PM Modi's remarks came amid a spurt of attacks by cow vigilantes and a wave of protests.

Delivering a speech to mark the centenary of the Sabarmati ashram in Ahmedabad and 150th birth anniversary of Shrimad Rajchandraji, a guru to Mahatma Gandhi, Modi said unleashing violence against others went against the ideals of the Father of the Nation.

"Killing people in the name of 'gau bhakti' is not acceptable. This is not something Mahatma Gandhi would approve," he said.

"Let's all work together. Let's create the India of Mahatma Gandhi's dreams. Let's create an India our freedom fighters would be proud of," the prime minister said.

"No person in this nation has the right to take the law in his or her own hands," he said.

The Prime Minister's remarks came against the backdrop of growing incidents of cow vigilantism.

A Muslim youth was last week killed on board a Mathura-bound train by people who taunted his family and repeatedly called them "anti-nationals" and "beef eaters".

"Violence never has and never will solve any problem. As a society, there is no place for violence," Modi said.

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Last week, thousands of people across the country took to the streets in a citizens' protest named 'Not in My Name' against the recent incidents of mob killings.

(With inputs from Indrajit Kundu)

ALSO READ:

When PM Narendra Modi ripped into self-styled cow vigilantes

Instead of admonishing cow vigilantes, it's time PM Modi acted against them

Killing people in name of cow not acceptable, Gandhi won't approve: PM Narendra Modi in Gujarat

Srinagar: DSP Ayyub Pandith beaten to death by mob outside Jamia Masjid

WATCH: PM Modi breaks silence over gau bhakti lynching, says violence will not solve problem

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Bernie Fanaroff awarded prestigious Jansky Lectureship

The Wits alumnus is among a select group, including seven Nobel laureates, who have received this honour.

In a statement on 29 June 2017, the Associated Universities, Inc. (AUI) and the National Radio Astronomy Observatory (NRAO) said Dr Fanaroff was awarded the 2017 Jansky Lectureship for his exceptional contributions to radio astronomy and his unparalleled leadership through public service.

He is specifically recognised for his work with the South African Square Kilometer Array Radio Telescope Project (SKA). The Jansky Lectureship was established in 1966 by the trustees of the AUI to recognise outstanding contributions to the advancement of radio astronomy and to promote the appreciation of the science of radio astronomy through public lectures. It is named in honour of Karl G. Jansky, who discovered radio waves emanating from the central region of the Milky Way galaxy, which ultimately launched the science of radio astronomy.

Fanaroff's academic and professional career started as an undergraduate at Wits where he first obtained his BSc Physics degree and in 1967 was awarded his BSc (Hons) in Theoretical Physics. He joined Wits again in 1974 as a lecturer in the Physics Department until the end of 1976.

In 2013 Wits conferred an Honorary Doctorate of Science degree on Fanaroff, not only for his tremendous contribution to radio astronomy but also for the pivotal role he as played in the trade union movement and the struggle for freedom during the height of apartheid in the 1980s.

As part of the Jansky award, Fanaroff will give lectures later this year at the NRAO facilities in Charlottesville, Virginia (25 October 2017) and Socorro, New Mexico (3 November 2017). He also will give a lecture at the Green Bank Observatory (GBO) in West Virginia (27 October 2017). His talk will be titled: Observing the Universe from Africa: Linking radio astronomy and development.

Fanaroff also holds a PhD in radio astronomy from Cambridge University in the United Kingdom. He also is recognised for the Fanaroff-Riley classification of radio galaxies and quasars, which was published in 1974 and is still in use today.

Among his many accomplishments and awards are honorary doctorates from six South African universities, including Wits University, and the South African National Order of Mapungubwe.

Prior to his most recent positions as co-chair of the BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa) Working Group on ICT (Information and Communication Technologies) and High Performance Computing, and a member of the Advisory Committee of the Breakthrough Listen project, Fanaroff also held numerous public service positions in South Africa. These positions include the Deputy Director General of President Mandelas office and head of the Office for the Reconstruction and Development Program, Deputy Director General of Safety and Security, Chairman of the Integrated Justice System Board, and Chairman of the Inter-Departmental Steering Committee for Border Control. He also was the National Organiser and National Secretary of the Metal and Allied Workers Union and then of the National Union of Metalworkers of South Africa.

Other recipients of the Jansky award include seven Nobel laureates  Drs Subrahmanyan Chandrasekhar, Edward Purcell, Charles Townes, Arno Penzias, Robert Wilson, William Fowler, and Joseph Taylor  as well as noted astronomers Jocelyn Bell-Burnell and Vera Rubin
By India Today Web Desk: It was a moment to celebrate, not only for Aamir Khan fans but also Indians, when Dangal became the first Indian film to cross the Rs 2000-crore mark worldwide. However, Aamir's spokesperson has revealed that the figures, first published by Forbes magazine, are fake, and that the wrestling drama has not yet reached the milestone.

The spokesperson said, "We have been reading a lot of reports saying that Dangal has crossed Rs 2000 crore worldwide. Just to set the record straight, we want to clarify that Dangal's official worldwide gross collection figure as of Thursday is Rs 1864 crore."

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"We are very happy that our film has been so successful, and what is of most value for Aamir Khan and the entire team of Dangal is the immense love the film has got from the audience across the globe. We are looking forward for the film to release in other untapped territories to reach more audience," the spokesperson went on to add.

Reports were also doing the rounds that the Nitesh Tiwari film has become the fifth highest-grossing non-English film in cinematic history.

Dangal revolves around wrestler Mahavir Singh Phogat, played by Aamir Khan, and his journey to train his daughters Geeta Phogat and Babita Kumari to become world-class wrestling champions.

ALSO READ: Top Chinese leader hails Aamir Khan's Dangal as a success story

ALSO READ: Dangal Movie Review ALSO WATCH: Decoding the success of Aamir Khan's Dangal in China

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The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) today carried out another protest rally with children marching in the front.

By Indrajit Kundu: Despite a show cause notice from the West Bengal Commission for Protection of Child Rights (WBCPCR), the Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM) today once again took out a political rally keeping children in the forefront.

Taking suo-moto cognizance, the WBCPCR had earlier served a notice to the Morcha seeking explanation as to why children were used in its political rallies. Last week also children were seen walking with Khukuris or traditional Nepali knives in their hands at a GJM protest march in Darjeeling.

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The commission had stated that the move could potentially damage the physical and cognitive development of those children who were made to take part in the rally.

However, justifying the move GJM leader Roshan Giri said, "Even kids in the hills want Gorkhaland because they know they don't have any future in West Bengal."

SCHOOLS SHUT, GJM MEMBERS ARRESTED

Meanwhile, violent incidents continue to be reported from parts of Darjeeling with a police vehicle being set ablaze in Kurseong. In another development, police today arrested four GJM members in connection to the arson attack on a fire station in Kurseong in which four fire tenders were burnt recently.

On Monday, the Morcha claimed that members from more than a dozen welfare boards or statutory bodies set up by Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for separate ethnic communities in Darjeeling hills have resigned to support the Gorkhaland agitation. "All board members have publicly declared their resignation from respective boards in suppoort of Gorkhaland," announced GJM leader Binoy Tamang.

Interestingly, chief minister Mamata Banerjee had held a meeting with representatives of 15 such welfare boards in Kolkata last month nominating the state Lepcha Development Board chairman as head of a committee to hold peace talks. Soon, there was a arson attack at the residence of the chairman of the Khas community development board by pro-Gorkhaland supporters.

With the indefinite strike entering its 19th day today, boarding schools in Darjeeling, Kurseong and Kalimpong have decided to extend their vacations till July 6. The schools had shutdown on June 23 and are scheduled to reopen on Tuesday. However, they are looking forward to the all party meeting scheduled for July 6 for a possible end to the strike.

(With inputs from Kayes Ansari in Darjeeling)

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Irene Blais, center, leads a walking tour of historical Market Square and Main Street with, from left, George Boucher, Rob Rainville, and Marc Bergeron on Saturday. The tour stopped to brief the group about the Woonsocket Falls Dam, which was a natural waterfall, and gave the City of Woonsocket its name, a Native American derivation of Thunder (Woon) and Mist (Sucket) from the waterfall called Thundermist. The former Glenark Landing Mill, which the original white structure was built in 1855, and the brick structure added in 1885, looms over the Blackstone River, behind. The Blackstone River was named after Rev. William Blackstone, one of the first settlers in the area.
Avneet Singh Bedi (left), Jet Airways' chief security officer in Mumbai, is accused of grabbing land in Sahibabad (UP) and failed to show relevant papers.

By Mail Today Bureau: The Ghaziabad Police have arrested the vice-president (security) of Jet Airways in connection with a land grabbing case. Avneet Singh Bedi, posted in Mumbai as Jet Airways' chief security officer, was arrested on Saturday night from his Panchsheel Park residence in south Delhi based on a complaint by the Joint Municipal Commissioner, Ghaziabad, Arun Kumar Gupta.

The police on Sunday said Bedi had allegedly grabbed land under Sahibabad police station area and failed to show relevant documents.

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The FIR filed on June 21 at Sahibabad police station alleges that he grabbed 945 square metres of government land in Chikamberpur village on the Delhi-UP border.

"The land is worth crores of rupees and allegedly encroached by Bedi. He has been formally arrested and is being questioned," said SP (city) Akash Tomar. Before lodging the FIR, the corporation took up a physical inspection of the encroached land at Chikambarpur near the Delhi border on May 30 and found that 532 square metres of land, allegedly grabbed by Bedi and his relatives, was provided on rent to a logistics company. According to the FIR, they were also using other 268 sqm land as a road.

BEDI'S FAMILY DISMISSED ALLEGATIONS

The officials have been taking up physical inspections and also lodging FIRs against land grabbers and encroachers on the directions of the UP state government. The 'anti land mafia' task force was constituted by the Yogi Adiyanath government after it assumed power. It was one of the BJP's main poll promises. The government has also instructed the police to book land mafias under the provisions of the Gangster Act.

However, Bedi's family members dismissed the allegations as "absolutely false and baseless" and said the land was registered in the name of Bedi's mother was bought in 1958. The family says the police never asked for any property papers.

"We have the entire land documents in her name and allegation of land grabbing is baseless and false. In fact, it is suspected to be a conspiracy, engineered by an exemployee who was posted at Lucknow airport and is well connected, politically," said a member of the Bedi family. Jet Airways refused to comment on the issue however.

ALSO READ | Bengaluru: Encroachments on rise as govt fails to demarcate lake, storm water drains

Yogi Adityanath government sets up anti-land mafia task force in Uttar Pradesh

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Bulgarian regulator to hold Kozloduy tender

03 July 2017

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Bulgaria's nuclear regulatory agency (BNRA) plans to use 3 million ($3.42 million) in funding from the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for its role in the decommissioning of units 1-4 of the Kozloduy nuclear power plant. The money will come from the Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund that is administered by the London-based bank.

The bank said on 30 June it will open a tender in the third quarter of this year for the provision of technical support for the work at the plant, including the management of radioactive waste. This support is expected to start early next year and take 18 months to complete, it said.

The support will help BNRA assess licensee documentation, develop its regulatory framework in line with European Union best practice, and improve its capacity in the decommissioning and waste management sectors.

During European Union accession negotiations, Bulgaria committed to closing Kozloduy 1 and 2 by the end of 2002 and units 3 and 4 by the end of 2006. All four units are V-230 model VVER-440 reactors, which the European Commission had earlier classified as non-upgradable. However, units 3 and 4 were of an improved design and closer to the later V-213 design than any others of their class. Despite a 2005 opinion poll showing 75% support for keeping the two reactors running, the government finally ordered them to be shut down at the end of December 2006. Bulgaria joined the EU on 1 January 2007.

In November 1999, the Bulgarian Government and the European Commission signed a Memorandum of Understanding, according to which the government undertook a firm commitment to close and decommission the four units. The Kozloduy International Decommissioning Support Fund was established to support the decommissioning activities and to mitigate the negative consequences of the units' early closure.

The Kozloduy plant is situated close to the Danube River border with Romania.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Paladin Energy enters administration

03 July 2017

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Paladin Energy Ltd has today appointed administrators after it was unable to agree a delay to the repayment of $277 million it owes Electricite de France (EDF). The administrators will continue to operate the company on a business-as-usual basis until further notice.

Langer Heinrich (Image: Paladin)



Western Australia-based Paladin in February announced plans for a balance sheet restructuring to enable it to meet debts due in April, after plans to sell a 24% stake in the Langer Heinrich uranium mine in Namibia to China's CNNC Overseas Uranium Holdings failed to progress. The sale of a 30% stake in the Manyingee project in Western Australia to Avira Energy Ltd (formerly MGT Resources), announced at the same time as the CNNC sale in July 2016, also failed to complete.

CNNC, which already owns a 25% joint venture equity stake in the Namibian project, subsequently began a process that could lead to it exercising an option to acquire all of Paladin's share of Langer Heinrich. This led to the proposal in May of an alternative restructuring plan by Paladin, as the original plan had assumed the company would retain an ongoing interest in its Namibian flagship project.

Paladin is due to pay EDF $277 million by 10 July under a long-term supply agreement signed in 2012. The company said it had approached EDF to grant a "standstill" agreement, which would allow time for the alternative restructure proposal to be implemented. Although terms had been negotiated they had not been signed.

"EDF has now informed Paladin that it is not prepared to enter into a standstill agreement and requires payment of the amount when due on 10 July 2017," Paladin said today.

Paladin on 27 June announced it had secured support for its alternative restructure proposal from over 75% of the holders of 2017 convertible bonds, passing the threshold needed to implement the proposal. Those bondholders have agreed to so-called forbearance arrangements under which they would not accelerate or enforce their claims against Paladin until 30 September. Today, the company announced that 88% of the holders of its 2020 convertible bonds had also agreed to similar forbearance arrangements.

An international investment bank is due to deliver an expert determination of the value of Paladin's interest in Langer Heinrich on 20 July, after which CNNC will have 30 days to decide whether to exercise its option to acquire Paladin's share of the project.

The administrators appointed today by Paladin's board are Matthew Woods, Hayden White and Gayle Dickerson, all of KPMG, who will immediately undertake a financial and operational assessment of Paladin Energy Ltd and related companies Paladin Finance Pty Ltd and Paladin Energy Minerals NL. Paladin said its management and directors "remain committed" to working with the administrators to restructure and recapitalise the company.

Paladin purchased Langer Heinrich in 2002, with production beginning from the open pit mine in late 2006. The mine produced a total of 1903.5 tU last year. The company's 85% interest in the Kayelekera uranium mine in Malawi, under care and maintenance since 2014, is held by Paladin (Africa) Ltd.

Researched and written

by World Nuclear News

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Hunt For Man: Armed Police Close Off Roads In Smithfield For Second Time In 24 Hours

This article is old - Published: Monday, Jul 3rd, 2017

Police closed off roads in the Smithfield area, with armed police on scene.

Update 5pm: Police have said Armed police were today in the Smithfield Road area of Wrexham, trying to locate a wanted man.

Chief Inspector Paul Jones said: Officers were in the vicinity of Smithfield Road after police received reports of possible sightings of a man they are trying to locate, in connection with an incident in Merseyside.

The male was not found and inquiries are ongoing to locate him.

As we noted yesterday, Although not confirmed connected to this afternoons attempt to locate a man, police have been trying to locate 22 year old Jason Curry as they believe that he may have information that could help them with their inquiries after an 18 year old, Yusuf Sonko, was murdered in Liverpool. Yusuf had been shot in a Liverpool street a month ago.

Jason Curry is believed to have connections to Wrexham.

Update: As of 2:30pm roads reopened with police vacating the area. Dog units along with armed officers were on scene just after 1



Police have closed Barons Road and Oxford Street, close to where Benjamin Road was closed off yesterday afternoon.

North Wales Police have said: Please be advised officers are currently dealing with an incident in the Smithfield Road area of Wrexham. Apologies for any inconvenience.

You can see our report of yesterdays activity here.

More shortly.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) A 29-year-old man, who had gone untraceable five days ago after he took a shared ride in a cab, was today found outside a temple in Gurgaon, police said.

Varun Vohra, who works in a finance firm in Gurgaon, had boarded the cab from Gurgaon around 10 pm on June 27. When the cab reached near Pochanpur Colony in Dwarka, the men sitting in the vehicle overpowered him him, they said.

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Since then there was no clue where Vohra went, with the Delhi Police seeking support of their counterparts in Gurgaon, Faridabad and Uttar Pradesh for tracing him out.

After he could not be reached on his cell phone, his family in Uttam Nagar approached the police and a kidnapping case was registered at the Uttam Nagar police station.

Despite scanning the records of unidentified dead bodies found in the last few days and the medico-legal cases that came to hospitals in UP, Faridabad and Gurgaon, there was no trace of Vohra, said Deputy Commissioner of Police (Southwest) Surender Kumar.

It was also found that transactions were carried out using Vohras card at some ATMs during the period.

Vohras parents received a call from him today that he is standing outside Sheetla Mata Mandir in Gurgaon and he was brought home.

The DCP took to Twitter to share the news about Vohra being found safe. "Varun Vohra(white shirt)rescued fm Ggn.Thanks @gurgaonpolice @Uppolice @CPFaridabad @upcoprahul all twitterite 4timely response @DelhiPolice (sic)," he posted on Twitter.

Vohra has not been able to give a clear recollection of the events that unfolded in the last few days but could recall that the men had overpowered him in the cab and then roamed around in different places in the vehicle, police said.

Vohra does not recall the places he was taken to or the ATMs where he was made to withdraw money by the accused. He is saying that he has not slept properly in the last few days and does not recall where he was taken.

However, he has alleged that he has withdrawn around Rs 80,000 from various ATMs and the accused, numbering three to four men, also took away his cell phone before dumping him at the temple.

Police are waiting for him to recover from the trauma he went through in the last few days and will be recording his statement to get some details about the accused.

They will also be scanning the ATM transactions that were carried out in the last few days to determine the areas visited by the accused along with the victim. PTI SLB KIS SLB KIS

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South Korean President Moon Jae-in concluded his first trip abroad as head of government on Saturday, holding a summit with Donald Trump in Washington, as well as meeting other political and business leaders.

Before the visit, cracks seemed to appear between the two administrations over the US regional anti-ballistic missile system known as Terminal High Altitude Area Defence (THAAD). However, Moon pledged his support for the US war drive against North Korea over two days of talks, dispelling any notion he is working to prevent a conflict on the Korean Peninsula.

The meeting between Trump and Moon took place 51 days after the latter took office. This is the fastest a South Korean president has held a bilateral meeting with his or her US counterpart. It is an indication that the mild criticisms Moon made of the US during his presidential campaign were nothing more than an attempt to exploit Korean nationalism and anti-war sentiment in South Korea.

With the election out of the way, Moon reassured Washington he was committed to the military alliance between the two countries. At a joint press conference, he hailed the deep trust and friendship between President Trump and I.

Moon also thanked Trump for his so-called determination to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula, saying: The most serious challenge facing South Korea and the United States is North Koreas nuclear and missile threats. President Trump and I agreed to work closely [to] coordinate our related measures while placing the top priority on the resolution of the North Korean nuclear issue.

South Koreas president is backpedaling after previously pledging to seek dialogue and understanding with Pyongyang. In a joint statement, he agreed with Trumps agenda to fully implement existing sanctions and impose new measures designed to apply maximum pressure on North Korea.

The Trump administration has used the slogan maximum pressure to signify a change of course after declaring Barack Obamas policy described as strategic patience a failure.

Since coming to office, Trump has drastically ratcheted up tensions in East Asia, threatening war against North Korea with three aircraft carrier strike groups now in the region along with other military assets. Washington has also demanded the full installation of the THAAD battery in South Korea, angering China, the primary target of the US military build-up in the Asia Pacific.

Moon and the ruling Democratic Party of Korea (DPK) are no less committed to this agenda. While the DPK may prefer to build economic connections with North Korea in order to exploit the latters working class as ultra-cheap labor, it is unwilling to go against the demands of the US, regardless of the catastrophic consequences for the Korean Peninsula and the region.

In fact, Moon pledged to continue developing South Koreas own, already considerable, preparations for war, including the Korean Air and Missile Defense (KAMD) and the Kill-Chain, a system designed to launch preemptive attacks on North Korean military positions under the guise of stopping a missile launch.

Moon and Trump turned reality on its head, claiming that the US and South Korea do not maintain a hostile policy toward North Korea, yet threatened the small impoverished country with nuclear annihilation.

Their joint statement declared: The two leaders affirmed the Alliances fundamental mission to defend the ROK [South Korea] through a robust combined defense posture and the enhancement of mutual security based on the US-ROK Mutual Defense Treaty. President Trump reiterated the US commitment to provide extended deterrence to the ROK, drawing on the full range of US military capabilities, both conventional and nuclear.

Trump and Moon claimedlargely for showthey were open to talks with Pyongyang, saying: Noting that sanctions are a tool of diplomacy, the two leaders emphasized that the door to dialogue with North Korea remains open under the right circumstances. However, those right circumstances would be Pyongyangs complete prostration to US demands for its denuclearisation.

North Korea has repeatedly refused to give up its nuclear and missile programs, particularly after Washington reneged on previous deals, leaving these weapons as the only bargaining chips the North Korean regime has in potential negotiations.

The Asahi Shimbun reported on June 24 that Pyongyang had communicated its desire for talks with Washington, excluding Beijing. Robert Gallucci, a former US State Department special envoy on the North Korean nuclear program, stated that in talks last October in Kuala Lumpur, North Korea appeared to want to improve relations with the US to reduce its dependence on China. However, when Gallucci demanded that the North give up its nuclear program, Pyongyangs envoy responded that it could not, as it had no other means of guaranteeing our [regime].

The US is ramping up pressure on China, heightening the risk of a major confrontation over North Korea, which would include the active participation of South Korea and Japan. Moons predecessor, the ousted Park Geun-hye, had distanced her government from Tokyo while seeming to move closer to Beijing.

Unlike Park, Moon has pledged to meet with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe alongside Trump at the G20 meeting this week in Germany. The icy relationship between the two major US allies in North East Asia has compromised the Pentagons ability to integrate them into its war plans against North Korea and also China.

The Trump administration is not taking any chances, however. During a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing last Wednesday, the same day as Moons arrival, US ambassador to the United Nations Nikki Haley praised Moon for making good strides toward Washington, but leveled a veiled warning. At the end of the day, I personally believe its going to work itself out, she said. But I also know that the [Trump] administration, the second we see something thats not going in the favor of protection of our troops, then I know the president will act.

That threat in the form of tougher US economic measures against South Korea was evident in the talks between Trump and Moon. The US president, who has previously called for the renegotiation of the Korea-US Free Trade Agreement, demanded more access for US vehicles to South Korean markets and an end to dumped South Korean steel in the US.

By ramping up the pressure over trade, the Trump administration is seeking to ensure that Moon remains in line not only over economic issues, but also over US military plans, including the full installation of the THAAD system in South Korea.
Kerenskys military offensive is developing into a terrible massacre of Russian soldiers. In the old tsarist capital, workers and soldiers are ready to explode with anger, despair, and frustration.

In the Bolshevik Partys middle and lower ranks, including in the Bolshevik Military Organization, many are demanding an immediate insurrection. Lenin and the partys senior leaders do not believe that the Bolshevik Party can immediately take and hold power by force, and the leadership counsels patience. Time is on our side, Lenin says, warning that uncoordinated and disorganized actions would only weaken the movement.

Finding no channel, the aroused energy of the masses spent itself in self-dependent activities, guerrilla manifestations, sporadic seizures, Trotsky later writes. The workers, soldiers and peasants were trying to solve in a partial way those problems which the power created by them had refused to solve. More than anything else, indecisiveness in their leaders exhausts the nerves of the masses. Fruitless waiting impels them to more and more insistent knockings at that door which will not open to them, or to actual outbreaks of despair.

Kerenskys offensive begins to collapse

The Provisional Government, backed by the Menshevik and populist leaders in the Petrograd Soviet, has long clamored for a military offensive. The socialist Kerensky has tried to weld the anti-war moods of the masses together with support for the war by claiming that soldiers carry peace on their bayonets. Soldiers are told that they are fighting to uphold Russian national honor, to support the Allies, and to defend the revolution. Pro-government banners read: War until final victory!

Meanwhile, many of the soldiers who have been sent to the front have been deeply influenced by Bolsheviks, who are denouncing the capitalist government, opposing the offensive, and publishing the secret agreements for which the war is being fought. Large numbers of soldiers have joined the Bolshevik Party ranks since the beginning of the year. When Bolsheviks circulate through the regiments appealing for soldiers to fraternize with their class brothers in the opposing armies, the Bolsheviks are labeled traitors and German agents.

At last, Kerenskys planned offensive in Galicia in Central Europe is underway, lasting from July 1 to July 19 (beginning June 18, O.S.). The Russian Seventh, Eighth, and Eleventh armies, together with the Romanian First Army, confront the South Army, Seventh Army, and Third Armies of the German Empire and Austria-Hungary.

After some initial successes, the offensive encounters better organized resistance, and a terrible massacre of Russian soldiers begins. By the end of the offensive, Russian casualties will reach 60,000. By votes of elected committees of enlisted soldiers (see Order No. 1), the Russian soldiers mutiny by companies and divisions. The elected committees repudiate orders from the officers, and control of the army begins to slip from the hands of the generals.

Petrograd, July 3 (June 20, O.S.): Lenin warns against premature uprising at First All-Russian Conference of Bolshevik Military Organizations

In his first speech before the First All-Russian Conference of Bolshevik Military Organizations, which convenes since June 29 (June 16, O.S.), Lenin urges the participants to be patient and not encourage a premature uprising against the government. In the Bolshevik Military Organization, radical and impatient moods are widespread. The 107 delegates in Petrograd represent between 26,000 and 30,000 party members from the provisional garrisons and the northern, western and southwestern front. Most of themincluding many of the delegatesjoined the Bolsheviks only in 1917, after the overthrow of the Tsar.

Most soldier-delegates had come to the conference sessions directly from the front, with rifles on their back. Describing the moods at the conference, the Bolshevik A. Ia. Arosev wrote:

Almost all of the comrades here report that they left their provincial organizations at a moment of vivid and clear protest against the usurping politics of the government, against the orders of Kerensky. Everywhere are heard the voices of comrade soldiers to the effect that the time for a decisive man-to-man fight for power has come

The successful demonstration on July 1 (June 18, O.S.) in Petrograd has increased the fighting spirit and hope in an easy victory among the delegates and soldiers. On behalf of the Bolshevik Central Committee, Lenin speaks out against the increasing support for an immediate armed uprising against the Provisional Government, arguing that the proletariat is not yet in a position to hold power throughout the country.

We must be especially attentive and careful, so as not to be drawn into a provocation. .. One wrong move on our part can wreck everything. .. If we were now able to seize power, it is naive to think that having taken it we would be able to hold it. .. the majority of the masses are wavering but still believe the SRs and Mensheviks. This is a basic fact, and it determines the behavior of our party.. . No, in order to gain power seriously (not by Blanquist methods), the proletarian party must fight for influence inside the Soviet, patiently, unswervingly, explaining to the masses from day to day the error of their petty bourgeois illusions. .. Events should not be anticipated. Time is on our side.

Given that Lenin is widely seen as the most consistent and vocal advocate of a transfer of power to the Soviets, his position comes for many as a disappointment. One observer noted that for the hotheads at the conference, Lenins speech was like a cold shower. The conference eventually passes a resolution that corresponds to Lenins line, with point three calling for a firm struggle against anarchist moods and attempts at partial and disorganized revolutionary actions. However, sentiments in favor an immediate armed uprising remain strong among the Bolshevik Military Organization. In order to clarify the situation and the tasks of the party among the members, the Bolshevik Central Committee decides to convene the Sixth Party Congress on August 2 (July 20, O.S.).

(Quotes from Alexander Rabinowitch, Prelude to Revolution, Indiana University Press 1991, pp. 113 and 121-2)

Petrograd, July 3 (June 20, O.S.): First Machine Gun Regiment plans armed demonstration

The First Machine Gun Regiment in Petrograd opposes an order to surrender its arms and tries to garner support for an armed demonstration among other military units of the city. The machine gunners are also angry because they are being denied vacation and are threatened with a draft to the front. As soon as the Executive Committee of the Petrograd Soviet gets word of the planned armed demonstration, it issues a telegram to all units of the Petrograd Garrison:

The Executive Committees Military Section absolutely condemns the machine gunners call, which acts against the All-Russian Congress and Petrograd Soviet and is a stab in the back of the army heroically and selflessly fighting at the front for the triumph of the revolution, the establishment of universal peace, and the common good of all people.. .. The Military Section calls on all regiments to remain calm, not to listen to any appeals by individual groups or regiments and to be ready to act at the first call for the Provisional Government, in coordination with the Soviet, for the protection of freedom and against the threatening anarchy.

(Quoted in Alexander Rabinowitch, Prelude to Revolution, Indiana University Press 1991, pp. 118-9)

Petrograd, July 4 (June 21, O.S.): Pravda editorial cautions patience

In an editorial published in todays Pravda under the title The Revolution, the Offensive, and Our Party, Lenin again urges caution and warns against a premature armed uprising against the government. He reiterates his assessment that the majority of soldiers and workers still maintain illusions in the petty-bourgeois politics of the Mensheviks and Socialist Revolutionaries:

The army marched to death because it believed it was making sacrifices for freedom, the revolution and early peace. But the army did so because it is only a part of the people, who at this stage of the revolution are following the Socialist-Revolutionary and the Menshevik parties. This general and basic fact, the trust of the majority in the petty-bourgeois policy of the Mensheviks and the Socialist-Revolutionaries which is dependent on the capitalists, determines our Partys stand and conduct. We shall keep up our efforts to expose government policy, resolutely warning the workers and soldiers, as in the past, against pinning their hopes on uncoordinated and disorganized actions.

Meanwhile, the First Machine Gun Regiment, in response to both the pressure from the Soviet and the rejection of an uprising by the Bolshevik leadership, abandons its plans for an armed demonstration. Instead, the machine gunners pass a resolution, rejecting future troop levies by the Provisional Government. The resolution states:

In the future we will deploy to the front only when the war has taken a revolutionary character; this will occur only when the capitalists have been removed from the government and the government has been transferred into the hands of the democracy represented by the All-Russian Soviet of Workers, Soldiers, and Peasants Deputies.

The resolution warns that should the regiment be threatened with forcible dissolution, the machine gunners would not stop at using armed strength to break up the Provisional Government and other organizations supporting it. (Quoted in Alexander Rabinowitch, Prelude to Revolution, Indiana University Press 1991, p. 119)

Petrograd, July 5 (June 22, O.S.): Bolshevik Military Organization clashes with Central and Petersburg Committees

Although a joint meeting of the Bolshevik Military Organization and the Bolshevik Central Committee the day before has resolved not to support a premature uprising, members of the Military Organization propose a possible armed demonstration against the Provisional Government. At an informal meeting with the members of the Central Committee and the Petersburg Committee, this proposal is discussed and clear differences in the appraisal of the political situation emerge.

Semashko, a member of the Petrograd Military Organization who commands some 15,000 machine gunners, accuses the PC and the CC of lacking a clear understanding of the partys strength, arguing, Almost the whole garrison is with us.

According to historian Alexander Rabinowitch, only one representative of the Military Organization  Mikhail Lashevich, an old Bolshevik, non-commissioned officer in the First Machine Gun Regiment and member of the Petrograd Sovietdefends the line of the Central Committee at this meeting. The Military Organization fails to bring the CC and the PC to adopt its position. However, its main newspaper Soldatskaya Pravda (literally The Soldiers Truth), which enjoys virtual autonomy, begins to diverge from the Bolshevik central organ Pravda. While Pravda, like Lenin, cautions patience, Soldatskaya Pravda is more sympathetic to insurrectionist moods.

Explaining the impatient moods among the masses in Petrograd, and especially the soldiers, Leon Trotsky later writes:

In general, the soldiers were more impatient than the workersboth because they were directly threatened with a transfer to the front, and because it was much harder for them to understand considerations of political strategy. Moreover, each one had his rifle; and ever since February the soldier had been inclined to overestimate the independent power of a rifle.

Amsterdam, July 5: Nine die when soldiers open fire on Potato Revolt

Nine people are killed in Amsterdam, the capital of the Netherlands, after soldiers open fire on a large crowd demanding food. A further 114 are wounded.

The trigger for the protests was the arrival in late June of a ship carrying potatoes and food supplies for the army. Although the Netherlands has remained neutral in the war, prices for food have skyrocketed since 1914. Even potatoes, a staple source of nutrition, are hard to come by, which has resulted in mounting protests.

Women, often carrying their children, began plundering stores on June 28. The movement has spread since the beginning of July, drawing in workers from the capital. The authorities only manage to restore order after seven days, following todays bloody clampdown.

The brutal response of the authorities reflects their fear of mounting working-class opposition. The media and ruling elite have been closely following the Russian Revolution and fear that the growing unrest among the people marks the beginning of a similar movement in the Netherlands. Frequent warnings are made of the red menace.

New York, July 6, 1917: Roosevelt, Gompers near blows over East St. Louis race riot at Russia meeting

At a Carnegie Hall meeting celebrating Russian democracy, former US President Theodore Roosevelt and American Federation of Labor President Samuel Gompers nearly come to blows over the race riot in East St. Louis the previous week, which resulted in the deaths of scores of African Americans and made thousands more homeless.

Roosevelt, taking the podium before Gompers at the event, convened by an organization called American Friends of Russian Freedom, condemns the savagery of the attack as a stain on the American name. He expresses concern that the barbarism in East St. Louis is deeply embarrassing to American imperialist claims to be the standard bearer of freedom and democracy: [W]hen we applaud the birth of democracy in another people, the spirit which insists on treating each man on the basis of his right as a man, refusing to deny the humblest the rights that are his, when we present such a greeting to the representatives of a foreign nation, it behooves us to express our deep condemnation of acts that give the lie to our words within our own country.

Gompers takes the podium immediately following Roosevelt, and like the latter departs from his prepared remarks about Russia to discuss East St. Louis. He offers an apology for the attacks, asserting that they result from luring negroes from the South used in undermining the conditions of the laborer in East St. Louis. Gompers, as president of the AFL, is the head of a federation in which many member organizations bar blacks from joining, and that is politically subordinated to the Democratic Party, the chief instrument of Jim Crow segregation in the South and racial-ethnic patronage in the northern cities.

Roosevelt interrupts the order of speakers at the event to respond. Standing over Gompers, Roosevelt shakes his fist in the face of the union head at such close proximity that it appears to audience members that he is making contact. In the past I have listened to the same form of excuse advanced on behalf of the Russian autocracy for pogroms of Jews, Roosevelt observes.

The exchange between Roosevelt and Gompers overshadows the events celebration of Russias Provisional Government, and the introduction of its new ambassador to the US, Boris Bakhmetev.

Baku, July 6 (June 23 O.S.): Baku factory workers endorse resolutions of Petrograd Conference of Factory Committees

In Baku (modern-day Azerbaijan), an assembly of factory workers passes a resolution requesting that the Baku Soviet establish state control over production and distribution of consumer items. The Bolshevik Prokofy Dzhaparidze delivers a report on the meetings and conferences that have been taking place in Petrograd. The workers delegates in Baku endorse the resolutions of the Petrograd Conference of Factory Committees, declaring their solidarity with the Petrograd workers and their struggles.

During the same meeting, workers from 78 firms are organized under a central commission to combat the decline of production and the dismissals of workers. The assembly also votes that workers will dedicate a half-days pay to needy families that have been impacted by the war.

Dzhaparidze is a heroic representative of the Marxist movement in the region. Born in Racha in 1880, in what was then the Kutais Governorate in the Russian Empire (now in modern-day Georgia), he moved to Baku at 24 to engage in political work in the Muslim Social Democratic Party (Gummet), which grew into a mass movement. Like all Bolshevik leaders, he worked for years under constant threat of arrest, persecution, and violence from reactionary vigilantes. He was sentenced to five years exile in 1909 for his political activities. His articles regularly appeared in Bolshevik journals and magazines such as Baku Worker, Gudok, and Baku Proletariat.

Along with leading Bolshevik Stepan Shaumyan, Dzhaparidze would be one of the 26 Baku Commissars who were betrayed and murdered by the local government of the Socialist Revolutionary Party in 1918. The Russian poet Vladimir Mayakovsky later writes, May your blood never coolnever! The 26Dzhaparidze and Shaumyan! Dzhaparidze was 38 years old.

Berlin, July 6: Leading politician Matthias Erzberger pushes for the overthrow of Reich Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg

In the central committee of the German Reichstag, the influential Reichstag deputy Matthias Erzberger of the Catholic Centre Party calls for the adoption of a resolution on peace, basing itself not on annexations but on an understanding with the hostile imperialist powers. The reason: the war against the United States, Great Britain and France can no longer be won.

This sudden change in course in the Centre Partys war policy is coordinated with the social chauvinist Majority Social Democratic Party (MSPD) in the Reichstag, the Progressive Peoples Party (FVP) and the right-wing National Liberal Party. All four factions come together in an inter-party committee and form a new Reichstag majority which lines up against Reich Chancellor Bethmann-Hollweg and against the war policies of the government aimed at conquests in western and Eastern Europe. All four parties, including the MSPD of Friedrich Ebert, Philipp Scheidemann and Gustav Noske, had previously given their unreserved support to this policy of conquest.

This surprising change in course provokes the so-called July Crisis in Berlin, which ultimately leads to the fall of Bethmann-Hollweg. It is triggered not only by the defeats of the Navy in the U-boat war and the disastrous military situation at the front, but especially by the revolutionary stirrings within the working class in Germany. Once again, a strike wave is spreading. There are even mutinies and protests on naval ships demanding an end to the war.

Aqaba, July 6: Arab forces capture Red Sea port from Ottoman Empire

Arab forces under the command of British officer T.E. Lawrence lead a successful offensive against the Red Sea port of Aqaba, forcing the small Ottoman garrison to surrender.

The advance of approximately 5,000 Bedouin and other Arab fighters, whose numbers have increased as local tribes joined on the way, was engineered by Lawrence as part of a plan to strengthen Britains position in Egypt. Aqaba was the last remaining port controlled by the Ottomans on the Red Sea coast. Its capture now frees up British troops to advance from Egypt against Ottoman forces in Palestine.

For over a year, Britain and France have actively been encouraging the Great Arab Revolt against Ottoman rule in the Arab peninsula and Greater Syria. With the promise of an Arab homeland, London and Paris have managed to secure the assistance of several powerful local leaders, including Faisal I bin Hussein bin Ali al-Hashimi, to whom Lawrence is assigned as an adviser. These promises are false, and the British and French imperialists never intended to honor them.

The full extent of the calculated double-cross will become clear thanks to the October Revolution, when the Bolsheviks publish the Sykes-Picot Agreement, a secret deal thrashed out between France and Britain to determine how the Middle East would be carved up between them after the defeat of the Ottoman Empire.

Vienna, July 8: All industrial companies in the Habsburg Empire are militarized

In an effort to combat the strike wave spreading through Austria, the Czech Republic and Hungary since May, Emperor Charles I militarizes all industrial companies in the Austro-Hungarian Empire. All workers eligible for military service are placed in militia units inside the factories and subjected to military discipline. They are no longer allowed to participate in political activities and are governed by military law.

This intensification of the military dictatorship brings to an end the emperors attempts to keep domestic peace with a few minor social reforms. Following the February Revolution in Russia, Charles placed a cap on rent increases and introduced some improvements in the health sector. On July 2, he granted amnesty for all those imprisoned or condemned to death for political activities, including treason, lese-majeste, insurrection and rioting.

None of this brings about the desired effect. It makes the Emperor appear weak in the eyes of his court camarilla, the aristocracy and the capitalists, and ineffective in the eyes of the workers. There are no changes in the horrible conditions of life. The regular terrible news from the front reaches a population suffering from an unprecedented famine and pervasive disease at home.

The aristocracy and the emperor are deeply shaken by the overthrow of Tsar Nicholas, and they are terrified that the Russian Revolution could spread to the West.

Scapa Flow, Orkney, July 9: Explosion of British battleship kills 845 sailors

At around 11:20 p.m., eyewitnesses report seeing a flame burst from the dreadnought battleship HMS Vanguard at its moorings in the port of Scapa Flow, located north of the British mainland on the island of Orkney. When a cloud of smoke clears after several minutes, the ship has vanished and only debris can be seen scattered in the sea.

845 sailors die in the blast. Of the three men who survive the initial blast, two die of burns in the following days. The cause of the explosion is put down to a pocket of heat from the boiler reaching the magazine and igniting cordite.

Summer 1917: Egon Schiele organizes war exhibition in the Vienna Prater

In 1914, the painter Egon Schiele (1890-1918) was not among those artists who greeted the war as a cleansing storm. Because of his weak constitution, he was initially rejected as unfit for military service, but in 1915, four days after his marriage to Edith Harms, he was drafted. He was spared, however, from experiencing the front.

Schiele, an uncompromisingly rebellious artist, was known for his erotic nudes of morbid, ascetic bodies drawn with nervous strokes. He created a scandal and was even sent to prison because of his belief in artistic freedom. His sensitivity to the social problems of his time found expression in his numerous paintings of proletarian girls, his first models. His portraits also reveal a great empathy. Influenced by his relationship with Edith, he underwent a definite artistic maturation. His work became less provocative but often more effective.

Schiele served initially as a writer in the POW camp Muhling. Here he drew the camp and portraits of prisoners and colleagues, but produced only one oil painting, The Old Mill. In his war journal of 1916, Schiele wrote that he befriended Russian officers in the camp. He discussed with them their mutual desire for peace and a vision of a united Europe without war and nationalism.

In 1917, he was transferred to Vienna as a military administrative employee. In the summer he and his colleague, Albert Paris Gutersloh, were ordered to organize a war exhibition in the Vienna Prater. The theme of the commissioned work was rather appallingthe war is to be trivialized and portrayed as enjoyablebut Schiele was happy to finally escape his permanent state of financial distress. Karl Kraus wrote: The war on display! I would visit a peace exhibition in which there was nothing to see but the victors hanged, the heroes of the money war who, as the fatherland cried out, heard only: now come the spoils!

That same year, Schiele also took part in exhibitions in Vienna, Munich, Amsterdam, Stockholm and Copenhagen and became known the world over. He produced his most famous landscape, Four Trees. In the foreground are black trees with withering leaves, on the horizon is the red sun in the evening sky. The painting takes up a central theme of his work: life and death.

In 1918, he achieved his first great artistic and material success with the 49th exhibition of the Viennese Secession, devoted to Schiele and his artist friends. The poster for the Secession exhibition was based on an older painting, The Friends (Round Table). The colors in the painting are dark, while Schiele himself appears in white. In the poster, he wears red and is immersed in a book like his friends. One senses the atmosphere of spirited work, an awakening: with his friend and teacher Gustav Klimt and the composer Arnold Schonberg, Schiele planned to found an art gallery for a cultural revival after the war. But Klimt died in the middle of preparations, on February 6, 1918. In the autumn of the same year, Schieles wife Edith, six months pregnant, died in the second wave of the terrible Spanish flu epidemic. Three days later, on October 31, 1918, Schiele died of the same disease A fragile, restless and immensely productive artistic life was cut short.

More works by Egon Schiele are available here.
FRANKFORT, KY (FOX19) - A new Kentucky law goes into effect Thursday clearing the way for elective Bible courses to be taught in public schools  just in time for the new school year.

The new law does not mention other religions.

More New Kentucky Laws: Have blue headlights? It could cost you a $1,000 fine

House Bill 128, sponsored by freshman legislature D.J. Johnson (R-Owensburg), outlines the courses must, establish an elective social studies course on the Hebrew Scriptures, Old Testament of the Bible, the New Testament, or a combination of the Hebrew Scriptures and the New Testament of the Bible.

Students are still not permitted to pray or actually express religion in class. Schools must maintain religious neutrality and not infringe on the constitutional rights of students.

The measure states the social studies courses on biblical content must focus on Christian characters, poetry and narratives and their relation to contemporary art and public policy.

Copyright 2017 WXIX. All rights reserved.
OKALOOSA COUNTY, FL (RNN) - A 7-week-old infant was found dead Sunday night after apparently being left in a van for about eight hours.

A family member found the baby dead in a rear-facing car seat in the vehicle, which was parked at the family members home in Mary Esther, Okaloosa County Sheriff's Department said.

The sheriff's department received a 911 call from the family member at around 9:30 p.m. Sunday.

The family member said they didn't know the baby's mother had left the child in the van after church at around 12:45 p.m.

The sheriff's department is investigating the baby's death, and didn't release the name of the baby or the family member involved.

Copyright 2017 Raycom News Network. All rights reserved.
The Retail Banking Study of 2017 revealed results of Indian customers prefering to opt for retail banking over online banking despite the impetus provided by demonetisation.

By Indo-Asian News Service: While the government has been pushing people to go online when it comes to banking, the branch still continues to dominate banking channels in India, with 94 per cent of retail banking customers having visited the branch/store at least once in the past 12 months, a new study revealed on Monday.

According to the 2017 Oracle J.D. Power India 'Retail Banking Study,' despite the impetus provided by demonetisation, digital banking is not yet a pervasive experience in India.

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"Most banking relationships still begin and continue at the branch. However, there is a great potential for banks to move more into the digital space. Only 51 per cent of retail banking customers have a reliable online banking experience with their main financial institution," said Gordon Shields, senior director, J.D. Power, a US-based global marketing information services firm.

The results was based on in-person interviews with 5,368 retail banking customers conducted between February and April 2017 across 14 states and included both private and public banks.

"In fact, overall customer satisfaction with banking in India is lagging significantly behind other key markets at 672 index points, compared to the industry average score reported in other J.D. Power studies in China (806), the USA (793) and Australia (748)," Shields added.

HOW THE STUDY WAS CONDUCTED

The study measured overall satisfaction in five factors: account activities (39 per cent); account information (18 per cent); facility (17 per cent); product offerings (14 per cent) and fees (12 per cent).

While overall customer satisfaction with mobile banking is markedly higher (693) than with In-Person Branch interaction (676), only 9 per cent of India retail banking customers use mobile banking for everyday transactions.

"Among the 48 per cent of customers who have yet to download a banking app, one-fourth state lack of security is a key reason for non-usage," Shields noted.

Nearly three-fourths (73 per cent) of customers believe their financial needs were not fully understood before they were offered new products, with only 7 per cent having had fees and pricing of products explained.

"As India embarks on its digitisation agenda, results on ground exhibit a contrary reality," said Kiran Kumar Kesavarapu, APAC leader, industry innovation advisors-financial services Oracle.

"We believe the issue lies in customer engagement models that Indian banks employ today and related security uncertainties when transacting online. This can be addressed easily and quickly," Kesavarapu added.

Private banks outperformed public banks and were rated higher in overall satisfaction (680) than public banks (666).

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Private banking customers are more likely to recommend their bank to friends and relatives (89 per cent) than public banks (86 per cent).

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--- ENDS ---
A leading indicator of China's manufacturing activity on Friday pointed to solid growth in the world's second largest economy, surprising the market.

As Chinese and U.S. representatives cut into a rib in Beijing on Friday to mark the return of U.S. beef to China after a 14-year absence.
Out in the Yakima Valley: Many in LGBT community say area is becoming more accepting
China has quoted from a letter written by former Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru to his Chinese counterpart in 1959 to back its claim on Doklam. However, China conveniently ignored Nehru's view, expressed in the same letter, on Aksai Chin and Arunachal Pradesh.

By Ananth Krishnan: To support its claim about India's "trespassing" at the Sikkim border, Chinese Foreign Ministry today said that first Prime Minister of India Jawaharlal Nehru "explicitly recognised" the 1890 Sikkim-Tibet treaty that Beijing was citing to back its territorial claims.

In the same March 22, 1959 letter, Nehru also reminded China of an 1842 treaty on Ladakh and the drawing of the McMahon line in Simla in 1914, which aren't recognised by China.

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The Chinese Foreign Ministry also claimed that India was "using the excuse of Bhutan's interests to infringe upon China's territory" and suggested India had sent its troops into Bhutan without the latter's permission.

CHINA'S CHARGE AGAINST INDIA

"The Bhutan side does not know previously that Indian troops entered Doklam which is not in line with what India claims," said spokesperson Geng Shuang, contradicting India's Friday statement that the Royal Bhutan Army had on June 16 protested the PLA's construction activities in Doklam, with the Indian Army two days later supporting Bhutan and asking China to stop altering the status quo.

Citing the 1890 convention which fixes the India-China-Bhutan trijunction at Gipmochi, far south of where India and Bhutan do, the Foreign Ministry said the "illegal trespass of border troops goes against convention and is against basic principles of the UN Charter and international laws".

"The action taken by India is undoubtedly a betrayal of consistent position held by India," said Geng, adding that "Prime Minister Nehru explicitly recognised the 1890 convention between Tibet and Sikkim" in a March 22, 1959 letter to the then Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai.

India maintains the 1890 agreement only provides the basis of alignment of the boundary, and that the border needs to be finalized by the Special Representatives in maps and on the ground.

In the letter Geng cited, Nehru wrote that "The boundary of Sikkim, a protectorate of India, with the Tibet Region of China was defined in the Anglo- Chinese Convention 1890 and jointly demarcated on the ground in 1895."

WHAT CHINA DOES NOT MENTION

However, in the same letter, Nehru also mentioned agreements on the boundaries in Ladakh and Arunachal Pradesh, which China now rejects.

In fact, in the very same section of the letter, Nehru mentioned the following two agreements: "The Ladakh Region of the State of Jammu and Kashmir- A treaty of 1842 between Kashmir on the one hand and the Emperor of China and Lama Guru of Lhasa on the other, mentions the India-China boundary in the Ladakh region. In 1847 the Chinese Government admitted that this boundary was sufficiently and distinctly fixed. The area now claimed by China has always been depicted as part of India on official maps, has been surveyed by Indian officials and even a Chinese map of shows it as Indian territory."

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On the McMahon Line, Nehru wrote: "The McMahon Line-As you are aware, the so-called McMahon Line runs eastwards from the eastern borders of Bhutan and defines the boundary of China on the one hand and on the India and Burma on the other. Contrary to what has been reported to you, this line was, in fact, drawn at a Tripartite Conference held at Simla in 1913-1914 between the Plenipotentiaries of the Governments of China, Tibet and India. At the time of acceptance of the delineation of this frontier, Lonchen Shatra, the Tibetan Plenipotentiary, in letters exchanged, stated explicitly that he had received orders from Lhasa to agree to the boundary as marked on the map appended to the Convention."

China, however, does not recognise those two treaties.

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How India counters China over Doka La face-off near Sikkim

ALSO WATCH | Indian, Chinese troops clash at LAC in Sikkim; Beijing blames Delhi for border stand-off

--- ENDS ---
Almost 200 Jewish Agency emissaries in North America have expressed their concern of the damage caused to the ties between Israel and Diaspora Jews following the government's decisions to advance the conversion bill and halt the Western wall egalitarian prayer area plan.

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"We are greatly concerned that these decisions are harming the delicate bonds between our two communities," reads a letter to Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky, signed by 177 emissaries.

"These actions cause irrefutable damage to our collective future as a united Jewish people, to Israels security and economic interests, and to the very essence and character of the Jewish nation state," they went on to say.

Reform Jews pray at the Western Wall (Photo: AP)

The emissaries lamented "the expressions of rage, insult and astonishment by members of our communities worldwide" in response to the government decisions.

They also expressed their support to Sharansky, who came out against the government's decisions, and asked him to "continue fighting for the future of the entire Jewish people, and their sense of belonging and connection to the State of Israel."

Describing their role as creating a "living bridge" between Jewish communities in North America and the State of Israel, the emissaries said they work "to foster mutual understanding and appreciation between these two communities, striving for unity without uniformity."

"During our service as emissaries, we have been exposed to the rich and diverse nature of Diaspora Judaism, which contains many voices of Jews from various streams: Reform, Conservative, Modern Orthodox, Reconstructionist, Humanistic, Ultra-Orthodox and others," the emissaries wrote.

"We have learned to value the diversity of voices within Judaism that have enriched our personal Jewish identity and contributed to our acknowledgement that religious pluralism is a necessity for the Jewish people," they asserted.

Reform Jews pray at the Western Wall (Photo: AP)

With this understanding, the emissaries tried to emphasize the importance of these issues to the Israeli public, for whom "the Western Wall prayer arrangements and conversion rights are not a daily concern that defines their Jewish-Israeli identity."

"The Israeli Jewish public must understand that surrendering these two important symbols is surrendering the privilege and obligation to shape the character and nature of our Jewish State," the emissaries explained.

They called on Israeli citizens "to reach out to their elected representatives, and encourage them to reverse these decisions and to reclaim the responsibility of shaping the Jewish public sphere," noting that "Our Judaism belongs to all of us! We call upon anyone who believes pluralism is the bedrock of Israeli democracy, to join this effort."

The emissaries urged the "brothers and sisters in the Diaspora who demonstrate their love and support of the State of Israel everyday: Do not lose faith!"

They further noted that "This current crisis is an opportunity to raise the issue of religious pluralism to the top of the Israeli publics agenda. The change you are hoping for is within reach, but we need your help, partnership and love to get us there. We call on you to continue promoting this just and critical struggle as truly equal partners."

The letter, originally written in Hebrew, was also translated into English to make it accessible for North American Jews.
Vandals posted a banner containing an anti-Jewish slur on a Holocaust memorial in front of a New Jersey shore town synagogue where several Jewish residents were recently accused of misrepresenting their incomes to improperly obtain public welfare benefits.

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Photos posted online Sunday by the state chapter of the Anti-Defamation League show the covering on the memorial in Lakewood. A message on the covering included an ethnic slur for Jewish people and stated they "will not divide us," along with the name of a group supposedly responsible for the covering.

State authorities announced Sunday they were offering a $10,000 reward for information leading to conviction of those responsible.

The sign posted on the memorial

Seven married couples who live in Lakewood, including a rabbi and his wife, now face charges they misrepresented their incomes to get a combined $2 million in public welfare benefits they weren't entitled to.

Three couples were arrested late Tuesday in Lakewood after four couples, including Rabbi Zalmen Sorotzkin, of Congregation Lutzk, and his wife, Tzipporah, were arrested Monday.

The couples eventually were released without bail after making initial court appearances. Prosecutors say they failed to disclose income from numerous sources on applications for Medicaid, housing, Social Security and food assistance benefits.

The state and federal investigation centers on Lakewood, which is home to a large and growing ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

Lakewood is the state's fastest growing town and has more than 100 private religious schools. The population increase has intensified concern over how public money is spent and sparked complaints from neighboring communities that say they face overly aggressive solicitation from real estate agents looking to find homes for the Jewish community.

Anti-Semitic fliers placed on cars after the arrest

In another incident, anti-Semitic fliers referencing the recent arrests were placed on the windshields of dozens of cars in Lakewood. It wasn't clear if the same people are responsible for both acts.

New Jersey's chapter of the Anti-Defamation League tweeted Sunday, saying that town officials, residents and community leaders "must offer full throated condemnation of this anti-Semitic attack."
There are several aspects in the conflict between the Netanyahu government and the Jewish establishment in the United States, which are as outrageous as the conflict itself. They should be pondered before this faux pas is buried in another committee.

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1. Donations:

Following the governments decision to freeze plans for an egalitarian prayer space at the Western Wall, we have been informed time and again that major donors to Israeli institutions and organizations are threatening to withhold donations if the decision isnt cancelled immediately. Every Israeli who respects his country could say to these donors: We thank you from the bottom of our hearts for everything you have given us so far. You have the right to stop, you have the right to continue, but dont threaten us.

General Barker, who was the commander of the British forces in the Land of Israel towards the end of the British Mandate period, ordered his soldiers to stay away from Jewish businesses. (We) will be punishing the Jews in a way the race dislikes as much as any, by striking at their pockets and showing our contempt for them, he wrote. While this comment won him the reputation of an anti-Semite, it was wrongthe damage to the Jewish Yishuvs pocket did not destroy its struggle. Quite the opposite.

Prime Minister Netanyahu with Jewish philanthropist Isaac Ike Fisher, who withdrew funds from Israel amid Western Wall crisis (Photo: Israel Hadari)

The donors threats are based on the same assumption: The Israelis wont be able to endure a blow to their pockets; they will give in. And surely, the panic that has consumed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his colleagues following the threats from America indicates that they used an effective weapon. The current Israeli government offers plenty of ardent speeches about national pride, a national flag and applause, but its pride is diminshed when dollars are waved in its face.

Donations from America are but a jot in the national income. They are very important for the institutions that receive them, but Israeli society in general can do without them. In order to receive donations, we pretend to be miserable, in contrast to the states real condition. We place responsibility for the welfare of our elderly and poor on Evangelical Christians, donors of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. Its shameful.

2. Assimilation:

I learned from a column written by a journalist who became Haredi that the problem is not the Orthodox establishments attitude towards Reform Jews, but the assimilation among Jewish communities in the West. We are losing the Jewish people, she warned.

Why are we losing them? There has been no record of mass religious conversions among the Diaspora Jewry in recent generations. Jews are not converting to Christianity or to Islam. There is an issue of mixed marriages, which is a result of the fact that Jews live securely among gentiles. The establishment is trying to deal with the problem by investing in Jewish education and in the Taglit-Birthright project, which apart from being a tourist initiative, aims to serve as a matchmaking enterprise. Most non-Jews and people with a Jewish father not considered Jewish according to Jewish law want to raise their children as Jewsall the more so the Reform and Conservative Jews. The Orthodox establishment is closing the door on their faces. Thats causing us to lose the Jewish people.

3. The Western Wall:

Before 1967, there were only two places in Jerusalem where one could catch a glimpse of the Kotel. One was in the demilitarized area, near East Talpiot, and the other was in the Italian hospital, opposite the new gate. It was so close yet so far away. There was a huge attraction. It faded away when we got there, a paratroopers company, from a different front, on the eighth day of the Six-Day War, and saw the bulldozers tearing down the Mughrabi neighborhood and turning the Kotel into a wall. As the Kotel was expanded, widened and uncovered, it lost its uniqueness. We had dreamt of a Kotel but we got a wall.

The state had trouble defining the Western Wall. Is it a national or religious site? And if its both, which is more powerful? The Rabbinate, and the Haredi parties that control it, entered this void. The seculars were pushed away; the Reform and Conservative Jews were humiliated. The national-religious Jews, who once saw the Kotel as the beginning of our redemption, are now looking up to the Temple Mount. They are flocking to the site in droves, despite the rabbinical ban.

Occasionally, I ask senior officials in the Reform movement why are they so interested in the Western Wall. After all, they dont believe in trees and stones. I receive unclear answers. The truth is they are demanding access to the Kotel because its there. They are fighting for real estate.

The solution for the Western Wall is not creating ghettos for women and different Jewish streams, but opening it up to everyone. At the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, not far from there, a battle has been going on for hundreds of years over every piece of real estate. The Jewish government has been asked to decide. There may be no escape but to pass the decision on the control of the Western Wall to the Muslim Waqf.

4. Zionism:

Theodore Herzl was the visionary of the state of the Jews. Netanyahus Israel is demanding to be recognized as a Jewish state, but it shirking its responsibility for the Jews. Its time to go back to Herzls vision: To reestablish the state of the Jews.
After overcoming a long and difficult rehabilitation process, police officer Tzipi Yaakobiyanwho was paralyzed as a result of a terror attack faced her toughest challenge yet on Monday when she testified against the terrorist who stabbed her and severed her spine.

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Despite her serious condition, Yaakobiyan, 38, insisted on arriving at the District Court in Jerusalem to testify against Ayman al-Kurd, 20, a resident of east Jerusalem.

She recounted the events of September 19, 2016 behind a curtain, because she did not want to have to see the terrorist.

Tzipi Yaakobiyan (Photo: Alex Kolomoisky)

"I can't do most regular things, which means I'd be dependent upon others for most of my life," Yaakobiyan said in court.

She was accompanied by her family and friends, among them also police officers, who came to support her and fellow officer Koby Krudo, who was also hurt in the attack.

"I took the train to the Damascus Gate, where I met officer Koby," she recounted. "Together we made our way towards the station on Sultan Suleiman Street. Koby was walking to my left. When we reached Herod's Gate, I felt a blow and I heard a shot. I didn't see anything. I felt the blow from behind. As I was falling, I heard my name (being called out) from behind and gunfire. I saw police forces arriving. I told (another officer), 'It's a stabbing, call the paramedics.' I don't remember anything after that. I woke up at Shaare Zedek (Medical Center) after several operations."

Yaakobiyan spent several weeks in the hospital in serious condition in a medically induced coma. She told the judges of the operations she had to undergo and the ramifications of the injury, which left her paralyzed. "I have no feeling in my legs, my back, and my chest. My hands are very weak," she said.

Officer Krudo, who saved Yaakobiyan's life, also testified. "Just like every morning, I had to be at the station by 8am. I met Tzipi, and she said there was no one to pick us up, and that we had to walk to the station as we normally do. Those are hours of students (making their way to school) and I was a bit apprehensive and very alert," he recounted.

"After walking past Zedekiah's Cave, I felt more secure, but someone jumped me and gave me a painful blow to the neck. I tried to shake him off, and he let go of me. I saw Tzipi lying on the floor with a puddle of blood next to her head. I saw him (the attacker) raise his arm to stab her again, and I shot him. I was afraid to hurt her. He made a step or two toward me and I kept shooting him until he was neutralized."

'The toughest woman in the world'

Yaakobiyan, dubbed the "survivor" of the Israeli security forces, was among the most gravely wounded in the ongoing wave of terror attacks, characterized mostly by stabbings, which began in the fall of 2015.

While she qualifies for 100 percent disability, her friends describe her as "the toughest woman in the world."

"This will require an enormous amount of effort, pain, sadness, stress, and mental preparation, but I'll be there," Yaakobiyan said ahead of her testimony. "I choose to be there behind the curtain. I will try to describe accurately even a little bit of what happened in the attack. He will hear me, but he won't be able to see me. I'm here so the facts are heard, and so he gets the maximum (punishment) possible."

Yaakobiyan, who was supposed to be discharged from the hospital two months ago, has been "stuck" there because the Defense Ministry has yet to find her an apartment that can meet her extensive needs.

Tzipi is wheelchair-bound and requires constant care and an accessible home with the proper facilities. Her home also has to be close to Hadassah Medical Center in Jerusalem and the Jerusalem center for disabled veterans.

The few apartments that might be able to meet her needs cost about NIS 1 million more than the family can afford, even with the aid from the Defense Ministry.

Uri Shechter, a social activists and educator who met the family at the hospital, has recently launched a campaign to raise the needed money
MOSUL -- An Iraqi provincial official says a suicide bomber, disguised in a woman's all-covering robe, struck inside a camp for displaced people in the western province of Anbar, killing at least 14.

Councilman Taha Abdul-Ghani says the attack took place at dusk on Sunday as authorities were accommodating families that had fled from the Islamic State-held town of Qaim.

Abdul-Ghani says that a police colonel was among the dead. The officer became suspicious about the person in the long robe and walked up to the attacker, embracing him -- presumably to reduce the number of casualties -- as he detonated his explosives.

The explosion also wounded at least 20 people.
Israeli actress Einat Weitzman sang former MK Basel Ghattas's praise as he entered prison on Sunday after being sentenced to two years for smuggling cellphones to Palestinian security prisoners.

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Some 300 of Ghattas's supporters, including MKs from the Joint List and other members of the Balad party, attended an event in his honor at the Arab town of Rameh entitled "Prisoner on his Way to Freedom."

Weitzman, whose play Prisoners of the Occupation was barred from participating in the Acre Festival and led to the cancelation of the entire festival, called Ghattas "My teacher and friend."

Ghattas with supporters on his way to prison.

"Basel's actions are an expression of the necessary resistance to the hard and discriminating conditions in which political prisoners are being held. These actions were meant to ease their situation, if only by a bit," Weitzman asserted.

"That is why his sacrifice is the ultimate one. Basel is going to pay this heavy price because this evil regimewhich is based on differentiating, empowering and glorifying one nation, while oppressing, disinheriting and excluding anotherhas to criminalize the resistance to the occupation," she went on to say.

Einat Weitzman (Photo: Moriel Pislzon)

Weitzman claimed that "Those of us who are outside, especially the privileged ones among us, must do whatever we can to thwart this effort to make the political prisoners invisible. I'm willing to do all I can to give everyone a voice."

She concluded on a more personal note, saying, "Basel, to me you are a combination of struggle and sacrifice. You are an example of someone who was willing to take a risk to ease the conditions of the prisoners, and for your struggle you are about to become a prisoner yourself. You are also the inspiration to everything I've done. It is with a heavy heart and great sadness that I say goodbye to you."
KHARTOUM -- Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will travel to Russia next month, Khartoum authorities said on Monday, a rare overseas trip for a leader wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

Sudan's foreign ministry said Bashir was invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral, regional, and global issues.

The visit, scheduled for the second half of August, comes as Sudan awaits a decision by the United States on whether to lift a 20-year-old trade embargo and other major sanctions
Anti-Trump slogans and signs were witnessed as demonstrators marched through downtown Los Angeles to urge Congress to impeach the president.

Anti-Trump supporters rally at the Texas State Capitol on Sunday, during an impeachment march in Austin. (Photo: AP)

By AP: Demonstrators hoisting signs and chanting anti-Donald Trump slogans marched through downtown Los Angeles to urge Congress to impeach the president.

The Los Angeles march was one of several similar gatherings yesterday across California and the nation.

Organisers say they believe the president has violated the US Constitution and obstructed justice.

One banner called the president an "Illegitimate Corrupt Puppet."

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Marcher John Meranda tells the Los Angeles Times he has attended five recent anti-Trump marches. The 56-year-old says he's most recently frightened by the Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars from the Medicaid program.

A smaller group of pro-Trump protesters gathered nearby outside Los Angeles police headquarters. The Trump supporters say they're unconcerned about allegations that Trump tried to thwart an FBI investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.

ALSO READ | Donald Trump must be impeached after James Comey firing drama, says US professor who predict Trump's win

Poll suggests 40% people support Donald Trump's impeachment

ALSO WATCH | Indian man abused, assaulted in Australia; calls it 'Trump effect'

--- ENDS ---
Nine Palestinian illegal residents who snuck into Israel were detained by police in an apartment in Karmiel on Monday.

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During a search conducted by police, the nine attempted to hide throughout the apartment in spots such as the refrigerator, kitchen cupboards, the attic, closets, and behind open doors.

Photo: Israel Police

Two additional suspects were found sitting in the apartment living room.

Photo: Israel Police

In addition to the nine illegal suspects, police also detained a 33-year-old resident of Deir al-Asad, after it became apparent he was responsible for the apartment in which the suspects were staying.
Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel on Tuesday for a historic three-day visit, during which he will sign seven cooperation agreements between the two countries.

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This will be the first time an Indian prime minister visits Israel, attesting to the warming of ties between the two countries after years of a behind-the-scenes thriving military relationship.

India has traditionally trodden a careful diplomatic line in the region, wary of upsetting Arab states and Iranupon whom it relies for its vast imports of oiland its large Muslim minority population, which numbers at 180 million. It has been a vocal supporter of the Palestinian cause, even as it quietly pursued ties with Israel, which has also taken steps toward India.





Prime Minister Netanyahu meets with Modi in Paris (Photo: Amos Ben-Gershom, GPO)

The visit will focus on a series of military deals worth billions of dollars as well as strategic partnerships in areas including water, agriculture and space technology.

Modi will land in Israel at 4pm Tuesday and be received by Israel's top leadership in a state ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

From the airport, Modi will make his way to Moshav Mishmar HaShiv'a, where he will visit the Dan Farm, one of the leading flower farms in Israel.

At the farm, Modi will watch an Agriculture Ministry demonstration of some of Israel's latest agricultural technologies, including a state-of-the-art irrigation multicopter drone and a thermal camera.

Israel is expected to build seven new agricultural excellence centers in India by the end of the year, adding to the existing 15 it already has.

Later, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will accompany Modi on a visit to the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum in Jerusalem, where the Indian premier will lay a wreath, visit the Children's Memorial, and sign the guest book.

On Tuesday evening, Modi and a small entourage will have dinner at the Prime Minister's Residence in Jerusalem. At the same time, the Foreign Ministry's director general and the acting national security advisor will host a dinner at the King David Hotel attended by their Indian counterparts along with other members of the Indian delegation.

On Wednesday, Modi will meet with President Reuven Rivlin and then with Prime Minister Netanyahu. The Indian prime minister will also meet with Opposition leader Isaac Herzog (Zionist Union) and later visit the exhibit on Indian Jewry and the Cochin Jews synagogue at the Israel Museum.

President Rivlin meets with Modi during a visit to India (Photo: Reuters)

Later, he will meet with Indian expats living in Israel, including diamond dealers from India.

One of the expected highlights of the visit is Modi's planned meeting with 10-year-old Moshe Holtzberg , whose parents were murdered in a 2008 terror attack at the Chabad House in Mumbai when he was a toddler. Moshe's Indian nanny Sandra Samuel, who managed to remove him from the carnage and bloodletting, will also be at the meeting.

On Thursday, Modi will visit Haifa, where he will lay a wreath and unveil a plaque in memory of Indian soldiers buried at a cemetery in the city who were killing in the battle for Haifa during World War I. He will also meet with some 20 Indian soldiers serving in the United Nations Disengagement Observer Force in the Golan Heights.

He will then head to Dor Beach to watch a desalination demonstration using a water purification vehicle by GALMOBILE, following which he will fly to Tel Aviv to watch presentations by Israeli innovation companies.

Modi will also meet with Indian students who are completing their education in Israel.

At 5pm Thursday, the Indian prime minister will leave Israel, not before taking part in a state ceremony at Ben-Gurion Airport.

Modi will arrive with a business delegation including about 100 entrepreneurs. Among the delegates will be 15 senior executives of Indian companiessuch as Wipro, Reliance, Adani, Tata, Jain, Infosys and Mahindrawho will take part in the founding of a joint forum for CEOs from both countries.

Ahead of the visit, Israel's Embassy in India produced a video showing Israelis welcoming Modi in Hindi. The Indian premier shared the video on his popular Twitter account, where he has 31 million followers. The video got 17,000 likes and 4,300 shares.

The Indian Foreign Ministry has produced its own video to mark Modi's visit as well as 25 years to the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations. The video emphasizes the similarities between the Indian people and the Israeli people and praises the cooperation between the two nations. It also includes footage of tests for Barak missiles, which were developed in a joint project between the two countries.

Since Israel and India formally established diplomatic relations 25 years ago, trade has increased 2000 percent, according to Israels Ministry of Economy.

In the past decade alone, Israels exports to India have risen a total of about 60 percent, despite a slight decrease last year. Israel-India trade in general has risen from $200 million in 1992 to $4.167 billion in 2016.

"India is a major and important export destination for the development of Israeli export," said Economy Minister Eli Cohen. "The tightening of political relations with India and the historic visit of the prime minister of India to Israel will lead, beyond defense exports, to increased deals in commerce and services as well."
A 22-year-old Jewish extremist, Yinon Reuveni, was convicted in the Nazareth Magistrates Court on Monday for setting fire to the famous Church of the Multiplication of the Loaves and Fish on the shores of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel two years ago.

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The court also acquitted Yehuda Asraf, 21, who was accused of involvement in the arson attack and of providing assistance to Reuveni.

Photo: AP

In June 2015, Reuveni torched the church in which Christians believe that Jesus Christ performed the miracle of Feeding of the 4,000 with seven loaves of bread and fish. Two rooms of the church complex in Tabgha were damaged.

Yinon Reuveni

In addition to the fire, which caused extensive damage to the structures exterior, Reuveni also defaced the limestone wall with red paint denouncing the worship of idols.

Firefighters called to the scene managed to extinguish the flames just in time to avert what could have been far more damaging as they burned just meters away from the main hall of the church itself and its wooden ceiling.

Photo: AP

Two people, a young female pilgrim and a 70-year-old man, were wounded in the blaze from smoke inhalation.

Photo: Avihu Shapira

It is not the first time that Reuveni's extremist transgressions have landed him on the wrong side of the law. In 2016, he was charged for committing violent acts against Palestinians.

According to the conviction statement regarding the fire, Reuveni established contact with other unknown individuals prior to his assault on the church due to hostile views he harbored against Christianity in an attempt to damage the holy sites of the religion.

Photo: Avihu Shapira

In his aforementioned actions, the accused carried out the arson attack with others on property for public use, the statement read. In addition, the defendant, together with others, unlawfully wrote on the property of another, motivated by hostility toward the Christian religion.

The church reopened 20 months after the fire. Christian dignitaries and donors attended a ceremony and mass in the Roman Catholic church, with the complex reopened to pilgrims following eight months of renovation work at a cost of around one million dollars, of which the state of Israel contributed almost $400,000.
Russia and the United States are still discussing the timing of the first face-to-face encounter between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, expected to take place at a G20 summit in Germany later this week, a Kremlin aide said on Monday.

Since Trump was elected US president, Russian has been keenly anticipating his first meeting with Putin, hoping it would trigger a reset in US-Russia relations that plunged to post-Cold War lows under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. But with Trump embroiled in a row at home over his associates' links to Moscow, the encounter with Putin has become a minefield. Too warm a meeting would allow Trump's domestic opponents to accuse him of being a Kremlin stooge.

Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the Trump-Putin meeting would happen on the sidelines of the G20 summit, in Hamburg, but it was not yet finalized how it would fit into the summit's schedule.
Spain's foreign minister says that all European Union members need to discuss Italy's proposal for other countries in the bloc to open their ports to ships carrying rescued migrants.

Alfonso Dastis told journalists in Madrid that "our position is that exceptional situations require exceptional measures as a response, but they need to be discussed among all countries."

Italy has pleaded for help as thousands of migrants and refugees pour onto its shores. The UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, decried an "unfolding tragedy" in the country. Dastis added that Spain "hasn't received a formal request" about receiving some of the migrants. He said that he expected the issue to be discussed by EU interior ministers and foreign ministers at separate meetings Thursday.
China's UN ambassador warned Monday that further escalation of already high tensions with North Korea risks getting out of control, "and the consequences would be disastrous."

Liu Jieyi expressed hope that key nations will be "more forthcoming" and support China's three-part package to de-escalate tensions -- revive negotiations and dialogue leading to denuclearization and peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula.

He reiterated at a news conference that an important initial proposal in the package is "suspension for suspension," which would see North Korea halt nuclear and missile testing and the United States and South Korea stop military exercises.
The new stamp duty concessions for first-home buyers in New South Wales and Victoria took effect on July 1, adding some warmth to otherwise wintry auction market conditions over the weekend.

Across Australias seven capital cities, the combined preliminary clearance rate increased to 70.3% this week, up from last week, when the final results saw the clearance rate drop to 66.5%. This was the lowest clearance rate since June 2016, according to CoreLogic.

Melbourne, VIC

In Melbourne, 619 auctions were held over the weekend, with a preliminary clearance rate of 74% recorded, according to the Real Estate Institute of Victoria (REIV). Both figures were up from the same period last year, when 223 homes went to auction and a 70% clearance rate was recorded.

High auction volumes [in Melbourne] coincided with changes to government policy with new stamp duty concessions now available for first homebuyers purchasing under $750,000, Gil King, chief executive officer of REIV, told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS.

Effective from July 1, stamp duty for first-home buyers purchasing properties worth less than $600,000 was abolished. Stamp duty concessions were made available for first-home buyers purchasing property valued between $600,000 and $750,000. The exemptions and the concession apply to both new and established homes.

This weekend saw a record number of homes go under the hammer for the first week of July with more than 615 auctions held - surpassing the previous 2010 record when 591 homes were auctioned, King said.

Melbournes middle ring suburbs dominated, led by Reservoir, with 14 auctions and 12 sales. Hoppers Crossing and Sunbury both recorded 100% clearance rates from six auctions. Meanwhile, the City of Darebin and Moreland recorded the highest volumes over the weekend, with 38 and 34 auctions respectively.

Strong auction activity was also recorded in Greater Geelong, with 27 auctions held over the week, Gill said.

Sydney, NSW

The Berejiklian government has scrapped stamp duty for first-home buyers for new and existing homes valued up to $650,000, and delivered stamp duty concessions for first-home buyers for properties valued up to $800,000.

Sydneys initial clearance rate last week was 72.6%.

The most interesting statistic to come from the results was not the initial clearance rate but the drop in the median house and unit price from the previous week, John Cunningham, president of the Real Estate Institute of New South Wales (REINSW), told SCHWARTZWILLIAMS.

Prices were down for the week, according to the Domain Group. Sydneys median house price fell from $1.5m during the previous week to $1.4m last week. The median unit price fell from $960,000 to $855,000.

With many first-home buyers holding off, we saw a lot more cheaper properties sell as vendors held off concluding sales until 1 July, which naturally brings down the median price, Cunningham said.

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At least eight people were injured in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon.

At least eight people were injured in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon.

By Reuters: Eight people were wounded in a shooting in front of a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon in an incident police consider to be a settling of scores rather than a militant attack, a source close to the investigation said on Monday.

Two of the eight wounded were hospitalised after the incident, according to the source, who also said that worshippers leaving the mosque had not been the intended target.

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La Provence regional newspaper, which first reported the incident, cited a judicial source as saying police are "not at all treating it as terrorist related" and suspected instead a dispute between youths.

The newspaper also cited witnesses as saying that one of two gunmen with their faces covered had fired shots around at 10:30 p.m. as people were coming out of the mosque before the two fled the scene.

Four people were wounded outside the mosque while a family of four in their apartment some fifty metres (yards) away took shrapnel, La Provence said.

The incident comes after a man was arrested on Thursday after trying to drive a car into a crowd in front of a mosque in the Paris suburb of Creteil in an incident in which no one was injured. France is on high security alert following a series of militant attacks in recent years.

ALSO READ | Arkansas nightclub shooting: 28 injured, police say it could be gang-related

Shooting at Munich subway station, several injured

ALSO WATCH | Germany: Several injured in shooting at subway station in Munich

--- ENDS ---
Lahore: The death toll in Pakistan's oil tanker inferno rose to 206 on Monday as three more persons injured in the country's one of the worst fire accidents succumbed to their injuries, officials said.

Six officials, including a DSP-level officer, were suspended on Friday for negligence that led to the incident.

The Dawn reported that the death toll in Ahmadpur Sharqia oil tanker fire has risen to 206 and 65 injured are still recovering in hospitals.

In Victoria Hospital in Bahawalpur, 25 patients are said to be in a stable condition. However, nine patients in Lahore and 17 in Multan are in a critical condition.

A team of surgeons have been called in to conduct skin transplants at a hospital in Lahore.

At least 120 people including women and children were killed on the spot and 140 injured last week, a day before Eid, when they rushed to collect fuel leaking from the crashed oil tanker in Bahawalpur, some 400 kilometres from Lahore.

The tanker caught fire after the explosion and some 50,000 litres of petrol spilled from the vehicle.

The tanker, coming from Karachi to Lahore, veered off the road when the driver lost control after one of its tyres burst. It exploded after someone lit a cigarette.

The cause of the fire has not been made official yet, but it is believed that a spark from the many cars and motorcycles that raced to the scene may have ignited the fuel.

Meanwhile, according to motorway police spokesman Imran Shah, six officials have been suspended on the recommendation of the departmental inquiry committee probing into the incident on the basis of technical data.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had also met the victims of the tragedy and said that the government would provide jobs to those who were injured in the explosion and relatives of the affected families.

He had vowed that the incident would be thoroughly investigated and those found guilty of dereliction of duty would be punished.

Punjab province Chief Minister Shahbaz Sharif has constituted a four-member inquiry committee to investigate the Bahawalpur tragedy.
New Delhi: A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) delegation led by senior party leader Sushil Modi will on Monday meet the Election Commission seeking disqualification of Tej Pratap Yadav as MLA, as he was facing corruption charges in benami properties case.

"Our delegation will meet the Election Commission seeking disqualification of Tej Pratap Yadav as MLA in Aurangabad benami property case," BJP leader Sushil Modi told ANI.

Modi accused Tej Pratap for not declaring his source of income and dubious land deals in Aurangabad district in his election affidavit.

The BJP leader had earlier demanded dismissal of deputy Chief Minister Tejashwi Prasad Yadav and Bihar Health Minister Tej Pratap Yadav .

Earlier, branding Tej Pratap as the 'Robert Vadra of Bihar,' Modi had said the former concealed the fact from both the Election Commission of India (ECI) and the State Government that he owns prime land worth Rs. 15 crore in Aurangabad district in Bihar.

"Tejaswi Yadav deliberately concealed his ownership of this land and the loan from Madhya Bihar Grameen Bank in his affidavit before the Election Commission during the 2015 Assembly polls and also in his disclosures as a minister before the State Government in December 2016," Sushil said in a press briefing here.

"It is beyond anyone's comprehension as to why he has not declared the property valued at Rs. 15 crore in official records," he added.

As per Modi, Tej Pratap had purchased land for Rs. 53.34 lakh in Aurangabad district in 2010 from seven people, but didn't declare it in his election affidavit in the 2015 Bihar Assembly Elections. He didn't even mention it in the annual assets declaration before the State Government.
New Delhi: The BJP today asked the Election Commission to lodge a criminal case against former Chief Minister Lalu Prasad's son Tej Pratap Yadav, a minister in the Bihar government, urging the central body to disqualify him as a legislator.



Party leader and former Bihar Deputy Chief Minister Sushil Kumar Modi, who led a delegation to the EC, accused Yadav of not fully declaring his assets in a poll affidavit filed during the 2015 state assembly polls.



Modi has been making public details of assets allegedly owned by Prasad's family in and outside the state, including in Delhi.



Central enforcement agencies have begun probing the matter.



Prasad has rejected the charges and accused the BJP government at the Centre of targeting him and his family for political reasons.



Modi shared the transaction details with the EC of property that Yadav had allegedly bought in Aurangabad in Bihar in 2010.



Yadav, the health minister in the Nitish Kumar government, did not disclose details of this property in the 2015 affidavit, which was an offence, the BJP leader said.



Modi demanded a case be registered under the relevant sections of the Representation of Peoples Act and the IPC.
New Delhi: The Congress sought to mend fences in Bihar today, saying that its grand alliance in the state was "strong and intact" and that the partners stood by each other.



Spokesperson Abhishek Singhvi also played down Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar's remarks in which he had blamed the Congress for the "ongoing mess" in the opposition and for not forming an alliance in Uttar Pradesh and Assam.



He said the issues that arose between the Congress and Nitish Kumar's JD-U were restricted to the choice of a presidential candidate, which, he added, was now a closed chapter.



"Whatever had to happen has happened, as far as that (presidential election) is concerned. It has absolutely no effect on our relationship as far as the JD-U and Congress and other parties are concerned in Bihar," he said, adding that Nitish Kumar had also said so.



"Our coalition is strong, stable and still there and everybody stands by each other," he told reporters.



There was speculation about a rift in the state government a coalition of the JD(U), RJD and the Congress after Nitish Kumar decided to support the NDA presidential candidate instead of the opposition's nominee from the Congress.



Singhvi, however, said questions that arose on the alliance related merely to the presidential poll.



"That now is a chapter which is over," he said.



Singhvi said on the question of presidential candidates, Congress president Sonia Gandhi had said a few days ago that these decisions were taken "entirely" by individual parties.



"The decision is that party's alone and there is complete autonomy in such decision-making, unless the parties chose to agree with each other," he quoted Gandhi as saying.



Kumar in Patna also dismissed reports about becoming the opposition's prime ministerial candidate and stressed the need for "alternative narratives" against the NDA.



The JD(U) president, who asked the opposition to move beyond "reactive narratives", also dispelled fears about fissures in Bihar's coalition government and said it would fulfil its commitment to the people in time by providing them with "good governance".



Dismissing reports that he could be pitched as a prime ministerial candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha poll, Kumar said, "We are a small party and very well know the futility of nourishing prime ministerial ambitions."



He added, "It is seen that the candidate whose name is in circulation never gets to the post."



More than focusing on a face, the opposition should have "alternative narratives" against the ruling party at the Centre on key issues such as farmers' problems, he told reporters.
By PTI: (Eds: With fresh inputs)

Darjeeling (WB), Jul 3 (PTI) The GJM today asked the Centre to initiate a dialogue on the demand for a separate Gorkhaland, saying it was not a mere law and order problem even as a vehicle was set on fire and two cars damaged in the restive Darjeeling hills.

The Gorkha Janmukti Morcha (GJM), spearheading the agitation, said a separate state was the "aspiration" of the people in the hills and it should be respected.

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"The Centre should open a dialogue and take concrete steps," GJM general secretary Roshan Giri told reporters here.

He said the Mamata Banerjee government was dealing with the situation as a law and order problem.

"But it is not a law and order problem. It is a political problem and it should be solved politically," Giri, who had met Home Minister Rajnath Singh and some BJP leaders during a recent visit to Delhi, said.

The GJM leader said, "We believe in democratic movement. We want a dialogue. Why a dialogue cannot be opened?"

The police said a vehicle was set ablaze in Darjeelings Six Mile village and two cars were damaged in Kurseong by the protesters this morning.

The GJM activists held demonstration here in Chowkbazar in which children in traditional dress were also seen carrying We Want Gorkhaland placards.

This was the second such rally in the last 10 days that saw childrens participation.

While Internet services remained suspended, the police and the security forces patrolled the streets and kept a tight vigil on all entry and exit routes.

Meanwhile, the boarding schools in Darjeeling, which were scheduled to reopen tomorrow, have extended their vacation due to the indefinite shutdown.

The vacation had begun on June 23 when the GJM had given a 12-hour window to the schools to evacuate the boarders.

"We have decided to extend the vacation as the shutdown is going on. We have not given any time frame as to when the schools will reopen. As soon as normalcy returns in the hills, we will inform parents and reopen the schools," Principal of St. Josephs North Point, Father Shanjumon told PTI.

Father Shanjumon is a member of the Darjeeling ICSE Schools Association. St. Josephs North Point is a prominent boarding school in the hills.

Normal life was affected due to the shutdown which entered its 19th day.

Except pharmacies, shops, schools, colleges, restaurants, private offices and hotels remained closed in the hill resort which has been on the boil since June eight.

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While the West Bengal police has said that two persons have died in the violence, the GJM has claimed two more of its supporters were killed on June 17. PTI Team PNT SUN SC SC

--- ENDS ---
New Delhi: The Revenue Secretary Hasmukh Adhia through a series of tweets from his twitter handle has busted certain common misconceptions/ myths about GST.

These myths relating to GST and Reality of each one is given below:

Myth 1: Do I need to generate all invoices on computer/ internet only.

Reality 1: Invoices can be generated manually also.

Myth 2: I need internet all the time to do business under GST.

Reality 2: Internet would be needed only while filing monthly return of GST.

Myth 3: I have provisional ID but waiting for final ID to do business.

Reality 3: Provisional ID will be your final GSTIN number. So start business.

Myth 4: My item of trade was earlier exempt so I will need new registration before starting business now.

Reality 4: You can continue doing business and get registered within 30 days.

Myth 5: There are 3 returns per month to be filed.

Reality 5: There is only 1 return with 3 parts, out of which first part is to be filed by dealer and two other parts would be auto populated by computer.

Myth 6: Even small dealers will have to file invoice wise details in the return.

Reality 6: Those in retail business (B2C) need to file only summary of total sales.

Myth 7: New GST rate is higher compared to earlier VAT.

Reality 7: It appears higher because excise duty and other taxes which were invisible earlier are now subsumed in GST and so visible now.
Paris: President Emmanuel Macron on Monday promised a "profound transformation" of French politics, proposing to slash by a third the number of MPs, and telling lawmakers he would call a referendum if they do not agree.



In his first address to members of the National Assembly and Senate since his election in May, Macron delivered a US-style state of the nation speech in the Versailles palace, the former seat of French kings, saying the country must change.



"Until now, we were too often on the wrong track," said the 39-year-old leader, who won office on a promise of political renewal.



"We preferred procedures to results, rules to initiative, a society where you live off inherited wealth, to a just society."



He confirmed a plan to implement reform of France`s jaded political system, changes first raised during campaigning.



That would include shrinking the number of lawmakers in both houses of parliament 577 in the lower house National Assembly and 348 in the Senate by a third, saying it would have "positive effects on the general quality of parliamentary work".



Macron also pledged to introduce a degree of proportional representation into France`s winner-takes-all electoral system.



The move, long demanded by small parties such as the far-right National Front, would ensure "all tendencies are fairly represented", he said.



The centrist president, who enjoys a large majority in parliament, said he hoped lawmakers would adopt the changes within a year but reserved the right to organise a referendum "if necessary".



Macron`s decision to convene a sitting of both houses of parliament, a rare event usually reserved for times of crisis was criticised by the opposition, who saw his use of Versailles as further proof of a "monarchical" drift.



Some accused Macron of trying to steal the thunder of Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who will deliver a key policy speech to parliament on Tuesday.

The speech was Macron`s first major address in France since his inauguration in mid-May, when he promised to lead a "renaissance."



He warned the newly-elected lawmakers against triumphalism in the face of the "gravity of the circumstances" both in France, which is grappling with a stagnant economy, and in Europe which had "lost its way".



"The building of Europe has been weakened by the spread of bureaucracy and by the growing scepticism that comes from that," Macron said.



"The last 10 years have been cruel for Europe. We have managed crises but we have lost our way," he said, adding that France would help drive a revival of the European idea of "social justice".Last month Macron had already rolled out the red carpet in Versailles, hosting Russia`s President Vladimir Putin there for talks instead of the presidential palace in Paris.



Jean-Luc Melenchon, the leader of the radical leftist France Unbowed party, boycotted the speech, accused Macron of "crossing a line with the pharaonic aspect of his presidential monarchy".



The leader of the small centrist UDI party, Jean-Christophe Lagarde, accused the president of "a PR stunt".



On Sunday, Macron drew further criticism for a speech last week to a group of entrepreneurs in which he drew a distinction between "people who succeed and those who are nothing."



Far-right National Front leader Marine Le Pen, whom Macron defeated in May`s presidential run-off, condemned the remark as "unworthy" and "revealing of Macronist thinking."



The speech comes a week after the government unveiled a bill that would allow it to use decrees to fast-track labour overhauls through parliament using decrees.



Some opposition parties have accused Macron of neutering the assembly.



"When you do not share power you may be more efficient but you are also perhaps a little less democratic," said Christian Jacob, the parliamentary leader of the Republicans, the main opposition.A relative newcomer to politics who won election on a tide of disaffection with mainstream politics, Macron has enjoyed a honeymoon with voters, drawing particular praise for standing up to US President Donald Trump and Russia`s Putin.



But a Kantar Sofres-Onepoint poll published Thursday showed his approval ratings starting to dip, falling three points in a month to 54 percent.



"We`re seeing a strange, almost schizophrenic mix, of goodwill and distrust (towards Macron)," Pierre Giacometti, a co-founder of the No Com polling firm, told Le Journal du Dimanche weekly, adding: "The French already want results."
Shimla: A 14-day joint military training exercise between India and Thailand started in Himachal Pradesh on Monday, a defence official said.

The joint exercise of the Indian Army with the Royal Thailand Army commenced at Bakloh in Chamba district, the official said.

The aim of this exercise is to build and promote closer relations while exchanging skills and experiences between the two armies.

"Exercise Maitree 2017 is a continuation of a series of joint exercises between the Indian Army and the Royal Thailand Army. The previous edition of the exercise was held at Krabi in Thailand in 2016.

"It will be conducted in a manner so as to acquaint both contingents with each other`s operating procedures in the backdrop of counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism environment," an official statement said.

The Maitree series of bilateral exercises has been one of the major defence cooperation initiatives between India and Thailand.

Earlier, a joint training exercise between the Indian Army and the Royal Army of Oman, named Al Nagah-II 2017, was held at Bakloh in March.
Beijing: As India pushed in more troops in a "non-combative mode" to strengthen its position in an area near Sikkim, China on Monday called for withdrawal of forces in order to de-ecalate tension and resolve the fresh border stand-off between the two countries.

The move comes at a time when the Indian soldiers have been locked in a stand-off with Chinese troops for almost a month now in what has been the longest such impasse between the two armies since 1962.

Dismissing as "untenable" India's assertion that Beijing's construction of road in the disputed Doka La area poses "serious security implications", China's official news agency asked New Delhi not to deviate consensus on developing bilateral relations.

Asking India to withdraw its troops from the area to end the current stand-off, Xinhua news agency said, "It is well known that the Sikkim section of the China-India boundary has been demarcated by the 1890 Sino-British Treaty".

The Indian border troops' attempt to stop the Chinese military from constructing the road in the Doklam area has "cast a shadow over China-India relations", the commentary titled 'Don't deviate from the consensus on developing China-India relations' said, reiterating China's official stand on the issue.

While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi had in a statement said yesterday that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".

Referring to the MEA statement, the commentary said "the Indian side has claimed that China's activities pose a 'serious security impact' to India, and it is untenable". So far China has not officially responded to India's statement on this issue.

This is the second commentary by Xinhua on the issue so far.

The earlier commentary had asked India to shed its "strategic anxiety" over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival.

The CPEC is a part of China's Belt and Road Initiative. India has been protesting against the CPEC as it traverses through the Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

On the Sikkim standoff, the Xinhua commentary claimed that China is engaged in normal activities on its own territory. "How can we influence others? In fact, it is the Indian side that has ignored international law and seriously interfered with China's construction activities," it said.

With PTI inputs
Jerusalem: India and Israel will elevate their ties and sign several agreements during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit here, the first ever by an Indian premier, hailed as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".

Modi's three-day visit beginning tomorrow is aimed at commemorating 25 years of establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries and will also see discussions between him and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to explore ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.

The two sides are expected to sign number of agreements in the field of innovation, development, science and technology and space.

Apart from boosting cooperation in the water and agriculture sectors, India and Israel will also discuss ways to strengthen people-to-people contact, air connectivity and investments.

During the visit, a deal with the Uttar Pradesh government is also likely to be signed to clean-up a patch of river Ganges apart from setting up of industrial research and development fund of USD 40 million.

Before the visit, the external affairs ministry in New Delhi said it will provide an impetus for deeper bilateral engagement in areas of mutual interest.

Modi will be received by Netanyahu at the airport. This is a special gesture only accorded to the Pope or the US president.

The Israeli prime minister will also host a dinner for Modi tomorrow. Netanyahu will accompany Modi to most of the events, including the community reception on July 5.

Modi will also pay homage to Indian soldiers at the Indian Cemetery in Haifa.

Modi will also meet 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Holtzberg Moshe, who was only two when he was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel. Moshe?s father Rabbi Gavriel and mother Rivkah were among eight Israeli nationals killed in the 2008 terror strike.

Netanyahu earlier hailed Modi's visit as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".

"Next week, the Indian Prime Minister, my friend, Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel, This is a historic visit to Israel. In the 70 years of the country's existence, no Indian Prime Minister has ever visited and this is further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength," Netanyahu had said.

"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," he had said.

The two leaders have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

The defence ties between India and Israel have often drawn worldwide attention and acquired strategic dimensions.

It is believed that Modi's visit would further solidify security ties as Israeli defence industries have shown greater inclination towards participating in joint ventures to give a boost to the National Democratic Alliance government's 'Make in India' campaign.

The Indian prime minister would also be meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and the leader of opposition Isaac Herzog on July 5.

The Israeli Cabinet on Sunday approved major decisions to deepen Indo-Israel ties. Among the measures proposed include the establishment of a 40 million US dollars joint fund to encourage Israeli and Indian business cooperation, agreements permitting and extending incentives to Bollywood filmmakers looking to shoot in Israel, efforts to promote growth in tourism and a joint government project in the fields of water and agriculture.

Modi will not travelling to neighbouring Palestine during the visit, a clear signal of de-hyphenation of its ties with the two West Asian nations.

President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016 visited both the countries.

Modi's visit will be the first by an Indian premier to Israel.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Ezer Weizman visited India in 2003 and 1997 respectively. Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had also paid a visit to India in November last year.
Jerusalem: India believes in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday as he supported all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem.

"A final-status agreement should respect the sentiments and address demands of all affected parties," said Modi, who will travel to Israel tomorrow on a three-day visit - the first-ever by an Indian Prime Minister.

"We believe in a two-state solution in which both Israel and a future Palestinian state coexist peacefully," he said in an interview to the pro-government daily 'Israel Hayom'.

India supports all efforts to find an acceptable solution to all the pending issues, including Jerusalem, he added.

The two-state solution envisions independent Israeli and Palestinian states coexisting side by side peacefully. The Palestinians see east Jerusalem as their future capital.

During his visit to Israel, Modi will not travel to Ramallah, the seat of the Palestinian Authority, to meet with Palestinian leaders, as is common for visiting foreign dignitaries.

He, however, met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in New Delhi in May.

"I assume the question refers to our embassy in Tel Aviv. We will take a decision on that after both sides have come to an agreement on Jerusalem," Prime Minister Modi said in response to a question whether India will move its embassy there.

Asked whether India would take a more pro-Israel posture in the UN, Modi said India's positions at the UN are based on the merit of specific issues and driven by the country's core values and principles.

"We remain engaged with all our partners, including Israel, in finding optimal outcomes at the UN and other multilateral fora that reflect our commonly shared priorities and concerns. India is not in favour of singling out any country at the UN," he added.

Asked whether India still considers itself unaligned with either the West or the East, Modi said, "We believe in the philosophy of 'Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam,' which means 'the world is one family.' We want to engage constructively with both the East and the West."
New Delhi: The Indian Army on Monday maintained that no bulldozers were used when its bunkers were destroyed by the Chinese army amid the current standoff with China in the Sikkim sector.

The army also denied that the border standoff with China is the longest ever since 1962.

"The incident is not the longest standoff between the two nations," said a statement issued by the Army spokesman here.

The spokesman also said that no bulldozers were "ever employed" for destroying the Indian bunkers and that no physical scuffle had occurred between the personnel of Indian Army and the People's Liberation Army(PLA). A senior government functionary had earlier said that bulldozers were used to destroy the Indian bunkers.

The spokesman also claimed that no such incident ever happened on June 6 and referred to a statement made by the Ministry of External Affairs in which the date of incident was mentioned as June 16.

The spokesman went on to clarify that "Indo-China relations as also the relationship between both the armies are extremely well managed by a host of mechanisms.

"The MoD (Ministry of Defence) or the Indian Army has neither issued any official statement nor has undertaken any unofficial briefings due to the fact that such sensitive issues are best dealt between two nations away from the media glare," the spokesman said.

He said that in this situation "as some of the acts have happened involving Bhutan, therefore, Ministry of External Affairs has already given a substantial briefing on the issue."
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be on a three-day visit to Israel starting on Tuesday on a special invitation from his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu. The visit will be the first by an Indian prime minister since the two countries established diplomatic relations 25 years ago.

Earlier, President Pranab Mukherjee had visited the country in 2015 while External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj visited it in 2016.

Here we bring you the complete schedule, agenda and significance of PM Modi's historic visit to Israel.

Schedule:

On July 4, PM Modi will be received by Netanyahu at the airport. This is a special gesture only accorded to the Pope or the US president.

PM Modi is likely to stay at the King David Hotel, where he will be accorded a red carpet welcome. This is the same hotel where US President Donald Trump had stayed during his recent visit to Israel. During the visit, PM Modi is expected to have detailed discussions with PM Netanyahu on matters of mutual interest to both countries.

According to the reports PM Modi will also on Israeli President Rivlin. According to an MEA release, during the visit, PM Modi will pay homage to Indian soldiers at the Indian Cemetery in Haifa. PM Modi will address a massive rally for the Indians on Wednesday morning at Tel Aviv Fairgrounds. Around 80,000-85,000 Indian origin people live in Israel.

During the visit, PM Modi will also address the Israeli Parliament Knesset.

Israeli analysts have also noted PM Modi will apparently not travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leaders during his three-day stay, as is common for many foreign dignitaries.

Agenda:

If reports are to be believed, the two countries are expected to announce strategic partnerships in areas including water, agriculture and space technology during the historic visit.

During the visit, a deal with the Uttar Pradesh government is also likely to be signed to clean-up a patch of river Ganges apart from setting up of industrial research and development fund of USD 40 million.

Amid a series of cyber attacks across the globe, including by non-state actors India and Israel will discuss cooperation in cyber security. Netanyahu had already stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a "technology giant", is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of "my friend Narendra Modi".

Modi will also meet 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Holtzberg Moshe, who was only two when he was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel. Moshe's father Rabbi Gavriel and mother Rivkah were among eight Israeli nationals killed in the 2008 terror strike.

The Indian prime minister would also be meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and the leader of opposition Isaac Herzog on July 5.

Significance:

Hailed as a 'very significant step' in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a 'constant upswing', Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Israel, the first ever by an Indian premier will elevate ties and sign several agreements between the two countries. "Next week, the Indian Prime Minister, my friend, Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel, This is a historic visit to Israel. In the 70 years of the country's existence, no Indian Prime Minister has ever visited and this is further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength," Israel PM Netanyahu had said.

It has been expected that Modi's visit would further strengthen security ties as Israeli defence industries have shown greater inclination towards participating in joint ventures to give a boost to the National Democratic Alliance government's 'Make in India' campaign.

Modi and Netanyahu have already met twice on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

(With inputs from agencies)
Jerusalem: Narendra Modi becomes the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel when he arrives on Tuesday, the result of growing ties that have led to billions of dollars in defence deals.

Israel, in constant search of allies to vote in its favour at UN bodies as well as business partners, has been portraying the visit as historic.

Israeli analysts have also noted Modi will apparently not travel to Ramallah to meet with Palestinian leaders during his three-day stay, as is common for many foreign dignitaries.

Modi did however meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas in New Delhi in May.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the visit, which marks 25 years since the two countries established diplomatic relations, a "further expression of the state of Israel`s military, economic and diplomatic strength."

"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," the Israeli leader said.

"India is a huge country with over 1.25 billion people and is one of the world`s largest, growing economies. Ties between Israel and India are on a constant upswing."

But while Israel, with a population of some eight million, has held the visit up as a diplomatic victory, both countries have practical reasons for the trip.

India is the world`s biggest importer of defence equipment, and Israel has become one of its major suppliers.

Israeli media have reported that the two countries see more than $1 billion in defence deals each year.

India has been investing tens of billions in updating its Soviet-era military hardware to counter long-standing tensions with regional rivals China and Pakistan.

It has signed several big-ticket defence deals since Modi`s Bharatiya Janata Party stormed to power in 2014.

In April, state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries said India would buy nearly $2 billion worth of weapons technology, making it the military exporting giant`s largest ever defence contract.

The deal will see IAI provide India with an advanced defence system of medium-range surface-to-air missiles, launchers and communications technology.

It later announced a deal worth $630 million to provide India`s navy with missile defence systems.

The two countries have also cooperated on issues such as water and agriculture technology."I think it`s more than defence contracts," Efraim Inbar, a former head of Israel`s Begin-Sadat Centre for Strategic Studies think-tank, told AFP.

"It is a common strategic agenda which includes a fear of Islamic radicalism, fears about Chinese assertiveness and in addition, of course, you cannot ignore the huge economic potential for both countries."

Inbar added: "But for us it`s a huge market."

Israel`s 50-year occupation of the West Bank and failure to reach a peace deal with the Palestinians have been major stumbling blocks in its efforts to boost relations with certain foreign countries.

India has traditionally voiced its support for Palestinian statehood, initially shunning diplomatic relations with Israel.

But the frost has thawed in recent years, with India seeking closer defence ties with Israel, particularly as New Delhi turns increasingly away from traditional ally Russia for its military hardware.

Hindu nationalist Modi makes the trip after his visit last week to Washington, where he and US President Donald Trump embraced each other as friends, vowing to work more closely on combatting terrorism, the war in Afghanistan and defence cooperation.

While ties with some US allies have been strained by Trump`s complaints that Washington has been the loser in trade agreements, Modi appeared sensitive to his host`s emphasis on transactional diplomacy.

Modi may find similar common ground with Netanyahu, Israel`s longtime right-wing prime minister who hosted Trump in May.

India is currently the world`s fastest growing major economy, a status that Modi is hoping to cement by drawing in more foreign investment.

He has sought to do that in part by encouraging manufacturers to do business in Asia`s third-largest economy.

Israel`s defence deals have included components that will be assembled in India.
New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi's historic visit to Israel, beginning on Tuesday, will see discussions between him and his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu exploring ways to enhance cooperation in key strategic areas.

His visit will be the first by an Indian PM to Israel.

This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations.

The two sides are expected to sign number of agreements in the field of innovation, development, science and technology and space.

Apart from boosting cooperation in the water and agriculture sectors, India and Israel will also discuss ways to strengthen people-to-people contact, air connectivity and investments.

During the visit, a deal with the Uttar Pradesh government is also likely to be signed to clean-up a patch of river Ganges apart from setting up of industrial research and development fund of USD 40 million.

Before the visit, the Ministry of External Affairs ministry in New Delhi said it will provide an impetus for deeper bilateral engagement in areas of mutual interest, as per PTI.

PM Modi's schedule:

PM Modi will be received by Netanyahu at the airport. This is a special gesture only accorded to the Pope or the US president.

Also Read - Will discuss common challenges like terrorism with Benjamin Netanyahu, says PM Modi

The Israeli PM will also host a dinner for PM Modi.

Netanyahu will accompany him to most of the events, including the community reception on July 5.

PM Modi will pay homage to Indian soldiers at the Indian Cemetery in Haifa.

He will meet 26/11 Mumbai terror attack survivor Holtzberg Moshe, who was only two when he was saved by his Indian nanny Sandra Samuel.

Moshe's father Rabbi Gavriel and mother Rivkah were among eight Israeli nationals killed in the 2008 terror strike.

Will discuss challenges like terror, says PM Modi on Israel visit

On the eve of his visit to Israel, PM Modi on Monday said he will discuss with Netanyahu common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties.

"Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's. As the first Indian PM to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said in a statement.

"I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, Israeli PM Netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties," he tweeted.

Also Read - India believes in two-state solution: PM Modi on Palestine issue

The PM said he will have 'in-depth talks' with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism."

"My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples," PM Modi added.

On the economic side, he said, "I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground."

In addition, he said, "I hope to get insights into Israel's accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits."

On July 6, PM Modi will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8.

Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's. https://t.co/nLByftnnw6  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

From boosting economic ties to furthering people-to-people interactions, my Israel visit has a wide range of programmes.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

Netanyahu hails PM Modi's visit to Israel as a 'very significant step'

Earlier, the Israeli premier had hailed PM Modi's visit as a "very significant step" in strengthening bilateral relations that are on a "constant upswing".

"Next week, the Indian Prime Minister, my friend, Narendra Modi will arrive in Israel, This is a historic visit to Israel. In the 70 years of the country's existence, no Indian Prime Minister has ever visited and this is further expression of the state of Israel's military, economic and diplomatic strength," Netanyahu had said.

"This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries," he had added.

The two leaders have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN-related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

PM Modi would also be meeting Israeli President Reuven Rivlin and the leader of Opposition Isaac Herzog on July 5.

He will not travelling to neighbouring Palestine during the visit, a clear signal of de-hyphenation of its ties with the two West Asian nations.

President Pranab Mukherjee in 2015 and External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj in 2016 visited both the countries.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Ezer Weizman visited India in 2003 and 1997 respectively.

Israeli President Reuven Rivlin had also paid a visit to India in November last year.

(With Agency inputs)
In Rajasthan, a baby girl became the talk of the town after being named 'GST'. She was on June 30 midnight.

By India Today Web Desk: On June 30, when Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Pranab Mukherjee rolled out the biggest tax reform India has seen till date -- Goods and Services Tax (GST) -- with the push of a buzzer during a special midnight joint sitting in the Parliament, some 268 km away, in Jaipur, a girl was born.

Jasraj, a resident of Pali town of Rajasthan, was anxious that night. He was pacing up and down the hospital corridor expecting his wife to have a safe delivery.

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That wasn't his only worry. Waiting outside the labour room, Jasraj occasionally glanced at the television screen set in the corridor, and saw PM Modi and President Mukherjee rolling out GST when the clock struck 12.

Exactly when Narendra Modi and Pranab Mukherjee pressed the button to announce the implementation of the tax reform, Jasraj's wife gave birth to twins, a boy and a girl. Jasraj, who found it difficult to contain his excitement, named his newborn daughter GST.

A report in The PinkCity Post quoted him as saying, "It's her nick name. We would call her GST at home, but when she is grown up and gets admission in a school, we would give her a proper name."

Post GST rollout, Facebook and Twitter erupted with memes that said "GST is born" and "happy birthday GST!"

RIP Sales tax, service tax, vat, excise and 13 other taxes.Happy Birthday #GST.- Abhishek?? (@iAbhishek_J) June 30, 2017

Cartoon Zunar: Happy Birthday GST !Free to share / RTMore cartoon @ https://t.co/WxxavseXBz pic.twitter.com/WKLPaVy3lZ- Zunar Cartoonist (@zunarkartunis) April 3, 2017

But who knew that GST was really born in a small town of Rajasthan!

On July 2, Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje tweeted GST good health.

Live long & healthy Baby GST! ?? https://t.co/7gz8cOLVdL- Vasundhara Raje (@VasundharaBJP) July 2, 2017

Now that there is a baby girl whose name is GST, we hope at least she will have a good future.

--- ENDS ---
Delhi: Reacting to recently designated 'global terrorist' by the US Syed Salahuddin's remarks on a Pakistani television channel that he and his outfit the Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) have carried out terror attacks in India, the Ministry of Home Affairs said on Monday that their stand had been vindicated.

"Home Ministry has been saying exactly the same thing for very long time now," Ashok Prasad, spokesperson MHA said.

He added, "Salahuddin has himself confirmed what we have been trying to tell world. As far as his designation is concerned, it's well deserved."

Prasad also said that the Hizbul chief was also 'instrumental' in providing funds to terrorists and separatists and giving other kinds of assistance to the militants.

"Till now our focus was on 'Indian occupation forces'. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these 'occupational forces'," Salahuddin said in an interview with a Pakistani channel, as per ANI.

Asserting that Kashmir was his 'home', the Hizbul chief stated that the Valley was witnessing an 'uprising' since the 'killing' of Burhan Wani.

Further revealing that he has many 'supporters' in India, Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it.

Informing that he carried out many 'operations' in India, he stated that the international scenario changed after 9/11.

"If we would have taken our operations out of Kashmir at that time, India would get a chance to label Kashmir-e-Tehreek a terrorist organisation. We have support and we can target any place in India, at anytime," he said.

The US had on June 26 designated Salahuddin, who is based in Muzaffarabad, as a specially designated global terrorist, a move which was welcomed by India which had said that it underlined quite strongly that both the countries faced threat of terrorism.

"India welcomes this notification. It underlines also quite strongly that both India and the US face threat of terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said, as per PTI.

As a consequence of this designation, US citizens are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of his property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked.

Following the designation of Salahuddin as the global terrorist, the State Department in a notification had said that he had committed, or posed a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.

Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the US financial system.

Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other nations, it said.

(With Agency inputs)

NNNN


New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the criminal contempt proceedings against author Arundhati Roy in connection with a case related to the bail plea of GN Saibaba, former professor of Delhi University.

The case was earlier being heard by the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court. The HC had initiated criminal contempt after stating that Roy appeared to believe that she was "above the law".

In 2015, Roy was issued a criminal contempt notice by the Bombay High Court for criticising the court's decision of refusing the bail plea of Saibaba.

Saibaba was arrested in 2014 by the Gadchiroli police for his alleged links with Maoists.

Reportedly, Roy termed her words in the article as "nasty", the court observed "Calling the government and police as being 'afraid' of the applicant, 'abductor' and 'thief', and the magistrate from a 'small town', demonstrate the surly, rude and boorish attitude of the author in a most tolerant country like India."

(With ANI inputs)
Beijing: Amid an ongoing border stand-off with India, Beijing on Monday reacted to Defence Minister Arun Jaitley's recent remarks, saying that China of 2017 is also different from China of 1962.

"To some extent he (Jaitley) is right in saying that India in 2017 is different from the India in 1962, just like China is also different," Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said, referring to Indian Defence Minister Arun Jaitley.

Defence Minister Arun Jaitley had last week said that India of 2017 was not the India of 1962 and the country was well within its right to defend its territorial integrity.

India had, meanwhile, pushed more troops in a "non-combative mode" to strengthen its position in an area near Sikkim after which China called for withdrawal of forces in order to de-escalate tension and resolve the fresh border stand-off between the two countries.

The Indian and Chinese troops recently had a face-off at Doklam or Donglong, a disputed territory between China and Bhutan.

While Beijing asked New Delhi to withdraw troops from Donglong region, it accused India of infringing upon Bhutan's sovereignty.

It also said that India was using Bhutan to confuse right with wrong.

"In order to cover up the illegal entry of Indian border troops, they distort the facts," Geng said.

"And even at the expense of the Bhutan's independence and sovereignty, they try to confuse right with wrong, which is futile."

While China has cited the Sino-British Treaty to buttress its claims, the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) in New Delhi had in a statement said yesterday that "where the boundary in the Sikkim sector is concerned, India and China had reached an understanding also in 2012 reconfirming their mutual agreement on the 'basis of the alignment'".
New Delhi: Days after he was declared a 'global terrorist' by the Donald Trump administration in the United States, Hizbul Mujahideen (HM) chief Syed Salahuddin has admitted to carrying out terror attacks in India.

Salahuddin made this admission while speaking to a Pakistani TV channel, ANI reported on Monday.

Hizb-ul-Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits on a Pakistan TV channel to carrying out terror attacks in India (file pic) pic.twitter.com/YHLuX5WyBq  ANI (@ANI_news) July 3, 2017

Salahuddin reportedly said that his outfit has carried out terror attacks in India, while adding that US President Donald Trump's administration is "idiotic" for naming him a 'global terrorist'.

"We will not end this fight without liberating Kashmir from India," Syed Salahuddin said amid tight security at a news conference in Muzaffarabad, Nation reported.

Pakistan had last week called the US action "completely unjustified" because it involved an individual "supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination".

Pakistan-based Salahuddin is the Hizbul chief and had last year threatened to turn the Kashmir Valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces".

The US State Department had on last Monday named Salahuddin, whose given name is Mohammad Yusuf Shah, a 'Specially Designated Global Terrorist'.

The US announcement came during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Washington.

According to US legal provisions, individuals named 'global terrorists' are those "who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States," according to a state department notification.

A day after Salahuddin was named 'global terrorist', Pakistan slammed the US.

"The designation of individuals supporting the Kashmiri right to self-determination as terrorists is completely unjustified," a Pakistan Foreign Ministry spokesperson said in a statement without naming Salahuddin.

The US state department's notification specifies that all Americans are now "generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin's property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked," the US state department said in its notification.
New Delhi: The Ministry of External Affairs said on Monday that Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's recent utterances against India only highlighted unabashed manner in which terrorist organisations and leaders enjoy freedom of operations in Pakistan.

India today asserted that the brazen admission by Salahuddin of perpetrating terror attacks on India and his confession of assistance from Pakistan was a proof of Islamabad's policy of cross-border terrorism.

At the same time, the confession affirms the complicity of Pakistan's state structure in using terrorist proxies as a matter of policy against the neighbours, External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said.

"The brazen admission by Syed Salahuddin of perpetrating terrorist attacks on India and having the capacity to carry out such attacks at any place and time in India is a further proof of Pakistan?s continuing policy of cross border terrorism," he said.

Baglay demanded that Pakistan must give up its policy of cross-border terrorism, fulfill its obligations under international resolutions and stop all activities of terrorists from the territory under Pakistan's control.

On the other hand, the Centre too today said that Salahuddin's designation as a global terrorist by the United States was 'well deserved'.

Union Home Ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad said the government had been describing Salahuddin as a terrorist all along, and his own remarks had confirmed that.

"His designation as a global terrorist by the US is well deserved," he told the media.

Prasad said Salahuddin was also 'instrumental' in providing funds to terrorists and separatists and giving other kinds of assistance to the militants, as per PTI.

What Salahuddin said against India:

"Till now our focus was on 'Indian occupation forces'. All the operations that we have done or are underway, we focus only on the installations of these 'occupational forces'," Salahuddin said in an interview with a Pakistani channel.

Asserting that Kashmir was his 'home', the Hizbul chief stated that the Valley was witnessing an 'uprising' since the 'killing' of Burhan Wani.

Further revealing that he has many 'supporters' in India, Salahuddin admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it.

Informing that he carried out many 'operations' in India, he stated that the international scenario changed after 9/11.

"If we would have taken our operations out of Kashmir at that time, India would get a chance to label Kashmir-e-Tehreek a terrorist organisation. We have support and we can target any place in India, at anytime," he said, as per ANI.

The US had on June 26 designated Salahuddin, who is based in Muzaffarabad, as a specially designated global terrorist, a move which was welcomed by India which had said that it underlined quite strongly that both the countries faced threat of terrorism.

As a consequence of this designation, US citizens are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of his property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked.

Following the designation of Salahuddin as the global terrorist, the State Department in a notification had said that he had committed, or posed a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.

Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the US financial system.

Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other nations, it said.

(With Agency inputs)
Lucknow: An Uttar Pradesh minister on Monday threatened to resign if his demand for transferring the Ghazipur district magistrate was not met immediately. In what could be embarrassing for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Om Prakash Rajbhar said he had spoken to him but nothing had been done.

"If my demand is not met, I will resign from the government. What is the use of remaining in the government if a minister is not heard," said Rajbhar, national president of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBJP), a BJP ally that won four assembly seats in the 403-member House. The backward and handicapped welfare minister had earlier announced he would sit on dharna in Ghazipur tomorrow to press for his demand for DM Sanjay Kumar Khatri's transfer.

Khatri, he alleged, was not paying heed to the problems of the people. "We will be sitting on dharna in Ghazipur tomorrow for removal of the DM," Rajbhar told PTI. The MLA from Zahoorabad in Ghazipur said he had taken up 19 issues with the DM so far, but none had been resolved.

Asked whether he would meet the chief minister, Rajbhar said, "CM is in Delhi. Let him come...I will try to meet him." "I have been complaining against the DM... If he is not removed I will sit on dharna... On June 25, I met UP BJP organisation secretary Sunil Bansal and on June 27 called on the chief minister to take up the matter. However, the DM is yet to be removed," Rajbhar said.

People's representatives, he said, are accountable to those who voted them to power. "People are angry that their work is not getting done even after the cabinet minister's request," he added. The demonstration will be held at the Surju Pandey Park in Ghazipur.
New Delhi: Ahead of his historic visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said on Monday that he will have an in-depth talk with PM Benjamin Netanyahu on the full spectrum of partnership between the two nations and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit.

He also said in a Facebook post, "We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism."

Following is his full post:

I will be visiting Israel on 4-6 July, 2017 upon invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As the first Indian Prime Minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer. This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of our diplomatic relations.

I will have in-depth talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism.

I will meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin who I had the pleasure of receiving in New Delhi in November last year, as well as other senior leaders.

My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples.

On the economic side, I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground. In addition, I hope to get insights into Israels accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits.

During my stay, I will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history. Later, I will also pay my respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's. https://t.co/nLByftnnw6  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

From boosting economic ties to furthering people-to-people interactions, my Israel visit has a wide range of programmes.  Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) July 3, 2017

Netanyahu terms PM Modi as 'one of most important' Prime Minister's of world:

On the other hand, Netanyahu said today that India and Israel will discuss cooperation in cyber security when PM Modi visits the country amid a series of cyber attacks across the globe, including by non-state actors.

"Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here," Israeli PM said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

Terming PM Modi as "one of the most important PMs of the world", Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including in cyber security.

"For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime Minister's of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fields - water, agriculture, health and also in cyber. And he has a good reason to do so," the Israeli PM told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office, as per PTI.

Moreover, the Israeli leader was quoted as saying by AFP, "This is a very significant step in strengthening relations between the two countries."

"India is a huge country with over 1.25 billion people and is one of the world`s largest, growing economies. Ties between Israel and India are on a constant upswing," he said.

Also, Netanyahu, said that he would "accompany the PM Modi at many events during his visit as befits the leader of the largest democracy in the world."

Meanwhile, Daniel Carmon, Israel Ambassador to India said today, "This will be very important and landmark visit in Indo-Israel relations," as per ANI.

"In this visit we celebrate 25 years of relationship between people, business and farmers of two countries," he added.

Carmon further said, "There will be emphasis on development, innovation, agriculture, water and the connect between our people."

PM Modi will be on a three-day visit to Israel starting July 4.

He will arrive at 4:00 pm (1300 GMT) on Tuesday and will have dinner with Netanyahu that evening.

PM Modi will hold talks with Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin on Wednesday before meeting with members of Israel`s Indian community.

Thursday`s schedule includes a business lunch with CEOs from both countries.

(With Agency inputs)
Jammu: A group of heavily armed terrorists attacked a police party in Jammu and Kashmir's Anantnag district in which one policeman was seriously injured.

According to ANI, the policeman was injured after terrorists attacked a police party near bus stand in Anantnag.

The J&K Police also issued a clarification stating that the policeman who was shot at by terrorists is alive and admitted to hospital in critical condition.

The fresh attack comes days after a police party was attacked by militants in the Thajiwar area of Achabal, Anantnag in which six policemen, including Station House Officer Feroz Ahmad Dar, were killed.

Terrorist outfit Lashkar-e-Toiba had claimed responsibility for the previous attack.

More details are awaited.
Zee Media Bureau/Smriti Srivastava

New Delhi: India, no doubt, is one of the largest markets for technology and gadgets from all over the world. From Nokia to Apple, this market consists of world's top most smartphones. Many smartphones are introduced here every month. While on one hand, where we witnessed the launch of top smartphones in the country in the past month of June, on the other the month of July is ready to bring about a new boom in Indian market with new series of top 5 smartphones. Here are all the required details you need to know about 'top 5 smartphones to be launched in July 2017':

Asus Zenfone AR

This series of zenfone weighs 170gm and has 5.7 inch 2K Amoled screen. This is one of those rare phones which, for augmented reality , supports Google project tango. Its internal specifications consist of Snapdragon 821 processor, 6/8 GB RAM, 3,300mAh battery and 64/128/256GB storage.

With 4-axis optical image stabilization it features 23MP camera quality and 8 MP front camera with depth and motion of tracking sensor and phase detection autofocus. Also, it has dual sim slot, expandable storage, LTE, Wi-fi AC, GPS, USB Type-C and Finger Print sensor.

Moto E4/E4 Plus

Moto is one of those smartphone that introduces its series in various range of customer's budget. It has launched the budget phones namely Moto C and Moto C plus devices in India. Now for a mid range category Motorola has decided to move to E4 and E4 plus devices. Both of them support Mediatek MT6737 processor and have 16 GB internal storage capacity. It has 5MP front camera, finger print Scanner and LED flash and all of them work on the latest Android 7.1 OS.

While Moto E4 has 5-inch display, Moto E4 plus has 5.5-inch display. The former has 2 GB RAM, 8MP rear camera and 2,800 mAh battery while the latter has 3 GB RAM , 13 MP rear camera and a large 5,000 mAh battery. Rest of the features include dual sim slots, expandables storage and fast battery charging support are common.

Nokia 5

The announcement of launch of Nokia 3, 5 and 6 was simultaneously done by the company. As per the launch month of these handsets, Nokia 3 is already available in market for purchase and now is the turn of Nokia 5 to be launched in the month of July 2017. It will be available at the price of Rs.12,899 with 5.2 inch display 2 GB RAM 16 GB storage 3000 mAh battery in an aluminium 6000 series body. It runs on android 7.1 OS with Qualcomm snapdragon 430 processor.

With an aperture of 2.0f it has 13 MP rear and 8 MP front camera. Also it consists of phase detection autofocus and dual led flash. Other features include dual sim slots a finger print scanner wifi, bluetooth 4.1, NFC and expandable storage.

Gionee A1 Plus

Gionee A1 plus is expected to launch soon in India with 6 inch full HD IPS diaplay, 4GB RAM 64GB internal storage and 4,550 mAh battery. Other features of the phone are LTE, Wi-Fi, fingerprint sensor, USB Type-C port and fast battery charging support.

Its hardware also includes Helio P25 processor and the software works on the latest android 7.0. Also it's the company's first smartphone with dual camera setup that is 13 MP rear and 5 MP front camera but as a minor drawback it only records videos in 1080p resolution.

Nubia N2

Nubia is not such a popular smartphone company but its devices are undoubtedly impressive. From the end of the brand it is the second phone in its focused N range. It has Mediatek MT6750 processor, 4 GB RAM and 64 GB storage which is also expandable upto 128GB in a metal unibody design with 5,000 mAh battery.

With focal length of 2.2 f, the phone has 13MP rear camera and phase detection autofocus. It has 5.5-inch IPS display with a resolution of 1280 x 720 pixels Wi-fi AC, bluetooth 4.0, dual sim slots and Nubia UI 4.0 based on android 6.0.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Monday granted the Maharashtra government two weeks time to remove encroachments near the famous Haji Ali Dargah trust in south Mumbai.

Issuing a warning, the apex court asked the state government to be ready to face the consequences if the encroachments near the historic shrine are not removed within two weeks.

The direction from the apex court came after the Haji Ali Dargah trust, which had earlier volunteered to remove the encroachments, expressed its inability in completing the task.

The apex court also directed the Deputy Collector of Colaba zone of south Mumbai to ensure that its order is complied with.

The apex court had in April asked the Haji Ali Dargah Trust in Mumbai to demolish all encroachments in and around the Dargah, excluding the mosque standing on 171 sq metres area.

A bench of the apex court headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Jagdish Singh Khehar passed the interim order after hearing a plea filed by the petitioner, Haji Ali Dargah trust which told the court that the encroachment portion should be removed.

The apex court also made it clear that the Haji Ali Dargah trust will remove the alleged encroachments by May 8.

The apex court also in its order said that no court shall grant any injunction on the removal of the alleged encroachments, adding that if any party wanted some modification of the court order, it can certainly move to this court.

(With ANI inputs)
India Today spoke to Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dr Dinesh Sharma about the recently implement GST. He said that Uttar Pradesh is the state that would benefit the most from this initiative.

By Siraj Qureshi: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dr Dinesh Sharma has said that Goods and Services Tax (GST) will be beneficial for both the people and businessmen in the state.

He said that small and medium scale industries will get greater benefit of GST than large industries and Jan Suvidha Kendras are being opened in every district to facilitate the businesses.

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Talking to India Today in Agra, Sharma said that the government is open to suggestions on the issue of GST and if the businessmen and intellectuals of Agra have anything to say in this regard, they can send their suggestions to the district administration and these suggestions will be discussed in the next GST council meeting.

Sharma said that following GST, the GDP of UP is expected to grow by 2 percent in the coming two years as the state has the biggest number of consumers, and the business community is quite large too. This will increase the revenue of UP and the state will become one of the most prosperous states of India. GST will also prevent exploitation of businessmen and provide cheaper goods and services to the people. He assured the businessmen that this was a very simple tax and everything pertaining to this tax is available on the Internet.

Answering a question, Sharma said that this tax has not been imposed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in a day. The bank accounts opened under Jan Dhan scheme, linking of bank accounts with Adhaar, demonetisation etc. were all steps taken in the direction of implementing GST. He said that the comprehensive development of UP has started and this means that Agra will also develop.

Accepting the increased number of crimes in UP, Sharma said that in the previous government, crimes were not registered, hence the low number of crimes, however, under the Yogi government, all crimes are being registered and investigated, so the crime graph appears to have spiked suddenly. He said that the mining mafias are being strictly dealt with in the state and illegal abattoirs have been closed completely.

Sharma said that within one week, the government will launch a new industrial policy in UP in which the small scale industries will be given protection and facility to do business. Mid-scale businesses will also be facilitated. The small scale industries of Agra have been included in that policy. This entire exercise is to get more influx of investment in the state. For that purpose, the state will also form a land bank, opening new doors for development.

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However, Sharma declined to make any clear comments on the demand of international airport in Agra and merely said that a "good arrangement" will be made very soon.

Also Read

What is the GST bill? Here's all you need to know about India's biggest tax reform GST's red-carpet entry: Impact on consumers, traders, government

Goods and Services Tax: All you need to know about the 'revolutionary' bill

--- ENDS ---
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court on Monday asked the police not to file charge sheet against actor Shilpa Shetty and her businessman husband Raj Kundra in an alleged cheating case for two weeks till it hears the matter again.

A division bench of justices R V More and Sarang Kotwal gave the direction to the police while hearing a joint plea by Shetty and Kundra for quashing of a case of cheating and criminal breach of trust against the couple.

"Do not file a charge sheet in the case till we hear this petition," said the bench while also seeking the police's stand over the plea by the couple. It adjourned the matter for two weeks.

On April 27, the Bhiwandi police in neighbouring Thane district registered the case against Shilpa and Raj for allegedly duping a textile firm owner of Rs 24 lakh.

Shilpa and Raj were booked for allegedly committing the penal offences of criminal breach of trust and cheating, respectively under sections 406 and 420 of the Indian Penal Code.

The IPC section 406 entails a jail term up to three years while section 420 attracts a maximum punishment of seven years on conviction.

The duo had been granted anticipatory bail by a Thane sessions court in May this year. They had then approached the high court for having the case quashed.

Shetty and Kundra's lawyer Aniket Nikam said the complainant in the case and a company, Best Deal TV Pvt Ltd, of which the accused (Shilpa and Kundra) were directors, were in a business partnership for over a year.

"Best Deal had made a payment of over Rs one crore to the complainant in the past and hence it cannot be said that the accused persons had any intention to cheat the complainant," Nikam said.

He further argued that the case was civil in nature.

According to the complaint, Best Deal collected money from customers for sale of bedsheets on behalf of another company Malotia Textiles through TV ads, but allegedly did not pay the proceeds to the latter.
New Delhi: Realty firm Signature Global, which is into development of affordable homes, has roped in Bollywood actress Vidya Balan as brand ambassador.

Signature Global has launched 9 affordable housing projects, comprising about 9,300 units in a price range of Rs 15-25 lakh, in Gurgaon in the last three years of operations. All projects are under the Haryana Affordable Housing scheme.

In May, Signature Global received Rs 200 crore funding from private equity player KKR, while it raised Rs 150 crore from ICICI Prudential last year.

"We have signed Vidya Balan as group's brand ambassador for two years," company's Chairman and Co-Founder Pradeep Aggarwal told PTI.

In the advertisements Balan would spread awareness about buying affordable homes, he said.

"Her association with missions with mass awareness has been widely accepted. We consider development of affordable housing projects a major contributor to Prime Minister's vision towards Housing for All and which needs a mass awareness too. Hence Vidya Balan was our obvious choice," he added.

Vidya Balan has been associated with awareness programme related to sanitation and hygiene. She was brand ambassador for Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan under the rural development ministry.

Signature Global plans to expand business beyond Gurgaon and targets to launch 20,000 more affordable housing units by 2019.
New Delhi: A SpaceX Dragon cargo spacecraft has unberthed from the International Space Station (ISS) ahead of a Monday afternoon reentry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean for recovery.

As per NASA, the SpaceX Dragon CRS-11 Cargo Craft was released from the space station at 2:41 am EDT, after 30 days in space and 28 days berthed to the ISS.

Over the course of its month-long stay, Dragon delivered several thousand pounds of scientific experiments and equipment to the space station.

Originally scheduled to depart the ISS and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Baja California on Sunday, 2 July, Dragons homecoming was delayed one day due to unfavorable weather conditions in the Eastern Pacific.

The splashdown zone for Monday has an acceptable weather forecast and is closer to port in Long Beach, California. Splashdown is expected around 260 miles southwest of the California coast.

Recovery forces will retrieve the capsule and its more than 4,100 pounds of returning cargo, including science samples from human and animal research, biotechnology studies, physical science investigations and education activities.

Dragon, the only space station resupply spacecraft able to return to Earth intact, will be retrieved by a SpaceX team from the ocean and shipped it to port in southern California.
Lucknow: The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court will on Monday frame charges against former Uttar Pradesh Minister Gayatri Prajapati in connection with the alleged rape case filed against him.

On June 28, Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav met rape accused Prajapati at the Lucknow District Jail and asserted of a 'false campaign' being carried out against him.

"False campaign is being carried out against Gayatri Prajapati. He is being targeted as if he is a terrorist," Mulayam had said.

Mulayam further said he would meet the Director General of Police (DGP) and complain in this regard.

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister even questioned that about the possibility of a case of rape "when the woman did not even visit Prajapati's house."

Earlier in February, a police complaint was filed against the former minister and six others in the case following the apex court's order.

The Uttar Pradesh Police had also filed a non- bailable warrant against the former minister and six others for the same.

Giving no relief to co-accused in the Prajapati rape case, the Supreme Court earlier on May 4 asked Vikas Verma to surrender before the court within two days.

Prajapati and the two accused were granted bail by the trial court earlier.

However, the Allahabad High Court dismissed their bail order, which was then challenged by the accused in the apex court.

Prajapati was arrested on March 15 from the Aashiyana area in Lucknow by the Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force (STF).

On May 12, the Lucknow bench upheld its earlier decision to not grant bail to Prajapati, and arrest warrants were issued against Prajapati's aides Pintu Singh and Vikas Verma, in connection with the rape case.

The Samajwadi Party leader, who was also accused of allegedly raping the girl's mother, evaded his arrest for nearly a month before he was arrested.

On June 2, the Lucknow Police Special Investigation Team (SIT) filed a chargesheet in the court against former Prajapati in this matter.
Stammbach (Germany): Eighteen people were killed Monday in one of the deadliest road accidents in Germany's recent history when a tour bus carrying mostly pensioners smashed into a trailer truck and burst into flames.

Emergency workers have retrieved bodies of the victims who are aged 66 to 81, police said in a statement.

The driver of the bus was among those killed while the truck driver escaped unhurt.

The blaze was so powerful "that only steel parts are still recognisable on the bus, and from that you can understand what it means for the people on this bus," Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt said.

Thirty people were hospitalised, two of them with life-threatening injuries, the minister told reporters at the site of the accident.

The bus was carrying 46 passengers and two drivers -- mostly from the east German state of Saxony, when it rammed into the truck in a traffic jam on the A9 motorway, police said.

The group was heading for Nuremberg, when Bild newspaper said.

The accident happened near the small Bavarian town of Stammbach, in a region dotted with spas and castles that are popular with summer vacationers.

Television images showing only the charred skeleton of the vehicle remaining.

Chancellor Angela Merkel voiced "great dismay" over the crash.

"Our thoughts and condolences go to the victims and their family members, as well as to the injured," a spokesman said. "We hope that those who have been rescued will recover from their injuries."

Some 200 emergency workers were deployed to the site, including firefighters, rescue personnel and police, while south-bound traffic on the motorway remained blocked.

With the likely toll, the accident at the start of the summer holiday season is one of the worst to hit Germany in recent memory.

In June 2007, 13 people were killed when a tour bus plunged down a slope in eastern Germany`s Saxony-Anhalt state.

In September 1992, 21 people died when a bus swerved out of its lane and struck a truck before ramming into the road divider in the southwestern Black Forest, another big tourist destination.

Across Europe, the last fatal accident on a similar scale was on January 21 in Italy, when an accident involving a Hungarian bus carrying teenagers left 16 dead.

In France, a head-on crash in October 2015 between a truck and a bus carrying pensioners claimed 43 lives.
Jerusalem: India will be opening a cultural centre in Israel, the announcement regarding which is to be made during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, an Israeli official here said today.



The deputy director general of Israel's foreign ministry, Mark Sofer, during a press briefing here said that among many things identified to strengthen ties between the two countries, India would also be opening a cultural centre.



Such an announcement would "fulfill a long time dream of the Indian community here", Noah Massil, the founder President of Central Organisation of Indian Jews in Israel, told PTI.



"We have been trying hard to establish an Indian cultural centre in Israel like the one in Cairo (Egypt)," he said.



"We had even reached out the Mayor of Ramle, which has a significant Indian community with such a request but it has not moved much ahead. We have been also thinking of putting such a request with Prime Minister Modi," Massil said.



"There are about 47 synagogues of the Indian Jewish community and they all can also pitch in with financial support if such a proposal comes up and the government allocates land for an Indian cultural centre," he told PTI.



Some of the youngsters of Ramle township have even registered an organisation for the purpose of establishing an Indian cultural centre in Israel.
Jerusalem: Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Israel, which starts tomorrow, will visit the Haifa India Cemetery along with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to pay tributes to the Indian soldiers who fought in World War I.

"On Thursday (July 6) both Prime Ministers will pay wreath on the two grave areas - one is for the Hindu soldiers and one for Muslim soldiers- during their visit to Haifa cemetery," said Israeli Foreign Ministry's Deputy Director General in charge of the Asia and the Pacific Division Mark Sofer during a briefing.

A plaque to honour Major Dalpat Singh Shekhawat, who led the Jodhpur Lancers, will also be unveiled. Jodhpur Imperial Service Lancers, supported by Mysore and Hyderabad Lancers, as a part of the 15th Imperial Service Cavalry Brigade captured the town of Haifa in September 1918.

Prime Minister Modi, who will be visiting Israel from July 4-6, is the first Indian Prime Minister to visit the country.

In a special gesture, Prime Minister Modi will be received by Prime Minister Netanyahu on his arrival at the Ben Gurion Airport in Tel Aviv tomorrow evening.

Till now this gesture has only been accorded to U.S. presidents, including President Donald Trump recently and the Pope.

Prime Minister Netanyahu will also accompany his Indian counterpart to all events during his historic visit to the country.

Giving out details of the visit, Sofer said that the Indian government will open a cultural centre in Israel and a CEO forum of top echelons of the business communities of both sides would also be formed that would be meeting prior and during the visit and with the Prime Ministers.

He added that, Prime Minister Modi will visit a technological centre between airport and Jerusalem and then head to Yad Vashem, the national Holocaust memorial in Jerusalem.

On Wednesday, the Indian leader will meet with Israeli President Reuven Rivlin, hold talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu and then attend an event organised by the Indian community in Israel in Tel Aviv.
Railway traffic was hit with as many as five trains being cancelled and 13 getting diverted.

By India Today Web Desk: Incessant rains continued to lash several parts of Gujarat for the third consecutive day throwing normal life out of gear. The state has registered 37.67 mm rains in the last 24 hours.

Railway traffic was hit with as many as five trains being cancelled and 13 getting diverted. The regional MeT centre said some places in the state received heavy to very heavy rains due to an upper air cyclonic circulation.

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MeT has also predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall across the state in the next three days. Following the flood-like situation nearly 638 people were evacuated from the low lying areas of Patan district. Kodinar taluka of Gir Somnath district recorded the maximum rainfall with 350 mm.

Taking cognisance of the situation, Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani said all district collectors have been asked to tackle the flood-like situation.

"We have alerted all the district collectors and officials of the state disaster management to help people. Despite flood-like situation due to heavy rains during last two days, no life has been lost. We will think about compensating the affected persons after conducting a survey," Rupani told reporters in Surat.

As per the figures released by the state emergency control room, Vaghai town of Dang district on Sunday received highest rainfall of 122 mm during the day (8 am to 4 pm).

Vaghai was followed by Ahwa (63 mm), Vansada of Navsari district (60 mm), Dhansura of Arvalli (46 mm) Dharmapur of Valsad (43 mm) and Dantiwada of Banaskantha(38 mm), Gandhinagar (34 mm), Vijaynagar of Sabarkantha (33 mm) and Vadgam of Banaskantha (29 mm).

CYCLONIC CIRCULATION

As per the MeT, heavy to very heavy rains occurred at some places in Gujarat due to upper air cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan.

On Sunday, flood waters entered several societies as well as APMC market in Siddhpur town of Patan district. Flood waters also washed away roads in differed parts of state, said the emergency control room.

Gujarat Transport Minister Vallabh Kakadia said operations at several bus stations have been suspended due to water logging.

Railway traffic was also affected due to heavy rainfall in north Gujarat.

As per a Western Railways release, breaches caused on four locations between Mehsana - Palanpur section.

As many as 15 trains were stopped and detained till the restoration work completed this morning, said the release.

Yesterday, torrential rains pounded parts of Gujarat leading to a deluge-like situation at several places.

WITH INPUTS FROM PTI

Also Read:

Meira Kumar kicks off presidential campaign in Gujarat, spins charkha at Sabarmati Ashram

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Grappling with governance in Delhi, AAP shelves plans to contest Gujarat Assembly polls

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YEREVAN, JULY 1, ARMENPRESS. Former Ombudsperson, Executive Director of the Against Legal Arbitrariness NGO Larisa Alaverdyan and Chair of the Department of World Politics and International Relations of the Russian-Armenian (Slavonic) University, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Arman Navasardyan suggest introducing a new mechanism for establishing peace in the Artsakh-Azerbaijan Line of Contact  to use the data obtained from the outer space  and to prevent possible violations.

As Larisa Alaverdyan noted, while the introduction of investigative mechanisms in the Line of Contact would simply fix the attacking side after the violation, the method of outer space sensing will help to prevent such attempts.

Today is the 1st of July, but we all live in the anxiety created after the April 2 of the last year, as everyone says that during this period the situation, which is called security of peoples and territories, has not changed. We understand that, despite numerous meetings, there is no agreement on the part of Azerbaijan to implement the proposed mechanisms in the Line of Contact, and in this sense we are at an impasse. Lieutenant-General Hayk Kotanjian made a clearly formulated recommendation, which is a new technology not only in military, but also in political-diplomatic terms, Larisa Alaverdyan told a press conference in Armenpress.

She noted that this recommendation was put forward two months ago from high platforms, but the expert community did not devote necessary attention to it, that is why there was a need to bring it back.

The reason why Azerbaijan reserves the right to reject any attempts to record violations of the ceasefire is because this decision can be made solely within its national legislation, and it [Azerbaijan] decides whether or not to allow the introduction of any equipment, whereas the given proposal is entirely permissible according to the international law, and cannot be banned either by Azerbaijan or Armenia, she said.

Larisa Alaverdyan stressed that the recommendation is addressed to the Armenian authorities, as well as to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairing states, to whom they suggest to transmit data from the outer space.

Arman Navasardyan is of the same opinion that this new mechanism can have an impact on regional dynamics.

This measure does not require any expenses, and the main purpose of it is to transfer what occurs to those countries that are actors and ultimately decide the matters. This is mainly directed to the Co-Chairs, and if it has some impact and works, then greater players will be interested: of course, both of them are already the members of the OSCE Minsk Group. I think that the most difficult part of this is to bring this matter up to international law and institutional diplomatic level, bacause if the opponents are not able to find a common language on the ground, the question arises, will they accept what comes from the outer space?, Arman Navasardyan stressed.

Arman Navasardyan believes that for a party, which is interested in establishing peace, it is difficult to find a more effective invention than this.

We must work hard in this direction, but it should not be limited to official diplomacy and norms of international law: such forces must be involved that can really become an incentive for the implementation of this measure, Arman Navasardyan concluded, adding that it is nonetheless difficult to solve problems by civilized methods with a country like Azerbaijan.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The city council of Frances Alfortville on June 30 made a decision to sign a Declaration of Friendship with Berdzor town of the Artsakh Republic, reports Armenpress.

The Declaration is 9th in the list of cooperation agreements signed between the Artsakh and French communities.

Rene Rouquet, Vice-Chair of France-Artsakh friendship group, former Mayor of Alfortville, addressed his congratulatory message to current Mayor of Alfortville Luc Carvounas and the Mayor of Berdzor.

I am really happy to hear the news about the decision to sign the Declaration which symbolizes more than 2-year-old our relations based on respect and friendship, Rene Rouquet said.

Mayor of Alfortville Luc Carvounas said the document will allow to jointly develop the regions of Artsakh by enabling the local people to build their own future in their land. He said the Declaration will also enable to bring the already existing joint programs to larger scale, adding that the economic development and creation of jobs are the best guarantees against war and movements of people, and the European Union, which currently faces migration issues, must provide assistance for implementation of such development programs in Artsakh.

The France-Artsakh friendship group reminds that through the signing of Declarations its activity aims at reestablishing peace and ensuring prosperity in South Caucasus.






YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The trial over Agos editor-in-chief Hrant Dinks murder is resuming on July 3, Agos reports.

Prior to the court hearings, Dinks friends again gathered outside the court to reaffirm their demand for justice.

Bulent Aydin made a statement on behalf of the gathered stating: This trial launched on July 2, 2007, 10 years before. However, till now the real perpetrators of this crime have not been convicted. The trial starts again. The demand for justice continues. We live in an era when the justice demand is increasing throughout Turkey.

Aydin said they will continue following the process of trial.

They were holding For Hrant, for justice posters.

Ethnic Armenian lawmaker of Turkeys parliament Garo Paylan was also among Dinks friends.

Hrant Dink was murdered on January 19, 2007 outside the Agos office in Istanbul, Turkey.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The Ministry of Emergency Situations warns on July 4 and 5 high temperature is expected in Armenia.

In the daytime up to 40 degrees above zero and a high risk of fire are expected in the valleys. Air temperature will be 5-6 degrees higher than normal, the Ministry told Armenpress.

On July 4 the index of ultraviolet rays is predicted to reach 7, so its recommended to avoid direct sunrays from 11:00 to 15:00.

On July 4-5 no precipitation is expected in Armenia. In the evening of July 6-8 in northern regions short rain with thunderstorm is expected, in separate places hail is possible, the wind speed may exceed up to 18-23 m/s.

Southwest wind speed is 3-8 m/s.

On July 4-5 the air temperature will increase by 2-3 degrees and then will decrease by 4-6 degrees on July 6-8.

In Yerevan no precipitation is expected on July 4-5. In the evening of July 7-8 in some places short rain with thunderstorm is predicted. During thunderstorm the wind speed may exceed up to 17-20 m/s.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Speaker of the Parliament of Armenia Ara Babloyan on July 3 hosted Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Russia to Armenia Ivan Volynkin, press service of the Parliament told Armenpress.

Speaker Babloyan highlighted the importance of Armenian-Russian allied relations, as well as touched upon numerous fields of inter-state mutual partnership of the two countries. He attached importance to the Armenian-Russian parliamentary cooperation, stating that the inter-parliamentary commission on cooperation between the Armenian parliament and the Russian Federal Assembly will continue its productive work.

Ara Babloyan said the Russian Embassy has a great role in intensifying the Armenian-Russian relations. On behalf of the newly-elected Parliament he expressed readiness to cooperate with the Embassy by contributing to further deepening the relations of the two friendly peoples.

In his turn the Russian Ambassador congratulated Ara Babloyan on his election as Speaker of the Parliament and wished him productive work.

The Ambassador highlighted the importance of existing level of inter-parliamentary ties in the Russian-Armenian political agenda. According to him, both countries must develop ties at all spheres and continue the cooperation also in international structures.

Ivan Volynkin talked about the necessity to boost the cooperation within the EAEU.

At the end of the meeting the sides also discussed the details of Speaker Babloyans upcoming official visit to Moscow.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The session of Board of Trustees of the Servicemen Insurance Fund was held led by Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, reports Armenpress.

At the beginning of the session, the Defense Minister congratulated new member of the Board of Trustees, Tsarukyan faction MP Tigran Urikhanyan on his participation in the Funds works.

I attach great importance to our work both in terms of involving additional resources and forming public trust towards our Fund, Vigen Sargsyan said.

The session agenda was unanimously approved. Thereafter, the session participants discussed the appointment of Funds internal audit body. For that purpose, the candidacy of Artak Baghdasaryan, auditor at the internal audit department of the Central Bank, has been nominated.

The Board of Trustees approved Baghdasaryans work in the Fund, which was followed by approval of the Funds internal audit charter.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. German Chancellor Angela Merkel and US President Donald Trump plan to hold talks on July 6 in Hamburg ahead of the G20 summit, Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland editorial unit said citing governmental sources, TASS reported.

According to media reports, Merkel and Trump will discuss the joint initiative to fight against terror threat, as well as the financing approaches to UN peacekeeping missions and the measures to reduce migration flows.

The G20 summit will be held on July 7-8 in Hamburg.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. As of June 30, 8 million 844 thousand AMD has been collected through the website of the Servicemen Insurance Fund, 36 million 189 thousand AMD has been collected through bank transfers, and 252 thousand AMD via sms, Head of Legal Department at the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), Director of the Fund Varujhan Avetiqyan said during the session of the Funds Board of Trustees on July 3, reports Armenpress.

Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan, President of the Board of the Fund, said the number of donations via sms is very low. According to him, it is a result of lack of ongoing works.

I think we need to increase the spread of this type of donations through various measures. When making a toast for the army its necessary to mention that it is possible to send a message and make a donation to fallen or wounded soldiers and their families. At the same time, finding information about the person who made donations via sms in our website is a long process. Its necessary to put it in a more visible place in the website, the Defense Minister said.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan participated in the solemn event dedicated to the Prosecutors Day on July 3, press service of the Presidents Office told Armenpress.

President Sargsyan congratulated the prosecutors and all workers of the Prosecutors Office on the occasion of their professional holiday, as well as awarded a group of people with high state awards and conferred upon them highest service ranks.

In his speech the President touched upon the role of Prosecutors Office as one of the pillars of the Republics law enforcement system in the circumstances of new collaboration of new governance system and state authorities, its achievements, upcoming plans, as well as drew the attention of participants on separate problematic issues directly linked with the activities of the Prosecutors Office.

The President delivered speech at the event.

Dear Prosecutors,

I am congratulating you all on your professional holiday. I want you to be successful and highly appreciated in your work. Please be sure to loyally serve your responsible mission. Your activity is extremely important to our State and society. It is equally responsible, since your decisions can change the fate of a person in the most direct sense of the word.

I also wish to congratulate your families. Without the daily support of your family members you would not have been as much successful in the exercise of your functions.



In a message addressed to the National Assembly of sixth convocation, I proposed a resolution that should serve as a guideline for all conscientious public officers, especially those representing the law enforcement system. I also suggested a new understanding of the law enforcement system.

For me, law enforcement has a bias on human rights. In terms of content, I consider them to be synonymous. If we want to ease the task of the human rights defender in Armenia in the near future, our efforts should be directed to a single goal, namely to achieving a qualitatively new standard in the protection of the rights of each individual, society and the State, as a whole. The pledge is the availability of a solid, powerful and collaborative law enforcement system based on the principle of the rule of law.

One of the pillars of such a system is of course the Prosecutors Office by virtue of its historically unique status, which is clearly articulated in the new Constitution of the Republic of Armenia. The OPG is supposed to be outside the three-dimensional power system, but at the same time, it should act as a unified single structure dealing with all branches of power through its own special powers and spheres of influence.

Dear Colleagues,

The Constitution has entrusted you with the task of being directly involved in the administration of justice, oversee the activities of different bodies, as well as to be serve as a check and a counterbalance with regard to specific State structures. You have especially to play a key role in the field of criminal justice. The legality of the pre-trial proceedings, the justification of the charge filed in the court, and sometimes the publics perception of the fairness of judgments are also conditioned by your actions. And it is quite logical since the greater is the level of responsibility, the wider is the scope of possibilities; and, the greater is the latter, the stricter are the requirements set before the beneficiaries.

In this regard, I would like to pay special attention to some of the issues that are directly related to your functions, some of which are even subject to consideration within the legal process in international judicial instances. I am sure you understand what I mean: the European Court of Human Rights and, first of all, the validity of holding a person in police custody.

Undoubtedly, the court decision on choosing detention as a precautionary measure should be well-grounded. However, an important prerequisite is the availability of a qualified solicitation. It is here that the Prosecutors Office is a unique intermediate link between the preliminary investigation authority and the court un terms of solving two main problems: ruling out the submission to the court of obviously groundless solicitations, which sometimes merely file motions containing simple reproductions of the law and, at the same time, raising the quality of solicitations for which there is an objective necessity and sufficient grounds.

It is clear that I do not mean the amount of favorable considerations given to solicitations and the fact that judges are talking about the courts granting of over 90% of solicitations, which is too much by the way. There may be 100% court compliance with no justification, and there can also be 100% compliance with due substantiation, which I think would be the ideal scenario.

From the perspective of the respect of our international commitments, we are concerned about the failure to observe all the components of the fair trial. Particularly, I mean the need for the provision of counter-evidence by the key parties to the prosecution.

I think the prosecutors have much to do here. Responsible and honest service on this front may not only guarantee the realization of the fundamental rights of a person, but also ensure the fairness of investigation and rulings issued on each criminal case. From the point of view of the duration or delays in the investigation of criminal cases, the challenge of tracing the wanted persons remains relevant. I am convinced that in the frame of its constitutional powers, the OPG should pay ever more attention to such cases. In a bid to detect the suspects gone into hiding, you should collaborate closely and effectively with the investigative authorities and especially the police.

Dear Colleagues,

With all this, we can state that there is considerable progress in the activities of the Prosecutors Office. Prosecutors are becoming more prepared and more responsible. The prosecutors honest work gives a positive result. I am convinced that this is noticeable by both the officials who work with you and our society. It is can also be noticed in the annual programs of the Prosecutors Office. At the same time, I see some concerns about the annual reports of the Prosecutors Office. It is natural that the work of other State bodies may have a positive or negative impact on your activities. However, you should not assume the role of passive observers and limit yourselves to the problems identified in a specific area.

Talking about issues is not enough. That is not a solution to the problem. Any challenge should always lead to actions aimed at addressing it. This simple rule should always be applied in your daily work. When an official reports a problem to the supervisor and fails to suggest a solution or - what is better - solution options, leaving it to the supervisor, this means that both of them do not use their time and resources effectively. This is an unacceptable working style. We have no time to waste on this kind of practice. I think you have enough tools as part of your legislative powers to resolve issues or make suggestions for their resolution.

The opposite practice leads to indifference, which provides a fertile ground for abuses, corruption and eventually injustice. I have already had the opportunity to say that injustice is our number one enemy and we have declared war on injustice. In that war, we must defeat, neutralize any manifestation of indifference and eliminate any phenomenon of corruption.

You are the ones to assume key responsibility on the way to having a perceived, trustworthy and reliable law enforcement system. Your professional skills and the system of values are capable of guaranteeing that. If there are such individuals among you whose qualities and values are different, they either have to leave, or you need to disassociate from them. There is a third option, but it is rather a painful one not just so much for individuals as for the system.

An unfair and biased prosecutor is harmful both to the Prosecutors Office and the structure that remains within the range of influence due to the powers vested in the Prosecutors Office. In this sense, the struggle against injustice is a double-edged sword in the hands of the Prosecutors Office. It is difficult to say which side would suffer most from a prosecutors failure. Therefore, you should always be on alert. The weakening of your vigilance will weaken the whole system of human rights.

Dear Colleagues,

Our country has entered a crucial new era. Together we will build a new order of public administration. Before the April elections, we had set a task to show ourselves, and why not, to international community that we were firmly determined to organize elections that might comply with the best standards. It can already be stated that we succeeded. Indeed, there will be people with different opinions, but no one can deny that the elections attested at least progress in democracy and state-building efforts in Armenia. They also showed that our State is capable of responding to any such offenses as may accompany such processes.

Here, I have to underscore the important role to be played by the Prosecutors Office. With your active involvement of the Prosecutors Office, the law enforcement system demonstrated that it is capable of discussing any allegation of electoral violations by properly using the available resources. You managed to coordinate the process of solving the problems facing the law enforcement agencies, properly analyze the information at hand and promptly respond to any alert, even if it did not contain any serious offenses. Undoubtedly, this is an achievement, yet the Prosecutors Office has much to do.

Some may think that the role of the Prosecutors Office has not changed in the amended Constitution, but I think otherwise. I am convinced that the role of the Prosecutors Office is changing amid the revised relationship between the new governance system and public agencies. It is not bigger or smaller, stronger or weaker, it is simply unique. By keeping that peculiarity, you will have to instill confidence in others.

The Constitution has provided you with all the necessary and sufficient tools to increase public confidence in the Prosecutors Office and prosecutors. I do believe that the new law on the Prosecutors Office as drafted according to the constitutional amendments will provide additional safeguards to make your mission more effective. Also, I think that your future achievements and failures will be largely dependant not on the legal provisions, but on your attitude towards your mission and the quality of your work.

I know that you are facing many problems. At the same time, I want you to know that the State will back you in solving the problems and will try to make the prosecutors social role perceptible and visible. In order to achieve that goal, we must be sure that conscientiousness, honesty and professionalism dominate in the proceedings of the Prosecutors Office.

Naturally, social guarantees need to be provided to prosecutors in order to anticipate these key qualities. I feel that we have managed to solve the issue of pensions worrying many prosecutors, which has somewhat eased the systems welfare-related bottlenecks. It partially solves the problem of human resources. We very much appreciate our experienced and unbiased officers. Certainly, we will not be satisfied with the current achievements and will try to tackle other issues that are necessary for the stability and security of the country. I am confident that after the adoption of the 2018 State budget law, you will see some change for the better in this respect.

Dear Colleagues,

I once again congratulate all of you on the Prosecutors Day. I also congratulate your colleagues who have been awarded high State awards and highest service degrees. I am confident that worthy people will always be appreciated in our State. I wish you good health and every success.

Thank you for your work, thank you for the work you are going to do in the future. I am just asking you to support the Government of the Republic of Armenia, support me on our way to eradicating any such adverse phenomena as are punishable by legislation.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. A local man of Araksavan, a settlement near the Armenia-Turkey border, had noticed an unknown individual who was asking questions to other locals in English.

The man became concerned and notified the border guards of the Russian security forces in Armenia.

Upon checking the mans identity, the border guards revealed that he is a citizen of Angola by the name of Dongala Bob Joan, aged 35, the Russian Border Guard service told ARMENPRESS.

Apart from a passport, the man carried other documents stating his status as a refugee in France, and also a notification on release from a detention facility in Armenia.

The man was questioned by the border guards, and it was revealed that he has served a prison term in 2016 for illegally crossing the Turkish-Armenian border.

Upon being released, he had bought a ticket for the Yerevan-Paris flight, however failed to cross the border because he lacked necessary documents. After this, he attempted to find other ways of reaching France. According to him, he didnt intend to illegally cross the Armenian border again.

Armenian law enforcement agencies handed the an over to the French embassy.

The border guards thanked the locals of the settlement for their vigilance.
For a country that gave the English dictionary words such as chintz, calico, gingham and dungaree, and whose textiles were the stuff of ancient trade, the practitioners of its craft, some 45 million of them, have had nothing but misery and debt woven into the warp of their existence. Zia-ur Rahman, 27, from Lohta in Varanasi, made a tragic statement on the plight of the weavers when he hanged himself from his loom in August 2016.

"We are a poor country. We could not maintain handloom. So we became a polyester republic. Somewhere, I feel, we lost control," says Rohit Bal, who has been at the vanguard of the Indian fashion movement since the '90s. Union minister for textiles, Smriti Irani, has been trying to regain some of that control ever since she took charge of the ministry in July 2016. Shortly after taking over, she had in an interview said, "We need to find ways to bring in engineers to repair the broken looms of weavers." Those engineers, it seems, have stepped forward. Thirty of the country's top designers will be presenting their collections at Textiles India, a mega event at the Mahatma Mandir in Ahmedabad, on June 30. With more than a thousand stalls, the event is expected to attract over 2,500 international buyers, agents, designers, retail chains and 15,000 domestic buyers. The ministry is making an ambitious bid to pitch India as a global sourcing centre for all fabric, making handloom India's niche contribution to the international fashion industry. Though handloom is a mere 10 per cent of the cloth produced in India, it comprises 95 per cent of the world's handwoven textiles, according to the 2016-17 annual report of the ministry.

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Irani had set the ball rolling last August with her #iwearhandloom campaign on social media. Soon afterward, Prime Minister Narendra Modi dedicated August 7, National Handloom Day, to the weavers of the country, making good on his poll promise of the 5Fs: farm to fibre, fibre to fabric, fabric to fashion and fashion to foreign. A special package of Rs 6,006 crore was announced for the sector last year, along with 100 per cent FDI in the Indian textiles sector under the automatic route. The much-awaited National Textile Policy, however, is yet to materialise.

A Cluster of Initiatives

Irani's greatest achievement, however, has been to rope in India's top-notch designers in an extraordinary public-private partnership for the revival of handloom. Thirteen designers, among them Rajesh Pratap Singh, Abraham & Thakore, Rahul Mishra and Samant Chauhan, have been assigned handloom clusters for 'product development' and training weavers to upgrade their skills for the 21st century buyer. The Comprehensive Handloom Cluster Development Scheme was introduced in 2008-09 to develop mega handloom clusters. There are 600 handloom clusters today, with 28 weavers service centres (WSCs) across the country to provide handloom weavers technical assistance to improve their skills.

Model Bishakha Thapa in an Anavila linen sari. Photo: M Zhazo

Designers themselves had been working with clusters in their individual capacities. The grande dame of Indian fashion, designer and textile revivalist Ritu Kumar, for instance, has been promoting the Banarasi weave for long. In this fast-paced world, she says, where trends die by the moment, it is difficult for traditional craftsmen to sustain a livelihood. "People are opting for lighter, western clothing," she says, "wearing traditional clothing only on festivals or special occasions. With revival projects for craftsmen in Banaras, Kolkata, Odisha and Gujarat, we can restore the legacy of Indian motifs and weaves."

Varanasi is where Rajesh Pratap Singh has long been chasing the perfect muslin and where he'll be handling one of the nine clusters. David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, who have been working with Ikat, Mangalgiri cotton and silk for 20-odd years, have been assigned the Andhra Pradesh cluster. "We are also looking at Assam," says Abraham. The duo has been reinventing yarn, trying to change patterns and weaves for new markets.

Anavila Mishra, whose work with West Bengal weavers established her as one of the torchbearers of handwoven textiles, has been allocated a cluster in Gadwal, near Hyderabad. Rahul Mishra, winner of the International Woolmark Prize in 2014, is in charge of the Assam cluster. At his workshop in Noida, he is trying to turn a red-and-white Mekhla sari into a trench coat with gathers.

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In Bihar's Bhagalpur cluster, Delhi-based designer Samant Chauhan, who has always worked with handwoven textiles from his native state, is trying to figure out the way ahead, setting up tailoring units and training centres for a ready-to-wear line. "I want to make yarn, fabric, clothing, even package and ship from under one roof in Bhagalpur and sell it as 'Made in Bhagalpur'," he says. He has even put a jacquard machine in the 'silk city' and got master craftsmen from Varanasi to train local weavers.

Weavers' Woes

In Bajardiha, a small village outside Varanasi, more than a dozen weavers are working in pit looms in a dingy room. Imtiaz, 35, says their condition has improved but they need more work. "Sometimes, it takes us a day to weave just two inches. Handloom's labour intensive," he says.

The designer with model Sravanthi Mamillapalli. Photo: M Zhazo

He recalls exactly when things hit rock bottom, in 1995, with the advent of the power loom and synthetic yarn from China. "In 1995, Banaras started getting power looms. Weavers became labourers," says Imtiaz. With power looms replicating traditional designs and motifs, and 10 times faster than handloom, people thought they were getting the same thing at a much lower price, he adds.

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Add to this, the shortage of silk yarn. Silk is a major fibre used in almost all handloom clusters. India is the largest consumer of silk as well as its second largest producer globally. However, bivoltine silk production (silkworms that produce two broods a season, highly popular in China) is very low in India, leading to imports from China.

Back in 1983, the government had set up the National Handloom Development Corporation (NHDC) to make yarn available to weavers through a well-ordered system. But lax implementation and bureaucratic delays ensured its initiatives fell through.

In 1999-2000, the government allowed duty-free imports of plain Chinese crepe yarn. In a report titled 'Suicide and Malnutrition among Weavers in Varanasi', city-based NGO Peoples' Vigilance Committee on Human Rights attributed their plight to the government undoing the ban on weaving with Chinese silk yarn and abolishing quantitative restrictions on silk imports in 2001. With Chinese yarn working better on power loom, it paved the way for the powerloom industry to thrive in the city.

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The shoddy implementation of the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act, 1985, has been another nail in the handloom coffin. The legislation, aimed at "protecting the livelihoods of handloom weavers and protecting the cultural heritage of the handloom industry from encroachment by the powerloom and mill sectors", set aside 22 traditional cloth items such as saris with borders, dhotis, lungis for exclusive handloom production. In 1993, when the act finally came into being after fighting litigation by the powerloom sector, it had only 11 items.

Weavers are also supposed to get the same wages as skilled and semi-skilled labour. However, non-compliance with minimum wages has hit weavers in most states. Being a decentralised sector, there is no system in place. Ramesh Menon, a fashion consultant, says the weavers barely earn about Rs 5,000 per month. "That's not making it attractive for them," he says. Now, the government is trying to digitise the process of payment to weavers. Irani also launched a 'Pehchan' ID card for handloom artisans last year. Linked to their Aadhaar cards and bank accounts, it can help them avail direct cash benefit transfers.

Design, Not Death

"They call it abstract, but it sells," says master weaver Haji Sharfuddin. On a bright fuschia silk sari, bulbs are being woven in zari. It has taken them 25 days to weave the sari. Other saris have electric circuits and switchboards. It is part of 'Unbanaras', a project aimed at freeing Varanasi of paisleys and Mughal motifs. The effort is being helmed by the city-based designer Hemang Agrawal, a NIFT alumnus.

"Weavers need to adapt, evolve and change," says designer Gaurang Shah. Reinterpreting the traditional for the modern is what he too advocates. A Kanjivaram sari can be fashioned into a gown and we can weave for international designers, he says.

Innovation, says Anavila Mishra, is the only way out of a certain death for handloom. Gadwal weavers, she says, had stopped weaving traditional cotton saris and switched to silk because weaving cotton was not cost-effective. Trying to reverse the trend, she says, "I am blending linen. I am also utilising Pochampally, a neighbouring cluster, to create textile of interest. The challenge is to find a balance between showcasing the craft as a key element and presenting a successful, commercially viable, urban collection."

Rahul Mishra couldn't agree more. "Why can't we make fashionable garments from handloom? Craft should stay in a museum if it can't help people achieve an empowering income," he says. "Mass production in handloom can be done. It's simple. You bring in mechanised tailoring at the second stage." He is entering into a unique partnership with Reliance where he will design for Project Eve, a line of clothing ranging from Rs 3,000 to Rs 10,000. His inspiration is the hugely successful model of the Spanish clothing company, Zara, which came to India in 2010. The young in India, says Mishra, want to wear 'cool' stuff and it is up to the designers and the industry to cater to them, he says.

Anita Dongre has already shown how handloom can go pret. Grassroot, the luxury ready-to-wear brand she set up in 1995, is hailed as a game-changer. Navigating the space between tradition and modernity, Grassroot works with a number of NGOs, such as the Sewa Trade Facilitation Centre of Gujarat, the Umeed Foundation in Punjab, the weavers' cooperatives in Andhra Pradesh and Kashmir Box. Her aim, she says, is to empower artisans with fair wages and pride, helping create better livelihoods.

Senior designers Abraham & Thakore too think design intervention is very important. "A bunch of designers cannot save the weavers but they can raise some awareness," says Abraham. Rohit Bal agrees, but only partially. A bunch of designers can't save thousands of weavers or revive all the craft, he says. "The machine-made virus is there," he adds. "Therefore, handloom should be treated as art." It's the only way to ensure weaving is sustainable in India, where weavers weave with their soul.

Fruit of the Loom

The government now offers 90 per cent of the price of a new loom to weavers who have adapted their skill set to incorporate new designs and marketing techniques, says Irani. S.K. Gupta, who heads the WSC at Varanasi, says wages have gone up from Rs 200 to about Rs 300 per day. "We are working on the India Handloom Brand (that was founded in 2013) and so far, 48 weavers have been granted the IHB logo," he says. Under the partnership, a designer is asked to visit a cluster and train weavers. Young designers from NIFT are paid Rs 25,000 to help weavers contemporise their craft and do product development. In addition, a team of master weavers help in skill upgradation.

On the ghats of Banaras with master weaver Haji Sharfuddin. Photo: M Zhazo

It's not easy, though. So far, three designers from NIFT have quit because of the tough working conditions, says Amaresh Kushwaha of Angika, a handloom cooperative where designers such as Sanjay Garg and Dongre get their weaves done. "Designing on the loom is different from designing on paper," he says.

At Chanderiyaan, a project run by the NGO Digital Empowerment Formation (DEF) with support from the government in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, the ministry is aiming to link weavers to e-commerce. The Chanderi sari has also got the Geographical Indication tag, like its Banarasi counterpart. Chanderiyaan seeks to preserve the craft, educate the weavers and their children to enter the marketplace by making them understand tailoring, use of computers in design and digitisation of the archives of the traditional designs. A handloom park that will house about 240 weavers from the area from different clusters will be functional in a couple of months. This was the initiative of Jyotiraditya Scindia who saw looms taking up a whole room in the small tenements the weavers lived in. As part of the project, weavers have to put in about Rs 50,000 each and get a 30-year lease. It helps them earn better wages: Rs 300-500 per day instead of the Rs 80 they were earning till 2009. Their condition was terrible, says Muzaffar Ansari, who comes from a weaver family, used to weave as part of the family vocation but now works as a guide. "Now, we are able to access the outside world. Wi-Fi was introduced in the city in 2010. Websites were created for e-commerce. We can see designs and see what sells. We have sent our saris and other products to Canada, France, Italy and Germany," he says. About 2,000 girls were given tailoring lessons. Computer training was given along with other initiatives to enable the weavers to set up their own business.

Entrepreneurship, maintains Rahul Mishra, is the way forward. Jaya Jaitley of the Dastkar Samiti says weavers have to gain access to markets, for which more awareness has to be created. Skills like entrepreneurship, merchandising, finance, IT know, how and contemporary design interventions, she thinks, are the need of the hour.

Entrepreneurship will drive the economic revolution, says Irani. The organised apparel segment is expected to grow at a CAGR of more than 13 per cent over 10 years. The ministry, which has set a target of doubling textile exports in 10 years, plans to enter into bilateral agreements with Africa and Australia.

"The government," says Rajesh Pratap Singh, "is raising awareness. The rest is all individual effort. And I am willing to make it." All the better for handloom.

The Powerloom Gloom

Power loom has long been the villain in the handloom story. Since it is mechanised, power loom is 10 times faster than handloom and accounts for 60 per cent of the fabric produced in the country. Yet, the powerloom lobby has been strongly opposed to protection for handloom, beginning with the Handlooms (Reservation of Articles for Production) Act. Now, power loom itself is under threat from cheap imports from China and Bangladesh and lack of infrastructure. So even as the handloom sector sees a revival, the textiles ministry is trying to fix loopholes in the powerloom sector. In August last year, powerloom sector representatives met textiles minister Smriti Irani. For power looms to operate optimally, the government has proposed two schemes, the New Powerloom Credit Yojana and Solar Energy Scheme. Schemes for power looms in Gujarat and Maharashtra include an In-situ Upgradation Scheme for plain power looms, a group insurance scheme for social security and the Integrated Skill Development Scheme.

Thakore with models Himanshu Shailey and Priya Jain. Photo: M Zhazo

The Indian powerloom industry has 2.43 million registered looms, producing 54,000 sq m of fabric. It's concentrated in clusters across Erode, Salem and Madurai in Tamil Nadu, Ichalkarnaji, Solapur, Bhiwandi and Malegaon in Maharashtra and Bhilwara in Rajasthan, among others. The fabric ranges from grey, printed, dyed, cotton, various mixes of cotton, synthetic and other fibre. Major exports are to the United States, EU, China, UAE, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Bangladesh, Turkey, Pakistan and Brazil.

Poor roads, problem of effluents, frequent power cuts, scarcity of water and shortage of warehouses are some of the infrastructure issues plaguing the sector, besides obsolete technology that causes the looms to run at very low speeds. Unskilled labour is another handicap and, like in the handloom sector, there is lack of marketing support and dependence on middlemen. Getting finance, too, is a hindrance.

In 2008-09, as part of the Comprehensive Powerloom Cluster Development Scheme, the government set up mega powerloom clusters in Bhiwandi and Erode. A year later, it announced the development of another cluster while a third was announced at Ichalkarnaji in 2012-13.

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. On July 1 the illicit enrichment article of the Criminal Code of Armenia came into effect, which will enable law enforcement agencies to use this article while launching proceedings on corruption-related charges.

ARMENPRESS talked with deputy minister of justice Suren Krmoyan on the matter.

Mr. Krmoyan, in which case will an official be considered as illicitly enriched?

The increase of property or (and) decrease of duties of an official, which significantly surpass his legal incomes and arent reasonably substantiated will be considered illicit enrichment,

Naturally, a question will arise as to in which case will the increase of property and decrease of duties be considered to have significantly surpassed the legal incomes. Let me mention that significant will be considered 5 million drams, i.e. five thousand X minimum wage at the time of the crime.

To which officials specifically does this regulation relate to?

This related to the officials who are subject to presenting a declaration on their property under the public service law. By the way, let me say that on July 1 another very important legislative initiative came into effect on amending the public services law, under which the circle of officials subject to presenting a declaration is significantly being expanded.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. Armen Ashotyan, chairman of the foreign relations committee of Armenias Parliament held a meeting on July 3 with Thomas Shrapel  director of the South Caucasus regional project of Konrad Adenauer, and Dagmar Shipanski, member of the executive body of Germanys CDU political party and former speaker of Thuringias parliament.

Ashotyan highlighted the development inter-parliamentary ties with Germany, close partnership in various sectors and in this context the efforts and role of Konrad Adenauer.

Ashotyan also highlighted the opportunities of developing party relations with European states and mentioned that in terms of multiparty culture development, Armenia greatly highlights European experience.

The sides touched upon scientific-research developments as well as prospects of economic cooperation.

Ashotyan emphasized that Armenia greatly values the opportunities of involving foreign private companies, and highlighted Armenias joining the Horizon 20 20 program.

The sides discussed the achievements in the IT sector in detail. The achievements of leading Armenian IT companies in foreign countries were presented.

In this context, Ashotyan also highlighted the potential and role of the Diaspora.

The sides also discussed various issues regarding cooperation with Germany.
YEREVAN, JULY 3, ARMENPRESS. The new tactical management center of the traffic police was inaugurated today, on the 81st anniversary of the traffic police.

On this day in 1936, the SSR authorities had passed the traffic inspection law.

Major General Samvel Hovhannisyan, deputy police chief of the country, visited and toured the new center.

Numerous innovations have been introduced in the center. Police can monitor traffic throughout the country online using the surveillance cameras.

After the inauguration, Major General Hovhannisyan chaired a consultation on the first quarter summary of the traffic police.
LOS ANGELESPornDoePremium.com on Monday announced it has signed a one-year non-exclusive VoD contract with AEBN.

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The Democrat leadership has made constant, profound and incredible pronouncements that one's supportive vote for Republicans is tantamount to surrendering Democracy forever. Understanding their sincere thinking in their extreme position: How will you still vote on this election day?

Democrat; because the continuance of this Democracy from the existential threat of extreme Republicans is paramount.

Republican; the process of having a choice is the democratic method within what so called "Democracy" does exists.
What some hyperpartisans now call "fake news" is in many instances neither fake nor news. But when it comes to a recent report on the potential effects of the U.S. Senate's health care bill on North Carolinians, there may be no better description of the resulting media coverage.You probably read the headlines or saw the news stories on or around June 27. According to a report by the liberal Center for American Progress , 1.3 million North Carolinians would "lose coverage" if the Senate's bill to repeal and replace the Affordable Care Act became law.Some North Carolina media outlets used the "lose coverage" language in their breathless coverage of the report. Others described the effect as North Carolinians "losing health care," which is even less accurate. None of them, as far as I can tell, took even a cursory glance at the methodology of the study about which they were reporting. If they had, and done the subsequent journalism necessary to inform North Carolinians about the issue, their stories would have turned out quite differently.To put it bluntly, the problem here is that the vast majority of the 1.3 million North Carolinians discussed in the report would be "losing" nothing. They either aren't covered under Obamacare right now, or they don't want to be. In the latter case, I mean that they are buying overpriced health plans on the exchanges not because they think it's a good deal for them but because they are being coerced by the law's individual mandate.Let's talk first about Medicaid. Of the 1,348,300 North Carolinians projected by the Center for American Progress to "lose" coverage under the Senate plan, 638,900 would no longer be enrolled in Medicaid. But most of those supposedly affected people aren't enrolled in Medicaid now.The Affordable Care Act authorized states to add people to the Medicaid rolls who don't have children, who don't have disabilities, and whose income in many cases exceeds the poverty line. Worst still, it made those non-poor, non-disabled, childless adults easier for states to pay for than their core Medicaid caseloads - the federal government is slated to cover at least 90 percent of the cost of the Medicaid-expansion population, while poorer, sicker Medicaid patients get much lower federal reimbursements.Many states took Washington up on this deal, however irresponsible it might have been. North Carolina didn't. We haven't expanded Medicaid. But the Congressional Budget Office, whose work informs the Center for American Progress report, simply assumed that we would - and then assumes that the Senate bill would pull those new enrollees back out of Medicaid in the future.It is fake news to report that these hundreds of thousands of North Carolinians would "lose coverage," regardless of your views about Medicaid expansion.On the private side of the equation, the Center for American Progress report projects 709,500 North Carolinians would no longer be enrolled in health plans through the individual market, primarily consisting of plans sold on health exchanges. Keep in mind that the CBO report shows the Senate plan would reduce exchange-plan premiums over time, not raise them, so this is not about price hikes throwing people off of plans they like. The CBO's assumption about the efficacy of the individual mandate is questioned by many health policy experts, actually, but even if you accept it as a given, it means people would be choosing not to buy, which is obviously different from "losing coverage."I have my own concerns about the Senate's health care bill, although I think conservatives should be careful not to make the perfect the enemy of the somewhat-better. The alternative to Republicans enacting something akin the Senate plan is probably a bill written largely by Democrats and moderate Republicans to bail out the insurance exchanges, not a bill written by free-market policy wonks.Nevertheless, the point I'm making here isn't about the merits of alternative health care policies. North Carolina's major media outlets failed to provide accurate information to their audiences. Do better.
... is a community which cannot take collective action on the issues of the day without endangering the conditions for its existence and effectiveness. There is no mechanism by which it can reach a collective position without inhibiting that full freedom of dissent on which it thrives. It cannot insist that all of its members favor a given view of social policy; if it takes collective action, therefore, it does so at the price of censuring any minority who do not agree with the view adopted. In brief, it is a community which cannot resort to majority vote to reach positions on public issues.

We, the undersigned presidents and chancellors of colleges and universities, believe firmly in the power, potential, and imperative of higher education's key role in shaping a sustainable society.

The passage of the North Carolina Campus Free Speech Act ( HB 527 ) this legislative session was a great advance for the spirit of free inquiry that is, or should be, at the heart of higher education.It provides greater protection for campus free speech, which has been under impassioned- at times even violent-assault . Additionally, it encodes North Carolina's public college students' right to free association and the right to hear ideas they deem worthy of attention.But a provision in the original bill that did not make it to the final cut would also be highly beneficial for North Carolina universities. The earlier version set into law the concept of "institutional neutrality," which means that a university cannot take an official policy position on political issues. Had this provision been included in the final bill, the state would now have a powerful tool for pushing back against the extreme politicization of the universities that has been occurring since the 1960s.Some legal requirements for institutional neutrality by universities already exist, but are insufficient for the purposes of protecting the academic freedom rights of students and dissenting faculty. Universities and colleges are generally classified as 501(c)3 non-profit organizations and are subject to Internal Revenue Service rules regarding political activity at such institutions. One rule is that they cannot endorse political candidates.However, IRS rules do not prevent colleges from taking policy positions as long as that position is not linked to a specific candidate. That means they do not address the problems that occur when bias becomes institutional but are in place to prevent electoral mischief. Therefore, in today's highly charged political atmosphere, universities need an additional layer of protection for the spirit of free inquiry.Perhaps the most important justification of institutional neutrality was crafted by the " Kalven Report ," the product of a committee formed at the University of Chicago amidst the turbulence of 1960s-era student uprisings to explore the role of the university in political matters. The committee was chaired by noted law professor and First Amendment scholar Harry Kalven, Jr. and had other prominent members such as Nobel Prize-winning economist George Stigler and African-American historian John Hope Franklin.The Kalven Report posited that, because "the mission of the university is the discovery, improvement, and dissemination of knowledge," individual professors must be able to pursue truth wherever the facts and logic lead. The university therefore:Another way of looking at it is that a university taking an official position on political issues creates a threatening incentive for dissenting voices-which are often the means by which knowledge is advanced or corrected-to remain silent on campus.Unfortunately, academic institutions taking such "collective" positions are on the upswing today, if not officially, then in de jure (implied) fashion. One ominous example is the increasing trend for schools to require that faculty or even graduate students sign diversity statements in which they must commit to fostering ideals of "diversity, equality, and inclusion." A report from the Oregon Association of Scholars uncovered roughly 20 colleges and universities on the West Coast that do so; most likely, there are at least 100 throughout the nation.According to that report, the 10-campus University of California system not only requires all new hires to sign diversity statements, but also examines faculty candidates' research to see whether it addresses "race, gender, economic justice or inequality."Another problematic situation concerns the Climate Leadership Statement , a petition signed by over 700 college presidents. (In North Carolina, both Carol Folt of UNC-Chapel Hill and Randy Woodson of NC State are signatories.) It declares a need to take the lead in combating anthropogenic climate change; the issue is still very much an open question, despite efforts by some to make it appear as settled science as is the presence of gravity.It may be acceptable for a college president to sign a petition about such a contentious issue as global warming-but only if he or she was doing so as an individual scholar, not as a public academic institution's CEO. However, that was not the case with the Climate Leadership Statement, which explicitly stated that signing the petition was only for the highest level of college administrators. Its opening sentence is:A school president signing a petition may be a lower standard of imprimatur than declaring an official policy, but it still sends a message to the rest of the campus. One can easily imagine the chilling effect on an assistant professor of meteorology, physics, or geology who is skeptical of man's effect on the climate seeking tenure at a school where the president signed such petition.Examples of schools adopting politicized policies are myriad. For instance, the Oregon report revealed that, at Portland State University,Or in 2008, the University of Delaware forced dormitory residents to undergo what the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education called " ideological indoctrination ."In another emerging trend, several faculty professional associations have voted to endorse the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement, which calls for colleges to take action against Israel. These actions can consist of rejecting ties with Israeli academics or making university endowment fund managers stop investing in companies that do business in Israel. Some of the professional organizations that have officially supported the BDS movement include the Association of Asian American Studies, the American Studies Association, the Peace and Justice Studies Association, and the National Women's Studies Association.With all manner of academic organizations and administrators pushing the envelope steadily in a more radicalized direction, finding ways to keep academia open to varying views in the future may prove difficult. At least it will be without erecting safeguards before it is too late. Such protections are not likely to come from within, since so many faculty and administrators have already moved at least partially in a politicized direction, or would rather not put themselves at risk by objecting. University boards (of trustees, governors, regents, or visitors) have proven to be too timid or too easily manipulated to make bold moves to restore a more balanced and open academic sensibility.It then falls to the legislature to prevent our public colleges and universities from incrementally or implicitly making one-sided politics the law of the academic land. For it is to be generally expected that an organization dominated by a passionately partisan faction will attempt to make that perspective permanently unassailable from within or without. The politicization of higher education has already become a severe problem, with some segments of academia calcified into ideological purity. For example, at UNC-Chapel Hill, there are 17 departments with no registered Republican faculty members Now that the North Carolina legislature has secured free speech and free association for students, it should consider making institutional neutrality for the state's public institutions of higher education its next goal.
The second day of Textile India Summit 2017 was a refreshing ode to textile in terms of design, colour palette and silhouette.

By Radhika Bhalla/Mail Today: The power of handloom finally came through on the second day of the India Textile Summit held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat on Saturday.Despite the show starting four hours late, the fashion show that showcased three garments each from 15 designers and brands more than made up for the delay. Each label presented ensembles that had been developed in association with clusters from different parts of the country - weavers were trained by master weavers to experiment and implement new techniques and designs.

Photo : Mail Today

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The result was a refreshing ode to textile in terms of design, colour palette and silhouette. Cream, sky blue, hints of red and mud brown in simple silhouettes were a welcome change, especially since they were bereft of unnecessary beadwork and bridal addendum.

For instance, Anavila Mishra brought together a delightfully uncomplicated capsule collection of blue and white saris that were created in collaboration with the handloom cluster in Gadwal.

Photo : Mail Today

Also Read: Textile connects industry and agriculture, says PM Modi

The sentiment was echoed by Hemang Agrawal who presented cream saris with blazers as blouses, created with the Varanasi handloom cluster. Samant Chauhan, who had also presented the previous day, toned it a notch down for Saturday's show with straight-forward fitted jackets with his trademark scarlet fabric peeking out from inside.

Photo : Mail Today

He worked with tussar silk that was woven in Champanagar in the Bhagalpur cluster. Speaking with Mail Today, Chauhan shared, "I've been working with Bhagalpur weavers for more than 10 years and this is the first time I'm officially showcasing with the Ministry of Textiles. Things are moving ahead now. There are a lot of training programmes and new techniques are being taught to the weavers," adding, "Jacquard was never there in Bhagalpur, but the jacquard machine and master weaver were brought in from Benaras and they ran a training programme."

Photo : Mail Today Photo : Mail Today

Meanwhile, Rajesh Pratap Singh brought his disco swing to the runway in gold dresses and a suit with beaded tassel spelling effortless rocker-chic - all done with the Varanasi handloom cluster.

Also Read: Who's who from fashion & politics lit up events at Textile India Summit 2017

Photo : Mail Today

Other designers and labels that showcased were Sunita Shanker for Guntur and Prakasam handloom cluster in Andhra Pradesh, Pratima Pandey for Maheshwar cluster, Five P, Bina Rao, Ethicus by Vijayalakshmi Nachiar, Pradeep Pillai, Manish Tripathi, Ekta Biba, Sandeep Onaya, Desi and Peter England. They clusters they worked on (not in the same order) were Begampur and Dharmavaram.

--- ENDS ---

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Court also orders life imprisonment for 80, 15-year term for 34, 10 years for minor and acquits 21





The Cairo Criminal court sentenced on Sunday 20 defendants to death during their retrial in the case known as "Kerdasa massacre", according to local media.





The death penalty had already been issued in April but ordered the referral of the papers of those sentenced to death to the Grand Mufti for consultation. According to state-owned media Al-Ahram, the court sentenced on Sunday 80 other defendants to life in prison, another 34 defendants to 15 years, a minor to 10 years, while it acquitted 21 defendants.





The case includes 156 defendants, whom in the 1st trial had received either death or imprisonment sentences on charges of storming in Kerdasa police station in Giza, killing 12 police officers, initiation of killing 10 others, destroying the police office and burning a number of police vehicles in August 2013.





After the 1st trial, the Appeal Court had refuted 14 death sentences in the same case and revoked a 10-year prison sentence for another defendant, thus ordering a re-trial.





The storming of the station took place shortly after the dispersal of the Rabaa Al-Adaweya sit-in by the armed forces in August 2013, following the ouster of former Islamist president Mohamed Morsi.





Since 2013, a militant campaign targeting police and army has escalated since the ouster of Morsi, killing several security forces in the Sinai Peninsula, Cairo, and the Nile Delta.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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: Daily News Egypt, July 2, 2017
William Morva

On July 6, Virginia is scheduled to carry out its 3rd execution under Gov. Terry McAuliffe, D, and 113th since 1976. The inmate, William C. Morva, was convicted of fatally shooting 2 men - a deputy sheriff and a hospital security guard - in 2006. His guilt is not in question. What is less clear is if jurors would have sentenced him to death had they been aware of the true extent of his mental illness.





At varying points, Morva reportedly believed that he was meant to lead a distant indigenous tribe; that he was gifted with special powers to carry out an unidentified quest; that he was unjustly persecuted by local officials and the administration of President George W. Bush; and that his real name was Nemo, which is Latin for "nobody." These are not signs of a rational mind, but rather one afflicted with debilitating mental illness. A mental-health expert who assessed him after his conviction diagnosed him with delusional disorder, a serious psychotic condition similar to schizophrenia.





We have previously written that capital punishment is dehumanizing. But the execution of a man suffering from severe mental illness is an act of particular barbarism - especially if his condition may have been misdiagnosed in trial. According to Morva's attorneys, the mental-health experts who provided statements to the jury did not receive his full case history and diagnosed him with a personality disorder rather than psychosis.





Despite his personal opposition to the death penalty, McAuliffe is committed to upholding Virginia law, a stance we understand and respect. He commuted a death sentence in April, however, after he found flaws in the sentencing process of Ivar Teleguz. His predecessors - then-Gov. James Gilmore, R, and now-Sen. Tim Kaine, D-Va. - had granted clemency on grounds of mental illness. Morva's case raises many of the same questions and adds fodder to the national effort to abolish capital punishment for people with serious mental illnesses.





McAuliffe should look favorably on the petition for clemency before him and commute Morva's sentence to life in prison without the possibility of parole. He should also ensure that Morva receives the mental-health treatment he so obviously needs. The killing of 2 devoted public servants is a tragedy, but the state of Virginia will not right this wrong by getting more blood on its hands.

Hey Gov. McAuliffe: A Democratic standard-bearer would grant Morva mercy

The Times They Are A-Changin' is more than just a prophetic Bob Dylan song (and album) riffing on social change, it's a prudent observation about waning public support for the death penalty - especially among Democrats. In 2017,is more than just a prophetic Bob Dylan song (and album) riffing on social change, it's a prudent observation about waning public support for the death penalty - especially among Democrats.





Gone are the blood-lusting, big-haired days of 1992, when Bill Clinton was first-elected. Most forget, Clinton prevailed despite the spectacle of his unprecedented and unbecoming posturing on the death penalty; cultivating a "tough on crime" persona, "Bubba" returned to Arkansas from the campaign trail in a cynical, self-serving move, to oversee the troubled execution of a brain-damaged 42-year-old black man, Ricky Ray Rector.





Nowadays, democratic distaste for the death penalty is blowing in a suffocating, sepulchral wind; currently it threatens to engulf, and perhaps darken, the political future of Virginia Governor, Terry McAuliffe. McAuliffe has the thankless job no human in civilized society should - he has to to decide whether to grant clemency to William Morva - a severely mentally-ill man scheduled to be executed on July 6.





McAuliffe insists he's personally opposed to the death penalty, but he has also vowed that he's willing to impose it, which he did, recently, allowing the execution of Ricky Gray to proceed in January. In fact, McAuliffe bears the ignominious distinction of being the only sitting Democratic governor to allow an execution to go forward - both Gray's and the execution of Alfredo Prieto in 2015 - a tangible marker when it comes to newfound Democratic dissatisfaction with the death penalty - and a sign that the times, truly, they are a-changin'.





If, from the tangled morass surrounding the death penalty generally, and Morva's case, specifically - Governor McAuliffe is to emerge from his life or death decision a standard-bearer of modern-day democratic values - a truly viable candidate for Commander-in-Chief in 2020 (and beyond) - there is only 1 action he can take, that he must take: McAuliffe must spare Mr. Morva.





Last year, even before the 2016 Democratic Party platform broke with Hillary Clinton's indefensible stance against abolishing capital punishment, political reporter Kira Lerner asked what the smart money today suggests is purely rhetorical, "Is Hillary Clinton the Last Democratic Presidential Candidate to Support the Death Penalty?" Lerner observed: "Being opposed to capital punishment is no longer a handicap for Democratic presidential candidates; in fact, taking a strong stance against the death penalty may even be beneficial in both a primary and general election. And experts say we can expect to see a time in the near future when support for the practice could actually be a liability."





Glancing about the country there is plenty of evidence suggesting Lerner's prognostication is a fait accompli. For example, in May, in Philadelphia, civil rights attorney Larry Krasner won the democratic nomination for District Attorney despite vowing to never seek the death penalty. Likewise, in Denver, Colorado, Democratic prosecutor Beth McCann was elected despite making a similar pledge. And, in Orlando, Florida, the elected chief prosecutor, Aramis Ayala, also a Democrat, courageously swore-off the death penalty, starting a legal firestorm that smolders still. In California, and even in traditional, accepting hotbeds of capital punishment, like Alabama, democratic acceptance of the death penalty has plummeted.





In fact, the writing isn't just on the wall for Democratic candidates when it comes to their electorate's disenchantment with the death penalty, it's in a cogent oped written by former New Mexico Governor, Bill Richardson. In "I carried out the death penalty as governor. I hope others put it to rest," Richardson argues, "[t]o effectively represent the interests of citizens, and protect our nation's role as a global leader, a new generation of policymakers and politicians must put the death penalty to rest once and for all."





Starting with Mr. Morva's untreated, severely debilitating mental illness that was directly involved in the crimes he committed, there are many good, even honorable reasons, for Governor McAuliffe to spare Mr. Morva's life. And then, as Bob Dylan might wryly sing, there's politics. So, come senators, congressmen - and yes, you too, Governor McAuliffe - please heed the call. Don't stand in the doorway. Don't block up the hall. For he that gets hurt will be he who has stalled ... For the times, they are a-changin'.

Source: CounterPunch , Stephen Cooper, June 2, 2017. Mr. Cooper is a former D.C. public defender who worked as an assistant federal public defender in Alabama between 2012 and 2015.

 | Report an error, an omission, a typo; suggest a story or a new angle to an existing story; submit a piece, a comment; recommend a resource; contact the webmaster, contact us: deathpenaltynews@gmail.com



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: The Washington Post, Editorial, July 2, 2017
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Seba Aghayeva  Trend:

Egyptian airline companies may resume flights between Baku and Sharm El Sheikh in autumn in order to attract tourists from Azerbaijan, the countrys Ambassador to Egypt Tural Rzayev told Trend July 3.

Azerbaijan and Egypt have great opportunities for cooperation in the field of tourism, he said. The two countries show great interest in establishing ties in this sphere, and in particular, a direct flight between Baku and Sharm El Sheikh was launched in June 2016 in order to increase the mutual tourist flow.

Egyptian companies were offering tour packages to Azerbaijani tourists at very attractive prices, he added. However, later the flight was suspended due to its unprofitability. This is explained by a number of reasons: the launch of the flight coincided with summer in Egypt, where the air temperature, as a rule, is not very comfortable for guests from Azerbaijan.

The global anti-Egyptian campaign that unfolded amid the escalation of the situation related to security in the country also played its role, he noted.

The Egyptian side in order to attract tourists to the country intends to intensify its advertising activity in Azerbaijan this year, the ambassador said.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

Trend:

The OSCE is expected to monitor the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops on July 4, Azerbaijans Defense Ministry said July 3.

The monitoring will be held under the mandate of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative along the line of contact near the Ashagi Veysalli village of Azerbaijans Fuzuli district, said the ministry.

On the Azerbaijani side, the monitoring will be held by Ghenadie Petrica and Simon Tiller, who are field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

On the Azerbaijani territories occupied and controlled by Armenian armed forces, the monitoring will be held by Mikhail Olaru and Ognjen Jovic, who are field assistants of the OSCE chairperson-in-office personal representative.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Details added (first version posted on 15:04)

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 22

Trend:

The visit of the Moldovan president is a very important event in bilateral relations between Azerbaijan and Moldova, said Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev while making statements for press in Baku.

Following the meeting in an expanded format, President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev and President of the Republic of Moldova Igor Dodon made press statements on June 22.

President Aliyev expressed confidence that President Dodons visit will give a good momentum to dynamic development of the Azerbaijan-Moldova relations.

Today we discussed a wide range of issues of mutual interest and outlined the ways for further joint activities, noted the Azerbaijani president.

Azerbaijan and Moldova will continue to strengthen political relations and joint active work at international structures, said President Aliyev.

He noted that the Moldovan presidents visit is an indicator of mutual respect and mutual interest between the two countries.

I would also like to note that the official visit of President of Moldova Mr. Dodon to Azerbaijan is one of his first official visits, and that he came to our country, we regard as a sign of respect for Azerbaijan. Today we have also discussed very widely the issues related to trade and economic cooperation. There is good potential, added the president.

Relevant instructions have already been given to the two countries structures in order to accelerate the process of coordinating issues related to the increase in the Azerbaijan-Moldova trade turnover, said President Aliyev.

To do this, we expect that a joint intergovernmental commission, which hasnt been meeting for a long time, to meet soon, added the Azerbaijani president.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

Trend:

Azerbaijans President Ilham Aliyev has sent a congratulatory letter to US President Donald Trump.

On behalf of the people of Azerbaijan and on my own behalf, I extend my sincere congratulations to you and through you to all the people of your country on the occasion of the national holiday of the US  Independence Day, Ilham Aliyev said in his letter.

Having rapidly and comprehensively developed on the basis of friendship and cooperation over the past 25 years since the establishment of our diplomatic ties, the relations between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the United States reached the level of strategic partnership.

The US important and continuous support for the large-scale transnational projects implemented by Azerbaijan in the field of energy security, close and fruitful cooperation of our two countries in the fight against international terrorism, and the peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan are among the key factors characterizing our partnership, the president said.

We also pin great hopes on the efforts of the United States, as a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, and on your efforts personally, Mr. President, towards ensuring a peaceful settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in accordance with the norms of international law, within the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan, and towards liberating Azerbaijans occupied lands and ensuring the return of over a million of Azerbaijani refugees and IDPs to their homelands.

On this joyful day, I wish you robust health, success in your activities, and the friendly people of the United States lasting peace and prosperity, President Aliyev added.
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For Azerbaijani companies, AsstrA fully supports and renders market entry consulting services in Europe, Russia, Kazakhstan, China, Turkey, Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and other countries. Our specialists develop new routes and optimize existing supply chains. Over the past few years, the share of goods exported from Azerbaijan has increased significantly. Natural juice (Tetra Pak, bottled, concentrate), wine (Tetra Pak, bottled), granulated plastic, fruits, and vegetables make up a considerable part of Azerbaijani exports. Equipment, raw materials, electronics, and machine-building products account for the majority of imports.

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The complexity of this transport project arose mainly from the cargo's non-standard, geometric shape. The length of some of its dimensions exceeded 20 meters. In addition, the route presented a number of transportation challenges, he said. Specialists from AsstrA branches in Brest (Belarus) and Poznan (Poland) devoted significant time to this project.

Our team carried out safety inspections of bridges along the transport route between Germany and the Netherlands to Belarus and from Belarus to Azerbaijan. For road and rail transport, we developed a method of loading and securing cargo that took into account the complex geometric configuration of wind generators, said Abramov.

Our staff reconciled the oversized cargo via railway transport and conveyors. They then organized a clear schedule for renting and sending empty, specially-adapted 80 fitting EOQ (economic order quantity) platforms for loading to Brest. We also promptly organized the reloading of goods on railway rolling stock at the Brest-Severny station and accurately calculated the delivery time of the wind generators to the final recipient in Azerbaijan, he added.

AsstrA's own rolling stock was used for transportation by vehicle. In total, we used 25 specialized vehicles, 11 universal railway platforms, 4 specialized 80' platforms, 4 long-base fitting platforms, 4 quadruple-axis platform-type conveyors and 4 quadruple-axis sunken-type conveyors. Our team did a tremendous job which has absolutely paid off. Completing this project was a big win for AsstrA, and we are proud to have been a part of it, noted Abramov.

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Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

Trend:

Baku Higher Oil School (BHOS) hosted a meeting dedicated to next admission of trainees to School of Project Management (SPM) jointly set up by BHOS, BP in Azerbaijan and TwentyEighty Strategy Execution company. The meeting gathered representatives of BHOS, SOCAR and BP management, and SPM students.

Opening the gathering, BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov said that first SPM trainees already passed course exams and received certificates of successful completion of the first training module. Speaking about the Higher School latest developments and achievements, he informed that BHOS graduate Riyad Muradov, who received a Bachelor degree in Petroleum Engineering, obtained a scholarship from Stanford University in the USA, one of the most prestigious universities in the world, and will pursue a Masters degree there. The Rector also emphasized that BHOS management regularly arranges the students internship at SOCAR, BP and other large companies, which, in their turn, provide job opportunities for the bright and most talented students.

SOCAR Vice president for HR, IT and regulations Khalik Mammadov told about significance of SPM and similar initiatives for training of local specialists according to the best international standards. He expressed his congratulations to BHOS Rector Elmar Gasimov on the accomplishment of the first modules training course and wished all SPM students every success in the future.

BP Vice president for communications, external affairs and strategy for Azerbaijan, Georgia and Turkey region Bakhtiyar Aslanbayli highly praised progress in the SPM project implementation. He said that it is particularly important to develop similar initiatives today, as the number of the projects implemented in various spheres considerably increased.

On behalf of SPM trainees, Deputy Minister of Labor and Social Protection of Population of Azerbaijan Metin Kerimli congratulated the Rector Elmar Gasimov and SPM students and said that education is important for every person at every age. In his words, opening of the School of Project Management at BHOS is a new milestone in successful development of the Higher School.

Speaking at the meeting, instructor from TwentyEighty Strategy Execution John Pelham said that he was very pleased to come to Baku and participate in the SPM project. John Pelham was specifically invited by the TwentyEighty Strategy Execution company to conduct training courses at SPM, as he has more than 20 years of project management experience in various fields including retail, banking, IT, and construction.

The SPM program was founded in 2011 by BP and its partners. The program is technically supported by TwentyEighty Strategy Execution company in cooperation with George Washington University (USA). The academic program comprises seven modules of training. Upon successful completion of the study, the trainees will be awarded master certificates from the George Washington University. Up to now, three stages of the project were implemented and more than 300 specialists from local and international organizations of public and private sectors were trained. The fourth stage has commenced at the Baku Higher Oil School. Upon its completion, BHOS shall carry out the educational program within the SPM project single-handedly.
The last Open Door day in connection with the Summer Exam Session has been held at UNEC.

Rector, Professor Adalat Muradov, Member of the Parliament Zahid Oruj, Head of the Media Group Ses (Voice) Bahruz Guliyev and an editor of the 525th newspaper Sevinj Garayeva have heard more than 30 appeals made during the Open Door attended by public representatives.

Noting that he attend the Open Door held at UNEC for the first time, Member of the Parliament Zahid Oruj emphasized to be impressed with the meeting: We highlight every time that the foundation of a country is laid on its education. I have witnessed once again that the university is on the right track. I praise the approachability of the university administration to its employees, students, their parents and public representatives as an estimable occasion. It serves to the formation of a positive image about the university on one hand and on the other hand it eliminates the forces that prevent innovations held at the higher school. I consider the innovations here will allow the UNEC to become an internationally recognized educational institution and the system of governance here will be included in the future economic and political leadership of Azerbaijan. The staff trained here will be in the future of our country.

Head of the Media Group Ses (Voice) Bahruz Guliyev brought to attention that the Public Supervision Institute was formed at UNEC for several years. Stressing that the appeals made on the Open Door day were approached objectively, B.Guliyev said the majority of them were responded positively. He said the reforms and innovations implemented at Azerbaijan State University of Economics formed aUNEC model in society.

UNEC is the brand of Azerbaijan State University of Economics. The brand of UNEC has been registered and patented by the State Committee on Standardization, Metrology and Patent on January 21 2016.
By Press Trust of India: to ICJ

(Eds: Updating with fresh inputs)

By Yoshita Singh

United Nations, Jun 23 (PTI) India has voted against the UK to back of a UN General Assembly resolution seeking the International Court of Justices opinion on the decades-long dispute between Britain and Mauritius over a strategic island in the Indian Ocean.

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In a diplomatic blow to Britain, the General Assembly yesterday voted by 94 to 15 to ask the Hague-based court to examine the legal status of the Chagos Archipelago, which Mauritius maintains is part of its territory that has been unlawfully claimed by the UK since 1965.

Britain cut off the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965 before granting it independence in 1968.

India was among the nations voting in favour of the resolution proposed by Mauritius and co-sponsored by the Group of African States.

"As part of our longstanding support to all peoples striving for decolonisation, we have also consistently supported Mauritius, a fellow developing country from Africa with whom we have age-old people to people bonds, in their quest for the restoration of their sovereignty over the Chagos Archipelago," Indias Permanent Representative to the UN Ambassador Syed Akbaruddin said in his statement to the General Assembly on the resolution.

Akbaruddin said India supports the draft and votes in favour of it, "continuing with our consistent approach on this important issue of decolonisation".

Speaking before the vote, Mauritius? Minister Mentor and Minister for Defence Anerood Jugnauth told the 193-member General Assembly that the Chagos Archipelago has been part of his country since at least the 18th century, when France had governed it. He said the entire territory had been ceded to the United Kingdom in 1810, and kept intact until the unlawful excision of the Chagos Archipelago in November 1965. He added that information had come to light about British efforts to manipulate the international community at the time, and to present the United Nations with a fait accompli regarding the separation. Those facts alone should warrant a fresh look at the situation, he emphasised.

He said "a vote for the draft resolution [...] is a vote in support of completing the process of decolonisation, respect for international law and the rule of law."

Akbaruddin said as a country that has gone through the throes of decolonisation, India since its own independence in 1947, has always been in the forefront of the struggle against colonialism and apartheid.

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He stressed that India shares with the international community, security concerns relating to the Indian Ocean.

"We are conscious of our collective commitment towards ensuring the security and prosperity of our oceanic space. On balance, however, it is a matter of principle for India to uphold the process of decolonisation and the respect for sovereignty of nations," Akbaruddin said.

The archipelagos biggest island Diego Garcia is the site of a major British-American military base that is still in operation and served as a key US base during the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts.

The US voted against the draft resolution saying it was an attempt to circumvent the ICJs lack of jurisdiction over a bilateral issue in which one of the parties had not consented to the submission.

It said the military base on Diego Garcia, jointly operated by the United States and the United Kingdom, was critical to regional and global security. The US said the issue was not decolonisation, but a bilateral territorial dispute that would undermine the Court?s advisory function.

Britains envoy to the UN Matthew Rycroft said the UK is opposing the resolution "because referring a bilateral dispute to the ICJ is not the appropriate course of action.

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"The request for an advisory opinion is an attempt by the Government of Mauritius to circumvent a vital principle: the principle that a State is not obliged to have its bilateral disputes submitted for judicial settlement without its consent. And let me be clear: we do not and we would not give that consent, because we are clear about what was agreed with Mauritius," he said.

Rycroft added that UK created the British Indian Ocean Territory for defence purposes, and in 1966, concluded an agreement with the United States of America for joint defence use of the territory.

"The extensive facilities that have since been established, are primarily used as a forward operating location for aircraft and ships, and they make an essential contribution to regional and global security and stability," he said.

He noted that Britain?s current agreement with the United States regarding the use of the Archipelago as a military base lasts until 2036.

"We cannot, 19 years away, predict exactly what our defence purposes will require beyond that date. We should not and will not make arbitrary, or ill-informed, or premature decisions. We cannot gamble with the future of regional and global security," he said.

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The British envoy asserted that UK stands by its commitment that when it no longer needs the territory for defence purposes, it will pass on the Archipelago?s sovereignty. PTI YAS NSA

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Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) sold $373.2 million through currency auctions organized by the Central Bank of Azerbaijan (CBA) in June 2017, SOFAZ said in a message July 3.

During the six months of 2017, SOFAZ sold more than $1.687 billion at currency auctions. In total, Azerbaijans banks bought around $4.92 billion from SOFAZ in 2016.

SOFAZ will continue selling currency through auctions in 2017.

The currency is sold as part of SOFAZs transfers to the Azerbaijani state budget, which are envisaged in the volume of 6.1 billion manats for 2017.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Uzbekistan will increase textile products export to European market, according to the Uzbek Foreign Ministrys message.

Increase in textile export will be a result of Textile Protocol between Uzbekistan and the EU from April 2011 which came into force on July 1.

This document will increase the bilateral trade in textiles on the basis of introduction the most favored conditions with regard to transit, commodity warehouses, customs duties, payments, taxes and other internal charges applicable to imported Uzbek textile products in the EU; and removal of quantitative restrictions with respect to the trade in textiles.

Uzbekistan is the sixth largest cotton producer and the fifth largest cotton exporter in the world. Annually, the country produces about 3,500 of raw cotton and 1.1 million tons of cotton fiber.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Anvar Mammadov  Trend:

The Chamber of Auditors of Azerbaijan said in a message July 3 that it has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Association of Accountants of Latvia.

At present, the Chamber of Auditors of Azerbaijan cooperates with auditing and accounting organizations of almost 40 countries and Latvia has become one of them.

The signed agreement will positively affect the activities of both structures and will play an important role in the mutual exchange of experience and international support, Vahid Novruzov, the chairman of the chamber, said.

In turn, Andrejs Ponomarjovs, the chairman of the Association of Accountants of Latvia, expressed confidence that the cooperation between the two structures will turn into a tradition in the future.

The message noted that the sides also discussed the current situation regarding the audit sphere in both countries, ways for solving existing problems and applying the best international experience in the financial reporting sphere.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

Asian Development Bank (ADB) will support Uzbekistan in implementation of new state program on hydro energy development adopted by the country in early June, Takeo Konishi, ADB Country Director in Uzbekistan, told Trend.

ADB supports Uzbekistan's initiative of hydropower generation development. According to our Country Operation Business Plan for Uzbekistan in 2017-2019, it is envisaged to implement the Sustainable Hydropower Project which is also included in the State Program of hydro energy development for 2017-2021, Konishi told Trend July 3.

He noted that ADB has provided a technical assistance for this project preparation.

According to ADB, the bank plans provide a loan in the amount of $215 million plus $2.5 million of technical assistance to Sustainable Hydropower Project in Uzbekistan. The project will modernize three existing hydropower plants, construct three new run-of-river small-sized hydropower plants, and provide capacity development for mini/micro hydropower plants development in Uzbekistan. The six sub-projects are selected based on age of plants, technical and economic viability, and prioritized in the national investment program.

In early June Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev approved a new state program on development of hydro energy. The program envisages construction of 18 new and modernization of 14 existing hydropower plants by 2021. These projects will have a total cost of $2.65 billion and allow increasing the share of hydro energy in the country's energy balance to 15.8 percent compared to current 12.7 percent.

Follow the author on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The Caspian Pipeline Consortium (CPC) has lifted 27.28 million tons of CPC Blend oil from Russian Yuzhnaya Ozereevka  2 terminal since the beginning of 2017 to the end of June, as compared to 21.83 million tons in the same period in 2016, reads a message posted on the consortiums website.

At month-end June 2017, 4.69 million tons of crude oil was loaded at the Consortium Marine Terminal.

Based on submitted shipper nominations, the 2017 pumping target is 65 million tons. In particular, Kazakhstan shippers account for 54 million tons, including 11 million tons from Kashagan, and Russian shippers account for 11 million tons, including 5.4 million tons from the Filanovsky and Korchagin fields.

The consortium shipped 44.3 million tons of CPC Blend oil from Yuzhnaya Ozereevka  2 terminal in 2016, as compared to 42.76 million tons in 2015.

CPC shareholders are Transneft (24 percent), KazMunaiGas (19 percent), Chevron (15 percent), LUKARCO (12.5 percent), Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company (7.5 percent), Rosneft Shell Caspian Ventures Ltd. (7.5 percent), CPC Company (7 percent), BG Overseas Holdings Limited (2 percent), Eni (2 percent), Kazakhstan Pipeline Ventures (1.75 percent) and Oryx Caspian Pipeline (1.75 percent).

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Leman Zeynalova  Trend:

The oil market will reach a greater equilibrium in the second half of 2017, Paul Simons, deputy executive director at the International Energy Agency (IEA) believes.

In the second half of 2017, we will see some movement towards rebalancing in the market. The market is very dynamic and I think for the time being, we will see the market to reach a greater equilibrium in H2 2017, Simons told CNBC TV channel.

However, quite a bit uncertainty related to oil market is likely in 2018, he added.

The IEA said in its June Oil Market Report that the global oil demand growth is expected at 1.3 million barrels per day in 2017.

In 2018, growth increases modestly to 1.4 million barrels per day, as demand reaches a record 99.3 million barrels per day, said the report.

IEA analysts believe that if Libya and Nigeria continue to grow their output, these extra barrels dilute the value of OPEC's output accord and contribute to delaying the re-balancing of the market.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @Lyaman_Zeyn
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijan submitted the daily oil production data for June 2017 to the OPEC Joint Technical Committee (JTC) as part of implementation of the Vienna agreement to cut oil output, Azerbaijans Energy Ministry told Trend July 3.

In June, the daily oil production in Azerbaijan amounted to 793,700 barrels, 55,000 barrels of which accounted for condensate.

The Energy Ministry also said 624,100 barrels of oil, 55,000 barrels of condensate and 21,400 barrels of petroleum products were exported daily in June.

Azerbaijan completely fulfils its obligations to reduce oil production by 35,000 barrels per day, the ministry said, adding the country was producing 793,900 barrels of oil per day in January, 776,400 barrels per day in February, 733,300 barrels per day in March, 781,100 barrels per day in April and 785,300 barrels per day in May.

The Joint Technical Committee was created January 22 under the OPEC Monitoring Committee, designed to monitor the implementation of countries obligations to cut oil production.

In December 2016 in Vienna, 11 non-OPEC countries, including Azerbaijan, agreed to curtail oil output jointly by 558,000 barrels per day. The agreement was signed for the first half of 2017 and on May 25, 2017, it was extended by late 1Q2018.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Maksim Tsurkov  Trend:

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR exported 733,660 tons of oil via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in January-June 2017 as compared to 479,070 tons in the same period of 2016, SOCAR said July 3.

The company exported 159,830 tons of oil from the Russian port of Novorossiysk in June 2017.

SOCAR exported 1.22 million tons of oil via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline in 2016 versus 1.27 million tons in 2015.

SOCAR exports the oil produced at its own fields, as well as the oil from joint ventures and operation companies working at Azerbaijans onshore fields, through Russias Novorossiysk port.

Oil is delivered to the port via the Baku-Novorossiysk pipeline operated by SOCAR.

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Follow the author on Twitter: @MaksimTsurkov
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Huseyn Valiyev  Trend:

The State Oil Fund of Azerbaijan (SOFAZ) has attracted a provider of technical support services for information security systems and Radwares licenses for one year, said a message posted on the website of the State Service for Antimonopoly Policy and Consumer Rights Protection of the Azerbaijani Ministry of Economy.

Azerbaijani R.I.S.K. IT-company won the tender. A contract worth over 214,000 manats was signed with the company June 21, 2017.

As part of the contract, R.I.S.K. will provide technical support for security systems and reveal attacks on the network infrastructure.

(1.7021 AZN = 1 USD on July 3)
Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 3

By Huseyn Hasanov Trend:

The 7th Regional Economic Cooperation Conference on Afghanistan (RECCA VII) will be held in Ashgabat city November 14-15, 2017, Turkmenistan State News Agency reported July 3.

Talks on various aspects of long-term regional economic cooperation will continue at the conference, said the report.

The RECCA, initiated in 2005 in Kabul, aims to consolidate the efforts of the countries of the region in stabilizing the situation in Afghanistan and promoting regional economic integration of South and Central Asia.
Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said PM Modi wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including in cyber.

By PTI: Cyber security is one of the key areas to be discussed with Narendra Modi, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said ahead of his Indian counterpart's visit to Israel.

"Once it was a disadvantage to say that you are from Israel. Today when you talk about cyber or advanced technology, it is an advantage to say we are an Israeli company. The whole world wants us. The whole world is coming here," Netanyahu said in his remarks at the Cyber Week 2017 conference in Tel Aviv University.

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Terming Modi, as "one of the most important prime minister's of the world", Netanyahu said the Indian leader wants close cooperation with Israel in many areas including in cyber.

"For example, there is going to be a visit of Prime Minister of India, one of the most important Prime Minister's of the world, with the third largest economy in the world growing very fast. He wants close cooperation with Israel in many fields -- water, agriculture, health and also in cyber. And he has a good reason to do so", the Israeli Prime Minister told the gathering in Hebrew as per a video released by his office.

MODI TO GO ON 3-DAY VISIT ISRAEL ON JULY 4

Modi will be on a three-day visit to Israel starting July 4 to commemorate 25 years of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Netanyahu stressed that Israel's growing acceptance across the world, especially as a "technology giant", is going to come to full expression during the upcoming visit of "my friend Narendra Modi".

Outlining steps taken by his government to strengthen Israel's cyber security apparatus, Netanyahu argued the need for such an investment by saying that it was not only a "serious threat", but also a "serious business".

"A few years ago, I decided to establish Israel as one of the five leading powers in the world and I think by all accounts, we are there but the jury on security is always out. And it's a constant challenge. Cyber security is a serious business. It's a serious business for two reasons - the first reason is that it's a serious and growing threat. And it's a growing threat everywhere because every single thing is being digitised," he said.

WHY CYBER SECURITY IS A SERIOUS BUSINESS?

The Israeli Prime Minister underscored the exponential rise in the need for cyber security, as all governments grapple with finding the ways to protect confidential information of security organisations, the critical infrastructure, businesses, and every single organisation "as we enter the world of internet".

Netanyahu credited himself for creating the National Cyber Defense Authority - to streamline information sharing between government, the private sector and various organisations - to combat cyber threats.

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Hundreds of organisations are said to have joined this cyber net as it not only tries to facilitate secure communication between them and with others but also guides them as to how to prevent or respond to cyber attacks.

The Israeli leader reached out to other countries to join this initiative by saying that "in general, again with some reservations, we are better together".

The second reason, he said, as to why cyber security is a serious business, is because it is a fast growing market and an "endless business".

"It's growing geometrically because there is never a permanent solution. It's an endless business. The battle for market share in the fast growing market is open to anyone although there are certain requirements, certain barriers to entry. This produces an endless crop of companies," Netanyahu said.

"We, in Israel, have 600-700 start ups and they are constantly added and weeded out. This is a fast geometrically rising market," he added.

MODI FIRST INDIAN PM TO VISIT ISRAEL

The Israeli Premier also talked at length about how Israel's reputation as a centre of advanced technology and hub of cyber security has led to countries that once boycotted it, now embrace it.

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"There used to be a thing called the Arab boycott. Remember that. Well that has dissipated for many many reasons - strategic and others but the prominence of Israel in the technological field and in the cyber field has made Israeli companies very very attractive", he said.

If we look at the figures of 2016, we have about 20 per cent share of total cyber security investment around the world, Netanyahu said.

Beginning tomorrow, Modi's Israel visit becomes the first ever by an Indian Premier. Modi and Netanyahu, however, have already met twice on foreign soil on the sidelines of UN- related events and are said to be constantly in touch with each other over the phone.

ALSO READ | Out of the closet: Narendra Modi to make history as first Indian PM to visit Israel

Netanyahu to Narendra Modi: People of Israel waiting for your historic visit

ALSO WATCH | PM Modi gets emotional, says Pranab Da has guided him like a father figure

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Ashgabat, Turkmenistan, July 3

By Huseyn Hasanov  Trend:

Turkmen-Afghan agreements were today signed in Ashgabat following high-level talks between the two countries, said the Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary state news service.

Presidents of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan, Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and Mohammad Ashraf Ghani, signed a joint statement on July 3.

In addition, a cooperation agreement was signed between the Turkmen Ministry of Energy and the Ministry of Energy and Water of Afghanistan. The document envisages supplies of Turkmen electricity to the Afghan provinces of Badghis and Jawzjan.

The two sides also signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation in the carpet industry and an agreement on international automobile transportation.

The Turkmen and Afghan foreign ministries adopted a cooperation program for 2018-2019.

A cooperation agreement in the scientific sphere was signed between the Turkmen State University and the Jowzjan University of Afghanistan.
Tashkent, Uzbekistan, July 3

By Demir Azizov Trend:

Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev has adopted a resolution on the countrys joining the agreement on perpetuating the memory of courage and heroism of peoples of the CIS member countries in the Great Patriotic War of 1941-1945, the press service of the Uzbek president reported.

The purpose of the agreement signed September 3, 2011 is to ensure preservation of war graves on the territory of the CIS member countries, the report said.

The Uzbek Defense Ministry has been defined the authorized body responsible for the implementation of this agreement.

So far, the agreement has been ratified by Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Ukraine, Armenia and Moldova.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



The Iranian government is expected to allocate $24.2 billion (80 trillion rials) to 411 roads and urban development projects according to the current fiscal years (starting Mach 20) budget plan, an official said.



Amir Amini, an official with Irans Ministry of Roads and Urban Development, has said that the countrys sixth development plan has envisaged that privately-owned firms would contribute to the construction of 5,000 kilometer long of free-ways and 1,000 kilometer of railways by 2021, IRNA news agency reported.



According to the official the government over the past four years has invested about $14 billion (470 trillion rials) in developing the countrys railroads.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3



By Fatih Karimov Trend:



Totals contract with Iran for development of Phase 11 of South Pars gas field, which was signed July 3 in Tehran, will contribute to EU-Iran ties, said Patrick Pouyanne, Chairman and CEO of Total.



This is a major agreement for Total, which officially marks our return to Iran to open a new page in the history of our partnership with the country, Pouyanne said, the French company said on its official website.



Total is proud and honored to be the first international company to sign an IPC, which offers an attractive commercial framework, following the 2015 international nuclear accord (JCPOA), he said, adding that the French company will develop the project in strict compliance with applicable national and international laws.



This project is in line with the Groups strategy to expand its presence in the Middle East and grow its gas portfolio by adding low cost, long plateau assets, Pouyanne said.



Total and the National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) signed a contract for the development and production of phase 11 of South Pars, the world's largest gas field.



The project will have a production capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day or 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensate. The produced gas will supply the Iranian domestic market starting in 2021.



This contract, which has a 20-year duration, is the first Iranian Petroleum Contract (IPC) and is based on the technical, contractual and commercial terms as per the Heads of Agreement(HoA) signed on November 8, 2016.



Total is the operator of the SP11 project with a 50.1 percent interest alongside the Chinese state-owned oil and gas company CNPC (30 percent), and Petropars (19.9 percent), a wholly owned subsidiary of NIOC.



The South Pars Phase 11 will be developed in two phases. The first phase, with an estimated cost of around $2 billion equivalent, will consist of 30 wells and 2 wellhead platforms connected to existing onshore treatment facilities by 2 subsea pipelines.



At a later stage, once required by reservoir conditions, a second phase will be launched involving the construction of offshore compression facilities.



Since the November 2016 HoA signature, Total has been conducting engineering studies on behalf of the consortium and initiated calls for tender in order to award the contracts required to develop the project by the end of the year.
Tehran, Iran, July 3



By Mehdi Sepahvand  Trend:



Irans President Hassan Rouhani called on the neighbouring countries for cooperation in order to have a powerful region.



Instead of trying to be first power in the region we should make collective effort to have a more powerful region, Rouhani said.



He made the remarks addressing an international conference on dust storms in Tehran, organized by the UN, Trend's correspondent reported from the event.



We will not be able to gain benefit by threatening others and if Saudi Arabia or the US think otherwise they are mistaken, Rouhani said, adding that win-win polices should be carried out for settling the regional issues.



In this region we are a family and cannot stand apart from each other, the Iranian president underlined.



He further said that terrorism is waging havoc on regional environment.



Referring to dust storms problem in Iran, Rouhani said that over 80 percent of the storms in the country originate from outside.
Tehran, Iran, July 3



By Mehdi Sepahvand Trend:



Irans President Hassan Rouhani called on the neighbouring countries for cooperation in order to have a powerful region.



Instead of trying to be first power in the region we should make collective effort to have a more powerful region, Rouhani said.



He made the remarks addressing an international conference on dust storms in Tehran, organized by the UN, Trend's correspondent reported from the event.



We will not be able to gain benefit by threatening others and if Saudi Arabia or the US think otherwise they are mistaken, Rouhani said, adding that win-win polices should be carried out for settling the regional issues.



In this region we are a family and cannot stand apart from each other, the Iranian president underlined.



He further said that terrorism is waging havoc on regional environment.



Referring to dust storms problem in Iran, Rouhani said that over 80 percent of the storms in the country originate from outside.



International Conference on Combating Sand and Dust Storms started work on July 3 with participation of 43 world countries which have been more affected by the SDS.



Besides Rouhani, Irans Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif, Head of Environment Protection Organization Massoumeh Ebtekar, Energy Minister Hamid Chitchian and a number of lawmakers have taken part in the Tehran international conference being held at the level of ministers and experts for three days.



Additional reporting by Fatih Karimov
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



The Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC) has sized a large number of communication and eavesdropping equipment in a northern neighborhood in capital Tehran.



The IRGCs intelligence arm has also arrested four members of the criminal group involved in the illegal trading of the wiretapping equipment, Tasnim news agency reported.



According to the report the equipment were smuggled into Iran through its frontier areas.



The report did not provide further details on the operation and the detainees.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has called on the countrys judiciary officials to defend the nations rights and support their legal freedoms.



Addressing a group of officials on the occasion of the national judiciary week in Iran, he said that judiciary should serve as a flag-bearer of public rights, the official website of the leader reported.



He said that it is the judiciarys duty to take the required action to defend citizens' rights and it should fight offenders.



Ayatollah Khamenei further called on the judiciary to firmly declare support for oppressed figures of the world, including Sheikh Ibrahim Zakzaky, leader of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), Muslims in Myanmar and Kashmir.


Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3



By Khalid Kazimov  Trend:



Several Kurdish news sources have reported that Iranian military forces have targeted mountainous areas of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) in northern Iraq.



According to the local media, Iranian artillery on Monday shelled the border town of Haji Omararan, injuring one man.



Iranian officials have not commented on the development, so far.



A couple of days ago, Iranian media outlets reported that at least one border guard was killed in an armed clash with goods smugglers across the countrys borders with Iraq.

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Iranian President Hassan Rouhani says a multi-billion-dollar gas deal signed between Iran and French energy giant, Total, will facilitate the transfer of technological, scientific and managerial experience between Iran and France, PressTV reported.

In a meeting with Total Chairman and Chief Executive Patrick Pouyanne in Tehran on Monday, Rouhani said France enjoys a prominent position in the field of economy and energy technology.

Signing and implementing this contract will be a positive step toward further expansion of economic and technological cooperation between the two countries, the Iranian president added.

He noted that his administration sought to sign the landmark nuclear agreement, known as the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), with the P5+1 group of countries in order to lay the ground for the enhancement of Irans economic cooperation with giant companies.

Iran and the five permanent members of the United Nations Security Council  the United States, France, Britain, Russia and China  plus Germany signed the mammoth agreement in July 2015 and started implementing it in January 2016.

Under the JCPOA, Iran undertook to put limitations on its nuclear program in exchange for the removal of nuclear-related sanctions imposed against Tehran.

Fortunately, the existence of political will [both] on the Iranian side and among the P5+1 countries led to the agreement with Total, Rouhani said.

The National Iranian Oil Company (NIOC) and Total signed the contract, the first by a European firm in more than a decade, in Tehran on Monday to develop phase 11 of South Pars field, which is the world's largest gas field.

According to Total, the project will have a production capacity of 2 billion cubic feet per day or 400,000 barrels of oil equivalent per day including condensate. Total added that the produced gas would supply the Iranian domestic market starting in 2021.

The first phase of the South Pars gas field development will cost around $2 billion, the giant French energy corporation said.

The Iranian president further stated that big foreign companies can invest in projects in Irans oil and gas sectors valued at around $200 billion.

Total seeks long-term ties with Iran

Pouyanne, for his part, stressed the importance of making efforts to implement the deal and expressed hope that it would prepare the ground for further cooperation among Iran and other European companies.

He called for bolstering cooperation between Iranian and European companies in various sectors, saying that Total had decided to boost long-term cooperation with Iran in the fields of gas, oil and petrochemicals.
By Shreya Goswami: While we're quite familiar with Israelis in India, because of the number of tourists from that Middle-Eastern country who come for a visit every year, we barely know enough about the food they cook and eat. And now that the Indian Prime Minister, Narendra Modi, is visiting the Jewish land for three days, we hope he gets to taste some of their amazing delicacies.

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Jewish food has been heavily influenced by cultures from around the world, thanks to the diaspora. One can find everything from the German strudels to the pilafs and sambusaks from Turkey. And then there are the dishes that are commonly served in all Middle Eastern states, like falafel, pita bread, and hummus.

Also Read: This foodie's 4-day-long journey through Dubai will give you major vacation goals

Because of the concept of kosher laws in Judaism, there are a variety of vegetarian dishes that are popular across the country. Some of these are eaten every day, and some are prepared for special occasions, like Sabbath and Hanukkah. Here are some of the vegetarian dishes we think the Prime Minister should definitely indulge in while he's in Israel.

1. Fatayer

It looks like a pie or pizza, and tastes really good, thanks to all the veggie stuffing. Fatayer also comes in a minced meat variety, but the vegetarian ones made with spinach, cheese and veggies tastes as good. The bread for this dish is crispier than pita, and makes for a good meal or snack any day.

Picture courtesy: Pinterest/196 flavors - Authentic World Cuisine Blog Picture courtesy: Pinterest/196 flavors - Authentic World Cuisine Blog

2. Matzo

Traditionally eaten during the Jewish Passover festival, matzo is made without leavening or rising agents. Which means it tastes absolutely delicious without any eggs or yeast! Matzo is flat and crispy, and it can be turned into an accompaniment for savoury and sweet dishes, so feel free to have it with cheese or chocolate--whatever you like.

Picture courtesy: Pinterest/Leite's Culinaria

Also Read: 3 vegetarian dishes PM Modi must try while in Vietnam

3. Muttabal

India isn't the only nation that loves to indulge in eggplant or baingan. Muttabal, a rich and creamy dip quite like hummus, is one of the most-enjoyed dishes in Israel. A good dose of spices and sesame seeds are added to muttabal, making it a delicious dish you can enjoy with pretty much anything.

Picture courtesy: Pinterest/WordPress.com

4. Sabich

Now this dish is so delicious that you'll forget all about sandwiches and burgers after one taste. Pita bread is stuffed with fried eggplant and a number of other veggies to make sabich, which can be found in every street food joint in Jerusalem. Another version of the dish also includes boiled eggs, making sabich a very healthy bite.

Picture courtesy: Pinterest/My Goodness Kitchen - easy vegan recipes Picture courtesy: Pinterest/My Goodness Kitchen - easy vegan recipes

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Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Elena Kosolapova  Trend:

At the end of the last week, US President Donald Trump announced a new program on development of oil and gas fields on the countrys shelf. Following the announcement, a number of Europeans, including officials, told their fellow citizens that this program will finally allow the European countries getting rid of the Russian gas yoke and switch to the American liquefied natural gas (LNG). However, making such statements, the Europeans are highly disingenuous or indulge in wishful thinking.

Indeed, Moscow tends to use gas supplies as a means of blackmail and political pressure, and gas prices vary widely for loyal and disloyal governments to the Kremlin. Thus, friendly Belarus is paying $130 per 1,000 cubic meters of gas in 2017, while for unfriendly Ukraine, Russias Gazprom has set the price of $200-210 per 1,000 cubic meters since early 2017, which Ukraines Naftogaz refused to pay and preferred the reverse gas supply from the EU. However, even the most expensive Russian gas is cheaper for Europe than gas supplies from the US.

It will be possible to supply gas from the US to the EU only as LNG. According to BP, the cost of LNG is much higher than that of conventional gas  it was $6.94 per 1 million British thermal units (BTU) in Japan, on which nearly a third of world LNG purchases accounted for in 2016.

This is while the price of the most expensive imported conventional gas amounted to an average of $4.93 per 1 million BTUs in 2016  the price paid on Germanys border. The cheapest imported natural gas was in Canada, which cost $1.55 per 1 million BTUs. It is also worth noting that the main volumes of LNG arrived in Japan from relatively closely located countries  Australia and Indonesia. Supplying LNG from the US to Europe will cost even more due to the vast distance.

Supply of American LNG to the EU has not been established yet and it testifies to the fact that it is economically unprofitable to supply it despite the favorable geopolitical conjuncture.

So far, only two LNG tankers have left the US ports and approached the European shores - Portugal in April 2016 and Poland in June 2017.

If such supplies are at least a little profitable, the Americans could scrape money together for an additional tanker or two, or even a dozen LNG tankers for the EU within more than a year to support European partners in their efforts to ensure energy security.

Even without a new program for the offshore exploration, the US is among the world's leaders in gas production (according to BP, 749.2 billion cubic meters or 21 percent of global production). However, it did not happen, and the cost of American LNG for Europe is delicately hushed up, and plans for the further supplies are not disclosed.

Thus, the US gas will hardly press Russias Gazprom in the European market. Being in right mind and having a much cheaper alternative, no one will buy gas which costs an arm and a leg even if from a political point of view, expensive gas is more attractive.

To date, in principle, there are no suppliers that will be able to shake the hegemony of Gazprom in Europe. The Azerbaijani gas expected to be supplied to the EU by 2020 will not jeopardize the monopoly of Russia in the European gas market. Of course, Azerbaijani gas will be supplied to Europe. Its supplies to Europe have been contracted for 25 years ahead.

At present, the construction of the Trans-Anatolian Natural Gas Pipeline (TANAP) and Trans-Adriatic Pipeline (TAP), specifically designed for supplying Azerbaijani gas to the EU, is in full swing. Billions of dollars, including the European companies money, have been invested in TANAP and TAP.

Finally, the EU has defined diversification of sources and routes of energy supplies as its strategic goal. Azerbaijani gas is currently the only real alternative to Russian gas, and Europe has managed to agree upon the supplies of the Azerbaijani gas. Therefore, Europe wont refuse from Azerbaijani gas under any circumstances.

However, Azerbaijani gas volumes are not large: annual supplies to the EU will amount to 10 billion cubic meters given domestic consumption of 450 billion cubic meters of gas in Europe. At the same time, according to experts forecasts, gas imports to Europe will increase, as the demand for gas in the EU grows, while domestic production gradually falls.

Thus, gas coming from Azerbaijan to the EU wont lead to reduction in purchases of Russian gas. It will only occupy a place that emerged in the European market. Although in this case even small but stable volumes are big contribution to the energy security of the EU.

Gas from Turkmenistan, Iran and the Middle East could compete with the gas supplied by the Gazprom company in the European gas market. But in order for such supplies to become a reality, European leaders will have to show remarkable political will, and this hasnt been observed so far.

Meanwhile, as Alexey Miller, the chairman of the Management Committee at Gazprom, said at the companys annual general meeting of shareholders held at the end of last week, record volumes of Russian gas supplies to the EU were reached in 2016, this is while Gazprom increased gas supplies to Europe by 30.4 billion cubic meters over the past year and a half.

It should be noted that all this was achieved against the backdrop of considerable deterioration in Russia-EU relations, mutual sanctions and sharp irreconcilable statements from the both sides.

So, decreasing the share of Russian gas in the European market is out of the question.

---

Elena Kosolapova is Trend Agencys staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @E_Kosolapova
At least 11 people were killed and scores more people were injured in flash floods triggered by heavy rains in Pakistan's southwestern province of Balochistan, officials said Sunday, France Press reported.

"Heavy rainfall on Friday triggered flash floods which swept away mud houses Lasbela district of Balochistan causing damage to life and property," Hashim Ghilzai, a district administration official told AFP.

"The rain had swept away 14 people and we have recovered 11 dead bodies today while three people are still missing," he said.

Provincial disaster management authorities said twenty house had been damaged by the flash floods.

Abuzar Ghaffari, chief of paramilitary troops in the area, said they were searching for dead bodies with the help of sniffer dogs.

Poorly built homes across Pakistan, particularly in rural areas, are susceptible to collapse during the annual spring and monsoon rains in July-August, which are often heavy.

Severe weather in recent years has killed hundreds and destroyed huge tracts of prime farmland.

The worst flooding in recent times occurred in 2010, when they covered almost a fifth of the country's total landmass, killed nearly 2,000 people and displaced 20 million.
At least three people were injured in a shooting incident in a Swedish southern city of Malmo, Sputnik reported citing local police.

"According to the information from the hospital, the condition of the two persons is assessed as serious, and the third as normal," the police said in a statement.

The injured are the men aged between 20 and 30, the police specified without providing any other details.

According to the local Sydsvenskan newspaper, the incident took place in a crowded district near a food shop. All the injured were reportedly known to the police on drugs trafficking cases.
Russian President Vladimir Putin and President European of the European Commission (EC) Jean-Claude Juncker will discuss Nord Stream 2 and Turkish Stream at the meeting in Hamburg, as well as the prospects for the rapprochement between the European Union and the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU), according to aide to the Russian President Yury Ushakov, TASS reported.

According to him, the meeting between Putin and Juncker is planned on the sidelines of the G20 summit on July 7. The parties will give special attention to the normalization of trade, economic and investment cooperation between the Russian Federation and the EU. "In the energy sector, it is planned to discuss the Nord Stream 2 project and gas supplies to Europe through the Turkish Stream, as well as prospects for resuming the Russia-EU energy dialogue," Ushakov said, adding "it is also planned to exchange views on the prospects for European and Eurasian integration."

As for the international agenda, Putin and Juncker are going to discuss the situation in Syria and Ukraine, as well as migration issues related to the uncontrolled migrant flow from the Middle East and North Africa into the EU, Ushakov said.
President Donald Trump will use fast-growing supplies of U.S. natural gas as a political tool when he meets in Warsaw on Thursday with leaders of a dozen countries that are captive to Russia for their energy needs, Reuters reported.

In recent years, Moscow has cut off gas shipments during pricing disputes with neighboring countries in winter months. Exports from the United States would help reduce their dependence on Russia.

Trump will tell the group that Washington wants to help allies by making it as easy as possible for U.S. companies to ship more liquefied natural gas (LNG) to central and eastern Europe, the White House said.

Trump will attend the "Three Seas" summit - so named because several of its members surround the Adriatic, Baltic and Black Seas - before the Group of 20 leading economies meet in Germany, where he is slated to meet Russian President Vladimir Putin for the first time.

Among the aims of the Three Seas project is to expand regional energy infrastructure, including LNG import terminals and gas pipelines. Members of the initiative include Poland, Austria, Hungary and Russia's neighbors Latvia and Estonia.

Trump's presence will give the project a lift, said James Jones, a former NATO Supreme Allied Commander.

Increased U.S. gas exports to the region would help weaken the impact of Russia using energy as a weapon or bargaining chip, said Jones.

"I think the United States can show itself as a benevolent country by exporting energy and by helping countries that dont have adequate supplies become more self-sufficient and less dependent and less threatened," he said.

Trump's Russia policy is still taking shape, a process made awkward by investigations into intelligence findings that Russia tried to meddle in the 2016 U.S. presidential race. Russia denies the allegations and Trump says his team did not collude with Moscow.

Lawmakers in Trump's Republican Party, many of whom want to see him take a hard line on Russia because of its interference in the election and in crises in Ukraine and Syria, support using gas exports for political leverage.

"It undermines the strategies of Putin and other strong men who are trying to use the light switch as an element of strategic offense," said Senator Cory Gardner, a Republican from Colorado who is on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.

The Kremlin relies on oil and gas revenue to finance the state budget, so taking market share would hurt Moscow.

"In many ways, the LNG exports by the U.S. is the most threatening U.S. policy to Russia," said Michal Baranowski, director of the Warsaw office of think-tank the German Marshall Fund.
The US undersecretary for political affairs and the Russian ambassador to the United States have discussed the upcoming meeting between US President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin in the German city of Hamburg this week, the State Department announced in a release on Monday, Sputnik reported.

"Under Secretary for Political Affairs Thomas Shannon met today with Russian Ambassador Sergey Kislyak to follow up on recent conversations between Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and Russian Foreign Minister Lavrov, and to address the upcoming meeting between Presidents Trump and Putin," the release said.

Moreover, Shannon and Kislyak discussed an organization of another meeting between Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov, the US State Department added.

"Under Secretary Shannon and Ambassador Kislyak also discussed scheduling a new meeting between Under Secretary Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Ryabkov, as well as ongoing efforts to address issues of mutual concern in our bilateral relationship," the department said after a meeting between Shannon and Kislayk.

Putin and Trump are expected to meet at the G20 summit in Hamburg on July 7-8.

Earlier on Monday, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said the meeting between the two countries leaders is of great importance for international security and bilateral relations that are now at a low level.

Ushakov noted that terrorism as well as the situation in Syria and Ukraine may be the topics of the Trump-Putin meeting. Besides, they may touch upon the topic of arms control and strategic security, he added.
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Supporters of Fethullah Gulen in the US are a real threat to the country, Turkish Justice Minister Bekir Bozdag said, the countrys media outlets reported July 3.

Turkey has information that members of the Gulen movement are changing their names and converting to Christianity, Bozdag noted.

He went on to add that the Gulen supporters also join various Christian sects.

Bozdag urged the US authorities to be more vigilant against members of the Gulen movement.

The Turkish authorities accuse Fethullah Gulen, living in the US, of being involved in the military coup attempt in Turkey on July 15, 2016.

On July 15, 2016, Turkish authorities said a military coup attempt took place in the country as a group of servicemen announced about transition of power to them. However, the rebelling servicemen started to surrender July 16 and Turkish authorities said the coup attempt failed.

More than 200 people were killed during the attempted coup.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

The US and the EU openly support various terrorist groups, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), allies of Fethullah Gulen and the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) group, and these actions pose an obvious threat to Turkey, the Turkish Star newspaper cited Yalcin Topcu, chief advisor to the countrys president.

Using its entire military and intelligence power, the US wants to create a state on the territory of Syria on the border with Turkey, according to Topcu.

He further said that at present, Germany also openly supports the PKK, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Fethullah Gulen terrorist movement.

In was reported that on June 21, Turkey started to bring military presence near the border with Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

By Rufiz Hafizoglu  Trend:

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Russian President Vladimir Putin will meet as part of the G20 summit, TRT Haber TV channel cited Ibrahim Kalin, head of the Turkish presidential press-service, as saying July 3.

G20 summit will be held in Hamburg, Germany July 7-8.

Kalin added that the Russian and Turkish presidents will discuss the ways to resolve the Syrian crisis as part of the meeting.

Syria has been suffering from an armed conflict since March 2011, which, according to the UN, has claimed over 500,000 lives.

Militants from various armed groups are confronting the Syrian government troops. The Islamic State (IS), the Kurdish Peoples Protection Units (YPG) and Kurdish Democratic Union Party (PYD) are the most active terrorist groups in Syria.

---

Follow the author on Twitter: @rhafizoglu
Baku, Azerbaijan, July 3

Trend:

The Greek coast guard fired bullets at a Turkey-flagged freighter in the Aegean Sea on July 3 after it refused to obey calls from the Greek authorities to stop at the countrys port, Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Haluk Sami Kalkavan, the captain of the ship, told private broadcaster CNN Turk in a phone call that Greek coast guard boats fired shots on the ship around three miles off the island of Rhodes.



Kalkavan said the Greek coast guard instructed him to approach the Rhodes port in international waters but he refused to obey the call and briefed the Turkish side of the situation. The coast guard then fired shots in the direction of the ship as it was heading to Turkish territorial waters, he added, noting that there were 16 bullet holes in the ship.
By India Today Web Desk: The day is finally here. Iss Pyaar Ko Kya Naam Doon 3, that's all set to mark Barun Sobti's comeback, premieres today. And though the show's fans will be missing Sanaya Irani aka Khushi in this latest installment, Barun's new leading lady Shivani Tomar is hoping viewers accept her character too.

Here's everything you want to know about ASR and his new love Chandni:

Barun on ASR: Advay Singh Raizada is an out-and-out dark character. He is unapologetically dark because of his past. He is not at all considerate about the society. He is a science professor. How's Advay different from Arnav: Arnav had found a way to hide his misery behind his work. Arnav never really dealt with his problem, he never liked to talk about his parents. Basically, that was what ate him up and that was what the whole character was about. Advay, on the other hand, refuses to stop thinking about it and his whole agenda revolves around his past. He is not like he will not talk about it. He will talk about it and he will react and behave based on what has happened in his past life. His agenda is very clear. Shivani on Chandni: My character Chandni is the perfect blend of modern and traditional. She knows the Gita as well as she knows her name. She is charming, and can do nothing wrong," said Shivani on her character in the show. Shivani on comparisons with Sanaya: I am not concentrating on what people have to say. I am just trying to do my job as perfectly as I can. It is a fresh start for my career, and I want things to begin on a positive note. Even Gul ma'am (Producer) wanted me to be a part of this show. And Season 3 has nothing to do with Season 1. It is a new story, a new chapter.

One day before the premiere of #IPKKND3 A post shared by Barun Sobti (@barunsobtisays) on Jul 1, 2017 at 3:03pm PDT

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KYODO NEWS - Jul 3, 2017 - 12:56 | Arts, All

A local western Japanese news radio program featuring a virtual presenter has begun a month-long test run.

The program, which converts a news script into an audio broadcast, was developed by electronics maker Sony Corp. and Kyodo News Digital Co.



(Supplied image)

News stories and weather forecasts are being delivered by a female-voiced virtual newsreader named Midori Sawamura. While only a voice on radio, she appears as a computer-generated animated character on screen.

The trial run is taking place on a weekly radio program "Radio Monster!" by Nankai Broadcasting Co. based in Matsuyama, Ehime Prefecture.

A demonstration of the same newsreader system was carried out in March on a Shizuoka Broadcasting System television program broadcast in central Japan.

(Supplied image)
Trump

Twenty-five Democratic lawmakers now back a bill that would give them a path to remove President Donald Trump from office, Yahoo News reported.

The bill would create an Oversight Commission on Presidential Capacity, and it appears to be based on a section in the 25th Amendment which allows for the president to be removed from office if the Vice President and either a majority of Trump's cabinet or a majority of Congress sign off on it.

The specific language of the relevant section of the amendment reads:

"Whenever the Vice President and a majority of either the principal officers of the executive departments or of such other body as Congress may by law provide, transmit to the President pro tempore of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives their written declaration that the President is unable to discharge the powers and duties of his office, the Vice President shall immediately assume the powers and duties of the office as Acting President."

John D. Feerick, former dean of Fordham Law School, is one of the chief architects of the 25th Amendment who shepherded it through Congress in the early 1960s.

He told Business Insider in an earlier interview that the senators who signed the provision into law specified that declaring the president unfit must rely on "reliable facts regarding the president's physical or mental faculties," not personal prejudice.

"If you read the debates, it's also clear that policy and political differences are not included, unpopularity is not included, poor judgment, incompetence, laziness, or impeachable conduct  none of that, you'll find in the debates in the congressional record, is intended to be covered by Section IV," Feerick said.

The House bill had 21 supporters last week, and four more Democrats signed on after the president fired off a series of inflammatory tweets Thursday aimed at "Morning Joe" hosts Joe Scarborough and Mika Brzezinski.

Story continues

"I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore)," Trump began in a pair of tweets. "Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!"

The tweets earned Trump sharp criticism from both sides of the political aisle, with many of his staunchest allies saying the comments were unnecessary.

The bill is sponsored by Maryland Rep. Jamie Raskin and has support from high-profile House Democrats like Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi and former Democratic National Committee chair Debbie Wasserman-Schultz.

While the measure has gained steam among House Democrats, it's unlikely it will garner enough support to pass. Though Democratic lawmakers say that some Republican congressmen have privately expressed interest in the measure, it still needs more support from the GOP. Moreover, even if it were to pass both chambers, the president would have to sign off on it. And if he vetoed the bill, which he almost certainly would, Congress would need a 2/3 majority to override his veto.

Rebecca Harrington contributed to this report.

Editor's note: An earlier version of this article stated that the bill would allow for Trump's impeachment. It has been updated to reflect that the bill would allow for Congress to remove the president from office based on his fitness to serve.

NOW WATCH: 'Do you even understand what you're asking?': Putin and Megyn Kelly have a heated exchange over Trump-Russia ties





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guerrero25 wrote:

Margaret: According to a report provided by the National Employment Department of Litia, former police officers of the Litian police force are more likely to work as security officers than other Litians.



Sam: Obviously, you havent considered the fact that 80 percent of all security officers working in Litia have never served in the Litian police force.



Which of the following is the most accurate evaluation of Sams reply?

(A)It shows that being able to become a security officer does not always result in becoming one.

(B)It provides additional evidence in support of Margarets claim.

(C)It is compatible with Margarets claim.

(D)It provides statistical information that proves Margarets claim incorrect.

(E)It shows the distinction between what is necessary to become a security officer and what is sufficient to become one.



Gist of what Margaret says : A former police officer in Litia will have a more quantified desire/inclination to become a security officer, than someone(Litian) who is from a non-police background.



Gist of what Sam says : The current strength of all the security officers in Litia has 80% of people who have not been in the Litian Police force,however the remaining 20% have served in the Litian police force at some point of time in the past.



(A)It shows that being able to become a security officer does not always result in becoming one.

(B)It provides additional evidence in support of Margarets claim.

(C)It is compatible with Margarets claim.

(D)It provides statistical information that proves Margarets claim incorrect.

(E)It shows the distinction between what is necessary to become a security officer and what is sufficient to become one.

The bone of contention between both :Likely to do something doesn' always result in DOING that. To paraphrase what Margaret said, if given an option among say Job A, Job B and Job C(Security Officer), a retired police officer(Litian) is more likely to choose Job C.However,it is by no means,binding on him/her.Also, they both might be talking about 2 different sets of people.It is no-where mentioned that the retired police officers were not able to qualify as security officers.Evidence in support of Margaret's claim would have been if Sam would have stated something like this : Out of the given strength of retired police officers(Litian), 90% are currently security officers.Correct.Maybe there are 100 security officers in Litia. 80 are from a non-police background and among these 80 people, maybe some are not even from Litia itself.However,20 were in the Litian police force.Say the retired police officers in Litia are 30 in number. Thus, out of 30, 20 are security officers now.So,what Sam states is compatible with Margaret's said.This option would be correct,had Sam said something like this :Out of the given strength of retired police officers(Litian), 90 % have expressed an interest in not becoming a security officer.No such thing is evident.IMO C._________________
Reports said Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who will retire in August end, is likely to be Vohra's replacement.

By India Today Web Desk: Jammu and Kashmir Governor NN Vohra has written to Centre asking it look for his replacement. Vohra, in his letter, has said that he wants to step down citing his age and health. However, the government has said that reports about Vohra wanting to quit is baseless.

Reports said Home Secretary Rajiv Mehrishi, who will retire in August end, is likely to be Vohra's replacement.

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Vohra,81, was appointed Governor of Jammu and Kashmir in 2008. He was given a second term in 2013. Vohra had served as Principal Secretary to the Prime Minister from 1997 to 1998.

Vohra's offer to step down as Governor of Jammu and Kashmir has come at a time when the region is witnessing turbulent times. Terror attacks and incidents of stone pelting have increased in the state particularly after killing of young Hizbul Mujahideen militant Burhan Wani.

The terror 'poster boy' was gunned down in July last year. His death triggered a widescale protests in the Valley. The region was put under curfew for over 50 days following Wani's encounter.

ALSO READ:

J-K Governor appointed as president of IIC

Jammu and Kashmir: After beheading of jawans, Indian Army prevents future attacks on troops

Indian Army strikes Pakistan posts along LoC in Jammu and Kashmir, releases video of assault

WATCH: Video released by Indian Army shows heavy shelling on Pakistani posts in Naushera

--- ENDS ---
jedit wrote:

The dengue flu was introduced in Arizona through infected blood products. The disease spreads through contact and can have serious implications on the overall health infrastructure. To contain the spread of disease, the government is launching a public awareness campaign, urging people to report as soon as they experience probable symptoms.



Which of the following provides the greatest support for the government's statement that the spread of disease will be contained through the awareness campaign?



A- Dengue flu worsens in a few days to an extent that the person needs to be hospitalized.

B- Most people are afraid of the disease and are motivated to limit the spread of the same.

C- The disease cannot be treated by over the counter medicine and requires prescription drugs.

D- The spread of the disease threatens Arizona's economy, which is manufacturing base that requires people to come in contact.

E- During the first few hours of the disease, the symptoms of this disease cannot be diagnosed easily.

Extreme statement. Moreover such fact is neither concluded nor mentioned in statement.

Correct Answer. Matches to gap identified above. People are aware and want to fight the situation.

Out of scope.

Out of scope.

Weakening the statement.





THERE IS LIKELY A BETTER DISCUSSION OF THIS EXACT QUESTION.

This discussion does not meet community quality standards. It has been retired.



If you would like to discuss this question please re-post it in the respective forum. Thank you!



To review the GMAT Club's Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow these links: --== Message from the GMAT Club Team ==--If you would like to discuss this question please re-post it in the respective forum. Thank you!To review the GMAT Club's Forums Posting Guidelines, please follow these links: Quantitative Verbal Please note - we may remove posts that do not follow our posting guidelines. Thank you.

Conclusion : Government is launching public awareness campaign to contain the spread of disease.Premise: disease spreads through contact and can have serious implications on health.Gap: Government and people area aware of implications ?or Government and people are determined to fight this situation.A- Dengue flu worsens in a few days to an extent that the person needs to be hospitalized.B- Most people are afraid of the disease and are motivated to limit the spread of the same.C- The disease cannot be treated by over the counter medicine and requires prescription drugs.D- The spread of the disease threatens Arizona's economy, which is manufacturing base that requires people to come in contact.E- During the first few hours of the disease, the symptoms of this disease cannot be diagnosed easily.
- A Nigerian man from Imo state has built a made-in-Nigeria car with local raw materials

- The genius engineer received support from a philanthropist who bought the car and donated funds towards the invention

Darlington Chimezie, the founder and president of Faith of Darlington Foundation has provided support to a genius Nigerian engineer who built a made in Nigeria car with local raw materials.

Legit.ng gathered that Chimezie heard about the Imo-based engineer, Ephraim Akwuiwu, while he was talking about his invention on radio.

Chimezie called in on the program to announce his support. He announced that he would fund the engineer to produce one armoured vehicle for him.

Man who manufactures made-in-Nigeria car with local raw materials receives support

The philanthropist later told newsmen that it is time for Nigerian elites and people with financial background to start helping people.

READ ALSO: Genius! Engineer manufactures made-in-Nigeria car with local raw materials in Imo state (photos)

Akwuiwu who was beyond happy thanked the philanthropist for making the order to help grow his business

He also urged the federal government to create funds to help young innovators to help them achieve their goals.

Engineer Akwuiwu who was beyond happy thanked the philanthropist for making the order to help grow his business.

PAY ATTENTION: Get all the latest gossips on NAIJ Gossip App

Facebook user, IfeanyiCy Njoku, shared the good news on his page.

Wawu! Keep moving forward!

Watch the Legit.ng TV video below to catch up on the latest chat had with Nnamdi Kanu on the Biafra agitation:

Source: Legit.ng
As of August 26th, 2021 Yahoo India will no longer be publishing content. Your Yahoo Account Mail and Search experiences will not be affected in any way and will operate as usual. We thank you for your support and readership. For more information on Yahoo India, please visit the FAQ
Three newly-recruited militants are believed to be trapped in residential area. The area has been cordoned off.

By Ashraf Wani: Security forces gunned down two terrorists today morning and at least one another is believed to be hiding inside a house in south Kashmir.

Security forces launched a search operation in Bamnoo Keller area of Pulwama this morning following information about presence of at least at least one militant there. The operation is still underway.

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Two militants were killed in the encounter which was still going on. The identity of the killed terrorists could not be ascertained immediately.

The Special Operations Group (SOG) Pulwama and 44 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) of Army have cordoned off the area and a combing operation is on.

Jammu and Kashmir police and the Central Reserve Police Force have joined in the operation that was still continuing, he added.

Monday's operation in Pulwama has come barely 10 hours after civilian protesters helped a group of militants escape a cordon and search operation in the Malangpora village of the same district.

The protesters had clashed with the security forces late on Sunday evening forcing them to call off the operation near the military air base in Koil.

On Saturday (July 1) top Lashkar commander Bashir Lashkari, were killed in an encounter in Anantnag.

Hailing from Kokernag area of Anantnag district in south Kashmir Bashir Lashkari crossed to Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) in 1999.

He returned from PoK under state government ammenisty scheme announced by by the then CM Omar Abdullah government in 2012. Lashkari was jailed till 2014. and got reactivate as terrorist in 2015.

Lashkari considered to be one of Lashkar's most wanted commander carried a bounty of Rs 10 lakh on his head.

Lashkari was also responsible for killing of SHO Feroz with other 5 policeman last month.

ALSO READ:

Anantnag encounter: Top Lashkar commander among 2 militants killed, 2 civilians die in clashes

Encounter to flush out 3 Hizb militants in Pulwama; stone pelters urged to 'save brothers'

WATCH: Kashmir: Army patrol attacked in Tral

--- ENDS ---
The United States government may force Gurmukh Singh to leave the country.

Singh works as a taxi driver in Southern California. The government denied his request for asylum 18 years ago. Since then, he has been trying to persuade U.S. immigration officials to overturn the expulsion order.

The Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, or ICE detained Singh in early May. His wife and two daughters are American citizens.

Alan Lowenthal represents a part of Southern California in the U.S. House of Representatives. Shortly after Singhs detention, Lowenthal offered a private immigration bill to the House for consideration. If approved, the measure would give Singh the legal right to stay in the country.

However, the Trump administration recently changed the way immigration officials deal with such cases.

What is a private bill?

Private bills are pieces of legislation that create a law that affects only one person or a small group of people. Private bills can stop a law from affecting someone, provide special help, or remove legal responsibility for some wrongful act.

Often, members of Congress write private bills to help people who been unsuccessful in dealing with the U.S. immigration system.

How often does this happen?

Private bills are rare. Between 1986 and 2013, Congress approved such measures just 94 times.

Jill Marie Bussey is the director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network. She says about 300 private bills have been proposed in Congress since 2010. That number could fall because of changes in the way ICE deals with private bill cases.

What are the changes to private bills?

Until last month, ICE delayed expulsions of undocumented immigrants named in private bills in Congress. The agency says there were about 70 such cases over the past six years.

But in May, ICE told Congress it would only delay expulsions for up to six months -- and only after receiving a written request from the chair of the House and Senate judiciary committee or one of their subcommittees.

Committee chairs are usually members of the majority party. Republican lawmakers now control the House and Senate.

ICE says most private bills are designed to give people permanent resident status by circumventing the normal immigration law network.

Bussey says that private bills are only used when there is no other way to resolve the immigration case under current law.

This is not about circumventing, she says. This is about providing protection in very unique ways.

Robert Law is the director of government relations at the Federation for American Immigration Reform. He said the changes will help make the process fairer.

But some members of Congress believe the changes give too much power to the president.

Dianne Feinstein is the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee. Dick Durbin is the top Democrat on the Immigration Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee. In a joint statement, they described the change as a mean-spirited action that tramples firm, longstanding practice between two co-equal branches of government.

Can members of Congress intervene at all?

Members of Congress can also have an influence on immigration cases in other ways. Bussey says members can contact a local ICE office, or the State Department, when a case involves visa issues.

Theres human error in all of this stuff, says Bussey. Even doing everything the right way -- you know youve completed the forms properly, you know youve completed the case -- things can go wrong.

That is how Florida Representative Charlie Crist, a Democrat, was able to help the Huynh family. They are friends of his family and operate a jewelry store in his state.

Crist told VOA that he entered the store a few months ago and saw that Mrs. Huynh was sad.

She was telling me about her daughter Kim who had gotten married a year prior and yet her husband wasnt allowed to come to Vietnam to be with her in America, he said.

Crist began to work with Florida Senator Marco Rubio, who was already making telephone calls about the case to the State Department. State Department workers met with Kims husband at his home in Vietnam. They saw a photograph of the lawmaker and asked if he was a family friend.

Three days later, Kims husband was given a visa.

What role can Congress play?

Immigration powers are divided between Congress and the president. Finding a balance between them often means looking for areas where one of them has done something they are not permitted to do.

Law says there needs to be (a) clear line about what the letter of the law is and if there are problems with the law, then we have a legislative process to fix it.

Bussey says that when members of Congress get personally involved in immigration cases they learn more about what is happening in federal agencies and what people are facing day to day and hopefully they can learn from that.

Im Alice Bryant. And I'm Bryan Lynn.

VOAs Katherine Gypson wrote this story. Christopher Jones-Cruise adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor.

We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments Section, or visit our Facebook page.

_______________________________________________________________

Words in This Story

expel  v. to officially force (someone) to leave a place or organization

resident  n. someone who lives in a particular place

status  n. the current state of someone or something

circumvent  v. to avoid being stopped by (something, such as a law or rule); to get around (something) in a clever and sometimes dishonest way

trample  v. to treat other people's rights, wishes or feelings as if they are worthless or not important

practice  n. the action of doing or using something

error  n. something that is not correct; a wrong action or statement

stuff  n. informal used to speak in a general way about something that is talked about, written about, etc.

allow  v. to permit (something)

letter of the law  expression the specific meaning of a law
The folks at FriendlyARM produce a range of single-board computers including a model that basically looks like a Raspberry Pi (but which packs more power), and a few smaller models that are less than half the size, but which are still basically full-fledged computers that could be used for Internet-of-Things applications, or even as a tiny, low-power desktop.

FriendlyARMs latest mini PC is called the NanoPi Neo Plus2 and at about 40mm x 52mm, its half the size of a Raspberry Pi computer. But it has a quad-core ARM Cortex-A53 processor, 1GB of RAM, 8GB of eMMC storage, Gigabit Ethernet, 802.11n WiFi, and Bluetooth 4.0.

Its a surprisingly versatile little computer given its small size. And its got a reasonably small price too: FriendlyARM sells the NanoPi Neo Plus2 for $25.

The system also has two USB 2.0 ports, a microSD card slot, a micro USB port (for power), and a set of GPIO pins for developers (or for connecting HATs to extend the little computers functionalit).

Equipped with an Allwinner H5 processor with Mali-450 graphics, FriendlyARM says the system supports mainline U-boot and Linux and the company offers Ubuntu Core 16 and Debian NAS operating systems. Dont expected hardware-accelerated graphics in Linux anytime soon, but you might have better luck on that front with Android.

via CNX Software
This photograph depicts Clostridium difficile colonies after 48hrs growth on a blood agar plate; Magnified 4.8X. C. difficile, an anaerobic gram-positive rod, is the most frequently identified cause of antibiotic-associated diarrhea (AAD). It accounts for approximately 15-25% of all episodes of AAD. Credit: CDC

Intestinal infection with the bacterium Clostridium difficile is the most frequent healthcare-linked infection in the United States. Each year it afflicts about half a million Americans, causes tens of thousands of deaths, and costs the nation's healthcare system an estimated $5 billion. Now researchers from the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania have found evidence that the most difficult C. difficile cases, known as multiple recurring C. difficile infections (mrCDI), are rapidly becoming more common.

In an analysis of a large, nationwide health insurance database, the Penn researchers determined that the annual incidence of mrCDI increased by almost 200 percent from 2001 to 2012. During the same period the incidence of ordinary CDI increased by only about 40 percent. The study results were published in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

The precise mix of reasons for the sharp rise in mrCDI's incidence is so far unknown. But the authors say the finding clearly points to an increased burden on the healthcare system, including increased demand for new treatments for recurrent CDI. The most promising of these new treatments, fecal microbiota transplantationthe infusion of beneficial intestinal bacteria into patients to compete with C. difficilehas shown good results in small studies, but hasn't yet been thoroughly evaluated.

"The increasing incidence of C. difficile being treated with multiple courses of antibiotics signals rising demand for fecal microbiota transplantation in the United States," said study senior author James D. Lewis, MD, MSCE professor of Gastroenterology and senior scholar in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics. "While we know that fecal microbiota transplantation is generally safe and effective in the short term, we need to establish the long term safety of this procedure."

In their analysis of CDI trends, , the researchers made use of a commercial database with records on more than 40 million U.S. patients enrolled in private health insurance plans. Cases of CDI were considered to have multiple recurrences when doctors treated them with at least three closely spaced courses of CDI antibiotics.

According to the analysis, the incidence of CDI rose by about 43 percent from 2001 to 2012, while the incidence of mrCDI rose by 189 percent over the same period.

Compared to CDI patients whose infections cleared up after just one or two courses of therapy, patients with mrCDI were older (median age 56 vs. 49), more likely to be female (64 percent vs. 59 percent), and more likely to have been exposed, before their CDI, to medications such as corticosteroids, proton-pump inhibitors, and antibiotics. The rapid rise in the incidence of mrCDI may be due in part to Americans' increasing use of such drugs. However, according to Lewis, it is likely that other causes are also involved.

"An additional driver of this rise in incidence could be the recent emergence of new strains of C. difficile, such as NAP1, which has been shown to be a risk factor for recurrent CDI," he said.

C. difficile can encapsulate itself within hardy spores, making it relatively resistant to normal sterilizing procedures. It is notorious for spreading among vulnerable patients within hospitals. Infection causes diarrhea and severe gut inflammation, and can lead to fatal blood infections (sepsis), especially among the elderly. The antibiotics metronidazole, vancomycin, and fidoxamicin are commonly used to treat CDI, but recurrence after initial treatment happens in roughly a third of cases.

Because C. difficile appears to thrive in people whose normal, healthy gut bacteria have been killed off or diminished, gastroenterologists recently have begun using fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) as an alternative to antibiotics for recurrent CDI. Long used in veterinary medicine, FMT involves infusions of fecal matter from healthy intestines. The aim is to help restore a normal gut bacteria population in the patient and thereby discourage C. difficile growth.

A small study in 2013 found that a single FMT infusion cleared up C. difficile diarrhea in 81 percent of the recurrent-CDI patients who received it, whereas a standard treatment with the antibiotic vancomycin worked for just 31 percent of patients. Lewis notes that despite such promising results, more needs to be known about FMT's long-term safetyand the fast-rising incidence of mrCDI underscores this need.

The American Gastroenterological Association recently set up a formal registry for doctors to report their results with FMT procedures. "It's a way in which practitioners who are performing fecal microbiota transplantation can contribute data to help answer these critical questions," Lewis said.
Hospital officials in Washington state have apologized after failing for months to inform a pregnant woman she was likely infected with the Zika virus that can cause devastating birth defects.

Andrea Pardo, 33, of Issaquah, Wash., was tested for the virus in October, after becoming pregnant while living in Mexico. The results were ready by December, but Pardo wasn't notified until April - 37 weeks into her pregnancy, just before she delivered her daughter, Noemi.

So far, the baby appears healthy. But the delay, blamed on a mistake at the University of Washington clinic where Pardo received care, deprived her of the chance to make an informed choice about her pregnancy, she said.

"Nothing would have changed for me," she said. "But if I had found out around 20 weeks, I guess I could have made some decisions there."

Dr. Timothy Dellit, a UW Medicine infectious-disease expert, told Kaiser Health News he called Pardo to explain the error.

"I apologized for the fact that test results were not given to her back in December," he said. "It was just an unfortunate way those tests were handled."

The incident adds to questions about careful tracking of Zika tests and the potential consequences of delayed or inaccurate results, even as recommendations for surveillance have expanded.

In the wake of the Zika outbreak that began in early 2015 in Brazil, there have been reports of botched or delayed tests in the U.S., health officials said.

In February, nearly 300 Zika tests for pregnant women conducted by the Washington, D.C., public health laboratory had to be repeated after the discovery that technicians skipped a necessary step, causing all results to be negative. One pregnant woman later tested positive for the virus, and another 25 pregnant women had inconclusive results, said LaShon Beamon, a spokeswoman for the district's Department of Forensic Sciences.

Although it's "not the norm," said Dr. Kelly Wroblewski, director of infectious diseases for the Association of Public Health Laboratories, she has heard of several recent instances of patients not receiving Zika test results promptly.

"The reports aren't getting to the right clinicians," she said. "Where and how that breakdown is happening, I can't say from where I sit."

Health officials in the U.S. and beyond have conducted hundreds of thousands of tests as Zika spreads. The CDC alone has sent out 400,000 tests in U.S. states and territories and more than 700,000 worldwide, spokesman Tom Skinner said.

In May, officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention expanded recommendations for Zika testing to include not only pregnant women who might have been exposed to the virus but women with risk factors who are thinking of becoming pregnant.

The Zika virus, which can be passed from a pregnant woman to her fetus, can cause potentially severe birth defects, including microcephaly, characterized by a small head, vision and hearing problems and developmental delays. After news that the virus was spreading in Latin America, requests for abortions spiked, researchers found.

Pardo said she probably wouldn't have terminated her pregnancy had she known earlier that she was infected with Zika - but she would have wanted accurate information.

Dellit said clinic staff knew that Pardo had been exposed to Zika and cared for her appropriately. Officials have revamped the test protocols, double-checking that results from outside labs make it into medical files and are communicated to patients, he added.

Pardo traveled to Las Guacamayas, Mexico, last June to be with her husband, Hector Pardo, 28. He originally came to the U.S. as a teenager without documentation and had to leave the country while his immigration status was resolved. He returned to Washington state in December and now works for a furniture company.

Andrea Pardo is on maternity leave from her job as an academic counselor in the University of Washington's microbiology department. The couple also have a 3-year-old daughter.

Andrea became pregnant last August. At the same time, she developed what she thought was a heat rash and other symptoms of illness, but a doctor there downplayed any risk of Zika infection, she said.

It's a stealthy virus; 4 out of 5 people never know they're infected, while others might show mild symptoms, such as fever, rash, joint pain, muscle aches and red eyes. The effects in unborn fetuses, however, can be devastating, experts say.

A blood test in Mexico was negative for Zika. Pardo returned to the U.S., when she was 16 weeks pregnant, and tested positive for dengue, which, like Zika, is a flavivirus. Because the two viruses can cross-react in tests, doctors couldn't tell for sure whether she had a Zika infection, too.

Pardo's samples were sent for additional tests, which were processed promptly by the state health department and by a CDC-approved laboratory in Minnesota. But the results weren't sent to Pardo.

She learned of the results only when she received a letter in late April from UW scientists recruiting patients with Zika for a research trial. It said she had tested positive for Zika.

"I thought I was negative," she said. "I was really upset about it. How dare they give me a diagnosis that wasn't true?"

Pardo pressed her doctor for answers - and learned then she was presumed infected.

She took her baby to Seattle Children's Hospital, where Noemi was seen by experts in microcephaly.

Dr. Hannah Tully, a pediatric neurologist, confirmed that the baby appears healthy, with no sign of a Zika infection.

But Pardo said she's haunted by the positive results of her test. She worries her daughter could still develop problems - one of the many unknowns of the Zika scourge.

"It was shocking just because I didn't know how to advocate for my baby," she said. "Thankfully, she was developing normally, but even without microcephaly, they don't really know."

2017 Kaiser Health News

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
The National Investigation Agency have opened a case of 2011 with new evidence and against Hizbul Mujahideen Supreme commander Syed Salahuddin and Hurriyat leaders.

By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Old ghosts have come to haunt Hurriyat leaders and Hizbul Mujahideen in a case of 2011 for terror funding. Top level sources said that investigation by the National Investigation Agency (NIA) has gathered steam in the Hurriyat truth tapes, series of revelations made by India Today sting exposing separatist leaders Nayeem Khan, Bitta Karate and Javed Gazi Baba, who are on Pakistan's payroll to disrupt peace in the Valley.

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The sting created ripples in Kashmir and Delhi after which an FIR was lodged, with investigation and raids conducted in 26 locations in Jammu and Kashmir, Delhi and Haryana.

An elaborate seizure of 22 computers, laptops, 94 mobiles, 170 pen drives and 26 memory sticks for forensic examination to the Indian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT-IN). But the old case of 2011 has now been revived by the NIA with new evidence and old proof against Hizbul Mujahideen Supreme commander Syed Salahuddin and Hurriyat leaders.

The note says the investigation is being conducted into Syed Salahuddin, who commands and controls the planning and execution of terror activities by HM cadre and JKART, a frontal organisation. It adds that he used number 0092561458**** to communicate with separatists and secessionists in Kashmir Valley.

MONEY TRAIL OF NAYEEM KHAN

The NIA note mentions elaborately the money trail of Nayeem Khan, one of the first separatist leader to be stung by India Today. The note mentions that in November 2009, Nayeem Khan received fund of Rs 5 lakh that was paid at his Barzulla residence to his wife by Mohammed Siddiq Ganai. The money was facilitated by Mohammed Farooq Dagga, a man with terror links to Hizbul Mujahideen. The same modus operandi was used to fund Rs 10 lakh in March 2010. Another Rs 10 lakh in May and June 2010, Rs 10 lakh in September 2010 were transferred.

FUNDING OF SYED ALI SHAH GEELANI

The note says that the 2011 case is relevant to the 2017 case of terror funding, in which a document of Ministry of Home Affairs entails further details of funding of Hurriyat hawk Syed Ali Shah Geelani. In Feburary 1999, Syed Ali Shah Geelani was paid 13,000 US dollars. Of this, Geelani kept Rs 6 lakh and Rs 3 lakh were kept by Ghulam Mohammed Bhat.

In March 1999, Geelani got 11000 dollars. In June 2000, Geelani was paid Rs 20 lakh. In April 2005, he was paid Rs 15 lakh by an unknown man. In 2005-06, Geelani was paid Rs 5 lakh by Nazir Qureshi. In April 2006, the Hurriyat leader was paid Rs 15 lakh by a man with code name of Abdullah Malik and the same man paid Rs 16 lakh in July 2006.

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The document further entails Mohammed Maqbool Bhat giving money to separatist leader Shabir Shah; Bhat also paid Rs 10 lakh every quarter to Yasin Malik through Noor Mohammed Kalwal in JKLF office in 2010. The data shows that top leaders and second rung leaders of Hurriyat were consistently getting money through hawala route. Something which was known to the anti-terror agency way back in 2011.

A senior ranking official of the NIA said, "There was enough evidence available in 2011 but the agency did not go after the leaders including Geelani, Yasin Malik and Mirwaiz. The investigation trail led the agency close enough. But perhaps the government went soft on them," he added.

UPA GAVE FREE HAND TO NIA

However, an officer, who was earlier working closely with the case said, "The UPA government had given a free hand to the NIA. There was a paper trail and circumstantial evidence but the case lacked direct evidence, and so the agency pressed charges only against four and not against the Hurriyat hawks." The officer further said that if there were charges pressed against the top leaders, the case may have fallen flat causing embarrassment. Similarly, the chargesheet in terror funding case of 2011 mentions a November 2007 case, when a Tata sumo was caught in Udhampur with Rs 46,89,500 along with HM stamps meant for Syed Ali Shah Geelani. Three letters of HM were also recovered.

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The first investigation of terror funding in the Valley began in December 2010, when the Delhi Police put two Pakistan phone numbers on intercept - 9560872567 and +923335000846 - belonging to Maqbool Pandit, a functionary of Hizbul Mujahideen based in Pakistan (Residence 25, Gulshan-e-khudad, Almehar colony, E-11, 13 A Golra Sharif, Islamabad).

Based on inputs, a maruti car was stopped in Bemina with illegal hawala money of Rs 20 lakh recovered from four accused (Ghulam Mohammed Bhat, Ghulam Jeelani Liloo, Farooq Ahmed Dagga and Mohammed Sidiq Ganai). Maqbool was actively involved with conduits in Saudi and Pakistan to fund terror gangs and activities. The money was being routed from Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, England and other countries.

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In 2011, the case was handed over to the NIA.

CONNECTIONS IN SAUDI ARABIA

Aijaz Maqbool, another player in Saudi Arabia (Residence in Shara Siteen, Ankash, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and house no 1163, Babu Mohala, Syalkot, Pakistan) played a key role in sending hawala money.

Terror conduits used instruction codes like "Dukaan khol kar rakho or khol lo (means to switch the mobile phone on), Dawai le li hai (which means money has been taken), 5 kilo chini/dal which meant Rs 5 lakh.

During 2008 to January 2011, conduits had collected Rs 4 crore fifty seven lakh through hawala channels.

WHATSAPP AND STONE-PELTING

The current investigations have found 28 prominent WhatsApp groups through which youths in the Valley believed to be organised for stone-pelting, and is in the process of identifying their moderators. Around 6,000-7,000 youths linked to stone-pelting are also under investigation.

The agency has recovered letter heads of Lashkar and HM from homes of suspects, old and new receipts of funding to anti-india modules have also been recovered, which as per the agency sources is a big evidence.

The NIA sources said that evidence is available against the big hawks: Geelani, Mirwaiz and Yasin Malik. But the NIA is waiting for the situation to improve in Kashmir before they swoop down for further action and possible arrests.

Also read: Jammu-Kashmir Police take 3 Hurriyat leaders into preventive custody

Also read: India Today impact: NIA files FIR to probe Lashkar-Hurriyat links

Also watch: NIA calls in Hurriyat leaders Naeem Khan, Bitta Karate, others for questioning

--- ENDS ---
More than 1,370 counties now have only one insurer that will sell on the Affordable Care Act exchanges next year, while about 40 have none, an analysis of the latest data by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and USA TODAY shows.

The exodus of insurers is due in large part to the uncertainty created by the Trump administration, industry and other health care experts say. And even some insurers that submitted 2018 plans and proposed rates with state insurance commissioners are publicly wavering about whether or not they will follow through and sell them. They have until at least mid-September to change their minds.

Insurers are increasingly exiting the off-exchange market as well, forcing wealthier people who buy unsubsidized plans to rely on the very Obamacare marketplace the administration and Republicans in Congress have pilloried and worked to undermine. And that's if there are still insurers selling plans at all in some counties.

President Trump has referred often to these people as "Obamacare victims" because of steep premium increases. However, about two-thirds of the rate increases proposed for 2018 are due to the administration's own actions, the consulting firm Oliver Wyman estimated last month.

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) replacement bill that could come up for a vote after senators return from their July 4th recess includes funding to pay for subsidies that reduce deductibles and co payments for about 7 million people. Trump has refused to commit to continue funding them and his administration has suggested it might not enforce the mandate that people have health insurance.

Insurers support the mandate because healthier people are less likely to buy plans if there's no penalty and they're needed to offset the cost of covering sicker people.

Rate hikes proposed so far range from 11% in Vermont to 50% in New York. The national range at this point would be far lower it wasn't for this "Trump Tax" of insurers pricing with the assumption they won't be reimbursed for the subsidies or that the mandate to have insurance won't be enforced, says Charles Gaba, a data expert who runs ACASignups.net.

Medica, Iowa's reluctant only insurer on or off the exchange, just announced requested rate increases of nearly 45%.

Along with steep losses, insurers including Anthem in Ohio and Aetna cited this uncertainty when explaining decisions to depart states' insurance markets. Daniel Hilferty, CEO of Independence Blue Cross and Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee are among those publicly saying their filings are not final decisions to stay on the exchanges.

"For the first time, this has to be wait and see," Hilferty said in a recent interview.

If his company left the exchanges in New Jersey and Pennsylvania, it would leave several counties around Philadelphia without an insurer for people who need to shop on the exchange. Independence would, however, remain in the off exchange market to retain a presence in individual plan sales.

The most vulnerable exchange counties are in Indiana, Ohio and Missouri, but wealthier small business owners and others could be out of luck in other parts of the country where there are only one or two insurers selling on the exchanges.

"In those places, (insurers) are just entirely throwing up their hands and walking away," says Paul Howard, director health policy at the free market Manhattan Institute.

Due to the uncertainty surrounding the ACA, insurers may be more likely to file and then reconsider the decision this year, says Robert Wood Johnson Foundation senior adviser Katherine Hempstead.

ACA critics say the law is in a "death spiral" and focus on rising premiums and the number of insurers that have dropped off the federal and state exchanges as evidence. But insurers have been increasingly leaving the "off exchange" insurance market, the new analysis shows.

People earning less than 400% of the federal poverty levelor about $97,000 for a family of fourare eligible for tax credits to help pay their premiums, but have to buy on the exchanges to get them. The tax credits increase with the premiums.

Consumers who don't get financial assistance can buy direct from insurance companies or brokers, but get the full brunt of premium hikes.

Off exchange plans sometimes have better features, such as out-of-network benefits, says Hempstead. Chicago broker Jordan Wishner says buying off the exchange also eliminates the "marketplace headache" of dealing with technical glitches and spotty call center service with Healthcare.gov.

While it may not be necessary to have the government run the exchange, Hempstead says consumers need an unbiased place to shop online to compare products.

"The federal and state exchanges are currently the most important distribution channel for individual coverage," says Hempstead. "They are critical, not just for those needing tax credits, but for the market as a whole."

Markets for wealthier people

Until recently, when insurers dropped off the exchanges, they typically remained in the off-exchange market, where higher-income people who tend to have fewer health problems shop. That was sometimes because they wanted to sell other types of insurance in the state or wanted to be able to go back to selling ACA exchange plans later if the market improved.

Now, several have given up that option. Aetna bucked that trend when it began leaving states altogether for 2017.

"I do think it's a mess," Charleston, S.C. radiologist Tara Noone says of the individual market.

Noone, who is in private practice with her physician husband, says they pay about $1,600 a month for their family of four for insurance with an $8,000 deductible. There's only one insurerBlueCross BlueShield of South Carolinaselling plans that meet the ACA standards.

She describes "basically just paying all providers for care out-of-pocket myself and paying way too much for catastrophic coverage."

Competitionand subsidies can keep insurance more affordable. In California, adjunct college professor Elisa Urmston's subsidized plan went from $150 to $240 with a $5,000 deductible this year and she had 11 insurers to choose from. Before the ACA, she went 10 years without insurance after a cancer battle made plans too pricey, so "I know from terrible. This is not terrible."

The current political debate is making Urmston very nervous: "I'm looking at this and thinking, 'Well it was nice while it lasted, but we'll see.'"

When there's only one or two insurers left in a state or county, which insurer it is can be as important as the fact they are the only one, says Hempstead.

Big national insurers, such as United Healthcare, Aetna and Cigna are among those that have abandoned the ACA exchanges the most.

Like South Carolina, many southern states have only one insurer, but it's a non-profit Blue Cross company that only does business in that state and is less likely to leave. Most of North Carolina only has the insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield of North Carolina, but the insurer did threaten to leave the exchange last year for 2017..

Iowa's predicament makes the opposite point. A much smaller insurer, Medica, was left with the likelihood it would be the only insurer left selling individual politics on or off the ACA exchanges after Wellmark Blue Cross & Blue Shield dropped out.

Fears of Medica's withdrawal prompted Iowa's insurance commissioner to race to get approval for an ACA waiver that would, among other things, allow insurers there to charge older people more and younger people less than the ACA allows.

Approval is still pending and Medica filed to sell in Iowa, although could still leave the state before mid-September as others across the county can.

Wellmark has said it would remain in the market if the plan is approved by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

Read more:

Insurers' exits from states don't affect people who get their insurance through their employers or government program, such as Medicare or Medicaid.

Insurance companies selling outside of the ACA exchanges tend to be the larger national carriers or Blue Cross Blue Shield, says Hempstead. Smaller carriers including Molina Healthcare and Centene tend to specialize in lower income consumers. Centene said last month that it plans to sell ACA plans in Kansas, Missouri and Nevada and to expand in six other states.

"For people paying out of their own pocket, the risk pool is just bad," says Howard, referring to the number of healthy vs. sicker patients buying insurance. "There's not enough competition between providers to get rates down to a more sustainable level for insurers and their populations."

If all the insurers selling ACA plans left a state or county, there would still be some insurance available to these higher-income consumers; it's just that many experts say isn't "real insurance."

States including Iowa, Virginia and Nebraska allow insurers to sell plans that aren't comprehensive enough to meet the ACA. These include things like short-term plans, coverage for accidents or specific diseases.

This type of insurance, sold by companies including U.S. Health under brands Freedom Life Insurance and National Foundation Life Insurance, can have higher rates depending on a person's medical history and age. The ACA prohibits insurers from charging people moreor rejecting thembased on pre-existing conditions and greatly restricts how much more than can charge older people.

They're "phantom plans," says Gaba. He reported last year that U.S. Health's ACA exchange plans typically only covered one person in the states where its pricey plans were on exchanges.

Contributing: Camille Chrysostom, Erin Barry and Kate Covington

2017 USA Today

Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

A single genetic change linked both to a reduction in human height and an increase in osteoarthritis risk might seem like it would quickly be kicked to the evolutionary curb. After all, how could it be an advantage to be both shorter and less mobile in the cutthroat competition for scarce resources and fickle mates? Darwin's finches would be appalled.

Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at Harvard University have shown that, despite its association with the painful joint disease, this genetic variant has been repeatedly favored as early humans migrated out of Africa and into colder northern climates. At least half of Europeans and Asians harbor the gene variant, which is relatively rare in African populations.

"Because it's been positively selected, this gene variant is present in billions of people," said David Kingsley, PhD, professor of developmental biology at Stanford. "So even though it only increases each person's risk by less than twofold, it's likely responsible for millions of cases of arthritis around the globe. This study highlights the intersection between evolution and medicine in really interesting ways, and could help researchers learn more about the molecular causes of arthritis."

A more compact body structure due to shorter bones could have helped our ancestors better withstand frostbite and reduce the risk of bone fracture from falling, the researchers speculate. These advantages in dealing with chilly temperatures and icy surfaces may have outweighed the threat of osteoarthritis, which usually occurs after prime reproductive age.

Cold may have selected for gene variant

"The gene we are studying shows strong signatures of positive selection in many human populations," said Kingsley, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a member of Stanford Bio-X. "It's possible that climbing around in cold environments was enough of a risk factor to select for a protective variant even if it brought along an increase likelihood of an age-related disease like arthritis, which typically doesn't develop until late in life."

A paper describing the research will be published online July 3 in Nature Genetics. Kingsley is the senior author. Harvard graduate student Jiaxue Cao and former Stanford postdoctoral scholars Terence Capellini, PhD, and Hao Chen, PhD, share lead authorship. Capellini is now an associate professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, and Chen is an associate clinical scientist at Genentech Inc.

The researchers were studying a gene called GDF5 that Kingsley's laboratory first linked to skeletal growth in the early 1990s. GDF5 is involved in bone growth and joint formation, and mutations in the coding portion of the gene have been shown to cause malformations in leg-bone structure in mice. In humans, GDF5 mutations are associated with shorter stature and joint problems; in particular, two nucleotide changes immediately upstream of the gene have been strongly associated with a 1.2- to 1.8-fold increase in the risk of osteoarthritis.

In the new study, the researchers were interested in learning more about how the DNA sequences surrounding GDF5 might affect the gene's expression. Often, these noncoding sequences contain key regulatory regions known as promoters and enhancers. Capellini, Chen and Cao were able to identify a previously unknown enhancer region they termed GROW1, which is several thousand nucleotides downstream of GDF5.

When the researchers analyzed the sequence of GROW1 in the 1,000 Genomes Project database, which collects and compares sequences from many human populations around the globe, they identified a single nucleotide change that is highly prevalent in Europeans and Asians but that rarely occurs in Africans. When they introduced this nucleotide change into laboratory mice, they found that it decreased the activity of GDF5 in the growth plates of the long bones of fetal mice.

A common thread

Further research showed that this nucleotide change has been repeatedly favored during human evolution. Modern humans migrated from Africa between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. But they weren't the first to leave the continent. Neanderthals and Denisovans moved north into Europe and Asia about 600,000 years ago. Interestingly, the researchers found that the same GROW1 variant was found in the DNA of both ancient and modern humans in Europe and Asia.

However, there's a dark side to this stocky, hardy body type: The GDF5 variant that reduces bone length comes hand-in-hand with the two upstream nucleotide changes known to confer an increased risk for osteoarthritis.

"It's clear that the genetic machinery around a gene can have a dramatic impact on how it works," said Capellini. "The variant that decreases height is lowering the activity of GDF5 in the growth plates of the bone. Interestingly, the region that harbors this variant is closely linked to other mutations that affect GDF5 activity in the joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee and hip."

"The potential medical impact of the finding is very interesting because so many people are affected," said Kingsley. "This is an incredibly prevalent, and ancient, variant. Many people think of osteoarthritis as a kind of wear-and-tear disease, but there's clearly a genetic component at work here as well. Now we've shown that positive evolutionary selection has given rise to one of the most common height variants and arthritis risk factors known in human populations."

More information: Ancient selection for derived alleles at a GDF5 enhancer influencing human growth and osteoarthritis risk, Nature Genetics (2017). Journal information: Nature Genetics Ancient selection for derived alleles at a GDF5 enhancer influencing human growth and osteoarthritis risk,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/ng.3911
For the first time, a large population study has quantified the chance of pregnancy after treatment for cancer diagnosed in girls and women aged 39 or under. This landmark study, which linked all cancers diagnosed in Scotland between 1981 and 2012 to subsequent pregnancy, found that the cancer survivors were 38% less likely to achieve a pregnancy than women in the general population. This detrimental effect on fertility was evident in almost all types of cancer diagnosed.

"This analysis provides the first robust, population-based evidence of the effect of cancer and its treatment on subsequent pregnancy across the full reproductive age range," said presenter Professor Richard Anderson from the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, UK. "The major impact on pregnancy after some common cancers highlights the need for enhanced strategies to preserve fertility in girls and young women."

Professor Anderson will present the results of the study today at the Annual Meeting of ESHRE in Geneva.

The need for better access to fertility preservation has become more pressing in recent years for two reasons: first, the improved rates of survival in young women and girls diagnosed with cancer; and second, improvements in the techniques of freezing eggs and ovarian tissue to restore fertility.

This latest study, which cross-linked 23,201 female cancer survivors from the Scottish Cancer Registry with hospital discharge records, revealed 6627 pregnancies among the cancer survivors when nearly 11,000 would have been expected in a comparable matched control group from the general population.

For women who had not been pregnant before their cancer diagnosis, 20.6% of the cancer survivors achieved a first pregnancy after diagnosis (2114 first pregnancies in 10,271 women), compared with 38.7% in the control group. Thus, women with cancer were about half as likely to achieve a first pregnancy after diagnosis as were controls.

The analysis also found that the chance of pregnancy was reduced in all age groups, with substantial variations between different cancer diagnoses - notably, reduced pregnancy rates in women with cervical cancer, breast cancer and leukaemia. However, those cancers diagnosed later within the study period (2005-2012) were associated with higher rates of pregnancy than those diagnosed earlier (1981-1988), suggesting that for some cancer treatments the impact on fertility has reduced.

The diagnosis and treatment of female cancers are known to affect fertility for several reasons: some chemotherapy regimens can cause damage to the ovary, and this can occur at any age; radiotherapy can also compromise female fertility through effects on the ovary, uterus and potentially those brain centres which control the reproductive axis.

However, Professor Anderson stressed that the results of the study related only to subsequent pregnancy itself, and not to the incidence of infertility caused by cancer treatment. "Some women may have chosen not to have a pregnancy," he explained. "Thus, while these results do show an expected reduction in the chance of pregnancy after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, having a pregnancy after cancer does involve a range of complex issues that we cannot address in this study."

With rates of cancer survival increasing in both young male and females, fertility preservation ahead of treatment has an increasing role to play in fertility clinics. However, Professor Anderson described such services in all parts of the world, including the USA and Europe, as "very variable". "Oocyte and embryo freezing are regarded as established," he said, "but ovarian tissue cryopreservation is considered experimental, although it is the only option for prepubertal girls."

He added that the results of this study would allow clinicians to advise girls and women more accurately about their future chance of pregnancy. "They emphasise the need to consider the possible effects on fertility in girls and women with a new cancer diagnosis. The implications of the diagnosis and planned treatment and, where appropriate, options for fertility preservation should be discussed with the patient and her family. Even for patients considered at low risk of infertility as a result of treatment, a fertility discussion is recommended before treatment begins."
An inexpensive fertility drug, which has been available for more than 50 years and can be taken orally, has proved as effective as other more costly hormones when used for ovarian stimulation before intrauterine stimulation (IUI). Investigator Dr Noor Danhof from the AMC Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Amsterdam says the results of the study, a large randomised trial performed in the Netherlands, now make this "least expensive and least invasive stimulation agent" the drug of choice in IUI.

The results of the study will be presented today at the 33rd annual meeting of ESHRE in Geneva.

IUI with ovarian stimulation is in many countries first-line fertility treatment for couples with unexplained and mild male infertility. The cause of infertility in many couples - in some studies as many as one-third of all cases - cannot be diagnosed or explained, and this group of patients still represents a real challenge to fertility clinics, with options ranging from wait-and-see ("expectant management") to IVF. Between them lies the common approach of IUI, with prior ovarian stimulation to increase the number of leading follicles and thereby the chance of pregnancy. However, this approach has been linked to an increased risk of multiple pregnancy, so close ultrasound monitoring of ovarian response is always indicated.

Given this risk, it is also a matter of some controversy of how the ovarian stimulation for IUI should be performed, either with a course of routinely used injections of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or a shorter course of the non-hormonal drug clomiphene citrate. The trial reported today will now help resolve that controversy.

The study, performed in 24 fertility centres in the Netherlands and including only couples with unexplained or mild male subfertility, randomised 369 women to IUI with FSH and 369 women to IUI with clomiphene. Results showed that 31% (113 women) had an ongoing pregnancy following IUI with FSH and 26% (97 women) had an ongoing pregnancy following IUI with clomiphene; there was no statistical difference between the two.

Results also showed that five women (1%) had a multiple pregnancy following IUI-FSH and eight (2%) had a multiple pregnancy following IUI-CC - again, a statistically non-significant difference.

Dr Danhof reports that the study was sufficiently powered to detect and prove a difference of 10% in ongoing pregnancies between the two stimulation agents.

Patients in both arms of the study were treated with standard protocols of stimulation with either FSH or clomiphene, the former given by daily injection and the latter by daily tablet. The mean duration of stimulation with FSH was eight days, with total costs for the eight days estimated at 200 euros per patient. Clomiphene was given for five days (from cycle day 3, 4 or 5, with total costs estimated at 5 euros per patient.

"We showed that IUI stimulated with FSH is not superior to IUI and clomiphene in terms of ongoing pregnancies, live births and time to pregnancy," said Dr Danhof. "We also found a comparable low multiple pregnancy rate between IUI-FSH and IUI-CC - and these are now the reasons why we recommend using the least expensive stimulation agent. It's also a benefit for patients that clomiphene is administered orally for five days, while FSH is administered by injection."

As background to the study Dr Danhof explained that as many as 70 million people worldwide fail to conceive after one year of regular unprotected intercourse and seek medical help. Routine investigations - semen analysis, ovulation tests, ultrasound examination - will fail to find a clinical explanation in many of these cases, and the treatment of this unexplained infertility remains a challenge. The cumulative pregnancy rates recorded in this study - around 30% - are reasonable in such cases when treated with stimulated IUI.

Despite the allocation of all patients in this study to specific treatment, 48 of the 210 ongoing pregnancies (23%) were achieved by natural conception. This too is in line with the natural conception rate reported from other trials, thus suggesting that "expectant management" (wait-and-see) may be a reasonable option in patients with unexplained infertility - though there is no strong evidence in its favour.

More information: Abstract 0-009, Monday 3 July 2017: Ovarian stimulation in IUI cycles in couples with unexplained subfertility: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or clomiphene citrate (CC)? Abstract 0-009, Monday 3 July 2017: Ovarian stimulation in IUI cycles in couples with unexplained subfertility: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or clomiphene citrate (CC)? NA Danhof et al, The SUPER study: protocol for a randomised controlled trial comparing follicle-stimulating hormone and clomiphene citrate for ovarian stimulation in intrauterine insemination, BMJ Open (2017). DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015680 Journal information: BMJ Open
The need for health professionals to have a stronger focus on communication with Indigenous people has been highlighted by the University of Adelaide's Head of Linguistics, who says some lives are being put at risk because of a lack of patient-doctor understanding.

In a paper published today in the Medical Journal of Australia  coinciding with the NAIDOC Week theme of Our Languages Matter  Dr Robert Amery has raised concerns not just about language but also a lack of cultural awareness that impacts on good communication with Indigenous patients.

Dr Amery, who heads Linguistics within the University of Adelaide's School of Humanities and is a Kaurna language expert, says poor communication can lead to "mistrust and disengagement with the health sector" among Indigenous patients, leading to a lack of compliance with treatment, and ultimately poor health outcomes.

He says there's a 16-year gap in life expectancy for Indigenous people living in the Northern Territory compared with non-Indigenous Australians. Of these Indigenous people in the NT, 70% live in remote areas, and 6065% speak an Indigenous language at home.

"While many speakers of Indigenous languages living in remote areas can engage with outsiders and converse in English about everyday matters, they often have a poor grasp of English when it comes to health communications and other specialised areas," Dr Amery says.

Miscommunication can be subtle, and previous studies have shown that while both parties think they have understood each other, they can in fact come away with very different understandings.

"Miscommunication isn't just about language. Some of these difficulties also arise from the interface of communication and culture, which are often derived from differences in worldview," he says.

"For traditionally oriented Aboriginal people living in remote areas, understanding of disease causation is fundamentally different. Serious diseases, even accidents, are often attributed to sorcery. Germ theory and the immune system are foreign concepts.

"Silence plays an important role in Indigenous cultures. Indigenous people often respond to questions after a prolonged pause, a concept foreign to those doctors who see silence as impolite in their own cultures. They compensate by filling the silence and disrupting Indigenous patients' thoughts. There is a simple solution: pause and allow the patient to think."

He also suggests healthcare professionals avoid the use of "intangible" conceptual English words and vague sentences, instead focusing on factual communication; that they demonstrate how a medical procedure works; and use simple diagrams to explain medical issues.

"These examples may seem plain and obvious, but astoundingly, despite the many hours dedicated to communication in medical education, such concepts are not taught," Dr Amery says.

"An investment of time in the consult will have immense payoffs over the long term."

More information: Robert Amery. Recognising the communication gap in Indigenous health care, The Medical Journal of Australia (2017). Journal information: Medical Journal of Australia Robert Amery. Recognising the communication gap in Indigenous health care,(2017). DOI: 10.5694/mja17.00042
Charles Mullighan, M.D., MBBS, a member of the St. Jude Department of Pathology, with first author Yu Liu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Zhang's Computational Biology laboratory. Credit: Seth Dixon / St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

A consortium including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Children's Oncology Group has performed an unprecedented genomic sequencing analysis of hundreds of patients with T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The results provide a detailed genomic landscape that will inform treatment strategies and aid efforts to develop drugs to target newly discovered mutations.

The data will also enable researchers to engineer better mouse models to probe the leukemia's aberrant biological machinery.

The project's 39 researchers were led by Charles Mullighan, M.D., MBBS, a member of the St. Jude Department of Pathology, with co-corresponding authors Jinghui Zhang, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Computational Biology and Stephen Hunger, M.D., of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The research was selected for advance online publication today in the journal Nature Genetics.

"This first comprehensive and systematic analysis in a large group of patients revealed many new mutations that are biologically significant as well as new drug targets that could be clinically important," Mullighan said. "Leukemias typically arise from multiple genetic changes that work together. Most previous studies have not had the breadth of genomic data in enough patients to identify the constellations of mutations and recognize their associations."

T-ALL is a form of leukemia in which the immune system's T cells acquire multiple mutations that freeze the cells in an immature stage, causing them to accumulate in the body. ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer, affecting about 3,000 children nationwide each year. T-ALL constitutes about 15 percent of those cases. While about 90 percent of children with ALL can be cured, many still relapse and require additional treatment.

The multi-institutional effort involved sequencing the genomes of 264 children and young adults with T-ALLthe largest such group ever analyzed. The study involved sophisticated analysis of multiple types of genomic data, led by Yu Liu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Zhang's Computational Biology laboratory and first author of the study. Their analyses identified 106 driver genesthose whose mutations trigger the malfunctions that block normal T cell development and give rise to cancer. Half of those mutated genes had not been previously identified in childhood T-ALL.

The study enabled the researchers to compare the frequencies of mutations among patients whose cancerous cells were sequenced at the same detailed level, Mullighan said. Also important, he said, was that all the patients had uniform treatment, which enabled the researchers to draw meaningful associations between the genetics of their cancer and the response to different treatments. Such associations will enable better diagnosis and treatment of T-ALL with existing drugs.

Researchers analyzed the cancerous T cells as well as those that treatments had rendered non-cancerous. Comparing the two populations of cells could reveal valuable clues about why specific treatments were successful in thwarting particular cancer-causing mutations.

Charles Mullighan, M.D., MBBS, a member of the St. Jude Department of Pathology, with co-corresponding authors Jinghui Zhang, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Computational Biology. Credit: Peter Barta / St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

The findings revealed significant unexpected findings. "We went into this study knowing that we didn't know the full genomic landscape of T-ALL," Hunger said. "But we were surprised that over half of the new targets and mutations were previously unrecognized. It was particularly unexpected and very striking that some mutations were exclusively found in some subtypes of T-ALL, but not others."

Cancers are driven by mutations in genes that are the blueprint for protein enzymes in signaling pathways in cellsthe biological equivalent of circuits in a computer. While a cancer may arise from an initial founding mutation, that mutation triggers a cascade of other mutations that help drive the cancer.

The new genomic analysis confirmed that T-ALL was driven by mutations in known signaling pathways, including JAK-STAT, Ras and PTEN-PI3K.

However, the new analysis identified many more genetic mutations in those known pathways. The findings offered more targets for drugs to shut down the aberrant cells. "So the frequency of the patients that are potentially amenable to these targeted approaches is higher than we appreciated before," Mullighan said.

The researchers also found cases in which the same T-ALL subtype had mutations in different pathways triggered by the same cancer-causing founding mutation. "We believe this finding suggests we can target such subtypes with an inhibitor drug for one of the pathways, and it's likely to be effective," Mullighan said.

The multitude of new mutations uncovered in the new study will also enable researchers to use genetic engineering to create mouse models that more accurately reflect human cancer, he said. Such models are invaluable for understanding the biological machinery of T-ALL, as well as testing new drug strategies. "We now have a launching pad, if you will, to design mouse models that include multiple genetic mutations to more faithfully reflect the leukemias we see in humans," Mullighan said.

The research also offers a broader lesson for genomic studies of cancers, Zhang said. "Our study is further evidence that if you systematically study a large enough population with careful, detailed genomic analysis, you will discover new mutational patterns of collaboration or exclusion across multiple genes unique to each T-ALL subtype," she said.

The study was a collaboration between the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and the National Cancer Institute's Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) initiative. COG is a federally supported clinical trials group focused exclusively on childhood cancer. TARGET uses genomic analysis of COG samples to identify therapeutic targets and spur development of more effective treatment for childhood cancer.

Study data are available through the St. Jude PeCan data portal and the TARGET Data Matrix to researchers worldwide to explore the newly mapped T-ALL genomic landscape.

More information: The genomic landscape of pediatric and young adult T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia, Nature Genetics (2017). Journal information: Nature Genetics The genomic landscape of pediatric and young adult T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia,(2017). DOI: 10.1038/ng.3909
Cryptocurrency mining in South Africa is gaining popularity, with an increasing number of users earning the likes of Ethereum and ZCash.

The most popular graphics cards among miners are AMDs Radeon RX cards and Nvidia GeForce GTX 10-series units, as these offer the best price-to-performance ratio.

This has resulted in a global shortage of GPUs due to the increased demand from miners, forcing manufacturers to respond by creating cards designed specifically for crypto mining.

Manufacturers like Asus, Gigabyte, and Sapphire have designed new cards with a focus on power efficiency and mining performance, with enhanced cooler designs.

MyBroadband spoke to South African retailers to determine whether these cards would be available in South Africa and when they will arrive.

Retailers

Wootwares Rory Magee said there was no confirmed local release date or pricing for the graphics cards in South Africa.

However, manufacturers such as Asus are reportedly interested in bringing the mining-focused units to the country.

Wootware said it will definitely sell the cards if they become available from suppliers.

Raru said it was waiting for more information regarding the new cards, but has listed Sapphires Radeon RX 470 Mining Edition cards on its online store.

Gigabyte will reportedly not release its Nvidia mining graphics cards in South Africa and it is unclear whether any Nvidia mining graphics cards will launch locally.

Gigabytes new Nvidia cards will currently only launch in Western Europe, China, and Russia.

Evetech said it did not have any information regarding the pricing or launch date of crypto mining cards in SA.

This article first appeared on MyBroadband and is republished with permission.

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Dollar goes up, euro rises sharply in Armenia

U.S. warns Europe that conflict over Taiwan will cause massive global economic shock

EU calls on Armenia, Azerbaijan to moderate their rhetoric

Erdogan says Turkey has been waiting at door of EU for 52 years and will give answer when time comes

U.S. fears that European support for Ukrainian strategy will begin to weaken

Armenia, Iran emphasize need to quickly implement agreements reached (PHOTOS)

Armenia soldier wounded by Azerbaijan shooting undergoes surgery

Gas over morality: Hungary guards Azerbaijan's interests

U.S. quietly seeks concessions from Saudi Arabia after Mohammed bin Salman humiliated Biden

Italy's Ambassador to Armenia visits Gyumri

Russian Armed Forces complete redeployment of grouping from right bank of Dnieper

IRGC: Adversaries are frightened and on alert

Armenia appoints ambassador to Sri Lanka

Kremlin doesn't consider leaving Kherson 'humiliating'

Israeli president thinks the world is concerned about Netanyahu's far-right coalition partner

Chinese MFA: China is not distancing itself from Russia, as Biden believes

Ukraine will seek help from its foreign partners in financing Starlink satellite internet systems

Erdogan: Situation in South Caucasus remains fragile

Marukyan: Azerbaijans Aliyev admitted that his country started 2nd Karabakh war, despite previously insisting opposite

Azerbaijan blackmailing Armenia through Lachin corridor

Turkish-occupied northern part of Cyprus becomes observer in Organization of Turkic States

Armenia PM: In his latest speech Aliyev flagrantly violated agreement on refraining from threat or use of force

World Bank official: Armenia is one of best countries in terms of credit portfolio performance

Azerbaijan president makes repeated accusations, threats against Armenia

Iran citizens injured in Armenia road accident

China reveals new giant drone that could point to the future of air warfare

US embassy in Armenia closed today

Karabakh MOD: Defense Army did not fire at Azerbaijan positions located in occupied territories

Israel and U.S. counter threat of hypersonic missiles together

U.S. and EU plan to publish new roadmap on artificial intelligence

Armenia ombudsperson meets with Belgium colleagues

Newspaper: Armenia parliament opposition seats to no longer be empty

Newspaper: Armenia parliament committee of inquiry into 2020 war circumstances is inactive

U.S. will no longer consider Russia a country with a market economy

US intends to protect Azerbaijan from threats of Iran

Aliyev, Erdogan discuss results of tripartite meeting in Russias Sochi

Azerbaijan army fires at Armenia positions, uses mortars as well

UAE is going to launch flying cabs from airports

Volvo Cars expects to introduce electric SUV by 2024

Amazon becomes world's first public company to lose $1 trillion in market value

EU's odd couple: Ursula von der Leyen and Charles Michel can't stand each other

US, China set first benchmarks ahead of presidents' meeting

Iranian MFA summons Azerbaijani ambassador to carpet in connection with anti-Iranian propaganda

Washington to resist any attempt by new Israeli government to annex West Bank

Biden thinks Elon Musk's relations with other countries are worthy of being looked at

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister tells Polish senator about consequences of Azerbaijani aggression

Armenian deputy in Vilnius talks about goals of Azerbaijan's aggressive policy

Taliban bans women from gyms

U.S. to send Ukraine another $400 million in military aid

Ursula von der Leyen announces EUR 250 million support package for Moldova

Biden and Jinping meet on sidelines of G20 summit in Bali to be held on November 14

Riches of world get poorer suddenly

State Duma deputy: Interparliamentary format Yerevan-Baku-Moscow will be included soon to solve issues

IMF sees growing risk of economic fragmentation

Armen Gevorgyan to visit Strasbourg, Brussels and Paris

State Duma deputy: Upper Lars border crossing capacity has increased fivefold

UK government freezes over 18 billion pounds worth of Russian assets

State Duma deputy on Zatulin's ban on entering Armenia: These issues must be resolved

Borrell calls for retooling EU infrastructure for rapid transport of military equipment to East

European Parliament clears way for Croatia's admission to Schengen Area

European Council President Michel calls on EU member states to jointly purchase gas to reduce fuel prices

Alen Simonyan congratulates scientists on their professional holiday
The main accused, Pulsar Suni, has claimed that he deposited a memory card with photos of the kidnapped Malayalam actress at Kavya Madhavan's shop.

By Indo-Asian News Service: In a new development in the Kerala actress kidnap case, pictures surfaced on Sunday of Malayalam superstar Dileep with prime accused Pulsar Suni - after the actor claimed he never knew the latter.

The probe into the February kidnapping has turned murkier ever since the name of superstar Dileep got linked in the case.

Not much headway has been made into the conspiracy angle though those involved in the crime were arrested in a week's time.

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The latest pictures, shown in TV channels on Sunday, have come at a time when Dileep, during a 13-hour questioning by police last week, claimed he had no clue who Pulsar Suni was.

The pictures were taken at a club in Thrissur near here in November during the shooting of Dileep's film Georgechettan's Poorem.

Last month, Dileep's name surfaced in a jail inmate's letter who shared the cell with Suni. Since then, Dileep is facing the heat.

While Suni and his accomplices were arrested within a week of the kidnapping, police stumbled upon the conspiracy angle last week.

According to Manorama Online, Pulsar Suni told the police that he deposited a memory card with photos of the kidnapped actress at Dileep's wife and actress Kavya Madhavan's online boutique Laksyah in Kakkanad.

A police team reached Kavya Madhavan's place of business and her home here to inspect business records and bank payments.

On Saturday night, newly appointed Kerala police chief Loknath Behra reportedly expressed displeasure over the way the probe was proceeding.

ALSO READ: Dileep on Malayalam actor's abduction - Ready to undergo narco test

ALSO READ: Dileep on being associated with Malayalam actor's abduction - Wanted to kill myself

ALSO WATCH: Seven detained in Malayalam actor molestation case, rape charges filed

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN.  Representatives of the Baku delegation of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) have visited Armenian citizen Zaven Karapetyan, who is captured in Azerbaijan.

Zara Amatuni, the communications officer of the ICRC Yerevan Office in Armenias capital city, told Armenian News-NEWS.am that the visit took place on July 1.

On June 21, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan informed about the capture of an Armenian Armed Forces serviceman, on the Armenia-Azerbaijan border.

Later, the ministry released a video of the interrogation of this man, who was wearing a Turkish-made body armor. The man stated that he was Zaven Karapetyan, a resident of Dovegh village nearby Noyemberyan town in Tavush Province of Armenia; but such a person had never lived in this village.

It was found out, however, that such a person did live in Vanadzor town. Karapetyan, who grew up in an orphanage, has mental issues; and those that know him had no information on him over the past several years.
The licenses of 77 bars along with three and four star hotels have been given permission to serve liquor again.

By Rohini Swamy: After nearly three years, its time for Kerala to say cheers again. About 77 bars were opened in the state in accordance with the new liquor policy of the LDF government.

The licenses of 77 bars along with three and four star hotels have been given permission to serve liquor again.

In 2014, the UDF government under the leadership of then Kerala chief minister Oomen Chandy shut down nearly 730 bars including two and three star hotels by cancelling their licenses.

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With the clamp down of bars, liquor entered the political spectrum in Kerala.

The UDF government had made Sundays as dry days apart from the existing dry days and 5 per cent tax was levied on liquor sold from the Kerala Beverages corporation.

The revenue was to be used to rehabilitate employees who lost their jobs due to the shutting down of bars. All bars were converted into beer and wine parlours.

However, the LDF government reversed the entire decision and have now given permission to all bars including for star hotels to sell hard liquor.

The UDF which is in the opposition now has decided to take the legal route and have appealed to the Kerala High court.

Even the Kerala Catholic Bishop Council have sharply criticised this move by the LDF.

Also read:

Kerala says no to total prohibition: All about state's new liquor policy

For temperance, not prohibition: Kerala Minister to review UDF's liquor policy to revive tourism

WATCH | Kerala comes out tops on India's alcohol consumption chart

--- ENDS ---
YEREVAN.  Armenia cannot replace nuclear power with alternative methods of power generation at the moment, economist Karlen Khachatryan told reporters on Monday.

According to him, this is due to the fact that nuclear power provides 40% of the electricity in the country and a sharp rejection is almost impossible.

But gradually, step by step, it can be achieved. If we look at the trends of recent years, it seems to me that the share of alternative energy in the energy system of Armenia will be much more serious in 10 years, the economist noted, adding that only the role of the government is not enough here.

Khachatryan considers that the share of nuclear power in Armenia may decrease from 40% to 20%, in the case of implementation of plans for switching to alternative energy supply.
In January-June, three million foreigners visited Georgia, which is 354,4 thousand more as compared to the analogous period of last year (growth +13.4%), Sputnik-Georgia reports.

The number of visitors, who visited Georgia for 24 hours and more amounted to 1,3 million people, which is 295.1 thousand people more as compared to the analogous period in 2016, the Facebook page of the National Tourism Administration says.

Most of the visitors were from Azerbaijan (+7.4%), Armenia (+16.2%), Turkey (-15.9%), and Russia (+27.5%).

The greatest number of frequent EU state visitors were from Austria (+54%), the Netherlands (+ 36%), Germany (+32%), UK (+28%), France (+23%) and Lithuania (+17%).

Citizens of Iran (+223.4%), Uzbekistan (+163%), Saudi Arabia (+159%), India (+133%), Israel (+48%) and China (+41%) have started visiting Georgia frequently.

As to the data of the recent months, 666,4 thousand foreigners visited Georgia in June alone, which is 147,7 more as compared to the analogous period last year (growth +28.5%).

According to the data of the first quarter of 2017, the income from foreign tourism amounted to $434,6 million (growth +23.3%), which is $82 million more as compared to the analogous period last year.

As per the data of the first quarter of 2017, the share of tourism in the Georgian GDP made up 6.8% (growth +0.8%). In 2016, the share of tourism in the GDP totaled 7.1% (growth +11.8%).
Study finds that the increasing solid waste dumping and inflows of untreated sewage could soon sound a death knell for the 44 rivers in the state.

Kerala's rivers are in peril. A study by the Kozhikode-based Centre for Water Resources Development & Management (CWRDM) has found that the increasing solid waste dumping and inflows of untreated sewage could soon sound a death knell for the 44 rivers in the state.

The CWRDM has been monitoring water quality and pollution levels in the rivers since 2009 and P.S. Harikumar, lead scientist on the study, warns that "pollution levels have been rising and if the current level of microbial contamination continues, the rivers could be reduced to mere pools of waste water".

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The Pinarayi Vijayan-led LDF government has now initiated public campaigns to rescue the 41 west-flowing and three east-flowing rivers in the state. Biological indices for different water domains have been used to pinpoint the problem spots.

Relatively smaller than its counterparts elsewhere in the country, Kerala's rivers are faster flowing because of the state's topography. Thus far, scientists say, heavy monsoonal rains have saved the rivers by annually reviving the water quality. The study, however, warns that now, despite the monsoons, contamination is rising steadily thanks to the toxic combination of urbanisation and poor waste management.

Based on over 400 samples that Harikumar and his team collected for pre- and post-monsoon periods, the Periyar, Kerala's longest river course, and the Pamba, were found to be the most polluted. Scientists say sewage and solid waste generated in towns and cities along the banks are being directly discharged into the rivers.

State water resources minister Mathew T. Thomas claims the government is taking steps. Besides promoting water literacy as part of the Haritha Keralam (Green Kerala) Mission, he said a high-level coordination committee is looking into ways to minimise the pollution.

Green activists, though, contend that it's hardly enough. Latha Anantha, who's part of a campaign to protect the Chalakudy river, says governments only wake up to the problem of polluted rivers ahead of each monsoon. "Kerala has failed to assess the socioeconomic and environmental impact of the pollution of its rivers," says the activist. While Anantha decries the missing political will, everyone in Kerala has their fingers tightly crossed for a bountiful monsoon.

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In 2016, the foreign trade turnover with Armenia increased twice, reaching almost up to $68 mln, Governor of Russias Krasnodar Krai Veniamin Kondratyev said at the meeting with Armenian Ambassador to Russia Vardan Toghanyan on Monday, the press-service of the Krasnodar Krai administration reported.

The Governor noted that this year Russia and Armenia mark the 25th anniversary of establishment of official diplomatic relations, the republic being an important partner for the Krai.

Mr Toghanyan, for his part, noted that the largest Armenian Diaspora is exactly in Krasnodar Krai, its representatives doing a lot for maintaining peace between the nations. According to him, this will also contribute to the establishment of mutually beneficial economic relations. In the Ambassador, new opportunities for cooperation may open up in the sphere of agribusiness.

Armenia is interested in acquiring high-quality agricultural equipment. Exactly such equipment is currently produced in Krasnodar Krai, Toghanyan noted.

The Ambassador also mentioned two large projects, which Armenia is going to implement in the territory of Kuban.

We would like to open a trade house in the form of an Armenian thematic park, where the goods and services of our producers will be presented. Another promising project is the creation of a youth business incubator analogous to technopark already operating in Yerevan. Much is done for the youth in Kuban, this project helping students study informational technologies at the most modern level, the Ambassador said.

According to Veniamin Kondratyev, the proposals are interesting and require thorough consideration. I am confident that we will find points of intersection, which will supplement the existing economic, educational and cultural ties, he stressed.
Azerbaijani Silk Way cargocompany and air forces transported weapons under the cover of diplomatic flights, Bulgarian newspaper Trud reports.

The author of the investigation, Dilyana Gaytandzhieva, presented the photos of Grad rockets transported by Silk Way and found at Al Nusra warehouse in liberated Aleppo.

For several years Silk Way and the Azerbaijani air forces requested clearance for diplomatic flights (not subject to checks) and transported thousands of tons of weapons by them, the newspaper writes.

The consignor was the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, the consignees being the Afghani police and the Republican Guards of Congo. However, the weapons appeared in Iraq and Syria. Major customers of the flights were US, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates (UAE).

The Bulgarian MFA, which provides the necessary clearance for diplomatic flights, helped the Azerbaijani side, the newspaper notes. Copies of relevant documents are attached to the article.

A user under the nickname Anonymous Bulgaria sent to Trud newspaper the correspondence between the Bulgarian MFA and Azerbaijani Embassy in Sofia with attached documents for weapons deals and diplomatic clearance for overflight and/or landing in Bulgaria and many other European countries, USA, Saudi Arabia, UAE, Turkey, etc.

Silk Way Airlines offered diplomatic flights to private companies and arms manufacturers from the US, Balkans, and Israel, as well as to the militaries of Saudi Arabia, UAE, the military forces of Germany and Denmark in Afghanistan and of Sweden in Iraq, and finally US Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). The airline company transported thousand of tons of weapons for them.

They made technical landings with stays varying from a few hours to up to a day in intermediary locations without any logical reasons (they didnt need to refuel the planes).

According to international agreements, clearance for overflight or landing is provided for military aircraft, whereas Silk Way has no such rights, their aircraft being civil. Thus, Azerbaijans Foreign Ministry sent instructions to its embassies in Bulgaria and a number of other European countries to request diplomatic clearance for Silk Way Airlines flights.

The responsible authorities of many countries (Bulgaria, Serbia, Romania, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Slovakia, Poland, Turkey, Germany, UK, Greece, etc.) turned a blind eye to what was being transported by the diplomatic flights.

Some of the weapons that Azerbaijan carried on diplomatic flights were used by its military in Nagorno-Karabakh against Armenia. In 2016, Azerbaijan accused Armenia of using white phosphorus. Armenia denied the allegations. Interestingly enough, according to the documents of the Azerbaijani Embassy in Sofia, white phosphorus munitions were carried on a diplomatic flight via Baku in 2015

Among the main customers of the diplomatic flights for weapons service provided by Silk Way Airlines were American companies. The common element in these cases is that they all supplied non-US standard weapons; hence, it would be logical to suppose that the weapons were not used by the US forces.

Trud checked the register of federal contracts and found out that over the last 3 years American companies were awarded $1 billion contracts in total under a special US government program for non-US standard weapon supplies. All of them used Silk Way Airlines for the transport of weapons. Below are a few examples:

On 12 May 2015 an aircraft of Azerbaijan Air Forces carried 7,9 tons of PG-7V and 10 tons of PG-9V to the supposed destination via the route Burgas (Bulgaria)-Incirlik (Turkey)-Burgas-Nasosny (Azerbaijan). The consignor was the American company Purple Shovel, and the consignee  the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan. According to the documents, however, the military cargo was offloaded at Incirlik military base and never reached the consignee. The weapons were sold to Purple Shovel by Alguns, Bulgaria, and manufactured by Bulgarias VMZ military plant.

According to the federal contracts registry, in December of 2014 USSOCOM signed a $26.7 million contract with Purple Shovel. Bulgaria was indicated as the country of origin of the weapons.

Another U.S. contractor involved in the same program for non-US standard military supplies is Orbital ATK. This company received $250 million over just the past two years alone. Information as to what type of weapons and to whom those weapons were supplied is classified.

According to the documents, Orbital ATK transported weapons on 6 diplomatic Silk Way Airlines flights in July and August of 2015 flying the route Baku (Azerbaijan)-Tuzla (Bosnia and Herzegovina)-Baku-Kabul (Afghanistan). The weapons were exported by IGMAN j.j. Konjic, (Bosnia and Herzegovina) commissioned by Orbital ATK. The consignee was the National Police of Afghanistan. Interestingly, all these diplomatic flights with weapons had technical landings and a 7 h 30 min stop at Baku before their final destination  Afghanistan.

Military aircrafts of Azerbaijan transported 282 tons of cargo (PG-7VL and other grenades) on 10 diplomatic flights in April and May 2017 to the destination Baku-Rijeka (Croatia)-Baku. The consignor was the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, and the consignee  Culmen International LLC, USA. This same company has been awarded two contracts ($47 million each) along with other contractors for non-US standard weapon supplies on 18 February 2016 and 19 April 2017 respectively.

Chemring Military Products is another main contractor in the program for non-US standard weapon supplies to the US army through diplomatic Silk Way Airlines flights. This military supplier has 4 contracts for $302.8 million in total. The weapons were purchased from local manufacturers in Serbia, Bulgaria, and Romania and according to documents transported to Iraq and Afghanistan via diplomatic flights.

The largest non-US standard weapons supplier to the US army is Alliant Techsystems Operations-USA with contracts totalling $490.4 million. In December of 2016, this company transported tons of grenades (API 23115 mm, HE 23115 mm, GSH 23115 mm) from Yugoimport, Serbia to the Afghani Defense Ministry on diplomatic flights to the destination Baku-Belgrade-Kabul.
Google may be an "AI first" company, but few people who work there actually use the term artificial intelligence.

That's because it doesn't actually describe the seismic shift currently happening across all of the Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) - Get Free Report unit's products. The better word for that process is machine learning, which is the technology that's making our computers think and act more like humans, said Peter Norvig, an AI scientist and a director of research at Google.

"Sundar has come out and said we're an AI first company, and that's a pretty bold statement," Norvig told The Street. "Internally we use machine learning more...it's what we're going to use to become an AI-first company."

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has been charting a transformation at the company ever since he took over as chief executive in 2015. Google's next big step is to navigate a future where mobile devices fade away and are replaced by omnipresent intelligence assistants -- an "AI first world," as Pichai has said.

But before that future can become a reality, Silicon Valley giants will have to overcome the obstacle of helping average people understand just what exactly AI is, as well as how it can be used in their everyday lives. The invention of products such as Google Assistant, Amazon.com Inc.'s (AMZN) - Get Free Report Alexa and Apple Inc.'s (AAPL) - Get Free Report Siri has demystified a lot of the confusion surrounding AI, Norvig said. It's helped people realize that AI isn't going to materialize as Skynet from "The Terminator" or as the so-called singularity -- the theory that one day machines will become smarter than humans.

Alphabet is a holding in Jim Cramer'sAction Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GOOGL? Learn more now.

Editors' pick: Originally published June 30.

The Google Home houses the tech giant's AI-powered Google Assistant.

"What you're seeing now is people reacting to the technology," Norvig said. "A couple years ago, I didn't want to talk to my phone. It made too many errors, so it wasn't worth it, but now it's worth it because it gets it right most of the time."

"So I think people are very willing to adapt to technology that works, and not willing to adapt to technology that doesn't work," he added.

In just three years, the artificial intelligence market is estimated to be worth as much as $70 billion, according to consultancy firm PwC. The flurry of digital assistant products has largely been the tipping point in AI's rapid ascension, with 35.6 million Americans expected to use a voice-activated assistant device at least once a month this year, eMarketer noted.

Statistics like these only tell the beginning of the story that AI is improving and expanding at a faster rate than many realize. That said, some view AI's rise as a looming threat that will result in the elimination of many low-paying jobs, leaving people to redefine the structure of our economic models.

User interfaces are going through a monumental shift from clicking on an icon to having a conversation with an assistant, Norvig said, which has created a domino effect on everything from how we write apps to how businesses interact with each other. In short, people are getting more comfortable with talking to machines in a human-like manner. But that doesn't mean everyone is used to these kinds of interactions just yet.

"We have to give the user a better model of what it is that they can say and do," Norvig said. "Now you just have a blank speaker to which you can say anything...so [we need to] establish that common language of here's the boundaries of what you can say and here's how far you cango."

Google is also making the process of interacting with AI more seamless. One big way it's doing that is through Google Lens, which is coming soon to Google Photos and Google Assistant. Lens uses machine learning technology to analyze a person's surroundings and provide suggestions, just by using the camera on a smartphone. During a demo at Google's I/O conference in May, the company showed how users can point their camera at a restaurant and then based on GPS data, view information on the phone's screen showing reviews, hours of operation and other useful details.

Just as people are coming face to face with AI in voice and photo, Silicon Valley is already thinking about what's next for the life-altering technology. Norvig reiterated that he can't predict the future, but if he had to place a bet, it would be on video. This might mean that AI systems become smart enough to be able to process hours of video in a second to understand and recognize patterns.

"We might have whole new types of interfaces," Norvig added. "It might be on the phone ... but it could be other things like thermostats that figure out what room you're in and whether they need to keep heating that room or not."

Google's shares rose 0.1% to $930.84 on Monday morning.

Read More Trending Articles:
28-year-old Dinesh Kumar was found hanging from the ceiling of his house in Kothagiri under mysterious circumstances. He was one of the accountants at the Kodanad Estate.

By India Today Web Desk: Late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa's tea estate in Ooty, Kodanad Estate continues to be shrouded mystery after another person working there was found hanging dead at his house today.

28-year-old Dinesh Kumar was found hanging from the ceiling of his house in Kothagiri under mysterious circumstances, said police.

This death has been preceded by two separate accidents of people working in the estate- in which one person died and the other lost his wife and daughter.

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Their accidents came close on heels of the murder of a security guard deployed at the Kodanad Estate in April during a robbery-cum-murder heist.

Family sources said Kumar and some of the other staff in the estate were reportedly discussing two days ago about the fate of their jobs with the likely change in management of the sprawling estate.

Spread over 900 acres, the Kodanad Estate in Nilgiri district was used by Jayalalithaa as a retreat.

With inputs from agencies

Also read: Kodanad murder mystery deepens; Jaya's former driver killed, property papers stolen

Also read: Kodanad estate: Original owner speaks up, says was forced to sell estate to Amma, VK Sasikala

Also read: Kodanad estate murder case: Stolen artefacts from Jaya's estate recovered

--- ENDS ---
How EHS Software Can Ensure Worker Safety and Increase Your Bottom Line

A comprehensive EHS platform can also restructure once-manual safety procedures and contribute to the companys digital transformation efforts.

The numbers are staggering: In 2016, nearly 3 million people suffered an employer-reported illness or injury in the private sector and more than half required days away from work, job transfers, or restrictions on ability to work, according to the Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics. According to the bureau, based on rates of injuries, the most injury-prone sectors are animal production, nursing and residential care facilities, couriers and messengers, wood product manufacturing, and air transportation.

One of the most important assets for any organization is its employees, and company leadership must ensure employee safety and well-being to abide by OSHA guidelines, maintain productivity, and mitigate high workers' compensation costs. Further, when profit margins are not met, laying off workers or closing plants that are producing below average may seem like a smart approach to save money; however, these organizations should take a closer look at their safety practices and invest in human capital instead.

The Hidden Costs of Deferred Risk

Today, many organizations have fallen into the practice of accepting that accidents on the job are the norm, leading to thousands spent on employee compensation. In fact, according to the National Safety Council (NSC), U.S. companies can spend more than $1 billion per week on direct workers' compensation costsmedical plus indemnitysignificantly impacting gross profits.

Not investing in the right safety resources can also hurt a company in the long run. Just recently, a construction company was fined $135,000 for the head, spinal, and chest injuries an employee suffered last year after falling down stairs at a construction site. The stairway had no intermediate rail or protective meshing, failing to meet industry safety standards.

OSHA continues to ramp up its enforcement efforts for companies ignoring safety. It conducts nearly 41,000 inspections and, in 2016, issued more than 35,000 citations. OSHA identified fall protection as the most-cited violation for the sixth straight year, with hazard communication and scaffolding completing the list of the top three most-cited categoriesunchanged from 2015. By creating a strong safety environment, organizations can reduce costs significantly while mitigating risks and protecting brand reputation.

This article originally appeared in the July 2017 issue of Occupational Health & Safety.
Recreational Marijuana Dispensaries Open in Nevada

Despite some confusion, sales began on July 1.

Sales of recreational marijuana in Nevada began as scheduled on July 1 from dozens of approved dispensaries, despite some confusion about whether that starting date actually would come to pass, according to news media reports in the state.

Nevada's Department of Taxation has managed the award of licenses, and as of last week, 82 locations in the state had been approved.

A June 28 article by the Las Vegas Sun's Chris Kudialis quoted Nevada state Sen. Tick Segerblom, a marijuana advocate, as predicting the Nevada era of recreational marijuana will be like "Amsterdam on steroids."

"Everything we know shows that millennials are very pro-marijuana, and that's the new marketing push. This is a game-changer for Las Vegas and tourism here, as far as I'm concerned, Segerblom said, according to Kudialis' article. Nevada has one of the world's largest tourism industries, and a report in May 2017 by Gov. Brian Sandoval's marijuana task force estimated as much as 63 percent of recreational buyers in the state will be tourists, he reported.

His June 29 article said various parties were optimistic the legal impediments could be resolved in time.
Think back to the early 2000s and remember the good ol days, when you would hear Ludacris songs on your radio, on TV and on your "Now That's What I Call Music" CD. Then he took a break from music to be in movies like the "Fast and Furious" flicks. Then where did he go? He went on low radar, before suddenly, in 2017, he popped back in our lives with a new song and a new job as MTVs "Fear Factor" host.

But, last night, he took a break from his reality TV life to perform an interesting set at Summerfests Miller Lite Oasis stage.

When his show time hit, out appeared a man that ... was not Luda. He went to the DJ equipment and started pumping the crowd up, "Milwaukee, make some noise, get ready to turn up!" The speakers started blaring, and the audience chanted, "Luda! Luda! Luda!" DJ Khaleds "All I Do is Win" started playing, we started singing along and then out came Luda ready to rap his part in the song. The crowd went nuts when he finally arrived in the flesh.

From the start, the crowd was wild. It felt like you were in the basement at a college party, packed in an area, surrounded by people doing uncomfortable things and getting drunk. But despite it all, you still manage to have a good time, singing and dancing to throwback songs. Except for the odd part of this "college party" was there were concert goers ranging from the ages of what seemed like middle school kids (have they even heard of Luda?) to middle age adults, making it quite an eclectic crowd for a rap concert.

Ludacris played all his top hits like "Pimpin All Over the World," "Move Bitch," "My Chick Bad," "Whats Your Fantasy?" and more right in the beginning. The audience loved it. We got to relive the early 2000s, show off our rap skills and dance like crazy in the crowd.

He even managed to throw in some of the songs he has been featured in like Ushers "Yeah," Taio Cruzs "Break Your Heart" and Fergies "Glamorous." However, he missed the mark for me and my fellow Beliebers when he forgot to sing his iconic line in Justin Biebers "Baby."

(PHOTO: David Bernacchi)

Everyone was having a great time  and then suddenly Ludacris disappeared. No one knew where he went, but people didnt seem to care too much since his hype man played hit rap songs for everyone to dance to. "Bad and Boujee," "We Will Rock You" and others blared over the speakers while Luda went M.I.A.

I thought maybe he didnt think he had enough songs for a set of his own, so he needed to throw in a DJ set. But then, he came back out and mentioned how he had so many songs that he could sing he didnt know what to choose. He asked for audience requests and, based on that, performed "How Low." Only a few songs later, he got tired and went off stage. We had to chant "Luda" for him to come back out for more songs. Side note: Luda and his hype men had us chant a ridiculous amount. They would be like, "I say 'Luda,' you say 'Cris'," or "I say 'Lets get,' you say 'f*cked up.'"

Doing once or twice would be fine, but doing it over and over again got to be just too much. At that point, we just wanted to hear the music.

Anyways, once Ludacris came back out for the second time, he sang through "Get Back" and "Welcome to Atlanta" He said he wanted to party with Milwaukee all night, giving us the impression there was still more to hear. Instead, he abruptly stopped. He walked off stage with no goodbye, leaving the audience confused. People stuck around after listening to the music, awaiting his return, only to realize soon after that, this time, he was gone for good.

Although his set seemed to be cut short, the audience had a good time, jamming out to his tunes. Not sure if anyone felt the need to ever see him perform again, but at least they could see they saw him once and heard him sing his classic hits.
Apis mellifera on Foeniculum vulgare. Credit: Luis Mata, RMIT

New research into the way that honeybees see colour could pave the way for more accurate cameras in phones, drones and robots.

Identifying colour in complex outdoor environments is extremely difficult because the colour of light is continuously changing.

Researchers in Melbourne, Australia, looked to see how honeybees solve this problem and discovered a totally new mechanism for processing colour information.

The results of the work by academics at RMIT University, Monash University, University of Melbourne and Deakin University were published today in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS).

The project, supported by an Australian Research Council (ARC) grant, was coordinated by Associate Professor Adrian Dyer at RMIT, who has been working with Professor Marcello Rosa at Monash University and the ARC Centre of Excellence for Integrative Brain Function to solve this classic problem of how colour vision works.

Dyer said: "For a digital system like a camera or a robot the colour of objects often changes. Currently this problem is dealt with by assuming the world is, on average, grey.

"This means it's difficult to identify the true colour of ripe fruit or mineral rich sands, limiting outdoor colour imaging solutions by drones, for example."

3-D representation of ocellar S-neuron projecting into the inner layer of the medulla in the honeybee brain. Credit: Adrian Dyer, RMIT

Bees have three extra eyes (ocelli) on the top of their head that look directly at the sky, and lead author Dr Jair Garcia (RMIT) and a multidisciplinary team discovered that the ocelli contain two colour receptors that are perfectly tuned for sensing the colour of ambient light.

Bees also have two main compound eyes that directly sense flower colours from the environment.

Garcia said: "Physics suggests the ocelli sensing of the colour of light could allow a brain to discount the naturally coloured illumination which would otherwise confuse colour perception.

"But for this to be true the information from the ocelli would have to be integrated with colours seen by the compound eyes."

To test if this happened, Dr Yu-Shan Hung (University of Melbourne) mapped the neural tracings from ocelli and showed neural projection did indeed feed to the key colour processing areas of the bee brain.

Professor Andrew Greentree from the ARC Centre for Nanoscale BioPhotonics at RMIT said: "It is rare that physics, biology, neuro-anatomy and ecology all fit together, but here we have it."

Dr. Jair Garcia, Professor Marcello Rosa and Associate Professor Adrian Dyer. Credit: Monash University

The system closely predicts previously observed behaviour of bees foraging in complex environments and provides a new solution for illuminations as diverse as natural forest light, sunlight, or shade.

Dyer said: "We're using bio-inspired solutions from nature to tackle key problems in visual perception. This discovery on colour constancy can be implemented into imaging systems to enable accurate colour interpretation."

Professor John Endler (Deakin University) said: "The discover provides a superb solution to a classic problem and makes colour constancy computationally inexpensive."

Rosa said: "The strength of this study lies in the combination of modelling, behavioural analysis and neuro-anatomy. It shows how modern, interdisciplinary neuroscience can point to an elegant solution to classical problems in vision."

More information: Jair E. Garcia el al., "Improved color constancy in honey bees enabled by parallel visual projections from dorsal ocelli," PNAS (2017). www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.1703454114 Journal information: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Credit: CC0 Public Domain

Using lists of names collected from publicly available websites, two University of Chicago researchers have revealed distinctive patterns in higher education systems, ranging from ethnic representation and gender imbalance in the sciences, to the presence of academic couples, and even the illegal hiring of relatives in Italian universities.

"This study was an exercise in exploiting bare-bones techniques," said author Stefano Allesina, PhD, professor of ecology & evolution and a member of the Computation Institute at the University of Chicago. "We wanted to analyze the simplest form of data you could imagine: lists of names. That's all we had. We wondered what kinds of information we could extract from such a meager source of data. We also asked: how could we use this to explore real-world problems?"

For the study"Last name analysis of mobility, gender imbalance, and nepotism across academic systems," published July 3, 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of SciencesAllesina and postdoctoral scholar Jacopo Grilli, PhD, acquired lists of the surnames of all Italian academics in the four years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. For comparison, they also gathered lists of all researchers currently working at the Centre National de la Reserche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, and those working at research-intensive public institutions in the United States.

Then they counted the number of professors in each department who shared last names and contrasted that to the number expected by chance. They found three possible explanations for an overabundance of identical last names. An unusually high proportion of name sharing could be due to geography; certain names are typical of a region. Or, immigration could have an impact, for example, the influx of Asian faculty to the United States in disciplines such as in mathematics and computer science.

If the clustering of names cannot be explained by these two factorswhich was the case in certain disciplines and regions in Italythen the data point to nepotistic hires: professors who recruit their relatives for academic positions.

The Allesina laboratory is not new to this type of analysis. In a 2011 paper published in PLoS One, Allesina demonstrated that certain disciplines (law, medicine, engineering) in Italian universities displayed a severe scarcity of last names, raising the suspicion of nepotism.

That study caused "quite a stir in Italy," Allesina said. The publication followed a complete overhaul of the nation's academic system. The reform, passed in late 2010, included a provision intended to prevent professors from recruiting relatives by shifting hiring and funding decisions away from the universities to independent panels. The perception at the time was that "promotions and funding were often awarded on the basis of connections rather than merit, providing mediocre and unproductive professors with jobs for life while pushing many of the country's brightest minds abroad," Allesina said.

Grilli and Allesina decided to take a closer look at the law's impact since 2010 and to compare the prevalence of nepotism in Italy with other countries. They found that nepotism in Italy appears to have declined somewhat over the period from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, seven of the 14 fields measured showed clear signs of nepotism. That fell to five fields in 2010, and only two, chemistry and medicine, by 2015.

The 2010 law, they point out, was not the only factor in the decrease of apparent nepotism. Much of the decline, the researchers point out, could be traced to an increase in faculty retirements and a dearth of new hires.

The Italian university system has been "virtually butchered over the last decade," Allesina said, with a staggering 10 percent overall loss of faculty, and losses of 20 to 30 percent of the faculty at several leading universities. "This had a strong effect on new hires," he said, "but only a limited impact on favoritism over the whole university system."

The researchers' focus on last names illuminates some recent changes in U.S. academics as well. When faculty last names were randomized by field, the huge impact of immigration on U.S. universities became obvious. More than half of the 5.2 million immigrant scientists, mathematicians and engineers currently working in the United States were born in Asia.

"Certain names are associated with specific academic fields and certain heritages tend to target preponderantly science and engineering," said Grilli. Zhang, for example, is now the most common last name in the U.S. in the fields of chemistry and mathematics. It ranks third in agriculture, geology and physics, but falls to 115th in humanities. Smith, on the other hand, is among the top three in humanities, sociology and medicine, but 20th in chemistry and 47th in geology.

"Sometimes using very simple data can get you expected and unexpected results," Allesina said. First names can reveal a field's gender imbalance. They can also fluctuate wildly. The most common first name in the past decade for boys in Italy was Francesco, but that increased by 40 percent following the election of Pope Francis. "It was declining," Grilli said, "but it bounced back."

"The good and bad of Italy is the family," Allesina said. "It protects you from collapse, but it also prevents growth. This really becomes a weight on the shoulders of young people, especially in the South, where many talented students have no choice but to emigrate."
Night on Venus in infrared from orbiting Akatsuki. Credit: NASA

Bromine species, and hydrogen bromide (HBr) in particular, could play an important part in the photochemistry of the lower atmosphere of Venus. This conclusion was made by researchers from MIPT and the Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy of Sciences after comparing the data of Earth-based observations of Venus with the predictions of a photochemical model. The paper detailing their study was published in the journal Icarus.

Since the 1960s, space agencies have launched numerous space probes to Venus. Because 17 out of 24 successful missions were launched by the Soviet Union, scientists have nicknamed it "the Russian planet." Back in the mid-20th century, sci-fi writers imagined Venus as a habitable planet covered entirely by ocean, expecting that it would welcome future generations of Earthlings. But Venus had many surprises in store for its would-be colonists. The first Soviet probes that attempted to land on Venus were crushed by immense pressures in the lower atmosphere before they could reach the surface of the planet. Eventually, it became clear that Venus has a unique atmosphere, which is very dense near the surface and harbors terrific winds at higher altitudes. They blow at many times the speed of the planet's rotation. The new study advances the understanding of the inner workings of this highly complex world.

The temperature of the surface of Venus and its lower atmosphere is extremely high, around 460 degrees Celsius at the surface. The atmospheric pressure on Venus is 93 times that on Earth. Under these extreme conditions, peculiar compounds are formed and released into Venusian atmosphere, such as hydrogen chloride and hydrogen fluoride. The discovery of these species on Venus a half-century ago was unexpected. That said, it would be reasonable to suppose then that hydrogen bromidethe next hydrogen halidecould also be found in Venusian atmosphere.

This graph shows the relative abundance of bromine species in the atmosphere of Venus at different altitudes (based on the photochemical model). Credit: Authors of the paper

Vladimir Krasnopolsky and Denis Belyaev conducted their observations of Venus from one of the Mauna Kea observatories on the Big Island, Hawaii, at an elevation of 4.2 kilometers. The researchers used the three-meter telescope of NASA's Infrared Telescope Facility (IRTF), coupled with CSHELL, a high-resolution spectrograph with a spectral resolving power of about 40,000. To search for hydrogen bromide on Venus, the researchers observed the strongest spectral lines of this molecular species, whose associated wave numbers are 2605.8 and 2606.2 units per centimeter, which corresponds to a wavelength of roughly 3.8 micrometers. By analyzing 101 spectra of Venus and searching for hydrogen bromide lines, the astrophysicists concluded that the abundance of this species relative to other molecules in the cloud tops at an altitude of 70 kilometers above the planet's surface does not exceed one part per billion.

"Retrieval of atmospheric parameters from spectroscopic data is far from trivial," says Vladimir Krasnopolsky, the head of the Laboratory of Applied Infrared Spectroscopy at MIPT. "It is possible to infer the temperature of the atmosphere at a given altitude from spectral line profiles and widths. As for the abundance of a given molecule relative to other atmospheric species, it can be determined by comparing the intensity of its spectral line to the intensities of lines of other molecules whose concentrations are known."

In 2012, Krasnopolsky created a photochemical model incorporating numerous components of the atmosphere of Venus. His model has now been updated to include the main photochemical processes involving bromine. According to the updated model, hydrogen bromide is roughly 300 times less abundant at 70 to 80 kilometers above the surface than at 60 kilometers due to its depletion by photolysis and reactions with atomic hydrogen and oxygen. Reanalysis of the observational data yielded an upper limit of between 20 and 70 parts per billion of hydrogen bromide below 60 kilometers. The relative abundances of various bromine species at different altitudes are shown in the figure below.

"Despite the low estimated bromine abundance, it could still be an important component of the atmosphere of Venus," says Denis Belyaev, a senior researcher at the Space Research Institute, RAS. "Thermodynamic calculations based on the chemical kinetic model of Vladimir Krasnopolsky indicate that hydrogen bromide is the dominant bromine species in the lower atmosphere."

More information: Vladimir A. Krasnopolsky et al, Search for HBr and bromine photochemistry on Venus, Icarus (2017). DOI: 10.1016/j.icarus.2017.04.016 Journal information: Icarus
Researchers led by the University of Dundee have developed a way of exploring a 'cellular mosh pit' that may shed light on processes such as embryo development, wound healing and cancer growth.

Working with colleagues at the University of Aberdeen, they have developed the Active Vertex Model (AVM), a new computational model that allows scientists to examine in greater depth than ever before how cells move in a variety of biological processes.

Epithelial tissues, such as the skin or lining of the internal organs, act as barriers to the environment. To form an effective barrier, cells in epithelia have to be closely packed together. These epithelial tissues are formed and shaped during embryonic development, while not disrupting the tissue's connectivity.

This is achieved via carefully orchestrated exchanges between neighbours  so-called cell intercalations. These intercalations also play key roles during tissue repair and regeneration. The mechanisms behind intercalations  a process of fundamental importance for proper tissue function  are not fully understood.

The AVM will allow much larger areas of individual cells to be studied, almost 10 times the size previously possible. This will provide scientists with a greater understanding of these active systems and the mechanics of tissues, something has previously been likened to watching fans mosh away at gigs.

"Understanding the emergence of collective behaviour of cells in tissues is what our model is interested in explaining," said lead author Dr Rastko Sknepnek, a lecturer in Physics within Dundee's Division of Computational Biology. "This behaviour has hallmarks of an active system. Active systems can be a school of fish, a developing embryo or even a mosh pit at a rock concert, which is quite a well-known analogy among people working in this area.

"Each person in a mosh pit has their own choice on where to move but is also affected by those around them. If you compare the biology we are interested in with this scenario, each person is like a cell, and we have built a model that can look at the activity and movement of the people in the mosh pit."

The AVM combines the physics of active systems, which is credited with describing behaviours of systems such as flocks of birds, schools of fish and human crowds, with the Vertex Model  commonly used to study mechanical properties of epithelial tissues. The AVM not only allows for very efficient computations but also incorporates the cell intercalation events in a natural way.

The interdisciplinary project combined the biological expertise of Professor Kees Weijer, from the University's School of Life Sciences, with the modelling knowledge of Dr Sknepnek and Dr Silke Henkes, a lecturer in Physics at the Institute for Complex Systems and Mathematical Biology at the University of Aberdeen. Much of the work was carried out by Daniel Barton, a postgraduate student in Dr Sknepnek's lab.

The next stage of the project will see the research team apply the model to Professor Weijer's research on cell and tissue dynamics during embryogenesis, the process by which the embryo forms and develops.

"We will now carry out work with existing biological research that will to improve the model further," said Dr Sknepnek. "We want to work with other researchers to expand the model to other systems, in particular curved surfaces such as those found in the gut."

Owing to its efficiency, the AVM will allow researchers to explore cell motion patterns over previously inaccessible sizes, while retaining the resolution of individual cells. This may help understand how collectives of cells organise and control their behaviour at the scale of the entire tissue, providing new insights into processes such as development of embryos and cancer metastasis.

The AVM is publicly available under a non-restrictive open source licence and can downloaded at https://github.com/sknepneklab/SAMoS.

The research was funded by BBSRC and is published in the latest edition of the journal PLoS Computer Biology.
Artist's impression of phages (green and yellow) attacking a bacterium (blue). Credit: Barth van Rossum, FMP

Phages have become a focus of research in the battle against antibiotic resistance. These bacteria-eating viruses have already proven effective in experiments against multidrug-resistant bacteria. However, the atomic structure of these small helpers is unknown. Researchers at the Leibniz-Forschungsinstitut fur Molekulare Pharmakologie (FMP) in Berlin have now succeeded in developing a new method that makes it possible to determine the complex structure in detail, down to the atomic level. Their work is a further development in solid-state NMR and was published in the specialist journals Angewandte Chemie and Nature Protocols.

The WHO has long declared resistance to antibiotics a global health crisis and published a list of problematic germs, most recently in March, for which new antibiotics are urgently needed. But the search for new antibiotics has proven to be difficult: There has been no significant progress in development for over 40 years. This is why researchers are now more than ever looking for alternative treatments. Phages could constitute such an alternative. They are naturally occurring viruses that attack and consume certain bacteria, which is why they are also called "bacteriophages" (ancient Greek  phagein, "to devour"). Since there are special phages for every bacterium, it appears that they can be deployed more specifically than antibiotics, which always kill "good" bacteria as well. A lot of experiments with bacteriophages have already been carried out in Eastern Europe, and in the U.S. they have been genetically manipulated so they are able to cure infections of multiresistant germs in mice.

The atomic structure of the phages is not fully known to date. In the course of current therapy development, however, it would be tremendously useful to know how exactly they operate and what their 3-D structure looks like at atomic detail. "Phages are nanomachines that have been optimized by nature over millions of years. They consist of numerous components that are assembled into a complex architecture," explains Professor Dr. Adam Lange (FMP). Lange and his team have now succeeded in reaching a methodological milestone: The researchers have developed solid-state NMR (nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy) methods so that they can be used to determine the structure of phages down to the atomic level. Lange estimates that he will need about a year to resolve the complex structure of the phages. "By carrying out this fundamental research, we can make an important contribution to phage therapy."

The new method can be applied to other important systems as well. To provide access for laboratories around the world, in addition to the paper in Angewandte Chemie the researchers published a detailed protocol in Nature Protocols.

"Bacteriophages are becoming increasingly important as an alternative treatment approach due to the resistance of many pathogenic bacteria strains to antibiotics," Lange concludes. He is one of the leading minds in the field of making protein structures visible with NMR. "Therefore, we will now put our further development of the technology to use and investigate their complex structure as quickly as possible."
By Atir Khan: RJD leader Lalu Prasad Yadav's daughter Misa Bharti, son Tejashwi Yadav and son-in-law Shailesh Kumar, whose benami properties were seized by the Income Tax department, on Monday decided to approach the Delhi High Court questioning the allegations.

According to their lawyers, the Income Tax department's claim that Lalu's kin are the end beneficiaries of these properties is incorrect. The amended benami laws says that the end beneficiary is liable for prosecution inviting penalty and imprisonment upto seven years.

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They have also challenged the department's assessment of "illegal" share transfer. The trio is contending that the share transfer is not in violation of any provisions of the law. Sources told India Today that they are planning to file a writ petition against the department's proceedings in Delhi High Court, on the same lines as Delhi Minister Satyendra Jain's case.

The I-T department, during their extensive probe, found that the transactions were made through a Rajesh Kumar Agarwal, who was earlier arrested by the Enforcement Directorate. The details in the balance sheets, account books and ledgers don't match. Consequently, a trail of benami transactions was left behind since the transactions were made through persons who are known for unfair practices. Lalu Yadav's daughter and son-in-law deposited their submissions against the benami property transaction proceedings. The department has already attached their properties provisionally pending inquiry. Those properties include a farm house in Bijvasan valued at Rs 40 crores, house in New Friends Colony valued at Rs 40 crores, twelve plots in Patna worth Rs 85 crores.

Also Read

Income tax sleuths say Misa Bharti owns a former minister's benami farm house in Delhi

Misa Bharti fails to appear before I-T, department begins crackdown on benami properties in Delhi

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Jerre Johnson, Ph.D., professor emeritus of geology at the College of William and Mary, brought a number of mastodon fossils, including this tooth, to VCU last week to be 3-D scanned. Credit: Brian McNeill, University Public Affairs

Boxes upon boxes filled with the fossilized remains of a mastodon that died in Virginia more than 18,000 years ago are being hauled up the steps to Virginia Commonwealth University's Virtual Curation Laboratory, where the massive Ice Age animal's fossilsincluding the tip of a tusk, a very worn tooth, toe bones, a rib bone and a mandibleare slated to be 3-D scanned.

"Mastodon," said Bernard Means, Ph.D., director of the lab, which specializes in 3-D scanning and printing of historic and archaeological objects. "It's what's for breakfast."

The fossils, dating to 16,260 B.C., were excavated from a site near Yorktown between July 2015 and last November and are the most significant mastodon remains to be found east of the Blue Ridge Mountains.

The mastodon's tooth was first discovered in 1983 by a bricklayer named Lawnell Hart, who then enlisted the help of College of William and Mary geology professor Jerre Johnson, Ph.D. Hart and Johnson visited the site again and found additional fossils, but the property owners would not grant them permission to conduct a proper excavation.

"After we discovered the remains, we did a stratigraphic study, looking at what's the sequence of sediments and so forth  but the owner would not let us dig it up," said Johnson, as he dropped off a sampling of fossils at VCU. "And, as a result, 38 years went by. In my cabinet, I kept that stupid fragment of the jaw and this tooth that was cavity ridden."

Hart died in 2011, but Johnson, now a professor emeritus of geology at William and Mary, kept hoping that one day he could return to the site and recover the fossils. In 2015, the site's new property owners granted him permission, and Johnson, along with a team of volunteers, excavated a staggering quantity of the mastodon's remains, which suggest that the animal was hunted and butchered by pre-Clovis American Indians during the last Ice Age.

The Virtual Curation Laboratory 3-D scanned this mastodon jaw fragment with an abscess, which was excavated near Yorktown, Virginia. Credit: Brian McNeill, University Public Affairs

"It's gratifying," Johnson said. "It's really neat that we have enough parts to basically reconstruct what we think the animal had when it was alivearthritis and an impacted tooth. We probably know its predator. These are really neat discoveries."

Johnson loaned the fossils to the Virtual Curation Laboratory, which is part of the School of World Studies in the College of Humanities and Sciences, so the specimens could be 3-D scanned and shared with researchers around the world.

"The forefront of research in both archaeology and paleontology is to do detailed metrical analyses of items and also to make comparisons," Means said. "So by 3-D scanning these objects, you can make very accurate measurements and easily compare them to other specimens around the world. It allows you to make virtual comparisons, so you can avoid the trouble of trying to bring everybody together. That's been a tremendous boon."

This week, Means and his students 3-D scanned several of the mastodon fossils excavated by Johnson, including the tip of the tusk and the jaw fragment with an abscess.

Yet those are just some of the mastodon remains that the Virtual Curation Laboratory has scanned lately. In fact, the 3-D scanning of Ice Age animal remains, and mastodons in particular, has become one of the lab's two major areas of focus, with the other being 3-D-scanning artifacts associated with enslaved people.

Earlier this month, Means visited the Museum of the Middle Appalachians and a paleontology dig in Saltville, Virginia, as part of the 100th anniversary of the first research dig conducted at the site in 1917 by the Carnegie Museum of Natural History, of Pittsburgh. Means was invited to scan a variety of Ice Age animal fossils found at Saltville, as well as other artifacts.

Bernard Means, Ph.D., director of the Virtual Curation Laboratory, holds the tip of a mastodon tusk that was discovered near Yorktown, Virginia. Credit: Brian McNeill, University Public Affairs

"I'm currently 3-D printing a baby mastodon tusk that I scanned [from the 1917 excavations]," Means said. "It's in two pieces. It's really cute. I also scanned part of a mastodon tusk that was misidentified in 1917 as a crocodile tooth."

Last year, Means took a trip to the Western Science Center in Hemet, California, to 3-D scan the museum's collection of mastodon fossils, including parts of "Max," the museum's prized 13,500-year-old specimen.

Means also scanned a plushy toy of "Max," which he has lately been 3-D printing as a miniature mastodon riding on a surfboard. "He's a California mastodon," Means said.

Also last summer, Means visited the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia to 3-D scan archeological artifacts dating to the 18th century in Philadelphia, and Means' lab's 3-D-printed replicas were included in an exhibition in January. "I had actually scanned a mastodon's remains as part of the Philadelphia project," Means said. "They have a mastodon tooth that belonged to Ben Franklin. Somebody told me about it, and I was like, 'Can I scan that?'"

During the first week in August, Means will return to the Western Science Center to take part in an exhibit and conference titled "Valley of the Mastodons," which will feature researchers from across the country who will study the museum's dozens of mastodons.

The Virtual Curation Laboratory began focusing on Ice Age animal remains, including mastodons, in partnership with the Virginia Museum of Natural History, at which Means is a research associate.

Credit: Isabel Griffin

"I started also scanning other Ice Age stuff that they have, partly just because I thought it was kind of cool," Means said. He went on to 3-D scan the museum's mastodon casts and real fossils, which were excavated at Saltville and a site in Darke County, Ohio.

More recently, Means has been 3-D scanning fossils of a giant ground sloth in the museum's collection, as part of a project to re-create its skeleton. Certain bones on the right and left are missing, however, and Means has been 3-D scanning the other side's bones, thereby allowing him to make a mirror image model. With the 3-D-printed replica, the museum can make a cast of the needed bonea process much faster and less labor intensive than sculpting the missing part from scratch.

Part of the idea, Means said, is that 3-D scanning and printing of mastodon fossil replicas can be a great way to teach and get people excited about paleontology.

"Everybody who's involved with this Ice Age research, they're all very interested in education and especially STEM education, so they really want 3-D printed replicas [of the fossils]," he said. "One of the items I scanned [last week] in Saltville is something they use when they go to school groups and they're a little nervous about bringing it with them. It's a mastodon rib that shows major damage and then healing. Those are kind of unusual, so it's better to take a replica rather than the original."

The focus on mastodons, Means said, is partly because it's simply a fascinating Ice Age animal.

"They were only present in North America," he said. "They weren't present anywhere else in the world. They ate vegetation but their teeth are very different than elephants and mammoths. Other elephants have sort of ridged teeth, while mastodons had these blocky poked teeth. In fact, there was a debate during the Colonial period about whether they might have been carnivorous."

Kristen Egan, a senior anthropology major who interned in the Virtual Curation Laboratory, shows off a mastodon tooth fossil and a 3-D-printed replica that she painted. Credit: Brian McNeill, University Public Affairs

A number of VCU students are also working with mastodons this year. Isabel Griffin, a junior in the School of the Arts, is doing an Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program fellowship with Means this summer that involves using 3-D digital models of objects, such as mastodon fossils, to create illustrations.

"Basically, I'm exploring how 3-D technology can be used in archaeological illustration," she said. "I intend to make a guide that parallels Brian Dillon's 'The Student's Guide to Archaeological Illustrating' that explains how 3-D technology can simplify the processes in each of the contexts outlined in the book."

Kristen Egan, a senior anthropology major who interned in the lab in the spring, was one of several VCU students who presented their research into mastodons and Ice Age animals at this spring's Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program poster symposium. Egan's poster, "The Founding Fathers Search for Megafauna," describes how Thomas Jefferson and other founding fathers were greatly interested in giant Ice Age animals such as the mastodon.

"The founding fathers took the discovery of megafauna in America as a symbol for this country, which told the rest of the world that America is bigger and more powerful than Europe and can sustain more than just large insects," she wrote. "The megafauna helped to shape America's ideology of power, strength, and separation from Europe."

At the symposium, Egan brought along a 3-D-printed replica of a mastodon tooth that she painted in Mean's lab.

"People were really drawn to it," she said. "Having a 3-D-printed mastodon tooth, it really brought everything to another level where people can really relate to [the research]. You become a little bit more passionate and interested when you can hold something in your hand."
Glass eels. Credit: Chris Bowser

Going up?

An "eelevator" designed and built by a team including Cornell researchers is helping American eels survive their harrowing journey from the Atlantic Ocean to the Hudson River and into the rivers of the East Coast.

Hatched in the Sargasso Sea in the warm waters of the Atlantic Ocean, American eel larvae ride Gulf Stream currents north and enter North American estuaries as see-through "glass eels." The migratory fish progressively gain pigment as they move inland, eventually becoming a brown or greenish color and growing to upwards of 4 feet in length.

Eels  with lifespans of up to 30 years and a large size range depending on their development stage  intersect with almost every level of the food web, from prey to predator, and are critical parts of the aquatic ecosystem, says Chris Bowser, an extension support specialist for Cornell's New York State Water Resources Institute (WRI) in the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences. Dams and other barriers have placed ecological pressures on the American eel, drastically reducing numbers of the species.

Eels gain pigment as they move inland in fresh water, a life stage known as elver. Credit: Chris Bowser

"Eels live in virtually every aquatic habitat, from mountain streams and farm ponds to city creeks, coastal estuaries and the vast ocean," says Bowser. "We talk about the connectedness of these water systems; eels are that connection."

In the past, eel ladders and "trap-and-pass" devices have been used on the Hudson River to give the fish access to the waters above dams. But in what may be a first, a liftable version placed on the Sparkill Creek in Rockland County is providing a new way to assist eels on their migration.

Residents of the town of Piermont approached Cornell staff at WRI and the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve with an interest in getting eels above the dam at a local pond.

Volunteers stand on the Sparkill Creek Eelevator, a project seeking to provide passage for American eels over barriers in the Hudson Valley. Credit: Cornell University

The lightweight device can be raised, lowered and checked for eels by trained volunteers. Migrating eels seeking a way above the dam can climb a short ramp lined with old netting and kept wet by hoses from above. These eels  most often about 3 to 6 inches in length and in the "elver" stage of development  enter a bucket of circulating water that is checked twice weekly by volunteers. Sizes are recorded, and the eels are released above the dam to continue their life's journey.

Brian Rahm, research associate at WRI, says, "The 'eelevator' is a great example of grassroots citizen-science where local residents team up with environmental researchers to conserve natural resources, including eels, on their way upstream."

Since its inception in 2008, the Hudson River Eel Project has caught, counted and released more than 500,000 juvenile eels. The project has expanded to 14 sites, from Staten Island in New York City to Hudson River tributaries near Albany, and relies on volunteers to assess eel migration each spring and summer. Bowser said the "eelevator" concept could be expanded to more sites in the future.
A Soyuz rocket blasting off from the European Space Center, pictured in December 2015, launching one of the four satellites of the Galileo satnav system

Investigators have uncovered the problems behind the failure of atomic clocks onboard satellites belonging to the beleaguered Galileo satnav system, the European Commission said Monday.

For months, the European Space Agencywhich runs the programmehas been investigating the reasons behind failing clocks onboard some of the 18 navigation satellites it has launched for Galileo, Europe's alternative to America's GPS system.

Each Galileo satellite has four ultra-accurate atomic timekeepers, two that use rubidium and two hydrogen maser. But a satellite needs just one working clock for the satnav to workthe rest are spares.

Three rubidium and six hydrogen maser clocks were not working, with one satellite sporting two failed timekeepers.

"The main causes of the malfunctions have been identified and measures have been put in place to reduce the possibility of further malfunctions of the satellites already in space," commission spokeswoman Lucia Caudet said.

ESA found after an investigation that its rubidium clocks had a faulty component that could cause a short circuit, according to European sources.

The investigation also found that operations involving hydrogen maser clocks need to be controlled and closely monitored, the same sources said.

The agency has taken measures to correct both sets of problems, the sources added, with the agency set to replace the faulty component in rubidium clocks on satellites not yet in orbit and improve hydrogen maser clocks as well.

"The supply of the first Galileo services has not and will not be affected by the malfunctioning of the atomic clocks or by other corrective measures," Caudet said, and that the malfunctions have not affected service performance.

'Most accurate clocks ever'

The Galileo system went live in December last year, providing initial services with a weak signal, having taken 17 years at more than triple the original budget.

The civilian-controlled service is seen as strategically important for Europe, which relies on two military-run rivalsGPS and Russia's GLONASS.

How the Galileo satellite navigation system operates

ESA boasts that Galileo has the most accurate atomic clocks ever used for geolocalisation.

Similar to traditional clocks relying on the tick of a pendulum, atomic timekeepers also count regular oscillations, in this case switches between energy states of atoms stimulated by heat or light.

But Galileo has experienced many setbacks, including the placement of two satellites in the wrong orbit.

In January, ESA director general Jan Woerner announced that the system had suffered a setback with its atomic clocks.

The EU Commission expects Galileo to be fully operational by 2020.

ESA signed a contract in late June with a German-British consortium to build eight more satellites for Galileo, which will eventually comprise 30 orbiters.

Twenty-four will be operational, in three orbital planes, with the rest standing by as spares, in orbit and on the ground.

Once fully deployed, Galileo aims to pinpoint a location on Earth to within a metrecompared to several metres for GPS and GLONASS.

Clients of a paying service will be able to receive even more accurate readingsdown to centimetres. Such accuracy will be very useful in search-and-rescue operations.

All new cars sold in Europe by 2018 will be fitted with Galileo for navigation and emergency calls.

Its high-precision clocks will also boost synchronisation of banking and financial transaction, telecommunications and energy smart-grids, making them more efficient.

It should also boost the safety of driverless cars.

 2017 AFP
CSU's Kevin Crooks has studied urban fragmentation of large carnivores, including bobcats, in southern California. Credit: Kevin Crooks

Researchers have long assumed that habitat fragmentation contributes to extinction risk for animals, but until now, they have not been able to measure it for a major group of animals on a global scale. In a first-of-its-kind study, an international research team led by Colorado State University successfully measured habitat fragmentation for over 4,000 species of land-dwelling mammals. Among the findings, researchers discovered that species with more habitat fragmentation are at greater risk of extinction.

Kevin Crooks, the study's lead author and a professor in CSU's Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, said the research has implications for assessing the threat of extinction for mammals and setting priorities for global mammal conservation.

"For the first time in Earth's history, one speciesHomo sapiens, or humansdominates the globe," said Crooks. "In contrast to prior eras, we travel and communicate across the entire planet. Unfortunately, the more 'connected' we become, non-human life with which we share this planet becomes increasingly disconnected, at their peril."

High-resolution modeling measures habitat fragmentation

The research team used high-resolution habitat-suitability models to measure the degree of fragmentation for the world's mammals. Scientists then examined the relationship between habitat fragmentation and extinction risk, as assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List, and developed a comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of animals and plants.

The team also produced global maps, predicting key areas of intact high-quality habitat as well as hotspots of fragmentation for mammals. Habitat models demonstrate that most suitable environments for mammals are located outside of known protected areas.

Mountain lions have been affected by urban fragmentation. Credit: Kevin Crooks

Urban development, deforestation leads to fragmentation

Human activities such as urban development and deforestation can lead to habitat fragmentation. Fragmentation reduces the total amount of habitat available to wildlife, but also simultaneously isolates the habitat that remains, preventing movement of animals in previously connected landscapes.

In previous research, Crooks and his colleagues found that large carnivores, mountain lions and bobcats, decline and at times disappear, in highly-fragmented urban areas in the United States.

Habitat fragmentation also intensifies the effects of other agents of global environmental change, including limiting the ability of wildlife to shift locations in response to climate change.

"Habitat fragmentation needs to be addressed urgently, but it is also a manageable global conservation challenge," Crooks said.

"We hope that this research will provide critical guidance to conservation practitioners and policymakers setting strategic priorities for global mammal conservation. The findings of the study warrant intensified efforts to protect remnant habitat patches, as well as to restore connectivity to fragmented landscapes through conservation tools such as wildlife corridors and habitat linkages."

The research team includes scientists from Colorado State University, Conservation Science Partners, The University of Queensland in Australia, and Sapienza University in Italy.

"Quantification of habitat fragmentation reveals extinction risk in terrestrial mammals" was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, or PNAS.
A cutout of the map of M81s stellar halo in resolved RGB stars (Smercina et al. 2017, in preparation). The colors correspond to the metallicity bins defined on the CMD in the top left figure. The known galaxies in the field are labeled. d1005+68 is located at the bottom left of the map, indicated by a black arrow. It appears as a significant overdensity of blue (metal-poor) RGB stars, very near to the dwarf spheroidal, BK5N. Credit: Smercina et al., 2017.

(Phys.org)Astronomers have detected a new faint dwarf spheroidal galaxy using Japan's Subaru Telescope located in Hawaii. The newly found dwarf, designated d1005+68, belongs to a nearby galaxy group known as the M81 Group. The new findings were presented June 22 in a paper published on the arXiv pre-print repository.

Dwarf galaxies are small galaxies composed of about 100 million up to several billion stars. Astronomers are puzzled by the so-called "dwarf galaxy problem" (also known as the missing satellites problem), arising from simulations predicting the evolution of the distribution of matter in the universe. Dark matter simulations show that the number of dwarf galaxies should be orders of magnitude higher than actually observed.

To resolve this conundrum, scientists are searching for these missing dwarfs, especially beyond the Local Group of galaxies. Currently available surveys enable identification of faint dwarfs in nearby galaxy groups, and recently, a team of astronomers led by Adam Smercina of the University of Michigan has detected such a new faint dwarf in the M81 Group  one of the groups nearest to the Local Group.

The researchers used the Hyper Suprime-Cam (HSC) installed on the Subaru Telescope to conduct a survey of M81's resolved stellar halo. The HSC camera allowed the team to distinguish an overdensity of stars, which turned out to be a faint dwarf spheroidal galaxy.

"In this Letter, we presented a new faint dwarf galaxy, d1005+68, with properties consistent with being a satellite of the M81 Group. It was detected as a 5 overdensity in our 3.5 deg2 Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam survey of M81's resolved stellar halo," the astronomers wrote in the paper.

The study reveals that d1005+68 is located some 13 million light years from the Earth and approximately 250,000 light years from the M81 galaxy. The dwarf has a half-light radius of 613 light years and an estimated stellar mass of about 250,000 solar masses. The researchers assume that the galaxy is about 12 billion years old.

With an absolute V-band magnitude of 7.94, d1005+68 is one of the faintest confirmed galaxies discovered outside of the Local Group.

What still puzzles the scientists is the proximity of d1005+68 to the dwarf elliptical galaxy designated BK5N  a satellite of M81. According to the paper, they are separated from each other by about 16,300 light years, which suggests that d1005+68 could be a satellite of BK5N.

"The projected separation between d1005+68 and BK5N of 5 kpc is well within the estimated virial radius of BK5N (about 40 kpc). With our highly uncertain TRGB (tip of the red-giant branch) distance (due to scarcity of stars) and the similarity between the two CMDs (color-magnitude diagrams), this introduces the possibility that d1005+68 is a satellite of BK5N," the team wrote.

However, more observations that could provide more accurate distance estimates and line of sight velocity information are needed in order to prove this hypothesis is true. If confirmed, d1005+68 would be the first satellite-of-a-satellite discovered outside of the Local Group.

More information: d1005+68: A New Faint Dwarf Galaxy in the M81 Group, arXiv:1706.07039 [astro-ph.GA] arxiv.org/abs/1706.07039 Abstract

We present the discovery of d1005+68, a new faint dwarf galaxy in the M81 Group, using observations taken with the Subaru Hyper Suprime-Cam. d1005+68's color-magnitude diagram is consistent with a distance of 3.98+0.39 0.43 Mpc, establishing group membership. We derive an absolute V-band magnitude, from stellar isochrone fitting, of MV=7.94+0.38 0.50 , with a half-light radius of rh=188+39 41 pc. These place d1005+68 within the radius-luminosity locus of Local Group and M81 satellites and among the faintest confirmed satellites outside the Local Group. Assuming an age of 12 Gyr, d1005+68's red giant branch is best fit by an isochrone of [Fe/H] =1.900.24. It has a projected separation from nearby M81 satellite BK5N of only 5 kpc. As this is well within BK5N's virial radius, we speculate that d1005+68 may be a satellite of BK5N. If confirmed, this would make d1005+68 one of the first detected satellites-of-a-satellite.

 2017 Phys.org
A USC study shows that rule-breakers who are creative might get in less trouble than other cheaters. Credit: iStock

From the C-suite to the White House, ethics and morality are in the headlines these days. The questions are age-old, but new research from the USC Marshall School of Business shows why some rule-breakers may get away with it more than others.

It seems that more creative rule-breakers get in less trouble than more predictable rule-breakers. According to Scott Wiltermuth, associate professor of management and organization at USC Marshall, leniency is often motivated by respect for creativity.

"People view creativity as a positive, valuable trait," Wiltermuth and his co-authors argue in a recent paper published in Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes. "This perception provides creative cheaters with a halo that simultaneously makes their transgressions more palatable and more socially contagiousparticularly when the transgressions appear to cause relatively little harm."

Tolerating creativity

Take the case of the "hero" Frank Abagnale Jr., in the movie Catch Me If You Can. Played by Leonardo DiCaprio (with whom he shares little resemblance), Abagnale is famous for identity theft, passing himself off as a pilot or doctor, and reaping the benefits of the real person's bank accounts and other assets. He was busted and served time, but he also became a celebrity and went on to work for the U.S. government, helping nab criminals like himself.

Abagnale arguably caused a lot of harm, but he exemplifies the finding that, "If it's creative, it's more tolerated," Wiltermuth said. And not only that, the researchers found people are more likely to emulate creative forms of unethical behavior.

In one study the researchers conducted in the multiyear project, students working in groups witnessed cheating. In some of the groups, a paid actor cheated in a creative way and suggested that others cheat in the same way. In other groups, the actor's cheating was less creative, and in other groups the actor neither cheated nor suggested cheating. As the researchers expected, participants who witnessed cheating in a creative manner were more likely to copy it.

Imitation is the greatest form of flattery?

These findings provide insight into the factors that shape moral judgments, providing greater understanding of when people are likely to condemn, tolerate or approve bad behavior. For example, Wiltermuth said knowing creativity can inspire leniency could be useful for members of a jury to know as they find themselves judging the severity of a crime.

"Because transgressions are learned," said co-author Francesca Gino, Tandon Family Professor of Business Administration at Harvard University, "understanding the factors that shape people's moral judgments of others' transgressions might also be useful in predicting which types of misdeeds are likely to become socially contagious."

Wiltermuth and Gino also collaborated with Lynne Vincent, assistant professor of management in the Whitman School at Syracuse University. Their paper, "Creativity in Unethical Behavior Attenuates Condemnation and Breeds Social Contagion When Transgressions Seem to Create Little Harm," was published in March.
Nanomedicine could help patients with fatal lung conditions. Credit: Imperial College London

Metallic nanomolecules capable of carrying drugs to exactly where they are needed could one day help to treat patients with a fatal lung condition.

Scientists based at Imperial College London have tested a new type of nanoparticle called metal organic frameworks (MOF)  tiny metal cages less than 100 nanometres across that can be loaded with drug molecules  which they believe could potentially be used to treat patients with a devastating condition called pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

In PAH the blood vessels of the lungs constrict and thicken, increasing blood pressure and causing the right side of the heart to work harder and harder, until it eventually fails. The condition is rare but devastating and can affect people of all ages, including babies, young adults and the elderly. Patients in the late stage of the disease have few treatment options beyond transplant, with a mean survival time of around five years following diagnosis.

While there is no cure for PAH, existing treatments work by opening up these blood vessels. These drugs act on blood vessels throughout the body, however, causing blood pressure to drop and resulting in a number of side effects  which means the dose at which these drugs can be given is limited.

In their latest study, published online in Pulmonary Circulation, the multidisciplinary group at Imperial describes how it has taken the first in a number of steps to develop nanoparticles which could deliver drugs directly to the lungs, showing that the basic structures are not harmful to cells.

Professor Jane Mitchell, from the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial, who led the research, said: "The hope is that using this approach will ultimately allow for high concentrations of drugs we already have to be delivered to only the vessels in the lung, and reduce side effects. For patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, it could mean we are able to turn it from a fatal condition, to a chronic manageable one."

Metal organic frameworks can expand to create pores where drug molecules can be stored, releasing them where they are needed. Credit: Imperial College London

Metallic cages for drug delivery

The tiny metallic structures  composed of iron  were made in the lab of Professor Paul Lickiss and Dr Rob Davies's, from the Department of Chemistry and by Dr Nura Mohamed during her PhD studies at Imperial. Dr Mohamed, who was funded by the Qatar Foundation, made the structures so existing drugs used to treat PAH could fit inside them.

These structures were tested in human lung cells and blood vessel cells, which were grown from stem cells in the blood of patients with PAH. The team found that the structures reduced inflammation and were not toxic to the cells.

Further tests showed that the MOFs were safe in rats, with animals injected with MOFs over a two-week period showing few side effects  other than a slight build-up of iron in the liver.

"One of the biggest limitations in nanomedicine is toxicity, some of best nanomedicine structures do not make it past the initial stages of development as they kill cells," said Professor Mitchell. "We made these prototype MOFs, and have shown they were not toxic to a whole range of human lung cells."

MOFs are an area of interest in nanomedicine, with engineers aiming to develop them as carriers which can hold onto drug cargo, releasing it under specific conditions, such as changes in pH, temperature, or even when the nanostructures are drawn to the target area by magnets outside the body.

Beyond the finding that their iron nanostructures were non-toxic, the team believes the MOFs may have additional therapeutic properties. There was evidence to suggest anti-inflammatory properties, with the MOFs reducing the levels of an inflammatory marker in the blood vessels, called endothelin-1, which causes arteries to constrict. In addition, iron is also a contrast agent, meaning it would show up on scans of the lungs to show where the drug had reached.

The MOFs have not yet been tested in patients, but the next step is to load the tiny metallic structures with drugs and work out the best way to get them to target their cargo to the lungs. The researchers are confident that if successful, the approach could move to trials for patients, with a drug candidate ready to test within the next five years. The MOFs could potentially be delivered by an inhaler into the lung, or administered by injection.

"In this study we have proved the principle that this type of carrier has the potential to be loaded with a drug and targeted to the lung," explained Professor Mitchell. "This is fundamental research and while this particular MOF might not be the one that makes it to a drug to treat PAH, our work opens up the idea that this disease should be considered with an increased research effort for targeted drug delivery."

More information: Nura A. Mohamed et al. Chemical and biological assessment of metal organic frameworks (MOFs) in pulmonary cells and in an acute in vivo model: relevance to pulmonary arterial hypertension therapy, Pulmonary Circulation (2017). DOI: 10.1177/2045893217710224
The three-dimensional structure of the PDH enzyme from soybean, a legume. This structure helped show that only one mutation allowed legumes to evolve a new way to make the amino acid tyrosine. Credit: Craig Schenck

As you bite into your next peanut butter and jelly sandwich, chew on this: The peanut you're eating has a secret.

It's a subtle one. The peanut and its kinlegumeshave not one, but two ways to make the amino acid tyrosine, one of the 20 required to make all of its proteins, and an essential human nutrient. That might seem small, but why this plant family has a unique way to make such an important chemical building block is a mystery that extends back to the 1960s and is one that has captured the attention of Hiroshi Maeda, a professor of botany at the University of WisconsinMadison.

"We're interested in plant chemistry, trying to understand how plants make so many different chemical compounds, many of which are important to our human society as food, fiber, feed, fuel, medicineso many things," says Maeda.

Those important molecules start from simpler compounds, like tyrosine, which is the precursor of morphine and countless other interesting and useful chemicals.

In new research published in the June 26 issue of Nature Chemical Biology, Maeda and his graduate student Craig Schenck, along with collaborators at Washington University in St. Louis, report how the legume family evolved its second tyrosine pathway. They discovered the structure of a new plant enzyme, one which could be a useful tool to biotechnologists trying to control the production of tyrosine and its derivatives. And they tied a major evolutionary change in plant metabolism to a single mutation in the new enzyme.

In the 1960s and '70s, scientists surveyed the plant world to find how they made key metabolic compounds, like amino acids. While all plants used one pathway, known as ADH, to make tyrosine, the legume familypeas, beans, peanutsuniquely added a second, called PDH, which was otherwise found only in microbes. Nobody knew why, and the problem was set aside.

But two years ago, Maeda and Schenck dusted off the old mystery. Digging in, they discovered the genes responsible for making tyrosine. They found that the legumes had evolved their PDH enzymes from existing ADH ones, just before peanuts and peas evolved into separate lineages. The sister enzymes were very similar, which meant only a small number of changes could account for how the ADH enzymes evolved into the PDH ones. But there were still too many changes to test one by one to see which ones had an effect.

Then Maeda received a call from Joe Jez, a biochemist at Washington University. With Jez's student Cynthia Holland, the two teams collaborated to purify the PDH enzyme of soybean, a legume, and determine its three-dimensional structure. With the structure of PDH in hand, Schenck could see that over evolutionary time, only a couple mutations had occurred at the site where the chemical reactions take place. Instead of dozens of mutations to try, he had only two.

Schenck found that by changing a single amino acid in the center of the enzyme, he was able to largely convert the soybean PDH enzyme back into its ancestor ADH enzyme. The switch worked for enzymes from multiple species, and worked in reverse: Schenck could give ADH enzymes from non-legume plants PDH-like characteristics.

Maeda and Schenck had discovered that legumes evolved a novel way to make an important chemical mostly by stumbling on a single, crucial switch.

"The most surprising result is that a single residue really played a major role in switching to make this legume-specific enzyme," says Maeda. "And that raises an interesting question of why other groups of plants never evolved this unique enzyme. Because just with random chance, perhaps this mutation occurred but was never maintained."

Just why legumes held on to their new tyrosine pathway, and what advantage it might provide, will require more work.

Another takeaway, says Maeda, is that the same switch that turns ADH enzymes into PDH ones shuts off the ability of tyrosine to inhibit the function of the enzyme. Although this kind of self-regulation is normally useful for cells, Maeda thinks that the PDH insensitivity to tyrosine could be a boon for helping to produce more tyrosine, and its useful derivatives, in systems like yeast or engineered plants.

"The thought is that opium poppy, for example, is making tyrosine through a standard ADH pathway that is likely inhibited by tyrosine," explains Schenck, who recently completed his doctorate in Maeda's lab, discussing possible applications for the new research. "If we can introduce an enzyme that isn't inhibited by tyrosine, maybe we can increase the total pool of the precursor tyrosine for increasing morphine production. It may be a useful tool going forward in other plant species or even in microbes."

More information: Craig A Schenck et al. Molecular basis of the evolution of alternative tyrosine biosynthetic routes in plants, Nature Chemical Biology (2017). DOI: 10.1038/nchembio.2414 Journal information: Nature Chemical Biology
A Purple Gallinule was found on the Oak Ridge Reservation for the first time by Australian Ornithologist Liz Znidersic.

It is a bright, hot morning in mid-May on the Oak Ridge Reservation. A wildlife camera trap is hidden in the tall grass, passively waiting for a passerby, when a thin, exotic-looking bird walks into the frame.

It is covered in a patchwork of bright colors, with rich purple-blue feathers blending into an iridescent green on its back, a distinctive pale blue spot on its forehead and a bright red beak tipped in yellow. The camera snaps a picture and there it is: The first ever confirmed sighting of a purple gallinule on the Oak Ridge Reservation.

"Finding a previously undetected bird species is a big deal," said Liz Znidersic. "Oak Ridge Reservation has an impressive long-term dataset of bird populations starting in the 1950s, so we are all excited about this find."

Znidersic is a doctoral candidate at the Institute for Land, Water and Society at Charles Sturt University in New South Wales, Australia, where she investigates how a combination of methodologies may assist in the detection of cryptic birds, especially those in the rail family.

Znidersic spent more than five weeks in May and June surveying the Department of Energy's Oak Ridge Reservation with Kelly Roy, wildlife management coordinator for the reservation. Roy met Znidersic at a water bird conference last year and was impressed with her research, so he invited her to Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study local bird populations on the reservation and forge an intercontinental collaboration.

"It has provided the perfect foundation for us to learn from each other, with me bringing experience from multiple wetland systems and Kelly bringing his extensive knowledge of the Oak Ridge Reservation to the table," Znidersic said. "That kind of experience is hard to find and worth its weight in gold."

Australian researcher Liz Znidersic from Charles Sturt University recently visited Oak Ridge National Laboratory to study secretive bird species on the Oak Ridge Reservation with wildlife coordinator Kelly Roy. By using video and audio equipment, she found a new resident on the reservation -- a Purple Gallinule. Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

Znidersic came to Oak Ridge to see if her novel detection methodologies could add any new information to an already extensive species list. After her first survey deployment, she and the Oak Ridge team were surprised by the unexpected appearance of a purple gallinule.

"Though no one has ever personally witnessed this bird on the reservation, we now have documented proof of its existence," Roy said. "I'm very keen to keep track of all vertebrate species on the Oak Ridge Reservation, and this is now the 232nd bird species documented here since 1950."

The purple gallinule is one of the larger and more conspicuous birds in the rail family and is primarily found in South and Central America, the Caribbean and the marshes and coastal areas of Florida and South Carolina. It likes wet, swampy habitats full of dense vegetation to protect it from predators. Though they are capable of flight, they are ground-nesting birds and prefer to get around by running on their spindly yellow legs.

While purple gallinules are more common in West Tennessee, there have been isolated sightings in the east over the past few decades, though none in Roane County.

"There are probably no more than four or five records of purple gallinule in East Tennessee since 2000," Roy said. "We have recorded common gallinule, a different species, several times on the reservation, but this was a first for us and it's all because of Liz coming here."

Znidersic's unique combination of survey methodologies bypasses the hassles of traditional surveying and was critical to the discovery of the purple gallinule.

Znidersic's collaborators from the Queensland University of Technology Ecoacoustics Research Group transform the audio data into False Color Index Spectrograms, creating cutting edge 24-hour pictures of the sound. Credit: Oak Ridge National Laboratory

"It takes a lot of effort to thoroughly survey an area and even more so if you want to find a cryptic bird," Znidersic said. "Finding a purple gallinule at the Oak Ridge Reservation is like finding a needle in a haystack. What we're doing is finding a better way to find the needle."

Znidersic uses a combination of acoustic monitoring and camera traps to record audio and still images around the clock for more than a week at a time. With multiple recording stations scattered around a field site, she forms an invisible wildlife surveillance network capable of efficiently and noninvasively detecting secretive birds.

"When you have more than one unit, you're amplifying your effort in the field," she said. "Instead of making multiple short trips to a site, what we're doing is finding methods that extend our survey time without physically being in the field."

There are many reasons that purple gallinule may be in Tennessee, Znidersic said. It is a notorious wanderer, sometimes straying as far north as Canada. Alternatively, it may have been pushed inland by habitat pressures and competition for resources in coastal areas. Many researchers are currently working hard to understand how changes in the environment and volatile weather patterns are affecting marsh birds.

Znidersic should be able to determine if the individual captured in the photo is part of a breeding population by analyzing the audio recordings from the site. Her collaborators from the Queensland University of Technology Ecoacoustics Research Group transform the audio data into False Color Index Spectrograms, creating cutting edge 24-hour pictures of the sound. Znidersic then interprets the images, investigating multiple species vocalizing in a specific area and identifying vocalization patterns of virtually unknown rail species.

"Through this combination of methods, we have a better chance of knowing they are there or confidently inferring the absence of the species," she said. "This will enable future researchers to identify and monitor changes in the population.

"If we want to protect secretive species, we need to know if they are present, then study their movements and habitat requirements. Land managers can then make informed decisions to assist in their conservation."
University of Illinois researchers and physicians at Carle Foundation Hospital developed a rapid test for sepsis that counts white blood cells and protein markers on their surface to monitor a patient's immune response. Credit: Janet Sinn-Hanlon

A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood.

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, completed a clinical study of the device, which is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system's response, without any need to process the blood.

This can help doctors identify sepsis at its onset, monitor infected patients and could even point to a prognosis, said research team leader Rashid Bashir, a professor of bioengineering at the U. of I. and the interim vice dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Sepsis is triggered by an infection in the body. The body's immune system releases chemicals that fight the infection, but also cause widespread inflammation that can rapidly lead to organ failure and death.

Sepsis strikes roughly 20 percent of patients admitted to hospital intensive care units, yet it is difficult to predict the inflammatory response in time to prevent organ failure, said Dr. Karen White, an intensive care physician at Carle Foundation Hospital. White led the clinical side of the study.

"Sepsis is one of the most serious, life-threatening problems in the ICU. It can become deadly quickly, so a bedside test that can monitor patient's inflammatory status in real time would help us treat it sooner with better accuracy," White said.

Sepsis is routinely detected by monitoring patients' vital signs - blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature and others. If a patient shows signs of being septic, the doctors try to identify the source of the infection with blood cultures and other tests that can take days - time the patient may not have.

The new device takes a different approach.

"We are looking at the immune response, rather than focusing on identifying the source of the infection," Bashir said. "One person's immune system might respond differently from somebody else's to the same infection. In some cases, the immune system will respond before the infection is detectable. This test can complement bacterial detection and identification. We think we need both approaches: detect the pathogen, but also monitor the immune response."

The small, lab-on-a-chip device counts white blood cells in total as well as specific white blood cells called neutrophils, and measures a protein marker called CD64 on the surface of neutrophils. The levels of CD64 surge as the patient's immune response increases.

The researchers tested the device with blood samples from Carle patients in the ICU and emergency room. When a physician suspected infection and ordered a blood test, a small drop of the blood drawn was given to the researchers, stripped of identifying information to preserve patient confidentiality. The team was able to monitor CD64 levels over time, correlating them with the patient's vital signs. Researchers found that the results from the rapid test correlated well with the results from the traditional tests and with the patients' vital signs.

"By measuring the CD64 and the white cell counts, we were able to correlate the diagnosis and progress of the patient - whether they were improving or not," said Umer Hassan, a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois and the first author of the study. "We hope that this technology will be able to not only diagnose the patient but also provide a prognosis. We have more work to do on that."

Bashir's team is working to incorporate measurements for other inflammation markers into the rapid-testing device to give a more complete picture of the body's response, and to enable earlier detection. They also have a startup company, Prenosis Inc., that is working to commercialize the device.

"We want to move the diagnosis point backward in time," Bashir said. "The big challenge in sepsis is that no one knows when you get infected. Usually you go to the hospital when you already feel sick. So the goal is that someday you can be testing this at home, to detect infection even earlier if you can."

More information: "A Point-of-Care Microfluidic Biochip for Quantification of CD64 Expression from Whole Blood for Sepsis Stratification" Nature Communications (2017). DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS15949 Journal information: Nature Communications
By Anusha Soni: The Law Commission is all set to recommend a uniform law making it mandatory to register marriages. According to sources, the government is expected to publish the report by tomorrow and will soon move a fresh bill making it mandatory to register marriages across India.

This ruling created a political stir in Yogi Adityanath governed Uttar Pradesh as it took away the exemptions given to Muslims. Now the Centre is all set to take the leap forward with Law Commission on its side.

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During UPA government's second tenure, Rajya Sabha passed an amendment seeking to make marriage registration mandatory under the Registration of Births and Deaths Act, 1969, which currently only regulates registration of births and deaths. Rajya Sabha passed the amendment but the bill could not be passed by the Lok Sabha and later lapsed.

The BJP led government which has supported the idea of a Uniform Civil Code and the codification of personal laws is likely to bring the bill afresh.

In 2014, Law Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad had given a statement supporting compulsory registration of marriages saying, "Registration of Births and Deaths (Amendment) Bill, 2012 to provide for compulsory registration of marriages irrespective of the religious denomination of the "parties" or couples was introduced in the Rajya Sabha on May 7, 2012. It was passed by the Upper House on August 13, 2013, now steps are being initiated for introduction of the bill afresh."

According to sources, the law has been drafted in such a way that it does not target any particular community. It prescribes a procedure for compulsory registration for all religions and communities. Supreme Court had also asked the government to frame a law for compulsory registration in 2006. According to experts, compulsory registration would help curb down instances of bigamy and regulate polygamy.

"It will become important to show the consent of first wife to register second marriage where polygamy is permitted for a faith or tribe. This will help to ensure social and legal protection to women who are socially vulnerable," said a source from Law Commission. Though a move by the UPA-II, in the present political context the decision is likely to create doubts in the minority community.

The Supreme Court is still to give its verdict on triple talaq and the government has made it clear that they want further codification of Muslim Personal Law. The government had opposed all forms of talaq under Islam in the Supreme Court and also challenged the practice of Nikah Halala and polygamy.

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Law Commission Chairman on Uniform Civil Code: Each religion would continue to have personal laws

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Triple talaq row: Law commission unlikely to submit report before Supreme Court verdict

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Lake Michigan shoreline as seen from Sheboygan, Wisconsin. University of WisconsinMadison Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) researchers have joined an atmospheric study over Sheboygan and other cities along the lakes coast. Credit: SSEC

For several years, air quality managers have identified elevated levels of ozone in the Sheboygan, Wisconsin, area. It remains an atmospheric mystery since high levels of ozone are usually associated with larger cities. It is also an issue of great concern to public health officials because ozone is a known respiratory irritant that poses health threats to vulnerable populations, especially the young and the elderly, and those with breathing problems like asthma.

In an effort to unravel the mystery and understand how pollution moves along the western shoreline of Lake Michigan, University of WisconsinMadison Space Science and Engineering Center (SSEC) researchers have joined an atmospheric study over Sheboygan and other cities along the lake's coast.

The goal of the Lake Michigan Ozone Study (LMOS 2017) is to understand how wind currents can transport pollution from one location to anotherespecially ozone, which poses human health risks when found near the Earth's surface. The data collected will also be integrated into ozone models used by air quality managers at agencies such as the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), the Lake Michigan Air Directors Consortium (LADCO), and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.

"We want to help improve these models and better predict when ozone events will happen, and in turn, protect health," says Brad Pierce, a NOAA physical scientist who is stationed at UWMadison and is leading the LMOS campaign.

The study represents a $1.3 million multi-agency partnership that includes NASA, the National Science Foundation (NSF), EPA, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), and other organizations and universities.

"The plan is to collect data that will give us a comprehensive profile of the atmosphere along the shore of Lake Michigan," says Tim Wagner, SSEC assistant researcher.

Wagner oversees the research efforts for a suite of ground-based instruments, known as the SSEC Portable Atmospheric Research Center, or SPARC. SPARC is a customized, 17-foot trailer equipped with an array of sensitive tools used to measure the atmosphere, many of which were designed and built at SSEC. Data gathered from the SPARC instruments at the study site will help construct a picture of the atmosphere over Sheboygan and surrounding areas through wind and temperature measurements, and help resolve different types of particles like ice, dust and other aerosols.

"By understanding the atmospheric structure, it gives context to the other data that are part of the whole campaign," says Wagner. "It's an important piece of the puzzle to understanding what's happening up there."

The SPARC team's data will complement NASA measurements already gathered from remote sensing instruments on an aircraft flying in specific patterns over the areafrom Zion, Illinois, to Sheboyganand data from a NOAA research ship equipped with EPA instruments that collected nearshore and offshore measurements. It will also add to ozone measurements collected via automobile by EPA Region 5 and UWEau Claire Professor Patricia Cleary.

"Together, the aircraft, ship and land measurements will help build a more complete picture of the atmosphere," Wagner says.

Additionally, EPRI has funded Scientific Aviation to provide measurements from the air along the Lake Michigan coast and NSF has funded the University of Wisconsin, University of Iowa and University of Minnesota to conduct detailed chemical measurements at a ground site in Zion.

The UWMadison ground team includes Tim Bertram, professor of chemistry, and his graduate students Gordon Novak and Michael Vermeuel. Bertram explains that ozone is commonly found in Earth's atmosphere, where it protects surface dwellers from harmful solar radiation, but it is usually high up and away from people. However, anthropogenic sourceslike the burning of fossil fuelscan escalate ozone production to unsafe levels, especially when it forms in cities or densely populated areas.

Ozone is produced by incomplete combustion, which creates what are known as precursor molecules, like nitric oxide, and volatile organic compounds. These are converted into ozone through a sunlight-dependent chemical process. Ozone levels tend to be higher during the summer months because of increased solar intensity.

The EPA is responsible for setting ozone pollution standards nationwide and works with state agencies to monitor air quality conditions. Cities that fail to meet certain air quality standards must undergo a planning process to outline ways of reducing pollutants like ozone. Pierce, who has studied ozone transport for more than 20 years, says improving models will assist the EPA and cities as they plan for future air quality needs and requirements.

"The field phase of the 2017 Lake Michigan Ozone Study has been an overwhelming success and we look forward to using the measurements collected during the campaign to help understand why coastal ozone monitors show higher ozone levels than inland, and improve our ability to model ozone within this complex region," says Pierce.
(Left) Photograph of nine interconnected microsupercapacitors. (Right) Microsupercapacitors in a highly folded state. Credit: Xiao et al. 2017 American Chemical Society

(Phys.org)One of the most promising microscale power sources for portable and wearable electronics is a micro-supercapacitorthey can be made thin, lightweight, highly flexible, and with a high power density. Normally, however, manufacturing these devices involves complicated techniques that often require high pressures, irradiation, and multiple steps.

In a new study, researchers have developed a simple "one-step method" for fabricating micro-supercapacitors and demonstrate that the final devices exhibit a very good overall performance, including a high power density (1500 mW/cm3) as well as an energy density (11.6 mWh/cm3) that is at least twice as high as similar micro-supercapacitors.

The researchers, Han Xiao et al. at the Chinese Academy of Sciences, have published their paper in a recent issue of ACS Nano.

"We have developed a versatile, simple and effective method for fabricating high-energy micro-supercapacitors with designed shapes," coauthor Zhong-Shuai Wu at the Dalian National Laboratory for Clean Energy, Chinese Academy of Sciences, told Phys.org.

The essential step of fabricating the new micro-supercapacitor is integrating phosphorene nanosheets into the interlayer of graphene nanosheets, and the good performance is in large part due to the synergistic combination of these two materials. The different materials have complementary effects, with the phosphorene offering a high storage capacity and preventing the graphene sheets from unwanted stacking, while the graphene forms the main skeleton and offers a high-speed electron transport network.

Among their other characteristics, the micro-supercapacitors demonstrate very good flexibility, which the researchers attribute to the layered structure and planar device geometry. The device also has a high capacitance, which is maintained at nearly 90% of its maximum capacity after 2000 cycles. In general, the simple fabrication process also contributes to improving the device performance because it avoids the contamination and oxidation that often occur during multiple-step processing.

As the researchers explain, the small energy-storage devices have the potential to be used in a wide variety of areas.

"Micro-supercapacitors are very promising for on-chip energy storage," Wu said. "Very recently, the emergence of wearable and smart electronics urgently call for highly flexible and multi-functional, integrated energy storage devices. Overall, new micro-supercapacitors could keep up with the pace of the fast development of high-tech microsystems used in the precision instruments, materials, bio-medical and other fields."

The researchers also expect that, in the future, the new fabrication process can be easily scaled up and eventually be used for commercial purposes. They also plan to investigate other materials and techniques for developing microscale energy storage systems.

"We are continuously developing a variety of ultrathin, structurally defined graphene and 2-D materials, safe high-voltage electrolytes, and device fabrication techniques for flexible, smart, and integrated microscale energy storage device systems, such as high-energy micro-supercapacitors," Wu said.

More information: Han Xiao et al. "One-Step Device Fabrication of Phosphorene and Graphene Interdigital Micro-Supercapacitors with High Energy Density." ACS Nano. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.7b03288 Journal information: ACS Nano

 2017 Phys.org
An 18-year-old student in northwestern England has been charged in a series of cyberattacks on the websites of nearly a dozen multinational firms.

Jack Chappell is accused of supplying software that crashes websites by flooding them with data and with running a help-desk for cyber criminals.

West Midlands Police said in a statement that "Chappell allegedly attacked the websites of T-Mobile, EE, Vodafone, O2, BBC, BT, Amazon, Netflix, Virgin Media and the National Crime Agency."

He is also accused of assisting hackers in a 2015 attack on NatWest.

The force's cybercrime unit worked with the FBI, Israeli Police and Europol's European Cybercrime Centre during the investigation.

Chappell has been charged alongside an American citizen.

 2017 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
Credit: University of Maine

Maine's wet 2017 winter and spring eased the 2016 drought conditions, says Sean Birkel, University of Maine research assistant professor and Maine State Climatologist.

Winter precipitation was 2.3 inches more than normal on a statewide average, he says, totaling 11.7 inches water equivalent. And spring precipitation was 2.5 inches above normal, totaling 12.3 inches water equivalent.

These and more of Birkel's findings are included on the updated Maine Climate News site.

In 2009, the University of Maine Cooperative Extension and Maine Sea Grant, in partnership with the university's Climate Change Institute, started Maine Climate News to provide a central source of information specific to the state.

"Our goal is to provide a portal to climate change science and research at the University of Maine and beyond, as well as a resource for news and climate-related activities throughout the state," says Esperanza Stancioff, associate professor and climate change educator with UMaine Extension and Maine Sea Grant.

"Sean Birkel, our state climatologist, provides updates on Maine's climate seasonally."

One notable event of winter 2017 was a major Nor'easter on Feb. 1213 that delivered over 30 inches of snowfall to some areas of central and Down East, Maine.

While both winter and spring were wet, the winter was warm and the spring was cool, says Birkel. The average statewide winter temperature was 20.1 F and the average statewide spring temperature was 38 F.

The temperature in March, says Birkel, was the third coldest since 1984, behind 2015 and 2014. On May 18, though, daytime high temperature across the state soared into the 80s and low 90s, breaking some records.

Birkel says the climate in Maine and across the Northern Hemisphere is impacted by the declining extent and thickness of Arctic sea ice.

Since 2007, September minimum sea-ice extent has been consistently lower than the historic baseline for the era of satellite observation, Birkel says, adding that particularly low sea-ice extents occurred in September 2007 and 2012.

The 2017 melt season follows a record warm Arctic winter, and Birkel says it's likely this September could prove to be yet another record-breaker if weather patterns conducive to melt develop.

The colors in the image represent where more (blue) or fewer (red) freezing degree days accumulated between Nov. 1, 2016 and March 31, 2017, compared to the average for the period 1979-2000. One freezing degree day equals one day when the mean temperature is 1 degree below freezing. Temperature units are in Celsius. From National Centers for Environmental Prediction Climate Forecast System Reanalysis

"There is less sea-ice volume across the Arctic Basin now than at this time of year in 2012. It is almost inevitable that a new minimum extent record will be set in September," he says. "This translates to delayed onset of Arctic winter which will, in turn, impact atmospheric circulation across the Northern Hemisphere."

Birkel says one prominent view suggests a link between Arctic sea-ice loss and an increase in frequency of extreme climate eventsheat and cold waves, record rain and snowfallthat have been observed across the Northern Hemisphere in the past decade.

Maine Climate News also contains information from the Maine Climate and Agriculture Network, which identifies data on climate change that could have the greatest impacts on agriculture. It also looks to link management options that limit farm risk and takes advantage of opportunities.

Changes in average weather and extreme weather are affecting Maine agriculture, bringing both risks and potential opportunities, according to data compiled by the network.

One notable difference is that the average length of Maine's frost-free growing season is 1214 days longer than it was in 1930, and it's expected to continue to increase by two to three days per decade.

Several potential responses to the longer growing season include choosing longer-season crops or varieties, being flexible with earlier or later planting dates and raising two consecutive crops on the same land during a single growing season.

Daily high and overnight temperatures also are increasing, according to the network. The high temperatures can damage crops, including apples and peppers, as well as impact the health and productivity of dairy cows and other livestock.

Possible responses involve considering temperature sensitivity in site/crop/variety and breed selection; adjusting schedules to reduce worker heat exposure; and having misting or other systems to cool livestock.

The Maine Climate and Agriculture Network also reported the frequency of extreme storms in the state increased in 74 percent between 1948 and 2011. Intense storms used to occur an average of once per year and they now occur an average of once per 7 months.

In addition, the maximum hourly rate of precipitation increased by about 35 percent between 2001 and 2013. The frequency and intensity of extreme precipitation events are expected to continue increasing in the coming decades.

Intense rainstorms during the growing season increase the risk of soil erosion, seed loss, soil saturation, flooding, nutrient runoff and loss of fieldwork days.

Strategies include selecting flood-tolerant crops/varieties, installing ditches or drainage tiles to handle excess water and greater use of greenhouse and hoop house production.
CJI Khehar said that though the legislature has put a ban of 6 years on legislators once convicted for certain offences but people have a right to choose and elect anyone.

By Anusha Soni: While hearing a petition seeking lifetime ban on convicted legislators, Cheif Justice of India J S Khehar today said that whether it's a six year ban or any other limitation, as a principle "it impinges upon the will of the people to choose". While making a broad argument, the CJI was of the view that though the legislature has put a ban of six years on legislators once convicted for certain offences but people have a right to choose and elect anyone.

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CJI Khehar said, "Murder may not be a bar to not to fight elections. The court can only give a sentence and make it clear that someone is a murderer."

The plea argued by senior advocate Siddharth Luthra said that the current Representation of People's Act is arbitrary to the extent that it prescribes only six year ban on contesting elections for a certain class of offences. According to him, there should be a complete ban on such legislators. The same view has also been supported by the Election Commission in a separate case going on. The court has asked Luthra to file an intervening application in a plea which is already pending before the court.

BAN SHOULD BE LIFETIME

Under the current law, a legislator is debarred for six years from contesting elections once he is convicted for heinous or moral offences. Various pleas have knocked the Supreme Court arguing that the ban should be lifetime at par with the judiciary and executive where a person cannot hold office for life post conviction.

Interestingly, despite backing of the Election Commission (EC), the Centre has opposed the lifetime ban on convicted Member of Parliaments or the state legislative Assembly members. The Centre has vehemently opposed the suggestion of the EC to bar the legislators, who have been convicted of criminal offences. Submitting its response to the public interest litigation, the Centre has argued that the current debarment for six years is in no way violative of Article 14.

A PIL was filed by Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay, lawyer and BJP leader, seeking to set up special courts for speedy disposal of matters related to legislators and to further bar them from contesting elections for life.

Under the current Representation of People's Act, 1951, a person may contest elections after seven years. Earlier, submitting its response in the matter, the EC had supported the petitioner's request for lifetime ban on convicted MPs and MLAs. The Centre, however, took a stand in stark contrast.

Also read: CJI bats for paperless courts, says work of judiciary becomes easier

Also read: Supreme Court refuses to hear Justice Karnan's bail plea

--- ENDS ---
By Tiemoko Diallo BAMAKO (Reuters) - African powers launched a new multinational military force to tackle Islamist militants in the Sahel on Sunday, which French President Emmanuel Macron told a regional summit should be fully operational by the autumn despite its current budget shortfall. Some observers see the initiative of the G5 Sahel bloc - Mali, Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Niger and Chad - as forming the basis of an eventual exit strategy for around 4,000 French troops now deployed to the volatile region. But Macron said Paris had no plans to withdraw them. Islamist militant groups, some with links to al Qaeda, seized control of Mali's desert north in 2012. Though they were driven back a year later by a French-led military intervention, they continue to carry out attacks against on U.N. peacekeepers, Malian soldiers and civilian targets in violence that has spilled across Mali's borders. "Every day we must combat terrorists, thugs, murderers, whose names and faces we must forget, but whom we must steadfastly and with determination eradicate together," Macron said at the summit in Mali's capital Bamako. During the meeting, leaders of the G5 Sahel countries formally established the new force, which will operate in coordination with French troops and MINUSMA, Mali's struggling U.N. peacekeeping mission. The countries of the G5 Sahel bloc began floating the idea of a regional force as early as 2015, but since taking office in May, Macron has thrown Paris's weight behind the plan, including through a U.N. resolution last month. "There is urgency because those we're confronting are not going to wait," said Mali's President Ibrahim Boubacar Keita. "It's also clear that France alone must not continue to bear the burden of this fight against terrorism." UNDERFUNDED AND OVERSTRETCHED On Sunday, Macron said the force, which is expected to consist of around 5,000 troops, needed to be fully operational by this autumn. But he played down speculation that he was seeking to reduce the burden on France's cross-border Barkhane Operation, saying in a meeting with Mali's French community following the summit that Paris would "remain engaged for as long as it takes". With its military headquarters in the northern Mali town of Sevare, the G5 Sahel force will focus on border zones - one along the frontier between Niger and Mali, another between Mali and Mauritania, and a third straddling the borders between Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali. Paris considers the Sahel a breeding ground for militants and traffickers who pose a threat to Europe. Late on Saturday, JNIM, an al Qaeda-linked group, released a video showing six Western hostages abducted in the region in recent years. Among them was French citizen Sophie Petronin, whose kidnappers Macron said France would "put all our energy towards eradicating". While Sunday's summit marked a step forward in the plan to set up the new force, it still faces a number of obstacles. The European Union has pledged around 50 million euros ($57 million), and Macron said France would contribute around 8 million euros by the end of the year. Each of the G5 Sahel members will contribute 10 million euros for the force. But President Keita on Sunday estimated the required total budget at 423 million euros. The G5 Sahel nations - among the world's poorest - are already overstretched. Chad, Burkina Faso and Niger have deployed around 4,100 soldiers within MINUSMA. Niger and Chad also contribute troops to a similar regional force fighting Nigeria's Boko Haram militants. President Idriss Deby of Chad, which possesses the region's most capable military, has voiced reluctance to further commit his forces unless they receive more international support. ($1 = 0.8756 euros) (Additional reporting by Sophie Louet in Paris; Additional reporting and writing by Joe Bavier; Editing by Mark Potter and David Evans)
The Taliban have killed 13 pro-government fighters in northern Afghanistan, ambushing them as they were on their way to take part in an operation against the insurgency, officials said Sunday. The attack on the fighters, part of a local militia working with the government, took place Saturday afternoon in the volatile Chimtal district of northern Balkh province, some 40 kilometres from the provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif. It underscored rising insecurity in the war-torn country as the resurgent Taliban step up their assaults, with government forces struggling to contain them. "13 local militia forces have been shot dead by Taliban insurgents as they were heading for an operation against the militants in Chimtal," Munir Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor of Balkh told AFP. "All of them were killed ... They were young forces," Farhad said, adding they were investigating the cause of the attack. Sarwar Hussaini, police spokesman for northern Afghanistan confirmed the ambush and the death toll. The Taliban, who have intensified their attacks on pro-government forces since launching their annual so-called "spring offensive", claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack. Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014. In April, northern Balkh province witnessed one of the deadliest attacks in Afghan history on a military base near Mazar-i-Sharif, where gunmen and suicide bombers killed around 150 soldiers. Local militias have been formed under the authority of the interior ministry to help the strained security forces. Saturday's attack comes at a time of intensified violence and when the United States is actively considering sending more troops to Afghanistan. American military commanders in Afghanistan have requested thousands of extra boots on the ground. US troops in Afghanistan now number about 8,400, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago. They mainly serve as trainers and advisers.
By Jim Finkle TORONTO (Reuters) - The U.S government warned industrial firms this week about a hacking campaign targeting the nuclear and energy sectors, the latest event to highlight the power industry's vulnerability to cyber attacks. Since at least May, hackers used tainted "phishing" emails to "harvest credentials" so they could gain access to networks of their targets, according to a joint report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and Federal Bureau of Investigation. The report provided to the industrial firms was reviewed by Reuters on Friday. While disclosing attacks, and warning that in some cases hackers succeeded in compromising the networks of their targets, it did not identify any specific victims. "Historically, cyber actors have strategically targeted the energy sector with various goals ranging from cyber espionage to the ability to disrupt energy systems in the event of a hostile conflict," the report said. Homeland Security and FBI officials could not be reached for comment on the report, which was dated June 28. The report was released during a week of heavy hacking activity. A virus dubbed "NotPetya" attacked on Tuesday, spreading from initial infections in Ukraine to businesses around the globe. It encrypted data on infected machines, rendering them inoperable and disrupting activity at ports, law firms and factories. [L8N1JP55N] On Tuesday the energy-industry news site E&E News reported that U.S. investigators were looking into cyber intrusions this year at multiple nuclear power generators. Reuters has not confirmed details of the E&E News report, which said there was no evidence safety systems had been compromised at affected plants. The activity described in the U.S. government report comes at a time when industrial firms are particularly anxious about threat that hackers pose to their operations. Industrial firms, including power providers and other utilities, have been particularly worried about the potential for destructive cyber attacks since December 2016, when hackers cut electricity in Ukraine. U.S. nuclear power generators PSEG, SCANA Corp and Entergy Corp said they were not impacted by the recent cyber attacks. SCANA's V.C. Summer nuclear plant in South Carolina shut down on Thursday due to a problem with a valve in the non-nuclear portion of the plant, a spokesman said. Another nuclear power generator, Dominion Energy, said it does not comment on cyber security. Two cyber security firms said on June 12 that they had identified the malicious software used in the Ukraine attack, which they dubbed Industroyer, warning that it could be easily modified to attack utilities in the United States and Europe. [L1N1J90J8] Industroyer is only the second piece of malware uncovered to date that is capable of disrupting industrial processes without the need for hackers to manually intervene. The first, Stuxnet, was discovered in 2010 and is widely believed by security researchers to have been used by the United States and Israel to attack Iran's nuclear program. The U.S. government report said attackers conducted reconnaissance to gain information about the individuals whose computers they sought to infect so that they create "decoy documents" on topics of interest to their targets. In an analysis, it described 11 files used in the attacks, including malware downloaders and tools that allow the hackers to take remote control of victim's computers and travel across their networks. Chevron Corp, Exxon Mobil Corp and ConocoPhillips, the three largest U.S. oil producers, declined to comment on their network security. (Reporting by Jim Finkle; Additional reporting by Timothy Gardner in Washington and Ernest Scheyder in Houston; editing by Grant McCool and Tom Brown)
2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming Digest #26

Posted on 2 July 2017 by John Hartz

Story of the Week... Toon of the Week... Quote of the Week... Coming Soon on SkS... Poster of the Week... Climate Feedback Reviews... SkS Week in Review... 97 Hours of Consensus...

Story of the Week...

Carbon in Atmosphere Is Rising, Even as Emissions Stabilize

The Cape Grim Baseline Air Pollution Station in Tasmania. Credit: Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO)

CAPE GRIM, Tasmania  On the best days, the wind howling across this rugged promontory has not touched land for thousands of miles, and the arriving air seems as if it should be the cleanest in the world.

But on a cliff above the sea, inside a low-slung government building, a bank of sophisticated machines sniffs that air day and night, revealing telltale indicators of the way human activity is altering the planet on a major scale.

For more than two years, the monitoring station here, along with its counterparts across the world, has been flashing a warning: The excess carbon dioxide scorching the planet rose at the highest rate on record in 2015 and 2016. A slightly slower but still unusual rate of increase has continued into 2017.

Scientists are concerned about the cause of the rapid rises because, in one of the most hopeful signs since the global climate crisis became widely understood in the 1980s, the amount of carbon dioxide that people are pumping into the air seems to have stabilized in recent years, at least judging from the data that countries compile on their own emissions.

That raises a conundrum: If the amount of the gas that people are putting out has stopped rising, how can the amount that stays in the air be going up faster than ever? Does it mean the natural sponges that have been absorbing carbon dioxide are now changing?

Carbon in Atmosphere Is Rising, Even as Emissions Stabilize by Justin Gillis, New York Times, June 26, 2017

Toon of the Week...

Quote of the Week...

The basics of scientists understanding of climate change can be communicated in five key points: Its real, its caused by humans, its bad, the experts agree, and theres still hope for fixing it, according to John Cook, a research assistant professor at George Mason Universitys Center for Climate Change Communication.

When you look at all the climate denial arguments, theyre basically the flip of all that: Its not real, its not us, its not bad, the experts disagree or the experts are unreliable, and theres no hope, we cant fix it, Cook told HuffPost. You expect them to be moving along that spectrum.

Dont Be Fooled By The Gentler Tone Of Charles Kochs Climate-Change Denial by Alexander C Kaufman, HuffPost, June 26, 2017

SkS Spotlights...

Nature World News offers fascinating and comprehensive news about the scientific world. Whether it's about animals, health, space, or archaeological finds, the website brings out the science geek in every reader, fostering an improved appreciation of our environment.

Our writers and editors are dedicated to dissect and interpret complex information from the latest scientific studies to deliver articles that are easily digestible. We get our information from authoritative sources, worlds leading scientists, experts and researchers, encompassing a variety of topics  animals, biology, environment, health and medicine, technology, travel, and space.

We live in a world where we depend on science and technology for our everyday life; yet, almost no one understands it. At Nature World News, by using accessible journalism, we hope to make complicated science easier to understand.

Coming Soon on SkS...

2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Waming Digest #26 (John Hartz)

(John Hartz) 'The best data we have' just got a lot hotter (John Abraham)

(John Abraham) Mapped: Climate change laws around the world (Simon Evans)

(Simon Evans) Rick Perry's 'I don't believe that'  the slogan for climate denial (Dana)

(Dana) Republicans want taxpayers to pay for a 'Red Team' of climate science losers (John Abraham)

(John Abraham) ClimateChats: Climate Pictures (Adam Levy)

(Adam Levy) 2017 SkS Weekly Climate Change & Global Warming News Roundup #27 (John Hartz)

Poster of the Week...

Climate Feedback Reviews...

Climate Feedback asked its network of scientists to review 95-Degree Days: How Extreme Heat Could Spread Across the World by Brad Pulmer & Nadja Popovich, New York Times, June 22, 2017

Four scientists analyzed the article and estimated its overall scientific credibility to be high.

A majority of reviewers tagged the article as: Accurate.

Click here to acess the entire review.

SkS Week in Review...

97 Hours of Consensus...

James Hansen's bio page

Quote derived with author's permission from:

"We have known since the 1800s that carbon dioxide traps heat in the atmosphere. The right amount keeps the climate conducive to human life. But add too much, as we are doing now, and temperatures will inevitably rise too high. This is not the result of natural variability, as some argue. The earth is currently in the part of its long-term orbit cycle where temperatures would normally be cooling. But they are rising  and its because we are forcing them higher with fossil fuel emissions."

High resolution JPEG (1024 pixels wide)
A Delhi man was rushed to a hospital in Gurgaon after he gulped down a drink that he thought would make him high but it left a hole in his stomach instead.

By India Today Web Desk: With a huge development in gastronomy nowadays, the art has changed completely. Playing with fire is no more a dangerous task, at least not in the pubs. From liquid nitrogen to fire shots, we now, have it all.

But playing with gases could prove fatal.

A Delhi man was rushed to a hospital in Gurgaon after he drank liquid nitrogen hoping it would make him high. It didn't make him high, but left a hole in his stomach. The incident happened two months ago and the fellow has recovered now.

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Yes, a hole.

As scary as it sounds, the doctors described his stomach saying it is "open like a book".

According to a HT report, the 30-year-old man was supposed to have the drink once the smoke evaporates but had it along with liquid nitrogen. He felt sick but had another one anyway.

After some time, the man complained of discomfort, breathlessness and abdomen swelling. He was rushed to a hospital and soon operated up on. It was found that he had a hole in his stomach.

"After I gulped down the drink, I started feeling very uncomfortable, like how you feel when there is an acid reflux. The bartender passed me another drink and I had it, not thinking too much about the discomfort. However, within seconds, my stomach started swelling and I was in unbearable pain. Breathing was also difficult," said the man, who did not want to be named, to the Hindustan Times.

Why is liquid nitrogen used in food?

Liquid nitrogen is used to instantly freeze food and drinks. It is also used in cryogenic medical procedures.

Why you should avoid inhaling liquid nitrogen?

With an expansion ratio of 1:694 at 20 degree Celsius, one litre of the liquid gas can expand to 694 litres at 20 degrees.

If a person's body has more levels of lactic acid, they are more likely to get stuck in a situation like this. The doctors found that in this case, the lactic acid levels were too high which caused a reaction in his stomach. It caused oxygen deprivation in his body and had to be put on ventilator.

During the surgery, doctors found out there was a huge perforation in his stomach.

"Usually perforations are smaller and can be sewed up. However, in this case, we found that the middle and the lower parts of the stomach were open like a book. It was not possible to stitch it back, besides the tissue near the tear was also damaged. So, we had to remove the damaged portion of the stomach and connect the rest to the small intestine," said Dr Mriganka S Sharma, co-surgeon in the case told HT.

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The man was kept on the ventilator for three days after which his body recovered.

--- ENDS ---
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Exxon Mobil Corporation is the largest direct descendent of John D. Rockefellers Standard Oil and one of the worlds largest companies. Its earliest roots lie with Vacuum Oil which got its start in the 1860s. Vacuum Oils primary product was kerosene, an important advancement for heating and lighting in rural America. Vacuum Oil was later merged with Standard Oil of New Jersey which was the parent operation of the Standard Oil empire prior to its breakup. Standard Oil of New Jersey would merge with other independent operators over the next few years until settling on the brand Exxon for most of its operations.

Meanwhile, Standard Oil of New York was operating under much the same impetus, merging and growing, until it became known as Mobil. Then, in 1999, the two giants became one with a merger of equals that on paper had Exxon buying Mobil. Now, the combined company operates under the Exxon, Mobil, and Esso brands as an international vertically integrated energy and petrochemical business.

Today, the company explores and produces crude oil and natural gas and their derivative products globally. As of 2022, it was ranked 6th on Forbes Fortune 500 list and 12th on the Global 500 list but it has held positions from #1 to #10 over the years. In terms of its operations, it is the worlds second-largest oil refiner and the largest refiner outside of China. In terms of reserves, ExxonMobil claimed about 18.5 million barrels of oil and oil equivalents at the end of 2021 and was ranked 15th globally.

ExxonMobil operates through three segments that are the Upstream, Downstream, and Chemical segments. The Upstream segment explores for and produces oil and oil equivalents and represents roughly 70% of the income. The Downstream segment gathers, receives, stores, transports and refines oil and equivalents and their derivatives. The Downstream segment also markets and delivers fuel products to consumers and businesses. The Chemicals segment produces the full range of petrochemicals including plastics, resins and synthetic rubber.

ExxonMobil is committed to advancing sustainable and carbon-free energy solutions. The company is targeting 2050 for net-zero emissions and its 2030 interim targets are in alignment with the Paris Accord, the EU's Global Methane Pledge, and US Methane Emissions Reduction Action Plan. The companys plans include investing $15 billion into reducing greenhouse emissions by 2028.






Pennsylvania Republican Sen. Pat Toomey disagreed Thursday with President Donald Trump over a sugar deal with Mexico, arguing that it would only favor a handful of U.S. sugar producers and refiners.

Inside the Sugar Deal with Mexico

The deal, announced in early June, is in response to complaints from U.S. sugar producers and refiners that Mexico was exporting subsidized refined sugar to the United States while limiting the export of raw sugar that could be refined in the U.S. by American sugar refiners.

The new agreement increases the price at which sugar, both raw and refined, is sold to Mexico, according to the Washington Post. The agreement also reduces the amount of refined sugar that is exported to the U.S. from Mexico. The U.S. will suspend duties on Mexican sugar imports.

Toomey asserted that the new deal hikes prices for consumers by pushing sugar prices even higher. He also said that the deal threatens well-paying jobs in food processing industries across the nation.

Trump touted the new deal as, a very good one for both Mexico and the U.S. The agreement is also supported by the American Sugar Alliance, which represents sugar farmers and producers, according to The Hill.

New Sugar deal negotiated with Mexico is a very good one for both Mexico and the U.S. Had no deal for many years which hurt U.S. badly.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

Toomey responded to the presidents tweet.

I disagreethe new sugar deal hikes prices for consumers even more. Heres why: https://t.co/g2VNiL4Jh8 https://t.co/hWu8ZLA9vI  Senator Pat Toomey (@SenToomey) June 29, 2017

U.S. sugar producers estimated that they have lost more than $4 billion because Mexico floods the market with government-subsidized sugar, according to The Hill.

Toomey, who won re-election to his second term in November, has reason to attack the presidents sugar deal. Pennsylvania is home to a robust sugar production industry, employing more than 40,000 people in the Keystone state. The state also dominates the candy industry.

Toomey said that the deal favors a few big sugar producers and refiners at the expense of the consumer. He characterized the deal as the ugliest form of protectionism.

Unfortunately, these large agribusinesses are already subsidized by domestic agricultural policies, which force American consumers to pay artificially high prices for their products, Toomey argued. The fact is that the new agreement should be doing just the opposite, lowering costs for American families at the checkout line.

Republished by permission. Original here.
Recently, 500 companies  mostly small businesses and startups  went to Walmart (NYSE:WMT) company headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas, to pitch their products to company buyers.

If theyre selected, theyll get to sell their products at Walmart stores and on the retailers website. It could mean huge growth for those small companies. But there are challenges involved as well.

This is the fourth Open Call event Walmart has held.

This year, Walmart is specifically looking for American companies and is promoting American manufacturing. So companies that sell products that are made in America could have a good chance of getting their products placed in Walmart stores or even getting the opportunity to manufacture some of Walmarts private label products.

Walmart Open Call 2017

Cindi Marsiglio, Walmart vice president for U.S. Sourcing and Manufacturing said in a statement, While finding products our customers want is a year-round focus for our buying teams, Walmarts annual Open Call is a special opportunity to connect our buyers with companies that are manufacturing products in the U.S. and to identify new and unique product solutions.

American manufacturing has been experiencing a resurgence in some sectors. So this type of open call allows Walmart to potentially tap into some interesting new markets while also taking advantage of some of the positive public perception that often comes with supplying American-made products and supporting job growth and the U.S. economy.

But for the businesses in attendance, the opportunity could be even more significant.

We are very excited to be in Arkansas this week for the chance of our products to be in Walmart stores! @WalmartToday #MadeInUSA  PocketGel (@Pocket_Gel) June 27, 2017

Walmart is the worlds largest retailer. So getting products featured on store shelves or on Walmart.com could provide a huge sales boost.

And the significance of that opportunity was not lost on the small businesses in attendance, some of which went to extra lengths to put on a great presentation for their products.

New label design, new size, presenting to the largest retailer in the world in two days ?? #madeinusa #WomeninBusiness pic.twitter.com/Bxuz0dwTG0  Lauren Falcione (@blondeitalian3) June 27, 2017

In fact, nearly 100 companies received deals on the spot. And dozens more will continue to have conversations with Walmart about future opportunities.

The companies that receive deals from Walmart could also gain some local notoriety and extra coverage for their participation.

See Also: VerticalResponse Offers Open API to Developers

Overall, this type of event provides a unique opportunity for small businesses, many of which face major roadblocks in getting their products in front of large retailers or corporations.

Of course, this also means that those small businesses that receive deals will need to step up production in order to meet that increased demand. But for the businesses that can take on the extra work, its a potentially huge opportunity.
International Relations  July 3, 2017  Adam Hanieh

The June 5 decision by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, and Egypt to suspend diplomatic ties with Qatar has sent shockwaves through the Middle East.

The ensuing blockade shut down much of the Gulfs maritime and land trade with Qatar, provoking fears that the tiny state would soon face food shortages. Major air carriers, including Emirates, Gulf Air, flydubai, and Etihad Airways, canceled flights, and Qatari citizens living in the participating nations had just two weeks to return home. Even immigrants with Qatari residency permits would be caught up in the expulsion.

The UAE outlawed any expression of sympathy for Qatar  including on Twitter  and threatened offenders with jail terms of up to fifteen years.

Governments closely linked to Saudi Arabia and the UAE quickly expressed support for the blockade, including the Tobruk-based House of Representatives in Libya (one of the countrys warring governmental factions), the Saudi-backed Abed Rabbo Mansour Hadi government in Yemen, as well as the Comoros, Mauritania, and the Maldives.

Bad Press: Financing Islamist Groups and Closer to Iran

The move against Qatar came after months of bad press in American and Gulf media, in which state officials repeatedly claimed that Qatar was financing Islamist groups and growing closer to Iran.

Yousef Al Otaiba, UAEs ambassador to the United States, played a major role in this campaign. Since the beginning of the 2010 Arab uprisings, Otaiba has roamed Washingtons corridors of power, warning that these popular revolts threaten the regions established order and claiming that Qatar supports movements and individuals hostile to both Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Former American government officials and think tanks  notably the neoconservative, pro-Israel Foundation for the Defense of Democracies (FDD), a prominent supporter of the 2003 invasion of Iraq  have taken up this anti-Qatari crusade. On May 23, the FDD convened a high-profile seminar to discuss the Gulf nations relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood and how the Trump administration should respond. There, former secretary of defense Robert Gates called on the American government to relocate its massive airbase in Qatar unless the country cut ties with such groups.

According to emails released shortly after the conference, Otaiba supposedly reviewed and encouraged Gatess comments. Indeed, this leak reportedly helped trigger the blockade, revealing the ambassadors cozy relationship with Gates, the FDD, and other figures close to the Trump administration.

Both the UAE and Saudi Arabia have also claimed that Qatar has sought to strengthen ties to Iran over the past months. One piece of evidence offered for this is the claim that Qatar recently paid $700-million to Iran in order to secure the release of twenty-six Qatari royals who had been kidnapped in Iraq in 2015, and had been held in Iran for a year and a half. This story  which also allegedly involved a separate payment of up to $300-million to Al Qaeda-aligned groups in Syria  was denied by Iraqi Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi, who stated on June 11 that the money remains in the Iraqi central bank.

For its part, Saudi Arabia decried a statement attributed to Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, which appeared on the state-owned Qatar News Agency. During a graduation speech for national guard officers at the Al Udeid base, Al Thani purportedly praised Iran and criticized the Gulf states that see the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization. Qatar explained that the website had been hacked  an assertion the FBI later supported  and that Al Thani had made no such statements.

Amid all these claims and counter-claims, some observers argue that Donald Trumps visit to Saudi Arabia on May 20 represented a key moment in the campaign against Qatar, alleging that Trump gave Saudi Arabia and the UAE the green light. Indeed, one of his characteristically eloquent tweets seems to confirm this, as the president bragged that the blockade came out of his meetings in Riyadh.

Not everyone in Washington, however, fully supports Saudi Arabia and the UAE. Other officials  notably Rex Tillerson  are calling for an easing of the blockade and a peaceful solution. The United Kingdoms foreign secretary, Boris Johnson, also weighed in, calling for an end to the conflict while also stating that Qatar urgently needs to do more to address support for extremist groups.

Internecine squabbling is nothing new for the Gulfs fractious ruling families, but the decision to isolate Qatar marks a significant escalation. How should we understand the blockade in the context of wider developments in the Middle East, particularly in the wake of the Arab uprisings? Do these events mark an irreconcilable schism in Gulf politics or a fundamental shift in the historic patterns of American alliances in the region?

Shared Interests and Rivalries

We cannot understand the current conflict without analyzing the wider regional integration project, embodied in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Bahrain, and Oman established this organization two years after the 1979 Iranian revolution and at the beginning of the war between Iraq and Iran that would last until 1988.

At the time, the GCC was widely seen as an American-backed response to these regional upheavals, designed to establish a security umbrella across the six member states, which the United States would encourage, equip, and oversee.

Not only do these states have rich oil and gas resources  the ultimate explanation for the United States interest in such an alliance  but they also share similar structures, marked by authoritarian ruling families and a labour force that primarily consists of largely rightless temporary migrant workers  a feature often forgotten in the flurry of media discussion about the Gulf over the past few weeks. The GCCs integration project reflected these states collective interests, which are uniquely aligned with Western powers.

The relationship between the United States, other Western powers, and the GCC has strengthened considerably since 1981, as Qatars Al Udeid air base demonstrates.

Now over fourteen years old, Al Udeid hosts over ten thousand American troops and is the United States largest overseas airbase. As the forward headquarters of Special Operations Central Command and Air Forces Central Command, Qatar helps coordinate the United States military footprint throughout the region, including in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The United States also runs its principal naval base from Bahrain, home to the Naval Forces Central Command and Fifth Fleet. More than twenty thousand American military personnel are stationed throughout the rest of the Gulf.

The sale of military equipment to the Gulf by the United States and European nations, particularly the United Kingdom and France, is closely linked to this military presence. Trumps recent visit to Saudi Arabia put this aspect of the U.S.-Saudi relationship on display: the dealmaker-in-chief reportedly signed contracts for more than one hundred billion dollars. (The precise values remain disputed, as they are largely based on letters of intent and include deals agreed upon with the Obama administration.)

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institutes Arms and Military Expenditure Program, nearly 20% of world military imports went to GCC nations in 2015; Saudi Arabia and the UAE ranked first and fifth. Saudi Arabia and the UAE accounted for 80% of all GCC military imports that year, but Qatar, Kuwait, and Oman also appear on the list of the worlds top forty importing countries. The GCCs share of the global market has more than doubled since 2011, and it has become the largest market for weapons in the world.

These purchases recycle a portion of the Gulfs petrodollar surpluses to the companies that produce the worlds military hardware. The GCC not only hosts American forces, but it also pays handsomely for the privilege.

The Gulfs Political Economy

But the significance of the GCC project extends beyond protecting an exclusive club of oil-rich monarchies and maintaining the regions role as forward headquarters for American military power in the Middle East, Central Asia, and East Africa.

Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the institutional framework laid down by the GCC encouraged the six member states to devise a much closer political and economic alignment, an arrangement often compared to the European Union. The last two decades have seen considerable progress toward this goal: increased levels of pan-GCC capital flows, a move toward standardized taxes and tariffs for imported goods, policies that encourage the free movement of citizen labour, and more unified political institutions. A common currency, the khaleeji, was even proposed.

This regional integration process supports the specific form of capitalism GCC states share. The large Gulf conglomerates (both state and privately owned) that dominate the Gulfs political economy operate across Gulf borders, and  similar to the European Union  are also marked by a pronounced interpenetration of capital ownership structures across different Gulf states.

Importantly, however  and this helps us understand the latest conflicts in the region  this integration project did not extinguish the members rivalries or competitive tensions. A sharp hierarchy of political and economic power has marked the GCC since its inception, with the main pivot revolving around a Saudi-UAE axis.

These two countries have become the primary sites of capital accumulation, and firms from Saudi Arabia and the UAE dominate the GCC economy in the real estate, finance, trade, logistics, telecommunications, petrochemicals, and manufacturing sectors. There are also significant cross-border investments between Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

This axis is not without its own tension  reflected, for example, in the Emirati rejection of the Saudi-backed unified currency project in 2009  but their political alignment has developed alongside their economic ties.

Bahrain is closely integrated into this axis as a junior partner. Its ruling Al Khalifa monarchy depends on Saudi financial, political, and military support, as the 2011 uprisings clearly demonstrated.

This sub-alliance influences how other GCC states relate to the rest of the world, a feature clearly illustrated by the regions trade patterns. Due to relatively low levels of non-hydrocarbon manufacturing and small agricultural sectors, the GCC relies heavily on imports. The Saudi-UAE axis mediates these shipments: they bring goods in, then re-export them to other states, sometimes after value-added processing.

Food imports are of particular importance. The four other GCC states import more food from Saudi Arabia and the UAE combined than from any other country in the world. In 2015, Saudi Arabia and the UAE each ranked as either the first or second food exporter to every one of the other GCC states.

Remarkably  particularly since these figures include major wheat and meat exporters, including the United States, India, Brazil, and Australia  Saudi Arabia and the UAE were responsible for 53% of the total food export value to Oman, 36% to Qatar, 34% to Bahrain, and 24% to Kuwait.

These trends not only underscore the importance of placing the Saudi-UAE axis at the center of our understanding of the rest of the Gulf, but they also help explain the potential effects of the current blockade.

The Regional Scale

Dominated by this Saudi  UAE axis, the other smaller states have played a more marginal role in the Gulfs political economy. With a tiny citizen population (only 313,000 citizens out of a total population of 2.6 million, an astonishing 12% of the country) and enormous wealth from its vast natural gas reserves, Qatar has particularly chafed at this hierarchical structure.

On a per capita basis, it is the richest country in the world  with 17.5% of its citizen households worth more than one million dollars  yet it has largely been denied a place in the GCCs wider political and economic structures, muscled out by its bigger neighbors.

Limited by the size of their domestic markets and flush with surplus capital from nearly fifteen years of rising oil and gas prices, a key consequence of these internal competitive hierarchies has been the attempt by all Gulf states to grow beyond the GCCs borders. Large private and state-backed conglomerates have expanded their operations globally, investing in real estate, financial institutions, emerging technologies, agribusiness, and other sectors. While all GCC states have participated in this process, Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Qatar have led the way.

Although Gulf capital flows have largely concentrated on North America and Europe, the Middle East has also become an important target. As Arab states opened their markets and liberalized key economic sectors  a process led by the World Banks neoliberal poster child, Mubaraks Egypt  Gulf capital took a leading role throughout the 2000s in buying up privatized assets (often through corrupt deals with state elites) and benefitting from the market opening that followed in the wake of neoliberal reform.

From 2003 to 2015, GCC states accounted for a remarkable 42.5% of total new foreign direct investment (FDI) in other Arab nations. In this period, around half of all foreign investments in Jordan, Egypt, Libya, Lebanon, Palestine, and Tunisia came from the Gulf. Further, from 2010 to 2015, European, Gulf, and North American investors spent just over twenty billion euros on mergers and acquisitions in the Arab World. The GCC share made up almost half, at 44.7%.

As stunning as these figures are, they actually understate the level of internationalization. They do not include, for example, the considerable levels of bilateral aid from the Gulf, nor do they necessarily incorporate Gulf firms portfolio investments in regional stock markets.

As this process unfolded, the GCCs political role became increasingly prominent. The Gulf not only drove the construction of a regional order marked by authoritarian states and liberalized economies, but also benefited from it. All of this occurred under the auspices of Western powers and international financial institutions.

As this process drew the GCC states closer together, it also intensified their rivalries. One of the most important manifestations of this tension came when Qatar attempted to adopt an autonomous regional policy, relatively independent of Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

Qatar began sponsoring different political forces  the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas, and the Taliban  and hosting a variety of exiled dissidents  the Egyptian cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, who hosts popular television shows on Qatari channels, and the Palestinian intellectual Azmi Bishara. Qatar also used its extensive media network to promote itself as a regional force, notably through Al Jazeera and its affiliates and, more recently, the daily newspaper and TV channel Al-Araby Al-Jadeed , launched in early 2015.

The Arab uprisings that began in Tunisia in late 2010 accentuated these divisions, but they also emphasized the Gulfs shared interests. By profoundly threatening the regional order and its authoritarian regimes, the uprisings presented the GCC states with a sharp challenge: how to head off the popular movements and reconstitute the authoritarian, neoliberal order? Each state had a common interest in this counterrevolutionary process, but their responses differed along the lines described above.

Qatar supported forces allied with the Muslim Brotherhood, while Saudi Arabia and the UAE looked toward people like Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in Egypt and former CIA asset Khalifa Haftar in Libya. A contradictory and rapidly changing constellation of alliances formed around the GCCs common interests and their internal rivalries.

Qatar supported the Saudi-led intervention in Bahrain, participated in the war against Yemen, and, in Syria, opposed its supposed new ally, Iran. In Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, and Palestine, however, Qatar tended to back rival factions. The lines blur even in these cases: Qatar expressed support for Sisi following the 2013 coup, despite its clear alliance with the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood.

These diverging alliances also extend to other participants in the current blockade; Sisis Egypt, for example, supports the Assad regime in Syria, lining up with Iran but against Saudi Arabia, despite its almost complete dependence on the Saudi  UAE axis.

The key point, often overlooked in the media commentary on the blockade, is that there are no principled political positions involved in these alliances  this is about calculated expediency and a pragmatic assessment by each state of how best to further their regional influence, always within the framework of reordering the region in a way amenable to their collective political and economic power.

We need to keep both these tendencies in mind when we assess the current situation. A strong unanimity of interests underpins the Gulf states position on top of the regional order, a situation fully supported by  and in full support of  Western powers. Simultaneously, the GCC is split by rivalries and competition, reflected in the members different visions of how to maintain their shared interests.

The Question of Israel

In the wake of the Arab uprisings, we are now seeing an assertion of both of these tendencies. Specifically, the current blockade is a play by Saudi Arabia and the UAE to fully assert their hegemony over the region and to put Qatar back in its place.

But this is not just about Saudi Arabia and the UAE; it fundamentally expresses a general counterrevolutionary process that has been present since the beginning of the uprisings  restoring the status quo of authoritarian neoliberal states that has served the interests of the GCC as a whole (including Qatar) for several decades. All of this must also be seen through the lens of the Gulfs continued and ever-strengthening alliance with the U.S. and other Western powers.

Within this process, the place of Israel plays a key role. Since the 1990s, American regional policy has sought to bring the GCC and Israel closer together, normalizing economic and political relations between the two pillars of U.S. power in the region. Since the Arab uprising, this rapprochement has appeared more and more likely.

It is no accident that Trumps first international trip had him visit Saudi Arabia and then Israel (flying directly between the two), a travel schedule that perfectly illustrates the United States strategic priorities in the region. Despite the Arab Leagues long-standing boycott of relations with Israel, the Gulf region (particularly the Saudi  UAE axis) and Israel agree on key political questions, and both sides are actively seeking to build closer ties.

In late March 2017, Haaretz reported that the UAE and Israel participated in joint military exercises in Greece alongside the United States and several European countries. This was not their first collaboration: a year earlier, Israel, the UAE, Spain, and Pakistan participated in Red Flag, an aerial combat training exercise that took place in Nevada.

In late November 2015, Israel opened a diplomatic office in the UAEs capital city, Abu Dhabi, as part of the International Renewable Energy Agency  the first time an official Israeli diplomatic presence appeared in that country. Bloomberg Businessweek reported in February 2017 that the office could act as an embassy for Israels expanding ties in the Gulf.

Israeli security firms have reportedly set up more than $6-billion worth of security infrastructure in the UAE; this comes after Israel sold an estimated $300-million worth of military technology to the Gulf nation in 2011.

Israeli high-tech military and security firms are also active in Saudi Arabia, where they are purportedly helping Saudi Aramco set up cyber-security, selling advanced missile systems, and even conducting public opinion research for the royal family. Israeli media has stated that the country has offered the Saudis its Iron Dome military technology to defend against attacks from Yemen.

These once-clandestine relationships are now being spoken about openly. The Times of Israel reported in June 2015 that Saudi Arabia and Israel had held five secret meetings since early 2014. In May 2015, then-director general of the Israeli ministry of foreign affairs, Dore Gold, appeared publicly with retired Saudi general Anwar Eshki. The next year, Eshki visited Israel to meet with the former spokesperson for the Israeli Defense Forces and current coordinator of government activities in the territories, Major General Yoav Mordechai.

It shouldnt come as a surprise, then, that Israel supports the blockade against Qatar. But that doesnt mean Qatar hasnt also tried to normalize its relations with Israel. Like the other GCC states, Qatars involvement in Palestine has been designed to guarantee itself a better seat at the table  a goal the Israelis have happily supported when it serves their interests.

In 1996, Qatar permitted Israel to open a trade office in Doha, making it the only Gulf state to maintain official relations with Israel at that time. Although the office closed following Israels bombardment of Gaza in 2008, Qatar has repeatedly offered to re-establish ties in return for being allowed to supply financial and material aid to Gaza. An Israeli trade delegation that visited Qatar in 2013 reportedly learned that Qatar was interested in investing in the Israeli high-tech sector.

Qatar is the only GCC state that admits Israeli visitors and has allowed Israeli athletes to participate in sporting and cultural events. In 2013, Qatar chaired the Arab League meeting that changed the 2002 peace initiative to allow Israel to keep its settlement blocs in any final agreement. Tzipi Livni, the Israeli justice minister, described the development as very positive. And in early February 2017, Muhammad al-Imadi, head of Dohas national committee for the reconstruction of Gaza, claimed that he maintains excellent ties with Israeli political and military officials.

All of these trends indicate that none of the Gulf states  including Qatar  should be viewed in any way as a reliable ally or friend of the Palestinian struggle. But the current tensions in the Gulf also hold potentially important implications for political power in Palestine.

Mohammed Dahlans increasing political influence speaks to this possibility. Dahlan, a Fatah factional leader some believe will replace Abu Mazen (the current head of the Ramallah-based Palestinian Authority), lives in Abu Dhabi, and the UAE has long supported him politically and financially. He has close ties to Israel and the United States and has become their preferred candidate to succeed the octogenarian Mazen.

Although rivalries within Fatah may cut Dahlans rise short, his growing importance points to how the current tensions in the Gulf might realign the power balance in neighboring areas.

Future Directions

Not all GCC states or regional actors support the current blockade. At the time of writing, Oman has allowed Qatar-bound ships to use its ports, and Kuwait has been engaged in frantic diplomatic efforts to calm the tensions. Only Bahrain has stood fully behind Saudi Arabia and the UAE, largely thanks to the Al Khalifa monarchys long-standing dependence on Saudi Arabia.

Turkey has offered to send troops to a Turkish military base in Qatar, and Iran has pledged to send food and water to overcome the closure of Qatars sole land border with Saudi Arabia. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabias attempts to recruit other countries with large Muslim populations  such as Senegal, Niger, Djibouti, and Indonesia  have largely failed. Arab countries like Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia have also rejected the blockade.

In light of these disputes, we should remember what the GCC represents as a whole. This bloc of states is fully integrated into a U.S.-aligned regional power structure, has massively benefited from neoliberal reforms in the Arab world, and has become more and more intertwined with the regions political dynamics.

These states share an interest in preserving their regional position and their long-standing political structures. These commitments outweigh the potential benefits of fracturing the project. Likewise, the West and Israel want to see the GCC hold together, as it has served their interests so well over recent decades.

Despite the current schisms, some kind of negotiated solution that sees Qatar defer to the Saudi  UAE axis and accept diminished regional influence is the most likely outcome.

This settlement would ultimately strengthen the Saudi  UAE axis and help consolidate the counterrevolution; it would also likely precipitate a realignment of political power in places like Tunisia, Libya, and Palestine.

But the Left must realize that none of Qatars putative allies  specifically Turkey and Iran  represent a progressive alternative for the region. While they may be lined up against the Saudi  UAE front in this context, these states have participated in the post-2011 counterrevolutionary process just as enthusiastically as their rivals.

Perhaps the most important lesson of the current crisis is that we must avoid simplistic readings of the Middle East, especially those based on the notion that the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

It would be utterly foolish to consider Qatar, Turkey, or Iran as representative of some progressive realignment just because they happen to be  at least for the moment  on the wrong side of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, and Israel. Jostling for regional power sparked these tensions and produced all sorts of contradictory and shaky political alliances, but none of the states involved represent any kind of political alternative worthy of the Lefts support. 
By PTI: Bhopal, Jul 3 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh government today claimed a record 6.63 crore saplings were planted on the banks of river Narmada as part of its river conservation efforts.

The 12-hour plantation drive was undertaken yesterday across the state and may find a place in the Guinness World Records.

The current record of planting maximum saplings in least time - five crore in 24 hours - is held by Uttar Pradesh.

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Over 6.63 crore saplings were planted in more than 1.17 lakh places spread in 24 districts from where the river transverse under a 12-hour-long drive, said a state Public Relations Department official.

He said the state forest department alone carried out more than 3.4 crore plantation under the drive.

Representatives of Guinness World Records were present at different spots to monitor the drive, the official added.

The massive exercise was carried out between 7 am and 7 pm after Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched it by performing a puja and planting saplings at Amarkantak, from where Narmada originates, in Anuppur district.

"The Uttar Pradesh government had created a world record by planting five crore saplings in 24 hours but in two days (12 hours per day) in July last year," MPs Principal Chief Conservator of Forests Animesh Shukla told PTI yesterday. PTI LAL RSY

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Every community, society and region encounters challenges that could either seriously limit its growth potential or send the region into a downward spiral of civil and economic regression.

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During challenging times, it is often not the amount of resources that determines whether or not a place can successfully solve its problems. The real difference can lie in the quality of its leaders: those who know how to innovate and effectively manage available resources can help the place overcome its challenges.

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Every community, society and region encounters challenges that could either seriously limit its growth potential or send the region into a downward spiral of civil and economic regression. Central Europe is no different. A number of factors, including uncertainty over Brexit, pose a threat or a potential threat to the economic and social security of the region.

The answer to these threats is not to be found in the executive meetings between CEOs and their business colleagues in large cities of Central Europe or in exclusive social and business forums. The solution may lie in one of Central Europes most valuable and overlooked resource  the minds of the Central European youth who represent the future human capital of the region. By developing their minds, we can develop new ethical leaders who could help resolve the challenges the region faces.

However, development of youth leadership and entrepreneurship will not happen on its own. LEAF Academy, an international boarding high-school based in Bratislava, provides students with daily exposure to real-life business problems. The academy grooms leaders by going beyond teaching theoretical concepts and models. Using human-centered design thinking, it encourages students to try their own approaches and solutions to real-life issues and learn from the process and the results. This iterative practice permeates their day-to-day activities, with a special focus on the Entrepreneurial Leadership classes. These classes provide students with a start-up incubator-like environment that allows them to practice their entrepreneurial and leadership skills in cooperation with real-life businesses.

Toto! je galeria is an example of a business serviced by Entrepreneurial Leadership students. The challenge given to the student team was to raise awareness about the gallery, its services, and products. The students proposed several ideas to increase the visibility of art through programs promoted by the gallery. Moreover, they connected the institution with other similar businesses abroad, allowing it to cooperate internationally, which Toto! je galeria found to be their most valuable contribution. The student team acknowledged that the experience enabled them to increase their marketing and communications skills, as well as their market research capabilities. Toto! je galeria expressed satisfaction with the students high efficiency. The project has developed beyond the initial expectations, as the group of students is working on a commercial product in cooperation with the gallery.

Another example of business-school cooperation was realized with Neulogy, an R&D consulting company, which was looking for input on several strategic questions. As a part of their Entrepreneurial Leadership classes, students were tasked with developing potential solutions. After less than three months, the students produced and presented a report to the leadership of the company, providing both research data and potential solutions. In addition to creating value for the company, the group developed skills such as critical thinking, solution design, team work, delegation, and ideation. To quote Peter Kolesar, the CEO of Neulogy: Working with high school students was an entirely new and unique experience for our team. We were impressed with the students' presentation, including their willingness to challenge us in our thinking.

To help students bring value to their partners, the Entrepreneurial Leadership curriculum is built around four pillars. Within the self pillar, students need to learn how to be aware of themselves, their own strengths, growth areas and limitations. The opportunities pillar allows them to look around their communities, perceive challenges as opportunities, and use the human-centered design-thinking process to deliver feasible solutions. The third pillar, working with others, provides learners with the ability to understand and relate to diverse people around them in order to successfully accomplish a common goal. This includes acquiring skills such as teamwork, organization, process management and motivation, as well as understanding and applying key concepts like emotional intelligence, feedback, and situational leadership. Last, but definitely not least, the educational cycle is completed by real-world practice. Here, the Student Enterprise Program simulates market conditions and engages students in collaborating with stakeholders outside the Academy, such as Toto! je galeria or Neulogy. Learners also have the opportunity to start and to run their own enterprises on and off campus.

Combining these four pillars allows students to engage in a creative and innovative process, as well as in a process of reflection on their successes and failures. It balances increasing our learners' awareness and expanding their horizons with giving them the opportunity to practice, tinker, try out their ideas, fail, learn from failure and ultimately succeed. Having learned from their previous experiences, several students have already started incubating and executing their own ideas ranging from a design agency, a community-centered fashion brand to connectivity providers.

By merging theory, introspection and practice, the Entrepreneurial Leadership curriculum seeks to provide students with competencies they can use to empower their community and the Central European region. We envision Central Europe as a place, in which the boldest ideas become businesses to create employment, generate revenue, spur social and economic development, and expand the boundaries of technology. If we wish to change our reality 20 years from now, we have to start by changing our society today. Through the Entrepreneurial Leadership curriculum, students at LEAF Academy are doing just that. Educating the minds of the Central European youth means truly investing in Europe's most valuable resource.

Francis Chitawo is EL Intern at LEAF Academy

Bruno D. A. Sacatucua is EL Intern at LEAF Academy

Peter Retkovsky is EL Teacher at LEAF Academy

Originally published in Connection, the magazine published by AmCham Slovakia
But many companies are still not prepared to use the service.

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Statutory representatives of companies residing in Slovakia will no longer have to send fat envelopes and wait in long queues when communicating with state authorities, as the state officially launched online communication via state e-letterboxes on July 1.

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The aim is save time and money, as it will be possible to submit any document to the state authority at any time and from anywhere, says the operator of the system, the National Agency for Network and Electronic Services (NASES).

The state automatically activated the e-letterboxes at the Slovensko.sk website for all corporate entities residing in Slovakia who are included in the business register as of July 1, including entities who have not yet logged into the system. The letterboxes will be used for communication with all state authorities, as well as with municipalities, the state-run social insurer Socialna Poistovna, the courts, notaries and distrainors, the TASR newswire reported.

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The system should halve the administrative fees, while some services, like the extract from the business register, will be offered for free, said NASES head Norbert Molnar.

Statutory representatives can ask questions concerning the online system by calling the helpline (weekdays from 8:00 to 18:00 and until 21:00 on Wednesdays) or by submitting a short form at Slovensko.sk.

The e-letterboxes were redesigned and several functions simplified after users filed several complaints. With the new changes in effect as of July 1, users will also have access to a tool that can explain how the new e-letterbox works.

To log into the system, it is necessary to have an ID card with an electronic chip, activated personal security code, card reader and related software that can be downloaded at Slovensko.sk.

Though the use of e-letterboxes is compulsory, about 14 percent of companies listed in the business register and nearly 40 percent of statutory representatives did not have access to e-letterboxes before they were launched, the Pravda daily reported.

The duty also applies to foreigners

The new duty also applies to foreign statutory representatives whose companies reside in Slovakia.

To log into the e-letterboxes, the Interior Ministry introduced on March 1 an alternative authenticator for both foreign and Slovak statutory representatives without permanent residency in Slovakia.

The foreign statutory representatives need to request the authenticator at the departments of the alien police, while Slovaks can go to one of the nine regional authorities that issue personal documents. They are required to submit an application that states their personal information and security code, as well as the name of the corporate entity and its address.

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Read also: The use of e-letterboxes still minimal Read more

The authenticators are issued free of charge and are valid for three years. They do not replace any other card issued by the foreigners police regarding the residence permission in Slovakia, Alena Koisova of the Interior Ministrys press department told The Slovak Spectator.

Since the statutory representatives still need an electronic signature to fully use the e-letterboxes, the holders of the alternative authenticators can authorise someone else with an electronic signature to use the e-services.
The court claims that the former prime minister exceeded his powers, but there is a question as to whether the deed is time-barred.

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Vladimir Meciar may face prosecution 19 years after leaving the prime ministerial post, as the General Prosecutors Office confirmed it will scrutinise whether he exceeded his powers.

The ruling of the Constitutional Court was issued in connection with the cancellation of the Meciar amnesties, which were granted in 1990s. The court explains in the ruling why it approved the motion passed by parliament in April concerning the cancellation of the amnesties, the Sme daily reported.

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The judges claimed that Meciar granted the amnesties on actions linked to abduction to Austria of the son of then-president Michal Kovac only one day after Kovacs term in office had expired. At the time, Meciar had been acting as deputy president.

It is obvious that the prime minister did not follow the requirement of restraint when using his power to grant amnesties; conversely he seriously abused it [his power to grant amnesties] when applying it, the statement of the Constitutional Court reads, as quoted by Sme.

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Read also: Meciar: Amnesties are still valid Read more

Following the orders of the General Prosecutors Office, the regional prosecutors office in Bratislava will now check whether Meciar exceeded his powers while serving as a public official.

The prosecutors office told Sme it will decide on its next steps only after reading the Constitutional Courts verdict.

If Meciar is found guilty of abusing his powers, he could face 3.5-10 years in prison, Sme wrote, referencing the Penal Code valid at the time the amnesties were granted.

Lawyers addressed by Sme, however, say that no prosecution may take place, as the events took place nearly 20 years ago and are time-barred from prosecution.

For now, the scrutiny of the prosecutors office should say whether or not it is possible to prosecute Meciar, Sme wrote.
Tens of thousands attended the pilgrimage and mass on Marian Hill, celebrated by the Apostolic Penitentiary.

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Nearly a half-million people attended the annual pilgrimage to the Marianska Hora (Marian Hill) near Levoca that took place on July 1 and 2.

The event, attended by both Slovaks and foreigners, culminated with a mass celebrated by Italian Cardinal Mauro Piacenza, Penitentiary Major of the Apostolic Penitentiary at the Vatican, at the Basilica of the Visitation of Our Lady.

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The oldest pilgrimage in eastern Slovakia marked several anniversaries this year. Apart from celebrating the 770th anniversary of the pilgrimage, the Spis Diocese also commemorated the 70th anniversary of its consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary by then-bishop Jan Vojtassak and the centenary of the Fatima apparitions, the TASR newswire reported.

As weve ascended this hill, we have not only walked in Marys footprints and followed her pilgrimage full of faith and love, but being empowered by our Baptism, we have been bearers of Christ, witnesses of the faith and servants of love, said Spis Diocese Bishop Stefan Secka, as quoted by TASR.

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He stressed that this centuries-old tradition must be preserved and strengthened to remain among the best of Slovakias traditions. It has survived centuries and resisted all attacks, including violent persecution by the atheist regime in the last century, Piacenza said in his sermon, which was read in Slovak by Secka.

Ive witnessed life and faith here, Piacenza told journalists after the mass, as quoted by TASR. Ive seen the life of the Church here to such a degree that one has the spontaneous urge to sing My soul doth magnify the Lord, which is the Canticle of Our Lady.

Kiska: Young people show what the country will look like in the future

The pilgrimage was also attended by Slovak President Andrej Kiska, who stressed that todays young people in Slovakia show what the country will look like in the next 20-30 years. He said, Ive witnessed wonderful positive energy emanating from them.

I called on them to show with their actions the goodness that is in us, because we especially need to hear from the young these days, as extremism is growing, with extremists frequently misusing God to promote their ideas, Kiska said, as quoted by TASR. Nevertheless, the strength of Christianity is seen here, among the young and through love, understanding and forgiveness. It was a powerful experience for me to meet them.

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The pilgrimage marking the Feast of the Visitation of Our Lady has been taking place for 770 years on the Marian Hill above Levoca.

Hundreds of thousands of pilgrims didnt stop coming here even during Communism, Kiska said, as quoted by TASR. As far as I know, the only year when the pilgrimage couldnt have happened was in 1949, but otherwise people have been coming here for 770 years to draw force and hope from the Mother of God.
The tram can be seen in the capital during the summer.

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More information about travelling in Slovakia

Please see our Please see our Spectacular Slovakia travel guide

The ride across the streets of Bratislava will be livened up by a historical music tram, which returns to the capital for the summer. The free rides, accompanied by music of various genres, will take place every Saturday in July and August.

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We began the project last year, and there was a lot of interest in it, said Bratislava Mayor Ivo Nesrovnal, as quoted by the TASR newswire, adding the tram was popular among both Bratislava locals and visitors to the city.

The tram filled up last year, and both the city of Bratislava and the city transport company DPB hope the interest will be the same this year, said DPBs head Milan Urban.

The tram will start at the Jesenskeho stop in Old Town at 17:00, 18:00, 19:00 and 20:00, and the rides will take 35-40 minutes. A conductor wearing a historical uniform will also be present.

The rides offered on the first and last Saturdays of the month will be accompanied by live music, TASR wrote.
The world-renowned personality of contemporary ballet will present two choreographies at the Slovak National Theatre in September.

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A rare opportunity to see his mastery first-hand comes with the Slovak premiere of the film Dancer, in which US director Steven Cantor captures the exceptional career of this man and explores the luck he had and the price he paid to become the James Dean of the Ballet, the SND wrote in a press release.

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After the screening of the film and a performance of Polunin, a discussion with him will follow, exploring his views on dance and the ups and downs of his life, hosted by the producer of the evening, Milosh Harajda.

As soon as I saw the premiere of Dancer in London, I contacted the producers and wanted the distribution rights for the Czech Republic and Slovakia, especially as the latter country neighbours his homeland, the Ukraine, Harajda said for SND. I knew the audience in Slovakia would appreciate his life story in a different way and this was confirmed on the day when we launched the sale of tickets; 2,000 of them were sold in four minutes, which is an historical record for the Czech national theatre, he summed up.

From Ukraine to top ballet ensemble(s)

Sergei Polunin was born in 1989 in Cherson, Ukraine, and started ballet aged four. From the age of eight, he attended the State Choreographic Institute in Kiev. From the age of 13, he has been living in the UK, where he became the youngest member of the Royal Ballet, London at 19, and was appointed the lead at age 23. Since then, he has shocked the world several times, for example when he announced that he would stop dancing to pursue an acting career, only to change his mind and remain faithful to ballet.

His last piece should have been the video directed by US photographer and music director David La Chapelle to the song Take Me to Church (by Hozier), which, to the contrary, only boosted the global fame and prestige of Polunin.

The performance in Bratislavas SND building on September 26 is (apart from a later gig in London) his only live dance this year the Slovak National Theatre informed. This is his first performance in this country.

Due to enromous interest, a second evening was added, starting September 27, also at 19:00.
The convoys move to Saber Guardian 2017 exercise.

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The technology of NATOs armed forces will be travelling across Slovakia from July 3 to July 9, the Slovak Defence Ministry informed.

During the week, 25 road transfers of foreign armies will move through our territory, and there will be one train transport heading to Croatia from the Saber Strike 2017 exercise and one train of the Slovak army, said spokesperson for the Defence Ministry, Danka Capakova, as quoted by the TASR newsire.

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There will also be transfers to the Saber Gaurdian 2017 and the Brave Warrior 2017 exercises.

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Planes will now also fly to Sofia and Warsaw.

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Low-cost airline Wizz Air launched two new routes from M. R. Stefanik Airport in Bratislava, to Sofia (Bulgaria) and Warsaw (Poland) on June 30.

As a result, the airline now offers six routes from the Slovak capital, the TASR newswire reported. Aside from Sofia and Warsaw, it is also possible to book flights to Kiev, Skopje, Kluz-Napoca in Romania and Tuzla in Bosnia and Herzegovina, with the latter two added this March.

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The new routes to Sofia and Warsaw will be serviced four times a week, said Wizz Airs communications manager Sorina Ratz.

Theyll expand the mutual development of tourism, Ratz added, as quoted by TASR.

Moreover, Wizz Air will increase the number of flights to Kiev and Skopje, from the current two to four a week.

In the first six months of 2017 Wizz Air transported more than 50,000 passengers from Bratislava.

We plan to expand existing cooperation even further in the future, said Bratislava airports general director Jozef Pojedinec, as quoted by TASR.
Kilian Klenschmidt will talk about dire conditions in the Zaatari camp in Jordan, situated close to the Syrian border.

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The dire conditions faced by refugees will be the main topic of discussion with Kilian Kleinschmidt, founder of Zaatari in Jordan, one of the biggest refugee camps in the world run by the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

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EMN Discussion Evening with documentary screening 18:30  21:30 Refugee camp, my home Kino Lumiere, Spitalska 4, Bratislava Screening of the film starts at 18:30 Discussion with Kilian Kleinschmidt starts at 20:00

As part of the 5th European Migration Network (EMN) Educational Seminar on Migration, organised by the International Organisation for Migration (IOM), the discussion titled Refugee camp, my home will start on July 4 at the Lumiere cinema with a screening of the documentary film, Salam Neighbor.

Its directors, Chris Temple and Zach Ingrasci, were allowed to live for a month inside the Zaatari camp, situated close to the Syrian border, the very first filmmakers to be allowed to do so. Currently, there are more than 80,000 Syrian refugees living in the camp. The film follows the story of Um Ali, a woman struggling to overcome personal loss and cultural barriers, and the street smart boy Raouf, whose trauma hides just beneath his ever present smile. It has won awards at several film festivals.

The screening will then be followed by a discussion with Kleinschmidt, about the conditions which the refugees face. A former director of Zaatari refugee camp, he has over 25 years of hands-on experience in humanitarian aid and work with refugees. As an international networker, he is now challenging the Humanitarian Aid Sector through a range of new and unorthodox partnerships, technologies and ways of financing.

While the film will be screened in English with Slovak subtitles, the discussion will be held in English with no interpretation provided.

The 5th EMN Educational Seminar on Migration takes place between July 3 and 5 in Bratislava and focuses on migration governance and possible solutions for the refugees of the 21st century.

Experts from international organisations, institutions and non-governmental organisations will lecture, among others, on their experiences in West Africa, the Middle East and Afghanistan.

The seminars overall objective is to provide professionals from public administration and non-governmental sectors with comprehensive and up-to-date information on migration and international protection and thus contribute to the policy-making process in Slovakia, other EU countries and Norway, the IOM informed in a press release.
Slovak cyclist is third in the pursuit for his sixth green jersey.

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Though he kicked his foot off the pedal only a few metres before the finish, Slovak cyclist Peter Sagan managed to defend his lead and won the 3rd stage of the Tour de France 2017 from Verviers to Longwy.

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Sagan was among the favourites to win the stage and was under pressure as to whether he could meet expectations.

What pressure? Sagan asked before the race, as quoted by the Sme daily, smiling. I really dont know what it is.

After crossing the finish line, he admitted to journalists that he had made several mistakes, like being in the front too early which was a result of the previous stage. Then he kicked his foot of the pedal.

Fortunately I managed to get it back soon enough and won with a close finish, Sagan said, as quoted by Sme.

His margin for victory was really tight, and he nearly lost to Michael Matthews from Australia who had a very good finish.

video //www.youtube.com/embed/ZpThWGelq6o

For Sagan, it is already his eighth stage victory at the Tour de France. Thanks to 10 bonus seconds, he is now fourth in the overall ranking, losing only 13 seconds to the leader, Geraint Thomas.

In the fight for the green jersey for the leader of point classification, Sagan is third, having lost 16 points to the current leader, Marcel Kittel.

His loss may, however, increase during the week as the following stages are better for sprinters, Sme wrote.
The move is being seen as a tactic of the ruling BJP to make inroads for the party in rural areas.

By Kiran Tare, Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: The Maharashtra government on Monday decided to allow villages elect their sarpanchs directly from the people.

The state Cabinet led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis decided to amend the respective clauses of Maharashtra Gram Panchayat Act of 1958 to facilitate the election of sarpanch directly from amongst the people of the villages.

An ordinance is expected to be rolled out soon regarding the same and the government is likely to bring an amendment bill in the monsoon session of the state legislature that is scheduled to begin on July 24.

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The decision is expected to impact the elections of around 8000 Gram Panchayats scheduled to be held in September and October.

BJP's OPPORTUNITY

The ruling BJP looks at it as an opportunity to make inroads in the rural areas. Its earlier decision of direct election of the municipal council chairpersons had helped the party grow four times in the semi-urban areas. The BJP, which had only about a handful of municipal council chairpersons of its own, could take the numbers to whopping 56 in the municipal council elections last year due to the decision.

However, leader of Opposition Dhananjay Munde has opposed the decision calling it as "opportunist politics".

7th STANDARD COMPULSORY FOR CONTESTING ELECTION AS SARPANCH

The Cabinet today also decided to set 7th standard as the educational qualification to contest the election of a sarpanch.

The decision has, however, raised many eyebrows. Defending the decision, Rural Development Minister Pankaja Munde said, "My department had initially proposed the educational qualification of 10th standard, but then we were told that it would be a problem in tribal areas, so we have decided that we will keep it to 7th standard."

On asked when there is no educational qualification mandatory for MLAs or MPs, Pankaja said she is expecting her decision to be a milestone that may pave way for similar decisions in the future.

But the opposition has objected to the decision calling it discriminatory. "The government is deliberately trying to keep the lower strata of the society away from the electoral process," alleged NCP's spokesperson Nawab Malik. "If they really want educated people to run the system, why not make similar amendments for legislators and parliamentarians?" Malik questioned. He demanded that the government should rethink over its decision.

Also read: Shiv Sena lauds Maharashtra CM Fadnavis for loan waiver, says farmers will be indebted to government

Also read: Maharashtra: Upset over loan waiver, Puntamba farmers meet Sharad Pawar

--- ENDS ---
(Tech Xplore)A company called Lightyear aims to make a big difference in pushing electric cars into greener pastures.

This is how they state their mission.

"Currently, all cars of the world combined drive one light year, every year... Our goal is to accelerate the adoption of electric cars so that by 2030, one light year will have been driven electric...From a fossil fueled powered light year to a solar powered light year."

They have worked on a four-wheel drive solar-powered car and they said it can drive for months in sunny conditionswithout charging.

When not under sunny skies? "The battery stores energy to ensure you can drive at night."

In a FAQ section, the team said, in response to "Can you drive when it is cloudy, or at night, as well?" The answer was "With the internal battery the Lightyear One will drive up to 800 km without any sunlight."

If that were your driving future, then you would not have so much anxiety about charging points. Many love the idea of an electric car, BUT. As the team stated, "at present, electric cars have a scaling problem. Only 3% of the world's population has access to a public charging spot within 15 km and is therefore dependent on third parties to build the infrastructure for them to be able to use an electric car."

Patrick Caughill in Futurism: "The vehicle promised will be powered by energy stored in a battery that can be charged both by a standard (3.7 kW) outlet, as well as solar panels in the vehicle's body. In a sunny environment like Hawaii, the car could theoretically run for months between charges. Even without the sun, the car could run for a significant range."

According to the company website, if you plug the Lightyear One in for 1 hour, you can charge with: Household power socket: (3.7 kW): 40 km; Standard EV charging point (10 kW): 110 km; and EV fast charger (75 kW): 850 km.

Lex Hoefsloot, CEO of Lightyear, presented a promotional video about the car on June 29.

Long and short of it is that Lightyear is taking reservations with plans to bring their first cars to the market in 2019.

Range is one of the key questions people may have for the car. They said: Depending on your battery configuration you have between 400800 km of range buffered in the battery

Stated elsewhere, Lightyear One has a 500-mile driving range and could theoretically cover 10,000 km a year under Dutch sunshine, said pv magazine's Ian Clover.

Their video announced their mission. And they are taking reservations. Price starts at 119.000 excluding taxes.

Clover wrote on June 30 that "After spending years developing the race-winning vehicle, the students turned their attention to making the prototype a commercially viable family saloon option, and now has five orders for its 119,000 car."

The first 10 cars are expected in 2019.

The next 100 cars expected in 2020. The dates are stated in their FAQ section.

This is a Dutch company. The CEO said they have been building prototypes for years. They built the first of a series of solar family cars in 2012. The founders are Eindhoven alumni.

Vlad Mitrache in autoevolution said, "The five people behind the Lightyear startup are all graduates of the Technical University of Eindhoven, but more than that, they were all involved in the Solar Team Eindhoven. This project resulted in a vehicle called Stella Lux which was an energy positive solar car. That meant it could produce more energy than it needed to travel thanks solely to the solar panels on the roof."

"Generally," said Electrek, "it's almost impossible to add any meaningful power to an electric vehicle using solar since there's not enough surface to install solar cells in order to supply the power needed to move vehicles that often weigh over 3,000 lbs. To achieve positive energy output, Solar Team Eindhoven designed the Stella Lux to be extremely aerodynamic and used lightweight materials such as carbon fiber and aluminum."

Electrek's Fred Lambert also added, however, that "the vehicle was built for a student competition and making a street-legal vehicle that can be sold to the public is another thing."

Many comments welcomed the group's determination for a solar electric car as exciting but looked forward to more details.

New Atlas said the company was planning a reveal in 2018.

Brett Williams at Mashable remarked that "the limited run won't cause industry giants like Tesla to lose any sleep just yet, and Lightyear still has to prove it can transfer its experimental tech into a fully realized consumer experience. If the company succeeds, however, we could be looking at a new automotive future, directly powered by the sun."

 2017 Tech Xplore
By Elias Biryabarema GBARI, Uganda (Reuters) - Men wearing South Sudanese military uniforms have launched two raids on a hamlet over the border in Uganda in recent weeks, residents said, stealing cattle and raising fears that a near four-year-old conflict is spreading. The gunmen also tried to seize refugees from Gbari in the first reported attacks on Ugandan soil since the start of South Sudan's civil war, locals told Reuters. "I am afraid, they may come ... and burn all the houses," said Martin Koma, 44, from the village. South Sudan's army denied any involvement. But the reports will alarm regional and world powers, struggling to contain ethnically-charged killings and atrocities that the U.N. has warned could lead to genocide. South Sudanese gunmen have already killed and kidnapped hundreds in cross-border raids in Ethiopia. Koma said about 26 gunmen attacked Gbari on the morning of June 17, identifying themselves as South Sudanese military and taking 108 cattle. Three days later, a second group attacked and arrested two South Sudanese refugees living in the village. "One ran away, the second one because ... he looks like Dinka, they left him," Koma said. The military is dominated by the Dinka, the president's ethnic group. Koma said the gunmen were very hostile to the first man, from South Sudan's minority Kuku tribe, before he got away. Ugandan military spokesman Brigadier Richard Karemire confirmed the raids on Gbari, without commenting on who carried them out. South Sudan's military denied involvement, saying is had received no complaint from Uganda and that the gunmen could have been anyone wearing South Sudanese uniforms. "This is untrue," military spokesman Colonel Santo Domic Chol told Reuters. "This is completely negative propaganda by somebody ... trying to tarnish the image of the (military)." ATROCITIES U.N. bodies and rights groups have accused both Sudan's army and the rebel groups it is fighting of atrocities in the conflict that erupted just two years after South Sudan declared independence from Sudan. Fighting started spreading in December 2013 after President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, fired his vice president and long-term rival, Riek Machar, a Nuer. The explosion of ethnic violence that followed has uprooted nearly a quarter of the country's population of 12 million, creating the biggest refugee crisis since the genocide in Rwanda, another of Uganda's neighbours. Nearly a million South Sudanese have fled to neighbouring Uganda, many from minority tribes. Ugandan authorities have tightened security at refugee camps in recent days, fearing armed groups could try and abduct refugees from rival ethnic groups, police said. "We have increased our intelligence and security alertness ... because of signs some bad elements could want to cause insecurity in the camps," said Musiho Abubakar, the police commander in Uganda's northwestern Yumbe district. Last month, Ugandan soldiers shot a South Sudanese man they suspected of plotting to harm refugees, a security source in Yumbe said. Yumbe hosts Bidi Bidi camp, a sprawling, semi-arid stretch of red, stony earth home to 270,000 South Sudanese refugees. The man entered Uganda via a border village near Gbari, said officials. Locals reported him to the military on June 22. Ugandan soldiers confronted him, but "instead of raising his hands, he wanted to pick a pistol from his pocket, then UPDF (Ugandan soldiers) shot him," the source said. A medical official said the man had been taken to a health centre in Yumbe town with an injured arm. Police and soldiers were guarding him, the official said. Reuters could not reach him for comment. "He was planning to come ... and start killing government enemies one by one," the security source said, without going into further details. Karemire confirmed the incident, saying that the armed man had described himself as a South Sudanese brigadier general, though his own investigations indicated he was a lieutenant. South Sudanese military spokesman Chol denied any knowledge of the man. (Editing by Andrew Heavens)
France 24 Videos

In 2014, Nadia Murad was captured, alongside many other Yazidi women, by the so-called Islamic State (IS) group in the northern Iraqi town of Sinjar. She was held hostage, enslaved, tortured and raped before escaping to Mosul and then making her way to Germany. After sharing the 2018 Nobel Peace Prize with Congolese gynaecologist Denis Mukwege, she is now a leading global advocate for survivors of genocide and sexual violence. In an interview with FRANCE 24 from the Paris Peace Forum, Murad discussed what more needs to be done to prevent sexual violence in conflict. "Progress has been made on recognising survivors' right to reparations (...) but I think it's time to put political weight and resources behind the words," Murad told FRANCE 24's Catherine Norris Trent."Not much has been done to prevent what happened to the Yazidi women and girls," Murad said. More than eight years later, "we still have 2,800 women and children who are missing in ISIS [another name for the IS group] captivity in Syria, Turkey and some parts of Iraq. No effort has been made by the international community or our own government or any international organisations to look for the missing Yazidi women and children and bring them back"."Sexual violence does not go away when war is over (...) Ukraine is sadly another example of a failure to follow through on commitments to preventing sexual violence in war," Murad continued."Women's rights were never a priority for the international community to prevent the use of sexual violence," Murad said.Read more on FRANCE 24 EnglishRead also:Amnesty International demands urgent help for survivors of sexual violence in TigrayAllegations of mass rape by Russian troops in UkraineIraqs Yazidi community: Nadia Murads ongoing fight for justice
After taking over the probe, the CBI has asked JNU Dean to give details of all the suspected students, who were in the hostel canteen or skipped meals on the day of the incident.

By Shivendra Srivastava: The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has sought details of students who were involved in the fight with missing JNU student Najeeb Ahmed.

After taking over the probe, the CBI has asked JNU Dean to give details of all the suspected students (Left backed students and ABVP), who were in the hostel canteen or skipped meals on the day of the incident.

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According to the records, JNU mess keeps a regular attendance register.

The CBI has also sought details of local guardians of all the suspected students in the case. It has also asked for details of admission forms of the suspected students.

According to sources, suspected students are those who have been accused of involved in fighting on the night with Najeeb after which he went missing. Earlier, the ABVP students had refused to undergo lie detection test.

REWARD FOR PROVIDING INFORMATION

The Dean has been issued a notice under section 160 CrPC. The CBI has also issued a reward of Rs 10 lakh for providing information about Najeeb's whereabouts.

The CBI, which is probing the mysterious disappearance of Najeeb, had recently visited the Mahi-Mandvi hostel in JNU from where he had gone missing.

On May 16, a bench of Justices G S Sistani and Rekha Palli handed over the investigation to the CBI with the direction that it has to be monitored by an officer not less than the rank of DIG.

The matter has been posted for hearing on July 17.

Also read: CBI to give Rs 10 lakh reward for information on JNU student Najeeb Ahmed missing for 8 months

Also read: India's best universities: Why Jawaharlal Nehru University remains Thinking Minds Inc.

--- ENDS ---
Tucked high in a rock face alcove, Cliff Palace is an eye-catching example of pre-Columbian Native American architecture.

With 150 rooms and 23 ceremonial kivas, it is the stunning showpiece at Mesa Verde National Park, in southwestern Colorado.

Similar to the Chacoan construction throughout the region, Cliff Palace is a masterpiece of sandstone, mortar and wooden beams. Each sandstone building block was carefully shaped with harder stones and held in place with mortar made from local earth, water and ash. Any remaining gaps were filled with chinking stones, adding structural stability to the construction, which is several stories high.

During the summer, visitors can walk back in time, because Cliff Palace is open to hourlong, ranger-led tours.

Its closed during the winter because of ongoing restoration, and now is the best time to get up close to the wonder, said Jeffrey Sumner, general manager for Aramark, the concessionaire at Mesa Verde.

You can actually get down into the Cliff Palace and experience one of the coolest of the cliff dwellings the property has to offer, he said.

The ranger-led tour is part of Aramarks 700-Year Tour, in which visitors travel through history, Sumner said.

We pretty much take you through from 500 A.D. to 1300 A.D., he said. It covers the basic start of the small pit houses to kivas and communal living in these cliff dwellings. We take you multiple spots and have interpretive talks at different sites.

The four-hour tour is definitely more of a history lesson, Sumner said. Any guest can come do the national park hour tour, but when you do it with us, you get the whole history of it and how it all evolved; the theories on why they were here and why they left. Its a snapshot of the time period.

To add to the experience, Aramarks fine-dining establishment at the Metate Room, which overlooks the area, with views into New Mexico and Arizona, is trying add a little bit of the flavor of the period, with its own twist.

Its a cool experience, because the views are incredible and we have a wonderful executive chef who created a new menu where a lot of it gets back to the native roots of the mesa, Sumner said.

Its an effort to add a different element to the experience, he said.

Weve gone back and said, Lets try and use the ingredients that were native to this region.  Sumner said. Here on the mesa top we have beans, corn and squash, and lets make a menu thats resembles that and let people experience that.

A popular item has been the elk Wellington, he said, as well as chile rellenos.

Also, an hourlong, ranger-led tour of Balcony House is not to be missed by the adventurous; Entry requires scrambling through a tunnel, scampering up a ladder and negotiating narrow passageways.

Balcony House, with its well-preserved rooms, kivas and plazas, stands as a tribute to those who built and occupied the site in the 13th century, the ancestors of the Pueblo Indians of Arizona and New Mexico, according to Kathleen Fiero, author of Balcony House: A History of a Cliff Dwelling.

It has 40 rooms, making it a moderately sized site on the mesa, but it grabs at those who can feel the footsteps of those who walked centuries before.

Visiting the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum is a great way to get a feel for Mesa Verde before heading out on the journey. It includes dioramas highlighting Ancestral Puebloan life, while also displaying many exhibits of prehistoric artifacts, a chronology of Ancestral Puebloan culture and other items related to the park.

There are also nearby overlooks for viewing the intricate and well-preserved Spruce Tree House, but rockfalls have closed the site to closer inspection.
NEW YORK  While hiking in the Himalayas for three weeks, Mike Scanlin had no cellphone service much of the time and no way to charge his phone. Running his business  a one-man operation  became a very sporadic proposition.

It was a calculated risk. I felt I was going to lose customers, lose some business if they couldnt get a response for three days, says Scanlin, owner of Born to Sell, a business software company based in Las Vegas, Nev.

But its worth maybe losing a bit of business to accomplish the items on your bucket list.

Changes in technology have made it possible for vacationing small-business owners to never be out of touch  unless they decide to go to a part of the world without enough cellphone towers, bandwidth or electricity. Sometimes they find out by surprise. But many understand that theyre losing their tether to their companies. Some leave the business in the hands of trusted employees, or have projects and pressing matters dealt with so being out of contact wont be a problem.

Scanlin was able to check emails when the hiking group made it to the top of inclines during his 2012 trip. But in valleys where they camped, there was no service. And even when Scanlin could get a connection, he couldnt download documents or photos, and the nine hour-plus time difference with the U.S. meant a lag between emails and replies. He couldnt go online to fix any problems that might come up with his website, and there was no one back home who could do it.

It did make Scanlin, whose company was a year-and-a-half-old when he made the trek, a little uneasy. Born to Sell survived, however, and he has since visited places like Peru and Easter Island, located nearly 2,200 miles off the coast of Chile, where cellphone and internet service were often unavailable.

Checking in is the norm for most owners. With tablets or smartphones in hand, many set aside time on a trip to at least read important emails or touch base with employees and important clients. In a recent survey of 700 small-business owners and managers released by American Express, the vast majority said they check in by phone or email while on vacation. More than half of those do so at least once a day. But nearly a quarter dont check in.

Aaron Hockel knew before he left on his two-week honeymoon to Peru last summer he would have minimal access to a cellphone network or the internet. So he decided to just be offline and leave the digital marketing company, AltaVista Strategic Partners, in the care of his three business partners and 15 staffers. They would deal with customers and issues that were his domain.

It was a scary proposition at first because two weeks is a long time to disconnect, says Hockel, whose company is based in Glen Burnie, Md.

At places like Machu Picchu, the historic Incan mountain fortress, there wasnt any connectivity. But even at a hotel with Wi-Fi, Hockel ignored his email inbox.

I knew, if I open this, Im opening a Pandoras box, Hockel says. When he returned home, he found hed made the right choice: Our staff did an incredible job communicating and tackling issues.

Corey Kupfer, an attorney for 30 years who also has a speaking and consulting business, called his office several times a day from vacations in the early years of his practice. By about 15 years ago, he was calling just once a day, and Kupfer realized the problems his staff talked to him about were things they could handle on their own. He told them he wouldnt call in on his next vacation.

People figure things out when they dont have you as a crutch. It empowers them and helps your team to grow, says Kupfer, whos based in New York.

Kupfer has traveled in recent years to Ecuador, the Utah desert and the West Bank, had no cellphone service and no worries because his staff and partners can handle the business without him. His mantra: Im not that important.

Owners of brand-new companies are less likely to disconnect. In May, Brad Weber was ready to leave his laptop home and his 10-year-old mobile app development company in the hands of his 15 staffers.

The business had matured to a point and the team jelled to a point where I felt comfortable doing it. I knew theyd be able to handle whatever came up, says Weber, owner of Boulder, Colo.-based InspiringApps. He went on a weeklong sailboat trip off Grenada where he had to focus on the sailing.

There was not much energy left to think about the office, he says.

Still, for some owners, being out of touch isnt part of the plan.

There was a bit of a gulp, recalls Chris Brantner about his Rocky Mountain backpacking trip this spring when he had virtually no cellphone service. His brothers, who work with him at his Houston-based company, CutCableToday.com, were doing their jobs, but Im the guy who gets the call at 8 p.m. if the websites down. That was probably the most worrisome part, if things stopped functioning.

Brantner, whose website provides information about cable TV alternatives, was able to give one brother a heads-up that he wouldnt be able to access the website if needed. After that, with nothing more he could do, he went back to hiking.

Dale Janee was caught by surprise during a weekend trip to a rural part of Poland in 2014, discovering there was no way to go online or connect with customers as she expected. Janee, the owner of a pillowcase maker called Savvy Sleepers that sells to beauty salons and retailers, worried that clients who wanted to place orders or had questions would turn to another supplier when they were unable to reach her.

While at the airport to head home, she logged in and found all was well.
CHICAGO  Thank you, thank you, thank you, President Trump.

I offer my gratitude because after years of being the last of my immigrant family members to undertake the naturalization process, my mother just took the oath to become a U.S. citizen.

It finally happened after 10 years of prodding and needling and of painting doomsday scenarios about crazy, obscure ways that legal permanent residents can accidentally become deportable. For instance, paperwork mishaps like failing to file a change of address form to the Department of Homeland Security within 10 days of a move could put a green card holder at risk of fines, jail or even deportation.

But, ultimately, all it took was a new president promising to do his best to rid the country of immigrants to get her to undertake the long, arduous process.

She started her application process less than a month after the November election, and now I can sleep easy knowing that no bureaucratic slip-up will send my mom back to the country where she spent only the first third of her life.

My mom was hardly alone in hesitating to make the leap. Though Mexicans represent the largest group of legal permanent residents, their rate of naturalization is only about half that of green card holders from all other countries combined, according to the most recent tally by the Pew Research Center.

There are many reasons for this: Many of the immigrants surveyed indicated that they werent engaging in the process because they felt their English skills were not good enough or were scared that the citizenship test would be too difficult.

In my moms case, neither of those was an issue. What had been keeping her from taking the plunge was a combination of comfort with her legal status and the hassle of undertaking a complex administrative process.

However, once mere legal permanent residence status stopped feeling like the most secure way to ensure her future in the United States, it was an easy decision.

But people who tsk-tsk that more eligible immigrants dont naturalize rarely realize that it takes money and time that many people dont have.

The process took six months from filing the initial forms to completing the interviews and taking the test. But it was, effectively, a walk in the park since shes an educated professional who has been a fluent English speaker for more than 40 years. And she had all the time in the world to manage the process because she recently retired. Plus, the $800 that it cost to pay for the application, get photos taken, travel to multiple appointments, and so on, was of little consequence to her budget.

For someone without all those resources, a task that could take up to a year or more is far less attainable than an uninformed observer might imagine. According to Pew, 94 percent of those who say they have not naturalized cite the cost of the application.

There are nonprofit groups out there like The New Americans Campaign, a nonpartisan national network of organizations helping immigrants navigate and pay for the citizenship process.

Still, the latest data from U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services says that 752,800 people were naturalized in fiscal 2016  a little higher than the average of 740,000 per year over the last decade, an increase thats almost surely due to people who wanted to be eligible to vote in the 2016 election. But it will be some time before statisticians can determine whether, or how many, new U.S. citizens resulted directly from fears prompted by Trumps election.

What counts is that last week in Chicago my mother and 114 other men and women from 33 countries spanning Armenia to the United Kingdom closed their journeys as immigrants and took the oath to be upstanding and honorable citizens.

They joyously swore to support our Constitution, renounce allegiance to all other countries, and also vowed to bear arms on behalf of the United States when required by the law.

Thats right, America, my moms got your back!

Hopefully, President Trump will inspire an unprecedented number of immigrants to become new Americans.

E-mail: estherjcepeda@washpost.com. Copyright, Washington Post Writers Group.
Its been said that you cant con a con, and Best Chance, a fledgling nonprofit run by ex-cons for ex-cons to help stem recidivism, is putting the adage to work in a positive way.

Most of us cannot imagine what its like to walk out of prison and be faced immediately with having to find a job, a place to live and, hopefully, people who are willing and able to help you turn your life around. But former inmates do every day.

According to a 2015 report by the states nonpartisan Legislative Finance Committee, nearly 45 percent of those leaving prison in New Mexico wind up back in prison.

Recognizing the difficulty of transitioning from the rigid life inside to the relative freedom outside the gate, Daniel Rowan co-founded Best Chance after serving four years in prison. While behind bars he worked as a peer educator and saw the value of ex-cons helping ex-cons.

Best Chance took in about a dozen released inmates last year and has helped about 60 so far this year. Clients are referred by parole and probation officers, halfway houses, re-entry coordinators and others. Its currently funded by anonymous donors, Rowan says.

Best Chance helps clients get whatever they need to begin a new life  whether its a razor for shaving, help crafting a resume or just advice on how to rebuild a life.

Bob Hayworth, 52, and a new client at Best Chance, says he has been through the revolving door of the prison system eight times and was never given any guidance that could prepare him for living outside prison bars. The inevitable result was a return to crime and prison  until he found Best Chance and a group of people who understood not only the cycle he was living, but cared enough to show him a way to break it.

We havent seen data yet on whether Best Chance is fulfilling its mission to keep former inmates from returning to crime and prison, but the signs are encouraging. If it proves to be successful, it deserves support and, as Rowan hopes, replication for women. Anything that helps address our burgeoning crime rate  which experts attribute in large part to repeat offenders  is worth trying.

This editorial first appeared in the Albuquerque Journal. It was written by members of the editorial board and is unsigned as it represents the opinion of the newspaper rather than the writers.
A mysterious celestial body may be lurking in the frozen, far-flung reaches of the solar system, scientists say.

This is not the proposed Planet Nine, a ginormous body that Caltech scientists believe could be tugging at the orbits of the solar systems most distant inhabitants. And its not Pluto. (Sorry Pluto, you still dont count.)

Instead, University of Arizona astronomers Kat Volk and Renu Malhotra say its a Mars-sized body in the Kuiper belt, a swarm of small icy objects that extends beyond the orbit of Pluto. If both the Arizona and Caltech researchers are right, then these proposed bodies could bring the total number of planets in our solar system to 10.

Volk and Malhotra havent seen their new planet, but they say they can sense its presence. In a new paper due to be published in the Astronomical Journal, they describe an odd distortion in the orbits of objects in the outer part of the Kuiper belt, ones that are between 50 and 80 AU away (AU stands for astronomical unit, or the distance from the sun to Earth, about 92 million miles).

Though most of the nearer bodies in the solar system circle the sun in the same plane, largely thanks to Jupiters steadying heft, these far away Kuiper belt objects (KBOs) orbit at all kinds of wonky angles.

That in itself wouldnt raise too many questions. But when Volk and Malhotra analyzed these orbits in search of the average plane, they found that it was offset by about 8 degrees.

Its significant, Volk said. And the most likely explanation is this object on the outer solar system.

If there is a planet out there with roughly the same mass as Mars, its gravity could pull on the orbits of small KBOs, dragging them out of the invariable plane that Earth, Jupiter and the rest of the planets inhabit.

The Caltech researchers used similar logic to infer the presence of Planet Nine, arguing that this massive perturber is responsible for peculiarities in the point at which KBOs are closest to the sun.

Its the same idea of indirectly detecting a planet by its effects, Volk said.

For their study, Volk and Malhotra examined the orbits of about 600 KBOs. Scientists know of roughly 2,000 KBOs right now, but they believe there may be as many 100,000 of significant size.

It would be useful to have more Kuiper belt objects to make sure this is a real signal, Volk acknowledged. But even so, their analysis suggests theres only a 1 to 2 percent chance that the results are a result of a fluke in the data.

Alessandro Morbidelli at the Cote dAzur Observatory in Nice, France, told New Scientist he found it hard to believe that astronomers could have missed something as big as a planet so nearby. (The Caltech scientists Planet Nine is said to be 10 times as distant, which explains why its been so hard to track down.)

I am dubious that a planet so close and so bright would have remained unnoticed, Morbidelli said.

Adding an extra planet to the solar system has long been astronomers favorite way to explain any orbital weirdness. Scientists spent more than a century searching in vain for a fabled Planet X that was believed to be disrupting the orbit of Uranus. It wasnt until the Voyager 2 spacecraft flew by in the 1990s that they realized the so-called disturbance was actually a result of a miscalculation of Neptunes size. So the astronomy community is understandably skeptical when anyone claims to have proof of a new planet.

But none of the potential alternate explanations seem any more suitable, said Volk. Another force capable of creating this effect, a large passing star, would be even more unlikely because the disturbance would be erased within 100,000 years  an astronomical blink of an eye.

Besides, humans dont know nearly enough about our celestial backyard to rule out the possibility of finding new neighbors, she said. Because they are so small and far away, KBOs look like faint stars even to the most powerful telescopes. We only discover new bodies in this region by detecting their motion against the background of stars  a process that requires long nights of patient observation. Scientists have been accumulating new KBOs since they detected the first one, in 1992, and even still, we havent surveyed the whole sky.

The most likely hiding spot for the proposed 10th planet, according to Volk, is the galactic plane  the region of the Kuiper belt that lines up with the center of the Milky Way galaxy. Because this region is so crowded with stars, it would be nearly impossible to detect even a Mars-sized object moving across the background. If an ordinary search for a KBO is like a celestial game of Wheres Waldo, this is like trying to find Waldo when an additional billion background characters have been added to the page.

We have a good sense of the outer solar system, Volk said, but it would not surprise me at all if there are very distant things we have missed.
Barcelona Elementary School Summer program Principal Annittra Atler, left, reads with 1st grader Aaron Orgs, 5. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) First grade teacher Martha Pacheco helps her students during a summer class at the South Valley school. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Barcelona Elementary School teacher Martha Pacheco, center, instructs her class of first-graders during the summer program at the South Valley school. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Barcelona Elementary first-grade student Ailin Frayre reads during the summer program at the South Valley school. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Barcelona Elementary School first grade teacher Martha Pacheco works on a reading assignment with students. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Teacher Martha Pacheco works with students Ailin Frayre, 5 and Guillermo Hernandez, 5, during class. (Adolphe Pierre-Louis/Albuquerque Journal) Prev 1 of 6 Next

Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

SANTA FE  New Mexico will spend far less money this summer helping children brush up on their math and reading skills.

And the cuts wont fall evenly.

Albuquerque, Las Cruces and Los Lunas are among the districts hit hardest by reductions in state funding for the K-3 Plus program, according to data released by legislative analysts.

And some communities, by contrast, won approval to launch new programs or boost enrollment. Clovis, for example, plans to expand its K-3 Plus program nearly eight times over.

The disparity comes as several school districts say the state Public Education Department didnt notify them of their grant awards by a deadline in state law  a charge the PED disputes.

The department says its doing the best it can with the limited money available, and that several factors went into deciding how much each district received.

State Sen. Mimi Stewart, an Albuquerque Democrat and chairwoman of the Legislative Education Study Committee, isnt convinced.

It just looks like gross mismanagement of this program in its 10th year, Stewart told the Journal. Theres no excuse for them to do it this way.

The department, in turn, says the Legislature and districts themselves bear much of the blame.

The states K-3 Plus program had to give up some money in the solvency package that helped New Mexico balance its budget, making some cuts necessary, Public Education Department officials said.

Altogether, the state awarded about $18 million this summer for K-3 Plus programs  down from $25 million last year, a 28 percent reduction, according to legislative analysts.

How each district fared, PED said, was based partly on historic enrollment levels  not just how many students participated the previous year  and whether a district was willing to delay the start date of its program.

Districts that pushed the start of their K-3 Plus program into July, when the new fiscal year begins, had an easier time securing more of the funding they wanted, even for new programs, a department spokeswoman said.

Some districts were unwilling to adjust to fiscal realities that would have allowed for more students to be served, said Lida Alikhani, a spokeswoman for the Public Education Department.

And the Legislature, she said, could have directed more money to the program.

Program right-sizing

Almost everyone agrees the K-3 Plus program is effective. It has demonstrated success at improving math and reading skills for students in kindergarten through third grade, according to legislative analysts.

There are so many of our students that have working parents, so summertime is not the most engaging time for them, said Joe Strickland, deputy superintendent of instruction at the Clovis Municipal School District. I dont think theres anywhere to go but up on student achievement.

His district won an increase in funding this summer from about $48,000 a year ago to roughly $334,000 this year.

The K-3 Plus program typically adds 25 instructional days to the school year. Its targeted at schools that serve low-income neighborhoods or have performed poorly in the states annual A-F grading system. Parents of students at the participating schools have to sign up.

The program has grown sharply over the past decade.

The number of students funded by the state quadrupled between 2011 and last year, from 4,941 students to 20,166.

But that trend will end this year. Only 15,050 students are funded this year, the smallest number in four years and about 25 percent fewer children than last year, according to data compiled by the Legislative Education Study Committee.

The Legislatures appropriation for the program has been roughly flat in recent years  between $22.6 million and $23.7 million, according to legislative analysts.

To meet demand, the Public Education Department says, the state has dipped into its reserves to supplement the main appropriation.

Thats no longer possible because of the state budget crunch, so program right-sizing occurred this year, Alikhani said in a written statement.

The PED, she said, has always prioritized K-3 Plus by tapping other sources of funding to maximize the number of students served.

Cuts questioned

In any case, the states handling of the cuts has triggered intense criticism.

Stewart, the Albuquerque Democrat and a vocal critic of PED, said it doesnt make sense to cut so deeply in some districts while largely sparing or even increasing others.

Theyre really undermining a program that has proven its worth, Stewart said.

Albuquerque Public Schools will see a 40 percent reduction in the number of students funded by the state this summer, compared with last year, according to legislative analysts. Las Cruces will see a 34 percent hit, and Deming a 48 percent cut.

Rio Rancho, Santa Fe and Hobbs, by contrast, will see cuts of about 15 percent.

And some districts will get increases  Zuni Public Schools is starting a new program entirely, and Clovis will see a substantial increase in the number of students funded, from 36 students enrolled last year to 280 funded this summer.

Districts were warned

Officials with the state Public Education Department say theyre doing the best they can with limited funding. Generally speaking, the department cut districts about 15 percent, based on their average enrollment over a three-year period.

And because K-3 Plus enrollment has been growing, that means districts are often seeing cuts of greater than 15 percent when compared with the most recent summer.

Some districts also wanted to participate for the first time or add schools this summer  which PED said it accommodated if the new programs started in July, after the start of the new fiscal year. The department wanted to provide at least some funding to each district that requested it, PED officials said.

The program cuts should not have been a surprise, Alikhani said.

The state warned districts in a meeting in February that the historic high levels of funding and student interest (especially when not projected accurately on the front-end) could not be sustained during tougher fiscal times and the state encouraged districts to push their programs back to July to help, Alikhani said.

Albuquerque was among 13 districts that pushed back its K-3 Plus start date, but not all the way to July, according to PED. A spokeswoman for Albuquerque Public Schools said scheduling conflicts kept the district from moving the start date that far back, in part because some elementary schools operate year-round.

A Rio Rancho spokeswoman offered a similar explanation, saying her district couldnt delay until July because it would have pushed the end of K-3 Plus too close to the beginning of the regular school year.

We were so shocked

Some districts say the state failed to meet an April 15 deadline in state law to notify schools about the grant awards. Rio Rancho and Albuquerque, for example, said they received award letters dated May 1.

Rio Rancho says it didnt get the letter until May 8.

The Public Education Department says it published a spreadsheet containing awards on April 18, a few days late in part because April 15 fell on a Saturday. The spreadsheet was posted online in a spot where districts know to look for grant awards, a department official said, and there were follow-up notifications after that.

Notification aside, Albuquerque Public Schools officials said the depth of the cuts came as a surprise.

The district reduced its application to 3,744 students, slightly below the 3,887 students it had initially asked for in the previous year.

But even the reduced request was cut by 20 percent, to 2,989 students.

We were so shocked, said Carrie Robin Brunder, the director of government affairs and policy for Albuquerque Public Schools.

The timing left the district scrambling, she said.

Families were relying on K-3 Plus, and when we had to tell them we couldnt have it at their school anymore, those families were struggling to find alternative places for their kids, Brunder said.

The Public Education Department contends that some districts  APS and Las Cruces among them  exacerbated their cuts by underestimating in previous years how many students they would enroll.

Last summer, for example, Albuquerque Public Schools applied for funding for 3,887 students and ended up with 4,963.

So this years cut looks worse, in part, because APS enrolled so many unexpected students last year.

APS, however, says the state used to encourage enrolling as many students as possible. The district released a letter from the state in which PED said it would pay for any extra students who showed up last summer.

Less K-3 Plus for kids

Regardless of whos at fault, its clear that thousands fewer students will participate in K-3 Plus this year.

Kim Vesely, research and special projects officer for Rio Rancho Public Schools, said the real issue here is that education in general is not sufficiently funded to meet all students needs  something thats the subject of a lawsuit in state District Court.

Jo Galvan, a spokeswoman for Las Cruces Public Schools, said its incredibly important to ensure young students start the year ready to learn and make progress. The district managed to offset some of the state funding cut by finding money elsewhere, she said, but not enough to serve as many students as last year.

Its a huge impact when you have a cutback, in this program in particular, Galvan said.

Alikhani suggested that more changes may be in store.

The Public Education Department, she said, will analyze the results of standardized tests taken by students and the grades awarded to schools overall. The goal will be to ensure the state sends grant money to districts that put it to good use and see results, she said.

Moving forward, return-on-investment may be the better way to consider grant-making to districts and charters, Alikhani said. Districts and schools should be conducting similar analyses to ensure that they were not igniting conflict and strife over a program that they may not have been implementing well.

The department has also suggested that the Legislature grant it multiyear budget authority, which would improve flexibility given that the July 1 start of the fiscal year falls right in the middle of the summer.

The PED leadership under Republican Gov. Susana Martinez will have only one more summer overseeing K-3 Plus. Martinezs term ends in 2018.

Democratic state lawmakers, in any case, have broached the idea of legislation that would make the awarding of K-3 Plus funding more formulaic and less discretionary, so districts have a better idea of what they will get.
Local authors now have a new platform to showcase their books thanks to a website called Hometown Reads.

Hometown Reads, which can be found at hometownreads.com, connects readers with local authors.

Albuquerque got its own page for regional authors June 15, about a year after the website launched as a way for founder Becky Robinson to help writers get the word out about their books.

Your next-door neighbor could be this amazing novelist youve never met, said Robinson, speaking from her home office in Lambertville, Mich., who hopes the site will promote the read local movement, which encourages people to buy books that are written by authors in their own communities.

I think the movement is excellent. because it draws readers attention to the fact there are many local writers  some of them excellent writers  in their midst, said Albuquerque author RJ Mirabal in an email.

His fantasy novel, The Tower of Il Serrohe, appears on the site.

Not all writers live on the East or West Coast or in Britain, he said.

As of June 30, Hometown Reads featured more than 50 different U.S. cities on its home page. Each city has its own dedicated page showcasing one book for each author who has joined the no-cost site. Authors can add multiple books to the site, but only one appears on the city main page.

In order for a city to gain an official page, it must have at least 10 distinct authors. Albuquerques page features at least two dozen authors.

In addition to Mirabal, one of them is Robert Kidera . His mystery novel, Red Gold, is featured on the Albuquerque page and takes place in New Mexico.

Albuquerque is a hotbed of outstanding writers, Kidera told the Journal, saying the site is a great way for such writers to get some traction.

Kidera also called Hometown Reads a great place to do some one-stop shopping for local books. Users cant purchase books directly from the site, but authors can add links to local bookstores and libraries in addition to online stores such as Amazon.

Another of the Albuquerque authors on Hometown Reads is Joyce Hertzoff , the author of the fantasy novel The Crimson Orb.

For Hertzoff, Hometown Reads is a way for new and independent authors to be more easily found in a sea of publications.

Ive already encouraged a writer or two to give it a try, Hertzoff said in an email. What can we lose? For now, joining and listing books is free. Any exposure it brings will help.
TUMBLEWEED FARM A TEACHER TRAINING CENTER: Gene Lisotto asks in an email does anyone know what Albuquerque Public Schools plans on doing with that disgusting-looking 17-acre tumbleweed farm at the southwest corner of Louisiana and Comanche? Those tumbleweeds will really cause a fire hazard when they die.

APS communications director Johanna King says the lot the gentleman is referring to once housed the Montgomery Complex. That building was torn down last year, and construction began (last) week on the Berna Facio Professional Development Facility. Scheduled to open in the fall 2018, this will be a training and teaching center for teachers and staff within the district.

The general contractor is Bradbury Stamm. King says. Im told the tumbleweeds shouldnt be as much of a problem once construction gets underway. Theyve placed a wind screen around the property to help as well.

WILL NORTH WYOMING GET BETTER? Davis asks via email about the possibility of Wyoming from Alameda going north (being) scheduled to be improved. Some sections are straight and wide, while some sections are narrow and have curves.

Amor Solano, who heads up Bernalillo Countys Operations and Maintenance Department, explains that Wyoming north of Alameda is split. The city of Albuquerque maintains from Alameda to Beverly Hills, and the county maintains from Beverly Hills to Elena. For our portion, we do not have any immediate plans to re-pave. It may need some crack seal or micro-surfacing preventative maintenance in the near future, but paving is a long ways away in comparison to other county roads and limited funding.

Mark Motsko with the city says we have the stretch of Wyoming between Oakland and Modesto identified on the 5-year plan for a mill and inlay (resurfacing), but no expansion of the section or changes in alignment.

FIGHT CRIME WITH PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY: That suggestion comes from Silvio DellAngela, a frequent critic of the city administration. After another traveler was robbed and Albuquerque took the top spot in the nation for vehicle thefts, he emailed that the solution is not to throw more money at the Albuquerque Police Department for more officers but for the vehicle owners to do their part as well as the hotel/motel owners.

He says those who leave their vehicles out at night, those students and others who leave them all day in lots, those warming up cars in winter and others (should) not only lock their vehicles but also spend $30 to $40 to buy a Club or similar bar for their steering wheel. They are available not only at Walmart but auto stores.

And Silvio speaks from experience: I have a club/bars on both cars  one that is left in my driveway. I had a break in to that driveway car one night, and the only thing preventing its theft was the bar I put on the steering wheel. The car thief either has to cut the steering wheel or drill out the lock  too much trouble.

He also recommends putting lock nuts on vehicles with expensive wheels.

WINDSHIELD OPPORTUNISM? Meanwhile, Michael Coe emails I am a 73-year-old retired Marine. I have had my windshield shot at and hit three times in 18 months on Interstate 25. I finally called the Albuquerque police (and was told) they have had other reports of this happening.

The last time I had my windshield replaced, the technician said that he had seen a few of these lately and suspected that someone was shooting pellet rifles or pistols to break them to get business! I would have never thought of this until he mentioned it. By the time I get the most recent one completed, I will have been out almost $2,000! Please pass the word for motorists to be watchful on I-25 for someone shooting out windshields.

Editorial page editor DVal Westphal tackles commuter issues for the Metro area on Mondays. Reach her at 823-3858; dwestphal@abqjournal.com; or P.O. Drawer J, Albuquerque, N.M. 87103.
Emma Palacios, pictured at far right, worries every day about getting drinking water for her family in Anapra, a working class neighborhood of Ciudad Juarez near the border. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) Anapra originally sprung up as squatters' terrain on the west side of Ciudad Juarez at the border. Over time, the city began delivering services including electricity and water. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) The city tap water delivered to Anapra is so corrosive it salts up swamp coolers in a matter of months. Gonzalo Soto inspects his cooler as temperatures began rising this spring. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) Pictured are the faucets at a city-run drinking water kiosk in Anapra. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) An Anapra resident walks a quarter mile to his home after filling a five-gallon jug of drinking water from a kiosk run by the Ciudad Juarez government. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) Families from the nearby Ciudad Juarez neighborhood of Anapra play in the Rio Grande. Pictured in the background is the border fence dividing the U.S. and Mexico. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) Gonzalo Soto fills a glass with tap water in the Ciudad Juarez neighborhood of Anapra. The water is too saline to drink or cook with. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) Families from the nearby Ciudad Juarez neighborhood of Anapra play in the Rio Grande. Pictured in the background is the border fence dividing the U.S. and Mexico. (Roberto E. Rosales/Journal) Prev 1 of 8 Next

Copyright  2017 Albuquerque Journal

When a drinking water pipeline built by Mexican conglomerate Grupo Carso bypassed Anapra to serve other Ciudad Juarez neighborhoods, residents asked why. This is the third in a five-part series. The first two installments were published on June 25 and July 2.

ANAPRA, Mexico  In the sun-baked hills of this working-class neighborhood nestled against the U.S. border fence, Emma Palacios worries every day about getting her familys ration of potable water.

Like most of Anapras 4,500 or so households connected to Ciudad Juarez infrastructure, Palacios pays the city for running water.

But the tap water is so saline  with total dissolved solids more than double the permitted level in Mexico  that she and her family cant drink or cook with it. The water eats away at metal and concrete in a matter of months, and the bathroom smells like the ocean.

Not even boiling it can we drink it, she said. It has a very strong, salty taste. I only use it to wash.

Anapra, the neighborhoods closest to the border, is what Americans see of Mexico driving I-10 through El Paso: desert hills crowded with concrete block houses and makeshift shacks. It was squatters land in the 1980s, hard to govern, and it took decades for the city to lay down basic infrastructure.

When Ciudad Juarez decided 10 years ago to pipe water from a binational aquifer it shares with Las Cruces about 14 miles west of its urban edge, it chose to bypass Anapra and deliver water only to lawfully settled neighborhoods on the west side  leaving a poor community without potable tap water.

Instead, the city supplies Anapra residents with drinking water at a half dozen kiosks.

Theyre open for one hour and a half each morning and one hour in the afternoon  both windows during which Palacios, like many local residents, is working her shift at a maquila assembly plant that makes auto parts for a U.S. company.

Mexican billionaire Carlos Slims Grupo Carso built the water pipeline under contract with the city: It heads for Anapra. Then it takes a sharp turn south at the top of the mesa to supply other neighborhoods on the citys west side.

Anapra residents rely instead on three wells that pump from a shallow, naturally brackish pocket just outside the aquifer.

The water quality in Anapra is two to three times as bad as what we allow for public water supply in the United States, said John Hawley, a hydrogeologist who has studied the region for decades.

He reviewed the results of water samples taken by the Journal from homes in Anapra, as well as three other neighborhoods on the citys west side that are served by the Carso pipeline. New Mexico State Universitys Department of Civil Engineering tested the samples.

Water of that quality, it isnt ocean water but it severely damages infrastructure from toilets to taps to septic, Hawley said.

NAFTA boom town

Two gallons apiece per person, per day  thats the free ration of purified water.

Palacios, with dark wavy hair and arched brows, explains, over the chirping of a dozen caged parakeets, that she works 6 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the maquila. Her husband, Gonzalo Soto, works a night shift stocking shelves at a local grocery store chain and gets home before dawn. They have three children.

In the summer, she says, sometimes the waiting line at the kiosks is so long that the drinking water runs out.

At home, Palacios often goes without water for showering in the pre-dawn hours when she is getting ready for her factory job. She fills up pots at night to heat on the stove for bathing.

Despite multiple similar accounts from local residents, Ciudad Juarez municipal water authority officials deny there are service cuts. They blame the areas squatters origins, saying many residents dont pay their bills.

Anapra falls within the boundaries of Ciudad Juarez municipality and is governed by the city, grudgingly so.

Thousands of migrants flocked to Ciudad Juarez in the years running up to and after the North American Free Trade Agreement, when the maquila industry began its decades-long boom and the border town became a beacon of opportunity for poor Mexicans from the rural south.

Many in the 1980s and 1990s settled in the hills outside Juarez, in many cases squatting on undesirable land and erecting makeshift housing from reclaimed materials. The area became known as Rancho Anapra, an impoverished bedroom community with no running water or electricity.

Today, Anapras main road is paved; nearly all the homes have light and a popular grocery store chain anchors one busy corner.

With donations of paint from government and nonprofit groups, residents transformed the drab brown and gray facades of their homes into a rainbow palette visible from I-10. Palacios home, built by a U.S. Christian group 10 years ago, is a colorful shade of green she calls pistachio.

Anapra has always been characterized as the dormitory for Juarez industry, said Keith Boone, who owns the land near Anapra where the Carso pipeline turns south. Its basically been illegally settled. Never with any planning. Never with anybody holding titles to properties. Its been a constant problem for every administration to get them regulated.

Anapra is in many ways still forgotten. Its rare to see law enforcement patrolling the areas rutted dirt roads, and when city and state water managers planned the Conejos Medanos project to deliver drinking water to needy areas, they bypassed Anapra altogether.

Anapra is kind of an island, Boone said. There are five colonias that compose Anapra, and between them and Juarez is a big void. So Im assuming that they did not design Conejos Medanos to bring water into that island area. I think they felt, this is good enough. And Conejos Medanos (water) was destined to Juarez proper.

At 4 p.m. on a warm, windy spring day, people start flocking to a water kiosk next to a Catholic church on hill in the heart of Anapra. Women and children drag makeshift wagons carrying five-gallon garrafones, empty milk jugs or old yogurt containers. Men hoist the five-gallon jugs to their shoulders and walk dusty roads home.

Nearby, Gabriela Hinojosa is selling used clothes on a table set outside a home near the kiosk. Its not just how salty the water is, she said; every day the tap is dry for hours. Palacios shared the same story.

Here its typical, Hinojosa said. The city does nothing. We have a voice, but nobody listens.

The Journal spoke to half a dozen Anapra residents, whose water was metered by the city. Monthly bills ranged from 250 pesos to 600 pesos, or about $13 to $32. Full-time maquila workers typically earn less than $30 a week.

We have fought like you have no idea, Hinojosa said. Why do you charge us for water when we cant drink it?

This report was produced in partnership with the McGraw Center for Business Journalism at the City University of New York Graduate School of Journalism.

TUESDAY: Mesilla Valleys orchards
BANGKOK  Fearful that Thailands new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers.

Labor regulations that took effect June 23 could give foreign workers without proper permits up to five years in prison, while their employers could face fines of up to 800,000 baht ($23,500).

Officials and workers advocates estimated Monday that roughly 30,000 workers have returned home since the rules took effect.

Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, under pressure from industries employing the migrants, says hell institute a 120-day extension of the deadline for worker registration.

Thailand has about 2.6 million foreign workers, mostly from its poorer neighbors Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos. Half are estimated to be working illegally. Many work in low-paying or dangerous jobs that Thais are reluctant to take, in fields such as construction, farming and fishing.

Thailands Labor Rights Promotion Network, a migrant rights advocate group, estimates that more than 30,000 workers have gone back home and that the number will keep increasing if the government does not come out with measures to reassure workers of their rights and safety.

Police Col. Man Ratanaprateep, based in the northern Thai province of Tak, which borders on Myanmar, said that as of Monday, more than 23,000 workers had crossed back to Myanmar at the provinces Mae Sot checkpoint alone, but others may have gone back at unofficial crossings.

The regulations have caused the loss of 40,000 to 80,000 migrant workers from the construction industry, according to Suwat Liptapanlop, president of the Thai Contractors Association. He did not say how many workers left on their own, or how many were pushed out by nervous employers.

Deputy Prime Minister Pravit Wongsuwan told reporters that the government is likely to invoke Article 44 to extend the registration deadline. Article 44 of the constitution imposed by the military after it seized power in May 2014 gives the prime minister the authority to issue orders overriding any other branch of government to promote public order and unity.

The concerns of workers advocates had a different focus.

We found that many workers were told to leave, some without being paid, by their employers. Now, with such a massive outflow, the government is talking about the grace period, said Patima Tungpuchayakul of the Labor Rights Promotion Network, which is involved in the protection of migrant workers. But the damage is already done. Poor migrant workers already are panicking and leaving the country. These are people who cant afford travel expenses or living without employment.

She noted that workers who left would face a new round of expenses should they seek to return to work legally, because they would have to come up with payment fees to employment agencies. This could force them to borrow money again, making their labor a way of paying off the debt, a cycle that is known as debt bondage.

We are still discussing what we can do for these people who are coming back home to the country, said Myo Aung, a Labor Ministry official in Myanmar. There are many of them coming in and I think there will be more.

Cambodias embassy in Thailand issued a statement over the weekend urging Cambodian migrant workers to stay calm. It said the embassy and Labor Ministry officials were negotiating with Thai authorities, asking them not to crack down on sites where the Cambodian workers may be working illegally.

At least 1,000 Cambodians were reported to have returned home through eastern Thailand.

There was a mass exodus back home in 2014 of as many as 200,000 Cambodians working in Thailand after the newly installed junta in Bangkok announced plans to crack down on undocumented foreign workers and began deporting some after raids on worksites.

The numbers of those fleeing then swelled as unsubstantiated rumors circulated that Thai authorities had shot dead or beaten several Cambodian workers. Thai authorities denied the rumors and sought to quell concerns about a crackdown, adding that they had plans to systematize migrant labor.
The #NotInMyName protest was led by Prakash Ambedkar, grandson of BR Ambedkar and was attended by many activists, actors and filmmakers.

By Kamlesh Damodar Sutar: Hundreds of people today marched from Kotwal Udyan in Dadar to Chaitybhoomi to protest against the recent mob-lynching and hate crimes in the country. Several activists, actors, writers and filmmakers, and political party workers from the Left marched in central Mumbai.

The morcha was led by Prakash Ambedkar, President of BRP-Bahujan Mahasangh and grandson of BR Ambedkar. CPI leader Prakash Reddy, documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, theatre personality Dolly Thakore and AAP leader Preeti Menon Sharma were the many who joined the protests. Several activists carried placards and banners bearing #NOTINMYNAME.

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ARTISTS PERFORMED

Artists from the Kabir Kala manch also performed during the protest march through their musical performances.

"These incidents are on the rise in the country ever since the present government took charge," alleged filmmaker Anand Patwadhan. "We are not expecting any action from the government. They won't do anything, we are sure. But we want to appeal directly to the people that they have to save the constitution and for that they need their voices to be heard," Patwardhan said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi only did lip service by talking about cow vigilantism. Was any action taken against those who are doing that?" questioned Dolly Thakore.

Prakash Ambedkar, who led the protest was more direct in his attack. "The lynching culture is on a rise. Hindu religion has two sects these days, one that promotes lynching and hatred and the other that promotes brotherhood, equality and fraternity. We want to promote the other Hinduism," Ambedkar said.

Also read: Cow vigilantes defy PM Modi yet again, attack drivers transporting cattle in Assam

Also read: Activists draft anti-lynching bill, to be unveiled on July 7

--- ENDS ---
LONDON  An 18-year-old student in northwestern England has been charged in a series of cyberattacks on the websites of nearly a dozen multinational firms.

Jack Chappell is accused of supplying software that crashes websites by flooding them with data and with running a help-desk for cyber criminals.

West Midlands Police said in a statement that Chappell allegedly attacked the websites of T-Mobile, EE, Vodafone, O2, BBC, BT, Amazon, Netflix, Virgin Media and the National Crime Agency.

He is also accused of assisting hackers in a 2015 attack on NatWest.

The forces cybercrime unit worked with the FBI, Israeli Police and Europols European Cybercrime Centre during the investigation.

Chappell has been charged alongside an American citizen.
MOSUL, Iraq  With the fight for Mosul in its final stage Monday, Islamic State militants sent female suicide bombers hidden among fleeing civilians, while Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition unleashed punishing airstrikes and artillery fire that set dozens of buildings ablaze.

At least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five were wounded in the two separate suicide attacks, the military said. On Sunday, a bomber in womens clothing killed 14 people at a camp for displaced residents in Anbar province, a provincial official said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

These tactics dont surprise me, said Sgt. Ahmed Fadil, who patrolled Mosuls Old City just 50 meters (yards) from the front.

The militants have nowhere to go. Theyre trapped, he said.

Mondays two suicide bombings against Iraqi soldiers followed three other such attacks by women  some of them teenagers  in the previous two days, said Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein.

A soldier displayed the school ID card retrieved from the body of one of the bombers, showing her to be only 15. The photo was of serious young woman in a white hijab and indicated she had studied in Bangladesh.

Most of the people who blew themselves up today are women, said special forces Lt. Col. Salam Hussein. He added that seven women strapped with explosives approached the troops Monday, but thank God, our units stopped (them).

Government troops advancing through the Old City were using rougher tactics to clear the remaining pockets of IS forces.

The tempo of airstrikes was so great Monday that coalition aircraft couldnt keep up with the requests for air support from Iraqi ground forces. Instead, they sought approval for artillery strikes.

Associated Press drone footage showed the result: dozens of buildings burning in the Old City.

While shops have reopened and civilian traffic fills streets in retaken neighborhoods, thick black smoke continued to rise just a few kilometers away from IS-held territory on the bank of the Tigris River that divides Iraqs second-largest city. The area controlled by the militants is less than a square kilometer (less than half a square mile).

Islamic State militants swiftly overran Mosul in 2014. The U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city was launched in October and has proceeded slowly, even though Iraqi political and military officials had vowed to declare victory by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces began their push to retake the Old City in mid-June.

Even though the militants are squeezed into smaller and smaller territory, the danger remains for units like Fadils.

When they heard cries from civilians just around the corner, he and his colleagues rushed their commanding officer to safety into a nearby home that already had been cleared. They yelled at the group of sobbing women and children to hurry past.

Fadil explained the reason for their caution.

They cry and then  boom! They explode themselves, he said. The closer we get to victory, the more suicide bombers they will send.

At one screening point, soldiers anxiously held civilians back at gunpoint, shouting at men and boys to strip to their underwear.

Hussein, of the special forces, and a group of about a dozen men searched on foot Monday for more suicide bombers. An informant pointed out a house occupied by IS fighters.

A soldier kicked in a door, shouted a warning and threw two grenades into the front room. A second soldier stuffed a rag into a plastic jug of gasoline, lit it and threw it inside.

There are some suicide bombers who refuse to leave the houses, so were forced to deal with them with smoke and fire and hand grenades, Hussein said, noting that the troops burned only the basement, not the house.

His men seized five suspected IS fighters, binding their hands with electrical wire and blindfolding them with scraps of cloth. At least one of the five was arrested.

For most of the soldiers in Mosul, the final days of the grueling battle caps more than three years of fighting the militants.

Hassan Ahmed, a soldier with the special forces deployed in the Old City, said he cant deny that the war has changed him.

Its like Im heartless  I dont feel anything, he said. But we are still good people. We have mercy.

___

Associated Press writer Felipe Dana in Mosul contributed.
RIO RANCHO  Rio Ranchos only neonatal intensive care unit will shut down next month due to financial strains and a lack of patients, according to an official at Presbyterian Rust Medical Center.

Rusts NICU, which helps treat premature babies with congenital birth defects, respiratory distress and various sorts of infection, will close its doors during the first week of August. The newborn intensive care, which has 30 nurses, has been available to patients since the hospital opened its doors in 2011.

Rusts birthing services will go on without the NICU and will continue to be the only Rio Rancho-based hospital to offer baby deliveries. The nearest healthcare centers with a NICU for Rio Rancho residents are in Albuquerque: Lovelace Womens Hospital, University of New Mexico Hospital and the Childrens Center at Presbyterian.

Angela Ward, Rust campus administrator, said the hospital will continue to treat NICU patients until the treatment area closes in August while patients who continue to need care will be transferred to Presbyterians Children Center. Future deliveries in which the newborn is younger than 36 weeks will also be transferred to the child center for treatment.

The physicians and nurses who work at Rusts NICU will be moved to other departments throughout Presbyterian, she said.

The states declining birth rate and ailing economy were two factors the hospital considered before deciding to close the NICU, Ward said.

We have a thriving birthing service and a small amount of our babies end up meeting that level of care, Ward said. Weve had low demand for very expensive care, Ward said.

According to New Mexico Selected Health Statistics annual reports, the states birth rate has been on a slow decline for nearly a decade. In 2008, New Mexico had a birth rate of 14.9 births per 1,000 population; in 2014, the states most recent report, New Mexicos birth rate was 12.4 births per 1,000 population.
MINNEAPOLIS  A company that owns 10 Jimmy Johns sandwich shops in the Twin Cities was within its rights to fire six union workers who circulated posters critical of the companys sick-leave policy, a federal appeals court ruled Monday.

The full 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals reversed a three-judge appeals panel, which had affirmed a National Labor Relations Board ruling in favor of the workers, who were part of a unionization drive by the Industrial Workers of the World at shops owned by MikLin Enterprises.

The full appeals court concluded that the poster attack was so disloyal that it wasnt protected by federal labor law.

The posters were timed to the flu season in early 2011. They protested the companys policy against workers calling in sick without finding replacements to take their shifts, and accused the company of putting the health of its customers at risk. The poster features two identical photos of Jimmy Johns sandwiches but said one was made by a healthy worker and one was made by a sick worker.

Cant tell the difference? the poster read. Thats too bad because Jimmy Johns workers dont get paid sick days. Shoot, we cant even call in sick. We hope your immune system is ready because youre about to take the sandwich test.

The poster and a press release were distributed to more than 100 local and national news organizations, and the IWW threatened wider distribution if its demands were not met.

The NLRB concluded that MikLin violated protections for employee communications to the public that are part of an ongoing labor dispute. The three-judge appeals panel agreed. But the full appeals court said the board misapplied a controlling precedent set in a 1953 U.S. Supreme Court case that permits firings for disloyalty when the quality of a companys product is attacked, as opposed to communications targeting the employers labor practices.
SALT LAKE CITY  Utah health authorities were investigating Monday what triggered an E.coli outbreak in a mostly-polygamous community on the Utah-Arizona border after the bacteria killed two children and sickened four others.

Early indications suggest the E.coli may be linked to contaminated food or exposure to animals  not the town of Hildales water supply, said David Heaton, spokesman for the Southwest Utah Public Health Department. He said it appears isolated to one neighborhood.

Heaton said he cant releases the names or ages of the deceased children, or say if they are related, due to privacy concerns.

He said they died in the past two weeks after getting hemolytic uremic syndrome, also known as HUS, which causes kidney damage.

E.coli can cause diarrhea, cramps, nausea, headaches or other symptoms.

Utah Department of Health spokeswoman Jenny Johnson said deaths from E.coli are pretty rare with an average of only one person a year dying from the illness in Utah, a state of about 3 million people.

There are 80 to 100 cases per year in Utah of a strain of E.coli that have a toxin called Shiga that makes people sick, Johnson said.

The four other people who came down with E.coli in Hildale are children and adults but Heaton didnt have the exact breakdown. He declined to release their conditions but said theyve all received medical care.

The sister towns of Hildale, Utah and Colorado City, Arizona, are home to a polygamous group known as the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. It is a radical offshoot of mainstream Mormonism, which disavowed polygamy more than 100 years ago.
PHOENIX  Former Sheriff Joe Arpaio has made a long-shot request with the U.S. Supreme Court to put on hold his criminal trial that began a week ago and is scheduled for closing arguments on Thursday.

His lawyers argued in court papers made available Monday that the trial should be stopped because Arpaio is being denied the right to have a jury decide whether hes guilty of a contempt-of-court charge. As it now stands, U.S. District Judge Susan Bolton will decide if hes guilty of the misdemeanor charge for disobeying a 2011 court order to stop his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants.

Criminal defense attorney Mike Black, who isnt involved in Arpaios case but witnessed testimony at his trial as a spectator, said the former sheriff has zero chance of persuading the nations highest court to stop the trial. Black said he has never heard of such a late-in-the-game request being granted by the Supreme Court.

It may be important to the people of Arizona, but its only a misdemeanor charge, Black said, adding that he believes the Supreme Court will defer to Bolton.

The request, which was filed early last week but wasnt made public until Monday, was filed after the trial began.

Testimony concluded late last week, and closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday morning.

The former six-term sheriff of metro Phoenix has acknowledged violating the 2011 order that was issued in a racial profiling case. Arpaio insists his disobedience was unintentional. Prosecutors must prove Arpaio purposefully violated the order to win a conviction.

Arpaio is accused of continuing his to promote his immigration enforcement efforts during his 2012 re-election campaign. He blames Tim Casey, a lawyer who represented him for nearly six years in the profiling case, for not properly explaining the importance of the court order.

Casey, who was forced to testify, said he had several conversations with Arpaio about the order and that he quit as his attorney after he witnessed the sheriffs growing resistance to court orders.

The 85-year-old retired lawman would face up to six months in jail if convicted of the charge, though attorneys who have followed the case have doubted that a person of his age would be incarcerated.

This isnt Arpaio first attempt to get the Supreme Court to intervene in his criminal case.

On the trials opening day, the Supreme Court denied Arpaios bid to speed up its consideration of another jury-trial request.

___

Follow Jacques Billeaud at twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud. His work can be found at https://www.apnews.com/search/jacques%20billeaud.
BOULDER, Colo.  The father of a University of Colorado student who was shot and killed by police two years ago has sued, arguing that city police shot their son needlessly and have a culture of excessive force.

Twenty-two-year-old Samuel Forgy was shot by officers in July of 2015. He was outside his apartment naked, having threatened his roommates while high on LSD. The roommates who called police told dispatchers that Forgy was on drugs and acting erratically.

Police said Forgy was threatening them with a hammer. One officer shot a non-lethal Taser gun at the student but missed. Officer Dillon Garretson shot Forgy four times with a real gun. Garretson was cleared of wrongdoing.

Forgys father sued Monday, seeking unspecified damages and increased training for the Boulder Police Department.
PHOENIX  Authorities say an 18-year-old Mexican citizen who told police hes in the United States illegally is accused of fleeing from police following a purse-snatching and causing an auto wreck that killed a pedestrian.

Phoenix police say Brian Israel Morales-Diaz was driving a car that collided with an SUV after running a red light, causing the SUV to strike the pedestrian Thursday.

According to police, the car reportedly was stolen and had sped away from a park where a womans purse was snatched. A police officer sent to the park was chasing the car when the crash occured.

Morales-Diaz remains jailed on suspicion of first-degree murder and other crimes after making an initial court appearance Sunday. Court records dont list a defense attorney who could comment on the allegations.
SEDALIA, Colo.  Colorado police say that a murder charge for the man who allegedly mistook his adult son for an intruder and killed him does not mean that investigators doubt the fathers story.

A spokeswoman for the Douglas County Sheriffs Office says that murder charges are routine in cases of fatal shootings of suspected intruders. Thats despite a Colorado law allowing deadly force against intruders.

Fifty-eight-year-old Frank Leon Huner of Sedalia faces second-degree murder charges in Saturdays killing of his son, 33-year-old Nicholas Huner.

Sheriffs spokeswoman Lauren LeKander says Frank Huner called 911 to report the shooting. Frank Huner later said the victim was his son.

Frank Huner was released on $50,000 bond. He did not return a call seeking comment, and it was not clear if he had an attorney.
WASHINGTON  An injured bald eagle here  likely Liberty or Justice, who have made their home at a D.C. police academy for more than a decade  was treated at City Wildlife on Monday after being found Saturday following a thunderstorm.

Based on its weight and talon size, the injured bird is likely Justice, the male of the beloved pair, said Dan Rauch, a wildlife biologist with D.C.s Department of Energy and Environment.

It is not possible to definitively determine the injured birds identity because neither eagle is tagged, but the location where it was found  near Eighth and Xenia streets SE, approximately 1.5 miles from the police academy  means it is likely that the injured bird is Justice, Rauch said.

The bird has no obvious fractures or other signs of trauma, said Kristy Jacobus, the clinic director at City Wildlife, after she completed an examination Monday morning. It was alert during the examination, yellow eyes bright and pink tongue out as it panted from the stress of human contact, and let out a few squeals as Jacobus felt along its wings and feet for injuries.

The eagle was found around 4:45 p.m. Saturday, following intense rain that came with an afternoon thunderstorm. It will be taken to a center in Delaware for further examination and a full X-ray and returned to D.C. once it has been cleared, Jacobus said.

In 1972, when the insecticide DDT was banned, there were 600 bald eagles in the Lower 48 states. Today, there are more than 16,000 eagles in the United States, Rauch said, but only two known nests in D.C. The other, at National Arboretum, is home to a pair of birds named Mr. President and First Lady, who welcomed the births of eaglets Honor and Glory in March.

Liberty and Justices eaglet, which hatched March 15 and is named Spirit, took its first flight in early June and is likely living and hunting on its own, Rauch said. If Spirit had still been in the nest and one of the baby eagles parents had been injured, it would have been in danger.

It takes two parents to care for a nest, so we could have had a failed nest, Rauch said. The injury could have been worse, timing-wise.

Adult eagles can survive on their own, so if Justice is the injured eagle, Liberty will be safe until his return, Rauch said.

The bird is the first bald eagle that City Wildlife has treated in the four years since it opened. It is also the largest avian  weighing in at nine pounds  that the center has handled. The next largest bird was a snowy owl that was treated in January after being hit by a bus.

Before City Wildlife opened its doors in 2013, injured animals were taken to Second Chance Wildlife Center in Gaithersburg, Md. Now, City Wildlife treats everything from orphaned opossums to injured squirrels to snakes  a corn snake was brought in as the eagle was being prepared for examination  in its center on Oglethorpe Street NW.

During intense storms, water can get under the feathers of bald eagles, weighing them down and making it likely theyll be grounded, where birds are most vulnerable.

Every spring when there is a thunderstorm, we put our heads under our pillow and go, let us not get our first eagle,  said Paula Goldberg, the centers executive director. Theres a mixture of excitement and dread.
On Saturday, in order to avoid any more trouble, BMRCL officials allegedly covered the Hindi signage on the metro stations' entrance displays.

By Nolan Pinto: The usage of Hindi in Namma Metro stations is turning into a major controversy with many Pro-Kannada organiastions at loggerheads with Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). Ever since the online campaign #NammaMetroHindiBeda began, activists have been warning metro officials to remove Hindi signage.

On Saturday, in order to avoid any more trouble, BMRCL officials allegedly covered the Hindi letters at the metro stations' entrance displays.

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Metro commuters were puzzled to find Hindi signs removed or covered at Chickpete and Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Metro stations' entrance gates. The display boards had only Kannada and English signage.

WHO DID THIS?

Both BMRCL officials as well as Pro-Kannada organisations claim innocence over this act.

ENGLISH OK, HINDI NOT OK

Praveen Shetty, Karnataka Rakshana Vedike (KRV) state president said that Kannada is the language of the state and not Hindi. So, it is alright for Kannada and English to co-exist but not Hindi.

He asked why is it only in Bengaluru that Hindi is used when in other southern states it is just the local language and English put up on sign boards.

But he added that blackening Hindi words from the display boards was the doing of BMRCL officials only.

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Axis Bank, countrys third largest private sector bank launched a new campaign Experience Axis, featuring its brand ambassador Deepika Padukone. The Bank showcases a range of offers on their credit and debit card bouquet, through the vibrant twenty-second video series.

The cards category in India has been growing steadily with time. Over the last 3 years, Axis Bank Credit Cards have been key growth drivers, subsequently resulting in Axis Bank being the 2nd highest contributor to the overall number of credit cards in the market. Additionally, the bank has the 2nd highest CAGR (48%) in the industry over last 4 years and the highest growth amongst the top industry players.

Speaking on the launch of the campaign, Asha Kharga, CMO, Axis Bank said, Experience Axis is a single unified idea that ties all the value offerings on cards across shopping, dining and travel. It elevates the brand imagery by focusing on experiences rather than just deals. It aims to differentiate us in a category where discounts and cashbacks are the reigning language and build usage and preference for Axis Bank Cards. The monochromatic treatment coupled with Deepikas playful charm also makes the films a clutter-breaking visual delight

The campaign conceptualized by Lowe Lintas Mumbai showcases Deepika Padukone, the brand ambassador of Axis Bank in candid moments. She is seen experiencing shopping and dining privileges that Axis Bank cards uniquely have to offer.

Arun Iyer, Chairman & Chief Creative Officer - Lowe Lintas said, the brief was to differentiate ourselves within the category. Our starting point was based on an observation that young working Indians, are more open to spending on what they desire than what they need. While cards are the enablers of this behavior, when we delved deeper to understand their point-of-view we realized that they dont see this as spending money but more as gathering experiences  something they value much more than material possessions Hence our approach was to position the range of Axis Credit n Debit Cards as the window to the world of experiences called Experience Axis We felt Deepika would be ideal to bring this alive given that she is also a young working professional and therefore the connect would be seamless.
ComScore MMX Multi-Platform (R) reports that Times Internet's properties were the widest reaching and most engaged news / information properties in India in April 2017, across devices. The Comscore report indicated that Times of India sites alone reached over 69 million viewer (39% of all news viewers), who spent over 7 billion minutes (51% of top 14 sites' timespent) on Times Internet properties. The next most engaged publisher, Dainik Bhaskar Group, had 1 billion minutes of total usage.

The ComScore report indicated that 84% of India's total digital population access news and information sites in April 2017. 13 percent of News/Information visitors/viewers accessed the content from both desktop and mobile platforms, while 79 percent accessed exclusively via mobile devices. The ComScore report also indicates that the news / information category reached 92% of all 25-34 year olds and 89% of all 15-24 year olds, higher age-demographic penetration than all other age groups.

ComScore reports are heavily relied on by media buyers to assess reach and frequency of usage of different digital properties.

Puneet Gupt, COO, News at Times Internet said, This market leadership is a reflection of the relentless pursuit that our teams make every day to understand user behavior and to provide users with timely and engaging news and content in areas that matter to them. We are excited about keeping this momentum going and continue to serve our consumers.

Speaking of the results, Gautam Sinha, CEO, Times Internet said, We strive to deliver compelling experiences and engagement for our consumers with innovative products. We are energized and will continue to innovate and strive towards being Indias largest digital company.

The Comscore report covered Times Internet's properties in the news / information segment. In addition, Times Internet operates dominant digital businesses in music, sports, lifestyle, real estate, personal finance, and more, which collectively reached over 250 million consumers in April 2017, making it the largest reaching Indian digital media group.

Click here for the complete comScore statement - comScore Reports Top News/Information Digital Media Entities from Desktop Computers and Mobile Devices in India http://bit.ly/2tBSGP0
The gender divide is fast dissipating in every sphere of business. There are several women business leaders today, leading from the front and inspiring an entire generation of young women to take up the mantle of leadership.

English Business News Channel BTVi - Business Television India has endeavoured to bring women thought leaders under one platform, celebrating their success stories, thereby motivating the millennial with their show, Women Mean Business. The second season of the show went on air on June 17, 2017 and airs every Saturday @ 8pm on the channel. The guests on the show this season will range from Media baron to Renowned Restaurateur, from award winning Gemologist and Jewellery Designer to Globally acclaimed artist.

Not only is Dr Swati A Piramal a successful industrialist, she is also a scientist of note and a pioneer in the area of intellectual property. As Vice Chairperson of Piramal Enterprises, Dr Piramal has used her background in medicine, public health and business to change the trajectory of healthcare, education, and public policy in India.

To watch full video click here.

Dr Piramal was conferred with the Padma Shri award in 2012. She has been nominated eight times as 25 Most Powerful Women, and is now a part of the Hall of Fame of Most Powerful Women. She had served as the first woman president of Indias Apex Chamber of Commerce in 90 years. She also served as an advisor to the Indian Prime Minister in science, technology and economic policy (2006-2014).

Dr Piramal is an alumnus of the Harvard School of Public Health. Education on Woman Empowerment & Health in the rural Indian sector is an intricate part of her life.

How will you define innovation as well as disruption?

Innovation is a part of the values of our group. We define innovation as doing things creatively and getting the work done in a unique way  whether it is in science or in everyday life.

I have used innovation particularly in the area of science, where I was a pioneer in the area of intellectual property. Very early in my career I used to believe that intellectual property and filing patterns is that right way to go, but at that time the mindset in India was completely different. They wanted more about copying, more about low cost and getting things done in a very non-protective way for the inventor. That does not help innovation research into Indias problems.

Very early on in my career I pioneered the idea of filing patents and I have a few to my name as well. We have 250 patents in the company. These are unique, when you file a patent, you get approval from the US, Europe, Japan, India and that is the creative bent of mind I try to use in everything I do.

What was your inflection point?

For me it was when I was 37 years old with 2 children. I went to Harvard for my post graduate degree in public health. The one thing you feel at Harvard is that there are people from all over the world, it opens your mind to new ideas, new ways of doing things, new technology and this constant quest for excellence, perfection, innovation and new technology took root at Harvard. Very soon after I came back, I started my own research centre with over 500 scientists looking at and discovering new drugs. In my life, it was this moment which opened new vistas worldwide.

Please tell us about your memories from Harvard.

Harvard was a life changing experience for me and I had taken both my children there and I hoped one day they would imbibe this idea of work, culture and education, which later on they did. As a student I had no idea that they would make me a member of the board of overseas people of the university. I was told that there would be an election for it. They also told me that nobody from India had ever won and I, too, was most likely to lose. When I wanted to know who all had lost these elections before me, I was shocked to know that ex-US President Barack Obama and Robert Kennedy had lost when they stood for the same elections. However, I still stood for the elections and it was a great surprise to me when I won.

It has been an amazing experience. Its a 6-year term and I go there 6 times a year. What I feel the most when we go there is that convening spirit of knowledge and that is one of the values on which we drive our group  we constantly look at acquiring expertise and knowledge so that it can permeate every person who works for us.

Where would you say we are in the curve of innovation as well as the importance that is being given to research and innovation in India?

I have both good and bad news. The good news is that Indians are constantly innovating, whether in business or science, and indeed some of the scientists who have left the country are doing seminal work in universities worldwide.

The bad news is that the landscape of Indian innovation and R&D is still not where it should be. We still have a mindset of low cost generics without understanding that you need research funds to look into Indias problems. Take the example of malaria or tuberculosis, where the drugs dont work. The kind of cancer that we see in India is very different from the west. Who is going to solve these problems? It is only Indian scientists and Indian companies, however, that push isnt as strong as I would like it to be.

But the landscape is changing rapidly and hopefully the new government with Prime Minister Narendra Modi really puts in efforts towards innovation and science more than ever before.

How has the Piramal Group evolved and diversified, and what is the strategy that you have employed? Also, what role has technology played when it comes to these different expansions?

The Piramal Group has grown a lot since we started. We moved from textiles to pharmaceuticals and from pharmaceuticals into other areas as well, including financial services, big data management and also real estate. But obviously in each of these businesses, I feel technology is at an inflection point today. Everything is changing and technology is no longer what one was really good at and continue doing the same. There is so much change and disruption that one has to not just be good at one industry, but be more than that. Just like Tesla came up with not just automotive engineering, but rocket science, big data, computers. Earlier, there were no electric vehicles, renewable energy, driverless cars  those are the new landscapes. As a leader, we have to understand that we can no longer be a specialist in one thing. We have to absorb and know more about many diverse industries and diverse sciences.

Being a scientist, business person and a problem solver, what are your greatest challenges?

My fascination recently has been looking into real world problems. We have surely done very well in our business, but in the end has it reached the people on the farthest post?

Look at breast cancer in the North East, forget about detecting it, there are no hospitals. Lets say, if I start a screening service in remote areas of Assam, what would I do after I detect the cancer? Will I take them 600 miles to the nearest city? And what if there are no required equipment and I detect it wrong? Here, I am setting out to do something good, but I am also grappling with issues like the technology, the cost and the logistics of getting people to a place where they can be taken care of. These are what I call real world issues and not something to do with making a product and manufacturing it as per US FDA standards and selling it worldwide; these are a different set of challenges. And this is the one which is fascinating me much more now  how to get healthcare to the remotest parts of our country, to every woman and child who needs it.

Are there any organisations or institutions that you admire and countries you feel have been successful in coming up with solutions that India can benefit from? How much of an enabler is technology in this case?

Recently, our group won at The Financial Times contest, which had exactly to do with looking at companies worldwide who solve real issues and challenges of the world. We put our name for the clean water programme, which we call Sarvajal, and while I was waiting to see who would win so that I could learn from them, to my surprise they gave us the award. The judge was from Africa and she said that this kind of technology is useful even for Africa.

We have no right to keep the technology to ourselves. We must circulate to whoever needs it.

In what way you actually look at the problems, whether its an everyday issue or something as large as global diseases?

This year we have added an idea of impact to our three values of knowledge, action and care. We also added an interesting word called resilience, which means getting things done with courage and facing challenges on the way. When I reflect back on our group starting in textiles, overcoming two World Wars, plague for 100 years before, we survived all that. Later, we had a fire and the whole factory got burnt down, but we bounced back.

When I look back at the 40 years of my career, I found this word resilience keeps coming back again and again. Very often I tell young people that life is like a runway, where you want to take off and fly and want to land on target, but there is a runway time that you need to give to something you are doing. There will be challenges, there will be wind, rain and snow during your take-off, which you will need to overcome. Everyone faces it and needs to have that resilience and positive feeling and the ability to bounce back from every trouble. And I think thats really been a part of our history and that is something that I would like to teach people who I mentor  that its not going to come in a day, it will take time and great effort and challenges. Overcoming them is really the key to success.

Do you think the culture of failure is highlighted enough in India?

I have failed so many times in my career. Once I thought that aside from science l would start a restaurant. We had started the Crossroads Mall, which was the first mall in India. There was an Italian restaurant, but after six months I gave up on that too. We closed the Discovery Research Programme a few years ago because the regulatory landscape in India completely changed towards clinical trials and thats the reason why we moved it to Germany and other countries. Actually, I wrote a poem to all my scientists that, yes we are closing this part of our research, but we are opening others and I am writing this poem because I feel that we all worked together and had an idea of India and innovation, but at some point I feel sorry because it didnt succeed. According to me, in science success comes from failure of your previous scientific work and thats the way science is built. In science you wont completely succeed in the beginning, but you have to keep on trying, as Einstein said: Hundred times you discover that one thing and Thomas Edison must have tried hundred times before the light bulb was born. These are some great things about science and I never feel sorry for my failures in my career.

Have you ever doubted yourself?

Since I was a pioneer in intellectual property, the whole world told me that I was completely wrong. In India, they threw me out of an association of pharmaceutical companies because I had completely different views from others. It took 10 years before they changed their minds too and everybody started believing in innovations. When we moved to pharmaceutical in 1988, everyone was exiting the business; there were at least 10 multinationals who sold their businesses one by one. Not only did we enter the business, we actually tripled our investments with big plans and it was a contrarian approach. Of course, we had our doubts as everybody was selling out their businesses. But for us, it has always been this idea that finds the right spot by looking nowhere else.

To watch full video click here.
We can help you make sense of the agribusiness industry, extending from chemicals and fertilizers used as inputs into agriculture, to the commodities, food and by-products that are an output to farming, with policy and regulation applied at every step of the value chain.
A recent study conducted by AVG Technologies  a company better known as an Internet security provider  has now shown that children are more likely to be able to operate the technologically advanced devices in their lives than to be adequate at any number of other life tasks. That isnt necessarily altogether surprising, especially for anybody who has ever caught themselves uttering the old adage, kids these days, but the results may run a bit deeper than many would expect. The study itself is part of a larger, ongoing study into how modern technology affects young children  called AVG Digital Diaries. For this portion of Digital Diaries, children between the ages of 2 and 5 were scrutinized by over 2,200 mothers across 10 countries. Those include Australia, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, Spain, the U.K. and the U.S, with the study covering several daily tasks, such as shoe tying, and computer or smartphone tasks.

For starters, AVG Digital Diaries found that 69 percent of children between the given age groups were using computers or smartphones. There also doesnt appear to be any major distinction between genders. 59 percent and 29 percent of girls can play a computer game or make a mobile call, respectively. For boys, those numbers are 58 percent and 28 percent. Furthermore, nearly as many younger children, aged 2 to 3 years, can play smartphone apps as the older 4 to 5-year-old children. That, perhaps unsurprisingly, shows that those types of technology are rapidly replacing television as a means to entertain and educate young kids. An average of 58 percent of those children can play what AVG calls a basic computer game compared to 43 percent who can ride a bike and that number was higher in some countries, such as Australia, where it was as high as 66 percent.

Beyond that, the study concluded that more children can use a smartphone application than tie their own shoes. Smartphone use came in at 19 percent, as compared to shoe tying at only 9 percent. Meanwhile, the children of the mothers surveyed can use the web better than they can swim unaided  with the percentages sitting at 25 percent and 20 percent for those. Further still, the study showed which kids from which countries were better at certain things. European children, as compared to those in other countries, were shown to be better at placing a call from a smartphone, playing computer games, and using a mouse. Meanwhile, nearly three times as many Australian and U.S. kids can use smartphones apps as in the other countries polled. Interestingly, AVG also claims that the study revealed that mothers over the age of 35 were just a little better at teaching those life skills that werent technology-based.

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While the results of this study may seem somewhat shocking, it is also important to remember that the skills the children are learning with technology are becoming increasingly important in the modern world, which AVG states that, in light of the figures, are pretty common sense. Parents need to focus on instilling good browsing habits and, perhaps most important of all, talk to their kids about their usage. Its also a great idea to place computers in the more public areas of the household. That way parents can better monitor that use for themselves. Screen time should be limited, as well, and parents should definitely not allow their children on more adult-oriented sites, including social media. It is also important for parents to not divulge too much information about their children or their online usage for themselves on the internet, as it can put the kids at risk.
Chinas ZTE Corp is planning to double its 5G research spending for 2017 and beyond to reach the top of the industry. The Chinese telecom equipment manufacturer is initiating this move in support of Chinas goal to build the largest 5G network in the world. ZTE revealed that it had already invested 1 billion yuan in this project last year. For this year, it intends to double that amount to 2 billion yuan ($295 .5 million). However, the telecom giant admitted that this amount could still increase as the Chinese government wants to launch 5G by 2020. 5G technologies offer higher speeds than what 4G can offer. The current 4G LTE networks can only attain a maximum speed of about 1 Gbps. However, because of the presence of high-rise structures, that maximum speed is not actually attained. Therefore, China wants to beat the U.S. in the race to become number one in 5G technologies, in the world even if 5G international standards are not yet in place.

That explains why a forecast was issued by Chinas Ministry of Industry and Information Technology indicating that it will increase its 5G investments to 1.65 trillion yuan by 2025. Being one of the countrys major equipment manufacturers, ZTE is bound to receive a major portion of this funding, along with Huawei, also one of Chinas major companies. The reason for this massive research and development spending is that 5G implementation is very expensive. Additionally, there will be a need to design and produce new mobile phones that will support this nascent technology. Thats the reason why Huawei, one of Chinas largest cell phone makers, is thrown into the picture.

In its bid to be the worlds number one in 5G technologies, China has undertaken field tests of its first 5G base station. State-owned China Mobile, the countrys largest telecom operator has already started the trials last week. In terms of manpower, ZTE recently revealed that there are 3,000 people currently working in its 5G research and development facilities. It is more than likely that this number will increase in the near future. When asked about this possibility, a spokeswoman for the company declined to give an answer.
A federal district court in San Jose, California, dismissed a privacy lawsuit against Facebook on Friday, with U.S. District Judge Edward Davila ruling that the Menlo Park-based social media giant did not violate Californias wiretapping laws and privacy regulations by tracking browsing habits of users who deleted their Facebook accounts. Davila made an identical conclusion in regards to any possible transgressions of federal privacy laws, noting that the plaintiffs didnt make a convincing case when claiming that Facebook violated their online privacy. The lawsuit was originally filed in early 2012 and was already partially dismissed in late 2015 by the same judge, before being thrown out again in its somewhat revised state last week.

Davila still said that the lawsuit could be revised and refiled in regards to any potential breach of contract on Facebooks part, though it remains to be seen whether the litigation ends up continuing, with both of the involved parties not commenting on the matter in any capacity as of this writing. Facebook was initially accused of violating the privacy of its users by keeping track of their online activities through browser cookies that remained active even after someone deleted their Facebook account. Browsers with those cookies are then trackable across all websites that feature Facebooks Like buttons, which Davila ruled isnt a violation of any privacy or wiretapping law. The judge also said that the plaintiffs failed to prove that the social media company actually intercepted their communications, noting that everyone involved could have easily protected their online privacy if they chose to do so. Finally, Davila concluded that no realistic loss or damages of any nature have been incurred as a result of Facebooks supposed violations.

The latest turn of events represents a major legal victory for Facebook that will set a precedent and likely discourage similar cookie-related tracking lawsuits from being filed against the company. The firms practices are all generally laid out in its terms of service, which likely lead to its win in this case, with Davila concluding that the plaintiffs had no reasonable expectation of privacy when agreeing to start using the service. Facebook recently passed two billion users and continues to grow at a steady pace, with the company now putting a larger focus on building online communities instead of just connecting individuals.
A render depicting whats said to be the bottom half of the Galaxy Note 8 surfaced online on Monday, having been shared by an industry insider from China. The image that can be seen above this writing implies that Samsungs upcoming Android flagship will feature a 3.5mm audio jack and a USB Type-C port, i.e. offer the same physical ports as the recently released Galaxy S8 and Galaxy S8 Plus. The leak is far from surprising in light of the fact that the Galaxy Note series already transitioned from microUSB 2.0 to USB Type-C 3.1 last year with the ill-fated Galaxy Note 7, a feat that the Galaxy S lineup only accomplished this spring. The newly uncovered render also shows a single down-facing stereo speaker on the supposed Galaxy Note 8, in addition to placing the S Pen slot to the far right side of its bottom edge. The latter detail would be in line with Samsungs previous design practices employed for the Galaxy Note lineup, though it directly contradicts another recent leak that put the stylus slot of the upcoming handset to the far left of its bottom side.

The new render also gives more credence to recent reports that the Galaxy Note 8 will be extremely visually similar to the Galaxy S8 lineup, sporting a slightly larger Infinity Display whose diagonal is thought to be 6.3 or 6.4 inches in length, in addition to featuring a nearly bezel-less design with a thin bottom bezel that doesnt leave any room for a physical Home button. Apart from on-screen system keys, the Galaxy Note 8 should offer a physical Bixby button located below the volume keys of the handset, recent leaks suggested. The back panel of the handset is widely expected to house a dual camera setup with two horizontally arranged sensors and a dual-LED (dual tone) flash, as well as a heart rate monitor.

The Galaxy Note 8 is also said to offer a performance upgrade over the Galaxy S8 lineup by shipping with 6GB of RAM and possibly being powered by the rumored Snapdragon 836 system-on-chip (SoC) in the U.S., though the international model is still said to house Samsungs Exynos 8895. With the phablet being rumored to launch in late August or early September, more details on the thereof should follow shortly.
Motorola Mobility is developing the Moto M2 and will launch the device this October, one industry insider said on Sunday. The handset is meant to be a direct successor to the Moto M, a relatively high-end smartphone released by the Lenovo-owned company last November. Much like that model, the upcoming Moto M2 is said to be powered by a MediaTek-made processor, most likely the Helio P20 or Helio P25. The device is also expected to feature a 5.5-inch display panel with a Full HD (1920 x 1080) resolution that should be protected by 2.5D glass and feature a conventional aspect ratio of 16:9. The same insider claims that the Libertyville, Illinois-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is planning to release two variants of the Moto M2, with the more affordable one shipping with 4GB of RAM and 32GB of internal flash memory, while the premium model will offer 6GB of RAM and 64GB of storage space. Both devices should feature a microSD card slot with support for at least 256GB of expandable storage, at least if Motorolas recent product practices are any indication.

The newly leaked information about the Moto M2 indicates that the handset will likely compete in the higher mid-range segment of the smartphone market and could be priced in a relatively aggressive manner, similar to a number of other phones that the Lenovo-owned tech giant released earlier this year. A device bearing the model number XT1902-3 that appeared in the database of mobile benchmarking tool Geekbench in early June could possibly be the successor to the 2016 Moto M, though that particular unit was powered by the MediaTek MT6797, i.e. the Helio X20. According to that earlier listing, the handset will likely run Android 7.1.1 Nougat out of the box and its chipset will run at a maximum frequency of 1.85GHz.

The original Moto M was primarily aimed at developing markets so it remains to be seen whether Motorola will be looking to expand the availability of its successor, especially if the Moto M2 ends up shipping with a price tag thats comparable to that of its predecessor which retailed for approximately $220. More details on the device may follow in the coming months.
The next Galaxy A and Galaxy C-series devices that Samsung releases will feature dual camera setups on their rear panels, one industry insider said on Sunday. The two upcoming additions to the Galaxy C lineup are likely the Galaxy C10 and Galaxy C10 Plus that were now supposedly delayed due to the Galaxy Note 8 but theres still not a lot of information about new members of the mid-range Galaxy A family. The same source also claimed that the Chinese variant of the Galaxy J7 (2017) will also feature a similar two-sensor imaging system, with the phone itself being identified by the model number SM-J7310.

Its still unclear which handset is set to become the first Samsung-made device with a dual camera setup, though the South Korean original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is now expected to release a handsful of such smartphones by the end of the year, with the new trend likely being prompted by the fact that manufacturing costs related to contemporary mobile camera modules are gradually decreasing. The advantages of dual camera setups are numerous, though many OEMs are primarily implementing them due to the fact that two sensors can offer a superior image capturing experience compared to a single one without the setup itself being overly bulky and resulting in a camera bump protruding from the phones case. Samsungs upcoming devices with two rear sensors will likely feature modules manufactured by Samsung Opto-Electronics, though some may also rely on third-party hardware.

The upcoming Galaxy Note 8 is also widely expected to sport a similar imaging system, with its back plate being said to host two sensors arranged in a horizontal manner and accompanied by a dual-LED (dual tone) flash unit. Due to the practical advantages of two-sensor imaging systems, the Seoul-based consumer electronics manufacturer will likely stick with such solutions in the future and its 2018 product lineup is hence expected to boast a plethora of such setups. More details on Samsungs technological advancements in the mobile camera segment should follow shortly, with the Galaxy Note 8 reportedly launching in late August or early September, and the Galaxy C10 series being rumored for a late 2017 release.
Nitish's statements intensify the cracks within the Opposition following two recent events: the presidential election and Parliament's midnight session over GST.

By India Today Web Desk: In his ongoing war of words with the Congress, Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar today took a veiled dig at the Sonia Gandhi-led party, asking it to set the agenda for the Opposition and not "indulge in reactionary politics".

"I have said this earlier too. The Congress is a big party and should set an alternative narrative and agenda for the Opposition," Nitish said in a press conference in Patna. "I have said from the start that apart from unity, the opposition parties should also have a common agenda," he said.

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Nitish's statements intensify the cracks within the Opposition following two recent events: the presidential election, in which Nitish broke ranks with the Opposition in declaring his support for Ram Nath Kovind, and Parliament's midnight session over GST which the Congress and a few other Opposition parties boycotted.

Following Nitish's decision to support Kovind, a furious Ghulam Nabi Azad of the Congress had accused the Janata Dal (United) leader of indulging in "ideological and political opportunism". To which, Nitish replied that the Congress alone was responsible for the mess in the Opposition.

When asked why he did not attend the special midnight session of Parliament for the launch of the Goods and Services Tax, the Janata Dal (United) leader said he was not invited. "There was no invitation, so where is the question of attending or skipping it?" he asked.

Denying that he has ambitions to be the Opposition's prime ministerial face in 2019 Lok Sabha election, Nitish said he is "not eligible". "I have said earlier also that I am not the PM face of the Opposition in 2019 neither am I eligible," he said.

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JDU to skip Lalu's anti-BJP rally, Nitish's participation uncertain

ALSO WATCH : Bihar CM Nitish Kumar attacks Congress, accuses it of indulging in reactionary politics

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Samsung is apparently readying a major software update for the Galaxy J7 Prime. The device was recently spotted in the GFXBench database running Android 7.0 Nougat, which suggests that the manufacturer is currently testing the software in the aforementioned benchmarking tool ahead of a public release. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime is a decently-equipped mid-range smartphone wrapped in a metal case, and an official update to Android Nougat should only improve the overall user experience.

At the moment its unclear when Samsung will be ready to release Android 7.0 Nougat on the Galaxy J7 Prime, and only time will tell if the upcoming software update will be bundled with the companys latest proprietary user interface. Either way, the software package will likely include a more up-to-date Android security patch and should provide improvements to performance and battery life. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime was officially announced in August 2016, however, it was labeled as the Samsung Galaxy On Nxt in some regions. The device was released in September and over the first months of availability, it enjoyed a widespread release across Asia and the EMEA region (Europe, the Middle East and Africa), Latin America, India, Pakistan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. The device is generally identified by the model number SM-G610x where the letter X is interchangeable depending on each region, and unsurprisingly the model spotted in the GFXBench database was labeled as the SM-G610x which means that it could be either one of the variants launched across the globe.

Evidently, the Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime showcased on GFXBench running Android 7.0 Nougat boasts familiar characteristics, including a 5.5-inch display with a resolution of 1920 x 1080 and an Exynos 7870 system-on-chip housing eight ARM Cortex-A53 cores clocked at up to 1.6GHz alongside a Mali-T830 MP2 (dual-core) graphics chip. The device conceals a 3,300 mAh battery in a metal body weighing a total of 167 grams (5.89 ounces) and features a front-mounted fingerprint sensor. The Samsung Galaxy J7 Prime was launched running Android 6.0.1 Marshmallow, and with that in mind, the upcoming Android 7.0 Nougat update will be the first major software package to be made available on the device. Hopefully, the testing phase will conclude without a hitch and more details regarding public availability will emerge soon.
A new report claims Samsung Display is getting ready to build the worlds biggest OLED factory that should become operational in approximately two years. The biggest display panel supplier on the planet is reportedly planning to expand its operations to two more massive buildings which should guarantee that it will be able to meet future demand for OLED panels that are gradually becoming more popular.

The new factory, which is said to be named the A5, will reportedly produce Samsungs sixth-generation display modules. The companys current biggest factory is the A3, though the A5 line could have up to 30 percent of extra production capacity, which would mean a production capacity of anywhere between 180,000 and 270,000 display panels per month. Due to this, the company is said to already be in the middle of talks with equipment suppliers in order to get the factory operating at full capacity soon after its construction is finished. The South Korean tech giant is expected to finalize the plans for the factory over the course of this month. Once finalized, the plans could see Samsung invest as much as $1.75 billion in its construction, while a further $14 billion would be spent on equipment over the course of three years. Initial mass production is expected to commence in 2019, though the factory may not reach its full capacity until 2021, industry insiders said.

Its certainly not surprising that Samsung is consistently investing heavily into OLED display panels as the company controls 98 percent of the market for small and medium OLED modules, so by keeping investments high, the firm is ensuring its continued dominance in the market, as well as ensuring a technological lead over its competitors. Recent rumors point toward a number of Chinese companies working together in order to create a new OLED supplier and combat Samsungs deal with Apple, so the company is certainly going to have to work hard to stop the competition eating into its revenue. It remains to be seen what the final details of the new factory are once the plans for it are finalized, but the plant will certainly help Samsung meet the rising demand for OLED panels and could be officially confirmed in the coming months.
The Samsung Electronics-owned Galaxy brand is the most valuable proprietary name in South Korea, according to a recent market survey conducted by local analysis firm Brandstock. The Galaxy name hence maintained its leading position in this segment for the seventh year in a row, according to Brandstocks and several other surveys. The data pertaining to 2017 saw the Galaxy brand being awarded 940.98 out of possible 1,000 points in the second quarter of the year, with Samsungs trademarked name being followed by E-Mart and Naver. KB Financial Groups KB Kookmin Bank placed fourth, Brandstock said, adding that the overall structure at the top of its list of most valuable local brands is unlikely to change for the foreseeable future.

Samsungs Galaxy name continues to outperform other Korean brands for a variety of reasons, with the main one being the companys global presence and worldwide recognition of its smartphones and tablets. The brands position was most seriously threatened last year when the Galaxy Note 7 debacle led Samsung to discontinue its high-end phablet following two unprecedented recalls, as hundreds of reports of units catching fire and exploding started emerging all over the world. The ordeal placed a heavy burden on Samsungs marketing team that essentially went on to reinvent the company and its image in the eyes of consumers by attempting to humanize the South Korean tech giant and its offerings. The promotional campaigns launched by Samsung in the post-Galaxy Note 7 era werent so focused on the specifics of its products as much as they were trying to advertise a lifestyle and ideas associated with them while simultaneously looking to entertain. Those efforts seemingly paid off in the end, with Samsungs Galaxy brand managing to survive the Galaxy Note 7 fiasco relatively unscathed, at least in the companys home country.

The Seoul-based original equipment manufacturer (OEM) is expected to further strengthen its brand value over the course of this year as the firms presence in massive markets like India continues to grow and the tech giant releases the highly anticipated Galaxy Note 8 which many industry watchers believe will become a massive commercial success. An update on the companys endeavors should follow in the coming weeks.
SnailMobile has officially outed its new i7 gaming smartphone via a live showing of a pre-production model at MWC Shanghai. The device is the first phone out in a while to sport physical gaming buttons and has a respectable set of modern specs to show for it. Its 6-inch display panel has is of the 1080p variety, with the handset itself being powered by the MediaTek Helio X20 system-on-chip (SoC) and 6GB of RAM. The fairly powerful processor and the large screen of the phone will see runtime thats likewise more than ample, given how the i7 packs a 6,000mAh battery. The main camera of the device is a 16-megapixel unit, while a 5-megapixel sensor is housed by the top bezel of the smartphone.

Accouterments beyond that include dual SIM slots, 64GB of internal storage, and dual stereo speakers on the back of the device. The power and volume controls are up top when held in landscape orientation for gaming and theres a 3.5mm headphone jack on the bottom of the phone. The Snail Mobile i7 on the showroom floor in Shanghai did not seem to have a dedicated MicroSD slot out in the open, though one of its dual SIM slots may serve double duty in a Hybrid SIM setup. The standard physical gaming buttons are all there and this device will be familiar to anybody whos held a Sony PlayStation Vita, though theres no touchpad on its back, the shoulder buttons are a bit different, and the right joystick has been moved below the buttons. This phone is a successor to the Snail Mobile W3D, with the latter model being the sequel to the iReadyGo Much i5 that launched prior to Snail Mobiles purchase of iReadyGo in 2014.

The devices gaming-focused body may get in the way of everyday tasks just a bit, meaning that the i7 may not be the best choice for remote workers despite its long battery life. Still, those looking to make this their main or only device will find the that the good performance of the Helio X20 processor and the vast amount of RAM allow them to do whatever they may normally do with a phone. While the i7 wont be running cutting-edge games on the highest settings or emulating Nintendo GameCube games, it promises a sublime experience for those who play older games from less powerful consoles through emulators, or stream PC or console games to it using apps like Moonlight and features like Remote Play. Interested parties in China will find the device available for purchase as of July 30 for 1,899 yuan, or around $280. Snail Mobile also stated that it intends to launch the device in other markets; Hong Kong will see it in August, and it could be making its way to the West later this year.
Some of Motos Twitter accounts appear to be switching back to the Motorola name. Its fair to say the company has gone through quite a ride when it comes to its own branding. Before Lenovo purchased the firm, it was known as Motorola, though Lenovo later implied its retiring the Motorola name from its marketing endeavors.

The Chinese company said that the brand would be able to focus solely on the Moto name, with devices being branded as Moto by Lenovo, while Lenovos own Vibe devices would use the name Vibe by Lenovo tagline. This naming structure, although simple enough, did cause some confusion. Once the first new Moto devices were out, some still called them Motorolas, others opted to call them Lenovo Motos and others simply stuck to Moto. Fast forward to today, though, and it appears that the company is going through yet another name change, taking it back to its roots. Motos US account now goes by the name of Motorola US, and its Twitter handle has also been changed to reflect this. Motorolas Chilean, French, Mexican and South African accounts have also gone through the same change. Those arent the only accounts to make a change, though, as Motorola Argentina, Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Puerto Rico, Singapore, and even Motorola UK have all changed their names recently, though their Moto Twitter handles remain intact as of this writing.

While the Moto Spain account retained its Moto branding, it changed its header image on Twitter to one that uses the old Motorola name. Given the current state of affairs and recent developments, it seems that Lenovo is now looking to revive the Motorola branding, possibly in time for the launch of its subsidiarys upcoming flagship  the Moto Z2. Switching back to the Motorola name may not be a bad move on Lenovos part, considering the global popularity of the brand, as well as its natural association with smartphones compared to that of the Lenovo brand. An update on the Lenovos hardware ambitions and Motorolas upcoming devices should follow soon, with both firms being expected to announce a number of new products by the end of the year.
CEO of ZUK Mobile Chang Cheng hinted that the sub-brand of Chinese electronics giant Lenovo will not be shut down and in fact, will continue to release new devices. His statement comes shortly after reports claiming that Lenovo will consolidate all of its smartphone offerings under the Motorola brand. The recent pronouncements made by Lenovo executives in India regarding the future of its smartphone business have further pushed the narrative of the impending shutdown of all non-Moto brands. In a recent Weibo post, Chang denied those rumors and stated that the Lenovo subsidiary will hold four separate events between the July and September. More importantly, the companys chief executive has hinted at a future device from ZUK Mobile, which could likely be the ZUK Z3.

There is still no available information on the ZUK Z3s release date, but it is possible that the handset will be launched at one the four events that the company will organize within the next few months. Based on a recent leak of the ZUK Z3, it is likely that the handset will have a bezel-less front. However, its not clear whether its design will mimic the latest offerings from Samsung or LG by offering an elongated display or instead will follow the route of Xiaomi and produce a device with a similar form factor to that of the Mi MIX. Aside from its hardware design, the leak also claims that the device will be equipped with the Snapdragon 836, 8GB of RAM, and 256GB of internal flash storage. It is not yet known how much of an improvement the Snapdragon 836 delivers over the current top chipset offering from Qualcomm  the Snapdragon 835.

While the statement from ZUK Mobiles CEO will surely be good news for the fans of the smartphone brand, Lenovos subsidiary is still likely to be affected by its parents recent product strategy shift. In an effort to better capitalize on the legacy and widespread recognition of the Motorola brand, the Chinese electronics giant decided to concentrate its marketing efforts on the said brand. However, this resulted in a shutdown of other Lenovo brands in many markets around the world. Among the unlucky ones is the Vibe brand that is soon set to be discontinued in India.
By PTI: bunkers: India

(Eds: With a minor change in 6th para)

New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The Indian Army today maintained that no bulldozers were used when its bunkers were destroyed by Chinese soldiers amid the current standoff with China in the Sikkim sector. The army also denied that the border standoff with China is the longest since 1962.

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"The incident is not the longest standoff between the two nations," said a statement issued by the Army spokesman here while reacting to a PTI story which had given details of the stand-off.

The spokesman also said that no bulldozers were "ever employed" for destroying the Indian bunkers and that no physical scuffle had occurred between the personnel of Indian Army and the Peoples Liberation Army(PLA). A senior government functionary had earlier said that bulldozers were used to destroy the Indian bunkers.

The spokesman also claimed that no such incident ever happened on June 6 and referred to a statement made by the Ministry of External Affairs in which the date of incident was mentioned as June 16.

The spokesman went on to clarify that "India-China relations as also the relationship between both the armies are extremely well managed by a host of mechanisms.

"The MoD (Ministry of Defence) or the Indian Army has neither issued any official statement nor has undertaken any unofficial briefings due to the fact that such sensitive issues are best dealt between two nations away from the media glare," the spokesman said.

He said that in this situation "as some of the acts have happened involving Bhutan, therefore, Ministry of External Affairs has already given a substantial briefing on the issue." PTI SKL GSN SK TIR

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The temple town of Puri witnessed a case of medical apathy when a father had to carry his deceased daughter's body on a trolley after the mortuary van failed to arrive on time.

By India Today Web Desk: The temple town of Puri, Odisha, witnessed a pathetic scene on Saturday night as a man carried his daughter's body on a trolley. The deceased has been identified as Kabi Sahu, daughter of Dina Sahu.

Sahu took his deceased daughter's body on a trolley from the District Headquarters Hospital after she complained of chest pain last night. However, the doctor declared her dead at the hospital.

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When a Mahaprayan vehicle failed to arrive on time, Sahu carried his daughter's body on the same trolley towards Swarga Dwara for cremation.

Meanwhile, the district administration has ordered a probe into the matter.

Sahu narrated the incident with tears rolling down his cheek, "I had to bring the body on trolley as nobody had turned up to help us".

This shocking incident of medical apathy reminded people of Dana Manjhi, carried his wife's corpse after he was refused a mortuary van from a government hospital.

Manjhi, a tribal man from Kalahandi in Odisha walked for nearly 10 kilometers with his daughter, carrying his 42-year-old wife's dead body on his shoulder.

Also Read:

Odisha's Dana Majhi, who carried his dead wife on his shoulder, receives Rs 9 lakh from King of Bahrain

Tribal man in Odisha had to walk 10 km carrying wife's body after being denied govt help

Also watch: Puri: Man carries daughter's dead body on trolley as mortuary van fails to arrive on time

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We are, of course, kidding, but, judging by the aggressive winglets on the sides of the front apron, the German engineers are serious about the aero package of the upcoming roadster.And while the aero elements might not make it into production, you can expect the 2018 BMW Z5 to be one hell of a handler - remember how agile the Z3 was? Well, we could see that spirit making a comeback.As you can see, the newcomer will leave the folding metallic top of the Z4 behind, with its canvas roof being a nod to the Z3.Since BMW has recently increased the perceived quality of its cabins, you can expect the Z5 to deliver a noticeable boost in this area.The Bavarian automotive producer will introduce the Z5 with at least two engines, but while previous estimates talked about a 252 hp turbo-four and a just-as-turbocharged inline-six, we could also expect the heart of the 2019 M140i successor to find its way under the hood of this roadster.The rumor mill talks about the German engineers working on an even spicier incarnation of the B48 2.0-liter unit, which should deliver about 320 horses.Speaking of the motor, the 2018 BMW Z5 prototype shown here has an aggressive soundtrack, as you'll be able to notice in the piece of Green Hell spy footage at the bottom of the page.The 2018 BMW Z5, along with its Toyota Supra fixed-roof sibling (here are some spyshots of the fitth-gen Supra), are expected to make their debut by the end of the year. The Frankfurt Motor Show, which takes place in September is a likely venue for the introduction of the sportscars.
Two years later and the South Korean manufacturer has already released two vehicles in the shape of the G90 and G80. Continuing down the same road, Genesis is now getting ready to introduce another premium sedan, and if you know subtraction and can detect a pattern in the naming scheme, then you will know we're talking about the G70.For some reason, the smallest sedan in the Genesis lineup so far has been called a BMW-killer, but we think it's a little too soon for that. Genesis still has a lot to prove before it can take the fight straight to the segment leaders, but that doesn't mean that day won't come. Hyundai definitely seems to think it has arrived already. Our spy photographers captured the South Korean sedan testing in the hellish conditions of Death Valley alongside two BMW 3 Series. The two Bavarians didn't just happen to be there - Genesis was benchmarking its vehicle against the competition, so perhaps that nickname is warranted after all.The two BMWs were a 330i and a 340i, and judging by the exhausts on the two G70s, it's fair to believe they were their exact correspondents in the Genesis range. It is believed that the base model will get a two-liter four-cylinder turbo engine with nearly 250 hp, while the more potent version will use a V6 turbo with closer to 340 hp. A hybrid powertrain should also make its way under the G70's hood, but it seems to be missing from this meeting here.What's new in this set of photos, though, is that they show more of the G70's interior this time, particularly the dashboard. The center console appears to go for a clean, not very imaginative design: you get a similar display positioning as in a BMW , a similar strip of buttons under the air vents and a three-dial climate control unit. We can also see a rotary device that controls the infotainment unit that, you guessed it, resembles the BMW's iDrive. Were they benchmarking or trying to make sure they copied everything right?The premium credentials are supported by the use of leather and quilted stitching, but the overall feel we get from these pictures is that the G70's interior fails to come through as genuinely luxurious. But judging the quality of the materials and finishing from a set of photographs is ridiculous, so we will reserve our final opinions for when the G70 is officially introduced. Which should happen by the end of the year, by the way. Stay tuned for more.
Im wondering if were seeing a canary in the mineshaft moment here.

This week, with the news that Seattle-based Horizon Air is cancelling more than 6 percent of its flights due to lack of pilots, the supposed true-or-not-true pilot shortage seems to be coming to a head. Actually, I think the canary has been dead so long that its desiccated bones have long since been trampled into dust by the boots of a remorseless market.

Low pay and work conditions may be part of the problem, but I think the industry struggles with the same reality that general aviation does: Piloting has just lost its allure. What used to be a torrent of people burning to fly is now just a trickle. Its a demographic thing. To be sure, there will always be people passionate about flying, both to populate airline cockpits and to buy and fly GA airplanes. Its just that there are enough fewer of them of make GA growth and airline pilot hiring a challenge.

The Seattle Times reports that for the month of August, it canceled 6.2 percent of its flights, automatically rebooking the passengers on other flights or on its parent, Alaska Air. The companys chief executive, Dave Campbell, told employees that the airlines sharp growth and the shortage of qualified pilots created a perfect storm. Perhaps. But its hard to see how this isnt a storm of the industrys own making.

Although starting salaries at the regionals have inched up recently, an ALPA sampling of starting salaries for first officers revealed ranges between $20,183 and $29,484. The average is about $23,000. Coincidentally, thats what I was offered for an entry-level magazine job in 1981. Equivalent buying power today: $8500. Thats not even survival wages. Desperate for pilots, some airlines are offering signing bonuses of up to $20,000. While advancement can be rapid when labor is in short supply, a starting pilot can expect several years of barely subsistence pay. Who can blame would-be younger pilots for taking a pass?

ALPA has long maintained that the pilot shortage is really a pay and benefits shortage. As recently as last year, it said there were 141,542 ATP-rated pilots under the age of 65 who held a first-class medical. Another 100,000 held commercial and instrument ratings and could have obtained ATPs. Complicating this is the rule Congress passed requiring 1500 hours of total time for the ATP certificate. When that rule was passed, many in the industry predicted it would chill pilot hiring and I suspect Horizon Airs shortfall is proving that claim to be well founded.

But I think the issue is deeper than just pay. At a conference on pilot hiring ALPA sponsored three years ago, Nicole Barrette, a training and licensing specialist with the International Civil Aviation Organization, said members of so-called Gen Z (born after 1995) are more cognizant of environmental issues and sensitive to return on investment for educational costs. At the same conference, an Embry-Riddle executive said a large number of students never start flight training and many drop out because of the cost.

They understand that theyll be spending a mountain of money for ratings that wont be useful even when they graduate because theyll lack the 1500 hours for the ATP. And even then, a starting job at under $30,000 wont make the slightest dent in student loans. While these students will catch up on pay over the course of a piloting career, perhaps theyre not quite so passionate about flying to endure that rather than picking another career entirely.

Embry-Riddle says more students are opting for the aeronautical engineering track, which has much higher starting salaries. Career earnings catch up for the pilots, but it takes 27 years to equal and exceed earnings. That assumes pay rates remain where they are, which isnt assured.

That timeline strikes me as significant not just because a would-be airline pilot might not wish to wait that long, but also because my view is that autonomous aircraft operation will begin to impact the industry in unpredictable ways by then. Thats getting into the 2040 to 2045 time frame. Gonna be a different world.

For the shorter term, the piloting jobs will be there for people who want them and many will. But unless something is done with salaries, Im guessing what happened to Horizon will be chronic. Aggravating this, according to Forbes, is the perverse relationship between the major carriers and regionals that caps what the regionals earn from tickets sold on their behalf by the majors. The contracts often require any surplus margin to go to the majors, forcing the regionals to cut costs however they can, and downward pressure on salaries is usually the result. One company I read about offered its applicants a $500 a month housing stipend during training, but it had to be refunded if the deal didnt work out. Who would want such a relationship with a potential employer whos already paying beat-down wages?

Horizons experience may be just a short-term blip, but its still a business failure when you cant service customer demand because of a lack of labor. It shows poor planning and perhaps a lack of understanding of market dynamics. Is it the leading edge of chronic trend? Who knows? Well see how many more such stories we see. This isnt the first.

Equally unknown is whether raising starting salaries would help. My guess is it wouldnt help much because even doubling them doesnt make the job sound much more attractive. Long term, I think two things should happen. One is to get rid of the inane 1500-hour ATP rule, which appears to be having real negative impact on the industry with no meaningful improvement in system safety.

And second, military and even GA channels are already drying up, so in conjunction with revising that 1500-hour rule, airlines could help themselves by more aggressive ab initio programs. As weve reported, Boeing has already started such a program, but the 1500-hour requirement stunts its effectiveness. JetBlue also has a small program of its own. Graduates still have to figure out ways to build the required hours. Ab initio is more common for European and Asian airlines.

In this sense, I think experience is overrated. As those who argued against the 1500-hour rule said, rightly I think, hours in a logbook are not necessarily any indication of a pilots skill. Its just a measure of having sat in a seat for that many hours. Doesnt it make just as much sense to train a pilot for the job he or she has to do right from the ground up, rather than relying on peripheral activities such as instructing or banner towing that might or might not inform the process of flying passengers in jet aircraft? In aviation in general but especially in the U.S., were unable to disabuse ourselves of the idea that a captain in the seat for, say, 5000 hours, is automatically a steely-eyed aviator. But anyone in the business whos honest will tell you that some are, and some definitely arent.
Progressive activists are preparing to carpet bomb Republican senators in their home states with health care protests this week. The Left sees the July 4 recess as an urgent opportunity to kill the GOP repeal-and-replace effort, which is floundering in the Senate.

The most under-pressure GOP senators will likely keep a lower-than-usual profile, per the Washington Post, so progressives are mobilizing to make the protests unavoidable.

Activists are publicizing at least 5 progressive health care rallies in Alaska to pressure Lisa Murkowski, 5 in Jeff Flake's Arizona, 8 in Cory Gardner's Colorado, 7 in Bill Cassidy's Louisiana, 9 in Susan Collins' Maine, 3 in Dean Heller's Nevada, 3 in Rob Portman's Ohio, 1 in Pat Toomey's Pennsylvania, and 3 in Shelley Moore Capito's West Virginia.

Liberal groups mobilizing include Planned Parenthood, Indivisible, Moveon.org, OFA, Families USA, Save My Care, AFSCME, SEIU, Center for American Progress and many others.

Activists are also populating online geographical hubs, like "Resistance Near Me," to direct progressives to protest their Republican House member or senator.

The health care consumers' group, Families USA, has released an "action toolkit" for activists to "make the Senate feel the heat" over the recess.

Moveon.org has published high-quality downloadable images of health care signs that protesters can print off easily and bring to July Fourth parades and other rallies.

Why these protests matter: Senate Republican leaders wanted to pass health care before the recess because they were concerned about such protests. But that ship has sailed. Expect made-for-cable confrontations between vulnerable Republican senators and activists who rely on Obamacare.
The fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad rests with Russia, U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson told U.N. Secretary General Antonio Guterres last week, Foreign Policy reports, citing three unidentified diplomatic sources. Tillerson also said that U.S. military strikes in Syria are focused only on preventing chemical weapons attacks and protecting forces fighting ISIS.

Why it matters: Tillerson's comments signal, per Foreign Policy, "the Trump administration's increasing willingness to let Russia take the driver's seat in Syria" as the U.S. focuses on fighting ISIS. Tillerson had previously said Assad must leave office because of his use of chemical weapons.
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) ONGC Videsh Ltd, the overseas arm of state-owned Oil and Natural Gas Corp (ONGC), today said it has acquired 30 per cent interest in an oil block, off Namibia, from UKs Tullow Oil.

OVL did not disclose the deal value.

Tullow Oil held 65 per cent interest in the Namibian Petroleum Exploration License (PEL) 37, covering three blocks. Pancontinental Namibia (Pty) Ltd holds 30 per cent interest and the remaining 5 per cent is with Paragon Oil and Gas.

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OVL said it has "signed definitive binding agreements with Tullow Namibia Ltd (Tullow), a wholly owned subsidiary of Tullow Oil plc, on June 28, 2017 for acquiring 30 per cent participating interest in Namibia PEL 37 for Blocks 2112A, 2012B and 2113B out of Tullows existing participating interest of 65 per cent in the license".

Tullow will continue to remain operator after the acquisition, which is subject to satisfaction of customary conditions precedents including approvals of Namibian regulatory authorities and joint venture partners, the company said in a statement.

"The completion of the present transaction would mark OVLs entry in Namibian offshore and is consistent with its strategic objective of adding high impact exploration and production assets to its existing exploration and production portfolio," it said.

PEL 37 covers three adjacent blocks over 17,000 sq km in the central Walvis Basin offshore Namibia. To date, four large prospects and three large leads have been mapped in detail. They have potential for combined prospective resources of more than 900 million barrels of oil (recoverable).

OVL is Indias largest international oil and gas exploration and production company. It has 38 projects in 17 countries including Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Brazil, Colombia, Kazakhstan, Mozambique, Myanmar, Russia, South Sudan, Sudan, Venezuela, Vietnam and New Zealand.

It currently produces about 285,000 barrels of oil and oil equivalent gas per day and has total oil and gas reserves (2P) of about 704 million tons of oil equivalent as on April 1, 2017. PTI ANZ SA

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(Saturday, July 1)

Areg Galstian, a political analyst, tells 168 Zham that Armenia should tell Russia that it has no reason to be worried about the planned signing of a new framework agreement between Armenia and the European Union. Armenian leaders could also argue, he says, that although Armenia has joined the Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU) and voted against anti-Russian UN resolutions Moscow has continued to sell weapons to Azerbaijan. He says Yerevan could also rebuke Moscow for not adequately reacting to Azerbaijani truce violations along Armenias border with Azerbaijan.

Hraparak that says that Tatevik Grigorian, a 30-year-old judge, is too young and inexperienced to preside over the trial of Zhirayr Sefilian, a radical opposition figure prosecuted for allegedly plotting to seize government buildings. The paper argues that she took the bench only two years ago. She was entrusted with the trial despite her lack of experience, the gravity of the case, the pronounced public interest [in the case] and the involvement of experienced adversaries: defense lawyers, it says. The presence of such a judge makes observers want to joke, to ridicule and to politicize the trial.

Aravot welcomes calls for an armed uprising against the Armenian government that have been made by Varuzhan Avetisian, a senior member of Sefilians Founding Parliament movement who the led the armed group that seized a police station in Yerevan last year. The paper says that although it strongly disapproves of violent methods of political struggle it finds Avetisians calls sincere and thinks that they draw a clear line between proponents and opponents of armed resistance to the government.

Haykakan Zhamanak reports that a powerful hailstorm swept through Armenias central Aragatsotn province on June 29, causing serious damage to farmers in several local villages. The paper says that the damage was particularly severe in one of those villages, Kakavadzor.

(Tigran Avetisian)
3 July 2017 13:08 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

Unemployment remains one of the main problems of Armenian society for many years. Although the trend keeps growing, the Armenian government still fails to fight the problem.

Armenias National Statistical Service has recently revealed that the unemployment rate in Armenia in the first quarter of 2017 amounted to 19 percent.

Thus, the figure increased compared to the same period of last year, when the figure was 18.3 percent.

Today, 228,400 of 1,202,900 economically active people of Armenia are unemployed. Having a direct link with widespread poverty, unemployment mostly affects the poorest and most vulnerable segments of the Armenian society.

The unemployment rate in Armenia is still the highest among the CIS countries, and due to the wrong structure of national economy, new vacancies do not seem to come up soon.

Unofficial Armenian sources note that every third citizen of Armenia lives in poverty. This is also one of the main reasons of emigration of Armenian youth  they cannot find appropriate jobs in their homeland. Thats why more and more people head abroad, mostly to Russia, to find money for themselves and for their parents, who, in most cases, stay in Armenia.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people, who financially cannot afford to leave the country, join rallies in Yerevan and other regions of Armenia to protest against current government and finally to get a job to feed their families. However, all the government can offer the dissatisfied unemployed is false promises.

But, the life of those who managed to get a job in Armenia also leaves much to be desired. Many of employees are suffering from delay in salaries, non-payment of salaries for the holiday period and unlawful dismissal.

If the Armenian government wants to revive its poor economy, it should first create enough opportunity for Armenians to work  to open new vacancies. However, years pass and thousands of unemployed Armenian citizens have forced to beg for job, because their government apparently doesnt take care of them.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz
3 July 2017 14:44 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

While Baku does its utmost to find an early and effective solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Armenian side, in turn, makes every effort to preserve the long-standing problem unresolved.

This is particularly evidenced from never-ending cases of breaching the ceasefire by the Armenian militaries. Over the last few days, the Armenian Armed Forces have again intensified their provocations against Azerbaijan on the frontline.

Over the past 24 hours, Armenias armed forces have 124 times violated the ceasefire along the line of contact between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops, the Azerbaijani Defense Ministry reported on July 3. During the attacks, the aggressors were using large-caliber machine guns, grenade launchers, 60 and 82 millimeter mortars.

As a result, the positions of Azerbaijani Army in the villages of Gazakh, Tovuz and Gadabay regions, as well as positions on the frontline around Nagorno-Karabakh and other Armenia-occupied regions of Azerbaijan underwent fire from the Armenian positions.

Armenia tries to provoke Azerbaijan, and to hinder the peace talks. The number of such provocations by the Armenian troops has highly intensified during past months, and the responsibility for the deliberate aggravation of the situation in the frontline entirely falls on Armenias criminal military and political regime.

Yerevan has also turned a deaf ear to the recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, who visited the region in June and held talks with both the Azerbaijani and Armenian sides. The co-chairs called on the sides to reduce tensions on the frontline and re-engage in substantive negotiations; however, Armenia continues firing at Azerbaijani troops instead of coming to the negotiating table and resolve the problem by peaceful means.

The Azerbaijani side has many times voiced its readiness to peace. However, all this is being ignored by Armenia. As soon as the mediators manage to gain some success in the negotiation process, the Armenian side steps back and by this again freezes the peace talks.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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3 July 2017 13:32 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan exported goods to Georgia worth $252.83 million in January-May 2017, which is 35.6 percent more than in the same period of 2016, according to the report of the Georgian Department of Statistics.

Azerbaijan occupies the 3rd place among the main exporters to Georgia with a share of 8.6 percent (7 percent in January-May 2016), according to the report.

The leader is Turkey with $494.01 million (16.8 percent). On the second position is Russia-$279.36 million (9.5 percent).

Azerbaijan mainly exports to Georgia oil and petroleum products, natural gas, plastic wares, waste foodstuff, furniture and building constructions.

Georgia's trade turnover with Azerbaijan amounted to $316.29 million in January-May 2017. The share of trade turnover between Azerbaijan and Georgia makes up 8 percent of the total volume of foreign trade operations of this country.

Azerbaijan and Georgia are two neighboring countries of the South Caucasus and strategic allies in the region.

The two countries closely cooperate in such spheres as education, defense, culture, economy and so on. Azerbaijan occupies the leading positions in the list of the largest trading partners of Georgia.

Countries broadly cooperate in regional energy development, transportation and economic partnership projects such as Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) pipeline, Baku-Tbilisi-Kars (BTK) railway, the Transport Corridor Europe-Caucasus-Asia (TRACECA), the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

Regional military and security alliance of Georgia and Azerbaijan develops along NATO's Partnership for Peace Program and the common protection of the BTC pipeline with Turkey.

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3 July 2017 15:23 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Economy Minister Shahin Mustafayev offered Bulgarian businessmen to invest in industrial and agro-parks in Azerbaijan.

Mustafayev, talking at a meeting with a delegation headed by Chairperson of the Budget and Finance Committee of the National Assembly of Bulgaria Menda Stoyanova in Baku, informed about the economic opportunities Azerbaijan offers.

Mustafayev mentioned that Azerbaijan and Bulgaria have signed more than 20 documents only in the economic sphere between.

"The intergovernmental commission plays an important role in development of relations between the two countries. The Azerbaijani-Bulgarian business forum was held last year, which played an important role in creating direct ties between the business circles of the two countries. Currently, 9 companies with Bulgarian capital are operating in Azerbaijan", the minister said.

The minister stressed that Azerbaijan has created a favorable business and investment climate and there is a great potential for the development of economic ties and cooperation in energy, education, tourism and agriculture.

"Bulgarian businessmen can invest in various spheres of the Azerbaijani economy, particularly industrial and agro-parks. Azerbaijan is a transit hub in the region and large projects are being implemented in this regard, Mustafayev said, adding that Bulgaria can also take advantage of Azerbaijan's transit opportunities.

In turn, Stoyanova expressed the pleasure of the meeting, further adding that Bulgaria is interested in expanding relations with Azerbaijan.

The Government of the Republic of Bulgaria recognized the independence of the Republic of Azerbaijan on January 14, 1992 and the diplomatic relations between the two countries were established on June 5, 1992.

Both countries are members of the Organization of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC).

The trade turnover between Bulgaria and Azerbaijan reached almost $4.77 million in January-May 2017, $4.69 million of which fell on imports from this country, according to Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

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3 July 2017 16:50 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

The Chamber of Auditors of Azerbaijan has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Association of Accountants of Latvia.

Currently, the Chamber of Auditors of Azerbaijan cooperates with auditing and accounting organizations of almost 40 countries, including Latvia, the Chamber reported on July 3.

The signed agreement will positively affect the activities of both structures and will play an important role in the mutual exchange of experience and international support, said Vahid Novruzov, Chairman of the Chamber.

In turn, Chairman of the Association of Accountants of Latvia Andrejs Ponomarjovs expressed confidence that the bilateral cooperation will turn into a tradition in the future.

The parties also discussed the current situation with the audit in both countries, methods for solving existing problems and applying the best international experience in financial reporting.

Azerbaijan and Latvia often hold meetings and carry negotiations with the purpose of expansion of economic relations.

Priority areas of cooperation between the two countries include joint investment projects, effective use of international transportation corridors, education, agriculture, construction, tourism and health.

Latvia considers Azerbaijan an important partner in the field of transit and logistics in the South Caucasus region.

Trade turnover between Latvia and Azerbaijan amounted to more than $350,000 in the first quarter of 2017, according Azerbaijans State Customs Committee.

The two sides have good cooperation in the political and cultural spheres. Azerbaijan and Latvia often hold meetings and carry negotiations with the purpose of expansion of economic relations.

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3 July 2017 15:39 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

A trial on blogger Alexander Lapshin, detained in Azerbaijan, was held in the Baku Grave Crimes Court on July 3.

Two witnesses gave testimony at the trial presided over by Judge Alovsat Abbasov. Due to the absence of three other witnesses, the trial was postponed to July 6.

On the first day of the trial, held on June 30, Lapshin pleaded not guilty. He answered the questions and admitted that he visited the occupied Azerbaijani territories twice.

The blogger illegally visited Azerbaijans Armenia-occupied lands and now is charged under the articles 281.2 (appeals directed against state) and 318.2 (illegal border crossing) of the Criminal Code of Azerbaijan. He violated Azerbaijani laws on state border in April 2011 and October 2012.

Helped by his accomplices in the occupied territories, Lapshin paid a number of visits to Azerbaijan`s occupied lands, where he voiced support for "independence" of the illegal regime, and made public calls against Azerbaijan`s internationally recognized territorial integrity on April 6 and June 29, 2016.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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3 July 2017 17:09 (UTC+04:00)

By Rashid Shirinov

The OSCE Minsk Group has not yet achieved the desired result in settling the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Azerbaijans Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu said in an interview with TASS on July 3.



The format itself, which includes three permanent members of the UN Security Council, looks very serious. Namely these countries have huge political weight and relevant experience, developed for decades if not centuries of their national diplomacies activities, he said.

However, he added, the institution of triple co-chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group, established in 1997, has not led to the desired result  the start of eliminating military consequences of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and its political settlement.

The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, the U.S. and France, is working to find a peaceful solution to the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. While the Minsk Group acts as the only mediator in resolution of the conflict, it failed to make any move to achieve a breakthrough in the peace process so far.

Azerbaijan has been emphasizing that the time has long come to take effective steps to resolve the conflict, Bulbuloglu said, adding that the current status quo, particularly the ongoing occupation of Azerbaijans territory, is unacceptable.

The ambassador noted that heads of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chair countries also pointed this in their statements in 2009-2013. "That is, now conditions should be ensured for continuing substantive talks with the intent to achieve tangible results.

Bulbuloglu stressed that the talks should be specific, because in this particular case, it is the result that matters and not the process.

Azerbaijan and Armenia fought a lengthy war that ended with signing of a fragile ceasefire in 1994. Since the war, Armenian armed forces have occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan's territory, including Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and over 1 million were displaced as a result of the large-scale hostilities.

Armenia ignores four UN Security Council resolutions on immediate withdrawal from the occupied territory of Azerbaijan, thus keeping tension high in the region.

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Rashid Shirinov is AzerNews staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @RashidShirinov

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3 July 2017 13:16 (UTC+04:00)

By Laman Ismayilova

The hot weather of recent days is set to continue with temperatures of 42 degrees anticipated in the first half of the week.

The entire regions of Azerbaijan will experience temperatures well above average for the time of year as the hot weather which began on June 23 stretches into a third week.

Head of the National Hydrometeorology Department Asif Verdiyev said that the air temperature in Baku and Absheron Peninsula is 3 degrees above the climatic norm.

On Sunday, the air temperature in Baku and Absheron Peninsula was 39 degrees. In the low-lying regions the temperature reached 41 degrees, while in Nakhchivan it was 36 C and 28-30 C in mountain regions, he said.

Verdiyev mentioned that despite the high temperatures, this weather is not abnormal and characteristic for July.

The hot weather will continue in Azerbaijan until the second half of July 5, according to him. Temperatures are expected to fall into the 30s into early next week.

But, overall forecasts show the country is likely to enjoy warmer than average summer weather this year.

Meanwhile, the Ministry for Labor and Social Protection of Population warned employers of hot weather and urged to take necessary measures to protect the life and health of workers.

The State Labor Inspectorate Service under the Ministry reminded that any work should be suspended, with an air temperature above 41 C in the open air or in closed rooms without cooling systems, in accordance with the 233rd article of the Labor Code.

In such cases, workers must be given breaks, the amount and timing of which are determined by joint decision of the employers and the trade union organization.

Rauf Naghiyev, head doctor of Baku City Emergency Medical Aid Station revealed that starting from June 21 to this day seven people in Baku suffered from a sunstroke.

Naghiyev advised people not to stay out in the sun for a long time and drink water a lot.

Even in the case of weak sunstroke, citizens are encouraged to go to the clinic, he told local media.

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Laman Ismayilova is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Lam_Ismayilova

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3 July 2017 16:26 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

An active work is underway on final harmonization of positions of all Caspian littoral states on the legal status of the Caspian Sea, Azerbaijans Ambassador to Russia Polad Bulbuloglu said in an interview with TASS.

"The issue of developing a new legal status of the Caspian Sea aroused following a change in the political geography of the region after the collapse of the USSR, when the two countries were replaced by five Caspian states. To this end, an Ad Hoc Working Group (AHWG) at the level of Deputy Foreign Ministers has been established. To date, 49 meetings of the AHWG have been held, during which a great deal of work to harmonize positions and develop common approaches has been done, he said.

During the four summits of the Caspian littoral states, serious progress has been recorded, and important agreements that regulate the preservation of the ecological environment and bio resources of the Caspian Sea, prevention and liquidation of the consequences of emergency situations have been concluded, Bulbuloglu added.

He noted that a rather detailed agreement has been reached on the vast majority of the issues between a number of countries, including Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

An active work on final harmonization of the positions of all five states on the legal status of the Caspian Sea is underway. In this regard, working results have been achieved, which make it possible to talk about the advisability of holding a meeting of deputy ministers and then the foreign ministers of the Caspian states in order to come up with coordinated proposals for the Fifth Summit of Heads of State scheduled for this year in Kazakhstan, the diplomat said.

The Caspian Sea is surrounded by the five coastal countries of Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia and Turkmenistan. The Sea has a total surface area of 371,000 km, holding 78,200 cubic km of water.

The legal status of the Caspian Sea has remained unsolved during the past two decades, preventing development and exploitation of its disputable oil and gas fields and creating obstacles to the realization of major projects.

Russia, Kazakhstan, and Azerbaijan hold to the principle of dividing into national sectors based on the median line principles since it is an international boundary lake, and leaving the sea surface for general use, i.e. they are for demarcation of mineral resources and the Caspian Sea shelf, but against dividing up its waters.

Iran seeks an equal division of the Caspian into 5 even sectors, mainly because most of the offshore energy resources are located away from the Iranian coastline. Turkmenistan also demands the division of the Sea into equal parts between the pre-Caspian countries so that each country has 20 percent of the sea.

The Caspian littoral states signed a Framework Convention for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea in November 2003.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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By PTI: Aziz

By Sajjad Hussain

Islamabad, Jul 3 (PTI) Pakistan will not enter into any dialogue with India that excludes Kashmir, Prime Ministers Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz said today, asserting that Islamabad wants to settle all contentious issues through "result-oriented" talks.

"Indian belligerent posturing and their desire to conduct dialogue on their own terms ie without Kashmir, will never be acceptable," said Aziz briefing a 20-member delegation of Kashmir Journalist Forum from PoK at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

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He said UN chief Antonio Guterres has expressed his concern over tension between India and Pakistan, called for a dialogue and offered to play role to help resolve Kashmir issue.

Aziz said Indias refusal to accept the role of the UN or good offices of the other leaders for reducing tension between India and Pakistan by resolving the Kashmir issue reflects "Indian desperation to hide its crimes against humanity" in the valley.

"Pakistan wants to settle all contentious issues, particularly the Kashmir dispute with India through a sustained and result-oriented dialogue," he said.

He asked the UN, OIC and Human Rights Organisations to step up efforts to stop the "bloodshed of Kashmiris" and ensure early implementation of UNSC Resolutions.

Aziz said that protest in Kashmir has now entered a "critical phase" and the "Indian propaganda of down-playing" the Kashmir issue is also being defeated.

"If there is nothing wrong then why there are over 700,000 fully armed Indian forces stationed? Why the entire media has been blocked?? he said.

He said despite "the gravity of the situation on ground and persistent international pressure" on India to resume dialogue with Pakistan with particular focus on Kashmir issue, Indian government has been trying to "divert global attention" from the situation in the Valley by "heating up" Line of Control and Working Boundary. PTI SH PMS

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3 July 2017 11:05 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Oil prices increased on July 3,amid the first fall in U.S. drilling activity in months, although gains were capped by reports of rising OPEC output last month even as the group has pledged to cut supply.

Brent crude futures climbed 0.3 percent, to $48.93 per barrel, after jumping 5.2 percent last week, its first weekly gain in six weeks, U.S. West Texas Intermediate (WTI) crude futures rose 0.5 percent, to $46.28 per barrel, adding to last week's 7 percent gain, according to Reuters.



The number of drilling rigs in the U.S. dropped by 1 unit, or 0.1 percent, to 940 units as a result of the June 30 working week, according to energy services firm Baker Hughes Inc. In annual terms, the number of drilling rigs increased by 509 units, or 2.18 times. The number of oil drilling rigs decreased by 2, or by 0.26 percent - to 756 units.

Another factor, affecting oil prices is concern about the growth of oil production in Libya. Earlier, it was reported that oil production in the country increased to 1 million barrels per day. This figure is the highest since June 2013.

The International Energy Agency (IEA) says that oil production in Libya in May reached its peak since 2014, having increased from 190,000 barrels per day to 740,000 barrels per day in April.

OPEC and other major oil producers such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Sudan, and South Sudan reached an agreement in December 2016 to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market.



OPEC has decided to extend its production cuts till March 2018, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

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3 July 2017 12:04 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

CEO of Russian energy giant Gazprom Alexey Miller and Azerbaijans State Oil Companys (SOCAR) President Rovnag Abdullayev have discussed natural gas supplies to Azerbaijan during a meeting in St.Petersburg.

Miller and Abdullayev discussed the cooperation issues. Namely, natural gas supplies to Azerbaijan, Gazprom reported.

Gazprom is a global energy company focused on geological exploration, production, transportation, storage, processing and sales of gas, gas condensate and oil, sales of gas as a vehicle fuel, as well as generation and marketing of heat and electric power.

SOCAR is Azerbaijan's largest state-owned petroleum company engaged in oil, natural gas and gas condensate exploration, production, processing, transportation and sales.

SOCAR includes such production associations as Azneft (the enterprises producing oil and gas onshore and offshore), Azerikimya (the chemical enterprises) and Azerigas (distributor of gas produced in the country), as well as oil and gas processing plants, service companies, and the facilities involved in geophysical and drilling operations.

Gazprom Export and Azerbaijan Methanol Company (AzMeCo) signed a mid-term Sales and Purchase Agreement on September 11, 2015 for up to 2 billion cubic meters of gas annually.

AzMeCo for the debts was handed over to Aqrarkredit CJSC non-bank credit institution in accordance with a decision of Azerbaijans Cabinet of Ministers. (Aqrarkredit CJSC manages the distressed assets of the International Bank of Azerbaijan).

SOCAR acquired the plant from Aqrarkredit CJSC.

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3 July 2017 15:01 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Zenith Aran Oil Company, a wholly owned subsidiary of Canadas Zenith Energy Ltd., has signed a number of agreements with various oil field service companies for the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields in Azerbaijan, a source in the Canadian company told Trend.

Smape Srl, an internationally recognized Italian coiled tubing company, has been contracted to perform several well interventions in the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab fields, the first of which will be well M-195, according to the source. A coiled tubing unit (CTU) operated by Smape arrived June 24, 2017 to begin work and restore production at this well.

The arrival of the CTU resulted in the creation of a third team, named Team C, which will operate this unit and complement the field rehabilitation activities of Teams A and B, said the source.

Team C is expected to play a particularly important role in the rehabilitation of wells in the Zardab field, many of which are plugged with sand from the reservoir. Three wells in particular, one of which will initially be chosen for a workover in 2017, produced in excess of 500 barrels of oil per day for a short time before they became plugged-up with sand.

The design of the Schlumberger Electric Submersible Pump (ESP) scheduled for installation at well M-195 has been completed. This is expected to optimize production and reserves recovery. A service contract between Zeniths subsidiary in Azerbaijan and Schlumberger is being finalized and delivery of the ESP is expected by mid-July 2017.

Zenith also announced that it has signed a framework contract with Baker Hughes Services International LLC, one of the worlds largest oil and gas service companies, for the provision of fishing equipment.

This equipment is significantly more modern and advanced than the fishing tools previously used onsite.

"This technology is expected to substantially increase the speed of operations at well M-45," the source said. "Delivery of this equipment has taken place and the company can confirm that fishing operations utilizing these tools have already commenced.

Zenith also said that the more powerful workover rig operated by the external drilling company, given the name of Team B and employed for the sidetrack of well M-195, is now fully operational at the well M-45 location.

Azerbaijans Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields are controlled and operated by Zenith Aran.

Azerbaijans state oil company SOCAR and Zenith Aran Oil Company signed March 2016 a rehabilitation, exploration, development and production sharing agreement on the Muradkhanli, Jafarli and Zardab oil fields. These fields cover an area of 642.2 square kilometers. Production under the Zenith banner began August 11, 2016.

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3 July 2017 17:56 (UTC+04:00)

By Sara Israfilbayova

Azerbaijan continues to fulfill its obligations on oil production reduction by 35,000 barrels per day under the output cut deal.

The country has presented its data on daily oil output for June to the OPEC Joint Technical Commission under the Monitoring Committee, the Azerbaijani Energy Ministry told Trend on July 3.

Daily oil production in Azerbaijan amounted to 793,700 barrels in June, 55,000 barrels of which fell on condensate. Every day 624,100 barrels of oil, 55,000 barrels of condensate and 21,400 barrels of oil products were exported.

The country produced 793,900 barrels of oil per day in January 2017, 776,400 barrels per day  in February, 733,300 barrels per day  in March and 781,100 barrels per day  in April, 785,300 barrels per a day  in May.

The Joint Technical Commission was established on January 22 under the Monitoring Committee in order to monitor the countries' fulfillment of their obligations to reduce oil production.

OPEC and other major oil producers such as Russia, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Brunei, Equatorial Guinea, Kazakhstan, Malaysia, Mexico, Oman, Sudan, and South Sudan reached an agreement in December 2016 to remove 1.8 million barrels a day from the market.



OPEC and its partners decided to extend its production cuts till March 2018 in Vienna on May 25, as the oil cartel and its allies step up their attempt to end a three-year supply glut that has savaged crude prices and the global energy industry.

Next meeting of a monitoring committee on the oil production cut will be held in St. Petersburg on July 24.

Earlier, Alexander Novak [Minister of Energy of Russia] and Mohammed Sanusi Barkindo [Secretary General of OPEC] discussed the possibility of holding ministerial meetings on a permanent basis in the countries of the cartel and outside OPEC.

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3 July 2017 11:38 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The US is expected to become one of the world's leading LNG (liquefied natural gas) exporters, which can weaken Russian energy hold over Europe, Agnia Grigas, energy and political risks expert, non-resident senior fellow at the Atlantic Council (US), told Trend July 3.

Since the launch of American LNG exports in 2016, they have gone to South America, Europe, Asia, and the Middle East. US LNG will remain competitive in a variety of markets across the globe, even in markets where Gazprom played a monopolist role. This can be seen by the first delivery of US LNG to Poland in June and a new contract for Lithuania to import US LNG, said the expert.

Trump administrations primary goals are domestically motivated  revenues, jobs, and growth for the US economy, said Grigas, adding that Trump and the Republican Party have also traditionally been supportive of the US energy sector and its related industries.

However, there are tremendous geopolitical side benefits of US LNG exports  specifically to undermine Russian energy hold over Europe and to help European countries diversify their imports, she said.

The expert noted that LNG can and has been competing with piped natural gas.

Nonetheless, piped natural gas can often be more competitive in terms of price in markets that have access to direct pipeline exports. Likewise, landlocked countries cannot access LNG shipments directly, added Grigas.

She pointed out that while the European Union overall today has more options and choices to meet their gas needs with LNG, the Southern Gas Corridor is still a crucial project because it would bring for the first time ever non-Russian piped natural gas to Southeastern Europe, which remains a stronghold of Gazprom and a market they would like to maintain.

Earlier, the US President Donald Trump said that the country is on the cusp of a new energy revolution.

Trump cited a series of steps the administration has taken to boost energy production and remove government regulations that he argues prevent the United States from achieving energy dominance in the global market.

Together, we are going to start a new energy revolution  one that celebrates American production on American soil, Trump said in a statement, adding that the US is on the brink of becoming a net exporter of oil, gas and other energy resources.

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3 July 2017 12:24 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Chairman of the Iranian Parliament's National Security and Foreign Policy Committee Alaeddin Boroujerdi stated about Tehran's plans to spend about $300 million to strengthen its missile program, Mehr news agency reported.

The goal of such a step is the opposition of Tehran to Washington, which supports terrorist groups, according to the MP.

He said that considering the fact that the U.S. and its allies in the region support groups like the Islamic State and al-Nusra Front, one main axis of the retaliatory plan is serious support of the countrys missile program as the only means of countering threats from the enemies.

As such, approximately 300 million dollars have been allocated to promote Irans missile program while a similar amount has been assigned to support Qods Force of IRGC, in the absence of whom, terrorists would be ruling in Damascus and Baghdad.

The senior MP clarified that the envisaged amounts have been specifically assigned to confront recent actions of the U.S. and will add up to the figures defined the Sixth National Development Plan.

In May, the U.S. Department of State announced that it would impose sanctions on Iranian defense officials over the United States concern with "Irans continued development of ballistic missiles, which is inconsistent with United Nations Security Council Resolution 2231."

The U.S. Senate passed a bill on imposing sanctions on Iran over its missile program on June 15.

The previous round of sanctions against the Iranian ballistic missile program was imposed by the United States in early February, targeting 13 people and 12 companies, including groups in China, Lebanon and the United Arab Emirates.

The wider economic and financial sanctions imposed on Iran due to its activities in the nuclear field were lifted by the United States in January 2016 after the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) came into force.

Iran, five permanent UN Security Council members, Germany and the European Union signed the JCPOA in July 2015 to ensure the peaceful nature of Irans nuclear program. Then, the Islamic republic pledged to refrain from developing or acquiring nuclear weapons in exchange for the lifting of sanctions imposed against Iran.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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3 July 2017 12:22 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Gulf dispute has deepened, as Saudi Arabia and its major allies issued ultimatum for ending blockade of Doha, while the latter assessed the demands as groundless.

Conflicting parties are reluctant to back away from their positions, however, the Saudi-led block decided to give Qatar another chance to meet the requirements of Arab nations which include cutting diplomatic relations with Iran, closing the Turkish military base, eliminating Al-Jazeera TV channel, extraditing all persons wanted in four countries on charges of terrorism as well as paying compensation.

Arab countries demanded from Qatar to comply with 13 points in 10 days in return for an end to the diplomatic and trade boycott of the country.

Later it was revealed that the Arab states agreed to extend the deadline for Qatar to comply with a list of demands, as Kuwait, a mediator in the dispute, requested the delay as part of his efforts to mediate the conflict in the Persian Gulf.

Kuwait had already received a response by Qatar to list of 13 demands, without revealing the issue of whether Qatar rejected the ultimatum as it was widely expected.

There is no information about Doha's official response for now, although the Qatari Foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani, announced earlier that Doha would not meet the demands, saying the list was meant to be rejected. He added that Doha offered instead "a proper condition for a dialogue.

Meanwhile, the world community continues to call both sides of the conflict for dialogue and diplomacy in order to maintain stability in the region.

U.S. President Donald Trump has spoken separately to leaders of Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Abu Dhabi to discuss his "concerns about the ongoing dispute" in the Gulf.

The White House said that Trump called the leaders to stress the "importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology".

He also underscored that unity in the region is critical to accomplishing the Riyadh Summit's goals of defeating terrorism and promoting regional stability.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel called for a "serious dialogue between the parties" to resolve the crisis, adding that while Berlin was "not taking sides, the conflict... affects both us and our interests."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has separately spoken with the leaders of Qatar and Bahrain, urging direct dialogue among all the states involved.

Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain, along with Egypt, cut diplomatic and transport ties with Qatar in early June, accusing the country of supporting "extremism" and Iran - charges that Qatar has repeatedly denied.

The blockade has disrupted imports of food and other materials into Qatar and caused many foreign banks to scale back their business with the country.

The foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain are expected to meet in the Egyptian capital of Cairo on July 5 to discuss the Gulf diplomatic crisis.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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3 July 2017 14:10 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Azerbaijan has initiated creation of a Silk Road Support Group in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (PA).

Azerbaijani parliamentarians initiate the creation of the Silk Road Support Group in the OSCE PA, Vladimir Andreichenko, chairman of the House of Representatives of the National Assembly of Belarus, told BelTA.

Our delegation will act as one of its founders. It is planned that this group will play the role of a platform for the promotion of mutually beneficial economic and trade relations, he said.

The goal is to promote the development of transport corridors, simplification of trade and transport procedures, as well as ensure free and safe movement of persons, goods, services and investments, according to Andreichenko.

Azerbaijan is a key link in the Silk Road Economic Belt, the Chinese vision for a route connecting Asia, Europe and the rest of the world. The country has a long history of welcoming merchants from land and sea due to its proximity to Asia and Europe since the time of the ancient Silk Road.

The Silk Road Economic Belt comprises 6 corridors which connect five central Asian countries, Iran and the Persian Gulf region, Transcaucasia, Turkey and the Saudi Arabian peninsula.

Traditionally, trade between China and West Asia takes place mostly via maritime routes, and the China-Central Asia-West Asia Economic Corridor is a land-based substitute for these traditional routes. The shortest way to approach West Asia from China is via Baku, the capital of Azerbaijan.

For its part, the Belarusian delegation is also preparing two events at the summer session of the OSCE PA. One of them is a draft resolution, which suggests measures to better combat the emergence of new psychoactive substances, the other is devoted to combating human trafficking.

Members of the assembly from the U.S., Romania, Hungary, as well as representatives of the institutes, representatives of the OSCE and the UN, the International Organization for Migration, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and the Ministry of Health of Belarus will take part in the discussion of these issues.

The OSCE PA summer session, which is scheduled to take place in Minsk on 5-9 July, will be dedicated to bolstering mutual trust and cooperation in the name of peace and prosperity in the region.

A lot of events will be held as part of the OSCE PA summer session, including a session of the OSCE PA standing committee and general committees on political affairs and security, on economic affairs, science, technology and environment, on democracy, human rights, and humanitarian affairs. Minsk is expected to welcome up to 700 visitors as part of the session.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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3 July 2017 16:37 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

Iran and a Total-led consortium signed a contract for development of Phase 11 of South Pars gas field July 3 in Tehran.



Irans oil minister, Bijan Namdar Zanganeh, head of the National Iranian Oil Company, Ali Kardor, and Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne as well as senior officials of China's CNPC and Irans Petropars attended the signing ceremony, which was held in Irans oil ministry, Trend's correspondent reported from the event.



Under the deal, Total would operate the project with a 50.1 percent stake, China's CNPC would own 30 percent and Iran's Petropars would have 19.9 percent.



The contract is the first deal based on the Islamic Republics newly designed oil and gas agreements, called Iran Petroleum Contract (IPC).



The Phases 11 development project of the South Pars field is set to produce 56 mcmd of soar gas.



Within a 20-year period, 335 billion cubic meters of soar gas will be extracted from the phase. Once processed, 315 billion cubic meters of sweet gas, 290 million cubic meters of gas condensate, 2 million tons of sulfur, 14 million tons of liquefied petroleum gas and 12 million tons of ethane will be produced.



The Phase 11 is expected to bring $84 billion worth of revenues for Iran, based on the current price of crude oil.



On the sidelines of the signing ceremony Zanganeh said that the contract, which is the first IPC contract, will amount to $5 billion worth of investment.



South Pars, located in southern region, is divided into 24 development phases, and contains 40 trillion cubic meters of natural gas.



It covers an area of 9,700 square kilometers, 3,700 square kilometers of which are in Iran's territorial waters in the Persian Gulf. The remaining 6,000 square kilometers are in Qatar's territorial waters.



Additional reporting by Fatih Karimov

---

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3 July 2017 17:55 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan enter new level of relations as Ashgabat hosted the high-level talks between Turkmen President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov and his Afghan counterpart Mohammad Ashraf Ghani on July 3.

Overall the top-level talks focused on the regional safety and bilateral cooperation.

Particular attention in this regard was paid to the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India gas pipeline. At present, construction work on Turkmenistans section of the Turkmenistan-Afghanistan-Pakistan-India (TAPI) gas pipeline is underway.

TAPI will make it possible to deliver gas from Turkmenistan, which ranks fourth in the world for its gas reserves, to large and promising markets of South and Southeast Asia. The pipeline will run from Galkynysh - the largest gas field in Turkmenistan - through the Afghan cities of Herat and Kandahar, and finally reach the Fazilka settlement located near the India-Pakistan border.

Another important project that the presidents mulled was the railway from Turkmenistan to Afghanistan. Construction of the Atamyrat-Ymamnazar-Akina section of the Asian transnational line was completed last year.

Moreover, the leaders of Turkmenistan and Afghanistan underlined the possibility of increasing the volumes of the mutual trade

They noted that the trade and economic sphere is one of the priority areas of the bilateral cooperation. In 2016, the gross volume of the trade turnover between the two countries made up $547 million.

During the meeting, both leaders confirmed the commitment to peaceful regulations of all disputes and conflicts by political means, Turkmen Dovlet Habarlary reported.

They stated that cooperation in combat against international terrorism, extremism, illegal drugs trafficking, transboundary crime will be continued.

Stabilization of the situation inside the country is an important condition of rapid and efficient revival of the economy of Afghanistan, the Turkmen leader noted while talking to reporters after the talks.

In this regard, the necessity of realization of large infrastructural projects including in energy and transport with participation of Afghanistan was highlighted. First of all, this is the construction of Turkmenistan  Afghanistan  Pakistan  India gas pipeline, Turkmenistan  Afghanistan railroad with future extension to Tajikistan border.

Supply of Turkmen electrical energy to Afghanistan was an urgent subject of the negotiations. Joint works for expansion of energy line networks by construction of additional production powers in Afghanistan were discussed.

Taking into account new energy powers in Lebap and Mary Velayats, Turkmenistan will have an opportunity to increase the volumes of energy supplied to Afghanistan in several times as well as to supply it beyond the country borders to other states of the region.

The sides further agreed to take the efforts for expansion of the trade turnover and seek for new directions of cooperation in this sphere. Close cooperation will be continued in humanitarian sphere, science, culture, education and sport.

Number of bilateral documents was signed by the outcomes of Turkmen  Afghan high-level talks. Berdimuhamedov and Ghani have signed a joint statement.

Also, foreign policy departments of both countries adopted the Programme of cooperation for 2018 -2019. Memorandum of Understanding for cooperation in carpet industry, Agreement on International Road Transport and Agreement on International Railroad Checkpoint on Turkmen  Afghan border were signed on intergovernmental level. The Sides also signed the Regulation on Organization of Railroad Transport between Imamnazar and Akina Border Stations.

The Agreement on Cooperation between the Ministry of Energy of Turkmenistan and the Ministry of Energy and Water Management of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan is related to the supply of Turkmen energy to Bagdis and Jauzdan Provinces of Afghanistan.



The Agreement on Cooperation in Scientific and Educational Sphere is signed between Magtumguly Turkmen State University and Jauzdan Province University.

Turkmenistan and Afghanistan follow the common strategic goals at the international arena. Among them are secure of peace, safety and sustainable development in Central Asia and on the planet. Both countries actively cooperate within the framework of the United Nations, the Non-Aligned Movement, the Islamic Cooperation Organization and the Economic Cooperation Organization.

The talks in Ashgabat confirmed the inviolability of the fraternal and good-neighbourly relations between the countries, readiness for the close economic cooperation, joint implementation of large-scale transport and energy projects.

Ashgabat will host the 7th Regional Economic Conference on Afghanistan on November 14-15, 2017. The negotiations on various aspects of the long-term regional economic cooperation will continue at the forum.

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Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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By India Today Web Desk: In today's time, when we are bombarded with information on multiple platforms, people tend not to care whether the information is legitimate or not.

Ain't it annoying when relatives, especially uncles and aunts who just got introduced to the digital world, forward you fake messages on WhatsApp? If it's annoying for you, it's a sign that you have common sense left in you to understand what you just read CANNOT be true.

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But in today's India, WhatsApp forward messages -- written and circulated by propaganda machines of various political parties -- are considered verified news. While some TV channels run prime time shows based on these, some actor-turned-politicians share such messages to make a point.

Bollywood actor and BJP MP Paresh Rawal tweeted an image from his official account to make such a point. The veteran actor wanted to school who he addresses as "pseudo liberals" but it backfired big time.

Paresh Rawal tweet had an image of Former President Dr APJ Abdul Kalam and a quote attributed to him. It looks like even a well-exposed actor like Paresh Rawal got stuck in the trap of fake WhatsApp messages like an average Indian uncle.

Here's what he posted:

Strictly for pseudo liberal... pic.twitter.com/4EzhELMWFD- Paresh Rawal (@SirPareshRawal) July 3, 2017

Any particular reason you posted this fake information sir ? https://t.co/mpuWjsMzbD- Jos Covaco (@HoeZaay) July 3, 2017

This fake tweet still not deleted even after you came to know its originality which confirms the motto behind your tweet.- Rajeev Jain (@gallerygrandeur) July 3, 2017

Acting Level: ExpertTroll Level: Novice- ???? ????? ? (@JayeshGandhi_) July 3, 2017

Provide the reference. You have already shared much unauthenticated info. Pseudo intectuals ??- oNseNse (@y2kniel) July 3, 2017

?? ???? ??? ?? WhatsApp university ?? ??????? ????? ?? ???? ?? ? ???? ?? ??- ?????? ???????? (@tri7ashu) July 3, 2017

--- ENDS ---
3 July 2017 17:43 (UTC+04:00)

By Trend

The U.S. and the European Union openly support various terrorist groups, including the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), allies of Fethullah Gulen and the Islamic State (IS, ISIS, ISIL, Daesh) group, and these actions pose an obvious threat to Turkey, the Turkish Star newspaper cited Yalcin Topcu, chief advisor to the countrys president.

Using its entire military and intelligence power, the US wants to create a state on the territory of Syria on the border with Turkey, according to Topcu.

He further said that at present, Germany also openly supports the PKK, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) and the Fethullah Gulen terrorist movement.

On June 21, Turkey started to bring military presence near the border with Syria.

---

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3 July 2017 18:12 (UTC+04:00)

By Kamila Aliyeva

Kazakh President Nursultan Nazarbayev has signed several laws within the framework of the implementation of the constitutional reform, Kazinform reported.

"Now, the implementation of the constitutional reform is going on. Our Parliament has concluded the sessions and adopted a large number of laws on the implementation of the provisions on the redistribution of powers envisaged in the constitutional reform. Today, I signed several laws that implement these reforms," Nazarbayev said at a meeting with the heads of diplomatic missions accredited in Kazakhstan.

The head of state noted that the constitutional reform opens new horizons for economic planning.

"We ask you once again to draw the attention of the companies to work in our country, where extremely favorable conditions for foreign investors are created in all directions," Nazarbayev added.

Nazarbayev put forward the initiative to redistribute powers back in December 2016.

Kazakhstans President signed the Law on Amendments and Supplements to the Constitution on March 10, 2017.

On June 22, the Constitutional Law "On Amendments and Supplements to Some Constitutional Laws of the Republic of Kazakhstan on Issues of Redistribution of Powers between the Branches of State Power" was adopted at the plenary session of the Senate.

The document expands the role of the Majilis in the formation of the government, and also strengthens the parliamentary control powers over the activities of the Cabinet.

Under the changes, the president is no longer able to suspend decisions taken by the prime minister and cabinet, so they are fully responsible for implementing state programmes and policies.

---

Kamila Aliyeva is AzerNews staff journalist, follow her on Twitter: @Kami_Aliyeva

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By PTI: Mumbai, Jul 3 (PTI) Several political parties, including the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and the Communist Party of India (CPI), besides various associations and activists today took out a protest rally at Dadar here against "lynchings and hate crimes".

Dr Babasaheb Ambedkars grandson and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar, acclaimed documentary filmmaker Anand Patwardhan, leaders from trade unions and political parties and activists from all walks of life took part in the protest rally that began from Plaza Cinema in Dadar to Chaityabhumi.

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AAP leader Preeti Sharma Menon said, "The brutalisation of this country is creating a generation that does not think violence against the weak and helpless is wrong. Everywhere, minorities are under threat. But what is physically dangerous for the minority is mentally dangerous for the majority."

"This is not the future we want. We are Hindus, Muslims, Christians and people of all castes and creeds, including those, who do not follow any religion. We dont believe that the present regime will stop the destruction of the secular, democratic India promised to us by our Constitution. So this is not an appeal to the government. It is a wake-up call to the conscience of the country," she said.

She said the murderers of rationalists Dr Narendra Dabholkar, Govind Pansare and M M Kalburgi are "roaming free with impunity".

CPI leader Prakash Reddy said, "From 2014, lynchings became a common phenomenon and the Centre hasnt done anything to stop it. We condemn this brutality."

The CPM, CPI (ML), SUCI, CITU, AITUC, Sarva Shramik Sangh, Bharatiya Mahila Federation, Lok Sanskriti Manch, Maharashtra Urdu Writers Guild, Forum Against Oppression of Women, Naujawan Bharat Sabha, RPI (Secular) and several other organisations took part in the protest rally.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi slammed the Centre and the BJP-ruled states saying that the ruling party has given covert support to cow vigilantes.

Addressing a press conference, Azmi said, "Eighty seven per cent cases of lynchings and attacks have taken place in the BJP-ruled states. Though, such cases had taken place earlier as well, but ever since the BJP came to power at the Centre, such cases have gone up."

Azmi, who represents Mankhurd Shivajinagar assembly constituency in Mumbai, said he would not mind paying money if the government levies tax to protect cows.

"But cows are wandering on roads and eating garbage. Why isnt the government not doing anything to protect them. Its a matter of shame for the government that on the one side cows have been left to roam on roads, while on the other hand people are being lynched in the name of cow protection," he said.

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"These cow vigilantes are behaving like terrorists and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA) should be invoked on these criminals," Azmi said.

He demanded that the kin of lynching victims should be given Rs one crore compensation. PTI APM NP

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British Christians overwhelmingly backed Tories in general election, figures reveal

British Christians were disproportionately likely to vote Tory in the recent general election, figures have shown.

Largely reflective of the general older age bracket of Christians, polling revealed they tended to back the Conservatives whereas non-Christians were pro-Labour.

Just 27.7 per cent of non-Christians and 29.4 per cent of religious 'nones' backed the Conservatives compared to 51.5 per cent of Christians.

This trend was reversed when it came to support for Labour with 31.2 per cent of Christians voting for Jeremy Corbyn compared to 56.8 per cent of non-Christians and 47.6 of religious nones.

Tim Farron's evangelical Christianity did not seem to generate much support or hostility either way with voting patterns roughly similar across religious groups but Christians were slightly more likely to back UKIP than non-Christians.

The research by Lord Ashcroft revealed the level of Labour support among non-Christians was much higher than in 2015, highlighting the party's success at reaching younger voters.

Christians, again reflecting their relatively elderly profile, tended to be more socially conservative than non-Christians and tended to be less progressive on issues such as feminism and multiculturalism than non-Christians or religious nones.

Most stark was Christians negative attitudes towards the green movement with most considering a mixed blessing compared to non-Christians and religious nones who both consider it a force for good.

Their conservatism was also apparent in their above average support for capitalism and wariness of immigration, the stats revealed.

Theresa May's background as a vicar's daughter may have appealed to Christians but seems unlikely to be the reason why they tended to back her party as Lord Ashcroft's polling repeats a trend of self-described Christians tending to be conservative in values with nearly six in ten backing Leave in last years EU referendum.

But despite their conservative tendencies, a majority of British Anglicans and Catholics did not support the government's plans to allow faith schools to select 100 per cent of pupils on the basis of faith.

Lord Ashcroft's poll was based on online and telephone interviews with 14,384 participants who had voted either by post, by proxy or in person between June 6-9.
More evangelicals are supporting gay marriage, but why?

Polls showing rising numbers of evangelicals supporting same-sex marriage show the influence of culture and failures of churches, according to two experts interviewed by The Christian Post.

A recent Pew survey reported that gay marriage support among white evangelicals has more than doubled, from 14 percent to 35 percent, over the last 10 years, plus, about half, 47 percent, of young white evangelicals support gay marriage.

Peter Sprigg, senior fellow for policy studies at the Family Research Council in Washington, D.C. said in an interview with The Christian Post Wednesday that he thinks the specific wording was geared to produce results showcasing greater support for redefining marriage. Respondents were asked if they favor or oppose "allowing gays and lesbians to marry legally."

"The use of the word 'allowing' appeals to a libertarian streak which is strong in many Americans," Sprigg said.

"Most Americans believe people should be 'allowed' to live their lives as they see fit  even if those choices fall short of a social or moral ideal. The opposite of 'allowing' is 'forbidding,' and most people do not want the law to 'forbid' people from making choices about their private relationships."

Same-sex marriage has been framed in civil liberties terms. The language used in the survey is based on and reinforces what Sprigg calls the "gay identity paradigm." This model considers homosexuality as a fixed trait like skin color and ties the gay rights struggle to the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, a connection he believes rests on faulty premises.

Some evangelicals say they support gay marriage "legally" but not necessarily theologically, but the poll questions do not explore that dimension, he added.

Alex McFarland, an apologist and a director of the Center for Christian Worldview and Apologetics at North Greenville University, said in a phone interview with The Christian Post Wednesday that the growing Christian support for gay marriage is multi-faceted.

"Several things are coalescing in our culture," McFarland said.

"We've got a public school system and a public university system that for decades now, 50 years at least, has been trending away from belief in morality and belief in God."

And in the public square for approximately 25 to 30 years "militant secularists have controlled the narrative," he continued, adding that Darwinism and moral relativism are now firmly established as givens in the minds of many people.

The concept of "separation of church and state" has also been misappropriated by many atheists, who consider the voice of the Church as irrelevant in the realm of government or in the academy, the apologist argued.

And with regard to marriage law, Sprigg added, many young evangelicals operate with the secularist thinking that "separation of church and state" means "that one-man-one-woman marriage is a uniquely Christian viewpoint  it isn't  which cannot be 'forced' upon the secular world," even if they think churches ought to be free to maintain their religious standards.

"We have certainly reached the point in our culture where it takes far more courage to oppose the redefinition of marriage than to support it," he added. "Some [evangelicals] who secretly oppose such a redefinition may fear saying so publicly  even to a pollster  for fear that it will jeopardize their educational and professional prospects and public reputation."

Yet McFarland maintains that abandonment of Christian sexual ethics and warped ideas about marriage is also due in part to other spiritual developments in recent decades, including Mainline Protestantism's rejection of the Jesus Movement in the 1960s1970s and unfortunate divisions within evangelicalism.

"From 19671977 God came by," McFarland said, adding that he's convinced the Jesus movement was America's Third Great Awakening.

But the Mainline denominations turned a hard left, forsaking the authority of the Bible and stopped emphasizing evangelism, he explained. And evangelical denominations and movements underwent a twofold split: hard, legalistic orthodoxy and touchy-feely, seeker friendliness.

"But there's got to be a third way," he said. "Truth in love, thoroughly prayed over ... we need a revival."

To curtail this decline he reiterated comments he made in a previous CP interview about his book, Abandoned Faith, that Christians have to invest in people with no expectation of return, while also sharing the Gospel.

Just as the breakdown of the family has contributed to millennials leaving the faith, he said, that has distorted their ideas about marriage. With four decades of legalized no-fault divorce and rampant fatherlessness, American social life is a breeding ground for warped attitudes toward marriage in general, he said.

This article was originally published in The Christian Post.
Muslims urged to take 'stronger stance' against extremism and appoint British-born Imams

British-born imams must be appointed over those educated overseas to improve leadership among Muslims, a new report is advising.

The inquiry chaired by former attorney general Dominic Grieve found many mosque leaders are born and trained in other countries and said Muslims need 'better leadership' that was 'fit for purpose' and understood 'modern British life'.

In a bold interjection, Islamic leaders were urged to take a 'stronger stance' against persecution of other faiths including antisemitism and attacks on other branches of Islam.

Commissioned by the community organising group Citizens UK, the report said: 'It is of great importance that British-born imams, who have a good understanding of British culture and who fluently speak English, are encouraged and appointed in preference to overseas alternatives.'

Titled Missing Muslims: Unlocking British Muslim potential for the benefit of all, it recommended universities should offer accreditation and religious qualifications for imams.

Dominic Grieve said the project aimed to highlight inaccurate and 'potentially dangerous' views about British Muslims who, he said, face 'considerable challenges' from within their own communities that often prevent them from taking part in public life.

'Polls demonstrate significant scepticism across British society about the integration, and even the shared allegiance, of their British Muslim fellow citizens,' the Conservative MP for Beaconsfield wrote in the report's foreword.

'The Commission has also heard, forcefully expressed to it, the fear of many Muslims that, even in seeking to participate in public life or to work on a cross-community basis, they become subject to a much greater degree of adverse scrutiny, or to allegations about their motivation, than would be considered normal or acceptable for their non-Muslim counterparts,' he wrote.

'This is a matter for which there is overwhelming evidence.'

The panel found most Muslims live in urban areas and children attend schools where most other pupils are from the same ethnicity. A lack of intergration was most pronounced in deprived areas, it added, but said there was a 'wealth of positive community work' being done by British Muslims.
Pope Francis on baby Charlie Gard and the 'duty' to defend human life

Pope Francis has intervened in the Charlie Gard baby case, speaking up for the need to defend human life, especially when it is 'wounded by illness'.

He has spoken of his 'emotion' at the case and his sense of 'closeness' to Charlie's parents Chris and Connie.

Greg Burke, director of the Holy See Press Office, said the Pope is praying for the parents of Charlie, aged 10 months.

And he said Francis hopes that that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored'.

One of the Pope's latest tweets is also understood to refer to Charlie's case.

The Pope said on the social media network: 'To defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all.'

To defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all.  Pope Francis (@Pontifex) June 30, 2017

The statement came as members of the public protested outside Buckingham Palace against turning off the baby's life support.

Charlie's life has hung in the balance since his birth. He suffers from mitochondrial depletion syndrome, a rare genetic illness which leads to progressive brain damange and muscle.

The European Court of Human Rights has refused the parents' appeal to take him to the US for experimental treatment. The court also refused to allow them to take Charlie home to die.

The full statement from Pope Francis reads: 'The Holy Father follows with affection and emotion the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his own closeness to his parents. For them he prays, hoping that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored.'

Previously, a Vatican bioethics advisory panel had made a statement on the need to accept the limits of what medicine can do.

But last Friday, Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia of the Pontifical Academy of Life, said: 'We should never act with the deliberate intention to end a human life, including the removal of nutrition and hydration.'
Same-sex relationships - a trend to follow, challenge or ignore?

The British Social Attitudes Survey has just revealed that two-thirds of adults, and notably more than half of Christians, in the UK believe 'there is nothing wrong with same-sex relationships'. We have also recently learned that Germany is likely to allow same-sex marriage. These demonstrate the significant change in attitudes in most western countries over the past 30 years  in 1987 only 11 per cent of adults and 8 per cent of Christians took the same view.

Is this inexorable social trend to be welcomed or challenged?

Christians are often urged to be 'in society but not of it'. Certainly we should not conform to the world as if we were the popular press. But we also can't ignore profound changes to views of human nature, of society, and of our world that have developed from science, travel and communication. So how do we judge a 'good' social trend from a 'bad' one? When should we lead society, when follow, and when 'walk in parallel'?

There are indeed 'bad' social trends  such as obsession with wealth, celebrity and appearance, gambling and alcoholism, and individualism with its emphasis on rights rather than responsibilities. There are some largely harmless trends in fashion and opinion. But some trends reflect a wider or deeper understanding of our human nature, the inter-connection of society, or the way the world works. Science, knowledge and education have helped abolish old prejudices that devalued black people, poor people, women, children and those with disabilities or mental illness, and we must celebrate these changes. Christians should sometimes lead, as they did for slavery, but we must sometimes humbly follow where others have already led. Jesus notably challenged his society in attitudes to women and the excluded.

Gender is now understood to be much more complex than we once believed. Whilst most of us seem to fit a simple 'model' rather well, namely of 'men doing manly things', and 'women doing womanly things', many fit less well and some scarcely at all. Fortunately we now generally accept that women can be educated and be in charge, and may be braver and stronger than some men, whilst also accepting male nurses and carers. Gender has multiple dimensions, with behaviour, attraction and self-image not always all masculine or all feminine together. And the one per cent or more of intersex births demonstrates that even in physical (sexual) characteristics we don't all fit into regular 'boxes' of male and female. Was this known and understood in biblical times?

Society is evidently on a journey in its attitudes to same-sex relationships, and Christians seem to be on that journey too. The question is whether the Church is also on such a journey, and is this right? Even if the journey is in the 'right' direction, does it follow it must go as far as society? That is, might we accept some of the changing views of human nature and gender, whilst holding back on some of their potential implications? Might we consciously take a distinctively Christian path whilst still moving forwards? There is clearly more than one answer to these questions, and we are unlikely to agree completely, as nothing is fully known to us, only to God.

I recognise that I too am on a personal journey of knowledge, opinions, feelings and beliefs about the complex issue of sexuality. When I was young, homosexuality was unknown to me. Later it became a joke, then strange, then uncomfortable, then tolerable, then partially acceptable. Where am I now? Am I 'pro' or 'anti'? I don't want to be put in a box, and have it assumed that if I am sympathetic, then I must be in favour of every particular. Overall, I am very sympathetic to same-sex relationships where they are a loving commitment of mutual respect (and against heterosexual marriage where it is unequal, uncommitted or unloving), yet I have reservations I am still exploring about some things that others assume are 'part of the package'.

I think it is unhelpful and often insulting to assume of others that they are either 'for' or 'against' something when there may be many shades in between. Different aspects may deserve separate consideration. Not only may we fail to respect others' views, feelings and beliefs, but we may also harden their views in opposition to our own if ours are too rigidly delineated or harshly expressed.

I believe the trend in social attitudes published today is largely a product of greater knowledge and understanding of what it means to be human. But I think it is legitimate to hold opinions about different aspects of this new understanding. I would welcome a fuller acceptance of the validity of same-sex relationships by the Church, but it is right we continue to challenge society's assumptions where they encourage the selfish pursuit of individual interest. A social trend that reflects a greater respect for humans and a better reflection of God's love is a good trend, even if initiated by non-Christians, who may be a prophetic voice to a church that has become hard of hearing.

Dr John Appleby is a lay member of General Synod for Newcastle Diocese and is married to an Anglican priest. He is head of mechanical engineering at Newcastle University, and was a candidate in the recent General Election.
By PTI: Chennai, Jul 2 (PTI) The PMK and the MDMK today strongly opposed Karnatakas efforts towards constructing a reservoir across the Cauvery river at Mekedatu and urged the Centre not to sanction the project.

PMK chief S Ramadoss and MDMK general secretary Vaiko requested the Centre to trash the Detailed Project Report (DPR) submitted by Karnataka to the Central Water Commission (CWC) on June 7 for constructing a dam at Mekedatu.

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The PMK leader alleged that Karnataka had sought the nod for the project by submitting "false details".

In a statement issued here, Ramadoss said Karnataka had told the Centre in its DPR that it could release water for Tamil Nadu, in accordance with the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunals (CWDT) award, only if the proposed dam was built.

He noted that Karnataka had also said in the report that the water would be drawn from the new dam only, as per the tribunals final award.

"All these assurances were given to deceive the CWC and the Tamil Nadu government and they cannot be believed," said Ramadoss.

He recalled that in the past, Karnataka had stopped releasing water for Tamil Nadu citing low levels in its dams.

Since the DPR did not have the concurrence letter from Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, it should be sent back to Karnataka, he said, adding, "The Centre should not be deceived by the sweet words of Karnataka and the Tamil Nadu government should be vigilant."

Vaiko claimed that Karnataka had allocated Rs 5,912 crore towards dam projects, including the one at Mekedatu.

Accusing Karnataka of "acting against the final award of the CWDT", he said if the new dams were built, Tamil Nadu would not get "even a drop of Cauvery water".

"Twelve lakh hectares of land in the Cauvery basin will become barren if the new dams are built," he alleged.

The MDMK chief urged the Centre not to sanction the project, which he said, would affect the rights of Tamil Nadu over the Cauvery waters.

"The Centre should immediately set up the Cauvery Management Board and a regulatory authority," he said. PTI VGN APR RC

--- ENDS ---
Two Church of England bishops welcome controversial 'missionary bishop'

Two Church of England bishops are welcoming a controversial 'missionary' bishop consecrated last week by a splinter Anglican church.

Rt Rev Julian Henderson, the Bishop of Blackburn, and Rt Rev Keith Sinclair, the Bishop of Birkenhead, wrote to the head of the Anglican Church of North America (ACNA) to say they were praying for a service where Andy Lines was made a bishop.

The ceremony on Friday has caused anger among Anglican hierarchy with the head bishop in Australia rebuking two of his bishops for attending the event.

Archbishop Philip Freier has 'deep concerns' about the participation of the Archbishop of Sydney and the Bishop of Tasmania in the service which he condemned as 'contrary to the spirit' of ancient church teaching.

'The consecration in the ACNA is not on any view an act in communion with the Anglican Communion and its member churches, particularly the Provinces of the Church of England, the Scottish Episcopal Church and existing jurisdictions in Europe,' he wrote in a letter to fellow Australian bishops.

But that did not stop two CofE bishops writing their best wishes for the ceremony.

An email on Friday to Archbishop Foley Beach, head of the ACNA, read: 'We pray for you today, especially for Canon Andy Lines, consecrated as a bishop in the church of God. It has been good to meet and pray with Andy in recent years, and to know his heart for the gospel and the witness of the church. Please pray for us in the Church of England, for faithfulness and fruitfulness in these days.'

It comes after the Bishop of Maidstone Rod Thomas, another evangelical leader, also welcomed Andy Lines' appointment.

Describing the Scottish Episcopal Church's decision to permit gay marriage as 'very serious' he said: 'I therefore welcome the steps that GAFCON (the global fellowship of orthodox Anglicans) is taking to support those who are seeking to stand firm by the Bible's teaching on marriage and sexual relationships, and wish to assure Canon Andy Lines of my prayers as he becomes a missionary bishop.'

The move is likely to irritate the Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby, and raise tensions ahead of the Church of England's general synod which meets this week in York.

Andy Lines will offer 'alternative oversight' to conservative Anglican parishes in Scotland, England and across Europe who feel disenfranchised with their official local bishop.

Anglican Mission in England (AMiE), one fringe body not part of the CofE who Lines will be offering leadership to, welcomed the appointment.

'There is an urgent need for new Anglican churches where the Gospel is proclaimed and many can embrace the life-giving rule of Jesus Christ,' a statement read.

'A new generation of Anglican church leaders is being identified, trained and sent out to share the good news of Jesus and bring people together in new local churches. These churches and their ministers require the support and example of missionary bishops who themselves both proclaim and defend the Gospel, and will encourage others to do the same.'

Lines said afterwards 'Part of my remit is to look after churches and leaders of church in Scotland, England and the rest of Europe who are maintaining an orthodox belief in the Christian faith as revealed to us in the scripture and to provide a home to them if they are not within the official structures of the churches there.'
What do Brits think about Islam?

Almost half of the UK population thinks Islam is incompatible with British society, a survey is suggesting.

Following three Islamist linked terror attacks on London and Manchester, a poll found 47 per cent thought there was a 'fundamental clash' between the religion and UK culture.

The research for the German business newspaper Handelsblatt indicated the figure was slightly higher than in the US where 45 per cent said Islam was incompatible with their society.

But among other European countries Brits were less likely to say there was a fundamental clash with Islam.

Germany (53 per cent), Sweden (56 per cent), Denmark (59 per cent), Norway (59 per cent), and Finland (60 per cent) all revealed a majority of people believing there was a fundamental clash between the two.

The proportion of people who thought Islam was compatible with society was highest among Britons at 23 per cent compared to France on 20 per cent, Germany on 17 per cent, Denmark and Sweden on 14 per cent, Norway on 13 per cent and Finland on 8 per cent.

The findings were based on research done online by YouGov between 21 May and 6 June 2017. They come after three separate terror attacks in three months on Westminster on 22 March, Manchester on 22 May and London Bridge on 3 June.

At the same time though, another YouGov survey done via their mobile app and published on 21 June found a majority of Brits thought British society was Islamophobic and another YouGov poll seemed to back this up revealing 75 per cent agreed the UK should be less tolerant of the rights of radical Islamists to express themselves.
What Donald Trump can learn from King Salman of Saudi Arabia

The songs Christians sing are really important. They don't just express our faith, they form it too. That's why Charles Wesley was so significant in Methodism: his brother John was the organiser, but Charles gave the Church its voice. Songs teach us doctrine  and they reinforce doctrine, because music is so powerful. Congregational singing has an energy and persuasiveness all of its own.

One of the developments in recent years that's helped spread Christian music across different congregations and denomination is the Christian copyright licensing organisation, CCLI. Churches can pay a flat fee and copy or project any song covered by the scheme. And one of the newest is really worrying.

According to Jonathan Aigner  who has commented pithily on it  the song was sung on Saturday at the Celebrate Freedom event for veterans on Saturday night. One of the sponsors was Robert Jeffress' church, First Baptist, Dallas. and the song, by the church's former minister of music Gary Moore, went like this:

Make America great again.

Make America great again.

Lift the torch of freedom all across the land.

Step into the future joining hand in hand,

And make America great again,

Yes, make America great again.

(repeat)

Make America great,

Each and every state,

Make America great again.

It won't be lost on readers that this is President Trump's slogan, and yes, he was the main speaker at the event.

And there's something deeply, deeply troubling about this. We know exactly what modern Christian congregational music sounds like  it's rolled out and sold by the yard, and this is exactly that. It is, in short, worship music, but it's not God who is being worshipped, or even a country: it's one man's vision of a country, and it's not a pretty one.

The shortcomings of President Trump have been too often documented to need further comment. Even during these last few days, his latest Twitter war, with Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough, has left even his own party aghast.

The idea that this song is being promoted for use in churches is horrifying.

Evangelical Christians have been Trump's most loyal backers, seeing in him however unlikely it may seem  a champion of causes dear to their hearts. But when they sing him a worship song, it's time to say, 'Enough.'

Curiously enough, at about the same time Christians were singing praise to their president on Saturday, a newspaper in Saudi Arabia was publishing an apology for a columnist. One Ramadan al-Anzi had praised the country's leader, King Salman, using attributes usually reserved for God. Horrified, the king ordered him suspended.

Saudi Arabia is not a model of democracy; that's supposed to be America. And it is the most Islamic of states, while America is supposed to be one of the most Christian. One would have to be very dull not to see the irony: that it's the ruler of the former that models humility and a proper attitude to God.

Follow Mark Woods on Twitter: @RevMarkWoods
Reactions to Philadelphias new Museum of the American Revolution run the gamut from rejection of its traditionalist form to praise for its revisionist content. Neither characterization is quite fair, in a museum whose architecture is stately, if a bit hollow, and whose contents are impressive, if frequently irritating. In architecture, as in politics, its often simpler to label something conservative to indicate your displeasure than to bother explaining what you mean. Contemporary work in classical idioms can be dull and derivative, yet it reliably receives more condemnation than dull or derivative work in modern modes.

The Museum of the American Revolution is traditional in form, with elements deriving from different eras. Its strongest resemblance is not to the numerous Georgian structures nearby or to the Greek Revival First Bank of the United States across the street but to the 1920s customs house structure it adjoinsan art deco tower with some Georgian accents. Its use of brick interrupted by stone-string courses and tympana and window and door arches is classically Georgian. And yet its upper floors seem to leap forward in history, forsaking a gable roof for flat angularity. Something of a stylistic mishmash, the building is nonetheless stately and of agreeable scale, respectful of its prominent corner setting and of pedestrian life around it, with a comfortable plaza and bas-reliefs enlivening the street level at any hour.

Inside, things become more puzzling. The entrance hall is elegant and spacious, yet verges on vacancy. This hall leads to a spiral stair, a theater holding the museums orientation video, a gift shop, and another expansive room reminiscent of a hotel ballroom. The third floor is also a large event space. This leaves essentially all exhibits for the second floor. The building is, like Gouverneur Morris, heavy around the midsection and otherwise trim.

As an institution dedicated to maximizing revenue while delivering doses of diversity, the museum resembles a modern university. Theres nothing objectionable about its frequently proclaimed intent to convey a more inclusive story of the American Revolution. A new attention to these elements is often welcome. And yet the drumbeat of identity politics is sometimes so insistent as to drown out the narrative of the conflictand sometimes, these interpolations are completely out of context. Why, for example, are we reading the thoughts of a Korean War veteran on one of the walls?

Certainly, independence proved a hollow promise for slaves and Native Americans. Native Americans had ample reason to remain Loyalists. Mohawk leader Joseph Brant, for example, is one of the most compelling figures of the conflictyet he is mentioned on at least five occasions, and not always in sensible ways. Slavery, too, while a central subject, pops up in odd places, including in the introduction to a video about George Washingtons field tent.

There are other tedious interruptions: a segment on the confiscation of Loyalist property seeks to tie them to laws forbidding the female inheritance of propertywithout presenting one example, say, of a female patriot who lost her property due to a Loyalist husband. While the curation dodges Charles Beard-like themes of economic determinismin one exhibit demonstrating the sympathy of workers for the revolution against English rulea hammer and sickle from the period are crossed to resemble the emblem of the Soviet Communist Party. This heavy-handed and anachronistic point scans as juvenile rather than meaningful.

The principal irritation is not this content but the museums middle-schoolish curatorial tone. Revolutionary Americans portrayed Hessians as cruel and inhuman, visitors are told in one exhibit. But most of the German soldiers were a lot like the Americans. Wall text for the British invasion of New York reads: it was shock and awe.

These editorial intrusions dont outweigh a largely superb collection, however. Many of the exhibits are excellent, their progression well-sequenced, with steadily alternating display cases, figurines, a reconstruction of a small privateer, replica liberty tree, videos, and interactive elements, including an immersive depiction of the Battle of Brandywine. The collection of objects, from firebacks to fusils, sabres to spontoons, is highly impressive. Exhibits on colonial flags and the evolution of the Great Seal of the United States, among others, are detailed and informative. Several battles and campaigns are deftly explained. The enormity of the choice whether to rebel or stay loyal is dramatized by portraits of British generals Edward Vernon and James Wolfe as heroes of the colonial era and a prewar segment on George Washingtons status as a British hero.

The best is saved for last, in the exhibit of Washingtons tent from Valley Forge. Revealed only briefly to lessen its exposure to light, the tent makes a genuinely ethereal coda. Owned for some time by Mary Custis Lee and then purchased in 1909 by Episcopal Reverend Herbert Burk, whose collection provides most of the museums materials, the tent is a grand American tale in its own right.

Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images
In the near term, the health-care plan that the Senate released this weekofficially, the Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA)will provide stability to individual health-care markets and state governments. It commits to funding the cost-sharing reductions that insurers are required to provide, but which Congress had not funded adequately through 2019. This should calm insurers uncertain about staying in the individual-insurance markets. Anthem, a major insurance player in both the Affordable Care Act (ACA) marketplaces and Medicaid, has announced that the Senate bill will markedly improve the stability of the individual market and moderate premium increases. The Congressional Budget Office predicts that premiums will be 30 percent lower than under current law by 2020. The BCRA will also allow insurers to charge older enrollees up to five times what they charge 20-year-oldsthe standard before the ACArather than the 3-to-1 limit that Obamacare imposes. This should make the market more attractive to insurers and insurance more affordable for young people, who have resisted signing up under the ACA.

The BCRA also delays the end of enhanced federal funding for Obamacares Medicaid expansion and begins phasing it out with a gradual reduction in the enhanced federal payment share between 2021 and 2024. States would be free after 2024 to continue coverage for the expanded population covered under the ACA, but at regular federal matching rates. This should give governors ample time to plan if and how they want to continue expanded Medicaid eligibility. It will also give them time to expand private insurance markets to those at or below the poverty line, since the BCRA removes the lower income limit on premium tax credits to purchase insurance. Adults displaced by the phase-out of the Medicaid expansion and residents of states that did not expand Medicaid could use these credits to purchase private insurance.

In the longer term, the BCRA makes it far more likely that Obamacares section 1332 innovation waivers can become effective tools for state-based experimentation and reforms to improve insurance coverage. These waivers let states modify or eliminate many central ACA provisions, including the rules regarding the premium tax credits and cost-sharing subsidies and which plans and essential health benefits (EHB) must be offered on the insurance exchanges. The BCRA ends ACA restrictions that have inhibited waiver applications. It also streamlines the application process and creates a $2 billion fund to motivate states to apply for waivers.

But the Congressional Budget Offices prediction that the BCRA will lead to 22 million more uninsured by 2026 has dampened enthusiasm for the Republican proposaleven among Republicans. The problem is that the CBOs estimates of coverage under current law are based on its March 2016 baseline, which is known to be inaccurate. The CBO predicts that the BCRA will decrease coverage in the non-group market, including marketplaces, by 7 million, yet concedes that enrollment in the marketplaces under current law will probably be lower than was projected under March 2016 baseline used in this analysis.

The CBOs estimate that 15 million fewer people will be covered by Medicaid in 2026 as compared with current law is also suspect. About a third of this loss derives from people whom CBO projects would, under current law, become eligible in the future as additional states adopted the ACAs option to expand eligibility. Its unlikely that the 19 states that have thus far not expanded eligibility under the ACA would expand if the law remains unchanged, especially since, under Obamacare, states now have to start sharing some of the financial burden for these newly eligible enrollees with the federal government.

The CBO has consistently overestimated ACA coverage gains because it overstates the efficacy of the individual mandate and its penalty in motivating people to obtain non-group, Medicaid, and employer-provided coverage. Obamacares individual-mandate penalty was always too weak and riddled with exceptions to be effective. The BCRA repeals the mandate and replaces it with a requirement that people who fail to maintain continuous insurance coverage must wait six months before re-enrolling. This enrollment delay may or may not be more effective than the individual mandate in convincing people to obtain insurance; some lapses in coverage are truly involuntary. But the delay will spare those who do participate in the market from the higher premium costs of providing insurance for people who try to game the system by waiting until they are sick to seek insurance.

The BCRA will, however, lead to Medicaid losses. Like the American Health Care Act (AHCA) passed by the House of Representatives earlier this year, the BCRA limits the growth in federal Medicaid funding by moving from the current open-ended entitlement to a system of per-capita caps or block grants. Until 2025, the annual inflator will be the same as that used in the AHCAthe consumer price index for medical services (CPI-M), after which the BCRA will link annual increases to the CPI for Urban Consumers (CPI-U), which typically grows slightly less quickly than CPI-M. Medicaid spending typically grows faster than either of these measures. Under the BCRA, the growth in federal Medicaid spending will decline by large and growing amounts over timeeven more than in the AHCA. Even with the added flexibility that states will gain under the BCRA to administer their Medicaid programs, its doubtful that innovation can offset decreased federal funds without cuts to Medicaid benefits and enrollment. Growth in the Medicaid entitlement must be restrained, but the BCRA formula may be too extreme to attract votes needed for passage.

Like the House AHCA, the Senate BCRA also vitiates efforts to reign in the cost growth of employer-provided insurance by delaying the imposition of Obamacares Cadillac tax on employer plans with premiums above specified thresholds until 2026. This suggests that it will never be imposed. Half of Americans get health insurance through their jobs. Employer-paid premiums are tax-exempt for employees and tax-deductible for employers; this tax preference costs the federal government more than $250 billion a year in foregone revenues. Limiting it would encourage employers to offer more cost-effective plans and raise significant revenue.

The Senate should replace the Cadillac tax with an upper limit on the amount of employer-paid premium that is exempt from taxation, and start imposing it in 2020. This would be more progressive than the Cadillac tax, since higher-paid workers are subject to higher marginal tax rates and would pay more tax on premiums that exceed the limit than lower-income workers. Getting started on capping premium exemptions by 2020 would encourage cost discipline in the biggest part of the insurance market, generate revenue that could be used to mitigate the Medicaid cuts, and boost premium tax credits to low-income people.

The BCRA is an imperfect piece of legislation. Senators should alter and pass it and then work with their colleagues in the House to synthesize a workable Obamacare replacement. Failure to do so will leave the country with a failing health system and unsustainable entitlement growth.

Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images
The Yorkshire Museum

A propertys rateable value  which is used to determine its business rates liability  is intended to reflect the reasonable rent that a tenant would be willing to pay on the open market. In the case of museums and other specialist properties where no rent is paid, the cost of constructing the building, commonly known as the contractors method, is deemed by the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) to be a reasonable guide.

However, it has long been argued that using this for historic properties is neither fair nor reasonable, as it produces a dramatically higher rateable value than the alternative valuation method of receipts and expenditure, which has regard to trading potential and the cost of running the property.
In recent years, there have been claims that charities have become too big, with the largest accused of hoovering up more and more income and losing sight of their original aims. But how much truth is there in this?

Back in 1996, Charity Finance published the first Charity 100 Index, compiling a list of the largest charities by income to track their performance over time. Now sponsored by haysmacintyre, the Index has been running for over 20 years, allowing us to take a deeper look at how the sector has evolved.
Our weekly summary of the latest movers in the charity sector

Chief executive

Chance UK has appointed Geethika Jayatilaka as its chief executive, she will take up the role in September when current chief executive Gracia McGrath OBE retires.

She has leadership experience in the not for profit sector and in public service having worked for, amongst others, Creativity, Culture and Education and 4Children. She has also been chair of governors at a London Primary School and cabinet member for children in the London Borough of Camden.

Derek Mitchell has been appointed chief executive of Citizens Advice Scotland. He is currently a chief officer at COSLA, the local governing body for Scotland.

Mitchell will join Citizens Advice Scotland on Monday 28 August. Anne Lavery, the chief operating officer, will continue as acting chief executive until Mitchell joins.

Fundraising

The Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has appointed Elvira Meucci-Lyons as its new director of fundraising.

Elvira has headed campaigning and fundraising teams for several major UK charities. She has led the retention and development team at Shelter UK, and spent 11 years handling marketing campaigns, community fundraising and outreach programmes for the Dogs Trust. Elvira was most recently director of fundraising at domestic violence charity Refuge.

Finance and operations

Sophie Castell, former director of marketing, communications and fundraising at Canal & River Trust, has joined RNIB in the newly created role of relationships director.

She brings experience from executive, interim and consulting positions across the commercial, voluntary and public sectors, including Coca-Cola, Unilever Ventures, Save the Children, and the NHS. At RNIB, Castrell will join the charity's executive board to lead the new relationships directorate, comprising the charitys marketing, fundraising, partnership and community engagement teams.

Non-executive

Lynne Walker, who was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2009, will take on the role of chair at Pancreatic Cancer UK in July, when current chair Sarah Roberts steps down.

Roberts has been a trustee at the charity since 2010, and chair since 2014. She will now become a trustee at Thames Valley Air Ambulance

The Stroke Association has appointed Stephen King as the charitys new chair designate.

King is a long-serving trustee of the charity Sightsavers International and is deputy chair of NHS West Essex. Prior to retiring in 2013, he spent 23 years as an executive director of RNIB. He follows in the footsteps of Sir David Varney, who stepped down in December 2016, after four years as the charitys chair.

Dame Kelly Holmes Trust has appointed four new trustees to its board. Clare Hunt, Ed Bracher, Jeremy Pearce and Nicky Roche were selected following an open recruitment process and will each join on an initial three-year term.

Hunt is currently group director of strategy and communications for Compass Group PLC, while Bracher is currently chief executive of Riding for the Disabled Assocation. Pearce has worked as a consultant in corporate governance and corporate responsibility with the World Bank and board advisory at KPMG, and Roche is currently director of strategy for Sporting Assets and sits on the board of UK Sport, chairing their major events panel.

Civil Society Media is hosting its Charity People & Culture Conference on 20 September 2017. For more information, and to book, click here.
CJR recently invited contributions from journalists whose work focuses on the healthcare challenges specific to their communities. We asked each reporter the same question: As the nation anticipates passage of the Better Care Reconciliation Act, what are the health stories that are most urgent for journalists to tell in your region? As the Senate moves towards a vote, read more dispatches from CJRs series here.

IN 2014, WISCONSIN IMPLEMENTED a partial Medicaid expansion. The state limited Medicaid coverage for adults to those whose incomes are at or below the federal poverty level. As a result, Wisconsin enabled 130,000 childless adults to sign up for Medicaid, but removed roughly 63,000 parents and caretakers from the program.

The removals were a conscious choice. The Affordable Care Act permitted a full Medicaid expansion plan, but the state chose only a partial one. Republican Governor Scott Walker, along with members of the Republican-controlled state legislature, argued that those 63,000 people could obtain private coverage on the Obamacare exchange. However, some of those people make less than 133 percent of the poverty levela group for whom the exchange was not intended.

Therefore, Wisconsin residents are more vulnerable than many others when it comes to proposed changes in government subsidies for insurance. Under the bills before Congress, subsidies could shift from people with lower incomes to those who make more, making it even harder for the poorest of those 63,000 former Medicaid recipients to afford coverage

Meanwhile, Walker has asked the Trump administration to allow Wisconsin to mandate drug screening for poor, childless adults who seek Medicaid, and to impose a time limit on such coverage unless recipients work. Wisconsin could be the first state to implement such requirements, but other states are expected to follow.

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Health reporters throughout the country would do well to look at Wisconsin as a case study in Medicaid restructuring, and to anticipate how they might cover such changes in their own communities.

There is a narrative for each individual implicated by Wisconsins proposed Medicaid requirements for childless adults.

At the Wisconsin State Journal, where I have been the health reporter since 2005, we anticipated the significance of health reform and published two front-page Sunday stories after the November election. Since Trumps inauguration, we have tracked details of state and federal proposals, partly by covering forums and hearings. We have also written about particular services that could be cut: birth control, cancer screening and testing, and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases at Planned Parenthood clinics.

Those approaches have helped readers understand the importance of what Congress might do. But because specific details of the legislative plans have been limited, the articles lacked personal stories and narratives, which can help readers consider policy changes in light of who those changes affect.

There is a narrative for each individual implicated by Wisconsins proposed Medicaid requirements for childless adults. Those who refuse drug screenings would go without coverage; those who test positive could enroll in Medicaid and receive addiction treatment, if it is available. Enrollees would face a four-year limit on benefits unless they worked or trained for a job, and many would also have to pay premiums.

Whether such welfare reform-like rules should be applied to health care is a key point of national debate, even within conservative circles. Public assistance should be a trampoline, not a hammock, Walker has said.

If Congress passes the Better Care Reconciliation Act, reporters in the Midwest and elsewhere can localize the story by focusing on their states Medicaid program. Advocates can help reporters identify patients whose lives could be altered by eligibility changes and capped federal payments to states. With one in five Americans covered by Medicaid, its a story that deserves significant attention.

Has America ever needed a media watchdog more than now? Help us by joining CJR today

David Wahlberg has been the health reporter at the Wisconsin State Journal in Madison since 2005. He previously covered health and other topics at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Ann Arbor News, San Bernardino Sun and Wausau Daily Herald. His projects on cancer research, organ transplants, doctor discipline, rural health care, and patient safety have won national awards.
According to security agencies and wildlife officers working in Northeastern states, locals are now selling tokay geckos to international wildlife traffickers.

By Mail Today Bureau: North-eastern states of India was the hub for poachers who are engaged in trafficking of body parts of tigers, rhinos and elephants but these trappers have found lucrative business in selling endangered species of lizards 'tokay gecko'. Each one of the live animal, which are usually 40 centimeter long carries a multi million price tag in international market.

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According to security agencies and wildlife officers working in Northeastern states, hundreds of locals are now selling tokay geckos to international wildlife traffickers, who smuggle them to centers of Chinese medicine across Asia.

Endangered lizard is in great demand in some Asian countries for its reported medicinal values. Tokay geckos have been used in traditional Chinese medicine for hundreds of years to treat cancer, asthma, diabetes, skin disorders and a range of ailments. Although wildlife experts and environmentalists say there is no scientific proof to substantiate the purported medicinal properties of this reptile species, the tokay gecko has become hot property.

A GECKO CAN FETCH UP TO RS 70 LAKH

A mature gecko can easily fetch up to Rs 70 lakh. The revelation came after officers of Indian Paramilitary force Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) rescued seven tokay gecko which is known as 'Keko Saap' in local parlance in Northeast. Geckos are listed in Schedule III of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, as a 'highly endangered animal'.

The officers also arrested Anil Lama, resident of Assam from Jalpaiguri. "The man confessed that he was planning to sell lizards to an international racket of smugglers at the price of around Rs 4.90 crore. The tokay gecko has a great demand in the international smuggling market," said a senior SSB official.

The SSB personnel later handed over the arrested smuggler and recovered reptile to the forest official of Hamilton Range.

Tilottama Verma, chief of the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) told Mail Today that in recent past security agencies have done many rescue operation. Sensitisation programme of boarder forces have helped in recognising the species and tracking the trading routes.

According to intelligence, price for each living gecko reaches over Rs 70-80 lakh depending upon size and weight. This makes the animal too vulnerable. Many times, low weight geckos are injected with mercury to make them heavier though that kills the animal within couple of days.

NATIVE TO ASIA AND PACIFIC ISLANDS

The tokay gecko are nocturnal Asian lizard growing up to 40cm in length and weighing up to 200gm. It is native to Asia and some Pacific Islands. This species have also been found in northeast India, Bhutan, Nepal, and Bangladesh, throughout Southeast Asia, including the Philippines and Indonesia, and to western New Guinea in Melanesia.

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Its native habitat is rainforest, where it lives on trees and cliffs, and it also frequently adapts to rural human habitations, roaming walls and ceilings at night in search of insect prey. It is an invasive species in the Florida Keys. Increasing urbanisation is reducing its range.

Poaching of endangered lizard is done by local tribes who further hand over to middle men or transporters who smuggles it to international criminals through porous Indian boarders.

It is a challenge for security agencies to track trafficking of small reptiles as boarders are not fenced and there is daily trade among the locals. Sniffer dogs of SSB have placed an important role in check illegal transport of lizards.

GECKOS IMPORTANT SUBJECT OF STUDY

Lourembam Biswajeet, who heads the People for Animals (PFA) organisation in the Manipur capital Imphal, says that the geckos are trapped in different parts of Manipur, before they are sent out along the network to traffickers in Myanmar and further transported to Thailand.

"Local tribes are raiding the hilly forests of Manipur that have an abundant populace of the lizard species. We have managed to rescue 85 tokay geckos in past," Biswajit told Mail Today.

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Geckos have now become an important subject of study in space research and studies are conducted to replicate the unique adhesive ability of its feet. This can help in capturing free floating uncontrollable space debris which threaten the expensive spacecraft and satellites.

Additionally, there is ongoing research to use the gecko's adhesive characteristic to develop medical tape to substitute post operative suturing, stapling or even pasting for wound closures. This can ensure better cosmetic appearance and health of the skin with less perceivable scar.

IMPORT, EXPORT OF TOKAY GECKO

While the overall volume of the gecko trade is not clearly known, last year, global wildlife trade monitoring network TRAFFIC estimated that Indonesia alone had been exporting 1.2 million dried tokay geckos annually and that in recent years Taiwan has imported 15 million geckos from different countries.

Traffic also warned that the wild population of the tokay gecko in Southeast Asia was in grave danger, as it is hunted to meet demand in China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Vietnam and other Asian countries.

Now, to meet international demand, gecko trappers from India, Nepal and Bangladesh have joined the trafficking chain. According to wildlife experts, the trappers are active in the Indian states of Manipur, Mizoram, Assam, West Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand and Odisha, among others.

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ALSO READ | West Bengal: SSB seizes Rhino horn, Tokey Gecko worth Rs 3.5 crore

5 peacocks found dead in Rajasthan, forest department suspects poaching

NTCA blacklists BBC journalists, feels poaching report projected things at Kaziranga in a bad way

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javascript which is completely different. You also need to provide better details of what your code is doing, and where the error occurs.





I explain you whole condition of code...



<s:element name= " ConvertTemperature" > <s:complextype> <s:sequence> <s:element minoccurs= " 1" maxoccurs= " 1" name= " dFahrenheit" type= " s:double" > <s:element name= " ConvertTemperatureResponse" > <s:complextype> <s:sequence> <s:element minoccurs= " 1" maxoccurs= " 1" name= " ConvertTemperatureResult" type= " s:double" > ...  pankaj 16 hours ago I want to add an input parameter( ' zipcode' from VC++/ ' InParam' in vb web method) in web method...though I am trying to send that parameter, in my call of C++ SOAP packet..but this is being taken as ' Nothing' (InParam) by web method.. Though I made a sample json file as microsoft says...social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ how to fix that in my vc++ code, after sending ' POST' request of my http packet in WSDL..Web Service.vb.. Imports System.Web Imports System.Web.Services Imports System.Web.Services.Protocols <webservice( namespace := " tempuri.org " )= " " >; _ <webservicebinding(conformsto:=wsiprofiles.basicprofile1_1)> _ <global.microsoft.visualbasic.compilerservices.designergenerated()> _ Public Class WebService Inherits System.Web.Services.WebService <webmethod()> _ Public Function ConvertTemperature(ByVal InParam As String ) As String Dim Temp As Integer Temp = CInt(InParam) + 20 Return CStr(Temp) End Function End Class  pankaj 15 hours ago float CallWebService(LPCTSTR szZipCode) { CHECK_HR(hr); VARIANT vRequest; vRequest.vt = VT_BSTR; vRequest.bstrVal = szRequest.AllocSysString(); hr = spXMLHTTP->setRequestHeader(_bstr_t(_T( " Content-Type" )), _bstr_t(_T( " text/xml" ))); CHECK_HR(hr); >send(_bstr_t(szSOAPReq)); CHECK_HR(hr); if ( 200 == spXMLHTTP->status) _bstr_t bstrResponse = spXMLHTTP->responseText; MessageBox( 0 , bstrResponse, " TEST" , 0 ); AfxMessageBox(bstrResponse); } from web method..vb.. <webmethod()> _ Public Function ConvertTemperature(ByVal InParam As String ) As String Dim Temp As Integer Temp = CInt(InParam) + 20 Return CStr(Temp) End Function.... this parameter " InParam " is showing " Nothing" at run time..any help would be highly appreciated.. How to run json script from c++ or how to create a xml script to make provsion for ' input' parameter? Can any java,C++ expert solve prolem of my code -Pankaj





Please give a look to my problem. as mentioned above.

-Pankaj



type= " xsd:string" / "go instead of "xsd:double"





"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson



"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons



"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles





Do you have any suggestion for my project..?



Pankaj



Hi

While trying to get a better understanding of my exceptions I down loaded the demo



" Quote: How a C++ compiler implements exception handling



Well first I feel very good the I spent $700 to get the intel C/C++ compiler



the demo had inline asm code and the Microsoft compiler only supports thunder 32 bit code



but intel supports _asm with X64 I changed the "E" register to "R"



Was able to build everything until the demo



I got a number of externs I paste just one example but I am sire they are all related to cout



Quote: error LNK2019: unresolved external symbol "public: __cdecl std::_Lockit::_Lockit(int)" (??0_Lockit@std@@QEAA@H@Z) referenced in function "public: void __cdecl std::_Container_base12::_Orphan_all(void)" (?_Orphan_all@_Container_base12@std@@QEAAXXZ)

1>MyExcHandler.lib(myexchandler.obj) : error LNK2001: unresolved external symbol "public: __cdecl std::_Lockit::_Lockit(int)" (??0_Lockit@std@@QEAA@H@Z)



doing research seems the .lib msvcprtd or msvcprt.lib for release ( did a dumpbin on the lib)



I included in my library directories



however I am still getting externals





In vino veritas







Seems like SEH is only use full for 32 bit code as the EXCEPTION_REGISTRATION handler pointer



is a DD 4 bytes and I am running a 64 bit project



ForNow wrote: Seems like SEH is only use full for 32 bit code as the EXCEPTION_REGISTRATION handler pointer

is a DD 4 bytes and I am running a 64 bit project



No absolutely not,



That field should be defined as a PEXCEPTION_ROUTINE callback which will be quadword pointer on a 64 bit platform. Sounds like you are looking at some 32 bit instructions in your sample.



Best Wishes,

-David Delaune





When it does the Debbuger gets control and points to ntdll looking at the call stack doesn't point me back to anywhere in my code. I was looking for a really low level Exception handler that might catch it earlier.

The code for the SEH in all the examples I have seen has inline Assembler



However I do have the intel compiler which lets me use _asm for 64 bit code



Thanks







The unresolved symbol std::_Lockit appears to be from the Microsoft implementation of checked iterators[^] in our STL implementation.



So this implies that you are #including the Microsoft STL headers and trying to link with the Intel Standard C++ Library[^].



Fix your broken #include and library paths.



Best Wishes,

-David Delaune



I have a templated class that is based on string or wstring, and most things are easy as the basic_string contains sufficient operators and methods to manipulate the text. However, one thing I cannot get round is including character constants inside the template, as below:

C++ template < typename T > class Tokenizer { typedef typename T::size_type _Mysizt; T strText; T strFilter; _Mysizt offset; _Mysizt index; _Mysizt length; public: Tokenizer(T strText, T strFilter) { } T Next( bool bTrim) { T strToken; if (bTrim) { offset = strText.find_first_not_of( ' ' , offset); } } return strToken; }



I am sure it must be possible (OG, Po'H, SB), but my reading of the documentation and samples has not helped. So what (obvious) did I miss?



[edit]

While David Crow's suggestion works for a character constant, it will not work for a string like:

C++ offset = strText.find_first_not_of( " \t" , offset);

[/edit]



modified 3-Jul-17 4:43am.







offset = strText.find_first_not_of( 0x20 , offset);

Or could you add the "search for" character as part of the constructor?

"One man's wage rise is another man's price increase." - Harold Wilson



"Fireproof doesn't mean the fire will never come. It means when the fire comes that you will be able to withstand it." - Michael Simmons



"You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him." - James D. Miles





And the classes in use do not provide that functionality.



I believe tokenizers iterate through the string character by character, perhaps for efficiency and perhaps to avoid the problem you have.



If you want to avoid iteration then perhaps strtok() might solve it.



Welcome guys!!!

I am a beginner in C++ and I have a little task to solve. Ihave a file .txt like this :

net.txt - Google Drive[^]

And i want make tables that for each number gives all value about the nuber from data

Something like this :

Number9 from value 1 0 , 70606 3 0 , 99605 11 -0, 28155 12 0 , 58371 15 0 , 70069 17 -0, 95633 18 0 , 84633 19 0 , 77246 25 0 , 49101 30 -0, 76256 31 0 , 77975 34 0 , 73573 44 -0, 6106 45 -0, 91379 51 0 , 25814 53 -0, 59725 54 -0, 78294 58 0 , 13108 70 -0, 02528 73 0 , 37034 75 0 , 23552 76 -0, 54187 78 0 , 77419 79 0 , 4681 80 -0, 01923 83 0 , 39902 85 0 , 82687

I will be grateful for help or advices

Thanks !!!!



Artur Grabowski wrote: I will be grateful for help or advices

We're willing to help with good advice. But you need to ask a specific question.



What have you tried? Where does it go wrong? Are there any error messages? Post a snippet of the text file you're using and the relevant portion of your code.







The difficult we do right away...

...the impossible takes slightly longer.



modified 2-Jul-17 9:07am.





in example :

connection definition section : target | site | source:weight -------|------|---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | | 2 : 0 . 00000 , 3 : 0 . 00000 , 4 : 0 . 00000 , 5 : 0 . 00000 , 6 : 0 . 00000 , 7 : 0 . 00000 , 8 : 0 . 00000 , 9 : 0 . 70606 , 10 : 0 . 00000 , 11 : 0 . 00000 , 12 : 0 . 00000 , 13 : 0 . 00000 , 14 : 0 . 00000 , 15 : 0 . 00000 , 16 :-0. 38621 , 17 : 0 . 00000 , 18 : 0 . 00000 , 19 : 0 . 00000 , 20 : 0 . 00000 , 21 : 0 . 00000 , 22 : 0 . 00000 , 23 : 0 . 00000 , 24 : 0 . 00000 , 25 : 0 . 00000 , 26 : 0 . 00000 , 27 :-0. 51685 , 28 : 0 . 00000 , 29 : 0 . 00000 , 30 : 0 . 00000 , 31 : 0 . 65813 , 32 : 0 . 00000 , 33 : 0 . 00000 , 34 : 0 . 00000 , 35 : 0 . 00000 , 36 :-0. 23965 , 37 : 0 . 00000 , 38 : 0 . 00000 , 39 : 0 . 00000 , 40 :-0. 53012 , 41 : 0 . 00000 , 42 : 0 . 65078 , 43 : 0 . 00000 , 44 :-0. 25587 , 45 : 0 . 61060 , 46 :-0. 77841 , 47 :-0. 10781 , 48 : 0 . 00000 , 49 : 0 . 00000 , 50 : 0 . 00000 , 51 : 0 . 60152 , 52 :-0. 04528 , 53 : 0 . 00000 , 54 : 0 . 00000 , 55 : 0 . 00000 , 56 : 0 . 34451 , 57 : 0 . 00000 , 58 :-0. 63902 , 59 : 0 . 00000 , 60 : 0 . 00000 , 61 : 0 . 00000 , 62 : 0 . 00000 , 63 : 0 . 00000 , 64 : 0 . 00000 , 65 : 0 . 00000 , 66 :-0. 35604 , 67 :-0. 65445 , 68 : 0 . 00000 , 69 :-0. 18092 , 70 : 0 . 00000 , 71 : 0 . 00000 , 72 : 0 . 00000 , 73 :-0. 07051 , 74 : 0 . 00000 , 75 : 0 . 00000 , 76 : 0 . 62501 , 77 : 0 . 00000 , 78 :-0. 66639 , 79 : 0 . 00000 , 80 : 0 . 00000 , 81 : 0 . 00000 , 82 : 0 . 54643 , 83 : 0 . 00000 , 84 : 0 . 86970 , 85 : 0 . 00000 , 86 : 0 . 00000 , 87 : 0 . 00000 , 88 : 0 . 17621 , 89 : 0 . 00000 , 90 : 0 . 00000 , 91 : 0 . 00000 , 92 : 0 . 00000 , 93 : 0 . 00000 , 94 : 0 . 00000 , 95 :-0. 48619 , 96 :-0. 21145 , 97 :-0. 67891 , 98 : 0 . 00000 , 99 : 0 . 70803 , 100 :-0. 94970 , 101 : 1 . 00000 , 102 : 1 . 00000 , 103 : 1 . 00000 , 104 : 1 . 00000 , 105 : 1 . 00000 , 106 : 1 . 00000 , 107 : 1 . 00000 , 108 : 1 . 00000 , 109 : 1 . 00000 2 | | 1 : 0 . 00000 , 3 : 0 . 00000 , 4 :-0. 70584 , 5 : 0 . 00000 , 6 : 0 . 00000 , 7 : 0 . 00000 , 8 : 0 . 73104 , 9 : 0 . 00000 , 10 :-0. 68872 , 11 : 0 . 00000 , 12 :-0. 06770 , 13 : 0 . 00000 , 14 : 0 . 00000 , 15 : 0 . 00000 , 16 :-0. 51967 , 17 : 0 . 00000 , 18 : 0 . 17679 , 19 : 0 . 00000 , 20 : 0 . 00000 , 21 : 0 . 00000 , 22 : 0 . 00000 , 23 : 0 . 97774 , 24 : 0 . 00000 , 25 : 0 . 00000 , 26 :-0. 53439 , 27 : 0 . 00000 , 28 : 0 . 00000 , 29 : 0 . 00000 , 30 : 0 . 00000 , 31 :-0. 36626 , 32 : 0 . 00000 , 33 :-0. 55026 , 34 : 0 . 00000 , 35 : 0 . 07276 , 36 :-0. 20741 , 37 : 0 . 00000 , 38 : 0 . 00000 , 39 : 0 . 00000 , 40 : 0 . 00000 , 41 : 0 . 52934 , 42 : 0 . 00000 , 43 : 0 . 37477 , 44 : 0 . 00000 , 45 : 0 . 00000 , 46 : 0 . 00000 , 47 : 0 . 00000 , 48 : 0 . 72724 , 49 : 0 . 00000 , 50 : 0 . 00000 , 51 : 0 . 00000 , 52 : 0 . 00000 , 53 : 0 . 26374 , 54 : 0 . 00000 , 55 : 0 . 00000 , 56 : 0 . 00000 , 57 : 0 . 00000 , 58 : 0 . 00000 , 59 : 0 . 00000 , 60 : 0 . 00000 , 61 : 0 . 00000 , 62 :-0. 92754 , 63 : 0 . 00000 , 64 :-0. 38383 , 65 : 0 . 00000 , 66 : 0 . 00000 , 67 : 0 . 00000 , 68 : 0 . 00000 , 69 : 0 . 00000 , 70 :-0. 70225 , 71 :-0. 40858 , 72 : 0 . 13286 , 73 : 0 . 00000 , 74 : 0 . 00000 , 75 : 0 . 00000 , 76 : 0 . 00000 , 77 : 0 . 00000 , 78 :-0. 89306 , 79 : 0 . 00000 , 80 : 0 . 00000 , 81 :-0. 52612 , 82 : 0 . 00000 , 83 : 0 . 00000 , 84 : 0 . 00000 , 85 : 0 . 00000 , 86 :-0. 68323 , 87 : 0 . 00000 , 88 : 0 . 00000 , 89 : 0 . 00000 , 90 : 0 . 45177 , 91 :-0. 31180 , 92 :-0. 08625 , 93 : 0 . 00000 , 94 : 0 . 00000 , 95 : 0 . 00000 , 96 : 0 . 00000 , 97 : 0 . 00000 , 98 : 0 . 00000 , 99 : 0 . 00000 , 100 : 0 . 00000 , 101 : 1 . 00000 , 102 : 1 . 00000 , 103 : 1 . 00000 , 104 : 1 . 00000 , 105 : 1 . 00000 , 106 : 1 . 00000 , 107 : 1 . 00000 , 108 : 1 . 00000 , 109 : 1 . 00000 3 | | 1 : 0 . 00000 , 2 : 0 . 00000 , 4 : 0 . 83542 , 5 : 0 . 00000 , 6 : 0 . 09158 , 7 : 0 . 00000 , 8 : 0 . 00000 , 9 : 0 . 99605 , 10 : 0 . 68074 , 11 : 0 . 00000 , 12 : 0 . 92181 , 13 : 0 . 00000 , 14 : 0 . 00000 , 15 : 0 . 00000 , 16 : 0 . 00000 , 17 : 0 . 00000 , 18 : 0 . 00000 , 19 : 0 . 00000 , 20 : 0 . 00000 , 21 : 0 . 00000 , 22 : 0 . 00000 , 23 : 0 . 81755 , 24 : 0 . 00000 , 25 : 0 . 00195 , 26 : 0 . 00000 , 27 : 0 . 00000 , 28 : 0 . 00000 , 29 : 0 . 00000 , 30 : 0 . 00000 , 31 : 0 . 00000 , 32 : 0 . 00000 , 33 :-0. 02341 , 34 : 0 . 97974 , 35 : 0 . 00000 , 36 : 0 . 00000 , 37 : 0 . 00000 , 38 :-0. 08182 , 39 : 0 . 00000 , 40 : 0 . 18787 , 41 : 0 . 00000 , 42 : 0 . 00000 , 43 : 0 . 64793 , 44 : 0 . 00000 , 45 : 0 . 00000 , 46 : 0 . 00000 , 47 : 0 . 00000 , 48 : 0 . 00000 , 49 : 0 . 09191 , 50 : 0 . 00000 , 51 : 0 . 00000 , 52 : 0 . 00000 , 53 : 0 . 00000 , 54 : 0 . 00000 , 55 : 0 . 00000 , 56 :-0. 92661 , 57 :-0. 47441 , 58 : 0 . 00000 , 59 : 0 . 00000 , 60 : 0 . 00000 , 61 : 0 . 00000 , 62 : 0 . 56569 , 63 : 0 . 00000 , 64 : 0 . 73977 , 65 : 0 . 00000 , 66 : 0 . 55625 , 67 :-0. 72023 , 68 : 0 . 00000 , 69 : 0 . 01612 , 70 : 0 . 07420 , 71 : 0 . 00000 , 72 : 0 . 00000 , 73 : 0 . 00000 , 74 :-0. 08375 , 75 : 0 . 00000 , 76 : 0 . 83450 , 77 : 0 . 00000 , 78 :-0. 92284 , 79 : 0 . 00000 , 80 : 0 . 00000 , 81 : 0 . 00000 , 82 :-0. 36193 , 83 : 0 . 00000 , 84 : 0 . 00000 , 85 : 0 . 00000 , 86 : 0 . 00000 , 87 : 0 . 17190 , 88 : 0 . 00000 , 89 : 0 . 00000 , 90 : 0 . 00000 , 91 : 0 . 00000 , 92 : 0 . 00000 , 93 : 0 . 16294 , 94 : 0 . 00000 , 95 : 0 . 00000 , 96 : 0 . 00000 , 97 : 0 . 00000 , 98 :-0. 12163 , 99 : 0 . 00000 , 100 : 0 . 00000 , 101 : 1 . 00000 , 102 : 1 . 00000 , 103 : 1 . 00000 , 104 : 1 . 00000 , 105 : 1 . 00000 , 106 : 1 . 00000 , 107 : 1 . 00000 , 108 : 1 . 00000 , 109 : 1 . 00000



Artur Grabowski wrote: the problem is the parsing of uploaded file

That's what I was trying to get at. What EXACTLY is the problem?







The difficult we do right away...

...the impossible takes slightly longer.


The summer season is trending strongly with new ports and expanded passenger sourcing efforts, according to Ahmad Abou Merhi of Abou Merhi Cruises, which sails week-long cruises departing on Sundays from Beirut, Lebanon, on the 330-passenger Med Queen (Orient Queen II).

The week-long sailings call at Alanya, Rhodes, Crete, Mykonos and Kos, with deployment set until the end of September. Crete is a new destination for the 2017 season.

New shore excursions have been added to the cruise program, including paragliding in Turkeys Alanya.

Merhi told Cruise Industry News the company is planning a winter season, but could not yet go into detail.

We are still in negotiations with various operators across the glove to see what fits our model best, he said.

In other key news, the worlds only Lebanese cruise line is now expanding its sourcing efforts to the entire Arab region, Merhi said.

The company is using chartered flights from Egypt, Iraq and Saudi Arabia to offer fly-cruise packages. Passengers can look forward to a visa-free experience at all ports.

The 7,500-ton ship was built in 1989 and previously served as the Vistamar.
Suffering from branch traffic being down and you own a plethora of teller line stanchion posts and belts that you dont need any more? Well, I just may have identified a market for you to offload some of your inventory.

Retail traffic is not down at marijuana retail outlets in states like Colorado, Washington and Oregon where its now legal. In fact, lines are out the doors and lobby management is in full swing. This may be one of the only retail categories that is immune to internet sales, at least in the foreseeable future.

These budding retail entrepreneurs are deploying standard retail merchandising and messaging elements featuring product knowledge displays, community outreach walls, cross-selling and even loyalty programs. And, of course, lots of brand identity.

I know all of this because Ive visited a few stores in Seattle to fully understand this new retail phenomenon. And if youre wondering, I did not inhale (but the stores do have a distinct pungent odor as you might expect).

In a year where we learn almost daily that another retailer is closing stores or filing for bankruptcy, this new retail category is a bright spot on the horizon for the survival of brick & mortar selling. And Im not just blowing smoke.
Newell Brands Inc. designs, manufactures, sources, and distributes consumer and commercial products worldwide. It operates in five segments: Commercial Solutions, Home Appliances, Home Solutions, Learning and Development, and Outdoor and Recreation. The Commercial Solutions segment provides commercial cleaning and maintenance solutions; closet and garage organization products; hygiene systems and material handling solutions; and home and security, and smoke and carbon monoxide alarms products under the BRK, First Alert, Mapa, Quickie, Rubbermaid, Rubbermaid Commercial Products, and Spontex brands. The Home Appliances segment offers kitchen appliances under the Crock-Pot, Mr. Coffee, Oster, and Sunbeam brands. The Home Solutions segment provides food and home storage; fresh preserving; vacuum sealing; and gourmet cookware, bakeware, cutlery, and home fragrance products under the Ball, Calphalon, Chesapeake Bay Candle, FoodSaver, Rubbermaid, Sistema, WoodWick, and Yankee Candle brands. The Learning and Development segment offers writing instruments, including markers and highlighters, pens, and pencils; art products; activity-based adhesive and cutting products; labeling solutions; and baby gear and infant care products under the Aprica, Baby Jogger, Graco, NUK, Tigex, Dymo, Elmer's, EXPO, Graco, Mr. Sketch, NUK, Paper Mate, Parker, Prismacolor, Sharpie, Waterman, and X-Acto brands. The Outdoor and Recreation segment provides outdoor and outdoor-related products under the Campingaz, Coleman, Contigo, ExOfficio, and Marmot brands. It serves warehouse clubs, department and drug/grocery stores, mass merchants, home centers, office superstores and supply stores, contract stationers, and distributors, e-commerce, sporting goods, specialty, and travel retailers. The company was formerly known as Newell Rubbermaid Inc. and changed its name to Newell Brands Inc. in April 2016. Newell Brands Inc. was founded in 1903 and is based in Atlanta, Georgia.
KAZ Minerals PLC, together with its subsidiaries, engages in mining and processing copper and other metals primarily in Kazakhstan, Russia, and Kyrgyzstan. It operates through Bozshakol, Aktogay, East Region and Bozymchak, and Mining Projects segments. The company operates the Aktogay and Bozshakol open pit copper mines in the east region and Pavlodar region of Kazakhstan; three underground mines in the east region of Kazakhstan; and the Bozymchak copper-gold mine in Kyrgyzstan. It also develops greenfield metal deposits; operates Koksay deposit in Kazakhstan, and the Baimskaya licence area in the Chukotka region of Russia; and produces and sells various by-products, such as gold, silver, molybdenum, and zinc. In addition, the company supplies and distributes heat, water, and electricity; and offers construction, project management, financing, management, sales and logistics, and repairs and maintenance services. The company was formerly known as Kazakhmys PLC and changed its name to KAZ Minerals PLC in October 2014. KAZ Minerals PLC was founded in 1930 and is based in London, the United Kingdom.
Kambala is now legal in Karnataka, after President Pranab Mukherjee approved the promulgation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017.

By India Today Web Desk: President Pranab Mukherjee has approved the promulgation of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Karnataka Amendment) Ordinance, 2017, making it possible for kambala - a traditiional buffalo race - to be conducted, ANI reported.

Kambala races are organised in the Dakshin Kannada and Udupi districts of coastal Karnataka. Along with jallikattu, the sport was banned by the Supreme Court in 2014 based on a petition filed by various animal rights organisations.

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Kamabala supporters protested after the Tamil Nadu government moved an ordinance to lift the ban on jallikattu.

The Siddaramiah government in Karnataka then passed an ordinance to make kambala legal, and the bill was sent to President Mukherjee twice for his approval, OneIndia reported.

ALSO READ | Kambala agitation: 10 things you should know about the buffalo race

ALSO READ | Here are a few differences between Jallikattu and Kambala that you should know

ALSO WATCH | After Jallikattu, now Karnataka demands legalising Kambala

--- ENDS ---
Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company provides solutions that allow customers to capture, analyze, and act upon data seamlessly in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Japan. The company offers general purpose servers for multi-workload computing and workload-optimized servers; HPE ProLiant rack and tower servers; HPE BladeSystem and HPE Synergy; and solutions for secondary workloads and traditional tape, storage networking, and disk products, such as HPE Modular Storage Arrays and HPE XP. It also offers HPE Apollo and Cray products; and HPE Superdome Flex, HPE Nonstop, HPE Integrity, and HPE Edgeline products. In addition, the company provides HPE Aruba product portfolio that includes wired and wireless local area network hardware products, such as Wi-Fi access points, switches, routers, and sensors; HPE Aruba software and services comprising cloud-based management, network management, network access control, analytics and assurance, and location; and professional and support services, as well as as-a-service and consumption models for the intelligent edge portfolio of products. Further, it offers various leasing, financing, IT consumption, and utility programs and asset management services for customers to facilitate technology deployment models and the acquisition of complete IT solutions, including hardware, software, and services from Hewlett Packard Enterprise and others. Additionally, the company invests in communications and media solutions. It has a partnership with Striim, Inc. to offer high performance and mission-critical solutions with real-time analytics. It serves commercial and large enterprise groups, such as business and public sector enterprises; and through various partners comprising resellers, distribution partners, original equipment manufacturers, independent software vendors, systems integrators, and advisory firms. Hewlett Packard Enterprise Company was founded in 1939 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The SFJ group has put out a statement as a direct threat to Bhartiya Janata Party if they try to remove such hoardings or pose any hindrance in their movement.

By Manjeet Sehgal: A day after India Today reported that pro-Khalistan groups are putting up banners in parts of Punjab calling for referendum on independence from Indian State by 2020, Sikhs For Justice group has threatened BJP.

The SFJ group has put out a statement as a direct threat to Bhartiya Janata Party if they try to remove such hoardings or pose any hindrance in their movement.

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"BJP will face serious consequences if they remove the Referendum 2020 hoardings," SFJ spokesperson Gurpatwant Singh Pannun said in a statement .

The banners carry a life-size portrait of slain Khalistan militant Jarnail Singh Bhindranwale with the Golden Temple complex in the backdrop. These posters have been put in towns- Dhanaula in Barnala, Rajpura, Fatehgarh Sahab and Banur near Roopnagar among others.

Some private buildings were also spotted with posters carrying messages like- Azadi hi hal (Independence is the only solution) on Saturday night.

Pulling up the Amarinder Singh government for inaction, the BJP workers had vowed to take these posters down themselves on Sunday.

'WE ARE NOT SCARED OF THEM'

Reacting to the threat given by the pro-Khalistan group SFJ , BJP secretary Vineet Joshi said that the party is not afraid of the separatists who do not even have supporters in Punjab.

"Sikhs For Justice is funded by Pakistan and has no office in Punjab. This blacklisted group is speaking the language of Pakistan and by putting referendum hoardings is trying to disrupt peace. We are ready for any sacrifice and will not let any divisive forces to launch anti-India propaganda," Vineet Joshi added.

As locals feigned ignorance over the posters coming up in their vicinity, even Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) distanced itself from the controversy. "We do not believe in politics of religion and do not support the idea of Khalistan. We are against such people who try to divide Punjab- which has seen black days and will never forget them," Bhagwant Mann said.

Punjab Finance Minister Manpreet Badal said, "There are some fringe Khalistan groups who are indulging in acts like this for cheap publicity. They should keep in mind that they cannot fool the people of Punjab who know the value of peace and paid heavy price to regain it. Law will prevail and we are taking necessary steps to deal with such elements."

Also watch: 10 armed men break into Nabha jail in Punjab; free Khalistan Liberation Force chief, four others

Also read: Azadi Di Gal: Separatist wave hits Punjab again, Khalistani groups put up posters for independence

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Also read: Punjab: Ludhiana drug peddler updates Facebook from central jail

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: Photo:(PTI7_3_2017_000141B)

By Aditi Khanna

London, Jul 3 (PTI) A previously unknown pencil portrait of Mahatma Gandhi, drawn from life in 1931, is set to go under the hammer at a Sothebys auction here next week and may fetch between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds.

The sale on July 11 by Sothebys will also include a collection of handwritten letters by the leader of the Indian Independence movement to the family of Sarat Chandra Bose, a freedom fighter and the elder brother of Subhas Chandra Bose.

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"Gandhi usually refused to sit for formal photographs, let alone a portraitist, making this an extremely rare portrayal of the political leader at work. The sketch shows Gandhi writing with a look of intense concentration whilst seated on the floor, and is inscribed by him with the words Truth is God/MK Gandhi/4.12.?31?," the auction house said in a statement.

The pencil drawing is one of a number of portraits created by artist John Henry Amshewitz when Gandhi was visiting London for the Round Table Conference in 1931, a series of conferences organised by the British government to discuss constitutional reforms in India.

Gandhi stayed at Kingsley Hall at the time, a community centre in Londons East End, at the invitation of one of its founders Muriel Lester who had previously stayed in Gandhis ashram (hermitage) in India.

The pencil portrait, which was inscribed by Gandhi the day before he left Kingsley Hall, was given to a local resident who was closely associated with Kingsley Hall throughout her life and has remained in her family ever since.

The rare portrait is estimated to fetch between 8,000 and 12,000 pounds (USD 10,360 to 15548).

The set of handwritten letters, estimated to fetch between 23,000 and 33,000 pounds (USD 29,801 to 42,735), include key comments on the pivotal partition of Bengal in the months before Gandhis assassination.

"Sarat Chandra Bose was one of the most outspoken critics of partition and proposed an independent united Bengal. He had his allies, but formidable enemies in Congress, as well as in the League.

"Gandhi was initially supportive of Boses efforts, but shifted his position. He had little sympathy for Boses vision of a socialist Bengal and, coming to see that the political forces in favour of partition were irresistible, turned instead to trying to mitigate its effects," the house said in its background to the auction lots.

In one of the letters, Gandhi writes to Sarat Chandra: "You should give up the struggle for unity of Bengal and cease to disturb the atmosphere that has been created for partition of Bengal".

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Dating from the mid-1940s, the other letters in the collection affirm Gandhis continued love for the Bose family as he recalls visits to their home in Calcutta (now Kolkata) and discusses the future of India with Amiya Nath Bose, the son of Sarat Chandra Bose, the house added. PTI AK/TRS CPS AKJ CPS

--- ENDS ---
Salman's pair of jeans belongs in the '90s, and that's where it should stay.

By Shivani Chhabra: Salman Khan-starrer Tubelight might have failed to impress the audiences, but that hasn't affected the immense love his fans have for him. While Salman has rightfully established himself as the king of the Rs 100-crore club with hits like Bajrangi Bhaijaan, his fashion sense hasn't really garnered any notable appreciation.

Spotted in casual t-shirts, or evergreen suits, Salman prefers to keep it his attires basic. Though we admire how he sticks to classics, and places comfort over fashion, his latest pair of jeans has definitely changed the way we think about his old-school style sense.

Photo: Yogen Shah

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Salman was recently spotted at the airport in his iconic body-hugging, basic t-shirt--the description holds true for almost all his informal looks.

Also Read: This picture of Katrina Kaif is all you need to get ready for yet another week

While we were cool with his blue, full-sleeved t-shirt, the shabby-looking pair of jeans he donned was a little too much to handle.

From a weird spider-wash to zippers on his flared bottoms, it was a farrago of primitive patterns that ruled the '90s, and should've been left there!

To start with, the web-like wash on the grey jeans is older than the millennials today. We too, however, are guilty of embracing this weird fashion statement, but only as innocent, fashion-disoriented children.

Photo: Yogen Shah

It's a well-known fact that the zippers we see at the bottom of the tapered or skinny jeans today were first introduced by Zara, for a reason that doesn't apply in Salman's case.

The zipper at the bottom of the jeans is meant to help pull the jeans up when stuck at the ankle--the trick is to unzip the bottom, pulling the jeans up from the ankle, and close the zip. In Salman's case, the functionality of that zip does not apply because the jeans is flared at the bottom.

Photo: Yogen Shah

Also Read: Raveena Tandon, how are you not feeling crazy hot in that outfit?

The self-lined patch on the jeans was as painful as the zippers, and again took us back 25 years.

Though the distressed parts of the jeans was not exactly pretty, it sure was the best part of the jeans.

Come on, Salman, we're sure you can do better!

--- ENDS ---
Polands Play is offloading PLN5.3 billion (1.3 billion) of shares in its recently announced IPO.

As much as 48% of the total issued shares will therefore be in free-float. The maximum price will be PLN44 per share, with retail investors as well as authorised employees given the opportunity to obtain stock. Play employees will receive a 15% discount if they obtain shares in the IPO, subject to a one year lock-up.

Play was a relative latecomer to the Polish mobile market, but has seen significant uptake, eventually becoming the markets second largest operator in terms of subscriber numbers. It is expected to begin trading on the Warsaw Stock Exchange on 27th July, with its IPO reportedly the biggest listing in Poland since 2011.

Jorgen Bang-Jensen, CEO of parent firm Play Communications, said: I am looking forward to meeting potential investors in the next two weeks to present one of the outstanding success stories in the European wireless sector.

Play Communications is owned by investment groups Novator and Tollerton Investments. It has stated that it will use proceeds from the IPO to pay down debt, offer shareholder dividends, and deliver on incentive plans.
Applegreen announced on Monday that it had received the approval of the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission to acquire a 50% share in the Joint Fuels Terminal in Dublin port from the Topaz Energy Group for a consideration of 15.7m.

The AIM-traded firm had initially signalled the transaction in January, and expected to complete it by mid-July.

It had expected it to close in the first quarter.

The Joint Fuels Terminal, which is 50% owned by Valero Energy, is one of three fuel importing facilities in Dublin port, Applegreens board explained in its first announcement.

The interest being acquired was previously owned by Esso Ireland.

The proposed acquisition provides Applegreen with the facility to import fuel directly from refineries thereby securing a strategically valuable platform that provides a competitive supply for the majority of its Irish fuel requirements.

Applegreen said the transaction was being funded from existing resources.
Tuesday sees an update on UK construction sector activity, while in company news Sainsbury's will provide a first-quarter update.

Following manufacturing purchasing managers' index the day before and ahead of the key services PMI survey the day after, the construction report is forecast to see a slight softening in growth for June.

Off the back of a reading of 56.0 in May, the consensus is for an easing off to 55.0.

Pantheon Macroeconomics predicted that as housebuilding is likely to have slowed as house purchase demand has fallen, the construction may even have fallen to 54.0, which could see shares in housebuilding companies hit.

Wednesday's Markit/CIPS services PMI will be the bigger report and could give the pound a major dent or fillip if it disappoints or impresses.

Sainsbury's update is the first following the Argos acquisition where the retailer will not release separate data for Sainsbury supermarkets and Argos.

Moreover, Sainsbury's will not longer give Q2 and Q3 trading updates so this is the last reporting event pre interim results on 8 November.

Deutsche Bank forecast group retail like-for-like sales and total retail sales growth excluding fuel of 3.1% and 3.2%, while UBS was looking for retail LFL ex fuel of 1.1%.

Barclays and Goldman Sachs predicted group LFL sales of just 1.9%.

Goldman, which has the stock on a 'sell' recommendation, believes the market is "materially underestimating the margin investment required at Sainsbury supermarkets and Argos", with the grocer losing market share and price competitiveness, plus with wages below peers'.

Furthermore, Goldman sees the City consensus as overestimating free cash flow in the current financial year by around 250m, equivalent to circa 5% of the company's total market cap.

Imagination Technologies, which last month put itself up for sale after its shares collapsed on the news that major client Apple plans to soon start making its own microchips, will also release full year results.

Two weeks ago the company said it had received expressions of interest about a potential takeover, with speculation that some big names in the tech world such as Intel and Qualcomm are circling.

Barclays forecast revenue of 149m, up 5% on the previous year, while gross profit is predicted to increase 14%, with the company expected to return to a positive adjusted operating profit margin of 18%.

Tuesday July 04

INTERNATIONAL ECONOMIC ANNOUNCEMENTS

PMI Construction (US) (09:30)

Producer Price Index (EU) (10:00)

FINALS

Imagination Technologies Group, Solid State, Trakmate

INTERIMS

RM, St. Modwen Properties

TRADING ANNOUNCEMENTS

Costain Group, Sainsbury (J), Staffline Group

INTERIM DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Marston's

QUARTERLY EX-DIVIDEND DATE

JP Morgan Chase & Co

GMS

NewRiver REIT

AGMS

Distil, ProVen Growth & Income VCT, ProVen VCT, Veltyco Group

FINAL DIVIDEND PAYMENT DATE

Pacific Assets Trust, Staffline Group
Fishing vessels from across Europe will no longer be allowed to operate close to the British coastline after the government decided to end a long-standing arrangement with the EU. Michael Gove, the new environment secretary, said withdrawing from the 53-year-old London Fisheries Convention would allow the UK to take the "historic step" of gaining tighter control over its fishing areas. The Irish government said today that Britains withdrawal from the convention was "unwelcome and unhelpful". - The Sunday Times

The UK's ageing population will force the Government to raise taxes, borrow more or cut back on healthcare spending even if Britons are forced to work until they are 75, according to Legal & General. Analysis of official projections showed raising the retirement age by a decade overnight would still result in painful choices for policymakers. L&G Investment Management (LGIM) said slower population growth and ballooning healthcare costs would put significant pressure on the public finances in the coming decades. - The Sunday Telegraph

Europe's competition chief has urged companies that believe they have been hurt by Googles "illegal behaviour" to sue for lost earnings. Margrethe Vestager, the European Commissions anti-trust tsar, said any business with a potential claim against the internet search giant should use a damning report she is about to publish to bolster its legal case. Vestager hit Google with a 2.4bn (2.1bn) fine on Tuesday for manipulating internet search results to favour its own price comparison shopping service, and crush rivals. - The Sunday Times

Shares in the gene science pioneer Oxford BioMedica soared almost 40% last week amid mounting expectations of a revolutionary new treatment for leukaemia. The Oxford University spinouts technology is being used in a therapy developed by the Swiss pharma giant Novartis. The treatment is set to be reviewed by the US medical watchdogs advisory panel next week. It uses a modified version of the HIV virus to insert a cancer-killing gene into patients cells. In trials, children with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia who failed to recover from chemotherapy were cancer-free within weeks. - The Sunday Times

The Mounties pension fund is lining up a 6bn swoop on Arqiva, the company behind Britains mobile phone and television transmissions. PSP Investments, which plots deals on behalf of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, has teamed up with London-based Arcus Infrastructure Partners to register its interest in Arqiva, sources said. PSPs offer comes four years after the Mounties explored buying a minority stake in Arqiva. The infrastructure company is owned by Canada Pension Plan and Australian investment giant Macquarie. - The Sunday Times

Virgin Medias 3bn network expansion plan is running badly behind schedule, threatening the growth targets of its parent company, the pan-European cable giant Liberty Global. Documents seen by The Daily Telegraph reveal that in June the Project Lighting scheme fell 61pc short of its goal for connecting new homes. Virgin Media completed work on 27,199 premises during the month, compared with plans for 69,278 new lines. In blocks of flats the operator added just 15% of the 16,467 new connections it was meant to complete. - The Sunday Telegraph

John Varley, the former chief executive of Barclays, will be among three former bankers to appear at Westminster magistrates court on Monday to face charges of fraud for events that took place at the height of the financial crisis. Varley is scheduled to appear along with Roger Jenkins, Tom Kalaris and Richard Boath following the announcement by the Serious Fraud Office last month that they were to be prosecuted over the way Barclays raised billions of pounds from Qatar in 2008. - The Guardian on Sunday

Short sellers have piled into London-listed platinum miner Lonmin amid fears the company is burning through cash and may have to raise more capital. Around 14% of Lonmins shares are on loan to short sellers, seven times greater than the average for a UK stock and the highest amount since late 2015, when the company was forced to raise $400m (308m) in a rights issue. That was the third time it had tapped investors for cash in six years. - The Sunday Telegraph
To the casual observer, we are making tremendous progress moving off fossil fuels and developing a clean, renewable energy system. The good news seems to be everywhere: The U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution calling for a transition to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035, and legislation passed in the California Senate to mandate 100 percent renewable energy by 2045 . After Trump announced he was backing out of the Paris climate agreement, communities across the country pledged to meet its goals. The cost of renewable energy is dropping fast, and the U.S. Energy Information Administrations (EIA) Electric Power Monthly seems to show that renewables are surpassing nuclear power.

All of this might give the impression that, even with the Trump administration aggressively pushing fossil fuels, a renewable energy future is a forgone conclusion. But the reality is that while we certainly have momentum, we still need massive political action, because we still have a long way to goand not a lot of time left.

Beyond the sunny headlines, the numbers speak for themselves, especially when you dont mix hydroelectric and biogas in renewable energy estimates. When we look only at truly clean renewable energy sources, the EIA report shows that renewable energy has not outpaced nuclear, and that our energy sector is dominated by fossil fuels. Across all sectors, fossil fuels accounted for almost 59 percent of electricity production in the first third of 2017. Coal provided 30 percent, with natural gas close behind at 28 percent and nuclear at 20 percent. Wind and solar provided just over 9 percent of our energy needs. The rest is made up of biogas, hydroelectric and other forms of dirty energy.

Spinning Climate Inaction as Climate Leadership

In the same way numbers can be spun to present an overly rosy picture of our renewable energy progress, it is easy to spin climate inaction as climate leadership. Many elected officials are getting credit for being climate leaders without making any substantial action to move us off fossil fuels, and just criticizing actions of the Trump Administration. If we are going to make the progress we need to protect our climate for future generations, we must demand more of our leaders than just being against Trump, or just being slightly better.

Consider all of the statements that came flooding in from political leaders in support of the Paris agreement. Being in favor of taking action when Trump is against it is fine, but we must remember that Paris has no accountability mechanisms, and no specific benchmarks other than avoiding a 2 C increase in global temperature. Scientists are telling us that even achieving that goal in and of itself will not prevent numerous unpredictable and permanent changes to our climate. A recent study published in Nature says we could have as little as three years to significantly reduce greenhouse gas emissions; if we dont heed this warning, we will see prolonged droughts, melting icecaps, rising sea levels and other permanent and unpredictable changes to our planets climate.

The commitments that mayors make to honor the Paris agreement will only be as strong as the local polices they enact to transition to clean, renewable energy. And some of those policies are less revolutionary than they might appear. After Trumps Paris pullout, Santa Barbara was lauded for passing a resolution to be 100 percent renewable by the year 2030. However, a closer look at that resolution shows that the city will continue to rely on natural gas, and it embraces loopholes in the form of offsets to meet its climate goals.

Which Unsustainable Energy Sources are Counted as Renewable?

Indeed, what we count as renewable energy will become increasingly important as we evaluate clean energy plans across the country. The news that renewables surpassed nuclear power relies on the fact that the U.S. Energy Information Administration unfortunately includes biomass and big dams in the renewable category, even though these are hardly clean or sustainable sources of energy.

The fine print on clean energy proposals matters. The California State Senate recently passed SB 100, which aims to transition the state to 100 percent renewable energy. But the actual policy only commits the state to 60 percent by 2030, and this inadequate goal will likely incentivize the use of animal waste from factory farms to meet that renewable benchmark. The biogas industry estimates that California could see the number of methane digesters at factory farms grow from just under 20 to nearly 1,000. So, this bill would actually reinforce dirty polluting factory farms, and take resources away from true clean energy sources like wind and solar. We must do better.

And in New York, an even less aspirational bill, touted as a climate and community protection measure, only strives for 50 percent renewable energy by 2030, and it would count large-scale hydroelectric dams as renewable. And earlier this year, Gov. Andrew Cuomowho has been lauded recently for leading the opposition to Trumps Paris decisionpushed through a regulatory scheme that will end net metering, one of the most effective policies to support solar energy development.

Across the river, the ambition of New Jerseys legislative leaders is even lower; the strongest policy is a bill that calls for 80 percent renewable energy by 2050, and it would count burning garbage as renewable energy.

But there are elected officials showing real political courage, like Delegate Shane Robinson of Maryland, who has committed to introducing legislation that will transition the state to 100 percent renewable energy by 2035. Or in New York, where Senator Hoylman has introduced legislation to transition the state to 100 percent renewable energy by 2030.

Massive Movement Still Needed to Move Off Fossil Fuels

The barriers to transitioning to renewable energy are not technical or economic; they are political. The cost of solar, wind and storage are dropping rapidly. In many places, renewables are as cheap, or cheaper, than fossil fuels; and when you consider the health and social costs associated with burning fossil fuels, the costs are not even close.

If we are going to fight climate change, we need to hold elected officials accountable to real climate leadership. Anyone pushing policies that do not take strong, decisive action to move us off fossil fuels while making significant emissions reductions in the next few years is not a climate leader.

If you want to help us hold elected officials accountable to real climate leadership, join the OFF Fossil Fuels campaign of our sister organization Food & Water Action Fund to help move us towards a clean renewable futurecommunity by community and state by state.
The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago.

Saudi Arabia and three other Arab states boycotting Qatar over alleged support for terrorism have sent Doha a list of 13 demands (Reuters photo)

By Reuters: Saudi Arabia and three allies accusing Qatar of supporting terrorism have agreed to a request by Kuwait to extend by 48 hours Sunday's deadline for Doha to comply, according to a joint statement on Saudi state news agency SPA.

Without stating whether Qatar had rejected the ultimatum as was widely expected, Kuwaiti state news agency KUNA said Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah had asked Saudi Arabia and the three other countries boycotting Qatar to grant it an extension.

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Kuwait has been acting as a mediator after Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Doha, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran.

Qatar has called the charges baseless and its foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, said the stiff demands - including closing Qatar-based al Jazeera TV and ejecting Turkish troops based there - were made to be rejected.

The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago.

Egypt said on Sunday that foreign ministers from the four boycotting countries would meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, without providing further details.

They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar.

The US State Department, which is an ally of all countries involved, endorsed Kuwait's role as a mediator and called for both sides in the dispute to exercise restraint.

ALSO READ:

Qatar could face further sanctions by Arab states as deadline approaches

Qatar says demands made by Saudi Arabia, allies not realistic

ALSO WATCH:

Yemen joins list of nations that have cut ties with Qatar

--- ENDS ---
By Malavika Vyawahare, Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy

Madagascar has embarked on its most ambitious tree-planting drive yet, aiming to plant 60 million trees in the coming months. The island nation celebrates 60 years of independence this year, and the start of the planting campaign on Jan. 19 marked one year since the inauguration of President Andry Rajoelina, who has promised to restore Madagascars lost forests.

The government has the challenge of making Madagascar a green island again. I encourage the people to protect the environment and reforest for the benefit of the future generations, Rajoelina told the hundreds of people who attended the launch in Ankazobe district, 100 kilometers (60 miles) northwest of the capital, Antananarivo. In a span of a few hours, about 1 million trees were planted over 500 hectares (1,235 acres), according to the environment ministry  an area one-and-a-half times the size of New York Citys Central Park.

Madagascar, the oldest island in the world and the fourth-largest, spanning 59 million ha (146 million acres), is home to an astounding range of plant and animal life. Between 2001 and 2018, it lost about one-fifth of its tree cover, according to Global Forest Watch, driven primarily by the expansion of shifting agriculture, known locally as tavy. The destruction of Madagascars forests could sound the death knell for many of its endemic species, found nowhere else on the planet. Months of planning and a massive nationwide effort to amass seeds and populate nurseries culminated in the highly publicized launch. It saw participation from NGOs, schools, government ministries, and the army. Rajoelina, dressed in a T-shirt and jeans, launched the planting season by tucking a seedling into a pocket of earth. He later lent a hand to children, took selfies with babies, and was even photographed, hoe in hand, hauling dirt. But experts say the real heavy lifting to reclaim forests will come after the saplings are in the ground. Right now, we are at the stage of planting trees, but the big question is: What is next? How to protect those young trees, so we dont plant them in January and then destroy them in July, said Jonah Ratsimbazafy, a prominent Malagasy primatologist who heads the Groupe dEtude et de Recherche sur les Primates (GERP).

Seedlings at the tree-planting site in Ankazobe district, Madagascar, on Jan. 19. Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy / Mongabay For the planting season that runs until April, the Rajoelina administration wants 60 million seedlings to be planted across 40,000 ha (99,000 acres). Experts interviewed by Mongabay last November said it would be a formidable undertaking, especially for a country where almost 80 percent of the population does not have access to grid electricity, and felling trees to make charcoal for cooking is a widespread practice. Reconciling the immediate needs of the countrys poor and the long-term goal of stemming and then turning the tide of deforestation will be tough, observers say. It remains to be seen whether Rajoelina has the will to see it through, given his checkered record on the environment. Madagascar has hosted tree-planting drives in the past, but the push from the presidents office this time around is expected to make a difference. Nirina Rakotonanahary, 30, a participant at the launch, said it was his first time taking part in a tree-planting drive, which he said was popularized by the president. Close to 200,000 seedlings were gathered in nurseries for the launch event and transported to the Ankazobe site on trucks. For the national campaign, an estimated 100 million seeds have been rounded up by regional centers of the environmental ministry and its partners. The seedlings are being distributed free of cost to institutions and associations from government-run nurseries. The launch made it clear the government is trying to strike a balance between planting endemic species and agroforestry species, some of which are exotic and invasive. The 50 species that are available at the nurseries include exotic acacia, eucalyptus, fruit trees and various spice trees. Rakotonanahary said he planted fruit trees because if the yield was good, they might be able to export the produce.

Seedlings at the tree-planting site in Ankazobe district, Madagascar, on Jan. 19. Valisoa Rasolofomboahangy / Mongabay To secure the trees, especially those viewed as useful by people, will be an uphill task. We want to encourage people to plant and not consume the fruits of the trees inside the parks or cut them to make charcoal, said Mamy Rakotoarijaona, director of Madagascar National Parks. Despite being protected areas, national parks in Madagascar have also witnessed significant deforestation; they have now emerged as important sites for the reforestation campaign. To extend the drive to remote areas, the government plans to use drones and airplanes. During the launch event, about 5 tons of seeds in the form of seed balls were dropped from an aircraft over 500 ha of land. Each ball of soil is packed with 25 seeds. The success rate measured in terms of how many seeds survive and germinate is about 60 percent, according to a government release that cited a pilot project carried out in 2018. The ministry of environment also said the practice would save on the cost of plastic bags that hold seedlings before they are transplanted. The immediate concern is to sustain the momentum for tree planting, and in the longer term to ensure that gains are not frittered away. The president, in his speech, said that meeting concrete targets and following up with action would be central to the campaign. This time, the action will be continuous, and there will be a follow-up. The state will recruit guards to monitor and protect the young plants, Alexandre Georget, Madagascars environment minister, said at the launch.

In Ankazobe, there is a plan to recruit 50 people to monitor the saplings because the area is at risk from forest fires that could wipe out within days any gains from a planting campaign months in the making. Involving local communities is indispensable not just in planting trees but in monitoring and safeguarding them, according to Ratsimbazafy of GERP. If the authorities do not have a clear and efficient strategy to fight against deforestation and fires, then Madagascar wont return to forests, he said. Thats a view echoed by Alliance Voahary Gasy, a coalition of Malagasy environmental NGOs. It expressed support for the large-scale effort but noted that if the government did not take strict action against those breaking environmental rules, including government officials, the campaign would fail to meet its objectives. While millions of seeds may sprout forth from the red soils of Madagascar in the coming months, a sense of optimism about the greening campaign has yet to take root. Rakotonanahary, who helped plant fruit trees in Ankazobe, also struck a despondent note. Im not sure they will all survive, he said of the newly planted trees. The problem is that in Madagascar, we make efforts one day, and then we do not continue.

Malavika Vyawahare is a staff writer for Mongabay.

Reposted with permission from Mongabay.
LOGAN, UTAH, USA-The diversity of woody plant species is one of the most notable aspects of forests worldwide. However, the mechanisms behind the high diversity in tropical forests and the lower diversity in temperate forests have been poorly understood. Over 50 years ago, Daniel Janzen and Joseph Connell proposed a theory that plant enemies - specialized insects, fungi, and bacteria - attack and kill seedlings near their parent trees, preventing common species from dominating a forest.

Recently, Utah State University scientists joined a global collaboration to reveal an important mechanism promoting species diversity from the tropical to temperate forests. A year ago, Jonathan Myers, an assistant professor of biology at Washington University in St. Louis, and Joe LaManna, a postdoctoral research associate at Washington University's Tyson Research Center, proposed a test of the Janzen-Connell hypothesis to the principal investigators of an international network of long-term forest dynamics research sites, called the Smithsonian Center for Tropical Forest Science-Forest Global Earth Observatory (CTFS-ForestGEO). "This is the first time we've had the data to do this kind of in-depth analysis and to look across temperate and tropical latitudes," said LaManna, who is the corresponding author on the paper. The CTFS-ForestGEO research sites involve large plots within which all woody stems larger than 1 cm in diameter are mapped using a common field methodology, so that spatial patterns of forests around the world can be directly compared.

The study found that suppression of trees near others of the same species is stronger in tropical forests than in temperate forests. Secondly, the study found that this self-suppression is stronger for rare species in the tropics compared to common species. The result helps explain why there are so many rare tree species in tropical forests. In temperate forests, self-suppression is relatively equal for all species, or slightly stronger for common species.

Utah State University Assistant Professor Jim Lutz contributed data from his three western plots - in California, Washington, and Utah. "The existence and maintenance of woody plant diversity is one of the most important features of landscapes," Lutz said. "How plant enemies control diversity can help us understand and manage western forests. The fact that plant enemies can help stabilize forests gives us new insights to promote forest resilience." Utah State University graduate student Tucker Furniss, who also participated in the study said, "I am glad that the Utah plot, at the elevational limit of closed-canopy forest, could help reveal this global pattern." Furniss' specific work on the Utah plot was recently published in the journal Ecosphere.

###

This work was carried out during the 2016 CTFS-ForestGEO Workshop in Hainan, China, supported by National Science Foundation (NSF) grant DEB-1545761. It was also supported by the Utah Agricultural Experiment Station as project 1153. The data used in the primary analyses will be available at the Smithsonian Institution's CTFS-ForestGEO database portal: [http://www.forestgeo.si.edu/group/Data/Access+the+data.]
Researchers at the University of Melbourne have demonstrated a way to detect nuclear spins in molecules non-invasively, providing a new tool for biotechnology and materials science.

Important research in medicine and biology relies on nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy, but until now, it has been limited in spatial resolution and typically requires powerful microwave fields. A team led by Professor Lloyd Hollenberg at the University of Melbourne has used a quantum probe to perform microwave-free NMR at the nanoscale. The results were published today in Nature Communications.

"This quantum probe delivers a dramatic improvement in NMR technology. In addition to being able to detect NMR in far smaller samples than conventional machines, our technique does not require the application of microwave fields that might disrupt biological samples" said Hollenberg, who is Deputy Director of the Centre for Quantum Computation and Communication Technology (CQC2T) and Thomas Baker Chair at the University of Melbourne.

"In NMR the goal is to detect the magnetic signal from the nuclei of the atoms comprising molecules. But the signal from the nuclear "spin" is very weak and conventional NMR machines require many millions of nuclear spins to detect anything. However, using the quantum properties of a 'defect' in diamond, our technique can detect much smaller volumes down to only thousands of spins."

The discovery may overcome significant limitations with conventional NMR methods, which depend on machines that can exceed 10 tonnes.

"The problem with the large NMR machines in widespread use today is that the signals we're trying to detect are extremely small, and the distance from the measurement device to the object being measured is very large," said Dr. Alastair Stacey, a CQC2T postdoctoral researcher.

"This creates two problems: The machine can only see a larger collection of molecules, reducing the accuracy of the measurement. It also has to use very strong microwaves and magnetic fields to reach the sample, but these processes are invasive and can affect delicate bio-samples, just like the microwave in your kitchen, particularly when trying to see the molecular structure of liquids."

Lead author James Wood describes the technique as "a dramatic simplification of the nuclear detection process, where we essentially shine light on an atomic-sized defect in diamond and observe its natural response, at a fundamentally quantum level, to the target nuclear spins nearby".

"A great benefit of our approach is that we don't interfere with the sample when imaging it."

The technique offers new opportunities for researchers.

"With these advances in quantum sensing technology, we are opening the door to a new world of scientific investigation that could lead us to gain a better understanding of the smallest building blocks of life," said Hollenberg.

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The research is supported with funding from the Australian Research Council through the Centre of Excellence and Laureate Fellowship programs.
Amsterdam, July 3, 2017 - Doctors should consider radiosurgery earlier for patients with severe facial pain, according to a new study in the International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics (the "Red Journal") - the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO).

In the research, radiosurgery helped improve the quality of life for patients with trigeminal neuralgia and reduced their depression, which is often exacerbated by the side effects of other treatments. The authors, from Cleveland Clinic in the US, say considering radiosurgery earlier on could make a big difference to patients' lives.

Trigeminal neuralgia (TN) is a very painful nerve disorder that causes an electrical shock feeling in the face, usually in older people. Some things can trigger it, like chewing or even the wind blowing, but attacks can be random. On a scale of 1-10, patients often describe the pain as 15 - off the scale. TN is commonly treated with anti-epileptic medications. While this can reduce the pain, it makes patients drowsy and tired, and they report feeling drunk. This has an impact on their quality of life and frequently causes depression, as it stops them from driving, working or even just leaving the house.

According to the new study, radiosurgery, which is normally a second line treatment to be used following the medication, helps improve quality of life and reduce depression in patients with TN. By considering it earlier as a treatment option, doctors could help improve the lives of patients with TN more quickly.

"We knew radiosurgery results in pain relief, but we didn't know if the patients actually felt better," said Dr. Samuel Chao, corresponding author of the study. "I think people go and see their neurologist and get the pain under control with medication, but they don't realize how lousy this can make them feel. Using radiosurgery earlier on allows patients to get off the medications, improving their quality of life by allowing them to return to activities they used to do."

Radiosurgery is a method for physically treating the nerve using radiation - with stereotactic radiosurgery, doctors can focus 192 beams of radiation on a single point. It is non-invasive, so doesn't require the healing time of traditional surgery. Treatment takes less than an hour and requires no anesthetic. However, it is often overlooked or delayed as a treatment because there is a lack of capability and experience with the method. Research has shown that radiosurgery reduces pain for 80% of patients, but the broader impact on their lives remained unknown.

In the new study, Dr. Chao, Dr. Kotecha and his colleagues prospectively collected data from 50 patients they treated with radiosurgery using two questionnaires: EuroQOL 5-Dimension and Patient Health Questionnaire 9. They asked questions about the patients' pain and facial numbness, their health and their ability to take care of themselves. The researchers analyzed patients' answers before treatment and at each follow-up appointment, and found that patients reported an improved quality of life and lower rates of depression after radiosurgery. Importantly, the benefit of treatment was strongly driven by improvements in pain and discomfort as well as self-care.

"Pain and the medication to stop the pain make it difficult for people with TN to go outside and live life," explained Dr. Chao. "With radiosurgery, we can reduce pain, improve quality of life and decrease depression - people can go out and enjoy life without worrying they will have a random attack. Giving options empowers the patient to be more aware of themselves and manage their own condition."

The team plans to analyze the impact of other treatment options and carry out a cost-based analysis to establish the best treatment options for TN.

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Notes for editors

The article is "Stereotactic Radiosurgery for Trigeminal Neuralgia Improves Patient-Reported Quality-of-Life and Reduces Depression," by Rupesh Kotecha, Jacob A. Miller, Sujith Modugula, Gene H. Barnett, Erin S. Murphy, Chandana A. Reddy, John H. Suh, Gennady Neyman, Andre Machado, and Sean Nagel. It appears in International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics, (available online 11 April), published by Elsevier.

Copies of this paper are available to credentialed journalists upon request; please contact [Name] at [E-mail address] or [Phone number (add country code!)].

About International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics

International Journal of Radiation Oncology * Biology * Physics (IJROBP), known in the field as the "Red Journal," is the official journal of the American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO). It publishes original laboratory and clinical investigations related to radiation oncology, radiation biology, medical physics, and both education and health policy as it relates to the field. This journal has a particular interest in prospective clinical trials, outcomes research, and large database interrogation, as well as reports of high-impact innovations in single or combined modality treatment, tumor sensitization, normal tissue protection (including both precision avoidance and pharmacologic means), brachytherapy, particle irradiation, and cancer imaging.

About Elsevier

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Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease are not the same. They affect different regions of the brain and have distinct genetic and environmental risk factors.

But at the biochemical level, these two neurodegenerative diseases start to look similar. That's how Emory scientists led by Keqiang Ye, PhD, landed on a potential drug target for Parkinson's.

In both Alzheimer's (AD) and Parkinson's (PD), a sticky protein forms toxic clumps in brain cells. In AD, the troublemaker inside cells is called tau, making up neurofibrillary tangles. In PD, the sticky protein is alpha-synuclein, forming Lewy bodies.

Ye and his colleagues had previously identified an enzyme (asparagine endopeptidase or AEP) that trims tau in a way that makes it more sticky and toxic. Drugs that inhibit AEP have beneficial effects in Alzheimer's animal models.

In a new Nature Structural and Molecular Biology paper, Emory researchers show that AEP acts in the same way toward alpha-synuclein.

"In Parkinson's, alpha-synuclein behaves much like Tau in Alzheimer's," Ye says. "We reasoned that if AEP cuts Tau, it's very likely that it will cut alpha-synuclein too."

A particular chunk of alpha-synuclein produced by AEP's scissors can be found in samples of brain tissue from patients with PD, but not in control samples, Ye's team found.

In control brain samples AEP was confined to lysosomes, parts of the cell with a garbage disposal function. But in PD samples, AEP was leaking out of the lysosomes to the rest of the cell.

The researchers also observed that the chunk of alpha-synuclein generated by AEP is more likely to aggregate into clumps than the full length protein, and is more toxic when introduced into cells or mouse brains. In addition, alpha-synuclein mutated so that AEP can't cut it is less toxic.

Ye cautions that AEP is not the only enzyme that cuts alpha-synuclein into various toxic pieces, and the full-length alpha-synuclein protein is still able to aggregate and cause harm. Nevertheless, he says his team is moving on to testing drugs that inhibit AEP in Parkinson's animal models.

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First author Zhentao Zhang, MD, PhD, a former postdoc with Ye, is now at Wuhan University in China.

At Emory, the laboratories of P. Michael Iuvone, PhD in the Department of Ophthalmology and Nick Seyfried, PhD in the Department of Biochemistry contributed to the paper. Lingjing Jin, MD at Shanghai Tongji Hospital and Jian-Zhi Wang, MD, Key Laboratory of Ministry of Education of China for Neurological Disorders also contributed to the paper.

The research was supported by the Michael J. Fox Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Eye Institute (P30EY006360 and R01EY004864).
Geneva, 3 July 2017: An inexpensive fertility drug, which has been available for more than 50 years and can be taken orally, has proved as effective as other more costly hormones when used for ovarian stimulation before intrauterine stimulation (IUI). Investigator Dr Noor Danhof from the AMC Centre for Reproductive Medicine in Amsterdam says the results of the study, a large randomised trial performed in the Netherlands, now make this "least expensive and least invasive stimulation agent" the drug of choice in IUI.

The results of the study will be presented today at the 33rd annual meeting of ESHRE in Geneva.(1)

IUI with ovarian stimulation is in many countries first-line fertility treatment for couples with unexplained and mild male infertility. The cause of infertility in many couples - in some studies as many as one-third of all cases - cannot be diagnosed or explained, and this group of patients still represents a real challenge to fertility clinics, with options ranging from wait-and-see ("expectant management") to IVF. Between them lies the common approach of IUI, with prior ovarian stimulation to increase the number of leading follicles and thereby the chance of pregnancy. However, this approach has been linked to an increased risk of multiple pregnancy, so close ultrasound monitoring of ovarian response is always indicated.

Given this risk, it is also a matter of some controversy of how the ovarian stimulation for IUI should be performed, either with a course of routinely used injections of follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or a shorter course of the non-hormonal drug clomiphene citrate.(2) The trial reported today will now help resolve that controversy.

The study, performed in 24 fertility centres in the Netherlands and including only couples with unexplained or mild male subfertility, randomised 369 women to IUI with FSH and 369 women to IUI with clomiphene. Results showed that 31% (113 women) had an ongoing pregnancy following IUI with FSH and 26% (97 women) had an ongoing pregnancy following IUI with clomiphene; there was no statistical difference between the two.

Results also showed that five women (1%) had a multiple pregnancy following IUI-FSH and eight (2%) had a multiple pregnancy following IUI-CC - again, a statistically non-significant difference.

Dr Danhof reports that the study was sufficiently powered to detect and prove a difference of 10% in ongoing pregnancies between the two stimulation agents.

Patients in both arms of the study were treated with standard protocols of stimulation with either FSH or clomiphene, the former given by daily injection and the latter by daily tablet. The mean duration of stimulation with FSH was eight days, with total costs for the eight days estimated at 200 euros per patient. Clomiphene was given for five days (from cycle day 3, 4 or 5, with total costs estimated at 5 euros per patient.

"We showed that IUI stimulated with FSH is not superior to IUI and clomiphene in terms of ongoing pregnancies, live births and time to pregnancy," said Dr Danhof. "We also found a comparable low multiple pregnancy rate between IUI-FSH and IUI-CC - and these are now the reasons why we recommend using the least expensive stimulation agent. It's also a benefit for patients that clomiphene is administered orally for five days, while FSH is administered by injection."

As background to the study Dr Danhof explained that as many as 70 million people worldwide fail to conceive after one year of regular unprotected intercourse and seek medical help. Routine investigations - semen analysis, ovulation tests, ultrasound examination - will fail to find a clinical explanation in many of these cases, and the treatment of this unexplained infertility remains a challenge. The cumulative pregnancy rates recorded in this study - around 30% - are reasonable in such cases when treated with stimulated IUI.

Despite the allocation of all patients in this study to specific treatment, 48 of the 210 ongoing pregnancies (23%) were achieved by natural conception. This too is in line with the natural conception rate reported from other trials, thus suggesting that "expectant management" (wait-and-see) may be a reasonable option in patients with unexplained infertility - though there is no strong evidence in its favour.

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Abstract 0-009, Monday 3 July 2017

Ovarian stimulation in IUI cycles in couples with unexplained subfertility: follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) or clomiphene citrate (CC)?

1. The trial has been named as the SUPER study. An outline of the protocol can be found at Danhof N, Van Wely M, Koks CAM, et al. The SUPER study: protocol for a randomised controlled trial comparing follicle-stimulating hormone and clomiphene citrate for ovarian stimulation in intrauterine insemination. BMJ Open 2016; http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2016-015680.

2. Clomiphene citrate was one of the first drugs licensed for the treatment of infertility, mainly to restore regular cycles in women who did not ovulate (ie, in anovulatory conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome). With the uptake of IVF in the early 1980s, its use grew as an agent to encourage multiple follicle growth. Today in IVF its use has been mainly superseded by the reproductive hormones hMG (human menopausal gonadotrophin) and FSH, the latter in either urinary or recombinant form. However, with a shift towards milder IVF regimens, especially in Japan, clomiphene has regained some of its former application, even though success rates (in IVF at least) are somewhat lower than with FSH.

* When obtaining outside comment, journalists are requested to ensure that their contacts are aware of the embargo on this release.

For further information on the details of this press release, contact:

Christine Bauquis at ESHRE

Mobile: +32 (0)499 25 80 46 Email: christine@eshre.eu
Geneva, 3 July 2017: Men, unlike women, do not have a menopause or a predictable and detectable decline in their fertility. Female age is thus the dominant factor in predicting (or explaining) a couple's chance of conception, whether natural or assisted.

A few studies have found that the chance of natural conception can be affected by the age of the male partner, particularly in the genetic health of sperm cells, but the celebrity examples of Charlie Chaplin or Luciano Pavarotti have kept alive the notion that male fertility goes on forever.

Now, a new study from the USA in IVF couples shows quite clearly that live birth outcome is clearly affected by the age of the male partner and that in certain younger female age groups, where the effect of age is less potent, the chances of live birth can be appreciably reduced by the man's increasing age. "Our study found an independent effect of male age on the cumulative incidence of live birth," said investigator Dr Laura Dodge from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School, Boston, USA. Dr Dodge will present the study's results on Tuesday at the 33rd Annual Meeting of ESHRE in Geneva.

The study was an analysis of all IVF cycles performed at a large IVF centre in the Boston region between 2000 and 2014, a total of almost 19,000 cycles performed in 7753 couples. The female partners in these cycles were stratified according to four age bands: under 30, 30-35 years, 35-40 years, and 40-42. Men were stratified into these same four age bands, with an additional band of 42 and over.

As expected, the cumulative live birth rate (measured from up to six cycles of treatment) was lowest in those couples where the female partner was in the 40-42 age band, and in this group the age of the male partner had no impact, demonstrating the dominant detrimental effect of female age. However, within the other bands of female age, the cumulative incidence of live birth was significantly affected by male partner age and was found to decline as the man grew older.

For example, in couples with a female partner aged under 30, a male partner aged 40-42 was associated with a significantly lower cumulative birth rate (46%) than a male partner aged 30-35 (73%). Similarly, in couples with a female partner aged 35-40 years live birth rates were higher with a younger than with an older male partner.

"Generally," explained Dr Dodge, "we saw no significant decline in cumulative live birth when women had a male partner the same age or younger. However, women aged 35-40 did significantly benefit from having a male partner who is under age 30, in that they see a nearly 30% relative improvement in cumulative incidence of live birth when compared to women whose partner is 30-35 - from 54% to 70%.

"Where we see significant decreases in the cumulative incidence of live birth is among women with male partners in the older age bands. For women age 30-35 having a partner who is older than they are is associated with approximately 11% relative decreases in cumulative incidence of live birth - from 70% to 64% - when compared to having a male partner within their same age band."

Commenting on the results, Dr Dodge noted that in natural conceptions increasing male age is associated with a decreased incidence of pregnancy, increased time to pregnancy, and increased risk of miscarriage. The mechanisms, she added, are unclear but may include impaired semen parameters, increased DNA damage in sperm, and epigenetic alterations in sperm that affect fertilisation, implantation, or embryo development.

"However," said Dr Dodge, "both the results of this study and prior work show that female age has a larger effect on fertility than male age. While the effect of female age on fertility is overwhelmingly due to increased rates of chromosomal abnormality, the proposed mechanisms in the effect of male age on pregnancy are more subtle. When we looked at the effect of female age alone, we saw a 46% relative decrease from ages under 30 to 40-42, but when we looked at male age alone, we saw a 20% relative decrease over the same age span."

Can men with younger female partners do anything to compensate for this age effect in IVF? "It's hard to say without knowing the precise mechanisms involved," said Dr Dodge. "Most preconception advice for men focuses on semen quality, though studies suggest that this likely cannot fully ameliorate the effects of male reproductive ageing. So in the absence of clear evidence of the mechanisms, the best preconception advice we can offer is to maintain a healthy lifestyle."

This is the first study to calculate the cumulative incidence of live birth while jointly stratifying on multiple bands of both male and female age, allowing calculation of both male and female age simultaneously.

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Abstract O-178, Tuesday 4 July 2017

The impact of male partner age on cumulative incidence of live birth following in vitro fertilization

* "Cumulative live birth rate" refers to the chance of delivery of a live infant after one or more cycles of treatment. This is today acknowledged as the most realistic measure of success, and a reflection of everyday treatment outcome.

Male partner age: the story so far

1. Studies on age-related infertility have concentrated on the female partner. For example, the classic study by Habbema et al on when to start building a family integrated female age only into its model (Habbema JD, Eijkemans MJ, Leridon H, te Velde ER. Realizing a desired family size: when should couples start? Hum Reprod 2015; 30: 2215-21). These results showed that couples hoping for a one-child family should start trying to conceive when the female partner is 35 years old or younger, with IVF as an acceptable option, for two children the latest starting age would be 31 years, and for three children 28 years.

2. A large population study in the UK found that conception (natural) during a 12-month period was 30% less likely for men aged over 40 than for men younger than 30. There have been several explanations for this age-related decline in fertility - notably, a decline in sperm concentration (sperm count) and quality, and an increase in DNA fragmentation. Increasing male age is also associated with a greater incidence of medical conditions, which may affect fertility.

* When obtaining outside comment, journalists are requested to ensure that their contacts are aware of the embargo on this release.

For further information on the details of this press release, contact:

Christine Bauquis at ESHRE

Mobile: +32 (0)499 25 80 46

Email: christine@eshre.eu
Geneva, 3 July 2017: For the first time, a large population study has quantified the chance of pregnancy after treatment for cancer diagnosed in girls and women aged 39 or under. This landmark study, which linked all cancers diagnosed in Scotland between 1981 and 2012 to subsequent pregnancy, found that the cancer survivors were 38% less likely to achieve a pregnancy than women in the general population. This detrimental effect on fertility was evident in almost all types of cancer diagnosed.

"This analysis provides the first robust, population-based evidence of the effect of cancer and its treatment on subsequent pregnancy across the full reproductive age range," said presenter Professor Richard Anderson from the MRC Centre for Reproductive Health, Queen's Medical Research Institute at the University of Edinburgh, UK. "The major impact on pregnancy after some common cancers highlights the need for enhanced strategies to preserve fertility in girls and young women."

Professor Anderson will present the results of the study today at the Annual Meeting of ESHRE in Geneva.

The need for better access to fertility preservation has become more pressing in recent years for two reasons: first, the improved rates of survival in young women and girls diagnosed with cancer; and second, improvements in the techniques of freezing eggs and ovarian tissue to restore fertility.

This latest study, which cross-linked 23,201 female cancer survivors from the Scottish Cancer Registry with hospital discharge records, revealed 6627 pregnancies among the cancer survivors when nearly 11,000 would have been expected in a comparable matched control group from the general population.

For women who had not been pregnant before their cancer diagnosis, 20.6% of the cancer survivors achieved a first pregnancy after diagnosis (2114 first pregnancies in 10,271 women), compared with 38.7% in the control group. Thus, women with cancer were about half as likely to achieve a first pregnancy after diagnosis as were controls.

The analysis also found that the chance of pregnancy was reduced in all age groups, with substantial variations between different cancer diagnoses - notably, reduced pregnancy rates in women with cervical cancer, breast cancer and leukaemia. However, those cancers diagnosed later within the study period (2005-2012) were associated with higher rates of pregnancy than those diagnosed earlier (1981-1988), suggesting that for some cancer treatments the impact on fertility has reduced.

The diagnosis and treatment of female cancers are known to affect fertility for several reasons: some chemotherapy regimens can cause damage to the ovary, and this can occur at any age; radiotherapy can also compromise female fertility through effects on the ovary, uterus and potentially those brain centres which control the reproductive axis.

However, Professor Anderson stressed that the results of the study related only to subsequent pregnancy itself, and not to the incidence of infertility caused by cancer treatment. "Some women may have chosen not to have a pregnancy," he explained. "Thus, while these results do show an expected reduction in the chance of pregnancy after chemotherapy and radiotherapy, having a pregnancy after cancer does involve a range of complex issues that we cannot address in this study."

With rates of cancer survival increasing in both young male and females, fertility preservation ahead of treatment has an increasing role to play in fertility clinics. However, Professor Anderson described such services in all parts of the world, including the USA and Europe, as "very variable". "Oocyte and embryo freezing are regarded as established," he said, "but ovarian tissue cryopreservation is considered experimental, although it is the only option for prepubertal girls."

He added that the results of this study would allow clinicians to advise girls and women more accurately about their future chance of pregnancy. "They emphasise the need to consider the possible effects on fertility in girls and women with a new cancer diagnosis. The implications of the diagnosis and planned treatment and, where appropriate, options for fertility preservation should be discussed with the patient and her family. Even for patients considered at low risk of infertility as a result of treatment, a fertility discussion is recommended before treatment begins."

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Abstract O-082, Monday 3 July 2017

Pregnancy after cancer in girls and women in Scotland: a population-based analysis

Female fertility preservation: the story so far

1. All treatments for cancer in women have some impact on fertility, but quantifying its extent has largely depended on surrogate markers such as ovarian function (menstrual cycles, premature ovarian insufficiency). The best large-scale evidence has come from the US Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, which only includes women up to the age of 21 at diagnosis.

2. There are two commonly used techniques of fertility preservation in females: ovarian tissue cryopreservation, in which frozen-thawed strips of tissue are transplanted for either natural or assisted conception, and egg freezing. The latter needs several eggs to be collected following ovarian stimulation, and thus requires some time for the procedure to be completed, which is not possible in urgent cases.

* When obtaining outside comment, journalists are requested to ensure that their contacts are aware of the embargo on this release.

For further information on the details of this press release, contact:

Christine Bauquis at ESHRE

Mobile: +32 (0)499 25 80 46

Email: christine@eshre.eu
Most plant species, including crops, cannot tolerate the toxic effects of soil pollutants, which dramatically impair their growth and development. In a study now published in Scientific Reports*, a research team led by Paula Duque from the Instituto Gulbenkian de Ciencia (IGC; Portugal) discovered that two genes from baker's yeast can increase plant resistance to a broad range of toxic substances, enabling their growth in contaminated soils.

Heavy metals and organic pollutants released into the environment by the industry, as well as the misuse of herbicides and pesticides commonly used in agriculture, negatively affect the quality of soils. Some plant species are able to remove soil contaminants and grow normally, but these are a small minority. "Current strategies to decontaminate soils are very expensive and not so effective. The scientific community has been looking for alternative strategies to make plants more resilient to toxic compounds. A possible solution may lie in Saccharomyces cerevisiae, a species of yeast used for baking, brewing, and winemaking", says Paula Duque.

In fact, it was known that S. cerevisiae can resist herbicides and other chemicals. Isabel Sa-Correia's team at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa (Portugal), who collaborated in this study, had identified two yeast genes playing a role in this mechanism. The Duque research group analysed the ability of those genes to confer multidrug resistance on Arabidopsis thaliana, a small flowering plant used as a model organism to understand biological processes common to other plants. After inserting either of the two yeast genes into this plant, the researchers found that it became more resistant to herbicides, fungicides and heavy metals. Plants carrying the yeast genes grew significantly better than wild-type plants in contaminated soils.

Paula Duque explains: "These two yeast genes produce proteins that are able to expel molecules from cells. So we hypothesized that they could play a similar role in plants, eliminating toxic molecules and allowing normal growth." The IGC researcher adds: "To extrapolate these results to crops, we will need further experiments in Arabidopsis to understand the mechanisms underlying plant resistance as well as studies in other plant species. But our results, obtained with genes of the yeast species that makes bread or beer, hold much promise to help solve a difficult environmental problem."

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This study was conducted at the IGC and the Institute for BioEngineering and Biosciences (iBB) at Instituto Superior Tecnico, Universidade de Lisboa (Lisbon, Portugal). The work was funded by Fundacao para a Ciencia e a Tecnologia (Portugal).

* Remy, E., Nino-Gonzalez, M., Godinho, C.P., Cabrito, T.P, Teixeira, M.C, Sa-Correia, I., Duque, P. Heterologous expression of the yeast Tpo1p or Pdr5p membrane transporters in Arabidopsis confers plant xenobiotic tolerance. Sci. Rep. 7, 4529 doi:10.1038/s41598-017-04534-7 (2017)
By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) Realty firm Signature Global, which is into development of affordable homes, has roped in Bollywood actress Vidya Balan as brand ambassador.

Signature Global has launched 9 affordable housing projects, comprising about 9,300 units in a price range of Rs 15-25 lakh, in Gurgaon in the last three years of operations. All projects are under the Haryana Affordable Housing scheme.

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In May, Signature Global received Rs 200 crore funding from private equity player KKR, while it raised Rs 150 crore from ICICI Prudential last year.

"We have signed Vidya Balan as groups brand ambassador for two years," companys Chairman and Co-Founder Pradeep Aggarwal told PTI.

In the advertisements Balan would spread awareness about buying affordable homes, he said.

"Her association with missions with mass awareness has been widely accepted. We consider development of affordable housing projects a major contributor to Prime Ministers vision towards Housing for All and which needs a mass awareness too. Hence Vidya Balan was our obvious choice," he added.

Vidya Balan has been associated with awareness programme related to sanitation and hygiene. She was brand ambassador for Nirmal Bharat Abhiyaan under the rural development ministry.

Signature Global plans to expand business beyond Gurgaon and targets to launch 20,000 more affordable housing units by 2019. PTI MJH SBT

--- ENDS ---
Think about the last time you were at a lake, river, or the ocean. Remember the ripples of the water, the waves crashing against the rocks, the wake following a boat, the sun reflecting off the crests? Amazingly, the mathematical equations describing many of these phenomena have been known for over a hundred years. The trouble is, actually solving them is extremely difficult and costly, making accurate, realistic simulations a significant problem for computer scientists, visual artists, and others. Now, computer scientists at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (IST Austria) and Nvidia have introduced a novel representation of waves that improves computational efficiency by at least an order of magnitude. Based on principles of theoretical physics, their method allows for significantly more visual detail as well as a greater degree of user control.

As the equations modeling water surface waves are so difficult to solve in their original form, when studying these equations, researchers typically assume that the waves are not "too" big. This simplifies the problem enough for their work, but not enough to make it tractable for computer graphics. In the past, this was addressed by making further simplifying assumptions and then using numerical methods to solve the equations. In this approach, the water waves are represented by a grid of points at different heights above the water surface, and motion is simulated by repeatedly updating the heights of the points based on the heights of their neighbors. However, the visual quality of the simulation then depends on how fine the grid is, and it is moreover impossible to quickly produce an image of the waves in the far-off future, as these updates--or time-steps--must be computed one after another. An initial leap was made in 2007, when another team of researchers departed from the idea of a wave stored on a grid, and instead modeled the crest of each wave as a chain of points, and allowed those points to move along the surface as real waves would.

Now, IST Austria Professor Chris Wojtan and former IST Austria postdoc Stefan Jeschke have applied ideas from theoretical physics to develop a new type of representation of the waves as packets. Each wave packet contains a collection of similar wavelengths, and then larger wave formations are created by adding individual packets together. Breaking up the waves in this way is not new to physics, but it is new to computer graphics, and in this way, the team has developed a simulation that more versatile and physically plausible than previous methods. Moreover, as their method is largely independent of time-steps and does not rely on a computational grid, the user can look very far into the future (or past) of the simulation, and examine the waves arbitrarily closely. Important effects, such as reflection, dispersion, refraction, diffraction, and dissipation, can be included with minimal extra work, further increasing the quality and believability of the simulation.

Besides believability, computing cost and efficiency are crucial considerations for any simulation--and the team's method improves on previous methods in this area as well. "When we want to optimize a computer simulation, we have to think about what information we're storing, how much of it we're storing, and what it costs to update everything," explains Chris Wojtan. "In this case, each wave packet is relatively cheap to store and update. Since each wave packet is computed in parallel, the number of packets is up to the user, and can be decided based on their needs and their system's capabilities."

"It's popular with visual artists as well," adds Stefan Jeschke. "If a movie director wants to make the waves around some monster bigger--even if physics doesn't agree--it is easy to adjust the wave height in a particular area, simply by changing the wave packets in that region. When the visualization is based on small, sequential time-steps, effecting one tiny change could mean running another twenty-hour computation, with the possibility that the next version would also be rejected."

In addition to implementing the idea of wave packets, Jeschke and Wojtan also developed a new theory for simulating wakes--the trail of water that follows an object moving on the water's surface. Again, they appealed to theoretical physics to figure out which waves are visually dominant, allowing insignificant motion to be ignored and cutting down on computing costs. The team is currently working on the next iteration of their method, but the source code for their current simulation software can be downloaded via the link below. A video of the software in action can be viewed here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2auK5Sf4gY&feature=youtu.be

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Chris Wojtan obtained his doctorate in 2010 from the Georgia Institute of Technology. Immediately thereafter, he joined IST Austria as an Assistant Professor, where he leads the group in computer graphics and physics simulation. He became a full Professor in 2015. Stefan Jeschke received his PhD in 2005 from the University of Rostock. After postdoc positions in Vienna and Arizona, he conducted research at IST Austria in the Wojtan group from 2012-2016. He joined Nvidia as a researcher and developer in 2016.

Link to project webpage: http://visualcomputing.ist.ac.at/publications/2017/WWP/

Link to paper: http://pub.ist.ac.at/group_wojtan/projects/2017_Jeschke_WaterWavePackets/wavepackets_author.pdf

Link to video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A2auK5Sf4gY&feature=youtu.be

Source code: https://zenodo.org/record/525184#.WUOIrWiGOCg
A consortium including St. Jude Children's Research Hospital and the Children's Oncology Group has performed an unprecedented genomic sequencing analysis of hundreds of patients with T-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukemia (T-ALL). The results provide a detailed genomic landscape that will inform treatment strategies and aid efforts to develop drugs to target newly discovered mutations.

The data will also enable researchers to engineer better mouse models to probe the leukemia's aberrant biological machinery.

The project's 39 researchers were led by Charles Mullighan, M.D., MBBS, a member of the St. Jude Department of Pathology, with co-corresponding authors Jinghui Zhang, Ph.D., chair of the St. Jude Department of Computational Biology and Stephen Hunger, M.D., of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. The research was selected for advance online publication today in the journal Nature Genetics.

"This first comprehensive and systematic analysis in a large group of patients revealed many new mutations that are biologically significant as well as new drug targets that could be clinically important," Mullighan said. "Leukemias typically arise from multiple genetic changes that work together. Most previous studies have not had the breadth of genomic data in enough patients to identify the constellations of mutations and recognize their associations."

T-ALL is a form of leukemia in which the immune system's T cells acquire multiple mutations that freeze the cells in an immature stage, causing them to accumulate in the body. ALL is the most common type of childhood cancer, affecting about 3,000 children nationwide each year. T-ALL constitutes about 15 percent of those cases. While about 90 percent of children with ALL can be cured, many still relapse and require additional treatment.

The multi-institutional effort involved sequencing the genomes of 264 children and young adults with T-ALL--the largest such group ever analyzed. The study involved sophisticated analysis of multiple types of genomic data, led by Yu Liu, Ph.D., a postdoctoral fellow in Zhang's Computational Biology laboratory and first author of the study. Their analyses identified 106 driver genes--those whose mutations trigger the malfunctions that block normal T cell development and give rise to cancer. Half of those mutated genes had not been previously identified in childhood T-ALL.

The study enabled the researchers to compare the frequencies of mutations among patients whose cancerous cells were sequenced at the same detailed level, Mullighan said. Also important, he said, was that all the patients had uniform treatment, which enabled the researchers to draw meaningful associations between the genetics of their cancer and the response to different treatments. Such associations will enable better diagnosis and treatment of T-ALL with existing drugs.

Researchers analyzed the cancerous T cells as well as those that treatments had rendered non-cancerous. Comparing the two populations of cells could reveal valuable clues about why specific treatments were successful in thwarting particular cancer-causing mutations.

The findings revealed significant unexpected findings. "We went into this study knowing that we didn't know the full genomic landscape of T-ALL," Hunger said. "But we were surprised that over half of the new targets and mutations were previously unrecognized. It was particularly unexpected and very striking that some mutations were exclusively found in some subtypes of T-ALL, but not others."

Cancers are driven by mutations in genes that are the blueprint for protein enzymes in signaling pathways in cells--the biological equivalent of circuits in a computer. While a cancer may arise from an initial founding mutation, that mutation triggers a cascade of other mutations that help drive the cancer.

The new genomic analysis confirmed that T-ALL was driven by mutations in known signaling pathways, including JAK-STAT, Ras and PTEN-PI3K.

However, the new analysis identified many more genetic mutations in those known pathways. The findings offered more targets for drugs to shut down the aberrant cells. "So the frequency of the patients that are potentially amenable to these targeted approaches is higher than we appreciated before," Mullighan said.

The researchers also found cases in which the same T-ALL subtype had mutations in different pathways triggered by the same cancer-causing founding mutation. "We believe this finding suggests we can target such subtypes with an inhibitor drug for one of the pathways, and it's likely to be effective," Mullighan said.

The multitude of new mutations uncovered in the new study will also enable researchers to use genetic engineering to create mouse models that more accurately reflect human cancer, he said. Such models are invaluable for understanding the biological machinery of T-ALL, as well as testing new drug strategies. "We now have a launching pad, if you will, to design mouse models that include multiple genetic mutations to more faithfully reflect the leukemias we see in humans," Mullighan said.

The research also offers a broader lesson for genomic studies of cancers, Zhang said. "Our study is further evidence that if you systematically study a large enough population with careful, detailed genomic analysis, you will discover new mutational patterns of collaboration or exclusion across multiple genes unique to each T-ALL subtype," she said.

The study was a collaboration between the St. Jude Children's Research Hospital - Washington University Pediatric Cancer Genome Project, the Children's Oncology Group (COG) and the National Cancer Institute's Therapeutically Applicable Research to Generate Effective Treatments (TARGET) initiative. COG is a federally supported clinical trials group focused exclusively on childhood cancer. TARGET uses genomic analysis of COG samples to identify therapeutic targets and spur development of more effective treatment for childhood cancer.

Study data are available through the St. Jude PeCan data portal and the TARGET Data Matrix to researchers worldwide to explore the newly mapped T-ALL genomic landscape.

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The other authors are John Easton, Ying Shao, Jamie Maciaszek, Zhaoming Wang, Mark Wilkinson, Kelly McCastlain, Michael Edmonson, Stanley Pounds, Lei Shi, Xin Zhou, Xiaotu Ma, Edgar Sioson, Yongjin Li, Michael Rusch, Pankaj Gupta, Deqing Pei, Cheng Cheng, Mary Relling, Brian Sorrentino and James R. Downing, all of St. Jude; Malcolm Smith, Jaime Guidry Auvil and Daniela Gerhard, all of the National Cancer Institute; Naomi Winick, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, Dallas; Andrew Carroll, University of Alabama at Birmingham; Nyla Heerema, The Ohio State University, Columbus; Elizabeth Raetz, University of Utah, Salt Lake City; Meenakshi Devidas, University of Florida, Gainesville; Cheryl Willman, Richard Harvey and Stuart Winter, all of University of New Mexico, Albuquerque; William Carroll, New York University Medical Center; Kimberly Dunsmore, University of Virginia, Charlottesville; Brent Wood, Seattle Cancer Care Alliance; and Mignon Loh, University of California, San Francisco,

The research was supported in part grants (CA021765, CA157937, CA98543, CA98413, CA114766) from the National Cancer Institute; St. Baldrick's Foundation; and ALSAC, the fundraising and awareness arm of St. Jude.
A single genetic change linked both to a reduction in human height and an increase in osteoarthritis risk might seem like it would quickly be kicked to the evolutionary curb. After all, how could it be an advantage to be both shorter and less mobile in the cutthroat competition for scarce resources and fickle mates? Darwin's finches would be appalled.

Now, researchers at the Stanford University School of Medicine and at Harvard University have shown that, despite its association with the painful joint disease, this genetic variant has been repeatedly favored as early humans migrated out of Africa and into colder northern climates. At least half of Europeans and Asians harbor the gene variant, which is relatively rare in African populations.

"Because it's been positively selected, this gene variant is present in billions of people," said David Kingsley, PhD, professor of developmental biology at Stanford. "So even though it only increases each person's risk by less than twofold, it's likely responsible for millions of cases of arthritis around the globe. This study highlights the intersection between evolution and medicine in really interesting ways, and could help researchers learn more about the molecular causes of arthritis."

A more compact body structure due to shorter bones could have helped our ancestors better withstand frostbite and reduce the risk of bone fracture from falling, the researchers speculate. These advantages in dealing with chilly temperatures and icy surfaces may have outweighed the threat of osteoarthritis, which usually occurs after prime reproductive age.

Cold may have selected for gene variant

"The gene we are studying shows strong signatures of positive selection in many human populations," said Kingsley, who is also a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and a member of Stanford Bio-X. "It's possible that climbing around in cold environments was enough of a risk factor to select for a protective variant even if it brought along an increase likelihood of an age-related disease like arthritis, which typically doesn't develop until late in life."

A paper describing the research will be published online July 3 in Nature Genetics. Kingsley is the senior author. Harvard graduate student Jiaxue Cao and former Stanford postdoctoral scholars Terence Capellini, PhD, and Hao Chen, PhD, share lead authorship. Capellini is now an associate professor of human evolutionary biology at Harvard, and Chen is an associate clinical scientist at Genentech Inc.

The researchers were studying a gene called GDF5 that Kingsley's laboratory first linked to skeletal growth in the early 1990s. GDF5 is involved in bone growth and joint formation, and mutations in the coding portion of the gene have been shown to cause malformations in leg-bone structure in mice. In humans, GDF5 mutations are associated with shorter stature and joint problems; in particular, two nucleotide changes immediately upstream of the gene have been strongly associated with a 1.2- to 1.8-fold increase in the risk of osteoarthritis.

In the new study, the researchers were interested in learning more about how the DNA sequences surrounding GDF5 might affect the gene's expression. Often, these noncoding sequences contain key regulatory regions known as promoters and enhancers. Capellini, Chen and Cao were able to identify a previously unknown enhancer region they termed GROW1, which is several thousand nucleotides downstream of GDF5.

When the researchers analyzed the sequence of GROW1 in the 1,000 Genomes Project database, which collects and compares sequences from many human populations around the globe, they identified a single nucleotide change that is highly prevalent in Europeans and Asians but that rarely occurs in Africans. When they introduced this nucleotide change into laboratory mice, they found that it decreased the activity of GDF5 in the growth plates of the long bones of fetal mice.

A common thread

Further research showed that this nucleotide change has been repeatedly favored during human evolution. Modern humans migrated from Africa between 50,000 and 100,000 years ago. But they weren't the first to leave the continent. Neanderthals and Denisovans moved north into Europe and Asia about 600,000 years ago. Interestingly, the researchers found that the same GROW1 variant was found in the DNA of both ancient and modern humans in Europe and Asia.

However, there's a dark side to this stocky, hardy body type: The GDF5 variant that reduces bone length comes hand-in-hand with the two upstream nucleotide changes known to confer an increased risk for osteoarthritis.

"It's clear that the genetic machinery around a gene can have a dramatic impact on how it works," said Capellini. "The variant that decreases height is lowering the activity of GDF5 in the growth plates of the bone. Interestingly, the region that harbors this variant is closely linked to other mutations that affect GDF5 activity in the joints, increasing the risk of osteoarthritis in the knee and hip."

"The potential medical impact of the finding is very interesting because so many people are affected," said Kingsley. "This is an incredibly prevalent, and ancient, variant. Many people think of osteoarthritis as a kind of wear-and-tear disease, but there's clearly a genetic component at work here as well. Now we've shown that positive evolutionary selection has given rise to one of the most common height variants and arthritis risk factors known in human populations."

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Researchers from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada, also contributed to the study.

The research was supported by the National Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, the Arthritis Foundation, the National Institutes of Health (grant AR42236), the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, the Milton Fund of Harvard, the China Scholarship Council and the Jason S. Bailey Fund of Harvard.

Stanford's Department of Developmental Biology also supported the work.

The Stanford University School of Medicine consistently ranks among the nation's top medical schools, integrating research, medical education, patient care and community service. For more news about the school, please visit http://med.stanford.edu/school.html. The medical school is part of Stanford Medicine, which includes Stanford Health Care and Stanford Children's Health. For information about all three, please visit http://med.stanford.edu.

Print media contact: Krista Conger at 650-725-5371, kristac@stanford.edu

Broadcast media contact: Margarita Gallardo at 650-723-7897, mjgallardo@stanford.edu
Most of the frogs alive today owe a big thank you to the asteroid or comet that delivered the coup de grace to the dinosaurs.

A new study by Chinese and American biologists shows that if the calamity had not wiped the planet clean of most terrestrial life 66 million years ago, 88 percent of today's frog species wouldn't be here. Nearly nine out of 10 species of frog today have descended from just three lineages that survived the mass extinction.

The results, to be published this week in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, are a surprise, because previous studies of frog evolution pinpointed the blossoming of the main frog lineages today to about 35 million years earlier, in the middle of the Mesozoic era.

The new analysis of 95 genes from frogs within 44 of 55 living families shows that these three lineages started to take off precisely at the boundary between the Cretaceous and Paleogene periods -- the K-Pg boundary, formerly called the KT boundary -- when the last mass extinction occurred, and not 100 million years ago.

According to herpetologist and co-author David Wake, a University of California, Berkeley professor of the graduate school and a curator of the Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, new frog species likely radiated rapidly throughout the world because so many environmental niches were available after the animals occupying them disappeared.

"We think the world was quite impoverished as a result of the KT event, and when the vegetation came back, angiosperms dominated. That's when trees evolved to their full flowering," Wake said. "Frogs started becoming arboreal. It was the arboreality that led to the great radiation in South America in particular."

Trees are an ideal habitat for frogs not only because they allow them to escape from terrestrial predators, but also because their fallen leaves provide protection while the frogs are on the ground, breeding habitat and plenty of food, such as insects. Trees and other flowering plants took off in the late Cretaceous, and were ready for exploitation by frogs after they recovered from the extinction.

Another adaptation that became popular was direct development, that is, producing young without a tadpole stage, which is standard for about half of all frog species today.

"The majority of the frogs that thrive now are thriving because of direct development of eggs in terrestrial situations," he said. "It is a combination of direct development and use of arboreal habitat that accounts for a great deal of the radiation."

Previous genetic analyses of frog evolution focused on mitochondrial DNA and how long the molecular clock had been ticking for mitochrondrial genes. However, analysis of molecular evolution in mitochondrial DNA often produces dates for lineage divergence that are too old. In the case of frogs, such analysis pinpointed the radiation of most living frogs at about 100 million years ago, which was a puzzle, since Earth's environment was stable at that time. A changing environment typically drives evolution.

The new analysis, based on data assembled primarily by graduate student Yan-Jie Feng at Sun Yat-Sen University in Guangzhou, China, focused on the sequences of 95 genes located on chromosomes in the nucleus and how they changed over time. He and his colleagues gathered genetic data from 156 frog species and combined this with earlier information about two genes from 145 different frogs, for a total of 301 distinct frog species from all 55 families of frogs. The data were calibrated using 20 dates derived from fossils and Earth historical events.

The team, which includes scientists from the Florida Museum of Natural History at the University of Florida and the University of Texas, Austin, concluded that perhaps 10 groups of frogs survived the extinction, but only three of them (Hyloidea, Microhylidae, and Natatanura) flourished and diversified to claim habitats and niches around the world.

Nothing other than luck distinguishes the survivors, Wake said. Remnants of the other surviving lineages are scattered in isolated spots around the world, but are just as diverse today in their habitats and breeding strategies as the 88 percent.

Two of the three surviving lineages that subsequently radiated widely came out of Africa, which remained intact as the continents shifted around over the ensuing eons, with the breakup of Pangea and then Gondwana to form the continents we see today. The African rift zone and mountain building in West Africa generated new habitats for the evolving frogs, Wake noted. The third, Hyloidea, radiated throughout what became South America.

Today's frogs, comprising more than 6,700 known species, as well as many other animal and plant species are under severe stress around the world because of habitat destruction, human population explosion and climate change, possibly heralding a new period of mass extinction. The new study provides one clear message for future generations.

"These frogs made it through on luck, perhaps because they were either underground or could stay underground for long periods of time," Wake said. "This certainly draws renewed attention to the positive aspects of mass extinctions: They provide ecological opportunity for new things. Just wait for the next grand extinction and life will take off again. In which direction it will take off, you don't know."

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The paper's other co-authors are David Cannatella and David Hillis at UT Austin, Peng Zhang and Dan Liang of Sun Yat-Sen and David Blackburn of the Florida Museum. Cannatella, Zhang and Liang are all former UC Berkeley postdoctoral fellows.

Support for the research was provided by the U.S. National Science Foundation, the National Natural Science Foundation of China and the National Youth Talent Support Program and National Science Fund for Excellent Young Scholars of China.
Using lists of names collected from publicly available websites, two University of Chicago researchers have revealed distinctive patterns in higher education systems, ranging from ethnic representation and gender imbalance in the sciences, to the presence of academic couples, and even the illegal hiring of relatives in Italian universities.

"This study was an exercise in exploiting bare-bones techniques," said author Stefano Allesina, PhD, professor of ecology & evolution and a member of the Computation Institute at the University of Chicago. "We wanted to analyze the simplest form of data you could imagine: lists of names. That's all we had. We wondered what kinds of information we could extract from such a meager source of data. We also asked: how could we use this to explore real-world problems?"

For the study -- "Last name analysis of mobility, gender imbalance, and nepotism across academic systems," published July 3, 2017 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences -- Allesina and postdoctoral scholar Jacopo Grilli, PhD, acquired lists of the surnames of all Italian academics in the four years 2000, 2005, 2010 and 2015. For comparison, they also gathered lists of all researchers currently working at the Centre National de la Reserche Scientifique (CNRS) in France, and those working at research-intensive public institutions in the United States.

Then they counted the number of professors in each department who shared last names and contrasted that to the number expected by chance. They found three possible explanations for an overabundance of identical last names. An unusually high proportion of name sharing could be due to geography; certain names are typical of a region. Or, immigration could have an impact, for example, the influx of Asian faculty to the United States in disciplines such as in mathematics and computer science.

If the clustering of names cannot be explained by these two factors -- which was the case in certain disciplines and regions in Italy -- then the data point to nepotistic hires: professors who recruit their relatives for academic positions.

The Allesina laboratory is not new to this type of analysis. In a 2011 paper published in PLoS One, Allesina demonstrated that certain disciplines (law, medicine, engineering) in Italian universities displayed a severe scarcity of last names, raising the suspicion of nepotism.

That study caused "quite a stir in Italy," Allesina said. The publication followed a complete overhaul of the nation's academic system. The reform, passed in late 2010, included a provision intended to prevent professors from recruiting relatives by shifting hiring and funding decisions away from the universities to independent panels. The perception at the time was that "promotions and funding were often awarded on the basis of connections rather than merit, providing mediocre and unproductive professors with jobs for life while pushing many of the country's brightest minds abroad," Allesina said.

Grilli and Allesina decided to take a closer look at the law's impact since 2010 and to compare the prevalence of nepotism in Italy with other countries. They found that nepotism in Italy appears to have declined somewhat over the period from 2000 to 2015. In 2000, seven of the 14 fields measured showed clear signs of nepotism. That fell to five fields in 2010, and only two, chemistry and medicine, by 2015.

The 2010 law, they point out, was not the only factor in the decrease of apparent nepotism. Much of the decline, the researchers point out, could be traced to an increase in faculty retirements and a dearth of new hires.

The Italian university system has been "virtually butchered over the last decade," Allesina said, with a staggering 10 percent overall loss of faculty, and losses of 20 to 30 percent of the faculty at several leading universities. "This had a strong effect on new hires," he said, "but only a limited impact on favoritism over the whole university system."

The researchers' focus on last names illuminates some recent changes in U.S. academics as well. When faculty last names were randomized by field, the huge impact of immigration on U.S. universities became obvious. More than half of the 5.2 million immigrant scientists, mathematicians and engineers currently working in the United States were born in Asia.

"Certain names are associated with specific academic fields and certain heritages tend to target preponderantly science and engineering," said Grilli. Zhang, for example, is now the most common last name in the U.S. in the fields of chemistry and mathematics. It ranks third in agriculture, geology and physics, but falls to 115th in humanities. Smith, on the other hand, is among the top three in humanities, sociology and medicine, but 20th in chemistry and 47th in geology.

"Sometimes using very simple data can get you expected and unexpected results," Allesina said. First names can reveal a field's gender imbalance. They can also fluctuate wildly. The most common first name in the past decade for boys in Italy was Francesco, but that increased by 40 percent following the election of Pope Francis. "It was declining," Grilli said, "but it bounced back."

"The good and bad of Italy is the family," Allesina said. "It protects you from collapse, but it also prevents growth. This really becomes a weight on the shoulders of young people, especially in the South, where many talented students have no choice but to emigrate."

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The National Science Foundation and the Human Frontier Science Program funded this study. Data was provided by Scopus.com.
CHAMPAIGN, Ill. -- A new portable device can quickly find markers of deadly, unpredictable sepsis infection from a single drop of blood.

A team of researchers from the University of Illinois and Carle Foundation Hospital in Urbana, Illinois, completed a clinical study of the device, which is the first to provide rapid, point-of-care measurement of the immune system's response, without any need to process the blood.

This can help doctors identify sepsis at its onset, monitor infected patients and could even point to a prognosis, said research team leader Rashid Bashir, a professor of bioengineering at the U. of I. and the interim vice dean of the Carle Illinois College of Medicine. The researchers published their findings in the journal Nature Communications.

Sepsis is triggered by an infection in the body. The body's immune system releases chemicals that fight the infection, but also cause widespread inflammation that can rapidly lead to organ failure and death.

Sepsis strikes roughly 20 percent of patients admitted to hospital intensive care units, yet it is difficult to predict the inflammatory response in time to prevent organ failure, said Dr. Karen White, an intensive care physician at Carle Foundation Hospital. White led the clinical side of the study.

"Sepsis is one of the most serious, life-threatening problems in the ICU. It can become deadly quickly, so a bedside test that can monitor patient's inflammatory status in real time would help us treat it sooner with better accuracy," White said.

Sepsis is routinely detected by monitoring patients' vital signs - blood pressure, oxygen levels, temperature and others. If a patient shows signs of being septic, the doctors try to identify the source of the infection with blood cultures and other tests that can take days - time the patient may not have.

The new device takes a different approach.

"We are looking at the immune response, rather than focusing on identifying the source of the infection," Bashir said. "One person's immune system might respond differently from somebody else's to the same infection. In some cases, the immune system will respond before the infection is detectable. This test can complement bacterial detection and identification. We think we need both approaches: detect the pathogen, but also monitor the immune response."

The small, lab-on-a-chip device counts white blood cells in total as well as specific white blood cells called neutrophils, and measures a protein marker called CD64 on the surface of neutrophils. The levels of CD64 surge as the patient's immune response increases.

The researchers tested the device with blood samples from Carle patients in the ICU and emergency room. When a physician suspected infection and ordered a blood test, a small drop of the blood drawn was given to the researchers, stripped of identifying information to preserve patient confidentiality. The team was able to monitor CD64 levels over time, correlating them with the patient's vital signs. Researchers found that the results from the rapid test correlated well with the results from the traditional tests and with the patients' vital signs.

"By measuring the CD64 and the white cell counts, we were able to correlate the diagnosis and progress of the patient - whether they were improving or not," said Umer Hassan, a postdoctoral researcher at Illinois and the first author of the study. "We hope that this technology will be able to not only diagnose the patient but also provide a prognosis. We have more work to do on that."

Bashir's team is working to incorporate measurements for other inflammation markers into the rapid-testing device to give a more complete picture of the body's response, and to enable earlier detection. They also have a startup company, Prenosis Inc., that is working to commercialize the device.

"We want to move the diagnosis point backward in time," Bashir said. "The big challenge in sepsis is that no one knows when you get infected. Usually you go to the hospital when you already feel sick. So the goal is that someday you can be testing this at home, to detect infection even earlier if you can."

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The Center for Integration of Medicine and Innovative Technology Innovation in Boston supported this work through a Point-of-Care Technology Research Center in Primary Care grant. Additional support came from Carle Foundation Hospital and the University of Illinois.

Editor's notes: To reach Rashid Bashir, call 217-333-1867; email rbashir@illinois.edu.

The paper "A Point-of-Care Microfluidic Biochip for Quantification of CD64 Expression from Whole Blood for Sepsis Stratification" is available from the U. of I. News Bureau. DOI: 10.1038/NCOMMS15949
Current legalisation will not allow a proposed lynx release into the UK wild to take place, the sheep industry has warned.

With rumours abound of an imminent application by Lynx UK Trust for a release licence for lynx, the National Sheep Association (NSA) is warning that current legislation would not allow such a release to take place.

The NSA said the Eurasian lynx are classed as dangerous wild animals under the Dangerous Wild Animals Act 1976.

The organisation said it would therefore be a 'criminal offence' to keep them without a local authority licence.

Currently, these licences are only available for zoo and captive animals, not for those being released into the wild.

Phil Stocker, NSA Chief Executive, said: It is still not clear when the Lynx UK Trust will make an application for a release licence for lynx, but it has become clear there would need to be a change in current legislation to keep such a release legal.

In my opinion, this is very unlikely to happen in the near future given the raft of priority legislative work needing to be done after the Great Repeal Bill.

The NSA said it would be a 'criminal offence' to keep them without a local authority licence

Legally shoot

The current law would also allow farmers to legally shoot lynx causing distress to their animals.

NSA said the Lynx UK Trust is working to get this law changed to give protection to released lynx, meaning the only option for farmers whose livestock had been killed or injured by lynx would be to seek compensation from the trust.

The NSA said they are opposed to this as it is unlikely that compensation funding could be guaranteed in perpetuity.

Mr Stocker continued: We are confident current legislation will not facilitate a release and any appetite for a regulatory change at a time when there will be so many other priorities is unjustifiable.

Even if compensation were offered, it will not make sheep mortalities acceptable and, given the general publics reaction to some of the harrowing images caused by domestic dog attacks and their expectation of high animal welfare, I cannot see how distressing attacks caused by a wild animal will be accepted.

'Highly attractive countryside'

The NSA said pastoral livestock farming already delivers a 'highly attractive' countryside with many benefits.

Mr Stocker continued: I cannot accept that lynx could improve or deliver anything more.

NSA has also secured confirmation that irrespective of which side of the border any release is planned for in Kielder Forest, Northumberland, any licence application to either Scottish Natural Heritage or Natural England will be considered jointly before any decision is made.

NSA is fully opposed to all Lynx UK Trusts processes and proposals around releasing lynx. The species has been absent from the UK for thousands of years, and our countryside now is far too fragmented and built up to support a viable population of lynx.

The species would challenge the way our countryside is managed, a countryside which is already valued and appreciated by rural residents and visitors alike.

Lynx UK Trust believes in the lynx is a native species that belongs in the UK, having been hunted to extinction around 500-700AD.

The Trust believes reintroduction is vital in re-storing a natural balance in the British countryside.
A Labour politician has called for a strategy that guarantees Welsh rural areas get the same amount as attention and funding as urban areas.

The Labour AM for Mid & West Wales, Eluned Morgan, wants the Welsh government to form policies which strikes deals for rural areas, similar to the deals Cardiff and Swansea have received in the past.

She has also called for the creation of a 'rural commissioner' role, and 'procurement partnerships' with ready meal companies to use Welsh lamb in products like Shepherd's Pie.

The government has previously established a 'Commission for Rural Communities' role to promote awareness of rural needs amongst decision makers across and beyond government. However, it was abolished in 2013.

Ms Morgan has called her proposals a matter of urgency.

She will be presenting the plan today (3 July) to Welsh economy secretary Ken Skates.

It is part of an in-depth report calling for a more coherent rural strategy for Wales, post-Brexit.

Brian Thomas, deputy president of the Farmers' Union of Wales (FUW), told BBC News that "better, well-paid jobs" must come from any rural deal.

'New deal with society'

Meanwhile, farming union NFU Cymru has released a document outlining what it would like to see for a new domestic agricultural policy for Wales post-Brexit.

The Vision for the Future of Farming: A New Domestic Agricultural Policy document is designed to outline the 'exciting opportunities' that a new agricultural policy for Wales could provide as the UK enters a new relationship with the European Union.

The union hopes that given time, a 'flexible' and 'integrated' approach will deliver jobs, growth and investment for farmers in Wales, whilst also maintaining and enhancing the environment.

NFU Cymru believes that a new agricultural policy and legislative framework allows for the establishment of a new deal with society.
Scottish farming officials have met with representatives from some of the largest retailers in the UK to discuss 'on-going concerns' over trade, fictional farm branding and Brexit.

NFU Scotland's officials met with Marks & Spencer, Tesco, the Co-op, ASDA and McDonald's at the Royal Highland Show.

The group said they talked with retailers about 'on-going' concerns about fictional farm branding.

"We requested that a clear provenance message be made to consumers, particularly on premium products," said NFU Scotland's food policy and campaigns officer Lindsey Macdonald.

"It benefits the public, supermarkets and farmers if we can grow the demand for food produced in Scotland which delivers jobs and economic growth in our rural communities."

The NFU has previously written a formal complaint to the Chartered Trading Standards Institute over the use of fake farm branding by retailers on some food products.

'Accurately and clearly'

Last year the NFU said it sought assurances that Tesco's new branding on meat products was 'accurately and clearly' labelled.

The supermarket came under fire for using the names of fictional farms on its new branding.

Ruth Mason, NFU chief food chain adviser, said fictional farm branding was a technique practised in Aldi and Lidl on selected product lines.

"There will inevitably be shoppers who are led to believe that the fictional names of the farms are the real source of the product, this makes the need for clear and accurate origin labelling even greater."

Ms Macdonald said other topics discussed with retailers was Brexit.

"It's clear that the UK must grow our food security in the light of uncertainty of future trade.

"We will only be able to do this with the support of our major supermarket chains."
The Scottish government has released 200,000 to Scottish Rural Action (SRA) in the hope the money will help empower rural communities.

The 200,000 funding for SRA will support delivery of their 201719 Action Plan, which contains five policy areas debated and chosen by rural communities at the 2016 Rural Parliament in Brechin.

The Scottish Government has so far provided a total of 480,000 over the 3 years to support two Rural Parliaments and the delivery of the resultant Action Plans.

Environment and Land Reform Secretary Roseanna Cunningham said: The two Scottish Rural Parliament events to date have been successful in giving our rural communities a stronger voice. To help foster this further, I am delighted to be able to demonstrate our continued support by confirming a further 200,000 to Scottish Rural Action.

This will support the development of an inclusive and sustainable rural movement that is rooted in Scotlands rural communities and help support the organisation of a third Rural Parliament in 2018.

It has been encouraging to see the progress that SRA has made since its inception in 2014, and I look forward to hearing about further successes in the future.

'Proactive influencer'

Amanda Burgauer, Chair of Scottish Rural Action, said: It has become clear over the last year that there is a need for SRA to be a proactive influencer in policy and decision-making, with the driving force for this direction coming from both rural communities and wider stakeholders.

Our Action Plan for 2017-19 crystalises this shift in focus to being a powerful voice for the people of rural Scotland and focuses on the themes chosen by our members at the Rural Parliament in 2016. These are digital connectivity, local democracy, land, transport and business, enterprise and employment.

We also see the need to respond positively to the understandable concerns from rural communities about Brexit, and our conference in September this year will be focused on rural development post-2020, and continuing to develop a cohesive vision for rural Scotland.
By PTI: By K J M Varma

Beijing, Jul 3 (PTI) Indias objection to China building a road in the Sikkim sector ahead of Prime Minister Narendra Modis visit to the US was aimed at demonstrating to Washington its "firm determination" to "constrain" Chinas rise, an article in a state-run daily here said today.

"Modi took two measures to brace for his meeting with Trump. The first one was to seal a weapons deal with the US. For America, the weapons deal will not only reap enormous monetary gains from India, but also strengthen Indias advantage in the Indo-Pacific region to check China," the article in the Global Times said.

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"The other measure aimed to demonstrate to the US Indias firm determination to constrain Chinas rise," the article written by Liu Zongyi senior fellow of the state-run think tank, the Shanghai Institutes for International Studies, said.

"For example, Indian troops crossed the undisputed Sikkim section of the China-India border and impeded Chinese workers from building roads a few days before Modis visit to the US," it said on the ongoing stand-off in Doklam.

In addition, the Indian government has started an anti- dumping probe into Chinese products, the article said, adding the Modi administration sought US support at the cost of China-India ties and has taken a lead in containing Chinas rise.

As per the Ministry of External Affairs statement in New Delhi, the Doklam incident took place on June 16 whereas Chinese Foreign Ministry has maintained that the stand-off in which the Indian troops objected to the Peoples Liberation Army soldiers building a road occurred on June 18.

Modi had visited US from June 25-27.

Ahead of the visit, US President Donald Trump had approved the sale of 22 Guardian MQ-9B drones for India.

Apart from the territorial dispute, India announced that it would initiate an anti-dumping probe against high tenacity polyester yarn from China, the article said.

"Because the border face-off and the announcement of the anti-dumping probe occurred around the same time as Modis two-day visit to the US, people link Indias bravura with the Modi-Trump meeting," it said.

The daily also downplayed Modis visit, saying it was "not a historic event, as some media outlets in India boasted, because of the limited results the meeting has achieved."

At the same time, it noted that Modi has established a "relatively harmonious" relationship with Trump.

"Both of them made keynote speeches to praise each other and did all they could to avoid touching on disputes between the two countries," it said.

"The two countries have aligned their interests in defence cooperation and counter-terrorism. The US supports India to counterbalance China, but tries not to offend China as Trump still needs Chinas help on many issues," it said.

About US designating Hizbul Mujahideen leader Syed Salahuddin as a "global terrorist", the article said it accords with the "US view that Pakistan is a source of regional disputes, rather than a catalyst for dispute settlement".

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"Such an approach that separates the India-Pakistan dispute with the Afghan issue is likely to trigger more hassles," it said.

"Although Modi didnt mention the existing problems in Indias ties with the US, Trump reminded him of protectionism in trade and investment in India that jeopardises US interests," it said. PTI KJV NSA

--- ENDS ---
A dairy company which doesn't cull its older cows, but instead "retires them", has moved to a new permanent home.

The UK's first "slaughter-free" dairy farm, Ahimsa dairy, is hoping its model will be picked up upon by other farms.

Dairy cows are usually culled when they get older and cannot produce as much milk. But for Ahimsa dairy, the older cows are "retired".

Newborn calves are normally separated from their mothers, but they stay together as grazing partners at the Ahimsa dairy.

The dairy farm has now acquired land in Manton, Rutland, after previously renting land in Leicestershire.

The inspiration behind the Ahimsa Dairy comes from the farm at Bhaktivedanta Manor, which is run by the Hare Krishna community, a Hindu religious organisation.

'Build for the future'

Its website states: "Thanks to support from our wonderful friends and supporters we have finally completed the purchase of new organic land in Rutland. Our cows now have a permanent home and we can start to build for the future.

"So far we have bought 48 acres of land in the lovely village of Wing. We are also renting a further 24 acres there with an option to buy in 18 months.

"We are renting a yard adjacent to the land with a track running down to the fields where our cows spent the winter in a barn. They were over-joyed when we finally opened the gate and let them run out onto the grass."

The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation is a not-for-profit company, and produces 23,000 of litres of milk a year.

Until recently, the model was piloted and worked in partnership with an organic dairy and environmental charity in Kent called Commonwork, and with OMSco  the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative. They are now independent.
BHP Billitonhas approved a total of US$250 million in financial support for remediation and compensation programs for the Brazilian dam disaster, which claimed the lives of 19 people in November 2015.The mining giant approved US$174 million to be used to fund the Renova Foundation, which will be offset against the groups provision for the Samarco dam failure.A short-term facility of up to US$76 million will also be made available to Samarco, to carry out remediation and stabilization work and to also support the mines operations.BHP says funds will only be made available to Samarco as required and subject to key milestones.Shares in BHP Billitonlast traded 0.85 per cent lower to $23.28
By PTI: ByGurdip Singh

Singapore, Jul 3 (PTI) Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong today refuted allegations by his siblings that he misused his power and engaged in nepotism as he faced parliament over a family feud.

The prime minister addressed Parliament at the start of a two-day debate on allegations of abuse of power in relation to his family house, a legacy of his late father and former Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew.

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Lee Kuan Yew, the first Prime Minister of Singapore, had lived and built his political stature from the house at 38 Oxley Road, on the outskirt of Central Business District and the fashionable Orchard Road.

Lee also called on parliamentarians to raise all questions and doubts they had so they can be dispelled, and Singaporeans confidence in the government strengthened.

"In Singapore, everyone is equal before the law. Lee (Kuan Yew) understood this most of all," said the Prime Minister.

"When the dust has settled on this unhappy episode, people must know that the Government operates transparently, impartially, and properly. That in Singapore, even Lees (Kuan Yew) house and his wishes are subject to the rule of law," he said.

"This is the house that Lee (Kuan Yew) built, not 38, Oxley Road," he added.

The family quarrel was thrust into the national spotlight on June 14, when Lees sister Lee Wei Ling and younger brother Lee Hsien Yang released a statement accusing their elder brother of abusing his power to prevent the demolition of their fathers house.

Both younger siblings want the house demolished, saying that is in accordance with their fathers wishes.

Prime Minister Lee had earlier made it clear in Parliament that as a son, he supports his fathers wish on demolition.

But Lee and Lee Hsien Yang have accused their elder brother of setting up a "secret" ministerial committee to challenge what they said was their fathers preferred wish to demolish the house, and of improperly acquiring a deed of gift for items to be used in an exhibition not long after Lee Kuan Yews death in March 2015.

They also accused the prime minister and his wife Ho Ching of nepotism, saying they had political ambitions for their son Hongyi, and that Lee wanted the house to bolster his power.

"Hongyi, my son, has publicly said he is not interested in politics. Nor have I pushed him to enter politics," Lee said.

Addressing each of these three claims in turn, the prime minister said he had recused himself from all government decisions relating to the house, and had no part in the decision to set up the committee, which is chaired by Deputy Prime Minister Teo Chee Hean.

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Lee said his siblings had argued that even though he had recused himself from all government matters to do with 38, Oxley Road, the ministers are his subordinates.

"Therefore, the Ministerial Committee cannot be independent from me. In fact, they say this of Parliament itself," the prime minister noted.

"This cannot be right. It is standard practice for the person facing a potential conflict of interest to recuse himself from the matter in this way," he noted. PTI GS UZM

--- ENDS ---
Four Sikhs  Paramjit Singh of Amritsar, Simarjit Singh and Jaspal Singh of Sanghe village, and Manavdeep Singh of Deenewale village  were arrested on 27 June for making derogatory remarks against Jesus Christ. The Christian protestors indulged in violence, pelting stones on buses and burning tires on the national highway. After an orgy of mob violence, they gave a two-day ultimatum to the administration to arrest the Sikhs, who they claimed had blasphemed against their deity Jesus.

After the arrests of the Sikhs, bishop P J Suleman, who was flanked by representatives of various Christian organisations, including Punjab Christian Movement (PCM), said they were satisfied with the police action in this case (Christians call off protests after arrests in video episode, Indian Express, 28 June).

This is not the first time that the Christian community in Punjab has angrily reacted to the blasphemy of Sikhs against their god. On 22 May 2001, Satnam Singh, a 70-year-old lawyer, was arrested for his book on Sikhism. It had a chapter on Jesus in which the Christian deity was depicted in an unfavourable light. That was in the 1999 edition of the book. In the 2001 edition, the objectionable passages had been edited out. Even then the Christian leaders were not satisfied. They demanded the arrest of the author. Satnam Singh was arrested and, after he got bail, later offered to apologise, though the Christian leaders questioned his sincerity (Christianity Today, 1 June 2001).

The confrontation between Sikhism and Christianity is neither sudden nor relegated to isolated events. In fact, the reaction of Sikhs, which had attracted media attention in a highly unfavourable manner, is the result of Christian invasion and evangelical war on Sikhs that spans the last two centuries.

Sabu Mathai Kathettu, a Christian evangelist from Operation Mobilisation (deceptively abbreviated as OM), published in 2009 a report assessing Christian evangelical work in Punjab. Published by one of the apex protestant institutions in India with global connectivity, the Indian Society for Promoting Christian Knowledge (ISPCK), the book provides not just a historical account but also the theological position and methodology for conversion of Sikhs to Christianity. It shows the kind of monumental global adversary against which are pitted the rural Sikhs of Punjab.

The books author is well aware of the incompatibility of the fundamental tenets of Sikhism with those of Christianity. This has even created a hurdle in approaching the Sikhs, he points out:

(The missionaries) preached that all people are sinners, and Christ is the true Saviour. The concept of all people as sinners was objected to by the Hindus and Sikhs because it was different from their philosophy. For them it is difficult to recognize that they are sinners! p 73

Note the exclamation point, as if it is a natural thing for people to think of themselves as sinners. And the Sikhs and Hindus are shown as if they have some learning disability  difficulty in recognising that they are sinners. The Sikh concept of god is also contradictory to the Christian concept of god. For Guru Nanak, the god is loving and gracious but He is never angry or shows wrath towards humankind. In contrast, when the Christian gods righteousness confronts human sinfulness it becomes wrath because God is holy and abhors sin. Further, Sikhism dismisses the uniqueness of Jesus as the Son of God and the only way to God. In addition, the book says the Sikh doctrine of Ek Onkar, the Absolute Oneness, rejects the Biblical concept of Triune God (p 113). So evangelism is needed. The book clearly states the obvious that all humanitarian work done by Christians is only a means for conversion. However, despite British-engineered famines ravaging Punjab, they could not attain much success, so they changed strategies.

Evangelism was the ultimate goal of mission societies and ministries such as education, medical care and literature were seen as channels towards evangelism.  Progressively, the missionaries changed their strategy and adopted the ingenious methods to present the gospel. p 73

Mathai says that still the missionaries did not have a proper strategy to reach the Sikh community. So they decided to convert the high castes. Mathai unwittingly busts a big missionary propaganda line that missionaries were genuinely attracted towards the poor and the downtrodden. They actually went for the so-called upper castes. When they could not convert them, they turned to the so-called lower castes. No humanitarianism here, only a change of strategy.

They realized the importance of reaching the Hindu high caste people in Punjab. Stock says that the Christian missionaries were convinced that winning the high caste was the key to evengelising the country as a whole.  Later the missionaries turned to Chamars and Mazhabi Sikhs of the lower caste. p 75

Even here there was a failure. The converts were seen as kind of collaborators with the British, people who had gone out of Indian culture. In a revealing line, Mathai writes that it was evident in 1857 when the Indian Mutiny broke out (p 77). It is revealing for the use of the term Indian Mutiny. It shows from which point of view a modern evangelist born in independent India approaches the problem. When it comes to independent India, Mathai writes how evangelists are using the modern visual communication system. The Indian state machinery is also co-opted in this evangelical war against Sikhism.

Christian Broadcasting Network (CBN) is screening gospel programmes through the national channel Doordarshan in Hindi. In Punjab churches and mission agencies use Jesus or Dayasagar films in outreach programmes. Sikhs respond to these programmes well. At present a few fundamental Hindu and Sikhs are fiercely opposing the screening of these films. p 97

Still there are problems. They are not winning the conversion battles. Mathai points out the possible reasons and starts suggesting remedies.

The pattern of worship, customs, and church buildings are not inculturated and are the same as the missionaries left behind. Therefore the Sikh community does not understand the core of the gospel message. The churches of Punjab should modify their mission strategy to reach the Sikhs effectively. The gospel of Christ should be incarnated in the context of the Punjab. The pattern of the church and worship should be inculturated in a way the Sikhs can understand. p 100

In enumerating the hurdles, one is frighteningly interesting. The Sikhs are successful, self-confident and content, and there Mathai sees a problem.

Most Sikhs are well settled and secure as they feel satisfied with their own religion. Wealth is a great hindrance to them for accepting salvation.  Because of wealth they have developed strong personality and personal security that has instilled in them a kind of pride that they can survive anywhere in the world. The Christian worker, or the church, must make a strategy to witness to the Sikhs regarding their appetite for the material things. p 101

One is left to wonder what kind of a religion wants to destroy the self-confidence and success of a community of people so that it can spread itself. Then he details how to evangelise through inculturation  which is essentially creation of theological confusion in a community.

 for effective inculturation, satsang style of worship services should be conducted in the local languages with kirtans accompanied with local music. Also singing Bhajans should be included in worship. Bhajans and Kirtans are the appropriate method for communicating the Word of God effectively to the Sikh community.  Every morning and evening the scripture should be broadcasted from the church as is done in the Gurudwara.In such cases laws regarding the use of microphones and loudspeakers should be adhered to in government restricted areas.  And after the worship service the believers should share fellowship around a communal meal like the langar. p 107

Note the intentional confusion of symbols and spiritual entities exclusively rooted in Sikh culture and religion. Note the creation of competitive use of loudspeakers that can create social strife. And note the caution so as to escape government monitoring. The methodology of blatant deception continues.

Christian workers should also learn and use Punjabi terms. The church can be called Kristh Gurudwara or any appropriate words can be used.  Also the term pastor or priest can be replaced by Granti or Giani. It is best for believers to be called Isa da Sikh. (p 108-9)

Even the life-cycle rituals are not spared.

The most important ceremony is that of pathul or baptism, usually administered at puberty. The initiate takes amrit nectar and is admitted to the Khalsa fraternity. The concept of pahul in Sikhism is similar to Christian baptism. Therefore the Pastor should be able to critically evaluate it and adopt the good elements of it. p 110

Note the condescending theo-supremacist tone. The pastor will critically evaluate and judge and adopt the good elements in a ritual central to Sikhism. Lest we think the missionaries are indulging in crass deception, the usual tool of historiography that would do a Romila Thapar proud is employed to justify the evangelical deception. The Sikhs appropriated the Hindu festivals and we are doing the same to them.

The Sikh festivals are the best examples of inculturating the meaning of Hindu festivals into Sikh faith by their Gurus. The same way, the Christian missionaries can inculturate the Sikh festivals with Christian meanings. p 111
The Hindu American Foundation (HAF) recently released the latest edition of its Hindu Human Rights report. This report documents the challenges which Hindu minorities face in 10 countries and regions across the world. The report then goes on to make policy recommendations for improving the living conditions of these Hindu populations.

In contemporary times, the report is a unique and valuable document for studying and protecting global Hindu populations and for documenting global attitudes towards them.

Swarajya conducted an email interview with the author of the report, Samir Kalra. Edited excerpts given below:

My first question is regarding the kind of discrimination the Hindu minorities face. Economic, social, religious, ethnic, racial  what kind of discrimination did you find most rampant?

Hindu minorities globally face a number of significant challenges and forms of discrimination. The level, type, and severity of discrimination vary from country to country. In countries such as Bangladesh and Pakistan, for instance, although there are many legal provisions that deny Hindus religious freedom, the extensive daily anti-minority violence that Hindus face and the inability or unwillingness of the government and law enforcement agency to protect them is the most serious issue. This includes violence against women in the form of abductions, forced conversions, and sexual assaults; attacks on Hindu temples; targeted killings; and large-scale mob violence.

On the other hand, in Malaysia, the systemic institutional discrimination and economic marginalisation of the ethnic Indian Hindu community, sanctioned through the Bumiputra policies that favour the Malay Muslim majority, as well as policies that treat Hindu religious institutions inequitably are the most pervasive. And in Bhutan the governments restrictions on cultural, linguistic, and religious rights of the ethnic Nepali Hindus is rampant, while abuses by security forces against Tamil Hindus in Sri Lanka remains of critical concern. This is not to say that there arent a number of other ongoing issues in these countries and others, but these are some of the most rampant.

You have classified countries into three categories depending on the intensity of discrimination Hindus face in them like egregious violators, countries of concern and monitored countries. What is the criteria you have employed to come up with such a classification?

The first category, egregious violators, is based on a situation where the state has engaged in systemic human rights violations through official laws and policies that explicitly discriminate against Hindus and deprive them of their basic rights; and where the government has allowed non-state actors to persecute and commit acts of violence against Hindus with impunity or when its institutions are complicit in committing these abuses. The report classifies Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Pakistan as egregious violators.

Countries/regions labelled as of serious concern have committed severe human rights violations against their Hindu minority, but the level of discrimination, violence, and persecution is not as extensive or systemic as it is in egregious violator countries. In our latest report, Bhutan, the state of Jammu and Kashmir (J & K), and Sri Lanka are labelled as countries of serious concern. The designation of J & K is based only on the treatment of the Hindu minority in this particular state, and is not a comment on the state of human rights in general in India.

And finally, in monitored countries, the Hindu community has faced the some combination of discrimination, denial of fundamental rights, and violence in the past, but conditions have improved in recent years. This category includes Fiji, Saudi Arabia, and Trinidad and Tobago. Although Saudi Arabias treatment of minorities merits its designation as an egregious violation, its been labelled as monitored country in this report due to its small population of Hindu migrant workers and a lack of available data on violations against Hindus.

How can Hindus, where they are minorities, best protect themselves and their culture? Can they form groups and lobby their respective countries governments?

Hindu minorities in a number of countries are becoming increasingly vocal and have formed advocacy and human rights groups to assert their rights, after years of staying relatively silent out of fear. Unfortunately, in many instances, these efforts have been disjointed or not unified. We hope that these Hindus can better organise themselves and the various groups in any given country can come together on a common united platform and collectively advocate for their rights. Its also critical that Hindu organisations build relationships with other human rights groups, both domestically and internationally, to help ensure that their issues are taken up and that they have a stronger voice. Moreover, Hindu organisations that already exist need to create more programmes that educate the community in their respective countries in order to empower them.

Though Britain and the United States are secular republics, they never miss out in chiding the other countries whenever Christians are persecuted. Why India doesnt do the same given that this is the only country that is the last refuge for Hindus?

I cant speak on why India hasnt been as vocal in speaking out against human rights atrocities against Hindus globally, but we certainly hope that India, as the worlds largest secular democracy and spiritual homeland of Hindus, will start to play a bigger role in raising these issues in international fora as well as in its bilateral discussions with countries that have persecuted Hindu populations. Weve been encouraged by some positive steps that have been taken by the government towards Hindu refugee populations that have sought refuge in India, but we hope that more will be done to assist those Hindu refugees that have fled from Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, and Pakistan, many of whom are still living on the margins of Indian society without legal status or economic opportunities. For instance, thousands of Afghan Hindus have been living in Delhi for years without any legal status, and as a result are unable to obtain economic opportunities or provide education for their children.

What role can Indian Hindu groups play in helping their persecuted brethren in the diaspora countries?

Indian Hindu groups can play a critical role in assisting persecuted Hindus diaspora communities. For one, they can provide direct grant assistance to local Hindu groups in affected countries by supporting education, womens empowerment, and other social programmes to uplift the community, while also strengthening the capacity of local Hindus to mobilise and advocate for their rights.

Second, they can advocate for greater involvement by the Indian government in assisting persecuted Hindus internationally, as well as raising greater awareness about these issues amongst the Indian public.

And finally, Indian Hindu groups can help provide economic, social, educational, legal, and medical assistance to Hindu refugees and displaced persons in India, including Afghan and Kashmiri Hindus struggling in Delhi and Pakistani Hindus living in makeshift camps in Jodhpur, to name a few.

This is the only major country for Hindus, but here, no mainstream media channel or newspaper has yet reported on your document. What explains this apathy?

Its hard to say what the cause is for such apathy. But its global apathy towards these issues that motivated us to begin comprehensively documenting the human rights of Hindus and other minorities since HAFs inception in 2003. Thats why we will continue to monitor and reach out to media outlets to ensure that the important issues in this report are covered and to raise awareness about the plight facing Hindu minorities.

How can we help this report reach the masses and sensitise the Hindu population here to be more vocal and supportive about the cause of Hindus that are being persecuted in other countries?

The next important step is to focus on the individual stories of victims and activists in each of these countries covered in the report so people can give a face to the suffering and personally connect with these persecuted Hindus. We plan to highlight some of these stories over the next several weeks and months through a series of blogs, Facebook live events, and other mediums.

A documentary based on this report would be an excellent initiative and would have far greater reach on social media. Are you planning something like that?

Were looking into a number of options to expand the reach of the report, including multimedia options. Weve prepared documentaries on specific parts of the report in the past, such as focusing on the plight of Pakistani Hindu refugees, but a documentary that broadly highlights the issues in the report is definitely something we would consider going forward with.

Do you plan to reach out to the Indian government and inform them at least through official channels about your report and the problems Hindus face in other countries?

Absolutely. This is an issue of global significance that requires the attention of the international community. We plan to share the report with the representatives of several countries, including India. In addition, weve already started sharing the report with US policy makers and will continue to advocate for issues facing Hindus that we have documented in the report.

Source : Swarajya Magazine
The IHG Owners Association, which represents InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) franchise hotel owners worldwide, recently awarded Mr. Bakulesh "Buggsi" Patel, President and CEO of Portland, Oregon-based BHG Hotels with its prestigious Kemmons Wilson Service Award. IHG Owners Association 2017 Chair Allen Fusco presented Buggsi with this esteemed honor during the IHG Americas Conference held in Las Vegas on June 19. Created in honor of the late hospitality pioneer and Holiday Inn founder, the Kemmons Wilson Award is bestowed upon an individual who has significantly contributed to the Association for the betterment of the entire IHG system. This honor is awarded to an Association member or an IHG executive who has exemplified Kemmons' spirit and made a difference for IHG-brand owners. Buggsi is the 15th recipient of this esteemed award, preceded most recently by Gerhard Finster of ARCADIA Group Stuttgart who was honored at the IHG Europe Conference in March 2017. With a long and distinguished career in the hospitality industry, Buggsi served as 2014 Chair of the IHG Owners Association  the first Asian American to lead the Association. He continues to be actively involved and is currently the Chair of the Association's Past Chairman's Council. He has held leadership roles in other numerous lodging associations, most notably the American Hotel & Lodging Association (AH&LA), the Asian American Hotel Owners Association (AAHOA), the Washington Lodging Association and the Oregon Lodging Association (OLA). He is CEO and President of Oregon-based BHG Hotels.
Nearly one in five of all Swiss business students aims for a career in banking. In fact, banking is the second most preferred choice by recent graduates in Switzerland after fast-moving consumer goods. When asked about their most favorite employers in the country, banks often come in the top five rankings among business students. The same rings true for hospitality management schools. For example, a good number of our students at Ecole hoteliere de Lausanne also regard the Swiss banking industry as an attractive career option.

Here at EHL, we have been exploring if there is a way of combining the strengths of the hospitality industry with those of the banking industry, in particular, Swiss private banking. As in hospitality, private banking focuses strongly on relationship management and being able to anticipate customers' needs. As Sherif Mamdouh reports in the latest edition of EHL Hospitality Insights, the industry is beginning to realize the relevance of incorporating a more hospitality-focused approach in the way they do business. He interviews Rothschild Bank CEO Laurent Gagnebin, who is convinced his EHL education and experience in hospitality, are helping his bank develop a client-focus which is essential in private banking and commonplace in hotels. "It's not just (about) the client adviser. It's about the premises, the flowers, the branded items you receive as a guest  It's all these touch points," Gagnebin says.

In the spirit of exploring the possible impact of hospitality on Swiss private banking, students from my undergraduate Corporate Strategy class discussed the issues and challenges facing the industry. The students were exposed to first-hand testimony and relevant data portraying how private banking has evolved in Switzerland for the past ten years.

We conducted a contest among the students, with eight groups of five students working on the task in hand during a three-hour class. Equipped with a broad overview of private banking in Switzerland, we asked the students to analyze the industry's strengths and weaknesses, and propose value drivers from the hospitality industry that could become opportunities for private banking in Switzerland.

Students were also asked to generate two scenarios showing how the introduction of hospitality value drivers in Swiss private banking could unfold over time. In so doing, students were asked to apply what they have learned in the first sessions of this course: how to perform industry analysis, identify value drivers, and forecast their impact on industry performance.

In class, we have discussed these topics with a strong focus on the hospitality industry. With this activity, the challenge was for students to be able to understand and generate ideas that could potentially bring competitive advantage to private banking. The task was not easy but after almost three hours of group discussions, each team gave a brief presentation of their analysis, along with key recommendations.

While it was not easy to choose one group of winners  as most of the recommendations went well beyond our expectations  we selected customer-centric recommendations made by final-year students Marlene Baumann, Natalia Edwards, Joe Muller, and Soizic Vernet as the most insightful.

Customized service and technology

Most of the students recognized that private banks urgently need to be able to offer a truly tailored customer experience. They argued that having relationship managers and online banking tools are no longer differentiating factors, in particular when it comes to wealthy millennials and high net worth customers. Their recommendations ranged from having concierges providing a unique service experience to high net worth individuals, to investing in corporate social responsibility initiatives that appeal to millennials.

As for implementing these recommendations, this is where the hospitality touch kicks in: having a concierge who gets to know the customer and foresees her needs, offering online services with face-to-face and flexible elements at the discretion of the customer, and incorporating customer feedback in an agile way. Moreover, the students agreed that wealthy millennials are among the most interesting and misunderstood market segments for private banking. To develop brand loyalty among these individuals, students suggested banks engage in, and showcase, their CSR initiatives. Consumption behavior trends have shown that wealthy millennials are conscious consumers who often favor offerings and organizations that are engaged with society. For our students, these initiatives would make private banking more attractive to this important segment of the market.

The winning group also acknowledged that personalized service at a private bank in Switzerland could be better customized by recognizing that customers are multi-faceted: some may be hoping for a personalized relationship with their asset manager, while others prefer a flexible and more autonomous experience through digital services. For example, a young wealthy customer may value her time and autonomy, and therefore favor the bank's online services. However, she can also enjoy a concierge-type of dedicated service on specific occasions, as and when she requires this. The students also suggested that customers could alternate between these two modes  'high-tech' vs 'high-touch'  by indicating their preferred service type via a slide-bar on the bank's website. Through this tool, customers would have the opportunity to move the cursor in one direction if they want a technology-based service, or to another direction to meet with their asset manager in person. This scenario bolsters the hospitality concept of the concierge who takes care of the customer's needs. In this way, the customer would be able to set up meetings with their asset manager or simply execute transactions online.

While implementing these recommendations might present operational challenges for private banking in practice, our students proved creative, innovative, and flexible in applying their knowledge to the Swiss private banking industry. Their strong focus on the client and their hospitality background in anticipating customers' wants and needs, makes them ideal candidates to initiate novel ideas for the banking sector and other service-based industries.

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When my partner and I were operating a small surfing inn, which was located in a remote fishing village in China, we always struggled with the poor internet and cellphone signals in that area. At that time it was terrible for most people to live without Wi-Fi, as it is nowadays. We tried our best to solve the problem but the local technology company told us it would need a long time to fix it. We kept apologizing to our guests until one day a guest told us that she had a great time with us because there was no digital disturbance. At that moment we realized that we should shift our marketing strategy.

Sometimes rather than to satisfy guest needs, we realized a better choice is to create guest demand. We prepared a poster with a slogan "Escape from the digital world. Embrace the inner peace." We also created some activities, like surfing summer camp and watching open-air films, to help guests experience disconnection from the noisy world. These activities not only brought high guest satisfaction, but also increased our revenue.

This experience reminds me of a new concept called "digital detox", which is focused on silence in hospitality industry. Dr. Franz Linser, founder of Linser Hospitality, said in 2016 Global Wellness Summit: "wellness programming at hotels/retreats today can sometimes feel like nothing more than an "operational line-item", while future destinations will need to put a deeper, more comprehensive focus on the true "art of living" and that will include a much more powerful focus on silence and nature."

There are many industry pioneers that have already applied service of silence to their resorts, restaurants, gyms, salons and even airports. A wellness monastery named Eremito in Italy, without Wi-Fi or phone signal, offers services of meditation, yoga, hiking, reading, etc. Its brand is "peace, contemplation and re-finding oneself". Other examples of applying service of silence can be found in airports like London City, Bristol, Barcelona, Warsaw and Helsinki, where the announcements are only made at boarding gates (except in true emergencies).

The service of silence is not anti-technology, but will embrace new technologies to create a silent experience for customers. We can identify the future trend of this unique service in hospitality industry. As the world will become noisier and more digitally connected, the service of silence in hospitality industry will have the opportunity to became a popular project for guests to escape from noise temporarily.

Qian Long

University of Houston
Hotels in Brussels recorded a 116.8 per cent year-on-year increase in profit per room this month, as a result of the Belgian capital hosting the NATO Summit, according to the latest data from HotStats.

Hotels in Brussels recorded a 116.8 per cent year-on-year increase in profit per room this month, as a result of the Belgian capital hosting the NATO Summit, according to the latest data from HotStats.

The staggering year-on-year increase in performance was led by an 18.7 percentage point uplift in room occupancy, to 75.1 per cent.

Whilst more measured, the 3.0 per cent increase in achieved average room rate, to 144.28, helped fuel the 37.2 per cent increase in RevPAR (Revenue per Available Room) for the month, to 108.37.

This strength of demand in Brussels enabled hoteliers to drive top and bottom line performance to some of the highest levels recorded since the terrorist activity in the Belgian capital in March 2016.

In addition to the increase in Rooms Revenue, hotels in Brussels successfully achieved an increase in Non-Rooms Revenues, including Food and Beverage (+23.2 per cent) and Conference and Banqueting (+26.4 per cent), which fuelled a TrevPAR (Total Revenue per Available Room) increase of 28.9 per cent to 148.77.

Whilst the strong top line performance enabled hoteliers in Brussels to record a 7.3 percentage point reduction in payroll levels, at 42.7 per cent of total revenue, this cost still remains high against the European average of 28.9 per cent. As a result, and in spite of the staggering year -on-year increase, profit conversion at Brussels hotels remains relatively low at 26.6 per cent of total revenue this month.

Hotels in Rome Coming Back Down to Earth After Holy Year High

Further to the standout performance of hotels in Rome in 2016 due to the Jubilee or Holy Year of Mercy, profit levels are realigning, illustrated by the 12.3 per cent year-on-year decline in profit per room this month.

By this time last year, it was estimated that 9.1 million people had made the pilgrimage to Rome to celebrate the Jubilee and the swathes of visitors enabled hotels in the Italian capital to leverage average room rate and enjoy an uplift in Non-Rooms Revenues.

However, RevPAR performance this month has fallen by 11.5 per cent as a result of a 3.4 percentage point decline in room occupancy as well as a 7.9 per cent drop in achieved average room rate, to 224.56.

In addition to the drop in RevPAR, declining revenue in Non-Rooms Departments contributed to a 6.5 per cent drop in TrevPAR to 287.36.

Whilst hotels in Rome have been able to successfully modify costs to account for the falling revenues, illustrated by the savings this month in Payroll (-0.7 per cent) and Overheads (-5.3 per cent), the adjustment was not sufficient to offset the decline in revenue, and as a result profit per room fell to 107.63.

Exceptional Occupancy Enables Warsaw Hoteliers to Leverage Rate to Drive Profit

Hotels in Warsaw recorded a 17.1 per cent increase in achieved average room rate this month which fuelled a 23.4 per cent increase in profit per room, as hoteliers were able to leverage rate on the back of room occupancy levels of +80 per cent.

The strength of demand enabled hotels in Warsaw to achieve considerable rate growth across all market segments, including Best Available Rate (+14.5 per cent), Residential Conference (+26.1 per cent), Corporate (+8.4 per cent), Individual Leisure (+30.9 per cent) and Group Leisure (+17.3 per cent).

Furthermore, increases were recorded in Non-Rooms Departments, including Food and Beverage (+8.8 per cent) and Conference and Banqueting (+17.7 per cent). As a result, TrevPAR at hotels in Warsaw increased by 12.7 per cent year-on-year, to 141.35.

Payroll at hotels in Warsaw remains amongst the lowest in Europe, at just 21.5 per cent of total revenue, following a 1.6 percentage point reduction this month. The meagre payroll levels contributed to a profit conversion at a staggering 49.6 per cent of total revenue this month.

Click here ( Adobe Acrobat PDF file) to view full the report.

For an inside view of a local or regional market place in the hotel sector, bespoke HotStats reports are available. Terms and conditions apply. Visit www.hotstats.com to view a sample report.

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By PTI: Kolkata, Jul 3 (PTI) Trinamool Congress MP Sugata Bose today alleged that some people threatened and demanded money from him for carrying out renovation at his family residence here after which six persons were arrested by police.

According to a senior officer of Kolkata Police, these six persons were arrested after Bose lodged an FIR with the Ballygunge police station alleging that he was threatened by these people demanding extortion for the renovation work undergoing at their residence on Sarat Bose Road.

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Sugata Bose, the Trinamool Congress MP from Jadavpur constituency is also the grand nephew of Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose.

There has been renovation work going on at Boses residence which is popularly known as the home of his father Netajis nephew Shishir Bose.

The renowned historian in his complaint alleged that extortionists threatened the family to stop renovation works if they are not paid, the officer said.

"The extortionists demanded money from Bose and his mother Krishna Basu following which there was an altercation between them. They fled when Bose enquired about their identity," the officer said.

A quick investigation was initiated following which six locals from the area were arrested, he said.

"We are still investigating the matter and there could be more arrests also," he said.

Following the incident, security has been beefed up at Boses residence. PTI SCH RG

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Volunteer Participation Doesn't Just Happen

Posted by Ryan Scott on Monday, 07-03-2017 12:42 am

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With HR and CSR leaders increasingly aware that strong corporate volunteer and giving programs are an essential part of a positive employee experience, the vexing question on everyones minds is: but how can I get employees to actually participate?  Corey Diamond, COO of volunteer consultant firm Realized Worth, believes the answer may seem contradictory: focus less on volunteer participation, and more on the volunteer experience.  Too often, volunteer opportunities are created and executed with a check-the-box mentality. Overworked, under-resourced managers are doing the best they can just to get something - anything - organized. Fortunately, modern tools - such as Causecasts volunteer and giving solution - make the process of managing campaigns easier and more efficient than ever before.  But a powerful and sustaining volunteer program doesnt just come from ease of use.  Were big believers in the idea that experience leads, says Diamond. If people have a great experien...

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In the spring of 1997, Dr. Tanveer Syeda-Mahmood received a call from one of her fathers colleagues  the kind of call that everyone dreads. There is something wrong with your father, the man reported. He described symptoms of confusion, slurred speech and severe headache. So I called my sister [a physician] in India and she said, Take him to the emergency room immediately. He may be having a stroke.

Its just 400 miles from Rochester, NY, to Washington, DC  a quick flight  but Tanveer arrived to find her father in acute distress, wracked by seizures. The nurses rushed him away for a simple contrast MRI, but by the time they wheeled him back into the room, the sudden violence of the seizures had given way to a profound and unnerving stillness.

His brain is gone, they told her, after investigating the depth of the coma. It had been damaged beyond repair, and beyond the bodys ability to heal itself. Her father, a healthy, energetic man  himself a Ph.D candidate with a sharp mind and an indomitable will  was now declared a vegetable.

Unacceptable.
We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector

We work towards an equitable,

gender-just, self-reliant and

sustainable fisheries,

particularly in the small-scale,

artisanal sector
A raft of snarky web comics, covering everything from farmer's suicides, women's rights and Adani's venture on the Great Barrier Reef, is fast becoming the preferred means of sharing dissenting opinions on social media.

To hear the political pundits tell it, dissent has never been more unpopular. But a raft of snarky web comics-covering everything from farmer's suicides, women's rights and Adani's venture on the Great Barrier Reef-suggests just the opposite. And they're fast becoming the preferred means of sharing dissenting opinions on social media.

The comics don't have any apparent agenda and the content is often driven by the most viral news in circulation. Their tones range from angry satire to frustrated head shaking. Crocodile in Water, Tiger on Land packs some powerful political commentary, most recently on the Madhya Pradesh farmers' protests. Sanitary Panels, on the other hand, condenses the angst over the news, while Inedible India attempts to make light of the incongruity that is news.

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The artwork, too, ranges greatly in style. Sanitary Panels uses simple stick figures, while Crocodile in Water...features line drawings of cows, microphones, televisions and hairy declaiming hands. Royal Existentials and Inedible India repurpose Indian miniature paintings and other vintage artwork, while Adarsh Balak employs the aesthetics of the old school textbook to drive its point home. Say what you want about social media's preference for the instant opinion, web comics are adult, immediate and here to stay.

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Kolkata: July 3 (IBNS): Schneider Electric, the global specialist in energy management and automation, on Monday said it has firmed up plans to acquire a bigger market share in the Rs 5000 crore market for low voltage electrical products such as MCBs, RCCBs, Distribution Boards, Switches & Sockets across India.

As part of its retail expansion drive in East India, where the low-voltage electrical retail market is pegged at Rs 500 crore the company today unveiled its mobile Van Campaign Switch on India in West Bengal and Odisha with an aim to reach out to end customers.



Under the initiative, Schneider Electric will showcase its range of green low-voltage electrical products in Kolkata and engage with local electricians and retailers to generate awareness around safety and efficiency.

The van will display Schneider Electric Final Distribution (FD) and Wiring Devices (WD) products. A total of 8 such vans will travel across different electrical markets in the country, covering close to 100 cities over the next one month. The van will travel across the states of Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Gujarat and Kerala.

An initiative in line with the Governments Smart City Mission and Digital India initiatives: - the presence of this van is focused around to facilitate a deeper engagement with the electrician base and the retail network. The campaign will also generate awareness around safety and energy efficiency amongst Schneider Electrics channel partners.

Speaking on the occasion, Ramesh Jha, Regional Sales Head-East, Schneider Electric India, Construction activities in India are on the up and are expected to pick up pace in future. Moreover, government rules and regulations regarding the installation of low-voltage products in residential and commercial establishments and growing inclination of end users towards feature-laden products are likely to improve demand for retail products in West Bengal and Odisha. The mobile Van campaign is a testimony to our commitment towards green India and spreading awareness about the importance of safety, standardisation and sustainable solutions for the end users.
New Delhi, June 30 (IBNS): Robotic Surgery has made its mark in top Indian cities - its precision and accuracy helping surgeons achieve superior patient outcomes. Now it is set to make inroads into tier two cities in the country as well.

Buoyed by a robust 50 per cent growth in the number of da Vinci Surgical robots deployed in Indian hospitals in the last one year, its distributor Vattikuti Technologies has drawn up an ambitious expansion plan.

Vattikuti Technologies is planning a roadshow in smaller towns and cities to familiarize surgeons and hospitals administrators with computer-assisted surgeries that can vanquish various forms of cancers, including in Urology, Gynaecology, Thoracic, Paediatric, and Head & Neck area.

The expansion plan could not have come at a better time as the spread of cancer is relentless across India. According to the National Cancer Registry there are 15 lakh new cancer cases every year, a prevalence of over 30 lakh cancer cases at any point of time and over 680,000 deaths a year. Although early detection saves lives, just one in eight Indians call on a doctor in the early stages.

Only one in every three reported cases gets treated for cancer. The reason: non-availability of cancer detection and treatment in non-urban areas from where nearly 76 per cent of cancer patients come from.

Non-availability of trained surgeons, cost of computer assisted procedures and equipment are all constraints challenging the spread of robotic surgery into tier 2 and 3 towns. To address these constraints, Vattikuti Technologies and Intuitive Surgical Inc. USA and Vattikuti Foundation will showcase the technology to surgeons and hospital administrators in 20 cities over the next six months by mounting the surgical robot on a mobile vehicle. The da Vinci Surgical Robot on the special mobile vehicle will simulate an operation theatre setting as it gives exposure to doctors in smaller towns.

The Roving Robot will help surgeons in smaller towns experience the immense capabilities of a da Vinci Surgical Robot -- 3-dimensional HD vision system and 10 times magnification for removal of affected tissue while retaining healthy tissue with tiny wristed instruments that bend and rotate far greater than the human hand. This enables superior outcome, quick recovery and therefore reduced hospital stays, says Gopal Chakravarthy, CEO, Vattikuti Technologies.

Da Vinci Surgical System enables surgeons to operate minimally invasively through a few small incisions or the belly button from a nearby ergonomic console. As a result of this technology, da Vinci allows surgeons to operate with enhanced vision, precision and control.

Vattikuti Technologies are the exclusive marketing and clinical support partners of Surgical Robot makers Intuitive Surgical Inc., USA. To ensure affordability of robotic surgery for cancer patients from hospitals in smaller cities and towns, Vattikuti Technologies and Intuitive Surgical will offer hospitals the da Vinci Robot along with instruments required for the next three years at a special price point.

The Roving Robot will travel to Dehradun, Rishikesh, Muzaffarnagar, Bhopal, Indore, Raipur, Bhubaneswar, Cuttack, Vizag, Rajamundry, Vijayawada, Ongole, Tirupati, Vellore, Trichy, Madurai, Trivandrum, Kochi, Calicut, Mysore, Mangalore, Hubli, Belgaum, Goa over the next 6 months.
Image: www.simon.rochester.edu

New York/Kolkata, July 3 (IBNS): Simon Business School at the University of Rochester and Wadhawan Global Capital (WGC) have joined hands to honour the legacy of the Groupas Founding Father and his vision of bringing social equity through economic empowerment

The Simon Business School at the University of Rochester announced the establishment of the Rajesh Wadhawan Professorship for Development Economics with an endowment of USD 1.5 million from WGC.

The professorship commemorates the Groups Founder Rajesh Wadhawan and his vision of empowering deprived sections of society through fair and respectable access to credit.

The Professorship will focus on shaping research and studies in development economics that will be supported by exchange programmes and internships at WGC group companies in India. Joint forums to further propagate the field and allied areas are also on the anvil.

In his remarks, Dean of Simon Business School,Andrew Ainslie said, This gift shows the commitment and generosity of the Wadhawan family to give back to society in a meaningful and knowledge-driven manner. The Rajesh Wadhawan Professorship will strengthen Simon Business Schools academic and research focus on development economics. It is in line with our commitment to build a curriculum grounded in analytics and economics. We look forward to an engaging partnership with WGC to make this effort a success.

The Wadhawan family, represented by Aruna Wadhawan, wife of Late Rajesh Wadhawan and son Kapil Wadhawan, his wife Vanita and daughter Tiana and son Kartik, were present at the Plaque Ceremony at the campus.

Speaking on behalf of the family, WGC Chairman Kapil Wadhawan said, The Rajesh Wadhawan Professorship is a tribute to our Group Founders legacy of doing business with a purpose. The topic of development economics was very close to his heart. He envisioned empowering the deprived with credit to build their own homes.

The endowment will support a full-time member of the Simon Business School faculty for research and a curriculum that furthers the understanding of economic problems in developing countries.

WGCs collaboration with Simon Business School is aimed at creating a larger impact globally. With an asset base of USD 18.6 billion, 10 million customers and a presence across 770 touch points, the group has a deep understanding of aspirational consumers. When seen in the larger context of development economics, it has the ability to deliver transformative socio-economic change in a profitable manner.


Kolkata, Jul 3 (IBNS): The city's popular gastropub, Monkey Bar, in association with Smoke Inc., will be holding fun music sessions with live performances by local indie artists every alternate Friday, starting July 7.

The inaugural 'Live at Monkey' session, from 8pm to 10pm, will kickoff with a young band called Yes Doctor, who will be performing a selection of upbeat and popular covers ranging from old English classics to trendy pop songs by international artists, said the organisers.

'Yes Doctor is a three-member band featuring Michelle Manuel on vocals, John Paul on guitar and Jishu Paul on the cajon.

Free entry. Meal for two without alcohol, excluding taxes, is Rs. 1200 upwards while meal for two with alcohol, excluding taxes:, is Rs. 1800 upwards.

Located in the Fort Knox building on Camac Street, Monkey Bar is open Sunday to Thursday from 12 noon to 12 midnight, and on Friday and Saturday, from 12 noon to 1am. Note: Guests below the age of 21 are permitted only till 6 pm.

Contact: 033 40606446
Srinagar, Jul 3 (IBNS): At least one terrorist has been killed in a gun battle between security forces and infiltrators in Kashmir's Pulwama district, reports said.

The incident took place early this morning.

The media quoted police spokesperson as saying that the operation was launched based on intel about the presence of three terrorists in Bahmnoo region of Pulwama, some 40 kilometres from the state capital Srinagar.

The operation is still on, the spokesperson added.
New Delhi, Jul 3 (IBNS) : Syed Salahuddin, the US-designated "global terrorist", has admitted to a Pakistani television channel that his outfit Hizbul Mujahideen has carried out terror attacks in India.

In an interview to Pakistans Geo News, Salahuddin has also admitted that organisation gets funding from the Pakistan Government, media reports said.

Salahuddin also said that he had plans to carry out more operations, but scenario changed after the 9/11 attacks.

He claimed that he can carry out terror attacks as he has enough support within India.

Salahuddin's statement comes two days after he said at a Saturday rally in Muzaffarabad that his "fighters' attacks were on legitimate military targets as opposed to civilians", as was reported by Pakistani newspaper Nation.

On Saturday, Salahuddin had said that the idiotic US decision designate him a global terrorist will not make any difference to the legitimate struggle for freedom of Jammu and Kashmir.

According to media reports, during the public rally Salahuddin was being guarded by Pakistani troops.

He described as "idiotic" the move by the Donald Trump administration to designate him a global terrorist, saying it's purpose was to please and satisfy Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Image: DDNewsLive Twitter
Srinagar, Jul 3 (IBNS) : A policeman and a civilian were critically injured in a militant shootout in Anantnag district of south Kashmir on Monday.

According to reports, armed militants attacked a police party at a bus stand in Anantnag town, leaving a policeman and a woman seriously injured.

Both have been rushed to a hospital.

The condition of injured policeman, identified as Ghulam Hassan of IRP 16 Battalion, is stated to be critical.

Early on Monday morning, one militant was killed in an encounter with security forces in Pulwama district of southern Kashmir.

Police sources said that two militants are still holed up in a building and firing is on from both sides.



(Reporting by Saleem Iqbal Qadri)
Valletta, Jul 3 (IBNS): A leader in gay rights in Europe, Malta, a Catholic major nation, is about to legalise same-sex marriages in the country, reports said.

"Malta wants to keep leading on LGBT issues and civil liberties, to serve as a model for the rest of the world," Maltese Prime Minister Joseph Muscat was quoted as saying by the BBC.

The country is also introducing gender-neutral terms and plans to scrap references to "husband", "wife", "mother" and "father".

Malta will also allow gay couples to adopt children, akin to Germany, who in a snap vote last week passed the historic law as the German LGBTQ community took to streets to celebrate the landmark ruling.

The new law will also be supported by the opposition.

However, the proposal of choosing gender-neutral terms has received criticism from the country's Archbishop Charles Scicluna.

According to him, "The suppression of the cherished terms 'husband and wife', 'mother and father' in Maltese law is lamentable."

He however said that he holds nothing against the LGBTQ community but added, "We do not need to change the way in which God created marriage to enable us to say that two men or two women can get married."

According to ILGA Europe, the European Region of the International Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans and Intersex Association, Gay Marriages is allowed in the following European Union nations: Luxembourg, Netherlands, Portugal, Spain, Belgium, Denmark, UK (excluding Northern Ireland), Finland, France, Germany, Ireland and Sweden.

European countries are also making progress in accepting LGBTQ lawmakers as the head of their state.

Luxumberg, Ireland and Serbia all have LGBTQ members as their respective Prime Ministers.



image: Ludovic Bertron/Wikipedia
In the latest promo of Zee TV's popular show Kumkum Bhagya, Pragya is seen falling off the cliff.

By India Today Web Desk: Abhi and Pragya are finally married, but they might not live happily ever after, if we go by the show's recent promo.

In the upcoming mega-episode, Abhi and Pragya will once again be separated as Pragya will fall off the cliff after being shot by the goons, while Abhi will be left with her mangalsutra in his hand, shattered.

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After months and months of dramatic twists and turns, the protagonists of the show had got married in a jungle. However, soon after the wedding, the goons manage to trace the couple. While being on the run, their car meets with an accident but the couple manage to survive. Abhi regains his memory post the accident. However, their happiness is shortlived.

Will Pragya survive the fall or is it the end of Abhigya's love story?

Also read: Kumkum Bhagya: Dear Pragya, now we know why you get kidnapped all the time

Also read: After Ishqbaaz, now Kumkum Bhagya to get a spin-off show Kundali Bhagya

Also read: Kumkum Bhagya: 5 reasons Pragya-Abhi's Adhuri Kahaani is the No. 1 show right now

Also read: Dear Pragya, aren't you tired of getting kidnapped in Kumkum Bhagya?

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Patna, Jul 3 (TheBiharPost/IBNS): Bihar chief minister Nitish Kumar on Monday categorically ruled himself out of the race to become the prime minister, saying he doesnat have any such aspiration.

I am not the face of the opposition nor I have any aspiration or capability to become the Prime Minister, Kumar told the media on Monday on the sidelines of his weekly peoples interaction programme.

Talking about opposition unity, Kumar said Congress being the big party must set the alternative agenda to take on the BJP in the coming Lok sabha polls.

The Opposition must have an agenda and the Congress is a big party. It is its job to set the agenda, an alternative narrative, a narrative that isnt reactive, Kumar was quoted as saying by the Times of India.

Alternative politics is demand of the time, he added.

Kumar further expressed concern over the way politics crept into presidential elections which pushed to the background the issues of the farmers.

Incidentally, Kumars JD-U has supported NDAs presidential candidate Ram Nath Kovind against Bihar-born Meira Kumar fielded by the opposition.

But Kumar claims his support is not to any party but an individual who maintained very good relations with the state government and and never hot involved in any controversy.

thebiharpost.com/IBNS
Mumbai, Jul 3 (IBNS): The Supreme Court on Monday ordered the Maharashtra government to remove illegal encroachment on approach road to Mumbai's Haji Ali Dargah, according to media reports.

The SC has asked the state government to clear the 908 square meter area on the approach road within two weeks, media reported.

Earlier, the Haji Ali Dargah Trust was given the task of removing the illegal squatters, task that was scheduled for completion by May 8. But the Trust recently expressed its inability to complete the task, according to local reports.

Image: AIR News Twitter
Kolkata, Jul 3 (IBNS): A major fire broke out at Apollo Gleneagles hospital in eastern Kolkata's EM Bypass area on Monday morning, triggering panic among the patients and their family members, reports said.

According to reports, the fire was first seen at around 9 am at the Operation Theatre no. 9 on the first floor of the privately-rum hospital's building.

As many as four fire tenders rushed to the spot along with local police and Disaster Management Group (DMG) personnel.

Firemen fought for nearly half an hour to douse the blaze and clear the black smoke.

"After being informed about the fire at around 9:15 am, our engines rushed to Apollo Gleneagles hospital and we brought the fire under control very soon," a senior official of state fire and emergency services told IBNS.

"They have 14 operation theatres on the first floor and the fire started at OT no. 9. After primary probe, we are suspecting that a sophisticated light inside the OT was the source of fire."

West Bengal fire minister and Kolkata Mayor Shovan Chatterjee visited the scene later.

"No casualty was reported due to the fire. One of our firefighters fell sick after inhaling smoke inside the OT," Chatterjee said.

Fire minister also said that action will be taken against the hospital authority if any negligence from their side is proved.

"I've directed DG Fire to file a report on the incident asap. Our forensic experts team will arrive shortly and after proper investigation, the exact reason behind the blaze will be confirmed," Shovan Chatterjee said.

Meanwhile, CEO of Apollo Gleneagles hospital, Rana Dasgupta, claimed that the fire was a minor on and they doused it before the arrival of the fire brigade.

"A small fire broke out in an operation theatre and using our ultramodern fire-extinguishing equipments, our staffers doused the blaze. We called the fire brigade as per protocol," Dasgupta told IBNS. "None was hurt in the incident- neither any patient nor our staff."

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)
New Delhi, July 3 (IBNS): Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be visiting Israel on 4-6 July, 2017, officials said.

The Prime Minister will also be visiting Hamburg in Germany on 6-8 July, 2017 to attend 12th G-20 Summit.

In a series of Facebook posts from his account, the Prime Minister said:

I will be visiting Israel on 4-6 July, 2017 upon invitation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

As the first Indian Prime Minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer. This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of our diplomatic relations.

I will have in-depth talks with Prime Minister Netanyahu on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism.

I will meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin - who I had the pleasure of receiving in New Delhi in November last year, as well as other senior leaders.

My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples.

On the economic side, I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground. In addition, I hope to get insights into Israels accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits.

During my stay, I will visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history. Later, I will also pay my respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

On the evening of 6 July, I will commence my visit to Hamburg for the 12th G-20 Summit hosted by Germany. Over two days on 7th and 8th July, I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability.

We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, womens empowerment, and partnership with Africa. The theme chosen for this year is Shaping an Inter-connected World.

As in the past, I look forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the side lines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.


Kolkata, Jul 3 (IBNS): The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Monday quizzed Trinamool Congress (TMC) Lok Sabha MP Sultan Ahmed in connection with its ongoing probe into Narada sting, reports said.

After being summoned by the central investigation agency, Sultan Ahmed visited CBI's office in south Kolkata's Nizam Palace at around 11 am and he was grilled there for more than 7 hours.

While leaving Nizam Palace in late evening, the TMC MP from Uluberia Lok Sabha constituency told the media that he will cooperate with investigators in the probe.

According to CBI sources, the senior MP of West Bengal's ruling party will be called again soon for interrogation.



Since Mar 14 last year, news portal- Narada News- released several sting operation footage, where TMC's leaders, ministers, MPs and MLAs were exposed while allegedly taking bribes.

From the beginning, TMC leaderships had claimed that the sting footage was doctored and conspiracy of oppositions.

After getting direction from the Calcutta High Court and Supreme Court, the CBI has started probe into the case.

Earlier on April 17, the investigation agency registered an FIR in connection with the case under several non-bailable sections against 12 influential leaders, cabinet ministers, MLAs and MPs of TMC and one senior IPS officer, who were seen taking bribes in the sting footage, reports said.

Besides CBI, the Enforcement Directorate (ED), has registered a money laundering case in the Narada scam and the Central economic intelligence agency is currently investigating the same.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)


Image: Benjamin Robert Siegel/wikipedia.org

Kolkata, Jul 3 (IBNS): The Kolkata Police on Monday evening arrested at least six persons for allegedly threatening Netaji Subhas Chandra Basu's kin and Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Sugata Basu, officials said.

According to reports, few miscreants went to Netaji's nephew Shishir Basu's residence, where renovation works are underway, at Sarat Bose Road area under Ballygunge Police Station limits in southern part of the city on Monday noon.

They allegedly demanded extortion from TMC MP and eminent historian Sugata Basu and his mother Krishna Basu, who is a former MP of TMC.

The extortionists also threatened the Basu family to stop renovation works if they are not paid money, after knowing that they are Netaji's kin.

Police started investigation into the case and have arrested six persons so far from nearby areas.

According to locals, one of the arrested is an activist of state's ruling Trinamool Congress.

A local police official told IBNS that they are probing the matter and will arrest others involved in the case soon.

Meanwhile security has been beefed up in front of Sugata Basu's residence.

(Reporting by Deepayan Sinha)


New Delhi, July 3 (IBNS): India has asked Pakistan to not provide 'shelter' to internationally-designated terrorists after Hizbul Mujahideen's Syed Salahuddin, designated a global terrorist by the US last week, openly claimed in a television interview that his outfit has carried out terror attacks in India.

Salahuddin, who allegedly carries out his operations from Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir, told Pakistani channel Geo TV that he "can strike anytime, anywhere in India."

"He said it was easy for him to get weapons in Pakistan for these terror strikes," NDTV quoting the interview reported.

"Salahuddin has in his own words said what we have been saying for a long time. The designation of global terrorist is well deserved," Home Ministry spokesperson Ashok Prasad told NDTV.




Mumbai, July 3 (IBNS): Jet Airways, Indiaas full-service, premiere international airline, on Monday announced Shantanu Kumar as the Grand Prize winner of the aThe Billion Miles Festivala held by the airline between February 21 and March 31, 2017.

Shantanu Kumar won an One Million JPMiles (10,00,000 JPMiles) which can be redeemed for Award flight tickets on Jet Airways and partner airline flights across the globe.



Jet Airways also announced 40 daily winners  one for each day of the promotion  who have earned 100,000 JPMiles.

During the campaign, Jet Airways rewarded members of JetPrivilege, its loyalty programme with One Billion JPMiles. The campaign drew in outstanding participation.



The winner -Shantanu Kumar, from Patna, currently resides in Doha. Using the One million JPMiles, Kumar can make 100 return trips between Mumbai and Goa or 58 return trips between Mumbai and Delhi or 29 return trips between Doha and Mumbai/Delhi or 11 trips between Mumbai and London/Paris /Amsterdam. As a special gesture, all the JPMiles awarded under the campaign can be used for life and will not expire.



Speaking on the occasion, Jayaraj Shanmugam, Chief Commercial Officer, Jet Airways, said, The Billion Miles Festival was our way of thanking our valued guests for flying us. The campaign received a tremendous response from our guests and we saw significant additions to our JetPrivilege programme. Guests earned bonus JPMiles on every journey they undertook for bookings made under the offer across our entire network, and can now redeem those against future travel with Jet Airways and our partners.



Manish Dureja, Managing Director JetPrivilege, said, We are delighted to celebrate the success of the Billion Miles Festival with Jet Airways. This never before initiative not only created excitement and drove engagement with existing members, but also encouraged new member enrolments. From a marketing perspective, brand establishment and company goodwill was ascertained and we were able to fulfil our members aspirations of travel to destinations of their choice.



JetPrivilege is one of the largest frequent flyer and loyalty rewards management programmes in the country and is the recipient of multiple global awards. Guests who are not yet members can easily enrol themselves into the JetPrivilege programme by visiting jetairways.com or jetprivilege.com and start earning JPMiles on all the travels with the airline and its strategic codeshare partners.


New York, July 3(Just Earth News): Deputy Secretary-General Amina Mohammed on Monday called for strengthening the relationship between the African Union (AU) and the United Nations to deliver on promised development for Africa's youth.

Addressing her first African Union Summit since taking office, Mohammed said that the AU's thematic focus this year on youth is a powerful reminder of the core principle at the heart of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the AU's strategic framework known as Agenda 2063 and other global agreements, namely, creating a better world for the next generation.

For the 226 million young people aged 15 to 24 living in Africa on Monday, these agendas address challenges and opportunities that are integral to their futures, she said.

On Monday you are here taking decisions that will ensure that Africa benefits from the full potential of all its people, including young women and men, she added, in a nod to this year's theme of Harnessing the Demographic Dividend through investments in Youth.

Investing in our youth on Monday reaps the dividend of a peaceful and prosperous Africa tomorrow.

Addressing leaders from across the continent who have gathered at the AU headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Mohammed called for building new bridges between us, and fortifying the ones that already exist to deliver on the promises of the development agenda for Africa and its people.

In April, the UN-AU annual conference in New York resulted in a joint framework for enhanced partnership on peace and security. The two organizations are now preparing a joint framework on sustainable development, focusing on the implementation of the 2030 Agenda and of Agenda 2063, according to Mohammed.

She also noted that the UN will be collaborating with the AU on a new UN-European Union initiative to be launched at the UN General Assembly this September to end gender-based violence around the world.

The deputy UN chief also highlighted some of the other areas where the UN and the AU are working more closely, including on efforts to enhance the UN's partnership with Africa's regional economic communities in areas of peacekeeping, elections and democratic transitions.

Secretary-General Antonio Guterres recently reiterated the need for predictable, reliable and sustainable financing for AU peace operations, and is said to be working on a set of concrete proposals for the UN Security Council.

Our efforts should continue to be based on urgency, flexibility and innovation to improve complementarity, cost-effectiveness and impact, Mohammed said.

She also echoed Guterres' call at the G7 summit in Italy, where he urged world leaders to invest in young people, with stronger investment in technology, relevant education and capacity-building in Africa.

The challenge of strengthening Africa's human capital, starting with its young people, has galvanized commitments to promote their rights and invest in quality and relevant education at all levels, health, science and technology and innovation, said Mohammed.

UN Photo/Mark Garten

Source: www.justearthnews.com
Kabul, Jul 3 (IBNS): In a case of honour killing, a man killed his teenage daughter for eloping with a friend, and later joined the Taliban, local Khaama Press reported.

The incident took place in Badghis province of Afghanistan.

According to the provincial spokesperson, the father reportedly shot his 14-year-old daughter in Qala-i-Naw area of the province and later killed her 18-year-old friend with whom she eloped.

Afghanistan witnesses Taliban attacks on regular basis, who along with other terrorist organisations, frequent the area.

image: Internet Wallpapers
By Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu: Two months after Maoists unleashed one of the worst bloodbaths on security forces, killing 25 CRPF troopers at Burkapal in Chhattisgarh, an internal report of the paramilitary force accessed by Mail Today has called the incident an 'intelligence failure'.

The report blamed Intelligence Bureau (IB) and Sukma SP for failing to provide intelligence inputs to DIG (operations) or to the 74 Battalion whose men were butchered.

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The report sites intelligence inputs were general in nature and unrelated to Burkapal. It says in the aftermath of the Bheji ambush that occurred on March 11, the CRPF DIG (operations) had cautioned and alerted troops including those of 74 battalion of similar tactics on the Dornapal-Jagargonda stretch. Remedial measures were also suggested.

A senior CRPF officer on condition of anonymity said, "We make case studies of such incidents, and send them to troops in the respective zones, so that mistakes are not made in the future."

WHAT THE REPORT STATES

The report also gives an insight into the carefully crafted attack by the Naxals. Hours before the attack, a smokescreen of normalcy was created with local villagers celebrating a festival in the intervening night of April 23-24. The report says, "Music was played and villagers danced the whole night. It was done to create an illusion and complacence in troops that everything was normal. But on the day of the attack, the whole village (Burkapal) was deserted. They missed this vital fact".Many other vital signs were also missed, such as reports that unknown people were seen doing a recce of the area by villagers. Intriguingly, the BSNL towers stopped functioning 24 hours before the attack and came to life after the attack was over, hinting at a conspiracy angle.

The report goes on to say that the Maoists prepared 'very thoroughly' for the attack. To cut off the flow of information, they murdered an ex-sarpanch named Dula, branding him a police informer, and warned others against talking to the CRPF. People stopped giving information to the force and Maoists began to send their cadre in civilian clothes in the area to note the CRPF's numerical strength, weaponry, positions and routes.

Following this, the Maoists prepared their own cadre and supporting Jan Militia and Sangham members for the attack. About 70-80 Maoists and 150 Jan Militia were trained extensively.

The Maoists waited for three days as the CRPF did not go venture in the ambush area. An hour before the attack, a woman, disguised as a mahua picker, passed through the troops, though the mahua season had ended a week ago. After some time, a man in civvies with his face painted passed through. The troops asked him to come to them, but he said he was going for defecation and ran away. These were some other vital signs the troops missed.

ALSO READ | Sukma attack: 25 CRPF jawans killed, worst Naxal attack in years

Sukma attack: Why Naxals succeed attack after attack in Chhattisgarh

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Sukma attack: How CRPF jawans walked into 'kill zone' set up by Naxals

ALSO WATCH | Sukma attack: Naxals came in hundreds, attacked in different groups, says injured jawan

--- ENDS ---
Culture Paintings for Peace

Old Jar by Choi Sukun (2008) / Myo Min Soe / The Irrawaddy

Myanmar and Korea are different in many ways but they both share a longing for peace. In the 70 years since it gained independence from Britain in 1948, peace among ethnic groups has eluded Myanmar. Since the 1950s, when an uneasy truce was reached between north and south Koreas, peaceful reunification of the peninsula has as yet proved impossible.

Myanmar and Koreas shared desire for peace is on display in an exhibition showcasing works of pacifism from the two countries at New Treasure Art Gallery on Thalwin Street, Golden Hill Avenue in Yangons Bahan Township.

The exhibition titled Platform of Peace is the second edition of the Korea-Myanmar art exhibition and features works by ten Myanmar and ten Korean artists and sculptors.

Over 40 works by Korean and Myanmar artists are on display at the exhibition, which continues until Thursday.

The first edition was held in 2015 to mark the 40th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Myanmar and South Korea.

2017 is a year of cultural exchange between Asean countries and South Korea. Park Taehong, director of co-organizer Artistic Asia, said: Korea has north and south Koreas. They are divided and have not achieved peace. And Myanmar is also working for peace. When we look at the similarities between the two countries, we found peace. So, we gave the title Platform of the Peace.

Myanmar artist Moe Nyo sugested there should be more similar exhibitions. For many people living here it will be very beneficial, he said.

A sculpture made of stone and silicone sits at the entrance of the exhibition hall. Sculptor Chan Aye explained, I try to combine two opposite thingssoft silicone and hard stonehoping that this would create some beauty.

Near Chan Ayes work is a simple, but attractive display titled Stainless Steel by modern Korean sculptor Pyo Insook. He said of his duck-shaped structure: People kill and eat such a beautiful creature. So I felt pity and created this duck-shaped steel sculpture.

Myanmar artist Pe Nyint Wai showcases two paintings exploring unity and friendshipone shows a traditional Manaw dance of the ethnic Kachin People and another depicts people playing with Myanmars traditional cane ball.

Another highlight is Korean artist Choi Sukuns painting titled Old Jar featuring a dog and a pig.

He told The Irrawaddy that traditional circular jars remind him of the moon and the moons cold light gives a sense of peace.

Works on display at the exhibition are priced between US$100 and $3,000 with 50 percent of the proceeds being used to repair schools and roads in Myanmar through Artistic Asia, according to exhibition organizer of Min Wai Aung.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
Burma Detained Journalists Families Allowed First Prison Visit

Lawi Weng. / The Irrawaddy

YANGON  Family members of journalists detained in northern Shan State said their loved ones are in good health after they were allowed prison visits for the first time on Monday.

Lawi Weng, also known as U Thein Zaw, from The Irrawaddy, and U Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Aung from the Democratic Voice of Burma were arrested by the Myanmar Army on Monday, June 26, and and handed over to the police last Thursday. They have been charged under the Unlawful Associations Act and are being detained at Hsipaw Prison in northern Shan State.

On Monday, family members of Lawi Weng and U Aye Nai were allowed a 45-minute visit and were able to deliver food. The family members of another DVB reporter, Pyae Bone Aung, are on their way to Hsipaw, according to U Khin Maung Soe, the multimedia editor at DVB.

Ko Aye Nais family members said he is okay, he told The Irrawaddy.

U Khin Maung Win, Lawi Wengs elder brother, met him on Monday afternoon at the prison with a lawyer. He told The Irrawaddy said his younger brother was in good health, and has been treated well.

He said his younger brother had told him that he had not been subjected to abuse in the armys interrogation sessions during his initial detention by the military.

But [Lawi] said they had to sleep on the floor during the interrogation and it was cold. They were surrounded by dozens of soldiers with guns outside, said U Khin Maung Win.

The three journalists were arrested near Namhsan on their way back from covering a drug-burning ceremony held by the ethnic armed group the Taang National Liberation Army on Monday to mark the United Nations International Day Against Drug Abuse.
Burma Lawmaker Urges Govt Crackdown of Insurgents on Myanmar-India Border

Lawmaker U Maung Maung Latt from Sagaing Division. / Htet Naing Zaw / The Irrawaddy

NAYPYITAW  Insurgents of the United Liberation Front of Assam (ULFA), a separatist group based in India and seeking to establish a sovereign territory, is threatening the security of Tamu Township in Sagaing Division, according to an Upper House lawmaker.

Parliamentarian U Maung Maung Latt, from Sagaing Division, asked the Union government at the Upper House on Monday to crack down on insurgents of Meitei descenta majority ethnic group of the northeastern Indian state of Manipurwho are active in Tamu.

He blamed the Myanmar Army and security forces for failing to protect locals of Tamu, which shares a 78-mile land border with Manipur.

The Tatmadaw knows their existence and the deputy minister said that it would take action only when people report it. I assume this is the failure of Tatmadaw and police to protect the lives and property of people, U Maung Maung Latt told the reporters after the parliamentary session.

The lawmaker said he was aware the local authorities had surveyed the population of Meitei, known as Kathe in Myanmar, in Tamu. He cited a recent confrontation between locals and insurgents who allegedly extorted money at Tamus Nan Pha Lon Market, adding that he filed complaints with the district administrator, police, and military officials, but the authorities had not taken action.

Deputy defense minister Maj-Gen Myint Nwe acknowledged the army is responsible for security and police are responsible for the rule of law but said public cooperation is necessary to protect civilians along the whole 1,016 mile-long border with India. He urged the public to inform authorities about news of insurgent acts.

The deputy minister said it is difficult to differentiate civilians from rebels at the border, adding that people on both sides of the border cross daily for business and have a similar culture.

In such an area, we can do nothing except cooperate on the ground and exchange information, the deputy minister told The Irrawaddy.

He told the Parliament it was the long-held policy of the Tatmadaw to reject any rebel organization rising against neighboring countries or any group helping rebels harbor in Myanmar.

Based on collected intelligence, the Tatmadaw takes action against groups battling the Indian government that exploit the mountainous terrain, sparse population, and poor transportation in the area, said the deputy minister.

U Maung Maung Latt told Parliament he had received information on Monday morning that about 70 male and female rebels were staying at 12 houses in a village just one mile from Tamu.

Maj-Gen Myint Nwe responded that the home affairs ministry would take action wherever possible and the Tatmadaw would always help if necessary.

The lawmaker said he would collect signatures from locals and submit the petition to the president, the State Counselor and concerned ministries. He was concerned the region would become the second Rakhine State if the number of rebels increased.

He said there were frequent killings of civilians in Tamu because of the rebels, as well as arson attacks and the seizures of arms.

The armies of India and Myanmar hold border committee meetings every six months. The 10th national level border committee was held in Sagaing Divisions Kale and Monywa in May, with the commanders of the Myanmar Armys North-West Command and the Indian Armys No. 57 Mountain Division in attendance.

The meeting discussed matters related to cross-border crimes, counter-insurgency, border security and development.

Translated from Burmese by Thet Ko Ko.
News Four Ethnic Armed Groups Leave UNFC

Leaders of the UNFC / The Irrawaddy

CHIANG MAI, Thailand  Four ethnic armed groups resigned from the United Nationalities Federal Council (UNFC) at the councils conference in Thailands Chiang Mai.

The UNFC accepted the resignation of the Kachin Independence Organization (KIO), the Taang National Liberation Army (TNLA), the Myanmar National Democratic Alliance Army (MNDAA) and the Wa National Organization (WNO), according to Khu Oo Reh, general secretary of the UNFC.

Khu Oo Reh told reporters on June 29the final day of UNFCs second conferencethat the four groups would ally with the UNFC again if the circumstances called for it, and join the councils future conferences as observers.

The KIO, TNLA, and MNDAA formed the Federal Political Negotiation and Consultative Committee (FPNCC), also referred to as the northern alliance, led by the United Wa State Army (UWSA) in April. The WNO merged with the UWSA in June before the UNFC conference.

KIO vice-chairman General NBan La said at the opening of the conference on June 20 the four groups withdrew because of the political situation.

Local conditions and the militarys pressure and divisive rule are pushing armed groups in the northern area [of Myanmar] to stick together. Thats why we need to resign from the UNFC, he told the conference.

There are five groups left in the UNFCthe New Mon State Party (NMSP); the Karenni National Progressive Party (KNPP); the Lahu Democratic Union (LDU); the Arakan National Council (ANC); and the Shan State Progressive Party (SSPP), which is also a member of the Wa-led FPNCC.

Nai Hong Sar of the NMSP, who was elected as the UNFC chairman during the conference, said the council is dedicated to continuing its negotiations with the government based on the Nationwide Ceasefire Agreement (NCA).

It depends heavily on the government. If it gives us the room to maneuver on the NCA path, there will be a greater likelihood [of us signing it]. It is up to the government whether it would force us because the UNFC is weaker now, Nai Hong Sar told The Irrawaddy.

The conference, which has been postponed in the past because of difficult military and political conditions, elected 24 council members including nine central executive members. Dr Khin Maung of the ANC was elected as the vice chair and Khu Oo Reh of the KNPP as the general secretary.
News Lawmaker Criticizes Govt on Rakhine Issue

U Hla Htay Win / Htet Naing Zaw

Former chief of general staff for the Myanmar Army U Hla Htay Win criticized the National League for Democracy (NLD)-led government for not doing enough to prevent international interference in Rakhine State on Thursday.

The ex-general, who is now a lawmaker in the Lower House, urged the NLD-led government to take action against a UN fact-finding mission appointed to investigate reports of extensive human rights abuses by Myanmar security forces in Rakhine State, among other places in Myanmar.

My assessment is that what the government is doing is not enough. It should speak out and reject [the mission] as a necessity, he told reporters at the Lower House on Thursday.

He also said the government had failed to oppose use of the word Rohingya by the UN and the US Embassy in Myanmar.

The Myanmar government does not recognize Rakhine States Muslim minority Rohingya among the countrys official ethnic groups, and labels them as Bengali to suggest they are interlopers from Bangladesh.

Attacks on police border guard posts by Rohingya militants on Oct. 9 of last year flared tensions among Buddhist and Muslim communities in Rakhine State, which remain largely segregated since anti-Muslim violence in 2012 and 2013 displaced around 140,000 people.

Myanmar Army clearance operations in response to the attacks led to the displacement of 75,000 Rohingya refugees to Bangladesh and allegations of torture, extrajudicial killings, and widespread sexual violence, prompting the UN Human Rights Council to assign a fact-finding mission to investigate.

Recently, the Myanmar Army and border police found evidence of training camps for suspected Muslim militants, including in the forests of Mayu mountain range of Rakhine States southern Maungdaw Township last week.

There have also been reports of villagers fleeing their homes after an increasing number of killings in the area.

We are facing threats in all aspects. We are facing a terrorist threat, said the ex-general. Rakhine State is being portrayed as a national hotspot of international concern. Therefore there is a need for [the government] to exercise extra caution.

The ex-general is a central executive committee member of the opposition Union Solidarity and Development Party (USDP) and was elected to the Lower House in the 2015 general elections to represent Naypyitaws Zayarthiri Township.

During the Lower House session on Thursday, he questioned what action the government had taken to stop the UN Fact-Finding Mission from coming to Myanmar, labeling it a political trap for Myanmar.

There are difficulties for security agencies to do their jobs in line with the law, to protect the country from terrorism and to ensure national security due to the sensitivity surrounding the issue, he said.

Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs U Kyaw Tin responded that his ministry had already told the UN that it would not accept the UN fact-finding mission.

The Myanmar government released a statement on March 24, rejecting the UNs resolution to form the mission at the Human Rights Council meeting in Geneva.

If they are going to send someone with regards to the fact-finding mission, then theres no reason for us to let them come, said U Kyaw Zeya, permanent secretary at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Thursday, according to Reuters.

Our missions worldwide are advised accordingly, he said, explaining that visas to enter Myanmar would not be issued to the missions appointees or staff.

U Oo Hla Saw of the Arakan National Party (ANP), which won the largest number of seats in the Rakhine State Parliament, also criticized the governments response as weak.

The government should have opposed strongly rather than saying it could not accept it. I think its response is too weak, U Oo Hla Saw told The Irrawaddy.
Supreme Court today declined hearing on the bail plea of former Calcutta High Court Judge Justice Karnan.

By India Today Web Desk: Supreme Court today rejected the bail plea of former Calcutta High Court judge Justice CS Karnan.

He was granted six months imprisonment by a seven-judge bench of the apex court in the contempt case.

SC also refused urgent hearing in the matter and said that the interim order continues.

Karnan had been evading arrest since May 9 after SC sentence him to six months in prison and ordered his immediate arrest. He was arrested from Coimbatore by West Bengal Police team on June 20.

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Justice Karnan is facing the contempt case after he accused 20 judges of the high judiciary including those currently serving in the Supreme Court of corruption.

He wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi seeking appropriate action against all the judges named by him.

Till now, Justice Karnan has not produced evidence to back his allegations.

He has the dubious distinction of being the first sitting high court judge to be awarded a jail term by the apex court.

Also Read:

Retired Justice CS Karnan arrested in Coimbatore after absconding for a month

Calcutta High Court judge CS Karnan to India Today: Am normal and stable, Supreme Court order harassment of a Dalit

ALSO WATCH | Supreme Court orders medical examination for Justice Karnan

--- ENDS ---
News NLD to Move Against Corrupt, Underperforming Govt Officials

U Win Htein at a National League for Democracy event in Mandalay in July 2017. / Zarni Mann / The Irrawaddy

MANDALAY  The ruling National League for Democracy (NLD) party will take action against underperforming, corrupt, or misbehaving government officials, party spokesperson U Win Htein said on Sunday.

Officials failing to do their public service will initially receive a warning, informing them that the party will observe their work for one year, he said, adding that if requirements were not met within a year they would be removed from their position.

We have received complaints from almost every state and region in Myanmar, U Win Htein said at a meeting of government officials, parliamentarians, and NLD members in Mandalay on Sunday. We are doing this for the sake of the country and its people, he added.

In recent years, the NLD has expelled many of its own members for disloyalty to the party or over complaints of bad behavior.

Political analyst Dr. Yan Myo Thein said a balance of cooperation between the government, parliament, and the party was required and the NLD should be careful of interfering in government matters.

He welcomed NLDs bid to combat corruption and said action should be taken immediately but warned that if a party attempts to control the government directly, there will be controversy.
Guest Column Decolonize Myanmar? Start With the State

The Irrawaddy senior reporter Lawi Weng. / The Irrawaddy

The arrest of Lawi Weng, a friend and former colleague, has emotionally and psychologically affected me deeply. It disturbs a long hidden fear inside me, and probably many others from Myanmar who have lived and struggled within regimes of oppression with fear of being unjustly persecuted for who we are and what we believe. This arrest has pushed me to think about one of the key root causes that are too often taken for granted: colonialism.

Lawi Weng, Aye Nai and Pyae Bone Naing were arrested under the 1908 Unlawful Association Act enacted by the British colonial regime. This act was designed by the British colonial regime to oppress and rule the people of Burma and other colonies. The success of British colonialism depended on the use of law, courts, police, prisons, government, schools, hospitals and the economy to control subjects, to make them behave in a certain way and to submit to the new state apparatus.

Sixty years after independence, the state continues to rely on colonial laws and practices, and we continue to internalise and reproduce colonialist ideas. This is all the more ironic since some people continue to talk about Karen as having a slave mentality for collaborating with the British while assuming that others are free. As long as colonial laws and practices persist, we all have a slave mentality.

State actors celebrate Myanmars liberation from British colonialism, while maintaining legacies of the colonial state for the control and suppression of the people of Myanmar. Can we say that we are independent?

There has been a long history of resistance to colonialism, in organised action, boycotts, gossip, religious movements, rituals, song, writing, violent resistance and banditry. Liberation for anticolonial activists meant many things. It could involve social and political freedom and cultural revitalization. The colonial state used various methods to suppress resistance. Just as the postcolonial state is using some of the same methods to suppress Lawi Weng, Aye Nai, Pyae Bone Naing and others who are involved in creating a better society.

Instead of creating our path towards a free society that recognises diverse views of the nation, the state is replicating acts of repression. State communication is often nationalistic, but for me, the arrest of these three journalists is not a nationalistic act.

My intention is not to dehumanise and villainize the state. We have all internalised colonial practices in our own way. Agents of the state are also in need of decolonization. In our hearts, we all want to move forward and hope for a better society, however that might look.

Decolonization needs to involve a deep analysis of how our politics and society should look like, the core values, the role of law and government, and address the violence of colonisation in imposing foreign and oppressive structures and ideologies. What we do today should not contradict core values of liberation and decolonization. Myanmar needs to be untangled from the apparatus of colonial control.

These arrests brought me back to my memory of being arrested by Thai police while I was working as a journalist along the Thailand-Myanmar border. The level of uncertainty of my safety and security because of that arrest penetrated my mental state deeply.

I am still somehow traumatised by this incident, a decade later. The context of the capture I experienced is, of course, different from the arrest of Lawi and other journalists. However, it is undeniable that they will experience deep fear and that the state is doing physical and mental harm to them. The consequences of these arrests are also doing much broader harm. It affects their families, their comrades in the media and the wider society.

The application of the Unlawful Association Act and other colonial laws and practices for the control and repression of the people of Myanmar shows that we are still caught within the legacy of the colonial system. We must critique this situation to look at what we need to do to live in a liberated and decolonised Myanmar. Right now, those directly involved in the persecution of Lawi Weng, Aye Nai, and Pyae Bone Naing need to decolonise most of all.

Violet Cho is a former reporter at The Irrawaddy and a PhD Candidate in Anthropology at the Australian National University.
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By Joseph E. Stiglitz | (Project Syndicate) |  

BRUSSELS  Under President Donald Trumps leadership, the United States took another major step toward establishing itself as a rogue state on June 1, when it withdrew from the Paris climate agreement. For years, Trump has indulged the strange conspiracy theory that, as he put it in 2012, The concept of global warming was created by and for the Chinese in order to make US manufacturing non-competitive. But this was not the reason Trump advanced for withdrawing the US from the Paris accord. Rather, the agreement, he alleged, was bad for the US and implicitly unfair to it.

While fairness, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder, Trumps claim is difficult to justify. On the contrary, the Paris accord is very good for America, and it is the US that continues to impose an unfair burden on others.

Historically, the US has added disproportionately to the rising concentration of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, and among large countries it remains the biggest per capita emitter of carbon dioxide by far  more than twice Chinas rate and nearly 2.5 times more than Europe in 2013 (the latest year for which the World Bank has reported complete data). With its high income, the US is in a far better position to adapt to the challenges of climate change than poor countries like India and China, let alone a low-income country in Africa.

In fact, the major flaw in Trumps reasoning is that combating climate change would strengthen the US, not weaken it. Trump is looking toward the past  a past that, ironically, was not that great. His promise to restore coal-mining jobs (which now number 51,000, less than 0.04% of the countrys nonfarm employment) overlooks the harsh conditions and health risks endemic in that industry, not to mention the technological advances that would continue to reduce employment in the industry even if coal production were revived.

In fact, far more jobs are being created in solar panel installation than are being lost in coal. More generally, moving to a green economy would increase US income today and economic growth in the future. In this, as in so many things, Trump is hopelessly mired in the past.

Just a few weeks before Trumps decision to withdraw from the Paris accord, the global High-Level Commission on Carbon Prices, which I co-chaired with Nicholas Stern, highlighted the potential of a green transition. The Commissions report, released at the end of May, argues that reducing CO 2 emissions could result in an even stronger economy.

The logic is straightforward. A key problem holding back the global economy today is deficient aggregate demand. At the same time, many countries governments face revenue shortfalls. But we can address both issues simultaneously and reduce emissions by imposing a charge (a tax) for CO 2 emissions.

It is always better to tax bad things than good things. By taxing CO 2 , firms and households would have an incentive to retrofit for the world of the future. The tax would also provide firms with incentives to innovate in ways that reduce energy usage and emissions  giving them a dynamic competitive advantage.

The Commission analyzed the level of carbon price that would be required to achieve the goals set forth in the Paris climate agreement  a far higher price than in most of Europe today, but still manageable. The commissioners pointed out that the appropriate price may differ across countries. In particular, they noted, a better regulatory system  one that restrains coal-fired power generation, for example  reduces the burden that must be placed on the tax system.

Interestingly, one of the worlds best-performing economies, Sweden, has already adopted a carbon tax at a rate substantially higher than that discussed in our report. And the Swedes have simultaneously sustained their strong growth without US-level emissions.

America under Trump has gone from being a world leader to an object of derision. In the aftermath of Trumps withdrawal of the US from the Paris accord, a large sign was hung over Romes city hall: The Planet First. Likewise, Frances new president, Emmanuel Macron, poked fun at Trumps campaign slogan, declaring Make Our Planet Great Again.

But the consequences of Trumps actions are no laughing matter. If the US continues to emit as it has, it will continue to impose enormous costs on the rest of the world, including on much poorer countries. Those who are being harmed by Americas recklessness are justifiably angry.

Fortunately, large parts of the US, including the most economically dynamic regions, have shown that Trump is, if not irrelevant, at least less relevant than he would like to believe. Large numbers of states and corporations have announced that they will proceed with their commitments  and perhaps go even further, offsetting the failures of other parts of the US.

In the meantime, the world must protect itself against rogue states. Climate change poses an existential threat to the planet that is no less dire than that posed by North Koreas nuclear ambitions. In both cases, the world cannot escape the inevitable question: what is to be done about countries that refuse to do their part in preserving our planet?

Joseph E. Stiglitz, recipient of the Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences in 2001 and the John Bates Clark Medal in 1979, is University Professor at Columbia University, Co-Chair of the High-Level Expert Group on the Measurement of Economic Performance and Social Progress at the OECD, and Chief Economist of the Roosevelt Institute. A former senior vice president and chief economist of the World Bank and chair of the US presidents Council of Economic Advisers under Bill Clinton, in 2000 he founded the Initiative for Policy Dialogue, a think tank on international development based at Columbia University. His most recent book is The Euro: How a Common Currency Threatens the Future of Europe.

Licensed from Project Syndicate



Related video added by Juan Cole:

AFP: California invests heavily in solar energy
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TeleSur |  

Avignon police are now searching for the suspects who fled the scene.

In the southeastern city of Avignon in Frances Provence region, two hooded men pulled up to the Arrahma mosque and opened fire on the crowd. The incident left eight people injured, including a 7-year-old girl, La Provence newspaper reported.

Avignon police are now searching for the suspects who fled the scene in their vehicle, after using a handgun and a rifle to shoot the worshippers as they were leaving the mosque, according to local reports.

Four people were wounded outside the mosque and a family of four in their apartment some 50 yards away took shrapnel, while people fled in panic, La Provence said.

Two of the eight wounded were hospitalized after the incident, according to Reuters.

Avignon police are now searching for the suspects who fled the scene.

Via TeleSur
President Moon Jae-in speaks at a Center for Strategic and International Studies dinner on the sidelines of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump in Washington, D.C., Friday. / Yonhap



By Kim Rahn

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- President Moon Jae-in called for North Korea to make the "right decision" on denuclearization and take a chance for peace and prosperity, Friday.

In a speech at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington, D.C., on the sidelines of his summit with U.S. President Donald Trump, Moon said he and Trump will not take a hostile policy toward Pyongyang, saying they do not intend to attack the North and do not want the regime's collapse.

"But we clearly demand of North Korea that denuclearization is the only way it can secure both its security and economic development," he said. "The door to dialogue is wide open. At the crossroads of this important decision, I urge the North to make the right choice and seize this chance for peace and prosperity. If it wants to go this way, I'm ready to walk with them on the path toward peace and prosperity for the Korean Peninsula."

He also said Seoul and Washington would resume talks with Pyongyang under the right circumstances, adding what those circumstances are and when they will come will be the subject of ongoing discussions.

"For example, we may start talks if the North promises to stop nuclear and missile provocations. Or if the North releases the three American citizens it is detaining. We can't say what the conditions clearly are right now, but Seoul and Washington will decide while watching how it all will unfold," he said.












By Kwon Bong-woon





Jeju is the largest island off the south coast of the Korean Peninsula. Jeju Island has long been the country's favorite domestic holiday destination, thanks to its beautiful beaches, lush countryside and seaside hotels designed for rest and relaxation. Tourists, for a less-demanding nature experience, meander along one of the Jeju Olle Trails and explore tangerine- trimmed country roads, jagged coasts and narrow lanes dotted with cottage-style homes made from black lava rock.



The ocean is never far away, so plunge into the blue seas to view coral as colorful as the sunsets and dig into Jeju Island's unique cuisine, including seafood caught by haeneyo (female free divers).



Jeju Island's exotic charms make it a favored honeymoon destination for Koreans and, recently, Japanese and Chinese tourists looking for a nice gateway.



It is no wonder then that international conferences are frequently held in scenic places, such as Jeju. Recently, Jeju successfully hosted the second annual meeting of the Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank's board of governors, which lasted from June 16 through June 18. Jeju Island is a Korean version of Hawaii, Haian or Okinawa. It is well known today as the nation's top tourist magnet for its volcanic beauty and seclusion. It is a great honor for us to host the various international conferences. Scenic Jeju Island is our pride and joy. Jeju Island has eventually become a competitor of Monaco in France and Basel in Switzerland.



Jeju Island's tourists will enjoy multiple topics for the good of all humanity, not just for their own interest. Then, global citizens will come up with support.



Furthermore, the island is also one of South Korea's best places for public diplomacy. Public diplomacy is seen as a manifestation of soft power _ the ability to shape a perception through attraction. Joseph Samuel Nye, who is an American political scientist, states that soft power is associated with intangible assets. In other words, the soft power of a country rests on its resources of culture, values and politics. In international relations, public diplomacy or people's diplomacy, broadly speaking, is communication with and dissemination of propaganda to the foreign public to establish a dialogue designed to inform and influence. However, there is no definition of public diplomacy, and it may be easier to describe than to define it, as definitions vary and continue to change over time.



''Jeju Island will also meet all of our power demand via renewable energy such as solar and wind power without resorting to thermoelectric or nuclear power," Jeju Governor Won Hee-ryong said. We need to pay attention to Won's remarks. The world keeps an eye on Jeju's eco-friendly energy strategy, which was demonstrated at a series of international conferences. The model can be benchmarked by thousands of citizens across the world. As a result, half of the electric cars in Korea are being operated on Jeju, and the island is seen as the fastest and most innovative region in Korea in terms of dealing with energy demand.



Remarkably, Jeju Island is operating "an eco- friendly energy strategy" that can heighten the synergy between electric cars, energy storage systems and renewable energy. An eco-friendly energy strategy is expected to make Jeju the host of an eco-friendly green city that involves futuristic technologies including homes, plants, roads and information technology.



The world will envy Jeju as not only a treasure island of the world but also as a green city of power via renewable energies.





The writer resides in Dongjak-gu in Seoul. Write to kbw 8234664@ naver.com.
By John J. Metzler



UNITED NATIONS _ In an impassioned appeal to the media, UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres decried the rising tide of refugees worldwide, but advised that ultimately political solutions to the crises remain the key to stem the tide creating chaotic human displacements.



While more than 65 million people around the world are victims of a score of conflicts, both

humanitarian assistance and preventive diplomacy to solve these calamities are needed now.



"Now we are witnessing the largest number of refugees ever," the Secretary General stated glumly while adding that while developed countries have carried an enormous burden to aid the this ongoing humanitarian emergencies, it was largely overlooked that smaller and poorer states have carried a disproportionate burden.



Secretary General Guterres is painfully aware of this expanding crisis having served nearly a decade as the UN's High Commissioner for Refugees and earlier Portugal's Prime Minister.



Sadly we know the conflicts: Syria, South Sudan, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Somalia and Yemen.



Significantly the Secretary General stressed that countries of first asylum, namely states bordering a particular crisis, now host 80 percent of the refugees. In Lebanon one third of the population are fleeing Syrians. Turkey and the Kingdom of Jordan host huge numbers too.



In 2015, Uganda hosted a half million refugees; today the small Central African state has 1.3 million mostly from South Sudan. Kenya and Ethiopia house large numbers too from Somalia. These are societies, "that are poor, that lack resources, that have huge development gaps and huge development problems."



Guterres is appalled that "global political populism, Xenophobia, racism in which refugees become a target." He advised that while refugees are often accused of promoting terrorism, refugees "are the first victims of terror, they are fleeing terror; that is why they are refugees."



The Secretary General conceded that humanitarian aid for refugees is still largely underfunded, by about 50 percent. That means the the majority of refugees are living below the poverty line and have little access to education or proper health case. Funding is desperately needed here for UN relief efforts.



Eighty percent of refugees live in the developing world, not western countries such as Canada, Germany, and the U.S. Guterres pleaded that "countries in the developed world increase their resettlement quotas" as a move towards "responsibility-sharing."



Still the Secretary General conceded, "recognizing that there is no humanitarian solution for the refugees plight, the solution is political and it is related to the solution of the conflict that generates refugees in larger numbers." In other words solve the crises through Antonio Guterres's trademark policy; Preventive Diplomacy.



Yet there's a growing an deliberate confusion between economic migrants often illegally flooding into the USA or Europe for work and genuine political refugees fleeing the horrors of war. Asylum seekers have a specific vetting and a formal acceptance process to gain Refugee status.



Both groups have been widely exploited by criminal networks of "people traffickers" and many migrants have died in the process of illegally entering Europe or the U.S.



While both groups have specific rights under international law, the Secretary General stressed, "If a refugee comes to a country, that country has the obligation to receive him. If a migrant comes to a country, the country has not the obligation to receive him." While advocating for legal migration, "that doesn't mean borders to be opened to everybody in all circumstances Countries have the right to manage their borders in a responsible way" but he added, "they have the obligation to do it also in a protector-sensitive way."



When questioned whether refugees or migrants have the responsibilities to integrate into and respect the laws of the host countries, Guterres stated emphatically, "Refugees and migrants have the obligation to respect the laws of the countries in which they arethis is absolutely crucial."



Refugee numbers have surged. According to the UN there were 16 million in 2000, by 2015 the number had reached 20 million, and today it has now surged to 65 million people!



On the one hand the long running African conflicts such as those in the Congo, Burundi, Somalia and South Sudan continue. But let's be painfully realistic, others such as Iraq, the so-called Arab Spring uprisings, the destabilizations in Libya and Yemen, the rise of Islamic State are all part and parcel of a churning spiral of violence in part caused by the former Obama administration's woefully incompetent policies, destabilization or disinterest by "leading from behind."



The global community has inherited these crises. And so what shall we now do?







John J. Metzler is a United Nations correspondent covering diplomatic and defense issues. He is the author of "Divided Dynamism: The Diplomacy Separated Nations: Germany, Korea, China". Contact jjmcolumn@earthlink.net.




By PTI: New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) India and Belarus today discussed issues of mutual interest in the areas of trade and economy as also the upcoming visit of President Alexander Lukashenko here.

External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj held talks with Belarus Industry Minister Vitaly Vovk.

Belarus had supported India at the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG) Session in Seoul in June 2016.

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"Both ministers discussed issues of mutual interest including the upcoming visit to India of the Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko," a press release by the external affairs ministry said.

The meeting came ahead of the 8th Session of the Indian- Belarusian Intergovernmental Commission (IGC) on Trade, Economic, Scientific, Technological and Cultural Cooperation to be held tomorrow.

During the IGC, the participants will consider ways to further strengthen the cooperation between Belarus and India in trade, economy, science, technology, and humanitarian affairs, intensify the interregional ties, and create favourable conditions for the implementation of joint projects in areas of mutual interest, according to Belarusian media. PTI PYK ZMN

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The US recently designated Syed Salahuddin, the head of Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, as a global terrorist.

By India Today Web Desk: Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who has been branded as a 'global terrorist' by the United States, admitted in a TV interview to having carried out terror attacks on Indian soil. In an interview to Pakistan's Geo News, Salahuddin said that Hizbul has carried out terror attacks in India and added that he and his terror outfit, the Hizbul Mujahideen, have a lot of supporters in India.

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He said, "Khud India ke andar hamare bahot saare supporters hai. Jo hamse hamdardi hai. Jo samajh hai Kashmiri maslo mein. Jo hamse hamdardi karte hai. (We have many supporters in India who sympathise with us and have an understanding of the Kashmir issue.)"

"Hamne chand karyavaahi karke dikhai lekin 9/11 ke baad international scenario badal gaya aur hamne yeh chaha ki agar hamari karyavaahia, Kashmir se bahar jaari rahi, India ko mauka milega Kashmir ki tehreek par ek terrorism ki label chaspaan karne ki. (We carried out a few terror attacks but after 9/11, the world scenario changed. And we realised, that if we continued to carry out terror attacks outside Kashmir, then India would get an opportunity to label Kashmir as a terror state.)"

Salahuddin further admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it.

"Hathiyaar international market se aate hai. Aap mujhe paise de. Aapko yaha pahocha ke de dunga. Kaha pahochana hai? Main aapko de dunga. Sirf mujhe paise chahiye. (We get the arms from the international market. All I want is money. You tell me where you want the arms. I will have them delivered there,) " the Hizbul chief added.

SALAHUDDIN- A GLOBAL TERRORIST

The US recently designated Syed Salahuddin, the head of Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, as a global terrorist, a move welcomed by India which said it underlines quite strongly that both the countries face threat of terrorism.

The move by the State Department came hours before the first meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

"India welcomes this notification. It underlines also quite strongly that both India and the US face threat of terrorism," Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Gopal Baglay had said.

Syed Salahuddin has been charged under Section 1(b) of Executive Order (EO) 13224, which imposes sanctions on foreign persons who have committed, or pose a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism that threaten the security of US nationals or the national security, foreign policy, or economy of the United States.

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CONSEQUENCE OF THE DESIGNATION

As a consequence of this designation, US persons are generally prohibited from engaging in transactions with Salahuddin and all of Salahuddin's property and interests in property subject to United States jurisdiction are blocked.

Mohammad Yusuf Shah, AKA Syed Salahuddin, is the senior leader of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.

In September, 2016, Salahuddin vowed to block any peaceful resolution to the Kashmir conflict, threatened to train more Kashmiri suicide bombers, and vowed to turn the Kashmir Valley "into a graveyard for Indian forces."

Under Salahuddin's tenure as senior Hizbul leader, Hizbul has claimed responsibility for several attacks, including the April 2014 explosives attack in Jammu and Kashmir, which injured 17 people.

Today's action notifies the US public and the international community that Mohammad Yusuf Shah alias Syed Salahuddin, has committed, or poses a significant risk of committing, acts of terrorism.

Designations of terrorist individuals and groups expose and isolate organizations and individuals, and result in denial of access to the US financial system. Moreover, designations can assist or complement the law enforcement actions of other nations.

Also Read:

Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin: Global terrorist for US but a free bird in Pakistan

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China defends Pakistan after India, US target Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin

Watch Video:

Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits carrying out terror attacks in India

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Lab-grown parts

(Image credit: Wake Forest School of Medicine)

Regrowing a missing limb is no big deal  to a starfish or salamander, creatures that are well-known for using regenerative "superpowers" to replace missing arms and tails. But they aren't the only animals that can rebuild body parts that are destroyed or damaged. Deer can re-sprout as much as 66 lbs. (30 kilograms) of antlers in only three months. Zebrafish can regrow their hearts, while flatworms have demonstrated that they can regenerate their own heads.

For humans, though, what's lost is lost  or is it?

Individual cells in your body are constantly being replaced as they wear out, a process that slows with aging but continues throughout the human lifetime. You can even observe this frequent and visible regeneration in one of your organs: your skin. In fact, humans shed their entire outer layer of skin every two to four weeks, losing about 18 ounces (510 grams) of skin cells per year, according to the American Chemical Society.

However, regenerating complete organs and body parts, a common practice among "Doctor Who's" Time Lords, is beyond the scope of human biology. But in recent years, scientists have successfully cultivated a range of human body structures, similar structures that have been successfully tested in animals, and small-scale human organs known as "organoids," which are used to study human organ function and structure at a level of detail that was previously impossible. Here are some recent examples:

Fallopian tubes

(Image credit: MPI f. Infection Biology)

Using stem cells, scientists from the Max Planck Institute for Infection Biology in Berlin grew the innermost cellular layer of human fallopian tubes, the structures that connect the ovaries and uterus. In a statement released on Jan. 11, the researchers describe the resulting organoids as sharing the features and shapes that are particular to full-size fallopian tubes.

Minibrain

(Image credit: Ohio State University)

A lab-grown brain the size of a pencil eraser was cultivated from skin cells by The Ohio State University (OSU) scientists, and is structurally and genetically similar to the brain of a 5-week-old human fetus. Described as "a brain changer" by OSU representatives in an Aug. 18 statement, the organoid has functioning neurons with signal-carrying extensions like axons and dendrites. In the photo of the minibrain, labels identify structures that are typically found in a fetal brain.

Miniheart

Researchers prompted stem cells to develop into heart muscle and connective tissue, and then organize into tiny chambers and "beat." In a video of the achievement, the heart muscle cells (indicated by red at the center) are beating while connective tissue (green ring) secures the miniheart to the dish where it grew. Kevin Healy, a University of California, Berkeley, professor of bioengineering and co-senior author of the study, said in a statement. "This technology could help us quickly screen for drugs likely to generate cardiac birth defects, and guide decisions about which drugs are dangerous during pregnancy." The research was published March 2015 in the journal Nature Communications (opens in new tab)

Minikidney

(Image credit: Minoru Takasato)

A team of Australian scientists grew a minikidney, differentiating stem cells to form an organ with the three distinct types of kidney cells for the first time. The researchers grew the organoid in a process that followed normal kidney development. In the image, the three colors represent the types of kidney cells that form "nephrons," the different structures within the kidney.

Minilung

(Image credit: University of Michigan Health System)

Researchers from several institutions collaborated to grow 3D lung organoids that developed bronchi, or airway structures, and lung sacs. "These minilungs can mimic the responses of real tissues and will be a good model to study how organs form [and] change with disease, and how they might respond to new drugs," Jason R. Spence, senior study author and an assistant professor of internal medicine and cell and developmental biology at the University of Michigan Medical School, said in a statement. The minilungs survived in the lab for more than 100 days.

Ministomach

(Image credit: Kyle McCracken)

Ministomachs that took about one month to cultivate in a petri dish formed "oval-shaped, hollow structures" resembling one of the stomach's two sections, said Jim Wells, study co-author and a professor of developmental biology at Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. Wells told Live Science that the tiny stomachs, which measured about 0.1 inches (3 millimeters) in diameter, would be especially helpful to scientists studying the effects of a certain bacterium that causes gastric disease. This is because the bacteria behave differently in animal subjects, he said.

Vagina

(Image credit: Dr. Yuanyuan Zhang, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine)

In April 2014, a study published in the journal The Lancet described the successful transplants of lab-grown vaginas, created by nurturing the patients' cells on a vagina-shaped scaffold. The transplants, conducted several years earlier in four girls and young women between the ages of 13 and 18, corrected a congenital defect in which the vagina and uterus are missing or underdeveloped. The teenagers were examined annually for eight years after the transplants, during which time the organs functioned normally, allowing pain-free intercourse.

Penis

(Image credit: Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine)

Scientists at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine used rabbit cells to grow penile erectile tissue, transplanting the lab-grown penises onto male rabbits, which then mated successfully. But the process is still in the experimental stages, and approval from the US Food and Drug Administration is required for the team to extend its work and incorporate human tissue and subjects. The U.S. Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine is providing money for the study, as the research could benefit soldiers who suffered groin injuries in combat.

Related: Can a transplanted penis work like the original?

Esophagus

(Image credit: Macchiarini et al.)

At Kuban State Medical University in Krasnodar, Russia, an international team of scientists constructed a working esophagus by growing stem cells on a scaffold for three weeks; they then successfully implanted the organ in rats. The scientists tested the new esophagus for durability by inflating and deflating it 10,000 times, implanting the artificial structures in 10 rats and replacing up to 20 percent of the animals' original organs.

Ear

(Image credit: Lindsay France/Cornell University Photography)

Now hear this: Scientists have 3D printed human ears, cultivating them by coating molded ear-forms with living cells that grew around the frame. The researchers created the ear-shaped mold by modeling a child's ear using 3D software and then sending the model to a 3D printer. Once the scientists had the mold in hand, they injected it with a cocktail of living ear cells and collagen from cows, and "out popped an ear," Live Science reported. The fabricated ears were then implanted on rats for one to three months while scientists evaluated changes in size and shape as the organs grew.
Morning twilight photo of the waning crescent moon shining over the waters of California's Mono Lake, with Jupiter nearby in the upper middle of the photo and Venus at lower left. The photo was captured on Aug. 23, 2014.

Some crafty celestial sleuthing has helped astronomers identify the "star" that inspired Lord Byron's famous poem "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage."

Astronomer Donald Olson, a physics professor at Texas State University, found that the star Byron describes in his poem as being next to the moon is not actually a star at all. Rather, it's the biggest planet in the solar system: Jupiter.

These two celestial bodies will align again on several occasions this summer, and skywatchers can witness a similar twilight scene to the one that inspired Byron's poem, according to a statement from Texas State University. [A Planet Skywatching Guide for 2017: When, Where & How to See the Planets]

Using Byron's personal letters and manuscripts, as well as the diary of the poet's close friend John Cam Hobhouse, Olson found that the inspiration for three stanzas of "Childe Harold's Pilgrimage" could be attributed to a memorable twilight Byron observed while riding along the Brenta Canal in La Mira, Italy, on Aug. 20, 1817.

Olson confirmed his findings using special astronomical software to re-create the twilight sky as it would have appeared on that day in 1817, the date recorded in Hobhouse's diary entry following a ride along the canal at twilight with Byron. The re-creation shows that Jupiter shone brightly near the moon on that night 200 years ago.

But Olson's detective work didn't end there.

Byron mentions "Dian's crest" in his poem, which is "a clear reference to Diana, the Roman goddess of the moon, who was often depicted with a crescent as a diadem or crest over her forehead," according to the statement. Based on the astronomical re-creations, that's exactly what Byron and Hobhouse would have seen: a waxing gibbous moon with the planet Jupiter shining brightly nearby.

What's more, Byron references "Iris" in a line of the poem about the colorful, cloudless twilight sky observed on that night in August 1817. In Greek mythology, Iris is the goddess of the rainbow. Olson determined that the vivid colors of the sky Byron described were likely the residual effect of the massive 1815 eruption of Mount Tambora in Indonesia, the most powerful volcanic eruption in recorded history, according to the statement.

The dust, gas and aerosols ejected into the upper atmosphere by the volcano would have had a lasting impact on the sky, creating brightly colored sunsets and twilights. Olson's findings were published in the August 2017 issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.

Skywatchers can expect to see Jupiter line up near the moon again on June 30, July 1, July 28 and 29, and August 24 and 25 of 2017.

Follow Samantha Mathewson @Sam_Ashley13. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Many mammoth questions

(Image credit: Beatrissa/Shutterstock)

The road to bringing back the mammoth  a giant that went extinct at the end of the last ice age  is filled with barriers.

Scientists have pieced together the genomes of four different mammoths over the past few years, but more hurdles remain: If researchers decide to create new mammoths, how will they do it? If a mammoth calf is born, how will it learn how to behave without a parent or herd to guide it?

Beth Shapiro, a professor of ecology and evolutionary biology at the University of California, Santa Cruz, discusses these queries in "How to Clone A Mammoth: The Science of De-Extinction" (Princeton University Press, 2015). Here are 11 of the many challenges she considers, including those that are scientific, ethical and environmental.

Editor's note: This story was updated on Sept. 15, 2017, to include the fact that several mammoth genomes are now available.

DNA degradation

(Image credit: LightHard/Shutterstock)

DNA begins to degrade the moment an organism dies. This happens because enzymes from the body cells and environment, as well as ultraviolet radiation from the sun, start to break down the genetic code. Oxygen and water can also alter DNA, breakings its strands.

Some mammoth DNA, however, has survived because it was frozen in permafrost. Some of these frozen remains contain short fragments of DNA  mostly between 30 to 90 base pairs long (one base pair is made up of two "letters" of DNA linked together: cytosine and guanine, or adenine with thymine). To put this number in perspective, there are 3 billion base pairs in the human genome.

However, researchers are working around this "short fragment" challenge by using the modern elephant genome as a scaffold, Shapiro told Live Science.

DNA contamination

(Image credit: Bruce Rolff/Shutterstock)

Anient DNA is often contaminated with foreign DNA from fungus, bacteria, plants, animals and even from humans handling it for research purposes.

This DNA contamination can make it difficult for researchers to know which DNA molecule belongs to the animal, and which is from contamination, especially if the extinct animal doesn't have a living relative whose DNA can serve as a roadmap, Shapiro wrote.

Luckily, this isn't a big deal for mammoths, because "we can distinguish mammoth [DNA] from human and bacteria [DNA]," she told Live Science.

Close relatives

(Image credit: Nuamfolio/Shutterstock)

Scientists may have only fragments of mammoth DNA, but they can use DNA from the mammoth's close relatives  modern-day elephants  to help fill in the genetic gaps.

Mammoths are more closely related to Asian elephants (Elephas maximus) than they are to African elephants. Researchers in India described the Asian elephant genome in 2015 in the Journal of Biosciences, and another effort is underway at the Broad Institute in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to sequence the genome of an Asian elephant.

The mammoth and the Asian elephant diverged between about 2.5 million and 5 million years ago. If they, let's say, diverged about 4 million years ago, then about 2 percent of their genomes would be different, amounting to 70 million genetic differences, Shapiro wrote.

"The reads that I get are short, but  as long as there is a close relative that has a sequenced genome  I can still map those short reads onto that closest relative's genome and, piece by piece, put the genome together," Shapiro told Live Science in an email, referring to the "reads" of a DNA sequence. "There will be missing pieces  but it will be mostly there."

Back breeding

(Image credit: Chintan Mehta/Shutterstock)

Scientists could try to bring back the mammoth through back breeding  that is, breeding the hairiest, most cold-tolerant Asian elephants together until generations later, a population of mammoth-like elephants emerge, according to "How To Clone a Mammoth."

There are several challenges to back breeding, however. Elephants don't reach sexual maturity until they're between 10 and 18 years old, and their pregnancies last nearly two years, Shapiro wrote in the book. This means that any back-breeding project would take a long, long time.

Furthermore, the result would not be a mammoth, but rather an elephant with mammoth-like traits. Some traits may never be passed on: Mammoth hemoglobin (the protein in blood that carries oxygen) is better suited to help large animals survive in cold climates. This hemoglobin differs from elephant hemoglobin by four mutations, but there aren't any elephants alive today that have these mutations, meaning they can't pass them on to future generations, Shapiro wrote.

Mammoth cloning

(Image credit: LightHard/Shutterstock)

Now that researchers have sequenced mammoth genomes (although some of these genomes might be contaminated, according to a March 2017 study in the journal PLOS Genetics), could they clone a mammoth using somatic cell nuclear transfer  the process used to make Dolly the sheep? With somatic cell nuclear transfer, scientists extract the cell nucleus (which contains DNA) from an animal, called the donor. They then insert that nucleus into the egg cell, which has had its own nucleus removed, of another animal.

It would be difficult. Cloning with nuclear transfer is not very efficient, and it's usually done with a limitless supply of cells harvested from living animals, according to "How to Clone a Mammoth." As we know, there are no living mammoths, Shapiro wrote.

Moreover, scientists would have to implant the mammoth embryo into an Asian elephant, which is endangered, largely from habitat loss and fragmentation and poaching, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature. It would be hard to justify implanting a mammoth embryo into an elephant when every Asian elephant pregnancy counts, Shapiro wrote.

CRISPR-Cas9

(Image credit: vchal/Shutterstock)

By using the gene-editing tool called CRISPR-Cas9, scientists can cut DNA in a precise location, remove genetic code and then paste that section in a new sequence created in a lab.

This method could be used to bring back the woolly mammoth in just two years' time, according to George Church, a geneticist, molecular engineer and chemist at Harvard University, who made this announcement just before the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) meeting in Boston in February 2017.

"Our aim is to produce a hybrid elephant-mammoth embryo," Church told The Guardian. "Actually, it would be more like an elephant with a number of mammoth traits. We're not there yet, but it could happen in a couple of years."

The epigenome

(Image credit: NASA)

If a mammoth is brought back to life  through back breeding, cloning or genetic engineering  it would be challenging to recreate the creature's epigenome, which would be passed on to a developing mammoth in utero. The epigenome is a system of tags that determine which genes are turned on or off. These tags do not change the genetic code, but rather select when to activate certain genes.

An elephant epigenome would be different than a mammoth epigenome, but it's not clear what those changes are, Shapiro wrote.

It would be possible to recreate the mammoth's epigenome, Church, said at a Q&A following a panel at the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in April 2017, but the technology is still a ways away.

Mammoth microbiome

(Image credit: Anatomy Insider/Shutterstock)

Babies pick up bacteria when they exit their mother's birth canal, and continue getting new types of bacteria throughout their lives. The bacteria within and on the body is known as the microbiome, and it aids and influences digestion and health.

The mammoth's microbiome is unknown, but mammoth mummies offer hints. For instance, a necropsy (an animal autopsy) of a 42,000-year-old mummified baby mammoth showed that the youngster had feces in its digestive tract, according to "How To Clone A Mammoth."

Modern elephant calves eat their mother's feces to seed their own microbiomes  bacteria that are needed to break down the fibrous plants they eat. The finding indicates that mammoth calves did the same.

Environmental challenges

(Image credit: Alexander Aksakov/Getty Images)

In the thousands of years since mammoths died, the environment has changed. This raises several questions, according to Shapiro: Will the new mammoths have appropriate food that they can digest?; will they be susceptible to disease, parasite or pollutants?; will the changes in temperature and precipitation impair them?

Nonetheless, two wildlife parks in Russia  Pleistocene Park and Southern Pleistocene Park  are ready to accept mammoths, should they be brought back. The goal of these parks is to turn the currently frozen Siberian tundra into pastures supported by mammoths and herbivores that once lived and supported the grassland ecosystem, according to the Pleistocene Park website.

This transformation would happen when large animals break up the ice, snow and dirt and then disperse nutrients and seeds as they roam and eat vegetation, the website reports.

Acting like a mammoth

(Image credit: Mikhail Varentsov/Shutterstock)

If scientists were to succeed in bringing back a mammoth, would the resulting calf know how to be a mammoth?

Elephants are social creatures, an indication that mammoths were too, Shapiro wrote. But without other living mammoths, it's unclear if a new mammoth would be able to behave as its predecessors did before they went extinct.

On another note, even if these calves didn't know how to act, scientists would have to breed several thousand of them, so that the newbies would have genetic diversity and become a self-sustaining population.
The gene-editing tool known as CRISPR is fast becoming known for its potential to treat disease by snipping genetic mutations from DNA.

But genomic tools like CRISPR also have other possible capabilities, such as the ability to screen people for the presence of viruses, like dengue and Zika, as well as debilitating diseases like Parkinson's.

"I think the public perception of CRISPR is very focused on the idea of using gene editing clinically to cure disease. This is no doubt an exciting possibility, but this is only one small piece," said Neville Sanjana, of the New York Genome Center and an assistant professor of biology, neuroscience and physiology at New York University. [10 Amazing Things Scientists Just Did with CRISPR]

"With CRISPR, I think you'll see many applications in synthetic biology," like sensors for pathogens, Sanjana told Live Science.

A natural defense system

At its core, CRISPR is a natural defense system that evolved in single-celled microorganisms to fight against invading viruses. The fight is an all-out war. Scientist estimate that for every cell on Earth, there are about 10 viruses , all launching relentless missions to replicate themselves by inserting their DNA into the machinery in cells.

Bacteria use an arsenal to fight back, including CRISPR, which is an array of short, repeated sequences of DNA that are separated by spacers that have unique sequences.Bacteria use it when they are infected with a virus. As the virus's genetic bits replicate inside the bacteria, CRISPR steps in, guiding the bacterial defenses toward the foreign material.

The protein in CRISPR cuts up the intruder, but also collects a short DNA sequence from the invader, which the protein inserts it into the bacteria's CRISPR as a spacer. Each time a virus invades and is destroyed, a new spacer gets added to the CRISPR.

In a sense, the spacers in CRISPR are an account of the bacteria's battlefield wins, like kill marks in the stock of a rifle barrel. But the spacers provide another function.

When a virus that was previously defeated tries to invade, the bacteria recognizes it and sets about chopping the invader up into tiny bits. And when the bacteria itself multiplies, it passes it's defense system on to its daughter cells.

"It turns out you can actually leverage these properties to potentially develop a very sensitive diagnostic device" that could detect small amounts of molecules from viruses in human blood, such as Zika virus, said biochemist and CRISPR expert Sam Sternberg, the group leader of Technology Development at Berkeley, California-based Caribou Biosciences Inc., which is advancing new applications for CRISPR-based technologies. [5 Amazing Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Biotech]

One of the most recent CRISPR advances in this area is a tool called SHERLOCK (which stands for Specific High Sensitivity Enzymatic Reporter UnLOCKing). In April 2017, a team of researchers led by bioengineer James Collins and CRISPR pioneer Feng Zhang of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard reported in Science that they had programmed a CRISPR molecule to seek out strains of Zika and dengue viruses in blood serum, urine and saliva and cut them up.

The researchers programmed the CRISPR molecules to release a fluorescent signal when they were chopping away at the viruses, so that the presence of the virus could be detected. SHERLOCK was so sensitive, it was able to distinguish the American strain of Zika from the African strain and differentiate one strain of dengue from another one.

Collins and his team were able to see the presence of the viruses even in extremely low concentrations, as low as two molecules in a quintillion.

In a separate test, SHERLOCK was able to detect two different strains of the antibiotic-resistant superbug Klebsiella pneumoniae. [6 Superbugs to Watch Out For]

Then, in June 2017, a team at the University of Central Florida reported in the journal Scientific Reports (opens in new tab) that they had used a CRISPR system to detect the presence of Parkinson's disease. This disorder of the central nervous system causes malfunction and death of nerve cells in the brain, and gets worse over time, causing tremors and problems with movement. The disease affects about 1 million people in the United States, according to the Parkinson's Disease Foundation .

Although the cause is unknown, the amount of a protein called alpha-synuclein, normally found in the brain, rises in people who develop the disease. The researchers used CRISPR to edit the gene that makes the alpha-synuclein protein so that the protein would fluoresce. The larger the amount of the protein, the stronger the fluorescent signal.

The scientists said they think they could use this technique to test out new drugs to treat Parkinson's disease.

"If we take one of these modified cells and treat it with a particular drug, if it doesn't produce light anymore, then this means the drug is a potential treatment for this disease," study co-author Sambuddha Basu, a postdoctoral researcher at Central Florida, said in a statement .

It's still the very early days for these and other CRISPR-related biological tools, and because of the diversity of the immune systems in bacteria, it's quite possible that other tools remain to be discovered, Sternberg said.

"I think it's a really nice example of yet another basic science discovery that has led to a potential breakthrough technology," he said.

Originally published on Live Science.
People who take a popular type of heartburn drug may be at an increased risk of dying over a five-year period, a new study finds.

People in the study who took proton-pump inhibitors, or PPIs, had a higher risk of dying over the more than five-year study period than people who took another type of heartburn drug, as well as those who took no heartburn medications at all, the study found. The prescription drugs Prevacid and Nexium are in this category of medicines.

Nearly 8 percent of American adults have been prescribed a PPI, according to the study, published today (July 3) in the journal BMJ Open. PPIs are also available over-the-counter at lower dosages than they are in the prescription versions. [7 Bizarre Drug Side Effects]

But up to 70 percent of people who take PPIs may not need them, the study authors wrote. That is concerning because the medications have been linked to a number of health problems in recent studies, including increased risk of kidney disease and dangerous bacterial infections.

"People have the idea that PPIs are very safe because they are readily available, but there are real risks to taking these drugs, particularly for long periods of time," senior study author Dr. Ziyad Al-Aly, an assistant professor of medicine at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in Missouri, said in a statement.

In the study, the researchers looked at data on more than 6 million people in the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs database. They compared more than 275,000 people who were prescribed a PPI between October 2006 and September 2008 with nearly 75,000 people who were prescribed a different type of heartburn medication called an H2 blocker during the same period. In a separate analysis, the researchers looked at VA data on more than 3 million people who did not take PPIs (who may or may not have taken H2 blockers), in order to compare the risk with that group.

Compared with patients taking H2 blockers, patients who took PPIs had a 25 percent increased risk of dying from any cause over the next five years, the researchers found. And people's risk of death increased as PPIs were used for longer periods of time: For people who took the drugs for up to two years, the risk of death was 50 percent higher during the study period, compared with those taking H2 blockers.

"No matter how we sliced and diced the data from this large data set, we saw the same thing: There's an increased risk of death among PPI users," Al-Aly said.

Still, the researchers noted that their study was observational, and didn't prove a cause-and-effect. In other words, the findings don't mean that PPIs cause death. More research is needed to understand the link between PPIs and the risk of dying during a given period, they wrote.

In addition, the study had several limitations. For example, the majority of the people included in the analysis were older white veterans, so the findings may not apply to other groups of people, the researchers wrote. [5 Ways Gut Bacteria Affect Your Health]

Al-Aly noted that the study's findings don't mean patients should throw away their PPIs. "A lot of times people get prescribed PPIs for a good medical reason, but then doctors don't stop" the prescriptions, and patients just keep taking them, he said. "There needs to be periodic reassessments as to whether people [still] need to be on these," he said.

"I would want my doctor to be monitoring me carefully and take me off [the PPI] the moment it was no longer needed," Al-Aly added.

Originally published on Live Science.
Despite being accused of several assaults on the civilians and security forces in Kashmir Valley, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's security has been beefed up.

By Manjeet Negi: Soon after the US designated Hizbul Mujahidden chief Syed Salahuddin as a global terrorist, his security has been increased manifold by the Pakistan intelligence agencies along with that of 26/11 mastermind Hafiz Saeed.

Both the terrorists are wanted for attacks including the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks and several other assaults on civilians and security forces in the Kashmir Valley.

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"The security of both Salahauddin and Saeed has been increased manifold in the recent past and can be compared to that of the Pakistan Army chief, who is the most protected person in the country," top intelligence sources told Aaj Tak.

The sources said the Pakistani agencies have also enhanced the security arrangement of the two terrorist leaders who have been acting at their behest against India.

"In the last fifteen days, Hafiz Saeed's location has been changed at least four times and that too to distant places as they fear that he may be attacked anytime. Salahuddin is also constantly on the move ever since the US imposed its ban on him," the sources said.

Salahudin has a three-tier security system as whenever he travels around in Pakistan, he is protected by a personal security personnel while, Pakistani police and ISI spies.

Sources said the Pakistani spy agencies fear that the Americans or Indian agencies might be keeping a watch on Saeed and that is why, no electronic gadget is allowed to be in his vicinity.

Both Indian agencies and American leadership have been constantly demanding for a ban on Salahuddin who is now being given more prominence by the Pakistani agencies against India.

"The Pakistanis were using Salahuddin's Hizbul Mujahideen more to give a local appearance to the actions against India as they want to project to the world that the ongoing terrorist activity in Kashmir is home grown and Pakistan has no role to play in it," the sources said.

Salahuddin is from Kashmir. He crossed over to Pakistan in the 1990s and has been leading the Hizbul Mujahideen which is considered to be an organisation of local terrorists from the trouble torn valley while other groups like the Lashkar-e-Taiba have more of Pakistani Punjabis as its members.

During Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the US, the American administration announced the designation of Salahauddin as a global terrorist. Saeed was given that tag long back by the Americans.

Also Read

Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits to carrying out terror attacks in India over Kashmir

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Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin: Global terrorist for US but a free bird in Pakistan

--- ENDS ---
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Were excited to announce that metalbulletin.com is now part of fastmarkets.com.

A new look and an improved experience means you can still stay ahead of this fast-moving metals market with price data, news and market intelligence right here on Fastmarkets.

Discover more than 2000 prices, news and analysis in primary and secondary metals markets. We cover base metals, industrial minerals, ores and alloys, steel, scrap and steel raw materials.

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Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin in an interview had admitted to carrying out terror attacks on Indian soil.

By India Today Web Desk: The Ministry of External Affairs on Monday while reacting to Syed Salahuddin's interview said that it only highlighted the unabashed manner in which terrorist organisations and leaders enjoy freedom of operations in Pakistan, including access to terror financing, procurement and supply of weapons for terrorism.

The MEA in a statement said, "It's matter of deep regret that senior Pakistan functionaries continue to justify and defend activities of such international designated terrorist entities."

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It added, "Pakistan must give up policy of cross-border terror, fulfill obligations under international resolutions and stop activties from the territory under its control.

TERROR ATTACKS IN INDIA

Earlier, Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin, who has been branded as a 'global terrorist' by the United States, admitted in a TV interview to having carried out terror attacks on Indian soil. In an interview to Pakistan's Geo News, Salahuddin said that Hizb has carried out terror attacks in India and added that he and his terror outfit, the Hizbul Mujahideen, have a lot of supporters in India.

He said, "Khud India ke andar hamare bahot saare supporters hai. Jin ko hamse hamdardi hai. Jo samajh hai Kashmiri maslo mein. Jo hamse hamdardi karte hai. (We have many supporters in India who sympathise with us and have an understanding of the Kashmir issue.)"

"Hamne chand karyavaahi karke dikhai lekin 9/11 ke baad international scenario badal gaya aur hamne yeh chaha ki agar hamari karyavaahia, Kashmir se bahar jaari rahi, India ko mauka milega Kashmir ki tehreek par ek terrorism ki label chaspaan karne ki. (We carried out a few terror attacks but after 9/11, the world scenario changed. And we realised, that if we continued to carry out terror attacks outside Kashmir, then India would get an opportunity to label Kashmir as a terror state.)"

Salahuddin further admitted to purchasing weapons from international markets, adding that he has the capacity to deliver weapons at any place if he is paid for it.

DESIGNATED AS A GLOBAL TERRORIST

The US recently designated Syed Salahuddin, the head of Kashmiri militant group Hizbul Mujahideen, as a global terrorist, a move welcomed by India which said it underlines quite strongly that both the countries face threat of terrorism.

The move by the State Department came hours before the first meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and US President Donald Trump at the White House.

Mohammad Yusuf Shah, AKA Syed Salahuddin, is the senior leader of the militant group Hizbul Mujahideen.

Also read: Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin admits to carrying out terror attacks in India

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Also read: Pakistan beefs up Hizbul Mujahideen chief Syed Salahuddin's security

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: New Delhi, July 3 (PTI) Tata Steel today extended its support to the recommendations of the global task force on climate-related financial disclosures.

The task force, established by the Financial Stability Board (FSB) in 2015, has recommended a framework to help businesses and investors evaluate potential risks and opportunities of a transition to a lower carbon economy.

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The recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) are also aimed at bringing future nature of issues into the present through scenario planning which will in turn ensure tighter investors engagement and meet stakeholders expectations.

"TV Narendran, MD Tata Steel India & SEA (South East Asian Operations) joined over 100 other business leaders and companies to publicly commit their support for the recommendations of the Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD)," Tata Steel said in a statement.

The TCFD released its final report ? recommendations of the task force on climate-related financial disclosures and supporting materials - on June 29, 2017.

Tata Steel Group as an institution is committed to supporting the TCFDs voluntary recommendations as these disclosures are an important step forward in enabling market forces to drive efficient allocation of capital and support a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy, the statement said.

"As a growing number of investors demand more information around how companies are addressing the effects of climate change, it is imperative to recognise the importance of disclosing climate-related risks and opportunities," it said.

Adopting the TCFD recommendations is an important step forward in enabling market forces to drive efficient allocation of capital and support a smooth transition to a low-carbon economy, it added.

Expressing his views, Koushik Chatterjee, Group Executive Director (Finance, Corporate & Europe), Tata Steel and Member of TCFD said, "Developing a sustainable strategy has become the core purpose of companies across the world as they get future ready to embrace disruption in technology, supply chain and business models. One of the principle foundations of a sustainable strategy is recognition of climate change related risks and opportunities."

It is incumbent to evaluate the risks and opportunities of climate change to enable us to think, plan and act on specific goals to future proof our businesses.

"Tangible actions like reducing our carbon footprints and water intake, switching to renewables to the extent possible, and embracing circular economy will all help in tackling this universal challenge of climate change," Chatterjee said.

He said it is important to have a climate change related framework that brings environment, social and governance to the front and centre of the Board agenda and mainstream corporate reporting.

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The statement said the task forces recommendations are structured around four thematic areas that represent core elements of how companies operate: governance, strategy, risk management and metrics and targets.

Michael Bloomberg, Chair of the task force, commented, "Climate change presents global markets with risks and opportunities that cannot be ignored, which is why a framework around climate-related disclosures is so important...Were pleased to see so many businesses and investors around the world support the recommendations of the TCFD and hope others will be encouraged to join our initiative."

Speaking about the work of the task force, FSB Chair Mark Carney said: "The task forces recommendations have been developed by the market for the market. They set out the disclosures that a wide range of users and preparers of financial filings have said are essential to understanding a companys climate-related risks and opportunities." PTI NAM MKJ

--- ENDS ---
Tucows Inc. provides network access, domain name registration, email, mobile telephony, and other Internet services in Canada, the United States, and Europe. It operates through three segments: Fiber Internet Services, Mobile Services, and Domain Services. The Fiber Internet Services segment provides fixed high-speed Internet access services to individuals and small businesses primarily through the Ting website, and other billing solutions to small internet service providers. The Mobile Services segment offers mobile phones and retail telephony services; and professional services, including implementation, training, consulting, and software development and modification services, as well as operates Mobile Services Enabler platform that provides network access, provisioning, and billing services. The Domain Services segment provides wholesale and retail domain name registration services; portfolio services; and value-added services, such as hosted email, Internet security services, Internet hosting, WHOIS privacy, publishing tools, and other value-added services for end-users under the OpenSRS, eNom, Ascio, and Hover brands. The company was formerly known as Infonautics, Inc. and changed its name to Tucows Inc. in August 2001. Tucows Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.
NGL Energy Partners LP is a vertically integrated master limited partnership operating a network of midstream pipelines and storage facilities. The company is a diversified play on mid-stream operations offering multiple services for producers and consumers alike. Founded in 1944, the company is headquartered in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The company, through a network of subsidiaries, is in business to transport, store, blend, and market crude oil, natural gas liquids, refined products, renewables, and water solutions in the United States. The company seeks to generate positive cash flow through its businesses and deliver returns to shareholders in the form of dividends, organic, and accretive growth. Organic growth is achieved by investing in new assets while accretive growth includes the acquisition of assets that complement the existing portfolio.

NGL Energy Partners operates in three segments that include Water Solutions, Crude Oil Logistics, and Natural Gas Liquids Logistics.

The Water Solutions segment transports, sells, reclaims, and recycles water for oil and natural gas production. This segment also aggregates recovered crude oil for sale, disposes of wastes, and performs cleaning services for trucks and fracking tanks along with other services.

The Crude Oil Logistics segment buys and transports crude oil and equivalents to refiners for processing and sale at pipeline heads and other trade hubs. This segment also provides storage and transportation services for third parties.

The Liquids Logistics segment supplies LNG, refined petroleum products, and biodiesel to commercial, retail, and industrial consumers in North America. This segment operates through a network of 24 terminals that are supported by third-party storage facilities, common carrier pipelines, and a fleet of leased railcars.








Rockies right-hander Chad Bettis underwent chemotherapy earlier this year to treat testicular cancer, but it doesnt look as if thats going to stop him from taking the mound in 2017. In terrific news, the 28-year-old has progressed enough in his recovery that hes on pace to begin a minor league rehab assignment during the upcoming All-Star break, writes Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post. Its a really good feeling to watch this unfold, said manager Bud Black, whose playoff-contending team could use more rotation depth. Bettis would provide that, having served as a solid starter for the Rockies since joining their rotation on a full-time basis in 2015.

More from around the game:
Bangui (Central African Republic) (AFP) - At least 15 people died in clashes between UN peacekeepers and former rebels in the centre of the chronically restive Central African Republic, a humanitarian source said Sunday.

The violence broke out on Saturday in the market town of Kaga-Bandoro when rebels from the former Seleka movement of mainly Muslim fighters attacked the town "to settle an old score," a source in MINUSCA, the UN mission which has some 12,000 troops in the country, told AFP.

"They (the former Seleka rebels) were confronted by the Pakistani and Burundian contingents stationed in the town," the UN source said.

"The MINUSCA forces did their job and protected the civil population" in the town, some 400 kilometres (250 miles) north of the capital Bangui, the source added.

Seleka rebels briefly seized power in March 2013 and deposed the Christian President Francois Bozize.

The Seleka group was itself then ousted, leading to a wave of violent reprisals against the Muslim population by the Christian anti-Balaka militia.

Clashes towards the end of last month left around 100 people dead in the central town of Bria just hours after the government signed a peace deal with rebel groups aimed at ending simmering sectarian violence which has blighted Central Africa since 2013.

Although the unrest has long pitted Christian anti-Balaka militias against mainly Muslim ex-Seleka rebels, there have been growing splits within the various armed groups that have turned deadly.

Violence resurfaced at the end of May in Kaga-Bandoro, the main town in the Nana-Grebizi region where some 20,000 displaced people have been housed since last year.
As the Finance Ministry readies to take the recently signed $15 billion Chinese loan deal to Parliament, Minority MPs have promised to launch a vigorous scrutiny of the agreement when details of the specific projects the funds intend to finance get to the House.

Vice President Dr Mahamudu Bawumia announced the $15 billion loan package from the Chinese government after a four-day trip to China recently.

The Vice President said the loan agreement will be for the mutual benefit of the two nations.

Dr. Bawumia explained that the loan agreement with the Asian country is not based on the traditional model of borrowing and aid.

The new model, the Vice President said, is based on the bargaining power of the countrys natural resources such the 2.8 billion metric tonnes of iron ore deposits, 960 million metric tonnes of bauxite, 413 million metric tonnes of manganese as well as the huge gold reserves and cocoa.

However, the Minority is predicting that government will not be able to secure the entire $15 billion promised by the China Development Bank (CBD) because the Chinese governments penchant to set unbearable conditions for accessing their money.

It is not clear when the loan agreement will reach Parliament but predictions are that it will get to the House for debate this month.

The stance by the Minority on the loan agreement resonates with concerns raised by civil society organisations and notable Economists about the deal.

Economist, Dr. Joe Abbey, has urged the House to scrutinise the deal properly to avoid a repeat of Ghanas inability to access all of the $3 billion loan agreement under the immediate past National Democratic Congress regime.

The Integrated Social Development Center (ISODEC) has also warned that Ghana risks losing more than it will benefit from the deal with the Chinese government.

The Campaign Coordinator of ISODEC Dr Steve Manteaw has said the cost of the deal far outweighs the benefits.

Deputy Ranking Member on Parliaments Trade and Industry Committee, Kweku Ricketts Hagan, told Joy News the concerns being raised about the loan agreement are credible and the Minority will ensure the country does not lose.

Kweku Ricketts Hagan

We dont expect [government] to come to parliament with the MoU but when they are going to do a draw down on a particular project, then they should bring that project...and give us a brief, said Mr Ricketts Hagan.

He mocks government for getting excited about the loan and promising the Chinese things it cannot deliver.

Because they say they are not are not borrowing when they go and do any borrowing, they dont want to call it borrowing, they want to find a different technical jargon to call these things. It is a loan, whether we will pay with cash or we will pay with bauxite, we will pay for it, the Ranking legislator on the Trade and Industry Committee said.

But Majority sees the Minority posture as an attempt to cause a stir when there is none

Majority Parliamentarian for Bantama, Daniel Okyem Aboagye, says contrary to the Minoritys pessimism, there has been renewed confidence in the Ghanaian economy and the loan agreement serves as evidence.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | GN
The United States wants a strong, equal, partner, with both countries contributing to the global economy and security, and whose knowledge and products flow back and forth; Ambassador Robert P. Jackson, has said.

The United States Ambassador to Ghana said the partnership that the United States envisages with Ghana was one where a private sector innovates his vision for both countries was also to see their private sector innovates, pushes us forward, and partners with government to tackle evolving challenges.

Ambassador Jackson said these at a ceremony organised by the US Embassy to commemorate the 241st Independence anniversary of the United States of America and 60 years of official diplomatic relations with Ghana.

I know theres always some scepticism when I say we want a strong, equal partner, he noted, but explained that that desire was playing out in various forms in the partnership between the US and Ghana.

Security

He said Ghanas hosting of the multi-lateral military exercise; United Accord, last month, during which more than 60 US soldiers were trained by their Ghanaian counterparts for a week at Ghana Jungle Warfare School at the Achiase Military Base, was an example of the partnership of the future.

this is the first time an African partner nation trained US Army forces. These are US Soldiers who are now better able to defend the United States and our allies, because of the training they received, he stressed.

Health

The US also launched the Blood safety information system in Ghana through Ghana National Blood service, making Ghana the second country in Africa to implement the system, which Ambassador Jackson maintains will help Ghana and the US share knowledge back and forth on how they manage blood supplies to protect the health of their citizens.

Business

Ghana was also the first African country to participate in the SelectUSA Summit when eight Ghanaian companies attended the summit last week to explore opportunities for investment in the United States. At the same time, American companies are establishing and expanding their operations in Ghana; investing and creating opportunities for Ghanaian and American citizens, he said adding that other areas of US-Ghana partnership and investment includes in agriculture, education, and energy.

60 years from nowI hope some of you will be here, I hope youll tell the new ambassador how youve watch US-Ghana partnership strengthen and grow and change the world, he toasted.

Mr Ken Ofori-Atta, Minister for Finance, responding to the toast, said it was inspiring to hear what the Ambassadors vision for the US-Ghana partnership, adding Ghana shared in the vision of the two countries becoming significant contributors to the global economy and global security.

He Ghana had received remarkable support from the US throughout the 60 of partnership and was pleased to call the US a friend. Such support includes strengthening of Ghanas democratic system by providing technical assistance through the Strengthening Responsive, Democratic Governance Program, as well as supporting Ghanas Electoral Commission during elections.

Through the USs support, our democratic credentials are unchallenged globally he said, acknowledging the USs support in other areas such as energy, access to credit for SMEs, and private sector development.

Economic partnership

It is significant to note that economic relations between the two countries are robust and have been characterised by several business ventures and exchanges, especially within the private sector, he stated.

Mr Ofori-Atta said the US was among Ghanas principal trading partners with trade between them currently at $1.2 billion per annum. Trade numbers under AGOA, have eclipsed over $200 billion dollars in the past four years, while trade in Ghana between 2012 and 2015 has given Ghana a positive trade balance of nearly $2.8 billion.

We look forward to enhancing this collaboration, particularly in relation to of Ghanas current policy of light industrialisation; the one-district, one factory flagship policy, so that our value-added products will be hedged against the price fluctuations of commodities he noted.

The USA remains a key and strategic partner for Ghana and we believe that opportunities exist for our two countries to engage in mutually beneficial cooperation he said, while congratulating the US on its independence anniversary.
A new study by the global mobile industry organization, GSMA says China and India will account for half of all the mobile subscribers to be recorded in the world by the end of 2020.

According to the 2017 edition of  Mobile Economy: Asia Pacific report released last week, India will account for 27 per cent (206 million) and China, 21 per cent (155 million) of the approximately 753 million new mobile subscribers expected to be added globally by the end of 2020.

The Asia Pacific region as a whole is forecast to increase from 2.7 billion unique mobile subscribers at the end of 2016 to 3.1 billion in 2020, accounting for two-thirds of global growth. The report also highlights how the regions mobile industry will be a growing contributor to the Asias economy and social development over this period  and also play a pioneering role in 5G, the report said.

The report indicates that subscriber growth in the Asia Pacific region will also mean that mobile penetration in the region (as a percentage of the population) will grow from 66 per cent in 2016 to 75 per cent in 2020.

However, the diverse nature of the region means that mobile penetration rates vary widely. Asia is home to four of the top five most penetrated markets in the world (Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan), but also some of the least penetrated, such as North Korea, it added.

The report notes that mobile broadband (3G and above) is now the dominant technology in the region, accounting for more than half of connections for the first time last year, adding that Asian markets such as China, Japan and South Korea are also driving the development of 5G mobile technologies. 5G connections (excluding IoT) are anticipated to reach 670 million in Asia Pacific by 2025, accounting for just under 60 per cent of global 5G connections by that point, it said.

It states further that mobile technologies and services contributed $1.3 trillion in economic value to the Asia Pacific economy last year, equivalent to 5.2 per cent of regional Gross Domestic Product (GDP).

It is forecast that this contribution will increase to $1.6 trillion (5.4 per cent of GDP) in 2020 as countries benefit from the improvements in productivity and efficiency brought about by increased take-up of mobile services and adoption of new mobile technologies such as machine-to-machine (M2M), the report said.

According to the report, Asias mobile ecosystem also supported approximately 16 million jobs in 2016, directly and indirectly, and made a substantial contribution to the funding of the public sector. It is estimated that the ecosystem made a tax contribution to the public finances of the regions governments of around $166 billion last year.

It also highlights the major shift in consumer behavior underway in Asia Pacific, triggered by rising smartphone and mobile internet adoption, improved affordability, and the increasing availability on locally relevant content. This has led to a boom in mobile services in areas such as video, social media, e-commerce and financial services. Mobile internet penetration in Asia Pacific has doubled over the last five years, reaching approximately half of the regional population by the end of 2016.

Asias mobile industry is also playing a key role in tackling various social and economic challenges as outlined by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The report highlights several case studies where mobile services are helping to eliminate poverty; improving health, education, gender equality and employment opportunities; helping to deliver safer cities; and addressing climate change and other issues, the reported said.
03.07.2017 LISTEN

Well, the National Democratic Congress Member of Parliament for Ningo-Prampram, in the Greater-Accra Region, Mr. Samuel George Nartey, is entitled to his own opinion vis-a-vis the call for an investigation into the National Lottery Authority (NLA) scandal, in which some NLA administrators allegedly paid the sum of GH 150,000 (some news reports give the figure as GH 100,000) to get the members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee to pass an amendment to Act 722. I have yet to familiarize myself with both the aforesaid Act and the details of the amendment sought by the NLA operatives. But what amuses me is the call by Mr. Nartey for the investigation into the Finance Committees scandal to be either halted or done away with altogether (See Sam George Dismisses Calls for Probe into 100K NLA Bribery Scandal MyJoyOnline.com / Modernghana.com 7/2/17).

The former Mahama hanger-on or so-called Presidential Staffers argument is that since the amendment to Act 722 was never passed, there is absolutely no need for anybody to call for an investigation into the same. Well, I find this trend of logic to be nothing short of abjectly jejune and facilely sophistic. For starters, at least GH 150,000 of the Ghanaian taxpayers money went into the wallets and pockets of the members of the Finance Committee of the 7th Parliament, whose tenure and mandate ended on January 6, 2017.

What is even more rankling, we are further told that the James KlutseAvedzi-chaired committees members had already been given sitting allowances for simply deliberating on the amendment to Act 722. And so whether the amendment passed or not is decidedly beside the point. What is clear here is that the Members of the Parliamentary Finance Committee (PFC) violated both parliamentary protocol and the law by consenting to and/or demanding money for work which they had already been doubly paid, through salaries and sitting allowances.

Mr. Narteys argument that the NLA payola racket could be likened to the established culture of many a Western democracy is simply preposterous, because Ghanaian democracy is very distinct from most Western democracies. But even more importantly, Ghana has no tradition or system of specially licensed lobbyists as pertains to American democracy, for example. There is, of course, nothing that prevents Ghanas legislative assembly from either establishing or recognizing the establishment of the lobbying system. But this must be done based on an extensive studies and a deep understanding of how the system works.

To the best of my knowledge, and I have been living here in the United States for nearly 32 years  I dont know how old the Ningo-Prampram NDCs MP is  whatever payments in the form of cash that these lobbyists make, often come in the form of contributions to the political campaign accounts of senators and congressional representatives or the coffers of their parties. It is never in the form of direct payments into the wallets, purses and pockets of individual parliamentarians, senators or congressional representatives.

Mr. Nartey is, however, absolutely right to be concerned about the image and reputation of the average Ghanaian parliamentarian. But the proper procedure for improving the gone-to-the-dogs image of the average Ghanaian parliamentarian is not to unwisely attempt to stall a justifiable probe like the one at issue here.

Rather, it is for our parliamentarians to pursue a code of ethics that respects the maintenance of fiscal discipline and frugality on the individual level. And a conscientious work ethic that properly recognizes rewards as the direct and logical result of hard work, and not vice-versa, as clearly appears to have been the case of the Avedzi Gang.

*Visit my blog at: kwameokoampaahoofe.wordpress.com Ghanaffairs
Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat on the world tourism map.

By Press Trust of India: The tea stall in Guajarat's Vadnagar where Prime Minister Narendra Modi once sold tea during his childhood is all set to become a tourist spot with the Centre deciding to give it a face-lift.

The stall is located on one of the platforms of the Vadnagar Railway station.

Converting the stall into a tourist spot is part of a larger project of putting Modi's birthplace Vadnagar in Mehsana district of Gujarat on the world tourism map.

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Officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism and Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) visited the town yesterday. The team of officials was led by Union Culture Mahesh Sharma, who later announced that the original charm of the tea stall will be preserved while giving it a modern touch.

"Apart from being the birthplace of our PM, Vadnagar is an important historical centre having famous Sharmishta Lake and a step-well. The ASI had recently found remains of a Buddhist Monastery during excavation, which is still going on," Sharma told reporters at Gandhinagar yesterday.

PRESERVING THE ORIGINAL CHARM

Ahead of the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, Modi had often mentioned that he used to sell tea during his childhood at the Vadnagar railway station along with his father.

"Inside the Vadnagar railway station, there is a small tea stall, from where our PM had probably started his life's journey. We also want to develop that tea stall as a tourism spot. We will try to preserve the original charm of the tea stall while giving it a modern touch. Our aim is to put Vadnagar on world tourism map," Sharma said.

Earlier, Divisional Railway Manager (DRM) of Ahmedabad division Dinesh Kumar had said the entire project of developing Vadnagar and adjoining places in Mehsana district would cost over Rs 100 crore.

"The development of Vadnagar railway station is one of the components of the Rs 100 crore project to develop Vadnagar, Modhera and Patan as tourist destinations. As of now, the Ministry of Tourism has given Rs eight crore to the state Tourism Department to develop the railway station," Kumar had said.

Also read: PM Modi to write a book to help students with examination stress

Also read: When PM Modi and President Mukherjee rolled out GST at midnight, GST was born in Rajasthan

--- ENDS ---
03.07.2017 LISTEN

Ghanas newest ride-hailing app, Dropping has been launched in Accra, with a call on taxi and private car hire drivers to register with the app for free anywhere in Ghana.

The new ride-hailing app offers three-in-one services; Taxi, Private and Elite car service; which enable users or riders to choose the way they want to ride.

The Taxi category offers people the usual painted taxis in Ghana; the Private includes private car hire while Elite offers high-end, luxury option for those who prefer luxury cars all at affordable prices.

Innovatively, the app offers advance booking for all its services. The ride-hailing company, Dropping Apps Limited, however, does not charge drivers commissions on rides.

Speaking at the launch, the Director of Marketing and Business Development, Mr. George Akomeah, also a Cofounder of Dropping Apps Limited explained that Dropping is an on-demand ride hailing app designed to connect customers anywhere to drivers at any time.

He added that Dropping takes away the hassle of customers having to negotiate through hard and mostly unreasonable fares to get a better deal; while allowing them to see how much their trips will cost even before they make requests for rides.

With just few taps on the phone, customers can order a taxi or private car in minutes that is affordable, safe and reliable as all fares are pre-determined by an advanced in-built algorithm taking into consideration most factors.

The app allows passengers to see how much their trips will cost even before requests are made for rides. Via same technology drivers are positioned to reduce aimless driving, save on fuel, get more ride requests and make more money by simply accepting rides, Mr. Akomeah stated.

He disclosed that Dropping Apps Company Limited has partnered with Peoples Pension Trust and Gold Coast Fund Management to manage funds for the drivers who register on the app. Meanwhile, weekly pension and welfare payments have been arranged for the drivers.

We have partnered with Peoples Pension Trust and Gold Coast Fund Management to grow with our driver partners. We do this by paying weekly pensions and welfare for the first three months a driver registers with Dropping when they achieve 20 trips every week, said Mr. George Akomeah.

With the foregoing, Mr. Akomeah called on the drivers to contribute voluntarily to their pensions for the future and also empower themselves through the welfare provident fund made available for them.

The Director of Operations and Finance, Mr. Frederick Sarfo, also a cofounder, reiterated that the app is free to register by drivers and also free for downloads for customers.

Dropping is free to register and charges no commissions on drivers earnings. Dropping will take only one Ghana cedi from drivers per each ride irrespective of the value of the ride. All monies are paid directly to drivers by passengers, Mr. Sarfo disclosed.

He said the app was developed with customers and drivers in mind; to offer customers conveniently safer, more affordable and reliable rides, while swelling drivers earnings.

Mr. Sarfo assures customers that whichever way you desire to ride, business, events, pleasure, we have you covered with our threefold services  Taxi, Private or Elite  all 3 in one app. With Dropping, you are always in control.

Other partnered organizations are Ghanas energy giant, GOIL and Interpay Africa.

GOIL is offering Dropping access to some of its service stations across the country so that drivers can register on the app.

Additionally, the energy giant has also partnered with Dropping to offer taxi drivers GOILs GoCard to enable them buy fuel conveniently and safely. By using these cards, drivers can win free oil service, fuel, lubricants and other souvenirs from GOIL.

The app is available for Android and iOS smart phones. Therefore, it is available for free download on the Google Play Store and AppStore.
03.07.2017 LISTEN

The past few years have seen the Mediterranean Sea turn into a graveyard for migrants seeking to enter Europe through the back door. Coming mostly from sub-Sahara Africa and places like Afghanistan, Bangladesh, and Pakistan among others, and representing a diverse demography that includes men, women, children, old and young people, the weak and the strong, black people and brown people, the migrants desperately want to go to Europe where they believe a better future awaits them.

Unfortunately, the migrants' dream of securing a better and brighter future for themselves in Europe is becoming a nightmare as more and more of them drown in the frigid waters of the Mediterranean as they try to cross it from Africa into Europe. But can the migrants blame anyone else but themselves for their misfortune?

It would be callous indeed for anyone not to understand the motivation of these hapless people, or not to sympathize with them on their plight. What they are all trying to do is to escape the perennial warfare, the political violence, and the oppressive socio-economic conditions prevailing in their respective native countries. Even so, one finds it extremely hard to see the wisdom in the seeming foolhardiness that characterizes their quest to reach the El Dorado.

The migrants persist in doing something that has proved catastrophic time and again for so many before them, something that is almost always likely to lead them either to watery graves on the bottom of the ocean or indefinite periods of incarceration in grim, ghetto-like detention camps in Europe, which is a far cry from the earthly paradise they have been dreaming about.

Since the beginning of the Europe-bound exodus which, incidentally, overlapped with the insurrection that overthrew Muamar Gadaffi, the hero of African migrant workers, in Libya in 2011, hardly a week goes by without chilling news reports or video footage of scores of people who have either drowned or been rescued from their sinking rickety human trafficking boats or rubber dinghies in the Mediterranean. The Italian Coast Guard recently estimated that some 2000 people have died in the sea trying to reach Europe since the migrant stampede began.

Yet the migrants, obsessed with the idea of setting foot in the wonderland of Europe, are unfazed and continue to defy common sense and tempt fate.

Not surprisingly, the Italian government, which has borne the brunt of the migration pressure, appears to have finally grown weary of endlessly rescuing and hosting refugees and has announced its intention to turn away all humanitarian vessels carrying migrants that approach the Italian coast in the future. Should the government in Rome make good on this threat, as it is likely to do, what would be the fate of the migrants? Stuck in the middle of the ocean with nowhere to go, they would simply perish. The humanitarian crisis in the Mediterranean might get worse.

Do the migrants deserve our sympathy? The answer would be no if minors and other vulnerable juveniles were not involved. The adults on the boats should know better than to believe that they could just force other countries to open their doors and let them in; it doesn't work that way in the real world. So for the sake of the children caught up in this tragic mess, the world must show compassion by continuing the rescue operations and saving lives.

In order to discourage anymore reckless adventurers in the future, however, those migrants picked up in the Mediterranean should be promptly repatriated, although chances are their own governments may refuse to take them back. But other Third World countries could be enlisted to help with a little monetary inducement and promises of economic assistance. As the carnage in the Mediterranean gets out of hand, every conceivable device must be employed by the authorities to get a handle on the situation.
Friends:

I still can't believe that Rwanda's Paul Kagame has removed the term limits and he's running for president again. He's one man I thought was too principled to do anything like that. And to make it worse, he has seemingly hired the likes of Andrew Mwenda to make the whole story look like he was persuaded by majority of Rwandese to do so. OK, even if it was the case, what good is that for Rwanda in the long term?

I've always hated political dynasties of the kind in Africa that lead to a corrupt representative holding onto a seat for generations.The idea of term limits is, in part, to get rid of career politicians.That is why I have always supported a constitutional amendment imposing term limits on the presidency and parliamentarians in Uganda. Both MPs and the president shouldn't serve for more than three and two terms respectively.

Actually, we should do what Honduras did and go a step further, imposing not just a two term limit for president but writing a clause into the national constitution that makes it a crime for a sitting president to any attempt or even suggest extending his term,with the penalty being his immediate removal from office.This happened in 2009, with president Manuel Zelaya escorted of his office by soldiers in what leftists called a "coup," but was actually a legal arrest warrant issued by the supreme court and approved by the national parliament, endorsed even by members of his own party.

Abolishing term limits also implies the institutions of government are weak, that only this single charismatic leader is capabable of leading the country, that everything will collapse if he isn't re-elected forever. And this is exactly what happens when the institutions of state are powerless tokens of the dictator. People want a dictator, and sometimes dictators are effective leaders, but when they eventually die the whole system collapses.It has happened in Libya when Gadafi was holding everything together. So, I don't know why any patriotic leader would want to subject his country to that 'death-wish' in the name of 'people still love me and want me to stay forever'. Its bullshit,guys, and Kagame knows it.

Members of parliament:

Too often today our members of parliament too seek re-election not by making an argument to their constituents, but by making more false promises and issuing an ultimatum. It usually goes something like this: I know were all citizens of Uganda and that means you can vote for whomever you want, but given the amount of seniority, influence and authority that Ive built up while in parliament and working with the president, if you dont vote for me, our constituency will lose out. This is mostly typical of NRM candidates standing for MP anywhere.

But this is not a choiceits a ploy to keep themselves as indefinite parliamentarians at the expense of everyone else.Seems like some of these politicians have been in there for a long time. A government of, by, and for the people requires leaders who are more interested in securing the common good rather than maximizing their own power and prestige.

However,a fundamentally bad feature of term limits is that it violates the rights of voters, and quite possibly equal protection rights of office seekers, and this is usually the case in stable democracies. Voters ought to be able to vote for whom they want. An office seeker who has violated no laws and is otherwise eligible for the office ought to be able to seek the office.The problem with this in Africa is that the removal of term limits does the opposite: it makes a leader to do whatever he wants while in office very well knowing there is nothing constitutionally possible to remove him from power. Yes, its just impossible to remove an African leader from power using the constiution. Its difficult to impeach an African president as its difficult to remove them via elections due to election rigging. So, term limits becomes the only way you can get a breather from a bad president.

In developed nations where there are no term limits,the way they get a better government is not to put ridiculous restrictions on who can run for office.The way they do it is to restrict what a government can do, through constitutional amendment if necessary. But in Africa, Rwanda and Uganda in particular, the current leaders there are like everything. Actually one could make a lot of money and win influence out of a petition to keep Museveni or Kagame in power indefinitely, than resisting it. Already Ms.Evelyn Anite benefitted from this, as surely Arua Municipality MP Ibrahim Abiriga also intends to benefit from age limit removal.

A lot of African leaders, Kagame and Museveni included, do a lot of bad stuff to those that oppose them.Such actions are not those of someone who is just going to walk away from power leaving their opposition with the same authority.

In Uganda, we have a president who clearly isn't liked anymore by majority of Ugandans, but if that doesnt stop him from having breakfast with a smile,then he's either off his rocker or he doesn't give a damn about no stinking election. My guess is the former: presidential elections have always had one 'winner' since 1996 even before they kick off.In poker, comparitive behavior would be a sign of a player holding a "pat hand". Dear Leader claims to be promoting a certain political ideology(whatever that is), he is the only human being on earth capable of guiding the pearl of Africa to paradise.

For the record,there is nothing Chairman Museveni or Mr.Kagame do that some other douche in a suit or millitary combat can't do, and to suggest that Uganda or Rwanda will fall apart unless we make them both presidents-for-life threatens regional democracy and constitutional republic. Instead of intimidating voters into supporting the candidate with a proven record of leading a country through troubled times, people should be empowered to choose the candidate they think is best suited to help preserve their government of, by, and for the people.

Abbey Kibirige Semuwemba

UK

"In tribute to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Uganda, two bastions of strength in a world filled with strife, discrimination and terrorism."
03.07.2017 LISTEN

How political party contributions are influencing government contract s in Ghana. Must contracts be given to whom you know or to the party that has the technical know-how and the money? Whats the way forward?

Last week the Ghanaian pubic woke up to find their traditional media inundated with the Contaminated Fuel story. The spectacle was much the same with the Social Media. It was followed by public outcry and the familiar blame game. The NDC Minority in Parliament had called for an immediate investigation into the alleged sale of the contaminated oil to Movenpiina Energy by Alfred Obeng Boakye the MD for Bulk Oil Storage Transport (BOST). The minority group also called for the MDs interdiction.

In less than 48 hours after the Minoritys press conference the Minister of Energy Boakye Agarko set up an eight-member committee to investigate intothe circumstances that precipitated the sale of the dirtied oil. And like dominos, one reaction led to another and another. The acting Chief Executive Officer of the National Petroleum Authority (NPA) Alhassan Tampiludropped the hint thatMovenpiina and Zup Oil the two companies that purchased the over 5 million litres of contaminated fuel would likely face sanctions.Beyond that NPA legal team will pursue the companies and investigations will be carried out.

Its understood both companies are not licensed to undertake any commercial activity in the downstream petroleum industry. This presupposes that their activities infringe on section 11 of the NPA Act 691, 2005. But why did they do it? Did the BOST Boss know about their status at the time?

Theres a standard sanctions which are known to everybody in the industry. For every trivial activity that they engage in they pay GHc 10, 500 approximately US$5, 000, Mr. Tampuli said.

Since the big story broke out sides had been taken amid lamentation and aspersion. My own write-up on the subject was somehow critiqued. I was reminded that during the NDC administration contaminated fuel was transacted therefore the latest case isnt a big deal. Well lets remind ourselves that whats wrong is wrong. And theres no need to double down whats deemed corruptible. Remember, it isnt about the NPP or the NDC its about Ghana and its people. Its about the average Ghanaian who has been left impoverished, disadvantaged and underprivileged in spite of the countrys huge mineral resources.

And I think while we are debating the debate and looking into the current subject, I suggest all previous transactions made by BOST retrospectively(since Ghana lifted its first oil) must be open for onward investigations.

Indeed, the latest contaminated fuel is a subject that touches political nerves especially the minority NDC and the majority NPP. And as journalists, analysts, bloggers and experts weigh into the issue; party supporters, surrogates as well as foot soldiers havent been left out in the ongoing debate.

A leading member of OccupyGhana, a pressure group Sydney Casely -Hayford has charged Parliament to haul before it the governing board of BOST to answer some questions among them: Why BOST sold contaminated fuel to some companies without National Petroleum Authority (NPA) licence.

But perhaps what stuck with me most in the wake of the controversial story was the submission made by Kennedy Agyapong Member of Parliament (MP) for Assin Central in Central region during a radio interview. Mr. Agyapong spoke passionately about the subjectand one could sense the palpable emotions in his tone as he made his case known to the public. He alleged theres huge collusion and fraud in the past sales of contaminated fuels. Its believed about 38 companies in 2015 purchased contaminated oil from BOST under similar circumstances.

All the fuels said to be contaminated in the past are done deliberately and I have documents to prove that, he claimed.

Who should get what as part of party contributions?

Much of Mr. Agyapongs submissionfocused on the sacrifices and contributions some of the party members had made towards the growth of the party. The apparent sideling of the partys chief contributors by the leadership seemed to be a grave concern for the Assin Central legislator. He bemoaned the practice and warned that the NPP risk losing power in 2020, if the leadershipdidnt change their attitude.

Without a doubt, I get his argument: Hwan na enhuhu na obi enkeka.

How can you cut the hand that feeds the mouth?Why would you give contracts to individuals who are supposedly NDC card bearers and leave those whose finances and contributions helped put NPPat the top rung of the ladder? And I think that would amount to what one mightview as spite in the face if it turns out they (the contributors) perhaps have the requisite qualification but are not considered.

Its against this backdrop that I think the country must relook its political party campaign financing system.

Whats the way forward?

In the 2008 United States presidential election fundraising increased significantly compared to the levels achieved in the previous presidential elections, according Federal Election Commission (FEC). President Barack Obama then democratic candidate raised 778, 642, and 962 and spent $760, 370,195. His republican counterpart Senator John McCain also raised 383, 913, and 384. And out of that amount he spent $358,008,447. Most of Obamas contributions came from the grassroots.

Unfortunately our system is allergic to transparency. Everything is done in secrecy and no one knows who is funding who, how much hes contributing and whats the source of the financiers contributions? I even doubt whether the Electoral Commissionthe nations electoral body has knowledge of how much for example the two major political parties the NPP and NDC raised in the 2016 presidential election. This and other factors have conspired against our quest to have a corruption free government over the years.

Political party funding are the methods that a political party uses to raise money for campaign and routine activities. This is internationally known as political finance. But it is called campaign finance in the United States.

No political party in the world can survive without funding.Much as vehicles need fuel to function so do political parties need funding to be able to operate effectively.In Ghana and elsewhere political parties are funded by contributions from party members and individual supporters (via membership fees/ dues/ subscriptions and or small donations. Also organizations, which share their political views, make contributions too. But the role of money in politics in recent times has possibly become the biggest threat to democracy.

Many governments today have become corrupt because most of their political campaigns had been funded through drug monies, and huge corporations that indulge in money laundering etc. In fact when it comes to corruption in political campaign funding one cannot even exempt the United States, arguably the best democracy in the world. And as we (Africa and for that matter Ghana) continue to monetize our political campaigns lets not forget that were equally breeding another bratcorruption.

Its a huge challenge that confronts both matured and burgeoning democracies and its my hope that there will come a time that sanity will prevail in our political campaigns and monetization will not become a yardstick or political barometer.
03.07.2017 LISTEN

Hon. Justina Marigold Assan, the Agona West Municipal Chief Executive (MCE) in the Central Region has lamented over huge debts the Assembly owe contractors who had executed various projects during the Opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) administration in the municipality.

Addressing her maiden Ordinary meeting of the 2nd session of the 7th Assembly held at Agona Swedru on Thursday, the MCE could not fathom how the Assembly could owe such huge debts to contractors.

Touching of the Assembly's finances, this was what she said " Hon. Presiding Member, the financial situation of our municipality cannot be described to be the best. The total debt owed contractors and suppliers as at December, 2016 stool at Three Million Seven Hundred and Fifty-Three Thousand, Five Hundred and Thirty-Four Ghana Cedis, Ninety-Seven Pesewas (Ghc 3,753,534.97)"

She gave the breakdown as follows: District Assembly Common Fund, Ghc 3,125,592.39, Internal Generated Fund Ghc 374,022.58 and Land Compensation Ghc 223,920.00

"This is a huge challenge confronting our Assembly which calls for a very prudent way of managing the situation"

On revenue generation, the MCE disclosed that the Assembly estimated to collect a total revenue of Ghc 1,536,757.00 for 2017. The actual collection for the period under review was Ghc 662,593.42 representing 43%.

She expressed the hope that the Assembly would achieve its revenue target and possibly exceed it by the end of the year.

" I want to put on record that the Assembly has received an amount of Ghc 276,997.91 being 2016 4th Quarter release of the District Assembly Common Fund (DACF)

The delay in the release of the fund has been as a results of the transitional period and want to assure Assembly Members that the government will be forthcoming in the releases. Management is yet to disburse the amount received and assure the house that it would be disbursed judiciously "

Touching on government's policies and programs, Hon. Justina Marigold Assan disclosed that H. E President Nana Addo Dankwa Akuffo Addo led NPP government was very committed to increasing food for local consumption, for export and to create jobs for the extremely unemployed youth thus the introduction of Planting For Food and Jobs policy.

" The Agona West branch of the Department of Agriculture has registered enough farmers in the municipality for the project. The Department has also taken delivery of maize and vegetable seedlings as well as about 1,200 bags of Urea and NPK fertilizers to be supplied to the farmers"

The MCE commended Chiefs, the NPP Member of Parliament for Agona West, Hon. Cynthia Morrison, Assembly Members, personnel from the Police, Fire Service, Zoomlion, Environmental Health department, civil society groups and members of various political parties for their commitment towards National Sanitation Day Clean-up exercise.

She concluded with these words, " My vision in transforming the Agona West Municipality is anchored of the following; Uniting the people of the municipality, increase infrastructure development, building the capacity base of human resource, improving the local revenue of the Assembly, improving sanitation and job creation.

Quality education leads to quality human resource base. I believe it is the right of each child and young people to have access to formal education for personal development and to contribute positively towards national development"

The Member of Parliament for Agona West, Hon. Cynthia Morrison noted that plans were far advance for a facelift for Agona Swedru and all the communities in the constituency.

She hinted that streets in Agona Swedru and surrounding communities were to be reshaped to enhance the economic activities of the people. Hon. Morrison noted that link roads would be constructed for smooth vehicular movement.

On Sanitation, she noted that schools in the constituency were going to be sensitise on the need for them to participate in the monthly national sanitation day exercise.
Youth legislators are preparing a paper which when complete would birth a private members bill for creation of a development bank strictly for youth affairs, parliamentary forum on youth affairs chairperson Mpaka Mwine has said.

The idea is to have a youth development bank that would in long run amalgamate existing youth programmes, including the livelihood fund, venture capital and the education-centred students loan scheme for better dispensation and access to the finances.

The youth MP for Western Uganda said they were planning a youth development bank bill highlighting inadequacies in existing youth programmes as justification for the financial institution.

The idea is to have a youth development bank that would in long run amalgamate existing youth programmes, including the livelihood fund, venture capital and the education-centred students loan scheme for better dispensation and access to the finances.

The youth MP for Western Uganda said they were planning a youth development bank bill highlighting inadequacies in existing youth programmes as justification for the financial institution.

This was at a youth forum at the ISBAT University in Lugogo Kampala, which attracted over 200 young leaders from across the country and selected 50 legislators.

Arua Woman MP Maureen Osoru said the various youth interventions need to be harmonized - and what a better way to achieve it than under a bank, calling on the house who supported the idea to raise hands. Majority of the youth put their hands in the air.

We have so many youth interventions, but harmonizing them is another issue. We need something that can cater for youth in school, those out (of school), and others (who have never been to school), the woman MP said.

Presenting a draft on how the proposed youth development bank would operate, Maria Alesi from the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung said the institution, like any other financial organ, would abide by central bank regulations, but not be profit oriented.

It will be financed by Government, and function almost the same way the Uganda Development Bank is. Loans will attract minimal interests to just enable the institution to run.

(The current youth livelihood programme) attracts an interest above 10% and youths have to come together to access funds and the venture capital fund requires them to already be having existing businesses, she said.

The Bank will take into consideration all these shortfalls and try to reach every young person in the country.

All these funds government allocates to the youth livelihood programme and the venture capital and students loan scheme can be channelled through this bank, she said.

Then, youth can access funds after managers assess their proposals and determine they are worth financing. They will be revolving funds, which should sustain continuity.

The youth livelihoods programme was launched in 2013 after enrolment of the youth venture fund. Sh265b was earmarked for programme. And more than 78, 178 young men and women have been supported to start income generating projects.

But a report last year punched holes in the youth funds calling for review.

Researchers led by Economist Juliet Ssekandi said both programmes: Youth Venture Capital Fund and Livelihood programme did not emphasize credit counselling. And, as consequence, a number of youth were falling prey after they misused the borrowed money.

Kitagwenda County MP Abbas Agaba Mugisha also called for review of youth threshold ages from current 30 to 35 years, saying substantial numbers of young people miss out on funds to start income-generating projects because of the 30-year ceiling.

He compared the situation to neighbouring Kenya and Tanzania where the age 35 is the ceiling for youth, saying 30 (in the case of Uganda) was limiting.

Many legislators in the house supported the move.

But if youth years are amended, it would also mean a big number of the current youth MPs would still be eligible to contest for elections (still as youth MPs) come the next general polls.
03.07.2017 LISTEN

National Treasurer of the People's National Convention (PNC), Akane Adams says the management of think-tank, Africa Centre for Energy Policy (ACEP) must be invited for questioning over the purchase of some litres of contaminated fuel.

He said this will be the only way to ascertain the veracity of claims of contaminated fuel on the Ghanaian market.

ACEP had alleged some of the five million litres of contaminated fuel the Bulk Oil and Storage Transportation Company (BOST) tried to dispose off was already in the marketing, an allegation which has triggered some investigations.

The National Petroleum Authority (NPA) probed the matter and said the fuel was intact and none of it is on the market. Acting NPA boss Hassan Tampuli told Joy News the product sold to oil company Zupp Oil had been accounted for.

The Energy Ministry has also set an eight-member Committee to undertake a full scale investigation into the matter.

Wading into the issue, the PNC Treasurer in a statement Monday said the "general public deserves to know the exact location or point of sale the energy think thank Africa Center for energy policy ACEP is alledged to have purchased some litres of the contaminated fuel."

Read full statement below:

NATIONAL SECURITY MUST INVITE ACEP OVER PURCHASE OF CONTAMINATED FUEL ..... PNC TREASURER

The general public deserves to know the exact location or point of sale the energy think thank Africa Center for energy policy ACEP is alledged to have purchased some litres of the contaminated fuel already released into the Ghanaian market.

This knowledge and information would help to guide and protect all prospective consumers from also purchasing the contaminated fuel for use. It is a matter of national security concern and we call upon the national security to invite ACEP for further interrogation to establish if indeed some litres of the contaminated fuel is already released into the market or not.

Whilst we wait for the eight-member ministerial committee to commence investigations, we trust ACEP will also be very useful to the committee or to the national security in providing a lead into the exact point of sale by which their outfit had purchased the alleged contaminated fuel into their vehicles as alleged by the ACEP executive dierector Mr. Ben Boakye few days ago in the viral media.

The public and all fuel consumers wish to know the truth as the claims by ACEP could amount to causing fear and panic. We hope the national security and the regulator NPA would move in quickly to protect the interest of all consumers against any untoward situation.

Akane Adams

PNC NATIONAL TREASURER.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com |
Authorities in Mukono Municipality in Uganda have come up with a by-law aimed at minimising noise pollution in the area.

The proposed bye-law, which will take effect this September, also bans loud noise at weddings and public gatherings beyond midnight.

We have received numerous complaints from residents about the increasing noise pollution in the town and we believe this new by-law will help us address this problem, Mr George Fred Kagimu, the Mukono Municipality Mayor said this during an interview with the Daily Monitor of Uganda.

Mr Kagimu said unlike in other towns where a similar by-law has been passed and leaders failed to enforce it, in Mukono, they are going to vigorously work with a team from the National Environment Management Authority and police to ensure that the law is effectively enforced.

Our arrangement will be totally different from that of Kampala or any other town and I am sure we shall succeed. The by-law will be enforced in line with other existing laws. For example, the National Environment (Noise Standards and Control) Regulations 2003, prohibits excess noise in areas that encompasses hospitals, schools, residential houses and other institutions that require special considerations for noise control, but we have been reluctant to enforce such guidelines, he said.

However, Mr Kagimu said discotheques, bars and hotels with inbuilt sound proofing systems will not be affected.

The mayor said the Muslim community, which uses Adhan (call for prayers) to call worshippers for prayers and different forms of calls to prayer such as church bells and drums will also not be affected since they take a short take and are internationally accepted practices.

For Pentecostal churches, which hold night prayers beyond midnight, we are going to have meetings with their leaders to see how best they can contain their noise in churches, he added.

According to the National Environment (Noise Standards and Control) Regulations 2003, any local council is free to make laws regulating noise and vibration pollution in accordance with the Local Governments Act.

Mukono Municipality Deputy Mayor, Jamada Kajjoba, said majority of councillors are upbeat about the proposed by-law and are ready to pass it in the next council meeting. He said the municipal council is currently in the process of procuring noise measuring device (sound level metre).

We shall soon have our own municipal courts where people who cause noise pollution will be tried, he said.

Ms Bitaminsi Muteresa, a councilllor representing Ggulu ward, said the by-law will also help them regulate those who mount loud speakers on trucks and move around the town.

Such people will have to first seek permission from council and once they are allowed, they will have to switch off their loudspeakers whenever they reach hospitals and schools, she said.

Ms Agnes Wabule, a business woman in Mukono Town, said; The proposed by-law is good, but I am skeptical whether it will apply to Born Again Churches because the followers pray throughout the night.

Dr Ismail Segonga of Mukono International Medical Centre, said when one is exposed to excessive noise for more than six hours daily, he risks getting health-related problems such as headaches, heart failure, deafness and cancer, among others.

Some studies have also shown that high intensity sound causes a dramatic rise in blood pressure as noise levels constrict the arteries, disrupting the blood flow. The heart rate (the number of heart beats per minute) also increase. So, these sudden abnormal changes in the blood increase chances of contracting cardiovascular diseases in the long run, he said.

Dr Segonga added that constant exposure to loud sound beyond 80 decibels (noise pollution) can affect the ears thereby causing temporary or permanent hearing loss.

Section 32 (1) (a) of the Police Act also empowers police to regulate the extent to which music, drumming or public address system may be used on public roads or streets or at occasion of festivals or ceremonies.

Noise pollution in Mukono has reached unprecedented levels as it is the case in Kampala due to rapid unplanned urbanisation where discotheques, music studios, bars are situated in places gazetted as residential areas.
Abuja (AFP) - The wife of ailing Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has left the country to visit him in London after first attending an African Union event, her office said.

Aisha Buhari's office said late on Sunday that she was first heading to the AU summit in Addis Ababa for a "symbolic appearance" at a leaders' wives meeting.

She will then head to Britain on Tuesday, a statement said, adding: ""She will convey to the president the best wishes of Nigerians and their fervent prayers for his quick recovery."

Aisha Buhari first visited her 74-year-old husband in London on May 30 and returned to Nigeria on June 6, saying he was recovering fast.

The head of state of Africa's most populous nation has spent most of this year in London receiving treatment for an unspecified medical condition.

In January and February, he spent almost two months in Britain and on his return in early March said he had never been as ill.

He left for the British capital again on May 7 for a second round of medical treatment. No date was given for his return.

The presidency has repeatedly rejected rumours that Buhari is terminally ill or even dead but has refused to disclose his illness or what treatment he is having.

Last week, opposition Ekiti state governor Ayodele Fayose advised Buhari to resign but his supporters rejected the suggestion.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo has been acting on his behalf in accordance with the constitution.

Buhari's absence has brought forward behind-the-scenes jostling for position for the 2019 presidential election at which the ailing leader is unlikely to stand.

In 2010, Nigeria was plunged into months of political turmoil after president Umaru Musa Yar'Adua died in office following months of treatment abroad.
President Akufo-Addo shaking hands with CK Tedam at a lunch held for Senior Citizens at the Banquet Hall

The New Patriotic Party (NPP) government is set to offer free ride on all public transport to the aged otherwise known as senior citizens in the country.

This is in recognition of their sacrifices and inputs made to the growth and development of the nation.

The decision was made public on Saturday, July 1  on the occasion of Ghana's 57th Republic Day celebration.

July 1, 1960 was the day the first President of Ghana, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, was sworn into office and Ghanaians bade goodbye to the Queen of England's Governor-General, thereby bringing to an end British colonialism to make Ghana a sovereign state.

Speaking at the 57th anniversary celebration at a lunch organized by President Akufo-Addo for the aged, he stated, Government remains committed to providing the aged with a 'freedom pass' to enable you ride for free on all public transportation.

A similar policy was implemented by the erstwhile Kufuor-led NPP administration, which enabled students at the basic school level to join public buses free of charge.

It is, however, not clear when the free ride policy for the senior citizens would take effect and whether it would include free train ride.

President Akufo-Addo stressed the belief that there should be no demand for any more work from the aged in society.

He, however, had one more last favour to ask of them, Be citizens not spectators.



Responsibility

In that sense, he has tasked them to speak out and join government's fight against the ills of our society; corruption, social and economic injustice, crime, the illegal mining menace, popularly referred to as galamsey and the phenomenon of vigilantes and mob justice, amongst others.

I urge you also not to fall into the well-known temptation of telling what I want to hear. It will be equally tempting to tell me that I'm the best thing that ever happened to Ghana than it will be equally tempting to tell me to ignore my critics.

As senior citizens, the president said he does not expect them to walk that road but should allow the moral authority of their status to justify their interventions.

In all, 600 senior citizens were invited for the lunch. President Akufo-Addo could not but thank them for their respective roles in the struggle for independence and the development of the nation.

Our nation remains indebted to you; your names should be enshrined in letters of gold in our history because you have helped enhance the image of our country.



History

The president recounted the long and tortuous road that Ghana and Ghanaians have travelled over the years to this day, insisting, The first Republic, like the second and the third, was ill-fated, ushering our country into a prolonged period of authoritarian rule actuated by unsuccessful democratic governance.

He therefore underscored the fact that the Fourth Republic, which began in 1992, has seen the longest period of stable constitutional governance in Ghana's history with its underlying sustained economic growth, freedom of speech, which is now taken for granted, with government exercising its oversight duties and the judiciary continues to demonstrate its independence.



Bane

Nonetheless, the president indicated, We are not quite yet there as a country; for we continue to suffer important institutional and other deficits.

The economic transformation that we all yearn for are still not materialized and unemployment is widespread, corruption in the Executive continues to remain a major challenge of governments, parliament does not have full authority over our public finances, the judiciary is still reeling from the dramatic expose' of corruption within its ranks.

He also stressed, Our security services lack the full logistical complement and personnel required to provide adequate and effective safeguard for the nation's stability and security.



Confidence

In spite of all these, President Akufo-Addo insisted, There is far more self-confidence among Ghanaians today than has been since the early days of self-government; freedom and the spread of democratic values are strengthening the determination of Ghanaians to build a new Ghana that is neither poor nor victim of the world economic order.

This new Ghana is a Ghana beyond aid; it is a united Ghana where we aim to be masters of our own destiny, where we marshal our own resources for the future, breaking the shackles of an economy dependent on the production and export of raw materials to position itself in the global market place at the high end of the value chain. It is a country where we focus on trade not aid; a hand up, not a hand out; it is a country with a strong private sector; it is a country that recognizes the connectedness of its people and economy to those of its neighbours; it is a country that is governed by the rule of law, respect for individual liberties and human rights and the principles of democratic accountability, according to President Akufo-Addo.

By Charles Takyi-Boadu, Presidential Correspondent


Sushil Modi claimed that Tej Pratap, who is Health Minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, owns nearly half acre of prime land on Aurangabad Highway.

By Rohit Kumar Singh: Bihar BJP leader Sushil Kumar Modi's relentless attack on Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) chief Lalu Prasad and his family continues as he has now demanded the Election Commission to revoke Lalu son Tej Pratap's Assembly membership.

A delegation led by Sushil Modi met the Chief Election Commissioner Nasim Zaidi today in New Delhi with the demand to annul Tej Pratap's membership claiming that he didn't disclose his assets in election affidavit.

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Sushil Modi claimed that Tej Pratap, who is Health Minister in the Nitish Kumar Cabinet, owns nearly half acre of prime land on Aurangabad Highway.

TEJ PRATAP CONCEALED FACTS ABOUT BENAMI ASSETS

Tej Pratap used the land to set up Lara Automobile a company, details of which were not mentioned in the affidavit he submitted with the Election Commission before the 2015 Assembly election.

Modi had earlier claimed Tej Pratap Yadav, who resigned as the managing director of the company after 2015 Assembly polls, continues to hold the maximum number of shares (2.51 lakh), along with his mother Rabri Devi (1.17 lakh) and sisters Misa Bharti (1,000), Chanda Yadav (2,000) and Ragini (1 lakh) who are all directors in the company.

"It is beyond anyone's comprehension as to why he has not declared the property valued at Rs 15 crore in official records," the senior BJP leader had alleged.

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--- ENDS ---
SOME MEMBERS of the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) are calling for amendment of the party's constitution to make the document current and progressive ahead of the National Delegates' Conference this year in Cape Coast, the Central Regional capital.

Acting General Secretary, John Boadu, who announced this, said he had received various proposals from an array of party members appealing for a package of constitutional changes by delegates who will attend the conference.

Speaking to DAILY GUIDE after a donation of consumer products to two orphanages in Kumasi on behalf of President Akufo-Addo and the NPP, Mr. Boadu indicated that a document containing the proposed amendments would soon be circulated to the various constituencies for members to know the issues for deliberation.

According to him, some of the proposed amendments border on undefined roles of various executives such as organizers and other interest groups like the Nasara whose relevance in the party cannot be overemphasized.

This is where the strength of the party is. It is only after this that we can think about opening of nominations for internal contest of party positions, the NPP acting chief scribe submitted.

Mr John Boadu said that since the party is the mother of the government in power, it ought to provide it (government) with adequate and proportionate support to succeed because the ultimate aim of any political party is to win power and deliver on the mandate.

We in the party want to ensure that people working in it will be encouraged and motivated to work. Anyone appointed into government will surely come back one day. And therefore, we have to make sure the needed background work is done, he pointed out.

He added, The party has structures and reorganization programmes in place. As we speak now almost all the constituencies have conducted delegates' conferences.

It is gratifying to note that this has given our members the opportunity to assess, reflect on what they have done and take decisions. That of the regions is coming up. The time table has been given out to them.

.

NPP Policy Forum

Mr Boadu disclosed that the party was coming up with a policy forum to ensure ownership of government policies by all and sundry and the ones that require immediate attention.

We want a situation where there will be proper conversation between the party people and Ghanaians on one hand, and the government on the other to determine the kind of factory needed by the local people and not what government thinks, Mr. Boadu announced.

According to him, the party wanted the local people to be direct beneficiaries of the 'one district, one factory' project, and asserted that that was a programme coming from the party structure.

We want the party people and Ghanaians as a whole to serve as the bank of knowledge for government, he stressed.



Change

The NPP acting general secretary stated that change had really taken place in Ghana in the last six months. The NDC government, led by the late Prof Mills, could not secure the Chinese loan they made so much noise about. But Vice President Bawumia, who went to China on the invitation of the Chinese government, hit a jackpot.

After putting before them the potential of the nation, the Chinese government is prepared to spend $9 billion for the first time in our history. Look at the $2.2 billion. It has never happened that a single country can raise $ 2.2 billion a day.

It is the kind of integrity of the leaders the country has. This is what Nana Addo has brought to bear on the nation's economic management. The man is really in a hurry to lift us from the economic doldrums, he argued.

From Ernest Kofi Adu, Kumasi
Nine people, including a female, have been nabbed in connection with last Thursday's violent clash that occurred at the Sekondi Zongo in the Western Region.

At least eight people sustained cutlass and gunshot wounds when two Muslim factions reportedly clashed over who has the right to lead prayers at a mosque in Sekondi.

The injured persons were named as Salim Issah, Abdul Aziz, Aminu Sirinu, Abdul Rashid, Aminu Mohammed, Alhassan Abdulai, Khassum Issah and Halifa Cissey.

They were given medical forms to go for treatment when they made a report to the Sekondi Police.

The Western Regional Police Public Relations Officer, ASP Olivia Ewurabena Adiku, who confirmed the arrests to DAILY GUIDE, mentioned the suspects as Salim lssah, 19, and Aminu Sirinu, also 19.

The rest are Khassum Issah, 26; Abdul Azziz, 18; Abdul Rashid, 21; Alhassan Abdulai, 19; Halifa Cissey, 23; Aminatu Mohammed, 35, and Ibrahim Amadu 23.

She pointed out that all the nine suspects were in police custody.

According to her, at about 9:30 am on Friday, the Sekondi Police received a distress call about the incident from some opinion leaders at the Zongo.

According to ASP Adiku, the elders in the Muslim community reported that they had heard gunshots in the area.

She pointed out that the police patrol teams were dispatched immediately to the area to ensure law and order.

Seven people with various degrees of sharp object wounds later reported at the Sekondi Police Station, she added.

She continued, The injured were issued with police medical forms to seek medical treatment and report for further action.

The Police PRO revealed that one locally manufactured pistol, together with two used BB cartridges, one knife and cutlasses, were retrieved by the police.

Police petrol teams are currently in the area monitoring activities there, she indicated.

It would be recalled that hell broke loose at the Sekondi Central Mosque recently when some residents of the Zongo reportedly stormed the worship place, attacked and injured some of the worshipers.

That was during a prayer session, which was attended by some Muslims who were fasting.

The cause of the attack was not immediately known, but DAILY GUIDE gathered that it might be related to the issue of who has the right to lead prayers at the mosque.

From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi
Salaamu Alaikum brothers and sisters. We would like to draw your attention to the misleading news being spread by STARRFMONLINE.COM about recent happenings in Tamale.

First of all, in relation to the said date, 30th of June, 2017, Old students of the great Anbariya were in Zaa radio to clear a misconception which was leveled against the Anbariya Sunni community as being engaged in hate speech. We would like to state that, contrary to the report, Anbariya Sunni Community old students never resorted to any insults or hate speech as hypocritically reported.

Our elders would always say that there can never be smoke without fire underneath it. What was said on Zaa radio was clearly a reaction to an earlier hate speech by one Abu Dujana. Listeners to the yearly Ramadhan Tafseer aired on various radio stations can testify that our Grand Imam, Sheikh Saeed Zakaria has never in any way insulted or maligned any Imam in Ghana or Tamale.

However, listeners of Tamale radio stations can testify that respected Sheikh Basha Ibraheem and his son has on countless occasions taken the Anbariya Sunni Community to the cleaners. During this year's Ramadhan Tafseer, this Sheikh constantly called the Anbariya scholars to a duel. In his daily Tafseers aired on Northstar Fm, he constantly made mockery of Sheikh Saeed Zakaria's health condition and the status of the Anbariya Sunni Community as an Islamic group. In the face of this provocation, the Anbariya community and its scholars have remained patient given the respect the said preacher holds and his command over his followers.

As a matter of fact, one cannot but wonder, the source or validity of the said report which cited scholars of Anbariya as been on the offensive. In reality, Anbariya youth were rather been defensive. Earlier on Friday, 30th June, 2017, Afa Abu Dujana, who happens to be the biological son of Afa Basha had called the Anbariya Sunni Community names and challenged them to duel. This single act was what broke the camel's back. Subsequently, old students of Anbariya went to Zaa radio to react equally to Abu Dujana's threats.

To add to the above, the BNI has not called the management of Zaa radio, neither has it called the leadership of Anbariya Sunni Community to investigate anything concerning the issues on Friday. One cannot help but wonder where the said journalist got his reportage from. We humbly plead with all mediamen to engage in ethical reportage of issues. This would ensure that hard won reputations of great institutions like Anbariya are not sliced unjustly.

To this end, we would like to make clear to readers that the Anbariya Sunni Community stands for peace and development. May Allah reveal the truth of this matter and unite the muslim Ummah. Salaamu Alaikum.

Inusah Zanjina

Secretary,

Dagbon Bilchinsi Youth Association
Ghana signed an agreement with China that may culminate in the development of a $10 billion bauxite venture that will include the construction of alumina refineries and railway infrastructure, according to a senior government official.

The two countries agreed to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in which China will provide funding for the project to exploit the West African nation's 960 million metric tons of bauxite deposits, Gideon Boako, an economic adviser for Ghanaian Vice President Mahamudu Bawumia, said in a broadcast Wednesday on Accra-based Citi FM.

We have a lot of mineral resources, so we want to build the railways and refineries to get the bauxite out of the ground, Boako said.

If we refine the bauxite that alone is going to generate an export value of around $460 billion.

The parties agreed to the memorandum during last week's visit to China of a Ghanaian government delegation that Bawumia led, Boako said.

The countries are in talks over the final terms of a deal, he said.

President Nana Akufo-Addo won December's election against former leader John Mahama on campaign pledges to create jobs and encourage the mining of bauxite.

China's plans to develop bauxite sources in Ghana follow after Guinea surpassed Australia as the largest supplier to the world's biggest producer of alumina.

Bauxite is refined into alumina, which is then smelted to produce aluminum.

Ghana produced 827,000 tons of bauxite, and 40,000 tons of aluminum in 2013, U.S. Geological Survey data show.

 Bloomberg


Kenneth Thompson (2nd left) with dignitaries from Shikaafa Buni and Avnash at the press confab

Kenneth Thompson, Chief Executive of Dalex Finance, has called on financial institutions in the country to invest in the agricultural sector.

According to him, the active involvement of the financial institutions in the sector would not only grow the sector but create employment for the youth.

Mr. Thompson disclosed this while speaking at a press conference in Accra to reveal Dalex's investment in rice farming.

He said, There is money in agric. There is risk but investing in agric is very good because that is where the growth is. The institutions must get in there and invest.

Dalex Finance has partnered Shikaafa Buni Rice Farmers Association to provide credit to over 10,000 rice farmers in the Northern Region.

The Funds would be used to provide farming inputs such as fertilizer, improved seeds and combined harvester.

Touching on the Dalex rice farmers' programme, Mr. Thompson expressed happiness that Dalex had found a profitable and sustainable model for funding smallholder farmers who are the bedrock of Ghana's agricultural sector.

He urged other financial institutions to follow the lead of Dalex and fund the agric sector, adding, It can be done. 'Shikaafa' is a for-profit organization, and we are mining the value chain by also engaging Avnash Rice Mill, who guarantee to purchase the rice from the farmers.

Mr. Thompson also called on the Ministry of Agriculture to expedite action to avert the looming disaster posed by armyworms, indicating that armyworms had been found in the Eastern, Brong Ahafo, Ashanti and Western regions.

Since 2016, the armyworms have destroyed more than 5,870 hectors of maize, cowpea and cocoa. The effect of these pests could be worse than the 'biblical plague of locust,' if unchecked, he said.

Nbanty Dagbanja, a rice farmer from Dagbanjado in the Northern Region and a beneficiary of the credit programme, commended Shikaafa and Dalex for providing seeds, chemicals, fertilizers, as well as harvesting services that had improved their yields.

Akshay Sharma, Chairperson of Shikaafa Buni, who touched on the challenges of milling rice in Ghana, stated, The local paddy (raw material) prices are too expensive, as the yields per acre achieved by the farmers generally in Ghana is as low as 800kg per acre compared to minimum of 2.4mt per acre internationally in Thailand, Vietnam, India, USA and Pakistan.

He lauded the 'One village, One Dam' policy of government.

A business desk report


04.07.2017 LISTEN

Still, I am on the preacherpeople. They have a don who once wondered where all the nyansafo (the wise) in the motherland had gone hiding. Only yesterday, their chief scribe (of the all for Christ faith) lumped politicians of red, white and blue or red, white, black and white colours together: 'Politicians of all classes in the country are the same and are potential criminals.' Then bluntly: 'What NPP is doing is not different from that of NDC.' Really? If that is true, it spells doom for the motherland. If that is not true, where's the evidence? It seems to spell serious trouble for the motherland.

Somebody must start a movement to save the motherland. The Kufuor brand appointees with lived life experience seems to be fading very fast. Too few can be spotted among the septuagenarian in a hurry's crop. What seems to be emerging is the congress ampbr brand, irrespective of party. I am referring to the create loot and share babies with sharp teeth whose belief in life achievement is tethered to control of state resources. Once in control, they appropriate everything to themselves, family and friends, maybe party with nothing left for the motherland.

The motherland needs a critical mass of daughters and sons who have lived lives independent of the state and have managed to achieve. Things will be the same bad if we should descend and defer to a generation whose only idea of success is the ability and capacity to plunder our common resources as vested in the state. Thieving from public office to prosper can never develop any motherland. So let everyone who cares about this our dear motherland, amanmma (compatriots) who believe in the motherland wake up to the spectre of leaders of plunder.

Uncle Sam's daughters and sons claim architect of democracy surpassed only by the Greek brand. They don't know about our competition in cooperation brand. So theirs is the best in their eyes and sights. We have decided to follow them almost blindly and so when we are looking for the ideal in that brand of democracy we quote them. So I quote something written about their dire in straits current democracy: 'Party and power versus country and constitution.'

Osono draws its support base from the middle class. Its hold on the base, by all indications, however, is tenuous. The reason for the tenuousness is that it is a highly rational group for which nothing can be taken for granted. Its elements analyse words, phrases and sentences they hear, read and see. Go ask congress. The few that were rooting for them and from whom they were expecting votes to comfortably lead in 2016 deserted them in droves. Middle 'classers' could see through the lies congresspeople were telling and rather saw them in the visible evidence of proof of their looting.

That is why the sono deputy scribe's brag of an opponent will never be voted into power again is needless, irritating and boasting. He even had the audacity to effectively swear he would quit politics should congress ever be vote returned to power. The middle class support base expects little political talk that borders on arrogance. It cherishes a lot of humility backed with actions that positively impact their living conditions. If you want to keep them with you, you focus on that.

The preacherman's 'all politicians are the same' characterisation is an early warning sign for osonomma. They can take heed or ignore it as vane talk. Choosing the latter will be like the foolish who ignored an early warning sign and perished by their foolishness. Choosing to take note and work by it will be a wise counsel absorbed for wise guidance. It cannot be some, though. It is all right or nothing.

I come nowhere to counselling Frimpog-Boateng about that. He has lived a living of stellar purpose and direction to the fruitful achievement many can only dream. But the ones who want V8 to go and do party work during the weekend are the poisons. If they don't get warned by the preacherman's early warning talk, they will pull down the mighty F-Bs with them when downing president and party.

Listen to veteran politician and legal luminary Sam Okudzeto 'Nana Addo is my hope now. This is our last chance. If this one fails we are doomed.' If you think the veteran politician is joking, look around, party colourlessly, and point to any potential leader who is as selfless, as determined to do right, as incorrupt as Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo. In fact, show me one that has lived a life of riches who did not steal from state resources they were supposed to manage on behalf of the motherland and us her children compatriots.

By Kwasi Ansu-Kyeremeh
Koforidua, July 03, GNA - Rehabilitation works on 1,640 square meters of roads at the Koforidua Regional Hospital to bring comfort to both patients and health personnel at the facility had been completed.

The project which took three months to finish was financed at a cost of about GH60,000.00 by the Chocho Industries Company Limited.

It involved upgrading of the riding surface and laying of culverts to allow for free flow of running water.

Alhaji Mustafa Oti- Boateng, Chief Executive Officer of the Company, handing over the project at a ceremony, said it was part of its corporate social responsibility.

He had noticed during visits to the facility that the roads running through the place were in bad state - causing a lot of discomfort and inconvenience to particularly patients and decided to intervene.

He applauded the health professionals for maintaining high standards of professionalism, love and empathy for the sick.

Mr. Eric Kwakye Darfour, the Eastern Regional Minister, praised the company for what he said was a wonderful gesture.

He indicated that providing access to quality healthcare was a major priority of the government and gave the assurance that everything would be done to ensure that the hospital received the needed support for its efficient operation.

Mr. Lesley Vanderpuiyi of the Regional Health Directorate, urged the health workers to be inspired by the gesture to give it their all to save lives.

Dr. Kwame Anim Boamah, the Medical Director, said the repair of the roads had significantly improved both the healing and working environment.

Alhaji Oti-Boateng had earlier donated eight flat screen television sets to the hospital.

GNA

By Edmund Quaynor, GNA
Cape Coast, July 02, GNA - The Central Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena Duncan, has stressed the need for a re-integrate of the aged into the society to ensure that their rich experiences were exploited for national development.

He said it behoved on the society to show love and compassion towards its aged and make them an integral part of the society while ensuring that they enjoyed the blessings of old age.

"We must make the efforts to provide our old people with quality healthcare services and conducive living environment to prolong their lives," he said.

Mr Duncan said this at a ceremony to herald the 'Senior Citizens Day' as part of activities to commemorate this year's Republic Day celebration in Cape Coast at the weekend.

The "Senior Citizens Day', was instituted to honour the strong sense of voluntarism and patriotism exhibited by the forefathers in the struggle for independence from the colonial masters.

He stressed that institutions and organisations such as hospitals, banks, lorry terminals among others must offer quality services to the aged to ensure that they did not see that period as a burden.

Mr Duncan assured of governments determination to remove all barriers hampering the wellbeing of the aged in society to protect their rights and dignity.

The President of the Central House of Chiefs, Obrempong Nyanful Krampong XI commended the Senior Citizens for their selfless service towards national development and integration.

He urged the nation to duly recognise their contrition and honour them accordingly to encourage others, adding that, "any nation that does not honour its heroes is not worth dying for."

Obrempong Krampong urged President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufu-Addo to remain focus on his mandate to bring infrastructural development and economic prosperity to the people of Ghana.

Mr A. K. Hazzel, a retiree of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), said senior citizens needed to be properly recognition to enable them share their vast experiences with the younger generation to speed up national development.

He narrated series of frustrating challenges retired citizens faced such as stigmatisation, low pension among others and appealed for immediate redress to ensure that retirees contributed meaningfully to national development.

The Senior Citizens in the Region were given hampers and other materials for their hard work to Ghana.

GNA

By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
Cape Coast, July 03, GNA - Hundreds of National Service Personnel in the Cape Coast Metropolis on Saturday embarked on a vigorous house-to-house campaign against the rising levels of teenage pregnancy in some endemic communities within the metropolis.

The exercise which sought to create the awareness on the need to abstain from pre-marital sex, took the service personnel to Amamoma, Apewosika and other suburbs of Cape Coast.

The personnel distributed dozens of flyers, paraphernalia and educative reading materials as they moved from house-to-house in areas known as a haven for pre- marital acts.

Speaking to the Ghana News Agency (GNA) in an interview, Mr Wonder Tortor, Cape Coast Metro President of the National Service Personnel Association (NASPA,) said they were encouraged to join the campaign because the menace of teenage pregnancy in the metropolis was unacceptable.

He said service personnel in the metropolis were determined to counsel the youth on the need to abstain from pre-marital sex to prevent the health, economic and cultural implications associated with teenage pregnancy.

Mr Tortor described teenage pregnancy as a national pandemic and rallied the collective responsibility and contribution of every Ghanaian to reduce the menace.

At Amamoma, while some teenagers showed signs of remorse for engaging in unprotected pre-marital sex and shed tears, others said they engaged in it because they needed money to support themselves and that of their families.

Speaking in an interview with the GNA at Apewosika, some parents blamed the rise in teenage pregnancy in the community on its proximity to the University of Cape Coast (UCC) which allowed some unscrupulous men of the University to lure young girls with money and gifts to have sex with them.

They admonished parents to be awakened to their core responsibilities of providing the basic needs of their children to deter the men from luring the girls to satisfy their sexual libidos.

They suggested stiffer punishment for men who impregnated young girls and abandon them to serve as deterrent to others.

In one of the hideouts, some young boys and girls confirmed to GNA of having multiple sexual partners and confessed that they did it out of curiosity and for the fun.

GNA

By Isaac Arkoh, GNA
President Akufo Addo has been awarded the African Union (AU) Gender Champion by the AU Commission in recognition of his efforts in fighting for gender equality at the continental level.

The Chairman of the African Union and President of Guinea, Alpha Conde disclosed the announced the award on the floor of the Nelson Mandela Plenary hall during the opening ceremony of the 29th Ordinary Session of African Heads of State summit which is underway in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com
Responding to the incident, the doctors said ECG machines were not working in the morning.

By India Today Web Desk: In a shocking case of medical negligence, a newborn who was declared dead by doctors in a hospital in Telangana, was found alive before it was to be buried. The incident took place at MGM Hospital in Warangal district on Sunday.

As the parents were preparing for the baby's funeral, they observed some movement in the baby's body. They immediately rushed to the hospital for treatment. After a few hours of treatment, the baby was declared dead.

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Responding to the incident, the doctors said ECG machines were not working in the morning.

Last month, a similar case of negligence took place at Delhi's Safdarjung hospital, when the maternity ward attendants at the hospital told 27-year-old Rohit Tandon that his wife Shanti had given birth to a stillborn baby.

The doctor and the nursing staff sealed the body in a packet, labelled it and gave it to the father. It was at home when Rohit unfolded the sheet to take a last look at his 'lost' son, he felt signs of life in the frail body.

However, the case took a tragic turn as the newborn died after struggling to survive for 30 hours.

The institute said that the medical procedure was actually an "abortion" and not a "delivery", as the mother was 20 weeks pregnant and the foetus weighed 460 grams.

(With inputs from ANI)

Also Read:

'My heart skipped a beat' Hours before last rites, father looks at stillborn son only to find him breathing

Delhi: Premature baby who was declared stillborn by doctors, dies after struggling for 30 hours

Also Watch:

Newborn declared dead at Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital, found alive hours before last rites

--- ENDS ---
Addis Ababa (AFP) - African Union head Moussa Faki Mahamat on Monday criticised member states for a lack of solidarity shown to nations on the continent who are facing famine and drought.

His comments came as heads of state gathered at the union's headquarters in the Ethiopian capital for a bi-annual meeting as fears rise of mass starvation because of conflict and a biting drought.

"I cannot hide my deep frustration at the silence and inaction of Africans in the face of the terrible tragedy of famine in these regions," said Faki, a former Chadian foreign minister elected in January as chairperson of the AU commission.

"What happened to the African values of solidarity and fraternity? What happened to our civil society?"

Faki's election came days after the United Nations said the world was facing "the worst humanitarian crisis since the end of the Second World War," with 20 million people facing malnutrition and famine in Yemen, Somalia, South Sudan and Nigeria.

An official declaration of famine in South Sudan was lifted in June after four months, though the situation there and in the three other countries remains desperate.

The situation could be set to worsen as the much-anticipated rainy season in the Horn of Africa draws to a close. The rains were declared "significantly below average" by the weather monitoring group FEWSNET.

The AU summit will focus on issues including how to reform the body and make it financially independent from foreign donors.

African leaders are also facing with the security threat in the Sahel and unresolved crises in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and South Sudan.

"At its last summit in January 2017, the AU called for the implementation of the 2015 peace deal, but there is no momentum in getting the South Sudanese government to adhere to it," the Institute for Security Studies wrote last month.

The think-tank also highlighted a lack of progress in deploying a regional protection force authorised by the UN last year.

While there is little sign of a breakthrough on the major crises afflicting the continent, Faki was resolute in making security a priority.

His predecessor Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma had come under fire for neglecting the issue.

"We remain vigorously focused on the need to reduce tensions and give priority to political solutions in regions where tensions remain, alas, still alive," Faki said.

Referring to the AU's goal to end conflict on the continent in the next three years, he said: "The aim to silence the guns by 2020 is our horizon."
Accra (AFP) - Rescuers in Ghana are racing against time to find 14 missing miners trapped after an illegal pit collapsed in the country's south officials said Monday.

Police said they are still searching for survivors in Prestea-Nsuta, a town in Ghana's Western Region, after an abandoned mine caved in on Sunday.

"We can't confirm if they are dead or not," Nsuta District Police Commander Superintendent Atsu Dzinaku told AFP.

"They were coming out to find some food to eat, on coming (up) they heard a noise inside, then the pit caved in," Dzinaku said, adding that five miners made it out of the collapse safely.

"So those coming up, they were lucky but those down...they were trapped. We are expecting they are still there. We have not retrieved any of them."

Dzinaku said earlier people were communicating with the trapped miners in the roughly 80-metre deep pit, but as of Monday afternoon they hadn't heard any response.

Police believe that the accident happened as a result of illegal small-scale mining, known as "galamsey" in Ghana.

President Nana Akufo-Addo's government has been cracking down on illegal mining.

In March, activists launched a campaign highlighting the environmental damage it causes, from stripping forests to polluting water.

Since then, the west African nation has been working to find ways to better regulate and monitor small-scale miners.

Ghana is the second-largest gold producer on the continent after South Africa.
Accra, July 3, GNA - Captain Paul Forjoe, the Ebusuapanyin of Mfantsipim Old Boys Association (MOBA), has called on alumni associations to renew their commitment and support their schools to propel development.

He said alumni had a major role to play in the sustenance of their school's legacy since all citadel of learning had their progressive development undertaken and sustained by their own products.

He said: 'We all take a lot of pride in the schools we attended. We can give our time, funds or influence to help so let us be forceful and proactive towards our schools'.

Capt. Forjoe made the call when he addressed a gathering of worshippers at the MOBA Praise and Thanksgiving at the Covenant Family Community Church in Accra, on the theme: 'A Charge to Keep I have'.

The annual event aims to celebrate colleagues in Christian ministry and provide a platform where they could evangelise to alumni, their families, friends of Mfanstipim and the public at large.

He said the MOBA Praise 2017 was a family religious event to showcase Christian beliefs, worship, give thanks, and commune with God through songs and verses.

Capt. Forjoe said: 'It is our fervent prayer that other schools alumni will take a cue from MOBA Praise 2017 and use their associations as vehicles to promote the Christian faith.'

Worshippers were thrilled with gospel songs from past students of Mfantsipim School including Alfred P. Addaquay, Kay Kwansah, Jasher Taylor, Reverend Nana Folson, Calvis Hammond and Yaw Antwi Dadzie.

The Joyful Way Incorporated and the Mfantsipim School Choir also ministered to the audience amidst exhortation and prayers by Very Reverend Kingsley Offe-Amoyaw and Reverend Ogbarmey Tetteh.

Prophet Kakra Baiden, a Senior Pastor of Lighthouse Chapel International, and an Old Boy of Mfantsipim School (1987 year group), urged Christians to have faith and stand firm in the Lord irrespective of trials that may come their way.

He said a 'Charge to Keep I have' was for Christians not to lose hope in God but be resolute and believe in Him.

He, therefore, entreated Christians to trust in God's faithfulness and remain committed to His word.

An amount of GH 2,000 was donated to the Covenant Family Community Church's Educational Endowment Fund.

GNA

By Kwamina Tandoh, GNA
04.07.2017 LISTEN

Introduction

The primary focus and profit of power and authority is to change, improve, transform, and elevate lives. Every generation of leadership must be a ladder for the next generation to climb to a better and more successful height. The natural characteristics of power and governance is devoid of a tool for self aggrandizement and mediocrity. The success of a generation is bound to time and season and when leadership is oblivious of these, the succeeding future is derailed and disorganized.

Nevertheless, a generation, that is emotionally and unintelligently attached to their tribe, political parties and personalities to the point of sacrificing truth and justice, become secondary considerations and exploited as chattel slaves. And when a nations intellectuality is measured by petty sentimentalism and devoid of deep concepts and models for national construction, this is a liability to progressive societies.

An Off Spec Slop and Contaminated Mind-set

A cartel decided to make the easy money by stealing 5 million litres of the nations fuel under the guise of contamination. A thorough investigation and query of some previous staff of BOST are of the view that a 5 million contaminated fuel is rare and unlikely considering the standards that guides such facilities in Ghana and across the world.

However, this alleged theft and the way it is being handled is not the sad spectacle. It is rather the Slop and contaminated mind-set of the Ghanaian that is worrying. A situation that demands a criminal, administrative and procedural query from all of us has assumed a partisan equalization. It is alarming to hear a prominent parliamentarian ranting that the BOST Managing Director cannot be touched because the said M.D has invested so much into the victory of Nana Akuffo Addo.

As the minority in parliament is calling for thorough investigation and interdiction of the BOST M.D, the majority in parliament also came out to threaten the minority to keep quiet. Why? Because they accused the minority that they also have been thiefing the fuel since 2014 under H.E. John Mahama, and that the 5 million litres happened only once under the Nana Akuffo Addos government.

Sadly, the Ghanaian whose future and economic safety is being stolen has also joined this partisan chorus deliberately symphonised by these alleged stealers to confuse the dance of probity and accountability.

When you catch an alleged thief, is it not right to quickly punish him for the immediate crime on hand whiles investigating whether it is a criminal pattern? Why should we be forced to believe that because someone is alleged to thief in the past so the present thiefing should not be queried and punished? I am of the strong opinion that, the 5 million litres fuel recently sold is not contaminated hence operated on the blind side of the National Petroleum Authority, and if it is found out that the immediate past M.D. also engaged in the alleged criminal transactions, he should be made to face the rigours of the law.

Institutionalised Thuggery

In the 57 years of Ghanas existence, 2017 has experienced and is experiencing the most scary and unprecedented institutionalized thuggery in our national governance. This thuggery were visited at tourist sites, national security offices, the courtrooms and worst of all, on the presidency with impunity. Some of these groups are now being used as parallel security services in some state functions which invariably has rendered the legalized security agencies impotent and helpless in curtailing this criminality.

Surprisingly, it is even argued by some so-called intellectual commentators that, to stop this legitimatized thuggery, the government should integrate these elements into the security services and the Ghana Armed Forces. Is this not tantamount to signing out your safety and security into the hands of hoodlums and permitting destruction of well grounded and disciplined state institutions? Should an illegitimate act of a person be visited on the peace of Ghana and create a fertile land for terrorism to thrive in Ghana?

Stopping Galamseying to Start The Galamsey

The media, realizing the aging destruction of the 57 year old mother Ghana this year, aggressively launched Stop Galamasey programmes. This has forced the current administration to perfunctorily participate in the attempted clampdown. The Minister of Environment, Peter Amewu, who was dragged by the media frenzy to politically champion this course, faced several backlash from government appointees, chief civil servants, parliamentarians, pastors, imans, and business persons who have all been deeply involved in the wanton destruction of our forest covers, and excessive pollution of our water bodies.

However, as the applause was reaching its high with the belief that galamsey will be a thing of the past, a 15 billion Dollar promise by the government of China to the Akuffo Addo led NPP government has also resulted in the promise of presenting Atiwa Forest naked for exploratory fondling and rape.

And to quickly shut out any intellectual discourse on its merit and dismerit on the economy, water bodies, climatic conditions, and future health of Ghanaians, Ibrahim Mahama, the brother of the former President, John Mahama, was accused of being sold 58 percentum of Ghanas bauxite concession under a presidential fiat. This, as usual, is intended to divert the actual examination and analysis of the benefits and dangers associated with the possible investment.

It should also be noted that under the NDC government, Keta Lagoon, the only surviving and declared Ramsar site in Ghana has been sold to companies with devastating health and economic consequences to the affected communities and beyond.

Is it not sad that after 57 years, our collective political intelligence and maturity is reduced to political equalization so as to allow few to selfishly exploit Ghanaians and perpetuate large scale poverty?

The Gloom of Public Sector

In an attempt to win the 2016 elections, the NPP government promised to create jobs to its teeming supporters. It rather turned out to be sack and replace rather than job creation. The public sector that require technocrats which require several years of working experience has been reduced to yen tsen di institution. Any animal of employee who smells NDC must be transferred or dismissed, or must be hauled out of office by Invincible/Delta forces. He is considered a saboteur to the government and must be denied his economic right as a citizen. Eventually, the public sector will become a den of monstrous incompetent and corrupt practices that will cause the collapse of Ghana.

The Abaabase Syndrome

However, instead of deeply thinking of rescuing Ghana, a group of some Ghanaians think the answer lies in going abaabase. How can the abaabase, which has forced a change albeit not so appealing and was rejected, become a solution going forward? What Ghana needs now and in 2020 is a paradigm shift in our political reasoning and leadership. In inching forward to 60 years, the fundamental question that need to engage the minds of Ghanaians is, do we just need change of political parties and personalities at the polls or we should demand and pursue a paradigm shift?

Until the fundamental approach and our underlying factors of assumption to governance are addressed, the political and economic conducts of Ghana shall be consistently off specs.

Conclusion

If the followership of Ghana want to hold leaders accountable so as to drive this country to a competitive height of success and wealth for the majority, it will be required that our national discourse cannot be off specs, contaminated and substandard.

The continuous dependence on our diseased system to correct and fix itself even defies basic science and natural law. This nation requires an absolute paradigm shift in leadership of all spheres. And this calls for a leader who defied and trail blazed in his endeavour.

Ghana shall rise and work again.

Shalom and happy 57th Republic Anniversary.
The Nigerian Army has recognized comedian, Igodye and have chosen to honour him during the Army Day celebration 2017, which was held recently.

The comedian, who never saw the award coming, was elated as he shared how happy he was at getting such an award from the Army.

He used the opportunity to challenges others to see the hard work put in by these men and join hands in ensuring that there is peace and stability in the country.

Sharing the good news, he wrote;

I am astonished with the honour bestowed on me by the Nigerian army, through the chief of army staff, General TY Burutai. When I dedicated the Africa child prize to this noble institution, I was just expressing gratitude for their sacrifices, which included finding some of the chibok girls , their relentless efforts towards bringing peace to the North east and most importantly for laying their lives for the sake of peace and unity across Nigeria and beyond.

Never did I envisaged that my little contribution will be identified For commendation. Am indeed grateful for this honour presented to me by the chief of army staff and the Nigerian army. It will challenge many others to cooperate and expand partnership with the army; promoting a sense of responsibility to all citizens of this country to understand that the fight against terrorism and other agitations are not in our best interest.

I will continually use this medium to seek support,using my artistic work to project and express the laudable virtues of this noble institution. Once again, I applaud the leadership standard of the chief of army staff, for this remarkable honour that will change the perception of the ordinary citizens towards the Nigerian Army.
President Donald Trump View Photos

During his Weekly Address, President Trump stated Kates Law and the No Sanctuary For Criminals Act present the choice of, either vote to save and protect American lives, or vote to shield and comfort criminal aliens who threaten innocent lives  and theyve been shielded too long.

Trump was Mondays KVML Newsmaker of the Day. Here are his words:

My fellow Americans,

This week, I was joined at the White House by American families whose loved ones were killed by illegal immigrants.

Many of these illegal immigrants had extensive criminal records and had been repeatedly deported.

Every single one of these deaths was preventable.

These beautiful American lives were stolen because our government refused to do its job. If the government had simply enforced our immigration laws, these Americans would still be alive today.

That is why, since the day I took the oath of office, I have been restoring the enforcement of our immigration laws and the protection and defense of our borders.

These courageous Americans joined me at the White House to call on Congress to pass two bills that I campaigned on during the election. If enacted, these bills will save countless Americans lives. The first bill, Kates Law, is named for Kate Steinle, who was killed by an illegal immigrant who had been deported five times. This law will enhance criminal penalties for those who repeatedly re-enter our country illegally.

The second bill, the No Sanctuary For Criminals Act, will block federal grants to jurisdictions that shield dangerous criminal aliens from being turned over to federal law enforcement.

On Thursday, I am glad to report, these two bills passed the House of Representatives. This represents a crucial step toward ensuring our public safety and national security.

I want to thank Judiciary Chairman Bob Goodlatte for his dedicated work on these critical bills, as well as other crucial legislation that will soon be considered as well. I also thank Leadership for advancing these life-saving measures.

I now call on the Senate to take up these bills and send them back to my desk for signature  as soon as possible. We need security. We need safety in our country. And I call on members of both parties to stand united with victims to stop these terrible and senseless crimes from ever happening in the first place.

This legislation presents a simple choice: either vote to save and protect American lives, or vote to shield and comfort criminal aliens who threaten innocent lives  and theyve been shielded too long.

As we head towards the Fourth of July, we remember now more than ever to cherish our freedom. The foundation of freedom is the rule of law. It forms the bedrock of our Constitution and the cornerstone of our way of life.

So this Independence Day, while were enjoying treasured time with our friends and loved ones, let us not forget the families who have an empty seat at the table this year.

And let us pledge that from now on, we will protect, defend and save American lives.

Thank you.

The Newsmaker of the Day is heard every weekday morning on AM 1450 and FM 102.7 KVML at 6:45, 7:45 and 8:45.
Nigeria is not the safest country in the world! Due to the endless conflicts within the country, there are a lot of Internationally Displaced Persons! Who are they? How can they cope with abandoning their homes while trying to start a new life? Read this article to know about their difficult life!

Who are Internally Displaced Persons?

What is IDP? According to the international laws, the internally displaced persons can be called people who have been forced to leave their home due to armed conflict, natural/human-made disaster or any situation which can be defined as a violation of human rights. They are called refugees if they leave their national state borders.

Problems of IDP Nigeria

Internally Displaced People face a lot of problem in Nigeria! These problems are enormous, and it`s really a personal matter for every refugee. Nevertheless, it`s possible to determine the Top 5 Problems of IDP.

1. Lack of Federal Government Help

The Federal Government of Nigeria leaves Internally Displaced Citizens to fend for themselves. They do not have enough financial support from the Government. Most of the support for IDP comes from volunteers and international organizations. The Federal Government has not organized any adequate policy towards IDP. Moreover, it seems that the IDP of Nigeria is mostly recognizable by international organizations, but not the country.

2. Lack of Financial Support

Thousands of people in Nigeria have been internally displaced from their homes. Neither government nor volunteers can provide them with sufficient financial support. Therefore, these people have difficulties not only with finding a place to live but also no money to feed their children.

3. Intolerance

One of the political leaders of Nigeria has said that Nigeria is not a country or nation. It`s a name of a land where four hundred tribes converge. Nigeria has problems with inner tolerance towards our own people. Two different tribes may be sworn enemies, and they may have problems when it comes to overcoming their differences even during turbulent times.

4. Lack of Medical Supplies

One of the main contributors towards medical supplies for internally displaced persons is international organizations. The United Nation continues to provide humanitarian aid to the conflict zones in Nigeria. The Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) also provided medical help and easeS the problems of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria.

5. Violence

The United Nations representatives continue to bring awareness to the issue of violence towards Internally Displaced People in Nigeria. One of the reasons for that is the misunderstanding of the meaning of IDP. Some Nigerians see IDP as a threat to their jobs. Moreover, there are also reports of violence on the basis of religion. The UN have expressed their concerns towards these acts of violence!

READ ALSO: Oil Spillage in Nigeria - History

Causes of Internally Displaced persons in Nigeria

The Institute for Peace has already published several reports about the conflicts and their causes in Nigeria. This institute provided several reasons for internal displacement of the population for some states in Nigeria.

 One of the first concern is the ethnical intolerance among Nigerians. Nigeria can be ethnically divided into three major tribes  Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo. These tribes are placed in constant competition with each other. Therefore, the most radical groups of these ethnicities even use violence to displace the representatives of other ethnicities in some state.

 Religion Instability and Intolerance. The most radical group of Islamist called Boko Haram  continue to terrorize North-East territories of the country. Some of their representatives commit terrorist and suicidal acts across other states in the country. This situation causes problems between Muslims and Christians in the North-East regions.

 Ecological Catastrophe in the Oil Rich States of the country. The UN representatives have talked about the horrible environmental situation in Niger Delta River States. The Oil Spillages has forced people to flee these states. Some experts have reported that Nigeria needs at least $100 billion to clear these oil spillages.

 The activity of Niger Delta Avengers. Oil is the main export product of Nigeria. Still, it`s also one of the sources of power in Nigeria. The NDA has displayed radical methods to draw the attention of the government towards oil inequality in Nigeria. Unfortunately, it has led to the military confrontation with the Federal Forces.

IDP Nigeria

The problems of Internally Displaced Persons in Nigeria are horrible but solvable. With enough socio and political determination, it`s possible to find a way to solve the issue and move forward.

READ ALSO: Fiscal federalism in Nigeria: Challenges and prospects

Source: Legit.ng
In ancient times kings are compelling figures and the heads of the government in their towns or kingdoms. However, with the coming of the colonial government and institution of the democratic government after Independence, their role and power have been reduced significantly. The Kings have become more of a ceremonial titles nowadays. But some are still very important and are classified as first class kings.

Some kings in Nigeria are classified as first class kings (Obas). They are mostly the traditional rulers of most of the ancient kingdoms in Nigeria. They are all crowned kings with powerful influence in the society and over other kings and traditional rulers. Here is a list of the first class traditional rulers in Nigeria.

Sultan of Sokoto

Saadu Abubakar IV

The Sultan of Sokoto is the title of the traditional ruler of Sokoto. His official title also includes Amir-ul-Momineen. Amir-ul-Momineen means the "Commander of the Faithful" or "Leader of the Faithful". The Sultan used to be a mighty king before the British rule just like other monarchs in Nigeria. But he is still a significant person today. He is one of the highly esteemed rulers in Nigeria especially among the Fulani and the Hausa people of the North. The Sultan of Sokoto is the number one Muslim position in Nigeria making him the spiritual leader of all the Muslims. Saadu Abubakar IV is the present-day Sultan of Sokoto.

Emir of Kano

Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II

The Kano Emirate was formed during the Fulani Jihad which saw old Sultanate of Kano came under the control of the Sokoto Caliphate in 1805. The Emir of Kano is the ruler of the Kano Emirate. Just like other kings, his power reduced significantly from the time of British rule. However, the Emir is still the first class among other kings and the throne is recognized nationally. The current Emir of Kano is Mallam Muhammadu Sanusi II, also known as Sanusi Lamido Sanusi. Before he was made the Emir of Kano, he was the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria. As a successful banker, he won different awards which include two global awards for the Central Bank Governor of the year and also Central Bank Governor of the Year for Africa.

READ ALSO: What is indirect rule in Nigeria?

Ooni of Ile-Ife

Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II

The Ooni of Ife is the traditional ruler of Ile-Ife. The Ooni is believed by most people to be the first and the most influential person in Yoruba land. The Ooni of Ife is thought to be the direct ancestor of Oduduwa who according to history was the first Ooni of Ife. The Ooni is not as powerful as he used to be before the British came but he is still influential in the present day. The Ooni is usually consulted on various matters, and they even mediate in political matters or disputes. The Ooni of Ife has a reputation for being a deciding factor of who will become the governor of Osun State. The current Ooni of Ile-Ife is Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II. He is a crowned king after the demise of late Oba Okunade Sijuwade. Oba Adeyeye Enitan Ogunwusi Ojaja II is a successful accountant and real estate developer.

Alaafin of Oyo

Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III with Muhammadu Buhari

The Alaafin of Oyo was formally the title of the ruler of the ancient Oyo Empire. However, since the fall of the Oyo Empire, it is now the title of the traditional ruler of Oyo town. The throne of the Alaafin of Oyo is one of the most influential and powerful monarchies in Nigeria. Alaafin means the owner of the palace. The Alaafin of Oyo was formerly the permanent chairman of the Council of Obas and Chiefs in Oyo State. The position of the chairperson was changed to be rotated in 2011 among the Obas in Oyo. But even with that, the Alaafin is still the first class among Yoruba kings and other kings in Nigeria. Lamidi Olayiwola Adeyemi III is the current sitting Alaafin of Oyo.

Dein of Agbor

His Royal Majesty Benjamin Ikenchuku Keagborekuzi the first and President Buhari

Agbor is one of the Igbo kingdoms in Delta State. Agbor was founded by Omini from Aguleri, so it is also known as Ominije. Agbor kingdom was a part of the Benin Empire before the latter was conquered by the British. The traditional ruler of Agbor is usually called Eze or Obi. The current traditional ruler of Agbor is known as the Dein of Agbor, which is the name of his ruling house. The Dein of Agbor is His Royal Majesty Benjamin Ikenchuku Keagborekuzi the first (Keagborekuzi I). He became a king at the age of two years and four months in 1979 after the sudden death of his father. He is the youngest person who ever has been crowned as a king according to the Guinness Book of Records. After he had become a king, he traveled out of Nigeria to study, and a reagent ruled the kingdom until his return in 2001. He is the current Chancellor of the University of Ilorin and also the Vice Chairman of Council of traditional rulers in Delta State.

Oba of Benin

Oba Ewuare II

The Oba of Benin is the ruler of the people of Edo and head of the historic Eweka dynasty of the Benin Empire. The medieval Benin Empire, formerly known as Dahomey comprises of mostly of Edo people. The Oba of Benin sitting on the throne is Oba Ewuare II. He was made a king on October 20, 2016. The Oba of Benin is an influential figure in Edo State. The late Oba Erediauwa I (19792016) used his position to mediate and settle disputes between politicians, in one of those occasions some former governors of Edo State were involved.

Oba of Lagos

Oba Ridwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu I

The Oba of Lagos is one of the most popular traditional rulers in Nigeria today. Even though he has no political power, he is very influential and important when it comes to the politics of Lagos. The Oba of Lagos is the ceremonial king of Lagos which is one of the largest cities in Nigeria. Lagos was formerly a Yoruba kingdom but gave its name to Lagos State. So the Oba of Lagos is a ceremonial monarch of Lagos State. Oba Ridwan Babatunde Osuolale Aremu Akiolu I is the current Oba of Lagos. He was crowned as a king in 2003. He is also called the Eleko of Eko.

Olu of Itsekiri/Warri

Godfery Ikenwoli Emiko

The Olu of Warri is the traditional ruler of the Itseriki people of Warri. The Warri kingdom is an ancient state based in the town of Warri in Delta State. The present Olu of Warri on the throne is Godfery Ikenwoli Emiko. He has been the king since 1987. He has also been a member of the Warri Government Council since 1983. He is the second university graduate to become the Olu of the Warri Kingdom and a lawyer.

Obi of Onitsha

His Majesty Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe

Onitsha is one the largest cities in Nigeria. It is located in Anambra State, Nigeria. The title of the traditional ruler of Onitsha is the Obi of Onitsha. The Obi of Onitsha is recognized both at the state and national level. He is often the first to be consulted on issues that have to do with the south eastern part of Nigeria. The Obi of Onitsha on the throne currently is His Majesty Nnaemeka Alfred Ugochukwu Achebe.

Olubadan of Ibadan

Oba Saliu Adetunji

The Olubadan of Ibadan is the title of the traditional ruler of Ibadan. The Olubadan throne is more of a ceremonial position today, but it remains among the first class kings in Nigeria. The Olubadan does not hesitate to speak out against politicians where they are not doing their job well. Oba Saliu Adetunji is the current Olubadan of Ibadan. He became king in 2016.

There are other kings that can be classified as first class kings but this is our top 10 most prominent kings in Nigeria.

READ ALSO: I did not bribe Urhobo traditional rulers - Delta speaker.

Source: Legit.ng
Do you know who was the first prime minister of Nigeria? The Nigeria government was headed by prime ministers between 1960 and 1966 (the first republic). The office of the president was more of a ceremonial office. All executive power lied in the hands of the prime minister. Learn about one of the most important men in the political history of Nigeria.

Who was the first Prime Minister of Nigeria?

The first prime minister of Nigeria was Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa. He became prime minister in 1960 after Nigeria got its independence. Dr. Nnamdi Azikiwe was the president and Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was the prime minister.

History of Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa

Life and Career before he became Prime Minister

Balewa was born in 1912 in Bauchi, Northern Nigeria. His father was the head of the Bauchi divisional district of Lere. He had his early education at Koranic School, Bauchi. He went on to study at Barewa College where he got his teaching certificate. He later went back to Bauchi and continued his education at the Bauchi Middle School. In 1944, he was selected alongside some other teachers to travel abroad for a year to study at University of London's Institute of Education. When he returned to Nigeria, he was made an Inspector of Schools for the colonial administration. Later, he ventured into politics. Abubakar Tafawa Balewa was elected to the colonys Northern House of Assembly in 1946. In 1947, he was elected to the Legislative Assembly. Later, he worked with the Sardauna of Sokoto, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello to form the Northern Peoples Congress.

READ ALSO: First military head of state in Nigeria.

Political Career and post of Prime Minister

In 1952, Balewa was appointed as the Minister of Works and later he became the Minister of Transport. In 1957, he got the position of Chief Minister and formed an alliance government between the National Council of Nigeria and the Cameroons, the Northern Peoples Congress. When Nigeria got its independence in 1960, he retained his position and became the first Nigerian Prime Minister.

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa played a crucial role in the formation of the Organisation of African Unity (OAU). He also played an important part in forming the partnership with the French-speaking African countries. In addition, he was the Foreign Affairs advocate of Nigeria from 1961 till 1965 before his administration created a ministerial office of Foreign Affairs and Commonwealth Relations (now known as Minister of External Affairs).

1996 Coup and his death

In the morning of January 15, 1996, Tafawa Balewas government was overthrown in a military coup led by Major Patrick Chukwuma Kaduna Nzeogwu and Major Emmanuel Arinze Ifeajuna. Many of the senior officials of his government were killed that day including his friend Ahmadu Bello. Balewas body was found by the side of the road close to Lagos, some days after he was toppled from office. Nobody knows the circumstances that led to his death up till today. Tafawa Balewas body was taken back to Bauchi where he was buried. News of his death lead to violent chaos and fighting in Northern Nigeria. Subsequently, it was one of the factors that led to another coup in July the same year.

Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewas portrait is on the Five Naira note. A university was also named after him, the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University.

So, there you have it. Now you know who was the first Prime Minster and you wont confuse him with the first president of Nigeria.

READ ALSO: List of Nigerian presidents and head of states.

Source: Legit.ng
By PTI: Surat, Jul 3 (PTI) Textile traders today protested against the GST here and allegedly pelted policemen with stones, forcing the law enforcement personnel to baton charge, a senior official said.

The traders came out in thousands on the Ring Road and chanted slogans like "GST hatao, saral tax lao" (remove GST and bring in a simple tax).

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The protest was held in support of an indefinite bandh called by the GST Sangharsh Samiti against Goods and Services Tax on textiles.

The police wielded batons to disperse the agitators who allegedly engaged in stone-pelting.

"We had to resort to lathi charge after some protesters pelted the policemen with stones, injuring one personnel," Surat Police Commissioner Satish Sharma said.

The traders, however, maintained that they were protesting peacefully.

They alleged that the police action came unprovoked as the administration was working at the behest of the ruling BJPs Lok Sabha member from Surat, C R Patil, who held a meeting with traders yesterday.

They said some traders sided with Patil after the meeting yesterday, and decided to keep their shops open against the indefinite bandh called by the protesting association.

"Some traders had yesterday met Patil who asked them to open shops and promised to provide them police security against those who insisted on continuing with the indefinite bandh. The police started beating up the protesting traders even when they were carrying out their protest peacefully," trader Gaurav Shrimali alleged.

Reacting to polices action, senior Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Ahmed Patel tweeted, "Shocking that police has used brutal force against Surat traders protesting against GST. Govt must reason with them, not suppress them."

The GST Sangharsh Samiti called for an indefinite bandh yesterday in Surat textile market, which is one of the largest in the country.

The traders are protesting the imposition of five per cent GST on textiles.

Several cloth markets in the state remained closed as most traders have not registered for the new tax system and do not have the GST number. They are hoping that the central government will come out with some solution to the five per cent GST.

Some of the small traders have said the tax is adversely affecting their businesses. They have contended that the time period given to them for GST compliance is short.

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They are of the view that the GST should be imposed on ready textile products and not on cloth. PTI KA PD GK ANU

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- Alleged scandalous photos of former governor of Yobe state, Bukar Abbah Ibrahim, emerges

- The photos were reportedly taken when the governor was allegedly in a hotel with two ladies

Reactions have trailed purported photos of former governor of Yobe state, and current senator representing Yobe east senatorial district, Bukar Abba Ibrahim, allegedly in a hotel with two ladies

READ ALSO: Evans may escape from prison - security operatives jittery over notorious kidnapper

The pictures were published by Sahara Reporters which claimed the senator was having fun with the ladies in the hotel.

Legit.ng has however been unable to verify the authenticity of the photos which has gathered many reactions from a cross section of Nigerians.

See the alleged photos of Senator Bukar Abba Ibrahim which has generated so much controversy below as published by Sahara reporters:

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See alleged video of the incident below:

Mixed reactions however trailed release of the photos by Sahara Reporters

While some Nigerians ridiculed the senator for his alleged misconducts, others rained abuses on Sahara Reporters for allegedly intruding in the private life of the senator.

See some reactions below:

Where do you stand on the issue, do you believe that a serving senator could be guilty of such misconduct?

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians what they have to say about the president being away from the country for a long while.

Source: Legit.ng
- Former head of state, Yakubu Gowon, appeals to Nigerians to collectively pray for the speedy recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari

- Gowon also urges Nigerians to pray for the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and leaders at all levels

- The former head of state says prayer can solve problems better and faster than soldiers, as well as physical weapons of war

Former Head of State, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, has urged Nigerians to eschew all forms of violence, criminal acts and behaviour capable of dividing the country.

READ ALSO: Youths give Buhari 8-week ultimatum to resign

He made the call on Sunday, July 2, in Sokoto at a one-day National Prayer Rally organised by Nigeria Prays, the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports.

We should value the lives of our fellow human beings that God has created for a purpose. May we never take lives with impunity.

We are offering fervent prayers that Nigerians will never raise their hands against one another.

They should love one another irrespective of religious, ideological, political and ethnic affinities, he added."

Gowon, the National Convener, Nigeria Prays, appealed to Nigerians to collectively pray for the speedy recovery of President Muhammadu Buhari.

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He also urged Nigerians to pray for the Acting President Prof. Yemi Osinbajo and leaders at all levels

He solicited for sustained prayers for peace, unity and socio-economic prosperity of Nigeria.

Gowon said: Prayer can solve problems better and faster than soldiers, as well as physical weapons of war.

I have no doubt in my heart that God will honour our collective prayer and intercession for our dear nation, as well as heal our nation of insecurity.

May we experience abundance of Gods mercy and showers of blessings over our lives and our nation as we raise our voices in heartfelt prayers today in Sokoto,  he said.

The former head of state commended Sokoto State Government for its support, involvement and generosity to ensure the success of the rally.

The North-West Zonal Coordinator of Nigeria Prays, Bishop Godwin Okafor, said the rally was organized to seek for sustained peace, unity and stability of Nigeria.

Meanwhile, the general overseer of Christ Apostolic Church (CAC), Ori-Oke Irapada, Prophet Christopher Owolabi, has said President Muhammdu Buharis health could improve if Nigerians fervently pray for him.

The cleric in a sermon on Sunday, July 2, said though the presidents health challenge was tough, prayers could move the hand of God to heal Buhari.

Owolabi also called on Nigerians from all religious, politics or ethnic backgrounds to commit their leaders in fervent prayers for Gods intervention in nations socio-economic activities, Tribune reports. He said only God could rescue the country from the challenges confronting the nation. President Buharis health has been the subject of discuss among many Nigerians following his absence from the country for over 50 days.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians what they have to say about the president being away from the country for a long while.

Source: Legit.ng
Thousands of people took to the streets in marches and demonstrations convened in 46 US cities to ask Congress to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

Anti-Trump supporters rally at the Texas State Capitol on Sunday, July 2, 2017, during an impeachment march in Austin, Texas by anti-Trump supporters in hopes to gain attention and impeach Trump. (Photo: AP/Joshua Guerra)

By Indo-Asian News Service: Thousands of people took to the streets in marches and demonstrations convened in 46 US cities to ask Congress to launch impeachment proceedings against President Donald Trump.

The Sunday marches, called by rights activists, also served as an opportunity for people to protest against Trump's immigration policies, his business ties abroad and possible Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, Efe news reported.

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Suspicions that Trump obstructed justice and has violated the foreign emoluments clause would both be constitutionally valid reasons for Congress to investigate and impeach the President, said Tudor Popescu of the Indivisible CA D-39 group, the main organiser of the march here.

The Los Angeles demonstration was the largest of those called around the US with about 10,000 participants, according to organisers.

Protesters held signs that read "Worst President Ever" and chanted "Down, down, down with Trump - up, up, up with the people" as they urged US Congress to impeach the President, showed images and video footage from the scene.

TRUMP VIOLATED CONSTITUTION

Organisers believe Trump has "been in blatant violation of the Constitution from the day he was sworn into the office of President".

Trump "has committed Constitutional breaches, consistently lied, cheated, and enforces laws that primarily benefit him and his billionaire friends at the expense of the country", said the organisers' website.

However, the great majority of the other 46 marches had only scanty turnout.

One of those was in New York where only a few dozen people showed up to protest in front of the Trump International Hotel, where they were joined by a group showing support for the President. No incidents or altercations developed.

In Palm Beach, Florida, marchers ended up in front of Trump's Mar-a-Lago exclusive club, where the President has spent a number of weekends since being inaugurated.

Among the dozens of other cities which held marches were Atlanta, Austin, Chicago and New Orleans.

ALSO READ:

Trump tweets mock video of himself tackling, punching CNN logo

Sikkim stand-off: Modi-Trump meet emboldened India, says Chinese expert

ALSO WATCH:

What happens when Donald Trump gets a WhatsApp message from PM Modi

--- ENDS ---
By PTI: By Lalit K Jha

Washington, Jul 2 (PTI) The US state department has issued the necessary license for the export of 22 predator Guardian drones to India, a government source here said, days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President Donald Trump had their first bilateral meeting at the White House.

The state department has "issued the DSP-5 Guardian export license" for India, the source told PTI.

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A DSP-5 category license is issued for permanent export of military hardware as found in the US Munitions List which is defined by the International Traffic Arms Regulations.

The Guardian drones will enhance Indias maritime surveillance capabilities in the Indian Ocean region and their sale was announced by Trump on June 26 after he met Modi for their first face-to-face meeting.

The drones are estimated to cost around USD 2 billion and are being built by General Atomics, considered a pioneer in the unmanned aerial vehicles domain.

The speed with which the Trump administration decided on Indias request for the drones, the source said, is reflective of the desire in White House to strengthen Indias military capabilities in the Indo-Asia Pacific region, where Chinas aggressive diplomatic and military posture has unnerved other countries.

"We are extremely pleased that President Trump and Prime Minister Modi have had excellent deliberations and the path forward for a game-changer in US-India defence relations has been charted," said Vivek Lall of General Atomics.

Lall, who in his previous capacity at Boeing, was instrumental in the sale of high-tech military hardware to India, is believed to have played a role in convincing the Trump administration to accelerate the sale of the drones.

"Given the Sea Guardians capabilities, such a response to the Indian Navys request demonstrates a major change in US policy as this type of aircraft capability is only exported to a very select few of Americas closest defence partners," he said.

"This represents tangible implementation of US Congress designation of India as a Major Defence Partner," said Lall.

On Tuesday, Lall met US Vice President Mike Pence on the sidelines of the annual US-India Business Council summit, when Pence endorsed the deal to provide India with Apache attack helicopters, C-17 transport aircraft, besides the drones.

The deal is seen as the biggest tangible takeaway from the Trump-Modi meeting towards the operationalisation of the major defence partner relationship.

The India Navy requested for the drones early last year.

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But no tangible action was taken under the previous Obama administration, apparently because of the stiff opposition from the state department, which argued that this could upset Pakistan, Americas ally in war against terror in Afghanistan.

The Trump White House spearheaded the inter-agency process to make a significant policy change in favour of India by granting this technology based on government-to-government interactions, the source told PTI.

India had been eyeing the Predator technology for years, and it was only the Trump-Modi combination that they were able to move the decision to this point, the source said.

Pakistan is said to be actively lobbying Washington against the sale of the drones to India. However, the White House overruled all objections, paving the way for a new phase of India-US defence relationship. PTI LKJ ABH

--- ENDS ---
- Foremost northern leader and ex-Nigerian minister Alhaji Maitama Sule is dead

- He was a presidential candidate of the National Party of Nigeria but lost to Shehu Shagari

- The Kano state government has therefore declared Tuesday July 4 as public holiday to mourn the deceased

The Kano state government on Monday July 3 declared tomorrow (Tuesday) July 4 public holiday to mourn the passing away of its illustrious son, Alhaji Maitama Sule, (Danmasanin Kano), who joined his ancestors at the early hours of today at an undisclosed hospital in Cairo, where he was rushed to for medical attention.

In a terse statement, issued and signed by the state Commissioner for Information, Mallam Mohammed Garba, who confirmed the death to newsmen in Kano, disclosed that he died in Cairo during a protracted illness.

According to him, the late Danmasanin Kanos body on arrival from Cairo would lie in state for some hours at the Emirs palace, Mallam Mohammadu Sanusi 11, to enable prominent Nigerians to mourn him before he would be laid to rest.

The statement reads: The death has occurred today (Monday) of Alhaji (Dr.) Yusuf Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano.

"Dr. Yusuf Maitama Sule died at a hospital in Cairo, Egypt, where he was receiving treatment for an illness.

"Funeral prayer for the deceased will be conducted tomorrow (Tuesday) at the Emirs Palace, Kofar Kudu, by 4:00pm."

Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje has declared tomorrow Tuesday a work  free day in the state to mourn the death of the elder statesman.

Confirming his death, one of his surviving sons, Alhaji Mukhtar Maitama Sule, said he died in Egypt, 24 hours after his arrival at the hospital.

According to him, his dads remains would be flown to Nigeria tomorrow for a befitting burial, according to Muslim injunctions.

Legit.ng had earlier reported that the former minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria Ambassador Maitama Sule died at 88.

Legit.ng also reported that Yusuf Maitama Sule was a Nigerian politician, acclaimed orator and diplomat. In 1976, he became the federal commissioner of public complaints, a position that made him the nation's pioneer ombudsman.

READ ALSO: PDP former ministers meet in Abuja to decide how to unseat Buhari in 2019

In early 1979, he was a presidential candidate of the National Party of Nigeria but lost to Shehu Shagari.

He was appointed Nigeria's representative to the United Nations after the coming of civilian rule in September 1979. While there he was chairman of the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid.

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After, the re-election of President Shagari in 1983, Maitama Sule was made the Minister for National Guidance, a portfolio designed to assist the president in tackling corruption.

Watch this Legit.ng video on the unity of Nigeria:

Source: Legit.ng
- The first lady of Nigeria, Aisha Buhari has arrived Ethiopia for a meeting of African first ladies

- The Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS meeting is ongoing in Addis Ababa

- The first lady will is expected to depart Ethiopia on Tuesday, July 4 to see the president in London

Nigeria's first lady, Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari has joined her fellow first ladies in Addis Ababa for the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS meeting.

The Nigerian first lady who is on her way to visit her ailing husband in London was said to have made a symbolic appearance in Ethiopia for the meeting.

Zaynab Ikaz- Kassim, personal assistant to Aisha Buhari posted photos of her attendance at the meeting on her twitter handle.

READ ALSO: Former Nigerian minister Maitama Sule is dead

Mrs Aisha Buhari in Addis Ababa for the Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS meeting in Ethiopia. Photo credit: Zaynab Ikaz- Kassim

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The Organisation of African First Ladies Against HIV/AIDS meeting is ongoing in Addis Ababa. Photo credit: Zaynab Ikaz- Kassim

First Lady Aisha Buhari chatting with other African first ladies at the occasion. Photo credit: Zaynab Ikaz- Kassim

Legit.ng had reported that Mrs Buhari would stop over in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia to make a symbolic appearance at the meeting of the Organisation of African First Ladies against HIV/AIDS (OAFLA) on Monday July 3, 2017.

The statement said she was on the London trip to visit her husband and convey the goodwill and prayers of Nigerians to him.

The statement said: She will convey to the President the best wishes of Nigerians and their fervent prayers for his quick recovery.

It added: She will join other members to celebrate the 15th anniversary of the Organisation, and use the opportunity to reiterate the voting rights of Nigeria in the upcoming elections of the Organisation."

She will continue her journey to the United Kingdom on Tuesday, July 4, 2017.

In the video below, Legit.ng TV asked some Nigerians what they have to say about the president being away from the country for a long while.

Source: Legit.ng
There are several currently active separatist movements across Africa, either fighting for secession or independence or both. These struggles are sometimes marked by violence and mass arrests.

In Nigeria, most people of Igbo ethnic extraction are fighting for Biafra, with groups such as Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and Movement for Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB).

Below is a list of other such groups across Africa:

1. Algeria - Kabyle

The ethnic group, Kabyles of Algeria are fighting for an Independent state named Kabylie. Their political party is the Movement for the Autonomy of Kabylie.

2. Angola - Lunda-Tchokwe

The ethnic group, the Lunda-Tchokwe of Angola are fighting for the Democratic Republic of Lunda-Tchokwe (Republica Democratica da Lunda-Tchokwe).

READ ALSO: Niger Delta youths set to hold conference over Biafra, restructuring

3. Cameroon - Calabars

The ethnic group, Calabars of Cameroon are fighting for the Democratic Republic of Bakassi, using the Bakassi Movement for Self-Determination. They also have a militant organization known as the Bakassi Freedom Fighters.

4. Republic of the Congo - South Congo

The ethnic group of the South Congo (Brazzaville) are fighting for their own State of South Congo using the pressure group: Provisional Assembly and governance of the State of South Congo.

5. Equatorial Guinea - Bubi

The ethnic group Bubi wants their own independent Bioko Island, their group is named the Movement for the Self-Determination of Bioko Island.

6. Kenya - Mombasa

The ethnic group Mombasa is fighting for a Mombasa Republic with their political group Mombasa Republican Council.

READ ALSO: Biafra referendum and you: 5 things every Nigerian must know

7. South Africa - Afrikaners

The ethnic group, Afrikaners are proposing an independent state of Volkstaat, using the Orania Movement and political party Freedom Front Plus.

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Meanwhile, in Nigeria, the leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Salvation Force (NDPSF), Alhaji Mujahid Dokubo-Asari and one of the arrowheads in the struggle to redress perceived injustice in the Niger Delta has said that Biafra will be independent whether some people in the country like it or not.

Watch this Legit.ng video to see how Nigerians feel about the secession struggle:

Source: Legit.ng
The state animal husbandry department records show that Rs 8.35 crore was allocated to an NGO run by Aparna Yadav when Akhilesh Yadav government was in power.

By Rajat Rai: The lion's share of state grant for bovine welfare in Uttar Pradesh under the Samajwadi Party rule went to an NGO run by Aparna Yadav, the then chief minister's sister-in-law, an RTI query has revealed.

The state animal husbandry department records show that the Uttar Pradesh Gau Seva Ayog allocated Rs 8.35 crore, nearly 86.4 per cent of its total budget of Rs 9.66 crore to Jeev Aashraya, an animal rescue organisation, between 2012 and 2017, when Akhilesh Yadav government was in power.

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"Granting almost the entire budget to a particular NGO (belonging to a family member) clearly indicates the blatant political nepotism of the previous government and the ruling family," Nutan Thakur, a social activist and the RTI applicant, told Mail Today. Thakur said the information showed the mindset of the previous government.

The ruling BJP also attacked the Samajwadi Party over the issue. "These records prove that there was nothing called 'samajwad' under the SP government. The development and schemes were limited only to the Saifai family," state BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi told Mail Today.

ACTION AGAINST CASES OF FAVOURITISM SOON

Tripathi also promised that the Yogi Adityanath government will initiate action against the cases of favouritism. "Now all the anomalies and corruption are coming to surface one by one and be it this (allocation of grant to a particular goshala) or any other scam, the guilty will be punished," the BJP leader said.

Jeev Aashray got the funds to run its activities for Kanha Upwan Goshala, a cowshed in Lucknow. The goshala management denied any wrongdoing in the allocation of the grant.

"The grant is given only to those who apply for it and whose file is complete," Yatendra Trivedi, secretary of the goshala told Mail Today. "The process of grant allocation is transparent and runs through multiple layers. The file starts from the veterinary department and moves on to other units such as medical, local administration, SSP and DM before finally reaching to the UPGSA."

JEEV AASHRAY ONLY NGO TO RECEIVE GRANT

Interestingly, the goshala was set up in 2012, the year when Akhilesh Yadav took charge of the state.

The RTI query showed that during financial years 2012-13, 2013-14 and 2014-15, Jeev Aashray was the only NGO to get the grant from the state department to the tune of Rs 50 lakh, Rs 1.25 crore and Rs 1.41 crore respectively.

However, in the fourth year of SP rule, another NGO Shripad Baba Goshala (Vrindavan) was "lucky enough" to get Rs 41 lakh for the grant though it was nowhere near to the Rs 2.58-crore allocation to Aparna Yadav-led Jeev Aashray.

Four more NGOs found mention in the list of UPGSA in 2016-17. Of the total grant of Rs 3.45 crore, Jeev Aashray bagged Rs 2.55 crore. With the change of guard in the state secretariat, out of the total grant released till date (Rs 1.08 crore), Jeev Aashray has not been allotted a single penny.

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1,650 CATTLE AT JEEV AASHRAY

According to the statistics provided by its management, it houses 1,650 cattle at present. "Out of this 900 are bulls or oxen while the remaining are cows. As a majority of the animals here are stray animals handed over to us by the municipality and other civic bodies we do not have any commercial dairy activity as the cattle are mostly ill and abandoned," Trivedi said.

He said the cowshed get about 60-65 liter of milk every day from about 40 cows which is largely used in-house by the caretakers and other animals.

"We also receive stray dogs and keep them here for treatment. We have the facility of conducting vasectomy and tubectomy on these animals," Trivedi said.

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One Akhilesh Yadav project that may be spared Yogi Adityanath's axe

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Rise in lynching and attacks on Muslims by Gau Rakshaks after Modi govt came to power: Report

ALSO WATCH | Akhilesh Yadav's shocking remark: Have there been any martyrs from Gujarat?

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- 70 Boko Haram insurgents have surrendered to the Nigerian Army

- 700 other insurgents are expected to come out of hiding in the coming days

- Among the insurgents that surrendered to the army include key commanders and influential members of the terrorist group

Over 700 Boko Haram insurgents are to surrender to the Nigerian army following sustained bombardment from troops of 26 Task Force Brigade, Operation Lafiya Dole.

READ ALSO: Former governor allegedly pictured in a hotel with two ladies

The director army public relations, Brigadier General Sani Kukasheka Usman disclosed this in a statement on Monday, July 3.

According to the armys spokesperson, out of the 700 insurgents, 70 terrorists on Monday came out of hiding and are being profiled.

He said the rest are expected to come out from hiding in the coming days.

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General Usman stated that among the insurgents who surrendered were key commanders and influential members of the terrorist group, one of whom matched suspect number 225 on Boko Haram terrorists most wanted list released by the Nigerian Army.

The army spokesperson said the terrorists who surrendered had been making useful statements and it is expected that many more of them will surrender.

Meanwhile, the Nigerian Army says it has contributed immensely to the democratic process in the country through robust participation in peace support and internal security operations.

It said that it contributed by consolidating, especially in the last one year on the gains so far achieved in the fight against Boko Haram insurgency and other domestic threats.

The Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai made the remarks on Friday at a news conference to begin the 2017 Nigerian Army Day Celebration (NADCEL), which holds on every July 6.

In the video below, the Nigerian Air Force gives an update on operations against Boko Haram in 2017.

Source: Legit.ng
- Nnamdi Kanu has called Bola Tinubu a man without honour and integrity

- He said Tinubu was once a champion of national sovereign conference

- He accused the National leader of the All Progressives Congress of bowing out of the struggle

Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra has lambasted National leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

READ ALSO: Just like Biafra: 7 groups who want their own countries in Africa

He accused Tinubu of bowing out of his once agitation for a national sovereign conference during President Goodluck Jonathan's administration.

The leader of IPOB allegedly said this while speaking when he played host to both foreign and local journalists at his home in Umuahia, the Abia state capital.

He said: There was once agitation for a national sovereign conference. If you listen to Bola Ahmed Tinubu today, you wont know that Bola Ahmed Tinubu was a leading figure asking for sovereign national conference. Once they get into power, they forget because they are not principled.

They have no honour, unfortunately, integrity. They tell one thing in the morning and another in the evening.

Anybody asking you to support one Nigeria doesnt love you. If you read history, no one will like to be called one Nigeria.

Whenever anyone tells you to support one Nigeria, tell the person to tell Prime Minister of Britain to support one EU."

Legit.ng had earlier reported that Nnamdi Kanu revealed the reasons for his blatant court disobedience.

The IPOB leader said he is only following in the footsteps of President Buhari in disobeying court order.

PAY ATTENTION: Watch more videos on Legit.ng TV

He insisted Buhari had not been held accountable for flouting all the court orders to free him, El-Zakzaky, Igbo musician Bight Chimezie and others.

Where were they when Buhari breeched court order upon court upon court order to release me?

Why didnt anybody go to Buhari in Daura or Aso Rock to ask him why he failed to obey court orders to set me free, to release Dasuki, El-Zakzaky and others?

During a vox pop on the streets of Lagos, check out what Nigerians told Legit.ng street reporter.

Source: Legit.ng
- President Muhammadu Buhari mourns the passing of foremost northern leader, Alhaji Maitama Sule

- The president in a letter of condolence described Alhaji Sule's death as a heavy loss

- The former Nigerian minister, Alhaji Sule reportedly died this morning in a Cairo Hospital in Egypt

Nigeria's President Muhammadu Buhari has sent a letter of condolence to Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Kano state over the death of elder statesman, Alhaji (Dr) Yusuf Maitama Sule.

Legit.ng gathered that the letter which was signed personally by the president expressed profound shock over the death of Alhaji Sule, describing his passing as a "heavy loss."

The senior special assistant to the president on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, on Monday, July 3, said the letter will be delivered by the federal government delegation to the burial as constituted by the Acting President.

READ ALSO: 11 things you should know about Late Maitama Sule

Read the letter below:

"I have heard this morning, the death of the venerable Alhaji Maitama Sule, Dan Masanin Kano, and one of Nigeria's famous sons. Although, I knew he was in poor health for some time, his death nonetheless, came as a profound shock.

As a Minister in the First Republic, he was one of those who assisted our Founding Fathers, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Alhaji Ahmadu Bello and Alhaji Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, to fashion Nigeria politically and lay the grounds of national co-existence.

"Maitama Sule was blessed by God with a wonderful voice and outstanding eloquence. He served with distinction in the First Republic, the Second Military regime, as well as the Second Republic, without him being tainted with the remotest hint of scandal.

As a person, I found him personable with unceasing good humour. Nothing personified his faith more than the fact that on losing his sight, he did not retreat in himself sulking on account of his ill-fortune. Quite to the contrary, he honoured virtually all invitations extended to him and spoke as usual with singular eloquence and unparalleled wit.

"In my discussions with him, I greatly valued his counsel, and I never ceased to be amazed by his concern for the well-being of his country rather than his personal interests.

Let me extend my sincere condolences to Your Excellency, family and friends, the Government and people of Kano, and Nigerians as a whole, for this most heavy loss. We shall not soon see the like of him. May God forgive his sins and admit him to Paradise, Amin."

PAY ATTENTION: Read the news on Nigerias #1 news app

Foremost northern leader and ex-Nigerian minister, Alhaji Maitama Sule died today, Monday, July 3.

Alhaji Sule reportedly died in a Cairo Hospital in Egypt according to several media reports.

The Kano state government on Monday July 3 declared tomorrow (Tuesday) July 4 public holiday to mourn the passing away of its illustrious son, Alhaji Maitama Sule, (Danmasanin Kano).

Watch the Legit.ng TV report on the firepower of the Nigerian Air Force below:

Source: Legit.ng
Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6 before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

By Press Trust of India: On the eve of his unprecedented visit to Israel, Prime Minister Narendra Modi today said he will discuss with his counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu the common challenges like terrorism and ways to boost the economic ties.

Modi, the first Indian prime minister to visit Israel, will undertake a three-day trip to the Jewish nation till July 6 before travelling to Hamburg in Germany to attend the G-20 Summit.

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In Israel, he will also meet President Reuven Ruvi Rivlin and address the CEOs of the two countries as well as the Indian diaspora.

He will also visit the Yad Vashem Memorial Museum to honour the memory of the victims of the holocaust that counts among the greatest tragedies in human history. Modi will also pay his respects to the courageous Indian soldiers who laid down their lives during the liberation of Haifa in 1918.

"Tomorrow, I begin a historic visit to Israel, a very special partner of India's. As the first Indian prime minister to do so, I am greatly looking forward to this unprecedented visit that will bring our two countries and people closer," he said in a statement here.

"I look forward to holding extensive talks with my friend, @IsraeliPM @netanyahu, who shares a commitment for vibrant India-Israel ties," he tweeted.

STRENGTHENING DIVERSE FIELDS

The prime minister said he will have "in-depth talks" with Netanyahu "on the full spectrum of our partnership and strengthening it in diverse fields for mutual benefit. We will also have the chance to discuss major common challenges like terrorism."

This year, India and Israel are marking 25 years of their diplomatic relations. "My programme during the visit gives me an opportunity to engage with a cross-section of Israeli society. I am particularly looking forward to interacting with the large vibrant Indian diaspora in Israel that represents an enduring link between our two peoples," Modi said.

On the economic side, he said, "I will join with leading Indian and Israeli CEOs and start-ups to discuss our shared priority of expanding business and investment collaboration on the ground."

In addition, he said, "I hope to get insights into Israels accomplishments in technology and innovation through on-site visits."

G-20 SUMMIT

On July 6, the prime minister will travel to Hamburg for the G-20 Summit being hosted by Germany on July 7-8.

The theme chosen for this year is Shaping an Inter- connected World.

"I look forward to engaging leaders from other G-20 countries on the vital issues affecting our world today that have a bearing on economic growth, sustainable development, and peace and stability," he said.

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"We will review progress on decisions since the Hangzhou Summit last year and deliberate on issues of terrorism, climate, sustainable development, growth and trade, digitalisation, health, employment, migration, women?s empowerment, and partnership with Africa," Modi added.

As in the past, he said he looked forward to the opportunity to meet leaders on the sidelines of the Summit to exchange views on bilateral matters of mutual interest.

Also read: Out of the closet: Narendra Modi to make history as first Indian PM to visit Israel

Also read: Why Mahatma Gandhi said no to forced settlement of Israelis in Palestine

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A senior Minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has given an ultimatum till Monday evening to the Chief Minister to remove a district official else he will quit and stage a sit-in protest.

By Indo-Asian News Service: A senior Minister in the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government has given an ultimatum till Monday evening to the Chief Minister to remove a district official else he will quit and stage a sit-in protest.

Cabinet Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar has announced to sit on the 'dharna' if the District Magistrate of Ghazipur Sanjay Kumar Khatri was not immediately transferred.

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Rajbhar, who is the national President of BJP's ally Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party and is the state Backward Welfare Minister told IANS Khatri was not lending ears to the matters, issues and problems raised by him on behalf of the people.

His party has won four seats in the state assembly elections. "I have to answer to people, there are many matters concerning the people which are not being heeded to," he said.

He added that he was not making unjustified demands and would hence not remain mute spectator as Khatri rides roughshod on him. Rajbhar is a legislator from Jahoorabad.

NECESSARY ACTION WAS TO BE TAKEN

Rajbhar said he met Adityanath on June 27 and was told that necessary action would be taken. But no action was taken.

He was asked to wait for another meeting with the Chief Minister by Sunil Bansal, organisational secretary of the state BJP.

The Minister said that he would wait till Monday evening to hear from the Chief Minister's Office and if the Ghazipur District Magistrate was not removed, Rajbhar would relinquish all government facilities.

He would head to Ghazipur by train and stage the sit in there on Tuesday. "I have come to politics with a mission for my people and not to earn money and that makes me fearless," he said.

He added that the BJP was voted to power by the weaker sections, the marginalised "with a lot of hope" but when officials "were not listening to us, what is happening to the poor, it is everyone's guess".

The coalition partner was also unhappy with the Bharatiya Janata Party government as there have been many transfers of police officials when they crossed path with lawmakers, informed sources said.

"When that can happen why not pay heed to a justified demand of a coalition partner," a senior leader of the party told IANS.

ALSO READ:

Yogi Adityanath's statement on Taj Mahal irks people of Agra

Yogi Adityanath government completes 100 days in UP: A report card

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ALSO WATCH:

Will UP CM Yogi Adityanath fulfill PM Modi's long list of promises?

--- ENDS ---
China Friday released a new map to buttress its claim that India had trespassed into Chinese territory earlier last month amid reports that both countries have deployed more troops in the area.

The Chinese map shows that the Indian Army crossed the border at Doka La pass into the Doklam area of the Sikkim sector, which is a part of its territory. The map was posted on the Chinese section of the foreign ministry's website.

On Thursday, China released two pictures to show Indian troops transgression on the Chinese side of the border. Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang displayed the two photographs claiming Doklam as a part of its territory. The photos showed bulldozers of Indian military on the Chinese side of the border.

Giving details for the first time about the events that preceded the face-off between the two armies, the Indian sources were reported by the Press Trust of India (PTI) as saying that the Chinese Army on June 1 asked the Indian Army to remove the two bunkers set up in 2012 at Lalten in Doka La, which falls in the vicinity of Chumbi Valley at the corner of India-Bhutan-Tibet tri-junction.

The Indian Army forward positions informed Sukna-based 33 Corps Headquarter in North Bengal about the Chinese warnings on the bunkers, the sources said. However, during the night of June 6, two Chinese bulldozers destroyed the bunkers, claiming that the area belonged to China and that India or Bhutan had no right over it, the sources said.

Indian troops on the ground prevented the Chinese men and machines from doing any further damage or transgressing into the area, they said.

Additional forces from nearby brigade headquarters, located 20 km from the face off point, were moved in on June 8 during which a scuffle led to soldiers on both sides suffering minor injuries. Chinese troops were rushed in from its 141 division located in the area, prompting the Indian Army to also strengthen its position, the Press Trust of India said.

This is the longest standoff between the two armies since 1962. The last one, which carried on for 21 days, occurred at Daulat Beg Oldie in the Ladakh division of Jammu and Kashmir in 2013, when Chinese troops entered 30 km into Indian territory till the Depsang Plains and claimed it to be a part of its Xinjiang province, according to PTI.

As the scuffle broke out between the two sides, the Indian Army rushed an officer of the Major General rank to the area and a flag meeting was sought with the Chinese counterparts. China rejected two such requests from the Indian side, but accepted the third call for a meeting, where it asked the Indian Army to withdraw its troops from the Lalten area, which falls in Doka La, the PTI said.

One Belt One Road project

Many analysts have pointed out that the border stand-off could be China's way of dealing with India after the latter put a spanner on its ambitious One Belt One Road project.

The Xinhua news agency said Saturday that India should shed its strategic anxiety over the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor and join the Belt and Road Initiative to become a cooperative partner and not a rival.

The Xinhua commentary - India's China-phobia Might Lead To Strategic Myopia -- criticized New Delhi's boycott of the Belt and Road Forum conference held in May and asked India to shed its China anxiety.

India boycotted the BRF because of "sovereignty concerns" over the US $50-billion China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), which traverses through Pakistan-administered Kashmir. Then India said the Chinese ambitious initiative must be pursued in a manner that respects sovereignty and territorial integrity.
The obsession of both the U.S. Congress and the American mainstream media with alleged Russian computer hacking into our 2016 presidential election campaign represents to me not only a dangerous provocation of a nuclear-armed adversary, but a display of abject hypocrisy. It's hardly a secret that America itself has, since the end of World War II, regularly interfered in other countries' politics in ways that, by comparison, make the Russian hacking seem like frat-house hijinks. In addition to devastating wars that killed millions of civilians in Korea and Vietnam, those interventions include the stage-managed overthrow of democratically elected governments in Iran, Guatemala, the Dominican Republic, and Chile; post-9/11 armed aggression aimed at, and achieving, regime change in Afghanistan, Iraq, and Libya; ongoing drone attacks in Pakistan, Yemen, and Somalia; and an escalating role in the Syrian civil war. Bearing more directly on Russian-American relations, the U.S. also engaged in efforts at what might be euphemistically termed "democracy building" in two former Soviet states, supporting anti-Russian, pro-Western forces in the now independent nations of Georgia in 2003 and Ukraine in both 2004 and 2013.

America's most serious provocation of Russia has been its post-Cold War expansions of the NATO alliance right up to Russia's borders. Those in-your-face power plays led to the rise of Vladimir Putin, an avowed nationalist leader who took tough actions against the West in Georgia and Ukraine, and will surely do so again to prevent further incursions that he believes threaten Russian national security. In the meantime, according to the U.S. intelligence community, the Russian government took the seemingly desperate, but non-lethal, retaliatory step in the run-up to last year's U.S. presidential election of hacking into the private email communications of the Democratic National Committee and disseminating "fake news" invidious to Hillary Clinton. The motive seems to have been a very long-odds hope that the email content and fake news might in some way sufficiently compromise Clinton in the eyes of American voters to shift the election to Donald Trump, whom the Russians believed to be less inflexibly hostile to their own pursuit of vital national interests.

The chance that the Russian hacking actually changed the outcome of the U.S. election seems to me very small, for two basic reasons. First, I think we can assume that most American voters, based on a long history of reflexive, not reflective, voting patterns, would not bother to read or even seriously consider the content of hijacked emails dealing with the sausage-making details of Democratic Party campaign strategy. Nor would they in substantial numbers bother to dig up wild stories about Hillary from obscure Internet sources. And, second, we now also know there were no revelations about Clinton in the emails sufficiently tawdry to disaffect her supporters. Still, leading American politicians and the mainstream press and cable news networks can't seem to get enough of harping on Russian nefariousness and urging appropriate punishments.

It would seem, of course, that if the U.S. wants other nations to refrain from interfering in its elections, it might first abandon its own policy of bringing down by force any foreign governments it doesn't like. Instead, with little internal or external opposition to stop it, the U.S. continues to robotically employ economic sanctions and the threat or reality of its armed might to punish any nations that stand in the way of its continued global dominance. To help justify those actions, its political leaders and media supporters reflexively demonize the aspirations and moral integrity of the leaders of adversary nations. As a case in point, Russia's president, Vladimir Putin, is routinely represented not only as a ruthless autocrat who doesn't play by international rules, but as a peasant-like bully and murderer of political opponents. A recent Forbes online article by contributor Kenneth Rapoza, however, seems to challenge that characterization.

The Oliver Stone Interviews of Putin.

In the past few weeks, the Oliver Stone interviews of Putin, aired on the premium cable channel "Showtime," have been a subject of considerable interest--though they have received little attention in the mass media. What coverage there has been has in the main simply derided Stone's questioning as overly deferential and lacking in prosecutorial rigor, or dismissed Putin's responses as evasive or self-serving. However, an article by Forbes online contributor Kenneth Rapoza about the third of four segments of the interviews seems to me to offer a rare glimpse into Putin's fundamental views as both a Russian nationalist and world leader. After observing that "Russia has become worse than ISIL to some regular talking-head Senators in Washington and is the new bogeyman in cable news rooms," Rapoza goes on to distil both the atmosphere and content of the interview exchanges, extracting representative comments from Putin and often adding insightful elaboration of his own. Some examples:

Putin complains about George W. Bush's 2001 decision to vacate the anti-ballistic missile treaty, saying he feared ABM systems in eastern Europe, the North Sea, Alaska, and, eventually, even Ukraine would be aimed at his country. From Putin's perspective, of course, such a prospect is untenable, since even the theoretical capacity to negate a retaliatory response might embolden NATO to launch a nuclear first-strike against Russia. In the meantime, Russia's only recourse would be to build up its own offensive nuclear capacity, diverting funds from needed domestic investments and moving the world nuclear clock even closer to midnight. "Our goal is a strategic balance of power between nations," Putin says. "Destroying the balance of power is a mistake."

Stone asks Putin why, in light of America's belligerent posture toward Russia, does he keep calling the U.S. "partners." Putin replies: "Because the dialogue must continue." In answer to Stone's follow-up questions, whether the U.S. would be dominant in a hot war and, if so, whether Russia would survive it, Putin says sensibly: "No one survives it. That is why it is so important to stop unilateral actions." Rapoza's own parenthetical comment on the full exchange is that, just as Bernie Sanders's supporters rant about capitalist empires, Putin raves about a universal American system without sovereignty that is protected by military bases. "If you don't like that," the writer observes, "then you and Putin are of like minds."

In Rapoza's view, American progressives also share Putin's exasperation with the influence on U.S. foreign policy of the so-called Neocons, the right-wing version of the Democratic Party's liberal interventionists--most notably Hillary Clinton--who see war as a way to protect human rights. "Washington on the foreign policy front never changes," Putin tells Oliver Stone. Citing as an example Obama's wish to close the Guantanamo prison in Cuba, Putin laments that "The power of the U.S. bureaucracy is so real that when they [newly elected presidents] get to Washington, they see how hard it is to effect change." When Stone adds that he fears the Neocons are career war gamers who believe a full-scale clash with Russia is winnable, Putin responds, "I fear them, too." Putin also expresses the view that Russia will remain a U.S. target as long as it promotes a multi-polar world and Russia stands in the way of regime change in Syria and Iran.

The Way Out: Make Diplomacy the Default Means for Resolving Conflict, Not War.

For me, Putin's responses in the Oliver Stone interview suggest that he is in fact committed to pursue his role as Russia's nationalist leader in a way that both rationally meets the vital interests of his own country and remains open to resolving conflict with the U.S. through diplomacy and compromise. This is so, despite Putin's expressed belief that the foreign policy of the Washington bureaucracy "never changes"--perhaps because he sees it, along with many politically-progressive Americans, as stuck in the ideological fantasy of American "exceptionalism" and its implied right to continually reinforce or expand its strategic and economic domination of the world. What is of overriding importance and offers hope for both the American and Russian people, however, is that no issues that separate their respective governments are outside the scope of reasonable compromise; nor should they be allowed to stand in the way of the immense good the two countries can do for the world by working constructively together.

That assessment leads me to an obvious question: If we can deal fairly to resolve differences with the only nation in the world whose nuclear arsenal approaches the magnitude of our own, why should we not give peace a chance? We certainly can't justifiably defend a failure to do so by continuing to feign moral indignation over Russia's cyber-intrusion into our presidential election. That belief is reinforced for me in a Huffington Post article, dated July 27, 2016, in which co-authors Ryan Grim and Arthur Delaney validate in detail their assertion that "for more than 100 years, without any significant break, the U.S. has been doing whatever it can to influence the outcome of elections--up to and including assassinating politicians it has found unfriendly ." Considered in the factual context of moral neutrality, the current wave of Russia-bashing seems to me far more the reciprocal product of the American government's own poverty of spirit in failing to pursue, when conditions were ripe, a constructive relationship with the world's second-biggest nuclear power. Just think of the benefits and uplift the U.S. and Russia could bring to their own people and the world by working together today! A short list might include finding a way to peace in Syria, controlling international terrorism, starting nuclear disarmament, reducing global warming, and spearheading a drive to end world hunger and poverty.

Unfortunately, America's political leadership seems resistant to looking at issues of international policy not only from its own point of view, but also from the other guy's. The American people, too, have a way of convincing themselves that, by fighting wars in behalf of their nation, they are best serving the cause of peace. It is also true that, although America, Russia and most other developed nations of the world are becoming increasingly interdependent, it is not yet clear that any of them would be willing to accept the small, but necessary, curbs on their own aspirations to power that are necessary to resolve stubborn conflicts without going to war. What can't be denied, however, is that, without such compromise, the world can easily become embroiled in a use of force that will surely put an end to all armed conflict, but only by blotting out a large portion of the human race in an instant inferno and leaving those who survive to the deadly rot of radioactive fallout. Given that reality, we American citizens must do all we can to convince our government to choose negotiated compromise, not superior power, as the default means for settling international disputes. The choice our government makes, it seems to me, will determine whether we are headed to the good life as a world community, or very possibly Armageddon.
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"The book is very well written...very important in this individualized capitalistic illusory world that enslaves us all within its tentacles and forces us to believe that we are atomized and disconnected beings. Indigenous Lakota people end prayers with "Mitakuye Oyasin...all my relations..." An ancient African proverb states, "A person is a person only because of and with others..." This instructive text is very useful for us living in what we are always told is the modern world, because it reconnects us all and reminds us that ultimately, the endless circle of the Universe binds and connects us all and the Earth is Mother to us with no hierarchy...the ones at the bottom matter the most...like the ants who build mounds and hills, all working in unison and harmony...the book teaches that we were created for community and our destiny is organic community...anything else is doomed..."



Julian Kunnie, Professor of Religious Studies/Classics at the University of Arizona and author of The Cost of Globalization: Dangers to the Earth and Its People
Congress Switchboard: 202-224-3121

"Rob Kall's Bottom-Up weaves together the many strands of new thinking about how to use decentralized, non-hierarchical approaches to solve crucial social and economic problems. Bottom-Up presents a tapestry of ideas and examples that can inspire and guide readers."



Peter Plastrik, coauthor of Connecting to Change the World: Harnessing the Power of Networks for Social Impact
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For sixteen years, Barbara Lee, who was the one member in congress who voted against the Authorization of the Use of Military Force, (AUMF) sixteen years ago, has attempted to get Congress to rescind the authorization. She's finally persuaded the necessary House committee to release her proposal.

That's good news. It will add an important impediment to impulses to use weapons of mass destruction or to start wars by the psychotic, malignant narcissist, emotionally infantish POSPOTUS (piece of sh*t President of The United States.)

John Nichols writes, in The Nation, "On Thursday, the House Appropriations committee approved Lee's amendment to repeal the 2001 AUMF 240 days after enactment of the Department of Defense Appropriations bill. With the vote, Lee celebrated a remarkable accomplishment--not just for herself but for the cause of restraint and reason when it comes to matters of war and people."

The Washington Free Beacon reported, "The 2001 AUMF has been used to justify military action more than 37 times in 14 countries, according to a 2016 report from the Congressional Research Service."

"At long last, I am pleased that my Democratic and Republican colleagues supported my effort to put an end to the overly broad blank check for war that is the 2001 AUMF," Lee stated. "If passed into law as part of the DOD bill, it would repeal the 2001 AUMF eight months after enactment of this legislation. That would allow plenty of time for Congress to finally live up to its constitutional obligation to debate and vote on any new AUMF."

RT @RepBarbaraLee: Whoa. My amdt to sunset 2001 AUMF was adopted in DOD Approps markup! GOP & Dems agree: a floor debate & vote on endless at July 2, 2017

The Free Beacon article also reported,

"The amendment must pass a Senate vote and be included in the final defense spending bill to go into effect. The amendment would revoke the 2001 AUMF 240 days after being passed. Congress would then be forced to vote on a new AUMF, something that lawmakers have struggled with for years. Procedural issues could also arise. The House Foreign Affairs Committee said the AUMF amendment "should have been ruled out of order" because the Appropriations Committee does not have jurisdiction. "The Foreign Affairs Committee has sole jurisdiction over Authorizations for the Use of Military Force," said Foreign Affairs Committee deputy staff director for communications Cory Fritz. The decision to adopt the amendment received bipartisan support by members of the House Appropriations Committee. Members who ultimately supported Lee's amendment included military veterans Reps. Scott Taylor (R., Va.) and Chris Stewart (R., Utah).

Politico reported, in an article, that "Even Republicans with military experience embraced Lee's defense spending bill amendment, which would repeal the 2001 authorization."

"They noted that the anti-terror struggle has evolved markedly since the days when U.S. troops hunted Osama bin Laden in the mountains of Afghanistan, yet Congress has never debated and authorized the fight against newer extremist groups like the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria. Members of the military "notice that we don't have the courage to debate this and to give them the authority to go do this," said Chris Stewart (R-Utah), who served in the Air Force and comes from a family of soldiers. "And I know that from my friends who are in the military right now." Scott Taylor (R-Va.), a former Navy SEAL, echoed that sentiment. "I think we've seen a disproportionate sacrifice with the military community that has gone over and over again," he said. "And I believe that we owe them the debate."

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Do We Owe Trump an Apology?

This collection of "deplorables" that is the cabinet is about to be raked over the coals, however hastily the barbecue was arranged. If you don't think-- despite the fact they will all be accepted, although some will be tempted to flee, when faced with four years of his proximity, that this is a consciousness- raising event; you haven't appreciated the double irony of the Trump election. He didn't win; he lost by a staggering three million votes. He isn't the conservative he pretended to be to win the GOP ticket, but by doing so and surrounding himself with notorious conservatives as if to prove it; he has raised to the harsh light of the media every weakness of the present GOP as it is constructed, forcing them to look in their own mirrors. How can this be bad?

I am more certain than ever that Trump has Asperger's Syndrome , or a related disorder, and would gain a lot more sympathy if he'd admit it. As it is, we see him as an ass. But the truth is, as far as character flaws, the main irritants are his lack of empathy, his narcissism, his stone-deafness to the body signals around him, run-on speech habits, difficulty focusing on issues not directly related to him or for any length of time, and ADD; all included in a lengthier list, many more of which he shares. Google it.

I suspect it's well known among his relatives, and that he was spoiled rotten because of it, which didn't help his condition, but shielded him from the truth. His sister is a judge, something you instinctively sense he could never handle. His father was his idol. He built things. He himself suggests that the capacity to contract structures is built in. And it's all he can do, hence the seeming importance of the Mexican "Wall", a lame testimony to his existence. While this condition needn't preclude his capacity for the Presidency, it does color everything he perceives, because The Deal is his aesthetic, and there is little room in his head for much else. His need for younger women is a measure of his eternal immaturity. He will never grow up.

For my part, I lament the passing of an age when people had personalities. Now they just have "personality disorders", all of which have been cataloged, and which they share with numerous others.

You can't just hate them, and you shouldn't make fun of them, anymore than you should mime a polio victim, as he once did. But having a disorder makes people extremely predictable, which makes miming them very easy. Witness the field day being had by countless wits on the satire circuit, doing Donald impersonations.

Could it be that his anger at the SNL jests at his expense is a function of his vague awareness that there's something 'special' about him, and hence that mocking him is sadistic?

Knowing this about him and sharing it with him might open up a dialogue that many would welcome, and ignite creative theories about the nature of disorders that could lead to better management of them; especially if such a famous guy was at the helm. It might, moreover, encourage us to give him a break as to his style. The fact is, he's not playing with a full deck. Considering that, he's doing quite well. He could become an inspiration, instead of a big fat headache.

In any case, we must view this Presidency as the "Special Olympics"compares to the actual Olympic Games; flawed, but admirable for its own sake. Then, if he ignores the kerfuffle and gets his way, we'll have to impeach Trump for bridging the inexplicable cavern between the US and Russia with some simple Deals; because he's certainly trying; and it's just possible that those who object are working for forces that such an alliance might thwart. Russia too, might prefer the old dependable order of enmity.

Peace isn't for everyone; especially if they're heavily invested in War.
From Paul Craig Roberts Website



4th of July

(Image by Sky Noir) Details DMCA



The 4th of July is upon us. We will hear all sorts of patriotic BS about how wonderful we are and how thankful we are to our brave military who defends our liberty.

Not a word will be said about the destruction by the Bush and Obama regimes of the US Constitution, which once protected our liberty far better than any military action.

Not a word will be said about Washington's 16 years of purely gratuitous war in the Middle East and North Africa that has destroyed in whole or part seven countries, sending millions of war refugees to overrun the Western World and change the quality of life for Western peoples.

Not a word will be said about Washington's ongoing insane provocations of Russia and China and Iran and Syria and North Korea that are likely to end in nuclear Armageddon.

Speeches will celebrate "the exceptional, indispensable USA," and fireworks will go off, preludes to the onrushing nuclear Armageddon.

While we listen to speeches of our wonderful fairy tale life, how lucky we are to be so beloved by our Great Democratic Government, the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) has issued an all points bulletin urging its members to wake up and to urge their US Senators "to oppose the American Health Care Act passed by the House. This harmful bill gives billions of dollars to special interests while sticking ordinary Americans with huge premium hikes. It includes an age tax that would force older Americans to pay thousands of dollars more for their health insurance. it weakens Medicare and removes protections for people with pre-existing conditions. I urge you to represent my interests -- not those of the drug and insurance companies."

The last sentence astounded me. How is it possible that a lobby group for retired people can possibly believe that the House and Senate have any interest in serving the American people?

The House and Senate serve the people who have money, and those people are not the elderly. Thanks to the Federal Reserve, the elderly have not had any interest income on their savings for a decade.

Moreover, thanks to jobs offshoring, the middle class is shrinking, and grandparents are having to support out of their savings both children and grandchildren. Savings are being drawn down and used up. Retired Americans simply do not have the resources to compete in Washington with the pharmaceutical and insurance corporations who are determined to pillage the elderly.

In the USA money resides in the hands of the military/security complex, the Israel Lobby (US taxpayers give the money to them), Wall Street and the Banks Too Big To Fail, real estate and insurance, and environmental polluters such as energy, mining, electricity production, and agribusiness. No one else has any money. Therefore, these interest groups determine US domestic and foreign policy.

The policy of the US government is easy to sum up. It consists of driving the American population into the ground and fomenting war abroad. This is what serves the money interests that control the government.

Democracy does not exist in America. All the bombast you will hear on the 4th is designed to keep you locked in The Matrix.

The talk about "taking back your government" is nonsense. The government doesn't belong to you. You can't take it back.

Chris Hedges says that your only alternatives are to overthrow the criminal class in Washington or to accept your slavery.
John Oliver railed against Donald Trumps unhinged tweets deflecting attention from the harsh realities of his controversial travel ban on last nights Last Week Tonight.

The Bachelor In Paradise of American presidents, otherwise known as the 45th President of the United States, drew headlines around the world on Thursday for his sexist Twitter tirade against Morning Joe host Mika Brzezinski.

His rant was defended by White House Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Sanders, who said that Trump was attacked mercilessly on personal accounts by members of that program and had previously made it very clear that when he gets attacked hes gonna hit back.

I suppose that implies we shouldnt be surprised when Trump tries to defame a member of the media online in retaliation for some perceived slight.

In Olivers words: Trump is basically a walrus wearing a T-shirt that says I have diarrhoea. Hes pretty open about how grossly shitty he can be, so we cant really be shocked when he suddenly is.

But the controversy around those tweets overshadowed some actual news from the Trump administration: that the Supreme Court have reinstated Trumps travel ban against citizens from six Muslim-majority countries, before a full hearing on the issue in October.

The ban, which came into effect on Thursday, did feature a caveat, that travellers with a credible claim of a bona fide relationship with a person or entity in the US were exempt.

But, as Oliver points out, the measure of a bona fide relationship extends only to parents, spouses, children, adult sons or daughters, sons and daughters-in-law, and siblings. It does not extend to grandparents, aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins, or brothers or sisters-in-law.

On top of potential travellers not being able to enter the country to see their nan, legitimate refugees who were being assisted by a refugee resettlement agency for passage to the US have been deemed to not have a bona fide relationship that would grant them exemption.

That means thousands of desperate people who have gone through exhaustive vetting and have been approved to come here have now been left in the lurch, which is absolutely shameful.

Such a policy is cruel, its unnecessary and it undermines our standing in the world, so you would think the president would at least be justifying its existence. Instead he keeps derailing the conversation with his barrage of bullshit.

He cites another example of Trump cray tweets obfuscating actual issues: on This Week yesterday morning a Homeland Security adviser was invited onto the program to talk about the ban, only to have to spend the entire segment talking about yet another unhinged tweet from Trump, this time about #FakeNews and his very use of Twitter.

And then of course, this happened on Twitter later in the evening.





Source: Mashable.

Photo: YouTube.
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 10:03:01

The management and technology consultancy continues to strengthen its position as an independent, client-focused firm

BearingPoint Adds 19 New Partners in Europe

BearingPoint

Alexander Bock

Manager Communications

Tel.: +49 89 540338029

Email: alexander.bock@bearingpoint.com

Management and technology consultancy BearingPoint announces 19 new Partner promotions in Europe. 16 Partners have been internally promoted and three further Partners joined BearingPoint. The promotions exemplify the firms commitment to excellence for its clients.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051

BearingPoint new partner appointments 2017 (Photo: Business Wire)

Peter Mockler, Managing Partner at BearingPoint, said: I am proud to say that we have admitted 19 new Partners into our partnership. I am especially pleased with the promotion of four women, which underlines the rising tendency of female executives. Each of our internally promoted Partners has a strong track record in delivering projects to our clients and has displayed strong capabilities in team building and collaboration to create client value. All have demonstrated commitment to excellence in service delivery and are effective role models representing our values. I am also particularly proud that we have won three highly profiled Partners from the market. Each one has strong industry experience and expertise. Our 19 new Partners will play a key role in enabling us to reach our 2020 goal of one billion euros in revenue.

The new Partners at a glance:

Claire Etcheverry

Office: Paris/France

With BearingPoint since: 2014

Areas of responsibility: Operations (logistics and distribution, planification, purchasing, manufacturing)

Education: Master in Management

Elena Maasem

Office: Frankfurt/Germany

With BearingPoint since: 2011

Areas of responsibility: Life sciences; CRM, sales force effectiveness, sales force automation, Business Intelligence

Education: Master in Process Engineering

Mandy Smith

Office: London/UK

With BearingPoint since: 2005

Areas of responsibility: Automotive; IT advisory, IT enabled transformation

Education: Diploma in Business and Finance

Juliane Weber

Office: Berlin/Germany

With BearingPoint since: 2008

Areas of responsibility: Digital property management, public procurement and tendering with focus on clients in the public sector

Education: Diploma in Business Law

Giancarlo Barbeni

Office: Turin/Italy

With BearingPoint since: 2017

Areas of responsibility: Production Industry Leader Italy; Automotive Team Leader Turin

Education: Graduate in Electronic Engineering

Peter Brente

Office: Stockholm/Sweden

With BearingPoint since: 2011

Areas of responsibility: Operations team leader, and Commercial Industry and Manufacturing Industry leader in the Nordics

Education: Master of Science in Engineering, Bachelor of Science in Economics

Damien Coffinier

Office: Paris/France

With BearingPoint since: 2011

Areas of responsibility: Retail banking; operational excellence, business development

Education: Master in Finance

Carsten Erler

Office: Hamburg/Germany

With BearingPoint since: 2010

Areas of responsibility: Insurance; SAP for insurance solutions, payments, provisions and compensation management, compliance

Education: Master in Business Administration; Insurance broker

Bjorn Grosser

Office: Vienna/Austria

With BearingPoint since: 2001

Areas of responsibility: Agile software engineering, project delivery, agile methodologies; Telecommunications

Education: Master of Science in Telematics

Antti Hamalainen

Office: Helsinki/Finland

With BearingPoint since: 2008

Areas of responsibility: Service Line Leader for Finance & Regulatory / IT Advisory in Finland

Education: Master of Science in Economics and Business Administration, Accounting and Finance

Ammar Jamal

Office: Hamburg/Germany

With BearingPoint since: 2008

Areas of responsibility: Operational excellence and digital transformation for public sector banks (regional development banks and state banks)

Education: Master in Commercial Law, Master in Business Administration

Aloke Kapur

Office: London/UK

With BearingPoint since: 2004

Areas of responsibility: Digitally-enabled business transformation, platform-centered business models, digital ecosystem management

Education: BA (Hons), Banking Insurance & Finance

Christoph Landgrebe

Office: Stuttgart/Germany

With BearingPoint since: 2014

Areas of responsibility: Automotive; big data analytics operations

Education: Graduated Engineer

John Lockton

Office: London/UK

With BearingPoint since: 2017

Areas of responsibility: Business strategy, operations and supply chain

Education: Master of Science in Engineering

Massimiliano Monfreda

Office: Milan/Italy

With BearingPoint since: 2017

Areas of responsibility: In charge of the Financial Services practice in Italy

Education: Master in Economics

Guillaume Rivet

Office: Paris/France

With BearingPoint since: 2015

Areas of responsibility: Consumer Goods & Retail; SAP transformation programs, pre-sales activities

Education: Master of Science in Advanced Systems for Production

Remy Sergent

Office: Paris/France

With BearingPoint since: 2006

Areas of responsibility: Performance improvement (cost-cutting, organization, process design, lean) and strategy (growth, M&A)

Education: Master of Science in Engineering

Claudio Stadelmann

Office: Zurich/Switzerland

With BearingPoint since: 2005

Areas of responsibility: Insurance; digital transformation

Education: Master in Business Administration/Economics

Marc Meier-Wahl

Office: Frankfurt/Germany

With BearingPoint since: 2011

Areas of responsibility: Private and Corporate Banking; credit system / lending, IT advisory

Education: Master in Economics

High resolution pictures of the new Partners are available on request.

About BearingPoint

BearingPoint is an independent management and technology consultancy with European roots and a global reach. The company operates in three units: Consulting, Solutions and Ventures. Consulting covers the advisory business; Solutions provides the tools for successful digital transformation, regulatory technology and advanced analytics; Ventures drives the financing and development of start-ups. BearingPoints clients include many of the worlds leading companies and organizations. The firm has a global consulting network with more than 10,000 people and supports clients in over 75 countries, engaging with them to achieve measurable and sustainable success.

For more information, please visit:

Homepage: www.bearingpoint.com

LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/company/bearingpoint

Twitter: @BearingPoint

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051

@BearingPoint adds 19 new Partners in Europe #growth
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 12:03:01

The operational investor for early stage businesses in the Internet of Things (IoT) has invested in data software company We Predict.

Breed Reply Invests in Fast Growth Predictive Analytics Company

Reply

Fabio Zappelli

f.zappelli@reply.com

or

Roberta Giani

r.giani@reply.com

Breed Reply, Reply Groups operational investor for early stage businesses in the Internet of Things (IoT), has boosted its portfolio of fast-growth, innovative businesses, with its 18th investment in a leading company in predictive analytics.

We Predict works primarily with global car manufacturers and suppliers, predicting warranty failure rates and costs. The firms complex analytics software uses mathematical and statistical principles, supported by data techniques, to provide valuable information to save customers time and money.

We Predict, with offices in the US and UK, also works in the health sector, delivering predictive analytics to help commissioning decision making in the NHS.

Breed Reply is both funding and providing hands-on support in developing and growing the company across business functions, from general management to sales, marketing and technology. Finance Wales Group, one of the UKs largest regional SME investment companies, has joined this investment round lead by Breed Reply.

Emanuele Angelidis, CEO of Breed Reply, says: Were delighted to welcome on board We Predict. Predictive analytics is a game-changing innovation in operations and financial risk management. We Predicts solution is already enabling automotive manufacturers to reduce warranty costs and improve efficiency and is applicable to many other industries.

We are incredibly impressed with the strong track record and experienced management team of We Predict that have enabled its success so far. We are confident that with our help, we can contribute to the new heights they will achieve.

Richard Thompson, of Finance Wales Group, adds: Its great to be working with Breed Reply again in funding an outstanding company like We Predict.

James Davies, Director at We Predict, comments: This is a terrific opportunity for us to scale the business alongside a committed investor which goes above and beyond just offering capital to support our growth plans. Our teams are looking forward to working closely with Breed Reply to take us to the next stage.

Breed Reply

Breed Reply, Reply's active operational investor, funds and supports the development of early-stage companies in the Internet of Things (IoT) in Europe and the USA. Based in London, with operational offices in Germany and Italy, Breed Reply supports entrepreneurs and young talent by quickly bringing new ideas to the market. This is done via three fundamental services: funding at early-stage level; active operational involvement with significant know how transfer of business, managerial and technological expertise; and go-to market support through the extensive Reply network. Breed Reply focuses on Health, Fitness & Wellness, Smart Building & Cities, Security, Industrial IoT, Big Data, Platforms, Drones.

We Predict

We Predict has grown rapidly by helping global blue chip customers, supported through its worldwide partner channels, across automotive, manufacturing and healthcare. The company is based in the UK and uses modern working practices to draw upon a global talent pool and best-in-class resources. In this way, We Predict is able to assist any customer or partner worldwide to address critical business challenges. The companys team of mathematicians, statisticians and computer scientists use the latest tools and techniques to deliver results with greater depth, quicker timeframe and more meaningful metrics that can be easily understood by everyone.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 13:32:03

CapMan Plc Stock Exchange Release 3 July 2017 at 2.30 p.m. EEST

CapMan Plc: Managers' transactions

Based on the notification requirement in Article 19 of MAR Niko Haavisto has notified that he has completed the following transaction:





Person subject to the notification requirement

Name: Haavisto, Niko

Position: Chief Financial Officer

Issuer: CapMan Oyj

LEI: 743700498L5THNQWVL66

Notification type: INITIAL NOTIFICATION

Reference number: 743700498L5THNQWVL66_20170703140332_4

____________________________________________

Transaction date: 2017-06-28

Venue: NASDAQ HELSINKI LTD (XHEL)

Instrument type: FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT LINKED TO A SHARE OR A DEBT INSTRUMENT

ISIN: FI4000071444

Nature of the transaction: DISPOSAL

(X) Linked to stock option programme

Transaction Details

(1): Volume: 13284 Unit price: 1,00000 EUR

Aggregated transactions

(1): Volume: 13284 Volume weighted average price: 1.00000 EUR

____________________________________________

Transaction date: 2017-06-29

Venue: NASDAQ HELSINKI LTD (XHEL)

Instrument type: FINANCIAL INSTRUMENT LINKED TO A SHARE OR A DEBT INSTRUMENT

ISIN: FI4000071444

Nature of the transaction: DISPOSAL

(X) Linked to stock option programme

Transaction Details

(1): Volume: 127088 Unit price: 1,00000

Aggregated transactions

(1): Volume: 127088 Volume weighted average price: 1.00000

____________________________________________

Transaction date: 2017-06-29

Venue: OFF-EXCHANGE TRANSACTIONS (XOFF)

Instrument type: SHARE

ISIN: FI0009009377

Nature of the transaction: SUBSCRIPTION

(X) Linked to stock option programme

Transaction Details

(1): Volume: 59628 Unit price: 0,66000

Aggregated transactions

(1): Volume: 59628 Volume weighted average price: 0.66000

CAPMAN PLC

Katariina Kataja

Manager, Communications & IR

Distribution:

Nasdaq Helsinki

www.capman.com

CapMan

www.capman.com



CapMan is a leading Nordic investment and specialised asset management company. As one of the Nordic private equity pioneers we have actively developed hundreds of companies and real estate and thereby created substantial value in these businesses and assets over the last 25 years. CapMan has today 100 private equity professionals and manages 2.8 billion in assets. We mainly manage the assets of our customers, the investors, but also make direct investments from our own balance sheet in areas without an active fund. Our objective is to provide attractive returns and innovative solutions to investors and value adding services to professional investment partnerships, growth-oriented companies and tenants. Our current investment strategies cover Buyout, Growth Equity, Real Estate, Russia, Credit, Infrastructure and Tactical Opportunities. We also have a growing service business that currently includes fundraising advisory, procurement activities and fund management.

This announcement is distributed by Nasdaq Corporate Solutions on behalf of Nasdaq Corporate Solutions clients.

The issuer of this announcement warrants that they are solely responsible for the content, accuracy and originality of the information contained therein.

Source: CapMan Oyj via Globenewswire


PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 08:01:01

EasyPark:Swedish Technologists Halve Time Spent Searching for Parking with New Predictive Parking Technology

Octopus Group

Ioiana Luncheon

0845 370 7024

With the average motorist wasting over 2,500 hours of their life searching for a space in busy city streets, parking is a huge challenge for people and cities. Studies show that 30% of traffic in congested cities is caused by people searching for parking, and that this could contribute to as much as 50 million tons of pollution across Europe.

But there is hope for desperate drivers, thanks to a team of technologists at Europes largest parking app, EasyPark, who have invested 10 years of R&D and over 10M to develop the first truly predictive parking technology. Find & Pay, uses big data, predictive analytics and machine learning to reduce the time it takes to find parking in congested cities by up to 50 per cent, reducing stress for motorists and the congestion and emissions associated with city parking today.

Unlike expensive and inaccurate sensor-based technologies, Find & Pay combines huge volumes of transaction data with crowd-sourced location information from users and IoT devices to create an accurate parking probability map of every city block for any given hour of the day. Using this information, Find & Pay gives users a route to their destination that passes along streets with the highest probability of parking availability  constantly balancing time in-car against walking distance to destination to find the optimal route. Find & Pay provides turn-by-turn navigation along the route and lets users remotely manage and pay for the parking space when they arrive, creating a simple, seamless experience.

Johan Birgersson, CEO of EasyPark Group, comments: Our technology team have worked tirelessly for over a decade to solve one of the toughest unanswered challenges in car travel  how to quickly find suitable parking in our increasingly congested cities. Todays navigation options take you to your destination, but fall flat when you need to find somewhere to park.

Its a very frustrating experience when you get where you need to go, but simply cant park your car  Find & Pay solves this significant challenge for motorists. Were hugely excited to start bringing the technology to market and to see the profound impact it will have on driver frustration and the challenges of congestion and pollution in cities. This technology has the potential to reduce emissions in cities by hundreds of thousands of tonnes.

Find & Pay is currently undergoing large-scale beta testing, using over 500 testers across 31 cities to test, validate and increase predictive accuracy. The systems self-learning algorithms will continue to improve over time, through continued testing and via continuous user feedback when it is rolled out to the public at large. Find & Pay will launch in Stockholm in September followed by rollout across over 30 major European cities during the fall. London and New York will follow in 2018 and beyond.

Unlike navigation and transportation in general, the parking industry has experienced relatively few major technology breakthroughs. With the EU industry turning over 26 billion per annum (according to the European Parking Association), and employing 569,000 people, the sector holds significant opportunity for technology-led innovation and disruption.

Birgersson concludes, We are solving the top two needs expressed by motorists in independent surveys: rapidly finding a place to park close to their end destination; and remotely managing and paying for their parking, all in one simple mobile user experience. But this is just the first step; our technologists will continue to innovate alongside the automotive industry, integrating seamless parking experiences with in-car interfaces, alongside the EasyPark app.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707020050
Readers will remember that back in 2012 Canada introduced a parody exception into its own law. Yet, until now the scope of the exception was not entirely clear, lacking judicial application.





From IPKat friend and parody expert Sabine Jacques (University of East Anglia) comes the news that a Canadian court has just interpreted s29 of the Canadian Copyright Act, and also considered the case of trade mark parodies.





Heres what Sabine writes:





Canada experienced a major reform of its copyright legislation which took nearly 7 years to complete. Following a tumultuous birth, the parody exception came into force on 7 November 2012, leaving to the Canadian courts the task to determine the scope and outer boundaries to the exception.





United Airlines, Inc. v. Jeremy Cooperstock (available Long-awaited, a case decided a few days ago represents the first application of the parody exception under Canadian copyright law, as well as tackling the place of parodies under Canadian trade mark legislation. As further explained below, the decision of the Federal Court in(available here ) provides an interesting illustration of the treatment of commercial parodies under both trade mark and copyright regimes.





The dispute





The case relates to an action brought by United Airlines , a commercial airline, against Dr Jeremy Cooperstock McGill engineering professor, for the operation of a consumer criticism website ( www.untied.com ) commenting on the failings of the plaintiff. What was originally a personal vendetta for the poor treatment received following official complaints made by Dr Cooperstock to the airline company then became a digital space for thousands of unhappy customers to voice their complaints over the course of 20 years.





In addition to playing around with the word United, the defendant altered the plaintiffs logo by changing the colours of the T and the I in the Untied logo from blue to red and added a red frown on the globe design.









In order to ensure the absence of confusion, the defendant also added a pop-up dialogue box to indicate users that the website was not the plaintiffs website. This disclaimer also features on the banner in the top left corner of the website.





Nevertheless, the Federal Court found that the defendants uses infringed both trade mark and copyright. In relation to the application of a possible parody defence, the Court held that the use was unfair even though it was for the purpose of parody (paras 19 & 149).









Is there a place for trade mark parodies in Canada?





Under section 20(1)(a) Trade-Marks Act (RSC 1985, c T-13) (TM Act) , trade mark infringement requires a valid trade mark registration, a use in the sense of the Act (sale, distribution or advertisement), a confusing sign in relation to any goods and services in a commercial context without entitlement or authorisation.





While there was no argument as to the validity of the plaintiffs trade marks registrations, there was some discussion as to whether the defendants website qualified as a service under the TM Act. Adopting a broad interpretation, the Federal Court answered in the affirmative (para 33). Therefore, providing information as to the services provided by the plaintiffs business though Untied.com constitutes a service under section 20 despite any monetary or commercial element. The important factor being that the activities of the defendant benefited the public in some way.





Having qualified as a service, the Court moved on to analyse whether the defendant used a protected sign in a way contemplated by the statute. To do so, the defendant must have used the protected sign as intended under section 4 TM Act and this use must affect the function of origin of the trade mark (para 35). By purposefully mimicking the overall feel of the plaintiffs website, the Court was easily satisfied that the two requirements were met here.





This led the Court to determine whether marks are confusing or likely to induce confusion in the consumers mind. Pursuant to sections 2 and 6 of the TM Act, confusion must be considered from the perspective of the first impression of the casual consumer somewhat in a hurry (para 45, citing Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin v Boutiques Cliquot Ltee, [2006] 1 SCR 824 , para 20). This must be balanced with the inherent distinctiveness of the protected sign. Here while the sign United acquired distinctiveness through time, it is not particularly distinctive. Yet, because of the extensive use of the sign in marketing and advertising, the Court was convinced that that consumers would associate the United mark with the plaintiffs activities (para 47). The Court also sided with the plaintiff in relation to the nature of the services offered (i.e. both provide information to prospective travellers as well as complaints procedure with United). Furthermore, both the plaintiffs and the defendants services were provided through the Internet, adding to the likelihood of confusion induced by the way in which users would reach the respective websites (para 52).





Moving onto assessing the similarity between the two marks, the Court was convinced that this factor weighed heavily against the defendant as the alleged infringing website mimicked the plaintiffs website on purpose. The differences lying in the flipping the order of the I and the T, changes in colours from blue to red and the addition of a freehand frown on the United logo.





United has been recently

at the centre of attention ...

and internet creativity

On the question of trade mark infringement, there was no doubt that the defendants website aimed at evoking the plaintiffs website. However, as noted in Source Perrier SA v Fira-Less Marketing Co, [1983] 2 FC 18, para 10, in order to create a spoof, some uses may be meant to cause confusion. This is clearly the case here. By reproducing the trade mark, the defendant intended for the users to associate Untied.com with United.com (para 57). Having an imperfect recollection, the Court held that average consumer is likely to be confused (paras 59&62-65). As no parody exception currently exists under Canadian trade mark law, the defendants use constitute a TM infringement and passing off (para 83). This was supported by Source Perrier SA v Fira-Less Marketing Co, [1983] 2 FC 18, para 20 and Green v Schwarz , (1986) 12 CPR (3d) 84, paras 4-5. Here, both decisions support that by creating a spoof of a registered sign, the defendant inherently takes advantage of the goodwill associated to the plaintiffs trade mark in addition to depreciating it (para 102).





How did the Canadian Federal Court interpret and applied the copyright parody exception?





Before turning to the application of a defence, infringement must be established. Here, the plaintiff (and rightholder) must establish that the protected work is original, that the defendant reproduced a substantial part of this work and that the defendant accessed the original work. As originality and access had been admitted by the defendant himself, the Court was easily convinced that these two requirements were met (para 103). The question of substantiality must be appreciated qualitatively and not quantitatively ( Cie generale des etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie v CAW-Canada (1996), [1997] 2 FC 306, para 23). Based on the facts of this case, this substantial copying was evident (para 105) and therefore, infringement was established.





Can the use be rendered lawful by the application of the parody exception? Enshrined in section 29 of the Copyright Act 1985 ( R.S.C., 1985, c. C-42 ) , the Canadian parody exception reads:  fair dealing for the purpose of research, private study, education, parody or satire does not infringe copyright .





is assessed via a holistic approach based upon six variables applied to the facts of the case. Hence, courts must consider the purpose and character of the dealing, the amount copied, whether the alleged infringer had alternatives to the dealing, the nature of the copied work, and the effect of the dealing on the work. Contrastingly with the EUs principle of strict interpretation applicable to copyright exceptions, the Canadian Supreme Court held that copyright exceptions constitute users rights. As such, copyright exceptions cannot be interpreted restrictively ( CCH Canadian Ltd v Law Society of Upper Canada, 2004 SCC 13, [2004] 1 SCR 339, para 48 confirmed in According to the Supreme Court in CCH Canadian Ltd v Law Society of Upper Canada, 2004 SCC 13, [2004] 1 SCR 339, para 50, fair dealing requires a two-step test: (1) the dealing must be for one of the purpose set out in the Act; (2) the dealing must be fair. Fairness, 2004 SCC 13, [2004] 1 SCR 339, para 48 confirmed in Socan v Bell Canada, 2012 SCC 36, [2012] 2 SCR 326 , para 11).





general rules of statutory interpretation are applicable. Consequently, the ordinary meaning of the terms will be considered and insight will also be derived from judicial attempts to define parody prior to the introduction of a specific parody exception. It is therefore naturally that the Federal Court referred to Avanti Cine-Video Inc c Favreau, (1999) 177 DLR (4th) 568 La Petite Vie where the Court of Appeal constructed its own definition of parody, as: normally [involving] the humorous imitation of the work of another writer, often exaggerated, for purposes of criticism or comment (para 575). This definition was rejected in the case at hand as the defendant did not aim to derive a commercial benefit from the use (para 115). , a case concerning a pornographic parody of the TV situation comedy show,where the Court of Appeal constructed its own definition of parody, as: normally [involving] the humorous imitation of the work of another writer, often exaggerated, for purposes of criticism or comment (para 575). This definition was rejected in the case at hand as the defendant did not aim to derive a commercial benefit from the use (para 115). In relation to the purpose of the dealing, the use must be for the purpose of parody. However, as other jurisdictions which adopted a parody exception, the legislator remained silent as to the meaning of the terms parody and satire. In the absence of any legal definitions, the, (1999) 177 DLR (4th) 568





Turning to definitions adopted in other juridisctions, the Federal Court confirmed its intention to reject the US definitions as it saw no reason to adopt either the definitions or a fair use defence from another legal regime, based upon different jurisprudence (already noted in Compagnie Generales des Etablissements Michelin-Michelin & Cie v. National Automobile, Aerospace, Transportation and General Workers Union of Canada (1996) 71 C.P.R. (3d) 348 , paras 61-67). The Court went further and considered the EU definition of parody as established in Johan Deckmyn and Vrijheidsfonds VZW v Helena Vandersteen and Others (C-201/13) ECLI:EU:C:2014:2132 [2014] evoke an existing work while being noticeably different from it, and secondly, it must constitute an expression of humour or mockery (para 20). Finding this definition consistent with the ordinary meaning of the terms, the Canadian judge decided to adopt the two EU requirements which weighed in favour of the defendant. Here, the Court of Justice of the European Union identified a work as a parody by its satisfaction of two requirements: firstly, it must 





Finally, in determining whether the dealing was fair, the Court held that the use was not for the purpose of a parody as users are likely to be confused and that the defendants intent was not humorous but aimed at embarrassing or punishing the plaintiff (para 124). The character of the dealing (para 127), amount reproduced (para 129), alternatives to the dealing (para 133) and effect of the dealing on the market for the original (para 140) all weighed against the finding of fairness.





It remains to be seen whether Dr Cooperstock will appeal the decision or not.





The works at stake in the Deckmyn case

Comment





The Federal Courts outcome regarding the trade mark infringements was expected. In the absence of a specific parody exception under trade mark legislation, courts have struggled to recognise lawful uses in trade mark parodies. This case demonstrates the strong absolute without adequate legislative limitations applicable in some circumstances. protection granted to trade mark owners to protect their marks, bringing to the fore a possible real risk that trade mark protection becomeswithout adequate legislative limitations applicable in some circumstances.





The Courts reasoning regarding the application of the parody exception under copyright law (discussed by the IPKat here , here and here and by EU Law Analysis here and here ) is both interesting and surprising. Firstly, this contributor agrees that the judge was right in parting from the definition established in Favreau prior to the introduction of a specific exception given its very limited scope. Indeed, it seems restricted to works of literature and parody of, in which the parodists message is to comment upon the underlying work. Secondly, the judge adopted the parody definition from Deckmyn. In its interpretation, the judge seems to allocate less importance the intent behind the use than the effect resulting from it. This is perhaps not appropriate given that a parodys effect generally hinges upon external factors, outside the defendants control. Furthermore, the judge opines that the second requirement of  the evocation of an existing work while exhibiting noticeable differences only necessitates some differences. This leads to a very low threshold which is likely to be met by any derivative use.




PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 11:32:02

Microland appoints Sandeep Hardikar as Senior Vice President, Europe

Microland

Richa Handa

Media Relations

RichaH@microland.com

Microland, Indias leading hybrid IT infrastructure service provider, today announced the appointment of Sandeep Hardikar, as Senior Vice President, Europe. Based out of London, Sandeep will be responsible for Microlands business in the United Kingdom and Continental Europe.

We are very pleased to welcome Sandeep to the Microland team. Sandeep brings in extraordinary business expertise and sales leadership to Microland. He is well recognised for developing strategies that have accelerated growth and created stellar relationships with leading global executives. Sandeeps vast experience in International sales will help enhance the Microland brand in the region, as well as build a solid foundation for our growth in the geography, said Pradeep Kar, Founder, Chairman and Managing Director, Microland Limited.

Commenting on his appointment as Senior Vice President, Sandeep Hardikar said, I am delighted to re-join the Microland team and look forward to working closely with the senior management, sales and technology teams to build a strong foundation for Microland in Europe. The opportunities for business expansion in the areas of nextgen technologies are immense and I believe Microland is poised for exciting growth in the region. My sales experience across geos will help me build upon Microlands existing business and leverage industry trends to further develop revenue growth across the Europe region.

Sandeep joins Microland with over 18 years of experience across a spectrum of management and leadership roles in the IT Services and strategic outsourcing industry.

About Microland

Microland is a leading Hybrid IT service provider and a trusted partner to enterprises in their IT-as-a-Service journey. Headquartered in Bangalore, India, Microland has more than 3,600 professionals across its offices in Australia, Europe, India, Middle East & North America. Microland enables global enterprises become more agile and innovative through a comprehensive portfolio of services that addresses hybrid IT transformation, workspace, service and end-to-end IT management. For more info: http://www.microland.com.

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 10:02:01

With Achievement 75% Complete, Company Undertakes Land-based and Onboard Tests, with Anticipated Approval in March 2018

Miura Announces Major Milestone in U.S. Coast Guard Type Approval Process for HK Ballast Water Management System

For more information contact:

Miura Co., Ltd. (JAPAN)

TOMOKO KAWASHITA, +81-89-979-7060

hakuyo_eka@miuraz.co.jp

or

MIURA NETHERLANDS B.V.

OSAMU SHIMADA, +31-6-3700-9257

miuranetherlands@miuraz.com

Miura Co., Ltd., a leading Japanese machinery manufacturer, today announced it has successfully completed another major milestone in acquiring U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) type approval for its new ballast water management system. The company already obtained G8 type approval from the International Maritime Organization (IMO) in March 2014, and Alternate Management System (AMS) approval from the USCG in November 2014. With a major environmental test successfully conducted in May 2017, Miura has completed 75 percent of the type approval process, which is the primary method to receive USCG approval. The company is targeting March 2018 for full completion of the process.

This Smart News Release features multimedia. View the full release here: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051

Miura HK Ballast Water Management System (Photo: Business Wire)

Currently, Miura is beginning the implementation phase of a land-based test at the Maritime Environmental Resource Center (MERC), an accredited independent inspection body in the U.S. It will also conduct onboard test in the seas of East Asia.

The HK ballast water management system is aimed at preserving the marine environment. It features a unique, multilayer filter that captures microorganisms measuring 50 m or larger from the ballast water, and then uses an UV reactor to sterilize them. This technology ensures that 99.99 percent of L-size organisms equal to or larger than 50 m are captured through the filter, and microorganisms smaller than 50 m are completely sterilized by UV. Operation can be remotely controlled with ease via a touch panel installed in the vessels engine room. Also, Miura supervisors and engineers with a wealth of information realize retrofitting in any ship environment, and have achieved installs and orders for more than 500 ships.

The HKs filter and UV system are safe for the environment and the ship. Since no chemical or active substances are used, it is unnecessary to supply, administer and inject chemical agents, or use a neutralizer, at the time of ballast water discharge. Additionally, because chemical agents are not involved, there is no risk of affecting the ship with strong oxidization and corrosiveness. Moreover, Miuras unique technology solves the problem of high-frequency disassembly and cleaning of filters by extending maintenance cycles to 2.5 years. In contrast to filter and competitive UV products, the HK system minimizes the tedious task of maintenance.

About Miura

Established in 1959 and headquartered in Matsuyama, Ehime, Japan, Miura Co., Ltd., is a machinery manufacturer with operations in 20 countries worldwide. Miura is a top boiler manufacturer in Japan, primarily engaged in the manufacture and the sale of land boilers and marine auxiliary boilers. The company also offers ballast water management systems and a wide range of other products, including marine equipment, food processing equipment, medical equipment and environmental equipment. Its mission statement is: Helping customers all over the world in energy conservation and environmental preservation.

Miura has been in the marine business for 50 years since 1967, committed to offering a diverse array of products including auxiliary boilers, composite boilers, exhaust gas boilers and economizers, heaters, exhaust gas heat recovery units, incinerators, water desalination units as well as parts and maintenance services, with safety as its key priority.

Miuras marine business network is in Japan, the United States, the Netherlands, Singapore, Taiwan and China. Engineers provide complete maintenance services for marine equipment including electrical, mechanical and water treatment, while helping customers reduce maintenance costs.

Company name: MIURA CO., LTD.

Description of business:

Production, sale, and maintenance of small once-through boilers, marine boilers, exhaust gas boilers, water treatment equipment, food processing equipment, sterilizers and chemicals, environmental certification, etc.

Production, sale, and maintenance of small once-through boilers, marine boilers, exhaust gas boilers, water treatment equipment, food processing equipment, sterilizers and chemicals, environmental certification, etc. Head office: 7 Horie, Matsuyama, Ehime 799-2696, Japan

Established: May 1, 1959

Representative: Daisuke Miyauchi, President and CEO

Capital stock: 9.544 bn (as of March 31, 2016)

Number of employees:

Consolidated: 4,950 (as of March 31,2017)

Group: 5,013 (1,393 oversea)

Regular employees only

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051
PR-Inside.com: 2017-07-03 12:06:02

Neustar DNS Shield Wins Innovative Product of the Year at the Prestigious Cyber Security Awards Dinner

Neustar Media Contact

Laura Cahill

Laura.cahill@axicom.com

Neustar, Inc. (NYSE:NSR), a trusted, neutral provider of real-time information services, today announced that its ground-breaking DNS Shield(TM) solution has won the Innovative Product of the Year category at the 2017 Cyber Security Awards.

Rodney Joffe, Neustar SVP, Fellow, and DNS Shield creator said: "Our DNS Shield platform is designed to increase the resilience of our DNS infrastructure beyond the levels attainable by any other current technology. Under most circumstances, our DNS Shield nodes are impervious to disruption from DDoS attacks and global Internet disruptions that would cause other DNS systems to fail catastrophically. Growing the DNS Shield platform is a key component to our security architecture. We are already protecting over three hundred million consumers and businesses, spread across a number of major Service Provider Partners from DNS outages, and ensuring unparalleled DNS security and reliability for thousands of customers. We are delighted that the Cyber Security Awards' judges recognise the value of DNS Shield and the innovation behind its development."

DNS Shield reengineers the Internet by hardwiring private network connections between its authoritative servers and its partners recursive servers. The judges recognized this radically different industry-first approach in selecting Neustar as the award winner.

Now in their third year, the Cyber Security Awards are independent of any industry affiliations and open to all organizations that are committed to furthering the security industry. With the aim of rewarding the best individuals, teams, and companies within the cyber security industry, every category is judged on excellence and innovation. The judging panel includes senior executives, security professionals and academics from a range of organizations including, Credit Suisse, Aviva, Warwick University and Executive Risk Magazine.

The winners were announced at a glittering black-tie ceremony on June 29th at the Chelsea Harbour Hotel in central London.

About Neustar Security Solutions

Neustar Security Solutions defend against network threats, inform you of potential network vulnerabilities, accelerate online asset performance, and monitor client website performance through multiple services and offerings. Neustar will offer the largest, most distributed DDoS mitigation network in the world with over 10 Tbps of capacity, and our industry leading SiteProtect DDoS protection service ensures full coverage in an attack. Our UltraDNS service manages 10 percent of all internet traffic, routes over 1T queries a month and provides industry leading uptime and 100 percent website availability. Neustars IP Intelligence is the authoritative source of IP decisioning data on 99.9 percent of routable IP addresses worldwide. Our 19+ years of unparalleled expertise ensures that our customers are protected and optimized during normal business practices and when unsolicited events occur. Our services ensure customers network connectivity are protected and optimized whether in crisis or just business as usual. We are trusted by many of the worlds largest brands to keep their mission critical systems up and running.

About Neustar

Every day, the world generates roughly 2.5 quadrillion bits of data. Neustar (NYSE:NSR) isolates certain elements and analyzes, simplifies and edits them to make precise and valuable decisions that drive results. As one of the few companies capable of knowing with certainty who is on the other end of every interaction, were trusted by the worlds great brands to make critical decisions some 20 billion times a day. We help marketers send timely and relevant messages to the right people. Because we can authoritatively tell a client exactly who is calling or connecting with them, we make critical realtime responses possible. And the same comprehensive information that enables our clients to direct and manage orders also stops attackers. We know when someone isnt who they claim to be, which helps stop fraud and denial of service before theyre a problem. Because were also an experienced manager of some of the worlds most complex databases, we help clients control their online identity, registering and protecting their domain name, and routing traffic to the correct network address. By linking the most essential information with the people who depend on it, we provide more than 11,000 clients worldwide with decisionsnot just data. More information is available at https://www.neustar.biz

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/201707030051

@Neustar #DNS Shield wins 'Innovative Product of the Year' at has won the 2017 @CyberSec_Awards
ST. LOUIS, July 03, 2017 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Post Holdings, Inc. (NYSE:POST), a consumer packaged goods holding company, today announced it has completed the previously announced acquisition of Weetabix Limited ("Weetabix"), a leading United Kingdom based ready-to-eat cereal company, effective July 3, 2017.

The purchase of Weetabix was funded with cash on hand and partial proceeds from the previously announced incremental term loan facility, $1.0 billion of which was funded on June 29, 2017.

About Post Holdings, Inc.

Post Holdings, Inc., headquartered in St. Louis, Missouri, is a consumer packaged goods holding company operating in the center-of-the-store, foodservice, food ingredient, private label, refrigerated and active nutrition food categories. Through its Post Consumer Brands business, Post is a leader in the North American ready-to-eat cereal category and offers a broad portfolio that includes recognized brands such as Honey Bunches of Oats, Pebbles(TM), Great Grains and Malt-O-Meal bag cereal as well as granola and hot wheat products. Post is also a leader in the United Kingdom ready-to-eat cereal category with Weetabix and Alpen. Post's Michael Foods Group supplies value-added egg products, refrigerated potato products, cheese and other dairy case products and dry pasta products to the foodservice, food ingredient and private label retail channels and markets retail brands including All Whites, Better'n Eggs, Simply Potatoes and Crystal Farms. Post's Active Nutrition platform aids consumers in adopting healthier lifestyles through brands such as Premier Protein, PowerBar and Dymatize. Post's Private Brands Group manufactures private label peanut butter and other nut butters, dried fruits and baking and snacking nuts. For more information, visit www.postholdings.com.

Contact: Investor Relations Brad Harper brad.harper@postholdings.com (314) 644-7626
1) Invitation to be involved in IP Project:

The Joint Institute for Innovation Policy (JIIP) in Brussels is undertaking the development

of an Intellectual Property Rights Protection Index and are looking for help with data collection.

The objective of this European study is to collect information on the current state of and the major changes to IP legislation along three categories (substantive law, procedural aspects, and enforcement measures) across 60 countries.

The IP rights addressed in this study are patents, industrial designs, trademarks, geographical indications (GIs), copyright and trade secrets. The task involves collecting data about IP Laws and entering the information into an online form.

For more information, you can visit their

.

2) The International League of Competition Law (LIDC) National Reports on the question of balancing copyright protection with other freedoms are now available.

LIDC posed the question: To what extent do current exclusions and limitations to copyright strike a fair balance between the rights of owners and fair use by private individuals and others?" Responses are provided from Brazil, Czech Republic, Poland, Germany, Romania and the UK (prepared by our own Eleonora), you can read them

.



3) Call for papers! The United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) will be co-hosting



Forthcoming Events:



1) This year, PatentsAct, the patent professions regular (but newly named) band night is in aid of the charity Generating Genius. As ever, please support if you can by dropping a tenner in the collection bucket during the course of the evening. The event takes place on Wednesday 5th July, the Old Nick pub in Holborn WC1R4PZ from 7pm.



2) Keltie LLP is hosting a workshop on careers in IP on the 6th July, full details can be found



3) The ERA Academy of European Laws



Annual Conference on Trade Marks and Designs in Europe 2017, Alicante, 28 September 2017  29 September 2017, Voucher Code: actrademark2017 3) Call for papers! The United States Patent and Trade Mark Office (USPTO) will be co-hosting this year's IP Statistics for Decision Makers Conference with the Canadian Intellectual Property Office, Mexican Institute of Industrial Property, and Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) in Mexico City, Mexico on November 14th to 15th. Researchers interested in the topics listed in the call for papers are invited to submit their paper, or an extended abstract of at least three pages, to ipsdm@oecd.org. The deadline is 8th July 2017.Forthcoming Events:1) This year, PatentsAct, the patent professions regular (but newly named) band night is in aid of the charity Generating Genius. As ever, please support if you can by dropping a tenner in the collection bucket during the course of the evening. The event takes place on Wednesday 5th July, the Old Nick pub in Holborn WC1R4PZ from 7pm.2) Keltie LLP is hosting a workshop on careers in IP on the 6th July, full details can be found here . The workshop is particularly of interest for qualified in house attorneys and those with an existing practice in IP, as well as IP students.3) The ERA Academy of European Laws Annual Conference on European Patent Law 2017 , takes place in Brussels on the 26th and 27th October 2017. Furthermore, ERA has kindly offered IPKat readers a special discount of 25% on all our IP related conferences for this year. Please see voucher codes below:Annual Conference on Trade Marks and Designs in Europe 2017, Alicante, 28 September 2017  29 September 2017, Voucher Code: actrademark2017

Annual Conference on European Copyright Law 2017, Trier, 9 November 2017  10 November 2017, Voucher Code: accopy2017
For the New World Order, a world government is just the beginning. Once in place they can engage their plan to exterminate 80% of the world's population, while enabling the "elites" to live forever with the aid of advanced technology. For the first time, crusading filmmaker ALEX JONES reveals their secret plan for humanity's extermination: Operation ENDGAME.

Jones chronicles the history of the global elite's bloody rise to power and reveals how they have funded dictators and financed the bloodiest warscreating order out of chaos to pave the way for the first true world empire.

Watch as Jones and his team track the elusive Bilderberg Group to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III.





to Ottawa and Istanbul to document their secret summits, allowing you to witness global kingpins setting the world's agenda and instigating World War III. Learn about the formation of the North America transportation control grid, which will end U.S. sovereignty forever.





Discover how the practitioners of the pseudo-science eugenics have taken control of governments worldwide as a means to carry out depopulation.





View the progress of the coming collapse of the United States and the formation of the North American Union.

Never before has a documentary assembled all the pieces of the globalists' dark agenda. Endgame's compelling look at past atrocities committed by those attempting to steer the future delivers information that the controlling media has meticulously censored for over 60 years. It fully reveals the elite's program to dominate the earth and carry out the wicked plan in all of human history.

Endgame is not conspiracy theory, it is documented fact in the elite's own words.




Never Too Late 151

[week ending on Sunday 11 June]

Mozart and Other Pirates |

TILTing Perspectives 2017 report (1): The healthcare session

|

TILTing Perspectives 2017 report (2): The IP session and the Key Note

|

Application to amend nappy patent not so watertight - IPEC holds nappy patent invalid for added matter and lack of clarity

|

SugarHero and the Snow Globe Cupcakes - Copyright and Food Videos

|

Mr Justice Birss introduces the brand new FRAND Injunction in Unwired Planet v Huawei

|

French Counseil d'Etat invalidates decrees implementing law on out-of-commerce works

|

A Tight Squeeze: Matters of Comity and Justiciability

|

Life as an IP Lawyer: Milan

|
The 5th G.O.D. Awards announces its LATIN MAN OF AMERICA OF THE YEAR in the eminence person of His Excellency Vicente Fox Quesada, the 55th President of Mexico.

Media Contact

WCH SECRETARIAT

admin@wecareforhumanity.org

8185145756 WCH SECRETARIAT8185145756

End

--, founder and president ofand Chairman of the G.O.D. Awards declares: "From growing up on ranch in Guanajuato to becoming the leader of a colorfully diverse, richly cultured and persevering nation, you have always had the heart and concern of your people as a priority. Perhaps it is in your humble and tangible origins that has transformed your love of humanity into a greater and positive lasting impact in our world. An unwavering drive to elevate not only yourself, but the entire country of Mexico. Your compassion for change and transparency honed an amalgamation of skills that are needed to run a government and become what is defined leader.Leadership, a profound position where true intentions would be revealed by action. What makes you a great leader is having the compassion and determination to manifest your dreams into a goal without malevolence or greed. A rigorous battle to maintain resilience; the ineffable ability to overcome opposition and misfortunes and still, returning stronger than ever, for the sake of fellow paisanos.Your Excellency, it is your personable and amiable style, your gracious and warming charisma, your numerous endeavors whilst leading the Mexican Nation and your magnanimous efforts in youth education, peace, and leadership advocacy that I have the pleasure to announce that the 5th Global Officials of Dignity (G.O.D.) Awards committee have reached a unanimous decision to recognize yours truly, Vicente Fox Quesada, as the 2017 DIGNITARY MAN OF LATIN AMERICA. It is our strong belief that your accomplishments and distinct caliber of intrinsic leadership should be shared with and celebrated before the global audience at the United Nations".H.E. VICENTE FOX BIOGRAPHY:Vicente Fox, in full Vicente Fox Quesada (born July 2, 1942, Mexico City, Mexico), Mexican businessman and politician who was president of Mexico from 2000 to 2006. His term in office marked the end of 71 years of uninterrupted rule by the Institutional Revolutionary Party (PRI).Fox, the second of nine children, was raised on a 1,100-acre (445-hectare)ranch in the state of Guanajuato, Mexico. He earned a degree in business administration from the Ibero-American University in Mexico City and later became a route supervisor for the Mexican unit of the Coca-Cola Company. After a series of promotions, he served as the company's chief executive in Mexico and then head of its Latin American operations. In 1979, however, he resigned and returned to Guanajuato.As Mexico's economy struggled in the 1980s, Fox became convinced that the country needed new leadership, and he turned to politics. He joined the National Action Party (PAN) in 1987 and the following year was elected to the national Chamber of Deputies. After losing a controversial gubernatorial election in Guanajuato in 1991, he ran again and was elected in 1995. In 2000 Fox ran for president on a platform that focused on ending government corruption and improving the economy. At the polls he easily defeated PRI candidate Francisco Labastida Ochoa, and on December 1, 2000, he succeeded Ernesto Zedillo as president of Mexico.Fox focused his early efforts on improving trade relations with the United States, calming civil unrest in such areas as Chiapas, and reducing corruption, crime, and drug trafficking. In 2001 his administration introduced constitutional reforms that strengthened the rights of Mexico's indigenous peoples. Although the measures were ratified by the necessary number of Mexican states, seven other statesincluding Chiapas, where more than half the indigenous population livesrejected them. Advocates for indigenous rights objected to amendments that required indigenous peoples to act in accordance with the constitution and that reduced their autonomy in some spheres. Leaders of the Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapaswho had made constitutional reform a condition of their return to peace talksalso opposed the new law. In economic affairs, Fox's proposals, particularly his plans to increase taxes as part of sweeping reforms to stabilize the Mexican economy and banking system, met fierce resistance in the Mexican legislature, where the PAN lacked a majority.There was significant progress early in Fox's term toward bilateral cooperation with the United States on drug trafficking and illegal immigration, but the U.S. administration was skeptical of Fox's calls for open borders with the United States and for the protection of the rights of undocumented Mexican workers (Fox was later criticized for statements perceived as encouraging illegal immigration). At the same time, Fox's opponents faulted him for aligning Mexico too closely with the United States, a sentiment reflected in the vote of the Mexican Senate in 2002 to block a planned visit by Fox to the United States. The PAN's lack of a majority in the Mexican legislature hampered Fox's ability to secure enactment of his reform proposals. Although Fox's personal popularity remained high, there was disillusionment with the slow pace of reforms, and farmers staged widespread protests over the perceived failure of the Mexican government to address agricultural inequities caused by the North American Free Trade Agreement. As a result, in the 2003 legislative elections the PAN suffered major losses to the PRI, further eroding Fox's ability to push through his reforms. In 2004 Fox's wife, Martha Sahagun de Fox, briefly considered seeking the Mexican presidency (Fox was constitutionally ineligible for a second term), but her potential candidacy aroused considerable hostility in the public as well as among political leaders. In 2006 Fox left office, succeeded by Felipe Calderon of the PAN.Get more informayion here: http://www.godawards.com/ news/5th-annual- global-officials- of-dignity-awards- confers-he-vicente- fox-quesada- as-dignitary- man-of-latin- america
By: Bits and Bots LLC

End

-- Since he moved to Vermont five years ago, AllYouCanTech's founder Artur Adib has been working remotely for Silicon Valley companies like Twitter, Mozilla (Firefox), and most recently the Google-funded startup Magic Leap. This summer, he left his corporate job and launched AllYouCanTech to solve a problem he's experienced himself for the last five years: Finding tech employers, jobs, and events in Vermont."It's really incredible how rich the tech employment landscape is in Vermont, but you wouldn't know this without being extremely well connected or going out of your way to dig the data up," says Adib. "Through a combination of automation and curation from multiple sources, I was able to identify nearly 100 local employers, and counting, that can be considered 'tech companies,' meaning their business is enabled by digital or electronic technologies they build themselves."As Adib explains, this type of company is what his intended audience  tech employees  tends to look for.AllYouCanTech's catalog features not only Vermont-born companies, such as Inntopia out of Stowe that is already approaching 100 employees, but also regional offices of out-of-state employers, like Casenet, a Massachusetts-based healthcare software company with an office in Burlington. Both companies are growing their Vermont presence and have jobs listed on the portal."Retaining our existing talented team members, and attracting new talented, creative team members to support the growth of Inntopia is one of our top priorities. AllYouCanTech will help us do that. It is another great example of what an entrepreneur can do to create a useful, practical tool our industry can use to grow our teams in Vermont," comments Pam Mackenzie, SVP of Employee & Partner Engagement at Inntopia. Casenet's software architect Matt Bastress, who started their Burlington office, is also enthusiastic about the service: "Finding effective channels to reach potential tech hires in the area has been challenging for us, so we're excited to see AllYouCanTech do this great service for the tech community and help employers like us along the way."In its first week since launching, the site has attracted nearly 2,000 pageviews from across the country, with primarily local attention. "I think this is just the tip of the iceberg," says Adib. "We haven't been featured on any magazine or newspaper yet, and already we're getting this type of traffic, as well as lots of feedback, contributions, and hundreds of social media followers and subscribers. I think we struck a chord with the community."As for revenue, AllYouCanTech plans to attract sponsorships and job posts from local tech employers. As a former Silicon Valley engineer and employee of social media and browser companies, Adib is well positioned to help: "I know some tricks of the trade to reach and engage with the tech audience, so I'm confident I can help Vermont employers grow their tech staff more efficiently. I've been talking to local employers about their recruitment needs, and I think it's going to be a big win for everyone."AllYouCanTech was launched this year to semi-automatically aggregate tech companies, jobs, and events for current and prospective tech employees in underserved areas. The Vermont site can be reached at vt.allyoucantech.com and is owned and operated by Bits and Bots, LLC.
Contact

RIDWAN KOODRUTH

***@ryderdj.com RIDWAN KOODRUTH

End

-- With the Ibiza season now in full flourish, #RyderRadio returns with over an hour of upfront, deep and tech house vibes. Featuring a host of this summer's hottest artists including DJ S.K.T, Offaiah, Gorgon City, Hot Since 82 and more. Brandon Ilsley joins us for this month's guest mix.Full tracklisting -Shy FX ft. Shingai Shoniwa - We Don't Care (DJ S.K.T Remix) [Insanity Records]RAYE - The Line (Offaiah Remix) [Polydor]NEIKED - Call Me (George Kwali Remix) [Polydor]AJR - Weak (Jaded Extended Remix) [Black Butter]Fancy Inc - Wanna Thing (Tolstoi & Andsan Remix) [HIPPIES]Etienne Ozborne - Velaa [Big Beat Records]A.V.A & Godlov - Tramonto [Big Beat Records]Nicone ft. Narra - Caje (Original Version) [Stil Vor Talent]Elderbrook - How Many Times (Andhim Remix) [Black Butter]Elli, K.E.E.N.E., Tigerskin - Lust (David Mayer Remix) [Toolroom Longplayer]Matt Prehn ft. Griffin - Do What You Want (Original Mix) [Large Music]Ole Biege, Martin Waslewski - Reilstreet (Original Mix) [Exploited Ghetto]Brandon Ilsley mini-mixDillon Francis ft. G-Eazy - Say Less (Gorgon City Remix) [IDGAFOS]Hot Since 82 - Knee Deep In Louise [Moda Black]Roberto Palmero - Acid People [Pura Music]Sam Divine & CASSIMM - In Da Nation [DFTD]GW Harrison - When House Takes a Journey (Original Mix) [ABODE Records]With over a decade of experience under his belt, Hertfordshire based Ryder DJ has forged a reputation for his eclectic style, versatility and ability to captivate any audience, whether it be a thousand-strong summer festival or a hundred-something intimate venue.A unique blend of deep, tech and bass sounds has seen Ryder grace the United Kingdom's most prestigious venues, including Ministry of Sound, Pacha, Egg and The Stirling (London's famous Gherkin building) as well as summer residencies in Spain, Cyprus and Portugal.Further afield, Ryder has received worldwide recognition for presenting a radio show on the infamous Manic FM, success in the Coors Light UK x Mixmag DJ Search and hosting numerous celebrity parties and providing the soundtrack for fresh, innovative brands. This mix of talent, dedication and persistence has been rewarded with features and interviews in countless online and printed publications including YAB and Mauritius Now.This year, we welcomed the highly anticipated return of #RyderRadio. The iTunes store rated the monthly deep, tech and bass house podcast as 'new & noteworthy' and continues to draw listeners and subscribers from all corners of the world. Expect the hottest bumpin' beats, bass driven rhythms and infectious sounds!Bookings - contact@ryderdj.com
Globex Business Centres congratulates Total SA and CNPC for completing their $5 Billion USD deal with the National Iranian Oil Co. to develop the massive South Pars gas field!

By: Globex Business Centres

Globex Business Centres

Contact

Lorraine Davidson

***@globexcentres.com Lorraine Davidson

End

-- Globex Business Centres Inc. (www.globexcentres.com)congratulates Total SA and CNPC for completing their nearly $5 Billion USD deal with the National Iranian Oil Co. to develop part of the massive South Pars gas field in Iran. The South Pars gas field is one of the world's most extensive energy reserves. The agreement with the National Iranian Oil Co. marks the first major western investment in Iran since the nuclear deal was reached in 2015. Iran holds the world's largest gas reserves estimated at 33 trillion cubic meters. Globex looks forward to providing its world-class serviced offices to its global corporate clients at its new centre opening on Valiasar Street in North Tehran. The Globex Tehran centres will offer such Globex universally acclaimed services as: premium quality fit-out and finish of all offices; the most advanced internet and telecom infrastructure available in the market; fully equipped luxury meeting and conference rooms with video conferencing and catering; the industry's largest allocation of space per office occupant/client;teh industry's most flexible terms and contracts; 24/7 monitored and high secured access; professional Globex trained administrative support staff including on-site receptionists to manage your calls and your clients; large indoor parking facilitites;extra wide hallways with large areas of common space; fully equipped ultra-modern kitchen and cafe areas; etc. With a corporate mandate to establish 250 plus Globex branded business centres/serviced offices in the all important emerging markets of Latin America, the Middle-East, Africa and Asia - more information related to the Iran market and other market opportunities can be secured by contacting the Globex Licensing department at: licensing@globexcentres.com
Scandic Hotels has signed an agreement with property owner Exilion to operate a new hotel in the building that houses the Helsinki Central Railway Station. With close to 500 rooms, the hotel will be one of the largest in Scandics portfolio. Helsinkis Central Railway Station, which was built between 1909

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At a festive Ground-breaking Event in Amsterdam, the foundation stone was symbolically handed over for the new Maritim Hotel Amsterdam. The kick-off for the project was initiated by the investor group, Investor United Benefits and IES Immobilien with the Maritim Hotelgesellschaft as the hotel operator.

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Turksat has selected Chinese communications technology giant ZTE to provide digital hybrid set-top boxes (STBs) for its direct-to-home (DTH) and cable operations.





Turksat operates satellites for customers across Asia and Europe, as well as a cable TV and Internet service within Turkey. It has more than 1.5 million TV subscribers in its homeland.The contract, confirmed before MWC Shanghai 2017, will see ZTE provide its stable and high performance digital video broadcasting cable (DVB-C) and over-the-top (OTT) hybrid STBs to aid the acceleration of digital terrestrial television ( DTT ) broadcasting in Turkey.ZTEs stable STBs will help Turksat develop the regions digital TV industry and provide a clearer and more reliable video experience, the Shenzhen-based company said in a statement.
Bosnia & Herzegovinias MAXtv has added a range of Arabic and Turkish video content following a deal with TV channel distributor Mobibase.





France 24, Rotana, Al Resalah and Fenerbahce TV, Power Turk, Travel TV, and Cartoon TV, will now be available to subscribers of MAXtvs IPTV service.MAXtv is constantly looking to distribute new types of domestic channels in order to provide the best possible television experience to subscribers. In today's multi-ethnic society, offering targeted content to a diverse group of end-users is a key priority, said Dzevad Mehovic, CEO of MAXtv.Together with Mobibase, weve made a significant step forward in achieving this goal. By greatly extending our channel line up, we've gained competitive advantage in the region.Vincent Roger, CEO of Mobibase, added: Our collaboration with MAXtv to offer multicultural content to diaspora communities in Bosnia and Herzegovina was a complete success, reinforcing our position as a leading provider of ethnic TV content in Central and Eastern Europe.Going forward, we will continue to enrich our TV and VOD catalogue with fresh, targeted, and ethnic content to entertain diverse audiences all around the world.
North Koreas missile launches in February, March and April of 2017 came during a period of heightened tension between the US and North Korea, and the implosion of two of them seconds after being launched brought speculation as to whether the USor China was responsible for their sabotage. Both the US and China have electronic and cyber warfare capabilities and programs designed to use electromagnetic pulse weapons to attack, protect, and support military operations. North Korea also has electronic and cyber warfare capabilities. Although there has been no speculation as to whether some of the failed missile tests over the years (or those conducted recently) were actually North Koreas testing of a High Powered Microwave (HPM) device, fears have been uttered of its ability to use High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) weapons, deliverable through its long-range missiles, against the US.





North Koreas use of HEMP in the immediate future to attack the US mainland is not per se strategically realistic but it is reasonable to assume that any future war on the Korean Peninsula would entail the use of both HPM and HEMP weapons. The Asia Pacific region, however, is unprepared for any type of hybrid war that would encompass the combined use of conventional and unconventional capabilities. The present situation in the Korean Peninsula, therefore, is untenable, and past policies employed by the US under the doctrine of strategic patience have had limited success. A doctrine of strategic coercion, as advocated by the Trump administration, is also likely to have limited success. The US, South Korea, Japan, China, or Russia cannot alone contain North Korea and its intentional, conventional and unconventional, asymmetric provocations in the present. Through a strategic doctrine of electronic and cyber warfare containment, however, it would be possible for certain strategically significant actors to contain North Korea, while other strategically significant actors simultaneously work toward a peaceful resolution to the North Korean issue. A concerted, multipronged, and strategic approach is warranted to not only diffuse tensions but also to bring about lasting peace on the Korean Peninsula.





The remainder of the article is structured as follows: Section two provides readers with a general overview of electronic warfare (EW), cyber warfare (CW), cyberspace (CS), the electromagnetic spectrum (EMS), electromagnetic pulse (EMP) weapons, and North Koreas capabilities. The general information provided on EW, CW, CS, the EMS, and EMP weapons were derived from a combination of sources ranging from the US Armys newly released manual on Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations,1 the US Joint Chiefs of Staffs Joint Publications on Electronic Warfare2 and Cyberspace Operations,3 and expert studies.4 Information on North Koreas capabilities were derived from open-source, expert studies, and industry reports.5 Section three utilizes the information provided in section two to make the argument as to why a strategic EW/CW containment doctrine is needed and outline some of its parameters. It should be noted that this article is intentionally designed to be brief and exploratory in nature. Finally, section four concludes that a EW/CW containment doctrine can only be one pillar of a new concerted, multilateral, multipronged strategy to bring about peace in the Korea Peninsula.





An Overview of EW, CW, Cyberspace, the EMS, and EMP Weapons and North Koreas Capabilities





EW and CW are not new to 21st century warfare. What is new, however, is the simultaneous integration of them into a states overarching warfare strategy and operational plans. A basic shared understanding of EW, CW, Cyberspace, the EMS, and EMP weapons is, therefore, necessary to have a discussion on why a EW/CW containment doctrine or strategy is needed in the present to contain North Koreas asymmetrical provocations and to sketch its parameters. While the first sub-section provides readers with a basic understanding of each concept and their relationship to one another, the second sub-section provides a historical overview of North Koreas EW/CW development.





EW, CW, Cyberspace, the EMS, and EMP Weapons





EW is understood to be the use of military action to gain superiority in cyberspace and over the EMS by synchronizing operations, attacks, support, and protection across a network through the use of electromagnetic and directed energy in an operational area, which encompasses both the military and civilian information, communication, and technology infrastructures. Superiority is understood as the degree to which an actor can manage the EMS to engage in either offensive or defensive capabilities. Offensive and defensive capabilities include electronic attacks, electronic protection, and electronic support. Electronic attacks are the use of radiofrequency weapons, lasers or particle beams that use either electromagnetic or directed energy against electronic equipment to prevent or reduce use of the EMS. Deception, intrusion, jamming, probing and pulse are the most common types of electromagnetic attack actions. Electronic protection are actions undertaken to prevent against jamming such as frequency hopping; to protect equipment or resisting an attack through hardening, masking, and emission control; and, to destroy the jamming capabilities of an adversary with anti-radiation missiles.6 Electronic support actions include collecting intelligence on non-communications electromagnetic radiation; detecting, locating, identifying, and evaluating electromagnetic threats; and protecting the EMS and networks in an operational area from an adversarys acquisition of information of value. EW operations and actions are separate from yet complementary to CW operations.





CW is understood to be the use of cyber capabilities in cyberspace to carry out offensive and defensive operations and actions to attain superiority in an information environment. Cyber capabilities refer to devices, computer programs, and techniques that are used to create cyber effects. Cyberspace is a global domain within the information environment consisting of interdependent networks of information technology infrastructures and resident data, including the Internet, telecommunication networks, computer systems, and embedded processors and controllers.7 Cyber actions include the defense and protection of information networks through cyberattacks and cyber security; and, the detection of threats through intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance. Cyberspace superiority is attained when an actor has a degree of dominance that either prohibits or restricts an adversary from interfering with an operation or warfare capabilities.8 The informational dimension connects cyberspace to the EMS.





The EMS is the transport medium connecting cyberspace operations and electronic warfare operations. It is defined as the range of frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. Management of the EMS is, therefore, critical to effectively employ capabilities and wage operations. Activities undertaken to manage the EMS include frequency assignment, host nation coordination, and the establishment of policies for planning, management, and execution of operations. Spectrum management becomes even more critical for the use of EMP weapons, particularly given their impact on both civilian and military infrastructures.





EMP is an instantaneous, intense energy field that can overload or disrupt at a distance numerous electrical systems and high technology microcircuits, which are especially sensitive to power surges.9 Two of the most common weaponized forms of EMP are HEMP and HPM. HEMP is a high-altitude electromagnetic pulse that is released into the atmosphere through the power and radiation of a nuclear explosion for the purpose of damaging, disrupting, or destroying electronic equipment and communication systems. Its actual impact, however, depends upon the design of the nuclear device, the altitude of the burst, and the degree of hardening of the equipment and systems operating on both the civilian and military infrastructures. HPM is an instantaneous high-powered microwave electromagnetic energy pulse. It is created through special electronic equipment that transforms a chemical reaction or explosion into microwaves, which are damaging to electronic equipment and systems near the blast. Although the blast of HPM is smaller and more direct, it is more difficult to harden against; thus, civilian and military equipment and systems are more susceptible to damage, disruption, or destruction. In any future war on the Korean Peninsula, North Korea is likely to use both HEMP and HPM weapons. HPM weapons have the potential to transform ground dynamics of any invasion  either by the North into the South or the South into the North.





North Koreas Capabilities





EW and CW have long been central to North Koreas asymmetrical military capabilities. In the 20th century, Kim Jong Il said that EW is the key to victory in modern warfare,10 while Kim Jung Un highlighted the significance and power of CW in the 21st century.11 Unlike many countries who considered EW and CW as separate yet complimentary forms of warfare in the 20th century, North Korea adopted an approach in 1990 that coupled EW, CW and Information Warfare, which it called Electronic Warfare and Electronic Intelligence Warfare (EW/EIW). For the sake of consistency, EW/CW will continue to be used for EW/EIW. Today, North Koreas EW/CW operational understanding is similar to the understanding of cyberspace and electronic warfare operations articulated in the US Armys 2017 Field Manual on Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations. Its capabilities, however, do not parallel that of the US Armed Forces.





North Koreas EW/CW developments can be broken down into four periods: WWII-1960s, 1960s-1980s, the 1990s, and the 2000s.12 In the first period, North Korea was introduced to SIGINT, EW, and EIW by the former Soviet Union in WWII. SIGINT was used in the Korean War. In the second period, education and curriculum development were introduced in North Koreas civilian and military schools and universities; military personnel received specialized training in EW and SIGINT by the former Soviet Union and China; and, a small number of mainframe computers were acquired. By the end of the period, North Koreas military schools and universities had specialized EW/SIGINT curricula, which were taught by those who had been trained in the 1960s and 1970s. Schools were also no longer as reliant on Chinese and Eastern European foreign instructors.





North Koreas EW/CW capabilities may not be comparable to that of the US armed forces but its knowledge appears to be far more advanced than what some may expect.





In the third period, there were five key developments. First, the military underwent some organizational changes; and, all branches, however minor, began incorporating EW/SIGINT capabilities and focusing R&D on weaponing EW/CW. Second, new educational curricula were introduced across the civilian and military schools and universities for computer software and hardware development. Third, the Korean Computer Center was established to cultivate computer program and software development among civilians. Fourth, technological cooperation was facilitated between Korean R&D institutes and developing countries for importing computer software and hardware. Fifth, the communication and information infrastructures were updated and expanded. By the end of the period (it is significant to note), all branches of the Korean Armed Forces had training in and focused on R&D to further develop each branchs informational, technological, and operational EW/CW capabilities; an Electronics Industry Ministry was created; and, significant infrastructural developments occurred to lay the foundation for the cyberspace developments in the last period. Cyberspace and CW and the missile program were focused on the last period.





In conclusion, North Koreas EW/CW capabilities may not be comparable to that of the US armed forces but its knowledge appears to be far more advanced than what some may expect. Poor informational, communication, and technological infrastructural development remain the largest stumbling blocks in the present. Despite the challenges, North Koreas capabilities are only likely to advance in the years to come, particularly as its main adversaries civilian and military informational and technological dependencies grow. Imagine the chaos that would ensue with the use of a HEMP weapon in the region or the use of HPM devices in any ground war. While military equipment and communication systems among the surrounding countries armed forces are likely to withstand a potential HEMP attack (depending of course on the altitude and degree of hardening), civilian infrastructure would not be as resistant. Similarly, in a ground invasion, the use of HPM in South Korea would create social chaos; thus, creating a factor not per se taken into consideration in past strategy designs and operation plans. North Korea has consistently strategized in terms of contemporary asymmetrical warfare, while its adversaries continue to largely think in terms of and approach it with ideas rooted in conventional warfare capabilities. An asymmetrical strategic approach is needed most at the present to contain North Koreas asymmetrical provocations.





Strategic Containment of North Koreas Asymmetrical Provocations





North Koreas asymmetrical provocations are perceived to be a threat to regional stability and international security, and a surgical strike, war, or regime change are not viable coercive policy options for the region or its actors. A coercive option that has not per se been tried is a multilateral containment strategy designed to use EW/CW capabilities over a sustained period, while other non-coercive measures are employed. The aim of such a strategy would be to contain North Korea asymmetrical provocative operations through disruption and/or limiting the effects of its actions.13 The immediate asymmetrical provocations of concern are the missile launches and cyberattacks. It would have to be multilateral because of the nature of the EMS and North Koreas information and communication networks; its history of changing the location of where missiles are launched and use of frequency hopping; and, finally, its running of cyber operations from countries in the Asia Pacific and the Middle East regions, as well as using IP addresses from countries in South America and global non-state actors to wage cyberattacks.





The nature of the EMS grid and the EW/CW operations to be undertaken in a containment strategy would determine which actors are strategically significant. Despite the global positioning of the US D.O.D Information Network and the nature of the South Korean and Japanese military networks, the US, South Korea, and Japan could not alone sustain a EW/CW containment strategy. Other regional actors such as China and Thailand (to name just two) would be strategically significant.14 Global state and non-state actors would also have to be considered as well as an assessment conducted of their impact on containment operations because of the relationship they have with North Korea. Given the relevance of a multiple set of actors to the running of EW/CW containment operations, spectrum management would be extremely important yet also difficult, as regionally significant actors would have to take part in spectrum management operations (SMOs). Multilateral SMOs are not something factored into or discussed in some of the new manuals on cyberspace and electronic warfare operations. One could imagine the numerous national security issues that would be raised by regional actors when contemplating a EW/CW containment strategy. Nonetheless, it is something worth pondering, as the current situation is presently untenable. North Korea will continue developing its asymmetrical program and employing an asymmetrical strategy. It is time that we similarly think and act asymmetrically, but on a multilateral, multidimensional game board.





Conclusion: Asymmetrical Strategic Containment  Only a Pillar in a Needed Multipronged Approach





An asymmetrical strategic containment doctrine employing EW/CW capabilities to triangulate and contain North Koreas asymmetrical provocations is not alone sufficient. A multilateral, multipronged approach is needed, which incorporates both state and non-state actors and balances the symmetrical and asymmetrical capabilities of the main actors so that a win-win solution can be attained. Past approaches tend to neglect the role of non-state actors. The non-state actors we have in mind are not the typical civil society actors, as they have long played a role in endeavors to implement non-coercive policies. Rather, those who have yet to be assessed and factored into the equation are illicit actors.





North Korea is a significant actor within the global illicit economy  from the training of insurgents and engaging in arms, drugs, and human trafficking to the proliferation of computer software, hardware, and the distribution of technological knowledge. Many of the illicit actors whom North Korea has relations with are connected to political networks in their countries and across the region (e.g. illicit actors in Africa and South America) who are dependent on the informal and illicit economy. A traditional multilateral approach will never work with a non-traditional and non-conformist state actor. We need to think creatively and outside of the box when developing a new, multilateral, and multipronged asymmetrical approach to North Korea, particularly if the world is keen on facilitating stability on the Korean Peninsula.





Notes





1. US Army (2017), FM 3-12: Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations, pp. 1-108.





2. US Joint Chiefs of Staff (2007), Joint Publication 3-13.1: Electronic Warfare, pp. 1-115.





3. US Joint Chiefs of Staff (2013), Joint Publication 3-12R: Cyber Operations, pp. 1-70.





4. See: Poisel (2013), Information Warfare and Electronic Warfare Systems, pp. 1-414. Hobbes (2008), Chapter 19: Electronic and Information Warfare, in Anderson (2008), Security Engineering: A Guide to Building Dependable Distributed Systems, 2nd Edition, pp. 559-593. Retrieved from: http://www.cl.cam.ac.uk/~rja14/Papers/SEv2-c19.pdf. Miller (2010), Electromagnetic Pulse Threats in 2010, Center for Strategy and Technology: Air War College, Air University, pp. 383-410. Retrieved from: http://www.au.af.mil/au/awc/awcgate/cst/bugs_ch12.pdf. Wilson (2008), High Altitude Electromagnetic Pulse (HEMP) and High Power Microwave (HPM) Devices: Threat Assessments, CRS Report for Congress, pp. 1-16. Retrieved from: https://www.wired.com/images_blogs/dangerroom/files/Ebomb.pdf. Vass (2004), Defense against electromagnetic pulse weapons, AARMS, 3(3), pp. 443-457. Retrieved from: http://www.zmne.hu/aarms/docs/Volume3/Issue3/pdf/13vass.pdf.





5. See: Jun, LaFoy, and Sohn (2015), North Koreas Cyber Operations: Strategies and Responses, Center for Strategic and Intelligence Studies, pp. 1-97. Mansourov (2014), North Koreas Cyber Warfare and Challenges for the US-ROK Alliance, Korea Economic Institute of America: Academic Paper Series, pp. 1-17. HP Security Research (2014), HP Security Briefing Episode 16: Profiling an enigma: The mystery of North Koreas cyber threat landscape, pp. 1-75. Berkofsky (2013), North Koreas Military-What Do They Have, What do they Want?, Instituto Per Gli Studi Di Politica Internazionale, pp. 1-6. Retrieved from: http://www.ispionline.it/sites/default/files/pubblicazioni/analysis_161_2013_0.pdf. Scobell and Sanford (2007), North Koreas Military Threat: Pongyangs Conventional Forces of Mass Destruction, and Ballistic Missiles, Strategic Studies Institute, pp. 1-177. Bermudez (2005). Chapter 13: SIGINT, EW, and EIW in the Korean Peoples Army: A Overview of Development and Organization, in Mansouroy (2005), Bytes and Bullets: Information Technology Revolution and National Security, Honolulu: Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies, pp. 234-275. Retrieved from: http://apcss.org/Publications/Edited%20Volumes/BytesAndBullets/CH13.pdf.





6. Hobbes (2008), p. 560; US Army (2017), p. 1-29.





7. US Army (2017), p. 1-2; US Joint Chiefs of Staff (2013).





8. US Army (2017), p. 1-3.





9. Wilson (2008), p. 1.





10. Bermudez (2005), p. 5.





11. Mansourov (2014), p. 1.





12. Bermudez (2005)





13. For example, during the Aramco cyberattack, Saudi Arabia was able to shut down parts of the grid from which the computer network systems operated in order to contain the attack.





14. Much of North Koreas ICT infrastructure is dependent on China. North Koreas Star Joint Venture company provides internet access in cooperation with Thailands Loxley Asia Pacific.




The Instituto Nacional de Radio and Television del Peru (IRTP) has announced that its international channel will be airing across all Europe before the end of the year.





The broadcaster has already reached a distribution agreement with Frances Mobibase to air TV Peru Internacional in France. Over the coming weeks, the broadcaster intends to ink several distribution deals to air the signal in most of the European Union, including the UK, targeting Peruvian expats.Currently, the international signal is available across the Americas through the Intelsat 14 satellite feed . However, in the US it is only distributed across a limited number of states.Therefore, the public broadcaster has also confirmed it is negotiating with two US-based operators to deliver the signal nationwide.
Vubiquity has agreed a deal with Viva Africa to licence local content from Nigeria, South Africa, Western Africa and Eastern Africa.





Viva Africa sources, creates, aggregates and distributes locally produced content, and its content will be offered to customers alongside Vubiquitys premium international content. Together, the deal will make more than 1,000 titles available in different languages.Short- and long-form content will be included, to appeal to customers with varied data allowances.In a fast-paced and ever-changing marketplace, adapting to the needs of individual markets is essential to staying competitive. Vubiqity is proud to be working with Viva Africa as part of this two-year content deal, which responds to the individual demands of the African market by providing colloquially relevant content alongside the major international series titles, Marco Nadotti, senior vice president of content, Vubiquity.This demonstrates our unique understanding of the region, and our ability to adapt to the needs of our customers across the world, further establishing us as the first choice content partner in emerging markets.Titles will be available to customers as part of Vubiquitys Micropacks offering and its existing subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) catalogue.Pieter Verkade, chairman of Viva Africa, welcomed the deal, saying: At Viva Africa, we are focused on feeding the growing demand for quality, local video content in a region where the first, and often the only screen, is the small screen. The future of video content is local and Viva Africa is passionate about bringing African talent to the screen. Viva Africa and Vubiquity are perfectly poised and aligned to deliver this in the marketplace.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy declared that Kherson is "ours after his special forces entered the strategic southern city following the retreat of Russian troops, marking another dramatic battlefield victory in Kyivs drive to recapture territory occupied by Russia since the start of its unprovoked invasion.

The Ukrainian military also said on November 11 that its troops had advanced all the way to the western bank of the Dnieper River in some areas of the Kherson region as Moscow said its forces had completed their withdrawal to the eastern bank in the face of Ukraines powerful counteroffensive.

"Our people -- Ours. Kherson," Zelenskiy wrote in a Telegram post that also included what appeared to be a video of Ukrainian troops celebrating with local residents.

Today is a historic day, Zelenskiy said in the post. We are returning Kherson. As of now, our defenders are on the approaches to the city. But special units are already in the city.

Various videos on social media from Kherson showed resident cheering and waving flags as the first Ukrainian troops reached the center of the city, the only provincial capital captured by Russian forces following their February 24 invasion.

"Kherson is returning to the control of Ukraine," the Ukrainian Defense Ministry said earlier in the day. "Units of the armed forces of Ukraine are entering the city."

"The Russian occupiers' routes of retreat are under the direct fire of the Ukrainian Army," the statement added. "Any Russian soldier who resists will be killed."

Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba said in a tweet that "Ukraine is gaining another important victory right now and proves that whatever Russia says or does, Ukraine will win." The tweet included a video purporting to show Kherson residents removing a billboard that proclaimed "Russia is here forever."

Serhiy Khlan, a deputy for the Kherson Regional Council, said a Ukrainian flag had been raised in Kherson, as multiple videos circulating on social media purportedly showed Ukrainian soldiers planting their yellow-and-blue flag on administrative buildings in the city and local residents celebrating.

The Russian Defense Ministry said it had finished the pullout from Kherson city and the region at 5 a.m. on November 11 and that no military equipment had been left behind, in an another embarrassing blow to Moscow's war effort, which it refers to as a "special military operation."



"In total, more than 30,000 Russian servicemen, about 5,000 pieces of hardware, and military equipment and materiel have been withdrawn," the ministry said. "Not a single piece of military equipment or weaponry was left on the right (western) bank," he added, although the report could not immediately be confirmed.

Khlan said some Russian soldiers had been unable to leave the city and had changed into civilian clothing and urged local residents to stay at home while Ukrainian troops cleared the city.

"The number of these people is not known," he told a news briefing, without citing evidence for the claim.

Live Briefing: Russia's Invasion Of Ukraine RFE/RL's Live Briefing gives you all of the latest developments on Russia's ongoing invasion, Kyiv's counteroffensive, Western military aid, global reaction, and the plight of civilians. For all of RFE/RL's coverage of the war, click here.

Khlan also said, without citing evidence, that many Russian troops had drowned attempting to flee across the river.

The head of the joint coordination press center of the Defense Forces of Southern Ukraine, Natalya Humenyuk, said Russian troops "have been changing into civilian clothes for two weeks."

"This should focus our forces as it means saboteur operations cannot be ruled out," Humenyuk told a separate briefing.

"Because of this, we are not rushing to announce our successes in other directions and in other towns."

Russia did not immediately comment on Khlan's or Humenyuk's remarks.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksiy Reznikov said on November 10 that it would take Russia at least a week to withdraw, telling Reuters in an interview that Russia had 40,000 troops in the Kherson region and that it still had forces in the city.

Kherson controls both the only land route to Ukraine's Russian-occupied Crimean Peninsula and the mouth of the Dnieper, which bisects Ukraine.

Recapturing the city could provide Ukraine with a launching pad for supplies and troops to try to win back other lost territory in the south.

Meanwhile, Ukraine's public broadcaster quoted local residents as saying on November 11 that the Antonivskiy Bridge, the only nearby road crossing from Kherson city to the Russian-controlled eastern bank of the Dnieper, had collapsed.

The Suspilne broadcaster published a photograph showing whole sections of the bridge missing. The next road crossing across the Dnieper is more than 70 kilometers from Kherson city.

It was not immediately clear what had caused the collapse.

Recapturing the city could provide Ukraine a launching pad for supplies and troops to try to win back other lost territory in the south.

The Ukrainian General Staff said retreating Russian forces have been looting homes and destroying critical infrastructure, while forcibly evicting residents from the settlements still under their control.

"The Russian invaders continue to loot the settlements from which they are retreating. The enemy is also attempting to damage power lines and other elements of the transport and critical infrastructure of the Kherson region as much as possible," the military said, adding that Russian mines continue to wound civilians.

Elsewhere, six civilians were killed in a Russian rocket attack on Mykolayiv overnight, the mayor of the southern Ukrainian city said on November 11, as Ukrainian troops continued their advance in the direction of Kherson.

The mayor of Mykolayiv, Oleksandr Sienkovych, said on November 11 that the people were killed when Russian rockets hit a residential area of the city, destroying a five-story building.

"As of 10 a.m., six people were killed by the impact of the attack on the residential building," Sienkovych said.

Fierce fighting continues in Bakhmut and Soledar in the eastern Donetsk region as well as in the adjacent Luhansk region, the military said, adding that heavy Russian shelling pounded about 20 settlements in the Kharkiv, Luhansk, Donetsk, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhya, and Mykolayiv regions.

In his nightly address late on November 10, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said: "Today we have good news from the south. The number of Ukrainian flags returning to their rightful place within the framework of the ongoing defense operation is already dozens.

He added that 41 settlements had been liberated.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and dpa
Opposition activists in Belarus staged an antigovernment protest in Minsk on July 3, a rally that coincided with Independence Day celebrations in the ex-Soviet republic.

Some 150 people took to the streets of the capital to protest against the government of authoritarian President Alyaksandr Lukashenka and military exercises Belarus is set to hold with Russia in September.

The protest, organized by opposition leader Mikalay Statkevich, concluded without incident, and there were no immediate reports of arrests or detentions.

Belarusian authorities in the past have cracked down on antigovernment rallies, often detaining protest leaders prior to the rallies.

Statkevich ran against Lukashenka in the 2010 election. Lukashenka, in office since 1994, was reelected in the vote that his critics say was rigged.

Statkevich was arrested after a large demonstration protesting the election results. He spent five years in prison.

The Independence Day protest came two days before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe's planned annual session in Minsk.
World leaders attended on July 1 a ceremony at the European Parliament in Strasbourg to commemorate the life of Helmut Kohl, the former chancellor of Germany and the main architect of its reunification. Kohl, who died on June 16 aged 87, is the first person to be honored with an official memorial event by the European Union. Dignitaries have been paying respects at his coffin, which was draped in the EU flag. (Reuters/AP)
Toomaj Salehi's lyrical support for protesters in Iran has landed him behind bars before, but this time the popular rapper's fortune-telling has fans and family members fearing for his life.

Just days before his September 30 arrest, the 32-year-old Salehi released his latest music video, in which he makes foreboding predictions about the future of Iran's clerical regime if it continues its violent crackdown against ongoing anti-government demonstrations.

"I am the predictor, the fortune teller," he raps in the video for Omen, which shows him reading the patterns left in his coffee cup and warning that brute force will not prevail.

"I saw a cage in the coffee grounds -- a lion was hunting a jackal," he explains, alluding to a fairy tale about wisdom defeating physical strength. "We will rise from the bottom and target the top of the pyramid."

Salehi goes on to warn that the regime's protectors -- including the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), the Basij paramilitary forces, the Intelligence Ministry, and the state media -- will all get their day in court.

Salehi followed up on the new video by posting on social media images of him standing alongside protesters and chanting against security forces in his native city in Isfahan Province. The rapper, an ethnic Lur who was arrested last year after releasing other songs critical of the government, offered to turn himself in if protesters detained in his hometown of Shahinshahr were released.

In subsequent posts, he called the provincial authorities "cowardly vermin" and "scum who suppress and arrest [innocent] people."

Shortly afterward, Salehi went missing and has not been heard from since.

State media reported on September 30 that Salehi had been arrested, and a news agency close to the IRGC published a photo of the blindfolded rapper inside a car.

A short video later released by a press club associated with Iran's state broadcaster purports to show the rapper admitting he made a mistake.

But the reports' claims he had been caught while "illegally exiting the western borders of the country" have been fiercely disputed, and the video confession has been labeled a fake by some and a coerced confession by others.

Family members as well as Salehi's official Twitter account have said the rapper was, in fact, arrested in the southwestern Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari Province, hundreds of kilometers from Iran's western border.

In a statement, Salehi's uncle Eghbal Eghbali said his nephew was in the province's city of Borujen on the morning of September 30 when he wrote saying "suspicious things" were happening outside his home. Soon after, Salehi stopped communicating. Eghbali said he learned from Salehi's neighbors and friends that security personnel had arrived to take the rapper away.

Later on September 30, a prosecutor in nearby Isfahan Province was quoted by the Meezan news agency, which is close to Iran's judiciary, as saying Salehi was arrested "in one of the provinces of the country." The prosecutor alleged the rapper had played a key role in "creating disturbances and inviting and encouraging the recent disturbances in Isfahan Province and in Shahinshahr."

The official IRNA news agency, meanwhile, quoted a judiciary official from Isfahan Province as saying Salehi stood accused of "propagandistic activity against the government, cooperation with hostile governments, and the formation of illegal groups with the intention of creating insecurity in the country."

Thousands of Iranians, many of them from the younger generation, have taken to the streets in recent weeks to protest the September 16 death of 22-year-old Mahsa Amini, who died shortly after being arrested for allegedly violating Iran's hijab law requiring that women cover their hair.

As the protests have continued, the authorities have intensified their crackdown, resulting in the deaths of at least 305 people, including 41 children, according to the latest figures released by the Oslo-based Iran Human Rights (IHR) on November 6.

Salehi is among the hundreds of prominent young voices, including activists, artists, and athletes, who have been arrested for speaking out against the states bloody crackdown on the protests. Overall, activists estimate thousands of people have been arrested by the authorities since the rallies erupted.

Faced with a potential existential threat to Iran's clerical rule, 227 of 290 Iranian lawmakers this week called for even greater force by urging the judiciary to "deal decisively" with those behind the protests.

In recent years, Salehi has gained notoriety for his open opposition to the country's leadership, using his music and social media presence to take on issues that resonate with Iranian youths.

In the song Normal, he highlights the effects of poverty, saying "Our children sleep hungry at night" and asking Iran's leaders how their conscience can let them sleep.

The song Rathole, released in 2021, accuses members of the media and art community both inside and outside Iran of being an "ally of the tyrant," a reference to Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

In another song, he blasts Tehran's close relationships with Moscow and Beijing, asking: "Haven't you robbed us enough? Now, you want to give away half [of our resources] to China and the rest to Russia."

Salehi was detained in September 2021 after security agents raided his home in Isfahan, with Human Rights Watch decrying the detention of the artist for "exercising his right to freedom of expression."

Salehi was charged with "spreading propaganda against the state," but after more than a week was released on bail. In January, he was sentenced to six months in prison but was released on a suspended sentence in February.

While out, he continued his work and released Omen amid the states increasingly violent crackdown on anti-government protesters.

"Someone's crime was dancing with her hair in the wind," he raps. "Someone's crime was that she was brave and criticized."

Listing a litany of violent acts carried out by the authorities against protesters, Salehi asks, "How many young people did you kill building a tower for yourself?" and predicts that next year, the 44th year of the clerical regime's rule, will be its "year of failure."

Salehi's arrest has led to widespread condemnation inside and outside Iran, and his advocates have spread the #FreeToomaj hashtag on Twitter to shed light on his situation.

His family has said they do not know Salehi's whereabouts or health, leaving them wondering if he is even alive.

But the authorities have shed some light on the fate of another Iranian rapper arrested shortly before Salehi. The judiciary announced on November 7 that Saman Yasin, a rapper from Kermanshah Province -- a northwestern region with a significant Kurdish population and that has been a focus of the government crackdown -- has been accused of waging "warfare" against Iran and acting against the country's security.

Based on reporting by RFE/RL's Radio Farda, with contributions by RFE/RL senior correspondent Michael Scollon
Iraqis are preparing to celebrate an expected victory over Islamic State (IS) extremists in Mosul, even as the final desperate militants put up a last stand in the few districts they still control.

U.S.-backed Iraqi troops on July 2 were seen putting up white banners and Iraqi flags on damaged buildings in the Old City, including on the ruined minaret of the Grand Al-Nuri Mosque, which the extremists blew up as the battle turned against them.

An Iraqi government statement said the authorities are planning a week of nationwide celebrations to mark the liberation of Mosul.

Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi is expected to visit Mosul to formally declare victory.

Staff Brigadier General Nabil al-Fatlawi, a commander in the elite Counterterrorism Service (CTS), said the Old City has not yet been totally liberated.

"The number is...more or less 300 fighters, most of them of European nationalities, Arabs, of other nationalities, or of Asian origin," he said of the remaining extremists.

The liberation of Mosul would represent a major blow to the militants, who captured large swathes of territory in 2014 in brutal fighting against Syrian and Iraqi government forces.

IS also still controls territory west and south of Mosul, where tens of thousands of civilians remain trapped behind the front lines, officials said.

Meanwhile, a woman suicide bomber blew herself up on July 3 in the midst of a crowd of civilians who were fleeing the battles in Mosul.

Iraqi officials say the attacker was a Tunisian woman who joined the crowd that was trying to escape the fighting in western Mosul.

Two civilians were killed and nine were injured, including two government soldiers.

The attack came a day after a suicide bomber dressed as a veiled woman killed 14 people and wounded 13 others in a displacement camp to the west of Baghdad.

The July 2 attack was carried out at a camp known as Kilo 60 that houses people who have been forced out of Sunni Muslim areas under IS control. IS militants claimed responsibility for the July 2 attack, saying they had been targeting an Iraqi army position.

With reporting by AFP, Reuters, dpa, and AFP
The moderator, Alejo Vidal Quadras, President of ISJ and former Vice President of European Parliament, was joined by panellists Adam Ereli, former US Ambassador to Bahrain, Sid Ahmed Ghozali, former Prime Minister of Algeria, Michael Pregent, a Middle East analyst and a Hudson Institute fellow, Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier, a doctor and professeur agrege in geography-geopolitics, research fellow at the Institute Thomas More in Paris and researcher at the Institut Francais de Geopolitique (French Institute of Geopolitics  University-Paris VIII), and Struan Stevenson, President of the European Iraqi Freedom Association and former President of the European Parliaments Delegation for Relations with Iraq.

Alejo Vidal Quadras started the discussion by saying that the Iranian regimes strategy is clear  it wants to be the hegemonic power in the Middle East and it wants to control the region. The regime has been taking advantage of some European governments that believe Iran can help in the fight against ISIS. He emphasised that Irans goal is not to defeat ISIS  it is using the fight to advance its own interests.

On the ground in Syria, the Iranian regime has more troops than dictator Bashar al Assad. There is great tension in the region, particularly between Iran and the monarchies in the Middle East. In short, there are numerous risks emanating from the region and Iran is at the centre of it all.

Adam Ereli said that he wanted to focus on less theory and more practice. He said we are going through an information war with Iran, and Iran is very good at it. Iran is very patient and incredibly opportunistic.

He also said that in terms of timelines, Iran and the United States work very differently. Iran will look at events from hundreds or even thousands of years ago and focus on them, whereas the US deals with time in terms of election cycles. Iran uses time to its advantage and is full of master tacticians. The Iranian regime knows that it is futile to battle a superpower so it fights asymmetrically and uses proxies that it has trained and funded to wage war on its behalf.

Ereli describes Iran as an aggressive and hegemonistic power. He said that analysing the regimes behaviour, it is clear to see that many actions are carried out defensively, not on the offensive as it first appears. What seems to be an offensive move is actually a defensive move because it is a reaction to the regime feeling threatened. He gave the example of the land bridge that Iran is pursuing with its neighbours.

He reiterated that the Iranian regimes influence needs to be rolled back and this can be done by taking the fight back to the homeland where Iran is weakest.

Sid Ahmed Ghozali said that Iran has led expansionism that has made people confused about the regime and Persian culture and tradition.

He said that anyone who believes that there is an alliance between the Iranian regime and the West is either a hypocrite or naive. He also made sure it was clear that this is not a Shia-Sunni war, saying that the actual differences between the two are paper thin. He said the that West seems to forget or be ignorant to the fact that the Iranian regime is using the Shia argument to extend its power over the region.

The former Prime Minister said that the biggest threat in the world comes from the Iranian regime. He said it is a central issue because it is a cruel and unreliable dictatorship that is using Islam to gain more power. He said that the regimes goal is to create a caliphate over Muslim people and that it is using ballistic missiles to make it look legitimate to the rest of the world, especially its neighbours in the region and the West. It wants to be taken seriously.

Ghozali spoke about the Iranian Resistance saying that it is knowledgeable and legitimate and has been fighting against the regime for years so that the people of Iran can take their fate into their own hands. He paid tribute to the some 120,000 members of the opposition that have been killed.

Speaking about Western attempts to negotiate with the regime, Ghozali warned that it was futile. The regime must be overthrown and he said that it can only be done if people stand up to it, like Maryam Rajavi, the leader of the opposition, has been advising for years. And this applies to the people outside of Iran and the international community too. He pointed out that this can be done by educating the public  the Muslim population and the West alike. The people who believe the regime is moderate must be educated because it is very far away from moderate.

Jean-Sylvestre Mongrenier agreed that the regime is after power, but added that it also has other goals. These goals, he said, cannot be achieved alone  it needs alliance with other countries so it turned to Russia.

Former President Obamas priority was to get Iran to sign the nuclear deal. He said that, in his opinion, many people believed that the Iranian regime really could change. Partly, he said, because the Western world is weak and it forgets its history  people in the West are too focused on the internet and think that everyones goal is to reach a certain level of consumerism. And they expect Irans goal to be the same. He said that this is the way the US has approached the Iran situation, as well as a number of European countries. Thankfully, he said, President Trump has realised this so is taking foreign policy in a different direction.

Michael Pregent said that with regards to the Iran deal, he has spent a lot of time looking at the non-nuclear concessions that were made to Iran. He said that Qasem Soleimani and many other corrupt officials that directly support terrorism were taken off sanctions and as a result were able to re-energise the countrys drive for terrorism.

One way to deal with Iran  which has been proven effective  is to call its bluff. Obama said on numerous occasions that Iran would walk away from the deal if more sanctions were slapped on. This led to numerous acts of appeasement from the Obama administration (that Pregent believes started as far back as 2009 when Obama released anyone that Iran asked for). Because of the appeasement, the IRGC was empowered in 2015 and operations in Iraq, Syria and Yemen increased. It has huge amounts of funds to help it out too. However, Trump called Irans bluff and slapped Iran with numerous sanction. Iran didnt walk away from the deal as Obama predicted.

Pregent also highlighted the importance of the NCRI that continues to provide vital pieces of intelligence, noting that Obama ignored everything he didnt want to see.

Struan Stevenson started by saying that the threat of Islamic extremism is everywhere, mentioning the latest terrorist attacks in London and Manchester as an example. He said that if he was asked who the godfather of Islamic extremism is he would have to say the 1979 revolution in Iran.

He said that the mullahs are smart because they have infiltrated and become a huge influence in Iraq. They got Nouri al-Maliki into power and used him as their puppet. Irans Qasem Soleimani can be described as the head terrorist in the world and Iran has exploited the fight against Daesh to continue with the genocidal killing of thousands of Sunnis.

Stevenson spoke very critically of Obamas administration and its appeasement of Iran and said that the British Baroness Ashton of the European Parliament used to follow Obama pathetically.

Speaking about the argument that the crises in the Middle East are based on a Shia-Sunni struggle, Stevenson said that his is absolutely not the case. He said that it is plain and simple terrorism and there are many factions and proxies that look to Iran as the godfather.

Stevenson had a couple of suggestions for President Trump. He said the single most effective way to deal with the regime is to invite the leader of the opposition, Maryam Rajavi, to Washington. He said that it would send a very clear signal to Iran that policies towards Iran will be nothing like Obamas. He said that another way to bring the regime to a grinding halt would be to list the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organisation. As it controls 70% of the regimes economy, it will undermine its financial resources and will leave it teetering on the edge of a cliff.
The chief executive of Russian cybersecurity firm Kaspersky Lab says he is willing to have his company's source code examined by U.S. officials to ease concerns about its cybersecurity products.

Eugene Kaspersky said in an interview published on July 2 by the Associated Press that "if the United States needs, we can disclose the source code" -- the fundamental component of a computer program.

He added that he was willing to testify before the U.S. Congress to discuss concerns about his products and to move some of his research work to the United States if it would help dispel worries.

"Anything I can do to prove that we don't behave maliciously, I will do it," he said.

Kaspersky, who lives in Moscow and is one of Russia's richest men, previously worked for the Russian military and has often been accused of using his company to help Russian government interests. He has called the accusations "Cold War paranoia."

U.S. media have reported that U.S. officials are concerned that Russian intelligence agents could use Kaspersky software to spy on Americans or sabotage U.S. computer systems.

Kaspersky said his company exclusively does defensive work, although he acknowledged that some unnamed governments -- although not Russian -- had tried to involve him in hacking.

"I stopped that immediately. I don't even want to talk about it," he said.

Based on reporting by AP
A Kosovo court has sentenced an Albanian citizen to 180 hours of community labor for raising a flag of the Islamic State (IS) extremist group at a crossroads in Pristina.

Court records identified the man as Q.M. and said he was arrested in September when he and two minors raised the IS flag on a street in Kosovos capital.

The court said the action was the equivalent of a public call or urging others to go to Syria and Iraq and join a terrorist organization.

About 300 Kosovars reportedly have joined IS fighters in Syria and Iraq, most of them between 2013 and 2014.

Authorities in Pristina say more than 100 Kosovars who traveled to Iraq or Syria to join IS have returned to Kosovo.

They say about 70 are still active with the extremist group in Syria and Iraq.

With reporting by AP
A senior Kremlin official says Moscow is losing its patience with Washington over the seizure of two Russian diplomatic compounds by U.S. authorities last year.

Yury Ushakov told reporters in Moscow on July 3 that Russia has shown "exceptional flexibility" following former U.S. President Barack Obama's decision to close the compounds in New York and Maryland as part of response to Moscow's alleged meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.

But Ushakov, a senior aide to President Vladimir Putin, said Russia's patience "has its limits," comments that came ahead of a planned meeting between Putin and U.S. President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit that begins in Germany on July 7.

"It seems to me that it's necessary to free the Russian side from the need to take retaliatory measures in response to the actions by the previous administration late last year, including the seizure of our diplomatic property," Ushakov said.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on June 28 that "retaliatory measures" were being prepared over the closure of the compounds.

The seizure of the compounds in December came in response to what top U.S. intelligence officials call a Kremlin-directed hacking and propaganda campaign aimed at helping elect Trump, who has said he wants to improve ties with Moscow. Russia rejects the accusation.

Ushakov said the details of the planned Trump-Putin meeting in Hamburg were still being finalized, but he called the planned talks "important."

"We have a lot of issues, which should be discussed at the highest level....That's why this meeting, this first personal contact, is so important," he said.

Concerning the proposed agenda for the meeting, the first between the two men since Trump took office, Ushakov said: "I've heard the Americans want to raise the issues of terrorism and Syria. It seems to me that would be pretty reasonable."

The U.S. State Department said later on July 3 that Undersecretary of State Thomas Shannon discussed the planned meeting earlier in the day with Russia's ambassador in Washington, Sergei Kislyak.

Shannon and Kislyak also discussed recent talks between the two countries' top diplomats and "issues of mutual concern," the State Department said in a short statement.

The statement noted that they also discussed scheduling a new meeting between Shannon and Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov.

Moscow canceled a previously planned meeting between the two diplomats last month in response to fresh U.S. sanctions targeting Russia over its annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and backing of separatists in eastern Ukraine.

Despite Trump's stated desire for greater cooperation with Russia, his administration so far has shown no marked indication that it intends to soften or lift the Ukraine-related sanctions, which have incensed Moscow.

A push for detente with Russia would also likely face stiff resistance from lawmakers in Washington, where Trump's administration has been dogged by the allegations of Russian meddling and contacts between associates of the U.S. president and Russian officials prior to Trump's inauguration.

Trump has accused the news media and his political opponents of seeking to undermine his presidency with what he has called a "fake" Russia story.

With reporting by AP, Reuters, and RIA Novosti
SKOPJE -- A United Nations envoy appointed to help Macedonia and Greece resolve their long-running dispute over the name of the former Yugoslav republic has said that he does not expect any dramatic breakthrough on the issue during the coming months.

UN special representative Matthew Nimetz made the remarks in Skopje on July 3 after meeting with Macedonian Prime Minister Zoran Zaev and Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov.

Nimetz, a personal envoy of UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, said Skopje and Athens must find ways to intensify efforts to resolve their dispute.

But he said now did not appear to be the right time for concrete new proposals.

"We have a new government here and a new context in the region," Nimetz said.

Nimetz, who last visited Macedonia in 2014, said Zaev and Dimitrov showed a serious interest and determination to deal with the issue.

Greece objects to Skopje's use of the name Macedonia, saying it implies irredentist and territorial ambitions on the part of Skopje.

Greece's objections have complicated Skopje's aspirations to join NATO and the European Union.
The Kremlin says Russian President Vladimir Putin has welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping in Moscow as the two leaders prepare for talks on expanding cooperation.

Xi arrived at the Kremlin for an "informal meeting" with Putin on July 3, with the main talks set to be held the following day, the Kremlin said on its website.

The two are expected to sign a raft of deals aimed at deepening ties between the two countries, whose geopolitical policies have faced staunch opposition from Washington.

U.S.-Russian relations remain mired in distrust and animosity over the conflicts in Ukraine and Syria, as well as Moscow's alleged meddling in the U.S. presidential election last year.

Tensions between Beijing and Washington, meanwhile, have repeatedly flared over China's territorial claims in the South China Sea.

Earlier on July 3, senior Kremlin adviser Yury Ushakov described current relations between China and Russia as "the best in many years," the state-run RIA Novosti news agency reported.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that Putin and Xi are set to meet with business leaders to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries.

With reporting by AP, dpa, and RIA Novosti
Chinese President Xi Jinping arrived in Moscow on July 3 for a two-day visit that will include his third meeting with his Russian counterpart, Vladimir Putin, this year. The two leaders will sign economic deals estimated to be worth around $10 billion in meetings that come days before the G20 summit in Germany. (Reuters)
8 A member of the Iraqi Counterterrorism Service carries a wounded girl in the Old City of Mosul on July 3 during an ongoing offensive to retake the city from Islamic State extremists. Iraqi forces have been closing in on the Old City in western Mosul for months, but the terrain, combined with a large civilian population, has made for an extremely difficult fight. (AFP/Ahmad al-Rubaye)
The panel was moderated by Ambassador Lincoln Bloomfield, former Assistant Secretary of State for Military Affairs. He was joined by Kenneth Blackwell, former US Ambassador to the UN Human Rights Commission in Geneva; Linda Chavez, Founder and Chairwoman of the Center for Equal Opportunity and former White House Public Relations Liaison; Ramesh Sepehrrad, scholar practitioner from George Mason University in the US; Robert Torricelli, Member of the US Senate from 1997 to 2003, who also served 14 years in the U.S. House of Representatives; and Mohammed Alsulami, head of AGCIS and expert on Iran.

The first speaker on the panel, who focuses her research on Iranian affairs, political governance, human rights, gender equality and U.S. policy, Ramesh Sepehrrad, said that she once led a study of opposition groups seeking the core argument. She found that the core issues for the opposition groups are the role of the Supreme Leader, the role of women and gender equality, and democratic views of democracy. These specific issues make the MEK and NCRI stand out. She said that this is not just in relation to rhetoric, but in particular with regards to action taken. She said that these opposition groups engage with the people of Iran on a day to day basis.

She noted that the NCRI is popular inside Iran, although this cannot be easily verified by doing a poll or a survey, as Iranian regime reacts violently when faced with dissent. People who support the opposition are punished when discovered. However, the popularity of the NCRI can be gauged when participation at major events is analyzed. Supporters of the NCRI/MEK are present at the right place, at the right time, are are posing questions at the the source. Supporters of the NCRI/MEK risk everything to stand up to the regime, yet young and old people, women, and students question the regime.

Sepehrrad continued by saying that there have been renewed calls for justice for the 1988 massacre when over 30,000 political prisoners were executed over a just few months. With the support of Western governments calling for justice, more people in the country will stand up against the regime, knowing it has international support. She called this the perfect opportunity for the West to take effective action against the regime, and believes that this is a weakness that must be used as an opening. The regimes infighting and the factional disputes are making the people stronger, and provides another opening.

The history between the PMOI/MEK and the US was something that Linda Chavez discussed. This history began badly. The United States put the PMOI/MEK on the terrorist list, and it was not taken seriously for many years because of this designation. Later, then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton removed the PMOI/MEK from the terrorist list, leaving them in a position to be heard again.

Chavez emphasized that the NCRI/MEK currently has a very strong following in Iran, but needs a stronger following in the West. Although they enjoy a large bipartisan following in Washington, she says there is still room for improvement. She believes that there is a good possibility that MEKs voice will be heard with President Trump in office.

Blackwell spoke about humanitarian and strategic interests in Iran. He said that both interests should be addressed at the same time, but that it was likely the United States would go for strategic interests first. Regarding the strategic side, he said that the NCRI/MEK has exposed extremely strategic information at extremely important times. Blackwell said that he wants to ensure that we support and nurture the forces of freedom that advance human rights. We have to look for forces of good. Let a thousand blossoms bloom. He believes that the corrupt and repressive regime can be toppled.

In respect to human rights he emphasized that struggles are not a spectator sport. You cant sit on the side-lines. You have to engage and do what you can, where you are. Blackwell believes that major changes can be triggered and said that the regimes illegitimacy is so multi-faceted that its reign has a short life expectancy.

That Iran is a country that is very rich in natural resources, Mohammed Alsulami pointed out, and yet 50 percent of retired people live under the poverty line, 75 percent of teachers also live under the poverty line and 40 percent of the population as a whole live under the poverty line. Employment is at a terrible low, and there is a big problem with addiction in the country, with reports of children as young as 12 suffering from addiction.

He stated that claims of Rouhani being a reformist are untrue, because the rate of executions has risen. The large amount of funds that were released after the nuclear deal were spent outside Iran on fueling wars and terrorism.

According to Alsulami, the problems started in 1979 after the revolution. Death to Saudi Arabia and Death to America were slogans that were not heard before the revolution. Iran had a good relationship with its regional neighbours before the revolution. Sunnis and Shias used to live together peacefully.

Robert Torricelli paid tribute to the Iranian people, who have dealt with, and lived through, extraordinary tragedies. He said that military conflict is not a solution because it probably wouldnt work. He believes that the regime cannot heal itself and evolve because there is no evidence to the contrary. If it continues on the same path, the regime will implode from within because it is in an unstable situation.

He said that the MEK serves the aspirations of the Iranian people. The MEK have the resources to bring great change to Iran. He is adamant that it is the only organization that can do so because it is viable and is set on complete political change. He pointed out that its members have made the ultimate sacrifice, they have given their lives to fight against the regime and to bring freedom to the people. It fights against the regime each and every day and can help the people of Iran take the future into their own hands.

The Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (Also known as MEK, or Mujahedin-e-Khalq / Mujahedeen-e-Khalq), was founded on September 6, 1965, by Mohammad Hanifnejad, Saeed Mohsen, and Ali-Asghar Badizadgan. They were all engineers, and had previously been members of the Freedom Movement (also known as the Liberation Movement), created by Medhi Bazargan in May 1961. These MEK founders sought a true interpretation of Islam, which is inherently tolerant and democratic, and fully compatible with the values of modern-day civilization. It took them six years to formulate this view of Islam and develop a strategy to replace Irans dictatorial monarchy with a democratic government.

Today the MEK is the oldest and largest anti-fundamentalist Muslim group in the Middle East. It has been active for more than a half century, battling two dictatorships and a wide range of issues.

The MEK supports:

 Universal suffrage as the sole criterion for legitimacy

 Pluralistic system of governance

 Respect for individual freedoms

 Ban on the death penalty

 Separation of religion and state

 Full gender equality

 Equal participation of women in political leadership. MEK is actually led by its central committee consist of 1000 women.

 Modern judicial system that emphasizes the principle of innocence, a right to a defense, and due process

 Free markets

 Relations with all countries in the world

 Commitment to a non-nuclear Iran

The MEK remains strong and cohesive, it reaches around the world and within Iran. It is the leading voice for democracy in Iran.
Researchers from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid suggest a new methodology to assess the environmental impact of the containers used for the collection of urban waste.

An inappropriate design of a container system might unnecessarily aggravate the impact on environment when collecting and transporting the urban waste. This is the major conclusion of a team of researchers from Universidad Politecnica de Madrid after carrying out a systematic evaluation process of the urban containerization system.

The developed procedure, which can be extrapolated to other cities and areas, allows us to assess the existing differences among the administrative units in which a territory is divided, to detect anomalies and suggest corrective measures to minimize the impact on environment when collecting urban waste.

Municipal solid waste (MSW) management includes the following stages: collection, transport and treatment. They involve various technical operations that depend on the existence of selective collection systems for the different fractions, which are usually packaging, organic waste, glass, paper/cardboard and mixed waste. Each of these stages has environmental impacts stemming from the use of bags to hold the waste generated by residents in their homes, from the containers placed in public roads for drop-off, from the use of lorries or systems to transport the waste to the processing point, and from the construction and operation of plants to treat each waste fraction.

The environmental impact assessment associated to each stage is carried out through the life cycle assessment which allows an objective, systemic and scientific evaluation of its impact on the environment and human health.

While the transport and final treatment of MSW have been extensively studied, there are few works that apply the life cycle to the collection either as a part of analysis of the integrated management system. Besides, the scarce studies fail to take into account aspects regarding endowment, contribution or effectiveness of the containerization system that determines the environmental impact.

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This work, developed by the research group of Environmental Technologies and Industrial Resources at UPM, addresses this gap by focusing on the collection, the stage in which containers are at disposal of citizens.

The methodology determines the environmental impact associated to the total containerization of a city, as well as for each district. This methodology consists of three phases: the first phase is focused on detailed data collection of the city. The second phase assesses the life cycle of each container, and finally the third phase adds the results for the geographic scope of the study which is based on the results obtained during the second phase and drawing the conclusions according to the estimated indicators during the first phase.

This methodology has been applied to the city of Madrid (Spain) and has allowed researchers to determine the environmental impact associated to the set of containers of the whole municipality and each districts, assessing their differences and establishing a correlation among such impact, the provision of containers (liter of container per capita) and the effectiveness of the collection (MSW mass collected per volume unit of containerization).

According to Javier Perez, a researcher involved in this study, "the results suggest that the installed containers in Madrid (Spain) cause a climate change impact of 3,907 tons per year of CO2 equivalent, which is 1.22 kg per inhabitant per year ."

The contribution of the containerization systems to the environmental impact caused by the MSW management is lower than the phase of transport or treatment (1.9%, compared with 9.9 and 88.7%, respectively).

However, an inadequate container capacity, a bad distribution or an improper use at the urban level, can needlessly worsen environmental impact. In addition, the associated inefficiency also affects the transport stage through unnecessary routes, higher number of vehicles, lower average driving speeds, or increased number of stops, leading to higher emissions.

This work, says Javier Perez, is part of a wider research project that we are carrying out in our research group and aims to evaluate the environmental impact of the MSW management in the city of Madrid. Results regarding the transport stage were also previously published.
An Australian-led research team has demonstrated a new therapeutic approach that can re-build and strengthen bone, offering hope for individuals with the debilitating bone cancer, multiple myeloma.

The findings were published in the medical journal Blood, and were presented at an international meeting of bone biology experts in Brisbane earlier this month.

The researchers tested a new type of treatment that specifically targets a protein called sclerostin, which in healthy bones is an important regulator of bone formation. Sclerostin halts bone formation, and the researchers speculated that if they could inhibit the action of sclerostin, they could reverse the devastating bone disease that occurs with multiple myeloma.

Dr Michelle McDonald and Professor Peter Croucher, of the Bone Biology Division of the Garvan Institute of Medical Research in Sydney, led the study.

"Multiple myeloma is a cancer that grows in bone, and in most patients it is associated with widespread bone loss, and recurrent bone fractures, which can be extremely painful and debilitating," says Dr McDonald.

"The current treatment for myeloma-associated bone disease with bisphosphonate drugs prevents further bone loss, but it doesn't fix damaged bones, so patients continue to fracture. We wanted to re-stimulate bone formation, and increase bone strength and resistance to fracture."

The new therapeutic approach is an antibody that targets and neutralises sclerostin, and in previous clinical studies of osteoporosis, such antibodies have been shown to increase bone mass and reduce fracture incidence in patients.

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The researchers tested the anti-sclerostin antibody in mouse models of multiple myeloma, and found that not only did it prevent further bone loss, it doubled bone volume in some of the mice.

Dr McDonald says, "When we looked at the bones before and after treatment, the difference was remarkable -- we saw less lesions or 'holes' in the bones after anti-sclerostin treatment.

"These lesions are the primary cause of bone pain, so this is an extremely important result."

The researchers have a biomechanical method to test bone strength and resistance to fracture, and found that the treatment also made the bones substantially stronger, with more than double the resistance to fracture observed in many of the tests.

They then combined the new antibody with zoledronic acid, a type of bisphosphonate drug, the current standard therapy for myeloma bone disease.

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"Bisphosphonates work by preventing bone breakdown, so we combined zoledronic acid with the new anti-sclerostin antibody, that re-builds bone. Together, the impact on bone thickness, strength and resistance to fracture was greater than either treatment alone," says Dr McDonald.

The findings provide a potential new clinical strategy for myeloma. While this disease is relatively rare, with approximately 1700 Australians diagnosed every year, the prognosis is extremely poor, with less than half of those diagnosed expected to survive for more than five years.

Prof Croucher, Head of the Bone Biology Division at Garvan, says that preventing the devastating bone disease of myeloma is critical to improve the prognosis for these people.

"Importantly, myelomas, like other cancers, vary from individual to individual and can therefore be difficult to target. By targeting sclerostin, we are blocking a protein that is active in every person's bones, and not something unique to a person's cancer. Therefore, in the future, when we test this antibody in humans, we are hopeful to see a response in most, if not all, patients," Prof Croucher says.

"We are now looking towards clinical trials for this antibody, and in the future, development of this type of therapy for the clinical treatment of multiple myeloma.

"This therapeutic approach has the potential to transform the prognosis for myeloma patients, enhancing quality of life, and ultimately reducing mortality.

"It also has clinical implications for the treatment of other cancers that develop in the skeleton."
Johns Hopkins researchers report they have uncovered a mechanism in amoebae that rapidly changes the way cells migrate by resetting their sensitivity to the naturally occurring internal signaling events that drive such movement. The finding, described in a report published online March 28 in Nature Cell Biology, demonstrates that the migratory behavior of cells may be less "hard-wired" than previously thought, the researchers say, and advances the future possibility of finding ways to manipulate and control some deadly forms of cell migration, including cancer metastasis.

"In different tissues inside the body, cells adopt different ways to migrate, based on their genetic profile and environment," says Yuchuan Miao, a graduate student at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and lead author of the study. "This gives them better efficiency to perform specific tasks." For example, white blood cells rhythmically extend small protrusions that allow them to squeeze through blood vessels, whereas skin cells glide, like moving "fans," to close wounds.

On the other hand, Miao notes, uncontrolled cell migration contributes to diseases, including cancer and atherosclerosis, the two leading causes of death in the United States. The migration of tumor cells to distant sites in the body, or metastasis, is what kills most cancer patients, and defective white blood cell migration causes atherosclerosis and inflammatory diseases, such as arthritis, which affects 54 million Americans and costs more than $125 billion annually in medical expenditures and lost earnings.

Because cells migrate in different ways, many drugs already designed to prevent migration work only narrowly and are rarely more than mildly effective, fueling the search for new strategies to control migratory switches and treat migration-related diseases, according to senior author Peter Devreotes, Ph.D., a professor and director of the Department of Cell Biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine's Institute for Basic Biomedical Research.

"People have thought that cells are typed by the way they look and migrate; our work shows that we can change the cell's migrating mode within minutes," adds Devreotes.

For the new study, Devreotes and his team focused on how chemical signaling molecules activate the motility machinery to generate protrusions, cellular "feet" that are a first step in migration. To do this, they engineered a strain of Dictyostelium discoideum, an amoeba that can move itself around in a manner similar to white blood cells. The engineered amoebae responded to the chemical rapamycin by rapidly moving the enzyme Inp54p to the cell surface, where it disrupted the signaling network. The cells also contained fluorescent proteins, or "markers," that lit up and showed researchers when and where signaling molecules were at work.

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Experiments showed that the engineered cells changed their migration behavior within minutes of Inp54p recruitment. Some cells, which the researchers termed "oscillators," first extended protrusions all around the cell margins and then suddenly pulled them back again, moving in short spurts before repeating the cycle. Fluorescent markers showed that these cycles corresponded to alternating periods of total activation and inactivation, in contrast to the small bursts of activity seen in normal cells.

Other cells began to glide as "fans," with a broad zone of protrusions marked by persistent signaling activity.

Devreotes describes the signaling behavior at the cell surface as a series of waves of activated signaling molecules that switch on the cellular motility machinery as they spread. In their normal state, cells spontaneously initiated signaling events to form short-lived waves that made small protrusions.

In contrast, oscillators had faster signaling waves that reached the entire cell boundary to generate protrusions before dying out. Fans also showed expanded waves that continually activated the cell front without ever reaching the cell rear, resulting in wide, persistent protrusions.

The scientists say their experiments show that the cell movement changes they saw resulted from lowering the threshold level of signaling activity required to form a wave. That is, cells with a lower threshold are more likely to generate waves and, once initiated, the activation signals spread farther with each step.

Devreotes says the team's experimental results offer what appears to be the first direct evidence that waves of signaling molecules drive migratory behavior. Previously, his laboratory showed a link between signaling and migration, but had not specifically examined waves.

In further experiments, Devreotes and his team found that they could recruit different proteins to shift cell motility, suggesting, he says, that altering threshold is a general cell property that can change behavior -- no matter how cells migrate. His team was also able to restore normal motility to fans and oscillators by blocking various signaling activities, suggesting new targets for drugs that could be designed to control migration.

Devreotes cautions that what happens in an amoeba may not have an exact counterpart in a human cell, but studies in his lab suggest that something like the wave-signaling mechanism they uncovered operates in human cells as well.

The bottom line, says Miao, is that "we now know we can change signaling wave behavior to control the types of protrusions cells make. When cells have different protrusions, they have different migratory modes. When we come to understand the essential differences between cells' migratory modes, we should have better ways to control them during disease conditions."
Lymphatic filariasis -- a parasitic infection commonly known as elephantiasis -- is among the 10 neglected tropical diseases that the World Health Organization (WHO) is aiming to eliminate by 2020. In Cameroon, large-scale annual mass drug administration efforts are successfully curbing rates of LF, researchers now report in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases.

In 2000, more than 120 million people were infected with LF, and 40 million were disfigured and incapacitated by the disease. The WHO has proposed a strategy to eliminate LF which includes mass drug administrations and disability prevention programs. In Cameroon, annual drug administrations of ivermectin and albendazole began in 2008.

In the new work, Joseph Kamgno, of the University of Yaounde, Cameroon, and colleagues studied 5,292 children aged 5-8 from 97 communities in five health districts in Cameroon that achieved at least 65% drug coverage in six annual mass drug campaigns. The communities were assigned into three evaluation units based on WHO criteria. A blood sample from each child was tested for LF.

In the three evaluation units, 2, 8, and 11 cases of LF were detected, giving rates of 0.13%, 0.57%, and 0.45%. These rates were below WHO critical cut-off thresholds -- which would be 18 cases in each evaluation unit -- for stopping treatment.

"These results support the cessation of mass drug administration in these implementation units, but this decision needs further thinking," the researchers say. It is possible for disease transmission to continue even when prevalence is very low, they add. "Post-mass drug administration surveillance activities should be organized to evaluate whether recrudescence can occur."
The first rule of advocating for climate change-related legislation is: You do not talk about "climate change." The term has become so polarizing that its mere mention can cause reasonable people to draw seemingly immutable lines in the political sand.

"In some ways, it functions as what we would call a 'dog-whistle'," said UC Santa Barbara political science professor Leah Stokes, referring to a term or statement that while innocent-sounding enough to most people, encodes deeper and more specific meanings to certain audiences. And it's true: For many conservatives, the idea of enacting climate change-related renewable energy policies is fraught with fears of economic loss and major lifestyle changes. For many liberals, on the other hand, not enacting such policies is fraught with fears of economic loss and major lifestyle changes. It's a tug-of-war that began at the start of the century and continues today.

"Trump is president right now and therefore we're really unlikely to see new federal laws trying to support climate change legislation or renewable energy policy, or dealing with environmental problems," Stokes said. States will likely become the leaders in pursuing renewable energy policy to maintain progress and deal with potentially damaging environmental effects, such as sea level rise and air quality problems, she said. But levels of support for action vary across the nation, and the challenge will be to avoid triggering knee-jerk reactions that are less about the issue and more about partisanship.

"We try to understand what kinds of messages would work with the public and how that would translate into more states actually doing something about these issues," said Stokes, who with Christopher Warshaw of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology conducted research into how people connect (or not) with the hot-button issues related to climate change, such as renewable energy legislation. Their study, "Renewable Energy Policy Design and Framing Influence Public Support in the United States," is published in the journal Nature Energy.

The good news from the results of their repeated survey experiment: Public support for renewable energy in the U.S. is very strong. According to their baseline figures, the vast majority of people in the country support renewable energy portfolios in their states, in which a certain amount of the states' electricity comes from a renewable source . The results are what you might expect: States with an abundance of renewable resources -- California, Hawaii, New Mexico and Iowa, for instance -- top the list and have actual renewable energy policies in play, while the southern and mountain states tend to have little support, and no renewable energy policies.

"Overall, these findings suggest that state legislators are broadly responsive to public opinion on this issue," Warshaw said.

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But public opinion does not always cement state legislation. Florida, for example, has not only the wind and solar resources to support renewable energy, but also more public support for it than Oregon, which currently has a policy requiring that at least a quarter of its energy come from renewables. Florida has no renewable energy policy.

Meanwhile, in states where majority support decreases toward the 50 percent mark, legislatures tend to be less resolute or aggressive in pursuing renewable energy policies, and even contemplate decreasing their participation in renewable energy policies or opposing them. This population could easily sway the progress of renewable energy policy in the U.S. one way or another, depending on how they view it.

Stokes and Warshaw found that the context in which renewable energy policy is framed, particularly in terms of jobs, electricity costs and pollution, has a tremendous impact on a person's opinion of it. As Americans favor cheap electricity, the greatest factor would be cost. Even a $2 increase in monthly electric bills would likely cause support for renewable energy to drop by 13 percent, shifting 13 states away from renewable energy policy. A $10 increase would likely result in the majority of states taking an opposing view, the researchers found.

Meanwhile, substantial job creation would be enough to flip opponents of renewable energy into supporters -- and the more jobs, the better. However, states with no net job increases would probably see corresponding decreases in renewable energy support. This is particularly important for the coal states, such as Virginia, Montana and Kentucky, which are major opponents of renewable energy policies.

A decrease in fossil fuel-borne pollution is another huge factor that could sway even the staunchest opponents -- typically Republicans -- of renewable energy policies.

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"People tend to forget that when we talk about renewable energy it has benefits for air pollution, and so when you remind people of that it's likely to increase their support because reducing air pollution is a local benefit," said Stokes. And the key, according to the researchers, is the local benefit, because people don't connect to broad concepts such as climate change on a personal level, often viewing it as a global and future phenomenon.

"We've found that climate change is not an effective frame to gauge people's opinion about renewable energy," she said, "so whether it's Democrat or Republican talking about climate change, no matter how we frame it, if we talk about climate change it doesn't move people." The term has become synonymous with partisanship, Stokes said, and less about the actual issue at hand.

"I think it's because they already have a pretty strong view on the connection between renewable energy policies and climate change," Warshaw said. "Their view is already baked in, so you can't frame the question in a way that triggers a change."

On the other hand, political support, particularly from the political elites, often triggers public support for renewable energy.

"There's a general finding in political science that the public tends to look to politicians to understand policy because they're often very technical things that are not easy to understand," Stokes said. Democrats -- both politicians and voting public -- are supportive of renewable energy in general. Republican voters are more likely to support renewables if their Republican legislators show support. Support from legislators of one party does not drive down support from voters of the other.

"So the idea is that by ensuring that these policies actually reduce air pollution, increase jobs and get Republican support, and communicating all that to the public, we would find majority support -- even from some of the most coal-dominated states -- for these policies," Stokes said. "That's pretty impressive."
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The sun protects humanity from exposure to cosmic rays and keeps space junk at bay, but that protection will be reduced in 2019 as the sun enters its solar minimum, according to a new NASA video.

Change is a part of most systems in the universe, and Earth's sun is no exception. In a video from the Science@NASA series, Dean Pesnell of NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland discusses how the sun experiences regular changes to its surface. In 2019, the sun will reach its solar minimum, the time when it has its lowest number of sunspots. The number of these blisters on the sun's surface will decrease until 2019 to 2020. After that, the sun will begin approaching the other side of its 11-year activity cycle, solar maximum.

The video shows a side-by-side comparison of the sun's dotted surface in 2014 looking quite different from this year's blemish-free appearance.

"While intense activity such as sunspots and solar flares subside during solar minimum, that doesn't mean the sun becomes dull," the video's narrator said. "Solar activity simply changes form."

This side-by-side view shows sunspots on the sun on Feb. 27, 2014, (left) and the sunspot-less day of March 20, 2017, as seen by NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory. (Image credit: Joy Ng/NASA's GSFC/SDO)



The video also features an animation illustrating how solar activity affects the proximity of space junk  natural and human-made objects orbiting Earth  to the planet's surface. During solar minimum, the outer layer of Earth's atmosphere contracts. This allows space junk to linger in orbit around the planet. According to the video, those changes include the shrinking of the protective magnetic shield offered by the sun. This allows cosmic rays from distant supernovae to come closer to the planet's surface than normal. These fast-moving particles can be a threat to astronauts and space crews working in orbit, the video says.

Large magnetic gaps on the sun's surface also develop during solar minimum. Known as coronal holes, these vast regions of the star's atmosphere remain open for longer periods of time than usual, about six months or more. The holes allow for "streams of solar particles" to escape the sun as solar wind. When they interact with Earth's atmosphere, they cause space weather, which can include "temporary disturbances in the Earth's magnetosphere"  also known as geomagnetic storms  that cause, among other things, disruptions to communications and navigation systems, the video says.

Like a pendulum, in about four years the sun will begin exiting this phase and approach solar maximum.

Space.com senior producer Steve Spaleta contributed to this report.

Follow Doris Elin Salazar on Twitter @salazar_elin. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
The EP statement calls the presidential elections held in Iran last month fake, in that there were no opposition candidates. President Hassan Rouhani was elected to serve a second term, but while Western media continue to refer to him as the regimes moderate, there have been more than 3,000 executions during his first four years, statistically making Iran the prime state executioner per capita in the world.

The statement reads, Rouhanis minister of justice is a self-confessed murderer who was a member of the Death Committee, ordering the executions of over 30,000 political prisoners in 1988, mostly from the main opposition PMOI.

The Peoples Mojahedin Organization of Iran (PMOI), also known as the MEK, is the largest member of the Paris-based political coalition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI).

Maryam Rajavi, the NCRIs president, has the support of the EP. High on her agenda has always been the raising of attention about Irans record of executions. The EP initiative specifically calls on the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights and the Human Rights Council to set up a commission of inquiry into the 1988 massacre of political prisoners in Iran.

The statement also calls on European nations to condition their relationships with Iran to a halt to executions and a clear progress on human rights and women rights, meaning that European governments should set aside short-term economic gains and stand by their principles.

It has been reported that in Iran the Revolutionary Guards (IRGC) have gained control of over 40% of Irans economy. This makes it nearly impossible for any nation to have any trade relations with Tehran without financially supporting the IRGC.

While the Guards are responsible for repression of the Iranian people at home, they are also involved in Irans meddling across the Middle East. This is why it is important that there be a joint effort by the US, the European Union and Middle East countries to designate the IRGC as a foreign terrorist organization.

This past Saturday, July 1st, representatives of these nations, as well as dozens of other countries from around the world, attended the annual Iranian opposition rally in Paris, along with at least 100,000 supporters, including tens of thousands of members of the Iranian Diaspora. They joined NCRI President Maryam Rajavi to express their support for her 10-point-plan calling for a democratic, pluralistic and non-nuclear Iran.

The EP statement emphasizes the issue of human rights in the future of Iran, and the demand that executions, as well as the repression of women and minorities, will be abolished.
Artist's conception of the pair of supermassive black holes orbiting each other at the center of galaxy 0402+379, located 750 million light-years from Earth.

For the first time ever, scientists have directly spotted a pair of supermassive black holes orbiting each other, a new study suggests.

This orbital motion  which was noted in observations made over the course of a dozen years  may be the smallest-ever movement detected of an object across the sky, the researchers said.

Supermassive black holes harbor millions to billions of times the mass of Earth's sun and form the hearts of most, if not all, large galaxies. Much remains uncertain about how these giant black holes grow and influence the universe around them. [Images: Black Holes of the Universe]

One way to gain insights on black hole growth is to look at black holes on the verge of merging with one another. As such, researchers have analyzed the center of a giant elliptical galaxy called 0402+379, which is located about 750 million light-years from Earth. In 2006, scientists found that the galaxy's core apparently holds two supermassive black holes.

Judging by the gravitational effects these black holes had on their surroundings, the two behemoths harbor a combined mass about 15 billion times that of the sun, the researchers said. It remains uncertain just how big each black hole is, but the limited data that astronomers currently have suggest that one of the black holes might be two or even four times bigger than the other, said study co-author Roger Romani, an astrophysicist at Stanford University.

These black holes are likely only about 24 light-years apart, "which is the closest together that two supermassive black holes have ever been seen before," study lead author Karishma Bansal, a graduate student at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, said in a statement.

The presence of these giant black holes so close together suggested that the galaxy in which they lie resulted from dozens of galaxies merging sometime in the past, the researchers said. This raises the possibility that the two black holes themselves might one day merge also, the scientists said.

Very Long Baseline Array image of the central region of galaxy 0402+379, showing a pair of supermassive black holes (labeled C1 and C2) in orbit around each other. (Image credit: Bansal et al., NRAO/AUI/NSF)

To see whether that will happen, the scientists have taken snapshots of the black holes' home galaxy over the past 12 years, using the Very Long Baseline Array, a system of 10 radio telescopes that stretch from the U.S. Virgin Islands to Hawaii and from New Mexico to Alaska.

In the new study, the scientists detected one of the black holes moving at the rate of just more than 1 micro-arcsecond per year. That's about 1 billion times smaller than the smallest thing visible with the naked eye, the researchers said.

"If you imagine a snail on the recently discovered Earth-like planet orbiting Proxima Centauri  a bit over 4 light-years away  moving at 1 centimeter [0.4 inches] a second, that's the angular motion we're resolving here," Romani said in the same statement.

This may be the smallest-ever movement detected of an object across the sky, the researchers said. "Personally, I find the technical tour de force of measuring this tiny motion most impressive," Romani told Space.com.

The new findings suggest that these black holes are orbiting each other, completing a single orbit over the span of about 30,000 years, the researchers said. This is the first time scientists have detected supermassive black holes orbiting each other, study co-author Greg Taylor, at the University of New Mexico, said in the same statement.

In the past year or so, researchers have detected ripples in the fabric of space and time, known as gravitational waves. These waves emanated from pairs of black holes, each up to a few dozen times the sun's mass, in the final stages of their orbits of one another before they collided. In contrast, these new findings mark the first time astronomers have directly analyzed images to detect a pair of black holes orbiting each other, Romani said.

Although these supermassive black holes are orbiting one another, they may never meet, Romani said. The universe apparently continues to expand at an accelerating rate, suggesting that the duo "won't merge in the remaining age of the universe," he said, unless some force, such as friction from surrounding clouds of gas, brings the black holes together.

By investigating why supermassive black holes might or might not merge, the researchers may be able to better learn the conditions under which black holes normally grow, the scientists said. Romani said he hopes that future research will uncover a pair of supermassive black holes "that completed orbit within a few decades, so you could really see the details of the black holes' trajectories."

The scientists detailed their findings June 27 in the Astrophysical Journal.

Follow Charles Q. Choi on Twitter @cqchoi. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Originally published on Space.com.
A reused Dragon cargo spacecraft was release from the International Space Station today (July 3) for a return trip to Earth.

A SpaceX Dragon spacecraft departed the International Space Station and splashed down in the Pacific Ocean today (July 3), finishing its historic second journey to the orbiting lab.

The space station's robotic arm, Canadarm-2, released the robotic resupply vessel at 2:41 a.m. EDT (0641 GMT), beginning Dragon's roughly 5.5-hour journey back to Earth. That journey ended with a successful landing in the Pacific Ocean, a few hundred miles southwest of the California coast, SpaceX representatives said.

"Good splashdown of Dragon confirmed  completing first re-flight of a commercial spacecraft to and from the @Space_Station," SpaceX announced via Twitter today. [How SpaceX's Dragon Space Capsule Works (Infographic)]

The cargo spacecraft was the first Dragon vehicle to be sent back into space for a second trip; it also ferried supplies, equipment and experiments to the space station in 2014. SpaceX personnel will recover the spacecraft and ferry it back to Long Beach, Calif. When it arrives, SpaceX will remove crucial cargo immediately to return for NASA analysis in Houston, NASA officials said in a blog post, and prepare the Dragon spacecraft itself to return to SpaceX's test facility in McGregor, Texas.

Dragon initially brought close to 6,000 lbs. (2,700 kilograms) to the space station, and it carried more than 4,100 lbs. (1,900 kg) of cargo and experiments back to Earth for analysis. That cargo includes an experiment that studied the impact of microgravity on fruit flies' hearts, mouse samples from a test of an osteoporosis drug and a look at how stem cells react to microgravity.

But there's one piece of cargo Dragon wasn't carrying: Originally the experimental Roll-Out Solar Array (ROSA) was supposed to be stowed in Dragon's unpressurized trunk, which would be ejected to burn up in Earth's atmosphere. But after the successful week-long test of the flexible solar panel, ground control was unable to roll it back up for storage. So instead, it's making its own way to eventually burn up.

A ground team guided Canadarm-2 to detach the Dragon spacecraft from the station, before NASA astronauts Jack Fischer and Peggy Whitson robotically released it while observing from the station's cupola.

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SpaceX's Dragon spacecraft is the only cargo craft that can return in one piece from the space station  Orbital ATK's Cygnus spacecraft, Russia's Progress craft and Japan's H-11 Transfer Vehicle all burn up in Earth's atmosphere on their return home.

Fischer, Whitson and Russian cosmonaut Fyodor Yurchikhin spent weeks packing the Dragon spacecraft before its departure while working on the station's science investigations. They are also preparing for a Russian spacewalk coming later this year by maintaining and double-checking the country's Orlan spacesuits. On July 28, a Russian Soyuz spacecraft is scheduled to launch with additional crew.

Editor's note: This story was updated to reflect that Dragon has splashed down in the Pacific Ocean.

Email Sarah Lewin at slewin@space.com or follow her @SarahExplains. Follow us @Spacedotcom, Facebook and Google+. Original article on Space.com.
Addis Ababa (Ethiopia), July 2, 2017 (SPS) - The Moroccan delegation participating in the session of the AU Executive Council in Addis Ababa, led by Foreign Minister Nasser Bourita, has failed to remove paragraphs from the report of the Executive Council on the visit of the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples to the occupied parts of the Sahrawi Republic.

The Moroccan delegation's defeat came after the adoption by the Executive Council on Sunday of a document proposed by Nigeria confirming the maintenance of paragraphs 88 and 89 of the report of the Committee of Permanent Representatives and adherence to the implementation of the previous decision on completing the visit of the African Commission on Human Rights and Peoples' to the region and witnessing the situation of human rights there, in addition to proposing practical arrangements between the African Union and the Kingdom of Morocco.

Following the adoption of the Nigerian proposal by the Executive Council, the participating Moroccan delegation reduced its presence, where the ministerial delegation left, keeping only some diplomatic staff inside the conference hall. (SPS)

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Bir-Lehlu, July 3, 2017 (SPS) - President of the Republic Secretary-General of the Polisario Front, Brahim Ghali, has sent a congratulatory message to President of the United States Donald J. Trump, on the occasion of Independence Day on July 4.

I write on behalf of the people of the Western Sahara to wish you, your family, and the American people our heartfelt congratulations and warmest wishes upon the Fourth of July, said the President of the Republic.

Since its inception as a sovereign nation, the United States of America has steadfastly supported the principle of self-determination and respect for the fundamental rights not only of your own citizens, but of all peoples around the world.

It is in the context of this leadership that we congratulate you and your countrymen upon the anniversary of your independence, and humbly request your continuing support to ensure that the people of the Western Sahara, too, can democratically choose our political destiny, added the President of the Republic in his message to President Donald J. Trump. (SPS)

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A police officer who proposed to his partner during the Pride London parade last year has told how he regrets his actions after suffering a torrent of online abuse.

PC Phil Adlem was taking part in the parade when he broke away from colleagues and got down on one knee in what is thought to be one of the first public marriage proposals by a gay Met Police officer.

The heartwarming moment sparked messages of support from across the world with London Mayor Sadiq Khan among those to congratulate the couple.

But 12 months on, ahead of the annual event this Saturday, Mr Adlem said the tirade of abuse he received on social media after the public proposal led him to regret it.

The officer was widely celebrated last year when he popped the question to Jonathan Sammons at the festival in the capital in front of hundreds of revellers, His actions quickly went viral.

Heartwarming: PC Phil Adlem gets down on one knee to propose to partner Jonathan Sammons / Met LGBT Network

He said initially most of the comments the couple received were positive but they later took a sick turn including death threats.

I looked through the online comments from the British public. Most were fantastic.

My smile did not last long as I continued reading. Both should be hanged till death, absolutely disgusting and dont blame Isis if they strike them!

There were countless more, some with threats. A further hostile reaction at work from one of my colleagues and another from an old college friend was enough for me to wish I had never done it.

The officer also revealed he was subjected to a violent attack in which he was dragged down an alleyway and severely beaten on his 18th birthday.

Pride over the years - In pictures 1 /93 Pride over the years - In pictures Click through our gallery to see pictures of Pride over the years... Rob Stothard/Getty Images A picnic in Victoria Gardens by the Houses of Parliament during what was then called 'Gay Pride Week', August 5, 1976 Peter Cade/Central Press/Getty Images Members of the Gay Liberation Movement protesting outside the Old Bailey over Mary Whitehouse's court action against the Gay News Magazine on July 4, 1977 Malcolm Clark/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The march goes on at Pride in 1984 Rex Revellers in fancy dress at Lesbian & Gay Pride, London 1984 Rex Lesbian & Gay Pride, London 1985 The sun shines down on Pride in 1992 Rex Men in corsets perform a dance at Pride in 1993 A lesbian couple on Horseguards Parade at Pride in July 1994 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images A man applies lipgloss during Pride in June 1995 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Men in camouflage trousers ride a pink tank and carry rainbow flags during Pride in June 1995 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images A man sashays down the street with pride in 1995 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Demonstrators dressed in hot pants and crop tops at Pride in 1995 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Two supporters of the Socialist Workers Party amongst the marchers at Pride in July 1996 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Two young men share a tender moment on the grass during a Pride in London in 1996 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Male dancers standing with their arms raised above their heads, donning black t-shirts with a heart logo, during Pride in 1996 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Comedian Rhona Cameron and political activist Peter Tatchell help to hold a banner at Pride in July 1998. The banner called for an end to Section 28 which refers to the teaching and promotion of homosexuality by local authorities Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images The London Gay Men's Chorus perform at the Pride Mardi Gras parade in London, in July 1999 Steve Eason/Getty Images Members of Outrage! carry pictures of Tony Blair with the title 'Broken Promises' at the parade in 1999 Steve Eason/Getty Images Women share the love at Pride in 1999 Steve Eason/Getty Images Two men wearing silver underpants and spiky collars take part in the London Pride march in 2000 Steve Eason/Hulton Archive/Getty Images Men share a kiss in front of spectators at Picadilly Circus in July 2002 AFP/Getty Images A man wearing leather hot pants and harness makes his way through the streets of London to a party to celebrate the Mardi Gras in 2002 Scott Barbour/Getty Images Policemen in uniform march along the Embankment at Pride in 2003 Bruno Vincent/Getty Images Marchers, alongside more than 40 floats, bands and drummers are seen during the rally for Pride in 2005 Jeremy O'Donnell/Getty Images London Mayor Ken Livingstone walks with the EuroPride parade as it makes its way down Oxford Street in July 2006 Scott Barbour/Getty Images A man poses in a white feathered neckdress during the Pride march held in central London in June 2007 Mark Wieland/Getty Images A Drag Queen poses during the Gay Pride in London, on June 30, 2007 Leon Neal/AFP/Getty Images The Gay Pride parade passes down Lower Regent Street on July 5, 2008 Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Two men in drag costumes with bouffant blonde hair pose at Pride in 2008 Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Police pose for a photograph before marching on the Pride parade in 2008 in London Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images A man wears a home made costume at Pride in july 2008 Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Actor Sir Ian McKellen (left) waves at the parade in 2008 Boris Johnson, then Mayor of London, wears a pink stetson hat at Pride in 2008 A man decorated with neon face paint blows his whistle at Pride in July 2009 Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Marchers in 2009, when the theme of Pride was 'Come Out and Play' Dan Kitwood/Getty Images A reveller stands proud in a Union Jack-themed outfit in 2009 Dan Kitwood/Getty Images More Union Jack-festooned outfits on show at Pride in 2009 Dan Kitwood/Getty Images A man in butterfly wings at Pride in 2009 Dan Kitwood/Getty Images A canine gets in on the action at Pride in 2009 Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Revellers in hot pink dresses and blonde beehives at Pride in 2011 Warren Allott/AFP/Getty Images Members of the British Armed Forces march alongside members of the parade through London's streets to celebrate the World Pride Festival on July 7, 2012 Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images A man dressed as 'Mister Universe' marches in July 2012 Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images Members of the LGBT community parade through London in 2012 Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images People carry 'Proud to be Trans' signs as they march in July 2012 Andrew Cowie/AFP/Getty Images The Pride parade weaves its way down Regent Street on June 29, 2013 Will Oliver/AFP/Getty Images A fabulous carnival costume on display in 2013 Will Oliver/AFP/Getty Images A man dressed as a Dalmatian at Pride in 2014 Justin Tallis/AFP/Getty Images The rainbow gay pride flag flies on Whitehall in front of Nelson's Column in Trafalgar Square in March 2014 Ben Stansall/AFP/Getty Images Leather-clad marchers at the Pride Parade in London on June 27, 2015 AFP/Getty Images Girls carrying rainbow flags at Pride in June 2015 Rob Stothard/Getty Images Arm in arm, people celebrate the annual parade in 2015 Rob Stothard/Getty Images People gather in Soho outside the Admiral Duncan following Pride in 2015 Rob Stothard/Getty Images The London Gay Men's Chorus take part in Pride in 2015 Rob Stothard/Getty Images A dog dressed in a rainbow coat as people gather to watch the parade in 2015 Rob Stothard/Getty Images A giant rainbow flag is carried along with the parade at Pride in 2015 Rob Stothard/Getty Images Steven Choo, aka 'Eva' walks in front of a marching band as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images Pride marchers wave American and rainbow flags from the top of a double decker bus with Parliament behind as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images Pride marchers wave American flags and dress as Hilary Clinton as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images 'Queen Alexandra' aka Stephen Stephenson-Spencer, makes his way to the march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images London Mayor, Sadiq Khan, and his wife Saadiya Khan lead the Pride march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images Mitzi Macintosh gets ready to march as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images Shiro, a Siberian Husky, plays with a rainbow flag as the LGBT community celebrates Pride in 2016 Getty Images Parade goers during Pride In London on July 7, 2018 Getty Images for Pride In London Parade goers on and around the statue of Eros, Piccadilly Circus, 2018 Getty Images for Pride In London A proposal of marriage is accepted during the parade, 2018 Getty Images for Pride In London Pride in London, 2018 AFP/Getty Images Parade goers at the start during Pride In London at Portland Place, 2018 REUTERS Many countries represented at Pride in London, 2018 Niklas Halle'n/AFP/Getty Images Mayor of London Sadiq Khan opens the Pride In London parade, 2018 Getty Images for Pride In London

He told the Guardian newspaper: This was by no means my first experience of homophobia. I was raised in a household which was staunchly anti-gay.

On my 18th birthday, I went out with my secret boyfriend and was the victim of a brutal homophobic attack in which I was dragged down a narrow alleyway by three men and severely beaten without a chance of defending myself.

They did not stop until they were forced to by the police who arrived at the scene.

But Mr Adlem said he felt lucky to live in a time when I can join the police service as an openly gay man  and I have previous generations to thank for that.

He said the Pride parade is an invaluable source of positivity and strength for anyone who has experienced abuse or bullying.
C ara Delevingne has said that the film industry makes her nervous as shes always so worried about what everyone thinks of her.

The British model-turned-actress, 24, admitted to having hidden internal anxieties despite her fearless exterior in a brand new interview with GQ.

I am a very outwardly free person, even though sometimes I dont feel that way inside Inside, I have so many fears, she told the magazine.

I work in an industry where I care what other people think and Im nervous all the time.

TODO: define component type brightcove

If I dont admit that its going on, it comes out in my skin... You pretend it doesnt exist, thats when it comes out, whether its heartbreak or something at work.

Delevingne poses for a sci-fi inspired shoot for the cover of the monthly magazine to celebrate her role in Luc Bessons eagerly-awaited Valerian.

Read the full interview with Cara in this month's GQ / Mariano Vivanco/GQ Magazine

The actress said she found it a real challenge to cry on-screen during the filming process as she hates crying in front of other people.

I find it hard to cry in front of even one person. If I cry, I want to cry alone, she said.

For me, to cry meant I had to, in my head, beat myself up and make myself feel really shit, but what I learnt that day was I actually had to be strong to be vulnerable.

Valerian is in UK cinemas on August 4. See the full shoot in the August issue of GQ, on sale Thursday.
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Iran Regime in the Middle East

The Iranian Regime likes to destabilise other nation states in the Middle East in order to take power, when tensions are at their height; that way the Regime can look like a stabilising influence in the eyes of the rest of the world.

Struan Stevensson, former European lawmaker and President of the Friends of Free Iran Intergroup, spoke of how the Regime seeks to destroy the middle east, how it has levelled cities in Iraq and massacred thousands of Sunnis across the region.

While Jamal Ali Jassim Bu Hassan, Member of Parliament from Bahrain, explained that the Iranian Regime has been incredibly damaging to Bahrain.

He said: No other regime has done greater damage to Bahrain, as has the Iranian Regime.

The Regime uses proxy militias, like Hamas and Hezbollah, in order to look like their hands are clean.

AbdulKarim Bashar, prominent political analyst, Member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition and former member of European Parliament from Portugal, said that the Iranian Regime is the real puppet master for ISIS and is orchestrating their terror attacks around the world, despite publically criticising ISIS.

Mohammad Mohaddessin, Chairman of Foreign Affairs Committee of the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI), called on Arab countries to help the Iranian Resistance (MEK) prove that the Iranian Regime (and its terrorist militias) is the only force that is oppressing the Iranian people and causing the destabilization of the Middle East.

Iran Regime attacks its people and MEK

The most common victims of the Iranian Regime are its own people who are viciously oppressed. Indeed, Mohaddessin said that the Iranian Regime has been more aggressive towards Muslims (Shia or Sunni) than any other regime.

While Hammami Jillany, an MP from Tunisia, said: The Iranian regime has only oppressed the Iranian people and did not do anything for them.

However, members and supporters of the MEK are the group most attacked by the Regime.

Tahir Boumedra, Former chief of human rights of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) and special advisor to the Special Representative of the Secretary-General, detailed that the crimes against the Resistance (MEK) from the Regime were an all too common occurrence.

He said: Im an eyewitness to the crimes in Camp Ashraf, those responsible must be punished.

Boumedra was in charge of the Ashraf case at UNAMI, where safe transport to Albania, was arranged in 2016 for the brave exiled MEK members who were being attacked by the Regime whilst is supposed safety in Camp Ashraf in Iraq.

He said: We have prepared a report with all the clear evidence of the crimes of the Iranian regime against the MEK.

MEK enjoys popular support

Despite the Regimes propaganda against their democratic resistance (MEK) and their attempts to eradicate them, the MEK receives great support around the world.

Sid Ahmed Ghozali, the former Algerian Prime Minister, congratulated the MEK on their progress over the past 20 years when it comes to international support.

He said: Initially there were few supporters from the EU, but now the majority of all parliaments in Europe support the MEKWe are now concentrated on the overthrow of the Iranian regime and we have to educate international public opinion.

This view was also voiced by those in the Middle East who are targeted by the Regime.

Hassan said: The MEK and the Iranian Resistance work day and night, but we need to work with the MEK to destroy the Iranian regime[the Bahrain government] support the MEK by all means.

While Jamal Al Awazi, Director of Yemen Center for Human Rights, said he saw the MEK as allies in the fight against extremism and praised the changes that he has seen around the world in terms of support for the MEK.

He said: We are partners with the MEK in fighting the Iranian regime.

Hisham Najjar, the member of the Syrian Opposition Coalition, said: I call for a stronger alliance with the Iranian opposition (MEK) to overcome the enemies and the evil powers.

Today was the last day of the Free Iran Gathering; yesterday over 100,000 politicians, human rights activists, and Iranians met to discuss why the Iranian Regime should be ousted, why the Iranian Resistance (NCRI/MEK) should be allowed to rule, and why the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps should be blacklisted by the international community.
Growing demand from nervous allies confronting ominous moves by Russia, China, North Korea and Iran have led to increased production of the American AGM-158 JASSM (Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missiles). The latest production order in mid-2017 was for 360 more of the most expensive version; AGM-158B JASSM ER (extended range of 900 kilometers). These will cost $1.15 million each and be delivered by mid-2020. Since it entered production in 2009 over 3,000 JASSM have been ordered, including 910 of JASSM ER. Basically JASSM delivers a GPS guided bomb long distances (beyond the range of enemy air defenses) and does it relatively inexpensively.

Development of JASSM began in 1995 and in the late 1990s the air force and navy planned to buy over 5,000 of them. But before mass production was to begin in 2004 there was growing opposition in the military and in Congress. JASSM were ten times more expensive than a JADM bomb of the same weight. But the aviators make the argument that many aircraft and pilots would be lost if the air defenses of a nation like, perhaps China, were attacked without using JASSM. Then came 2001 and now there were other priorities. Reliability and cost problems caused Congress to cut back on money for JASSM. There's also been no opportunity to use JASSM in the war on terror. The technical difficulties almost led to JASSM being cancelled but that appeared to motivate the developers to get the system working and production began in 2009. Then Russia and China became more of a threat and orders from allies in East Europe and East Asia increased.

JASSM was designed to handle the most modern Russian surface to air missiles, which are also being sold to China. North Korea has older stuff, and can't afford the newer Russian SAMs. But even these older air defenses can be dangerous, and are best addressed with long range missiles. So there is a need for a missile like JASSM, at least one that works. With Russian air defense systems now operating in Syria and Iran JASSM may be needed there before elsewhere in Europe or Asia. JASSM was designed for use on F-16s, F-15Es, F-18s and all three American heavy bombers. Customers for the F-35 now want it for that aircraft as well. There are currently four foreign users with more showing interest.

JASSM is stealthy and uses GPS and terminal (infrared) guidance to zero in on heavily defended targets (like air defense sites.) The terminal guidance enables the missile to land within three meters (ten feet) of the aiming point. If there were a war with North Korea, for example, JASSM would be essential to taking out enemy air defenses, or any other targets that have to be hit early in a war (before air defenses can be shut down.) This capability is apparently what attracted the South Koreans, who now have F-15K aircraft that can carry JASSM. It also caught the attention of Poland when Russian began making threatening noises.

JASSM is the third family of GPS guided smart bombs to be developed and is the most expensive. The original JDAM GPS bomb kit (added to 500, 1,000 and 2,000 pound bombs), cost $26,000 each. The longer range JSOW (JDAM with wings and more powerful guidance system), cost $460,000 each. The even longer range JASSM cost over half a million dollars (the 400 kilometer version) to over a million dollars (the 900 kilometer JASSM ER) each. Then there is the SDB (Small Diameter Bomb), a 250 pound JDAM that can also punch through concrete bunkers and other structures. These cost $75,000 each. All these are basically GPS guided smart bombs.

JASSM missiles are 1,045 kg (2,300 pound) weapons that are basically 455 kg (1,000 pound) JDAMS (GPS guided bombs) with a motor added. JASSM was designed to go after enemy air defense systems or targets deep in heavily defended (against air attack) enemy territory. The original reason for buying these was to have something to deal with air defenses of a nation like China.
While Islamic terrorism continues to dominate the news, it is but one example of an ancient curse that has reappeared recently in multiple forms; calls for the revival of empires. Some of these efforts are more media friendly than others but all share the same characteristics; mobilizing popular support for rebuilding lost empires. There are numerous examples. The most obvious one (the Islamic caliphate) grabs most of the headlines because Islamic terrorism has been a common symptom of desperate, longshot efforts to restore the caliphate for a long time (over a thousand years). As a religion based empire (Islam literally means submission) that has been hostile to any kind of progress (especially technology, economic or religious) past revival efforts have been unsuccessful. Thus the quick and brutal demise of ISIL (Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant) because it also tried to use self-righteous fanaticism as its primary weapon and motivation in a world that was largely hostile to such a brutal and simplistic ideology. ISIL was one of the few Islamic radical movements that mobilized nearly all Moslems to unite and violently oppose it. Yet even with ISIL gone (or suppressed) there are plenty of other Islamic empire revivalists who all seek to not just make Islam great again but to do it on a global scale.

ISIL was not the only major Moslem effort to revive a religion-based empire. There are two others underway and causing lots of problems because they are more about nationalism and ethnicity than religion. First there is Iran, which has been a regional superpower for thousands of years but fell on hard times since the 7th century because of a succession of damaging visits. First came conquest by the Arab revival (the initial wars of conquest by newly converted Moslem Arab). This was humiliating because Persians never thought such a thing possible. That was followed by a devastating visit by the Mongols followed by exhausting wars with the Ottoman Turks and finally the Western nations and all their new tech and ideas. Even before the largely secular Iranian monarchy was replaced by a religious dictatorship in the 1980s Iranian imperial ambitions, financed by all that new and unexpected oil wealth, was seen as a problem. In another unexpected development, Turks got interested in religion and empire building again. In the 1990s the Turks, who had gone secular after their centuries old Ottoman Empire collapsed in the 1920s, decided to give Islam another chance as an elected ruler tries, with some success, to revive the Ottoman empire using a combination of Islam, technology and creative diplomacy to make Turkey great again. This comes into conflict (as it has in the past) with Iranian efforts restore their imperial past.

Meanwhile Eurasia is the scene of three major imperial revival efforts. In the east there is China, where the current dynasty is actually a bunch of communist party leaders trying to stay in power using the appeal of lost (centuries before) imperial glories. The neighbors, and the rest of the world, are more alarmed than inclined to submit.

To the west there is Russia, where former communist era secret police officers are trying to use imperial nostalgia and the more familiar (to these former KGB professionals) police state tactics to at least stay in power and, if possible, Make Russia Great Again. West of the Russian revival is an effort to revive a European empire that never really existed, although Charlemagne came close for a short time in the 9th century and a thousand years before that the Romans were a contender for several centuries. There isnt much nostalgia for these traditional empires but many Europeans back a kinder and gentler empire that is based more on voluntary cooperation than coercion. The EU (European Union) has run into problems because too many Europeans see the EU developing an unelected bureaucracy that can make all sorts of new rules and even foreign policy without any regard for what their constituents (and, technically, employers) the European voters think. A growing number of Europeans think this EU empire sucks and are demanding that their local politicians (who are still responsible to the voters, at least more so than the EU officials) fix this problem or get their country out of the EU. The imperial officials are not pleased with this ignorance and ingratitude by their subjects and are fighting back in an effort to Make Europe Great Again.

Meanwhile the United States, where millions of people fled to over the last four centuries trying to escape all these old world empires are now dealing with a movement by some of the descendants of these imperial refugees to revive imperial links with the rest of the world. But there are so many to choose from. The EU and Islam seem to be favorites although all the imperial revival movements have some fans in the United States. But many Americans dont want to make America Imperial Again. There are still a lot of new arrivals who have recent personal experience with this stuff and will tell anyone who will listen that all this empire building does not end well but those painful memories tend to be forgotten after a few generations aided by those who seek to reinterpret history to better serve their current goals rather than to rectify past mistakes. So Americans seek to Make Reality Great Again, at least once they agree on which interpretation of reality to use.

On The Bright Side

Meanwhile there are positive developments to consider. These are not popular with the news media because, well, good news isnt news. Since the end of the Cold War in 1991 overall deaths from wars and large scale civil disorder (which is often recorded as some kind of war) has led to a sharp (about 20 percent so far) drop in violence worldwide. This occurred despite increasingly active and lethal Islamic terrorists. While the terror attacks themselves were news the current and historical causes of the Islamic terrorism were not. Examining that would have revealed that Islamic radicalism has a large anti-technology component, which is why Islamic terrorist violence tends to be low tech and disorganized. Thus most war deaths are not caused by terrorists and even in 2014 (a peak year for Islamic death cults) terrorism related deaths (mostly Islamic terrorism) accounted for 20 percent of all war related deaths. Islamic terrorism gets the most publicity but less glamorous disputes do most of the killing.

All Hail Cheap FUD

What gets the most media attention are the fearsome catastrophes headline writers can conjure up. All media thrives on FUD (Fear, Uncertainty and Doubt) and the scary headlines in the near term will feature China (and the possible collapse of the economy there and the worldwide impact), South Asia (the threat of nuclear war between Pakistan and India) and East Asia (the crumbling North Korean dictator may have usable nukes soon and might use them). Meanwhile the threat of Islamic terrorism activity in the West will remain a headline staple. Not many people in the West get killed by Islamic terrorists, especially compared to Moslem countries. But the Internet changed all that. By making it possible for anyone to hustle FUD video and audio round the clock at no cost and little personal risk, Islamic terrorists finally had the promotional tool they always needed but never realized was possible until suddenly, in the 1990s, there it was. Before that the appearance of 24 hour global TV news operations in the 1980s helped the Islamic terrorists but they could not control their message. With the Internet then could and soon learned how to do so for maximum impact on potential victims, donors and recruits. It was a breakthrough in the history of media, one that the more traditional media would like to see disappear. That wont happen although the Islamic world is slowly coming to the realization (as the Christian world did five centuries ago) that all this religion based violence was not really helping Islam in any way and was generally something that should be opposed. Thats a revolutionary concept for Islam because the very term Islam means submission and Islamic scripture is full to encouragement to get non-Moslems to submit, even if you have to kill a lot of the kaffirs (slang for non-Moslems) in the process. The rapid and continuous spread of news about Islamic terrorism has also made Moslems aware that most (as in over 90 percent) of the victims have been Moslems. Such reforms have been stoutly resisted for over a thousand years but this time it is different. That sort of thing garners few headlines but if this trend continues it will change the world.

Reality Is Not News

While terrorism of any sort grabs most of the headlines, it is not the cause of many casualties, at least not compared to more traditional wars. The vast majority of the military related violence and deaths in the world comes from many small wars, insurrections and other lethal conflicts that get little media attention outside where they take place. Some of the underreported wars are not so little but are not noticed by the mass media. While causalities from international terrorism are relatively few, the dead and wounded from all the other wars actually comprise over 80 percent of all the casualties. The Islamic terrorism looms larger because the terrorists threaten attacks everywhere and at any time, putting a much larger population potentially in harm's way, and the more numerous potential victims are unhappy with that prospect. In the West, and most Moslem nations, Islamic terrorism remains more of a threat than reality. Moreover most of the Islamic terrorism victims are in a few countries (Pakistan, Nigeria, Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan), places where Islamic terrorists have been operating for decades.

There are a lot of people dying from armed and organized (sort of) violence word-wide. But most of this violence involved one, or both sides operating as armed civilians. One of the bloodiest of these irregular conflicts is the one going on in Mexico, where drug gangs battle over who shall control the lucrative drug smuggling routes into the United States. Most of the killings are done by drug gang gunmen in civilian clothes. The death toll is over 90,000 since 2007. That's right up there with the wars that get a lot more media coverage (Afghanistan, Pakistan, Syria, Sudan and Somalia). That's no accident, as the Mexican drug war includes a lot of violence against the media, mainly local print and electronic outlets. The drug gangs don't want any unfavorable coverage and are willing to kill those who dare to say unkind things. This is common in many of the wars where one, or both sides are basically outlaws and able to do as they please.

Nuclear Peacekeeping

Despite the growing military power of China, and the saber rattling from Russia, the major military powers continue the Great Nuclear Truce (GNT) that began in the 1950s, when Russia got nuclear weapons, and suddenly realized they could not afford to use them without risking more destruction than past foes like the Nazis, French or Mongols inflicted. As more countries got nukes, the "we can't afford to use them, but they're nice to have" attitude, and the unprecedented truce, persisted. There have been wars, but not between the big players (who have the largest and most destructive conventional forces). Thus a record was broken in 1986, as there had never before (since the modern state system developed in the 16th century) been so long a period without a war between a major powers (the kind that could afford, these days, to get nukes). Since the Cold War ended in 1991 there have been fewer wars (in the traditional sense) in general.

The down side is a lot more low level conflicts (rebellions, civil wars) but overall a lot less death and destruction. Most people are unaware of this situation, because the mass media never made a lot of the GNT, it was something that was just there and not worth reporting. Besides, "nukes (bombs, power plants, medicine) are evil" sells if you are in the news business. Calling any incident, with a lot of gunfire and a few dead bodies, a "war" has also been misleading. The fact is, worldwide violence has been declining since the end of the Cold War and the elimination of Russian subsidies and encouragement for pro-communist (or simply pro-Russia or just anti-West) rebels and terrorists. The media also has a hard time keeping score. If you step back and take a look at all the wars going on, a more accurate picture emerges. So take sensational reporting of the Chinese threat with a bit of skepticism.

Most current wars are basically uprisings against inefficient, corrupt and oppressive police states or feudal societies which are seen as out-of-step with the modern world. Many are led by radicals preaching failed dogmas (Islamic conservatism, Maoism and other forms of radical socialism) that still resonate among people who don't know about the dismal track records of these creeds. Iran has replaced some of the lost Soviet terrorist support effort. That keeps Hezbollah, Hamas, and a few smaller groups going, and that's it. Terrorists in general miss the Soviets, who really knew how to treat bad boys right. No one has yet replaced the Soviets in that respect, an accomplishment even most Russians would rather not dwell on.

Current Wars

Listed in alphabetical order. Text underneath briefly describes current status. Click on country name for more details.

AFGHANISTAN

The drugs are winning as they usually do wherever they get established. Eventually they get crushed but eventually can last a long time. The only thing that nearly everyone in the country can agree on is that the opium and heroin is bad. Nearly ten percent of the population is addicted to drugs (mostly opiates) and another ten percent (there is some overlap) makes a living or gets rich from the drug trade. Most Afghans consider the biggest threat to be the drug gangs, which are largely run and staffed (like the Taliban) by Pushtun. The Taliban want to create a heroin producing Islamic terrorist and gangster sanctuary in Central Asia. If you want to know how that works, look at Chechnya in the late 1990s and Somalia during the last decade. No one has come up with any cheap, fast or easy solution for that. Meanwhile, Afghanistan's core problem is that there is no Afghanistan, merely a collection of tribes more concerned about tribal issues than anything else. Ten percent of the population, mostly living in the cities and often working with the foreigners, believes in Afghanistan the country. But beyond the city limits, it's a very different Afghanistan that is currently motivated by growing prosperity brought on by a decade relative peace and the persistent traditional violence. By Afghan standards, an unprecedented amount of cash has come into the country since September 11, 2001. Between economic growth, the growing heroin sales, and foreign aid, plus lower losses from violence, it's been something of a Golden Age. This despite decades of war. For example, it's often forgotten that the 1990s civil war was still active on September 11, 2001. The Taliban have been trying to make a comeback ever since. The key Taliban financial resource; heroin in Helmand and Kandahar provinces, remains the key to this war. Even many Pushtun do not like this development and more Taliban factions are negotiating some kind of settlement with the government. In other words, everything is pretty normal by Afghan standards. Afghanistan has become politically unpopular in the West and the easiest way out (for Western politicians) is to get out and let their successors deal with the aftermath. Afghanistan has become another can foreign leaders are kicking down the road. The historical local strongmen have noticed and Iran, China, Russia, Pakistan and India are all trying to have some influence with their wild and erratic neighbor. The Taliban believed that the Afghan security forces would fall apart in 2015 because most of the foreign troops were gone and those that were left were not fighting. The expected Taliban victory did not happen but there was a lot more Taliban violence. The Afghan soldiers and police stood and fought, but took heavy casualties. The biggest losses are from so many young Afghans with some money (and often education and useful skills) want to get out of Afghanistan and go to somewhere less lethal than where they grew up.

ALGERIA

The Arab Spring made only a slight impact here and Islamic terrorists are few and very much on the defensive. Islamic terrorist violence declined again in 2016 and that continues in 2017. Most Algerians are more concerned with corruption and bad government. The popular rejection of Islamic terrorists was largely because many Algerians are still traumatized by the 1990s war against Islamic terrorists. With so many civilians hostile to Islamic radicalism and willing to phone in a tip via the growing cell phone network, Algeria has become a very dangerous place for Islamic terrorists. Algerian Islamic radicals tried to capitalize on the Arab Spring unrest in neighboring Tunisia and Libya. But in both those countries, the popular uprising was against the local dictators and for democracy, not for an Islamic religious dictatorship. Islamic political parties were popular, but not Islamic radicals. The uprisings in Tunisia and Libya weakened the local security forces, and made it easier for Islamic radicals to move around and recruit. Algeria was able insulate itself from this. Many expect another, and larger, Arab Spring in Algeria eventually but so far the geriatric government is making concessions and trying to reform itself. This is delaying another revolution rather than preventing it. Meanwhile Tunisia next door, the first Arab state to rebel in 2011, is so far the only one to do so successfully.

BALKANS

This area has become quieter since the peacekeeping efforts of the 1990s and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections as needed. There is some Islamic terrorist activity there and the usual border disputes and crippling corruption. One ominous development is the growing number of mosques and religious schools being built and maintained by Saudi Arabia. These facilities teach a very hostile (to non-Moslems and any Moslems who do not agree) form of Islam that has been the source of so many Islamic terrorists since the 1980s. The locals are increasingly hostile to the Saudis for this and the Balkans did not become the Islamic terrorist sanctuary many feared.

CENTRAL ASIA

This area has become quieter since the 1990s and we are no longer covering it regularly. There will still be coverage as needed. Efforts to get some serious Islamic terrorist activity going has failed so far. Most of the nations involved used to be part of the Soviet Union and still have effective secret police and local dictators to encourage ruthless suppression of any dissent. People are putting up with it so far but popular anger at the corruption and inefficient government is growing. The region has become an economic and diplomatic battleground for Russia and China and China is winning. This is something Russia doesnt like to discuss, but among Russians the real threat is from the east, not the west.

CHAD

This area has become quieter since 2010 and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. Chad has even become a major supplier of peacekeepers throughout Africa, especially in Nigeria against Boko Haram. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections or in its own section if unrest reappears inside Chad.

CHINA

China continues its post-Cold War policy of aggressive territorial claims and risking war with its neighbors. This has more to do with internal politics (distracting an increasingly wealthy and concerned population from local problems with corruption, pollution and ineffective government). The corruption has created a lot of bad loans and these, plus a dysfunctional equities (stocks and bonds) market creates a threat that makes far fewer headlines than foreign adventures. The South China Sea has been declared, by China, to be part of China despite international agreements on such matters. Same situation in other coastal waters bordering South Korea and Japan. Old territorial claims on India have been revived, but are not pursued as aggressively because India has modern nukes, ballistic missiles to deliver them and a large military. China continues its long-range plan to become a military superpower. That means world class weapons designed and built in China require long-term efforts but the Chinese believe they will get there during the 2020s and 2030s. Every year China offers new weapons to the world market that are visibly more advanced. The actual performance of Chinese military technology is suspect as much of it is based on Russian stuff. During the Cold War Russian weapons always seemed to be what the losers used. But China keeps trying to improve and is making more progress than the Soviets ever did. The world is seeing more Chinese in peacekeeping missions as well as growing Chinese threats to peace. The bottom line however is keeping the communist dictatorship in power and that may be the ultimate reason for China avoiding war.

COLOMBIA

The crises has shifted to neighboring Venezuela because Colombia has largely won its war against decades of leftist violence. Next door in Venezuela the situation is quite the opposite. After a decade of corruption and inept government most Venezuelans were done with ideas of radical populist president Hugo Chavez. This former soldier got elected in 1999 and died in March 2013. Along the way Chavez trashed the Venezuelan economy and democracy. His handpicked replacement was even worse. The old Chavez dream of Venezuela becoming a socialist dictatorship supported by oil revenue eventually faded along with cash reserves and the national credit rating. While Venezuela is now looking forward to reconstruction (rather than civil war) under a non-socialist government the leftists still in the government are desperately trying to hang on, even at the risk of civil war. Solutions to these problems are not easy. In Colombia it required nearly two decades of effort to reach the point where a peace deal was made for disbanding the major leftist rebel group FARC. Implementation is underway and the second largest leftist rebel group (ELN, a third the size of FARC) now wants to talk peace as well. All these leftist rebels got going in the 1960s but by the 1990s were rapidly losing popular support. It got worse after 2000 because by then the drug gangs and leftist rebels had merged in many parts of the country, and the war was increasingly about money, not ideology. A new reform government took advantage of this and organized an offensive that sharply reduced crime and gave the economy a chance to become the most successful in South America. Meanwhile Venezuela is turning into a socialist dictatorship with the help of Cuban advisors.

CONGO

The UN and local church leaders tried to persuade the current president to give up his efforts to turn the country into another one party dictatorship based on corruption and exploiting ethnic divisions. The collapse of this effort in early 2017 means the country is again facing widespread civil war that is made worse by all the corruption and exploitable ethnic divisions. Solutions have been sought since the 1960s and in 2013 the UN tried something novel, for the UN. To deal with all domestic and foreign rebel groups the UN finally authorized a special combat brigade of peacemakers. This brigade was given a license to kill, and kill as often as needed to eliminate the last few rogue militias operating in the east. This solved many of the peacekeeping problems out there. Despite that multiple tribal and political militias, plus an increasing number of bandits, continue to roam the eastern border area, perpetuating the bloodiest (and least reported) war of the 21st century (about six million dead). There is similar, but less intense unrest in other parts of the country (especially the separatist minded southwest). The Congolese government finds it cannot (and to a certain extent, will not) cope with the continuing corruption and lack of order in the east and southwest. The reason is money, the millions of dollars available each year to whoever has gunmen controlling the mines that extract valuable ores and allow the stuff out of the country. The inept and corrupt government is part of the problem as the current (now outgoing) president was, since 2015, preoccupied with his failed effort to change the constitution so he could legally become president-for-life via endless rigged elections. The population is not eager for more violence, not after endless mayhem since the mid-1990s. Congo remains mired in deadly chaos while much of the rest of the world gets organized and achieves a much better standard of living. Elsewhere in Central Africa the Burundi civil war threatens to reignite because the current president is trying to defy the constitution and become president-for-life. In the Central African Republic years of chaos (following the overthrow of a corrupt and incompetent dictator) has evolved into another Moslem versus Christian (and non-Moslems in general) conflict.

ETHIOPIA

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections, mainly Somalia. In 2016 there was more political unrest in Ethiopia which led to the withdrawal of some Ethiopian peacekeepers from Somalia.

INDIA-PAKISTAN

India is largely at peace and prospering while neighboring Pakistan continues struggling with the Islamic terrorist groups it created and supported for so long. Islamic terrorist violence inside Pakistan has sharply declined since public outrage forced the military to shut down the last sanctuary for Islamic terrorists (North Waziristan) that included groups seeking to take control of Pakistan. This came to pass in 2014 because a newly elected civilian government (and public opinion) demanded that the military to go after North Waziristan and Islamic terrorists carrying out more and more attacks inside Pakistan. After three years this offensive succeeded in killing over 4,900 Islamic terrorists (at a loss of about 600 soldiers) and sent many more Islamic terrorists running for sanctuary in eastern Afghanistan and other parts of Pakistan (especially elsewhere in the tribal territories as well as the city of Karachi). But the Islamic terrorist violence did not completely disappear in Pakistan and the military blamed the remaining Islamic terrorist violence on outsiders (like India, Afghanistan and the United States). It was no surprise that the army did not move to destroy Islamic terror groups that only attacked foreign nations (like Afghanistan and India). This has contributed to growing hostility towards the military within Pakistan and growing international criticism. This backlash began in 2011 when a U.S. raid into Pakistan killed Osama bin Laden. This angered many Pakistanis because it showed that the generals had lied about their involvement with sheltering bin Laden. That raid also made it clear that the military was unable to detect or stop the "invading Americans", or stop local Islamic radicals from later carrying out "revenge attacks" that left hundreds of Pakistani civilians dead. This led to a continuing series of confrontations between the Pakistani military and the civilian government and growing hostility towards the economic and political power of the military. In response the generals created more confrontations with India and in 2016 declared that Islamic terrorism was no longer the major threat to Pakistan (as the military agreed it was since 2013) and that the threat was once again India. This merely increased Indian (and American and Afghan) anger at Pakistani support of Islamic terrorism. Meanwhile India further diminished the Pakistani military by continuing to consider China the main security threat to South Asia. India has to deal with some internal unrest, which does far less damage than what Pakistan has to deal with. In fact Islamic terrorist violence (mainly in Indian Kashmir) is less of a problem than tribal rebels in the northeast and Maoist (communist) ones in eastern India. Both these threats are being slowly diminished while Pakistan continues to make unofficial war on its neighbors. Another problem is that the Pakistani economy is becoming more dependent on Chinese investment, diplomatic support and arms exports. The Pakistani pro-Islamic terrorist attitudes have left it with few allies besides China, Iran and North Korea. Pakistan needs help, but mostly from Pakistanis as the ills that torment Pakistan can only be resolved from within.

INDONESIA

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly. There will still be coverage as needed, mostly about counter-terrorism efforts (quite successful so far). Islamic radicals remain active and the government apparently does not want to provoke them. So the Islamic terrorist threat remains.

IRAN

The religious dictatorship running the country saw itself as on the way to some major victories in Syria, Iraq, Lebanon and Yemen. The optimism turned out to be premature. The good times were supposed to begin in the wake of a July 2015 treaty that would lift the many sanctions Iran operated under. That did not, as many financial experts pointed out, solve the immediate current cash crises because first Saudi Arabia refusing to cut production and the continued use of fracking triggered a massive (more than 70 percent) drop of the price of oil in 2013. Iran is busy trying to comply with the 2015 treaty to get most of the sanctions lifted and so far that seems to be working. Even then international economists believe the Iranian economy wont get moving again until the 2020s. Still unresolved are the other problem that bothers Iranians; an Islamic conservative minority with veto power over any attempts at reform from within. Independent reformers are considered enemies of the state by the ruling clerics. Most Iranians just want a better life. There are some more complications. Half the population consists of ethnic minorities (mainly Turks, Kurds and Arabs), and some of these groups (Arabs, Kurds and Baluchis) are getting more restive and violent (for different reasons). Meanwhile, the Islamic conservatives are determined to support terrorism overseas and build nuclear weapons at home, rather than concentrating on improving the economy and living standards and addressing the corruption within their ranks. Expensive efforts to aid pro-Iran groups in Syria, Yemen, Iraq and Lebanon have worked but have to be presented as examples of the ancient Iranian empire being reborn. The government sees these foreign adventures as a way to distract an unhappy population. The nukes are still important because Iran has been increasingly vocal about how Iran should be the leader of the Islamic world and the guardian of the major Islamic shrines (Mecca and Medina) in Saudi Arabia. Iranians believe that having nukes would motivate the Arabs to bow down. The Arabs have been kicked around by the Iranians for thousands of years and take this latest threat very seriously.

IRAQ

By mid-2017 security forces had regained nearly all of the territory ISIL (al Qaeda in Iraq and the Levant) gained during an offensive that began in early 2014 and was halted a year later. At that point ISIL controlled about a third of the country. Now ISIL holds less than one percent of Mosul and is retreating elsewhere. ISIL is something of a passing problem while the major woe remains the widespread corruption and mismanagement the government created or tolerated after elections put the Shia majority in power after 2004. The root cause of the continuing terrorist violence is diehard Sunni Arabs who refuse to accept democracy and Shia domination. Another problem is growing terrorist support from Sunni Arabs elsewhere in the region who fear growing Iranian efforts to spread Shia Islam via Iraq. After 2003 Shia politicians found it convenient to exploit the intense hatred the majority (60 percent of Iraqis are Shia and 20 percent Kurd) feel for the Sunni Arab minority. Iraqi Sunni terrorists got a big boost from the 2011 uprising in Syria, which was led by the Sunni Arab majority there (against the ruling Shia Arab minority). Iraqi Sunni Arabs enthusiastically aided the Syrian rebels and eventually formed a faction (ISIL) dominated by Iraqi Sunnis. ISIL was more ruthless and appealed to hard core Islamic terrorists, especially foreigners and because of that that grew to be major threat in both Syria and Iraq. The Iraqi government was officially neutral (but actually doing much of what Iran asked to support the Syrian government). Meanwhile there were growing tensions between the Kurds in the north (over northern oil fields and autonomy) and the Arab majority. That was put aside (temporarily) after Mosul fell to ISIL in 2014 and the Kurds moved in and grabbed nearby Kirkuk (and its oil fields). The Kurds have since shown themselves the most competent and reliable military force in Iraq. By late 2016 the Kurds had driven ISIL back to the outskirts of Mosul. They were assisted by their main backer (the United States) along with a coalition of NATO and Arab countries who provided air support. The Kurds were better prepared for war and the oil money was very important to preserving their autonomy. Less corrupt than the Arabs, the Kurds are the one group in Iraq the West can depend on. Moreover the Kurds don't trust the Arabs. To make matters worse for the Iraqi government, Turkey backs, or at least tolerates, the Iraqi Kurds. The Turks dont trust the Arabs either. Considering the current situation in Iraq, most Iraqis dont trust Iraq either. Despite all that there is enough unity to push back ISIL and keep the Iranians from getting too ambitious. Yet radical Sunnis, separatist Kurds and meddling Iranians will remain a problem, along with corruption and unstable neighbors.

ISRAEL

Finally, after more than a century of increasing anti-Semitism most of Israels Arab neighbors are realizing the Israel would be a valuable economic, diplomatic and military ally against common enemies like Shia Iran and Islamic terrorism. Since it was created after World War II Israel quickly became the most prosperous, productive and democratic nation in the region. Yet even before Israel was revived (after nearly 2,000 years of trying) the Moslem world and many non-Moslem nations continued to call for the destruction of Israel. The most ardent, and inept, of these foes are Fatah (the Palestinian group that rules the West Bank) and Hamas (the more radical group that controls Gaza). These Palestinian factions cannot agree with each other and are spending more effort attacking each other than in going after Israelis. Hamas is losing popular support in Gaza where its 1.8 million Palestinian subjects are angry at not being able to vote Hamas out of power and being forced to submit to more and more Islamic lifestyle rules. Neither Palestinian faction is interested in real peace talks with Israel. That's because Palestinian leaders continue to preach endless war against Israel and destruction of the Jewish state. Any peace deal is seen as a stepping stone towards that ultimate goal. Some Palestinians keep trying to make any kind of peace, in order to reverse the economic disaster they brought on themselves as a result of their old (begun in 2000) terror campaign against Israel. Polls show that Palestinians are tired of terrorism even though they still support it in order to destroy Israel, which remains an article of faith among Palestinians. Meanwhile Egypt has undergone another revolution with a military coup ousting the elected Islamic Brotherhood government and elections in early 2014 putting another general in power. The Islamic Brotherhood managed to make itself very unpopular in only a few months by breaking campaign promises and moving to turn Egypt into a religious dictatorship. Despite the 2013 coup Islamic terrorists remain active and the Moslem Brotherhood threatens to join them. The Moslem Brotherhood was outlawed by the end of 2013 and Egypt continues to have a hard time returning to normal, much less reforming the government and economy. Most of the terrorist violence in Egypt is coming from groups based in Sinai and Gaza. For that reason Egypt has isolated Gaza even more and sent thousands of additional soldiers and police into northern Sinai. By mid-2017 Hamas finally agreed to make peace with Egypt. While the Arabs have endless problems the Israeli economy prospers partly because of a very effective counter-terrorism campaign. This annoys Arabs most of all but also led to a growing number of Arab countries increasing their unofficial ties with Israel to better deal with Islamic terrorism. Since 2015 these same Arab nations admitted such relationships existed and have even allowed Israel to establish official trade offices in placed like Abu Dhabi. Much of this has to do with cooperating against mutual enemy Iran, but there is also a growing consensus that Israel is not going away and much effort is being wasted in trying to make destroy the most successful nation in the region. Iran will always be an enemy of the Arabs and, after all, Arabs and Israelites are all Semites. This has also resulted in Turkey seeking to restore diplomatic and other relations with Israel while also seeking to revive its influence in the Arab world.

KOREA

North Korea insists on keeping its nuclear weapons program, corrupt communist police state and the murderous Kim dynasty that has a foreign policy based on threats and extortion. China has lost patience with its unruly neighbor. This may prove decisive because China is, literally, North Koreas economic lifeline. China is primary or only source for essentials like petroleum, food and all sorts of smuggled (past a long list of international sanctions) goods. China will tolerate a lot of bad behavior in return for obedience and maintaining order. North Korea is doing neither and South Korea needs some work on the obedience angle. Not wanting to make the situation worse in North Korea (by using force to change the government), in early 2016 China did the unthinkable and began enforcing the many trade sanctions North Korea is under. This caused an economic crisis in North Korea but so far the North Korean leadership has not changed its mind about its nukes and openly boasts that they will have combat ready (reliable ballistic missiles and warheads) nukes in 2017. That is unlikely given the North Korean track record. Then again the North Koreans continue to make progress, which pleases the mass media worldwide and continues to annoy all the neighbors. Yet everyone defers to China because Korea has traditionally been a Chinese responsibility and, for centuries, a difficult one.

KURDISH WAR

This area had become quieter after 2003 and we no longer cover it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections like Iraq, Israel and Syria. The 2011 Arab Spring movement shook things up a bit and the Kurds are once more at war with Turkey, Syria and Iran. Turkey is particularly outraged at the establishment of an autonomous Kurdish region in northern Iraq and the impact that is having on Kurdish minorities in Syria (where an autonomous region is already a reality), Turkey (where there is again continuous violence by Kurdish separatists) and Iran.

LIBYA

The past has caught up with Libya and the country is still torn apart by the aftereffects of the 2011 uprising. In 2015 that violence went from a two way (Islamic radical groups versus more moderate ones) to three way (with the addition of the ultra-radical ISIL). By the end of 2015 the UN had gotten the two (Tripoli and Tobruk) major coalitions to agree to a merger that was supposed to take place in early 2016. That merger has been delayed by continuing factional infighting and the more pressing need to shut down the ISIL presence. That was accomplished in late 2016 but the rival Tripoli (UN approved) and Tobruk (popular in eastern Libya) governments are still trying to work out how to create a unified government. Through all this oil exports have shrunk and the Central Bank cash reserves are nearly gone. If peace and unity are not achieved soon the government will no longer be able to import food and other essentials. Even by Middle Eastern standards Libya is setting a new records in self-destructive behavior. By 2017 more Libyans were agreeing that the situation was indeed becoming desperate and more compromise was the only solution. But tribal and religious differences (Islamic radicals versus everyone else) plus epic levels of corruption and entitlement keep peace and prosperity out of reach.

MALI

A final peace deal with the rebellious Tuareg in the north was signed in early 2015 and is holding into 2017. Despite that Islamic terrorism is spreading to the more populous south but not to the extent that it threatens government control. The Tuareg peace deal was stalled for over a year because the black majority in the south did not want to grant as much autonomy as the Tuaregs demanded. The two groups have always been at odds but were only united in the same country by the colonial French in the 19th century. Like most African countries, dividing the nation is not an acceptable option and the colonial borders are considered sacrosanct. The current mess began when France took swift action in January 2013 by leading a military operation to clear Islamic terrorists out of northern Mali. Aided by Chad and a growing number of other African peacekeeping contingents, this operation is expected to continue for years. The French acted because in 2012 Tuareg tribal rebels (with the help of al Qaeda affiliated Islamic terrorists) in northern Mali chased out government forces and declared a separate Tuareg state. The Mali army mutinied (because of lack of support from the corrupt government) down south and took control of the capital. The army soon backed off when neighboring nations threatened to intervene. T he thinly populated northern two-thirds of the country has a population of less than two million, out of 15 million for all of Mali. The north was very poor in the best of times, and over a year of violence there has halted tourism (a major source of income, especially in the three major cities up there) and the movement of many goods. Mali still has internal problems (mainly corruption) and continued unrest in the north. A lot depends on whether the majority in the south can reduce corruption and deal fairly with the Tuaregs and other minorities (like Arabs) in the north. The elected Mali government is back in power but appears to be as corrupt as ever and under growing pressure from donor nations to either clean up the corruption or see most of the aid disappear.

MEXICO

Government efforts to reduce drug cartel violence and crime has been much more successful than doing what the public wants the most; reducing corruption. After 2012 a newly elected government quietly backtracked on its promises to halt the war on drug gangs. This change of attitude occurred when it because obvious that there was a real need for this war. This could be seen out in the countryside where growing drug gang violence led to the formation of many armed militias, who confronted the local cartel gunmen and told them to either fight or leave. Noting the success of the militias the government eventually made them legitimate rather than treat them as outlaws. On the downside the success of these militias also brought unwelcome (for the government) attention to the corruption of government and police out in the countryside. The militias were as much a protest against corruption as they were against drug cartel activity. Moreover the extent of the militia movement also made it clear how the cartel violence was not a nationwide threat while corruption was. Nearly all the cartel violence (which accounts for three percent of all crime) occurs in under five percent of the 2,500 municipalities. But the often spectacular Cartel War violence gets the headlines, making it appear that the entire country is aflame. Because so much of the violence is on the U.S. border and coastal towns and cities (to facilitate drug smuggling) it seems to Americans that Mexico is a war zone. The end of one-party rule in 2000, the subsequent growth of drug gangs and increasing corruption in the security forces has triggered unprecedented levels of violence and unrest in the areas involved. The non-PRI government eventually went to war with the drug gangs, and the outcome is still in doubt. The PRI (the party that controlled the government for most of the 20th century until finally eased out by reformers in 2000) got back in power in 2012 and promised changes, but has found that determination is more needed than change. PRI also discovered that corruption (much of it perfected over 70 years when PRI monopolized power) was THE big issue for all Mexicans. The cartel violence was a minority concern. Worse the 2012 PRI government was soon being accused of bringing back the old PRI corruption. Now there is fear that the decades old PRI support for corruption is back in play. PRI has had to pay more attention to popular demands for less corruption and that will not be easy because the corruption is deeply entrenched and widespread.

MYANMAR (Burma)

The expected big changes because of the return of democracy in 2010 are slow to appear. The first nationwide elections since 1990 (when the generals refused to accept the results and banned any more voting) were held in late 2015. The anti-military coalition won enough votes to change the constitution and the military said it would accept the vote. Despite the return to democracy the most corrupt institution in Burma is still the military and that can be seen in how the 2010 constitution that returned democracy explicitly granted military leaders (including all the retired officers) immunity from prosecution for past crimes. The military was also given control of the defense ministry and a fixed number (25 percent) of seats in parliament. In effect, the military leaders who once ran the country are still in charge of the defense budget and immune from prosecution for all the crimes they committed in the past. The 2015 elections meant that real reform, like changing this pro-military constitution, was now a possibility. Even before the late 2015 elections reforms were slowly being made despite the fact that the 2010 elections replaced the military dictatorship with many of the same people, out of uniform and trying to hide the fact that they rigged the vote. And then there are the continuing rebellions of the rural tribes along the borders, especially in the north. Since 2015 China has been threatening to intervene if Chinese investments in the tribal north were not protected and allowed to resume operating. In response Burma began depending more on India to help with security in the north and some protection from Chinese threats. Temporary peace deals were made but the tribal rebels are still producing major quantities of methamphetamine, and increasing amounts of heroin, to support continued fighting. China is not happy with many of these drugs (particularly heroin and meth) coming into China. That is difficult to change because the tribes are poor and the drug money is very attractive. China is also concerned with the popular opposition to major Chinese economic projects (dams and pipeline) in the north but the fundamentals remain the same. The government has also done little to suppress a 2013 outbreak in anti-Moslem violence. Overall, economic and political progress is slow but there has been regular progress despite the continued problems with the military.

NIGERIA

By late 2016 the outbreak of Islamic terrorism in the north was largely extinguished, but not before several years of fighting had destroyed the economy in much of northeastern Nigeria. All this was caused by group of Taliban wannabes (Boko Haram) in the north whose activity grew rapidly in 2014. It took over a year for the government to finally muster sufficient military strength to cripple but not destroy the Boko Haram threat. This did not get much media attention outside Africa, even though in 2014 Boko Haram killed more people than ISIL did in Syria and Iraq. The main cause of Boko Haram gains in 2014 and 2015 was corruption in the army, which severely crippled army effectiveness. By itself Boko Haram was too small to have much impact on a national scale but the inability to deal with this problem puts a spotlight on the corruption that has hobbled all progress in Nigeria for decades. A new president (a former general who is Moslem) was elected in early 2015 and is trying to change the corrupt army culture but it is slow going. More bad news is expected because of too many tribal divisions, not enough oil money and too much corruption create growing unrest throughout the country. This is especially bad down south in the oil producing region (the Niger River Delta). There a 2009 amnesty deal that reduced violence against oil facilities has fallen apart and in early 2016 the violence returned local politicians and business leaders had taken over the oil theft business from the disarmed tribal rebels, and the former rebels wanted that business back. Meanwhile, the northern Moslems want more control over the federal government (and the oil money). The situation is still capable of sliding into regional civil wars, over money and political power. Corruption and ethnic/tribal/religious rivalries threaten to trigger, at worse, another civil war and, at least, more street violence and public anger.

POTENTIAL HOT SPOTS

Various places where the local situation is warming up and might turn into a war.

PHILIPPINES

While decades of effort have finally reduced the internal threat of leftist and religious rebellions, most Filipinos are more concerned about endemic corruption and the resulting economic stagnation. There is also the Chinese threat, with more Chinese warships showing up in what had been, until recently, unquestionably Filipino coastal waters. Most Filipinos see China as a threat but not as large as the internal problems with corruption, Islamic terrorism and unemployment. A new president (Rodrigo Duterte) took power in mid-2016 pledging to do what most Filipinos wanted, not what the politicians wanted. Duterte had been doing this locally (as mayor of a major city) since the 1990s and was ready to try and make it happen nationally. This has led to condoning vigilante tactics by the police to suppress the drug gangs as well as an unexpected adoption of an anti-American foreign policy and a willingness to make deals with China. This weakened the coalition with Taiwan, Japan, South Korea, Vietnam and the United States to oppose the Chinese threat. Duterte told the Americans he would not risk war with China over it. Duterte told the Islamic minority in the south (led by MILF) that he would get behind the 2015 peace deal (that gave it more autonomy but not its own country and the expulsion of non-Moslems) and help get it approved by the legislature if MILF helped destroy Abu Sayyaf (the ultra-radical Islamic terrorist group in the south that is responsible for most of the kidnappings and terror bombings down there) and MILF factions that refused to accept the peace deal. Abu Sayyaf has integrated itself with the clan culture down there and become very difficult to eliminate. The Moslems have, as always, lots of clan feuds and internal violence which will survive the autonomy deal with the government. Duterte may not be the solution to the many problems the country faces but he is the most radical, and promising, one to come along in decades.

RUSSIA

Since 2014 Russia has been making a lot of headlines but not much else. The economy is a mess, the country has fewer allies and the future looks dim. Invading Ukraine and Syria has not helped solve any of the fundamental problems but have made for great propaganda. What went wrong? Russia entered the 21st century with a new elected government dominated by former secret police (KGB) officers who promised to restore economic and civil order. They did so but in the process are turning Russia into a police state with less political and economic freedom. A growing number of Russians opposed this and the government responded by appealing to nationalism. Russia has returned to police state ways and the traditional threatening attitude towards neighbors. Rather than being run by corrupt communist bureaucrats, the country is now dominated by corrupt businessmen, gangsters and self-serving government officials that characterized the last czarist government of a century ago. The semi-free economy is more productive than the centrally controlled communist one but that just provides more money to steal. A rebellion against the new dictatorship has been derailed by astute propaganda depicting Russia as under siege by the West. Yet opinion polls that show wide popular support for this paranoid fantasy has left enough Russians with democratic impulses to continue leading the struggle for better government and needed reforms. For now most Russians want economic and personal security and are willing to tolerate a police state to get it. That atmosphere, plus the anxiety generated by having troops fighting in Syria and Ukraine has scared away a lot of foreign investors and many Russian ones as well. Russia can downplay this in the state controlled media but without all that foreign and Russian capital the economy cannot grow. Meanwhile China, the only real threat to Russia, quietly makes progress in the east. There China has claims on much of the Russian Far East and is openly replacing Russia as the primary economic, military and political force in Central Asia.

RWANDA & BURUNDI

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in the CONGO section when there are details of the new civil wars brewing here.

SOMALIA

Al Shabaab, a local Islamic radical group, has been crushed but not completely destroyed. Now the main threat is the corruption and factionalism that have always defined and defiled Somali culture. Since 2013 Al Shabaab has been driven out of most of the territory it controlled for years but remnants fought on in thinly populated areas of central Somalia, the far north (Puntland border) and far south (Kenyan border). The defeated al Shabaab split into factions and most of the international (pro-al Qaeda) group has seized control of what was left. Al Shabaab remnants will linger for a while. An elected Somali government, propped up by foreign aid (most of which gets stolen) has been around since 2012. Despite all that Somalia is still a failed state that defies every attempt at nation building. The situation is worse than it appears because Somalia was never a country, but a collection of clans and tribes that fight each other constantly over economic issues (land and water). The country remains an economic and political mess, a black hole on the map. Not much hope in sight. The pirates became a major problem after 2006 and in response the major trading nations launched a counter-piracy effort which since 2012 reduced pirate success (captured ships) considerably. In fact, no large ships have been captured in since early 2012. The northern statelet of Puntland was persuaded (and subsidized) by wealthy seafaring nations to attack the pirate bases. There are not many pirate groups left because of the lack of multi-million dollar ransoms. In the far south (where the second major port, Kismayo is) a third statelet (after Puntland and Somaliland in the north) is trying to exist as Jubaland. The UN backed government in the center is trying to prevent this but the problem remains the independent minded clans. There is not a lot of enthusiasm among local leaders for a national government.

SUDAN

An unofficial state of war developed after the south became an independent "South Sudan" in 2011. Although Sudan officially accepted the results of the vote that created South Sudan the battles over disputed border areas continued. Sudan quietly sent troops and pro-government militias to seize disputed border areas. That fighting continues and has been complicated by a 2014 outbreak of civil war between the two major tribal factions in South Sudan. That conflict apparently ended in early 2016 but the tribal rivalries continued tearing South Sudan apart and the unrest and distrust continues. Moslems in Sudan tried for decades to suppress separatist tendencies among Christians in the south while also dealing with Moslem rebels along the eastern coast and western (non-Arab Darfur) deserts. The oil money in South Sudan is a major cause of the current civil strife there and continuing conflict with Sudan and within South Sudan. Meanwhile, battles over land in western Sudan (Darfur) continue to pit Arab herders against black Sudanese farmers. Both sides are Moslem, but the government has long backed the Arabs. The government uses Arab nationalism and economic ties with Russia and China to defy the world and get away with driving non-Arab tribes from Darfur. Sudan was also an ally of Iran and recipient of Iranian weapons for a while. That aid included useful advice on how to best terrorize a population into submission. The government believes time is on its side and that the West will never try anything bold and effective to halt the violence. So far, the government has been proven right, but keeps losing control of Sudan, bit by bit. South Sudan is falling into the same cycle of internal disorder and fragmentation.

SYRIA

The massive violence that has been going on since 2011 morphed into a proxy war between Iran and the Sunni Arab states (and their Western allies). As of mid-2017 the Shia (Iran and ally Russia) are winning, but not decisively. In late 2015 Russia sent warplanes, ground troops and lots more military aid in an effort to save the Syrian government, a longtime ally, from destruction. Russia claimed this was an effort to destroy ISIL, not save the Syrian government. That fantasy worked with some rebel groups, who cooperated with the government and Russians against ISIL. Because of this, plus ISIL going to war with other rebels as well as the government since late 2014, the rebels have lost much of the territory they had gained since 2011. The pro-Iran Assad clan is now the likely winner even though they are still hated by most Syrians and most Arabs who see the Assads as traitors for supporting Iran and Iranian efforts to replace Arabs as guardians of the most holy places of Mecca and Medina and leader of the Moslem world. The West never wanted the expense and bother of doing another Libya (air support and special operations troops on the ground) to oust the Assads but was willing to be part of a mainly Arab coalition providing air support for anyone willing fight ISIL in Syria and Iraq and help prevent an Iranian/Assad victory. Syria was one of the many Arab Spring uprisings, but one that did not end quickly (as in Tunisia and Egypt) or evolve into a relatively low-level civil war (as in Libya and Yemen) or get suppressed (Saudi Arabia, Bahrain). The Syrian protests just continued and turned into armed rebellion by late 2011. Syria is, like Iraq under Saddam, a Baath Party dictatorship. But there are two differences. Unlike Iraq, where a Sunni minority dominated a Shia majority, it's just the opposite in Syria. More importantly, Syria has little oil wealth and the government has long depended on subsidies from Shia Iran (and before that communist Soviet Russia) to survive. Despite growing international criticism (even from the Arab League) the Assads refused to stop using violence and other police state tactics to suppress the pro-democracy activity. Since 2011 the violence has left over 400,000 people dead and most died since 2014. The killing diminished a bit in 2015 because of sheer exhaustion and picked up again in 2016 because of the Russian air (and other) support. The growing strength of the rebels had already been crippled by disputes between the many rebel factions. The Islamic radicals (mainly al Qaeda and ISIL) wanted to turn Syria into a religious dictatorship while most Syrians just wanted peace and some prosperity. The stubborn Assad dictatorship, because of reinforcements supplied by Iran (mainly in the form of over 20,000 Shia mercenaries from Hezbollah in Lebanon and Shia volunteers from all over) and Russia now has a chance to win, something some Western nations see as preferable to Islamic terrorists taking over and requiring a Western invasion to remove such a threat. Russia and Iran are quite pleased with the way they have played the situation, especially the 2014 deal to remove Syrian chemical weapons (which the Syrians can rebuild later). The only rebels getting air support are the Syrian Kurds because, like their Iraqi kinsmen, they can be trusted. Western warplanes are over Syria since late 2014, but they are bombing Islamic terrorist rebels, not Assad forces. In August 2016 Turkish ground forces entered northern Syria to seal the border (to ISIL and Turkish separatist PKK Kurds) and weaken the Syrian Kurds. The Turks were basically helping the Assads and hurting ISIL and all that made an Assad victory more likely. Before the Assads can resume control of the country they have to deal with the fact that Israel, Jordan and the Sunni Arab oil states are opposed to the Iranian effort to establish a permanent military presence in Syria. Turkey is opposed to any autonomous Syrian Kurdish area in the north. Turkey and Russia are technically allies of Iran in Syria but the reality is that no one trusts Iran. The Russians have quietly made it clear they would side with Israel. The Turks are NATO members and traditional foes of Russia and Iran. But the current Turkish government is unstable and increasingly unpopular with Turks as well as the neighbors.

THAILAND

Islamic terrorism in the south and continuing struggles between democrats and royalists nationwide continue to hamper economic growth and much else. The years of civil disorder in the capital triggered yet another military coup in 2014 and the aftereffects of that are still being felt. The 2014 coup ended the low level civil war over military control of the government. The anti-democracy minority (royalists and many educated urbanites) had used large demonstrations and persuasive appeals to the military to stage another coup. The new military government now keeps delaying new elections because opinion polls indicate military rule is unpopular with most Thais and, as in the past, there will be reprisals against the military once elections are held. Meanwhile ethnic Malay Moslems in the south (three percent of the population) continue to cause problems. Since 2013 the government has had someone down there to negotiate with and these talks were soon stalled and remain so. Most Thais are ethnic Thais and Buddhist while the southerners are Moslem and ethnic Malays. In the south Islamic radicalism arrived after 2001 along with an armed effort to create a separate Islamic state in the three southern provinces. Islamic terrorists grew more powerful month by month for several years and refused to negotiate. Security forces persisted and are making progress in identifying and rounding up the terrorists. But there is no quick victory in sight. Even the death of the beloved Thai king in late 2016 (October) did not change anything and his much younger successor will be a work-in-progress for a while.

UGANDA

This area has become quieter over the last decade and we are no longer covering it regularly as a separate category. There will still be coverage as needed in other sections (mostly Congo and Somalia) because of Ugandan participation in a growing number of peacekeeping operations in Africa.

YEMEN

Nor much progress here, which favors Iran. In 2015 Yemen unrest became a full civil war when Shia rebels sought to take control of the entire country. Neighboring Arab states quickly formed a military coalition to halt that. The Arab coalition appears to be succeeding because by 2016 pro-government forces were close enough to launch a major assault on the rebel-held capital. As the fighting intensified in early 2015 Iran admitted it had been quietly supporting the Shia rebels for a long time but now was doing so openly, or at least trying. The Arabs, with U.S. support, blockaded air and sea access to Yemen. The U.S. refused to send in ground troops but the Arabs eventually did. The Arab troops made a big difference despite suffering some embarrassing defeats along the way. This was an impressive display of Arab military capabilities, which benefitted from all the money spent on high-tech weapons since the 1990s. Meanwhile the basic problem, that Yemen has been a mess for decades, is unresolved. Because of the 2015 war Yemen is truly broke, disorganized and desperate. The Arab Spring hit Yemen hard and upset the "arrangement" that left one group of tribal, criminal and business leaders in charge for over three decades. The country is fragmented again, just like it has always been. Many Yemenis trace the current crisis back to the civil war that ended, sort of, in 1994. That war was caused by the fact that, when the British left Yemen in 1967, their former colony in Aden became one of two countries called Yemen. The two Yemens finally united in 1990 but another civil war in 1994 was needed to seal the deal. That fix didn't really take and the north and south have always been pulling apart ever since. This comes back to the fact that Yemen has always been a region, not a country. Like most of the rest of the Persian Gulf and Horn of Africa region, the normal form of government until the 20th century was wealthier coastal city states nervously coexisting with interior tribes that got by on herding or farming (or a little of both) plus smuggling and other illicit sidelines. This whole "nation" idea is still looked on with some suspicion by many in the region. This is why the most common forms of government are the more familiar ones of antiquity (kingdom, emirate or modern variation in the form of a hereditary dictatorship.) For a long time the most active Yemeni rebels were the Shia Islamic militants in the north. They have always wanted to restore local Shia rule in the traditional tribal territories, led by the local imam (religious leader). This arrangement, after surviving more than a thousand years, was ended by the central government in 1962. Yemen also became the new headquarters of AQAP (Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula) when Saudi Arabia was no longer safe for the terrorists after 2007. Now there is ISIL and an invading army composed of troops from oil-rich neighbors. By mid-2017 the rebels are slowly losing ground to government forces who, despite Arab coalition air support and about five thousand ground troops, are still dependent on Yemeni Sunni tribal militias to fight the Shia tribes. While the Shia are only a third of the population they are united while the Sunni tribes are divided over the issue of again splitting the country in two (with no agreement on who would get the few oil fields in central Yemen). Many of the Sunni tribes tolerate or even support AQAP and ISIL.
Zespri welcomes the announcement of the start of Free Trade Agreement (FTA) negotiations between New Zealand and the four countries of the Pacific Alliance  Chile, Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

While New Zealand kiwifruit does not attract tariffs in these four markets, Zespri welcomes any moves towards liberalising trade around the world, says CEO Lain Jager.

We are a small exporting nation and agreements like this are vital for our economic prosperity.

Lain says Zespri is developing new markets for our premium fruit around the world and sales in Mexico are set to double over the next five years, from around $5 million in sales last season.

Trade Minister Todd McClay has announced the launch of free trade agreement negotiations with Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru on July 1.

He says better market access and lower tariffs will be of real value to New Zealand exporters.

This is a big win in the fight for better access for New Zealanders to important overseas markets. Weve worked hard for trade talks with the Pacific Alliance over the last two years and todays announcement will be welcome news for our exporters.

A high-quality FTA will open the door for New Zealand companies to do more business with the Pacific Alliance countries and increase the $1.1 billion of two-way trade we currently have with them.

Todd made the announcement from the Pacific Alliance Summit in Colombia following a meeting with the Presidents of Mexico, Chile, Colombia and Peru.

The Pacific Alliance is a grouping of fast-growing, like-minded economies committed to the liberalisation of trade. Between them they have more than 221 million consumers and a combined GDP of US$3.85 trillion, which is equivalent to the worlds sixth largest economy.

Negotiating a high-quality FTA with the Pacific Alliance will also help the Government reach its ambitious Trade Agenda 2030 target of covering 90 per cent of our goods trade under FTAs by 2030.
With the recent coverage and scrutiny of Russia's possible influence on the US election and executive branch of the government, some tech companies have been feeling the heat as well. Kaspersky Lab, the well known creator of the Kaspersky Antivirus and Kaspersky Security Protection suite, has been under fire over possible a compromise of their source code by the Russian government. As such, CEO Eugene Kaspersky has offered to turn over that source code to the US Government in an effort to clear his name. In an interview with The AP he stated that "if the United States needs, we can disclose the source code." He is wiling to do anything "to prove that we don't behave maliciously."

Kaspersky Lab is based in Moscow and has faced skepticism the past few months over allegations of a close relationship to the Russian government. Eugene Kaspersky himself was educated at a KGB-backed school and still maintains ties to top government and intelligence officials. He has previously served with the Russian military intelligence organization as well. Adding to the issue, the FBI visited the homes of about a dozen US based employees to collect information on any connection between the software and Russian intelligence officials.

Typically speaking, software companies will do everything possible to secure their source code as the most valuable piece of intellectual property they own. Kaspersky's willingness to offer their code for auditing could indicate the seriousness of the situation. While there is no public evidence that the software has been compromised, Kaspersky products are still banned on all Department of Defense devices.
If you're one of Facebook's 2 billion monthly users, you probably noticed the rainbow flag emoji that was rolled out early last month. Most people welcomed it as a way of celebrating the LGBTQ community, but not everybody was happy with the addition, especially some conservative Christians who are now demanding a cross reaction emoji be introduced.

The rainbow reaction was part of Facebook's celebration of online diversity during Pride month. For many, it also felt like a tribute to the rainbow flag's creator, Gilbert Baker, who died in March.

There were some - including openly conservative Christian Hikmat Hanna - who argued that as Facebook brought in the rainbow emoji, it should also add a crucifix icon. Arizona-based evangelist Joshua Feuerstein noticed the plea and lent his support to the 'crucifix reaction' campaign, which has so far received over 28,000 likes and almost 9500 shares on the social network.

As many have pointed out, one of the issues with the crucifix emoji is that should it ever make an appearance, it would lead to calls for religious symbols for Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, and other faiths to be introduced in the interests of fairness.

But the crucifix is never going to happen, anyway. A Facebook spokesperson told the Huffington Post: "This reaction is not actually available on Facebook, and is not something we're working on."

Feuerstein made headlines in the past when he unsuccessfully tried to order a cake from a Florida baker that read "We do not support gay marriage." He also lambasted Starbucks for failing to mention Christmas on the red cups it introduced during the holiday season.
All mobile carriers have some type of unlimited data plan, but as we all know "unlimited" is only used in the loosest sense of the term. All these services have a data cap, and the usual practice is to throttle down network speeds once a customer reaches that limit. Verizon's Unlimited Talk, Text, & Data is no different. Customers have a 22GB per month allowance. If they exceed this limit, they are "subject to deprioritization." Meaning if the tower is busy, you will be the first to get slowed down.

Ironically, some customers that are exceeding the cap are going to be kicked off their unlimited data subscription. Recently customers began complaining that they had received notification from Verizon "to either port their plans to another carrier or face outright termination."

The problem is only occurring with customers who are carried under the LTE in Rural America (LRA) program. Verizon initiated LRA to bring high-speed LTE service to those in rural areas. To do this Verizon created partnerships with smaller local carriers. The company allows the regional carriers access to its core network and a "700 MHz Upper C Spectrum Lease Through 2029." In return, the rural companies allow free use of their towers, "equipment shelters," and roaming agreements among other things.

There are 21 regions currently participating in the LRA program. One of these regional carriers is Appalachian Wireless, and customers within Appalachian's coverage zone, and possibly other areas, are the ones affected by the ban. According to posters on Howard Forums, Verizon is telling customers that it will pay off their phones if they "port out" to the local carrier. If the client refuses to switch, then they will lose service after July 30. Kelly Crummey, Verizon Director of Corporate Communications, confirmed in a statement to BGR that the company was indeed taking such actions. "We are notifying a small group of customers who are out of contract and primarily use mobile data on other networks that we will no longer provide service to them after July 30, 2017."

This is not the first time Verizon has dropped the ban hammer on customers exceeding "unlimited" data usage caps. Around this time last year, the company gave notice to some users who were still on its old discontinued unlimited data plans that they needed to switch to limited plans or face termination. According to Verizon, these customers were consuming an "extraordinary amount of data." Those clients using more than 100GB per month were subject to that purge.

Verizon decision may have something to do with the roaming arrangements that the national carrier has set up with the smaller companies. Some users speculate that Verizon has no way to throttle the customers on the rural towers, so those are the ones being targeted. The regional carriers might also be complaining that their infrastructure cannot handle the strain of excessive usage, but all of this is just wild conjecture.

According to Verizon's own statement, the LRA program was designed to "bring the broad benefits of 4G LTE service, quickly and efficiently, to customers in rural markets. It's all about serving the customer - consumer and business - no matter where they live, work or play." In this case, it seems it does matter "where they live, work, and play," but is there a balance point where it is reasonable to say caps make sense?
AptarGroup, Inc. provides a range of dispensing, sealing, and material science solutions primarily for the beauty, personal care, home care, prescription drug, consumer health care, injectable, and food and beverage markets. The company operates through three segments: Pharma, Beauty + Home, and Food + Beverage. The Pharma segment provides pumps for nasal allergy treatments; and metered dose inhaler valves for respiratory ailments, such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases in pharmaceutical market; elastomer for injectable primary packaging components; and active material science solutions. The Beauty + Home segment primarily sells pumps, closures, aerosol valves, accessories, and sealing solutions to the personal care and home care markets; and pumps and decorative components to the beauty market. The Food + Beverage segment offers dispensing and non-dispensing closures, elastomeric flow control components, spray pumps, and aerosol valves to the food and beverage markets. It sells its products through own sales force, as well as independent representatives and distributors in Asia, Europe, Latin America, and North America. The company has a strategic partnership with PureCycle Technologies LLC to develop ultra-pure recycled polypropylene into dispensing applications; and a collaboration with Sonmol for developing a digital therapies and services platform targeting respiratory and other diseases. AptarGroup, Inc. was incorporated in 1992 and is headquartered in Crystal Lake, Illinois.
This blog generally follows traditional journalistic standards. It's not about opinions, though you may read one here occasionally. It's about facts that we think will be useful to rural journalists, non-rural journalists who do rural stories, and others interested in rural issues. We don't try to be provocative, so we don't generate as many comments as most blogs with the level of traffic we have, but we certainly invite comments -- and contributions, to

.

REPUBLICATION
Dril-Quip, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, sells, and services engineered drilling and production equipment for use in deepwater, harsh environment, and severe service applications worldwide. The company's principal products include subsea and surface wellheads, subsea and surface production trees, mudline hanger systems, specialty connectors and associated pipes, drilling and production riser systems, liner hangers, wellhead connectors, diverters, and safety valves, as well as downhole tools. It also provides technical advisory services, and rework and reconditioning services, as well as rental and purchase of running tools for use in the installation and retrieval of its products; and downhole tools comprise of liner hangers, production packers, safety valves, and specialty downhole tools that are used to hang-off and seal casing into a previously installed casing string in the well bore. The company's products are used to explore for oil and gas from offshore drilling rigs, such as floating rigs and jack-up rigs; and for drilling and production of oil and gas wells on offshore platforms, tension leg platforms, and Spars, as well as moored vessels, such as floating production, storage, and offloading monohull moored vessels. It sells its products directly through its sales personnel, independent sales agents, and representatives to integrated, independent, and foreign national oil and gas companies, as well as drilling contractors, and engineering and construction companies. The company was founded in 1981 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.
The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group Public: 360 Connect S.A., 3@ Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus  Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way  Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. 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Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal  Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V..

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New Yorks Sex Diaries series asks anonymous city dwellers to record a week in their sex lives  with comic, tragic, often sexy, and always revealing results. This week, a programming intern with plans to smoke weed with a date in Washington Square Park: 20, straight, single, Williamsburg.



DAY ONE

9 a.m. I wake up more than an hour before I have to be at work to spend 30 minutes applying makeup. For the past six weeks, Ive been in NYC for my internship. The city is intoxicating  I wake up every morning with a smile. Not because Im a morning person, but because I know I have yet another real adult life day ahead of me.

9:54 a.m. I eye every man dressed in a suit on the L train and daydream about living in the city full-time with a handsome, successful man by my side.

10:15 a.m. Daily morning meeting. Im working as a software developer intern this summer. I dont fit the stereotype of a computer-science nerd, and Im the only woman on my team. But Im smart, I like programming, and Im good at my job. Its just that I wear power jumpsuits and heels to work, whereas the rest of my team wears Star Wars T-shirts.

11:17 a.m. Text from Adam, asking if were still on for drinks and a show tonight. Adam is 26, works for a private-equity firm, and we met on Bumble. We spent five hours together on our last date, but, frankly, Im only hanging out with him because Im bored and want a summer fling. My boyfriend of four years and I broke up recently. I tend to always have someone in my life. Ive never really been single.

5:11 p.m. Our boss orders a ton of appetizers and drinks at team happy hour. And here I am, sipping my lemon water, because Im 20. Most people on my team are pretty cool about me drinking underage, but my manager gets tight about it, so I dont partake at corporate events  at least not when hes around. Usually I have no issues with bars or clubs, because Im a confident, pretty girl with a good fake ID.

As soon as our manager leaves, though, people on my team offers to buy me drinks. This gal does not turn down free drinks.

7:57 p.m. Shit, I was having so much fun with my team that I forget I had to leave until Adam texts that hes headed to meet me 

8:19 p.m. Finally meet up with Adam at a bar. Pretty tipsy at this point, but I can still tell he is way too eager to see me. Why is a successful and rich 26-year-old interested in me anyway?

10:45 p.m. Im about eight drinks deep at this point. Did I mention I weigh 115 pounds?

Adam asks me how going home and seeing my ex-boyfriend last weekend was. I tell him about how it was a complete shit show and I cried during the entire interaction, but Im glad I saw him because he needed the closure. In response, Adam says, No, you needed the closure. Shit, this man sees right through me. Im kind of turned on now. Or maybe its just the alcohol 

11:20 p.m. The show starts in ten minutes so we have to leave. Adam leads me to the comedy club.

11:57 p.m. Holy fuck, I just saw Chris Rock do stand-up. I am not acting like a cool New Yorker. Adam makes fun of my giddiness while whispering sweet nothings in my ear and kissing my neck. Now Im drunk and excited and  horny.

DAY TWO

1:12 a.m. Adam and I are making out on the street. He asks if he can come to my apartment. I say, no, I dont like taking men back to my place. He hails a cab for his place. Were furiously making out in the backseat, at the brink of tearing each others clothes off.

1:45 a.m. Now Im in his bed. He unclasps my bra with one hand while tearing off my top with the other, then starts to go down on me. Unfortunately, hes not the greatest  I fake some moans, the way I used to do with my ex-boyfriend (until I taught him how to please me). Id rather have sex at this point, so I ask him to fuck me. He goes missionary for a little bit and then wants me to be on top. I hate being on top, but I ride him for a little bit before hopping off. He whispers, Tired? That annoys me even more. Though I guess hes not wrong.

7:17 a.m. Pounding headache. I try to blink my eyes and realize I went to bed with my contact lenses in last night. Adam starts to stir and opens his eyes. He pulls me closer to him while kissing my neck and fondling me. Im really self-conscious of my morning breath  I turn my head so he cant kiss me and fall back asleep.

8:42 a.m. Adam kisses my forehead before rushing off to work. The forehead kiss feels too intimate  Im uncomfortable for a split second before falling asleep again.

9:30 a.m. My alarm goes off. Im such a responsible 20-year-old! Even when Im black-out drunk, I never forget to set an alarm. I want to stay in this bed forever, but I have a corporate yacht party for work today at 11, and I cant have my manager see me like this.

9:52 a.m. I walk out of his apartment and have no idea where I am. After using my iPhone to get oriented, I head to the subway. My very first walk of shame!

10:02 a.m. On the A train back to my apartment, furiously texting my best friend, Chloe, who is in Seattle for the summer, about last night. Shes so excited I got dick but asks, Does it feel too soon after Connor? I evade the question.

10:17 a.m. Shower, quick makeup, throw on cute nautical clothing with heels.

11:30 a.m. Finally board the yacht, and were greeted with Champagne. Im still drunk, and Im going to be drunk for the rest of the day.

1:47 p.m. After stuffing my stomach at the buffet, I check my texts. Liam, another Bumble match, texted me. Liam is an absolute dreamboat. I grabbed a drink with him last week and thought he was the most perfect man I have ever met. Hes 25, charming, interesting, and passionate about the environment. He agrees to see me this weekend, and we make plans to smoke in Washington Square Park.

7:30 p.m. Off the yacht and meeting friends from college in Midtown. We get hammered on margaritas. At this point, Im nearing a 30-hour bender.

10:30 p.m. Playing beer pong with Stellas at my friend Phils apartment in Chelsea. Somehow, everyone seems to be living in sick, bougie places in Manhattan this summer. I love the view, and the breeze, but my head is killing me. I tap out and head home.

DAY THREE

10:12 a.m. Barely make it in time for the team meeting  I feel like death.

6:30 p.m. Its Friday, but I definitely cant go out tonight. Friends are asking what Im doing and Im sending Snapchats from my bed. Adam asked me out to dinner tonight  hes getting really clingy. Ugh, Im so not interested anymore. Liam, on the other hand  I fall asleep while watching Shrek with my roommate, giddy about my date with him the next day.

DAY FOUR

12 p.m. My old friend, Cory, and his buddies want to stay with me for the weekend and I have to figure out how the timing will work with Liam. I tell them I should be back by 10 p.m., but secretly hope Im wrong.





3:52 p.m. Day-drinking on Phils roof is a weekend tradition now. I love rooftop drinking, but decide not to drink too much before smoking with Liam. Getting cross-faded makes me vomit. I dont think Liam will find that sexy.

5:45 p.m. Liam is running late from work. Phil and Co. start questioning my date plans tonight and think that smoking in Washington Square Park is a juvenile date. They think Liam sounds like a loser!

7:20 p.m. I head downtown to meet Liam. His hair is so flowy and beautiful. We smoke, we talk, we laugh. How is he so perfect?

9 p.m. Its getting dark, and were getting hungry. We decide to go to a French restaurant nearby. We share an entree; he touches my thigh when I say something funny. He tells me about how his father passed away. I feel so close to him, its a perfect date  God, I hope he takes me home tonight.

10:27 p.m. He asks me where I live and walks me to the closest subway. Im disappointed that he isnt trying to take me home. He says, See you around, and HUGS ME. I thought he was going for a kiss!

11:04 p.m. Meet up with Cory and his buddies and entertain them (a.k.a., get wasted) on my roof. Im pissed and confused. Liam didnt even text me to see if I got home okay! What the hell.

2:27 a.m. One of Corys buddies, John, is extremely intoxicated and is hitting on me. My friends are saying I should get with him, but I cant get Liam out of my mind.

DAY FIVE

11:30 a.m.: Bottomless brunch with everyone who crashed at my place. John is actually kind of cute. I sort of regret not hooking up with him. But NYC is making me less attracted to college boys.

4:12 p.m. My uber-religious mother texts to ask if I went to church. Sigh. I hop out of bed to head to the 5 p.m. church service.

6:48 p.m. I used to love church, but nowadays it just makes me feel guilty. I leave early to get soup dumplings in the East Village with friends, where I tell them about my wonderful date with Liam.

10:06 p.m. Liam still hasnt texted. I crack open a bottle of rose and drink while watching Netflix until I pass out.

DAY SIX

7:50 a.m. I wake up early to work out because Ive gained five pounds from this summers eating and drinking. I usually work out four times a week, but have been slacking because, well  boys and booze.

10:32 a.m. In meetings at work thinking  WHAT THE HELL LIAM STILL HASNT TEXTED ME.

7:43 p.m. After drowning myself in work, I meet Cory and his friends for dinner before heading to my favorite comedy show.

DAY SEVEN

10:36 a.m. Meetings, work, stalk Liam on social media, type up a text to send to him, then chicken out of sending it  repeat.

5:41 p.m. Im frustrated: I thought we had a great time, and he really opened up to me! Im getting hammered and angry-drinking at the corporate-sponsored intern happy hour event. Im ranting to colleagues I barely know.

7:14 p.m. Post-gaming the happy hour event with another happy hour at a bar. Im drunk and hitting on a cute intern I met last week, Mark. But men in my line of work are so awkward  Im touching his thigh and his arms, and he doesnt know what to do with himself. One of the very intoxicated interns gets kicked out of the bar for trying to pour the tap himself, and we are all forced to leave.

11:27 p.m.: Wake up in my bed in my bra and underwear. Apparently, I blacked out and made another intern go to McDonalds with me and then he dropped me home (what a guy!). My roommate told me I was walking around the apartment, naked, eating McNuggets. Im really the worst.

I come to and gather the courage to text Liam first, while still very inebriated. Thanks for hanging out with me this past weekend! I had a good time! He texts back almost immediately. Me too. I wanted to kiss you goodbye, but with the height difference you only come up to my chest!

My heart skips a beat. I sort of hate him for putting me through that, but I cant wait to see him again.

Want to submit a sex diary? Email sexdiaries@nymag.com and tell us a little about yourself.
The students at Degrassi Community School are about to get shaken up with news that probably sounds familiar.

In the newest season of Degrassi: Next Class  debuting Monday at 10 p.m. on Family Channel  Belgium is rocked by a terror attack. Within days, student Goldi has her hijab ripped from her head while walking home.

Meanwhile, T-shirts in solidarity with Belgium pop up around the school. Saad, a Syrian refugee, tries to explain why he doesnt feel comfortable putting one on.

When I read the script, a lot of these things were just right on the news, says Soma Bhatia, 19, who plays Goldi. Id wake up in the morning before Id go to set and I would see it there.

Bhatia says it can be helpful to show audiences what it looks like for people to cope with difficult situations instead of turning away from them.

A lot of times people want to watch TV as an escape from reality, but what I really love about Degrassi is that it almost documents what we go through in real life and how people deal with it.

Series co-creator Linda Schuyler believes that if her audience is talking about a news story the show should embrace that.

Our job is to bring that big headline down and distil that story so that it becomes about a real character we can relate to, said Schuyler, who is also the shows executive producer.

The events students are reacting to in Season 4 of Degrassi: Next Class seem ripped from the headlines given recent terrorist attacks in Europe.

Schuyler hopes that the reactions of the shows characters cultivate understanding and empathy in viewers.

When two Syrian refugee characters were introduced to the show in previous seasons, the creators made sure they were presented as individuals with different family backgrounds and stories.

You cant just say Syrian refugee and think you know who that person is, Schuyler said.

Rasha (Dalia Yegavian) came to Degrassi from a big city in Syria, while Saad (Parham Rownaghi) came from a more rural part of the country and a more conservative upbringing.

I think the role that Degrassi is having is to tell the other side of the story, said Rownaghi, 20.

In the new season, his character grapples with how to explain to his peers why he doesnt feel good about the T-shirts everyone else is wearing in support of Belgium.

(Saad) doesnt believe people that are in Belgium, in America, and a lot of first world countries should be getting more attention than people in Syria or Afghanistan, said Rownaghi, explaining his characters point of view. If you are going to be supporting you should be doing it all over the world, not just in specific countries.

This isnt the first time Degrassi has weighed in on controversial topics. Over the different iterations of the show, several characters have had abortions, for example.

Particularly at a time in the world where there is a whole line of thinking that is becoming very xenophobic, very inward thinking, I think it is really important that we continue to tell stories that talk about inclusion and celebrating diversity, Schuyler said.

Because that is the future for our young audiences.

Episodes of Season 4 of Degrassi: Next Class will air nightly on Family Channel for two weeks beginning July 3. All 10 episodes are already available on the channels app. The show launches on Netflix worldwide on July 7.

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A century is only a spoke in the wheel of everlasting time reads a quote on the wall of the Art Gallery of Ontario, attributed to Louis Riel.

Its a poetic statement, but the fiery 19th-century Indigenous civil rights leader might like to refine the metaphor, had he the chance. If Canada 150 is a spoke and a half, just how many do the wheels of history have here, anyway? Dozens? Hundreds? With an Indigenous presence here dating back at least 15,000 years, we could outfit an entire Tour de France.

The statement is embedded as a touchstone in Every.Now.Then: Reframing Nationhood, the museums response to this blithely nationalistic moment, and it makes clear the shows driving force: to resituate the blip that is Canada in a gapingly broad continuum of both time and difference, with flag-waving pushed aside.

We knew right away we werent doing a celebratory project, says Andrew Hunter, the gallerys curator of Canadian art. We have a history in Canada of telling the same stories over and over, and ignoring other stories. We wanted to make space in this institution for stories that havent been told.

For the project, Hunter enlisted independent curator and artist Anique Jordan, and their joint mandate is clear from the exhibitions opening salvo. Michael Belmore, an Anishinaabe artist, offers Rumble, a blackened copper sandwich of Trans-Am hoods, with effigies of spiritually significant creatures  a Thunderbird on one side, water panthers on the other  glowing from within.

Nearby looms Bell (Wanted Series), a totem of seductive defiance in her spiked heels, clingy taffeta gown and veil of black netting. The series, a slickly stylized photo-portrait project by Camal Pirbhai and Camille Turner, was drawn from a shocking source: 19th-century Canadian classified ads placed by owners in search of their runaway slaves. Their pictures give human form to people described as property and returns the power to them.

Here, Every.Now.Then breaks open the dominant polemic of resistance in this fraught Canada 150 moment, and the complexities of history, privilege and difference yaw open in scope.

Canada is many things, it seems to say, from its brutal colonial origins right on up to the present day, much of it not meriting the rising jingoism of the sesquicentennial moment. It extends to an indictment for the institution itself.

Thats whats really different about this show, Jordan says. Its allowing the perspectives of people who are never seen as valuable in spaces like this to lead. Established First Nations artists like Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun and Robert Houle share space with young Black artists like Esmaa Mohamoud.

In one pocket gallery, Jordan and Hunter go so far as to be hands off, letting a small group of young artists allied through the Younger Than Beyonce Gallery have their own space. The mini-exhibition is among the most captivating things here (see and hear Britta Bs Fluke, a sound installation that will move you in more ways than one).

Artists kept outside museum walls by the convenient categories of activism and community arts are here let in: Charmaine Lurch, with A Mobile and Visible Carriage, an evocative sheet of rust-patinad steel from which is carved the carriages neat outline, reanimates the forgotten history of the Blackburns, an entrepreneurial Black couple who escaped slavery to found Torontos first taxi company in the 19th century. Powerful, precisely rendered graphite portraits of key activists in Black Lives Matter Toronto are draped on a nearby wall. Theyre by one of its core members, Syrus Marcus Ware.

The impulse was to show a lot of work, to bring a lot of voices together and create an exhibition that was complicated and messy, and had a sense of what it was like to be here now, Hunter explains.

Time is unstuck at every turn, decoupling 150 from reality in subtly provocative gestures: a 30-million-year-old meteorite borrowed from the Royal Ontario Museum that touched down in Sudbury in the 1930s, or the fossilized form of a giant sea scorpion, dating back many millions of years.

So how many spokes, Mr. Riel? Every.Now.Then declares, clearly, that theres no telling. The wheels of Canadian history have turned mostly on a narrow track, a master narrative followed along a straight line, blindered to the inconvenience of complication. Every.Now.Then veers wilfully off course, without apology or explanation. Works are described not in didactic text, but in the words of the artists themselves, sometimes curtly, occasionally with poetry.

Inequity of all kinds rubs up against each other, finding communion: Xiong Gus monumental wall of portraits of Jamaican and Mexican migrant farm workers in the Niagara Peninsula around the corner from Tyson Wrights handmade instruments based on historic objects from the Jamaican Maroon diaspora. Nearby, Bonnie Devines Anishinaabitude, rough towers of woven seagrass, completes the thesis.

By the time you arrive in a small room with Barry Aces digitally charged beaded Anishinaabe bandoliers, multi-dimensional is a matter of fact. The poet Shauntay Grant, herself of Maroon descent, intones verse while an image of her wrapped in her grandmothers quilt occupies a wall nearby. Myung-Sun Kims time being, a small collection of sculptural objects, read like memorial runes: for lives lost and replaced, pasts unwillingly left behind and left to haunt the present like ghosts.

Theres an echo here, back to a video work by Abedar Kamgari, a young Iranian-Canadian artist who travels back to her parents hometown in search of her past. She goes so far as to dig in the earth with her bare hands: a quest for roots, finding none.

Amid the official celebrations, its become easy for those of us on the comfortable side of history to forget how many have come here not by choice but necessity, or been left unrooted by Canadas coming to be. There is no glory in that.

The show doesnt provoke dissent so much as provide an outlet for it, something the long run-up to Canada 150 has brought to the boil. If it makes for some discomfort, especially in a place like this, then maybe its about time.

Its a necessary tension, Jordan says. If we dont create that then these things are left unspoken. It creates a space for us to connect on difference, as opposed to thinking those differences dont exist. Shes right. They do. Every.Now.Then is different, in every way it needs to be.

Every.Now.Then continues at the Art Gallery of Ontario to Dec. 10, 2017. A public talk with curators Andrew Hunter and Anique Jordan, and exhibiting artists Michael Belmore, Lisa Hirmer, Charmaine Lurch and Syrus Marcus Ware will take place at the gallery Wednesday, July 5 at 7 p.m. See ago.ca for more information.

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After 89-year-old Elly Gotz and his parachute drifted into a field in Cookstown, Ont., his smile was so big  as hes been told before  that he could have fit a banana in it sideways.

Gotz, a Holocaust survivor, has always been envious of birds. On Sunday afternoon, he had a chance to fly like one as he tandem-jumped out of plane from almost 4,000 metres in the sky.

Im very happy I did it, he said, speaking just after hed made it back to the ground, safely. I loved it, I just loved it.

Though he was dressed and ready to go mid-morning, Gotz wasnt able to jump until early afternoon because of repeated bouts of rainy weather.

I like adventure, he said while he was preparing for his jump earlier in the day. Its fun. Its going to be an exciting moment to fly through the air with my hands out, my feet back like they told me, like a bird weightless through the air.

Born in Lithuania in 1928, Gotz was taken to the Kovno Ghetto with other Jews when he was a teenager and was eventually sent to work in a camp in Dachau, Germany. He said he weighed less than 70 pounds when he was released from there at the age of 17.

Elly Gotz and his instructor float to the ground for a landing. Gotz, an 89-year-old Holocaust survivor and pilot, has always wanted to jump from an airplane. In honour of Canada 150, he decided to take the plunge with a tandem jump at Skydiving Toronto at Cookstown Aerodrome in Innisfil.













After spending half a year in a hospital, Gotz moved around Europe and Africa. He, his wife and their three kids immigrated to Canada in the 1960s.

Gotz holds an electrical engineering degree, got his pilot and gliding licences and worked as businessman. Nowadays, he spends his time speaking to students  as he believes it his duty to share his story for all who did not survive the Holocaust.

When he jumped the day after the country celebrated its sesquicentennial, Gotz made a point to wear a Canada 150 T-shirt. He was excited to see the country from up high.

I think its just with everything thats happening in the world, its such a privilege to be in Canada and to be able to choose to do that, and to have the freedom at 89 to be alive at this time. And do something that youve always wanted to do, always wanted to fly, said Esme Gotz, Ellys wife of 59 years.

Esme Gotz said she knows when her husband sets his mind to something theres no stopping him. Although she had no interest in jumping out of a plane herself, she remained calm as her husband prepared to do it.

What she wanted most was for it to be as good for him as hed hoped.

Elly Gotz jumped with his friend Daniel Szulc, who he had met in Europe at the March of Remembrance and Hope leadership program. He was also joined by John Syko, who jumped earlier in the day, a friend hed met when speaking at the high school Syko teaches at.

His wife, daughter and son-in-law stood by on the ground, watching Gotz float to the ground.

My first thought was like, No, I dont want him to do this,  said Julia Gotz, the middle of Ellys three children. My dad is 89 years old, even a minor injury is a big deal at that age.

Before jumping Sunday afternoon, Gotz had to watch a preparation video reminding him that what he was about to do could result in serious injury or death. Next, he completed a multi-page waiver with a neon orange cover that started with WARNING!

He loves to learn, he loves to have new experiences, he has done a lot of things in his life, said Julia Gotz. I think that is something too about living through the Holocaust, you really know youre alive and not forever maybe. He doesnt have as much fear as I do.

While signing all the required documents, Elly Gotz didnt seem afraid at all  though he did mention that hed taken extra precautions with his dentures to make sure they didnt fall out if he shouted while falling from the sky.

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My parents escaped during the Hungarian revolution ... When we came to Canada there where so many opportunities for me and I did so many things. I love Canada and Im proud of my country. George Fischer

The main problem with taking close-up pictures of fuzzy little polar bear cubs is the ferociously protective mother thats almost inevitably nearby.

What made it even more perilous for photographer George Fischer was that each time the mother of these particular cubs would charge, his guide would gun the snowmobile  almost sending the shooter lurching onto the Hudson Bay ice and into the chasing bears path.

It was a crazy story. She charged me about three or four times ... and those guys, theyre fast, Fischer, 63, recalls of the shoot three years ago.

Every time we were within 50 feet of the cubs, she would charge us. And within seconds (she was) like 10 feet away from the back of the sled.

And I never knew when the driver would gun his snowmobile and I almost fell out every single time, which would have been nasty.

Still, Fischer persevered, and the picture of the cubs is included in his new book Canada: 150 Panoramas.

The Star recently spoke with Fischer, who has published some 15 books of Canadian landscape photos over the last three decades. The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

You include cityscapes of Vancouver, Toronto, Montreal and Halifax in the book. And a large majority of Canadians now live in those cities and other urban centres. Do you think most people in this country still identify with the rural and wilderness areas you concentrate the bulk of your work on?

Absolutely, I definitely think that most Canadians think of themselves as part of all of Canada. Not so much the cities, but traditional things like lakes and moose, the outdoors. And everyone wants to escape the cities these days. Everyone wants to go up to their cottage in Quebec or Ontario or out to the seaside if they live in B.C. or (the Maritimes). They want to enjoy what we have here.

Youve photographed around the world. Are there wilderness places or natural features of this country where you could take a picture and say This is Canada, I could be nowhere else on Earth?

Definitely when you think about the Prairie provinces when youre looking at the grain elevators, you cant be anywhere else. And theres obviously the Rocky Mountains and Lake Louise, theyre pretty unique. And Ive been up to Baffin Island, I did a book called Canadas Exotic North. I spent a lot of time up there. And the towns and the landscape around there are pretty unique. I dont think youd be able to see those villages and landscapes anywhere else in the world.

Speaking of polar bears, they have become the poster children for the global warming crisis. Youve been taking pictures of Canadas wilderness for more than 30 years, have you seen changes in the landscapes anywhere that you might attribute to climate change?

I have to definitely say I noticed it in Nunavut. Things that should have been frozen when I was up there (several years ago) were open water and we would have temperatures of plus 9C or 10C (in December and January).

And the picture (in the book) where I was supposed to go by snowmobile to the Akshayuk Pass (on Baffin Island) I had to fly in. There was not enough snow. It ended up costing like $10,000 for the plane. That wasnt in my budget. My plan was to go in with a guide on snowmobile for 350 bucks.

Obviously this book of 150 photographs from each province and territory is tied to the 150th anniversary of confederation. What did you hope to achieve with it?

I came here to Canada in 1956 (at age 3). My parents escaped during the Hungarian revolution. They wanted to go to a country where my brothers and sisters and I could all grow up and pursue our dreams and our passions and not be worried about having people threaten us (or) kill us.

And when we came to Canada there where so many opportunities for me and I did so many things. And I love Canada and Im proud of my country and Im proud of what its done for me and my family and for lots of other people who are coming here as immigrants.

I just wanted to show everybody that weve got a great country.

Can you even estimate the number of photos youve taken of this country? And do you have a favourite or handful of favourites that you can describe?

Whoosh  I must have close to 200,000 to 300,000 photographs across Canada. And a lot of the pictures in this book were chosen from the years that Ive been doing the photography.

There are a few pictures that stand out in my mind that were really incredible, a couple of (which) appear in the book.

One was the aurora borealis shot in Fort Simpson in the Northwest Territories (in 2011). I never saw an aurora borealis in my life and I was told when I was up there  it was late September  that if I went out at midnight Id see an amazing sight. Well, nothing happened at midnight and I was about ready to go back to the hotel when it began as a little sliver of green in the night sky and it just got bigger and bigger and it was framed by two float planes. That was amazing.

Another one was in the Queen Charlotte Islands. I was doing a lot of work for (a fishing club) out there. Id gone three or four or five times and I went back last year and they would always want me to take pictures of (their clients) catching big salmon. These were like deluxe tours that cost $5,000. But I always found that part boring. I would sit on the boat and fall asleep. And then (the last time I was out) someone yelled George, wake up! And I woke up and that instant a big killer whale jumped up in front of us. I only had time to take two shots and it was gone.

Canada 150 Panoramas, Nimbus Publishing, 176 pages, $32.95

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MONTREALPolice should have no role in responding to mental health crises, activist groups said in response to last weeks police shooting of a Montreal man.

About 200 people, including representatives from the Montreal and Toronto chapters of Black Lives Matter, attended a protest Sunday in front of the apartment where Pierre Coriolan was shot.

They then marched through downtown, where photos posted on social media showed them climbing onto a stage at Montreals International Jazz Festival.

Quebecs police watchdog says they believe Coriolan, 58, was distressed and holding a screwdriver in each hand when police arrived at his apartment last Tuesday.

According to the watchdogs account, police first used a Taser and rubber bullets on Coriolan but eventually drew their service weapons when those methods failed to subdue him.

Coriolan died in a hospital after he was struck by several bullets.

Police should not be the first to intervene in mental health crises, a BLM spokeswoman, Venetta Gordon, told the cheering group at the vigil.

Following the vigil, the black-clad protesters marched downtown while chanting Black lives matter! They also carried signs bearing the name of people who died following police interventions.

Montreal police said there were no arrests.

Janaya Khan, who attended the march on behalf of Black Lives Matters Toronto chapter, said Coriolans death is part of a pattern of police violence against people who are Black or mentally ill.

She pointed out similarities between Coriolans case and that of Andrew Loku, a Black Toronto father of five who was holding a hammer when he was shot by police in 2015.

Police were called on (Loku) for a noise complaint. He was in crisis. They killed him, she said in a speech. Pierres story follows along the same lines.

Last week, an inquest jury ruled Lokus case a homicide, but the verdict does not carry any criminal or civil liability. The jury also made 39 recommendations, including several aimed at better training for officers.

On Sunday, the organizers of the Montreal protest released a list of demands that includes government funding for Black-specific mental health services.

They also called for the development of a national Black mental health strategy, data collection on Black peoples mental health and on their interactions with police, and that the names of the officers who shot Coriolan be released.

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Toronto police have identified a man who was fatally shot in Regent Park on Sunday evening.

Lemard Champagnie, 30, of Toronto, was found with multiple gunshot wounds when police were called to the area of Regent and Cole Sts. around 9:10 p.m.

Champagnie was rushed to a local trauma centre, where he was pronounced dead.

Speaking at the scene Monday, Det. Andy Singh said investigators believe Champagnie was deliberately targeted.

Singh said Champagnie was walking along Regent St., approaching Cole St. when a black SUV pulled up and at least two people opened fire.

On Monday, a faint bloodstain marked the spot on the sidewalk outside of a Cole St. building in the densely populated residential neighbourhood.

Lemard Champagnie, 30, of Toronto, was shot to death in Regent Park on Sunday evening.







Angeline Arevalo and Pablo Jaramillo, who live on the 11th floor of the building with their young son, were cleaning dishes when they heard two shots, followed by a number more.

They werent sure whether the sounds were gunshots or fireworks at first. Then they saw fire trucks, paramedics, and police vehicles arrive.

He loves fire trucks so he was trying to see what was going on, said Jaramillo, referring to his son. Thats when we realized, obviously this was not fireworks.

Arevalo said they saw paramedics performing CPR for a long time.

We thought, that doesnt look good, said Jaramillo.

A second person was also fired upon but was not injured. Singh said it is not clear whether there was any connection between Champagnie and the other person.

He is co-operating but unfortunately there is not enough clarity where we can say if they were together prior to this, said Singh.

Investigators believe separate shooters may have focused on each of the targets.

The second person ran for shelter into a Regent St. house, which was not his residence, through an unlocked door. At least three bullets hit the house, but nobody inside was injured.

Bullet holes could also be seen in at least two residential buildings nearby.

Police are continuing to talk to witnesses and review surveillance footage.

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Andrew Kinsman has been missing for almost a week, and his Cabbagetown neighbourhood is coming together to help the search for him.

Toronto police report the 49 year-old man was last seen on June 26 near Parliament and Winchester Sts. and say they are concerned for his safety.

Kinsman is the superintendant of his building in Cabbagetown. It was found he was missing when a neighbour checked in on his apartment and found his cat unfed, and the buildings garbage had not been taken out. Neighbour Robin LeBlanc said that was when the neighbours began to worry.

To not feed his cat was a big warning sign for us, said LeBlanc, a Metroland North Media columnist, who lives in the same building. Then we found out that he had not been going to work, which is definitely not something that Andrew would do.

LeBlanc said the number of people joining in the search for Kinsman is growing every day.

It started out with just a number of us within the building, she said. That extended to more of his friends, that extended to his work . . . Youve go so many people in the communities that are just shocked their friend, their colleague is missing.

A search was done of the Cabbagetown neighbourhood on Sunday. Other efforts  including a poster campaign  have been made, said LeBlanc.

Hes very much a fixture of the community and we all love him, hes a great guy, she said.

The Toronto People with AIDS Foundation, where Kinsman works as a volunteer, has made regular posts on their Facebook page pleading for help to find him.

Police say Kinsman is 64 with medium build, short brown hair, a beard and wears glasses. Anyone with information can contact police or Crime Stoppers anonymously.

Our main priority right now is just to get our man back home, said LeBlanc.

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SEOUL, SOUTH KOREAPhillip Clay was adopted at 8 into a U.S. family in Philadelphia.

Twenty-nine years later, in 2012, after numerous arrests and a struggle with drug addiction, he was deported back to his birth country, South Korea. He could not speak the local language, did not know a single person and did not receive appropriate care for mental health problems, which included bipolar disorder and alcohol and substance abuse.

On May 21, Clay ended his life, jumping from the 14th floor of an apartment building north of Seoul. He was 42.

To advocates of the rights of international adoptees, the suicide was a wrenching reminder of a problem the United States urgently needed to address: adoptees from abroad who never obtained U.S. citizenship. The Adoptee Rights Campaign, an advocacy group, estimates that 35,000 adult adoptees in the United States may lack citizenship, which was not granted automatically in the adoption process before 2000.

Clay is believed to be just one of dozens of people, legally adopted as children into U.S. families, who either have been deported to the birth countries they left decades ago or face deportation after being convicted of crimes as adults. Some did not even know they were not U.S. citizens until they were ordered to leave.

Adoptees from other countries, like Vietnam, Thailand and Brazil, have faced deportation. But the sheer number of children adopted from South Korea, once a leading source of children put up for adoption abroad, has made it the most visible example of the issue, and of the enormous challenges returnees face as they try to once again navigate a foreign culture, this time with little or no assistance.

Read more:Trump demands to renegotiate rough U.S. free trade deal with South Korea

Many have nowhere to go, often living on the streets. In South Korea, one deportee served a prison term for robbing a bank with a toy gun. Another, who like Clary had mental health problems, has been indicted twice on assault charges.

Deportation is like the death sentence to them, said Hellen Ko, a chief counsellor at the government-run Korea Adoption Services, who monitored Clay as a caseworker. They had a hard time adjusting to life in America. It gets even harder for them when they return here.

All I had was $20 on me; I didnt know where I was, Monte Haines said, recalling the day he landed at Seouls gateway airport after being deported in 2009, more than 30 years after a U.S. family adopted him. There was nobody there to talk to.

Americans have adopted more than 350,000 children from abroad since the 1940s, according to the Adoptee Rights Campaign, and the United States left it to the parents to secure citizenship for the children.

But some did not understand that their children did not automatically become citizens when they completed the adoption. Other adoptees have said that their parents were put off by the cost and paperwork of the citizenship process, or that they essentially abandoned them.

In 2000, Congress passed the Child Citizenship Act, which granted automatic citizenship to children adopted by U.S. citizens. But the law did not retroactively benefit adoptees who were already legal adults.

As a child, I didnt ask to be sent to the United States. I didnt ask to learn the English language. I didnt ask to be a culturalized American, said Adam Crapser, who was deported to South Korea last year, at age 41, after 38 years in the United States. And now I was forced back to Korea, and I lost my American family.

Crapser, who left behind a wife and three daughters in the United States, was abandoned by his first adoptive parents and abused by his second. He accumulated a criminal record over the years, including a conviction on burglary charges.

But in recent years, he had begun turning his life around and applied for a green card in 2012. That triggered a background check, leading to the deportation proceedings that flipped his life upside down.

They waited until I had a family, and they waited until I had children, he said. They waited until I had something to lose.

Crapser, who had never travelled abroad while living in the United States, said he could not read a sign when he landed at Incheon Airport outside Seoul. Korean faces and the language swirling around him came as a complete shock, he said.

His deportation put a strain on his relationship with his wife in the United States, and he has not seen his daughters in 15 months. Living out of suitcases in a tiny studio in Seoul, Crapser said that he struggled to keep himself busy to fight depression and that his job opportunities were extremely limited.

The language is the biggest barrier because of how late I came back here to Korea, he said.

Haines, another South Korea-born deportee, said he could barely pay his rent and buy food with the $5 an hour he earned as a bartender in Seoul.

I have been here for 8  years, and I am still having a hard time to survive, he said.

South Korea has begun devising post-adoption services in recent years, as more adoptees have returned. But returnees like Clay suffered an added obstacle in their birth country, where a cultural stigma against mental illness made it difficult for them to get proper care.

Clay, also known by his Korean name, Kim Sang-pil, was found abandoned in Seoul in 1981, according to Holt Childrens Services, the adoption agency that sent him to the United States.

His first adoption into a U.S. family in 1983 did not work out. He was placed with another family in Philadelphia a year later. Reached by email, his American father, Joseph Clay, declined to answer questions for this article.

ICE said Phillip Clay had been deported after accumulating a lengthy criminal history dating back nearly two decades  the most serious of which included criminal convictions for robbery and multiple theft and drug-related offences. Holt also said it had learned from Clays U.S. family that he had been in and out of mental hospitals.

Back in South Korea, Clay also lived his life going in and out of mental health clinics and being shunted back and forth among social agencies like Holt and the Korea Adoption Services. None of them, critics said, provided him with the assistance he needed. A 2014 medical record from a South Korean hospital showed that he had been given a diagnosis of bipolar affective disorder.

In January, Clay drank paint thinner and was hospitalized. But some mental health clinics didnt want him because they did not have an English-speaking staff.

He said he wanted to die, said Ko, his caseworker. He said there was nothing he could do in South Korea.

South Korea sent a delegation to the U.S. Congress this spring to appeal for support for the Adoptee Citizenship Act, a proposed law that would give citizenship to anyone adopted before turning 18, regardless of how long ago the adoption took place. The bill stalled in Congress during the election last year, but advocates are campaigning to reintroduce it.

After Clays death, South Korean government officials said they were discussing better protection for deportees.

But Crapser, who believes he should have automatically become a naturalized U.S. citizen, said South Korea should stand up to the United States and say no when it deports adoptees sent over decades ago with an understanding that they would become U.S. citizens.

Instead, South Korea expected the returnees to be able to act, behave, work, speak, everything like a native Korean, he said. Its impossible.

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MOSUL, IRAQWith the fight for Mosul in its final stage Monday, Daesh militants sent female suicide bombers hidden among fleeing civilians, while Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition unleashed punishing airstrikes and artillery fire that set dozens of buildings ablaze.

At least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five were wounded in the two separate suicide attacks, the military said. On Sunday, a bomber in womens clothing killed 14 people at a camp for displaced residents in Anbar province, a provincial official said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

Read more:

U.S. takes on larger role as fight to drive Daesh from Mosul nears its end

Hundreds flee as Iraqi forces attack last pockets of Daesh resistance in Mosul

These tactics dont surprise me, said Sgt. Ahmed Fadil, who patrolled Mosuls Old City just 50 metres from the front.

The militants have nowhere to go. Theyre trapped, he said.

Mondays two suicide bombings against Iraqi soldiers followed three other such attacks by women  some of them teenagers  in the previous two days, said Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein.

A soldier displayed the school ID card retrieved from the body of one of the bombers, showing her to be only 15. The photo was of serious young woman in a white hijab and indicated she had studied in Bangladesh.

Most of the people who blew themselves up today are women, said special forces Lt. Col. Salam Hussein. He added that seven women strapped with explosives approached the troops Monday, but thank God, our units stopped (them).

Government troops advancing through the Old City were using rougher tactics to clear the remaining pockets of Daesh forces.

The tempo of airstrikes was so great Monday that coalition aircraft couldnt keep up with the requests for air support from Iraqi ground forces. Instead, they sought approval for artillery strikes.

Drone footage from The Associated Press showed the result: dozens of buildings burning in the Old City.

While shops have reopened and civilian traffic fills streets in retaken neighbourhoods, thick black smoke continued to rise just a few kilometres away from Daesh-held territory on the bank of the Tigris River that divides Iraqs second-largest city. The area controlled by the militants is less than a square kilometre.

Daesh militants swiftly overran Mosul in 2014. The U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city was launched in October 2016 and has proceeded slowly, even though Iraqi political and military officials had vowed to declare victory by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces began their push to retake the Old City in mid-June.

Even though the militants are squeezed into smaller and smaller territory, the danger remains for units like Fadils.

When they heard cries from civilians just around the corner, he and his colleagues rushed their commanding officer to safety inside a nearby home that already had been cleared. They yelled at the group of sobbing women and children to hurry past.

Fadil explained the reason for their caution.

They cry and then  boom! They explode themselves, he said. The closer we get to victory, the more suicide bombers they will send.

At one screening point, soldiers anxiously held civilians back at gunpoint, shouting at men and boys to strip to their underwear.

Hussein, of the special forces, and a group of about a dozen men searched on foot Monday for more suicide bombers. An informant pointed out a house occupied by Daesh fighters.

A soldier kicked in a door, shouted a warning and threw two grenades into the front room. A second soldier stuffed a rag into a plastic jug of gasoline, lit it and threw it inside.

There are some suicide bombers who refuse to leave the houses, so were forced to deal with them with smoke and fire and hand grenades, Hussein said, noting that the troops burned only the basement, not the house.

His men seized five suspected Daesh fighters, binding their hands with electrical wire and blindfolding them with scraps of cloth. At least one of the five was arrested.

For most of the soldiers in Mosul, the final days of the gruelling battle caps more than three years of fighting the militants.

Hassan Ahmed, a soldier with the special forces deployed in the Old City, said he cant deny that the war has changed him.

Its like Im heartless  I dont feel anything, he said. But we are still good people. We have mercy.

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PARISFrance, Germany and the European Union pledged more money Monday for Libyas coast guard and more support for Italy to cope with a surge of migrant arrivals from Africa.

The UN refugee agency, meanwhile, reported that more and more people lured to Libya with the hope of finding jobs there end up trying to reach Europe.

The intensified European effort comes after the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, Filippo Grandi, on Saturday decried an unfolding tragedy in Italy over the weekend with 12,600 migrants and refugees pouring onto its shores. Grandi noted that more than 2,000 people have lost their lives on the Libya-to-Italy sea route this year.

Officials appeared to be bracing for prospects of an accelerated flow of migrants as the Mediterranean weather warms, making often-perilous maritime journeys more attractive.

We are only at the beginning of the summer, and without swift collective action, we can only expect more tragedies at sea, Grandi, who is Italian, said in a statement. Like many others in his office in recent months, Grandi repeated calls for an urgent distribution system for incoming migrants and refugees, and additional legal pathways to admission.

Read more: Young children, toddlers among 34 dead pulled from sea off Libya: Italian coast guard

On Monday, the EU migration commissioner and the German, French and Italian interior ministers promised extra money and training for the Libyan coast guard and efforts to reinforce Libyas largely lawless southern border that people smugglers exploit. No further details, including how much more money was pledged, were immediately provided.

The officials held a crisis meeting in Paris on Sunday after Italy pleaded for European help amid the surge.

Grandis office said Monday that people smuggling and migrant flows in Libya were on the rise, and predicted Europe could face a greater influx in the future. UNHCR said patterns of movement through Libya have been changing, as organized crime rings have become internationalized and trafficking for sexual exploitation appears to be increasing.

A UNHCR-commissioned report released Monday found about half of people who travel to Libya do so believing they can find jobs there, but end up fleeing onwards to Europe to escape life-threatening insecurity, instability, difficult economic conditions plus widespread exploitation and abuse, a news release said.

UNHCR says 84,830 migrants and refugees have reached Italys shores so far this year from Libya, a 19-per cent increase from a year earlier. Seven in 10 are economic migrants and the rest are people in need of protection like refugees and asylum-seekers.

Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR special envoy for the Central Mediterranean, told reporters in Geneva that the agencys teams have indicated no slowing down on movement to Libya, which may mean that a larger number of people may continue to try to leave through the Central Mediterranean route.

Read more: Migrant death toll hits record after Mediterranean shipwrecks, group says

Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentilonis centre-left government has stepped up pressure on fellow EU nations to convince them to take in some of the hundreds of thousands of migrants rescued in the Mediterranean and brought to Italy in recent years.

Gentiloni said Monday that unless other EU countries assume some of the migrant crisis burden, the huge numbers could fuel hostility in Italian society.

Italy has mobilized to deal with the flows of migrants, he said, adding that Europe must help if it wants to stay faithful to its own principles, own history, own civilization.

On Sunday, unidentified assailants hurled two incendiary devices at a hotel designed to host migrants near the northern Italian city of Brescia, authorities said Monday. Officials were investigating the attack on the Hotel Eureka, which sustained scant damage and has been vacant for years.

Mayor Giuseppe Lancini of Vobarno, a town northeast of Brescia, said interior ministry officials had told him last week the hotel would host 35 asylum-seekers, and that locals opposed the decision.

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BOSTONThe man who inspired people around the world to dump buckets of ice water over their heads to raise millions of dollars for Lou Gehrigs disease research is back in the hospital and is keeping his sense of humour.

A Facebook post from the family of 32-year-old Pete Frates said he is resting comfortably at Massachusetts General Hospital and that doctors, medicine, prayers and love continue to help him get stronger.

After some news outlets erroneously reported Monday that he had died, Frates responded by posting a 45-second video on Twitter showing him lying in a hospital bed while the song Alive by Pearl Jam plays in the background.

Frates family said Sunday that he had returned to the hospital and was battling this beast ALS like a Superhero.

He was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis in 2012. The disease weakens muscles and impairs physical functioning. There is no known cure.

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge raised more than $220 million when it took off worldwide on social media in 2014.

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ROMEDoctors and nurses at the Vaticans showcase pediatric hospital were angry: Corners were being cut. Safety protocols were being ignored. And sick children were suffering.

The Vaticans response was swift. A secret three-month Vatican-authorized investigation in early 2014 gathered testimony and documentation from dozens of current and former staff members and confirmed that the mission of the popes hospital had been lost and was today more aimed at profit than on caring for children.

Despite these findings, the report was never made public. While some of the recommendations were carried out, others were not. And the Vatican commissioned a second inquiry in 2015 that  after a three-day hospital visit  concluded nothing was amiss after all.

An Associated Press investigation has found that Bambino Gesu (Baby Jesus) Pediatric Hospital, a cornerstone of Italys health care system, did indeed shift its focus in ways big and small under its past administration. Under leadership that governed from 2008 to 2015, the hospital expanded services and tried to make a money-losing Vatican enterprise turn a profit  and children sometimes paid the price.

Among the APs findings:

Overcrowding and poor hygiene contributed to deadly infection, including one 21-month superbug outbreak in the cancer ward that killed eight children.

To save money, disposable equipment and other materials were at times used improperly, with a one-time order of cheap needles breaking when injected into tiny veins.

Doctors were so pressured to maximize operating-room turnover that patients were sometimes brought out of anesthesia too quickly.

Some of the issues  such as early awakening and the focus on profits  had been identified in 2014 by the Vatican-authorized task force of current and former hospital doctors, nurses, administrators and outsiders. The AP corroborated those findings through interviews with more than a dozen current and former Bambino Gesu employees, as well as patients, their families and health officials. The AP reviewed medical records, civil court rulings, hospital and Vatican emails, and five years of union complaints.

Bambino Gesu disputed the APs findings and threatened legal action. It said the AP investigation was based on information that was in some ways false, in other ways seriously unfounded and out of date by two years but above all clinically implausible and defamatory on a moral and ethical level.

The hospital cited its reputation as a centre of excellence. It draws top-notch surgeons to work there and celebrity visits, including one by U.S. First Lady Melania Trump in May.

Bambino Gesu also pointed to the Vaticans second investigation, led by American Catholic health care expert Sister Carol Keehan, as evidence that the allegations were false.

While there are many things we could have missed or been misled about, we came away from this evaluation with a real sense that on the major charges and the major issues alleged, we have been able to disprove them, Keehans report said.

Facts are hard to come by in the secretive halls of Bambino Gesu, which does not make public financial details or its mortality and infection rates. Perched on a Roman hillside just up the road from Vatican City, the private hospital sits on Holy See territory and enjoys the same extraterritorial status as a foreign embassy  making the Italian taxpayer-funded institution immune to the surprise inspections other Italian hospitals undergo. It is financed by Italys public health system, but its main campus isnt even technically in Italy.

There is no indication that the Vatican ever shared the results of either in-house investigation with the Italian health ministry, which in 2015 reported that the hospital offered quality care in such a way that assumes characteristics of excellence. Provided with APs findings in December, the health ministry promised to investigate.

If this is true, a myth has fallen, the ministrys then-spokesman Fabio Mazzeo said. We have to verify. Mazzeos successor, reached in June, said he had no further information, saying the hospital belongs to the Vatican.

On Monday, the Vatican denied any serious threats to children, though it said it welcomed efforts to improve care, including reports of practices that might be below standard.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke acknowledged the Vatican had investigated staff complaints, but pointed to a follow-up three-day clinical visit by an American team in 2015 that found they were unfounded, except for concerns that there wasnt enough space.

No hospital is perfect, but it is false and unjust to suggest that there are serious threats to the health of children at Bambino Gesu, he said.

But the Vaticans first investigator fully stood by the report he delivered to the Vatican in 2014.

What we wrote in that report was the exact truth, Dr. Steven Masotti said in a June 2 telephone interview. While there are problems, the hospital still has very good standards, he said.

All of the hospital employees who talked to the AP spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing they would lose their jobs if their names were used. Out of concern for the children, they said, they broke what the hospitals union has called the omerta, the Italian code of silence.

Staff members told AP that some of the conditions they first reported in early 2014 have improved since the surprise resignation of Bambino Gesus president in 2015. The new administration, they said, focuses less on volume and shows more respect for protocols.

But some of the task forces most important recommendations have not been implemented, including the replacement of Bambino Gesus medical director. And in its July 2016 newsletter, the hospitals main union said problems remain.

Ten years ago, the ERs were jammed and they still are. Ten years ago, patients waited on stretchers and they still do. Ten years ago you entered with one illness and left with two hospital infections, and still do, it wrote. What has changed in 10 years? The machines are better, the pharmaceuticals are better, but the level of care is not.

Pope Francis himself used the occasion of a 2016 Christmas audience with thousands of hospital staff members and patients to exhort Bambino Gesu not to fall prey to corruption, which he called the greatest cancer that can strike a hospital.

Bambino Gesu has had a history that hasnt always been good, the pope said, jettisoning his prepared remarks to decry the temptation to transform a good thing like a childrens hospital into a business, and make a business where doctors become businessmen and nurses become businessmen, everyones a businessman!

Look at the children, Francis said in Italian, pointing to the young patients gathered at his feet in the Vatican auditorium. And let each one of us think: Can I make corrupt business off these children? No!

You have to produce, produce, produce

The sequence of events that resulted in the two investigations began in early 2014, when the Vatican began receiving reports that the quality of care was suffering under the hospitals then-president, Giuseppe Profiti. Since he was appointed in 2008, Profitis administration had been focused on boosting volume and opening satellite branches around southern Italy while cutting costs.

Vincenzo Di Ciommo Laurora, a retired Bambino Gesu epidemiologist, described the hospitals culture at the time this way: The more you do to a patient, the more money you bring in. You have to produce, produce, produce.

As part of an unrelated study, he reviewed the charts of 11 cancer patients who had died and said he was struck by the extreme number of medical interventions, including kidney dialysis performed on children who were nearly dead.

When these children dont have any organs working, when nothing is working, when theyre full of infection, should we continue to do dialysis and heroic therapies? he asked.

His concern reflected a long-standing ethical debate about when palliative care is more appropriate for terminally ill children  a debate that can be even more acute in a Catholic hospital.

Founded in 1869 by a Roman noble family to treat poor children, Bambino Gesu was donated to the Vatican in 1924 and has grown to become the main pediatric hospital serving southern Italy. In 2015, the 607-bed facility performed over 26,000 surgical procedures  more than a third of all childrens operations nationwide.

The Italian health service reimburses it for most of its services and a leaked audit reported that, in 2012 alone, the hospital received reimbursements and research grants that totalled 270 million euros ($290 million).

One of the main areas of expansion during the Profiti administration was in transplant services and oncology, where thousands of children have been successfully treated.

But in 2011, a 4-year-old with acute leukemia caught an infection, an extremely drug-resistant form of Pseudomonas aeruginosa, one of the leading causes of blood infections and pneumonia in hospitals. The outbreak infected 27 children and wore on for 21 months  from March 2011 to December 2012  before the hospital brought it under control.

By then, eight children were dead.

All wards of the onco-hematological department were involved, Bambino Gesu staff wrote in 2014 in the journal BMC Infectious Diseases. The bugs spread, they wrote, could have stemmed from the hands of health care workers or use of noncritical medical equipment  a clear violation of good hygiene practice.

All hospitals have problems controlling infections, many are plagued by overcrowding and even the best struggle to contain outbreaks of drug-resistant bacteria. But several experts contacted by AP called the Bambino Gesu outbreak extreme, unusual in its duration and rare for this particular strain to be found in children.

Nigel Brown, an emeritus professor of microbiology at the University of Edinburgh, said the problem should have been identified within a matter of days and that more aggressive management could have quickly confined the outbreak.

In a statement, the hospital said it was absurd and specious to cite the outbreak against the hospital, calling its infection control achievements an example of good practice. The hospital said it had successfully brought infection rates under international and national benchmarks in recent years, though it doesnt publish the information in its annual reports.

Bambino Gesus union, a branch of Italys largest trade association CGIL, has repeatedly complained about hygiene problems, noting that the hospital has gone through five cleaning firms in as many years with unsanitary results.

In its November 2014 monthly magazine, the union noted that the neonatal surgery ward had sadly become famous internally for its rates of infection and death. Part of the problem, the union said, was the route some staff would take from the changing room to the ward.

The path they have to take is equivalent to an open sewer, past garbage bins where various types of refuse are positioned, the union wrote the previous month. And we ask why hospital infections increase? If even such a simple problem is ignored, imagine those that are more complicated.

In 2011, Bambino Gesu pharmacist Eugenio Ciacco wrote the hospital president to alert him that the pharmacy had stopped sterilizing needles and other equipment properly, a practice Ciacco said was leading to extreme danger for the health of our young patients.

In 2013, the hospital was ordered by Romes civil tribunal to pay 2.2 million euros to a family whose child was left partially paralyzed and brain-damaged by a hospital-borne infection in 2006 that wasnt diagnosed or treated quickly enough.

Staffers in the pharmacy reported other concerns: One told AP two common antibiotics intended to be consumed within a few hours sometimes were used for up to two days to save money.

Overcrowding and hygiene problems were still an issue in October 2015 when Federica Bianchis 17-month-old son Edoardo was treated for breathing problems in an ER examination room where she said other children had been receiving intravenous rehydration drips. Two days later, Edoardo began suffering bouts of severe diarrhea and vomiting. She didnt know it then, but he had contracted rotavirus, an extremely common and contagious disease that can cause dehydration.

He started to lose weight at the speed of light, Bianchi said.

After Edoardos twin also caught the bug, she took both boys back to Bambino Gesus overcrowded ER. Twice over the coming days, staff sent her home with instructions to spoon-feed the boys water, even though Edoardo was so dehydrated his skin was like parchment, Bianchi said.

When the boys father returned from a trip, he took one look at the limp twins and took them to another hospital, where they were quickly diagnosed with rotavirus and isolated to contain the infection.

I went to Bambino Gesu because I thought it was the best hospital in Rome, Bianchi said.

She wont go back.

Hospital spokesman Alessandro Iapino said there is no proof that Edoardo contracted rotavirus at Bambino Gesu, and added that germs are a fact of life in hospitals because people are sick.

Against all ethics and morals of our hospital

Among the most troubling of the task forces findings, corroborated by the AP, was that surgeons were so pressed to increase turnover in the operating room that children sometimes came out of anesthesia too quickly, shedding tears or moving before surgery was completed.

A February 2014 internal hospital report said the attending staff was considerably distressed when a 14-year-old girl was awakened prematurely during an appendectomy. The procedure performed by the anesthesiologist is against all ethics and morals of our hospital, according to an adverse event report, filed when something goes wrong.

Anesthesiology isnt an exact science and, even in the best hospitals, patients will occasionally awaken early.

Doctors normally start tapering off anesthesia in a procedures final stages or after surgeons have closed the wound. At Bambino Gesu, employees said, the process was accelerated, particularly for more minor operations such as hernias.

Its the rule of the day that kids are awakened a bit faster to try to do more operations, one surgeon told AP. Other staffers interviewed by AP reported early awakening incidents prior to 2015, though none since.

It is unclear how frequently the children were awakened too soon, but the union wrote in its September 2013 newsletter: Among surgeons and anesthesiologists, theres almost a race in violating norms to please the eyes of the department head.

Coleen McMahon, an American nurse who was a member of the first group investigating Bambino Gesu, said one employee told the task force that the practice resulted in babies shedding tears. Other staffers told AP that they saw children moving their limbs on the OR table before surgeries were completed.

God, if youre seeing what Im seeing, please stop it, McMahon recalled one task force member saying.

Experts say that while it isnt rare to see tears during surgery, its a sign that more painkillers are needed.

It suggests something traumatic is happening to the body, said Dr. Phil Hopkins, a professor of anesthesia at Britains University of Leeds. Seeing tears means that a patient is nearer to being awake than you would want them to be.

Iapino, the hospital spokesman, labelled reports of early reawakening false and said the institutions post-anesthesia procedures followed the best protocols. And the health ministry said in its 2015 recertification that the hospitals outpatient clinic used a particular anesthesia technique where children are quickly awakened without pain.

Iapino also noted that the hospital has been certified for 10 years by Joint Commission International, a branch of the U.S.-based hospital accreditation organization. In 2015, JCI made its triennial inspection of Bambino Gesu, recertified it and promoted it based on its research.

The union newsletter, however, said JCI never saw the hospital under normal circumstances since its inspections are announced and staff prepared in advance: An informal survey by the union found that 55 per cent of hospital staff said they implemented all required protocols only when inspectors were visiting.

Iapino dismissed the union complaints as biased and said the allegations that prompted the Vatican investigations were dated and based on rumours by disgruntled and unqualified staff during a time of transition, following Pope Francis election.

JCI did pinpoint several areas for improvement, including anesthesia and surgical care, infection prevention and control, and medication management, according to a JCI letter obtained by AP. Such recommendations are the norm, and Iapino said a follow-up visit would have occurred if JCI had found significant fault.

JCI also flagged informed consent forms from patients scheduled for surgeries. In some cases, the AP found, Bambino Gesus forms made no mention of specific risks or complications, standard at many hospitals.

Florinda Galasso knows now that the heart surgery she and her parents consented to in 2009 was riskier than they were led to believe. Her surgeon emphasized a 95 per cent success rate and scheduled the procedure for Dec. 23, assuring the 22-year-old that she would be back at college after Christmas.

But Galasso suffered a stroke  a recognized complication in open-heart surgery, made even more high-risk by her medical history. While the surgery itself was a success, the stroke left Galasso partially paralyzed on her left side. She can no longer drive, walks with difficulty and is nearly blind in her left eye. She abandoned her studies and moved back home.

Galasso, now 30, sued the hospital for lack of informed consent and won.

Obviously, every operation has consequences, she said. But the possibility I might end up half-working? No one ever told me.

In response, the hospital said the court merely found no proof of informed consent.

I would assure you that the pope has been informed

McMahon, the American nurse, specializes in pediatric program development and visited Bambino Gesu in December 2013 to explore setting up a hospice program in Rome, saying she felt called by God to help terminally ill children.

The conditions were horrific, she told AP, adding that she was shocked by what she saw and heard from staff.

She wrote directly to Francis, who asked the Vatican secretary of state  the overseer of Bambino Gesu  to follow up.

I would assure you that the pope has been informed and asked Cardinal (Pietro) Parolin to look into it, then-Vatican official Monsignor Peter Wells emailed McMahon on Jan. 19, 2014.

Parolin soon asked Dr. Steven Masotti, an Italian heart specialist, to investigate. He formed the Independent Bambino Gesu Task Force, made up of about a dozen people, including McMahon. In three months of secret meetings at a Catholic college in Rome, Masotti interviewed dozens of current and former staff.

The task force acquired a stack of internal adverse event reports, which cited repeated violations of basic safety and hygiene protocols: missing signed consent forms, patients wheeled in for surgery without surgical gowns, staff in bloodstained clogs.

Staff provided back issues of the unions monthly newsletter, which along with hygiene failures, noted nurses working 17-hour overnight double shifts.

In March 2014, the task force issued a devastating report that found breaches of accepted medical protocol, including overcrowding that caused increased infection risk, reuse of disposable equipment, early awakening from surgery, unsupervised experimental procedures and facilities that didnt meet medical standards.

The anomalies found seem to be amply diffused throughout the hospital, and according to many sources, are incentivized and rewarded by the administration with the aim of reducing expenses and increasing profit margins, read a March 19 near-final draft obtained by the AP.

But the worst thing, shared by all, is the loss of the unique rapport and welcoming and familiar atmosphere that existed in the past among doctors, nurses, young patients and their families, it said. This modus operandi, which represented the true added-value of the hospital, seems today completely lost, substituted by an attitude aimed almost exclusively at profit.

While finding Bambino Gesus health care results were comparable to other leading hospitals, the report criticized the despotic and intimidating administration and recommended a new medical chief of staff and nursing manager to better enforce medical protocols. It suggested creating a hospice program and revamping the ethics committee to vet experimental procedures.

This proposal, if implemented, will significantly limit CEOs power and cripple his ability to reduce the quality of child care in order to increase revenues, Masotti wrote McMahon in an email.

Several of the proposals were immediately implemented. After an external audit in 2014 also confirmed a profit-motivated shift in mission, the hospitals president, Profiti, resigned in January 2015.

In an interview with the AP, Profiti, now president of a private medical clinic in Campania, said he left to pursue new challenges and was proud of the results he achieved in seven years. He said he had heard about the 2014 task force but never saw its report. He laughed when AP read portions to him, questioning task force members competence and calling their conclusions only rumours.

After the task force finished its work, McMahon pressed the Vatican for action, drawing a swift rebuke from Masotti. We are dealing with the Secretary of State of His Holyness (sic), the man that God Himself appointed to lead His Church. Is that clear? Masotti emailed the task force on April 12, 2014. Our job is over!

But a few members went over his head and contacted Cardinal George Pell, the Vaticans money czar, insisting that no substantive remedy had been applied to the risky conditions flagged months earlier by the task force, despite the obvious danger to children.

Pell, who last week was charged in his native Australia with criminal sex assault, then contacted Keehan, president and CEO of Catholic Health Association, an influential organization of 600 U.S. hospitals and health facilities, and asked her to investigate.

During a Jan. 27-30, 2015, visit to Rome, Keehan and an American doctor and nurse met with hospital board members and toured the main campus, armed with a laundry list of malpractice allegations. The trio interviewed the medical director and doctors and nurses on duty, communicating either in English or via a translator because none spoke Italian.

Keehan said she investigated reports of early awakening during surgery by asking doctors about their procedures and said they responded with exactly the appropriate standard of care, which she said disproved the employees eyewitness testimony that those protocols had been disregarded.

She said she looked closely at hygiene during her visit and that the cleaning procedures she observed during two OR changeovers looked thorough and appropriate. She acknowledged that overcrowding in the neonatal intensive care unit may contribute to issues with central-line infections.

We came expecting to have to do a big expose and we found no basis for those complaints at all, Keehan said in an interview. Can I say theyve never made a mistake? Absolutely not. . But can I say that that is a hospital that gives exceptional care to children? Absolutely and positively yes.

Keehan said she interviewed two hospital staffers on the task force. She told AP she didnt find them credible and said they exaggerated claims and seemed to have a vendetta against the hospital. Indeed, the two had been fired and were ordered reinstated by Romes labour tribunal after a costly legal battle.

Keehan did not reach out to any of the 20 other active staffers whose names and numbers were provided by task force members. She said she did not review any union complaints, patient charts for the years and wards flagged as problematic, or any adverse event reports.

She said she didnt think it was necessary because she was so convinced of the high quality of care she observed.

She told the AP she had not heard of the superbug outbreak that killed eight children.

The president who succeeded Profiti, Mariella Enoc, promised a new era focused on patients, not power or profits. Under her leadership, staff report improvements, with less pressure to produce, new beds added to wards and renovated operating rooms. The hospital reported an 8 per cent decrease in the number of surgical procedures in 2015.

But complaints continued. In a 2015 open letter to the Vaticans Parolin, who is in charge of Bambino Gesu, a group of doctors unaffiliated with the task force warned that staff would not comply with economic mandates where numbers count more than the quality of excellent care.

And as recently as last year, the National Association of Religious Hospital Doctors said that overnight on-call staff didnt have adequate beds or bathrooms, violating norms meant to ensure rest and hygiene.

So when Francis publicly acknowledged problems during his Christmas audience, he was interrupted more than a half-dozen times by grateful staff applauding as he went off-script.

He told them that at his hospital, doctors and nurses must focus on children  and not fall prey to corruption.

Corruption doesnt just arrive one day. No. It slides in slowly. Today theres a tip, tomorrow a bribe, he said. Slowly without realizing it, you end up with corruption.

The Vatican never released a transcript of what he said at the session, which the AP filmed. Francis concluded with a denunciation of how the health care industry as a whole deceives the sick  and how the popes hospital must resist the temptation going forward.

Sinners? Yes. Were all sinners. All of us. But corrupt? Never.

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The catastrophe of Londons skeletal Grenfell Tower is a symbol of what austerity born of Thatcherism did to Britain. Its almost too obvious but still, lets study it.

The cosmetic embodiment of social anxiety, the tower was the Modern Poverty version of the black silk top hat of cruel Victorian London, alarming to contemplate but also a reminder of what humans can do when they gather and smugly reassure each other that they are in the right.

In 1797, John Hetherington was the first Englishman to wear a top hat, a tall structure having a shining lustre calculated to frighten timid people. He was taken to court for scaring children.

In the same way, council house towers like Grenfell  in the raggedy part of one of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in the world  are markers that strike fear into voters. May I never live there, they think.

There stands the tower, pale and enclosed at its base but turning blacker and more hollow as the eye rises, and there it will remain while investigators hunt for DNA among what might be bits of human bone. Why was it built in the first place and why did it burn so quickly?

Council housing in Britain was generally built to clear Victorian slums and provide reasonable housing, particularly after the eternal-seeming poverty and rationing that followed the Second World War, the war that economically finished off Great Britain and shot the U.S. into wealth and world supremacy.

Such housing was well-intentioned but built on the cheap and ill-maintained, just as Toronto public housing is now. It was designed for the working classes but left to the ultra-poor as Margaret Thatcher quickly sold much of it off at a discount under right to buy and failed to replace it. The new cladding allegedly done for green efficiency was probably done to make poverty less noticeable, serving the same purpose that cheap clothing does now.

The clad Grenfell Tower looked relatively glossy. But as the Guardian reports, the contract to refurbish the building was altered to save a mere half-million dollars, with aluminum cladding used instead of resident-approved fire-resistant zinc cladding. Poor installation may have added to the problem.

Management by the local and very wealthy Kensington and Chelsea council had the work done on the cheap. How could it have been otherwise?

For decades, neo-liberalism has demonized taxation and public spending. Pre-burning, British Prime Minister Theresa May told an impoverished British nurse in a public forum that there was no magic money tree to raise her salary.

But there is. Its taxation. A nation agrees on the level of tax it is willing to pay to create a place it is more or less happy to live in.

For two generations, the right has harped on the horrors of tax. It won. Britain and the U.S. see the private affluence and public squalor once predicted by the economist John Kenneth Galbraith. In Canada, we see less of it but the pressure is constantly on.

My favourite example in Toronto has always been now-Deputy Mayor Denzil Minnan-Wong holding up a sign in 2014 protesting expensive new public toilets. He had a point. Surely people would prefer private toilets. I do. If theyre caught short  as everyone might well be, including the perfectly nice if deluded Minnan-Wong  its arguably more efficient to provide cheap traumatic toilets.

And that was the purpose of Grenfell Tower, built cheaply and repaired worse. There will always be people, more or less, unable to fend for themselves  I do think even Thatcher understood that  but if society must give them shelter, make sure the shelters nasty. Say what you want about the tenets of Thatcherism, but at least its an ethos.

That London council worshipped the god of cheap. It understood that if it spent proper money on repairing Grenfell, its huge cash reserves would dwindle and taxes might rise. The public  however house-rich and cash-poor Londoners might be  has been trained to object to that.

As with a house, you get the society you pay for. Homeowners who renovate with fake stucco and cheap panels are postponing the day of reckoning when the stains build up and the rain comes in. Its a false economy.

I wont use the word shame, as its smug and undefinable. But I want taxpayers to understand that good things cost more money. So pay it.

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Prime Minister Justin Trudeaus ill-considered efforts to mollify Donald Trump continue apace. The decision to keep sending Canadian soldiers to the war in Iraq is just the latest version.

The federal governments entire defence posture and much of its foreign policy is focused on convincing the U.S. president that Canada is a loyal American ally.

Ottawas hope is that if Trump thinks Canada is pulling its weight militarily, he will order his negotiators to go easy on this country during the upcoming North American Free Trade Agreement talks.

Last months defence review won kudos from Washington because it promised that Canada would significantly increase its military spending, an important Trump goal.

Last weeks decision to extend Canadas military mission in Iraq for another two years promises to be equally well-received by Trump.

Ironically, even as NAFTA dominates almost every aspect of Trudeaus foreign policy, a new study calculates that the Canadian economy could survive quite handily without the trade and investment pact.

But first, the war in Iraq.

The latest version began in 2014, after then U.S. president Barack Obama belatedly realized that Daesh, also known as ISIS, posed a real threat to the Iraqi government.

Canada joined during the fall of that year, committing six fighter jets and a few dozen special-forces troops to act as advisers.

Claiming that it was interested only in a noncombat role, the current Liberal government withdrew the fighter jets. But it expanded the number of on-the-ground advisers to about 200.

Although these advisers actively take part in the shooting war, the government insists  against all logic  that they are not engaged in combat.

Last weeks announcement is not expected to increase the number of on-the-ground advisers. But they could be deployed anywhere in Iraq.

The announcement also commits a transport aircraft to the fight.

Up to now, Canadas focus has been on training Kurdish fighters. But Iraqs Kurds are preparing for an independence referendum in the fall that could put them at odds with the central government in Baghdad.

All of which is to say that this part of playing nice to Trump has its complications.

But is it necessary for Ottawa to be so Trump-focused? Does it matter if he trashes NAFTA?

The conventional wisdom holds that Canadas economy would be devastated if the pact were scrapped. But a new study done by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives argues otherwise.

Written by economist Pierre Laliberte and research fellow Scott Sinclair, the study  entitled What is the NAFTA advantage?  says that even without the pact, trade barriers between Canada and the U.S. would be relatively minor.

Thats because both countries adhere to rules set by the World Trade Organization that mandate minimal tariffs between member states.

Without NAFTA, 41 per cent of Canadian exports to the U.S. would still face no tariffs at all.

The remaining 59 per cent would face, on average, extremely modest tariffs. The authors calculate that the value of these extra tariffs would total roughly $4 billion a year  a relatively small amount when compared to annual exports of roughly $279 billion.

The authors also point out that Canadas main aim in negotiating a deal with the U.S.  which was to obtain an exemption from that countrys often arbitrary trade laws  never materialized. The eternally recurring softwood lumber dispute is a testament to that.

The study doesnt try to pretend that ending NAFTA would be costless. Some industries, such as agriculture, would be hit hard. Others, such as petroleum, would be barely affected.

But it does demonstrate that, for the most part, Canadas economy could purr on quite contentedly without the pact.

That, in turn, means two things. First, Ottawa can safely walk out of the NAFTA talks if Trumps demands are too outrageous. Second, Canadas government need not twist its foreign and defence policies out of shape just to candy up to him.

It is possible to be independent.

Thomas Walkom appears Monday, Wednesday and Friday.

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After a decade of Stephen Harper's war on science, Justin Trudeau came to power promising a better way. On a number of fronts, he has delivered. But on others, his government's slowness to act casts doubt on its commitment to doing the difficult work necessary to restore Canadian science to its former glory. And recent comments by his science minister don't give much comfort.

No doubt Trudeau has been a significant improvement over his predecessor. Upon taking office, he moved quickly to unmuzzle government researchers who had been barred from talking about their work under the Tories. He restored the long-form census, our richest source of demographic information and a key tool for evidence-based policymaking, which Harper had egregiously scrapped. And he pledged $95 million in his government's first budget to the country's main research-granting bodies.

These were crucial, but relatively easy steps, the low-hanging fruit in rebuilding Canada's tarnished science culture.

To address the more systemic issues, his government commissioned an independent federal panel, led by former University of Toronto president David Naylor, to take stock of the damage and propose fixes.

The panel painted a bleak picture. Federal investment has been in steady decline for a decade. In particular, the funding available for independent, basic science  the sort of funding, that is, thats likely to attract the top talent we need to compete in the knowledge economy  has shrunk by about 35 per cent per researcher. Over the same period, our performance in terms of scientific awards, publications and citations stalled relative to our peers.

The panel's recommendations, as we wrote upon their release in April, provided Ottawa with a sensible roadmap. Key among them: a $485-million increase for basic research, the sort of science that so often produces the serendipitous discoveries that lead to future innovation. As the panel argued, amid U.S. and British retrenchment on science, an opportunity has emerged for Canada to reassert its leadership role on research, with all of the economic and social potential that entails.

Given this window, it was disappointing to see Science Minister Kirsty Duncan's tepid comments last week on the future of research funding. Weve got to be realistic," she warned when asked about the Naylor report. "Theres no quick fix. Its been 10 years of cuts and its going to take time to make up lost ground.

Clearly it's true that the damage can't be undone overnight. But it's also true that after the government's initial infusion of research funding, it has done very little. In the most recent federal budget, there was no new money. Nor did Duncan commit to a timeline for boosting investment. There may be no quick fix, but there is urgency - and even the long fix has to start somewhere.

As the government grapples with how to forge a 21st-century science policy, it was supposed to have the help of a national science adviser. The creation of this position, a Liberal campaign promise, was meant to ensure that government acts according to the best scientific evidence. But here, too, Trudeau has been slow to act. A year and a half into its mandate, the government still hasn't appointed anyone to the role. Asked about this, Duncan would say only that she would find someone "soon."

The Trudeau government has made much of its commitment to science. But in the wake of the great unmuzzling, we have seen too many disclaimers and evasions. A science adviser, if the government had one, would surely urge it to hurry up and act.

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French dairy company Danone SA (DANOY) announced the sale of its U.S. dairy business Stonyfield to Lactalis for $875 million Monday.

The sale is part of an agreement the company came to with the U.S. Justice Department's competition committee as part of its recent acquisition of fellow consumer brands company White Wave Foods Co. (WWAV) .

The sale is subject to final approval by the Justice Department, which is expected in the third quarter this year.

The sale price represents 20 times Stonyfield's 2016 earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization.

Danone's shares rose 0.1% to $15.04 on Monday morning.

What's Hot On TheStreet

Here comes the Model 3: Tesla Inc.'s (TSLA) - Get Free Report Model 3 has passed regulatory production requirements and the first cars will be on roads by July 28, its founder Elon Musk said Monday.

In a series of Tweets, Musk said the Model 3 has passed all regulatory requirements two weeks ahead of schedule and it is "expecting to complete SN1 on Friday", a reference to what could be the first model off the production line. The offering up of a delivery date is only likely to fuel Wall Street's obsession with Tesla and Musk. TheStreet takes a look at what is driving the infatuation.

The second half of the year is now underway: Get ready to pick some stocks. As the sun sets on the first half of 2017, TheStreet decided to look ahead to how the market may perform on the other side of June 30. We rounded up three of of top minds to ask what sectors and stocks they like going into the year's second half. While Amazon (AMZN) - Get Free Report and Walmart (WMT) - Get Free Report were two notable large-caps on the list, there are several other names that may come as a surprise.

Food halls are booming: As retailers like Macy's (M) - Get Free Report , Sears, (SHLD) and J.C. Penney (JCP) - Get Free Reportsink deeper into the pit of no return, a star in the sector has risen and is shining brightly for purveyors and customers alike, TheStreet's Michelle Lodge reports.

The sparkly object? Food halls.

U.S. food halls are sprouting up everywhere, according to a new Cushman & Wakefield report: in the first nine months of last year, the number of food halls increased 61%, and more are in the pipeline, especially in New York, which has a fourth of them. By 2020, according to the study, some 200 major food halls, up from 150 currently, are expected to be operating throughout the country.

Google and AI: Google may be an "AI first" company, but few people who work there actually use the term artificial intelligence, TheStreet's Annie Palmer reports.

That's because it doesn't actually describe the seismic shift currently happening across all of the Alphabet Inc. (GOOGL) - Get Free Report unit's products. The better word for that process is machine learning, which is the technology that's making our computers think and act more like humans, said Peter Norvig, an AI scientist and a director of research at Google, in an interview with TheStreet.

Alphabet is a holding in Jim Cramer'sAction Alerts PLUS Charitable Trust Portfolio. Want to be alerted before Cramer buys or sells GOOGL? Learn more now.

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Kadant Inc. supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. It operates through three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems and equipment, such as rotary joints, syphons, turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems; and doctoring, cleaning, and filtration systems and related consumables, consisting of doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, shower and fabric-conditioning systems, formation systems, and water-filtration systems. The Industrial Processing segment develops, manufactures, and markets ring and rotary debarkers, stranders, chippers, logging machinery, industrial automation and control systems, recycling and approach flow systems, and virgin pulping process equipment for use in the packaging, tissue, wood products, and alternative fuel industries. The Material Handling segment offers conveying and vibratory equipment, and balers and related equipment; and manufactures and sells biodegradable absorbent granules for carriers in as carriers in agricultural, home lawn and garden, professional lawn, turf, and ornamental applications, as well as for oil and grease absorption. The company was formerly known as Thermo Fibertek Inc. and changed its name to Kadant Inc. in July 2001. Kadant Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts.
The Bank of New York Mellon Corporation provides a range of financial products and services in the United States and internationally. The company operates through Securities Services, Market and Wealth Services, Investment and Wealth Management, and Other segments. The Securities Services segment offers custody, trust and depositary, accounting, exchange-traded funds, middle-office solutions, transfer agency, services for private equity and real estate funds, foreign exchange, securities lending, liquidity/lending services, prime brokerage, and data analytics. This segment also provides trustee, paying agency, fiduciary, escrow and other financial, issuer, and support services for brokers and investors. The Market and Wealth Services segment offers clearing and custody, investment, wealth and retirement solutions, technology and enterprise data management, trading, and prime brokerage services; and clearance and collateral management services. This segment also provides integrated cash management solutions, including payments, foreign exchange, liquidity management, receivables processing and payables management, and trade finance and processing services. The Investment and Wealth Management segment offers investment management strategies and distribution of investment products, investment management, custody, wealth and estate planning, private banking, investment, and information management services. The Other segment engages in the provision of leasing, corporate treasury, derivative and other trading, corporate and bank-owned life insurance, renewable energy investment, and business exit services. It serves central banks and sovereigns, financial institutions, asset managers, insurance companies, corporations, local authorities and high net-worth individuals, and family offices. The company was founded in 1784 and is headquartered in New York, New York.
CHARLESTON (JG-TC) -- The Eastern Illinois University president noted that he was heartened by the movement in the Illinois House Monday.

David Glassman commented about the ground that had been covered on two budget measures that would give Eastern and other state agencies stable funding that they have not seen since 2015. Over the weekend, a budget bill package initially made its way through the House, then later the Senate, that would give the state a annual budget.

"I am heartened by the overwhelming, bipartisan passage of the package," Glassman said in the email.

Despite Gov. Bruce Rauner's veto of the package Tuesday, the Senate voted to override 39-15 sending it to the House. The house did not plan to vote on the motion Tuesday.

"(State Rep. Reggie Phillips, R-Charleston) put EIU and the Charleston community ahead of his own political interests to ensure their continued viability going forward," Glassman stated in the email.

Both Phillips and State Sen Dale Righter, R-Mattoon, voted in favor of the budget package.

Based on comments made during a media availability after the Senate vote posted on Capitol Fax, Righter said he voted for this package because of comments he received from those in his district.

"In the end, you vote your district," he said.

The package of bills that will effectively fund 100 percent of EIUs fiscal year 17 budget and 90 percent of fiscal year 18, as previously reported.

The package would also provide full Monetary Award Program funding for both years and $5 million for capital repairs.

According to the Associated Press, the revenue-generating measure House lawmakers voted on would raise the income tax rate by 32 percent. The approved measure would increase the personal income tax rate from 3.75 percent to 4.95 percent. Corporations would pay 7 percent instead of 5.25 percent.
Any car can be a smart vehicle. That's the appeal of Fixd, a simple device that can identify information ranging from when you need to bring your car in for maintenance to why that check-engine light just came on.

So how does Fixd work and what exactly can you use Fixd to find out? What are the user reviews like? Here's what you need to know about this increasingly popular car sensor.

What is Fixd?

Fixd is a hardware-software combo sold by Georgia-based Fixd Automotive that gives you actionable information about your vehicle.

The hardware feeds information from your car to an app on your smartphone, and if Fixd pinpoints any problems, you can give that data to your mechanic. Fixd is also a handy maintenance tool that can remind you when your car needs service.

How does Fixd work?

Fixd features a sensor that plugs into an OBD-II port in your car (more on that in a moment). Once you plug in the sensor, you just leave it there, since it's powered by your car. In other words, you don't have to worry about recharging your Fixd sensor.

You'll want to download the Fixd app, either from the Apple App Store (for iOS) or Google Play (for Android), depending on which platform you use. Launch the app, create an account and sit in your car to connect your Fixd sensor to the app via Bluetooth. Once they're talking to each other, you'll be able to get information about your vehicle from that communication.



You can peruse the app to learn more about what's happening in your car, of course, but Fixd will also send you notifications to let you know when something is wrong.

Which cars work with Fixd?

To use Fixd, all your car needs is an OBD-II port. If you're driving a car built in 1996 or later, the chances are pretty good that your car will work with Fixd, since any vehicle built since that time has such a port. You'll usually find the OBD-II port somewhere around or under your glove box.

If you have a car that was manufactured before 1996, you're out of luck.

Fixd will also work with hybrids, and the company is currently beta testing diesel-based vehicles, and says that it's "had success with models made after 2008."

MORE: 250+ Tech Gift Ideas



What kinds of car problems can Fixd identify?

You might be surprised by just how many things you can learn from Fixd. According to the company, the sensor can identify 6,800 maladies affecting your car that may cause the check-engine light to turn on.

Although Fixd doesn't list all of the things that its app can find, it does say that it can identify major issues, like whether your engine oil temperature is too high or your O2 sensor has failed. It can also tell you if your car has bigger issues that you should bring to the mechanic.

In addition, the app gives you the option to clear your check-engine light, if you've determined that the problem it has identified is not significant. You can also use Fixd to clear other dashboard lights, including TPMS, ABS, Airbag, Maintenance and Stability Control.

Additionally, Fixd can keep track of your car's maintenance schedule. Once you plug the sensor into your car, it will determine what your car's manufacturer recommends for maintenance at each milestone and alert you to those recommendations. Fixd monitors your mileage so you know what you need to get done.

How is Fixd different from other devices?

Fixd isn't the only device on the market that can track your car's health. A slew of products  including CarMD, Verizon's hum+, Zubie Key and others  all connect to your car and use a companion app to give you insight into the vehicle.

(opens in new tab) FIXD: OBD-II Active Car Health Monitor - 2nd Generation

The Fixd sensor seems to have benefited from its retail availability at the world's largest retailers  something not all of its competitors can match. Additionally, Fixd's app is considered one of the best-designed programs in the space.

The company claims that Fixd stands out by breaking down problems into simple and understandable terms. Instead of giving you a code or technical description, the device alerts you to the severity of the issue, the consequences of continuing to drive and the maintenance timeline for your specific make, model and year.

We've tested a number of OBD-II scanners under $100, and the BlueDriver Bluetooth Professional OBDII Scan Tool came out on top. It goes beyond basic scanners to show recalls and dynamic data, as well as offer repair suggestions.

What about the Fixd app?

Fixd's companion app is where you'll learn all about your car. You can use the app to check the status of your car and see if there are any errors. Because some of the errors could be nebulous, Fixd lists them in a tab and provides descriptions of each.

More importantly, the app notes the potential consequences of an automotive problem so you can determine just how serious the warning is. For instance, if your car is suffering from an O2 sensor failure, the problem could result in fewer miles per gallon and the possibility that your vehicle will not pass a state emissions test.

Beyond that, the Fixd app provides a visual timeline of mileage so you can see what kind of maintenance needs to be done at different milestones. And whenever there's a problem, the Fixd app can send you push notifications so you know what's happening in your car.

The Fixd app can work with multiple cars, so if you want to put a sensor in each of your family's vehicles, you can do so, and you'll receive the data from all of your cars on one phone. From the app, you can choose the car you want to diagnose, and you'll be good to go.

How much does Fixd cost?

If you want just one Fixd sensor, you can expect to pay $59. Fixd sells a two-sensor bundle for $88, effectively saving you 50 percent on one of the units. If you want three Fixd sensors, you'll pay $118, which allows you to buy two at full price and get the third free.

Fixd sells its sensors with a 30-day, money-back guarantee.

Where can I get the Fixd device?

You won't be able to find Fixd everywhere. The company sells the sensors on its website and at Amazon, Walmart and Best Buy stores.

MORE: Best Gifts for Drivers



What are the Fixd reviews like?

Fixd user reviews are overall solid. If you go to Amazon, for instance, you'll find that the average rating from 726 user reviews is around 4.5 stars. What's more, Fakespot, which evaluates Amazon user reviews, gives the Fixd an A and has deemed just 10 percent of those reviews of low quality.

Some Amazon customers gave Fixd glowing reviews: They were impressed by how easy it was to connect the sensor to the car and get access to the information that the Fixd app displays. Other users weren't as impressed, with 9 percent giving it a 1-star rating. Some of these users said they could not easily connect the sensor to their vehicles, while others complained that the sensor stopped working after a time.

We have tested and reviewed Fixd and found that it works quite well. We liked that it was inexpensive and could turn off the check-engine light, but didn't like that it lacked dynamic data and didn't have Windows or Mac apps. It also shows only generic fault codes and doesn't come with preinspection checks.

"The second-generation Fixd does a good job of diagnosing engine-light problems and providing maintenance reminders, but it's not as versatile as other devices," our review says.

We have also reviewed several other cheap OBD-II scanners under $100 and rated them best to worst. Find out where Fixd landed here.

If Fixd is out of stock, when can I get it?

Fixd was hard to come by early in 2017, but the company has addressed supply problems. As of this writing, the device is in stock at all of Fixd's retail partner outlets, as well as on its website.

What Is the Fixd Maintenance Club?

To add a bit more value to owning a Fixd device, the company now offers a service called the Fixd Maintenance Club.

The premise behind the Fixd Maintenance Club is simple: You use the company's device to see what's wrong or when you need an oil change or new air filter, but then you head to the garage to have that work done. Instead of having someone else do the work, you can send your car information to Fixd, and through its Maintenance Club, the company will send you the parts you need to do the work yourself.

Through its club, Fixd will send to you "specific maintenance items based on your upcoming maintenance interval," based on the year, make and model of your car.

Fixd's service lets you choose for yourself when your maintenance kit should ship, but you can customize when you get it and what's included in the box.

Being a member of the Fixd Maintenance Club is free, but the company does charge for the parts. Prices vary, depending on the maintenance work and the parts you request.

What About the Fixd Vehicle Protection Plans?

Fixd also offers a service called Vehicle Protection Plans. You can get 24-hour emergency roadside assistance, as well as 24-hour assistance for key replacements in the event you lose your key. A Titanium Plus Protection plan gives you roadside assistance, key/remote replacement, tire and wheel protection, windshield protection and paintless ding repair.

In essence, Fixd's Vehicle Protection Plans are similar to those offered by some carmakers with purchase. It's also similar to AAA memberships.

Here's a breakdown of pricing:

Fixd Roadside Assistance: $49

Fixd Key Replacement Plan: $69

Fixed Ultimate Vehicle Protection Plan: Coming Soon
The Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance (BIBF) has appointed Dr. Ahmed Abdul Hameed Abdul Ghani Al Shaikh as its director to enhance operations and strengthen its position as a leading financial Institute in Bahrain.



This appointment underscores the BIBFs focus on developing its core objectives of providing world-class education and training opportunities for Bahrain and the region.



On this occasion, the governor of the Central Bank of Bahrain and chairman of BIBF, Rasheed AlMaraj said: On behalf of the board of directors, I would like to congratulate Dr. AlShaikh on his appointment as director of the BIBF. I am confident that Dr. AlShaikh will make major contributions towards the development of the BIBF, to further enhance its position as a world class institution locally and regionally.



Dr. Al Shaikh's previous roles include a number of high profile leadership positions, most recently as vice-president, Enterprise and Human Capital Development at Tamkeen. Part of the original management group, he was responsible for executing the Human Resources Development and Private Sector Support initiatives which constituted a major element of the Labour Market Reform Project and Tamkeen's mandate.



He has spent more than 16 years in higher education holding various positions in the College of Business Administration at the University of Bahrain. He played a major role in executing several strategies in the capacity of chairman of the Economics and Financial Department and the director of Continuing Management Education Programme. Dr. Al Shaikh also lectured at both the University of Maryland and the Bahrain Institute of Banking & Finance. At the University of Bahrain, he established the evening programme of the College of Business Administration and also the Bachelor of Science Programme in Banking and Finance.



Dr. Al Shaikh has held a variety of consultancy roles including initiatives such as the 'Productivity in Bahrain Manufacturing Industries', 'Privatization in Bahrain', and 'Refining and Adjusting Aspects of the Macro-Economic Forecast for Interactive Multimedia in GCC countries'. - TradeArabia News Service


'Jeans For Refugees' by artist and designer Johny Dar will soon announce the date for its live auction in Bahrain.



The announcement was made during the gala dinner that was held at ART Rotana Hotel, on July 1 and was attended by members of media, social media, and other VIP guests who showed their support to the initiative. The new Jeans For Refugees glass and sand installation that has been designed especially for the kingdom, were also showcased during the event where they were available for guests to browse. The auctioned pieces will be then delivered to the final bidder with its own complimentary glass and sand display stand.



Owning a pair of Jeans For Refugees is more than owning an art investment or a celebrity treasure - it is safeguarding a symbol of hope for a brighter future for humanity. By participating in Jeans For Refugees, buyers help support refugees worldwide and contribute to caring for victims of the greatest humanitarian crisis of our time. Selected Jeans For Refuges are also available to shop online - where buyers can sign up in a few simple steps to buy a piece of extraordinary history.



Founded in 2016 by internationally acclaimed artist and designer Johny Dar, Jeans For Refugees (jeansforrefugees.com) is a global initiative dedicated to helping refugees worldwide. More than 100 international celebrities have handed over a pair of their denims to Dar, who transforms each pair into a unique wearable art piece inspired by the celebrity who donated them. From Hollywood A-listers Ryan Gosling and Sharon Stone to Harry Styles, Emma Watson and many others, the stars have aligned and joined forces to create this unique initiative in support of refugees. With all proceeds going to the International Rescue Committee (IRC), the project helps to fund initiatives which help millions of refugees worldwide on a daily basis, helping to restore health, safety, education, economic wellbeing and power to people devastated by conflict and disaster. - TradeArabia News Service
- Deputy President William Ruto struggled to explain to Kenyans why the Jubilee government failed to deliver it's 2013 promises

- Ruto was put to task to explain the Jubilee manifesto during an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday, June 2

- His remarks on several issues generated anger among Kenyans who accused him of blatant lies and deception

Deputy President William Ruto received a backlash after explaining why Jubilee government has not delivered it's promises.

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV on Sunday, July, 2, with Hussein Mohammed, Ruto explained the recently launched Jubilee manifesto.

READ ALSO: Gatundu is full of jiggers and alcoholics yet it produced two presidents, Kalonzo tells off Uhuru

7. On the promise of 13,000 Kms of roads;

Ruto said the Jubilee government did not deliver 10,000 kms since the figure was for the next ten years and not five years.

READ ALSO: Wiliam Ruto explains why Jubilee has not delivered 10,000 kms of road and Kenyans are furious

6. Galana-Kulalu project;

Ruto claimed that the country was harvesting substantial amounts of maize from the Galana project in Tana River.

Kenyans were angered over the claims since Kenya is currently importing maize from Mexico.

Jubilee had promised to put 1 million acres under irrigation in 5 years, a decision which was made after an extensive study.

5. Laptops;

The government's promise on providing laptops to Class 1 pupils, changed to tablets.

Ruto claimed the tablets project was done 80% adding that the decision to change to tablets was informed by costs since they did not want to hurt taxpayers.

READ ALSO: KDF soldiers die after al-Shabaab raid military camp

4. Corruption;

Despite several corruption cases being reported in the current government, Ruto said Jubilee has proved their fight against graft by dismissing 6 Cabinet Secretaries.

"Jubilee has been consistent in war against graft, making sure agencies tasked with the fight are equipped with finances & personnel," Ruto said during the interview.

3. Upgrading 5 regional stadia;

Ruto said the government encountered problems in Mombasa and Kisumu because of the county governments since stadium projects are functions shared between county governments.

He however claimed stadiums in Wote, Chuka, Moyale, Kamarin will be ready in the next few months.

READ ALSO: NASA shocks Jubilee Party after major rally in Rift Valley (photos)

2. Reduce public debt

Despite the public debt soaring to KSh 8 trillion, Ruto said Jubilee is a responsible government and has not defaulted in paying the borrowed loans.

He also clarified that the government has not failed to pay salaries despite borrowing the hefty loans.

1. Economy growth to 7-10%

In 2013, Uhuruto promised 7-10% eceonomy growth, however the deputy president said the govt managed to achieve 6% growth which is close to the goal.

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

This is the only Uhuru will win elections, watch below;

Source: TUKO.co.ke
- Meru Governor Peter Munya has sent a warning to President Uhuru Kenyatta

- The governor warned he will rethink his support for Uhuru if the government administrators continued to harass him and his supporters in the county

- Munya said he will opt to support the opposition if the harassment continued

Meru Governor Peter Munya has threatened President Uhuru Kenyatta ahead of the General Election in August.

The governor said he will rethink his support for Uhuru during the election as he has been harassed by government administrators in Meru.

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that Munya was angered after his rally in Meru was disrupted allegedly by a chief and security officers.

READ ALSO: Wiliam Ruto explains why Jubilee has not delivered 10,000 kms of road and Kenyans are furious

Governor Peter Munya.

READ ALSO: State House online campaigner 'shut up' by K24 TV queen and it is interesting

Speaking during a campaign rally at Githongo in Imenti Central on Sunday, July 3, Munya warned Uhuru that he is considering his support for him and if the harassment continues he will decamp to the National Super Alliance (NASA).

"Why have the security officers used teargas? That was aimed at frightening the crowd. I understand a chief organised a meeting yesterday to plan how my rally would be disrupted," Munya is quoted by the Daily Nation.

Munya said he was tired of being followed and harassed by Meru government administrators hellbent on frustrating his campaign.

READ ALSO: ODM candidate goes missing days to August General Election

President Uhuru Kenyatta.

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Munya warned the president not to play with Meru votes are as they will not be taken for granted by the government.

The provincial administration has an agenda against me. Let them be warned that they are playing around with the Meru votes. If they continue with this agenda, we can think otherwise,

''I am warning them if they continue using State functionaries to harass my supporters and disrupt my meetings, I will rethink my stand on this politics, he said.

Munya of the Party of National Unity (PNU) is set to face off with his main challenger Kiraitu Murungi of Jubilee Party for the gubernatorial seat in the August General Election.

Have something to add to this article or suggestions? Send to news@tuko.co.ke

The only way Uhuru Kenyatta will win the elections - political analysis:

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Last week, we compared the performance of the main indexes to see which performed the best/worst to compare with your portfolio asset allocation.

Today we begin a new series on the fiduciary-conflict of interest Rule, and I answer questions on what it is and how retirement investors are affected.

Question: What is the fiduciary-conflict of interest rule?

Answer: It is legislation, crafted during the Obama administration, focusing on eliminating conflicts of interests from financial advisers, brokers and insurance planners. It was created for advisers to act in the best interest of their clients.

Q: Does it apply to all investors?

A: No, only assets in advised individual retirement accounts. Per Morningstar, the rule affects $3 trillion worth of assets.

Q: Why the importance?

A: The Obama administration and the Department of Labor argued the rule would protect retirement savers from losing $17 billion a year because of conflicts of interest, mainly coming from fees and commissions from product recommendations.

Q: Who governs the new ruling?

A: The U.S. Department of Labor. According to the DOL.gov website, after April 10 (which is now June 9), advisers who are paid to make recommendations about retirement accounts, such as individual retirement accounts, IRAs and 401(k) accounts, will be treated as fiduciaries. This includes advisers who are paid directly by you or paid indirectly through commissions or other payments they may receive from third parties. As fiduciaries, they must protect their customers from harmful conflicts of interest.

Q: What is a fiduciary?

A: A fiduciary is legally obligated to act in his/her clients' best financial interests. The focus of the rule is to provide consumers with retirement planning advice at a fiduciary standard. The rule is not intended to limit the retirement planning options available to anyone. The rule goes into effect in two parts, the first taking effect June 9, with the remaining regulations going into effect Jan. 1, 2018.

Q: Why are so many financial Institutions, Advisers and Brokers fighting the ruling?

A: This one is simple -- follow the money. This new rule could greatly reduce their income. According to Matthew Heimer from Fortune Magazine, Currently, many relationships between investment pros and retirement clients are required only to meet a "suitability" standard. In practice, under that rule brokers can and do park clients in investments that are either absurdly expensiveoften because they generate chunky commissions for the broker  or highly risky, or both.

Heres the bottom line: According to the Department of Labor, "The Financial Institution and the Adviser(s) [must] provide investment advice that is, at the time of the recommendation, in the best interest of the retirement investor."

As an advocate for the investor/trader on Main Street, I ask, "why hasn't the new Fiduciary ruling been in effect all along?" More important, if dealing with a financial professional, "how will the new Fiduciary Rule affect you?"

In my next column, Ill break down the ruling to show how unnecessary fees affect you, plus discuss fair questions to ask your adviser.

Plan your work, work your plan, and share your harvest!
- Police in Kilifi County are under scrutiny after one of their own killed a resident

- TUKO.co.ke has learnt that a prison warder shot a youth on the chest, killing him on the spot

- The incident sparked a heated demo as more than 300 residents took to the streets to protest he unlawful killing

- The victim is said to be among youths who were ambushed by officers at a drug den

A cross section of Kilifi residents on Sunday, June 2 2017 paralyzed business for hours as they engaged police officers in running battles.

TUKO.co.ke has learnt that over 300 Kilifi residents took to the roads and burnt tyres at the Kibaoni bus stop near Pwani University as they protested the unlawful killing of a resident, Jamal Nyamai who was reportedly gunned down by prison warders who were patrolling the area.

The deceased was shot on the chest as prison warders pursued suspected drug peddlers in Kibaoni area.

Chaos in Kilifi

READ ALSO: Unless you will vote for Uhuru Kenyatta, vacate immediately- Naivasha residents warned

The incident was confirmed by Kilifi OCPD Alexander Makau who said Nyamai was indeed shot by a prison warder because he was pelting stones at the officers who were on patrol.

According to Makau, the prison warders were conducting their usual patrol when they encountered a group of youths at a local drug den.

READ ALSO: Big win for Uhuru as another NASA governor backs his re-election

READ ALSO: Mike Sonko's religious tweet lands him in trouble

The officers on patrol saw a group of about ten youths whom they suspected were taking drugs.The officers ordered the youths to surrender before they started pelting the officers with stones.The others ran away as the victim continued to engage the officers in a street fight before one of the prison warders shot him in the chest, he said.

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Police went through an uphill task to collect the deceased body, which was later taken to Kilifi County Hospital mortuary.

The fracas was brought to a halt by regular and anti-riot police officers.

The only way Uhuru Kenyatta will win the elections - Watch the political analysis below;

Have anything to add to this article or suggestions? Share with us on news@tuko.co.ke

Source: TUKO.co.ke
Many people have been left without pipe-borne water in northern and eastern parts of Trinidad and some areas in Tobago.

The Water and Sewerage Authority indicates this is a result of an impact to twelve of its plants due to adverse weather, which has caused flooding in some areas.
NATO Parliamentary Assembly President Paolo Alli has stressed that NATO member states defend themselves while supporting Ukraine.

He said this during the 95th Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly within the framework of the Rose-Roth Initiative in Kyiv, an Ukrinform correspondent reports.

"We know that we defend ourselves by supporting Ukraine... Our stand with regard to Ukraine is clear and strong. We categorically condemn further occupation of part of Ukraine by Russia and support the Euro-Atlantic Ukraine," Alli said.

At the same time, the NATO Parliamentary Assembly President calls on Ukraine to intensify its efforts in carrying out important reforms.

"In particular, with regard to the fight against corruption and oligarchic influence. Despite recent achievements, Ukraine needs to do much more," he said.

As reported on the website of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, the 95th Seminar of the NATO Parliamentary Assembly is to be held within the framework of the Rose-Roth Initiative in Kyiv on July 3-5. The seminar is devoted to the issues of security and stability in Ukraine and the Black Sea region.

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CHARLESTON -- For Blair Lord, 6:30 a.m. on a Monday would be just another morning getting ready and preparing for what was in store for him in Old Main.

However, today, the former provost and vice president for academic affairs at Eastern Illinois University has different plans.

On Monday morning, July 3, I intend to sleep in, Lord said. That is going to be the first thing I do.

Friday marked the end for Lords 16 years at EIU and he said his first day of retirement he planned to ignore his internal alarm and get a couple more zs.

It may not be for long, but I am going to try, he said.

Leading up to his last day as the provost and vice president, Lord said he was ready to end his time at the university and decompress.

There was never a lot of time do that in those 16 years, especially in the last two years dealing with the challenges brought on by the state budget impasse, he said.

There is a sense of relief, Lord said of retiring and being away from the budget impasse-related stress. It has been a non-stop relentless march, and yeah, I am ready to take a break.

The last two years dealing with the impasse served as a final challenge in his career, however, he said he will remember being proud of the work he and others across campus put into making sure the university is doing what it has always done for the most part in spite of the state's budget woes.

Students still get all that they deserve from Eastern and that is not inconsequential, Lord said.

He said for all administrators, including himself, these past couple of years were full of numerous difficult decisions often related to personnel in the face of the impasse.

It is not in the sense like you are running a long, physically demanding race but it takes a lot of mental energy and emotional energy to do what you had to do sometimes, Lord noted.

In that sense, it became fatiguing for him.

It is more fun to create things than to do things with less, he continued.

From his time at Eastern before the impasse, Lord said he is proud of what was done with several initiatives that came out of his office and across campus, including the Study Abroad program.

Study Abroad existed at the university before Lord arrived, however, it was not at the level it is now in comparison. At the time he took over the position, there was only one operation unit in Study Abroad. That has since grown substantially, he said

I am a passionate believer in Study Abroad, Lord said. Both my children did it and they came back different people.

He said he is also proud of the work done achieving an infusion of undergraduate research opportunities into the curriculum largely campus-wide, and offering a space for them to present their findings.

He said that and further tying the curriculum better to what the students will actually be doing was important work.

I think that was a valuable initiative, Lord said. I feel good about all of those things.

Before taking on the administrative position at Eastern, he spent 25 years at the University of Rhode Island. He started as a junior faculty member in 1976, moving his way up to vice provost at the university when heavily involved in an academic accrediting group in that area.

After a grand total of more than 40 years in education, Friday might have been his last day in the field as a whole. He said he does not intend to head right back into higher education after retiring.

Lord said outside of sleeping in, he plans on painting his home, traveling in August, possibly getting some part-time work and getting back on the water at Lake Carlyle with his sailboat. Lord, an avid sailor since he was 4 years old, has not been able to get his sailboat on the water for eight years.

He said he is excited to get back on the water and do some much-needed sailing with his catamaran.

I think I have had a good run at Eastern and it's now time for Dr. Gatrell, he said.

Jay Gatrell, a professor of geography and environmental studies and vice provost for faculty affairs and research at Bellarmine University in Louisville, Ky., took over Lord's post as of Saturday.
To investigate factors affecting the compliance of patients with the combination therapy for benign prostatic hyperplasia.

Four hundred BPH outpatients treated with combination therapy were surveyed.

The absolute majority of patients (76.16%) expected a quick positive result. 10.47% viewed their disease as too advanced, did not believe in the effectiveness of medical therapy and believed the surgery to be the only treatment option. 24.42% of patients changed the medication dosage on their own, and 11% were ready to discontinue the treatment without consulting their doctors. 76.16% of patients considered the recommended treatment to be effective, 77.33% fully trusted the doctor. In the opinion of 8.7% of patients, the doctor did not sufficiently inform them about the prescribed drug. 22.67% of patients had doubts about a physicians competence, and 5.23% believed the doctor complicated their medical treatment and changed prescriptions too often.

The patients had a high level of trust in doctors and showed psychological adherence to therapy. However, about a quarter of patients changed the treatment regimen on their own. Many patients had exaggerated expectations of the treatment. 8% of patients reported insufficient awareness regarding the nature and appropriateness of drug therapy, and one in five patients had difficulties in perceiving, remembering and following the treatment regimen.

streamlining therapeutic regimens, prescribing non-titratable or combined drugs will help improve patients therapy compliance.

Urologiia (Moscow, Russia : 1999). 2017 Jun [Epub]

V A Malkhasyan, P I Rasner, A R Gevorkyan, I V Semenyakin, A V Tedeev, D Yu Pushkar

Department of Urology, A.I. Evdokimov Moscow State University of Medicine and Dentistry, Moscow, Russia.

PubMed http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28631904
Yet another star is headed west, as former Atlanta Hawks power forward Paul Millsap has signed with the Denver Nuggets for 3-years, $90-million according to Shams Charania of The Vertical.

It became increasingly clear that Millsap would not be returning to Atlanta when general manager Travis Schlenk stated that they would likely not offer as much money as other potential suitors. The Phoenix Suns, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Sacramento Kings were all interested, but balked in the end due to the salary demands. The Nuggets, on the other hand, are ready to take a step toward contending for the playoffs and this move helps in a major way.

New Direction in Atlanta

While Millsap had a fantastic stint for the Hawks over the past four years, new management has new plans for the franchise that do not involve him. Schlenks primary philosophy since taking over the job has been avoiding bad contracts and maintaining flexibility.

The veteran forward is still an elite player who is effective on both ends of the floor, but it is almost a guarantee that his production will begin to slip as he continues to get older. The Hawks were not comfortable paying him $30 million-plus into his mid-30s, and will instead look to rebuild the structure of their roster.

Although unlikely, the Hawks could still try to facilitate a sign-and-trade in order to get some assets in return from the Nuggets. Denver might be more willing to do this in order to create some cap relief, but we will have to wait and see.

Millsap facing off against the Nuggets as a member of the Utah Jazz in 2013.

Photo by Doug Pensinger/Getty Images

Millsaps Fit in Denver

The former second-round pick out of Louisiana Tech is an ideal fit for an up-and-coming Nuggets team. He will work alongside talented center Nikola Jokic and provide spacing on the offensive end to help him thrive in the paint. Both bigs are great passers of the ball, which will be a matchup nightmare for opposing defenders.

Young guards Gary Harris and Jamal Murray represent the future of the organization, and they have already shown a lot of potential thus far. The only real question mark now involves their free agent forward Danilo Gallinari. They will have to make some moves if they want to bring him back, with Kenneth Faried and Wilson Chandler as potential players they could trade. Either way, Millsap brings a whole new level of consistency and effectiveness to a franchise that has struggled in recent years.

The Western Conference has gotten stronger and stronger this offseason, but the Nuggets are on the fringe of being a competitor. Millsap and Jokic have shown what they bring to the table, so the key lies with the young guards and bench players who round out the roster. If everything comes together, they should solidly be a playoff team.
Cline Williams Wright Johnson & Oldfather, L.L.P. is pleased to announce that Daniel W. Oldenburg has joined the firm. Daniel Oldenburg has practiced immigration law since 2002. He provides a multiplicity of immigration legal services to individuals and employers, and specializes in employment based immigration for university and healthcare institutions. Oldenburg assists with the non-immigrant and immigrant visa services for faculty, researchers, medical fellows and residents. He regularly represents both employers and individuals with Extraordinary Ability Petitions, Outstanding Researcher/Professor Petitions, National Interest Waivers, J-1 Waivers, PERM Labor Certification and H-1B sponsorship. Oldenburg also represents religious institutions seeking to sponsor qualifying religious workers. He regularly assists clients with permanent residency and naturalization and handles all aspects of family based immigration.

Oldenburg graduated from the University of Dallas in 1999 with degrees in political philosophy and Spanish. Prior to law school, he worked for the legacy Immigration and Naturalization Service Dallas district office. Oldenburg graduated from Creighton University and received his J.D. in 2002. He is a licensed member of the Colorado and Nebraska bars and the federal district courts in Nebraska, Texas and Colorado. He serves as outside counsel on immigration matters for major universities and academic medical centers.

Oldenburg has lectured extensively on employment based immigration and is a member of the American Immigration Lawyers Association. He has also served as an expert witness on immigration related matters and has taught continuing legal education immigration seminars for various state bar associations.

Established in 1857, Cline Williams celebrates its 160th anniversary this year. The firm has offices across Nebraska in Omaha, Lincoln, Aurora and Scottsbluff, and in Fort Collins, Colorado.
U.A.E.-based airline Emirates has announced it will open flights to Phnom Penh from Dubai for the first time, but industry analysts have expressed mixed feelings over the prospects ahead for the carrier.

The first flight from Dubai is due to touch down in Phnom Penh on Saturday evening after a brief stopover in Yangon, Myanmars former capital.

The airlines country manager, Mohammad Sarhan, said it hoped to play a significant role in the growth of Cambodias economy by opening the route.

Cambodia is a new, but regionally and globally significant, destination in Asia for both tourism and business, he said in an email.

In the long term, we will continue to assess and carefully analyze the market, its performance and needs, which will show if there are more opportunities for us to further expand our presence, he added.

Soeung Sophary, spokeswoman for Cambodias Ministry of Commerce, said the entrance of the high-standard airline into the country was a positive sign.

Just 17,000 of Cambodias 5 million foreign visitors last year came from the Middle East, and the government is hoping Emirates flights will improve this figure.

Chhay Sivlin, president of the Cambodia Association of Travel Agents, said the route would benefit both Europeans and people from Middle Eastern countries.

It will be attractive and convenient for the passengers that Emirates jumps to start with daily flight, Sivlin said.

Some local consumers will think twice about the price, while I believe that there will be some locals who will want to try the new service.

Increasing numbers of Cambodian are flying abroad to seek medical treatment, on business trips and for tourism purposes. According to official figures, last year saw a 20 percent increase in the number of Cambodians traveling abroad.

Phan Sreyrith, an NGO worker who traveled for the first time to the Middle East last week, said the new flights would be out of reach for many Cambodians. Its too expensive, Sreyrith said.

Sophary, however, said she thought competition would drive the prices down over time.

Miguel Chanco, an Asean analyst with the Economist Intelligence Unit, said the expansion of the big Middle Eastern airlines had brought Asia and Europe closer together.

The big three Middle East airlines (Emirates, Etihad, and Qatar) have brought Asia much closer to Europe, and vice versa, in recent years, by providing more competition to once untouchable cross-continental services, Chanco said in an email.

Notwithstanding the new route through Phnom Penh, I would not be surprised if airlines such as the Emirates continue to focus most of their efforts in Asean on the larger and slightly more attractive markets (from the perspective of purchasing power) like Indonesia, Vietnam, and the Philippines, he added.

Uncertainties

Qatar Airways, an affiliated business of the State of Qatar, has been since 2013 a daily carrier back and forth between Phnom Penh and Qatars capital of Doha, frequently positioning itself as a stopover to Europe. The new Emirates route will therefore pose a direct challenge to Qatar, which currently stands at odds with the U.A.E. after a diplomatic row boiled over earlier this month that saw the countries cut ties.

Chanco said the dispute could put pressure on Qatar Airways, which would benefit Emirates.

Qatar Airways did not respond to requests for comment.
Prime Minister Hun Sen used the anniversary of the creation of his ruling Cambodian Peoples Party to attack independent election monitoring groups.

He slammed the Situation Room, a collection of election monitoring NGOs, for painting the Cambodian political landscape as gloomy and called on members of parliament to make more amendments to the political parties law to prevent people with criminal records from engaging in politics.

Speaking to thousands of supporters at a party rally in Phnom Penh, he questioned the legitimacy of the Situation Room, which last month said the recent local elections were not fully free and fair.

Some problems must be solved in the future. What is the Situation Room, which created a strong gloomy [environment] around the election result? Is the Situation Room registered with the Ministry of Interior?

He went on to claim the groups true motive could be to foment a color revolution to topple his government, a frequent accusation made by Hun Sen against independent civil society groups.

He said if the government found evidence to support the claim it would take immediate action against them.

He added that the Situation Room had downplayed the efforts by the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party and National Election Committee (NEC) to improve election transparency and the lack of political violence or intimidation surrounding the vote.

The Situation Room claimed last week that it had observed numerous irregularities during the election campaign, but admitted that overall it had seen an improvement on the 2017 local elections.

The NEC said in a statement that it regretted the groups assessment as it could lead to confusion.

Hun Sen also said at the rally that he was displeased by negative comments from opposition politicians who had been convicted of crimes in the past and called on officials to further legislate to prevent politicians with criminal records from political participation.

We dont want such people to be involved in our national achievements, he said.

Sam Rainsy, the former CNRP president who was convicted of defaming a former foreign minister and now lives in exile in France to avoid serving the sentence, was vocal in the election period, calling Hun Sen a coward.

Sok Eysan, CPP spokesman, said the party would meet shortly to discuss further amendments to the law governing political parties with a view to preventing Rainsy from holding a political platform.

Yim Sovann, CNRP spokesman, could not be reached for comment.
A top opposition official has been ordered to appear in court on allegations he was involved in violence during the local election campaign.

Morn Phalla, Cambodia National Rescue Party executive director, was last week ordered to present himself at a local police station.

He told VOA Khmer he was unaware of any violence being reported during the election campaign, which he organized for the opposition.

In the past, CNRP officials and activists were detained and sent to court one by one without any consideration for legal procedure ... therefore, Im worried about presenting myself to the court, he said.

Seang Sok, municipal court prosecutor, issued an order on Tuesday that called on Phalla to visit a police station by July 17.

It came a day after Prime Minister Hun Sen commented on alleged violence by CNRP youth activists during the campaign.

Ly Sophanna, court spokesman, could not be reached. Hour Meng Vang, a police deputy, declined to comment. His superior, Choun Sovann, was also unavailable.

The alleged incident led Phalla to be called to court over what was captured in a video clip posted on social media in June. The video appears to show an opposition activist shouting at a man riding a motorbike while another clip seems to show a CNRP youth activist hit someone.

The person who was hit in the video, Sek Samon, filed a lawsuit against a group of opposition youths he accused of taking part in the incident.

Sok Sam Oeun, a human rights lawyer, described the court subpoena as irrational.

If one wants to arrest the head of a rally, one should arrest the alleged offender first. So if the suspect claims innocence, he may have followed someones orders, he said.

More than 20 opposition members and supporters have been detained related to a slew of cases filed by the ruling party since the 2013 general election.
The 29th biannual African Union summit opened in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, Monday with Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe presenting a $1 million donation to the body in a push for self-sufficiency.

About 60 percent of the African Union's budget comes from foreign donors, including the European Union, World Bank and non-member countries.

Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since its independence in 1980, has repeatedly called on the bloc to become self-supporting.

"Africa needs to finance its own programs," he said in comments to Zimbabwe's state television. "Institutions like the AU cannot rely on donor funding as the model is not sustainable."

Mugabe pledged 300 cows from his personal herd to the AU last year. The cattle, along with hundreds more donated from his supporters, were auctioned off in May with the proceeds presented to the AU on Monday.

The African Union has a 2017 budget of $782 million. In July 2016, AU leaders agreed to impose a 0.2 percent levy on certain imports to cover its operational costs.

Meanwhile, AU chairperson Moussa Faki Mahamat said peace and security issues on the continent continue to cause worry.

"The situation in South Sudan, Somalia, Libya, the Central African Republic, the fragile relations between Djibouti and Eritrea, the difficulties in the application of peace accords in Mali, where the Jihadi terrorism is active, the political situations in certain African countries, such as the Democratic Republic of Congo, Burundi, Guinea-Bissau, are sufficient in justifying these worries."

The two-day summit is centered on the theme of investing in youth.
Police say a fight broke out between protesters after marches for and against President Donald Trump, leading to three arrests in Philadelphia.

About 150 "Impeach Trump"' members and 50 pro-Trump members held separate marches Sunday morning.



Police say a group of Trump supporters tried to enter a bar in the city after the march when they were confronted by anti-Trump demonstrators. A fight broke out, during which a pro-Trump protester and a police officer were assaulted.



Two anti-Trump demonstrators were charged with assaulting the Trump supporter. Police say the Trump supporter suffered a minor mouth injury. A third person was charged with assaulting the police officer, and a fourth person was issued a citation.
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned President Donald Trump on Monday that "some negative factors" are hurting U.S.-China relations, as tensions flare anew over a slew of long-standing sore points.

Xi's comments in a phone call with Trump follow Beijing's displeasure over U.S. arms sales to rival Taiwan, U.S. sanctions against a Chinese bank over its dealings with North Korea and, most recently, the sailing of a U.S. destroyer within the territorial seas limit of a Chinese-claimed island in the South China Sea.



Beijing was also miffed after the State Department gave Beijing a dismal grade last week in a new human trafficking report.



According to state media, Xi told Trump in their call that Beijing expects Washington to continue managing relations on the basis of the "one China" principle that rules out formal contacts with Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory.



"Xi Jinping emphasized that, since my meeting with the president at Mar-a-Lago, China-U.S. relations have achieved important outcomes," state broadcaster China Central Television reported, referring to Xi's meeting with Trump in Florida in April. "At the same time, bilateral relations have been affected by some negative factors. China has expressed its position to the U.S."

Seeking to lighten the message slightly, Xi also said that China-U.S. relations had achieved "important outcomes" since the Florida meeting.



It's unclear whether any of those issues will come up in discussions at the G-20 summit in Germany this week, at which Trump and Xi are expected to hold a bilateral meeting.



But it now appears that China is pushing back against the U.S. pressure, setting the stage for a potential confrontation.



China's Foreign Ministry accused the U.S. of violating Chinese sovereignty and disrupting "peace, security and order of the relevant waters" after the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Stethem sailed Sunday within 12 nautical miles (22 kilometers) of tiny Triton island, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam.

China's Defense Ministry issued a similar statement Monday, saying it would beef up patrols and take precautions commensurate with the threat level to safeguard "national sovereignty and security."



Trump and his top aides have done little to hide their irritation over what they see as the reluctance by China, North Korea's main economic partner, to tighten the screws on Pyongyang over its nuclear and missile programs.



Until recently, American officials had been describing China as a partner in their strategy to prevent North Korea from developing the ability to strike the U.S. mainland with nuclear weapons. While China has agreed to sanctions, it is wary of measures that could cause the regime's collapse, leaving a united, U.S.-backed Korea on its border.



However, Trump hinted last month at his loss of patience, tweeting that his bid to secure a tougher Chinese approach "has not worked out."



Asked about the state of ties, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said Monday that it was normal to encounter "some issues in the process of developing the bilateral relationship."



"We believe that the significance of our bilateral relationship has already exceeded the bilateral scope and is exerting important influence on the development of the whole world," Geng told reporters at a regularly scheduled press briefing.



"On our part, we are willing to develop the bilateral relationship based on non-confrontation, mutual benefit and mutual trust, expand cooperation and properly manage differences between the two countries so as to further advance the bilateral relationship."



Along with Xi, Trump also spoke with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, with whom he reaffirmed a shared commitment to dealing with North Korea, the White House said. It said the president also looked forward to meeting Abe at the upcoming G-20 summit in Hamburg.



Abe praised Trump for the recent U.S. sanctions on the small Bank of Dandong over its alleged support for North Korea's nuclear program, according to Japanese Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga. That severs the bank entirely from the U.S. financial system, pending a 60-day review period.



Suga said that during their 35-minute phone conversation, the two leaders reaffirmed close coordination between their countries and South Korea in stepping up pressure on North Korea.



The talks were meaningful for the two leaders "to be on the same page" about their approach to North Korea ahead of the G-20 summit, Suga said.
Doctors in Colombia say FARC rebel leader Rodrigo Londono is in satisfactory condition after suffering a stroke.

Londono, who is also known as Timoshenko, was taken to a hospital in the central city of Villavicencio, Sunday morning, after he slurred his speech and his arm felt numb.

Doctors say they expect him to fully recover and that he could be released within days.

"Thank you to everyone who is concerned about my health," Londono tweeted. "Everything is going well. I also want to thank the medical team for their care."

Londono's illness came just days after U.N. observers certified that his FARC rebels have completely disarmed, under terms of last year's peace deal with the Colombian government.

The deal ended a 50-year uprising against various Colombian governments that killed more than 220,000 people.

Londono said FARC is transforming itself from a fighting force into a legal and democratic political party.


The summer air is sizzling as the Fourth of July approaches, yet 86-year-old Richard Perkins already worries about how he's going to stay warm this winter.

President Donald Trump has proposed eliminating heating aid for low-income Americans, claiming it's no longer necessary and rife with fraud. People needn't worry about being left in the cold, he says, because utilities cannot cut off customers in the dead of winter.

But he is wrong on all counts.

The heating program provides a critical lifeline for people like Perkins, and officials close to the program don't see any widespread fraud. Guidelines for winter shutoffs by utilities vary from state to state and don't apply to heating oil, a key energy source in the brittle New England winter.

It's beyond my thinking that anyone could be that cruel, said Perkins, a retired restaurateur who relies on the program to keep warm in Ogunquit, Maine.

The proposal to kill the program, which has distributed $3.4 billion to about 6 million households this fiscal year, will face strong opposition in Congress.

Forty-three senators from mostly cold-weather states already signed a letter urging the Republican chairman and ranking Democrat on an appropriations subcommittee to ensure funding for the Low-Income Home Energy Assistance Program, known in many states by its acronym, LIHEAP (pronounced LY'-heep).

In Maine, the poorest state in New England, the program helped about 77,000 people over the past winter, and those numbers represented less than a quarter of eligible households, said Deborah Turcotte of MaineHousing, which helps to run the program.

Perkins is a typical recipient.

His income was fine 10 or 12 years ago when he retired, but gasoline, food and other expenses grew faster than he anticipated. In the winter, he keeps an eye on his oil storage tank, and the local community action agency sends 100 gallons when it gets low.

It's difficult for him to keep warm because he's on a blood thinner, and he shudders at the thought of being cold. But he doesn't want to move south, either.

I was born and raised here, he said. Maine is part of me. I can't imagine living anywhere else.

Mark Wolfe, of the National Energy Assistance Directors' Association, said that the Trump administration is relying on an old General Accounting Office report on the fraud claim, and that improvements have been made since then. In Maine, for example, only 100 cases - 0.3 percent of all submitted applications - are being investigated for potential fraud, according to MaineHousing.

And programs aimed at preventing utilities from being turned off wouldn't protect everyone. Utility regulations vary, with some states preventing shutoffs during the entire winter and others doing so only on exceptionally cold days.

And there's absolutely no requirement for heating oil and propane dealers, which are not regulated like electric and natural gas utilities, to make deliveries to customers who cannot pay. That's a big problem in the Northeast, which accounts for more than 80 percent of the nation's residential heating oil consumption.

Health and Human Services Secretary Thomas Price, who contends the LIHEAP program doesn't demonstrate strong performance outcomes, said difficult decisions are necessary to streamline the government to focus on the administration's goals of defense and public safety.

The LIHEAP program already has undergone substantial cuts.

The average benefit has been reduced by $100 from 2010 to 2015 as funding was slashed during the Obama administration. That coincides with Venezuela's Citgo Petroleum Corp. ending participation in a free-oil program run by a Massachusetts-based nonprofit.

Nationwide, the average home heating cost last winter was $1,448 for propane, $1,227 for heating oil, $902 for electricity and $577 for natural gas.

Many observers refuse to accept that the program will be eliminated altogether.

It's just too popular in Congress, and it also distributes aid to poor people in states like Florida and Arizona to keep cool on blazing hot summer days.

Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine, said he and other senators, including fellow Mainer Susan Collins, a Republican, will fight for the program, which he said ensures that needy people aren't forced to make the impossible choice between heat and food, medications, or other necessities.
Iraqi forces captured the Tenek neighborhood of Mosul from Islamic State militants in mid-April.

Then the troops moved on, battling their way toward Old Mosul and the militants' ultimate defeat in the city.

In the months that followed, the weather grew hot and security in Tenek weakened, until only local guards remained. A large portion of Tenek lay silent during that time, seemingly abandoned. It once was an industrial zone, but now it's in tatters atop a maze of IS tunnels, caves and bombs.

On an early Sunday evening in late June, just as the Iraqi military was surrounding the last section of the last IS stronghold in Mosul, there was an unexpected parade in Tenek.

"I heard a crowd outside," said Mohammad, a taxi driver with three children. "I thought maybe it was a local militia. But then I saw them."

When the rest of the neighborhood saw the heavily armed militants in traditional clothes and thick beards, pandemonium erupted.

"My brother's wife burst into tears when she saw them," Mohammad continued. "One militant said, 'Don't be afraid we are the Islamic State. Now, leave your home.'"

Some homes were snatched away that night, others were voluntarily abandoned with haste, Mohammad added. Families packed their children in cars. Many people just walked away. Workers returning home said they saw what was going on and immediately drove out of Tenek, without considering what they left behind.

Chaos

"Everyone was on the streets, and everyone scattered," Mohammad said, as three of his neighbors nodded solemnly. "We had no idea this could happen. We thought we were finally safe."

Inside Tenek, militants marched down the street berating locals for no longer obeying IS rules, such as long beards for men or fully covered faces for women.

"What is this haircut? You look like an infidel. Beat him," one militant told a friend of Abu Khalid, who sells blocks of ice on the side of the road. Khalid did not give his real name for fear IS will come back yet again. His friend, he said, was beaten.

It was a holiday and two of Mohammad's nieces, 10 and 11 years old, were out playing when the militants marched in. In the chaos, they got left behind.

"We found them the next day hiding in the neighbor's bathroom," he said. "They thought the small space would protect them from the fighting outside."

One neighbor was so stunned when he walked onto the block and saw IS, he turned around and ran away, forgetting to go home to look for his wife and children, Mohammad added.

"My nieces were in shock," he said. "Even now they are devastated by what happened."

Recaptured

As families ran, Iraqi Special Forces moved in, followed by the Iraqi Army. And two days after it started, it was over. All the militants were dead.

Some soldiers tied at least one of the militants' bodies to a lamppost, as a warning to other IS members in hiding.

"They wanted to make a show," said 1st Sergeant Jillel Jabar of the Iraqi Army's 9th division, which now guards Tenek a week after the counterattack. "They were trying to rush the city so troops would pull back from the battle to retake Old Mosul."

"If that was their point, they failed," he added.

No one knows exactly what was the point or where the militants came from, but Jabar said the most likely scenario is that IS fighters were hiding in tunnels under the abandoned industrial area. Some may have been hiding since their April defeat. Others may have moved back when IS was defeated and later fled disguised as refugees, returning to Tenek to retrieve hidden weapons.

The brief re-occupation of Tenek and one other area may have failed to slow the Iraqi offensive, but it succeeded in terrorizing the neighborhood, said Amar, a 31-year-old father of seven who lost his right arm in a car bombing in 2015.

He heard three people were killed the night IS came back, but he doesn't really know. In the house next door, now occupied by the army, sticky bloodstains on the floor and bullet casings indicate two people were killed.

"Everyone ran because they were afraid to die," Amar said.

After IS was once again defeated in Tenek, most families that had fled slowly came home.

But for the families who returned, Amar says, the brief sense of "liberation" they had felt after IS was ousted the first time was crushed. Nowhere, he said, feels safe now.

"Under IS rule we had no jobs," he explained. "We were dead, only we were breathing."
A dispute in Turkey over the removal of the theory of evolution from schools is set to escalate further.

Turkeys main teachers' union, Egitim Sen announced it is turning to the courts.

Excluding the theory of evolution from the curriculum and obliging all schools to have a prayer room and water closet (for ablution) destroys the principle of secularism and the scientific principles of education, said Egitim Sen chair Mehmet Balik, We will open a lawsuit against these regulations and take these implementations to court.

The education ministry argues there is no religious or political agenda behind the reform rather that evolution is simply too complicated and controversial . The decision to end the teaching of evolution was made by a state official rather than a politician.

But senior members of the ruling AK Parry government, which has Islamist roots, for some time have had evolution in their sights.



Scientifically, the theory of evolution is already an archaic and disproven theory, said deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus in January, There is no such rule that this theory must be taught.

Longtime pressure against evolution

The teaching of evolution has long been under pressure in Turkish schools. Teachers and academics in the past few years have complained the importance of evolution was being reduced, while religious interpretations such as creationism and intelligent design were being enhanced in text books.

Egitim Sen has repeatedly spoken out that its members face pressure from fellow teachers and school heads of religious persuasion, as well as some parents not to teach evolution.



In the high schools evolution was already taught very badly, it was already being increasingly taught as hypothesis rather than a theory, if it was mentioned at all, declares Professor Kerem Cankocak, one of Turkeys top physicists of Istanbul Technical University.

So the complete removal of evolution was expected. Already I see many students who don't know or refuse to accept it. But this latest change is part of a wider plan, natural sciences, philosophy, social sciences all cut back in the new curriculum. They (government) want a generation who don't think, Cankocak said.







Expanding religious education

Critics of the new reforms point out they come as the government under President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has markedly expanded the role of religion in education. There has been a dramatic expansion of Islamic schools, called Imam Hatip. The schools initially set up to train Imams, devote more than a quarter of education to religious studies.

In 2002 when Erdogan, an Imam Hatip graduate, came to power, 65,000 children attended the schools, now nearly a million attend. In the past couple of years state secular schools have started to be converted into Imam Hatips, in many cases with parents being given little notice or opportunity to move their child to another school.



Turkeys predominantly Kurdish southeast region, which is the center of a power struggle between the ruling AK Party and the staunchly secular pro Kurdish HDP, has witnessed some of the most far reaching education changes.

In normal state schools, that are designated as 'project schools' have many religious classes, claims Saliha Zorlu, co head of Egitim Sen Diyarbakir branch.



Islamist trend?

There is an ongoing intervention to make society more conservative, and the government knows that they can succeed in making the changes deeper and longer term by using the field of education. Weve seen even in the kindergarten classes that girls were asked to cover their head, Zorlu said.

Erdogan and his government strongly reject the charge of any religious agenda and insist the secular state is safe in their hands, they reject their party being labeled religious, preferring the word conservative. They argue the reforms are more about pluralism and that education should reflect and meet the demands of Turkeys largely conservative society. But critics point to Erdogan's rhetoric of raising young people to embrace national and moral values, a demand he repeated only last week. Critics claim a moral generation is code for Islamist.

But the controversy about evolution, religion and education far predates Erdogan and his ruling AK, After a 1980 military coup the generals introduced a terrible education system, they introduced religion to fight against communism, many of the consequences of today started there, points out Professor Cankocak. During that period the army, which often likes to present itself as guardian of the secular state, introduced compulsory religious classes and creationism into the curriculum.
Two gunmen opened fire outside a mosque in the southern French city of Avignon Sunday, wounding eight people. Police said they are "not at all treating it as terrorist-related," the regional newspaper La Provence reported.

Reports from witnesses said two men got out of a car near the mosque and opened fire with a shotgun and another weapon, local authorities said.

Two of the eight people wounded were hospitalized, but their injuries reportedly were not serious. La Provence said four people were wounded outside the mosque and four members of a family were hit by shrapnel in their apartment about 50 meters away.

The newspaper said worshippers leaving the mosque were not the target of the late-evening attack. It quoted a judicial source as saying that police suspect a dispute among youth groups sparked the gunplay.
Two sites with cultural treasures separated by more than 40,000 years  caves with art dating to the Ice Age and buildings designed by a Bauhaus master less than 100 years ago  highlight Germany's submissions for the prestigious World Heritage Site designation by the U.N.'s cultural agency, UNESCO.

The six caves are in the western state of Baden-Wuerttemberg, where archeologists have discovered flutes made from mammoth ivory along with other ancient instruments and carvings. The Bauhaus buildings in northeastern Germany were designed by the school's second director, Hannes Meyer.

A World Heritage designation brings sites some protection from development, pollution, and other threats. It can also raise a region's profile and draw more visitors.

UNESCO's World Heritage Committee is meeting in Poland in early July. This year's nominations for World Heritage sites include seven natural sites, one both natural and cultural and 27 cultural sites. Other cultural sites being considered include the Valongo Wharf in Rio, the Sambor Prei Kuk archaeological sites in Cambodia, the Kujataa subarctic farming landscape in Greenland, and the landscapes of Dauria in Mongolia.

The caves in Baden-Wuerttemberg in the valleys of the Ach and Lone rivers have been excavated since the 19th century and have yielded hundreds of personal ornaments, at least eight musical instruments and more than 40 small figurines carved from mammoth ivory.



Archaeology professor Nicholas Conard, whose team discovered a 40,000-year-old mammoth ivory figure known as the Venus of Hohle Fels after the cave in which it was found, said the site fulfills the outstanding universal cultural value that UNESCO is looking for.

They have produced the most abundant, richest and oldest record of early art works and also musical instruments, along with a whole range of other innovations, that are part of the cultural development at the time when modern humans spread across Europe and the Neanderthals went extinct, said the University of Tuebingen professor.

Stefanie Koelbl, the executive director of the area's Museum of Prehistory in Blaubeuren, said the Venus of Hohle Fels is the oldest known image of a human.

This figure has a very special charisma also carved from ivory  she has this typical pattern for artworks from the younger Paleolithic Age here in southern Germany, these notch lines and cross lines, Koelbl said. She has no head but a loop to carry her and probably was carried as an amulet. It belonged to one special person.

Other finds in the caves include a 20-centimeter (8-inch) phallus carved from siltstone, believed to be 32,000 years old, a water bird figure, unique in early Ice Age art, that is about 40,000 years old and a broken figure of a half man-half lion carved from mammoth ivory.



This was an exceptional area,'' Conard said. Each year we find new examples of Paleolithic artworks that can be up to 40,000 years old or even a little bit older. And they are typically beautifully formed objects cut with stone tools and made from mammoth ivory.

Fast forward from the Baden-Wuerttemberg caves to the 20th century, when the Bauhaus school of architecture revolutionized design and aesthetic concepts between 1919 and 1933. Some Bauhaus buildings were already inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1996.



Under consideration this year are buildings designed by Meyer known as Laubenganghaeuser  literally housing with balcony access  in the housing estate in Dessau, southwest of Berlin, as well as a trade union school he designed in Bernau, north of Berlin.



The yellow-brick school, built for the ADGB union in 1930, was designed by Meyer and colleague Hans Wittwer and is today still a paragon of functional architectural design, which is freely and thoughtfully integrated into its natural surroundings, according to the foundation that looks after it.



The five Laubenganghaeuser buildings, first occupied in 1930, have 90 apartments arranged in rows on three levels, each only 48 square meters (517 square feet), reflecting Meyer's focus on making Bauhaus designs affordable yet still comfortable and with the same aesthetic, said Monika Markgraf of the Bauhaus Dessau Foundation.

They are very small, precisely laid-out apartments, she said. They are oriented so the living rooms facing south will get a lot of sunlight, and the side rooms like the kitchen, hallway and bathroom are to the north, so it's very functional.
Iraqi forces last week retook control of the area where the destroyed historic Al-Nuri mosque is located, in the Old city of Mosul, where three years ago the head of the Islamic State group declared the establishment of a caliphate. Residents are fleeing the area, heading for refugee camps, as Iraqi forces continue to battle Islamic State militants in the city.

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The Islamic State militant group has destroyed more than a dozen schools in a restive district of northern Afghanistan, threatening students and insisting that teachers must amend their curriculum, provincial officials said.

Abul Rahman Mahmoodi, the acting governor of northern Jawzjan province, told VOA that a girl's high school was among the destruction by IS militants during the past 10 days in the Darzab district.

"I wish they had a proper curriculum. Based on our information, [the militants] do not have anything to offer," Mahmoodi said. "They burned down a female high school entirely and plundered other schools in the area, taking their desks and chairs with them after destroying the infrastructure."

According to provincial education officials, IS militants said an educational curriculum acceptable to Islamic State must be taught in areas that the group controls.

Girls forbidden to attend school

A local resident who did not want to disclose his name for safety reasons told VOA that IS militants warned girls not to attend school. They make up 40 percent of the 18,000 enrolled students in the district's 47 government-run schools, which are currently closed for summer holidays.

Abdul Hai Yesheen, Jawzjan province's education chief, told VOA the IS militants destroyed biology labs inside the schools. Islamic State adherents say they consider study of the human skeleton to be a form of polytheism.

IS and rival militants from the Taliban have clashed fiercely in a fight for control of Darzab, and Baz Mohammad Dawar, acting chief of the district, said 10 Taliban militants were beheaded after they were captured by IS fighters last week.

Islamic State and Taliban fighters streamed into Darzab last month from two directions, and scores of Afghan government forces in the area were under siege until counter-strikes by Afghan and U.S. forces took effect. The center of the district was held by the Taliban, with IS militants controlling areas outside Darzab's center, but local officials said both groups subsequently were driven out by the combined Afghan and U.S. effort.

Airstrikes kill 7 IS commanders

Airstrikes carried out by U.S. unmanned aircraft, or drones, have killed at least seven IS commanders during the past two weeks, the local officials said.



Two IS commanders who were known as ruthless for the many beheadings they carried out reportedly were killed on Sunday in Darzab. Another five commanders, including the deputy IS leader in the province, were killed last week in neighboring Qoshtaipa district.

IS militants have been most active in eastern parts of Afghanistan until recently, but the extremists have been trying to establish a permanent presence in several of the country's northern provinces.

Another source in the region who asked not to be identified told VOA that IS has been recruiting unemployed youths between the ages of 13 and 20 to join its forces. The militants are said to have recruited hundreds of fighters from Jawzjan and neighboring Sar-e-Pul province, where several districts are controlled by Islamic State or its affiliated groups.

Qari Hekmat, an ethnic Uzbek and former Taliban commander who switched his allegiance to Islamic State a year ago, is said to lead IS-affiliated groups in the region, and is credited with the recruitment of about 500 fighters in his new role. A large number of Central Asian fighters affiliated with the Islamic Movement of Uzbekistan (IMU), previously associated with al-Qaida and Taliban in Afghanistan, have joined the IS cause in the northern provinces.
The United States celebrates its Independence Day on July 4 -- a tradition that dates back to the 18th century and the American Revolution.

On July 2, 1776, the Continental Congress voted in favor of independence.

Two days later, delegates from the 13 colonies adopted the Declaration of Independence, a historic document drafted by Thomas Jefferson. Some constitutional scholars argue that Americans should mark Independence Day on July 2 because of the historic vote.

Fireworks

In the modern day United States, thousands of communities organize annual displays of fireworks to celebrate the holiday. Among the most dazzling is the event that takes place in the nations capital, Washington, D.C.

And the tradition has a long history.

Congress authorized the use of pyrotechnics as part of Independence Day celebrations in 1777 in Philadelphia. Theyve been a mainstay of July Fourth celebrations ever since.

In strange bit of history, three American presidents died on July 4  two of them Founding Fathers: John Adams, and the original draftsman of the Declaration of Independence, Thomas Jefferson. In yet another odd twist of history, the two former presidents died within hours of one another.

The fifth president of the United States, James Monroe, also passed away on July 4.

Many other stories surround the birth of the United States. Heres an award-winning documentary produced by Frontline, a public affairs program that produces and broadcasts documentaries that are distributed by the Public Broadcasting System.
Demonstrators hoisting signs and chanting anti-Donald Trump slogans marched through downtown Los Angeles to urge Congress to impeach the president.

The Los Angeles march was one of several similar gatherings Sunday across California and the nation.

Organizers say they believe the president has violated the U.S. Constitution and obstructed justice.

One banner called the president an "Illegitimate Corrupt Puppet."

Marcher John Meranda tells the Los Angeles Times he has attended five recent anti-Trump marches. The 56-year-old says he's most recently frightened by the Republican proposal to cut billions of dollars from the Medicaid program.

A smaller group of pro-Trump protesters gathered nearby outside Los Angeles police headquarters. The Trump supporters say they're unconcerned about allegations that Trump tried to thwart an FBI investigation of former national security adviser Michael Flynn.
Officials in Niger say suspected Boko Haram militants have killed nine people and abducted dozens more in an attack on a southern town.

Local officials said Monday that the gunmen came into the village of Ngalewa, near the country's border with Nigeria, on camels and horses. They said the militants took around 30-40 people, mostly women and children, late Sunday and threatened to hold them until other extremists are released from prison.

The town is near the city of Diffa, where another attack took place on Wednesday, also blamed on Boko Haram militants. In that incident, two suicide bombers blew themselves up in a refugee camp in the town, killing two other people and injuring 11.

Boko Haram's insurgency began in northeastern Nigeria in 2009, but has since spread to Chad, Cameroon and Niger. The insurgency has claimed 20,000 lives and displaced more than two million people. Boko Haram says it is fighting to create an Islamic state in northeast Nigeria.

Nigeria's army, with the help of troops from neighboring countries, has pushed the militant group out of a large tract of land  about the size of Belgium  which the militants had controlled until early 2015.

However, suicide bombings and gun raids in mostly busy public areas, such as mosques and markets, have continued in northeast Nigeria and neighboring Cameroon and Niger.
Qatar's top diplomat delivered a response Monday to a list of demands made by Saudi Arabia and its allies involved in a prolonged diplomatic dispute with Qatar after extending a deadline to comply by 48 hours.

Qatari foreign minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani was received by Kuwait's Emir Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Sabah on Monday to deliver a handwritten letter from Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani, according to state-run Kuwait News Agency.

The content of the letter has not been revealed, though Al Thani had earlier said that the demands were virtually certain to be rejected.

Kuwait, which has been trying to negotiate a peaceful end to the Gulf Arab states' blockade of Qatar, asked for the deadline extension Sunday, shortly before time for Qatar's reply to the Saudi-led coalition was due to expire.

A coordinated statement released early Monday by the state news agencies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia confirmed the deadline had been extended until the end of Monday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and commercial links with Qatar on June 5, accusing the government in Doha of supporting terrorism in an alliance with Iran.

Qatar has denied the accusations and said such charges are baseless. Al Thani has said the demands by the Saudis and their partners  including the withdrawal of Turkish troops in Qatar, closure of the Qatari-state-owned Al Jazeera news group, and a downgrading of Qatar's relations with Iran  are impossible to meet without sacrificing Qatar's sovereignty.

The content of the letter and the four boycotting countries' next moves will be discussed Wednesday when their respective leaders are expected to meet in Cairo.

U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the situation by phone in separate calls Sunday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, Qatar's Sheikh Tamim and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan.

A White House statement said Trump addressed his concerns about the dispute, and stressed the importance of regional unity, stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.

The United States has supported Kuwait's attempt to mediate the Gulf Arabs' dispute. Washington has strong ties to both sides: The U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet is berthed in Bahrain and a land base in Qatar is the largest U.S. military facility in the region. In addition, hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of pending arms deals between the United States and Saudi Arabia potentially could be affected by the outcome of the diplomatic dispute.
Saudi Arabia and its allies involved in a prolonged diplomatic dispute with Qatar said Monday they would extend by 48 hours a deadline for Qatar to comply with their demands.

Kuwait, which has been trying to negotiate a peaceful end to the Gulf Arab states' blockade of Qatar, asked for the deadline extension Sunday, shortly before time for Qatar's reply to the Saudi-led coalition was due to expire.

A coordinated statement released early Monday by the state news agencies in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia confirmed the deadline had been extended until the end of Monday.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and commercial links with Qatar on June 5, accusing the government in Doha of supporting terrorism in an alliance with Iran.

Qatar has denied the accusations and said such charges are baseless. The small Gulf state's foreign minister, Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, has said the demands by the Saudis and their partners  including the withdrawal of Turkish troops in Qatar, closure of the Qatari-state-owned Al Jazeera news group and a downgrading of Qatar's relations with Iran  are impossible to meet without sacrificing Qatar's sovereignty.

Although al-Thani signaled the Saudis' demands were virtually certain to be rejected, Qatar has not yet formally responded to the Arab group. Kuwait's KUNA news agency and Al Jazeera said al-Thani was in Kuwait on Monday.

Egypt said on Sunday the foreign ministers from the four boycotting countries would discuss the situation with Qatar in Cairo on Wednesday.

US concerned



U.S. President Donald Trump discussed the situation by phone in separate calls Sunday with Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud, Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and Abu Dhabi's Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed al-Nahyan.

A White House statement said Trump addressed his concerns about the dispute, and also stressed the importance of regional unity, stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology.

The United States has supported Kuwait's attempt to mediate the Gulf Arabs' dispute. Washington has strong ties to both sides: the U.S. Navy's Fifth Fleet is berthed in Bahrain and a land base in Qatar is the largest U.S. military facility in the region.

In addition, hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of pending arms deals between the United States and Saudi Arabia potentially could be affected by the outcome of the diplomatic dispute.
A sustained jump in reported civilian deaths from U.S.-led coalition airstrikes since the start of the year, when campaigns to capture Raqqa and Mosul from the Islamic State, started to escalate, is prompting mounting alarm from Syrian opposition and international rights groups.

Syrian political activists blame U.S.-led coalition airstrikes for the deaths of 370 civilians, more than 100 of them women and children, last month in Syria. That's half of the 740 civilian deaths that activists say they have documented across the war-torn country.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a London-based watchdog group that relies on a network of activists in Syria, reported Monday that 11 civilians from two families, including four women, were killed in bombing runs by coalition warplanes in Raqqa.

About 95 percent of anti-IS coalition airstrikes are carried out by U.S. warplanes, according to a VOA tally.

'Staggering' number of civilians killed

U.N. officials have expressed alarm about what they term the "staggering" numbers of civilians killed in airstrikes by coalition jets against IS. U.S. commanders are seeking to give allies, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces, a competitive edge over an estimated 3,000 to 4,000 mainly foreign fighters mounting a fierce resistance in Raqqa, the de facto capital of the terror group's self-proclaimed caliphate.

Most of the terror group's leaders are thought to have fled south of the besieged city or further east to towns on the Syrian-Iraq border.

The U.N. human rights chief called in May for coalition air forces to take greater care to distinguish legitimate military targets from civilians in Syria. "The same civilians who are suffering indiscriminate shelling and summary executions by ISIL [Islamic State] are also falling victim to the escalating airstrikes, particularly in the northeastern governorates of Al-Raqqa and Deir ez-Zor," Zeid Ra'ad Al Hussein said.

Human shields

But since his remarks, civilian deaths have risen. U.S. commanders say they are taking all the precautions they can to protect civilians from direct bombardment. In a reversal of policy, they are recently more ready to acknowledge civilian casualties, but say with IS forces mixing in with non-combatants and fighting in populated areas of Raqqa and the Iraqi city of Mosul, it is virtually impossible to avoid some civilians casualties.

They blame IS for using civilians as human shields.

They dismiss claims the jump in civilian deaths is the result of any change in the rules of engagement by the Trump administration, saying there has been no change.

On June 2, the United States Central Command  or Centcom, the military command responsible for the Middle East  issued a statement saying, "At least 484 civilians have been unintentionally killed by coalition strikes." Four months earlier, Centcom had said at least 199 civilians had been killed in the coalition bombing campaign.

Independent monitors put civilian casualties much higher.

Airwars, a watchdog group, estimates coalition airstrikes have killed between 4,118 to 6,360 civilians in Syria and Iraq since August 2014. Activists estimate Russian airstrikes have killed about 5,300 Syrian civilians in the 21 months since Moscow intervened to prop up the regime of its ally Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Pentagon faulted

Sunday, another watchdog, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, whose statistics are often used by the United Nations, said in June it found "international coalition forces continue to be a prominent party in killing civilians in Syria ... responsible for the killing of 32 percent of the total number of civilian victims, only surpassed by Syrian regime forces." The deaths were concentrated in the eastern region of Syria in general and in Raqqa province, it said.

Some analysts fault the Pentagon for not deploying enough investigators to probe airstrikes and offer assessments. Last month, the Pentagon increased the number of airstrike investigators from two to seven, still an insufficient number, critics say.

For civilians, death in Raqqa comes in many forms. Thousands of civilians have managed to flee Raqqa and they say IS militants slaughter civilians seeking to escape, much as they have been doing in Mosul, Iraq.

Impossible position

The group Raqqa is Being Slaughtered Silently says civilians are being placed in a desperate and impossible position.

On Sunday, the group reported that landmines planted by IS claim the lives of two or three fleeing civilians daily along smugglers' routes.

"Civilians in Raqqa must choose to remain in the city under daily bombardment and shelling, or attempt to use these potentially deadly smuggling networks," the group said.

In the city and outlying villages, an estimated 100,000 civilians have no access to drinking water in their homes and have to go to the Euphrates River to collect water, where they risk being shot or bombed. Food is also in short supply, especially in the past few days as Kurdish forces have encircled Raqqa.
Lincoln police Tuesday continued to investigate an incident in which a car drove into a crowd of 75 people fighting near 22nd and O streets Sunday, injuring two people.

Capt. Jeff Bucher said Tuesday that police have identified one suspect, but have not made an arrest.

Shots were reportedly fired from an unknown direction about when the car struck the crowd at 4 a.m. in the African Food Market parking lot, said Capt. Ryan Dale.

A 22-year-old Texas man suffered a broken leg and a 31-year-old Lincoln woman broke a tooth after they were struck by the car, Dale said.

Police found four shell casings on the scene. No one was shot.

Dale said a club hosted by the business met in the parking lot, with people leaving from the bars joining around 3:20 a.m. Fights ensued, escalating around 4:15 a.m.
The year was 431 BC; the location, ancient Greece. Sparta was the dominant power in the region, but Athens was on the rise. Historians say a combination of ambition, fear and pressure from allies drove the two city-states to nearly three decades of warfare.

The Peloponnesian War, described by the late Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Hanson Baldwin as "a silly war that marked the failure of the most brilliant civilization in history," ended with Athens' defeat in 404 BC.

Now, a leading scholar argues in a new book, a similar combination of forces threatens to drive the United States and China down the same path, into what he calls the "Thucydides Trap" in recognition of the Greek historian who documented it.

Competing nations faced with such pressures more often than not turn to war to satisfy their desires to either seize or maintain supremacy, insists Graham Allison, founding dean of Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, in an interview with VOA.

But he says there are lessons in Thucydides's "History of the Peloponnesian War," written 2,500 years ago, that can help major powers avoid being inadvertently dragged into conflicts by third parties, often their own allies.

Be clear about what China wants

Allison, who currently directs the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard, lays out his case for Beijing's global ambition in his new book, Destined for War: Can America and China Escape Thucydides's Trap?

"China's emergence as the number one power in Asia  and its aspiration to be number one in the world  reflects not just the imperative of economic growth, but also a supremacist world view bound up in Chinese identity," he writes.

WATCH: Graham Allison on Xi and Chinese nationalism

Elaborating in an interview, Allison says the notion that China "just wants to be another responsible stakeholder, maintaining the order we are part of," is wishful thinking.

"China wants to be predominant in Asia, as Teddy Roosevelt wanted to be in our hemisphere," said Allison, referring to the U.S. president who proclaimed in 1904 that the United States had an exclusive right to settle international disputes in the Western Hemisphere.

However, "China's objective is contrary to our objective; and we should be clear about that, and also be clear that China is not going to give up this objective."

In his book, Allison says China's ambition is causing "tectonic structural stress" on the international order. In response, he writes, the United States should consider all strategic options, "even the ugly ones," which would include accommodating China's ambitions without sacrificing America's "vital interests."

"Accommodation is not a bad word. Opponents seek to conflate it with appeasement. But the two are not synonymous in the realm of strategy. Accommodation is a serious effort to adapt to a new balance of power by adjusting relations with a serious competitor  in effect, making the best of unfavorable trends without resorting to military means," Allison writes.

Narrowing down the range of "vital interests" could help nations avoid Thucydides' Trap, he says.

"I don't believe the U.S. has a vital interest in every island in the South China Sea," he said, nor does he believe the U.S. should fight for "every claim made by the Philippines or Vietnam." By the same token, he says Washington could reassess military deployment on the Korean Peninsula in the negotiating process with Beijing.

WATCH: Graham Allison on Thucydides and North Korea

Questioning Thucydides trap and US strategy

Critics of Allison reject both the notion of a Thucydides's Trap and the merit of "accommodation."

"Thucydides's Trap is a myth, invented by theory-driven political scientists" and "a bumper sticker that we may expect to see on a lot of academic and policy elite cars," said Arthur Waldron, a prominent historian and China scholar at the University of Pennsylvania. Finding ways to "give China what it wants" is equal to "forgetting the lessons of so many previous wars: appeasement of aggressors is far more dangerous than measured confrontation."

If there's any pattern that could be traced between established and rising powers, Waldron says, it is that "powers that are rising or aspire to rise tend to move first, for it is only by crippling the other powers that could otherwise crush them that they can get ahead; they're the ones that preempt," while the established powers by contrast, he says, tend to "avert their eyes, seek negotiations, appease, but do not preempt."

"Still, war seems likely" between the United States and China, according to Waldron. It will come "when China goes too far, for example by attacking Japan or Taiwan."

The result, he predicts, will be that China's government will fall and "Asia will be ravaged and wasted beyond imagining."

Dangerous asymmetry

For his part, Allison thinks "one of the great assets of the U.S. is that in a free society, anybody can raise any idea and debate, and we think that through debate we learn." By contrast, "part of the problem with the Chinese government and the system of government is that people are afraid and unwilling to raise questions that need to be debated."

If no one in China dares to publicly debate topics such as reassessing China's vital interests or avoiding war with the United States, and the only officially sanctioned narrative is what China can do to be more assertive, Allison warns, that this will not only create an "unhealthy environment" but also create a dangerous "asymmetry" in Beijing's strategic thinking.

WATCH Graham Allison on the Geostrategic Challenge for US
If you smoke in Indonesia  and chances are high that you do, as the country is on track to have the worlds highest smoking rate within the next decade  youre likely a fan of kreteks, the clove cigarettes that are omnipresent in the island nation. Named after the crackling sound that cloves make as you smoke them, kreteks account for as much as 90 percent of all cigarette consumption in Indonesia.

They were invented in the 19th century, are reputed to have medicinal properties, and are deeply embedded in local culture. A smokers rights advocacy group based in Java called Komunitas Kretek, or Kretek Community, uses this premise to oppose anti-tobacco legislation on cultural grounds. Their arguments illuminate the difficulties of public health efforts to curb smoking in Indonesia.

'Kreteks are part of our society'

Kretek Community was created in 2010 in Jember, East Java by Aditia Purnomo, an entrepreneur raised in the Jakarta suburbs, who started smoking in high school. Their tagline is kretek bukan rokok, or "kreteks are not cigarettes." There are about 200 active members, Purnomo told VOA, but its largely an informal group that works in seven provinces today. They campaign on social media, host discussion groups, and lobby cafes that ban smoking to change their rules. (Smoking is often permitted in Indonesian public spaces, but some higher-end restaurants and cafes, and malls, have banned on-site smoking in recent years.)

On social media, they post around campaigns like #harikretek2016, or Kretek Day 2016, circulating content like a photo of the first Indonesian president Sukarno smoking kreteks. One blog on their website argues that kreteks are less addictive than cigarettes because of the ease with which people give them up for the fasting month of Ramadan.



Kreteks contain nicotine and there is no evidence that they are less addictive than unflavored cigarettes. In fact, the nicotine content of cigarettes sold in developing countries can be three to six times higher than those in developed regions, according to Fadjar Wibowo, a doctor and tobacco control advocate at the Center for Indonesia's Strategic Development Initiative.

But every consumer good has a risk factor for certain diseases, said Aditia. Kreteks are a part of peoples lives here, he told VOA. It is present in our societys customs, from communal slametan feasts to weddings.

A public health challenge

Kreteks take the form of both hand-rolled clove cigarettes and kretek-flavored or clove-infused pre-packaged cigarettes from companies like Djarum and Avolution.

An estimated 70 million out of 260 million Indonesians smoke, the fourth highest prevalence in the world. Compared to the countries that currently surpass it  China, Russia, and the United States  Indonesia has many fewer regulations in place. China, for instance, signed the World Health Organizations Framework Convention on Tobacco Control in 2006. Indonesia has long refused to do the same.

To ratify, it is late already; administratively impossible, said Fadjar. Out of 192 countries we are among the very few who have not signed it.

As it stands, a bill proposed last month could even open the floodgates for tobacco advertising aimed at kids and teens.

In 2010, Indonesias two-year-old smoking baby became a YouTube sensation for his two-pack-a-day habit. As sensational as that video was, the boy, Aldi Rizal, was a potent symbol of how pervasive smoking is across Indonesia. (Aldi, the Sydney Morning Herald recently reported, has since quit the habit.)

It is estimated that there are 200,000 tobacco-related deaths in Indonesia every year.

Kretek Community is not alone in channeling a sentimental attachment to clove cigarettes. In 2014, a film called "Those Who Surpass Time" was made, with an accompanying book, to document elderly Indonesian smokers across Java, Bali, and Lombok who were still supposedly healthy despite a lifelong kretek habit.

The cultural aspects of kreteks can end up as powerful ammunition for the tobacco industry, said Fadjar. "Including kretek in our 'history' constitutes subliminal advertising, by which advertisers wish to influence the emotion-based decision-making process of youth," he said.



So even if political will consolidates around fighting tobacco, they will have to seriously account for the countrys smoking culture. As Aditia says, more than a few Indonesians lives revolve around kreteks. Living from kretek, by kretek, and for kretek.
Is the United States witnessing a titanic struggle in which a populist president fights back against a concerted media onslaught waged by liberal-dominated news industry giants supported by wealthy coastal elites?

Or are we seeing a mentally unstable and increasingly unpopular former reality TV personality lashing out at media critics with vicious, vulgar tweets in a desperate attempt to divert attention from his collapsing presidency?

Events of the past few days have reinforced the image of two diametrically opposed factions, each deaf to the other, like parallel universes in a deeply polarized nation.

Trump promoted his media narrative Saturday in a speech at the Kennedy Center in Washington.

The fake media is trying to silence us, the president told a cheering crowd of mostly evangelical Christians. But we will not let them, because the people know the truth.

He followed that up Sunday with a Twitter video aimed at the Cable News Network (CNN), a vocal critic of the president which he has often derided as fake news. The video shows Trump as a wrestler body-slamming another figure whose head is replaced with a CNN logo. As Trump walks away, the CNN logo changes to FNN, Fraud News Network.

A CNN reply posted on Twitter called it a sad day when the President of the United States encourages violence against reporters. The statement described the Trump video as juvenile behavior far below the dignity of his office.

Trump followers approve



But significant numbers of Americans apparently approve of the smackdown video. Many among Trumps 33 million Twitter followers found it humorous. As of Monday morning the Twitter post had received more than 455,000 likes and nearly 280,000 re-tweets.

Trumps latest social media posting, which displaced stories about health care and Russias election meddling on Sunday news programs, comes on the heels of a highly public spat with co-anchors Mika Brzezinski and Joe Scarborough of cable news channel MSNBC.

That feud has featured a barrage of personal insults, which were criticized even by members of Trumps own Republican Party as beneath the dignity of the presidency.

The deteriorating relationship between Trump and the media has also played out in increasingly confrontational exchanges at White House news briefings, where TV cameras increasingly have been barred.

In one exchange last week clearly aimed at CNN, Deputy Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders decried what she called the constant barrage of fake news.

If the media cant be trusted to report the news, then thats a dangerous place for America, Sanders said.

Playboy magazine columnist Brian Karem fired back on behalf of many reporters in the room.

Were here to ask you questions, youre here to provide the answers, Karem told Sanders. What you just did is inflammatory to people all over the country who look at it and say, See, once again, the president is right and everybody else out here is fake media. 



Trumps approval ratings, hovering around the 40 percent mark, suggest that most Americans reject the contention that he is waging a heroic struggle against malicious media outlets trying to undermine his agenda. But to his core supporters, Trumps attacks on the press are invigorating.

I dont care if hes uncouth, said Cynthia McCluskey, founder of a pro-Trump website called deplorablefriends.com. We need a bully who will fight for people like me who dont have a voice. The nastier the media are, the more ingrained we are to protect him.



Media's mission



Academics and media professionals generally scoff at the notion of a media in attack mode.

It is the responsibility of the news media in this democracy to be running down stories like the probe into charges that Russia interfered in last years presidential election, says Kathleen Bartzen Culver, director of the Center for Journalism Ethics at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

Even if the White House does not want that to be happening, that should be happening. That is their role in a free society, its what they should be doing, I don't think that's waging war, Culver told VOA.

Matthew Hindman, associate professor of Media and Public Affairs at George Washington University, says demonizing the media is a strategy that served candidate Trump during the campaign, but could backfire on him as president.

Its clear hes alienating a significant chunk of the people who voted for him in the fall, Hindman said.
Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir will travel to Russia next month, Khartoum authorities said on Monday, a rare overseas trip for a leader wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of crimes against humanity.

Sudan's Foreign Ministry said Bashir was invited by Russian President Vladimir Putin to discuss bilateral, regional, and global issues.

The visit, scheduled for the second half of August, comes as Sudan awaits a decision by the United States on whether to lift a 20-year-old trade embargo and other major sanctions.
Ten people were taken to hospitals when a taxi jumped a curb and plowed into a group of cab drivers near the city's airport Monday.

There is no information to suggest the crash was intentional, police said. The driver, who has been cooperative from the outset, was released after being interviewed by state troopers. His cab was seized for further investigation.

Police said it appears the driver mistakenly pressed the gas pedal instead of the brake and it's believed to be a case of "operator error.''

The driver was a 56-year-old Cambridge man who worked for Metro Cab. "He is known to be a very nice gentleman to his peers," State Police Major Frank McGinn said at a news conference. He has "no history of violations or anything."

The crash briefly raised fears of terrorism akin to attacks in Britain, Stockholm and Nice, France, where vehicles crashed into groups of people, killing dozens.
With Kenya's general election five weeks away, Human Rights Watch says some communities in the Rift Valley region live in fear of attacks if they vote against the ruling Jubilee party, and some people have left after young men warned them to stay away from polling centers.

The rights organization is calling on authorities to investigate and prosecute those behind the threats and intimidation.

"We also had some direct threat of people telling their colleagues, 'Let us wait for August 8. We shall see where you will go. We shall be coming for you.' Those kinds of utterances," said Human Rights Watch researcher Otisieno Namwaya. "So people are afraid, people are leaving. Some of the families told us they were waiting for the schools to close and they will leave the area."

The rights agency's two-week investigation focuses on Naivasha in Nakuru Country, 90 kilometers from the capital, Nairobi. It was one of the areas hardest hit by violence after the 2007 election that was driven, in part, by ethnic divisions.

Kenya's electoral risk mapping shows 17 counties out of 47 have been identified as conflict-prone areas. Nakuru County is expected to experience election-related violence.

In June, the Interior Ministry opened a command center to respond to terrorism and election violence. Hundreds of officers from security agencies are training around the country to prevent violence tied to the election, with the goal of having a "credible, peaceful election" and stability in the weeks surrounding election day.

But Namwaya says police officers lack the ability to respond if violence erupts in August.

"We did not get the impression the police have done much," he said. "There were incidences where people were claiming that they have met with police, and there was no response, but we also found that the relationship between the police and the community is not so good."

Interior spokesperson Mwenda Njoka says security agencies are ready to stop electoral-related violence.

"We have mapped all the country," Njoka said. "We know we have about 22 areas that we identify as potential hotspots where we have done additional deployment of security officers from various groups, both the civil and the military, in case there is need for military intervention in some areas."

The head of the European Union Observer Mission, Maietje Schaake, told reporters that election violence is very possible.

"It's no secret that there are concerns about the possible outbreak of violence," Schaake said. "This is not inevitable. And it's clear that it will create a situation where everybody loses. There is responsibility for each and everybody to grant each other the right and safety to vote."

Kenya's election is August 8. President Uhuru Kenyatta hopes to win a second term against several challengers, including former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
China's growing use of advanced technology in a disputed Asian sea may be meant more to inspire its citizens and get respect from abroad than to double down on disputed sovereignty claims as feared by other countries, scholars and Chinese media reports say.

Maritime scholars believe these scientific advances will hand information to the Chinese Peoples Liberation Army, bolstering control over its claims over about 90 percent of the 3.5 square-million-kilometer South China Sea. But China is also looking to show citizens it can make achievements, some believe.

It may also be trying to impress other countries after a sting from the world court last year.

We shouldn't forget that tucked away there are these marine scientists, who they may not have control of policy, but they're scientists like anyone else, said Euan Graham, international security director with the Lowy Institute for International Policy in Sydney. We shouldn't tar them as being foot soldiers or proxies.

When China announced last month it had finished five years of testing its Jiaolong bathyscaphe  an undersea observation vehicle -- with plans for a wide-reaching probe in 2020, the Chinese Academy of Sciences predicted the mission would earn the nation a bigger say in deep-sea resource exploration.

The academy quoted a government official in May calling Beijings discovery of combustible ice natural gas hydrate in the South China Sea a major breakthrough that may lead to a global energy revolution.

And when Chinese scientists said in February their country would build its first underwater observation platform, the state-controlled Global Times news website quoted one saying the plan showcases that the country is actively joining in the international competition. The platform could be positioned in the South China Sea or East China Sea.

These cases suggest a Chinese effort to stoke domestic confidence in the Communist leadership to bring home resources through technology, scholars say. Even Chinas military and space hardware is described domestically as technological rather than military advances.

Jiaolong and (the aircraft carrier) Liaoning, those are the pilot programs that China would put on stamp collections specifically for the National Peoples Congress, said Alexander Huang, strategic studies professor at Tamkang University in Taiwan, referring to the Chinese parliament.

Chinese officials hope to show citizens they can secure resources for a 1.37 billion population and an industrial economy forecast to grow 6.7 percent this year, analysts say. They need cleaner-burning fuel to offset the pollution from coal burning, Graham said. Undersea probes may turn up oil and minerals including rare ones, Huang added.

There is a competition for rare earths that are mostly preserved in the seabed, so Jiaolong can detect some useful resources, not necessarily for military operations but for industries and new technologies, Huang said.

Deep-sea vehicles such as the Jiaolong bathyscaphe offer new hopes of setting up deep-sea labs, where scientists can conduct biological, medical and genetic research and explore mineral, oil and gas resources, the official Xinhua News Agency said in March.

China is trying to improve its reputation abroad, as well, by emphasizing the science angle of undersea activities after a world arbitration court tribunal ruled in July 2016 that China lacked a legal basis for its sovereignty claims to the sea, analysts believe.

The tribunal said in its ruling it found no doubt that Chinas artificial island-building activities on the seven reefs in the Spratly Islands have caused devastating and long-lasting damage to the marine environment.

The Spratlys are the most heavily contested chain in the sea. Brunei, Malaysia, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines claim tracts that overlap Chinas. Other countries resent the Chinese artificial buildup of islands in waters they call their own, usually based on exclusive economic zones 370 kilometers off their coasts.

That ruling contained very pointed language about Beijings environmental damage, Graham said, so China may now be on a positive PR offensive.

On that note, a city in China quickly declared off limits last year a geologically rare, 301-meter-deep (987-foot) ocean sinkhole inside one of the seas Paracel Islands, which Vietnam also claims. The city said it would preserve rather than develop land around the hole.

But efforts to stoke public pride and overseas confidence would not preclude a military link to new marine technology, said Jay Batoncbacal, director of the Institute for Maritime Affairs and Law of the Sea at the University of the Philippines in Metro Manila. Technology, he said, can help a country maintain, gain and exclude access by staying ahead of rival inventions.

Chinas technology and available resources and available manpower, its just way too much," he said. "For even all of them (other claimants) combined, they simply cannot match it.

China has a record of using energy exploration projects as a tool to stake a claim in the South China Sea, American geopolitical intelligence platform Stratfor said in a 2012 commentary. Indeed, deep-sea mining exploration could spread China's influence in the South China Sea, the East China Sea and the Indian Ocean, it said.
U.S. President Donald Trump has joined Pope Francis in offering any help they can for a terminally ill British infant.

Trump said in a Twitter comment Monday that if there was anything he could do for Charlie Gard, the 10-month-old child with a rare genetic disease, "we would be delighted to do so."

The baby's parents, Chris Gard and Connie Yates, have lost European court decisions to doctors who want to take the baby off life support at a London hospital after reaching the conclusion that he has no chance of survival.

The parents, refusing to accept the medical prognosis, have unsuccessfully sought to reclaim their child from the Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children in an effort to take their baby to the United States for an experimental treatment. The hospital and the parents late last week said the child will be given "more time" before life support is withdrawn.

The infant, born last August, has mitochrondrial DNA depletion syndrome. The disease, caused by a genetic mutation, leads to weakened muscles and organ dysfunction. He is unable to breathe unaided.

The Vatican said Sunday, "The Holy Father is following with affection and emotion the situation of little Charlie Gard and expresses his closeness to his parents. He is praying for them, in the hope that their desire to accompany and care for their own child until the end will be respected."
U.S. President Donald Trump is expected to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel ahead of the summit of leaders of the world's biggest economies later in the week in Hamburg, Germany.

Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said the two leaders would meet before the Group of 20 (G-20) summit begins, likely early on Thursday evening.

Trump said on Twitter that he would speak by phone on Monday morning with Merkel, as well as have separate phone conversations with two other European allies  French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Paolo Gentiloni.

The White House later released readouts of the conversations with Merkel and Gentiloni.

Merkel and Trump discussed climate issues, the Women's Entrepreneurship Financing Initiative, and trade, including the global steel overcapacity, the statement said. It added that Trump looked forward to helping Merkel make the upcoming G-20 summit a success.

In his talk with Gentiloni, the U.S. leader again voiced his appreciation of the Italian official's efforts in hosting a successful Group of Seven meeting in May, the White House said. Trump also thanked Gentiloni for Italy's efforts in addressing the Libyan migration crisis.

Issues facing G-20

Later Monday, Merkel told reporters that she expects world leaders at the G-20 conclave will broadly agree on the imperative of the continued fight against global terrorism, but disagree on other issues.

"I don't think we'll have unified positions on all issues at the end, but it's sensible and honest to talk to each other on all issues of international diplomacy," she said at a news conference in Berlin.

She said Trump is at odds with other global leaders on some issues, perhaps most notably in pulling the United States out of the 2015 Paris international agreement to curb greenhouse gas emissions in the coming years.

"We know certain positions that the American government holds and I don't expect that these positions will be abandoned as a result of a two-day trip to Hamburg," Merkel said.

Before he will meet with them at the summit, Trump spoke Sunday with Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe to discuss the threat posed by North Korea's nuclear weapons development program.

Trump also talked with Middle East leaders in an effort to untangle the diplomatic standoff between Saudi Arabia and three other Arab countries with Qatar.

'Denuclearized Korean Peninsula'

The White House said Trump and Xi "reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula," while Trump also raised the threat of North Korea's ballistic missile program.

Chinese state media said Xi told also Trump "negative factors" have affected U.S.-China relations, and Xi hopes Trump will appropriately handle Taiwan-related issues according to the "One China" principle.

Since 1979, the United States has recognized China's official position that Taiwan is part of China. Last week, the U.S. approved $1.42 billion in arms sales to Taiwan.

In the conversation with Abe, the White House said both leaders were united on increasing pressure on North Korea to "change its dangerous path" and the United States and Japan are ready to respond to "any threat or action taken by North Korea."

The White House statements ended by saying Trump and Xi, and Trump and Abe, look forward to meeting in person this week at the summit.

Mideast tensions

The White House said Trump also talked with Saudi Arabia's King Salman, Crown Prince Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan of Abu Dhabi, as well as Qatari Emir Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani.

Trump "addressed his concerns," the White House said, about the dispute the Saudis, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates have with Qatar.

The four countries have accused Qatar of promoting terrorism in the region and have demanded Qatar shut down the Al Jazeera television network, evict Turkish troops from Qatar, and curb its ties with Iran.

Trump "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology," the White House said, and also "underscored that unity in the region is critical" to combating terrorism.

On Monday, Trump said of his call with King Salman, "Interesting things are happening!" but did not elaborate.

In addition to bilateral meetings with the Chinese and Japanese leaders in Hamburg, Trump is also due to hold talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

On Sunday, at least 10,000 people in Hamburg peacefully protested the upcoming summit, one of about 30 protests planned in the coming days, in part to protest Trump's policies, including his announced intention to pull the U.S. out of the climate change agreement.

Summits of world leaders often are held in exclusive, remote resorts, to easier to control security, but this year's G-20 gathering is in the heart of Hamburg, by design.

Merkel picked the city as the summit host in part to show world leaders that protests play an accepted role in a vibrant democracy.
The U.N. refugee agency is calling on the U.N. sanctions committee to extend international sanctions on the sale of weapons to Libya to include financial and travel bans on human smugglers and traffickers responsible for gross violations against refugees and migrants.

We need absolutely to take radical action, said Vincent Cochetel, UNHCR Special Envoy for the Central Mediterranean.

A new UNHCR study issued Monday documents the abuse and exploitation of refugees and migrants in Libya that push them to make the journey in smugglers boats across the Mediterranean Sea to Italy.

Nearly 85,000 migrants

The United Nations reports there have been 84,830 arrivals in Italy this year, an 18 percent increase over 2016. It estimates at least 2,070 people have died making the crossing.

We need also to disrupt the wider smuggling economy of Libya," Cochetel said. "A number of countries are purchasing smuggled oil from Libya from the very same community that protect the traffickers.

We need to do more in terms of naming and shaming; on freezing the assets and imposing travel bans on some of the traffickers in Libya, he said.

The study, which was conducted between August 2016 and March 2017, found most of the African refugees and migrants in Libya are young men traveling alone, and women, particularly from West and Central Africa, are victims of trafficking.

It reports the number of unaccompanied and separated children traveling alone is rising and now represents some 14 percent of all arrivals in Europe via the Central Mediterranean route. It notes these children mainly come from Eritrea, the Gambia and Nigeria.

While most of those arriving in Libya are considered economic migrants, the Libyan authorities have acknowledged the lives of people from seven areas would be at risk if they were sent back. They come from Syria, the Palestinian territories, Eritrea, the Darfur region of Sudan, the Oromo region of Ethiopia, Somalia, and Iraq.

However, we are trying with the authorities to advocate for the right of asylum for everyone who seeks asylum with respect to some nationalities, such as Malians on the account of vulnerable women in Boko Haram, said Nisreen Rubaian, UNHCR Assistant Representative for Libya.

Nigerian migrants

She said Nigerians, who comprise the largest number of people on the move, should not be dismissed as simply economic migrants.

We cannot disregard the fact that there might be some minority of these groups who could come from areas ruled by Boko Haram or al-Shabab and be at risk of persecution if they could return back to their countries of origin.

The International Organization for Migration reports that 70 percent of those going to Libya intend to stay in that country, while the other 30 percent consider Libya a transit to Europe.

Marie-Cecile Darme, Co-Author of the UNHCR study said the results of interviews with 140 people found that 55 percent intended to stay in Libya. She added, however, that this sample survey focused only on the seven nationalities at risk and did not include the wider community of migrants.

It must be noted though that whereas many of them intend to stay in Libya when they first arrive there, once they experience the reality on the ground and are detained, are being stolen, robbed, there is a very significant amount of racism from the general population, especially for sub-Saharan Africans, many of them change their mind."

Some of them that we interviewed also reported that they had intended to stay in Libya, but then were detained, tortured so their family would send extra money and then forcefully put on boats, she said. So, their first intention may not actually be what they end up doing.

Multibillion-dollar industry

Vincent Cochetel told VOA the multibillion-dollar smuggling enterprise has morphed into a transnational criminal industry.

You have operators that are from the nationalities of the migrants or refugees operating in Libya with Libyan smugglers, he said.

The militia that controls the road in Libya, that goes to a beach ... is the same militia that controls or prevents the traffic on that road to allow for smuggling operations to take place from the beach or that allows from an oil tanker the purchase of smuggled oil.

This is going to go to the same pocket, he said.

Cochetel noted that human trafficking was a trans-national crime and as such could be dealt with under both the U.N. and European Union sanctions committees.

It kills as much as weapons in Libya today, so those that are involved in that human trafficking should be named and listed.
Here in this house on Garfield Street, a family has learned how to take care of itself.

It started in the 1920s, when Trish Drexels grandparents moved in to care for her great-grandparents. Her mother was born in the house, returned in the 1980s to help when her own parents were aging, and died here. Drexels sister lives in the house now, with their 91-year-old father.

Nobody has to go to a nursing home, Drexel said. Thats how weve been our whole lives.

But now the house needs someone to take care of it.

The paint is flaking, much of it high above their heads. Her father might get confused these days, but he still sees it.

Dad keeps saying: Ive got to get this house painted; wheres my ladder? He thinks he can do it.

He wont have to. In August, a team of volunteers will arrive with brushes, primer and paint, joined by a professional painter to handle the upper reaches. And within a day, maybe two, the house on Garfield Street will be gleaming white again, as it has for four generations.

Its one of 10 homes that will benefit from this years Paint-a-Thon, a Lincoln tradition that returned last year after drying up in 2012. More than 300 volunteers will go through about 150 gallons of paint, giving new life to the homes of senior citizens who wouldnt otherwise be able to afford the work.

Many of the volunteers come from businesses, said organizer Marshall Ford. The University of Nebraska College of Law encourages its incoming students to participate as part of their orientation, and that can produce more than 100 helpers.

To find the houses, the Paint-a-Thons organizers work with Aging Partners and Habitat for Humanity, and then visit the applicants.

And then their mission seems to become more real. Up until that point, its been mostly paperwork  raising money, seeking sponsors, organizing volunteers.

You can easily get caught up in thinking of these as sterile projects, and its easy to lose sight of the bigger picture, that this is someones home, Ford said.

He was reminded of that more than once. Like when he met the owner of the house on Garfield Street: Carl Easton's home is bigger than they normally take on, but Ford knew he had to find a way to say yes to the World War II vet and his family.

We really wanted to help him. Its just a great story, and hes just a great guy.

He doesn't want volunteers trying to paint from atop a ladder or scaffold. So hes getting help, at a discount, for the second story from Painting Enterprises.

Ford almost rejected another home that needed more help than the volunteers typically offer. During his visit last year, he saw rotted wood that needed to be repaired before it could be repainted.

And I was fully prepared to tell her no, it's too much work.

But then he looked down, and he saw chalk drawings on the sidewalk  stick figures with the words: I love grandpa.

It convinced him to try to help them this year.

Its one of those moments that humanizes it. When I saw that, I thought, we've got to try to work this out.
The United States on Sunday lifted a ban on laptop computers in the cabin of direct flights from Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, after the country's flagship carrier Etihad implemented tighter security measures.

The ban went into effect in March for direct flights from 10 airports in the Middle East as U.S. officials were concerned about the potential for terrorists to hide bombs inside the computers.

Etihad, which runs 45 weekly flights between Abu Dhabi and the U.S., welcomed the move.

A spokesman for the U.S. Department of Homeland Security commended the airline for putting in place the new procedures, which were not disclosed, and said it is a "model for both foreign and domestic airlines looking to adopt the new measures."

The ban still applies to non-stop U.S.-bound flights from airports in Jordan, Kuwait, Egypt, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, Qatar, and Dubai.
A U.S. congressional delegation has visited a troubled region of Pakistan and called on both Islamabad and Washington to continue working closely to combat regional terrorism and to promote peace and stability in neighboring Afghanistan. The delegation, led by Senator John McCain, includes fellow senators Lindsey Graham, Elizabeth Warren, David Perdue and Sheldon Whitehouse. The visit comes as the Trump administration is expected to unveil a new Afghan strategy later this month.

The five-member bipartisan delegation Monday was flown by Pakistan's military to the semi-autonomous South Waziristan tribal region bordering Afghanistan. South Waziristan and the neighboring North Waziristan district - part of what is known as the Federally Administered Tribal Area or FATA - have for years harbored local and foreign militants blamed for terrorist attacks in Pakistan and across the border in Afghanistan. The lawmakers' trip comes as Islamabad faces allegations that sanctuaries in Pakistan are giving Taliban-linked groups a venue to plot attacks in Afghanistan.

Before traveling to Waziristan, the senators met in Islamabad with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and top military officials. Sharif said a strong partnership between his country, the United States and Afghanistan is a prerequisite" for achieving sustainable peace in Afghanistan. The Pakistani prime minister reaffirmed his countrys commitment to supporting all efforts aimed at restoring lasting peace and stability in Afghanistan, according to an official statement issued after the meeting. Sharif said concerted efforts were needed for a politically negotiated settlement under an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned peace process.

The Pakistani military's alleged ties to the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani terrorist network have long been at the center of tensions with the United States. The accusations have also strained ties between Islamabad and Kabul, even as Pakistani officials reject the charges. In recent years, the Pakistani military has conducted major counterinsurgency operations and officials say North and South Waziristan have been cleared of militants, with the exception of a few isolated pockets. The visiting U.S. lawmakers, however, said Pakistani troops have made progress in dismantling terrorist infrastructure and restoring peace to South Waziristan.

My colleagues from the United States Senate and I have had a very informative and important visit, understating the challenges, the successes and remaining challenges that require close coordination and assistance from us and with us," Senator McCain said. "We had talked about many issues, including the importance of Afghan-Pakistan cooperation in relationship on the border and we are confident that with the right cooperation and the right strategy, we can see success here in this very long struggle.

The Pakistani army says the delegation received a briefing on security measures authorities are putting in place on the Afghan border, including fencing and enhanced surveillance, to deter terrorist infiltration. The U.S. senators were flown over the tribal district to view newly constructed forts and outposts and social development projects.

According to the U.S. embassy in Islamabad, the United States has given millions of dollars in financial assistance to Pakistan for some of the infrastructure projects to help in the rebuilding process. They included the Kurram Tangi dam project in North Waziristan, that will irrigate nearly 6,500 hectares of farmland, enough to benefit 100,000 people, and produce 18.4 megawatts of electricity. Washington has also provided funds for supporting law enforcement personnel in FATA and construction of more than 100 border outposts as well as defensive structures to support Pakistani counterterrorism operations.

After their visit, McCain and the rest of the delegation flew to Afghanistan, where they will spend time with U.S. troops for the U.S. Independence Day holiday on July 4 and meet with Afghan leaders.
The U.S. military has conducted a strike against al-Shabab militants in southern Somalia, officials tell VOA.

"We are currently assessing the results of the operation, and will provide additional information as appropriate," U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) spokesman Chuck Prichard said Monday.

Local sources said the strike on Sunday targeted vehicles in Kunya Barrow, in the lower Shabelle region. Sources also said the strike was conducted against a high-ranking al-Shabab militant, without going into further detail.

After the strike, U.S. AFRICOM said its forces "remain committed to supporting the federal government of Somalia, the Somali National Army and our AMISOM partners in defeating al-Shabab and establishing a safe and secure environment in Somalia."

The strike comes about two months after a Navy SEAL was killed during an operation against al-Shabab militants in Somalia, the first U.S. service member killed in the war-torn country since the battle in 1993 that inspired the movie "Black Hawk Down."



Senior Chief Special Warfare Operator Kyle Milliken was killed on May 5 by small arms fire near Barii, Somalia, approximately 65 kilometers west of Mogadishu, during an advise-and-assist mission alongside members of the Somali National Army.

"This was a Somali mission," Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis told reporters. "We were operating in support of them."

Davis said the mission targeted a compound that had been associated with attacks on a nearby facilities used by the U.S. and Somali military.

"We helped bring them in with our aircraft, and we were there maintaining a distance back as they conducted the operation. Thats when our forces came under fire," Davis said.



Eight al-Shabab militants were killed in that operation, an official told VOA's Somali service, adding that the soldiers had likely seized radio station equipment.

VOA's Harun Maruf contributed to this report.
A U.S. Navy destroyer sailed within 22 kilometers, or 12 nautical miles, of a tiny, disputed island in the South China Sea.

U.S. officials said the USS Stethem sailed by Triton Island, which is claimed by China, Taiwan and Vietnam, on Sunday.

The exercise marks the Navys second operation demonstrating freedom of navigation in disputed waters since President Donald Trump took office in January.



Two Chinese frigates and a minesweeper trailed the destroyer, a U.S. military official told VOA.

China accused the U.S. Navy of trespassing, but U.S. officials said the destroyer was conducting a routine exercise in international waters.



Lu Kang, China's Foreign Ministry spokesman said in a statement that the U.S. move was "a serious political and military provocation" and that such operations "violate China's sovereignty and threaten China's security."



Twenty-two kilometers is the internationally recognized territorial boundary that extends beyond the coast of all nations. Authorities say the sailing of the Stethem within 22 kilometers of Triton Island, which is part of the Paracel Islands, was meant to indicate that the U.S. does not recognize any government's territorial claims there.
A global Danish transport and logistics company says it has restored most of its information technology systems after experiencing a major cyberattack last week that affected companies and government agencies in more than 60 countries.

A.P. Moller-Maersk says it resumed container deliveries at its major ports Monday, but said it may take another week to restore all computer functions.

The cyberattack that hit the world's biggest container shipping line also affected U.S. pharmaceutical company Merck, FedEx subsidiary TNT, London based international law firm DLA Piper, and Kyiv's Oschadbank,



Ukrainian authorities have blamed Russia for masterminding the attack. Russia denies the charge.

Ukraine has repeatedly come under fire from high-powered cyberattacks tied to Moscow, but several independent experts say it is too early, based on what is publicly known, to come to a firm conclusion about who is responsible for this attack.

The hackers encrypted data on infected machines and demanded a ransom to give it back to its owner. Some researchers question the motivation behind the attack, saying it may not have been designed to collect a ransom, but instead to simply destroy data.

Russian anti-virus firm Kaspersky Lab says the code used in the hacking software would not have allowed its authors to decrypt the stolen data even after a ransom had been paid.

The computer virus used in the attack includes code known as "Eternal Blue", a tool developed by the U.S. National Security Agency that exploited Microsoft's Windows operating system, and which was published on the internet in April by a group called Shadowbrokers. Microsoft released a patch in March to protect systems from that vulnerability.

The attack bore resemblance to the previous "WannaCry" hack, that sent a wave of crippling ransomware to hospitals across Britain in May, causing the hospitals to divert ambulances and cancel surgeries. The program demanded a ransom to unlock access to files stored on infected machines.

Researchers eventually found a way to thwart the hack, but only after about 300 people had paid the ransom.

Last week, Tim Rawlins, the director of the Britain-based cybersecurity consulting firm NCC Group, told VOA the attacks continue to happen because people have not been keeping up with effectively patching their computers.

"This is a repeat WannaCry type of outbreak and it really comes down to the fact that people are not focusing on what they should be focusing on, the very simple premise of patching your systems," Rawlins said.
Outside the generals office, Raith al-Shababi, an Iraqi Special Forces fighter, flips through Facebook on his phone.

This is my brother, he said, showing a reporter a picture of a young man in a white dress shirt, posing with a serious, thoughtful face.



Daesh, al-Shababi explained, holding his finger up to his head like a gun. Boom, boom. Islamic State militants killed his brother at the age of 21.



Waiting for the generals to escort them on a victory tour of Mosuls Old City, al-Shababi says Mosul has not been completely captured, but the end is near.



But the losses endured over eight months of fighting, three years of IS rule in Mosul and more than a decade of constant extremist attacks, he observes, make the coming milestone more sad than celebratory.



Weve won, but look around you, said Col. Saaed Badeer Katam, of the Special Forces Najaf Battalion. Everything is destroyed.



Even the al-Nuri Mosque, the victory tours destination, is in ruins, with its iconic minaret chopped down and prayer space destroyed. Abu-Bakar al-Baghdadi declared himself Caliph of IS in 2014 in this mosque. Three years later IS destroyed it, apparently just to lessen Iraqs triumph in Mosul.



Living in the battle zone, Col. Katam says he isnt bothered that the declared victory precede the end of the fighting. As he speaks, airstrikes pound IS targets, and militants lob mortars and snap off sniper fire. Soldiers battle house to house, and families continue to flee the fighting.

Katam explodes IEDs that litter the re-captured streets of Old Mosul, hidden in debris and even in childrens toys. Buildings in the area are crushed and abandoned, and militants corpses rot in the streets. Under the piles of rubble are the remains of families killed when houses collapsed in airstrikes, sometimes burying them alive.



I lost 25 of my friends in the fight for Mosul, said Kaisar, 28, an Iraqi Special Forces fighter. When asked if he is happy about the victory, he replies, Im just tired. I want to go home.



Coming battles



For Iraqi fighters, going home will be a break, but not the end of the war. Militants continue hiding out in Iraqi-controlled territory, poised to strike again. IS still holds large parts of Iraq, including parts of Anbar province, Hawija and the strategic city of Tal Afar, according to Col. Katam.



Operations will continue until IS is finished, he noted.



Tal Afar has been surrounded by Popular Mobilization Units, or Hashd Shaaby fighters, since last year, though an advance to retake the city itself has not yet begun.



And the terrain around Tal Afar is so rough that it is impossible to completely secure, added Katam. Militants fleeing other areas will finally retreat to the city if they can.



The last place we fight will be Tal Afar, he said. And there, they will fight to the death.



Hidden militants



Sleeper cells in Iraqi-controlled Mosul already are conducting attacks. Last week three suicide bombers targeted eastern Mosul, killing and maiming people in a market.



Early this week, 40 to 50 militants believed to be hiding out in an abandoned industrial zone overran two neighborhoods of western Mosul in an apparent attempt to distract Iraqi forces from their battle in Old Mosul.



They thought Iraqi forces would leave Old Mosul so some other militants could escape, said Sergeant Mahmoud Mohammad of the Iraqi Armys 9th division. But they failed.



Special Forces and Iraqi Army soldiers killed all of the battling militants, he said, showing us bloodstains on the floor of one house. The blood is still sticky, and two bullet shells are on the floor. Mohammad thinks it was an IS double execution.



Returning neighbors say there was pandemonium when IS showed up in an area controlled by Iraq since mid-April. Families were separated as everyone ran when they saw the bushy beards and traditional clothes. They dont know if anyone was killed.



Soldiers and civilians agree, however, that more sleeper cells are hiding out all over Mosul and that attacks are far from over.



Of course we are always afraid, said Mohammad, a 31-year-old father of seven who lives in Tenek, one of the areas briefly overrun by IS early this week. But where else are we going to go?


Zanu PF Youth League secretary, Kudzai Chipanga, says President Robert Mugabe is an angel and third in line after Jesus Christ and God.

Chipanga said this when he was addressing ruling party youth at Chinhoyi University on Saturday.

He said Mr. Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe for more than 37 years, is almost like Jesus Christ as people literally worship him.

He is our messiah  He is second to Jesus. He is our liberator. We honor God and we our Jesus. Thirdly we honor President Robert Mugabe. He is our liberator. When Jesus came He liberated this world. When President Mugabe came he liberated us during his lifetime. So, why not honor him?

Chipanga noted that the Zimbabwean ruler has become a spiritual leader as all top party officials consult him on various issues relating to political processes in the country.

He further said some politicians, attempting to get support from the Youth League, should think again as the organ of the Zanu PF Youth League only recognizes President Mugabe as the only center of power.

This appeared to be an indirect reference to ruling Zanu PF officials like Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa said to be harboring ambitions of succeeding the 93 year-old Zimbabwean leader.

Mnangagwa allegedly leads a faction of the party known as Team Lacoste while the other group is allegedly fronting Mr. Mugabes wife, Grace, as the rightful person to succeed him.

The former liberation party is currently riddled with factionalism amid concerns that President Mugabes time is almost up due to old age.
Since the early 1980s, the Cessna 208 Caravan, a 38-foot propeller plane big enough to seat about a dozen, has primarily been used to deliver mail. But the plane occasionally sees a very different use: conducting military reconnaissance and active combat missions for foreign governments, such as Iraq and Colombia.

Turning those mail couriers into low-flying attack aircraft is becoming a lucrative new line of business for some American weapons manufacturers.

For Orbital ATK, a Dulles-based company better known for building rockets and satellites, its part of a broader strategy to help U.S. and foreign militaries re-outfit 20th-century military hardware with 21st-century capabilities. Cash-strapped foreign governments see the Cessnas, for instance, as a low-flying alternative to costlier fighter jets.

Were not shaping them toward those systems, were giving them greater capability with what they already have, said Blake Larson, chief operating officer of Orbital ATK.

Its not just a matter of refurbishing old equipment. In some cases, these companies are inventing gadgets that give the planes whole new capabilities.

One is a small circular disk, designed to be bolted to the bottom of an aircraft, which detects the source of hostile enemy fire by measuring hypersonic shock waves given off by incoming shells. Called the ShotFinder, the gadget has a preprogrammed voice that tells the pilot the general direction enemies are firing from.

Thats important for a small plane like the Cessna, which wasnt really designed to withstand antiaircraft fire.

Modifying the Cessna Caravan is an excellent idea for some of the smaller countries who dont have a large air force, said Dave Deptula, a retired U.S. Air Force general who is now dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, a nonpartisan policy research group. But one of the downsides is these aircraft are vulnerable even to small-arms fire, which military aircraft have more protection against.

Orbital ATK developed the ShotFinder internally and started selling it to the United Arab Emirates as a $52 million upgrade to the countrys fleet of attack helicopters. The company recently announced it had successfully tested it on the Cessna, adding it to a suite of upgrades that includes laser-guided Hellfire Missiles and tough external armor.

Its not just airplanes Orbital wants to help overhaul.

Ground-based mortars, which the Army has been using since World War I, can be guided toward their targets by adding GPS-guided fuzes. The company makes special machine gun rounds that can be programmed to burst at a set distance. If an enemy is hiding behind a concrete highway barrier, a soldier could aim overhead and set the ammunition to go off once it passes the obstacle. Or, the ammunition could be programmed to burst after it passes through a thin wall, for example. The ammunition is meant to be fired from tank-mounted machine gun turrets.

Company officials say they are looking for opportunities that can meet military customers needs in the short term, giving them incremental wins at a time when the Defense Departments budget isnt seeing a lot of growth.

Our feedback from our customers is they find it very appealing because they get it faster, cheaper and quicker, said Larson. Its something that, given constrained resources right now, will continue to be very important.

Orbital also sees opportunities on the international market. Upwards of 20 percent of the companys revenue comes from a foreign government, up a few percentage points from when the company formed three years ago as the result of a merger. Last week, for instance, it said it received a U.S. government contract to repair trainer aircraft used by the Iraqi Air Force, including 12 Cessnas, 172 Skyhawks and five Cessna Caravans.

That shift may have as much to do with shifting Pentagon budget priorities as it does with foreign customers needs.

Theres been such a scramble to go after export markets because of sequestration that you get a lot of markets that are not exactly going for an F-35, said Richard Aboulafia, an aerospace analyst with Teal Group.
One enduring misconception about 529 plans is that your child has to go to a school in the state where you set up a plan. That is just not the case. (Melpomenem/Getty Images/iStockphoto)

When it comes to tax-advantaged investment funds, the rules about withdrawing the money can leave people confused.

In a recent column, I debunked five myths of 529 college-savings plans (http://wapo.st/2sgIGOd). But that myth-busting led to some follow-up questions from readers.

Can you use 529 funds to buy a computer? What about software?

Previously, you could use money from a 529 plan to buy a computer only if it was required by the college for attendance. That is no longer the case. Savings can indeed be used to buy a computer or pay for internet access as a qualified higher-education expense. An iPad used for college would also qualify, as would any related peripheral equipment, such as a printer. But software designed for sports, games or hobbies is excluded, unless it is predominantly used for educational purposes, according to the IRS.

Can 529 funds be used to buy a car to get to and from college?

Unfortunately not, says Gregg Wind, a certified public accountant who is a partner with Kallman, Thompson & Logan in Los Angeles. A car would be considered a non-qualified use of the funds. Transportation of any type is generally not qualified, he said.

[Oh, the places you shouldnt go!]

My daughter received a full ride (minus books) to Towson University in Maryland, so I have some extra money in my 529 plan that I would like to withdraw. She has just finished her junior year. What are the rules for withdrawing the funds?

Typically, if you withdraw money from a 529 and it is not used for qualified education expenses, you have to pay income tax on the funds and youre assessed a 10 percent penalty.

You can withdraw funds, up to the amount of the scholarship award without incurring the 10 percent penalty, Wind said, but income taxes will still be due on earnings.

I would like to start a plan for my grandchildren, ages 7 months and 2 1/2. They live in Maryland and I live in Virginia. Do I need to pick a Virginia plan to get the income-tax credit/deduction? If I use a Virginia plan, can the monies be used in any state for education expenses? Can you direct me to a website about plans? I have looked, but it is somewhat overwhelming. Is the age-based plan a good idea?

Let me unpack these questions.

First, many states offer residents a tax deduction for contributions to a state-run 529 plan. In Maryland, the deduction is $2,500 a year per account. Virginia taxpayers using their states plan, Virginia 529 (www.virginia529.com), can deduct up to $4,000 per year per account from their state individual income taxes, although state residents 70 or older can deduct the entire annual amount of their contributions.

And may I add that while the state tax deduction is a good bonus, you should still shop around for the best plan, always keeping an eye on fees. Any deduction you get could be negated by higher fees and lower performance.

One enduring misconception about 529 plans is that your child has to go to a school in the state where you set up a plan. Its just not the case. Your child or grandchild can use money invested in a 529 plan  even a prepaid tuition plan  to go to any eligible public or private educational institution in the U.S. and even to some overseas universities. To check the eligibility of a school, go to fafsa.ed.gov and select School Code Search.

When my husband and I set up 529 plans for our three children, we chose the age-based investment option. Think of it like a set-it-and-forget-it way to save. If you open an account when your child is an infant, the portfolio may be more aggressive in its holdings in your childs early years. But as he or she gets closer to starting college, the mix of assets is changed to reduce the risk. For example, a parent using Virginias 529 plan today for a child up to 3 years old might select the 2033 Portfolio. The investment allocation for this portfolio as of January was 73.3 percent equities and 26.7 percent fixed Income. But if youre getting a later start in investing and choose the 2024 Portfolio, recommended for children 10 to 12, the mix would be 43.3 percent equity and 56.7 percent fixed income.

Let me leave you with the site I find to be the most helpful in answering 529 plan questions: www.savingforcollege.com. On the homepage, start with College Savings 101.

Readers may write to Michelle Singletary at The Washington Post, 1301 K St. NW, Washington, D.C. 20071 or michelle.singletary@washpost.com. To read previous Color of Money columns, go to http://wapo.st/michelle-singletary.
Supporters of immigrant youths who were brought to the United States illegally when they were children expressed deep disappointment Monday in Attorney General Doug Peterson's decision to urge the Trump administration to end their protection to remain here.

Peterson joined nine other Republican state attorneys general in asking that the administration reverse its earlier decision to allow so-called DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) youths to retain legal presence in the United States.

More than 3,000 young immigrants live in Nebraska under that protection.

Peterson said his duty is to "uphold the Constitution, not to pick winners and losers with regard to policy."

"When we see the executive branch exceeds (its) authority and by doing so impacts the state, it is necessary for us to challenge the actions of the executive branch," Peterson said in a telephone interview.

President Donald Trump has been inconsistent in expressing his views about DACA, siding most recently with continued protection for the youths while expressing sympathy for the position they are in because of no fault of their own.

"Frankly, on a personal level, that's very difficult," Peterson said when asked if he shares any such sympathy, but his duty is "fidelity to the Constitution."

The state attorneys general asked that the DACA program, authorized by former President Barack Obama, be phased out by rescinding the DACA executive action and then refusing to renew or issue any new DACA permits.

That request "does not reflect our state's values nor its widespread support for Nebraska's vibrant immigrant youth who have deep family, social and economic ties to our state," Nebraska Appleseed immigrants and communities staff attorney Omaid Zabih said.

"It is wrong for these states' attorneys general to play politics with the health, well-being and future of these successful, yet vulnerable, young people; and it is particularly wrong for our attorney general to target our young Nebraska dreamers," said Danielle Conrad, ACLU of Nebraska executive director.

"We are deeply disappointed that Attorney General Doug Peterson has aligned himself with a small set of radical, out-of-state public officials to target Nebraska DACA youth."

The letter sent to U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions was spearheaded by Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.

Nebraska's Legislature has consistently supported the predominantly Latino DACA youths who were brought to the country when they were babies or young children, overriding a series of gubernatorial vetoes to do so.

Prior to adjourning their 2017 session, state senators approved a resolution opposing any federal action to rescind protections for DACA youths.

But 17 senators declined to vote on the motion, which was approved on a 24-1 vote.

On three separate occasions in the past, the Legislature has voted to grant DACA youths resident tuition rates at Nebraska colleges and universities, the right to acquire Nebraska driver's licenses and to earn professional and commercial licenses to work in the state.

All were enacted over gubernatorial vetoes, the first by former Gov. Dave Heineman and the latter two by Gov. Pete Ricketts.

Zabih, the Appleseed attorney, said DACA youths have contributed to Nebraska communities and the state's economy by "attending school, going to work and putting their skills and talents to use in the only place they know as home."


Eliza Burbank, an assistant animal care manager with City Wildlife, holds an injured bald eagle that was rescued in Southeast D.C. and is believed to be Justice, the male who nests at the D.C. police academy in Southwest. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

An injured bald eagle in the District  likely Liberty or Justice, who have made their home at the D.C. police academy in Southwest for more than a decade  was treated at City Wildlife on Monday after being found Saturday following a thunderstorm.

Based on its weight and talon size, the injured bird is likely Justice, the male of the beloved pair, said Dan Rauch, a wildlife biologist with the Districts Department of Energy and Environment.

It is not possible to definitively determine the injured birds identity because neither eagle is tagged, but the location where it was found  near Eighth and Xenia streets SE, approximately 1.5 miles from the police academy  means it is likely that the injured bird is Justice, Rauch said.

The bird has no obvious fractures or other signs of trauma, said Kristy Jacobus, the clinic director at City Wildlife, after she completed an examination Monday morning. It was alert during the examination, yellow eyes bright and pink tongue out as it panted from the stress of human contact, and let out a few squeals as Jacobus felt along its wings and feet for injuries.



Eliza Burbank, an assistant animal care manager with City Wildlife, holds the bald eagle while it is treated. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

The eagle was found around 4:45 p.m. Saturday, following intense rain that came with an afternoon thunderstorm. It will be taken to a center in Delaware for further examination and a full X-ray and returned to the District once it has been cleared, Jacobus said.

In 1972, when the insecticide DDT was banned, there were 600 bald eagles in the Lower 48 states. Today, there are more than 16,000 eagles in the United States, Rauch said, but only two known nests in the District. The other, at National Arboretum, is home to a pair of birds named Mr. President and First Lady, who welcomed the births of eaglets Honor and Glory in March.

Liberty and Justices eaglet, which hatched March 15 and is named Spirit, took its first flight in early June and is likely living and hunting on its own, Rauch said. If Spirit had still been in the nest and one of the baby eagles parents had been injured, it would have been in danger.

It takes two parents to care for a nest, so we could have had a failed nest, Rauch said. The injury could have been worse, timing-wise.

Adult eagles can survive on their own, so if Justice is the injured eagle, Liberty will be safe until his return, Rauch said.



Kristy Jacobus, a veterinarian and clinical director of City Wildlife, examines the eagle. (Jahi Chikwendiu/The Washington Post)

The bird is the first bald eagle that City Wildlife has treated in the four years since it opened. It is also the largest avian  weighing in at nine pounds  that the center has handled. The next largest bird was a snowy owl that was treated in January after being hit by a bus.

Before City Wildlife opened its doors in 2013, injured animals were taken to Second Chance Wildlife Center in Gaithersburg, Md. Now, City Wildlife treats everything from orphaned opossums to injured squirrels to snakes  a corn snake was brought in as the eagle was being prepared for examination  in its center on Oglethorpe Street NW.

During intense storms, water can get under the feathers of bald eagles, weighing them down and making it likely theyll be grounded, where birds are most vulnerable.

Every spring when there is a thunderstorm, we put our heads under our pillow and go, let us not get our first eagle, said Paula Goldberg, the centers executive director. Theres a mixture of excitement and dread.
MARYLAND

Girl, 7, drowns in pool

at family gathering

A 7-year-old girl drowned in a backyard pool at a weekend party, the Prince Georges County Fire/EMS Department reported.

First responders were called to the 13100 block of Hunters Ridge Road in Woodmore about 9 p.m. Saturday for a report of a drowning, department spokesman Mark Brady said.

Relatives had pulled the girl from the pool and administered CPR, which ambulance crews continued, but she was pronounced dead at the scene shortly afterward, Brady said.

Brady said the girl fell into the pool during a family gathering of about 100 people.

 Lynh Bui

Three die in crashes

Friday in Brandywine

Three people died Friday in two unrelated crashes in Brandywine.

About 9:30 a.m., Vern Cutler, 83, of Brandywine was traveling south near the 15000 block of Brandywine Road when his car went off the road and struck a tree, Prince Georges County police said. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

At 11:30 p.m., David Bonilla, 22, and Marlon Misael, 24, were in a car that struck a tree in the 11300 block of North Keys Road, police said. Bonilla, of Hyattsville, who was driving, was thrown from the vehicle and pronounced dead on way to a hospital. Misael, of Springfield, Va., was pronounced dead at a hospital.

 Lynh Bui

VIRGINIA

Inmate found hanged in Fairfax jail cell

A 33-year-old inmate was found hanged in his cell at the Fairfax Adult Detention Center on Sunday.

The man, whose name was not released, was jailed June 27 on a malicious wounding charge and was being held without bond.

The inmate was found in his cell by a sheriffs deputy about 6:50 p.m., police said. Deputies and medical staff performed CPR until an emergency crew arrived and took over. He was pronounced dead 34 minutes later.

 Rachel Weiner

Man detained by ICE captured after escape

A man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who escaped in Northern Virginia on Monday was captured, ICE officials said.

An ICE spokeswoman said in a statement that Carlos Rivas-Mendez, who escaped near the intersection of Routes 28 and 267 near Dulles International Airport in Loudoun County, was in custody.

A Virginia State Police spokeswoman said that troopers assisted ICE in the search.
BLOOD DONATIONS

Blood drives Friday 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Fauquier Health Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton, 540-316-3588; Saturday 11 a.m.-4 p.m., Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls, 703-444-3228; Saturday 10 a.m.-3 p.m., Loudoun County Rescue Company 13, 143 Catoctin Cir., Leesburg, 800-733-6727; July 10, 2:30-7:30 p.m., Claude Moore Recreation Center, 46105 Loudoun Park Lane, Sterling, 800-733-6727; July 11, 3-8 p.m., Ashburn Farm Association, 21400 Windmill Dr., Ashburn, 800-733-6727; July 15, 9 a.m.-2 p.m., Leesburg Public Safety Center, 65 Plaza St., Leesburg, 800-733-6727.

Inova Blood Donor Center Mondays noon-8 p.m., Tuesdays 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Fridays 6 a.m.-4 p.m. and Sundays noon-4 p.m. Dulles Town Center, 45745 Nokes Blvd., Sterling. 866-256-6372 or inova.org/donateblood.

FIRST AID

First aid/adult, infant and child CPR/AED (Automated External Defibrillator) July 15, 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Fauquier Health Medical Office Building, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Register at 540-316-3588. $85.

HEARING

Disability Resource Center Technical assistance through the state Department for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing and presentations to businesses, groups and schools. Third Tuesdays 2-5 p.m., Workplace, 205 Keith St., Warrenton. Call for an appointment, 800-648-6324; TDD, 540-373-5890. Free.

MENTAL HEALTH

Counseling for sexual violence survivors Provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice. 703-771-9020.

Crisis Intervention Treatment and Assessment Center Provides emergency mental-health, substance-use and developmental services to Loudoun residents. Daily 7 a.m.-11 p.m. 102 Heritage Way NE, Suite 102, Leesburg. Emergency services are available 24 hours a day at 703-777-0320.

Crisislink Suicide and crisis intervention. Community education, a volunteer crisis response team and CareRing, a telephone outreach program for the elderly and disabled. 703-527-6016, volunteer@crisislink.org or crisislink.org.

Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services This mental-health nonprofit organization is accepting clients ages 16 to 30 for a coordinated services program with Loudoun County to help young people with their first experience of psychosis find hope and recover. For information, call Lisa Beran at 703-388-6572 or go to prsinc.org.

Piedmont Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Serves Fauquier, Orange, Madison and Rappahannock counties. Support group, education classes and events for people living with mental illness and their family members. First Wednesdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital, 500 Hospital Dr., Sycamore Room A, Warrenton. 571-426-8213.

Mental health first-aid A public education program offered by the Loudoun County Department of Mental Health, Substance Abuse and Developmental Services to help residents understand mental illness and seek intervention. Go to loudoun.gov/mhfirstaid.

Northern Virginia Chapter, National Alliance on Mental Illness Support group, classes and programs for people living with mental illness and their loved ones. naminorthernvirginia.org.

PREGNANCY, PARENTING

Adoptive family preservation Adoptive families discuss common experiences; registration required. Third Tuesdays 12:30-2 p.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd. Call 703-941-9008, Ext. 23, or email jmellario@umfs.org.

Birthright of Loudoun County Free pregnancy tests, baby clothing, transportation and support throughout pregnancy, 823 S. King St., Leesburg. 703-777-7272.

Bond Between Us A nonprofit organization that offers support to birth parents when children have been placed for adoption. Fourth Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. Call for location. 703-771-7844.

Breast-feeding support Mondays 9:30-10:30 a.m., Fauquier Hospital Family Birthing Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588.

Community lecture: Having a Healthy Pregnancy July 24, 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Free.

Dad support New and expectant fathers share ideas. First Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. 703-858-6360.

For the Childrens Sake A group for separating or divorcing parents to share advice. Four-hour session weekly. Information: 703-391-8599 or fitsfoundation.org.

La Leche League Mother-to-mother support and breast-feeding information. 10 a.m. second Wednesdays in Warrenton, 540-351-6103. Third Fridays 10:15-11:45 a.m., call for location, 703-444-7386. Second Fridays 10:15 a.m., Ashburn Library, 43316 Hay Rd., 703-829-0349. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon, Panera Bread, 43670 Greenway Corp. Dr., Ashburn, lllashburn@gmail.com. Third Fridays 10:15 a.m., Christ the Redeemer Church, 46833 Harry F. Byrd. Hwy., Sterling, 540-338-4637.

Loudoun Fatherhood Program Fathers discuss the joys and challenges of being a parent. Meets every other Saturday for two hours for four months; sponsored by Northern Virginia Family Service. 571-748-2796. Free.

Loudoun Nurturing Parenting Program Positive parenting techniques; children attend with parents. Registration required. Call 703-771-3973, Ext. 27, or email nurturingprogram@lcsj.org. Free.

Mothernet/Healthy Families Loudoun Program links first-time parents with medical, social and educational resources to give children a socially and physically healthy start in life. Family-support workers meet with participants in homes. English-Spanish translation provided. 703-444-4477, Ext. 217, or inmed.org.

New mother support Wednesdays 9:30-11:30 a.m. Inova Loudoun Medical Pavilion, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Babies welcome. 703-858-6360.

Online childbirth education program Inova Loudoun Hospitals Web-based program uses animation, videos and interactive activities to guide users through the basics of childbirth, breast-feeding and caring for newborns. 703-858-6360 or thebirthinginn.org/classes.

Parenting Alone group For parents who have school-age children and have lost a spouse or partner to cancer. Second Tuesdays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call 703-698-2536 or email jennifer.eckert@inova.org.

Pregnancy and childbirth support Childbirth Solutions Resource Center, 8393 W. Main St., Marshall. 571-344-0438.

Young parent services Support for teenage parents. Loudoun County Department of Family Social Services, 52 Sycolin Rd., Leesburg. Call for times. 703-771-5375.

SENIORS

Chair yoga Age 55 and older. Mondays 11 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Wear comfortable clothes. Bare feet or socks encouraged. 571-258-3400. $2 drop-in.

Exercise equipment Age 55 and older. Weights, treadmills, bikes and a cardio-glide. Instruction provided. Weekdays 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Eye care LensCrafters staff members clean glasses and make minor repairs. Second Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-430-2397. Free.

Inova Loudoun mobile van Blood pressure checks. Second and fourth Tuesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling, 571-258-3280; first Wednesdays 9:30 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Laughing yoga for seniors Improve flexibility and balance. Thursdays 9:30-10:30 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Loudoun Adult Day Centers For seniors with physical limitations or memory loss, a safe and social environment, therapeutic activities, individualized care and respite for caregivers. Limited transportation. Sliding-scale fees. Weekdays in Leesburg, 7:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m., 703-771-5334; Purcellville, 571-258-3402; and Ashburn-Sterling, 571-258-3232.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Senior Center at Cascades. First and third Wednesdays 11 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Sign up in the Leesburg Senior Center lobby. Second and fourth Thursdays 11 a.m.-noon and 12:30-4:30 p.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Senior Outreach Services Free and confidential assistance from an Area Agency on Aging Elder case manager. Call for an appointment or sign up at the Carver Center. First and third Mondays, 12:30-5 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 703-737-8741. Free.

Tai chi for seniors Stretching and strengthening movements. Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039. Free.

Zumba gold class Age 55 and older. Wear rubber-soled shoes and comfortable clothing; bring water and a towel. Tuesdays 11 a.m., Tuesdays and Fridays 1 p.m. Senior Center of Leesburg, 102 North St. NW, Leesburg. 703-737-8039. $24 per month.

Zumba For people 55 and older learning Zumba for the first time, or those who prefer a lower-impact version. The fitness program combines Latin and international music with dance. Thursdays 11 a.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 571-258-3280. $12.

SUPPORT GROUPS

Addiction support Tuesdays 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Email sznnodum@gmail.com or 540-935-8148.

Al-Anon Service Center of Northern Virginia A volunteer is available 24 hours with information for spouses, family members and friends of problem drinkers. 703-534-4357 or 877-339-8350. Mondays 8 p.m. Emmanuel Episcopal Church, 125 W. Washington St., Middleburg, 540-554-2747; Tuesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg, 877-339-8350; Fridays 8:30 p.m. Grace Episcopal Church, 6507 Main St., The Plains, 800-344-2666; Tuesdays 12:15 p.m. Warrenton Church of Christ, Route 29 N., 540-347-7448; Tuesdays 7 p.m. and Saturdays 8:30 p.m. Warrenton Presbyterian Church, 91 Main St., 800-344-2666.

Alcoholics Anonymous Various meeting times and locations in Loudoun County. 800-208-8649 or 703-876-6166. nvintergroup.org.

Alzheimers caregiver support For those who care for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Fourth Wednesdays 4-5:30 p.m. The Villa at Suffield Meadows, 6735 Suffield Lane, Warrenton. 540-316-3800.

Alzheimers caregivers support For those caring for people with Alzheimers disease and other forms of dementia. Second Mondays 7-8:30 p.m. Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-430-9229. galileeumc.org.

Alzheimers caregivers support Emotional, educational and social support for family members and friends of people with the disease. Third Saturdays 10 a.m. Loudoun County Area Agency on Aging, 20145 Ashbrook Pl., Ashburn. Call 703-771-5407 or email lesley.katz@loudoun.gov.

Alzheimers caregiver support group Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831 or alz.org.

Alzheimers support First Tuesdays 10-11 a.m. Spring Arbor Assisted Living, 237 Fairview St. NW, Leesburg. 540-338-6520.

Alzheimers support First Wednesdays 4 p.m. Leesburg Adult Day Center, 16501 Meadowview Ct., Leesburg. 703-771-5334.

Alzheim ers support First Thursdays, noon, Lansdowne Woods of Virginia, 19375 Magnolia Grove Sq., Lansdowne. 703-283-6554.

Alzheimers support Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 571-258-3400.

Talk About Curing Autism A nonprofit organization educating and supporting families affected by autism. tacanow.org.

Autoimmune support Last Thursdays 6:30-7:30 p.m. Jackson Building, 209 Gibson St., Leesburg. autoimmunesupport@hotmail.com.

Bereaved parent support One-on-one counseling is available. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Bereavement support Age 18 and older. Third Mondays 1 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-957-1800.

Breast cancer support For those with new diagnoses or starting treatment. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 5-6:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857.

Breast cancer support Fourth Tuesdays 7-8 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Tower, Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-0588.

Breast cancer support For those who have finished treatment, have had a recurrence or have metastatic breast cancer. Register if attending for the first time. Fourth Mondays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8857. Free.

Breast Cancer Support Assistance Fund Loudoun County residents who have received a diagnosis or have undergone treatment in the past 12 months are eligible to apply for financial assistance. Areas included are wigs, bras, puffs and prostheses, mammograms and medical bills, food and help with utilities, rent or mortgage, and transportation costs. The Pink Assistance Fund has been established by the Loudoun Breast Health Network. lbhn.org.

Cancer support Oncology nurses, social workers and spiritual-care providers offer education and support to patients, families and caregivers. Second Mondays 5:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2273.

Cancer support Life with Cancer, for patients, family members and friends. Second Thursdays 7 p.m. Ashburn Presbyterian Church, Room 202, 20962 Ashburn Rd. 703-729-2012 or ashburnpresbyterian.org.

Caregiver support Emotional, educational and social support. Encourages caregivers to maintain their physical and emotional health while caring for people with dementia or other chronic illness. Fourth Thursdays 3-4 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. 540-903-6831.

Caregiver support and resource group Wednesdays 10:30 a.m.-noon (no meeting first Wednesdays), Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. scsm.tv.

Caring for Aging Parents Support group. Confidential. Fourth Wednesdays 7:30 p.m., Family Focus Counseling Service, 20-B John Marshall St., Warrenton. 540-349-4537.

CHADD parents support For parents of children with ADD/ADHD. Fourth Sundays 3 p.m. KinderCare, 44051 Ashburn Village Shopping Plaza. chadd.novaloudoun@gmail.com.

Chronic illness support Tuesdays 1:30-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministries, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814 or scsm.tv.

Coffee and Conversation Support for those discouraged because of illness, bereavement, caregiving or a loved one in the military. Thursdays 10 a.m.-noon. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Compassionate Friends For parents who have experienced the death of a child. First Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. St. James Episcopal Church, 14 Cornwall St. NW, Leesburg. 540-882-9707.

Creating and Connecting Two-hour art therapy and relaxation workshop for cancer patients. Every other month, 12:30-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-858-8850.

Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance of Western Loudoun Saturdays 3 p.m. Purcellville Library, 220 E. Main St., Carruthers Room. Call 703-431-7160 or email kathy@dbsanca.org.

Drop-in grief support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2 p.m. St. Davids Episcopal Church, 43600 Russell Branch Pkwy., Ashburn. Sponsored by Capital Caring. 703-597-1781.

Families Overcoming Drug Addiction Support group. First and third Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. myfodafamily@gmail.com or 540-316-9221.

Gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender youth and parent support A group in partnership with Metro DC PFLAG. Fourth Sundays 4-6 p.m. Unitarian Universalist Church, 22135 Davis Dr., Sterling. 703-328-6518.

Griefshare Open to anyone who has experienced the death of a loved one. Tuesdays beginning July 11 through Oct. 3 from 7-8:30 p.m. Purcellville Baptist Church 601 Yaxley Dr., Purcellville. Call 540-338-0918 or email caring@purbap.org. Workbook, $15.

Griefshare Nondenominational seminar and support group. Tuesdays 7:30-9 p.m., and Wednesdays, 1-2:30 p.m. Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814. Free.

Grief support Sponsored by Hospice Support of Fauquier County. Individual counseling available. First and third Thursdays 3:30-5 p.m. Hospice Support Office, 42 N. Fifth St., Warrenton. Registration required. Email hospicesupport@verizon.net or call 540 - 347-5922.

Grief support Wednesdays, 10:30 a.m.-noon, Spiritual Care Support Ministry Center, 76 W. Shirley Ave., Warrenton. 540-349-5814.

Hospice support Free medical-equipment loan facility for Fauquier County residents. Especially needed are donations of wheelchairs, bedside commodes, rolling walkers, electric hospital beds, shower benches and chairs, adult diapers, lift chairs, Ensure and hospital bed mattresses . 540-347-5922.

Look Good, Feel Better For women undergoing or emerging from cancer treatment. Every other month, 6:45-9 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Call for dates. 703-776-2820. Free.

Loudoun CHADD support Led by Children and Adults With Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Third Thursdays 7 p.m. Leesburg Town Hall, lower-level conference room, 25 W. Market St. 703-669-2445.

Lyme disease support Fourth Sundays 2-4 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Conference Room A and B, Leesburg. Go to natcaplyme.org or email loudounlymeadvocates@gmail.com.

Lyme disease support Third Thursdays 7-9 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. Call 540-341-8245 or email phillipsgeo@comcast.net.

Lyme disease support Age 18 and older. First Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Email charphealy@yahoo.com.

MADD Loudoun victim support For those who have been affected by drunken driving. Third Wednesdays 7:30 p.m. 210 Wirt St., Leesburg. 540-338-6491.

Man-to-Man cancer support Sponsored by Loudoun Cancer Care Center, for prostate cancer patients and their families. Second Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling. 703-858-8857 or karen.archer@inova.org.

Menopause support Third Thursdays 6:30-9 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg (second floor, Patient Education Room). 703-858-8060.

Mens grief support Second Mondays at 7 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Sycamore Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 703-568-3346. Free.

Multiple sclerosis support Saturdays 10:30 a.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-349-2826.

Multiple sclerosis support Last Sundays, September-June, 2-4 p.m. Cascades Library, 21030 Whitfield Pl., Potomac Falls. Call ahead to confirm. 703-771-4256.

Nar-Anon family support For those affected by loved ones with addiction. Meaningful Mondays, 7-8 p.m., Galilee United Methodist Church, 45425 Winding Rd., Sterling. 703-203-9792; Wisdom Wednesdays 7-8 p.m., St. Francis de Sales Catholic Church, 37730 St. Francis Ct., Purcellville, 703-606-7125; Serenity Thursdays, 7-8 p.m. Leesburg Presbyterian Church, 207 W. Market St., Leesburg, 703-606-7125.

Overeaters Anonymous For fellowship and support. For locations and times, go to oa.org.

Parkinsons social Coffee and conversation. Third Wednesdays 10 a.m.-noon, Tribute at One Loudoun, Welcome Center, 20618 Easthampton Plaza, Ashburn. parkinsonsocialnetwork.org or 703-378-7221. Free.

Parkinsons support Open to those with Parkinsons disease, their family members and caregivers. First Tuesdays 1:30-3 p.m. Call for Ashburn location. 571-442-8851.

Postpartum support Second and fourth Wednesdays 1-2:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Cornwall Campus, 224 Cornwall St., Leesburg. Call 703-909-9877 or email lamckeough@gmail.com. Registration required.

Reach to Recovery Home-visit program for mastectomy and lumpectomy patients. Temporary prostheses, exercise instruction and encouragement. 703-938-5550.

Sexual assault and incest survivors group counseling Services provided by Loudoun Citizens for Social Justice and the Loudoun Abused Womens Shelter are free and confidential. 703-771-9020.

Sexual assault survivors empowerment support Sponsored by Sexual Assault Victims Volunteer Initiative. Child care available with 48 hours notice. Mondays; call for times and locations. 540-349-7720.

Spiritual support group For cancer patients, family members and friends. Third Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. 703-858-8850.

Stroke support Wednesday, noon-1:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Chestnut Room, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. Free.

Stroke survivors and caregivers support Second Wednesdays 11 a.m.-noon, Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second floor, Patient Education Room. 703-858-6199 or jill.lieb@inova.org.

Suicide counseling Third Wednesdays 7-8:30 p.m. Leesburg Town Office, Conference Room 2, lower level, 25 W. Market St., Leesburg. 703-587-1618 or survivorsofsuicidelossleesburg@gmail.com.

Widows and widowers support Third Mondays 11 a.m. Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St. NW. 703-737-8039.

Womens support Sponsored by Services to Abused Families. Tuesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Confidential location. 540-825-8876.

Womens cancer support Woman to Woman, first Wednesdays 6:30-8 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital Radiation Oncology Center, 44035 Riverside Pkwy., Suite 100, Leesburg. Registration required. 703-858-8850.

MISCELLANEOUS

Brain trauma survivors brown-bag lunch For survivors and caregivers. First Tuesdays, noon-1:30 p.m., Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg, second-floor Patient Education Room. Call 703-737-3150 or email jberg@braininjurysvcs.org. Free.

Child developmental screenings For ages 2-5. Children may not be kindergarten-age-eligible. Sponsored by the Loudoun County school systems Child Find Center. 571-252-2180.

Cholesterol screenings Weekdays, 6 a.m.-8 p.m. Fauquier Health LIFE Center, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-2640. Registration required. $35.

Emergency food supplies Loudoun County residents in need can receive a free three-day supply of groceries. Supplies are distributed Mondays through Saturdays by Loudoun Hunger Relief. Call 703-777-5911 or go to loudounhunger.org.

Fauquier free walk-in medical clinic Call Thursdays from 12:30 to 1 p.m. to register for the clinic, which begins at 5:30 p.m. Patients are seen by appointment Tuesdays and Wednesdays. Fauquier and Rappahannock residents only. Bring proof of address for the first visit. Patients cannot have Medicaid, Medicare or private insurance. Information: 540-347-0394 Tuesdays or Thursdays, 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

Fauquier Hospital Bistro Senior Supper Club Nutritious meals and fellowship for people 55 and older. Tuesdays and Thursdays 4:30-6:30 p.m. Fauquier Hospital Bistro on the Hill, 500 Hospital Dr., Warrenton. 540-316-3588. $5.49.

HEROES (Hometown Enabling Relationships, Opportunities and Empowerment through Support) is a program for military families. Support to military members and families, from pre-deployment up to two years post-deployment. Assistance includes financial help, job placement, family care and mental-health services. caring@purbap.org or heroescare.org.

Inova Loudoun Hospital Mobile Health Services Blood pressure screenings, Wednesday 10 a.m.-noon, Leesburg Senior Center, 102 North St., Leesburg; July 11, 9 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling; July 17, 9-11 a.m. William Watters House, 22365 Enterprise St., Sterling; July 18, 10 a.m.-noon, Dulles South Multipurpose Center, 24950 Riding Center Dr., South Riding; July 20, 11 a.m.-noon, Lovettsville Community Center, 57 E. Broad Way, Lovettsville; July 25, 9 a.m.-noon, Senior Center at Cascades, 21060 Whitfield Pl., Sterling; July 26, 10 a.m.-noon, Lansdowne Woods, 19400 Leisure World Blvd., Leesburg; July 27, 10 a.m.-noon, Carver Center, 200 Willie Palmer Way, Purcellville. Call 703-858-8818 or go to inova.org/mobilehealth. Free.

Loudoun Cares information and referral help line Call 703-669-4636 for help in finding resources for county residents on issues of eviction, utility cutoffs, health care and employment.

Motor skill screenings Birth to 21 months. First Thursdays, Blue Ridge Speech and Hearing Center, 19465 Deerfield Ave., Suite 201, Lansdowne. Call for an appointment. 703-858-7620. Free.

Northern Virginia long-term-care ombudsman Call 703-324-5861 for help with complaints related to long-term-care facilities.

Prescription drug abuse presentation Age 55 and older. July 14, 1-2 p.m. Carver Center, 200 Willie PalmerWay, Purcellville. 571-258-3400. Free.

Road to Recovery Free rides to appointments for cancer patients. Call 410-781-6909 or email jen.burdette@cancer.org. Free. Safe sitter classes For girls and boys ages 11-14. First Saturdays except for holiday weekends. 7:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Inova Loudoun Hospital, 44045 Riverside Pkwy., Leesburg. To receive a Safe Sitter Certificate, students must pass practical and written tests on babysitting and handling an emergency. Take a lunch from home or buy one in the cafeteria. $70, includes handbook and snacks. Registration required. 703-858-8818 or charlene.martin@inova.org.

Seven Loaves Food Pantry Individuals and families can receive a three-day supply of food, distributed Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, 10 a.m.-noon. Go to sevenloavesmiddleburg.org or call 540-687-3489.

Tree of Life Food Pantry Serving western Loudoun County. Food is delivered Wednesdays and Saturdays. 703-554-3595.

 Compiled by Sandy Mauck

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About 100 people gathered in Leesburg on Monday evening at the first of three public input sessions to discuss potential solutions to alleviate traffic congestion on Route 15 north of town.

Loudoun County officials scheduled the meetings to gauge public reaction to a consultants recommendations for reducing traffic backups. Participants met in small groups to discuss possible solutions and to offer their priorities for the highway corridor between Leesburg and the Potomac River bridge at Point of Rocks.

The session focused on two related issues. Heavy northbound traffic is creating long backups that start near Whites Ferry Road and extend well into Leesburg, clogging not only Route 15 but the streets that feed into it. And the steady stream of traffic can make it nearly impossible for people who live along the Route 15 corridor north of town to cross or merge onto the highway.

Loudoun Supervisors Geary M. Higgins (R-Catoctin) and Kristen C. Umstattd (D-Leesburg) and Board Chair Phyllis J. Randall (D-At Large) were among the local and state elected officials at the meeting.

Traffic is like water, Higgins said in an interview. Its going to seek its own level. Weve got to make the main thoroughfares move traffic, or people are going to bleed off onto all the side streets.

Umstattd said in an interview that the traffic backups affect Leesburg side streets mostly during the evening rush hours, when thousands of Maryland residents use Route 15 to return home from their jobs in Northern Virginia.

Christopher Tuck, 31, of Leesburg said he takes the Dulles Greenway to return home from his job in Reston. Although he lives near the intersection of the Route 15 Bypass and Battlefield Parkway, he said, he exits the bypass and drives through town to avoid the long backups of northbound traffic.

It takes me 45 minutes extra to get home [using the bypass rather] than to go through Leesburg and take all the back streets, he said in an interview, describing the stretch of highway between Battlefield Parkway and Edwards Ferry Road as a 45-minute sit.

Representatives of the consulting firm Kimley-Horn reviewed recommendations from their report on Route 15 traffic congestion, the most significant of which was widening the road to four lanes north of Battlefield Parkway to a point beyond Whites Ferry Road.

When asked to give their reactions to several proposed alternatives for improving the intersection where North King Street joins the bypass, participants expressed the most interest in an overpass or underpass that would eliminate a difficult merge and keep traffic flowing continuously.

Responses were mixed to the recommendation of adding one or more roundabouts near the intersection of Route 15, Whites Ferry Road and Raspberry Drive. Several participants said they loved roundabouts, and others argued that they are dangerous because drivers are not familiar with them.

Although some participants advocated widening the highway to four lanes all the way to Maryland, Martha Polkey of Lucketts said the additional lanes would make it even more difficult for residents who live along the corridor to turn onto the highway.

There are 120 roads, entrances and driveways all along that segment from Leesburg to the river, she said. If you make it four lanes, youve just increased the number of lanes they have to wait to clear before they can make a left turn.

Higgins said, It doesnt do us any good to four-lane all the way up, because there are only two lanes at the bridge. If you look at traffic counts, as you get farther north, the traffic bleeds off to all the developments. By the time you get to Lucketts, most of that traffic has bled off and you can do two-lane.

Higgins added that he understood the frustration expressed by some of the participants.

Weve got to have a project to fund, he said. Thats why these sessions are so important. Weve got to get a consensus, or at least a good majority that want a certain solution. And then, once we have that solution, we can go and get funding. But we cant get funding until we have solutions.

Two more public input sessions are scheduled July 8 and 15, 9 to 11 a.m., at the Lucketts Community Center.
People vote in a Wheaton polling station during Maryland's primary election last year. (Evelyn Hockstein for The Washington Post)

Maryland will not provide data on the states registered voters to President Trumps election commission, a top state elections official said Monday, joining more than two dozen other states that have partially or entirely rejected the request.

Disclosure of some of the information encompassed by your request may be prohibited under State and/or federal law, Linda H. Lamone, the state administrator for the State Board of Elections, wrote in a letter sent Monday to the Presidential Advisory Commission on Election Integrity. Accordingly, I am denying your request.

The commission, which is chaired by Kansas Secretary of State Kris Kobach (R), asked states to provide voter names, dates of birth, portions of Social Security numbers, voting histories and, if possible, party identifications as part of a broad inquiry in Trumps allegations of widespread voter fraud in the 2016 election.

The Maryland elections board sought advice from state Attorney General Brian E. Frosh (D) on how to respond to what elections experts called an unprecedented request. The commission also asked states for evidence of voter fraud, convictions for election-related crimes and recommendations for preventing voter intimidation  all within 16 days.

Frosh, who last month filed a lawsuit against the president alleging that payments by foreign governments to Trumps businesses violate the emoluments clause of the U.S. Constitution, called the commissions request a repugnant maneuver to intimidate voters and to indulge President Trumps fantasy that he won the popular vote.

He said two assistant attorneys general in his office determined that the request was prohibited by Maryland law.

Repeating incessantly a false story of expansive voter fraud, and then creating a commission to fuel that narrative, does not make it any more true, Frosh said in a statement. There is no evidence that the integrity of the 2016 election in Maryland  or any other state  was compromised by voter fraud.

In neighboring Virginia, Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) declared Thursday that he had no intention of honoring this request.

Virginia conducts fair, honest and democratic elections, and there is no evidence of significant voter fraud in Virginia, McAuliffe said.

Trump responded to the backlash from states on Saturday, tweeting, What are they trying to hide?

Both Common Cause Maryland and the ACLU of Maryland had raised questions about turning over the data.

Damon Effingham, legal and policy director for Common Cause Maryland, said Maryland law allows only registered state voters to make a request to inspect voter roll information. The voter has to submit a statement that the information will not be used for commercial purposes or purposes unrelated to the electoral process.

Secretary of State Kobach is a registered voter in Kansas, Effingham said in a statement. And the request . . . does not include any indication of how the data will be used, let alone the required statement of intent under Maryland law. In fact, the Commission has stated its intent to release this vast trove of data to the public, creating significant concerns with how that data will ultimately be used.

Frosh called on Gov. Larry Hogan (R) and state elections officials to speak out against the commissions effort and any other attempt to intimidate voters and obtain their personal information. Hogan so far has not done so.

A Hogan spokeswoman, Amelia Chasse, indicated last week that it was not the governors role to make a decision on the request.

After the state boards decision became public Monday, Hogan spokesman Doug Mayer said the governor agreed with the decision. As for any such request, the state Board of Elections should supply no more information than is required of them under the law, Mayer said in an email.

Ben Jealous, one of several Democrats vying for the nomination to challenge Hogan in 2018, joined community leaders in Baltimore at a news conference Monday morning to urge Hogan to condemn what Jealous called an attack to suppress votes.

We have others who have said, Go jump in the gulf, said Jealous, a former head of the NAACP. Instead, we are stuck with a governor who is painfully silent, one who tries to pawn it off.
Heathcote Williams at the Frankfurt Book Fair in 1980. He contributed to underground publications such as Heretic Visions and the "sex paper" Suck. (Richard Adams)

Heathcote Williams, a British playwright, poet, anarchist and magician who  in addition to founding a secessionist state with a group of London squatters  wrote one of the most acclaimed plays of the 1970s, along with best-selling poems about dolphins and whales, died July 1 at a hospital in Oxford, England. He was 75.

The cause was emphysema, said a daughter, Lily Williams.

Mr. Williams, a reedy Oxford University dropout who for many years sported black combat boots and a mass of curly red hair, emerged from Britains 1960s counterculture movement as a sort of artistic Prospero, a gifted but mischievous writer whose creative talents recalled those of Shakespeares sorcerer in The Tempest.

He wrote a dozen plays, many of them critical of societys increasing obsession with celebrity; published several scholarly book-length poems on endangered animals; and co-founded an anarchist publishing house, Open Head Press, that skewered Britains royal family in pornographic postcards and scurrilous pamphlets.

Mr. Williams also appeared in more than a dozen film and television roles, including as Prospero in Derek Jarmans 1979 adaptation of The Tempest, and helped start the sex paper Suck, an underground Amsterdam publication at the fore of Europes sexual liberation movement.

Mr. Williams in 1995. (Nils Jorgensen/Rex Features via AP)

He performed as a fire-breather (at one point accidentally setting himself on fire), practiced conjuring tricks, contributed to a television show about Charles Dickenss love of magic, and struck up a relationship with Jean Shrimpton, the 60s supermodel who helped popularize the miniskirt.

Despite being championed by figures ranging from the playwright and Nobel laureate Harold Pinter to Hollywood actor Al Pacino, Mr. Williamss work often received little public attention  in large part because of its difficult subject matter and experimental style.

His groundbreaking play AC/DC, which premiered at Londons Royal Court Theatre in 1970 and opened in New York the following year, concluded with a trepanation  the piercing of a characters skull.

The play, New York Times critic Charles Marowitz wrote in a review, placed Mr. Williams alongside Pinter, John Osborne and John Arden as one of the leading playwrights of the era. It is, he wrote, the only play yet written to capture the tremulously combustible nature of the 21st century, which, because our mortal lives always trail chronology, is the century in which we are actually living.

Performed amid closed-circuit television sets, with photographs of famous people plastered on the theater walls, the show was perhaps the first major theatrical work to criticize the glorification of celebrities in the television age, said New Yorker theater critic John Lahr.

Its arcane and not going to be popular, but as a little thought kit it puts all the others to shame, he said in a phone interview. His understanding of the imperialism of celebrity  no one comes close in the English theater. And that is one of the most toxic obsessions of our time.

John Henley Heathcote Williams was born in Helsby, near Liverpool, on Nov. 15, 1941. His father was a lawyer, and his mother was a homemaker. Although Mr. Williams at times intimated that he had a working-class background, he graduated from Eton College boarding school and studied law at Oxford before dropping out about the time he published his first book, The Speakers (1964).

Written in a journalistic style, the work was a sympathetic portrait of the impassioned (and often drunk) orators of Speakers Corner in Hyde Park, where since the mid-19th century bums and activists have stood on soapboxes to hold forth on Londons social ills. These are the only people Id ever want to listen to, Pinter wrote, reviewing the book for the London Observer. In a subsequent meeting at a barbershop, Pinter encouraged him to try his hand at playwriting.

The result was The Local Stigmatic, a one-act that premiered in 1966 and  featuring a pair of lowlifes who follow celebrities in the news and greyhounds at the track  presaged some of the themes of AC/DC. The show was a favorite of Pacinos; he starred in its unsuccessful U.S. premiere and later produced and appeared in an hour-long film adaptation that was never given a theatrical release.

When you read the Stigmatic, youre genuinely confused by it, Pacino once told the writer Lawrence Grobel, acknowledging the plays difficulty. After two or three readings you start to see what hes getting at, and its a revelation. Its the difference between Heathcote Williams and other writers. Heathcote was writing about something that was deeply personal and much more far-reaching than the other plays of that period.

Mr. Williams turned from playwriting to overt political activism by the late 1970s, joining with graphic designer Richard Adams to design and distribute pamphlets, postcards and other documents in the tradition of Britains 18th- and 19th-century radical squibs.

Their headquarters, in Londons Notting Hill neighborhood, eventually served as a base of operations for a short-lived secessionist state that Mr. Williams and other leaders called the Free and Independent Republic of Frestonia, as well as an organization called the Ruff Tuff Cream Puff Estate Agency, which helped squatters find abandoned buildings in London to use as temporary housing.

Survivors include his partner of more than five decades, Diana Senior of Oxford; their two daughters, China Williams and Lily Williams, both of London; a son, Charlie Gilmour of London, from a relationship with the novelist Polly Samson; a sister, Prue Cooper; and three grandchildren.

Mr. Williamss commercial breakthrough was a departure from the skull-piercing of his early years. In Whale Nation (1988), Falling for a Dolphin (1989) and Sacred Elephant (1989), he mixed poetry with scholarship to spotlight endangered species that he sometimes studied firsthand, including on a six-month trip to the western coast of Ireland.

Still, politics was not a subject he could avoid for long. Last year he published a pamphlet, The Blond Beast of Brexit: A Study in Depravity, that collected unsavory quotes from Boris Johnson, who was then the mayor of London.

Theres a German word for people like Johnson: Backpfeifengesicht, Mr. Williams told the London Independent, explaining what drew him to the subject. It means a face that needs to be punched. 
Stacy Young before (at left) and after she suffered serious injuries to her face and head following a fireworks incident. Doctors had to essentially rebuild her face and do numerous procedures to fix her vision. (Courtesy of Stacy Young)

Stacy Young doesnt go to Fourth of July celebrations involving fireworks anymore.

Its not because shes unpatriotic. After a firework smacked her in the face at a barbecue 17 years ago, shes scared of them. Doctors have essentially rebuilt her skull, face and eye sockets to repair the damage.

People think theyre going to be the party by bringing fireworks, she said. Theyre not thinking of the what-ifs.

Im the what-if, said Young, 39, who lives near Reading, Pa. Im the uh-oh. Im the repercussions of their fun.

After dozens of surgeries and physical therapy and rehabilitation sessions, Young has been outspoken about the dangers of fireworks. Hospital emergency rooms see about 250 people daily, on average, with fireworks-related injuries in the weeks around the July 4 holiday, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Stacy Young is examined by one of her physicians, Albert Maguire, a professor of ophthalmology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Presbyterian Medical Center of Philadelphia. (Courtesy of Brian Holmes/Scheie Eye Institute)

The consumer safety group, along with a number of local governments and fire and police departments, offer safety outreach efforts on firework dangers and how to take precautions if they are used in back yards.

In recent years, a number of states have relaxed rules on selling fireworks because they were missing out on tax revenue from an industry with $825 million in annual consumer and retail sales, according to the Bethesda-based American Pyrotechnics Association, which represents manufacturers and distributors.

Forty-eight states and the District allow the sale of some fireworks. Delaware and Massachusetts prohibit sales. Some local jurisdictions also prohibit them, such as Prince Georges and Montgomery counties in Maryland, along with the city of Baltimore.

In Virginia, fireworks that explode are prohibited and there are variations by jurisdiction on what other types are allowed. Officials advise checking local laws, which can supersede state laws, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

But fireworks still show up, even where theyre not allowed.

Even though they are banned in some counties in Maryland, we see incidents where people unknowingly stop at a stand [in another jurisdiction] and pick them up not knowing theyre illegal, said Pete Piringer, a spokesman for the Montgomery County Fire Department.

About 70 percent of injuries involving fireworks are burns, while 33 percent involve injuries to hands and fingers, according to the Consumer Product Safety Commission. Piringer said the reason for Montgomery Countys ban is the potential for serious injuries.

Stacy Young was severely injured with burns and facial and head injuries after a firework struck her at a barbeque for the Fourth of July holiday. (Courtesy Stacy Young)

We get pushback that were killjoys, he said, but its for everyones safety.

His recommendation and that of others concerned about fireworks safety: leave it to professionals trained in how to set them off.

Piringer said people also underestimate how dangerous a sparkler can be. Sparklers, he said, can burn as hot as 2,000 degrees.

We think its fun and cute and exciting, but its dangerous, he said. Its almost like giving a kid a blowtorch or a lit cigarette lighter to play with.

For Young, her injuries happened at a barbecue. She can still recall in vivid detail the events of July 1, 2000.

In rural Pennsylvania, she was sitting in an open area while chatting with awoman. She heard a sound, then a bang. She turned and saw a green fireball coming at her that was shot off about 100 yards away.

There was no time to react, she said. At first, she didnt realize she had been hit because she wasnt in pain.

Then she heard bloodcurdling screams from people who witnessed it.

Out of nowhere, my vision went completely dark, he said. I couldnt see a thing.

Young was flown to a hospital for the first of several surgeries. She had 28 titanium plates the size of postage stamps inserted into her head to repair her skull, which was fractured in five places and pushed into her brain, she said.

A part of her rib bone was used to rebuild an eye socket. She lost her left eye and has a prosthetic. She gave up her career as a nurse, can no longer drive, sometimes walks with a cane and has occasional crippling migraine headaches. She works part time for a program that helps homeless veterans.

It was a nightmare, she said of the accident. Its like your worst horror movie coming true.

Hearing the sound of fireworks makes her body shake. She now spends the holiday avoiding places with fireworks, sharing her story in hopes that others can avoid injury.

I dont expect the world to stop because of what happened to me, she said. But I want people to know they could hurt themselves and other people with fireworks.
House of Mercy accepting new shoes for children

For the eighth year, House of Mercy, a local nonprofit organization, is collecting new footwear for its Shoes for Kids campaign.

The organization, at 8170 Flannery Ct., Manassas, is accepting new school-appropriate shoes valued at $25 for children ages 4 to 17 through July 22. Gift cards or cash donations to buy shoes also will be accepted.

The goal is to distribute close to 200 pairs of shoes to local children before school starts.

For information, call 703-659-1636 or email help@houseofmercyva.org .

Free Lyft rides available on July 4

Free Lyft rides are being offered to help prevent Fourth of July revelers from driving drunk.

SoberRide, offered by the Washington Regional Alcohol Program, will be available throughout the Washington area from 7 p.m. July 4 to 2 a.m. July 5. The program covers fares up to $15.

To request a free ride, download the Lyft app to your phone and enter SOBERJULY4 in the promotional code field. For information, go to wrap.org/soberride .
A 7-year-old girl drowned in a backyard pool during a weekend party, according to the Prince Georges County Fire Department.

First responders were called to the 13100 block of Hunters Ridge Road in Woodmore on Saturday around 9 p.m. for a report of a drowning, fire department spokesman Mark Brady said.

Family members had pulled the girl from the pool and administered CPR, which ambulance crews continued, but she was pronounced dead at the scene shortly after, Brady said.

Brady said the girl fell into the pool during a family function where there were about 100 people.

Drowning is something people think can be seen and heard, but often drowning can be very quiet, Brady said. They can happen quickly and suddenly and without any noise.

Brady recommended that children who are around pools should know how to swim and have certified flotation devices if they dont. He also added that swimmers should never be in a pool alone and recommended supervision or the buddy system at all times.
A man detained by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement who escaped in Northern Virginia on Monday was captured, ICE officials said.

Carlos Rivas-Mendez (Immigration and Customs Enforcement )

An ICE spokeswoman said in a statement that Marlo Danilo Rivas Mendez, initially identified as Carlos Rivas-Mendez, escaped in Loudoun County near Dulles International Airport and was recaptured.

In a statement, a spokeswoman for the Loudoun County Sheriffs Office, which assisted ICE in the search, said Rivas Mendez was 27 and from Sterling, Va.

Rivas Mendez was arrested by Loudoun deputies for public intoxication about 11:10 a.m. Monday, the spokeswoman said. After ICE placed a detainer on him, he was transferred into that agencys custody without incident, according to the spokeswoman.

Shortly afterward, authorities say he assaulted federal transport personnel and escaped in the area of the Dulles Toll Road between the exits of Loudoun County Parkway and Old Ox Road.

He was rearrested without incident about 2:20 p.m. near Mercure Circle and Old Ox Road, according to the statement.

Court documents indicated Rivas Mendez is a citizen of El Salvador. He escaped after striking an ICE transportation officer when one of his handcuffs was loosened after he complained they were too tight.

Rivas Mendez, who now faces assault charges in Loudoun, is again in ICE custody, police said.
A man fatally beaten on the porch of a home in Northeast Washingtons Trinidad neighborhood last week had prior run-ins with the suspect, who told police he feared the victim was about to stab him, according to an arrest affidavit.

Police said surveillance video showed the attack occurred shortly after 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday. The body of Michael Vest, 29, was found shortly before 8 a.m., slumped in a chair on a porch in the 1300 block of Trinidad Avenue NE. Police said he had been struck in the head with a broken piece of a wooden chair.

Authorities on Friday arrested Tavon Maurice Davis, 22, who was charged with second-degree murder. A D.C. Superior Court judge on Saturday ordered Davis detained pending a preliminary hearing on July 10.

Relatives for Davis and Vest could not be reached Monday, and Daviss attorney with the Public Defender Service did not respond to a request for comment. Court documents filed in the case show both the victim and the man accused in his death frequently lived in or stayed in Trinidad and had friends and family there.

Davis has family members who live at the house where police said Vest was killed. But the court affidavit says the relatives do not allow Davis inside, and that he keeps his belongings in two trash bags that he leaves on the front porch.

Early Wednesday, police said Davis  who also has an address in Southeast  walked up to the porch and found Vest sleeping in a chair.

Davis told police that in the days before the attack, Vest had threatened him with a knife and had waved it at others, according to the affidavit. He said, according to the court document, that he woke Vest up and Vest moved his hands toward his waistband and threatened to kill him.

Fearing Vest had a knife, Davis told police he picked up a broken piece of a chair and struck Vest several times in the head, and then left. Police said they found a piece of paper on the porch with Daviss name and date of birth. Police said no knife was found.

Court records show that Davis was sentenced in 2015 to 14 months in a D.C. jail for domestic assault. He had been arrested the day after Vests death by the Prince Georges County Sheriffs Department in connection with a domestic assault charge.

Records in the District show Vest had four felony convictions for assault and drug distribution since 2007.
A Maryland man died three weeks after a vehicle he was in struck a light pole in Prince Georges County, authorities said.

On June 11 at around 2:50 p.m., officers responded to the intersection of Allentown Road and Webster Lane for a crash involving one car, Prince Georges County police said in a statement. They found 36-year-old Jominque Burgess of Temple Hills at the scene, and he was taken to the hospital, where he died Saturday, the statement said.

An investigation showed the vehicle Burgess was traveling in left the road and struck a light pole, according to the statement.

Police asked anyone with information about the crash to contact them at 301-731-4422.
Authorities have arrested the estranged wife of a former FBI agent months after his body was discovered beneath a woodpile and plastic tarp outside his Maryland home, police announced Monday.

Scott Alan Horn, 63, of Laurel, was found unresponsive and bleeding from his face at the entrance of an outdoor shed on March 16, shortly after his children called police worried that he had disappeared, court documents state.

Anne Allen, 62, has been charged with murder in her husbands killing, accused of enlisting a man with whom she had a romantic relationship as her muscleman, charging papers written by Laurel police state.

After the slaying, police immediately identified Allen as a suspect, but they had to collect evidence and build a case against her over the past four months before issuing an arrest warrant, officials in Laurel said.

Many details of the investigation remain unclear. But court papers show it began March 16 when Horns children called police, worried because they had seen their fathers car outside his home in the 200 block of Patuxent Road and he wasnt in the house.

[Tracking D.C.-area homicides]

Laurel police checked on the home and went inside with a key from Horns daughter, but didnt find Horn or any signs of foul play.

Two hours after police left, Horns son continued searching for his father at the house and heard movement and what sounded like firewood being picked up and dumped atop of each other near a furnace shed, court records state. Horns son then saw the silhouette of a person dumping objects near the shed. The son said he then saw that person enter the house through a back door.

Horns son approached the shed and noticed a tarp was covering an object that appeared to be the shape of a person laying on the ground, according to court documents.

He found the body of his father, who had suffered upper-body trauma.

Police did not say in the charging papers whether the son recognized the person he had seen in silhouette.

Shortly after police left their first check of the house, a witness saw a man romantically involved with Allen enter the house. His truck was parked in the driveway. Allen had texted him to thank him for being her muscleman, according to a review of her cellphone, police said.

An autopsy showed there was a puncture wound on the back of Horns neck, which the medical examiner determined could have come from a gunshot, court documents state. Bullet fragments were found lodged in the shed, according to police.

Court documents did not detail specifically how detectives concluded Allen was involved in Horns killing. But Allen, who lived in the home with Horn, was inside the house the afternoon authorities were investigating Horns homicide, and possibly during the first visit by Laurel police earlier in the day, police said.

Allen and Horn had a substantial history of domestic violence involving peace orders and charges filed in Prince Georges County Circuit Court, police said. Horn had also filed for divorce from Allen in December 2016.

Online court records did not list an attorney for Allen in this case.

Allen has also been charged with conspiracy to commit murder, and use of a handgun in a crime of violence and assault, according to police. She was being jailed without the possibility of bail.

Police have not announced charges against the man romantically linked with Allen, and the investigation is ongoing, according to a spokeswoman for Laurel police.

Police are asking anyone with information about Horns death to contact them at 301-498-8002.
Two D.C. gang members were sentenced Monday to 47 years in prison for a deadly 2009 shooting in Northeast Washington that left two teens dead, including a 15-year-old bystander.

The two men, Sequarn Tibbs, 25, and Earl Jackson, 24, who belonged to a Southeast Washington gang called Young Savage, were convicted in November of multiple charges, including two counts of second-degree murder, by a D.C. Superior Court jury in the Oct. 14, 2009, gun battle in the Clay Terrace part of Washington. The men, prosecutors say, were seeking revenge for a burglary that occurred at the home of Jacksons mother.

[Two teens killed in deadly shooting in Clay Terrace]

Prosecutors say Tibbs and Jackson and others converged on the Clay Terrace neighborhood known as Briscoe Court in the 300 block of 53rd Street NE looking for the individuals they thought were responsible for the burglary.

When they arrived, they started a gun battle with people from the neighborhood. During the resulting gunfire, Tibbss brother, 18-year-old Daquan Tibbs of Southeast Washingto, was fatally shot. Also killed was 15-year-old Davota Artis, who authorities say was a bystander. Three other individuals were wounded in the shooting.

Tibbs and Jackson  who argued that they acted in self-defense  had initially pleaded guilty in 2013 to voluntary manslaughter and other charges. But the D.C. Court of Appeals later reversed their plea agreements. The attorneys for both men argued that the details of the involvement of both men in the shooting, as they were presented to the judge at the time of their plea, were not correct. That decision led to the trial last year.

Another man, Antonio Barnes, 25, pleaded guilty in 2016 to voluntary manslaughter and other charges for his role in the shooting, prosecutors said.


The Declaration of Independence printed with the names of the signers. Mary Katharine Goddards name is at the bottom. (Library of Congress, Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Continental Congress & Constitutional Convention Broadsides Collection)

This Fourth of July, look closely at one of those printed copies of the Declaration of Independence.

See it? The womans name at the bottom?

Its right there. Mary Katharine Goddard.

If youve never noticed it or heard of her, you arent alone. Shes a Founding Mother, of sorts, yet few folks know about her. And some of Americas earliest bureaucrats did their best to shut her down. Same old, same old.

Goddard was fearless her entire career as one of Americas first female publishers, printing scoops from Revolutionary War battles from Concord to Bunker Hill and continuing to publish after her offices were twice raided and her life was repeatedly threatened by haters.

Yup, she faced down the Twitter trolls of 1776.

In her boldest move, Goddard put her full name at the bottom of all the copies of the Declaration that her printing presses churned out and distributed to the colonies. It was the first copy young America would see that included the original signers names  and Congress commissioned her for the important job.

Her fiery editorials had, after all, set the tone for pivotal moments in the revolution.

The ever memorable 19th of April gave a conclusive answer to the questions of American freedom, she wrote in her Maryland Journal editorial after the start of the Revolutionary War. What think ye of Congress now? That day . . . evidenced that Americans would rather die than live slaves!

Until Goddard got the assignment from Congress to print and distribute copies of the Declaration, it was more like an anonymous Internet post than a document of record.

Sure, theres the famous original copy in Thomas Jeffersons elegant penmanship.

[Jeffersons last public letter reminds us what Independence Day is all about]

Beautifully written, boldly stated, it was famously adopted by the Founding Fathers on July 4. But neither Americans nor the British saw that copy.

Instead, days and weeks later, they got a hastily printed, mistake-laden, nearly anonymous document that was the 1776 version of the ALL CAPS EMAIL signed by PATRIOT1776. Signing your name to something like this was considered treason.

It was done on the night of that July 4, when the founders asked Irish immigrant John Dunlap to print 200 copies. The only names on it were John Hancock and secretary Charles Thomson, who was listed as a witness. It was read to troops on the front lines and a copy was sent to England.

But without all the names of the founders, the Declaration was less devastating.

Goddards edition changed that.

And by including her name at the bottom, Baltimore, in Maryland: Printed by Mary Katharine Goddard, she became a patriot worth remembering.

Though she printed her name Katharine, spellings were pretty fungible at the time. Just about every historian  from the Library of Congress to the Smithsonian Institution  spells her name Katherine.

Goddard wasnt always so bold declaring her name.

Goddard on the cover of the Baltimore Almanack from 1783. (John Carter Brown Library at Brown University)

When she ran the Baltimore newspaper that her brother had abandoned, she used the gender-neutral M.K. Goddard.

She was also quietly named the first female postmaster in the colonies in 1775, running the busy and crucial Baltimore Post Office as well as a bookstore, print shop and newspaper. At the time, Congress was meeting just down the street from her office. So she was basically the pipeline for a lot of information during our nations founding years  her little shop was a combination of The Washington Post, Snapchat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram from 1775 to 1784. (Its now a Rite Aid.)

Goddard may have been an early version of The Posts Katharine Graham, but she wasnt the only woman who made history running Americas free press.

In 1739, Elizabeth Timothy took over the South Carolina Gazette after her husband died, also taking over his partnership with Benjamin Franklin.

Franklin said the Widow Timothy was far more skilled at business than her husband had been. Her accounts were clearer, she collected on more bills, and she cut off advertisements if payments were not current, Franklin said, according to Kay Mills in A Place in the News.

Goddard eventually lost her job as publisher after her brother married and returned to Baltimore in 1784, taking over the Maryland Journal and ousting his sister.

But she was still the Baltimore postmaster and ran that office with efficiency and aplomb for a total of 14 years until the newly appointed national postmaster general moved to replace her with someone with no experience, one of his political pals.

U.S. Postmaster Samuel Osgood said he didnt think a woman could handle all the travel associated with the job, that she didnt have the, ahem, stamina. Remember, its a job shed successfully done  along with publishing a newspaper and printing the Declaration of Independence  for more than a decade.

The folks who knew her were outraged, and more than 200 merchants and residents in Baltimore sent the postmaster a petition asking to keep her in place. But Osgood held firm, and even though Goddard fought for reinstatement for years, it was to no avail.

She continued to run her bookstore in Baltimore until her death in 1816.

On this Independence Day, lets also celebrate the story of a forgotten patriot who used the power of the press to help build this nation.

Twitter: @petulad
How absurd has the immigration debate become? This absurd: It is now considered controversial when people simply tell the truth.

As when the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement explains the cold reality that anyone in the United States without the proper legal documents "should be concerned" about being apprehended and deported.

That's blunt talk all right, but it also happens to be accurate. These people broke the law. Shouldn't they be worried about being caught by law enforcement? This is the problem with the pro-immigrant left. They live in their own world. Rather than confront the unpleasant fact that they condone lawbreaking, they try to change terms like "illegal" to "undocumented" and construct this no-fault fantasyland where no one did anything wrong.

Or when activists storm the Texas state capitol in Austin holding signs declaring "I am illegal," and some people complain that the protesters are taunting them by emphasizing the fact that our borders aren't secure.

Well, if these protesters are, in fact, in the country illegally, what's wrong with them tweaking Americans a little by broadcasting it? It may harm their prospects at achieving immigration reform, but it doesn't really harm Americans.

The bigger worry is that there are illegal immigrants in this country, and that our attempts to keep them out have failed so miserably  and will always fall short as long as Americans keep employing them.

How much trouble can you possibly get into by just telling the truth? Take it from me, given my line of work, the answer is: A whole bunch.

Thomas Homan, the acting director of ICE, recently found that out. He is getting unjustly hammered for simply stating, while testifying before Congress, that all illegal immigrants should be afraid of being deported.

That's just too much common sense for Washington to handle, and so Homan was roundly criticized by activists and Democratic lawmakers. Later, during an interview with ABC News, he insisted: "I have zero regrets. It needed to be said. If you choose to enter this country illegally, which is a crime, you should be concerned. You violated a law in this country."

Well, yes and no. I like the "needed to be said" part. There is too much politeness in the immigration debate. People should speak plainly.

But Homan is wrong about how entering the country without authorization amounts to a "crime." As I was told years ago by no less an informed source than former ICE Director John Morton, immigration law is largely founded on civil statutes.

So, contrary to popular belief  unless they're smuggling someone or something, or coming back after having been removed before  those who come into this country uninvited have usually not committed a crime.

Homan redeemed himself when he said this: "I'll tell you, you can't have it both ways. You can't be part of this country and not respect its laws."

Bravo. That's another problem with the pro-immigrant left. They teach illegal immigrants to demand all the benefits of living freely in the United States while accepting none of the responsibilities that come with it.

Meanwhile, in Texas, it is pro-immigrant activists who are in hot water for telling the truth. After they confronted legislators over a law that would prohibit cities from declaring themselves "sanctuaries" for illegal immigrants, things quickly got ugly. Republican state Rep. Matt Rinaldi called ICE on the mostly Latino group of protesters because, he said in a statement, they were chanting and holding signs that read: "I am illegal and here to stay."

Oh, grow up.

After I wrote a column about the incident, I heard from an irate reader who said that signs like that, and symbols like the Mexican flag, are incendiary because they amount to protesters "rubbing our noses" in the fact that they're here and there is not much Americans can do about it. Even if we deport them, they'll often come back  especially if their spouses and children are caught on this side of the border.

Of course, as I mentioned, there is one surefire way to get rid of illegal immigrants: Stop hiring them, and do your own chores. For many Americans, though, this is a nuclear option they won't even allow themselves to contemplate.

The point is, let's not get distracted and start attacking each other for telling the truth. Instead of bashing people for sharing an unpleasant reality, we should change the reality.
William Morva watches as prospective jury members are interviewed to serve in his attempted robbery trial in Montgomery County Circuit Court in Christiansburg, Va.,in 2007. (Matt Gentry/AP)

Several Democratic members of the Virginia General Assembly have joined thousands of petitioners in asking Gov. Terry McAuliffe (D) to block the execution of convicted murderer William C. Morva, scheduled for Thursday.

Morva, 35, faces the death penalty for shooting to death a guard and a sheriffs deputy while escaping from jail in 2006. Supporters say the jury that sentenced him was not made aware of the severity of his mental illness.

The system failed Mr. Morva, Del. Mark H. Levine (D-Alexandria) wrote on Monday. I do not believe he should die because of a lack of due process.

[Hes a killer set to die, but his mental illness has set off a death penalty battle]

Levine was adding his name to a group of legislators who wrote McAuliffe on Friday seeking clemency for Morva. The seven delegates and five state senators, all Democrats, said the case intersects with a rising effort by the General Assembly to take steps to address the overlapping areas of public safety, criminal justice and mental health.

That letter asks McAuliffe to commute Morvas death sentence to a term of life without parole. It was signed by Dels. Jennifer B. Boysko (Fairfax), Patrick A. Hope (Arlington), Sam Rasoul (Roanoke), Marcus B. Simon (Fairfax), Charniele Herring (Alexandria), Alfonso Lopez (Arlington) and Eileen Filler-Corn (Fairfax), as well as Sens. Adam P. Ebbin (Alexandria), Barbara A. Favola (Arlington), Lionell Spruill Sr. (Northern Chesapeake), Mamie E. Locke (Hampton) and Scott Surovell (Eastern Fairfax).

Morvas lawyer argues that he was suffering from severe delusional disorder while being held in jail in the Blacksburg area awaiting trial for several botched robberies and burglaries. Believing that he was going to die, Morva tried to escape and killed the deputy and guard.

During sentencing, supporters say, jurors were told incorrectly that Morva was not delusional. His pending execution, set for 9 p.m. Thursday, highlights a growing national movement to eliminate capital punishment for people with severe mental illness.

Morva ran out of appeals when the U.S. Supreme Court declined to take up his case in February, leaving the governor as his last hope. McAuliffe has said he is studying the case, and a spokesman said Monday that the governor would make a statement when the review is complete.
Sgt. 1st Class James Gordon III of the 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment prepares to place a flag at Arlington National Cemetery before Memorial Day in 2014. (Matt McClain/The Washington Post)

Many Americans gathering to celebrate Independence Day will mark the holiday at Arlington National Cemetery. But for visitors feeling patriotic, there is one item that is banned on the hallowed grounds: a waving American flag.

Earl Granville, a retired Army staff sergeant and veterans advocate who lost his leg in a bombing in Afghanistan, said that he was surprised to learn about the obscure federal law that prohibits visitors from carrying an unfurled U.S. flag at the cemetery.

Theres absolutely, positively nothing disrespectful whatsoever about carrying the colors to the cemetery where our fallen armed forces are buried, Granville said.

The law  38 U.S. Code  2413  emerged in 2006 when former U.S. Rep. Mike D. Rogers (R-Mich.) grew angry after watching mourners at a military burial face chants and taunting and some of the most vile things I have ever heard, Rogers told the Associated Press at the time.

Rogers was referring to protests by members of the Topeka-based Westboro Baptist Church, who showed up at Arlington burials with posters chiding mourners with messages such as Thank God for dead soldiers. They picketed military funerals, claiming that combat deaths represented Gods anger for the countrys tolerance of homosexuality.

(Julie Percha/The Washington Post)

In response, Rogers helped write the Respect for Americas Fallen Heroes Act, a bill that made it illegal to protest funerals held at Arlington Cemetery and the 135 burial grounds run by the National Cemetery Administration. In its broad definition of demonstration, the legislation specifically made it unlawful to display any placard, banner, flag or similar device.

A violation carries a penalty of up to a year in prison.

Families deserve the time to bury their American heroes with dignity and in peace, Rogers told the Associated Press in 2006. Rogers did not respond to repeated requests for comment from The Washington Post.

The bill received widespread bipartisan support and passed easily.

The American Civil Liberties Union opposed the law, saying it raised the possibility of government censorship.

But Lee Rowland, an ACLU lawyer, said that when it comes to flags, the law is written carefully. By banning all flags, the law purposely avoids violating a visitors First Amendment right to free speech.

In the eyes of the law both an American flag and a Nazi flag express a clear message and thus are both worthy of First Amendment protections no matter how much we may disagree with one of them, Rowland said. Its an all-or-nothing proposition . . . Even if the results in practice may feel unjust.

Tim Marshall, the author of the 2017 book, A Flag Worth Dying For: The Power and Politics of National Symbols, said that the American flag has represented, liberty, loyalty and rebellion. Although hoisting the flag can be a form of patriotism, Marshall said, burning it can also be an expression of freedom.

The law that prevents Arlington visitors from carrying the flag, Marshall said, has a paradoxical logic in it. That to uphold one freedom, you curtail another.

Arlington spokeswoman Barbara Lewandrowski said that before Memorial Day, members of the Armys 3rd U.S. Infantry Regiment place small flags in front of each of the cemeterys 280,000-plus headstones and burial markers. These small flags are exempt from the law, which allows for displays as part of a funeral, memorial service, or ceremony.

Arlington National Cemetery staff works diligently to honor and respect all families who come to pay their respects to loved ones and we tirelessly ensure a safe and peaceful environment for our visitors, Lewandrowski wrote in a statement to The Post.

Several regulations tightly govern decorum at the cemetery to preserve the sanctity of the burial ground. Flowers left at graves are removed as soon as they become wilted and visitors are not allowed to affix anything to the headstones, including photographs of the deceased. Its all part of the tradition of Arlington, said Joe Davis, a spokesman for the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

There is no more patriotic and revered place in America than Arlington National Cemetery, Davis said. But being a military installation, rules must still be abided by.

Six years ago, Keith Jolly, a former Marine, founded the Ruck to Remember, a commemorative 60-mile march to the cemeterys Section 60, where a majority of the casualties of Iraq and Afghanistan are buried.

In May, more than 150 people participated in the charity event, Jolly said. But before entering the cemetery, he said, participants were told to roll up their flags or fold them and place them inside their rucksacks. Jolly said that he does not agree with the law, but he wont let it interfere with the spirit of the Memorial Day weekend march, which is about those laid in there in the cemetery.

I wish there was a way, to carry flags on the grounds, Jolly said. Its not ideal . . . Itd be perfect if we could.

Paul Rieckhoff, founder and president of the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, said that the law banning flags at Arlington Cemetery is ripe for adjustment or amendment to provide flexibility for respectfully presenting the colors.

Rieckhoff said that the law remains largely unknown, noting that if members of the IAVA network were aware of it theyd be outraged.

If someone is in there with the colors in a respectful way, or paying homage in a respectful way, then they should allow it, Rieckhoff said.
It feels like the old Volkswagen commercials when theyre trying to squeeze 51 people into a vehicle. Its a herding-cats exercise.  Sen. Ben Sasse describing work on a Senate health care bill.

The biggest concern I hear from Nebraskans (is) what to do to make sure insurance companies can lower the cost of policies.  Sen. Deb Fischer talking about health care reform.

The whole goal of a campaign is to talk to as many voters as possible and try to persuade them to be supportive.  Lincoln City Councilwoman Leirion Gaylor Baird on spending a record $139,000 for her successful re-election bid.

If you were dealing with other public entities, youd be able to get the information about where they went and what they did. Its not good for a public institution to have secrets about candidates and money.  Jack Gould of Common Cause Nebraska on the revelation that UNOs unsuccessful search for a new chancellor cost more than $122,000.

I do have an interest in continuing to serve our state, but I think next year is much too critical for it to be complicated by me seeking another office.  Papillion Sen. Jim Smith on his decision not to seek the offices of Secretary of State or State Treasurer in his final term in the Legislature.

Internet out here is extremely expensive and extremely slow. Weve lived all over the country. This is the most Ive ever paid for internet, and its the slowest speed Ive ever had.  If I lived in Ogallala today, I could get a gigabyte download speed for $40 a month.  Craig Softley, economic development director for Hayes County, on how the lack of broadband hurts his rural county.

We really try to keep it light, keep it cheesy.  Austin Yates, a Nebraska state traffic engineer, on a new effort to get Nebraskans to submit suggestions for traffic safety posts along Interstate 80.

LPS is looking very, very greedy. Its going to have me re-evaluating my position in the future if I want to support a bond proposal for LPS. Lincoln resident Brad Beam, expressing concern about Lincoln Public Schools proposed budget.
People cool offin the Marmara Sea at Menekse Beach in Istanbul on Sunday. Turkey was sweltering in a weekend heat wave that caused temperatures to spike to record highs in much of the country and that triggered forest fires in the Aegean region. Istanbul was expected to approach 100 degrees. Officials issued warnings to the young and elderly to stay indoors and advised everyone to keep hydrated. (Yasin Akgul/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

SYRIA

Suicide blast rocks Assads seat of power

Security forces chased three vehicles laden with explosives through Damascus on Sunday, intercepting two of them at checkpoints but unable to stop the third before it exploded in the city center, killing at least eight people, state media and others reported.

The rare attack in the heart of Syrias capital unfolded ahead of the morning commute.

There were conflicting casualty reports. State television reported eight killed and 12 wounded. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported at least 12 killed. Meanwhile, Lebanons al-Manar TV, which is close to the Syrian government, and a Syrian activist group in the capital said 19 were killed.

Such attacks are relatively rare in Damascus, President Bashar al-Assads seat of power.

Pro-government forces have engaged in heavy fighting in Damascuss suburbs during the war but have largely kept the rebels out of the city center. In recent days, troops and allied forces have been fighting to drive the rebels out of Ain Terma and Jobar, adjacent areas on the citys eastern outskirts.

The rebels said government forces attacked them with chlorine gas overnight. The military denied the claims.

 Associated Press

ISRAEL

Former leader Olmert released from prison

Former prime minister Ehud Olmert left prison Sunday after winning early release from a parole board, capping an ignominious chapter of Israeli history that transformed the once-powerful leader into the first premier to be placed behind bars.

The 71-year-old was serving a 27-month sentence for his role in a corruption scandal when the parole board decided last week to release him after only 16 months for good behavior. Olmert had recently been hospitalized after complaining of chest pains.

Under the terms of his release, Olmert must perform volunteer work, report to police twice a month and not give interviews to the media or leave the country, a prison service spokesman said.

Olmert was forced to resign in 2008 to fight off a burgeoning corruption case, leading to the election of the current prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, the following year. Peace efforts with the Palestinians have been all but frozen since.

Olmert was a longtime fixture in Israels hawkish right wing when he began taking a dramatically more conciliatory line toward the Palestinians more than a decade ago.

 Associated Press

MALI

Al-Qaeda-linked group releases hostage video

An al-Qaeda-linked group in Mali has released a proof-of-life video showing six foreign hostages, a group that monitors extremist communications said, shortly before Frances president arrived in the West African nation for an anti-terrorism summit.

The recently formed Nusrat al-Islam wal Muslimeen issued the video on Telegram, the SITE Intelligence Group said. The video shows Stephen McGowan of South Africa, Elliot Kenneth Arthur of Australia, Iulian Ghergut of Romania, Beatrice Stockly of Switzerland, Gloria Cecilia Narvaez of Colombia and Sophie Petronin of France.

No genuine negotiations have begun to rescue your children, a narrator says.

French President Emmanuel Macron met Sunday in Mali with heads of state from five nations across Africas Sahel region to build support for a new 5,000-strong multinational force to counter extremists there.

 Associated Press

WHO declares end to Ebola outbreak in Congo: The World Health Organization has declared an end to the most recent outbreak of Ebola in Congo. The announcement comes after Congo went 42 days  two 21-day incubation cycles of the virus  without recording a new case. Four people died in the outbreak.

Aid helicopter crashes in Indonesia: A helicopter carrying eight people crashed on the way to help with evacuations near a volcano that erupted on the main Indonesian island of Java. All eight were killed. The volcano eruption injured at least 10.

8 hurt in shooting near mosque, reports say: French media reports say eight people were injured Sunday in a shooting near a mosque in the southern city of Avignon in what appears to be a criminal settling of scores. Local magistrate Laure Chabaud was quoted by La Provence and Le Dauphine Libere as saying that the mosque did not appear to be the target and that police have ruled out a terrorist motive. The shooting comes as France prepares to extend a state of emergency in place since Islamic extremist attacks in 2015, citing continued threats.

 From news services
A member of the U.S. forces stands guard during a meeting in the town of Tabqa, Syria. (Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse via Getty Images)

For this Independence Day, at a moment when the tone of our political life would probably shame our Founders, here are snapshots of some brave American soldiers and civilians I met inside Syria last week who should make us all proud.

Lets start with a bearded sergeant major from Oklahoma. Hes driving an armored SUV down a dusty road toward Tabqa. Hes got a radio headset on to talk to the other vehicles in the convoy, but hes playing country music from a speaker up front, too.

The sergeant major weaves the vehicle around ruts and potholes. Islamic State fighters who controlled the town until six weeks ago like to pack the potholes with explosives. Most mines have been cleared, but still, its not a ride in the park.

As the vehicle bumps along, the sergeant major talks about a comrade who was killed about 40 miles north of here last November by an improvised explosive device in a house. Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Scott C. Dayton was assigned to defuse such ordnance. Its said he died trying to shield U.S. and Syrian partner soldiers from the blast. So far, miraculously, hes the only American who has died in combat in Syria as the U.S. and its allies have routed the Islamic State from town after town.

The sergeant major drives these roads near Raqqa every day. Hes part of a Special Operations forces team that is advising the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces that is clearing the Islamic State from its capital, training a separate internal security force that will maintain security after the terrorist group is gone, and supporting the local civic councils that will rebuild water, electricity, schools and other services. Hes one of about 500 U.S. Special Operations forces now serving in Syria; the first 50 arrived about 18 months ago.

Sometimes these roads are crowded with desperate refugees fleeing the battle with their families, carrying furniture and, occasionally, herding livestock. The sergeant major calls it goatlock, with so many sheep and goats blocking the road,

The Syria mission is usually secret, little seen or understood by the American public. But these anonymous warriors are some of the best soldiers Ive encountered anywhere. Theyre living rough, in forward outposts in the towns and in a few simple bases in the countryside. Working alongside their Syrian partners, theyre accomplishing something U.S. forces havent experienced enough over the past two decades: Theyre winning.

The best fighters in the world are the ones who are trying to get home, explains a Special Operations forces commander who runs training for the Syrian security troops who will protect Raqqa and the surrounding towns as the Islamic State collapses. He plans to graduate 250 trainees every two weeks, building toward a force of 3,500 to 5,000. This is very basic training. I listened to a rangy American soldier bark out to the Syrian recruits through a translator, How to shoot: There are five positions. The recruits paid rapt attention, as if understanding that their instructor represented the best fighting force in the world.

Like every soldier I met, the sergeant major is passionate about his mission. I ask him how many Islamic State fighters were killed in Tabqa. Not enough, he answers. The worst thing anyone could ever do when theyre on our bad side is to give themselves a ZIP code, he says. The caliphate made that mistake.

When these soldiers finish business, they go back to camps that are simple, to put it mildly. This is not the Green Zone occupation life, with three choices of entree. If youre not ready to deal with regular digestive-tract problems, stay away. Like American soldiers everywhere, theyre super-fit. Nearly every facility has a makeshift gym, and you find men and women pumping iron morning and night.

These elite units are the pride of the U.S. military. The forces I saw were the train-and-assist part of the mission. But there is another, super-secret part of the Special Operations forces mission here that seeks to capture or kill extremists. What they all share is toughness and good judgment.

Not all the American heroes I saw here are soldiers. Al Dwyer, the chief coordinator of emergency relief assistance, illustrates what civilians are doing. Dwyer, a USAID official, has led every major American humanitarian mission in recent years, from the 2010 Haiti earthquake to the 2014 Ebola breakout in West Africa. He is a stone-cold pro at the logistics of assisting desperate people.

How did Dwyer get started in the humanitarian-aid world? Its a basic American story. He was running a freight terminal in Boston when someone gave him an order he thought was inappropriate, and he decided: Take this job and shove it. He has worked in 100 countries since then, helping people survive. Its Americans such as Dwyer and the sergeant major who Im thinking about this Fourth of July week.

Read more from David Ignatiuss archive, follow him on Twitter or subscribe to his updates on Facebook.
Rush D. Holt is chief executive officer at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Jed S. Rakoff is a U.S. district judge for the Southern District of New York who served ex officio on the National Commission on Forensic Science.

Imagine this: A cop pulls you over and arrests you because you match the description of someone wanted for a heinous crime. You are innocent, but after being charged and brought to trial, you watch as experts testify with scientific certainty that hair and footprints at the scene match your own, and you are led from the courtroom in shackles.

This may seem like a scene straight out of a TV melodrama, but this scenario happens in real life far too often. A number of forensic techniques  including hair- and footprint-matching, mark analysis, bloodstain-pattern analysis and others  lack scientific validity and reliability yet are used frequently in our nations courtrooms.

According to the National Registry of Exonerations, no fewer than 490 people have been exonerated since 1989 after being convicted on the basis of false or misleading forensic techniques. Just last month, a Michigan man was freed from jail 41 years after his conviction after prosecutors agreed that evidence against him  based on an analysis of a single hair  didnt meet FBI standards. Another Michigan man was released in May after 25 years in prison following a faulty conviction based on bullets matched to a gun.

During the past decade, thanks largely to a 2009 report from the National Academy of Sciences, we have made important progress in ridding our nations courtrooms of such scenarios. But the Justice Departments recent decision to not renew the National Commission on Forensic Science  the primary forum through which scientists, forensic lab technicians, lawyers and judges have worked together to guide the future of forensic science  threatens to stall and even reverse that progress.

The NAS report found that too few forensic disciplines, other than DNA analysis, have adequate scientific basis. The report also found that experts often overstate their claims in testimony, invoking unscientific terms like scientific certainty and claiming 100 percent accuracy.

The Justice Department is the responsible agency for prosecuting federal crimes and, in this role, makes frequent use of forensic techniques. It is therefore not appropriate for the Justice Department to be the evaluator of forensic practices. In the 2009 report, the NAS strongly recommended that to avoid a conflict of interest, an entity independent of the Justice Department should oversee forensic standards.

While the Justice Department did not fully embrace this recommendation, it went ahead and, in collaboration with the National Institute of Standards and Technology, helped create the National Commission on Forensic Science. From 2013 until earlier this year, the commission provided a venue for all of the relevant stakeholders to discuss issues facing forensic labs and foundational science and to advance a path forward to strengthen forensic practices and research.

By building consensus among these diverse groups who all care deeply about the integrity of our justice system, the commission promoted important reforms, such as mandatory accreditation of crime labs used by the government and the immediate disclosure to defense counsels of a government forensic experts entire file relating to a defendant. Many of the commissions recommendations have been adopted not only by the Justice Department but also by state and local crime labs. They have also resulted in changes both to prosecutorial practices and to codes of professional conduct for those working in forensic laboratories. With these improvements in providing justice, it is not time to pull back from the forensic commission.

More than 250 individuals and groups, including leading legal scholars and scientific organizations such as the American Association for the Advancement of Science, recently submitted public comments to the Justice Department on how to proceed on forensic science. The overwhelming majority of comments urged the department to ensure that there be an independent and transparent oversight body for forensic science like the now-suspended commission.

For now, the Justice Department has taken the opposite view, that there is no conflict with having internal department evaluators oversee forensic science research that their prosecutors hope to use in the courtroom. We urge the attorney general and the department to take a thorough look at the many thoughtful comments from concerned citizens and quickly reconsider this approach. Forensic science requires conflict-free independent evaluation if it is to advance the truth. Peoples lives and our societys faith in the American justice system are at stake.
Regarding Iraqi Kurdistan President Masoud Barzanis June 29 op-ed, Iraqi Kurdistan must vote on independence:

The Kurds of Iraq are our best and most loyal friends in the region. They have fought bravely against the Islamic State with minimal support from the Baghdad government and, unfortunately, the United States. They give sanctuary to persecuted minorities. Their human rights values are consistent with ours.

As the Kurds of Iraq move toward claiming their independence and becoming a separate state, I hope U.S. and European leaders will provide support. It is inevitable that the citizens of the Kurdish region will support the move toward independence in their forthcoming referendum. U.S. involvement in supporting the independence process outlined by Mr. Barzani offers the hope for a peaceful transition to a new Kurdish state. Our failure to engage in the process could well lead to conditions similar to those experienced during the breakup of the former Yugoslavia, when Western nations stood by for too long while tyrants  war criminals  ran amok destroying towns and cities, persecuting minorities and killing tens of thousands of innocent people.

The move to an independent Kurdish state in Iraq is well underway. U.S. national security interests will undoubtedly be affected depending on how we engage (or fail to engage) in the process.

Ronald H. Griffith, Arlington

The writer, a general, is retired from the U.S. Army, where he was vice chief of staff of the Army and commanded the 1st Armored Division

in Desert Storm.
President Trump on Monday injected himself into an emotionally charged end-of-life case overseas, saying we would be delighted to help British parents who have sought highly experimental treatment in the United States for their terminally ill infant.

The unusual overture by a U.S. president  which Trump announced on Twitter  came a day after Pope Francis weighed in on the fate of 11-month-old Charlie Gard, whose case captured worldwide attention when European courts decided the boy should be removed from life support over the wishes of his parents.

The pontiff said on Twitter that to defend human life, above all when it is wounded by illness, is a duty of love that God entrusts to all. The courts had decided that the treatment being sought in the United States would probably only cause more harm to the child.

White House spokeswoman Helen Aguirre Ferre said Trump is seeking to help a family in a heartbreaking situation and that members of his administration had spoken to the Gards in calls facilitated by the British government.

The president is just trying to be helpful, if at all possible, Ferre said, adding that Trump had not spoken directly to the family. She declined to name the doctor and U.S. hospital that could provide treatment, citing legal issues.

This is an undated family photo of Chris Gard and Connie Yates with their son Charlie at Great Ormond Street Hospital in London. (Family photo/AP)

Charlie has a rare genetic condition and resulting brain damage that has robbed him of the ability to move his arms and legs, eat or breathe on his own.

[This terminally ill infant will be allowed to die. But first, his parents will say goodbye.]

Trumps overture came ahead of a trip this week to Germany for a G-20 summit, where he will meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, among other European leaders.

May has not taken a position on the case and did not offer any public response Monday to Trumps tweet. Other British politicians have expressed sympathy for Charlies parents but have largely refrained from expressing opinions about the case, saying that it is a matter for his family, his doctors and the courts.

Trump is embroiled at home in a fierce debate in Congress over legislation to revamp the Affordable Care Act, President Barack Obamas signature health-care initiative. While Trump has promised better health care for all Americans, an analysis by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office projected 22 million fewer people could have insurance within a decade as a result of the Senate bill written largely by Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.).

The presidents proposition Monday also offered the latest example of his ability to elevate events through messages to his more than 33 million followers on Twitter. Charlies ordeal had prompted outpourings of support from people in Britain and across the world, but it received far more attention in the U.S. media on Monday than it had previously.

Trumps action was applauded by antiabortion groups, which were broadly supportive of his campaign last year and have been pleased with his tenure thus far, including his pick of Neil M. Gorsuch for the Supreme Court.

President Trump pauses as he speaks during the Celebrate Freedom event, a gathering of Christian evangelicals at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts on Saturday. (Carolyn Kaster/AP)

The fact that President Trump would speak out on behalf of Charlie Gard shows a remarkable sensitivity to the life issue and a depth of commitment that evangelicals and faithful Catholics will find encouraging and inspiring, said Ralph Reed, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition.

[Pope Francis presents Trump with a politically loaded gift: His encyclical on climate change]

Carol Tobias, president of the National Right to Life Committee, said she was not surprised by Mondays events.

This is a story that is tugging not only at the heartstrings of pro-life America, but everyone, I think, she said, noting that the Gards have been raising money online to come to the United States. It just seems cruel and heartless for the decision-makers in the U.K. to say, Were sorry, were not going to give you this chance. 

Charlies case was taken to the European Court of Human Rights, which declined to hear the matter last week, upholding previous court rulings that it was in the infants best interest to withdraw life support.

In a ruling in April, Justice Nicholas Francis of the Family Division of the High Court of Justice wrote that there was unanimity among the experts that the therapy could not repair structural brain damage, and he noted the therapy in question had never even been tested on mice.

If Charlie were in a U.S. hospital, or able to get into one, history suggests his parents would find doctors more receptive to their wishes that life support continue, according to bioethicist Arthur L. Caplan.

We dont like to abandon people. Were very hopeful, said Caplan, a professor of bioethics at New York Universitys Langone Medical Center. We tend to have a strong religious element in there, thats part of the culture. [And] we love our technology.

Only one state, Texas, has a law that allows physicians to reject parental wishes and terminate life support, he said.

Elsewhere, there is the case of teenager Jahi McMath, who was moved from a hospital in California to New Jersey in 2013 after a coroner declared her brain dead. She remains on life support there.

In some respects, Gards case is reminiscent of that of Terri Schiavo, a Florida woman who was left in a persistent vegetative state after a cardiac arrest.

Her husband, who was her legal guardian, sought to have her feeding tube removed, but her parents disagreed. That prompted a prolonged legal fight that ended after courts ruled in her husbands favor and life support was removed.

[President largely sidesteps the bully pulpit in pushing health-care bill]

Charlie was born in August with a rare genetic condition called infantile-onset encephalomyopathic mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome, or MDDS, according to court records.

Weeks after birth, he was struggling to hold up his head and was not gaining weight. At the two-month mark, he had become lethargic, and his breathing had become shallow, records show.

Charlie was transported to Great Ormond Street Hospital in London, where he has remained since. Earlier this year, doctors concluded that nothing more could be done.

The Italian news agency ANSA reported Monday that officials at a Vatican-owned Italian hospital will ask their counterparts at the London hospital whether Charlie can be moved from that facility to Rome.

Regarding possible treatment in Rome, Bambino Gesu Hospital President Mariella Enoc said Monday: We know that it is a desperate case and that there are no effective therapies. . . . We are close to the parents in prayer and, if this is their desire, willing to take their child, for the time he has left to live.

Vatican spokesman Greg Burke said in a statement that Francis has called for Charlies parents to be able to care for him until his death.

The Holy Father follows with affection and emotion the case of little Charlie Gard and expresses his own closeness to his parents, the statement read, according to Vatican Radio. For them he prays, hoping that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end is not ignored.

Griff Witte in London contributed to this report.
RACINE  Dozens of people gathered at North Beach Monday morning to show their support for the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, which would suffer a $290 million, or 97 percent, budget cut under President Trumps proposed budget.

The cut would leave the total federal funding at $10 million, opponents of the cuts contend. The Great Lakes Restoration Initiative was launched in 2010 to accelerate efforts to protect and restore the Great Lakes, the largest system of fresh surface water in the world, according to its website.

People in 64 communities around the Great Lakes gathered at various sites for the event, dubbed All Hands on Deck. Participants joined hands and bowed to their respective lakes in a show of reverence.

We have to remind people of the Great Lakes, said Racine Mayor John Dickert, who was in attendance at the North Beach event. We have to be reminded its a fragile resource. When people make decisions that damage the Great Lakes, we need to stand up.

Dickert is to leave his position as mayor this summer to become president of the Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Cities Initiative, a regional water conservation and lakes advocacy organization.

The All Hands on Deck effort was organized by Michigan resident Kimberly Simon. She said that in the wake of the 2016 presidential election, she felt compelled to take action on something she felt passionate about, but it wasnt until the proposed budget was announced that she figured out what that something was.

Maybe were afraid (of Trumps presidency) because we werent protecting the things we love the most, Simon said. Water is a nonpartisan issue.

Various members of Congress have voiced concerns about the proposed cuts to the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative. Dickert is hopeful, then, that the current level of funding  which added up to $2.2 billion since the initiative launched in 2010  will stay intact.

The majority of people in Congress weve talked to are against the presidents cuts, Dickert said. There may be a bit of a showdown on this issue.

About 45 people made it out to North Beach, but nearly 100 people came out in smaller towns and villages around the lakes, Simon said. She said it was a strange phenomenon that bigger cities  Racine included  struggled most to get participation.

Simon plans to continue the initiative and hopes 2018 will garner more support.
An airstrip, structures and buildings on China's man-made Subi Reef in the Spratly chain of islands in the South China Sea are seen from a Philippine air force C-130 transport plane in April. (Bullit Marquez/AP)

Chinas military vowed Monday to step up air and sea patrols after an American warship sailed near a disputed island in the South China Sea in what Beijing called a serious political and military provocation.

The spat is the latest in a series of disputes that have roiled the U.S.-China relationship in just the past few days. Experts said Washington appeared to be signaling its growing frustration with Beijing by rolling out measures including arms sales to Taiwan and sanctions against a Chinese bank doing business with North Korea.

On Sunday, the USS Stethem, a guided-missile destroyer, sailed within 12 nautical miles of Triton Island, a U.S. defense official said. The small isle in the Paracel Islands chain is claimed and controlled by China. It was the second such U.S. operation near Chinese-controlled islands in six weeks.

U.S. officials tried to portray the latest patrol as a routine, planned maneuver, but whatever their intentions, it has created more friction between the two countries. Chinas Defense Ministry said its armed forces had dispatched two frigates, a minesweeper and two fighter jets to warn the Stethem away.

A senior administration official said the White House did not believe the freedom of navigation operation came as a surprise to Beijing. Its actually routine activity, the official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity about sensitive bilateral relations. We made that very clear to them. I dont see anything that suggests either side is moving to destabilize the situation.

Trump hosted Chinese President Xi Jinping at his Mar-a-Lago resort in April and said the men enjoyed great chemistry. That marked a reversal from his tone during the presidential campaign, in which he had assailed China for what he called its unfair trade and currency practices. But in recent weeks, the White House has become frustrated with China over its reluctance to tighten the screws on North Korea in retaliation for its nuclear and missile program. China is North Koreas biggest trading partner.

No more relying on the bromance between Donald and Jinping, Evan Medeiros, who served as President Barack Obamas top adviser for Asia, said in an interview. The honeymoon is clearly over, but the next phase is less clear.

Last week, the United States angered China by lumping the country with the worlds worst offenders on human trafficking, a downgrade from previous years. It was the new administrations most strident public criticism yet of Chinas human rights record.

Medeiros said Washington was sending a signal that policy toward China was changing, with the ultimate aim of securing more cooperation from Beijing.

The Paracels are among a group of islands and atolls in the South China Sea at the heart of ongoing tensions in Southeast Asia. China claims full sovereignty over the sea and has built military facilities on some islands.

The White House, in the Obama and Trump administrations, has seen the militarization of the South China Sea as a threat to stability in the resource-rich region, where ships from numerous countries have long fished.

[China to U.S.: New sanctions, arms sales to Taiwan the wrong moves]

Chinas Defense Ministry said the United States has seriously damaged strategic mutual trust between the two countries by entering what it claimed were Chinas territorial waters, while the countrys Foreign Ministry accused the United States of staging a serious political and military provocation.

The incident came just hours before Trump spoke by telephone to Xi  on Sunday night in Washington, Monday morning in Beijing.

During the call, Trump raised the growing threat posed by North Koreas nuclear and ballistic missile programs, the White House said in a statement.

Xi also used the call to express his concerns, requesting that the United States handle the Taiwan issue appropriately, according to a Chinese statement. China considers Taiwan a renegade province.

Xi stressed that both China and the United States need to control the general direction of the bilateral relationship in light of the consensus reached at the Mar-a-Lago summit, Chinas government said.

Neither statement mentioned the tensions over the South China Sea.

The senior administration official called the call a clearing of the air.

China had appeared confident that it had reached an understanding with the United States after the Mar-a-Lago meeting and had gauged the minimum necessary action required to satisfy the Trump administration, said Bonnie Glaser, a senior adviser for Asia at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. Chinese leaders seemed to have miscalculated.

Apparently, they didnt respond adequately to U.S. concerns about banks and front companies in China that are enabling North Koreas illegal activities, she said.

A downturn in ties was effectively announced on Twitter on June 20, when Trump declared that Chinas pressure on North Korea had not worked out.

Arthur Kroeber, managing director of Gavekal Dragonomics, a consulting and research firm, said Trump may have miscalculated, too.

The basic deal Trump thought he offered Xi at the Mar-a-Lago summit  a light touch on trade in exchange for more cooperation on North Korea  was absurdly unrealistic, given Chinas obvious unwillingness to change its North Korea policy, he wrote in a client note.

But Kroeber said he still did not expect Trump to embark on a stupid and self-defeating trade war with China.

The more likely outcome is that he will settle for largely symbolic actions that will do little to change trade flows but enable him to crow to his political base that he has got tough with foreigners who are cheating Americans out of production and jobs, he wrote.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Geng Shuang said at a news conference Monday that both sides were determined to press ahead with their relationship despite encountering some issues.

A Chinese foreign policy expert, speaking on the condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, said Beijing does not want to see a deterioration in relations with Washington before an important Communist Party congress in the fall that is due to formally award Xi a second five-year term as leader.

Facing Americas recent behavior, the Chinese government had to make a public response, he said. But President Xis words were relatively low-key.

U.S. officials said the Navys action Sunday  known as a freedom-of-navigation operation, or FONOP  was not aimed at making a political statement.

[Opinion: Chinese-U. S. honeymoon is over]

China has had de facto control of the Paracels since expelling Vietnam in 1974.

The Foreign Ministry said the Stethem had trespassed there, entering the waters without Chinas approval. Wu Qian, a spokesman for the Defense Ministry, said the American action seriously damaged strategic mutual trust and military relations.

The Chinese army will strengthen its defense capacity, increase the intensity of its sea and air patrols, and firmly defend national sovereignty and security, he said in a statement.

In May, a U.S. destroyer sailed within 12 miles of Mischief Reef, a man-made island in the Spratly Islands to the south of the Paracels.

[Satellite images show reinforced Chinese missile sites near disputed islands]

The 12-mile line is the internationally recognized distance that separates the shores of a sovereign nation from international waters. The United States has routinely conducted voyages within this 12-mile limit around islands in the South China Sea as a message to countries such as China, Taiwan, Vietnam and the Philippines.

Many of these nations have laid claim to islands in the South China Sea, some of which are no more than tiny strips of sand and reef.

The Stethem, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, is based in Japan.

Gibbons-Neff reported from Boston. David Nakamura in Washington contributed to this report.

Read more:

Taiwan arms sale, N. Korea sanctions outrage Beijing in test of U.S.-China ties under Trump

How Chinas fishermen are fighting a covert war in the South China Sea

5 stories you need to read to understand the South China Sea ruling

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

Like Washington Post World on Facebook and stay updated on foreign news
Qatars foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, second from left, hand-delivers a letter from Qatar's emir to the emir of Kuwait, Sheikh Sabah Ahmad al-Sabah, in Kuwait City on Monday. (Kuwait News Agency via European Pressphoto Agency)

Qatar delivered its official response Monday to 13 demands made by a Saudi-led coalition of Arab states engaged in a blockade against their neighbor, as President Trump again weighed in on the regional dispute. There was no immediate indication what the reply was or whether it would be sufficient to end the four-week-old crisis.

Qatars foreign minister, Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani, flew to Kuwait to hand-deliver the reply to Kuwaits emir, according to the news agencies of Qatar and Kuwait. The visit came just hours after a 10-day Saudi deadline for Qatar to respond to the demands was extended by 48 hours, at Kuwaits request, until midnight on Tuesday.

Kuwait has been central to efforts to mediate an end to the crisis, which threatens to unravel a network of alliances underpinning the United States military presence in the Middle East and further destabilize the region. Saudi Arabia has been joined by Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates and Egypt in the campaign to isolate Qatar and force changes to its foreign policy, which so far has been confined to an air, sea and land blockade.

[Whats going on with Qatar?]

Trump also participated in the diplomacy, making telephone calls Sunday to the leaders of Saudi Arabia and Qatar and to the crown prince of Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.

Trump, who has repeatedly sided with Saudi Arabia in the dispute, tweeted on Monday morning about one of the phone calls, but he did not indicate whether a solution had been reached.

Spoke yesterday with the King of Saudi Arabia about peace in the Middle-East. Interesting things are happening! the tweet said.

A White House statement suggested, however, that Trump continues to back Saudi Arabia and its allies against Qatar, despite efforts by Secretary of State Rex Tillerson to adopt a more measured approach.

[Trump seems to undercut Tillerson on Qatar]

Trump reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology, the statement said. Although Trump believes that unity in the region is important, the overriding objective of his initiative is the cessation of funding for terrorism, it said.

At issue is Qatars perceived support for what Saudi Arabia and its allies have labeled terrorism, including Qatari backing for Islamist political movements in the region and its periodic contacts with Saudi Arabias arch nemesis, Iran.

Qatar has said that its activities amount only to the pursuit of an independent foreign policy that often runs counter to Saudi interests. It accuses its larger neighbor of seeking to encroach on its sovereignty.

The list of 13 demands includes the closure of the influential Al Jazeera television network and the severance of all ties with Iran, the Muslim Brotherhood, al-Qaeda and the Islamic State. Another requirement is that Qatar end support for political dissidents in the four countries making the demands.

[Qatar crisis offers glimpse of feuding within Trump administration]

The spat has revealed rifts within the Trump administration as well as the Middle East. While Trump has made it clear he supports Saudi Arabia and its allies, Tillerson has suggested that the demands on Qatar are excessive and may have less to do with terrorism than with long-standing feuds among the regions ruling families.

Kuwait is now expected to convey Qatars response to the representatives of Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Bahrain and Egypt, whose foreign ministers are scheduled to meet Wednesday in Cairo to discuss their next steps.

Read more:

Todays coverage from Post correspondents around the world

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President Trump speaks before signing an executive order to reinstate the National Space Council. Hui Chen, the Justice Departments corporate compliance expert, ended her contract early, citing the feeling that she was being hypocritical asking companies about conflict of interest issues given the presidents own troubles in that area. (Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images)

As a contractor for the Justice Department, Hui Chen would ask probing questions about companies inner workings to help determine whether they should be prosecuted for wrongdoing. But working in the Trump administration, Chen began to feel like a hypocrite.

How could she ask companies about their conflicts of interest when the president was being sued over his?

How do I sit across the table from companies and ask about their policies on conflict of interest, when everybody had woken up and read the same news? Chen said in an interview. I didnt want to be a part of the administration whose job it is to question others about these precise things.

Though her contract wasnt up until September, Chen left the department in late June  then laid bare her reasons in a post on LinkedIn. The post drew attention because of Chens position and how blunt she was on the circumstances of her departure.

[Help wanted: Why Republicans wont work for the Trump administration]

To sit across the table from companies and question how committed they were to ethics and compliance felt not only hypocritical, but very much like shuffling the deck chair on the Titanic, she wrote. I wanted no more part in it.

[D.C. and Maryland sue President Trump, alleging breach of constitutional oath]

Chens leaving is another example of professionals in Washington being unwilling to serve in the Trump administration.

The No. 2 diplomat at the U.S. Embassy in Beijing similarly stepped down last month, then wrote in The Washington Post that he could not in good conscience be involved in any way, no matter how small with the implementation of the decision to remove the United States from the Paris climate agreement. Even Republicans have been asking headhunters whether their reputations could suffer permanent damage if they accept jobs working for Trumps government, and some have rejected job offers.

Chen said she formally started in November 2015 as a full-time compliance expert working on a contract basis.

Though she did not serve as a prosecutor, Chen helped prosecutors assess companies corporate compliance programs as the prosecutors made decisions about whether to bring criminal charges. She worked in the fraud section under Andrew Weissmann, who is now working for the special counsel team investigating possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin to influence the 2016 election.

Chen said she had long been concerned about how the Trump administration might operate, but she did not leave earlier because she wanted to stay to see how things really develop.

In addition to the lawsuits over conflicts of interest, Chen said she became concerned over the firing of James B. Comey, the FBI director, and the withdrawal from the Paris climate agreement. She said no one in the administration pressured her directly to change the way she did her job.

Chen said she told Weissmann in May that she wanted to depart as soon as possible, though he persuaded her to stay.until her contract was up Some time later, she said she had a similar conversation with Sandra Moser, who had replaced Weissmann in the fraud section after Weissmann went to the special counsels office.

On June 19, though, Chen said Moser approached her again and asked whether she would object to leaving by weeks end.

I stopped for like two seconds, and kind of broke into a smile and said, No, not at all.  Chens last day was June 23.

The Justice Department declined to comment for this report.

Chen had long been active on political matters and opposed to the Trump administration. Her various social-media profiles show her attending demonstrations and feature pictures of her in a Resist hat  which has become a slogan for those opposed to the president.

Her social-media posts drew some attention, because Justice Department policies and laws such as the Hatch Act limit what those who work in government can say on political topics, especially when theyre on the job. Chen said no one at the Justice Department ever complained to her about them.

I was very careful, Chen said. I obviously knew about the limitations of the Hatch Act. My belief is if I had actually violated anything, I would have heard about that in a hot second.

Chen said she will now spend her time trying to elect candidates who represent the values that I believe in, and she hopes to speak, write and consult on corporate compliance topics.

Julie Tate contributed to this report.
GNC Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as a specialty retailer of health, wellness, and performance products. The company operates through three segments: U.S. and Canada, International, and Manufacturing/Wholesale. Its products include proteins, performance supplements, weight management supplements, vitamins, herbs and greens, wellness supplements, health and beauty products, food and drink products, and other general merchandise. The company also provides third-party contract manufacturing services. It sells its products under the GNC proprietary brands, as well as under third-party brands. As of December 31, 2018, the company had approximately 8,400 locations of which approximately 6,200 retail locations in the United States and franchise operations in approximately 50 countries. It sells its products through company-owned retail stores and its Website GNC.com, as well as third-party Websites; wholesale partnerships; and domestic and international franchise activities. GNC Holdings, Inc. has a strategic partnership with Harbin Pharmaceutical Group Holding Co., Ltd. and International Vitamin Corporation. The company was founded in 1935 and is headquartered in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The June 14 Grenfell Tower fire in London, which is thought to have killed over a hundred residents, has produced widespread shock and anger by Australian workers and young people.

Many who spoke to WSWS reporters over the weekend denounced the conditions that led to the blaze, including the flammable cladding on the building, and the lack of sprinklers and other basic safety measures.

Some drew parallels with the undermining of building regulations by successive Labor and Liberal-National governments in Australia. Media reports since the Grenfell Tower disaster have warned that flammable Aluminium Composite Panels (ACP) cladding is prevalent in the construction industry.

Government authorities, at the state and federal level, however, have done virtually nothing to identify at-risk buildings, let alone take action to prevent a similar disaster. Like their counterparts in Britain, the major parties represent the interests of the property developers and financial entities that have made billions of dollars from an ongoing property boom.

A limited audit in 2014 found that up to 51 percent of high-rise buildings in central Melbourne had flammable ACP cladding. A leaked report by the New South Wales (NSW) Department of Planning and Environment last year estimated that up to 2,500 high-rise buildings in Metropolitan Sydney were fitted with ACP cladding.

The Lacrosse apartment complex in Melbournethe scene of a potentially catastrophic fire in 2014is among the buildings across the country identified as having ACP cladding. Others include the Royal Womens Hospital and Victorian Comprehensive Cancer Centre in Melbourne, and the Foyer Oxford apartment building in Leerdervale, Western Australia, which houses at-risk young people and, possibly, the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane, Queensland.

In NSWs Central Coast, Jenny and Judy voiced their concerns. Both are forced to live on poverty-level Newstart unemployment benefits, despite being in their 60s.

Judy said: When I saw the fire I was devastated and cried. I kept thinking of all the poor children and their parents killed in a terrible death. They could not be helped. It was disgusting. The council ignored the complaints from the residents about the fire hazard. They dont care about the people, they just wanted them out.

Jenny, who was recently kicked off disability benefits despite being partially blind, said the fire was an attack on the working class. She added: Its no different here. That cladding is used all over the world. How many more people will die before they do anything?

Chris, 29, works in a dry-cleaning plant. He branded the Grenfell Tower fire as a crime. He commented: I was surprised that a building could explode into flames like that, and spread so quickly. It was obvious then that there would be a lot of people trapped that would die. Even the firefighters were surprised and could do nothing to save the people.

It was a crime because the council knew cheap inflammable cladding was on the building. I dont think they cared because the building was home for lower-class struggling people.

It didnt surprise me when I heard that the council repeatedly ignored the complaints from residents that the building was a fire trap. They did nothing. They were willing to spend money to make the building look pretty because it was in a wealthy part of the city, but they didnt want to spend money to protect the residents. They wanted the people out of the area. This was an attack on working people.

In Melbourne, Georgia, whose family is from Britain, said: Austerity will continue to kill, to make the poorest people suffer for the gains of the rich. It is disgusting.

The cladding on these towers is just the tip of the iceberg. It has been used on schools and many other buildings.

Hopefully the anger over this will be a catalyst for something. Capitalism is a global problem. We have to change things by getting involved. I think we need a revolution.

David, a retired social worker, said those responsible for the disaster should be brought to justice. He said: Its always the poor or the disabled that get screwed. Both parties that are responsible for the deregulation should be brought to court. Their legislation caused the death of people. Its a horrible way to die.

David denounced the response of the authorities to the tragedy, including demands that residents of other at-risk apartment buildings move out with no permanent alternative accommodation. I was astounded that all these people from other towers are being told not to live there. But where are you going to put them and how would you like to be taken away from your home that youre used to, and be put somewhere else?

Valerie, who lives in housing commission flats in Burnley, Melbourne, spoke out against the conditions facing public housing residents. On this property everything is broken, including gates and doors, she commented.

We need a lot done. When you go to tell them [the housing commission] about it, they tell you to ring maintenance. Two months later they might send someone around! Theyre not going to fix things. Ive been here eight years and all my window sills are rotten. They should spend money on safety.

Those poor people in London didnt have any money. I feel so sorry. You arent safe anywhere. They just wont spend money on the poor.

In Sydney, Sam, who manufactures fire doors, said one of his friends previously lived in the Grenfell Tower. After the fire happened he was very upset because he could have been living there, he said. He is a very good mate of mine, so it makes you feel bad when your workmate is upset.

Working in the building-products industry, we use the fire code and I know how to deal with fire doors and fire ratings. If they didnt check it [Grenfell Tower] properly, how did they get permission to build it in the first place?

This was a big building so it should have been checked. They have electronic equipment that quickly tells you the fire rating of materials. If they werent following the instructions then the government should have cancelled their licence.

It is a crime to play with other peoples lives and they should be punished, Sam concluded. If they are let go then it will happen again.

Bill, an IT worker in Sydney, said: It made me sick, just thinking about what happened and also what the government did afterwardsnothing. All those people had no place to go, it was absolutely shocking. Its the rich and the poor. Big corporations making profit at the expense of ordinary people.

The authorities dont know, or they dont want to know, how many people died. Ordinary people are saying its over 100 people dead. Its indifference and a cover-up. This is a lot worse than the recent terrorist attacks in terms of how many people have died, but the response is completely different.

Bill said he knew of at least one apartment building in Auburn, a working-class suburb in Sydneys southwest, fitted with ACP cladding. He also recalled the Euro Terraces fire in Bankstown in 2012, which killed a young Chinese woman and seriously injured her friend. There was no sprinkler system because the building was just under the required height for them, he said. Theyd also had problems with the fire safety equipment, the building had failed an inspection.

Bill commented on the broader erosion of building standards: If you look at all the new buildings going up in Sydney, including in this area, they dont check for a lot of things, including water-proofing. Property developers are just putting paint on them, and then the people who buy them have huge costs to fix up all the problems. The councils are not checking on that.
Without a parliamentary debate, let alone a vote, Justin Trudeaus Liberal government announced last Thursday the extension and expansion of Canadas involvement in the US-led Mideast war. The decision means that up to 850 Canadian military personnel will continue to operate in Iraq and Kuwait until the end of March 2019, assisting Washington in its reckless drive to secure unbridled dominance over the energy-rich Middle East.

The new deployment gives Chief of Defence Staff General Jonathan Vance the latitude to decide the composition of the 850-strong military force that will operate in the region. The military will also be able to determine where the forces operate and with whom. Some 200 Special Forces troops, scores of war-planning and intelligence personnel, 50 medical staff, and hundreds of members of the Royal Canadian Air Force have been engaged in the conflict since the Liberals March 2016 expansion of the Middle East intervention the Stephen Harper-led Conservative government launched in September 2014.

The deployment includes surveillance and refueling aircraft that operate over Syria as well as Iraq and military helicopters. A Hercules transport plane is now to be added.

Canadas role in the latest US-led war in the Middle East is aimed both at strengthening its alliance with Washington, far and away its most important economic and military-security partner, and ensuring Ottawa has a seat at the table in the reordering of the region.

While touted as a war against ISIS, the current war arises out of the series of wars that US imperialism has waged in the Middle East since 1991 and has as its principal aim the overthrow of Syrias Russian- and Iranian-backed regime.

Washingtons bloody military operations have blown up whole societies, killing millions, rendered millions more refugees, and fanned the flames of ethno-religious sectarianism, fueling tensions between regional powers like Saudi Arabia and Iran.

Canadas expanded military presence in Iraq will only intensify the already explosive ethnic tensions in the country. Significantly, the new deployment allows for Canadian forces not only to continue their support of Kurdish Peshmerga fighters, but also to collaborate with Iraqi government forces. Many of its Shia-dominated units have been accused by aid and human rights groups like Amnesty International of systematic and widespread human rights abuses and atrocities during the recapture of Mosul, including torture, extra-judicial executions and the forced displacement of villagers. The Canadian military and government have turned a blind-eye to similar crimes perpetrated by the Peshmerga.

With ISIS territory in Iraq rapidly being recaptured, bitter feuds between warring sectarian camps could well ignite a wider conflict. The oil-rich region around Mosul, which was predominantly a Sunni city prior to the Iraqi offensive, has become the target of Shiite forces keen to extend their influence and Kurdish militia animated by the prospect of an independent Kurdistan.

Recognizing that there is little public support for Canada becoming embroiled in a Mideast war, especially one that threatens to ignite a conflict between the major powers, Trudeaus Liberals did everything they could to bury their announcement that the Canadian Armed Forces mission in the Middle East is being extended to the end of March 2019. The announcement was made in a press statement released after parliament had risen for the summer and at the beginning of the Canada Day holiday weekend.

The expansion of Canadas military intervention in the Middle East comes just three weeks after the Liberal government released its new defence policy. It pledges that the government will increase military spending by more than 70 percent over the next decade to close to $33 billion per year. The additional funds will be used to increase the number of military personnel and purchase new equipment, including a fleet of 88 fighter aircraft, 15 new warships and armed drones.

The Liberals, whose were promoted by the trade unions and various pseudo-left groups as a progressive alternative to Harper and his Conservatives, have sought to cloak this major military build-up behind a wave of propaganda about Canadas diversity and commitment to democracy and human rights. In a speech delivered a day prior to the unveiling of the spending hike, Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland claimed that these Canadian values have to be defended with hard power, i.e., war. In a similar vein, the new defence policy includes commitments to strengthen the diversity of the armed forces by increasing the percentage of women serving from 15 to 25 percent over the next decade and intensifying efforts to recruit visible minorities including First Nations people and immigrants.

Behind such rhetoric, the Liberals are seeking to ensure that Canadian imperialism has the means to aggressively assert its predatory interests around the globe. As it is, Canada is deeply implicated in the three principal military-strategic offensives of the USin the Middle East and against Russia and China.

Earlier in June, the Liberals quietly revealed plans to expand the mandate of the Canadian Armed Forces training mission in Ukraine. Since 2015 and, as of the recent government announcement, until 2019, 200 Canadian soldiers are deployed to Ukraine to train army and National Guard units to fight pro-Russian separatists in the east. Under guidelines announced in June, the Canadian troops will be allowed to deploy anywhere in Ukraine, apart from Russian border areas and the frontline of the fighting, a move that significantly expands the operational area of Canadian forces and increases the likelihood of their becoming involved in combat.

Canadian forces also took center stage last month at a ceremony in Latvia to mark the commencement of operations by one of NATOs four new forward deployed battalions on Russias border. Four hundred and fifty Canadian troops are providing the command and basic infrastructure for the Latvian-based battalion, while the United States, Britain and Germany are leading similar forces in Estonia, Lithuania and Poland.

The predatory character of Canadas participation in the imperialist carve-up of the Middle East was underscored late last month when the political and media establishment united as one to praise a Canadian sniper who reportedly shot an ISIS militant from a distance of 3.5 kilometers. As media outlets, including the state-funded CBC, breathlessly competed to outdo each other with reports that a Canadian now held the record for the longest kill shot anywhere in the world, Trudeau told reporters that the action was something to be celebrated.

This explodes the Liberals bogus claim that Canada is no longer involved in combat operations in Iraq. In reality, the reorganization of Ottawas military forces that Trudeau announced in early 2016, including the withdrawal of Canadas six CF-18 fighter jets, resulted in Canada becoming even more deeply implicated in the fighting. Last November, Vance acknowledged to a parliamentary committee that the Special Forces deployed to Iraq spend much of their time on or close to the front line of fighting, advising and assisting the Peshmerga, and that in certain circumstances they are authorized to initiate fighting.

Canadian troops have since entered the city of Mosul, the target of an onslaught over recent months by US-backed Iraqi forces that has claimed the lives of thousands of civilians.

The lack of any opposition from within the political establishment to the disgusting outpouring of enthusiasm for Canadian military violence shows that all of the major parties are fully behind the war drive. Responding to news of the snipers achievement, New Democratic Party (NDP) leader Thomas Mulcair said it was appropriate to laud the prowess of the Canadian military, but Trudeau had gone too far in urging Canadians to celebrate the death of another human being.

The NDP has endorsed every Canadian imperialist military intervention over the past two decades, from the 1999 bombing of Yugoslavia and the Afghan War, to the 2004 intervention into Haiti to depose the countrys elected president and the NATO regime-change war in Libya.

The NDP has no fundamental objection to the current deployment in the Middle East. While the party voted against the initial intervention, it supports Canada being part of the US-led Mideast war coalition and accepts the premise that Canadian military forces should be active in Iraq and Syria. The NDP merely urges that they be used to undertake humanitarian activities, language which has been used to justify every imperialist atrocity since the 1990s.

The author also recommends:

Canada to hike military spending by 70 percent over next decade

[10 June 2017]

War must be part of Canadas future, foreign minister declares

[8 June 2017]
Last Thursday, New York State Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo signed an executive order declaring a state of emergency on the states Metropolitan Transit Authority (MTA), the subway and regional rail system that services the New York City metropolitan area.

The measure is largely political theatre aimed at assuaging the anger of commuters who have experienced months of delays and life-threatening accidents on the systems three commuter rail lines, particularly the Long Island Railroad (LIRR) and the New York City subway.

The governors declaration follows a subway derailment last Tuesday, June 27, in which 39 passengers were injured and about 800 walked off an A train onto the tracks in a dark and dangerous tunnel. Passengers left the train after it careened into a wall releasing smoke that impaired their ability to breathe.

Earlier last month, an F train was stuck between stations for an hour without air conditioning causing riders to try to open locked doors to escape the sweltering heat. In January, a Long Island railroad train derailed injuring 37 people.

Last week, due to a power failure, hundreds of commuters were stranded on the LIRR for two hours causing crippling delays and cancellations into Manhattans Penn Station throughout the morning. Emergency personnel had to move a rescue train up to the disabled one to transfer about 500 passengers. Later that evening there were even more delays. The LIRR suspended service for more than two hours beginning around 5:00 PM because of the loss of power on 12 tracks at Penn station.

Also, last week, a Metro-North commuter train broke down when an overhead wire was damaged, causing delays of up to 70 minutes on the New Haven, Connecticut line. The Hudson Bergen Light Rail service in New Jersey was suspended because of an accident between a train and a vehicle. Although it is run by the New Jersey Transit Authority (NJTA)also in a deep crisisthe train line services the New York City metropolitan area and delays have a direct impact on the New York system.

Because of many years of neglect, and, more immediately, a series of recent derailments and breakdowns, emergency repairs at Penn Station, which is controlled by Amtrak, the federal commuter railroad, are set to begin July 10. This will create even more delays in the New York, Long Island, and New Jersey areas, in what the media has dubbed a summer of hell.

The MTA, the largest transportation network in North America, is a state agency essentially run by the New York governor, who has now given his newly appointed MTA Chairman Joseph Lhota 60 days to assess capital needs for train cars, tracks, and signals.

As part of his state of emergency Cuomo has said he would loosen bureaucratic impediments in the MTA to purchasing equipment. He also claimed he would add $1 billion to the transit agencys capital program, although he has not said how he would come up with the money. According to Cuomo administration officials, the funds would have to be approved by the state legislature.

One MTA board member, Veronica Vanterpool, has said that Cuomo has not yet explained where the $7.3 billion of the $8.3 billion committed by the state to the MTAs current $32.5 billion capital plan will come from. The corporate media have echoed this concern and it is widely believed that there is no money in the state coffers to save the transit system.

The amount proposed by Cuomo is a drop in the bucket for the metropolitan transit system, which the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) says is being forced to stretch beyond capacitymore riders, aging vehicles, capital funding gaps, and structures built over 100 years ago that must be more resilient today than ever before. The ASCE says New York Citys transit system needs at least $68 billion over the next 20 years along with new technologies to replace aging system components and improve the quality of transit service.

Cuomos solution to the crisis has been to appoint Lhota to head the MTA. Lhota served in a variety of positions for the reactionary New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, among them chief rat catcher. He ran the MTA under billionaire Mayor Michael Bloomberg, and then was the Republican candidate in 2013 in the New York City mayoral election, running against Democrat and current Mayor Bill De Blasio.

During his previous reign at the MTA, Lhota raised fares and facilitated the very crisis that has erupted the last few months. He also brings back to the MTA the talent of blackguarding MTA workers and blaming them for nearly any malfunction in the antiquated system.

On the day of the derailment, Lhota immediately attributed the incident to human error. The MTA then issued a statement stating the cause of the derailment was an improperly secured piece of replacement rail that was stored on the tracks. Storing equipment in between tracks is a common practice employed by railroads across the country to accelerate rail repairs. The key to this being an effective and safe practice is making sure that the extra equipment is bolted down, which does not appear to have happened in this case. The next day, the MTA suspended two supervisors without pay.

It is well known by those familiar with the system that top management is constantly pressuring supervisors and workers alike to cut corners for the sake of productivity or make it appear that productivity or performance looks better than it really is.

The crisis in the New York City subway system has been accelerating in recent years as delays have increased from 28,000 a month in 2012 to 70,000 a month last year. The lifespan of train cars before breakdown has become shorter, from an average of every 200,000 miles in November 2010 to 112,000 miles today.

These delays are the result of an inadequately maintained and outmoded signal system, tracks, and trains, especially on the A and C lines. It took decades of neglect for the transit system to reach the current state of crisis not just structurally, but also financially. The subway system was approaching a complete collapse during the fiscal crises in the 1970s when the city almost went bankrupt.

The first capital improvement program began in 1981, but over the years not enough money has been invested to properly maintain and replace the signal systemwhich has technology that dates back to 1904as well as aging cars and tracks. Because of a lack of funding, the transit agency has been continuously borrowing and now owes wealthy bondholders $40 billion. As a result, 18 percent of the operating budget is earmarked for debt servicing and this percentage will increase with the ever-growing debt.

In addition to negotiatingwith the assistance of the Transport Workers Union (TWU) and other unionsa series of concession contracts against transit workers, the MTA has made passengers pay more for inferior service by raising fares every two years.

A state of emergency indeed exists in New York transit. The derailment of the A train last week was a warning. It was fortunate that the passengers escaped relatively unharmed, but the next accident may be more tragic. Every day millions are unable to get to work in time, and hundreds of thousands are stretched to the limit simply to pay the fare on a failing system.

Any viable resolution of this crisis would begin with canceling the immense debt to the wealthy bondholders and other investors, and utilizing these resources to carry out a massive infrastructure repair.

But the political establishment is paralyzed and neither the governorwho boasted last year that he had cut corporate taxes in the state to the lowest level since 1968nor the federal authorities, dominated by two thoroughly corrupt Wall Street parties, have any viable plan to address this crisis.

In a city that is the principal financial center of global capitalism, home to 82 billionaires and thousands more high net worth individuals (those with a million dollars in assets beside a home), the decay of mass transit and the dangers posed to millions of working people is a matter of indifference to the corporate elite and its political servants.
Two hundred and forty nurses and other hospital staff returned to work last Wednesday after a one-day strike and a punitive two-day lockout by administrators at Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, Massachusetts. The nurses, who are members of the Massachusetts Nurses Association (MNA), have been working without a contract since January 1.

Among the nurses grievances are the refusal of hospital management to guarantee safe staffing levels and the steady erosion of their own health benefits. They are demanding improved wages and working conditions.

Nurses were locked out last Monday and Tuesday following a vote in favor of a 24-hour strike to protest the hospitals refusal to negotiate on labor and contract conditions. When they returned to work, nurses and supporters from the community were met with a large security presence made up of private security guards and the Greenfield Police Department. After nurses were directed to enter the building using the side entrance, Donna Stern, a psychiatric nurse and senior co-chair of the local bargaining unit of the Massachusetts Nurses Association, was denied entry and told only nurses authorized to work tonight could enter.

Stern and another union rep were finally allowed to enter after the other nurses scheduled to work that evening refused to enter in solidarity. Once inside, they were separated from other nurses, brought to meet with Cindy Russo, head of the hospital, and told they could not be there after which point they were escorted out of the hospital by security.

Nurses have been locked into the dispute with Baystate Health group since their contract expired on December 31, 2016. Since that time, they have been subjected to sharp increases in expenses related to their company-owned health care plan and dangerously low staffing levels. The nominally nonprofit health care group, whose CEO, Mark Keroack, made $1.2 million in 2014, has refused to negotiate on the three main areas, which they are legally mandated to bargain: workplace health and safety, workload, health insurance, and staffing levels.

Speaking on the huge cost increases faced by nurses, Stern told the WSWS: Average overall annual increases in health insurance are around 10 percent. They raised ours 26 percent, when you account for premiums, deductibles and copays. They own the health insurance company and are gouging nurses. Its like being in a coal mining town where all you can get is company insurance. Whatever pittance of a raise we are given, which does not even keep up with the cost of living, is taken away through these increases.

Speaking on the intimidation she has faced from hospital management and their lawyers, she stated, It is awful to be treated with such disrespect, threatened with arrest, escorted from the building, to personally be targeted and harassed. Its disgusting, and now they have a union-busting consultant and the head of HR facilitating antistrike healing meetings.

Patrick is a nurse at Franklin Medical Centers psychiatric unit who has been there for six years. He started off as per-diem nurse and is now working what is considered full time (32 hours) at the hospital.

Referring to the impact of Obamacare on health care workers, he said, I have noticed that there has always been a sense of urgency to get people in and out. Now it has become even more of an issue in the last 2-3 years. I work on psych unit, different than other wards with people coming in with a broken hip, heart problem, etc. There has to be more grace time for dealing with patients. In the last two-and-a-half to three years, the sense of urgency to get patients in and out and the need to fight with insurance companies has increased. The problem with psych care is there is not a lot of outpatient coverage. People get discharged before they are ready and then they will return within a week or two. Then its difficult for the hospital to get payment for returning patients.

In terms of the patient/nurse ratio, Patrick said, Patient load is six peopleit can be difficult. Our biggest issue is that the hospital builds holes into the staffing schedule. My colleagues complain of the caseload. I picked up a shift today to make up for the money I lost during the lockout. Typically this shift would have just been a hole, that is for one nurse they didnt schedule. This has been going on for a long time. It has been Baystates standard operating procedure.

They will only pay for a position if they deem it absolutely necessary. We have a Swiss cheese schedule, and if someone calls out, it puts a tremendous amount of pressure on other nurses. But having the time to attend to pysch patients is imperative, because just having 15 minutes to help someone with a difficult moment can prevent a suicide attempt, and we can provide that support when we are adequately staffed.

Referring to the nurses own health plan, Patrick cited the song Sixteen Tons by Tennessee Ernie Ford about mining towns in West Virginia, where workers purchased goods on credit from the company store. Haul 16 tons, and what do you get? Another day older and deeper in debt.

We were told we would pay less out of our paycheck for this new plan, but our deductible doubled. I guess thats OK for someone in their 20s as long as they dont have a chronic illness. Im in my 50s; when I go to my doctor for a condition I have, I am paying fees to see the doctor and then to get the equipment I need to deal with it, and it really adds up.

Its a pretty damning statement, the fact that in our society, nurses cannot afford health care. It makes me mad as hell. It is a racket. I didnt realize it until I started working at the hospital. Baystate is committed to creating the appearance of providing quality health care, but they are actually leeching the community. I support single-payer health care, like what I heard about when I traveled to Ireland and England. If we are this great experiment of a society, why cant we get together and take care of ourselves?

The attack facing Baystate nurses has become increasingly commonplace for health care workers throughout the country. Chronic understaffing and cost cutting in hospitals, along with shifting the health care costs from employers to workers, was central to Obamas misnamed Affordable Care Act. These attacks will be escalated by the Trump administration, with bipartisan support from the Democrats.

In 2016, 4,000 nurses at Allina Health in the Twin Cities area in Minnesota fought a five-week battle against Allinas demand that they accept a company-run insurance plan. The Minnesota Nurses Association, an affiliate of the National Nurses United (NNU) just like the Massachusetts Nurses Association, capitulated to managements demands.

The defense of the right to health care for nurses to have decent working conditions, wages and benefits is above all a political fight against the corporate-controlled for-profit health system, which is defended by both parties. The NNU and their state affiliates are allied with the Democratic Party and NNU President RoseAnn DeMoro has joined Bernie Sanders charade that this big-business party can be transformed into a peoples party. In the end, the promotion of this sickly dependence on the Democratic Party is translated into pathetic appeals to the conscience of corporate directors and sponsors, with strikes turned into nothing but impotent publicity stunts.

A real fight is necessary. Rank-and-file nurses will have to take the conduct of the fight in their own hands and mobilize the broadest support throughout the working class.
Following a train derailment in upper Manhattan on June 27, New York State Democratic Governor Andrew Cuomo has announced a state of emergency for the New York City subway system.

According to the new plan by the governor, the state will allocate an addition $1 billion to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) capital plan. The MTA, which oversees the New York City subway system, has remained horribly underfunded for decades and has accumulated a debt of roughly $36.5 billion.

The antiquated system is increasingly plagued with delays and technical issues. In April and May of this year there were two power failures, which caused serious delays and the rerouting of seven lines.

A World Socialist Web Site reporting team spoke with MTA workers and commuters about the recent derailment and ongoing transit crisis.

Eric Simon, a train operator, told the WSWS, The new MTA Chairman [Joe] Lhota is wrong when he blamed human error for the derailment because someone applied the emergency braking system. Applying the emergency braking system does not cause derailment. You have to be a train operator to know about the emergency brakes, the switches and the track. I heard two supervisors have been suspended for having track rail material on the track.

Another train operator explained the passengers situation: I came in after the derailment. It was messed up. The riders are complaining that there are too many delays, and the MTA keeps making them pay higher fares. Many passengers were really frightened. No politicians showed up, not Cuomo or [New York Mayor Bill] de Blasio, to apologize for what happened and say what is going to be done about it.

Natalie Kabare is a bar manager in the 125th Street area, near where the subway car was derailed. She described the accident. This is something that puts people in danger. We are paying higher prices to ride the MTA now, but the derailment puts peoples lives in danger. It scares me to take the train now.

Do they check the trains all the time? Do they check the track all the time? It seems to me they should hire some more people to make sure this is done properly. I dont blame human error for this derailment. I blame mechanical problems with the system.

How old are the cars we are riding in? If they are more than 40 years old they should replace them. The fares keep going way up, so we should have safe reliable transportation.

Don was a rider on a train close behind the train that derailed. He told the WSWS, Yesterday, I was on the first A train stopped at the 168th Street station. At first, they didnt give us any reason for the delay. Then they said there was a fire at 125th Street. Then they gave out the mostly correct information, and they made us get off the train.

The whole system needs to be redone, but they wont put up the money to do anything until there is a major accident that kills many people.

This country isnt like it used to be. Now the food prices are so high you cant even buy food. You look everywhere in the city and they are building luxury high-rises where bankers or young tech people will pay $4,000 a month in rent. They can eat whatever they want. The number of poor people is increasing but we are being pushed out of everything.

I didnt vote for Trump. And I think all the politicians are a waste of time.

Reporters also spoke to Donald Cabico, a hospital nurse, the day after the derailment. When the derailment happened I was already at work, but I usually go down as far as 125th Street to go home and come to work. It took me so long to get home, I thought I wasnt going to make it. I live in Queens, and I had to transfer twice to get to the 7 train at Times Square, which would take me to Queens. The people I was riding with were all complaining about the delays. This morning I had similar problems getting to work.

What happened shouldnt happen. They are doing maintenance on a daily basis. I dont know what caused the derailment, but it is scary. I felt it last night. If it happened yesterday it could happen any time.

I hold the MTA responsible. It is the government. They are responsible.
A city councilman in Middletown, Ohio, Dan Picard, has proposed a three strike policy for people who overdose on opioids, under which those reported to have overdosed on more than two occasions would be denied emergency treatment the third time. He made the proposal at a City Council meeting on June 20.

In what would amount to state-sanctioned murder, emergency responders would not be dispatched and the opioid user would be left to die. As Picard told the Washington Post on Wednesday: When we get a call, the [emergency services] dispatcher will ask who is the person who has overdosed. And if its someone who has already been provided services twice, well advise them that were not going to provide further servicesand we will not send out an ambulance.

Like hundreds of cities and towns across the US, Middletown, located in southwestern Ohio, has been wracked by the opioid epidemic. The town, which has a population of 48,791, has already seen nearly 600 overdoses this year, which is more than it saw in all of 2016.

Defending his proposal, Picard told the press, Its not a proposal to solve the drug problem. My proposal is in regard to the financial survivability of our city. He continued, If were spending $2 million this year and $4 million next year and $6 million after that, were in trouble. Were going to have to start laying off. Were going to have to raise taxes.

Picard states openly the widespread sentiment in the American ruling class and among its political flunkeysthat the life of a working class person has a price tag, which is dropping every day.

The giant pharmaceutical companies played a central role in creating the opioid epidemic. They made billions of dollars in profits by systematically and knowingly pushing highly addictive opioid medications on the population throughout the 1990s and early 2000s.

Now the epidemic has become a concern for the ruling class, not out of any compassion for those who suffer, but because it is creating a financial burden for the state. The proposals currently working their way through Congress to drastically reduce the availability of medical care for the working class, particularly by gutting Medicaid, the primary source of funding for the treatment of drug addiction, are calculated to accomplish on a national scale what Picard is proposing for Middletown.

Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical companies continue to profit from the crisis. Part of the reason emergency care for those who overdose on opioids is so expensive is that the price of the miracle drug Naloxone (trade name Narcan), used to revive users from overdoses, has skyrocketed over the past decade. The popular injectable version of the drug has gone from $0.92 a dose to more than $15 since 2007. An auto-injector version is now up to more than $2,000 a dose.

The pharmaceutical companies price-gouging, combined with the increase in demand, has caused revenues from the sale of Naloxone to jump from $21.3 million in 2011 to $81.9 million last year, according to data from the prescription-tracking company IMS Health. It is now costing state and local governments much more money to save lives.

Picard pointed to this in a statement defending his proposal, saying, I want to send a message to the world that you dont want to come to Middletown to overdose because someone might not come with Narcan and save your life. We need to put a fear about overdosing in Middletown. He continued, John Smith obviously doesnt care much about his life, but hes expending a lot of resources and we cant afford it.

As with all social problems, the opioid epidemic is treated by the political establishment as the result of the personal failings of individuals. In fact, it, and drug abuse more generally, are the result of the increasingly dire social conditions facing broad masses of the people, under conditions of unprecedented and growing levels of social inequality. These conditions are themselves rooted in the rapacious drive of the pharmaceutical corporations and the corporate-financial elite in general for profit, intensified by the worsening crisis of the capitalist system.

Picards homicidal proposal has evoked an angry response from the public. Middletown City Manager Douglas Adkins wrote in a blog post Wednesday about the overwhelming backlash. Weve received hate mail, national news coverage and overloaded voice mail and email in-boxes, he said.

Many health care organizations, recovery centers and advocacy groups have spoken out against Picards plan. Truth Pharm, a nonprofit organization that seeks to raise awareness of the issues surrounding substance abuse, released an open letter to Picard denouncing his proposal.

Alexis Pleus, the founder of Truth Pharm, wrote in the letter: In short, our goal is to save lives, so, needless to say, we were more than appalled by your recent proposition to refuse medical treatment to overdose patients. It pains and infuriates us to see how easily you have turned human lives into dollar signs and an impact on your budget To suggest that you withhold emergency medical response to overdose patients is manslaughter at best and premeditated murder at worst.

Pleus spoke to the World Socialist Web Site about the issues raised by Picards proposal. On the use of Naloxone as a solution, Pleus explained: At first, Naloxone and Narcan seemed like a pretty fast and cheap solution to save lives. And that was true to a point. It is still a very important tool we have to help people.

The problem is that they have never dedicated the follow-up... There is no governmental body that has given the proper resources necessary to complement the use of Naloxone. It is not a fix in itself, is not a cure to the epidemic. We set ourselves up for frustration because we keep using this life-saving device but dont ever get to the root causes of addiction. I think ultimately the fault goes right back to each state government and the federal government as a whole.

Pleus told reporters she wasnt surprised that lawmakers would propose a measure not aimed at addressing the epidemic but rather at saving money. Look at how easy it is to get legislation to pass when there is money to be made, she said. But try and get something through that simply helps people--it just wont happenthis problem does not have a quick cheap fix. But still, all the while, the pharmaceutical companies are profiting, profiting, profiting.

When asked how President Trumps new health care plan might affect the opioid problem, Pleus said, It will be absolutely devastating. She continued: At our organization we try and help people find treatment. About 80 percent of those we help have Medicaid. If they repeal it, I cannot even fathom what we will do. The new plan also will not mandate addiction treatment as part of insurance coverage. I cant imagine turning away eight of ten people and telling them there is nothing we can do.
The propaganda campaign against Russia in the UK has escalated following an apparent cyberattack on parliament last month.

According to officials, the parliamentary network was subjected to a brute force attacka crude hacking operation that targeted poorly protected email accounts. A parliamentary spokesman was quick to reassure reporters that significantly fewer than 1% of the 9,000 accounts on the parliamentary network had been compromised and that this was because of the use of weak passwords that did not conform to guidance issued by the Parliamentary Digital Service.

Coincidentally, just hours before the attack the Times reported that emails and passwords belonging to tens of thousands of government officials, including ministers, MPs and staff working for parliament, the police and Foreign Office had been sold on Russian-speaking hacking sites. Most had originated from the 2012 hacking of the LinkedIn social networking service. According to the Times, the three most common passwords police staff used for their hacked email addresses were police, password and police1!

Following the LinkedIn attack, and again in 2106 when it was discovered criminal gangs were selling them, users were advised to change their passwords. But it appears some MPs and parliamentary staff did not heed the advice.

Security industry experts cautioned against allocating blame for the latest cyberattack before a proper investigation. High-Tech Bridge CEO, Ilia Kolochenko, told the specialist ITProPortal website, At this early stage of investigation, it would be inappropriate to speculate about the identity of the attackers. Such an attack is very simple and cheap to organise, and virtually any teenager could be behind it. However, for this particular incident, I would abstain from blaming any state-sponsored hacking groups. Because with such an unacceptably-low level of security they have likely already been reading all emails for many years without leaving a trace.

Despite such appeals for caution, politicians and the media rushed to condemn Russia. Leading the pack were Ewen MacAskill and Rajeev Syal in their Guardian piece, Cyberattack on UK parliament: Russia is suspected culprit.

The journalists brush aside qualms that the investigation is at an early stage and the identity of those responsible may prove impossible to establish with absolute certainty to declare, Moscow is deemed the most likely culprit.

They based their conclusion on the unfounded suspicions of MPs and the regurgitation of unsubstantiated allegations about past claims of Russian hacking, which have now taken on the status of unquestionable fact for the liberal imperialist pro-war lobby. These included the assertion that US intelligence agencies concluded that Russia hacked and leaked Democratic party communications and disseminated fake news with the aim of getting Donald Trump elected during the 2016 US presidential campaign. Another was that [i]n May, Russia was linked to the hacking of Frances computer systems during the presidential campaign, taking data from Emmanuel Macrons campaign and leaking it to the public.

In fact, the opposite is true. In January, US intelligence agencies concluded that the claims of Russian government hacking and leaking of Democratic Party emails had no foundation in fact. They were unable to substantiate the allegations made by the CIA and the director of national intelligence, James Clapper, in October that Russia illegally obtained documents from the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clintons campaign chairman, John Podesta.

And following the hack of Macrons campaign, Guillaume Poupard, the head of Frances cybersecurity agency, declared that there was no trace of Russian interference and that it was so generic and simple that it could have been practically anyone.

The continuing media offensive is aimed at whipping up public support for a more confrontational attitude toward Russia. The Guardian plays a particular role aimed at bolstering a constituency for war among privileged layers of the middle class.

The drive to confront Russia has taken on an added urgency since the humiliating defeat suffered by the US in December when Syrian government forces, backed by Russian air power and Iranian troops, recaptured the countrys largest city, Aleppo. The Syrian Army has now captured virtually all of Aleppo province and is just a few miles from neighbouring Raqqa province, where US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces are still struggling to regain control of the Islamic States capital there.

The continued survival of the Assad regime has been an acute embarrassment for the CIA, which has undertaken a six-year-long campaign for regime change in Syria, Russias only Arab ally in the Middle East. The election of Hillary Clinton, who had repeatedly called for the imposition of a no fly zone and other aggressive measures against Syria, was supposed to bolster these objectives.

However, they were upset by the surprise election of Trump, who though no less committed to militarism and war, generally speaks for a faction within the US ruling class that sees China, rather than Russia, as the more immediate enemy.

It is to put pressure on the Trump administration to shift its foreign policy objectives toward Syrian regime change and confronting Russia that the unrelenting campaign of anti-Russian hysteria has been conducted.

For its part, the anti-Russia campaign in the UK points to the existential crisis facing British imperialism in the aftermath of the June 2016 referendum vote to leave the European Union (EU), which has forced the ruling elite to restate its claim to continuing relevance for the US as its seeks to maintain its military hegemony.

Such considerations, in addition to hopes of strengthening her governments hand in Brexit negotiations with the EU, were the prime factor in Conservative Prime Minister Theresa Mays decision to call a snap general election on June 8. A major aspect of her election campaign, backed up by outbursts by retired military figures, was to portray Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn as a feeble pro-Russian stooge.

In recent weeks Defence Secretary Michael Fallon has boasted of the centrality of Britains armed forces to the ongoing NATO encirclement of Russia and its unprecedented build-up on Russias western border.

Last week Fallon committed the UK to backing future military action in Syria after ominous claims by White House spokesman Sean Spicer that the US had identified potential preparations for another chemical weapons attack by the Assad regime that would likely result in the mass murder of civilians, including innocent children. An alleged April 4 chemical attack that killed dozens of civilians was the cue for Trump to order a cruise missile strike on Syrias Shayrat air base.

Fallon also attended the launch of Britains largest-ever warship, the aircraft carrier HMS Queen Elizabeth. He was at pains to contrast it with what he called the dilapidated Russian carrier Admiral Kuznetsov, which sailed through the English Channel last year to join the Russian air campaign in Aleppo amid warnings that the Royal Navy had ways and means of protecting the warship from Russian intelligence gathering.

On Thursday, the Russian Defence Ministry responded that Britains new carrier would be a large, convenient naval target in the event of war. Moscow warned, It is in the interests of the British Royal Navy not to show off the beauty of its aircraft carrier on the high seas any closer than a few hundred miles from its Russian distant relative

The ratcheting up of the anti-Russia rhetoric also serves the purpose of justifying further anti-democratic measures against the working class.

It was only last November that Parliament passed the Investigatory Powers Act, which US whistleblower Edward Snowden described as the most extreme surveillance in the history of western democracy. At the same time, the National Cyber Security Centre was created as the public face of the surveillance agency, GCHQ.

The May government has now signalled its intention to impose huge restrictions on what people can post, share and publish online and boasts of its plans to make Britain the global leader in the regulation of the use of personal data and the internet.
The Trump administration took another step toward a far more confrontational stance against China by giving the green light for another so-called freedom of navigation operation (FONOP) in Chinese-claimed waters in the South China Sea on Sunday.

The US Navy sent the guided-missile destroyer USS Stethem within the 12-nautical-mile territorial limit around Triton Island in the Paracel island group, which has been under Chinese control since 1974. The latest operation comes less than six weeks after an incursion by the USS Dewey close to the Chinese-held islet of Mischief Reef in the Spratly island group.

Sundays naval provocation followed last weeks US approval of a substantial $1.4 billion arms deal to Taiwan and imposition of sanctions on Chinese companies and individuals over their involvement in trade with North Korea.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang denounced the arms sale as impinging on the countrys sovereignty and contrary to Washingtons commitment to the One China policy, under which the US recognises Beijing as the sole legitimate government of all China, including Taiwan.

Beijing also expressed concerns last week over legislation approved by a US Senate panel to allow US warships to make regular port visits to Taiwan.

Responding to Sundays US naval intrusion, Lu called on Washington to immediately stop such kinds of provocative operations that violate Chinas sovereignty and threaten Chinas security. He warned: The Chinese side will continue to take all necessary means to defend national sovereignty and security.

Lu said China had sent military vessels and fighter aircraft to warn off the US destroyer, adding that the Chinese side is dissatisfied with, and opposed to, the relevant behaviour of the US side. He accused Washington of deliberating stirring up troubles in the South China Sea and running counter to the desire of other countries in the region for stability.

The despatch of Chinese fighters and naval ships underscores the recklessness of the Trump administrations actions. They could lead to a military incident, either accidental or deliberate, that triggers a broader conflict between the two nuclear-armed powers.

The US has dismissed Chinese territorial claims in the South China Sea as excessive and repeatedly declared it has no intention of abiding by them. As well as carrying out more frequent intrusions close to Chinese islets, the US navy has boosted its presence and carried out more frequent exercises in the strategic sea.

The Pentagon regards the South China Sea as a vital component of its AirSea Battle strategy for war with China. The plan envisages massive air and missile attacks on the Chinese mainland from US warships, submarines and military bases in the region. Triton Island, the most southerly of the Paracel group, lies some 400 kilometres south of Chinas Hainan Island, which houses key strategic naval bases.

Yesterdays naval intrusion is another sign that Donald Trumps administration is frustrated by Chinas failure to force North Korea to abandon its nuclear and missile programs.

During last years US presidential election campaign, Trump repeatedly resorted to anti-China demagogy and vowed to take trade war measures against China, including branding it as a currency manipulator. Following his election win, Trump ramped up the threats over Chinas activities in the South China Sea and even spoke of abrogating the One China policy, which has been the bedrock of US-Chinese relations for nearly four decades.

Trump wound back his rhetoric in April when he met with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who indicated that China would intensify its pressure on North Korea. Beijing has halted the import of North Korean coal and, in recent weeks, has reportedly wound back its export of oil to North Korea. China is by far North Koreas largest trading partner and the source of most of its energy.

Trump officials, however, have warned on several occasions that the US was not prepared to wait indefinitely and its patience was running out. Late last month, Trump indicated that time had run out, declaring in a tweet that while he appreciated President Xis efforts, it has not worked out.

Trump underscored the message following talks with South Korean President Moon Jae-in Washington last Friday. Referring to the Obama administrations policy of sanctions, Trump declared that the era of strategic patience with the North Korean regime has failed. Frankly that patience is over.

Trump has not spelled out what methods the US will turn to, but his officials have declared that the US will talk to Pyongyang only in the right circumstancesthat is, if North Korea capitulates to US demands. The White House has insisted that all optionsthat is, including military attacksare on the table. Three aircraft carrier strike groups, along with nuclear submarines, are currently stationed in the region of the Korean Peninsula.

The US freedom of navigation operation yesterday is a clear sign that the Trump administration intends to confront China, not only over North Korea, but across the board, including over Taiwan and trade matters. During Trumps meeting with Moon, according to the New York Times, the presidents chief economic adviser Gary Cohn lashed out at Chinas many predatory practices in how they deal with us.

Trump was due speak by phone yesterday evening (US time) with Chinese President Xi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe ahead of scheduled meetings with both men at this weeks G20 summit in Germany. North Korea was at the top of the US agenda. As this article was due to be posted, the first reports of Trumps phone conversation with Abe indicated that the two countries would step up their pressure on North Korea.
RACINE  Racine County Sheriffs Office deputies pulled a man out of Lake Michigan near the Root River on Sunday morning, according to a news release.

The Sheriffs Water Patrol rescued the man at about 11:30 a.m. Sunday, after reports of a man in the water yelling for help. According to reports, the man had climbed onto a nearby jet ski but fell back into the water and refused help from other nearby boaters, although someone threw him a life jacket and he put it on.

The Water Patrol rescued the man within minutes of arriving on the scene. The man was breathing, but wasnt responding to questions from deputies.

The man, 24, was transported to Ascension All Saints Hospital because he wasnt responding and for possible hypothermia. According to the release, he has a history of mental illness.

The incident remains under investigation.
Forensic techniques that are used to solve modern homicide cases helped American anthropologists reveal family resemblances in 2,000-year-old skulls from the Roman Empire.

The study used a statistical technique known as geometric morphometrics to identify similarities in skulls from three Italian graveyards dating from between the first and third centuries A.D., when the Roman Empire was at its height.

Precise three-dimensional measurements of dozens of skulls from two of the graveyards showed distinct regional differences, which the researchers interpreted as a sign of a common ancestry among many people in those regions. [Photos: Gladiators of the Roman Empire]

Ann Ross, a forensic anthropologist at North Carolina State University (NC State), told Live Science that the techniques were often used in biology and zoology to examine the sizes and shapes of biological form, such as mosquito wings or the shapes of fish, to search for characteristic patterns that could be used to classify the samples.

For the new study, geometric morphometric techniques were applied to ancient human skulls. "You can differentiate populations of groups of humans, and look at the shapes of the skulls to see how they closely resemble each other, or not," she said.

Ross said the same techniques are also used forensically in her laboratory at NC State in many North Carolina homicide investigations, sometimes to try to identify the ethnic ancestry of unknown murder victims, or to determine the bone damage caused by the blow of a weapon, for example.

Skull shapes

One of the graveyards chosen for the study is located on Isola Sacra, a tiny island in what's now central Italy southwest of Rome, which was a burial place for mainly middle-class people during the Roman Empire.

Another was at Velia, on the southwestern Italian coast, where the researchers expected to see traces of ancestry from Greeks who colonized that region after the eighth century B.C., before Rome grew from a small city-state to take over the rest of the region Italy occupies today.

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Skulls from ancient graveyards in three different cities in Roman Italy, dating from the 1st to the 3rd centuries A.D., were used in the study. Samantha Hens

"I wondered if we would be able to pick that up, if we would see that the Roman-area population were different than the more southern population," study lead author Samantha Hens, a professor of biological anthropology at California State University, Sacramento, told Live Science.

As it turns out, the researchers were able to detect those differences.

"To a casual observer, it probably wouldn't be very noticeable, but when you really get down to looking at regional or population variation relationships, then you can see the difference," Hens said.

The third graveyard in the study was at Castel Malnome, on the outskirts of the city of Rome, which was mainly a burial ground for lower-class laborers who worked in salt mines in that area.

"So there you had this group near Rome of lower-class heavy laborers  freed slaves, war veterans and others  who could come from anywhere across the Roman Empire," Hens said. "And indeed, we could not differentiate them from either of the other two sites, which implies there's a lot of variation among the different people buried together there."

Local looks

So, would the people who were living in what's now southern Italy have looked distinctively "Greek" to the people who were living farther north at that time?

"I would suspect yes," Hens said. "The next stage would be to get a Greek sample to see how those 'southern Italians' compare to the Greeks, but I have not identified a Greek sample from the same time period that's available for study yet."

Hens stressed that the differences in skull shapes detected by the researchers did not represent "racial" differences. "That's definitely not what we're seeing," she said.

"If a group grows in an area for a long time, they're going to have slight regional distinctions, and then if another group comes to the area or some leave, then you can see these populations change a little bit," she added. "So this is a way to trace population movements."

Hens noted that although the Roman Empire had assimilated the Greek population on Italy's southern coast by the third century B.C., the local people still showed distinct local characteristics during the height of the Roman Empire many hundreds of years later.

"The 'Romanization' of Italy did not change the genetic relationship of the conquered population  [the Romans] took over the government and the economy, but they did not really take over the people in a biological fashion," Hens said.

As such, the people likely kept their local identities, she said.

The detailed findings of the study were published online June 1 in the International Journal of Osteoarchaeology.

Original article on Live Science.

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(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.)  Clubgoers screamed and scrambled for cover as dozens of gunshots rang out during a rap concert in downtown Little Rock early Saturday, leaving 25 people shot and three others injured from an 11-second melee that police quickly said was not related to terrorism.

All of the victims were expected to survive the shooting at the Power Ultra Lounge, about a mile (1.6 kilometers) from the state Capitol building. Police believe the gunfire erupted amid a dispute among clubgoers and that multiple people fired shots. Twenty-five people suffered gunshot wounds, and three others had unrelated injuries.

I just closed my eyes, got down on the ground and put my hands on my head, Courtney Swanigan, 23, told The Associated Press.

The shooting capped a violent week in Arkansas largest city. Police had responded to a dozen drive-by shootings over the previous nine days but havent said whether any of the incidents are related.

Little Rocks crime problem appears to be intensifying, Republican Gov. Asa Hutchinson said in a statement. Every few days it seems a high-profile shooting dominates the news, culminating with this mornings event. I have spoken this morning with Mayor (Mark) Stodola and I have offered both my heart felt concern over this senseless violent tragedy and state assets as needed to address the continued threat of violence in our community.

A Facebook video posted from inside the club included audio of at least 24 rounds fired in about 11 seconds. Darryl Rankin, who posted the video, said a friend of his who attended the Finese 2Tymes concert with him had a bullet stuck in his spine.

Police were summoned about 2:30 a.m. City police said quickly that the agency did not believe the shooting was part of a terrorist attack and that no active shooter remained at the scene.

Some sort of dispute broke out between people inside, Police Chief Kenton Buckner told reporters.

Little Rock Mayor Mark Stodola said more information would be released at a news conference Saturday afternoon.

Story continues

The clubs Facebook page promoted Friday nights show with a poster depicting a man pointing what appears to be a gun at the camera. Calls to a number listed for Finese 2Tymes booking agent wasnt returned Saturday, but a message was posted on the artists Facebook page offering thoughts and prayers for those injured: THE VIOLENCE IS NOT FOR THE CLUB PEOPLE. WE ALL COME WITH 1 MOTIVE AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND THATS TO HAVE FUN.

Police cordoned off the area as technicians collected evidence from the scene, which near a Roman Catholic cathedral and a First United Methodist Church center. A number of worshippers gathered for a funeral at St. Andrews while police still worked the scene.

Glass from the Power Ultra Lounges second story windows littered the ground, along with empty drink cups. In the parking lot, a silver Toyota had what appeared to be a streak of blood on the front passenger-side door.

Im sick of all the killing and Im tired of all the shooting. The kids getting hurt, said Raida Bunche, who was waiting outside the club after hearing from a friend that her son had been inside. She found out later that he had run from the club when the shooting started and was not hurt.

Arkansas Alcoholic Beverage Control officials suspended the clubs alcohol license and set a hearing for July 10 on three potential charges: disorderly conduct, allowing possession of weapons on the premises and failure to be a good neighbor.

The clubs license has been suspended 11 times for failing to pay taxes, and it has been cited seven times for 14 various violations including unknowingly furnishing alcohol to minors and allowing alcohol to leave the premises since 2012, ABC Director of Enforcement Boyce Hamlet said.

In May, one person was killed and six people were hurt in a mass shooting at a downtown concert in Jonesboro, Arkansas, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) northeast of Little Rock. In that case, two men were charged with first-degree murder and six counts of first-degree battery.

Arkansas lawmakers earlier this year approved a measure expanding where concealed handguns can be carried, including bars if allowed by owners, for licensees who undergo additional training. The law takes effect in September, but the training likely wont be available until early next year.
In case you lose your health insurance and die due to Republicans' repeal and replace of the Affordable Care Act, you can choose to send your ashes to a GOP member of Congress.

The website mailmetothegop.com helps people get their papers in place in order to send their ashes to the GOP when they die.

Read: More Than Half Of US Opioid Prescriptions Go To People With Mental Disorders, Researchers Find

The site says: Will you die because of AHCA? Let them know.

Millions of Americans rely on protections and coverage from the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare. The Republicans new bill will gut these protections and many will die.

They deserve to know it.

The site was created by Zoey Jordan Salsbury, an American University junior who won an award last June from President Barack Obama for her and another students volunteer work with the nonprofit MEANS Database.

Salsbury tweeted the websites link in May after the house voted to repeal and replace Obamacare. People were so interested in the site that it crashed, but was up shortly afterwards. By 3 A.M., there were hundreds of submissions, Salsbury told the Washington Post.

Although Salsbury wont actually deliver a persons ashes to Washington D.C., she does help people write wills so their remains can be mailed to a Republican congress member of their choice when they pass.

Read: Chocolate Health Benefits: Sweet Could Help Lower Risk Of Heart Arrhythmia, Study Finds

The most popular congressman to send ashes to? House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wisc., Salsbury told the Post. "People are not pleased with him.

Salsbury, who was diagnosed with fibromyalgia this year and has depression and anxiety, said she plans to have her ashes mailed to congress if she loses her insurance and dies.

While Republicans struggle with the Senate healthcare bill that will replace the Affordable Care Act, Salsbury has been collecting responses from those who will be affected if Obamacare is replaced with the Republican bill.

Story continues

This proposed bill is awful for the people of the United States, said one person. Why would you introduce a bill that effectively treats women like their gender is a pre-existing medical condition, and prevents thousands of American families from affordable family plan options like regular pregnancy?

Another person wrote: Because I have cancer which is a pre-existing condition as per the new bill. You are murderers. Every one of you that voted to repeal ACA. I hope you too have to choose between death and going into debt one day soon.

The Congressional Budget Office said this week the number of insured Americans will increase by 22 million under the new Republican health bill. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump pressed Republican senators on Friday to repeal Obamacare now and replace it later.

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Breastfeeding has been found to be beneficial for children as the American Academy of Pediatrics also recommend that a mother should breast-feed her new born for at least one year. However, a new study published in journal Pediatrics on Friday found that if a child is breast-fed for longer than two years after birth, then there is a higher risk of developing dental cavities.

The study, part of a birth cohort study, was conducted on more than 1,000 children in a southern city of Brazil called Pelotas. At age five, the children were examined for cavities and also the average number of decayed, missing and filled primary tooth surfaces by dentists.

Read: Breastfeeding In Hong Kong: Restaurants Designate New Public Nursing, Pumping Spaces For Mothers

According to the study, "severe" decay was defined as having at least six cavities. Researchers found that the children who were breast-fed for over 24 months had more than double the risk of developing severe cavities as compared to the kids who had been breast-fed for a year or less.

In the study, researchers also suggested that the high risk of cavities was probably due to older children demanding to be breast-fed and thus making it harder to clean their teeth.

Experts have said that it is extremely important to wipe the babys gums after breastfeeding, as breast milk contains high levels of sugar.

"There are some reasons to explain such an association," said Dr. Karen Peres, lead author of the study and associate professor at the University of Adelaide in Australia. "First, children who are exposed to breast-feeding beyond 24 months are usually those breastfed on demand and at night. Second, higher frequency of breastfeeding and nocturnal breastfeeding on demand makes it very difficult to clean teeth in this specific period," CNN quoted Peres as saying.

Results from the study found that, among the children on whom the study was conducted, 23.9 percent had severe cavities in their teeth and 48 percent had at least one tooth surface affected by a cavity. It also said that children who were breast-fed for over 24 months or longer had 2.4 times higher risk of developing severe cavities as compared to the ones who were breast-fed for less than a year.

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Read: Breastfeeding May Prevent Childhood Leukemia: Study

However, the study also discovered that breastfeeding between a year and 23 months did not bring the equal amount of risk of cavities in children.

"Prolonged breastfeeding increases the risk of having dental caries. Preventive interventions for dental caries should be established as early as possible because breastfeeding is beneficial for childrens health. Mechanisms underlying this process should be investigated more deeply," the study concluded.

Marcia Vitolo, a professor of health sciences at the Federal University of Health Sciences in Porto Alegre, Brazil, told CNN that prolonged breastfeeding and the amount of sugar content in the milk was able to explain the results of the study. Even though, she was not involved in this study herself, she had conducted similar ones of her own.

"I believe that there is association between breastfeeding and cavities when the environment is unhealthy  like there is a high frequency of breastfeeding during day and night and consumption of sweets and candies," said Vitolo.

Breastfeeding also has its own dental benefits, according to a separate study conducted by Peres in 2015. She found that kids were 72 percent less probable to have crooked teeth if they were breast-bed exclusively for six months. It can also minimize the risk of a condition called baby bottle tooth decay, which often happens when kids are put to bed with bottles containing sugary drinks or the bottle is used as a pacifier.

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BEIJING (Reuters) - Taiwan military jets scrambled to shadow a Chinese aircraft carrier passing through narrow waters separating the two sides en route to Hong Kong to mark the 20th anniversary of the former British colony's return to China. The Liaoning fleet will be open to the public in Hong Kong and showcase the "military might" of the Chinese naval force, Xinhua citied Yang Liang, China's People's Liberation Army Navy spokesman, as saying. It is due to arrive on Friday, Hong Kong media said. Chinese President Xi Jinping swore in Hong Kong's new leader on Saturday with a stark warning that Beijing will not tolerate any challenge to its authority in the divided city, in his strongest speech yet amid concerns over what some perceive as increased meddling by Beijing. The Soviet-built Liaoning, whose home port is in northern China, entered Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) on Saturday and was sailing just west of the middle of the Taiwan Strait on Sunday, Taiwan's defense ministry said in a statement. Taiwan military jets and ships were deployed in response to monitor the fleet's passage, the ministry said. Nothing abnormal had been detected as the Chinese battle group headed southwest and was expected to leave Taiwan's ADIZ by Sunday evening, the ministry said. It was the third time that the Liaoning has sailed near self-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own, in recent months for what Beijing has said were routine drills in December and again in January. China has never renounced the use of force to bring Taiwan under its control. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu and Zhang Lusha; Additonal reporting by J.R. Wu in Taipei; Editing by Nick Macfie)


Amid growing public frustration, New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie defended his familys use of a beach that he had closed to the public  suggesting that they were free to run for governor as well.

Im sorry theyre not the governor, Christie told Good Day Philadelphia Monday morning.

Christie sarcastically suggested that this latest incredible scandal is really nothing more than the press catching a politician keeping his word because he had already announced his vacation plans.

He also dismissed the Star-Ledger newspaper, which on Monday featured a photo of Christie lounging on the beach on its front page. Im sure they will get a Pulitzer for this one, he quipped, according to NJ.com.

Front page of today's @starledger. It's gonna be this kind of day in Trenton. #njshutdown pic.twitter.com/vVANVqceOs  Matt Arco (@MatthewArco) July 3, 2017

The embattled Republican ordered a government shutdown amid a state budget standoff with the Democrat-controlled legislature. This resulted in the closing of state parks and beaches.

Christie had in fact told the press that he intended to spend a long Fourth of July weekend at the governors summerhouse at Island Beach State Park last week. Its one of the privileges  along with Drumthwacket, the official residence of the governor in Princeton, N.J.  of being the states chief executive.

When a reporter asked Saturday if its fair that his family would be free to use the state beach while others would not, Christie was characteristically blunt: Run for governor, and you can have a residence there.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie, right, enjoys enjoys the beach with family and friends near his summer house at Island Beach State Park, July 2, 2017. (Photo: Andrew Mills/NJ Advance Media via AP)

The backlash occurred after NJ.com photojournalist Andrew Mills snapped pictures of the Christie family lounging on the beach Sunday afternoon. He said NJ Advance Media had booked a plane to capture photographs of crowded beaches juxtaposed with empty, closed beaches.

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But when Sundays weather looked good, and the governors schedule was open except for an afternoon press briefing in Trenton, I wondered, What are the chances? he wrote for NJ.com.

And its not just political opponents who were frustrated with Christies beach trip. Even his top deputy, Republican Lt. Gov. Kim Guadagno, who is running to replace the unpopular governor, released a statement on Monday expressing dismay with his decision.

If I were governor, I sure wouldnt be sitting on the beach if taxpayers didnt have access to state beaches. Its beyond words. We need to end the shutdown now. Its hurting small businesses and ordinary New Jerseyans. Instead of political games, Governor Christie, Speaker Prieto and Senate President Sweeney should pass a budget that delivers property tax relief and puts taxpayers first.

Despite his beach outing, Christie told the media that he did not get any sun on Sunday.

I didnt, he said. I didnt get any sun today.

After the pictures were published, Brian Murray, the governors spokesman, conceded that he was on the beach briefly to talk to his wife and family before heading to the office, but reiterated that he did not get any sun.

He had a baseball hat on, Murray said.

Read more from Yahoo News:
BEIJING (Reuters) - At least eight people died and another 35 were injured in a natural gas pipeline explosion in southwest China's Guizhou Province on Sunday, Xinhua news agency reported. The explosion occurred at around 10 a.m. local time (0300 GMT) in Qinglong County at a pipeline operated by China National Petroleum Corp, triggered by a landslide after days of heavy rain. Xinhua said earlier that the gas line was an extension of a pipeline that pumped gas from neighboring Myanmar to southwest China and that the fire was put out in the afternoon. Four of the injured are in critical condition, it said. (Reporting by Chen Aizhu; Editing by Dale Hudson)
Istanbul (AFP) - Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday held talks with Russian Defence Minister Sergei Shoigu in Istanbul as tension soared on the Syrian border between Turkish troops and a Kurdish militia.

Turkey and Russia were long at loggerheads over the Syrian conflict, with Ankara seeking the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad and Moscow remaining his chief international ally.

But cooperation had tightened markedly since last year, with the two countries jointly sponsoring peace talks in the Kazakh capital Astana.

Sunday's meeting took place at Istanbul's Tarabya Palace by the Bosphorus, the presidency said, with images showing Turkey's top general Hulusi Akar and spy chief Hakan Fidan were also in attendance.

Last August, Turkey launched its Euphrates Shield cross-border operation aimed at clearing the border zone in northern Syria of both Kurdish militia fighters and jihadists.

The operation was wound up in March but Erdogan has not excluded a new cross-border offensive should the need arise.

Turkish troops and Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) have repeatedly exchanged cross-border fire in recent days and there is speculation Ankara may be planning an assault on the group in Afrin.

Ankara considers the YPG a terrorist group and the Syrian branch of the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) which has waged an insurgency inside Turkey since 1984.

But Washington is arming the YPG and the group is heavily involved in the US-backed operation to oust Islamic State (IS) jihadists from their stronghold of Raqa.

The Sabah daily said Sunday that pro-Ankara Syrian rebels were on standby for an operation against the YPG and Russia could ensure security in the air.

Asked about the possibility of an operation around Afrin, presidential spokesman Ibrahim Kalin said Saturday: "We take all measures to protect our borders and national security."

He said the Turkey would "instantly" hit back against any threat from Syria, be it from IS, the PKK or the YPG.
North Koreas oppressive regime has caused numerous defections over the years and it appears there are five more this week. The New York Times reported that South Korea found a boat Saturday with four North Korean men and one woman sailing across the ocean border between the two countries.

The North Koreans were picked up by the South Korean Coast Guard off the eastern coast of the country and had indicated they wanted to defect.

READ: Trump Weighs North Korea Options Before Visit Of South Korean Leader

Investigators from relevant government agencies are currently interrogating them to determine whether the North Koreans want to defect and other details, said Choi Su-jun, an officer at the Coast Guard to the New York Times.

The boat was discovered after 7 p.m. and brought to the port of Mukho.

According to the New York Times, seven North Korean boats have traveled into South Korean waters this year, carting 28 people. So far, 21 out of the 28 have decided to return home to the North, with two defecting and the five picked up Saturday still under investigation. Thousands of North Koreans have fled the country, over 30,000 to South Korea since 1998 according to the South Korean Unification Ministry. Many more have defected to China and other countries.

In June, two soldiers defected from North Korea one on June 13 and one on June 23, according to Nikkei Asian Review (NAR) Sunday.

Defecting across the Chinese border is much easier and can happen for a bribe of between 40,000 to 50,000 yuan or $5,880 to $7,350, NAR reports. Crossing across the South Korean border is harder due to the large amount of military built up on the North Korean side of the demilitarized zone (DMZ). The DMZ is a 160-mile long, 2.5-mile wide strip that separates the two Koreas. The zone was established in 1953 after the Korean War, it runs adjacent to the 38th parallel.

Both soldiers were malnourished NAR reported.

The apparent defections come at a tense time for North Korea, as the U.S. has ratcheted up its rhetoric against the country.

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President Donald Trump tweeted on Friday about a policy shift from his predecessor, Barack Obama.

The era of strategic patience with the North Korea regime has failed, wrote Trump.

North Korea has had 10 missile tests this year in its quest for a nuclear weapon able to reach the U.S. Tensions were further ratcheted up by the death of American student Otto Warmbier. The 22-year-old student who spent 17 months in a North Korean president after allegedly stealing a propaganda poster while he was there as a tourist. He was returned to his native Ohio in June in a coma and with severe brain damage, and he subsequently died.

READ: Will North Korea Denuclearize? South Korean President Denies Plans To Reduce Washington-Seoul Military Drills

The Trump administration has leaned on their Chinese counterparts to put more pressure on North Korea, though China has resisted taking an overly aggressive tack with its southern neighbor. The U.S. announced economic sanctions Thursday on Chinese businesses and indviduals with ties to North Korea.

South Korean President Moon Jae-in met with Trump this week to discuss North Korea and other Issues. Moon, a liberal, has taken a softer stance towards Pyongyang.

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(AUSTIN, Texas)  Gay spouses may not be entitled to government-subsidized workplace benefits, the Texas Supreme Court ruled Friday in a unanimous decision that was quickly condemned by gay-rights groups.

The court overturned a lower courts decision that favored same-sex marriage benefits, ordering the issue back to trial. Social conservatives hope the case will help them chip away at the U.S. Supreme Courts landmark ruling legalizing gay marriage.

Gay rights groups denounced the ruling as an absurd distortion of established law regarding marriage equality.

Marriage is marriage and equal is equal. We will take steps to protect these families, said Kenneth Upton Jr., Dallas-based attorney for Lambda Legal.

Fridays decision was a major reversal for the all-Republican Texas high court, which previously refused to even consider the benefits case after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the Constitution grants gay couples who want to marry equal dignity in the eyes of the law.

The Texas court only agreed to hear it after coming under intense pressure from Gov. Greg Abbott, Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick and Attorney General Ken Paxton, as well as dozens of other conservative elected officials, church leaders and grassroots activists. They filed a flurry of briefs saying the case may help Texas limit the scope of the Supreme Court ruling  especially in how its applied to states.

The decision didnt block same-sex spousal benefits but said the U.S. Supreme Court decision did not decide the issue. The U.S. Supreme Court did not hold that states must provide the same publicly funded benefits to all married persons, the Texas Supreme Court wrote in its opinion.

The case came from Houston, where a coalition of religious and socially conservative groups sued Americas fourth-largest city in 2013 to block a move to offer same-sex spousal benefits to municipal employees.

The groups argued that the U.S. Supreme Court didnt declare spousal benefits a fundamental right of marriage, and that it should be up to states to decide. The city argued that the gay marriage ruling meant all marriages are equal, so anything offered to opposite-sex couples must be offered to same-sex ones.

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The groups suing also called the case a chance for Texas to defend religious liberty. Texas voters approved a gay marriage ban in 2005.

Jared Woodfill, a conservative activist at the center of the case, called the decision a big victory for states rights and religious rights. He said he hopes the case will eventually help push the U.S. Supreme Court to someday overturn its gay marriage ruling.

Courts can change their mind, Woodfill said. From time immemorial, family law has been left to the states.

Conservative activists will argue to the trial court that the decision to offer same-sex benefits was an overreach by the Houston mayors office that violated state law, and that benefits shouldnt be supported by taxpayers who would consider it a violation of sincerely held religious beliefs, Woodfill said.

Houston has been paying the benefits and Fridays decision doesnt stop them, but Woodfill said opponents will use the ruling to ask a judge to block them pending a trial on the issue. Mayor Sylvester Turner said the city is reviewing the ruling but wont stop providing the benefits.

The City of Houston will continue to be an inclusive city that respects the legal marriages of all employees, Turner said. Marriage equality is the law of the land, and everyone is entitled to the full benefits of marriage, regardless of the gender of their spouse.

Gay rights groups noted that the Texas decision came just days after the U.S. Supreme Court narrowly ruled that states may not treat married same-sex couples differently when issuing birth certificates. That decision overturned an Arkansas court ruling that said married lesbian couples were not entitled to have both spouses listed on their childrens birth certificates.

Sarah Kate Ellis, president and chief executive of GLAAD, an LGBT rights group, called the Texas ruling a warning shot to all LGBTQ Americans that the war on marriage equality is ever-evolving, and anti-LGBTQ activists will do anything possible to discriminate against our families.
Berlin (AFP) - German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who on Monday starts a tour of several Arab states, called for a "serious dialogue" to end the crisis following the de facto blockade of Qatar by its neighbours.

"Since many weeks, the brotherly countries and neighbours of the Arabian peninsula have been locked in a conflict that has fuelled concern," Gabriel said in a statement.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said Gabriel, who will visit Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Qatar.

Gabriel called for a "serious dialogue between the parties" to resolve the crisis, adding that while Berlin was "not taking sides, the conflict... affects both us and our interests."

"This is true of the fight against the Islamic State but also for the stability of a region that has been particularly marked by crises, tensions and war."

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Doha of supporting extremism and of being too close to regional arch-rival Iran, which Qatar has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy producers and several key Western allies hosting US military facilities.

On June 22 the Arab states presented a list of demands and gave Doha 10 days to comply. The ultimatum is expected to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, though the deadline has not been officially confirmed.

Riyadh's demands include Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, the closure of Al-Jazeera television, a downgrade of diplomatic ties with Iran and the shutdown of a Turkish military base in the emirate.
By Sylvia Westall and Tom Finn DUBAI/DOHA (Reuters) - Qatar faces possible further sanctions by Arab states that have severed ties with Doha over allegations of links to terrorism, as a deadline to accept their demands is expected to expire on Sunday night. Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani said the demands were made to be rejected, adding that the Arab ultimatum was aimed not at tackling terrorism but at curtailing his country's sovereignty. State news agency QNA reported that he would inform the ruler of Kuwait, a neutral Gulf Arab country seeking to mediate in the spat, of Qatar's response on Monday. Sheikh Mohammed earlier told reporters in Rome that Doha remained ready to discuss the grievances of its Arab neighbors. "This list of demands is made to be rejected. It's not meant to be accepted or ... to be negotiated," Sheikh Mohammed said. "The state of Qatar instead of rejecting it as a principle, we are willing to engage in (dialogue), providing the proper conditions for further dialogue." He added that no one had the right to issue an ultimatum to a sovereign country. The feud erupted last month when Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt severed diplomatic and travel ties with Qatar, accusing it of supporting terrorism and being an ally of regional foe Iran, charges that Doha denies. The countries have threatened further sanctions against Qatar if it does not comply with their list of 13 demands presented to Doha through Kuwait 10 days ago. The demands include closing a Turkish military base in Qatar and shutting the Al Jazeera pan-Arab television network, which Doha also rejected. Foreign ministers from the four countries will meet in Cairo on Wednesday to discuss Qatar, Egypt said on Sunday. "At the invitation of Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, there will be a quartet meeting of the foreign ministers of Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain in Cairo on Wednesday July 5 to follow up on the developing situation regarding relations with Qatar," Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ahmed Abu Zeid said in a statement. A State Department official said on Sunday that the United States encourages "all parties to exercise restraint to allow for productive diplomatic discussions. We are not going to get ahead of those discussions. We fully support Kuwaiti mediation." Qatar's Gulf critics accuse Al Jazeera of being a platform for extremists and an agent of interference in their affairs. The network has rejected the accusations and said it will maintain its editorial independence. FRESH PENALTIES Gulf countries have insisted the demands were non- negotiable. The UAE ambassador to Russia has said that Qatar could face fresh sanctions if it does not comply with the demands. Gulf states could ask their trading partners to choose between working with them or with Doha, he said in a newspaper interview last week. They have not specified what further sanctions they could impose on Doha, but commercial bankers in the region believe that Saudi, Emirati and Bahraini banks might receive official guidance to pull deposits and interbank loans from Qatar. A more serious sanction would be to ban investors from holding Qatari assets, but authorities have given no sign of doing this. Qatar's stock market fell sharply on Sunday. The Qatari stock index <.QSI> sank as much as 3.1 percent in thin trade, bringing its losses to 11.9 percent since June 5, when Saudi and the other countries cut diplomatic and trade ties. The UAE's minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, played down the chances of an escalation, saying "the alternative is not escalation but parting ways", suggesting Qatar may be forced out of the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC). The Western-backed body was formed in 1981 in the wake of Iran's Islamic Revolution and the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq war, by Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Qatar, Oman and Bahrain. Speaking in Washington last week, the Qatari foreign minister said the GCC was set up to guard against external threats. "When the threat is coming from inside the GCC, there is a suspicion about the sustainability of the organization," Sheikh Mohammed told reporters. "DAVID AND GOLIATH" Qataris appeared defiant on Sunday, with newspapers decrying a "siege" and sharing on social media a cartoon of David and Goliath to illustrate Qatar's struggle with its larger neighbors. A Qatari artist whose portrait of Qatar's emir has been draped from skyscrapers and affixed to car windows across the capital signed T-shirts for Qataris at a museum on Saturday. "As you see, the photo is now all over, it's a sign of loyalty to the emir and love for the country," he said. Saudi Arabia's permanent representative to the United Nations, Abdullah bin Yahiya al-Moallemi, said on Twitter that Qatar had failed to take opportunities offered by its neighbors in the past to stop supporting terrorism. "Qatar had insisted on shaking the security of the kingdom of Saudi Arabia and interfering in the affairs of countries in the region," Moallemi said. The crisis has hit travel, food imports and ratcheted up tensions in the Gulf and sown confusion among businesses, while pushing Qatar closer to Iran and Turkey. But it has not hit energy exports from Qatar, the world's biggest exporter of liquefied natural gas and home to the region's biggest U.S. military base. The rift opened days after U.S. President Donald Trump met Arab leaders in Riyadh and called for unity against regional threats such as Iran and hardline Islamist militant groups. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall, Tom Finn, Rania El Gamal, Philip Pullella and Yeganeh Torbati; Additional reporting by Ahmed Aboulenein in Cairo; Editing by Leslie Adler and Sandra Maler)
Los Angeles (AFP) - Long lines snaked out of marijuana dispensaries in Nevada on Saturday, as the western US state became the latest to legalize recreational pot.

Nevada joins Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska as states where recreational marijuana sales are permitted. While pot is legal in several other states, it is governed by complicated local laws and still illegal according to federal law.

Legal marijuana sales are sure to be a boon to the economy of Nevada's largest city, Las Vegas, bolstering its reputation as an "anything goes" party town for millions of visitors from around the world.

"I'll bet the state makes a cool million $ this weekend," tweeted Democratic state Senator Tick Segerblom, a longtime advocate for legalization of marijuana.

"This is a game-changer for Las Vegas and tourism here as far as I'm concerned," he told the Las Vegas Sun newspaper, adding, "Amsterdam on steroids."

Destiny Diaz was in line for nearly three hours at the Jardin Premium Cannabis dispensary in Las Vegas, waiting for the law to go into effect at midnight on Saturday.

"It's a great day and something people have been waiting a long time for," she told the Sun. "We weren't going to miss this.

Under Nevada's new law, adults 21 and older can purchase up to one ounce (28 grams) of marijuana or up to one-eighth ounce of marijuana concentrates per day.

Las Vegas police posted a list of dos and don'ts in the newly marijuana-friendly state.

"Know the law! Here's a few things to remember," it said, pointing out that it is illegal to smoke or consume pot in public, to drive while high, or to give or sell it to those under age 21.
By Dave McKinney and Karen Pierog

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois' Democratic-controlled House of Representatives passed big, permanent increases in income tax rates and a $36 billion fiscal 2018 spending plan on Sunday with the help of some Republican votes as the cash-strapped state scrambled to stave off a bond rating downgrade to junk.

The $5 billion tax package, which passed in a 72-45 vote and drew an immediate veto threat from Republican Governor Bruce Rauner, would boost the personal income tax rate to 4.95 percent from 3.75 percent and the corporate rate to 7 percent from 5.25 percent. It would also close tax loopholes and expand tax credits. The spending plan won passage in a 81-34 vote.

Both bills now head to the Democratic-led Senate, which returns to session on Monday, for concurrence votes.

The country's fifth most populous state began an unprecedented third-straight fiscal year on Saturday without a complete budget. A fiscal stalemate between Illinois' governor and Democrats who control the legislature has pounded the state's credit ratings to a step above junk and ballooned its unpaid bill backlog to $15 billion.

The pair of decisive House votes set Democrats on a collision course with Rauner, who vowed to veto the 32 percent personal income tax hike he pinned to House Speaker Michael Madigan.

The legislature could have passed a no reform budget like this one two years ago, Rauner said in a statement. Instead, they allowed Mike Madigan to play his political games, passed phony budgets, racked up our debt and inflicted pain on the most vulnerable.

Rauner has insisted for two years that a budget be coupled with a property tax freeze and legislative term limits, among other things.

In order for Rauner to match his tough words with results, he will have to persuade at least two of the 15 House Republicans to switch their yes votes in favor of the tax hike legislation. The measure passed the House with one more vote than the threshold necessary to override a gubernatorial veto.

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In his own statement after the votes, Madigan praised how Republicans and Democrats together took a crucial step toward reaching a compromise that ends the budget crisis by passing a fully funded state budget in a bipartisan way.

'BRING THIS MADNESS TO AN END'

The tax legislation would give the state a revenue boost to support a full-year budget and start paying down the bill pile that was on track to grow even larger after a federal judge on Friday ordered increased payments on Medicaid provider bills.

In giving Democratic supporters the narrow margin to move the legislation to the state Senate, some House Republicans shed tears during debate, predicted their tax votes could topple them politically in next year's elections and delivered a pointed challenge to Rauner to set aside his budgetary preconditions and do what was right for the states fiscal health.

"I say to the governor, if these bills pass the House and Senate, the revenue bill and expenditure bill, we will have sent you a balanced budget. Have the courage to do what is right and sign the bills, said State Representative David Harris, who was among 15 Republicans to side with Democrats. "Bring this madness to an end."

Their defiance came after House Republican Leader Jim Durkin, a Rauner ally, noted the deal was not negotiated with the governor and did not represent an exercise in good faith, given that negotiations involving some of the governors non-budgetary priorities were shunted to the sidelines.

(Editing by Peter Cooney)
By Chris Kenning and Julia Jacobs

CHICAGO (Reuters) - A federal judge on Monday ordered an Illinois man charged with abducting a Chinese scholar held without bond in a first court appearance that drew hundreds of demonstrators with signs calling for justice.

Brendt Christensen, 28, was arrested by FBI agents in Champaign, Illinois, on Friday on charges of kidnapping in the disappearance of Yingying Zhang, 26, on June 9, according to University of Illinois Police. Authorities believe she is no longer alive.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement that agents overheard Christensen while he was under surveillance "explaining" how he kidnapped Zhang. A search of his cell phone found he had visited a website that included threads on "Perfect abduction fantasy" and "planning a kidnapping," according to the criminal complaint.

Audio captured after nearly two weeks of surveillance includes Christensen stating that he had brought the victim back to his apartment and held her against her will, the complaint said. It did not specify to whom he said that.

On June 9, Zhang went to sign a lease for an apartment in Urbana, but missed a connecting mass transit bus, according to an affidavit. As she waited for the next bus, a motorist in a black Saturn Astra pulled up and she got in the vehicle.

Christensen's appearance Monday in U.S. District Court in Urbana drew crowds of supporters, including some holding signs reading "We are with you Yingying."

Crowds also marched in support last week during the search for Zhang, a scholar in photosynthesis and crop productivity who came to study at the University of Illinois two months ago. Photos show Christensen was present at the rally, university officials confirmed on Monday.

Christensen's attorney, Evan Bruno, said his client had not been indicted, adding: "He's presumed innocent of these charges. There's a lot that the public doesn't know."

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If convicted, Christensen could face life in prison.

The federal court clerk's office said a detention hearing will be held on Wednesday and a preliminary hearing was set for July 14.

Christensen at first said he could not recall his whereabouts on June 9, the day of Zhang's disappearance, according to the criminal complaint. Days later, Christensen told the FBI he offered an apparently distressed Asian female a ride, but dropped her off a few blocks later after she became panicked, possibly believing they had taken a wrong turn.

A search of his car showed the front passenger door appeared to have been cleaned more diligently than other doors, indicating a possible attempt to conceal evidence, the complaint said.

The case has rattled the Chinese community in the area. The University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign had more than 5,600 Chinese students enrolled as of last fall, according to university data.

Her father and other family members traveled from China to Champaign to join in the search for Zhang.

Christensen graduated with a master's degree in May, the university said.

(Reporting by Chris Kenning and Julia Jacobs; Editing by Dan Grebler)
Mosul (Iraq) (AFP) - Iraqi forces are facing increasingly difficult fighting and a rising number of suicide attacks, including some by female bombers, in the final stages of the battle for Mosul, commanders said Monday.

Following recent suicide bombings by two girls, security forces in the Old City were seen ordering civilians to remove some of their clothing before approaching to guard against the threat.

More than eight months since the start of the operation to retake Mosul from the Islamic State group, the jihadists have gone from fully controlling the city to holding a limited area on its western side, but resistance is still tough.

"The fighting is becoming harder every day because of the nature of the Old City," Staff Lieutenant General Abdulghani al-Assadi, a commander in the elite Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS), said of the area of narrow streets and closely spaced buildings where the end of the battle for Mosul is unfolding.

Iraqi forces have been closing in on the Old City in west Mosul for months, but the terrain combined with a large civilian population has made for an extremely difficult fight.

The same conditions that aid jihadist defences also serve to shield Iraqi forces from snipers, Assadi said, and "our losses are not to the level that would prevent us from advancing".

Staff Lieutenant General Sami al-Aridhi, another top CTS commander, said IS had increased the number of suicide attacks it is carrying out.

"The enemy has been using suicide bombers, especially women, for the past three days in some of the neighbourhoods. Before that, they were using snipers and bombs more," said Aridhi.

"Yesterday, four women blew themselves up... today there were two, and yesterday there were seventeen (suicide bombers), including the four" women, he said.

"There are still at least 200 fighters from the (IS) organisation" in Mosul, most of them foreigners, Aridhi said.

"The battle will end in five days to a week."

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- IS snipers killed civilians -

CTS forces in the Old City ordered fleeing civilians to remove some articles of clothing before approaching on Monday in an effort to detect suicide bombers.

Men were told to remove their shirts, while women had to take off veils covering their faces and hair, and flowing abaya robes.

The measure followed two recent suicide bombings -- one by a 14-year-old girl and another by a 12-year-old that killed three members of CTS, soldiers said.

Brigadier General Mohammed al-Jawari, the head of civil defence in Nineveh province, of which Mosul is the capital, said the bodies of 50 people shot by IS had been recovered from a street in Al-Zinjili area in west Mosul.

The recovery of the bodies began on Sunday, following the recapture of a nearby medical complex in which IS had placed snipers who fired on the civilians, Jawari said.

Civilians fleeing the fighting are receiving treatment at a makeshift clinic in Mosul.

"People come from the Old City of Mosul, where fierce fighting is taking place. They're running away from (IS), running away from death, hunger and fear," said Nazar Salih, a doctor at the clinic.

Shahed Omar, a 20-year-old who fled the Old City, pointed to two children at the clinic.

"This one's father was killed, and that girl there, her father was killed as well," Omar said.

- 'Battles on southern front' -

Security forces have made significant progress since launching a renewed assault on the Old City on June 18.

But the impending end of the battle has given rise to the latest round of inter-service rivalry over who gets to declare it over.

A statement attributed to the federal police chief circulated on Sunday, feting "their victory... which was achieved in the territory of Mosul," while police forces in the city celebrated with a band, flags and dancing.

But police commander Lieutenant General Raed Shakir Jawdat later said that while the mission of the federal police was over, other forces were still fighting and an announcement of victory would be made later by the Iraqi premier.

Iraq's Joint Operations Command on Monday said that the federal police were still fighting and had not captured all of their objectives.

"Federal police forces continue to fight fierce battles... on the southern front and are advancing toward their targets," the JOC said.

IS overran large areas north and west of Baghdad in 2014, but Iraqi forces backed by US-led coalition air strikes have since regained much of the territory they lost.

The recapture of Mosul will not however mark the end of the war against IS.

The jihadist group holds territory elsewhere in Iraq as well as in neighbouring Syria, and has been able to carry out attacks in government-held areas.
Ramla (Israel) (AFP) - Israeli ex-prime minister Ehud Olmert was freed from prison on Sunday after being granted parole in a corruption case that reduced his sentence by a third.

Olmert, the country's first former premier to serve jail time, did not speak to reporters when leaving the Maasiyahu prison in central Israel.

The 71-year-old, premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of graft and entered prison in February 2016. He had been sentenced to 27 months.

Olmert was granted early released by a parole board on Thursday and prosecutors decided not to appeal the decision.

He had resigned as prime minister in September 2008 after police recommended he be indicted for graft, but remained in office until March 2009, when right-wing Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in to the post, which he has held ever since.

Olmert won international acclaim for relaunching peace efforts with the Palestinians at the Annapolis conference in the United States in 2007, but they failed to bear fruit and the corruption charges against him have come to define his legacy.
Ramla (Israel) (AFP) - Israeli ex-prime minister Ehud Olmert was freed from prison on Sunday after being granted parole from a 27-month sentence for corruption scandals that brought down his promising political career.

Olmert, the country's first former premier to serve jail time, did not speak to reporters when leaving the Maasiyahu prison in central Israel.

Wearing a dark-coloured T-shirt, he was seen exiting the jail shortly after dawn on Sunday before being driven away to his home in Tel Aviv, accompanied by Israeli security agents.

The 71-year-old, premier between 2006 and 2009, was convicted of graft and entered prison in February 2016.

He was granted early release by a parole board on Thursday, reducing his sentence by around a third. Prosecutors decided not to appeal the decision.

The conditions of his parole were not made public, but Israeli media reported that they include reporting to police twice a month and a ban on leaving the country.

He must also volunteer at associations that help the poor, Haaretz newspaper reported.

He can request a pardon from President Reuven Rivlin that would lift the restrictions. Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked told army radio she would favour such a request.

In March, Rivlin rejected a request for clemency by Olmert, but said he could consider pardoning him if he were granted parole.

- 'Paid a heavy price' -

Olmert, of the centre-right Kadima party when prime minister, resigned in September 2008 after police recommended he be indicted for graft.

He however remained in office until March 2009, when right-wing Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu was sworn in to the post, which he has held ever since.

Olmert won international acclaim for relaunching peace efforts with the Palestinians at the Annapolis conference in the United States in 2007, but they failed to bear fruit and the corruption charges against him have come to define his legacy.

The parole board said last week that while Olmert's crimes were "severe," he was "punished for his deeds and paid a heavy price."

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"The inmate underwent a significant rehabilitation process in prison and displays motivation to continue it," it said.

The decision came after Olmert was recently rushed to hospital after experiencing chest pains in prison.

The former premier underwent examinations which determined he was healthy and he returned to prison after a number of days.

A picture of a gaunt Olmert in hospital robes eating from plastic utensils found its way to social media, evoking a wave of sympathy from the public as well as politicians calling for his early release.

- 'Secretive' content? -

Olmert could still face new criminal charges, though some Israeli media reported that the probe is expected to be dropped.

Last month, the state attorney's office instructed police to investigate suspicions Olmert had smuggled a chapter of a book he was writing out of prison, an act that would constitute a felony due to the "secretive" content, the justice ministry said.

Olmert's lawyer Yehiel Gutman said the book would especially focus on his legal troubles.

"His book contains 1,200 pages and deals with very long periods of time in his public life as well in his personal life," he told army radio.

"The most interesting things that he wrote are actually about the judicial system and about the era of his trials."

Olmert's original 27-month prison term was comprised of 18 months for taking bribes in the early 2000s in connection with the construction of Jerusalem's massive Holyland residential complex; eight months for a separate case of fraud and corruption; and another month for obstructing justice.

The main convictions against him dated to before his time as prime minister, to the years when he served as mayor of Jerusalem and economy minister, among other positions.

In a video message released just before he began his sentence, Olmert, a debonair man reputed to have a taste for fine cigars, maintained his innocence.

"You can imagine how painful and strange this change is to me, my family, loved ones and supporters," said Olmert, looking haggard and downcast. "I totally deny all the bribe charges attributed to me."

He added that "over the course of my extensive career I also made mistakes, though none of them were criminal by nature in my opinion. I'm paying a dear price for some of them today, perhaps too dear.

"With a very heavy heart, I'm accepting my sentence today. Nobody is above the law."

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Embattled Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's conservative party was set for a major defeat in the Tokyo assembly election Sunday, exit polls showed, as he struggles with a series of setbacks and scandals that have driven down his popularity at the national level.

Former TV anchorwoman Yuriko Koike, who was elected the city's governor in a landslide last year, was expected to seize a comfortable majority of the 127-seat Tokyo assembly, which the ruling Liberal Democratic Party previously controlled but is now bracing for a historic defeat.

While the vote is local, it serves as an important indicator of national political sentiment.

"Forces supporting Koike projected to take majority" of the chamber, national broadcaster NHK said immediately after voting ended at 8:00 pm (1100 GMT).

"The LDP set for serious defeat," and may reduce its seats to a historic low, NHK said.

The broadcaster projected that a coalition under Koike would win 73 to 85 seats in the chamber.

The LDP was projected to drop from 57 to less than 38 seats -- the lowest number of seats the conservative party had held in the capital since 2009.

Koike, who has also served as defence and environment minister, has approval ratings topping 60 percent and is already been spoken of by analysts as a potential future prime minister, as Abe battles a cronyism scandal.

The energetic 64-year-old quit the LDP last month to lead the newly-formed Tomin First no Kai (Tokyo Residents First).

Koike has pledged to rein in overspending on the Tokyo 2020 Olympics and has upended political convention by allowing television cameras into what were traditionally closed-door city government meeting.

She managed to forge an alliance with the Komeito party, a Buddhist-backed moderate group that has long sided with Abe in national politics.

"I am grateful that people of Tokyo have affirmed our achievements so far," Koike said in televised remarks as media began forecasting her massive win.

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"This is the moment when we reinstate reasonable, common-sense politics in Tokyo," she said.

A total of 259 candidates ran for seats in the male-dominated chamber that administers the city of nearly 14 million people.

The vote came as Abe, who was elected prime minister in late 2012, suffers a series of setbacks and faces loud criticism for ramming controversial and unpopular legislation through parliament.

In the last week, his defence minister Tomomi Inada was in hot water over remarks she made at a local LDP rally. She asked for voters' support and said it was a request from her ministry and the Self-Defense Forces, Japan's military.

The SDF is supposed to be politically neutral, and Inada retracted the remark.

Abe, 62, is also under fire over allegations he showed favouritism to a friend in a business deal.

The claims come a few months after the conservative premier was forced to deny he had connections to the controversial director of a school which had purchased government land at a huge discount -- and counted Abe's wife as its honorary principal.

LDP's Tokyo chief Hakubun Shimomura, a national lawmaker, admitted "misspoken words" and other mistakes cost the party the election.

"This is very tough. Beyond what we expected," Shimomura told NHK.

"We will reflect on this and we will make efforts at national politics to regain trust of the Japanese public and Tokyo public," he said.

It provided a sharp contrast with the last Tokyo election in 2013, when all of the LDP's 57 candidates won seats as Abe rode high in the polls and pushed a plan to kickstart Japan's long-slumbering economy.

A recent poll by public broadcaster NHK showed Abe's government had a 48 percent support rating, down three percentage points from a month earlier. His disapproval rating rose six percentage points to 36 percent, the survey showed.

Many Tokyo residents have applauded her approach to shaking up the conservative local political establishment.

"From what I see, the Tokyo assembly (dominated by the LDP) is seriously old fashioned and needs to change," said voter Yoshikazu Niwa, 67, who voiced his support for Koike.
Doha (AFP) - A deadline was approaching Sunday for Qatar to accept 13 demands by several Arab states in return for lifting a de facto blockade.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain, cut ties with Qatar on June 5 and issued their demands on June 22.

The deadline has not been officially confirmed.

Here are the key demands:

- Close Al-Jazeera -

The Qatari-based Al-Jazeera news channel has long been a source of conflict between Doha and its neighbours, who accuse it of bias and fomenting unrest.

One of the world's largest news organisations, it has been repeatedly banned.

Egypt accuses it of supporting the Muslim Brotherhood, which it blames for violence after the military ousted Islamist president Mohammed Morsi in 2013.

The United Nations said the demand to shut Al-Jazeera and "other affiliated media outlets" was "an unacceptable attack on the right to freedom of expression and opinion".

- Quit backing Muslim Brotherhood -

The Arab countries also demand that Doha cut ties with groups including the Muslim Brotherhood, which Saudi Arabia and its allies blacklist as a "terrorist" organisation.

They also called on Qatar to hand over opposition figures based in Doha.

The emirate has long hosted exiled Brotherhood figures including the movement's spiritual leader, Egyptian preacher Yusuf al-Qaradawi, and Khaled Meshaal, former head of the Brotherhood-linked Palestinian movement Hamas.

Western governments have concerns about the Brotherhood but have not listed it as a foreign terrorist organisation -- nor has the UN.

- Close Turkish base -

Another key demand is the closure of a Turkish military base in Qatar set to give Turkey a new foothold in the Gulf.

Turkey sees Qatar as its top Gulf ally but is also keen to improve relations with regional heavyweight Saudi Arabia.

However, Turkey's parliament approved a troop deployment to the Qatar base just two days after the crisis broke out.

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Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has said the demands were "against international law".

- Downgrade Iran ties -

Riyadh and its allies want Doha to downgrade its warm diplomatic ties with Tehran, Saudi Arabia's key regional rival.

They accuse Qatar of supporting Iranian-backed groups such as Lebanon's Hezbollah movement -- a charge Doha denies.

Sunni-ruled Saudi Arabia and Shiite-dominated Iran sit on opposing sides in conflicts in Syria and Yemen, where Qatar was part of an alliance fighting Iran-backed Huthi rebels until the crisis broke out.

Riyadh regularly accuses Tehran of interfering across the Middle East, linking it to instability in the kingdom's east, where minority Shiites live.

But not all Riyadh's Gulf neighbours share its hostility towards Iran.

Oman and Kuwait retain warm diplomatic ties with Tehran, while the UAE hosts a large Iranian expat population and has strong commercial ties with the Islamic Republic.

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has said his country wants to bolster relations with Doha.

When Saudi Arabia closed the emirate's only land border -- vital for its food imports -- Iran shipped in tonnes of fruits and vegetables.
Bamako (AFP) - French President Emmanuel Macron arrived in Mali on Sunday to consolidate Western backing for a regional anti-jihadist force, with France urging greater support for the Sahel region amid mounting insecurity.

The so-called "G5 Sahel" countries just south of the Sahara -- Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali, Mauritania and Niger -- have pledged to fight jihadists on their own soil with instability and Islamist attacks on the rise.

Macron is joining the heads of state of these nations in Bamako for a special summit where France's full support for the force will be announced, with a focus expected on providing equipment.

With its base in Sevare, central Mali, the 5,000-strong G5 Sahel force aims to bolster the 12,000 UN peacekeepers and France's own 4,000-strong military operation known as Barkhane operating in the region.

He is also expected to make the case for extra backing from Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the United States -- which already has a drone base in Niger -- beyond a pledge of 50 million euros ($57.2 million) by the European Union.

Serge Michailof, a researcher at the Paris-based IRIS institute, described the EU contribution as "a joke" in the context of the EU's "very deep pockets".

"This force is going to cost $300-400 million at the very least," he told AFP, and would be especially difficult for certain nations involved which are already "choking" on military spending.

The question of funding is sensitive as Chad's leader Idriss Deby has said that for budgetary reasons his troops cannot serve simultaneously at such high numbers in the UN peacekeeping mission and also in the new force.

Deby and Macron are due to meet on the margins of the Bamako summit to discuss the issue, according the French presidency, as Chad's military is widely viewed as the strongest of the five Sahel nations.

- Phased rollout -

Macron visited Gao in northern Mali in May, his first foreign visit as president outside Europe, and said French troops would remain "until the day there is no more Islamic terrorism in the region".

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France launched an intervention to chase out jihadists linked to Al-Qaeda who had overtaken key northern cities in Mali in 2013.

That mission evolved into the current Barkhane deployment launched in 2014 with an expanded mandate for counter-terror operations across the Sahel.

The new Sahel force will support national armies trying to catch jihadists across porous frontiers, and will work closely with Barkhane.

Operations across Burkina Faso, Niger and Mali, all hit with frequent jihadist attacks, will be co-ordinated with French troops, a source in the French presidency told AFP earlier this week, while help would be given to set up command centres.

Macron's visit came as Al-Qaeda's Mali branch released a proof-of-life video of six foreign hostages, including Frenchwoman Sophie Petronin who was abducted in late 2016 in the northern Malian town of Gao.

- Multiple fronts -

While weighing up the challenges of the G5 Sahel operation, analysts frequently compare it with the Multinational Joint Task Force battling Nigerian jihadist group Boko Haram in the Lake Chad region, composed of troops from Benin, Cameroon, Chad, Niger and Nigeria.

Despite heavy initial criticism that force "has succeeded in a part of its mission, which is to reduce the territory controlled by Boko Haram and limit its actions," said Rinaldo Depagne from the International Crisis Group, a non-governmental organisation that works to prevent and to resolve conflicts.

However, the G5 Sahel force has supplementary challenges in the weak armed forces of Burkina Faso and Mali, while Chad and Niger are already engaged on multiple fronts, he added.

The three-nation border of Liptako-Gourma will become a "laboratory" for Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger where French forces will aim to work in tandem with these nations, before bringing Chad and Mauritania into the mix, Depagne predicted.

The G5 Sahel force's top commander, Malian general Didier Dacko, has said that at first each country's contingent would operate on its own soil, gradually becoming more focused on their mutual borders.

There would be "close collaboration with Barkhane forces and the UN mission," Dacko told AFP.

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By Elinor Comley and Chris Kenning

(Reuters) - Partial government shutdowns in Maine and New Jersey entered a second day on Sunday as lawmakers returned to their respective state capitals in a bid to break budget impasses that have led to the suspension of many nonessential services.

In Maine, a bipartisan legislative committee met in Augusta in hopes of breaking a stalemate between Republican Governor Paul LePage and Democratic lawmakers. The shutdown came after LePage threatened to veto a compromise reached by lawmakers in the state's $7.055 billion, two-year budget.

In New Jersey, the legislature was due to reconvene to resolve a political fight over a controversial bill that Governor Chris Christie said must be passed alongside the states budget.

After House Republicans in Maine voted to reject a compromise deal on Saturday, the Bangor Daily News reported that Republican Minority Leader Ken Fredette presented a $7.1 billion plan he said could get the governor's approval, but some Democrats noted that was costlier than the rejected compromise.

A spokeswoman for the governor could not be reached for comment on Sunday.

"The Speaker thinks it is unconscionable that Maine doesn't have a budget, especially leading into the holiday weekend," Mary-Erin Casale, a spokeswoman for Democratic House Speaker Sara Gideon, said Sunday morning.

If the budget committee meeting on Sunday in Augusta agrees on a deal, the measure would go to the full legislature.

LePage has insisted on a budget with deeper spending cuts than those contemplated by lawmakers and has promised to veto any spending plan that raises taxes.

The stalled budget proposal would have repealed a measure that voters approved in November to impose an additional 3 percent income tax on state residents who earn more than $200,000 a year. But it contained a 1.5 percent increase in the lodging tax, Casale said, while increasing funding for public education by $162 million.

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State police, parks and all offices responsible for collecting revenue will operate during the current shutdown, the state's first since 1991.

New Jersey residents were not so lucky. With the July 4 holiday weekend in full swing, the shutdown included the closure of Island State Beach Park, one of New Jerseys few free public beaches, and all other state parks.

Christie was unapologetic when he told reporters he and his family would spend Saturday night at one of the governors residences at the shuttered beach park.

"That's just the way it goes. Run for governor, and you can have a residence there," he said, when pressed.

At the center of the budget stalemate is a controversial plan that would shake up the states largest health insurer, Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield.

Christie says the insurer is not transparent and that a few staff make key decisions in return for high salaries. The proposal would force Horizon to spend some of its reserves on drug addiction and other services.

He has threatened to strike out $150 million in school funding and other items from the budget if the legislature failed to approve the plan.

Christie, a former presidential contender whose reputation was tarnished by the Bridgegate traffic scandal involving some of his closest aides, is already the least popular governor in state history. He is in the last months of his second and final term.

Assembly Speaker Vincent Prieto and other Democrats say the Horizon bill, introduced only on Thursday, is bad public policy. Prieto said he would vote on the Horizon bill after the budget passed.

Christie blamed Prieto for the shutdown, and the pair traded barbed comments on Twitter but did not meet in person.

(Reporting by Elinor Comley in Atlantic City, N.J., and Chris Kenning in Chicago; editing by Frank McGurty and Phil Berlowitz)
A 28-year-old man turned himself in to law enforcement for a road rage shooting that resulted in the death of a recent high school graduate.

David Desper, 28, was arrested and charged with first and third degree murder in the death of 18-year-old Bianca Roberson, the West Chester District Attorneys office said Sunday, CBS Philadelphia reports.

He turned himself in with an attorney early Sunday morning, and remained in custody without bail Sunday, according CBS Philadelphia.

Roberson, who had just graduated from high school and was headed to college in the fall, was fatally shot late last month in suburban Philadelphia while she was trying to merge into a single lane, officials said. Chester County District Attorney Tom Hogan said Roberson did not let Desper into the lane, which angered him, so he shot her, CBS Philadelphia reports.

Police said Robersons car had veered off the road and was found in a ditch with a gunshot wound to the head. Before the arrest had been made, authorities had been interviewing witnesses and studying surveillance footage, and had determined that a red vehicle had fled from the scene.
Culiacan (Mexico) (AFP) - Amid a bloody dispute between rival drug gangs battling for control, the Mexican state of Sinaloa has just seen its deadliest weekend in years with at least 30 people killed.

Sinaloa, on Mexico's northern Pacific coast, is home to the country's top narco-traffickers. After a period of relative calm, cases of shootings, violence and dumped corpses spiked in the past year.

Analysts attribute the escalation to a turf war between factions in the Sinaloa drug cartel following the 2016 capture of kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman. He was deported to the United States in January.

The Sinaloa state government convened an urgent meeting of security officials on Saturday to discuss the upsurge in violence and to chart a response.

Violence has also shot up in other parts of Mexico, making May -- with 2,186 homicides -- the deadliest month since an official crime register was first kept in 1997. The register does not specify how many deaths were drug-related.

- A nighttime shootout -

In the deadliest recent incident, a firefight erupted late Friday in the resort city of Mazatlan after a caller phoned police to report that an armed group had killed two men.

The alleged killers, traveling in a convoy of four pickup trucks, were intercepted by state and military police and both sides opened fire.

In addition to the two victims, all 17 members of the group were killed, Sinaloa security chief Genaro Robles told reporters on Saturday. Five police officers were wounded; all were hospitalized in stable condition.

Authorities reported at least 11 other violent deaths in different parts of Sinaloa on Saturday. They included a man in Culiacan shot by individuals who broke into the clinic where he was being operated on; and three young people whose bodies were found in Navolato.

Violence is also on the rise in neighboring Chihuahua state, on a key drug route to the United States, and in Guerrero -- the state that includes the Acapulco resort -- on the southern Pacific coast.

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Police say six men were killed in separate incidents in three towns in Guerrero, while in Chihuhua, some 20 people have met violent deaths since Thursday.

- A battle for control -

Recent events in Mazatlan have pointed to the possible emergence of a new criminal cell.

The dispute in Sinaloa pits Guzman's sons against a group led by one of his former lieutenants, Damaso Lopez Nunez, who was recently captured.

But analysts say other groups are involved, including the Beltran Levya cartel and a gang led by Guzman's brother Aureliano.

Among the victims of Sinaloa violence was journalist and AFP contributor Javier Valdez, shot to death in Culiacan on May 15, purportedly by traffickers angered by his coverage.
Some of today's biggest science innovations are happening at the smallest scales.

Nanotech  "nano" is short for "nanometer," referring to length scales in billionths of a meter  describes technologies that are built to perform complex tasks, but at the scale of molecules or even atoms. To put that into perspective, a structure called a nanotube is 1 nanometer in diameter  about 100,000 times smaller than the width of a human hair, according to the National Nanotechnology Initiative.

Thanks to nanotech, engineers can design microprocessors for your smartphone that are smaller and more efficient than ever. In addition, gadgets in the not-too-distant future could incorporate sophisticated security safeguards powered by nanotech. Scientists are also exploring how nanotech can deliver medical treatments that target genes themselves. Or build cables strong enough to support an elevator in space, according to a panel of experts at Future Con, a conference highlighting the intersection between sci-fi and cutting-edge science that was held June 16-18 in Washington, D.C. [5 Amazing Technologies That Are Revolutionizing Biotech]

Medical researchers who are looking to build machines that can operate at the nanoscale need to "follow the blueprints of biology," Lloyd Whitman, chief scientist at the National Institute of Standards and Technology, told the audience at the panel titled "Indistinguishable from Magic: Nanotech in Sci-Fi" on June 17.

Any type of robot crafted at the nanoscale won't look like a typical robot  it'll look more like a virus, Whitman said. Evolution has already figured out how to construct functional, autonomous forms even at the microscopic level, and engineers can learn much from studying these minuscule success stories to inform their own work on particles that perform on the nanoscale, Whitman said.

Looking to viruses for inspiration can be particularly helpful for scientists investigating potential nanotech uses in medicine and human health, according to panelist Jordan Green, an associate professor of biomedical engineering, ophthalmology, oncology, neurosurgery, and materials science and engineering at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Maryland.

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Direct-to-cell delivery

Viruses affect our genome by inserting their own genes into our cells in order to replicate themselves, Green said. Could researchers perhaps design a synthetic particle capable of delivering genetic information the same way? Particles made of non-toxic and water-soluble materials could be engineered to deliver DNA directly to cells, coding them into RNA molecules outside the nucleus, where they would be translated into proteins to convey a function, according to Green.

"This could change a cell's genetic makeup, or it could have a short-term therapeutic effect," he said.

For people with genetic diseases, such as hemophilia or cystic fibrosis, this approach could deliver healthy genes to target cells and repair the errors in their DNA that cause the disease, Green told the panel audience.

Nanotech could also inform more effective cancer treatments, Green said. A mutation in cancer cells deactivates the control switch that tells them to stop growing, but targeted gene therapy using nanoparticles could reactivate their self-destruct button, halting cancerous growths in their tracks, according to Green.

By directing nanoparticles to specific tissues and delivering precise instructions to just the right cells, "nanoengineering and nanotech in medicine can help medicines be more precise," he explained.

To the moon

Nanotech could also help to realize an idea that has fascinated and stymied engineers since at least the late 19th century  how to build an elevator that extends from Earth into space, Lourdes Salamanca-Riba, a professor in the A. James Clark School of Engineering at the University of Maryland, told the Future Con audience.

In a carbon nanotube, tube-shaped material made of carbon has a diameter that can be measured on the nanometer scale  one-billionth of a meter. NASA

One type of space elevator could run up a long cable anchored at the equator and attached to a floating "base" outside Earth's atmosphere and in geosynchronous orbit, Salamanca-Riba said. The cable would need to cover approximately 10,000 miles (66,000 kilometers) in length, and it would have to be made from a substance that's exceptionally strong and light  or it would collapse under its own weight, she added.

Carbon nanotubes  cylindrical nanostructures made from carbon atoms  are extremely strong and only one atomic layer thick, and could be a suitable material for these cables, Salamanca-Riba said.

A floating space station that's accessible by elevator would make it significantly easier for astronauts to travel to the moon or other cosmic regions, Salamanca-Riba said. And while a space elevator would be expensive to build, once in place, it would significantly reduce the cost of transporting payloads into orbit  from thousands of dollars per kilogram to just a few hundred dollars per kilo, she added.

However, it may be some time before researchers can produce the thousands of miles of carbon nanotubes that would be required to tether a space elevator  currently, they exist only in lengths of a few centimeters, Salamanca-Riba said at the panel.

Original article on Live Science.

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Asteroids are one of spaces many dangers, but an upcoming NASA project looks to prevent major ones from heading in Earths direction.

NASA is starting development and design on the Double Asteroid Redirection Test (DART), a project that will look for ways to deflect asteroids before they reach Earth, according to an agency release.

Read: AI Spacecraft Could One Day Run Missions Without Directions From Humans

DART would be NASAs first mission to demonstrate whats known as the kinetic impactor technique -- striking the asteroid to shift its orbit -- to defend against a potential future asteroid impact, NASA planetary defense officer Lindley Johnson said in a statement. This approval step advances the project toward an historic test with a non-threatening small asteroid.

For DART, NASA wants to target the Didymos asteroid body, a twin system that is expected to make a distant approach near Earth in 2022 and 2024. The body consists of asteroid Didymos A, around 780 meters in size, and Didymos B, which is around 160 meters wide. According to NASA, DART wants to target only Didymos B.

As part of DART, the craft would fly towards Didymos and use an on-board targeting system to launch itself at Didymos B at a speed of around 3.7 miles per second. From the test, NASA wants to see how effective DART could be at preventing future larger asteroids. NASA believes that while the impact would only affect the velocity of the asteroid by a small margin, doing this early enough could alter its trajectory enough when it gets closer to Earth.

Check out this video from NASA to see what the agency wants to accomplish with DART:

In a release, Andy Cheng, DART co-leader from Johns Hopkins University, said the project is vitally important to developing future ways to protect to Earth.

DART is a critical step in demonstrating we can protect our planet from a future asteroid impact, Cheng said. Since we dont know that much about their internal structure or composition, we need to perform this experiment on a real asteroid. With DART, we can show how to protect Earth from an asteroid strike with a kinetic impactor by knocking the hazardous object into a different flight path that would not threaten the planet.

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Read : NASA Official Says Red Planet Is Primary Mission

The project also comes alongside NASAs new Planetary Defense Coordination Office, which was launched to help NASA develop and prepare ways to prevent or avoid the threat that a potential impact could cause. The agency has also been working on ways to digitally simulate potential asteroid impacts in order to learn about their possible scale and effects. NASA has recently focused on simulating a 2013 asteroid impact on the Russian city of Chelyabinsk to learn more about asteroid destruction and changes when they transition through the atmosphere.

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Nevada became the fifth U.S. state Saturday to allow the sale of recreational marijuana to the public. After this move, it also joined the list of seven other states in the country, which permit the usage of weed for recreational purposes.

Nevada voted to legalize recreational sales in Novembers election in order to allow dispensaries to sell weed to anyone above the age of 21 years.

Read: International Church Of Cannabis Is Now Offering 'Weed Weddings'

The first sale began shortly after midnight Saturday when people from across the country flocked to Las Vegas and began purchasing cannabis in the state.

The new move allows those above the age of 21 years with a valid ID to buy up to an ounce of pot. However, it still remains illegal to smoke weed in public places, including the Las Vegas Strip, casinos, bars, restaurants, parks, convention centers and concert halls. Offenders will face a fine of $600. Driving under the influence of cannabis is also still illegal. The millions of tourists that Las Vegas and other Nevada cities attract every year are probably the ones who will make two out of every three marijuana purchases, a USA Today report stated.

"Everyone's excited, it's upbeat. Everyone's happy, giddy," said Troy White, 28, who was a tourist from Boise, Idaho, and decided to "be part of history" while she was on her way to Lake Tahoe, by standing in line for the sales at Blum medical marijuana dispensary in Midtown Reno, Nevada, the report said.

A residence of Reno, Alisha White, 38, stood in the line at Sierra Wellness in order to show support for her daughter and brother even though she is not a smoker. "My daughter started to have seizures two years ago," she said. "I gave her some marijuana, and it helped her. Marijuana helps people in pain. Ive watched it change peoples lives," she added, USA Today quoted her as saying.

"I've been living in Vegas for 15 years, and I keep missing the cities that legalize marijuana and edibles. So I'm happy that it's here now," said Babs Daitch, who was also waiting in line, the Associated Press reported.

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On Saturday the state joined the list along with Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska in permitting adults to buy a drug, which is still banned by the federal government.

Read: Is Marijuana Better Than Alcohol? Diseases Cannabis Can Cure

Colorado legalized recreational marijuana in 2012 and joined Washington in becoming the first two states in the country to do so. Residents and tourists in Colorado can also buy up to one ounce of cannabis. The state even has marijuana bus and limo tours that will allow all the weed lovers to smoke inside the vehicle while enjoying the scenic beauty of the place.

Oregon legalized sales in 2015 and allowed adults to carry up to one ounce and also grow up to four plants in their houses. It is also legal in the state to give weed edible as gifts to friends and family as long as they are ingested in private and not in public places, according to Rolling Stone magazine.

In 2012, after recreational sale of marijuana was legalized in Washington, non-medical cannabis sale in dispensaries gathered over $1 billion that year. However, you can only be eligible for the grower's license if the drug is needed for medicinal purposes.

In early 2015, Alaska, the northernmost U.S. state legalized usage, possession and transport of up to one ounce of marijuana for recreational use for residents in the state. The first weed shop began their business in October 2016, according to Business Insider.

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Two years ago Preston Bratz made the mistake of trying to buy a joint for 10 bucks.

Bratz, who was a 15-year-old sophomore at La Follette High School at the time, got caught arranging the purchase at school and was immediately put on track to be kicked out of school.

But after an aggressive campaign to reverse that decision, spearheaded by Bratzs grandmother, Bratzs recommended expulsion was thrown out and his case helped push the Madison School Board to rethink its zero-tolerance discipline policies.

Now, at 17, Bratz is a high school graduate and enrolled in college.

Bratzs grandmother, Terri Murphree, who aggressively lobbied the district and School Board to keep Bratz in school, said Bratz has learned from that mistake and has grown from it.

He is happy that (district officials) changed their policies to help other students remain in school and learn from their mistakes rather than kicking them out of (school), Murphree said.

In 2015, Bratz was caught arranging the marijuana purchase and because of the school districts discipline policies, the principal immediately recommended Bratz be expelled from school.

In her letters to district officials protesting the decision, Bratzs grandmother urged them to consider her grandsons past behavior record  consisting of throwing a snowball at Schenk Elementary and talking too much in class on three occasions at Whitehorse Middle School.

Bratz, whose father was in prison at the time of the episode, told the Wisconsin State Journal then that he feared an expulsion would derail his plans to become the first in his family to attend college.

I want to be able to be a better man than he ever was, Bratz said in May 2015. Going through this is making me feel like its pushing me closer and closer to where my dad is right now, and I dont want to be anywhere near there.

The School Board expelled Bratz, but immediately expunged the action from his record and let him return to school in the fall  vastly reducing the amount of school days he missed.

And on June 10, Bratz graduated from high school with honors. He plans to attend Madison Area Technical College and has been accepted into the Scholars of Promise program at MATC, which provides financial aid to students living in low-income households who excel academically. He plans to study kinesiology or zoology.
The latest Star Wars story has arrived. And you can watch it right here.

Today marks the debut of Star Wars Forces of Destiny, a series of original animated shorts set in that galaxy far, far away and focusing on the franchises roster of female heroes. The first installment, titled Sands of Jakku, covers a moment not seen in The Force Awakens: Rey (voiced by Daisy Ridley) and BB-8 must escape a ravenous, metal-craving Nightwatcher worm (which keen-eyed film viewers briefly spotted early on in the film) on their way to Niima Outpost  the place where they eventually meet Finn.

BB-8 in peril in Sands of Jakku (Credit: Lucasfilm)

Lucasfilm Animation has produced an initial run of 16 shorts. New shorts will arrive daily at YouTube.com/Disney ahead of their broadcast premiere on the Disney Channel on July 9. Future episodes will center on Princess Leia, Padme Amidala, Rogue Ones Jyn Erso, The Clone Wars fan favorite Ahsoka Tano, and Sabine Wren from Star Wars Rebels, with each installment narrated by Maz Kanata and featuring John Williamss seminal soundtrack.

In addition to Ridley, film stars John Boyega (Finn), Felicity Jones (Jyn) and Lupita Nyongo (Maz) will reprise their roles, as will key talent from the TV series Clone Wars and Rebels, including Ashley Eckstein (Ahsoka), Tiya Sicar (Sabine), and Vanessa Marshall (Hera Syndulla).

The movies tell these epic heroes journeys, big pieces of mythology, Carrie Beck, VP of Lucasfilm Story and Animation and a producer of Forces of Destiny, told Yahoo Movies earlier this year. For this, we thought these stories could tell those moments of everyday heroism the kind of stories that would be appropriate over two to three minutes.

Beck says that new and casual fans will be able to enjoy the shorts, but if you know anything about the Star Wars franchise, these stories are additive. They tell you a piece you dont already know and give you additional expression of some of your favorite characters. She also promises that the shorts will be authentic.

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All of the episodes will be considered canonical to the Star Wars universe, with some riffing on story lines ultimately cut from the movies. For example, Beasts of Echo Base riffs on deleted scenes from The Empire Strikes Back and finds Leia, Chewbacca, R2-D2, and C-3PO trying to prevent a Wampa incursion at the Rebel headquarters on Hoth.

To complement the cartoons, Disney, Lucasfilm, and Hasbro have created a line of books, role-play toys (including Reys staff from The Force Awakens), and Adventure Figures  an 11-inch doll/action figure hybrid  arriving in stores Aug. 1.

Watch: The Last Jedi Stars Break Down the Shocking Star Wars Trailer:



Read more from Yahoo Movies:
The crowdfunding project Revive wants to bring virtual reality games exclusively built for the Oculus Rift headset onto the HTC Vive. And now, the project has gotten an unlikely, but well-funded supporter: Oculus VR founder and former employee Palmer Luckey.

Revive publicized the $2,000 monthly pledge in a note on its Patreon page and creator Jules Blok personally thanked Luckey for his pledge and everything he has done for the VR community as a whole. Luckey confirmed to Waypoint that he had personally made the funding pledge.

Read: Oculus Co-Founder Palmer Luckey Leaves Facebook

For VR gamers, Revive has some clear appeal as a project. The Oculus Rift has seen a handful of notable games like the Crytek-developed climbing simulator The Climb, but some have remained exclusive to the Rift and havent yet made it to other VR platforms. Exclusivity and limited exclusives are nothing new to console gamers, though, as companies like Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft have long made their name on titles that are only available on their hardware.

Luckeys involvement with Revive is also notable for secondary reasons. Parent company Oculus VR was bought by Facebook in 2014 to help kickstart its VR investments at $2 billion, giving Luckey an estimated net worth of around $730 million. But after a controversy last fall involving his funding of a pro-Donald Trump internet group, Luckey temporarily backed away from social media and public appearances before eventually leaving Facebook and Oculus last March.

In a statement on Facebook last September, Luckey said he was deeply sorry that the initial revelations were negatively affecting Oculus and its partners, but blasted the coverage for misrepresenting his political views. Following his departure in March, Facebook issued a similar statement thanking Luckey for his work with VR and Oculus, but declined to say if he left voluntarily. Luckey also testified in an intellectual property case between Oculus, Facebook and game developer company ZeniMax Media earlier this year.

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Revive and Oculus have occasionally butted heads in the past over the projects scope. Last summer, Revive had successfully figured out a way to port games to the Vive, but the tool could also potentially be used for piracy. Oculus briefly added a hardware check for its anti-piracy checks in response, but backed away from the update after a community backlash, The Verge reported.

Read: Virtual Reality Headset Sales On The Rise

For Luckeys part, his past public statements have hinted about his position on cross-platform play. In a post on Reddit last year, Luckey suggested that Oculus was supportive of the possibility, but couldnt find similarly willing partners.

We can only extend our SDK to work with other headsets if the manufacturer allows us to do so, Luckey said. It does not take very much imagination to come up with reasons why they might not be able or interested.

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Parents have fought successfully over the years to ban books like the Harry Potter series and Catcher and the Rye from public schools. Now in Florida, residents could possibly do the same with textbooks about the science behind climate change and evolution.

Last week, Republican Gov. Rick Scott signed legislation that makes it easier for any Florida resident to object to classroom materials they don't like.

SEE ALSO: Climate researchers shot down Trump's EPA administrator in the nerdiest way imaginable

The statute, which took effect on Saturday, requires district school boards to hire an "unbiased and qualified hearing officer" who could deem things like textbooks, movies, and novels as unsuitable and require they not be used.

Before this legislation, residents could only take their complaints to local school boards.

Florida Gov. Rick Scott, right, on June 28 signed legislation that requires school boards to hire an "unbiased hearing officer" who will handle complaints about instructional materials used in local schools.

Image: AP/REX/Shutterstock

Proponents of Florida's measure have argued that state-approved textbooks are "too liberal," and that some books in school libraries are inappropriate.

In a Feb. 1 affidavit to lawmakers, one supporter asked to remove books about Cuba from elementary school libraries, complaining that they "glorified" Fidel Castro's Communist ideals. As a certified teacher, she said she's witnessed "children being taught that Global Warming is a reality." Yet when "parents question these theories, they are ignored," she wrote.

Another woman lamented in an affidavit that evolution is "presented as fact," when she believes it's fiction.

Teachers, scientists, and free speech advocates who oppose the new statute have said they're worried the measure will allow school districts to shape curricula around people's beliefs  not the mainstream scientific consensus.

"School boards will become inundated with demands that certain books be outright banned and that schools must discontinue using textbooks that dont mesh with a vocal minority's ideological views," said Brandon Haught, a high school science teacher and member of Florida Citizens for Science, the Orlando Sentinel reported in April.

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Protestors march around downtown Denver at the People's Climate March on April 29, 2017.

Image: marc piscotty/Getty Images

Florida's statute is one of 13 measures proposed this year that the National Council for Science Education considers to be "anti-science," the Washington Post recently noted.

Alabama and Indiana, for instance, both adopted non-binding resolutions to promote the "academic freedom" of science teachers in the state's public schools. Educators are encouraged to "teach the controversy" around "biological evolution, the chemical origins of life, global warming, and human cloning."

Legislators and parents aren't the only ones putting pressure on public school teachers.

This spring, the Heartland Institute, a libertarian think tank, mailed books and DVDs to 25,000 U.S. science teachers that speak falsely about a "disagreement" among scientists on global warming. The campaign ultimately aims to reach more than 200,000 K-12 science teachers, PBS's Frontline reported in March.

Haught, from Florida Citizens for Science, urged residents to "stand up for sound science eduction."

"The fight will now be won or lost where you live," he wrote in a June 26 blog post.
Vatican City (AFP) - Pope Francis on Sunday called for an end to violence in Venezuela and urged the country to find a "democratic solution" to its problems.

"I assure my prayers for this beloved nation and express my closeness to the families who have lost their children in the streets," he said two days after four more protesters died, bringing the death toll to 89.

"I call for an end to violence and a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis," the Argentine said at the end of the Angelus prayer in Saint Peter's Square.

No official details were provided as to what led to the latest deaths late Friday, although at least one opposition member of Venezuela's legislature said the victims, who ranged in age from 20 to 49, died by gunfire.

Saturday marks three months of opposition protests demanding the ouster of Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro whose term in office runs until January 2019.

Maduro is blamed for a desperate economic crisis -- marked by shortages of food, medicine and other basics -- that has sparked hunger and deadly violence.

The international community has called for mediation to solve the Venezuela crisis after Vatican-backed talks last year broke down.
Pope Francis condemned the European Court of Human Rights' verdict on Charlie Gard, a 10-year-old who is battling a rare genetic disease called mitochondrial DNA depletion syndrome. He stated that the childs parents should be allowed to care for their son till the end.

The Holy Father follows with affection and commotion the situation of Charlie Gard and expresses his own closeness to his parents. He prays for them, wishing that their desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end will be respected, Greg Burke, the popes spokesperson, said in a statement, Crux reported.

The pope took to Twitter to express his thoughts on the court's ruling. He wrote one should care for human life, especially when it is surrounded by illness.

According to Crux, the pope's message aligns with his views on the "throw-away culture" that he has repeatedly referred to in the past. The pope has repeatedly denounced the throw-away culture that he said is currently prevalent in todays society. The term "throw-away culture" points to the fact that everything and everyone living in the present world is considered disposable, replaceable or temporary. And people, in a bid to get their hands on the flashy and trendy things in life, tend to forego the value attached to the lives of the weak, invalid and the elderly, Our Sunday Visitor reported.

Read: Charlie Gards Parents Respond To Ruling Taking 10-Month-Old Off Life Support

I would, therefore, like us all to make the serious commitment to respect and care for creation, to pay attention to every person, to combat the culture of waste and of throwing out so as to foster a culture of solidarity and encounter, Pope Francis said in his General Audience speech at the Saint Peter's Square, Vatican City, June 5, 2013.

As a part of his pro-life agenda, the pope wished that Gards parents desire to accompany and care for their own child to the end should be respected.

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The popes statement came almost a week after the European Court's ruled that Gard, whose illness requires him to be kept on life support 24/7, will not be allowed to go to the United States to seek experimental treatment, something that Gards parents were looking forward to. In order to fulfill this endeavor, the parents had also raised $2 million through donations.

Charlie Gard

Photo: Getty Images/ Chris J Ratcliffe

The court also freed the Great Ormond Street Hospital, London, from the obligation of keeping Gard under intensive care. Gards life support was due to be turned off Friday but the hospital delayed their plans to do so in order to give Gard some more time with his parents.

Todays decision by the European court of human rights marks the end of what has been a very difficult process and our priority is to provide every possible support to Charlies parents as we prepare for the next steps," the hospital said in a statement, the Guardian reported. "There will be no rush by Great Ormond Street Hospital to change Charlies care and any future treatment plans will involve careful planning and discussion," the statement further read.

Read: Charlie Gard, 10-Month-Old Child To Be Taken Off Life-Support After Parents Lose Legal Battle In UK

Pope Francis condemned the courts decision on Gard in a stark contrast to a statement by Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia, president of the Pontifical Academy for Life, who agreed with the court's ruling, expressing sympathy for Gards parents.

We must do what advances the health of the patient, but we must also accept the limits of medicine and, as stated in paragraph 65 of the Encyclical Evangelium Vitae, avoid aggressive medical procedures that are disproportionate to any expected results or excessively burdensome to the patient or the family, Paglia said in a statement, June 30, National Review reported.

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President Donald Trump suggested that he is considering suing CNN, who employs what he called horrible human beings, according to leaked audio from a Republican National Committee event held in his Washington, D.C., hotel Wednesday night.

Trump hosted the gathering at the Trump International Hotel to fundraise for his re-election campaign. Attendees were charged $35,000 to $100,000 per seat.

Boy, did CNN get killed over the last few days, Trump said to the applause of the audience, according to the Intercept, who obtained the audio despite media being barred from the event.

Last week, the network was forced to retract a story that linked a Trump ally to a Russian bank. CNN issued an apology and three of the networks journalists subsequently resigned.

Trump then zeroed in on CNN political commentator Van Jones, whom the President noted was recently captured on a secretly recorded video calling the allegations of collusion between Trump and the Russian government a nothing burger, along with CNN President Jeff Zucker.

Van Jones  you see this man? Trump said. These are really dishonest people. Should I sue them? I mean, theyre phonies. Jeff Zucker, I hear hes going to resign at some point pretty soon. I mean, these are horrible human beings.

Its a shame what theyve done to the name CNN, that I can tell you, Trump added. But as far as Im concerned, I love it. If anybodys a lawyer in the house and thinks I have a good lawsuit  I feel like we do. Wouldnt that be fun?
Kuwait City (AFP) - Qatar on Monday responded to a list of demands from Saudi Arabia and its allies after they agreed to give a defiant Doha another 48 hours to address their grievances.

Details of the response were not immediately available, but a Gulf official told AFP that Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al-Thani had delivered it during a short visit to Kuwait, which is acting as a mediator in the crisis.

Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Egypt had announced in the early hours of Monday they were pushing back a deadline for Qatar to agree to a list of 13 demands they issued on June 22.

A joint statement said they were extending the ultimatum, which had been due to expire at the end of the day on Sunday, at the request of Kuwait's emir.

The demands included Doha ending support for the Muslim Brotherhood, closing broadcaster Al-Jazeera, downgrading diplomatic ties with Iran and shutting down a Turkish military base in the emirate.

Sheikh Mohammed had earlier said the list of demands was "made to be rejected" and on Monday British lawyers for Qatar denounced the demands as "an affront to international law".

"They are reminiscent of the extreme and punitive conduct of 'bully' states that have historically resulted in war," said the lawyers.

In the evening, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir expressed hopes for a "positive response to be able to resolve the crisis".

Qatar's reply would be "examined with precision", Jubeir told a news conference with German counterpart Sigmar Gabriel in the Red Sea city of Jeddah.

Saudi Arabia and its allies announced on June 5 they were severing ties with their Gulf neighbour, sparking the worst diplomatic crisis to hit the region in decades.

They accused Qatar of supporting extremism and of being too close to Saudi Arabia's regional arch-rival Iran, which Doha has strongly denied.

The crisis has raised concerns of growing instability in the region, home to some of the world's largest energy exporters and several key Western allies who host US military bases.

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The UN Security Council has told Qatar to sort out its differences with its Gulf neighbours, China's UN ambassador Liu Jieyi said in New York Monday, indicating that the top UN body has no plans to get involved in the dispute.

- 'Disunity could weaken' parties -

Gabriel, who will also visit the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, on called for "serious dialogue" to end the crisis.

"We are worried that the distrust and the disunity could weaken all the parties concerned as well as the entire peninsula," said the German minister.

Riyadh and its supporters have already severed air, sea and ground links with Qatar, cutting off vital routes for imports including food.

They also ordered Qatari citizens to leave their territories and took various steps against Qatari firms and financial institutions.

It is unclear what further measures will be taken if Qatar fails to meet the demands, but the UAE's ambassador to Russia Omar Ghobash warned last week that further sanctions could be imposed.

As well as taking steps to expel Qatar from the six-member Gulf Cooperation Council, Riyadh and its allies could tell their economic partners to choose between business with them or with Doha, he told Britain's Guardian newspaper.

Qatar has long pursued a more independent foreign policy than many of its neighbours, who tend to follow the lead of regional powerhouse Saudi Arabia.

- Trump calls leaders -

Doha has said it is ready for talks to end the crisis.

Kuwait, which along with fellow GCC member Oman has not cut ties with Qatar, has been heading up mediation efforts.

US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has also called for compromise and hosted senior Gulf officials, but his efforts have been undermined by remarks from President Donald Trump apparently supporting Riyadh's position.

Trump spoke separately on Sunday with the Saudi king, Abu Dhabi's crown prince and the Qatari emir about his concerns over the dispute, the White House said.

The US president "underscored that unity in the region is critical" but also "reiterated the importance of stopping terrorist financing and discrediting extremist ideology," a statement said.

Egypt said it would host the foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, Bahrain and the UAE on Wednesday to discuss the crisis.

Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani is expected to visit Paris "before the end of the summer" for talks on the Gulf crisis with President Emmanuel Macron, the French presidency said Monday.

The two leaders spoke by phone and Macron said hhe would bring up the issue on the margins of this week's G20 summit and with Trump when he visits Paris on July 13-14.

Meanwhile Germany announced that Saudi King Salman had cancelled plans to attend the upcoming G20 summit in Hamburg.

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(LITTLE ROCK, Ark.)  A rapper whose concert in Little Rock was the site of a shooting that left 28 people injured was arrested early Sunday on unrelated assault charges while outside an Alabama club where he was performing just 24 hours later, authorities said.

Ricky Hampton, 25, of Memphis, Tennessee, also known as Finese 2Tymes, was arrested on outstanding charges of aggravated assault with a gun out of Forrest City in eastern Arkansas, the U.S. Marshals Service said. Little Rock police said on Twitter that no arrests have been made in the shooting at the Power Ultra Lounge in downtown Little Rock. Police have said they believe the shooting stemmed from a dispute in the crowd and may be gang-related.

The Marshals Service said Hampton and another man were arrested at the Side Effects Club in Birmingham, where Hampton was performing. The rapper took the stage in Birmingham just a day after gunfire broke out as he was performing at the Power Ultra Lounge. Twenty-five people between the ages of 16 and 35 suffered gunshot wounds, and three others were hurt after the shooting early Saturday.

A message posted on the rappers Facebook page Saturday offered thoughts and prayers for those injured: THE VIOLENCE IS NOT FOR THE CLUB PEOPLE. WE ALL COME WITH 1 MOTIVE AT THE END OF THE DAY, AND THATS TO HAVE FUN.

A woman who answered a phone number listed on Finese 2Tymes Instagram account for booking said the rapper didnt consider canceling the Birmingham show, despite the shooting, because he wasnt responsible for what happened. The woman didnt give her name before hanging up.

The volley of gunfire inside the Power Ultra Lounge came so fast that investigators believe multiple people had to have been involved. Police Chief Kenton Buckner credited quick work by first responders for there being no fatalities.

Courtney Swanigan, 23, told The Associated Press that when the gunfire rang out, I just closed my eyes, got down on the ground and put my hands on my head.

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City officials said they would move Monday to shut down the club under a criminal abatement program. State regulators suspended the clubs liquor license Saturday, and a representative for the landlords office later posted an eviction notice on a door to the club. The notice stated that the club must move out of the property within three days due to your failure to maintain the premises in a safe condition.

Mayor Mark Stodola said the city must keep guns out of the hands of the wrong people and suggested that people refuse to patronize clubs that seem to promote violence. Material advertising the concert by Tennessee rapper Finese 2Tymes showed a man pointing a gun at a camera.

A promotional video with a gun on the front cover inviting people to a concert  should also be totally unacceptable in our community, the mayor said.

The shooting capped a violent week in Arkansas largest city. Police had responded to a dozen drive-by shootings over the previous nine days.

Im sick of all the killing and Im tired of all the shooting. The kids getting hurt, said Raida Bunche, who was waiting outside the club after hearing from a friend that her son had been inside. She found out later that he had run from the club when the shooting started and was not hurt.

The shooting occurred around 2:30 a.m. about 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) east of the state Capitol building. First-responders are stationed through the central part of the city and hospitals are a quick ride away.

We had professional people responding to that incident and they did what they were trained to do, and I know they probably had something to do with the fact we didnt have any fatalities, Buckner said. He also credited divine intervention.

A Facebook video posted from inside the club included audio of at least 24 rounds fired in about 11 seconds. Darryl Rankin, who posted the video, said a friend of his who attended the concert with him had a bullet stuck in his spine. Buckner said police had not yet spoken with the rapper, who he said has outstanding warrants in the state.
Theres no doubt the Founding Fathers signed the Declaration of Independence in July 1776. But which date has the legitimate claim on Independence Day: July 2 or July 4?

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If John Adams were alive today, he would tell you July 2. Other Founders would say July 4, the day that is currently recognized as a federal holiday by our national government. And still, other Founders would say, what Independence Day? since the holiday wasnt widely celebrated until many of the Founders had passed away.

Here is the evidence, so you can decide which Independence Day is the real Independence Day!

Officially, the Continental Congress declared its freedom from Great Britain on July 2, 1776, when it voted to approve a resolution submitted by delegate Richard Henry Lee of Virginia, declaring That these United Colonies are, and of right ought to be, free and independent States, that they are absolved from all allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain is, and ought to be, totally dissolved.

John Adams thought July 2 would be marked as a national holiday for generations to come:

[Independence Day] will be the most memorable Epocha, in the History of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated, by succeeding Generations, as the great anniversary Festival It ought to be solemnized with Pomp and Parade with shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations from one End of this continent to the other from this Time forward forever more, Adams wrote.

After voting on independence on July 2, the Continental Congress then needed to draft a document explaining the move to the public. It had been proposed in draft form by the Committee of Five (John Adams, Roger Sherman, Robert Livingston, Benjamin Franklin, and Thomas Jefferson) and it took two days for the Congress to agree on the edits.

Once the Congress approved the actual Declaration of Independence document on July 4, it ordered that it be sent to a printer named John Dunlap. About 200 copies of the Dunlap Broadside version of the document were printed, with John Hancocks name printed at the bottom. Today, 26 copies remain.

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That is why the Declaration has the words, IN CONGRESS, July 4, 1776, at its top, because that is the day the approved version was signed in Philadelphia.

On July 8, 1776, Colonel John Nixon of Philadelphia read a printed Declaration of Independence to the public for the first time on what is now called Independence Square.

(Most of the members of the Continental Congress signed a version of the Declaration on August 2, 1776, in Philadelphia. The names of the signers were released publicly in early 1777.)

The late historian Pauline Maier said in her 1997 book, American Scripture: Making the Declaration of Independence, that no member of Congress recalled in early July 1777 that it had been almost a year since they declared their freedom from the British. They finally remembered the event on July 3, 1777, and July 4 became the day that seemed to make sense for celebrating independence.

Maier also said that arguments over the how to celebrate the Declaration arose between the Federalists (of John Adams) and the Republicans (of Thomas Jefferson) and that the Declaration and its anniversary day werent widely celebrated until the Federalists faded away from the political scene after 1812.

In an 1826 letter  the last he ever wroteThomas Jefferson spoke of the importance of Independence Day. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them, he said.

Jefferson and Adams both passed away two days later, on the Fourth of July.

Scott Bomboy is the editor in chief of the National Constitution Center.
By Denis Dyomkin and Maria Tsvetkova MOSCOW (Reuters) - Russia and the United States are still discussing the timing of the first face-to-face encounter between Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin, expected to take place at a G20 summit in Germany later this week, a Kremlin aide said on Monday. Since Trump was elected U.S. president, Russian has been keenly anticipating his first meeting with Putin, hoping it would trigger a reset in U.S.-Russia relations that plunged to post-Cold War lows under Trump's predecessor, Barack Obama. But with Trump embroiled in a row at home over his associates' links to Moscow, the encounter with Putin has become a minefield. Too warm a meeting would allow Trump's domestic opponents to accuse him of being a Kremlin stooge. Kremlin foreign policy aide Yuri Ushakov told reporters the Trump-Putin meeting would happen on the sidelines of the G20 summit, in Hamburg, but it was not yet finalised how it would fit into the summit's schedule. "We will be looking for certain breaks, windows to hold this, the most important, meeting," Ushakov said. "We have a lot of issues, which should be discussed at the highest level ... That's why this meeting, this first personal contact, is so important." Asked about the agenda for the meeting, Ushakov said: "I've heard the Americans want to raise the issues of terrorism and Syria. It seems to me that would be pretty reasonable." Ushakov said that ties between Russia and the United States were at "zero level." The Kremlin aide urged the United States "to save us from the need to retaliate" against Washington for expelling Russian diplomats and seizing two Russian diplomatic compounds on U.S. soil, one in Maryland and the other on Long Island. Barack Obama ordered the expulsion of the 35 Russians in late December last year, seized the compounds, and imposed sanctions on two Russian intelligence agencies over what he said was their involvement in hacking political groups in the Nov. 8 U.S. presidential election. Russian has denied interfering in the U.S. election. Putin said at the time he would not retaliate immediately, in the expectation that relations would improve under Trump. With no thaw materializing yet, Russian officials have said this month that they may now have to take "symmetrical" steps in retaliation. (Editing by Vladimir Soldatkin/Christian Lowe/Andrew Osborn)
Hong Kong (AFP) - A landmark visit by Chinese President Xi Jinping to Hong Kong left little doubt that Beijing views the city as a destabilising hotbed of unacceptable political dissent that must prove its loyalty, analysts said Sunday.

His three-day trip to celebrate 20 years since Hong Kong was handed back to China by Britain, culminated Saturday in a 30-minute speech warning that any challenge to Beijing's control over the city crossed a "red line".

That was seen as a salvo against a new wave of activists calling for self-determination or independence for semi-autonomous Hong Kong, concepts intolerable to Beijing.

Throughout the televised address, Xi played up Hong Kong's role in upholding China's national security and sovereignty, casting it as a potential breeding ground for instability that must be reined in.

It comes after major political turbulence in recent years which saw mass rallies calling for democratic reform bring parts of the city to a standstill for months in 2014.

Since then, a "localist" movement has emerged promoting Hong Kong's own separate identity as fewer young people see themselves as "Chinese". Some in that camp want a complete split from the mainland.

The address laid out a "very strong warning" against dissenters, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, a political science professor at Hong Kong Baptist University.

"Xi's acting as a schoolmaster, warning there will be consequences if they misbehave," he added.

Xi also called on authorities to "enhance" education to raise awareness of China's national history and culture, alluding to the need to bring young people back into the fold.

By putting national security and education front and centre, Xi is pushing Hong Kong's new Beijing-friendly leader Carrie Lam to revisit two potentially explosive catalysts for social and political unrest.

The last attempt to implement a compulsory patriotic curriculum was shelved in 2012 after huge rallies by parents, teachers and students who feared it was Beijing brainwashing. Those protests were led by a then 15-year-old Joshua Wong, now an internationally known pro-democracy campaigner.

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A proposed anti-subversion national security law also triggered massive demonstrations in 2003 over concerns it would lead to suppression of rights and freedoms. It has never been implemented.

"If Carrie Lam does what Xi Jinping said, which is to relaunch the national education campaign and to draft a national security law, she's going to antagonise a lot of Hong Kong people," said Cabestan.

- Deepening divisions -

Xi appeared relaxed, almost disinterested at times, during a visit which included presiding over Hong Kong's biggest military parade since the 1997 handover.

But his demeanour did not reflect an absence of purpose. The South China Morning Post described his strategy as "speak softly but carry a big stick", a proverb made famous by United States President Theodore Roosevelt to describe his approach to foreign policy.

Xi avowed his commitment to Hong Kong's semi-autonomous status as concerns deepen that China is increasingly interfering in the city's affairs.

Yet Beijing's foreign ministry on Friday declared the document signed by Britain and China which initiated the handover was "no longer relevant".

The Sino-British Joint Declaration gave Hong Kong rights unseen on the mainland through a "one country, two systems" agreement, lasting 50 years.

Xi said there must be a better understanding and implementation of the semi-autonomous set-up, which he likened to a tree with deep roots.

Its raison d'etre was to "uphold national unity", he said.

"The message is quite clear that one country towers over two systems," said Willy Lam, a politics expert at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

"He's asking Hong Kong people to obey instructions because the sovereign power overrides everything," Lam added.

Xi's visit laid bare again the divisions in Hong Kong society between those who are pro-China and those who fear its tightening grip.

There were sporadic protests and arrests during an unprecedented security lockdown as well as confrontations between democracy activists and pro-Beijing protesters -- accused by opponents of being hired thugs.

Flag-waving fans filled public squares near where Xi was staying for three days of music, dance and celebrations.

Those who welcomed the visit said the stark warnings Xi issued were to be expected.

"There's definitely a bottom line for every country," said legislator Felix Chung, head of the pro-establishment Liberal Party.

"I think Hong Kong people thought the visit was very positive."

Others painted a different picture.

Pro-democracy lawmaker Claudia Mo said the lavish official celebrations reminded her of North Korea or the Cultural Revolution -- a time of mass political purges in China.

"He wanted to instill fear and respect, or respect out of fear, from Hong Kong people," Mo told AFP.

"But instead I think a larger portion felt resentment."
The North Carolina Starbucks worker who clocked out for a scheduled break and never returned has been found alive nearly a week later.

Allison Cope, 24, a supervisor at the coffee bar inside Raleigh-Durham International Airport, was located in Virginia Beach, Va., more than 200 miles away from where she was last seen.

Read: Missing Starbucks Worker Spotted at Gas Station Shortly After Vanishing During Her Break

She has been brought to Sentara Virginia Beach Hospital, WRAL.com reported. Additional information, including her medical condition, was not released.

Raleigh police told InsideEdition.com that an investigation is ongoing.

Late last week, it was revealed that Cope stopped at a gas station about 25 miles from the airport, still wearing her Starbucks shirt, about an hour after she left her job.

Read: Starbucks Worker Mysteriously Vanishes While Taking a Break

At the time, police said Cope did not appear to be in trouble or under any distress. There is no evidence a crime occurred, authorities said.

Cope took her debit card and her keys when she clocked out. She left behind her bag and her cell phone.

Local police were working with the Raleigh Police Department and the FBI.

Watch: Starbucks Barista Flips Out Over Creating Hyped-Up Unicorn Frappuccinos

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World renowned physicist Steven Hawking said that President Donald Trumps decision to quit the Paris Climate Agreement could have catastrophic consequences for planet Earth.

We are close to the tipping point where global warming becomes irreversible, the Cambridge professor said in an interview with BBC News, Sunday. Trumps action could push the Earth over the brink, to become like Venus, with a temperature of two hundred and fifty degrees, and raining sulphuric acid.

Hawking called climate change one of the great dangers facing humanity but said that quick action could mitigate its impact. By denying the evidence for climate change, and pulling out of the Paris Climate Agreement, Donald Trump will cause avoidable environmental damage to our beautiful planet, endangering the natural world, for us and our children, he said.

The Paris accord aims to cut global emissions and keep worldwide temperatures from rising above 2C (3.6F), with a goal of limiting temperatures even more to 1.5C (2.7F).

Read more: See What Happens to Your City if We Dont Stop Climate Change

Hawking, 75, was also pessimistic about the survival of the human race on Earth. I fear evolution has inbuilt greed and aggression to the human genome. There is no sign of conflict lessening, and the development of militarized technology and weapons of mass destruction could make that disastrous, he said. The best hope for the survival of the human race might be independent colonies in space.

[BBC]
(Reuters) - An armed suspect was shot to death on Monday after attempting to steal a helicopter at an airport in Hillsboro, Oregon, the Oregonian newspaper reported.

All arriving and departing flights were put on hold at the airport, about 15 miles northwest of Portland, the newspaper said.

A Hillsboro Police Department spokesman confirmed to Reuters that there had been a shooting at the airport but declined to provide details. Airport officials could not immediately be reached for comment.

The Oregonian reported that the suspect confronted a flight instructor and student outside the Hillsboro Aero Academy at about 11:40 a.m. and fired at least one round before briefly getting into the helicopter.

A Hillsboro police officer confronted the gunman in a nearby field a short time later and fatally shot him, the newspaper reported.

The flight instructor and student were unhurt, the Oregonian reported.

(Reporting by Dan Whitcomb)
BEIRUT (Reuters) - The Syrian government on Saturday dismissed a report by the international chemical weapons watchdog that said the banned nerve agent sarin was used in an April attack in northern Syria, saying it lacked "any credibility". Western governments including the United States have said the Syrian government carried out the attack in the town of Khan Sheikhoun which killed dozens of people. The Syrian government has denied using chemical weapons. The attack prompted a U.S. missile strike against a Syrian air base which Washington said was used to launch the strike. The report into the attack was circulated to members of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) in The Hague, but was not made public. In a statement, the Syrian foreign ministry said the fact-finding team had based its report on "the testimonies offered by terrorists in Turkey". Turkey is a major backer of the Syrian opposition to President Bashar al-Assad. After interviewing witnesses and examining samples, the fact-finding mission of the OPCW concluded that "a large number of people, some of whom died, were exposed to sarin or a sarin-like substance". Russia, Assad's most powerful ally, has described the report as biased. The attack on April 4 in the town of Khan Sheikhoun in northern Idlib province was the most deadly in Syria's civil war in more than three years. Western intelligence agencies had also blamed the Assad government. Syrian officials have repeatedly denied using banned toxins in the conflict. A joint United Nations and OPCW investigation has found Syrian government forces were responsible for three chlorine gas attacks in 2014 and 2015 and that Islamic State militants used mustard gas. Syria joined the chemicals weapons convention in 2013 under a Russian-U.S. agreement, averting military intervention under then U.S. President Barack Obama. The United States said on Wednesday the Syrian government appeared to have heeded a warning this week from Washington not to carry out a chemical weapons attack. Russia warned it would respond proportionately if the United States took pre-emptive measures against Syrian forces after Washington said on Monday it appeared the Syrian military was preparing to conduct a chemical weapons attack. (Writing by Tom Perry; Editing by Stephen Powell)
The Taliban have killed 13 pro-government fighters in northern Afghanistan, ambushing them as they were on their way to take part in an operation against the insurgency, officials said Sunday.

The attack on the fighters, part of a local militia working with the government, took place Saturday afternoon in the volatile Chimtal district of northern Balkh province, some 40 kilometres from the provincial capital Mazar-i-Sharif.

It underscored rising insecurity in the war-torn country as the resurgent Taliban step up their assaults, with government forces struggling to contain them.

"13 local militia forces have been shot dead by Taliban insurgents as they were heading for an operation against the militants in Chimtal," Munir Farhad, spokesman for the provincial governor of Balkh told AFP.

"All of them were killed ... They were young forces," Farhad said, adding they were investigating the cause of the attack.

Sarwar Hussaini, police spokesman for northern Afghanistan confirmed the ambush and the death toll.

The Taliban, who have intensified their attacks on pro-government forces since launching their annual so-called "spring offensive", claimed responsibility for Saturday's attack.

Afghan security forces, beset by killings, desertions and non-existent "ghost soldiers" on the payroll, have been struggling to beat back insurgents since US-led NATO troops ended their combat mission in December 2014.

In April, northern Balkh province witnessed one of the deadliest attacks in Afghan history on a military base near Mazar-i-Sharif, where gunmen and suicide bombers killed around 150 soldiers.

Local militias have been formed under the authority of the interior ministry to help the strained security forces.

Saturday's attack comes at a time of intensified violence and when the United States is actively considering sending more troops to Afghanistan. American military commanders in Afghanistan have requested thousands of extra boots on the ground.

US troops in Afghanistan now number about 8,400, and there are another 5,000 from NATO allies, a far cry from the US presence of more than 100,000 six years ago. They mainly serve as trainers and advisers.
LONDON (Reuters) - British Prime Minister Theresa May is making Brexit minister David Davis's job of delivering Brexit harder because of her "absolutist" approach, according to his chief of staff who resigned last month. James Chapman told the BBC that said May's insistence that the European Court of Justice must not have any oversight once Britain leaves the European Union, outlined in a party conference speech last year, has made the job harder. "She's taken some absolutist positions on particular issues. I'm thinking of the European Court of Justice," Chapman said. "There have been red lines that have been set for him that make the job he has to do very difficult." Although Chapman praised Davis as a "tough, resilient operator" he said the position on the ECJ had left Britain "hamstrung" in the talks. The role of the European Court of Justice is already a controversial issue in the first phase of Brexit negotiations, with the European Union insisting that the rights of EU citizens' living in Britain must be underpinned by the court. (Reporting By Andrew MacAskill Editing by Jeremy Gaunt)
By Linda Sieg TOKYO (Reuters) - Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's Liberal Democratic Party suffered an historic defeat in an election in the Japanese capital on Sunday, signaling trouble ahead for the premier, who has suffered from slumping support because of a favoritism scandal. On the surface, the Tokyo Metropolitan assembly election was a referendum on Governor Yuriko Koike's year in office, but the dismal showing for Abe's party is also a stinging rebuke of his 4-1/2-year-old administration. Koike's Tokyo Citizens First party and its allies took 79 seats in the 127-seat assembly. The LDP won a mere 23, its worst-ever results, compared with 57 before the election. "We must recognize this as an historic defeat," former defense minister Shigeru Ishiba was quoted as saying by NHK. "Rather than a victory for Tokyo Citizens First, this is a defeat for the LDP," said Ishiba, who is widely seen as an Abe rival within the ruling party. Past Tokyo elections have been bellwethers for national trends. A 2009 Tokyo poll in which the LDP won just 38 seats was followed by its defeat in a general election that year, although this time no lower house poll need be held until late 2018. Koike, a media-savvy ex-defense minister and former LDP member, took office a year ago as the first female governor in the capital, defying the local LDP chapter to run and promising to reform governance of a megacity with a population of 13.7 million and an economy bigger than the Netherlands'. Among her allies in the Komeito party, the LDP's national coalition partner, got 23 seats. "I am excited but at the same time, I am also keenly aware of the weight of my responsibility," Koike told NHK, adding the results had exceeded her expectations. SPECULATION, COALITION CRACKS, RIVALS The strong showing by Koike's party will fuel speculation that she will make a bid for the nation's top job, although that may not be until after the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. It could also widen cracks between the LDP and the Komeito while damaging prospects for the opposition Democratic Party, which won five seats. Abe's rivals in his party could be encouraged by the LDP's dismal performance to challenge him in a leadership race in September 2018, victory in which would set Abe on course to become Japan's longest-serving leader and bolster his hopes of revising the post-war, pacifist constitution. The LDP's thrashing, however, could make it harder for Abe to pursue his cherished goal of revising the U.S.-drafted constitution's pacifist Article 9 by 2020, a politically divisive agenda, said Sophia University professor Koichi Nakano. "His prime motive to stay in power is his desire to revise the constitution, but once his popularity really starts to fall, that becomes very difficult to do," Nakano said. Abe's troubles center on concern he may have intervened to help Kake Gakuen (Kake Educational Institution) win approval for a veterinary school in a special economic zone. Its director, Kotaro Kake, is a friend of Abe's. The government has not granted such an approval in decades due to a perceived glut of veterinarians. Abe and his aides have denied doing Kake any favors. Potentially more devastating is the impression among many voters that Abe and his inner circle have grown arrogant. "We must accept the results humbly," said Hakubun Shimomura, a close Abe ally and head of the LDP's Tokyo chapter. "The voters have handed down an extremely severe verdict." Abe is expected to reshuffle his cabinet in coming months in an effort to repair his damaged ratings, a step often taken by beleaguered leaders but one that can backfire if novice ministers become embroiled in scandals or commit gaffes. Among those many political insiders expected to be replaced is Defence Minister Tomomi Inada. Inada's remark during the Tokyo campaign seeking voter support in the name of the Self-Defence Forces, as the military is known, came under heavy fire. By law, the military is required to be politically neutral. (Additional reporting by William Mallard; Editing by Marguerita Choy, Mark Potter and Paul Tait)
Tehran (AFP) - French energy giant Total is to sign a $4.8 billion agreement to develop an Iranian offshore gas field, the oil ministry said Sunday, in the biggest foreign deal since sanctions were eased.

"The international agreement for the development of phase 11 of South Pars will be signed on Monday in the presence of the oil ministry and managers of Total, the Chinese company CNPC and Iranian company Petropars," a ministry spokesman told AFP.

Total signed a preliminary deal with Iran in November as the lead partner alongside China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) and Iran's Petropars.

The French company will operate the site with a 50.1 percent stake in the $4.8 billion (4.2 billion euro) project.

CNPC will own 30 percent and Petropars 19.9 percent.

The French firm was initially due to sign the contract in early 2017, but CEO Patrick Pouyanne said in February that it would wait to see whether the US adminstration of President Donald Trump reimposed sanctions on Iran.

Trump threatened during his campaign to tear up a landmark accord between Iran and six world powers which came into force in January 2016, which eased sanctions in exchange for curbs to Tehran's nuclear programme.

But he has softened his stance since taking office, with his administration continuing to waive the sanctions every few months as required under the deal.

However, Washington has imposed new measures targeting Iran's missile programme and activities in the region.

The 20-year phase 11 project will eventually pump 50.9 million cubic metres (1.8 billion cubic feet) of gas per day into Iran's national grid.

It marks a breakthrough in the oil ministry's efforts to attract Western investment and know-how to improve its outdated energy infrastructure.
Tehran (AFP) - French energy giant Total defied US pressure on Monday by signing a multi-billion-dollar gas deal with Iran, the first by a European firm in more than a decade.

Total will invest an initial $1 billion (880 million euros) in the South Pars offshore gas field as part of a consortium with Chinese and Iranian firms.

The 20-year project, which will eventually see the firms inject $4.9 billion, is by far the biggest vote of confidence in the Islamic republic since sanctions were lifted under a 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

"Today, for Total, is a historic day, the day we come back to Iran," Total CEO Patrick Pouyanne said at the signing ceremony in Tehran.

"We aren't a political organisation, but I hope this agreement will encourage other companies to come to Iran because economic development is also a way of building peace," he told AFP.

"We are here to build bridges, not walls," he added.

The project in South Pars, a field shared between Iran and Qatar, is the first under a new Iranian Petroleum Contract which offers better terms to foreign investors but has faced intense criticism from hardliners who said it was too generous.

Oil Minister Bijan Namadar Zanganeh said the deal was a direct result of moderate President Hassan Rouhani's resounding re-election victory in May and strong public support for rebuilding ties with the West.

"The people said firmly that our oil policies should continue," he said. "We shall never forget Total being the forerunner."

Zanganeh said Iran's oil industry needs some $200 billion in investment over the next five years, and European firms have been hungrily eyeing opportunities in a country with the world's second-largest gas reserves and fourth-largest oil reserves.

But they have been cautious about investing due to continuing US sanctions.

Total has appointed a compliance officer with the sole task of ensuring it does not fall foul of US measures against Iran.

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In particular, it must prevent cash flowing to Iran's elite Revolutionary Guards -- a tall order given their extensive and shadowy presence across the Iranian economy.

Just a fortnight ago, the US Senate overwhelmingly passed a bill targeting the Guards over their involvement in regional conflicts and the country's ballistic missile programme.

The White House is also in the midst of a 90-day review on whether to abandon the nuclear deal entirely, which President Donald Trump threatened to do during his election campaign.

The uncertainty has been enough to deter global firms such as BP from dipping their toes in Iranian waters, while Shell and Russia's Gazprom have signed only preliminary deals to date.

- 'US hostility' -

Even without the threat of sanctions, investing in the Iranian economy is not for the faint-hearted.

Foreign firms in Iran still face "pervasive corruption... high levels of red tape; potential for currency instability (and) reluctance to allow foreign involvement within the domestic economy," consultancy firm BMI Research wrote in a briefing note Monday.

For all that, Iran's large population of middle-class consumers presents an irresistable opportunity for many businesses in Europe and beyond.

Any attempt to scupper the nuclear deal will likely face major push-back from its other signatories: Britain, France, Germany, China and Russia.

Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was warmly received by EU leaders last month and tweeted that they were committed to the nuclear deal "despite reckless US hostility".

At the signing on Monday, Pouyanne said "Total has a long history in Iran," pointing to its development of phases two and three of South Pars in the 1990s.

It will take a 50.1 percent stake in the new phase 11 project, while China National Petroleum Corporation (CNPC) will own 30 percent and Iran's Petropars 19.9 percent.

The aim is to start pumping into Iran's domestic grid in 2021, eventually reaching 56.6 million cubic metres (2 billion cubic feet) of gas per day.

Iranian officials said the products would be worth a total of $54 billion at current prices.

Total had signed up to develop phase 11 back in 2009 but was forced to abandon its Iranian projects in 2012 when France joined European Union partners and imposed sanctions, including an oil embargo.
President Donald Trump started a new Twitter feud Thursday with talk show hosts Mika Brzezinski And Joe Scarborough, attacking them both personally.

Scarborough and Brzezinski host the show Morning Joe on MSNBC. The show debuted in 2007 and plays weekdays at 6 a.m. The show covers news of the day.

READ: Trump Defends Social Media Use Calling It 'Modern Day Presidential,' Slams Media In Series Of Tweets

Brzezinski is a longtime broadcast journalist, starting her career at ABCs World News This Morning, as an assistant before moving to a local station and then eventually working her way up through the ranks of CBS. She then began working at MSNBC in 2007.

Scarborough began his career as a lawyer before running for and winning a House seat representing Floridas 1st district. Scarborough ran as a Republican and held the seat from 1995-2001. In 2003 Scarborough began his career in television with the show Scarborough Country, on MSNBC.

The two co-hosts announced their engagement in May 2017.

Trump started the spat when he attacked the two, especially Brzezinskis looks.

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no! wrote the president across two tweets Thursday.

I heard poorly rated @Morning_Joe speaks badly of me (don't watch anymore). Then how come low I.Q. Crazy Mika, along with Psycho Joe, came..  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

...to Mar-a-Lago 3 nights in a row around New Year's Eve, and insisted on joining me. She was bleeding badly from a face-lift. I said no!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2017

Trump went after the show again Friday.

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Watched low rated @Morning_Joe for first time in long time. FAKE NEWS. He called me to stop a National Enquirer article. I said no! Bad show, the president tweeted.

The Enquirer article detailed the private lives of Brzezinski and Scarborough and examined their previous marriages. Scarborough had been married twice before, and Brzezinski was divorced from her previous husband in 2016.

Brzezinski and Scarborough published an op-ed in the Washington Post Friday, entitled Donald Trump is not well, and they had a different take on the Enquirer story.

This year, top White House staff members warned that the National Enquirer was planning to publish a negative article about us unless we begged the president to have the story spiked. We ignored their desperate pleas, the two wrote.

Amongst tweets attacking CNN and the media in general, Trump had another attack against Brzezinski and Scarborough Saturday.

Crazy Joe Scarborough and dumb as a rock Mika are not bad people, but their low rated show is dominated by their NBC bosses. Too bad! tweeted Trump.

The relationship between the president and co-hosts wasnt always so tense.

Morning Joe had concerned its parent company NBC in 2015 and early 2016 that the two were being too friendly with then-presidential candidate Trump. Trump regularly visited the show and had cozy conversation with the duo, the New York Times reported Thursday.

You guys have been supporters, and I really appreciate it. And not necessarily supporters, but at least believers. You said there's some potential there, Trump said in February 2016.

The relationship began to sour when Scarborough and Brzezinski became increasingly critical of the presidential candidate. Scarborough wrote a May 2016 op-ed in the Washington Post questioning if the Trump campaign could win.

Trump lashed out at the show and its hosts.

Tried watching low-rated @Morning_Joe this morning, unwatchable! @morningmika is off the wall, a neurotic and not very bright mess!" and "Some day, when things calm down, I'll tell the real story of @JoeNBC and his very insecure long-time girlfriend, @morningmika. Two clowns! Trump tweeted in August 2016.

READ: Melania Trump Defends Donald Trumps Brzezinski Tweet: 5 Times First Lady Backed Presidents Actions

In September 2016 he went after the two again.

Just heard that crazy and very dumb @morningmika had a mental breakdown while talking about me on the low ratings @Morning_Joe. Joe a mess! Trump tweeted.

Trumps most recent tweets have seen condemnation from both sides of the political spectrum, especially his aggression towards Brzezinski in particular. Writing in The New York Times on Saturday, op-ed columnist Maureen Dowd said Trump "mistakes cruelty for strength" and cautioned that his attacks on the "Morning Joe" anchors should "alarm men and women equally."

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BRIDGEWATER, N.J. (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump spoke to Chinese President Xi Jinping and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Sunday and discussed the threat posed by North Korea, the White House said. "Both leaders reaffirmed their commitment to a denuclearized Korean Peninsula. President Trump reiterated his determination to seek more balanced trade relations with Americas trading partners," the White House said of Trump's call with Xi. Trump has become increasingly frustrated with China's inability to rein in North Korea. Trump and Abe, in their call, reiterated their commitment to increase pressure on North Korea. "They reaffirmed that the United States-Japan Alliance stands ready to defend and respond to any threat or action taken by North Korea," the White House said in a statement. (Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Paul Tait)
Berlin (AFP) - US President Donald Trump and German Chancellor Angela Merkel plan to meet in Hamburg on Thursday, the eve of a Group of 20 summit, Merkel's spokesman said.

"Indeed a meeting with the US president is planned before the G20 summit, most probably in the early evening of Thursday," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said at a press briefing on Monday.

Transatlantic differences on climate change, trade, refugees and other issues are expected to flare at the July 7-8 meeting of world leaders from major industrialised and emerging economies in the northern port city.

Last week Merkel met with key European leaders and vowed to make a stand for climate protection and open markets at the meeting with Trump, who has said he will take the US out of the Paris climate deal and pursue a protectionist "America First" policy.

Merkel said last Thursday that "the differences are obvious and it would be dishonest to try to cover that up. That I won't do."

She also said the US exit from the 2015 Paris climate pact had made Europe "more determined than ever" to make the accord a success.

More than 20,000 police will be on duty in Hamburg for the meeting, whose participants include China's President Xi Jinping, Russia's Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

More than 30 anti-capitalist protests have been scheduled for before and during the meeting.

A day before the G20, Trump will head to Warsaw for a summit meeting of central and eastern European leaders likely to include Hungary's hardline Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who has sparred with western European leaders, especially on the refugee issue.
By Jeff Mason

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump honored military veterans in Washington on Saturday at a Kennedy Center event that resembled both a political rally and an evangelical Christian religious service ahead of the July 4 Independence Day holiday.

Using the podium again to lash out at the news media, Trump worked to energize evangelicals in his political base, noting that the U.S. currency was inscribed with the words: In God We Trust."

"Since the signing of the Declaration of Independence 241 years ago, America always affirmed that liberty comes from our creator. Our rights are given to us by God, and no earthly force can ever take those rights away," he said.

Attendees at the event for veterans waved miniature American flags from their seats in the theater and raised their hands as a sign of praise while a large choir sang ahead of Trump's remarks.

The president praised veterans from each of the U.S. military branches and highlighted his administration's work to reform veterans' services.

Trump, who is spending a long weekend at his property in Bedminster, New Jersey, flew back to Washington for the rally but did not spend the night at the White House, preferring to return to Bedminster.

Later, in a rare late-night post on Twitter, which he uses prolifically and sometimes controversially, Trump wrote:

"We will always take care of our GREAT VETERANS. You have shed your blood, poured your love, and bared your soul, in defense of our country."

Trump has held campaign-like rallies regularly during his first few months in the White House and kicked off his own re-election campaign far earlier than other incumbents in recent history.

Part of his strategy to connect with his supporters has included criticizing the media, and he included harsh words for the press again in his remarks.

"The fake media is trying to silence us, but we will not let them," he said. "The fake media tried to stop us from going to the White House. But I'm president, and they're not."

(Reporting by Jeff Mason; Editing by Jonathan Oatis)
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. m1ilitary has carried out an air strike in Somalia against al Shabaab, an al Qaeda-linked Islamist insurgency that wants to overthrow Somalia's weak U.N.-backed government, U.S. officials said on Monday. The strike took place at 1130 GMT (7:30 a.m. EDT) on July 2, the Pentagon said. It did not disclose additional information about the strike, including specific militant targets. "We are currently assessing the results of the operation, and will provide additional information as appropriate," said Army Major Audricia Harris, a spokeswoman. Since being pushed out of the capital Mogadishu in 2011, al Shabaab has lost control of most of Somalia's cities and towns. But it retains a strong presence in swathes of the south and center and carries out major gun and bomb attacks. The group aims to topple Somalia's government, drive out African Union peacekeeping troops and impose its own harsh interpretation of Islamic law. The latest strike came a month after a U.S. drone strike in Somalia, which the Pentagon estimated killed eight militants. (Reporting by Phil Stewart; Editing by Tom Brown and Jeffrey Benkoe)
Geneva (AFP) - The UN refugee agency is heaping pressure on Europe to help Italy defuse the "unfolding tragedy" of tens of thousands migrants flooding its shores.

Italy needs more international support to cope with a growing number of migrants who have braved a perilous Mediterranean crossing to reach Europe this year, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi said on Saturday.

"What is happening in front of our eyes in Italy is an unfolding tragedy," Grandi said in a statement.

"In the course of last weekend, 12,600 migrants and refugees arrived on its shores, and an estimated 2,030 have lost their lives in the Mediterranean since the beginning of the year."

Italy, he said, was "playing its part" in taking in those rescued and offering protection to those in need. "These efforts must be continued and strengthened. But this cannot be an Italian problem alone."

Separately, a source in Paris said the interior ministers of France, Germany and Italy would meet in the French capital on Sunday to discuss a "coordinated approach" to help Rome.

Last week, Italy threatened to close its doors to people arriving on boats which were not flying Italian flags.

- Tackling the root causes -

Europe has to get fully involved through an "urgent distribution system" of migrants and should widen legal channels so that migrants can be admitted, Grandi said.

He also called for greater international efforts to tackle the causes of migration, to protect people and to fight trafficking.

Since the beginning of the year, 83,650 people have reached Italy by sea, an increase of nearly 20 percent compared to the same period last year, UN figures show.

Nearly all of Italy's 200,000 places for accommodating migrants have been filled.

Many of the migrants need health care and support, with a large percentage of them non-accompanied children and victims of sexual violence, says the UN.

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The number of migrant children arriving on their own rose two-fold between 2015 and 2016, reaching 25,846 at the end of last year.

- Violence in Calais -

Europe has been grappling with the worst migration crisis since the end of World War II with an influx of people fleeing the wars in Syria and Iraq while others from Africa are seeking an escape from poverty or political persecution.

And there continue to be flare-ups of violence sparked by the tensions among the migrants and refugees gathered in western Europe.

In the northern French port city of Calais, riot police stepped in over the past two days to break up fighting among African migrants armed with sticks and rocks.

Fighting between Eritreans against Ethiopians on Saturday left 16 people injured, with police making 10 arrests.

That followed brawls on Friday night when security forces used tear gas to disperse the feuding sides, Calais Mayor Philippe Mignonet said.

"In the past 12 hours, in terms of violence, there's been an escalation," he told AFP.

Calais has for years been a magnet for migrants and refugees hoping to cross the Channel to Britain.

Last October, France broke up the notorious tent camp known as "the Jungle" transferring thousands of migrants to centres around the country.

But hundreds remain near the port, mostly Africans and Afghans, who clash sporadically with police as they make nightly attempts to stow away onto trucks heading across the Channel to Britain.

Last month, a Polish driver was killed when his truck burst into flames after hitting a roadblock set up by migrants hoping to slow the traffic to make it easier to jump onto vehicles.

French President Emmanuel Macron's new government has ruled out building a reception centre for asylum-seekers in Calais, saying it would only encourage more people to come, and has promised to reinforce security.

burs-boc/hmw
Beirut (AFP) - US-backed fighters pierced jihadist-held Raqa from the south for the first time on Sunday, crossing the Euphrates River to enter a new part of the Syrian city, a monitor said.

The Syrian Democratic Forces have spent months closing in on the Islamic State group's bastion Raqa and entered the city's east and west for the first time last month.

On Thursday, the US-backed Arab-Kurd alliance sealed off the jihadists' last escape route by capturing territory on the southern bank of the Euphrates.

"Today, they entered Raqa's south for the first time and seized the Al-Hal market," Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said on Sunday.

He said some SDF fighters had advanced north across the Euphrates River, while others had attacked Al-Hal from the adjacent district of Al-Meshleb in Raqa's east.

"The market is fully under SDF control but IS is waging a counter-attack," Abdel Rahman said.

The SDF's Operation Wrath of the Euphrates announced it had captured the Al-Hal market on Sunday.

Abdel Rahman also said 11 civilians, including four women and five children, were killed in coalition air strikes on the western Raqa district of Al-Daraiya late Sunday.

The new deaths put at more than 200 the civilian toll from coalition raids on Raqa since the US-backed SDF entered the city on June 6.

The Observatory said "dozens" of SDF fighters had been killed in Raqa in the same period, "including 36 in the past week".

The SDF have since seized a handful of neighbourhoods in the east and west but are facing fierce resistance by IS as they push closer to the city centre.

- 'Destroying tunnels' -

SDF fighters were battling IS on Sunday inside the eastern district of Al-Senaa, which the jihadists retook after an initial advance by the US-backed forces last month.

Al-Senaa is key for both the SDF and IS because it is adjacent to the city centre, where most IS fighters defending Raqa are thought to be holed up.

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IS pushed the SDF out of Al-Senaa on Friday, using dozens of jihadists disguised in SDF uniforms as well as a slew of car bombs.

After two days of a counter-offensive, the SDF had retaken about 70 percent of it by Sunday, the Observatory said.

"Our forces are about 100 metres (yards) from Baghdad Gate," said Syrian Elite Forces spokesman Mohammad Khaled Shaker, referring to the entrance to Raqa's Old City.

"We are combing the area and destroying tunnels to prevent any new infiltrations towards our positions," Shaker told AFP.

According to the coalition, an estimated 2,500 IS jihadists are defending the northern city.

IS overran Raqa in 2014, transforming it into the de facto Syrian capital of its self-declared "caliphate," which it declared three years ago.

The city became infamous as the scene of some of the group's worst atrocities, including public beheadings, and is thought to have been a hub for planning attacks overseas.

The United Nations has expressed concern for up to 100,000 civilians it says are still trapped in the city.
Lisbon (AFP) - The US decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement has given a "global push" to the deal, as other signatories have strongly recommitted to the landmark accord, UN chief Antonio Guterres said Monday.

President Donald Trump, whose country is the world's second biggest producer of greenhouse gases after China, drew widespread criticism when he announced on June 1 that he would quit the 2015 pact.

"Since the decision by the US government to abandon the Paris accords, we have been witnessing a global push and a reaffirmation by all the other governments of their commitment" on climate change, Guterres told a conference in Lisbon.

"It's obvious for the European Union, China and India," he added.

Guterres recalled that he had recently met the leaders of China and India, describing them as countries which were "crucial" for the success of the Paris accords.

"Their commitment is clear," he said.

"In the United States, this push is generating at the level of cities, in some states and in the business world a very strong commitment towards the green economy," the UN chief said.

Former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has become a UN special envoy for cities and climate, "is convinced that the United States will be able to reach the targets it set itself under the Paris accord," said Guterres.

The Paris agreement, struck in the French capital in December 2015, aims to keep the increase in average world temperatures to "well below" two degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) above pre-industrial levels.
Dr. Frankenstein, eat your heart out: Scientists have grown the pebbly green skin of sea turtles in the lab for the first time ever.

In fact, it's the first time anyone has ever grown reptile skin in a laboratory, period. The reason? Researchers are trying to understand the behavior of a bizarre and mysterious virus that afflicts green sea turtles with huge, warty tumors.

These "gnarly" tumors are the main symptom of a disease called fibropapillomatosis, said study leader Thierry Work, a wildlife disease specialist with the U.S. Geologic Survey in Honolulu. It's found in green sea turtles (Chelonia mydas) worldwide. The tumors grow all over the turtles' bodies  including around the eyes and mouth, and on internal organs  so many turtles with fibropapillomatosis die of malnutrition and immune system complications, Work told Live Science. [11 Body Parts Grown in the Lab]

The International Union for Conservation of Nature and the U.S. Endangered Species Act list green sea turtles as threatened or endangered throughout their ranges worldwide.

A green sea turtle (Chelonia mydas). The species is endangered or threatened throughout the world, and is facing a dangerous tumor-causing disease called fibropapillomatosis. Thierry Work/USGS

For at least 20 years, researchers have known that a virus called chelonid herpesvirus 5, or ChHV5, is often associated with fibropapillomatosis tumors. But the herpesvirus doesn't reproduce under laboratory conditions, so scientists haven't been able to study it, or even prove that it's the cause of the disease.

Growing skin

The new lab-grown turtle skin could change all that. Through lots of trial and error, Work and his colleagues were able to take skin cells from sea turtles with fibropapillomatosis that had been euthanized and use them to grow actual skin tissue in the lab. This was a challenge, Work said, because the team had to reproduce the three-dimensional structure of turtle skin using two cell types: fibroblasts and keratinocytes. Getting it to work required lots of adaptations to techniques that have been used to grow human and other mammal skin tissue under lab conditions, Work said.

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Once the researchers managed to sustain the skin in the lab, they were able to reproduce the virus within the three-dimensional skin structure.

"It really did allow us to see the complete development of the virus," Work said.

3D structure

The viral reproduction was exciting because it was the first time anyone had grown ChHV5 in the lab. But it was also significant because the researchers found that the virus replicates differently in three-dimensional skin tissue than other herpesviruses do on single layers of cells in a petri dish. For example, they found bizarre sun-shaped replication centers, around which viruses encased in protein shells called capsids arranged themselves.

Lab-grown sea turtle skin was infected with a herpesvirus. Julie Dagenais/USGS

"The idea [we have] of how herpesviruses replicate might be really skewed," Work said.

Now that the ChHV5 virus can be grown in the lab, researchers will be able to extract and purify it to confirm whether this is the virus that causes fibropapillomatosis, he said. Ultimately, the goal is to develop a blood test for the virus so that turtles that aren't showing symptoms can be tested. Those kinds of blood tests can reveal the virus's presence in an environment, Work said.

"If you can trace the virus, you can start looking at the environmental variables that are conducive to disease occurrence," he said. "And then you can work to modify the environment to decrease the incidence of disease."

The research appeared June 14 in the Journal of Virology.

Original article on Live Science.

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Samsung on Monday finally took the wraps off its revived Galaxy Note 7 smartphone. As we reported earlier this morning, the new Galaxy Note Fan Edition will be released on July 7th in South Korea. 400,000 units will be made available initially, and the company has not yet announced if or when it will release the new phone in additional markets. New is perhaps not the proper word to describe the Galaxy Note FE, since the phone is actually a refurbished and updated version of last years ill-fated Galaxy Note 7.

What are the big differences between the update Galaxy Note Fan Edition and the original Note 7? Well tell you in this post?

Don't Miss: Whether or not you cut the cord, this is the only streaming media device youll ever need

Plenty of Samsungs biggest fans were upset on Monday morning when they learned that the Galaxy Note Fan Edition would be exclusive to South Korea at launch. We had a feeling that would be the case, of course, but many people apparently still hoped there would be a broader release.

The good news is that youre probably not missing much. The Note 7 was a fantastic phone but were now less than two months away from the next-generation Galaxy Note 8s unveiling. While the Note FE appears to be a solid phone, its a bit pricey at around $600 for a refurbished device. The new Note 8 is expected to offer a wide range of benefits over last years model, even in its newly refurbished state.

Speaking of refurbishing, people seem to be wondering exactly whats different about the Galaxy Note Fan Edition compared to the original Galaxy Note 7. There are a few differences, but two in particular stand out the most.

First, the new Galaxy Note Fan Edition wont explode. Well, it probably wont explode, at least. Samsung pulled out the oversized batteries it stuffed into its original Note 7 models and replaced them with smaller 3,200 mAh batteries. Samsungs attempt to squeeze too much capacity into the original Note 7 is what caused the batterys defects, which led to the explosions several users experienced in 2016.

Story continues

Beyond that, the second biggest difference between the Galaxy Note Fan Edition and the Galaxy Note 7 is the addition of Bixby. Samsungs virtual personal assistant competes directly with the likes of Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa. Its still crippled in the United States and other markets, but in South Korea it supports all of the nifty features Samsung announced when it first debuted Bixby on the Galaxy S8.

Long story short, the Galaxy Note Fan Edition is a solid phone and avid fans will jump at the opportunity to buy one. In markets outside South Korea where the phone is not available, however, people can rest assured that they arent missing too much  especially with the Galaxy Note 8 right around the corner.

Trending right now:

See the original version of this article on BGR.com
Everyone asks me how is it possible that when the Goldin family asked the government to pressure Hamas to return Hadar and Oron Shaul , we were warned that we were bringing about a war, and when Mahmoud Abbas asks Israel to cut the electricity supply to Gaza, Israel goes ahead and does it ? My response is that since the prime minister signed the agreement with the Turks a year ago, Im no longer surprised. Im just angry and filled with shame.

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That morning, exactly one year ago, I was speaking to teens ahead of their IDF service about Hadar, in the context of the development of educational leadership. I always conclude with the song Eretz Tzvi (Land of the Deer), which was Hadars ringtone. Next week, I told them, we will mark 40 years since a plane was hijacked to Uganda and the hostages were released. It was a week of brave decisions: The government decided to launch a bold operation in a faraway place. During these same days 40 years ago, I said to them, Yoni Netanyahu planned the raid at the Entebbe airport, the battle in which he was killed. Hadar saw it as the purpose of military action. Remember that, I told the youth who were about to be drafted in July-August 2016.

Leah and Simcha Goldin with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. A leadership disappointment (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

I didnt know at the time what Benjamin Netanyahu would bring me and my family that evening and the following week. That evening, the prime minister surprised my family and announced the agreement with Turkey, without any stipulation in the conditions about the soldiers return.

The following segment was written by Tzur, Hadars twin brother, who fought 700 meters away from him in Gaza, and returned after the war to regular service in the Maglan special forces unit. This is how he remembers the conversation with the prime minister:

It was in the evening. I am sitting next to my father in the dining room, which turned long ago into the familys meeting and cabinet table for crucial decisions. The phone rings with an unlisted number, and we hear the voice of the cabinets military secretary. I put the call on speaker mode. My mother is in her car, on her way back from a cyber conference she organized at the Beer Sheva university. We tell her to stop somewhere. The prime minister is on the other end of the line from Jerusalem.

He begins the conversation, explaining to my parents that he would like to update them on an important diplomatic agreement that is about to be implemented in the coming days. Regardless of what people may say, this agreement has nothing to do with returning Hadar and Oron. It has nothing to do with the Gaza Strip or with Hamas.

My mother tries to understand the essence of the agreement and the reason for his call, and then we immediately learn that the essence of the agreement is normalizing ties with Turkey. My father cries out: But the Turks are Hamas patrons in Gaza, they are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. My father reminds the prime minister that no efforts have been made to bring Hadar back for a year and a half, and during this time the answer we have received is that in every agreement that has to do with rebuilding or upgrading Gaza, the soldiers return will be a precondition. Where is that promise? How is this happening?

The prime minister explains that this is an unusual case in which an agreement is being signed with Turkey, and that it has nothing to do with Gaza. My mother notes that according to the prime ministers description, its an agreement on Gaza. She asks if we have been taken advantage of until now so that Hadar and Oron will be forgotten, and now, two days before such a surprising agreement is being signed, we are being informed about it like thieves in the night. She asks the prime minister if he even intended to secure Hadar's release in the first place, and if at a certain stage of the agreement process Hadar and Oron were part of the agreement as a humanitarian case.

The prime minister says to my mother: Leah, you should know that as prime minister I have different considerations. Can you take responsibility for an epidemic in Gaza? Hunger in strip? Damage to the ground water? Can you take responsibility for threats on the part of countries that hate Israel and will slander us around the world?

At this stage, my mother starts crying. My father writes on a piece of paper, Mother is crying, and responds to the prime minister: You left me with no hope. I would like to interrupt and remind you that we were promised that the soldiers return would be a condition for any humanitarian upgrade. Where did this agreement come from? Out of the blue? Does the government know about it?

Brothers Hadar and Tzur Goldin (photo courtesy of the family)

The prime minister raises his voice and says: I hope this agreement will be signed. My commitment to bring Hadar home still stands. My mother replies: You havent left any way to bring him back. You tossed away the bargaining chips one after the other.

The prime minister concludes by saying that the conversation is over. My father interrupts him: You cant give up my son, and thats whats happening now. Its a moral disappointment, a leadership disappointment.

The conversation is cut off. My father goes to the childrens room and calls my mother, who is parked at a bus stop somewhere between Beer Sheva and the Beit Kama Junction. She is crying. The agreement is signed several days later. The ministers see it only afterwards, and most of them sign on it and approve it.

A burden rather than an asset

The agreement with Turkey was signed when the country was in a deep crisis, threatened by Russia, whose plane it downed, disconnected from Syria, at odds with Egypt, given the cold shoulder from Saudi Arabia. The Israeli government could have gotten anything from the Turkish government. Did the Israeli government demand Hadar and Orons return as a condition for the agreement? Two incumbent ministers told me that the soldiers were in the agreement and were taken out of it. Who gave them up and for what? What did the State of Israel achieve?

This agreement allowed Hamas to leave its headquarters in Turkey, to manage all its fundraising from there, all its propaganda. This is what the Israeli government agreed to.

Israel paid NIS 80 million in damages to the families of the people killed in the Marmara incident, thereby admitting to the whole world that its soldiers acted inappropriately on the vessel. After June 29, 2016, the Israeli government humiliated its brave and devoted fighters with the ridiculous excuse that the Turkish government had pledged not to prosecute these fighters in a Turkish court. As if there is a single naval commando fighter who would travel to Turkey now.

The prime minister mentioned that the achievement in normalizing relations with Turkey is the mutual return of the ambassadors. Indeed. Where is the normalization? Where are the good standard relations? Recep Tayyip Erdogan sees Jerusalem as part of the Ottoman Empire. Turkey invests money in Jerusalem and bolsters groups related to the northern Islamic Movement.

In perfect timing, one year after the agreement, Erdogan gave a speech in which he called on Muslims in the world to defend Jerusalems Muslim identity and to go up to the Temple Mount. Erdogan, the Muslim Brotherhoods patron, believes he is renewing the Ottoman Empire and seeks to take over its lands in Europe and the Middle East.

So what did Israel achieve in this agreement?

This is what the prime minister said a year ago: The gas reinforces the economys coffer We are talking about huge sums. This is what the Israeli government achieveda gas deal. Money.

Without making the soldiers return a condition, Israel allowed Turkey to transfer any equipment and humanitarian aid through the Ashdod Port to Gaza, as well as establish of a power station and a water desalination facility.

There is nothing wrong with income from gas, there is something wrong with abandoning soldiers. I said to the prime minister at the time, As a statesman, as a leader, as the armys supreme commander, you could have shown our enemies what our values are. You could have shown the world. You could have shown the families drafting their sons and daughters to the IDF, that you are conditioning humanitarian aid with humanitarian behavior.

It didnt happen a year ago. Were still waiting. Since then, we have been demanding that the government pressure Hamas to make it understand that holding onto the soldiers is a burden rather than an asset, and it isnt happening. We have been warned that any pressure will lead to war. Suddenly, Abbas demand is accepted and the power supply to Gaza is being cut because of a financial debt. We demand that this will be the humanitarian condition. The beginning of the road. Finally. We wont restore the power supply until the soldiers are returned.
IDF soldiers have destroyed a memorial in Jenin to Khalid Nazzal, a leader of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) terrorist group who was responsible for a deadly terror attack in the northern town of Maalot in 1974.

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Nazzal was in killed in 1986; Palestinians believe he was murdered to avenge the Maalot attack but Israel has never commented on the killing.

IDF soldiers after disarming the bomb at the 'Focus' Checkpoint near Beit El, 2016 (Photo: TPS)

Palestinian media reported that one Palestinian opened fire on the IDF while they were demolishing the monument, but no injuries were reported.

Last month, the Palestinian Authority created the memorial to Nazzal and renamed a public square in the city in his honor. Palestinian Media Watch, an Israeli NGO, reported that Jenin Deputy Mahmoud Abu Mwais told participants in the dedication ceremony that "our leadership and our people will continue on the path of the martyrs."

The Maalot attack, one of the deadliest terrorist offensives in Israeli history, began when three Palestinians infiltrated the country from Lebanon and took 115 Israelis hostage, mostly high school students from Tzfat who were camping at the Netiv Meir Elementary School as part of a school field trip.

The hostage-takers demanded the release of 23 terrorists from Israeli prisons and threatened to kill the hostages if their demand was not met. After two days, soldiers from the IDF Golani Brigade stormed the building; 25 hostages, including 22 children, were killed, and 68 more were injured in the incident.
A Palestinian terrorist convicted of the attempted murder of a soldier in Tel Aviv last year was sentenced to 12 years in prison on Monday. He was also ordered to pay the victim NIS 40,000 in damages.

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Amar Jandab, 20, entered Israel illegally and worked at a construction site in Givatayim.

On May 30, 2016, after finishing his work day, he made his way to the corner of Yigal Alon and Nahalat Yitzhak streets in Tel Aviv, where he spotted an IDF soldier and started following him.

Amar Jandab in court (Photo: Motti Kimchi)

Jandab then stabbed the soldier with a Phillips screwdriver in his back and head, pushed him to the ground and called out "Allahu Akbar."

The soldier, who was lightly wounded, was able to fight off the terrorist, and Jandab fled the scene. He was pursued by several civilians and later arrested by police.

Jandab admitted to the crimes attributed to him and was convicted of attempted murder.

The soldier's parents were angered by the verdict, saying it is too lenient. "It was really close, my son could've died," the soldier's father said. "If my son had died of the stabbing, the terrorist would've received a life sentence. He got a reward for failing. Fortunately, my son didn't fail and was able to defend himself and push him off... we thought he'd get at least 18 years or more."

The father also noted his son doesn't sleep at night, "he keeps reliving the incident."

The soldier's mother echoed the father's sentiments. "This punishment is ridiculous. The maximum punishment for attempted murder is 20 years, but the prosecution asked for 18 years and he eventually got 12. We will appeal the punishment.... he is a ticking bomb, he will serve his punishment and go back out to murder."

Jandab's attorney, Lea Zemel, said, "In this case, the defendant suffered a great tragedy. His best friend was killed in a car accident, and he wanted to end his life. He took the screwdriver and went looking for someone, or a soldier, according to him, who could kill him. Fortunately, the soldier wasn't very seriously wounded."
- Dr. Elsie Kauffman says students are only taught to take the WASSCE exam

- She says students tend to have a hard time when they get to university

- She condemned parents who place too much pressure on science students to become doctors

Dr Elsie Kaufmann, A senior lecturer and founding head of the University of Ghana's Biomedical Engineering Department, has lamented the state of secondary education in Ghana.

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Dr. Elsie Kaufmann

READ ALSO: Former prez Mahama, Julius Debrah, and Minority visit Chief Imam

Dr. Elsie Kaufmann, who's also the longtime National Science and Math Quiz (NSMQ) mistress, expressed that high school students in Ghana are only taught with the aim of successfully taking the West Africa Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE).

According to the University of Ghana senior lecturer, students are not being trained to succeed in life, something that Dr. Kauffman believes is having a detrimental effect on their education. She expressed that students who excelled in the WASSCE tended to experience difficulties once they got to university due to this education method.

Pay Attention: Get all the latest news on YEN.com.gh

c because they are taught to write exams, she said.

Speaking in an interview with Citi FM on Monday, July 3rd, the NSMQ mistress said that her opinion had been made after years of moderating the National Science and Math Quiz competition, although she added that it always brought her joy when a student answered one of her questions correctly.

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When it comes to the practical aspects of the questions, there's a problem .... I'm so happy when contestants answer my questions, especially the difficult ones, she said.

Dr. Kauffman also condemned parents who placed unnecessary pressure on their charges, saying that there are a lot of opportunities for students who major in the sciences other than being a doctor.

She stated that it was for this reason that the NSMQ was including a career fair, so that science students could be exposed to all career opportunities available to them.

Someone has to be a medical doctor but if everyone wanted to be one, what happens to our nation building? she pondered.

READ ALSO: Sack all NDC members at post - Wontumi rants

Do you have any story to share with YEN? Get featured! We are available on Facebook and email via info@yen.com.gh

Source: YEN.com.gh
All swept away, got nothing to eat, say Saptari flood victims

Most of the families of Paunwatole Rayapur of Rupani Rural Municipality-2 in Saptari have not cooked anything since Saturday after floods from the Khado stream swept their belongings, including foodstuff, away.
Local Elections: Congress weakened in Deubas home district

The Nepali Congress has lost its stronghold in Dadeldhura, the home district of party President and Prime Minister Sher Bahadur Deuba.
Foreign Minister Mahara in New Delhi

Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Foreign Affairs Krishna Bahadur Mahara arrived in New Delhi on Sunday for a two-day official visit. He was received by Nepals Ambassador to India Deep Kumar Upadhyay.
Icao experts arrive in Nepal to conduct air safety audit

A two-member expert team of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (Icao) arrived in Nepal on Sunday to monitor the status of corrective measures taken by Nepal to address significant safety concerns (SSC) related to operations and other aspects of the civil aviation sector.
Indian national held with banned drugs

The Metropolitan Police Sector, Nagdhunga has arrested an Indian national in possession of banned drugs on Monday.
Lost in reconciliation

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) has recently established offices in each of the seven provinces and deployed commissioners to oversee the investigation process into complaints that were received in 2016.
Postgraduate admission rules flouted: Medical colleges in bid to seek political refuge

Owners of medical colleges are pressing the Tribhuvan University and the Nepal Medical Council to find a way to increase students quotas in post-graduate courses to accommodate both the applicants on the merit list and those ready to pay hefty fees.
NEA to sign PPA with 22 projects for solar energy

Nepal Electricity Authority, the state owned power utility is gearing up to sign power purchase agreement (PPA) with 22 projects for generation of 61 MW of solar energy.
Nepal to seek access to two land, three sea ports in China

Nepal is set to propose Beijing for access to two land and three sea ports in China for enhancing connectivity with Europe. The Ministry of Commerce has prepared a draft and sent it to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA) for consultation.
NOC slashes gasoline prices

Nepal Oil Corporation (NOC) has slashed gasoline prices effective from midnight. The state-owned enterprise has reduced price of cooking gas by Rs25 per cylinder, aviation fuel sold to domestic airlines by Rs4 per litre while petrol, diesel and kerosene saw a price drop of Rs2 per litre.
Seven dead, four missing in flooding, landslides

Monsoon rains continued to wreak havoc in various parts of the country on Sunday, with at least seven people losing their lives in separate incidents of landslide and flood in Parbat, Kaski, Pyuthan and Syangja districts in the past 24 hours.
Smuggling turning into lucrative business

Smuggling is gradually evolving into a lucrative business once again in Birgunj with increasing engagement of police officers in suspicious activities that seem to be lifting the morale of those involved in illegal imports of goods from India.
1. Yes. Taxpayers are funding its operation; they should have a voice in the naming process.

2. Yes. The city should operate with a spirit of inclusivity. Residents will be responsive.

3. No. Public input can be problematic; rejection of suggestions can be divisive for residents.

4. No. Residents elect council members to make decisions on their behalf. No input is needed.

5. Unsure. Its hard to say whether public input would be more of a benefit or a hindrance.

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By Ritah Kemigisa

The opposition Forum for Democratic Change (FDC) has released a roadmap for the election of a new party president.

Addressing journalists at the party headquarters this morning the FDC party spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said the period between 10th July to 12th August has been designated for registration and picking of nomination forms by candidates interested in the presidential race.

Ssemujju adds that the nomination for party president will be conducted on 14th August and 16th August and the open campaigns will be held from 17th August until 17th November 2017.

The election for the party president will be held on 17th November during the delegates conference and the swearing in of the new president will be held on 18th November 2017.

For one to contest for this position, they need to have a minimum of an A level certificate, pay a nonrefundable fee of Shs 3M and must also be a member of the party.

Meanwhile, the FDC is demanding the unconditional release of three of its supporters who were allegedly arrested and are being held at Nalufenya police station.

Speaking to journalists, the party spokesperson Ibrahim Ssemujju Nganda said the suspects among them Ivan Kabale, George Wazinge and Ibrahim Musisi have for long been detained and that they have not been given access to see them.

Ssemujju says the party is now calling upon police to produce the three suspects before courts of law or release them.
By Damali Mukhaye, Moses Kyeyune & Stephen Mbidde

Various leaders have paid tribute to Former Kampala Mayor and Democratic Party President John Ssebaana Kizito.

He died this morning at the age of 83 at Nakasero Hospital in Kampala where he has been undergoing treatment.

According to Dr. Josephe Okia, the deceased was taken to hospital after he suffered a stroke.

Sebaana served the country in various capacities both in the government and private sector in his earlier days and as such many leaders have described him as an exemplary and irreplaceable leader.

The Speaker of Parliament Rebecca Kadaga has described Ssebaana Kizito as a man whose economic record for the country must be hailed.

Kadaga was speaking to the media at Parliament earlier on Monday, where she emphasized that Ssebaana, despite his political affiliation served Uganda with immeasurable passion and will definitely be missed.

Former Democratic Party President Paul Kawanga Ssemwogere says the party and the country at large have lost a great leader.

From the Buganda Kingdom, the Kingdoms 3rd Deputy Prime Minister Apollo Makubuya says they have lost a great adviser.

Trade minister Amelia Kyambadde has described Ssebaana as a solid businessman and politician.

Members of Parliament too have paid tribute to the fallen former Democratic Party President, with many praised him as a devoted Ugandan who maintained a consistent mind.

Law makers including Kasanda Norths Simeo Nsubuga, Mawokota Souths John Bosco Lubyayi, Katikamu Norths Abraham Byandala as well as Francis Mwijukye are among those who have paid tribute.

Byandala describes Ssebaana as a hardworking Ugandan whose death leaves a huge gap in both the private sector and political circles.

Byandala also worked as City Engineer and Surveyor for Kampala City Council during the time Sebaana was Mayor, and he says that he always exhibited professional maturity above politics.

Until his death, Sebaana has been operating several huge capital ventures including State Wide Insurance (SWICO) and several other businesses.

According to the deceaseds daughter identified as Ruth Ssebaana, the body will be taken for a vigil at his home in Kansanga.

She says burial arrangements shall be announced by the family later after a meeting held with Democratic Party, KCCA and Buganda kingdom officials.
Dane DeVetters work in international studies has brought him full circle.

The grandson of a German immigrant, DeVetter will move to Germany this summer for 10 months as a teaching assistant in the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program. He was accepted in April 2017.

When I was in middle school, my brother Curt had a German exchange student. That really boosted my interest in German affairs, DeVetter said.

The German language had not been passed down to DeVetter because his grandfather, Arno Weigand, had made a point to not speak German in his home.

When my father immigrated to the United States he did not speak any English. He learned English by sitting in kindergartner classes. He never spoke German again unless he was swearing in it, said Claudia DeVetter, Danes mother.

The Fulbright program offers research, study and teaching opportunities to recent graduates and students. There are programs in more than 140 countries in the world.

The 2008 La Crescent-Hokah High School graduate is fluent in both German and Arabic; the latter he picked up in college.

In college they teach you how they speak Arabic on the news. A very stylized version that can be understood at home by people who speak many different dialects. Im fluent in that modern dialectic. Learning the Syrian or the Iraqi dialectic is a challenge, Dane said.

Dane will work with Syrian refugees and immigrants in the German state of Baden-Wurttemberg. His work will be part-time at a German gymnasium, or high school.

His language-based interest encouraged Dane to earn a degree in in international studies from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and a masters in international affairs from Marquette College.

Its great that Dane is participating in this program, said Curt DeVetter, Danes brother. Its an important aspect in global affairs to make that transition easier for immigrants. Germany has done a relatively good job showing people that they care and that they want to make that connection.

As refugees have fled their homes in Africa and the Middle East in the last few years, Germany has opened doors and welcomed large numbers of refugees. Syrian refugees have been a large portion of that population as they have fled Syrian President Bashar Al-Assads regime.

Dane will leave his home in Milwaukee in August to visit family in Germany before the program begins in September. He will return at the end of June 2018.

Im excited to get more experience as a language teacher. I enjoy learning so its an opportunity to see if I am cut out to be a teacher, he said.

Since the position is only part-time, Dane plans to spend his free time volunteering within the community and working with refugees.

I want to get in as much activities in the community as I possibly can, he said.

Dane is not new to traveling. He participated in a four-week exchange program in Russia, studied abroad in Egypt for three weeks before the program was cut short due to the Arab Spring in 2011. He has also studied abroad in Morocco.

When I was in Morocco, I heard about a friends experience doing research under Fulbright. It sounded like something I would want to do, he said.

Dane visited Germany for the first time in 2012 for a family reunion.

His grandfather, Weigand, who was from Soviet-occupied East Germany, had to cut ties with his family in Germany until the wall fell in 1989.

Danes family is very proud of his work.

Everyone is from somewhere, Claudia said. Thats what makes America great. Its a lovely stew.

Im excited to get more experience as a language teacher. I enjoy learning so its an opportunity to see if I am cut out to be a teacher. Dane DeVetter
The last thing the Legislature should do as it wraps up its work on the state budget is slip restrictions on small-business entrepreneurs into the $76 billion state spending plan.

Specifically, a proposal being floated at the state Capitol would require craft brewers, small wineries and artisan distillers to sell their products through distributors, rather than directly to customers. Brewers and wineries fear the restriction would stop on-site sales to the public and potentially put them out of business because of lost sales and high distribution fees.

The Wisconsin chapter of Americans for Prosperity, a free-market advocacy group, uncovered a memo about the proposal recently and urged top lawmakers to reject it.

So do we.

Republicans who run the Legislature should be encouraging small businesses to grow, not burdening them with unjustified regulation.

Craft breweries and wineries have been booming in recent years, adding jobs and economic vitality to urban, suburban and rural communities across the state. The number of craft breweries alone has nearly doubled over five years to 140, according to the Brewers Association.

The Wisconsin Tavern League had nothing to do with the memo, its lobbyist told The Associated Press. Yet the same lobbyist complained that traditional bars cant compete with breweries and wineries that become tourist attractions and destinations for events.

We disagree. Bars can compete by brewing their own beer if they want to get into the production business. Or they can compete on service, atmosphere and location.

The free market largely should determine which strategy works best in local communities  not special favors tucked into a state budget without public hearings or an identified sponsor.

The anonymous legislative proposal targeting craft brewers would create an Office of Alcohol Beverages Enforcement, presumably to police restrictions on sales and distribution.

Strictly separating the production, distribution and sale of alcoholic beverages might have made some sense back when Prohibition was lifted. But today such rules seem outdated and unnecessary. Moreover, they shouldnt be foisted on a small yet fast-growing sector of the economy without considerable public input.

Lawmakers should avoid any last-minute attempts to sneak policy items into the state budget where they dont belong. Well be on the lookout for our readers.

That includes new restrictions on small breweries and wineries, which are increasingly popular places to tour and taste samples of products. The Legislature shouldnt stifle this bright spot in Wisconsins economy.
Not long ago, I asked Wisconsin Assembly Speaker Robin Vos, R-Rochester, for records regarding a controversial bill he helped author on free-speech rights at state universities.

I had already obtained some communications between Vos aide Alicia Schweitzer and the Legislative Reference Bureau, from the bill-drafting file.

They showed that his office had added bill language calling on UW-System schools to punish indecent, profane, boisterous (or) obscene conduct that interfered with others free speech.

The LRB bill drafter, Mark Kunkel, deleted these terms, saying they were overly broad and ambiguous. But Schweitzer insisted that they be restored. The resulting bill drew flak because of this language, which its lead sponsor agreed likely made it unconstitutional. The language was removed to establish narrower grounds for punishment before the Assembly voted to approve it.

I expected my records request would yield these bill-drafting exchanges, along with any internal communications concerning the offices decision to reject Kunkels good advice. But no such records were among the unwieldy stack of 659 pages provided for my review.

When I asked why this was so, Vos aide Steve Fawcett explained: Given that the Assembly is not under the duty to retain records in the normal course of business, it is likely that Alicia simply deleted the document(s) you inquired about prior to your initial request.

Yep. The office of Speaker Vos destroyed revealing records regarding its role in crafting this bill. And, as Fawcett noted, current law allows it. Similar records destruction has happened in other cases, involving other lawmakers.

Thats because legislators exempted themselves from the records retention rules in place for every other state and local government employee.

If the mayor of Oshkosh receives a complaint about a crack in a sidewalk, he must retain it for at least seven years. But a legislator who gets an email from a lobbyist urging a vote in exchange for a contribution can legally destroy it, absent a pending records request.

A few years back, a Democratic lawmaker introduced legislation to end this exemption. It didnt even get a hearing. The lawmaker believed both the exemption and its elimination were unneeded, since legislators keep all this stuff anyway.

Now we know this isnt true. Some lawmakers are selectively destroying key records. We should not let them get away with it.

In 2015, lawmakers sneakily added budget language drafted by Vos that would have shut down access to bill drafting files and let lawmakers shield communications with staff, among other things. The bipartisan blowback was enormous, and lawmakers were forced to back down. Now they are using a different law to achieve the same end.

Vos did not respond to an invitation to provide additional information or perspective.

Wisconsin lawmakers should not be destroying records they create and receive in their official, taxpayer-funded capacity. Every legislator and all candidates for this office should be asked, by citizens and the media, whether they will work to end this exemption.

Otherwise, the public should be looking for other representation.
Members of the Republican National Committee's data team agree with Hillary Clinton on this: Their data operation surpassed that of their Democratic counterparts in the 2016 election. And it served them especially well in Wisconsin, where Donald Trump became the first Republican to carry the state in a presidential election since 1984.

"Early on, we saw that Trump maybe wasnt ahead in the state, but we saw how he could get there," said Brian Parnitzke, director of turnout and targeting for the RNC, in an interview last week. "So we knew the state was in play, and we knew that it was worth investing resources in Wisconsin, not only in the field game but the candidate's time."

Trump visited Wisconsin often, for both the primary and general election, and has continued to return for rallies, official visits and fundraisers since he was elected.

The president's victory margin in Wisconsin was thin, but it was enough. It also came as a surprise to those who had followed public polls that consistently predicted Clinton would win the state.

The former Secretary of State did not visit Wisconsin after losing the state's primary to Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders. Trump also lost the state's primary, to Texas Sen. Ted Cruz.

It wasn't just Trump that surprised political observers. Republican Sen. Ron Johnson defeated Democratic former Sen. Russ Feingold for a second time, by 3 percentage points, and Republicans gained historic majorities in the state Legislature.

RNC operatives credit those wins in part to a robust data program that was first prioritized under former RNC chairman (and former Republican Party of Wisconsin chairman) Reince Priebus, now Trump's chief of staff. After suffering blistering losses in 2012, the party has since invested $175 million in data, digital and field operations.

"In Wisconsin ... we were able to find those areas that were most open to Trumps message, and it worked," said Mark Jefferson, director of majority retention for the RNC and former executive director of the Wisconsin GOP. "And Ron Johnson used it effectively as well. That campaign was tuned into this as well as any in the country."

The data program was especially helpful in October, when the party noticed that Trump had lost ground in Wisconsin compared to the previous month  and specifically targeted voters who had drifted away in an effort to bring them back, Parnitzke said.

That wouldn't have been possible without a "voter scores" data operation that has been built, expanded and refined over the course of each election since it was launched after Democratic President Barack Obama's re-election in 2012.

Watching the way Democrats made use of data and digital operations in Obama's elections gave Republicans a sense of urgency, Jefferson said. Although Republicans have seen far more success in 2014 and 2016, the urgency is still there, he said.

"The electorate is changing. People's habits are changing," Jefferson said. "You have to keep up or you're going to be left behind."

Clinton, in an interview with Recode's Kara Swisher last month, was harshly critical of the DNC's data operations. The DNC's data was "mediocre to poor, nonexistent, wrong," she said.

Democratic data scientists and analysts were quick to turn the blame back on Clinton and her campaign. The problem wasn't the data, they said, but how it was used.

Newly-elected DNC chairman Tom Perez told CNN's Erin Burnett earlier this month that the DNC has to "up our game" and is investing in technology, training and organizing.

In the meantime, RNC operatives are encouraged by the results they've seen in recent special elections in Montana and Georgia, where they say their models were not only spot-on, but enabled them to target undecided voters to push their candidates over the edge.

"These models that we build, theyre predictive, but theyre also prescriptive," said Conor Maguire, RNC director of external support.

Maguire, Parnitzke and Jefferson were in Wisconsin this week training state party operatives on the program. The data it contains can be scaled up to the presidential level but down as small as a city council race, they said. Models will be built for Gov. Scott Walker's likely re-election campaign and for the Republican who challenges Democratic Sen. Tammy Baldwin  but they can also be used for state judicial and legislative races.

"Theyre useful to the party between now and election day in 2018, but theres a lot of things going on between now and then," Jefferson said.

The party has already used data indicating 75 percent of Wisconsinites want Democrats to "find a way" to work with Trump in an ad campaign urging Baldwin to hold a vote on Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch's nomination, Parnitzke said.

Similar work will be done in states throughout the country, but Jefferson noted that Wisconsin has the unique benefit of a strong connection between the national party and Gov. Scott Walker's campaign  an operation whose data program has earned national acclaim and has benefited Republican candidates up and down the ticket in the Badger State.

"If you have an 'R' next to your name, you have access to our data and all of our resources," Parnitzke said. "Thats our only agenda. Well train people up on how to do this. We dont have some proprietary secret sauce that we are unwilling to share with people. We want to evangelize and spread this as far and wide as we can within the Republican Party."
A Wonewoc man was uninjured in a single-vehicle accident at about 6:50 a.m. June 29 in Ontario.

William Solchenberger, 68, of Wonewoc, was traveling west on Main Street in Ontario when he sideswiped a parked car and hit a stop sign. It became apparent that the driver was suffering from low blood sugar, according to the Vernon County Sheriffs Office. No other injuries were reported.
On Nov. 1, Linn Benton Food Shares warehouse in Tangent received two truckloads of food and household supplies arranged by the local branch of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
Chinas dismissive critique of the U.K. treaty governing the return of Hong Kong raised new doubts about its commitment to the citys autonomy and other international agreements.

On the eve of the handovers 20th anniversary, the Chinese Foreign Ministry declared the Sino- British Joint Declaration a historical document that no longer has any practical significance. The ministrys remarks came Friday in response to U.K Foreign Secretary Boris Johnsons pledge to defend the rights and freedoms guaranteed Hong Kong until 2047 under the treaty.

It is not at all binding for the central governments management over Hong Kong, ministry spokesman Lu Kang said. The U.K. has no sovereignty, no power to rule and no power to supervise Hong Kong after the handover.

Beijings control was a theme stressed repeatedly this week during Chinese President Xi Jinpings three-day visit to commemorate Hong Kongs 1997 return. But the critique of the 33-year-old Joint Declaration  one of Chinas most prominent agreements since opening up to the world  resonated as nations struggle to assess the rising powers impact on established global norms.

This is one of those occasions when the rest of the world should pay attention and respond  this is much bigger than Hong Kong, said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute in London and author of A Modern History of Hong Kong. If Beijing can relegate an international agreement with the U.K. to the dustbin of history when it no longer suits China, can any other government which has signed an international agreement have confidence? he said.

The episode recalled a former top Chinese diplomats dismissal of an international tribunals ruling on the South China Sea last year as no more than waste paper. China continues to draw international criticism for disregarding the July 2016 decision, which was brought by the Philippines and found the countrys claims to more than 80 percent of the key shipping lane have no basis in law.

In recent months, Xi has also come to the defense of international agreements, vowing to uphold the Paris climate change accord after President Donald Trump announced the U.S.s withdrawal. China has sought a larger role in multinational bodies such as the United Nations and the World Trade Organization.

The Joint Declaration, which was signed by then-premiers Margaret Thatcher and Zhao Ziyang after two years of intense negotiations, provided a road map for maintaining the autonomy of Hong Kongs political and legal structure from 1997 until at least 2047. The treaty was lodged with the UN and guided the drafting of Hong Kongs Basic Law.

The handover was viewed by many in China as a historic milestone after more than a century in which its territory was carved up in a series of unequal treaties with the U.K. and other colonial powers. In a speech to commemorate the citys return Saturday, Xi lamented the period of humiliation and sorrow when China was repeatedly defeated by countries which were far smaller in size and population.

Now boasting the worlds second-largest economy and one of its most powerful militaries, China has shown less patience for meddling in Hong Kongs internal affairs. Zou Pingxue, director of Shenzhen Universitys Hong Kong and Macau Basic Law Research Center, said the foreign ministrys comment appeared to be a targeted effort to push back.

I dont see it as a categorical rejection of the Joint Declaration, or being disrespectful about it, Zou said. Its a message sent out to U.K. politicians and lawmakers that the Joint Declaration cannot be used as a talking point all the time to justify what theyd like to think, that Britain still has a legal obligation over Hong Kong.

At the same time, the U.K. has been accused by Hong Kong democracy advocates of failing to defend the treaty to avoid angering the worlds largest trading nation. The citys last colonial governor, Chris Patten, told Bloomberg Television on Thursday that, the international community  and Britain in particular  hasnt made the sort of fuss it should have done to protect Hong Kongs freedoms.

The same day, Johnson issued a statement saying that Hong Kongs future success will depend on the rights and freedoms protected by that treaty. Britains commitment to Hong Kong  enshrined in the Joint Declaration with China  is just as strong today as it was 20 years ago, he said. The Foreign Office issued another statement Friday, asserting that the joint declaration remains in force and is a legally binding treaty.

Britain and the rest of the world should not allow China go walk away from these obligations at will, said Anson Chan, a former pro-democracy lawmaker who served as Hong Kongs No. 2 official under both the U.K. and Chinese.

China has previously sought to play down the treatys scope, saying on the 30th anniversary of the documents signing that after 1997, Hong Kong affairs are the Chinese peoples own business.

Beijing is either disavowing its treaty obligations or declaring its intention to breach the treaty, Michael Davis, a former professor of constitutional law at Hong Kong University, said Saturday. Either way, this will not bode well for those who claim China is a reliable partner who meets its international obligations. David Tweed, Ting Shi, Bloomberg
Fearful that Thailands new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers. Labor regulations that took effect June 23 could give foreign workers without proper permits up to five years in prison, while their employers could face fines of up to 800,000 baht (USD23,500). Officials and workers advocates estimate that roughly 30,000 workers have returned home since the rules took effect. Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, under pressure from industries employing the migrants, says hell institute a 120-day extension of the deadline for worker registration.

Vietnam buffalo fight suspended

A traditional water buffalo fight in northern Vietnam was suspended after an animal attacked and killed its owner, in the first human fatality since the sport resumed after the Vietnam War. The buffalo was killed and samples were taken to determine whether the animal had been given a stimulant to make it more aggressive, said Do Van Viet, a local official in the resort town of Do Son where the fight took place. The buffalo at first chased the owner of the other animal but failed to catch him and then turned on its owner, who died several hours later from multiple wounds, Viet said. State media identified him as 46-year-old Dinh Xuan Huong, who trained fighting buffaloes for other owners for 10 years and this year had owned and trained a buffalo for himself for the first time.

Anger over ex-CIA contractors memoir

Pakistan intelligence and security officials reacted angrily to the release of a memoir by an ex-CIA contractor, saying his 2011 acquittal in a high-profile murder case and subsequent return to the U.S. was an arrangement between Pakistan and the U.S., not among individuals. Raymond Davis book exposed the alleged role of Pakistans former spy chief Shuja Pasha in quashing a murder trial against Davis by paying USD2.4 million to the families of two men Davis killed while working for the CIA in Pakistan in 2011. The incident triggered a diplomatic crisis when police arrested Davis for the killings. But, seven weeks later, the families of the slain men told a court that they pardoned Davis, ending a tense showdown between the U.S. and Pakistan.
Israeli commandos have rescued 100 hostages, mostly Israelis or Jews, held by pro-Palestinian hijackers at Entebbe airport in Uganda.

At about 0100 local time (2200GMT), Ugandan soldiers and the hijackers were taken completely by surprise when three Hercules transport planes landed after a 2,500-mile trip from Israel.

About 200 elite troops ran out and stormed the airport building. During a 35-minute battle, 20 Ugandan soldiers and all seven hijackers died along with three hostages.

The leader of the assault force, Lieutenant Colonel Yonatan Netanyahu, was also shot dead by a Ugandan sentry.

The Israelis destroyed 11 Russian-built MiG fighters, which amounted to a quarter of Ugandas air force.

The surviving hostages were then flown to Israel with a stopover in Nairobi, Kenya, where some of the injured were treated by Israeli doctors and at least two transferred to hospital there.

Speaking at the Israeli Knesset (parliament) this afternoon, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin who ordered the raid said: This operation will certainly be inscribed in the annals of military history, in legend and in national tradition.

The crisis began on 27 June, when four militants seized an Air France flight, flying from Israel to Paris via Athens, with 250 people on board.

The hijackers  two from the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine and two from Germanys Baader-Meinhof gang  diverted the plane to Entebbe, where it arrived on 28 June.

The hijackers  who were joined by three more colleagues  demanded the release of 53 militants held in jails in Israel and four other countries.

Ugandas President and dictator Idi Amin arrived at the airport to give a speech in support of the PFLP and supplied the hijackers with extra troops and weapons.

On 1 July, the hijackers released a large number of hostages but continued to hold captive the remaining 100 passengers who were Israelis or Jews. Those who were freed were flown to Paris and London.

Among them were British citizens George Good, a retired accountant and Tony Russell, a senior GLC official, who arrived in London on Friday.

The crew were offered the chance to go but chose to stay with the plane. The remaining hostages were transferred to the airport building.

The hijackers then set a deadline for 1100GMT for their demands to be met or they would blow up the airliner and its passengers. But their plan was foiled by the dramatic Israeli raid.

Courtesy BBC News

In context

The mission, originally dubbed Operation Thunderbolt by the Israeli military, was renamed Operation Yonatan in honor of Netanyahu  elder brother of Binyamin Netanyahu, who was Israels Prime Minister from 1996 to 1999.

The raid continues to be source of pride for the Israeli public, and many of the participants went on to high office in Israels military and political establishment.

Among them was Dan Shomron, who was in overall command of the rescue operation. He became Chief of Staff of the Israel Defence Force.

Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was assassinated during his second term in office in 1995.

Idi Amin was humiliated by the surprise raid. He believed Kenya had colluded with Israel in planning the raid and hundreds of Kenyans living in Uganda were massacred soon afterwards.

But from this time, Amins regime began to break down. Two years later Idi Amin was forced into exile in Saudi Arabia. He died in Jeddah in August 2003.
A bus carrying German senior citizens on vacation crashed into a truck yesterday on a highway in Bavaria and burst into flames, killing 18 people and injuring 30 others, some seriously, officials said.

The accident took place around 7 a.m. when the bus rear-ended a trailer-truck at the end of a traffic jam on the A9 highway near Muenchberg, not far from the Czech border. The accident led to long traffic jams on the A9, the main thoroughfare from Berlin to Munich.

It was not immediately clear what caused the crash, but prosecutors have opened an investigation.

The bus seemed to have caught fire immediately upon impact with the truck, Transport Minister Alexander Dobrindt told reporters after touring the crash site. The trucks trailer also burst into flames.

Two people are still in life-threatening condition, Dobrint said.

Two drivers and 46 passengers were on the bus. The remains of all bodies were recovered from the bus, including that of the driver at the wheel during the crash, police said. Police said the truck driver was not injured.

Some 200 emergency crews rushed to the scene and five helicopters whisked the injured to nearby hospitals. Simple wooden coffins were wheeled in for the remains recovered from the blackened, twisted wreckage of the bus.

Police said the ages of those on the bus ranged from 41 to 81 and they were primarily from the eastern German state of Saxony. The news agency dpa reported that all the passengers were German.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel thanked the emergency crews involved.

Our thoughts are with the families of the victims and we wish all those who were injured a speedy recovery, she said.

Dobrindt said when firefighters first arrived, the fire was so hot that they couldnt get anywhere close to the burning vehicle to rescue those stuck inside.

All they could do was extinguish the fire, he said. The heat was so strong that nothing thats inflammable is left from the bus  only the steel frame.

The A9 highway remained closed on both sides for hours. Police tweeted later that the A9 highway going south would be shut down for the day. AP
The Macau SAR government has announced that this years wealth partaking scheme, or handout, will come into effect on Thursday, with its implementation commencing in early July.

Under the scheme, local permanent residents are entitled to receive a sum of MOP9,000, while non-permanent residents will receive MOP5,400.

Recipients must have been holders of valid or renewable Macau SAR Resident Identity Cards on December 31, 2016 to be entitled to receive the cash premium, according to a statement from the Financial Services Bureau (DSF).

Holders of a valid or renewable Macau SAR Resident Identity Card who are currently residing abroad will be granted the cash premium, provided they can prove that they are unable to renew their Macau SAR Resident Identity Card due to either being bedridden, or completely or partly paralyzed.

For those who have submitted the relevant documentary proof and were granted the cash premium in the previous year, the Social Welfare Bureau (IAS) is authorized to exempt them from document resubmission if it concludes that no new evidence is required.

A direct bank transfer will be arranged for those who are receiving financial assistance or senior citizen subsidies from the IAS, according to the statement. The same will apply to retired civil servants receiving a retirement pension and other persons receiving aforesaid pension for the family of the deceased.

Most of the rest of the populace will be awarded the cash premium through a crossed check via mail. The crossed check can only be deposited into the payees account. In this way, the DSF notes that even if one receives a check addressed to another, it cannot be cashed.

A different procedure is applicable to beneficiaries under the age of 18. They will each receive a check made payable either to themselves or their parents, which may be deposited either into the beneficiarys account or the account of one of their parents.

Residents with enquiries concerning the handout scheme can contact the Service Center of the Civil and Municipal Affairs Bureau either in person or by telephone.
Chief Executive Chui Sai On, speaking to an audience of 300 government officials in Hong Kong on Saturday, pledged to accelerate the integrated development of Macau with mainland China, under the Greater Bay Area strategy.

Chui was in the neighboring SAR late last week to attend celebrations for the 20th anniversary of the transfer of sovereignty over Hong Kong from the United Kingdom to mainland China, otherwise known as the handover.

During his visit, Chui was received by Chinese President Xi Jinping, according to a statement published by Macaus Government Information Bureau (GCS) on Saturday. He was also invited, to sign an agreement alongside the new chief executive of Hong Kong, Carrie Lam, the director of the National Development and Reform Commission, He Lifeng, and the governor of Guangdong province, Ma Xingrui. President Xi witnessed the signing.

The agreement, known as the Framework Agreement on Deepening GuangdongHong KongMacau Cooperation in the Development of the Bay Area, concerns the adjoining of several cities in the Pearl River Delta estuary to create a mega-city cluster.

It was signed at the Hong Kong Convention and Exhibition Centre, and followed by a conference on the topic at the InterContinental Hong Kong, attended by some 300 government officials and guests, including members of the Political Bureau of the CPC Central Committee.

The Macau chief executive delivered a speech at the conference pledging to deepen the integrated development of Macau with the mainland under the GuangdongHong KongMacau Bay Area  or Greater Bay Area  plan.

Chui said that Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau are well equipped to construct a world-class metropolis, leveraging their unique advantages. This will coincide with a plan to gradually upgrade the Greater Bay Area plan from a non-governmental initiative to a national strategy.

He pledged that the MSAR would use all its available assets to promote better and faster development of the GuangdongHong KongMacau Bay Area, through the adherence to four key principles.

These principles are the enhancement of communication with the Central Government in Beijing, the implementation of Macaus first five-year plan, the deepening of integrated development with Guangdong province and Hong Kong and the leveraging of Macaus unique resources and strength.

As is usual for speeches made by high-level officials, the chief executive referred to various policies of the national government and their associated slogans.

According to the GCS statement, Chui said that through Macaus economic integration with mainland China, the city could fully realize the principles of One Country, Two Systems. He also said that Macau would participate in the Belt and Road Initiative as well as coordinate the construction of the One Center, One Platform scheme to use the MSAR as a link between China and the Portuguese- speaking countries.

According to GCS, Chui also made reference to a plan to construct One Base. Although it remains unclear as to what One Base entails, it may refer to the establishment of a human resources training base for tourism education in the MSAR. DB
Chinese President Xi Jinping warned Saturday that any activities in Hong Kong seen as threatening Chinas sovereignty and stability would be absolutely impermissible, employing some of his harshest language yet against burgeoning separatist sentiment in the territory.

In a speech marking 20 years since the city became a semi-autonomous Chinese region after its handover from Britain, Xi pledged Beijings support for the one country, two systems blueprint, under which Hong Kong controls many of its own affairs and retains civil liberties including free speech.

However, he said Hong Kong

had to do more to shore up security and boost patriotic education, in a veiled reference to legislation long-delayed by popular opposition.

And he appeared to put on notice a new wave of activists pushing for more autonomy or even independence, saying challenges to the power of Chinas central government and Hong Kongs leaders wouldnt be tolerated.

Any attempt to challenge Chinas sovereignty, security and government authority or use Hong Kong to carry out infiltration and sabotage activities against the mainland is an act that crosses the red line, and is absolutely impermissible, Xi said, moments after presiding over the inauguration of Hong Kongs new leader, Carrie Lam.

Hong Kong has been roiled by political turmoil that brought tens of thousands of protesters onto the streets in 2014 demanding democratic reforms. Those calls were ignored by Beijing and Xi indicated there would be no giving ground in the future, frustrating many young people and deepening divisions.

Making everything political or deliberately creating differences and provoking confrontations will not resolve the problems, Xi said, adding that Hong Kongcannot afford to be torn apart by reckless moves or internal rifts.

Hours after Xi flew home to Beijing, thousands of pro-democracy supporters gathered for a march through the citys shopping and financial districts to demand greater political openness and oppose Chinas creeping influence in their city.

Young activists have formed new groups promoting independence or a local Hong Kong identity separate from the mainland, alarming Beijing.

Meanwhile, incidents such as the secret detentions of five Hong Kong booksellers on the mainland have stirred fears that Beijing is undermining the one country, two systems blueprint.

Xis speech was a mixture of reassurance and warning, as he signaled that the system in place since 1997 wont change, said Jean-Pierre Cabestan, an expert on Chinese politics at Hong Kong Baptist University. At the same time, there was a strong warning to the localists and the pro-independence people.

Cabestan said it was clear that Xis priority is for Lam, to revive efforts to bring in long-delayed national security legislation, which pro-democracy activists fear will be used to suppress dissent, and patriotic national education in schools, which parents fear is a cover for pro-Communist brainwashing.

Theyre two polarizing issues that have the potential to mobilize big crowds to take to the streets.

We are heading towards troubled times, said Cabestan. I dont think hes going to give up. If he doesnt give up it means there will be more problems.

While former colonial master Britain and other Western democracies have expressed concerns about Beijings actions in Hong Kong, China has increasingly made clear that it brooks no outside criticism or attempts at intervention.

Xi said China had made it categorically clear in talks with Britain in the 1980s that sovereignty is not for negotiation.

Now that Hong Kong has returned to China, it is all the more important for us to firmly uphold Chinas sovereignty, security and development interests, he said.

Activists scoffed at Xis remarks.

The idea that theres a force in Hong Kong sabotaging China or challenging its sovereignty is ludicrous, said Avery Ng of the League of Social Democrats, a small pro-democracy party. He said Xi used nationalist pride to alienate any opposition voices that call for democracy and universal suffrage both inside China and in Hong Kong.

Members of Ngs group attempted to march to the speech venue with a mock coffin symbolizing the death of the citys civil liberties, but were met by police and pro-China flag-waving counter- protesters in a brief standoff.

Lam became Hong Kongs fifth chief executive since 1997 and the first female to hold the post. The career civil servant and her Cabinet swore to serve China and Hong Kong and to uphold the Basic Law, the territorys mini-constitution.

In a speech that ran a fraction of Xis 32-minute address, Lam reviewed the dynamic financial centers achievements and challenges, pledged to support central government initiatives and declared that the future is bright.

There was other symbolism hinting at the balance of power.

Lam took her oath of office and delivered her address in Mandarin, Chinas official language, save for a few lines at the end in Hong Kongs Cantonese dialect. The official transcript of Xis speech was printed in the mainlands simplified characters instead of Hong Kongs traditional complex characters.

Even the Chinese flag displayed behind Xi as he spoke was noticeably larger than Hong Kongs beside it.

It speaks volumes to me who is the boss, who is calling the shots, said Cabestan.

Lam prevailed over a much more popular rival in a selection process decried by many as fake democracy, with only 777 votes from a 1,200-seat panel of mostly pro-Beijing elites. Hong Kong has more than 3 million registered voters.

Participants in the pro-democracy march largely dismissed Lam as a loyal bureaucrat, but said the change in leadership introduced a new measure of uncertainty.

That, combined with Xis visit, had sharpened the mood for this years march, said one veteran participant, retiree David Tse. Things are much more tense. Its much more uncertain, he said.

Organizers estimated the number of participants at 60,000, about half of last years figure. The pro-democracy movement lost considerable momentum after Beijing turned a cold shoulder to the 2014 protests. Police estimated that 14,500 took part, down about 5,000 from their estimate last year.

Many participants said they were marching in support of imprisoned Chinese Nobel Peace Prize laureate Liu Xiaobo, who has been diagnosed with late-stage liver cancer. Lius face featured on countless signs held aloft by marchers who called on China to release him to seek treatment abroad.

University student Sean Law said Lius fate showed what the party was capable of in suppressing its foes.

Commenting on Xis speech, Law said it showed the presidents ignorance about Hong Kong.

He wants to spread Chinas ideas, but he doesnt understand Hong Kong and has little contact with the people of Hong Kong. His visit is meaningless, Law said. Kelvin Chan, Hong Kong, AP
In the race to lure talent for global firms regional headquarters, Hong Kong and Singapore have long been neck-and-neck. While many companies make their managers locate in one or the other city  often depending on whether their duties focus more on Southeast Asia, or on China  others give top talent a choice.

Back before Hong Kongs handover to Chinese rule in 1997, Hong Kong had an edge due to expectations of the opening of Chinas economy, the citys role as the entrepot on the border, and the banking industry poised to capitalize on it. Now, Singapores push into innovation and technology has the Lion City on an upswing, said Karen Koh of recruiting and consultancy firm HRnetOne, who works in the Singapore-based companys Hong Kong office.

Twenty years ago, Hong Kong was a more popular expat destination than Singapore because of the job opportunities or perception that banking was much hotter in Hong Kong, she said. I dont think banking will ever be able to compare with Hong Kong, but other sectors in Singapore have come up.

For expatriates considering which city to choose, heres the ultimate Hong Kong versus Singapore guide, with prices converted to U.S. dollars:

1. FIRST THINGS FIRST: YOUR SALARY

The top salaries in Hong Kong for jobs in the financial industry are about 25 percent higher than in Singapore on average, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from the 2017 salary survey of recruitment firm Robert Walters Plc. That trend carries across most industries.

Personal income taxes in the two cities are relatively low. The top rate in Singapore for income above the first USD230,500 is 22 percent; in Hong Kong, the top rate is 17 percent.

2. WHAT YOU SPEND YOUR MONEY ON

Those extra dollars dont necessarily get you as far in Hong Kong, however. The city has overtaken Tokyo as the most expensive in the region and second overall in the world for expatriates, behind only Angolas capital Luanda, according to the latest cost of living survey from consultancy firm ECA International. Singapore, by contrast, is 24th on its list.

The survey tracks the cost of goods ranging from groceries to beer and tobacco, while excluding spending such as rent and school tuition.

Taxes on alcohol mean the price of imbibing is higher in Singapore. A pint of beer in a Singaporean pub goes for about $9, while the same will set you back $7.70 in Hong Kong, according to Deutsche Bank AGs 2017 report on global consumer prices using data gathered from Expatistan.com, which compiles input from thousands of people reporting the prices they pay in various countries.

The banks Bad Habits Index, which combines the price of five beers and two packs of cigarettes  also heavily taxed  has Singapore ahead, at $64.30. In Hong Kong, its $53.50.

The foodie expatriate may be interested to know: Hong Kong boasts 61 Michelin-starred restaurants, including six with three stars. Singapore has 29, with its Joel Robuchon outpost the only 3-star establishment.

3. HOW MUCH YOULL PAY FOR HOUSING

For most people, the single biggest cost, though, is housing  unless companies still offer housing packages, which have been increasingly dwindling.

Expat packages for both cities have been sliding for the past five years, down 2 percent to $265,500 in Hong Kong and 6 percent to $235,500 in Singapore, according to ECAs MyExpatriate Market Pay survey. While salaries have risen in Singapore in the same period, the decline in benefits has reduced the total package value, according to Lee Quane, ECAs regional director for Asia.

The cost of housing in Hong Kong is obviously higher than it is in Singapore, said Quane in a phone interview. Companies obviously have to reflect that in the persons salary by either providing a higher housing allowance to the expatriates in Hong Kong or bumping up the employees salary.

For those paying their own rent, Hong Kong is more expensive than Singapore by a huge margin.

Overall, rent in Hong Kong is 47 percent more expensive, according to June data from Expatistan.com. Monthly rent for a 900-square-foot furnished residence in an expensive area costs about $2,600 in Singapore, while the equivalent in Hong Kong costs almost $4,900, the site said.

The housing cost is the biggest downside for Hong Kong right now, said Patrick Groth, Asia regional director for relocation company Crown World Mobility. Thats a big disadvantage because you get much, much more for your money in Singapore.

4. DOING BUSINESS AND INVESTING MONEY

Those looking to park their cash in local investments have done better in Hong Kong over the years. Real estate investors have seen secondary home prices soar 400 percent since the last property slump in 2003. Hong Kongs stock market has beaten Singapores over the past five years, too.

International companies based in Hong Kong rose 53 percent since 1997, totaling almost 1,400 as of last year, according to government data. Singapore, which tracks total investment by foreign companies, recorded a 12 percent decline in the 2011-2015 period, with U.S. companies the only ones to increase their presence.

Yet Singapore beats Hong Kong as a more attractive destination price-wise for companies, according to a report last year from DTZ/Cushman & Wakefield. Hong Kong suffers from higher costs, while Singapore boasts cheaper office rent  about half the price on a per square meter basis, the report said. Singapore ranks No. 2 in Asia, behind South Korea, and No. 6 in the world on the Bloomberg Innovation Index.

For those starting their own businesses, Singapore also ranks No. 2 in the world  after New Zealand  for how easy it is to get off the ground and through regulatory hoops, according to the World Banks latest ranking. Hong Kong ranks No. 4, up one place from a year before.

5. THE PRICE OF GETTING A CAR ON THE ROAD

Singapore is possibly the most expensive place in the world to drive, due to regulations and fees designed to keep traffic from turning into the chaos that befell Jakarta, Manila, Bangkok and other Southeast Asian cities as incomes rose and more residents could afford to get behind the wheel.

Drivers must bid for a limited number of special permits, as well as pay a slew of taxes and recurring fees that can more than double the cost of car ownership.

An Audi A6 luxury sedan costs, all-

in, about $70,400 in Hong Kong, based on manufacturers suggested pricing, which includes a First Registration Tax, annual fees and insurance. In Singapore, the car would cost about $168,100 based on quoted prices from authorized distributors, according to the governments vehicle registration website.

Taxis are relatively cheap, however: An 8 kilometer taxi ride will set you back about $8 in both Singapore and Hong Kong, according to Expatistan data. That compares with $22 in London and $15 in New York, the data show.

6. POLLUTION AND THE AIR THAT YOU BREATHE

Hong Kong became notorious for its high levels of air pollution, so the government began enacting curbs on emissions  from vehicles and heavy cargo ships using its port  as well as cooperating with officials in Guangdong province to try to reduce smog blowing across the border.

These measures have shown results. Since 1999 Hong Kong has curbed roadside levels of nitrogen oxides by 56 percent, and fine particulate matter, known as PM2.5, by 52 percent, according to 2016 government data.

Singapore, despite stringent vehicle emissions standards, is occasionally plagued by trouble from across its border as well: haze from Indonesian wildfires. The city suffered from another spike in 2016.

Singapore reported good or moderate air quality for 87.5 percent of the year in 2015. Thats lower than the 97 percent of the previous year, due to the wildfires. Hong Kong reported 247 clean air days, for 67 percent of 2016, according to data compiled by Bloomberg based on the citys air quality index.

7. EDUCATING AND TAKING CARE OF THE KIDS

The cost of private school rivals rent as the biggest cost in each city. Tuition for a new middle-school student at Singapore American School costs about $36,200 if the student comes from a non- American family. At the American School Hong Kong, a similar new student entering grades 7 or 8 will need to pay about $25,200, including the entry fee, plus either a recurring annual fee of $2,600 or a refundable debenture of $77,000. Its also difficult to get a spot in a number of Hong Kong schools.

As soon as we knew that we were moving to Hong Kong, one of our most immediate thoughts was: Start applying for schools now because it is so competitive, said Adam Johnston, managing director with Robert Half Hong Kong Ltd., a unit of staffing firm Robert Half International Inc. and father of 1- and 3-year-old kids.

Yet Singapores secondary schools beat Hong Kongs in the global Program for International Student Assessment, or PISA, ratings. Singapore ranks at the top for math, reading and science. Hong Kong is No. 2 in reading and math, but fell to No. 9 in science in the latest test.

Most young families will also hire a domestic worker to help out. Minimum wage for such workers in Hong Kong is currently about $550 a month, according to the government. Food, health-care and other costs are additional. In Singapore, wages for Filipino maids and nannies are mandated by the Philippine government. As of last year, they were the equivalent of $400 a month. By Eric Lam, Bloomberg
Shops and businesses reopened in India amid confusion Saturday, hours after the government introduced a new nationwide tax that will change the cost of nearly everything people buy, replacing a complicated mix of state and federal taxes.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi heralded the major overhaul of the taxation system  known as the Goods and Services Tax  at a midnight ceremony Friday in Parliament.

The main opposition Congress party and some other parties boycotted the ceremony, arguing that nearly 7 million traders needed more time to prepare for the new system, which requires them to file tax returns every month. The opposition, however, supported the new tax system.

Traders shut shops and businesses as a protest in the Indian portion of Kashmir, where insurgent groups have been fighting for independence from India or the regions merger with neighboring Pakistan since 1989.

This law aims at crushing the economic activities of Kashmir, said Mohammed Yasin Khan, a trade union leader. We will not allow implementation of the GST in the region. Kashmir is otherwise declared a disturbed area. So, legally and logically there cant be implementation of the new system.

Modi said in his speech Friday that the new system would eliminate 500 types of taxes in favor of one tax across the country, a catalyst that would remove trade imbalance and promote exports.

GST is a simple, transparent system that prevents generation of black money and curbs corruption, the prime minister said. The system gives opportunity to honesty and people who do honest business.

Indias chief economic adviser, Arvind Subramanian, was confident that the teething problems would be worked out soon. There will be some hurdles initially, but we will be able to remove them in one or two months, he told reporters.

Most of Indias 29 states have passed local laws to implement the new tax regime, but some have pleaded for more time. The government has dismissed that idea.

First proposed in 2003, the idea was bogged down for years in bipartisan debate, with various governments trying to push it forward while opposition politicians dragged it back. Before Modi and his Bharatya Janata Party came to power three years ago, they were staunchly against the move.

While economists mostly agree that a single, nationwide tax will streamline business, there are concerns about how an economy as unwieldy as Indias will transition to a system that involves filing monthly tax returns online. MDT/AP
With the fight for Mosul in its final stage yesterday, Islamic State militants sent female suicide bombers hidden among fleeing civilians, while Iraqi forces and the U.S.-led coalition unleashed punishing airstrikes and artillery fire that set dozens of buildings ablaze.

At least one Iraqi soldier was killed and five were wounded in the two separate suicide attacks, the military said. On Sunday, a bomber in womens clothing killed 14 people at a camp for displaced residents in Anbar province, a provincial official said. No group claimed responsibility for the attack.

These tactics dont surprise me, said Sgt. Ahmed Fadil, who patrolled Mosuls Old City just 50 meters from the front. The militants have nowhere to go. Theyre trapped, he said.

Yesterdays two suicide bombings against Iraqi soldiers followed three other such attacks by women  some of them teenagers  in the previous two days, said Sgt. Ali Abdullah Hussein.

A soldier displayed the school ID card retrieved from the body of one of the bombers, showing her to be only 15. The photo was of serious young woman in a white hijab and indicated she had studied in Bangladesh.

Most of the people who blew themselves up today are women, said special forces Lt. Col. Salam Hussein. He added that seven women strapped with explosives approached the troops Monday, but thank God, our units stopped [them].

Government troops advancing through the Old City were using rougher tactics to clear the remaining pockets of IS forces.

The tempo of airstrikes was so great yesterday that coalition aircraft couldnt keep up with the requests for air support from Iraqi ground forces. Instead, they sought approval for artillery strikes. Associated Press drone footage showed the result: dozens of buildings burning in the Old City.

While shops have reopened and civilian traffic fills streets in retaken neighborhoods, thick black smoke continued to rise just a few kilometers away from IS-held territory on the bank of the Tigris River that divides Iraqs second-largest city. The area controlled by the militants is less than a square kilometer (less than half a square mile).

Islamic State militants swiftly overran Mosul in 2014. The U.S.-backed offensive to retake the city was launched in October and has proceeded slowly, even though Iraqi political and military officials had vowed to declare victory by the end of 2016.

Iraqi forces began their push to retake the Old City in mid-June. Even though the militants are squeezed into smaller and smaller territory, the danger remains for units like Fadils.

When they heard cries from civilians just around the corner, he and his colleagues rushed their commanding officer to safety into a nearby home that already had been cleared. They yelled at the group of sobbing women and children to hurry past.

Fadil explained the reason for their caution. They cry and then  boom! They explode themselves, he said. The closer we get to victory, the more suicide bombers they will send.

At one screening point, soldiers anxiously held civilians back at gunpoint, shouting at men and boys to strip to their underwear.

Hussein, of the special forces, and a group of about a dozen men searched on foot yesterday for more suicide bombers. An informant pointed out a house occupied by IS fighters.

A soldier kicked in a door, shouted a warning and threw two grenades into the front room. A second soldier stuffed a rag into a plastic jug of gasoline, lit it and threw it inside.

There are some suicide bombers who refuse to leave the houses, so were forced to deal with them with smoke and fire and hand grenades, Hussein said, noting that the troops burned only the basement, not the house.

His men seized five suspected IS fighters, binding their hands with electrical wire and blindfolding them with scraps of cloth. At least one of the five was arrested.

For most of the soldiers in Mosul, the final days of the grueling battle caps more than three years of fighting the militants.

Hassan Ahmed, a soldier with the special forces deployed in the Old City, said he cant deny that the war has changed him. Its like Im heartless  I dont feel anything, he said. But we are still good people. We have mercy. Susannah George, Andrea Rosa, AP
The new party of the Japanese capitals populist governor appeared headed for a thumping victory yesterday over Prime Minister Shinzo Abes scandal-laden ruling party in a closely watched Tokyo assembly election that could alter national politics.

Gov. Yuriko Koikes Tomin First no Kai, or Tokyoites First party, was projected to win up to 50 of the 127 assembly seats, or all of the candidates it fielded, Japanese television stations reported last night after the voting ended.

Abes Liberal Democratic Party, meanwhile, took a beating for recent scandals and an increasingly criticized high-handed approach. It was projected to win only up to 30 seats  down from its current 57, and less than its record low of 38 seats set in 1995 and 2009, according to national broadcaster NHK. The LDP fielded 60 candidates.

Koikes Tomin First party and the Komei party, its new ally and the LDPs longtime coalition partner in parliament, are certain to secure a majority of the assembly seats together, making it easier for Koike to push through her political agenda.

Although official results were not expected until later today, Koike declared victory as she decorated the names of her partys projected winners on a white board with flower-shaped ribbons in the shade of green  her signature color.

We are certain to become the leading party in the assembly, she said, adding that the results had exceeded her expectations. I believe our policies from the perspective of the Tokyo residents won a mandate from voters.

Opinion polls ahead of the election predicted a big win for Koikes party, with Abes Liberal Democrats taking a hit after being buffeted by scandals and gaffes.

The results are very severe, LDP Secretary General Toshihiro Nikai, one of Abes top aides, told reporters. Its the voters judgment and we must take it seriously.

Television footage showed Abe coming out of a restaurant after meeting with top officials from his party last night, but the prime minister briskly walked away, refusing to comment.

The result of the Tokyo assembly election has in the past set the tone for national elections. Koike is rumored to be eyeing a return to parliament to run for prime minister.

A former TV newscaster, Koike became Tokyos first female leader last summer and earned a reformist image after repeatedly clashing with the male-dominated city government. She portrayed the LDP-dominated assembly as a place of murky politics run by an anti-reform old boys club that is interfering with her agenda, including cost-cutting of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. She has approval ratings of about 60 percent.

Koike, 64, had shifted parties until settling with the LDP in 2002 and since held key party and Cabinet posts, including defense minister. She angered party seniors when she abruptly ran for Tokyo governor last year, but did not officially leave the party until last month to head her own. She keeps friendly relations with Abe, prompting speculation that she may eventually run for his job.

Abe had long enjoyed stable approval ratings since taking office in 2012, but he and his party have been hit by a series of scandals in recent months.

Throughout the Tokyo assembly election campaign, Abe stayed behind the scenes, reportedly out of concern that his presence would not help his partys image. On Saturday, when he made his first appearance during a street rally, he faced a big crowd that yelled Step down Abe! Mari Yamaguchi, AP
A dispute between the children of late Singaporean leader Lee Kuan Yew has damaged the countrys reputation and could dent public confidence in the government if it continues, according to his son, Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong.

Lee spoke in parliament yesterday in a bid to lay to rest a spat with his two siblings over the estate of the countrys first prime minister, who died in 2015. Still, in his speech he acknowledged the dispute was unlikely to ever be resolved fully.

I know many Singaporeans are upset by this issue, Lee said. They are tired of the subject, and wish it would end, he said. I too am upset that things have reached this state.

As your prime minister, I deeply regret that this has happened and apologize to Singaporeans for this. As a son, I am pained at the anguish this strife would have caused my parents to feel if they were still alive.

The spat burst into the public eye in the early hours of June 14 when the prime ministers siblings issued a six-page statement on Facebook. Lee Wei Ling and Lee Hsien Yang accused their brother of maneuvering behind the scenes to undermine their fathers instructions to demolish the house he lived in for decades. They also criticized the prime ministers wife, Ho Ching, who is chief executive officer of state investment firm Temasek Holdings Pte.

The tensions have gripped the island state for weeks with tit-for-tat accusations on social media, casting a shadow over Lee and his Peoples Action Party-led government. Still, the PAP has a strong hold on power: It dominates the seats in parliament and increased its share of the popular vote in the last election.

Lee Kuan Yew was prime minister from 1959 to 1990, turning Singapore into Southeast Asias richest nation by opening the island to foreign investors. He ran a tightly controlled state that emphasized incorruptibility and stability. Lee stepped down from the cabinet in 2011.

Lee Hsien Loong said he denied allegations by his siblings of nepotism and attempts to misuse his power.

Regarding the house, and how its continued existence enhances my aura as prime minister, if I needed such magic properties to bolster my authority after thirteen years as prime minister I must be in a pretty sad state, he told parliament. And if Singaporeans believe that such magic works in Singapore, I think Singapore will be in an even sadder state. Krystal Chia, Keith Zhai and Melissa Cheok, MDT/Bloomberg
The 28-year-old Illinois man charged with kidnapping a Chinese scholar now believed to be dead was among a select few admitted to the University of Illinois highly competitive physics graduate program in 2013.

Brendt Allen Christensen originally planned to earn a doctorate degree, but told his graduate adviser in 2016 he had changed his mind, Professor Lance Cooper recalled on Saturday. He didnt say why, and Christensen continued taking classes and teaching as a graduate assistant. He earned his masters degree in mid-May.

Christensen is in federal custody awaiting a court appearance Monday in the June 9 kidnapping of Yingying Zhang, the 26-year-old daughter of a working-class factory driver from China. Weeks ago, Zhang arrived at the university to conduct research in agricultural sciences and planned to begin work on her doctorate in the fall. Her body hasnt been found.

Hong Lei, Chinas general consul in Chicago, visited Zhangs family on Saturday when he expressed condolences. Hong condemned the cruelty by the suspect and urged the U.S. judicial system to hold a fair trial and mete out harsh punishment to the man charged in the case.

A criminal complaint accuses Christensen, of Champaign, Illinois, of abducting Zhang shortly after she stepped off a bus near the university campus. Video from nearby cameras showed Zhang, on her way to sign a lease for an apartment, trying unsuccessfully to flag down another bus. Minutes later, shes seen getting into a black Saturn Astra.

According to an affidavit filed in federal court, Christensen was under surveillance Thursday when agents overheard him explaining he had kidnapped Zhang. Authorities say agents believe Zhang is no longer alive based on that and other facts the investigation uncovered.

The charging document says his smartphone was used to visit an online forum in April called Abduction 101. One of the threads on the forum, which was visited months before Zhang went missing, was entitled, Perfect abduction fantasy. Another was about planning a kidnapping.

Some 5,600 Chinese students are enrolled at the university  more than at any other college in the nation  and Zhangs disappearance fed anxieties of families of Chinese students studying in the U.S.

Meanwhile, the charges came as a shock to some who knew Christensen at the university. Former classmate Souvik Dutta said he was dumbfounded by the news, recalling Christensen as a normal guy and very calm.

According to the criminal complaint, investigators determined 18 vehicles registered in Champaign County were similar to the one Zhang got in. One belonging to Christensen was first seen in an apartment complex parking lot June 12  days after Zhang went missing  and investigators questioned him. The affidavit stated that investigators noted Christensen couldnt recall what he was doing the day Zhang disappeared. They searched the vehicle but didnt remove anything.

Investigators later determined the car in the video had a sunroof and cracked hubcap, like Christensens car, the affidavit states. When investigators interviewed Christensen again, he acknowledged driving around the campus and giving a ride to an Asian woman who said she was late for an appointment. Christensen said the woman panicked after he apparently made a wrong turn and he let her out in a residential area. Christensen was placed under continuous surveillance June 16 and his apartment was searched. On Thursday he was captured on an audio recording explaining how he took Zhang to his apartment and held her against her will, according to the affidavit.

Zhangs father, Ronggao Zhang, traveled to Illinois from Nanping, China, to be closer to the search. On Thursday, he took part in a walk with students and university staff to the corner where his daughter was last seen.

Zhang graduated last year with a masters degree in environmental engineering from one of Chinas elite schools, Peking University Shenzhen Graduate School. Friends and family said she dreamed of one day landing a professorship and helping her parents financially. AP


Qatar said Saturday it doesnt fear any military retaliation for refusing to meet a Monday deadline to comply with a list of demands from four Arab states that have imposed a de-facto blockade on the Gulf nation.

During a visit to Rome, Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani again rejected the demands as an infringement on Qatars sovereignty. He said any country is free to raise grievances with Qatar, provided they have proof, but said any such conflicts should be worked out through negotiation, not by imposing ultimatums.

We believe that the world is governed by international laws, that dont allow big countries to bully small countries, he told a press conference. No one has the right to issue to a sovereign country an ultimatum.

Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates cut diplomatic ties with Qatar earlier this month and shut down land, sea and air links. They issued a 13-point list of demands, including curbing diplomatic ties to Iran, severing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood and shuttering the Al-Jazeera news network. They accuse Qatar of supporting regional terror groups, a charge Qatar denies.

Al Thani rejected the demands and said they were never meant to be accepted.

There is no fear from whatever action would be taken; Qatar is prepared to face whatever consequences, he said. But as I have mentioned there is an international law that should not be violated and there is a border that should not be crossed.

While in Rome, Al Thani met with Foreign Minister Angelino Alfano, who backed the Kuwait-led mediation effort and urged the countries involved in the standoff to abstain from further actions that could aggravate the situation.

He added that he hoped Italian companies could further consolidate their presence in Qatar.

Meanwhile, Qatars stock exchange dropped following an extended holiday closure as the deadline looms.

The benchmark QE Index lost more than 3 percent yesterday before recovering some of its losses later in the trading session to close 2.3 percent down.

The market was last open before the Eid al-Fitr holiday on June 22. That was the day that Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain issued their ultimatum with just 10 days to comply. The countries involved have not detailed what immediate penalties, if any, Qatar will face. MDT/AP

Turkey adamant to keep military base

Qatars defense minister held talks with his Turkish counterpart on Friday as the Gulf nations feud with four other major Arab states deepens amid a sweeping list of demands to Doha, including the closure of a Turkish military base there. Turkey is adamant to keep its base in the small Gulf Arab state and has sided with Qatar in the dispute. In a sign of support, Turkey shipped supplies to Doha to help ease its isolation and swiftly ratified military agreements with Qatar, allowing the deployment of soldiers to its base. A contingent of 23 troops departed for Doha last week, joining some 90 soldiers already there.
In the rugged, herb-scented mountains of northwestern Greece, where the border with Albania is a snaking invisible line, trouble is brewing over tea  the wild herbal variety.

Greek authorities and conservationists say bands of impoverished Albanians are making regular cross-border forays, illegally harvesting donkey-loads of herbs and medicinal plants. They mostly pick mountain tea  also called ironwort  hawthorn and even primrose, but they are also destroying rare and endangered species in the process.

The looters then sell the herbs for export to pharmaceutical or cosmetics companies, a business that nets Albanian wholesalers tens of millions annually.

Its illegal in Greece to pick more than a tiny quantity of wild herbs for personal use in traditional infusions. That ban doesnt exist in Albania, one of Europes poorest nations. But, more significantly, the plants are usually uprooted in the looters haste to pick as much as possible and be off undetected. This stops natural regeneration, threatens delicate ecosystems and leaves entire mountainsides denuded.

Albanians contend the herbs are there and the Greeks dont pick them, so why shouldnt somebody profit?

Christos Toskos, an environmentalist in Greeces Kastoria border area, says the depredations have increased over the past five years, with incursions now coming on a daily basis.

There is very large destruction in areas covering thousands of acres, he said.

Vassilis Filiadis, who grows his own herbs in Kastoria, lamented the fate of an old wild ironwort patch in the Grammos mountains.

It covers about 3 square kilometers. In past years, the mountain tea grew there like a sea. The plants formed waves, he told The Associated Press. I went this year and was shocked, its all been uprooted.

Greeces flora is among the richest in Europe, with about 6,500 native plant species.

In targeted operations over the last few months, Greek police have arrested at least ten Albanians and seized dozens of kilograms of herbs. In one case in late June, three people were caught with 136 kilograms of ironwort loaded on two horses and a donkey.

Albanian exporters pay illegal gatherers up to 6 euros ($6.80) a kilogram for ironwort and 7 euros a kilogram for hawthorn, Greek officials say.

They illegally enter Greece and quickly gather the plants to avoid being seen, said Brigadier-General Panagiotis Ntziovaras, head of police for the border region of western Macedonia.

Those caught have been given suspended prison sentences of one or two months and been deported.

Many poor Albanians are crossing the mountains into Greece this year because of an herb shortage in Albania due to freezing temperatures last winter, said Filip Gjoka, president of Albanias Association of Medicinal & Aromatic Plants and owner of an herb and spice trading company.

He said they sometimes take whole families and camp in the mountains with their horses or mules.

There are a lot of herbs in Greece, where they are not collected due to labor force shortages or lack of interest, Gjoka told the AP. We here collect those herbs, and these people take the risks to support their families. They can bear a few months of jail since there are no other jobs.

In 2016, 24 Albanian companies exported some 17,000 tons of medicinal and aromatic plants and herbs  186 varieties  worth a total of USD40 million. They process only about 30 percent of that amount in five factories and export the rest raw.

The U.S. is a main importer, while others include France, Germany, Spain and even Australia.

Kastoria agriculturalist Dimitris Natos said the international market for herbs, particularly for use in cosmetics and foods, is expanding rapidly.

Annual turnover growth is in the double digits, at around 15 percent, he said.

Gjoka said the Albanian companies employ 10,000 workers and another 80,000 people as independent contractors for whom seasonal herb picking is their only source of income.

Eleni Maloupa, director of Greeces Institute of Breeding and Plant Genetic Resources in Thessaloniki, says some of the 14 kinds of ironwort that grow in Greece are threatened with extinction and there is a blanket ban on their collection, even in small quantities.

She said Greek and Albanian authorities should cooperate to solve the problem, as Greece has already done with neighboring Macedonia.

The increased arrests may perhaps discourage [illegal harvesters] but I believe we should use all available means, such as drones or cameras, to control the border and illegal plant picking, she said. By Costas Kantouris, AP
Cheers and long lines of tourists and locals alike greeted the first day of sales of recreational marijuana on Saturday as Nevada became the fifth state with stores selling pot to the public in a market that is expected to outpace all others in the U.S. thanks to the millions of visitors who flock to Las Vegas each year.

Veteran consumers, first-timers, twenty-somethings and retirees were among those who defied triple-digit temperatures before they made it into stores across the Las Vegas area, some of which opened shortly after midnight and later provided free water, live music, valet parking and coveted promotions on their valuable product. Eager employees guided customers and answered questions from product potency to Nevadas consumption regulations.

Minnesota resident Edgar Rosas Lorenzo on Saturday flew with his family to Sin City for his sisters wedding. But even before he checked in to his hotel, he stopped at a dispensary on the Las Vegas Strip.

Lorenzo, 21, said he learned of the legalization of recreational marijuana in Nevada while he was at the airport waiting for his flight to depart. He drove with his sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law from the rental car facility in Las Vegas straight to the dispensary. They waited in line about 40 minutes before he could buy one-eighth of an ounce of marijuana and hemp wraps.

It was worth the wait. Im going to come get some more tomorrow, Lorenzo said after paying about USD60 in cash at Essence dispensary. It helps me sleep. I get back pain. I have a slipped disk.

Some dispensaries took to social media to spread the word or tried to draw in buyers with special events. Some gave away free marijuana to their first 100 customers, and at least one entered buyers into a raffle for free pot for a year.

Those 21 and older with a valid ID can buy up to an ounce of pot. As of Friday, the state had licensed 44 dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana. Thirty-nine of those shops are in the Las Vegas area.

Tourists  42 million of which stop in Sin City every year  are expected to make nearly two of every three recreational pot purchases in Nevada. But people can only use the drug in a private home as it remains illegal to consume it in public, including the Strip, hotels and casinos. Violators face a $600 fine.

I have yet to figure that out, Lorenzo said of where he will smoke the weed he got at the Essence dispensary, which along with others had stacks of pamphlets stating the regulations in every checkout station.

Meanwhile, Kristin Deneal got in line outside a pot shop at 5:45 a.m., after a different store that opened at midnight closed before she could make a purchase. She brought a folding chair and sat by the door, striking conversations with the security guard and others as the line continued to grow before doors opened at 9 a.m.

Deneal, a Las Vegas resident, said she is elated at being able to legally buy the drug that for decades she has had to buy through acquaintances. Smoking marijuana helps her cope with health conditions while also working a stressful job at a bank, she said.

It looks like they have enough stuff for everyone, its just a question of getting through the door, Deneal, 57, said.

State Sen. Tick Segerblom, one of the main proponents of marijuana legalization in Nevada, made the first purchase at The Source dispensary at a strip mall. Deneal and others followed. An hour after the door opened, at least 80 transactions had been recorded.

Some facilities are in strip malls, while others, in stereotypical Las Vegas fashion, are in neighborhoods shared by strip clubs. Some dispensaries have ATMs inside because they only accept cash transactions for marijuana.

Lorenzo immediately posted photos of his stash on Snapchat. His friends have said theyre jealous and asked where he bought the products, he said, adding that hell plan another trip to Las Vegas specifically to legally purchase marijuana, not to visit the citys world famous casinos. We just got here [] Instead of looking around in Vegas, Im in a dispensary, he said.

In the afternoon, people walking along the Strip seemed to be obeying the states ban on public pot smoking. Recreational marijuana sales began shortly after midnight, just months after voters approved legalization in November, marking the fastest turnaround from the ballot box to retail sales in the country.

Hundreds of people lined up outside dispensaries that opened from 12 a.m. to 3 a.m. and had to turn away customers like Deneal. At Essence on the Strip, people were excited and well-behaved as a lone security guard looked on. A cheer erupted when the doors opened.

Despite the limits on where people can get high and restrictions on where the industry can advertise, dispensaries worked furiously to prepare for the launch. They stamped labels on pot products, stocked up their shelves, added security and installed extra checkout stations.

Nevada joins Colorado, Oregon, Washington and Alaska in allowing adults to buy the drug thats still banned by the federal government.

Ive been living in Vegas for 15 years, and I keep missing the cities that legalize marijuana and edibles. So Im happy that its here now, said Babs Daitch, who was waiting in line. Regina Garcia Cano,John Locher, AP
Venezuelas chief prosecutor asked the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for protection Friday, days after the Supreme Court barred her from leaving the country and ordered her bank accounts frozen.

Tensions between Luisa Ortega Diaz and President Nicolas Maduros socialist administration have been steadily escalating since she contested a Supreme Court decision in late March that dissolved the opposition-controlled National Assembly and sparked a deadly wave of unrest.

Since then, she has become one of the few critical voices within the government  other than the sidelined congress  challenging Maduros push to rewrite the constitution and pressing charges against officers responsible for deaths during anti-government protests.

On Friday, Ortega Diazs office announced it was summoning the chief of Venezuelas feared Sebin intelligence agency, Gustavo Gonzalez, to appear on suspicion of committing grave and systemic violations of human rights.

Prosecutors said they are investigating incidents of illegitimate detentions, arbitrary raids and cases in which people have remained imprisoned despite court orders that they be freed.

Maduro responded hours later by promoting Gonzalez to head the nations army. He called Gonzalez and Antonio Benavides Torres, another high-ranking official under investigation by the state prosecutor, brave patriots.

They have defended the peace of the republic and have all my support, Maduro said.

The developments capped perhaps the most turbulent week yet in Ortega Diazs struggle to assert her offices authority in a country where nearly every branch of the federal government is filled with Maduro allies.

Earlier this week, the government-stacked Supreme Court ruled that a number of responsibilities long the exclusive jurisdiction of the state prosecutors office would also be assigned to the pro-government public ombudsmans office. The decision was drafted as a rogue police pilot flew a stolen helicopter over the Supreme Court, dropping several grenades and fleeing.

Ortega Diaz announced on Twitter she was seeking the protection of the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights for all workers at the state prosecutors office, but provided no further details.

The Washington-based body, which is an agency of the Organization of American States, is responsible for protecting human rights throughout the hemisphere. It did not respond to a request for comment.

In recent weeks, Maduro and his allies have stepped up their criticism of the prosecutor.

Vice President Tareck El Aissami told state broadcaster VTV on Friday that Ortega Diaz acts like a militant for the opposition. He said the Supreme Courts restrictions on her movements were warranted. They are necessary measures of justice, he said.

Ortega Diaz is a longtime supporter of the socialist government installed by the late President Hugo Chavez, whom she frequently quotes in defending positions that run counter to Maduros own assertions. More recently, however, she has become a thorn in the presidents side as he attempts to proceed with a constitution rewrite that she has roundly dismissed.

I dont recognize these decisions, she said this week in denouncing the Supreme Courts move to allow the ombudsman to carry out criminal investigations. I will defend Venezuelas constitution and democracy even if it costs me my life.

Three months of political upheaval in Venezuela triggered by the March Supreme Court decision have left at least 77 people dead, hundreds injured and thousands detained. On Friday, opposition leaders denounced the detention of more than a dozen student protesters who were loaded into the back of a truck as tear gas launched nearby drifted into the vehicle and the doors were closed.

Demonstrators are demanding new elections, but Maduro has vowed instead to resolve the crisis by convoking a special assembly to rewrite the constitution. The election is slated to take place in late July though polls indicate it has little public support. MDT/AP

Pope urges end to violence

Pope Francis is calling for an end to the violence at Venezuelas anti-government protests and is expressing solidarity with families of those killed. Francis led thousands in prayer yesterday for Venezuela as he noted the country is to mark its independence on Wednesday. He said: I assure this dear nation of my prayers and express my closeness to the families who have lost their children in the street protests. I appeal for an end to the violence and for a peaceful and democratic solution to the crisis. The Vatican sponsored a dialogue last year that failed. Recently, Venezuelan bishops have travelled to the Vatican and briefed Francis on their criticism of President Nicolas Maduros authoritarian bent.
QATAR Arab nations isolating Qatar extended a deadline yesterday for the energy rich country to respond to their demands by another 48 hours, allowing its top diplomat to carry a handwritten response to Kuwaits ruler in an effort to end the diplomatic crisis. Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Bahrain already have plans to meet in Cairo to discuss their next moves.

PHILIPPINES Military officials said yesterday that militants aligned with the Islamic State group who seized parts of a southern city forced hostages to loot millions in cash, firearms, ammunition, gold and jewelry from houses and business establishments.

THAILAND Fearful that Thailands new labor rules will get them into trouble, tens of thousands of migrant workers are returning to neighboring Myanmar, Cambodia and Laos, causing hardship to themselves and their Thai employers.

JAPAN Prime Minister Shinzo Abes scandal-laden ruling party scrambled yesterday to control damage from an embarrassing defeat in Tokyo municipal elections, but experts said the stunning result could mean the beginning of the end to Abes long reign.

CHINA-RUSSIA Chinese President Xi Jinping has arrived in Russia for talks focusing on expanding cooperation with Moscow just as tensions have flared up in U.S.-China ties. Moscow and Beijing will sign dozens of agreements to deepen their cooperation during Xis two-day trip.

SYRIA A top Syrian official says the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons refused to visit key sites linked to a nerve gas attack, casting doubt on the international monitors credibility.

GERMANY A bus carrying German senior citizens on vacation crashed into a truck yesterday on a highway in Bavaria and burst into flames, killing 18 people and injuring 30 others, some seriously, officials said.

FRANCE President Emmanuel Macron has announced Europe-wide public conferences later this year in an effort to reinvigorate the European Union after Britains vote to leave.

PORTUGAL Nine Portuguese firefighters were injured yesterday while tackling two wildfires near where 64 people died in a forest blaze last month, emergency services said.

BRAZIL Police say they have captured a major drug lord known as White Head who used plastic surgeries to help him evade authorities for nearly three decades. Authorities seized about USD10 million worth of the drug lords assets, including planes, properties and luxury cars.
Lean hog futures shot over 90 cents per pound for the first time since 2014, a move that could hit backyard grillers in the gut going into the Fourth of July weekend.

Prices have more than doubled over the last eight months as pork exports to foreign buyers have soared, especially to major buyers Mexico and South Korea. There had been concerns that President Donald Trumps desire to restrict foreign trade could hurt U.S. exports, but for now, global buyers are clamoring for bacon, chops, and ribs.

To meet the rising demand, U.S. hog producers have expanded their herds to record levels and are poised to expand further. Producers continue to increase their number of breeding sows, which are now rearing an average of 10.55 piglets per litter. The rising efficiency of U.S. hog operations has allowed fewer producers to make more pork for an increasingly meat-hungry globe.

Copper streaks skyward

The red metal has been heating up, trading to a two-month high on Friday morning near $2.70 per pound. Copper prices have been rising on increasing demand from China, the worlds largest copper consumer.

Global supplies were restricted earlier this year by a workers strike at the worlds largest copper mine in Chile. Now, workers at the second-largest mine in the world in Indonesia are on strike as well, but the mine is continuing to produce at its normal pace.

As a sidenote for fireworks enthusiasts, copper is the metal used in the brilliant blue explosions you may enjoy this week.

Wheat springs

to new high

Prices for wheat continued exploding higher this week, led by Minneapolis spring wheat, which hit a three-year high on Friday.

The spring wheat crop is especially threatened by widespread drought in the northern Great Plains, where that wheat is predominantly planted. Temperatures next week could soar over 100 degrees in North Dakota, exacerbating crop stress in the largest spring wheat producing state.

On Friday morning, the USDA released its most recent data on U.S. crop plantings this year, which showed substantially less spring wheat planted than expected.

Minneapolis wheat is especially prized for its protein content, and threats to this years production are giving that crop an increasingly large premium over the Kansas City and Chicago wheat contracts. As of midday Friday, Minneapolis wheat traded as high as $7.80 per bushel, while KC and Chicago wheat topped out near $5.10.
VALE, Ore.  Its taken longer than many anticipated, but the beef market has finally arrived.

We ought to be feeling pretty good about where prices have been, said John Nalivka, owner of Sterling Marketing based in Vale, Ore.

Cattle herd expansion starting in 2015 meant high numbers of cattle were placed on feed last fall. Based on those numbers and projected demand, most analysts began predicting significantly lower cattle prices this spring. Nalivka was among that cadre when he spoke at the Idaho Cattle Associations annual convention last fall.

I dont think the supply situation that exists today is any surprise to any one, he said. Based on placements last fall, we knew we would see the bulk of those cattle coming out in late May and into June.

But what Nalivka and others hadnt counted on was continued demand from both domestic and export consumers. Plus a bit of help from Mother Nature.

Through the end of April, export demand remains 20 percent higher than the previous years sales. As a result of that strong demand, feedlots were pushing cattle through fast enough to keep cattle current even back to the beginning of the year.

Harsh winter conditions across much of the U.S. reduced cattle performance and consequently slaughter weights. So far, the year-to-date slaughter is up 6 percent over 2016 and production is up 4 percent, the amount of beef available for sale did not appreciably increase.

If we put last years weights on those numbers, we wouldnt have had the prices we did, Nalivka said. Now we are at the point that the market is becoming what we all expected about three months ago. We have arrived.

Live cattle prices (Nalivka tracks the Oklahoma live market) have dropped from $1.36 per hundredweight to $1.20 per hundredweight since Memorial Day. He is expecting prices to drop to the low teens by September or October. If export demand remains strong, live cattle prices could get back to the mid to upper teens by the end of the year. He is looking for an average price of $1.14 to $1.15 per hundredweight for steers in 2017, quite a bit better than last years average price.

One of the statistics Nalivka tracks is total meat production. In 2007, a record 222 pounds per capita of beef, pork and poultry was produced in the U.S. Over the next seven years, low meat prices helped cut production by 10 percent to 202 lbs. per American in 2014. But Nalivka anticipates production reaching 218 pounds this year and surpassing the previous record next year.

The weight of that production is what makes export markets so important and the reopening of the Chinese market to American beef so critical. Since the market reopened, some beef shipments have been made but the criteria are stringent and not all commercial producers will be able to take advantage of the opportunity. In 2016, China imported beef products (mostly from Australia) worth up to $2.5 billion.

Beef exported to China must be derive from cattle born, raised and slaughtered in the U.S. and must be traceable to the farm of birth. Only beef derived from cattle less than 30 months of age can be shipped. China bans the use of growth promotants, feed additives and chemical compounds, and will conduct residue testing at port of entry.

China closed its borders to American beef in 2003 when the U.S. investigated a case of bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) from an imported dairy cow. Until that point, the U.S. supplied up to 70 percent of Chinas beef.

Even though the reopening of the Chinese market is largely psychological right now, the prospect of moving more beef to China will help alleviate what is expected to be large numbers in the future.

Although Nalivka is seeing signs that the current beef herd expansion may be cut short. Cow and heifer slaughter are both up 10 percent over a year ago.

Producers had held onto older cows when prices were strong in 2014 and 2015, but those cows have reached the end of their productivity. Producers also cull cows that dont have a calf and many cows lost their calves last winter. Drought in the Dakotas is also forcing producers to cull more heavily than they planned.

Overall, if feedlots can keep weights down and keep moving cattle moving  and if export demand remains strong  Nalivka expects a fairly decent year for cattle producers. But that is subject to change as the first half of this year has already proven.

If we put last years weights on those numbers, we wouldnt have had the prices we did. Now we are at the point that the market is becoming what we all expected about three months ago. We have arrived. John Nalivka, owner of Vale, Ore-based Sterling Marketing
RUPERT (AP)  Most people go to Hawaii for vacation; Derek Whitesides travels to Hawaii to work.

Several years ago, the Whitesides  Derek and his father Steve  made the move to expand their Idaho dairies and ended up in an unlikely location: on Hawaiis Big Island.

We went to Hawaii because we wanted to be out of the competitive Idaho market, Derek Whitesides said. We also wanted to help Hawaii become more sustainable with their agriculture. Currently, only 20 percent of the milk consumed in Hawaii is actually produced in Hawaii, the rest of it is shipped in by boat from the mainland.

He said that Hawaiian locals know that if there were an interruption in the food chain, they would have at most two days supply on the shelves of the local stores; its one of the prices they pay to live in an island paradise.

Weve had a lot of support from the state of Hawaii Department of Agriculture, Derek Whitesides said. Not everyone in Hawaii is supportive, but people in Hawaii realize the importance of local agriculture and there isnt a ton of that.

He said that people are very aware of the dairy and will drive by to look at the cows, as there arent many cows on the islands. They also seem to be more aware of changing markets.

Weve done research in our marketing efforts and we look for all of the positives, Derek Whitesides said. The biggest thing we can do is be honest. People want to know if we are GMO-free and whether we are pasture-based. Things are more dynamic here with a changing market.

He said that there used to be a lot more dairies on the islands  over 30. There also used to be more processing plants, but currently there are only two Meadow Gold plants and another one that the Whitesides are building near their dairy where they will process and bottle their own fresh milk and eventually will expand to make butter and cheese.

Everything produced on the Big Island will stay on the Big Island to process, Derek Whitesides said. We currently have 1,400 cows, but have the capacity to expand to about 2,000 cows.

When the Whitesides originally purchased the dairy, many management decisions were being made differently. They culled out a lot of the original herd and flew in replacement heifers from one of their Idaho dairies to improve the herd. They also went from being pasture-based to free stalls when they realized that the cows werent thriving on the wet grass, and that was a bit of a learning curve.

It rains almost 150 inches every year and that was pretty tough on our cows, Derek Whitesides said. So we built in free stalls, but most of our heifers are still out on pasture full time although they have several shelters they can get under.

Instead of sand, they use compost to keep the cows dry  using sand was too expensive, even for an island dairy. They faced an additional challenge when working out a feeding ration for the cows as they can grow corn year round on the island, but end up shipping in hay and grain from the mainland.

There was another challenge. In Idaho, dairy feed consultants, lactation consultants and veterinarians abound, but in Hawaii not so much. They also had to install high-velocity, low-speed fans to combat the amount of humidity in the air, choosing the most efficient ones on the market due to electricity costing 32 cents per kilowatt rather than the 6 cents they have in Idaho.

Its been a big learning curve, Whitesides said.

While most commodities on the island cost a lot more than on the mainland, it also provides an opportunity to sell their milk for more than $6 per gallon. With one of the only two dairies on the Big Island people tend to know where their milk comes from.

Their Idaho operation has stayed relatively stable during their Hawaii expansion process and they continue milking about 6,500 cows at three locations  two with open lots and one free stall. They have looked at upgrading to robotics, but are still finishing their projects in Hawaii so that will remain on hold for the time being.

Im not sure we will ever be finished, Whitesides said with a grin.

Weve done research in our marketing efforts and we look for all of the positives. The biggest thing we can do is be honest. People want to know if we are GMO-free and whether we are pasture-based. Things are more dynamic here (in Hawaii) with a changing market. Derek Whitesides, Rupert dairyman
The Independent Record reports 21-year-old Skyler T. Schneider of Helena was arrested on suspicion of deliberate homicide and tampering with evidence.

The shooting was reported just before midnight on Saturday. The woman was found in a car outside a residence. She was taken to the hospital where she died about two hours later. Her name hasn't been released.
According to Idaho State Police, the unidentified youth driving a 2002 Chevy Silverado was eastbound on 3300 South between Jerome and Wendell when he failed to negotiate a turn near 2277 East. He ran off the road, over-corrected and rolled. The vehicle came to rest in the center of the roadway.
TWIN FALLS  Debra Bradley smiled as she watched construction activity outside the window of her womens clothing boutique, HiPs.

The contractors have been doing a good job with dust abatement, she said. Communication has flowed smoothly. And the construction site at the end of the day has been neat and tidy.

But shes ready for things to be back to normal. Bradleys was the second block of Main Avenue to be torn up, and the shop hasnt seen the same foot traffic since. Shes been scraping by to make rent.

I wish it was done, Bradley said. I just wish it was done.

Main Avenue reconstruction is about a week behind schedule on the first block from Gooding to Shoshone streets, but the Urban Renewal Agency says the project will still be finished by late October as planned.

The first block of the $6.45 million project got a late start in April while the Urban Renewal Agency waited on some design changes, URA Executive Director Nathan Murray said.

Since then, theres been a few hiccups in the work.

The first block is always going to be the most difficult because thats when you learn from your mistakes, Murray said. I believe theyre going to be out of that block by July 10.

What complicated the work was several basement unloading areas  including some old coal chutes  beneath the sidewalks. Although anticipated, they were larger than expected, so contractors had to design and engineer the sidewalk to ensure it wouldnt fail, Murray said.

The second block between Fairfield and Gooding streets is scheduled to be finished sometime in July. Meanwhile, once the first block is complete, contractors will be able to begin demolition on the next phase, east of Shoshone Street.

This part of the project has changed. Main Avenue merchants from Shoshone Street to Idaho Street have asked the construction of their two blocks be done simultaneously.

The two blocks do kind of flow together, Murray said. It might save us a little bit of time.

During construction, portions of the sidewalk will be closed at times. Signs along the pathways will direct pedestrians, he said.

Parking is available behind those Main Avenue businesses, accessible via the Second Avenues. The URA also plans to clear its staging area in the parking lot along Second Avenue North between Gooding and Fairfield streets. The lot will be chip sealed and striped to help people know where to park, he said.

Once the first block from Shoshone to Gooding Street is complete, it will be open to vehicles. Some landscaping and light posts will begin to appear soon after.

About a half dozen parking spaces have been removed in front of several businesses to make way for extended sidewalks for festival seating. Restaurants are already making use of the extended outdoor seating.

Across the street, Tom Ashenbrener, who owns Rudys  A Cooks Paradise, said more than half of his customers use the back entrance to his store. Hes lost about 20 percent of customers during construction, but his overall sales increased slightly.

Overall, hes pleased with how reconstruction is shaping up.

Weve been through one of these before, and that one was way worse than this one, he said.
Twin Falls Senior Citizen Center

530 Shoshone St. W., Twin Falls. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors 60 and older; $6, non-seniors; $3, children 9 and younger. Other items: cinnamon roll, $2; coffee 50 cents; soup to go, $3; lunch to go, $5.50. For lunch take-out, 11 a.m. to noon daily: 208-734-5084.

Today: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Polish sausage

Thursday: Fried chicken

Friday: Barbecued pork sandwich

Wednesday: Cinnamon roll sales, 7:30 a.m.

Quilting, 9 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof, 10:30 a.m., free

Alliance Home Health conducts blood pressure checks, 11:30 a.m.

Patient Financial Navigator Foundation presentation on the upcoming Medicare 101 community outreach boot camp, 12:15 p.m.

Tai Chi exercise, 1 p.m., free

Bridge, 1 p.m.

Laughter Therapy, 5:30 p.m.

Thursday: Organ music by Pat Blessin, 11:30 a.m.

Thunder Thursday game, 11:50 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Hand and foot canasta, 1 p.m.

Art classes, 3:30 and 6:30 p.m.

Ladies AA, 6 p.m.

Friday: Quilting, 9 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof, 10:30 a.m., free

Book signing with local author Ruth Simerly, 11 a.m.

Bingo, 11:45 a.m.

Tai Chi exercise, 1 p.m., free

Art class, 1:30 p.m.

Saturday: Fundraising breakfast, all-you-can-eat stuffed French toast, ham, link sausage; 8 to 10 a.m., cost is $7; music by Marla Garrett

Pioneer Button Club, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Sunday: ACBL Unit 400 bridge, noon

West End Senior Citizens Inc.

1010 Main St., Buhl. Lunch at noon, suggested donation: $5, seniors, 60 and older; $7, non-seniors; $7 for take-out dinners; and $4, children 10 and younger. Sunday buffet at 1 p.m.: $5, seniors, 60 and older; $7, non-seniors; $4, children 10 and younger. Bus for lunch pickup: 208-543-4577 by 10:30 a.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.

Today: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Breakfast, biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, 8 to 10 a.m.

Thursday: Fried chicken

Sunday: Cube steak with mushroom gravy

Wednesday: SilverSneakers, 10:30 a.m.

Bingo, early bird starts at 6:45 p.m., doors open at 5:30 p.m.

Filer Senior Haven

222 Main St., Filer. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5. 208-326-4608.

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Taco salad

Thursday: Marsala chicken

Wednesday: Puzzles, 11:30 a.m.

Thursday: Puzzles, 11:30 a.m.

Bingo, 12:45 p.m.

Cards, 1:30 p.m.

Ageless Senior Center

310 Main St. N., Kimberly. Salad bar at 11:30 a.m., lunch served at noon; take-out; home delivery. Seniors 60 and older, suggested donation is $6, under 60, $7.50 (not donations); meals to go, $7.50. 208-423-4338.

Wednesday: Hot roast beef sandwich

Thursday: Fried cod

Friday: Roast turkey and dressing

Today: Exercise, 10 a.m.

Wednesday: Exercise, 10 a.m.

Thursday: Crafts, 1 p.m.

Snooker, 1 p.m.

Friday: Exercise, 10 a.m.

Class of 1957 reunion in back room, 11:30 a.m.

Gooding Senior Citizen Center

308 Senior Ave., Gooding. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $3.50 for seniors. 208-934-5504.

Today: Turkey tetrazzini

Tuesday: No meal

Wednesday: Breaded fish fillets

Thursday: Roast beef

Today: Pool, 9:30 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Fit and Fall Proof exercise, 11 a.m.

Pinochle, 12:30 p.m.

Wednesday: Pool, 9:30 a.m.

Fit and Fall Proof, 11 a.m.

Open pool, 1 a.m.

Shuffleboard, 2:30 p.m.

Thursday: Morning out, 9 a.m.

Pool, 9:30 a.m. and 1 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Friday: Pool, 9:30 a.m.

Bingo, 6 p.m.

Saturday: Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Wendell Senior Center

380 First Ave. E. Lunch served at noon. Suggested donation: $4 for seniors; $6 for under 60. 208-536-9951.

Menu not available

Hagerman Valley Senior and Community Center

140 E. Lake, Hagerman. The center is open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors 60 and older; $7, non-seniors. All take-outs, $6. 208-837-6120.

Today: Barbecued pork sandwich, picnic

Wednesday: Spaghetti

Friday: Salmon

Today: Blood draws (by doctors order), 8 to 10:30 a.m.

50/50 raffle and Bridge Club, 1 p.m.

Friday: Two bingo games

Jerome Senior Center

520 N. Lincoln St., Jerome. 208-324-5642. Salad bar at 11:30 a.m.; lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors (age 60 and older); $5, non-seniors; $3, children under 12.

Today: Stroganoff with egg noodles

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Fish or chicken

Thursday: Tacos

Friday: Pork chops

Today: Fitness classes with certified instructors, 10:30 a.m. and 5:20 p.m.

Music by Ricki Lee, 11:30 a.m.

Bridge, 12:30 p.m.

Bunco, 12:45 p.m.

Wednesday: Fitness class, 10:30 a.m.

Country Boys Band, 11:30 a.m.

Stitch in Time, 1 p.m.

Womens pool, 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 6:30 p.m.

Square dancing

Thursday: Yoga, 10:30 a.m.

Freewill Baptist lunch

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Hand and foot, 1 p.m.

Fitness class, 5:20 p.m.

Womens pool, 7 p.m.

Friday: Fitness class, 10:30 a.m.

Music by the Fiddlers at lunch

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Bingo, 6 p.m., doors open at 5 p.m.

Silver and Gold Senior Center

210 E. Wilson, Eden. Lunch at noon Tuesday and Thursday. Breakfast at 8 a.m. Wednesday. Suggested donation: $5, seniors (age 60 and older); $6.50, non-seniors. 208-825-5662.

Today through Friday: Closed

Richfield Senior Center

130 S. Main, Richfield. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors; $5.50, under 60.

Today: Closed

Thursday: Hamburgers with toppings

Golden Years Senior Citizens Inc.

218 N. Rail St. W., Shoshone. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors 60 and older; $5.50, non-seniors. 208-886-2369.

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Hamburgers with toppings

Friday: Macaroni and cheese with ham

Today: Quilting, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Tuesday: Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Friday: Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Camas County Senior Center

129 Willow Ave. W., Fairfield. Breakfast, 7:30-11 a.m. Monday through Friday. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $4, seniors 60 and older; $5, non-seniors; $2.50, children 10 and younger. 208-764-2226.

Today: Breakfast, 7:30-11 a.m.

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Beef rocks wiener wraps

Friday: Meatloaf

Wednesday: Exercise class, 9 a.m.

Cards after lunch

Weight loss group, 4 p.m.

Thursday: Art class, 10 a.m.

Friday: Exercise class, 9 a.m.

Quilting, 10 a.m.

Cards after lunch

Saturday: Breakfast, 8 to 10 a.m.

Blaine County Senior Center

721 Third Ave. S., Hailey. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors; $7, non-seniors. 208-788-3468.

Menu not available

Minidoka County Senior Citizens Center

702 11th St., Rupert. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors; $6, non-seniors; $3, children 10 and younger; $4.50, home delivery. 208-436-9107.

Monday: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Baked spaghetti

Thursday: Shepherds pie

Friday: Ribs and salad bar

The Senior Junction

2421 Overland Ave., Burley. Lunch at noon. Suggested donation: $5, seniors and children 12 and younger; $6, non-seniors.208-878-8646.

Today: Closed

Tuesday: Closed

Wednesday: Tacos

Thursday: Potato bar with hamburger gravy, cheese and broccoli

Friday: Spaghetti

Wednesday: Open billiards, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Chair yoga, 10:45 a.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Thursday: Art with Shirley, 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 6 p.m.

Friday: Open billiards, 9 a.m. and 1 p.m.

Pinochle, 1 p.m.

Lorna Reed Senior Center

424 Market St., Albion. Open Wednesdays, 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.; lunch at noon. Suggested donation, $5 seniors, $6 non-seniors. Take-out available ($8.50), call by 11:30 a.m. 208-673-6210.

Wednesday: Closed
Blood drives

The American Red Cross will hold blood drives this week in Twin Falls and Gooding.

Blood donation opportunities will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Wednesday in the College of Southern Idaho Student Union Building, 315 Falls Ave., Twin Falls; and 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday at the War Memorial Building, 203 Third Ave. W., Gooding.

Donors of all bloods types are needed. To schedule an appointment to donate, use the free blood donor app, visit redcrossblood.org or call 800-733-2767. Completion of a RapidPass online health history questionnaire is encouraged.

Laughter exercise

Laughter therapy class, 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Wednesdays at the Twin Falls Senior Center, 530 Shoshone St. W., with Mary Martinat, a retired physical education instructor.

Learn how laughing can help relieve stress, improve your immune system and breathing, and relieve pain.

Free. 208-734-5084.

Seniors wellness

Medicare 101, Social Security Benefits, and Assistance for Seniors, a community outreach boot camp sponsored by Patient Financial Navigator Foundation Inc., 12:30 to 5 p.m. Thursday at the College of Southern Idaho Fine Arts Building, 315 Falls Ave, Twin Falls.

The program is free and all ages are invited to attend.

Grief support

Visions of Hope meeting, 5 p.m. every Thursday at Hospice Visions, 1770 Park View Drive, Twin Falls.

This grief support group is open to everyone in the community.

Information: 208-735-0121.

Mental health support

Mental Health Support Group will meet at 5:30 p.m. Thursdays at 826 Eastland Drive in Twin Falls. The free support group is open to Magic Valley residents.

Information: 208-539-7492.

CPR, first aid

St. Lukes Magic Valley Education Department is offering a Heartsaver CPR, First Aid and AED class, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday at the Learning Center, 840 Meadows Suite 2, Twin Falls.

The course provides training for cardiopulmonary resuscitation and first aid and using an automated external defibrillator.

Cost is $60 and pre-registration is required: 208-814-9050.

Childbirth

St. Lukes Magic Valley prepared childbirth boot camp, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Saturday in the Oak Room at St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls. This session is for those unable to attend the five-week prepared childbirth classes.

Topics: wellness during pregnancy; labor process with relaxation and breathing techniques; videos of deliveries and labor positions; and care of the postpartum mother and newborn. Bring a labor support person if possible.

Cost is $25 and pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

Breastfeeding

Free Breastfeeding 101 class, 7 p.m. July 10 in Oak Room 4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

The class is for new mothers and breastfeeding mothers wanting to review their skills. Babies and your support person are welcome.

Free; pre-registration is required, 208-814-0402.

Tobacco cessation

South Central Public Health District is offering free adult tobacco cessation classes in Twin Falls, Gooding and Shoshone.

The Freedom From Smoking classes are designed to help those wanting to stop using tobacco.

The free program will be available from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Tuesdays, July 11 through Aug. 8, at the health districts Gooding office, 255 N. Canyon Drive.

In Twin Falls, the classes will be held from 1 to 2 p.m. Wednesdays, July 12 through Aug. 9, at the Wellness Tree Clinic, 173 Martin St.; and 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, July 13 through Aug. 10, at the health district office, 1020 Washington St. N., on the College of Southern Idaho campus.

The course will be from 6 to 7 p.m. Tuesdays, Aug. 22 through Sept. 19, at the Shoshone Family Medical Center, 113 S. Apple St.

To register, contact Cody Orchard at 208-737-5968. Information: phd5.idaho.gov/tobacco.

Happy babies

Happiest Baby on the Block class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. July 11 in Oak Room 204 on the lower level of St. Lukes, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

Learn a step-by-step approach to soothing your baby, and receive a parenting kit to use at home.

Cost is $15; pre-registration is required: 208-814-0402.

CPR, infant safety

Infant safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation class, 6:30 to 9 p.m. July 12 in Oak Rooms 2-4 on the lower level of St. Lukes Magic Valley Medical Center, 801 Pole Line Road W., Twin Falls.

New parents, grandparents and caregivers learn CPR and what to do if an infant chokes. The class isnt a certification course.

Free; no registration required. 208-814-0402.

Grief support

A 13-week series of Griefshare meetings will be held at 6:30 p.m. Thursdays, July 13 through Oct. 5, at Lighthouse Church, 960 Eastland Drive, Twin Falls.

Anyone who has lost a loved one or friend is welcome to attend. A separate class for pre-teen and teens will meet at the same time. Participants can attend any session. Enter through the east doors at the rear of the building.

Information: 208-737-4667.
It seems clear, at this point, that the White House would prefer not to hold regular press briefings. But President Donald Trump and his aides do not want to be the ones to pull the plug. They want journalists to do it.

The White House is playing a game of chicken with the media, making the briefing situation so untenable that reporters might bail first. If successful, Team Trump will achieve its desired outcome while avoiding the blame.

The apparent strategy has three prongs:

Turn off the cameras

Eight of the last 11 briefings have been held off camera, including Fridays. The White House also banned live audio broadcasts of those sessions.

This is the new normal, and it makes for lousy television. Cable news networks initially aired audio recordings on delay, under still images, but quickly abandoned the degraded productions.

Stop answering questions

A month ago, the White House said it would refer all questions about the special counsel-led investigation of Russian election meddling to Trumps private attorneys. On other subjects, too, White House spokesmen increasingly say they dont know the answers or havent asked the president.

During an off-camera briefing on Monday, White House press secretary Sean Spicer said the administrations theme of the week would be energy dominance.

What does energy dominance mean? a reporter asked.

Well, I think well continue to talk about that throughout the week, Spicer replied. He proceeded with a vague answer about our ability to now export and our ability to maximize our natural resources and create jobs. Pressed for details, Spicer delivered none.

I think it means a lot of things, he said. I mean, just the ability to now be an exporter helps us in economic ways, but then obviously there is a political aspect to this.

Even on the topic that the White House supposedly wanted to make a focal point, Spicer had little information to share.

The White House appears to be trying to turn briefings into such low-value events that reporters will stop showing up.

The White House press secretary is getting to a point where hes just kind of useless, CNNs Jim Acosta said on the air after an unproductive briefing last week. If he cant come out and answer the questions, and theyre just not going to do this on camera or audio, why are we even doing these briefings or these gaggles in the first place?

Show the media at its worst

The White House picked two days this week to hold briefings on camera: Tuesday, the day after three CNN journalists resigned following a retraction, and Thursday, the day that Trump tweeted a sexist attack on MSNBCs Mika Brzezinski.

These are not coincidences.

The retraction and resignations at CNN created a prime opportunity for the White House to rip the media, and deputy press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders certainly took it. Without evidence, she accused the press of outright fabrication and said if the media cant be trusted to report the news, then thats a dangerous place for America.

A couple days later, Trumps tweets about Brzezinski set the scene for a circuslike event, which is how the White House has been trying to characterize briefings, in general. Questions about the presidents tweets dominated the session, and some reporters were visibly offended. That was perfectly understandable, but the optics likely helped the White House make its case that journalists use the briefings to grandstand:

See? Theyre not interested in policies or hard-working Americans. They just talk about themselves and ask the same questions over and over.

The White House seems to be trying to drive journalists toward the following conclusion: Briefings are bad TV, hardly informative and make us look petty. Lets stop going.

Axios co-founder Mike Allen argued on Thursday that reporters should do just that.

The White House strategy is working.
Last week attendees at the Association of Idaho Cities heard a presentation about a Boise-specific project that could have impacts throughout the state: The effort to designate Gowen Field at Boise as a training mission site for the F-35 Air Force aircraft.

The states national guard unit at Gowen would supply manpower for the effort. While Gowen is located at Boise, Mayor David Bieter and a state Department of Commerce spokesman pointed out the economic effects of the added mission at the airfield, which would run to many millions of dollars and added employment, could ripple throughout southern Idaho.

The contest to house the F-35 mission is not over; five cities are in the running (the others are Jacksonville, Florida; Detroit, Michigan; Madison, Wisconsin; and Montgomery, Alabama), and two will be chosen. They would replace the A-10 Warthogs, at least some of which are going away. There is some concern about what might happen if Boise misses out; Gowen employs 1,300 people and facilities associated with it employ more. Theres a lot at stake here, since the worst-case scenario might include a shutdown if no new Air Force mission is assigned. An F-35 assignment, on the other hand, might lead to significant expansions. The final decision will be made by the secretary of the Air Force in Washington.

So the Boise and state of Idaho interest in the F-35 is understandable.

The presentation to the cities officials covered these points and others, but it seemed to elide one aspect of the discussion around the proposal: The mixed reaction to it locally. The pitch at the meeting took the basic approach that support for the expansion is stronger than many people think. But that hints at the fact of significant opposition out there. And it is significant.

Some of the most visible comes from David Frazier, whose website Boise Guardian has been tracking the citys press for the assignmentcritically. Noise (the two sides hotly dispute the amount and quality of it), economic impact and other issues are factors, but Fraziers biggest complaint may be that the city hasnt much engaged those Boiseans who are in opposition.

Last week a Guardian article said that, With more than 200 residents attending a Tuesday meeting, its fair to say opposition to the F-35 being based at Gowen Field is growing. Citizens packed the public meeting room at the Main Library to hear speakers discuss the ramifications of basing the F-35 at Gowen Field. Although invited by the sponsoring, Citizens For A Livable Boise group, no one from the city of Boise or the Idaho Air National Guard attended.

He and some others in opposition say that while the city and state have promoted the F-35 project to any number of associations, from cities to realtors, Boiseans irritated about it have had trouble getting the citys ear.

This could be an issue for the advocates sinceas was pointed out at the cities associationlocal support for the expansion is a factor the Air Force considers when making its assignments.

The point here is not to take a side on whether the F-35s should come to Boise. But it is to suggest that if advocates want to improve their odds of attracting it, a little more community outreach to the opposition might be helpful.